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Introducing the newest members of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio
On November 29, 2012, 10 finalists competed at the Canadian Opera Company's Second Annual Ensemble Studio Competition for cash prizes and a chance to join the Ensemble Studio for the 2013/2014 season. At the competition, bass-baritone Gordon Bintner was awarded first-place and the audience-choice awards, tenor Andrew Haji took home the second-place prize and mezzo-soprano Charlotte Burrage received the third-place prize. View our recap for photos and tweets from the competition.
The three prize winners are joining the 2013/2014 Ensemble Studio as well as soprano Aviva Fortunata, baritone Clarence Frazer, and mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan. These six singers become part of an illustrious program that has launched the careers of over 150 Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors and conductors. They join returning Ensemble Studio members, soprano Sasha Djihanian, soprano Claire de Sévigné, tenor Owen McCausland and baritone Cameron McPhail.
A native of Regina, bass-baritone Gordon Bintner is currently pursuing a master of music degree in opera and voice at McGill University's Schulich School of Music. Credits include the title roles in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera NUOVA and Don Giovanni with Opera McGill; his European debut as Colline in La Bohème with Angers Nantes Opéra; and, after winning the grand prize in the OSM Standard Life Competition, his debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. This season Bintner's appearances include Nardo in Mozart's La finta giardiniera with San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program and Lescaut in Massenet's Manon with Opéra de Montréal. Learn more about Gordon here.
Originally from Woodstock, Ontario, mezzo-soprano Charlotte Burrage holds a master of music in voice performance from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the opera diploma program at University of British Columbia (UBC). Credits include Hansel in Hansel and Gretel (Vancouver Opera in Schools); Dorabella in Così fan tutte (Banff Centre's Opera as Theatre, Jeunesses Musicales); and, La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica and the title role in Massenet's Cendrillon (UBC). Burrage performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Arnie Roth and was the alto soloist in the Bach Magnificat, BWV 243 (UBC). Learn more about Charlotte here.
Calgary native and soprano Aviva Fortunata holds an advanced certificate in opera performance from the University of Toronto. This past summer with the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco she sang the role of the Lady with a Cake Box in Dominick Argento's Postcard from Morocco. Other credits include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Concert Opera Group, Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, University of Toronto), Poulenc's Gloria (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) as well as singing at Jack Layton's state funeral. Fortunata was the 2012 Norcop Prize in Song Recital winner and was awarded a judges' commendation in the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition (Opera Theater of Pittsburgh). Learn more about Aviva here.
Mississauga, Ontario native and baritone Clarence Frazer completed his musical studies at the University of Western Ontario. As a current member of Calgary Opera's Emerging Artist Program, he performed the role of Re di Scozia in Ariodante and this season performs Count Gil in Il segreto di Susanna and Ramiro in L'heure espagnole. Other roles include Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi, Daggoo in Moby-Dick, Alcindoro in La Bohème (Calgary Opera) and Sid in Albert Herring (Opera NUOVA). Upcoming roles include Dottore Grenvil in La Traviata and Ford in Falstaff (Calgary Opera). Frazer won the inaugural Lois Marshall Voice Competition and was a finalist in Palm Beach Opera's International Voice Competition. Learn more about Clarence here.
Originally from London, Ontario, tenor Andrew Haji is currently pursuing a master of music degree at the University of Toronto's Opera School. At UofT his credits include Cecco in Haydn's Il mondo della luna, Vanderdendur/Ragotski in Bernstein's Candide, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Lacouf/Reporter from Paris in Poulenc's Les mamelles de Tirésias and most recently the title role in Rob Ford: The Opera as well as Ferrando in Così fan tutte. Other roles include Nemorino in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Accademia Europea dell'Opera). Haji's upcoming performances include an appearance with the Aldeburgh Connection, Lionel in von Flotow's Martha at UofT and joining the Music Academy of the West to sing the role of Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute. Learn more about Andrew here.
DANIELLE MacMILLAN
Born in Toronto, Danielle MacMillan holds a bachelor of fine arts, with honours, in classical vocal performance from York University, with additional training at the International Vocal Arts Institute in Montreal, Istituzione Teatro Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto in Italy and The Glenn Gould School (GGS) of The Royal Conservatory of Music. Roles include Rose in Lakmé (Opera by Request); Diana in Cavalli's La Calisto, Véronique in Bizet's Le docteur Miracle and the Cabaret Singer in Weil's Mahagonny-Songspiel (GGS); and, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (York University). Learn more about Danielle here.
As we welcome our newest Ensemble Studio members, we must sadly say goodbye (for now) to soprano Mireille Asselin, soprano Ambur Braid, mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, pianist Timothy Cheung, bass-baritone Neil Craighead, pianist Jenna Douglas and tenor Christopher Enns, who all graduate from the program at the end of the 2012/2013 season.
But before they leave, our graduates can be heard in several performances during the remainder of the season.
On the COC mainstage this February, Mireille Asselin sings Servilia in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito and on February 6, 2013, audiences can see Ambur Braid as Vitellia, Rihab Chaieb as Sesto and Christopher Enns as the Emperor Tito in a special Ensemble Studio performance of the same opera.
Rihab Chaieb also appears as Soeur Mathilde in the COC's production of Dialogues des Carmélites, Francis Poulenc's shattering masterpiece about an order of Carmelite nuns caught up in the turmoil and terror of the French Revolution.
And on May 23, 2013 at 12 p.m. as part of the COC's Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, all seven graduating artists perform in a special farewell concert, Les Adieux. The singers and pianists will perform a program of music featuring their favourite art songs and arias.
Photo: Charlotte Burrage, Andrew Haji, Gordon Bintner and Alexander Neef at the Second Annual Ensemble Studio Competition, 2012. Photo by Chris Hutcheson.


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UW2 and it's magic (system)
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Topic: UW2 and it's magic (system) (Read 9282 times)
Jürgen Mayer
Posts: 240
UW2 and it's magic (system)
March 15, 2002, 04:22:53 AM »
Is there any need for a new magic system in UW2 in addition to charms/relics/rituals? I guess that Gareth intentionally didn't include some kind of "spellcaster" magic-user in UW1. I think I have some nice ideas for "Radiancers" (basically, they can forge connections to different areas of the radiance generating subway pattern, with each section generating a different "magic flavour" which can be used for different kinds of magic; and I have a nice system for customizing "your" subway magic) kicking around in my head, but if you (i.e. Gareth/Todd/Laura) don't want to include such a thing anyway, I won't waste my time writing it down.
Jürgen Mayer
Jason L Blair
Posts: 636
Nothing is sacred.
UW2 and it's magic (system)
Reply #1 on:
March 15, 2002, 06:41:42 AM »
IF AE doesn't want it, post it in this forum. Give a li'l something for your fellow fans. ;)
Jason L Blair
Writer, Game Designer
Jürgen Mayer
Posts: 240
UW2 and it's magic (system)
Reply #2 on:
March 15, 2002, 06:53:45 AM »
Quote from: Jason L Blair
IF AE doesn't want it, post it in this forum. Give a li'l something for your fellow fans. ;)
All I wanted is to get some reaction before using my time to write something down that noone wants to use. I had some doubts if this whole spellcaster thingy really fits UW's mood. Therefore, I wanted to see if I get more reactions like "that doesn't fit UW's style at all" or "it sounds interesting, give it a try."
But now that you asked so nicely, I'll maybe do it just for you =)
So, the "if you don't want to use it, I won't waste my time" should be read as "if you think this is utter nonsense, I won't waste my time." (it's a bit misleading as it is written, I have to admit)
Edit: clarifications
Posts: 41
The Face of Magic in UnderWorld
Reply #3 on:
March 15, 2002, 08:31:22 AM »
Actually, we'd love to hear ideas/speculation for magic. Here's the extended face [in gross outline of course] of "magic" in UW2.
Greater Secrets - Lesser Secrets - Charms
Epic Rites - Guild Rites - Individual Rites
Taoist Alchemy & Sorcery
Bonus Points for anyone that gets the reference. :)
So yes, there will indeed be a "sorcerer" type of magic added to UW2. Basically, a sorcerer can make small radiance based manipulations to his/her/its environment on a fairly limited scale though the stronger the Radiance Level, the more powerful the potential effect.
At any rate, I always like to hear ideas, even if I say, "Nah, that's silly".
Servant of Mantorok since 1863
Rumpuncher - Nocturnal's Scribe
Jürgen Mayer
Posts: 240
Re: The Face of Magic in UnderWorld
Reply #4 on:
March 15, 2002, 08:44:46 AM »
Quote from: TSL
So yes, there will indeed be a "sorcerer" type of magic added to UW2. Basically, a sorcerer can make small radiance based manipulations to his/her/its environment on a fairly limited scale though the stronger the Radiance Level, the more powerful the potential effect.
Cool, that would fit my "Radiancer" concept. I got no time to write it today (running an Alyria playtest session this evening =), but you'll get it at the weekend, here in the forum.
Posts: 42
Relics, eh?
Reply #5 on:
March 15, 2002, 07:57:36 PM »
Not by any chance related to a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child?
Anyway, I can't wait. I'm glad I finally picked up a copy of the first edition,
especially now that I know that it's sold out :)
Need any playtesters? :-D
Jürgen Mayer
Posts: 240
Reply #6 on:
March 16, 2002, 04:36:12 PM »
Radiancers are denizens of the UnderWorld who know the secret of how to form connections with the magic pattern of the subway system that is generating the Radiance. Through these magical connections they can use the Radiance for creating magical effects.
Every area of the subway system generates Radiance with a different magic "flavour". Depending on which areas the Radiancer is connected with, he is able to perform different magical feats. For example, one area's Radiance could be used for creating illusions, another one for necromancy, one for transformation of living beings, one for transformation of objects, one for conjuring things out of thin air, one for clairvoyance, one for creating enchantments, one for countermagic, one for earth elementary magic, etcetera etcetera.
Forming a magical connection to a Radiance Area requires a difficult, long ritual. To complete the ritual, it is necessary for the Radiancer to sacrifice a part of his own body and leave it hidden somewhere in that area. He can channel the Radiance of this area through this part of his own body. A fingernail, some hairs or some drops of blood will suffice,
the greater the sacrifice, the greater the magical powers he gets from this area. E.g. if the Radiancer performs the connection ritual with only a fingernail in an area which Radiance is useful for illusions, he won't get a bonus coin later, when trying to cast an illusion effect. If he sacrifices a fingertip, he would get 1 bonus coin, a finger or an ear: 2 bonus coins, a hand or an eye: 3 bonus coins, an arm or leg: 4 bonus coins.
If this body sacrifice is ever taken from this subway area, the magical connection between the Radiancer and this area is severed.
The knowledge about which area has which magic flavour is well guarded by the ones who know it. It is also not easy to find out. The only way is to perform this long ritual, probably with only a fingernail at first. Then, if you want more power you could do another ritual with a bigger sacrifice.
Now for the fun part:
Before beginning a campaign, the conductor prepares a copy of the subway map of his chosen city: he subdivides it into different Radiance Areas as he wishes, and decides which area generates which Radiance flavour. He does not show this to the players.
I would suggest that a Radiancer character starts play with one to three magical connections (of level 0: no bonus coins). However, he can't choose which types of magic he is connected to. He can only choose specific points on the subway map (not the conductor's map, but an unmarked one) where he has performed the ritual and hidden his sacrifice. The conductor then compares those points with his prepared Radiance Area map to determine which areas the new Radiancer is connected to. The same method is used if the PC forms new connections during play.
The Radiancers would be treated like a Guild (from a rules standpoint), but in the UnderWorld, they actually aren't an organization. There are not many who know the secret of the Radiance Area ritual, and those who do want to keep it that way. They start play with the special ability Radiancer Magic.
If a Radiancer wants to create a magical effect, his player performs a simple head count: the number of coins is equal to the Radiance Level of his surroundings. If the Radiance Level is 0, no Radiancer magic is possible. He gets bonus coins if he made a bigger sacrifice when creating the magical connection (see above). He also gets one bonus coin if he actually is in the area which generates the type of Radiance he wants to use.
The player declares what magical effect he wants to create and the conductor sets a difficulty.
1 success would be needed for a small, almost unnoticable effect.
2 would suffice for an average effect.
3 would be needed for an effect of bigger proportions.
4 are enough for an impressive effect.
5 would make for an epic magical effect even a powerful magician could be proud of.
The successes of this head count are also used for damage, if the magical effect is used for such a purpose.
1 - creating a small wind that blows a document from the table of a Librarian (air elementary magic)
2 - changing your eyes to cat eyes so that you can see in almost complete darkness (transformation of living beings)
3 - summoning and speaking with the ghost of a recently deceased person through its dead body (necromancy)
4 - seeing and hearing a person that is miles away in a crystal ball (clairvoyance)
5 - creating a big animated illusion that can effect every sense of the beholder, e.g. a huge illusionary dragon, that can be seen, heard, touched and maybe can even breath fire that appears to be burning hot (illusion)
There you go. Jason, Todd, and all others, I hope this makes some sense and is not too silly. Waiting for your comments...
Tim Gray
Posts: 54
UW2 and it's magic (system)
Reply #7 on:
March 18, 2002, 02:16:26 AM »
Is the Taoist reference about the Sappers' sewer shui, moving things around for a brief Radcount change? If not, what is it?!
Legends Walk!
- a game of ancient and modern superheroes
Jason L Blair
Posts: 636
Nothing is sacred.
Re: Radiancers
Reply #8 on:
March 18, 2002, 03:19:59 AM »
Quote from: MadMoses
Every area of the subway system generates Radiance with a different magic "flavour". Depending on which areas the Radiancer is connected with, he is able to perform different magical feats.
While it all sounds solid and well-done, the above is my favorite part. Bravo, Jurgen...
from Germany
Jason L Blair
Writer, Game Designer
Jürgen Mayer
Posts: 240
UW2 and it's magic (system)
Reply #9 on:
March 18, 2002, 07:40:52 AM »
Glad that you liked it, Jason.
Besides the core concept of Radiance Areas with different magic flavours which allows for a rather freeform magic system, my favorite part is the conductor-specific radiance area map. The Radiancer really has to spend time on exploring the magic of the Underworld, cause the player cannot rely on metagame knowledge about what kind of magic is where to find. Also this allows for easy personal customization on part of the conductor: Don't want clairvoyance in your game? Just don't put it on your radiance map.
In addition there are some nice built-in plot hooks for the conductor to exploit. Don't know what story or subplot to play next? Just let someone steal the eye-sacrifice of your Radiancer and watch the race to get it back. Or, if the Radiancer wants to be sure that noone will remove his new sacrifice, he has to hide it really deep down. And the unexplored deeps of the Underworld are where things get really interesting... what will he encounter there?
Posts: 41
The Reference and the Radiancer
Reply #10 on:
March 18, 2002, 10:40:21 AM »
Quote from: Tim Gray
Is the Taoist reference about the Sappers' sewer shui, moving things around for a brief Radcount change? If not, what is it?!
Actually, it's a reference to
Big Trouble in Little China
which is not as off topic as you guys may think, Laura came up with an awesome new area called "Chinadown" that's all I'm going to say about that at the moment, but I suspect that's enough to get you all thinking anyway.
As to the "Radiance Dancer" I like it, Jürgen, your thinking is fairly similar to mine in regards to what they can accomplish, though the expression is different.
One of my original ideas, one I pitched to GMS a long time ago, was that there was a guild or group of individuals that knew the "laws" of the UnderWorld. We went a different direction, but I think, at least in part, I'm going to resurrect them with the infusion of some of Jürgen's ideas... I'll have to ponder on it for a bit.
Servant of Mantorok since 1863
Rumpuncher - Nocturnal's Scribe
Tim Gray
Posts: 54
UW2 and it's magic (system)
Reply #11 on:
March 18, 2002, 01:22:05 PM »
"Chinadown" - oh yes!
To what extent are you interested in submissions from outside the team, and how are you managing that? I posted an area called Wildside (under the Bronx Zoo) on the Yahoo group (I think) a while ago and wondered whether it'd be worth digging it up again.
Legends Walk!
- a game of ancient and modern superheroes
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SET 1: Divided Sky, Run Like an Antelope, Colonel Forbin's Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Fee -> Slave to the Traffic Light, Esther, Suzy Greenberg, You Enjoy Myself[1]
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25 years ago
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I woke up Labor Day morning after Baltimore's IndyCar race and opened the paper thinking I'd see great headlines and stories about what a fantastic party and sports spectacle we hosted, especially given there was so little time to properly prepare for it ("After Grand Prix of Baltimore, crews hustle to clear downtown streets," Sept. 3).
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Seven Booze Trends for 2013
2013 is almost upon us! Seriously, what happened to 2012. It seems like it was here and gone in a blink of an eye. As the new year approaches, I get out my crystal ball and peer into 2013 to see what the top trends in drink will be in 2013. Here are my predictions. And, if I am wrong, I blame it on my crystal ball.
Top Booze Trends for 2013
Cider – the


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The European Media Studies course is a co-operative project between the University of Potsdam (Arts and Media Department)and the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam(Design Department). The students of the European Media Studies (EMW) are matriculated at the University of Potsdam.
The course provides a variety of skills relating to European media, markets and arts in terms of culture, media and law. By bringing together aesthetics, theory and cultural history with technical media skills and media production, and through the close co-operation of two different higher education institutions, the course focuses on the future and the new realities of the world of work and life. For this reason it is not only various academic disciplines that are involved – and this is the unusual thing about this course – but also various knowledge and learning cultures, as is expressed by a high level of project work.
The emphasis of the content of the course is on the connection between theory, aesthetics and practice in the media, giving a European perspective in cultural historical context. The concept of the media is understood very broadly and includes all kinds of media technology and practices, from ritual to dance, from writing to pictures, from photography, film and modern communication methods to networks, artistic performances and interactive non-linear media. Particular attention is paid to the development of concepts and designs for digital media projects as well as aesthetic projects, genre and format analyses and media production forms. Other fields include media economics, media management and media law; all taught with the aim of giving students comprehensive vocational training in the media.
The European Media Studies course consists of a three-year Bachelor's degree and a two-year Master's degree. At the end of the course, the qualifications of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts are awarded. The course can be started at the beginning of each winter semester. Only a limited number of students can be accepted.


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Greenpeace is on a 'Nuclear Emergency Tour' of Korea with the aim of demanding proper nuclear emergency plans for the country. Before the protest, the Rainbow Warrior blew its siren towards the direction of a power plant to alert the public of the danger it poses. Every 15th of the month, Korea holds an emergency drill in preparation for a military attack. There is, however, no proper drill in case of a nuclear meltdown.
© Alex Hofford / Greenpeace
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Cajun Chicken Fritters Recipe
Notes:The more oil you use to fry the fritters, the more they will be able cook evenly on the sides and retain a nice round shape. Less oil will produce a perfectly acceptable fritter, but one that cooks and browns like a pancake. If cooking with more than 8 tablespoons oil at a time, use a straight sided skillet. This recipe is adapted from a recipe for Cajun Chicken Fritters at The Home Heart.
About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Easy Artisan Bread. You can also watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. She presently lives in Singapore working on her new baking cookbook, and as a recipe developer for HungryGoWhere Singapore. Check out her blog: shophousecook.com . Follow Yvonne on Twitter.
Read more: Chicken Dinners: Cajun Chicken Fritters
- Yield:Makes 18 small fritters
- Active time: 45 minutes
- Total time:45 minutes
- Rated:
- 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 medium breast halves)
- 2 cups homemade or store-bought low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 small onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
- 3/4 cup canola oil (see note)
- Quick Chili Aioli:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon juice from two limes
For the Fritters: Heat chicken and broth in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat to simmering. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, turning occasionally, until chicken registers 150 to 155°F on an instant read thermometer, 10 to 14 minutes after stock comes to a boil. Transfer chicken to a plate and when cool enough to handle, finely shred using two forks.
Whisk flour, cornmeal, cajun seasoning, baking soda, cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
Whisk yolks, buttermilk, bell pepper, onion, parsley, butter, garlic, and Tabasco sauce in a large bowl until combined. Fold buttermilk mixture into dry mixture until just combined, then fold in chicken.
Place egg whites in clean, dry bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed to soft peaks. Gently fold into chicken mixture until just combined.
For the Chili Aioli: In small bowl, whisk mayonnaise, cayenne, and lime juice. Season to taste and serve with fritters.
To Cook the Fritters: Heat 6 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat to shimmering (see note). Drop 4 to 5 mounds of mixture into pan (about 1/3 cup each), spacing about 1 inch apart.
Cook until both sides are golden brown and center is just set, about 2 to 3 minutes total. Transfer fritters to a paper towel lined plate and season immediately with salt. Repeat until batter is used up, adding more oil as necessary. Serve hot.
This Recipe Appears InChicken Dinners: Cajun Chicken Fritters
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For English as Second Language (ESL) Teachers and Learners
Beginning Level
The Walk and Bike Safely curriculum is designed specifically for use by teachers and volunteers working with adult immigrants who are beginning English language learners. It consists of a teacher's guide, a student workbook, and two audio segments for student practice.
Right-click on selection and choose SAVE TARGET AS:
Intermediate Level
The Pedestrian Safety curriculum is the first module of a two-part series designed for the adult English language learner at the high beginning and low intermediate levels. The second module in the series is called Bicycle Safety. Each module has an instructor's guide, a student handbook, and an audio message for student practice.
|Pedestrian Safety
|Bicycle Safety
|Instructor's Guide
Student Handbook
audio message (*.mp3 format)
|Instructor's Guide
Student Handbook
audio message (*.wav format)


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It was easy to see one of the basic flaws in No Child Left Behind. As I roamed through the rooms, I saw one student who was protesting a dress code decision she did not like by writing one sentence over and over to each answer on her test. Fortunately, she did change her mind before the testing session was done, but how easy it would have been for one dress code decision to bring down the school's scores.
Other situations were not so happily resolved. One student, angered by the teacher who was administering the test, refused to write more than one sentence on a writing assignment that required considerably more.
I saw students who appeared to have had little or no sleep and I suspect there were one or two, or perhaps more, who might have used some kind of illegal substance the previous evening. (No evidence, but the odds would indicate that as a strong possibility.)
While No Child Left Behind is a laudable goal, as long as you have students who do not care, students whose parents do not care and provide no backup to the teachers, and as long as students have to deal with home lives that include poverty, drug abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and all kinds of entertainment that diverts them from education, you will never reach a time when no child is left behind.
I never saw anyone follow up on this, but in the Sept. 3, 2006, Turner Report, I pointed out some flaws in Missouri MAP testing, none of which have ever been investigated as far as I can tell:
Joplin's score of students reaching the proficient level (those scoring on the top two levels of the test) was 41.7 percent. Scores from Joplin-area schools I checked ranged from 50.2 at Webb City and 47.4 at my old high school, East Newton, at the top end of the scale to 25.8 at Sarcoxie and 28.5 at Golden City at the bottom.
As I was examining the test scores on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website, I happened across Willard's score, one I checked out because that is the school system where my nieces attend though neither is in eighth grade. Willard had a 54.3.
At that point, I checked the Springfield schools...56.6...and I wondered if a pattern was beginning to emerge. I kept checking...Republic 44.6, Nixa 59.0, Strafford 53.6, Ozark 45.2, Fair Grove 50.6, Clever 51.3, Ash Grove 47.1.
I looked back at the scores for this part of the state:
Joplin 41.7, Webb City 50.3, Seneca 45.2, Neosho 41.0, McDonald County 35.2, Lamar 41.7, Jasper 36.5, East Newton 47.4, Carl Junction 42.6, Carthage 37.0, Sarcoxie 25.8, Pierce City 32.4.
What are the odds of six of the nine Springfield-area schools I checked having higher scores than the top school district in the Joplin area? What are the odds of the bottom school on that list scoring almost 20 percentage points above the bottom score in the Joplin area?
The top five schools in the Springfield area averaged 54.9, while the top five schools in the Joplin area averaged 45.4, 9.5 percent lower.
Undoubtedly, grading systems were applied differently in these two areas and who knows how they were handled elsewhere?


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Medical traditions
Bag of `Omohukyi' plant, lantana salvifolia, Uganda, collected 1919
Traditional medicine in the UK today
Medical knowledge is developed and passed on in many ways. Every community has ideas about the causes of and cures for suffering, illness and disease. These are often spiritual beliefs as well as practical therapies and techniques. Some traditions, or systems of medical knowledge, are tied to a part of the world. Others spread widely, particularly once they become formalised in books and schools.
Prominent medical traditions include biomedicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Unani Tibb in the Arabic-speaking world, and Ayurveda from India. Local medical traditions are also found worldwide. Some, such as African medical traditions, share features with neighbouring systems.
In Europe and other parts of the world, medical systems operate in a medical marketplace - that is, where individuals can choose between practitioners and traditions with competing ideas about curing illness and maintaining health. In the mid 1800s biomedicine became the dominant tradition in Europe. Established European traditions, such as herbalism and homeopathy, did not die out. However, they are now seen as complementary or alternative medical systems.
How is biomedicine different?
Since the 1800s biomedicine has used sophisticated technology and become closer to science. It relies on germ theory, which looks for illness in the form of causal agents such as bacteria and viruses. It uses physical changes in the body's structures to define disease. It also relies on quantitative and statistical methods such as clinical trials. Biomedicine is now practised worldwide. It was introduced in some countries through European colonisation. Other countries, such as Japan and China, supported biomedicine from the late 1800s.
This emphasis on science has made biomedicine extremely powerful. However, the patient's own understanding and experience of suffering and illness has become less central. Other traditions are seen as more holistic. They treat patients as unique individuals, and look at the whole range of factors that might influence health.
What is 'alternative' medicine?
Some practices, such as mesmerism, gained acceptance and then faded. Hydrotherapy and homeopathy have gone in and out of fashion. The medical marketplace partly makes one medicine considered as an alternative tradition.Medical traditions that receive government support dominate because they are more available and cheaper. Decisions that insurance companies and health providers make about which medical treatments they will pay for can significantly affect the success of an alternative tradition. This is the case with acupuncture, chiropractic, and psychoanalysis.
Traditions exchanging knowledge
Traditions have influenced each other, competed, and shared techniques, knowledge and practice. By the early 1700s smallpox inoculation was practised across parts of Africa, India and the Ottoman Empire. It spread from the Ottoman Empire to Europe, and from Africa to the Americas with enslaved Africans. The works of Hippocrates, composed in ancient Greece, were translated into Arabic by authors such as Ibn Sina, and became the foundation of Unani Tibb. They were rediscovered in Europe in their Arabic translations during the Renaissance and became central to biomedicine.
Expanding empires affect local traditions in different ways. Many brought new medical systems with them; some competed with existing practices. The Muslim occupation of India from the 1100s brought Unani Tibb to south Asia. Since then, Unani Tibb and Ayurveda have exchanged many ideas. Once established in a new culture, traditions are often influenced by local ideas and practices. Materia medica, the materials used to make up medicines, have been shared between traditions in India.
Traditional Chinese medicine has spread worldwide and influenced other traditions. Traditional Japanese medicine, called kampo, originated in Chinese medicine and developed its own techniques and drugs. It still uses acupuncture and moxibustion, but modern Kampo uses pre-packaged and prepared herbal remedies. Since the 1960s they have been integrated into Japanese biomedicine.
Colonialism and nationalism
The most striking meetings between medical systems were during the 1800s at the height of European imperialism. Western powers expanding through Africa and Asia brought biomedicine with them, and local traditions were disregarded as superstition or quackery. European rulers assumed their hygiene, public health and medical treatment systems were superior. Theories about racial difference were also used to classify different peoples as inferior or deficient.
Under colonial regimes, traditional medicine practitioners were often banned or had to be registered by the government. European governments decided what knowledge and training was appropriate to a doctor or surgeon. In response to epidemic diseases such as cholera and smallpox, new ideas about hygiene and public health were imposed on local populations, often using the military. Even when lives were saved, this aggression alienated local people. Many medical traditions became linked to nationalist movements. In 20th-century India and China local knowledge was defended against imposed ideas.
Some people trained in European medicine used medical arguments to criticise colonialism. Mauritanian psychiatrist Frantz Fanon argued that colonialism and racism harmed the physical and psychological health of colonised people.
Moving across traditions
Some techniques and drugs have moved across traditions and changed meanings. Chinese medicine was introduced to Europe in the late 1700s. Acupuncture was the main technique adopted, but it was used with European models of anatomy rather than Chinese ideas. Both use similar technology and techniques, but are based on different models of the body. In most African medical traditions illness is understood in terms of individual and community relationships with the spirit world. However, new drugs and herbs are incorporated into these systems. They are seen as vessels for spiritual powers, not as chemically active ingredients.
Bioprospecting is where researchers look for chemically active ingredients in plants and traditional remedies. Artemisia is a good example of a plant which has been used in TCM, and has now been adapted in biomedicine as an antimalarial drug.
Contemporary traditions
In many countries multiple traditions are available to those who choose or can afford them. One system is often supported by the state as the official medicine. Other traditions are available privately, and may be regulated.
Related Themes and Topics
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R C Keller, Colonial madness: psychiatry in French North Africa (Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press, 2007)
D Arnold (ed.), Imperial medicine and indigenous societies: disease, medicine, and empire in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (New York: Manchester University Press, 1998)
R E Bivins, Acupuncture, expertise, and cross-cultural medicine (Houndmills, Basingstoke; New York: Palgrave, 2000)
R E Bivins, Alternative medicine?: a history (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007)
N Gevitz (ed.), Other Healers: Unorthodox Medicine in America (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1988)
M Gijswijt-Hofstra, H Marland and H de Waardt (eds), Illness and healing alternatives in Western Europe (London: Routledge, 1997)
J C Whorton, Nature cures: the history of alternative medicine in America (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, c2002)
R Cooter (ed.), Studies in the history of alternative medicine (Basingstoke: Macmillan in association with St Antony's College Oxford, 1988)
M Chamberlain, Old wives' tales: their history, remedies, and spells (London: Virago, 1981)
W F Bynum and R Porter (eds), Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine (London: Routledge, 1993)
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Microsoft adopts invisible mobile pitch
The phone you won't have to fish out of the toilet
Microsoft will pitch Windows Phone 7 as the handset you don't use all the time, highlighting how people disappear into their current handsets and miss out on the real world.
Redmond is already spending a lot of money promoting Windows Phone 7, which is expected to launch in a month or so, and now it has an angle too - Microsoft will sell you the phone you don't need to use:
The narrative might be almost comical, but there is some truth to it - most of us will recognise at least one of the scenarios in the ad. Microsoft reckons it can help users avoid them by presenting everything important on the home screen - glance interfacing. So one can give a better impression of interacting with one's children while still keeping up with the office, a glance at a time.
That also means constant connectivity, which in turn requires (effectively) unlimited data and impacts battery life, but neither of those should be a problem for the corporate executive who'll likely be Microsoft's the first target.
Redmond is putting a lot into Windows Phone 7, and working hard to find some differentiation in an increasingly commoditised market - one can imagine the marketing meeting that decided that the status screen is the killer feature, and how to promote that. It will be interesting to see if the public agrees. ®
Sponsored: Practical tips for Office 365 tenant-to-tenant migration


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October 10, 2013
By Maleena Lawrence
LAWT Contributing Writer
Bakewell Media has created an opportunity for local people in the community as well as viral supporters to showcase their vocal range at the largest street festival in Los Angeles, the Taste Of Soul on October 19, 2013. This year the Baldwin Hills Mall was the place to be for rising stars who desired a shot to showcase their talent in the second annual StarQuest Singing Competition. Where crowds stand shoulder-to-shoulder hovering the stage with amplified cheers too support their loved ones during the final competition. However, what people do not fully witness are the days and weeks leading up to the actual competition. Starting at the front of the line with artist to behind-the-scenes with the judges and production crew on Day 1 of the auditions, every one possessed a level of motivation to accomplish whatever they were set out to deliver.
Gliding up the escalators of the Mall, the first thing I saw was a growing line of contestants outside of Macy's. Then the animated voice of DJ Paradise shouts, "Yall know the rules and in case you missed something, I'll say it again, you have one minute and 30 seconds to perform and impress the celebrity judges right away." Shortly after the rules, my attention was strictly diverted to the talent. I wanted to know their intentions, feel their nerves and the expectations that they had for themselves on and off the stage. The opening performance was a gospel artist named Always Carey who wanted to bring the energy, be an Ambassador to set it off and get people off their nerves and bring only their talent. He was followed by the female gospel group, D.B. Milton and Company singing, It's Not All In Vain. This year's competition started off with a praising Sunday's Best vibe until performances from artist like Evrywhr accompanied with Robert Amerson on guitar sang "40 Nights." Angie a soulful soloist connected with "Positivity," the crooning vocals of On Poynte and even the return of the inaugural StarQuest winner, Beau Williams taking a bow after receiving a standing ovation for his performance, A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke all of which helped to bring more of a mixed musical genre to engage the judges.
Judging a competition like StarQuest takes a diverse accumulation of the very best in the entertainment industry. On Day 1, the panel of celebrity judges included: Celebrity Vocal Coach, Willie Norwood; Actress, Tanjareen; Entertainment Executive, Dexter Story; StarQuest Producer, Yvette Bailey; Sentinel Managing Editor, Brandon Brooks; Producer, Rayva Harrell; Comedian and 2013 Taste of Soul Host, Jonathan Slocumb; Industry Executive and Manager, Marcus Grant; SoulTrain Producer, Tony Cornelius; Singer and Finalist on Season 2 of the Voice, Jesse Campbell; Music Executive, Bobby Wilkerson and Music Giant, Ken Wilson. Collectively, you have a mogul league of judges with over 200 years of professional experience in the entertainment industry meaning—bring your A-Game. They all were looking for originality. Tony Cornelius and Ken Wilson both agreed that everybody can't make it and it takes courage, originality, a good performance, stage presence and the need for real talent is what they are looking for during the auditions. Rayva expressed Day 1 as being her second time around with this year's talent taking it to the next level. She and Tanjareen are looking for a connection that gives you chills and demonstrates a love for what you are doing. Either way it goes, Jonathan Slocumb said it best, "Great talent and no talent, we hope to pick the greatest."
In the meantime, there was a well organized team of individuals checking in talent and keeping track of the performance schedules. Nick, the Production Manager smiled graciously saying, "My job is to make sure each and every element is working smoothly as possible and we cover everything from crew, volunteers, food, talent, everything." In the flow of the day, I bumped into the production coordinator, Damon Oliver who provides Nick with what he needs to keep the show rolling for the producers. Kayl supports Talent and IT as Bishop Moore, the central camera man captured the day of make it or break it performances. Towards intermission, the man who makes it all possible, Mr. Danny Bakewell spoke to the hearts and minds of the entire room as he reinforced his love and our responsibility to the Black community, "This is our Family and we got to come together." And this is what Taste of Soul and StarQuest Singing Competition is all about, selecting amazing talent to share their gift of song with the world.


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China Set to Build World's Tallest Building, Pending Paperwork
More In Property
- Hot Property: China Says New Controls Are Taming Prices
- Location, Location: Two Apartments May Save a Chinese Firm's Stock Listing
- Shanghai Police Find Root of Rumors That Sparked Home-Buying Frenzy
- 5 Reasons Why Investors Shouldn't Cheer China's Property Market Recovery
- More Property, Less Pork: What's Behind China's Robust Economic Figures
- China Takes Hands-Off Approach as 'Whack-a-Mole' Property Market Returns
This post has been updated since it was first posted. See below.
The world's tallest skyscraper is about to sprout out of the ground in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan province.
Or is it?
Changsha-based Broad Group held a ground-breaking ceremony for its towering 202-storey "Sky City" development on July 20, sparking a flood of global media coverage. On Tuesday, a story in the local Xiaoxiang Morning Post said local officials had put a stop to construction because Broad hadn't obtained the proper permits. The story was later deleted from the newspaper's website, but was widely repeated by other media, including the official Xinhua news agency (in Chinese).
On Thursday, Broad refuted allegations that it had begun work without the proper approvals, saying the project was being built in accordance with the rules.
"It's a gradual, incremental process. You don't get all the approvals in one shot," said Broad Group spokeswoman Zhu Linfang. "We have obtained the necessary approvals as the project progresses and we've done everything according to the book."
There are typically lots of regulatory hurdles to clear when building such a large structure in China. Dealing with regulators is part of why the builder, which achieved viral fame in 2010 after putting up a time-lapse video demonstrating its blisteringly fast pre-fab building technique, has pushed back the scheduled completion date for Sky City. Originally expected to open in January, it is now slated for completion in April 2014.
"We didn't expect certain procedures to take so long," Ms. Zhu said when asked about the delays, without offering further details.
The Changsha city government directed queries about Sky City to the local housing bureau, but calls to the bureau rang unanswered Friday afternoon.
Even if Broad does get approvals quickly enough to stay on schedule, it remains unclear whether there a market for such a massive building in Changsha, a city with a population of around seven million.
According to Broad, the building will be 838 meters tall when completed, pushing past the 828-meter Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is currently the world's tallest structure. Essentially a city within a building, Sky City will contain 4,450 housing units, a 250-room hotel, 93 elevators, and a 10-kilometer walking path that extends from the first to the 170th floor.
Broad also plans to set aside 100,000 square meters of space for a school, hospital and office units.
Describing Sky City as "the next step in urbanization" in a promotional video on its website, Broad touts the project's ability to reduce urban sprawl and traffic congestion, arguing that it could theoretically take 2,000 cars off the roads. The structure will also be built with sustainable materials, and feature air filters in every housing unit, according to a promotional brochure (pdf).
While the Burj took six years to complete, Broad says Sky City will take seven months, excluding the laying of the foundation. The company estimates that it will it would have to pay 20,000 workers to build the prefabricated material for four months, and then another 3,000 workers to assemble the building in three months.
Broad, a private company that has run a successful business in manufacturing air conditioners for the domestic and global market, didn't say how it was going to fund the 9 billion yuan ($1.47 billion) project.
With China's property and construction market growing at a breakneck pace in recent years, as well as concerns about idle and wasteful buildings, the surprisingly little was said by Broad about whether there would be enough demand to justify the construction of such a tower.
"Changsha isn't growing as quickly as Wuhan, that's for sure, but its housing market hasn't been heavily impacted by policy curbs, and demand has been quite steady," said Yang Chenqing, an analyst at property data-provider E-House China. Wuhan, which is the capital of Hubei province, is a 2-hour car ride from Changsha, the capital city of Hunan province.
According to data from China Real Estate Information System, housing sales in Changsha rose 24% to 75,210 units in the first half this year compared to the same period a year earlier, at an average price of 7,203 yuan per square meter.
That all sounds good, but real estate types are not as bullish about Changsha's property investment prospects this year as they were a year ago, according to a survey of 111 respondents including developers and fund managers in mainland China and Hong Kong in March and April this year. A ranking of the top 30 Chinese cities in terms of real estate investment prospects by the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit research organization, showed Changsha fell to the 17th from the 10th place last year.
One domestic Chinese development company had a cautious view on Changsha, "noting that the present risk of undertaking development projects in Changsha is not low," the ULI report added.
"Changsha is a dynamic city, but right now it is suffering from a serious oversupply of development sites, which is directly the result of the fact that the government has been too loose in exercising control over land resources," the report cited the unnamed company as saying.
If the government decides to tighten its controls, Broad might find itself slowing down even more than it already has.
[UPDATE, July 29: Xinhua quotes local officials in Changsha as saying "no substantial construction" will begin on Sky City until after it obtains the necessary licenses. Nine construction experts have examined the plans, according to Xinhua.]
-- Esther Fung
Like China Real Time on Facebook and follow us Twitter for the latest updates.
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Europe's top regulators have set out three proposals to help grow the IT industry as part of the Single Market Act.
The European Commission announced that it would take action to ensure better coordination of infrastructure works required for the roll out of high-speed Internet. It will also work to harmonize online payments throughout the European Union and will require all public procurement projects to use e-invoicing.
According to the Commission, around 80 percent of the costs associated with the deployment of high-speed infrastructure come from from civil engineering work such as digging up roads to lay down cables.
Although some member states already have plans to coordinate such work, the Commission says these are scarce and scattered. In France, private companies such as Orange-France Telecom took the initiative themselves to share access to ducts and in-building cabling. But the Commission plans to build on existing obligations in the regulatory framework with new laws.
Recent reports suggest that 35 percent of Internet users do not buy online because they have doubts over payment methods. Lawmakers say that is because of insufficient harmonization, ineffective competition in some areas of Internet payments and lack of incentives for technical standardization. The Commission has therefore proposed a revision of the Payment Services Directive.
It also wants to see the non-discrimination clause of the Services Directive fully implemented. This bans service providers from differentiating between customers on the basis of nationality or place of residence.
Finally, the Commission said that making electronic invoicing the standard mode for public procurement will make the public sector a 'lead market' for e-invoicing and spearhead its wider use in the economy.
Follow Jennifer on Twitter at @BrusselsGeek or email tips and comments to email@example.com.


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The Greatest RPG Video Games Ever Made
List Rules Includes pure RPGs as well as popular offshoots, like tactical and action RPGs and MMOs.
This list shows the ranking of the best pure Role-Playing Games, Action-RPG hybrids and MMORPG's of all time, as voted on by the Ranker Community. The popularity of role-playing games far predates video game technology entirely, and many of the genre's standards, settings and concepts continue to draw strong influence from the pen-and-paper games of the past (particularly the granddaddy of them all, Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D.)
In traditional Role-Playing Games, the player controls a character in a fictional world or setting, and takes a strong hand in determining how that character chooses to progress through the environment. This can involve determining the character's nature and outlook, his or her development through quests and missions and potentially joining up with other characters, either NPC or representing other human players. They tend to be more character and plot-driven games in many ways, as opposed to games that put more emphasis on stealth, puzzle-solving or combat. In some ways, new technology has simply made RPG's easier to organize and faster to play through, removing the need for a "gamemaster" and reliance on dice or other physical means of determining game outcomes.
Many of the most popular RPGs are part of a larger franchise, set in a familiar world that has been established over the course of numerous games (and sometimes tie-in novels, short films or other media.) The "Final Fantasy" RPG franchise is perhaps the most significant and long-standing in video game history, and in fact at this point has branched out beyond traditional role-playing games to include entires focused on tactical role-playing, action role-playing, MMORPG's, racing games, third person shooters and even rhythm and fighting games. It has also inspired numerous animated films, tie in novels and comic books.
(Unlike many other RPG series that are all based in a single setting or universe - such as the Elder Scrolls series Tamriel or Azeroth from Blizzard's Warcraft games - Final Fantasy entries tend to take place in different settings and have sharply distinguished plotlines.)


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Our Founding
In 1989, Katherine Gioia, then four years old, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. While Katherine was being treated at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Anne, her mother, began doing volunteer work in the newly created Development Department established to raise private sector financial support for the Institute. She came up with the idea of the Alliance, Roswell's first community-wide volunteer organization, as a memorial to Katherine, who lost her battle with cancer less than one year after being diagnosed.
In 1991, the Alliance Foundation was established to manage all donations made and contributed for the benefit of Roswell Park.
The Roswell Park Alliance Community Advisory Board sponsors a variety of events, from a black-tie gala that attracts 1,200, to a bike ride, golf tournament and auction, and the sale of holiday cards designed by pediatric patients.
"It evolved into something I never imagined. I'm amazed at how much people are willing to give of themselves to make a difference," said Anne Gioia.
For volunteer opportunities with the Roswell Park Alliance Community Advisory Board, please call 716-845-8788.


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Remember my post from a couple years ago about the Nestle boycott*, the boycott that has been going on since the '70s? Well, today the boycott and all of Nestle's alleged crimes against humanity were brought to the forefront due to the #NestleFamily blogger event and the power of social media.
It started when Annie from PhDinParenting wrote An open letter to the attendees of the Nestle Family blogger event. If you don't know about Nestle's history, I suggest you go read that first. As Annie said there and I will repeat here, "This is not about what you chose to feed your babies. If you formula fed, whether by choice or by necessity, that is none of my business. That said, the marketing and advertising of formula has been linked to the deaths of millions of babies every year."
As the event got underway today, the tweets began to fly on Twitter. While many civilly debated the issues at hand (unethical marketing of formula to developing countries where there isn't access to clean water, child slave labor in the chocolate industry, the bottled water), others (from both sides of the debate) turned to name calling and snark. Still others tried to turn it into a debate of breastfeeding vs. formula feeding, ignoring the real issue at hand – Nestle's unethical business practices.
The bloggers who choose to attend the #NestleFamily event were caught in the middle. Some relayed the concerns and questions from the Twitterverse to Nestle, while others Tweeted about which Nestle candy they liked best.
The chatter on Twitter went on for hours before @NestleFamily (who had no social media team) finally stepped in and tried to field some of the questions themselves instead of depending on the #NestleFamily event attendees to do it for them. It was reminiscent of the #MotrinMoms debacle except Motrin responded with apologies and corrected their infraction. I have my doubts that a conversation with a bunch of bloggers at this point in time is going to bring about any real changes with with a company like Nestle that has been conducting business unscrupulously for more than 30 years. I'd love to see them prove me wrong though.
Others have written more about this, like Julia from Forty Weeks who wrote On missing the mark:
To me this is a case study for poor planning, short-sighted thinking and other classic marketing errors. What is clear to me is that there was no strategic or top-level thinking applied to this horrific play for Moms on the part of Nestle.
This is a stunning example of why those who are involved with marketing to women and in specific, social media need to have well grounded leader managing their strategy.
Nestle has lost control of the conversation – in fact the conversation that is being had is not only off-message (one would assume) but the defense of Nestle has been left in the hands of those least qualified to handle it — the bloggers who answered their call and came for a few days of fun. This is damaging to the brand on a profound level (obviously) and leaves these bloggers in an untenable position. Feeling loyal, under attack, not knowing facts, frankly over their heads and outside of any normal scope of engagement for an event like this.
Annie at PhDinParenting said:
I think there is an opportunity for Nestle, as a leader in the food industry, to take a leadership role on this issue. At a minimum it should start abiding by the law in all countries where it operates and not just the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law. But ideally, in order to rectify some of the damage that its past practices have caused, it should go above and beyond what the law requires.
Christine at Pop discourse wrote On Bloggers, Breastfeeding, Formula, Morality, Change, & the Nestle Family Event and talks about why she chose not to attend the #NestleFamily event and how all of this impacts blogger relations in general.
MommyMelee wrote a great post called thinking outside the hashtag about ways you can take action.
I encourage people who are upset to research ways they can help, whether it's through positive activism and awareness, donating time, or donating money.
So what did we learn?
I have to admit I found myself very frustrated as I read Tweets from both sides today. The name calling, the inappropriate jokes, and the total disregard for the serious nature of Nestle's infractions are the kinds of things that make "mommybloggers" look like raving lunatics. But I also saw a lot of civil debating, people keeping an open mind and presenting information and their positions without attacking and that part – that part was awesome. It's the respectful discussion that is going to raise awareness and bring about change, not the snark, not the name calling. Let's keep up the awesome part – the dialogue, the desire to effect change. The awesomeness will bring about good things in the world. 🙂 (Oh, and if you are a large corporation – hint, hint Nestle, please jump on the social media bandwagon NOW. You are missing out on a lot and doing yourself and those who want to engage you a disservice if you don't.)
If you've written about this Nestle event, please leave me your link in the comments. I hope to put a list together. Thanks! In the meantime, please check out this Anthology of #NestleFamily Activist Blogs put together by @BestforBabes.
*Please note: there is now an updated Nestle boycott list as of 10/7/09. Thanks!


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Without support, taking on a caring role can mean facing a life of poverty, isolation, ill health and depression. For the person they care for it can mean costly hospital or care admissions if the caring relationshipArea of Care:I work in:
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Langebaan at a glance
On the edge of the Langebaan Lagoon, next to the West Coast National Park, you'll find Langebaan. This Western Cape town is an idyllic holiday destination. Whatever the pleasure, Langebaan is ready to oblige: delicious seafood, seaside adventures, natural wonders and rich history are all part of the town's DNA.
Langebaan combines a small-town vibe with big-city perks. It boasts top-notch restaurants, shops, schools and amenities. The result has charmed the tourists that frequent the area.
With so much to do and such a tranquil setting, the Langebaan lifestyle is an appealing one. Naturally, it's shown strong property growth. Langebaan's a favourite second home for many a Capetonian with interest from investors across South Africa and internationally.
A brief history of the area
Langebaan was founded in 1922. Previously a whaling station, the Great Depression ended the trade. Langebaan grew in prosperity through its fishing industry. It is now one of the Western Cape's most popular towns.
Langebaan weather is as welcoming as its people. The area has a warm and temperate climate. The average annual temperature is 16.6 °C. In summer, you'll enjoy at least 9-10 hours of sunshine. You can also expect fair weather in winter with an average of 7-8 hours of sunshine each day. Strong rainfall is constant throughout the year. However, Langebaan rarely experiences harsh or extreme weather.
Schools in the area
Langebaan schools are known for having a balanced curriculum. They will set your child on a path to greatness.
Primary schools include Langebaanweg Primary School, Langebaan Primary School, Topolino Private School and Longacres Private School.
Curro Langebaan (Grade R to Grade 12) is Langebaan's main high school. Students can also travel out to Hopefield High School.
Healthcare in the area
For medical care, look to Langebaan Privaat Hospitaal and Langebaan Municipal Clinic. You can also consult a general practitioner, dentist or physiotherapist in the area. If you have a pet, Longacres Animal Hospital will keep them healthy.
Shopping centres
Whether you're completing errands or looking to spoil yourself, Langebaan has you covered. The Laguna Mall has a range of shops from fashion, home and DIY to health and beauty. There are also restaurants, banking services and speciality stores. Koewheni Centre provides a convenient stop for all your household essentials. It's located next to a petrol station, and boasts plenty of free parking. If you're closer to Antonio Sieni Street, you can also shop at Antonio Centre. Like Koewheni Centre, it provides a relaxing shop for all your basic needs.
Distance from key points (Airport/CBD)
The driving distance from Langebaan to Cape Town International Airport is 134.5 km. This will take you roughly one hour and 41 minutes to reach your destination with an average speed of 80 km/h.
Langebaan's crisp sea breezes will enhance your appetite. Thankfully, there are plenty of fantastic restaurants in the area. You can feast at Ginja Beanz Coffee Shop, Wunderbar, Friday Island and Die Strandloper, to name a few options.
For a convenient stop, there are plenty of fast food outlets. These include Steers, Debonairs and KFC.
Special attractions
1. Langebaan Beach and Lagoon
The beach and lagoon are easy to access and family friendly. It's a pleasant trip with powder-soft sands and excellent restaurants nearby. Langebaan has earned a reputation as an ultimate watersports mecca. At the beach and lagoon, you can go kayaking, jet-skiing, sailing and kitesurfing.
2. Club Mykonos Casino
This is a one-stop escape for gaming, spa treatments, restaurants and events.
3. Langebaan Country Estate
Tee off on an immaculate 18-hole golf course. With its rock formations, water feature and fields of natural wildflowers, the estate's golfing experience is a memorable one.
4. West Coast National Park
Drive 16 minutes from Langebaan central, and you'll find the West Coast National Park. This park provides game drives, picnic/braai areas, hiking trails, and bird watching. Late July to early October provides the best time to enjoy the park when flowers are in full bloom.
5. Sunny Park Fun Park
You can take advantage of Langebaan's beautiful weather at the Sunny Park Fun Park. From pedal karts, mini golf, paintball to water slides, there's something for everyone to enjoy.
Museums and landmarks
1. West Coast Fossil Park
Take a trip back some 5 million years ago with the West Coast Fossil Park. You'll get to see fossils of bears, sabre-tooth cats, short-necked giraffes and many other exotic animals which inhabited the west coast area. A new exhibition centre opened in October 2018, promising more educational fun for the whole family.
2. Schaapen Island
Schaapen Island was once used as a stopover to repair ships. With its soft morning mists, Schaapen Island is a lovely tourist spot. While it's a restricted site, you'll find it worthwhile; there are plenty of birds, seals and rabbits to see.
Make Langebaan your home. Let it be your story.
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Langebaan in the news
On the move, set your sights on these six Cape commuter towns.You can ditch the city for the country life and still be close enough to the Cape metro, says the Seeff Property Group. Excellent road infrastructure such as the R27 West Coast Road, N7 which now extends to Malmesbury,...
Disclaimer: While every effort will be made to ensure that the information contained within the Seeff Property Group website is accurate and up to date, Seeff Property Group makes no warranty, representation or undertaking whether expressed or implied, nor do we assume any legal liability, whether direct or indirect, or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information. Prospective purchasers and tenants should make their own enquiries to verify the information contained herein.


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Enviros huddle with — wait for it — Republican Speaker Frank McNulty
There's nothing like walking into Speaker Frank McNulty's office and finding five "enviros" lined up to talk to him.
This is, after all, a Republican lawmaker who once worked for the Department of Natural Resources under former Gov. Bill Owens.
The enviros/tree huggers/world savers/happy hour enthusiasts/insert your own description here/ cheerfully accepted the ribbing, as did McNulty, about their meeting.
"We know the speaker cares about jobs and cares about the environment and we're excited to talk to him about how our agendas can match up this session," said Pete Maysmith, executive director of Colorado Conservation Voters.
The others in the meeting: Faith Winter with Colorado Conservation Voters; Pam Kiely, a lobbyist whose clients include the Environmental Defense Fund; Randy Moorman, a lobbyist for the Colorado Environmental Coalition; and Jeanne Bassett with Environment Colorado.


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Seriously, Shouting is the New Spanking?
I just read the New York Times articles by Hilary Stout titled For Some Parents, Shouting Is the New Spanking. It a good read and references a few people that I just recently met...
No matter where you shop, you want to get the best deal for your money. Online shoppers are no different. Here are some ways to find great deals when shopping online.
* Shop for deals online after a major holiday occurs. The best time for shopping is after Thanksgiving. Retailers in stores and online are looking to maximize their profits with your shopping dollar. Most of your favorite outlet stores will be offering popular items on sale at a fraction of the cost to attract more customers.
* Use coupons to shop at online stores. Check Sunday newspaper circulars. Some stores offer customers the option of using their coupons online. Since you have shipping and handling in addition to sales tax, online merchants will offer more money off with their coupons for online purchases.
* Electronics are a popular item to purchase online. Check the comments made by other shoppers before purchasing. Their comments give you an idea of the quality and satisfaction you will receive from the product. Stores like Circuit City offer deals on their electronics which includes in-store pickup. What they will ask you to do is to enter your address into the computer. They will give you the address of the closest store location and the availability of the product you seek. If the product is available, you have the option of paying online and picking it up in the store. You avoid shipping and handling and long lines in the store.
* Sites like Overstock.com are always offering deals on all sorts of items. Some are new and some are refurbished. Be sure that the site you use is an authorized reseller of the selected product to avoid getting ripped off. Again, check comments from other shoppers that have used that site for shopping purchases.
* Taking surveys can garner deals at shopping sites all across the Internet. Places like MyPoints.com offer shopping deals to their members through daily bonus e-mails just for trying products for a trial period. Members also earn points towards gift cards and services for trying these offers. There is no cost to become a member. Just sign up and create a profile.
Deals are available to online shoppers, but you must know when and where to look. Online shopping offers the convenience of browsing and buying without leaving your home computer.
Find family friendly product reviews, information and support from a variety of different moms from all walks of life at Moms Talk News. Join us, it's Free!


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A basic rule for assessing policy is to ask what bad things it makes likely or even possible. Conservatives are fond of citing the law of unintended consequences, which they know can produce negative effects dwarfing the envisioned benefits of a particular measure.
So they oppose an increase in the minimum wage for fear it will reduce employment. They oppose tax increases because those will probably inhibit growth. They are wary of same-sex marriage because it may undermine heterosexual marriage.
None of these side effects is a sure thing. But the question conservatives ask is an important one: Even if those results are not certain, is the policy worth the risk?
Dick Cheney lost few Republican allies when he explained his approach after 9/11: "If there was even a 1 percent chance of terrorists getting a weapon of mass destruction — and there has been a small probability of such an occurrence for some time — the United States must now act as if it were a certainty."
But this cautious approach somehow goes out the window when it comes to an issue whose ramifications span the globe: climate change. People who normally exhibit an aversion to risk are willing to behave in a way that in other contexts they would deem reckless. They put great emphasis on the immediate costs of taking preventive or ameliorative action, while largely dismissing the long-term harm from inaction.
The rationale for doing nothing to curtail carbon dioxide emissions is that there is too much uncertainty about their impact on the global climate. Never mind that the quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is up by roughly a quarter since 1960 and higher than any time in the past 800,000 years.
Never mind that the first decade of the 21st century was the warmest since record-keeping began in 1880. Never mind that in this winter of the polar vortex in the United States, last month was the Earth's fourth warmest January — and the 347th consecutive month that exceeded the average temperature of the 20th century.
Conservatives say the climate models that predict substantial warming have "always overstated the degree to which the Earth is warming compared with what we see in the real climate," as climate scientists Richard McNider and John Christy write. The fallibility of predictions leads to the conclusion that it would be folly to put restrictions on the burning of fossil fuels.
Maybe the planet will warm more slowly than scientists predict. Maybe it will stop warming entirely. Maybe vast glaciers will slide down across the Canadian border and polar bears will invade Key West. But it's more likely that the planet will get hotter in the coming decades, particularly if carbon emissions keep rising.
That change will inevitably cause damage — raising sea levels, expanding deserts and fostering drought. It also raises the danger that ecosystems will reach "tipping points" that generate sudden, drastic disruptions, such as ravaging the world's coral reefs or wiping out hundreds of plant and animal species.
The latter outcomes are a relatively small possibility. But small possibilities of very bad events are not to be ignored. The overwhelming odds against your house catching fire are no reason to cancel your house insurance or toss out your smoke alarms, much less lay off the fire department.
We are used to dealing with risks that are uncertain or remote by taking prudent, affordable precautions. It wouldn't take much to make a difference on this one. A carbon tax raising the price of gasoline by a mere 16 cents a gallon, increasing by 4 percent over inflation each year, would reduce emissions by a third by about 2050. It would also reduce air pollution and could be used to pay for cuts in income or payroll taxes.
Even if climate change turns out to be overblown, there's no real downside in a carbon tax. We merely would have traded a tax that reduces good things, such as work and investment, for a tax that reduces bad things, such as environmental harms and hazards. If done in a revenue-neutral way, it would more likely speed economic growth than slow it.
Maybe we can get away with doing nothing and wager that everything will be fine. But when the stakes are the fundamental health of the planet, we might want to hedge that bet.
Steve Chapman blogs daily at newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/steve_chapman. To find out more about Steve Chapman, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.


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This is justice: Nathan Dunlap deserves to die
By Greg Dobbs
A friend e-mailed me a news story the other day with this headline: "Lawyers Say DNA Clears Florida Inmate in Two Killings." As if that makes anyone's support for the death penalty unjust. And as if it would have made a difference in the case of Nathan Dunlap.
It wouldn't; he admitted to killing his four victims and shooting a fifth. DNA couldn't bail him out; only the governor could. And calling the system "inequitable," he did.
Sorry, Gov. Hickenlooper, but that's throwing out the baby with the bathwater. I'd have told the governor, "Let's just clean the water, maybe by changing a few laws in capital cases, to attack the inequities." For example:


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