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The collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory complex near Dhaka in April 2013—killing 1,132 souls and injuring nearly 2,000 more—is unquestionably the most horrific human tragedy in garment industry world history. Whether this enormous loss of life will be balanced by a new era of social reform remains an open question. But it seems just possible that Rana Plaza may well represent the same sort of moral and political shock to an exploitative and dysfunctional production system as did the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, which ushered in a generation of social reform and labor rights.
Even before the Rana Plaza collapse, the death toll from Bangladesh factory fires rose to more than seven hundred over the previous decade.
Like the blaze that killed 146 immigrant workers in lower Manhattan, Rana Plaza was an accident but hardly an accident of history. Garment factory fires, building collapses, and other tragedies in East Asia and the Indian sub-continent have become endemic across the far reaches of the supply chains that put clothing and other consumer goods on the shelves of thousands of big box stores in Europe and North America. Even before the Rana Plaza collapse, the death toll from Bangladesh factory fires rose to more than 700 over the previous decade. As recently as November 2012, a devastating fire killed 112 people at the Tazreen garment factory, a sometime vendor to Walmart.
Two things are notable even in the headline news. First, the system of subcontracting and outsourcing that constitutes the bottom of the supply chain remains opaque not only to the government, the public, and the workers but also to the retailers who pay for the product and set standards for its price, quality, and production schedule. Such was the backdrop to the Tazreen fire. The factory was working flat-out to meet the Christmas rush in the West. Walmart had terminated its relationship with the factory due to safety concerns, but one of its sub-contractors continued to use Tazreen (reportedly without its knowledge), and clothes for the huge American retailer were still being produced there months later. Smoldering remains of the store's "Faded Glory" brand were found in the embers. [1]
But if even corporate headquarters in Bentonville could not quite determine the set of manufacturers who actually produced all the products designated for company stores, there was little doubt, either among outside observers or corporate insiders that Walmart and other retail giants bore some responsibility for the tragedies, if only because they were the ultimate paymasters and orchestrators of the production and distribution chain that sustained nearly four thousand Bangladesh garment factories. Echoing long-standing demands from anti-sweatshop organizers and South Asian unionists, the New York Times editorialized that only stiff government safety regulations and a renewed sense of social responsibility on the part of the big garment buyers could avert future tragedies. "Lawmakers began improving industrial safety in earnest after the 1911 fire at New York's Triangle Shirtwaist factory," noted the Times. "The collapse of Rana Plaza should play a similar galvanizing role now." [2]
We have before us a failure of corporate accountability not just in terms of any individual set of companies doing business in South Asia but systematically as a function of the nature of the supply chains that combine two seemingly contradictory phenomena: a high level of integration between manufacturers and the brands and retailers that source their product from these far-flung vendors, combined with a legal regime that absolves those who command the various links in the supply chain of the kind of responsibility, moral as well as economic, that attached to those in formal leadership of the vertically structured corporation, which once seemed so central to the American polity.
In the Progressive Era, the National Consumers League and the Women's Trade Union League deployed the weapons of the weak—investigation, exposure, moral suasion, and boycott—to civilize American capitalism. Today, these same tactics are used by numerous non-governmental organizations that monitor, expose, berate, and measure the working conditions and environmental standards that exist in the factories from which Walmart and other retailers source their product. Human Rights Watch, the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), and numerous Hong Kong- based groups keep the pressure on Walmart, Nike, Disney, and Target, which fear that a decline in their "reputational" status might damage them with millions of consumers. Thus, contemporary NGOs play a role that, in part, fills the vacuum once occupied by trade unions or the regulatory state during the era of vertically integrated corporations and continental markets.
NGOs fill the vacuum once occupied by trade unions or the regulatory state during the era of vertically integrated corporations and continental markets.
In response to the reputational threat that the NGOs can episodically mount, brands and retailers have developed their own (sometimes quite elaborate) codes of social responsibility, staffed by hundreds of company employees at home and abroad. They first arose in the early 1970s when IBM, Ford, GM, and other major U.S. companies faced accusations that their operations in South Africa condoned apartheid. The codes proliferated in the 1990s when it became clear that many of the garments, shoes, toys, and electronics imported from Central America and East Asia were produced under appalling conditions. By 2007, 86 percent of the Fortune Global 200 had some sort of corporate code of conduct, double the rate of a decade before. [3] These codes of conduct have some impact at the margins, especially in terms of environmental standards and standardization of working hours, but studies conducted by sociologists on the ground in Asia and elsewhere have also found that in actual operation, such codes make no fundamental transformation in the way big retailers go about purchasing their goods or in the way its contractors and sub-con- tractors go about producing them. The resultant squeeze on workers' wages and working conditions remains intact. [4]
Such codes have been notably ineffective in Bangladesh, now the second largest exporter of apparel in the world. There, an utter dependence on cheap labor and cheap exports, a corrupt and ineffective state apparatus, and a powerful and autonomous set of garment manufacturers have generated something close to a lawless industrial frontier. Building permits are routinely ignored, resulting in the construction of poorly engineered multi-story factories on land not far above the water table. Fire codes have been flouted, exit doors locked, and work hours lengthened. The current Western vogue for "fast fashion" means production requirements on the other side of the world change in an instant; should a manufacturer fail to deliver on time, accepted practice in much of the industry is for the buyer to deduct 5 percent for each week of delay. Not unexpectedly, workers get squeezed and safety standards ignored in the rush to make deadline. [5]
In a study of recent factory fires and other loss of life in Bangladesh, the American sociologist Robert Ross found that in virtually every instance, the production facility had been visited a few weeks or months before and approved for operation by inspectors working for companies with well-established codes of conduct. [6] At the Tazreen apparel factory, where 112 workers died, mortality was exacerbated by the lack of open and secure fire exits, the extra floors illegally added to the building, failure to use fire extinguishers, and the refusal of floor managers to let workers leave their sewing machines even after fire alarms had begun. Tazreen produced clothing for Walmart, Sears, K.I.K, Dickies, and Disney among others, all of whom had well-established codes of conduct. Walmart had audited the factory twice in 2011: in May of that year, inspectors gave Tazreen an "orange" rating, meaning there were "higher-risk violations." But three months later, the factory grade improved to "yellow," meaning the violations were only "medium-risk." At Rana Plaza on the morning of April 24, 2013, a government engineer warned workers milling outside the facility that visible cracks in support columns indicated the building was unsafe. But despite the fact that virtually every brand and retailer that sourced from the complex—Bon Marche, Primark, Carrefour, Benetton, Inditex, J.C. Penney, Walmart, Store Twenty-One, and others—administered their own code of conduct, none proved a barrier to the demand by managers that employees get back to work.
Given this dismal and deadly record, in Bangladesh and elsewhere, the main effort put forward by labor-oriented NGOs has been to push the brands and retailers to assume responsibility, on a legal and financial basis, of the global supply chains from which they buy their shirts, shoes, and other consumer goods. Prodded by United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) and the Worker Rights Consortium, several universities have demanded the establishment of a "designated supplier program," which would force retailers and brands to source their product from a few, large, carefully monitored factories. Leveraging the power inherent in the $4 billion collegiate apparel market, USAS and the WRC forced Russell Athletic to reopen a factory in Honduras that had been shut down after workers successfully unionized, at the same time persuading the brand not to fight unionization at its seven other Honduras factories. [7]
Likewise, supply chain reformers have insisted that those who source products from distant contractors and sub-contractors acquire a legal obligation to the workers at the bottom of the supply chain, even when sub-contractors fail local laws and abridge their contracts. Thus, after much wrangling and protest, Adidas agreed to pay severance to two thousand seven hundred Indonesian factory workers when their employer, PT Kizone, failed to pay the $1.8 million in severance owed them, under Indonesian law, when the company abruptly shut down in 2011. [8] Not unexpectedly, some domestically made brands have tried to take promotional advantage of such controversy, boasting of the moral and material superiority of their production setup. On the storefront of every American Apparel outlet is the slogan, "Made in Downtown L. A.: Vertically Integrated Manufacturing." [9]
The Past as Prologue
The most important initiative undertaken by the anti-sweatshop NGOs has come in the wake of the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh. But before discussing the provisions of this precedent-setting Accord on Fire and Building Safety, it is important to recognize that the compact, which seeks to advance a legal, contractual reintegration of employment obligations and relations in the global supply chains of our day, has had a remarkable historical antecedent, based on reforms in the U.S. garment industry during an era when the structure of production and distribution in that economic sector resembled those of East Asia today.
In the early twentieth century, there were some vertically integrated firms, such as Hart, Schaffner & Marx, and Hickey Freeman, which were also pioneers in the sort of welfare and collective bargaining arrangements that prefigured the New Deal. But most of the rest of the garment industry was fragmented and disorganized. "Jobbers" were designers, apparel firms, retailers, or even big manufacturers like H&M who contracted out all or part of their work to "a protean sea of tiny enterprises," as historian Steve Fraser described the "rag trade" in his biography of the labor leader Sidney Hillman. "They inhabited an economic underworld where chiseling, subterfuge, and tainted goods were the common currency." As in East and South Asia today, where manufacturers scramble for contracts from Nike, Zara, Target, and H&M, the outside manufacturers of early-twentieth- century New York "defended [their] razor-thin margin of profit by means both legitimate and shady, but especially by exerting a constant downward pressure on wages and working conditions." [10]
During the first third of the twentieth century, the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union exerted little more real power than its Bangladeshi counterparts today. Militant strikes, mass demonstrations, and radical cries for social justice were common to garment manufacturing both on the Lower East Side and in contemporary Bangladesh. To stabilize the industry, raise wages, and improve safety, the ILGWU argued that jobbers and contractors were actually "joint employers" in an "integrated process of production," if only because the small, labor-intensive firms that actually did the sewing and assembling of the garments did not own, design, invest in, or purchase any of the materials needed for production. The contractors did not maintain any showrooms or employ salesmen. Their sole task was to provide a service function, to supervise the productive process in the same way a foreman or plant supervisor got out production and controlled labor costs in an "inside shop." [11]
Reflecting the sentiment that would later be common coin among the brands and retailers anxious to limit their responsibility for working conditions in the twenty-first-century global supply chains over which they presided, the jobbers and merchants of New York ridiculed the ILGWU determination that ultimate responsibility for conditions in the industry lay with those who designed, purchased, and sold the garments produced by the small contract shops. As asserted by a lawyer for the Merchant Ladies' Garment Association,
The union is endeavoring to call the jobbers manufacturers. The union has tried to reduce the contractor to the status of a foreman for the purposes of these negotiations. . . . If the contractors of this industry are not living up to union rules, that is the union's problem. If the contractors do not produce in sufficiently large shops to suit the union, that is their problem. If the contractors are in any way obnoxious to the union in their methods of treating workers, the union knows how to handle that situation. [12]
This brand or jobber effort to foist responsibility for work and wages onto an ever shifting sea of petty producers failed. With the coming of the New Deal in 1933, the ILGWU emerged as an economically and politically potent source of worker power and industry governance. For two mid-century generations, the half-million- member ILGWU prevailed in its insistence that the big merchants were party to the bargaining arrangements and outcomes negotiated by labor and capital. The New Deal's National Recovery Administration, upon which ILG leaders exerted considerable influence, created codes of fair competition that did in fact mandate joint liability for jobbers and contractors, eliminating the capacity of the jobber to evade industrial responsibility and thereby greatly ameliorate "the jobber-contractor evil." [13]
Although the NRA itself imploded in 1935, the garment unions created a stable system of triangular bargaining in which the union first negotiated a collective bargaining agreement with the jobber, then reached an agreement with the contractors, and then finally the jobber and the contractors negotiated a contract with each other. As a retired union official told sociologist Jennifer Bair decades later, "The ILGWU recognized that the jobber was the lynchpin of the industry. Contractors couldn't pay anything unless the jobber paid it to him or for him. The trick was to get as much as you could in the con- tract to protect the workers and the union." [14]
These jobber agreements regulated not only wages and working conditions but also the structure of the relationship between the merchants and the contract manufacturers. Jobbers were required to submit a list of all their key contractors and were not permitted to remove any of these designated contracts from their production networks. They could not shop around for lower wages or even for a more productive sub-con- tractor. These agreements integrated the industry by discouraging arms-length, one-shot deals between jobbers and contractors; instead the ILGWU successfully sought to lock jobbers into longer term relationships of mutual dependence with their contractors. And because union jobbers were obligated to use union contractors, contract manufacturers had an incentive to join the relevant employers association and thereby become party to the collective contract signed between that association and the union. [15] By 1935, the ILGWU represented approximately 70 percent of all women's apparel workers in America, and by the late 1940s, garment industry weekly earnings stood at nearly 85 percent of those in manufacturing.[Robert Ross, Slaves to Fashion: Poverty and Abuse in the New Sweatshops (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2004), 97.]
All this is not ancient history. To the extent that garment manufacturing in Bangladesh retains an industrial ecology not dissimilar from that of 7th Avenue a century before, it is not an accident that similar solutions are now on the agenda. The May 2013 Accord on Fire and Building Safety (currently signed by more than 150 global brands and retailers, by the powerful Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Association, and by two international union federations, IndustriALL and UNI) replicates key features of the ILGWU jobber agreements. Pushed forward by NGOs like the college- and university-based Worker Rights Consortium and the European Clean Clothes Campaign, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety was the product of a multi-year series of negotiations that only reached resolution in the immediate wake of the Rana Plaza tragedy. The Accord rejects the voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility codes of conduct model and instead mandates that all signatories sign legally binding contracts that generate a joint financial responsibility on the part of the Bangladesh contract manufacturers and the global brands and retailers that use them. [16]
Although the Bangladeshi unions do not at present represent the level of worker organization and political power achieved by the ILGWU in its heyday, there are nevertheless three ways in which the Accord reflects core principles of the old jobbers' agreements. First, the Accord regulates the buying practices of apparel brands and retailers. It requires them to make a multi-year commitment to supplier factories, a major deviation from the industry's footloose norm. And these lead firms are specifically required to help pay for factory safety upgrades if the factories cannot cover the costs themselves. Article 22 of the Accord includes such options as joint investments, loans, accessing donor or government support, offering business incentives, and (significantly) paying for renovations directly. [17] This generates something closer to the top of the supply chain investing in the bottom.
The Accord requires [apparel brands and retailers] to make a multi-year commitment to supplier factories.
Second, the Accord calls for workers' representatives to be empowered participants, with a steering committee composed equally of union representatives and officials from participating companies. The Bangladeshi unions are comparatively far weaker than the New Deal-era ILGWU, but their hand is strengthened by the role played by the international union confederations, the International Labor Organization, and the NGO community, which today plays a role not dissimilar from that of the middle-class, labor-oriented National Consumers League of a century ago. And as with the muckraking agitation and reform impulses of a century and more ago, the Bangladeshi unions and their Western allies legitimize the efforts of each other, justifying both strikes and demonstrations on the ground and the international standard-setting efforts of their North Atlantic supporters.
Bangladeshi unions and their Western allies legitimize the efforts of each other, justifying both strikes and demonstrations on the ground and international standard-setting efforts.
And finally, the Accord's terms, like the jobbers' agreements and collective bargaining agreements generally, are not mere general statements of intent or privately promulgated corporate codes of conduct. Instead, they are legally binding, contractual obligations, whose enforcement, should consultation and ILO arbitration fail, can take place in the court of the home country of the signatory party against whom enforcement is sought. This is important because of the corruption, politicization, and systematic employer bias of so many judicial systems in Bangladesh and many other Asian apparel-manufacturing countries. [18]
Significantly, the new legal obligations inherent in the Accord generated resistance from those American retailers, including the Gap, Walmart, and at least fifteen other companies that source products in Bangladesh, who refused to sign the Accord and instead established a rival Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. [19] Unlike the Accord, the Alliance does not require its signatories to cover the costs of factory remediation should other alternatives prove unworkable. Nor does the Alliance include unions as counterparties to the signatory brands, instead incorporating factory owners as part of its governance structure. This is consistent with the failed CSR approach, which marginalizes workers' voices in favor of a "trust me" partnership between brands, retailers, and factory owners.
Unlike the Accord, the Alliance does not require its signatories to cover the costs of factory remediation should other alternatives prove unworkable.
The most important difference between the Accord and the Alliance, however, is that the American-dominated group resists legal accountability. "The liability issue is of great concern, at least on this side of the Atlantic," asserted a lawyer for the National Retail Federation. "For U.S. corporations, there is a fear that someone will try to impose liability and responsibility if something goes awry in the global supply chain." [20] Precisely.
Asserts Rob Wayss, head of Accord operations in Bangladesh, "The Accord has teeth that the alliance simply does not have. The Accord is a transformational agreement. The Alliance is a modified version of the monitoring and auditing and corporate social responsibility that have been employer- led and executed and not rigorous enough." [21]
The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety is therefore of potentially far-reaching import. It represents a step toward the moral, legal, and financial reintegration of a set of supply chains that today constitute the essence of our neoliberal globalization. It encourages and legitimizes the role of workers and their unions in one small but vital aspect of industry governance. The principles inherent in the Accord should, therefore, spread not only to those low-wage or unsafe enterprises of the global South that fill big box shelves but also to the increasingly fissured workplaces of the United States, where a Rube Goldberg set of franchises, sub-contractors, and temporary work agencies have enabled highly profitable big companies to shed responsibility and steal wages and benefits from an increasingly precarious slice of the American working class.


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Huddersfield Town face Reading in the Championship play-off final after a sensational win over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
Town edged the Owls on penalties, with Danny Ward keeping out Fernando Forestieri's final spot-kick to send the Terriers to Wembley.
Reading booked their place at Wembley on Tuesday with a battling 1-0 victory over free-scoring Fulham.
With the final now sorted, here's what you need to know if you're planning a day in the capital on May 29.
When is kick off?
Monday, May 29 at 3pm.
How can I get tickets?
Town will be in the west end of Wembley - the same end they were in in 2012 - with tickets going on sale tomorrow.
Tickets will be on sale through Ticketmaster from 8am for season card holders, Blue and White Foundation Members and Patrons, but will NOT be available through the club website.
They go on general sale at 8am on Sunday, May 21 through Ticketmaster.
Town have been allocated 38,328 tickets for the final.
The prices for adults are as follows:
Category 1: £98
Category 2: £76
Category 3: £64
Category 4: £52
Category 5: £36
Under-16s tickets are priced at:
Category 1: £49
Category 2: £38
Category 3: £32
Category 4: £26
Category 5: £18
How do I get there?
To get there by tube, take the Jubilee or Metropolitan line to Wembley Park Station or the Bakerloo line to Wembley Central Station.
If on the overground, London Midland service or Southern lines also get off at Wembley Central Station.
If you are travelling via Chiltern Railways, get off at Wembley Stadium Station.
If travelling by car, directions can be found on the Wembley website, but make sure you book parking in advance as spaces can fill up ahead of the match.
For those looking for parking, Wealdstone FC are offering free spaces at Grosvenor Vale - around seven miles away from Wembley.
What is Town's record against Reading like?
Town have won and lost against Reading this season.
The Royals beat Town 1-0 at the start of the season at the Madejski Stadium, but were beaten by the same scoreline at the John Smith's Stadium - Philip Billing scoring the decisive goal.
In 50 previous meetings, Town have won 15, lost 24 and drawn 11.


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- System: 2-way, 2-driver direct radiating vented enclosure with rear-firing flared ports.
- Drivers: One (1) custom 5.25″ woofer and one (1) 1″ tweeter
- Frequency Response: ± 3dB to 20KHz with -3dB at 60Hz
- Crossover Point: 2200Hz Slope: 2nd order acoustic Impedance: 8 ohms Efficiency: 83dB @ 1w/1m Video Shielding: Yes
- Wall Mounting: Yes, via two threaded inserts. One on the back and one on the bottom. Size: 1/4-20. Suggest using the Peerless PM732 wall mount. Dimensions: 6.12″ W x 11.25″ H x 9.81″ D / 15.5cm W x 28.7cm H x 25cm D
- Weight: 26lbs per pair shipped
- Component Retail: $299 / pair in cherry or rosewood satin
AV123 has a track record for producing affordable loudspeakers that offer great sound at unbelievably low prices. Their popular two-way monitor, the X-LS, won our 2007 Product of the Year award in the affordable loudspeaker category. The over achieving X-LS is just one of many astounding values to leap from the AV123 woodwork in recent years. Even though the X-LS tipped the price/performance scales upside down, one of the few drawbacks to its design was its relatively large size. Recognizing the need for a more life-style oriented loudspeaker, Mark Schifter and Danny Ritchie set out to create a significantly smaller monitor capable of delivering performance worthy enough to rival the accomplished X-LS at nearly the same exact price point.
AV123 ELT525M review
What they came up with is the AV123 ELT525M, a compact two-way rear ported monitor that serves as the entry point into the new and improved ELT (Extremely Luscious Theater) line. Its design follows a simple recipe, combining high quality drivers with a simple high quality crossover. The result is a minimalist 2nd order design that mates together a unique 1" soft dome tweeter and a 5.25" treated paper cone woofer. As an added bonus, both drivers are shielded to allow for placement near sensitive devices such as CRT's. The 525M is also outfitted for wall-mounting. Top off this slim and sexy versatile profile with rich real wood veneer and you've got a package that can integrate into nearly any room and décor.
First Impressions
I couldn't help but let out a few chuckles as I removed the little speaklets from their puny shipping carton. Sure, I've played with numerous ultra compact monitors designated for hi-fi use, but none of them were built to stand toe to toe with the X-LS at the same price point. Naturally, I wondered if these tiny tots could measure up to their groundbreaking cousins.
After flipping through a number of tunes, my concerns were quickly dissolved. From Jimi Hendrix to Diana Krall and anything in between, it became clear that these little things mean serious business. In fact, I'm confident that the 525M can hold its mettle against anything I've heard south of the $500 line. Here's why;
Performance: The Yin
For starters, the 525M strikes nearly the perfect balance between musicality and resolution. What this means is that not only will this loudspeaker showcase the performance of good components and recordings, it will also allow you to enjoy less then stellar recordings and low resolution formats, such as 128-192kbps mp3's. Typically, most products on the market tip the scales to one extreme or the other. You either have speakers designed to extract the most resolution possible from the source, at the expense of making inferior recordings and hardware less enjoyable, or you have the 'musical' speakers which are designed to tone down or color the frequency curve in an effort to make imperfect expect in this price range. recordings tolerable, at the expense of linearity and resolution. Rarely do the two extremes coincide, especially at this price class. Yet the ability to harmonize both extremes is the 525M's front running talent.
This accomplishment can be attributed to two things; the 525M's simple and expertly designed crossover, and its special soft dome tweeter. The tweeter delivers an extremely smooth, non fatiguing sound that is inherently free of fatigue inducing grain. While the 525M falls just short on reproducing the sharp bite of say, an electric guitar or cymbal clash, it nonetheless manages to capture enough high frequency energy to convey the musical message, all the while avoiding nasty sibilance that often haunts many recordings. Take for example Mariah Cary's latest, yet not so well recorded album, E=MC2. With the 525M's in place, I found myself more intent on cranking up and enjoying the music, versus evaluating high end performance parameters.
Further down the frequency spectrum, I found the midrange to be surprisingly smooth, open, and linear. I say surprising, because it's no secret how many manufacturers employ various techniques to give their small speakers an added perception of fullness. It's pleasing to report that AV123 did not resort to suck trickery with the 525M, erring instead to use the perfect complimentary woofer and operating it around its designed spec. The result is a midrange presentation that lacks many of the colorations that so often plague most affordable mini monitors in and around this price category. I was shocked at how well the 525M can render the human voice and woodwind instruments. Although I found light scale instrumentals and vocals to be the 525M's forte, its open and linear sound lends itself well to any genre of music. In fact, the level of accuracy from this loudspeaker is well beyond what I would
Equally as impressive is their ability to throw out a wide and deep soundstage. Of course, you'd expect nothing less from a set of monitors that possess such a sleek and narrow profile. What you may not expect from these inexpensive tots is the ability to provide a good amount of air all the while locking the musicians and instruments distinctly within the soundstage. This feat is something that even the best of affordable mini-monitors, such as the Epos ELS 3 or AV123's own Onix X-LS struggle to do well. The soundstage precision that the ELT-525M offers up is downright scary. In fact, they darn near approach the very respectable and much more expensive Dali Mentor 5 towers (msrp: $3100) in that regard.
The final ace in the 525M's deck resides in the surprising ability to maintain composure during high output. Normally, most monitors of similar dimensions fall to pieces when tasked to play complex or dynamic passages at higher volumes. Not the 525M. Even at high volumes, this little loudspeaker manages to retain nearly all of its virtues of coherence, precise sound-staging, air, and tone; without becoming excessive at any frequency extreme. Provided that the output stays below the 100db threshold, I'm confident that most will find the 525M's SPL prowess to be satisfying.
Overall, the 525M is a refined loudspeaker with a laundry list of unique talents. Yet for all its many strengths, it still cannot fully escape the laws of compromise.
Performance: The Yang
Falling in line with the physical limitations of a speaker its size, the 525M is unable to dish out deep, hard hitting bass. While the bass they do output is surprisingly agile, detailed, and linear (with just a hint of warmth), this loudspeaker cannot be expected to pressurize a room with low end heft or slam. Heavy synthesized electronic beats or drum thwacks can be easily heard, but they will never be felt. What this means is that those that love to rock may be better served in going with the larger X-LS monitors. To get more bottom end love, I would recommend bringing home AV123's X-Sub and crossing it with the 525M's in the 60-70hz region.
Bass impact aside, when you consider the 525M's paltry shelf tag, there are few damning compromises left to mention. In fact, if it wasn't for their rear ported design, the 525M would nearly be the perfect affordable desktop / lifestyle loudspeaker. Although the speakers manage to sound good when placed against or near a wall, it is recommended to give the 525M a bit of breathing room to attain the best performance.
Set-Up Recommendations
On that note, it's time to mention all the things you need to know in getting the most from the ELT525M. First, despite their low efficiency rating of 83db, the efficient crossover and easy 8ohm nominal load makes it easy for amplifiers to drive. Even the low powered 15wpc Vista Audio i84 tube integrated had zero problems taking the 525M's to extremely loud volumes in small to medium sized rooms. Provided that you feed the 525M a good 15-20 watts of clean current, you should be good to go for most casual listening sessions. Naturally, the bigger your room and/or the louder you listen, the more power you will need for safe operation.
When it comes to positioning, I found that the AV123 ELT525M works best when the speakers and your listening position are all of equal distance from one another. This is commonly referred to as the listening "triangle". Once you've got them set up, I highly recommend pointing the speakers inward until their drivers are aimed directly at your listening position. You should notice a dramatic increase in soundstage precision.
Lastly, if you are sitting 5-6ft or further away from the 525M's, I would highly recommend flipping them upside down, with the woofer assuming top position. You should notice an increase in clarity, sound-staging, and coherency. If you are sitting 4ft or closer, then simply leave them upright and enjoy. I found that turning them upside down in ultra nearfield situations can result in unpleasant "beaming".
Disclaimer: Please note that the above suggestions are meant to help aide in extracting the most from the ELT525M. While my observations and recommendations are consistent with the manufacturer, they are not guaranteed to work in every situation. All I can recommend is to take the above info into consideration when setting up your own pair of 525M's.
Final Thoughts about ELT525M
Today, it's easy to make a good loudspeaker. Even a novice can create a competent performer if armed with a handful of good parts and a speaker cookbook. The only limiting factor is expendable cash. Yet, go ask any manufacturer how difficult it is to make a truly exceptional speaker that can satisfy the critical ear at a price that just about anyone can afford while keeping a wide enough margin to make the effort worthwhile. Most won't even bother taking the challenge. Yet this is exactly what AV123 sets out to do time and time again.
So like the original X-LS before them, the AV123 ELT525M's now enter the field and take the reigns as the new speakers to beat in their respective type and price class. My hat goes off to AV123 for bringing forth yet another price/performance champion.
Review equipment:
- Source: Lector 0.9 MK III
- Integrated Amp: Harman Kardon 3470 ; Vista Audio i84 ; McIntosh MA6300
- Karan Acoustics Ki-180
- Pre Amplifier: Lamm LL2 Deluxe
- Amplifier: H2O Signature 100
- Cables: Totem Acoustic Sinew interconnect ; Totem Acoustic Tres speaker cable; Room Treatments: GIK Acoustics 242 Panels
from affordableaudio, By Sean Fowler


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Home > Fitness & Health > Health Library > Conditions Related to Dyslexia
Dyslexia may occur with other learning or emotional problems. Some of the conditions associated with dyslexia may be the result of the way the child's brain was formed or how it functions. Some of the emotional problems that a child with dyslexia can have are due to frustrations and failures at school and home. But keep in mind that in order to diagnose a child with dyslexia, the evidence must show that there is no other cause for the reading disability.
Current as of: January 31, 2020
Author: Healthwise StaffMedical Review: Susan C. Kim, MD - PediatricsKathleen Romito, MD - Family MedicineLouis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
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Current as of: January 31, 2020
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics & Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
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Students in my Humanism, Science, and Technology capstone class – LIB 200 – generated a survey to gather data and opinions related to topics/discussions that have come up during our meetings (or virtually in our Slack chat forum). As I wrote about a bit earlier, our section is looking at Artificial Intelligence in sci-fi films and tv shows, and considering some of the current debates around AI development. Please fill out this short survey to help us out – thanks!
Header image:"Artificial Intelligence" by Glas-8. Available via Flickr.


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Sin is a fact of life. And all sin takes us away from the love of God. Many people become comfortable with living in the state of sin and never really make any effort to turn their hearts back toward the Lord with repentance and a firm desire to avoid sin and grow in holiness.
The good news is that Jesus Christ wants to free us from our sin, give us new life in grace, and lead us to the heights of holiness. But, because we have free will, we must be willing to say "yes" to His gifts of grace and forgiveness. The very first step along that path is to make a good, sincere, heartfelt confession of our sins.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a difficult one for many of us. We need think no further than the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. Rather than admit wrongdoing, it was so much easier for them to put the blame somewhere else.
God love us! God knows what the challenges of human life are all about. God is ready to forgive. You can change your life today, by going to confession!
The sacrament of reconciliation may be observed at times listed on the Sacraments page. Both individual and communal reconciliation services are offered.
First Reconciliation
The sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist for children who do not attend Catholic School are prepared for and celebrated in the School of Religion. This is usually done in second grade. These sacraments are celebrated in the Spring.
Click here for more information on School of Religion (S.O.R.)
For more information contact the parish office at the number below or click here to email "To whom it may concern."


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Holiday Gift Guide For Her: Cozy Girl Under $50
Yay! I'm back with another Holiday Gift Guide! This time I'm focusing on the cozy girl, and everything I'm sharing is under $50. I didn't have time to bust out the fancy collage this time, but I hope it's still easy for you to shop this way. Each image below will be clickable, so you can just click to shop!
cozy sleep shirt above also comes with a super cute eye mask: linked HERE
These items would make great gifts for any of the ladies on your list. Your mom, mother-in-law, sister, best friend, etc! Who doesn't want to be cozy? Especially during the holiday season! The sleep shirt above is SO soft, and it has thumbholes! My leg warmers are also the absolute cutest and only $30! Both would make great gifts for any cozy girl on your list!
cozy robe above: HERE
If you follow me on Instagram & Instagram Stories you've seen me rave wildly about the robe above. It's uh-mazing, insanely soft, and under $40! It would be the perfect gift for any lady on your list. Oh, and guess what? It also comes in blush pink!
Okay friends, it's off to cleaning the house for me! We are hosting Thanksgiving tomorrow!
Lee Anne
1 Comment
Exact article what I am looking for. The information which you have mentioned in this article is very helpful in searching a perfect gift. Thank you for putting it together. Thank you so much for sharing with us.


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Episode #31: Mad Fabricators Society Interview with Piero, Tim Sutton, and John from Acme Speed Shop
Sit down interview with Piero with Mad Fabricators Society, Tim Sutton photographer, and John from Acme Speed Shop. Good stuff and we got the first preview of Volume 6. Good, honest guys. Make sure to check out their websites below. Toss us an email, like us on Facebook, and follow on Twitter. Video to come,


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January Roundup
Below you will find the most popular articles in January, check them out if you missed any:
Write Pillar Articles
Pillar articles obviously consume more time and energy than traditional posts, they might require additional research around a certain subject or even the maturation of some ideas over longer periods (sometimes I will spend one week or more writing a pillar article as opposed to the 30-60 minutes I use for daily posts).
Make it easy to comment
Humans are lazy and there is nothing you can do about it. If you keep that fact in mind when designing your website or blog you will have higher chances of success. One point where people often forget about the widespread laziness is on the comment system.
Organize your categories: 5 practical tips
Getting your blog categories organized should be a straight forward task, but too many people seem to get confused when structuring their categories, hence why I decided to expand the topic. Below you will find 5 practical tips for organizing and making your categories more efficient.
Optimize your Meta Description tag
One problem with the Meta Description Tag of most websites is that it is static. People usually include a general description about the site, which is suitable only to the home page. Should a visitor find an internal page (say a single post) through a search engine the tag will be the same, containing no information about the content of that internal page whatsoever.
Are Technorati Tags useless?
A couple of months ago, however, I completely redesigned my blog and the process removed the Technorati tags from the template. Before placing them back to the blog I decided to monitor the statistics for a couple of weeks, and to my surprise the number of visitors coming from Technorati was exactly equal to the period when the tags were on. The number of search engine referrals was also still growing on the same pace as before.
Place an RSS icon at the end of single posts
This is a simple yet effective tip that can increase your number of RSS subscribers, even if slightly. All you need to do is to place an RSS icon, preferably with the message "Like this article? Subscribe to the RSS feed!"Â, at the end of individual posts.
Browse all articles on the General category
Comments are closed.


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User Galleries
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Catey's Halloween Treat Box
Designer: ordazd
Tags: ProjectChallenge, 2009, Catey, Halloween, treatbox, witchlegs, ordaz
|Add to Favorites | Tell a Friend
MM Project Patterns are so easy to use, I made this Halloween Treat Box for my teenage Granddaughter's party in a matter of minutes. The guests will have a one-of-a-kind gift to take with them!
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Posted: Oct 11, 2018
The West Valley women's water polo team routed rival De Anza 23-2 Wednesday at De Anza to stay atop the Coast Conference standings. The Vikings (13-4, 5-0 Coast) inundated the Dons (1-5, 0-4) with 19 unanswered goals after taking a 4-2 first period lead. Sierra Ceballos and Sabrina Esteves led the offense with five goals apiece, followed by Maryam Khatoon and Alexandra Ruzsa with four each. Raquel de Pinho stopped five of seven De Anza shots for the win in goal. The Viking travel to Las Positas for the Coast/Big 8 Crossover Tournament this Friday (10/12). WVC battles Sierra (12-1) at 10:10am and Fresno City (2-10-1) at 12:30pm.


text: Were you satisfied with Morelos' performance against Aberdeen? Yes Vote No Vote Related Polls Did Pedro Caixinha deserve more time? Who should have started? Should Jordan Jones start vs Livingston? Does Goldson deserve a new contract? Related Articles Rangers: Fans slam Pedro Caixinha Rangers: Jack Wilshere set for move abroad Rangers: Fans rage at positive virus tests for Standard Liege trio Rangers: Alan Hutton hails Connor Goldson revival Rangers: Fans unhappy with Jermain Defoe starting against Livingston Rangers: Gerrard admits Alfredo Morelos worry Rangers: Fans want Jordan Jones to start today Rangers: Steven Gerrard discusses tactics Rangers: Jack Wilshere discusses next move Rangers: Standard Liege trio contract coronavirus Rangers: Fans rage at Emanuel Rosu treatment Rangers: Stuart Gibson hints at more investment Rangers: Hutton slams Brandon Barker Rangers: James Tavernier soars up UEFA ranking


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Born in a border town in the 80's, Ferdy Karto's life has been surrounded by the arts. Performing music was never far away, but imagination drew him more and more towards a schooling of the performance arts. Currently he is an actor, creating projects with themes such as crossover, interaction and illogic. Participating in theater and film productions, he tends to bring timing, mimicry, subtlety and a dosage of whims.
Ferdy Karto has established himself as an author as well.
– "Ferdy delivers evolvement with a special seasoning of Ferdy-gizmo. With his timing & resourcefulness he always transmits vivid creativity"
– "This self proclaimed naivety & improv missionary is completely non-rational, playful, impromptu and intuitive. Brace for impact…"
– "Ferdy is Shine: luscious and stirring. He is quaint, from time to time, but his performance is richly textured. What he does or how he does it is hard to describe, but it is fresh and engaging"
Published works (Literature):
Ferdy Karto writes (short) stories, novels, theatre- and screenplays, non-fiction & articles.
(or send a mail to info @ ferdykarto [.] nl)


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Cavalcade of Risk + Links
The latest edition of the Cavalcade of Risk is up at Insurance Copywriter. Other links that I also found interesting include: Canadian healthcare spending rises to 11.9% of GDP. The public health costs of job loss. Climategate. Does the U.S. need a healthcare constitution? Computers don't save hospitals money.


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BA RIA-VUNG TAU (VNS) — The Environmental Police Department in this southern province has decided to fine eight fisheries processing plants for polluting local rivers.
These plants have discharged wastewater every day into Cha Va River in Tan Thanh District's Tan Hai Commune.
The wastewater pollution is one of the causes behind the mass deaths of fish in local fish breeding farms, police said.
Earlier this month, farmers had carried hundreds of dead fish to the local People's Committee's chairman, who is handling the case.
The farmers' losses were expected to reach VND5 billion (US$227,000), according to statistics released by the department.
The local authorities are continuing to study the land and environment at processing plants and are taking wastewater samples for testing.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment has proposed the People's Committee should request these plants to temporarily halt operations until investigations are completed and a conclusion is reached.
The eight plants were fined VND2 billion ($90,900).
Fish in the area have been dying en masse for many years, leading to major losses for some 193 family farms in the region. — VNS


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In our live cooking space you can organize private meals or dinners in the hands of prestigious chefs.
Enjoy as if you were in your own home, putting the Arclinea kitchens to the test, fully equipped with top-of-the-line Gaggenau appliances in both cooking and cold. In addition, we have the unique portable kitchen island, model Artusi de Arclinea, equipped with state-of-the-art appliances.
The space has a large continuous table that can comfortably accommodate dinners and meals for up to 18 people, for cocktails up to 40 people.


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February 2010
Environmentalists are kicking up a stink about dog pooh. Or actually the bags that are being used
to dispose of dog pooh.
A new Sustainable Shelford group has recently been set up. Sustainable Shelford is a village group dedicated to helping reduce the carbon footprint of the parish of Great and Little Shelford and Stapleford. Ideas suggested to do this so far include :
· Find out information about solar panels and then pass the information on so that people in the villages can make informed decisions about the best technologies currently available
· Find out ways to make use of the many apples that grow in the village
· Investigate increasing the amount of allotment space
They regularly meet to discuss these and other initiatives and aim to hold open meetings with guest speakers to get as many people from the local area interested in the group.
The group welcomes members from Little Shelford and Stapleford. You can find the website at http://www.sustainable-shelford.org.uk
They are currently trying to establish a list which will include details of recycling facilities in Little and Great Shelford. They're hoping to find out about little extra things which people may not know about - for example, the WI take in jam jars, plant pots etc and reuse them for the Country Market.
A forum has also been set up at http://www.sustainable-shelford.org.uk/index.php/Recycling-Forum/ to allow details of items you no longer want and would like to pass onto somebody else in the local area (for free) to be advertised.
July 2009
There are many ways we can all do a bit more to help the environment. Little Shelford Parish Council has published a number of tips on its website. Here are five more tips that will also help to save you money.
· Nothing is more energy efficient for cooking than your microwave. It uses two-thirds less energy than your oven.
· Your dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand. Then let dishes air-dry to save even more!
· Having lots of food in your fridge keeps it from warming up too fast when the door is open. So your fridge doesn't have to work as hard to stay cool.
· When you need to use the clothes dryer, run full loads, use the moisture-sensing setting, and clean the clothes dryer lint trap after each use.
· Conserve energy by running your dishwasher only when it is fully loaded
June 2009
One step many of us can take to be more environmentally friendly is being more careful with the paper we use. You can use less paper to manage your accounts and paperwork – write or print on both sides and go for recycled paper if at all possible. You can also ask for your bank to stop sending your bank statements and view and manage your money online instead. Other bills can also be provided online, and this can even lead to your bills being trimmed because of the savings involved.
You can also sign up to stop receiving wasteful junk mail with the mailing preference service. This is offered by the Royal Mail and enables you to decide which letters you wish to receive. You can find this at:
May 2009
Over the last couple of years, Little Shelford Parish Council has been doing its best to encourage everyone in the village to do their bit to help the environment. Tips that have been included in this column have been collected together on the parish council website.
Now a new group is being set up to help us all be a bit greener. Called Sustainable Shelford, they are hoping to find a few village-size projects to help the planet?
There are many things we could do:
· advice sessions on solar heating, insulation,
· a village sustainability website,
· a Shelford Green Fair,
· a tour of the village with an infra-red camera to show where our houses are losing heat,
· films and talks.
Sustainable Shelford is being organised by Helen Harwood, tel. 840393 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com .
The inaugural meeting is on Wednesday 13 May at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall Committee Room, in Great Shelford.
March 2009
Hardly a day goes by when another tip on how we might all help to save the planet emerges. Here are five suggestions that are currently doing the rounds on the other side of the Atlantic.
· Wash clothes in cold water: Over 90 per cent of energy used by a washing machine comes from water heating. Save on your bill by washing clothes in cold water if possible , with special cold-water detergent.
· Have an energy audit done on your home and retrofit your home to make it energy efficient. Many grants are available to finance this type of project.
· Run the dishwasher and clothes washing machine only with full loads.
· Keep water in the fridge instead of running tap water and waiting for it to get cold enough to drink.
· Take your own reusable containers when ordering take-out. This saves tons of styrofoam, plastic wrap, aluminium foil and cardboard from ending up in landfills. Just let the restaurant know you'll be bringing in your own dishes, and make sure to have enough dishes!
January 2009
The news that Googling may be bad for the environment has made me think twice about the number of searches I have made over the last few weeks.
Research by Harvard University showed that performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea. Google has questioned the validity of the research.
However, I am so reliant on Google for work and online shopping that I felt I had to find a few other computer-related energy saving tips to help balance out the equation.
You can reduce the time your computer stands idle before going into standby or sleep mode.
You should switch off your computer if your machine is not going to be used for an hour or more.
Only plug in your printer when you need to use it. Even on standby printers still use 10watts.
If your desktop uses a fan for cooling, allow plenty of space and fresh air around the computer.
Some people are going as far as using a new version of Google which you can find under Blackle.com. They claim that the black background only uses 59 watts compared to the 74 watts used up by a standard white Google page.
December 2008
There are a few easy things you can do when you drive and look after your car to help reduce the amount of fuel you burn and so cut down on CO2 emissions. By following these driving tips you could cut your CO2 emissions by about 8 per cent.
Under inflated tyres create more resistance when your car is moving. That means your engine has to work harder, so more fuel is used and more CO2 emissions are produced. Check your tyre pressures regularly and also before long journeys. This will also help to increase the life of your tyres.
Clutter in your boot is extra weight your engine has to carry around. By removing it, you could reduce your engine's workload. This will burn less fuel and cut your CO2 emissions, so unload any items you won't need for your journey before you set out.
Staying at or within the speed limit can reduce CO2 emissions and saves money on your petrol costs. At 70mph you could be using up to 9 per cent more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15 per cent more fuel than at 50mph.
Every time you stop then start again in a traffic queue, the engine uses more fuel and therefore produces more CO2. Keep an eye on the traffic ahead and slow down early by gently lifting your foot off the accelerator while keeping the car in gear. In this way, the traffic may have started moving again by the time you approach the vehicle in front, so you can then change gear and be on your way.
When the engine is idling you're wasting fuel and adding to CO2 emissions. If you're likely to be at a standstill for more than three minutes, simply switch off the engine.
October 2008
I can't be the only one who feels guilty whenever I throw batteries away. Now batteries can be recycled in Great Shelford.
You can take your batteries to Lay Electrical on the High Street and place them in the box provided. (And you can also recycle your empty ink cartridges at the Cambridge Building Society shop in Woollards Lane.)
600 million batteries are sent to landfill every year in the UK This causes pollution to the land and water and the loss of the valuable metals and compounds that they contain. The average household uses 21 batteries a year, and all batteries can be recycled including both rechargeable and non-rechargeable, as well as the battery packs from electronic and electrical equipment.
The only way we can recycle them in South Cambridgeshire is by taking them to one of the main recycling centres, such as Thriplow.
The collection box at Lay Electrical is only for dry cell batteries. (Car batteries are recycled through garages and scrap metal schemes.)
What more can we do?
Use rechargeable batteries wherever possible. They will save you money!
Plug electrical equipment into the mains electricity where possible.
Try to buy appliances that use renewable energy: a wind-up radio or torch, dynamo bicycle lights or a solar powered calculator.
Write to South Cambridgeshire DC and ask about kerbside battery collection.
Further information on recycling batteries is available at the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) website .
September 2008
From October South Cambridgeshire Council is collecting plastic bottles of all shapes and sizes as part of the green box recycling scheme. Plastic bottles will be collected along with your paper, cans, glass bottles and jars every other Monday.
An additional green box will be delivered to every home during September. If you have not received a green box by midday on Saturday 27 September 2008 please contact us on 08450 450 063.
Which plastic bottles can you recycle?
You can put all your plastic bottles in the green box for recycling.
Remember! If it's bottle-shaped and made from plastic you can put it in your green box for recycling.
Which plastics can't you recycle?
Unfortunately there are no cost effective recycling facilities available locally at this time for other plastics such as yoghurt pots, food trays and plastic film. Please do not place these items in the green box.
What should you do with your plastic bottles?
July 2008
Little Shelford Parish Council tries to encourage local residents to do more to help the environment. Quite often, these ideas can involve saving money too.
The rising price of petrol means that we are all spending more and more money to get to work. However a new local website could help ease the pain.
Camshare has been set up to provide a matching travel-to-work service. The site can match you up with potential partners as a driver or passenger. The site at camshare.Com is free to use and it may just help you share the costs of fuel and parking. The website claims that there members cans ave on average £790 every year. It would appear to be a win-win situation if you can find someone to share a lift with.
June 2008
How every single household in little Shelford can save money.
A recent survey by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) showed that seven in every ten people leave appliances like TVs, mobile phone chargers and computers on standby.
If we all switched appliances off at the plug after using them, we could on average save £37 a year according to the EST.
I must admit that I find it hard to remember to switch off at the plug every night. But now a new device has been invented which will help protect the environment – and save us all money too.
The Standby Saver resembles a traditional extension cable which you plug all your devices that normally revert to standby. So when you switch off your TV with your remote control, the power will be cut to every other device plugged into that saver too. It has 6 sockets, two of which are flexible so that DVD recorders and other essential appliances with a timer can be left on.
This British invention was seen first on BBC's Dragons' Den. Standby Saver cuts 100% of the standby power used by TVs, Hi-Fis, VCRs and DVDs. It cuts 100% of the power to PCs and printers and speakers.
Standby Saver is available in two versions: one for use with Infra red remote controlled electrical appliances, the second for use with USB port products. The Infra red version (green colour box) can be operated using any appliance that is controlled with an IR remote control e.g. TV, DVD, VCR stereo and games console. The USB version (blue colour box) can be operated with any device that has a USB port e.g. PC, laptop, printer and speakers.
The Standby Savers cost just over £20. They are likely to pay for themselves in less than a year.
May 2008
There is a great new website which will help us to calculate Little Shelford's carbon footprint.
The site called Cut Your Carbon has been sponsored by the East of England Development Agency. You can find it at: http://www.cutyourcarbon.org.uk/
The site includes lots of energy saving tips. I have registered the village on the site so that we can jointly see what impact we are having on the environment and what we might do about it.
South Cambridgeshire District Council has announced that they are soon going to start collecting plastic as well as paper, bottles and cans in the fortnightly recycling collection. More information and advice about what can be recycled when we have it.
April 2008
Little Shelford Parish Council is encouraging everyone in the village to think about how they might reduce their own personal impact on the environment.
When you are redecorating or having alterations done think about what energy saving measures could be incorporated. It is always cheaper to do them this way and it applies both to big jobs like a new kitchen or loft extension and to re-decorating the front room.
Look for high-performance double or triple glazed windows and doors
Dry-line external walls
Make sure all new lighting will take low energy bulbs
If you are having the electrician in upgrade light fittings to take low energy light-bulbs
Choose a wood-burning stove rather than an open fire
Kitchen and bathroom extracts should have heat recovery
If you are lifting the ground floor coverings, insulate underneath
Remember to seal the gaps around anything in the external walls - pipes, cat-flap etc.
Don't forget to look for FSC timber, natural fibres for floor coverings and organic, low-solvent paints.
March 2008
Little Shelford is using its position as a community leader to encourage more people in the village to help the environment. One area where I am sure we could all do more is when we drive our cars. Here are driving some tips from the Energy Saving Trust website.
1. Check your revs - change up before 2,500rpm (petrol) and 2,000rpm (diesel).
2. Use air conditioning sparingly as it significantly increases fuel consumption.
3. Drive away immediately when starting from cold - idling to heat the engine wastes fuel and causes rapid engine wear.
4. Accessories such as roof racks, bike carriers, and roof boxes significantly affect your car's aerodynamics and reduce fuel efficiency, so remember to remove them when not in use.
5. Avoid short journeys - a cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel and catalytic converters can take five miles to become effective.
6. Check your tyre pressure regularly - under-inflated tyres are dangerous and can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.
7. If you're stuck in a jam, switch the engine off if you expect to be there for more than a minute or two. Cutting the engine will save fuel and reduce emissions.
January 2008
Little Shelford Parish Council has been using its position as a community leader to encourage local residents to think more about protecting the environment.
Some towns and villages across England are now asking local people to avoid using plastic bags from the supermarket. Girton has become the village in the county aiming to become a plastic bag free zone.
On average, we each receive 290 plastic bags every year from our supermarkets. Most of them end up in landfill sites. Plastic bags are made of polyethylene - more commonly known as polythene. They are reported to take up to 500 years to decompose.
Can you cut back on your bag usage and invest in an environmentally-friendly re-useable carrier instead?
Carrying one large canvas bag is much easier than trying to transport seven small plastic ones.
December 2007
Little Shelford Parish Council is encouraging local residents to think about what they might do to help the environment.
How many of us drive on short journies when we could cycle or even walk? I am sure we have all jumped into the car to pop down to the Co-op in Great Shelford or driven to school on a cold day.
Did you know that our cars release over a tonne of CO2 each year for every man, woman and child.
Every journey under 3 miles that you decide not to use the car for will save about 2 kg of carbon dioxide according to the climate change group CRED. If you walk or cycle instead, you will help the environment and improve your health too.
When you are using your car, keep your distance and minimise the amount of breaking and accelerating you have to do. This is a much more efficient way of making your car do more miles to every litre you pay for. In fact it can save you about 13% of your fuel costs.
October 2007
Little Shelford Parish Council is trying to encourage people in the village to do their bit to help the environment. We have discovered lots of new tips on the Cred site run by the University of East Anglia in Norwich.
A mobile phone charger left plugged in when not charging will be responsible for between 35 to 70kg of carbon dioxide over the year. Always unplug the mobile phone charger when not in use. If you feel it, the warmth of the plug is caused by the constant consumption of electricity.
Televisions, videos, DVD's, cordless phones, mobile phone chargers and computers all waste energy if you leave them plugged in when you are not using them. A staggering amount of the Nation's electricity bills is spent on stand by and appliances left plugged in when not used. By switching off at the plug when not required you could save up to 8% off your electricity bill.
You can find more tips on http://www.cred-uk.org/.
September 2007
More and more people in Little Shelford are doing their bit to help the environment. How does the parish council know this? Because around 100 people visited our energy saving stall at the Little Shelford Feast on Saturday September 15th. And more than 50 people signed up with the Energy Saving Trust to try to save around 20 per cent of their own energy consumption. The incentive of a free energy saving bulb probably helped!
Enquiries on the day included everything from where you can now find the best range of energy saving bulbs (Amazon.Co.Uk was mentioned by the Trust) to how you can go about installing a mini wind turbine. Tips available on the day ranged from turning down your heating thermostat by one degree to doing the family washing at 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees where possible.
You can find out more about the Trust, and its commitment campaign at
July 2007
Little Shelford Parish Council has published a number of handy hints and advice over the last few months about what we can do to help the environment.
We are going one step further in September. We are hosting an energy saving stall at the Little Shelford Feast on Saturday September 15th at the Wale Recreation ground.
An expert will be on hand from the Energy Saving Trust to offer environmental suggestions and answer questions. He will also be giving away some energy saving bulbs. District councillor Charlie Nightingale, who holds responsibilities for environmental issues at South Cambridgeshire Council, will also be there too.
This is the report presented to the Parish Council in November 2006 about what the council, as community leaders, could do to help local people do more to protect the environment.
While many people see climate change as an important issue, we can't scare people into doing something about climate change if they don't know that their actions can make a difference. On its own, fear just creates apathy and people avoid the issue.
It's often unhelpful to put all the blame on the individual and to criticise behaviour that people consider normal in their home or family. Instead, make it clear everyone has a role to play in acting together. We also need to make behaviour that reduces the threat of climate change seem positive or desirable.
What Little Shelford residents can do to help the environment
· Use energy efficient light-bulbs. Low energy light bulbs can make big savings. If you replace one normal 100 watt lightbulb with an energy-saving one and you can save up to £10 a year. They cost £5-£15, but should last up to eight times as long.
· Switch lights off in empty rooms
· Close windows when the heating is on
· Slightly turn down thermostat (minimum 18°C) . Turn thermostat down by 1% - this can save around 10% of your fuel buills and save on average £40 a year.
· Recycle your newspapers, cardboard, tins and bottles. Did you know 80% of the contents of your bin can be recycled?
· Around 33% of the heat lost in your home is through the walls, so insulating them can be the most cost-effective way to save energy in the home
· Reduce heat loss by closing curtains at dusk
· Only heat water which you will actually use
· Let clothes dry naturally
· Cook with lids on pans
· If you can, use flat-bottomed pans on electric hobs
· Keep your fridge/freezer at the right temperature (2-3° C for a fridge & -15° C for a freezer)
· Allow air to circulate behind your fridge and clean 'fuzz' off the piping at the back
· Defrost your freezer regularly
· Run the washing machine with full loads
· Use low temperature washes whenever possible
· Don't leave your TV, video or dvd on stand-by. Switch it off at the plug. The average household wastes £37 each year by leaving appliances on standby
· Stop draughts and heat escaping by filling gaps under skirting boards with beading or mastic sealant.
· Choose the products with the least packaging, for example fruit and vegetables that you chose yourself rather than the ones packaged in polystyrene trays and plastic wrapping
· Contact the mail preference service http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/ to stop 95% of the junk mail you receive
· Reuse plastic carrier bags when visiting supermarkets
· Compost at home - reduces the amount of rubbish you put in the bin - garden waste, kitchen waste
· Grow vegetables on an allotment- this will help reduce the carbon taken to transport your veg to the local shop
· For a report on how much energy can be saved in your own home, fill out the Energy Saving Trust's onlinehome energy check. Alternatively, you can obtain a paper version by calling your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre(EEAC) on 0800 512 012.
· Use park-and-ride or other public transport rather than drive into Cambridge
· Drivers can neutralise their Carbon Dioxide emissions through targetneutral, a non-profit making partnership. An average car drives 10,000 miles a year and generates four tonnes of CO2. Neutralising this amount of carbon emissions will cost around £20 a year http://www.targetneutral.com/
o Publicise what individuals can do to make a difference through the parish magazine and village notice boards
o We could have a campaign to publicise the use of allotments and encourage people to grow their own vegetables, reducing the air miles that are flown
o We could have a policy not to drive to council meetings (possibly for those of us who live in Little Shelford)
o We could ensure that we only use recycled paper. Or we could even have "paperless " meetings, with papers being available on laptop computers
o We could introduce a plastic recycling bin into Little Shelford - but where would we put it? Visit http://www.recoup.org/ for more details on different types of plastic, where you can recycle them and how to buy recycled plastic products
o Should we have a council position on wind turbines and solar panels? Friends of the Earth say that wind turbines only produce enough energy to power a hairdryer (Observer November 12th
o We could hold a Little Shelford energy efficiency day http://www.est.org.uk/uploads/documents/cafe/cafe%20case%20study%207.pdf
o Cornwall County Council was among the first local authorities in the UK to trial a new way of powering streetlights with the installation of two solar powered lights in the village of Cubert.Should we explore this for Little Shelford?
What Little Shelford Parish Council can do to help the environment
The Nottingham Declaration
Your local authority has a crucial role to play in responding to this challenge.
You can show your commitment to this important issue by signing The Nottingham Declaration on climate change
By signing, you pledge to actively tackle climate change in your area and work with others to reduce emissions country-wide.
Individual communities can also benefit significantly. Energy use can be cut and overall environmental performance can be improved leading to significant cost savings.
Citizens and property can also be protected from threats posed by a changing climate such as flooding.
Has your local authority signed up?
So far, over 160 local authorities have already signed the declaration, but it's vital that all local authorities commit themselves to the process.
If your local authority is yet to sign, register them today and we'll send you a declaration information pack. It shows you how to develop a sustainable energy strategy in your area.
Alternatively phone the Energy Saving Trust's information service for local authorities on 0870 241 2089 email us.
Helpful websites:
Energy Saving Trust - www.est.com
Globalactionplan.org.uk - environmental charity
Carboncalculator.com - see how green you are
Where to buy green electricity http://www.greenelectricity.org/
David Martin
November 2006
Links to Great Shelford pages on our sister site, Greatshelford.info
Great Shelford planning and planning applications
Great Shelford community groups
Great Shelford blogs and emails


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God continues to build connections between TPCC and our church in Ciudad Sandino. Pastor Wilber and his church family send their greetings in The Lord.
Our team, consisting of Rod & Barb Duncan, Theresa, Mark, and Madison Thompson, Wilma Coggins, Ana Carlsgaard, Jamie Steiner, Claire Milam, Darrel Schierling, Roger (our new friend from Arkansas), and Lynette Harker bonded quickly. Only God could put this amazing team together. All are ready and willing to serve the Nicaraguan people, as well as, their own team members. We all agree that God designed us to serve and bring Jesus' love to others.
Day 1 consisted of travel and organizing a record number of gifts sent by those who sponsor children here.
Day 2 was most memorable as we supported Tabernacula Agua Viva in Ciudad Sandino in planning and sponsoring their first family fellowship day out to the local zoo. Fellowship and outreach were the focus as we encouraged families to spend a joyful morning together outside in God's creation. Kids and adults, alike, were in awe as they walked into the butterfly garden and laughed at the monkeys. For many, it was their first outing outside of their community. With every team that returns, the bonds of trust and fellowship become stronger. We invited all of the families back to hear Pastor Wilber's teaching, along with worship led by our own Jamie Steiner. All were challenged by Pastor Wilber's sermon describing what it means to be an "all in" disciple.
Day 3 – Joy can best describe our day today as we delivered all of the sponsor gifts to children at Rey Solomon School and Tabernacula Agua Viva School. Over 73 gifts were sent to brighten the day of these children. You will never know the impact that these tokens of encouragement bring. We personally let the kids know that you were keeping them in your prayers. Thank you to all who blessed these dear children. We consider you all an integral part of this team and mission.


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What's heaven? How about roasted spiced vegetables and cheese encased in a flaky phyllo nest? In the world of food, it doesn't get better than this.
My Roasted Veggie Phyllo Nests are the lovechild of a pizza and a tart. They came about out of necessity during fridge cleaning day. The task we all dread. Maybe even hate.
Fridge cleaning usually happens on a weekend afternoon, before heading to the grocery store. During the process, you find all sorts of odds and ends in the crisper drawer. Vegetables that have seen better days. Bruised or wilted. These second bests – losers even – are ideal candidates for the filling.
This recipe was inspired by Taka tins, which are a North Indian street food that focuses on vegetables. Taka tins (such a clever name) is actually the sound of the dish cooking when the metal spoon hits against the metal pan as a chef keeps the vegetables moving around in spices. The chunks of vegetables for Taka tins are marinated in a myriad of grated spices and seasonings and cooked on an extremely hot griddle or metal pan. The varieties are endless, but my favourites include a melange of eggplant, cauliflower, bell peppers, and potatoes. There is one caveat (isn't there always one?) taka tins are always (its mandatory) scooped up with chunks of billowy roti or naan.
During a recent fridge cleaning session, I was craving the vivid Taka tin flavours, so I combined some vegetables with South Asian and Mediterranean spices, roasted them at an extreme temperature to make killer roasted vegetables that even omnivores would go mad for. Since I had a stockpile of zucchini, red bell pepper, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and potato; I used this combination, but feel free to experiment with any vegetables that strike your fancy.
The best part about Taka tins and more so my Roasted Vegetable Phyllo Nests is that you can use anything you happen to have in your fridge for the filling. I am not lying when I say it will manage to taste deliciously decadent. The secret is to roast the vegetables. Roasting concentrates flavours and builds layers of umami (savouriness) from the outside in – making wilted vegetables, intensely delicious.
Now this filling could be eaten on its own, with naan or roti, but why? When it could be encased in phyllo dough. Have I told you how much I *love* using phyllo? It's forgiving in this recipe. Nothing is precise. Phyllo just makes the most perfect, light and flaky, crunchy base. Le Sigh! The goat cheese bonds everything together when it melts, and the top becomes nice and golden.
The resulting phyllo nests are dense with flavour from the roasted vegetables, but cut with a richness from the phyllo pastry and a tanginess from the goat cheese. To perk up the caramelized intensity of the filling, it is helpful to add something zingy like a good splash of lemon juice.
These phyllo nests are not a quick dinner-after-work dish. They are an impressive, meal to make on a weekend, when you have time to putter around and be creative. They are not difficult, but they take a while from start to finish. Okay maybe it's a little work, I admit, but because they are scrumptious, it's worth it.
If you are really pressed for time, you could do the prep work of roasting your vegetables ahead of time. Then when it comes to creating the actual phyllo nests, only the assembly and baking part would need to be done.
Although I eat these Roasted Vegetable Phyllo Nests for dinner with a spinach or arugula salad. The leftovers are terrific lunchbox fare, delicious cold or hot. Better yet, they would make an elegant appetizer for a party. Especially since most dinner parties demand some kind of centerpiece, a focal point to make people gather around and say "ooh." These have that capability. In fact, they are perfect cocktail fare (use mini muffin tins) that I immediately wish I had planned a soirée around them.
It would be hard to go wrong with the classic combo of creamy cheese, roasted vegetables and crisp dough, this recipe gets the balance and the heady seasoning just right, too. It's a must make and eat!
Roasted Veggie Phyllo Nests
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 red peppers, cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
1 onion, cubed
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 roma tomatoes, cubed
12 garlic cloves, halved
1 lemon, juice and zest
3 tablespoons olive oil (for vegetables)
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon sumac
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 package phyllo pastry
¼ cup olive oil (for pastry)
1 cup goat cheese crumbled
Thaw phyllo dough by following manufacturer directions. Generally speaking, you want to thaw the dough slowly, in its box and wrapping bag.
In a parchment paper lined roasting pan, toss red peppers, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes in olive oil. Toss with cumin, sumac, garam masala, turmeric, chili flakes, salt, pepper and lemon juice/zest and bake in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes or until roasted. Let cool.
Lightly oil muffin tins. Layer 6 sheets of phyllo on top of each other brushing olive oil on each individual sheet. Cut into 6 squares. Place each square, fanning the parchment layers into each muffin cup. Crumble a tablespoon of goat cheese in the bottom of each parchment nest. Fill with 1/2 cup roasted vegetable mixture. Top with more goat cheese, and sprinkle with sumac. Brush tops with olive oil. Bake in a 375-400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.


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Walls & Steps
Walls and steps help you navigate and manage a hilly space or add dimension to a flat one. Walls can serve to retain soil, create planting space, serve as seating, and simply add a structural element. Steps help to connect areas and direct movement through the space. Choices around material type and size will impact the look and feel of walls and steps.


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Sept 20 (Reuters) - The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, fell for the 12th consecutive session on Friday, weighed down by lower capesize and panamax rates.
* The Baltic index, which reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, slipped 61 points, or 2.8%, to 2,131 points.
* The capesize index plunged 184 points, or 4.4%, to 3,952 points. The index slipped more than 9% this week, marking its worst week in nearly two-months.
* Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 170,000-180,000 tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, declined by $1,301 to $30,169.
* China's iron ore futures fell more than 3% in early trade on Friday and were headed for their biggest weekly drop since mid-August, dragged down by growing worries about demand prospects for the steelmaking raw material.
* The panamax index fell 39 points, or 1.9%, to 2013 points.
* Average daily earnings for panamaxes, which usually carry coal or grain cargoes of about 60,000 tonnes to 70,000 tonnes, dropped $315 to $16,109.
* The supramax index rose by 4 points to 1300 points. (Reporting by Anjishnu Mondal in Bengaluru)
我们的标准: 汤森路透"信任原则"


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The Chifley Research Centre were kind enough to organise a programme of meetings for me in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne to coincide with the publication of my paper Building a Fair and Sustainable Economy in the Post-Crisis Era. My visit was fascinating, not least because of the turmoil affecting the Coalition. More important though, was the clear willingness amongst Labor's parliamentarians to consider some of the tough economic questions. I was most struck by the recognition that, while Australia had emerged relatively unscathed from the GFC, there were genuine reasons to be worried about the future. The end of the mining boom and the impact on government revenues will obviously have profound implications for fiscal policy, although Liberal claims that the country is heading the same way as Greece unless an absurd level of budgetary restraint is applied seem, to an overseas observer, to belong in the realms of fantasy.
It was especially encouraging that leading members of the ALP were embracing the notion of inclusive prosperity – that the economy does well if working people do well. Income inequality has clearly been identified as a deep-rooted problem even if, as with politicians the world over, there remains some uncertainty about the best policy response. My own work has emphasised the importance of labour market institutions, notably trade unions and other vehicles for worker participation as essential in ensuring that the distribution of income is as fair as possible before the state intervenes through taxes and cash transfers. The difficulty of course is how do we get to inclusive prosperity from here?
Some people I met argued that technology and globalisation impose real constraints on policymakers, so it would be unwise to make rash promises about the reduction of inequality. But as the British scholar Tony Atkinson argues in his excellent new book Inequality: What can be done?, the process of technological change is not some fact of nature like the weather – it is partially determined and certainly mediated by public policy. This critical insight explains why the extent of income inequality remains so highly differentiated across the developed world and why some countries (notably the Nordics and the Netherlands) remain relatively egalitarian societies. What this also means of course is that parties of the centre-left can once again assert the primacy of politics. Legislators still have the power to influence the course of events. Countries are not at the mercy of global forces beyond their control.
The potential for action is clear even if the precise policy prescription is not. My paper highlighted the relative decline of the power of labour against capital over the 30 years before the crisis and argued that there needed to be some rebalancing if inclusive prosperity were to be achieved. It may be unwise to expect a rapid revival of conventional trade unionism either in the UK or Australia, but governments can legislate to give individual workers the right to be consulted collectively. At the same time corporate governance rules can be changed to open up boardrooms to a wider range of voices – recognising that shareholders are not the only stakeholders with an interest in the success of a business. That the Australian centre-left is beginning to tackle these difficult issues offers real hope for the future. The Chifley Research Centre has a pivotal role to play in the developing conversation and I am very grateful for the support I was offered during my short sojourn downunder.


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Jean has substantial experience serving as bond counsel to issuers of tax-exempt bonds in New York State including the New York State Housing Finance Agency, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, industrial development agencies and local development corporations and municipal issuers of general obligation bonds. She focuses principally on analyzing the transaction to determine that the interest on the bonds is eligible to be excluded from income of the holders under Section 103 of the Internal Revenue Code. Recent bond issuances have financed the comprehensive redevelopment program for a school district's public schools; construction or renovation of affordable housing projects that provide supportive services to the tenants and facilities for the developmentally disabled owned and operated by six not-for-profit service providers. Jean regularly assists issuers with responses to IRS audits.
Jean also works with not-for-profit sponsors in affordable housing developments that provide supportive services and include tax-exempt bonds, low-income housing tax credits and often other federal, state and local government subsidies.
She regularly teams with the not-for-profit lender at a regional bank on credit enhancement or directly purchased tax-exempt bonds and other lending transactions with not-for-profit borrowers often involving draw down bonds and interest rate swaps. Working as a team, Jean and the lender have closed on transactions that are compliant with the bank's requirements, have reasonable legal fees, get to closing quickly and exceed the borrower's expectations.
Jean is counsel to not-for-profit borrowers in tax-exempt revenue bond transactions including financing for a charter school in Buffalo and financing for renovation of existing independent living facilities and construction of community center.


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Redmi Note 3 to be unveiled at Xiaomi's November 24 event, new teaser confirms
While we were expecting it to be called the Redmi Note 2 Pro all this while, turns out the new Xiaomi smartphone - which is scheduled be unveiled at an event on November 24 in China - will instead be called the Redmi Note 3.
This was revealed by Xiaomi itself in a teaser image (shown above) posted on its official Weibo account. So, we'll see the successor to the Redmi Note 2 smartphone - which was released back in August this year - being made official tomorrow.
Xiaomi President Lin Bin also recently posted a teaser image of the device on his Weibo account, revealing a metal design and fingerprint sensor on the back.
From what is known till now, the handset will be powered by MediaTek's MT6795 (Helio X10) chipset, and sport a 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) display. It will come in 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB memory configurations and feature a 5MP/13MP camera combo. Weighing in at 165.97g and measuring 49.98×75.96×8.75mm, the smartphone is rumored to pack in a large 4,000mAh battery.
Reader comments
- junz
when will it launch in malaysia and what is the price?
- 02 Jan 2016
- ibp
- Anonymous
Expected lunch at India???
- 17 Dec 2015
- vGa
- Born Talented...
When will actually Mi note 3 will be launched in the indian market as i have no cellphone and want to buy note 3 asap. Is there any way out to get it or any exact time when it will be available in india...
- 13 Dec 2015
- sSK


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In early July we had the pleasure of having Stephen and Elizabeth Forman visit with us and become a member of our Chabil Mar family. From fishing and having our chef's "Cook Their Catch", to Monkey River excursions, to drinks at the pools and grill night on the beach and breakfast on their veranda overlooking the Caribbean, toes in the sand, and happy hour at our Kaleidoscope Bar, a combination of relaxation and adventure vacation was had.
Following their Belize vacation, Elizabeth posted the following review on Tripadvisor about her experience.
"We are travelers, and we love the beach. My husband is an activities guy while I am a relaxation type of vacationer, and we are both foodies this vacation is the best of everything! The grounds are beautiful staff is phenomenal and the food is amazing! It is one of the only places in the village with A/C so when it is humid and hot you will be so grateful for it! We loved every single one of the staff there. DeShaun the bartender makes THE BEST DRINKS I have ever had out of any tropical vacation we have ever been. If you do visit placencia you HAVE TO to the Monkey River Tour, most interesting and fun experience I have ever had. Percy Gordon is fabulous! I recommend this place to any and everyone, and we went in the "wet season", that's how good it was! By the way the weather was fabulous… it rained maybe once a day for an hour but then it cleared and was beautiful and it rained at night while we were asleep which was very nice!"
Thank you, Elizabeth and Stephen. We look forward to your next visit.
And we hope all of our readers enjoy the photos that you shared with us.
Contact Us to plan your Belize Adventure Vacation, where you can do everything or nothing at all.