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May 25, 2012Everyday
Shopping News: The Karen Walker Candy Bar
Considering Karen Walkers famously quirky eyewear"think: bold colours and cutting-edge shapes"is adored by discerning tastemakers across the globe, it makes perfect sense that the designer is the latest to join the travelling pop-up concept club! The Karen Walker Candy Bar has officially embarked on its 12-month tour around the world, bringing with it the complete current Karen Walker eyewear collection, along with five limited-edition styles that can only be purchased at Candy Bar destinations. The first U.S. stop on the tour is Los Angeles (yay!), and items are available starting today through June22nd at TenOverSix. Dont fret, New Yorkers, the Candy Bar is headed your way June 26th at Cloak & Dagger! Check out some of the collections limited-edition frames below, and be sure to click here for the complete Candy Bar travel itinerary. Deep Freeze Harvest Number Six Perfect Day Helter-Skelter


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Rinse the clams well, then soak in fresh water for 30 minutes.
Layer all ingredients in a seaweed wrap in this order: clams, potatoes, and onions next to each other on the bottom, then lobsters on top of them, then corn as the highest layer. Wrap very tightly with a double layer of foil making sure there are no holes in foil (essentially making a pressure cooker). Cover the foil pack with additional seaweed. Light a wood fire. Cook over fire for 30 minutes.
Carefully open the foil wrap and take out the corn and lobsters so you can reach the potatoes and clams. Separate onto individual serving dishes. Serve with your favorite Garden Salad, Cornbread, and Blueberry Cake.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Grease 2 (12 by 18 by 1-inch) baking pans and warm in the oven while preparing the ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and milk together. Then mix the egg/milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the vegetable oil and mix. Pour mixture into the hot baking pans and bake for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat the egg whites; set aside. Mix the egg yolks with sugar, shortening, vanilla, and salt.
In a separate bowl mix the 9 cups of flour and the baking powder. Mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture, slowly adding the milk. Fold in the egg whites. Flour the blueberries and then fold them into the cake batter. Butter and flour 2 (12 by 18 by 1-inch) baking pans. Pour the blueberry cake batter into the pans and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out dry and the cake springs back when touched firmly.
This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional. It has not been tested for home use.
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subset: commoncrawl


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April 6, 2009
Somali pirates seize five more ships
Somali pirates have been on a hijacking spree that has seem five vessels hijacked within 48 hours.
The most recent reported victim ship is the 21,173 gt Panamanian-flag, general cargo ship Malaspina Castle, whose registered owner is Navalmark of the U.K. and which is managed by Italy's B. Navi.
Also snatched were a French yacht, the German-flag containership Hansa Stavanger which is managed by Leonhardt and Blumberg, a Yemeni tug and a Taiwanese vessel, identified as the MV Win Far 161 seized near an island in the Seychelles.


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|Impact of Greenhouse Gases
By volume (rounded), the gas concentration of dry air includes 78% nitrogen (N2) and 21% oxygen (O2) with the remaining made up of gases including argon (1%), water vapor (0-1%), carbon dioxide (.04%), and other trace gases. Nitrogen and oxygen gases are transparent to both incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave radiation from the earth's surface. Therefore, these gases do not play a role in establishing atmospheric temperature. Atmospheric temperature is influenced by gases that absorb outgoing radiation and these gases are called greenhouse gases. Although greenhouse gas concentrations appear to be small (less than one percent), their effect is certainly not.
Figure 2.1 (IPCC, 2007) shows the role that greenhouse gases play in the atmosphere. Solar radiation is primarily shortwave radiation which is transparent to greenhouse gases. Incoming solar radiation passes through these gases as if they were not present so the concentration of greenhouse gases does not directly influence incoming sunlight. The sunlight is absorbed by the Earth and atmosphere. Heat from the surface radiates up into the atmosphere in the form of infrared energy (longwave radiation). Greenhouse gases do absorb longwave radiation so the concentration of these gases is very important in determining how much energy the atmosphere absorbs. Increasing greenhouse gases causes an increase in atmospheric temperature. The greenhouse effect from natural greenhouse gas concentrations prior to the Industrial Revolution has kept the Earth's surface about 33 oC warmer than with an atmosphere with no greenhouse gases. For the detailed physics of the greenhouse effect please see Raymond T. Pierrehumbert's Infrared radiation and planetary temperature and Arthur Smith's Proof of the Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect (both are .PDF).
The most abundant greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in order of concentration are:
Not all greenhouse gases are equally effective at absorbing energy. When one ranks these gases by how efficient they are at absorbing longwave radiation the order becomes: (IPCC, 2007)
Because clouds are also very efficient absorbers of longwave radiation, the relative abundance of and type of clouds influences the absorption range of water vapor and subsequently carbon dioxide. Therefore, there is a large range of absorption values in these two gases.
According to Schmidt, et al. (2010), and summarized by Chris Colose, the total greenhouse effect between various radiatively active substances in the atmosphere is:
An excellent illustrated tutorial about greenhouse gases can be found at Windows to the Universe: The Greenhouse Effect & Greenhouse Gases by University Corporation for Atmospheric Research - UCAR.
Just how do greenhouse gases change the climate? Use the Java applet from University of Colorado PhET Interactive Simulations and select the level of atmospheric greenhouse gases during an ice age, in the year 1750, today, or some time in the future and see how the Earth's temperature changes. Add clouds or panes of glass.
Are Greenhouse Gases Increasing?
The answer depends on the time frame being considered. Figure 2.2 (Ruddiman, 2001) shows that CO2 concentrations have cycled between high (300 ppm) and low (190 ppm) values with a period of approximately 100,000 years and that the climate has closely followed this cycle - high levels of CO2 occur in warmer periods and low levels of CO2 occur in cooler periods.
However, Figures 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5 (Ruddiman, 2001), Figure 2.6 (IPCC, 2007), Figure 2.6a Trenberth, 2009) and Figure 2.7 (CO2 Now, 2009) reveal that concentrations of CO2 and CH4 have risen dramatically in the past century with values that are far greater than the normal range. For hundreds of thousands of years, CO2 values have ranged between 190 ppm and 300 ppm while CH4 values have ranged between 350 ppb and 750 ppb. Research from Tripati, Roberts, and Eagle (2009) shows that the CO2 levels today have not appeared in the climate record for the past 15 million years! Present day values of both of these greenhouse gases have far exceeded these ranges and have done so at an extraordinarily fast rate.
What is so different about the present day that could cause these unprecedented increases in greenhouse gases at unprecedented rates that was not present for hundreds of thousands of years? The answer is humans (anthropogenic forcing as it is known in the scientific literature.) In the past 250 years, 1,200 billion tons of CO2 have been released to the atmosphere. Most of this is from fossil fuel emissions and half of these emissions has occurred only since the mid-1970s. (Romm, 2007)
According to Hofmann, Butler, and Tans (2009) the growth rate of CO2 concentrations has been doubling about every 30 years since 1800. At this rate, CO2 concentration will reach 560 ppm (doubling pre-Industral Revolution values) by the year 2050. This sudden increase in the past few decades is the reason climate change has accelerated since the 1970s. To put the CO2 increases in proper perspective, view Figure 2.8 below (USGRP, 2010) shows CO2 concentrations over the past 800,000 years vs. the projected concentration by the year 2100. After major deglaciation, it takes about 4,000 years for CO2 to increase 100 ppm. At 2 ppm rise per year, humans are increasing CO2 at a rate that is about 80 times that of the fastest natural rate and almost 2000 times the average rate over the past hundreds of thousands of years!
The influence of a factor that can cause climate change, such as a greenhouse gas, is often evaluated in terms of its radiative forcing. Radiative forcing is a measure of how the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system is influenced when factors that affect climate are altered. Figure 2.9 (IPCC, 2007) shows the radiative forcing of climate between 1750 and 2005 with the net forcing due to human activities being positive (global warming). The black error bars reveal the range of uncertainty in the various values. One can see that radiative forcing due to changes in aerosols, especially their impact on clouds, is the most uncertain. However, even if the cloud albedo effect is assumed to have the maximum cooling value, there would still be a net warming of the climate due to human activities.
There is a common misconception that the concentration levels of carbon dioxide are so small that they could not possibly be causing global warming. It is important to note that non-greenhouse gases that make up more than 99% of the Earth's atmosphere do not absorb outgoing longwave radiation so these gases cannot keep the atmosphere warm. As mentioned previously, the natural greenhouse effect (from gas concentrations before the Industrial Revolution) has kept the Earth's surface about 33 oC warmer than with an atmosphere with no greenhouse gases. Pre-Industrial Revolution CO2 levels ranged between 190 ppm and 300 ppm. Today they are rapidly approaching 400 ppm. Because levels of carbon dioxide are well above natural levels, it should not be hard to see how these increases could cause temperatures to rise at least a few oC.
Measuring the Greenhouse Effect:
In their paper Spectral signatures of climate change in the Earth's infrared spectrum between 1970 and 2006, Chen et al. (2007) examined data from the following sources: 2006 from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on the AURA satellite, 2003 from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), 1997 from the Interferometric Monitor of Greenhouse gases (IMG), and 1970 from the Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS). All four of these satellite instruments measure the outgoing longwave (LW) radiation from the top of the atmosphere. Comparison of observed outgoing LW to modelled outgoing LW was used to test the ability to model processes in the atmosphere that affect outgoing longwave radiation.
Chen et al. showed that increased CO2 is preventing LW radiation from escaping the atmosphere and this decreasing LW radiation is accurately being predicted by models.
Wang & Liang (2009) estimated downwelling LW radiation using two widely accepted methods under both clear and cloudy conditions, using meteorological observations from 1996 to 2007 at 36 globally distributed sites, operated by the Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD), AmeriFlux, and AsiaFlux Projects. These locations included North America (20 sites), Asia (12 sites), Australia (2 sites), Africa (1 site), and Europe (1 site). Latitudes for these sites range from 0o to 50o N/S; elevation ranges from 98 to 4700 m, and six different land cover types were represented (deserts, semideserts, croplands, grasslands, forests, and wetlands).
The decadal variations in global downwelling LW under both clear and cloudy conditions at about 3200 stations from 1973 to 2008 were presented. Wang & Liang found that daily downwelling LW increased at an average rate of 2.2 W/m2 per decade from 1973 to 2008. The rising trend results from increases in air temperature, atmospheric water vapor, and CO2 concentration.
Evans & Puckrin (2006) measured the downward radiative flux for several important greenhouse gases. Their measurements showed that the greenhouse effect from trace gases in the atmosphere is real and adds significantly to global warming. Their data indicates that an energy flux imbalance of 3.5 W/m2 has been created by anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases since 1850. This compares favorably with a modeled prediction of 2.55 W/m2.
They concluded: "This experimental data should effectively end the argument by skeptics that no experimental evidence exists for the connection between greenhouse gas increases in the atmosphere and global warming."
More about these studies can be found at Skepticalscience.com: How do we know CO2 is causing warming?
Climate Change Feedbacks and Climate Sensitivity:
For an excellent primer on this topic please see: Introduction to feedbacks by Chris Colose.
A climate forcing mechanism such as CO2 is one that will cause a change in climate. A feedback mechanism is one in which the forced change is either amplified (positive feedback) or dampened (negative feedback). A review of the literature by Bony et al. (2006) shows that there are four major climate change feedbacks. These are listed below along with the estimates of their radiative feedback in parentheses:
|Peter Sinclair's Climate Crock of the Week: The Big Mist
Watch this video to learn about the role of water vapor in the atmosphere.
Climate sensitivity is the term used to describe the equilibrium global surface air temperature change due to a doubling of CO2 from 280 ppm (pre-Industrial Revolution) to 560 ppm. It is usually given as a oC change per W/m2 forcing. According to the IPCC (2007): "climate sensitivity is likely to be in the range 2 to 4.5oC with a best estimate of about 3oC, and is very unlikely to be less than 1.5°C. Values substantially higher than 4.5oC cannot be excluded, but agreement of models with observations is not as good for those values." The forcing from doubled CO2 is around 4 W/m2 and so a sensitivity of 3oC for a doubling is equivalent to a sensitivity of 0.75 oC/W/m2. (Schmidt, 2004) "Climate sensitivity is the largest source of uncertainty in projections of climate change beyond a few decades and is therefore an important diagnostic in climate modelling." (Knutti & Hegerl, 2008)
Climate sensitivity cannot be measured directly but estimates can be made by observing climate change in the past or from short-term changes caused by volcanic eruptions. Beginning in the 1960s early GCMs showed a sensitivity in the range of 1.5 - 4.5oC. Current models show a range of 2.1 - 4.4oC. This confirms that model simulations of climate feedbacks are quite robust. (Ibid)
Figure 2.11 (Ibid) shows the distribution and ranges of climate sensitivity from different lines of evidence. Most likely values are denoted by circles, likely range values (more than 66% probability) by bars, and very likely ranges (more than 90% probability) by lines. The IPCC (2007) most likely range and most likely value are denoted by the vertical gray bar and black line, respectively.
Knutti and Hegerl (2008) and IPCC (2007) conclude that various observations show a climate sensitivity value of about 3oC, with a likely range of about 2 – 4.5oC. Furthermore, the lower value of climate sensitivity of 2oC is fairly well constrained which means that if emissions are not stabilized very soon, significant global warming is inevitable. According to Synthesis Report from the Climate Change Congress - University of Copenhagen (Richardson et al., 2009):
The climate sensitivities discussed above are considered fast-feedbacks. Slower feedbacks such as the albedo feedback due to the melting of large ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica were not considered by the IPCC. (Hansen, et al., 2008) When these feedbacks are included, the sensitivity value increases to approximately 6 oC. Hanson et al. explain:
Humanity's task of moderating human-caused global climate change is urgent. Ocean and ice sheet inertias provide a buffer delaying full response by centuries, but there is a danger that human-made forcings could drive the climate system beyond tipping points such that change proceeds out of our control. The time available to reduce the human-made forcing is uncertain, because models of the global system and critical components such as ice sheets are inadequate. However, climate response time is surely less than the atmospheric lifetime of the human-caused perturbation of CO2. Thus remaining fossil fuel reserves should not be exploited without a plan for retrieval and disposal of resulting atmospheric CO2.
Paleoclimate evidence and ongoing global changes imply that today's CO2, about 385 ppm, is already too high to maintain the climate to which humanity, wildlife, and the rest of the biosphere are adapted. Realization that we must reduce the current CO2 amount has a bright side: effects that had begun to seem inevitable, including impacts of ocean acidification, loss of fresh water supplies, and shifting of climatic zones, may be averted by the necessity of finding an energy course beyond fossil fuels sooner than would otherwise have occurred.
So where are we likely headed under current emission proposals? According to The Climate Scoreboard it is very unsettling. Assuming countries actually enforce their proposed emission targets (which is unlikely), the climate is likely to be about 4 oC warmer by the year 2100 (Fig. 2.12).
The yellow "business-as-usual" line represents the estimated global temperature increase in 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. The blue "proposals" line represents the estimated global temperature increase in 2100 if the current proposals were enacted. The shaded blue curve shows the uncertainty in the climate system's response to emissions. The green "goals" line represents the goal of limiting the temperature increase to 1.5o-2.0oC.
According to Dr. Joseph Romm (2010) at the award-winning Climate Progress blog:
"Given that the anti-science, pro-pollution forces seem to be succeeding in their fight to keep us on our current emissions path, it's no surprise that multiple recent analyses conclude that we face a temperature rise that is far, far beyond dangerous:"
Stratospheric Cooling
Figure 2.13 (Atkins, 2008) shows the vertical temperature profile of the atmosphere. Increasing greenhouse gases should result in a warmer troposphere and a cooler stratosphere.
The stratosphere is found between the tropopause to about 51 km or so. The tropopause heights varies between 8 km and 18 km due to latitude and season. Cooler latitudes and seasons result in a lower tropopause height.
The greatest ozone density is around 20-25 km because the ozone destruction processes are slower there. Maximum incoming solar heating occurs there but the greatest temperatures are near 50 km where the low density air requires very little energy to raise its temperature (think KE=½ mv2 and fewer collisions with fewer air molecules yield greater v). Therefore, there is a temperature inversion (warming with height) throughout the stratosphere above the ozone maximum. This inversion severely inhibits convection (mixing) so radiative and conductive processes dominate. The inversion also means that air from the troposphere has difficulty entering the stratosphere so heat is not easily transported between the two by convection or conduction. (Note: Strong thunderstorms can transport gases such as water vapor up across the tropopause and there are breaks in the jet stream westerlies allowing interchange of stratospheric and tropospheric air. Also, gravity waves can help mix the air in the stratosphere.) One can assume that radiative transfer must dominate between these two spheres.
As discussed above, greenhouse gas emissions are very effective at trapping the outgoing IR radiation. As these greenhouse gases increase, more heat will be trapped in the troposphere which means there will be less incoming heat into the stratosphere above. Furthermore, the greenhouse gases in the stratosphere will still be very effective at emitting their heat into the regions above. The net effect is that the stratosphere will be emitting more heat upward than it receives from below resulting in a cooler stratosphere.
Ozone, which is concentrated in the lower stratosphere (Figure 2.14), absorbs incoming UV radiation from the sun which results in a warming of the stratosphere.
Ozone also acts as a greenhouse gas. However, ozone's ability to absorb incoming solar radiation (ultra-violet) is the dominant radiative forcing mechanism. One complication in identifying the role of increased greenhouse gases and the subsequent cooling of the stratosphere is that loss of ozone due to ozone depleting chemicals from industry (ozone hole) will cause a cooling trend because less incoming solar radation will be absorbed. Figures 2.15 (Uherek, 2006) and 2.16 (Ajavon et al., 2007) show how carbon dioxide is cooling the stratosphere.
|Figure 2.15: Stratospheric cooling rates: The picture shows how water, carbon dioxide and ozone contribute to longwave cooling in the stratosphere. Colors from blue through red, yellow and to green show increasing cooling, grey areas show warming of the stratosphere. The tropopause is shown as dotted line (the troposphere below and the stratosphere above). For CO2 it is obvious that there is no cooling in the troposphere, but a strong cooling effect in the stratosphere. Ozone, on the other hand, cools the upper stratosphere but warms the lower stratosphere. (ibid)
Figure 2.17 (Ajavon et al., 2007) shows that global ozone concentrations have leveled off after years of decline and are on the rise since 1993. This suggests that the portion of stratospheric cooling caused by ozone depletion should have ended and warming would result in the absence of other forcing mechanisms because of the increased absorption of incoming SW radiation from the sun.
Randel et al. (2009) updated the analysis of observed stratospheric temperature variability and trends on the basis of satellite, radiosonde, and lidar observations. Their research reveals that temperature changes in the lower stratosphere show cooling of ~0.5 K/decade over much of the globe for 1979–2007. This cooling of the lower stratosphere did not occur in a straight line but as two downward steps in temperature that are coincident with the end of the warming associated with the El Chichon and Pinatubo volcanic eruptions. Significant warming events occurred in the stratosphere following the volcanic eruptions of Agung (March 1963), El Chichon (April 1982) and Mt. Pinatubo (June 1991). To avoid a significant influence on trend results, data were omitted for two years following each eruption in the analysis. In the global mean, the lower stratosphere has not noticeably cooled since 1995. This is no surprise because ozone levels are increasing which increases incoming solar radiation absorption.
In the middle and upper stratosphere there was mean cooling of 0.5–1.5 K/decade during 1979–2005, with the greatest cooling in the upper stratosphere near 40–50 km. Recalling Figure 2.14 and 2.15 above, ozone concentration above 35 km is minimal so ozone depletion is much less a factor at these levels than cooling due to CO2.
The 11 year solar (sunspot) cycle also influences stratospheric temperatures. Randel et al. also observed statistically significant positive values near ~0.5 K in the lower stratosphere for both sets of satellite data and for the different radiosonde data sets with a maximum value of ~1 K in the upper stratosphere.
Model calculations suggest that the upper stratosphere trends are due, about equally, to decreases in ozone and increases in well-mixed greenhouse gases. (Ajavon et al., 2007) All climate models predict further cooling of the stratosphere as the year 2100 approaches due to increased GHGs even though full ozone recovery is predicted to occur around 2060. (Ibid)
Schwarzkopf & Ramaswamy (2008) used an atmosphere-ocean climate model to investigate the evolution of stratospheric temperatures over the twentieth century. They modeled known anthropogenic and natural forcing agents. In the global lower-to-middle stratosphere (20–30 km) their simulations produce a sustained, significant cooling by 1920, earlier than in any lower atmospheric region, largely resulting from carbon dioxide increases. After 1979, stratospheric ozone decreases reinforced the cooling. The result of various forcing mechanisms appears below in Figure 2.18:
Figure 2.18: Evolution of the global, annual-mean temperature change relative to 1861 due to changes in radiative forcing agents at (a) 10 mb; (b) 30 mb; and (c) 50 mb. The forcing agents are 'AllForc'; anthropogenic only ('Anth'); natural only - volcanoes and solar ('Nat'); GHGs and Ozone ('WmGhgO3'); carbon dioxide only ('CO2').
The results indicate that natural forcing mechanisms cannot cause stratospheric cooling while increased CO2 would be responsible for most of the cooling in the upper stratosphere and a significant portion of the lower region of the statosphere. Fig. 2.19 (Ibid) shows the evolution of the global stratospheric temperature change relative to 1861 due to changes in all known human plus natural forcing agents. The hatched area denotes the time-height region in which the temperature change from 1861 exceeds twice the standard deviation of annually averaged temperatures for years 1001–2000 of the unforced model simulation.
Increased GHGs, particularly CO2, will cause substantial warming in the lowest portion of the atmosphere (troposphere) while causing cooling in the higher portion of the atmosphere (stratosphere). Natural forcing mechanisms cannot do so. Model projections appear to closely follow actual observations as described by Randel et al. (2009). This coupling of a warmer lower atmosphere and a cooling upper atmosphere is a strong signature for anthropogenic global warming (AGW).
Next: The Smoking Gun for Humans
Last updated: 01/22/11


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Standard Ethics Rating
The STANDARD ETHICS RATING© (SER) is the first Solicited Sustainability Rating (SSR) in Europe. It has been tested for over the last 14 years. A Solicited Sustainability Rating (SSR) is a Rating on Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance that is - at the same time - solicited, standard and independent:
- Solicited: because it is issued only on request by the applicant, which is recipient of the rating;
- Standard: because any rating is always comparable to other ratings and the algorithm is aligned to the same guidelines;
- Independent: because its assignment is incompatible with the supply of other services, research and consulting activities related to data that have been collected. It is also appropriate not to have common financial and economic interests between the rating agency and applicants.


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Your work nightmares may be keeping you up, but they could be good for your career
(by Lisa Skapinker, thegrindstone.com)
Work nightmares can be awful. We are stressed at work and then we finally go to sleep and everything from our day comes back to haunt us. But negative work dreams may actually be helping you with your career more than you thought.
The Wall Street Journal reports that only 42% of 1,5000 Americans polled by the National Sleep foundation reported getting a good night's sleep every night or almost every night. When I was in high school and college, I used to have intense nightmares about school. I'd often wake up in a sweat, convinced I'd forgotten to show up for an exam or my homework had been stolen. Then, when I started working, these school-related nightmares quickly morphed into work nightmares. I'd wake up in the middle of the night, paralyzed by fear that I'd forgotten about a major project due the next day or I'd accidentally published confidential information. One night before a major product launch, I woke up every hour, seized by nightmares that my employer's website crashed, no one attended our launch webinar, and the press release was hours too late.
I know my work nightmares increase around periods of escalated stress, but what, more specifically, is triggering these frightful dreams? And what can people who experience work nightmares do to prevent them? "Scientific understanding about dreams and their associated meaning is, on the whole, pretty poor," psychologist Dr. Joti Samra writes in the Globe and Mail. "The frequency and content of our dreams can be influenced by factors such as what we have eaten on a given day, how much alcohol we have drunk and a myriad of other physiological factors (for example, nightmares can be a side effect of some medications). We also know—most importantly—that our day to-day life situations have a significant impact on the content and intensity of our dreams."
"Almost all my nightmares are related to deals I'm working on," says Michael*, a Private Equity Associate from New York. "I'll wake up and not remember if it was a dream or if it was real, and I have to go through my email to make sure I wasn't actually asked to do it."
Erica*, a third-year law student from Toronto, starts to experience nightmares right before her exam periods. "It's a low-level anxiety, not a violent dream, but it leaves me feeling anxious the next day," she explains. "Most my nightmares are about being unprepared—like I forgot I was registered for the course and it's the day before the exam and I didn't buy the text."
Dr. Samra explains that stress, predictably, is one of the most significant psychosocial factors that affect our dreams. But nightmares may have an ulterior motive in helping us succeed at work. "Having nightmares can help us to simulate actual or perceived threatening situations in a safe environment, allowing us to be more psychologically and cognitively prepared for the threats when they come up in life," Dr. Samra explains.
But what can we do to reduce the instance or intensity of work nightmares?
Dr Samra suggests making a list of all the most significant stressors in your life, then coming up with a specific action to reduce each stressor. Furthermore, she suggests having a consistent pre-sleep ritual that includes taking your mind off of work and doing some relaxing like taking a bath or listening to soothing music.
The National Sleep Foundation also advises that you avoid nightcaps or caffeinated beverages, chocolate and tobacco at night. They also suggest you treat your bed as your sanctuary from the stresses of the day. For many working professionals, that means not obsessively checking your Crackberry in bed or taking late-night work calls from your bedroom. Keep work at work or in a designated office area at home. That way, you may actually be able to catch a good night's sleep.
To view at source, click here.


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Test::Unit::Exception - unit testing framework exception class
This class is not intended to be used directly
This class is used by the framework to communicate the result of assertions, which will throw an instance of a subclass of this class in case of errors or failures.
Copyright (c) 2000 Christian Lemburg, <firstname.lastname@example.com>.
All rights reserved. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
Thanks go to the other PerlUnit framework people: Brian Ewins, Cayte Lindner, J.E. Fritz, Zhon Johansen.
Thanks for patches go to: Matthew Astley.


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The NHBC loves to hear your feedback about how your membership in the the council is benefiting your business, and to let others know the value of becoming a NHBC member, we are adding a Testimonial Section. We would love it if you would share your experiences with us about how the council has made your business more successful.
Hi Paul and Mike,
I just wanted to send a quick testimonial to you regarding my membership in the New Hartford Business Council and the Canton Chamber of Commerce. My wife Audrey and I enjoy the networking opportunities offered by both organizations, one of the stated membership benefits. A little side note to Paul and his directors on the NHBC Board is that they are doing a GREAT job organizing and promoting more Business After Hours and Morning Minglers.
Audrey and I attended the BAH at Quercibella last week and as a direct result of that, I was hired to perform a home inspection. A lovely photo of Audrey, Kathy Worley, wife of Phil Worley Canton Chamber of Commerce, and Larry Sullivan, owner of O'Neill's Chevrolet Buick of Avon appeared in the New Hartford Independent. A friend received the Independent at her home, saw the photo, and contacted us saying that her daughter would soon be in need of a home inspection. The daughter contacted me through my new website www.HavensHomeInspection.com and we promptly scheduled an inspection. Now that is what I call visibility for my business!
Thank you for all that you do for the NHBC and the Canton Chamber.
Warm regards,


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I finally upgraded my primary desktop to Windows 2000 Professional last weekend. I know that sounds strange, given that I'm writing this column, but my day-to-day experience with Win2K Pro has been on my notebook: I've been running the new OS since beta 2. Upgrading my desktop was a daunting task, with the long list of warnings that Win2K generated when it checked the system for compatibility. But as many computer-literate people are, I'm often my own worst enemy.
I finally decided to add a SCSI DVD-ROM drive I've had sitting on my desk for 4 months so that I could load the last few editions of the MSDN Technical Library I get on DVD. Simple enough, I thought. I installed the drive, added the driver for the secondary SCSI controller, and rebooted the system. Of course, nothing is that simple.
After rebooting, I got random system lock-ups that required a hard boot to recover from, always within the first few minutes after restarting the system. I uninstalled the DVD drive, to no avail. Because I had installed a new driver (even though I had already removed it), I thought that reinstalling Service Pack 5 (SP5) might solve the problem, but the system continued to lock up. Of course, I started doing this at 11:00 P.M. Saturday, so at 2:00 A.M Sunday, I had a nonfunctional computer. I decided to do the repair of last resort—reinstall Windows NT 4.0 as an Upgrade installation. But the gremlins got me again—the NT installation program couldn't see the original NT installation. So I went to plan B and installed a fresh version of NT on another drive, then copied the seemingly dead files that error messages on the original installation boot pointed to. It didn't help.
At that point, I decided to do a fresh install of Win2K Pro. The reinstall went pretty well, if a bit slowly, and I discovered that the video card in the machine was just barely supported under Win2K and that the original vendor was out of business (a Number Nine Revolution 4 card). So at the moment, I'm forced to run in 1600x1200x16-bit at 80Hz, with a very odd screen presentation. I've ordered a new state-of-the-art video card, so we'll see how it turns out.
Last week's tip about moving the default installation directory generated a lot of email from people who were already using the procedure. They wanted me to point out that the procedure won't work with any application that doesn't prompt for an installation directory (such as most Microsoft applications), and it will confuse some other applications. They suggested that users just switch back and forth between the stock location settings as needed.
This week's tip:
This tip doesn't involve the registry, but it does change the way your system looks. You might have noticed that under Win2K, the application shortcut keys in menus and dialog boxes aren't available. Well, actually, the shortcuts are there, but you have to press the Alt key to display them. This is probably not a big problem because most people who use shortcut keys use them as second nature, without checking the menu to determine what the key is—except in the case of a new application with new shortcuts. And stopping to press the Alt key for the shortcut menu can be somewhat intrusive.
If you want applications to show the navigation keys by default:
- Open Control Panel.
- Open the Display applet.
- Click the Effects tab.
- Under Visual Effects, deselect "Hide keyboard navigation indicators until I use the Alt key."
- Click OK.


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Citgo 103 can be found at Us Highway 80 W 3829. The following is offered: Convenience Stores. The entry is present with us since Sep 10, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Phenix City there are 14 other Convenience Stores. An overview can be found here.


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November is here and time for another post to the Insecure Writers Support Group, created by Alex Cavanaugh. To stay on track, our topics need to be about struggles, insecurities, challenges, or encouragement. Today I choose challenges…
On September 30, at 12:38 PM, I completed book #3, announcing the arrival of my new born, Time Trials. Still steps to take before the final product is up for publication, but the characters finally allowed me to say DONE (my delivery date).
I speak only for myself as my writing career didn't begin until my late 50's, but writing a book is like having a baby…somewhat. There's the initial stage where not much is showing. A lot of excitement, identified my characters, created the story board and off I go.
A bit into the story I began to feel rumblings of unease. Something didn't feel right, although the belly of the book was beginning to show. Then, the ding, ding, ding goes off. What I've spent 8-12 months writing, turns out to be more the middle of the book. Rats.
This sometimes happens when I give free-range to my characters.
Thank goodness the human female gestation periods don't work this way. Can you imagine a woman having to "re-do" the first trimester? (I hear screams)
After some hormonal temper tantrums, I began the journey of creating the first part of the book. I rationalize, hey…by the time I catch up to my original beginning, I'll be two-thirds done.
Time Trials covers three different time periods (1972, 1992, 2012). And each required its own research, which required more time. And then more time.
Wading through the maze of publishing and marketing my first two books, Saving Gracie & Partly Sunny, I found less and less writing time geared toward Time Trials. Where did the hours, weeks, months go? Literally, days raced by in a blur.
I have two pets who can tell time. They sat at my feet day after day. At five o'clock each afternoon they'd move in closer, if that is possible, and stare at me like "uh…duh, have you not looked at the clock lately?"
Seriously? Didn't I just feed you guys? You mean another day has already slipped away? They nodded and proceeded with their meal.
Having a baby is a labor of love. Writing a book is a labor of love. My initial thoughts about the story line for Time Trials turned into much, much more "labor" than I anticipated. Tons of research later, which I found I actually enjoyed, year #1 rolled into year #2. Some days I'd sit at the computer and pat myself on the back after rolling out 1,000-2,000 words. Then I'd see a post on Facebook like:
"Had a creative idea when I woke up this morning. Have already cranked out 3,000 words and still going."
Really? Where's my light saber? I feel like zapping something…
Other days the typing went so slow one would think both hands had been tied behind me with a pencil wedged in my mouth pecking out each word.
Frustrating? Yes
Rewarding? Yes
Completing a novel? Ecstatic
According to my calculations, my trimesters on Time Trials lasted 8 months, which means my book/baby gestation period surpassed an African elephant's pregnancy by 2.5 months…ouch


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Muddy Waters remains one of the greatest of all time. But, like many of the greats; be it football, basketball, baseball or the blues, Muddy had what was undeniably a slump in his long career. His 1977 release Hard Again — released on on January 10, 1977 — was appropriately titled and marked the kind of comeback you expect from the great ones.
The slump was mostly due to Muddy's long-time record label Chess, which at the time was beginning its fall as an active music label to what it eventually became — an awesome catalog and nothing more.
Dire times often lead to bad moves and Chess made a ton hoping to keep itself and its roster alive in its final 10 years. Muddy was no exception and albums like Electric Mud, After The Rain or The London Muddy Waters Sessions were thorns in the sides of blues lovers and Muddy fans at the time.
Any coach can tell you the best way to break out of the slump is surround yourself with good talent and get back to the fundamentals and Muddy did just that. Great musicians are all over this record: the late Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, just for starters.
Blues guitar monster Johnny Winter served as producer for this album and serves up some of his patented nasty guitar licks and some great vocals — maybe, it's more like screeching, whooping and hell yeahs!
It's pretty much what you would imagine it was like to have Muddy and friends come into your house, eat all your food, drink your beer then plug up and jam. You should know you are in trouble right off the bat when Muddy takes his classic hit "Mannish Boy" and turns it into something new, maybe better, but definitely mean.
Take my word for it: No matter how bad you feel, no matter if your sweetie left you for another guy, your dog takes up with your arsehole of a neighbor or your boss tells you to hit the road — put this version of "Mannish Boy" in your car and drive. Cotton does some great work on "Bus Driver" and "Little Girl." The blues standard "I Can't Be Satisfied" is just what it should be: a kick butt, funky blooz swing.
If you dig Muddy, make sure you get a hold of this one.
DERRICK LORD, an Alabama-based blues- and roots-music lover, was an original co-founder of the music site that grew into Something Else!, along with S. Victor Aaron and Nick DeRiso.
Derrick Lord
Latest posts by Derrick Lord (see all)
- The Blind Boys of Alabama's Down in New Orleans added a new musical wrinkle - January 29, 2018
- Muddy Waters – Hard Again (1977): On Second Thought - January 10, 2015
- Movies: Jean Bach – A Great Day in Harlem (1994) - December 7, 2011


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I have a new favorite right now, and I just love the name Rabbit! for a kid's band. They say they're really just poppy, whimsical and bubblegummy, and they are categorized as indie-pop, but add in a couple of the band members' kids, and they would totally pull a Caspar Babypants/They Might Be Giants, where they realize they are singing kids music as much as indie music. Singer Ashton Allen says: "We wanted to write music that would motivate happiness and allow people to take a break from frustrations that come with everyday life". But in "Best thing Around" he sings "I've seen London/I've seen France"... these are totally big kids at heart. And that's why I heart them. So download "When We Were Young," at least, or event the whole album. It makes you feel like you are six-- or at least, were six not too long ago.
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In college, when Jack Johnson was first popular, he had kind of that "too soft-rock/ not rock at all" feel, and we were ALL closet Jack Johnson fans. So now that we have kids, we can TOTALLY get on the Jack Johnson wagon, because it's KIDS' music!!! So when he came out with the Curious George Soundtrack, and all the girls downloaded this, because his voice just. makes. us. meellllllllttttt. I think this is what happened to all those "old" (ahem, 30-something) ladies back in the day felt about Michael Bolton? Denial tells me, Noooo, Carrie. It's different. It's meaningful. But seriously, download Curious George, and listen to "We're Going to Be Friends" (or even the White Stripes Version, which is just as good but gets you cool alt-rock bonus points) and reminisce about Kindergarten and PB&J sandwiches.
The last awesome Remember When song has to be Iz, Israel Ka'ano'i Kamakawiwo'ole's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." This guy has the smoothest voice ever. Anyone who does not get sentimental hearing this, has to have no heart. He passed away several years ago, after his song made the 50 First Dates soundtrack and he was starting down the road to stardom, so it even has a sad backstory. And so I am going to go listen to music and cry into my pillow, and think about fond memories. But I'll leave you with this video of Iz, the gentle giant of Hawaii.line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">


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Please note that some translations using Google Translate may not be accurately represented, and image captions and downloaded documents cannot be translated. Dana-Farber assumes no liability for inaccuracies that may result for using this third-party tool, which is for website translation and not clinical interactions. You may request a live medical interpreter for a discussion about your care.
Louise Shivek and her husband, Herbert, have known each other
since childhood and both believe strongly in the value of
volunteerism for the good of the community. They live in Brookline
and have two daughters and three grandsons.
Louise graduated in 1946 from Boston University, College of
Liberal Arts and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
She became a member of Aid for Cancer Research, an organization
raising funds for cancer research in the Greater Boston area,
serving several times as president. Its medical advisory board
included Dr. Sidney Farber and Dr. Emil Frei III, who defined the
outstanding research and treatment programs at Dana-Farber.
Understandably impressed, Louise chose to volunteer in its
Development and Public Affairs department.
In 1975, a decision was made to establish the first auxiliary at
Louise accepted the position of administrative liaison between
Dana-Farber and the auxiliary, which required organizing the
essentials needed for its formation. Luncheons and coffees were
held for guests to hear directly from Physician-in-Chief Dr. Emil
Frei and many on the medical staff about the accomplishments and
future programs of Dana-Farber. The importance of an auxiliary to
support these expanding needs was emphasized.
In l976, after a year of basic planning, an outstanding Board of
Directors was formed with Sheila Cunningham as founding president.
Friends of Dana-Farber was the "new kid on the block" and had to
prove itself as a viable and contributing member of Dana-Farber.
Membership grew and was stimulated by the Friends' support of
research and its sponsorship of many patient service programs,
including a gift shop. The Friends finally made the public take
notice of this superb comprehensive cancer center which was
renowned in the medical community.
After retiring as liaison, Louise joined the Friends' Board and
served as chairman of numerous committees over the years and as
executive vice president.
She is one of four honorary directors of the Friends. Her
greatest gratification comes from gaining lasting friendships and
from playing a part in the growth of this dynamic auxiliary which
is supporting an organization striving constantly to find a cure
through research, while always considering patient care a top


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Write Like an Architect
A 2.5 minute video tutorial by architect Doug Patt on how to write like an architect. Hand lettering can be great when done properly, but it can also be a mess. This is great way to get the hand drawn quality without losing legibility.
If want to be a real nerd about it, there's also an exercise sheet (pdf) you can download to practice. You know you want to. [via FontFeed] |DBK
3 comments:
These pictures are so beautiful, I imaging they were even more beautiful in real life :) Thank you for sharing them .ReplyDelete
Architectural Photographers
- AnonymousFebruary 11, 2016 at 5:09 AM
Myles Nelson McKenzie DesignReplyDelete
Myles Nelson McKenzie Design in Newport Beach California has been serving clients throughout Orange County, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties for the last 30 years. Providing custom project design and CAD drawn construction plans for custom new homes, home remodels, room additions and commercial tenant improvement projects. With our project architects, civil and structural engineers, we can provide design and construction plans for any size project.
Myles Nelson McKenzie Design
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A year in review
North Central Michigan College Annual Report
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Making what matters happen.
In the early 1950s, at least four years before a local college became a reality, the vision for establishing a community college began with a small group of thoughtful citizens who shared a vision for our community's future. These citizens never lost sight of what mattered most – and with a sense of unity, conscience and purpose, they began a journey to create North Central Michigan College.
We would not be the same place without North Central.
Since 1958, North Central Michigan College has been opening the door to academic success for our residents by offering two-year associate degrees in the arts and sciences, paving the path to better-paying careers through its applied science programs, partnering with businesses and manufacturers to provide employee training and greatly enhancing the livability of the region through its numerous cultural opportunities. In short, Petoskey and the surrounding area would not be the same place without North Central Michigan College.
North Central 's impact on future generations.
We remain thankful for the small group of thoughtful citizens who gathered in the early 1950s, who knew that quality higher education is one of the most important things we can do for our community's future generations. Over the years, North Central Michigan College's central philosophy, to improve the quality of life for its students and the communities it serves, has remained unchanged. This is what matters most to us, and it is the focus of our efforts throughout each year. So it is with pleasure that I present this annual report, depicting some highlights of our 2015-16 academic year!
Cameron Brunet-Koch, Ph.D. President
We provide educational, economic and cultural opportunities for student learning, personal growth and community improvement.
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North Central Board of Trustees
L-R Back: Dr. James Shirilla, Trustee Dave Kring, Vice Chair L-R Middle: John Fought, Treasurer Phil Millard, Chair L-R Seated: Irma NoĂŤl, Secretary Melissa Keiswetter, Trustee Marion Kuebler, Trustee
Cameron Brunet-Koch, Ph.D. President
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hings that matter most must never be at the mercy of
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Making what m 8/10/16 8:39 AM
things that matter least.
t matters happen.
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Enrollment stats Dual and Regular Enrollment-Fall
Honors Graduates
Students Inducted Into Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
Dual Enrollment Credit Hours
Associate Degrees
Number of Graduates & Degrees Awarded
Certificates of Development
Students Graduated with Distinction
with High Distinction
50th Anniversary
2015 marked the 50th nursing class to begin its studies at North Central.
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Degree Awarded to Jessica Bulmann
with Highest Distinction
2015-16 budget General Fund revenues, expenses and transfers:
Per Contact Hour
$ 16,194,120
Per Contact Hour
Per Contact Hour
*These rates are effective Summer 2016.
In Financial Aid Awarded by North Central Last Year
Emmet County Property Taxes $ 5,688,234 Tuition & Fees $ 6,617,804 State Appropriations $ 3,756,809 Other $ 131,273 $16,194,120
of Students Receive Aid
In Scholarships Awarded by North Central
In Scholarships Awarded by the NCMC Foundation in 2015-2016
Salaries & Benefits $ 10,253,062 Operational Expenses $ 4,255,650 Transfers to Other Funds $ 1,616,000 Capital Outlay $ 69,408 $ 16,194,120
2015-16 Annual Report
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Experiential Learn Beaver Island
This year marked the second Beaver Island experiential learning experience. The featured courses were: Introduction to Poetry taught by James McCullough and Interpersonal Communication taught by Jenny Maginnis. Seven students traveled to the island and engaged in an intense and unique learning experience that included full course immersion as well as personal growth and development. The island provided a
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unique venue where students camped with each other, took courses with each other, and explored the island culture. Since technology was not available, students were able to step back and integrate basic communication and reading skills to gain knowledge and insight from course material and from the natural world.
Old Mission Field School
North Central Michigan College students participated in an archaeology field school on
Old Mission Peninsula with North Central professor Kerri Finlayson from June 13-19. There they practiced basic archaeological field techniques while excavating an 1840-1890 privy and adjoining building built by missionary Peter Dougherty. They also learned how to set up an excavation unit, draw plans and profiles, take measurements of and catalog artifacts. And they earned 3 college credits in 6 days!
I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand.
New Program Offering
North Central Michigan College will offer a new Environmental and Sustainability Studies associate of arts degree beginning in Fall 2016. This program is a dynamic, two-year academic and career pathway that focuses on human behavior and our impacts on the environment. Students will go beyond the classroom into the local community to discover hands-on, experiential solutions for living more sustainably on this planet.
Articulation Agreement
A new agreement with UM-Flint will allow students to earn their associate degree taking classes at North Central Michigan College and then use these credits toward the three University of Michigan-Flint bachelor's degree programs – nursing, applied science and business administration.
2015-16 Annual Report
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Corporate and Community Education (CCE) formed a partnership with the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC), bringing a focus to the Lean manufacturing philosophy and training programs for our industry targets of healthcare, manufacturing, tourism, technology and agriculture.
up history in Israel. More than 300 people attended these free events.
CCE Workshops and Training programs
Last year, CCE began offering allied health training programs in CPR and First Aid. A continued focus on CNC (Computer Numerical Control), working with the SEEDS (Sustainable Manufacturing Training Employment and Economic CCE worked with 15 companies Development Strategies) and trained 249 people through grant and Michigan Works! this program. and workforce development supported our business Health Care Safety community by training 360 people. CCE again brought a series of Ergonomic Safety training sessions to long-term health care facilities in Northern Michigan from Grayling to St. Ignace. These sessions taught 545 employees how to lift and transport patients safely, avoid injury and illness and remain safe on the job. These programs help keep health care workers and their facilities safe and productive. Manufacturing Training
CCE attendance 249
Agricultural Business Education CCE's farming programs have continued to grow over the last several years. This year, CCE provided education and training to 911 workers, farmers and interested individuals in food, farm, gardening and viticulture.
Lifelong Learning
In partnership with the Petoskey District Library, North Central Michigan College began a series of intellectual adventures and great conversations led by North Central professors and other outside presenters to 209 learners of all ages.
International Programs
CCE hosted presentations on global issues including the challenge of ISIS and digging
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Health Care Safety
Agricultural Business Education
Lifelong Learning
International Programs
Total Individuals Served
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) awarded a $300,786 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to Precision Edge through Charlevoix county in support of a project that involved hiring and training more than 14 new employees. From the beginning, Precision Edge pledged to donate to North Central Michigan College all grant funds received. The gift is to support the purchase of the Mobile Digital Fabrication Lab, which provided training for Precision Edge employees as well as students and employees
throughout the region during the past three years. North Central President Cameron BrunetKoch gratefully accepted the donation on behalf of the College.
"We are proud of our ability to be responsive to community and industry needs while providing the necessary training for the region's workforce." Dr. Cameron Brunet-Koch President, North Central Michigan College
2015-16 Annual Report
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We would not b place without N
ducation is for improving the lives of others and for than you found it.
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t be the same t North Central.
leaving your community and world better
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Results of the analysis reflect information from Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, and Otsego Counties, for calendar year 2015.
Economic impact • The change in the service North Central Michigan College area's Gross Regional Product contracted with the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research (GRP). to conduct an Economic Impact Due solely to the presence of Study to better understand the role the College plays in the local North Central Michigan College, there are 1,470 additional jobs economy. in the region; total sales are The report's findings are $253.6 million higher; personal presented in two sections: income is $66.1 million greater; and the region's Gross Regional • North Central's Product is $120.2 million higher. Economic Impact • Impact on its Graduates' Potential Earnings
North Central's Economic Impact
North Central's economic contribution is measured by its impact on: • Total year-round employment in the region, both full and part time; • Personal income of the region's full-time residents, which includes earned income, such as wages and salaries, and unearned income, such as pensions and dividends; note that personal income is based on where someone lives, while wages are based on where someone works; • The increase in total sales: the purchase of all goods and services in the region, including purchases made by businesses to suppliers; and
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2015 North Central contributions +1,470
Additional Jobs
+$66.1($ mil 2015)
Increase in Personal Income
+$253.6 ($ mil 2015) Increase in Total Sales
+$120.2 ($ mil 2015) Increase in Gross Regional Product
Cost Savi n gs by starting @
North Central's Impact on its Graduates' Potential Earnings
for individuals with only a high school diploma.
• During the course of their working career, associate degree holders in Northern Michigan earn $459,000 more than persons who have only a high school diploma.
• The net present value of the return on investment for a student successfully completing a two-year associate degree, which discounts the value of future earnings, is estimated to be between $6.87 and $10.70 for each dollar he/she spent on tuition and foregone income while attending school.
North Central before transferring to:
• North Central offers an extremely affordable avenue to earn a four-year bachelor's degree at any of the state's four-year colleges or universities. Estimated cost savings of a student living at home while attending North Central Michigan College for the first two years and completing a bachelor's degree program at a four-year college or university:
Students graduating from North Central Michigan College can expect a significant increase in their lifelong earnings.
• Individuals holding an associate degree in Northern Michigan had a low 6.3 percent unemployment rate in 2013 (most current data available), compared to a high 12.2 percent rate for persons with only a high school degree. • Annual earnings for associate-degree holders in Northern Michigan were $34,000 in 2013, compared to $22,800
University of Michigan
Michigan State University
Central Michigan University
Northern Michigan University
2015-16 Annual Report
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e make a living by what we get, but we make a life
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Making an impact on f 8/10/16 8:39 AM
by what we give.
n future generations.
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Foundation Board of Directors Richard Ames Dawn Bodnar Kathryn Breighner - Vice Chair Cameron Brunet-Koch, Ph.D. College President Max Bunker - Treasurer Charlie Gano William Kanine Melissa Keiswetter Joan Kleinstiver Marion Kuebler Dan Ledingham - Secretary Irma Noël - Chair Stan Smith, M.D. W. Richard Smith Barbara Worgess Sean Pollion - Executive Director
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Foundation highlights • The Foundation Annual Campaign received contributions of more than $280,000. • Approximately $240,000 in scholarships was awarded to students. • The Dollars for Scholars event was held in May 2016. The event, hosted by Sage at Odawa Casino, raised more than $3,600 to support the Student Emergency Fund. • North Central Michigan College Foundation honored the Frey Foundation at the 7th annual Founders Society Luncheon in October 2015.
• The North Central Michigan College Foundation Board of Directors recently awarded $19,821 through four grant requests from faculty and staff for equipment needs and new program development. o $2,680 to Student Services for a new pilot program called "College Matters to Middle Schoolers!" o $3,300 to the Instructional Division to purchase a Human Plastinate model for Anatomy and Physiology o $5,895 to the Student and Community Resource Center to purchase a Life Clinic Health Management System o $7,946 to the Instructional Division to purchase equipment to expand curriculum and teach manual machining in the CNC Lab
The Frey Foundation has provided generous support to the College since the North Central Michigan College Foundation was established in 1990. This family foundation is committed to working together to make a profound difference in the lives of North Central students and the communities we serve. Their good work can be seen throughout the campus in our buildings and classrooms.
The 20th annual Scramble for Scholarships golf outing and the 18th annual NCMC Cookout raised more than $28,000 for the NCMC Foundation Scholarship Fund.
2016 presidential scholars Matthew Berish East Jordan High School
Theodore Johnson Lasalle High School
Megan Byrne Boyne Falls High School
Brigid Kane Cheboygan High School
John Chanda Pellston High School
Lily Kingma Petoskey High School
Joshua Clees Charlevoix High School
Matthew Makarewicz St. Mary Cathedral School
Myah Courterier Johannesburg-Lewiston High School
Meredith May Charlevoix Montessori Academy
Julia Davis
Northern Michigan Christian Academy
Kaylinn Fonger Gaylord High School
Devon McGovern Wolverine High School Kathleen Miller Concord Academy - Boyne
Samantha Orban Boyne City High School Ashley Pethers Alanson Public School Trevor Pritchett Inland Lakes High School Valerie Reeves Mancelona High School Olivia Rinock Concord Academy - Petoskey Ella Ruthig Home Schooled Anna Sydow Harbor Light Christian School Ethan Tippett Harbor Spings High School Derick Wregglesworth Onaway High School
2015-16 Annual Report
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This list represents donors who made a gift to the Foundation between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016. We do our best to keep an accurate, up-to-date list of donors and apologize for any errors or omissions. Please contact our office with corrections.
President's Circle Gold
President's Circle Bronze
Allied EMS Systems, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Richard Ames Joanne N. Arbaugh Bauervic-Paisley Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Pier C. Borra Ted and Brenda Frey Frey Foundation Dave and Ann Irish Louis Kasischke Paul and Melissa Keiswetter Ernest and Judith Mainland Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Newmann Northern Trust Offield Family Foundation James S. Offield Dr. Jack R. Postle Jim Rand and Irma Noël Revenue Sharing Board Tom and Mary Lou Smith
9and10 News/Fox 32 American Spoon Foods Neil and Marsha Bidwell Bob and Sue Bleyaert Marty and Kathie Breighner Bill and Shannon Brower Max and Christine Bunker Chase Chemical Bank Clark Construction Co. David and Teresa Crouse Cliff and Jane Denay Renee DeYoung Mike and Rhea Dow ej Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Eaton Mr. & Mrs. James C. Fabiano Daniel French Great Pines Chapter MARSP Harbor Brenn Agencies Gene and Carolyn Hodulik John and Mary Jo Jay Larry and Patricia Kaine Kiwanis Club of Little Traverse Bay Lois Kircher Ben and Joan Kleinstiver Don Kopka Dr. Russell & Suzanne LaBeau Phyllis Linck Fred and Barbara Malpass Meijer, Inc. Doug and Carole Melvin Phil and Peggy Millard Morley Foundation Jim and Trish Murray Charles and Diane Neal Northern Michigan Medical Society Odawa Casino Resort David Payne Petoskey News-Review Sean and Kelly Pollion Jim and Laura Shirilla Don Spitler Stone Funeral Home Inc. - Tim Londo John and Marilyn Stover Constance Sullivan John and Mary Lou Tanton Dr. Gustav Uhlich Daniel and Dee Wickham
Gifts of $5,000 or more
President's Circle Silver Gifts of $2,500 to $4,999
Baiardi Family Foundation Christ Child Society of Northern Michigan Greg Czarnecki and Sue Dempsey Marion Fearon Fifth Third Bank Andrea Fisher Niles and Shirley Hill Carol Keith Bruce and Cameron Koch Dave and Debbie Kring Joe and Sarah Marcum Mr. Emer Mathias Estate Peter O'Rourke Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation Ham and Barbara Schirmer Dick and Carrie Smith Tost Charitable Fund
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Gifts of $1,000 to $2,499
Dean's List
Professor's Club
Gifts of $500 to $999
Gifts of $250 to $499
Gifts up to $249
Dana and Gretchen Andrews Major Dale L. Baird, USMC, Ret. Roger and Jean Beckley John and Martha Beechler Norm and Kathy Bennett Dr. & Mrs. Ronald Broquet Susan Carruthers Charlevoix County Fire Officers Association Dan and Traci Clark Colorphonic, Inc. Robert and Joyce Culbertson Mike Czerkie Al and Jane Damschroder Keith and Sallee Engstrom The Farbman Family Foundation Larry and Jamee Fry Charlie and Fran Gano Jeffrey Gardner Joe and Debbie Griffin Shirley Hanna Phil and Melissa Harrison Sally Johnson Gary and Teresa Kersting Dr. & Mrs. Richard Kutcipal Edwin W. and Jane A. Marin Robert J. Marsh Gordon Masters and Ronn Blodgett Bill and Ann McCormick Patricia H. McEnroe James Ulberg
Tom and Jodi Adams Jason and Suzanne Allen Rick and Sharon Anderson Michael and Jane Bacon Shawn Bauman Jane Bowe and Mac Green Steve and Hollyann Brown Erik and Meredith Brown Suzanne Caron Citizens National Bank Chris Etienne and Dennis Lindman Fletch's Jack Garber and Trish MacDonald Ed and Sally Hara Dan and Amy Harris David and Denise Hartnett Jim and Carol Helmer Nancy Hodgkiss John and Judy Hoffman Edward and Susan Howbert Chet Jessick Tom and Kim Knott Jo-Anna Kolodziej Marion Kuebler Dan and Mary Ledingham John and Helen Leithauser Barbara Lindsey Bob and Lee Maldegen Vaughn and Harriet McGraw Mr. and Mrs. Jim McMahon David and Catherine Meyer Bill and Jane Millar Michelle Murphy Peter and Marta Olson Dave Pott and Mary McCartney Justin and Kate Rashid Shanna Robinson Jeff and Fran Shepard Stan and Marilynn Smith Stafford and Jan Smith Joe and Charlene Sproles Straits Area Ostomy Association Todd and Jennifer Winnell
Eliece Aiman Drs. Anthony & Lauren Alessi Elizabeth Alford Janet Allen Rod Anderson Mark and Denise Antonishen Dick and Annette Babcock Bernard Ball Rick Barber Kathryn Bardins Steve and Gretchen Barney Rose Bemben Loretta Berg Howard and Denise Berger René Bieganowski Eugene and Mary Margaret Bjorklun Mark and Jami Blaauw-Hara John Blair Bill and Phyllis Blanchard Jeane Blanz David Boring Nancy Bueche Louis and Sally Cannon Elizabeth Carpenter Chris Cerrudo Char-Em United Way Perry and Karen Clark Moe and Irene Cohen Jeffrey and Margaret Comstock Raymond Conley Laurie Cornett Carol Coursey Dallas Culvahouse Lawrence and Shannon Cummings
North Central Michigan College professor Larry Cummings celebrated 45 years of teaching this year. Professor Cummings teaches history and geography at the Petoskey campus. In 2011, a permanent scholarship fund was created in his name. The Larry "Grouse" Cummings Scholarship Fund is part of the NCMC Foundation's permanent scholarship fund, and every year a student will be awarded a scholarship in his honor.
2015-16 Annual Report
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Jim and Marilyn Cusenza Kay Daly Deborah Dean Ed Demmer Marydell Dilworth James and Maureen Doull Jason and Patricia Eppler Steve and Kathy Erber Annette Fettig Gerri Flewelling Art and Sharon Francis Chip and Jean Frentz Elizabeth Frey Kathryn Joy Furgeson Sara Glasgow Lois Graham Jacqueline Graham Mary Gruler Erick Haight Glenn Haight William and Judith Heil Mary R. Helliesen, Ed.D. Ed and Nancy Hirschenberger Daniel Hodgkiss Richard and Perry Hodgson Bill and Marla Hofmann Mike and Linda Hume Robert Jess Chuck and Lynette Johnson Jim and Debbie Kan Kathi Kan Jamie Kennard Kevin and Gena King Kathryn Kircher Mr. & Mrs. J. E. Kochensparger William and Noreen Kolinski George and Brenda Korthauer Richard and Loretta Kowalski Patricia Kuebler Barb Kurtz Scott LaDeur Carol Laenen Mrs. Russell B. Laurain Jeffrey Leland William and Linda Little Gow Litzenburger Richard Maddox Tad and Brenda Malpass Jan Mancinelli Dr. and Mrs. Jack Martin Mary Ann McCullough James McCullough Lorna McMahon Mark and Laurie McMurray Bill and Helen Meengs Chris Meister Dr. Pamela Miller
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Miller Forest Products Ernest & Kathy Miller Mitchell Graphics, Inc. Susan Monton Donald Muenk North Central Michigan College NCMC Association of Faculty and Professional Staff NCMC College Store NCMC Library Staff Cynthia Nagle Walter and Betsy Naumer Howard and Marcia Newkirk Maureen M. Nicholson Clas Nilstoft Karin Offield Mr. & Mrs. Woodward Openo Elizabeth Otto Virginia Panoff Leland Parsons Dr. Robert and Mrs. Alice Pattengale Patricia Pontbriand Jeffrey and Nancy Porter Dr. Irvin Potts, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. John R. Rasmussen Meredith Richter Larry and Elaine Rochon David Rodgers Frank and Carol Ronan Chuck Schafer George and Carra Schoene Stefan Scholl David and Miriam Schulingkamp John and Beverly Scott Marci Singer Charles and Diane Smolen George and JoAnne Snyder Ron and Donna Snyder Diana Souza Donald and Julie Stolt Tammy Strom Chandler Symons Travis Szarenski Tom and Marge Teske Donna Thompson Jim and Sara Tisdel Margo Todd Mark and Marsha Tompkins Stephen Tresidder Michael and Patty Turnbull Dan and Jeannean VerBurg Bridget Waldvogel Jeffrey and Candice Wendling Ann Wilderom Keith and Karen Williams Barbara Worgess Jack Zlotow
Other Supporters
The following contributors supported the Foundation special events or made gifts in kind. 106 KHQ/Lite 96 9and10 News/Fox 32 Tom Adams AdWings Media, LLC Nancy Allison American Spoon Foods American Waste Andre M. Poineau Woodworker, Inc. Anne Morningstar B. C. Pizza and B.C. Lanes Ballard Benefit Works, Inc. Barrel Back Restaurant Peter Basso Associates Scott Batchelor Bay Area Turf Care Bay Street Orthopaedics Bay View Association Bearcub Outfitters Bickersteth, Brown & Associates Bill and Carol's Bill's Farm Market Boyne Resorts Brown Motors Ben Brower Bunker, Clark, Winnell & Nuorala, CPA Cindy Burgett Burns Professional Building Greg and Karen Carlson Carter's Imagewear Charlevoix Screen Masters Inc. Charlevoix State Bank Charlie MacInnis Circuit Controls Corporation Citizens National Bank City Park Grill Clark Construction Dan Clark Coca-Cola Bottling of Michigan Colorphonic, Inc. Comfort Keepers Crooked Tree Bread Works Paul Cunningham Cutler's D&W Fresh Market - Petoskey Downtown Petoskey Dripworks Dry Harbour Marine
Dunaske Outdoors Edward Jones Investments ej Emmet Brick and Block Evening Star Joinery The Farley Calendar Co. First Community Bank Charles Fletcher Fletch's Flowers from Sky's the Limit, Inc. Fustini's Oils and Vinegars Gaylord Area Convention & Tourism Bureau Kathy Germain Susan Glass Gordon Food Service Marketplace Grain Train Natural Foods Market Grand Traverse Pie Co. Great Lakes Wine & Spirits Glenn Haight Harbor Brenn Agencies Harbor Point Golf Club Fred Harrington Roy Harvey Ken Heeres Rich Heeres Gary Hice Hill Schroderus & Co. Huron Distributing Indian River Golf Club Jet's Pizza Joe's Golf Repair Julienne Tomatoes Kilwins Chocolate Kitchen King Insurance Agency, Inc. Korthase/Flinn Insurance & Financial Services Dave Kring Chevrolet-Cadillac La Senorita Little Traverse Bay Golf Club Steve and Donna Ludwig Susan J.S. Malone, D.D.S., PC Doug Manley Markiewicz & Co., LLC MDC Contracting Meyer Ace Hardware Michigan Officeways Mitchell Graphics, Inc. Dave Moyer Murdick's Tim Murphy NCMC College Communications NCMC College Store
NCMC Corporate and Community Education NCMC Custodial Department NCMC Finance and Facilities NCMC Instruction NCMC Learning Support Services NCMC Nursing Faculty NCMC Student Services Neumann/Smith Architecture Maureen Nicholson North Perk Northern Michigan Medical Society Northern Michigan Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Northern Michigan Review Northern Michigan Sports Medicine Northern Trust Nub's Nob, Inc. Odawa Casino Resort Pateman Chiropractic Personal Graphics, Inc. Petoskey Cheese Petoskey Moving Company Petoskey News-Review Petoskey Plastics Dave Pickett Preston Feather Building Centers PMP Corporation Print Shop Rasmussen, Teller, O'Neil and Christman, PC Roast and Toast Polly Ryan Shot Makers Golf Center, LLC Suzanne Shumway Spicy Bob's Italian Express Spring Arbor University Stafford's Pier Restaurant Stover Pottery Dawn Swaim Talulu Beauty Lounge Mark Tompkins Trillium, A Complete Salon and Spa Twisted Olive The Villa at the Bay Sharon Walker Walloon Lake Country Club Paula Welmers Wequetonsing Golf Club Willson's Garden Center Women's Resource Center of Northern Michigan Teresa Yell
Corporate Partners
Companies providing matching gifts Dow Corning Corporation Matching Gifts GE Foundation IBM International Foundation Merck Partnership for Giving MetLife
In Memory Of
Linda Barton Linda Sue Beier Marjorie Brunet David and Mary Czarnecki Jerry and Martha Drake Deane Ellman Don Festerling Gordon Fearon Jack and Dorothy Harris Geroge and Betty Hartman Robert Hartman James and Sherry Herlocher Dr. M. Louise Herlocher Edward Hill Kim Kingsbury Dave Munger Mary Ann Singer Jack Waldvogel
In Honor of
Jerry Ellman Sherry Herlocher Paul and Melissa Keiswetter
Every donation has the potential to turn a life around.
Thank You
for helping make a difference!
2015-16 Annual Report
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Communioutreach ty CNC- Computer Numerical Control Machining Training
• C3 - CNC Completion Camp where 14 students participated in an intensive four-week experience in the Fab Lab in 2015 and 2016. • SEEDS (Sustainable Employment and Economic Development Strategies) We have completed year two of the grant with 135 students enrolled and 51 completions. • Dual-Enrolled Students We have dual-enrolled students from Boyne City, Central Lake and East Jordan High Schools and will be adding Wolverine High School in Fall 2016.
• The CNC Career Center is in demand helping students find internships and jobs in manufacturing while helping employers fill their CNC job openings. • Scholarships Triune Specialty Trailers sponsored two scholarships for students at Pellston High School and Boyne City High School with their manufacturing technology/Computer Numerical Control (CNC) programs. North Central Michigan College's mobile Fab Lab travels to these two schools to provide CNC classes to teens.
EMT Training in Harbor Springs (upper right)
North Central Michigan College coordinated with Harbor Springs Police and Fire departments, Emmet County EMS, CCE Dispatch and other agencies to facilitate an actual life-saving training scenario on December 17 at Meyer ACE Hardware in Harbor Springs. METIman, North Central's human simulator or sim-man, was available for demonstrations and public education on cardiac health and public response to emergencies and became the patient as part of an interactive emergency response by public safety agencies to a cardiac event.
"With the skills honed in this program, our students not only begin the path of continued education, they acquire employable skills that can lead directly to a solid income and opportunity." Enos Bacon, Pellston High School Principal
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North Central Michigan College is partnering with Networks Northwest to give small business owners and those considering starting a business access to a wide variety of business development tools. The Northern Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is located on North Central's Petoskey campus and offers services to those in the Antrim, Charlevoix and Emmet area.
North Central provided outstanding local and regional speakers with 16 lecture programs in fall and winter semesters. More than 1,500 community members participated.
College Matters (right)
As a part of the Boyne City Middle School's College/ Career Readiness Week in early June, more than 220 7th and 8th graders came to the North Central campus to explore career pathways.
Dr. Mike Clumpner, (right), a 25-year veteran of public safety and president of Threat Suppression, Inc., spoke to more than 100 representatives from public safety, fire, emergency and regional businesses in a day-long joint public safety response training on March 3. He also addressed more than 100 community members on civilian personal safety that evening.
2015-16 Annual Report
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e will never regret reaching our goal; we will only re
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The future is i 8/10/16 8:40 AM
ly regret giving up and not trying harder.
s in your hands.
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1515 Howard Street Petoskey, Michigan 49770
Petoskey, Gaylord and Cheboygan
www.ncmich.edu • 888-298-6605
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Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church members have given Crisis Ministries $20,000 to launch a program for homeless children and their families living in the nonprofit's shelters.
The Old Village church's missions team chose Crisis Ministries from among 15 nonprofits that applied for its grants.
Crisis Ministries will use the money to help address the needs of homeless children by launching a child development program. The program will offer health screenings and behavioral therapy for children along with parenting groups and other services.
In fiscal year 2013, Crisis Ministries sheltered 144 children. Now, at a minimum, every child will receive a health screening to see what if any other services they need.
The addition builds on the church's long-standing partnership with Crisis Ministries, said John Hage, associate pastor for missions.
"With the rise of children and families experiencing homelessness, we know that this grant and program will help to meet the needs of a growing and vulnerable population," Hage said.
At least 124 Mount Pleasant Presbyterian members volunteer each month at the shelter. The church has been involved with Crisis Ministries since its birth, Hage added.
Stacey Denaux, CEO of Crisis Ministries, thanked church members for supporting the nonprofit's mission to end homelessness.
She said this marks an opportunity to expand its services, which historically have focused on adults.
"It is critical that we address the behavioral and developmental needs of homeless children so we can help them move beyond homelessness," Denaux said in a statement.
Founded in 1984, Crisis Ministries serves more than 1,900 men, women and children each year, and provides nearly 200,000 meals. Along with food and shelter, it also offers supportive services such as counseling, employment and educational programs, civil legal assistance, primary health care and more.
Go to CharlestonHomeless.org for more information.


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Helen Petridis, nee Paleologos, beloved wife of the late Konstantinos Petridis; loving mother of Peter (Stella) andKiki Petridis; proud grandmother of Eleni and Vasiliki "Vicki" Petridis; fond sister, aunt and friend of many here and in Greece.
Visitation Friday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. atSmith-Corcoran Funeral Home, 185 E. Northwest Hwy, Palatine.
Family and friends will meet Saturday morning at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 6041 W. Diversey, Chicago for funeral service at 10:30 a.m. Interment Ridgewood Cemetery.


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Police: Nicholas Delaney turned himself in Friday
Car found in Carthage Thursday
Police: Nicholas Delaney turned himself in Friday
Car found in Carthage Thursday
Fairfield police say a man suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend has turned himself in.
Samantha Decker, 24, was found shot to death at her condominium early Thursday morning.
After receiving a tip, Cincinnati police found a yellow Mustang belonging to her ex-boyfriend, Nicholas Delaney, on Van Kirk Avenue near 73rd street later Thursday morning.
After putting surveillance on the car to see if Delaney would return, officers had the car towed to Fairfield police headquarters for processing.
Fairfield police said Delaney turned himself in to officers just after noon Friday.
Investigators said Delaney ambushed Decker, the mother of his child, before fleeing the scene.


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Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Smashwords offers Free Books!
Yes, you read correctly - free children's books. I was recently introduced to this site and have thoroughly enjoyed browsing as well as downloading several of their free books. They make the books available in many different formats including for the Kindle and for an Apple iPad or you can just download them as a PDF if you like. Here is a link to the site. To get to the free books you first choose a category from the column on the right (for example under the Fiction column choose Children's books) then at the top you can use the "free ebook" filter. Up will pop literally hundreds of free books to choose from! You can also do the same under the Non-Fiction column. To "purchase" the book just click on it and you will get a book description. At the bottom of this page will be your download options. It's so simple! And, you just might find some free books for yourself too! Hope you enjoy and let me know if you like it!
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Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday presented the interim Budget amid chaos in the Parliament.
Here are the highlights of the Interim Budget 2014-15:
# RBI must strike a balance between growth and moderating inflation: Chidambaram
# Excise duty on SUVs cut from 30 to 24 pc, in large and mid-segment cars from 27-24 pc to 24-20 pc: Chidambaram
# Blood banks to be exempt from service tax: Chidambaram
# Revenue deficit estimated at 3 pc for current fiscal.
# Service tax relief storage for warehousing for rice.
# Excise duty on small cars, motorcycles and SUVs reduced.
# Excise duty cut from 12 to 10 per cent in capital goods sector to stimulate growth.
# No changes in tax laws in interim budget.
# 140 million moved out of poverty during the Government of UPA I and II
# Government has obtained information in 67 cases of illegal offshore accounts of Indians.
# Finance Minister says neither populism, nor majoritism is a way for governance
# Moratorium on interest on student loans taken before March 31, 2009; to benefit 9 lakh borrowers.
# Social Justice Ministry gets Rs 6730 crore; Panchayati Raj Ministry Rs 7000 crore, says FM.
# Minority bank accounts have swelled to 43,53,000 by 2013-14 from 14,15,000 bank accounts 10 years ago.
# I am disappointed that we could not introduce GST: FM
# We must focus on manufacturing, specially manufacturing for exports: Chidambaram
# The excise duty reduced for small cars from 12% to 8%l; for SUVs from 30% top 24%.
# Social Justice Ministry gets Rs 6730 crore; Panchayati Raj Ministry Rs 7000 crore: Chidambaram
# I wonder how many have noted the fact the Indian economy is 11th largest in the world: Chidambaram
# Focus should be on PPPs in infra sector; for the flagship programmes, the states should come forward and contribute: FM
# 1,200 crore rupees additional assistance to N-E states to be released before end of the year: FM
# Chidambaram proposes to set up research funding organisation for funding research in science; contribution to this shall be exempt from tax.
# Rs 6000 crore to rural housing fund, Rs 2000 crore for urban housing fund
# We must focus on manufacturing, and manufacturing for export; with minimum tariff protection: Chidambaram
# Top areas of priority: fiscal consolidation; CAD; high growth with moderate level of inflation; time table for passing legislation.
# Rs 500 crore estimated requirement for implementing one-rank-one-pay scheme for armed forces in 2014-15.
# Nearly 9 lakh student borrowers will benefit through the moratorium on repayment of student loans: Chidambaram
# Food subsidy will be Rs 1,15,000 crore for implementation of National Food Security Act.
# Budgetary support to Railways increased from Rs 26,000 crore to Rs 29,000 crore 2014-15: Chidambaram
# Aadhaar is tool for empowerment: FM
# Rs 3,370 crore to transferred to 2.1 crore LPG users; Govt committed to Aadhaar-based LPG transfer but scheme on hold temporarily: Chidambaram
# 41,16,000 women have been provided credit through SHGs: Chidambaram
# Bank accounts for the minorities have increased during ten years of UPA I and II. Banks have rendered yeoman service in reaching government programmes to various sections: Chidambaram
# The allocation for the Defence Ministry has been increased to Rs. 2,24,000 crores: Chidambaram
# Happy to announce that the Govt has accepted the principle of 'one rank of pay' for the defence forces. Rs 500 crore will be transferred for 2014-15 for implementing the 'one rank one pay' decision: Chidambaram
# Budgetary support to railways has been increased to Rs. 29,000 crore: Chidambaram
# Chidambaram for Ministry of Housing and Poverty Alleviation- Rs 6000 crore; Rs. 21,000 cr to Ministry of WCD; Ministry of HRD gets Rs 67,398 crore; Drinking water and sanitation ministry gets Rs 15,260 crore; Social Justice and Empowerment gets Rs 6730 crore
# Railways need to mobilise support through market borrowing: Chidambaram
# Rs 1,000 crore grant for Nirbhaya Fund will be non-lapsable; another Rs 1,000 crore to be given next fiscal: Chidambaram
# Rs 1,200 crore additional assistance to N-E states to be released before end of the year: Chidambaram
# National Solar Mission to undertake 4 ultra mega solar power projects in 2014-15: Chidambaram
# 500 MW fast breeder nuclear reaction in Kalpakkam to be ready shortly; 7 nuclear power reactors under construction: Chidambaram
# PSUs to achieve record capex of Rs 2,57,645 crore in 2013-14
# Average growth under UPA's ten year rule was 6.2 per cent against 5.9 during NDA period of 1999-2004
# Average growth under UPA-I was 8.4 per cent and UPA-II 6.6 per cent.
# The IT modernisation project of the Dept of Posts will be operational soon: Chidambaram
# More than 54 lakhs transactions have been put through, through the DBT scheme: Chidambaram
# The govt remains fully committed to the Aadhar for financial inclusion: Chidambaram
# Chidambaram promises to grant Rs 1000 crore to the Nirbahya Fund for next year
# The NE states, HP and Uttarakhand deserve special attention: Chidambaram
# I reject the argument of policy paralysis: Chidambaram.
# Govt has approved the National Agro Forestry Policy which will enhance employment: Chidambaram
# The Kalpakkam nuclear reactor is nearing completion: Chidambaram
# Expenditure on education has risen from Rs 10,145 crore 10 years ago to Rs 79,251 crore this year: Chidambaram
# Declining fiscal deficit, moderation of CAD, stable exchange rate and increase in project implementation result of hardwork: Chidambaram
# Power capacity rises to 234,600 MW in 10 years: Chidambaram
# GDP growth rate in Q3 and Q4 of 2013-14 will be at least 5.2 pc: Chidambaram
# Three more industrial corridors – Chennai-Bangalore, Bangalore-Mumbai, Amritsar-Kolkata – under various stages of implementation: Chidambaram
# Merchandise export to grow by 6.8 pc to USD 326 billion: Chidambaram
# 296 projects worth Rs 6,60,000 crore cleared by Cabinet Committee on Investment by end January 2014: Chidambaram
# 8 national manufacturing zones have been approved along the Delhi-Mumbai corridor: Chidambaram
# CAD will be USD 45 billion in 2013-14: Chidambaram
# Agriculture credit will cross USD 45 billion against USD 41 billion in 2012-13: Chidambaram
# Foodgrain production estimated at 263 million tons in 2013-14: Chidambaram
# We acted with the RBI to fight inflation: Chidambaram
# Fiscal deficit to be contained at 4.6 pct of GDP in 2013-14: Chidambaram
# We will add forex exchange of USD 15 billion: Chidambaram
# Imports are down and this does not augur well for manufacturing and trade: Chidambaram
# We shall not do anything that will affect the foundation of India's economy: Chidambaram
# Chidambaram's speech disrupted by ministers over Telangana issue. Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar asks members not to shout. "Last few days left, don't obstruct."
(With PTI inputs)
For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App


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From Toronto to Vancouver: 8 Juice Bars to try in Canada
By Ashley Greene
With warmer weather finally on its way, the desire to get fit and healthy this summer is on everyone's mind – and what better way to do it than by juicing! Juicing has always been a reliable and healthy (read: not a fad) way lose weight, and it doesn't hurt that it tastes great, too.
From vitamins and antioxidants to skin clearing and increases in energy, there are many benefits to drinking your fruits and vegetables. The best part? You don't even have to make it yourself! Here are our picks for the eight must-visit juice bars in Canada.
HELLO! Canada magazine is available for your tablet and smartphone. Get HELLO! Canada, PEOPLE, Vanity Fair and over 100 more of the world's best magazines for one low monthly price at Texture by Next Issue. CLICK HERE to sign up for a free trial.


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The Klippel Feil syndrome is also known as congenital synostosis of the cervical vertebrae, or brevicollis. In this syndrome, there is a rare malformation in which there is congenital fusion of two or more vertebrae in the cervical region.
Klippel Feil syndrome is manifested clinically by shortening of the neck, limitation of neck motion and low posterior hairline.
Klippel Feil syndrome also has a risk of accompanying abnormalities of the genitourinary, cardiopulmonary and nervous systems.
The first complete clinical description of this syndrome was given by Klippel and Feil in 1912.
There are three morphologic groups of Klippel Feil Syndrome.
- Type I – a massive fusion of the cervical spine
- Type II – the fusion of 1 or 2 vertebrae
- Type III – There are thoracic and lumbar spine anomalies in association with type I or type II Klippel-Feil syndrome
Samartzis and colleagues suggested their classification system that is used for evaluating the prognosis.
- Type I – a single-level fusion
- Type II – Multiple, noncontiguous fused segments
- Type III – Multiple, contiguous fused segments.
The true incidence of Klippel-Feil syndrome is unknown but indirect measures point the incidence between 0.2 to 0.71 per thousand.
The condition is more preponderant in the female.
The etiology of Klippel Feil syndrome and its associated conditions is unknown. Genetic cause and fetal insult have been suggested as possible causes. This disorder results from failure of normal segmentation of the mesodermal somites during the third to the eighth weeks of fetal life.
Presentation of Klippel Feil syndrome
Clinical manifestations vary according to the severity of the deformity. Diagnosis may be made at any age. The usual presentation is in childhood but it could be later in life too.It can often be detected as incidental finding. Those with involvement of upper cervical spine tend to present at an earlier than those with lower in the cervical spine.
Short neck, stiffness of the neck and low hairline occurs in 40-50% of patients. Decreased range of motion of cervical spine especially the rotation is the most frequent clinical finding. Rotational loss usually is more pronounced than is the loss of flexion and extension. This is because these movements take place mostly between the occiput and atlas.
There is webbing of soft tissues on each side of the neck, extending from the mastoid process to the acromion of the shoulders, which is referred to as "pterygium colli." Webbing increases the apparent width of the neck and may involve the muscles and the fascia as well as the skin.
Torticollis and facial asymmetry is another presentation. It is important to distinguish between congenital muscular torticollis form Klippel Feil syndrome in children presenting with torticollis.
Torticolis may be due either to contracture of the sternocleidomastoid muscle or bony abnormalities.
Neurologic problems may develop in 20% of patients. Occipitocervical abnormalities were the most common cause of neurologic problems.
Cervical or cervicothoracic scoliosis is found in about 60 percent patients of Klippel Feil Syndrome.
Rarley, cervical spinal stenosis can occur which increases the the risk of neurologic involvement.
Sprengel anomaly [Congenital high scapula] occurs in 20-30% of patients.
Other congenital anomalies of the musculoskeletal system in Klippel Feil Syndrome may occur, such as cervical ribs, congenital fusion of ribs, abnormal costovertebral joints, syndactyly, hypoplastic thumbs, supernumerary digits, hypoplasia of the pectoralis major muscle, hemiatrophy of the upper or lower limbs, talipes equinovarus, and sacral agencies.
Urinary tract abnormalities are common and include agenesis of the kidney, horseshoe kidney, hydronephrosis, tubular ectasia, renal ectopia, and double collecting system.
Therefore Intravenous pyelography is vital in assessment of the Klippel Feil syndrome.
Cardiovascular abnormalities may be associated with the Klippel Feil syndrome in 4.2 percent. Intervertricular septal defect is the most common cardiac anomaly. Other abnormalities reported are patent ductus arteriosus, coarctation of the aorta, and patent foramen ovale.
There could be other visceral abnormalities like ectopic lung, agenesis of lung, mediastinal bronchogenic cyst, ovarian agenesis, and absence of the vagina.
A complete list of anomalies is given below
List of Anomalies associated with Klippel Feil Syndrome
Musculoskeletal System
Relatively Common:
Urinary system
Reproductive System
Cardiovascular system
Pulmonary System
Nervous System
Miscellaneous Deformities
Deafness is common in Klippel-Feil disease. All types of hearing loss have been described. There is no characteristic audiologic anomaly. Hearing loss will retard development of speech and language.
Synkinesia may occur in the Klippel-Feil syndrome. It consists of involuntary paired movements of the hands (mirror motion) the patient is unable to move the hands independently.
A neurologic deficit due to compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots may occur. Facial nerve palsy, rectus muscle palsy, ptosis of the eye, and cleft palate may accompany the Klippel-Feil syndrome.
Imaging Studies
Plain radiography is the basis for the diagnosis of Klippel-Feil syndrome.
AP and lateral views of the cervical spine are the standard views. If anomalies are found or suspected, careful assessment of the craniocervical junction by other imaging modalities is necessary to detect anomalies at that level.
Flexion-extension radiographs are indicated if instability is suspected at the craniocervical junction or if 2 fused segments are separated by an open segment. Plain radiographs of the entire spine must be obtained to detect other spinal anomalies.
Chest x-ray for multiple rib fusions, also is necessary. ECG and echocardiography may be done to rule out cardiac involvement.
CT scanning with 3-dimensional reconstruction is done to evaluate the involved spinal elevels better especially for surgical planning.
In patients with neurologic deficits magnetic resonance imaging is indicated. MRI can also used to reveal any central nervous system anomalies, like syringomyelia.
Ultrasonography of the kidneys is indicated to screen for renal anomalies and if required may be followed by urological studies.
Because of the high incidence of hearing loss with Klippel-Feil syndrome, ear should be evluated in all the cases.
Radiological examination is important in establishing a diagnosis and in determining the extent of the deformity.
The cervical vertebrae are often obscured by the overlapping occiput and mandible; not infrequently, one may have to resort to laminography for proper visualization.
Treatment of Klippel Feil Syndrome
Because Klippel Feil syndrome occur at different ages with different clinical picture, the diagnosis and work up is indvidualized.
Non orthopedic therapy for Klippel Feil syndrome depends on the congenital anomalies present in the syndrome and treated accordingly.
Orthopedics problems which may require attention are [Treatment is indicated in parenthesis]
- Progressive cervical and cervicothoracic deformity [requiring fusion]
- Compensatory or associated congenital scoliosis, which also can be progressive over time and requires fusion to prevent progressive deformity.
- Symptomatic cervical disc herniation. [requiring total disc arthroplasty or fusion]
- Cervical spine instability [requiring fusion]
- Neurologic deficits and persistent pain[Decompression and fusion]
- Development of a compensatory curve in the thoracic spine[Bracing or fusion]
- Symptomatic spinal stenosis [Decompression]
- Webbing of the skin that exaggerates the deformity [plastic procedures.]
- Contracture of the sternocleidomastoid muscle [division or partial excision.]
- Sprengel's deformity[Surgically restoration]
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