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Executive Council: Gay Jennings' sermon at closing EucharistPosted Apr 21, 2012 |
[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs] The Rev. Gay Jennings, Episcopal Church Executive Council member from the Diocese of Ohio whose term is ending, preached during council's closing Eucharist in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 20.
Jennings' sermon follows in full.
Episcopal Church Executive Council
Closing Eucharist
April 20, 2012
The Rev. Gay Jennings
Diocese of Ohio
Member, Executive Council
In the Name of God. Amen.
I'll open with a poem that I have grown to love.
The Swan by Rainer Maria Rilke
This clumsy living that moves lumbering
as if in ropes through what is not done,
reminds us of the awkward way the swan walks.
And to die, which is the letting go
of the ground we stand on and cling to every day,
is like the swan, when he nervously lets himself down
into the water, which receives him gaily
and which flows joyfully under
and after him, wave after wave,
while the swan, unmoving and marvelously calm,
is pleased to be carried, each moment more fully grown,
more like a king, further and further on.
The Church longs to be transfigured – changed into the likeness of Jesus – from glory to glory. I believe this is really what the conversations regarding structure are about. As Winnie Varghese has said, mission is the restoration of creation through covenant relationships. And structure, therefore, is the servant of mission. The servant of the restoration of creation.
Matthew's Gospel for the Feast of the Transfiguration tells the story of the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountaintop with Peter, James and John.
The transfiguration happens immediately after the confession of Peter at Caesarea Phillippi. Jesus had asked the disciples to describe how they understood him having traveled together some time. Peter is always Peter. Peter blurted out "You are the Messiah." Jesus then tells his disciples and friends that he will suffer and die in Jerusalem and Peter quickly objects.
Peter is rebuked by Jesus and then gives the disciples a clear choice. They can follow him if they accept that danger that lies ahead. If, however, they put their personal safety first, they must leave.
Six days later, Jesus then takes Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain where they see Jesus transfigured and are given a glimpse of the glory of the Christ soon to be revealed. They were given a glimpse of the future – they were given hope in the place of fear, and doubt, and confusion.
You and I have seen people both transfigured and transformed throughout the Church during this triennium as we have served on Executive Council together. Our actions as a governing body impact the hearts, souls, bodies and minds of the people known and unknown, many of whom are in need of transformation of one sort or another. Yet, the longer I serve this Church we love so much, the more worried I become about the exhaustion I see in some of the servants. You are tired after serving Executive Council for three years, or six years, or longer as staff or officers. Maybe there are people in your congregations, your dioceses and your provinces who are weary and wish for transfiguration.
The poet David Whyte writes of his personal fall into exhaustion. He went to a spiritual friend and the following exchange took place.
"Brother David? Tell me about exhaustion."
He looked at me with an acute, searching, compassionate ferocity for the briefest of moments, as if trying to sum up the entirety of the situation and without missing a beat, as if he had been waiting all along, to say a life-changing thing to me.
He said, in the form of both a question and an assertion: "You know that the antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest?"
"What is it, then?"
"The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness. You are so tired through and through because a good half of what you do here in this organization has nothing to do with your true powers, or the place you have reached in your life. You are only half here, and half here will kill you after a while. You need something to which you can give your full powers. You know what that is; I don't have to tell you.
You are like Rilke's Swan in his awkward waddling across the ground; the swan doesn't cure his awkwardness by beating himself on the back, by moving faster, or by trying to organize himself better. He does it by moving toward the elemental water where he belongs. It is the simple contact with the water that gives him grace and presence. You only have to touch the elemental waters in your own life, and it will transform everything. But you have to let yourself down into those waters from the ground on which you stand, and that can be hard. Particularly if you think you might drown." (Excerpted from Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity, David Whyte, Riverhead Books, New York, 2001)
I don't know about you, but drowning – now there is something to be afraid of. We are afraid of death – both physical death and those little deaths that are part of transformation. Death, we all know from hard experience, means loss and change, and in the case of personal or corporate transfiguration and transformation, it likely means letting go of something, while embracing a wholehearted approach in our leadership. As the familiar hymn says, "New occasions teach new duties."
Long ago, I heard a great story about people in Africa who hunt monkeys in order to sell them to zoos around the world. Those who know me well know I detest zoos, but I digress. The hunters use an ingenious method to trap the monkeys. They hollow out a gourd, and they make a small opening on the top of the gourd. At the bottom of the gourd, they put peanuts in the gourd. The hunters hide and the monkeys come to investigate. The monkeys put their hands in the gourd, grab the peanuts and then they cannot get their hands out. The monkeys don't let go of the peanuts and they scream and yell and the hunters come and pick them up, put them in cages, and ship them to the zoos. I just want to shout at the monkeys and say let go of the peanuts! Let go of the peanuts and you can live free and swing in the trees, and have babies and eat bananas and have a great monkey life. Let go and be free!
As a servant in the Church, as a person who works in a variety of ways through a variety of covenant relationships, I know I need to look at the peanuts in my life – what do I need to let go of in order to be free and changed into His likeness from glory to glory? What do I need to let go of so I can grab on to something that which is life-giving and transformative? What do we as a Church need to embrace, to grab onto, in order to be free and changed into His likeness from glory to glory?
As the Church engages in surprisingly passionate conversations about structure, governance, roles, responsibilities, canonical and constitutional amendments, rules of order, CCABs, budgets, staff, and General Convention, we need to remember that we are about the business of the restoration, together.
No more false choices between mission and governance. No more false wars between individuals or groups. No more jockeying for turf or control. Rather, we have to find ways to move forward together, and envision and incarnate the future God calls us to embrace – and I pray that we will throw ourselves into it with wholehearted abandon.
As leaders, we need to consider how we might exercise new models of leadership. Nicholas Petrie of the Center for Creative Leadership writes about interdependent leadership. He suggests that interdependent leadership is a collaborative enterprise and more a shared process than an individual skill set. Who the leader is becomes less important than what is needed in the system and how we together can produce it.
This kind of leadership is more likely to flourish when there is open flow of information, flexible hierarchies, distributed resources, distributed decision-making, and loosening of centralized controls. Petrie writes, "We are still at the early stages of thinking about leadership development at a collective level, but I have no doubt that future generations will see networked, interdependent leadership as a natural phenomenon, the way of the world." We need to pay close attention to this.
As I talk to people around the Church, people are clear that there is a need for something new, people are passionate, but there aren't many concrete suggestions offered, and some are not sure about what the structure of the Church actually consists of. The good news is that people care about how we are structured. Structure is simply the arrangement of relations between the parts or elements of something complex.
Structure in the Church is simply the arrangements of relations between the parts or elements for the purpose of the restoration of creation through covenant relationships to the glory of God. How we go about restructuring is as important as how we restructured. Will we be true to our Baptismal Covenant? Will we be courageous and brave? Will we accept what Jesus offers us?
We are offered nothing less than the gift of transfiguration and it is ours for the taking. We are given the gift of being transfigured into His likeness from glory to glory. To be transformed as a Church, we have to be transformed as individuals.
How are you and I transfigured by the dazzling light of the transfigured Christ? How are we changed into His likeness from glory to glory? What makes the morning star rise in our hearts? How does that happen?
You are transfigured into His likeness every time you recognize that sin and death and brokenness are not the last word.
You are transfigured into His likeness when you work for justice and peace, when you will not accept the diminishment of any person, when you help others claim their dignity.
You are transfigured into His likeness when you pray – for yourself and others.
You are transfigured into His likeness when you eat the bread of life and drink the cup of salvation.
You are transfigured into His likeness when you believe in the grace and transformation that comes to all of us simply because God loves us.
You are transfigured into His likeness when you trust in the power of God to recreate, to bring us free out of debt, and beauty out of chaos.
The voice from the cloud said "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased." That same voice, the voice of God says this:
This is my daughter Bettye Jo, and my daughter Winnie, and my daughter Debbie, and my daughters Blanca, Bonnie, Rosalie, Marian, Martha, Anne, Angela, Katharine, Vycke, Sandye, Lelanda, Bronwyn, Kathryn, Sally, Neva Rae, Lori, Mary Frances, Stephanie, Nancy, Carla, Dylan, Dinorah, Lee, Katie, Anita, Jane, Cecy, Hisako, Rosalie, Fredrica, Joyce, and Elizabeth.
My beloved. With her I am well pleased.
This is my son Mark, and my son Gregory, and my son Paul, and my sons David, Cristobal, Terry, Tim, Wendell, Jon, Chuck, Francisco, Bryan, Sam, Del, Paul, John, Jim, Stacy, Silito, Alex, the two Brians, Steve, Butch, Kurt, Bruce, and Michael. My beloved. With him I am well pleased.
You are transfigured into His likeness when you rejoice in the fact that you are the beloved child of God and that your belonging is close to God's heart in a place that is saved for you and for you alone.


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Jer 49:1-39. Predictions as to Ammon, Idumea, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam.
The event of the prophecy as to Ammon preceded that as to Moab (see on Jer 49:3); and in Eze 21:26-28, the destruction of Ammon is subjoined to the deposition of Zedekiah.
1. Hath Israel … no heir?—namely, to occupy the land of Gad, after it itself has been carried away captive by Shalmaneser. Ammon, like Moab, descended from Lot, lay north of Moab, from which it was separated by the river Arnon, and east of Reuben and Gad (Jos 13:24, 25) on the same side of Jordan. It seized on Gad when Israel was carried captive. Judah was by the right of kindred the heir, not Ammon; but Ammon joined with Nebuchadnezzar against Judah and Jerusalem (2Ki 24:2) and exulted over its fall (Ps 83:4-7, 8; Zep 2:8, 9). It had already, in the days of Jeroboam, in Israel's affliction, tried to "enlarge its border" (2Ki 14:26; Am 1:1, 13).
their king—(Am 1:15); referring to Melchom, their tutelary idol (Zep 1:5); and so the Septuagint reads it here as a proper name (1Ki 11:5, 33; 2Ki 23:13). The Ammonite god is said to do what they do, namely, occupy the Israelite land of Gad. To Jehovah, the theocratic "King" of Israel, the land belonged of right; so that their Molech or Melchom was a usurper-king.
his people—the people of Melchom, "their king." Compare "people of Chemosh," Jer 48:46.
2. Rabbah—"the great," metropolis of Ammon (2Sa 12:26-30). Its destruction is foretold also in Eze 25:5; Am 1:14, 15.
her daughters—the towns and villages, dependencies of the metropolis (Jos 15:45).
shall … be heir—shall possess those who possessed him. The full accomplishment of this is still future; partially fulfilled under the Maccabees (1 Maccabees 5:6).
3. Heshbon … Ai—Nebuchadnezzar, coming from the north, first attacked Ammon, then its brother and neighbor, Moab. As Ai of Ammon had already suffered destruction, Heshbon of Moab being near it might well fear the same fate.
hedges—Their cities being destroyed, the outcasts have no place of shelter save behind the "hedges" of vineyards and gardens; or else the enclosures of their villages.
their king—Melchom, the idol, as the mention of "his priests" shows (compare Jer 48:7).
4. thy flowing valley—rather, "thy valley shall flow," namely with the blood of the slain; in sad contrast to their "valleys" in which they had heretofore "gloried," as flowing with milk and honey [Grotius]. Or else, as Margin, "shall flow away."
backsliding—apostate from Jehovah, the God of their father Lot, to Molech.
treasures—her resources for resisting the foe.
Who shall, &c.—Who can come … (Jer 21:13).
5. every man right forth—whithersoever chance may lead him (Jer 46:5; Ge 19:17); straight before him, onwards at random (Am 4:3).
none … gather up him, &c.—There shall be none to gather together the wandering fugitives, so as to care for them and restore them to their own homes.
6. (Compare Jer 48:47). For the sake of "righteous" Lot their progenitor. Partially fulfilled under Cyrus; in gospel times more fully.
7. Concerning Edom—a distinct prophecy, copied in part from Obadiah, but with the freedom of one himself inspired and foretelling a later calamity. Obadiah's was fulfilled probably in Sennacherib's time (compare Isa 34:5; Am 1:11); Jeremiah's about the same time as his preceding prophecies (Jer 49:12; Eze 25:12).
wisdom—for which the Arabs and the people of Teman (a city of Edom) in particular, were famed (Ge 36:15; 1Ki 4:30; see Job, everywhere; Ob 8).
vanished—literally, "poured out," that is, exhausted (compare Isa 19:3, Margin) [Maurer]. Or, as the kindred Ethiopic word means, "worn out" [Ludovicus De Dieu].
8. turn—namely, your backs in flight.
dwell deep—in deep defiles and caves [Grotius], which abound in Idumea. Others refer it to the Arab custom of retiring into the depth of the desert when avoiding an offended foe (Jer 49:30).
Dedan—a tribe bordering on and made subject by Idumea; descended from Jokshan, son of Abraham and Keturah (Ge 25:1-3).
Esau—The naming of Edom's progenitor, reprobated by God, recalls the remembrance of the old curse on him for his profanity, both his sin and its punishment being perpetuated in his descendants (Heb 12:16, 17).
9. (Ob 5). Grape gatherers, yea even thieves, leave something behind them; but the Chaldeans will sweep Idumea clean of everything.
10. Edom became politically extinct after the time of the Romans.
uncovered his secret places—where he hid himself (Jer 49:8) and his treasures (Isa 45:3). I have caused that nothing should be so hidden as that the conqueror should not find it.
neighbours—the Philistines.
11. Thy fatherless and widows must rest their hope in God alone, as none of the adult males shall be left alive, so desperate will be the affairs of Edom. The verse also, besides this threat, implies a promise of mercy to Esau in God's good time, as there was to Moab and Ammon (Jer 49:6; Jer 48:47); the extinction of the adult males is the prominent idea (compare Jer 49:12).
12. (Compare Jer 25:15, 16, 29).
they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup—the Jews to whom, by virtue of the covenant relation, it did not belong to drink the cup. It might have been expected that they would be spared. He regards not the merits of the Jews, for they were as bad or worse than others: but the grace and adoption of God; it is just and natural ("judgment") that God should pardon His sons sooner than aliens [Calvin].
13. Bozrah—(See on Jer 48:24).
14. (Ob 1-3).
ambassador … unto the heathen—a messenger from God to stir up the Chaldeans against Edom.
15. David and Joab had already humbled Edom (2Sa 8:14).
16. terribleness—the terror which thou didst inspire into others.
deceived thee—rendered thee proudly confident, as if none would dare to assail thee.
dwellest in … rock—Petra, the chief of Idumea, was cut in the rocks; its ruins are very remarkable. The whole south of Idumea abounds in cave dwellings and rocks.
though … nest … eagle—(Job 39:27; Ob 3, 4). The eagle builds its nest in the highest craggy eyry.
17. (Compare 1Ki 9:8).
18. (Jer 50:40; De 29:23; Am 4:11).
no man shall abide there—that is, of the Idumeans. The Romans had a garrison there.
19. he—Nebuchadnezzar, or Nebuzara-dan; the name would at once suggest itself to the minds of the hearers (Jer 48:40; 46:18).
swelling—as a lion which the overflow of the Jordan forced out of his lair on the banks, to ascend the neighboring heights [Calvin]. See as to the translation, "pride of the Jordan," see on Jer 12:5.
habitation of … strong—the fastnesses of Idumea (compare Nu 24:21). Maurer translates, "An ever verdant (literally, 'perennial') pasturage," that is, Idumea heretofore having enjoyed uninterrupted tranquillity; so in Jer 49:20 the image is retained, the Idumeans being compared to "a flock," and their king to "a shepherd," in this verse, and the enemy to "a lion" (compare Jer 50:17-19). English Version accords more with the Hebrew.
suddenly—"in the twinkling of an eye," as the Hebrew implies.
him … her—I will make Nebuzara-dan enter Idumea, and then, having in the twinkling of an eye effected the conquest, go away speedily: elsewhere. Instead of "but," translate, "for." Grotius translates, "run upon her," or "to her," instead of "run away from her." Maurer understands it, "I will make him (the Idumean) run away from her" (that is, from his own land); the similar change of reference of the pronouns (Jer 50:44) favors this.
who is a chosen man, &c.—God calls the choicest warriors to Him, to set "over" the work of devastating Idumea. God will surely execute His purpose, for He can call forth from all sides the agents He chooses.
who is like me?—(Ex 15:11).
who will appoint me the time?—namely, for entering into a trial in judgment with Me (see Margin). Image from law courts (Job 9:19).
shepherd—leader of the Idumeans; following up the previous image, "a lion"; no Idumean shepherd shall withstand the lion sent by Jehovah (Job 41:10), or save the Idumean flock.
20. least of the flock—the weakest and humblest of the Chaldean host. Compare Jer 6:3, where the hostile leaders and their hosts are called "shepherds and their flocks."
draw … out—"shall drag them away captive" [Grotius]; shall drag them to and fro, as a lion (Jer 49:19) does feeble sheep [Maurer].
with them—that is, the habitation which they possess.
21. was heard in—that is, shall be heard at.
Red Sea—a considerable distance from Idumea; though the district at the Elantic bay of the Red Sea originally belonged to Idumea, and the sea itself was called from Edom, that is, "red" (Ge 25:30, Margin). Others translate, "the weedy sea" (Margin), and derive the name, "Red Sea," from its red weeds; the former view is preferable.
23. Prophecy as to Damascus, &c. (Isa 17:1; 10:9). The kingdom of Damascus was destroyed by Assyria, but the city revived, and it is as to the latter Jeremiah now prophesies. The fulfilment was probably about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar [Josephus, Antiquities, 10.9,7].
Hamath is confounded—at the tidings of the overthrow of the neighboring Damascus.
on the sea—that is, at the sea; the dwellers there are alarmed. Other manuscripts read, "like the sea." "There is anxiety (restless) as is the sea: they cannot quiet it," that is, it cannot be quieted (Isa 57:20).
it—Whatever dwellers are there "cannot be quiet."
25. city of praise—The prophet, in the person of a citizen of Damascus deploring its calamity, calls it "the city of praise," that is, celebrated with praises everywhere for its beauty (Jer 33:9; 51:41). "How is it possible that such a city has not been left whole—has not been spared by the foe?" Compare left, Lu 17:35, 36. So Israel "left" standing some of the Canaanite cities (Jos 11:13).
of my joy—that is, in which I delighted.
27. palaces of Ben-hadad—that palace from which so many evils and such cruelty to Israel emanated; thus implying the cause of Damascus' overthrow. Not the Ben-hadad of 2Ki 13:3; Am 1:4; it was a common name of the Syrian kings (compare 1Ki 15:18; meaning "son of Hadad," the idol).
28. Kedar—son of Ishmael (Ge 25:13). The Kedarenes led a wandering predatory life in Arabia-Petræa, as the Bedouin Arabs (2Ch 21:16, 17; Ps 120:5). Kedar means "blackness" (So 1:5).
Hazor—not the city in Palestine, but a district in Arabia-Petræa. "Kingdoms" refer to the several combinations of clans, each under its own sheik.
men of the east—Kedar and Hazor were east of Judea (Jud 6:3; Job 1:3).
29. tents—in which they dwelt, from which they are called Scenites, that is, tent dwellers.
curtains—namely, with which the tents were covered (Jer 4:20; 10:20; Ps 104:2).
they shall cry unto them, Fear, &c.—The foe, on crying, Fear …, shall discomfit them (the Kedarenes) by their mere cry.
30. (See on Jer 49:8). No conqueror would venture to follow them into the desert.
31. wealthy—rather, "tranquil" (1Ch 4:40).
neither gates nor bars—The Arabs, lying out of the track of the contending powers of Asia and Africa, took no measures of defense and had neither walled cities nor gates (Eze 38:11). They thought their scanty resources and wilderness position would tempt no foe.
alone—separated from other nations, without allies; and from one another scattered asunder. So as to Israel's isolation (Nu 23:9; De 33:28; Mic 7:14).
32. camels—their chief possessions; not fields or vineyards.
in utmost … corners—who seemed least likely to be dispersed. Or else, "having the hair shaven (or clipped) in angles" (Jer 9:26; 25:23) [Grotius].
calamity from all sides—which will force even those in "corners" to "scatter" themselves.
33. (Mal 1:3).
34. Elam—part of Susiana, west of Persia proper, but used to designate Persia in general. Elam proper, or Elymais, nearer Judea than Persia, is probably here meant; it had helped Nebuchadnezzar against Judea; hence its punishment. It may have been idolatrous, whereas Persia proper was mainly monotheistic.
35. bow—Elam was famed for its bowmen (Isa 22:6).
chief of their might—in opposition to "bow," that is, bowmen, who constituted their main strength.
37. consumed—as a distinct nation (Da 8:2-27). Fulfilled under Alexander and his successors.
38. I will show Myself King by My judgments there, as though My tribunal were erected there. The throne of Cyrus, God's instrument, set up over Media, of which Elam was a part, may be meant [Grotius]; or rather, that of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 43:10). Then the restoration of Elam (Jer 49:39) will refer partly to that which took place on the reduction of Babylon by Cyrus, prince of Persia and Media.
39. latter days—The full restoration belongs to gospel times. Elamites were among the first who heard and accepted it (Ac 2:9).
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Celebrating 75 Years
Celebrating the platinum anniversary of quality service, of our team effort, of constant learning and improvement, of trials and tribulations.
Recounting three quarters of a century – a time full of stories filled with hearty laughter and cheer, times when we meticulously constructed plans and realized dreams – big and small.
Celebrating the times we've overcome hardship, to win over hearts through persistent confidence; celebrating an era resonating with trust…
Celebrating the joy of creating memories, together at all times!
"Although we are all living in nuclear families, we are forever close to each other…physically and in spirit! If there's a problem that arises, on the business or the personal front, we all sort it out together."


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Twitter Halloween: Dress Up Your Twitter Handle With Something Spooky
What are you going to be for Halloween Twitter?
Oct. 24, 2013 — -- Dressing up for Halloween is never easy. You've go to decide what -- or who -- you want to be, go shopping to find the right pieces to perfect your costume and then put them all together.
You know what's a lot easier? Twitter's version of Halloween. Over the past week or two, excited Twitter users have tweaked their names on Twitter to Halloween-spirited titles. Just add a "boo" or a "bat" or a "lantern" to your name, and you're ready to tweet or treat.
There's @mat or Mat Honan who is now Bats Flown In. There's @stevekovach or Steve Kovach who is now Kovach-O-Lantern. There's @sambiddle or Sam Biddle who is now Sam BOOdle. There's @missambear, now AmBOO. And then there's the very clever @johnjcook who is now John Halloween.
You don't have to change your actual handle, only your display name. You can do this on Twitter by navigating to the Settings section. Under the Profile tab you'll see the "Name" field. Twitter says, "Enter your real name, so people you know can recognize you," but it's clear Twitter is bending the rules for some good Oct. 31 fun.
And no, this isn't an official Twitter sanctioned practice. It's just some viral holiday fun believed to have begun with some gaming and tech journalists just messing around.
But as the Atlantic Wire points out, picking out a spooky Twitter handle can be just as difficult as picking out a Halloween costume. So what are you going to be for Twitter Halloween? Let us know in the comments or, you know, on Twitter at @TechThisOutABC.


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10 principles of change management
Tools and techniques to help companies transform quickly.
s+b celebrating 25 years: In 2004, John Jones, DeAnne Aguirre, and Matthew Calderone grappled with the most vexing of challenges that leaders face: how to shepherd your organization and its people through possibly wrenching change. Offering pointed but useful advice to senior executives, it remains one of the most-read articles in our collection — year in and year out — with several million views.
Updated: 10 Principles of Leading Change Management
This classic guide to organizational change management best practices has been updated for the current business environment. To read the newest article, click here. Or, to watch a related video, click on the play button above.
Way back when (pick your date), senior executives in large companies had a simple goal for themselves and their organizations: stability. Shareholders wanted little more than predictable earnings growth. Because so many markets were either closed or undeveloped, leaders could deliver on those expectations through annual exercises that offered only modest modifications to the strategic plan. Prices stayed in check; people stayed in their jobs; life was good.
Market transparency, labor mobility, global capital flows, and instantaneous communications have blown that comfortable scenario to smithereens. In most industries — and in almost all companies, from giants on down — heightened global competition has concentrated management's collective mind on something that, in the past, it happily avoided: change. Successful companies, as Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter told s+b in 1999, develop "a culture that just keeps moving all the time."
This presents most senior executives with an unfamiliar challenge. In major transformations of large enterprises, they and their advisors conventionally focus their attention on devising the best strategic and tactical plans. But to succeed, they also must have an intimate understanding of the human side of change management — the alignment of the company's culture, values, people, and behaviors — to encourage the desired results. Plans themselves do not capture value; value is realized only through the sustained, collective actions of the thousands — perhaps the tens of thousands — of employees who are responsible for designing, executing, and living with the changed environment.
Long-term structural transformation has four characteristics: scale (the change affects all or most of the organization), magnitude (it involves significant alterations of the status quo), duration (it lasts for months, if not years), and strategic importance. Yet companies will reap the rewards only when change occurs at the level of the individual employee.
Many senior executives know this and worry about it. When asked what keeps them up at night, CEOs involved in transformation often say they are concerned about how the work force will react, how they can get their team to work together, and how they will be able to lead their people. They also worry about retaining their company's unique values and sense of identity and about creating a culture of commitment and performance. Leadership teams that fail to plan for the human side of change often find themselves wondering why their best-laid plans have gone awry.
No single methodology fits every company, but there is a set of practices, tools, and techniques that can be adapted to a variety of situations. What follows is a "Top 10" list of guiding principles for change management. Using these as a systematic, comprehensive framework, executives can understand what to expect, how to manage their own personal change, and how to engage the entire organization in the process.
1. Address the "human side" systematically. Any significant transformation creates "people issues." New leaders will be asked to step up, jobs will be changed, new skills and capabilities must be developed, and employees will be uncertain and resistant. Dealing with these issues on a reactive, case-by-case basis puts speed, morale, and results at risk. A formal approach for managing change — beginning with the leadership team and then engaging key stakeholders and leaders — should be developed early, and adapted often as change moves through the organization. This demands as much data collection and analysis, planning, and implementation discipline as does a redesign of strategy, systems, or processes. The change-management approach should be fully integrated into program design and decision making, both informing and enabling strategic direction. It should be based on a realistic assessment of the organization's history, readiness, and capacity to change.
2. Start at the top. Because change is inherently unsettling for people at all levels of an organization, when it is on the horizon, all eyes will turn to the CEO and the leadership team for strength, support, and direction. The leaders themselves must embrace the new approaches first, both to challenge and to motivate the rest of the institution. They must speak with one voice and model the desired behaviors. The executive team also needs to understand that, although its public face may be one of unity, it, too, is composed of individuals who are going through stressful times and need to be supported.
Executive teams that work well together are best positioned for success. They are aligned and committed to the direction of change, understand the culture and behaviors the changes intend to introduce, and can model those changes themselves. At one large transportation company, the senior team rolled out an initiative to improve the efficiency and performance of its corporate and field staff before addressing change issues at the officer level. The initiative realized initial cost savings but stalled as employees began to question the leadership team's vision and commitment. Only after the leadership team went through the process of aligning and committing to the change initiative was the work force able to deliver downstream results.
3. Involve every layer. As transformation programs progress from defining strategy and setting targets to design and implementation, they affect different levels of the organization. Change efforts must include plans for identifying leaders throughout the company and pushing responsibility for design and implementation down, so that change "cascades" through the organization. At each layer of the organization, the leaders who are identified and trained must be aligned to the company's vision, equipped to execute their specific mission, and motivated to make change happen.
A major multiline insurer with consistently flat earnings decided to change performance and behavior in preparation for going public. The company followed this "cascading leadership" methodology, training and supporting teams at each stage. First, 10 officers set the strategy, vision, and targets. Next, more than 60 senior executives and managers designed the core of the change initiative. Then 500 leaders from the field drove implementation. The structure remained in place throughout the change program, which doubled the company's earnings far ahead of schedule. This approach is also a superb way for a company to identify its next generation of leadership.
4. Make the formal case. Individuals are inherently rational and will question to what extent change is needed, whether the company is headed in the right direction, and whether they want to commit personally to making change happen. They will look to the leadership for answers. The articulation of a formal case for change and the creation of a written vision statement are invaluable opportunities to create or compel leadership-team alignment.
Three steps should be followed in developing the case: First, confront reality and articulate a convincing need for change. Second, demonstrate faith that the company has a viable future and the leadership to get there. Finally, provide a road map to guide behavior and decision making. Leaders must then customize this message for various internal audiences, describing the pending change in terms that matter to the individuals.
A consumer packaged-goods company experiencing years of steadily declining earnings determined that it needed to significantly restructure its operations — instituting, among other things, a 30 percent work force reduction — to remain competitive. In a series of offsite meetings, the executive team built a brutally honest business case that downsizing was the only way to keep the business viable, and drew on the company's proud heritage to craft a compelling vision to lead the company forward. By confronting reality and helping employees understand the necessity for change, leaders were able to motivate the organization to follow the new direction in the midst of the largest downsizing in the company's history. Instead of being shell-shocked and demoralized, those who stayed felt a renewed resolve to help the enterprise advance.
5. Create ownership. Leaders of large change programs must overperform during the transformation and be the zealots who create a critical mass among the work force in favor of change. This requires more than mere buy-in or passive agreement that the direction of change is acceptable. It demands ownership by leaders willing to accept responsibility for making change happen in all of the areas they influence or control. Ownership is often best created by involving people in identifying problems and crafting solutions. It is reinforced by incentives and rewards. These can be tangible (for example, financial compensation) or psychological (for example, camaraderie and a sense of shared destiny).
At a large health-care organization that was moving to a shared-services model for administrative support, the first department to create detailed designs for the new organization was human resources. Its personnel worked with advisors in cross-functional teams for more than six months. But as the designs were being finalized, top departmental executives began to resist the move to implementation. While agreeing that the work was top-notch, the executives realized they hadn't invested enough individual time in the design process to feel the ownership required to begin implementation. On the basis of their feedback, the process was modified to include a "deep dive." The departmental executives worked with the design teams to learn more, and get further exposure to changes that would occur. This was the turning point; the transition then happened quickly. It also created a forum for top executives to work as a team, creating a sense of alignment and unity that the group hadn't felt before.
6. Communicate the message. Too often, change leaders make the mistake of believing that others understand the issues, feel the need to change, and see the new direction as clearly as they do. The best change programs reinforce core messages through regular, timely advice that is both inspirational and practicable. Communications flow in from the bottom and out from the top, and are targeted to provide employees the right information at the right time and to solicit their input and feedback. Often this will require overcommunication through multiple, redundant channels.
In the late 1990s, the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Charles O. Rossotti, had a vision: The IRS could treat taxpayers as customers and turn a feared bureaucracy into a world-class service organization. Getting more than 100,000 employees to think and act differently required more than just systems redesign and process change. IRS leadership designed and executed an ambitious communications program including daily voice mails from the commissioner and his top staff, training sessions, videotapes, newsletters, and town hall meetings that continued through the transformation. Timely, constant, practical communication was at the heart of the program, which brought the IRS's customer ratings from the lowest in various surveys to its current ranking above the likes of McDonald's and most airlines.
7. Assess the cultural landscape. Successful change programs pick up speed and intensity as they cascade down, making it critically important that leaders understand and account for culture and behaviors at each level of the organization. Companies often make the mistake of assessing culture either too late or not at all. Thorough cultural diagnostics can assess organizational readiness to change, bring major problems to the surface, identify conflicts, and define factors that can recognize and influence sources of leadership and resistance. These diagnostics identify the core values, beliefs, behaviors, and perceptions that must be taken into account for successful change to occur. They serve as the common baseline for designing essential change elements, such as the new corporate vision, and building the infrastructure and programs needed to drive change.
8. Address culture explicitly. Once the culture is understood, it should be addressed as thoroughly as any other area in a change program. Leaders should be explicit about the culture and underlying behaviors that will best support the new way of doing business, and find opportunities to model and reward those behaviors. This requires developing a baseline, defining an explicit end-state or desired culture, and devising detailed plans to make the transition.
Company culture is an amalgam of shared history, explicit values and beliefs, and common attitudes and behaviors. Change programs can involve creating a culture (in new companies or those built through multiple acquisitions), combining cultures (in mergers or acquisitions of large companies), or reinforcing cultures (in, say, long-established consumer goods or manufacturing companies). Understanding that all companies have a cultural center — the locus of thought, activity, influence, or personal identification — is often an effective way to jump-start culture change.
A consumer goods company with a suite of premium brands determined that business realities demanded a greater focus on profitability and bottom-line accountability. In addition to redesigning metrics and incentives, it developed a plan to systematically change the company's culture, beginning with marketing, the company's historical center. It brought the marketing staff into the process early to create enthusiasts for the new philosophy who adapted marketing campaigns, spending plans, and incentive programs to be more accountable. Seeing these culture leaders grab onto the new program, the rest of the company quickly fell in line.
9. Prepare for the unexpected. No change program goes completely according to plan. People react in unexpected ways; areas of anticipated resistance fall away; and the external environment shifts. Effectively managing change requires continual reassessment of its impact and the organization's willingness and ability to adopt the next wave of transformation. Fed by real data from the field and supported by information and solid decision-making processes, change leaders can then make the adjustments necessary to maintain momentum and drive results.
A leading U.S. health-care company was facing competitive and financial pressures from its inability to react to changes in the marketplace. A diagnosis revealed shortcomings in its organizational structure and governance, and the company decided to implement a new operating model. In the midst of detailed design, a new CEO and leadership team took over. The new team was initially skeptical, but was ultimately convinced that a solid case for change, grounded in facts and supported by the organization at large, existed. Some adjustments were made to the speed and sequence of implementation, but the fundamentals of the new operating model remained unchanged.
10. Speak to the individual. Change is both an institutional journey and a very personal one. People spend many hours each week at work; many think of their colleagues as a second family. Individuals (or teams of individuals) need to know how their work will change, what is expected of them during and after the change program, how they will be measured, and what success or failure will mean for them and those around them. Team leaders should be as honest and explicit as possible. People will react to what they see and hear around them, and need to be involved in the change process. Highly visible rewards, such as promotion, recognition, and bonuses, should be provided as dramatic reinforcement for embracing change. Sanction or removal of people standing in the way of change will reinforce the institution's commitment.
Most leaders contemplating change know that people matter. It is all too tempting, however, to dwell on the plans and processes, which don't talk back and don't respond emotionally, rather than face up to the more difficult and more critical human issues. But mastering the "soft" side of change management needn't be a mystery.
Author profiles:
- John Jones is a vice president with Booz Allen Hamilton in New York. Mr. Jones is a specialist in organization design, process reengineering, and change management.
- DeAnne Aguirre (firstname.lastname@example.com) is an advisor to executives on organizational topics for Strategy&, PwC's strategy consulting business, and a principal with PwC US. Based in San Diego, she specializes in culture, leadership, talent effectiveness, and organizational change management.
- Matthew Calderone is a senior associate with Booz Allen Hamilton in the New York Office. He specializes in organization transformation, people issues, and change management.


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In his grainy homemade video, Enzo Vizcaíno looks like a busker, strumming away on his ukulele and singing as he roams a Barcelona metro car.
But the lyrics of this song are a bit unusual.
"I've got a bachelor's degree. And a postgrad diploma too ... I worked in a call center and as a cashier ... I'm the king of Microsoft Word!" he croons.
This unemployed journalism grad isn't asking for money; he just wants a job.
Vizcaíno's ode to employment racked up more than 370,000 hits on YouTube in just five days. It's garnered him phone calls from media around the world, and it may even have landed him a paying gig.
"My inbox is overloaded with strangers saying, 'Bravo!' and even some job offers," Vizcaíno, 24, told NPR in a phone interview from his home in Barcelona. "I don't even know how many. One of them was a job offer to play concerts! I guess they liked my ukulele," he laughed.
Vizcaíno's creative stunt was born out of hopelessness in the Spanish economy. Overall, the country's jobless rate tops 27 percent. But for 20-somethings like him, it's pushing 60 percent.
"The situation is really, really bad. And I'm not optimistic it'll get better anytime soon," Vizcaíno said.
Scores of Spanish youth are scrambling to learn English or German to apply for jobs in northern Europe, where the unemployment rate is lower. Vizcaíno speaks English, Italian and French — in addition to his native Spanish.
"My ideal job would be a TV writer or a journalist — something creative," he said. "But I'm willing to do just about anything."
On his blog, Vizcaíno says he can no longer afford the postage on hundreds of resumes and cover letters he's been sending out, most of which probably "end up in the recycling bin."
"Photocopies have been getting really expensive," he wrote. So he decided to put his resume to music instead, with the help of a friend and a cellphone video camera.
Vizcaíno has experience working for a local radio station and as a cashier at Mediamark, a European chain of electronics stores. All of this is part of his song, incidentally.
"I brought my resume, folded right here, if you want to see it," he sings on the video.
"I'm not holding out a purse, I'm not here to ask for money," he continues. "But maybe you, a friend or a relative need a journalist, a script writer, an editor or composer."
He urges curious commuters on the metro to check out his profile on a Spanish jobs website, InfoJobs.
Asked whether he has any advice for other unemployed grads in his situation, Vizcaíno replied: "Do what you love, have fun with it, and why not put it on YouTube? These days, with our generation in Spain, we have nothing to lose."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text: Friday nights are great social nights at the club and generally run from 17.00 'til late. The Goose Club raffle offers a wide range of prizes every Friday, ranging from meat or seafood trays, shopping vouchers, bottles of spirits and much more. So come on down for a refreshing beverage, a friendly chat, a game of pool and a chance to win our Goose Club jackpot which is drawn at 19.00. If it doesn't go off, it rolls over to the next week. We also have the occasional music night, with local or visiting artists adding their talents to the local mix.


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Here's the report in the WSPRnet database:
The club is running a multi-band vertical antenna at their end and on my side it's a half size G5RV. The transceiver is an FT-817 and WSJT-X is running on MacOS.
Marek alerted me to the WSPR Challenge site which ranks wspr reporters on their relative 'receiving power'. I note that I'm the winner of the total of the distance to transmitting stations that I receive, presumably being in Australia and very far from everyone else helps us VKs:
I'm happy with my overall world ranking on 20m, the highest I've seen is 8.


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Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is a retired American actor and novelist. Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned four decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde. His major subsequent films include I Never Sang for My Father (1970); his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in The French Connection (1971) and its sequel French Connection II (1975); The Poseidon Adventure (1972); The Conversation (1974); A Bridge Too Far (1977); his role as arch-villain Lex Luthor in Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987); Under Fire (1983); Twice in a Lifetime (1985); Hoosiers (1986); No Way Out (1987); Mississippi Burning (1987); Unforgiven (1992); Wyatt Earp (1994); The Quick and the Dead, Crimson Tide and Get Shorty (all 1995); Enemy of the State (1998); The Royal Tenenbaums (2001); and his final film role before retirement, in Welcome to Mooseport (2004). From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bookmark us as your source of the latest Netflix content.


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Search Results
1 finding aid(s) found containing the word(s) Kleindienst, Richard G., 1923-2000--Correspondence.
Elliot L. Richardson papers, 1780-1999
369,000 items. 1,055 containers plus 12 classified and 10 oversize. 470 linear feet. 1 digital file (594.73 KB). -- Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
U. S. cabinet officer, politician, and lawyer, of Massachusetts. Correspondence, memoranda, speeches, writings, subject files, reports, briefing data, financial records, printed materials, photographs, and other papers relating to Richardson's political career in Massachusetts, as a cabinet official or representative of the president during the administrations of Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, and Jimmy Carter, and his work with various corporate boards and other organizations until his death in 1999.
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JCPRD Office: (913) 831-3355 or online at www.jcprd.com.
Kansas Wildlife & Parks, KC District Office: 14639 W. 95th St., (913) 894-9113.
Antioch Park, 6501 Antioch Road, Merriam, (913) 831-3355; 44 acres with two fishing lakes, arboretum and rose garden, Old Dodge Town wheelchair-accessible playground, shelters, picnic areas and restrooms, tennis and basketball courts.
Ernie Miller Park, 909 N. 7 Highway, Olathe, (913) 764-7759; 114 acres of bottomland forest, meadows and tallgrass prairie, outdoor amphitheater, Ernie Miller Nature Center and wheelchair-accessible nature trails.
Heritage Park, 159th and Pflumm Road, Olathe (913) 831-3355; 1,160 acres with 45-acre lake, marina for paddleboat and sailboard rentals (913-764-4037), walking and hiking trails, shelters, playgrounds, softball, soccer and football fields, golf course and driving range.
Kill Creek Park under development, 127th Street and Homestead Road, south of K-10 near DeSoto; 870 acres to include boating, fishing, marina, trails, picnic areas, shelters, camping, refreshments and restrooms.
Mid-America Sports Complex, 20000 Johnson Drive, Shawnee (913) 441-2244; 70 acres with lighted softball and baseball fields, batting cage, play areas, concessions, pro shop and clubhouse.
Mill Creek Streamway, paved 14-mile trail link between Nelson Island on the Kansas River on the north, through Shawnee Mission Park to Olathe; for walking, biking, strolling or skateboarding. (Other paved trails line creeks in Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee and Leawood; call the cities for information.)
Overland Park Community Park, 138th and Switzer Road, Overland Park (913) 895-6000; 129 acres including Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (913-897-2360), ball diamonds, tennis courts, football and soccer fields for league play, ecological preserve, three picnic shelters, shelter house and restrooms.
Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, 8909 W. 179th St., Overland Park (913) 685-3604; 300 acres including wood-chip trails, themed gardens such as the Erickson Water Garden, forest, prairie, limestone bluffs and visitors' center.
Prairie Center, 26325 W. 135th St., Olathe (913) 856-7669; 300 acres of native tallgrass prairie and woodlands, trails, lake and picnic areas; Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Roe Park, 104th and Roe Avenue, Overland Park (913) 895-6300; 43 acres including swimming pool and concession stand, soccer and softball fields for league play, tennis courts, bicycle trail, wheelchair-accessible nature trail, picnicking and shelter house.
Shawnee Mission Park, 79th Street and Renner Road, Lenexa (913) 888-4713; 1,250 acres including 150-acre lake with public beach and marina, concessions and boating, horseback trails, organized camping, outdoor theater, nature trails, tennis courts, softball diamonds, archery range, wheelchair-accessible fishing pier and trail, observation tower, model airplane field, picnic shelters and restrooms.
Thomas S. Stoll Memorial Park, 12500 W. 119th St., Overland Park (913) 831-3355; 80 acres with small fishing lake, soccer and softball fields, playground and jogging trail.
Sunflower Nature Park, 103rd and Edgerton Road near DeSoto (913) 831-3355; 60 acres of naturalized park with wheelchair-accessible nature trails, picnic shelter, fishing pond and game fields.
Tomahawk Recreation Complex, 17501 Midland Drive, Shawnee (913) 631-7050; golf course and driving range with pro shop and snack bar, swimming pool and meeting rooms. Tomahawk Dome is used for year-round athletic activities.


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A welcome addition to the rare concept of double bass duets, with classically trained jazz bassist Giorgio Dini from Italy and William Parker interacting for five freely improvised pieces, with the former often on arco and the latter plucking his strings, but trust me, there are no rules, nor task divisions. On one short track Parker plays his shakuhachi, powerfully, plaintively. Parker's soulful bass playing forms the perfect complement for Dini's refined lyricism, as on "Improvizzo" when his powerful vamp forms the perfect background for the wailing arco of Dini. But the real treat of the album is the magnificent last track "Danza e Finale", which starts with piercing, howling duet of arcos, expansively, rhythmically, hypnotically, trance-enducing, until the whole thing slows down towards the middle and despite this the wails get even more poignant, like a love serenade by whales, with Parker adding some light percussion for contrast, and then he turns the piece back on a rhythmic powerful drive. The quality of the performance largely compensates for the EP's short length, and yes, I wish, you wish it would have been longer, but then on the other hand, these two great musicians capture so much of their instruments' wonderful range, power, rhythmic pulse, sonic possibilities and warm sensitivity, that even the limited time makes this a treat. This is an album that will not only please bass players, but any modern jazz fan.
Listen and download from iTunes.
Buy from Instantjazz.
© stef


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June was proclaimed by President Donald J. Trump as National Home Ownership Month. In a surprising set of admissions, Professor Mark Skidmore, Michigan State University (MSU) co-author of Climate Change, Tornadoes and Mobile Homes: a Dangerous Mix, has told MHProNews that he believes manufactured homes are a "great" option for home ownership.
In an on-the-record digital exchange between:
- Skidmore,
- other MSU colleagues,
- Mark Weiss, President and CEO of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR),
- Danny Ghorbani, an engineer and prior MHARR president,
- plus MHLivingNews.com and MHProNews.com publisher, L.A. "Tony" Kovach,
Skidmore made a series of admissions that cut away at the sensational claims of their tornado-related research.
Among the revelations from "Climate Change, Tornadoes, and 'Mobile Homes' – Dangerous Oversights – Mark Skidmore Admits Michigan State Univ Study's Omissions; Revealing Analysis & Report," Kovach, Weiss, and Ghorbani's digital discussion with Skidmore and others at MSU produced the following facts, admissions and revelations.
- There have been no mobile homes built in the U.S. in over 41 years.
- Manufactured homes evolved from mobile homes, but they are not the same thing in terms of construction, safety, energy efficiency, and durability.
- Skidmore and his fellow MSU researchers did not break down the data between pre-HUD Code mobile homes and manufactured homes – the latter of which are built to superior standards.
- Skidmore said, "I think the benefits of manufactured homes are great,"
- Skidmore touted the affordable quality of manufactured homes, "I see them as filling an important niche in the housing market."
Kovach cited in their discussion a previous statement made by Insurance Institute of Building & Home Safety (IBHS) Chief Engineer, Tim Reinhold, Ph.D. about the strength and relative safety of a manufactured home compared to conventional, 'on site,' built housing.
While noting that the safest place in a tornado is an underground shelter, the IBHS has done wind studies that demonstrated that conventional construction is not as durable in a windstorm as a properly installed modern manufactured home is.
In an interview with MHLivingNews, Reinhold said, "That box [a manufactured home] is going to be built better than any [conventional] home, unless it's built to hurricane standards," said Dr. Reinhold.
When several facts and apparent oversights were brought to Skidmore's attention, he candidly said those items were not considered or a part of the scope of their research.
No Mobile Homes Built in Over 41 Years, Manufactured Homes are Different
Speaking about the 41st anniversary of the 'birthday' of manufactured housing on June 15, 1976, which ended the mobile home construction era in the U.S., Weiss said "The establishment of the HUD Code was — and is — an important milestone for both the industry and consumers. The industry itself sought out federal regulation under a preemptive, performance-based, uniform code of federal standards that balances the key factors of safety and cost, along with uniform enforcement within a federal-state partnership."
To learn all about the surprisingly low odds of dying in a mobile home in a tornado, as well as safety tips, a video with dramatic wind-test footage, plus other revelations made by Skidmore, Weiss, Kovach and others see: "Climate Change, Tornadoes, and 'Mobile Homes' – Dangerous Oversights – Mark Skidmore Admits Michigan State Univ Study's Omissions; Revealing Analysis & Report."
To learn more about the 41st birthday of manufactured housing on June 15, 1976, see "Happy 41st Birthday, HUD Code Manufactured Housing." ##
About Us – MHProNews & MHLivingNews
MHLivingNews.com and MHProNews.com are the leading trade publications for consumers, manufactured homeowners, MH industry leaders, investors and public policy professionals who want up-to-date lifestyle and business news.
Media Contact:
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Phone: 863-213-4090
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Website Url: www.MHProNews.com
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DJ, producer, label owner and businessman: Mark Knight has proven a rare and wonderful breed of musical heavyweight. The second highest-selling Beatport artist of all time (with no less than eight No.1's) his career has spanned more than a decade, with releases on a diverse range of labels such as Suara, 1605, Stereo and of course his own Toolroom. Despite his success, the Grammy-nominated artist has never rested on the laurels of being one of the industry's most respected and accomplished international players, and continues to push boundaries and set new standards with each year that passes.
Armed with a musical library that knows no boundaries, a consistent run of hits and chart-topping ventures alike, the success of Knight's recording career is matched only by the credibility and integrity maintained throughout his discography to date. Heard through a spread of anthems ('Man With The Red Face,' 'Alright', 'Downpipe') along with producing bands such as Faithless and Underworld has sealed a diverse musical heritage for the accomplished producer. It's music for passion, not numbers, and it's what Mark Knight does best.
Founded in 2004 and responsible for championing a wealth of talent from across the industry spectrum, the award-winning Toolroom Records will of course remain a key component in the life and times of Mark Knight. Having spearheaded the label's new direction over the past few years as part of their pivotal #RESET campaign, Knight continues to have a leading role within one of the UK's biggest independent record labels.
Notable in 2016 is the label's shift to focus less on singles and more on developing artists and releasing albums: one of Mark's major priorities for the year. Toolroom has dominated the Beatport charts for over a decade with its forward-thinking house and techno releases, but with album projects coming up from Adrian Hour and Weiss now looks set to embark on a new chapter in its continuing evolution.
Alongside his bountiful studio output, Knight has continued to grow his much loved radio presence, with Toolroom Radio now reaching over 13.5 million people in 60 countries across the world, all tuning in each week to hear Mark's records of choice, while on iTunes Toolroom Radio was recently named in the top 20 most influential podcast by Digital Music News based on number of subscribers. Knight also remains a firm fixture on the worldwide touring circuit with a number of key residencies around the world under the Toolroom Live banner and performances at dance music bastions Space Ibiza and Amnesia as well as a host of landmark festivals. With all this in mind, it's no wonder the Toolroom man has deservedly maintained his status as an indispensable asset to modern dance music.


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By Mark Riddle
Answers in Genesis
Having good friends serving with Answers in Genesis, I am delighted to commend this article and website. The concluding quote from Charles Darwin should make your hair stand on end. That is where evolution leads us – genocide and eugenics.
"Though not all of America's Founding Fathers were Bible-believing Christians, the United States was nevertheless founded on biblical principles. These Fathers declared that our rights come from God, the Sovereign Creator. For example, the Declaration of Independence reads:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The U.S. Founding Fathers recognized that our rights come from God and that government should exist to protect our rights. However, if there is no God basis, then our rights can only come from the generosity of the state and its leaders. If the state gives us our rights, then the state can take them away.
Thomas Jefferson, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781, wrote: "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God."
In addition, if there is no God, then men are not "created," and they are not necessarily "equal": Charles Darwin declared that man evolved and was not created and that some are more evolved than others. The state in essence can become the new god. Darwin wrote:
"The civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace the savage races throughout the world… The break between man and his nearest allies will then be wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilized state, as we may hope, even than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as the baboon, instead of as now between the negro or Australian and the gorilla." (Charles Darwin, Descent of Man, 1871)


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Eurosystem publishes oversight frameworks for credit transfer and direct debit schemes
The Eurosystem, which comprises the European Central Bank (ECB) and the 16 national central banks of the euro area (NCBs), has today published the final versions of the "Oversight Framework for Credit Transfer Schemes" and the "Oversight Framework for Direct Debit Schemes." The new frameworks will help strengthen the soundness and efficiency of credit transfers and direct debits schemes by highlighting risks that could have an overall impact on the confidence of users of the instrument. In this way, they will ultimately contribute to maintaining confidence in the currency and promoting an efficient economy.
The publication of the frameworks follows a public consultation, which took place between 10 August and 10 November 2009, and was intended to gather comments from interested parties on the draft requirements proposed in July 2009. All the comments received, as well as a summary of the most relevant ones, together with the respective Eurosystem responses, are available on the ECB's website.
The Eurosystem has thoroughly considered all remarks, and has reflected them in the final versions of both oversight frameworks.
The two frameworks build on the Eurosystem "Harmonised Oversight Approach and Oversight Standards for Payment Instruments," while accommodating the specificities of the payment instruments in question. The Eurosystem will apply these frameworks to the SEPA credit transfer scheme and the SEPA direct debit scheme. Individual NCBs may also decide to apply these standards for the oversight of other national (non-SEPA) payment instruments, if they deem this to be appropriate.
European Central Bank
Directorate General Communications
- Sonnemannstrasse 20
- 60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- +49 69 1344 7455
- firstname.lastname@example.com
Reproduction is permitted provided that the source is acknowledged.
Media contacts


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Levenmouth Area Committee (15th May 2024)
Committee: Levenmouth Area Committee
Date: Wednesday 15th May 2024
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Willmar Schwabe India Magnesia Phosphoricum 6X (550g)
Willmar Schwabe Magnesia Phosphoricum
Phosphate of Magnesia is contained in blood-corpuscles, muscles, brain, spinal marrow, nerves, teeth. Disturbance of its molecules results in pains, cramps, paralysis. Mag Phos makes up white matter of muscles and nerve. Mag phos is a mineral supplement to restore energy and begin the regeneration of the body's nerves and muscles. A nutrition and functional remedy for nerve tissues.
Uses of Willmar Schwabe Mag Phos
- Its an anti spasmodic remedy useful for pains all over the body, back, leg, calf muscles etc.
- Migraines, fatigue, hearing disorders, Meniere's disease (disease of middle ear with dizziness and ringing in ears) neuralgia, Mag Phos gives good results.
- Panic attacks, Headaches of school children.
- Dysentry with cramp like pains, flatulent colic needs to bend double for relief is an indication of Mag Phos.
- Dullness and inability to think clearly. Talks to himself constantly or sits in moody silence.
Common symptoms of Willmar Schwabe Mag Phos
- Stress, Pain, Anxiety, Depression, Muscle spasms, migraine headaches, PMS ( pre menstrual) headaches, agitation, irritability, constipation, fatigue.
- Keeps on talking to oneself to relax oneself.
- Complaints of children during teething, Spasms (cramps)from cold without high body temperature.
- Menstrual colic, weakness in arms and hands, finger-tips stiff and numb. General muscular weakness.
- Neuralgia in the head, pains darting (shifting), shooting and very intense.
- Neuralgic (Irritated nerve) pains in any part of the body.
Important indicated symptoms of Willmar Schwabe Mag Phos
- When there has been nerve injury or damage, Mag Phos helps in recovery of injuries.
- Players and writers who suffer from cramps.
- Helps harden dental enamel(Gums) after dental procedures
- Toothaches better by warm water is marked in Mag Phos.
- Pains coming on periodically, being very acute, darting, or shooting along the course of the nerve is helped by Mag Phos.
- Typical facial neuralgias, paralysis.
- Many recommend a sip or two of hot water immediately after taking Mag Phos to speed its action.
Cause for the complaints in Willmar Schwabe Mag Phos
Refined foods, pollution, non-absorption and insufficient ability of the body to utilize magnesium in the body are some of the causes, overexertion of work.
worse after
mastication or any motion, cold, open air, pressure
better from
Warm applications relieve, and especially dry warmth, bending double.
Reactions with Willmar Schwabe Mag Phos
It is safe to take the tablets even if you are taking allopathy medicines, ayurvedic etc. Homeopathic medicines do not interfere with the action of other medicines. It is safe and without any side effects.
Dosage of Willmar Schwabe Mag Phos
- Put tablets into mouth and allow them to dissolve under the tongue.
- Adults and adolescents (12 years and older) 2 to 4 tablets,four times daily, or as recommended by your healthcare practitioner.
- Children (under 12 years) 2 tablets twice a day.
- In acute cases a dose every hour or two.
- In severe, painful affections a dose every ten to fifteen minutes.
- In chronic affections one to four doses daily.
Always keep a gap of 15 minutes before or after meals when you take medicine.
If pregnant or breastfeeding, ask a homeopathic practitioner before use.
Avoid eating tobacco or drinking alcohol.


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Based on internal research and development, DNV GL's view is that 10 technology trends in materials, wind, solar, electricity storage, data-communications and power electronics will unleash a 'perfect storm', creating a new power reality, transforming our existing power systems.
The new power reality: a hybrid of macro and micro elements
Today, large generating plants and passive components still dominate the power system. That time is over. In the next 10 years, the new power landscape will be a hybrid of large and small scale elements: large scale renewable generating plants and super grids which move power over long distances and micro grids and energy producing buildings where end-users have an active role. Renewable generation will become the safest investment choice and dominate power generation new builds. Markets are already adapting to this reality. Grids will be governed more and more by software. Many electric technologies and appliances including heat pumps, electric vehicles, solar PV and batteries will come together with ICT systems in buildings. These buildings will be net generators instead of just consuming energy. With the help of digitalisation and automation, they will not only provide electricity, but also offer complex grid balancing and power quality services. These forms of flexibility, which are increasingly needed by the grid, will become easily available through the mass market. We will see a personalization of energy, where end users are enabled to source, price and better understand their electricity supply. Why? Consumers, emboldened by digital platforms, will demand choice and control of electricity in their daily lives, and the technology to support this is ready.
Top 10 technology trends that will together create a new power reality:
- The electrification of energy demand will increase overall energy efficiency and reliability. While the electrification of trains began a century ago, cars and trucks are now increasingly battery-powered. Electric heating is also driving efficiency increases as heat pumps begin replacing other forms of heating, including gas, oil and direct electric heating on broader scales.
- New materials in energy such as graphene in solar, hybrid solar cells and wide range bandgap semiconductors in power converters will increase the reliability, performance and efficiency of the next generation solar panels and electric grids.
- Digitalisation will lead to more, faster and better data, increased computing power and better connectivity of all elements in the power system. This will optimise the design, planning and operations of assets in wind, solar, transmission, distribution and the use of electricity in society. Costs for maintenance of wind turbines and wind farms will be lower and demand response invitations, where customers can voluntarily reduce demand in peak moments, will be better-tuned to individual and changing consumer wishes.
- Wind: larger and smarter. Turbine sizes will continue to increase and include light, flexible blades and aerodynamic control devices. Second, aerodynamic control devices, innovations in transmission systems, new sensors and smart control systems, will ensure new turbines better utilise the available wind and react to the needs of the electricity grid.
- More than 30 developments in solar will drive down costs of solar PV up to 40% in the next ten years. The PV learning curve indicates that the module price decreases by over 20% for every doubling of capacity. By 2025 solar PV will be the cheapest form of electricity in many regions of the world.
- Electricity storage will be optimised for three electricity discharge durations: wholesale, system support and "behind the meter." Technologies will include: chemical batteries for storing solar energy for consumers, technologies with high power ratings for system support at systems scale and smart software in batteries to enable optimal use of batteries.
- Bi-directional communications in demand response management will address changing customer circumstances and thus help overcome the major disadvantages of the two most common forms of demand response today. In one form, utilities directly control the program, disregarding the local circumstances and changing customer wishes and making it feel rather intrusive. In the other form, demand is adjusted automatically based on consumers reacting to price incentives, making this form of demand response unreliable and controllable from the systems perspective.
- Smart energy producing buildings. A vision of a smart energy-producing house is one in which solar is the main source of energy. Adding devices that have some flexibility in their energy behavior, like battery electricity storage, heat pumps, air conditioning, and charging of electrical vehicles enables further optimization of energy use with smart self-learning thermostats. Smart meters will make it possible to measure this flexibility and monetize it. While developments in solar and storage may suggest that buildings go 'off grid', the opposite is more likely to occur. Buildings have the potential to become energy hubs, an invaluable asset to the much needed flexibility in power grids.
- Self-thinking power grids. Grids will begin to manage themselves, and will include features allowing self-configuration to manage resilience and reduction losses, self-adjustment to address voltage variations and self-optimisation to mitigate disturbances. This evolution will, however, raise different challenges, including questions about how to validate the safety and reliability of the system. In response to this, new modelling techniques for design, testing and verifying of power grid management in a systems context will be developed.
- Hybrid grids. In order to accommodate the increasing share of renewable energy, electricity will need to be transmitted over ever-longer distances. High Voltage Direct Current is the solution of lowest cost in this regard. Hybrid grids, which the existing AC grid will evolve toward, is defined as the addition of ever-more HVDC connections within and between AC power systems. In this way, grids are evolving into combinations of AC and highly controllable DC systems.
Theo Bosma, Director Group Research & Innovation for Energy: "The implementation of these new technologies will be a game changer in the next 10 years, accelerating the energy transition. Alongside customers and industry partners, we will continue to push these developments through our joint industry projects and advisory, testing, inspection and certification services to ensure a clean, affordable and safe energy future."
About Technology Outlook
Through the development and publication of the Technology Outlook 2025, DNV GL aspires to provide a glimpse of the technology landscape of 2025 across the energy, shipping, and life sciences sectors. This foresight activity helps us engage in discussions with our customers on how we believe technology developments will impact their respective industries. To this end, we have selected, for each of the industries, technology trends that we believe will have game changing impact in the years ahead. The publication deals with the probable rather than the possible. Consequently, what you will find may not be the very new avant garde technology developments, but rather a view on how technologies that exist or are emerging today will be implemented to acquire real scale and impact.
Driven by its purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organisations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. DNV GL provides classification and technical assurance along with software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries. It also provides certification services to customers across a wide range of industries. DNV GL, whose origins go back to 1864, operates globally in more than 100 countries with its 16,000 professionals dedicated to helping their customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.
In the Energy industry
In DNV GL we unite the strengths of DNV, KEMA, Garrad Hassan, and GL Renewables Certification. DNV GL's 2,500 energy experts support customers around the globe in delivering a safe, reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy supply. We deliver world-renowned testing, certification and advisory services to the energy value chain including renewables and energy efficiency. Our expertise spans onshore and offshore wind power, solar, conventional generation, transmission and distribu¬tion, smart grids, and sustainable energy use, as well as energy markets and regulations. Our testing, certification and advisory services are delivered independently from one another.


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Nanaimo, the harbour city, hosts the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra's very special "Old Wine in New Bottles" festival January 19 to 22. The festival is certain to be a delightful romp through a myriad of tastes, sights and sounds. Events include wine competitions, the Wine Makers' Gala Dinner, concerts and wine tastings. More than ten BC wineries, including Vancouver Island wineries, are participating so expect something to delight even the fussiest palate. In addition to the variety of events being held, invited artists are creating original art bottles to be auctioned. The bottles will be on display and available for bidding at Gallery 223 from Jan 2 – 19.
Says an excited Pierre Simard, artistic director, "The original thought was of wine as a metaphor for old music made new; the idea has now become a huge happening!"
That happening includes two luscious concerts featuring guest conductor Ivars Taurins of Toronto (Festival Concert I on Friday January 21) and Vancouver Island Symphony conductor and director Pierre Simard (Festival Concert II on Satureday January 22) and opportunities to have questions answered at pre- and post concert talks. Hurry and visit the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra website for details on the concerts and events.
If you want delicious accommodation in Nanaimo to compliment the fine wine and music, be sure to book at one of the excellent Nanaimo Bed & Breakfasts featured on the BC Bed & Breakfast B&Bkeepers Guild website


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- Simple, understated design.
- Easy setup.
- Instantaneous notifications.
- Customizable watch faces.
- Syncs with Android or iOS.
- Greater iOS app compatibility than Android.
- Some bugs.
Pebble Specs
Display Size | 1.26 |
Display Type | E-paper |
Estimated Battery Life | 7 days |
Fitness Features | Accelerometer |
Phone OS Compatibility | Android |
Phone OS Compatibility | iOS |
Processor | STM32F205RE Cortex M3 CPU |
Separate App Store | |
Watch OS | Proprietary |
Editors' Note: Pebble has shut down and is no longer manufacturing or selling smartwatches. Existing devices should continue to work as they have, but functionality or service may be reduced in the future. As such, we can no longer recommend this product. Our original review is below.
After a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $10 million, and nearly a year spent working out the kinks of a grass-roots effort to bring a consumer product to market, the Pebble Smartwatch ($150 direct) finally arrived earlier this year. We had some reservations at first, but nearly half a year later, with a number of updates under its belt, we've decided to revisit the Pebble and see how far it's come.
The physical design remains identical, while the primary features are largely unchanged. But what's new and most exciting is the burgeoning developer community surrounding the Pebble platform. It's still not the most consumer friendly device out there. But for those who are willing to tinker, the Pebble is now the most well-rounded smartwatch available, and it's good enough to be our first-ever Editors' Choice for this kind of product.
Physical Design
There's a certain elegance to the Pebble's simple and understated design. I think it's far better looking than, say, the squat and thick Martian Passport smartwatch. The plastic casing feels hollow, though, and the buttons along both sides of the watch face feel a bit mushy, preventing the watch from having a rock-solid feel. The included polyurethane band is decidedly understated, but you can swap in any standard 22mm watchband.
The Pebble is available in black, white, red, orange, or gray. On the left side is a single button that brings you to the Menu page, while the right side houses Up, Down, and Select buttons for navigation. Tapping any of the buttons activates the Pebble's backlight, and quick flicks of your wrist also light up the display, which is a nice touch. The watch face is customizable, and at the time of testing there were nine choices that ranged from a standard analog look to a futuristic dot matrix.
The 1.26-inch 144-by-168-pixel e-paper display isn't the clearest or sharpest, but it gets the job done. The e-paper should not be confused with E Ink displays you'll find on ebook readers like the Kindle Paperwhite. It doesn't have the same printed look as E Ink displays; instead it's more of a monochrome LCD. As such, viewing angle isn't a full 180 degrees and it becomes hard to read the watch when you look from an angle. The screen is also pretty reflective, and even with the backlight on it can be hard to read in bright outdoor light, unlike E Ink.
On the left side are three contact points that connect to the included charging cable magnetically. It's reminiscent of Apple's MagSafe connector, but the magnetic hold is a bit weaker—I could detach it simply by picking the watch up.
The Pebble has a waterproof rating of 5 ATM, which means it can be submerged up to 165 feet and has been tested in both fresh and salt water, so you can shower or swim with the watch. The battery is rated for more than seven days of use, and in my several days of testing, the battery never ran out, despite only charging once for about an hour. You can plug the included USB cable into a computer or a wall charger from a smartphone. The only things included in the box are the watch itself and the charging cable.
Android and iOS Experience
The primary purpose of the Pebble is to make push notifications accessible on your wrist, and the watch is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. You get the same basic functions on both platforms, but setup, notification settings, and features like music playback work differently on Android and iOS. For my tests, I used an Apple iPhone 5 and an Android-based HTC One X+.When we first tested the Pebble, notifications were hit or miss on both platforms, especially if you rely on third-party apps. Now, thanks to enthusiastic third-party development, there are apps that work with your Pebble to push virtually any notification you can think of to your wrist. On top of that, third-party apps enable features like weather updates or sending canned text message replies right from your Pebble.
For both platforms, you must first download the Pebble app and pair your phone to the Pebble using Bluetooth. From there, however, the experiences diverge. On initial setup with Android, you need to enable Accessibility Services on your phone to get notifications pushed to the Pebble. During this process, you'll see a somewhat disconcerting message that reads: "Pebble can collect all of the text you type, except passwords. This includes personal data such as credit card numbers. It can also collect data about your interactions with the phone."
On Android the Pebble app now supports a wider array of third-party apps, but not all of them work right out of the box. For example, GoSMS Pro disables the default text messaging app's notifications to eliminate redundant notifications, and its own notifications are not supported in the Pebble app. Luckily, thanks to third-party developers, an app like Pebble Notifier can forward pretty much any notification to the smartwatch. Then there are third-party apps like Glance for Pebble, which can push weather updates to your wrist and allow you to send pre-set text replies to your most recent contacts. And for Tasker fans out there, there's even a PebbleTasker app that lets the Pebble trigger automated tasks on your smartphone.
Pebble recently launched a new software update for its iOS app, as well as a firmware update for the watch itself. With iOS 7, the Pebble can do even more when it comes to notifications on iDevices. You now have to set notifications to 'banner' style for each alert you want sent to your Pebble, but the watch and iOS now support basically any notification over iOS, including third-party apps like WhatsApp and even Google Maps navigation. I tested the new Pebble software with Facebook and Twitter and received a multitude of new and timely notifications on my wrist.
In my tests, notifications were nearly instantaneous on both platforms and trigger a visual alert and a vibration on the watch itself. Pressing the middle button clears the notification, while the top and bottom buttons scroll through the notification. Call notifications show contact information, text messages show contact information and a preview of the message, and emails show sender, subject, and the first few lines of the body. The Martian Passport, to compare, only shows basic caller ID notifications on its tiny OLED screen. On the Pebble, though, there's no way to look back at a notification once you clear it from the watch face, and you can't control the length of time the message remains displayed.
Many of the bugs we encountered in our original review have been ironed out. Music control works far more smoothly now, and notifications are speedy and reliable. It's still not entirely perfect, though, and you'll have to be willing to deal with lost connections, crashing apps, and trial and error to really eke the most out of the Pebble.
Pebble also released a new SDK with its latest update, meaning developers can now access features that lay dormant within the smartwatch all along. For iOS users, the Pebble now supports Bluetooth LE, so having the multitude of new notification types pushing to your wrist shouldn't have a huge adverse effect on battery life. Pebble apps can now take advantage of the accelerometer in the Pebble itself, opening up new doors for things like fitness apps. Unfortunately, because of Android's shoddy support for Bluetooth 4.0 LE, which is only available in Android 4.3, the Pebble team is focusing its efforts on iOS development for now.
As a category, the smartwatch is still in its infancy and despite its many improvements, the Pebble is still more for the avid geek than for the everyday consumer. The growing collection of third-party apps separates the Pebble from its smartwatch competitors and proves that the developer backing is there. New updates for iOS users signal even more features coming down the road, but it still requires some experimentation to get the most out of the device. Smartwatches can be useful for some, but they aren't for everyone—at least not yet. The Sony SmartWatch 2 is another intriguing option and a nice companion device, but it's also a bit too buggy to go mainstream and while Sony boasts over 250 apps, many of them are half baked. The Samsung Galaxy Gear got the most press of any smartwatch this year, but it's simply too expensive, too limited, and too difficult to use. For now, if you're set on hopping on the smartwatch bandwagon, the Pebble is your best bet for its simplicity and growing feature set.Best Smartwatch Picks
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