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Obituaries August 2, 2017
Peter R.M. Bell II
Peter "Pete" R.M. Bell II, 73, of East Albany, died peacefully in his home on July 23, 2017.
He was born on February 17, 1944, in Syracuse, New York, to Peter R.M. Bell and June (Rathburn) Bell and spent most of his life in Syracuse and the central New York area before retiring to Vermont with his wife Barbara in May of 2001.
Mr. Bell had a 25-year career in the Onondaga County Department of Correction in Jamesville, New York.
He also served over 39 years in several branches of the U.S. military which included 18 months in Vietnam in 1963 and 1964. He eventually retired from the United States Coast Guard Reserve.
Mr. Bell was a very loving, devoted husband and father who adored his adopted shelter dogs. He also enjoyed reading, RV camping, playing Yahtzee, and the company of his many friends both here in the Northeast Kingdom and back in Syracuse.
For the last 10 years he dedicated himself to the military honors team of the American Legion Post #23 in Orleans.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara (Warren) Bell; all of her brothers and sisters and their families; his daughter Leanne (Bell) Trembley, and her husband, Louis, of Clarksville, Tennessee; two grandsons: David Trembley, also of Clarksville, and Staff Sergeant Kristopher Trembley, U.S. Army; and by several great-grandchildren.
At Mr. Bell's request there will be no calling hours or funeral service. There will be a rendering of full military honors on the Irasburg Common at 4 p.m., on Thursday, August 3. All are welcome to attend.
In lieu of cards and flowers, those who wish may send a donation to either the American Legion Post #23, P.O. Box 72, Orleans, Vermont 05860, or to Pope Memorial Frontier Animal Shelter, 4473 Barton Orleans Road, Orleans, Vermont 05860.
Online condolences may be shared at www.curtis-britch.com.
Dermot "Paul" Cosgrove, 69, of Ruskin, Florida, formerly of Burlington, died July 7, 2017, at the Hospice House in Ruskin after a year of declining health. His sister Maude and her husband, Mike, were with him in Florida when he died.
Mr. Cosgrove was born on March 22, 1948, in St. Johnsbury. He was the son of G. Emmett and Charlene (Branon) Cosgrove. He was raised in Woodsville, New Hampshire, and had a strong connection to Willoughby Lake in Westmore where the family had a summer camp.
He was very personable, with a big heart, a keen mind for details, and a fiercely independent spirit. He was proud of his Cosgrove/Branon Irish ancestry and could be charming, witty, and sentimental, as well as being a master of debate. His laughter is remembered by many. Family and loyalty were very important to him, and he was always generous to people around him who were in need.
Mr. Cosgrove attended Belknap College in Center Harbor, New Hampshire, the Radio, Electronics and Television School in Boston, Massachusetts, and the University of Vermont. He had a gift for engineering, building, or repairing almost anything. At the age of ten he began taking apart household appliances to see how they worked, and in high school, completely tore down and reassembled his Honda 350.
He lived in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Westmore, working in building construction and property management before settling in Burlington and starting the Energy Conservation Company in 1980. He performed energy audits, installed insulation, and retrofitted buildings for energy efficiency, and he did general remodeling work for many loyal customers. He was meticulous in his work, and valued practical lessons learned from mentors he cultivated along the way. He acquired a blasting license during his early employment, which led him to producing masterful fireworks displays at Willoughby Lake for several years in the 1970s. He was active in any community he lived in, serving as a lister in Westmore and as a member of the zoning board of adjustment in Burlington.
Over the years, he maintained a wide range of friendships, including his friends in Woodsville and Westmore, his large extended family, his business contacts in Chittenden County, and the many people he knew in Alcoholics Anonymous. He enjoyed 28 years of sobriety and credited the program with saving his life. He thoroughly digested and deliberated the lessons in the "Big Book."
In 2003 Mr. Cosgrove made his decision to move to a warmer climate and headed for Florida, eventually settling in Ruskin, near Tampa. Although he missed being close to family, he found friends and settled into his new community. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle, taking pictures, and fishing. He enjoyed watching history and science documentaries and could recall the details in any conversations on those topics.
Survivors include his son Emmett Brian Cosgrove of Burlington; a sister Maude "Mary" Cosgrove Chater and her husband, Mike Chater, of Montpelier; nephews Ben Chater of Winooski and Brendan Cosgrove of Waterbury; grandnieces Emma, Maggie, and Nora of Waterbury; and numerous Cosgrove and Branon cousins. He was predeceased by his older brother Brian in September of 2016.
A celebration of his life will be held at a later date at the convenience of the family.
Russell Kenneth Marcotte, 96, of Derby, died suddenly on July 27, 2017, in Holland.
He was the sixth and last son out of nine children of the late Joseph and Violet Marcotte. His siblings predeceased him: Grant, Edith, Gordon, Stuart, Norman, Delwin ("Hooky"), Evelyn Dilport, and Geri.
He received a thorough education in dairy farming and animal husbandry, as it was practiced in the early twentieth century.
He married Elizabeth "Betty" Nault of Newport a few days after the end of hostilities in World War II. She predeceased him, as did two sons, Neil and Brent.
He is survived by his son, Russell V. Marcotte, and his wife, Rose, of Washington State, and by numerous nieces and nephews.
He operated his dairy farm in Barton for 20 years.
He sold his farm and worked for the Ethan Allen Furniture factory in Orleans through the early 1980s. There, he was proud of his reputation as a production worker recognized for both speed and high quality output.
Retiring, he then designed, fashioned, and sold lawn ornaments from his woodworking factory on the Willoughby Lake Road in Barton. He particularly enjoyed making friends with potential buyers.
Concerned about equipment safety issues, he reluctantly retired from woodworking in his eighties.
In this century, he purchased a small home in Derby. There he maintained a predictable schedule of solitary daily drives of love, never leaving, nor having any desire to travel from, the farms he grew up on and loved his entire life.
Self-taught, he mastered the guitar, accordion, and harmonica, contributing to the gaiety of family gatherings.
A graveside service was conducted by Father Roger Charbonneau on August 1 at the North Cemetery in Barton.
Online condolences may be shared at www.curtis–britch.com.
Wilmot "Bill" G. Nelson, 102, the oldest resident of Norton, died at the Coos County Nursing Hospital in West Stewartstown, New Hampshire, on July 25, 2017.
He was born October 26, 1914, in Norton to Edward and Helen (Parker) Nelson. He helped out with the family businesses, delivering gas and helping out at the general store. Mr. Nelson was a beloved member of the Norton community. His many friends were his family, and he always supported the schoolchildren when the Norton school was open.
Mr. Nelson most enjoyed watching baseball spring training and even went to Florida once to watch the teams train. He also enjoyed his cats and dogs and was very kind and caring to them all. He was a peaceful and quiet man and a true Christian. He will be missed; he was gentle soul.
Mr. Nelson was a wiz at figures and numbers, and his memory was exceptional. He was interesting to listen to. You could ask him about almost any event and he could tell you everything about it. He had a computer mind as many would say.
He enjoyed his birthdays; having a cake and celebrating with his friends was a big deal. He always had to celebrate his birthday on his birthday, not the day before or the day after. Mr. Nelson had a special birthday in 2014 when friends helped him celebrate his one-hundredth. It was extra special because he was presented with a proclamation from the town of Norton declaring October 26 of every year as Bill Nelson day; it was a special day for a very special man.
Mr. Nelson was a member of the Morgan United Church.
He was in his mid-thirties when his parents died and he continued to live with his sisters. He is survived by his sister Miriam Nelson of Norton. He was predeceased by his sister Ruth Nelson in 2004.
Funeral services were held on July 28 at the Morgan United Church with the Reverend Michael DeSena officiating. Interment followed at the Mt. Forest Cemetery, in Coaticook, Quebec. Should friends desire, contributions in Mr. Nelson's name may be made to the charity of one's choice.
Online condolences can be shared at curtis-britch.com.
In the comfort of his home, Dr. Steven Phelps Sanford, age 64, naturally left this world going on to the next on June 8, 2017. On that day, the animal world unexpectedly lost a valued healer of its community, but Dr. Steve's legacy lives on within the hearts of his loyal clients, both human and beast alike.
Born in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, on June 20, 1952, and growing up in Baldwinsville, New York, Dr. Sanford's young life was filled with family gatherings at his grandparents' farm in Stamford, Vermont, as well as exploring the musical theater life with his maternal grandparents in New York City. Encouraged by parents who embraced life's opportunities, he excelled throughout his youth and teenage years in both sports and education. His passion for football and lacrosse laid the foundation for future success. He received a scholarship to Princeton and a year later transferred to Cornell University where he graduated in 1979 as a doctor of veterinary medicine.
Given the incredible gift of helping and healing animals, Dr. Steve ventured to the Green Mountains of Vermont to start his career at Sequist Animal Hospital in Morrisville. With big dreams and a shoebox full of index cards, he was drawn to the Northeast Kingdom. Intrigued by both large and small animals, he focused on the bovine community; healthy dairy cows meant success and prosperity to the local farm and milk industry.
In 1991, Dr. Steve established a successful practice with the help of his faithful employees. Derby Pond Animal Hospital and Greensboro Animal Hospital became a part of his legacy. For over 30 years Dr. Sandford dedicated his entire being to his clients in the Northeast Kingdom. Day or night, rain or snow, he came to the rescue. He took great pride in his work and was a dear friend to many, taking exceptional care of their precious family pets.
On his down time he took advantage of what Vermont had to offer, whether he conquered the ski slopes, biked the back roads, or drove his team of Belgians around Caspian Lake. He embraced the community by offering moonlit sleigh rides to Highland Lodge guests and brightened the days of seniors at Greensboro Nursing Home. He recalled memories of looking out over the Hudson as a child and watching the tugboats, which prompted his purchase of a limited edition Lord Nelson Victory tug. He had big dreams of retiring and traveling both land and sea.
Beloved friend, mentor, and college coach Richie Moran played a huge role in Dr. Sanford's life and inspired him to write and share some of Richie's "pearls of wisdom": "Always call your mother on Mother's Day, and then go to church and the library." "Big Red is the only gum there is!" "When you are thinking of someone, call them; otherwise they'll never know." "Enthusiasm is contagious." "Never burn a bridge, someday you might want to go back." "Stay a little bit hungry. It's great to be the underdog." "Respect all, be intimidated by none." "The value of game preparation." "Sometimes it's best to turn the other cheek and walk away." "There's no such thing as a bad day, it's just that some are better than others." "The value of family, friends and education." And "it's great to be here," (which became the title of a book Coach Richie wrote last year).
Those who miss Dr. Sanford dearly and are thankful to have walked this life with him are his mother, Joan Sanford, of Schenectady, New York; his daughter Blythe Sanford of Ithaca, New York; his aunts: Carolyn Bobowiec of Stamford, Susie Gomez of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Mary Jane Mumford of Bradenton, Florida; his cousins: Margaret Moore of Cazenovia, New York, Edward Nassif of Tully, New York, Alicia Stevenson of Malibu, California, Paul Stevenson of Los Angeles, California, Paul Bobowiec of Stamford, and Daniela Gomez of Middleberg, Holland; and his spiritual "swim buddy," Paula "Peach" Lawrence of East Hardwick.
Dr. Sanford was predeceased by his father, Robert Sanford, of Galway, New York, his precious sister Linda "Lou" Sanford of Taos, New Mexico, who tragically died only two days prior, and his cousin Daniel Bobowiec of Stamford.
Let this bring peace to all the people's lives that Dr. Steve Sanford truly touched through his expertise in veterinary medicine and the animal world to which he dedicated his life. Even though he's no longer with us, he'll never be forgotten.
In 2017, Dr. Steve was diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia disease caused primarily by sports-related and occupational head trauma. His legacy continues through the donation of his brain to aid in further research at Boston University. Donations can be given online to BU CTE Center by visiting: www.bu.edu/cte/financial-support. Checks, payable to BU CTE Center, could also be addressed to: Attention Jason Miller, CTE Center, 72 East Concord Street, Robinson B/7800, Boston, Massachusetts 02118 (please memo the check CTE Neuropathology Fund).
"Life doesn't get any better than this; it's just another day in paradise!" — Dr. Steven "Farmer" Sanford.
May his legacy live on forever!


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Creating a beautiful life for ourselves is possible. And in order to do that we have to strive for balance and that means addressing all areas of life. I observed that last year I was very much only focused mostly on one area of my life and that was my businesses. I thought that I would use this blog to show you what I have been up to and also how I have got the balance back in my life.
Having just become a representative of Miessence selling certified organic personal care and house hold products meant I needed to pay careful attention to keeping my life balanced. I have two other small businesses to contend with meant other parts of my life had become unbalanced so this year was about adopting a holistic approach to get that balance back.
I thought that I would write this blog for people who tend to focus only on one part of their life. I thought I would use use my own experience and show you how I have been getting the balance back in my own life to help you do the same. Plus I thought that it would give you an opportunity to see what The Earth Faeries have been up too.
Firstly I looked at my creative area. I realized that while I was making accessories for my customers I rarely had time to make anything else for myself or my loved ones. When mum expressed interest in what I was making I always said I would make her something but never got around to it. Time was always a factor so I read an article about creating more time and doing things that are important to us.
I devised an affirmation that has worked wonders in my life and has done just that. As they say we are living in a quantum field and thoughts become things. And so do the affirmations that we recite every day. The affirmation that I use is: I always have time for the activities, people and experiences that are important to me. And sure enough time has been created and I suddenly have more free time.
And so I got to work on my mums ornament that I have made her. I made it in her favorite colour which is buttermilk yellow. You can find my full range here. It comes with a little hand made scroll too with a personalized poem in it so I am just working on that at the moment. I just hope she likes it. Here is a sneaky preview of the rose I have made for my mum. Each rose is named after its owner and I called this one Barbara Frances after her.
Secondly I decided to start focusing on doing more self development work on myself. I am a qualified and practicing life coach – specializing in spiritual coaching and well being coaching. I knew working on myself would creating more energy and momentum in my life to facilitate change.
As part of my self development I do earthing while practicing mindfulness in my big garden, forests, and woodlands. I practice earthing otherwise known as grounding about once a month but now have started to do it every day and am observing a massive difference in my energy levels. So how does it work? The free electrons in the earth move through our feet and into our body and create well being in our mind body and soul.
Many have lost their connection with the natural power of earth because Rubber and plastic soles on our shoes. They are not conductors so they prevent the free electrons from the earth moving through our body. So taking the shoes and socks off and walking on the mud, moss, forest floors, beaches, and grass is a great preventative measure. It is also a way to stay well and increase our well being and energy levels which contributes towards having balanced and a beautiful life
My word this year has been contribution. Giving back! Giving feels so good so I thought I would like to do more of it. I am all for looking after our planet so I decided to volunteer at Garth organic fruit and vegetable garden in Wales. It was the most enjoyable day that I have had in ages and it was lovely to do something different and to help others out too. It is surprising what opportunities you get given when you get out of your comfort zone because I got asked to run a mindfulness work shop there so am making time now to devise my lesson plans and I am due to run them this August!
It was an eventful day. I learned how to grow baby onions. Although I have grown potatoes carrots and lettuces in my own garden I have never grown onions. A lesson learned from there was not to plant them upside down and I suppose metaphorically speaking the same applies to us – so always reach for the light to get you to the places you want to go.
I also learned how to grow the food in rows and to measure the depth I was planting them in as well as how to space them correctly so they had room to grow. I did this by using rope tied around pieces of wood and put in the ground. The rope once stretched out helps you to plant the crops in a straight line.
I also got to see some slow worms too which resemble beautiful snakes – as Jude the owner of the organic gardens prized back the soggy straw they sliver deeper down into the earthy layers. They slithered away before I could get my camera out.
I got to meet some other lovely volunteers too and it was nice to share a common goal with them which was looking after the planet that I love so much. Plus I got an abundance of organic vegetable and salad in return for helping out. There is something lovely about eating fresh salad and sprouting broccoli from a garden that you have picked yourself. It tastes so much nicer!
I have just been asked to come canoeing in Llangollen canal with my daughter and while my mind says I have this to do and that to do I stopped, and said to myself I always have time for things, people and events that important to me so I said yes. My other friend has just invited me to London for the vegan and vegetarian food festival and I said yes! So one of the secrets to having a beautiful life I have learned is to say yes to more opportunities.
Getting balance in your life so you can have a beautiful life is not a destination. It is a journey. We are always striving for it as circumstances and goals change so we have to continuously address the balance. And what I have discovered is that with those changes we have to pause, reevaluate what is serving us and what is not so we can modify our goals and then get back in flow.
For me having a beautiful life is about keeping the balance in my own life on a consistent basis. For me keeping that balance means coming up to smell the roses regularly and not being hard on myself when I go off track slightly. It is also about being mindful too – living in the moment, being non judgemental if my mind strays elsewhere and jumping straight back on again.
What other techniques or practices are you using to keep your own life well balanced?

subset: commoncrawl


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Tarasenko looks to extend point streak as Blues host Devils
Vladimir Tarasenko's elevated play has the red-hot St. Louis Blues rapidly moving up in the standings.
Tarasenko looks to extend his point streak to a career-high nine games when the Blues bid for their season-best seventh straight victory on Tuesday against the visiting New Jersey Devils.
The 27-year-old Russian completed his fourth career regular-season hat trick by scoring 16 seconds into overtime on Sunday as St. Louis capped a home-and-home sweep of Nashville with a 5-4 win. The goal was Tarasenko's team-best 22nd of the season and 200th of his career.
"Every game is like a playoff game," Tarasenko said, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Just try to go for 100 percent and play for every win. ... It's really emotional. It's a big two points for us.
"It's time to step up for all our leaders and everybody else in this locker room. We want to get in the playoffs, so that's what we're playing for."
Tarasenko has stepped up with seven goals and five assists during his point streak for the Blues, who have benefited from a 10-2-1 stretch to move within two points of third-place Dallas in the Central Division.
"Pretty impressive," captain Alex Pietrangelo told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of Tarasenko's overtime goal on Sunday. "I think we all had a feeling there in overtime when he gets that move outside-in, you're not stopping him. We're going to need him to keep doing that. He's on a roll."
Tarasenko hasn't spared the Devils, either. He has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in nine career encounters, with two goals and two assists coming in St. Louis' two-game season sweep in 2017-18.
Rookie Jordan Binnington likely will get the nod on Tuesday, one day after being named the NHL's First Star of the Week after posting a 3-0-0 mark with one shutout, a 1.31 goals-against average and .954 save percentage. The 25-year-old owns a 9-1-1 record with a 1.72 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in 13 appearances this season.
Ryan O'Reilly set up two goals versus the Predators on Sunday to boost his team-leading totals in assists (35) and points (55). The 28-year-old O'Reilly has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in his past 11 games.
New Jersey salvaged the finale of a four-game homestand with a 3-2 win over Carolina on Sunday to create a bit of momentum heading into a three-game road trip. The Devils, however, are tied with Ottawa for the fewest wins on the road this season with seven.
Marcus Johansson scored twice, and former top overall pick Nico Hischier recorded three assists versus the Hurricanes.
"In the end, it's the win that counts," the 20-year-old Hischier said. "Everyone who is in the lineup has energy and wants to play well and wants to battle hard."
Hischier has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his last six contests overall. He also scored in New Jersey's 3-2 shootout loss in St. Louis on Jan. 2, 2018.
Keith Kinkaid was in net for that contest, falling to 0-3-1 with a 3.42 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in four career appearances against the Blues.
Kinkaid turned aside 33 shots on Sunday to collect his second win in his last eight outings.
Jesper Bratt has one goal and three assists during a four-game point streak for the Devils.
--Field Level Media
Updated February 12, 2019


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California's Shining Path to Internet Regulation
California simply has some motivated politicians seeking to capitalize on the state's animus toward the FCC, Washington, the Red States, and the Trump Administration with a symbolic act of rebellion. Net neutrality is a California export, so in some sense it's fitting for it to come home.
Richard Bennett July 18, 2018 0


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B2B Web Design Solutions Announces Joomla Templates Marketplace
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Financial professionals arriving at their desks on Monday morning will have no shortage of views to digest on what the shock election of Donald Trump means for global markets.
Having had a few days to consider the implications, economists, market strategists and analysts have penned thousands of words for clients that attempt to set out what the future holds.
As Jan Loeys and his global asset allocation team at JPMorgan, put it: "The easy first conclusion is that we know very little aside from there being a lot of uncertainty. But markets can't wait until we have certainty, and we can make some educated guesses."
Here are some of the words of wisdom that are sitting in investors' inboxes.
For Andrew Sheets, chief cross-asset strategist at Morgan Stanley, the big question to assess is who the real Donald Trump is: the volatile populist who rode a wave of anti-globalisation sentiment, or the pragmatic dealmaker who will implement business-friendly policies. "Like Schrodinger's cat, his policies existed in a state of being both pragmatic and radical, all at the same time," he wrote.
Joachim Fels, managing director and global economic adviser at Pimco, warns that "markets are likely to oscillate between hope and fear".
"If the new administration focuses on reforming corporate and personal taxes, increasing infrastructure spending on projects with high social returns and easing some excessive regulations, both demand and potential output growth could be lifted without creating excessive inflation," he writes.
"Conversely, a strong focus on punitive tariffs and immigration bans risks retaliatory responses from other nations, and could provoke a trade war that fuels de-globalisation and might even increase the risk of military conflict."
Megan Greene, chief economist and managing director at Manulife Asset Management, worries that Mr Trump may well be able to implement his more populist ideas quicker than pro-growth measures.
"Not all of Trump's policies are growth-sapping, just most of his short-term ones," she says. "The policies that he can implement almost immediately do not need the approval of Congress. These include trade and immigration.
"It will take some time to debate, legislate and implement the stimulus measures Trump has planned, and they probably will not feed through into the real economy until 2018, long after protectionism and isolationism have set in."
Still, Peter Tchir, managing director at Brean Capital, points out that since his electoral victory Mr Trump "has shown restraint" on "the more controversial aspects of his campaign — those that would potentially hurt the market the most."
Indeed Tokyo-based Ryoji Musha, formerly of Deutsche who now runs Musha Research, anticipated a new era of "dollar appreciation, higher stock prices and rising interest rates".
"Surely now that the election is over he will do away with the rhetoric he used to attract voters and move to formulate a consistent and realisable system of policies," he writes.
Mr Tchir questions whether the emerging market sell-off, as epitomised by the Mexican peso, has been overdone. "What if he cannot be as protectionist as he claims he wanted to be? What part of a growing US economy is really bad for emerging markets?"
He also highlights that small-cap US stocks have outperformed their larger peers since the election — a sign investors believe Mr Trump's US-first approach, as captured by his "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan, will be good for domestic companies. Mr Tchir is cautious, however. "Clearly fits with the #MAGA hashtag — but investing on hashtags seems fraught with risk, no matter how compelling it sounds," he writes.
Several analysts argue the combination of looser fiscal and tighter monetary policies will lead to a higher dollar. "Geopolitics may become a medium-term negative [for the dollar] in 2017 if the US pulls back from security alliances in Asia and the Middle East," write FX strategies at Royal Bank of Scotland. "But in the near term it is likely to pressure regional currencies first."
Marc Chandler, global head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman, says the election outcome strengthens the bull case for the global reserve currency. He notes that the $1tn fiscal stimuli mooted by Mr Trump's economic team is "larger than even [Bernie] Sanders advocated in the primaries". "At the same time, investors are more confident of a Fed hike next month," he adds. Such a policy mix, he continues, "is the most constructive combination for a currency. The magnitudes may be different, but that was the Reagan-Volcker mix that fuelled the dollar rally of the early 1980s."
Mr Sheets of Morgan Stanley also points to continued support for the dollar against Asia currencies such as the yen, the won and the renminbi.
He adds that hopes of tax cuts and repatriation should help US equities over those in Europe and emerging markets. The strategist is particularly upbeat about US industrials, healthcare and credit cards, but suggests being underweight consumer staples.
The election outcome has prompted global macro strategists at Citigroup, led by Jeremy Hale, to make big changes to their macro asset allocation calls. "President Trump presents new risks, but also opportunities," they write. "We reverse our preference for [emerging markets] assets and also our preference for government bonds over equities."
After the big bond sell-off last week, Christopher Wood, who is with CLSA in Hong Kong, says there is "every risk" the correction "continues a while longer, with a lot of technical factors that could come into play in coming weeks."
Anyone who tells you they absolutely know what will happen under a Trump presidency is probably lying
Kit Juckes, macro strategist at Société Générale, also says that what we know so far "is bad for Treasuries and in turn, more friendly than not for the dollar". "The overall thrust of all his proposed changes is to boost domestic demand."
However, Michael Purves, chief global strategist at Weeden & Co, predicts that fixed-income bears may well be reined in. "It is not clear how much fiscal stimulus Trump will really get through Congress," he writes, adding that yields were "reaching significant resistance levels.
"Given the enormous repression of interest rates, and in particular long-term rates … further sell-offs in Treasuries are likely," he writes. "However, the pace of the rate increases will moderate."
Mr Juckes' mind, meanwhile, is also on the implications for Europe. His note sent to clients on Sunday includes a handy table that lays out important geopolitical dates in the months ahead.
The first arrives next week, when centre-right primaries are held in France. Just two weeks later come an Italian referendum on constitutional reform and the Austrian presidential election. "I'm resigned to the euro trading in the bottom half of the last 18 months' range against the dollar, until the threat of populist parties gaining power in the eurozone fades," he writes.
Mr Fels of Pimco also warns about the global political risks ahead. "Too many pundits still tend to underestimate both the extent of the anger with the established political forces and people's willingness to vote for seemingly extreme candidates or positions."
As for Mr Trump himself, perhaps the most candid assessment comes from Ms Greene of Manulife. "Anyone who tells you they absolutely know what will happen under a Trump presidency is probably lying."
Additional reporting by Ben McLannahan, Joe Rennison, Robin Wigglesworth, Mary Childs and Nicole Bullock


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Newsletter 1
Peer Review is as a form of professional external evaluation which is widely used in Higher Education in Europe today. In the sector of vocational education and training it has so far been marginal. Yet, with the successful implementation of self-evaluation of VET providers in many countries the interest in external evaluation through Peers, i.e. colleagues from similar institutions, has increased: External evaluation by Peers - which are also called "critical friends" - is expected to complement internal evaluations with an outside view, to shed light on "blind spots", to promote the professional dialogue between institutions and to support the evaluated VET providers in their strive toward quality improvement.
The European Peer Review Procedure for initial VET
In the Leonardo da Vinci project "Peer Review in initial VET", Peer Review has been transferred from Higher Education and a European standard procedure which is geared especially to the sector of initial education and training has been developed by an expert team from seven European countries. This procedure has been laid down in a European Peer Review Manual. A first version of this Manual has been available since November 2005 and is currently undergoing professional feedback from experts from all over Europe. Additionally, a web-based Peer Training Programme has been developed to support the practical implementation of Peer Review. More than 85 Peers from all over Europe have applied for participation in the pilot phase.
Current activities: Piloting Peer Reviews in Europe
Currently, the European Peer Review procedure is being piloted throughout Europe: 15 transnational Peer Reviews are being conducted in eight European countries between April 2006 and November 2006, the majority of which will take place within the next two months. Two Peer Reviews of Italian VET Providers have already been conducted and finalised in spring - allowing for some first impressions of the partners involved on what Peer Review is all about.
What to expect from this Newsletter
This Newsletter wants to give an introduction to Peer Review as an external evaluation procedure for initial vocational education and training in Europe: A definition of Peer Review is followed by a description of the European Peer Review Manual. First practical experiences with Peer Review from the pilot phase are presented in a contribution by the Italian project partners. "Peer Review in a nutshell" gives a brief overview of the project and contact details.
We hope that our Newsletter provides relevant and interesting information for VET professionals in Europe. Should you have questions or need more information, please contact us. We welcome feedback and look forward to hearing from you.
Maria Gutknecht-Gmeiner
Project Coordinator
Österreichisches Institut für Berufsbildungsforschung
Austrian Institute for Research on Vocational Training
- What is Peer Review?
- European Peer Review Manual
- Peer Review and the Italian VET providers
- The project "Peer Review in initial VET" in a nutshell
|What is Peer Review?
Peer Review is a form of external evaluation with the aim to support the reviewed educational institution in its efforts for quality assurance and quality development.
An external group of experts, so called peers, is invited to judge the quality of different fields of the institution such as the quality of education and training provision of individual departments or of the entire organisation. During the evaluation process, the peers visit the reviewed institution.
Peers are external but work in a similar environment and have specific professional expertise and knowledge of the evaluated subject. They are "persons of equal standing" with the persons whose performance is reviewed.
Peer Review builds upon quality assurance and development already in place. If integrated into the quality cycle, Peer Review supports continuing quality improvement.
|European Peer Review Manual
A first draft version of the European Peer Review Manual is available now.
|Peer Review and the Italian VET providers
The evaluation of Italian VET providers is a process which has still to be fully realised.
• Schools: Most state schools have developed self-evaluation but up now no external evaluation is provided; inspectors visit the school mostly for formal reasons.
• Training Centres: The regional training centres have to be accredited by the Regional administrations in order to operate and receive public grants. Some of them practice self-evaluation, too. The regional inspections are mostly focussed on checking the compliance of the training center to the accreditation rules.
Many VET providers are also certified on the basis of the ISO 9001 model.
In this context Peer Review can be a very interesting tool to develop the quality assurance system of Italian VET providers. In particular two features of the model can be attractive for many of them:
• The flexibility of the model: The extent and the focus of the Peer review can be customised according to the needs of the providers. It is up to them to decide whether to receive a full review, covering many different thematic areas, or a partial review, focussed on the main strategic areas;
• The bottom-up approach; the Peer Review can be started at local level by at least two providers who decide to organise a mutual Peer Review by exchanging the Peers, who visit the other school or training center; If there are three providers they organize a "triangle" of Peer Reviews. In any case it is not necessary to wait for a central decision or for a central inspection to have the Reviev.
Therefore the proposal to join the Leonardo Project "Peer Review in initial VET" to experiment with the model of the Peer Review was promptly accepted by four Italian providers, one of them has also accepted to pay the Review expenses entirely from its own funds. The Italian VET providers acting as "operative partners" in the project are two schools (Istituto professionale per l'Industria e l'Artigianato, Monza and Istituto di Istruzione superiore "Don Milani - Depero", Rovereto) and two training centres (CNOS-FAP of Fossano and Ciofs-FP of Puglia).
The first Peer Review of the Leonardo project was conducted successfully from April 2 to 5, 2006 by the Italian operative partner CNOS-FAP in the training center of Fossano, with the aim to assess the Peer Review method and to test the European Peer Review Manual. A specific focus of the review was to create indicators geared to specific targets. These indicators were used for the interviews during the Peer Review as well as the assessment carried out by the Peers. The Peers were two teachers coming from other Italian operative patners, an Italian expert coming from the National Institute for Evaluation and a Danish Peer.
Comment from CNOS-FAP Fossano:
"We think that a review by an international group helps us to check up better our quality system and the quality area'Learning and Teaching' that we don't usually assess."
The second Peer Review was conducted from June 5 to 7, 2006 in the Istituto professionale per l'Industria e l'Artigianato, Monza. IPSIA Monza asked for a complete evaluation of all topics linked to teaching and learning as well as the "social climate" within the institute: The quality areas chosen were "Learning and teaching", "Curricula", "Assessment and tests" and "Social participation & interactions". The peers were two teachers from other Italian VET providers, an Italian expert coming from the National Institute for Evaluation and a Finnish Peer.
Comment from IPSIA Monza
"We want to reflect upon our activities in order to improve our educational provision. Peer Review allows us to know other realities which have common as well as different features with us. Therefore Peer Review allows a dialectic comparison among different educational processes and their contents, the feedback of the Peers helps us to clarify our own work."
In a first reflection on the Peer Reviews, the two Italian operative partners maintain that the outside perspective on their educational provision has provided them with new insights. They value the high priority given to the "core business" of VET, the teaching and learning processes in the institutions.
From the point of VET providers but also from a system level perspective the supra-institutional, transnational aspect is considered a central asset of the European Peer Review procedure: Teachers and other VET professionals from different schools and countries work together in Peer Teams and give helpful feedback to their colleagues in the reviewed institution - linking institutions within the national systems and even across borders to exchange ideas and good practice.
Comments of the Peers
"The team work was great."
"The Peer review procedure allows the peers to use different methodologies in order to collect quickly a lot of information without wasting of time."
"A positive aspect was the appropriate previous training."
Giorgio Allulli, Ismene Tramontano (ISFOL)
|The project "Peer Review in initial VET" in a nutshell
The project "Peer Review in inital VET" introduces Peer Review as an innovative instrument of quality assurance and development to the initial VET sector in Europe. The instrument is being transferred from the tertiary sector where the use of Peer Review is prevalent to the upper secondary sector of initial vocational education and training (ISCED 3/4). A common European standard for implementing Peer Review will promote co-operation and understanding as well as enhance transparency between the diverse vocational education and training systems in Europe.
What is a Peer Review?
Peer Review is a form of external evaluation carried out by peers, i.e. "persons of equal standing", who visit the reviewed institution during the evaluation process. Areas of assessment may be the quality of education and training provision of individual departments or the entire organisation. Peer Review builds upon quality assurance and development already in place. If integrated into the quality cycle, Peer Review supports continuing quality improvement.
Project duration
October 2004 to September 2007
25 partners from eleven countries
15 of them are VET providers/ institutions
Participating countries: Austria, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, Scotland, Switzerland
Extended network supports partnership
The extended project network comprises various institutions: VET providers, research institutions, public authorities, social partners, enterprises.
European Peer Review Manual 2005 available from öibf
A draft version of the European Peer Review Manual is available in English from the project management at öibf. It introduces a European standard procedure for the use of Peer Reviews in VET institutions and provides practical guidelines for implementing Peer Reviews in quality assurance and development.
Peer Training Programme online
A web-based Peer Training Programme prepares the Peers for their tasks in the review exercise.
15 Pilot Peer Reviews in eight countries
From April to November 2006 the Peer Review procedure outlined in the draft European Peer Review Manual is being tested in eight countries. All 13 operative partners of the project carry out pilot Peer Reviews. With one additional partner joining the project and one partner conducting two reviews in different departments, the European Peer Review procedure will be piloted in a total of 15 Reviews.
Plans for the future
• Austrian Conference on Peer Review in initial VET: March 2007
• International Conference on Peer Review in initial VET: September 2007, University of Pécs, Hungary
• Follow-up project "Peer Review Extended" submitted to the European Commission in August 2006
• Continue to develop and test the European Peer Review procedure
• Keep on enlarging the extended project network
Project Management at öibf (AT)
öibf - Austrian Institute for Research on Vocational Training: www.oeibf.at, +43-1-310 33 34-0
Maria Gutknecht-Gmeiner: firstname.lastname@example.com
Barbara Neubauer: email@example.com
For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.


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HIV/AIDS News
Volunteers Sought for HIV Treatment Study
Could transfusions of white blood cells from healthy relatives help restore CD4+ T cell levels in individuals with advanced HIV infection? To find out, NIAID-supported investigators recently opened a phase I clinical study of this strategy, known as allogeneic lymphocyte transfer.
The trial is based on studies that have shown dramatic increases in CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts in some HIV-infected individuals transfused with white blood cells from a noninfected sibling. The current study will assess the safety of this procedure when other relatives, in addition to siblings, are used as donors, and will quantify the extent to which it can replenish immune cells in patients with HIV.
Investigators seek HIV-infected volunteers for the study. Eligible participants must have CD4+ T cell counts between 50 and 200 cells per cubic millimeter (mm3) of blood, no ongoing major opportunistic infections, and have been on stable antiretroviral therapy for the past two months, in addition to meeting other eligibility criteria.
Each volunteer will receive three separate infusions of white blood cells donated by a healthy sibling, parent, or adult child with matching blood type. Infusions will be administered at four-week intervals. Volunteers will undergo weekly evaluations during a four-month followup period. After that, researchers will contact study participants by telephone periodically over the next three years.
Known as Division of AIDS Treatment Research Initiative (DATRI) 016, the study is being conducted by researchers at University Hospital of Cleveland, Ohio. Individuals interested in participating in the study should call Michael Chance, at 216-844-8051 or 8175 for more information. For information about other AIDS-related clinical trials, call the AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service, at 1-800-TRIALS-A (TDD 1-800-448-0440).


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There's a beautiful beach in southern Thailand where tourists are often surprised by a very unusual sight: a shrine which has been built inside a cave by the ocean. And it's not any kind of shrine – it's a shrine filled with wooden phallic symbols.
There is (of course) a story behind this shrine. In fact there are several stories.
Once upon a time, there was a local fisherman who lived in Krabi. Every day he went out into the ocean to catch fish, and every day he returned with a good catch. He was a very good husband to his wife, and they loved each other very much even after years of marriage. Until he went out one day with his boat, and never returned. This day it wasn't he who caught fish, but it was he who got caught by the ocean.
His wife was in such a distress and so overcome with sorrow that she ran to the beach to watch out for her husband, hoping he'd return. She made the small cave her home and never left it, until she died. And now, it's her spirit, Phra Nang, which is still there, waiting for her lost husband to return.
The Indian Princess Version
There is another story about this shrine too. According to this story, many years ago there was an Indian princess. Her ship sank nearby, and her spirit then occupied the cave.
There is no way to tell which version is the right version, but until this day local fisherman still come here to make offerings to Phra Nang, asking her to protect them while they're out on the ocean.
The most common offerings are incense and flowers, just as at every other shrine in Thailand, but the wooden phalad khik or sivalueng (good luck charms of various sizes in the shape of male genitalia) are that are special to this place.
Thailand is a culturally and religiously rich country which has assimilated many practices and believes from different countries of the Asian region. This particular one can be traced back to Hinduism, where a lingam (a phallic symbol) represents the Hindu deity Shiva, who is the god of destruction or transformation. Even linguistically it can be traced back, sivalueng is a Thai version of Shiva lingam.
For Western visitors it might seem funny or obscene that there is a shrine filled with symbols of male genitalia, but please keep in mind that this is a sacred place where people pray and worship and if you go to visit the Phra Nang Cave in Krabi please be respectful of their culture.


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To call our Manchester Office which covers the North West call 0161 425 8441 or email firstname.lastname@example.com
To call our Scottish Office which covers the central belt of Scotland call 0844 800 7808 or email email@example.com
Alternatively send us an email using the form on the right and we'll get right back to you.
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Tel: 0844 800 7808 or 01698 735364.
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Home / News-events / Back in House: Why local governments are bringing services home
Back in House: Why local governments are bringing services home
Submitted by columbiainstitute on Mon, 09/19/2016 - 14:57
Columbia Institute's Centre for Civic Governance's latest report, "Back in House: Why local governments are bringing services home," says that across Canada and around the world public services that were once outsourced are now finding their way back in-house to municipalities, mainly because using in-house services saves money. Simply put: Privatizing services hasn't delivered the benefits that were promised.
Download English Executive Summary here.
Download news release here.
Here is what people are saying...
- "Back in House" debunks the myth that it's cheaper to contract out public services in order to save money and produce a better product," says Charley Beresford, Executive Director of the Columbia Institute.
"In several boroughs of Montreal we've noticed that we've been able to increase productivity, add flexibility to our projects and even improve on quality. Also, for every project we do in-house, and not in the private sector, we reduce chances of collusion and corruption amongst bidders," says Craig Sauve, City Councillor of Montreal.


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4th of July
Flag and Eagle
A bald eagle and American flag appear in this printable card great for 4th of July. Customize it with your own photos.
Burgers Red Glare
In this funny 3D animated holiday e-card, Dad decides the grill needs more and more lighter fluid for the 4th of July cookout. As his wife and son look on, Dad goes flying through the air holding on to the grill.
American Patriots
The great American pasttime of baseball is proudly on display in this printable card. Customize it with your own photos.
Beautiful America
Beautiful piano music plays as American images such as the Statue of Liberty, Golden Gate bridge, the Capitol building, apple pie, a lighthouse, and fireworks are displayed on a waving United States flag background in this 3D animated egreeting.


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Now how many of you would put Brussels sprouts on your "never, never, never in a million years" list?
Shame on you. Don't be a hater. These forlorn cabbages have been mistreated and abused for years. Abandoned and left in the far corners of the freezer- only to be used in times of severe famine and under desperate measures.
What a sorry life they've had.
For their many years of ridicule and scorn they have been pining away, waiting for someone to realize their full potential- to recognize them for what they are.
Diamonds in the rough.
Yessir. These bad boys have become my. favorite. veggie. Not kidding. Not even a smidge.
They have pushed aside broccoli and spinach (my other two toppies) and oddly became my new love. In the kitchen, that is. For all those of you who have had the mistreated, misused, misinterpreted version I apologize on behalf of all Brussels sprouts everywhere.
You don't know what you're missin'.
Quite frankly, if you've had a nasty sprout it is likely because you did not have it the proper way: fresh (not canned), slowly roasted (not overcooked), and sprinkled with cheese.
Did the cheese part spark your fancy? Because, I mean really, anything with a good dose of cheese can't be bad right? That's what gives children the incentive to eat the second most dreaded greenery, broccoli.
But only a dab'll do ya. If the Brussels sprout is cooked properly, you only need a light sprinkling of cheese, preferably freshly grated Parmesan, to make it shine.
So let's get started redeeming these suckers, shall we?
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
-1 to 1.5 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- ground pepper (to your liking)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut off the ends of the sprouts and pull off dead or yellowed outer leaves. Cut sprouts in half. Place discarded ends & leaves in one bowl and halved sprouts in another. Dump the discarded pieces in the garbage. Mix halved sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper in their bowl, stir to combine.
3. Place sprouts halved side up on a greased cookie sheet and roast 35-40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside (take a taste test why dont ya??).
4. During the last 5 minutes, take sprouts out of oven and sprinkle Parmesan over top, and a pinch more salt if needed. Place back in oven for remaining 5 minutes.
5. Take out and serve- YUM YUM YUM.
Here they are, cut and ready (I put them on a pan first to make them look nicer for your viewing pleasure but you will simply put them in a bowl to mix with oil, salt, and pepper. It's all about presentation here folks.
Who could hate these cuties? Adorable, I tell you.
Get your oil and either sprinkle it right onto the pan or mix them together in a bowl, your choice.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake at 400 for 40ish minutes- taking out just before serving to sprinkle with Parmesan. Place back in oven to let the cheese melt a bit. Take out again and serve it up.
Now really. This is perfection on the plate and in the tummy. Greenery doesn't get any better than this.
I triple dog dare you to try it. You will be forever sorry you didn't discover their magnificence sooner. But no worries, you can always make up for lost time.
And pssst, for the record, even my 21 month old son devours these.
Just sayin'.
Just sayin'.


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Despite February being the shortest month, this one was a busy month! So it only makes sense that my February highlights post is bursting full. As always, there's a real mix of highlights but each one is special to me.
Valentine's Day
Some people love it, others hate it. Personally I love Valentine's Day and this year was no exception. Luckily I wasn't working late on Valentine's Day so we went out for a curry. It wasn't anything special but we didn't care, we just wanted to spend the time together. Anyway, who doesn't love a good curry? I bought him a Husky teddy because he's desperate for a real one and he bought me an Impractical Jokers phone case and a Tina Belcher mug.
BBs chicken fajita wrap
When I'm working I sometimes treat myself to a chicken fajita wrap from BBs at lunch time. I worked a lot throughout February so they kept me going. I know they bake the muffins in-store everyday but I'm pretty certain that they make the wraps, baguettes and sandwiches too. The filling includes chicken, cheese and vegetables with fajita seasoning. I'm not sure why I love them so much, they're just so tasty!
I gave blood
Until February it had been a long time since I'd given blood. I believe that everyone who can give blood should give blood. It's easy, almost entirely painless and essential for medical research and saving people's lives. Plus you get free biscuits when you're done, bonus! I got a text last week to say thank you for donating and that my donation had been sent to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. It's great to know where my donation has gone, it feels kinda weird but good too! To find out more about giving blood and the donation process then visit the NHS Blood and Transplant website.
My sassy new trainers
I don't know about you, but I've always been a Converse kinda girl when it comes to trainers. Well someone came into work not long ago wearing Adidas trainers and I fell in love with them. I mean the trainers, not the person! Unfortunately I couldn't find the exact pair but the ones I got are just as good. They're super comfortable and I've worn them almost everyday since I bought them. Oh and just in case you're wondering, it's these beauties that I'm going on about.
New Maroon 5 music
If you know even a little bit about me then you'll know that I love and adore Maroon 5 with all my heart. You only have to read my Twitter bio to know that I'm a mega-fan! Last month they released their brand new single Cold featuring Future. If you haven't heard it yet then check it out! The music video is a typical Maroon 5 video but I love it, and I'm sure you will too.
I went to church
In February one of my old school friends got confirmed which basically means he made a new commitment to God. Almost like a second baptism if you like. I never go to church, ever. In fact, until that day I was one of the biggest sceptics of Christianity and faith in general. I just went to support my friend, however I left feeling moved and curious about Christianity. Obviously I haven't become a Christian overnight but it's something I'm interested in and want to learn more about.
I passed my driving theory test
This is a big highlight and a very important one for me. I passed my driving theory test first time! I'll be honest, when I was in the test I didn't think I'd pass. I never failed a mock test when I practised at home but the questions seemed harder when I was doing it for real. Plus I wasn't 100% confident with the hazard perception part of the test. I didn't have anything to worry about though, because I passed! Yay!
I didn't think I'd have many February highlights to be honest because I worked everyday for nearly three weeks. I didn't get much time to myself but obviously that didn't matter, I still had a good month! Leave me a comment and tell me about your February. What was your highlight of last month?


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The Traffic Volume Maps by county for the years 1980 - 2016 are available as PDF files below, the file sizes range from 6.1MB to 19.5MB. To view, download, or print PDF files, you must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer.
To download a free copy of Adobe Reader, click here.
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I was skeptical at first when I saw the FIRST AID SHOT THERAPY bottle in my #SurfsUpVoxBox from Influenster. It reminded me of the 5 hour energy bottles...I was skeptical of those at first as well until I tried one when in Kansas City for Allison's Bachey party last December.
I quickly researched it to figure out what it was all about and it's known to help people overcome pains, headaches, body aches, or even hangovers.
I have problems with my lower back more times than not, so I knew I was going to wait to use it when my back was hurting to see if it really worked! (in the place of ibuprofen etc.)A few Fridays ago...I was getting my last minute to-do things checked off of my to-do list before I headed to Nashville with the girls.
Enters lower back pain and a headache. I did NOT have time to deal with that. First Aid to the rescue!
The flavor wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible!--But I didn't really care!
I am happy to say that it worked! Again...I was skeptical--I was ready to go out that day and buy some more (especially for the upcoming weekend I had planned!) I looked for them at Target but sadly couldn't find them!
Come to find out...they are only available in Seattle and Boston at the time. They are available on Amazon in multipacks...so I guess I'll just have to wait to get more until they are for sale down here.
Here is there ingredients list if you are curious as to how it works! ;)
All opinions are my own, products received to be reviewed courtesy of Influenster.


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Take a good look at God's wonders … they'll take your breath away …
Bless the Lord, O peoples! Give Him a thunderous welcome!
Didn't He set us on the road to life? Didn't He keep us out of the ditch?
He trained us first, passed us like silver through refining fires, brought us into
Hardscrabble country, pushed us to the very limit,
Road-tested us inside and out, took us to hell and back;
Finally, He brought us to this well-watered place.
Psalm 66:7a, 8-12
Right now, with all of the changes and adaptions taking place in my life, I'm feeling like I am in some 'hardscrabble country' …. being pushed to my very limits. Not quite at the point where I am being road-tested – so that I can fully articulate what I am specifically learning – but KNOWING and TRUSTING that God is/will be guiding me. He's keeping me out of the ditches. And as He promised, He's set me on the road to life.
I'm not sure where you are at within your journey today. Maybe similar to me, maybe you're closer to that road of completely understanding where you are on your map. Regardless, remember and celebrate with me right now … He has brought us to well-watered places before. So will He do again!
Take a good look at God's wonders … they'll take your breath away …
Bless the Lord, O peoples! Give Him a thunderous welcome!
pic pix: tonight – our first night away from Juju (yup, this Mama cried!), 14.Aug.2012, Calgary, AB


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May 2010
After an extensive market survey accros 94% of statistics collected in Europe in 2009 by the Euromcontact Board some interesting variations can be shown region by region.
Key: DD Daily Disposable; W/BW/M Weekly, Bi weekly and Monthly; CS Conventional Soft WearIn 2009 the survey covered by the participating companies showed a growth of 6.18% in sales of all soft lenses to a value of 1,156 millions (for all 22 countries collected).
The main survey where full stats were made available showed growth for the 11 reported countries was 5.7%, and the value and was valued at 1,052 millions. (coloured lenses are excluded from the report)(see Fig 1)
Growth broken down into wearing regime types show a marked growth in D/D lenses (+9.6%) and W/B&M lenses (+5.0%) but CS wear lenses are declining rapidly (-20.2%).
With a total of 9.69% of the 15-64 years old population wearing CLs, the Nordic region SE) is leading the penetration ranking, ahead of a new second this year, Switzerland (7.77%).Assuming 50% need vision correction, the Nordic region has an almost 20% penetration rate.The lowest is Germany (2.96%).
Silicone Hydrogels (Fig 4) now have above 50% share in the W/B&M segment (in total) in most countries. Only France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain are still below the 50% mark.
Russia is leading this line up with close to 80% of the value going to Silicone Hydrogels. Interesting to note, that Nordic, Switzerland, the UK-IE and the Netherlands, the four highest penetration countries, also have Si-Hy shares above 70%. Germany now has close to 60% Si-Hy ( (59.14%).
The report does go into details on rigid lens sales, as a significant proportion of rigid lens sales for example in the United Kingdom, Germany and in the Netherlandsare accounted for bycompanies not taking part in this survey.
The lens care market is still declining in almost all regions and the report look at totals in the largest segments HP Hydrogen Peroxide and MPS multi purpose solutions only.
The total Lens Care market across all 22 markets declined by 4.4% to 2237.5 million; 17 out of the 22 markets had a negative Lens Care growth.
MPS declined 1.6% in value, while HP declined by 6.6%. Together, HP and MPS make up 76.3% of the total LCP market.
The total MPS market value is 3.2 times the HP one. (see Table 4 for all countries, which had MPS and HP data per country)
This annual value of lens care per wearer is highest in Austria and lowest in UK-Ireland. Thedifference is 5.0 times! There can be several reasons. The main one is, that a major supplier ofLCP in the UK-IE is missing (SAUFLON).
Other factors could be that the prices in Austria are much higher or that the wearers in Austria are using more bottles in the year, or it can be a combination.
In conclusion, the largest soft lens wearer base is in the Nordic region, at 9.69% of all adults.The smallest soft lens wearer base among the reported 11 countries is Russia (0.68%, but there is no DD data provided from Russia. Lowest where data in all segments was available was Germany with 2.96% of adults (15 64yrs).In most countries, weekly/bi-weekly and monthly replacement lenses are the most commonlyused, with daily disposables particularly common in the Nordic countries, UK and Ireland andSwitzerland.
Daily disposables are a strong growth driver, even after more than 15 years from theirfirst introduction.
Among the W/B&M, the silicone hydrogel lenses are growing strong and are therefore driving thechange and growth.
Table 1: Reporting companies (in alphabetical order)AMOAlconAvizorBausch & LombCIBA VisionCooper VisionJohnson & Johnson Vision CareMenicon EuropeTable 2: Split of all 21 markets in segments (by value) for 2008Table 3: Markets assessedThe Nordic countries (NO-SE-DK-FI)The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (UK-IE)Austria (AT)Belgium and Luxembourg (BE-LU)France (FR)Germany (DE)Italy (IT)Russia (RU) (partial data only)Spain (ES)Switzerland (CH)The Netherlands (NL)Table 4: Markets collected, but not assessed in this reportUnited Arab Emirates (AE)Czech Republic & Slovakia (CZ-SK)Greece (GR)Hungary (HU)Israel (IL)Poland (PL)Portugal (PT)Romania (RO)Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SA)Turkey (TU)South Africa (ZA)


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And on the subject of enjoyment, I'm thoroughly enjoying Mark Kermode's book "It's only a movie" which so far is exactly like listening to or watching the man himself. Feels like a direct stream of his conciousnes that he's commited to paper with no commas, semi colons or full stops for breathing. Naturally I'm exagerating, but it does feel a bit like stepping onto an escalator that's actually running sideways not up and down. Takes time to adjust but wow, what a ride.
I should point out that I am everso slightly biased having been an avid listener of his (and Dr Mayo's) Friday afternoon radio 5 live movie review show (shorthand for which is wittertainment) for about as long as it's been running. And of course movies are a passion of mine so this just makes it unmissable but more so. Ever since my first proper movie "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in 197? at the Old Town cinema in Swindon I just can't take my eyes off the silver screen. So much so that I've even flirted with the idea of screenwriting and to be honest that idea and I still have unfinished business.
In fact, now I mention it, let me share with you my "pitch" for a TV/comedy/drama one off in two parts of an hour each to be aired over a Sunday and Monday night at 9pm on ITV or thereabouts. It's particularly timely because it's about the World Cup which as you'll know (unless you've been hiding under a rock somewhere) is due to kick off again this summer.
"They Think It's All Over"
"The day we won the world cup...outright"
Voice-over: The FIFA World Cup Trophy, was first presented at the 1974 World Cup to Germany's captain Franz Beckenbauer. Designed by Silvio Gazzaniga and produced by Bertoni, Milano, it stands 36.5 centimetres (14.4 inches in old money) tall. Its base is 13 centimetres [or 5.1 in] in diameter containing two layers of malachite. The trophy, which weighs 6.175 kilogram's in total, is made of 5 kilogram's (yes, that's 11 lbs) of 18 carat (75%) solid gold!! Oh, and it depicts two human figures holding up the Earth.
FIFA's regulations now state that the trophy, unlike its predecessor (which incidentally - is still gleaming), cannot be won outright. Instead, the winners of the tournament receive it on loan for four years and are given a replica to keep. Today, there are nine winners names engraved upon its base.
None of which say England…
Part 1
1. In the pub – 2006 WC – England go home
2. Lads walking home pissed formulate a kernel of an idea.
X: "Oh, bollocks!! – You know what we should do??, We should just go and take the damn thing off 'em. It's our game anyway!!"
3. Hungover in the morning
Y: "I've had a word with me uncle Z and he's going help us win the world cup"
X: "Haha, I've seen you're uncle Z and he couldn't help us win crufts"
Y: Indignant: "No! Serious! He said he's right up for it"
X: "What?? You mean?" beat "Us, actually going over there and nicking the world cup??"
Y: "Well that's what you said – and by all rights it's ours anyway"
4. X is Worrying about doing the job when he's got a girlfriend who wants to be a wife (love interest) and that's going to cost a mint anyway. Hmmm… so sod it! – We could nick the cup, melt it down in our barn, sell the gold on and be richer than a lottery winner. On top of which, we'll have won the bastard World Cup!!
5. Let's make a plan
Who is in ?? X, Y, Uncle Z, Dave and Duncan
Uncle Z meets, X & Y
X & Y introduce Uncle Z to Dave and Duncan
(Plan not revealed: go to france, nick the replica, on to Italy, swap them round, come home with the real one)
6. Off we go to the continent…
Oh no you don't X – not without love interest!!
X: "Oh, bollocks!"
LI: "But you promised we'd go to Ibiza"
X: "OK – We're going to Italy"
7. More planning
8. Y has to explain to his Mum where he's going
9. On the ferry – seasick – Dave & Duncan never been abroad before
10. In Paris – Dave & Duncan want to go sight seeing, Uncle Z finally gets stroppy with the pair of them and puts them straight. L.I. (as if she was a WAG) goes shopping while the lads try and do the business.
11. The Job – which involves a perfect ZZ Headbutt on a security guard – goes well-ish
12. Our boys are off again through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Italy.
Part 2
1. In-Rome – Lot's of bad driving
2. Casing the joint it appears the security is a bit more serious for the real cup than the dopey guard in Paris.
3. In the hotel, L.I. about to go shopping discovers the replica WC in a bag and rumbles what the boys are really up to. Confronts X who tells all, and how he didn't really want to do it, but Y had called his Uncle X and she wanted a holiday etc, etc. However, L.I. wants England to have the WC so decides to join in.
4. L.I. has to schmooze the security in Rome while the boys nip in the back and do the business
5. Leg-it!! Quick!! Run like bloody feck!!
6. It's coming home – The journey
7. How we going to get it through customs ?? Easy, Duncan & Dave have bought 5 replica (plastic World Cups while sight seeing, much to Uncle Z's annoyance in Rome – so everyone, including L.I. has one each carrying openly.
8. We did it – we did it! Let's go down the pub!!
9. In the pub with the world cup and the plastic one, so no-one really believes them. Fred (landlord) says you've just filled one of them plastic one's with lead.
10. Fred says "Who's for pickles??" while reaching for the pickled onions – at which point sky news comes on and shows the Replica WC was stolen in France!!
11. PC Plod says – you really did nick it?
12. Nah – we went to Italy – They think it's all over
13. TV news update – Actual WC stolen in Italy!!! - It is now! Plod gets his man.
Now, before you say anything I'm completely aware that it's nuts and bolts simple and that any fool can see how tab a fits slot b so it's not overtly intelligent. But then again, it's Sunday night escapism about England and Football! Seriously, How intelligent could it actually be!!! One other point, if anything like it ever shows up on our tellyboxes without my name on it, I will regretablly, have to sue because clearly I thought of it. The best outcome would be for me to sell it to them tellymakers before it all starts kicking off and getting ugly.
And with that I'm away to the Kitchen to make coffee and go back to bed. Goooooooaaaaalllllllll!


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Perfect Piecer
The Perfect Piecer, designed to accompany Jinny Beyer's book, Quiltmaking by Hand, is a simple tool designed to help hand quilters achieve perfect points and even stitching lines. The tiara-shaped template is not only a ruler and a miter guide but, it also includes all the common angles used in traditional quiltmaking; 90, 60, 45, 30, 22.5, 135 and 120 degrees.
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In five starts on turf this season, no horse has been able to head Silver Max. Whether that trend continues will be determined Saturday when the streaking three-year-old heads a field of nine in the Grade 2, $600,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.
Scratched from last week's Grade 3 American Derby, which was won by fellow Dale Romans stablemate Cozzetti, Silver Max will face a stiffer challenge in the Virginia Derby. The 1 1/4-mile test is three-sixteenths of a mile farther than Silver Max has ever traveled, and the competition is more talented, too.
Arguably the nation's leading three-year-old turf performer, Silver Max has enjoyed a whirlwind spring and summer with wire-to-wire tallies in the Grade 3 Transylvania, Grade 2 American Turf, Arlington Classic and Oliver. The latter, a one-mile event at Indiana Downs, proved an explosive performance as the Dale Romans charge drew off to win by 6 3/4 lengths over Cozzetti while setting a course record of 1:33 4/5.
While Silver Max is unbeaten on turf this season, Summer Front in unbeaten on turf, period. The Christophe Clement-trained son of War Front pushed his grass record to four-for-four with a heart-thumping rally in the Grade 3 Hill Prince at Belmont on June 16, overcoming traffic and a lack of racing room to prevail by a half-length as the 6-5 favorite. With nowhere to go with just over a sixteenth remaining, Summer Front ultimately found the needed space and darted clear while under virtually no encouragement from Ramon Dominguez.
In addition to the Hill Prince, Summer Front also registered stakes wins last season in the King Cugat at Aqueduct and the Dania Beach at Gulfstream. His first two starts this term were on the main track -- a second in the Grade 3 Lexington on Keeneland's Polytrack and an unplaced effort in the Grade 2 Peter Pan on the Belmont dirt.
Lucky Chappy, a stakes winner in Italy and multiple Grade 3-placed in the U.S., makes his return to action Saturday after nearly four months on the sidelines. The Team Valor-owned colt was last seen in Dubai, in the Group 2 U.A.E. Derby, where he failed to muster a rally in a seventh-place finish.
Optimizer, a son of grass champion and 2005 Virginia Derby winner English Channel, should fare better on his return to turf. A debut winner on the Saratoga grass last summer, he later finished a close second in the Grade 3 With Anticipation. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas kept the colt on the main track for his next 10 starts, with a second in the Grade 2 Rebel being his best finish. He was unplaced in all three legs of the Triple Crown this spring.
The remainder of the field, all of whom figure to be big longshots, include the multiple stakes-placed Easy Crossing and Mr. Handsome, and Grade 3-placed Finnegans Wake.
The Grade 3, $150,000 Virginia Oaks at nine furlongs on the turf features a field of seven three-year-old fillies, four of whom are exiting maiden wins. Zultanite figures to be a strong favorite off recent placings in the Grade 3 Boiling Springs and Grade 2 Sands Point.
The Saturday program also features three other $50,000 grass stakes: the Chenery for two-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs; the Tippett for juvenile fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs; and the Kitten's Joy for older horses at 1 1/16 miles.


text: A pleasant trove of work notes released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of The Grapes of Wrath. Editor DeMott (English/Ohio Univ.) accidentally dug up this brief manuscript material while researching another book on Steinbeck. It's presented here with copious critical apparatus, including introduction, commentary, critical notes, and illustrations (not seen). In fact, there is more spectacle than event to the finished product. Steinbeck's journal "entries" are mostly short, rushed notes exhorting himself to finish the book. They explain little about Grapes, and reinforce the impression of skeptical critics that he mechanically plodded through the novel filling average people with clichÇd speech. More compelling is Steinbeck's anxiety over external obstacles that arose during the book's five-month composition (June-October 1938), which shows him losing almost all control and confidence. He began the journal and novel shortly after the death of his brother-in-law, was constantly bothered by loan-seekers and self-doubt, and worried over everything from Hitler's war maneuvers to the sale of his house. "Did ever a book get written under such excitement," he writes, and collapses into disappointment when finished: ". . .it isn't the great book I had hoped it would be. It's just a run-of-the-mill book." Admirably compiled and annotated by DeMott, and a must for Steinbeck fans, this is an otherwise modest literary treat.


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IGNITE the Future of UCF
Faculty and students make a university great. Research and education — in turn — help make our society a better place for everyone. But what is the spark that ignites it all?
For UCF, it started when 89 donors came forward with a $1 million donation to secure the land that is now home to one of our nation's largest universities. Philanthropy is the spark that created UCF, and now we have embarked on an unprecedented campaign to raise $500 million.
UCF is challenging long-held assumptions about the role and scope of public higher education. We believe success can only happen when we expand opportunity and demand excellence. And with philanthropic support, we are poised to emerge as a new category of university, uniquely suited to meet the challenges and pursue the opportunities of our rapidly-changing world.
"I like to tell other alumni that UCF is your school forever. We all need to keep taking care of our school because I know that no matter where I am, I still belong to UCF."
Once a Knight, Always a Knight
Strength in Numbers
UCF alumni form a vast network of working professionals. Together, we engage in community service, offer scholarships and provide discounts on services and tickets to games and cultural events. Visit the UCF Alumni website to start making alumni resources your own.
Philanthropic donations from alumni, friends, community and charitable organizations enrich academic programs, help purchase equipment and allow UCF to continue to offer special opportunities to students and faculty. Contact the UCF Foundation for giving opportunities.
Alumni Resources
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Looking Ahead
Pegasus Magazine
Pegasus, the official magazine of the University of Central Florida, is published three times a year and mailed to more than 277,000 alumni, students, faculty and members of our community.
Featured StoryInsider's Travel Guide
UCF students from around the world share their best local travel tips.Read More from Summer 2019
Featured StoryUnstoppable
After becoming the first African-American woman to graduate from UCF's engineering program, Marcie (Swilley) Washington '83 worked for NASA, became an ordained minister, and survived her heart stopping for 22 minutes. Now, she's tackling her next challenge: cancer.
Featured StoryThe 2018 UCF Football Season in Review
The Knights' past two seasons have proven to be a lesson in resolve.
Featured StoryThe Strategists
UCF's programming team became first in North America by falling behind.
Featured StoryHow President Hitt Built a Legacy
Over the past 26 years, President John C. Hitt has grown UCF in size, standing and scholarship. But Hitt's ability to guide growth extends beyond the university and into the entire Central Florida region. Here are a few of his major accomplishments.


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Catamaran Sailing
Do you know the #1 thing visitors in Punta Cana wanna do? Get on a boat of course!
Once you set eyes on Punta Cana's glassy, transparent and aquamarine waters you'll understand why...
Now, we're gonna get YOU on a sleek, dual haul catamaran that glides along those enviable Punta Cana waters.
For a very Cozy price it's your day out on the Caribbean Sea to…
- Snorkel at one of Punta Cana's off-shore reefs - enjoy amazing visibility and a colorful underwater world in the tropics
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- Anchor's away at the natural swimming pool! - let this Caribbean scene play out as you relish waist-deep waters with rum in one hand and fresh pineapple in the other.
- Open bar: Rum - Beer - Soda - Juice - Water - You - Tipsy
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- Round trip transport
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Approximately 4 hours
Approx. Pick up Times: Morning (8am - 10am) / Afternoon (12pm - 2pm)
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Jenni Gwiazdowski, London Bike Kitchen
Jenni is the director of London Bike Kitchen, a bicycle shop and open DIY workshop where you can work on your own bike instead of giving it to someone else. They are a Do-It-Together education space.
We spoke to Jenni just two months into the Community Business Trade Up programme 2017/18. Let's see how she's getting on…
Why did you start this organisation?
Before this, I worked at a small environmental charity. I cut my teeth on marketing and really enjoyed that, but I didn't like the work environment. I was getting into bikes at the time, and bought old vintage frame to build up. It sat in my room for two years!
So I made a new year's resolution to just do it – then realised I didn't know where I could do that, and I needed space and skills! My flatmate at the time was Californian, like me, and suggested bike kitchens like they have there. They're such a great idea: volunteer-run spaces with huge tool libraries and second-hand parts.
For some reason I thought: there isn't really one in London, and I'm going to set one up. I was not a mechanic at all. I could fix a puncture and change my break-pads, and that was it! It actually helped being that naïve, because I was really pumped by the idea. If you knew how difficult it would be, you wouldn't do it! That was in 2011, and the London Bike Kitchen opened in March 2012.
Why is your organisation needed?
The majority of our customers are people living in borough of Hackney, which is getting gentrified, so we have a real selection of people coming in. Our bread and butter are young, white and male, working in tech. They bought into the idea immediately and were our first customers. But one of my goals from outset was to start a women and gender-variant night. I wanted to do something really inclusive to all types of women: trans-fem, gender variants, and all women. It was a volunteer of ours who's gender-variant who suggested our Women and Gender-variant group should be dubbed "the WAGs"!
The goal was for this group to be a stepping stone, because women don't generally feel welcome in workshop environment. It tends to feel very macho. So our WAGs workshops is the safe space, the gateway to other workshops. You get comfortable with the tools, then go into spaces that look similar, and you feel confident.
It was incredibly slow to begin with, because sometimes people just didn't show up, or just one or two would. Then we got more and more people coming, especially after being featured on BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour. Now we get 10 or 20 people to those sessions, and people consistently then move onto just the regular sessions. So now all our sessions are more mixed gender-wide. Drop-in sessions some days will be all women coming in. That wouldn't have happened at the beginning at all.
How would you describe the difference you're making to people and communities?
We work a lot with local charities to help their service-users, and with a local school. But my
time is limited, so I can't start up lots of these projects until we become financial sustainable. My focus now is on making the business run. As a social business that's a real tug of war: if I help the people that need it most, I can't survive.
How has the programme helped with that challenge?
I've only been on the programme for two months now, and I'm going for my third training session this week. So there have not yet been any drastic changes. But one thing that has materialised is that I feel I have people who are in the same boat as me. They have similar problems, and it's kind of nice to be able to come together with people and share the problems. We give each other ideas.
How have you found the action learning and learning in a cohort?
The action learning went really well. A lot of that is just being able to talk to people who are going to get what I'm going through, rather than people who are trying to tell me what to do. Prior to the programme, I didn't really have anyone like that. I mean, I have a really good group of friends, running their own businesses, but they're very commercial. And so trying to find someone who understand what it's like trying to juggle the commercial with the social side – it's really hard. It didn't feel like I was connecting with anyone on that subject. It's always good to talk about it my friends, but I don't want to bore them with how difficult things are. So being on the programme and finding people who get that has definitely been a good thing.
I've also been able to talk about personal issues with running the business in the action-learning sets. Then really breaking it down to: what are the practical steps going to be? What are the quick easy things I can start doing to make things easier for myself? In the last one I did, I realised it was about getting someone on board to do admin. I find that admin really slows me down and takes up too much of my headspace. Luckily one of our WAGs volunteers has moved to a job that's only four days a week, so she wants to spend the other day with us assisting us with stuff like admin.
Another nice thing that came out of the last action-learning set was when the facilitator asked the group: have you been in this situation before? And everyone said yes. I felt better – I'm not the only person who's gone through this. I think when people set out to do entrepreneurial projects, especially ones that are trying to juggle different values, sometimes the values don't necessarily go together. You can feel really conflicted and alone. So it's been a place for me to get out and not be in the workshop or office. It's being able to relate to people and not feel like you're alone.
How has the grant helped?
It's pushing me to do things that I don't like to do. I have to fill out all the finance forms! There are a couple of things potentially related to that. I've got a new finance volunteer who's really good with spreadsheets, who's pushing me to change our bookkeeping so we can get the grant.
I've also officially taken on a new workshop manager. He was volunteering last summer and is a friend, and I was planning to bring someone in anyway. The more we talked about things, he decided he wanted to do this and come on board. While he does cost a lot of money, he's here to focus on the repair side of the business. We need that side to generate income so we can sustain the teaching side, which is not-for-profit.
What would you say to someone considering applying to this programme?
Definitely do it! Even though the application is tough.
Also, I applied last year for a Scale Up programme, but didn't get it. Maybe it was good that I didn't, because this programme is actually a better fit for me. I would definitely encourage people to go for the Community Business Trade Up Programme if they've started but they're looking to step away from being the lynchpin – because it's really stressful thinking: if I go, the whole thing will collapse.
Is SSE helping you learn and develop your entrepreneurial and leadership skills?
Of course! Any chance to learn from other people who are going through the same things is invaluable. It's actually really nice.
One of the other projects is almost the same project as us, but in Bristol. We're in different cohorts, so it's really nice to work with people who work in completely different fields… but still able to then bounce idea off of another bike project having other issues that could arise for us in the future. A smart person learns from their own mistakes, a wise person learns from others!
I'm really looking forward to the rest of the programme – it's something that I'm really excited and honoured to be a part of, and I'm definitely enjoying it.
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