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The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection has contracted with Centauri Labs, a full service environmental testing laboratory with expertise in analytical and radiochemical testing, to conduct radiochemical analysis in and around the state's nuclear power plants.
Under the contract, Centauri will be providing analyses for gamma spectroscopy, gross alpha/beta, strontium-89/90, tritium, and iodine-131 in milk, air particulate, charcoal cartridges, soil, fish, vegetation, and aquatic sediment.
Joe Hernandez, chair of Centauri Labs, stated, "This contract will allow Centauri Labs to leverage our experience in radiochemistry and our recently established Center of Excellence for Radiochemistry Facility in our Montgomery, Ala., location. Additionally, this contract will extend Centauri's reach into radiochemical monitoring of nuclear power plants and allow for growth in this segment moving forward."
Centauri took this opportunity to develop new protocols for analysis of different samples types, including milk samples; with these protocols now in place, Centauri is one of the few labs in the United States that can accept and perform radiochemical tests on a broad menu of matrices.


text: I definitely agree with you. I've had hikers tell me that, without mountains, how could it possibly be worth walking? The FTA web site is the place to tout our uniqueness-- really should post pics of all our favorite places - we all have them and they tell a great story. And why weren't we mentioned in the AHS winter hiking issue? Just 'cause we don't need snowshoes? I can't believe there's no one out there who wouldn't mind winter hiking in shorts! Pam -----Original Message-----

subset: commoncrawl


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Role and Functions of the Commission
The major role and function of the Commission can be summed up in four key points:
- Prevention
- Investigation
- Enforcement
- Education and Enlistment of public support
The Commission seeks to promote integrity, particularly among "persons in public life" – from the level of Ministers of Government and Members of Parliament to Permanent Secretaries, Chief Technical Officers and members of the Boards of Statutory Bodies and State Enterprises.
The Commission is required to regulate the conduct of "persons exercising public functions" through the receipt of declarations of income, assets and liabilities, and by monitoring compliance with the Code of Conduct presented in Part IV of the Integrity in Public Life Act, 2000. The Commission is responsible for examining the practices and procedures of public bodies in order to facilitate discovery of corrupt practices.
Public education to foster an understanding of integrity among the wider community in Trinidad and Tobago is a key responsibility of the Commission.


text:
Beetle Bog Revival is a maze game with turn based gameplay, starring a bone-collecting(or perhaps bone-eating) little creature trying to not be caught by the denizens of his hunting grounds.
Standalone Linux release of Beetle Bog Revival's Demo
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.


text:
- Original article
- Open Access
Defining the learning curve of point-of-care ultrasound for confirming endotracheal tube placement by emergency physicians
- Jordan Chenkin1, 2Email authorView ORCID ID profile,
- Colin J. L. McCartney3,
- Tomislav Jelic1,
- Michael Romano2,
- Claire Heslop2 and
- Glen Bandiera2, 4
© Chenkin et al. 2015
- Received: 16 June 2015
- Accepted: 26 August 2015
- Published: 17 September 2015
Unrecognized esophageal intubations are associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality. No single confirmatory device has been shown to be 100 % accurate at ruling out esophageal intubations in the emergency department. Recent studies have demonstrated that point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may be a useful adjunct for confirming endotracheal tube placement; however, the amount of practice required to become proficient at this technique is unclear. The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of practice required by emergency physicians to become proficient at interpreting ultrasound video clips of esophageal and endotracheal intubations.
Emergency physicians and emergency medicine residents completed a baseline interpretation test followed by a 10 min online tutorial. They then interpreted POCUS clips of esophageal and endotracheal intubations in a randomly selected order. If an incorrect response was provided, the participant completed another practice session with feedback. This process continued until they correctly interpreted ten consecutive ultrasound clips. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data.
Of the 87 eligible physicians, 66 (75.9 %) completed the study. The mean score on the baseline test was 42.9 % (SD 32.7 %). After the tutorial, 90.9 % (60/66) of the participants achieved proficiency after one practice attempt and 100 % achieved proficiency after two practice attempts. Six intubation ultrasound clips were misinterpreted, for a total error rate of 0.9 % (6/684). Overall, the participants had a sensitivity of 98.3 % (95 % CI 96.3–99.4 %) and specificity of 100 % (95 % CI 98.9–100 %) for detecting correct tube location. Scans were interpreted within an average of 4 s (SD 2.9 s) of the intubation.
After a brief online tutorial and only two practice attempts, emergency physicians were able to quickly and accurately interpret ultrasound intubation clips of esophageal and endotracheal intubations.
- Endotracheal intubation
- Endotracheal intubation confirmation
- Ultrasonography
- Education
- Upper airway ultrasound
Emergency intubations are associated with a significant risk of esophageal intubation, which can be rapidly fatal if not recognized and corrected quickly [1]. Qualitative color capnography is commonly used to help to confirm endotracheal tube position; however, it has been shown to be indeterminate or unreliable in a significant proportion of emergency department patients [2]. In addition, capnography requires that ventilations be delivered to the patient which can increase the risk of aspiration if the tube is misplaced in the esophagus. No single airway confirmation device has been shown to be 100 % accurate in all patient scenarios; therefore, emergency physicians should consider the use of multiple confirmation techniques to reduce the risk of an unrecognized esophageal intubation.
Recently, there has been increasing evidence supporting the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for confirmation of endotracheal tube placement. Ultrasound can be used to identify the endotracheal tube position in real time with a high degree of accuracy and without the need for any ventilations being delivered to the patient [3–14]. Two recent meta-analyses found a combined sensitivity of 93–98 % and specificity of 97–98 % for the use of ultrasound for confirming endotracheal tube location [15, 16]. A strategy of combining POCUS and capnography may significantly reduce the risk of an esophageal intubation going undetected and prevent the associated patient morbidity and mortality [9].
Despite the increasing evidence to support the use of POCUS for confirming endotracheal intubation, there is limited data to guide training protocols for this technique. Specifically, the required amount and optimal format of training as well as the number of scan interpretations required to achieve competence with the technique have not been evaluated. Since the consequences of misinterpreting an intubation ultrasound could be devastating, it is important that any training protocol is sufficient for the learners to achieve a very high accuracy at image interpretation. The objective of this study is to determine the amount of practice required by emergency physicians to achieve proficiency with interpretation of POCUS video clips of endotracheal tube placement.
Study design
We conducted a prospective educational study to evaluate the learning curve of interpreting POCUS video clips for endotracheal intubation. Using the principles of effective Web-based educational material development, we developed an online educational module covering the technique of using ultrasound for confirming endotracheal intubation [17]. We designed an online assessment tool that allowed us to track the number of practice attempts and correct and incorrect interpretations from each participant. The educational module and assessment tool were pilot tested by several physicians with experience in the technique and modifications were made based on their feedback. The study was approved by the institutional Research Ethics Board and each participant provided informed consent.
Study setting and population
The study was performed between July and October 2014. All emergency physicians from a single academic emergency department and emergency medicine residents from the associated university program were invited to participate, regardless of their prior experience level with POCUS. The emergency department has an active ultrasound program; however, there is significant variation in its clinical use among the emergency physicians. The residency training program includes a 1-month rotation in emergency ultrasound; however, the curriculum does not include any training on the use of ultrasound for endotracheal tube confirmation.
Demographics of intubated patients
Age, mean (year)
64.1 ± 15.2
Female sex, no. (%)
11 (55)
Weight, mean (kg)
80.1 ± 13.3
Height, mean (cm)
171 ± 10.4
BMI, mean (kg/m2)
27.3 ± 3.3
Difficult airway, no. (%)
4 (20)
Study protocol
Emergency physicians and residents were invited to participate in the study by email invitations sent by a research coordinator. Participants were directed to an online tutorial where they first completed a baseline questionnaire and a baseline image interpretation test consisting of five esophageal and five tracheal intubation videos in random sequence. For each video clip, participants were asked whether the tube was placed in the trachea or the esophagus. Following this baseline test, participants completed a 10-min Web-based tutorial which covered the background of POCUS for confirming endotracheal intubation, ultrasound technique, image interpretation, and common pitfalls. Our tutorial included commonly accepted ultrasound findings for tracheal intubation (fluttering movement of the tube within the trachea and no change in the appearance of the esophagus) and esophageal intubation (appearance of a 'double tract' second shadow adjacent to the trachea). Following the tutorial, the participants completed a single practice interpretation with specific feedback provided based on their response.
To evaluate the learning curve, participants then completed an online test asking for interpretation of ultrasound clips of esophageal and endotracheal intubations selected in a random order. If the clip was correctly interpreted, they proceeded to the next clip. If the clip was incorrectly interpreted, the participant was required to complete more practice with feedback. No clip was seen more than one time per participant. This process continued until the participant achieved ten correct interpretations in a row. We selected ten sequential correct interpretations as our end point based on pilot testing with several staff, which suggested that the number of interpretations required to achieve proficiency was significantly less than ten. Following the assessment, a questionnaire was completed to assess participants' comfort level with the technique.
Self-reported comfort scores were measured using an anchored 5-point Likert scale. The assessment protocol was scored based on the number of practice sessions required, as well as the amount of time required to interpret the scans. Clip interpretation time was measured from when the intubation clip first started playing until interpretation was completed.
Data analysis
Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp, WA, USA). Descriptive statistics were used to report pre-test scores, number of practice attempts, and time to interpretation. Sensitivity and specificity of image interpretation were calculated along with their 95 % confidence intervals by pooling all of the interpretations performed in the assessment phase of the study. Comfort scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test using a two-tailed p value.
Demographics of study participants
Staff physician
25 (37.9)
Resident physician
41 (62.1)
9 (13.6)
7 (10.6)
9 (13.6)
7 (10.6)
9 (13.6)
Basic ultrasound certification
45 (68.2)
Attended advanced ultrasound course
18 (27.3)
Previous intubation ultrasound experience
12 (18.2)
Comfort levels with image interpretation and performance of ultrasound scan before and after the tutorial
p value
Comfortable or very comfortable with interpretation of images
1/66 (1.5 %)
63/66 (95.5 %)
Comfortable or very comfortable with performance of technique
1/66 (1.5 %)
48/66 (72.7 %)
The use of point-of-care ultrasound for confirming endotracheal tube placement is a relatively new, yet promising technique that may help to avoid the morbidity associated with unrecognized esophageal intubations. With any new procedure where the learning curve is not yet defined, it is important to understand the amount of practice required to achieve competence. There is a wide variation in learning curves for the various point-of-care ultrasound techniques used by emergency physicians. Some scans require a significant amount of practice, whereas others are quick to master [18]. With endotracheal tube confirmation, any new technique must be easy to learn, and results must be able to be interpreted quickly with a high degree of accuracy.
The results from this study demonstrate that after a brief online tutorial and only one or two practice sessions with feedback, emergency physicians can quickly and accurately interpret ultrasound videos of esophageal and tracheal intubations. There are several possible reasons that may be contributing to the relatively short learning curve for this technique. Unlike many other emergency ultrasound applications, the transducer is placed in a uniform location and once placed does not need to move. The anatomy is relatively consistent between patients and is easy to identify. Body habitus plays less of a factor than in abdominal scans, as even in obese patients the airway anatomy is easily visible on ultrasound.
Previous studies have demonstrated that point-of-care ultrasound is very accurate at differentiating esophageal from tracheal tube placement. However, many of these studies are limited to including very few sonologists or by having the investigators themselves performing the ultrasound scans [3–5, 8, 9, 12, 19]. This limits the generalizability of the results and provides no information on whether the scan technique can be performed by emergency physicians with limited experience with ultrasound for intubation.
Other intubation ultrasound studies that included non-expert sonologists reported accuracy levels similar to our study findings after only brief training interventions. Goksu et al. found that after a 15-min presentation, seven physicians achieved an overall sensitivity of 95.7 % and specificity of 98.2 % [20]. Ma found that after a 5-min briefing, seven residents achieved a sensitivity of 97 % and specificity of 100 % on cadaver models [21]. Uya et al. found that after a 20-min didactic session and a 30-min practice session, eight novice pediatric emergency medicine fellows achieved a sensitivity of 96 % for tracheal location [22]. These studies were limited by the small numbers of participants and the use of a cadaver model for the intubations.
One previously published study attempted to evaluate the level of difficulty of endotracheal tube localization using ultrasound [23]. In this study, 29 participants with different levels of general point-of-care ultrasound experience identified endotracheal tube location on cadavers. In this study, experienced sonologists (defined as having >150 scans) demonstrated a higher sensitivity and specificity compared with less experienced sonologists (sensitivity 75.0 vs 62.0 %, specificity 62.5 vs 37.9 %). This study was limited by the use of cadaver models and a static technique after the intubation was completed, which may have led to the relatively poor accuracy [21].
Our study adds to the previously published literature in several ways. First, we included a large cohort of staff and resident physicians with a broad range of ultrasound experience from complete novices to some who have completed an ultrasound fellowship. Unlike many of the previous studies, we used live patient intubations as opposed to cadaver models. We also included patients with a wide range of body habitus and scan difficulty ranging from easy to difficult to interpret. Our study is the first to use repeated practice with tailored feedback to determine the learning curve for interpreting intubation ultrasound clips. Despite the variation in experience level and patient population, we found that all participants were highly accurate with their ultrasound interpretations after only two practice attempts with feedback.
All of the clip misinterpretations in our study were due to tracheal intubations thought to be in the esophagus. While not as dangerous as missing an esophageal intubation, this error may still result in patient harm if a correctly placed tube is unnecessarily removed. The findings of this study fit with our real-world experience, where the fluttering movement seen with correct tube placement is more subtle than the double tract sign of an esophageal intubation. To avoid this pitfall, one strategy is to locate the esophagus before the intubation and observe if it changes during the passage of the tube. If it does not, the tube is located in the trachea. If a second shadow appears where the esophagus lies, the tube is in the esophagus. Another important pitfall which was not seen in this study was the esophagus that lies posterior to the trachea. In this situation, identification of an esophageal tube can be difficult. This pitfall can be avoided by keeping the transducer placement as low as possible on the neck and applying slight pressure to help bring the esophagus into view.
This study has several limitations. For logistical reasons, we only evaluated image interpretation and not image generation. In actual practice, emergency physicians must be able to simultaneously generate and interpret images to make clinical decisions in real time. However, we have found that generating ultrasound images for endotracheal tube confirmation is relatively easy compared with other ultrasound techniques. Our test bank of ultrasound clips was relatively small, consisting of 20 esophageal and 20 tracheal intubations. However, we included clips taken from patients with a broad range of neck anatomy and difficulty of intubation. We selected ten consecutive correct interpretations as a marker for proficiency, and it is possible that a larger sample would have revealed different results. However, we noted that the vast majority of participants were successful after only one practice attempt, supporting our theory that these images are relatively easy to learn. It seems unlikely that many more cases would have made a difference in the study findings. For logistical reasons, the tutorial and evaluations were completed on the same day. Ideally, a washout period would be preferred to test knowledge retention. Finally, the ultrasound clips taken of elective intubations in the controlled environment of the operating room may not be generalizable to emergency department intubations, where images may be more difficult to generate or interpret.
In this study, we found that emergency physicians were able to accurately interpret ultrasound clips for endotracheal intubation after a brief online tutorial and only two practice attempts. Given that image interpretation appears to be easily learned, this technique may be a useful adjunct to other airway confirmation devices in the emergency department. Future studies are needed to determine the learning curve for airway image generation and to confirm these findings in emergency department intubations.
Authors' contributions
JC conceived the study, participated in its design and execution, and drafted the manuscript. CM helped to acquire the video clips used in the study and revised the manuscript. TJ assisted with data collection and analysis, and revised the manuscript. MR assisted with data analysis and revised the manuscript. CH assisted with data analysis and revised the manuscript. GB assisted with the study design, data analysis, and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Compliance with ethical guidelines
Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Authors' Affiliations
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READ: Blog article on DAL deal, April 28, 2016
Well the Delta Air Lines (DAL) deal for 75 x CS100's and 50 options is done, and brings the current order book to 325 'firm' orders, though the 40 aircraft order by Republic Airways (USA) from February, 2010 is out, as that airline is in Chapter 11, and the Bombardier contract will cancelled during the bankruptcy process, so its only 285 'firm' orders right now, with a LOI by Air Canada for 45 x CS300's to become an order soon, so 33o 'firm' orders by the end of May is possible, and unfortunately all are at a loss, so WHEN if EVER will Bombardier make money with the CSeries ?
The Air Canada deal will be a big money loser for sure, it's LOI was waiting for the DAL deal, I am sure the Air Canada deal helped secure the DAL, and Air Canada's CEO Calin Rovinescu, surely has to get 'tough' with Bombardier and get the same discount DAL got ! because had he gone to Boeing for the Max7 and now Max7.5 he would have received a huge discount.
As Air Canada has Max8 and Max9's on order, and Boeing with it's vast product line, is also able to encourage further Max orders with good discounts on future B787's , which Air Canada loves and the B777-300ER's, this is what Boeing can bring to the table versus Bombardier, and why Bombardier will NOT succeed in the end with the CSeries.
NOTE: I have always questioned roughly 90 orders (36% of "firm" orders) on the Bombardier CSeries order book as "highly" doubtful (e.g. Ilyushin Finance, Republic, Odyssey, Iraqi Airways, Gulf Air, Lease Corp Int'l, etc.). Bombardier has been deceiving the market with inflated order book, I get it, it is embarrassing after 8 years to have only 330 orders. But orders reflect demand, and that should have been a RED FLAG for the past 5 years, as airlines were not lining up to order, even when oil was $+100 per barrel and there was no A320neo, B737Max or Embraer E2's, now oil is $+/-40 per barrel and all new aircraft have new fuel efficient engines, and the competitive advantage this so called "game changer" had, is gone ! Now it must compete on PRICE, good luck with that !
Especially worrying is the fact the current commercial products are dying, the Q400 has 33 orders in backlog and the CRJ line has 77 orders as of March 31/16, but has received in April 2 orders, an order for 5 x CRJ900's from long time Canadian customer Chorus Aviation and 4 x CR900 order from Trident Leasing for CityJet, so back log is 86 tight now.
Based on 2015 deliveries of 29 x Q400's and 44 x CRJ's, the current backlog for the Q400 line is good for 14 months (June, 2017) and the CRJ line is good for 24 months (May, 2018), so basically by 2019 the CSeries is THE Commercial Aircraft Division for Bombardier, and that don't look good for a long term sustainable business.
The Republic Airways deal was done in December, 2013 when Republic Airways sold Frontier Airlines for $36 million in cash after buying it for $108.8 million and and agreement not to pursue $150 million in unsecured bankruptcy claims, but Bombardier has kept the order on its books knowing it was not going to happen.
Bombardier is a company desperate for money and orders, having spent $5.3 billion on the program by 2015, it wrote of $3.4 billion on that program in 2015, as it also wrote of $243 million on the CRJ-1000 program and between 2014-2015 it also wrote off $2.6 billion on the Learjet 85 program, a sad testimony to the leadership of then President/CEO Pierre Beaudoin, a walking disaster that has taken the company to the brink of ruin during his 76 month reign as President & CEO of Bombardier (June, 2008 to February, 2015).
Now, Pierre is leading a Bombardier project to start and finance an airline in Iran ? good, let him stay there and run it ! and let President and CEO Alain Bellemare run the show, hast of to the guy for taking on this huge mess and trying to make it work, maybe 2 years earlier things would be different today.
So the big DAL deal is as expected, a huge order WIN for the CSeries order book, BUT a huge LOSS for the accounting books, as desperation has lead to a reported by Aviation Week, Reuters, Bloomberg and private sources 75% off the $71.8 million list price of the CS-100, or $18 million per aircraft, less than the list of a current 48 passenger ATR-42-600 turboprop !
This means the widely acclaimed great victory deal worth $5.6 billion ($74.6 million/aircraft ?) is in fact $1.4 billion or $18.6 million for each CS100. That is a deal with a huge loss, far beyond the the planned 2Q/2016 $500 million "onerous contract" (a type of contract where the costs involved with fulfilling the terms and conditions of the contract are higher than the amount of economic benefit received) charge for the 120 aircraft going to Delta (75 x CS100's) and Air Canada (45 x CS300's, still LOI at this time), or $4.16 million per aircraft. Basically, Bombardier has entered into an agreement that it knows will lose money and it records the loss, and can record the costs later as it understands its costs better around the time of delivery.
The only winners at Bombardier on this deal will be the executives that get a "bonus" for the sale, even though it will lose hundred of millions of dollars, but those executives will be long gone when the CSeries is shut down and orphaned, as this program cannot continue to lose money, but there is NO LIGHT at the end of the tunnel for profitability, the market is tough, dynamic and changing over the next 4 years, to make it impossible to survive for long.
Though, I believe there will be more to that "onerous contract" with time, as Air Canada has a LOI, and I am sure that CEO Calin Rovinescu, like the smart executive he is, waited for the DAL deal, and will now ask for the same terms and conditions that DAL got away with, and Bombardier surely knows that and more and more "special charges" will be forthcoming during between now and 2020.
So already we know, as expected the Bombardier is doing loss making deals to get orders, something I have been warning about on this blog for some time, as this is the reason why the CSeries is doomed, the 100-150 seat market has a low demand (53 last year, peak in 1991 at 330, last 10 years averaged 180 per year, next 10 years 140 per year at best) and with 4 manufacturers, deals are fought over with huge price discounts, as low as 75%, and Airbus and Boeing can afford such discounts as they produce almost 700 aircraft annually each across a very wide product line.
Meanwhile Bombardier will get to 120 CSeries per year maybe by 2020, and no Q400's or CRJ's as those products have 33 (Q400) and 86 (CRJ) in backlog, at best 24 months without more orders, but Commercial orders are now down to a book to bill ratio of only 0.10 (10 deliveries to 1 order), as the ATR72-600 turboprop and the E175 regional jet slaughter the Bombardier products in sales by a wide margin.
In a market where demand is low, pricing/margins are low how can Bombardier ever survive financially competing with competition from Airbus, Boeing and Embraer, which have lower cost of production in single aisle aircraft, healthier balance sheets and products just as economical as the CSeries ? It CANNOT survive for long, the writing is on the the wall.
From information I have, the cost of producing a CS100 will be $+/-29 million and $+/- 34 million at some point in the future, as Bombardier plans to build between 255 (minimum) and 315 CSeries (maximum) by the end of 2020. So by that, they should be ALL SOLD OUT thru 2020 with it's current 330 'firm' orders (inc. Air Canada-LOI).
This DAL deal means that on each aircraft, Bombardier looks set to lose $10.4 million ($18.6m – $29.0m) per aircraft, or $780 million dollars for the 75 'firm' CS100's. So with revenue worth $1.395 billion for the 75 aircraft and costs being around $2.175 billion, that is a profit margin of -56% on the deal ?
This is it, the exact reason why this 100-150 seat market will KILL the CSeries in the end, it is the BLACK HOLE that has swallowed up the A318 (81 dleiveries) B737-600 (69 deliveries) and now slowly killing the Bombardier CRJ-1000 (44 deliveries in 6 years and a $243 million write down in 2015 due to "low demand).
The manufacturers are fighting over a few orders, and when they come up, the margins are low to negative, like United's deal for 65 x B737-700NG's in February, deal was done at $22 million per aircraft, mainly to bridge NG production with Max production, makes sense, but 75% off by Bombardier just to get its 1st new order in 19 months ! a big order for sure, but when will Bombardier's CSeries be profitable ? Probably NEVER, the market dynamics are against it, from demand, pricing, competitors, production costs, market power, they should have never tried to enter the market of Airbus and Boeing (130+ seat airliners).
A simple SWOT analysis would have warned Bombardier that the duopoly (Airbus and Boeing) would react very strongly to any newcomer into their "turf", and the duopoly is right to attack the CSeries, it is business, and you do not give your foe any room to grow, you attack when the enemy is vulnerable, disorganized, and still not up to full strength.
Bombardier will not make money on its first 330 orders which take deliveries into 2021, and profitability means ramp up production to the 10 per month they say they will have by 2020, but the there cost of production will never match or come close to the single aisle production (A320neo line and B737Max line) of around 60 units each per month. Then Bombardier needs to get its prices up, but how do you go up from $18.6 million per CS100 ?
The price is so low and now yes many airlines will show interest in the CS100/CS300 if nothing else but to use Bombardier has a pawn against Airbus, Boeing and Embraer for a better deal, and to get to a profitable price of $33+ million for a CS100 and $36+ million for the CS300 will be difficult with Airbus and Boeing in attack mode, in fact every order for the CSeries may be a financial loss and how long can you do that for when Bombardier is now begging for Federal Government money ? They say they need $2 billion for the net 2 years, but judging by this deal they will need billions more for years.
It will be a vicious merry go round, lower your price a great deal and you win a deal but lose money, lower your price by less and you lose the deal, deems like a done deal to me, and probably why they tried to sell the whole program 7 months ago to their competitors. The duopoly is the BIG league, the NHL of aerospace and Bombardier came from the minors, the AHL and a AHL club cannot compete in the NHL.
The duopoly has its own problems, its own single aisle market is going to come under intense competition by 2020 from China's Comac C919 and Russia's Irkut MC-21 airliners, all using modern western engines, avionics and very competitive in performance, seating, range and economics, so PRICE will be the weapon, the duopoly is ramping up production of its A320neo and B737Max lines to get units costs as low as possible.
In such a BIG league, Bombardier has NO PLACE, it cannot match the money, investment, production, unit costs and thus pricing, it will be GAME OVER by 2020 either way, the program was ill conceived, yet the aircraft is fantastic, but fantastic airplanes do not drive demand, and the CSeries is in a horrible segment, 100-150 seats that will soon be joined by a 5th manufacturer, the Russian Sukhoi SSJ130 (stretched SSJ-100), and all 5 will fight over +/-140 orders in the 100-150 seat market, there may be a winner, but most will lose here.
Bombardier fantasy forecast is for 7,000 aircraft over 20 years (350 aircraft per year average) in this segment, which defies history, as the peak was 330 units in 1991, and they expect the current fleet of 4,400 to grow to 8,100 by 2024, through 7,000 new aircraft and 3,300 retirements. But those retirements are not being replaced by 100-150 seat aircraft but 150+ seat aircraft. The very worrying things is that Bombardier also forecasts that during those 20 years, those 7,000 new aircraft will have a revenue of $460 billion, which comes to $65.7 million per aircraft (70% of the total revenue forecast for the 60-150 seat turboprop market.
And now I understand why they were so optimistic back when they launched the CSeries, but what we are seeing now is much lower demand then they thought (140 per year versus 350 per year on average) and prices much lower per aircraft ($+/- 33 million versus $65.7 million), so demand is only 40% of forecast and prices are 50% of forecast, so I get a market attractiveness that is 20% of what they thought it was.
This is the BLACK HOLE for several aircraft programs for sure, and it will destroy the CRJ-1000 soon while the B737Max7 is now being "replaced" and re-positioned slightly out of the segment as the B737Max7.5 (shrunken Max8, for 150 seats in 2 class), and the market will be left to the new Sukhoi SSJ-130, E190-E2 and E195-E2 to battle it out with the CS100, while the CS300 will battle the A319neo and the B737-Max7.5.
The money is in the 150-240 seat single aisle market, the mist lucrative segment in commercial aviation, where today the Airbus A320/321neo's have 4,364 orders versus 50 (A319neo) in the 100 to 150 seat market, a 87:1 sales ratio, while Boeing B737Max8/9's have 2,871 orders versus 60 (B737Max7) in the 100-150 seat market, a 48:1 sales ratio,.
Says NOVELS about where the market IS and where the market is NOT, and the programs that do fail are usually in market segments that are small and have been entered to early or too late, in Bombardier's case-too late !
As for Business jets, Bombardier will deliver 25% less aircraft this year (+/- 150 aircraft) than in 2015 which was 199 business jets which itself was down 2.5% on 2014 deliveries of 204 aircraft, so things are looking bad their too especially as the "cash cow" Global 5000/6000 (which in 2014 were 43% of Aerospace revenue) were down to 73 in 2014 from 80 in 2014 and look to be below 55 this year with only 14 deliveries in 1Q/2016., and the future lies with the highly questionable G7000 which I wrote about in this BLOG March 22, 2016 and why it will NOT be a success like the Global 5000/6000 line.
The LearJet 70/75 line is also dying, and I expect the company to be sold within 2 years, as deep price discounting have kept the line at 32 deliveries in 2015 and 33 in 2014, but with the cancellation of the Learjet 85, there is NO future for the brand, it will sadly die with the Learjet 70/75 with only 1 delivery in 1Q/206. The Challenger 650 (ex-605/604/601/600) is a tired aircraft, now 36+ years old, it is facing new competition and with 36 deliveries in 2014, and down to 25 in 2015 the model is dying slowly with 2 deliveries in 1Q/2026.
Only the Challenger 350 looks good with 14 deliveries in 1Q/2016 and 68 in 2015 and 54 in 2014. Across its product range, Bombardier is under attack with new models and rejuvenated competitors like Gulfstream, Dassault, Textron smelling 'blood' and going for the kill product by product.
The 5 year Transformation plan for 2020 by Bombardier for its Aerospace is a joke, they plan on $5.8 billion in revenue from Commercial, and $9.1 billion from Business jets, for a combined revenue of 14.9 billion.
Sadly at a best 120 CS100/300 units will be delivered in 2020 could generate around $4.0 billion in revenue at BEST, probably less due to major price discounting by competitors and it is very doubtful that any Q400's or CRJ's will be produced past 2019, and if they do limp into 2020 the production rates will be very low at best 12 a year for each supplying existing operators, as the ATR-72-600 and E175 are proving to be much more attractive for customers.
The business jet side will not have the Learjet by 2020 and most likely the Challenger 650, and the G7000 will replace the G5000/6000's by then, so how many $72 million G7000's , $30 million Challenger 350's to make up $9.1 billion in business jets, well if we assume 60% by revenue the G7000, then it means 75 x G7000's and 121 x Challnger 350's ! NOT possible.
Realistically 30 x G7000's (tough competition from ACJ319neo and BBJMax in the market that is today averaging around 16 single aisle ACJ and BBJ's per year ! where is the market ??? and then maybe 65 x Challenger 350's, so I am seeing total revenue around $4.1 billion for 95 business jets (G7000's, Challenger 350's) and no Learjets, G5000/6000 and Challenger 650's.
No bright future in sight in my opinion, as Aerospace is looking at $8.1 billion in revenue by 2020, with CS100, CS300, G7000 and Challenger 350.
In 2015 the ATR-74-600 had 65 firm orders and 81 deliveries VS 26 Q400 orders (60% less than ATR) and 29 deliveries (64% less than ATR) and most Q400 orders and deliveries are to Canada's WestJet Encore and Chorus Aviation.
In 2015 the Embraer E175 had 94 firm orders and 82 deliveries VS 25 CRJ900 orders (73% less than Embraer) and 38 deliveries (53% less).
After 8 years it is still a very sad order book, nothing to brag about for sure, while Embraer's new E2 family of E175, E190 and E195 have after less than 3 years of sales and marketing, 325 orders as of today.
Till next time thanks for reading my blog !


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Balance Your Energy, Balance Your Life
Ancient wisdom meets cutting-edge technology
The healthcare practitioner at West Coast Micro Acupuncture uses the AcuGraph Digital Meridian Imaging system as part of an integrated approach to your healthcare. Here is more information about the role of AcuGraph in your care and why we have chosen to use this equipment.
- What is AcuGraph?
The AcuGraph Digital Meridian Imaging system is a computerized tool used to analyze and document the energetic status of the acupuncture meridians. We will use the system in a short examination by touching a moistened probe to acupuncture points on your hands and feet.
- What are Acupuncture Meridians?
Acupuncture meridians are energy pathways in your body that have been used therapeutically for over 5000 years. These meridians conduct life-force energy, or Qi (pronounced "chee") in and around all the parts of your body. Blockage or interference in these meridian pathways can result in energetic imbalances that may contribute to negative health conditions. The primary goal of acupuncture treatment is to restore energetic balance and proper energy flow to these meridians, thus allowing your body to function normally and return to health naturally.
- How can AcuGraph help me?
The AcuGraph system allow us to measure and analyze the energy level of each acupuncture meridian. Armed with this information, we can make better-informed decisions about your condition, and provide the best treatment possible.
- What does my P.I.E. score mean?
Within the P.I.E. chart, each wedge of the circle represents one meridian pathway. Those shown in green are balanced and functioning properly. Colors that do not extend to the edge of the circle identify and classify your meridian energy imbalances.
Your P.I.E. (Personal Integrated Energetics) score includes a complete analysis of all your meridian pathways and reflects the overall health of your meridian energy system. A perfect score of 100 reflects complete balance and unimpeded flow of your Qi energy. A lower score means there are various imbalances that you and your healthcare practitioner should address together.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why does my Acupuncturist use AcuGraph?
AcuGraph is the premiere measurement tool of its type on the market today. It provides a fast and efficient exam, gives the most advanced treatment options, and allows us to easily track your progress. AcuGraph is the natural choice for practitioners who are committed to high-quality care and outstanding results. We insist on providing the highest quality care, and this is the most important reason we have chosen the AcuGraph system.
What should I expect during my AcuGraph exam?
The entire exam only takes about 2 minutes. All You need to do is: remove your shoes and socks, hold a metal bar and sit comfortably during the exam. Your practitioner will touch a probe lightly to your skin in various spots on your hands and feet. During the exam, you will hear the computer produce gradual tones that mean the exam is progressing properly.
Is AcuGraph Safe?
AcuGraph uses a tiny electric current to test the conductivity of each of your acupuncture meridians. This electrical current is extremely safe so anyone can take it even infants and elderly, except the ones who have pacemaker or other implanted medical device.
Will I feel anything?
The only thing you will feel is the moist probe cotton tip touches your skin. It's very unlikely you'll feel the electric current as it's too small to be felt in most cases.
What will I learn from the AcuGraph exam?
The AcuGraph exam will show you the balance of energy in your acupuncture meridians. This balance or imbalance is an important key to understanding the state of your health and potential health issues. Your practitioner will help you understand the exam results in the context of your current condition.
If I have energy imbalances, does it mean I'm sick?
Not necessarily. It only means there is an imbalance. According to acupuncture theory, energy imbalances in your meridians, left untreated, may lead to health problems. That's why it's important to locate and correct imbalances—before they become severe.
My energy level from the test is VERY low, but the graph baseline shows most green, why?
One of the reasons for such low readings is due to poor health which actually reflects a low overall qi in the body. "When the qi level is VERY low, the graph will tend to be all green because there simply aren't enough variations in the readings to categorize anything as excess or deficient."
Patients who showed the "flat out green" phenomenon generally had qi level of less than 20 or 30 percent. A more "reflective picture" is obtained with patients having qi level of 30 percent or more.
Is one exam enough?
In general, you'll start with your first exam to establish a baseline. If you choose for acupuncture treatments, you will have an AcuGraph exam before each treatment to track your progress.
How often should I have an AcuGraph exam?
Once your initial imbalances are corrected, it's a good idea to follow up occasionally—so you can catch problems before they grow. Your acupuncture practitioner will recommend how often you should be checked.


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We can provide sign panels in traditional (aluminum, Dibond®, Priplak®, PVC, Akylux®) or specific (ABS flexible injected plastic, ARTEX®) materials that are specially adapted to ski areas.
In this extensive range, you will find the ideal product for your requirements, suitable for extreme conditions (wind, temperatures) or simply for one-off events.
Our pictograms come from standard ski and MTB images, but can also include custom images according to your requirements under request.
We use high quality adhesive designed for outdoor use.


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40 mins prep
1hr 40 mins prove
160ml Milk, warmed to 45°C
1x7g sachet Fast Action Dried Yeast
Yeast is a living organism which produces carbon dioxide when it ferments. This gas naturally expands the dough helping to give the loaf a good volume. It also matures and develops the dough, providing flavour through the production of complex compounds.
Fast Action Dried Yeast (Easy Blend Yeast):
A powdered yeast which generally comes in sachets and can be added straight into your cake/bread mix. Used in all our recipes for ease.
Dried Yeast (Active Dried Yeast):
Comes as granules that are added to water and sugar to activate.
Fresh Yeast (Cake or Compressed):
A solid block of yeast with a short shelf life, that is stored in the fridge and activated by adding to water and sugar.
Sourdough Starter:
A naturally grown yeast that takes longer to activate, but is easy to digest. See our sourdough starter recipe.
350g Carr's Strong White Flour
75g Caster Sugar
½ tsp Salt
100g unsalted Butter, softened
100g Dried Sour Cherries
50g Currants
50g Sultanas
175g Mixed Peel
200g good quality Marzipan
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
Icing Sugar for the topping
Lightly grease a baking tray. Sift the flour, caster sugar and salt into a large bowl, then rub in the butter to make a fine crumb texture. Make a well in the centre of the ingredients, add the yeast, then gently stir in the milk to make a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead in the fruit. Knead for about ten minutes to create a smooth even texture.
Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and roll the dough to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to prove for one hour - it will double in volume.
Gently knock back the dough and tip it onto a floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to make a 20 x 10cm rectangle. Roll the marzipan into a rope a little shorter than the long side of the flat dough and place it in the centre of the dough. Fold the dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal.
Place the loaf, seam side down, on the prepared baking tray. Cover with a clean, damp tea-towel and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. While the loaf is proving, preheat your oven to 180°C (Fan 160°C, Gas Mark 4).
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 150°C (Fan 130°C, Gas Mark 2) and bake for a further 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cover the loaf with a cloth and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.
Dust the cooled loaf well with icing sugar, sprinkle over a little cinnamon for a spicy finishing touch.
Milled in the UK by Carr's Flour Mills Limited, Solway Mills, Silloth, Cumbria CA7 4AJ


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Final Project
In the second half of this course, you will implement an open-ended software development project related to code analysis, debugging, or profiling tools for Python. We will schedule time in class to guide you through the project development process.
You can implement your project using whatever languages, libraries, or open-source frameworks that you like, but it must work on Python 2.7 source code. (We recommend you implement your project in either Python or C.)
Although you will be doing a lot of coding for your final project, ultimately the most valuable and lasting artifacts are the ideas embodied by your project, not its code. That is why you will be graded mostly on the blog posts written about your project. You are free to make your code public and link to it from your posts. But realistically, people are unlikely to re-use your code; they are more likely to learn from your ideas.
More details coming soon!


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by Sajjad
I am a Canadian born citizen, looking to move to Bolivia for investment purposes. I know there are other countries in which you can purchase your citizenship if you are willing to demonstrate your ability to desposit a certain amount of funds into their local bank, obviously as a show of good faith, that you are legitimately coming to their country for investment purposes.
I wanted to know if such a situation exists for Bolivia, and if through this process I could obtain citizenship faster than with other routes, and also if I can obtain citizenship without having to stay in Bolivia for an extended period.
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Business.


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Okay, so the holidays are over. Now what?
Back to writing, that's what. Now the visiting and eating and lazing around in front of the cricket are done, gotta get back to work.
But it's hard. My brain gets accustomed to not being used 🙂 and the little bugger likes it. My usual word goal is 2,000 per day, and I'm struggling to make it. And I should be excited, because I'm starting a brand new manuscript, the fourth book in my Shadowfae series. It's got an interesting heroine, a self-tortured hero, cool bad guys, a vengeful demon subplot and loads of hot sex.
So why do I feel like watching tv? Or going shopping? Or to the beach? Or milling about in the garden, or walking the dog, or doing anything except sitting in front of my computer and pumping those words out?
I could sit here and analyse. Maybe I'm 'blocked', whatever that means. Or I'm tired, sick, over-stressed, hormonal, headachy, need a break, got too much on my mind. Whatever. Boo hoo.
Truth is, it doesn't matter a damn what my problem is. No amount of navel-gazing will get those words on the page. I'm a writer. I have deadlines. I must write. End of story.
And I need to have faith that my mojo, muse, inspiration, fun factor, writing juice will come back. Just because I'm having a rough few days doesn't mean I'll never write well again, or that the story's broken, or my vocab's somehow dried up.
I've done this before. I can do it again. So I only made 700 words today. So what? It's better than none. Which is how many I'd have if I gave up and went to the beach.
My point? There's no value in being hard on yourself when things aren't going well. Don't stop. Don't give up. Persist. Scale your daily goals back if you have to — because goals are there to make you feel good when you achieve them.
Not to make you feel bad when you don't.
So, yeah. I made 700 words today. Good for me. That's 700 words closer to the end of this manuscript.
And if I don't go to the beach tomorrow — if I show up at my computer at 8 am like a good little writer — I'll make more.
So what do you do when things aren't going well with your writing? Any coping strategies? I like to break the writing session up into little chunks, and give myself a small reward after each. Does this work for you? What other tips can you share for getting yourself out of a slump?


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Star Trek is a hot commodity, and for a time it was also a license that skipped around the gaming industry like a redheaded bastard stepchild between aunts and uncles. Everyone wanted it, but Star Trek doesn't come as a whole package and it doesn't come cheap. Each series of fiction has its own set of properties and its own set of intensely overwhelming contracts that need to be signed before the goodness can come. At one point in time Interplay owned the rights to develop and distribute games from the Original Series, Simon & Schuster owned all things Deep Space Nine, and 479932.html" class='autolink'>Activision had its massive hands on Voyager and Next Generation.
But times have changed, with two major retail failures behind it, Simon & Schuster let its DS9 license slip and with troubles and takeovers and layoffs and departures, there wasn't much Interplay could do to retain its piece of the Trek pie. That leaves Activision, a company that now has the entire set of Star Trek playing cards under its belt. Whatever it wants to do, it can do. And it wants to do Starfleet Command III.
"To hell with the Original Series," the company said. "Let's take it to the Next Generation."
The days of Sulu gallivanting about space are long behind us. Picard now rules the bridge with uncontested authority and will in fact be contributing his voice talents to the game, and he's going to prove it by dispatching aggressive Romulans, Klingons, Cardassians, Ferengi, Borg, and even miscellaneous pirates as he sees fit. Out of the above races, only the Klingons, Romulans, and Federation have playable campaigns in the title's linear single player adventure, but the others should be fully exploited with the help of SC III's newly enhanced and highly toned Dynaverse 3 persistent online component that now lets gamers join fleets. Battle hundreds of players at the same time as part of larger teams? Why not?
Just like the previous iterations, Starfleet Command III is all about two-dimensional tactical combat in a three-dimensional world that's true to naval style simulations. That is, vessels are lumbering craft that require a high degree of maintenance and management to be successful and combat is far more planning and thought than execution.
But aside from the core gameplay fundamentals, this threequel is very different, streamlined, and improved.
Most noticeably, the interface has been completely reworked to now be more accessible, less obtrusive, and a fraction as overwhelming. Simplistic and accessible is the philosophy behind SC III, but pretty and deep is what the game is all about.
The graphics, probably not up to Bridge Commander levels, are richer and more tangible than they have ever been. Explosions are thicker and filled with more debris, astronomical phenomenon are highly realized, and planets and stars are even more massive than before and richly colored and lit. But, gameplay is easily what's getting the biggest rework and improvement. Ships will be fully customizable, with the ability to add weapons. In fact, it was boasted to me that nearly any aspect of the game can be customized.
Add to that some 25 ships (about 10 of which are original -- four for the Romulans, three for the Klingons, and a few for the Borg). Of course, the Federation ships are what you and I are most interested in...
This is hardcore Star Trek. BC was for everyone, but Starfleet Command is for the ultra nerd and the ultra nerd alone (even I, in all my nerdy greatness at times felt overwhelmed by the original two and Orion Pirates). So, it's nice then that this version will retain all of the comprehensiveness and depth of those first titles, but will also try, through a new interface and expanded options, to be for us average geeks.
We'll have more information on Starfleet Command III in the coming months. But for now, please enjoy our screenshots in the media page below.


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INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Angelo Dodaro (Vice President, Zedd Records)
Infectious Magazine recently had the pleasure of interviewing Angelo Dodaro, Vice President of Zedd Records and Director/Head Social Media Strategist with Top Dog Social Media. We discussed how he got started in the music business, what makes a great networking profile, advice for students aspiring to work for a record label, and much more.
Hi Angelo, thanks for taking some time out to answer a few questions! To start off, can you tell us a little about your background and how you initially got involved with Zedd Records?
Like most people in the music business, I got started as an artist. I'm a guitarist, singer/songwriter and producer but also an entrepreneur. I've spent many years studying production and audio engineering, managed to work with some Juno-nominated acts on my own as an engineer and overall been obsessive about the art of making great records.
I was running a social media marketing company (and still do) when I first met president of Zedd Records, Mark Zubek. I knew I wanted to work with a more experienced producer to learn the ropes while simultaneously working on my own songs to work towards an EP that competes with hit-radio.
Mark and I had a total blast writing our first song together and became good friends through the production process. Even though he was already doing as many songs per month/year as he could handle, that meant taking on a lot of non-musical tasks that ate up a lot of his time. Now he can focus on music 100% while allowing me to take over an area well within my expertise so we can start moving to the next level.
As the Vice President of the label, what does a typical day of work involve for you?
Smoking the finest Cuban cigars while drinking scotch (neat) on the back of my yacht.
In all seriousness, it's a lot of emails, content creation for our blog and podcast, social media management, organizing workshops, coordinating strategic partnerships within the industry and lots of other boring stuff.
The fun part comes when I help Mark co-produce tracks. Unfortunately I don't always have as much time to help as I want but I see that changing as our team grows.
What is the most common mistake you see bands make when trying to contact the label and how can they rectify it?
Everybody wants something for nothing. If you're going to reach out to somebody – whether it's an agent, manager, record label or any industry professional – you have to consider what you have to offer them. It's disappointing to see how many artists still hold on to the fictional rock star persona before they've created something of value to offer anyone.
Nobody is going to come and offer you a contract that's going to change your life overnight with no work. You have to build something tangible which means already having a solid fan base, hit-quality songs and productions already getting buzz, etc.
An increasingly popular trend right now is the rise of obscurely named subgenres – witch house, vaporwave, and slowcore to name a few. From a marketing standpoint, do you think it helps or harms an up-and-coming band to label themselves under obscure genres rather than more conventional ones like rock, pop-punk, etc.?
If you're having a conversation with someone in your exact target market and they don't know what you're talking about, you're in trouble. If these artists put half as much creativity into their music as they did in naming their sub-genre, we'd have a lot more good music out there!
Along with your work with Zedd Records, you're also the Director and Head Social Media Strategist with Top Dog Social Media. Both companies feel similar in that they don't just exist to work with clients, but also to educate them. When it comes to building your name brand – regardless of your line of work – what is the most important lesson that can only be learned in the real world (meaning, outside the classroom)?
Good observation. I'm a HUGE believer in education-based marketing as a way to build credibility and bring you closer with your perfect audience.
The most important lesson to be learned in the real world is that you can spend all the time you want connecting with the who's who and keeping up with the Joneses but at the end of the day it's what you bring to the table to generate real RESULTS that matters. Talk is so disgustingly cheap and the music industry is bursting at the seams with it.
ACTION turns heads faster than anything else in any business, this one especially. Do you have one more fan today that loves you enough to spend money on your music, merch, live shows then you did yesterday? That's the only question that matters when building your career from the bottom.
With each passing year, it seems like younger folks have more opportunities to network themselves online and meet new people than ever before. What is an essential profile-building step that all students should take advantage of at an earlier age?
Fully complete your social media profiles and always look like a bigger deal than you actually are. This means having a professionally taken picture, custom-designed cover photos, a call-to-action driving your target market back to your website, etc.
It's crazy how many artists are dropping the ball here.
A currently hot topic in social media is the fast-rising popularity of Ello, which launched earlier this year. What are your impressions on the Ello experience in general and do you think it can/will become an essential networking tool for artists?
I've been keeping a comfortable distance from any new social networks. When you've been in the social media marketing world a few years, you get more selective about the trends you hop on and the ones you let pass. I think anything that provides value and fills a need will be successful. Whether or not Ello fits the bill is yet to be seen.
Back in August you did an excellent podcast about the mistakes bands often make in social media marketing, including advice on figuring out your target market and how to attract them. One point I especially liked was the importance of putting a well-done (and properly titled) cover video on YouTube. For bands that are planning to do this, do you find it's more beneficial to stay close to the song's original version or to rework it significantly? Or does it just depend on what the band is most comfortable with?
It's a matter of what the artist is comfortable with but also if they have a clever idea that takes a truly unique and interesting spin on it. Being different for the sake of being different can be a misguided venture but beautiful when it comes from a place of authenticity.
Stay true to who you are and have fun. People are drawn to that.
Continuing along YouTube lines, the company recently rolled out its brand new "Music Key" streaming service, which charges users $10 per month for ad-free and offline usage. There's been plenty of debate on the reception from users and the royalties for the industry's biggest artists, but how do you think the landscape will change for indie artists and, more specifically, Zedd Records artists?
Streaming is a red-hot debate for artists right now. I think that independent artists can't afford to close doors on certain opportunities the way mega superstar artists like Taylor Swift, for example. The royalties are garbage right now and until we find something everyone can agree on, we're stuck with a broken system.
Fortunately, I believe there is more great music than ever before. Sometimes it's tough to see that when there is so much more noise around it. People can't live without music so something eventually has to give. If I made a prediction I'd likely have to put my foot in my mouth in 2-3 years and that's not an appealing thought.
What major changes, if any, do you see coming in the music industry in the next 5-10 years? What is one change you'd particularly like to see?
A viable business model for streaming and fair compensation for songwriters. People enjoy consuming content this way, we just need to find a way to make it work for the content creators too.
For young folks hoping to have successful careers in the music industry one day, how important is it to utilize LinkedIn and do you have any tips for doing so properly?
LinkedIn is key if you want to network with the industry. I've made some great connections and started successful partnerships with a LinkedIn message. Just make sure you always lead with the value you can provide when reaching out to others. Don't focus on what they can give you, it's about how you can help them and their goals.
More specifically, do you have any advice for readers who hope to work at a record label after they graduate?
Mark says something that has stuck with me: "You have to be too stupid to quit." I think that's the truth. Being in the music business is like a blessing and a curse because you simply CAN'T do anything else, even if you wanted to. I've tried to get away but I keep coming back!
My biggest tip is to bring a skill set outside of music. There are so many talented musicians out there, it's not at all uncommon. The reason I got the opportunity to join Zedd Records is because I had a background in marketing and was competent enough to deal with clients. It's really nothing extraordinary but most people try to break in offering to get coffee and stuff like that but there isn't really much value in those positions and they don't give you an opportunity to show what you can do.
Understand what that record label is trying to accomplish and get obsessed with finding solutions to those problems. We turn down 99.999% of the people that reach out for work, even if they offer to work for free. The people we have said yes to are the smart and fearless hustlers.
Thanks again for taking some time out of your day to do this! Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Don't forget why you do this…you love music. You can never lose that spark that brought you to music in the first place. It's easy to get hung up on how to attract record labels, get radio play, land licensing deals but your job is to create music that connects with listeners and leaves an emotional impact on them. Don't even think about marketing, record labels or pursuing management until you've got that under control.
Once you've got great songs, work with a producer that has a proven track record for getting real results for artists and creating music that competes with hit-radio. If your goal isn't to be successful in the music business then do whatever you want but if you want to make a career, focus on what matters most: songs and productions that connect with your listeners.
To learn more about Angelo and Zedd Records, check out the Toronto-based label's official website and be sure to read Owner Mark Zubek's excellent free e-book titled "The Indie Artist's Guide To A Successful Music Career".
Zedd Records on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud


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- "I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say." –Flannery O'Connor
Reclaimed StorifyFear not, my Reclaimed Storify stories are here!
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Tag Archives: MOOC
How to fix MOOCs with… Facebook. OMG.
No sooner did I push the publish button for one of my latest post on Facebook sharing, that I fell on this other gem of an article, form Campus Technology, reporting a spectacular series of stupidities. Article title is: Research: … Continue reading
Posted in education, philosophic-discourse Tagged course, MOOC, oxymoron Leave a comment
Another (Catholic) case against MOOCs.
On A Catholic Case Against MOOCs by Jonathan Malesic (Chronicle of Higher Education, September 16, 2013). The continuing discussion pro and against MOOCs produced (one year ago) a piece like this, where the case was made of a beneficial disconnect … Continue reading
Posted in nonsense Tagged MOOC, open Leave a comment
Some more thoughts on MOOCs
The Los Angeles Review of Books just published a debate on the future of the Humanities and the lion's share was, of course, the idea of MOOC: MOOCs and the Future of the Humanities: A Roundtable (Part 1 & Part … Continue reading
Posted in education, zenofteaching Tagged debate, education, Learning, MOOC, zenofteaching Leave a comment
MOOCs: a Flash
MOOCs. Just a quick thought that occurred to me in a flash of awareness, to add to the post I wrote a couple days ago. Let me begin with saying that I don't dislike Coursera. I think it is very … Continue reading
Posted in zenofteaching Tagged Coursera, education, MOOC, myths, zenofteaching Leave a comment
MOOCs, oh my
A hyperbole Continue reading
Posted in education, myths Tagged education, MOOC, myths, open, zenofteaching Leave a comment


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The proper name for PCP is phencyclidine. Like ketamine, it was originally designed to be used as an anaesthetic, but because it caused confusion and delirium its use was abandoned. PCP is now only used on animals and even then rarely. Some PCP users may be unaware they have taken the drug because it's sometimes a hidden ingredient of ecstasy and cannabis resin.
The Law
PCP is chemically related to ketamine and has the same legal status. This means that it's not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act and it's not illegal for an authorized person to possess it. However, its sale and supply are controlled under the Medicines Act and it's illegal to give it away or sell it.
PCP is stored in the body's fat cells, and therefore can never be completely eliminated. So if you take exercise or dance a lot, the drug in the fat cells will be stirred up again and your bad trip can come back, with hideous flashbacks.
PCP is a white, impure, crystalline powder. It's swallowed, snorted, smoked or - rarely - injected. Sometimes it's mixed with cannabis and tobacco and smoked like a joint, or occasionally as skinny brown roll-ups that have been dipped in liquid PCP.
- Never take PCP with other drugs.
- Don't take PCP when you're out clubbing.
- Don't take PCP if you have a history of mental illness.
- Never inject.
The PCP effect
Depending on how it's taken, the effects start in anything from a matter of seconds to about half an hour afterwards. There's a lot going on in the mind and body - it's said to be like taking amphetamine and acid, and drinking alcohol all at the same time.
- PCP acts as a stimulant, increasing body temperature, causing palpitations and boosting energy and confidence.
- But it also acts as a depressant, causing drowsiness, slurred speech, muscle rigidity and lack of co-ordination.
- On top of that, the hallucinogenic effect makes the user see and feel things that aren't really there. It can give a weird "out-of-body" experience and distorted body image.
- Because users lose their inhibitions and have a reduced sensitivity to pain, they often become AGGRESSIVE and violent.
- PCP also releases adrenaline so users become immensely strong; if they become obstreperous they often need several people to control them - and that means the police.
The PCP comedown
A PCP comedown is one of the worst. It can go on for days with alternate periods of sleeping and wakefulness, followed by memory loss of the whole episode. The after-effects of one dose can last weeks, even months, with anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia and depression.
PCP isn't addictive, but it's a horrible drug that can cause blurred vision, inability to speak or move, nausea, vomiting, memory loss, hallucinations and dehydration.
- If you're susceptible, your muscles may go into spasm and you could end up in a coma.
- People have died from prolonged fits (convulsions), a heart attack and even ruptured blood vessels in the brain as a direct result of taking PCP.
- There's a risk of permanent mental derangement from long-term use.
If something goes wrong
Ease your friend's fall and clear a space around her. Loosen clothing around her neck and put something soft under her head. When the fit stops, put her in the recovery position. Call an ambulance.
bad trip
Your friend may see or hear frightening things that aren't really there - this is known as hallucinating. Talk to him and reassure him that the things he can see or hear are imaginary and will soon pass. Stay with your friend until the bad trip is over.
If your friend is breathing, place her in the recovery position. Call an ambulance.
- Tell the medical staff what your friend has taken - it could save her life. Be prepared to resuscitate your friend if she stops breathing.
- If your friend vomits while unconscious, check that she's still breathing.


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Setting an Image for Pinterest
The other day while pinning a link to our "One Page" service I noticed that Pinterest's utility was failing to come up with a good image to display.
Unlike Facebook and Google+—where you can set a default image using open graph tags—Pinterest simply scrapes your site looking for url's defined with the "<img src=" tag. Very handy because most webpages these days have at least one or two images included in the page content. Buy what if the images within your content are small (less than 81px)? Or your images are defined in a CSS file? Or you simply want a specific image to display first?
This is where setting the image becomes necessary. Since the image that Pinterest chooses as the default will be the first image on your page that is defined, insert the following immediately after your pages "" tag.
The Code

Now when someone "Pins" your page, Pinterest will pick up this image. And since the opacity is set to "0" it will not display on the page or affect page layout.
Image Sizes
Images must be wider than 81px, however, it seems that no image is too big to be pinned. I would recommend something in the 500px (w) x 300px (h) range. This should be large enough for a nice graphical representation of your page/message, yet not too big that it slows processing down on your page.
For more on Pinterest images, check out this cool "Quick Guide to Pinterest Images" infographic.


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This page contains many of of the external publications that Technology Volunteers, and our members, have been included in. Visit our 'Links' page to find out more about each organisation.
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- Scratch@MIT 2012 Conference Attendees
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How to Make a Dog Toy out of Socks
by PETWONE
Dogs love to chew on socks, so keep them busy chewing on this easy sock toy instead of on your good socks!
1.Get some old socks you no longer need.
Except for the outer sock, all the other ones can have holes in them.
2. Take one sock (with no holes) and stuff it with about five of the other unwanted socks.
Fit them in so that they sit comfortably and the end result is squishy but not lumpy.
3. Cut a small slit each side at the top of the leg end of the outside sock to make something to tie with. (Leave the toe end intact.)
4. Tie the two sides together in a tight knot.
Press down as much as you can and tie again to prevent the knot from coming undone.
5. Fluff up the toy and make sure it's not lumpy.
It should look a bit like a two tailed fish but your dog will just see it as pure fun.
6. Give the sock toy to your dog and watch him have fun!
1. Choose an unwanted sock.
Preferably choose a long one but all types work fine.
2. Get a bit of cotton the size of a lemon.
Push it to the end of the sock and tie a piece of thread or string over it so the cotton stays put. This padding will allow your dog to get a comfortable hold on the sock.
3. Make two holes the size of your pointer finger opposite to each other on the open end of the sock.
Pass your fingers through these holes and give the stuffed part to your doggie.
4. Let your dog grab one end.
Hold on to the other. And tug away.
Dog toy pet:
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Cognitive Psychology: Theory, Process, and Methodology
As of 2019-04-20 07:33:31 UTC (more info)
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Manufacturer Description
Cognitive Psychology is a student-friendly text that introduces cognitive psychology's main topics by demonstrating how cognitive processes have been and continue to be studied by researchers. Employing the lauded pedagogical approach of her best-selling The Process of Research in Psychology, author Dawn M. McBride and co-author J. Cooper Cutting put the focus on the science behind current methods of study. Rich with real-life examples, the book's engaging presentation encourages students to see core cognitive psychology topics through the eyes of the researcher.
Key Product Details
- Trade In Value Currency Code: USD
- Trade In Value Formatted Price: $7.00
Product Features
Sage Publications Inc


text: Sometimes I drive. No, no it's not anything weird. It's not where I go and drive to the store or go out in the country and look at all the pretty plants and animals. I just drive. I do it in the middle of the night. When nobody else is out there. I don't speed. OK, I try not to speed. I usually end up speeding, but that's not the point. The point is …I sometimes drive. It's a time in my life, a time in my day, where all I do is drive. You might find that weird. That's fine. Everyone's allowed there own opinion, but everyone has there own "drive time". Some people may call it "play time". While other call it "music time" or "reading time" or "computer time". Some people may even call it "leave-me-the-hell-alone time". Every one has their own time. I have my drive time. What? You want to know what I do on my drive time. What else, I drive. That's it. I just drive. I rev my engine. I shift. I turn. I drive. I think of nothing else. I don't think of my bills, my work, my kids, or any other of the problems in my life. I don't even think about my car. For that 30 minutes. I am my car. I feel the tires huge the road. The wind slide over the hood. I am the car, but it only happens on my "drive time". Never any other time. Just my "drive time". Sometimes I get so involved that end up driving by old friend's houses. And as I drive by I see if I recognize any of the cars in the driveway. Usually I don't, but sometimes. Just sometimes I do, and I wonder. Would I still be friends with them if I had made more time for the friendship. But, then I down shift to 2nd and continue on my way. With the moment gone. I go home. That's what I do. Can I ask you a question? What do you call your time?


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Blocky Zombie Highway
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Blocky Zombie Highway
Blocky Zombie Highway
• Published Dec 15th, 2016 with 7874 gameplays
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Avoid all flames and radioactive obstacles and don't forget to kill your zombie enemies. Experience an awesome and relatively bloody experience! Unlock many different types of vehicles and try to finish all the levels! The graphics of this game are nice and cartoony. Watch out for all the barrels though! Control your car with your mouse and collect golden coins.


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Families: can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.
Rhonda Lee Brown, Chip Persons and Brynn Tucker perform stories about families even crazier than yours! Celebrating their 18th Season, Stories on Stage presents renowned actors performing dynamic and entertaining short stories. September 16 at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Single tickets are $15-$28. Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204. www.storiesonstage.org or call 303-494-0523.
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Product Description
Mid-life Amazing! Food for health, maintenance and enjoyment is a book for women who want to make their own conscious changes in mid-life, rather than just witness the changes that menopause is making to them. It describes the small, daily tweaks to food behaviours that will result in a healthier life, healthier weight, healthier attitude, and a better functioning body. It is not about dieting, calorie counting or going without. It does, however, address the issue of a slowing metabolism in mid-life… often the reason for abdominal weight gain, sluggishness, and trouble losing weight via methods that have worked previously. If you have become frustrated with your changing mid-life body and are not sure where to start to implement sensible, do-able and long term lifestyle changes, then this book will guide you.
With more than 170 pages of information, and over 45 simple recipes, Mid-life Amazing! arms you with the facts about fat burning foods and how to boost a slowing metabolism. Discover which foods are best for heart health, bone health, combating cellulite, supporting sleep, weight loss, and reducing inflammation to prevent disease. Eat to ease mood swings, hot flushes and premature aging and – perhaps the biggest single factor for staying free from chronic illness – eat for a happy, healthy gut. All of these significant mid-life topics are discussed with practical application.
The philosophy is eating with balance; 80% healthy and 20% indulgence. Knowing what the good foods are, incorporating them into every day, and having healthy sweet treats on hand that will allow you to stay on track by satisfying your cravings.
If you have been hearing about the amazing health benefits of bone broth, or turmeric…. or gelatin, matcha, sauerkraut, chia seeds or cacao but are not sure how to include them in your daily eating, then you will find recipes and tips for doing just that.
'I had to learn how to heal with food when I developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome after fertility treatment in my 30s' says Lynda. 'Then when menopause came early, I had to adjust again to overcome flushes, mood swings, weight gain, poor sleep and renewed fatigue. We are bombarded with so much information about healthy eating that it can be overwhelming. You need to weed out what doesn't work for you to find a food lifestyle that makes you feel energised and happy, while also giving you the best chance of staying disease free. I hope that you can use my learning as a place to start to figure out what works for you…. and that you will be inspired to make the changes for living a better mid-life.'
Food is life sustaining, pure enjoyment! Getting older should be a joyous release… With smart choices, a few metabolic tricks, and wonderful superfoods you can find your weight management/well-being balance, enjoying food without fuss while knowing you are taking the best care of YOU!


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To set your roles around your core purpose means to center your life on principles.
In keeping your direction in this vast confusing world, you need your North Star, your immovable point of reference. you might not be able to change the direction of the wind, but, certainly, you can manage your sail and rudder, so to speak.
But in this journey, your vehicle must contain what matters to you the most. Imagine if you're on vacation and when you reached your destination you forgot your wife and children at home. You can't afford to reach your destination and forget the very important matters to you. Right?
So how do you keep on rolling in this wonderful adventure and keep your balance? What makes it worth the trip?
Here are three rules to set your roles in proper perspective.
1. Prioritize Your Relationships.
We all are made for relationships. Foremost is your loved ones or family. You have to find meaning in your role as a spouse, parent or family member.
Another relationships we have are friendships. You have to build meaningful and genuine relationships with special individuals and significant influence in your community or workplace.
For me, as believer and follower, the most important relationship I have is with God. It keeps me centered. I'm not sure about you, but having relationship with someone greater than yourself is worth prioritizing in this life.
2. Pursue Your Calling or Vocation.
Work is more than earning money to provide for your needs and buy what you want. You can actually find eternal significance on your temporal job, work or business. That is if you consider this calling and career as part of the expression of your relationship with God.
For some, work is a form of worship, while it's rat race for others. Some people take it as blessing, while others have it as burden. However, if you have a sense of purpose, you can turn your work as part of your spiritual calling.
Do you find meaning in your work or business? In what ways your tasks serve as an expression of your mission for living?
3. Persist in Your Passion.
What are you passionate about? If money is not a problem, what would you love doing with your life?
A lot of people find meaning on their passion. Some are into expressing their creative geniuses in arts, music, athletics and academics, while others volunteer to serve others, make difference and improve the world.
There are also passionate people for worship, loving God and fellow people. Whatever interest you have that are true, good, compassionate, noble, and right, pursue them. Be true to your heart and conscience.
At the core of your life and leadership is purpose. It is the hub of all your roles, functions and responsibilities. You may leave behind a legacy or wealth, but having to live without purpose will make you void in the end with all the tools and ploddings.
With your center of gravity, all fit together.


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The Portland City Council will consider Open & Accountable Elections at a hearing on Thursday, November 3. Be there for our democracy.
The City Council needs to hear your voice. They need to see that you want a democracy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected.
Portland City Council Hearing
When: Thursday, November 3, 2:45 pm–6:00 pm
Where: City Hall Chambers, 1221 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204
RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/portland-city-council-meeting
Can't make it to the hearing?


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Brush Creek Evergreens
684 Garland Road Breezewood PA 15533 USA
Phone: (814) 735-4285
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Christmas tree farms near Brush Creek Evergreens:
Christmas tree at Sellers Tree Farm (14 mi)
Christmas tree at Pine View Haven (24.8 mi)
Christmas tree at Acampora Farm LLC (25 mi)
Christmas tree at Elliotts Tree Farms (25.7 mi)
Christmas tree at Eagle Evergreens (29.5 mi)
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★★ ½
Title: November Rain
Series: Bad Bloods Duology
Author: Shannon A. Thompson
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Genre: Dystopian
Date: 15th July 2016
Format: eBook
Source: eBook provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis from GoodReads:
Seventeen-year-old Serena isn't human. She is a bad blood, and in the city of Vendona, bad bloods are executed. In the last moments before she faces imminent death, a prison guard aids her escape and sparks a revolt. Back on the streets determined to destroy her kind, Serena is spared by a fellow bad blood named Daniel. His past tragedies are as equally mysterious as her connection to them.
Unbeknownst to the two, this connection is the key to winning the election for bad bloods' rights to be seen as human again. But Serena is the only one who can secure Vendona's vote. Now, Daniel must unite with her before all hope is lost and bad bloods are eradicated, even if it means exposing secrets worse than death itself. United or not, a city will fight, rain will fall, and all will be threatened by star-crossed love and political corruption.
My Thoughts:
This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Originally, the Bad Bloods duology was published as a single book, but this time it has been divided into two parts. I had to give this first part, November Rain, 2.5 stars because I really didn't get chance to enjoy it. Just as I was starting to get into the story, it cut off abruptly and I wasn't entirely sure I'd read the second part.
It is a character driven book, which is very clear in November Rain, as there is very little plot to speak of. Most of this book is set-up and world-building for the second half, and I felt that it really let it down. Personally, I couldn't get attached to the characters in this book, and was often confused between the dual perspective that we see; I had to constantly stop and figure out who was talking.
The premise of the novel, the Bad Bloods, is really interesting, and I loved seeing the powers that each character had (think X-Men style awesomeness). The world-building was good, but I did feel that there wasn't much action or character-development in this first part.
However, the writing is fantastic, and the first chapter definitely intrigued me. From page one I could feel the potential that this story held, and although I didn't love the first part of this book, the duology as a whole was brilliant.
November Snow Spoiler Free Review: coming soon


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Online jewelry shop offering beautiful and certified cultured pearl jewelry at online-only low prices. With pearl necklaces, pearl earrings, pearl rings, pearl pendants, pearl bracelets & more, you'll find perfect gifts for Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas, and for every woman's birthday! With a passion for quality, style, customer service excellence and shipping world-wide at very affordable rates, let them share with you their appreciation for the beauty and wonder of pearls, without
- Listing ID#184259
- Listing TypeExpress-5
- AddedMar 30, 2012


text: Seller: bizarresales1 (959) 100%, Location: Brooklyn, New York, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 292358943477 Here we have for your consideration and amazing piece by Meissen. A rare Estate find. White porcelain decorated by gold leaves. Great attention to detail that Meissen is known for. Due to age, there is some gold loss. Otherwise I find no cracks or chips. This is a large piece. Please see all pictures as they are part of the description. Ask questions before bidding. PayPal due within 48 hours. Check out our store for other great listings. In case the return, buyer pays return shipping.