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Céline Abecassis-Moedas
Céline Abecassis-Moedas holds a PhD in Management from École Polytechnique, Paris and an MA in Management (Université Paris Dauphine). She is a graduate from École Normale Supérieure de Cachan and La Sorbonne in Economics and Management. She is Dean for Executive Education, founder and Academic Director of the Center for Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Associate Professor in Strategy and Innovation Management at CATÓLICA-LISBON. Affiliate Professor at ESCP-Europe, where she is the Academic Director of Lectra Chair "Fashion and Technology". She is non-executive director of CTT and José de Mello Saude. Céline Abecassis-Moedas was Assistant Professor at the Centre for Business Management at Queen Mary-University of London and she worked in Business Development at Lectra in New York and as a Consultant at AT Kearney in London.


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Happy Anniversary! Looks like you had a great night xReplyDelete
Happy Anniversary, the food looks gorgeous x
Gemma Louise
Awww, sounds like you had a lovely anniversary and the food looks amazing xReplyDelete
This look fantastic. Happy anniversary! Well done you two for getting out together! Ours have never had a night away from us, though we occasionally get a date night out on our own! xReplyDelete
Happy Anniversary! I hope you had a wonderful night, sans the flower. The dessert does look amazing though!ReplyDelete
Happy Anniversary! we are coming up to our ten year one and are desperate for ideas of what to do! a nice meal out sounds like a good planReplyDelete
This place sounds so lovely! Date nights are so important!!ReplyDelete
Happy anniversary! You can't go wrong with a lush meal out! xReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


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The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), a constituent of College of Health Sciences , University of Ghana and a leading biomedical research institute in the subregion, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is organizing a training program for selected West African healthcare professionals at the Noguchi Memorial Institute.
The training program: "Third Country Training Course on Enhancing Laboratory Skills for Infectious Diseases in West African Countries for Post Ebola", is designed to provide an intensive and detailed training in modern laboratory technology to improve disease surveillance and prevention and to upgrade the skills of laboratory technicians in Ghana and neighbouring countries.
According to the Director of the Institute Prof. Abraham Kwabena Anang: "One of the most important priorities of international cooperation based on human security is the improvement of the healthcare systems, to ensure prevention and management of various live-threatening infections. Securing sufficient healthcare workers and developing their abilities are important elements of such efficient healthcare system. And that is what we are trying to build at the Noguchi Memorial Institute with the support of the Japanese government."
He continued: "Since the need for functional medical teams comprising physicians and other health professionals including lab-technicians is paramount for the operation of efficient and effective healthcare systems, there is an urgent need for the development of specialists in Biomedical Scientist in the group of course participants as they form a key laboratory staff cadre especially in Ghana. This is due to the critical role they play in the diagnosis and treatment of infections."
The course has been established, to provide an intensive and detailed training program in modern laboratory technology at an African Centre of Excellence for Disease Surveillance and Prevention in Ghana, namely, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR). This is to help improve the skills of laboratory technicians across West Africa.
The training program which aims at improving the laboratory staff's techniques and skills for the diagnosis of infectious diseases caused by bacteria, parasites and viruses, will be held in Ghana for 8 weeks from 7th January 2019 to 1st March 2019. Participants for the first course are drawn from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Ghana.
As part of the training, participants will learn best laboratory practices and latest innovations from technologists in the Bacteriology, Parasitology and Virology departments of the Noguchi Institute. At the end of their training, they will have the opportunities to improve the quality of diagnosing, treatment and prevention of infections at medical institutions or laboratories in their various countries.
Adding her voice, Senior Representative for the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Ozawa Maki assured the institute of continuous support from the Japanese government to bring quality and accessible universal healthcare to Ghanaians.
"Noguchi and JICA have a long history since 1969 and so collaborating with the medical research centre as well as contributing to the public health care system is a joy. And with the global recognition that the institute has acquired over the years, Noguchi is now the pride and a success story for the Japanese government. So as Noguchi plays an important role in strengthening technical capacity for disease control not only in the country but also in the neighbouring country, we believe this joint program is the best way to contribute."
Lauding the training, representatives from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia urged all the participants to take the training seriously and learn from each other. They also expressed their gratitude to JICA for sponsoring the program and its continued interest in health-related issues. (Souce: ghanaweb.com)


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A tree collapsed Friday afternoon, taking down two balconies of a porch and preventing first responders from getting to a puppy on the lowest level.
The tree came down in the rear of a home on the 5800 block of South Carpenter Street.
About 12 people, mostly children under 12 years of age, occupied the two-story home. No injuries were reported in the collapse but officials from Chicago's Department of Buildings feared the structure was not stable and prevented authorities from getting to the 4-month-old pup.
Crews from Commonwealth Edison were called in to take care of power lines that had been brought to the ground. Once the area was deemed safe, someone was able to go back into the home, open the door, and let the dog inside.
All of the people and Misty the dog were safe Friday night and finding alternate lodging.
The collapsing tree also crushed and totaled a minivan parked in the driveway.
|Misty, a 4-month-old pup, was trapped by the falling tree.


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"I think being a stay-at-home Mum is a mixture of hardship and blessing. It can be hard to maintain a sense of self worth when you are caught up in the day-to-day struggles of sleep deprivation, sticky floors and endless loads of washing. However it is full of beautiful moments too, as you watch your kids grow, learn, interact with each other and change into person God has made them to be. I count it as a real undeserved privilege to be a Mum and it is something I don't take for granted. We don't know what the future holds, so I treasure whatever time I do have with my family. That's why I want those everyday activities captured, because it is what makes up our life at this point in time."
{To explain the last 3 photos: these guys are old friends of ours (I have known Liz since we were babies!) so it was super lovely to have my family come along at the end and all have lunch together – the kids loved playing together and we decided we'll do it again some time soon!}


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Double Gold Medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirits competition 2019
Featured in The 1001 Whiskies you must try before you die book
A combination from Ardbeg of malt from both Bourbon and Sherry casks which gives this a sweet yet still smokey finish, well worth spending the little bit extra over the standard 10 year old for this amazing dram.
Named after the distillery's unique water source, Ardbeg Uigeadail was named "World Whisky of the Year" by the Whisky Bible. "97.5 Points (Best Score Ever)
World Whisky of the Year/Liquid Gold Award.
From the utter silky brilliance of the delivery to the multi-layered middle, this simply oozes complexity, and on a level only a handful of distilleries in the world can even dream of reaching.
"Uigeadail consists of a marriage of younger whisky with much older whisky matured in sherry casks. The marriage works exceptionally well, with the younger whiskies providing the classic Ardbeg intensity many of us have come to expect, while the older whiskies contribute depth, maturity, and complexity. And bottling the whisky at cask-strength without chill-filtration ensures that none of the flavors are stripped out. This is an incredibly complex Islay whisky."
Whisky Advocate
Featured in Ian Buxton's 101 Whiskies to try before you die book


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New Years Eve: The Wal Brown Acoustic Duo
- Monday 31st December, 2018 - 7:30pm to 12:00am
- All acoustic performance and New Years buffet
Come and celebrate the New Year in the company of the talented Wal Brown Duo. The all acoustic pair (no backing tapes here!) will perform a variety well known and well loved songs through the night.
The event is ticketed and includes a buffet (open at 9pm) and pasties served at midnight.
Tickets available behind the bar at the Chetham Arms.
- Booking: Required
- Charge: £10.00


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The biggest hurdle getting visitors to buy is trust - they may be hesitant to buy since they haven't used you before. So this sidebox pulls in the elements to help create that trust: a clickable authorize.net if you are using them, credit cards icons, and the ability to add in whatever else you might need such as a secure certificate symbol in admin define pages.
This sidebox has several easy set up features and the package also includes real credit card icons which Zen Cart does not include in the default installation and you don't have to create the HTML to display them!
See this blog post for why this is important: http://www.teamwiztech.com/blog/whats-wrong-with-zen-cart-checkout/7/
Available also in the template package: Zen Cart Ready to Go and demoed on this site on the right and with all credit card icons showing here.


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In the Summer I found three 1970's interior magazines at Spitalfields Antique Market. There's something about the colours, patterns and even the smell of the magazines that I find inspiring. I started on a series of collages using the pages for backgrounds, shapes and floral arrangements with a view to show them at Columbia Road.
Somehow things got in the way (school holidays), in the main, so I never quite produced as many as I'd hoped. However, rather than wait until I have a larger body of work, I've decided to show them now. I took these two to the framers today and I am expecting them back next week. They may also be available as limited edition prints so keep an eye out on the shop www.elphicksshop.com


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- Saudi Arabia
Strictly forbidden for non-Muslims to enter this city, Mecca is the holiest of all cities in Islam. A pilgrimage to Mecca, which is commonly known as Hajj, is obligatory for all Muslims with financial and physical ability. Over 3 million Muslims from all around the World visit Mecca during the months of Dhu'l-Hijjah every year. Located within a narrow valley situated at a distance of 73 kilometers inland from Jeddah, Mecca also happens to be the birth place of Prophet Mohammed.
Situated at an elevation of 909 feet above mean sea level, the entire city of Mecca is expanded around 'Masjid al-Haram', the Grand Mosque located in the centre. Spread over a 1,200 square kilometer area, most traditional home of Mecca are generally two or three stories built of local rock. Featuring an arid climate, unlike the rest of Saudi Arabia, Mecca mostly retains a warm temperature during winters.
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Congratulations to Nobanda Primary Enviro Club for making a splash! Find out what our top Water Explorer team has been up to!
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Latest Believe
'Believe' Premiere Recap: Do You Believe That This Will Be Any Good?
Alfonso Cuaron and J.J. Abrams' sci-fi/fantasy drama 'Believe' premiered on NBC on March 10, opening us up to the world of the Christlike Jo (Johnny Sequoyah), her cult of believers, and of course, the many murderers who aim to bring her down. But was the premiere enough to make you a believer?
Believe opened up with a bang on March 10, as the extremely gifted child Jo (Johnny Sequoyah) lost her parents and met her cult of "believers" in a thrilling premiere episode directed by the Oscar-winning Gravity directer Alfonso Cuaron.
'Believe': The Thrilling First Scene Of J.J. Abrams's New Show — Watch
When big-screen hotshots like 'Star Wars' director J.J. Abrams and 'Gravity' director Alfonso Cuaron unite for a TV series, you know it's going to be a huge deal. Luckily, we have your sneak peek at the thrilling new series below!
A girl with telekinetic superpowers that can save the world. An ex-con who is somehow stuck with her. Numerous nefarious forces combining to take them down. This is the heart-pounding reality on NBC's new drama Believe, which premieres March 10 on NBC. Check it out below, if you believe that that would be a good idea.
Justin Bieber Retiring From Singing: The Truth About His Announcement
Fans were devastated when Justin announced he was leaving the music game behind. But HollywoodLife.com has EXCLUSIVELY learned why he left a million broken hearts in his wake after announcing he was ready to quit.
Justin Bieber delivered coal in the stockings of fans by confirming his retirement on Twitter on Christmas Eve. But HollywoodLife.com has uncovered the REAL reason he said he decided to leave music behind.
Justin Bieber Confirms: 'I'm Officially Retiring'
Is Justin really calling it quits? Read the Biebs' shocking announcement, then weigh in with your thoughts on his 'retirement.'
The sound of sleigh bells was briefly interrupted Dec. 24 by the sound of Beliebers' hearts breaking all over the world, as Justin Bieber officially confirmed rumors of his retirement on Twitter. His simple-yet-heartbreaking message was met with hundreds of thousands of retweets — and even more protests to the seemingly hasty decision.
Justin Bieber's 'Believe' Movie Premiere — Watch The Live Stream
Justin and more celebs are hitting the red carpet Dec. 18, beginning at 9 p.m. EST. Watch it here, LIVE!
The big night is finally here! Justin Bieber's new documentary Believe is having its premiere Dec. 18 in Los Angeles, and HollywoodLife.com can take you there live.
Justin Bieber Gets Kissed By Fan In New 'Believe' Clip — Watch
Justin's thrilling new 'Believe' clip shows Beliebers that if they go to one of his concerts, they might be lucky enough to give the Biebs a smooch! Click to watch.
There's no doubt that Justin Bieber loves his fans, since he released a new Film Friday Believe movie clip on Dec. 6 just for them! And this time around, the heartthrob showed us one of his favorite parts of being a star — meeting his fans!
Justin Bieber Writes New Song About Selena Gomez For Acoustic Album
Justin will release his acoustic album Jan. 29, and HollywoodLife.com can reveal that it includes a new love song, 'Nothing Like Us'. Is he using music to win back Selena?
Justin Bieber may be trying to win back Selena Gomez through the power of song, as a week after their most recent break up, Justin's camp announced on Jan. 9 that Justin would be adding a new song called "Nothing Like Us" to the acoustic album Believe. It is a song about "young love", and it was written by Justin. Is this his grand romantic gesture to win her back?
Selena Gomez Sings Along To Justin Bieber's Romantic Performance
Selena was sitting backstage at the Apollo Theater in NYC on June 18 and was singing along to Justin's song "Be Alright" — is she the most supportive girlfriend ever?
Justin Bieber is so lucky to have a girlfriend like Selena Gomez. The 19-year-old flew to NYC with her man, to support his Believe album release. In this new video caught on camera by a devoted Belieber, Selena is singing along with Justin. This is the cutest thing ever!
Justin Bieber's 'Believe' Just Released — Already Number One
The day we've all been waiting for! Justin's 'Believe' album is finally here — we're so excited!
Justin Bieber's Believe album is finally available on iTunes — and it's all the world is buzzing about.
Justin Bieber's New 'Making Of' Webisode is Adorable
Justin's back in the studio making sweet music with his number one girl. Look out Selena it's not you, it's his Mom!
Justin Bieber is giving fans a rare glimpse of how he turns out number one hits with a series of behind the scenes webisodes every day this week leading up to the release of his new album, Believe on June 19th. The video is very raw and really gives fans a chance to see the real Biebs working his magic in the studio.
Three New Justin Bieber Songs Leaked — Listen Here
Justin's new album 'Believe' isn't out for another week, but three new tracks have been leaked from the album!
Justin Bieber, 18, has teamed up with some of the best rap artists including Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Big Sean for these new songs — click to listen!
Justin Bieber's 'Believe': Listen To Every Song Right Now
A video has leaked with clips from each of the new tracks — are YOU so excited to buy the record?
Justin Bieber's Believe will be the biggest album of summer, and now you can listen to clips from every new song!
Justin Bieber's Most Romantic Song To Selena Gomez Revealed
Proving once again that he is the best boyfriend of all time, Justin shares some romantic lyrics that he wrote for his girlfriend Selena. They're so cute together!
Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are so in love, and Justin revealed it to the world with a romantic new song for her!
Justin Bieber: Is The Last Song On 'Believe' For Selena Gomez?
We think Justin is paying tribute to his sexy girlfriend on 'Maria' — find out why!
Justin Bieber is crazy about Selena Gomez, and it seems like the last song on his upcoming album Believe could be all about her!
Justin Bieber Graduates From High School
Congrats, Justin! Not only is he the world's biggest pop star, he's now a high school graduate too. Read on to find out who pushed him to finish school!
Justin Bieber is a high school graduate! The "Boyfriend" singer says it wasn't easy to juggle school and work, but he did it — and we're so proud!
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the divine feminine app: Find a Women's Circle
This upcoming November, I will have been hosting Women's Circles every two weeks for three years. And I realized this morning, that one of the problems with this is that you forget that a whole lotta women … have no idea what you're talking about.
Lately, when I create the Invite on Facebook for the ones where we welcome new members, I've been leaving the description blank … hmmm, what is it exactly that we're doing?
Luckily, I found the Facebook group description from our group:
The Moon Lodge is a women's circle that meets on new and full moons as an interfaith place to pause from the stress of everyday life, honor the rhythms in ourselves and our world, appreciate beauty, our unique strengths, support each other, state intentions, help each other grow as we need to and better love, love, love … no room here for petty, judgmental…
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Southwest Airlines CEO grounded in real world
Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher shares insights on gaining employee loyalty by recognizing good works outside the company, and why his customer satisfaction rates are soaring.
In October 2004 Herb Kelleher, Executive Chairman and Co-founder generously gave us his time to talk about his favorite subject: the people of Southwest Airlines.
Throughout its more than 30 years of operation there have always been competitors with more airplanes, more flights, more cities served, more technology, more marketing power, more of everything that we would normally associate with competitive advantage. Yet no airline has performed as consistently profitable, with high growth rates and with high customer satisfaction as Southwest has. If we were to look closely at this, as others have, we might point at faster airplane turnaround times, lower operating costs, or a host of other factors as drivers of Southwest's success. But in reality, all of these factors depend on committed people to make them work everyday.
How do Southwest's people do it? How does the company build its people into leaders confident to handle decisions on their own in the planes, on the tarmac, at the counter and at the gate serving 75 million people this past year? What are the important elements of Southwest's people-culture? What makes it work and how is it sustained?
In this part 1 of our interview, Herb takes us on a conversational tour of the Southwest way, its leadership style and development, people-culture, communication style and customer focus, all enriched by many examples from his own amazing experiences. In part 2 of the interview we will bring you Herb's views on the entrepreneurial challenges of the early years, managing and growing the business and the future of Southwest Air.
We hope you gain as much reading Herb's views as we did speaking with him.
Building Leaders
Babson Insight: Let's start with how you build leaders for the future at Southwest, especially how you give them room to learn and grow without creating too many problems while they're learning?
HK: That's a good question. We believe that every person in the company is a leader in one way or another, no matter what their position in the company might be, ramp agents, flight attendants, whom ever it might be. So we start by asking our People Department to look for leadership capability at the point of hiring, because in addition to hiring people that are altruistic, who like to serve and like to work with others, we also want them to have leadership potential.
Babson Insight - What do you look for to help you identify whether a person has leadership potential?
HK: One of the things that we do in an informal way is to question people. There aren't any psychological or written tests, but we discuss many subjects, whether it's baseball, opera, whatever the subject may be. And we watch how they react to the questions. This is very helpful in determining their leadership capabilities and potential and also gives us an insight into their values.
To give you an example, I originally interviewed a guy who just became VP in charge of our financial planning. We talked for two hours and I never asked him a single question about his experience, his expertise, or anything connected with the job description. And the reason I mention that is that he later told some interviewers "I didn't know I was being interviewed." That's what we try to do, so people are at ease and they're not masquerading. We try to really get to the heart of where they are by asking them to give examples. Examples of difficult situations they've been in and what they did to solve them. Particularly, how they work with other people, how they accomplish results, correct mistakes, etc.
Babson Insight - Can you think of an example where, in the course of that kind of discussion, someone eliminated him or herself by that kind of answer?
HK: Oh yes, well actually I can give you any number of examples, although of course I don't deal with that every day.
Here's an example of what I'm referring to. One of our pilot applicants was very nasty to one of our receptionists, and we immediately rejected him. You can't treat people that way and be the kind of leader we want.
And there are other things that happen. For our interviewing in general and looking for leadership in particular, we use model employees to do it. We bring in our mechanics to interview mechanics, pilots to interview pilots, flight attendants to interview flight attendants, etc. We want their insights. They're out in the field, they know the kinds of people we want and so we involve them in the hiring process. And of course they can give us some pretty good insight. Most of our pilots have a fairly keen sense of humor. One day a bunch of applicants thought one of our pilots was also an applicant and sat down and started discussing things very frankly and two or three of them eliminated themselves from consideration by their comments. We also watch applicants when they go to the cafeteria and watch how they relate to our people while they're up there.
So it's not just a question of sitting down with them and asking, "Are you a good person? Do you have great leadership qualities?" We try to put them in situations and have conversations where this naturally comes out.
Babson Insight - What do you think it is that drives so many executives to be afraid to be so open and share information and be subject to criticism? What's your observation, because you've moved around in the corporate world, you've seen lots of people who fail to ask for advice, what's stops them?
HK: I think its insecurity. They're afraid that they'll be found to be fallible. The way we handle that is to go to our people and admit our mistakes.
Again, I'll just give you an illustration. Some years ago our pilots got into a tough situation, and I didn't realize how serious it was. It had reached the point where it was becoming a little fight with the FAA, not over safety issues, but it was becoming a competitive issue. At first I didn't realize the heat that was being brought on our pilots, so I was saying, "Don't pay any attention to this nonsense." Then after looking more closely I saw their problem, so I got all the pilots together and said, "I made a hell of a mistake, and it's costing you. We're going to make you and your union whole for every penny that it cost you."
You do things like that voluntarily. Like somebody will come in and they'll say, "Gee Herb, we're a little concerned because our carrier for loss of license insurance hasn't yet covered vision problems." So I say, "Okay, we'll cover vision problems until we get this straightened out and in addition, since I might die this afternoon, let's get this in writing." And I just write it out in longhand and give it to our people.
Another example is the government grants provided to the airline industry after September 11. I think we're the only airline that paid profit sharing to our Employees from those government grants. We didn't have to include it as a part of our financial results, but it's a fair thing to do, so we put it in there and we paid profit sharing on it. From things like this our Employees recognize that our primary focus is on them.
Babson Insight - Since no one lasts forever, how have you managed succession? How have you managed to find people who also have that spirit so deeply embedded, because it's one thing to believe, but it's another thing entirely to make it work in the real world.
HK: That is the key. You can't just mouth it. And it can't be a program for six months and then you're on to more important things. It's something that you have to be doing every day.
Our People are very good at keeping the spirit alive and staying in touch. One of the things that we do is called "A Day in the Field." To show our People that their work is respected the folks in the General Office go out and do actual work in line positions once a quarter. So our officers stay current with what's going on in the field … and you get some great feedback. Some significant changes have come about as a result of this.
If one of our People goes to a city to give a speech, we always tell them if at all possible to be sure to drop by the station, or the reservation center. We don't want you to be there and have our People feel you didn't pay any attention to them.
We also communicate in an informal way. We keep up with all of our Employees' sorrows and joys. There's nothing significant that happens in your life that we don't celebrate or commiserate with you. Whether it's a marriage, a death, the birth of a baby, a serious illness, we keep up with our People. This is a huge task, but our People are now part of the process and they call in and tell us, "hey just want to let you know that Sally, in Orlando, had a little auto accident last night and she'll be in the hospital three or four days." Then we get in touch with Sally.
Creating an Innovative Customer-focused Culture
Babson Insight - A big issue in many organizations is getting people to talk straight to their bosses. How do you get people to not to be afraid to say what they think?
HK: First of all, we tell them not to be afraid. And secondly, if you have bosses where the people who work with them are afraid to approach them, then you want to change bosses. And you know most people don't have the grit to do that, but we do. And it causes amazing transformations in work groups.
And thirdly, just to give you an illustration, we say if you have a suggestion box that announces the fact that you're a failure. Because they should feel free to drop in and talk to you any time they want to about anything that's on their minds.
And we encourage all of our People to meet with all of their People all the time. For instance, if you go into one of our stations, the station manager will have a weekly meeting with all the People that work for him. And that's just to keep it personal, keep up to date and get great ideas they might have. This helps show people that we care about them as individuals and some very good ideas come out of those sessions.
Babson Insight - So what happens when you have somebody who's been with you for a few years and they do something that violates the Southwest way?
HK: That's another very good question because we do something that I doubt many large companies do. We don't react by adopting a rule, or add to any manuals. We just call them in and talk to them individually and say, "This happened. Do you have a conflict with somebody? Are you having any problems at home, or anything of that nature?"
One of the things we tell our People is that a part of leadership is focusing on the problem – the issue – and not the person. They should never focus on the person and say, "We're in trouble because you didn't do such-and-such." Instead, if you have a problem, you focus on taking care of the problem and then later you talk to the person privately, saying you know, "we got into kind of a fix there because you did such-and-such, and I know you didn't intend to do that, but, here's the way to handle it better." Our approach is more a matter of individual guidance.
Babson Insight - In a way this is hard because "all you're doing" are things that make total sense.
HK: Yes, but it's very difficult to execute. We know we can not monitor every interaction between our Employees and the 75 million customers we'll have this year. So we decided our People need the flexibility to do whatever they want, as long as they're leaning toward the Customer, as long as their intent is good, as long as their heart is pure. At first there was a little concern: did we really mean it? But as people saw that we really did mean it they began to trust us.
Babson Insight - Can you talk about examples where people tested you on this policy of freedom and flexibility?
HK: I've got a great example for you. A probationary agent at BWI – I just love this one – she wrote me a little note and said, "Herb, I'm a probationary agent," she hadn't been there six months, and she said, "I hope you mean what you say," and then she proceeded to tell me that because an airplane couldn't get into the airport at Islip because of weather she went out and hired five buses to take the passengers to Islip.
So we told her "we not only approve, but you're our Star of the Month." That kind of thing goes on ALL the time at Southwest Airlines, and people feel free, and if it doesn't work out, or if they do something that would bankrupt us if everybody did it, again we address it on an individual basis. We sit down and say, "we applaud your intentions," but if everyone at every one of our stations did this we might go broke. And this is why we'd ask you not to do it again. Although, we'd laud the attitude you showed in doing it.
Babson Insight - In a large organization, you get thousands of new employees every year, and although certainly you want to hear all the good, new ideas they have, you also want them to benefit from what you know to have worked in the past. Are there ways that you capture specific examples of best practices and then disseminate those to people?
HK: When we bring people in, we give them a thorough schooling and grounding in Southwest Airlines and it's history so that they're familiar with who we are, what we do, why we do it the way we do it. Another thing that we do is to bring a group of new hires in after they've been here six months or so, we ask: "Okay, now that you have been with Southwest Airlines and have a sense of what we are, have we lived up to the vision we described? Have we let you down? If we've let you down, how did we let you down? And that's a very good process for self-interrogation, as to whether you're being hypocritical, or you're really doing what you say you're doing. And that's very illuminating. The best answer I ever received, one that I love, came from one of our Employees from the Houston Hobby station, where a ramp worker said: "I'll tell you what my biggest problem is. Every time I've got a problem, there are five or six people trying to help me!" I think I can probably live with that problem.
Babson Insight - How do you give visibility to people who perform well?
HK: We do that spontaneously, as well as recognize our Star of the Month. It's not a star, it's a number of stars, and we also put the faces of some of our superb performers on our flight schedule. For our Stars of the Month, we give them awards, they meet with the Chief Executive Officer, Gary Kelly, once a month and seven or eight people will get an award for extraordinary things they have done. And this might interest you: It doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with Southwest Airlines. In other words, we're trying to demonstrate to our People the kind of heart that we want them to have. So it could be something that you did in the community, as an example, that was especially remarkable. It's not confined to Southwest Airlines. But it's the kind of thing where we try to set an example of what we value. There are many examples of our mechanics going on vacation with their family, and the airplane has a mechanical problem. The mechanic says, "Well look, honey, you go ahead with the kids and I'll fix this airplane and join you." This has happened probably a hundred times to my personal knowledge.
Babson Insight - You're known as a high enthusiasm, high loyalty culture. What happens when you've got to make a drastic shift in strategy, and I don't mean giving up the people-centric things, but changing the nature of the flights, the pricing, whatever. How do you get people to play?
HK: First of all, I think change has to be paced. Sometimes I have gone to different departments and said things like, "We've had enough change for this year, all these changes are good, but we'll wait till next year to put these last four into effect." The other thing is we try to give all our people a thorough explanation of why we are doing something, and they get it in advance. We tell them, "We're going to do this, we're going to do that, we're going to do the third thing. And we want to tell you why we think that we need to do it.
Babson Insight - You figured out early that in service businesses, if people aren't feeling good about themselves then the company isn't able to deliver.
HK: One hundred percent correct. Going back many years this used to be kind of a conundrum, when I'd speak at business schools, they would ask who comes first: your Customers, your Employees or your shareholders? Then it was regarded as sort of bizarre to say your Employees come first. If they feel good about themselves, just as you said, they will treat your Customers well and your Customers will come back, and that's good for the shareholders. It's amazing how shortsighted some of what we've taught in schools has been, but that's now an established notion.
Babson Insight – Having flown many flights with Southwest I've noticed that whenever there is a problem in operations there is never a focus on the person and fault-finding. Instead, your people talk only about the problem and its resolution. How do you encourage that way of working, particularly when you have new people coming in all the time?
First we try to always hire the right people. Secondly we try to focus only on the results achieved. Thirdly, everything our People do is about serving our Customers and you don't serve Customers by wrangling with each other over who was at fault while Customers are waiting for service.
This comes from the flexibility and freedom we have given our People because they know the object is not to report someone to headquarters because of a mistake or misjudgment. We just don't do that. We all understand that our mission and duty is to solve the problem and we don't spend time blaming.
I will tell you that problems can occur at any level when the Customer isn't part of the thinking. I remember an instance where I was meeting with a group of officers one day discussing how we were going to make operations work better for ourselves and it suddenly hit me that the only one not being considered in our discussion was our Customer. That's when I appointed Colleen Barrett Vice President and later Executive Vice President of Customers. In this way the Customer perspective would figure into every decision we make.
Babson Insight – Is a customer-focused person involved in evaluating all new ideas?
Yes, and if something new is being put in place we'll have People go out who have the role of training, troubleshooting and holding hands through the process until things are working well and everyone is comfortable. When everyone is comfortable that hand-holder goes on to another station to introduce the new process there.
Closing Thoughts
The best strategies seldom work well without outstanding implementation, and Southwest has been a leader in carrying its strategy to the deepest parts of the organization, imbuing all employees with the needed spirit. This interview gives a sense of how Herb Kelleher led the process, and how the centrality of treating people well is carried through the company.
In our next edition, we will continue our conversation with Herb and discuss the entrepreneurial tactics Southwest used to create its market, gain acceptance and grow the business, plus Herb's views on the future for Southwest Air and our own observations about Southwest's people-culture from our visit and conversations with staff at one of their airport operations.
Read the preview of part 2 of this interview.
To read more articles like this one, visit Babson Insight, an online source for business and IT analysis, information and research.
All materials copyright © 2005 of Babson Executive Education Center.


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'Arry On!
Iron Maiden's Steve Harris leaves it all on the stage on July 14th, 2012 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Currently in the States on his band's Maiden England World Tour, Harris is preparing for the release of British Lion [Universal], his fi rst solo project since forming Iron Maiden in 1975. Look for an in-depth interview with the giant of metal bass in an upcoming issue of BASS PLAYER. In the meantime, Up the Irons!


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The Greater Boston Mobile Technology Cluster
Though we in Boston can't claim to host a major handset maker like Nokia or Motorola or a major wireless carrier like Verizon or AT&T, the New England area is nonetheless one of the world capitals of the mobile business. As Xconomy's lead infotech writer for the East Coast, I spend at least a quarter of my time writing about mobile technology. And even after a year and a half on the job, I've only scratched the surface of the mobile ecosystem around town, which boasts more than 150 companies, from mobile advertising and marketing firms to applications developers to hard-core infrastructure technology companies.
We figured it was high time that we assembled a list of local mobile companies, similar to our previous cluster stories like Boston: The Hidden Hub of Music and Technology, the Greater Boston Internet Video Cluster, We, Robot: The Greater Boston Robotics Cluster, the Boston Health 2.0 Cluster, the Boston and Seattle iPhone Apps Catalog, and the Greater Boston Innovation Map.
Many thanks to Kate Imbach of Skyhook Wireless and Mobile Monday Boston, who generously shared the Mobile Monday membership spreadsheet on which we based our own list. We've played around liberally with the categories in the Mobile Monday rundown. Of course, any errors and omissions in the lists below are our responsibility, not Kate's or Mobile Monday's.
We've enhanced the list with links to previous Xconomy stories about each company, where available. We restricted the list to companies verifiably based in New England (meaning we left out companies whose websites didn't list an address), and we didn't include companies that are still in stealth mode. In some cases we included companies whose main business relates to land-line networking or telephony but which have mobile technologies or operations.
As always, our industry cluster lists are works in progress. If you spot a mistake in this list or you know of a company that should be added, please write to us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
To browse the list, continue to the next page, or pick a category:
Action Engine, Boston
AdME, Somerville, MA [story, story]
ChoiceStream, Cambridge, MA [story]
Mobixell, Wellesley, MA
Nextcode, Concord, MA
Nokia Interactive Advertising, Boston
Nuovomedia, Boston
Quattro Wireless, Waltham, MA [story, story]
Third Screen Media, Boston [story, story, story]
Valassis, Windsor, CT
Vazion, Boston
VoodooVox, North Adams, MA [story]
Applications and Content
Adva Mobile, Wayland, MA
AllFocus, Boston
Aylus, Westford, MA
Azuki Systems, Acton, MA [story, story]
BiteMobile, Needham, MA
Buzzwire, Bedford, MA [story, story, story, story, story]
Char Software, Boston
Connected Bits, Nashua, NH
Cyphermint, Marlborough, MA
EnvIO Networks, Andover, MA [story, story]
Everypoint, Boston [story]
Extension Engine, North Andover, MA
FitnessKeeper, Boston
Fnsys, Boston
Foneshow, Portland, ME [story]
Funmobile, Boston
Geezeo, Hartford, CT [story, story, story, story]
Global Logic, Marlborough, MA
Go2Media, Boston
Hooken Mobile, Needham, MA
Incelligence, Holliston, MA
JM Software, Lowell, MA
KMDM, Lincoln, MA
Kratylos Technologies, Arlington, MA
Lynx, Lowell, MA
Max Media, Arlington, MA
mJetz, Auburndale, MA
Mobicious, Needham, MA [story, story, story]
Moborazzi, Chelmsford, MA [story]
MocoSpace, Boston [story, story, story]
MoFuse, Providence, RI [story]
Monitise Americas, Providence, RI
More Magic Solutions, Newton, MA
Movik Networks, Littleton, MA
mSalus, Shrewsbury, MA
Navee Technologies, Braintree, MA
Nuance Communications, Burlington, MA [multiple stories]
OnePIN, Westborough, MA
Onset Technology, Waltham, MA
OpenWave, Burlington, MA
Oxy Systems, Cambridge, MA
Padpaw, Chelmsford, MA [story]
Pangea Media, Watertown, MA [story]
Plum, Cambridge, MA
Pyxis Mobile, Waltham, MA
Raizlabs, Boston [story, story, story]
Rave Wireless, Framingham, MA [story]
RPM Communications, Maynard, MA [story, story]
SafetyNet, Dracut, MA
SilverWARE, Sudbury, MA
Skyward Innovations, Stratham, NH [story]
Skyward Mobile, Wakefield, MA
SoundBite Communications, Bedford, MA [story, story, story]
SpotScout, Boston [story, story]
Survoi, Auburndale, MA
SQGO, Lancaster, MA
Teradyne, North Reading, MA [story, story]
Treedia, Cambridge, MA
Untravel Media, Boston [story]
Urban Interactive, Somerville, MA [story, story]
Valid8, Woburn, MA
Vlingo, Cambridge, MA [multiple stories]
Warelex, Brookline, MA
WonderWarp, Cambridge, MA
Counterpath, Charlestown, MA
Enterprise Mobile, Watertown, MA [story]
Internoded, Waltham, MA
Logmein, Woburn, MA [story, story, story]
One Communications, Waltham, MA
Quantia Communications, Newton, MA
Vaultus Mobile, Boston [story, story, story, story]
Hardware and Infrastructure
Acme Packet, Burlington, MA
Aerva, Cambridge, MA [story, story]
AirPrint Networks, Waltham, MA
AirSprite Technologies, Marlborough, MA
Airvana, Chelmsford, MA
Ambient Devices, Cambridge, MA [story, story, story]
Analog Devices, Norwood, MA [story, story]
Asymatos, Brighton, MA
Azimuth Systems, Acton, MA
Bluesocket, Burlington, MA
Cartiza Networks, Littleton, MA
Colubris Networks, Waltham, MA
Crosscountry-Auto, Medford, MA
Danger (Microsoft), Billerica, MA
Digit Wireless, Burlington, MA [story]
1st Works, Norfolk, MA
GeoPheonix, Cambridge, MA
Global Telebrokers, New Bedford, MA
Google, Cambridge, MA [multiple stories]
Isabella Products, Concord, MA
HummingBytes, Ashland, CA
MobileSphere/Slydial, Boston [story, story, story]
NMS Communications, Framingham, MA [story, story, story]
Optasite, Westborough, MA
Project-A-Phone, Concord, MA
Starent Networks, Tewksbury, MA [story]
Tatara Systems, Acton, MA [story]
uReach Technologies, Andover, MA
Vanu, Cambridge, MA [story, story]
Zeetoo, Chelmsford, MA
Location-Based Services
LocaModa, Cambridge, MA [multiple stories]
ProxPro, Weston, MA
Skyhook Wireless, Boston [multiple stories]
TeleAtlas, Lebanon, NH
uLocate, Boston [multiple stories]
Mobile Marketing
Airwide Solutions, Burlington, MA
ANAM Mobile, Boston
Authentic Mobile, Boston
Celtra, Cambridge, MA
Cielo Group, Wellesley, MA
CodeBroker, Belmont, MA
G8Wave, Boston
Interactive Mobile Marketing, Reading, MA
Liquid Wireless, Boston
LiveWire Mobile, Littleton, MA [story, story]
Modiv Media, Quincy, MA
mStyle, Boston
Nellymoser, Arlington, MA [story, story]
Skycore, Boston
211me, Westborough, MA
Unwired Appeal, Boston
Velti, Boston
Mobile Search
Jumptap, Cambridge, MA [story, story, story, story]
Mobegic, Lexington, MA
Mobleo, Chelmsford, MA [story]
MoBot, Lexington, MA
Veveo, Andover, MA [multiple stories]
Trending on Xconomy
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Airtel has recently launched 'My Airtel App' on Google play store and if you haven't installed it yet, then you're missing tons of freebies.
So, here is new Airtel 3G trick using which you can grab up to 5 GB free night data and it won't cost you anything! No need to give missed calls or answer surveys. Here is the detailed procedure of the same:
5. Click on 'grab the offer' button.
6. On next page, you will find some offers like :
Recharge now & get free data
Listen to wynk music for 4 days & earn 500 mb net
Load 100 Rs to wallet & get 500 MB 3G data
Download Sultan game for free 500 mb internet
7. Start completing those offers and data will get added to your account.
8. You can use this internet after 11.59 PM (that's at night time).
9. Enjoy this latest Airtel trick & share it with your friends too!


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By reducing waste and returns, minimizing inventory, and improving cash flow, long term care facilities benefit from unmatched savings.
- Reduce Medicare Part D Non-Covered Medication Expenses by 95%
- Reduce Patient Per-Day Drug Expense by up to 30%
- Reduce Drug Costs by 25% with Millennium's Facility-Specific Therapeutic Interchange Program
- Improve Cash Flow, Reduce Inventory by up to 27 Days
Reduce Medicare Part D Non-Covered Medication Expenses by 95%
Long term care organizations spend thousands of dollars a month on Medicare Part D non-covered medication expenses. With inefficient pharmacy services and internal processes, organizations often don't find out about formulary non-compliance until it is too late to recover costs.
Millennium enables you to stay on top of Medicare Part D formulary compliance and virtually eliminate costs associated with ordering non-covered medication. Millennium Pharmacy Window, an electronic prescription order-entry-system for physicians and nurses, automatically compares medication to be ordered against a comprehensive formulary database and patient-specific insurance coverage. If the medication is not covered, Pharmacy Window immediately displays an alert to the person entering the order and presents approved medication alternatives (based on a patient's specific plan). Pharmacy Window displays alerts for prior authorization and automatically generates the appropriate prior authorization form if any of the proposed alternatives are not accepted.
More than just order-entry-warnings, Millennium keeps track of all orders and generates daily reports, complete with formulary warnings and order disposition. Through Pharmacy Reports and Records Desk, administrators, directors of nursing or any authorized person can instantly view reports and daily messages for every order with formulary warnings from the past 24 hours.
Management can now proactively manage Medicare Part D formulary compliance and prior authorization compliance, and better manage the transition timeline for non-covered medication, further reducing costs.
Reduce Patient Per Day Drug Expense by up to 30%
Organizations are saving up to 30% on patient per day drug expense by taking advantage of Millennium's Just-in-Time Dispensing. With Just-in-Time Dispensing, your patients have the right drug at the right time and your organization is not exposed to financial risk from unused dispensed quantities.
Traditional pharmacy services dispense medication in 30-day quantities. Some pharmacy services dispense medication in 15-day quantities, but for Medicare Part A or managed care patients only. Waste, returns, multiple dispensing fees, and unnecessary expense are all too common.
Only Millennium dispenses in alternating 3 and 4 day medication quantities for all patient types. With Just-In-Time Dispensing, all of your patients have the medication they need, when they need it, and your facility is billed for much smaller quantities dispensed, significantly reducing your patient per day drug expense and eliminating the burden of managing credits and returns.
Reduce Drug Costs by 25% with Millennium's Facility-Specific Therapeutic Interchange Program
The majority of long term care organizations have therapeutic interchange initiatives to ensure that facilities are ordering the most clinically effective, lowest cost medication. Yet, the stand alone, manual, paper-intensive processes employed by long term care facilities today are error prone and complicated, leading to waste and ineffective clinical alternatives.
Only Millennium Pharmacy Window, an electronic prescription ordering system, includes a comprehensive Therapeutic Interchange Program that automatically converts (based on approved facility-specific policies) medications to the appropriate therapeutic alternative.
Millennium's Therapeutic Interchange Program encompasses all third-party drug plans for the patient's entire stay. Your organization can now easily and automatically handle formulary changes as the patient moves from Medicare Part A, Medicare Part D, managed care or any other coverage.
And, because the conversion is made automatically when the order is entered, the pharmacy never dispenses orders with the wrong therapeutic alternatives.
Therapeutic interchange non-formulary compliance reports are available for auditing and continuous improvement of your facility's Therapeutic Interchange Program.
Improve Cash Flow, Reduce Inventory by up to 27 Days
When pharmacy services dispense medication in 30-day quantities, facilities assume a substantial inventory burden. With Millennium's Just-In-Time Dispensing, your organization has an average of only 3 days of inventory on hand. Less inventory means improved cash flow and more working capital for your organization and reduced out-of-pocket costs for your private pay patients.


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Enamel color may be specified with no additional lead time in most cases. Our standard enamel colors are shown in the final images-there is no additional lead time or cost for these colors. Frame patina may be specified, but may impact lead time slightly.
Dramatic 4 foot tall "POP" wall sconce in natural brass and our "Sunrise" enamel fabricated in NYC by Blueprint Lighting, 2018. This design is strongly influenced by both French and Italian Mid-Century Modernism and is a perfect POP of color and bold design.
Striking design scaled to work well flanking a doorway in a foyer, behind a bar, around a breakfast nook, or as a luxe addition to a master suite, nursery or glam room. Perfect for brightening up a forlorn corner! Particularly impactful in groupings or in pairs, but enough of a statement piece to stand alone.
Standard dimensions as shown are: 12"W x 7"D x 48"H. Enameled spun aluminium disk is 12" diameter.
This piece may use any standard socket round or vanity bulb up to 60 watts (or use LED). Bulb is not included. Fabricated entirely of UL-listed components.


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Map & Logistics
Some things to consider prior to the tour…
- Cultivate C'ville tours will be held rain or shine at 9:30am, 10:30am, and 11:30am. Please dress appropriately for the weather. Sturdy shoes, close-toed shoes, hats, sunscreen, and a water bottle are all recommended.
- While touring garden sites, please stay on the paths indicated. Do not pick or eat any items growing in the gardens.
- Please leave pets at home. Service dogs are the only animals permitted at the tour sites.
- Families with children are most welcome on the tour. Please supervise children closely.
- Restrooms are available at City Schoolyard Gardens, Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville, and Casa Alma.
- Stroller and wheelchair accessibility varies by site. Please see individual garden descriptions for information on garden paths or contact gardens directly for more details.
- Visitors are encouraged to carpool, bike, bus, and walk to garden sites!
Click the full screen icon in the top, right-hand corner of the map for full screen viewing. Click the pin in the legend on the left for more information about each site, including location, site description, restrooms, accessibility, and parking.
Scroll down in the legend and click the icon for more information on parking and bus stops for each site. Click + sign in the bottom, left corner to zoom in for more detail. Maps are fun!
Addresses & Parking
City Schoolyard Garden at Buford Middle School: 1000 Cherry Avenue. Park in the Buford Middle School lot.
Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville: Corner of Monticello Avenue and 6th St SE. Park on either Monticello Ave or 6th Street. Please use caution when crossing Monticello Avenue.
Casa Alma: 911 Nassau Street. Park on either side of Nassau Street.
New Roots Garden at 4th St.: 4th St. SW, north of Dice St. Park on Dice Street. Overflow parking in the Noland Company lot on Ridge Street. Volunteers will direct visitors.
5th St. Community Garden: 5th St SW between Berring and Bailey Road. Park on either side of Bailey Road, south of the garden area.


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We have more details about the Supreme Court arguments at the end of the month.
The National Organization for Marriage has fumbled yet another brief.
And two public officials are suing for the right to discriminate.
Authored By Matt Baume – See the Full Story at AFER
Find more articles and gay wedding resources.


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Tasty hot and cold beverages to enjoy on your diet journey
While dieting every once in awhile we must take time for a special treat. Why not make yourself a nice creamy shake or a frozen smoothie?Those and many more great beverage recipes are found here.
As an added feature each beverage recipe preview provides you with the calories, carbohydrates, proteins and major vitamins per suggested serving.Choose the one that sounds the most exciting and enjoy.


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Taking the stairs instead of using escalators or the elevator is a simple step (no pun intended) you can take to become more fit. But let's face it – stairs are a little on the boring side. At least with an elevator you occasionally get music pumped in, albeit usually bad instrumental versions of popular songs. If only there was a way to make taking the stairs at least a little more amusing, maybe more people would use them.
Enter a group of ingenious people in Sweden that took a normal sets of stairs from a Stockholm transit station and modified them to explore "the fun theory" thanks to an initiative from the volks, I mean folks, from automaker Volkswagon. Now what was once a dull set of stairs is now an amusing keyboard where each step strikes a piano note.
Will making something fun change a person's behavior? As shown in the video above, the resulting Piano Stairs seem to demonstrate the "fun theory" rather well as the station's visitors took to the stairs 66 percent more times in a usual day versus the escalator nearby.
Read more at Rolighetsteorin (Swedish), found via CrunchGear


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Qualified projects greater than $150,000 are presented to the Development Fund Board of Directors for consideration. Requests for loans or equity investments less than $150,000 can be improved internally by the funds staff. Those projects are then reviewed by the board of directors at a following board meeting. (Dollar limits are cumulative and include existing advances in determining the approval process.) The Development Fund Board of Directors hold regular meetings depending on the number of projects that need to be presented on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month or teleconferences can also be used when necessary.
To determine whether or not your project is eligible, you must contact your local financial institution, a local economic development office or the ND Development Fund staff. We recommend an early meeting between investors, entrepreneurs, community developers and other appropriate team players.
After you've submitted sufficient information to determine the merits of your request, the Fund requires a 15-20 day lead time to conduct due diligence and complete other details needed to process debt and equity requests.
After board review, applicants receive written notice of approval or denial. Once you accept the commitment letter and provide necessary documents, closing takes place. This process usually takes 15-30 days.
For applications and other forms, please visit the NDDF Forms page.


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Pack your suitcase and get ready to visit Berlin, Germany! Explore this historical city and revel in a new culture. From parks, museums, and monuments to bars, cafés, and restaurants, you won't want to miss out. Whether you're visiting for a weekend or staying for weeks, you'll find yourself amazed at all that Berlin has to offer. With easy access to every tram, reaching your desired destinations can be stress-free. Or be sure to lace up those shoes and get ready to walk or bike almost anywhere you like in the city. Gear up for an adventure, because with so much to do and see you'll wonder why you hadn't visited sooner.
Berlin is a very diverse city and the locals are pretty laid back. The city has an urban vibe with graffiti artistically drawn on many buildings which makes for a unique atmosphere. Covered with visionary prints, the East Side Gallery in East Berlin is a must see. Wander down the sidewalk and admire the artwork whilst enjoying a delicious kebab or an ice cream cone you can buy at one of the many stands nearby.
Take a stroll through the parks that are filled with beautiful greenery, historical monuments, and people enjoying the sunshine. Be sure to free up your day, because these areas are huge and soaking up the surroundings can take an entire afternoon. Treptower Park , TierGarten, and Tempelhofer Feld are just a few of the many impressive grounds that you can find whilst appreciating Germany. Don't forget to pack your swimsuit as some of the parks have lakes and rivers where you can paddleboard, canoe or jump in for a dip.
Home to an assortment of cuisines, searching for a bite to eat is easy in Berlin. This city doles out traditional German cuisine, vegan meals, Hawaiian-inspired dishes, Thai food, and curries. It's no wonder Berlin is a hot spot for foodies. You'll definitely lose count of all the kebab stations, strawberry stands, sidewalk cafes, and restaurants where you can have a refuel before continuing your adventure. Afterwards, journey to the Biergarten for a stein of German beer and a famous salted pretzel for the ultimate Berlin experience.
Berlin is renowned for its history. The city has a variety of museums where you can view objects steeped in antiquity. You can a walk through Museum Island and pick a few museums to tour for an afternoon. Make your way through the German History Museum and the Old National Gallery to absorb the facts that the museums have to offer. Give yourself an afternoon to be able to take in all the information provided. Sites such as Soviet War Memorial to the Holocaust Memorial definitely should be visited out of acknowledgment and respect.
Enjoy a night out in Berlin by going to one of the many local pubs, bars, and clubs that are hopping with techno music every weekend. Visit Club De Visionaere for an experience of clubbing and rooftop views of the Spree River. You're never too far from a bar, so order an old-fashioned German beer and take it on the go, all whilst enjoying the views of the city. The night life gives Berlin a new look. The lights are out, the music is top notch, people are dancing, and it feels like you've entered a new scene. Don't be afraid to hit the dance floor and party the night away until the early morning hours.
No matter what route you take in Berlin, the city itself will not disappoint you. Let your inner traveller make the choices and explore the city and suburbs of Berlin. Go out and explore while you're young and have tons of energy to submerge yourself in the culture and style of this city. You'll be saying "Berlin, bitte" the next time you're asked where you want to travel to.
BY COURTNEY REDERauslandspraktikum, ctr, curso, reisejournalismus


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Legacy Liquor listened to the needs of our customers and responded by offering a variety of gifts and bar accessories in Plano, TX. Clients told us they wanted to be able to pick up extraordinary gifts without having to make additional stops all over town. We have added many unique items to our store and will continue to add more in time.
If you are searching for wine accessories, we carry several types of wine openers and special corkscrews. We have wine glasses and gift baskets for all occasions. We have specialty wine gifts for men and women, and are available to help you make the perfect choice for your occasion.
Legacy Liquor carries all types of drinking and bar accessories. From scotch glasses, to jiggers and martini shakers, we have what you need to make your favorite cocktail. We offer unique gift ideas and themed baskets for birthdays, housewarming gifts, and showers. We have wine holders and decorative bags to carry your bottles in.
If you love beer like we do, we have some exclusive beer accessories and interesting gift items. Pick up a new bottle opener, grab a fun koozie, or choose one of our craft or imported beer gift baskets. There are many thoughtful gifts for any beer drinker in your life. Legacy Liquor has every kind of accessory for beer lovers in Plano, TX.If you are searching for a last minute gift that you can grab in a hurry, check out Legacy Liquor in Plano, TX today!


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We noticed a new restaurant near our condo at the Maui Banyan – the 808 Bistro. Which was convenient, as we had also seen it on TripAdvisor as one of the top restaurants in Kihei.
Our first trip here was for breakfast. I had the Banana Bread French Toast, and it was some of the better banana bread I have eaten. It comes with only banana bread though, and could have used a side of something. If I were to order it again I would look for something on the menu to add with it:
My mom was pretty happy with the fruit bowl as well. It had a great variety, was a good size, and came with a side of their tasty banana bread:
Shauna and Kevin ordered the focaccia breakfast sandwich with egg and portugese sausage. It came with a side of delicious hashbrowns. It definitely looked and smelled the best. They both said it was awesome, and I wished I had ordered it as well:
We came back the next day for dinner, after our day trip to Napili Beach. We arrived just after the opened, and were able to take advantage of the early special. You get to choose a salad, main dish, and desert all for $23. And they definitely did not hold anything back on the portions. We got a good sized cesear salad, which we paid a bit extra for since we had read on tripadvisor that it was very very good – they make the entire thing on site. It certainly lived up to the hype. The pork chop dish was very good as well. We got two full sized porkchops, and were only able to eat one. The other one made a great lunch the next day. Shauna ordered the bread pudding, while Kevin and I got the brownie. We were all very happy. Shauna said it was one of the best bread pudding's she had eaten, while the brownie was served hot over vanilla ice cream. These were quite big as well, but we took our time and managed to eat them all.
Bread pudding at the 808 Bistro:
The 808 Bistro is definitely one of the best restaurants we found on the island of Maui. The food was great, the portions were large, and the service was very good. Overall it is an exceptional value and we are looking forward to returning here on our next visit to Maui.


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Hello, friends! May is about to wrap up, and that means it's time for me to share another FREEBIE panel for you to use in our monthly challenge next month! I chose to use the Serene Seaside digital stamp set and Serene Seaside digital paper pack for this month's freebie. Take a peek...
I printed the panel out twice so that I could fussy cut the seashells and pop them up for added dimension. I then added various pearls and some faux stitching for texture. I would love to hear what you think of my card in the comments below!
Now, some info about the freebie. The print size of this panel is 3.75" x 5". There are just 3 rules about this, and future, freebie panels: 1) You may not sell any cards you make using this panel. 2) You may use this panel to enter the March 2017 MHKDesigns challenge only. Entries in future challenges using this panel will be deleted. 3) You may NOT alter the panel in any way, including recoloring or cropping digitally. This includes cropping the panel so that you may use the sentiment on other projects. I'm hoping the honor system will work with these freebies so that I can continue to share them with you all!
That's all I have for you today, friends! Hop by tomorrow to check out our *NEW* challenge, and don't hesitate to grab the entire Serene Seaside set and Serene Seaside papers from the MHKDesigns Etsy Shop! Until tomorrow, HUGS and happy {digital} stamping!
Project supplies:


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18830 LaPorte Road
New Buffalo, MI 49117
The newly built Comfort Inn® hotel is close to many area attractions. This 100 percent non-smoking hotel is less than one mile from Lake Michigan, which offers a beautiful beach along with an array of recreational activities including swimming, water skiing, fishing, boating and sailing.
Site design by Fusion Design Group, LTD


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March 1, 2013
INSIDE: Sequestration Means Lower Medicare Fees April 1
Sequester Cuts Medicare Fees Starting April 1Congress Takes Up Medicine's Plea on SGR, IPABNovitas Mails Medicare Revalidation LettersFeds Reject Request to Delay ICD-10EHR Stage 2 Webinar on March 20Watch for E-Prescribing Overpayments TMA, AMA Promote Healthier LifeNominate Local Stories for Anson Jones AwardDSHS Revises Umbilical Cord Blood BrochureLegislative News Delivered to Your InboxThis Month in Texas Medicine
Medicare payments to physicians will drop 2 percent because Congress and President Obama failed to avoid the sequestration budget cuts. Although the sequestration takes effect March 1, an American Medical Association advisory says the Medicare fee reductions will not begin until April 1.
AMA said some details of the Medicare sequester still have not been made public. "For example, we do not know if the 2-percent payment cut will be applied to allowed charges under the Medicare physician fee schedule (and so affect beneficiary copayments), or if it will be applied only to the physician's Medicare claims payment. It also is not clear whether the cuts will be applied to claims with a date of service on or after April 1, or to all claims payments made on or after April 1," the advisory said.
Still hanging over physicians' heads is an almost 27-percent cut in Medicare payments fueled by the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. That cut was supposed to take effect Jan. 1, but Congress and the president delayed it for a year when they reached a deal Dec. 31 to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff."
The Texas Medical Association, AMA, and more than 100 other state medical associations and specialty societies said in letter to Congress last fall that sequestration and SGR cuts "would not only impede improvements to our health care system, it could lead to serious access-to-care issues for Medicare patients as well as employment reductions in medical practices."
Citing preliminary Office of Management and Budget estimates, the Medicare Newsgroup website said sequestration will cost Medicare providers nationwide $11 billion in reduced payments in 2013. "In Texas, the jobs of 258,529 employees of medical practices, as well as access to care for 3,187,332 Medicare patients and 869,573 TRICARE patients are at risk due to these cuts," says an AMA state-by-state analysis of the impact of sequestration and SGR cuts.
TMA officials are optimistic about proposals to reform Medicare's physician payment system this year, a top goal for the association's federal legislative agenda.
TMA physicians met with congressional leaders as part of the American Medical Association's National Advocacy Conference in February to advocate for an alternative to Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula, which doctors say does not keep up with the cost of care and deters them from caring for senior patients.
Republican leadership of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee jointly unveiled plans for a three-phase bill that would eliminate the SGR and move toward a system that pays doctors based on physician-endorsed quality measures, and later on efficiency.
Also in February, Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) and Rep. Joe Heck, DO (R-Nev.), reintroduced the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (HR 574) to repeal the SGR formula and test new payment models that promote quality and reduce costs.
Both plans reflect core principles that medicine, including TMA, advocated to Congress for transitioning from the SGR to a new, high-performing Medicare system.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said he hopes to have a bill on the floor this summer. His committee held its first hearing on the SGR in February, which TMA officials say is a good sign of long-overdue progress on the issue.
The plan also has support from a key lawmaker in Texas, U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands), Health Subcommittee chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The SGR proposals came not long after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revised its estimate for the 10-year cost to repeal the SGR formula down from $243 billion in 2012 to $138 billion in 2013. Representative Upton suggested the lower cost could make it easier to pass legislation on the issue this year.
Texas physicians also pressed lawmakers for repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) set up under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), another key goal on TMA's agenda.
Doctors say the board's ability to arbitrarily cut Medicare costs – which, because of restrictions on limiting benefits, are likely to hit physician payments – could be a double blow to access to care for Medicare patients on top of existing payment cuts. Physicians also worry the 15-member panel of health care experts takes decisions out of the hands of doctors and patients.
Medicine supports legislation introduced in the Senate and House to repeal the IPAB: S 351 by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and HR 351 by Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.).
"The PPACA prohibits the [IPAB] from recommending changes to Medicare eligibility or coverage, or other factors that drive utilization of health care services. This means the board will have only one option – cut payments," TMA President Michael E. Speer, MD, said in a letter thanking Senator Cornyn for introducing the legislation. "And through 2019, hospitals, Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare prescription drug plans, and health care professionals other than physicians are exempt. That leaves the board only one option – cut Medicare payments to physicians. Cuts the board recommends will take effect automatically unless Congress acts to suspend them."
Similar measures passed the House in 2012, but did not get through the Senate.
On March 1, Novitas, the Texas Medicare claims processor, began sending physicians in the Medicare program letters asking them to revalidate their enrollment information. Physicians not on the March 1 mailing list will receive their letters either March 15 or March 29.
Here is a sample of the letters Novitas is sending. They include information needed to send the requested information.
On the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website is a list of physicians who have received a revalidation letter.
Contact the Novitas Provider Enrollment Center for additional information.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials rejected organized medicine's request to delay implementation of the ICD-10 coding system. That means the new coding system will take effect Oct. 1, 2014.
CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said in a letter to American Medical Association President Jeremy Lazarus, MD, that a previously granted one-year extension gave physicians "adequate time to train their coders, complete system changeovers, and conduct testing." She said further delay "would fundamentally alter a policy the health care industry has been working since 2009 to implement. ICD-10 is not only the foundation for health care reform, but is a cornerstone of several integrated programs that build toward a modernized health care system and work in concert to achieve better care, better health, and lower costs."
In December, TMA joined AMA and other state medical societies to ask CMS to stop the switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 and work with all interested parties to find a better replacement for ICD-9. They said ICD-10 "will create significant burdens on the practice of medicine with no direct benefit to individual patient care and will compete with other costly transitions associated with quality and health IT reporting programs." They added that switching to ICD-10 will cost a medical practice anywhere from $83,290 to $2.7 million, depending on the size of the practice, and will disrupt physicians' efforts to implement health information technology and participate in new delivery and payment reform models.
Because of the CMS decision, you must begin preparing for ICD-10 now if you haven't already. TMA has a variety of ways to help physicians prepare. They include:
You can start by watching the short TMA video, "Doctor, What's Your Role in Transitioning to ICD-10?"
Coming soon is an ICD-10 Transition Toolkit that will guide you through learning, planning, organizing, implementing, and analyzing the ICD-10 transition. It will include the tools – budgets, organization surveys, and impact assessments – you need for a successful transition. TMA also will offer three live seminars that provide an overview of ICD-10 and code structure, discuss the five phases of ICD-10 transition, and examine the impact on physician practices. Attendees will learn the important aspects of ICD-10 documentation and coding, how to engage physicians in the transition process, and how to get started preparing for and executing your transition plan. Future issues of Action will have more information.
In addition, TMA Practice Consulting offers a variety of services to help ensure your reimbursement doesn't suffer during the ICD-9 to ICD-10 transition. Contact TMA Practice Consulting by telephone at (800) 523-8776 or by email.
Physicians should also check the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest information.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will present a webinar on the Stage 2 Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Payment Program at 12:30 pm CDT on Wednesday, March 20. Stage 2 EHR incentive requirements take effect next year.
Click on the link above to get more information and to register. You will receive an appointment for the webinar, which will include information on how to connect to the webinar on March 20.
If possible, before March 20, visit the CMS EHR Incentive Payment Program website to view these earlier presentations that will not be covered during the March 20 webinar:
Make a list of your questions to ask during the Q&A session of the webinar. If you prefer, you may submit questions in advance to Adra Mayberry at CMS by March 18. Please use "Mar 20 EHR Webinar" in the subject line of your email.
The March 20 session will accommodate 300 webinar and teleconference participants on a first-come, first-served basis. If several people are calling from one location, please use one line if possible. When calling in for the teleconference, provide your name, your organization's name, the state from which you are calling, and the number of people listening from your location.
To help physicians, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology established regional extension centers (RECs) to provide on-site health information technology (HIT) consulting in physician practices. For questions about eligibility and REC services, visit the TMA REC Resource Center.
For questions about meaningful use or other HIT issues, contact TMA's HIT Department at (800) 880-5720 or by email, or visit the TMA EHR Incentive Program Resource Center.
Texas Medicare contractor Novitas Solutions has identified a problem with files the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides that are supposed to show physicians who did not meet CMS requirements for e-prescribing. The files are not showing this information, and physicians are not being penalized 1 percent as required by the e-prescribing rules. Thus, they are being overpaid, and CMS will want the money back.
Novitas is working with CMS to resolve this problem. Watch the Novitas System Alerts for an update.
Who is subject to 1-percent penalty? If you did not e-prescribe and report the G-code G8553 at least 10 times by June 30, 2011, or claim a valid exemption by Nov. 7, 2011, you were penalized 1 percent of your 2012 Medicare Part B claims. Some of your claims for 2012 will include the overpayment.
2013 e-prescribing reminder: You have until June 30 to avoid a 2-percent penalty on all 2014 Medicare Part B claims. If you do not already e-prescribe in your office, now is the time to begin. If you do not already use an electronic health record (EHR) system with e-prescribing capabilities, you can install a stand-alone e-prescribing system and still meet the approaching deadline. You must report e-prescribing via claims using G-code G8553 on at least 10 unique Medicare encounters by June 30 to prevent the penalty. Three prescriptions for one patient encounter will count as only one e-prescribing incident.
Find out more on the TMA 2013 E-Rx Penalty and Incentive Guidelines page. If you need help with e-prescribing, turn to the Texas regional extension centers (RECs). RECs provide support to help with e-prescribing, EHR selection, workflow analysis, staff training, EHR incentives, and much more. Visit TMA's Texas REC Resource Center for more information.
For questions about meaningful use or other HIT issues, contact TMA's HIT Department by telephone at (800) 880-5720 or by email, or visit the TMA EHR Incentive Program Resource Center.
Are you routinely counseling your patients about how their lifestyles impact their health? Are you encouraging your patients to exercise, quit smoking, eat healthier, and reduce risky alcohol use? If so, check out the American Medical Association (AMA) Healthier Life Steps® program.
The program, offered by TMA, provides practical resources and tools for establishing and supporting healthy lifestyle goals:
You'll even find a roadmap to help you put the program into action in your practice. The webpage also includes other resources to assist you in coding for these preventive services.
AMA Healthier Life Steps program materials are free for physicians and patients, courtesy of TMA and AMA. Physicians can download the materials for use in their practice.
For more information, email TMA's outreach coordinator or call (800) 888-1300, ext. 1470, or (512) 370-1470.
For the first time, members of the TMA family can nominate local journalists for the TMA Anson Jones, MD, Awards, which recognize excellence in health journalism in Texas. So if you see or hear an outstanding health-related TV or radio news story, or read a top-notch news article or blog, let TMA know.
For more than 50 years, TMA has honored award-winning Texas journalists with the Anson Jones, MD, Awards. Until this year, only journalists could submit their work for the awards. Now, TMA physician members, medical students, county medical societies, and TMA Alliance members can nominate them.
The competition features 11 award categories for reporting in print, broadcast (television and radio), and online media, plus a Texas Health Journalist of the Year award. TMA also recognizes physician-reporters with the Physician Excellence in Reporting category. So nominate your colleagues' outstanding journalism, too.
Submit nominations all year to ansonjones[at]texmed[dot]org. Be sure to provide the reporter's name, date of broadcast/publication, and media outlet. TMA will alert the reporter to your nomination and urge him or her to complete an award application.
If you have questions, call Tammy Wishard, TMA's outreach coordinator, at (800) 880-1300 ext. 1470, or (512) 370-1470.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has issued a new version of the umbilical cord blood brochure that physicians must give prenatal patients. TMA's Maternal and Perinatal Health and Blood and Tissue Usage committees worked extensively with DSHS on edits to the brochure to make the information more relevant and easier for patients to understand.
State law (HB 709) requires physicians or any other person permitted by law to attend a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery to give the woman the brochure before the third trimester of her pregnancy, or as soon as reasonably feasible.
For questions or comments about the brochure, email Aisling Mcguckin at DSHS, or call her (512) 776-2746.
You may order the brochure through the DSHS Literature and Inquiry and Order Entry site or by calling the DSHS Warehouse at (512) 458-7761 for assistance. The stock numbers are:
You can get this brochure in PDF format by downloading the English or Spanish version.
Consider these factors if your production isn't consistent.
A practice management tip fromTMA Practice Consulting
Don't miss the action under the Capitol dome. Sign up for the TMA Legislative News Hotline.
The electronic newsletter reports the legislature's latest actions on bills affecting you, your practice, and your patients. It's delivered daily before noon. A weekly recap, delivered each Friday, also is available.
This year, the hotline also brings you weekly video updates from TMA lobbyists, health care experts, and even state legislators. Don't miss out. Subscribe today.
The March issue of Texas Medicine explains the flaws in the Medicaid 1115 waiver program, explores the concept of publishing physician fees, and tells you why Aetna is forking over some cash. It also explains how the Texas Department of Insurance is trashing network adequacy rules and how EHR meaningful use can help patients stop smoking.
Check out our digital edition.
Don't want to wait for Texas Medicine to land in your mailbox? You can access it as an RSS feed, the same way you get the TMA Practice E-Tips RSS feed.
TMA Practice E-Tips, a valuable source of hands-on, use-it-now advice on coding, billing, payment, HIPAA compliance, office policies and procedures, and practice marketing, is available as an RSS feed on the TMA website. Once there, you can download an RSS reader, such as Feedreader, Sharpreader, Sage, or NetNewsWire Lite. You also can subscribe to the RSS feeds for TMA news releases and for Blogged Arteries, the feed for Action.
Want the latest and hottest news from TMA in a hurry? Then log on to Blogged Arteries.
The TMA Education Center offers convenient, one-stop access to the continuing medical education Texas physicians need. TMA's practice management, cancer, and physician health courses are now easier than ever to find online.
Physician Health and Rehabilitation, Ext. 1342
Healthy Physicians: Healthy Patients4/6 Lubbock4/27 Fort Worth
About Action
Action, the TMA newsletter, is emailed twice a month to bring you timely news and information that affects your practice.
To change the email address where you receive Action, go to Member Log-In on the TMA website, then click on "Update Your TMA Demographic Information (including newsletter subscriptions and preferences)."
To unsubscribe from Action, email TMA's Communication Division at tmainfo[at]texmed[dot]org.
If you have any technical difficulties in reading or receiving this message, please notify our managing editor, Shari Henson. Please send any other comments or suggestions you may have about the newsletter to Larry BeSaw, Action editor.
January 27, 2016
What could a TMA Membership mean for you, your practice, and your patients
The December issue follows a group of UTMB medical students thrown into extreme situations in order to learn how to practice extreme medicine. The two-week course was offered through the school's preventive medicine department. Plus, read about the medical and economic ripple effects of Texas' uninsured rate, the worst in the nation.
Read the Latest Issue


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This approximately 4-acre island in the Androscoggin River is situated roughly a quarter-mile downstream of the Durham River Park. Donated to ALT in 2010 by the Town of Lisbon, the island is to be incorporated in the Androscoggin Greenway vision. Generally flat with steep banks along the river, the island is mostly hardwood species on a fertile, well-drained soil and contains important floodplain, bird and wildlife habitat.
Directions: From the Durham River Park on Route 136 non-motorized boats can be launched to access the island. For motorized boats, the Durham Boat Launch should be used for access. Boats should navigate into the small channel between this island and the larger Wagg Island, where boats can be pulled up and visitors can scramble up the slopes of the island.


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After a week of reading/researching and dredging up materials, I'm actually getting around to starting the Disko Bay. I easily managed to find some cedar at Home Depot that I can rip for the gunwales, chine and keel. Finding the plywood for the frames was another matter. Marine plywood cannot be gotten easily in this neck of the woods. I could order a sheet but the cost would be over 200.00 a sheet - eventhough I only need 1/4 of a sheet. Regular exterior grade plywood can be used but this wood tends to be very splintery when you cut it and often full of voids. I just find it nasty stuff to work with!! I toyed with the idea of making the frames from solid cedar pieces lap joined together - but that was proving to be too complex a job and I'd be better off going with the exterior grade plywood for the amount of extra work involved.
One more trip to Home Depot yielded an interesting find - Russian Birch plywood. I had no idea if it was exterior/interior or what and the sales dude was not much help either. Interior/exterior plywood is classed by the waterproofness of the glue. Incidently, the standards for testing the glue involves boiling. There was no indication what type of glue was used. My frames call for 1/2". There was 11.5mm and 17.5mm (13 ply) available in 2x4 sheets. Always erring on the side of caution, I grabbed the 17.5mm 2x4 sheet and decided to give it a whir. Without going ahead willynilly and building a boat with plywood that could possibly melt once water hit it, I decided to give this stuff a test. And the test was as follows:
I cut off one corner (there goes any chance for a 33.00 refund from Home Depot), sanded one edge smooth (this stuff has incredibly hard edge grain) and popped it into a pot of boiling water where it sat for a full hour at a rolling boil. At one point, about five minutes in, I thought the plys were delaminating but on closer inspection, it was refraction or the water distorting how it looked, After an hour I took the piece out and the plies were intact. I took a knife and tried to separate the plies but no go. They were stuck as fast as when they went in. Even the sanded surafce was still as smooth - with no rasied grain! In a similar test, I dropped in a piece of "supposed" exterior fir plyood but it did not fare so well - I could split the laminations with the knife.
After the boiling I put the test piece in the freezer for a few hours. The dishwasher was due for a run, so, just for poops and giggles, I took the wood and popped it in with the cutlery. After three water cycles with the water temp at 160, the wood was still intact. I threw it in the freezer overnight just to be mean!! The next day, I dropped it diectly from the freezer back into a pot of boiling water. After 20 minutes, I took the boilding water and wood and threw it in a thermos and took it off to work with me. At lunch time, I replaced the water with freshly boiled. After 8 hours in boiling/very hot water, there was still no delamination, nor could I separate the plies with a knife. That's good enough for me!! The only consequences of the exposure to boiling water were the facts that the wood swelled about 1mm in width and it went a dull gray-ish colour. Again, fine by me!! As a footnote - I will be encapsulating the frames in epoxy for further waterproofness!!!
Let the games begin!!
|Test piece after the boiling/freezing. Glue intact and edge still smooth!!
Having determined that the plywood was suitable, I could move onto making the frames. The "plans" that Dave Gentry provides are simply a set of offsets (measurements) to make the frames. In the image below you will see these offsets. (I purposely blurred the numbers. If you want them you will have to contact Dave yourself). This was just a test run of frame #3 marked (with an an extra 1" added to the masik - an idea later abandoned) and cut from plywood underlay - not suitable for boat construction.
Below is marking out on the "real McCoy" Notice the fine surface on the wood. It is like this on both sides - which means no splintery and knotty side on the other!!
The first frame I cut is #3 or the masik. This frame is located right under the front of the cockpit rim. You will see that the height of the frame is 10". Add on another 1/2" for the deck stringer and that is the total height of this boat. Obviously your feet have to fit through this opening which is a mere 7" high. I'll have to rejig the deck height at the footbrace - frame #2 (thanks to size 12 shoes) but it should work out fine!! It's going to be snug, though!! The boat should be 21" wide.
|Partially completed frame #3.
I'm telling myself that I will not pull a blitzkrieg on this build - like I did with my last boat. There's a lot less work and because there's no urgency to complete the boat nor the contraints of working with epoxy, I'm looking forward to a more leisurely building pace. For the record, the first frame took about 2 hrs to complete (loft and cut) but the next one's will probably take half that time!!
Of course, the time frames may be all moot. My polyester fabric left San Francisco enroute to Canada on June 12th. With the current strike, gawd knows where it is and when it'll get to me!!!!
Thanks for dropping by!!!


text: PinkTractor Report post Posted February 15, 2016 Are any long-eared people still around? We acquired a long eared little mule about a month ago. Right now he's at a friend's farm. He is pretty much untouched from an auction. Secretly hoping they want to keep him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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"Marron are freshwater crustacean unique to the lower southwest of Western Australia."
Wild stock is available to recreational fishermen only and they are predominantly found between Waroona and Pemberton in rivers and dams.
Open Season
Open season runs for a new fixed period of 4 weeks per year between 12pm on 8 January and 12pm on 5 February. This short season is to protect the rapidly declining population and permit breeding and growth. All fishermen are required to hold a current license, which can be obtained from the Dept of Fisheries or Australia Post outlets. Licences cost approximately $30 per fisherman.
Size, Bag and Possession Limits
Size, bag and possession limits strictly apply. The minimum legal size is 80mm along the carapace (outer shell excluding tail). Measurements must be taken from the protruding horn on its head to the back of the carapace. Approved measuring gauges are generally available at fishing and camping stores.
Daily bag limits are 10 per licensed fisherman and this applies from midday to midday.
Possession limit is 20 per licensed fishermen at any given location except for your permanent residence. So if you are camping for a few days and accumulate 20 over 2 days, you are not permitted to continue until you have taken your quota home.
Size, bag and possession limits differ in "trophy waters" which are dams managed to allow growth to "trophy" size. The minimum legal size is 90mm and daily bag and possession limits are 5 per licensed fisherman. Trophy waters include Waroona Dam and Harvey Dam.
Fishing Apparatus
Acceptable fishing methods include self-tightening pole snares, wire basket scoop nets with a maximum diameter of 375mm and 6 vertical wires, and drop nets with a maximum diameter of 650mm and marron meshing greater than 32mm x 80mm. Only 1 pole snare, 1 scoop net or 6 drop nets are allowed per fisherman at any one time. Note some waters allow the snare method only, no marron nets allowed.
Fishing Waters
Snare-only waters include Big Brook Dam, Drakes Brook Dam, Glen Mervyn Dam, Harvey Dam, Harvey River, Logue Brook Dam, Margaret River and Wellington Dam.
Waters permitting all approved methods include the Collie, Murray, Deep, Gardiner, Capel, Preston, Warren, Donnelly, Blackwood, Moore and Hutt Rivers. During marroning season you are only permitted to have legal fishing equipment within 50m of the waterline.
Marroning in the southwest is indeed a priveledge and should not be taken for granted. The increasingly declining stocks will only lead to stricter rules and regulations in years to come and potential banning for longer periods if numbers cannot be sustained. Help protect the wild stocks by only fishing during open season and returning anything undersized and females carrying eggs immediately.