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The Hero
Luke 13.31-35
Jason Procopio
I caught the stomach flu this week.
It started early Thursday morning, and I was off my feet until Friday evening. And then there's the recovery time. Usually with even a 24-hour bug you need a few days to get back to 100%. But on top of it all, we have a five-month-old baby with colic who woke up no fewer than five times a night—so I couldn't recover.
On Saturday I was back to work, getting ready for today, but I found it really hard to concentrate. Preaching takes a lot out of me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to recover fully before getting up here. I realized it's hard to do your job, and to do it well, when you know you've got a hard time coming.
We've been in Luke 12-13 since the beginning of the school year, and we've seen Jesus continuing on his way toward Jerusalem—a journey he began all the way back in chapter 9. He's taking his time getting there, because he's regularly stopping on the way to teach and to heal the people who have come out to see him.
In making his way to Jerusalem, Jesus knew what he was in for: he wasn't just on his way to a rough day. He was going to Jerusalem to die, and he knew it perfectly well. (He's already said as much to his disciples.) And he knew what kind of a death he was going to suffer. He knew Isaiah's prophecy about him in Isaiah 53.3-5, which said:
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
Every step he took towards Jerusalem was a step towards an agonizing and very slow death on the cross. Every step he took towards Jerusalem was a step towards his having to bear all of the wrath of God against the sins of his people.
As one commentator said,
"It would rightly be regarded as undue cruelty to a condemned criminal if each day he was moved a foot closer to the gallows. But this was Jesus' daily experience as he deliberately chose to go to Jerusalem."
This isn't just the context of today's passage, but of every passage we've seen since the beginning of September. But the context gives particular weight to what he says here.
If you remember, Jesus has just been speaking to the crowds, exhorting them to strive to enter through the narrow door (v. 24). He has told them that people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God (v. 29).
All the while, Jesus's enemies were paying no attention to what he was saying, but only trying to trap him, to trip him up in his mission. And that's what we see beginning in v. 31. He's not going to say a lot, but in these five verses, he's going to send three different messages, in which he highlights his determination to accomplish his mission.
A Message to Herod (v. 31-32)
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you."
Now, we need to take a minute to remember what happened earlier in the story.
Herod was king over the Jews at this point, a puppet leader left in power by the Romans, who were occupying the territory. Herod had recently suffered a bit of political damage, after he executed John the Baptist.
If you remember, John had spoken out against the fact that Herod was sleeping with his brother's wife, Herodias, and Herodias wanted John dead. (Herod was actually fond of John.) So she sent in her daughter to do a dance for Herod and enchant him, and Herod foolishly told her that anything she asked, he would give to her (Matthew 14.6-7). At her mother's prompting, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. So Herod reluctantly had John executed.
This cost him a good deal of political capital with the people, because they loved John. So he didn't want to make the same mistake twice: if possible, the people on the whole were even fonder of Jesus than they were of John.
So then why then would Herod want to kill him? And why would the Pharisees—the group of men who hated Jesus more than anyone—try to warn Jesus about it? They wanted him dead.
Most commetators agree that given these facts—that Herod wouldn't have wanted to kill Jesus himself, and the Pharisees wouldn't have wanted to stop it, and the way Jesus responds to them—we should understand that the Pharisees and Herod were working together here. It was an empty threat, meant to force Jesus to go somewhere else, where he wouldn't be Herod's problem anymore, and where he wouldn't bother the Pharisees anymore.
They want Jesus out of their hair, so they cook up this threat and this warning to get him to go anywhere but Jerusalem, where Herod lived and where the Jewish temple stood.
But of course, Jesus won't be deterred. And to show his determination, he takes his gloves off and comes out swinging.
32 And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course."
To call someone a "fox" at that time was to suggest that the person was completely insignificant: it was an expression of complete and total contempt. Herod is the only person in the gospels whom we see Jesus treat with contempt. Later on, when he arrives in Jerusalem and stands before Herod to be questioned, Jesus doesn't say a word to him—he won't even stoop to address him. As Leon Morris said, "When Jesus has nothing to say to a man that man's position is hopeless."
And it shows in the answer he gives to the Pharisees. He says, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. In other words, "Nothing you can say or do will convince me to go anywhere but Jerusalem." No attempts at manipulation, no scare tactics, will be successful here. He will do his work, he will accomplish his mission, and Herod's attempts to stop him are as pitiful as a pebble thrown at a tank by a little child.
Why? Because going to Jerusalem, and being killed in Jerusalem (if Herod really had it in him, which we later see he doesn't) was the plan all along. This isn't just a question of Jesus's determination; this is a matter of divine sovereignty. Jesus wasn't just heading to Jerusalem despite threats to his life; he was going to Jerusalem to die.
And he would not be killed by the likes of Herod. Jesus is the one who would give his life; no human king had the power to kill him. As Jesus said in John 10.18:
18 No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.
A Message to the Pharisees (v. 33)
Technically, verse 33 is a continuation of what he was saying before; it's part of what the Pharisees were to communicate to Herod. But in what he says here there is a biting rebuke for the Pharisees as well.
33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.'
In other words, Jerusalem poses a greater threat to a true prophet than any threat Herod can level at him.
It was a scathing insult, because from the time of King David, Jerusalem was the center of worship for the people of Israel. If the prophets in Israel had had a general headquarters, it would have been in Jerusalem.
See what he is doing? He's highlighting their hypocrisy: Jerusalem, the city of God, is the one place where a true prophet of God is not safe.
A prophet's vocation, in the Old Testament, was to communicate God's message to God's people. And since God's people were so frequently unfaithful, much of the time the prophets' messages were strong rebukes against the people, and warnings of punishment should they continue.
But at some point, the religious tradition of the Mosaic Law became more important to the people than actually listening to what God had to say. So God stopped sending prophets, at least until the arrival of John the Baptist and, to a much greater extent, Jesus himself.
Before John showed up, the religious authorities had not been bothered by prophets for quite some time—some pesky town crier telling them they're doing it all wrong and need to change. Which is just the way they liked it. They were wary of John, but Herod took care of John for them. And now here comes this new prophet named Jesus.
Jesus posed a very real threat to their religion, their system of government, their values, their entire way of living—so the center of worship in Israel became the least safe place for him.
Why was Jesus such a threat? Because he is the prophet par excellence—he doesn't just speak on behalf of God, he is God. When he speaks, every single word he utters is a word directly from the mouth of God to the people.
And in keeping with God's promises, this prophet-King, this Messiah, would die in Jerusalem. It would be the ultimate unexpected victory; the Messiah would set the people free from their sin in the very place they came to make sacrifices to atone for that sin; and he would do it by becoming the perfect sacrifice in that place.
Now at this point, Jesus changes his focus—it's as if he completely ignores the Pharisees from this point on, and takes a step back to look at the bigger picture. What concerns Jesus here is clearly not Herod, or the Pharisees, but Jerusalem itself: the focal point of Jewish worship. We mustn't forget that Jesus was Jewish too: this was where he came with his family to worship when he was young. These were his people.
And we can see both his affection for the people on one side, and the seriousness of his resolve on the other, in the verses that follow.
A Message for Jerusalem (v. 34-35)
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
This image—of a mother bird caring for her young—is one of Scripture's favorite images to describe the way God cares for those who belong to him. We see this especially often in the Psalms.
Psalm 17.8:
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings...
Psalm 36.7:
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 57.1:
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
Psalm 61.4:
Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!
Psalm 63.7:
...for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
Psalm 91.4:
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge...
I hope the image isn't too abstract or culturally foreign for you to grasp the weight of it. The Creator of the universe, who has all the power over heaven and earth, against whom all of humanity has rebelled and who has the right and the authority to exercise judgment against all people, wants to be to his people as a mother is for her children.
The image speaks of intimate protection: of protection from the elements and from predators and from falling, and of the intimacy an infant feels when its mother holds it close to her breast.
This is the heart of God's character; this is what he loves to do.
But Jesus says, You were not willing.
Some people were willing, of course, at least at certain times. But Jesus is looking ahead towards that moment in time in which he would be rejected by them all. Even his most trusted friends, his disciples, would run away in terror, leaving him completely alone—even though at Jesus's side was the only place they were truly safe.
You can hear the longing in Jesus's voice to protect his people from judgment: if you had been willing, in a MOMENT I would have run to you and protected you and cared for you and showed you my love… But you were not.
Now, let's hit the Pause button for just a minute.
This obviously poses some problems, because if this is really what Jesus had wanted to do, couldn't he have done it? Couldn't he have done it, whether the people were willing or not? Couldn't he have made the people willing?
The answer to both questions is yes. So why didn't he?
The Bible gives us two answers: firstly, he didn't impose his reign on the people of Israel because God always calls his people to an obedience which is free and willing.
We are all entirely responsible for our response to Christ's invitation. God is sovereign over our response, absolutely: he sovereignly chooses whom he will save, and gives his Spirit to those he chooses, and it is only because of the Spirit's work that we come to him (Ephesians 2.4-10).
At the same time, when someone rejects God, it is never simply mechanical. We are slaves to sin, absolutely: but we are willing slaves. No one rejects God because the devil made them do it. Any time any of us sin, in that moment, we are doing exactly what we want to do.
No one will be able to stand before God at the judgment and say that they were forced to reject him, because they will have to look at their disobedience and say in all honesty, I WANTED to do that. I wanted to pursue my own pleasure instead of your will for me. I wanted to be master of my own life. As we've repeated many times in the previous months, it's not just about what we do, but about what we want, what we love.
And what is amazing about all of this is that the obedience to which Christ calls us isn't first and foremost an obedience to rules. The call Jesus gives us in the gospel is not, Do what I say, and you can be saved. The call Jesus gives us in the gospel is, Come to me, and LET ME SAVE YOU. Let me gather you together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. Let me be for you what you cannot be for yourself. Let me be perfect where you're unable to. Let me obey in all the ways you can't.
And even that, we are unwilling to do much of the time.
Which brings us to the Bible's second answer to the question of why Jesus didn't simply impose himself on Israel: because God's glory is seen in his wrath, just as it is seen in his grace.
God's wrath against our sin and rebellion is completely just, and shows his glory and his divine power, just as his grace does. Jesus could have forced the people into submission, but Paul says in Romans 9.22 that God judges those who reject him because he desires to show his wrath and to make known his power.
God's ultimate desire is that his glory might be seen by all creation, and that glory is seen both in his grace towards undeserving sinners, and his wrath toward sinners who persist in rejecting him.
And that is why Jesus continues (v. 35):
35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' "
This last is a quote from Psalm 118.26. The people would quote it as well when Jesus finally arrived in Jerusalem—they would wave palm branches before him and celebrate his coming…mere days before they would cry out for his crucifixion.
Jesus's verdict against Jerusalem is harsh and bitter and anguished. He loves these people, and clearly longs for them to know him as he is… But they were not willing.
Herod's plans would be thwarted; the Pharisees would be unable to rid themselves of Jesus and the problems he caused them; and Jerusalem itself would soon reject the Messiah, and be rejected by him as a result.
Jesus would die there; and his death would mean life to the world. But only for the willing.
The Hero of Our Story
This is a dark passage. It's a sobering passage.
It's sobering to us in particular because we can see all of these tendencies in ourselves. We too have moments when we don't want to get too close to Jesus, because we know he's going to disrupt the train of our lives. He's going to demand things of us we don't want to give him. We are all too often unwilling to come to him and receive his grace, because that grace will necessarily demand a response, and we may not like the way he'll call us to respond.
But I don't think that feeling the weight of judgment is the only point, or even the main point, of this passage.
Because of the way Luke organizes his narrative.
He does it differently from, say, Matthew. We find v. 34-35—the lamentation for Jerusalem—quoted verbatim in Matthew 23. And yet Matthew does not include Jesus's rebuke of Herod, or this particular rebuke of the Pharisees. (And he says a lot of other things to the Pharisees in that chapter that Luke leaves out here.)
We have to ask ourselves, Why did Luke choose to write his narrative as he did? Why did he choose to include this particular rebuke against Herod, and this particular taunting of the Pharisees, just before Jesus's lament over Jerusalem?
There is one common element to all three messages here, which shows us the point Luke is trying to get across.
That common element is Jesus's absolute determination to go to Jerusalem to be killed for the sins of his people.
He tells Herod that he would continue his course, and would not be deterred—no way Herod's going to manipulate him into going anywhere else. He tells the Pharisees he would be killed in Jerusalem, and would not leave the road that led him there. And he tells Jerusalem that her inhabitants would soon be singing, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," a very short time before turning on him to have him killed.
Jesus came to die. He knew he was meant to die in Jerusalem, the center of the religious life of his own people. And he put all of his determination into accomplishing his mission.
In this passage, Jesus proves himself to be the hero who puts all other heroes to shame.
Every hero story human beings have ever cooked up are faint echoes of this one. Whether we know it or not, this is why we love hero stories. This is why we love the story of Frodo accepting to take the One Ring to Mordor. This is why we love the story of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, or Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. (And yes, it's why we love Darth Vader's final moments in Return of the Jedi.) Every story of a hero sacrificing him- or herself for others is, in one way or another, an echo of the story of our Hero: the hero Jesus was and is for us.
Knowing fully what he would have to endure—a brutally violent death at the hands of the Romans; the cosmic weight of God's wrath against sin poured out on him—he remained determined in his objective. He would go to Jerusalem, and he would die there.
The question is, Why did he do it?
Well, we have a clue in the text itself.
V. 35, as we said, quotes Psalm 118:
And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'
That would soon happen in Jerusalem, when Jesus entered the city. But that's not the only "coming" this verse foreshadows.
Psalm 118 is a psalm which celebrates the steadfast love of the Lord, and the salvation he gives to his people. And we know that his love and salvation are not limited to the psalmist's time, or even to the span of Jesus's own life on earth.
God's love and salvation will be fully displayed and consummated in another coming.
Jesus will return to the earth one day, to gather his people to himself, and to renew the earth that has been corrupted by sin.
And on that day, all people—Jews and Gentiles alike—will understand who Jesus is and what he did. They will say, with all creation, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
You see, it's no accident that when the authors of the Bible talk about heaven, one of the names they use for it is "the new Jerusalem." For example, in Revelation 21.1-3, John describes heaven in this way:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
In other words, Jesus's lamenting over Jerusalem here is not the end of the story.
He cries that he wants to gather the people of Jerusalem under his wings, and protect them, and love them…but they were not willing.
When we read this, we are meant to see ourselves there. We are Jerusalem. We too are unwilling. We too are unfaithful.
And yet, Jesus was solemnly resolute in his mission. He would die for unwilling people, in order to free them from their unwillingness. He would die for unwilling Jerusalem, in order to renew her.
And one day, the new Jerusalem will be established. God will bring down this new, perfect Jerusalem from heaven and establish it on earth. And what the old Jerusalem failed to be—the center of worship, God's home on earth—the new Jerusalem will be.
The citizens of the new Jerusalem—all those who have faith in Jesus Christ who died for her—will not hear the same kind of lament Jesus gives in this passage, for they will be willing. And so he will gather his children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.
Brothers and sisters, in Jesus we find our shelter—the only true and lasting shelter we have. In Jesus we find life—the life he lived, he gives to us, for all eternity. In Jesus we find our hero—the one man who was able and willing to do what we couldn't do, in order to save us.
So fix your eyes on your Savior. Fix your eyes on your hero. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Don't allow yourselves to get distracted by the natural train of this life. Don't allow yourselves to be distracted by the things you can see. Keep your eyes fixed on him, because having Jesus set firmly in your sights is the only way you will be able to live the life he calls you to live.
Just one example of many: fighting sin will never be effective if you're entirely focused on your sin. You see your sin, you hate it, and you want to put it to death. So you think about the ways it tempts you, the ways it manipulates you and lies to you, and you take steps to protect yourself from that temptation.
That's all good; you should do that.
But it will not work in the long term if you have nothing else to replace the sin you're trying to put to death. You will never find the strength to persevere in obedience if you're not looking at the One who was already perfectly obedient for you. If you don't learn to love him more than your sin, that sin will soon become irresistible once again.
Keep your eyes fixed on your hero, and follow hard after him.
And whether you're a believer or not this morning: don't be like the old Jerusalem.
Be WILLING. When Jesus invites you to come to him, come to him. When he offers you his grace, take it. Let him protect you. Let him guard you. Let him care for you. Let him be for you everything you can't be for yourself.
It will certainly demand sacrifice, yes—but what you gain in him is infinitely more than the pitiful things you'll give up. See his resolve to save you, and remember that Jesus never resolved to do anything that wasn't entirely and wonderfully worth it.
Be willing. Come to him, and let him save you, and let him keep you, until he returns—until that day when you, and I, and all of creation, will sing, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"


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Designing a cutting edge iPad app
Desty iPad app replaced travel agents with a revolutionary search algorithm which uses natural language. The user interface contained dozens of functions and included a speech bubble where Desti communicated with the user to make the workflow easier. The Application and code were acquired by Nokia in 2014

subset: commoncrawl


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What If I Can't Fast?
by Tammye Hamilton
I plopped down in a chair in the back corner of the sanctuary. It was time for corporate prayer after our monthly Day of Fasting and I was feeling anything but spiritual. In fact, I had a terrible attitude. Then I started to beat myself up for having a bad attitude. People were praying and I tried, but I was too angry with myself to really focus on the prayer service.
Most people believe that fasting helps you to focus more on God without distractions. When I fast I usually do NOT feel more spiritual. The longer I go without food the grouchier I get and the harder it is for me to focus on anything
As I sat hunched over on the back row, struggling to join in prayer, I asked myself, and the Lord, "Why is this happening? I fasted all day, not usually something I can do physically, I came to the meeting, I'm expecting great things for our church. Why am I so angry?"
The deeply insightful response in my head was, "Because you're hungry". Well duh. I felt pretty silly. I felt like the hangry person in the Snicker's commercial.
Later, after I had a wonderful dinner and truly repented, I began to think more about fasting. I went to the Word and immediately found Matthew 4:2. "After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry." Jesus, the perfect Son of God, was hungry. So at least in that way I was like Jesus. (So he fasted for 39 more days than I had. Who's counting?)
Fasting is hard. If it was easy, what would it accomplish? As I push through my fleshly response to hunger I am doing the hard thing. I am proving I love God more than food. Realizing that it is in the hard places we can most see Him, most hear Him, if we can drown out our screaming flesh. And if we can't, He is still with us. He loves me when I don't have a spiritual response to fasting. He forgives my grouchiness.
I like to think He was sitting there beside me on the back row and when I complained He said, "You're hungry." He understood because He's been there. He knows. He probably wasn't feeling very spiritual either but in His heart He longed to please the Father more than His own flesh. And He was flesh.
So as someone who struggles with fasting, I would like to offer a few tips. Most of these I gleamed from others because, again, I'm no expert.
1. Get focused BEFORE you fast. Get ready. Get ready spiritually and physically. Don't indulge on your pre-fast day. Eat consciously. Begin to prepare spiritually. Read the Word, and encourage yourself that you can do all things through Christ.
2. Fast with purpose. Jesus fasted to prepare for His destiny. Pastor Jentezen Franklin writes, "Jesus fasted in the desert before He preached one sermon, before He healed anyone, and before He called any disciples. When Jesus successfully completed His fast, He was prepared for the spiritual battles ahead as He stepped out into His destiny on earth." Whether you are voluntarily participating in a corporate fast or have purposed in your heart to fast for a specific reason, we are always fasting for breakthrough. We fast out of obedience and in faith for God's purposes to be accomplished.
3. Make sure your fast is more than "not eating". This was a big part of my issue. I had been traveling the week before but I knew it was the day our pastor called for a corporate fast so I decided I wouldn't eat that day. I did pray but then I just went about my day. The only thing significantly different was that I didn't eat at all. So, when I showed up for the prayer meeting, I was unprepared. I had not eaten but I also had not pushed through the hunger into the presence of God. Jesus did it, which means I can do it. Even if I need to eat a little something to keep from hulking out, I can fast, focus and submit to what God is wanting for me.
4. Give yourself a break. Seriously. If you can't go all day or 40 days without eating, it doesn't make you unspiritual. Fasting is a heart issue. Anyone can do a modified fast. You can still deny your flesh and thus open your heart. Evelyn Christenson, who wrote the classic What Happens When Women Pray, could not fast for medical reasons and so she fasted sleep and her time. She rose very early to spend more time in prayer.
He wants us. All of us. He doesn't just want spiritually focused and on target me. He wants hangry, confused and irritated me. He loves ME. He says I am an overcomer and as I continue to push through, He is right there with me.
In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:3-4


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Need a new bladder? Let me print you one made from your own cells so your body won't reject it. Need some new skin? Let me scan the area as we go and lay down just the right type of material when and where it is needed. Sound like science fiction? It is rapidly becoming ...
Original: https://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2018/10/05/innovation-or-not-3d-printed-body-parts/
By: Innovation or Not
Posted: October 5, 2018, 12:00 pm
I'm a dummy user created for scooping great articles in the network for the community.


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By Amy Parvaneh, CEO of Select Advisors Institute.
It happens time and again: An advisor writes an article that is timely and full of good information. And then—nothing.
The article may be published as a blog, only to generate little or no readership or feedback. Or the advisor may shop it around to media outlets, only to be ignored.
Why is it so hard for advisors to get their articles read? A big reason is that countless stories are produced every day by advisors and other financial experts. They're all competing for eyeballs—readers' and editors'—and yours just doesn't stand out against the competition.
To cut through the noise and earn attention, your articles must have not just substance but also sizzle. And a good way to do that is to write about topics that are controversial or contrarian.
Let's be clear: We don't mean drumming up fake controversy in order to generate interest. That's just not necessary. The fact is that most advisors dohave a unique, contrarian perspective on certain subjects. Maybe you have something to say about how advisors should be paid. Or why investors should ignore Wall Street's latest product fad. Or maybe you're convinced that Americans are thinking about college funding all wrong.
Wherever you and conventional wisdom part ways, you have the raw material for a compelling article. Identifying that topic and creating an story with some sizzle can mean the difference between getting 40 views and getting hundreds of views.
Now for a reality check: The fact is that it is difficult for those who are not professional writers or publicists to pull off such articles. Not only do you have to select the right subject, spin and tone, but then you must create a cogent, polished piece of work. For many advisors, it's a little like figuring out how to play the piano on the spot.
Rather than invest precious time learning to write and place articles through trial and error, successful advisors turn to us to create articles for them.
At Select Advisors, our team pinpoints compelling topics based on our in-depth knowledge of the advisor and his or her areas of expertise. Our ghost-written articles are created by a team of professionals, with journalism backgrounds. Our advisors retain full control by reviewing and approving the articles before they are distributed.
There are no shortcuts in this process: From brainstorming to writing to placement, creating each article takes about 10 hours total. But it's well worth it: Because of the product we produce—and our relationships with editors and journalists—we are typically successful in getting our stories published in national or local media.
In the age of information, it's more challenging than ever for advisors to stand out against the crowd. Our job at Select Advisors is to make sure you beat the odds.


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Initial Contact Deadlines: January 9, 2018 and September 7, 2018 (Please contact Rebecca
Wessinger at firstname.lastname@example.com to express interest)
Application Deadlines: 5 p.m. January 30, and September 28, 2018
Award Decision: Within six weeks after Application Deadline
All full-time faculty and staff are eligible to develop and submit proposals meeting the RFP criteria.
Funding Amount and Proposal Development Procedures
The maximum award amount is up to $5,000.
- The project should focus on something that benefits your own professional development as it relates to your job description.
- Develop a short proposal no more than three single-spaced pages that provides: (a) a brief discussion of the intent and significance of the proposed idea, (b) the goals and objectives of the project, (c) the overall details of implementation of the proposed project (i.e. what you will do), (c) a timeline of implementation, (d) brief details about how the project specifically aligns with the COE strategic plan, (d) an outcome evaluation plan to examine the effectiveness of the project, and (e) the anticipated benefits to the COE, your department, your program, and your own professional development. Please consider the Professional Development Funding Proposal scoring rubric when developing your proposal.
- Attach the following supporting documentation to the end of the proposal packet: (a) references, (b) statement of support from department chairpersons, if the department is also providing funds, this should be included in the letter of support, (c), a budget, and (d) a budget narrative (the supporting documentation will not count toward your page limit).
- Contact the COE grant office no later than three weeks before the deadline notifying them of your intent to submit a proposal. Completed proposal packets should be submitted toRebecca Wessinger at firstname.lastname@example.com by 5:00 pm on the application deadline dates listed above. You will receive an e-mail confirmation.
- Funds are earmarked for the fiscal year in which the project is awarded. Approved projects must be completed during that fiscal year unless otherwise noted and approved by the committee.
Review Process
The criteria used for evaluating the proposals are provided in the PDF Proposal scoring rubric. Successful proposals will be announced within six weeks of the proposal deadline. Successful applicants are expected to share their experiences with the faculty and staff within their department.


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In the wake of record-breaking warming temperatures, you might be wondering what you can do to lighten your carbon footprint. Besides curbing your air travel and becoming a vegetarian, you can looking at tightening your residence's building envelope, or renovating using more benign materials. The Endeavour Centre in Peterborough, ON, hosts a bunch of different kinds of green building workshops, and the first one on designing your sustainable home will be held in Toronto on February 6-7th. The schedule for all of their courses is below, but visit the Endeavour Centre's website for more information.
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20 green nursery interiors which bring joyous feelings
Green color almost never is preferred for a children's room. But, it is suitable for spaces where both boys and girls would live. But you have to be very brave to paint the walls green-colored. There are many different green shades: the spectrum ranges from bright spat green to a soft, pastel lime green. On the one hand, green is wonderfully refreshing and vitalizing effect, on the other hand this color has also a calming character. If you like these colours, but you are not yet ready to paint the nursery, green try to put bright green as a wall accent. They won't regret it, because the most attractive property of the green color that she happy feelings and creates a relaxing atmosphere.
20 green nursery interiors – olive green walls in the baby's room
Lush green walls and an elegant leather chair in the nursery
Bright green walls – interesting Interior
Pale green walls and motifs in the children's room – elegant idea
White equipment in a nursery with medium green walls
Cheerful shades of green color in combination with other light tones
Lime walls – full color children's room Interior
Yellow-green walls – white fitted wardrobes and bed in the nursery
Combined blue and green colors in the children's room design
Reed green color in the baby's room – interesting Green table lamp plus
Elegant nursery fit for a young girl
Lime Interior in the rooms for young people
Pastel green color on the wall – butterflies
Compact children's rooms in shades of green
Dark green color on the walls – coloured carpet and floor cushions
Light green wall – wall decals, white cot
Verdant walls and small stylish dresser with nursery topinteresting bi-colour Nachttichlampen
Summer green wallpaper – nature motifs in the baby's room
Dark green ceiling and wall accents – stylish chandelier
Source: nursery


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Over the last few months, I've noticed a trend with my clients and on social media.
People are bringing up the idea of self-care and asking how to create a more balanced lifestyle for themselves and their families. I'm so happy to now see this becoming a more common topic of conversation. Managing stress and anxiety is key to a happy and healthy life.
As therapists, we see that when people regularly practice self-care, they feel less stress. Even though this seems pretty obvious, it's shocking how often it's missed. We often put caring for ourselves at the bottom of our list, because we see it as unproductive, unnecessary, or maybe even a little selfish. This could not be further from the truth.
Self-Care Is Essential
Self-care can be defined as the practices (activities/thoughts) a person uses to feel healthier - physically, mentally, emotionally, and relationally.
Good self-care helps us to avoid burnout and is absolutely essential in maintaining the physical and emotional energy we need to have a happy, fulfilling and productive life.
Some of these practices are universal and important for everyone, like quality sleep and a healthy diet. However, most practices vary from person to person, so it's important to find the things that are best for you.
The #1 Mistake
The biggest mistake we see is people not making self-care a priority. What's important is that the practices are used regularly, especially when you're having a busier or more stressful time. Often, we do less self care when we need it most, because we think we don't have the time.
When we feel too busy, that's exactly when we need to prioritize our self-care. It helps us feel better, be more productive, and handle the stress in a healthier way. Plus it helps us to be kinder and better people (translation: our family, friends, and colleagues can tolerate us!).
Here are 7 self-care practices to try today:
Get Quality Sleep: Yes, we've all heard this before. And yes, this means the recommended 7-9 hours per night (I know you're rolling your eyes but hear me out). Like it or not, our bodies and brains recharge during this time, so it's essential. Without good quality sleep in this quantity, you won't be functioning at your best. You can try to say that you function fine on less sleep, but you actually don't know what you're missing. Our brains "trick us" into believing we're rested even when we're not! People make more mistakes, have slower reaction times, and don't process information as well - but won't notice the difference, and think they're doing fine. If you have sleep issues that keep you from getting quality sleep, I suggest you make an appointment with your physician to figure out solutions.
Eat Healthy Foods Regularly: From what the medical and science communities tell us, food energizes our bodies, and also feeds our brains. When we're hungry, we don't function as well. Minimizing caffeine, sugar, and alcohol, and increasing healthy foods will help you function better. If you aren't sure about how to change your diet in a way that's best for you, make an appointment with a nutritionist or your physician.
Mindfulness Practices: This means taking a few minutes (or more if you have them!) every day to pay attention to what's really happening in yourself in a nonjudgmental way. I suggest to start by taking very slow, deep breaths. Listen to the noise your breath makes as you inhale, and feel your chest fill with air. Then, slowly let the air out, paying attention to the sound and sensation as your lungs empty. Repeat this several times, ideally for 2 minutes or more. Notice how you feel throughout the process and after.
Laugh!: Laughter's the best medicine, right? If nothing else, it sure helps to improve our mood and outlook on life. I find that a few minutes of genuine laughter with my kids, husband, or a good friend, goes a long way to helping me enjoy life and put everything else in perspective. Find something funny when you need a break today!
Get Outside: Heading outdoors to get fresh air, enjoy nature, or get your body moving through some exercise has so many benefits! I often hear clients tell me about how their mood improved, their stress lessened, and they relaxed more by spending time outdoors. A little fresh air and movement can refresh our minds.
Spend Time with Your People: We are often so busy, that we neglect time with family and friends. Carving out some intentional time with people we enjoy reminds us what's really important. These relationships matter. To keep the relationships healthy, and our priorities in line, plan time with the people you care about.
Be Creative: This takes a wide variety of forms, depending on what you enjoy. I love to paint on canvasses with my kids. It's crazy, messy, and hard to tell what you're looking at when we're done (we call them 'abstract') - but it can lift my spirits really quickly. I know people who unleash their creativity when they write, doodle, do improv, craft, garden, cook, decorate, or color. It's important to tap into this part of our brain and give ourselves the freedom to create. You'll find yourself able to handle the stress of life in a much better way.
Whatever you do for self-care, try to do it regularly and consistently. You'll likely find yourself more focused, feeling better, and ready to take on your challenges.
I'm here if you want to talk. Take care!
- Shelly


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Honoring Both the Storm + the Rainbow: How Rachel O'Malley's Adventurous Spirit Drives Her Overcome Setbacks
This Is, Rachel...
In a fight against her own body, Rachel has found a place of acceptance. A place where she can look at the obstacles, set backs, and pain that comes from living with this disease, as part of her journey. As part of what makes her the strong, resilient, adventurous, and brave human that she is today. That she always has been.
Rachel has learned what it's like to be ok with not being ok. To see all that she's done as every reason to not just live, but thrive. To show up and allow herself to be seen, even if that means feeling vulnerable or out of place. To take her past experiences and build off them, even lean into when things seem impossible. To use them as tools to help build a life for herself beyond the limitations of Lyme.
This diseases pushes us to be brutally honest with ourselves, to face parts of ourself that we are scared to face. To be there, trusting, believing, and fighting for a life more than. For the life you deserve to live, even if it's slightly different from what you expected.
This is Rachel's story...
I never realized how much I took for granted. The little everyday tasks— working, cleaning, shopping, going on a run, even driving. When my body could no longer do what I asked it to do, it really put life into perspective. My goals, dreams, and priorities were forced to take a different turn. I could no longer take care of my failing body on my own. I became so physically drained that I had to quit my job, move back home and let my family take care of me. For the longest time I didn't want to acknowledge that my body wasn't functioning properly.
If I let myself be sick then I would have to press the pause button on my life and deal with the disease that was going to change everything.
Like most Lyme patients, my illness began with a myriad of unusual symptoms followed by countless doctor visits and several misdiagnoses. I never recall getting a tick bite and I never had the classic bulls eye rash that is used for detecting Lyme. For months and months doctors told me that nothing was wrong with me. I had anxiety and needed to see a psychiatrist because all my symptoms were "in my head" and I needed to get more sleep. Even though I look fine on the outside, doesn't mean I'm fine on the inside.
If you look past the smile thats usually plastered on my face, you'll see a person in constant battle against their own body.
Despite what put together person people see on the outside, I have seen more challenging days than I can count. Days where getting out of bed isn't an option and neither is being independent. Some days I need help just taking a shower or fixing a simple meal. I could sit here and tell you how my time is spent being shuffled between doctor appointments, hooked up to IVs and poked and prodded with needles, but that's not the story I want to tell. Rarely do I talk about the reality of my everyday life because I choose not to focus on my challenges.
I don't want to be defined by my illness or seen as any less of a human because of the limitations my life now has. I want to live in spite of it. I want to overcome it.
Next month marks one year since the start of this journey. I've always had a love for adventure and the unknown. Last October I packed up my things and moved halfway around the world to teach English in a small, rural town in Thailand. I had the privilege of meeting some extraordinary people and having some of the greatest experiences of my life. About a month into my teaching contract is when I realized something was very wrong. I started experiencing some very bizarre symptoms— migraines, dizziness, extreme fatigue, joint pain, tingling and numbness in my limbs and a variety of other weird flu-like symptoms us "Lymies" know too well. I was able to push on for about three months before deciding to return home. My time in Thailand was extremely difficult because I was so sick and far from home, but I continued to live in the moment the best that I could.
When I look back on my time there I don't fixate on how sick I was, but I think of that beautiful sunrise hike with my best friends, staying up all night on the beach talking to strangers, and that mountaintop moped ride that quite literally took my breath away.
People say to me all the time, "I bet you wish you didn't go over there. Look where it got you." The truth is I wouldn't have changed a thing. Living in fear isn't really living and sometimes bad things just happen. Life can be a real jerk. We have to learn to laugh at it and find a reason to keep smiling and pushing on. It's not fair that I got sick. It's not fair there isn't a cure. And it's not fair so many people live with this chronic and debilitating disease.
After my diagnosis, I was so relieved to finally have an answer that I didn't fully realize that with that diagnosis came the daunting road to recovery. It took a long time for me to get to the place where I could accept my illness and really allow myself to be sick. I kept trying to force myself to live the life I had before I got sick and ignore the limitations my body now has.
I believed that if I accepted I was sick then that meant I was weak. It's hard to admit that you're not as strong as everyone believes you are.
For awhile I mourned my old self. I missed the things I was able to do so effortlessly. You never really consider what life could be like without your health until you don't have it one day. If anything, this illness has been my greatest teacher. My perspective has shifted immensely and I now see myself in a new light. Lyme has forced me to relinquish all control. I don't worry as much as I used to and I just let myself be in the place it is and accept it. I no longer put so much pressure on myself to be or act a certain way. If I'm having a bad day and feel terrible, it's okay to allow myself to feel that way. I don't need to pretend I'm ok in fear of making others feel uncomfortable. I became so good at hiding and covering up my symptoms my life became this grand facade. How I appeared on the outside and how I felt on the inside were two totally different people. I finally had to stop hiding the truth of my disease and become comfortable with allowing others to see me for who I really am. I had to stop comparing myself and where I am in life to other people.
Surrendering control has allowed me to begin healing.
Don't get me wrong, some days I feel like I'm constantly fighting a battle I just can't seem to win. I still feel angry, frustrated and defeated at times, but I've learned to focus on the small victories instead of expecting overnight success. Facing adversity has shown me I'm a lot stronger than I believed. Nobody chooses Lyme disease. Nobody chooses chronic suffering. But through all the pain, Lyme somehow presents a rare opportunity to find our inner strength and creates a deep reverence for life and happiness.
If you're reading this and are going through your own journey of healing and acceptance, just know that I see you.
We see you. It doesn't matter what other people think about you and your disease because all that matters is how you view yourself. You are strong and brave and resilient. You do not need to suffer in silence. We have to be proud of the things we are able to do because only we truly understand the strength it took to do them. It's not your fault that you are sick and you don't have to apologize for something that is out of your control. Most people will never understand the complexity of this illness or the depth of what the chronically ill go through everyday. I used to get angry at others for not understanding. It's not their fault, they honestly just have no idea how we feel.
I'm still at the beginning of this crazy war and I know I have a long journey ahead of me. I'm sharing my story because the only way to rise above this disease is to stick together, support one another, and talk about our struggles. Education and awareness is key to finding a cure. If anything, Lyme has reminded me to be kind to everyone because you never know what battle they are fighting. Listen to your body. You are not obligated to do everything a healthy person can. Dismiss the BS and focus on what is most important in your life. Live for you and stop doing things to please others.
Do not be closed off to life because you are not where you want to be right now…Healing comes with time. Honor both the storm and the rainbow. Take the good days with the bad ones and keep fighting. You are not alone.
With love,
To continue to follow Rachel and her many adventures, head on over to her Instagram
Share Your Story #morethanlyme


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Nautie Friends! I'm in Florida and I'm sorry, time flies. The blog got set aside for a few days. Whoops!
I'm currently taking some classes, getting some much needed certifications and, taking advantage of the medical facilities here by banging out an annual physical.
I may gripe about my union now and then but there is one thing that's not up for debate: they have created a world class training facility.
...bonus points for it being in Florida.


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Why you Can't Believe Government Statistics: Part 3 –THE REAL GDP — YES, WE ARE IN A RECESSION
September 11, 2008
Most Americans will tell you in no uncertain terms– yes, we're in a recession. But economists and political pundits still find themselves debating the reality we're all living. Why? It all comes down to the government's convoluted twisting of statistics.
The usual definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters (half a year) of declining Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP is the monetary value of all goods and services produced within the borders of the United States. If a company has a factory outside of the U.S. that output is not included in the GDP.
With jobs and factories leaving the United States you might wonder how our GDP continues to expand. It is accomplished by the magic of "imputed value." Imputed Value is not real goods or services. It is made up goods.
The most outrageous example is the imputed rental value of owner-occupied houses (OOH). This is the average market rent all homeowners who live in their homes would get "IF" they rented their homes. Only problem, of course, is they do NOT rent their homes. They live in them! And yet, somehow the government has decided to include this ficticious number as part of the GDP. It is impossible to comprehend how imputed rental value has anything to do with goods produced in the United States.
But wait. It gets worse. OOH value makes up more than 10% of our GDP. Yes, 10% of our GDP is imputed (made up) and not goods or services we actually produce. We have used OOH since the 1960's, but back then it was only 5.9% of the GDP. Since then, it's nearly doubled as we struggle to maintain the fiction of growth by using imputed value, while at the same time shipping more jobs and factories overseas.
To measure real growth in the value of goods and services, inflation has to be deducted from the raw growth figures. The Commerce Department recognizes this and uses what it calls a "deflator." The deflator is supposed to factor out inflation and, as a result, measure real value.
Check out the numbers. In the first quarter of 2008, the Commerce Department reported GDP growth at .9%– which is not great, but still positive. If Commerce would have used the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the traditional measure of inflation, the GDP would have come in at negative .4%, which shows a shrinking economy. Can you say recession?
It gets even crazier in the second quarter of 2008. While the Department of Labor reported inflation (CPI) increased by 1%, the Department of Commerce reported inflation (the deflator) decreased by 1.4%.
Using the deflator, The Department of Commerce reported the GDP was up 3.3% for the second quarter. If Commerce would have used the CPI to account for inflation, the GDP would have been negative .5%. This would confirm the classic definition of a recession – two consecutive quarters of declining GDP.
The bottom line — our economy is not growing it is getting smaller.
So if it feels like we are in a recession, we are. Department of Commerce has a magic number, the deflator. It can use it to make the economy look like it is growing, but we all know better.
- Part 2: Why You Can't Believe Government Statistics – Inflation Numbers are a Myth
- Goodbye Recession – Men are Buying Underwear Again!
- Men's Underwear Will Lead Us Out of The Recession
- Fun Facts: The Great Recession's Impact on Pets
- Update: Men's Underwear Disappoint Again
- The Paradox Of Savings
- Healthcare Costs More Than Workers Get Paid
- Effect of Japanese Earthquake on the Economy


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Notes on the Biology of the Gobiid Fish Sicydium plumieri in Puerto Rico
Seven synonyms of Sicydium plumieri (Bloch) are listed and vernacular names for this species of goby at various West Indian islands are given. Adults of S. plumieri live in freshwater. They are strong swimmers, and their ventral sucking disk enables them to cling to rocks in swiftly moving water. The young can move up a vertical wet surface. In the rivers and streams this goby feeds by grazing slime algae such as desmids from stones. It can change its color rapidly from black to pale tan to match its background; it is usually dark because dark rocks predominate in the natural habitat. Differences between the sexes in shape of genital papilla, width of head and body, and height of fins are noted. Males exhibit bright nuptial colors from May to October, and have been observed in apparent display of this color to females from pinnacles of rocks in stream beds. Gravid females were collected in April, June, and July, but no eggs have yet been found laid beneath rocks in streams. Postlarvae migrate upstream from the sea in enormous numbers from July through January; the largest runs occur from September to November. The runs last about 2 days and begin from one to two days after the third quarter phase of the moon. The postlarvae collected in the sea have higher, more compressed bodies and average 3 mm longer than river fish. Sea postlarvae are transparent and usually scaleless when they start their migration upstream. Soon after entering the river, dark bands appear on the body. Scales first appear on the caudal peduncle of the slightly shrunken river migrant and develop progressively forward on the body. Shortly after the young settle to the bottom, the tail alters from emarginate to truncate, and becomes rounded with further growth. The banded color pattern becomes less intense after a size of 30 mm total length is reached and disappears entirely by a length of 40 mm. The postlarvae are preyed upon heavily by terns, snooks, grunts, and large gobioid fishes such as Gobiomorus and Eleotris. The young, which are regarded as a delicacy in the West Indies, are of commercial importance.
4 References.
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Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: January 1, 1961
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April 30, 2007
This problems appears on Windows boxes since windows underlying file system likes to lock files if they are used. with antiJarlocking = true Tomcat will create unpack the jar in a temporary location and use those files and not the original jar. This way Windows will lock some files you are not aware of and are free to work with the jar without getting any exceptions. Try create context.xml in META-INF: 1: 3: and redeploy web app. Tested on Tomcat 5.5


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Make a difference - get involved!
Construction / DIY / Maintenance Volunteering in the Community in Cambodia
Get your hands dirty and help the poorer communities in Cambodia. The main construction site is at a local school allocated to the poor, but also can take place on another site in the area where development construction assistance is needed.
While assisting the local community with their developments, you'll gain valuable experiences and cultural exchanges with the Cambodian people.
View Project Details »
Temple Conservation and Restoration in Cambodia:
The secret and hidden area of Banteay Meanchey contains some of Cambodia's best kept secrets, the ancient temples of Banteay Chhmar. These massive temples are widely regarded as some of the most important archaeological complexities of the Angkor period.
On this project you be working with a local team to assist in the renovation and preservation of the temples.
Galapagos Islands Conservation, Reforestation and Community Project
Help preserve the native and endemic forests of San Cristobal Island. This project combines environmental, community and social initiatives to improve the sustainability of the islands. Plus, it's loads of fun!
The Centre is popular with international volunteers and there is loads going on, from horse-riding therapy, to wandering giant tortoises, to reforestation work, to coaching football to local kids.
Community Development: Construction and Renovation in Sigatoka in Fiji
A great project to keep you active, fit, and creative. Bring all your creative elegance to renew and build beautiful structures for children and the local communities which suffered as a recent of the recent cyclone disaster.
You'll take part in construction and renovation projects to help develop infrastructures for the local community and also for the school children. You'll help to renovate or build parks, playgrounds, classrooms, kindergartens and more, so join us on this beautiful island and help to make a community happy!
The Healthcare and Healthcare Education Project in Sigatoka in Fiji
Contribute to making the locals healthy! Because they mostly live in villages, they have little or no knowledge of hygiene or of a balanced and nutritious diet. This leads to a wide range of diseases, like high blood sugar, cholesterol, hypertension etc.
This project needs the skills of both established medical and healthcare professionals and those who are interested in teaching basic first-aid and personal hygiene. Come and make a difference while enjoying the "home to happiness" islands!
Buddhist Temple Renovation and Restoration Project in Kandy
Rebuild and renovate Buddhist temples in and around Kandy. This unique and fascinating project offers an opportunity to learn about Sri Lankan construction using traditional manual methods, without using modern machinery.
Work includes renovation, repainting temples, cleaning in and around temples; interacting with children and villagers and helping the Temples arrange Community Centres for the village youths. You'll also assist with the restoration of paintings and sculptures inside the temples.


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Worcester County health assessments and health improvement plans:
Community health assessment (CHA) and community health improvement plan (CHIP) are part of an ongoing broader community health improvement process which provides a frame work to improve the health of the communities.
The Worcester County CHA and CHIP are developed by Worcester County Health Department with the assistance and advice of the Worcester County Health Planning Advisory Council /Local Health Improvement Coalition (LHIC). The Worcester County LHIC is part of the Maryland State Health Improvement Process (SHIP).
Input is also sought from sister health and human services partners, the business community and residents through special meetings, other boards, (usually disease/condition-focused) councils and task forces.
For listing of members of the Worcester County Health Planning Advisory Council & Local Health Improvement Coalition (LHIC), please click: Member Listing. Membership is open to public.
For more community health data, check out Worcester County Network of Care - Healthy Communities or see the list of local documents below.
Please contact the Planning and Quality Program at 410-632-1100 if you need data not available in the above reports.
This service is provided by the Administration Program and the Planning Program.


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Adam and Will have completed their coast to coast walk, raising money for Ben's Centre and SWWOP, two charities who are always hunting for funds and are always very appreciative! Well done boys, you are shining stars!!
Also a huge thank you goes out to Mr Trevor Bernard for his recent fundraising efforts (Oh and he did earn it!!) thanks so much Trevor, we are so glad to have you as a friend of Ben's!
We are so proud to have so many friends and we really try to thank and appreciate you all. We are a very small team with a big workload so if we forget anyone please do give us a nudge!!
Thanks everyone, we cannot do what we do without you!


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Ottawa Hospital gives itself clean bill of structural health
While a health-care report released Tuesday says crumbling hospital infrastructure is compromising the medical care Canadians receive, the Ottawa Hospital says its campuses are in relatively good shape.
The report by HealthCareCAN, a national advocacy group, suggests that many Canadian hospitals have been postponing critical repairs to save costs or meet budget targets, and estimates the total cost of deferred maintenance at $15.4 billion to $28 billion.
The Ottawa-based organization is urging the federal government to step up with funding to help kick-start the projects.
HealthCareCAN chief executive Bill Tholl says the federal government last invested "deliberately" in hospital infrastructure almost 50 years ago through the 1966 Health Resources Fund Act. Hospitals have an estimated shelf life of no more than 40 years, meaning a federal injection into health infrastructure was due around 2004.
"Since then, more than 1,200 scholarly articles have noted how modernized hospital facilities prevent errors, reduce infections, improve recovery, shorten length of stay, and increase efficiency," Tholl said in a news release.
The chief executive of the Ottawa Hospital, however, says the multi-building facility does "a good job" of maintaining roofs, generators, electrical supplies and other systems, even at its Civic campus, parts of which are nearly 100 years old, and which the hospital wants to replace with a new structure.
Cameron Love said the Civic falls short only in its lack of the single-patient rooms that are the new standard of healthcare, compared to the four-patient rooms that were the norm when the Carling Avenue hospital was built. Love says they never have more than three to a room, and when that happens it requires more work from an infection control perspective in terms of hand washing and cleaning.
"If you take a look at the Civic, that is one of the fundamental reasons why we need to build a new Civic (campus)," said Love. "You can make the cooling and the roofs really good and safe, but you'll never change that building infrastructure to today's standards without building a new hospital."
He says the infrastructure of the General campus, which was built in the 1980s on Smyth Road, is "very good," but plans call for the eventual addition of a separate in-patient tower with single rooms.
And the Riverside campus, built in the 1970s on Riverside Drive, is in "very good shape," given it was fully renovated when it was transformed from an in-patient to outpatient facility.
The health-care report was presented at a Charlottetown conference organized by HealthCareCAN and a fellow Ottawa-based association, the Canadian College of Health Leaders.


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Welcome to exchange2019.comThe aim is to pack this site with useful scripts, tutorials and discussions around Exchange On Premises and Exchange Online (Office 365).
Office 365
Moving to Office 365 is a natural progression for your Exchange On Premises. Here we talk about things like Azure AD Connect, Hybrid Servers, Mail Routing and Migration techniques.
Install Exchange
Tutorials and walk through's for preparing your Server for Exchange 2016, then installing it.
Configure Exchange
Simply installing Exchange 2016 is just the start of your adventure. These tutorials and guides offer insight into the configuration process and how things should be setup to best suit your organization.
When it comes to reporting on your Exchange 2016 server, there are plenty of scripting possibilities in Powershell to achieve a whole range of interesting outputs. Here are a few that are particularly useful.
SSL Articles
SSL Certificates are an essential part of your Exchange 2016 Server. In this section we show you how to request, import and use the certificates.
PST Files
PST files are an easy way of archiving, importing and exporting mailboxes on your Exchange 2016 server. This set of tutorials show how you can import and export these PST files easily, directly on the Exchange server.
Exchange 2019 is now available via the Microsoft Volume Licensing PortalDownload it from Microsoft from that source. Once it becomes available through other subscriptions we will alert you.
Join our mailing list and we will keep you updated with developments and release details.


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Prepping Yourself and Your Carryon for a Luxe In-Flight Experience
For me, the prep for travel starts about 24 hours in advance.
Let's Address the Elephant in the Room - My Skincare Purchases
My skincare and cosmetics purchases have been much debated amongst my girlfriends. But basically it comes down to this, I have a skin condition that I've had my entire life. About 5 years ago it got really out of control and my dermatologist told me that I had to stop using all cheap, scented stuff on my skin. No more regular laundry detergents, scented lotions, fancy body washes. Oh no! He recommended La Roche Posay. And lord, my skincare obsession blossomed. It's probably made of the Pope's tears, because it's so damn expensive. About 75% of new things I try outside of this brand do not agree with my skin. I am now a firm believer that it's worth it.
Prepping My Skin for the Flight
The night before a flight, you can catch me slathering these things on in between loads of laundry.
How to Stay Comfy, Chic and Hygienic on the Flight
I have quite a few business travelling friends that swear by dressing in business attire on a flight, because you are more likely to be upgraded. I fly economy, always. And even with Gold Star Alliance status, airlines rarely do free upgrades anymore. I'd rather be comfy on a 30 hour flight path than uncomfy and praying for an upgrade.
What makes the comfiest and still chic outfit?
1. Pants - Wear something comfy, but still presentable. Go for a looser fitting pant, a pair of leggings or a more inconspicuous looking athletic pant. I personally swear by the Nicole Miller leggings from Costco that come in a 2 pack for $17.99. A steal!
2. On top - Wear a light short sleeved or sleeveless top. I often find airports to be ridiculously hot. And a plane is usually hot when you first get on and then cools once you get going.
Over the light tank, I like to pair a long, smart looking loose cardigan. Bonus points: ponchos and capes are very in right now!
Finally, I like a large, ornate scarf. It'll tie things together, still make you look chic and you can use the scarf as a blanket. Airline blankets are often not washed between trips, and I have found some gross things matted to them, even though they come in a sealed bag!
Layering will help you stay comfortable. And not stinky. Remember, someone likely has to sit next to you!
3. Shoes - There are several important things you need to consider. Wear something that is easy to slip on and off when going through security. This usually means no laces or gladiator sandals! Wear something comfortable and breathable. Also wear some sort of sock or stocking on the plane. No one deserves your stanky feet in such close quarters!
If you fly very frequently, I would recommend compression socks. Frequent flying can cause blood clots in the legs. Chat with your doctor about compression socks.
4. Accessories - If you must accessorize, try to wear something that will not go off in the metal detector! Whether you have to take it off when going through security or you walk through and the alarm goes off, you're slowing down the line!
5. Make-up and hygiene - I like to wear make up, not gonna lie! Avoid eyeliner and mascara, as you may wake up with it all over your face! Keep make up light. Go generous on the moisturizer because that airplane air will dry out your skin! Be sure to wear deodorant, brush your teeth and pack mints. Shower the day of your flight! Remember, you will be sitting very close to someone! And, if you wear perfume, keep it extremely light. Many people are sensitive to scents.
Packing Your Carryon
Stay stylish, comfy and fabulous on-the-go.
I have two things in mind when I pack a carryon.
1. What do I need to freshen up between layovers to make me feel new again?
2. If my luggage were to get lost or if I were stranded somewhere, what do I need?
In addition to two changes of clothes, here is what you can find in my carryon:
There are, of course some honourable mentions.
Additional things to consider:
- A sleep mask (personally this makes me feel like I'm suffocating)
- Snacks
- Medications you may be taking
- Hair products you deem "necessary"
Happy travels! Stay fabulous.
If you learn anything from me, it's to always ask for samples at high end beauty counters when you make purchases. These are great for travel! Plus, consider stocking up on skincare products around Christmas, brands usually release gift packs that are such a great deal!


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If yes, use our referral rating tool to determine if your patient should be evaluated for epilepsy surgery.
Epilepsy affects people of any age, gender, and race or ethnicity. Years of uncontrolled epilepsy can lead to cognitive decline or death, and increases the burden of epilepsy on society by reducing the likelihood that epilepsy patients will lead a productive, independent life. Fortunately, a randomized controlled trial has shown that focal epilepsy surgery is more effective and less costly than medical therapy and results in increased quality-of-life.
Unfortunately, there is the notion that epilepsy surgery is under utilized and the average time between onset of seizures and surgery is 20 years. Promoting utilization of epilepsy surgery is a way to improve patient's quality of life by ensuring that they are receiving the best possible care. To achieve this goal, a user-friendly tool has been developed and validated to assist physicians in identifying patients ≥5 years old with focal epilepsy who should be referred for a surgical evaluation. For more information on how the tool was developed, please click here.
This tool was originally developed by the CASES investigators and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, American Epilepsy Society, Milken Family Foundation, Alberta Health Services and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute - for more information, please visit: www.toolsforepilepsy.com.


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A Batsman makes a score of 87 runs in the 17th inning and thus increases his average by 3. Find his average after 17th inning.
The average score of a cricketer for ten matches is 38.9 runs. If the average for the first six matches is 42, then find the average for the last four matches
The average of 50 numbers is 30. If two numbers, 35 and 40 are discarded, then the average of the remaining numbers is nearly ?
Distance between two stations A and B is 778 km. A train covers the journey from A to B at 84 km per hour and returns back to A with a uniform speed of 56 km per hour. Find the average speed of train during the whole journey
There are two sections A and B of a class, consisting of 36 and 44 students' respectively. If the average weight of section A is 40kg and that of section B is 35kg, find the average weight of the whole class
The average of first five multiples of 3 is :
A student finds the average of 10 positive integers. Each integer contains two digits. By mistake, the boy interchanges the digits of one number say ba for ab. Due to this, the average becomes 1.8 less than the previous one. What was the difference of the two digits a and b ?
In Arun's opinion, his weight is greater than 65 kg but less than 72 kg. His brother does not agree with Arun and he thinks that Arun's weight is greater than 60 kg but less than 70 kg. His mother's view is that his weight cannot be greater than 68 kg. If all are them are correct in their estimation, what is the average of different probable weights of Arun ?
The average of five different positive numbers is 25. x is the decrease in the average when the smallest number among them is replaced by 0. What can be said about x ?


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Traditional Thursday: Curious George
By: H. A. Rey
For this Traditional Thursday, I decided to pick one of my old favorites, Curious George. While there are many versions of this silly story, the original has always been the best. This story of a curious monkey who finds his way into trouble, but always having fun, is a timeless, and traditional book. While I may not use this in my classroom since it is aimed towards younger readers, I feel that this book is one that every person should read when they are younger. Curious George promotes being curious and learning that it is important to find out new things and to try new ways. While George may be a little mischievous, he teaches us that we need to be curious in life! This book would definitely be on my bookshelf in my classroom, because it can brighten anyone's day, and remind us of an important lesson.
By: Marlee Peck


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"When we first met Michael and his team they immediately understood our objectives and shared our vision of the opportunity in telecommunication infrastructure throughout the Americas. They have been intelligent, active and supportive business partners in all dimensions of our growth."
Brendan J. Paddick,
Columbus International Inc.
Hülya Sögüt
Hülya has over 8 years of experience in Environmental and Social matters, besides expertise in development cooperation. She is the Environmental and Social expert at Portland Private Equity. Hülya formerly worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Germany and is fluent in Spanish, French and German.


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Career 1 Station Award Winners (stations over 15,000 square feet)
Gold Award – Salt Lake City Fire Station 14, Salt Lake City, UT
Architects: TCA Architecture + Planning, Seattle, WA and Blalock and Partners, Salt Lake City, UT
We featured this station in a recent blog post to dive more deeply into the Zero Net Energy Fire Station Design Achievement. Feel free to check it out here.
Career 2 Station Award Winners (stations under 15,000 square feet)
Gold Award – Kennewick Fire Station 5, Kennewick, WA
Architects: TCA Architecture + Planning, Seattle, WA
We're excited to share this station was also featured on NBC referencing a strong community partnership.
The City of Kennewick was also kind to make mention of us in their announcement of the win as well. We build strong relationships with our clients to ensure they feel confident in their design decisions as we develop projects together. We take pride in designing stations each community will reflect back on and feel proud of for decades to come.
Renovation Award Winners
Gold Award – Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Fire Station 60, Tacoma, WA
Architects: TCA Architecture + Planning, Seattle, WA
We are excited to see another Central Pierce Fire & Rescue station win Gold this year. Last year we received a gold award for Fire Station 63 and are excited to see Fire Station 60 join the ranks this year as well.
Firehouse has informed us this is the first time in their Station Design Award history a firm has ever been awarded three Gold Awards.


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4State 2018 | 76 Hour Challenges
76 Hour Movie Maker
Event Code: MM
Time Limit: 2 - 5 minutes
DEADLINE: 5PM on Saturday, November 10th
Film Requirements:
Film must feature narration by the main character at some point.
Someone must make something out of aluminum foil. That object must be used in a way that serves as a plot twist in your film.
You must include a scene where someone is watching a show on a TV (or computer). You must create the content that is on the TV they are watching.
At some point, something must prevent your main character from getting or accomplishing something. Your main character must respond in dramatic fashion.
There are 20 sound effects in the download link below: you must use 7 of them, and only 7 of them.
76 Hour Broadcast Challenge
Event Code: 76BC
Theme: "Competition"
Assignment: Profile an individual who is competing in something.
Time Limit: 3 minutes
Contest Rules: All aspects of the story must be shot and edited between Wednesday, Nov 7th at 11am and the deadline at 5PM on Saturday, Nov 10th. Stories should adhere to journalistic standards and ethics and demonstrate strong shooting, editing, writing, and overall storytelling. One entry per school.
Create a 5 second slate that plays before your entry. Static white text on a black screen. Use a standard font like Arial or Helvetica or similar. The 5 second slate will not count against your time limit. NON-SLATED ENTRIES MAY BE DISQUALIFIED.
Render/Export your entry as .mp4 or .mov on a flash drive.
The video file should be the only file on that flash drive.
Name your file according to naming convention below. Mislabeled files may be disqualified.
Turn in your entry at the turn-in table in Oklahoma/Illinois/Colorado at the University Plaza by 5PM on Saturday, November 10th. The deadline is the deadline. No grace period. Late entries will be critiqued but will not be eligible for awards.
How to Name your video file: EventCode_SchoolCode_EntryName.mov


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Lilly can expect a shorter review process in the US for its gastric cancer prospect ramucirumab after regulators granted it priority status.
The designation applies to treatment candidates that have demonstrated significant improvements in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of serious conditions, and means the US Food Drug and Administration (FDA) will aim to make a decision on the use of ramucirumab within six months rather than the standard 10 months.
The FDA is reviewing the drug, formerly known as IMC-1121B, as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer following disease progression after initial chemotherapy.
Few therapeutic options exist for this difficult-to-treat condition and, if approved, ramucirumab would be the first drug available in the US in this indication.
The FDA will analyse data from the REGARD trial, which demonstrated that ramucirumab improved both overall survival and progress-free survival in patients with metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal cancers compared to placebo when given as a second-line therapy.
Lilly is also investigating the drug in other indications, including as a combination treatment with paclitaxel for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer, data for which has been positive.
The company expects top-line results next year from phase III trials investigating the drug's use in colorectal, liver and lung cancer. However, Lilly pulled development in breast cancer after disappointing phase III data.
Revenues up for third quarter
The update on ramucirumab came the same day that Lilly posted its financial results for the third quarter of 2013.
Top-line results reported by Lilly indicate that the company is weathering generic competition for off-patent products, with total revenues for the period growing 6 per cent to $5.77bn.
Despite this, net income for period was down by 9 per cent, although this was mainly due to a special payment of $787m from Amylin regarding Byetta/Bydureon (exenatide) in 2012.
Disregarding this payment and other one-off factors, net income for Lilly was up 35 per cent to $1.2bn.
For its year-to-date results, Lilly posted total revenues of $17.3bn and net income of $3.96bn.
Going forward, the company's CEO Dr John Lechleiter was confident Lilly's restructuring plans, which include the cull of one third of its sales reps, will ultimately prove beneficial.
"We are successfully executing our strategy which will enable us to return to growth after 2014 by bringing to the market new medicines that make a real difference for patients," he said.
We are Branding Science Partners in thinking which inspires change in healthcare Branding Science are an award-winning global pharmaceutical market...


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Rough cut editing update!
- mark cheng's blog
- Read more
- 4581 reads
Hey all,
Had a really productive editing weekend! Completed the roughcut for a couple of cool scenes...Thought I'd post some stills from them for you to see.
The main sequences I started on were ones that revealed the rogue programmer, his employer, and his "pet" sexbot. That lead straight into the first confrontation scene with the soldiers of D9.
It was great to be interacting with the footage again because the raw clips always bring you back to the fun you had during shooting!
Video blog 01 !!!!
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- 20507 reads
Hot off the editing suite: our first web video blog!! check it out!
higher resolution links here for download!!
New CG shots
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- 4230 reads
Hey guys, here's another WIP update on Andrew's police carrier.
We've done a test composite here on the bg plate and I added some glowing after burner effect. (The bg plate is a photo taken from the offices here at MTV!)
This isn't a clip from the final film, but just another test.
Andrew's work is awesome and I love his attention to detail!
Click for a larger view:
Andrew's work!!
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- 5242 reads
|Hey all, finally posted some updates of the CGI work! Click read more below or just click here!
Deployment Strategy trailer
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- 3781 reads
Teaser is online!! check it out! (more soon..must sleep..so..very...tired.)
It'll give you a good idea of the story, but there hasn't been any decent color correction nor any fx work done yet! so there'll definitely be another one as we get more of that stuff done!
Patyk Rebisz - Director of Photography
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- 4828 reads
Patryk Rebisz (The DP!) - At only 25 years of age Patryk has already worked with major stars (Lindsay Lohan, Jared Leto, Jamie Harris and more) and has shot 3 feature films. Moreover he has shot and directed multitude of short films, commercials and music videos. He's worked with tons of cool film gear (if you ever saw a really cool-looking big camera or a rig he's worked with it before!). Besides a small cult folowing online, his recent short film "Between You and Me" has won him both Best Cinematography award (Gotham City Film Festival) and Second Best in Experimnetal Film category from Big Apple Film Festival.
Behind The Scenes - Principle Photography
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- 4364 reads
Here are some production photos!!
Holy Freaking Crap!!! Production Stills!!
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Cast production photos online!
- mark cheng's blog
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- 4936 reads
Hey all, Just posted some cast production photos..take a look...
when the film's finally done, maybe I'll convert these into G.I. Joe tech specs with each character's strength...
...yes, yes, I had to include a photo of myself! The guns were just too cool to pass up!
Cast Photo
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- 4164 reads


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Tool and submit users: CCR downtime is scheduled for Tuesday, 24 September . UB-HPC cluster nodes will receive OS updates and reboots. More information: https://ubccr.freshdesk.com/support/discussions/topics/13000021595
Integrating numerical and laboratory models of explosive eruptions with field observations
0.0 out of 5 stars
29 Jan 2011 | Presentations | Contributor(s): Amanda Bachtell Clarke
This lecture is part of the Large-scale Experiments Workshop held in September, 2010.
Large-Scale Experiments Workshop
08 Oct 2010 | Workshops | Contributor(s): Greg A Valentine, Pierfrancesco Dellino, Costanza Bonadonna, Amanda Bachtell Clarke
This workshop aimed at developing research priorities and initial design concepts for an international user facility for large-scale experimentation on volcanic processes.Agenda .pdfPresentationsIntroduction by Greg Valentine .pdf .movIntegrating numerical and laboratory models of explosive...


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Have you ever felt a little sad or maybe a little anxious and your stomach felt uncomfortable too?
Recently, a lot of research has been released linking our mood to our gut health. Poor gut health has been linked to both anxiety and depression.
In animal studies improving the bacteria in the digestive tract actually reduces anxiety.
Our digestive tract is lined with neurons, much like the brain, that absorb and sense everything that we consume. Our gut also has the ability produce and absorb endorphins (our happy hormones).
Our brain and our gut are always sending messages. It's no wonder we get butterflies in our stomach when we get excited!
On the flip side, we can suffer from ulcers or irritable bowel syndrome when we're experiencing a lot of stress.
Here are a few signs that it might be time to start working on improving your gut health:
- You're always anxious or worried without a good reason.
- You're feeling sad or moody without knowing why.
- You're experiencing brain fog (can't seem to focus or concentrate).
- Your belly feels bloated, burns, painful, overly gurgle.
- You have heartburn, an ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome.
If you have any of those signs or symptoms, there's good news! We know how to heal our gut. Keep reading and we'll give you some mind and body techniques to heal your gut.
Using mindfulness to heal your gut:
Eat slowly. We put stress on our body and our gut when we eat too quickly.
Eat while relaxed. Take a moment before you begin eating to relax. Take a few deep breaths and settle into your meal. When we are in a high stress state our body pulls it's energy into our brain, muscles, and lungs and away from our digestive tract. Making it hard to digest.
- Practice meditation. Meditation helps us to return to a relaxed state more quickly and helps us stay more relaxed all of the time. It has been shown to improve digestion and decrease stress hormones.
Now let's think about our body and how to physically heal our gut.
Reduce these foods: Everyone is different but these foods can unbalance your gut bacteria. Sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. While we never say give up everything cold turkey! Try reducing the amount of each you eat or drink and see if you feel better. Or try experimenting a week off of one, then the next week the other.
Probiotics: Probiotics and prebiotics are an excellent way to help increase the good bacteria in your gut. However, everyone is different so depending on your stomach pH this may or may not work.
Exercise: Not only does exercise help digestion, but it also improves mood!
We hope you find these tips useful! Please share this article with anyone you think would find it useful! If you're interested in having this kind of information delivered to your inbox instead of searching for it, sign up for our newsletter!
Hannah & Marisa


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Thule 9028XT-40 Vertex Hitchmount Tilt 2 Bike Carrier
- The bold new hitch rack with unique arc design for easier bike loading and carrying performance
- Hide-away, heavy-duty NEW integrated cable lock allows you to lock the bikes to the rack and stores inside the hitch rack when not in use
- Increased mast height for improved ground clearance
- New Hold Fast Cradles™ cushion bike and provide maximum bike security
- Anti-Sway Cages helps reduce bike-to-bike contact
- New and improved Hitch Switch™ folds arms down when not in use and tilts carrier away from vehicle for trunk, hatch or tailgate access
- Integrated handle for easy carrying and handling
- 5 bike (9030XT) fits 2″/50mm receivers
- 4 bike (9029XT) fits 1¼"/30mm and 2″/50mm receivers
- 2 bike (9028XT) fits 1¼"/30mm and 2″/50mm receivers
- For use on a 40mm receiver please use part number (9028XT-40, 2 bike RRP $489.00) and (9029XT-40, 4 bike RRP $579.00)
- Snug-Tite receiver lock (STL2, sold separately, RRP $119.00) virtually eliminates hitch rack movement in receiver and locks the hitch rack to the vehicle
- 31 kg rating
- "Not recommended for Carbon Frame Bikes. Please use a "Platform style" bike carrier instead".
To find out if it will fit your car click here
Upon receipt of payment your order will be packed and posted either the same day, or at latest the next working day.
Paypal and credit cards are processed almost immediately, while bank transfers can take 24-48 hours.
In general we find that deliveries to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane metro and VIC regional are made within 1-3 working days. NSW, SA, TAS, ACT and NT take 2-5 working days. Regional QLD, WA and other remote areas will take 5-7 working days.
Please note these are only expected deliveries times and occasionally delays may occur.
We use Australia Post for all of our deliveries except for Bulky Items. For bulky items we use Direct Freight Couriers.
Our internal shipping charge calculator will tell you the cost of your postage prior to your checkout. In most cases buying more than 1 item will result in cost savings to you.
- Small items up to 500g cost around $7 postage. Depending on the weight and size you will get 2 sometimes 3 small items posted for this amount.
- Most larger items post for about $12 and you will generally be able to add 1-3 small items at no extra charge
- Once you purchase products over 3 kg in weight there is generally, only a small amount of extra postage charged
You can add smaller items together with bulky items and there will generally be no or a small added postage cost. Ordering items such as 2 bike cases may not result in any savings due to their volume. Ordering mid-size items like two fluid trainers together will result in very good savings though. You will get your quote for shipping costs before you checkout.
If you have any queries please email us at email@example.com!
We now ship to New Zealand. For further details please visit our International page here.


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Reduce cost of installation and maintenance on CHS posts by securing your posts using Smart sustainable Foundations from $25.00 (lifetime warranty)*
Foundations remain in pristine condition- protected from damage for the entire lifespan of a development. The Smart Taper-lock is the only securing device that keeps items safe and secure and keeps working year after year, impact after impact. Posts removable using tools.
"Sustainable foundations provide a significant cost benefit in replacing the damaged sign post by re-using the existing footing. Our selection is not based on price alone, also the safety & saving aspects. The Smart Taper-lock allows the quick replacement of posts, with no further effort required to the base and reduces risk to employees by reducing time spent exposed to traffic!" MRWA
Lifetime warranty
Large range of wall thicknesses available. (NB Be wary of cheap Asian imports that shear off like a tin can when impacted, creating dangerous litigation risks). Always check the wal thickness before purchasing. We supply quality galvansied steel posts to MRWA Specifications and for local govt we supply 2.3/2.9 and 3.6 wall thickness posts (up to 5mm for Impact Recovery Bollards internal posts).
Many years ago MRWA had a problem with CHS posts spinning so reverted to RHS (despite the added expense). As Smart Foundations stop CHS posts from spinning and are equally frangible, MRWA has now approved the use of CHS posts for securing traffic signage in all regions (including cyclone zones)
MRWA Spec 601


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Tile Outdoor Kitchens
Do you love the look of tile and desire to have it complete your perfect outdoor living space? The options we offer are near endless when it comes to tile. Whether your preference is ceramic, porcelain, marble, slate, smooth stone, or glass tile – we can help you design the perfect tiled outdoor living space! Tile truly offers the widest range of styles and options. A tile backsplash also creates an amazing addition to any outdoor kitchen or outdoor living space.
Tile offers a unique precision, unlike any other finish we offer. We take pride in our installation process and will work to perfect the grout lines to give your outdoor living space a clean, uniform finish. Tile is frequently more cost-effective and can be designed in multiple ways. Depending on the style of tile, we can run them vertically or horizontally. We offer multiple grout colors to provide the perfect finishing touch!
Tile does require more maintenance than some of our other options. Please keep in mind that ceramic and porcelain tile can chip and crack more easily than your other outdoor kitchen choices like stone or stucco.
Grout is the most common cause of complaints with tile installations, especially with all the edges and corners of a countertop or outdoor living space. We recommend sealing the grout to prevent staining and moisture that can cause cracking and crumbling. Grout collects dirt and is more difficult to clean than the tile itself.
If you are okay with the additional maintenance that comes along with a tile outdoor living space, then it may be the way to go. Otherwise a less maintenance free product will be a better choice and you will be more satisfied in the long run.
We are confident that your guests will be in awe at the perfection and precision of your tiled outdoor kitchen. Visit our shop today to design the perfect tile look for your outdoor living space.
* Click on a photo to view a larger version
Enjoy Your Outdoor Living Space
Don't want to be like the guy or gal down the street? Want something to call uniquely your own? How about letting us work with you to create a totally custom outdoor kitchen. In fact, we'd much rather enjoy working with you to create and build something completely unique and exciting than to work with the guy down the street who wants a "kitchen-in-a-box". Yes, we can do those if we have to. That's life (sigh). But what we really like to do is pull out those colored pencils (Okay, it's actually done on a computer but you get the idea) and draw up something completely from scratch based on asking you some simply questions about what you like. Come on. Give us a call. We're waiting.