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Home tools Buyer's Guides from tech enthusiast who loves technology and clever solutions for better living.
Best home water test kit 2018 – [Buyer's Guide]Last Updated October 1, 2020
Hi! My name is Norman Ryan. After 54 hours of research including speaking with consultants and experts, and plenty of parents and 18 hours spent testing 10 home water test kit, I believe that I found the best home water test kit of 2018.
My main objective is to write article on these subject so that buyers like you can have the best assistance and education in making that next purchase. In this section we provide our readers with a comparison table of our top picks. Scroll past the table for a closer look at each of the 3 best home water test kit in our review section.
Best home water test kit of 2018
Simply review and buy them. I've based my selection methodology on customer feedback, the size, functionality, and budget to meet various demands. Whether you're looking to upgrade your comfort, style, or accessibility, we have picks to fit a variety of needs and budgets. On that note, I review the three best home water test kit of 2018 to help you get value for your money.
Test Results and Ratings
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№1 – Drinking Water Test Kit – 10 Minute Testing For Lead Bacteria Pesticide Iron Copper and More
Why did this home water test kit win the first place?
I really enjoy the design. It is compact, comfortable and reliable. And it looks amazing! The product is very strong. Its material is stable and doesn't crack. I was completely satisfied with the price. Its counterparts in this price range are way worse. I don't know anything about other models from this brand, but I am fully satisfied with this product.
№2 – JNW Direct 9 in 1 Drinking Water Test Strips
Why did this home water test kit come in second place?
This is a pretty decent product that perfectly fitted the interior of our office. I recommend you to consider buying this model, it definitely worth its money. I really liked it. It is amazing in every aspect. It did even exceed my expectations for a bit, considering the affordable price. Seems that the material is good. It has a very beautiful color but I don't really like the texture.
№3 – First Alert WT1 Drinking Water Test Kit
Why did this home water test kit take third place?
This price is appropriate since the product is very well built. We are very pleased with the purchase — the product is great! It doesn't squeaks nor bents. Looks great in my apartment. It is inconvenient to use due to the size. I am going to get something different next time.
home water test kit Buyer's Guide
Packed Tower Aerator
This makes use of a tower that can go up to ten feet in height, filled with packing material up to inches in size. This material can either be pieces of ceramic or plastic. Water falls from the top of the tower, and air is blown in from the bottom of the tower opposite to the water flow, transferring the contaminants to the air by making it rise to the top of the tower, which will then lead to it being vented out of the home.One factor to consider in purchasing a packed tower aerator is that finer pieces of packing material will result in more efficient contaminant removal, but will increase electricity costs because of the air pumping.
Some consultants are increasingly recommending the use of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation for water filtration systems even in ordinary homes. Commonly used in medical sanitation, UV lamps purify water without the use of chemicals by killing microbes. They are comparatively lower in cost. Maintenance only requires changing the filter cartridge that comes with it from time to time, as well as the annual replacement of the lamp.
Some people choose to use this instead to avoid contaminating their immediate surroundings with chlorine, which is being increasingly regulated by environmental protection agencies everywhere as a waste product. It also does not make the water smell or taste foul, unlike chlorine or using other chemicals to purify water.
An ultraviolet lamp is an option even in point-of-use systems, as you can readily source a lamp specifically for the use of a drinking tap, making it a more feasible solution for those who need to purify their well water on a tight budget. Attaching it to a point-of-use system also allows you to easily regulate the flow of water from the source to the exit point, which will allow you to avoid the con below.
The con to using only a UV lamp is that the well water needs to be strictly regulated. If the flow rate is too high, the water will pass through the lamp without sufficient exposure to UV rays to kill microbes. However, if the flow rate is too low, heat may build up on the system and damage the UV lamp.
Suggested Set-Up For Well Water Filtration At Home
Yes, perhaps you may think that point-of-use systems are ultimately less fiddly and require less planning to execute in the home—and they usually are, if you're sourcing water from a tap in an urban area or from a municipal source. But if you're getting your water from a well, it will save you trouble in the long run to choose whole house filters for well water and deal with only one point of entry to enjoy clean water throughout the entire home.
Based on whole house well water filter systems reviews on ecologist James McMahon's website, it really may be better to opt for either of the template systems above if you have a high percentage of dissolved solids in your water source. Reverse osmosis in particular is highly recommended as saltwater contamination is a very real problem in coastal areas.
A possible downside of choosing to go with any system that integrates these filters is that because a reverse osmosis process relies on increased pressure, your electricity bill may go up.
Worth the Trouble
All of this is a small price to pay compared to the frustration you'll face from removing bacteria, unwanted mineral deposits and dangerous substances from hard water or going to the hospital because you drank unsafe water.
Whatever system you choose to integrate in your home, proper storage of the filtered, decontaminated water is necessary, as once the chlorinated water has been degassed or the water is no longer exposed to ultraviolet rays, recontamination is possible if it is not placed in a sanitary environment.
Our User Rating
Ammonia is the number one killer of tropical fish in aquariums, produced from fish waste and uneaten fish food. The API Ammonia Test Kit is a liquid test for freshwater and saltwater aquariums, testing ammonia levels ranging from 0 to 8ppm. The kit also contains a color chart, a glass tube and clear instructions.
Pool Test Strips
The most inexpensive and widely used method of water testing – test strips – is fast, easy, and fairly accurate. Water testing strips like the AquaChek Test Strips can be used to test for individual chemicals or you can buy something like AquaChek Select Way Test Strips or YellowYellow Way chlorine test strips to make multiple tests at the same time.
The most amazing feature of test strips other than their low price is that they are very simple to use; just dip them in water, swirl and read the results within seconds. Usually the test strips are color coded and come with an easy-to-read chart that lets you easily determine which chemicals you need to add to your pool.
Liquid Test Kits
Liquid test kits are an excellent way to determine chemical levels in your pool and maintain crystal clear water at all times. Obviously higher in price as compared to testing strips, the liquid kits offer a more reliable and complete testing solution. Liquid testing kits like the LaMotte ColorQ Pro Water Chemistry Liquid Test Kit make use of reagents that are added to sample water and results are read on a user-friendly comparator.
Liquid testing kits like the 4-Way Test Kit Liquid Solution are economical and easy to use, and some like the Taylor Basic Residential DPD Test Kit take maintenance a step further and include a dosage chart for translating test results into treatment.
Digital Pool Testers
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word digital – accurate and fast, right? Well when it comes to digital water testers, accuracy and promptness is what these amazing testers offer. Extremely easy to use, the digital water testers often feature LCD display, water-resistant housing, memory function, and no color matching, so reading results is a snap.
Digital pool testers have electrodes that measure chemical levels in the water with results that have more accuracy and dependability. Of course more on the expensive side, Digital water testers are definitely my favorite for a reliable, complete and fast water testing solution.
As a pool owner, you know that pool maintenance is not easy and does not come at a flip of a button. Regular pool testing is an important foundation to prevent other pool problems. These water testing solutions mentioned above are perfect to keep water balance easy and make your overall pool maintenance a little lighter.
Liquid tests
These are probably the most well known and are based on the colour change of the indicator caused by the level of hydrogen ion concentration of the water. The resulting colour is then compared to a standard colour chart corresponding to a known pH. Some of the drop tests can measure a broad pH range (e.g. 3–or 4–10), but I found them quite inaccurate in acidic conditions. You could get better results with tests in the range 6–7.or 7.4–9.
Dip tests
These can give you a quick, albeit often less accurate result. Just dip the test strip in the water and match the colour on the reference chart or use your camera phone to take the readings for you. The test strips are sensitive to high humidity and can age quickly, so always keep the tub closed.
Electronic tests
Using a handheld or built-in electronic pH meters eliminates the use of indicators and also gives you an option to quickly check the pH in several tanks or monitor it in a permanent way. The most frequently used probes have a glass electrode and a reference electrode. They determine the pH of the water by measuring the voltage (potential) between them. The results strongly depend on the sensitivity and the quality of the probe, so it's worth investing a bit more in a reliable meter to ensure you have accurate results. Some will even control and maintain the pre-set pH for you. Another issue that can have a strong influence on accuracy is calibration. Electronic pH probes must be calibrated regularly. The cheaper versions use only a one-point calibration (at pH7), but the better ones have two- or three-point (at pH4, pHand pH10) calibration. Check the manual as to whether your probe requires dry or wet storage, as the dried out electrode will deliver false results.
The Pro-Lab Water Testing Kit Controversy
Young initially turned to Pro-Lab's lead testing kit, which she discovered while browsing her local Home Depot.
Immediately concerned over the nature of this certification and how it might apply to water tests, Young attempted over the course of two days to get in touch with Pro-Lab representatives. Eventually, Pro-Lab Chief Executive James McDonell contacted Young, and admitted that the International Associations of Certified Indoor Air Consultants "doesn't have expertise in water testing", and instead works with home inspectors. (Although per their website, lead issues do fall under their general purview.) McDonell asserted that they endorse all of Pro-Lab's test kits.
Through spokesmen Stephen Holmes and Kylie Mason, both Home Depot and the Florida Attorney General's Office, respectively, have informed Young they are investigating the claims put forth by Pro-Lab and their Lead In Water Test Kit regarding the kit's efficacy and certifications.
Silver Lake's spokesperson told Young and USA TODAY that no government agency certifies or verifies these types of home lead test kits. As the vials are never sent off for testing, there is no outside lab involved that carries any certifications, either.
Therefore We Know.
SimpleWater's national team of certified laboratory scientists, engineers, health experts and designers provide each customer with a personalized Tap Score Water Quality Report. SimpleWater's Tap Score is the Nation's First Smart Water Testing Service for affordable and informative contaminant screening and personalized treatment recommendations.
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We rated the pH Soil Meter, 3-in-Soil Tester Kit 5.0 out of stars, and is an excellent moisture meter, light, and pH acidity tester. Its responsive probe senses soil changes and displays accurate values to the user. No electricity or batteries are used by this product, making it environmentally friendly. Moisture is measured by inserting the probe completely into the soil to reach the root level. The correct moisture level will be displayed, and the user simply needs to refer to the included chart to find out watering needs.
Light is measured by holding the meter next to a plant and facing a light source (don't touch the sensing element which is located underneath the gauge!). Check light level and refer to the included chart for correct light requirements. To test soil pH, insert the probe into the soil. A pH reading that's less than is acidic, and readings greater than indicate an alkaline soil.
This quality dual soil pH and moisture meter is rated 4.out of stars (by us), and provides simple, accurate checking of soil moisture level and pH balance (alkalinity and acidity). Its extra long probe allows users to measure significantly below a plant's root zone. This meter is perfect for commercial use (orchards, vineyards, lawn maintenance, and field production) and home use (planters, lawn maintenance, and gardens).
This product includes moisture and soil pH meter and instruction manual. It works as advertised, gives accurate pH level readings, and is good for either commercial or home use.
This 4-in-instrument is a light and temperature sensor (measures sunlight intensity and temperature using an in. (200mm) probe), and also tests moisture and pH balance. Readings are clearly displayed on a large LCD screen. This product also features an automatic power-off function and a low battery indicator.
Testing for Arsenic
In the past, testing for arsenic in drinking water has been as difficult as removing it. Measuring arsenic concentrations accurately was left to the laboratory and expensive instrumentation such as atomic absorption spectrometers. Time delay and expense are the obvious problems with this approach. A variety of test kits have appeared on the market deriving from the need for easier, cheaper and faster methods. These test kits rival both the accuracy and low detection ability of laboratory instrumentation.
Of the available competing products, the most useful arsenic test kits report quantitatively as well as qualitatively.
All of these kits rely on similar chemistry in which inorganic arsenic compounds (As+and As+5) are reduced to arsine gas. This is done in a controlled reaction between an acidified water sample and zinc powder. A volume-specific reaction vessel, usually a plastic bottle supplied in the test kit, is used for this reaction. Different kits typically require different sample sizes and usually employ additional reagents to control interferences from other common elements found in groundwater such as hydrogen sulfide and iron. Once the sample and all of the reagents are combined in the reaction vessel, a test strip is used to measure the arsenic concentration of the water sample. The test strip is not dipped into the sample but rather placed above the sample in a special cap that seals the reaction vessel. As the arsenic converts to arsine gas and comes in contact with the test strip, the mercuric bromide indicator on the test strip changes in color from white to shades of yellow and brown. This chemical reaction varies in time between test kits from to 30 minutes. Once the reaction is completed, the test strip is removed and matched to a color comparator chart to obtain a quantitative measure for arsenic in the tested sample.
Correlation Study
When considering options in arsenic testing, people often ask if a test strip-based test kit really is an accurate way to measure arsenic. Answering "yes" in a positive tone does answer the question. Actual test data from a third party is more convincing proof and often is requested. To help in demonstrating arsenic field test kit accuracy, a non-biased third party was used to conduct a study of the major brands of arsenic test kits available in the United States.
In reviewing the results from the chart, it is important to remember that the test kits studied use test strips. Test strips are colorimetric and the results depend on matching colors by eye. One shortcoming of a colorimetric test like this is the limited number of preselected levels present on a color chart. This limited number of levels, which convert to test results, sometimes requires the reader to estimate a reading that is between available colors. For example, of the four test kits studied only one had color levels available on the color chart below ppb. Yet, the individual running these tests was still able to estimate results of ppb. In another instance, with the Low Range Arsenic Check, there was no 50 ppb level (only 40 and 60 ppb), but an accurate result was estimated. In summary, a strong point of this type of arsenic test kit is test result resolution. Between the mercuric bromide indicator on the test strip and carefully printed color charts, the individual running the test is able to obtain a detailed picture of arsenic concentrations in water—even with only a test strip.
A second point to make with reference to the test data is the obvious reproducibility of these test kits from one test to the next. At each level of arsenic concentration, two samples were tested. When the tests for each kit were completed, results were found to be the same for both samples of the same arsenic concentration. Predictable and reproducible results are as important as accurate results when considering test methods.
Important Test Kit Features
Although most arsenic test kits use the same basic method and chemistry, each kit is unique. When considering which test kit you will choose, there are some important factors to consider.
Ease of use. A variety of kits is available with varying levels of complexity. Testing for arsenic may not be as easy as testing for many other ions. However, some manufacturers have done a better job than others at making test procedures easy to perform and understand. Fewer steps, easy-to-read instructions and illustrations are key to reducing confusion and human error.
Time. Three of the four test kits included in the study require a 30-minute incubation time while the arsenic in the water sample is reduced to arsine gas. Compared to other test methods, 30 minutes is a great time saving. However, if you have a large number of samples to test, or just don't like to wait, a 10-minute test may be more desirable. The addition of arsine gas enhancers in a kit's reagents runs tests in a third of the time of other kits.
Sensitivity. Detection range or sensitivity is a common question regarding arsenic testing methods. With the current arsenic standard of 50 ppb in debate and most water sources in the United States below 100 ppb, additional sensitivity eventually may win out over other test kit benefits. At the same time, water quality professionals who install arsenic remediation devices ask for tests that detect less than ppb. This low detection sensitivity is important for the calibration and efficiency confirmation of the arsenic removal equipment. With these considerations, a low-range arsenic kit may be your best option with low detection levels at 2, 4, 6, 10, 15, 20 and up to 240 ppb. This is accomplished by a larger sample size (250 ml compared to 50 or 100 ml) and chemical enhancers that produce colors of greater intensity at lower concentrations of arsenic.
Which type of test method is right for your arsenic detection and measurement needs? Improvements in test strip technology make it possible to test water for arsenic easily, quickly, cost effectively, accurately and at useful detection levels. Using the previously stated considerations ease of use, testing time, cost and sensitivity, your arsenic test kit should be easy to select.
Get advice from a health professional first
It's important to remember that, if you are taking any medicines, they may affect your test results. It's worth getting advice from a health professional first, as using a self-test kit may not be appropriate for you.
It's rare for a self-test kit to give a 100% guarantee that you have or don't have a particular condition. It may not be as helpful as having a consultation with a GP or other health professional.
Before using a self-test kit, make sure it has a CE quality assurance mark. This means that, provided you use it correctly, the kit will work properly and is safe.
If you have any concerns, speak to a healthcare professional, such as a pharmacist, practice nurse or GP.
When you get your results
No self-test kit is 100% reliable, and a CE mark is still no guarantee that a particular home test is suitable for you.
If you have any concerns about your results after using a self-help kit, make sure you get advice from a health professional.
If you do a self-test for HIV and the result is positive, it's important that you contact a health professional as soon as possible and get the emotional and medical support you need.
Self-test kits for STIs
Everyone can get free tests for any STI, including HIV, from their GP or local sexual health clinic.
Self-test kits for STIs are also available online and on the high street. They include home testing kits for infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea that you can send away to a laboratory.
If you think you may have an STI the most important thing is to get tested and get medical advice quickly so that you can start treatment.
Some pharmacies provide an STI testing service (including those for chlamydia) and some can provide the treatment.
Free HIV tests if you're at higher risk
Free self-sampling HIV test kits are available online in many areas of the UK to people who are at higher risk. To check whether you are eligible, or to find your local HIV service, go to test.hiv.
HIV self-test kits are also available from some pharmacies, but you will usually have to pay. It is important to check that any test you buy has a CE quality assurance mark and is licensed for sale in the UK, as poor-quality HIV self-test kits are still available from overseas.
You may need emotional support and counselling if you are testing for HIV, particularly if the result is positive.
Self-test kits for cancer
You can buy cancer-related self-test kits from your local pharmacy, including tests for prostate cancer and bowel cancer.
However, if you are worried or think you have the symptoms of cancer, it's best to get advice from your doctor straight away. They will be able to refer you on to a hospital specialist if necessary.
Testing for bacteria in water
A home testing kit is very convenient way of determining water quality quickly with approximate values that are close to what you will obtain if the water was sent to a water testing laboratory.
Testing for bacteria in water is easy, because there is what are called 'dipslide' or 'dip slide' or 'petridish water test kits' for testing for bacteria in water. The dipslide and petridish tests for bacteria will give fairly accurate results. These dipslides or petridishes for testing for bacteria in water will have to incubated or be kept for a few days in a warm spot to see the bacteria grow and from the color and size of the bacterial colonies in the petridish or on the dipslide we can know if there is bacterial contamination of the water.
Min Read
Before water gets into your home, it has to be filtered and treated with chlorine to remove dirt, bacteria, and all other possible contaminants. But as doctors advice, too much chlorine and regular exposure to this chemical can be risky to human health.
It's almost impossible to approach the water company and to be sure you have gotten truthful answers on the water's chlorine levels.
Product Details
Bacteria such as E. coli can cause serious illness and even death.
Our (DIY) Bacteria Test Vial provides you with advanced technology.
Our (DIY) Bacteria Test Vial has the optimum testing volume for faster and more reliable results.
Our (DIY) Bacteria Test Vial receives a certified sterility confirmation, with every lot of vials produced.
Our (DIY) Bacteria Test Vial uses only premium test media.
High levels of other contaminants can cause damage to organs such as your brain, liver, kidneys, lungs and skin. Some damage can even cause complete "organ shut-down".
Knowledge is power! By testing your drinking water, you can make informed decisions about water treatment and protecting your family from these potentially harmful contaminants.
Our main takeaway from testing was the confidence that NSF certification is a broadly reliable measure of a filter's performance.
So we went looking for other options that we hadn't tested before. In March 2017, Brita unveiled the Longlast Filter. Rated to 120 gallons or six months, three times the 40 gallons or two months of most pitcher filters, it immediately caught our eye. Its price (over the course of a year of use) was comparable to that of the standard filter. And it was certified by the Water Quality Association to NSF standards for chlorine, lead, cadmium, and some other contaminants. Given the lifespan, price, and certifications, as well as our 201observations of its competitors, there was no real chance that another filter could rival this option as long as it proved decent to use over time.
We called in a pair of Longlast filters and two compatible Brita pitchers, an Everyday and a Grand, and ran them through an extended real-world test. We evaluated the pitchers on their practical qualities: ease of use and cleaning, plus comfort in handling. And we monitored the filters to measure Brita's stated claim of 120-gallon/six-month performance. Longevity in the lab is one thing—surviving in a 50-year-old New York City apartment with rusty pipes is another.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It's puzzling, and a bit frustrating, that Brita does not yet bundle the Longlast Filter with a pitcher as part of a package deal—you have to buy them separately. In addition, the upper reservoir of the Everyday Pitcher (and the Grand, for that matter) is unreasonably difficult to remove, which you need to do occasionally in order to clean the lower reservoir. You have to run your finger or thumb down the spout, grip very hard, and jiggle the reservoir while pulling up. There has to be a better way.
Most owner reviews of the Longlast are strongly positive, regarding both its functionality and the taste of the water it produces. However, two complaints show up with some regularity: that the Longlast doesn't seat properly in the pitcher, allowing unfiltered water to leak into the lower reservoir, and that the filter quickly clogs and stops filtering. We haven't experienced either problem, but like anything, the Longlast isn't flawless.
The competition
In a previous iteration of this guide, we chose the Pur Classic 11-Cup Pitcher (aka Pur LED) as the best water filter pitcher for most people. NSF International certified its filter to significantly reduce 10 contaminants from the water poured into it, including several heavy metals and biocides. In our test, the Pur filter performed better than or nearly as well as every other filter we considered in every category we thought was important, and it had no obvious flaws.
We also recommended the Mavea Elemaris XL in 2016, as a slightly more ergonomic pitcher that performed about as well as the Pur Classic in our filtration tests. However, Mavea has since pulled out of North America, so we can no longer recommend its items. If you already own an Elemaris, be aware that no replacement filters will be available after the remaining inventory is sold.
In 201we tested the standard Brita filter (which comes with the Brita Everyday Pitcher we recommend). The standard filter left behind a significant amount of chlorine, earning a low score on water taste. And it is NSF 5certified for only three contaminants (mercury, copper, and cadmium), whereas our pick, the Brita Longlast Filter, is certified to remove five (lead, mercury, cadmium, benzene, and asbestos), plus another five emerging contaminants under Standard 40In short: You'll get a standard filter with your Everyday Pitcher, but it's best to ignore that one and install a Longlast instead.
Brita makes a wide range of other pitchers, and most of them work with the Longlast Filter. These include the Amalfi, Capri, Chrome, Classic, Marina, Metro, Mini Plus, Monterey, Pacifica, Slim, Soho, Space Saver, Stainless Steel, and Wave. We didn't test them all; many are smaller than the 10-cup capacity we think is best for most people, and given that they all accept the Longlast, the only other differences are aesthetic. If you own one of these and like it, you have no reason to replace the pitcher—just the filter.
Clear2O made a name for itself with its CWS100AW, a highly regarded filter pitcher (Consumer Reports rated this model near the top of its list). This pitcher is unique in that it uses pressurized water from the faucet, rather than gravity, to force water through the filter. As a result, Clear2O uses a compressed block of activated charcoal rather than loose granules, and that results in truly spectacular NSF 5certifications: 3of them, including for lead, mercury, cadmium, and a host of organic compounds (biocides and petrochemicals for the most part). It also filtered a liter of water in just 1seconds in our test, far and away the fastest result we got. So why don't we recommend the CWS100AW? Because its faucet system is fussy—it was our least favorite pitcher to use—and involves permanently installing a special nozzle on your faucet and attaching it via a collar coupling to a hose on the pitcher every time you want fresh water. What's more, the nozzle doesn't fit on every faucet, and we couldn't confirm that it fits on any pull-down faucet. Lastly, Clear2O is shifting its focus to a new line of gravity-fed filters, and though the company promises to always keep the CWS100AW (or something similar) on the roster, that's a bit unnerving.
We also tested the new Clear2O gravity-fed pitcher, the GRP200. This model is NSF 4certified for removal of chlorine taste and odor but not yet NSF 5certified for any contaminant. It's generally easy to use, but not spectacular or terrible in any aspect.
The Soma Pitcher is stylish but lacking in substance. Although the Water Quality Association certified it to meet NSF 4for chlorine removal and taste, at the time of our tests it was not NSF 5certified, which all the other filters we tested were. (Update: As of October 2016, the Soma filter is WQA-certified to NSF 5for copper and mercury.) In use we found it tricky to pull apart for cleaning, and the wide spout made for problems when we needed to pour with precision (such as filling a drinking bottle). And despite meeting NSF 4standards, the one-stage charcoal filter did the worst job of removing chlorine of any pitcher filter we tested.
How to find out if your water is safe to drink
Tap water in the US is highly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and is generally of extremely high quality. The public water supplies are a critical resource and are carefully monitored, with thousands of tests performed each year for up to 40 or more compounds. Once a year, the public is required to be notified of the testing results via a Consumer Confidence Report. You can often find copies of these reports online via this tool, or see this example CCR (PDF) for a local municipal water supply in San Diego. The CCR details where your water comes from, how it is treated, and its test results. In 2014, for example, San Diego's water supply was tested 6,77times throughout the distribution system for total coliform and E. coli, with an average of 0.percent of samples testing positive (the range was 0.0 percent to 0.percent). Note that "testing positive" and "being dangerous" are not the same thing.
But even careful EPA testing is not the end of the story, as the Flint water crisis made plain. Water leaves municipal treatment plants in beautiful condition—but that doesn't mean it arrives at your faucets that way. Lead pipes, leaded pipe solder, leaking water mains—those factors and more can introduce contaminants as water makes its way to and through your home. Quite literally, water quality can change from door to door, sometimes dramatically. So even though part of the CCR protocol involves testing the most at-risk end-user locations, it can't necessarily tell you the quality of your water.
Details from our 201lab tests
We evaluated each pitcher on two subjective measures—taste and ease of use—and several objective ones, including the speed of filtration, the filter capacity, and, of course, the quality of the filtration itself. Because all our test pitchers had NSF 4certification and most had NSF 5certification, we didn't retest every single thing they could filter out. Instead, we limited our testing to a few factors we believed would matter most to readers. We focused on the removal of chlorine, which has a big impact on water's taste and smell, and we looked at the ability to remove "total dissolved solids"—basically, mineral salts and organic matter. For our top two picks of 2016, we added an independent test for lead removal.
We used three water sources for our tests: tap water from the kitchen faucet in a 1960s San Diego ranch house (unfiltered water with the most contaminants) as a positive control, water from a fridge dispenser (in-line filter), and lab-grade reverse-osmosis-purified water (super-clean water) as a negative control.
Prior to testing we washed the pitchers by hand with dish soap, rinsed them, and dried them. While the pitchers were drying, we soaked the filters in cool tap water for 1minutes and then flushed them under cool tap water for seconds. Next, we installed the filters according to the manufacturers' directions and filled the pitchers with water and discarded the water three times to remove any loose carbon dust. We then used water collected from the fourth fill for the following tests.
For the chlorine test, we tested water samples for temperature with a digital thermometer (roughly 20 degrees Celsius or 6degrees Fahrenheit), then measured chlorine levels by inserting a test strip from Industrial Test Systems and color-matching the results according to the manufacturer's directions. We also measured the samples' pH using indicator strips, and found it to be neutral in all cases. We used an HM Digital TDS-EZ meter to measure total dissolved solids at the parts-per-million level (ppm).
Taste and ease of use are subjective measures, of course. Two testers tasted filtered samples from each pitcher two times and ranked them for overall good taste and lack of chlorine odor. We also ranked the pitchers' usability on factors such as ease of filling and pouring, ease of replacing the filters and lids, and ergonomics.
Jump back.
The Water Quality Association 401-certified the Longlast for use in conjunction with Brita pitchers that are equipped with an electronic refill reminder—and our top-pick pitcher doesn't have one of those. But refill reminders have no effect on how the Longlast works.
Water testing frequency
Since some elements change slightly slower and others faster, water testing should be done in different frequencies: pH and chlorine are done daily; temperature and alkalinity are done weekly, and calcium hardness and stabilizer levels are tested monthly.
Knowing your pool's chemical character in different settings and temperatures will help you monitor changes in scheduling water tests on the pool.
Kinds of pool test kits
The demand for pool testing kits has consistently increased in the past years, and various types and brands fill the market.
The pool test kits that you will find as you shop around will fall under any of these basic types.
Wet chemistry kit – this kit is considered as the most advanced method of pool testing. It comes in two forms – OTO (Orthotolidine) and DPD (Diethyl p-phenylenediamine). With this kit you get the exact outcomes using the color comparing block to filter the water from a plastic vial.
OTO kit – compared to the DPD, this kit is less expensive for the reason that it can only test the amount of total chlorine in the pool, and does not distinguish between the amount of free chlorine and combined chlorine. This can pose an issue in figuring out the amount of sanitizer to be used.
DPD kit – this kit is used to measure the amount of free and total chlorine in the swimming pool by extracting a water sample from the pool and adding more than a few drops of reagent into it. There's a little waiting involved before the results show. This method is more reliable than other testing strips, with more enhanced details and higher accuracy.
This is one of the best kits you can find on the market these days. It can test and also provide immediate results for chlorine, pesticides, lead, bacteria, and hardness. These elements that are usually found in your drinking water system can definitely lead to serious health problems. Therefore, a testing kit like this one will be very useful, as it can tell you how contaminated is your tap water, so that you can take precautions and stay healthy. The WTcontains everything you need in order to receive extremely accurate results.
Watersafe WS425W
This is another excellent kit that will provide you wonderful results. It is very fast, accurate, and extremely easy to use as well. With this kit, you can test for potentially harmful bacteria and also for the presence of toxins from pesticides or fertilizers. Furthermore, you can also detect dangerous levels of nitrates/nitrites. Up to contaminants can be detected, including copper, iron, and lead. All in all, you will obtain very accurate results, so that you can know exactly what to do in order to consume a very healthy water at all times.
Test Assured cwa1000
This test kit allows you to quickly and accurately test your drinking water, in order to protect you and your family as well. It works with well water, city/municipal water, tap, residential drinking water, groundwater and spring water sources as well. The results are not only very accurate but fast as well. Moreover, they are very easy to read. You just need to follow along with the color charts and instruction manual. This kit can easily be used at your home, classroom, or anywhere else where you would need to test water quality.
How to save up to 86%? Here is little trick.
You must visit the page of sales. Here is the link. If you don't care about which brand is better, then you can choose the home water test kit by the price and buy from the one who will offer the greatest discount.
Final Word
First of all thanks for reading my article to the end! I hope you find my reviews listed here useful and that it allows you to make a proper comparison of what is best to fit your needs and budget. Don't be afraid to try more than one product if your first pick doesn't do the trick.
Most important, have fun and choose your home water test kit wisely! Good luck!
So, TOP3 of home water test kit
- №1 — Drinking Water Test Kit – 10 Minute Testing For Lead Bacteria Pesticide Iron Copper and More
- №2 — JNW Direct 9 in 1 Drinking Water Test Strips
- №3 — First Alert WT1 Drinking Water Test Kit
Questions? Leave a comment below!
Chatting about home water test kit is my passion! Leave me a question in the comments, I answer each and every one and would love to get to know you better!


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Girls Varsity Lacrosse - SPRING 2016-2017
Game Summaries & Headlines.
Paul VI Catholic High School is very proud to have Alexandra "Alex" (Velesz) Whitworth (PVI '03) as our Head Coach for Girls' Lacrosse. Coach Whitworth served four years as the head coach at McLean High School, was a successful coach with the SuperNova Select Lacrosse Club and previously spent one season as the JV Head Coach at WT Woodson High School.
Coach Whitworth has an impressive lacrosse playing background as well. She was an All-WCAC performer at Paul VI and helped lead the Panthers to the 2003 WCAC Championship in her senior year. Coach Whitworth went on to be a four-year starter at NCAA Division I George Mason University, where she was the named to Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) All Rookie team in 2004, earned the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award four times, was named to the ICWLCA Academic Honor Roll each semester, and served as a team captain from 2005-2008. Coach Whitworth taught 8th grade civics for five years in Fairfax County Public Schools and is a mother of four.
"Coach Whitworth is a perfect fit for us. She is a proven leader. Not only has she played and coached at high levels, she's a PVI alum who has done what many of our young ladies aspire to do in lacrosse, in school, and in their lives," remarked Paul VI Athletic Director Billy Emerson. "Her teaching record was a very important to us as well. She is an excellent role model for our student-athletes."
The girls' lacrosse program at Paul VI Catholic High School is an extension of our school's mission statement and school community. Our student athletes learn more than just winning humbly and losing gracefully. It is about the growth and development of our athletes as young adults. A Paul VI athlete not only improves their athletic ability, but rather learns what it means to part of a team, to build on their teammates talents, to respect their teammates, opponents, coaches, officials; and the rules of the game. Our Paul VI student athletes strive to learn the values of self-discipline, hard work, perseverance, confidence, tolerance, and leadership. The coaching staff stresses sportsmanship, responsibility, and commitment. Our athletic program will be defined by how our student athletes embrace the core values, good character, and fulfill the school mission statement.
Our school is searching for the well-balanced student-athlete that understands their high school experience is about learning and growing in all facets of life; academically, socially and competitively. We strive to find individuals who enjoy being educated and pushed to be the best they can be on the field and in the classroom. We are looking for individuals who put their team before themselves as we work together to become champions on and off the field.
Our program is looking for student-athletes who:
§ have an undeniable work ethic
§ know their team comes first
§ are unselfish
§ are accountable and reliable
§ want to become part of the Panther family
§ are eager to learn and grow as an athlete and a person
Our primary goal is to develop student-athletes of character and integrity, who will serve as positive members of the school community and the greater society. This program has a strong foundation built on the values of family, community, and positive attitudes. All members of the program will strive to uphold this tradition through hard work, professionalism, and loyalty.
Panther: As visible members on campus, we have an opportunity to strengthen our community through active participation and service. In giving of ourselves, we can enrich the lives of others around us. Through this process, we might also know the reciprocal benefits of engaging with a diverse world.
Family: We believe in relationships that are grounded in honesty, trust, and respect. As student-athletes, we will meet our responsibilities with integrity, persistence and confidence. Through the bonds we create, we will hold ourselves, our teammates, our classmates, and the entire High School in the highest regard.
Team: Regardless of the challenges faced, we embrace a commitment to always put forth our best effort as a team. Our team attitude will always be defined by our strength of character and our constant pursuit of excellence on the field, in the classroom, and within the community. The pride and confidence we derive from our team activities will not deter us from recognizing the great privilege we have been presented as student-athletes at PVI.

subset: commoncrawl


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Eventually, intricate mechanical clocks could be made small and light enough to wear on your wrist, and the era of the pocket watch ended. You didn't have to have a free hand to tell the time any more; all it took was a quick glance.
Today wristwatches appear to be declining, at least in my personal experience. Nearly everyone i know owns a mobile phone now. The digital clock on every phone makes a wristwatch unnecessary, so i see fewer and fewer people wearing them. However, replacing watches with phones also means we're back to the old habit of reaching into a pocket to check the time.
As phones and wireless earphones continue to get smaller, maybe it's time for a return to the old design, too. How about a phone, PDA, or music player designed in pocket watch form, shrunk to a circular face, kept in your pocket on a chain? Pull out your digital pocket watch to check the time in style; operate the phone, PDA, or music functions by touching the face, turning a knob, or rotating the dial. The circular dial affords lots of possibilities for new and elegant user interaction design, since a single dial can replace all the hour/minute or up/down buttons. To set an alarm, just turn the dial to the desired time and press it. Change the volume or select tracks using the dial like the wheel on an iPod. Flip through your phone book with a spin of the dial, then press a button to make the call.
Update: I think this belongs in the next James Bond movie. :)


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Karyn L Freedman, author of One Hour in Paris: A True Story of Rape and Recovery, took home the 2015 BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. Honouring the best Canadian non-fiction writers for over ten years now, the award is given out by the British Columbia Achievement Foundation. This year's jury included Jared Bland, Arts Editor at the Globe and Mail, journalist and writer John Fraser, and Anne Giardini, Chancellor of Simon Fraser University.
One Hour in Paris was published by Freehand Books and is both a personal and global journey through trauma and recovery. Freedman weaves together her personal experience with the psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience behind what it means to live in a body that has experienced trauma. From Paris to a trauma centre in Toronto to a rape clinic in Africa, One Hour in Paris is a moving look on survivors and their ability to cope and perserve.


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I've passed taro root a few times in various places – a Whole Foods, an ice cream shop in NYC, a specialty grocery market in Hoboken and most recently, on FreshDirect.
Usually, I love walking through a gorgeous Whole Foods or meandering through the Union Square Farmer's Market for inspiration on what to cook.
It's therapeutic and empowering – seeing the crops that farmers plant and grow is truly moving.
This time, I was sitting in my jammies, with a cup of coffee, scrolling through the "asian vegetables" on FreshDirect and spotted taro root.
For whatever reason, I added it to my cart. I thought maybe I'd dice and roast it like a potato hash and make brunch over the weekend, maybe throw in some bacon and top with a fried egg. "Yea, that's what I'll do!" I said.
When I went to peel it to dice it up for some prep, it struck me: why the heck aren't I spiralizing this? Can I spiralize it?
Obviously, I tried it. It worked – way better than I expected! It's a pain to peel, because its outer skin is very rough (similar to yuca or a celeriac.) I mean, it grows in the ground – it's a root vegetable.
Anyway, I put it in the fridge and decided to sleep on it and when I'd wake up, I'd know what to do. Well, then I realized I've never tasted taro root and I don't know what it tastes like.
So, I sauteed some quickly in a skillet and oh.my.word.
It tastes much like a sweet potato and has a lovely starchiness that makes it easily softened, like an Asian noodle. It almost has a mild coconut taste . Most importantly, it's like a sponge – it absorbs flavor incredibly!
[insert slaps against my forehead here] How'd I miss the boat?!
Taro is most commonly found in Asia, Pacific islands, West Africa, and Amazonian regions of South America.
Nutritional benefits? While it's higher in calories than potatoes, it's a better source of dietary fiber, it's packed with complex carbs, and it has a lower glycemic index, meaning it won't cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket. Taro root also contains a solid amount of B vitamins and potassium.
Since taro does have that sweeter flavor, I thought it would pair nicely with a sticky glaze, treating this dish like a sinfully delicious Asian noodle stir fry.
With garlic, shrimp and scallions – this recipe has everything. Plus – it only takes one skillet! Talk about easy cleanup.
The pea shoots on the bottom add a freshness to the dish and soak up the flavors of the miso-ginger glaze. Frankly, they're pretty.
I can't wait to keep experimenting with taro root. If you can't find it near you, try Asian specialty grocers or Whole Foods. I hope you find it and make this recipe!
Also, if you don't know what taro looks like, here it is:
Have you ever tried taro root before? What do you think?
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Yields 2
10 minPrep Time
25 minCook Time
25 minTotal Time
- For the miso-sauce:
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
- 1.5 teaspoon freshly minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1.25 tablespoon honey
- 1.5 tablespoon water + more to thin if needed
- For the rest:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ cup diced scallions
- 2 medium taro roots, peeled, Blade C, noodles trimmed
- 12 medium shrimp, defrosted, deshelled, deveined
- 2 cups pea shoots (or watercress, if you can't find pea shoots)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- cilantro leaves, to garnish
- Fill a medium pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in the taro and cook for 5 minutes or until almost cooked fully. Drain and set aside.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the miso-sauce into a food processor and pulse until creamy. Taste and adjust to your preferences. Set aside.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the oil. Once oil heats, add in the garlic and scallions and let cook for 2-3 minutes or until scallions soften.
- Add in the taro noodles, pour in the miso sauce, toss to combine and then add in the shrimp. Cover the skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tarot noodles soften and the shrimp are opaque and cooked through.
- Prepare your plates. Fill each plate with 1 cup of pea shoots and top with even amounts of the taro and shrimp noodles. Garnish with cilantro and serve.


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Explorers Promo lands at CasinoLuck from 12th – 17th July2 min read
Explorers Promo lands at CasinoLuck from 12th – 17th July
We, at CasinoLuck, are feeling adventurous, and we want all our players to join us on our Explorers Promo, which runs from Tuesday, 12th July until Sunday, 17th July, and sees players dive into daring slots with free spins, and dig up riches with plenty of bonus money.
CasinoLuck's Explorers Promo starts with 100 free spins awarded in adventure-themed slot machine Golden Caravan, upon depositing €/$/£ 50 on Tuesday (12th July).
Each day begins with a new mission; if players dare to plunge in stormy oceans, and wager at least €/$/£ 50 in Sails of Gold on Wednesday (13th July), a €/$/£ 10 bonus is all theirs.
Promotional Rules
- All times and dates are in GMT. Please keep in mind that to qualify for a specific promotion you need to fulfill the requirements in accordance with times in GMT.
- A player cannot win more than one prize per day in the calendar.
- For a deposit to qualify for the promotion it needs to be wagered at least 1x in slots (if not stated otherwise).
- Free spins winnings come with CasinoLuck's standard free spins wagering requirements.
- Only one account per person is allowed to enter the promotion.
- The reload bonuses cannot be combined with any other form of deposit bonus.
- A player can only claim one of each bonus in this promotion.


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A Visit to Iseley Farms
Iseley Farms welcomes, school groups, church groups, home-schooled groups, playschool and preschool groups to enjoy strawberry picking in the spring and the pumpkin patch & hayrides in the month of October.
The activity objectives are to provide a fun, educational, and interactive opportunity for children and adults to visit a real working family farm. Your group will observe a variety of cultivation methods, see the equipment used for these methods, learn the importance of natural elements (wind, rain, sun, etc.,) for producing a crop or breeding cattle, as well as learning how the lack of any of these elements effects the availability of our food supply. It is our hope that this visit to Iseley Farms will help children understand the cycle of food from the field to the table and instill an appreciation for responsible stewardship practiced on the family farms that have historically been the backbone of agriculture production in this country.
During the month of October, hayrides are available on Saturday & Sunday. Call to reserve your spot on the hay wagon and come out and enjoy the fun!
Call 336- 584-3323 to make a reservation and find out how to register your group for a fun-filled day at the farm!


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In Accountancy Focus, the predictive modelling team focus on using cutting-edge statistical techniques, applied to large data sets, to provide a degree of certainty in an uncertain space.
We build models to inform budgeting, marketing, strategy and more. The examples below should give you a better idea of just some of the things we offer.
Churn Modelling
Are you a business that relies heavily on return/repeat customers? Every month, across every business and industry, customers leave for a number of different reasons. What we aim to do is identify who these customers are before they leave, so you can prevent it happening in the first place.
Often, the cost of acquiring a customer to your business is much more expensive than the investment you'd make in retaining them. We work with you to optimise this investment so you target the right customers, at the right time, ultimately saving you time and money.
Lifetime Value Modelling
OK – so you know what message you want to deliver to the customer. You may be promoting a new product, service or loyalty programme. You know that each customer is different in terms of the value they deliver and so you reflect that in your offering e.g. you're a cafe and in your loyalty programme, you give a regular customer a free coffee but a higher value customer a free coffee and scone.
This is all well and good when you know how valuable your customer is. Often though, we don't have that kind of information on new customers. What we do is build models that predict the future value of each customer so you can make better investment decisions from the outset.
Propensity Modelling / Up-Sell
Do you have a range of products in your business? Would you like to see your customers engage with more products than they do currently and see your revenues increase? A marketing campaign is the way to go, right? But who do you target and what do you target them with? Do you chance a blanket marketing campaign and run the risk of annoying or offending customers and spending more than you need.
A propensity model will help you to build a more sophisticated marketing plan. We'll identify which of your customers are most likely to engage with each product leading to more relevant, customer-centric marketing.


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"You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.
~~Anne Lamott
I suppose what I really mean is "Beyond Mere Tolerance." On Dictionary.com you will find the following as the top two definitions for the word "tolerance":
- A fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
- The act or capacity of enduring; endurance:
My tolerance of noise is limited.
I want to believe that most people are thinking of the first definition when they speak of tolerance—"freedom from bigotry." Sadly, too many of us live more closely to the second definition. When faced with difference, we merely endure the presence of, and the discomfort that goes along with, those who are not just like us. Yet, we live in a world, and on a campus, that is prolific with people of various races, cultures, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities and religious traditions. Additionally, in the academic setting of a highly ranked research institution—class differences often go unnoticed. While there are many ways to move beyond "mere tolerance" here are three tenets I believe point the way, and questions we need to ask ourselves as we face difference.
Respect: Do I claim to accept people as they identify themselves, while fundamentally believing people like me are better/smarter/more virtuous/normal? We can't respect others when we believe they are in some way inferior to us. The best way to develop respect is to learn more about the differences. The best way to garner respect is to be willing to share so others may learn. Growing up in a conservative Baptist family, learning about LGBTQ people was not even on my radar. Then, in the early 1990s I bought an in-town Atlanta home that included a one-bedroom apartment that was rented to a gay couple. While my religious convictions resisted keeping them as tenants, my economic reality decided that it was better to have tenants with a good track record. It was living in the same building with Pete and James that opened my eyes both to our shared humanity, and their rejection from people like me.
On the other side of the coin, every time a white person wants to touch my dreadlocked hair without my permission, my reflex is to tell them, "touch me and you'll draw back a nub!" My actual response, however, is to help them understand why they should not invade my personal space and answer any questions they have about texture of my hair. Sure, we get tired of teaching others about what makes us different, but how else will they learn? I may be the only person they know from whom they can get truth.
Authenticity: Do I expect you to be less who you are in order for us to get along? We have become such a polarized society that it's untenable for us to understand that more than one thing can be true and co-exist. I can be pro-black, female, heterosexual, or Christian without being anti-white, male, gay, or (insert religious tradition here). I can recognize pride in your own heritage without feeling threatened by your expression of it. Of course, the difficulty comes when one's pride, or expression of it, is felt as oppressive. Your confederate flag is my painful legacy of slavery. My bringing up the name of Jesus is your painful reminder of Quran burners and Holocaust deniers. What would it look like if we practiced some old-fashioned empathy in our encounters? Many of the world's religious traditions include some form of the belief in treating others as you would like to be treated. This is not an idyllic dream. It requires discipline and the desire to move beyond ideology to community. It means recognizing that sometimes the needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. Yeah, I went a little "Star Trek" on you.
Intentional community—Am I willing to recognize that we will always be able to serve the world better together in our diversity; and not by just one of us being "right"? We know the Martin Luther King quote that says, "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." However, when we invoke Dr. King, we often think of lofty goals that only great leaders can achieve. Yet, community is made one relationship at a time. It is one encounter at a time where we are intentional about learning from one another, respectfully and authentically. For many of us, that is in sharing a meal and/or a drink to hear one another's stories. In that spirit I will end with a quote from a man whom most of us have made very rich. It's simple and it's meaningful. Both things can be true at the same time.
"I was taken by the power that savoring a simple cup of coffee can have to connect people and create community."
~~Howard Schultz, Founder of Starbucks
By Dean Bridgette Young Ross


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Thalassa Boutique Hotel & Spa
The 58 mod-rustic suites - most with butlers and all named after a Greek god or goddess - are perched on a peninsula just above Coral Bay, overlooking 3,400-year-old Mycenaean ruins. In addition to sumptuously appointed quarters (marble bathrooms, iroko parquet floors, whirlpool tubs), the resort has a holistic spa. Ask your multilingual butler to book one of the spa's Greco-Roman treatments, such as the yogurt, olive oil, and herb-infused Trahana body wrap.


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The freelance lifestyle comes with plenty of benefits. You can choose the projects you work on, the clients you engage with, and, in many cases, the hours you work, making it one of the best ways to create a job you love or simply boost your existing income. But all those perks don't come without hard work, dedication, and some serious organizational skills.
One of the most important realizations is that you are not alone. There are a lot of tools that freelancers can use to feel connected to others and make the most of the time they spend growing their business. The best part? They're the kind of tools you can get without making any monetary investment—unless you want to, of course. By making simple adjustments to where and how you work, you can reap the benefits.
Ahead, find out the skills and tools career experts say can make or break your business as a freelancer.
A Top-Notch Work Environment
While some freelancers go directly to their clients' offices to do work, they more often work from home, says Gia Ganesh, a career coach. "In such situations, you need to have a professional environment set up to do quality work," she explains.
Meet the Expert
Gia Ganesh is a personal career strategist and success coach in the Atlanta, Georgia area. She helps individuals determine the best career path to lead fulfilling lives. Gia is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and holds an MBA from Georgia Tech and an MIS from Kennesaw State University.
Mary Warriner is a career coach with a background in talent acquisition in the New York area. She holds a Master's degree in Human Resources Management and is a member of the Career Resource Institute. Mary also has a series of video coaching interviews available on her website.
That means a separate area that is mainly designated to be used during your work hours, designed and stocked with all the things you'd normally need to have a productive workday. She also notes that if you don't have the ability to set up a home office that you love, it may be worth looking into co-working spaces in your area in order to create a clear separation between work and home life, and ensure you have access to an environment where you can do your best work.
A Strong Support Network
It might sound unnecessary, but having a network of contacts in your industry can make a huge difference in how you handle the day-to-day challenges of being a freelancer. "The goal of a network is not to simply complain about clients not paying or being overly demanding, but to offer actual support to one another," explains Mary Warriner, an HR expert, and career coach. While it might sound a little touchy-feely, Warriner says it's crucial. "Learning from trial and error takes time, and having a group of people to learn from gets you much further along in a short amount of time," she explains. Think of all the extra income you can earn in the hours you're not spending trying to figure things out. "This type of network also allows you to keep up-to-date on industry news, trends, and tools," she adds. "And if you can't find a group, create one yourself."
A Method for Tracking Your Hours
Switching between projects for various clients in one day is quite common for freelancers, so it can be tough to figure out how much time you're spending on each project. Ganesh points out that understanding how much time each of your clients gets is important, especially when it comes to deciding how much to charge in the future. Whether you opt for a spreadsheet system or go old school with a notebook to log your hours, it's worth the extra effort to learn about how long tasks take to complete. Plus, you'll get a handle on how many hours you're working per week, which is valuable information when you compare it with your monthly or yearly income.
A Sense of Accountability
"When you're on your own, there is no boss telling you when your project is due or scheduling check-in meetings," notes Warriner. That means all your drive for getting your work done needs to come from within. "You need to have a system in place to be sure you are staying on track with projects, growing your business, and not taking on too much," she explains. This could take the form of a weekly project review meeting (with yourself), a friend or a member of your networking group to talk about your deadlines with, or even a career coach who helps you stay on track. "The value of this last option is that, as a stranger, the coach is detached from the situation and less likely to allow you to make excuses," she says.
The Ability to Unplug
If you're already a freelancer, you know that separating work from your personal life is not always easy. "When you work on short-term projects and constantly work remotely from home or from a personal studio, it can be difficult to learn how to shut off and have your free time actually be free from work," says Valerie Streif, a senior advisor with Mentat. "Learning how to turn off and on is super important to avoid losing work/life balance. When you're working, pour everything you have into it. Banish distractions, and just go," she recommends. "When you're not working, stop checking your work email, and don't make little changes to projects or think about what you could be doing to make more progress. Just enjoy your free time."
A Killer Website
It might not seem like a necessity, but "a place where people can go and find out who you are and what you do is important," notes Warriner. And it doesn't have to be anything fancy to start. "Even a one-pager will do the trick," she adds. No matter what business you're in, having a digital presence is a requirement in today's work world. Think of it this way: Even if you get most of your work through word-of-mouth, if a potential client googles you, you want them to be able to find you.
A Goal That You Stick To
Getting your business off the ground as a freelancer is a great start, but what comes next? "Do you dream of making a six- or seven-figure income freelancing? Or do you want to earn the same income as you were working full-time, and spend more time with your family? In either case, you need to start somewhere with pricing and most likely need to increase that pricing as you go," says Warriner. Often, people get caught up in the work they're doing and lose track of their goals, she says. "Keep your vision for your business top of mind. Write it out or draw it, and put it up in your office," she recommends. "Take clients who will help you get there. Turn down jobs that won't. Keep your eyes on the prize, so to speak."
A Future-Focused Mind-Set
"This is probably one of the hardest skills to develop," says Streif. That's because, as a freelancer, you're likely to be rooted in the work you need to get done now. "Freelancers tend to pour their heart and time into whatever current thing they are working on and have a hard time putting it aside to examine the future opportunities that could be popping up." The problem? Your freelance projects aren't permanent. "Being able to stay motivated and forward-thinking—looking to the future for more work and projects to take on once this one ends—is a key skill to have to avoid lulls in employment (and income)," she says.
Are you a freelancer? What are the most valuable tools and skills you've developed?


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The society writer husband of a wealthy woman is murdered.
Original Air Date: September 27, 1951
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS


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KONE Elevators are on the up… (yes I'm not fond of newspaper style headlines either but there you have it). An interesting shoot none the less for Kone Australia brochures.
KONE Elevators are on the up… (yes I'm not fond of newspaper style headlines either but there you have it). An interesting shoot none the less for Kone Australia brochures.
In studio with the lovely duo of Nina and Jo at Mahlab for Active Retirees magazine. We were all looking forward to this shoot for weeks. After years of tuning into Triple J every Thursday to hear the man himself, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki talk all things science, I had the pleasure to photograph him!!! 😀
The energy Dr Karl brought to the shoot was amazing, he's one of the nicest and most energetic people we've had the pleasure of photographing. Dr Karl is THE trivia night secret weapon, we all felt considerable more knowledgeable following the shoot after listening to countless stories on any subject that came up! Here are a few of the resulting images –
… and what better way to finish a shoot than with a team shot 😉
We've known Zak at Skunkworks Bikes for quite a few years and we always look forward to shooting his special creations (normally over a cool beverage after hours). Having said that, Zak specialises in high end, light and fast bike and wheel builds using high quality parts with meticulous attention to detail, so all of his customers bikes are indeed special creations. This English is Zak's personal bike and gets used daily, the steel & carbon frame and saddle were custom made for his measurements and all parts hand picked to be a truly one off build. If you crave beauty such as this (and who doesn't!), get in contact with Zak. @skunkworks_bikes
Even with a detailed brief, it's often hard to pick which shot will be chosen by an editor and end up on the cover. In this case we had plenty of opportunity to capture many options for the client to choose from and they were really happy with what we came back with.
"Thank you again, we are so happy for the results of the shoot. It is tough to go online and pick a great photographer and company, I feel truly blessed to have found you!
Lynnette Rogers
Art Director"
We've started doing creative portraits for the new "People Q&A" section in NIBA's Insurance & Risk Professional magazine. Published by Mahlab Media, Graphic Designer Jack Pike wanted a "Time Magazine" feel for the portraits. We get about an hour with the subject and have lots of fun exploring different poses, techniques and styles to achieve images that reflect the subject and the theme of the story.
Currently starring in the smash hit musical comedy "Anything Goes", Caroline O'Connor took time out from her busy schedule to catch up with Journalist Jo-Anne Hui and Art Director Nina Christian from Mahlab Media for an interview and photoshoot for "Active Retirees" magazine. Always the consummate professional, Caroline was a delight to work with and didn't hesitate to jump into any pose we required! A really enjoyable shoot.
Styling: Annette Twemlow
Hair and make-up: Lisa Toyer
MALE MODELS: David Helman and Joel Berliner
CLOTHES: Blue dress, jewellery and kimono, dinner suits: Vintage Clothing Shop
LOCATION: The Vanguard, Newtown
We were recently commissioned by our good friends at Rifle Media to execute the photography for the website re-design of Brewster Murray Architects. The individual portraits and group shot were done in our Sydney Liverpool Street studios, whilst the staff working shots were done at BMA's offices. A very cost effective and enjoyable half day photoshoot produced an abundance & variety of great images to choose from for us to complete the final retouching.
We recently completed a series of before and after shots for Zala hair extensions. It was really interesting to see the transformation the extensions and a bit of make up had on the models overall look, you wouldn't even think it was the same girl! We had to try and match the look of the images with existing website images and make sure we got the colour of the extensions correct.
It was a fun shoot with plenty of people buzzing around in the studio from models to hair and makeup artists.
The extra behind the scenes photos are from Zalas Facebook page.
More info on the hair extensions www.zalacliphairextensions.com.au
This photoshoot commissioned by the Salvation Army is designed to show the heritage of their organisation. The subjects are real Salvation Army officers that have been photographed separately. The background was supplied and the lighting on the subjects had to match this. Studio flashes were filtered through coloured gels to achieve the same tones found in the background. The advertisement was used across different print media included magazines, light boxes and Sydney buses.
This shoot was for our friends at March One Advertising Agency. The concept was by the senior designer Dan Crozier (the guy in the middle). The image features the staff of the agency and was used in the Promax awards magazine. Promax is a global community of professionals in the marketing and promotional television industry. If you have a concept that you want to bring to life, the Studio Commercial team can make it a reality.


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ARLINGTON, Texas – The roof was closed, but Tony Romo was still under the weather in Thursday's win.
Romo still managed to put together an efficient day despite battling a virus and getting an IV before the game, going 23-of-32 for 225 yards and a touchdown without throwing a pick.
"Just whatever it is, a bug, some shape or form," Romo said. "You know, you just kind of feel down, but it's no different than guys playing through pain or anything. It's just part of football."
The virus began Wednesday night and Romo woke up feeling sick on the morning of the game. Head coach Jason Garrett said Romo had thrown up and didn't look great physically before the Thanksgiving Day matchup began.
After a slow start, throwing for 55 yards without a touchdown in the first quarter and throwing for no yards in the second quarter until the two-minute mark, Romo got it going late in the first half. The Cowboys orchestrated an eight-play, 73-yard touchdown drive in 1:46.
"He's already a beast, then that beast times two comes out," said Dez Bryant, who finished as the team's leading receiver in the game. "That's exactly what he showed. Whenever he's doing things like that, like I said, it just boosts everyone in this locker room."
Then Romo carried that to the second half, when he was a perfect 12-for-12. It's the third time in his career that he's completed all of his second-half passes and the first since December 2012 against the Eagles.
"We talked about the great Joe Montana story in the Cotton Bowl," Garrett said. "We didn't actually get him the chicken soup, but we tried to get a little drama going so maybe he would respond to it. I think as much as anything else, when he got going out there he started feeling good, particularly in that drive before the half, and I think it carried into the second half."
Romo downplayed the significance of the virus come game time. He said he took "a bunch of stuff" from the doctors but that it was no big deal. He said with a smile that he'd try to go eat something after the Thanksgiving game.
"This is the NFL," Romo said. "You play through everything. Guys play through a lot worse, I can promise you that."


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Pseudo Youth
Rochester's Pseudo Youth rock like a band out of time and out of dimension. If the century never turned and the 1990's kept going, I suspect this band would have popped up around 199013. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jesse Sprinkle at his Bluebrick studios, "Zenkar" (named after a die-hard PY fan) rocks with the certainty defined by the post-grunge, big rock as laid out by the 90's. At the same time, the band plays with an exploratory vision not defined by any place in time other than right now. It's all guitars and groove and melody with vocals seething on top. The result is more big than loud. For those about to rock, this is the rock 'n' roll punch to the gut you want.


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Cloud Index
2019 Edition Application Requirements to Drive Hybrid Cloud Growth
The Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Index 2019
Background and Research Goals
For the second consecutive year, Vanson Bourne has conducted research on behalf of Nutanix to learn about the state of global enterprise cloud deployments and adoption plans. In mid-2019, the researcher surveyed 2,650 IT decision makers around the world about where they're running their business applications today, where they plan to run them in the future, what their cloud challenges are, and how their cloud initiatives stack up against other IT projects and priorities.
The 2019 respondent base spanned multiple industries, business sizes, and the following geographies: the Americas; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); and the Asia-Pacific (APJ) region.
Cloud Terminology
This report refers to several different types of cloud environments. Below are the definitions of these cloud types as expressed to respondents during the data-gathering phase of this research and as used throughout this report.
- PRIVATE CLOUD: A cloud-enabled IT infrastructure running in a corporate datacenter or privately hosted by a third-party service provider.
- PUBLIC CLOUD: Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings from third-party cloud service providers. Examples of these offerings are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
- HYBRID CLOUD: A combination of private and public cloud environments, with some level of interoperability between them.
- MULTICLOUD: An IT environment that uses multiple public cloud services, with some level of interoperability between them.
- TRADITIONAL DATACENTER: Centralized location housing computing, storage, and networking equipment for the purpose of running applications and for collecting, storing, and processing large amounts of data, without the benefit of cloud technology.
The 'pro' of the public cloud is that we don't have to worry about upgrades. The 'con' is that when new versions come out, we have to train people on new versions ourselves.
– Faisal Jawaid, IT Manager, Telus Spark, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
'Cloud First' Rules: But Which Cloud?
Summary: Hybrid Cloud Remains the IT Operating Model Frontrunner
Enterprises plan to aggressively shift investment to hybrid cloud architectures, though their short-term cloud deployment plans have hit a significant speed bump during the past year. Nearly three-fourths of 2019 respondents reported that they're moving some number of applications from the public cloud back on premises, and, correspondingly, the use of traditional, non-cloud-enabled datacenters actually increased slightly instead of dropping by more than 20%, as expected.
Still, 2019 survey respondents reported steady and substantial hybrid deployment plans over the next five years. In addition, the vast majority of 2019 survey respondents (85%) selected hybrid cloud as their ideal IT operating model, and the largest percentage of respondents (49%) cited hybrid cloud as the model meeting all of their needs.
Hybrid clouds will see the most growth in a 5 year timeframe
Why the persistent preference for the hybrid option? The research indicates a few reasons.
These are among the reasons that the five-year outlook shows the hybrid cloud IT model flourishing while legacy datacenters begin to disappear and the exclusive use of private and public clouds wanes over time, too (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Current & Planned IT Deployments
Key Findings
The research illustrates the following key findings:
Figure 2. Which IT Operating Model Is the Most Secure?
There's a need for both public and private clouds. Some industries' security regulations require on-premises operations, so you have to have a private option.
– Ryan Arnold, IT Director, Acumen, LLC, Mesa, AZ
One Size Cloud Doesn't Fit All
As indicated in the summary, creating and executing a cloud strategy has become a far more nuanced job than it once was. At one time, the primary value proposition associated with the cloud was substantial cost savings, derived from pushing apps into the cloud and avoiding upfront capex and internal opex. It was the promise of those savings that initially drove IT teams toward public cloud computing.
With a few years of cloud experience under their belts, however, enterprises seem to be discovering that while there are many good reasons for using public cloud services, saving money alone may not be the most important one or even a guaranteed one. And they're learning that one size cloud doesn't fit all use cases. Current thinking based on years of cloud experience concludes that applications with unpredictable usage are best suited to the public cloud, while more predictable workloads can run on-premises at a lower cost of a public cloud solution1. Savings are also incumbent on businesses' ability to match each application to the appropriate cloud service and pricing tier and to remain diligent about regularly reviewing service plans and fees, which change frequently, and adjusting plans and pricing tiers accordingly.
That diligence may have been a bit more than most enterprises initially bargained for; while nearly two thirds of respondents (64%) report staying on or under budget with their public cloud services, more than a third (35%) reported being slightly or significantly over budget (Figure 3). This figure is line with budget data gathered for the 2018 Enterprise Cloud Index, as well as with research data calculated by other sources over the past several years. As such, it remains a cause for concern that is likely driving reevaluation of workload distribution.
Figure 3. Public Cloud Budget Success Levels
The diligence most enterprises bargained for
1The ROI Story: A Guide for IT Leaders
Public cloud seems the most cost-effective for DevOps and testing. But the biggest problem there is that developers might spin up a cloud server, then abandon it and leave it up, and it remains a hidden cost.
- Brad Meyer, Systems Administrator, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
Those reevaluations are likely to indicate, for example, that new or untested applications often do better initially by taking advantage of the public cloud's resource elasticity to shrink or expand as the application's behavior and usage requirements unfold. But over time, those new and unpredictable workloads can become more stable, meriting a shift back on prem or to an alternate cloud service with different pricing, egress fees, and subscription terms. It follows, then, that Enterprise Cloud Index respondents continue to rank application mobility, cloud interoperability, and the unification of cloud management and operations across disparate cloud environments as highly desirable. Nearly a fifth chose "interoperability between cloud types," for example, as the top benefit of using a hybrid cloud. Application mobility and unified management/operations ranked second and third, respectively (Figure 4). By contrast, the public cloud still seems to be largely a cost-savings play. Lower total cost of ownership came out on top as the primary benefit of the public cloud option.
Figure 4. Primary Benefits of the Hybrid Cloud
Trough of Disillusionment?
The flexibility and fluidity that respondents cite as the key benefits they hope for with hybrid cloud are in a fairly nascent stage today. This state of affairs, along with nearly a third of respondents (32%) saying they lack in-house hybrid cloud skills, could have thwarted some 2018 hybrid plans. The discovery that these hoped-for advantages weren't fully available could account for the discrepancy between 2018 respondents' stated cloud plans for the coming year and 2019 respondents' reported deployments, as discussed in key finding #4. Enterprise IT professionals surveyed in 2018 saw themselves reducing traditional datacenter use by half in favor of, largely, hybrid cloud and multicloud deployments in the 2018-2019 timeframe. However, as Figure 5 shows, datacenter use actually increased by 12.3%., while hybrid cloud use, rather than increasing, fell by about 5.4% during the past year.
Figure 5. Cloud, Interrupted
While longer-term plans for hybrid cloud deployments overall remain aggressive, there appears to have been a short-term regrouping effort on the part of enterprises. Surprisingly, the IT model that saw the most action during the past year was the traditional, non-cloud-enabled datacenter. Respondents had predicted that their datacenter usage would drop this past year by about 20.5% while their use of hybrid and multiple public clouds would accelerate. Instead, datacenter use actually increased by 12.5%. 2018 respondents also predicted their hybrid cloud use would increase by about 7.5%; instead, it fell by 5.4%.
The State of Affairs
Enterprise IT has likely entered the "trough of disillusionment" phase with cloud computing. While more than a third of respondents (37%) using cloud computing said the services they use are meeting all their expectations (a number that's significantly higher in the Americas at (45%), initial high hopes for the public cloud as solving all their IT requirements have been tempered. Most have evolved into the realization that the hybrid model, by allowing the flexibility to match workloads to the best resources and being perceived as the most secure option, is theoretically the right model, but choosing among various cloud types and services and managing them has proven more difficult than expected. As such, companies have likely found themselves ensconced in the so-called "messy middle," whereby they have needed to punt and find workarounds for the immaturity of cloud interoperability and mobility. As a result, the "devil you know"—in this case, the on-prem, non-cloud-enabled datacenter—appears to have gained favor as at least a short-term solution to these issues.
There's evidence that turning to the traditional datacenter is a temporary phenomenon. Nearly half (49%) of 2019 respondents said that hybrid cloud was meeting all their needs, compared to just 35% who said the traditional datacenter fully meets their needs. In addition, enterprises' 2019 medium-term plans indicate a continued bullishness on cloud adoption: nearly three-quarters of respondents (71%) said they're planning to move both new and existing applications onto a cloud platform in the next three years.
Given the shortage of cybersecurity talent, a public cloud provider that's likely to have more of those resources on staff might be able to do a better job than an in-house team.
– Ryan Arnold, IT Director, Acumen, LLC, Mesa, AZ
App Trends: What's Running Where?
The surprising short-term shift back to traditional IT infrastructure resources begs a look at just what applications were running where in IT shops in mid-2019 compared with mid-2018. While 37% of enterprise workloads are running in some type of cloud today (about even with 2018's 36%), 2019 respondents cited fairly large increases in traditional datacenter use. In particular, datacenter usage grew over the past year for the following applications: desktop and application virtualization; traditional run-the-business applications, such as customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP); data analytics and business intelligence (BI); databases; development and testing; and data backup and recovery (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Where Enterprise Apps Are Running
What's Influencing Deployments?
A number of forces and challenges are impacting enterprise cloud strategies and deployments. For example, nearly three-fourths of enterprises surveyed (72%) said that digital transformation was the business trend having the biggest impact on its cloud deployments—and digital transformation ranked as the top business priority in the majority of respondents' businesses (64%).
As noted earlier, adequate inter-cloud security is the most likely (60%) influencing factor on the future of cloud computing for respondents' organizations. Slightly more than half of this year's respondents said the same when it comes to skills availability (53%), and 51% pointed to regulations and policies dictating where data can and can't be stored as affecting what cloud services they're able to use.
From a technology perspective, edge computing and IoT, DevOps, and AI and machine learning ranked highest as having a "significant impact" overall on respondents' businesses (Figure 7).
Figure 7. High-Impact Technologies and Trends
The hybrid cloud option is a good one for balancing workloads so that all our eggs are not in one basket.
– Faisal Jawaid, IT Manager, Telus Spark, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Note that with edge computing/IoT leading the technology impact on respondents' businesses, the laws of physics are playing a greater role in respondents' decision-making than previously. Edge computing reduces latency in situations where instantaneous application response times can serve a number of critical purposes, from saving money to improving process efficiencies to possibly even saving lives. Latency is reduced when data is collected, processed, and analyzed either in the device that collects it or nearby in a local edge computer. That contrasts with more traditional processes of hauling data over a wide-area network to a corporate datacenter, private cloud, or public cloud for processing and analytics, in which the transport delay incurred can render the data stale, skew results, and result in poor decision-making.
It's not surprising, then, that a third or more of respondents listed "Latency" and "Physics" as among the biggest factors influencing the future of cloud computing at their organizations (Figure 8).
A number of forces and challenges
Figure 8. Other Factors of Influence
This report contains links to external websites that are not part of Nutanix.com. Nutanix does not control these sites and disclaims all responsibility for the content or accuracy of any external site. Our decision to link to an external site should not be considered an endorsement of any content on such a site.


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Sydney low-budget flick The Devil's 6 Commandments has secured both Australian and US distribution deals.
The $30,000 film, written and directed by Dicky Tanuwidjaya, has been released by US distributor R-Squared Films (which specialises in independent genre projects) in North America for both DVD and VOD.
"It's harder than getting the film made," Tanuwidjaya says of his struggle to get distribution.
"My first attempt was to contact distributors that distribute films in the $5-20 million-budget range. And I learned a humbling lesson when the first question that 90 per cent of them asked was 'Who's in it?'."
The first-time feature film director/producer – who spent $20,000 on production and $10,000 on insurance, legal paperwork, deliverables and marketing – then compiled a list of distributors that had acquired films with a budget of less than $1 million.
"I contacted them, and sent them screeners and marketing documents. The reaction I got was mostly positive. Distributors like filmmakers who know a thing or two about film marketing."
In Australia, Shock Entertainment will distribute the action/thriller/dark-comedy film.
The Devil's 6 Commandments, which screened at Sydney's Chauvel Cinema last year, portrays six revenge stories intertwining one another. Rather than using 'chapters', the director used 'commandments'. Each commandment has its own story.
"I'm proud of the fact that there are a few things in The Devil's 6 Commandments that most critics and audiences hadn't seen in any other films before – like the opening credits, the insert cuts, the very unorthodox revenge method, etc," Tanuwidjaya says.
"All the scripts that I write are personal, but I always use metaphors, exaggerations and most importantly I add plenty of entertainment layers on top, so the target audience will be able to enjoy the film.
"I want to share a personal story in a way that the audience can enjoy."
The film tells the story of Nina, who is on the verge of committing suicide after being brutally raped by thugs. She is persuaded by Ares, her psychotic stepbrother to track down the thugs and torture them. During their revenge mission, Nina and Ares encounter Trevor Moretti, a rogue cop who helps their cause, Albert Pike, a homophobic multimillionaire, and Freddie Ramone, a priest with a dark past.
The young up-and-coming filmmaker is now hard at work in raising finance on his second feature: Bloodlines. The film, which the director describes as "Scarface meets Miller's Crossing", has actors Michael Madsen (Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs) and Luke Goss (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Blade II) attached.
The crime/action/thriller, penned by Andrei Serban with additional material from Tanuwidjaya, is about a youngster who teams up with a cunning crooked cop to take over the underworld. If funding goes ahead, it will be shot in Sydney in the latter half of 2012.
The Devil's 6 Commandments is available in the US through R-Squared Films and was released today in Australia by Shock Entertainment. To view the trailer, click here.


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PATIENTS are facing a postcode lottery over whether they are getting protection from the deadly flu virus in Birmingham, it emerged today.
GP surgeries across the south and east of the city are struggling to vaccinate all the elderly and vulnerable who need a flu jab.
And less than half of those on the list in the city's north had received a vaccine by the end of October.
But it is a completely different story across the central inner city areas of Birmingham that have recorded some of the best injection take-up rates in the country.
Birmingham City Council's health scrutiny committee was told some failing surgeries had not ordered enough jabs, others were let down by suppliers and there was also a problem of organising patients to attend vaccination clinics.
Health watchdog Coun Steve Bedser (Lab, Longbridge) said: "I am concerned about the service if practices are unable to master the logistics of ordering flu vaccines.
"It's not a difficult thing to work out and it begs the question of the quality of clinical care if patients are not being chased to have their vaccine.
"There should be a pan-Birmingham approach so there are enough vaccines for the needy wherever they are, so a surplus in one area can be transferred."
In the south of the city, 16 surgeries need extra deliveries, while in the east only half of the jabs needed had arrived by early December.
Jacky Chambers, director of public health, said: "It seems that GP practices in the east didn't make reserve orders and were left out on a limb.
"The Department of Health said they would send out jabs from their stock pile. They have still only had half what was ordered."
Two years ago, Heart of Birmingham Primary Care Trust gave only half of patients in central parts from Handsworth to Balsall Heath a vaccine - one of the worst records in the UK.
But due to a campaign starting in May, uptake is as high as 70 per cent with 22,000 of the 30,000 patients who need an injection dealt with.
A flu hit squad checked with every GP practice as to how many injections had been ordered, buying in extra supplies and making sure patients were invited to special jab clinics.


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A new 3D Learning Center in Liège, Belgium
The "Centre de Technologies Avancées" is a new training center officially open this week in Liège, Belgium. The center provides short training sessions (one day to one week) to hi-tech SMEs and srtatup workers and covers all advanced 2D and 3D creation techniques, including 3D CGI, autostereoscopy, 3D printing, and large format cuting and printing machines.
4 New Class Rooms
The CTA offers under a single roof most state of the art advanced design technologies. The project is co-funded by the Brussels-Wallonia Federation and by European structural funds for 870.000€.
The 3D Printing machine in a class room.
The opening ceremony has seen Education Minister Mrs Marie-Martine Schyns cutting the mandatory ribbon.
More Info
Visit the CTA Institut Marie-Thérèse web site for more info (in French).
Source: Rtbf (in French)


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Diamonds are a girl's best friend, and this is even more true now that Frederick B. is launching his new line of rings called the 'Intimacy' collection.
According to frederickb.com, the 'Intimacy' collection offers a "a new, unique and exclusive ring setting, intimately positioning diamonds directly over a partner diamond or precious stone.†Such offerings of stones include white, canary, pink, and chocolate (chocolate!) diamonds, and sapphires.
Implications - With the economic recession slowly recovering, consumers are looking for new ways to spend their cash. Products that provide buyers with a sense of luxury are a great way to capitalize on this development, as many individuals are now willing to spend their money.
Frederick B.'s 'Intimacy' Collection Pairs Pastel Precious Stones
Robyn Currie — September 11, 2009 — Luxury
References: frederickb & luxist