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Best Kids Parties: Princess Ballerina
Name: Naomi, 4
Location: Janesville, WI
My lovely daughter turned four this year, and her request was to have a ballerina princess party. I only had two days to throw this party together AND make it fun for toddlers, ages 1 through 5.
I wanted to keep it simple and inexpensive. I went with a pink and orange color theme, using an old floral sheet for the tablecloth, making colorful poms out of pink, orange and white tissue paper, and creating a happy birthday banner out of a collection of white frames and colorful paper signs that I whipped up in a few minutes on Photoshop.
I picked up some fun ballet dance DVDs from the library that are geared towards children. They teach ballet positions and show scenes from real ballets. The girls had a lot of fun dressing up in their tutus and dancing around our house trying to copy the ballet dancers on the DVDs.
Each child received a pink foam tiara which they decorated with stick on gems and sparkle stickers. They also got a bag with colorful beads and string to make their own princess necklaces.
For the centerpiece, I made pink and orange ribbon wands for the girls to dance around with. I put those in an old vase I had lying around and placed that on the table along with some borrowed orange cupcake holders.
I kept the food really simple. We made a yummy fruit platter with a cream cheese dip and I made croissant pizza roll ups with string cheese and pepperoni. I also made a pink lemonade sparkling punch and pink cupcakes with white frosting and sprinkles. I picked up some princess crown cupcake toppers from our local grocery store that worked well with the theme.
My goal was to have a tantrum-free birthday party...it was very successful! I was able to keep the party structured and moving along with crafts, free play (er, dance), and best of all, I had a very happy 4-year-old princess ballerina!
Thanks, Cameron!
(Images: Popcorn Movie Nights)


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A consortium of fly-fishing clubs in Southern Oregon has pooled resources to fly in a Canadian stillwater fly-fishing expert for a series of appearances and a fishing workshop at one of the Northwest's best fly-fishing lakes.
Phil Rowley will make presentations to the May meetings of the Rogue Fly-Fishers Association in Medford, as well as the Southern Oregon Fly Fishers of Grants Pass, the Klamath County Fly Casters and a similar group in Roseburg.
The Medford presentation will be Wednesday, May 15, at the Red Lion Hotel, 200 N. Riverside Ave. The meeting starts with a 6 p.m. Wet Fly hour followed at 7 p.m. by dinner, club business and Rowley's presentation. The meetings are open to the public.
Rowley will speak Thursday, May 16, at the Grants Pass club meeting.
Rowley will present a three-day weekend seminar Saturday to Monday, May 18-20, that starts with an all-day class and finishes with two days of fishing at Diamond Lake in eastern Douglas County.
There is room for 25 people in the class, and space is available. The three-day class costs $60 for club members and $70 for nonmembers.
For information and registration, email John MacDiarmid at email@example.com.
Winners of big-game raffle tags receive the same special hunting privileges that people pay thousands for at auction — hunting for an extended season (eight weeks or longer) and in an expanded hunt area (statewide for some hunts).
Raffle tickets can be purchased for other people, and they make a great gift for family and friends who hunt.
A California man's lucky raffle draw of a tag to hunt Rocky Mountain goat landed him in the Oregon record books and positioned him as a poster boy for the state's raffle-tag fundraising program.
Will Garroutte won last year's goat tag in the raffle, and on Sept. 6 in Wallowa County, he shot the largest goat ever taken in the state.
The horns recorded a score of 54 inches, best in Oregon and 27th all-time in North America as chronicled by the Boone & Crockett Club.
Raffle tickets for this year's goat tag and other tags will be offered online and through the mail until Monday. After that, tickets can be purchased only at the Oregon Hunters Association state convention on May 18 in Lincoln City, where the raffle drawing will be held.
Ticket prices vary. For a breakdown of tags, ticket prices and ways to buy them, check page 23 of the "2013 Oregon Big Game Regulations" booklet or get a mail-order form at www.OregonRaffleHunts.com.
A series of campgrounds on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in the Cascades will be opened today by Prospect-based Rogue Recreation, the concessionaire that operates them.
Opening today is Farewell Bend Campground, which has 61 sites that cost campers $18 per night. Also opening is Union Creek Campground, which has 78 sites that cost $14 per night, and the 25-site Abbott Creek Campground, which costs $12 a night to stay. The first five sites at Abbott Creek are for off-highway vehicle camping.
Rounding out the Rogue Recreation campgrounds is Fish Lake Campground, which has 19 sites that cost $18 per night.
Each campground has bundles of cured firewood for $6, and they can be delivered to campgrounds by camp hosts on golf carts.
Rogue Recreation does not take reservations at the campgrounds it runs, but typically there are open sites, says Rogue Recreation's Melanie Goodboe. Even on holiday weekends, hosts find spots for campers, sometimes directing them to open sites at other campgrounds, Goodboe says.
Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text: This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-04-951T entitled 'Energy Markets: Mergers and Many Other Factors Affect U.S. Gasoline Markets' which was released on July 07, 2004. This text file was formatted by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this document to email@example.com. This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. Testimony: Before the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives: United States General Accounting Office: GAO: For Release on Delivery Expected at 9:30 a.m. EDT: Wednesday, July 7, 2004: Energy Markets: Mergers and Many Other Factors Affect U.S. Gasoline Markets: Statement of Jim Wells, Director, Natural Resources and Environment: GAO-04-951T: GAO Highlights: Highlights of GAO-04-951T, a report to Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives: Why GAO Did This Study: Gasoline is subject to dramatic price swings. A multitude of factors cause volatility in U.S. gasoline markets, including world crude oil costs, limited refining capacity, and low inventories relative to demand. Since the 1990s, another factor affecting U.S. gasoline markets has been a wave of mergers in the petroleum industry, several of them between large oil companies that had previously competed with each other. For example, in 1999, Exxon, the largest U.S. oil company, merged with Mobil, the second largest. This testimony is based primarily on Energy Markets: Effects of Mergers and Market Concentration in the U.S. Petroleum Industry (GAO-04-96, May 17, 2004). This report examined mergers in the U.S. petroleum industry from the 1990s through 2000, the changes in market concentration (the distribution of market shares among competing firms) and other factors affecting competition in the U.S. petroleum industry, how U.S. gasoline marketing has changed since the 1990s, and how mergers and market concentration in the U.S. petroleum industry have affected U.S. gasoline prices at the wholesale level. To address these issues, GAO purchased and analyzed a large body of data and developed state-of-the art econometric models for isolating the effects of eight specific mergers and increased market concentration on wholesale gasoline prices. Experts peer-reviewed GAO's analysis. What GAO Found: One of the many factors that can impact gasoline prices is mergers within the U.S. petroleum industry. Over 2,600 such mergers have occurred since the 1990s. The majority occurred later in the period, most frequently among firms involved in exploration and production. Industry officials cited various reasons for the mergers, particularly the need for increased efficiency and cost savings. Economic literature also suggests that firms sometimes merge to enhance their ability to control prices. Partly because of the mergers, market concentration has increased in the industry, mostly in the downstream (refining and marketing) segment. For example, market concentration in refining increased from moderately to highly concentrated on the East Coast and from unconcentrated to moderately concentrated on the West Coast. Concentration in the wholesale gasoline market increased substantially from the mid-1990s so that by 2002, most states had either moderately or highly concentrated wholesale gasoline markets. On the other hand, market concentration in the upstream (exploration and production) segment remained unconcentrated by the end of the 1990s. Anecdotal evidence suggests that mergers also have changed other factors affecting competition, such as firms' ability to enter the market. Two major changes have occurred in U.S. gasoline marketing related to mergers, according to industry officials. First, the availability of generic gasoline, which is generally priced lower than branded gasoline, has decreased substantially. Second, refiners now prefer to deal with large distributors and retailers, which has motivated further consolidation in distributor and retail markets. Based on data from the mid-1990s through 2000, GAO's econometric analyses indicate that mergers and increased market concentration generally led to higher wholesale gasoline prices in the United States. Six of the eight mergers GAO modeled led to price increases, averaging about 2 cents per gallon. Increased market concentration, which reflects the cumulative effects of mergers and other competitive factors, also led to increased prices in most cases. For conventional gasoline, the predominant type used in the country, the change in wholesale price due to increased market concentration ranged from a decrease of about 1 cent per gallon to an increase of about 5 cents per gallon. For boutique fuels sold in the East Coast and Gulf Coast regions, wholesale prices increased by about 1 cent per gallon, while prices for boutique fuels sold in California increased by over 7 cents per gallon. GAO also identified price increases of one-tenth of a cent to 7 cents that were caused by other factors included in the models— particularly low gasoline inventories relative to demand, high refinery capacity utilization rates, and supply disruptions in some regions. FTC disagreed with GAO's methodology and findings. However, GAO believes its analyses are sound. www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-951T. To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on the link above. For more information, contact Jim Wells at (202) 512-3841 or email@example.com. [End of section] Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: We are pleased to be here today to participate in discussing issues related to the volatility of U.S. gasoline markets. According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average nationwide price paid for regular gasoline (the type of gasoline used most in the United States) at the pump was as high as $2.06 cents/ gallon by the end of May 2004, an increase of about 58 cents/gallon or 39 percent over the same time last year. On the West Coast, gasoline prices reached an average of $2.34 cents/gallon by the end of May 2004, an increase of about 65 cents/gallon or 38 percent over the same time last year. Although prices have recently begun to fall, elevated gasoline prices can be an economic burden to American consumers and the economy. A broad range of factors affects the volatility of gasoline prices. These factors typically include changes in crude oil costs, limited refinery capacity, inventory levels relative to demand, supply disruptions, and regulatory factors--such as the many different gasoline formulations that are required to meet varying federal and state environmental laws. Federal and state taxes are also a component of U.S. gasoline prices, but these do not fluctuate often. We have addressed many of these issues in several studies on energy markets. Among other things, our past studies showed that: * the U.S. economy is vulnerable to oil supply disruptions that can impose significant economic costs, and in our report options were identified to mitigate their effects; * the Clean Air Act specifically requires refiners to produce reformulated gasoline, and the requirement to provide a specific blend for a specific area can present challenges to refiners and other suppliers if there are supply disruptions; * gasoline price spikes were generally higher in California from January 1995 through December 1999 than in the rest of the nation, partly because of the difficulty in substituting for the loss of supply of CARB, the special reformulated gasoline used in California, when there were unplanned refinery outages; * retail gasoline prices in California rose faster than they fell in response to a delayed pass-through in changes in the wholesale price of gasoline; * as we testified in 2001, each day vehicles in the United States consume about 10 million barrels of petroleum fuels, primarily gasoline and diesel, and according to projections, the figure will rise to about 15 million barrels per day by 2010, raising concerns about the nation's ability to satisfy this growing demand; * the transportation sector is more than 90 percent dependent on petroleum-based fuels, such as gasoline, and this dependence contributes to our vulnerability to oil supply disruptions and related price shocks; and: * existing federal programs to promote alternative fuel vehicles and alternative fuel use in the transportation sector have faced significant barriers. Market consolidation is another factor that can affect the price of gasoline. Our testimony today will focus on our recent study that examined the effects of market consolidation and other factors on the U. S. petroleum industry.[Footnote 1] Since the 1990s, the U.S. petroleum industry has experienced a wave of mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, several of them between large oil companies that had previously competed with each other for the sale of petroleum products.[Footnote 2] A few examples include the merger between British Petroleum (BP) and Amoco in 1998 to form BPAmoco, which later merged with ARCO, and the merger in 1999 between Exxon, the largest U.S. oil company, and Mobil, the second largest. In general, mergers raise concerns about potential anticompetitive effects on the U.S. petroleum industry and ultimately on gasoline prices because mergers could result in greater market power for the merged companies, potentially allowing them to increase prices above competitive levels.[Footnote 3] On the other hand, mergers could also yield cost savings and efficiency gains, which may be passed on to consumers in lower prices. Ultimately, the impact depends on whether market power or efficiency dominates. Our report examined mergers in the U.S. petroleum industry from the 1990s through 2000, the changes in market concentration (the distribution of market shares among competing firms) and other factors affecting competition in the U.S. petroleum industry, how U.S. gasoline marketing has changed since the 1990s, and how mergers and market concentration in the U.S. petroleum industry have affected U.S. gasoline prices at the wholesale level. To address these issues, we purchased and analyzed a large body of data on mergers and wholesale gasoline prices, as well as data on other relevant economic factors. We also developed econometric models for examining the effects of eight specific mergers and increased market concentration on U.S. wholesale gasoline prices nationwide. It is noteworthy that using econometric models allowed us to measure the effects of mergers and market concentration while isolating the effects of several other factors that could influence wholesale gasoline prices, such as world crude oil costs, limited refining capacity, or low inventories relative to demand. In the course of our work, we consulted with Dr. Severin Borenstein,[Footnote 4] a recognized expert in the modeling of gasoline markets; interviewed officials across the industry spectrum; and reviewed relevant economic literature and numerous related studies. We also used an extensive peer review process to obtain comments from experts in academia and relevant government agencies. We conducted our work in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. In summary, we found the following: * Over 2,600 mergers occurred in the petroleum industry from 1991 through 2000. The majority of the mergers occurred during the second half of the decade, most frequently in the upstream (exploration and production) segment of the industry. Petroleum industry officials cited various reasons for this wave of mergers, particularly the need for increased efficiency and cost savings. Economic literature suggests that firms also sometimes use mergers to enhance their market power. Ultimately, the reasons cited by both sources generally relate to the merging companies' desire to maximize profit or shareholder wealth. * Market concentration, which is commonly measured by the Herfindahl- Hirschman Index (HHI), has increased in the downstream (refining and marketing) segment of the U.S. petroleum industry since the 1990s, partly as a result of merger activities, while changing very little in the upstream (exploration and production) segment. In the downstream segment, market concentration in refining increased from moderately to highly concentrated on the East Coast and from unconcentrated to moderately concentrated on the West Coast; it increased but remained moderately concentrated in the Rocky Mountain region. Concentration in the wholesale gasoline market increased substantially from the mid- 1990s so that by 2002, most states had either moderately or highly concentrated wholesale gasoline markets. On the other hand, market concentration decreased somewhat in the upstream segment and remained unconcentrated by the end of the 1990s. Anecdotal evidence suggests that mergers also have affected other factors that impact competition, such as the ability of new firms to enter the market. * According to industry officials, two major changes have occurred in U.S. gasoline marketing since the 1990s, partly related to mergers. First, the availability of unbranded (generic) gasoline has decreased substantially. Unbranded gasoline is generally priced lower than branded gasoline, which is marketed under the refiner's trademark. Industry officials generally attributed the decreased availability of unbranded gasoline to, among other factors, a reduction in the number of independent refiners that typically supply unbranded gasoline. Second, industry officials said that refiners now prefer dealing with large distributors and retailers. This preference, according to the officials, has motivated further consolidation in both the distributor and retail markets, including the rise of hypermarkets--a relatively new breed of gasoline market participants that includes such large retail warehouses as Wal-Mart and Costco. * Our econometric analyses, using data from the mid-1990s through 2000, show that oil industry mergers generally led to higher wholesale gasoline prices (measured in our report as wholesale prices less crude oil prices), although prices sometimes decreased. Six of the eight specific mergers we modeled--which mostly involved large, fully vertically integrated companies--generally resulted in increases in wholesale prices for branded and/or unbranded gasoline of about 2 cents per gallon, on average. Two of the mergers generally led to price decreases, of about 1 cent per gallon, on average. For conventional gasoline--the predominant type used in the United States except in areas that require special gasoline formulations--the change in wholesale price ranged from a decrease of about 1 cent per gallon to an increase of about 5 cents per gallon. The preponderance of price increases over decreases indicates that the market power effects, which tend to increase prices, for the most part outweighed the efficiency effects, which tend to decrease prices. * Our econometric analyses also show that increased market concentration, which captures the cumulative effects of mergers as well as other market structure factors, also generally led to higher prices for conventional gasoline and for boutique fuels--gasoline that has been reformulated for certain areas in the East Coast and Gulf Coast regions and in California to lower pollution. The price increases were particularly large in California, where they averaged about 7 cents per gallon. Higher wholesale gasoline prices were also a result of other factors: low gasoline inventories, which typically occur in the summer driving months; high refinery capacity utilization rates; and supply disruptions, which occurred in the Midwest and on the West Coast. * We also identified price increases of one-tenth of 1 cent to 7 cents per gallon that were caused by other factors included in our models-- particularly low gasoline inventories relative to demand, high refinery capacity utilization rates, and supply disruptions that occurred in some regions. As I noted earlier, we used extensive peer review to obtain comments from outside experts, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and EIA, and we incorporated those comments as appropriate. FTC disagreed with our methodology and findings and provided extensive comments, which we have addressed in our report. Our findings are generally consistent with previous studies of the effects of specific oil mergers and of market concentration on gasoline prices. We believe, however, that ours is the first comprehensive study to model the impact of the industry's 1990s wave of mergers on wholesale gasoline prices for the entire United States, an effort that required us to acquire large datasets and perform complex analyses. Background: Many firms of varying sizes make up the U.S. petroleum industry. While some firms engage in only limited activities within the industry, such as exploration for and production of crude oil and natural gas or refining crude oil and marketing petroleum products, fully vertically integrated oil companies participate in all aspects of the industry. Before the 1970s, major oil companies that were fully vertically integrated controlled the global network for supplying, pricing, and marketing crude oil. However, the structure of the world crude oil market has dramatically changed as a result of such factors as the nationalization of oil fields by oil-producing countries, the emergence of independent oil companies, and the evolution of futures and spot markets in the 1970s and 1980s. Since U.S. oil prices were deregulated in 1981, the price paid for crude oil in the United States has been largely determined in the world oil market, which is mostly influenced by global factors, especially supply decisions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and world economic and political conditions. The United States currently imports over 60 percent of its crude oil supply. In contrast, the bulk of the gasoline used in the United States is produced domestically. In 2001, for example, gasoline refined in the United States accounted for over 90 percent of the total domestic gasoline consumption. Companies that supply gasoline to U.S. markets also post the domestic gasoline prices. Historically, the domestic petroleum market has been divided into five regions: the East Coast region, the Midwest region, the Gulf Coast region, the Rocky Mountain region, and the West Coast region.[Footnote 5] Proposed mergers in all industries, including the petroleum industry, are generally reviewed by federal antitrust authorities--including FTC and the Department of Justice (DOJ)--to assess the potential impact on market competition. According to FTC officials, FTC generally reviews proposed mergers involving the petroleum industry because of the agency's expertise in that industry. FTC analyzes these mergers to determine if they would likely diminish competition in the relevant markets and result in harm, such as increased prices. To determine the potential effect of a merger on market competition, FTC evaluates how the merger would change the level of market concentration, among other things. Conceptually, the higher the concentration, the less competitive the market is and the more likely that firms can exert control over prices. The ability to maintain prices above competitive levels for a significant period of time is known as market power. According to the merger guidelines jointly issued by DOJ and FTC, market concentration as measured by HHI is ranked into three separate categories: a market with an HHI under 1,000 is considered to be unconcentrated; if HHI is between 1,000 and 1,800 the market is considered moderately concentrated; and if HHI is above 1,800, the market is considered highly concentrated. [Footnote 6] While concentration is an important aspect of market structure--the underlying economic and technical characteristics of an industry--other aspects of market structure that may be affected by mergers also play an important role in determining the level of competition in a market. These aspects include barriers to entry, which are market conditions that provide established sellers an advantage over potential new entrants in an industry, and vertical integration. Mergers Occurred in All Segments of the U.S. Petroleum Industry in the 1990s for Several Reasons: Over 2,600 merger transactions occurred from 1991 through 2000 involving all three segments of the U.S. petroleum industry. Almost 85 percent of the mergers occurred in the upstream segment (exploration and production), while the downstream segment (refining and marketing of petroleum) accounted for about 13 percent, and the midstream segment (transportation) accounted for over 2 percent. The vast majority of the mergers--about 80 percent--involved one company's purchase of a segment or asset of another company, while about 20 percent involved the acquisition of a company's total assets by another so that the two became one company. Most of the mergers occurred in the second half of the decade, including those involving large partially or fully vertically integrated companies. Petroleum industry officials and experts we contacted cited several reasons for the industry's wave of mergers in the 1990s, including achieving synergies, increasing growth and diversifying assets, and reducing costs. Economic literature indicates that enhancing market power is also sometimes a motive for mergers. Ultimately, these reasons mostly relate to companies' desire to maximize profit or stock values. Mergers Contributed to Increases in Market Concentration and to Other Changes That Affect Competition: Mergers in the 1990s contributed to increases in market concentration in the downstream segment of the U.S. petroleum industry, while the upstream segment experienced little change overall. We found that market concentration, as measured by the HHI, decreased slightly in the upstream segment, based on crude oil production activities at the national level, from 290 in 1990 to 217 in 2000. Moreover, based on benchmarks established jointly by DOJ and FTC, the upstream segment of the U.S. petroleum industry remained unconcentrated at the end of the 1990s. The increases in market concentration in the downstream segment varied by activity and region. * For example, the HHI of the refining market in the East Coast region increased from a moderately concentrated level of 1136 in 1990 to a highly concentrated level of 1819 in 2000. In the Rocky Mountain and the West Coast regions, it increased from 1029 to 1124 and from 937 to 1267, respectively, in that same period. Thus, while each of these refining markets increased in concentration, the Rocky Mountain remained within the moderately concentrated range but the West Coast changed from unconcentrated in 1990 to moderately concentrated in 2000. The HHI of refining markets also increased from 699 to 980 in the Midwest and from 534 to 704 in the Gulf Coast during the same period, although these markets remained unconcentrated. * In wholesale gasoline markets, market concentration increased broadly throughout the United States between 1994 and 2002. Specifically, we found that 46 states and the District of Columbia had moderately or highly concentrated markets by 2002, compared to 27 in 1994. In both the refining and wholesale markets of the downstream segment, merger activity and market concentration were highly correlated for most regions of the country. Evidence from various sources indicates that, in addition to increasing market concentration, mergers also contributed to changes in other aspects of market structure in the U.S. petroleum industry that affect competition--specifically, vertical integration and barriers to entry. However, we could not quantify the extent of these changes because of a lack of relevant data. Vertical integration can conceptually have both pro-and anticompetitive effects. Based on anecdotal evidence and economic analyses by some industry experts, we determined that a number of mergers that have occurred since the 1990s have led to greater vertical integration in the U.S. petroleum industry, especially in the refining and marketing segment. For example, we identified eight mergers that occurred between 1995 and 2001 that might have enhanced the degree of vertical integration, particularly in the downstream segment. Concerning barriers to entry, our interviews with petroleum industry officials and experts provide evidence that mergers had some impact on the U.S. petroleum industry. Barriers to entry could have implications for market competition because companies that operate in concentrated industries with high barriers to entry are more likely to possess market power. Industry officials pointed out that large capital requirements and environmental regulations constitute barriers for potential new entrants into the U.S. refining business. For example, the officials indicated that a typical refinery could cost billions of dollars to build and that it may be difficult to obtain the necessary permits from the relevant state or local authorities. At the wholesale and retail marketing levels, industry officials pointed out that mergers might have exacerbated barriers to entry in some markets. For example, the officials noted that mergers have contributed to a situation where pipelines and terminals are owned by fewer, mostly integrated companies that sometimes deny access to third-party users, especially when supply is tight--which creates a disincentive for potential new entrants into such wholesale markets. U.S. Gasoline Marketing Has Changed in Two Major Ways: According to some petroleum industry officials that we interviewed, gasoline marketing in the United States has changed in two major ways since the 1990s. First, the availability of unbranded gasoline has decreased, partly due to mergers. Officials noted that unbranded gasoline is generally priced lower than branded. They generally attributed the decreased availability of unbranded gasoline to one or more of the following factors: * There are now fewer independent refiners, who typically supply mostly unbranded gasoline. These refiners have been acquired by branded companies, have grown large enough to be considered a brand, or have simply closed down. * Partially or fully vertically integrated oil companies have sold or mothballed some refineries. As a result, some of these companies now have only enough refinery capacity to supply their own branded needs, with little or no excess to sell as unbranded. * Major branded refiners are managing their inventory more efficiently, ensuring that they produce only enough gasoline to meet their current branded needs. We could not quantify the extent of the decrease in the unbranded gasoline supply because the data required for such analyses do not exist. The second change identified by these officials is that refiners now prefer dealing with large distributors and retailers because they present a lower credit risk and because it is more efficient to sell a larger volume through fewer entities. Refiners manifest this preference by setting minimum volume requirements for gasoline purchases. These requirements have motivated further consolidation in the distributor and retail sectors, including the rise of hypermarkets. Mergers and Increased Market Concentration Generally Led to Higher U.S. Wholesale Gasoline Prices: Our econometric modeling shows that the mergers we examined mostly led to higher wholesale gasoline prices in the second half of the 1990s. The majority of the eight specific mergers we examined--Ultramar Diamond Shamrock (UDS)-Total, Tosco-Unocal, Marathon-Ashland, Shell- Texaco I (Equilon), Shell-Texaco II (Motiva), BP-Amoco, Exxon-Mobil, and Marathon Ashland Petroleum (MAP)-UDS--resulted in higher prices of wholesale gasoline in the cities where the merging companies supplied gasoline before they merged. The effects of some of the mergers were inconclusive, especially for boutique fuels sold in the East Coast and Gulf Coast regions and in California. * For the seven mergers that we modeled for conventional gasoline, five led to increased prices, especially the MAP-UDS and Exxon-Mobil mergers, where the increases generally exceeded 2 cents per gallon, on average. * For the four mergers that we modeled for reformulated gasoline, two- -Exxon-Mobil and Marathon-Ashland--led to increased prices of about 1 cent per gallon, on average. In contrast, the Shell-Texaco II (Motiva) merger led to price decreases of less than one-half cent per gallon, on average, for branded gasoline only. * For the two mergers--Tosco-Unocal and Shell-Texaco I (Equilon)--that we modeled for gasoline used in California, known as California Air Resources Board (CARB) gasoline, only the Tosco-Unocal merger led to price increases. The increases were for branded gasoline only and exceeded 6 cents per gallon, on average. For market concentration, which captures the cumulative effects of mergers as well as other competitive factors, our econometric analysis shows that increased market concentration resulted in higher wholesale gasoline prices. * Prices for conventional (non-boutique) gasoline, the dominant type of gasoline sold nationwide from 1994 through 2000, increased by less than one-half cent per gallon, on average, for branded and unbranded gasoline. The increases were larger in the West than in the East--the increases were between one-half cent and one cent per gallon in the West, and about one-quarter cent in the East (for branded gasoline only), on average. * Price increases for boutique fuels sold in some parts of the East Coast and Gulf Coast regions and in California were larger compared to the increases for conventional gasoline. The wholesale prices increased by an average of about 1 cent per gallon for boutique fuel sold in the East Coast and Gulf Coast regions between 1995 and 2000, and by an average of over 7 cents per gallon in California between 1996 and 2000. Our analysis shows that wholesale gasoline prices were also affected by other factors included in the econometric models--particularly, gasoline inventories relative to demand, refinery capacity utilization rates, and the supply disruptions that occurred in some parts of the Midwest and the West Coast. In particular, wholesale gasoline prices were about 1 cent per gallon higher, on average, when gasoline inventories were low relative to demand, typically in the summer driving months. Also, prices were higher by about an average of one- tenth to two-tenths of 1 cent per gallon when refinery capacity utilization rates increased by 1 percent. The prices of conventional gasoline were about 4 to 5 cents per gallon higher, on average, during the Midwest and West Coast supply disruptions. The increase in prices for CARB gasoline was about 4 to 7 cents per gallon, on average, during the West Coast supply disruptions. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be happy to respond to any questions that you or other Members of the Subcommittee may have. GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments: For further information about this testimony, please contact me at (202) 512-3841. Key contributors to this testimony included Godwin Agbara, Scott Farrow, John A. Karikari, and Cynthia Norris. FOOTNOTES [1] See U.S. General Accounting Office, Energy Markets: Effects of Mergers and Market Concentration in the U.S. Petroleum Industry, GAO-04-96 (Washington, D.C., May 17, 2004). Additional related GAO studies include U.S. Ethanol Market: MTBE Ban in California, GAO-02-440R (Washington, D.C., Feb. 27, 2002); Alternative Motor Fuels and Vehicles: Impact on the Transportation Sector, GAO-01-957T (Washington, D.C., July 10, 2001); Motor Fuels: California Gasoline Price Behavior, GAO/RCED-96-121 (Washington, D.C., Apr. 28, 2000); International Energy Agency: How the Agency Prepares Its World Market Statistics, GAO/RCED-99-142 (Washington, D.C., May 7, 1999); and Energy Security: Evaluating U.S. Vulnerability to Oil Supply Disruptions and Options for Mitigating Their Effects, GAO/RCED-97-6 (Washington, D.C., Dec. 12, 1996). [2] We refer to all of these transactions as mergers. [3] The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have defined market power for a seller as the ability to profitably maintain prices above competitive levels for a significant period of time. [4] Dr. Borenstein is E.T. Grether Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. He is also the Director of the University of California Energy Institute. [5] These regions are known as Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADDs). [6] HHI is calculated by summing the squares of the market shares of all the firms within a given market.


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You have to be careful though or you could get taken. And that's why one of the best places for buying used parts is the internet…when you know what to look for and the sites to trust.


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Happy February! Also, happy…Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit-my year!), Boy Scout Day, President's Day, Valentines Day, Black History Month, and American Heart Month! Did you know so many holidays happen in February? Such a short month, and so much going on-including what's happening in the following articles: (nice segue, huh?)
North-South divide heats up corn bread debate
Sports Bar Menus Change, but Not Too Much


text:
AMARILLO, TEXAS— Millionaire Texas artist Stanley Marsh 3 has been freed on $300,000 bond after being charged with 11 counts of molesting children.
Marsh, known for his 1970s "Cadillac Ranch" art display in the Texas Panhandle, left the Potter County Detention Center in Amarillo on Wednesday night.
Hours earlier, the 74-year-old Marsh surrendered to authorities. Prosecutors accuse him of molesting one 15-year-old and one 16-year-old boy in 2010.
Marsh's lawyers have denied the allegations. They did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment Thursday.
Several earlier lawsuits allege Marsh paid 10 teens for sex acts. An attorney in the civil cases denies the allegations.
Marsh is known for planting 10 painted Cadillacs nose down on Interstate 40 as an art exhibit. He suffered a massive stroke last year.


text:
How HPC has Changed Industry
Irene Qualters, Vice President, Research Information Services at Merck & Co, Inc.
HPC has really changed drug design in a couple of ways. The first way is to date it's allowed us to mix other technologies such as high throughput screening and use our molecular modeling to target where the screening would be most effective, and that's what's happened to date.
I think the opportunity is much greater for the future and it really is to get a fundamental understanding of the biological systems in a predictive way, so that when we start we have a much better idea if something will be safe and if it will be effective.


text:
St. Regis Boutique
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The Connoisseur
Sharing the St. Regis brand's passion for modern design and effortless elegance, celebrated fashion designer Jason Wu is the second ever St. Regis Connoisseur.
With Jason Wu, one of the world's most celebrated fashion designers, as the second St. Regis Connoisseur, the brand invites its discerning guests into a new generation of beyond expectation fashion experiences across the world. A shared passion for modern luxury and effortless elegance make Wu the perfect ambassador of taste and style.
Akin to St. Regis founding patron John Jacob Astor IV, who required unrivaled standards of excellence in his New York flagship over one hundred years ago, Wu's selection of the finest materials inspired by his travel experiences have brought Astor's vision into the future. Following in the footsteps of early nineteenth century elite who traveled to the great cities of the world on frequent grand tours, today's need for cultural explorations in faraway destinations has come to life in the modern age with Wu's own personal journey. His recent grand tour to cherished destinations across the globe inspired the creation of The Grand Tourista Bag exclusively for the St. Regis brand.
This functional, yet stylish, tote reintroduces glamour and romance to travel and offers an elegant accessory for the new generation of global travelers.
"Inspired by my journeys around the world, I've designed The Grand Tourista Bag exclusively for St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and a new generation of global, stylish travelers like you. This chic and timeless accessory is the perfect travel companion to accompany you and your carry-on travel pieces from one St. Regis hotel to the next. Bon Voyage and happy travels!"
St. Regis proudly introduces Chinese Connoisseur, renowned jewelry designer and socialite, Bao Bao Wan. Born in Beijing, Bao Bao Wan is renowned for her opulent pieces which reflect today's modern Chinese woman.
A global tastemaker and artist, Bao Bao Wan is partnering with St. Regis to create two, exclusive jewelry designs inspired by the brand and the St. Regis traveler around the world. The first design, an exquisite pin, debuted in 2016 to celebrate the dedication and service excellence inherent in St. Regis Butlers throughout greater China. The second design is set to launch in early January 2018, with an exclusive event at The St. Regis Shanghai Jingan, the brand's newest offering in China which opened in the summer of 2017.
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Industry's First One-Box, Benchtop UMA/GAN Test Solution for Wireless Communications
BARCELONA, Spain, 3GSM, Booth D45, Feb. 12, 2007 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that at 3GSM it will demonstrate a new test capability for Unlicensed Mobile Access/Generic Access Network (UMA/GAN) that features breakthrough pricing and exceptional ease-of-use. This industry-first one-box benchtop UMA/GAN test solution will initially be available via subscription release to Agilent 8960 Wireless Communications Test Set customers with E6720A annual contracts. UMA specifications are intended to extend mobile voice and data services over fixed WLAN. These services are available to mobile users via dual-mode and UMA-enabled handsets. Consumer acceptance of this new generation of handsets depends heavily on their ability to seamlessly transition between cellular and WLAN networks during calls, while using services such as SMS/MMS, Web browsing and in idle mode. Protocol developers and integration engineers, therefore, require an easy-to-use, comprehensive solution for testing the functional aspects of UMA/GAN, as well as to ascertain whether handovers occur at the correct parametric conditions and that all services are correctly managed throughout the transition. Previously, to perform these tests, engineers would have been required to use a substantially more costly conformance test system. With Agilent's one-box tester, all testing takes place on a bench rather than getting access to a system rack. Engineers simply connect the equipment and begin testing. "Today's engineers require cost-effective, easy-to-use measurement solutions that provide broad test coverage for stress test, validation and regression testing across RF, protocol and software," said Earl Thompson, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Wireless Division. "Agilent's subscription release of the UMA/GAN capability reiterates our continued commitment to deliver cost effective, innovative and value-added solutions to manufacturing and R&D activities worldwide in support of new and emerging communication technologies like UMA."


text:
Concerts feature variety of music styles:
Alive After Five outdoor concert, 5:30-8:30 p.m., court square, Washington Street, uptown Shelby, featuring Harvest, a jam-band-style group which plays Americana music. Call 704-484-3100 or visit www.uptownshelby.com
- Crystal Bowersox , 8 p.m., Don Gibson Theatre, 318 S. Washington St., Shelby. Tickets cost $22.50. Call 704-487-4118 or visit www.dongibsontheatre.com
- Marjorie Thompson, 6-9 p.m. Owl's Eye Vineyard, 1414 Metcalf Road, Shelby, performing original folk and country blues. Call 704-471-9196
- Circle J Farms, Music Fest, 8 p.m., 3613 Cliffside Road, Mooresboro. Performers include Real Deal, Moses Jones, Southern Experience, Jeff Gates Band, The Ramsey/Loikkanen Project, Brothers Keeper, The Joe Davis Band, Crimson Rose, Revolution X and Battle Axe.
Aug. 10
- The Southern Experience Band, SloanTones and Big Daddy Love at the Seventh Inning Stretch Festival, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., uptown Shelby on the court square. Features music and games. Call 704-473-8248 or visit www.AmericanLegionWorldSeries.com
- Mercy Me Concert with Aaron Shust and The Afters, 6:30 p.m., Cleveland County Fairgrounds, 177-A West Warren St., Shelby, part of theAmerican Legion World Series. Call 704-466-3103, www.AmericanLegionWorldSeries.com
Aug. 15
- Alive After Five outdoor concert, 5:30-8:30 p.m., court square, Washington Street, uptown Shelby, featuring The Ocean Boulevard Band performing classic beach music and shagging tunes. Call 704-484-3100, www.uptownshelby.com
- Summer Concerts at Chimney Rock, 7-9 p.m., the Gathering Place in Chimney Rock Village, featuring The Hickory Nuts and The Lake Lure Cloggers . Visit www.hickorynut-gorge.com
Aug. 16-17
Via Fest and benefit for David Via, starts 5 p.m. Aug. 16, Brackett Cedar Park, 4953 Casar Road, Lawndale, Sponsored by Don Gibson Theater, Red Bone Willy�s, Westmoreland Printers Inc., Wee Doggies. Camping available. Tickets: $10 a day.
Aug. 17
Red Clay Ramblers, 8 p.m. at Joy Theater, 202 S. Battleground Ave., Kings Mountain. Tickets cost $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Group is a Tony Award-winning North Carolina string band. Call 704-472-7762 or visit www.KMLT,org
Aug. 23-25
Annual Clear Mountain View Music Festival, featuring JB & The Moonshine Band, Steep Canyon Rangers and more. Bring a blanket, cooler (no glass), tents and dancing shoes. Campsites available at Elliott Family Farm, 356 London Road, Lawndale. Call 704-477-9665 or visit www.elliottfamilyfarms.com
Sept. 5
Alive After Five outdoor concert, 5:30-8:30 p.m., uptown Shelby, Washington Street, featuring Tater Family Travelling Circus performing Hillbilly rock. Call 704-484-3100 or visit www.uptownshelby.com
Sept. 19
Summer Concerts at Chimney Rock, 6-8 p.m., the Gathering Place in Chimney Rock Village, featuring The Swayback Sisters, old-school country soul. Visit www.hickorynut-gorge.com.


text:
Photomount Spray Adhesive
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Tech Student Wins Top Honors at National Conference, Nov. 25, 2008
By Thomas Guengerich
SOCORRO, N.M., Nov. 25, 2008 – New Mexico Tech chemical engineering senior Kaoutar "Coco" Abbou Oucherif won a top national honor for her poster presentation at the national conference of AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineering) in Philadelphia.
Abbou Oucherif, who was recently named a Macey Scholar, won first prize for her poster about suspending single drug crystals in droplets, using microfluidic procedures.
Her advisor, Dr. Michaelann Tartis, said, "We're so excited for her. I don't think any Tech student has ever done that before."
Tartis said Abbou Oucherif represents the best of Tech students.
"She's amazing," Tartis said. "I can't say enough good things about her. She's clearly on her way to excelling at grad school and to becoming an excellent researcher. Plus, she's the sweetest person."
Abbou Oucherif presented research that she conducted during a summer internship at Purdue University. She spent 10 weeks in West Lafayette, Ind., modeling and conducting experiments with the crystallization of alpha lactose monohydrate, a sugar-based substance that serves as a proxy for pharmaceuticals.
She worked with the process of crystallization, attempting to improve the process of growing crystals in a single droplet of lactose.
Abbou Oucherif also led the Tech chemical car competition team, which did not place, but got worthwhile experience. Other members of the Tech team were Josh Hill, Thomas Budner, Tim Schutt and Kaitlin Allen. Tech had not fielded a team in the competition before.


text:
Sample Game
This page is part of the History Of Game AI project curated by the AI Game Programmers Guild.
Game Name is a game. This is where the initial description of the game goes. Note that you don't have to get too in-depth here since we are linking to the game page there.
Description of AI
This is where you can make a general blurb about the game's AI. It would be a good place to mention any "wish list" stuff they were trying to do. Also include any restrictions or limitations such as the memory on older machines as an example.
What kind of architectures were used. If you are going to mention one by name, such as a Behavior Tree, you should use the external link like I did just then.
Notable Behaviors
Did the game do any thing special?
This is where we can describe how well it went over. Use the typical "pros, cons, lessons learned" format that we are used to seeing.
What Worked
What went right?
What Didn't Work
What went wrong?
Lessons Learned
Was there anything that they realized didn't work? What was the takeaway from a development standpoint?
Reception by Public
It wouldn't hurt to put stuff in here about how the game was received by the public. If you are going to put in a link to a review, this would be a good place to do it.
If you cite an article, presentation, etc., this is where you put the links to it. Think of it like a bibliography in a book.
External Links
This is where you should link to the game's website or other mundane stuff.


text:
If you are interested in meeting mature singles for flirting, dating, sex, or serious relationships, it is time to try SeniorSizzle.com. It takes just minutes to register as a member and start browsing for the steamiest, hottest matches on the internet.
With a selection of different membership choices and scores of ways to browse, message, match, flirt, and arrange meetings, there is nothing better than Senior Sizzle when it comes to mature dating and personals. So, start your journey today and find a match that makes your heart race.
To sign up with the service, you need a legitimate email address. Once you have registered, you are invited to create a personal profile. This is what other members will see when they are considering whether or not to interact with you, so it is important to make it engaging and exciting. The better your profile, the more attention and matches you will receive.
As this is a SeniorSizzle.com review, it is necessary to outline some of the key features of the site. For instance, profiles can be enhanced with photographs, icons, and video recordings; anything that might show off your personality to other users. Creating a profile is free of charge, but if you want to start messaging and communicating with the matches of your choice, you will need to pay for a full membership.
As a free user, however, you do have access to the basic search tools. So, you can browse the profiles of eligible singles without paying. You can also reply to messages that users send to you; the only restriction is on the communications that you send out. Senior Sizzle operates a number of free chat rooms and these are open to both premium and trial members.
Over the years, SeniorSizzle.com has grown to be a very popular platform. It welcomes a lot of new members every week and handles a huge amount of online activity. In fact, at the time of this Senior Sizzle review, there are more than 37,000,000 registered users. Around 115,670 are online and browsing Senior Sizzle profiles right now. This is the largest volume of active users for any mature dating site on the net.
To enjoy the full benefits, you do need to upgrade to a full membership. Yes, the free trial is a useful way to get familiar with the platform and discover your favourite features, but it is frustrating not to be able to initiate contact with matches. While interested parties can communicate with you, a full membership is needed to start conversations. And, if you can't make the first move, how are you going to find the mature single of your dreams?
There are two types of membership available at SeniorSizzle.com. The most popular is the Silver tier. With this service, you can send all of the messages that you like. You can use email, IM tools, chat rooms, and the range of handy 'icebreaker' greetings provided on the site. You'll also be able to browse more personal information about your prospective matches, because you'll be given access to fuller profile pages.
One of the most valuable tools included in the Silver tier is the geographical search function. Rather than wasting time browsing through the profiles of ineligible matches, you can head straight for the mature guys or girls in your local area. Also, you can benefit from a larger favourites list, more email storage, and more extensive search options.
As Senior Sizzle contains almost 40,000,000 member profiles, the search tools can be used to make sure that you are only browsing for active users and people who are likely to respond to messages.
The Gold tier is the most advanced membership. It provides all of the services and tools described above, but with the added advantage of priority listings. In other words, your profile will be featured more prominently than those of Silver tier users. You'll get more exposure, find more suitable matches, and enjoy more flirting and hook ups. There is no obligation to upgrade to the Gold tier; you can remain a free member or stick with the Silver tier for as long as you like.
If you run into any technical issues, head over to the FAQs section of Senior Sizzle. You should find an answer to your problem here. For those who don't, there is also a customer helpline, so you'll be left stranded or confused. It is important to point out that, while all members can email the technical support staff, Silver and Gold tier users are prioritised.
To find out more and start browsing for mature singles today, click here to visit SeniorSizzle.com.


text:
Course Details
EDU441 Analysis and Correction
A field-based course that covers methods of diagnosing mild reading disabilities commonly found in elementary-age students and methods of working with children to help them overcome disabilities. The course includes 12 hours of tutoring assignments outside of class time with elementary and/or middle school students.
Credit Hours: 2


text: Setting up a separate mail server on a multiuser network. Do I install Roundcube on the mail server or where the ISP manager is. In my case the ISP manager is a separate server. It probably makes more sense to put it on the mail server since I may want to add more mail servers down the road. How would my mail clients use the webmail? www.mail01.acme.com/webmail www.mail02.acme.com/webmail Is there a way to alias the /webmail and have it go to roundcube so if user [email protected] wants to check email he goes to his domain www.test.com/webmail and it takes him to his roundcube webmail, whichever mail server that happens to be? Thanks!


text:
I know that in the past many people here have used Neat Video. There have been some major updates to the program and discounts are available.
From the Neat Video Team:
Dear video enthusiast,
If you're a fan of great-looking video, the team at Neat Video invites you to experience the latest version - Neat Video 4.5 - to see just how much better the product has become.
Neat Video received a major update in 2015 with the release of Neat Video 4. It was a big leap, offering improved results - particularly in challenging conditions - and offered a better user experience thanks to a streamlined workflow and new tools. It also improved compatibility with modern software and hardware.
Since then, we've continued to make ongoing improvements with regular updates.
The latest of these add several powerful new tools for more accurate profiling and easier filter tuning, in addition to support for several new editing applications and GPUs. Neat Video 4.5 is available now and - as a license-holder of Neat Video v3 or earlier - you benefit from a preferential discount when you upgrade. We invite you to try it
* You can learn about all the changes brought by version 4 here:
* You can read about the latest improvements in version 4.5 here:
* To experience version 4.5 firsthand you can download and install the demo,
which will not interfere with your existing version of Neat Video 2 or 3:
* As a Neat Video 2 or 3 license holder you qualify for a discount
when you upgrade to the latest version.
Please visit this page and follow the steps to take advantage:
Kind regards,
Neat Video team, ABSoft


text:
In July 2013, Manchester is the venue of the 24th International Congress of History of Science, Technology and Medicine (ICHSTM). The Congress is organised between Sunday 21 - Sunday 28 July 2013. Its theme this year is Knowledge at Work. The ICHSTM is the largest event in the field, and takes place every four years. Recent meetings have been held in Mexico City (2001), Beijing (2005) and Budapest (2009). In 2013, the Congress is taking place in Manchester, the chief city of Northwest England, and the original "shock city" of the Industrial Revolution.
In July 2013, Manchester is the venue of the 24th International Congress of History of Science, Technology and Medicine (ICHSTM). The Congress is organised between Sunday 21 - Sunday 28 July 2013. Its theme this year is Knowledge at Work. The ICHSTM is the largest event in the field, and takes place every four years. Recent meetings have been held in Mexico City (2001), Beijing (2005) and Budapest (2009). In 2013, the Congress is taking place in Manchester, the chief city of Northwest England, and the original "shock city" of the Industrial Revolution.
The Congress covers all specialties, periods and themes of the history of science in a broad sense, and devotes many sessions to the connected fields of history of science and medicine, in all periods of world intellectual history and geographic areas. Among the fields in which several sessions are organised, Islamic sciences, medicine and technology have always been represented in the symposia and meetings of the ICHSTM. In 1013, the sessions presenting the latest results of research on the scientific and medical traditions of the classical Arabic and Islamic worlds relate to Islamic astronomy (S129), the foundations of sciences (S012), the transfer of medical knowledge (S060), the historical and cultural dimensions of Islamic science (S102), and science, technology and medicine in the Ottoman period (S199).
This year, the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC), whose main offices are located at Manchester, contributed to the ICHSTM by members and scholars of its research team and by sponsoring one of the sessions dedicated to Islamic medicine: the symposium S060 about The transmission of medical knowledge in the Islamic world.
The symposium S060 is organised by Peter E Pormann (University of Manchester, UK) and Pauline Koetschet (the French Institute for Oriental Archeology, IFAO, Cairo, Egypt) and. Its two sessions are chaired respectively by Professor Salim al-Hassani (President of FSTC) on Tuesday 23 July (14:10–15:40) and Professor Mohamed El-Gomati (University of York, UK and Chairman of FSTC) on Tuesday 23 July (16:10–17:40) (see more details here).
(From Left) Prof Mohamed El-Gomati, Chairman of FSTC and Prof Peter Pormann with
Prof. Salim Al-Hassani, President of FSTC, at the Royal College of Physicians
The symposium on "the transmission of medical knowledge in the Islamic world" departs from a central theme of history of science and medicine regarding the transmission of knowledge between periods and cultures. In the history of science in general and the history of medicine in particular, translation played a crucial role. It often was through the contact with other cultures that scientific and medical ideas developed. The symposium organised on this subject in the ICHSTM and sponsored by FSTC focusses on the transmission of medical ideas, and breaks new ground in that it challenges the facile idea that medicine was transmitted from Greek into Arabic and hence into Latin. In fact, a multiplicity of encounters took place that included Ancient Egyptian and Indian material. Furthermore, the concrete examples of ?unayn ibn Is?aq, ?Abu Bakr Mu?ammad ibn Zakariya? al-Razi, and Qus?a ibn Luqa demonstrate that Arabic-speaking physicians in the Abbasid domain did not merely transmit previous knowledge, but in fact engaged with it critically. This critical engagement is also visible in the many Arabic commentaries on the Hippocratic Aphorisms, thus showing that commentaries often constituted venues for innovation and change. One can perhaps even perceive here certain aspects of evidence-based medicine. Finally, European university medicine drew heavily on the Arabic medical tradition, and vice versa, as examples from the Ottoman period illustrate.
The program of the symposium includes the following lectures:
- Okasha El Daly (Qatar Museums Authority, Doha): Medical knowledge from ancient Egypt to Islam.
- Ahmed Etman (Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt): Alexandrian medicine in Baghdad.
- Peter E Pormann (University of Manchester, UK): The transmission of medical knowledge through the Hippocratic Aphorisms.
- Katouzian-Safadi Mehrnaz (CNRS, Paris, France): Al-Razi, between a meticulous reading of ancient texts and daily practice: how to build up a therapeutic solution.
- Pauline Koetschet (The French Institute for Oriental Archeology, Cairo, Egypt): Al-Razi's path to medical knowledge.
- Y. Tzvi Langermann (Bar-Ilan University, Israel): M?iraj al-Du?a? wa-Mir?at al-Dawa?, an unknown and highly unusual medical treatise, and its transmission of Indian medical recipes.
- Rabie E. Abdel-Halim (Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilization, UK): The role of Avicenna's Medical Poem in the transmission of medical knowledge to medieval Europe.
- Aileen Das (University of Warwick, UK): From philosophical to medical text: Plato's Timaeus in Ibn Sina's Canon of Medicine.
- Akihiro Tawara (Keio University, Japan): Avicenna's denial of life in plants.
Prof Rabie E. Abdel-Halim, FSTC Researcher with Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of OIC
Another event organised by FSTC on the margin of the ICHSTM in Manchester is a dinner for international guests. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the world known historian of science, past president of the International Union of History of Science and present Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), also one of the key founding associates of FSTC, gave a complimentary dinner speech in which he has praised the resounding success of FSTC.
(From Left) Prof Mohamed El-Gomati, Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Prof Salim Al-Hassani and Ian Kendrick, FSTC Management Consultant


text:
LANDOVER, Md. – The York College women's track & field team broke a school record and began to rev back up for the inaugural Capital Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships as the Spartans competed at the Indoor Terrapin Invitational on Saturday hosted by the University of Maryland – College Park. The Spartans finished tied for 18th on the day with three points.
Highlighting the meet for the Green and White, the distance medley relay team set a new Spartan record in the event. Anna Spaniol, Amy Stickle, Megan Phillips, and Nicole Danielewicz posted a 13:13.60 to take sixth place but more importantly smashed the previous program record of 13:21.93 set last February.
Individually, Jasmine Smith had a solid effort for York as she competed in a trio of events. The Spartan newcomer posted a 16' 1.75" leap in the long jump to take 18th while on the track Smith ran to an 8.31 in the 60-meter dash (37th) and a 28.09 in the 200 (41st).
Reigning CAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year Laura Rowlands registered a 14th-place 34' 5.5" distance in the triple jump while she finished just one spot behind Smith in the long jump with a 15' 5.5" leap.
In the shot put, Meaghan Jackson tossed a distance of 32' 0.75" to place 21st.
Back on the track, Spaniol posted a 5:41.93 in the 1 mile run while Stickle ran to a time of 1:52.66 in the 600 (27th).
In the 4x400 relay, the team of Hannah Ritzman, Deborah Fidele, Korissa Lincoln, and Spaniol finished with a 4:25.99 to take 23rd.
The Spartans return to action next Saturday as they travel to the Patriot Games at George Mason University, the site of next month's inaugural Capital Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Patriot Games, slated for January 28, are scheduled for a 10:00 am start.
PHOTO: Anna Spaniol competes at the York Relays, an outdoor relay event, during the 2011 campaign. Courtesy of Zach Clabaugh - www.sharpedgefoto.com


text:
Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
In the second episode of our wine science series, "Out of the Bottle," Dr. Gavin Sacks of Cornell University's Viticulture and Enology Program translates popular wine jargon such as "breathing," "corked," and "wine tears" into chemistry you can understand. He'll also give you some tricks you can use to experience the versatility of wine.


text:
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© Mr John H. Sparkes
IoE Number:
MONTACUTE HOUSE, THE BOROUGH (north off)
Mr John H. Sparkes
Date Photographed:
06 June 2006
Date listed:
19 April 1961
Date of last amendment:
19 April 1961
The Images of England website consists of images of listed buildings based on the statutory list as it was in 2001 and does not incorporate subsequent amendments to the list. For the statutory list and information on the current listed status of individual buildings please go to The National Heritage List for England.
ST4916MONTACUTE CPTHE BOROUGH (North side, off)7/123Montacute House19.4.61GVI
ST4916 MONTACUTE CP THE BOROUGH (North side, off)
7/123 Montacute House
Country house. Circa 1590-1601, remodelled 1785-87. Probably by William Arnold for Sir Edward Phelips. Ham stone
ashlar; Welsh slate roofs behind open balustered parapets with obelisk finials, coped gables, some Dutch style; ashlar
chimney stacks, including plain stacks set diagonally and Doric columns. H-plan; three storeys, attic and basement.
East elevation original entrance facade; 13 bays, of which outer and centre bays project; plinth, string courses, open
parapets; hollow-chamfer mullioned and transomed windows set in wave mould recesses; outer bays have angled 1+5+1-light
bay windows of two storeys, crowned with segmental pediments; above 5-light windows, and then 3-light attic windows
with labels in Dutch gables; in returns 6 and 4-light windows; the windows in crosswing of 3, 3, 5, 3 and 3-lights
either side of central bay, two lower floors double-transomed; the lower 5-light windows project slightly under
pediments at first floor level; centre bay has 4-light windows, and 3-light on returns to first and second floors;
former entrance has a semi-circular arched doorway with lozenge decorated imposts and keystone, with small plaque over;
parapet over this and over the 5 window bays semi-circular arched with statue in niche to centre bay; statues in
shell-head niches between all second floor windows, circular niches under principal first floor windows, and pairs
shell-head niches with seats at ground floor level. West elevation, now principal entrance, added 1785-87, possible
designed by Edward Phelips and a local builder, and incorporating major fragments of Clifton Maybank House, Yeovil, of
c1546-64 also 13 bays, of which bays 1/3 and 11/13 are surviving C16 work, with 4-light mullioned and transomed
windows, plus 3-light to attics in Dutch gables; bays 2, 3 and 11, 12 extended to accomodate stairs, with matching
windows at staggered levels; the remainder recessed; the second floor set back again, bays 5 and 9 have 4-light windows
to 2 lower levels; second floor windows, of 3 lights, are to bays 4, 6, 8 and 10, gables with chimneys to bays 5 and 9:
porch to bay 7, 3 storeys, has moulded 4-centre arch to open porch, and matching inner doorway; above an elaborately
carved heraldic panel, originally for Clifton Maybank, but with Phelips arms substituted, then two 3-light windows and
a stepped gable; centre section with reclaimed fluted pilaster shafts with heraldic beasts on the parapets. North and
south elevations almost identical, 4 bays to match, with composite oriel windows of 2+6+2 wide lights, the outer pairs
double transomed and flat, the centre semi-circular on plan and quadruple-transomed, with Dutch gable over these.
Inside, a vaulted cross-entrance lobby, a screens passage, with stone screen to north, and panelled hall with plaster
frieze, fireplace and decorative plasterwork panel, all early C17; to south the dining room, reshaped in C19, and also
has wallpaper and a fireplace from Coleshill House, Berkshire; south west parlour has C16 chimney piece, freize and
panelling. Stairs, bays 2/3 and 11/12 west elevation, original, 2.15 m wide round central stone core. On first floor
the north-east room, the library or great chamber the most important room, with a 'porch' chimney piece, plaster frieze
and stained glass being original work; on second floor the long gallery, although now modified. The Phelips family was
in the area before 1466; Edward Phelips, original builder, was a rich lawyer; the family occupied the house until the
end of C19; 1915 leased to Lord Curzon; 1931 the property purchased by the SPAB and presented to the National Trust.
Scheduled Ancient Monument (Somerset County No 187). (Girouard M and others, Montacute House, National Trust, 1985,
with short bibliography; Country Life, 16 April 1898, 4 June 1904, 12 and 19 June 1915, 20 April l929, 20 and 27
october and 3 November 1955 etc).


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About the Auschwitz Virtual Tour Exhibition
The project was conceived some years ago when Alan ("Jake") Jacobs first saw Quick Time Virtual Reality Films. Having photographed Auschwitz many times, it occurred to him that no matter how powerful a single photo, the observer is still outside the scene. This technology provided an opportunity for a photographer to lessen to some degree the viewer's role as audience-observer, and enhance his perception as a participant-obsever.
As he already had a 35mm single-lens-reflex digital camera, a Canon D60, the next step was to purchase a solid tripod, and a Manfrotto Quick Time Virtual Reality Head, and practice, using a Canon EOS EF 17-35/2.8L USM wide angle zoom lens set to its widest at 17mm.Krysia in Birkenau
Next Jake's wife Krysia, the technical part of the team, purchased VR Worx, a program that stitched multiple photos, took out what wasn't necessary, adjusted exposure from photo to photo, and produced in a very short time, maybe ten or fifteen minutes, a virtual reality 360º film. The photos were processed before this in full Photoshop on a variety of Macs.
Jake preparing to take aerial photographs in Auschwitz I
They went back to Auschwitz in 2003 and did some test shots with a Canon EOS 1D 35mm digital SLR and an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM wide angle lens set to 16mm.While there, they checked with Editor in Chief of Auschwitz Publications, Teresa Swiebocka, who introduced them to senior editor Jarek Mensfelt. Both were interested and over the next few months test shots were sent and the invitation to come and do the work was made by Auschwitz Vice-Director, Krystyna Oleksy, this to share an exhibition jointly with Cybrary of the Holocaust.
Then it was a matter of getting expense money. Jake spoke with Michael Declan Dunn the creator of The Cybrary of the Holocaust at http://www.remember.org. Michael has published several exhibitions of Jake's Auschwitz photos and he set to work raising the money. He found two donors, Liz Edlic, Scott Isdaner, whose grants made the project possible.Jake taking aerial photos. Crane provided by the Museum.
From the time of the invitation through the shoot at the camps, Auschwitz Editor and web designer Jarek Mensfelt and Jake exchanged many ideas about the project: tone, content, logistics etc. During the shoot an EOS 1D Marc II, a 35mm digital SLR, and Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM, Canon EF 28-135 USM IS, Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L USM lenses were used, along with a Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L USM Wide Angle Lens.
Returning to the States, the project was now in the hands of Krysia Jacobs. This meant processing the photos in Photoshop CS, stitching them with VR Work 2.5, converting to Flash with qtvr2flash, and then… designing the exhibition for the Internet.
The following equipment was used in taking the photographs:
Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L USM Wide Angle Lens
Canon EOS EF 17-35/2.8L USM
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L USM
Canon EOS 1D Marc II 35mm digital SLR
Canon EOS 1D 35mm digital SLR
Alan and Krysia Jacobs can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Washi Paper Rolls
by Aitoh
Washi is a style of paper that has been used throughout Japanese history in a wide variety of applications. These Shuji Gami and Shoji Gami paper rolls are made from the Kozo, also known as the Paper Mulberry Tree. These papers are translucent white in color, feature a smooth surface on one side, and a slight tooth on the other. Shuji Gami and Shoji Gami are uniquely suited for Sumi-E, watercolor, and Asian calligraphy.
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What is the difference between shoji and shuji gami paper?- Asked by Kate on 03-Nov-13
Shoji is a strong translucent paper used in making partitions and screens. Shuji is more for doing artwork such as calligraphy and watercolor.- Answered by MisterArt on 06-Nov-13
Is there any imprint on this paper, I need it to be all clear.- Asked by renate Leduck on 11-Sep-13
It is not smooth paper as there is a pronounced texture, but there is no imprint.- Answered by MisterArt on 13-Sep-13
Can I use these papers for printing woodcuts?- Asked by Mead McCabe on 31-Aug-13
If the ink is water-based then I am sure you could use this paper, which is recommended for sumi and calligraphy.- Answered by MisterArt on 02-Sep-13
Does this paper have the texture that rice paper generally has?- Asked by Hanifah on 27-May-13
On one side it is smooth like calligraphy paper and should take ink. The other side has a finish similar to mulberry paper.- Answered by MisterArt on 28-May-13
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NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Officials with a Central Texas wildlife refuge say twin giraffes have been born, marking just the second time such a birth has occurred in the U.S.
Female calf Wasswa was born first May 10, followed by brother Nakato. Officials with the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch waited until Tuesday to announce the births to ensure the calves would survive.
Ranch spokeswoman Melissa Welch says Wasswa and Nakato are the only set of living giraffe twins in the U.S. A previous set was born in 1988 but have since died.
Welch says most twin giraffes are stillborn or have to be aborted.
Wasswa and Nakato are reticulated giraffes, one of the most common species.
They'll stay at the privately owned ranch outside New Braunfels for public viewing.


text: Use mouse scroll wheel over image or pinch-to-zoom on touch devices. You can also click and drag around on image. Park it 0 0 Follow Parked to 1990 Honda CRX si by Chris Nissley Keywords Sign up to add your own keywords More from this Garage: More from this Profile: Project Nissley Racing Team Project 1990 Honda CRX si Project 1989 Jeep Cherokee two door


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JoAnn's Truly Happy Home
Like this entry? Favorite it below!
- Name:
- JoAnn
- Location:
- Chicago, IL
- Square Feet:
- 400
- Division:
- Teeny-Tiny
- What I Love About My Small Home:
- I love that it's colorful. It makes me truly happy to live here.
- Biggest Challenge of Living in a Small Space:
- There is only one closet in the entire apartment. Organization was definitely key, and taking advantage of all the cabinets available in order to store everything, as well as any alternative space including under the bed!


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Eco CornerBy Jacob Reiner
Eco Corner
Snowboard Wax
Ever wonder what's in your snowboard wax? According to the environmentally minded folks at Purl Racing, most ski and snowboard waxes contain PFCs—carcinogens that find their way into our drinking water through the spring snow melt. The PFCs are also potent greenhouse gases that can persist in the atmosphere for 50,000 years. Enter Purl's All-Natural Wax. It is 100 percent biodegradable, non-toxic and produced using renewable wind energy. Instead of plastic wrap, the wax comes in a reusable velvet bag. This season glide guilt-free. Order online.
Freedom Inn
This winter curl up with a cup of hot cocoa after a big powder day in the cozy Freedom Inn. A short walk from the Hanazono 308 base lodge and the Niseko United lifts, this European-style chalet is developing a showcase of "green" initiatives to help reduce their impact on the pristine Hokkaido environment while maintaining creature comforts.
Most of the eco features are subtle; super efficient energy use for heating and hot water, guest-initiated towel and sheet reuse and recycling drop boxes for used batteries (a rarity). The self-sufficient heating uses wood burned in the toasty Vermont Castings stove. Eco-cozy. They are even investigating generating electricity from hot springs and planning a hybrid vehicle fleet.
Japan Energy
In 2008, former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda set some ambitious targets for a Japanese shift to renewable energy, hoping to boost installation of solar power 10 times by 2020, and 40 times by 2030.
This means solar panels on the roofs of 80 percent of new homes. It is still only a drop in the bucket, but Japan has a head start, considering household energy use here is the lowest among major developed countries; half of what American homes use and one-third of Canadian homes. There's still some catching up to do on the CO2 front. Emissions from Japanese homes have increased 30 percent since 1990, while European consumption has leveled off and is declining in the U.S. Please turn off those lights.
Warm Bra & Shopping Bra
We all know about the Cool-Biz campaign in Japan. Too bad those short sleeve suits never quite caught on. Well, the Japanese designers of global bra maker Triumph have a few eco tricks up their, uh, sleeves too.
The fuzzy Warm Biz Bra contains a microwavable heat-retaining gel to keep you warm on those nippy days. But that's not all. The "No! Shopping Bag Bra" (NO! reji-bukuro bu-ra), can actually be converted to a shopping bag and quite a cute one at that. Triumph began eco-innovating in 1997 with a bra made from recycled PET bottles. And from some of the pictures online, looks like they are gearing up to break ground again with... a solar powered bra to charge your cell phone. A little gimmicky perhaps, but this is the kind of sustainable creativity that will get some attention.
Green IT Initiative
So much of our economy, and our lives, depend on information technology. All those whirling terabytes take up a lot of power. According to METI, electric consumption by PCs, TVs, servers and networks will increase 12-fold by 2050.
To address the issue, the Japanese government has created the Green IT Promotion Council to look at ways to increase efficiency and limit the effects all this computing has on global warming. Some of the big boys have joined up too, such as the CEO of Sharp, president of NEC and chairman of Hitachi, to name a few. If you are in the IT field, check online for developing programs and upcoming forums.
Reusable Heat Packs
Personally, I feel a little guilty putting those little heat packs in my boots when I am heading out for a day on the slopes. Sure, they keep away the frost bite, but what is inside and what does it do to the environment when you throw it out? The ReHeater takes away the worries. These handy little packs operate on the natural crystallizing power of salt and can be used over and over again. Visit their Website for details.


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Off topic – Social media for a social cause
A few weeks back a friend sent out a slide deck explaining the potential issues with "bottled water".
The bottom line was:
- It's bad for health since there is no expiry, no regulations and cheap plastic leaks chemicals.
- It's bad for the environment since the bottles aren't bio-degradable, fills landfill, water bodies etc.
And of course, it costs more (on an average it costs $1.50 per bottle).
The email led to a conversation and eventually a few of us decided to start a campaign (or join a campaign), with real likes and followers provided by The Marketing Heaven, to spread awareness around the issue. Some of the ideas that have been mentioned:
- Start a twitter petition or a Facebook Cause.
- Put together a website with all the resources (we found bunch of articles but not at a single place).
- Talk to local universities, conference owners where there is a large consumption of water bottles.
- Talk to alternative sources e.g water filter companies and take their help in spreading the word.
If you have some suggestions, opinions and have some cycles to help, please get in touch.


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Posted on Oct 23, 2013
Seniors Do Best with Care Provided in their Homes and Festive Fall Decoration Ideas
It's hard to believe the dog days of summer are behind us. The fall holidays are fast approaching and before you know it, it will be Christmas and New Year's Day. Fall brings in warm smells of cinnamon and fresh baked pumpkin pie. It is a wonderful time of year to snuggle up by a fireplace at night and to curl up with a good book and a blanket.
With the major fall holidays beginning at the end of October, it is time to think of some easy fall decoration ideas that you can do at home with your senior loved one. If you live near a farm or local pumpkin patch, take a look around for some beautiful, large gourds that can be easily turned into unique vases for tabletop flowers. A small, swan shaped gourd could be used as a hanging vase by cutting a hole near the neck and hollow out enough space for fall flowers like mums, black-eyed Susans and other favorites.
You may remember as a child the simple beauty of tracing over an impressive leaf and viewing that as art. There are many ways to incorporate the wide range of fall colors in the falling leaves in a new form of art. You could press some orange, yellow and red leaves, and then tape them to crafting paper to create simple, seasonal art that can be hung on the wall over the couch or in other rooms of the house that could use some livening up. Sometimes just a mini arrangement of freshly fallen leaves placed in a tiny vase is enough to bring fall into the home.
If you and your senior are adventurous when it comes to crafts, you could venture outdoors to collect pine cones. These not only smell really nice, but could be glued onto a wreath to create a new festive decoration for your loved one's front door. Simple additions such as and orange bow and some artificial fall leaves will be the perfect touch to your fall decoration idea.
If it's the smell of autumn you are longing for, the local craft supply stores are stocking up on cinnamon sticks and scented decorative brooms that can be placed sporadically throughout your loved one's home. If you don't have the time to create a fall decoration, you can at the very least breathe in the familiar scent of autumn!
It won't be long before the fall holidays are over and it will be time to think about shoveling snow and stringing Christmas lights and planning for the activities of winter. Now that October is drawing to a close and Halloween is just around the corner, take some time out for fun for your senior loved one. There are many fall decoration ideas and a quick visit to a craft supply store may inspire you with many options.
If you would like to learn more about why seniors do best with care provided in their homes and about the many benefits of in home dementia and Alzheimer's care, call Senior Helpers of Burnsville to speak to a senior care specialist today 952-892-8403! Senior Helpers of Burnsville provides a wide range of services including Alzheimer's and dementia care, personal assistance, companionship, and so much more to all areas of Burnsville, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, St. Paul, Apple Valley, Eagan, Lakeville, Minnesota.


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Planet Sherston not only provides all the tools needed to deliver the new computing curriculum, but also enriches pupils' learning. We wouldn't be without it! Well done Sherston.
An excellent purchase for our school at an affordable price.
Sherston products provide fun, interactive and engaging visuals, alongside explanations for pupils. This has proved extremely valuable for aspects of the curriculum which can't be easily explored.
Sherston facilitates personalised learning 24/7, supports teachers in delivering and tracking personal learning journeys and empowers children to take charge of their own learning.
Planet Sherston not only provides all the tools needed to deliver the new computing curriculum, but also enriches pupils' learning. We wouldn't be without it! Well done Sherston.
An excellent purchase for our school at an affordable price.
Sherston products provide fun, interactive and engaging visuals, alongside explanations for pupils. This has proved extremely valuable for aspects of the curriculum which can't be easily explored.
Experience any of our products for free
Kizzu is a suite of EYFS-mapped learning resources for two to five-year-olds, used by nurseries across the country to achieve technology goals and improve children's development.
Engage pupils across the curriculum with our videos and digital media resources. They cover topics across History, Geography, Religious Studies and PHSE.
Inspire pupils with our robot-filled adventure. Equip them with the intermediate skills between basic coding and creative programming.
Pupils love getting to grips with computing in our adventure-packed introduction to programming. It includes hundreds of curriculum-mapped activities.
Save time on planning and marking. Our comprehensive online curriculum service covers Maths, Science, English and Computing.
The latest from Sherston and the world of education technology
Dec 2, 2015
Teach Primary Magazine's John Dabell scratches below the surface of Sherston's latest Coding product.
Nov 5, 2015
Tip 1: Don't teach In an ICT lesson I'm a facilitator rather than a teacher. ICT is not necessarily a knowledge-based subject. To master it, you need to be open-minded and develop problem-solving skills. As a...
Oct 20, 2015
It was in September 2015 that David Hart and I came together with Simon Phillips and Frank Hyman to form Big Clever Learning. All of us had had huge experience harnessing the exponential power of digital technology...
Oct 3, 2015
Big Clever Learning, backed by private equity investor Root Capital and some of Britain's leading digital entrepreneurs, is delighted to announce the acquisition of Sherston.
Chris is at the heart of our business. He runs our school partnerships and pulls in the revenue. He also has his fingerprints all over our marketing and product development. Chris has been working at the intersection of education and technology for over ten years. He's even got a degree in it.
With 18 years of experience in online education Cathy is one of the most experienced trainers in the country. She spends her time working with teachers and schools across the country helping them get the most out of our products as well as passing on valuable feedback to our product teams.
Head of Content
As a mum and a fomer KS2 school teacher Vicky has first hand experience of what it takes to help teachers teach and children learn. Add that to her degree in business and 8 years of experience developing primary school products for Discovery Education and you can see why she is such a brilliant addition to our team.
Chief Product Officer
Creating educational content children love is David's role – and as the co-founder of super-successful Kizzu children's apps, he knows what he's doing. He's worked with CBeebies and Nickelodeon as co-founder of digital agency Codegent. Plus, he's a school governor and dad to Max and Mila.
Here are some of our highlights.
A family company founded in the Wiltshire village of the same name, Sherston quickly established itself as the best-known software company delivering high-quality content to schools.
Sell-out software launches included the BBC Magic Grandad and Barnaby Bear titles. Sherston won 10 awards at the Practical Pre-School Awards.
Schools were engaged in a whole new way when we moved to online subscription - pioneering online education – especially game-based learning that adapts to pupils' needs.
Sherston celebrates 30 years of providing schools and nurseries around the world with innovative and award-winning education software.
Sherston is acquired by private-equity backed investor, Big Clever Learning and announces plans to invest an initial £7 million into building the next generation of online education brands.
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