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Andrea Guerrero, Executive Director
Andrea Guerrero is the Executive Director of Alliance San Diego. She leads an outstanding team that is building coalitions and mobilizing resources to achieve greater impact on the issues that matter. Before joining Alliance San Diego, Ms. Guerrero was the Field & Policy Director of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties. Prior to that, she practiced immigration law before administrative, federal district and appellate courts. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley Law School (J.D. 1999), University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs (M.A. 1994), and Stanford University (B.A. 1992). Originally from Mexico City, Ms. Guerrero views the world from a binational, bicultural, and bilingual lens. She has dedicated her professional life to protecting civil rights and advancing social justice. Watch Ms. Guerrero's TEDx talk, Immigration Reform: A Chance for a Better America.
Christopher R. Wilson, Associate Director
Christopher received a Bachelors degree in History and Ethnic Studies from the University of San Diego and is currently the Associate Director at Alliance San Diego. His work centers on empowering communities of color and low-income communities through building bridges, creating collaboration, and identifying common issues. He is a father, brother, uncle, husband, and global change activist, who has traveled and lived all over the world. Christopher's life experiences, education, training, and work give him a deep understanding of the complexities involved with empowering people. He is inspired by family, artists, co-workers, and close friends, who keep him honest and hopeful.
Rey López-Calderón, Advancement Director
Rey López-Calderón is the incoming advancement advancement director of Alliance San Diego, starting January 2020. He has a wealth of experience in organizational development, fundraising, and organizing that he uses to improve the lives of the communities he serves. His activism has taken him from the role of volunteer youth organizer at the United Farm Workers in Orange County to the founding of several community organizations in the Chicago area, and to various leadership roles at Common Cause including executive director of California Common Cause and vice-president for development for the national office where he expanded Common Cause's national fundraising operations. He is an honors graduate of the University of Chicago and holds a Juris Doctor from DePaul College of Law. When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his husband and three toy fox terriers in the San Diego/Tijuana region.
Michelle Celleri, Human Rights Counsel
Michelle Celleri is the Human Rights Counsel for Alliance San Diego. She has been actively involved with the immigrant community and promoting diversity for over fifteen years. She came to Alliance San Diego to create high impact change. She believes everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of where they came from and their socio-economic status.
Vicki Gaubeca, SBCC Director
Vicki Gaubeca currently serves as the Director for the Southern Border Communities Coalition, a national coalition that is convened by Alliance San Diego. Prior to this role, Vicki served as the Director of the ACLU-NM Regional Center for Border Rights, based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where she helped develop and implement its mission of addressing civil and human rights violations that stem from border-specific immigration policy.
Erin Tsurumoto Grassi, Human Rights Policy Advisor
Erin grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is biracial (half Japanese American and half White) and fourth generation Japanese American, experiences which helped shape her passion for social justice and racial equality. The first to graduate from college in her immediate family, Erin has a Bachelor's degree from Whittier College in Political Science and Spanish, and a Master's of Art degree from UCSD in Latin American Studies with a concentration in International Migration. Past internships include the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in the Bay Area, Assemblywoman (now State Senator) Lois Wolk's district office, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva Switzerland. Prior to joining Alliance San Diego, Erin was a community organizer with Justice Overcoming Boundaries, where she worked with leaders on a variety of issues, including transportation, housing, and immigration. In her free time, you can find her running, cooking, reading, dancing and rock climbing.
Itzel Maganda Chavez, Immigration Integration Manager
Itzel was born in Mexico City and was raised in San Diego, CA from a young age. She is one of the beneficiaries of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) which allows her to work and be protected from deportation in the United States. Itzel began her career young while volunteering through her mother's union and learned very early the hardships that many workers and mixed-status families face in the border region. As Alliance San Diego's Immigrant Integration Manager, Itzel has been organizing and coordinating informational forums throughout the county as well as immigration consultations and workshops for the immigrant community. Itzel graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Political Science. In her spare time, Itzel enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dogs.
J. Lee Hill, Jr. Interfaith Justice Coordinator
J. Lee Hill, Jr. is the Interfaith Justice Coordinator of Alliance San Diego. His work at Alliance is focused on developing an interfaith coalition of empowered faith leaders, and people of good conscience, to engage in collective strategies that lift up our shared values. He is an ordained minister with full standing in both the Alliance of Baptists and the United Church of Christ, with more than fifteen years of experience as a religious leader and justice advocate. He has earned degrees and alumni distinctions from both George Mason and Wake Forest and received a doctorate from Emory University. He concurrently serves as a local church pastor in the Emerald Hills community of Southeast San Diego.
Jayne Sacco, Finance Manager
Jayne Sacco was born as the sixth child to an immigrant father from Sicily. She was exposed to diversity at a young age in the middle-class neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio in which she was raised. Jayne always dreamed of traveling, advancing her education and learning about different cultures. At the age of 18, she made the move to San Diego - by herself - to further her education. Jayne holds an MBA, as well as a Bachelors in accounting and business. Jayne continued her journey in education, pursuing her interest in learning sign language by becoming a certified interpreter for the Deaf. She currently tutors Deaf students via webcam, and interprets on occasion. Jayne's true passion is working in non-profit organizations; she transitioned from the private sector to do work that she feels touches our community. In the position of financial management Jayne is happy to use her skills to serve her community in a positive way. On any given day, you will find Jayne cooking up a storm, weight lifting, or playing with flowers, that is, if you happen to catch her when she's not traveling (which she does often).
Karen Le, Special Project Organizer
Karen Le is the Special Projects Organizer at Alliance San Diego. Being the child of refugees has played an integral role in her passion for immigrant rights, social justice, and educational equity. Karen graduated from the University of California San Diego in 2016 with a B.A. in International Studies-Political Science. During her time as a student, she held teaching assistant positions in both the Education Studies department and the College Academic Mentorship Program. As a teaching assistant, she regularly taught university students about the importance of teaching for social justice. She also interned at various local non-profit organizations and gained experience in policy research. Karen is thankful to be on the Alliance San Diego team and eager to fight for "harmony, safety, equality, and justice."
Kyle Brandon, Office Coordinator
Kyle Brandon currently serves as the Office Coordinator for Alliance San Diego and is an alumnus of San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Afrikana Studies. Prior to working for Alliance San Diego, he served in many different capacities for the Grossmont Union High School District, Mission Valley YMCA and even managed and operated a food truck. He hopes to bring his experiences growing up in Central Los Angeles and experience running college, high school and elementary organizations to provide support for all of Alliance San Diego's needs.
Miesha Rice, Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator
Miesha Rice is native of Charlotte, NC, but has lived in San Diego for about 9 years. She has a B.A. and M. A. in English Literature and Liberal Studies. At a young age, her parents began actively involving her in community outreach work with Coca-Cola Bottling company. She grew up learning the knowledge and skill of interacting with all kinds of people on personal levels. That skill was later elevated during her tenure with Apple as a Concierge team member. With the help and creativity of her mother she gained experience with planning and executing large events. She spent the rest of her free time traveling and performing original poetry on stages all over the country. That exposure inevitably led her to the social justice work here in San Diego. She spent a few years as a teaching artist in various local elementary schools in partnership with Arts for Learning San Diego. Miesha started her journey advocating for change as the Volunteer Coordinator during the 2012 election season; learning a host of information about immigration, education reform, and canvassing. It has been an amazing trip; especially for her two growing daughters who are striving to be Change Agents themselves.
Nora Cardona, Human Rights Organizer
Nora Cardona was born and raised in San Diego up until 2011 when she moved and was fortunate enough to call San Francisco home for five years. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 2016 with a Bachelors of Art in Sociology and a minor in Criminal Justice. Nora first became involved with Alliance San Diego through volunteering, and then she was a part of the Neighborhoods Rising Institute and the Fall Civic Engagement program. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, but most of her free time is dedicated to her niece and nephew.
Pamela Marin, Civic Engagement Coordinator
Pamela Marin serves as the Civic Engagement Coordinator at Alliance San Diego. Born to immigrant parents, she has been fortunate to call San Diego home her whole life. She started as a canvasser but after participating in NRI in 2014, she was eager to continue reaching out to underrepresented communities. At Alliance San Diego, Pamela was able to grow not just as a canvasser, but as a team leader during Civic Engagement Programs. In 2017, she was given the opportunity and successfully led an immigrant outreach phonebank for the Human Rights Department. Pamela completed her EMT program in late 2017 in hopes that she will be able to speak up for our underrepresented communities in the healthcare field. She left for a brief period to work at an immigration law firm as their operations assistant, but is grateful and excited to be back. In her spare time, Pamela enjoys hanging out with her family, honing her photography skills, and exploring new places.
Patricia Mondragon, Special Projects Coordinator
Patricia "Patty" Mondragon is a first-generation American; one of three daughters of Mexican parents who immigrated from the beautiful state of Michoacán. Her father having worked as a bracero in Northern California decided to relocate his young family to San Diego, where they established strong roots in North Park. Patty went on to study Psychology, Information Systems and Human Computer Interaction at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. She is passionate about public policy, social justice, civic engagement and issues important to womankind. She is the proud mother of a budding social justice warrior, Alex, and together they have supported the work of Alliance San Diego to mobilize for change.
Tomás Perez, Communications Assistant
Tomás Perez was born and raised in San Diego, but has also lived and studied in Washington D.C. & the central valley of California during his time as an undergraduate at the University of California, Merced. Since 2013, he has been involved in local and national organizations focusing on protecting civil rights and social justice, and in 2016 he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from UC Merced. Soon after he moved back down to San Diego when he first became involved with Alliance San Diego as a participant in the Neighborhood Rising Institute and Fall 2016 civic engagement program before eventually becoming the Communications Assistant for Alliance. Tomás enjoys writing music, going to art and music shows, and dabbles in photography and videography.
Vanessa Green, Census and Redistricting Fellow
Vanessa was the director of the nationally recognized Domestic Violence Program for Men, a NY Model Batterer Program. Her anti-oppression work included Rockland Pride, and their LGBTQI initiative in Hudson Valley New York for over 23 years. Vanessa began her social justice work as the Director of the Rape Crisis Program in Orange County, NY. In her capacity as Racial Justice Organizer, she organized 40, 2 and ½ day workshops facilitated by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond Undoing Racism in Hudson Valley, NY. September 2014, Vanessa along with #100Sistahs began #FeedThePeopleSquad and fed over 2,500 hundred house-less folks Saturday and Sunday in Yonkers NY, as well as co-founding a recognized chapter of Black Lives Matter in Hudson Valley NY. Vanessa was recognized in New York State as an activist in the fight to end men's violence against women. In addition, her article, "The Impact of Pornography on Women" was published and shared nationally. Her work revolves around Human's rights, women's rights and sexuality, race and identity politics concerning African diaspora peoples.
Yesenia Padilla, Communications Assistant for Media and Public Relations
Yesenia Padilla serves as the Communications Assistant for Media and Public Relations for Alliance San Diego. They received their Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing with a minor in Political Science from UC San Diego, where they also organized with AFSCME via Students for Economic Justice. Growing up in San Francisco as the child of immigrants meant that they were exposed to the importance of social justice and activism at an early age. Yesenia has worked with numerous organizations, including ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, ACLU of California, and Home Start. Yesenia also has a vibrant volunteer life, volunteering with many local and national organizations. Yesenia is a published poet who performs across California, and co-curates a monthly reading series called Now That's What I Call Poetry. In addition to writing, they love to read, do yoga, cook for family and friends, and spend time outdoors.


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Cycling in the Netherlands 2013 from Matthieu on Vimeo.
Cycling in the Netherlands 2013 from Matthieu on Vimeo.
Here at the SW fortress of solitude, we usually concern ourselves more with keeping warm in winter than cool in summer: our thermal imaging project, for example, is targeted at reducing heating costs more than anything else.
In theory, if you properly insulate your house, then you proof it against both extremes (and so should have a cooler home in summer); in practice, keeping cool in a heatwave is always harder than you'd expect for us British, isn't it?
With that in mind, here (hopefully still with a few days of heatwave ahead of us) are three simple ways to keep your house cool, without having to invest in expensive and climate-harming technology like air conditioning.
It might seem counterintuitive, but in hot, still weather, you should close your windows. Only if the air is cooler than in your house, or is moving quite fast, will it actually cool you down to any extent. And it certainly won't cool the building down unless it's a lot colder than that: brick retains an awful lot of heat.
Heat should be deflected from south-facing windows during the hottest parts of the day. If your house is unusually Tuscan in appearance, you might have shutters on those windows; if not, you can put up temporary internal shutters using a reflective material.
You can buy solar-reflecting film for windows, and have it installed permanently, although you might not want something in place all year round, especially in the depths of winter. A more DIY and temporary option – if you don't need it outside July and August – is to put a reflective sheet up, outdoors if possible, but close to the panes indoors if necessary.
You can attach a tanning blanket or car windscreen sunshade to a couple of hooks in the window frame; or even more cheaply (and as a first experiment, to see if it makes a difference), strengthen sheets of tinfoil with a "frame" of double-sided silver gaffa tape, and stick it up with Blu-tac or similar. Shiny side out, and try not to worry about what the neighbours think.
(Curtains won't work anywhere near as well: mirrored surfaces are best; and even if the curtain material is a pale colour, it still warms up considerably in the sun, and then re-transmits the heat into the room's air as much it does as back through the window.)
Any draughts you do have, you can cool even further through the evaporation of water. You need to work out which way through the house the draughts are blowing first, and then turn your attention to the window(s) through which the draught enters.
If you've got net curtains or fabric blinds against these windows, mist them with a water spray. You can also hang towels or other damp cloths near the draught, although try to keep them out of the sun as that will just dry them on its own! When the water evaporates into the draught, it will take heat out of the air. So as the draughts blow through or over the wet fabrics, they will cool slightly. This is how zeer pot fridges work, or terracotta wine coolers.
Dampening the air does have the effect of spreading a little bit of dampness through your house; but then if you've persevered this far with this article, sweat pouring off your brow, thoughts turning sluggish in the sun, then damp is probably the least of your worries: for at least the next month or so!
We're now a week away from the end of Plastic-Free July 2014, and maybe you're feeling a bit demotivated. If you're looking for inspiration, take a look at The Non-Plastic Maori, a blog chronicling a Maori woman's efforts to live without plastic. Her challenge isn't just for July; it's for the whole of 2014. Why is she doing it? In her own words:
SO… primarily – I want to explore the experience of living for a year without purchasing any new plastics. I'm doing it to highlight how very dependent we've become, but also to demonstrate that we CAN make personal choices that will minimise our own plastic waste production. If we were to demonstrate this in greater numbers – we would not only contribute to a better environment but would also present pressure upon suppliers to utilise non-plastic alternatives – making non-plastic alternatives more accessible for others – See how it works? It begins with a few who refuse to believe that it's too hard to do.
It begins with a few who refuse to believe that it's too hard to do. If you've stuck with Plastic-Free July this far, that includes you. You probably won't have removed single-use plastic from your life completely, but you've become part of a movement questioning our dependence on it. The moments of inconvenience and the moments of "failure" are part of the work of highlighting something that was invisible. Well done.
Oxfordshire County Council Consultation: Bridge Street, Witney – Proposed Zebra Crossing
In 2003 three crossings were identified and proposed along Bridge Street in the 'Witney Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy', none of which were ever realised, although a pelican crossing in the centre of Bridge Street was consulted on and rejected: possibly because of local objections to the removal of the small amount of available parking there; possibly because of fear of stop-start traffic movements adversely affecting air quality (Bridge Street is one of West Oxon's two Air Quality Management Areas, the other is in Chipping Norton).
In 2010 the Living Streets Group met to put together a practical proposal to make Bridge Street and the junctions at either end more pedestrian friendly which consisted of zebra crossings at the North end…
…and at the South end…
Through the West Oxon Sustainable Transport Forum the group were made aware of the Complementary Traffic Measures Study which proposed a number of changes to make the centre of Witney more walkable and bike-able as part of the Cogges Link Road plans and which referred back to the consultation for the pelican crossing:
The consultation suggested three potential crossing locations to several businesses and residents living in the vicinity of Bridge Street. There was strong opposition from local residents to a pedestrian crossing on Bridge Street, with increased vehicle emissions, disruptions to traffic flow and a perceived increase in noise being cited. Recommendations offered by residents included a zebra crossing at either end of Bridge Street, on approach to the junctions with Mill Street and Newland. The report recommended further public consultation and advised new proposals to implement a pedestrian crossing on Bridge Street that would gain local support.
Well, we all know what happened to the CLR, but the Complementary Traffic Measures are just as relevant with the Shores Green Slip Roads and this latest zebra crossing proposal seems to be taken from its recommendations:
Pedestrian Facilities – Bridge Street Recommendations
24. Provide a pedestrian crossing within the existing desire line.
25. Retain parking spaces.
Now, eleven years after the Witney Integrated Transport Strategy, this is the position of the 2014 proposed zebra crossing:
It's not clear how the desire line has been arrived at. Perhaps it's the point where those people that do cross feel it's become safe enough to do so when heading into town, or when coming from the Aquarius development in the bottom left of the picture. Given the length of time it's taken to get another proposal for a crossing on the table it would be ridiculous to oppose it, but it doesn't resolve the problems at either end of the street for people whose desire lines run elsewhere.
So we say yes to this crossing, but yes to more crossings at the junctions.
In the meantime, problems for people in West End and beyond using the S1 and S2 services could be eased by not forcing them to walk all the way up the hill on Newland to/from the Oxford bound Staple Hall stop.
It's probably not common knowledge but the National Transport Data Repository gives locations for two bus stops in Bridge Street. If the Oxford bound stop were implemented now, before OCC have finally delivered viable alternatives for the 30,000 vehicles travelling through Bridge Street daily, many people could be saved an unnecessarily long walk. So how about activating one of the bus stops in Bridge Street too?
Don't forget to respond by 25th July to the Oxfordshire County Council Consultation: Bridge Street, Witney – Proposed Zebra Crossing
Grabbing a takeaway in Oxford might become a little kinder on the environment, thanks to a proposal by the city's licensing committee. Oxford City Council is proposing a ban on polystyrene containers for takeaway food and a move towards biodegradeable packaging.
Takeaway containers are a good example of how single-use plastic has come to seem normal: they're a handy substitute plate for a single meal, with the expectation that they will be thrown away immediately afterwards.
But where exactly is "away"? Well, there's a lot of Styrofoam in our oceans. Research reported in the National Geographic involved taking water samples from oceans all over the world. The researchers found that all of the samples contained derivatives of polystyrene (used in disposable cutlery) and Styrofoam (used in many takeaway containers).
Once Styrofoam breaks down, the tiny polystyrene components start to sink, because they're heavier than water […] So it's likely that this styrene pollutant is prevalent throughout the water column and not just at the surface.
This invisible threat to wildlife is already causing huge concern among marine scientists. So why on earth are we still eating takeaways out of Styrofoam containers with a plastic fork? (Think about it: when you're eating fish from a Styrofoam container, there may well be traces of Styrofoam inside the fish too.)
Street traders are understandably worried about cost; it's true that Styrofoam is cheaper than the biodegradable alternatives. (It's also hard to believe: why should a petrochemical-derived product that inflicts such a cost on our oceans be cheaper than a cardboard one?) But many takeaway outlets have managed to use less damaging packaging without harming the bottom line; just think of the traditional newspaper-wrapped fish & chips. (If you want a more recent example, fish & chip chain Harry Ramsden's switched to biodegradable packaging two years ago.) And perhaps if non-harmful packaging became the norm, manufacturers would find ways to produce it more cheaply.
The Oxford proposal is still just that – a proposal. The council consultation on it won't end for a few more weeks. But if it succeeds, there won't be quite as much reason to feel guilty about that late-night kebab. Could Witney try it next?
WitneyBUG's stall offered some welcome shade during Witney Carnival this weekend while new members signed up and bike users from around the town joined the Space for Cycling conversation.
Common themes were: cycle paths – more of them, better maintained, joined up, with lighting – "Please can we have all the cycle paths joined up so we can 'actually' safely cycle around Witney as a family and to work etc"; Witney to Carterton and Witney to Woodstock routes – "The road from Minster Lovell to Brize Norton scares me!" to which a local driver said "It scares me too!"; and the pothole pandemic – "Beautiful countryside spoilt by potholed roads."
Twitter's favourite speech bubble, reaching over 8,800 followers, was from Kizzie aged 10: "I think we should have a bike path on the road." A visionary, dutch sounding solution from a future transport planner in the making.
There was lot's of interest in Witney Wheels for All which runs 1st Sunday of the month at the Artificial Turf Pitch; the Wheels4All KMX Karts were on the parade with Witney Mountain Bike Club and proved to be a big hit with the GO Active team on the stall next-door.
If you didn't have a chance to get to the carnival and you've got something to say about using a bike in Witney you can join the conversation in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or using the email address on our webpage.
More importantly, tell your councillors as well. It takes political will, money and design knowledge to produce good conditions for cycling in towns and we need to make our councillors aware of just how important we think it is before they'll take the next step.
Follow this link to send a letter to your councillor asking them to support Space for Cycling.
As we're a good proportion through our plastic-free month of July, I thought I'd pause to take stock of how I was doing… Not so well! It is clear that plastic is everywhere, and increasingly so, making it difficult to get away from it. The most problematic area I've found is food shopping, as plastic packaging is so commonly used, but I continue to be on the look-out for alternatives.
Sometimes, plastics seem to be the ideal material, from the keyboard I'm typing this on to items which always used to be metal: dashboard and some external panels on my car, central heating pipes… Let's face it, plastic is a really good material for many things.
What makes it so good, is also its downfall when it comes to using it for disposable items. Here are ten facts about plastic, concluding in a few that are recycling-related, which I hope will provide some background to why we should consider reducing use of single-use / throw-away plastics:
1) A plastic bottle needs a couple hundred years before it typically starts decomposing. Some degradable plastics are on the market, but these remain a little more expensive to use, so the majority aren't of this material.
2) Once the decomposition process has begun, it then takes up to 100 years to decompose completely, an average total time of around 450 years since being produced, but very much longer for some types.
3) Approximately 100 million litres of oil are used to produce a billion plastic bottles, including their lids. More is then used in transporting them…
4) In the last decade, we have produced more single-use plastic that during the entirety of the last century.
5) Around 50% of plastic we use is thrown away shortly after, and therefore not put to good use.
6) Approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide – that's more than a million every minute. No wonder the subject made it into the Queen's speech this year!
7) Plastic constitutes approximately 90% of all rubbish floating on the ocean, and accounts for around 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals being killed each year. It is estimated that 44% of all seabird species, 22% of cetaceans, 100% of turtle species and an increasing list of fish species have been documented with plastic in their bodies.
8) Using recycled materials to make a new plastic bottle take 75% less energy as compared with using 'virgin' materials.
9) Recycled plastics can be used to manufacture a wide range of products, including park benches, picnic tables, and even fleece jackets (using just 25 recycled drinks bottles per jacket). My loft insulation has been topped up with 'recycled plastic' insulation!
10) In Oxfordshire, we do very well in terms of plastic recycling rates at over 50% recycled (thanks to the recently closed Oxfordshire Waste Partnership), but we could do better, and of course reducing the initial demand for disposable plastics is far better than having to deal with them afterwards…
So, if you haven't yet made the pledge to reduce your plastic consumption, there's still time to do so, and with other local residents taking on the challenge this month, there's no better time. Plus, more tips and advice will be going up on the Sustainable Witney blog as July continues.
Related articles:
Recycling plastic is fantastic for resident of North Leigh
A-Z of waste & recycling from West Oxfordshire District Council
Dale's trusty plastic bottle
Bicycle Heaven from Jasmine Goldband on Vimeo.
This is just a quick reminder that there are still spaces available on the free flooding workshop from COIN this weekend.
Have you been affected by the recent flooding, or is it a worry? Do you know someone else who has? Book places and read more information about the workshop here.
"Just because plastic is disposable, doesn't mean it just goes away. After all, where is away? There is no away."
Film-maker Suzan Beraza nails it: there's a disconnect between the incredibly durable nature of plastic and the throwaway purposes we use it for. The 2010 film Bag It has won multiple prizes for raising awareness of plastic – and where it ends up – in an entertaining way.
Watch the Bag It trailer on Vimeo
Bag It Intro from Suzan Beraza on Vimeo.
Four years into Oxfordshire's transport strategy and here we are embarking on another multi-stage consultation for Local Transport Plan 4. The official reasoning makes a case for it but can the goals and objectives of a strategy covering two decades really have changed so much that it warrants starting from scratch? We'll be taking a look at the detail following tomorrow's Connecting Oxfordshire meeting (7pm, Mon 7th July, Henry Box School).
Connecting Oxfordshire conjures up the idea of places joined together, settlement to settlement, Carterton to Witney, Witney to Oxford, but that's only one level of local transport. The hyperlocal is at least as important – how we move around within settlements – and it's the one we consistently fail to make more efficient, pleasant and healthy. Travelling along better local transport links is one part of the solution, not having to sit in 15 minutes of congestion at either end is the other.
The only major road project during four years of LTP3 to be planned, signed-off and (soon to be) built in Witney is the Ducklington Lane junction improvement. It started out with a £2 million budget and a brief to future proof it for a predicted 2030 level of motorised traffic. When the engineering contractor Atkins ran the junction through its capacity modelling software 'computer said no'; it didn't have enough lanes for stacking. That's a technical term for temporarily parking vehicles at a junction so a queue doesn't back up so far that it adversely effects the next junction upstream.
(Edited to update diagram to Option A4 in Annex 5)
What to do? Quite a large area around the junction is deemed highway land and during a site visit Atkins' engineer noticed the B&Q corner "doesn't go anywhere" (the business park being hidden behind a very large hedge) so no crossings or pavement to it would be required. That was a boon to a modeller of motor traffic because it meant:
Stacking traffic is only part of the equation for a signalised junction, there also needs to be a enough time available to clear the stack during each light sequence so a growing remainder doesn't back up over time. Adding a proper Toucan crossing to reach B&Q would scupper the junction's maximum capacity in the traffic model.
Despite bikes being regularly parked at B&Q, and people beating paths through the bushes to it, the traffic counts showed low numbers of people walking and cycling on the western arm of the junction, supporting the removal of the pavement along with the potential to cross there. If you've tried it you'll know why; it's relatively risky and far from pleasant. It's so unpleasant and off-putting in fact, a sympathetic observer might conclude that the people counts ought to be multiplied by a factor of about 100 to take that into account. Traffic models can't empathise neither can they model people walking or cycling.
During the consultation bike users requested better access which resulted in a 2m shared path along Thorney Leys to an informal pedestrian crossing, with a refuge, to Thorney Leys Business Park. Oxfordshire County Council could not provide an official, safe and convenient bike route for the employees and visitors to B&Q and the rest of the businesses there. 'Encouraging' people to cycle and relieve congestion doesn't yet stretch to giving them a place to do it.
I don't think we'll get another chance to put that right for a very long time and this corner of Witney will continue to be cut off from the bike network for now, and will remain so when the junction eventually starts to operate at its designed capacity in the late 2020s. All that tarmac poured, rolled and marked out, sat there through rain and shine, developing potholes, waiting for that day. Does that sound innovative to you?
So perhaps Ian Hudspeth, the architect of Connecting Oxfordshire, is right, the Local Transport Plan does need a revamp from the top down. I'm not so sure. Cycling and walking were high priorities for all settlement types in LTP3, including Witney, but that had no influence when it came to providing people with a safe and convenient option to cycle to Thorney Leys Business Park. Not considering walking and cycling until after the road layout for the junction was complete was a failure to plan for walking and cycling; good policy made no difference to an old process.
Come along tomorrow and ask Ian how he's going to fix that for short journeys at the hyperlocal level, as well as for the local transport links to and from Witney.
Ride. Rio. Ride. from Bryan Sanders on Vimeo.
This is just a reminder that on Wednesday 9 July we'll be chatting with local organization network CAG Oxfordshire, accompanied by a bring-and-share meal. The meeting will be at St Mary's Church, on the Leys end of Church Green. All are welcome! We start at 7:30pm.
It will take place at St Mary's Church on Church Green in Witney, and we hope to have a bring-and-share meal beforehand, so do bring some food if you're interested. More details on the event's own page.
Oxfordshire County Council are consulting on the proposed installation of a Zebra Crossing in Bridge Street.
Consultation closes on 25th July and the results will be published on the 9th of October.

subset: commoncrawl


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Planning your own wedding often requires as much effort as you put into your full-time job, possibly even more. Most people know exactly what they want from their big day years before it happens and so you can imagine the input required to bring that dream to fruition.
One small, but vital aspect of planning your wedding is deciding on the type, style and colour of linen that is going to adorn the tables that you and your guests sit at. If you don't know where to start, our guide will provide an all-encompassing overview of where you should begin to achieve the look you want.
Detail is Everything
Every aspect of your chosen venue and its decorations are going to be noticed by your guests. It's the little things that really make a wedding table special. Consider incorporating the following;
- A perfect napkin fold, a fresh flower, or a unique small gift all make the table that much more intimate and interesting.
- Consider incorporating modern touches such as making use of unusual objects for table decorations – intricate candle holders made from glass jars are sure to be a hit.
Your linen supplier will be able to work with you to provide something that will fit right in with your surroundings.
Make Use of Bold Colours
White is of course a timeless colour that works in many settings, but why not consider trying something more unusual? Tangerine oranges and vibrant purples are sure to make a statement and really wow your guests. If done right, there is no reason that bold colours can't match your chosen attire and that of your bridesmaid and groomsmen.
You will be able to hire table linen in a variety of colours that incorporate a range of patterns. Large linen suppliers will be able to provide a catalogue for you to choose from. If you're unable to find something suitable, it's always worth commissioning your own linen.
The idea is to really showcase your personality – your guests know you better than anyone so they'll appreciate the little touches they pick up on.
Create a Focal Point
Every wedding venue should feature a focal point which stands out from the rest of the room. This should be the most high profile table which seats the bride and grooms immediate family as well as the bride and groom themselves.
The overall theme and colour scheme should match the rest of the hall but the high profile tables should go one step further, maybe by adding a special flower arrangement or by choosing luxury linen instead of the standard linen on the rest of the tables.
Variety is Important
It's always a good idea to vary the choice of materials and patterns which are used throughout the venue. For example, strategically placed tables could feature a slightly different flower arrangement or an entirely different pattern for the table linen. The cake table should always stand out from the others so consider mimicking the style and arrangement of the head table.
This technique works well to break up the room, showcase a little design flair and creates lots of mini focal points.
Read Your Contract
When entering into an agreement to hire linen, it's vital that you read the fine print. You not only need to know how much you're going to pay but whether you'll also be liable for other hidden fees which may come as a surprise.
- Check for a damage clause which may see you paying for any items you've hired that are damaged throughout the course of the evening. If there are any fees associated, make sure they're reasonable.
- Some contracts will also feature a handling fee which may cover anything from overseeing your order to dressing your tables when the linen has arrived at your venue.
Any fee or clause that looks unreasonable should be challenged. Usually you will be able to negotiate a better price so don't be afraid to raise the question. Also, don't be afraid to look elsewhere if your supplier is unwilling to budge.
Logistics and Delivery
You need to know exactly when your supplier is planning on delivering your linen. The staff who manage your chosen venue will need to be on hand to receive it so communication here is vital.
You also need to know when your linen will be collected once the day is over and your guests have gone home. All of this information should form part of your contract so it's important that you get your dates and timeline right. There will usually be a fee associated with late returns.
Finally, we always recommend that you hire additional linen so you're covered in the event of any accidental spillages. With a few pieces of additional linen, these soiled items can be quickly swapped out for clean ones.
Size is Everything
Once you've decided on the colour for linen, your job doesn't end there. Just as important is the type and size of table that your linen tablecloths will be covering.
You will rarely want to see the individual legs of each table so make sure that each tablecloth is large enough to cover not only the surface of the table but the legs as well.
There are various resources online that allow you to input the measurements of your tables which will then provide you with the correct size of tablecloth dependent upon the extent of cover you require. If you're still struggling, be sure to ask your vendor for their advice.
Place Your Order for Hired Linen
You're now ready to place your order. It is of vital importance that you reserve your table linen at least a month in advance to avoid disappointment. The more time you give yourself, the better. Johnsons Stalbridge are a leading supplier of wedding linen but there is sure to be a suitable company that operates in your area or will provide delivery to wherever you require it. As mentioned, always shop around to ensure value for money.
The only thing left to do is enjoy yourself and watch your big day unfold as you imagined it would.


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The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to Collaborate on a Phase II Clinical Trial to Advance Innovative Immunotherapy for Multiple Myeloma Patients
Jul 01, 2013, 12:11 ET
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) today announced a collaboration with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to advance a novel adoptive immunotherapy for patients with poor prognosis myeloma, a blood cancer. The approach shows promise for patients with other blood cancers as well.
Under the leadership of Ivan Borrello, M.D., Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, a team of researchers is testing a method using marrow-infiltrating lymphocytes (MILs) - immune T cells that are specifically trained to recognize and kill myeloma cells. MILs are produced from a patient's own bone marrow cells, expanded outside of the patient and then infused back into the patient following an autologous stem cell transplant.
High-risk patients with multiple myeloma can relapse quickly following an autologous stem cell transplant. MILs represent a relatively simple treatment for patients with multiple myeloma and may provide a significant advance over other types of therapies that have utilized the patients' own cells, because it provides killer immune cells that easily travel to the bone marrow to fight their tumors over a longer period.
Through its Therapy Acceleration Program, LLS will support this project with up to $3.5 million over five years. The project evolved from Borrello's previous work supported by LLS through a Translational Research Program grant.
The team plans to enroll 90 multiple myeloma patients in a Phase II clinical trial comparing combination therapy of MILs plus lenalidomide, another drug that treats multiple myeloma, versus lenalidomide alone. The study will involve high-risk myeloma patients being treated at multiple centers, with Johns Hopkins leading the trial and coordinating the cooperating centers.
"LLS is committed to advancing breakthrough therapies, particularly for patients with unmet medical need," said LLS Senior Vice President of Research Richard C. Winneker, Ph.D. "T-cell immunotherapy is emerging as a promising therapeutic option for patients, and we are hopeful that this MILs approach will improve outcomes for patients with high-risk myeloma, and could be applied to patients with other blood cancers as well."
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
Andrea Greif
(914) 821-8958
SOURCE The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society


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The Flare Path: Longing For The Short Form
Simulation and wargame blather
This week's hunk of 'huh?' was going to be devoted to four ZX Spectrum wargames inextricably linked with the late Margaret Thatcher. Unfortunately, having checked my files, I now realise Operation Solstice, Battleground Orgreave, and Where There Is Discord were just taproom fantasies dreamt up by me and my mate Lee some time in the early Nineties. We never actually got round to making them. The Crash cover, the sedition charges, the infamous Wogan interview where I ended-up head-butting Barbara Cartland… none of that actually happened.
The Falklands War happened. I'm 99.3% sure of that. It happened and, four years later, a man called John Bethell made a ZX Spectrum wargame about it, never dreaming that twenty seven years later a man not called John Bethell, bounced into retrospection by wall-to-wall Iron Lady expiration coverage, would sit down to play that wargame, then stand up, go and make a cup of tea, return, sit down again, and commence a Wot I Think almost as redundant as Monty Mole.
Wot I Think: Falklands 82
The defeat screen doesn't consist of a badly mocked-up Sun front-page dominated by the headline "FALKLANDS FIASCO: Maggie Must Go". The soundtrack isn't an execrably digitized version of Rod Stewart's 'Sailing'. The load screen doesn't feature a penguin brandishing an SLR. This really is a very different game from the one I remember.
It turns out that the only thing I recollect faithfully is the concept. Falklands 82 is the kind of sleek single screen, single scenario military TBS that the wargame industry doesn't seem to make nowadays. The basics can be picked up in minutes despite the fact there's no tutorial or tooltips, and the only manual currently available is in Spanish.
Playing as the British CO, you spend most of your time inching soggy
sword-wielding Paras, Royal Marines, Gurkhas and Guards across a gridded representation of the inhabited NE corner of the titular isles. Play as the Argentinian CO and you spend all of your time thumping your keyboard, incensed that the rushed?/lazy?/intensely patriotic? Mr. Bethell didn't bother to include a 'Play as the Argentinians' option.
Infantry can attack adjacent enemies instead of moving. Artillery and tank units (of which the player gets four and one respectively) may bombard from distance. Every friendly sprite, assuming the weather is favourable and the capability hasn't been exhausted, has the chance to call in air strikes and naval bombardments anywhere on the map. It's basically attritional chess, but deft touches here and there regularly puff the scent of peat and sheep dung up your nostrils, and (assuming you're as superannuated/British as I am) coax memories of dramatic "We interrupt this programme…" news flashes and unusually distracted/edgy adults.
With the possible exception of the AGEOD Birth of America games and a few choice WW2 Eastern Front titles, it's hard to think of a wargame in which meteorology has greater significance. Tasked with taking all ten settlement squares on the map within 25 turns, the player can't afford to dither, get bogged down, or pick unnecessary fights. At the highest difficulty levels, because assaulting unsoftened enemy positions can be suicidal, stormy or foggy turns – turns when you can't ask Invincible's Harriers to do a bit of harrying or Avenger's 4.5 inch Mark 8s to do a bit of avenging – can be maddeningly frustrating. The only good thing about horrendous conditions is it keeps the Mirages, Skyhawks and Pucarás off your back.
At the start of a game you're asked to assign fifteen named RN frigates and destroyers to either a 'gun support' or 'task force' group. Without access to the manual I'm not entirely sure what the consequences of these choices are, but playtests and common-sense suggest that a larger gun support group means more opportunities per turn to pound ground targets and less protection for invaluable task force assets like the carriers and the Atlantic Conveyor. However you arrange things, ship losses seem to be inevitable. At the close of every turn, you find yourself waiting nervously for the red screen border and scratchy burble that indicates incoming warplanes.
It's a few lines of slowly unfurled text, but somehow it captures the fearful lottery that was ship survival during the Falklands War rather well. It doesn't take much imagination to picture the low-flying FAA jets thundering into San Carlos Water (or Berkeley Sound, Bluff Cove, or Cow Bay. There's a choice of four possible landing sites.) the Blowpipe operators swivelling to track them. If the bomb lobbers are hunting over land then you get to see them in sprite form as they whip across the map. If the Gods are smiling on you and you haven't committed all of your own air assets to CAS, then there's a chance raiders will be scared off before they can do any damage.
Meaningful terrain, that essential for any self-respecting wargame, is present and largely correct. Hills and mountains slow and shield. Often it's better to bypass blocking forces than attempt to dislodge them. Entering an enemy Zone of Control (any adjacent square) instantly ends a move and leaves the unit concerned vulnerable to attack during the Argentinian phase. The only way to avoid unexpected and unwanted engagements is to use the small SAS and SBS teams wisely. Always the first British units to land, this pair disperse nearby FoW far more effectively than their comrades.
With a slightly livelier AI (Argentinian units will occasionally move to retake lost VLs or reinforce threatened ones, but are generally pretty static), less predictable deployments, and a new interface Falklands 82 could work as modern budget game. Playing it doesn't just bring back yellowing Polaroid memories of 80s Britain at war, it leaves you wondering why the simple, unambitious, coded-in-a-month miltary TBS seems to have vanished from the PC scene. Board wargamers have their cheap/free postcard wargames and DTP creations. We have a sector dominated by hulking heavyweights – games of spectacular girth and undeniable quality, games with pricetags and development schedules that eloquently testify to all the scholarship and labour. Falklands 82 is a glimpse of another way.
The Flare Path Foxer
…is currently hunting Rockhopper penguins on the rockhoppy shores of Carcass Island. Sorry. Back next week.
As I'm sure FurryLippedSquid, Smion, Matchstick, Arona Daal, LionsPhil, mrpier, Jomini, JB, corinoco, mrmalodor, Hydrogene, zachforrest, Zephro, killbilly, Minicow, Mr-Link and Jed would agree, last week's iconic icon identifiers are far too numerous to mention. The folk in question will just have to make do with FP flair points woven from Rockhopper eyebrow strands.
The full list including the four unsolved shortcuts.
- Nice Ico = Falcon 4.0
- Rat Science = Commandos 2
- Marvin's Marauders = TacOps 4
- Cutty Sark Simulator = Crimson Skies
- MiG Ally = Flanker 2.0
- Despotica = Open General
- Ailerons of Alliteration = Pe-2 Dive Bomber
- Peggle Nights = Euro Truck Simulator 2
- You Are Old = MS Flight Simulator 95
- *Dread Barnacle = Destroyer Command
- Za Rodinu! = Close Combat 3
- Infinite Popeye = Jane's Fleet Command
- Fairly Easy = Microsoft Train Simulator
- The Unlawless = Desperados
- *Bloody Difficult = Xtreme Air Racing
- *Bloody Difficult 2 = Rally Trophy
- Tatar For Now = Steel Fury
- Hard To Fathom = Aces of the Deep
- *(stag) = Deer Hunter 2005
- (cross) = Panzer Elite


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Record number of GU grads this year
Sun., May 9, 2010
The graduates at Sunday's commencement ceremony for Gonzaga University were eagerly looking toward the future.
Jessica Clark's ready to serve in the Army. Tye Perdido is going to try to forge a career in pro soccer. Kathleen Carter's got a job lined up in the Seattle area.
And oh, yeah – that tall guy with the beard and dreads, a head above the others in blue caps and gowns? He's got a job, too. He'll be returning to the NBA.
Ronny Turiaf, one of the brightest stars in recent GU basketball history, returned to Spokane this weekend to pick up his sheepskin in sports management. Turiaf, who plays for the NBA's Golden State Warriors, walked in the graduation ceremony five years ago but had a couple of unfinished classes hanging over his head. In the past couple of months, though, he wrapped them up online and made it back for this year's undergraduate commencement ceremony at the Spokane Area.
"It was very hard to do, but it was something I wanted to do," Turiaf said. "I wanted this piece of paper really bad."
Turiaf was greeted with a roar when his name was announced and he crossed the stage for his diploma. He was part of a record graduating class at GU – 2,092 degrees were granted to undergrads, graduate and law students.
Sadly, one of the degrees conferred was posthumous. Lacey Jo Rosenbaum, a 22-year-old volleyball player from Kennewick, died March 30 after complications from knee surgery for torn cartilage. When her family accepted the degree, the Arena crowd rose to its feet in a standing ovation.
Before the ceremony began, graduates mingled on the Arena floor as they waited for the processional. Clark, a 22-year-old from Fresno, Calif., stood at the head of one of the alphabetized lines of students. A second lieutenant stationed at Fort Hood, she graduated with a degree in English and said she's happy to be finished with school – for now.
"I hope to go back to law school, so having an English degree will be very helpful," she said.
Perdido, a standout in soccer at GU, wore a traditional Hawaiian maile lei around his neck over his blue gown. The 21-year-old graduate in religious studies said he plans to try to break into professional soccer and will be playing for the Kitsap Pumas.
Turiaf is now on vacation following the close of the NBA season. The former Zag star was drafted in 2005 by the Los Angeles Lakers and signed with the Warriors in 2008. He said that he arrived in town a couple days ago and had a celebration dinner with some of his former teammates who came to Spokane for the occasion.
"It was a true pleasure – a true happiness," he said.
Turiaf said he eventually wants to work on the business side of sports and is considering getting a master's in sports management. He said he's glad he made the last push to earn his degree.
"It was the fourth quarter with two minutes left," he said, "and I was able to win the game."
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B and I have been together for over 5 years now. However, prior to us getting married, we were in a long distance relationship. I lived in Canada and he lived across the border. After a little over a year of dating, B proposed to me and (of course) I said YES! We only started the immigration process after I graduated from college. Boy, we didn't realize how long and costly it would be!
Since I was his fiancé, we went through the K-1 Fiancé visa process. Once granted, we had 90 days to marry upon my entry in the United States, which we did fulfill. Afterwards, we needed to file for adjustment of status to permanent resident and file to get a temporary green card while we we waiting.


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AHRQ Health IT Projects Publication Database
Current search
Active Filters:
Search found 1 item
This database serves as a central repository for publications resulting from AHRQ Health IT funded work that is PubMed or Google Scholar indexed, including: book chapters, journal articles, conference proceedings, and reports from funded contracts.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1
Managing personal health information: an action agenda.
Wilson C, Peterson A. Managing personal health information: an action agenda. (Prepared by Insight Policy Research under Contract No. 290-07-10072-1). AHRQ Publication No. 10-0048-EF. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. March 2010.
Principal Investigator:


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Singles Cruises31 packages on offer
No cruise buddies? Never fear, a single cruise is the way to go. Get onboard solo and open up a whole new world of travelling.
Some people cruise by themselves out of necessity, some because they love it. Whether you can't find the right cruising partner or you don't want to, singles cruises can be a rewarding and exciting experience, a great way to make friends or to enjoy your own company.
The benefits of going it alone
There are plenty of reasons to cruise as a single person, without partner or friends to tie you down. To be by yourself while sailing the open ocean is quite liberating, and the ship can provide all you might need in the way of interaction and entertainment. There are frequent mixers and parties, opportunities to dine with different groups of passengers, and plenty of group activities. A friendly solo cruiser should have little trouble making friends - for that, it's the ideal way to holiday alone. Take a short cruise from Melbourne to Sydney and enjoy some wonderful time being alone.
Some single cruisers, on the other hand, like to fly solo specifically for the solitude. There are many chances for this to happen - a balcony cabin is the perfect place to relax and unwind in perfect peace, and the spas, pools and theatres of a big ship are all great ways to keep yourself busy without talking to a single soul.
Fares for single cruisers
Unfortunately, cruising alone is often more (quite often much more) expensive than when you are sharing a cabin - this is called a "solo supplement." However, cruise lines are slowly beginning to sit up and pay attention to the plight of those who like to sail the seven seas with the best company: their own! While you are still likely to pay more for a solo cruise, there are more options out there.
Some cruise lines, such as Holland America, Norwegian Cruise lines, Azamara, Silversea, Crystal, P&O UK, Royal Caribbean and Cunard are slowly beginning to add single-occupancy cabins to their new builds and retrofit them onto older ships during upgrades.
There are also cruise enthusiast groups where you can find fellow cruise lovers to be your cabin mate - if the solo supplement is the only thing stopping you from taking the trip of your dreams, this may be a suitable solution.
Solo cruise options on sale
You can take a look at our range of cruise sales which are suitable for the single cruiser right here, to pick your perfect solo getaway. Check out our singles cruises blog post for more tips. Don't be afraid to go it alone!
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Service profiles are mini strategic plans for each of the City of Eugene's services. Updated every four years on a rolling basis, the profiles offer an overview of each service, its goals and insight into some of the tools the service uses to track its performance.
To review the service profiles for City of Eugene services, please select one of the following four categories:
Eugene Budget Subcommittee is comprised of the eight appointed members of the City of Eugene Budget Committee. The Subcommittee met in the fall of 2017 to review profiles and performance indicators for the following 10 City services:
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
November 8, 2017 meeting packet
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Every year, the Budget Subcommittee reviews approximately a quarter of the City's service profiles, as well as performance data covering a four-year span. The purpose of the service profile review is to provide an overview of each City service, its purpose and plans, the factors influencing its performance, and the City's progress towards meeting performance targets for each service.


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Just returned to the area--from Washington DC. Have been a fan of the Broncos for 18 years. I am really looking forward to this season. Go Broncos (my pick=11 and 5), with a win in the play-offs.
Just returned to the area--from Washington DC. Have been a fan of the Broncos for 18 years. I am really looking forward to this season. Go Broncos (my pick=11 and 5), with a win in the play-offs.
hey i have been a broncos fan for like6 years now..i started likein them after elway...and i have neber liked a team better...my name is justin from iowa...well gtg
I forgot to post here last night...
I guess It says I signed up a year ago, but that was just 'cause i wanted to chat--i wasn't aware of the forums.
I'm a Denver sports nut, although I don't really care about college football. As far as I'm concerned, NCAA football is just there to be watched on any day except sunday.
It's a deadlock between the Broncos, Rockies, and Avs as my favorite teams. I don't really care about the nuggets that much. I'll watch some games if I've got nothing to do, but i don't really know the intricacies of basketball. With the Rockies' suckage and the Avs' year off, football is an oasis of awesomeness.
Oh yeah, I play madden. A lot. I still don't have the vision cone down, though. User picks are the ultimate goal for me, and by I think Jake the Snake's vision cone is waaaaaaaaaaay to big. It should be comparable to Kyle Boller's.
I think it's sad that the Rockies are relegated to the sixth page of the newspaper, being replaced by golf stories. Nothing pisses me off more than the "the international" coverage taking up the sports section.
P.S. the only good thing coming about september 11th is football.
Hey, pretty much a newbie here on the forums as far as posting. Joined awhile back and have just been reading posts. Been a Bronco's fan since 1980ish, lived there from 1979-1990. Now in Houston and man I miss the Broncos games in person. I got to see them play in Dallas on Thanksgiving day years ago and hoping to go again this year. I did get tickets to the Texans/Broncos game this Saturday and I'm so psyched to get to see them live again. Of course I'm dressing out all in Broncos gear and so are my kids...I've converted my 2 kids into Broncos fans too! I drive around Houston with a Broncos sticker on my window and my trailer hitch says Denver Broncos on it too!! I'm a Texan by birth and a Broncos Fan by choice!!!!
sup i like the raiders i dont hate any teams came to chat some football been a raider fan since 1990 love napoleon kaufman, my favorite all time DAMN he needs to come back!! lol im 19 years old born december 25 1986 and well thats about it i've liked the raiders since i was 4 years old
Welcome Kaufman26, I hope you enjoy it here, being a raiders fan you've had enough let downs in your life. j/k Just had to do it. Again, welcomeOriginally Posted by Kaufman26
sig by Vulcan thanx buddy
1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given
thanks for the warm welcome, being a raider fan in the 90's was tough...Originally Posted by AzBroncoFan67
Welcome Kaufman26! Hope you enjoy your stay.
thanks im enjoying my stay so farOriginally Posted by BVP
I was born and raised in Canon City Colorado. I grew up as a Bronco fan In the 60's and 70's then I moved to California. I now live 50 miles from Oakland and I know I should be a Raiders fan but I just can't seem get excited about the black and silver. Thanks alot for the site
"I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability!" - Ron White
welcome to the siteOriginally Posted by CharlieD1950
Welcome to the boards, they can be used for medicinal purposes too you know. Go to the smack forum and slam all the raider fans, it'll make you feel alot better about where you live. Well maybe not, but it sure is fun
sig by Vulcan thanx buddy
1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given
Hey ive been a broncos fan for only about a week my best friend got me into them he was at my house and we watched a preseason game or suntin on the broncos and i was hooked and im now a loyal fan
Last edited by TWITCH; 08-17-2005 at 06:42 PM.
hi everybody. i am warpaint and i am a chiefs fan. i am not a sunshine pumper. i am a realistic fan that calls it as i see it.
tricky dik vermeil rides again!


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A field guide for the latest in Facebook marketing, and a few things about Twitter too.
Twitter Makes it Easier for Advertisers to Target Live Event Discussion with New Insights
Real-time coverage remains the micro-blog network's key differentiator, and key advantage against other social media sites, and now Twitter's looking to further capitalize on this, providing new tools to help advertisers target and reach audiences engaged in live events.
Takeaway: A HUGE announcement from Twitter allowing brands to easily participate more fully in the major events happening across the globe in one place.
Read more at Social Media Today
Facebook Will Let You Buy Products From Retailers' Pages
You'll soon be able to buy a lot more stuff on Facebook.
Takeaway: It doesn't sound like Facebook plans to make money directly off shopping transactions for now, but all of these new shopping and payment-related features fall in line with the company's larger goal of keeping users in its apps and website as long as possible. Good news for brands looking to increase online sales.
Read more at Mashable
Instagram Brings Search To The Web
Instagram is adding search to its desktop experience.
Takeaway: Now, by growing their desktop presence, Instagram is evolving viewing and searching through photo content into a cross-platform experience. Good news for brands that put a lot of effort into their Instagram content.
Read more at TechCrunch
Messenger App Giving Facebook's Own Main App A Run For Its Money
If you needed more proof that Facebook's Messenger app is ultra-popular, then here it is: It has now been downloaded more times than Facebook's own main app
Takeaway: As the app gets more popular, brands should explore the best ways to engage audiences in Messenger.
Read more at Digital Trends
What You Need to Know About Facebook Videos
Takeaway: If you publish videos to Facebook, look out for these updates and make sure to test vertical videos (especially if the majority of your fans are on mobile). If your brand isn't posting videos to Facebook yet…start.
Read more at AdWeek
Twitter Background is Gone, But You Can Get It Back (kind of):
Twitter removed the custom backgrounds yesterday to most users' utter dismay.
Takeaway: Get used to the white background, or make enough noise about it that Twitter changes it back.
Read more at Mashable


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Adapting the School Setting
Teacher Opened Her Homeroom to Student
By Virginia Beaston, physical education teacher, Kansas, Ohio
Years ago, we had a very charismatic football coach in our high school who favored his "cool" players and often ridiculed others, like Joe.
Joe was on the heavy side. His appearance could have also benefited from braces, proper hygiene, and clothing that was not tattered. I had Joe in my math class. He enjoyed reasonable success. At that school in those days, we had a lengthy homeroom period that focused on helping develop the whole child. My group met in the library. I used the time to build cohesive groups, investigate career choices, and have appropriate fun. The football players met down the hall in the coaches' room where they talked sports and sometimes made disparaging remarks about other students, including Joe.
One day, Joe came storming into my homeroom. He was very upset and near tears. He asked to change homeroom period to the library because of what was going on in the coaches' room. I said, "Sure," without really thinking about it. Almost three years later, Joe graduated. During that time, he had started working and no longer had time for football practice.
On Commencement Day, he invited me to his graduation party. I was hesitant to attend because two of Joe's relatives were former students of mine and we had had some "issues." I wasn't looking forward to seeing them. In the end, I took my 10-year-old daughter with me to the party, which was held in the gravel parking lot where Joe and his family lived.
As soon as Joe saw me, he came up and gave me a hug and said: "You know I wouldn't have been on that stage today if it wasn't for you." Soon, his mother walked up carrying a large basket with a beautiful house plant. "Joe and I want you to have this for everything you did. If you hadn't got him out of that coaches' room and helped him deal with the other players who were so mean to him, he would have been kicked out of school."
I was speechless. I stood there with the plant in my hands, tears running down my cheeks. After we left the party, I sobbed all the way down the road. I even had to pull over to compose myself.
About the Author
Virginia "Ginni" Beaston, is currently an elementary physical education teacher at Lakota Central and West Elementary Schools in Kansas, Ohio (Sandusky County). Over the course of her twenty-nine years of teaching, she has been a high school math teacher, a high school health and physical education teacher, an athletic director, head volleyball coach, and now an elementary physical education teacher.


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Wealth Creation, Preservation & Management
Please browse our website to find out more about who we are, our level of knowledge, experience and expertise and how we conduct business, or for further information please contact us.
FP Consulting work in partnership with our clients, and other professional advisers such as solicitors and accountants, to meet their financial aspirations and we recognise the importance of providing long-term on-going assistance and guidance.
Treating Customers Fairly
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A heart is made to love, but what kind of love would a heart of the cold dark ocean bare? At such depths love under pressure crystallizes and becomes sharp.
[F4A] Cold Dark Ocean [Rescuing You][Yandere][Infatuation][Possessive][Atmospheric][Underwater Ambience][Gender Neutral][Yandere Mermaid Roleplay]
"I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me."
― T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock


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Application of cold therapy in the horse has been recommended in the treatment of acute tendon injuries, suspensory desmitis, and laminitis as well as other non-specific areas of swelling and inflammation.
Inflamed painful tendons and joints respond dramatically to cold therapy.
Cold can be applied continuously for longer periods with ice horse, increasing the effectiveness of the cold therapy you apply.
Continuous cold therapy allows for rapid treatment of pain and swelling, reducing edema and shortening recovery times.
Cold therapy can be used as a preventative measure reducing excessive swelling related to minor wear and tear and excessive filling in areas of previous injury.


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As of Monday, Hotmail, Microsoft's popular webmail service, finally supports push notifications and synchronization on mobile devices. But not on rival Google's Android operating system.
Not officially, anyway. Some in the tech world have reported that Exchange ActiveSync, the technology Microsoft is using to sync mobile and Web-based Hotmail, does actually work with some Android devices. And Microsoft said it is working on Android support.
But Android is not on Microsoft's list of fully supported platforms yet. Those include:
- Windows Mobile 6.x
- Windows Phone 7
- Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
- Nokia E-series, S-series, N-series (with the Mail for Exchange app)
Through ActiveSync, Hotmail users can now get enhanced syncing capabilities on their smart phones. When they delete an e-mail, it will be deleted from their Web-based Hotmail. When they reply to an e-mail, that message also will be available online. When they create a calendar event, that appointment also will show up on their Windows Live calendar.
"If you use an email client on your PC that already syncs with Hotmail, like Outlook with the Outlook Connector or Windows Live Mail, what you do on your phone will show up there as well," Dick Craddock, a Hotmail group program manager, wrote in a blog post.
For a rundown of how to set up your phone for Hotmail with ActiveSync, go to Microsoft's support page here.


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Still trying to get caught up on session previews – here's a dapper little guy who was an absolutely joy to photograph! I've rarely seen a two year old be so easy to get along with – happy-go-lucky, and want to be photographed! This guy was all of the above – and absolutely adorable!!!
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Villa Ippoliti, Kefalonia, Greece
Coastal serenity in Kefalonia
Bedrooms: 8
Guests: 16
Upon Request
Offering breathtaking uninterrupted views of the Ionian Sea and Kefalonia's incredible landscape, this brand-new property is a haven of tranquility and natural beauty, situated right on the northwest shoreline. Offering spacious accommodation in very elegant living spaces, a stunning infinity pool, panoramic sunsets and the soothing sound of the waves, this villa is a wonderful option for families or larger groups.
Lovingly designed by the family with an equine theme to reflect their love of horses, the property has both a main house and guest house known as the stable block. These are separated by a covered, outdoor bar alongside a lounge area designed in the form of a circular 'horse walker' that would have historically been used for olive pressing, providing both privacy and common areas for guests to relax and unwind. The equestrian designs are nestled amongst interiors that stay true to Kefalonian traditions with rustic stone walls, natural woods and fabrics in light tones and linens in cream and cool blue, a harmonious match to the striking Grecian blue shutters adorning its windows.
Outdoors, the generous patio provides a large infinity pool, shaded dining area and many spaces for reclining, the perfect place for guests to come together and swim, lounge, sip a cocktail or dine al fresco. Just a short drive away is the picturesque harbor of Fiscardo, which offers access to the nearby island of Ithaca. The seclusion of Jerusalem beach is only a 10-minute walk beyond the property, which is located at the end of the access road, limiting traffic to beachgoers for added solitude. The luxurious quiet and restorative atmosphere of this villa ensures an unparalleled stay in this hidden corner of paradise.
Main House
Ground Level
Large sitting room with dining area, open plan fully-equipped kitchen leading to the outdoor terrace, guest bathroom
- 1 Double bedroom en suite
Upper Level
- 1 Master double bedroom en suite
- 1 Twin/Double bedroom with in-room bath tub sharing a bathroom with
- 1 Twin/Double bedroom
Independent Guesthouse - Stable Block
Ground Level
Open plan kitchen, dining and sitting area, accessing a shaded sitting area, guest bathroom
- 2 Double bedrooms with access to private terraces, sharing one private bathroom each with
- 2 Twin/Double bedrooms
Lower Level
Large cinema room, study/sitting area, independent gym with weights & machines, guest bathroom
Infinity swimming pool with sunloungers and umbrellas, pool gazebo with sitting area, large shaded outside dining area, BBQ and bar area, wine bodega, various lounging areas, large surrounding Mediterranean garden
- Daily Maid Service
- Change of linen twice a week
- White Key Signature toiletries
- Travel assistance and Concierge service
For more information please visit our WK Services section
- Infinity swimming pool, fresh water, 15m
- Air-conditioning everywhere
- Gym (bike, cross trainer, running machine, 1-6 kg weights)
- Heos music system
- WiFi, Sky and Apple TV, Cinema Marantz system
- CCTV System
easy, from paved road (last 1 minute on easy dirt road)
- Closest airport: Kefalonia, 1 hour and 10 min drive
- Closest port: Fiscardo, 15 min drive
- Closest town: Maganos, 6 min drive
- Closest beach: Jerusalem, 15 min walk


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Commercial UAV Risk Control
More and more businesses are discovering the many uses that UAVs, commonly known as drones, may have as a part of commercial operations. Though use of UAVs for commercial purpose is technically still illegal, the FAA does give permission on an individual basis for businesses to use drones. The FAA is also working towards legalizing the use of commercial drones on a wider scale, reviewing safety and security concerns and crafting appropriate regulations to guide the use of drone technology in industrial environments.
UAV Safety and Security Issues
Safety concerns are a top priority for the FAA when it comes to UAV usage, and the main concern involves the navigation system. All varieties of drones contain GPS technology, which allows the UAV pilot to maneuver the drone horizontally and vertically. Unfortunately, when it comes to using drones, the human eye must be relied upon to help control and navigate the machine. GPS technology enables drones to fly to a much greater height than may be needed commercially, up to 400 feet, and this could put the machine in the way of aircraft in the airspace it is navigating. GPS also enables the UAV to fly to a distance outside the range of human vision, making it impossible for the UAV pilot to see what is surrounding the drone and whether people or property could be in danger.
UAV Risk Control
Controlling the risks that drone usage poses is one of the most important issues to consider if you want to incorporate UAVs into your business operations. Risk control and risk management are also necessary steps in making your company presentable to prospective insurance companies. In addition to the actual drones being used, an insurance company will want to see that the employees who will be operating the drone are properly trained and certified.
Safely using a commercial drone requires training. Some insurance companies may even require proof that any employees who will be operating the company's drones have completed the appropriate training and are certified to operate the UAV.
UAVs and the Commercial Industry
Businesses are using UAVs in a wide variety of ways. Some drones are fitted with surveying equipment, collecting geographical data that will be used to create digital renderings of the land for mapping companies and the construction industry. The agricultural industry is also bringing in drone technology to assist with monitoring crop condition and the quality of the fields, as well as moisture levels and weather patterns. The real estate industry is taking advantage of the ability of UAVs to access remote areas, attaching the camera to document properties and get angles that both prospective buyers and insurance underwriters will be anxious to have on file.
Broad-range acceptance of commercial drones appears to be right around the bend as the FAA works toward legalizing their use. As the potential for usage steadily increases, so does the need for comprehensive risk management planning and review. Managing and controlling your risk when using commercial drones will protect your company from possible lawsuits and claims resulting from property damage and personal injury, as well as privacy rights issues. Together with a comprehensive drone insurance policy, commercial UAV risk control will keep your business running smoothly as you adapt to the new technology.
Poms & Associates offers a broad range of business insurance and brokerage services and provides the most current information on commercial general liability insurance policies, as well as additional coverage options such as drone insurance. For more details about the basics of business insurance policies, and to find out how Poms & Associates can help you choose the right drone coverage for your company, please visit our website or contact us.
Author Bio:
Gabriella Messina is an author who has written online content for a variety of business and insurance related topics, including business insurance basics, workers' compensation, liability insurance, and malpractice.


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Leading provider of data capture, workflow and document management solutions becomes Intuitive Dashboards reseller to meet the increasing demand for advanced BI dashboard solutions.
Dublin-based Inpute Technologies, a leading provider of intelligent data capture, workflow and document management solutions, has announced a reseller partnership with Intuitive Business Intelligence, the author of multi award-winning business intelligence (BI) dashboard software, Intuitive Dashboards. Intuitive's advanced dashboard solution is now available to Inpute's enterprise, mid-market and Government customers, fulfilling the increasing demand for advanced dashboard solutions that harness critical management information within existing core business systems
Using Intuitive Dashboards, Inpute's clients gain a single, consolidated view of their organisational performance from a wide range of disparate information systems, benefitting from operational efficiencies, dramatically reduced costs and the elimination of paper-based reporting. Intuitive Dashboards complements Inpute's existing product suite which automates document-centric processes including accounts payable, purchase-to-pay, accounts receivable, document capture, workflow and approval.
Chris Howard, Managing Director at Inpute Technologies, comments, "We needed to respond to the significant increase in demand from our clients for a BI dashboard solution that would leverage their existing information assets and transform them into instantly accessible business insight. We researched the entire dashboards market and Intuitive Dashboards was the clear winner; completely Web-based, simple and ultra-fast to implement and offering unrivalled ease-of-use, we are now able to offer our clients a best-of-breed dashboard solution that tightly integrates with all major workflow, data capture and document management solutions."
Howard concludes, "Intuitive Dashboards provides our clients with an instant, graphical interpretation of the wellbeing of their business, allowing them to understand and act quickly on key performance metrics. The strategic partnership with Intuitive Business Intelligence enables Inpute Technologies to immediately provide our clients with a state-of-the-art, SaaS-friendly dashboard solution that will empower them to make critical business decisions, rapidly and effectively. We are thrilled to be partnering with Intuitive Business Intelligence and look forward to a long and successful relationship."
Colin Stocker, Channel Account Manager at Intuitive Business Intelligence, comments, "We are very excited to welcome Inpute Technologies as an Intuitive Business Intelligence premier partner, as it demonstrates their continued commitment to deliver best-of-breed SaaS technology solutions. Not only can their client base look forward to the advanced functionality offered by Intuitive Dashboards, they can also benefit from rapid implementation and unrivalled ease of use."
Stocker confirms, "It is vital for organisations to have instant access to the most relevant management information, so they can immediately spot issues and opportunities. Intuitive Dashboards provides a highly interactive way to visualise, manage and track financial and wider organisational performance, empowering users with real-time access to the most critical information for faster, more accurate decision-making."
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Many photographers who are just starting out have a hard time grasping and remembering how aperture and depth of field work. I have done a few posts on this before and will continue to as I think of various ways to describe it. While at a Detroit Tigers baseball game, my kids were playing with finger puppets. And it clicked – this was a great way to describe Depth of Field (not in technical terms but terms where I could even teach my 7 year old twins). As I explained it to them, they understood. So I know this is a simple way to explain.
While shooting, if your f-stop/aperture number is a low number (see here – f/2.2), you are shooting wide open. The closer to 1 – the more "wide" you are. Many lenses do not open to 1.2 or even 2.2. Prime lenses tend to open wider than zooms. In any case, the bigger your number (many lenses go to either f/16 or even f/22) you are stopped down.
So in simple terms, the wider you are (smaller numbers), the smaller your depth of field, smaller area is in focus. It also means more light is let in, but for this post, we will just cover what it means for what is in and out of focus. The larger the number, the larger the depth of field. More is in focus…
But there is more to the equation. Distance plays a HUGE role too. The closer you are to your subject and the further you are to a background, the greater the background blur (and the smaller the depth of field). The further you are away from your subject and the closer they are to the background, you get less background blur as the depth of field is greater. Let's take a look at two shots below.
This 1st shot, I was at f 2.2. So very wide open. This was shot at my seats at a baseball game. My hand was extended by an arm's length (very close – shallow DOF). And the background, stadium, was very far away. So given that I was so wide open, the background fell completely out of focus, to the point where it is unidentifiable.
Next shot:
In this second shot, the set up was the same, but I was at f/16. Subject still close to me. Background was far away. So while you usually would have your subject and background very much in focus when shooting at f/16, here it is not. You can faintly make out that sign that says Tigers and Comerica Park. But why is it blurry in the background? Because of the distance. Focus was about a foot and a half from the camera. Simply put, there would be no way to get the puppets and background in focus in this spot. This is not a bad thing – but maybe this will better help you understand how to shoot for your goals.
If I turned and had one of my daughters behind the puppets, the puppets would be in focus at f/2.2 and the background (my girls) slightly out of focus – even if a foot behind the puppets. They would not have looked like the 1st shot though as there would not be enough distance. If I shot my twins directly behind the puppets, focused on the puppets, at f/16, the puppets and my girls would both be in focus (as the depth of field would be large).
Clicking yet?
ASSIGNMENT: The best way to learn is by practicing!!! Please submit links to your DOF photo plays – shooting a few of the same basic shot wide open and stopped down – in the comment section. I hope to see lots of practice and plays!!! After you post – if you have questions, feel free to ask them along with your tries.