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Ep #38, Michelle Mahony, Ketchum
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Worldwide, there are 1.8 billion active Facebook users with 1.2 billion of them logging in daily. These are huge numbers but will internal communicators benefit from this activity with the recently launched Workplace by Facebook product?
In this episode of ICology, Michelle Mahony, SVP & Regional Director at Ketchum, talks about about the agency's role in the Workplace by Facebook beta. Initially only about 200 companies around the world participated in the beta launch. She shares what they experienced using Workplace and how their own employees used and benefited from it. And since being a part of the beta group of users, Ketchum is now one of the key global implementation partners to help other companies adopt the new enterprise social network (ESN).
Is Facebook ready for the enterprise? We're about to find out. And if your business is considering Workplace by Facebook, you'll want to listen to Michelle's experience.
Ketchum blog: Workplace by Facebook: The Internal Communications Game Changer
Episode Transcript
Chuck: Recently there's been a new entry into internal social networking, and it's Facebook. There have been headlines around this that I thought were really interesting, where it's things like, "Facebook headed to the office," and, "Facebook is now on the clock," and, "Facebook tries to muscle in on your job," and, "Facebook is picking up the slack." I thought that was really interesting ways for them to begin relating Facebook to internal comms.
I think two of the most overused words today that we see in business are "disruption" and "game changer." Mostly because whatever is being disrupted, or whatever game is being changed, really isn't. It just ends up being noise. When I saw what Facebook was doing with its new internal social networking product, now call Workplace By Facebook, I think it is very disruptive. I know some communicators have been apprehensive about enterprise social networks, some for good reasons, other maybe not so good, but I think it's worth investigating what Facebook is doing, and seeing if it makes sense for your company. I chaired an event a few weeks ago, and a healthcare communicator mentioned that he's already submitted a proposal to adopt Workplace By Facebook. It'll be interesting to see if Facebook's name recognition will help or hurt in the process.
The other "disruptive" thing I see is, I think this could help wake up some of the software companies in the IC space who provide social networking. In the past it was easy to pick on Yammer, and then everybody sort of jumped on Slack, and that seemed to be a very popular choice. We'll have to see where Facebook fits in among this variety of other choices. I know Slack has already responded to Microsoft's new teams product with a full-page ad in the New York Times, so I'm curious to see how or if others now begin to respond to Facebook's involvement.
That's why I have today's guest on the show. I want to welcome Michelle Mahony, the SVP and director at Ketchum Change. Michelle, welcome to ICology.
Michelle: Thanks so much, Chuck.
Chuck: Happy to have you on, but before we get into our conversation about workplace by Facebook, why don't you go through your comms background that got you to Ketchum, and then discuss your role there now.
Michelle: Sure thing. It's been a long and windy road. I have been in this profession for a little over 20 years, which I'm actually sort of loathe to admit. It started out really as kind of a fluke as a consulting firm in New York City in my mid-20s. Back then I was doing some HR communications consulting for clients. That's really where I began. Over the years that's evolved as my passions have evolved. First really as I stoked a passion around employee engagement and how communications can support engagement. Then over time, very interested in how one can leverage communications to support organizational change, whether it's some kind of a financial transformation, organizational transformation, change in strategy, and the critical role that communications plays in that. I've seen it evolve over the years, but the profession has remained exciting far and wide, and unpredictable. I think we're here to talk about one of those other, as you said, disruptive, unpredictable platforms.
Now I'm lucky enough to have had the opportunity to lead our Change and internal communications practice at Ketchum, so my role is to lead our North American team in this area. What we really do is focus on helping organizations leverage communications to drive change effectively, as well as to help them just in general with communicating change in the organizations more effectively, and really getting employees engaged and committed to the change.
Chuck: Ketchum was part of the Workplace By Facebook beta. I think I saw 200 or 300 countries that were part of that beta. What I'm curious is, what was that like, and how did Ketchum employees respond to it?
Michelle: We started, at the time it was Facebook At Work, we launched probably, I think it was five or six months ago, and I have to say, it was fairly seamless. We started with a bit of a pilot group to get comfortable using it, and provide any feedback about how we should launch it within the organization, and just to sort of start talking it up, which I think worked really well, so it was sort of a little bit of a grassroots movement there. The actual launch and execution was pretty seamless in the sense that people were very quick on the uptake. I think within a couple weeks we had 70% of our organization on with their claimed accounts, which is, for an organization of 3,000 people, I think is pretty phenomenal for any adoption of a technology platform. Again, the learning curve was fairly low.
One of the things I know we've all heard about is, the fact that Facebook has 1.7 billion users makes it pretty easy to transition, for most folks, over to this platform, so I think people found it pretty seamless. Since then I think our user uptake has increased even more. I find myself using it more and more, I am on Workplace every single day, and beginning to really drive my team to Workplace to source documents, for discussions, and away from email. That's been kind of an interesting process, we start to see the decrease of email and the increase of usage of Workplace. We can talk about why that is, I think, in this discussion.
As we go forward we are going to be launching a phase two Workplace at Ketchum to really help folks understand all of the capabilities of Workplace. I think this first launch is really about getting people comfortable with it, and the second one is going to be about really leveraging all of the cool capabilities and functionalities that'll help support our work.
Chuck: You made mention of this when, earlier on, you talked about how it used to be called Facebook At Work. Some people might remember it being called that. When it was now made available to every company outside of the beta they changed the name to Workplace By Facebook.
With there being some management out there who still complain about, or at least there's alleged complaints about employees using the traditional, or public, Facebook while at work, I would imagine that you guys are behind this name change, going from Facebook At Work to now Workplace By Facebook.
Michelle: Yeah, I think there's a couple of aspects of that that were really smart, in the rebranding of Facebook At Work. First, to your point, I think there was some feedback in the very beginning. As they went through the beta launch, some concern that, "Oh gosh, this is just another way for employees to spend more time on Facebook and less time working." Which is really interesting, especially in the context, if you look historically, I read the other day that when the telephone was introduced, employers had the same concern, that folks would be spending more time on the phone and less at working. If you're old enough, like me, to remember the onset of email, there was sort of the same concern that was raised. Any time that there is a new communications platform, I think that concern is raised until it becomes part of of the fabric of how we work.
That's one point. I think the second point around the rebranding is that, Mark Zuckerberg has gone on record saying that Workplace is a way to run a company. It's much more than a communication platform. If you think of this platform as a spectrum, and I think the intrigue point for a lot of us as communicators is facilitating greater discussion, more collaboration more transparency among employees, and that is certainly true of Workplace, and I think that has been true of us as we've used it at Ketchum. I think if you, again, begin to understand the different capabilities and functions within Workplace, it actually becomes a place of work, and a way to get work done. I think in both senses the rebranding was really smart, and it really says what it's really meant to be, which is a virtual workplace for folks.
Chuck: You've certainly dated us both. I wasn't part of the telephone generation, but I do remember, and this might be, I don't want to say shocking to people, but there was a time where you had to develop a business case as to why you would need an email address. It wasn't just something that was handed over on day one. Now, and email's great, so this isn't a dig on email in any way, shape, or form, but there's probably some days when we wish we could shed our email addresses and our email accounts, to focus on things. But that's not an email problem, that's a user problem. From your perspective, what makes Workplace a bit different from other social networking platforms, or other collaboration software? I'm not really looking for an apples to apples type comparison, but what's the feel that you get there that others might think makes it a little different than other offerings?
Michelle: I can speak from my experience in helping organizations implement some of these other platforms, to varying degrees of success. I think there's been a lot of good platforms out there that have been used, and will continue to be used. Some of the differences I can point out for Workplace, first, as we mentioned before, by far I would think their best competitive advantage is that people are already there. It is truly meeting employees where they are now. As we mentioned, with the 1.7 billion members of the global population already on Facebook, it just decreases the learning curve so much. It's a little different, but it looks very similar to Facebook, and people just feel comfortable navigating it and using it. I think that's probably number one.
Second, they've designed the platform to be mobile-first, meaning that you can access it both from your computer, at your desk, but it's also really easy to access while you're on the move. That's probably how I access it, even more than through the computer. Their mobile interface is very, very good. That's very purposeful on their part. It makes it, from a work perspective, makes it really easy to reach difficult-to-reach employees. I just slammed that sentence. It makes it easy to reach those folks that are on the move, away from their desks, like so many of us are. Or even, heaven forbid, after hours at work. If people start to integrate work and their personal lives together they get the easy access.
We've also found that companies who are large retail chains, companies who have large populations of mobile employees companies that have large populations of manufacturing employees who don't, again, have easy access to desktop computers, those are places where Workplace is really succeeding. I think that's another big advantage.
Then of course, I think a feature a lot of folks are talking about, a lot of leaders I talked to are talking about, is the live video stream. We're seeing that growing so much. If you're on Facebook at all I think you've seen the growth of that feature, and I think it's really, really cool. From a workplace perspective, and a company perspective, the ability for people and leaders to really livestream from events that are happening, make real-time announcements, or even just from your desk, to be able to broadcast news or perspective, is something that I think organizations are really excited about. Now it's part of the platform, so it's no additional cost, and it's easy. I think those are really big things.
Then there's things like being able to create groups across organizations, across different companies, so if I'm working at my firm on a client project, we can open up a group to collaborate on that project. I think that's another big advantage. There's several, but I would point to those as the big ones.
Chuck: It seems to be from a pure mechanics standpoint that the groups seems to be the big differentiator from how they might think of how they use the traditional Facebook, versus Workplace By Facebook. How do you see groups really helping teams communicate? Or are people sort of forming teams there within groups?
Michelle: Yeah. I think that's a really good point. I think groups are the big differentiator from Facebook, although you can start, obviously, Facebook groups. Workplace is really designed to work around the group dynamic. When I go to my Facebook page and do an update, I go to my profile page, I put an update there, attach a photo, whatever it is that I'm doing. At Workplace you almost never put up a post on your profile page. In fact I don't think I ever have put up a post on my personal profile page. All the posts that you make are within specific groups, and that is really to facilitate the interaction and the networking amongst people in those groups. I think there are really natural ways that you can set those up.
In our company, for example, for Ketchum, you sort of have the overall Ketchum group and newsfeed, where general company news is posted and we can discuss. Then we have my New York office group, that is the whole entire Ketchum New York office, and there's groups like that, that are really organized geographically. Down to our Ketchum Change group and practice, where we have our own group. Then beyond that you can form groups based on interests, projects, et cetera. I really do kind of skim across them, and interact with all of those groups, and it's a different way of working, but it really does facilitate that collaboration and network and connection, which is the real purpose of Workplace.
Chuck: It's good to hear that employees have the ability to create some of their own groups, because I've always said, when technology, if someone can use it professionally but also personally, they'll get more out of it. They might have these various professional groups, like I said, based on where they work, or they're part of a department or a team, but also if, let's say, they're a runner, and they wanted to start a run club, and then they can organize their runs in a group, while also working In a group that's a work-related project. I think that then they're getting the personal and professional benefit at the same time, and obviously then spending more time in the product, which is then beneficial to everybody there.
Michelle: Yeah, I think that's a really good point, and I think it really does touch on both those personal connections, that we know are so important at work, and that we know really drive how happy and productive an individual is at a company, so having that flexibility to do that, and to your point, having it really employee-driven. The whole point of this is that it's really a grassroots kind of platform that facilitates work and collaboration across the group. Although I think it's a great tool, in fact we haven't even talked about that, but a really fantastic tool for leaders as a way to really connect with employees as humans and talk with them, it's also a great tool for anyone in the organization to really leverage, to connect with people that may be outside of their immediate office space.
For organizations that are looking at, "How do I do this." We touched on this a little bit before in terms of Workplace being a good substitute in a lot of instances for email. In big organizations you have these national emailing groups that exist, and essentially taking those and applying them, easily applying them, to create groups for Workplace, is a very good place to start.
Chuck: I think for some in communications, and you alluded to this before, there's a bit of a, "If we build it they will come," philosophy, instead of a "Let's go where they are." Given people's individual use of Facebook, do you think this will help Workplace, but also, to the contrary of that, there are some people who are just generally anti-Facebook for whatever reason. Do you think that could hurt Workplace? How the fact that there's a public Facebook, and now this Workplace, how do you think that'll help or hurt it overall?
Michelle:I think, as we've already alluded to, the fact that so many people are already on Facebook is, I do believe, a big competitive advantage for them, as we already talked about, because people are already there so it's easy for them to use. We should actually mention, if listeners aren't aware of this, that Workplace and Facebook do not talk to each other. They look very similar but they're two different systems, two different entry points, so you're not mixing your friends with your work groups. In fact, actually another little interesting point about Workplace, the difference is you don't call people your friends on Workplace. Everyone's your colleague essentially, so you follow people, and that sort of operates in the same way.
I think that overall it does work for Facebook, but to your point, I think the detractor is, that I've seen, and these are from people, honestly, that as far as I can tell are not really on Workplace, and maybe have seen a demo, is they're feeling like they want to keep their social life separate from their work life, and don't like that connotation that I'm bringing Facebook to work. Because they see that as more of a personal and social platform. Again, I think that's actually part of the reason behind the rebranding.
I would say, though, that I would caution people to think, "If I just slap up Workplace at our company, people will just start using it," to your point, the "if you build it they will come" mentality. I think people will naturally sign up and start using it as they see fit, which is great, but I do think that there's some careful planning and thinking that needs to take place about how organizations do bring this in, and how they do launch it. Because it really is a change for people in terms of how they work and how they communicate. I think careful attention needs to be paid to that in terms of how it is rolled out. Because there are challenges that come with it, just like any platform. There are some good objections, there are good challenges that our clients raise around it, that definitely need to be thought through and addressed in the process.
Chuck: For, we'll call it the original Facebook, one of the areas that I know some people get frustrated, or a challenge that they have with it, is the algorithm of determining what they see, or what they don't see, or what shows up in their feed. Is there anything like this, or are there other forces at play, that determine what employees see, or is it more just the true chronological time element?
Michelle: The one thing I can say about that is, and actually it's been interesting, because I think some of the concerns about Workplace is that some organizations want certain posts to float to the top, and not it be completely democratic all the time. If you have an important post from a CEO, for example, or a piece of company news that you want to make sure that everybody sees first when they go to that group, even if they haven't logged on in a day or so. I know what you can do is, you can pin importance to certain individuals, so that when that individual posts, their posts all essentially float to the top for a while. You can also do that for just particular posts that you want to make sure go to the top for a while. Other than that though, I can't say for sure but it's not the same kind of algorithm that you see in Facebook, which as we know is always changing.
Chuck: Do you think that Facebook, as a company, and they've been highly successful, like we said, the billion-plus people that are on there, but do you think that they are ready for the enterprise? Do you think they are ready to deal with customer bases in these groups? They might be 500, they might be 10,000, 100,000, or more. Do you think they're ready for that?
Michelle: I think that Facebook, and one thing I've really learned about them is, they are an amazing learning organization. As they have launched this I've really watched them, they take the feedback that they get from their customers. The channels for feedback are always open, they take that feedback very seriously, and they act on it incredibly quickly. It's pretty impressive to see actually, that for a lot of platforms you get a new update every six months, or new features every six months or a year or so; for them, they're taking that feedback, weaving it in, and updating it on a weekly basis.
I think they're very responsive to their customer base, first of all, and I think second of all, another element to your question is, the reason that they have gathered around the implementation partners like Ketchum and like others, is because we as organizations do have deep experience in helping enterprises implement new platforms, technology, and to implement change. They're leveraging those competencies of their implementation partners, like us, to help them be more successful as they implement and roll out Workplace. Their core competency is just making a fantastic platform, and I really think that they've done that, and they're working with other corporations who have that enterprise strength to help ensure that it's successful.
Chuck:That's a great segue to my next question. You mentioned that Ketchum is a partner with Facebook on Workplace, so what does that entail? What sort of work do you guys do with companies to help implement Workplace?
Michelle: For us, what it means to be a partner is, you're simply helping organizations get familiar with Workplace and to roll it out. As I mentioned, each of the partners have specialized competencies that can support customers based, and clients and organizations, based on their needs. For us, I think we really help in three different areas. One is to help navigate the complexity of organizations, and gets the stakeholders and the folks on the ground involved that need to be involved just to launch it. For example, working with communications or HR, whoever is sponsoring this, to get leadership support for Workplace, because it is really a very large-scale change. To get IT support, which is a huge stakeholder that really needs to understand Workplace, and a lot of the back end issues, security issues, and things like that before that they can feel comfortable in, and are able to deploy it. It's that kind of navigation that we help with in organizations to just get the approval for the implementation itself.
Then in the second piece I think what we can do is, what we do, is to help launch Workplace and engage leaders and employees in that launch. How do you go about it? Do we want to do a pilot group or do we want to open it up to the whole organization? What's the role of leadership in helping people get engaged and get involved? What do we want to do around training to ensure that everybody really understands the capabilities of Facebook? I'm doing it too now, a Workplace by Facebook. I think the launch and implementation plan is important, and like I said, really critical to their success, and we can help there. This really is a cultural change for many organizations. They have to be ready for greater transparency, and there's still some discomfort with that, understandably, but that's really part of it. Really working through the culture issues and helping people get comfortable with it is a big part of what we do.
Finally, and I think this is going to be an emerging issue, as more and more companies adopt Workplace, and that is really, how does Workplace interact with other work processes and platforms that are already in the organization? For example, once we implement Workplace, what's the role of the intranet, and how do we use it? How do we create those rules of the road, or governance, for how we use Workplace versus how we use the intranet? Does it plug into CAM systems? It's really defining how Workplace is used, and how it interacts with other communications and technology platforms in the organization. I think that's messy stuff to work through, and organizations are just beginning to work through it now.
Chuck: What's the best way for someone to reach out to you, or connect with Ketchum, if they're interested in learning more?
Michelle: Yeah, absolutely. If you want to publish my email address directly when you post this, I would completely welcome that, and my contact information. You can also go through the Ketchum website and go to Ketchum Change to contact me if you like. We are actually going to be putting up a special page that discusses in more detail our services offerings related to Workplace. Folks can enter in all of those ways, or through LinkedIn.
Chuck: Like I said, I'm not a Workplace By Facebook customer, I'm not a service partner, but for me, just looking at it as an outsider, I think there is a ton of potential here. I think some of the roadblocks that maybe previous internal social networks have had, this could overcome. You bring up a lot of great points, too, around integrating other enterprise technologies. Where does something plug into the intranet? Will people complete expense reports through this, or through something else?
There's a lot of those processes that are obviously a big part of any company, large or small, and it'll be interesting to see how Workplace, are they a navigator to that? Is it an integration part? Because I think that will ultimately dictate some of the possible future success.
Michelle: I couldn't agree with you more, Chuck, on this. I think the point you're raising around things like doing expense reports, ordering business cards, that's where we start to see the transition from Workplace as a communication-collaboration platform, to how work gets done. If you think about things like help desk ticketing systems, there's been a lot of success with organizations in the beta version of using Workplace to facilitate that process, and it's actually enhanced it and set it up. Even simple things like getting approvals on documents, If you post it right there you can make the edits in real time and follow the thread of comments. People are seeing approval processes and review cycles happen more quickly. Escalating problems and issues and providing customer input and feedback, I've seen some experimentation with that that's been very successful.
Again, I think it's that transition of moving into how we get, not just communication, but how we actually get work done. It's got to be really thought through and carefully planned. At the same time, I think organizations need to be okay with trying things, and seeing if they work or not, and then moving on from there. I do think a platform like this allows you the flexibility to do so.
Chuck: Yeah, it'll be interesting to see where they go. I'd go back to a guest, and we alluded to his before as well, it was JoEllen Saeli-Lane, that her advice was, go where your employees are. Of course not every single person in the organization is a Facebook user, but it'd be interesting to know how many are, and will this help your company communicate if they're comfortable? It's not necessarily what's the coolest, or what's the slickest, or what's the most expensive or least expensive, it's what's going to get used. That's where I think that workplace might have a bit of a leg up compared to other platforms out there.
Michelle: Yeah, completely agree. When you've got more than 1/6 of the global population already on their core platform, it's a pretty compelling argument for usage and adoption.
Chuck: Especially when you think about global organizations. Then because Facebook is almost everywhere, for global organizations there's going to be that familiarity as well.
Michelle: Yes, absolutely, and I think that really is an advantage, and with that though, and I think you bring up a really good point, there are some cultures that are not such big users of Facebook. They're using other social platforms. We have found, even in our company, that some of the adoption's a little bit slower in some of those countries, which is why, again, I think it's important to think through how you launch this, especially if it is a global organization, and taking into consideration some of those cultural differences.
Chuck: All right Michelle, well thanks for walking us through some of your experience there with Workplace, both as part of the beta and now as a company who's trying to encourage and help others take advantage of it, or at least investigate it to see what's possible. We're going to now move on to the lightning round part of the episode, which is a chance for listeners to learn a little bit more about you. The first question up is, what is your favorite TV show of all time?
Then, listeners to the podcast, obviously there's a lot of people from internal communications or HR, but also just the general business community listens to this. What's a final piece of advice that you want to share with the listeners?
Michelle: I think it's a tough world to navigate right now, with the acceleration of change, really from a business perspective and a personal perspective. Change from the outside, change from the inside, and that kind of world transformation is one that we live every day. I think my biggest piece of advice in the context of that is to try stuff. I'm really a believer these days in the 70% or 80% rule, and that we don't have time to really cross all of our T's, dot all of our I's. My advice is, experiment, use your employees to conduct experiments, and put stuff out there, and try them. If it doesn't work you can always try something new. I think that's what I would say in this day and age.
Chuck: Thank you, Michelle, for coming on ICology, sharing your experiences and your thoughts on Workplace By Facebook. Again, I think it really has the opportunity to change a lot of organizations' thoughts around internal social networks, but also maybe for the first time, introduce some employees to social networks. I think the fact, as you mentioned, that it's a mobile-first technology, is probably unique compared to other platforms. Be interesting to see down the line how people respond to it.
Michelle: Thanks so much for having me Chuck, it was a real pleasure to talk with you.


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Downsizing is a popular subject. From renters looking to make the most of small apartments to baby boomers looking to de-stress by shedding that unneeded space, there are several reasons you might be looking to downsize. The hard part is getting started.
We're always looking for ways to help you stay organized and stress-free, so we rounded up the top 3 tips to help downsize the task of downsizing (forgive the pun) so you can spend less time packing boxes and more time enjoying life.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Today is Whitsunday, or Pentecost, to give it its biblical name. It commemorates that moment when the Holy Spirit descended on the first followers of Jesus, turning them from a group of somewhat bewildered disciples into the movement that was to change the world.
This, then, is the birthday of 'the church'. So here's a little birthday present for you: an excerpt on Pentecost from Kingdom of Fools, which looks at when it took place, where it took place, what kinds of people were there, and why the authorities in the Temple might have got annoyed about it.


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Foot Ulcers/Wounds
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Diabetic wounds of the lower extremity
Many diabetes patients develop skin ulcers on the feet, most often found by the sole of the foot and around the heel. Bacteria can cause an infection through small cracks (fissures) that can develop in the dry skin around the heel and on other parts of the foot or through corns, calluses, blisters, hangnails, or ulcers. If not treated, the bacterial infection can destroy skin, tissue, and bone or spread throughout the body.
The ulcers/wounds result from the inflammation and degeneration of peripheral nerves. If the foot wound is not treated properly, hospitalization and possibly amputation could result by allowing anaerobic organisms to flourish. For patients with diabetes mellitus with accelerated atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), their resistance to infection is reduced and the lower extremity amputation rate is increased.
Most hyperbaric oxygen treatment is used as an adjunctive therapy in the management of diabetes complications, particularly diabetic foot ulcers that often result in amputation of toes, feet or legs. Early, aggressive wound care strategies combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment, can prevent osteomyelitis and amputations and help improve the quality of life for diabetic patients.
According to a study cited by Diabetes Spectrum (Vol. 10, 1997), "avoidance of rehabilitation costs and the additional savings involved in prevention of re-amputation or stump revision is an additional benefit" of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Hospital visits were also shown to decline.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy works to improve and heal the hypoxic areas through a significant increase in oxygen to the tissues. The elevation in oxygen tension in ischemic and infected wound tissue induces healing by enhancing fibroblast replication, collagen synthesis and the neovascularization process. It works best as an adjunctive therapy to multi-disciplinary wound care.
Why Add Adjunctive Hyperbarics for Diabetic Foot Wounds?
- More than 60% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.
- In 2002, about 82,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed in people with diabetes.
- The rate of amputation for people with diabetes is 10 times higher than for people without diabetes.
American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org.


text: Clinical Professor Hiroko Kusuda delivered the keynote address at the Japanese Clinical Legal Educators Association Annual Conference. The April 24th event was hosted by Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. Professor Kusuda's speech was titled "American Legal Education and the Future of Clinical Legal Education - ABA's Revised Standards on Experiential Learning." She discussed the background and the report of its task force that prompted the ABA to revise law school accreditation standards, which require all law U.S. schools to provide 6 credits of experiential learning in the upcoming academic year and the law school and state bar associations' efforts to comply with these standards.


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Thursday is Yogurt day around here. As in almost every Thursday I make a batch of yogurt.
It surprises a lot of people that I make yogurt.
It's really not hard to make, once you do it a couple times. It doesn't take a lot of time, most of the time it's doing it's thing, you don't need to watch it! And it's SO much better than store bought. Most store bought yogurts now are not left to culture long enough, so there's not as much of that good stuff in there. And because they can't risk a "bad batch" that doesn't come out quite the right texture, most have stabilizers and thickeners in them.
Since yogurt is supposed to be an amazingly helpful food for your stomach and gut health, all that makes me sad!
So if you're convinced, here's the how-to!
The Hows & Whys of Yogurt:
Milk – Store bought/fresh/raw it all works. You will need some! 😉 I get my milk from a local dairy, so I'm using raw, fresh whole milk.
Starter – This refers to the cultures you will add to your milk to make it become yogurt instead of just warm sour milk that stayed out too long. Basically, you are taking a few "cultures" in the form of your starter, adding them to plain warm milk, and letting them grow and multiply to make all that warm milk into yogurt. They make and sell "yogurt starter", or you can use some already made yogurt. When I make it I use some from my last batch. If you are starting your first batch, you can buy some yogurt in the store to use, however it has to be plain with no additives (check the ingredients). I'm using yogurt from my last batch, which I originally started from starter.
Warmth – Lastly, you need a way to keep your yogurt warm while it cultures. There are MANY methods. The important thing is to keep it around 105-115 for a certain amount of time. There are yogurt makers. You can use a crockpot. Or an oven. Or a cooler filled with hot water. Or a heating pad. Or a dehydrator… I have used the heating pad: wrapping Mason jars in towels on top of the pad. Last year I purchased a dehydrator for this purpose, which allows me to set a certain temp and walk away! (Plus I can make jerky 😉 ) I now use my Excaliber dehydrator.
Tools you will need:
- A measuring pitcher – 2 or 4 cup. I use a glass Pyrex
- A wire whisk
- A thermometer – I have so therefore I use a candy one, but they also sell dairy ones. Or any thermometer that can accurately read from 100-200 degrees F
- A measuring cup – in the 1/3 to 1/2 range OR ladle
- Large cook pan – I use a 4 quart to make 3 quarts of yogurt
- Some containers to put the yogurt in – I use old yogurt containers. Mason jars work too. A friend of mine uses old baby food jars for kid size portions
- Heat source
(Pics below)
(making 3 quarts of yogurt, adjust if needed)
- Begin heating 11 cups of milk on low to medium heat (3 quarts minus the 1 cup of starter)
- Measure out 1 cup of yogurt/starter into your 2 or 4 cup measuring pitcher and leave on counter to begin warming
- Stir milk regularly to keep it from scorching on the bottom of the pan
- Heat until frothy and around 175-185 degrees F
- Remove from heat and place in sink of cold water (don't overflow water into your pan of milk! Just a few inches of water in the sink will do the trick). OR you can let sit till cooled. (Cooling time: sink of water = 15 min or less, air cooling = 45 min plus. I'm impatient…)
- Continue stirring frequently as it cools. This will keep it from skimming over on top (yucky) and you can keep an eye on the temp to not cool too much!
- When milk reaches 105-110 degrees F pull pan out of the cold water. Make sure your milk has reached this temp range before adding your starter. If you add it earlier, when the milk is hotter, you will kill the cultures! Very sad…
- Add some warm milk into your measuring cup with the starter in it (using measuring cup or ladle)
- Whisk starter and milk until smooth and all lumps are gone
- Then dump starter into pan of warm milk, whisking to combine. If there is still some starter stuck in the bottom of the measuring pitcher, using whisk and more warm milk to rinse out
- Set aside whisk, and using measuring pitcher, transfer milk to containers
- Add heat
I cook my yogurt for 4 hours (I set a timer on my phone to remind me) at 115 degrees. After 4 hours I turn it down to 110 degrees and do another 4 hours.
This is open to adjustments. If I'm not home it goes longer, if I forget it it goes longer… I never do shorter… Most cookbooks will say it's done after 3 hours, as in it is yogurt consistency. But I prefer to give the cultures a lot longer than that to do their thing (SCD calls for 24 hr yogurt! You really can't screw this up!) And I found by dropping the temp part way through made a milder yogurt, which is what we like. And yes, I've forgotten it and left it out overnight… It was probably great for us, but whoa was it strong!
Once you've gotten some practice, don't be afraid to experiment!
(click images to see larger)
Sneaky Tips:
- The "Official Ratio" of starter is 2 tablespoons per quart of milk. However, I use 1 cup of yogurt in a 3 quart batch, and don't experience the gradual thinning that commonly happens. So I'm content to use a little extra!
- When you buy your first official starter, make a batch and freeze it in ice cube trays or other small containers. Then make a batch from that batch to eat. That first batch will have the strongest culture, and you can go back to it if your yogurt starts to get thin.
- After a few times, you'll probably ditch the thermometer. I do for the heating process, but always check that the milk has cooled enough before adding my starter. If it's too hot it will kill the starter and you'll find out in 8 hrs when you have warm sour milk…
- You might have a few dud batches along the way. It happens. And you don't always know what went wrong. Don't let it get you down. Make a bunch of buttermilk pancakes… (dud yogurt = buttermilk/sour milk. It also freezes fine if you can't use it up quickly. I usually freeze it in 1 cup chunks so I can just thaw what I need)


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SXSW Edition: Top 5 Songs for March 2011
March is the luckiest month of the year! Not only do you have the luck of the Irish smiling upon you but also, the mecca of all the hottest up-and- coming musicians descend on Austin, TX in hopes of being discovered as the next big thing. What is this mecca? South-by-Southwest Festival. More than 2000 performers play in 90 different venues during this glorious week (3/11-3/20) and I have narrowed down 5 acts and 5 songs just for you. Check out the 5 and VOTE for your favorite song below. Also, for performance times at SXSW, please click on their websites. Congratulations to Jeffrey Slape who won February's Top 5 songs just beating out Slow Runner.
1. "THE REVIVAL" – JAMESTOWN REVIVAL Seriously, if I could pick all 4 songs from their Knives and Pipes EP and put them in this Top 5 list, I would. Americana, roots, and a genuine old-timey feel, old friends Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance joined forces only six months ago in Austin, TX that has grown a buzz louder than an angry swarm of bees. Already, they are in the running to make the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Thank you to Amanda Brown for the great find! Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Download
2. "THE LADDER" – ANDREW BELLE This has unequivocally been one of the best songs on my iPod for over a year. Discovered from a tweet from mega-producer Charlie Peacock, I have put this on so many of my friends' mix CD's (yes, I still make them! :)) and this is always THE favorite. Andrew's gentle voice is flawlessly layered over a perfect blend of piano, banjo, light beat and instruments I probably couldn't identify. "The Ladder" begs for you to hit repeat indefinitely and get lost for a little while in its perfection. Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Download
3. "KNOCK KNOCK" – MAC MILLER This song is so insanely offensive from this up-and-coming rapper but it is impossibly catchy. Having a bed of a 50's inspired sweetly sung ditty, these white boy rappers kick into full swing rapping about weed, ho's, and alcohol and other things even this Jersey-bred girl can't even bear to mention. Even crazier, the guy is 17 years old from Pittsburgh. I played the "clean" version as a pump-up song at work and the entire office was singing it for the next few hours and all went to download it. Caution: you might find your car's hydraulics bouncing a la Coolio. Thanks to Nick Tapp for finding this. Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Download
4. "WHALE" – YELLOW OSTRICH This New York, NY duo made up of Alex Schaaf and Michael Tapper begins "Whale" with foreboding drums and starts layering in perfectly harmonized "ohs" until it builds into its full stride. Even broken down when midway through the song, the drums cut out and leave you with an irresistibly rhythmic song that is imaginative and fresh. Offering their album The Mistress on a "pay what you want" mode on their Bandcamp website, Yellow Ostrich is one of my favorite new finds. Thank you to @minutrition for sending me this one! Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Download
5. "FOR TODAY" – JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD I saw Jessica open for Ray LaMontagne four years ago. What I didn't realize is that she was only 17 at the time. Now 21, I just read an article in Spin Magazine that she is a precocious bad-ass that likes to instigate danger. If you listen to her music, it's a completely different tune. She sings sweetly as a singer/songwriter and "For Today" is about that all too familiar feeling of when you stoically employ self-talk to convince you are over someone but it's just for today. Sadness and dark lyrics sprinkle her musical library. She's brilliant. Official Website | Facebook | Featured on Free SXSW Sampler | Download
For the history on SXSW, click here.
For more music musings, stalk RadioPotato at Facebook, Twitter, RadioPotato's RSS Feed, and at music news super-site, The Silver Tongue where I'm a contributor. Thanks for checking the music out and as always, support emerging artists!


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Large MDF Display Box
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This MDF room box takes just minutes to assemble and comes unfinished for you to paint or stain as you wish. An acrylic panel slides in place from the top. The room box measures 15 1/4" W x 9 3 /4" H x 103 /8" D. (The interior depth is approximately 9.5".)
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If you are trying to attract funding for your business, particularly equity investment, you will need to know how to create a business plan that stands out from the crowd. The statistics for successful equity investment are rather damning to say the least (<5% are successful) and the reality is that if you want to be the successful bracket your plan will need to jump off the page. Equity investors read hundreds of business plans each year and most of them are tossed before they reach the end of the first paragraph. Learning how to create a business plan that stands out will increase your chances of attracting funding significantly.
5 Key Factors To Make Your Plan Stand Out
A Compelling Executive Summary
The Executive Summary is key. It is the page of your business plan that summarizes the rest of your plan and in many ways is the most important part because it will grab the investor's attention and spark interest in the rest of your business plan. It should be concise (1 page preferably), and compelling. It should deliver the key information required to make an initial assessment right up front. This is important because the attention span of equity investors when scanning business plans is notoriously short. When thinking about how to create your business plan think about getting the key information in the investors face so it is easy for them to assess.
Innovative Product Or Service
In short they are looking for uniqueness. Equity investors make serious money through investing in businesses that provide a unique selling proposition ("UPS") that is scalable. If you can demonstrate clearly that you have a product that has an aspect of uniqueness and that you can scale it up, this will hook the investor to reading the rest of your plan.
Deep Market Knowledge
Demonstrating market knowledge is essential because in order to grow there has to be a viable forward market. Equity investors are all about growth. Historical market knowledge is great but if you can demonstrate using reasonable analysis and market indicators that there is forward potential in that market it increase the chances of the investor remaining interested. When considering how to create a business plan that really grabs attention you should make sure that your market and customer knowledge is based in fact rather than a whimsical summary of what you think.


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Mens Alpinestars mesh motorcycle jackets & leather motorcycle jackets are in stock at discounted prices. Find the Alpinestar jacket you need at RevZilla.
Alpinestars Viper Air Textile Jacket. From the company that knows flow, the Alpinestars Viper Air Jacket is a go-to for hot weather riding. The fully ventilated 600D .
With unsurpassed levels of internal climate control thanks to extensive mesh paneling, the Viper Air Textile Jacket.
The T-GP Pro Textile Jacket features a durable advanced poly-fabric.
This fashionably street-styled jacket features a mesh-on-mesh structure to offer unsurpassed levels of internal climate control. Pre-curved sleeves with Velcro .


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A cold front blew through yesterday evening bringing with it rain and leaving a definite chill in the air. I felt the cold through several layers of clothing early this morning when I started a fire in my smoker.
Saturday, we'll travel to OKC for a family birthday lunch. It's a pot-latch and Kathy and I are scheduled to provide sliced smoked brisket, two pumpkin pies and two pecan pies. Kathy may also make a dinner salad. November is a busy month for birthdays in my family, at least five including my life-partner.
I'll cheat with the brisket by using the wood smoker all day today then continue cooking in the house oven overnight.
The wind is high, variable, and blusters directly into the smoker firebox. I've had a difficult time keeping the temperature within range, and I seem to be constantly adjusting the air intake. I should remember to arrange the smoker so the wind doesn't blow into it, but I never do.
My difficulties made me wish for an air delivery system like that at Wild Horse Mountain BBQ. Oxygen for the fire is delivered by an electric blower connected to a set of furnace limit switches. The fan turns on and off to maintain the cooking temperature range. The down side of that kind of air delivery system is an oxygen-deprived fire increases the amount of smoke carcinogens. That's why I prefer controlling the temperature by the amount of wood rather than the amount of air.
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"Commentary removed at the behest of (?)…."
There are four characteristics which brand a country unmistakably as a dictatorship: one-party rule—executions without trial or with a mock trial, for political offenses—the nationalization or expropriation of private property—and censorship. A country guilty of these outrages forfeits any moral prerogatives, any claim to national rights or sovereignty, and becomes an outlaw.
Corrupt press…check. corrupted policy makers…check. corrupt judiciary…check. Corrupted bureaucracies….check.
Dictatorship? Are we there yet?
Video courtesy of YouTube, Accuracy in Media, and NiceDeb.
Related articles
- Former Dem pollster says media has become the enemy of the American people (hollyonthehill.com)
- Poll: Democrats Long For Communist Dictatorship in America (redalexandriava.com)
- Gallup: Record Preference For 'One Party Rule' (tarpon.wordpress.com)
- Americans' Preference Shifts Toward One-Party Government (businessinsider.com)


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Christian Singles Denver
Welcome to the premier site for Christian singles in Denver. If you live in Colorado, you're familiar with its powerful rivers, breath taking rugged mountains, and splendid meadows. There are numerous rivers including the Colorado River, Boulder Creek, and Poudre River, which are great places for tubing, fishing, and relaxing. There are numerous places throughout Colorado to picnic close to the raging rivers to enjoy the scenic views and fresh air.
Christian Singles Denver for Christian Dating - Get Started Here
Wherever you see water in Colorado, you'll find people next to it in some capacity. In addition, you must enjoy the 300 days of sunshine, lack of humidity, and refreshing summer nights. Getting so much sun is very rare and can be easily taken for granted until you travel to other states that typically have much hazier skies and not near as much sun. However, the continual sunshine and high altitude also means residents must regularly protect themselves from the harmful UV rays through broad brim hats, sunglasses, and sun tan lotion.
Colorado is also well known for its incredible world renowned ski resorts, such as Breckenridge, Keystone, and Vail. In only about 1 and 1/2 hours from Denver you can be at the base of some of the most impressive ski resorts in the world. In addition, multi-mountain passes or ski packages can make hitting the slopes affordable for all. Because of snow making technology, ski season often stretches from October all the way through April or May so the season can be quite lengthy. Also, many sports stores offer incredible discounts each fall on all equipment from the previous ski season that's never been used.
Also, the Denver culture tends to bond singles with a list of commonalities through exploring places like the 16th Street mall and Washington Park. Washington Park is a great place to visit filled with large trees, ponds, tennis courts and a running trail going all the way around it. It's a very popular location for residents throughout the year and especially in the warmer months. The charming, older homes surrounding the park make it even more enchanting. Going to Washington Park for a picnic or walk is actually a great idea for a first date as well because it's in public, it's outside, and it's fun. There are also plenty of great restaurants to eat at within Denver and the surrounding area. One popular place is Casa Bonita, which has been around for several decades and is extremely entertaining for children and adults alike. The inside includes an incredible atmosphere filled with a waterfall, gun show, haunted house maze, underground mine, and the list goes on and on.
Lastly, Denver singles tend to be health and environmentally conscious as well as outdoor enthusiasts. Colorado is known to be one of the healthiest states in America and it holds true to its reputation. During the warmer months, bikers, joggers, and walkers are seen everywhere outside. Also, there's a high rate of health food stores that are very popular, such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats. In addition, many restaurants offer organic and or vegan fare to cater to the health minded Coloradoan. Usually, if people move here they tend to grab onto this health oriented culture and join it. So, most people in Colorado regularly dress in work out clothes and stay physically fit. Another great idea for a first date is to go hiking together on one of Colorado's popular trails where there are lots of other people. Other ideas could be playing frisbee together, tennis, roller blading, bike riding, and the list goes on and on. Usually, anything that's active and fun and in public are great ideas for first dates to take the pressure off and to create good opportunities for getting to know one another in a casual way. Some of the most awkward dates tend to be dinner or coffee where you must stare at one another and ask a lot of questions. Instead, it's helpful to do an activity to relax the dynamic and let conversation flow more naturally. So, if you're looking for the best Christian site for singles and dating in Denver, CO, you've come to the right place to find others like you.


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ITS Global is one of Australia's leading consultancies on international trade, economic policy and investment, environment policy and sustainability, aid and economic development, and corporate affairs. The consultancy builds on the activities of International Trade Strategies established over 20 years ago.
Clients include major corporations within the Asia Pacific region as well as public sector agencies.
In collaboration with international consultants ITS Global personnel support global public policy agendas on contemporary international issues.
The consultancy is supported by a team of ten specialist consultants with technical expertise in subject areas and in-depth industry experience in government and business.
Alan Oxley is Managing Director. He is an expert on international governmental and multilateral activities, particularly those with a direct bearing on economic development and the environment. He is a former Ambassador of Australia to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) (predecessor to the World Trade Organisation) and a former Chairman of the GATT.
The consultancy has associate relationships with ten specialist consultants and links with research institutes and organisations in South East Asia, Europe and North America. Project partners have included the Australian APEC Study Centre, Melbourne; ConsultAndes, Lima; the Thai APEC Studies Centre, Bangkok; the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Beijing; the Korean Institute for International Economic Policy, Seoul; the State Environmental Protection Agency, China and the University of Asia and the Pacific, Manila.
See Our Expertise for detail on key capability areas.
Our people
ITS Global has strong in-house technical expertise in trade and investment policy, economic reform, environmental policy, corporate strategy and development assistance. This is supported by an extensive network of associate consultants throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Associate consultants have specialist sectoral expertise and experience in agribusiness, econometrics, regulation, climate change and forestry.
Senior staff and associates have extensive experience working at executive levels of government, in the private sector and collaborating with intergovernmental organisations.
ITS Global are not currently recruiting, however we are always interested in hearing about people with highly relevant skills and an interest in public policy developments in the Asia Pacific.
Please contact Anna Rintoul, ABR HR Services on 0419 575 437 or email@example.com


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4 Reviews
There's a lot you can do in a day.
Mammut made the Trion Zip 22 Backpack for day-long mountaineering adventures like multi-pitch climbs or ski tours with rappels. Its Contact Vent suspension system uses narrow, climbing-specific padding at the back panel, shoulder straps, and waist belt, and Mammut set the waist belt higher in order to accommodate harnesses more comfortably.
The Trion has an internal sleeve for hydration reservoirs and external straps for climbing ropes. Since the rope isn't in the pack, the Trion has enough room for a rack and climbing gear or avalanche safety essentials. Mammut reinforced the Trion's three-point haul system to carry up multi-pitches confidently. There are two stable carriers for ice axes, external and internal lid pockets, and compression straps to secure your gear on the ascent.
- Contact Vent suspension system
- Harness-compatible length
- Large flap zipper to main compartment
- Hydration compatible
- Rope attachment
- Reinforced three-point haul system
- Two stable ice axe carriers
- External and internal lid pockets
- Compression straps
- Item #MAM00LM
Tech Specs
Gearhead Help
Tech Specs
- Reviews
What do you think about this product?
Have questions about this product?
Good little leaders pack
- Familiarity: I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions
Great little fast and light leaders pack. Great tool attachment system - should accommodate both more traditional tools as well - and the side straps hold a set of crampons well. If you pack carefully you can fit a full days worth of gear for those long approaches climbs where you don't want to leave a pack sitting at the base of the route, or want to go as light as you can.
The Summit and Beyond
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
About a year ago I began searching for a pack with the following criteria; able to strap skis to, light low profile for summit attempts, small waist belt that wouldn't interfer with a climbing harness, no wasted features like multiple pockets or pen holders. I selected this pack and waited for about a year to write this review so I could test the pack in all the areas I intended to use it. I have since used this pack for skiing, multi pitch trad climbing, carry on bag to fit under an airline seat, and day hike pack. I can now say the Trion Zip 22l does it all. I have strapped skis to the side of it, 60 meter rope to the top of it, and all kinds of assorted gear inside. I like how the packs waist belt sits high so not to interfer with a climbing harness. The padded shoulder straps are comfortable and come with a chest strap. This bag is made to simply stuff things in on the go. It does have a small external pocket to place things in and a mesh pocket inside the lid as well. Works great as a summit pack. I have not tried the ice axe holders but for what I can tell they would work well. If you need a little more pack the Trion 28l would be good. The 22l keeps me from hauling more gear then I really need on a day climb, summit attempt, or a day on the slopes. For my criteria this pack has met and acceded all my expectations.
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
This is not a quality bag for day hikes at all. access to water and necessary items is sub-par. The straps are insanely cheap and make for awful weight distribution. If you were walking around campus or needed a bag to go to the farmers market in the city.... sure..... if you actually wanted to USE the bag.... get a different bag. One star - a guy said it was a good looking bag at the trail head LOL
This is a pack that is geared toward ice climbing and alpinism - meant to be used for the approach, climb, and then getting down. As such it is pared down and top loads only. The rope strap and ice tool holders should have clued you in otherwise. As a hiking day pack - yes it is supar - but that was never what it was intended for.
It's always sad when someone reviews an item when they have no idea of it's use... and they do so with such arrogance. What is even worse is when the description mentions the intended use and it is either ignored or not understood. I hope you found a workable solution Barry, but maybe you should stick to in-store purchases where you can be guided in the right direction by a knowledgeable sales associate.
review Flagged as inappropriate or irrelevant to the product. Click here to view.
Can you strap skis to this?
I'm looking for a climbing pack that can double as a bag for grad school. I know there's no laptop sleeve, but does anyone know if it could accommodate a 13" laptop? (Plus a couple books, jacket, etc?) Is this more robust than Patagonia Ascensionist? (which is a great pack but only for gear not books.)
Urban style packs just don't do it for me and can't cross over well into climbing or backcountry, so I'm hoping to find a compromise.
For what it's worth, I have an older Trion Light 28, and my 13" MacBook Air can fit in it. If there were to be any issues fitting it into the 22, the limiting dimension would probably be the width of the bag.


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Your Name, College, Year of Study, Email ID
Anirudh Sethi, Law Centre II Delhi University, 2nd year
Name of Organisation, Location city, Team Strength
Infini Juridique, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi
Application Process
Mail your C.V. attached to a cover letter to Mr. Rahul Dubey at [email protected]
Duration of Internship and Timings
3rd July, 2017 – 31st July, 2017
4 weeks
Main Tasks
Filing and drafting TM forms, drafting replies to objections of TM applications, research work on TM law, Standard Essential Patents, Plant Variety on legal search engines, high court and supreme court visits.
Work environment and people
Associates were friendly and much approachable.
I felt that I was working there from god knows how many years.
Best things
Place is near CP and Ugarsen ki Baoli so it was nice to go out with co-interns after work.
Bad things
Rs. 3,500
I stay in Delhi itself but there are plenty of PGs near INA.
Office Timings
The office timing were from 10 am till 6 pm.


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Liz made a business card case with seed bead edges. And you have to love a drilled river rock with a loch rosen accent.
I love how she left the front edge rough, a nice organic touch. And look at the amazing piece of bead embroidery posing in the background! ppppssstttt, she's not really bad!


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Hello chictopians, do you know Koda Kumi ?
I love her crazy cool music so much! So this style remember me about her show girl song I dont know why…
The weather starts to get bad now.. heavy rain and just 12 degrees.. night time around 5 degrees so its autumn time and I change my closet to winter… my summer outfits make a brek for now.. last year this time I bought a flight to Bangkok and I was sooooo happy… but this year I have no money for it sooo.. sad (>__<) maybe next year… or I win in the lottery haha
I go to cut my hair last week.. but I have no new pic with my new hairstyle.. but it change not so much… just cut the sides a little.. because it was to heavy and look not so nice anymore.. but now it feel sooo different: little thin.. but my hair grow so fast I am a lucky girl with this! Now it have more structure again… I think in two weeks it will look great.. and its still long :)
I wearpurple Mango sweater black H&M tutu skirt purple Hudson tights Cocoeve High Heels in grey purple Thomas Sabo accessories Elle watch


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One of the episodes of the Ramayana that has always disturbed me deeply was the infamous banishment of Sita by Rama.
For what crime, one might ask.
Well, she was abducted by the demon Ravana (no fault of hers except misplaced generosity) and spent a few months in captivity in his kingdom. When Rama finally rescued her, he asked her to prove her 'chastity' to all assembled by walking through fire, which was awful in itself. Even the great Rama didn't have the courage of his convictions and was afraid of what other people might think!
Then later, even after they were back in Ayodhya, crowned king and queen and everything seemed hunky-dory, some troglodyte of a subject cast his (presumably unfaithful) wife out of his house, adding for good measure that he wasn't like Rama, who would take back a 'fallen' wife. That incident, when reported to Rama, had the expected effect on the moral coward, who proceeded to evict his by-then-pregnant queen and bundled her off to the forest. The story goes downhill from there for Sita, and this shameful part of the Ramayana is appropriately rarely told, with genteel folk agreeing to end the tale with the couple's triumphant return to Ayodhya.
The earliest memory I have of this is from Amar Chitra Katha's depiction
A scene from the episode "Banishment!" of animator Nina Paley's work "Sita sings the blues"
I was reminded of Rama's conduct when I read this news item about a man who married his girlfriend who had earlier been gang-raped. What's so heroic about this, one might ask. And indeed, it is a shameful commentary on our society that this man's decision should even be considered extraordinary. We live in a society of moral cowards where victims are blamed and shamed, and 'decent' people prove their decency by joining in the stone-throwing. So yes, in such a society, this man is nothing less than a hero.
In a country and a religion where Rama is considered the perfect man and an example to follow, I think the tables have been turned. Lord Rama could take some lessons in morality from this mortal.
As the song goes,
kabhI kabhI bhagwAn ko bhI bhaktO:n sE kAm paDEYup, sometimes a human boatman has to help a god navigate those treacherous moral shoals!
jAnA thA gangA pAr prabhU kEvaT kI nAv chaDe
(Sometimes even God needs the help of his devotees
When He wanted to cross the Ganga, Lord (Rama) climbed into the boatman's boat)
Lovely song by Anup Jalota , another mortal who stuck by his wife in sickness and in health
(As philosopher Alain de Botton says in his speech on "Atheism 2.0", atheists should feel free to appreciate the aesthetic beauty of even the religious works they do not believe in!)
(As philosopher Alain de Botton says in his speech on "Atheism 2.0", atheists should feel free to appreciate the aesthetic beauty of even the religious works they do not believe in!)


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Tilburg University
Course Coordinator and Lecturer in Advancing Society: Innovation (link)
B. Sc. Economics and Business Economics (2017/18, 2018/19)
Lecturer in Business Taxation and Decision-Making Processes for IBTE (link)
M. Sc. International Business Tax Economics (2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17)
Teaching Assistant in Industrial Organization (link)
B. Sc. Business Economics (2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17)
Thesis Supervisor
M.Sc. Economics (2019)
M.Sc. Finance (2018/19)
B. Sc. Economics (2015)
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Teaching Assistant in Theories and Models in Rational Decision-Making 1
B. Sc. Management, Philosophy & Economics (2010/11)


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Filter Blog By...The Rangemaster Bloggers
Alexandra Dibble Home Economist
Gill Bland of 'Tales of Pigling Bland' food and cookery blog
Hayley Gilbert Freelance writer for kitchen magazines, websites and blogs
James McIntosh World award winning cookery writer & demonstrator
Emma Line Brand Manager
Lindsey Payne Training Manager
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Tips on How to Reduce Food Waste
Posted by Gill Bland Wednesday, 6th May 2015
Not wasting food is a good thing to do in its own right, but with the knowledge that many don't even have the luxury of being able to waste food, it's even more important to be careful about the way in which we make use of everything. From 27th April - 1st May the "Live Below the Line" campaign challenged people to eat on £1 a day for a week. Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food For Families has done two weeks of the challenge - once as a family and once on her own. She's been blogging about her experience and it makes for sobering reading.
With this in mind, instead of bringing you a new recipe which might need a trip to the supermarket I thought I'd give you some tips on ways to reduce food waste. My wisdom can basically be divided into two categories: freezing things and interesting recipes.
1. Freezing things
- Eggs - if you're freezing the whole egg just whisk up a little and freeze individually in ice cube trays then transfer into a bag. This is also particularly good for egg whites left over from cake recipes. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
- Hard cheese - grated or as a block. Leave to thaw out of the fridge. If you're worried about grated cheese clumping then you can toss it in a bit of cornflour.
- Milk - buy large cartons, then split into smaller bottles and freeze.
- Bread - if stale, blitz and freeze as breadcrumbs. If fresh, slice, freeze and take out a slices as you need them.
- Pesto sauce - fed up of the fur on the top? Use the ice cube tray again and freeze into blocks.
- Bananas - slice into pennies and freeze in a bag. You can make one-ingredient ice-cream out of them! You can add caramel sauce, cocoa, chocolate chips, coconut and much more to make it even better.
- Buttercream icing - one of my favourites because of the amount of baking I do. Make a double batch and put half in a tub. When you want it leave it out to soften and then whip it back up until fluffy. No horrible icing clouds!
- Yoghurt - freeze in lolly moulds for another alternative to ice-cream.
- Wine - if you've got some left over you can freeze it (ice cube tray again) and add to sauces
2. Interesting recipes
- If you've got a bit of cream cheese left over, heat it and loosen it with milk to make a pasta sauce. Throw in some ham / bacon and whatever veg is kicking around and you've got dinner.
- The end of a pot of crème fraiche / soured cream mixed with a little pesto makes a nice change from mayo in sandwiches.
- Wraps - most things can be shoved in a wrap to make a good lunch. For example, veggies that were on their way out can be roasted and put in with some pesto / mayo / cheese. You can make your own wraps using just flour, water and oil.
- Banana skin cake. Yes, you read that right (see picture above).
- Gluten free lemon drizzle cake using mashed potato.
- Chocolate, banana and walnut muffins (courtesy of Simply Krati's blog). Great for overripe bananas.
- Cook with lettuce - the tight ones like little gem or hearts of romaine. Griddle with a little oil then drizzle with honey and toasted walnuts. Alternatively you can use it in a stirfry.
- You can find more great ideas at the No Waste Food Challenge at Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
See more from Gill at www.talesofpiglingbland.com and follow her on twitter @gillblaShare


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As always, thanks for following along! Don't hesitate to email with any questions or just to say hi!
Who takes all of your photos? My husband takes a lot of my photos and was my photographer when I first started. Now I have another photographer I use on a regular basis. But I still love having Michael shoot me!
What self-tanner do you use? I shared all my favorite products and tips for the perfect sunless tan in a blog post here.
What's your advice for new bloggers? You don't grow overnight, this takes time. Make sure you are able to post consistently and include high quality images before you decide to start blogging seriously. Make sure to network yourself, by visiting other blogs and commenting. Use trending hashtags that are relevant on instagram and twitter. Blogging is very fun, but a lot of hard work and dedication. Good things don't come easy, ever!
What type of camera do you use? We use this camera here and this lens here.
How can you grow your instagram?
Take high quality, well lit photos and post consistently. Tag brands you are wearing on instagram for a possible feature/regram. Use relevant hashtags and post at peak times of the day. Instagram now has analytics that show you what times have the best engagement from your audience.
What instagram filters do you use?
To edit photos taken on my phone, I use Afterlight, VSCO and Snapseed are all my favorites.
Have a question or comment? I would love to hear from you! Email me with your questions, concerns or just to say hello! //[email protected]
Want to advertise or collaborate? Cella Jane offers sponsorships to a limited number of brands. Please email to request a media kit. //[email protected]
Never miss a post. Subscribe to the blog for a daily dose of style, beauty and motherhood.
As always, thanks for following along! Don't hesitate to email with any questions or just to say hi!
Flawless. I am in love with this hat/vest combo. Can't wait to see more from fashion week and I'm loving your stories on snapchat as well!
this is so cute! this is the first time i've seen a vest like this styled so well that i want to get one!
thanks for the inspiration (:
xx, Bess
I love the color palette of this outfit , your vest is really cute
The color palette
Very cute! My favorite piece is the vest!
Her Heartland Soul
That vest looks so comfortable!
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
I need this entire outfit in my closet!
xoxo – katestylepetite.com
This look is so 70s love your jeans
That is such a wonderful look, one of my favourite styles! You look amazing.
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News Release
Lancaster County
Date: February 25, 2014
For more information contact
Dave J. Shively
(402) 441-7311
Non-incumbent Candidate and Party Convention Delegate
Filing Deadline is Monday, March 3rd
Lincoln -- Lancaster County Election Commissioner David Shively reminded potential candidates for office that the non-incumbent filing deadline for federal, state, and local offices for the May 13th Primary Election is Monday, March 3, 2014.
In addition, voters wishing to file as delegates to the political parties' county conventions must also file by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 3, 2014.
Candidates for federal and state offices file with the Nebraska Secretary of State's office which is located in Suite 2300 on the second floor of the State Capitol. Candidates for county and local offices and for delegates to the political party conventions will file with the Lancaster County Election Commissioner's office which is located at 601 North 46th Street, Lincoln.
For information regarding candidate qualifications and filing procedures please contact the Lancaster County Election Commissioner's Office at (402) 441-7311 or visit the Election Commissioner's website.


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According to KidsHealth, most males stop growing taller around age 16. However, their muscles are still developing. The heights of boys increase rapidly between the ages of 12 and 15. The fastest growth period typically occurs at age 14.
According to WebMD, by the end of puberty, boys stop growing because the growth plates in their bones have permanently joined together. Heredity, nutrition and general health largely determine how tall a male becomes. An estimate of a boy's final height is made by adding together his father's height and his mother's height plus five. This result is divided by two. To promote healthy growth, boys should eat a balanced diet, get the proper amount of sleep and exercise consistently.


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How to Earn More Money in GTA 5
Complete Missions And Jobs
Missions are automatic jobs handed to you solo (or with other players). When you enter GTA Online, Lamar (from the single-player campaign) will help your character get set up. Completing these missions will earn you cash early on and help you purchase some much-needed elements. Be sure to check your phone for texts or calls and answer them. The key here is to stay busy and apply yourself.
Rob Convenient Stores
If you want to wrack up dough quickly, the absolute best way to earn money at the start is by robbing convenient stores. It's the quickest and usually the easiest way to accumulate a ton of currency. There are 18 stores in GTA Online, and they're all marked on your map. There's always a catch, though. Some stores require two players. In this case, get someone you can trust (a friend, girlfriend or your brother) and enter one. If you aren't aware of the other player's intentions, don't risk it; chances are they'll rob you.
Once you enter a store, equip your weapon and hold the cashier at gunpoint. At this moment, you must intimidate the cashier and convince him/her to give you the money. You will see an intimidation bar on the lower-right part of the screen – fill it to receive the money. A key recommendation is to have a headset plugged in, because yelling at cashiers works smoothly and draws less cops without gunfire. With the money gathered, you'll have one more task: escape the police.
Sell Cars
Want to make cash like a criminal? Steal ANY car, then bring it to a Los Santos Customs. Every vehicle has the option to sell from the custom menu. The price highly depends on the type of car and its condition, so make repairs before selling it.
Click here to learn even more ways to make cash in GTA 5.


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Trojans attempt to finish out regular season on a high note
The boys basketball team has had an up and down year as they make their way to the last quarter of the season in the month of February.
The boys have played a number of games tight into the fourth quarter but have not been able to put away their opponents. With a record of 3 wins and 5 losses in Conference A-1 coach Larry Steimer will have the team focused on a strong finish and a run at a playoff spot.
The Trojans have utilized their overall team speed and athleticism to pressure their opponents with solid defense and good ball movement. With the up tempo play, the boys have been able to pressure their opponents into turnovers and poor shooting.
Ed Blatz, Dan Bonchonsky, Andrew Granville and Rob Wotczak have given Garden City an edge on the boards and points in the paint with Blatz picking up several double-doubles along the way. While on offense the combination of Kyle Skramko, Spencer Bais, Joe Leighton and Mark DeSantis have pushed the ball up court, penetrated the lane and drilled a good percentage of shots behind the three-point arc.
The Trojans have also been able to use their deep bench of Michael Collins, Matt Kelly, Chris Larkin, Ryan Giacini, Dew Pascale, and Ethan Gibbons to help when called upon.
Garden City will finish up their regular season play with four games in February, capped by Senior Night on Feb. 11 at 6:15 p.m. Come spend the evening in the GC gym with family, friends and teammates as they honor Eddie Blatz, Kyle Skramko, Spencer Bais, Dan Bonchonsky and Andrew Granville.


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Many of Whitney Houston's fans have long blamed Bobby Brown for her troubles.
They were married for 15 stormy years until their 2007 divorce.
Brown took the stage with his band just hours after Houston's death, and he broke down several times during the performance.
When Houston met Brown in 1989, it was the good girl who grew up singing in the gospel choir falling for the bad boy.
In an interview in 1992 with NBC, Houston said, "Yes, Bobby is the man in my life and I'm very much in love and I'm very happy."Special section, Whitney Houston: Death of a pop diva
Autopsy on Whitney Houston to begin Sunday
Watch: Whitney's final performance
Whitney Houston's daughter rushed to hospital
Whitney's last performance
Whitney Houston 1963-2012
After the two married in 1992 at Houston's lavish New Jersey estate, she told Rolling Stone magazine, "When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? I am nobody's angel."
Houston's career was on the rise. The year she married Brown, she also starred in "The Bodyguard" and recorded the film's blockbuster soundtrack.
In 1993, she gave birth to their only child, Bobbie Christina. But by the late 1990s the couple was constant tabloid fodder, dubbed the new Ike and Tina Turner. Their relationship was rumored to be riddled with drugs and alcohol. In 2000, airport security guards in Hawaii found marijuana in their luggage.
That same year, Houston started canceling concerts at the last minute. In an interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer in 2002, she admitted to struggling with alcohol and drugs, but defiantly denied using crack cocaine.
"Crack is cheap," she said. "I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight, OK? We don't do crack. We don't do that. Crack is wack."
In 2003, Brown was charged with battery. Houston says he hit her during a dispute, but she stood by him in court.
The couple took their tumultuous relationship public in the 2005 reality series "Being Bobby Brown" creating even more tabloid headlines. Houston filed for divorce a year later.
During her recent attempt at a comeback, those years of hard living had finally confined Houston's once limitless voice.
She admitted that, ultimately, Brown was her drug -- an addiction to a love she couldn't quite break.
Brown has now left his music tour. He returned to Los Angeles on Sunday. He is asking for privacy for his family.


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Xome is a harsh noise music project conceived and operated by Bob Scott. Xome first started experimenting with dissonant forms of music in 1989 but the first organized live performance in Tokyo in 1994 marks the true activation of the project. Now based in Sacramento, CA, Xome has evolved into a highly refined and extremely harsh noise music unit by means of improvised manipulation of sound generating and processing equipment.
Past Xome performances have shared the same bill with artists such as Incapacitants, C.C.C.C., Killer Bug, Merzbow, Otomo Yoshihide, Seiichi Yamamoto, (Boredoms, Omoide Hatoba), Violent Onsen Geisha, Pain Jerk, Death Squad, Government Alpha, TV Pow, Daniel Menche, Kazumoto Endo, K2, Emil Beaulieau, Melt Banana, MSBR, Stimbox, Prurient, Thomas Dimuzio, Cock E.S.P., Pedestrian Deposit, Black Leather Jesus, T.E.F., Sickness, Pop Culture Rape Victim, Vertonen, Guilty Connector and many, many more.
Xome "Double Live Gonzo!"
Double Live Gonzo! is a well constructed sampling of live performances by Xome from the past decade presented to you on 2 compact discs. Lob curated this so you are guaranteed top-shelf aural selections. Listen as Xome produces cut-up static and high-pitched squeaks that freeze briefly and morph into dissonant tones before returning violently back into grinding swells of distortion. Released May 2015 on Love Earth Music. Look at the Xome merch page if you need more information.
Xome "Separation Anxiety"
Xome presents the world with an earful of reverse technology driven harsh dissonance that includes top shelf suppressed memory induced waves of cacophony. All species will agree that we can and will enjoy our place on our dot in the universe that we call home. Just to keep the audio production on the virtuous side, five narrated short stories are annexed to keep the listener happy as the day is long. Released October 2010. Hop on over to the Xome merch page to find out even more!
Funny funny. Check out what the Xome web site looked like in June 1996. Click here to open.


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I photographed this lovely lady on Friday afternoon on my way home from work. This first shot isn't that great but she's still as beautiful as can be.
For some reason the Mrs. has no Mr.
Where he is, or what happened to him, I don't know, but to me she seems rather lonely without a family. I believe this is the second year she has been alone.
All her preening has paid off. The Mrs. is stunning!
26 comments:
Great series Sharon.. I love the photo of her with her neck curled around on her back! very cool!
Wonderful shots Sharon.
GORGEOUS! Sharon - give up painting and sell your photography!
She is stunning! Don't swans mate for life? I hope she finds another one soon, I don't want her to be lonely! Loved the pics of Gloucester, MA, they make me want to go there as well. I get car sick as well as sea sick.
All I can think when I see these photos is tranquility. So lovely.
She truly is a beauty and so elegant.
There is a pair of swans living near my home, as well. It's a bit odd because I don't think they're really meant to be in this area. I thought the one was all alone at first and then a few days later I saw his/her mate. I can't tell them apart.
What do us independent women need men around for anyway? LOL!! These are one of the most beautiful birds of the world Sharon and you captured it beautifully.
Thank you Dawn and Dan for leaving a comment! It's always appreciated : )
Becky they usually do mate for life so I'm not sure what's going on. Normally there is always a pair on this pond but for some reason she's been alone the past year or so. There have been problems in the past with the male being killed in the nearby powerlines the are on the bridge, and though the town has done what they can to try to prevent it, it's still happened.
Thank you Laura. Maybe one day. At this point there's no way I could make the money I do by selling my photography, but it sure would be nice!
Carolynn, usually the male is larger. This swan isn't very big so I'm assuming it's a female. she had her eye on my the whole time.
She's an independant woman alright Joan, just like you! I'll continue to check on her as I go to and from work. Maybe the male is just hiding.
She certainly is beautiful!!
These are quite beautiful pictures. You did very well.
Your visit will count and help me Make History.
Pick a Peck of Pixels
She's very beautiful. The photos are great. They look like you added a texture to them.
I'm with the independant woman comment. She's just come into her own and is comfortable being who she is in her own skin.... I don't think she looks at all lonely, but rather proud of who she is.
Such nice photos of this lady.
The Blue Ridge Gal
Sharon, these are exquisite. Do you have any idea what an artist you are?
What a lovely bird! She is beautiful. You have some great images, and a great blog!
What a beautiful thing to see on your way to work.
She is just lovely, I have a feeling something dire must have happened to her mate.
She's spectacular!
What beautiful pictures!! I LOVE swans and would love to be close enough to get a photo of them.
I saw my first swan yesterday in the wild in desolate woods in the middle of a beaver pond...I took photos but she was wayyyyyy on the other side with youngins.
I will post the pics later this week...but they are so far away they aren't nearly as beautiful as these!!!
She is beautiful! I think I love New England, other than the cold long winters...
You realld do have a knack for capturing New England's beauty:)
My kids were also glad you posted about Thacher Island! :)
Hi Sharon,
Your photographs are stunning; love that camera. I've never been to New England, but have longed to visit. Maybe one day!
I'm loving your Lily too; what a cutie!
There are no layers on any of my photos, though I would like to try it sometime! Basically I crop, sharpen, and adjust the color a bit. That's it.
Glad you all enjoyed the Mrs. I stopped by yesterday on my way home but didn't see her. She likes to roam around in the grasses also so I suspect that's where she was.
What a gorgeous swan.
Those are STUNNING!!!!!
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Coming up on Sunday, November 23, our instructor, Howard Latting, will be completing his 7th Degree Black Belt Test. This year-long test has been an inspiration to us all, and we're very excited to see Howard achieve his new rank. Additionally, there will be a celebration with the rest of the WMAA for all Black Belt candidates testing that day. This includes our students Annie Grunewald and Becky Hansen.
Here are the details for the test itself: Bay Ridge Prep Lower School Gym, 8101 Ridge Boulevard, Brooklyn NY. Doors open at 10:30a, event starts at 11a. All are welcome to participate in the special practice. Spectator fees will be collected at the door, $5/child, $7/adult.
And the party will be at Bay Ridge Manor, just a few blocks away at 476 76th Street in Brooklyn. The party starts at 3p and runs to 7p, it will feature six items from the smorgasbord, two from the carving table, a seasonal salad, and an open bar, for just $50 per person. Please register and pay online for our mutual convenience.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Also, don't forget our calendar is always available here.


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I'm back to share part two of my babyhood fashion treasure chest. On the weekend, Eve wore that cute chambray & eyelet lace sundress, paired with a hand knit cardigan with yarn crewel spring chicks and pom-pom ties. To the zoo last Friday, she wore the yellow jumper with a ruffled peter pan collar. It's pretty over the top, but damn that girl can pull anything off. The sailor shorts and swing top and sheer polka dot dress will be perfect if this weather ever warms up again.
Looking back at what my mom kept from my baby wardrobe, I can see where I get my aversion to pink. When did pepto pink and grimace purple become standard? It's not that I hate pink, I love it in nature, but the assortment of un-natural pinks and sparkles are blinding me.
The good news is, you can still find a lot of vintage baby clothes at the second hand store, and since babies grow so quickly, they're usually in great condition. I'm just starting to look for Eve, because when she was smaller, I just wanted her to be comfortable. I think extra frilly clothes look ridiculous on infants, and they aren't comfortable for them.
Do you have any luck finding baby clothes? I missed a chance a couple years ago to buy a massive amount of vintage 60's and 70's kids clothes for resale. I passed on it at the time, because that wasn't on my radar. Now, it would have been so perfect to pull for Eve and to open a Little Lune section in the shop. Damn! Maybe that's something I should pursue now. What do you think?


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Trail Maintenance with the Washington Trails Association
wta volunteer vacation 51, originally uploaded by Vida Morkunas.
In late April I spent a week by lake Chelan, doing trail maintenance with saws, loppers, pulaskis and shovels on the beautiful Lakeshore Trail near Moore Point.
It was hard physical work, but freeing for the soul. A week in the wilderness, listening to great stories, eating good food, meeting interesting new people, doing good for the environment. What could be better? I am signing up again next year!