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Projects on the chopping block include development and acquisition of biological and chemical detection systems, and protective clothing.
The Defense Department has shifted more than $1 billion out of its nuclear, biological and chemical defense programs to underwrite a new White House priority on vaccine development and production to combat disease pandemics, according to government and industry officials.
The planned funding reduction "terminates essential CBRN [chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear] defense programs ... required to meet high priority service needs, prevent casualties and protect against CBRN incidents," according to a Pentagon budget document drafted in early August.
Internal deliberations over the budget have been ongoing for months as the government prepares to submit its fiscal 2012 spending request to Congress next February.
"To implement the DoD response to the president's new [vaccine] initiative requires $1.07 billion" between fiscal 2012 and 2016, states the defense memo, obtained by Global Security Newswire.
The money was taken out of a wide variety of programs deemed "essential" for combating weapons of mass destruction, the document states. An additional $442 million was trimmed through efficiency reductions mandated by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, for a total of $1.5 billion cut from the counter-WMD account over the five-year period, according to the draft memo.
U.S. nuclear, biological and chemical preparedness efforts "cannot absorb the entire reduction without delaying both current and future force readiness by approximately six to nine years," states the memo.
Defense Department projects under the budget-cutting ax include the development and acquisition of biological and chemical detection systems; gear to decontaminate skin and equipment after exposure; systems to coordinate military operations in a chem-bio environment; and protective clothing for military personnel entering toxic areas, the document indicates.
Drafted by Andrew Weber, the Defense Department's senior official responsible for WMD defenses, the early-August appeal was aimed at securing funds from the Pentagon comptroller to replenish the affected programs. A Pentagon spokeswoman said neither Weber nor anyone from his office was available this week for interview.
"By diverting $1 billion from nonmedical [chem-bio] defense programs to this medical vaccine facility on top of the OSD efficiency cuts, Mr. Weber threatens to return the military forces to a state of unpreparedness that we haven't seen since 1996," said one longtime defense analyst, referring to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Lacking permission to discuss internal government debates over budget plans, the source asked not to be named.
The memo reportedly has since been superseded by another, more limited plea, which instead seeks restoration of less than one-third of the eliminated WMD-defense funds.
The subsequent document also omits mention of the high-priority White House vaccine project, sidestepping what might be regarded as implicit internal criticism of the Obama funding priority on the Medical Countermeasures Initiative, the defense expert said. Led by the Health and Human Services Department, the new program aims to expand the U.S. capability to make lifesaving vaccines.
President Barack Obama noted the initiative in his Jan. 27 State of the Union address, saying it would "give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease -- a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad."
The latest budget memo constituted "an attempt to pretend that [there] wasn't a [funding] trade between [the vaccine initiative] and the nonmedical projects," the defense analyst said. "No matter what [budget] memo gets up to the comptroller ... there still is a $1 billion reduction in nonmedical R&D and a $1 billion increase in [the Medical Countermeasures Initiative]."
Weber's latest budget-request memo left little chance the Pentagon will restore funding for WMD defense efforts outside of the vaccine project, the defense analyst speculated. Amid the myriad competing priorities in the Defense Department budget, "99 percent of the [appeal] memos don't make the cut," the veteran military-watcher said.
The issue could become politically contentious, though, when the Obama budget request moves up to Capitol Hill early next year and industry advocates begin lobbying on the matter.
"At this point, we don't know enough, but we are concerned about the impact on the industrial base," Amoretta Hoeber, a defense consultant and chair emeritus of the NBC Industry Group, said in an interview this week.
The August draft budget document suggests that production capabilities might indeed be affected, saying the reduction "creates gaps in the U.S. industrial base which will prevent timely response to future warfighter needs." Reconstitution of WMD defense production capacity "would require significant cost" and could affect "both schedule and performance," the memo states.
One project at risk of being affected, for example, is a program to procure protective suits for Army troops.
"Failure to fund this [more fully] will result in incomplete personal protective equipment ensembles, resulting in [chem-bio] exposure routes to service men and women," the August defense document states. "The over-garment is [funded]; however, this [sought-after restitution] buys out the remaining boots, gloves, socks and masks to complete the ensemble."
The Defense Department spokeswoman, who declined to be named in this article, said fiscal 2012 budget details were unavailable and "may not be provided until the president's budget is approved and released." The budget year begins Oct. 1, 2011.
Hoeber said that if the funding reductions result in shutting down production lines for any highly specialized WMD defense items, it is unclear how quickly the industry could reconstitute its manufacturing capability in the event that a new threat emerged.
"You don't want the system to willy-nilly impact the industrial base without a thoughtful assessment of whether that's the right thing to do," she said.
Meanwhile, the expansion of medical countermeasures against disease outbreak -- either naturally occurring or the result of a bioterror attack -- is a growing White House priority and apparent beneficiary of the slashed WMD-defense program funds.
Obama administration leaders launched the effort to expand vaccine capacity after last year's H1N1 flu virus scare, when the pharmaceutical industry was producing vaccine at record rates but nonetheless was outpaced by early demand. The flu pandemic ultimately petered out but if a more serious event occurred, casualties could be devastating as the industry struggled to produce sufficient vaccine stocks in short order, U.S. officials worried.
The H1N1 flu "vaccines were not broadly available before the virus had spread widely among the U.S. population," according to an HHS report released last week. It cites the continued use of "old technologies" for producing vaccines that "need to be enhanced or replaced."
The new initiative includes both HHS and Pentagon plans for constructing "Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing," to help small biotechnology companies innovate new vaccines and field them more rapidly.
The modern facilities would also be capable of large-scale production of vaccine stocks during a public health emergency involving "emerging infectious diseases or unknown threats, including pandemic influenza," the HHS report states.
"New approaches to vaccine manufacturing, including the use of recombinant and molecular techniques and the use of new flexible, disposable manufacturing components and multiuse facilities, offer promising ways to meet the demands for efficient, expandable vaccine production capacity while simultaneously meeting needs related to other public health emergency threats," the report reads.
Plans call for Health and Human Services to open "several" vaccine development and manufacturing centers and for the Defense Department to open a single facility, either through new construction or refurbishment of existing buildings, according to Robin Robinson, director of the HHS Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Health and Human Services will spend $478 million on building multiple facilities while the Defense Department will allocate $200 million to construct its lone site, Robinson said in a Wednesday phone interview. Both agencies are likely to release industry solicitations by the end of the year for long-term contracts to build and operate the facilities, he said.
By the end of 2011, 10-year-or-longer contracts should be signed for the HHS and defense facilities, Robinson said. Each center will be owned and operated by its respective contractor -- perhaps a university consortium with a pharmaceutical firm -- and will be located in the United States, he said.
Health and Human Services and the Defense Department have slightly different responsibilities when it comes to protecting the nation from disease outbreaks. The health agency is responsible for vaccines and treatments for the U.S. public, while the Pentagon oversees inoculations and countermeasures for the military.
There is an amount of overlap in the types of vaccines that the two organizations help develop and procure, but some items are of interest just to one agency or the other, Robinson said.
Both of the departments are concerned with protection from either naturally occurring disease or intentional bioterrorism acts, with the Pentagon particularly focused on safeguarding troops deploying to overseas locations where disease is endemic or the threat of attack with anthrax or other agents is heightened.
Though each facility might specialize in certain types of products, Robinson said he anticipated there would be HHS and defense work done at each location, regardless of which agency sponsored the site.
Over the next year, Health and Human Services and Pentagon leaders will sort out how they will split the operating costs for work performed at each of the centers, the health agency official said.
"Both HHS and DoD will share in funding the operating cost ... of all the facilities," Robinson told GSN. "We will be using these facilities for both DoD- and HHS-sponsored products."
He said the two agencies "haven't decided whether it's going to be a 60-40 or 30-70 split. That'll have to be worked out as we go forward."
Some observers think the Obama administration move to have the Pentagon build one of the vaccine centers is misplaced. Once the centers begin operating, pressure could grow on the Pentagon -- with an annual budget reaching $700 billion, by far the biggest spender of federal discretionary dollars -- to help bankroll flu vaccine for the general public, critics say.
"Ideally, the current proposed HHS facilities ought to be more than enough to address the national demands for pandemic flu vaccine," the defense analyst said.
Robinson acknowledged that each of the facilities must be capable of manufacturing flu vaccine, regardless of other countermeasure specialties it might have.
"These facilities needed to be able to produce, for the civilian population, pandemic influenza vaccine to augment our capacity that we had already invested in -- and had already become a reality here in the U.S. -- as a lesson learned from our H1N1 pandemic experience," he said.
Hoeber noted that the industry group she represents includes member companies not only reliant on WMD-defense dollars for a wide array of programs, but also firms involved specifically in the medical countermeasures sector. For that reason, the NBC Industry Group is taking no formal position on how the Defense Department funds should be spent, she said.
"Obviously, the role of government is to make these sorts of choices, but we want them made thoughtfully," said Hoeber, a former Reagan administration defense official.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is left with deep budget cuts in a number of its WMD-defense efforts, and it remains unclear whether funds to backfill those project accounts will be identified, even after the fiscal 2012 budget request is delivered to Congress.
"No one is against a DoD facility to make military [biowarfare] vaccines," said the defense analyst who requested anonymity. "We all see the need, given the reluctance of pharmaceutical firms to invest in this area. However, such a requirement needs to be funded as a new initiative -- not taken at the expense of critically reducing research and development of new suits, masks, detectors, decontamination systems, collective protection shelters and information systems."
The Pentagon spokeswoman declined comment on any shifts in funds or priorities, but did say that the Defense Department "plays a key role in addressing this continuing challenge of bioterrorism and/or infectious disease."
Under the White House initiative, "DoD intends to develop a dedicated reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective capability, based on strategic partnerships with industry, to establish a facility for the advanced development and manufacturing of biological [medical countermeasures] to address national security needs," she said.
The Pentagon-sponsored center would also "provide surge capacity in the event of a national emergency or pandemic," she said.
NEXT STORY: Agencies examine combat-related substance abuse


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Hailed by fellow guitarists as a 'brilliant groove player,' Masa Sumidé stretches the limit of the acoustic guitar and lets it sing with his unique one-man band style and melodic compositions. His repertoire runs from jaw-dropping funky tunes to sophisticated yet accessible jazzy, bluesy grooves along with some ballads that are sure to touch the soul. His performance is like a hard-to-put-down novel; he simply grabs you from the fi rst note and will not let you go until the very end. Although Masa changed his style to solo guitar after migrating to Australia from Japan in '96, his percussive and highly distinctive way of playing is making its mark as fast as the bullet train.
"One of the world's greatest solo guitarists. I can't imagine anyone not playing these over and over."
~ ~ Tuck Andress (Tuck & Patti)

subset: commoncrawl


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OU sets record in win over Iowa State
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) —Oklahoma achieved perfection — at least in one phase of the game — on Saturday against Iowa State.
OU sank 34 of 34 free-throw attempts, tying an NCAA mark for most made at the foul line without a miss, in its 86-69 Big 12 victory.
Only two other times in NCAA Division I history has a team attempted at least 34 free throws without a miss. UC Irvine achieved the feat against Pacific on Feb. 21, 1981 and Samford duplicated the effort against Central Florida on Dec. 20, 1990.
"This is a good free-throw shooting team. That is extreme of course," Sooners head coach Lon Kruger said. "They start making them, and like anything else, momentum builds and guys go up there expecting to make them. I didn't realize at the time that we didn't miss any and I don't think they did either. It's nice to see them get up there and shoot with confidence."
Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg praised the Sooners for their free-throw prowess.
"The NCAA has been around a long time and to equal a record is a pretty impressive performance. Free throws are contagious. When you're making them, your teammates seem to step up and knock them down."
The Sooners (19-9, 10-6) also showcased a high-tempo offense and a stingy defense in moving ahead of the Cyclones for fourth place in the Big 12. It also bolstered their NCAA resume while Iowa State (19-10, 9-7) fell to 2-6 on the road in conference play.
Oklahoma has one home game remaining, on Wednesday against West Virginia.
"I think the only healthy way is to approach the next one like we've got to have one more (win)," Kruger said.
Romero Osby scored 22 points to lead Oklahoma, with 10 of those coming from the free-throw line, all in the second half. The Sooners made 30 of their 34 foul shots in the second half.
Sam Grooms had 19 points and six assists for Oklahoma, which never trailed on Saturday. Steven Pledger added 14 points, Amath M'Baye scored 11 and Andrew Fitzgerald had 10 points — eight at the free-throw line.
With Oklahoma leading 60-45 midway through the second half, the Sooners scored 22 of their next 26 points from the free-throw line. During that time, Fitzgerald connected on six consecutive free throws, pushing the Sooner lead to 66-45.
While the Sooners were taking advantage of Iowa State's aggressive defense, the Cyclones shot 63 percent from the free throw line, connecting on 14 of 22 attempts.
The Sooners, coming off a 92-86 overtime loss to Texas, came out strong and took a 12-2 lead in the first half. Iowa State never recovered from OU's quick start as the Sooners maintained a fast offensive pace throughout the game. OU led by as many as 14 in the first half, taking a 40-28 lead into the locker room.
"I thought Sam (Grooms) played great and knocked down some jumpers early and got us off to a good start and took care of the ball. It was good to beat a good Iowa State ball club," Kruger said.
Oklahoma led the Cyclones by 22 points with about eight minutes left in the game, which was the same situation against Texas before the overtime loss.
"They recovered and have done a good job all year on focusing on the next game," Kruger said, referring to the disappointing loss at Texas. "You have to attribute that to the leadership of Roe (Osby) and the other guys. The players get over it (loss) a little more quickly than maybe coaches and fans do."
"A couple of the Iowa State players were reminding me on the free-throw line," Osby said. "It was just something that we wanted to make sure we didn't let happen again."
Tyrus McGee led Iowa State with 22 points. Babu Palo added 12 points and Melvin Ejim and Georges Niang scored 10 each for the Cyclones.
The Cyclones shot 43 percent from the field, making 35 percent from behind the 3-point arc. Iowa State made 11 3-pointers.
Oklahoma shot 45 percent and made 33 percent from behind the arc. The Sooners owned a 36-27 rebounding advantage.
Iowa State won the earlier meeting, 83-64 in Ames, Iowa.


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Musical history was made in Miami last week when Abhishek got together with rapper Wyclef Jean for a track called 'Hollywood Meets Bollywood' to pay a tribute to Hindi cinema and his legendary father Amitabh Bachchan.
Abhishek sang naughty patriotic words like "Main yahan ka desi don" and "Khai ke banarsi paan", drawing a direct and delectable reference to the senior Bachchan's in the 1978 hit Don.
Now this last statement is setting a new benchmark for a journalistic low. How on earth does 'Main yahaan ka desi don' or 'khai ke banarsi paan' equate to patriotic? Naughty, I understand. But patriotic? Give us a break! More on the song:
On March 29, not only did Wyclef Jean specially ask for Abhishek to do a track, he also flew down from his home in New York to Miami to record with Abhishek and composer Aadesh Shrivastava for a new album that will release in India in May.
Now, I am not a big Abhishek Bachchan fan at all, but I must say that I truly enjoyed Bluffmaster (2005) and the song Ek mein aur ek tu hai, a hip-hop track that he sung along with Sunidhi Chauhan. If this song can come close to that (the only reason it might not is that there doesn't seem to be, from what information is out there, that there is a female vocalist involved, let alone the likes of Sunidhi Chauhan), it would be nice indeed.
On to more significant goings on in the filmi world.


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The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders
Lorus Johnson Milne, Margery Lorus, National Audubon Society Staff, Lorus Milne, Margery Joan Greene Milne, National Audubon Society
Knopf, 1980 - Nature - 989 pages
The most comprehensive field guide available to the insects and spiders of North America--a must-have for any enthusiast's day pack or home library--from the go-to reference source for over 18 million nature lovers.
Featuring a durable vinyl binding and over 700 full-color identification photographs organized visually by color and shape, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders is the perfect companion for any outdoor excursion. Descriptive text includes measurements, diagnostic details, and information on habitat, range, feeding habits, sounds or songs, flight period, web construction, life cycle, behaviors, folklore, and environmental impact. An illustrated key to the insect orders and detailed drawings of the parts of insects, spiders, and butterflies supplement this extensive coverage.
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Lots of info for the moneyUser Review - servantofgod4 - Christianbook.com
We are studying insects in science. My 4 year old found a caterpillar in the book that we had seen a week before I received the book. It is that easy to use. My 6 & 13 year olds love using this book ... Read full review
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - billsearth - LibraryThing
Of the three insect guides I own, I believe this one is the best. It has what I want; lots of insects, a good layout with clear pictures keyed to the page the text is on, more text on the insect than ... Read full review
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National Audubon Society: Field Guide to Insects & Spiders
Lorus Johnson Milne,National Audubon Society
No preview available - 1980


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By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch)—European stock markets rose sharply Monday, as investors welcomed signs of progress in U.S. debt negotiations after top politicians appeared optimistic over prospects for a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.
The Stoxx Europe 600 index /zigman2/quotes/210599654/delayed XX:SXXP +2.05% jumped 2.2% to close at 268.58, marking the best daily performance since Sept. 6—the day European Central Bank President Mario Draghi unveiled details of an unlimited bond-buying program.
Fiscal-cliff talks to get fast track
There is agreement on at least one thing in the negotiations to avert the fiscal cliff: the need to conduct the talks expeditiously.
"We have had a significant number of weak days and the markets were quite oversold. There is a perception that progress has been made in fiscal-cliff negotiations," said Neil Wilkinson, senior fund manager at Royal London Asset Management.
"The U.S. market was very strong [Friday], and we're playing catch-up in Europe," he said.
Among notable movers in the index, shares of Nokia Corp. /zigman2/quotes/207421390/composite NOK +5.86% surged 9% on reports that supplies of the Lumia 920, the handset maker's flagship smartphone, have sold out in Germany. See: Reports signal high demand for Nokia's Lumia 920.
Shares of Barclays PLC /zigman2/quotes/208409333/delayed UK:BARC +3.24% /zigman2/quotes/206581728/composite BCS +2.67% jumped 6.6%, as Goldman Sachs lifted its rating on the U.K. bank to buy from neutral.
However, Fugro NV shares /zigman2/quotes/202450147/delayed NL:FUR +7.28% tanked 14%, after the firm said late Friday that Arnold Steenbakker will step down as chairman of the board of management due to a difference of opinion.
Outside the main benchmark index, shares of SAS AB /zigman2/quotes/209021619/delayed SE:SAS -0.89% soared 23%, after most of the Scandinavian airline's employees accepted its major cost-savings plan. See: SAS, cabin-crew union reach agreement
Debt in Greece
Greece remained in the spotlight as the Eurogroup of euro-zone finance ministers prepared to meet for the second time in two weeks to discuss the release of a long-delayed tranche of bailout money and future debt sustainability.
After a meeting last week, Eurogroup chair Jean-Claude Juncker and International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde clashed over how to reduce Greece's growing debt pile, with Lagarde arguing against the euro zone's call to give Greece two additional years--until 2022—to cut its debt load to 120% of gross domestic product. See: Greece stays in euro, but who foots bill?
"The euro zone really needs to stop tiptoeing around the issue. The question is: 'Do we want to keep Greece inside the euro tent?' " said Stephen Pope, managing partner at Spotlight Ideas, in a note.
"If the answer is yes, the leaders have to get a hard-core number on what that will cost—clearly another deep if not total write-down of Greek outstanding debt. If that price is too high to pay—do the right thing, cut Greece off," he said.
Fiscal-cliff talks
Investors also looked to the U.S., where signs indicated policy makers might be getting closer to an agreement to avoid hundreds of billions in automatic spending cuts and tax hikes slated to take effect Jan. 1, referred to as the fiscal cliff.


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Teacher Workshops
Introduction to Videoconferencing with the Cleveland Museum of Art
Introduce your teachers or group to distance learning topics from the Cleveland Museum of Art in this half-hour program. Sample images and program content from two or three lessons of your choice. Discover which topics support your math, science, social studies, language arts, and visual arts curriculum.
During the school year, workshops are $1.00 per minute, or free of charge between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. They are also free anytime during the summer months.
DL and Your Curriculum
Explore ways to use distance learning (educational videoconferencing) as a component in a multidisciplinary classroom project that you design. This two-part series for high school or middle school teachers helps you navigate the museum's website for visual resources, become familiar with our distance learning lessons, and start to build an "idea bank" for making videoconferencing an integral part of your curriculum planning. See how the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection of paintings, prints, sculpture, and artifacts links to your creativity in teaching language arts, math, science, and social studies.
These two sessions should be scheduled to allow participants to complete assignments from the first session and museum staff to pre-produce the second session. Please allow an interim of two hours or more between sessions.
1. Introduction to videoconferencing and internet resources from the Cleveland Museum of Art.
2. Integrating resources into your own projects


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Luxury & Spa Experience
Explore all the splendor of Aspen Snowmass both on and off the mountain. Aspen Snowmass offers luxury at its finest, creating the ultimate vacation get away. Check out all these fabulous luxury options:
Year-round Activities
- Pamper yourself with Full Circle | Beauty Bar & Mobile Luxury Services
- Relax and rejuvenate at the Aspen Spa
- Take an extraordinary Hot Air Balloon Ride over the Rocky Mountains
- Experience the magnificent wonders of an In-room Oxygen Bar
- Watch a performance from the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
- Discover the hanging beauties and sculptures at the Aspen Art Museum
- Take a scenic ride in a Black Diamond Limousine
- Dine at any of the number of remarkable Restaurants in town
- And of course everyone's favorite shop at the finest boutiques and stores
Description of Activities
Full Circle | Beauty Bar & Mobile Luxury Services
Aspen Club and Spa
Hot Air Balloon
Our flights of fantasy take us above the graceful, yet rugged landscape of the Aspen and Snowmass area. Each balloon flight is a unique experience. While flying over the Colorado Rockies you will experience limitless panoramas of 14,000 foot peaks as well as intimate views of wildlife in the meadows below. This is the most spectacular flight in North America! After your flight enjoy a light breakfast, consisting of muffins, fruit, and juice. The pilot will toast to your successful flight and you will enjoy a glass of champagne.
More information on Colorado Hot Air Ballooning
Aspen Art Museum
The Aspen Art Museum is recognized internationally for presenting outstanding exhibitions with a particular emphasis on contemporary art. Exhibits are year round, ranging from Kendell Geers to Dirk Skrebler.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Founded in 1990 by long-time Aspenite Bebe Schweppe, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet is an institution - home of a nationally recognized dance company, a center for dance education, and a gathering place for the finest dancers and choreographers in the world. Aspen Santa Fe Ballet's exquisite dancers perform a number of fabulous shows such as the Nutcracker and their own choreographed performances.
Black Diamond Limousine
Let Black Diamonds Limousine provide you with luxurious door-to-door chauffeured transportation. Black Diamonds Limousine has the experience, the equipment and the personnel to ensure that you arrive to your destinations on time and in comfort. Let your Chauffeur do the work for you while you sit back and enjoy the ride. For more information call 970.948.2685.
Restaurants & Shopping
Aspen, renowned for its shopping, is a gold mine of boutiques and eclectic stores.
- Hit a round of golf
- Watch a play in the park
- Go to one of Aspen Music Festival's concert
- Enjoy Yoga on the Mountain
Aspen Golf Course and Tennis Court
The Aspen Golf Course and Tennis Court is 3 miles from downtown Aspen. With spectacular views for the surrounding area, it is a magnificant place to enjoy 18 holes of golf.
More information on Aspen Golf Course and Tennis Court
Aspen Music Festival & School
Aspen Music Festival & School draws talent from all over the world. David Zinman, the Music Director, leads student musicians, guest artists, and artist-faculty members through a fabulous summer of music.
More information on Aspen Music Festival and School
Theatre Aspen
Walk to Rio Grande Park where local and national talent perform classic plays on the stage.
- Take a romantic Dog Sled ride
- Dine mid-mountain at Aspen Highlands
- Enjoy a sleigh ride to a majestic dinner at the Pinecreek Cookhouse
Dog Sledding
Take a scenic and exciting sled trip through the surrounding wilderness of the Snowmass / Aspen area. One sled, which can carry two adults and a small child, is pulled by 13 Alaskan Seld Dogs. An experienced musher controls each sled, during your two-hour ride. Choose from a morning ride or an afternoon ride that includes a complimentary three-course lunch or from the twilight ride with a complimentary four-course dinner.
Cloud Nine
Located mid-mountain at Aspen Highlands dine in luxury while skiing or riding. A fabulous experience featuring slpine specialties with local grown ingredients. For more information call 970.544.3063
Pine Creek Cookhouse
Start with a mile sleigh ride up to the restaurant. There enjoy an exquisite gourmet meal with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. It is truly a unique dining experience. For more information call 970.925.1044.
Call a Local Vacation Expert
Let us do the work for you! Call us at 888.649.5982 - we are happy to help you find the perfect Aspen Snowmass vacation package.


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Effectively communicating with your customers isn't easy. They want more - expecting you to anticipate their needs and help them avoid potential issues. But they're so easily distracted, making them difficult to reach and engage.
Internally, you're faced with pressure to deliver better results with fewer resources. State and federal regulations add yet another complication, restricting when and how you reach out and potentially resulting in costly fines or lawsuits for violations. Nuance can help you navigate these regulations while meeting your customer's expectations and driving meaningful results.
Have questions?
Nuance works with the nation's leading brands to improve the reach and effectiveness of their customer service and collections campaigns. We deliver results by blending the scalability and efficiency of automation solutions with sophisticated personalisation based on known preferences and previous response patterns. Orchestrating the use of channels most preferred by your customers' voice, text, email, mobile application and live agent - further ensures successful customer engagement.
Whether it's a welcome call that gets a new relationship off to a profitable start, an email with the latest interest rates that accelerates a policy renewal or a quick text with a diet tip for a wellness client, Nuance makes it easy to communicate the messages that move your business forward.
In collections, timing is everything. Companies who reach customers early and make payment options easy collect more effectively. Every day, Nuance applications treat over $10 billion in early, mid and late stage delinquencies. Personalised contact strategies deliver results, allowing agents to focus on high-risk accounts.
From the urgent to the responsive, our proactive solutions keep your customers up to date in situations that matter. When flights are delayed, fraud is suspected or as loan applications are being processed, we communicate and facilitate self-service resolutions that keep your customers happy and your operations running smoothly.
Effectively and proactively gathering customer data can be essential to your organisation. Leverage voice and SMS text-based surveys to identify customer service issues before they become complaints or, within targeted populations, assess health risk and adherence. Responses outside set parameters escalate to trained agents for immediate attention.
Consumers are increasingly forgetful in today's "always connected" world. They expect good service to include reminders for essential actions like paying bills, refilling prescriptions and keeping appointments. Automating this outreach - using preferred channels, personalised messages and options to take immediate action – keeps your customers and your results on track.
Life is unpredictable. From severe weather to equipment failures, events occur that disrupt service as usual. In these situations, the quality and speed of your response matters. Our Message On Demand application allows you to communicate immediately - easily creating and sending messages - so you can exceed customer expectations when circumstances unexpectedly change.
Automation lowers the overall cost of outreach and allows you to effectively scale the scope and frequency of your customer campaigns.
Personalisation based on explicit preferences and prior behavior, combined with orchestrated cross-channel contact strategies, delivers better reach and results.
Accurately timing the delivery of the right information on the right channel makes it easy for customers to accomplish tasks and solve problems – increasing their satisfaction.
Nuance can help you easily design, execute, report and adjust your contact strategies to optimise results and drive business forward - thanks to over 10 years of experience and a deep understanding of specific industry needs.
Bombarded by a constant flow of information - emails, voicemails, texts, Facebook posts, LinkedIn reminders, tweets and more - consumers quickly become fatigued. To be effective, businesses must avoid generic, one-size-fits-all contact strategies, and instead invest in proactive customer support strategies.
Our sophisticated knowledge of individual preferences allows you to engage large numbers of customers at once, but on a personal level. Integrated into our customer experience platform is a rules-based decision engine and data store that captures the outcomes of individual interactions - the channel they responded to, when they engaged, their preferred language – and leverages that knowledge to continuously inform a more effective dialogue.
Delivering the right message at the right time and on the right channel creates a positive customer experience while increasing your operational efficiency. Fewer calls come into the contact center and fewer messages are required to drive the desired result – from reducing appointments to engaging customers in repeat business.
Multi-tasking has become the norm in our fast-paced lives. Consumers are taking care of business in the car, from the sofa or on the sidelines of little league practice. To improve engagement rates across a variety of circumstances, many companies have added channels to their communication mix. However, simply using new outlets in a parallel or progressive strategy – cycling through channels until contact is successful – is costly and ineffective.
We've taken an integrated approach that allows multiple channels to be deployed in concert, based on known situations or contact conditions. For example, if outreach via voice results in a busy signal, it triggers a text message that can be read and engaged with once the phone conversation is complete.
This orchestrated cross-channel approach has proven to increase contact strategy precision, reducing the number of messages sent while increasing ROI. When deployed in collections, fraud and flight notification efforts, this strategy has consistently delivered improved reach and better results.
In the world of instant communication, consumers expect to receive information on their terms. But state and federal regulations tightly govern how, when and how often the companies they do business with can communicate.
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beauty, Capture One Pro 6, fitness, fun, high key, Lastolite Ezybox, Nikon, off camera flash, Rogue Flashbenders, SB800, SB900
Hi and welcome back.
Yesterday I shot some fitness for professional fitness model Lucie DeRosa.
Let's go over the setup then look at some fun shots from the day.
Main light: SB900, 1/2 power, Lastolite 24×24 Ezybox
Backlights: SB800's, 1/8 power, omnibounce installed, Large Rogue Flashbenders as flags.
Now for some images from the shoot. The only processing here besides raw to jpeg conversion is a WB change from 5204 to 5000.
That's it for now. Till next time, happy shooting.


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Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
What is the MMGPI?
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index (MMGPI) is produced through a collaboration between Mercer and Australian Centre for Financial Studies (ACFS), a research centre with the Monash Business School, with funding provided by the Victorian Government as part of its ongoing support for leadership in the financial services sector.
The Very Significant Impact of Ageing Populations
In 2016 the MMGPI has looked at the impact of rapidly ageing populations, and the preparedness of countries' retirement systems to deal with the significant financial pressures this presents.
Without changes to retirement and eligibility ages for social security and private pensions, there will be increasing pressure on our retirement systems to the detriment of the older members of society.
The major causes of this demographic shift are lower fertility rates and longer life expectancy. The very significant impact of this change is further explored in Chapter 4 of the full report.
Old age dependency ratios are increasing
The old age dependency ratio is measured as the population aged 65 and over, divided by the population aged 20 to 64, multiplied by 100.
Calculating the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index uses a multi-pillar approach to compare retirement income systems.
A Global Scorecard for Retirement Savings
There is no perfect pension system that can be applied universally, but there are many common features that can be shared for better outcomes.


text:
|This is the article on volume 20 of the manga. For chapter 175, head to Naruto vs. Sasuke!!.
|Naruto vs. Sasuke!!
|(ナルトvsサスケ!!, Naruto Bāsasu Sasuke!!)
|Volume Info
|The Successor
|Release Date
|December 19, 2003 (ISBN 4-08-873552-8)
|October 2, 2007 (ISBN 978-1-4215-1655-4)
Naruto vs. Sasuke!! (ナルトvsサスケ!!, Naruto Bāsasu Sasuke!!) is volume 20 of the Naruto manga.
Chapter 172
- "Homecoming" (帰郷, Kikyō)
Tsunade returns to Konoha as the new Hokage. The villagers are eager to have her begin her official duties, but Naruto insists that she help Sasuke and Kakashi first. They run into Shikamaru along the way, who, given his history with women, is unhappy that the Hokage is a woman too. He later reluctantly has lunch with Team 10 to celebrate his appointment as a chūnin, the only advance in rank from the Chūnin Exams. Neji elsewhere tries to locate birds with his Byakugan, but can only see seven of eight. Tsunade heals Kakashi and Sasuke. Sakura is particularly happy with Sasuke's recovery, having stayed by his bedside since his encounter with Itachi. Guy pleads for Tsunade to look at Lee too.
Chapter 173
- "Those Suffering" (苦悩する者たち, Kunōsuru Mono-Tachi)
Tsunade examines the damage to Lee's back and finds there are bone fragments lodged in his spine. Although she, and only she, could try removing them, Lee will die if she fails. Since her odds of success are only 50%, she advises he give up his dreams of being a ninja. To Guy's disappointment, Lee accepts his prognosis and leaves. While Team 10 is having lunch, Chōji insists that he get to have the last morsel of food, claiming it is the best. Asuma points out that he should train more and become a chūnin like Shikamaru, upsetting him. Sasuke, still recovering from his encounter with Itachi, thinks about how useless he was and how much Naruto has surpassed him. Orochimaru elsewhere sends his Sound Four to Konoha.
Chapter 174
- "Feelings, Each One…!" (想い、それぞれ…!, Omoi, Sorezore…!)
Naruto thinks about his lunch with Iruka. Iruka is happy with Naruto's development, but informs him that he will now need to start doing actual work. After the failed Konoha Crush, the village is operating with a diminished manpower and ninja are being sent on more difficult missions and more often. Naruto is eager to start doing his part. After Team 10 has lunch, Ino tells Shikamaru that Chōji should go on a diet. Shikamaru defends him. Chōji tells Shikamaru that, now that he is a chūnin, his superiority to Sasuke and Neji is only more apparent. Shikamaru is unconcerned since he only wants to be himself, which he tells Chōji to strive for too. Naruto visits Sasuke in the hospital. Because so many others have shown a special interest in Naruto, Sasuke demands that they fight each other. Naruto accepts.
Chapter 175
- "Naruto vs. Sasuke!!" (ナルトvsサスケ!!, Naruto Bāsasu Sasuke!!)
Over Sakura's objections, Naruto and Sasuke head to the hospital roof to fight. Regarding the battle casually, Naruto asks Sasuke to put on his Konoha forehead protector. Sasuke refuses since that would mean that they are equals, upsetting Naruto for not acknowledging himself as Konoha ninja. Naruto surrounds Sasuke with shadow clones, which Sasuke destroys with his Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. As the smoke clears Sasuke sees that one clone has survived and is helping Naruto form the Rasengan. He uses his own Chidori and they charge at each other. Sakura screams for them to stop.
Chapter 176
- "They Who are Called Rivals" (ライバルというもの, Raibaru to Iu Mono)
Sakura puts herself between Naruto and Sasuke to get them to stop, but they are not able to. Kakashi catches them and sends them into two opposing water towers. He points out that they went overboard for a casual fight, and Kakashi lectures Sasuke for using the Chidori against a friend. Sasuke is unconcerned, instead happy to see that his Chidori did more damage to the water tower than Naruto's Rasengan. On closer examination, however, he finds that the Rasengan did more damage. He jealously leaves. Kakashi also lectures Jiraiya for teaching Naruto the Rasengan, saying he should know better since Sasuke and Naruto are like Orochimaru and Jiraiya once were; Naruto longs to be acknowledged by Sasuke as an equal. Kakashi assures Sakura that he will speak with Sasuke. Elsewhere, the Sound Four observe Sasuke.
Chapter 177
- "The Oto Four" (音の四人衆, Oto no Yoninshū)
Kakashi ties Sasuke to a tree so that he can speak to him without running off. Kakashi advises Sasuke against his pursuit for revenge against Itachi. Sasuke retorts that Kakashi doesn't know what he's been through and offers to kill everyone Kakashi loves. Kakashi points out that everyone he loves is already dead. However, both he and Sasuke have found friends in Team 7, and they would do well to value what they still have more than what have lost. Kakashi leaves him to consider it and he struggles to forget about Itachi. Before he can reach a conclusion he is attacked by the Sound Four. He quickly repels them and challenges them to try again.
Chapter 178
- "Oto's Invitation…!!" (音の誘い…!!, Oto no Izanai…!!)
The Sound Four attack Sasuke again, this time having more success. Sasuke still retains the advantage. Meanwhile, Sakura thinks about Sasuke and wonders if it was a good idea to tell Naruto about the cursed seal Sasuke received from Orochimaru, which he had previously instructed her not to. Naruto assured her that Sasuke would never give in to Orochimaru's temptations, putting a smile on her face. Sasuke, however, has been defeated by the Sound Four. They tell him he will never be able to defeat them if he remains in Konoha, as only Orochimaru can give one true power.
Chapter 179
- "Don't Forget…!!" (忘れるな…!!, Wasureruna…!!)
The Sound Four remark that Orochimaru is wasting his time with Sasuke. Sasuke activates his cursed seal in an effort to prove them wrong, but they are unimpressed since they have greater control over their own cursed seals. They remind him of his desire to kill Itachi and promise that Orochimaru could give him the strength he needs, improving his cursed seal being only one of many possibilities. They leave Sasuke to pick between Orochimaru and Konoha, and Sasuke reaches a decision. Elsewhere, Lee reflects on his dreams of becoming a splendid ninja that excels in taijutsu. As he remembers the confidence Guy has always had in him, Guy comes to see him.
Chapter 180
- "It's a Promise!!" (約束だ!!, Yakusoku da!!)
Lee is indebted to Guy for giving him hopes of achieving his dreams of becoming a ninja and guidance in fulfilling those dreams. However, Guy's advice of hard work will do him no good with the operation that will restore him to fighting capability, as his survival is a matter of luck rather than skill or persistence. Because his death would leave him unable to be a ninja in any capacity, he is torn over what to do. Guy tells him to go through with the operation since Lee would only be even sadder if he gave up on his dream. If he at least tries to resume his life as a ninja, that will make all the difference and he will definitely survive. Lee is still reluctant, so Guy tells him that if Lee died in pursuit of his dreams, Guy would die too for being unable to fulfil his own dreams of helping Lee achieve his dreams. Lee decides to go through with the operation.
Author's Note
|I've recently been feeling the limits of expression in manga. With manga's particular style of reading from top right to bottom left, the order of dialogue severely limits the angle of the camera... Isn't there another way...?
—Masashi Kishimoto, 2003


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Stairlift Rentals in Monroeville, Pennsylvania
Should I Purchase or Rent a Stairlift in Monroeville?
That is a question that is frequently asked, and depends on your individual circumstances. Here are some factors to consider if you are needing to choose between purchasing or renting a stairlift in Monroeville:
- How long will I be in my current location?
- How long do I expect to need the lift?
- Will I need a chair to lift me around a curved stairwell?
- Is my loved one's medical condition chronic or temporary?
- How complicated will installation be?
Generally, Purchasing a Stairlift in Monroeville, Rather Than Renting Makes More Economical Sense if:
- You will use the lift longer than six months
- Your home will require a custom fit (installation costs are the same for rental and purchase)
- You have a curved staircase
- You need an outdoor stair lift
- The loved one using the lift is elderly
- The illness is chronic in nature
More About Stairlifts
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Call Stairlift Company of Pennsylvania at (888) 380-0617 for a free, no obligation consultation!


text:
Some years ago, traveling on the plane of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez with a French friend from Le Monde diplomatique, we were asked what we thought was happening in Europe. Was there any chance of a move to the left? We replied in the depressed and pessimistic tones typical of the early years of the 21st century. Neither in Britain nor France, nor anywhere in the eurozone, did we see much chance of a political breakthrough.
Then maybe, said Chavez with a twinkle, we could come to your assistance, and he recalled the time in 1830 when revolutionary crowds in the streets of Paris had come out waving the cap of Simon Bolivar, the South American liberator from Venezuela who was to die at the end of that year. Fighting for liberty, Latin American style, was held up as the path for Europe to follow.
At the time, I was encouraged, but not persuaded by Chavez's optimism. Yet now I think he was right; it was good to be reminded that Alexis Tsipras, the leader of Greece's SYRIZA party, had visited Caracas in 2007 and inquired about the future possibility of receiving cheap Venezuelan oil, much as Cuba and other Caribbean and Central American countries do.
More important than the prospect of cheap oil is the power of example. Chavez has been engaged since the turn of the century, even before, on a project that rejects the neoliberal economics that afflicts Europe and much of the West. He has opposed the recipes of the World Bank and the IMF and has fought hard against the policies of privatization that harmed the social and economic fabric of Latin America and with which the EU is now threatening to destroy the Greek economy.
The words of Chavez have had an effect beyond Venezuela. They have encouraged Argentina to default on its debt; to reorganize its economy thereafter and to renationalize its oil industry. Chavez has helped Bolivian President Evo Morales run that country's oil and gas industry for the benefit of the nation rather than its foreign shareholders, and more recently to halt the robbery by Spain of the profits of its electricity company. Above all, he has shown Latin American countries that there is an alternative to the single neoliberal message that has been endlessly broadcast for decades, by governments and the media in hock to an outdated ideology.
Now is the time for that alternative message to be heard further afield, to be listened to by voters in Europe. Chavez and his co-religionaries in the new "Bolivarian revolution" have called for "21st-century socialism," not a return to Soviet-style economics or the continuation of the mundane social democratic adaptation of capitalism, but, as Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has described it, the re-establishment of national planning by the state "for the development of the majority of the people."


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The take away lesson from the 1972 made-for-TV movie Crawlspace is simple: don't take in strays.
Directed by the late, great John Newland (One Step Beyond, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark), Crawlspace is the unsettling tale of an elderly childless couple, Albert (Arthur Kennedy) and Alice Graves (Teresa Wright), who decide -- with almost no debate, really - to allow a young, unshaven stranger, Richard Atley (Tom Happer) to move into the crawlspace beneath their kitchen.
The Graves know virtually nothing about Richard save that he is really good at chopping wood, and currently unemployed.
|Guess who's coming to dinner?
Why would two seemingly sane adults make such an odd and rash decision involving a stranger in their own home?
Well, the answer to that interrogative is part of this TV movie's unique and disquieting charm.
The Graves live lonely, isolated, regretful lives, and Alice wishes the couple had raised children. Biologically speaking, that ship has sailed, but the odd, vulnerable Richard provides Alice a surrogate for her desires. As Albert notes late in the proceedings, Alice took the young man to her "bosom in some crazy menopausal fantasy."
Yep. That about sums it up.
But why Albert enthusiastically goes along with this fantasy is another question all together. Perhap he feels guilty that he never had a child with his wife. Now, he's bound and determined to give Alice what she wants. Even if what she wants is pretty nuts...
But at first, Albert attempts to reject Richard, when the homeless man first shows up in the crawlspace of his remote, country house. Albert puts a padlock on the cellar door when Richard is out in the woods. But Richard returns, breaks the lock, and scrawls the word "God" on the cellar door. Instead of calling the police, or even insisting that Richard leave their crawlspace at once, the old Graves then start showering their weirdo "lodger" with gifts: a new suit and home cooked meals. They even invite Richard to Christmas dinner.
After Richard has moved in, Newland shoots a series of scenes in the basement, where Albert talks meaningfully with the off-screen, silent Richard. As audience members, we're not even certain that Richard is in the crawlspace at that juncture. All the conversations are deliberately one-sided, with Albert addressing, essentially, a darkened hole. These scenes provoke anxiety, as we can only imagine what Richard is thinking while the old man addresses him.
In some weird way, these sequences are also squarely on thematic point: a romanticized view of child-rearing, perhaps. The Graves believe they can allow an adult (and a creepy one at that...) into their house, and that he will obey their rules. They think they can just talk to him, and he will do what they want. Anyone who's ever raised a kid knows it doesn't work quite that easy. You can talk, but there's no guarantee your child will listen, let alone listen quietly and obey your edicts. Here, it's downright weird to watch Albert -- alone in the frame (his space restricted by the angle of the shot) -- rationalizing his point-of-view to the off-screen Richard.
You've got to take a bath today, Richard, because this crawlspace is under our kitchen, and putting off a terrible odor, you see...
As Crawlspace continues Richard's unstable and violent nature becomes apparent. He chops up a local grocery store with an axe over an altercation involving a twenty-dollar bill. Later, Richard kills an obnoxious kid (again with the axe...) for that incident. At this point, Albert and Alice repeatedly urge Richard to leave their house, but he refuses. "Never. Never ever," he insists.
Seems the Graves had it wrong, you see. They aren't taking care of Richard. He's taking care of them, or so he insists. "I gotta take care of you. I gotta keep you safe!"
As you might guess, the Graves' unconventional attempt at parenting finally ends in disaster. When Albert croaks, "how did we get into this?," you may feel a little like laughing..or smacking your head.
Well, you did let a stranger move into your crawlspace, Mr. Graves...
Despite the patented weirdness of the movie's plot and character motivations, Crawlspace remains a pretty tense affair, enhanced by Newland's efficient use of P.O.V. exterior shots (at night).
The film is lean too, mostly involving just three characters in a contained space (the crawlspace and the house above). At a running time of just 74 minutes, Crawlspace doesn't wear out its welcome, and on the contrary, may leave you feeling deeply unnerved.
That anxiety arises not because Crawlspace is a movie about a psycho living in the basement, but because it's a movie about a family that encourages a psycho to live in the basement.


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We had a blast with Curtis being home the past couple of days for Spring Break! I have MANY more pics to post but I couldn't resist these from yesterday's trip to the Dallas Arboretum! It was INCREDIBLE, absolutely GORGEOUS! We decided not to dress the kids up in their Easter clothes like we usually do, but to just go and have fun! The Arboretum NEVER disappoints!
Jae and Mom met us out there! Love these two!
She's so beautiful!
Momma love!
What a doll face!
Daddy love!
Here we are in front of a beautiful fountain!
Kaden and Kinsley splashing in the fountain!
Me and Curtis
The "frame" pic:)
These two are irresistable!


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|homemade strawberry cordial + sparkling mineral water = homemade strawberry soda.
I don't use galangal very often. I should. They're fabulous in so many Asian recipes, with their mystical aromatics - a little woody, like pine or cedar; a little spicy, like ginger yet not quite.
When I bought a large chunk recently, I was too lazy to use it in a traditional Asian dish, which tends to be a little more work. Instead, gazing upon the punnets of springtime strawberries sitting pretty in the fridge, I decided to make a strawberry galangal cordial. With, of course, a strawberry galangal soda to follow.
So gloriously red. So seductive.
Of course, a pure strawberry cordial, and the ensuing pure strawberry soda, is amazing with its pristine fruity flavour. You may omit the galangal to do just that. But on those occasions when you're feeling a little bit experimental, and you don't think you'd mind an exotic frisson of mystery in your refreshing strawberry drink, well... why not try it with a hint of galangal?
|strawberry and galangal.
strawberry cordial / strawberry soda, with a hint of galangal (if you like)
250g strawberries (1/2 lb), hulled and halved
5cm galangal (2 inches), peeled and thinly sliced (use a sharp knife as they can be tough and fibrous)
1 cup water
1/2 cup raw sugar
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil, then simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, mashing up the strawberries with a fork towards the end as they lose colour and soften. Let the mixture cool then strain through a fine sieve, pressing down on the strawberry pulp with a fork or spoon to extract as much liquid and flavour as you can.
This cordial will keep in an air-tight jar or bottle in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.*
To make strawberry soda, simply pour in some cordial into a glass, then top up with soda water or sparkling mineral water, plus ice.
Bonus round: You may also add this cordial to freshly boiled hot water to make a soothing strawberry galangal tea.
*I sterilise my jars by washing them thoroughly and then letting them sit in boiling water for a couple of minutes.
|strawberry galangal soda.


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Feel free to contact these persons, if you are interested in trainers and training services in the area of Open Source and business, in particular "African FOSS Business Models".
Below, you will find two directories and a mailing list to get in touch & join:
a) Directory of Trainers and Experts by country: which includes over 80 African ict@innovation trainers from 10 countries.
b) Directory of Trainers and lead facilitators per training topic: who have acquired additional training experience as lead facilitators for particular topics and modules of the ict@innovation FOSS Business Models training programme.
c) Meet & join the FBT-community on our pan-African mailinglist on FOSS Business Models. The mailing-list FBT is used actively to share news on FOSS, business and FOSS business models in Africa and seek help and advice within the community, the development of the ict@innovation training materials and current courses. Go here to join the mailinglist. See below for the directories:
The following Africa-based experts have successfully completed the extensive ict@innovation training on African FOSS Business Models. They now offer trainings on FOSS Business Models themselves and are available for support on the following subjects:
Samson Getahun
Asteway Shoarega Negash
Asrat Beyene
Tigist Awoke
Addisu Gezahegn Semie
Fred Akama
John Matogo
Isaac Kigen
Witaba Shisubili Bonface
Alfelt Abio-Gunda
Charles Fodya
Chaulere Malenga
Patrick Albert Chikumba
Chris Statham
Misheck Stixy Nyaluso
Derek Lakudzala
Mitilage Mariano
Mponda Mulauzi
Pablo Tavares
Nélia Elias
Dr. Márcia Névia Anglado Juvane
Judite Mandlate
Jose Nhavoto
Humayd Hasan Abed
Jonathan Guambe
Augusto Orvaguire
Nelson Chamba
Celso Timana
Roland Meier
Gerhold Benjamin Kooper
Geoff Shakwa
Felix Akorli
Jawahar Manickam
Jean-Paul Hakizimana
Matshidiso Lebe
Patrick Mokwena
Joseph Neusu
James Njenga
Tshepiso Serote
Vuyani Lwana
Telezita Dooling
Faye Macheke
Tapera Chikamhi
Keutlwile Leso
Coley Zephania
Arnold Pietersen
Frank Tilugulilwa
Almasi S. Maguya
Simon K. M Njovu
Atanas Nkelame
Alex Mukurasi
Lawrence Lyayuka
Olympa Lema
Juma Lungo
Lusekelo Mwaipyana
Hector John Mongi
Majid Igangula
Baraka Chuma
Justin Tarimo
Edgar Telesphory
Mariam Ally Tambwe
Titus Tossy
Alex Canna
Emmanuel Ediau
Margeret Sevume
Richard Okuti
Marion Mpanga
Brian Ssennoga
Omiat David
Paschalia Ouma
Njoroge Kimani
Harrison Tago Ntokote Kanyiko
Josephine Abatoni Makumbi
Robert Nkambwe
Nawa Sakanga
Inonge Imasiku
Dean L. Mulozi
Mwenda Mupashi
Teddy Nyambe
Josephine Chirwa
Lucky Siame Chatengwa
Hilda Mwelwa
James Tembo
Danstan Kaunda
Paul Chikopo Bwalya
Yese Bwalya
Frederick Yeboah
Shirley Akasreku
Kofi Kwarko
The following trainers acted as lead facilitators during four Training of Trainer courses, that were held in Southern and East Africa in 2009. They have additional training expertise in the following modules of the ict@innovation FOSS Business Models training material:
Africa-based Trainers / Experts
Introduction to Emerging: FLOSS Business Models
see also full pool of trainers above
African Business Models: Case Studies
see also full pool of trainers above
Communicating FLOSS
see also full pool of trainers above
Introduction to General Business Skills
see also full pool of trainers above
FLOSS Specific Business Knowledge and Skills
see also full pool of trainers above
FLOSS Training
see also full pool of trainers above
The Rwandan team has to work closely with the Rwanda Development Board - IT. It is not an easy task because the various staff in the departments which are responsible for traing and innovation are changed regularly. As a result new faces are met often and fresh contacts have to be made.
Any delays in executing some phases of projects can be due to the regular changes at the respective desks.


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The White House just hired a new social secretary, and for the first time since the position was created, the position was given to a man – Jeremy Bernard. While there have certainly been qualified male candidates for the post in past years, many mused whether any would take the job, given its history as a woman's post. The White House Social Secretary is just one position, and a high-powered and glamorous one at that. But these musings represent a new front in the fight for gender equality.
Yes, today women can be CEOs, scientists, and senators. But if a man won't take a job just because it has traditionally been done by a woman, we still have a long way to go.
IN PICTURES: Inside President Obama's White House
Consider nursing. While women have made great inroads in medicine, from nearly no presence in medical schools in the 1950s to roughly even enrollment today, nursing has remained a primarily female role. Despite efforts to recruit male students at many nursing schools, the Department of Labor estimates that only about 6 percent of nurses in the United States are male. Yet this is a good profession! Men are missing out on a stable, moderately well paying job that is always in demand. Furthermore, the lack of male enrollment contributes to a nationwide nursing shortage expected to intensify in the coming years as the baby boomers continue to age.
Other stereotypically "female roles" have also failed to attract male interest: estimates show that 82 percent of elementary and middle school teachers, 96 percent of child care providers, and anywhere from 71 to 98 percent of secretaries are female. Like nursing, these industries might benefit from higher male enrollment.
Why so few men?
For example, many school superintendents and principals lament the short supply of male teachers. They are not suggesting that male teaches are better, but with so many students from single-parent, usually single mother, households, more male role models in the classroom couldn't be a bad thing. Like nursing schools, many districts have even made efforts to specifically recruit men for teaching positions, especially in early education.
So why are there still so few men in these roles? Part of it may be pay. Nursing and teaching are stable jobs with benefits, but not huge moneymakers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that elementary school teachers start at an average annual salary of about $33,000. The median annual salary for Registered Nurses is about $62,000. Childcare workers are likely to be self-employed, and make a median annual salary of $20,000 or less.
But many heavily male jobs pay little more than these positions. While median hourly wages for electricians put projected annual salaries at more than $40,000, many construction and manufacturing jobs pay less than $30,000 a year, and often with no benefits. Salary alone does not explain the disparity.
Stereotypes, not low pay exclude men
No, more probable is that it's just not appealing for most men to take on what many view as a woman's job. Male elementary school teachers and childcare providers speculate on Menteach.org that their ranks remain small because many men are worried that these jobs would make them seem maternal, not masculine. Surveys by the American Assembly for Men in Nursing report that the number one challenge for men in the nursing profession is confronting gender stereotypes.
Even the titles may seem to exclude men. Society has created alternative terms for them in these professions: male nurse, male nanny, or, worse yet, the derogatory "murse" and "manny." Just as policeman, congressman, and chairman implicitly excluded women, the bias against men may be built right into these professions.
Fighting these barriers is urgent
If the barriers to male participation are so high, many may ask, why bother? After all, thanks in part to these professions, women have had lower unemployment for the past few years. Unlike construction and manufacturing, which suffered high job losses, nursing, teaching, and childcare seem recession-proof. If men don't want these jobs, then women can fill them and benefit from their stability.
But fighting these barriers is necessary and even urgent, because until men are willing to take on these female jobs, gender disparities will persist. Nursing is seen as female work, yes, but so is housework and childcare. If nurturing our sick and our young and maintaining family life are devalued as unmanly tasks, then the responsibility for the well being of our society inevitably falls more heavily on women. The result not only restricts women's career options, but also prevents men from playing roles vital to the maintenance of society.
Top 10 countries for women: Global Gender Gap Index 2010
Gender equality demands overcoming traditional roles in both the workplace and the home. The stereotypes restricting female roles have faded some, but we must now tackle those restricting men. President Obama just might have taken a first step last week by putting a male Social Secretary in the White House.
Dominique Gómez is a joint masters degree candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School and Stanford Graduate School of Business.


text:
Rick Ross Interview On ACe & Vis 1Xtra Show! Gets His Soccer/Football Skills Tested
The Biggest Boss hits the UK and catches up with the Troublemakers of radio. Talks about his 10 year grind and even shows off some faootball skills Ace & Vis 1xtra Weekdays 4-7pm. Shout out to Vis
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Saturday, June 23, 2012
Last Day: Part 2
Today I had a marvelous day with my daughter. We read books, danced like crazy, had a morning sleepover (which involved playing and jumping around on a comforter and pillows on the floor in her room), slow danced to Miles Davis, belted out some Etta James, played catch in the yard, ate munchkins outside in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot, called family to say "I lu y-ooo" and just basically had an awesome day. Tomorrow I go back to residency after my two year lab hiatus.
As I held my little munchkin tonight, after breastfeeding her to sleep, I couldn't stop thinking of the meeting with the scheduling chief a little more that two years ago. During our meeting we discussed the feasibility of me going into the lab. I remember thinking that if I pulled this off, the little 10 week old peanut inside me would be a year and a half by the time I started back - practically a grown-up. Well, here we are. I am the mother of the greatest 18 month old baby that ever lived. I can't believe I'm already at that year and a half mark. I look back at myself then and realize that I am UTTERLY CHANGED. Completely and utterly changed. She has changed me in every way. She colors ever decision I make, she is such a huge part of what defines me, what motivates me, what matters. During my last trip home for my mom's surgery, my husband taught my daughter how to say "Mommy's a doctor" or more like "Mah-mie uh dahktur." Tonight as he handed her to me for our bedtime routine he must have given her the sign, because she said it again, in her cute beautiful little voice. I nearly melted. I love her SO MUCH. I pray that through all of this I can be a good mom and a good doctor.
6 comments:
It is hugely inspiring that you were able to take time off and return, rejuvenated and excited. Good luck to you, and thanks for sharing and proving that there is more than the "normal" way to finish training!ReplyDelete
Wishing you many many more perfect days with your adorable daughter. Though there will be imperfect ones as well, I'm glad today prompted an over-post!ReplyDelete
It is a last day, of sorts. But also the first day of new experiences, new words ("Mah-mie uh shur-jun"), new proud moments... you of her and her of you!
Thanks for the post(s). Drafts okay too :-)
I love those silly days with my kids - especially dance-offs with my daughter. Good luck with the transition. And I also support the over-post!ReplyDelete
Thanks for your posts, Cutter. I read them all when I was on maternity leave (and laugh/cried at the post "Rescue" because it embodied exactly how I felt at that time). You're such an inspiration! From one surgical resident to another, you'll do great!ReplyDelete
Dear unknown - thanks!ReplyDelete
latest jobs updates site Rojgar SamacharReplyDelete


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Precious Amber and French Blue.
The strength and elegance of women.
Precious Amber for its directional beauty.
A jumpsuit with a dinner jacket in Precious Amber.
I am painting my in-home office Rose Bud from my spring 2014 collection.
1.866.PANTONE • Pantone LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated. © Pantone LLC, 2020. All rights reserved.


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Marin bike share attracts sponsors without a station in the ground
July 9, 2014 3 Comments
Over a year ago I reported that Marin was pondering a bike share program of its own, whether as a branch of Bay Area Bike Share (BABS) or as its own independent system. Though the initial study (performed by Alta) had some problems with stop location, overall TAM was optimistic and continued to press forward.
As it turns out, at least when it came to sponsorship, they weren't optimistic enough.
The 2013 study predicted that the initial system, a pilot area between Larkspur Ferry Terminal and downtown San Rafael, would raise just $10,000 worth of private sponsorships, enough to express support but not enough to add serious funding to the system. As of June, the system – without a station in existence – has $247,000 worth of sponsorship pledges.
The sponsors aren't just the typical bike shops or downtown businesses either. Bon Air Center, the huge Greenbrae strip mall, pledged $20,000, enough for a station of its own. Marin General Hospital pledged $40,000, enough for two stations. United Markets and Woodlands Markets both pledged another $20,000, and Emeryville's Clif Bar pledged $40,000. Others pledged, too, but this gives a picture of the kind of support received.
This level of enthusiasm is a great sign for the proposed system. While Marin County Bike Share likely won't ever get the level of daily trips per bike as Minneapolis or DC, it lends hope that bike-hungry Marin will outperform Alta's fairly low use estimates. Such a concrete show of local support, too, will likely be helpful now that TAM has grant applications in for regional, state, and federal funding for the system.
Update: If you're really curious about what's going on with bike share, you can read from PDF-page 199 of the last TAM Board agenda packet.


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American Revolution
Outcome: Freedom for the United States; Americans fail to annex Canada
Most of Canada was French territory until the end of the French and Indian War. When cries for independence emerged from the thirteen colonies, French and loyalist Canada favored the King. General George Washington favored a military campaign to annex the region. An invasion spearheaded by Richard Montgomery and future traitor Benedict Arnold quickly took Montreal but was defeated outside Quebec City. After the failed invasion the United States realized the impracticability of taking Canada. However, the United States Congress pre-approved Canada's membership in the Articles of Confederation; Canada never took up the offer.
War of 1812
Outcome: United States fails to take Canada, British temporally take parts of the United States
Americans like to sway they "beat the British twice." Not quite. The invasion of Canada proved to be a disaster. The fighting started off well but most of America's army was militia and unwilling to fight off their home state's soil. The highlight of the American invasion was the burning of York (present-day Toronto) but that led to the British burning of Washington D.C. At the end of the war the British controlled Fort Detroit (Detroit, Michigan) and Fort Niagara (Niagara Falls, New York).
Lower Canada Rebellion, Patriot War, and the Republic of Canada
Outcome: Defeat of the pro-American Canadians by pro-British Canadians
Canada had a series of rebellions which were crushed. In the 1830s, the Pariote Movement of French and Anglo-Canadians favored liberalism and an independent Canada. They were backed by the Hunter Brothers, a secret society dedicated to the liberation of Canada. The Lower Canada Rebellion and the Patriot War were a series of wars in which the British solidified their presences in Canada. Some Hunter Brothers were Americans and were led into battle by Americans. The rebellions mostly ended when the Republic of Canada's government was forced out of the Niagara River and into American jails.
Aroostook War
Outcome: Canada takes part of Maine
Look at old maps of Maine and one may notice that Maine had much more territory up north. That was the claim laid by the Americans ever since the Treaty of Paris. The United Kingdom; however, claimed much of Maine. The Aroostook War settled the matter by negotiation. Competing maps, both showing the holder having less territory, pressed each side into compromise.
San Juan Island War
Outcome: United States wins one; keeps several small islands in present-day Washington state
The San Juan Island War is also referred to as the Pig War. An American killed a pig in his garden and all Hell nearly breaks loose. The pig belong to an British subject on the disputed island. Anger rose on both sides because the islands were strong points along valued trade routes. Both sides agreed to joint military occupation after a rushing of troops including future Civil War (non)-hero George Pickett. Kaiser Wilhelm I eventually was asked to settle the matter. He ruled in favor of the United States.
Fenian Raids
Outcome: British and Canadians withstand Irish-American attacks
The United States was upset at the British tact support for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. There was one way the Americans could strike back without risk of major backlash: terrorism. The Fenian Brotherhood was an Irish republican/terrorist organization based in the United States. A Brotherhood song ending with "And we'll go and capture Canada, for we've nothing else to do" sums up the mood of Irish who just wanted to kill some British. It is alleged President Andrew Johnson gave passive support to the Brotherhood though American government officials stopped some raids before they occured. A series of raids and battles, some won by the Brotherhood, failed to do anything except make Canadian/American relations distant until World War II.
The "wars" between United States and Canada is surprisingly one of Canadian success. However, World War II required cooperation and brought America and Canada closer together. Today, Americans and Canadians regard each other as brothers, if somewhat odd brothers.


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For the week ending 7 March 2009 / 11 Adar I 5769
Feeding the Cat
When the rav of Kovna, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, zatzal, went to a village across the river during the summer to enjoy some fresh air, he forgot something. This is why he was on the main street of the village early in the morning looking for someone to deliver a message to his home.
One young man agreed to take a letter from Rav Spektor across the river. He could not, however, resist the temptation to read the letter and learn what urgent matter prompted his mission.
To his great surprise he discovered that the rabbi wrote that there was a cat that always visited the yard of his home, and he was in the practice of providing a dish of milk for its consumption. Since he was away he asked that someone take over this responsibility.


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Sometimes fake spoilers are more fun than real ones — as in the case of a Transformers 2 script treatment that's probably fake, but hilarious. It can also be fun to watch people speculate wildly, as one insider has about the plot of the Avengers movie. And there's nothing more fun than a passel of G.I. Joe rumors. But then again, it's sometimes cool to have actual facts, like what was the deal in last Friday's Battlestar Galactica, or what's coming up next on Heroes, Lost, Chuck or The Middleman. We also have a new Wanted clip, and the first pic of the monster from The Descent 2. A bevy of fake and real spoilers await.
The Avengers:
Could the Hulk be the villain of the Avengers movie? Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier thinks so. Just look at Ed Norton's green-eyed evil grin at the end of the Hulk film — he's someone who could potentially enjoy his mayhem a little too much. [Comics2Film]
Here's a new clip from Wanted that cropped up on Entertainment Weekly, involving Angelina Jolie in a giant train crash. [Entertainment Weekly via Comic Book Resources]
Transformers 2:
Want to know what happens in Transformers 2? Do you not care if what you're reading has any conceivable relationship to the truth? Then check out this allegedly leaked treatment for the Transformers sequel, which is probably a fake. In a nutshell, Sam goes to NYU and gets drawn into the world of street racing. And Megatron gets resurrected thanks to Soundwave's "mystic healing" harmonizing his particles. It turns out that Las Vegas' glittery lights were powered by the Allspark, and there's still enough stored Allspark-energy to power Vegas for generations — but the Decepticons and Starscream are coming to claim Vegas' power source for themselves. There's a massive battle for Las Vegas, and specifically the Luxor casino, which is the gateway to the remaining Allspark energy. The U.S. Army tries to trigger an EMP, but fails, and Vegas is trashed. And Sam's girlfriend Mikaela is killed. The movie ends on a downer note, with our heroes in disarray until the third movie... but Mikaela miraculously comes back to life at the last moment. [Scribd via CobaltSS]
G.I. Joe:
UGO has one of its patented spoiler round-ups for the G.I. Joe movie, and this time there's a fair bit of info we haven't reported, maybe because we weren't covering this movie much until recently. The main villains are Destro and Baroness, with Cobra Commander as a shadowy manipulator behind the scenes. Cobra Commander is played by Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, and it's rumored he's General Hawk's best friend and a former G.I. Joe who fell from grace. (He and Hawk went on a mission to stop Destro, and Cobra Commander was scarred horribly and turned evil, the way people do when their faces get scarred.)
The rivalry between the two ninjas, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes, forms the heart of the movie — it's rumored they studied with the same sensei and fought for two days without landing a single blade. But Snake Eyes made a mistake and was deafeated, so he went to Brazil and learned a new weapons-free discipline. The evil organization Cobra enlists the aid of the mercenaries known as Dreadnoks, led by Zartan and his brother and sister, Zarana and Zandar. Zandar has the ability to change his skin color to blend in with his surroundings. There's more at the link. [UGO]
The Descent 2:
Here's the first look at the Crawlers from The Descent 2, in which a traumatized Sarah emerges from the caves covered with blood. The police force her to go back into the caves to help them look for her five missing friends, but she starts having flashbacks and remembering more of the horror she endured there, as the group gets closer and closer to getting trapped in the dark with those monsters. [Fangoria]
Battlestar Galactica:
In the remaining 11 Battlestar Galactica episodes, airing next year, we'll see the relationship between Bill Adama and Laura Roslin deepen. And we may get more of a sense that Laura has been grooming Lee Adama as her successor all along, despite their disputes. And Roslin actor Mary McDonnell definitely seems to think they just found Earth. In the rest of the season, she says, "whatever has been complicated becomes more so." [Zap2It]
We haven't seen the real reactions of our characters to their discovery in last Friday's episode yet. "Revelations" and the next episode fit together closely, like a two-parter, and they're meant to be seen a week apart, says writer Jane Espenson. [TV Squad]
Actor Cynthia Watros (Libby) accidentally refers to her Lost character as Annie. Was this a slip of the tongue... or did she let slip something by accident? And apparently we may see more of Libby at some point, and have some of our lingering questions answered. [Spoilers Lost]
It turns out Claire isn't the only character on Heroes who's adopted. And the discovery of another adopted character will change... everything! We'll see more of Monica and Nana Dawson (Nichelle Nichols) in episodes focusing on their relationship with Micah. But we probably won't see any more of Claire's beau West. [E! Online]
In the fourth episode of Chuck's second season, an old high-school friend of Sarah's named Heather shows up at the Orange Orange, Sarah's new job. And Heather blurts out Sarah's real name, shocking Chuck, who has fun almost blowing Sarah's cover and finds out more about Sarah's background. Heather is married to another high-school classmate of Sarah's, a nerd who turns out to be more than he seems when Chuck meets him and "flashes" on him.
So Sarah and Chuck have to go undercover at Sarah's high-school reunion, to foil the sales of high-tech bombs to evil Russians. Chuck manages to look like a hero while Casey fumes, and Sarah confronts her high-school demons. Meanwhile, Lester teaches the nerds at Buy More about "friendly negotiations" with customers, with unexpected results. [Chuck TV]
The Middleman:
Says Middleman star Matt Keeslar of upcoming episodes:
We have a Peruvian flying pike that, when it injects its venom into a victim, the victim turns into a trout-craving zombie. We have several different aliens from different planets. From one planet they happen to look like people on Earth who have had a lot of plastic surgery. From another planet they're a boy band. From another planet they embody a 14-year-old. And then there are, of course, other more fantasy-type characters, like an ancient terra cotta warrior who comes back to life to find and bring the heir to the Xing Dynasty to the underworld.
Just a wild guess, but I think he meant Qing Dynasty, not Xing. [Comic Book Resources]


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A Tajik journalist and critic of the regime is in hospital after being stabbed in Moscow.
The netizens in Tajikistan have little doubt that the attack on the journalist was politically motivated and that it was a taste of things to come in the months leading to presidential elections due in November. Read on Global Voices Online >>