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Family Dentistry - CHASKA, MN
Committed to Your Family's Functional, Healthy Mouths
More Than Comprehensive Dentistry
We're pleased to offer personalized and comprehensive family dentistry in Chaska, MN, and the surrounding communities. Here, our patients enjoy our flexible scheduling, evening hours, and ease of scheduling multiple family members at the same time. But more than having a comprehensive and convenient practice, our goal is to help our infant and adult patients have positive and comfortable experiences at every visit while treating more than surface-level symptoms. Our dentist, Drs. Jenny Ruoho have the foundational training and specialization to provide care that gets to the root of your oral health concerns and helps you find long-term function and health.
What You Can Expect at Relaxation Dentistry
Our highly skilled hygienists and doctors spend the time with you to understand your dental needs and concerns and help you achieve your individualized dental health goals. At each continuing care appointment, your hygienist and doctor will update your medical and health history, answer any questions you may have, complete an oral cancer screening, gingival (gum) health evaluation, determine if you have any cavities or other dental problems along with risk factors, discuss dental disease prevention, and create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. While many of our patients find our comforting atmosphere relaxing enough, we're also trained and certified in sedation services to help you experience an anxiety-free appointment.
If you visit us with a specific symptom or concern, we'll perform a thorough evaluation and identify the real source of your issue. In some cases, small adjustments to your teeth or oral habits are all it takes to restore proper health. However, in order to ensure your smile truly lasts, we never recommend a short-term solution when a permanent one is more appropriate. Offering next-level care, we see past "single-tooth" dentistry and consider the bigger picture with every personalized treatment plan we create.
Preventative Care
Emergency Dentistry
Sedation Dentistry
Frenectomy for Children and Adults
Pediatric Dentistry
Myofunctional Therapy
Sleep Apnea
TMJ Treatment
Root Canals
Gum Disease Treatment
In search of comprehensive family dentistry?
Join a dental family that offers more than surface-level solutions.


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Are you a litigator? If so, you really need to consider coming along to BLS' Dispute Resolution Conference which is being held on 12th June at the offices of Foot Anstey.
This Conference, hosted by HHJ Denyer QC, comes at a time when the legal landscape is facing seismic changes. The line up of speakers offers attendees valuable guidance in various subjects to anyone involved in dispute resolution and civil litigation.
Topics include:
Proportionality and budgeting of costs in civil proceedings
HHJ Denyer QC, Designated Civil Judge, Bristol Civil Justice Centre
Electronic Disclosure
John Lapraik, K2 Legal Support
Remedies for breach of fiduciary duty post Sinclair v Versailles 2011
Martha Maher, Barrister, St John's Chambers
Jackson post April 2013
Anna Bateman and Greg Saunders, Foot Anstey LLP
ADR post Jackson – A Bristol view
Rachel Wood, Senior Law Lecturer, University West of England
Good faith in commercial relations – a topical and developing subject
Guy Adams, Barrister, St John's Chambers
Market crash claims – the feeding frenzy: is it over for claims against professionals, or is there more to come?
Hugh Sims, Head of Commercial Team, Guildhall Chambers
Employment litigation: recent experiences
Anna Bateman and Richard Neary, Foot Anstey LLP
The speakers have been organised kindly by St John's Chambers and the event will attract 5.5 CPD points.
Please make any booking requests direct to the conference organisers, Bristol Law Society by emailing
or calling 0117 976 3087

subset: commoncrawl


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I was tempted to ignore the whole Willie Soon saga, but since everyone else is writing about it, I thought I would post something. Personally, I think academic freedom is extremely important. If someone can get funded to do research and can get their work published, good on them; that's how it's meant to work. There may be issues with peer review that could addressed and maybe we should be looking at how some journals operate, but none of that changes that people should be free to research whatever they want to (well, within the bounds of ethics). If, however, he didn't disclose his funders and/or didn't disclose possible conflicts of interest, that is a serious issue and should be addressed. I have a feeling, however, that this may reflect as badly on the Smithsonian as it does on Willie Soon himself.
One reason I don't care greatly about this whole saga is that it's fairly clear that Willie Soon's research is mostly rubbish. I wrote about the recent Monckton, Soon, Legates and Briggs paper. Realclimate has a post pointing out the fallacy in some of his research. There's the whole Soon and Baliunas controversy. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with some people publishing rubbish. Willie Soon is almost certainly not alone in doing so.
The more worrying thing – which is what I think Adam Frank is getting at in this article – is how someone like Willie Soon has managed to get such a prominent public profile. Rubbish research would normally simply not get noticed and the researchers would disappear into obscurity. I have no problem with there being rubbish researchers (I may be one myself), but I do have a problem with rubbish researchers gaining prominence when their research is so obviously drivel. Academic freedom means that you have the freedom to do whatever research you want. It doesn't mean that you get to do so and avoid criticism when it's nonsense. I also see no reason why anyone who wants to be credible would be comfortable with Willie Soon's research having the prominence it does, irrespective of their own views on global warming. Surely, we would all like the public and policy makers to be as well-informed as possible. We should all be comfortable with calling out obvious nonsense, irrespective of who is presenting it (and I do mean obvious nonsense, rather than what some think is nonsense, but others don't).
Of course a more interesting issue is what this implies overall. On an earlier thread I ended up in a lengthy discussion – that I should probably have tried to stop – about how some people think that skeptics are prevented from getting funded, and prevented from getting their work published, because there is an active attempt to control what is funded and what is published. Given my own experiences, this seems highly implausible, but if Willie Soon is one of the leading climate skeptics, then this seems completely nonsensical. If he's one of the best, then it would seem obvious that the reason skeptics might find it hard to get funded and published is because their work is rubbish, not because there is some active conspiracy to stop them.
Anyway, that's my view, FWIW. I realise that this post has some thoughts about conspiracy ideation, but I have no great interest in lengthy discussions about possible conspiracy, especially as – in my view – the Willie Soon saga essentially shows that there isn't one. Maybe people could bear that in mind when crafting their comments.


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Frank Iero
Alternative Press Magazine
Issue 370 Version 1 and 2
What's Inside:
In David Bowie's eternal song "Changes," he sings, "There's gonna have to be a different man/Time may change me/But I can't trace time." If there was at least four square inches of space left on his body, Frank Iero should consider having those words etched on him in Vantablack ink.
Barriers, his third album as a solo artist/bandleader, is filled with hat-pin turns both sonically and emotionally. An artist's job is to stake their claim and continue to grow and evolve while being true to the very reasons she/he picked up an instrument or a microphone in the first place. But when you've been doing this as long as Iero has, there has to be, at the very least, the psychological version of muscle memory. That feeling of confidence. A measure of "I got this." And, of course, the carte blanche to phone it in for the sake of maintaining record release and touring cycles.
So when AP checks in 25 minutes prior to Iero unveiling his new outfit the Future Violents as an unannounced guest for Thursday's show at St. Vitus in Brooklyn, he's marinating in what can best be described as abject terror. This coming from a guy who successfully and without question carried his punk-rock cred into rock star status and passionate solo artist. And he's genuinely scared.
"Whatever you have done in the past doesn't piggyback onto a new project," he warns, pacing in the basement of St. Vitus and peppering his sentences with nervous smirks. "You can't fall back: The slate's been wiped clean, and you've got to start fresh. Everything you've done up to this point doesn't matter. And then you start to worry. And then you start to wonder, 'Oh man, do I even know how to do this? Is this going to work?'"
When he checks in with AP later after the show, Iero is jittery. He's literally stuttering. "It was...it was..it was…," he pauses. "It was literally like the first time. I got up there, and immediately all the worry and the whole world faded away, and I didn't want to come offstage. I wanted to keep playing.
"It's funny," he says, tapering off his exuberance to reflect. "You spend 23 hours of your day riddled with anxiety. Then you've got that half-hour or 45 minutes to be onstage, and that's the pure joy of it. You feel free again." He pauses to exhale. "And then you forget about it." He busts into laughter. "It's like Groundhog Day, isn't it? But I've been in 112 bands, released 13 to 15 records and I still get to do this. It's fucking unreal."
This year's model Frank Iero is equal parts fearless and frightened, rock star and regular guy, public and impenetrably personal. He's not faking anything. Read the full story behind the creation of the Future Violents and the roads toward (and around) Barriers—and peep Jonathan Weiner's quite handsome photography of Iero—in AP 370 over here...
Anybody here celebrating their 20th year on the planet? Happy birthday! You know what else turns 20 this year? Enema Of The State, the game-changing, end-of-the-century, pop-punk classic delivered by BLINK-182. Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker spoke to AP about their reflections and memories on the record and the number of rotations the record's sphere of influence has made.
AIDAN GALLAGHER gets topical about his music, ecology, acting, the biggest misconceptions about his character Number Five on The Umbrella Academy and why he'll never be in a band.
The cool rockin' team of Jack Anderson, Malcolm Craig, Ayla Tesler-Mabe and Finn Wolfhard—collectively known as CALPURNIA— don't really care about what the future looks like. But they're really stoked over the possibility of how it's going to sound. And they've got the fighting spirit to make their mark on the veneer on 21st century indie rock.
Having grown up through the punk underground, ANGEL DU$T frontman Justice Tripp is passionate about community, ethics and artistic freedom. The fact that listeners continue to ruminate whether their new music can still be considered hardcore is a point of great pride to him.
SLEEPING WITH SIRENS frontman Kellin Quinn has experienced incredible highs and deep, deep lows. He shares some personal insight to impart the truth that IT GOT BETTER.
In this month's ALBUM ANATOMY, THE DANGEROUS SUMMER continue to make up for their hiatus by getting back to rawness and vulnerability—with a little Adderall thrown in.
Under the moniker WITCH OF THE EAST, Aeris Houlihan has created a debut album so gloriously varied, it feels like the best mixtape anyone's ever given you.
We also dip into 10 Essential side project/solo albums from your favorite bands, delve into 12 Bands to make you smile through your web crawling, display both the finest AP archive shots and fan art and much more!


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Rollbar (formerly Ratchet.io), an error tracking product for developers, is launching its product out of a beta today, following nine months of private testing. Founded by former Lolapps engineers and inspired by tools they once relied on internally, the new company is backed by a small, "pre-seed" round of funding ($250,000+) from Resolute.vc's Mike Hirshland, Hiten Shah of KISSmetrics, and Arjun Sethi, former Lolapps CEO.
The startup was founded by one-time Lolapps CTO Brian Rue, who left the company in March 2012 after the merger with 6waves. He began work in May on what's now called Rollbar along with Cory Virok, one of Lolapps's first employees. Now a three-person team based in San Francisco, the company is going after a somewhat unsexy, but definitely necessary piece of development infrastructure: error-tracking.
The core problem error tracking products solve, Rue explains, is that as developers are writing code, they break a lot of things. "With the previous generation of solutions for this, is that you could see what's happening in your logs and get an email when there's an error," Rue says. But this solution isn't that useful because if you get a single email, you don't know if you've seen this issue before, or if it's been fixed in the past. And you don't know the severity of the issue. "So the core part of this product is grouping things together so you know what the history of each issue is," he says.
With Rollbar, when you get an alert, it's actionable because the issue is either new, or something which has been re-opened. You can dig in and see the history, as well as things like when did the issue start, was it caused by a certain employee, what services was it on, what browser was it on, what countries were affected, what parameters are associated with it, and more.
What makes Rollbar different from some of its competitors is its idea of severity levels – the service offers five of these ranging from "debug" to "critical." For example, an error caused by the Facebook API being down wouldn't be considered as severe as an issue that was affecting a mission-critical part of your system.
Rollbar's feature set is also fairly rich too, with support for advanced search capabilities, deploy tracking, comments, automatic customer support emails (to tell them issues are fixed), forensics, and more. The system also has a strong understanding of what an exception is, and is able to de-duplicate error messages in order to tell which issues are different from each other, and which should be considered the same.
Rollbar's JSON API is platform-agnostic, and works with most of the web languages, including Ruby, Python, PHP, Node.js, Javascript, and Flash. Work is now underway for iOS and Android support, coming in a few months time. Developers can get up-and-running in around five minutes, in terms of integrating the necessary libraries. They can then view the data and notifications in an online dashboard. This dashboard doesn't yet include its own workflow, but Rollbar supports integration with GitHub Issues, PivotalTracker and Asana at present.
Customers pay for Rollbar on a usage-based model based on occurrences, starting at $12 per month and going up to $500 per month, depending on company size. Current customers include a number of well-known tech startups, including MapMyRun, Everest, Sincerely, CrowdFlower, InstaCart, InstaEDU, Spruce Media, MesssageMe, Homejoy, Bombfell, SocialSci, and others.
Interested users can sign up here for a free trial.


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The Best Lipstick Shades to Wear This Halloween — and How to Do It
Halloween might be known for its tricks and treats, but it's also the one time of the year where we can make all our makeup dreams come true. From temporarily pretending to be in the cast of Riverdale to transforming into royalty, there's no shortage of imaginative ways to use both makeup and fashion to bring your costume fantasies to life.
Picking the perfect Halloween look can be hard, and we wanted to make the beauty process a little easier. Whether you dream of joining of becoming a temporary member of the American Horror Story: Coven fam and wearing black lipstick for the evening or you plan to go bold and transform into a pop star, we asked the experts for tips on selecting the perfect spooky lip colors. And as an added treat, these MUA also shared their tips for choosing colorful shades that can also be worn long after the Halloween candy has gone on clearance and PSLs have disappeared.
Scroll through our list of shades below. And don't worry, there's nothing spooky about these Halloween beauty ideas.


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It's been two years since I first blogged about Mont Saint Michel in Second Life. As I've been having a few issues with my GPU when logged-in the Second Life – particularly when taking snapshots with the various bells and whistles active – I stopped by the Mont in order to try things out after having fiddled with drivers and such-like, and grabbed a couple of snaps.
There have been a few changes over the years since my first review, with the "car park" region having long since vanished and a few more cars now on the island itself.
This is a great place to explore, with shops and parks to wander through en route up to the abbey itself and – for those willing to find it, a hidden secret which I actually missed during my original visit, but had to go back and find after several friend nudged me in the right direction.
If you've not paid a visit in the past, I cannot help but recommend you do.
Related Links
- Mont Saint Michel SLurl (Rated: Moderate)


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Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Watery Wednesday
For more waterpictures go here.
27 comments:
- My Memories and Crystals said...
so nice..I love the way you capture. Thanks for sharing.
- January 12, 2010 at 11:51 PM
- Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...
Hi Riet. You live in a place that is just made for Watery Wednesday don't you think? Glad to see your lovely pictures here.
- January 13, 2010 at 12:06 AM
Lovely photographs. It makes me want to visit Holland again!! Jackie
- January 13, 2010 at 12:56 AM
- Fluitenkruid said...
Mooi maar wat is het waterig koud vandaag, muts op!
- January 13, 2010 at 2:27 AM
- Unknown said...
wonderful photos! i love your collage. welcome to Watery Wednesday.
- January 13, 2010 at 3:10 AM
- eileeninmd said...
Riet, you have a wonderful first watery entry. I love the canals and your photos.
- January 13, 2010 at 6:07 AM
- Tes said...
This is indeed a feast to the eye, Riet! I love every single scene. Beautiful!
- January 13, 2010 at 6:16 AM
rivers, lakes even puddles just add that something special to a place and you have captured it well.
- January 13, 2010 at 6:20 AM
- Country Wings in Phoenix said...
Oh Riet Sweetie...
This mosiac is absolutely breath taking. I love the rowers in the water. They look so cold but so focused and all.
I love seeing Holland, one mosiac at a time, piece by piece. I feel as tho I am on vacation every time I visit.
Country hugs sweeetie...Sherry
- January 13, 2010 at 6:42 AM
- Linnea said...
Beautiful. How nice to have canals running through the city. I was in Delft many years ago and was taken in by its charms. Welcome to WW...
- January 13, 2010 at 7:37 AM
- Madelief said...
Hoi Riet,
Delft blijft een prachtige stad! Ik ben al een tijdje niet geweest, maar als ik de foto's zo zie krijg ik weer zin om te gaan!
Een gezellige avond!
Lieve groet, Madelief
- January 13, 2010 at 7:55 AM
- Carletta said...
With all these beautiful waterways I hope you'll be joining Watery Wednesday often - your views are gorgeous and quaint!
Thanks for your visit. :)
- January 13, 2010 at 9:29 AM
- D said...
Riet, your collages are wonderful!
- January 13, 2010 at 9:47 AM
- Sylvia K said...
Marvelous, beautiful collage, Riet! I do love those watery places! Enjoy and thanks for sharing the beauty!
- January 13, 2010 at 10:37 AM
- Riet said...
Ohhh Lieve Riet,wat een schitterende foto,s weer zeg.
Wat is nederland toch mooi hé?
Als we het maar willen zien.
Liefs Riet.x
- January 13, 2010 at 10:40 AM
- Josephine said...
Wat heb je weer een gezellig gekleurde header Riet, heerlijk langzaam aan weer richting de lente. Je Delft collage is ook weer mooi geworden, wat is het toch een prachtige stad hé.
Enne....zag je mijn ijspegels aan voor gordijntjes;~) hihi.
Lieve groet, Josephine
- January 13, 2010 at 12:38 PM
- Bill said...
Hi Riet,
I'm sorry I haven't left a comment in a while, but I wanted you to know I still enjoy visiting and love savoring the beauty of the wonderful photographs you take of your charming world! I think the watery ones are my favorites!
Warm regards,
- January 13, 2010 at 1:02 PM
I enjoyed your watery mosaic ...your world... and the flowers in a previous post. It seems that I've fallen behind and am trying to catch up using my 'reader' today.
Hugs and blessings,
- January 13, 2010 at 2:20 PM
- Stine in Ontario said...
Oh, I think I remember some of these from last October. Delft looks like such a pleasant city to visit.
- January 13, 2010 at 2:22 PM
- Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...
Just beautiful Riet. I can't get over the waterways running right through the center of the streets.
- January 13, 2010 at 3:50 PM
- June said...
Hi Riet,
Delft is such a gorgeous place. I have enjoyed seeing the photos of this beautiful place.
I love the picture that you have on your header. Is it nearby your place.
- January 13, 2010 at 6:09 PM
- Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...
The canals looks so peaceful Riet!
- January 13, 2010 at 8:32 PM
- Rinkly Rimes said...
f the lovely pottery from Delft. Your photos are a happy reminder.
- January 14, 2010 at 12:11 AM
Ah Riet, when I look at your Delft photos I am very nostalgic... I love so much your country and its beautiful houses, canals and architecture.
Must decide my husband to come again and re-visit my favorite spots
- January 14, 2010 at 1:22 AM
- Brechtje said...
Mooi Riet,
Delft is een prachtige stad om foto's te maken. Ik heb om het huis een ieniemienie slootje. Wij noemen het altijd onze slotgracht ;-)
- January 14, 2010 at 5:46 AM
- Irene said...
So beautiful collage with the canals!
Reminds me of the time I spent with oma en opa in Amersfoort ...
- January 15, 2010 at 1:50 PM
I've never been to Delft - it looks really pretty!
- January 20, 2010 at 9:03 AM


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Key figures for the Overseas Trade Statistics
- The balance of trade deficit for the month of April 2021 was $9.9 million.
- Total exports for the month of April 2021 was $3.3 million.
- Total imports for the month of April 2021 was $13.2 million.
- Total revenue generated from imports for the month of April 2021 was $3.3 million.
Further information about this release can be obtained from the Statistics Office.
Overseas_Trade_Statistics_Report_202104.pdf1.03 MB
Overseas_Trade_Statistics_Tables_202104.xlsx148.62 KB
Information about Overseas Trade Statistics.
The two main data items used in the concept of international merchandise trade (IMT) are imports and exports.
Imports of goods measures the value of goods that enter the domestic territory of a country irrespective of their final destination. Exports of goods similarly measures the value of goods which leave the domestic territory of a country, irrespective of whether they have been processed in the domestic territory or not.
Imports (and exports) of services reflect the value of services provided to residents of other countries (or received by residents of the domestic territory).


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US Open Series Begins: Atlanta Recap, Stanford Preview
The US Open Series, which encompasses the seven North American tournaments from late July to the start of the final Grand Slam of the season, is in full swing with the ATP BB&T Atlanta Open concluding on Sunday and the WTA Bank of the West Classic starting on Monday.
Many of the top men's players skipped the Atlanta event, but several of the biggest American players – including top-seed Jack Sock and three-time champion John Isner – entered the draw. Sock was knocked out in the quarterfinals by fifth-seeded Kyle Edmund of Great Britain, but Isner made another strong run to the finals. Isner faced fellow American and good friend Ryan Harrison in the final, and defeated the fourth-seed in two tiebreakers for his second consecutive ATP title (Isner won the grass court tournament in Newport, RI immediately after Wimbledon). Harrison was able to break Isner in the second set, snapping Isner's ridiculous streak of 75 consecutive service holds, but the University of Georgia star immediately broke back and held on for his fourth title in Atlanta.
Unlike the men's event, the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford has several top names on the women's tour. Wimbledon winner Garbine Muguruza is the top seed, with other top 50 players including #14 Petra Kvitova, #16 Madison Keys, #23 Coco Vandeweghe, and #43 Catherine "Cici" Bellis among the top eight seeds.
Looking at the draw in Stanford, the top four seeds will receive a bye into the second round, but there are still some intriguing matchups during the first two days of action.
In what is likely the most anticipated match of the first round, Maria Sharapova faces American Jennifer Brady, who made it to the second week at the first Grand Slam of the year in Australia. Sharapova received a wildcard into the main draw at Stanford, and is making her first WTA appearance since playing three clay court events prior to the French Open. She did not receive entry into either the main draw or the qualifying rounds at Roland Garros, and suffered a hip injury that caused her to miss the grass court season. She has played in World Team Tennis earlier this month, and did write a great piece for the Players' Tribute website last week where she thanked her fans and professed that she missed the game while she was out with her suspension and then her injury. It will be very interesting to see how many fans are pulling for the Russian, and how many will be rooting for Brady, who played for Stanford's rival UCLA in college.
Another Wimbledon champion is in the women's draw, as Girls' Singles winner Claire Liu faces another American, Nicole Gibbs, in the first round. The 17-year-old is currently the top-ranked junior player in the world, and has made the finals at two straight Junior Grand Slam events. Gibbs has had an injury-filled 2017 season, which has given her plenty of time to update her Tennis Channel blog, as she documented her entire season for the series "My Tennis Life" alongside doubles pro Sam Groth.
In a great first round tilt, eighth-seeded Bellis faces France's Alize Cornet, who is just one spot below the 18-year-old American in the current WTA rankings. Bellis is the youngest player inside of the top 50, and has skyrocketed up the rankings this season. Bellis resides nearby, and considered attending Stanford before turning pro after a third-round loss to eventual champion Angelique Kerber at last year's US Open. She made the third round at the French Open this year, losing a tight three-setter to #6 Caroline Wozniacki, and was bounced in a tough first-round draw at Wimbledon by Victoria Azarenka, who was unranked after missing a year due to having her first child. Although she is shorter and has a slighter build than most of the top women's players, Bellis has worked on her strength and fitness this year, and her results and climbing ranking are proof that the hard work is paying off. She is definitely on the list of potential sleepers at this year's US Open, and a strong run during the US Open Series could get her into the top 32 and a seed in next month's Grand Slam.
The Bank of the West leads the women into next week's Premier Event in Toronto, while the men will have this week in the Series off before beginning in Montreal on August 4th for the Rogers Cup (both men's and women's tournaments next week are called the Rogers Cup and are alternated between Montreal and Toronto – the men played in Toronto last year while the women were in Montreal). All of the top men, besides Novak Djokovic who is out for the remainder of the season, have entered the Montreal event, and only Serena Williams is missing out of the top 20 in Toronto.
There is a men's event this week, but it is no longer a part of the US Open Series. The Citi Open, held in Washington, DC, will see several of the top men's players take the courts in another warm-up event. Dominic Thiem is the top seed, with Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Gael Monfils, Lucas Pouille, Jack Sock, and Isner all in the field. The Citi Open is the only second-tier, "500-level" event held in the United States, and was a part of the US Open Series until 2015, when they pulled out due to a dispute over television coverage (or lack of on ESPN).
After the Rogers Cup, the men and women will head to Cincinnati for another Masters/Premier event. Most players will skip the events held the week prior to the US Open, as the men will head to Winston-Salem, NC and the ladies will play at New Haven, CT.
This year's US Open Series is the first since its inception in 2004 that will not offer the top three male and female players a chance to boost their prize money at the final Grand Slam. In previous years, the players who did the best during the five weeks were eligible to win an extra $1 million if they also won the US Open.
Written by: Adam Belue (@albinomamba44)


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School Aims for Platinum Artsmark
Monday, 12 September 2016
With the start of a new school year, the Boys' Division has launched a project with the aim of achieving the highest level of Artsmark Award. Over the course of the next two years, the School aims to increase its arts provision from Gold to Platinum standard.
Artsmark celebrates schools which champion the arts both in the curriculum and beyond, across the whole of the school community. The awards are also designed to give schools access to high quality, practical resources and networks.
The School already provides a diverse range of arts and cultural experiences for all pupils: a good range of arts qualifications are offered, students are able to create and evaluate works in a variety of media, and the boys' creative output is showcased throughout the year in a busy calendar of events.
The School's musicians take to the fore at Autumn, Spring and Summer Concerts, year group concerts, the annual Christmas Festival, and competitively through Young Musician of the Year and Battle of the Bands. The longstanding Community Music Programme is very active in the local community: the School shares facilities, instruments and expertise with local schools and young musicians. Pupils perform showcase pieces at local primary schools and other local events, such as the NUT Conference in Liverpool, the Bolton and Bury Business Awards Dinner, and the opening of the Christmas range at Manchester's John Lewis branch. Music-lovers and pupils alike are also able to attend a series of Lunchtime Concerts which take place during the summer term each year.
Pupils enjoy a range of theatrical opportunities both in the classroom and as extra-curricular activities. In addition to the prospect of studying Drama at GCSE and Theatre Studies at A Level, each year pupils in Years 10 to 12 stage the Joint Production in conjunction with the Girls' Division. Recent performances have included Doctor Faustus, The Sound of Music, Romeo and Juliet, and We Will Rock You. Year 7 and Year 8 pupils undertake Arts Awards at Explore and Bronze Level, and in recent years boys in Years 8 and 9 have also put on an annual Lower School Production alongside Girls' Division pupils. Boys across the Lower School perform in a Drama Festival in May, a round-up of class and Drama Club activity across the year.
Involvement with drama gives pupils the opportunity to work with professionals from the Octagon Theatre and practitioners from Ludus Dance and Re:Bourne. As well as expanding their abilities on stage, pupils are involved with backstage tasks and have a hand in devising work for large scale theatrical productions, including original composition and music technology for theatre.
The Art Department also collaborates with drama productions to give pupils the chance to design programmes, posters and marketing campaigns. Additionally, students can produce artistic work for exhibitions to complement shows. Boys have been involved in site-based study, with GCSE students taking part in work at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and are able to learn from working artists, for example in the recent print workshop with Neoartists Studios in Bolton. The Art Department has also facilitated several Pop Up exhibitions, including a secret postcard sale in which boys' artwork was displayed and sold alongside pieces by photographers Aziz + Cucher from New York, UK illustrator Chris Arran, and painter Charlotte Caron from Paris.
As well as working on their own creative output, pupils are also given access to an extensive local, nation and international trips programme, including visits to art galleries, external theatrical and musical performances, museums and cultural landmarks.
Boys are also involved with the Bolton Children's Fiction Award, which is run by Bolton School's library staff. 250 pupils from 16 local schools joined Bolton School Boys' and Girls' Division students for the 2016 Awards Ceremony, and on the day also took part in workshops with the six nominated authors. School has enjoyed links with The Manchester Writing School and boys have benefited from a range of inventive creative writing programmes through a Writer in Residence Programme.
During the next two years, the School's arts and cultural provision will continue and develop. There are plans to strengthen the School's partnership with the Octagon Theatre, and embed and extend the Arts Award provision to include arts leadership opportunities.
Supporting student-led initiatives and creativity remains important. Enhancing the content and delivery of the pastoral curriculum through cultural and arts activity is another priority.
The School also aims to be recognised as a national leader in terms of the breadth and depth of arts and cultural involvement, partnership work and innovation. The School wishes to take a steering role in Bolton's Local Cultural Educational Partnership (LCEP), one of fifty such enterprises supported by Arts Council England. Work within the LCEP will help to enhance creative enterprise in the local area, and to establish the School's standing as a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hub with connections to relevant organisations.
With the wide range of high-quality arts and cultural experiences available to boys already, and with a commitment in place to improve these as time goes on, the School is now looking forward to further developing into an institution worthy of the Platinum Artsmark Award.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 2019
Contact: Dan Hoblick, Department of Human Services, 605-773-6463
Innovation Grant Funding Recipients Announced
PIERRE, S.D. - The South Dakota Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced their selection of 25 nursing facilities that will receive innovation grant funding.
"From day one, my administration has been dedicated to shifting the face of long-term care in South Dakota, creating more opportunities for community style living, and reducing the reliance on nursing facilities as the primary residence," said Governor Kristi Noem. "I'm thrilled to partner with these 25 facilities as we continue reimagining the ways we approach long term care services in South Dakota. Our parents and grandparents are the backbone of our state, and we will continue working to provide more effective, modernized systems of care."
The innovation grants were designed to fund projects in areas crucial to the needs of South Dakota's long-term care participants.
"Expectations are changing, and the long-term services arena needs to change in order to keep pace, with a focus on excellent quality care, service, and most importantly, individual choice," said DHS Secretary Shawnie Rechtenbaugh. "These grants will help us kickstart a new strategy on the ways we approach senior care."
A total of 56 grant proposals were submitted. Providers were asked to submit ideas that would address needs in one or more areas, including expanding the menu of service settings, improving patient quality of life within a nursing home and innovations that would positively impact staff recruitment and retention.
For a list of grant recipients, please visit https://dhs.sd.gov/ltss/innovationgrants.aspx.
The funding for this program was approved by the South Dakota Legislature in March.


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Thank you for your interest in Kawartha Dairy.
Every year we receive an overwhelming number of requests for donations. Because of the volume of requests, we are unfortunately not able to extend support to every cause. We do, however, help out as much as we can, most often through in-kind product donations. Before submitting a request for donation to us please review Kawartha Dairy's charitable giving mission statement below and assess whether your event/charitable organization aligns with it.
Kawartha Dairy's Charitable Giving mission is to support
- Children's charitable causes
- Events or organizations that support or promote health and wellness
- Community improvement projects (in the areas local to our Kawartha Dairy retail stores)
If you are interested in a donation for your charitable organization or event please fill out the following form to tell us about your request. We require a minimum of 21 days advance notice and promise to get back to you as soon as possible regarding the status of your request.
Please note that most approved in-kind donations require pick up at one of our ten Kawartha Dairy Retail Locations. Because we sell perishable products it is important that the products are kept frozen or refrigerated during transport. Please consider your own transportation/storage needs and driving times when making your request. In most cases, we do not supply other equipment, supplies or staff support along with our product donations.


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I recently started a new job, which means that I have a lot less free time to spend on doing things like updating the site and watching terrible shows that I kind of don't have any interest in anymore. That said, besides not watching the newest episodes of Once or The Walking Dead my viewing habits haven't really changed that much. Oh well, onto talking about this week in TV:
Dual Survival: Season 3, Episode 11
Where: Discovery Channel
When: Friday at 10 PM
They get lost like four times and neither one of them really said anything about it. Also I think that they have been working together long enough that they have built some form of trust, which entirely defeats why I started watching this show in the first place. At one point they were entirely unable to light a fire and had to stay awake all night to not freeze to death, in the first season that would have resulted in a two hour fight and then the rest of the show each of them taking turns and telling the camera passive aggressive things about the other person like a middle aged unhappily married couple. If they aren't going to make an effort to slowly pick apart why they hate the other person and only learn to work together I don't even know why I am watching this anymore. If I wanted to watch someone boringly make their way out of danger with no resources I go on YouTube and watch dialog only slightly more forced than anything here.
Although this episode was not without its share of amazing moments: when they finally did find "rescue" in the form of finding their way to a major road the first people that they met flipped them off and sped away. Granted they were not run over, even though that is clearly the only reason that anyone should ever drive a truck with tires like that (that or destroying smaller, weaker cars), but it was amazing enough for this to not hit this week's worst spot.
Shameless: Season 3, Episode 9
Where: Showtime
When: Sundays at 9 PM
Shameless seems to be based off the worst family in the worst section of the United States, which is kind of funny because it is also based off a British made award winning show to begin with. At times it is hard to watch due to the insane brutality of just plain terrible situations, although it seems to make up for that with the copious amounts of nudity spread throughout most episodes. It doesn't really matter though, because in all honesty it makes me feel way better about my upbringing. Oddly all my parents seemed to have to do is not be highly addicted to drugs and alcohol while attempting to use me to extort money from, well, everyone.
Frank (William H. Macy) decides that since he is leeching off of someone, instead of getting a job and earning his own way in life, he is entitled to domestic partnership because I think that he believes that is what constitutes a healthy, normal, relationship. After being denied because, you know, he doesn't have any proof for anything that he is claiming besides an increasing angry yell he stumbles through a political rally and manages to berate the future mayor enough to become a YouTube celebrity, which might be the first time that someone did something stupid and became famous without the help of auto-tuning. His rambling is so ambiguous and, strangely, well-spoken that he becomes a hero in the Gay community. Keep in mind this is the same person that tried to get an autographed football to sell for drugs by telling the make a wish people that his son was dying of cancer; also he convinced his kid of this too just to make sure it was believable.
Workaholics: Season 3, Episode 20
Where: Comedy Central
When: Wednesday at 10 PM
Tom Green. I am always impressed when I find out that he isn't dead. I don't know why I thought that he wasn't living anymore but I guess there is just this thing in my head that goes off when someone who was once stupidly famous (or famous for stupid reasons) drops out of the spotlight enough that you have to search to see what they are up to and just assumes that they are dead or a zombie. It is almost like this show took that into consideration with their use of him as you only hear his voice for the majority of the episode, and when he does appear it is as a soulless robot not in control of himself, also he has laser arm swords.
The episode is about robots becoming entirely too smart and finally taking over, something that anyone who reads the site will know that Stark and I worry about constantly. This episode takes place in the future where robots are allowed to make all telemarketing calls and only require humans to close sales out when a customer is resistant. The odd thing is that reading that sentence over kind of makes me feel like this is already happening because I have robots calling me constantly about my student loans. Wait, did we fight the war, lose, and become forced to forget about our freedom?
Damn You Skynet!
Family Guy: Season 11, Episode 15
Where: Fox
When: Sunday's at 9 PM
I don't know that Family Guy has ever been in your face entirely offensively racist before, but this episode takes away my right to ever say that again. Remember a couple of years ago when 24 was being singled out for having every bad guy in the series be middle-eastern? I guess that since they were forced to clean up their act Fox thought that at the very least one of the shows on needed to make everyone aware that they still blamed an entire people for all acts of terrorism everywhere, always.
Peter becomes Islamic because someone tells his wife to do something and she doesn't argue. Ignoring the fact that Louis is not also converting, that this is probably one of the more offensive stories they have ever done, and also the fact that they clearly did 0 research while writing this episode it seems that this story was going to happen anyway. The best part is that this joke, and plot device, is instantly forgotten about the moment that it is made. Claiming that this was 23 minutes of stereotypes would be giving it credit because that would almost seem like they attempted to tie things together instead of just lump a bunch of hate speech hidden behind diarrhea jokes. One minute Peter is establishing himself in the community, the next he is planning on blowing up a bridge. Also there is never any reason given for the terrorist plot besides, "because".


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CDP back in the live agent training business
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) announced today that the Center will resume using nerve agents and biologicals in some of its hazardous materials training courses on Jan. 11.
In late 2016, the CDP suspended the use of the nerve agents GB and VX, and biologicals ricin and anthrax after it was discovered the Center's Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological training facility (COBRATF) had received, via third party vendor, and had been using a more toxic version of ricin in training than what CDP had ordered. Since then, the CDP has continued to conduct hazardous material training at its COBRA facility, but without those agents and biologicals.
To resume training with the materials, the CDP will purchase ricin A-chain from a different vendor in the CDC's Select Agent Program. CDP staff have visited and validated the reliability of the vendor's processes. The vendor will also ship orders to a laboratory at DHS's National Bioforensic Analysis Center for analysis before being shipped to the CDP for use in training. That third-party validation process will add to a number of recent enhancements – both physical and administrative – at the COBRA facility aimed at making it even safer for those training with the four types of materials.
These improvements include:
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved respirator masks for students and COBRATF staff.
• Updates to the facility's ventilation system to allow more precise control of the air flow and pressure in the training bays where the agents and toxins are used.
• Approval to hire additional staff, to include an additional safety and occupational health officer, an additional environmental management specialist, and an additional quality assurance analyst.
The enhancements also include the creation of a formal advisory board for the facility, which will include representatives from a number of national occupational safety and health and compliance assurance offices and agencies.
\"Our number one goal is to provide our students and staff the safest, most realistic training possible,\" said CDP Acting Superintendent Tony Russell. "With these enhancements, we will continue to do just that.\"
The CDP's COBRATF trains up to 2,500 civilian first responders a year to detect and operate in environments with chemical, biological and nuclear materials. This advanced, hands-on training builds confidence in those responders to effectively respond to real-world incidents involving those materials throughout the nation. Overall, the CDP trains up to 50,000 students annually, from public health, public works and emergency management officials to hazardous material specialists, law enforcement specialists, firefighters, and doctors, nurses and other health care workers. The students come from all states and U.S. territories, as well as a number of foreign countries. In July, the CDP reached an historic milestone when it trained its one millionth student.


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Directed by: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex
Runtime: 121 minutes
This week we delve into the horror genre. I want to preface this review with a comment on horror. In my opinion, everyone's fear is different. Some are afraid of the "boogeyman", some afraid of the future, the "big picture" and some are just afraid that their partner will never share the covers at night. I've always loved horror films and Halloween is my favorite holiday. My mom likes to jump out behind doors and wear creepy masks in an attempt to scare me anytime I'm there. Yes I'm currently on blood pressure medicine.
On to the film.
Us is directed, written, and produced by Jordan Peele. That name may sound familiar to you because of his debut film Get Out that was also in the horror genre, and was nominated for Best Picture at the 2018 Academy Awards. His follow-up "Us" clearly has high expectation and I believe they met, if not exceeded them. Again we come to a film with a bigger meaning (most good films should be layered like this.) In Us, we are asked the question. Who are you?
The story starts in Santa Cruz, California in 1986. Immediately, I noticed a retro feel as the film focuses on a young girl named Adelaide enjoying the boardwalk with her family. We then notice a man holding a sign with "Jeremiah 11:11" written on it. Jeremiah 11:11 states, "Therefore thus saith the LORD: 'Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto Me, I will not hearken unto them." I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound to promising. Adelaide stumbles upon a maze called Vision Quest with the a sign stating "Find Yourself." We see Adelaide venture in as she comes upon an EXIT sign. This is where the horror started for me. I can remember going through haunted houses and seeing EXIT signs thinking take it. Take the exit. This is a trap.
We then are taken to present day, an adult Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) her husband Gabe (Winston Duke) and two children Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) are on a vacation to Santa Cruz. From here we get a mix of genres, part comedy with Gabe, who plays the middle-aged dad who still thinks he's funny with charm, and also part horror as something seems amiss. The music instills a slow dread and worry in the viewer which plays throughout the film. We are then treated to flashbacks of Adelaide as a child as the time in the maze has had ill effects. From here the movie shifts into your classic horror film. Instead of one "boogeyman" we are treated to four, who happen to look exactly like our protagonists. The music again is fantastic and helps create the dread we are to feel going forward.
The real stars of the show have to be Nyong'o and the two children. As Nyong'o plays both the protagonist and antagonist her acting is outstanding. The children and mainly their doppelgangers are incredibly creepy and Jason (Evan Alex) has a lasting effect with his look and demeanor. We are treated to a superb monologue by Nyong'o and several scenes that play with lighting (one only lit by a match) that look and feel classic yet fresh. My favorite scene had to be towards the end where the action is played over Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys.
Overall, the most exciting part of the film was the message about finding yourself. We see the characters blending the lines between good and evil and I came to the conclusion that nothing is as black and white as it seems. We are all a mix of our emotions and actions. It also brings up a question of how far would you go for your loved ones?
I hesitate to give a rating on this film. I personally enjoyed it. It was a mix of classic horror with a enough " deep meaning" that conversations will arise after viewing it. Each person's idea of horror is different. I didn't necessarily find the film "scary" but there were a few jump-scares and the comedy mixed well all things considered. Given the excellent score that helps shape the scenes, the lighting, humor and acting. I'd recommend going out for a date night and DON'T spoil it for others. 4 1/2 Stars out of 5 #SHOPLOCAL.
Andrew McManus is Operations Manager for Patties & Pints and its parent company Eflow Development. He can be reached at [email protected] or 740-285-1778.