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The behavior of and interactions between people who inject drugs are often reduced to the rate of needle sharing or some other measure of risk behavior. But just as in any community, the subculture that has evolved around the injected use of illicit drugs cannot simply be reduced to the behavioral sequences that actually transmit HIV.
Indeed, early in the epidemic it was found that injection with infected blood through sequential, multi-person use of drug injection equipment was responsible for the rapid spread of HIV among injecting drug users (IDUs). Although it was certainly an important stimulus for the first prevention programs, to some degree this finding resulted in an excessive focus on the physical instruments of transmission such as needles and syringes. Almost exclusive attention has been directed at the objects instrumental in transmitting the virus, often obscuring the fabric of social relationships and the sociopolitical circumstances in which these objects are used.
The context of drug use includes its natural settings, characteristic local consumer networks, language, norms and values, and rituals and rules. This subculture and its interaction with larger societal structures, including official drug policy and law enforcement practices, may have more significance for determining and, ultimately, changing the concrete behaviors responsible for the spread of HIV within the population of IDUs.
Long before the advent of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, anthropologists and sociologists described the world of drug injecting as a vivid and turbulent subculture. Not infrequently, these descriptions emphasized negative manifestations -- for example, the mistrust and cheating that may occur during the actual acquisition of drugs, the so-called ripping and running. Nevertheless, more recent studies suggest a more balanced picture of a world of multiple sharing and caretaking practices that constitute the bonds of relationships of drug users and their social networks.
In order to fully appreciate the value of this subculture for its participants and its relevance to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, there must be a focus on the daily context of habitual drug use. Participants in this subculture share a strong commitment (based on desire or need) to the use of drugs. However, this commitment places them at odds with the larger society, especially in the United States, which has outlawed the use and trafficking of their drug of preference through a system of prohibition often referred to as the "war on drugs." This makes users of drugs vulnerable to criminal prosecution and social stigmatization.
Known or suspected drug users may, for instance, be stopped and questioned by police without a valid reason. Quite understandably, drug users prefer to avoid such unpleasant encounters. Although always using his or her own equipment would perhaps be the simplest and most significant HIV-prevention measure an IDU could take, personal injection equipment is not carried at all times, as possession of a syringe is reason for arrest or harassment. In January 1996, despite overwhelming scientific evidence pointing to the detrimental effect of these laws, all but four U.S. states still had drug paraphernalia laws (criminalizing possession of needles, syringes, and other drug injecting utensils), and nine states still had prescription laws on the books forbidding over-the-counter sales of needles and syringes.
The prohibition of drugs has also decreased the level of control that drug users can exert over their drug acquisitions. Indeed, prohibition has created a situation in which drugs of unknown quality are sold at inflated prices on unregulated black markets. In the United States, the majority of street drug sales occur under great pressure in anonymous, unstable, and dangerous settings. Unless they have a stable and trusted source, drug users never know whether their next purchase will be a "killer" or a "beat bag" that will cause them harm or even death. The constant threat of arrest leads to a high level of uncertainty as to the whereabouts of the next dose. As a result, behavior patterns related to drug use may become less directed at self-regulation, safety, and health and more directed at safeguarding, covering, and facilitating drug use and related activities, such as the acquisition of the drug itself.
Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski called drugs the "instrumental imperative" for the drug scene -- its driving force. As an adaptive response to a hostile environment represented by mainstream society's drug laws and their enforcement, drug users have developed their own specific channels to secure the relatively undisturbed acquisition and use of drugs. Moreover, the stigmatized label of "deviant" attached to the user of these drugs thwarts participation in conventional social structures, leading to increased involvement in the social structure -- a distinct subculture -- formed around this stigmatized and deviant activity. The universal need for interaction, solidarity, and harmony (Malinowski's "integrative imperatives") leads to the integration of drug use into a subcultural set of rules and rituals, a common stock of knowledge and folklore, and its own argot, all aimed at the maintenance of this social structure that is essential for the satisfaction of drug users' needs.
The development of a drug user subculture is far from unique, as revealing similarities may be found within many other stigmatized and criminalized subcultures. For example, in the 1970s, gay men made use of elaborate systems of sign language and codes in both speech and clothing in order to safely communicate information only meant for other gay men. Just as gay men relied on their developed ability (dubbed "gaydar") to distinguish fellow homosexuals from heterosexuals, drug users trust what Beat generation writer William S. Burroughs called "junk radar" to distinguish fellow users from straight folks, who might potentially be undercover police officers. Likewise, many of the activities related to street corner drug sales are reminiscent of the interactions and transactions surrounding male-to-male sex in public places such as parks and public bathrooms. However, whereas the emancipation of gays and lesbians has, at least in many Western countries, come some way, the social status of a known IDU can be compared with that of an "outed" homosexual in the Victorian times of Oscar Wilde.
A considerable number of people who inject drugs are only peripherally involved, but more habituated drug injectors spend their daily lives in the injecting drug use subculture. Although social relations among habitual IDUs are often characterized by informality and opportunism, to survive they must develop trusting relationships through which they cooperate in struggling against the scarcity of drugs and other resources. Of course, drug use is not the only factor that brings and keeps drug users together. Drug users spend considerable time in each other's company even when not collaborating on managing their drug habits. They also seek each other's company when socializing and partaking in common activities such as watching television, talking, and eating. Information is exchanged on issues, ranging from baseball and child care to police activity, sources of needles and syringes, and the quality of certain "brands" of heroin. Valuable items, such as money, housing, food, and clothing are shared on a regular basis. Users frequently help each other with daily problems associated with the lifestyle of a criminalized drug user. They help each other with minor medical problems or when having problems with injecting into overused veins. Remedies for drug-related injuries such as abscesses are a frequent topic of conversation. They may baby-sit each other's children and also watch over one another when someone has used too much and slipped into unconsciousness. Among peers, users do not have to hide their drug use and find recognition and moral support. Not surprisingly, the relationships between drug users are often intense: they are often made up of sexual partners, family, or people sharing living arrangements. Many IDUs enter into relationships, often long term, with a "running mate." Labeled as structural outsiders and ostracized by mainstream society, willingly or not, drug users become mutually dependent on each other for fulfilling basic human needs.
Within this context of social support, the sharing of drugs becomes an important and frequent phenomenon. Drugs may be shared for multiple reasons, and sharing drugs fulfills several important functions. These reasons and functions can be described as instrumental, economic, social, or symbolic. In some drug-sharing interactions, reasons and functions can be rather clearly distinguished, but generally they are highly intertwined. Often, economic incentives prevail. Drugs are frequently shared when users pool money to make cheaper bulk purchases. Although this is found to be a regular practice among dyadic relationships and friendship groups, sometimes relative strangers pool resources when meeting on their way to buy drugs. In such cases, economic incentives prevail, but these drug-sharing interactions may be the start of more lasting relationships.
An important function of drug sharing is the prevention or amelioration of withdrawal. Across cultures, this is found to be a very common practice, and users refer to it as "helping" one another. In The Netherlands, for instance, one helps a fellow user in withdrawal with a beterschapje (a little get well), a small dose to ameliorate withdrawal. In New York, this practice has been termed "sharing a taste" or "doing an angle." Again, these interactions are most prevalent among, but are not limited to, friends and acquaintances.
In addition to clear instrumental reasons, the reciprocal character of these behaviors leads to mutual obligations resulting in more structured relationships. Often, new relationships are initiated and existing relationships reinforced through sharing drugs. Drugs are also shared to mediate conflicts, redeem financial debts, or compensate for damage done. For example, an IDU may sell some of a friend's property to buy drugs when he is "dope sick." The victimized friend may initially express considerable anger, but a week later, they may reconcile while sharing drugs provided by the thief. Drug sharing is also an important part of socializing and may have the intimate cozy and communal feel of socializing in a neighborhood pub.
Thus, drug sharing is a significant and frequent activity, touching the daily lives of habitual IDUs in several different ways. Not surprisingly, drug sharing is regulated by several normative expectations or rules. It is assumed that one shares drugs in exchange for other services related to drug injecting; one shares with one's friends; and one helps a fellow user in withdrawal, which may be the strongest rule. It is also expected that gifts are reciprocated. Failing to comply with these implicit rules may lead to rejection or, at a minimum, expressions of disapproval.
Drug sharing fits more general subcultural exchange and interaction patterns and can therefore be considered a symbolic expression of an elemental interaction pattern of reciprocal exchanges among group members, which provides a practical and emotional balance to daily hardship. At the same time, drug users may also prey upon and victimize each other. Desperate with "dope sickness," many users have found themselves violating even subcultural norms. Drug users live under constant pressure, managing their drug habits while trying to deflect the police and constantly assessing whether other users constitute a threat or a source of friendship or help. Sharing drugs fits this broader context of drug users' lives and finds its function in coping with drug withdrawal and craving, human contact and needs, and life on the margins of society.
Primarily a response to drug prohibition laws and policies, the drug subculture is a socially constructed "culture of survival" in which the orientation and intensity of survival behaviors depend largely on external social pressures. The sharing and the hustling are normal behaviors under the extreme circumstances of the war on drugs. Part of individual and communal survival strategies, they can be compared with behaviors in similar stressful situations of oppression and scarcity, as witnessed during periods of famine or times of war and in prisons and concentration camps. Adaptive responses, such as sharing drugs and sequential, multi-person use of needles, are part of a collective strategy in development since the passing of the Harrison Narcotics Act in the United States in 1914. Once, such drug-sharing behaviors were highly functional; with the onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, they turned deadly.
Because the subculture of injecting drug use is so well established, HIV-prevention educational campaigns and outreach projects targeting IDUs have faced many challenges. Early on in the epidemic, it was recognized that, because of the hidden nature of injecting drug use, such traditional outreach methods as media campaigns, health education folders, general medical and social services, and drug treatment facilities would not reach a substantial portion of the population of IDUs. Needle exchange, outreach work and bleach distribution, decriminalization of injecting paraphernalia, peer education projects, and drug user advocacy groups are some of the strategies to reach significant numbers of active drug injectors.
Prevention efforts seek to educate IDUs about injection-related risk behaviors, try to convince them to stop or modify the practices that put them at risk, and suggest safer alternatives. However, such interventions must consider several complications and impediments that hamper the interventions themselves as well as behavioral change at large. For instance, in the IDU's "hierarchy of risk," the risk of arrest or withdrawal are clearly greater concerns than the chance of infection with treatable hepatitis B and perhaps even with HIV. IDUs also have much greater experience with death than other communities affected by AIDS: they have always been at risk for premature death owing to overdose or violence. Likewise, as a result of the illegal, stigmatized, and therefore hidden nature of drug injecting, people are not very eager to identify themselves as IDUs.
Furthermore, for many, access to mass media, general HIV education materials, health care, and social services is limited. Before the onset of the HIV epidemic, health education messages designed for this population were generally nonexistent. Because expansion of addiction treatment was put forward as the only or best HIV-prevention strategy, the availability of treatment did significantly grow in the first 15 years of the epidemic. However, the "high threshold" approach of most U.S. drug treatment programs, in which abstinence is required for receiving other services, leaves a large number of people who are unable or unwilling to comply with such all-or-nothing requirements without needed services.
Thus, in order to reach a large number of active IDUs, interventions have been developed that engage people on their own turf and terms. Early in the epidemic, San Francisco researchers designed an outreach method -- "Reach and Teach Bleach" -- which targeted IDUs in areas with high levels of drug activity, provided them with AIDS education, and taught them how to clean needles with household bleach. Outreach workers were often people with a history of drug use, which facilitated making contacts with active IDUs. Grassroots activists also implemented needle exchanges, which many cities have quietly allowed to operate.
Although these interventions have certainly taken a lead in the fight against the HIV epidemic among IDUs, they are not without limitations or problems. Research suggests that professional outreach programs may suffer a multitude of organizational problems that can seriously decrease their efficacy. In addition, both outreach projects and needle exchanges tend to reach only part of the population at risk. Furthermore, many drug users have more immediate legal, medical, and social concerns with which by now familiar "Don't Share Needles" and "Prevent AIDS" messages cannot compete. Finally, both researchers and activists contend that one cannot expect the IDU culture to change without engaging drug users themselves in the planning and implementation of interventions.
In response to these problems, the first half of the 1990s saw some innovative developments. Needle exchanges have been expanding into alternative health care centers, or harm-reduction centers, providing a wide range of services. Active users have been instrumental in developing interventions in which instruction in street safety; self-injection; and abscess, overdose, and arrest prevention and the dissemination of other practical, relevant, and immediately applicable information serve as vehicles for presenting HIV/AIDS messages, rather than HIV prevention being the focus of the training itself.
Drug users have also organized themselves into drug user advocacy groups in several North American cities, modeled after European and Australian examples. These groups may be the key to cultural change. In The Netherlands, "junkie unions" were the first to implement needle exchanges and to produce information specifically aimed at IDUs, just as in San Francisco and New York gay men organized the first prevention efforts aimed at gay culture. In The Netherlands, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia, such initiatives are highly valued and funded by the authorities. In Australia, which has managed to keep HIV prevalence comparatively low, organizations of active drug users are included at all levels in the national strategy to combat AIDS among IDUs. U.S. drug users have also initiated needle exchanges, and harm-reduction services for drug users are increasingly staffed by them. In the United States of the 1990s, these developments still represent the alternative, grassroots movement, as, given the war on drugs, government funding seems unlikely.
Related Entries:
Abstinence; Drug Outreach Projects; Drug Use; Harm Reduction; Injecting Drug Use; Injecting Drug Users; Interventions; Needle-Exchange Programs; Poverty; Prostitution; Sex Work; Stigma; Surveillance
Key Words:
drug addicts, drug user subculture, injecting drug users (IDUs), intravenous (IV) drug users, junkies
Further Reading
Barnard, M. A., "Needle Sharing in Context: Patterns of Sharing Among Men and Women Injectors and HIV," Addiction 88 (1993)
Battjes, R. J., and R. W. Pickins, eds., Needle Sharing Among Intravenous Drug Abusers: National and International Perspectives, Rockville, Maryland: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 1988
Friedman, Samuel R., et al., "Network and Sociohistorical Approaches to the HIV Epidemic Among Drug Injectors," in The Impact of AIDS: Psychological and Social Aspects of HIV Infection, edited by Jose Catalan, Lorraine Sherr, and Barbara Hedge, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Harwood Academic, 1997
Grund, J. P., et al., "Needle Sharing in the Netherlands: An Ethnographic Analysis," American Journal of Public Health 81 (1991)
Grund, J. P., et al., "Syringe-Mediated Drug Sharing Among Injecting Drug Users: Patterns, Social Context and Implications for Transmission of Blood-Borne Pathogens," Social Science & Medicine 42:5 (March 1996), pp. 691-703
Koester, S. K., and L. Hoffer, "'Indirect Sharing': Additional HIV Risks Associated with Drug Injection," AIDS Public Policy Journal 9:2 (1994)
Manderson, L., et al., "Condom Use in Heterosexual Sex: A Review of Research 1985-1994" in The Impact of AIDS: Psychological and Social Aspects of HIV Infection, edited by Jose Catalan, Lorraine Sherr, and Barbara Hedge, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Harwood Academic, 1997
Murphy, S., "Intravenous Drug Use and AIDS: Notes on the Social Economy of Needle Sharing," Contemporary Drug Problems 14 (1987)
Power, R., et al., "The Sharing of Injecting Paraphernalia Among Illicit Drug Users," AIDS 8:10 (1994)
The Encyclopedia of AIDS: A Social, Political, Cultural, and Scientific Record of the HIV Epidemic, Raymond A. Smith, Editor. Copyright © 1998, Raymond A. Smith. Carried by permission of Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers.
Encyclopedia of AIDS $25 US/832 pp/Illustrated
For more about this book, or to order, click here.


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Have We Been Overlooking a Cooking Staple in the Search for a Cure for Hair Loss?
Losing your hair can be a devastating experience, but a new study shows you may not have to look far for a cure. Rosemary is a common cooking herb found in many kitchens throughout the UK, but did you know it can also be great for hair loss? As well as offering a distinctive, pleasant taste in numerous recipes, the herb is well-known for its medicinal benefits. It's long been used to help aid digestion, improve the memory and even help to relieve muscle pain. However, it's only recently scientists have discovered its link to hair loss. As a new study shows, when it comes to treating the most common type of hair loss, androgenetic alopecia, rosemary oil could even be just as effective as minoxidil 2%.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Forwarded from: security curmudgeon <jericho at attrition.org> : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674015436/c4iorg : : Title: A Hacker Manifesto : Author: McKenzie Wark : Pages: 160 pages : Publisher: Harvard University Press : Reviewer: f0rensik [at] attrition.org : ISBN: 0674015436 : : A Hacker Manifesto is a tough read. I've found that reading some parts : and then going back to others helps me make sense of it, but it's just : very dense. Also, the author loves to say things in convoluted and : difficult ways whenever he can. It's as if he's showing off how many big : words he knows; and annoying as hell. This book is on my "to review" list as well. As f0rensik says, reading this book is more likely to cause more headache than deep thought. It is clear that Wark is well read and has thought about the topics extensively. His choice in how to present the material is lacking. Imagine a poorly translated and convoluted book on some obscure philosophy, apply it to the hacker mindset, and you have _A Hacker Manifesto_. Personally I am hoping Wark will go back and release a companion to this book that strips out all the 5 point words he could dig up, and expand on some ideas and put them in a little more real world context. In doing that, I believe Wark potentially have the next great piece on defining the hacker mindset, and exploring how they will continue to shape our future.


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Phrase Elements or Phrase Tags Definition | Why We Use Phrase Tags?
The tags , , <dfn>, , <samp>, , and <var> are called phrase tags or phrase elements in HTML.
Phrase elements are designed to markup parts of text according to their usage. So the browser will be able to render them a particular way. They help the browser to get the meanings of the text with the help of these phrase elements. We are going to tell you more about these HTML phrase elements with the help of the following code.
HTML Code Example:
<!DOCTYPE html>

<meta charset="UTF-8" />
Phrase Elements (howtocode.pk)
Phrase Elements

  Emphasize

  Strong

 <dfn> Define a term </dfn>

  Code listings

 <samp> Sample </samp>

  Keyboard

 <var> Variables </var>

Phrase Elements
Define a term
Code listings
Explanation of HTML Phrase tags
In the above output you can see that we are showing you seven phrase elements. They are used for various purposes to help the web browser to render them accordingly. In the code the first phrase element is called the emphasize element and it uses the  tags emphasize any element of the text. The next is using the  tags to make the text bolder. Next one is using the <dfn></dfn> tags and is used to define a term in text. Next phrasing element is to display code in you HTML page. It uses the  tags to tell browser to handle this code as text code. The <samp></samp> tags are used to display a sample font. In the next line we are using  or keyboard tags are used for keyboard. At the end we have <var></var> tags which are used for variables.
So the phrase elements are used to markup text parts according to their usage. By the use of CSS you can style these elements and other elements as well to your requirement and desire.


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Aviv Yaron has been practicing Photography professionally – both commercially, and as an artist – since 1991. Starting as a Still Life Photographer, he then progressed with the advancements in digital imagery to find himself at the forefront of that technological revolution. Commercially, Aviv has immersed himself in providing visual effects photography for computer generated imagery – becoming an expert practitioner in both the analogue and the digital realms of image making. Both worlds have influenced his artistic endeavor, where he is in search of the direct contact with the photographic material and the intentions which motivate the creative process.
'…My photography is about ritualizing ways of 'contemplative seeing'. It is about responding to states of presence – resonating inner and outer landscapes whilst engaged in a 'visual poetry'. At that moment, the camera is no longer separating the world from the photographer. To me, this is a 'decisive observation'. It is both a psychological peak – a response to unconscious motivations – and a spiritual one, whereby the captured image contains both the subject and the photographer…'
1987-91: Photography – WIZO, Haifa, Israel.
1993-94: MA in Computing in Art and Design – Middlesex University, London.
1994-2013: Cinesite Ltd (London, UK) – 2D Senior Compositor, 2D Technical Director, Head of VFX Photography.
1991 – present time: Contemporary Photographer
2013 – present time: VFX Photographer and Director of Aviv Yaron Ltd.
- aviv.yaron on Instagram
- aviv_yaron on Twitter
- Aviv Yaron on LinkedIn
- Aviv Yaron Ltd.
- Aviv Yaron on IMDB
- Aviv Yaron on Fixation's ProFiles
[Image: Gabriel Levine]


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The Greatest PR Company in Delhi, Creativizt is considered among High PR Companies in India owing to its high quality PR services, profitable PR strategies and PR campaigns. Most of the stations we work with had been among the first to develop their online presence, offering video of in-studio performances, creating regular podcasts and utilizing social media in artistic methods. This greatest PR agency additionally maintains high requirements for its online behavior, using its Digital Code of Conduct , which is up to date every year to keep pace with the quick-altering digital world.
A PR skilled should by no means comment on behalf of a shopper if it is one thing dangerous, reminiscent of embezzlement. The Miami firm makes a speciality of media relations, corporate model and product messaging, social and digital media, influencer relations, technique improvement, and more. Nelson discusses his 24 years within the music biz, @Teamclermont 's 20th anniversary forward, radio's ups and downs, and where the music industry is heading.
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Under are main causes we selected Burson Marsteller to be rated as considered one of this 12 months's top PR businesses. This PR firm additionally worked with the FDA for the sake of instituting correct guidelines that will, primarily, present customers with the appropriate details about the medication they were being prescribed. Thanks to Joe Kendrick @WNCWJoe , @WNCW , #CollegeRadio , #PublicRadio , #PR companies in all places, Workforce Clermont employees and #publicists worldwide.
Our first shoppers had been small tech corporations based in Chicago, together with RapidApp, Novarra and SurePayroll. This PR firm follows exemplary ethical standards when third events are employed, as espoused in this PR firm's Code of Ethics for Suppliers and Service Providers This doc makes sure that freelancers, subcontractors, suppliers, and others adjust to this PR firm's high requirements in all dealings associated to Edelman.


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- Home
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IRS Correction Procedures Addresses Correction for Failure to Adopt Written Plan for a 403(b)
Last Updated January 13, 2013
By Denise Appleby, CISP, CRC, CRPS, CRSP, APA
The IRS released Revenue Procedure 2013-12 on December 31, 2012, which includes correction procedures for 403(b) Plans. Prior to the release of Revenue Procedure 2013-12, no guidance was available on how to correct certain failures that occur within a 403(b) plan. The following focuses on the correction procedure for failure to adopt a written plan by the deadline, which was included in Revenue Procedure 2013-12.
According to the final 403(b) regulations[i], a 403(b) contract or account (account) can only be issued pursuant to a 'written plan' which, in both form and operation, satisfies the requirements of section 403(b) of the tax code and the final 403(b) regulations. In general, the existence of a written plan facilitates the allocation of plan responsibilities among the employer, the issuer of the contract/account, and any other parties involved in implementing the 403(b) Plan. An account cannot be considered a 403(b) account if it was not established under a written plan, if an employer fails to have a written plan, or purchased by an employer that fails to have a written plan.
Deadline to Adopt Written Plan
Under the final 403(b) regulations, the deadline to adopt a written plan was January 1, 2009. This deadline was extended under IRS Notice 2009-3: Relief From Immediate Compliance With 2009 § 403(b) Written Plan Requirement (Notice 2009-3). Notice 2009-3 provides that the IRS will not treat a 403(b) plan as failing to satisfy the written plan requirement if the following applies:
1. on or before December 31, 2009, the 403(b) Plan Sponsor has adopted a written 403(b) plan that is intended to satisfy the requirements of code section 403(b), including the final regulations, effective as of January 1, 2009;
2. during 2009, the 403(b) Plan Sponsor operates the plan in accordance with a reasonable interpretation of section 403(b) of the tax code, taking into account the final regulations; and
3. before the end of 2009, the 403(b) Plan Sponsor makes its best efforts to retroactively correct any operational failure during the 2009 calendar year to conform to the terms of the written 403(b) plan, with such correction to be based on the general principles of the IRS' Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS)
The relief provided under Notice 2009-3 applied only to the 2009 calendar year. The open issue then became, what is the correction procedure for 403(b) Plan Sponsors that did not adopt a written plan by the December 31, 2009 deadline?
The Solution
Revenue Procedure 2013-12 included a provision for correction for failure to timely adopt a written 403(b) plan under the IRS' Voluntary Correction Program (VCP), and Audit Closing Agreement Program (Audit CAP). If the proper procedure is followed, the IRS will issue a compliance statement or closing agreement, and the 403(b) plan will be treated as if the written plan was adopted timely.
The Audit CAP is used if the IRS identifies the failure during the examination of the 403(b).
The VCP is used when the Plan Sponsor detects the failure and voluntarily makes the correction according to IRS procedural requirements.
This following are highlights of the VCP requirements.
VCP Procedures
When submitting the VCP to the IRS, certain procedures, as defined by the IRS, must be followed in order for the submission to be approved by the IRS. This includes the following:
Paying The Compliance Fee
A compliance fee must be included with the submission. The fee amount depends on the number of participants under the plan, as indicated in the following table:
Number of Participants
20 or fewer
$ 750
21 to 50
$ 1,000
51 to 100
$ 2,500
101 to 500
$ 5,000
501 to 1,000
$ 8,000
1,001 to 5,000
$ 15,000
5,001 to 10,000
$ 20,000
Over 10,000
$ 25,000
Reduced Fee: The fee is reduced by 50 percent for a VCP submission for failure to adopt a written 403(b) Plan timely, if the failure is the only failure included in the submission, and the VCP submission is made by December 31, 2013. The check for the fee should be made payable to the United States Treasury and attached to the front of IRS Form 8951-Compliance Fee for Application for Voluntary Correction Program Submission Under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS).
Implement Corrective Action
The Plan Sponsor must implement corrective action to prevent the failure from reoccurring, and meet certain conditions as described in the VCP Submission Compliance Statement[ii].
The IRS will notify Plan Sponsor or the Plan Sponsor's representative if additional information is required, and the Plan Sponsor will have 21 calendar days from the date of the IRS' contact to provide the requested information. If the information is not received within 21 days, the matter will be closed, the compliance fee will not be returned, and the case may be referred to Employee Plans Examinations. According to the Revenue Procedure, any request for an extension of the 21-day time period must be made in writing within the 21-day time period and must be approved by the IRS.
If the IRS determines that the submission is complete under its VCP, they will contact the Plan Sponsor or the Plan Sponsor's representative to discuss the proposed corrections and the plan's administrative procedures.
If the submission meets the IRS' requirements, the IRS will issue a conditional [iii]compliance statement, which will result in the 403(b) Plan being treated as if it had been adopted timely. This statement should not be considered as any indication of whether the written plan otherwise complies with the 403(b) regulations and tax code.
Additional step-by-step submission procedures are included in Revenue Procedure 2013-12.
Professional Assistance May be Needed
The correction procedures provided in Revenue Procedure 2013-12 can help to resolve compliance issues if followed properly. Failure to follow the procedures can result in avoidable delays and unnecessary costs. Plan sponsors of 403(b) plans for which the 'written plan' and other requirements have not been satisfied should seek assistance from a professional who is knowledgeable about the EPCRS requirements.
[ii] Revenue Procedure 2013-12 includes a Model Compliance Statement (Appendix C Part I) that can be included in the submission. If the Plan Sponsor includes the Model Compliance Statement with its VCP submission, the IRS will sign and send to the Plan Sponsor the compliance statement specifying the corrective action required. The Service reserves the right to issue an individually drafted compliance statement in appropriate circumstances.


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Wooden floors are tricky. They can last years and always receive compliments for their natural looks and feel. On the other hand, when they aren't cared for, problems can start to arise. The compliments will disappear and the wooden floors won't make your property look very attractive at all.
Today we'll highlight eight common problems with wooden floors to be aware of and what causes them. In future blog posts we will look into various cures for each.
Discoloration: Water spills (once off and continuous), urine (from pets), damp material, high traffic, harsh sun light and light deprivation (under rugs/furniture) are the likely reasons for discoloration in your floor.
Note: discoloration is to be expected, we are looking for inconsistent discoloration.
Squeaky boards: It doesn't take long to notice when an area of your floor boards are squeaking. The issue could be weak nails, weakness in the sub floor system, excess moisture or something tiny has gotten in between the boards you can quickly remove.
Abnormal cracks: If the wooden floor is coated in polyurethane, the boards may be glued together so when shrinkage occurs cracking can result. Other causes could be related to 'hot spots', essentially badly insulated heating ducts and hot water plumbing lines that are drying out the wood. There's a whole bunch of reasons, but the source will usually be nearby, the heating of the fridge motor could be another reason.
Buckled wood: If your wooden floor is buckling, there has likely been some bad installation practices causing extreme moisture issues. This is a serious issue and you'll want to deal with this swiftly
Peaking: Peaking differs to buckling in that its usually not moisture related. The most common cause is a lack of space around the floor and walls, the floor boards start to push up and out against one another. Alternatively, there could be molding around the perimeter where the wall meets the floor that is fixed meaning the wooden floor boards cannot expand.
Mold and mildew: This occurs when damp air isn't flowing through the room or any surface moisture isn't removed right away. While it isn't the end of the world if caught early, try and keep note of problem areas where surface moisture forms and keep the house well ventilated.
Dents: Dents in your wooden floor are frustrating as they are easily preventable but all it takes is one forgetful moment for a nice 'can't miss it' dent to occur. Refrain from high heels on wooden floors and dropping any heavy items on to/along the floor such as fridges and furniture.
Scratches: As with dents, scratched wooden floors are preventable. The cracks will show up differently depending on the kind of wood used and the coloring. Simply take practical steps to prevent scratching of the floor.
That's a lot of potential problems right? Wooden floors aren't for the careless that's for sure. With a little bit of care, they'll last many a decade and definitely make your home more Instagram worthy.
Stayed tuned as we'll look into various cures for your wooden floor problems in the coming weeks.


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Georgia Tech's Master of City and Regional Planning Ranked Seventh in the Nation
The Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) program at Georgia Tech is ranked seventh in Planetizen's newly released 2017 Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs. A leading source for urban planning news, Planetizen administers the only comprehensive ranking of graduate urban planning programs in the United States.
This ranking places Georgia Tech second among all university planning programs in the South. Georgia Tech was additionally recognized 2nd in the nation among programs allowing part-time study, and 6th in the Educator's Reputation Survey.
"Planetizen evaluates planning programs using thirty measures," says School of City & Regional Planning professor and chair Bruce Stiftel. "This third consecutive top 10 ranking reflects a professionally-engaged, research-led education that prepares future leaders of the city planning profession. Tech alumni reach across the globe to make cities more sustainable, resilient and just."
Rankings are based on a reputational survey of planning educators; program characteristics such as student retention, financial aid, and student/faculty ratio; faculty characteristics such as diversity and research productivity; and student characteristics including employment rate post-graduation, average GPA and GRE scores, and diversity of the student body.
"The School of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Tech has a long and distinguished history," says Steve French, Dean of the College of Design and Professor of City & Regional Planning. "This latest national ranking recognizes our outstanding faculty, students and alumni, and the amazing work they are doling to create more sustainable and livable communities in this country and around the world. I am very proud that we are one of the national leaders in planning education."
Tech's seventh place ranking follows Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of California, Berkeley; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; University of California, Los Angeles; Rutgers; and Harvard. Rounding out the top ten are the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; University of Southern California; and Cornell.
Georgia Tech's graduate planning program began in 1952 and counts more than 1,500 alumni now working in 49 states and territories and 32 foreign countries. In addition to the MCRP program, the School of City and Regional Planning offers courses for undergraduates, as well as a Ph.D. program in city and regional planning and a Master of Science in Geographic Information Science and Technology.
Planetizen's 5th Edition Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs is available online at https://www.planetizen.com/topschools and in print.
Georgia Tech Resources
- Offices & Departments
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- Special Events
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Latest News
House finally passes GOP debt plan, but Senate votes it down
WASHINGTON — After days of theatrics, the House of Representatives Friday evening finally approved a conservative Republican plan linking an increase in the nation's debt ceiling to the highly unlikely passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
The measure passed on a 218-210 vote.
The GOP plan then met a swift end the Democratic-run Senate, which was moving to take up its own, Democratic-authored plan this weekend.
Passage of the House plan set the stage for three final days of intense, last-ditch negotiations, as President Barack Obama again implored Congress to find a path "out of this mess."
If the debt limit is not raised by Tuesday, the government could default on its debt, which could trigger panic in financial markets and send the nation back into recession.
While the two parties were close to agreeing on most final terms of a deficit-reduction plan, they remained split over how to increase the debt limit. Democrats want one vote on a ceiling that would increase the Treasury's borrowing authority sufficient to last through 2012.
The White House is open to a two-day extension of the debt ceiling if needed to allow time for a real deal to work its way through Congress.
That could happen by passing a bill giving the Treasury Department approval to borrow enough to keep financing government to Aug. 4, or by granting a dollar increase in the debt ceiling, according to Democrats familiar with debt talks. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden continue to talk to members of Congress from both parties.
The House Republican plan would provide for two votes raising the ceiling _ one immediately that would increase Treasury borrowing authority by about $900 billion, enough to stretch into early 2012, and a second one after Congress approves the balanced budget amendment.
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio defended this approach in a fiery speech to close the debate. "I stuck my neck out a mile," he said, trying to get a bipartisan agreement.
Approval of the balanced budget amendment is highly unlikely, since it requires two-thirds approval by both houses of Congress. Democrats, who oppose the amendment as unwise because it would prevent the government from responding to economic crises, control 193 of the House's 435 seats and 53 of 100 Senate seats.
Friday was a day of fast-moving developments. Obama said Friday morning in televised remarks from the White House that constituents should keep the pressure on Congress.
"Keep it up," Obama said in televised remarks from the White House. " Let your members of Congress know. Keep the pressure on Washington and we can get past this."
Later in the day, his 2012 campaign took to Twitter to urge followers to tweet members of Congress.
"Live in MN? Have a Republican representative? Tweet them and ask them to support a bipartisan compromise to deficit reduction," @BarackObama tweeted.
In the Senate, Democrats said they would begin considering their own $2.2 trillion deficit reduction plan, one unlikely to win much if any Republican support. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada threatened to hold a vote to end extended debate on the plan shortly after midnight Sunday; Senate rules prohibit him forcing one sooner.
It's questionable whether his plan will survive in the Senate, since it takes 60 votes to cut off extended debate and move to a vote on passage — meaning Democrats must attract seven Republicans for Reid's plan to pass.
Still, Reid said he'd move ahead.
"The deadline will not move," he said of Tuesday's deadline for raising the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.
"We have hours, I repeat, hours, to act," said Reid, speaking on the Senate floor as he opened the Senate for business Friday. "That's why, by the end of the day, I must take action on the Senate's compromise legislation."
Some hope existed that common ground could be found.
Lawmakers noted that the Reid and Boehner plans had many similarities. Both would cut discretionary spending by about $750 billion over 10 years. Neither plan would raise new revenue. And both would set up 12-member legislative committees to find new ways to reduce future deficits.
Reid's plan assumes about $1 trillion in savings from the winding down of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, while Boehner's does not include those funds. Though Republicans included the savings as part of their budget plan in April, many now argue that such savings do not count as real future budget cuts, since the wars are winding down already.
"This is not a situation where the two parties are miles apart," Obama said. "There are plenty of ways out of this mess. But we are almost out of time."
Reid said Friday that he's hoping to meet with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and was asking Senate Republicans for ideas "to improve my legislation."
He ruled out any short-term fix, saying, "We're not going to do it that way.
"We can not be in this battle all the time," he said. "Right now extremists have locked down this Congress. ... The country is in an economic malaise and they want to keep this up?"
The GOP House victory came after three days of tense negotiations with rebellious GOP conservatives, who had been reluctant to back their own Republican leaders' initial proposal.
Once the bill was revised to include the balanced budget amendment requirement, conservatives rejoiced.
Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said he decided to support the bill after the balanced budget agreement was included.
He noted that constituents may say, "You pledged not to raise the debt ceiling not one penny until you had passed a balanced budget amendment.'
"This doesn't get me there, but I'm comfortable with it," he said, noting that anti-tax groups such as the conservative Club for Growth had also changed course on the measure.
Gingrey said it was important for fiscal conservatives to extract as much as they could from the negotiations.
"I felt all along that we had a great opportunity that won't come along maybe in my lifetime and I thought we needed to go to the wall on this," he said.
"The American people have strongly renewed their November calls of bringing fiscal sanity to Washington. I am blessed to be a vehicle driving their wishes to fruition," said Rep. Jeff Landry, R-La.
Democrats dismissed the Republican effort as misguided.
"That is so absolutely detached from any reality," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said of the House plan.
(Steven Thomma, David Goldstein, James Rosen and Halimah Abdullah contributed to this story.)
Congressional Budget Office plan comparisons
House GOP leaders fail to secure a vote on debt limit
Here's why Congress has such a hard time on the debt limit
Ugly choices await Treasury if debt deal isn't reached
Factions in Congress, pressure from outsiders impede debt deal


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- Vegetable cooking spray
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1/4 cup margarine, softened
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups chopped fresh plums
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Heat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Combine all of the ingredients except plums and granulated sugar. Pat the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Combine plums and granulated sugar. Remove pan from oven and cover base layer with plum mixture. Bake an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and cut into 16 bars.
Yield: 16 servings.
Serving size: 1 bar.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 114 calories, Carbohydrates: 19 g, Protein: 2 g, Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: <1 g, Sodium: 36 mg, Fiber: 1 g
Exchanges per serving: 1 starch, 1 fat. Carbohydrate choices: 1.
This recipe was developed by Angie Sharp, a Diabetes Nutrition Specialist at the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.


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US, Russia spar over military matters again
Washington, April 17
A US Air Force reconnaissance plane was barrel-rolled by a Russian SU-27 fighter jet in an "unsafe and unprofessional" manner during a routine flight in international airspace, American officials said today, exacerbating tensions between the rival powers.
The incident on Thursday occurred when a Russian jet "performed erratic and aggressive maneuvers" as it flew within 50 feet of the US aircraft's wing tip over the Baltic Sea, a spokesman for European Command said.
He said the US plane never entered Russian territory.
This encounter comes just days after the US Embassy in Moscow issued formal concerns over Russian fighter jets flying very close to the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea this week. Close encounters between Russian military aircraft and US warships have become increasing common in recent months. — PTI
An unequal agreement
M. K. Bhadrakumar
Modi govt's comprador mentality is intriguing
The Narendra Modi government appears to have taken two steps forward and one step back with regard to the signing of the 'foundational agreements', which the United States has been pressing for since 2004. One of the three - Logistics Exchange Memorandum Agreement (LEMA) - has been "agreed in principle" during the visit by US Defence Secretary Aston Carter, but for some incomprehensible reason deferred by a "few weeks" or a "few months" for the actual signatures.
Typically, the Modi government has not cared to consider public opinion - although this would be a landmark event, since the pact will give the US forces access to Indian military bases, which signifies a great leap forward in independent India's foreign and security policy doctrines.
What necessitates this breath-taking leap of faith at the present juncture remains unclear. The previous UPA government had profound reservations about signing the foundational agreements, as they'd erode India's strategic autonomy and adversely affect its independent foreign policies. The LEMA remains an unequal pact insofar as India is not a global power, it does not have an interventionist agenda abroad and has no need to access US military bases for logistics, and, of course, none of the friendly countries with which India holds military exercises ever demanded such pacts as an underpinning of cooperation.
The perception will arise in the region and beyond that India has shed its traditional aversion to military alliances and non-aligned policies and proposes to bandwagon with the US. Such a perception does not do India good. Specifically, the perception that India is drifting into an alliance with the US will generate apprehensions in the Russian mind about defence cooperation with India. Russia has been and continues to be the principal source of cutting-edge military technology for the Indian armed forces. Despite the high-sounding rhetoric of the US-Indian Defence Technology and Trade Initiative and 'Make in India', the ground reality is that so far what has happened under these rubrics is, plainly put, zilch. Mr. Carter's visit did not result in a single major project actually taking off.
On the other hand, the US has openly sought to get India on board its so-called 'rebalance' in Asia. With a view to countering China's rise, the US proposes to create an alliance system in Asia - an 'Asian NATO' - in which it envisages a pivotal role for India, alongside Japan and Australia. The US game plan is to co-opt India into an alliance system based on the 'interoperability' of the armed forces which of course will demand the use of similar weapon systems. Within the NATO system, what the US ensures is that the 'interoperability' requires extensive use of US-made weapons, which in turn cements Washington's trans-Atlantic leadership role in decision-making on all political and military issues.
In the Indian context, a prime US motive will be to erode the Indo-Russian strategic partnership. The 'isolation' of Russia is a major global objective of the US. On the contrary, any atrophying of strategic ties with Russia is fraught with serious consequences for India's long-term interests as an emerging power in a multipolar world order. India has shared interests with Russia within the ambit of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Equally, any close identification with the US' rebalance strategy in Asia can create serious complications and distrust between India and China. The point is, India is not seeking confrontation with China. Its focus is on normalising the relations with China through a steady process at the bilateral level. Indeed, the UPA government achieved remarkable success in this direction. An intensive dialogue at the top levels of leadership became a regular feature of our diplomacy and the two countries were able to reach a point where they agreed that they had much more in common by way of shared interests than the differences that might keep them apart. Unfortunately, the Modi government has not kept up the UPA's momentum of high-level dialogue.
Added to this, if India gravitates toward the US-sponsored alliance system to counter China, the delicate equilibrium in the Sino-Indian normalisation process is sure to get affected. It stands to reason that India's long term advantage lies in developing a new type of relationship with China based on equality, mutual respect, and balanced interests. At the end of the day, China remains a unique - even irreplaceable - source of investment and trade for India's development in the short and medium term, and nothing should be allowed to jeopardise it.
What explains the Modi government's reticence about signing the LEMA during Mr. Carter's visit? The only plausible explanation could be that the government is hard-pressed to explain how this paradigm shift in post-independent India's foreign and security policies is justifiable or is in the national interest. The nervousness hides a guilty conscience that without taking recourse to public discussions over the pros and cons of such a major policy shift and lacking a national consensus in the matter, the country is being hustled to go in this direction. A healthy democratic practice demands that the relevant issues in such a policy matter are debated in Parliament even if the LEMA is not a treaty that requires ratification. This was the course taken by the UPA government while concluding the India-US civil nuclear agreement in 2008.
The shocking thing in all this is that the Modi government stands on a platform of strident nationalism. The Sangh Parivar, which mentors the government, even claims monopoly to judge what is 'anti-national' on university campuses. And yet in this case the RSS in particular is betraying a comprador mentality by making India a junior partner to the US for reasons best known to it. The doublespeak is simply stunning. What explains such extreme vulnerability to US pressure? If the US expects them to bend, our hollow men are only too willing to crawl. What is their Achilles' heel? Their strident nationalism smacks of hypocrisy..
Indian Army's firing exercise 'Shatrujeet' enters its last phase
aisalmer: With about 30,000 soldiers in action, the Indian Army is conducting a major exercise 'Shatrujeet' by the elite Mathura-based Strike Corp in desert area of Mahajan field firing range of Rajasthan, wherein the capability to strike, deep into the enemy territory in an integrated air-land battle environment is being evaluated. Now, this exercise is in the last phase and next week on April 22, army chief D S Suhag is likely to come and review the exercise.
The operationally-oriented exercise is focusing on validating integrated theatre battle fighting concept by incorporating new age technologies, weapon platforms and systems as well as long-range precision targeting vectors. Mathura Strike Crops' Core Commander Lt Gen Shaukin Chauhan on Saturday reviewed integrated operational manoeuvres, including insertion of heliborne and airborne activity.
The focus of the exercise is to achieve joint and seamless coordination among all the forces in a nuclear biological chemical warfare scenario so as to deliver the enemy, a lethal punch with full might at a lightening speed. In order to achieve this aim, high-end technology and all the latest multi-dimensional modern weaponry at the disposal of the armed forces is being utilised. In the last decade or so, there has been a paradigm shift in India's offensive doctrine and capability and such exercises are undertaken regularly by the Army to train its troops in their offensive role and weapon usage.
In the changing scenario, the Indian Army looking to the increasing new challenges across the border, is trying to make its war talent strong and better in short notice time especially in the context of fighting war in desert.
Lethality and might of Indian Army with Indian Air Force was fully on display in this exercise. Most modern equipment in the inventory of the Indian Army fired with precision in cohesion with each other with the main attraction being T-90 tanks, which are counted amongst the most technologically advanced tanks in the world. The tanks are capable of firing a variety of ammunition and missiles with sharp accuracy both by day as well as night.
Defence spokesman Manish Ojha said that Indian Army undertakes such exercises at regular intervals at different levels to ensure forces are provided real war-like situations and are kept in high state of battle readiness. The formation and units have been undergoing operation-oriented training for past two months. Post-preparatory training manoeuvres at subordinate units and formation level, the Strike 1 is now poised to conduct integrated operational manoeuvres to validate its operational plans in simulated high tempo battlefield environment and terrain.
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Indian Army chief Singh visits Kashmir to assess security situation
Indian Army chief General Dalbir Singh on Sunday visited Jammu and Kashmir where he met senior commanders amid fresh bouts of violence in the state that have left five civilians dead.
Army spokesperson Colonel SD Goswami said the chief met commanders of the 14, 15 and 16 Corps at Northern Command headquarters at Udhampur near here "to take stock of the situation" in the state following deaths of civilians in alleged firing by army men in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.
The general arrived on a day-long visit to the state.
The Kashmir Valley has been on the boil since Tuesday after the death of at least five civilians in clashes with security forces.
The trouble began after rumors that a soldier molested a college girl in Handwara of the border district.
Indian Army Test Its Operation Abilities
The Indian Army is currently conducting a major exercise in the deserts of the western state of Rajasthan to test its operation capabilities during a battle.
The military exercise, titled Shatrujeet, is being undertaken by the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh's elite Mathura-based Strike 1 corps, the Indian Defense Ministry said.
The exercise is focusing on "validating integrated battle theatre fighting concept" incorporating new-age technologies, weapon platforms and systems as well as long range precision targeting vectors, Indian Defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha told the media Saturday.
In fact, the Indian Army regularly conducts such exercises to evaluate its operation capabilities during a war with the enemy.
The exercise will continue till April 23.


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Welcome to the Parkway Inn Airport Motel in Miami, where your satisfaction is our main purpose. Beautiful rooms, nearby Attractions & Nearby Businesses – comfort at its very best!
Beautiful rooms, nearby Attractions & Nearby Businesses – comfort at its very best!
We are located 5 minutes from the airport, 15 minutes from the beaches, 10 minutes from downtown and the best shopping malls, only steps away from the golf courses and the aviation school AMT, and we are also close to a variety of restaurants.
24-Hour Customer Service
Right next to Miami Int'l Airport
Centrally located to attractions, shopping and restaurants.
Free Coffee and Hot Tea
Free Parking
Free Wi-Fi High Speed Internet
Free HBO/Satellite Television
Free Limited Local Calls
We speak English and Spanish
Handicap Accessible
The staff here at Parkway Inn Airport Motel will do everything possible to make your stay with us a pleasant one. We offer a host of weekly specials that are great for the business traveler or the entire family. Contact us today for more information at 305-887-2621 and speak to one of our reservation specialists.


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AWESOME instructors. Both of my girls are at very different levels and both love going to swim class every week!
-Schuyler Minckler
"He's Only TWO! My son took lessons from Stacy
at Blue Dolphin Swim School and it was one of the best investments I've made for my children. Stacy is very knowledgable with teaching to all levels and emotions of children in the water. My Daughter came to Blue Dolphin, afraid of the water and after a few sessions, we were able to enjoy a vacation in Hawaii with both kids snorkeling.
Thank you Stacy!!
- Christina Feddema
"My 4-year-old son J.D. was so afraid of water and swimming pools. We tried putting him in traditional swimming lessons through our local recreation center, which was a waste of our time and money. After being recommended to Blue Dolphin, you should see him swim now! He's so comfortable and relaxed in the water you would never believe it was the same kid. Now I have my 2-year-old Garret (pictured Above) taking lessons from Stacy and am getting ready to put my 1-year-old in the program. I highly recommend it to everyone!
- Stacey Mari


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Trail Map for West Cuesta Ridge
Trails in the West Cuesta Ridge area vary from dirt roads to rocky, technical signletrack. The majority of this coastal chaparral riding area is in the Los Padres National Forest. However, trails also cross through lands owned by the City of San Luis Obispo, the Land Conservancy of SLO County, and California Polytechnic State University. Trail conditions vary widely in each parcel of land, but typically feature abundant singletrack, hairpin turns, shallow water crossings, as well as the occasional small herd of cattle in the lower areas. The upper ridge trails offer panoramic views of the entire county extending to the ocean.
Trail Etiquette:
When riding any of the trails detailed on these maps, please be mindful of the etiquette recommended by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and CCCMB:
Home-Old > Trail Maps >


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INDIA SKILLS 2018 Register NOW
Why Design Media
Design- Media & Edutainment Solutions is a renowned design solutions company providing dedicated services in advertising and film design verticals. We create mind-blowing design solutions for corporate ad films, animation films, live feature films, etc. Our design solutions are purely customised, brilliantly communicative, aesthetically appealing, and technically perfect.
We are a group of passionate designers working together to touch the pinnacle of design excellence. The team here includes highly skilled professionals with hands-on experience in working for all types of commercial design fields. We ensure our designs reflect the vision of the client. Design- Media & Edutainment Solutions is the brainchild of Sathish Narayanan, who has two-decade long experience in designing for advertisements, short films, animated movies, textiles, etc. Sathish, Principal Designer, along with his team, listens to the clients about their vision and requirements, and come up with tailor-made design solutions.
We offer a wide range of services in designing which includes idea, story, script, concept development, art & design, advertising, print design, print production, motion graphics, animation, visual effects and corporate films, short films and ad films.
Founder of DesignSkills
Design Media & Edutainment School (DMES) is an outcome of Sathish's relentless passion and dedicated efforts towards promoting art & design. Driven by passion and guided by vision, Sathish has been actively involved as an animator, educator, speaker, consultant, and director in the creative industry.
Born and bred in a family in Kerala that values art and creativity, Sathish Narayanan started his creative exploration at an age of ten. Fascinated by the world of art and paintings, he pursued a master's degree in fine arts and specialized in Industrial Design. Starting as a designer in an advertising agency, he has made an impressive career-record by working in multiple roles in design, multimedia, film making, and animation industry. The 22-year-long career span in the creative industry has helped him gain in-depth knowledge and exposure to manage the business of creative art and media & entertainment. He has almost a decade of experience in Education worked for some of the reputed brands like Reliance Animation, MAAC,
Apart from managing the responsibilities of Founder & Director of DMES, he works in promoting skill development with State Skills & Entrepreneurship Ministry and also acts as a consultant to National Skills Development Corporation of India. He is also an active member of Media & Edutainment Skills Council, an arm of FICCI.
Sathish continues to receive numerous awards and prestigious accolades for his contribution towards skill development and youth empowerment. He was honoured by an award from Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship for outstanding contribution in World Skill India in 2016. He was an expert in Graphic Design Technology at World Skills International at Sau Paulo in August 2015 and Oceana skills Competition at Hamilton. He was a jury for numerous awards among which World Skills India 2015, New York Film Festivals in 2013 & 2014, FICCI BAF etc are a few names.
Sridevi Sathish
Gifted with a passion for creativity, Sridevi Sathish has been an integral part behind the growth of Design Media & Edutainment Solutions. She holds a graduation in Fine Arts where she learned World Art, Indian Art Sculpture Painting and Architecture. Prior to joining D-MES, she worked in the home textile industry for more than a decade as client coordinator, design consultant and as merchandiser.
She has proven her team building skills and creative abilities throughout her career span. Driven by the zeal to promote art studies, she is involved in creative art teaching for kids. She believes that every child has an innate creative ability which shrivels when left unappreciated. She never fails to find time in her busy schedules to assist art clubs which are dedicated to high quality training of arts and committed to raising the standards of artistic education. Her commitment towards promotion & research of art and design studies is an asset for Design Media & Edutainment School as well.


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After French photographer Jolipunk was refused a picture while on his travels, it made him 'think about his role as a photographer in today's world, and he realized that many of his peers tend to exoticize and objectify people in the countries they travel to'. So what did he do? He started taking photos of locals all flipping the bird. Jolipunk has traveled through Jordan, Cuba, Peru, Turkey, and Bali, taking these pictures.
From capturing the most stoic men flipping us off, to fun-loving locals eager to give the finger, these photos make for both a hilarious and fascinating view.
Via Design Taxi


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The 7 Most Common Follow-Up Mistakes…
How To Follow Up On A Proposal
When I was a young buck, one of my first tasks as a sales guy was to contact this large cabinet maker.
I was trying to sell them a $60,000 website package. And if I got the contract, I'd personally get a $9,000 bonus in my pocket.
It seems small now, but it was HUGE to me back then.
I hustled together a meeting with the VP of marketing for this cabinet maker.
Their VP of marketing was amazing. I loved this guy… he was like a nice-old mid-western grandpa. And he was wonderful to me. Let's call him Mr. Cabinet.
In a job (cold calling) where 95% of the people I contact hated me, Mr. Cabinet was so damn refreshing!
He WANTED to talk.
He WANTED to hear my ideas.
He WANTED to do business with me.
And I sure as hell WANTED that $9,000 bonus!
So as the meeting went on, I was more and more convinced Mr. Cabinet was ready to sign the contracts.
In this post we cover:
- The 3 questions you must ask in any sales call to avoid wasting time following up
- The one technique to find out if your prospect is a decision maker
- The common mistake most sales people make in proposals (I made this mistake for 5 years)
Back to Mr. Cabinet. He wanted our company to send a proposal, so we did. We spent a lot of time & money on it because we were so convinced this contract was in the bag.
The proposal went well!
Mr. Cabinet was smiling and shook my hand.
After one week of not hearing back, I sent an email to Mr. Cabinet explaining all the details.
Didn't hear anything back.
Ok… no worries… I left a voicemail for him after a few days.
He emailed back a one-sentence email saying, "So sorry, I did get your email, but I haven't had a chance to really look through it."
Two months went by, and I kept contacting Mr. Cabinet and all I got was radio silence. I didn't understand how the deal seemed like a sure thing… to complete radio silence.
To top off my rejection, the CEO of my company started blaming me for screwing up the deal!
—– Ok… let's pause —– What the hell happened here?
This was a classic case of a deal gone bad, and I'm going to show you exactly what went wrong with Mr. Cabinet:
Essentially I was doing free consulting.
You see, buyers are smart. They know you'll do a bunch of free work for them, educate them on everything that's important, how they should do it, what the timeline is…
They basically get EVERYTHING free from you.
So now they have your ideas, and can get one of their minions to do it for them.
All they have to do is show them the blueprint YOU gave them.
Essentially I did all the work and planning for Mr. Cabinet, allllll for free. Wonderful.
- I never asked Mr. Cabinet if he had a budget for this project.
- I never asked Mr. Cabinet if he was the decision maker.
- I never asked Mr. Cabinet if he was the guy who would write the check.
So here's the three of the 47 questions from our Breakthrough Sales Training. Ask these questions before investing time in a person like Mr.Cabinet.
3 Proven Follow-Up Email Templates
I hate following up and I try to avoid it as much as possible. But when you do have to do it, you might as well use an email that's proven to work.
Recently, I was connected with Hubspot. And by connected I mean I cold emailed them.
If you haven't heard of Hubspot let me give you the highlights.
- Inbound marketing and email platform with 10,000 customers in 65 countries
- Raised $100.5 million from Google and Salesforce
Think of them like B2B landing pages and blogs on steroids.
One trip to Boston later and today they are going to share some of the best tactics they've found for email follow-up.
Additionally, you're invited to our upcoming free webinar – How To Follow Up: Proven Strategies and Email Templates (More on that later)
Enter John Sherer from Signals by Hubspot
There's nothing worse than when a person suddenly goes cold – they won't get on a call and aren't responding to emails.
Obviously you need to follow-up, but you can't afford to lose them with below average email skills. Sending crappy emails won't make them suddenly think, "Oh yes, I've been waiting for the day this salesman reaches out to me to buy their product!"
Below I deconstruct three terrible (yet surprisingly common) follow-up emails. I look at what's wrong with the email and provide 3 email templates that have work for us.
Terrible Follow-Up Email #1
Hi Andrew,
Happy Friday!
I hope you have some good weekend plans. I was going back through my notes and I see that you were going to connect with your president Catherine yesterday to determine if setting up an executive presentation was possible.
What's the latest?
What's wrong with this email?
- The first two sentences are fillers. Adding familiarity doesn't come off as genuine. Show UNIQUE interest in the person you're emailing.
- The call-to-action at the end just asks for an update. If your objective is a meeting, request a meeting.
How do you fix this email?
Google Alerts really can be used as a great window into your prospects world. When I meet with a prospect I typically set up a Google Alert for my prospect's "company name", "competition", and "industry keywords." That way, Google can email me whenever new links on the web match that information. I use those triggers to customize my follow-up emails.
So instead of the email above — here's what you should write.
Follow-Up Email Template #1
I was just told that the competitor you mentioned, Massive Steel picked-up a large contract with the Canadian Government. We discussed Massive Steel's web presence in comparison to yours last we talked. Does your team think their website had any impact on the deal?
Last quarter, several clients ran a new style email campaign that increased leads for their sales team. It's straightforward and simple to implement.
Does it still make sense to discuss your website? If so, how does your calendar look to talk?
Here's why this email works –
- The email immediately opens with news about the prospect – very recent information on a competitor.
- The second paragraph transitions the new announcement to how I can uniquely help them.
- We have several more examples in the follow-up email webinar.
Terrible Follow-Up Email # 2
Hi Mark,
How are you?
Last time we chatted, you said I could check-in in six months.
So – here I am! Wanted to touch base and see if there's anything I can help you with.
Do you have ten minutes to speak tomorrow? I'm available at 10am and 2pm EST. Let me know what works.
What's wrong with this email?


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With less than a half-mile to go at the Indianapolis 500—a blink of an eye when you're traveling 220 miles-per-hour—J.R. Hildebrand was in the lead. The rookie had clocked a brilliant day for Panther Racing. He had survived five hundred miles of breakneck speeds and near collisions and the general chaos that ensues when you have thirty-three cars racing on a narrow track at over 200 miles-per-hour. At twenty-three years old, Hildebrand led the way in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Hildebrand headed into the last turn before the final straightaway. Maneuvering into the corner, he caught up to driver Charlie Kimball, who was rapidly losing speed. Hildebrand took the high side of the track to get around the slower car.
And then, the unthinkable happened.
With the checkered flag in sight, a split second from victory at the most iconic event in auto racing, Hildebrand's tires slid on the heavy marbling that covered the track. His car went crashing into the wall. The late Dan Wheldon, driving in second place, passed Hildebrand in the brief moment between the crash and the waving of the yellow caution flag. Wheldon crossed the finish line, the winner of the Indy 500, as Hildebrand's mangled car skidded down the wall of the final straightaway, sparks flying. Incredibly, Hildebrand finished second, his speed before the crash carrying the flaming wreckage across the finish line. But the crash had been costly.
Hildebrand had held victory in his hands with the finish in sight. And it had slipped away.
It was 2011. We were sitting in the stands behind pit row, along the final straightaway, when the crash occurred. I remember looking at the giant screen across the track and seeing Hildebrand cover his face in dismay as he climbed out of his car. The smoke from his collision with the retaining wall still hung in the air, the heavy stench from the fumes trapped by the warm, humid air. I felt devastated for him. I couldn't comprehend how disappointed he must have been. He would relive the final moments of this race for the rest of his life. And there was a good chance he'd never get this close to victory again.
I've watched enough sports to know how fickle they can be. Yes, Hildebrand was young. Yes, it was his first Indy 500. Yes, you would assume he would have many more trips to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But sheer numbers don't guarantee success. In fact, most of the time, they do quite the opposite. Sheer numbers highlight just how rare victory really is.
The St. Louis Blues reached the Stanley Cup Finals in each of their first three seasons—1968, 1969, and 1970. In all three series, they were swept. They haven't been back since.
Dan Marino was one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time. In only his second year in the league, he led the 14-2 Miami Dolphins to the Super Bowl, where the Dolphins lost to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers. Marino would finish his Hall-of-Fame career without another Super Bowl appearance.
As for Hildebrand? The year after his soul-crushing second place finish, he returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He crossed the finish line in a disappointing fourteenth place. In 2013, he returned again. He finished last.
Every year I realize more and more just how precious it is to reach a goal. Of all the marathons I've raced, only two have gone exactly as I hoped. I've trained thousands of miles only to fall behind pace, to walk at mile 23, to miss my goal time, and to feel dissatisfied. I've trained for months on end only to become intimately reacquainted with disappointment. Perhaps that's why I felt Hildebrand's loss so personally. Watching his car careen against the wall and slide to a soul-crushing second place, I was struck by just how difficult it is to win.
Let me clarify, winning doesn't necessarily mean coming in first. For Hildebrand, it did. But for a lot of us, winning simply means hitting our A-goal. I go into every race with an A-goal, B-goal, C-goal, and D-goal. The D-goal is usually just to finish. I'm fairly proficient in the B, C, and D department. The A? Not so much.
What's ironic, however, is that for a long time, I didn't appreciate my A-goals when I hit them. I was excited about them, but subconsciously, I took them for granted. Even after a great race, I'd think to myself, "Yeah, that was great. But I could have gone faster if…" Instead of acknowledging the moment for what it was, I wanted more. I could think only of how I could have made the race better. Yes, it's good to seek improvement after each performance. But our desire to move forward shouldn't come at the sacrifice of where we are now.
For all of the glory in sports, there is a heckuva lot of disappointment. In professional sports, each season ends in disappointment for every team except for one. One team goes home happy. That's it. And the Olympics? Can you imagine training your whole life for a single moment only to miss the mark by a fraction of an inch or a thousandth of a second? I don't know how I would handle such disappointment. I don't know how I could keep from being overwhelmed by a flood of "What ifs…"
I've never been in a situation of historic caliber, nor will I ever be. But my own races, my own goals, have Olympic significance to me, and I do know that every time I am let down, every time something doesn't go as I had hoped (which, I regret to say, is dishearteningly often), I am imbued with a heightened appreciation and respect for those things that have gone according to plan, or even better than I could have imagined. I am more grateful. I am more appreciative. I am greatly humbled. I realize just how precious those times are. I realize what a privilege it is to have a race go right.
Reaching your A-goal is a great feat indeed. Relish it. Get excited. Think about all of the crazy things that had to come together to make that moment possible. Think about all of the things that didn't go wrong. Remember that it's hard to win, and then celebrate your victory.
Because, as backwards as it seems, sometimes the best way to handle disappointment is to make sure we truly appreciate every success.
Amy L. Marxkors is the author of The Lola Papers: Marathons, Misadventures, and How I Became a Serious Runner. Her second book, Powered By Hope: The Teri Griege Story, will be released in 2014. This post in based on an original post on www.TheLolaPapers.com.


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• Prints on 8.5x11 inch card stock
• Prints two to a sheet
• Trims to 8x5.25 inches, folds to 4x5.25
• Fits an A2 envelope
A smiling monkey swinging from jungle branches is featured in this thank you card template. A blue background frames a personalized message. This printable thank you note is easy to edit online, download, and print at home.


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Fiction, Monologues, Plays & More
a monologue by Jeff Folschinsky
As I look back at my life. I realize that… that… Ah Jesus, I know this. No really I do. I did the whole thing, from beginning to end at lunch today.
Christ. LINE! Hello?
Okay, yes I know we're not supposed to do this at this point but I really need help. I'm blanking out for some reason and all these people staring at me is not helping.
Hello? Hello!
Oh, for crying out loud, can you throw me a life line here? I mean, yes, I know the director informed us you wouldn't be doing this type of thing anymore but this is embarrassing.
Of course if you didn't think you would be doing this anymore maybe you weren't following me in the script. Is that it? Are you trying to find out where I am right now? Should I just stand here and wait or should I leave? Hello, is anyone up there listening to me?
If it helps I was at the part where my character was looking back on their life and was about to come to an astonishing conclusion. I'm not really sure what that conclusion is obviously. I mean if I knew that then I wouldn't be standing here with egg on my face; now would I?
Hello? Hello?
Oh come on, don't be a fricking jerk. Just give me the damn line so we can all move on with our lives. I'm waiting.
Wow, you, my friend, are one sadistic son-of-a-bitch. It's not like I'm asking you to finish the piece for me. I know it, really I do. I just need a line or two to jog my memory. If you're worried that this will become a habit I assure you it won't. I swear I knew this thing earlier today. I went over it at lunch in front of a work colleague and he assured me I was word perfect. Of course he was laughing all the way through it which I found odd, since it was such a sad piece, but that's not really here nor there right now.
Come on, I just need a little help. Things aren't going good for me right now, on stage or in life. Things are tough on the relationship front, my boss hates me all of the sudden, and for some reason my car has been acting funny. So I really need this right now. Can you please help me out?
Really, I'm pouring my heart out here, with all of these people watching me and still nothing from you? I don't know what happened to blacken your heart like this but may god show you the mercy that you're denying me right now, because it's obvious that your soul is truly lost my friend.
Well, since it's obvious that you're committed to this course of action. I see no other alternative but to leave this stage and deny these people the end of what could have possibly been my best performance ever. I hope that you're proud of yourself, and if anyone feels they want their money back because of this episode. Take it up with smart person in the tech booth back there.
(Actor leaves the stage and then comes running back on a few seconds later.)
Oh, I remember what it is now. As I look back at my life, I realize that…
Jeff Folschinsky's plays have been seen at various theaters across North America. He is also creator and staff writer for Perilous and The Trials and Tribulations of Vicky Vixen, a serial late night soap opera spoof at the Eclectic Company Theater in North Hollywood, California. Jeff's plays The Unsinkable Bismarck, A Pill By Any Other Name Is The Wrong Dosage, Rendezvous and Revelations and Kisses From Abroad are published by One Act Play Depot. His full length play Turkey Day that had it's world premiere at The Eclectic Company Theatre, is published by both Norman Maine Play Publishing and Big Dog Play Publishing. His play he co-wrote with Tyler Tanner The Singing Bone is published by JAC Publishing. Jeff has written and produced the popular podcasts Virgin Falls, Pasiones Obsesionantes, The B-Movie Bastards and Cult Movie Cuisine. Jeff has also written a movie with Tyler Tanner and Stephanie Wiand called Revenge of the Bimbot Zombie Killers which was directed by Joe Camareno and is due to be released later this year.


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Our Mission is to Make Your Life Easier
Chicago's Girl on the Go was founded by Jancy Walker and has been making people's lives easier since 2009.
Following several successful years in the event planning industry, Jancy discovered that she could apply her planning and organizational skills to helping families, business professionals and companies that simply need to "get stuff done".
Who doesn't have a to-do list that they could use a hand with? Thus was born Chicago's Girl on the Go.
In the years since its inception, Chicago's Girl on the Go has done everything from helping families get their homes in order to assisting international clients that need a trusted person on the ground in Chicago to complete a one-time task. The list of ways we have made people's lives easier is almost endless.


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Category Archives: News
Cycletastic Pop-Up Shop All Summer Long!
Cycletastic has been lucky enough to move into a 'proper' shop unit at Queens Parade, Willesden Green, NW2 5HT OPEN: Mon-Thu and Saturday's: 12 Queens Parade,Willesden Lane NW2 5H (07742-689-785) Our Mechanics Haroon and Richard are on hand to repair your … Continue reading
Bike Maintenance Lessons November 1st & /or 15th 2014
Bike Maintenance Lessons with Cycletastic Saturday 1st and 15th November 2014 12.00 – 6pm BOOKING ADVISED : firstname.lastname@example.com Charteris Sports Centre 24 Charteris Rd NW6 … Continue reading
Posted in Announcements, Events, News, Training, Uncategorized, Workshops Comments Off on Bike Maintenance Lessons November 1st & /or 15th 2014
Brent Biking Borough programme
Cycletastic is now included in information about the Brent Biking Borough programme. Click the link for more details.
Posted in Announcements, News Comments Off on Brent Biking Borough programme


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Housepex Combo 3/4 and 1/2 inch Pex Crimp Tool 9306 STC
- Comes with Crimp Caliper GO/NO-GO
Product ID • 9306STC00000
HousePEX PEX Crimping Tools & Crimp Tool. PEX Crimping Tools For PEX Tubing. Crimpers for 1/2 and 3/4 inch, PEX Tubing
The PEX Crimp Tools are used to Clamp PEX Tubing onto copper pipe or brass fittings. PEX Crimping Tool uses copper crimp rings to secure a successful connection. The PEX Tubing Crimping System is also easy to use and an economical option for attaching PEX to a fitting. The PEX Tubing Crimp System is used with any standard ASTM size PEX pipe such as HousePEX, Viega, Heatlink or Safelink PEX (Except Aluminum PEX-AL-PEX). The PEX Crimp Tool is compatible with PEX sizes ranging in size from 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch PEX Tubing.
Info & Links


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Posted: Jun 1 2016, 5:46pm CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr , in Deals
This story may contain affiliate links.
Is it a tablet - or an ultraportable? The Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T is both. Running Windows 8, which has famously merged both touch and standard desktop into a single operating system and shipping with a removable keyboard, this device could be considered the ultimate convertible PC. The latest ATIV packs an Intel Core i5 processor alongside 4GB of DDR3 RAM, while a 128GB SSD handles storage. Everything is displayed on a bright, 11.6-inch LED backlit display. The ATIV Pro has a bit more horsepower than the average tablet, but it also comes with a much larger price tag. Street price comes in at around $1,199, which is a far cry from traditional tablet prices. It is also a lot heavier. Weighing in at around 2 pounds sans keyboard, an all-around e-reader alternative, this is not. Is this flexible tablet/notebook worth the price of admission? Read on to find out.
Main Features and Specifications:
What We Liked:
What We Didn't Like:
Our Verdict:
The Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro Tablet 700T works equally well as a tablet and an ultraportable laptop. However, when put up against a standard tablet or traditional ultraportable laptop, it begins to show some weakness. As a tablet, it weighs more than what many users would consider acceptable. As a dedicated laptop, battery life isn't as good as the competition and the design is on the clunky side. However, 700T represents a real alternative to Microsoft's Surface Pro and upcoming Surface Pro 2, although it does carry with it a higher price tag. At the end of the day, the Samsung's ATIV Smart PC Pro Tablet 700T is a solid overall machine, it just doesn't excel in any one category.
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5
(Click pictures to go to gallery)This Deal is provided by our partner Tech Bargains at www.techbargains.com.
Tablets have become more popular than laptops over the past couple of years. There is a wide-range of tablets that are sold on Black Friday starting from the absolute bargain 7-inch Android tablets, over premium Android tablets and the Apple iPad. New this year are the low-cost Microsoft Windows 8.1 Tablets that will be very popular this Holiday season with prices under $100.
Disclaimer: The Black Friday deal information given above is without warranties on accuracy and availability. Black Friday deals tend to sell out very quickly and as retailer only keep low inventories for doorbuster deals.
Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro Tablet 700T Review
Get the Free Tracker App to find a SNES Classic in Stock
Published: 3:49:25 pm, 11/14/2019


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Huntington University
For 15 years, Nichols wrote, designed and published Huntington University's alumni magazine. Through that long-term relationship, Nichols went beyond simple news articles about the University. Rather, we told compelling stories designed to strengthen the relationship with alumni and other potential donors to prepare for the University's centennial celebration and capital campaign.
The Midwestern college was well known for its religion and teaching degrees, but other areas of study were going unnoticed, including the outstanding science program. One of the goals of the capital campaign was to raise money for a new science complex, but before raising money it was necessary to change long-held perceptions.
Focused storytelling in the alumni magazine set the stage. The campaign also was supported with collateral material and other tools designed by Nichols to help alumni and donors reimagine the future of Huntington University.
The capital campaign was a success, raising $50 million, greatly surpassing the initial goal of $37 million. Today, a beautiful new science complex and other campus improvements have made Huntington University a top choice for science, pre-med and nursing students.
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Mikael Melo (3rd Year) brought 22 FCAD students together to create Patience - The Story of a Broken Heart; a short visual story performed to a cover of Shawn Mendes' "Patience" that explores the trials and tribulations of what it means to fall head over heels for someone in a modern society through the perspective of a young lesbian couple.
Karin Kazakevich (3rd Year), along with six other Media Production students, Simoon Moshi (3rd Year), Tyler Keating (3rd Year), Tia Morrison (3rd Year), Erin Guerette (3rd Year), Elena Hudgins Lyle (3rd Year), and Quinton Bradshaw (2nd Year), have created a new networking and learning opportunity for media students. The Vision Media Conference, taking place on March 4th, will offer a variety of workshops, training sessions, networking opportunities, keynotes, and panel discussions to help students acquire the necessary tools and processes to pursue their creative goals. For more information or to register, click here.
Lulu Tanenbaum (4th Year) has been appointed the role of Art Director for META, the annual New Media art exhibition that showcases the production and curatorial thesis work of 4th year new media students. For this year's event, Tanenbaum and her classmates plan to both provide a platform for displaying emerging artists' work and to showcase and emphasize the RTA Community, as they will be the first class to graduate from the New Media program as part of the RTA School of Media. Stay tuned for more updates!
Mackenzie Willis (3rd Year) and Spencer Houghton (3rd Year) have been working on an installation for the Allan Slaight Radio Institute. The goal of the project is to effectively integrate radio and new media, and will feature an immersive, crystalline light display that lights up in a variety of sequences that will mimic radio waves passing through space. The installation is set to launch mid January.
Hung Le (2nd Year) created a campaign titled #model4camh in early November to raise money and awareness for Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). From November through December 25th, he offered every donor of $25 or more a one-hour photo shoot with multiple picture edits. By the end of the campaign, Le raised donated $200 to CAMH.
Jaime Hills (2nd Year) has been recognized by the Rams Live staff for her excellent analysis and colour commentary work on the Men's Basketball games last semester. Drawing from her own experiences as an athlete, Hills sheds a new light on the analytical side of the game and really breaks down the sport for viewers. Keep up the great work!


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Friday, September 2, 2016
Hallelujah, We Have Been Fortified!
Forgive me if there are a lot of exclamation points in this post, but I have received word that I passed the Fortified Exam I took back in June! Whoo hoo!!!
I wasn't sure about this one. I even kept my big wall infographics in case I had to re-take the exam. But alas, I have passed!
Here is where I stand:
Unit 1: The Business of Wine and Spirits
Case Study PASSED
Research Paper PASSED
Unit 2: Viticulture & Vinification PASSED
Unit 3: Still Wines of the World SESSIONS BEGIN IN OCTOBER; EXAM JUNE 2017
Unit 4: Spirits PASSED
Unit 5: Sparkling Wines PASSED
Unit 6: Fortified Wines PASSED
As you can see, all that remains to complete my Diploma certification is a passing grade on the Unit 3 exam, which is the most difficult one. This test is about 3x the size of the other exams I have taken. It consists of 12 blind tastings, about 4 short answer questions, and 1 long essay. The exam isn't until June of 2017, so I have close to 10 months to study.
Our classes begin in October, and from there our tasting group and theory group will commence. I am also working one-on-one with a classmate and we are reviewing the entire viticulture/vinification unit in order to prepare for Unit 3. The viti/vini unit is the backbone of the entire diploma. The content in that unit is used to understand the ideas in each of the other units.
So there you have it. I am now just one exam away from my Wine & Spirits Trust Diploma certificate. Just one little test!
Have you taken on any wine certification? If so, from which school? Was it a doozy? Or a breeze? Post your comments below so we can compare notes!
Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!
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