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6 Ways To Reduce Clutter Around The Home
Getting organized at home can be an incredibly daunting task. Sometimes it feels like an even bigger mountain to climb when your surrounded by clutter. So what's the best way to handle it and conquer it? Well, it may not be a one step process, but once you're through the task of reducing clutter and organizing your home, you'll be amazed at how much better you and your home will feel. Also, as an added bonus it's been said that by reducing clutter around the home, you'll help lower your personal stress level. Check out the 6 easy ways below to reduce clutter and create a happier home!
- Keep, Toss, Donate: It's time to get real with your home and come up with an action plan before tackling home clutter and organization. The best way to stay on track is to designate a place to put items you will keep, toss and donate. Whether you use garbage bags, boxes or containers find a good place to get everything where it needs to go. Try and be as ruthless as possible and make sure everything you decide to keep has somewhere it can be stored.
- Kitchen: When it comes to the kitchen, the problem area is usually the kitchen counters. Items will build up from repeated use and sometimes they just never get put away. So, start by cleaning and putting away anything on the counters that isn't an essential such as small appliances, paperwork, dishes etc. Make a nice home in your cupboards for these items to keep the out of sight but easy to reach and do your best to give everything else a home or toss it if it's not needed.
- Living Room: Whether you have a big family or a small family, items in the home will build up before you know it. Whether you are battling the constant war against toys and books or if you are just dealing with an overstuffed living room, try to get everything back to basics. If your dealing with shelving, clear everything off the shelves, give the furniture a good clean and slowly start adding items back into the room. Go slow and make sure your keeping what you really need and love. Keep your sorting boxes ( keep, toss and donate) close so you can make quick and easy decisions.
- Bathroom: A collection of bottles, glasses and containers tends to be the scene on most bathroom counter tops. However, there is an easy way to conquer this clutter by utilizing baskets, containers, and labelled bins. Whenever possible, keep all these items in the bathroom out of sight whether it be under the counter or in a storage unit. Make sure to keep everyday items close to the front for easy and frequent use.
- Bedroom: The bedroom is one place in the home that should be the most relaxing. Clutter can sometimes counteract the feeling of relaxation which is why it's important to keep your bedroom organized and fresh. The first place to tackle is the bed itself. Make sure your bed is exactly how you want it. Toss any pillows or blankets that just get kicked off anyways and only have what you love in terms of bedding. Another clutter spot is nightstand tables. They tend to collect little things and build up over time. To conquer this, keep only the essentials on the night stand top and keep anything else tucked away or in a drawer.
- Garage: Isn't the garage the perfect home for clutter and general stuff? While it may be a novel idea to keep everything and anything in the garage, make sure you are keeping it organized to maximize your storage. If it's possible keep your keepsakes, holiday decorations and anything else that may be extra important in a sturdy container that is clearly labelled and waterproof in case of emergency. If you have a work bench, spend some time getting all tools and extra parts into labelled compartments and drawers. Not only will organizing your garage be worth it, it will also help you spend less time looking for that pesky monkey wrench.
Do you have a unique way to conquer clutter around the home? Share it with us below!


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Jean-Claude Brizard remembers his first day as a physics teacher at George Westinghouse High School in downtown Brooklyn, N.Y. "I walked into the building and-I'll never forget it - there were kids all over the first floor hanging out," he says. The stairwells smelled of marijuana; several fights broke out that day. Still a rookie science teacher, the Haitian-born chemist had applied in 1990 to work there after associating its name with the Westinghouse Talent Search, famous for identifying top high school science and math students.
Instead of finding budding Nobel laureates, Brizard discovered a vocational school better known for its former students who went on to become rappers, recording industry stars like Lil' Kim, Jay-Z and the late Biggie Smalls. Students were not meeting state academic requirements; enrollment was dwindling; crime was rampant; teacher morale was in the dumps. George Westinghouse High School was on the state's radar for possible closure. Its curriculum, which trained students in fields such as jewelry repair and carpentry, failed to prepare them for today's labor market. Students faced few academic requirements and whiled away their days in so-called shop classes, making nameplates, menorahs. "Boy Scout projects," Brizard calls them, leaving students with "nothing you could take into the real world to get a good job. I hate to use the words dumping ground, but that's how many people regard vocational high schools." For the vast majority, Westinghouse was a dead end.
Looking around that first day at unruly students - some wearing skull-tight bandannas called "do-rags" and other insignia of the Bloods and Crips street gangs - and at dark, dingy hallways and graffiti-scrawled walls, Brizard saw weariness and fear on teachers' faces and wondered, "What the hell am I getting myself into?"
A decade later, Brizard, 37, has taken charge as to lead a daring experiment to reinvent George Westinghouse as the nation's first IT high school, where eventually all 1,100 students in grades nine through 12 will study computer programming or computer-aided design in addition to academic courses. In New York City, where, as Brizard puts it, "Every cab driver has a Cisco book on his seat," Westinghouse's mission is unique: to train high school students for IT careers. The goal is to produce students who can go on to college or straight into jobs as certified technicians and programmers, a partial answer to the ongoing shortage of skilled IT workers. If Brooklyn's "IT High" succeeds, it could serve as a model for the overhaul of outdated vocational high schools, most of which are scrambling to keep pace with a changing economy and rising academic expectations. Early signs at the school - students' enthusiasm, a renewed commitment from faculty (after some staff turnover) and parents who have rallied support after some early resistance - say that it will.
Educational reform is not an easy business. George Westinghouse High School's transformation came about through the commitment of three skillful leaders. There was Brizard, the school principal; Brian Cosgrove, a savvy ex-cop who got his company, the Securities Industry Automation Corp. (SIAC), involved in the inner-city school; and Charles B. McQuade, chairman and CEO of SIAC, who saw education as the best way his company could make a difference in its neighborhood, and has supported employees' donating their time to do it. "This was not some PR job," McQuade says. "You know the type - adopt a school, go over there one day a year to paint, some crap like that. This was the result of sustained commitment."
Schools are top-of-mind for employers and policy-makers alike. In January, then President-elect George W. Bush met with 16 high-tech executives who identified education of IT workers as a priority for the economy. The U.S. Department of Education issued a report in December that said it would focus more on how new technology can be used to improve learning rather than simply advocating more classroom computers get installed. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and others have donated millions to promote schools that emphasize technological literacy, which to them means more than delivering computer boxes to classrooms.
George Westinghouse High School, an inner-city school that caters to a low-income minority community, fits this bill. It's not an exam school. Its new curriculum emphasises computer programming, LAN and WAN networking skills, computer-aided drafting, and website building and design, in addition to studies in the humanities and science. Shop classes like jewelry repair are out. Java is in. And here's where Cisco certification comes in: George Westinghouse students will take classes to prepare them for exams in network installation, support, network engineering and design.
The Corporate Stake in IT High
From his 10th-floor office, McQuade, SIAC's 58-year-old chairman, commands a sweeping view of the lower Manhattan skyline. "If it weren't for that sign," he says cheerfully, glancing at a billboard atop a nearby roof, "it would be almost perfect." McQuade was less happy in 1990, when SIAC moved from Wall Street to MetroTech, a high-tech office complex in downtown Brooklyn, a block from George Westinghouse High School. "We knew it would get better, but it was a dump when we got here," he says. SIAC's computer systems keep the stock markets running. After a series of terrorist bombings on Wall Street in the 1980s, SIAC's parent company, the New York Stock Exchange, suggested the move. "Plain and simple, we didn't want everything in one location," he says.
MetroTech breathed new life into a once-blighted area. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce bills it "Wall Street West" or "New York's Left Bank," an alternative to Manhattan's high rents that has attracted companies such as SIAC, Bear Stearns & Co., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Keyspan and a Marriott Hotel. Across a landscaped courtyard are Polytechnic University and New York Technical College; nearby are headquarters for the New York City Fire Department's and the Police Department's emergency systems.
But only a few blocks away are some of the city's worst housing projects - Ingersoll and Whitman, names intoned as if to suggest prisons - and neighborhoods like Fort Greene, associated with drugs, street crime and gang turf wars. Fights between the Bloods and Crips, some of whose members are students from George Westinghouse High School, occasionally have spilled into the courtyard in front of SIAC's offices.
Wall Street seemed a world away. "It was depressing, at first," says McQuade. "We felt a little like frontiersmen." A few people left the company, but, overall, SIAC's 1,400 employees have experienced less crime in Brooklyn than on Wall Street. Also, fear works both ways. When the company invited local kids to a Christmas party, some hesitated at the door, asking a security guard, "You're sure we're allowed in here?"
In 1987, SIAC hired Cosgrove, now 57, an 18-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, to assess security issues related to the planned move across the East River. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Cosgrove retired as a homicide detective in 1982, as the result of severe injuries he suffered trying to stop a rape. He's now head of SIAC's corporate communications and community relations departments, but says he still misses the challenge of police work. As a cop, he won numerous citations for excellence in community outreach.
Cosgrove caught McQuade's notice in 1990, at a function both attended at Brooklyn's Borough Hall. "Congressmen, assemblymen, state senators, judges, everybody knew Brian," McQuade says. "He has an innate talent for putting people together and making things happen."
Brooklyn's mean streets were an eye-opener for McQuade. "On Wall Street, we hid behind [our] parents [at the NYSE] when it came to charitable involvement," he says. "We really didn't think about it. In Brooklyn, we couldn't cop a poor boy posture. We were visible and probably perceived to be bigger than we are."
After giving it some thought, McQuade decided the company could best help the community through initiatives in the schools. After some scouting, Cosgrove came up with the first project in 1992, at PS 287 in Fort Greene, where 30 SIAC employees volunteered to tutor students at the elementary school. By 1994, this tutoring effort had evolved into the nation's first e-mentoring school program, with students and volunteers communicating by e-mail. Since then, Cosgrove's team of volunteers has grown to more than 200. Volunteer work is done on company time, provided employees meet their project deadlines at the office. Last year, the volunteers put in 7,000 hours at 13 Brooklyn public and private schools. In the past 10 years, SIAC has given out 37 scholarships to Brooklyn high school students; 14 have become full-time employees, and 18 of the scholarship winners are still in school. The nearby tech college students, who intern summers at SIAC, take real-life work experience back to the classroom, which, in turn, keeps professors sharp.
"Our work in the schools started as a sort of altruism," says McQuade. "But the payback is far more than we expected. We're looking at the schools as a potential future source of recruitment. We're giving kids a taste for technology. It's a terrifically rewarding program for us in both attracting and retaining people to work here. Even our employees who aren't volunteers like the idea that the company is involved in the community."
A Radical Proposal
In 1998, Cosgrove went to the New York City Board of Education with a radical plan to create a high school to train IT workers. He suggested George Westinghouse High School "because we wanted a school that would really serve the kids from central Brooklyn," he says. The board-normally intractable, a nest of politics-knew of SIAC's work in the schools and liked the idea.
As he developed the plan, Cosgrove consulted with educators at Long Island University, New York City Technical College and Polytechnic University, and a think tank called the Center for Children and Technology. In early 1999 the Board of Education faxed a copy of the proposal for IT High, as it came to be known, to the school principal, who ignored it for months.
In June 1999, the principal resigned, and Brizard, then an assistant principal, was given the job. "I needed a principal who could save the school," says Rose Albanese-DePinto, then superintendent for the Brooklyn and Staten Island high schools and a key supporter of Cosgrove's plan. "If we didn't immediately attack the problems [at Westinghouse], it would end up as a school under state registration review. That's a terrible thing to happen to any school, a label that means you're a failing school - and everyone in the city and in the state will know it. When we interviewed J.C. [Brizard] I felt that he understood the charge. Most important, he really cares about children."
In September 1999 - a year before the launch - there was still a feeling of impending doom among teachers and students, who feared the school might close and become an office building or dormitory for one of the technology colleges. "I looked at it as if we had a child in the emergency room," says Brizard. Teachers who heard rumors about IT High feared for their jobs. The academic and vocational teachers refused to share a table in the cafeteria. Parents demanded to know what was going on. Around the school, the phrase IT High turned into a joke.
The Want Ads Moment
The turning point came at Brizard's first meeting with the PTA. The agenda was "An Evening with the Principal," and a roomful of angry parents and teachers awaited him, some holding placards that read "Save Jewelry Making" and "Save Vocational Education."
Brizard had been warned, and he entered the room smiling and calm. Then he got down to business. "OK, you guys want to save jewelry making, fine," he said to them. "How many kids have you placed in industry in the past 20 years? Twenty-five years? Thirty years?" They couldn't name more than three or four kids. He pressed on: "When you have a class of 28 a year who graduated from this program, and you can name only three or four kids over 30 years, what kind of service are we giving our kids?" A few people still insisted that jewelry making is a great option. Brizard replied that his wife is an artist: "She has a degree in art, she loves jewelry making - but she's a medical assistant."
Next, Brizard held up the employment ads from the newspapers and told them he couldn't find a single job ad for jewelry making. "I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I couldn't find any," he said. Using The New York Times he showed the dozens of ads offering high pay for programmers. "What we're trying to do here is not to kill vocational education, but to reinvent it to roll with society, to change," he said. "A+ certification [for Cisco networking skills] is a real vocational program. You can't get that option anyplace else." After the speech, the placards disappeared.
Oriel Creese, the PTA president, says some parents worried that the new curriculum was being rolled out too fast. "People do not like change that much," she says. "But I told them that at my office there are a lot of changes. New things come up, and you just have to get in line with it, even if you don't like it. So it's better for the children to meet change now because that's how the world is."
Since the new IT curriculum was launched in September, it's too soon to quantify success. Even so, teachers and students already point to positive change. This fall the school had only 31 suspensions, compared with 90 during the same period last year. "The perspective has changed," Brizard says. "Kids want to come to school."
The Bear in the Halls
One day last winter, I visited the school, where Brizard - "Mr. B." to students, "J.C." to colleagues - took me on a tour, pointing out recent improvements: freshly painted walls, better lighting, new hallway lockers, emblematic of the school's rising self-esteem. At 6 feet 5 inches and 250 pounds, Brizard is no pushover. "They also call me 'The Bear,'" he says, smiling. Seeing him approach, a student stuffs the knit cap he was wearing into his pocket. "No hats, no do-rags, no gang colors," Brizard tells me. "Those are the rules." In the past, when trouble was brewing, kids would come to school with greased faces, making it easier to slip the hold of combatants.
Today the hallway fills with greetings: "Good morning Mr. B.," "Mr. B., can I talk with you later?" Brizard seems to know everybody's name. It's that kind of concern that has won students' respect. When the bell sounds for class, the hallway quickly clears. If Brizard has restored discipline and made the school safe for learning, he is also viewed as a hero who saved the school.
At a tech meeting in SIAC's boardroom a day earlier, students, parents and faculty reviewed the school's progress. Ainsley Stewart Jr., an 11th-grader and school chapter president of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), spoke up. "All we have in the library are books," he complained, urging the school to get more computers. Brizard saw Stewart in school early the next morning, preparing for his next NSBE meeting. "We're working on the computers for the library," the principal said.
Students react seriously to Brizard's commitment to make them graduates of the George Westinghouse Information Technology High, which will soon be the school's official name.
"I think we wouldn't even have a school without Mr. B.," 12th-grader Clivia Neptune tells me. At this year's high school fair, a citywide event for junior high school students gathering information about high school options, Neptune was one of 40 Westinghouse student volunteers handing out fliers and boasting about her "new" school. "It used to be if you told somebody you go to Westinghouse, they'd go, like, 'Oh my god, you go to that that jailhouse!'" she says. "Things were so bad here, one of my friend's hair got set on fire!" The worst incident was in November 1991, when intruders broke into the school and shot a student in the back, leaving him paralyzed.
But today there's no mistaking joy when I visit one of seven computer labs, where students sit with rapt attention, fingers flying across keyboards as they begin to master the basics of Java and C++. When the bell signals the end of class, they look up, surprised, reluctant to leave their PCs. Nobody's worried about becoming a geek. Here, in Brooklyn, a few blocks from some of the city's worst housing projects, the students of George Westinghouse High School think coding is cool - or "tight," the current slang.
"I'm not going to mention names, but I have a friend who's a gang member, and he's really into programming" says 10th-grader Kayon Pryce. "It's having a really positive influence on his life."
Finishing up the first year, there's a lot more to do. Brizard says that the IT High plan calls for installing US$4 million worth of new hardware and US$2 million in installation services - money from federal and private grants and the school district - of which US$220,000 had been spent by February. SIAC's involvement in the setup of IT High comes from its employees. Volunteers from the company designed and installed a LAN system to support some 300 PCs and video equipment - for security and instruction - and set up Internet access. SIAC employees also have volunteered to train teachers and mentor students.
The faculty, meanwhile, continues to ramp up. Brizard offered teachers the chance to train as technology teachers. Only a few left; some retired. Sal Contes Jr., a Westinghouse graduate and certified programmer who was teaching at the school, became the technology director. This past fall, he taught basic programming to ninth-graders, the students who will be the first class to complete the IT curriculum in 2004. "People used to say that the kids at Westinghouse weren't so bright," Contes says. "Well, now I call these kids my mini-hackers. They come up with terms I don't know yet. They're learning all this stuff on the Internet. They'll say, 'We know this, this is nice, but what about...?' It's all I can do to stay one step ahead - and I love it."
Cosgrove, the SIAC champion of IT High, is now advising Brooklyn Tech, one of the city's premiere engineering high schools, how to get in step with the marketplace. "What we're doing is giving kids knowledge - something nobody can take away from them," he says.
McQuade offers some pointers: "Companies need to realize that if you want to overcome the shortage of IT workers, you've got to attack the 'digital divide.' To get at that, you need to find people in your organization who are willing, and then you have to give them some time to really get something done. You have to pick a school where there is real leadership you can work with and that needs help and wants help. And you have to focus your effort and try to make a difference in a place; let the next organization take on the next problem. I think if everybody did that you'd impact a lot of schools in a positive way. A lot of these kids are impressed by the fact that there are some adults in suits who actually are interested in what happens to them and cares. I think if you deliver on that commitment, you'll probably never get paid for it, but you certainly won't get hurt by it."
Brizard likes knowing that his IT students will go out into the world with measured skills. "In the past, vocational students had only the teacher's recommendation to show a prospective employer. So a teacher gives you a stamp of approval, what does that actually mean? But if I can say that 90 percent of my kids in the Cisco program passed certification, then I've got a real measure. No one can say that we cheated or fixed the numbers or that we are giving somebody a false sense of hope."
Albanese-DePinto, now the senior superintendent for New York City high schools, says that Brizard is special. Twice named teacher of the year among Brooklyn and Staten Island high school faculty, his classes averaged a passing rate of 80 percent on the New York State Regents physics exam. In 1995 everyone passed.
Brizard says he taught his students as if they would pass the state test. "I believed in their capacity," he says. "For many years you saw a pool of untapped talent here. Kids who could have. Look at somebody like [U.S. Secretary of State] Colin Powell who got a break. His world changed. I tell my kids, there's a big world out there beyond Brooklyn."
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

subset: commoncrawl


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Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. On Saturday, 28 January it will be the year of the Rooster, so while celebrating it is important to ensure that all those enjoying themselves are safe from the risk of fire.
Many people will be celebrating at home - cooking while entertaining or relaxing with family or friends. It may be easy to be distracted and therefore more vulnerable to fire.
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service understand that the New Year festivities are very special to Chinese communities, as it is a period of good luck and starting afresh, but by taking just a few simple precautions you can greatly reduce the risks for yourself and your family.
Follow our safety tips to celebrate safety:
Flying Lanterns
Flying (Chinese) lanterns are popular for Chinese New Year celebrations. Research has shown that in some cases embers from the fuel cell of the lantern can continue to glow for several minutes after the flames have gone out. There is also the very real possibility that hot, glowing embers can fall from the lantern as it flies and could land on people or animals.
The lanterns are often seen as a gentler alternative to fireworks, but the potential risks they carry are high and although they are not banned - there is already a complete ban on the lanterns in Germany and Australia - Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service would not recommend their use.
Make the call to request free Home Safety advice call free on: now 0800 05 02 999. For any other fire safety advice, contact the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue helpline on: 01392 872288.
Member since: 10th July 2012
Hi, I am Dave, I run thebestof Exeter along with my colleagues. If you want to promote your business or event, get in touch with us on 01392 349 130.


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I Documented Daily Lives Of Afar People
There are 3 million Afar people spread across 3 countries in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.
In the northeast of Ethiopia, in the area of Semera, i met Afar children who are happy to go to school. But each day, they are unsure if they will be able to attend class as for months now, they have had to carry out a vital task first: searching for water.
For their families and for themselves, to bring to school with them. In the arid territory where they live, they have been suffering the most severe drought in 50 years according to the United Nations.
More info: ericlafforgue.com
There are 3 million Afar people spread across 3 countries in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti
In the fields around the main river, named the Awash, everything appears to be fine – corn is everywhere
It is just strange seeing camels and cows grazing in the fields. But if you look closer, you can see that the plants are very small. This is the green drought – the area experiences a period of limited rainfall which causes new but insubstantial plant growth. Scientists say that the El Niño phenomenon is responsible for this tragedy.
Having their children go to school is something rather new in the Afar culture
The Afars have always been nomadic people, famous for the tribal wars they waged with their neighbors, the Issas. They would move from one place to another in search of grass for their camels and cows. But times are changing. The parents know that this way of life is coming to an end and for the last 10 years, an increasing number of families have settled down to give their children a chance to go to school.
As the area is very windy, a lot of dust gets blown everywhere, which increases the feeling of thirst for the children
It is also impossible to grow plants for protection from the heat and the wind, so people live inside their "barra," the traditional windowless hut with a very small entrance…
Schoolchildren leave their small villages early in the morning, when the sun is not too harsh yet
Many will walk for an hour before reaching the first pump, which is 1 kilometer away from the school
If they are lucky, they will find water. If not, they will have to walk another 5 kilometers – for nearly 2 hours – to get to another pump. Provided that the well is not dry or the pump is not broken, they will then be able to go to school with their yellow jerricans filled with water…
In school, the water is used to do some cleaning – dust is everywhere and covers the children's faces
It is also used for the toilets and of course for drinking, as temperatures can rise up to 40 degrees. The children must also save some water so they can keep hydrated on their way back home in the afternoon…
The school in the Semera area was built in 2012. It offers elementary and middle school classes to 230 children and employs 13 teachers (not Afars)
The school director, says that before the drought, the main challenges were receiving educational books, pens or chalk for the blackboards. But now, the main problem is finding water
Many children arrive tired and late in the morning after searching for water – not the best condition to learn
Everyone has to walk around to find water in this area – cars, buses or any modern means of transportation are rare or cannot go across the sandy desert.
Many schoolchildren who do find water in the morning are not allowed to go to school
It is vital for them to have water in this extremely hot area. They have traded their school backpacks for yellow jerricans in order to survive.
Pipelines run through the desert to transport water from the Awash river to the fields of large factories
A small bypass would suffice to bring water to the school but it costs money. Before every election, politicians promise that they will build it. But after the elections, nothing happens.
One giant sugarcane factory pumps a lot of water from the river
They have taken the best lands from the Afars. As factories also use a lot of pesticides, the Afars fear that soon, the water will be polluted and not suitable for human or cattle consumption.
The tribes must stay in the areas assigned to them by the government
If not, the children cannot go to school and they will not receive food aid. As they say, they are trapped. They have no choice if they want to survive.
The only thing that they can rely on – as their ancestors have for centuries – are their camels and cows
They can carry their houses, food, water and they provide the Afars with milk that can quench their thirst and feed them. But even animals need to drink…
When it is time to leave the Afar people, I give the children a Polaroid picture. An old woman approaches and shouts angrily, "We've had a big drought here for years. We don't need your pictures. We, the Afars, don't eat paper!"
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Torfaen Voluntary Alliance (TVA)
We are the voluntary council for the County Borough of Torfaen (a registered charity and company limited by guarantee). Our role is to support, promote, develop and represent voluntary and community groups in the county. TVA's objective is to achieve an effective and professional service to the community which is second to none and which will be an example of good practice to the highest standards.
Core Services
Our Core services are outlined below. Please click the links for further information.
We act as advocates for volunteers and volunteering, promoting good practice and recognition of the extremely valuable contributions made by volunteers. We endeavor to cater for all requirements and match up volunteers to the right placements….. Read more.
Support for Voluntary Organisations & Charities
Joining TVA gives you access to all kinds of services and facilities such as training, funding, support services, access to our extensive networks both on/and offline, opportunities to attend conferences, seminars, and more…… Read more.
We are linked to a wide variety of organisations that are helped by volunteers, and have over 180 volunteering opportunities on our files. We are constantly seeking to widen the variety of opportunities we can offer so would love to hear from organisations who need volunteers.
In order to encourage learning we work in partnership with WEA, Coleg Gwent and Adult and Community Education which enables us to offer a variety of courses. A calendar of courses is regularly produced to show what is being delivered by TVA in the near future and can be found using the following link…… Read more.
This section provides more detailed information regarding the various projects & initiatives that TVA is involved with, supporting Torfaen communities for lasting beneficial change.


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flotation free polyus natalka has world's largest gravity plant with 52 concentrators posted by paul moore on 21st march 2018 in our second polyus update, following a media briefing in london as part the polyus capital markets day attended by im, we look at the huge natalka gold project.
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flotation free polyus natalka has world's largest gravity plant with 52 concentrators posted by paul moore on 21st march 2018 in our second polyus update, following a media briefing in london as part the polyus capital markets day attended by im, we look at the huge natalka gold project.
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That's a lot of eggs. 45 to be exact.
What were we going to do with all those eggs?! Jackson ate the first dozen for part of his breakfast and snacks. Then we dyed 18 more and then a few days later we had our annual family dye-o-rama party and I only had 15 eggs in the fridge so we dyed what we had.
I guess I could make egg salad with some of the eggs...who am I kidding? Of course I'm going to make egg salad! I make egg salad after dying eggs every year!! It's one of my favorite kinds of sandwiches! I feel like I forget about how delicious egg salad is until we dye eggs and have such a huge excess of hard boiled eggs in the fridge that I have to do something with them all.
I (of course) made up my own tasty version of egg salad. It includes all the normal ingredients and then I added some of my favs: bacon (who doesn't love salty, smoky bacon??) and horseradish. We love tangy, spicy horseradish in our house. I think it's very underutilized in cooking and sandwich making. There are a lot of sauces out there with horseradish in them but in my humble opinion, not enough.
The bacon gives this egg salad just the right amount of smokiness to compliment the sharpness of the onions and the horseradish gives it just the right amount of zip. Mmm-mmm, I think I'll make myself a sandwich and eat it while I write this.
I didn't really have a recipe written down for my egg salad (I just kinda threw all the ingredients in the bowl and added more until it tasted just right) but for the sake of my blog I measured every ingredient out and finally wrote everything down in my recipe book from my Mom. Hopefully writing the recipe down will inspire me to make egg salad more...
Enough chit chat, here's what you've all been waiting for, my egg salad recipe:
Egg Salad with Bacon and Horseradish
- 9 hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped
- 3/4 cup red onion chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- 2-3 pieces of crispy bacon crumbled or 2 tablespoons real bacon bits
- salt and pepper to taste


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Do you ever feel like life has no meaning? no flavor? no point?...like why am I here? what is my purpose? Just writing the questions makes me feel a little melancholy. But I think that's the point: the more we dwell on "purposelessness" the more pointless life feels, the less good we feel, less happy, less able to fulfill our God-given purpose.
I heard a story once that discouragement is Satan's most prized tool -- no smell, no taste, virtually undetectable, and we eat it up. It's so easy to fall for this age-old trick.
Well, I've decided that I will no longer allow that to be the case for me. My thought life belongs to me and I will choose which thoughts will stay and which must leave! One way I've learned to overcome discouraging thoughts is to dwell on and pray through the Scripture. Several books have been written on praying the scriptures, but one of my favorites is the one written by Beth Moore. It helps you personalize and take hold of the Scripture and what it means for your situation.
There are a couple scriptures that really mean a lot to me when I'm feeling down and out, and today I'd like to share them with anyone who will read on...
Eph 1:11-12 (The Message) "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone."
Romans 8:28-29 (CEV) "We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, and he has always known who his chosen ones would be."
1 Peter 2:9 (NLT) "...for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light."
Psalm 138:8 (NIV) "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands."
Isaiah 43:7 (NIV) "...everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
I am so glad to be called by His name! To be His chosen possession! To know that He is working in me, through me, and for me! So take heart! You too are called by Him and for His purpose. YOU are His special, prized, chosen possession. He loves you and He WILL accomplish His purpose for you if you will only let Him.
Turn off the discouragement channel and tune into the promises of God...they are YES and AMEN!


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Why CiviCRM Long Term Support (LTS) is importantSubmitted by jackrabbithanna on April 26, 2018 - 12:26
Long Term Support (LTS) releases of CiviCRM are versions that are maintained for use by organizations for multi-year periods of time. The first official version of CiviCRM released as a LTS was version 4.4 and announced in October of 2014. 4.4 was the official LTS version until CiviCRM 4.7 was released, at which point version 4.6 was officially designated as the new LTS.
4.6.34 Released and LTS Year in ReviewSubmitted by jackrabbithanna on December 21, 2017 - 09:41
Does this version...?
Fix security vulnerabilities?
Change the database schema?
Alter the API?
Require attention to configuration options?
CiviCRM Entity 2.0-beta-11 Released - New Admin config pageSubmitted by jackrabbithanna on November 13, 2017 - 14:52
Today, Skvare has released a new version of CiviCRM Entity, 2.0-beta11. This release contains a new feature, an admin configuration page which allows site administrators to disable exposure of entity types to Drupal.
CiviCRM Entity is a Drupal module which exposed CiviCRM API entity types as native Drupal entity types, providing Views, Rules, Entity Reference field integration, and Drupal native pages and forms for each. It supports both CiviCRM 4.6 LTS and CiviCRM 4.7.
Developing with CiviCRM Entity and the Drupal APISubmitted by jackrabbithanna on July 17, 2017 - 08:23
If you are a Drupal developer coming new to CiviCRM, it can be a bit of a "culture shock" to realize that CiviCRM is not your typical Drupal module.
CiviCRM has a separate and independent evolution and ecosystem, and its standard practices and APIs reflect that. From installation of the module itself, to creating customizations and modifications of its standard behavior, you are entering into a different "world" when you implement and develop client solutions with CiviCRM.
CiviCRM Entity 2.0-beta7 ReleasedSubmitted by jackrabbithanna on April 28, 2017 - 08:36
CiviCRM Entity 2.0-beta7 has been released.
Pick it up now at the Drupal.org Project Page
Changes since beta6:
CiviCRM Entity - Using Drupal Search and Facet APIs with CiviCRM DataSubmitted by jackrabbithanna on March 29, 2016 - 05:57
There are two powerful modules used in the Drupal world for creating fast custom searches. Search API is a framework which provides an interface for site builders to create custom searches on any entity known to Drupal. It supports several search backends, including Apache Solr and native database search. It has a flexible API so developers can easily extend, customize, and alter aspects of the search process.
CiviCRM Entity - Working with CiviCRM Contacts on Drupal Node Edit Forms Using Inline Entity FormSubmitted by jackrabbithanna on March 18, 2016 - 08:40
It's becoming a common request from our clients to find user-friendly ways to integrate CiviCRM data with the rest of their Drupal website functionality. Oftentimes content creators without direct user access to CiviCRM need to do simple things, such as create, update, and delete contacts in simple, specific ways.
CiviCRM Entity -- Upcoming and Future DevelopmentSubmitted by jackrabbithanna on March 10, 2016 - 15:49
CiviCRM Entity is a Drupal module which greatly enhances CiviCRM integration with Drupal. This module exposes many CiviCRM entities as true Drupal entities. That means that almost any module can use Drupal entities. As a result, these modules can access and manipulate CiviCRM data directly from within Drupal via Drupal's Entity API.
Drupal/CiviCRM Integration - CiviCRM Entity and Webform CiviCRMSubmitted by jackrabbithanna on September 19, 2013 - 16:11
Example Use Case
This example is a one event page which has tabs of many types of content and views attached which allows a anonymous user to view the info, see registered participants, register for the CiviCRM event via one webform which also automatically creates a contact, membership, active drupal user, and participant event registration to the event, logs in the user, and sets his user entered password via text field on the webform. Skvare has developed similar solutions for clients using these methods.


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Come for the Asparagus, Stay for the History
Nestled in the Darling Ranges in the beautiful Bickley Valley is a small family farm producing white asparagus and offering luxury cottage accommodation in one of the most picturesque landscapes in the outskirts of Perth.
This charming cottage was originally built by George Sydney Putland in 1914, who bought the land unseen from his home in London with the dream of setting up an orchard.
The Smeets family have now been growing white and green asparagus on the land surrounding the cottage for the last 30 years,
Wanting to share with people their beautiful location and the fascinating history of the cottage, Harrie and Petra Smeets lovingly restored the old cottage last year into a beautiful luxury getaway.
Surrounded by stunning scenery, boutique wineries and close to the historical village of Kalamunda, Bickley Valley Cottage provides a great setting for a much needed getaway.
While Harrie is in charge of organically farming the land, Petra is an incredible cook (especially when it comes to baking!). Petra creates everything form fresh bread, home-style jams, toasted muesli and her own yoghurt, making for a uniquely delicious breakfast basket.
Both are passionate about fresh and local produce, and there is definitely no shortage of great thing to be found in the Bickley Valley, form wonderful wines to fresh fruit and vegetables.
Bickley Valley Cottages won Best New Business in the Kalamunda Chamber of Commerce Awards in 2015.


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Years One and Two
Year One and Two education here at RGS The Grange ensures learning is deliberately Creative and Imaginative, aiming to ignite the natural curiosity of our young pupils. We teach the children through a Topic-based approach; all the Topics have been carefully planned to cover English, Maths, Geography, History, Art and Science.
The children are truly immersed in their learning; they can make connections between ideas and themes. The Class Teacher leads the majority of the learning, with the exception of specialist teaching for Music, PE and Games, Computing and French.
Year Two sees the option for the children to go on their first Residential Trip and involves a two night stay away from home. Daytime activities will include a muddy challenge and a zip wire. The trip helps with resilience, challenges, social skills and friendship groups, and becoming a little more independent.


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- Personne
Kate Robertson married Allen Rae who had come to Canada from Scotland at age 21. They had a son (Oswald) and two daughters (Retta and Minnie). Minnie was born on January 17, 1888. The family left their farm in Manitoba as the wheat froze each winter. They came to Squamish in February 1889 where Kate's parents had alrady pre-empted. Allen hoped to find gold. They pre-empted near the present day railway shops.
Kate and Allen had seven more sons in Squamish: Thomas Edgar was the first white child to be born in the Squamish Valley (March 8, 1889), Wilfred (1891), Robert Stewart (1893), Herbert Lawson (June 15, 1894), Maurice (1896), Lawrence Johnson (1900), and Jimmie (around 1902).
Allen joined the hop industry around 1894. He grew hops in an area now known as North Yards. The farm would be 160 acres and was separated in 1921 when the Mamquam River changed its course. In 1904, Allen sold 20 acres of land to Jimmy Neil.
Allen died when he was blasting stumps on his farm. He did not wait long enough after he thought the fuse had gone out. The house near the railway shops was destroyed by a flood in 1908.
Around 1910, Kate bought a boarding house beside the Bracken Arms for the men working on the Howe Sound Northern Railway. The Lews, and then the Armstrongs were the successive owners.
Kate married Hugh Henry Mills in 1912. They lived in the house where Norm Halvorson later lived in 1984.


text: 2 years ago by Head first into consulting I'm going to start consulting on the side for folks. I think I'm at the point in my career where I can help folks out with tech problems from both a high level as well as the nitty gritty details. I've got about ten years or so of experience at Read more 4 years ago by Thoughts on Azure This is a blog post that's been a long time in the making. There's a lot here to discuss, and I may not be able to get to everything, but this is a review of Azure that needs to be written, which I hope Microsoft will see and learn from, Read more 5 years ago by Why we ought to be mediocre I've been a great believer in embracing boring things, things that are completely mundane and unmemorable - the majority of your life will actually be these things, no matter if you're poised for greatness or mediocrity. Today, however, I feel that there's a huge aversion to contentment in mediocrity - Read more 6 years ago by A new blog. Hey folks. I've decided to switch over to Ghost for blogging - I ended up neglecting my blog since I didn't really want to use Octopress any longer, especially when it came to maintaining SSH keys on my personal server, cloning repos, making sure my local development environment was up Read more


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After a rain and traffic-filled 4 1/2 hour drive (yeah, I think it's a record) from RI to NYC, I spent most of the day Wednesday deeply consumed with a school-related interview/trail at the Food Network (where I was just offered an internship for the fall!). 5 hours into it, I had finished my work for the day, and spent the rest of the afternoon perusing shops at Chelsea Market, and then finally dining at Buddakan, also located in Chelsea Market (my car was parked across the street... this was a very localized visit to the city). Here are some of my thoughts on Buddakan and the Jacques Torres shop at Chelsea Market!
75 9th Ave
(between 15th St & 16th St)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 989-6699
Buddakan, one of Stephen Starr's many restaurants, first caught my attention when it was featured in Sex and the City: The Movie, just as many non-New Yorkers may agree. It was the location of Carrie and Mr. Big's wedding rehearsal dinner (see photo above for the view from my table!). I remember always wondering where the rehearsal took place because it seemed like such a cool place, and when I finally found out where it was I knew I had to eat there, especially since I would be spending the day at Chelsea Market! Reservation made, I was set to go! I arrived promptly and alerted the woman in the reception area of my reservation, and she asked me to wait in the lounge and that I would be greeted shortly and taken to my table. I decided not to order a drink since I would be driving back to RI as soon as I finished my meal, and I've heard (through the grapevine) that drinking and driving is illegal, and also a bad idea. So yeah, I didn't get a drink... even though I really wanted one. I ordered tea instead. Seriously. It wasn't spiked.
Mere moments after I sat down in the lounge (and checked my Facebook application on my Crackberry, killing time), I was escorted to my cozy table for 1 with a fabulous view of the lower level where Carrie and Big had their fancy schmancy rehearsal dinner :) Okay, yes I'm obsessed. Moving on... to the food. I decided to get a few appetizers instead of having an entree. First, I opted for the Lobster Egg Rolls, which quite frankly were a no brainer. I mean, lobster? Egg rolls? They really are the real deal! I bit into one (piping hot!) and the piece of lobster was so big that the whole piece (which was running the length of the entire egg roll) just came out. I happily ate my now deconstructed egg roll with equal enjoyment as the put-together variety. Case and point...
My next decadent appetizer was also in fried form, but this had a cold filling :) Very unique! For the Tuna Tartare Spring Rolls they fried the spring roll wrappers in a cylindrical shape and then later filled them with the tuna tartare filling. These were yummy as well! I love the crisp, fried exterior with the soft, slightly spiced tuna filling.
My third and last choice was the Scallion Pancakes with Braised Beef Short Rib. It sounded magnificent, but turned out to be somewhat disappointing. Let me clarify, the dish didn't taste bad at all, it had a nice crisp texture to the pancake with perfectly cooked short rib covering it and crispy sour apple juliennes on top, but the flavors just weren't as bold as I'd expect. When I pictured a braised short rib topped scallion pancake, I imagined the beef would have a very Asian-inspired flavoring, a special kick, but there was nothing. It tasted like simply seasoned short ribs, nothing standing out. They were also so beefy, that they masked the scallion pancake from standing out at all, and the dish is marketed as a scallion pancake first, and then lists the accompaniments in smaller lettering. Although I ate this dish, and didn't regurgitate it afterward, I wouldn't order it again. It just didn't stand out. There are SO many other menu items that I wanted to try and next time those will hopefully satisfy me more than this dish, which wasn't a home run for me... sorry.
In the future I really would like to return, decked out, cocktail in hand, and really make more of a night of it, but for my needs the other night, a satisfying meal and sustenance was a #1 priority. I look forward to the next visit, and there's sure to be more :) And next time I don't plan on having to drive for 3 hours afterward!
Jacques Torres Chocolates
75 9th Ave
(between 15th St & 16th St)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 243-6005
Wow. What can be said about Jacques Torres Chocolates that hasn't already been said. Not a whole lot. I will keep this brief (because I have a box of chocolates to go eat). The prices at Jacques Torres are not remotely along the same spectrum as the prices of, shall we say Russel Stover? A tiny box containing 12 chocolates amounts to almost $20 with tax ($18 before tax). The joy that can be found in said box, however, trumps any box of Russel Stovers in the world. I am still in the process of eating my way through my choices, and I've made some good ones. All in all, I think a trip to NY would be incomplete without a little decadent treat in the form of chocolate, and with several locations around the city, you'd be crazy not to stop into one of them. I've heard that the hot chocolate here is ridiculously amazing, but haven't tried it yet. Perhaps next time. Until then, my chocolates await me ;-)
Life is like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're gonna get...


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WLA Market position statement03/20/2017
Welcome to the West London Alliance's first Children's Market Position Statement (MPS). The purpose of the Market Position Statement is to summarise demand, supply, and our commissioning intentions so that we can support our current and potential providers to develop the right services for meeting the needs of our Children and Young Adults. The document is intended to support the local Children's market to plan which services it will need to develop, and how, in order meet the needs of the local population, including those most vulnerable. It sets out the direction of travel for the Children's market (Residential, Semi-Independent, Independent Fostering Agencies and Special Educational Needs - Independent and Non-Maintained Special Schools) enabling voluntary and community organisations and other providers to learn about future opportunities and to develop new activities and services.
In addition, social care providers and organisations not currently operating in the West London and surrounding areas can use this position statement to find opportunities that use their expertise and skills to benefit local community. The Market Position Statement is based on information gained from all the West London Alliance Boroughs, internal placement data, the Borough Area FE review, Boroughs Sufficiency Strategies, information shared at the West London Children's Homes Managers Network, OFSTED inspections, WLA Benefits realisation, Business Plan for 2016/7; and consultation with a number of key stakeholders, including Young People.
To view the Market Position Overview 2016-2017 please click here. (.pdf, 1Mb)


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MUMBAI: Varroc Elastomers, a group company of Varroc, has been awarded "Environmental Youth of the Year" award at Clean & Green India 2016 award function held in April 2016.
This award was conferred to the company for the green initiatives implemented under the stewardship of Srikanth Pothapragada, executive director, Varroc Elastomers for its automotive rubber component plant in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India.
These awards aim to recognize achievers, innovators and suppliers, who have contributed significantly towards sustainability in India with new innovations, cutting-edge technology, products & services providing a quality business platform that will accelerate development and growth in the country.
"We are honored to receive the Clean & Green India Award. It is indeed a very big achievement for Varroc Elastomers. We implemented the Lean and (total productive maintenance) TPM methodology, to make the processes safer, dust free and operator friendly," said Pothapragada. One of the main ingredient of Rubber Compound is Carbon Black, which is very fluffy and polluting. We are one of the very few manufacturing company in India to have dust free mixing line wherein one can have his lunch, whereas in other such industries one can't stay for few minutes.
This prestigious award was instituted by Clean & Green India jointly with SingEX, Singapore and Franchise India, co promoted by Times Now and supervised by Ernst & Young. It helped industry leaders to engage in discussions on infrastructure investment opportunities, green infrastructure and challenges in India.


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The skies are overflowing with owls!Posted by Anonymous at 12:37 PM
Thank you to all the witches and wizards who have posted blogs and photographs of your received kits!! As of now, about 1/3 of the kits have found their way to their destinations.
Please let me know if your kit is not listed on the HSKS Best Kits blog and you know that it has been received. You can catch me via the email on the left bar, on Rav or comment here, or on my own blog... I'll find it one way or another.
Thank you!
Bevin Rae
Bevin Rae
Labels: Best Kits, package arrival, packages
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Right plan, right price, the right doctors. Let us help you and your family make the right health care choices.Learn more
Let us help you create a customized benefit package for you and your employees.Learn more
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Yes, under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are not allowed to deny coverage to anyone for a pre-existing medical condition. There are no more medical underwriting questions to answer prior to acceptance.
Married couples must file a joint tax return in order to receive annual premium tax credits (APTC) on the marketplace. Simply stated, married couples, even separated, will not receive APTC though the marketplace if they file an individual tax return. Divorced couples can receive APTC when they file an individual tax return.
Cost Share Reductions are benefits offered through the Marketplace specifically designed into silver metal level plans. Cost Share Reductions are provided to reduce out of pocket costs associated with the insurance plan, such as annual deductible, co-pays, prescriptions, hospital stays, etc. These reductions are provided when your family income and household size fall under 250% of the federal poverty level.
With over 40 years in the business, we have your answers. Contact our team of Jacksonville brokers for your free quote.
So thankful for the help this group gave when I was trying to deal with Florida Blue! They waded through the crazy and helped it all make sense.
This business is very professional but also understands a client's personal needs. I have spoken with Dan and Tonya and their level of knowledge of this industry matched with their superb customer service has been 1 of the best experiences I have ever had. I would refer them to everyone I know.
I'm very pleased with the service you provide. Tonya was great the day I signed up! In fact, my husband will be 65 in May and I will be calling her soon for him!!


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A poster examining the irony of anniversaries when all you are celebrating is death and theft.
Download, print, and share widely.
Saif Chilmeran takes images from popular culture, tears them apart, and rebuilds them as beautiful thought provoking pieces dedicated to strength and justice. Moving back and forth from canvas to walls, Saif takes the anger of the streets into the gallery space, making the art world uncomfortable, but equally hungry for his works. Saif has had his art exhibited alongside pioneers such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Blek Le Rat and Seen. As an Arab artist living in between Canada and the UAE, his art has been influenced by a diverse background, enabling him to tackle themes of modern day conflict, philanthropy, irony and honesty in his work. He creates his own mediums whilst keeping his street origins close to his heart.


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After several rounds of discussion, our jury has decided to award the Literature Studio Summer Scholarship 2014 to not one, but two young writers. Here are the winners:
Shreeya Sharma (100% scholarship)
Shreya Pothula (50% scholarship)
14-year-old Shreeya Sharma who loves writing short stories and, according to her mother Amrita, has " an active imagination and an unmistakable knack for writing stories". Amrita feels that Literature Studio's short story course will "her overcome her inhibitions and help her find her voice."
And we have no doubts that she will one day be a great writer. The writing sample she sent shows an imagination that goes beyond the world she is familiar with. The fact that she attempted the daunting genre of historical fiction is an undeniable indication of where she is headed as a writer. Congratulations Shreeya! Our jury has decided to award you a 100 % scholarship for the course.
Another brilliant young writer who impressed our jury is 13-year-old Shreya Pothula, who was able to expertly use humor while narrating the story about a deadly adventure, a task that several experienced writers find difficult. Her mother, Sapna, feels that this scholarship would " open a new world of expression for her."
Even though the scholarship was originally intended for one young writer, our jury decided to make an exception in this case and award a 50% scholarship to Shreya as well. Congratulations Shreya, we are sure you will make the most of this opportunity.
The faculty at Literature Studio is looking forward to starting work with the two writers. All the best and congratulations once again to the two winners. Brilliant work indeed!
6 Comments
Congrats Shreeya and Shreya !
Wish you the best !!!
Wow…Shreya and Shreeya!
Hope you enjoy course!
Thanks a lot. This is wonderful news 🙂 This has already proved to be a huge motivation for Shreeya
Thanks VJ Sharma and PooJa for your wishes 🙂
Congratulations to Shreeya and her mom Amrita.
Literature studio will definitely prove to be a turning point in the young writer's journey.
Congratulations to Shreya Pothula too, wishing you all the best 🙂
A welcome news for us too…Congrats Shreeya and Shreya…A fantastic opportunity lies ahead….
Congratulations to both Shreeya and Shreya for winning the scholarship. All the very best 🙂
- Literature Studio Summer Scholarship (Season 2) – And here are the winners… | Literature Studio - […] Studio Summer Scholarships were announced for the first time in 2014 and Shreeya Sharma and Shreya Pothula were the…


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barga!npda has some information about the rumored new hp ipaqs, 3935, and 3970 models. these new devices are supposed to have xscale processors running at 400mhz and will feature much improved screens. hopefully these models would integrate the best features of the discontinued jornada line. thanks to brian for the heads-up.
user comments comment(s)


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On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her older sister Cecilia strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching Cecilia is their housekeeper's son Robbie Turner, a childhood friend who, along with Briony's sister, has recently graduated from Cambridge. By the end of that day the lives of all three will have been changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had never before dared to approach and will have become victims of the younger girl's scheming imagination, and Briony will have committed a dreadful crime, the guilt for which will colour her entire life.
2hrs 10mins long
M Contains violence,offensive language and sex scenes
Vanessa Redgrave
Romola Garai
Keira Knightley
Joe Wright
James McAvoy
Brenda Blethyn


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No one likes to go to a dentist, myself included, but I actually had fun at Dr. Blum's office. I went for an evaluation, but, decided that, being that it was quite a distance from my home, I would have the extraction at the same time. The staff was so nice. We laughed, joked, and they made me feel so much at ease. Dr. Blum was so kind and reassuring. I didn't feel a thing during the extraction and did not need totake any pain medication when I got home. They even called me later that day to see how I was. Thank you Dr. Blum and staff. You're the best.
The notion going to an oral surgeon for a tooth extraction can be a bit disturbing....I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive walking into Dr.Blum's office due to very poor dentistry prior, hence the reason I needed an oral surgeon. When I walked in the office I was met by an energetic and supportive staff. The girls were very patient and kind. I was taken into an examination room where Dr. Blum entered introduced himself with a very warm smile and a firm handshake. Excellent bed side manners. He explained to me in detail options I had and what would be the best possible course of treatment. Dr. Blum made sure I understood what was to be done. Rather then wait I would have the opportunity to immediately have a tooth extraction which was my preference. The procedure was painless and I have NO discomfort whatsoever. I haven't needed any pain medication which suits me. Dr. Blum is warm cute sense of humor and obviously a fabulous surgeon ..staff A++++ Seamless experience bless them.
Dr Nico provided my daughter with the best experience ever in her genioplasty. He performed the surgery with excellent results with the utmost and kindest care and profound dedication. He is a top surgeon, equipped with the most advanced technology, surrounded by a high end professional and wonderful staff, and mostly, Dr. Nico is an extremely gentle and awesome person. He listens to the patients desires so carefully, advices with confidence, addresses your concerns patiently, pleases your wishes, and delivers wisely. My 20 year old daughter felt no pain or discomfort, and after a week, is not swollen, beautiful, and very very happy. Our gratefulness to him for the amazing results.
Thank you to Dr. Nicolaievsky and staff , had a great experience. The Doctor explained to me every procedure before and during my actual treatment. Doctor and staff made me feel comfortable and at ease , after my procedure every time I called about a question or concern they made sure those questions were answered . Thank you again Dr. Nico and staff for the excellent treatment I received.
Karli Lourens
I am a referring Prosthodontist and routinely recommend Dr. Nicolaievsky without hesitation. More importantly, he's a great guy!
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O.C. McDonald professional plumbers work regularly on all types of systems through out their day. These systems include medical gas to compressed air systems. Below is a small list of systems that our plumbers specialize in.
- Fuel oil systems
- Potable and non-potable water systems (Hot and Cold)
- Natural gas systems
- Medical gas systems
- Oil and Grease waste systems
- Acid waste systems
- Double Contained waste systems
- Compressed air systems
- Sanitary waste and vent systems
- Storm drainage systems
- Recycled water systems
We understand that you depend on your plumbing systems working properly. From design and installation to maintenance and repair, we'll provide you with meticulous, high-quality service. Throughout the valley, we have a reputation for providing superior workmanship to our customers.
We have a track record of successfully installing and servicing highly complicated systems. In recent years, we've worked on large-scale plumbing projects at the Regional Medical Center of San Jose and the Coastal Biology Building for the University of California at Santa Cruz. Our team of professionals are licensed to provide plumbing and sewage services in the state of California.


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- Access Digital Exclusives, Hit Shows, Live MotorSports and more!
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- Cancel Anytime
Stay Updated Car news, reviews, and more!
Originally introduced in 2010, the Aston Martin Rapide S is the British brand's first sedan since it discontinued the Lagonda in 1989. Riding on the third-generation VH platform, which has been stretched to accommodate large sedans, the Rapide is rear-wheel drive and seats up to four passengers. The 5.9-liter V-12 generated 470 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque, and it was paired exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission from 2010 to 2013.
Aston Martin refreshed the Rapide for 2014 and renamed it the Rapide S, which packs an updated 5.9-liter V-12 with 550 hp and 457 lb-ft. One year later, in 2015, Aston Martin replaced the old six-speed automatic with a new eight-speed automatic sourced from ZF. Aston said that shifting between gears takes no longer than 130 milliseconds.
In a 2015 First Drive, we said that the improvements made to the Rapide S have made it into a confidence-inspiring machine on winding mountain roads, and even with 20-inch alloy wheels, it's ride is excellent. Thanks to quick steering and a rapid shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, the Rapide S' performance and handling are significantly improved compared to the pre-refresh model. Even though the interior is well insulated and built with high quality materials, the multimedia interface is dated especially when compared to the Rapide S' German competitors.
Why You'd Consider One
Exclusivity, style, and performance are the hallmarks of the Aston Martin Rapide S, not to mention its good looks. In addition to making the Rapide S quicker in a straight line, the eight-speed automatic transmission has also improved the car's fuel economy.
Why You'd Look Elsewhere
All that style should come with modern technology, but the Rapide S' multimedia interface is dated especially when compared to competitors from Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. Despite being a four-seater, we said in a 2010 First Test that the rear seats are cramped and not suitable for adults.


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Wireless DMX 9V Power Supply is a universal power supply for Wireless DMX PRO 2.4Ghz. A single unit is included with the purchase of every DMXW2.4. This unit may be purchased as a 9V universal power supply or as a replacement power source for your DMXW2.4. Buy the Wireless DMX 9V Power Supply to power your SIRS-E anyDMX Wireless Transceiver!
Tech Specs:
- Input: 100-240V
- Frequency: 50/60Hz
- Output: 9V, 1A
- Tip: Positive
- Watts: 9


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The Restaurant and Hotel Rössli have received awards from Gault Millau and Feinschmecker magazine, along with the Design & Lifestyle label from the Swiss Hotel Association, hotelleriesuisse, and have also been nominated for the Marketing+Architecture award.
The Swiss architecture and design Magazine, "Hochparterre", has dedicated a special edition to the Rössli.The Rössli is featured in newspapers, magazines and other media. Please see our press archive for a selection of press clippings, including awards we have won.


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You reduce the potency of a spell but increase the range.
Benefit: When casting a spell with a range of close, medium, or long, for every -1 you apply to your caster level, you increase the spell's range according to the chart below. You cannot decrease your caster level below the minimum required to cast the spell.
|Spell Range
|Range Increase*
|+5 ft.
|+10 ft.
|+40 ft.
* Per -1 to caster level.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Strategists and Tacticians. Copyright 2010, 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming; Author Ryan Costello, Jr.


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Mo Buti and our session attendees have been sharing some amazing suggestions for teaching communication skills to non-verbal students who also have visual impairments. Here are a few of those ideas and resources!
TACTILE CONNECTIONS KIT: SYMBOLS FOR COMMUNICATION This kit helps teachers create a tactile card system that is individualized for visually impaired and blind learners who have additional disabilities and/or lack a formal means of communication or literacy. The tactile symbols are created when part of an object is mounted on a hand-sized card representing core vocabulary categories (e.g. people, places, actions, objects, etc.). This kit provides some of the essential components that assist in a system's construction and application.
The PERKINS site offers some great resources for teaching communication to visually impaired students.
Tactile books are used to teach literacy, so why not pair them with separate cards containing the same key words, characters, etc. found in the books to reinforce language learning? Pinterest (everybody's favorite collecting site) offers a wealth of ideas for CREATING TACTILE BOOKS that can be paired with tactile communication supports. Here is another link to MORE TACTILE BOOKS FOR LANGUAGE AND LITERACY.


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Native Plants
Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.
Silene hookeri
Silene hookeri Nutt.
Hooker's Silene, Dusty Pink, Ground Pink
Caryophyllaceae (Pink Family)
USDA Symbol: SIHO
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
The numerous, gray-leafy stems of this perennial are prostrate, often rooting at the base, with tips ascending 1-8 in. off the ground. Flowers are large with a long tube and deeply slashed petals. Color ranges from nearly white to deep violet-rose. A hairy gray plant with many short spreading stems in a cluster, few branches, and several flowers with deeply divided petals at branch ends.
The common name Stringflower best applies to the race with white petals divided into four narrow, string-like lobes.
The species of this plant is named for William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865), who was Director of Kew Gardens from 1841-1865. He wrote �Flora boreali-americana� and many other works. He was founder and editor of �Journal of Botany�.
From the Image Gallery
Plant CharacteristicsDuration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Size Class: 0-1 ft.
Bloom InformationBloom Color: Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun
DistributionUSA: CA , OR
Native Distribution: N. CA to OR
Native Habitat: Fields; open to wooded hillsides
Growing ConditionsLight Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Description: Very well-drained soils.
Conditions Comments: Does best with in rock gardens with summer heat and generous winter rains.
PropagationDescription: Easily propagated by cuttings or seed.
Seed Collection: Not Available
Seed Treatment: Not Available
Commercially Avail: yes
Additional resourcesUSDA: Find Silene hookeri in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Silene hookeri in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Silene hookeri
MetadataRecord Modified: 2016-02-17
Research By: TWC Staff


text: Scrapnana #1 Posted October 19 Sunday brings the Zuiderdam back to FLL where she will be embarking on a 10-day Panama Canal Sunfarer cruise. She will be at pier 19 (starboard to) from 0545-1600. Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (21 Oct 0800-1500); Oranjestad, Aruba (23 Oct 1300-2300); Willemstad, Curacao (24 Oct 0800-1600); Panama Canal (Cruising Canal) (26 Oct 0500-0500); Colon, Panama (26 Oct 1500-2100); Puerto Limon, Costa Rica (27 Oct 0730-1700); Fort Lauderdale, Florida (30 Oct a0700) Also in port are Adventure OTS at pier 29 from 0430-1730, Allure OTS at pier 18 from 0445-1630, and Carnival Magic at pier 26 from 0500-1530. A few days ago Magic was at pier 4 and Zuiderdam at 26 - not sure what happened to change them. The PTZtv webcams can be found at https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/ and https://www.ftlauderdalewebcam.com/. Next up: Veendam on Wednesday, the 23rd. 0 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Sharpen your SAS skills, and extract deeper meaning and insights from your research data. SAS offers teaching and research professionals the same world-class software and support that's used by more than 70,000 business, government and university sites around the world.
SAS® Software for Academic Researchers
Analytics is a nascent field that is highly applied, highly interdisciplinary and requires a unique ability to understand data. It also requires you to have a high intellectual curiosity and be able to communicate effectively given your audience. The SAS tools lend well to each of those. Robert McGrath Everett B. Sackett Associate Professor & Director for Graduate Programs in Analytics University of New Hampshire
Helping to Deliver Higher-Quality, Lower-Cost Care
Learn how work by the University of New Hampshire-based Institute for Health Policy and Practice enables participating organizations – including hospitals and physicians' groups – to delve into data themselves to explore the variables they are interested in.


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At United Children
our entire philosophy
is built around making your child...
feel welcome
A big congratulations and commendation to the staff of United Children Centres for providing an outstanding service to the early childhood sector.
Our entire philosophy is built around making your child feel welcome, happy and successful. We combine our early learning programs with the love, support and guidance that your child would receive at home.
Our qualified and experienced kindergarten teachers guide and support your child, providing both structured and spontaneous learning opportunities that tap into children's natural curiosity and their enthusiasm for learning.
With more than 20 years experience, the United Children team has the knowledge and expertise to ensure that every day, every child is supported, nurtured and developed to their fullest capacity.
Our child care centres offer state-of-the art, purpose-built indoor and outdoor facilities that promote a positive, fun and stimulating learning environment. Our facilities have been designed to meet the wide range of educational needs of children aged 0 – 6 years.
At United Children we build and maintain relationships with the community. We encourage the future generation to connect and contribute to their world.
Unique to United Children are our Home Visits. Our early childhood educator or kindergarten teacher gets to know you and your child at home at a convenient, pre-arranged time.
United Children is taking a great interest in having sustainable environment for the children and the wider community. To see some of the work that is currently being undertaken in this area please click on the title above.
At United Children we value the opportunity to bring parents and educators together. Our Guest Speaker program provides members of our community with the opportunity to come together and hear from a range of experts.


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Irma To Bring Widespread, Significant Impacts To Southeast
Hurricane Irma made landfall earlier today in the Florida Keys (as a category 4) followed by a second landfall near Marco Island, Florida. Winds have gusted as high as 100 mph in Miami with reports of 130 mph wind gusts on Marco Island. Regardless of the two landfalls today, Hurricane Irma is still a strong category 2 with sustained winds of 115 mph. Irma is expected to skirt the western coast of Florida over the next 24 hours–bringing a devastating storm surge, widespread hurricane force winds, heavy rainfall, and tornadoes. Impacts will eventually be felt well inland as Irma moves northwestward out of Georgia into western Tennessee.
Hurricane Irma Cone Through Thursday Afternoon (NHC)
Florida (now through Monday evening):
All of Florida will see hurricane conditions over the next 24 hours; this includes damaging winds, flooding, storm surge, and tornadoes. Wind gusts in excess of 100 mph are possible for all of Florida with the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle potentially experiencing gusts in excess of 130 mph. Flooding is another major threat with Irma: Florida will see an additional 4-14″ of rainfall. The heaviest rain will occur across the western and northern parts of the state. Dangerous storm surge is occurring and will continue to occur along coastal areas of Florida and for low-lying areas further inland, too. Cape Sable to Captiva may see a storm surge of 10-15 feet. Isolated tornadoes are likely.
Georgia, South Carolina, and eastern Alabama (late tonight through Tuesday):
By Monday afternoon, Irma will move into south-central Georgia. Irma should still be a strong cyclone, thus, damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and isolated tornadoes can be expected for much of the Southeast through Tuesday. Tropical Storm force winds extend outward up to 220 miles and hurricane force winds extend outward up to 80 miles. This has prompted Hurricane Warnings (winds of 50-110 mph) for much of southern Georgia; Tropical Storm Warnings (winds of 40-70 mph) for the rest of Georgia, eastern Alabama, and southern South Carolina; and, High Wind Warnings (winds of 35-60 mph) for western South Carolina and northeastern Georgia. Widespread 3-8″ of rainfall is possible with isolated 10-12″ amounts in southern Georgia. Isolated tornadoes are possible.
Mississippi, Tennessee, and North Carolina (Monday night through Wednesday):
Lesser impacts will be felt across these states. Gusty winds are likely across eastern Mississippi, Tennessee, and North Carolina from Monday afternoon through Tuesday night. The higher terrain of Tennessee and North Carolina could see wind gusts up to 55 mph. A High Wind Warning is in place for southern parts of North Carolina. Heavy rainfall is possible with 2-4″. Locally higher amounts, 4-8″, are possible in southeastern parts of Tennessee and on the windward side of the ranges in North Carolina. The greatest tornado threat in these states will occur in North Carolina on Monday and Tuesday.
All three of these area, especially the first two (I: Florida, II: eastern Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina), have a chance to see power outages associated with the vast wind field of Irma. Please plan accordingly and listen to local officials in case evacuations/curfews are issued.
Tropical Storm Force Wind Speed Probability Through 5 Days (NHC)
Severe Potential–Tornadoes Sunday (SPC)
Severe Potential–Tornadoes Monday (SPC)
Severe Potential–Tornadoes Tuesday (SPC)
Rainfall Forecast Through 7 Days (WPC)
The remnants will continue northwestward through Tennessee before being 'picked up' and moving northeastward towards the Ohio Valley.


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Blumenthal to improve UK hospital meals
Jamie Oliver has done it for school food - and now Heston Blumenthal is hoping to revolutionise hospital meals.
The chef, whose Fat Duck restaurant was named third best in the world earlier this week, is working on a project to improve food for elderly patients.
Those who prefer traditional fare need not worry, however, as the menu will be free of his more outlandish dishes such as snail porridge and bacon and egg ice cream.
Instead, he is collaborating with the University of Reading and the town's Royal Berkshire Hospital to increase the flavour of well-loved dishes including shepherd's pie and make them more attractive to older people, whose sense of taste often deteriorates.
The meals are to be enhanced by increasing their umami properties - the Japanese word for delicious and savoury which is often described as the fifth taste, alongside sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
They will initially to be tried out on patients at the Royal Berkshire Hospital next year, after a lengthy period of research and testing, and it is hoped the project could then be rolled out nationwide.
Blumenthal, visiting the university to officially launch the scheme, said he was pleased to be involved as a consultant and added: "Mealtimes should be something to be celebrated in hospital.
"They should be something to look forward to. Umami is a great way to rejuvenate the dining environment in hospital and improve the flavour in the mouth."
Dr Lisa Methven, lead researcher at the university, said malnutrition in elderly people was a concern.
"It's not a new problem, but it's a growing problem. There are many reasons for under-nutrition, but people can lose their sense of taste as they get older, and illness and medication can make it worse," she said.
"We're not trying to produce new food, but to create things that can be implemented in a hospital kitchen like gravy and shepherd's pie - things that are familiar to people."
The three-year project, which is in its first phase, involves scientists working alongside Blumenthal, initially on enhancing the flavour of minced meat.
The team is experimenting with adding the savoury properties found in foods including shiitake mushrooms, parmesan cheese, anchovies and Worcestershire sauce.
Researchers have visited The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, to watch Blumenthal at work and see how his ideas can be transferred to hospital kitchens.
Methven added, "Everyone knows Heston for the wacky kinds of food he makes but he has a great scientific mind, which is what we're using here.
"We're looking for the novelty of using an ingredient you wouldn't usually use, but in a familiar food. It's really important to give people comfort food, as it triggers memory when they are in an unfamiliar setting."
The project, to run until 2012, is being funded by Research into Ageing, the medical research arm of Age UK.
Margot Gosney, Professor of Elderly Care Medicine at the hospital, who is also director of the university's clinical health sciences, said: "Sixty per cent of elderly patients come into hospital malnourished and, unfortunately, the percentage is even worse when they leave.
"When someone comes into hospital they are particularly vulnerable because of infection, or trauma or surgery and we need to make sure they get the nourishment they need to recover. We want to improve the lot of older people."


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Redstar Fall
The latest entry into the world of physics-based stacking / unstacking games is Redstar Fall a fun little gem from Zedarus at Armor Games. The goal of Redstar Fall is to, well, make the red star fall. To the bottom platform, that is, without letting it fall off into the bottomless chasm that waits below.
You'll find the red star atop any number of curious constructions, from toppling towers to crashing castles. Click on a block and it vanishes, allowing everything above to shift with the pull of gravity. After each click the cursor turns into a small timer that limits how fast you can remove blocks. This forces a more strategic approach to your game. No rapid-fire clicking for you.
You earn points based on the amount of time left and the number of clicks used to finish the level. Further into the game, you will run into invulnerable pieces and exploding pieces. These bring variety to the puzzles and, in the case of the explosions, a bit of visceral fun, as well.
Redstar Fall is similar to Totem Destroyer 2, of course, and even closer to a Unity-based game that we wrote about briefly last year called Tumbledrop. And while Redstar's graphics may not be quite as cute as Tumbledrop's, both use a very reliable, if not just a bit on the bouncy side, physics engine. With little exception, puzzles react the same way each time you play them through.
While Redstar Fall may be long on atmosphere and fun, what it is short on is levels. With only 20 to offer, the game can easily be completed in under an hour. And while you can revisit the levels in order to try and complete them with fewer clicks and quicker, ultimately the game comes up short. But while it lasts, Redstar Fall is a good time. Give it a try and see for yourself. Just make sure to watch that next step!


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Before using the forum please read and make sure you agree to our Forum Rules.
Worlds Adrift news from Bossa Studios is in here!
Recruit, talk strategy and discuss your plans for which route you will take across the skies.
Want to talk about the game? Here's the place.
Tell us what you like to see in the game and what you feel needs improvement.
Found a bug in Worlds Adrift or the Island Creator? Help us squash it by reporting it here. For technical support issues please go to support.bossastudios.com
For everything to do with the Island Creator tool.
Here's the place for all of your stories, art and creations about Worlds Adrift!
Devs post about their work on upcoming features!
Arranging an online party? A PvP event? A Blight Parade? Schedule them right here!
Forum now closed, head to General Discussion. :)


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Blues Benefit
Thank you, Clatskanie, Oregon, and the United Way of Columbia County, for hosting this wonderful event. It was a great way for the community to come together, but in recent years, the festival competed with several other local events. There were just too many things happening to sustain this festival.
Perhaps in the years to follow, we'll be able to once again come together in the spirit of The Blues and celebrate the things that bring us together. Until then, take care of each other.


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For Family Outings, Getting There is Secondary
Parenting truth: Kids under the age of 5 have no interest in efficiency toward the goal. It's all about enjoying the process.
We thought it would be nice to go get ice cream as a family.
My thoughts for it go like this:
1. Go get ice cream.
2. Eat ice cream.
3. Come home and put kids to bed on time.
My kids have no such plans.
I don't know if it's our family or if other families go through this too, but those normal things that most families do together like eating dinner, going to get ice cream, or even getting to church on time require a hilarious amount of effort.
When my kids go somewhere, the process of "going" is as much fun as the "getting there." It's an all-encompassing event.
We have costume changes, snacks, and backpack assembling.
"I need my shiny shoes!" she cries, but the shoes are lost.
"Go look for your shoes," I tell her. She returns later with no shoes and she's wearing fewer clothes than before.
She is unintentionally working against me.
I check the time. How does this take so long?
(Do you remember when if you wanted to go to the store you could just pick up your keys and walk out the door without the need for so much strategizing?)
It's taken so long to get ready to go get a snack that the littlest one needs another snack before we go. And a last-minute diaper change. And what's on his shirt?
Out the door we go, finally!
"Wait, I forgot my puppy!" Back inside again.
Walking down the sidewalk: "Ooh, look, a feather!"
Her world is pine cones and sprinkles and no need to rush. My world is tasks and responsibilities and trying to remember to let her savor the delight in not having to hurry for as long as she possibly can.
We get there with only a couple of "hurry-ups." We have a backpack of toys with us. She's wearing a turquoise tutu and her favorite red shiny shoes. The total time to get ready to go eat ice cream: seventy minutes, not counting the bus ride and walk. Time to eat ice cream: fifteen minutes, all worth it.
On the way home she sighs, "Ice cream is my favorite." and we declare this outing a success.
When it seems that doing something together as a family is more effort than it should be, I remember the price to give her her most favorite thing in the world is only one evening of time and less than $2. How much longer will it be this easy?


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Is it just me or does he seem like he is a little slow since he was leveled on the sideline. Tonight he seemed like he was high as a kite! Wonder if he's got complications after that hit. Not trying to poke fun just making an observation.
Oh and is Stephen Clark a real DICK or am I imagining that too?


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Venue Details
Coming this winter
Like your love, riverboats are timeless. Begin your marital adventure together on the Riverboat City of New Orleans. The top-notch crew (which includes a wedding consultant) can handle everything from small, intimate ceremonies to large weddings that wow. Live Dixieland Jazz, authentic Creole and Cajun cuisine, spectacular views of the city…Go down the aisle on the arm of Old Man River.
Check back for more information on tours and pricing
Average Cost Includes
TBA - Check back for pricing


text: A vacuum sealer is one of those kitchen machines you don't realize how much you'll use – until you buy one. We use our vacuum sealer for food storage, sealing jars and bottles, corrosion protection, resealing bags and emergency preparedness. You can also use your vacuum sealer for sous vide cooking. In this post, we'll discuss ways to use your sealer, do a comparison of Foodsaver models and their features, and share some tips on Foodsaver bags.