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In his latest column on New Zealand's transition to a low carbon economy, Rod Oram looks at why there is such intense lobbying and debate over how to handle methane emissions.
We'll know by Christmas the salient features of the most important new legislative framework this country will adopt in generations, the Government promises.
Meanwhile, intense lobbying is underway to shape one of the most critical components of it which will significantly determine the legislation's effectiveness.
The framework is the Zero Carbon Bill, which will set our long-term climate goals – the Government is likely to propose net zero emissions of human-induced greenhouse gases by 2050 – and the mechanisms to guide our policy, technical, economic, political and social responses to achieve that formidable challenge.
At the heart of the methane issue are some still evolving scientific answers to questions about methane's warming potential and how countries should best handle its reduction.
The crucial component is how to handle methane. Globally, the gas contributes 28 percent of human-induced climate warming. But it's a far more intense issue for us. Almost half our greenhouse gas emissions are generated by our agriculture. Of those, 10.3 percent are from nitrous oxide, a long-lived and very potent climate changer, and 35.5 percent from methane, a short-lived but also very powerful climate force. Of that farm methane, 68 percent comes from ruminant animals, overwhelmingly in the dairy and red meat sectors.
When, how and by how much we reduce methane will have far ranging impacts on climate and the economy. Simplistically, if we make good decisions, we'll meet our climate goals, and our agricultural scientists and farmers will contribute to the global challenge of making meat and dairy foods more climate compatible. If we do it badly, we'll damage our climate and farming reputations, and thus our economy.
None of this is easy. At the heart of the methane issue are some still evolving scientific answers to questions about methane's warming potential and how countries should best handle its reduction.
The debate intensified here in June with the publication of a paper in Climate and Atmospheric Science, a new addition to Nature's stable of science journals.
Two of the authors were Prof. David Frame, a climate scientist at Victoria University and director of its New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute, and Adrian Macey, a retired diplomat who was NZ's first Climate Change Ambassador 2006-10, then chair of the UN's Kyoto climate protocol until 2011. His current roles include an adjunct professorship at the Institute.
Frame, Macey and their colleagues argued that the conventional way of measuring methane's climate impact was flawed, and that they had devised a better way. Using this new metric, they argued that because methane was short-lived, so was its impact on climate change. Therefore if we stabilised our methane emissions at or slightly below current levels they would contribute no additional warming.
Thus, any policy pressure to reduce methane emissions more steeply should wait until there were proven, cost-effective technologies for farmers to do so. Delaying reductions would not change the methane's climate impact.
This has encouraged some organisations in the primary sector to renew their calls for agriculture to be excluded from our over-arching climate framework to guide our transition to a low emissions economy, or at least to give agriculture an easy ride in it.
Fonterra's goal for example is to have its supplying farms generate no more methane emissions in 2030 than they do now. To the extent its farmers can reduce emissions, Fonterra's hopes that will enable them to increase milk production.
But the science at the centre of this comes with some variation in experts' judgements. Frame and colleagues are using science that is well known, and their new metric is a variation on the existing one used in the Paris Agreement on climate. However, while the UN's climate body does adjust the factor it uses to equate the climate impact of methane with the impact of carbon dioxide as the science improves, it has yet to change the underlying methodology.
Methane has a much faster, bigger impact on climate change in its first few years after emission than does carbon dioxide. By about 12 years, about one-third of the methane has broken down, reducing the climate impact of the gas. By 20 years or so little of the gas remains, leading Frame and colleagues to argue that its climate impact is negligible.
Thus, if farmers keep emissions static, as they have over the past decade or so, or reduce them slightly as their farming efficiency continues, then the steady flow of methane is not contributing to additional climate change, Frame and colleagues argue. In contrast, carbon dioxide is very long-lived so its emissions add to the atmospheric stock and thus exacerbate warming, which no climate scientists dispute.
However, scientific views differ on methane's long-tail effect on climate.
"A constant flow of methane emissions results in a constant methane concentration after around 50 years, but its impact on temperature continues to increase for several centuries. Three hundred years after a constant flow of methane emission has started, the warming effect is more than twice as high as it is after 50 years," notes a report in August by Simon Upton, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
"If New Zealand's emissions of livestock methane were held steady at 2016 levels, then within about ten years the amount of methane in the atmosphere from that source would level off. However, the warming effect of that methane would continue to increase, at a gradually declining rate, for more than a century. In the year 2050, holding New Zealand's livestock methane steady at 2016 levels would cause additional warming of 10-20 percent above current levels. This warming would increase to 25-40 percent by 2100."
Moreover, Frame and colleagues argue that the current UN measure for methane overestimates its impact on climate change. Yet there are other equally respected scientists who argue the opposite, as Wise Response, an NZ climate change lobby group led by scientists, noted in their submission to the government on the Zero Carbon Bill.
The scientists they cite believe the UN's current methane measure "underestimates the amount of CO2 reduction needed to offset the warming effects of a given emission of methane by a factor of 2.5, and also underestimates the benefits of rapid reductions of methane emissions." Thus, there are strong arguments for a sharp, rapid cut in methane to help slow down the rise in temperatures while utmost efforts are also made to aggressively cut CO2.
While the science is fundamentally important and will continue to clarify the role of methane and the world's response to it, there are additional reasons for New Zealand to be reducing methane emissions faster and sooner than Frame, Macey and colleagues argue.
First, many countries look to us as agricultural innovators, such as the UK in particular, as this column noted two weeks ago. They are expecting us to be a leader on the science of reducing ruminant animals' emissions, and the farming practices to do so economically.
Second, a big transformation of the global food system is underway, as I described in this column in August. Competition is coming from low emissions foods. It's better for us to be a leader in low emissions meat and dairy than not. The best ways to drive such innovation is by climate policies that incentivise emission reductions and science and R&D policies that support that.
… if National doesn't get its climate act together very soon, the Government should take an alternative approach: declare by Christmas what the Bill will include.
Third, to meet the Paris climate commitments we've made to the world, both townies and cockies, to over-simplify a monumental challenge, will have to play their roles, and encourage and support each other in doing so.
If farmers reduce methane and nitrous oxide but people in towns stick with petrol and diesel guzzling cars we will fail. If townies electrify the car fleet, switch heavy transport to hydrogen and industrial processes to electricity but farmers don't reduce methane, we'll fail.
Either fail would greatly damage our reputation and economy.
Some options for the best mechanisms to achieve these complex goals, including reducing methane, are explored at length in the Productivity Commission's final report on our transition to a low-emissions economy.
This methane debate, though, was already complicated enough before National injected an unwelcome political dimension over the past 10 days. Its self-inflicted damage over Jami-Lee Ross' character and actions, Bridge's leadership style and the party's fund-raising is taking its energy and focus away from many crucial political tasks. A key one is agreeing with the Labour-led coalition on the salient points of the Zero Carbon Bill. Such long lasting, far-reaching legislation must have all-party support.
However, if National doesn't get its climate act together very soon, the Government should take an alternative approach: declare by Christmas what the Bill will include. Then work on getting National on board during the drafting process so parliament can debate and pass the Bill by the middle of next year.
Above all, the most important step the Government and all other parties must take is simple: define our 2050 climate target in the Bill and the mechanisms to drive it such as an independent Climate Change Commission.
Then leave the Commission to set five-year, sinking carbon budgets, which will adapt over time to the changing science, technology and economics driving emissions reductions; and to evaluate the success of successive governments' policies in doing so.
The Commission, with its independence and long-term remit, is the place for settling arguments such as this one over methane. It is a seriously bad idea to let the Government or opposition parties of the day to succumb to narrow, short term political interests by making such decisions themselves.
This is the latest in a series of Rod Oram's columns examining key sectors in the Productivity Commission's final report on New Zealand's transition to a low-emissions economy.
Earlier columns were on:
– The Commission's report
Future columns will examine, for example, transport, innovation and socially just transitions.


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Introduction: Funny Faked Holiday Pics
I'm a kid at heart and did find this amusing. Very simple to do on a laptop, desktop or tablet so thought I'd put it together (on the train to keep me entertained).
Basically you can do these in a few minutes and send them to your friends or put them on social media with a "really hot at the beach/pool today" comment...Wait for the responses and then send the updated "original".
Here's how you do it....
Step 1: Background Selection
Bring up a full screen image of a beach, pool setting of somewhere very luxurious. Now position you index and middle finger so they are bent like a pair of legs with "knees" up in the air and hover in front of the image getting as much light to the fingers so as not to silhouette them.
Take the picture with the other spare hand and make sure the "legs" are at the bottom of the image.
Step 2: Quick Edit
Now, go to edit image and play around with the lighting/filters until you're happy that the both the background and foreground marry up and doesn't look too fake. Trim the image so just the beach is showing around your "legs" and there you have it. Now go off and make your own images to confuse your family & friends!
Participated in the
Summer Fun Contest
Participated in the
Travel Tips Contest

subset: commoncrawl


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The Japanese group Suntory, one of the biggest brand of Japanese whisky, known to be the owner Yamazaki, the historic first whisky distillery in Japan, has announced the future acquisition of U.S. spirits group Beam for 16 billion dollars (including Beam group's debt).
Suntory already owns Morrison Bowmore and Midori and now becomes the third largest spirits group in the world. With the acquisition of Beam, Suntory becomes the owner of the American whiskey (Bourbon) Jim Beam and Maker's Mark, Canadian Club but also some well known Scotch whiskies such as Laphroaig, Teacher's or Ardmore.
Source: NY Times


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Tender at the Bone Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
Regular price
For better or worse, almost all of us grow up at the table. It is in this setting that Ruth Reichls brilliantly written memoir takes its form. For, at a very early age, Reichl discovered that 'food could be a way of making sense of the world . if you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were.' Tender at the Bone is the story of a life determined, enhanced, and defined in equal measure by unforgettable people, the love of tales well told, and a passion for food. In other words, the stuff of the best literature. The journey begins with Reichls mother, the notorious food-poisoner known for-evermore as the Queen of Mold, and moves on to the fabled Mrs. Peavey, onetime Baltimore socialite millionaress, who, for a brief but poignant moment, was retained as the Reichls maid. Then we are introduced to Monsieur du Croix, the gourmand, who so understood and yet was awed by this prodigious child at his dinner table that when he introduced Ruth to the souffl, he could only exclaim, 'What a pleasure to watch a child eat her first souffl!' Then, fast-forward to the politically correct table set in Berkeley in the 1970s, and the food revolution that Ruth watched and participated in as organic became the norm. But this sampling doesnt do this character-rich book justice. After all, this is just a taste. Tender at the Bone is a remembrance of Ruth Reichls childhood into young adulthood, redolent with the atmosphere, good humor, and angst of a sensualist coming-of-age.


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Most Popular in the Last...
identity theft
See the following -
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The rise in medical identity theft in the U.S. in recent years--and in particular, theft involving a breach in technology--has been swift and has left many concerned about the effectiveness of privacy regulations, according to a recent Stateline report. Read More »
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With every passing day, ObamaCare's flaws are being exposed in painful ways for the American people. What started as a broken website—and nonexistent Spanish one—is now snowballing into a full-scale disaster that makes it increasingly clear this law can't be fixed. Read More »
New Global Survey Finds Companies Lack Adequate Data Privacy and Consent Tools
ForgeRock®...announced the results of its global survey conducted by TechValidate, which found 93 percent agreement among IT professionals that customer data privacy concerns are a critical issue at the C-level. Yet only nine percent of IT professionals surveyed believe that current privacy and consent methods are adequate. When asked about the requirements for new methods, 96 percent of surveyed IT professionals agreed that there is an increasing need for dynamic and flexible privacy tools that are adaptable to future borderless regulatory requirements and consumer expectations.
Officials Aren't Counting The Growing Cost Of Online Obamacare Fraud
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Until fixed on Wednesday afternoon, a security flaw in CuidadoDeSalud.gov -- the Spanish language version of HealthCare.gov -- could have allowed hackers to steal personal information from enrollees as they typed, according to three independent software developers. The Health and Human Services Department repaired the software error after Nextgov inquired about the defect early Wednesday. Read More »
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Why Does My Dermatologist Not Recommend Antibiotic Ointment After Mohs Surgery?
Once you have gone through your Mohs Surgery process for skin cancer, you can be left wondering what to do at this point. After consulting with you doctor regarding your stitches, it's important to understand the best way to care for your surgical wound to ensure optimal healing. "The truth is, each surgeon recommend a slightly different approach to wound Continue reading


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Dive Brief:
Wayfair on Thursday reported that its fourth quarter net revenues rose nearly 45% year over year to $3.7 billion.
The home retailer posted a net profit in the quarter of $23.8 million, up from a loss of $330.2 million last year, according to a company press release. The number of active customers grew 53.7% year over year to 31.2 million.
For the full year, Wayfair's revenue grew 55% to $14.1 billion. Its net profit reached nearly $185 million, compared to a net loss of $984.6 million in the year-ago period.
Dive Insight:
Operating online and in a category that experienced heightened demand over the past year, Wayfair has emerged as one of the few beneficiaries of the pandemic.
As many consumers' homes turned into their school, work and recreational spaces, many began to invest more into them — something Wayfair benefited from directly.
"Online shopping behavior is becoming increasingly entrenched and consumer demand for the home category remains strong," CEO Niraj Shah said in a statement. "As we look beyond the pandemic period, we are confident that our long-term orientation and years of investments should translate to compounding share gains and increasing profitability in a rapidly growing e-commerce market."
The retailer has grown its customer base, but it also increased its advertising spend in the quarter by 20.5% to $374.6 million, representing just over 10% of total net revenue. While customer acquisition costs have hampered Wayfair's prospects of turning a profit, the unique circumstances brought on by the pandemic this past year have buoyed the retailer — and allowed it to reach profitability for the first time since going public in 2014.
But profitability as a result of pandemic-induced trends may not be sustainable as consumers eventually venture outside their homes and begin to invest in other things, according to GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders.
Consumers "will not remodel to the same extent as they did in 2020. And, as the economy reopens, they will prioritize spending on other things such as travel, probably to the detriment of home," Saunders said in emailed comments. "It is debatable as to when the music will stop, but that the tune will fade is inevitable."
As more digitally native companies begin to trade publicly, it's become increasingly clear how difficult it is to turn a profit selling goods almost exclusively online. Both pet retailer Chewy and mattress brand Casper have yet to turn a profit since their public debuts in 2019 and 2020, respectively. To help offset the high advertising and marketing costs associated with acquiring customers online, many have turned to brick and mortar — either by opening their own physical stores or by forming partnerships with traditional retailers.
Wayfair opened its first store in the summer of 2019 in Natick, Massachusetts. However, the retailer last month closed that store, which was a small-format concept, after about 18 months, Wayfair's CFO Michael Fleisher said on a call with analysts. Wayfair is now left with just one outlet-style store in Florence, Kentucky.
"We believe that home has a long future runway for online penetration, but also see value of our customers interacting with our brands and products through other channels," Fleisher said. "What the format of our physical locations will look like, however, remains to be seen and will likely vary as we think about our different portfolio brands and widespread geographic presence."


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Saurabh Sinha, Ph.D., and Casey Hanson, Ph.D. Candidate
Computational Discovery of Transcription Factors Associated With Drug Response
Saurabh Sinha, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Willett Faculty Scholar
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Computer Science
Urbana, Illinois
Casey Hanson, Ph.D. Candidate
Research Assistant, Ph.D Candidate
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, Illinois
Topic: Biomarkers, Cancer
Dr. Sinha is an associate professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include computational regulatory genomics, cis-regulatory evolution, pharmacogenomics, and big-data for genomics. Dr. Sinha is the education lead for the Mayo-Illinois Alliance, and serves as research principal investigator on the NIH BD2K Center at Illinois.
Hanson is a fifth year Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign under the advisement of Dr. Sinha. His research involves developing statistics learning methods to identify the transcriptional regulators of drug response.
Their work can identify TFs that regulate the genes associated with drug response in a specific cohort. They can then conduct precision medicine by designing biologics or drugs that augment the activities of the few associated regulators. Changes at the regulatory level can propagate through their many downstream targets to genes informative of the drug response, which concludes with a phenotypic shift in the cell's response to the drug.
Their poster for the Individualizing Medicine Conference 2015 highlights identifying biomarkers in cancer. Instead of identifying single proteins associated with drug response, they want to include gene regulatory information to identify the regulators of these proteins associated with drug response. This cuts down on the number of biologics needed to be developed, as augmentation of a single protein can have effects that cascade through its regulatory targets to the drug response. An alternative would be to develop therapies that target each of the regulatory targets, but this increases the size and complexity of the therapy.
Here is the complete abstract from Dr. Sinha and Hanson's Featured Poster of the Day for the Individualizing Medicine Conference 2015.
Computational Discovery of Transcription Factors Associated With Drug Response
Primary Presenter: Saurabh Sinha, Ph.D.
Track: Pharmacogenomics
Title: Computational Discovery of Transcription Factors Associated With Drug Response
Authors: Casey Hanson, Junmei Cairns, Liewei Wang, Saurabh Sinha
Institutions: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mayo Clinic
Genome wide association studies in pharmacogenomics generally involve associating drug-induced response with biomarkers. While GWAS suffers from sensitivity issues after correction, even signals that survive face problems of functional interpretation. Our study ameliorates this issue by posing the statistical test in the context of gene regulation. Rather than identifying SNPs or genes associated with drug response, we integrate biomarkers with genome-wide transcription factor (TF) binding data to elucidate whether a TF's regulatory influence is associated with the drug. Our approach (GENMi) integrates gene expression, genotype, and drug-response data with ENCODE TF tracks to quantify the association between TFs and drugs via cis-regulatory eQTLs.
The GENMi method for testing a (TF, drug) combination consists of the following procedure. First, SNPs located outside of the TF's ENCODE peak are discarded. Considering the 50kb upstream region of a gene as a putative cis-regulatory region, the gene is scored by the most significant eQTL under the TF's peak. The top 400 eQTL genes are then tested for overlap with all genes correlated with the drug's-induced cytotoxicity, using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis.
We analyzed 114 TFs and 24 treatments using GENMi, yielding 334 significantly associated (TF, drug) pairs. The top 20 sparse (TF, drug) pairs yielded literature support for 13 associations, often from studies where perturbation of the TF's expression changes drug response. We demonstrate the advantage of our approach by contrasting it with a baseline without using gene expression data. Our method reports more associations than the baseline approach at identical false positive rates (FPR). We further tested 14 TFs GENMi associated with either anthracycline (doxorubicin or epirubicin) and 21 TFs associated with either taxanes (paclitaxel or docetaxel). MTS cytotoxicity assays after TF knockdowns in two triple negative breast cancer cell lines, BT549 and MDA-MB231, yielded 6 TFs that significantly de-sensitized the cell to taxane induced apoptosis and 4 TFs that significantly de-sensitized the cell to anthracycline induced apoptosis
Tags: biomarker, cancer, Casey Hanson, Dr. Saurabh Sinha, individualized medicine, Individualized Medicine Conference 2015, pharmacogenomics, Uncategorized


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Energy Modelling Platform for Europe (EMP-E) 2017 in Brussels
17th May 2017 - 18th May 2017
The objective of this first EMP-E meeting is to provide a peer-reviewed digest of model and policy insights for European energy scenario projects. It aims to initiate a long-term forum for exchanging research, development and practice of energy system modelling in Europe and, where feasible, promote the sharing of data and resources and improve the efficiency of research in the area. The results of the meeting will be published in a special issue of the journal "Energy Strategy Reviews", which will be provided as input to high-level events such as COP23 [1] in Bonn.
Furthermore, as a first meeting it provides the possibility to discuss future EMP-E meeting structure and format with the aim to propose follow-up meetings. The EMP-E fulfils a recommendation of the Horizon 2020 Advisory Group [2] for Energy to set up a European forum for energy modelling [3].
Key themes to be highlighted in the 2017 meeting are the 'energy union', its 'transition', transparency, scenario definitions and the SET Plan. Furthermore the EMP-E concept will be discussed with the aim to propose follow-up actions.
Agenda / Programme
You find the abstracts of the speeches here.
Current programme can be downloaded here (v3).
Presentations and slides can be accessed here.
Focus Groups
- Designing and comparing energy transition pathways
KTH and IER (contact: firstname.lastname@example.com (Francesco Gardumi))
- Capacity expansion planning in high RES worlds
Artelys and KIT (contact: email@example.com (Laurent Fournie))
- Publishing in open databases and increasing transparency and reproducibility
RLI (contact: firstname.lastname@example.com (Berit Müller))
- Bridging the gap between policy questions and models
TNO (contact: email@example.com (Christian Bos))
- Modelling of environmental impacts and externalities
DTU (contact: email@example.com (Kenneth Karlson))
- Methodologies for linking models
IER and TU Wien (contact: email@example.com)
Call for papers
Link to the call for papers (v2)
- Registration Deadline 7th April 2017
- EMP-E conference 17th/18th May 2017
- Submission of journal paper (4 pages or 6-10 pages)15th July 2017
Time and place
The conference will take place on 17-18th of May, 2017
at the RTD/JRC headquarters in Brussels.
21 rue du champ de Mars / Marsveldstraat 21, 1050 Brussels
Registration is only possible with invitation.
Organisation committee
European Commission DG RTD
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/index.cfm?do=groupDetail.groupDetail&groupID=2981
[3] Recommendation 9.d. Page 14 : http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/index.cfm?do=groupDetail.groupDetailDoc&id=25609&no=1


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It's just about that time! Campaign season is approaching and Fort Valley State University is hosting it's annual Royal Court Showcase on February 13th. Recently, FVSU Office of Campus Life released the full list of who's running for student leadership at FVSU. The list goes as follows and the elections are February 25-March 1!
Candidate Name
Ronnie Lawson
Antonio Dwanye Bunkley jr Class King (Sophomore)
Chardarius Fambro
Yatile B. Patterson
Janei Dortilus
Brittany Robinson
Josie Williams
Kianna Anderson
Takandris Jordan
Khyia D. Brown Miss FVSU
Tykerriah Moore Miss FVSU
Raven Wright
Kederick Quimbley Mister FVSU
Ryan Thurman
Aries Grandberry
Alexander Lowe
DeAndre Reddick
Ny'Tia Dupree
J'Lan Day
Kierra Beale
Johnathan Jones
Derod Moore
Voting starts on February 28 and ends on March 1st! We will be your home for FVSU elections, as we will give you up-to-date info on what's occurring! We also have take overs planned for the HBCU Pulse Instagram for the FVSU Candidates that we will be announcing the week of elections! Stay tuned
Make sure to check out "A Queen's Pain" and "Election Season: The Story of True HBCU Queens", about the election process at HBCUs!
Order "A Queen's Pain" at our HBCU Pulse store! Or, you can order it on Amazon!
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Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.


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You may want to re-read the title of this blog. Every year you prepare your home for storms, ice, and winter's less-than-nice features. You may have already put away your outdoor hose, cleared your eaves-troughs, and brought out the shovel. You do it every year, and we're willing to bet you're darn good at winterizing your home! So we're not talking about your house today — we're talking about you. With all the maintenance we do for our homes in cooler temperatures, we need also need to prepare our minds and bodies for the shock of the changing seasons.
To help you with this, we've come up with five things you can do to get comfortable with the idea of winter, and then stay content when it sets in. Here's our how-to guide for winterizing your mind!
#1: Find Your Weekly Winter Activity
Now is a great time to search for programs you can join when the darker months set in. Lots of dance classes, pottery classes, and book clubs start in September and run until December. A new set of classes may be starting in January; find an exciting one now to make sure you don't miss registration! Want to brush-up on ballroom dancing? Is there a walking club you can join? This can be really fun when you get adventurous and look for something you've never tried before.
Perhaps the most important reason for this is to prevent social isolation. Once winter blankets our roads and trees we can use a little encouragement to leave our homes and meet with friends. Being social is so important for our well-being; it's not something to overlook.
#2: Dig Out Your Winter Clothes and Blankets
The day you wake up and your house feels like an ice box, you're going to want a sweater nearby. Find those cozy pieces now so you can avoid that chilly house-hunt in your thin pajamas! Don't forget your slippers, the cozy little superheroes of the feet.
#3: Find New Books
You're already thinking about activities to get you out of the house, but in reality you may be spending lots of time at home. This time doesn't have to be boring though; embrace it and visit your local bookstore or library for new releases or old classics. Snuggle up and get lost in a story!
We all know reading is healthy for the mind, and it gives us something to look forward to when going outside isn't an option. Is there a new book you're excited to read? Tell us in the comments!
#4: Stock Up Your Medicine Cabinet
The last thing you want to do when you come down with a cold or flu is go to the pharmacy for over-the-counter medication. Let's face it, colds are more common in winter so make sure you have your favourite remedies when you need them. On an even more serious note, you'll want to have your prescriptions full if you happen to get snowed in.
While you're at the pharmacy make sure to grab your favourite teas too! What's better than a hot bath for the skin with a hot tea for the throat and belly?
#5: Make a Plan to Stay Connected
This one's related to our first tip, because we don't want anyone getting lonely this winter! Sometimes all it takes is a phone call to an old friend. If you're tech-savy, a fun way to talk to family is through social networking, but you knew that already. We know 82-year-olds who use Snapchat, after all! There are apps to make smart phones easier to use for seniors, too.
Once you get into it, you probably won't need a reminder to check your social media channels, but it's a lovely idea to write in a couple phone calls on your calendar. If you like lists, write down all the people you want to have a chat with at the start of the month and check off the list as you go!
We hope these tips help ease you into the upcoming months like a slow, peaceful snowflake. Unless you're a committed snow-bird, there's no reason not to plan ahead!


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JOHANNESBURG — Nelson Mandela, who became one of the world's most beloved statesmen and a colossus of the 20th century when he emerged from 27 years in prison to negotiate an end to white minority rule in South Africa, has died.
South African President Jacob Zuma made the announcement at a news conference late Thursday, saying "we've lost our greatest son." Mandela was 95.
Mandela had been a supporter of LGBT rights in South Africa as the policies and practices that he instituted during his presidency have made substantial progress throughout the South African nation.
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Mandela's African National Congress endorsed legal recognition of same-sex marriages, and the interim constitution in 1993 opposed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
These provisions were kept in the new constitution, approved in 1996, due to the lobbying efforts of LGBT South Africans and the support of the African National Congress.
South Africa became the first nation in the world to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in its constitution under his administration.
Two years later, the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled in a landmark case that the law prohibiting homosexual conduct between consenting adults in private violated the Constitution.
Mandela eventually turned to fighting AIDS, publicly acknowledging in 2005 that his son, Makgatho, had died of the disease. The nation, which has the most people living with HIV in the world at 5.6 million, still faces stigma and high rates of infection.
Mandela's death closes the final chapter in South Africa's struggle to cast off apartheid, leaving the world with indelible memories of a man of astonishing grace and good humor. Rock concerts celebrated his birthday. Hollywood stars glorified him on screen. And his regal bearing, graying hair and raspy voice made him instantly recognizable across the globe.
"Every one of us who continues the fight for equality and civil rights in our own communities labors in the shadows of this man who withstood imprisonment as a consequence of his courageous leadership and grew only stronger, more resolute and more dignified," said Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director of Lambda Legal, in a statement.
"Nelson Mandela tore down oppression, united a rainbow nation, and always walked arm-in-arm with his LGBT brothers and sisters — and with all people — toward freedom," said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin. "Though every man, woman and child who seeks justice around the world mourns this loss, his vision of an equal future lives on undimmed."
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Mandela "a giant for justice" whose "selfless struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom" inspired many people around the world.
"Nelson Mandela showed what is possible for our world, and within each one of us, if we believe a dream and work together for justice and humanity," Ban said. "Let us continue each day to be inspired by Nelson Mandela's lifelong example to keep working for a better and more just world."
Mandela is survived by his wife Graca Machel, the widowed former first lady of neighboring Mozambique, his daughter Makaziwe by his first marriage, and daughters Zindzi and Zenani by his second.


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An woman was taken to hospital after being hit by a car in Park Barn, Guildford .
Paramedics and police were called to Cabell Road at around 3pm on Tuesday (November 28).
When they arrived at the scene, they found an elderly woman who had been involved in a collision with a car and sustained an ankle injury.
A spokesman for Surrey Police told Get Surrey on Friday (December 1): "This was a collision involving a car and an elderly female pedestrian which happened on Cabell Road, Park Barn, around 3pm on November 28."
They added: "The pedestrian was taken to the Royal Surrey County Hospital where she had treatment for a broken ankle."
No arrests were made following the collision.
Keep up to date with the latest news from around the county via the free Get Surrey app.
You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.
Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android .


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Next year, on 21 and 22 February, the Uttar Pradesh government will play host to a large array of prospective investors at a global summit in Lucknow in its effort to fast-track growth in the state. With the Union government also ready to pitch in, prospects of the state's transformation look brighter than ever before.
To ensure that the event catches eyeballs, President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be special invitees. For the fourth largest economy, which contributes around 8.4 per cent to the country's gross domestic product (GDP), the state government is looking at making the most of this investors' summit.
Prime ministers of Nepal and Mauritius, besides ambassadors of about 20 countries are expected to attend the summit, where about 5,000 corporate delegates would also be present.
The state government has roped in Ernst & Young as consultants. There will be 12 focus areas for the upcoming summit: agriculture, food processing, information technology, tourism, medium, small and mini enterprises, manufacturing, health etc.
The summit is crucial as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government wants to fulfil its promise of providing jobs to youth and uplift the agriculture sector. During the election campaign, the party had said that its government would create jobs to stop migration of youth to Maharashtra, where they were often targeted by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena. About farmers, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently said that they play a key role in the state's development.
In the tourism sector, the Taj Mahal, which was the centre of a controversy a few months ago, was amongst the state's main selling theme for the summit.
The state government has pulled all stops for what an official said would be a "grand summit". The challenge would lie in translating this opportunity into real business, an official reportedly told the media.
However, this is not the first global investors' summit to be organised in the state. The Samajwadi Party (SP) government of former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's government organised two such summits, one in 2013 and the other in 2015, when memorandums of understanding (MoU) worth over Rs 33,000 crore were signed.
Before that Mayawati, who led the Bahujan Samaj Party government, also tried to woo investors with a summit in Mumbai.
Private investment during the first four years of Akhilesh Yadav's rule was estimated to be around Rs 25,081 crore as compared to about Rs 10,000 crore during the first four years of Mayawati's rule.
Yet both the governments failed to bring about any remarkable change in the state's profile. While Akhilesh Yadav's government was found wanting on the law and order front, Mayawati's government was infamous for corruption. Although MoUs worth thousands of crores were signed, Uttar Pradesh was hardly any better than states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana in terms of economic indicators.
Even before Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati laid the red carpet to prospective investors, Mulayam Singh Yadav had also done his bit by constituting a state development council under the chairmanship of the controversial SP leader Amar Singh. Singh roped in the who's who of India's corporate world and Bollywood stars and began selling dreams to the people. But barring a few crony capitalists and Bollywood stars who loved dancing to Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy's tunes, others chose to stay away from the state.
With crime and corruption at their worst in those days, investors preferred other destinations like Gujarat and, especially Andhra Pradesh, where Chandrababu Naidu played a proactive role in cutting red tape and setting up an effective mechanism for single-window clearances.
This time around, Yogi Adityanath government is leaving no stone unturned in making the summit a big-ticket event. Road shows are being held in all major cities and investors are wooed with promises of industry-friendly atmosphere. In Bangalore, for example, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairperson and managing director of Biocon Limited, expressed her interest in investing in the state's hugely neglected health sector.
With this event, comparisons are bound to be made with the Vibrant Gujarat summits that Narendra Modi was used to host as the chief minister of the state. The Vibrant Gujarat events helped in creating the image of Modi as a business-friendly administrator, in tune with the needs of the modern economy. With time, the headlines on Vibrant Gujarat turned into the headlines on the 'Gujarat model'. Add to this the fact that while back in the mid-2000s, Modi was the most popular of all BJP chief ministers, in 2017, it is Yogi Adityanath. Safe to say then, that the Lucknow summit would be followed closely, and not only for purposes of finance.
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Dear Colleagues-
We cannot thank each of you enough for your tremendous support and advocacy during the 60-day comment period on VA's proposed "Advanced Practice Registered Nurses" rule. Together, ASA reached a record level of advocacy for our patients, including Veterans who have earned and deserve access to safe, high-quality anesthesia care.
The Comment Period
Due to overwhelming advocacy, the regulations.gov website has received a total of more than 223,000 comments on the proposed rule, a record number of comments for a proposal in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). When the comment period closed, the website reflected 167,000 comments that could be viewed. Since that date, additional copies of hard-copy comments have been periodically posted – some in support of our position, others supporting full practice authority for APRNs or nurse anesthetists.
During the 60-day public comment period, there were over 90,000 comments submitted to the Federal Register expressing support for physician-led anesthesia care for Veterans. Considering the comments specific to the anesthesia section of the rule, there can be no doubt that America has spoken in overwhelming support of physician-led anesthesia care.
Among those comments, approximately 11,200 were sent from Veterans, and an additional 14,600 were from relatives of Veterans. Another 5,000 comments were submitted from Veterans and their family members in support of physician-led anesthesia care in VA as part of ASA's advocacy efforts during Memorial Day.
We are continuing to count and analyze all comments submitted with a particular focus on those comments that mention the anesthesia provision of the rule.
ASA's official comment submission detailing patient safety concerns with the proposed rule can be viewed here: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=VA-2016-VHA-0011-164429
You can read other public comments, and find more information on the proposed rule, here: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=VA-2016-VHA-0011
Media Outreach
Throughout the comment period, ASA actively engaged with the press to inform the public about the patient safety implications of this proposal. As a result of this effort, there were 400 media outlets that covered this issue, which reached an overall audience of more than 330.5 million people. This press attention was crucial to raising awareness and ensuring our patient safety concerns were represented.
Additionally, we are extremely grateful to our colleagues who wrote letters to the editor to their local papers, explaining why they oppose VA's proposal to remove physician anesthesiologists from Veterans' care. Due to overwhelming advocacy, this letter writing campaign resulted in a total of 66 letters to the editor and op-ed placements. On social media, the #SafeVACare hashtag created 13,019,985 online impressions, including 4,278 tweets. Our advocacy was impactful and made an important step towards raising awareness to this campaign on a limited timeline.
Other Stakeholders
Continuing our longstanding strategy, ASA actively engaged in a multi-prong method to engage various stakeholders in the Safe VA Care initiative. Our allies in Congress coordinated a sign-on letter that resulted in 79 signatories, a strong bipartisan statement. Several other members of Congress chose to write individual letters to VA as part of the comment period, or have engaged in various methods. We even saw state officials contact VA to officially register their patient safety concerns. ASA is continuing to grow our support in Congress and will ask members to be active constituents.
Similarly, we continue to build relationships with various organizations that support Veterans. In addition to our longtime allies, we continue to engage with groups so they can learn about VA's proposal to remove physician anesthesiologists from Veterans' care teams, emphasizing the fact that this would lower the standard of care for our nation's Veterans.
Going Forward
While there was much anticipation of the comment period, our work to protect Veterans' access to safe anesthesia is not over. While VA leadership reviews the public comments submitted before issuing a final rule, we will continue to engage with all of our allies in Congress, Veterans organizations and the community to support the safest, highest quality anesthesia care available and to make certain that Veterans are aware of the impact this proposal could have on their care.
Please stay involved in our advocacy efforts, and be prepared for a future call for action if this issue progresses! We encourage you to join the ASA Grassroots Network, and contact your lawmaker to request a meeting to discuss the importance of physician-led anesthesia.
As ASA continues to review the comments and the advocacy on this issue, please stay aware of future communications and resources. If you have any questions or concerns about the comment period or our next steps, please do not hesitate to reach out to either of us.
Thank you for your continued advocacy and support,
Dan Cole, M.D.
ASA President
Jeffrey Plagenhoef, M.D.
ASA President-elect


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Hotel Photography in Drumnadrochit
A recent shoot for the Loch Ness Lodge Hotel who were looking for new images for their brand new website. The hotel is just a few minutes away from where I live and work in the beautiful village of Drumnadrochit, right on the shore of Loch Ness. Photographing the hotel was a delight and focused on traditional Highland details such as the warm cosy open fires and Whisky !


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Me & EU Beazley Designs of the Year : Graphics Nominee
Q&A with Nathan & Sam
In this collection of interviews, some of this year's Beazley Designs of the Year nominees share their design stories, challenges and aspirations.
What makes good design in your opinion?
Good design seems like a collection of so many qualities and subtleties that we could probably write a small essay talking around it. However, in an attempt to distill just the very top line, we'll try and answer in three sentences. Good design has to be useful and solves a problem and ideally fulfils something that wasn't possible previously. It also has to be so simple and intuitive on a human level that interacting with it is instantaneous and seamless. And the very best design is, in addition, ethically, socially and environmentally responsible.
What three words would you use to describe your project?
Reconnecting. After. Brexit.
What was the first conversation you had with your team, which brought about the inception of your design?
Our process with this project was slightly different as this was something that the two of us have been collaborating on in evenings and weekends. This means us two are the 'team'. The first conversation we had was actually as soon as we woke up on the day of the EU referendum result (23 June 2016). Both of us were actually away in the EU (Nathan in Croatia, and Sam in Corfu) at the time and so we were directly surrounded by what we were going to be missing out on. Brexit affected the two of us in a way that a political decision hadn't affected us previously - we felt that we definitely needed to do something.
Take us through your thought process and design thinking for this project?
There were multiple different avenues we could have taken the project (campaign posters, pins, flags, pickets) but we knew this wasn't the time anymore. We were very aware that we didn't want this to become about trying to reverse Brexit and change political discourse. The reality was the vote had happened and that the UK was (sadly) exiting the EU. Our issue was that the event had fuelled a state of introspection and negativity as both 'remain' and 'leave' camps attempted to imagine the possibilities of a post-EU Britain. The projection being exerted through mass media outside of the UK didn't add up with what many people felt inside of the UK. This left a lot of people we knew with an embarrassed, misunderstood feeling. It was this that made us realise we needed to do something that aspired to look outward, reach beyond our island shores and reconnect. Outside of all the political division and definitions, we all wish to remain in touch and keep talking, right? And so how better to connect and get people's voices heard than to share a personal note on a postcard? It felt like a perfect medium.
How did the subject matter influence your design approach?
I think it is fair to say that we both have never seen ourselves as 'political activists'. This was the first time we'd ever worked on a project like this and at a time of such political heat, we felt it was very necessary to imply an additional sensitivity to our design approach and be politically smart. The cards, of course, represent the heartfelt opinions of people who wished to remain and so we had to be careful this didn't get misconstrued as a political campaign to force a change of the result. We had to make sure that the way we executed the project, and even steered some of the art direction for the individual cards, continued the same sentiment of positivity, with good humour, and the underlying sentiment of staying together.
Who has inspired your design career?
We are inspired by lots of design projects and designers. However, a common theme of the people who inspire us is their dedication to their craft. For example, Sam in inspired by the work of Richard Long and Michael Landy and Nathan by Christien Meindertsma. But an example who is specifically a designer would be Tony Brook. We love what he has done at Spin and his desire to change the studio, and also what he has done with Unit Editions and wanting to expand his practise into education.
What obstacles did you face whilst working on your project?
Money & sleep.
What does it mean to you to be nominated for this year's Beazley Designs of the Year?
We were stunned when we found out that we had been nominated — completely blown away. Probably one of the best emails we've ever received. It really is a massive honour to have the project featured alongside such amazing, inspiring work and designers.
What's the one thing you'd like people to remember about your design when they leave the exhibition?
That postcard where Nigel Farage is Jack Nicholson in the The Shining was hilarious! No, we'd quite like it to be remembered as the tagline the Design Museum gave it: 'A way to say we're still together'.
What does changing design mean for our cities and communities?
Changing design for us means helping people as much as you can. It's about making things as simple for communities, creating communication and dialogue, and also breaking down barriers. In a small way, this project embodies this thinking. It allowed us to work on something we stood for, evaluate our beliefs and opinions and communicate this. Whether that's for yourself, on the behalf of another or with a whole bunch of people.
If you had one piece of advice to a young designer, what would it be?
This is definitely cliché and we've all heard it before — 'It's all well and good having an idea but you've got to do it'. But as much as we'd heard it again and again, this project proved it for us. It was just a case of making small, sometimes repeated, steps and starting really small. Don't be afraid to just go for it, some things work out, some things don't and some things take a while. Take the risk regardless, because you will learn from either experience.
ME & EU is a collection of postcards written and designed by UK-based creatives and sent across Europe as a means to reconnect the United Kingdom with the EU in the wake of Brexit.
Book now
The annual Beazley Designs of the Year exhibition returns, providing a snapshot of the very best in innovative and exciting design from the past year.


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We are all guilty of wondering how some individuals seem to be able to get so much more done in a day then we do.
As someone who studies the routines and habits successful individuals use each day, I've noticed the individuals in Silicon Valley seem to be constantly pushing boundaries forward. Who else is going to get your burrito delivered to your front door via a drone?
Wondering what keeps these folks going to achieve such a high output, I simply decided to ask.
I've spent the past month interviewing 15 startup founders to dive into the habits, tips and hacks they use that keeps them productive and motivated each day. Some have sold companies for over eight figures and many have had their products and services featured in top tier publications.
The interviewees and links to the amazing things they are working on:
Will Bunker –Co-Founder @ Match.com, GrowthX Academy
Sam Parr – Founder @ The Hustle.
Neil Patel – Forbes Top 10 Online Marketer. Founder @ Quicksprout, KISSMetrics
Luke Williams – Founder @ Blue Sea Studios, 2 minute revolution
Dennis Yu – #1 Facebook Ad Expert in the world. Founder @ Blitzmetrics
UJ Ramdas – Co-Founder @ Intelligent Change. (5 minute Journal).
Ameer Rosic – Co-Founder @ BlockGeeks.
Mike Brcic – Founder @ Sacred Rides, The Social Entrepreneur
Sol Orwell – Co-Founder @ Examine.com, SJO.com
Dave Burns – Co-Founder @ Singularity Growth Accelerator
Josh Fraser – Founder @ Torbit (Acquired by Walmart), Din, EventVue
Lea Von Bidder – Founder @ Ava
Floyd Marinescu – Founder @ InfoQ, QCon Conferences
Josh Fechter – Head of Growth @ GrowthX Academy
Kumar Thangudu – Founder @ LinkTexting, GrowAmp
Name your top 1 to 3 habits you have that help you stay highly productive and motivated each day.
I use three specific tactics each day to prepare my body and mind. These are sitting meditation, regularly moving my body through working out, walking and yoga along with Bulletproof tea for sustained energy.
Dave Burns
Proper sleep pattern is critical to me. Everything you do is impacted by the quality of your sleep, why would you mess around with this? I also ensure I keep an avid curiosity by reading stimulating things and expressing gratitude by spending time with my family.
Ameer Rosic
I start and end each day writing down what I am grateful for in the Five Minute Journal. This helps keep everything in perspective. I also use the Productivity Planner to plan out my entire day and meditate regularly.
UJ Ramdas
Regularly going for walks helps clear my mind and push out noise.
Will Bunker
I use conscious focus and then relaxation. I do a block of 30-90 minutes of heads down work, and then I take a break of roughly 30 minutes. REAL focused work is incredibly powerful, and most people just never do that. I'm not a big fan of grinding, as your throughput and quality just suffers greatly.
Sol Orwell
I distill all tasks into a top 10 ranking of importance for the day. I then start at top and do just that task till completion before going on to the next.
I also regularly review tasks and push them to a later date if they are less urgent. I have folders of pushed tasks that I never look at until that date, which takes those tasks totally out of my consciousness till then. This allows total focus on current top action items.
Creating this back log of less important tasks also allows your staff to know exactly what they should work on when their time frees up. The question of them asking "what do I do?" doesn't come up. Instead they always come to me with multiple options, and their recommendation. This exercises their judgment, and leads eventually to them being able to handle all decisions independently without consulting me.
Luke Williams
For me it is critical to get a good night's sleep. I threw away my alarm clock! Along with this I also emphasize getting regular exercise (using running or climbing) and reading regularly to always be improving my mind.
Josh Fraser
Gratitude to start the day; exercise sometime during the day, having a full breakfast.
Dennis Yu
I optimize my nutrition intake each day to avoid the energy crash that can happen. For me, this means I avoid carbs most of the time. Serotonin is a hormone secreted by carb intake and generally one you want to avoid that when you are trying to get things done.
I also avoid alcohol. In my younger days, I abused this a little too much. However, I've since given up alcohol (about three years ago) because the hangover and side effects impacted my entire week. I simply just wasn't able to perform as effectively as I do now.
Sam Parr
I use meditation and then map our One-Page Strategic Plan. This informs and breaks down my daily schedule down to 1/2 hour chunks.
Mike Brcic
I start each day prioritizing fitness and meditation. I work out in one form or other every morning as well as meditate daily. My workouts alternate between several options so each morning feels interesting: kettle bells, weights, kungfu, a 1 hr walk, ecstatic dance, or a qi gong + pranayama set (for lazy mornings).
Floyd Marinescu
I walk 2-3 hours every day, write four hundred words each day and tell two people I appreciate them.
Josh Fechter
I use a ton of digital tools to stay hyper productive when I'm at the keyboard. My three favorite tools are Instapage.com for making marketing pages, TextExpander for speeding up any actions on the keyboard, and lastly FoxType for making sure I send emails that are polite.
Kumar Thangudu
I wake up in the morning, check my schedule for the day and make a specific to-do list of what I want to achieve that day. It ensures I stay focused. I don't only do this for each day but also for weeks and months. This is so I always have targets for a given week and a given month and work towards fulfilling them.
Sometimes stepping out of the office and working from a different place helps. A change of scenery keeps things fresh. I like sitting down in a nearby coffee shop to prepare for important meetings.
Lea Von Bidder
I approach the day with massive organization, knowing what myself and my assistant need to get accomplished. I work out every single morning before starting my day and then spend some time getting dressed up. We all feel more confident when we look good and it's noticeable in how you approach the day. I spend a large chunk of my day calling (actually calling with a phone) and connecting with other entrepreneurs and business partners. This helps me provide value where need be and build potential deals. I've made many close friends this way and I find it keeps things interesting and worthwhile.
Neil Patel
Do you have any specific morning routine you follow to prep you for your day?
Hell yes. I wake up, make myself Bulletproof tea, meditate, do various weirdly effective journaling practices, and meet with my team. Dave Burns
I wake up and drink 1 litter of filtered water to re-hydrate and kick start my digestion. I then turn on my espresso and sit underneath my infrared light while doing my Five Minute Journal. Ameer Rosic
Here is the exact routine I follow each morning. Wake up. Five Minute Journal. Make bed. Cold shower. Supplements. Brush teeth. Do pullups. Stretch. Meditate. Plan out flow of the day. Eat breakfast. Head out to get some work done! UJ Ramdas
Yes, it's about 90-120 minutes starting at 5/5:30 am. In order: Vivid Vision review/affirmation, yoga, meditation, journaling, set daily schedule, read 20 pages, do 1/2 hour on a passion project. Mike Brcic
Wake up, meditate in bed a bit, work out, shower, eat a healthy breakfast, read for 10-20 min and then go to work. Floyd Marinescu
Check emails and Facebook mastermind groups I manage, eat oatmeal and peanut butter, drink coffee, and then walk for an hour and a half. Josh Fechter
I do a serious of active stretches on my bed for a period of time. Can't start a day with loose hips! Sam Parr
I have a set routine to start the day. I read my favorite politics site (www.electoral-vote.com), then take a two-minute cold shower while blasting some Skrillex, take my meds (yay genetic disorders), and go for a little walk while sipping my can of coke zero. I get home, do the 5 Minute Journal, and am just rearing to crush it by then. Sol Orwell
Setting my priorities for 20 minutes at start of day so I know exactly what to do. Dennis Yu
I have a boot-up and shutdown list. Boot-up includes reflecting on the top item to move my company forward now or what's been causing the most stress. The plan is then to address this immediately. I practice inbox zero and empty my inbox from top-to-bottom; clear any residual notes from yesterday; quick checks of Asana task system and Slack messages and pull top items from task folders and organize them. After this I turn on Do Not Disturb for Slack and my phone and start my focus block. I prefer four continuous hours uninterrupted. Luke Williams
Every morning, I wake up and do workouts with the Freeletics app on iPhone. Kumar Thangudu
Name one thing you couldn't get through each day without.
Mindfulness. Dave Burns
Seeing my family. Ameer Rosic
Meditation & Journaling. UJ Ramdas
Reading. Mike Brcic
Meditation. Floyd Marinescu
Walking for at least 30 minutes. Josh Fechter
Diet Root Beer. The Hustle
The 5 Minute Journal. Sol Orwell
Proper sleep. Dennis Yu
Boomerang Extension for Gmail. Luke Williams
1Pass – A tool for managing all my login info. Kumar Thangudu
Chocolate. Ava
Monster Energy. Will Bunker
Purpose. Josh Fraser
A Green juice. Neil Patel
A number of tools were mentioned throughout the interview. To make it easy here they all are.
- 5 Minute Journal
- The Productivity Planner
- Instapage
- Textexpander
- Foxtype
- Freeletics
- Asana Tasks
- Slack
- 1Pass
- Bulletproof Tea
Featured photo credit: Shutterstock 197404370 via shutterstock.com


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Bike Lending Services (BLS) is a trusted and leading lender that gives motorbikes (boda boda ) on credit terms in Nairobi.
BLS LoansBLS as a lender, serves both individuals and companies who wish to acquire bikes on credit .
At BLS ,you are quickly on the road after being approved to take any of the many available motorcycle brands including Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki ,TVS and more.
BLS Contacts and LocationVisit Promiso Plaza,City Stadium,
Jogoo Road, Nairobi.
Anyone can contact Bike Lending Services customer care through;
Mobile ; 0777 772 077
Landline; 020 440 3090
Email; firstname.lastname@example.com


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Knolls Fire Update 6/30/20
Contact: Kari Peak (385) 707-3471 | Knolls Fire PIO
Knolls Fire Update 6/30/2020
Twitter: @UtahFireInfo
Summary : Knolls fire resources worked to secure containment lines and extinguish sources of heat within and around the fire perimeter. Resources benefited from cooler weather, allowing them to reach 75% containment.
Start Date: June 28, 2020
Location and Jurisdiction: south of Saratoga Springs, west of Utah lake
Cause: Human caused, under investigation
Fire Size: 12,977
Complexity: Type 3 Incident Command
Percent Contained: 75%
Fire Behavior: Smoldering, creeping
Structures Threatened: Residences, outbuilding, structures, and critical infrastructure
Fuels and Terrain: The fire is burning through grass and brush on steep terrain.
Fire Crews/Resources: 13 engines, 1 watertender, 4 (20 person) crews, and 3 helicopters. Total of 235 personnel
Evacuations and Closures: Evacuations have been lifted. Residents may return to their homes. Hwy 68/Redwood Road is now open. BLM-managed lands in and around the fire perimeter are closed to access until further notice.
For more information on fires in Utah, visit www.UtahFireInfo.gov
For more information on fires across the country, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov


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