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At the most recent Olentangy Board of Education meeting, school officials didn't know yet whether the district had been assigned a higher bond rating, but they seemed confident about their trip to Wall Street.
"We've got a chance," was the prevailing opinion. Turns out, it was correct.
Olentangy Local Schools has received the highest possible bond rating, AAA, from Standard & Poor's Global. The rating service also gave a AAA rating to the bonds to build a fourth high school, which was part of a ballot issue voters approved in March.
"This is a significant accomplishment as only a handful of school districts in the state of Ohio have been assigned the highest rating from S&P Global," said district Treasurer Brian Kern.
The improved bond rating "is a validation of both the community's support and the district's work to manage its finances responsibly," said Superintendent Mark Raiff in a prepared statement.
The highest bond rating means the district is credit-worthy, and higher-rated bonds pay lower interest rates on newly issued debt.
"In its report, S&P Global noted that the upgrade directly reflects the district's healthy financial position, strong fiscal management and community support as illustrated by voter approval of the March 2016 permanent improvement, bond issue and operating levy," states a news release issued by the district.
It's not unusual for district administration to make a pilgrimage to Wall Street to plead its case. This year was slightly different, however, because joining Raiff and Kern was school board member Kevin O'Brien. Board president David King praised the trio's efforts, saying it showed cooperation and teamwork.
Standard & Poor's defines a AAA rating as the district having an "extremely strong" capacity to meet its financial commitments.
"The district's proximity to the Columbus-area economy and employment base lends stability to the rating," states the S&P report, which was issued on May 26.
Previously, the district had been assigned the next-best rating, an AA+, for several years. That rating meant the district had a "very strong" ability to meet financial commitments. Going down the line, AA, AA-, A+, A, A- are all considered as strong.
The next tier of ratings are BBB+, BBB, BBB-, which is considered adequate; and BB+, BB, BB-, which is less vulnerable; B+, B, B-, which is vulnerable. Other tiers are: CCC, CC, C, which are vulnerable; and D, where one or more financial obligations have yet to be paid.
Gary Budzak may be reached at 740-413-0904 or on Twitter @GaryBudzak.


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What sunglasses suit your face?
As if shopping wasn't fun enough, now the sun is shining we can all start looking for our perfect pair of sunglasses!
The question is… which pair is best for you? They can be too big, too small, and even if you find the perfect size then the style isn't right, uncertainty is never fun and trying sunglasses on all day long can be tiring!
We at Hairburst have weighed up the must-have styles for every face shape so there is a style out there for all of you to choose from.
Have a scroll and start your online shopping! :-)
For round face shapes like Miranda Kerr square or rectangular frames work best for you as they offset your fuller features.
If you have an oval face shape you are one of the lucky ones who can get away with any style! Make sure when you are choosing your perfect pair that they fit correctly. There should be a gap on either side of your temples and the sunglasses should not slide down the nose.
For square face shapes like Nicole Richie you should balance out your strong jawline with circular frames or a broad cat-eye shape to compliment your broad features.
Heart shaped faces like Reese's have wide cheeks and a narrow chin, your best bet for this face shape is Aviators, however you don't want to choose oversized ones as it can drag the face down. Instead pick ones that have a more rounded silhouette. Additionally, Cat-eye sunglasses will also work well if you select ones, which are not too narrow or pointy.


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The Living Sisters serve sweet vermouth, cheesy puff pastries, dark chocolate and red wine at a late-November get-together, which they hold in the cozy living room of founding member Eleni Mandell's Echo Park apartment. Her 2-year-old twins sleep in a nearby bedroom. True to their whimsical musical vibe, they merrily toss around ideas for "The Living Sisters Dating Game" (wherein unattached members are set up, with no say in the matter, by the others) and swap stories about toddlers who want to eat only cookies.
A compelling lightness defines the approach of the quartet, which can accurately be called an indie supergroup, as its members are drawn from beloved local acts including Lavender Diamond, Touché and The Bird and the Bee. "Our goal was just to get together and sing in harmony, and that's really what has propelled us," Mandell says.
Bohemian-leaning founder Becky Stark christened the group the first night she and Mandell met: "It just sounded beautiful to me — The Living Sisters." As a threesome along with scene luminary Inara George, in 2010 they released their much-praised debut, Love to Live. But even then Stark imagined a foursome, and the newest Sister, Alex Lilly, formally joined the act for their sophomore effort, the all-covers EP Run for Cover, out today. It features versions of tunes by Parliament Funkadelic, Patsy Cline and Doris Day.
"Being in this group is like taking a vacation [from our other projects]," says Mandell, whose solo work tends to plumb darker themes. The Living Sisters join forces for brief but intense stretches when they find time off from their gigs as full-time musicians. It seems to be great fun for them — and it had better be, as it requires day-planner jujitsu concerning international tour dates and the needs of young children (including two sets of twins).
Collaborating with one another for maybe two concentrated weeks per year, they stay in close orbit and look out for the rare moments when their planets align.
George describes their group dynamics as "family-ish" but notes that four-part harmonies aren't easy to pull off. Further, there's clearly no frontwoman or designated spokeswoman here, which leads to four distinct answers to every question. Then there are digressions: Stark declares dreamily that she'd like to be an "orgasmic birth activist," to which George, who has three children, responds, "I don't even want to know how to give orgasmic birth."
The friendly tension The Living Sisters generate makes, in any case, for some wonderful harmonies. It's the result of listening to one another and not being too competitive. "This group makes me realize I sometimes overemphasize trying," Lilly says. "Because to be honest I have tried on [The Living Sisters] the least, and it is by far my most successful project."
George concurs. "I've been in bands where I'm on this cycle and I push too hard … but stuff that's light has its own momentum."
This low-strain attitude informed their choice of songs for the recent EP, which includes tunes from the set list from their 2011 Patsy Cline tribute at Disney Hall.
Before long an empty wine bottle adorns the mantel, but The Living Sisters don't show any sign of turning in. It's hard to tell where they stop being colleagues and start being friends, which probably is why they succeed.
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Tigon Sports Points Gloves
Tigon Sports Semi Contact Gloves are renowned for their excellent fit which is both secure and comfortable for the use in full contact kickboxing. The gloves are designed with foam mould cushioning for maximum shock absorption making them the gloves of choice for both pay and pad training or sparring combined with secure wrist strap. Available in Small, Medium, Large and X-Large.
These gloves are made from durable Rexion leather and are used by professionals. They are quality checked to ensure that the hand measures against the weight of the glove. The padding inside has been specially moulded to give this shape using injection moulded machinery and is made from latex foam. The gloves are easy to fit and have a wide velcro strap which allows you to fit them as required. The gloves can be used with or without handwraps.


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As mosquito control experts in Winston Salem, NC, we know a lot about mosquitoes. With school now in session, now's a great time to brush up on your mosquito trivia. With that in mind, here are 10 mosquito facts you might not know.
- Mosquitoes have been along longer than you think. They have actually been known from as far back as the Triassic Period, which is 400 million years ago. In North America, they have been known as far back as the Cretaceous period, 100 million years ago.
- There are around 2,700 species of mosquito, with 176 species in the United States alone.
- When they bite you, the average mosquito takes in about 5-millionths of a liter of blood.
- Ever wondered how you're chosen by mosquitoes? Mosquitoes find hosts by sight, by detecting infra-red radiation emitted by warm bodies; and through chemical signals at distances of 25 to 35 meters.
- Mosquitoes typically fly an estimated 1 to 1.5 miles per hour.
- How far would you travel to get dinner? Salt marsh mosquitoes can and will migrate up to 40 miles for a meal.
- When it comes to mosquito bites, size matters. Bigger people are often more attractive to mosquitoes because they are larger targets and they produce more mosquito attractants, like CO2 and lactic acid.
- Kind of fidgety? You're probably also targeted by mosquitoes because you will also produce more CO2 and lactic acid.
- Spending time outside? Maybe re-think that black t-shirt. Dark clothing actually has been shown to attract some species of mosquitoes more than lighter colored clothing.
- Is it a full moon? Watch out for bloodsuckers. A full moon can actually increase mosquito activity
Need Help From Mosquito Experts?
Of course, if you have a mosquito problem, it's not trivia that will save you, but mosquito control service in Winston Salem, NC. We employ a comprehensive strategy to control mosquito populations in and around your Greensboro, NC yard. We use our knowledge and experience from 30 years of service to inspect your yard to get the critters where they live and breed. Mosquitoes breed so quickly that killing the flying adults is not enough to deal with the problem. We come up with a game plan to both remove the pests and prevent them from coming back. Our expert technicians will advise you on how to eliminate the breeding grounds and can even provide seasonal treatment. Take back control today by contacting us for a consultation!


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Project Description
One important element of the HEITS Clean Green program is the use of microfiber flat mops and cleaning cloths.
By using microfiber mops in our "Clean Green" program compared to conventional mops:
- Annual chemical usage DECREASES by 87.5%
- Annual water usage DECREASES by 84.5%
- Bacteria levels on floors DECREASES by 16% (a total of 96% reduction)
- Annual quantity of mops purchased DECREASES by 95%
Your surfaces are cleaner, due to the physical make-up of microfiber.
A conventional mop pushes dirt and moisture, and is unable to capture the debris caught in the surface's impressions.
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HEITS GUARANTEES our PERFORMANCE and YOUR SATISFACTION


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Maker's Mark – How "Making" Is Influencing STEM Education
Last updated on September 11th, 2021
To understand the global impact of The Maker Movement, look no further than The Home Depot. In August, the world's largest home improvement retailer launched a pilot program with MakerBot to sell its 3D printers and scanners at 12 stores in California, Illinois and New York.
This may not seem like big news. But if you're a K-12 educator – especially in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education fields – it's time to lean in. These savvy scanners allow solid objects to be transposed into a 3D computer-aided design image that can then be used to print out a high-resolution, 3D object. At Home Depot, customers are offered free 3D-printed items to take home, including adjustable wrenches, electrical outlet covers, and drink cups.
This sort of do-it-yourself (DIY)/techno-innovation is making headway in STEM curriculum, and certainly influencing 21st Century education. And it's only beginning. There's a wildfire of new (and increasingly more affordable) tools and technology now available, like 3D printers, robotics, drones, microprocessors, wearable computing, e-textiles, "smart" materials and more.
The Maker Movement Demystified
So, what's The Maker Movement all about? Put simply, it's a global technological and creative revolution that emphasizes active learning. It involves people of all ages and backgrounds making customized creations sans manufacturers, often using modern technology and collaboration. For students, it's using their heads and hands to find and build solutions, collaborate, have fun and stay interested in STEM.
"Through making things, kids acquire a deep understanding of physics, engineering, math, and materials science. And, it's interesting," according to one online STEM website for educators and parents in Massachusetts.
The Maker Movement isn't new, per say. To survive, humans have been innovators, problem-solvers and make-it-from-scratch gurus from the get-go. But the past few years have seen an explosion in making and makers, specifically as it relates to K-12 STEM education. So much so, it's become a legitimate formal initiative. In May 2012, The Maker Education Initiative was formed in response to President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" campaign.
AnnMarie Thomas, executive director The Maker Education Initiative, says making is about teaching students to be creators instead of just consumers. "At a time when many people are asking how we can get more students interested in the STEM fields, we are hearing from teachers who have found making to be a great way to get students excited and engaged in their classrooms."
Her organization's mission is to create more opportunities for all young people to develop confidence, creativity, and interest in science, technology, engineering, math, art, and learning as a whole through making. To that point, The Maker Educational Initiative offers teacher workshops, trains and places Maker Corps workers at host sites around the U.S., and provides a downloadable Young Makers handbook filled with ideas for kids ages 12 to 18 (see makered.org).
What Sparked The Making Movement?
Like most trends and cultural shifts, it's hard to pinpoint an exact start. But much credit is given to the launch of MAKE Magazine in 2005, followed by Maker Faire in 2006 (both produced by Maker Media). According to their website, they "jumpstarted the worldwide maker culture that is now transforming innovation, culture and education."
MAKE Magazine is a bi-monthly, all-ages publication out of California. It focuses on the DIY and Do It with Others (DIWO) mindsets. Every issue features step-by-step projects that often use household materials to make complex gadgetry and inventions. Its 2014 themes include homegrown drones, DIY consumer electronics, robotics, new maker tools, 3D evolution, and tinkering toys.
Next came Maker Faires. These massive events were initially created by MAKE Magazine to "celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects," and act as DIY show and tell gatherings. Currently, there are two annual flagship Maker Faires (CA and New York). They are self-described family friendly events celebrating technology, education, science, arts, crafts, engineering, food, sustainability, and more. Maker Media also partners with museums to produce Featured Maker Faires, and works with communities to license hundreds of Mini Maker Faires around the world. (Find a full schedule at http://makerfaire.com/map/).
Creating a Maker-Inspired STEM Classroom
Creating a maker-inspired STEM classroom environment doesn't necessarily happen naturally. Educators must dedicate space. Some schools re-purpose an old woodshop, transform part of a library to learning commons focused on making, or adapt an unused classroom into makerspace. Versatile, mobile classroom furniture, as well as easy-access power, play a big role in keeping a space flexible.
Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager, co-authors of the book Invent to Learn, reinforce the importance of dedicated maker space. "We must reimagine school science and math not as a way to prepare students for the next academic challenge, or a future career, but as a place where students are inventors, scientists, and mathematicians today."
Once the space is allocated, it's time to stock it with STEM tools. Today's new, low-cost, flexible and creative technologies are powerful building blocks for students. "These tools bring electronics, programming and mathematics together in meaningful and powerful ways." Martinez and Stager, in a recent post on the "We are Teachers" website, say there are three big game-changers of the Maker Movement that should be on every school's radar:
Computer-Controlled Fabrication Devices
Over the past few years, devices that fabricate 3D objects have become an affordable reality. Three-dimensional printers can take a design file and output a physical object. Plastic filament is melted and deposited in intricate patterns that build layer by layer, much like a 2D printer prints lines of dots that line by line create a printed page. With 3D design and printing, students can design and create their own objects.
Physical Computing
New open-source microcontrollers, sensors and interfaces connect the physical and digital worlds in ways never before possible. Many schools are familiar with robotics, one aspect of physical computing, but a whole new world is opening up. Wearable computing – in which circuits are made with conductive thread – makes textiles smart, flexible and mobile. Plug-and-play devices that connect small microprocessors to the Internet, to each other, or to any number of sensors mean that low-cost, easy-to-make computational devices can test, monitor and control your world.
From the Next Generation Science Standards, to the White House, there is a new call for schools to teach computer programming. Programming is the key to controlling a new world of computational devices and the range of programming languages has never been greater. Today's modern languages are designed for every purpose and learners of all ages.
Despite the famous movie line "If you build it, they will come," there's more to making than the space and tools. Educators have to create the right mentally for learning. They should put the learners in charge, with time to brainstorm, collaborate, invent, design, build and embellish. This is followed by time to test, repair and improve. Or perhaps start over, with encouragement.
Specifically, teachers should encourage students to:
Learn by making -- and making mistakes -- not endless planning.
Collaborate and share; there should be an "open vibe" in the space.
Select projects that have personal meaning, so kids are invested.
Draw on technology for risk-free, inexpensive prototypes.
Integrate the arts with creative design and decorating.
Look for mentors and materials beyond the classroom.
AnnMarie Thomas with The Maker Education Initiative captures the mentality of The Maker Movement. "… making allows kids to follow their own interests and passions and create something that is uniquely theirs, while applying the knowledge they are gathering in all aspects of life."
The moving conclusion seem to be this: The Maker Movement is, indeed, about teaching students to be creators, not just consumers. So hats off to Home Depot for selling 3-D printers next to PVC pipe and paintbrushes. Microprocessors next to building materials may be next.
- MAKE Magazine website: makezine.com.
- Martinez, Sylvia. "Top Ten Tools of the Maker Movement for Classrooms at Global 2013 STEMx this Week!" Posted 9/16/13.
- Martinez, Sylvia and Stager, Gary S. "Making Matters! How the Maker Movement is Transforming Education." We Are Teachers website, 2013.
- Mearian, Lucas. "Home Depot to sell the ultimate DIY hardware: 3D printers." Computerworld post, 7/21/14.
- The Open University, Innovation Report 2. "Maker Culture (chapter in Innovating Pedagogy 2013)".
- Thomas, AnnMarie. "Encouraging Students in the STEM Classroom Through Making." Edutopia website, 9/7/12.
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HITNRUN Phase One is Prince's third album in under a year, following in the trail of last September's ART OFFICIAL AGE and the hard rock 3rdEyeGirl collaboration PLECTRUMELECTRUM. That marks a milestone that few musicians (much less ones over the age of 50 with millions of dollars to their name) ever achieve. Then again, Prince has always strayed from convention, and the mania of his music, however intricate, has always suggested the now 57-year-old could pump out an album at any point. "I come from North Minny and I never run from any/ And I ain't about to stop right now," he sings about his Minneapolis beginnings and subsequent endurance on this album's Rita Ora assist, "Ain't About to Stop". While there are those who say he hasn't released a truly great album since Sign 'o' the Times in 1987, Prince himself must think he's at a creative peak these days. Is he right?
Phase One, a TIDAL exclusive, packs a lot of ideas into its 38 minutes, and more of them than you might guess are the thinking of co-producer Joshua Welton, who returns following his work on ART OFFICIAL AGE. Opening song "Million $ Show" features Judith Hill (who you may know from her work with Michael Jackson or her performance of "Heal the World" at his memorial service, her role in 20 Feet from Stardom, or her Prince-produced album Back in Time) and begins with a clipped version of the "Dearly beloved…" intro that kicked off "Let's Go Crazy" 31 years ago, proceeding in a flurry of modern pop, big band, and even opera stylings. It serves as a mission statement for the album, not because it's one of the best songs here (it isn't), but because its confident strut functions as an introduction to Prince's current musical world of complete freedom. Later, the synth-rippling, pitch-shifting "Ain't About to Stop" has a frenetic bridge and another significant switch-up at the outro. None of this is to mention the arcing guitar solos on "This Could B Us", "HARDROCKLOVER", and "Mr. Nelson" or the vocal freakouts on "HARDROCKLOVER" and "1000 X'S & 0'S".
(Guide: A Brief History of Prince the Weirdo)
While some of that experimentation and ornamentation is thrilling, some is unneeded. Phase One works better when excess is lopped off. "Like a Mack", complete with a smoldering horn-splat of a bridge and rapping from Los Angeles-via-Florida duo Curly Fryz and Prince himself, is like "Million $ Show" in its constant motion, but it still manages to stand up straight. "This Could B Us", a rework of the ART OFFICIAL AGE R&B ballad of the same name, is a piano-tapping, gravity-defying song that sounds like a utopian FKA twigs composition, glistening and acrobatic. "Fallinlove2nite", a rework of Prince's Zooey Deschanel-featuring single from last year, is a glittery, dubstep-influenced explosion that doesn't need lyrics much more in-depth than the title ("Don't you wanna fall in love tonight?") to be one of the most undeniably catchy tributes to the night's possibilities since Nicki Minaj's Pinkprint anthem "The Night Is Still Young".
HITNRUN Phase One finds further success when it really strips away unnecessary layers, which doesn't happen until the last two songs. "1000 X'S & 0'S" is a highlight with little more than light synth wooshes, skeletal drum beats, and relaxed bass lines, Prince's voice fluttering gracefully as he praises his woman's work ethic in a way that might have you thinking the song was inspired by Drake if it didn't date back to 1992. "June", named for Prince's birthday month, is next, and it's another chilled, quiet number with the eternal poise of a smooth Prince vocal as he sings about being born "way too late." It proves we're lucky to have him around today.
Hill, Ora, Curly Fryz, and London singer Lianne La Havas (on "HARDROCKLOVER") are all collaborators young enough to be Prince's daughters, and they help him get closer to contemporary pop relevance. There are times when he can use it. The Weeknd's '80s pop moves couldn't be more obvious, but it's a tall task for Prince (who architected some of those sounds practically singlehandedly) to recapture the magic that flowed through his body as a determined teenager and 20-something in the late '70s and '80s. Still, he's used to bending the shape of popular music to his will, and when it's not erratically overflowing, HITNRUN Phase One may get you to believe in him as he evidently believes in himself in 2015.
Essential Tracks: "This Could B Us", "Fallinlove2nite", and "1000 X'S & 0'S"


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About the Student Support Fund
The Rutgers Climate Institute Student Support Fund provides support for Rutgers student travel and related expenses for the purposes of climate change education and research. The family of William H. Greenberg (Rutgers University Class of 1944) graciously seeded the development of this fund.
The RCI Student Support Fund has been established to further students' education and scholarship, enable them to develop, conduct and collaborate with other academics, and improve their ability to translate their research to a range of constituencies (e.g., general public, other students, educators, policymakers, governmental and non-governmental organizations) all key to their training as the next generation of climate scientists and educators. In addition, the Student Support Fund facilitates students' ability to showcase their research, network and establish connections that will contribute to their success once they have completed their education at Rutgers University.
Help Us Grow the Student Support Fund Here
By Clicking the link above, and making a donation, you can help other students improve their education, showcase their work, foster their communications skills, and develop scholarly collaborations.
+ Meet Our Students
Rohi Muthyala, Ph.D. Candidate, Geography
Rohi Muthyala focuses on Arctic hydrology and hydrological modeling. The main objective of her dissertation research is to model surface hydrological processes involved in the transport of meltwater over the surface of Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). A part of her research is to spatially expand her study area of single catchment into the southwest region of the ice sheet where supraglacial streams play a major role in transportation of melt water on the surface, using commercial satellite imagery and developing a model to simulate the surface hydrology on southwest GrIS. In 2017, with support from Rutgers Climate Institute, Rohi attended the Polar Boot Camp, a four-day geospatial workshop organized by Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) and the University of Minnesota, focusing on applications of commercial satellite imagery for polar science and operations. Building on the workshop instruction, Rohi had a chance to work with the data useful for her dissertation at the PGC high speed computation labs. After the workshop, she was was able to order the data required for her research from PGC and analyze it. The boot camp training enable Rohi to convert UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) imagery collected in Greenland ( in 2017 & 2018) into a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to analyze the supraglacial streams from her study area. She was also able to delineate the catchment using high resolution World View (WV-2) imagery obtained from PGC, in addition to the UAV imagery. Rohi noted, "This not only helped me achieve an objective of my dissertation but also allowed me to meet my peers in the field of polar science."
Rutgers Ph.D. candidate Rohi Muthyala (first row, third from the right) with her peers at the Polar Boot Camp.
Marie McCrary, Ph.D. Candidate, Oceanography
Rutgers Oceanography graduate student, Marie McCrary, researches freshwater changes in the Beaufort Sea. In October 2017, Marie applied RCI travel grant funds to attend the Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) meeting in Woods Hole, MA as the work was directly related to her research.
The goal of FAMOS meeting is to improve understanding of model output and observational data which shows changes in the Arctic Ocean over the past 20 years. These changes include increased water temperature and freshwater content and decreased sea ice cover. The FAMOS School for new scientists, held on the first day of the meeting covered many topics such as types of climate models, snow and sea ice, and mixing and eddies. The subsequent days included presentations on sea ice, biogeochemical modeling, freshwater transport, and the global effects of a changing Arctic. During the meeting, Marie presented a poster on her research: A Lagrangian Analysis of Freshwater Transport in the Arctic. Marie noted, "I met many potential collaborators and received excellent feedback on my poster presentation and this experience was vital in forming my dissertation topic."
Rutgers graduate student Marie McCrary (red jacket all the way to the far right) and at the 2017 FAMOS meeting.
Natalie Teale, Ph.D. Candidate, Geography
With support from the Rutgers Climate Institute, Natalie Teale, Ph.D. candidate in Geography participated in, the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), located in Boston, MA in April 2017 where she was elected to the position of Young Scholar Director.
Nataile notes, "This meeting was remarkably productive for me, with several sessions directly applicable to my work, particularly sessions in synoptic climatology and the northeastern United States. I organized and convened three full sessions of talks in hydroclimatology, which were well attended as well as gave a talk of my preliminary dissertation research in discerning pathways of atmospheric water vapor transport into the northeastern United States. This research is novel in combining variables and methods that have not yet been combined for this region. The opportunity to present this research to experts in the field—both in the data and the methods—was extremely valuable at this stage of my research."
Natalie Teale, (fourth from left) at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers says , "This picture was taken shortly after the keynote lecture, and is particularly special because it pictures much of my extended academic family who remained in geography-climatology and attended the 2017 Annual Meeting of AAG. I am looking forward to recreating this picture in the future with my climatology peers at Rutgers."
Sasha Leidman, Ph.D. Candidate, Geography
Sasha Leidman, a graduate student in the Department of Geography used his award from the Rutgers Student Support Fund to attend the annual Association of American Geographers conference in Boston, Massachusetts in April 2017 where he presented "Shadows on Greenland: The Effect of Local Ice Topography on Albedo" based on data he had collected in Greenland during the summer of 2016. Sasha won the Ralph Stockman Tarr Award for outstanding research on the cryosphere. Reflecting on his conference participation, Sasha noted, "It was a wonderful experience listening and presenting to fellow cryosphere graduate students and talking about future research opportunities. I later attended the cryosphere group meeting and was elected to be a board member for the AAG section. Overall, my AAG experience was really fruitful and allowed me to expand my reach as a researcher to a broader, geography focused community. "
Carla Coronado, Ph.D. Candidate, Planning and Public Policy
Support from Rutgers Climate Institute, helped Planning and Public Policy Ph.D. candidate Carla Coronado with her living and transportation costs during her January - March 2017 internship with the Climate Change and Sustainability Division (CCS) of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C. The IDB is a multilateral institution and the main source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The CCS division works together with public and private financial institutions to implement climate governance systems, develop innovative schemes and instruments to promote investment in emissions reductions projects and programs, and to increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. Carla worked on a study of sustainable infrastructure to understand trends of social conflicts related to infrastructure projects in Latin America, including an academic paper to explore the relationship between social conflict and sustainable infrastructure in Latin America.
Carla explains, "The CCS interest in this topic is motivated by the need for increasing current investment infrastructure rates in the LAC region for tackling the sustainability challenges of our time that include sustainable growth, inclusive development and reducing climate risk. In line with the Paris agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, the division seeks to foster the scale up of infrastructure investment that is socially inclusive, low carbon, and climate resilient. Despite the pressing need for building infrastructure for fostering development in Latin America, projects face multiple conflicts, especially of a social and environmental nature, which many times have caused delays and cost overruns, or even projects' postposition and cancellation. This constitutes an important hurdle that the division wants to encourage governments in Latin America to address. Evidence allows us to observe that conflict motivations highlight the need for developing infrastructure that embraces sustainability values and suggests that more sustainable projects are more likely to work out socio-environmental conflicts. Results also speak about the economic convenience of developing projects in a more sustainable way, which from a governmental and communities' perspective would allow to take advantage of the benefits that infrastructures projects yield, and from a private sector perspective would reduce the risks of incurring in cost overruns and project delays and/or cancellations. Doing this internship was a tremendous opportunity that allowed me to start getting involved with the type of organizations I aim to work with in the future."
Ana Mahecha, Ph.D. Candidate, Geography
Ana Mahecha, a Ph.D. candidate in Geography used her travel grant award to participate in the American Association of Geographers' Annual Meeting in Boston, MA from April 5-9, 2017 where she presented preliminary results of her dissertation research "Adaptive challenges to climate change and alternative economic agri-food futures in the Capital-Region of Bogotá" in the paper session "Food Security and Resilience in Mountain Environments". Ana's research focuses on the opportunities and challenges within alternative food networks that can provide small-scale farmers with possibilities and strategies to improve their livelihoods and respond to climate change.
Ana explained, "participation in this session allowed me to deepen into the discussion of food security and resilience to growing pressures on agro-environmental resources in a context of rapid environmental change. This particular session shed light on food security and resilience in the distinctive ecological and cultural geographies of mountain environments, such as the Andes, the Himalayas and the Sierra Nevada in California. Through the different presentations, we—the presenters—could discuss how mountainous regions are home to significant human cultural diversity, to unique biodiversity, and also are the source of multiple ecosystem services. These landscapes are also vulnerable to climate change, manifested primarily with more extreme rainfall and temperature patterns. Thus, we could share methods and approaches to understanding food security and resilience together, drawing from case studies." Ana noted that her participation enabled her to meet and connect with scholars that are working on similar themes and allowed her to delve deeper into themes, methodologies, approaches and theories that are vital to her research as well as gave her the opportunity to meet scholars that helped her to think differently beyond her research topic.
Ioanna Tsoulou, Ph.D. Candidate, Urban Planning and Policy Development
In April 2017, Ioanna Tsoulou, a doctoral candidate in urban planning and policy development participated in the 11th Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) Young Academics Conference in Planning and Entrepreneurship, in Munich, Germany where she presented How Just is Sprawl? Links among Density and Environmental Justice in US Territories which addresses the issue of unsustainable urban development patterns widely known as sprawl, and their links to environmental injustice dimensions-mainly ozone and air toxics- in selected US counties and blocks. Ioanna notes, "Existing literature linking directly those two phenomena is still in embryonic stages, and more research is needed to reveal the nature of their relationship, especially since environmental racism still persists and likely increases as climate change consequences become more severe." Ioanna received an award for best paper in her track which enables her to submit her research to the Journal of diSP-The Planning Review "The RCI Student Support Fund Award helped me present my work in progress and get meaningful feedback from other academics, along with establishing connections that will potentially contribute to future advancements in my field," noted Ioanna.
Brian Zambri, Ph.D. Candidate, Atmospheric Sciences
Brian Zambri, a graduate student in Atmospheric Sciences attended the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2016 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA where he presented Modeling Climate Impacts of the 1783-1784 Laki Eruption in Iceland.
Brian described his experience as "memorable." He noted, "In addition to seeing a lot of great science, I learned a lot about what makes a presentation (oral or poster) good and bad. As a result of the size of the conference and the diversity of its attendees, I saw examples of 'rookie mistaikes' to avoid as well as 'veteran tricks' to add to my presentation tools. I also participated in the Outstanding Student Paper Award contest and, while I didn't win an award, I received plenty of useful feedback on my talk from he three judges who attended my presentations."
Or Caspi, Ph.D. Candidate, Planning and Public Policy
Planning and Public Policy Ph.D. student Or Caspi presented E-bike Riding Routes and the Built Environment during a poster session at the 96th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) that took place in Washington, DC, in January 2017. TRB is a Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the TRB meeting is the world's largest transportation conference. In 2017 it hosted over 13,000 transportation researchers, professionals, and students, and presented thousands of studies in hundreds of sessions. Or notes, "The main purpose of my participation in this meeting was the presenting of my study about the use of electric bicycles in Tel Aviv in a poster session. During the meeting, I also attended several sessions regard my main field of interest - bicycle transportation, including meetings, lecture sessions, and poster sessions."
Ph.D. student Or Caspi at the 96th Annual TRB Meeting, January 2017.
"Thanks to the funding I got from Rutgers Climate Institute, I was able to participant in this magnificent conference. My participation allowed me to meet the leading bicycle and transportation researchers in the world, as well as many other interesting people, and gain a lot of new knowledge and many ideas toward my PhD dissertation," acknowledged Or.
Samiah Moustafa, Ph.D. Candidate, Geography
In December 2016, Samiah Moustafa attended the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Annual Conference in San Francisco, California. In addition to attending many invited talks, cryosphere sessions, poster presentations, and participation in an intermediate-level JavaScript Google Earth Engine Workshop Ms. Moustafa had the opportunity to engage with Cryosphere colleagues that culminated in securing four potential postdoctoral opportunities at a variety of domestic institutions and to attend a cryosphere career panel sponsored by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists. "I successfully presented my latest research looking at inter-comparing modeled and observed discharge for three catchments along West Greenland to numerous colleagues, mentors, fellow graduate students, and Outstanding Student Poster Award judges. During my poster presentation, I received valuable feedback on my recent findings, of which I can incorporate into my third, first-author manuscript that is in preparation for submission to the Journal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface Processes."
Samiah noted, "I am incredibly grateful for the Rutgers Climate Institute supporting my travel to attend and participate in the largest annual Earth Science conference in the world. In sum, by attending AGU, I was able to showcase my latest dissertation research, and by extension, promote the cutting-edge climate change research done at Rutgers University. Furthermore, attending AGU allowed me to gather valuable feedback on my latest research, connect with colleagues, network with new prospective collaborators, and secure several potential postdoctoral opportunities to set the stage for the next step in my career."
In January 2017, RCI also supported Samiah's participation in the Program for Arctic Regional Climate Assessment (PARCA) conference at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD where she had the opportunity to attend talks related to the latest research on the Greenland ice sheet as well as present her latest dissertation research. Networking during dinner led her to postdoctoral research opportunities, and confirming collaboration to enable her to use a colleague's ice core drilling data for a forthcoming manuscript.
"By attending PARCA, I was able to showcase my latest dissertation research, and by extension, promote the innovative climate change research done at Rutgers University. Furthermore, attending the conference allowed me to gather valuable feedback on my latest analyses done since the previous conference at AGU (Dec. 2016), connect with colleagues, network with new prospective collaborators (including a new collaboration with ice core scientists at Rowan University), and secure several additional postdoctoral opportunities to set the stage for the next step in my career."
Corey Gabriel, Ph.D. Candidate, Atmospheric Science
Corey Gabriel received support to attend the December 2016 American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco, California where he presented his recent paper, "The G4Foam Experiment: Global Climate Impacts of Regional Ocean Albedo Modification," at http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/acp-2016-849/#discussion which has been accepted for final publication in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. "I would like to express my gratitude for the contributions both from the staff and of the donors of Rutgers Climate Institute.
Their generosity made it in part possible for me to attend the 2016 AGU Fall Meeting and present a talk on my NSF-funded research. Not only was it a privilege to present my work at such a high-impact conference, but the opportunity to meet many new people in my field and to see the presentation of important new work was essential to my development as a young scientist. Attending conferences throughout my time at Rutgers has been incredibly valuable and organizations that make it easier for students to attend conferences like AGU are making huge contributions to many young careers," stated Corey.
Chris Free, Ph.D. Candidate, Oceanography
"I am unbelievably grateful to the Rutgers Climate Institute for supporting my travel to the International Society of Limnology's annual conference in Turin, Italy. The SIL Congress is the largest meeting of freshwater scientists worldwide and offered an incredible opportunity for me to promote my dissertation research on the impact of anthropogenic stressors on small-scale Mongolian fisheries, network with international scientists and potential collaborators, and learn about new developments in freshwater conservation research," states Chris.
Chris Free, graduate student in Marine Science at the International Society of Limnology Conference in Turin, Italy, Summer 2016
"This experience would have been impossible without the generous support of the Rutgers Climate Institute."
Jennifer Hoey, Ph.D. Candidate, Ecology and Evolution
Student support from the Rutgers Climate Institute offset travel costs for me to attend the American Genetics Association Presidential Symposium in Pacific Grove, CA in July 2016. With a theme of "Local adaptation: from phenotype to genotype to fitness," this was the perfect place for me to present a poster entitled: "Candidate loci under environmental selection in a panmictic marine population."
Jennifer reports, "Attending this small, specialized conference allowed me to learn about findings and techniques being used to investigate local adaptation across a wide variety of flora and fauna. It also allowed me to present my findings on local adaptation in summer flounder, facilitating productive conversations about my research and generating ideas on how to best extend it into the future. Perhaps most importantly, I was able to connect and network with top scientists studying local adaptation, as well as other graduate students who are exploring similar questions and who may provide peer support as I build my career."
Jennifer Walker, Ph.D. Candidate, Marine and Coastal Sciences
Jennifer Walker, a Rutgers graduate student in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, received an award from the RCI Student Support Fund to participate in the American Geophysical Union Conference in December 2015 where she both presented the poster "Holocene Relative Sea-Level Changes from Near-, Intermediate-, and Far-Field Locations" as well as co-convened the session "Feedbacks on Ice-Sheet Growth and Decay during the Last Glacial Cycle."
Jennifer notes that presenting her poster, "gave me the opportunity to discuss my research with others, improving my science communication and allowing me to gain insights from other researchers about my work as well as affording me the opportunity to answer questions about my work." As a session co-convener, Jennifer found it provided her with a leadership opportunity, "contributing to my advancement as a scientist." In addition to conference activities, Jennifer was able to meet with scientists during lunch and evening activities with whom she expects to collaborate in the future. "Forging new connections with other climate scientists will contribute to further collaboration in my future academic career."
RCI Student Support Fund Awardee, Jennifer Walker with her poster at the 2015 AGU Conference.
Michael Brady, Ph.D. Candidate, Geography
Michael Brady, Rutgers graduate student in the Department of Geography, presented the poster, Collaborative community hazard exposure mapping: Distant Early Warning radar sites in Alaska's North Slope, at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall 2015 Conference sponsored through the RCI Student Support Fund. "The poster presentation provided me with the opportunity to network and communicate my dissertation research," notes Michael. Aas a result of his participation at AGU, Michael identified a number of concrete activities to advance his scholarship:
- He was invited to join the U.S. Permafrost Association (USPA) and attended the association's meeting held during the AGU meeting.
- A US Permafrost Association member shared Michael's poster with his network, resulting in an introduction with the CEO and President of a private firm contracted to assess erosion risk of U.S. Air Force assets in Alaska's North Slope. There is interest in collaboration, which would open doors for stakeholder and community engagement during the research process, which is a critical need of the research.
- Michael was able to expand upon communication of his research to staff of the Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) at the University of Minnesota, which supports his research. As a result, the PGC Director allocated additional resources to support Michael's research and also highlighted it in a recent report to the U.S. National Science Foundation.
- Michael was invited to attend the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) Arctic Research Community Reception by the ARCUS Executive Director which provided additional networking opportunities.
- Michael's research was chosen to be featured in an article by AGU 's Thriving Earth Exchange (TEX) as a good example of a scientist-community partnership that other researchers can learn from.
Michael Brady, Rutgers graduate student (Geography) and a 2015 RCI Student Support Fund recipient
Michael Brady's Poster at AGU 2015
Collaborative community hazard exposure mapping: Distant Early Warning radar sites in Alaska's North Slope
+ Information for Prospective Applicants
Information for Prospective Applicants
Eligibility is limited to Rutgers Ph.D. students whose major area of research is on climate change in the natural, social, health or policy sciences. The fund provides support to enable Rutgers Ph.D. students to participate in conferences, workshops, symposia, professional meetings, field activities, and visits to federal or state agencies or universities for educational or research purposes. Eligible expenses include attendance fees, lodging, meals, and transportation. The maximum award for any one student will be $500 unless special circumstances can be identified by the student's faculty mentor.
Application Deadlines
For travel and related expenses that will occur between November 15 and May 15, applications are due by 11:59 pm October 15.
For travel and related expenses that will occur between May 16 and November 14, applications are due by 11:59 pm April 1.
To Apply
To be considered for funding through the RCI Student Support Fund, a complete application package must include the elements as set forth in items 1 and 2 below by the appropriate application deadline.
a. Applicants name, email and telephone, major area of study, program year, anticipated date of graduation, advisor, GPA and date(s) of travel.
b. Funding amount requested and total estimated travel expense.
c. Up to three paragraphs describing specifically what the student is requesting support for and how such an award is in keeping with the purpose of the RCI student support fund.
d. Identification of any prior RCI travel funding support.
e. Acknowledgement that if awarded, upon completion of the student's travel, the student will submit a brief report to RCI on activities during the trip and the benefits of the trip to the student's scholarship. Photographs or images of activities documenting the student's experiences should be included.
f. A curriculum vitae is optional but encouraged.


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Live At WCNY - On the Radio
April 5, 2019: Michael Galvan, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra
April 5, 2019
The next performance in the Chamber Concert Series of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra is titled "French Connections," and features music from four of the members of Les Six. Principal clarinest with CCO Michael Galvan will be part of this concert, and he spoke to mid-day host Diane Jones about the music, and playing with his talented colleagues. We also chatted about the process for choosing music with the CCO, and the differences in performing with various combinations of instruments.
Information about the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra can be found here.◄ Live at WCNY - On the Radio


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THN.com Blog: Will 'wild things' run free if fighters fade?
I grew up hearing legends of players like The Rocket and Mr. Hockey; players who were the best of their time, but were tough as nails and took care of themselves.
That was before the Broad Street Bullies; Wayne Gretzky needing Dave Semenko on his wing for protection; the tragic tale of John Kordic; the first staged bouts between Bob Probert and Tie Domi; and the death of Don Sanderson. All of which got us to where we are today.
Whether it's TV analysts getting heated with each other, the NHL deciding it's time to re-examine the issue or THN devoting an entire edition to it, there's no question the debate surrounding fighting in hockey has gotten much louder in recent weeks.
For my part, I'm still on the fence. I'm sure some consider that a copout, but I just haven't made up my mind yet. On one hand, I can't imagine the NHL without fighting – it has just always been there. On the other, I can't imagine watching someone die on the ice in what, away from the rink, would land the perpetrator in prison. The latter has me leaning towards an all-out ban.
But I read a book recently that made me re-think that position. William Stolzenburg's Where the Wild Things Were recounts the history of predator-extinction research. It documents theories and observations by eminent ecologists and biologists concerning what happens in nature to environments when top predators are removed – by whatever means, natural or not.
To summarize Wild Things simply – too simply, really: When top predators are removed from an environment, negative effects cascade – or more direly put, spiral – down through the entire ecosystem, throwing off its equilibrium and giving rise to unforeseen and generally catastrophic consequences.
When I take those observations and ponder how they might translate to the NHL, I worry. Here's why: In nature when a top predator (i.e. the NHL enforcer) is removed from an environment, another lesser predator (i.e. the NHL agitator) takes its place and runs amok.
What I worry about is the Jarkko Ruutus and Steve Otts of the world replacing the Derek Boogaards and Eric Godards as the NHL's top predators. I prefer four-minute-per-game goons pounding on each other and anyone else who gets out of line to the play of 14-minute little-balls-of-hate who skate around with seeming impunity endangering others with their reckless play.
I worry that the NHL will become a cheap-shot league of slashers, hackers and cross-checkers.
I still don't know where I stand on fighting in hockey, but one thing is for sure: when Georges Laraque beats a guy down for taking liberties with Alex Kovalev, it's a lot better than Jordin Tootoo slamming someone from behind for taking liberties with J-P Dumont.
John Grigg is a copy editor with The Hockey News and a regular contributor to THN.com with his blog and the Top 10.
For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.


text: This last spring Mark Wagner and Eraina Nossa of the Center for Archaeological Investigations prepared National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nominations for five prehistoric rock art sites located on state and federal land within Illinois. We are happy to report that all five have been accepted and are now listed on the NRHP. CAI staff are currently working on five additional rock art site nominations, three prehistoric and two historic. The prehistoric sites include the Trestle Hollow … [Read more...] about Illinois National Register of Historic Places Nominations


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This article was co-authored by Dan Klein. Dan Klein is an improvisation expert and coach who teaches at the Stanford University Department of Theater and Performance Studies as well as at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Dan has been teaching improvisation, creativity, and storytelling to students and organizations around the world for over 20 years. Dan received his BA from Stanford University in 1991.
There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 62,233 times.
Being imaginative is something that comes naturally to most of us, especially when we were children. Staying imaginative as an adult can take some practice, but it is possible. An imaginative person is useful in all areas of life. Even the computer-based business world needs imaginative people to keep customers interested. Being imaginative is a good thing, and accessing your imagination is a good skill to cultivate.
Fueling Your Imagination
1Relax your mind for meditation. To be imaginative, you first need a mind that is prepared to create new thoughts. Resting your mind allows room to learn new things and be more creative. Adopt a meditation practice to calm and rest your mind on a regular basis.[1] X Research source
- One meditation practice involves deep breathing. Suck in air and breathe out from your abdomen. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.[2] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source
- Another technique is to focus on different body parts, pushing all other thoughts out. Lie still and move from one body part to the next.
- Yet another technique is called mindfulness meditation. It involves getting in a comfortable position and finding a point to focus on. Continue to turn your mind toward this focus point as you sit in silence.
2Spend time with imaginative people. To encourage imagination in yourself, find people who are imaginative. Pay attention to their daily habits and imitate them. Talk to these people about your ideas to get your creativity flowing.[3] X Research source Children tend to be naturally imaginative, for example, so they might make good company. You could also seek out artists or writers.
- Ask an imaginative person to sit and brainstorm about an idea with you. Watch their creative process. Where do they get ideas from?
- You might be sitting down to a meal with a creative person and ask them, "Would you mind letting me bounce some ideas off of you really quick?"
- Think of a project you have going on at home and ask for their perspective.
- If you're adding a room onto your house, ask the imaginative person how they might decorate it.
- Offer to take your kids or nieces and nephews to a creative place like the zoo or a kids' play place to see their imagination in action.
3Tell stories about your life. Telling a story forces you to be creative and imagine new things. You can start with an event that really happened to you, but add fictional elements as you go along to make it more interesting. Before you know it, you will notice that you are being imaginative.[4] X Research source
- You could try playing a story game with friends. Have a group of friends sit in a circle. One person starts by opening the story with a sentence. Each person adds only one sentence, taking turns around the circle. Eventually someone ends the story.
- You could tell a story by writing a short story on your own. Imagine you are telling it to an audience as you write to help you visualize the characters and actions.
4Develop habits of curiosity. The best way to get your imagination going is to be curious. Everywhere you go, try to think like a curious child. Act on your curious impulses. Ask lots of questions any time you are in a new place or around a new person. Touch things that pique your interest to see how they feel.[5] X Research source
- Be like a preschooler who walks into a new situation and looks for things they don't understand. Go over and look at items you have never seen before.
- Be bold with your questions. If there is a speaker, raise your hand and ask questions about what they are saying.
- Constantly ask yourself, "What is that over there?" or say to yourself, "I wonder what will happen if I…"
5Maintain a healthy lifestyle for your imagination. To help your mind stay clear and active, leaving room for the imagination to prosper, take steps to be healthy. If you eat a lot of junk food and lay around on the couch all day, you usually lack energy and motivation. When you are active and eating right, you tend to feel better. Being active with your body can help your imagination be active, too.
- Do healthy things like drink a lot of water, eat with other people, plan out healthy foods, take herbal supplements, and so on.[6] X Trustworthy Source USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion U.S. agency responsible for promoting good nutrition based on scientific research Go to source
- Stay active by joining a class at the gym or getting a workout partner.
6Perform exercises to spark your imagination. To help get your imaginative juices flowing, you might consider brainstorming or doing other things to be imaginative. To brainstorm, start a list and write down every wild, creative idea that comes you. Another exercise to challenge your imagination is to take out a paintbrush and start putting strokes on a piece of paper.
- Other ideas to promote creativity include getting out crayons and a coloring book to start coloring, or even opening a document on your computer to start writing a story.
- You could also be imaginative by getting out a hammer, nails, and saw and building something with wood.
- Ask artistic friends if you can join them in their activities.
Trying New Things
1Take up a new hobby. To expand your imagination, you need to experience things that spark new ideas. Doing things for the first time causes your brain to change shape, therefore stimulating new ideas.[7] X Research source Taking up a hobby for the first time will engage your brain in different ways, growing your capacity to be imaginative.
- Take up a new task that requires your fingers to work, like knitting or sewing.
- Try a hobby that requires creativity, like writing or graphic design.
- Try getting out scissors, construction paper, and crayons and start making paper crafts. There are many things you can make with paper.[8] X Research source
2Go on trips to new places. You need life experience to help trigger your imagination. One way to do this is to travel. Traveling also gives you the opportunity to observe new people and places. Spend some time looking around at each new location you visit to spark your imagination.[9] X Research source
- For example, you could sit on a park bench in a new city and watch people.
3Eat new foods. Food is a broad area for creativity. You can be very imaginative with meals. Get some basic foods at the store and go home to experiment. Practice being imaginative by putting together meals that you have never heard of before.
- For example, you can use leftover fruits in pancakes or muffins the next day.
- You can also try freezing fruit juice in ice cube trays to jazz up your water.
- Find out the basic recipe for cake and add in your own flavors and additions.
4Attend an event you've never been to. Recurring events like festivals and competitions in your city are always fun to attend. Take a chance on a festival that might not be normally up your alley to help you be imaginative.
- For example, try a food festival. Tasting new foods can help you be more open-minded in general. Being open-minded helps you be imaginative.
- Attend a music festival or a "movies in the park" night, even if it's a movie you've never seen before. The experience will show you a different side of life.
- Go to an event for specific hobbies, like a motorcycle convention or car show.
Looking at What Others Have Imagined
1Read books for new ideas. To help you be imaginative, it is helpful to see what imaginative people have created. Perhaps you can create similar things. One place to look for the creations of imaginative people is in books. Fiction authors have to spend a lot of time being imaginative.
- Imagination is sparked by learning. When you read, you are exposed to new ideas. Therefore reading can boost your imagination.[10] X Research source
- Read classic literature that you have never read before.
- Also read nonfiction so you can learn, such as biographies or histories. Try reading about Benjamin Franklin, Walt Disney, or Steve Jobs.
2Watch films. Many cinematographers create narratives from their minds, just as fiction authors do. You can learn to be imaginative by watching films you have never seen before. Rent movies in genres you have never explored.
- Before selecting a film, be aware that your body may react in different ways to different genres.[11] X Research source
- For example, you may lower your blood pressure by laughing at a comedy, but increase it by being fearful during a horror movie.
- Watch creative movies like Toys, The NeverEnding Story, or films by directors like Stephen Spielberg.
3Scan web articles. Read articles on the web to learn and grow in your mind. Tons of content is available for consumption online. This content covers almost any topic you can think of. Just type an idea into a search engine and click on a link. Seeing what others have produced can give you some imaginative ideas of your own.
- For example, if you type "imagination" into an internet search, you may find articles exploring that concept or dictionaries defining it.
4Look at magazines and paintings. Pick up a magazine and flip through it. Perhaps go to the local art museum and take a walk around. The combination of text and images can be very inspiring in a magazine or art gallery. You may even want to cut images out of a magazine to hang up on your wall. Wall hangings can be both imaginative to make and inspire you to be more imaginative.
- Pick up prints of famous paintings at the local art store. Put them up on your wall as inspiration.
- You might find Van Gogh's ''Starry Night'' to be inspirational, or Monet's ''Poppies''.
Using Abstract Thoughts
1Develop metaphorical thinking. Learn to start thinking in metaphors. Be very purposeful when you see an object or problem to transform it into something else. For example, if you need to create a name for a product, think about what that product reminds you of rather than the product itself.[12] X Research source
- Practice thinking in metaphors by looking at a flower, like a daisy. Think of the cultural context of a daisy or where you have seen one before.
- You may have seen little girls wearing daisies in their hair, so a daisy could represent a little girl.
- You may have heard the phrase "pushing up daisies," so a daisy could represent someone's gravesite.
- You may have heard the saying, "fresh as a daisy," so a daisy could represent a beautiful woman.
2Use images in your mind. To be imaginative, it is helpful to use images in your thinking rather than language. Practice thinking with imagery instead of with words. For example, if you are solving a math problem, visualize a specific number of objects (marbles, cars, etc.) rather than the numeral in front of you.[13] X Research source
- If you are solving a problem in physics, imagine the specific objects in your word problem, such as a car driving fast or a tree falling.
- Focus on the images of these objects rather than the numbers on the page.
3Compare unrelated ideas. In analyzing literature, you are often asked to make connections in seemingly unrelated parts of the story. Doing this in other areas of life will force you to be imaginative. For example, you may look at a plant in your garden and realize that the way it functions is similar to the way your computer works.[14] X Research source
- You may be able to solve problems by thinking of the problems in different contexts.
- If you need to solve a problem at work, think of the problem in terms of farming or food instead.
Expert Q&A
QuestionHow can I develop a creative mind?Dan KleinDan Klein is an improvisation expert and coach who teaches at the Stanford University Department of Theater and Performance Studies as well as at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Dan has been teaching improvisation, creativity, and storytelling to students and organizations around the world for over 20 years. Dan received his BA from Stanford University in 1991.
Improvisation CoachImprovisation CoachExpert AnswerTry changing your attitude. For example, if you hear yourself saying 'No' or 'Yes, but,' ask yourself what would happen if you just said 'Yes' to a new idea, instead.
Always keep an open mind.As a small thank you, we'd like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!
Practice being imaginative at times when it doesn't seem appropriate. For example, if you have to enter data into a computer, imagine different ways of doing this that might be more interesting.As a small thank you, we'd like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!
- Remember to keep your feet on the ground. People who are too dreamy all the time are hard to relate to.As a small thank you, we'd like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!
- ↑ http://operationmeditation.com/discover/10-ways-to-increase-imagination-creativity/
- ↑ http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/relaxation-techniques-for-stress-relief.htm
- ↑ http://operationmeditation.com/discover/10-ways-to-increase-imagination-creativity/
- ↑ http://operationmeditation.com/discover/10-ways-to-increase-imagination-creativity/
- ↑ http://operationmeditation.com/discover/10-ways-to-increase-imagination-creativity/
- ↑ https://www.choosemyplate.gov/choosing-healthy-meals-you-get-older
- ↑ https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/learning-rewires-brain
- ↑ http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/04/paper-collage-techniques/
- ↑ http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-ways-ignite-your-imagination-and-accomplish-big-things.html
- ↑ http://operationmeditation.com/discover/10-ways-to-increase-imagination-creativity/
- ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-06-22/health/sc-health-0622-movies-impact-on-body-20110622_1_horror-films-intense-movies-birgit-wolz
- ↑ http://www.fastcompany.com/3028296/work-smart/6-changes-that-will-make-you-more-imaginative
- ↑ http://www.fastcompany.com/3028296/work-smart/6-changes-that-will-make-you-more-imaginative
- ↑ http://www.fastcompany.com/3028296/work-smart/6-changes-that-will-make-you-more-imaginative
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|"Troubled Waters" (September/October 2000)
Two years ago, archaeologists at Zeugma discovered a mosaic fragment preserving only part of a woman's portrait, nicknamed "Zeugma's Mona Lisa" or the "Gypsy Girl." Plunderers had previously looted the surrounding mosaics. (Özgen Acar)
lundering of Zeugma's mosaics stretches back as far as the nineteenth century. One of the most important of these artworks is a panel depicting the sea god Poseidon surrounded by personifications of Roman provinces. This mosaic is currently on exhibition, in pieces, in St. Petersburg and Berlin. The terms used to describe the origins of mosaics to be found in various museum catalogues, such as "East Mediterranean," "near Syria," "said to be from East Turkey," or "possibly from South East Anatolia," may refer to Zeugma. An example would be the square-shaped marble and glass floor mosaic of geometric design in the North Carolina Museum of Art, in Raleigh, where it is referred to as "Roman, probably from East Turkey."
Since the 1970s, the museum at Gaziantep, the region's principal city, has received several warnings of smuggling activities and has conducted sporadic rescue excavations. On July 2, 1992, the museum was alerted to an illegal dig. Archaeologists from the museum found that a tunnel big enough for a person to pass through had been dug into a Roman villa. During their excavations, they found an extremely well preserved second-century A.D. mosaic depicting the wedding feast of Dionysos and Ariadne. The mosaic was left in place, but thieves had been alerted to its existence by local news reports. Six years later, in a nighttime raid, they cut out two-thirds of the mosaic and made off with it. Interpol has been searching for it since 1998.
In 1993, responding to a Turkish government request, agents from the New York FBI Art Theft Department confiscated from the Fortuna Gallery on Madison Avenue a marble statue of a young man and fragment of garland smuggled from Aphrodisias, in western Turkey. At the gallery they saw a piece of mosaic showing the centaur Nessos carrying off Heracles' wife Deianira. While Turkish archaeologists were examining a photograph of this mosaic, by coincidence, another photo of the piece was found in Nizip, a town near Zeugma, among the color negatives of a local photographer. In 1974, the owner of the Fortuna Gallery had been sentenced to two years in prison for antiquities smuggling in Turkey. The current location of this mosaic is unknown.
In September 1993, archaeologists found another tunnel left by looters. Excavations by David Kennedy of the University of Western Australia revealed a villa containing an 80-foot-square mosaic from which the heads of two seated figures, a man and a woman, had been cut out. Canadian scholar Sheila Campbell later established that mosaics of the lovers Parthenope and Metiochos in the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas, were the missing pieces of the mosaic Kennedy found. The matter came to the attention of the Turkish government and Bernard Davezac, director of the Menil Collection, and both mosaics were returned to the Gaziantep Museum this past June.


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Winter 2020 Anime: Official Info, Airdates & Trailers
Keep warm this winter season with the latest anime info at MANGA.TOKYO!
The end has come for O Maidens in Your Savage Season. Episode 12 will be the final episode and hopefully will untangle the complicated relationships between the characters. The episode will air on 21 September 2019, 2:25 (JST). Take a look at the final preview stills and the short introduction to the episode.
The literature club firmly stands against the school, who want to punish Rika by expelling her. While Kazusa is in the clubroom for a strategy meeting, she receives a message from Izumi. Meanwhile, Niina who was thinking confessing her feelings to Izumi, is quarrelling with Momoko. Niina is asked by Izumi about her feelings and decides to talk to him another time.
We are birds of a feather, flocking together.
Keep warm this winter season with the latest anime info at MANGA.TOKYO!
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It's 2021 and another year is just beginning! Most of us spend the first few days of the year reflecting on how things went last year and often think about ways we can improve and grow in the next 12 months. There is something about beginning a new year that invigorates us and motivates us to make positive changes in our personal and professional lives. Sure there are things every business does in the new year like set up new files and folders for the upcoming year (hopefully a virtual folder using a cloud storage app like Sharefile or Smartvault, paper files are so 2004!) but there are other tasks that should also always be done at the start of each year. So, I've put together a list of housekeeping tasks every business should do in the new year.
#1 Revisit your vision, mission, and purpose
The beginning of the year is a great time to revisit your organization's vision, mission, and purpose. During the year, things happen and sometimes we run astray from our original purpose and plans. Perhaps a change in staff or team leadership has affected the firm dynamic or you have gained a client that doesn't fit with your firm processes, culture, or direction. Events that happen throughout the year can impact us so profoundly that they knock us off course and we feel as though we're headed in a direction that isn't in line with our original plans. When this happens, it's important to take the time to evaluate where your firm is compared to where you intended it to be and be honest about the impact these events had on your business over the past year. If the impact caused a positive change, it may be necessary to redefine the ultimate direction of your business. If the event exposed a vulnerability you didn't anticipate, then it's time to re-evaluate your firm's processes and possibly even its core values to make sure your business gets back on course. There are tons of resources and coaching around determining your organization's core values, vision, mission, and purpose. Check out one of my favorite books on finding your purpose by Simon Sinek, Start with Why.
#2 Get updated tax identification forms from your service vendors and employees
Every business is required to have tax identification information for individuals and certain businesses that they pay for services provided to the business. Employees complete and sign a form W-4 to provide you with their social security number, address, and withholding information. Businesses or independent contractors who provide services provide a Form W-9. It's a best practice to request a new form each year to ensure that you have workers' current information before you prepare and file the required forms W-2 or 1099 that are due by the end of January each year. Sometimes people move, get married or divorced, or their filing status or withholding allowances may have changed and they forget to let you know about these changes on their own. I typically send along a new form along with a wish of a Happy New Year to my vendors and employees at the beginning of each year.
Resources regarding proper documentation for workers and employer responsibilities:
- Determining whether a worker is an employee or contractor – IRS.gov
- Instructions for Form W-9
- IRS Publication 15 Employer's Tax Guide
#3 Take an inventory of the apps and services you use
Ideally, you should keep an inventory of the apps and services you use regularly in your business and update it throughout the year as changes are made. However, we all know that sometimes these are precisely the types of tasks that get pushed to the side during the year because we are busy with client and other work. The beginning of the new year is a great time to take an inventory because you will be reviewing your financial records for the prior year and will be looking over financial transactions anyway. As you complete your review, you may find charges for apps or services you no longer use but are still paying for. This can save you money going forward and once you have created the initial app/service inventory you can set a reminder to add any new app subscriptions to the list throughout the year.
Use this free inventory app worksheet to get started!
#4 Update the tax rates in your accounting and other apps
While many apps that calculate taxes, such as payroll or sales tax, will automatically update the rates used at the beginning of a new tax year, many still do not. It's a best practice to set aside some time at the beginning of the year to go through your apps to make sure they have the correct rates. In fact, some tax rates are specific to the taxpayer and must be updated manually, such as an unemployment experience rate or workers' comp insurance rates. If you are using an app to record mileage, you may need to update the mileage rate as well. As a tax professional, I have seen countless clients (and sometimes practitioners) that have forgotten to update their rates and have created additional work for themselves when it came time to file and pay their taxes. This is especially important if you are withholding or collecting tax on behalf of others. Better yet, subscribe to an app that you know will automatically update the tax rates for you!
Here are some links to resources around various tax rates and changes:
- Tax Foundation: State Tax Changes That Took Effect on January 1, 2021
- Avalara's Sales Tax Blog
- IRS Standard Mileage Rates for 2021
#5 Record your odometer readings for your vehicles
There are a few great apps out there now that can automatically track your vehicle mileage as you drive which is a huge win for us accountant types who have struggled with client compliance in this area. Two of my favorites are MileIQ and QuickBooks Self-Employed. Both of these apps have mobile versions that use the GPS technology built into your smartphone to track your miles as you drive. However, while these apps track the mileage, it's still required to log your vehicle's odometer reading at the beginning of the year in order to complete required tax forms and to be fully compliant with the tax code. In fact, set a reminder in your phone to remind you every year on January 1st to jot down the reading and log it into your app.
Use the new year as a fresh start to tackle some of these business housekeeping items that sometimes get missed during the hustle of day to day business. Just like making your bed first thing in the morning can set the tone for your entire day, doing these 5 tasks at the beginning of the year can get your entire year off to a great start! And Happy New Year to you and yours!


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Local News
Critically Acclaimed Ryan Bingham Returns to Whitewater Amphitheater with Steve Earle & Jamestown Revival
Ryan Bingham, the critically acclaimed Americana & Roots Rock Artist is returning July 1 & 2, 2017, to Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels! It is sure to be one heck of a show. Ryan rocked the house last year at the very same venue. Last summer, Ryan recorded his first ever live album at Whitewater Amphitheatre. The album was released on October 21, 2016. The entire album was filmed and streamed by Amazon Music.
Photo: Facebook/Ryan Bingham
The most notable award Bingham has received is his song for "The Weary Kind." "The Weary Kind" is on the "Crazy Heart" movie soundtrack starring Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Subsequently, he was awarded the Golden Globe for "Best Original Song" at 2010. The song won "Best Original Song" at the 2010 82nd Academy Awards as well as "Song of the Year" at the 9th annual Americana Music Awards. Ryan's first two studio releases in 2007 and 2009 have solidified George Ryan Bingham with seriously bona fide vocal and songwriting chops. Bingham shared with his fans with the photo below with his caption, "Working up some songs for Steve Earle and me to play together at Whitewater Music Amphitheater in July. Can not wait!"
Photo: Facebook/Ryan Bingham
Bingham, who has opened for Willie Nelson, is a perfect, polarizing combination of sensual grit that is not typically found in today's music. His songwriting ability speaks for itself. Bingham hails from the desert town of Hobbs, New Mexico, which borders West Texas. He moved around, spending time in Bakersfield, California. However, he spent quite a long time in the Midland/Odessa area and attended high school in Houston, Texas. After leaving home at 17, Bingham lived the rodeo circuit as a bull rider. Dually, he often grabbed his guitar and sang while out on the road. Bingham began making a name for himself and pioneered with a band in tow. Ryan eventually relocated to Los Angeles, where he performed in a small bar in Hollywood where he caught the attention of a film agent. The rest is written in music and movie history. Do not miss this Fourth of July celebration that will be one for the books!


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The project concerns the development and demonstration at sea of the Networked Ocean System, a networked vehicle system for persistent communications and data collection in remote oceanic areas.
The system is composed of a long endurance autonomous surface vehicle (ASV), long endurance autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), communication gateways, long range unmanned air vehicles (UAV), helikites, and control stations.
- The ASV is both a communications hotspot and a docking base (for AUVs), operating 24/7 in remote ocean areas.
- The ASV is wave powered and has solar panels for covering wide areas of the Atlantic.
- The ASV and the AUVs form a persistent, being available for long periods of time, and scalable data collection (environmental, maritime traffic, and wildlife) and communications network operating autonomously in remote oceanic areas.
- The ASV supports smart routing protocols for direct communications, via persistent UAV relays, or delayed data transfer, using UAVs or passing ships as data mules, to control stations, thus providing timely, secure and reliable communication services to control stations alternative to satellite based communications. This will increase overall efficiency and effectiveness.
- The communication gateways will be support opportunistic routing of data for ships used as data mules.
- The unmanned vehicles have on-board deliverable planning capabilities for unattended operations in remote locations to minimize intervention of human operators, which may not be available at all times.
- The UAVs use advanced radio technology for long range communications.
- The helikite[1], a hybrid between a balloon and a kite, will be used for mounting communications equipment for long range communications. These will be connected to the control stations.
- The land, or ship-based, control stations provide advanced planning and execution control capabilities, as well as dissemination of data to service providers.
- The system supports inter-operability protocols to allow expansion to vehicles from third parties.
The overall Networked Ocean System is scalable. The system addresses all the topics of the call for this type of projects by providing unique and cost effective capabilities for covering wide areas in the Atlantic, being available for long periods of time, providing timely, secure and reliable communications, collecting data from smart platforms or land-based stations, and disseminating data to land-based stations or smart platforms.
[1] http://www.allsopp.co.uk/


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This will be a short blog post. However.
This sauce. THIS FREAKING SAUCE.
I'm Puerto Rican, so it's no surprise that I enjoy spicy food. We were eating dinner last night, when somebody brought a BIG bowl of orange sauce to the table. They called it Pilipili and said to try it. It was a large bowl, I figured if we were to eat it in large quantities it couldn't be that hot. Right? I took a dip.
BIG mistake.
One pea-sized dab. That stuff was HOT. It stays with you for a while - initially it was an intense burn, but it lingered with me LONG after the initial burn, and nothing would help - not rice, not bread, not fruit, not ice cream.
Yeah. Tongue, lips, throat, everywhere. It's HOT.
The real indicator is that I was so distracted I forgot to get a picture of the infernal sauce. Probably for the best, it might trigger traumatic memories.
If I bring home a mysteriously tiny container of sauce, stay away from it. You have been warned.
Madeline Anderson-Balmer
6/6/2019 05:08:59 pm
It may have sounded like pilipili but i think its piri piri sauce!! Definitely hoooot stuff!!!
Leave a Reply.
About Lucas
I am traveling to Rwanda with the intent of a sponge - I want to absorb as many unique experiences as I possibly can, and bring them back to share with my culture. I am a multifaceted artist, and Rwanda is a treasure trove of valuable experiences to draw inspiration from. As a visual artist, I look forward to seeing unique handmade art, and letting it inspire an artistic vision. As a musician, I look forward to hearing vastly different than what I'm used to, and letting that inspire music from my soul. And as a teacher, I'm looking to see teaching methods different than what I have known. I want to bring these gifts back and share them with my culture.


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The year 2018 is looking so bright; you're going to need shades!
Scorpio, You look marvelous darling, marvelous! It doesn't get much better than this because the Sun, fair Venus and lucky moneybags Jupiter are all in Scorpio.
Tarot card reading is an effective modality of guiding you through your current situation – be it work, relationships or finances.
Happy Birthday Libra! Let's hope the occasion is done with class in beautiful surroundings because you are sensitive to ambiance, colours, lighting and sound.
Aries (March 21-April 19) July: Your focus is on home and family this month. Howev...
This is your birthday month, which means you are empowered! Not only are you pumped for action, you have the chance to recharge your batteries for the rest of the year.


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Though they can significantly influence the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it, the six infinity stones are relatively easy to wrap one's head around with regards to their capabilities and powers.
However, the soul stone is arguably the trickiest one to understand considering how it can be obtained and what happens if it's returned to the place from which it was acquired.
Fortunately for those of us who were puzzled by every event surrounding the soul stone in the Avengers: Endgame, the movie's screenwriters Stephen Mcfeely and Christopher Markus have come forward to explain what actually happened.
A little recap of the Soul stone-related events in Avengers: Endgame. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) took a trip to Vormir; Hawkeye acquired the stone after Nat threw herself off the planet's massive cliff, and then Captain America(Chris Evans) journeyed back in time to return the stone to the same spot it was before Nat sacrificed herself.
As Marvel fans know, to obtain the Soul stone, one must have to sacrifice that which he loves (a soul for a soul).
That established, one begins to wonder, how did Cap successfully return the stone? And more importantly, would putting the soul stone back revive the person who died for it?
Mcfeely and Markus explained during a recent episode of CinemaBlend's HeroBlend podcast that Captain America had no trouble returning the stone – but sadly, the soul-for-a-soul transaction between The Avengers and the Stone Keeper, Red skull (Ross Marquand) wasn't reversed at that moment.
"I think it's an everlasting exchange," Mcfeely said when asked how someone can successfully return the Soul stone and what happens after they do. Markus also likened it to "a slot" in which one inserts a soul so that the Soul stone can pop out. "It's like an old-time bank. It's a pneumatic tube." Mcfeely added.
Unfortunately, this implies that just because the Soul Stone can be returned doesn't mean sacrifice made to get it can be undone. It's a permanent exchange, and the souls that were placed inside the "slot" can never be retrieved. As Markus explained it "you place it back, but you don't get anything in return. it's not like a pawn shop."
Fans had been clinging to the hope that once Captain America is able to return the stone to Vormir, then Black widow could be resurrected. But according to Mcfeely and Markus, there's no way that's ever going to happen, as it is simply not the way the Soul Stone works. Sure the duo made use of some playful languages in explaining the Whole Soul Stone mechanics.
Likening the Keeper of the Soul Stone to a pawnbroker, and the whole transaction to an old-school bank where customers were required to put their cash in a little tube and send it shooting straight into the building, but the message would still be the same even if Mcfeely and Markus gave it to us straight.
One can't just say they don't want the Soul Stone anymore and return it to get back the soul they gave up to get it.
The trade is everlasting, and there are no refunds. Therefore, based on Mcfeely and Markus' statement, Cap returning the Soul Stone only repaired the timeline – it didn't undo our dear Black Widow's death.
This has enormous consequences on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Marvel studios are already working on a Black Widow solo movie. Now that Mcfeely and Markus have made it clear that Black Widow is never coming back from the dead, we can safely surmise that the only timeline in which the hero's forthcoming standalone take place is in the past.
Marvel has kept quiet about the movie as well as about any works that are coming after Spider-Man: far from home this July. But there has been quite some speculations about when Black Widow is set.
Previous findings had suggested that the movie will be a period piece, set partially in Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff's younger years when she worked with the KGB and the fast forward to 15 years after the fall of the KGB.
If we are to believe Mcfeely and Markus without a shadow of a doubt, if there is indeed no way to resurrect Nat, then there is no other period that Black Widow screenwriter Jac Shaeffer can place the movie other than years before the events of Avengers: Endgame.
It was a painful experience losing Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame, and though we may never get to see her in the present timeline with the Avengers who lived through the endgame.
The silver lining of it all is that the hero will at least be appearing one more time on the big screen for her fans to say goodbye forever.