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Welcome to the Roads and Bridges Strategy Interactive Investment Plan.
The content of this page is dynamic and interactive. As you read through the strategy, the map and photos will change, reflecting the region being explored.
Further information specific to each road can also be explored by selecting the arrows positioned on the map.
The Northern Territory Government's Infrastructure Program is a considerable investment each year. There is an ongoing demand for improved infrastructure due to population growth, freight and industry development and the need for providing more equitable access for remote Territorians. Consideration also needs to be given to a number of Northern Territory and national policies, directions, strategies and plans.
Affordability of providing for these needs is a major consideration in the Northern Territory due to the vast road network, the low infrastructure base, low traffic volumes and climatic and geographic conditions. As such, evidence based investment planning is critical to ensure projects are planned, assessed, designed and prioritised appropriately.
This Network Investment Plan is based upon detailed evidence. The prioritised projects identified in the Network Investment Plan have been largely determined using the outcomes of the Northern Territory Regional Infrastructure Study. Additionally, extensive consultation with major industry groups and other key stakeholders assisted with the identification and prioritization of key road and bridge infrastructure requirements.
The Network Investment Plan outlines targeted upgrading works required over three priority timeframes: the next five years (short term), from five to ten years (medium term), and beyond ten years (long term). The Network Investment Plan is supported by key Strategic Objectives outlined in the Roads and Bridges Strategy, which include:
These principles are used for developing, assessing and prioritising infrastructure programs and form the basis of the Roads and Bridges Investment Plan. Scroll down to review planning in each region of the Territory. Further information is available by clicking on the map.
The Darwin Region is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. As such, investment planning for the Darwin Region and ensuring the road and bridge network keeps up with demand and growth can be challenging. As development continues to occur and traffic patterns change, continual monitoring, planning and re-planning to determine the best value for money is required.
The Alice Springs Region economy is growing, supported by its tourism, resource and agricultural industries. The urban centre of Alice Springs is an important service hub for the vast central Australian area. Investment in the region includes a mix of new infrastructure, such as the sealing of the Tanami Road and Plenty Highway; asset rehabilitation and upgrading works, including the strengthening and widening of pavements; and urban projects to support growth in the Alice Springs urban area.
The Katherine Region also has economic potential in the tourism, resource and agricultural sectors. The Roper Highway and roads associated with the Ord development area in the Northern Territory will be a focus for the Katherine Region. The Victoria River area has potential for growth in cattle production and as such, the Victoria Highway, Buntine Highway and Buchannan Highway are also important areas of focus.
Current Capital Works
Summary of Future Works
Providing equitable access and safer roads are the main principles underpinning investment in the East Arnhem Region. The standard of roads in the region is generally lower than other regions due to the historically lower and more dispersed population numbers and lower levels of economic development. Wet season access is still a very significant issue with many communities cut off for many months at a time. The focus of investment in the region in the short to medium term will be to connect remote communities through stream crossing upgrades. Improved access will ensure more effective service delivery, including health and education services, for a substantial number of remote communities. It will also support social inclusiveness and cohesion between communities in the region.
Full information is available from the Roads and Bridges Strategy and Network Investment Plan.


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Heritage Collection - The Gold Josephine Ring
Drawing inspiration from the Victorian Era, The Josephine Ring features a beautiful snowy grey, rose cut diamond to the centre. Each raw rose cut diamond is completely unique, with wonderful inclusions which look like little galaxies within the stone.
When you order this ring, you will have the opportunity to select your own rose cut diamond from our selection of stones. The ring pictured is ready to ship in a UK size M.
This ring is available in a variety of metals and gemstones, if you'd like to discuss options please contact firstname.lastname@example.com
Item Details:
Metal: 9ct/18ct Gold
Diamonds: .55ct Raw Grey Rose Cut Diamond
6x 0.9mm Brilliant Diamonds
Band Width: 1.5mm

subset: commoncrawl


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Christopher Bollas who has been kind enough to give us an interview and Brett Kahr who will be interviewing him. We are grateful to them both. When it comes to introducing Christopher Bollas, I find myself in a difficulty. Probably, like most people here, I have not met him until this afternoon. I know of him only through his writing.
But these days one cannot equate the text with the author. Indeed I don't know that Dr. Bollas would claim to have written the books that have his name on the title page. Perhaps the most he will say is that he was there when they were written.
Now in his earlier books he tells us that he is a psychoanalyst, a member of the Independent Group in the British Society. But in his last three books Dark is the End of the Tunnel, I Have Heard the Memories Singing, and Interplay, we are told nothing except that Christopher Bollas lives in London and North Dakota. His name remains on the Roster of the British Society – although I am not sure when he last attended a meeting – and I have heard him described as the major theoretial contributor to the Independent Group. But what strikes me as significant about Christopher Bollas is not so much that he is an analyst – which he is – but his dis-identification with the analytic movement. He is not, so he himself puts it, 'one of those Freudians'. To describe him as a member of the Independent Group is like describing Bion as a Kleinian. It's not wrong, but it's not right either, for he is his own man. And nowhere more so than in his most recent allegorical works which represent a new and original literary genre.
I have, however, a link to Dr. Bollas of which he is probably not aware. In his novellas he describes Bion as his hero and his three works of fiction immediately bring to mind that Bion too turned away from the case history as a mode of transmitting psychoanalytic knowledge, preferring the greater authority of fiction in his trilogy 'A Memoir of the Future'. Now it happens that I was analysed by Bion, and I would like briefly to draw attention to one or two features that their works have in common.
Register to watch the InterviewBrett Kahr interviews Christopher Bollas


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The Comedy Outhouse has been voted the funniest family friendly show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for 30 years in a row! We're bringing the down-home country spirit to Chicago, so you elite city-slickers can get a taste of the real America. This variety show features music, characters, bits, crowd work, stunts, magic tricks, and LOTS of overalls. The Comedy Outhouse demonstrates the chaos of country comedy while also keeping it PG! So, bring your kids, grandkids, grandmas, and grandpas! This parody show will chart the decadence and devolution of The Comedy Outhouse as it struggles to compete for an audience in a world of Netflix specials and Carpool Karaokes.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: July 23The Show
Later Event: July 24Let Sleeping Dogs Lie


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Proposed Tourism Tax for Wales - Have your Say
A new Tourism Tax is being proposed for Wales - being one of 4 new Welsh tax ideas published alongside the recent draft Budget.
Each of these ideas will be developed further over the course of the next few months and one new tax idea will be proposed to the UK Government in 2018 to test the Wales Act powers.
Details of the tax are very limited to date, but it's evident that the industry in Swansea Bay and the whole of Wales are very concerned about this. You just need to type 'Wales Tourism Tax' into Google and a long list of articles stating the industry's concerns over the potential negative impacts pop up. With the majority of businesses feeling that the introduction of this new tax will harm the hospitality and tourism sector and is simply not a fair tax.
Useful Overview of Potential Impacts
An article written by the Wales Tourism Alliance (WTA), gives a really useful overview to the Tax and its potential impacts and barriers to our industry here in Wales. Read it here
You can see the latest press release by the WTA here
Toursm Tax and Its potential impact on Tourism in Wales - A report by Professor Annette Pritchard completed at the request of the WTA - PDF download here
Important - Have your Say
The Tourism Tax is one of 4 new Welsh tax ideas. A short online poll has been launched by the Welsh Government to get feedback on each of these and to help them decide which to take forward.
If you've not already done so - please make sure that you do complete this poll. It's vital that the Welsh Government gets a response that reflects the true opinions of the industry. If you sit back and do nothing, then they'll think that we're all happy with the proposal!
It will only take a few minutes to complete. English language and Welsh language versions of the poll are linked below:
You can also give us your feedback directly - we want to know your thoughts / concerns on the proposed tax - you can contact us on 01792 371441 / email@example.com
What else can you do?
So like us, you've filled in the poll. What else can you do?
Write to your local Assembly Minister. Make sure that they get a true sense of the concerns and potential impacts of this new tax on the tourism industry, which is vital to the economy of Swansea Bay and Wales - and importantly, as we've done, demand more detail on this proposed tax. You can find your local AM here
We at Tourism Swansea Bay represent our members and county's tourism trade on Visit Wales' South West Wales Tourism Forum.
Nic Beggs, committee member of Tourism Swansea Bay and Chair of the South West Wales Tourism Forum has sent a letter on behalf of the Forum to the Treasury passing on the strong concerns over the negative impacts of this potential new tax on our industry and to demand for more information on what this new tax would look like and how it would work...
We will keep our members up-date as we get any further information...


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Sat, 8 February 2014
In our eleventh episode, we debate the merits of 7 Wonders from Asmodee Games. Then, we take a look at the wildly popular board game from Days of Wonder - Memoir '44, and discuss - is it a wargame?
Direct download: DTS011-DiceTowerShowdown-Episode11.mp3
Category:Dice Tower Showdown -- posted at: 8:31am EDT


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The crazies versus the sleepwalkers—big budget showdown
Published on Intrepid Report, by Michael Collins, April 15, 2011.
… The Republican crazies are in a celebrity death match with sleepwalking Democrats. It is a fabricated drama amounting to not much of anything in terms of the nation's well being. The stakes are supposedly the shutdown of the United States government at midnight this Friday. But the most pressing issue isn't discussed on Capitol Hill.
Why can't anyone in a position of power mention the unmentionable? There have been no net new jobs in the United States since 2000. There were 137 million employed citizens that year. There are 139 million employed citizens today. This comes into clear focus when you consider the size of the workforce for 2000 and 2010; 143 million versus 154 million respectively. There are actually fewer jobs in proportion to the workforce … //
… The Democrats are the sleepwalkers and proud of it. President Obama never misses an opportunity to reach out and "embrace business," as he calls it. Not just any business will do. Obama's new pal is General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt, recently in Japan to asses the situation with GE reactor failures at Fukushima or maybe look at off shoring more GE jobs.
The embrace of big business, big banks, and Wall Street, through their loyal servant, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, completes the White House landscape of all corporate all the time when the people need jobs, mortgage interest relief, and a return of the wealth transferred from their savings to the Wall Street faction so well represented in the White House.
Who will win in this latest drama on the Hill? It really doesn't matter. We all lose as long as we have two parties, separated by just a few degrees, that show consistent disrespect for reality and the people that they claim to serve.
This article may be reproduced entirely or in part with attribution of authorship and a link to this article. (full text).
(Michael Collins is a writer in the DC area who researches and comments on the corruptions of the new millennium. His articles focus on the financial manipulations of The Money Party, the abuse of power by government, and features on elections and election fraud. His articles can be found here. His website is called The Money Party).


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Day-to-day routines can be so hectic and exhausting; you're too tired even to think about being active after a hard day of working. Energy drinks are highly popular right now, and the temptation is to pop open a can of energy so you can do more, be even more on the go, and get that much more done in a single day. But energy drinks aren't really healthy or very good for your nutrition. They are notoriously filled with sugar and caffeine, both things that you body doesn't need. So where does that leave you?
Americans are gulping down approximately 50 gallons of soft drinks per year. On average, nearly 20 percent of calories come in the form of beverages, that's roughly two 12 ounce cans of Coca-Cola per day. While milk consumption continues to decline, the beverage category of sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks and sodas continues to climb. For the last 30 years more Americans are replacing milk with high-sugar drinks.
Calories in liquid form
Studies suggest that our brain doesn't register calories in liquid form as it does with solid food. Liquids do not satisfy our appetite the same way that solids foods do. For example, a 400-calorie drink of orange juice doesn't register a fullness response to your brain as a 400-calorie hamburger. Moreover, sugary drinks don't require chewing, and most drinks are loaded with sugar and are without fiber to help give your brain time to register fullness.
Children are what they drink
Children start drinking soda at a remarkably young age and consumption increases through young adulthood. Fifty-six percent of 8 year olds consume soft drinks daily and a third of teenage boys drink at least three cans of soda a day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On average, adolescents get 11 percent of their daily calories or 15 teaspoons of sugar from soft drinks. Soft drink consumption in males and female teens is two to three times that of milk consumption. David Ludwig, M.D., PhD, a Harvard researcher, found that the odds of a child becoming obese increase by 60 percent with each additional serving of sugar-sweetened drinks a day.
Portion Distortion
One reason for the increasing consumption of sugar-sweeten drinks is that the beverage industry has steadily increased container sizes. In the 1950s, a 6-ounce bottle was the standard serving. That grew into the 12-ounce in the 1980s and now those are being replaced by the 20-ounce bottles, most of the drinks purchased today contain two or more servings.
Tips to drink by:
Save yourself some calories and drink more water — filtered or sparkling. Add limes, lemons, or flavored Stevia to your water. (Stevia is a natural sweetener without calories)
Look for 100 percent fruit juice rather than flavored drinks that have added sugars. But be careful of serving sizes, limit consumption to one or two four-ounce drinks per day.
Switch down from whole milk to low-fat or fat-free milk.
Be a careful label reader. Most of the advertising on the front label is designed to attract your attention. Check the nutritional fact panel for serving size and ingredients listings. Most drinks contain two servings or more per bottle and are loaded with refined sugar and artificial flavorings.
Don't make assumptions! Bottled tea drinks are the hot new trend. While regular tea contains no calories, most bottled teas are loaded with sweeteners and calories. The popular "coffee" drinks hold a bombshell of excessive calories.
Don't let the smoothies fool you! Touted as a healthy drink, fruit smoothies pack a powerful calorie punch. Some smoothie drinks can reach levels of 500 calories or more with six to 10 teaspoons of sugar per drink.
Cocktails and calories can add up quickly if you're not paying attention. One fruity cocktail can load you up with 500 calories or more. Plus alcohol dehydrates your system causing you to drink more, and if that wasn't bad enough, we tend to consume more calories when drinking alcohol during a meal.
Currently beverages have become more than drinks to quench our thirst. A new emerging category called "function" drinks have hit the market touting everything from cleansing to calming. Sadly I've found most of these drinks to be nothing more than glorified sugar drinks. However, I did find one company that delivery's enough active ingredients in the beverage to make a difference — Function Drinks™. They have 10 revolutionary drinks to choose from, and each drink is physician-developed and 100 percent natural. (Please note that some of the drinks are not designed for children because they may contain caffeine).
Sports, energy, fruit and carbonated drinks and more
Day-to-day routines can be so hectic and exhausting; you're too tired even to think about being active after a hard day of working. Energy drinks are highly popular right now, and the temptation is to pop open a can of energy so you can do more, be even more on the go, and get that much more done in a single day. But energy drinks aren't really healthy or very good for your nutrition. They are notoriously filled with sugar and caffeine, both things that you body doesn't need. So where does that leave you?


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Back-to-school with inclusive vibes
Posted on August 17, 2016 in Inclusion
Is anyone else noticing all of the back-to-school stuff featuring inclusive messages?
Check out these shirts I saw at Kohl's:
And these great notebooks at Target:
Or even these darling pencils on Etsy (created by Elizabeth Yen):
What a fantastic trend! I hope it continues and that these wonderful "visual supports" inspire our students, families, teachers and school leaders.


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Tough times only getting tougher for Fordham
- Updated: November 30, 2014
Fordham finds itself at an early crossroads in their season, the Rams dropped to 1-4 after losing at home to Maryland-Eastern Shore 72-66 on Saturday. It was Fordham's fourth consecutive loss, it was also arguably their most disappointing.
Last Sunday at Rose Hill Gym, it was UMass Lowell coming in and knocking off the Rams. The aftermath from that defeat was predictably one of frustration. It was supposed to be a winnable game for Fordham, the first of a four in a row at home, all looked at as being winnable.
The feeling coming into Saturday's game against Maryland-Eastern Shore once again was a golden opportunity for Fordham to right the ship. The Hawks came into the Bronx with a 1-6 record on the season, they've lost some close games, however they were still a 1-6 basketball team.
UMES (2-6) led Fordham start-to-finish in this one, whenever the Rams came within striking distance, the Hawks would respond with a clutch shot or key stop.
Mike Myers led UMES with 20 points, the Rams struggled throughout the game to contain him in the paint. Freshman Eric Paschall paced Fordham with 25 points, sinking big shots in the second half to keep his team in the game, however it wasn't enough. Fordham trailed 67-64 with 1:23 to play, the crowd at Rose Hill was alive, but the Rams would then miss four of it next five shots, Maryland-Eastern Shore would then ice the win with free throws.
It's not getting easier for Fordham off the court either…
Before the game, Pecora announced that sophomore Jon Severe has taken a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. Severe had an impressive freshman season for the Rams, averaging 17.3 points per game. However, he's been unable to find his footing so far this season. Severe was suspended for Fordham's season opener for a violation of team rules.
Paschall, Fordham's best offensive threat, is a freshman. The Rams have seven freshmen getting significant playing time this season, this is a young core expected to have growing pains. However, if Fordham is going to make the turn towards becoming a winning team, Pecora needs improved leadership on the court.
There were too many times against Maryland-Eastern Shore where Fordham struggled to find offense. It could be that the time's come for them to begin running more of the offense through Paschall.
This is a crucial stretch for Fordham before conference play begins in January. The Ram's last two losses to UMass Lowell and UMES respectively at home, are demoralizing defeats. Four of the next six games for Fordham are at Rose Hill, the other two are at Madison Square Garden (vs St. John's) and at Barclays Center (vs Manhattan). The schedule-gods have been kind to Fordham, however Pecora's young team must begin taking advantage.
Next up for the Rams is a home game against Siena to kickoff the month of December.


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Monsoon forces Chhattisgarh villagers to travel via boat
As an alternative, the villagers were provided with a temporary culvert to accommodate, however, that too collapsed following the incessant rains.
Published: 13th June 2018 04:27 PM | Last Updated: 13th June 2018 04:27 PM | A+A A-
BIJAPUR: Monsoon this year has had an adverse effect on Chhattisgarh's Timed village as locals, are being forced to travel via boats while putting their lives at risk.
The locals said the situation would not have worsen if the bridge in the vicinity was constructed on time.
As an alternative, the villagers were provided with a temporary culvert to accommodate, however, that too collapsed following the incessant rains.
Now with no other options left, the locals of the village are forced to cross the Indravati river on small boats.
"We are left with zero connectivity now. We don't even have mobile network due to heavy rains. The construction of bridge started four years ago. However, it's still in initial stages and I don't think it will be ready anytime soon," a local told ANI.
To add on, the water level of Indravati River has increased due to rainfall making it more dangerous for villagers to commute through boats.
"The state government needs to come up with a solution soon. Also, they should provide some security as the villagers' lives are at risk," another person added.
Monsoon has already hit Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and North-East. However, the southwest monsoon's advance towards northern India might get stalled for a few days, according to the weather department.


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Over the last few years, the telecommunications industry has been rocked by major changes to its regulatory structure, underlying network technology and customer usage patterns. The cable industry's push into the phone business and a torrent of innovations such as internet telephony and advanced wireless technologies are threatening the foundation of this huge industry. The phone companies are furiously trying to cut costs to stay ahead of decline in revenues of traditional telephony services. The companies are also trying to add new revenue streams by teaming up with satellite television companies, offering packages of phone, broadband and TV service. New technologies are hurting the value of the huge telephony network investments made by telecom giants as startup companies utilize the excess fiber optic capacity to offer more cost effective services to customers.
At Metasisinfo, our telecom solutions will help businesses work more effectively at lower costs. With our CRM solutions, we are able to provide a strong integration system that will better fit the needs of businesses.
Operations Support Systems and Business Support Systems
Offers services that provide consulting with implementation plans and system requirement documents as well as design and customization of technology products
Video Conferencing Portal (VCP)
A platform agnostic, proprietary framework designed to manager, schedule, monetize, analyze, report and monitor Video Conferencing and Document Exchange activities between Enterprises and Individuals. The Portal is designed to serve as an engine for both B2B and B2C applications. This VCP solution, network control, firewall traversal etc. is critical to ensure reliable, utility-like performance across geographies, infrastructure and endpoints; it includes scheduling, monitoring, automatic software updates and reporting. Infrastructure Control ensures Bandwidth management and authentication. Permeable Firewall transfer would play a crucial role in enabling video communications among all parties involved.
Infrastructure Management
Provides unified communications, enterprise IT services, network management and planning systems as well as virtualization and consolidation services
CRM and Helpdesk solutions
Relates to the integration of systems with new software and the provision of effective customer segmentation


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Get tips on grant writing techniques and procedures that will help secure funding for your projects.
Laurette Tucker, USDA Rural Development Business Specialist, will speak on two particular grants:
USDA Rural Development Value Added Producer Grant
Value Added Producer Grants (VAPG) are for producers who want to add value to their commodities. If you are considering ways to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities and increase income, you may want to consider the VAPG. Beginning farmers or ranchers, socially-disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, small or medium-sized family farms and farmer or rancher cooperatives may receive priority.
Rural Energy for America Program Grant
The Rural Energy for America Program Grant is for businesses and ag producers who would like to decrease the high cost of energy on their business or farm. It provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to purchase or install renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements.
SELECT A WORKSHOP DATE & LOCATION THAT IS CONVENIENT FOR YOU! (All workshops take place from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm)
REGISTER ONLINE AT: http://goo.gl/forms/0HDosQfFpr
May 18 Wedgewood Golf Center • South Boston, VA
June 2 Orange Co Public Works Dept • Orange, VA
June 15 VSU Randolph Farm Pavilion • Petersburg, VA
If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Mark Kingman at firstname.lastname@example.com at (804) 524-5626/TDD (800) 828-1120 during business hours of 8 am. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations five (5) days prior to the event.


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A significant number of Shared Services organizations utilize unique organizational designs and have experienced excellent results in improving not only the overall performance of their operation, but also the satisfaction level of their employees. There are a number of effective strategies in the area of Shared Services organizational design, including how the overall operation is structured, if a matrix type reporting structure is utilized, and if a team-based approach is incorporated in the design, to name just a few.
Company Experience
On a recent PeercastTM, a large global company with operations in over 150 countries, shared their experiences in both implementing their Shared Services organizational design and administering its use going forward. Their Global Business Services operation is centrally positioned to deliver value for the Company, with a mix of global and local services being delivered by more than 5,000 employees.
From a geographic standpoint, there are three large regional service centers located in Central America, Europe, and Southeast Asia supporting the majority of the globe.
Several years ago, the company made a shift from a horizontally aligned organization with the service centers having overall operational responsibility to a vertically aligned organization that is driven by the global process leaders. Some of the advantages and challenges associated with this new design include the following:
- Aligned portfolio management
- Standard service line approach with global impact
- Builds capability / mastery
- Clear service line goals
- Maintain site culture and focus
- Talent management
As a result of this organization realignment, the overall reporting structure is matrix-based, with dotted-line reporting occurring between the global process owners and the service centers.
iPollingTM Results Review
An important part of the research related to Shared Services organizational design was a poll recently created using the iPollingTM technology. The first question looked at what the participating companies considered as the most significant factor related to organizational design that has helped Shared Services to be a success. Reviewing the results, the implementation of global process owners was the most prevalent response, with 37% selecting that response. This was followed by making Shared Services an autonomous operation within the company, which was the response of 26% of the companies. An additional 21% indicated that use the of a matrix reporting relationship was the most significant factor, followed by 16% of the companies responding that the utilization of a team-based structure contributed the most to their success.
The second polling question then addressed the level of satisfaction the surveyed companies have with their current Shared Services organizational design. The results were very favorable, with 95% being either Very Satisfied (11%) or Satisfied (84%) with their organizational effectiveness and the structure of their reporting relationships. Many companies realize that organization structure can be ever-evolving and that there is always room for improvement in this important aspect of their Shared Services operation.
Some of the member comments related to this poll include the following:
Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Biotech Member: Our company would be a combination of Global Process Owners with decision making authority and standardization of processes through end-to-end process design.
Consumer Products & Services Member: Organizational refinement like GPOs will be needed. It really depends on where you are in your build-out of the program.
Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Biotech Member: Always room for improvement in this area.
Manufacturing Member: We continue to develop our Shared Services and look towards a Global Services offering.
Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Biotech Member: Due to the maturity level of our Shared Services, we almost operate as a COE, which really translates into a team-based structure. It's working great, and we are seeing major improvements to the way we offer our services.
Closing Summary
Shared Services operations have typically invested a lot of time and effort in establishing and improving their organizational structures as their centers have progressed through the Shared Services lifecycle. The only constant that appears to be the case in this area is the need to continuously monitor the effectiveness of the organizational structure and to have the flexibility to make the necessary structural changes as Shared Services continues to evolve in a variety of different ways.
What is the status at your company with respect to the organizational design of your Shared Services operation? Is your current approach as effective as it should be or is it time to take another look at this critical aspect of your long-term strategy for Shared Services?
Who are your peers and how are you collaborating with them?
"PeercastsTM" are private, professionally facilitated webcasts that feature leading member company experiences on specific topics as a catalyst for broader discussion. Access is available exclusively to Peeriosity member company employees, with consultants or vendors prohibited from attending or accessing discussion content. Members can see who is registered to attend in advance, with discussion recordings, supporting polls, and presentation materials online and available whenever convenient for the member. Using Peeriosity's integrated email system, Peer MailTM, attendees can easily communicate at any time with other attending peers by selecting them from the list of registered attendees.
"iPollingTM" is available exclusively to Peeriosity member company employees, with consultants or vendors prohibited from participating or accessing content. Members have full visibility to all respondents and their comments. Using Peeriosity's integrated email system, Peer MailTM, members can easily communicate at any time with others who participated in iPollingTM.
Peeriosity members are invited to log into www.peeriosity.com to join the discussion and connect with Peers. Membership is for practitioners only, with no consultants or vendors permitted. To learn more about Peeriosity, click here.


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Breaking Down Two Key Aspects of Starting a Car Rental Business
Summary: Starting a business is tough on its own. Top it off with being unprepared, and you could be looking at a short-lived pipe dream. If you're looking to get into the world of car rentals, you're not the only Read More


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All prices are in All prices are in USD
This Matryoshka Pen will make a great gift for Christmas . Hand painted and carved in the famous russian city Sergey Posad.
Choose your color!
We promise to never spam you, and just use your email address to identify you as a valid customer.
This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!
All prices are in USD © 2019 Russian Collection.
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Shopping Cart Software by BigCommerce


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April 08, 2015
Forget F-16s for Taiwan: It's All About A2/AD
The time has come for the United States to consider ending the sale of upgrades for F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan and instead shift military sales and cooperation to emphasize anti-access capabilities and concepts of operation.
U.S. policy toward Taiwan has always been a delicate dance. The United States supports a "one China" policy and it maintains a strategic relationship with Beijing, but Washington is legislatively required to support Taiwan's "sufficient self-defense capabilities" thanks to the Taiwan Relations Act. A certain amount of diplomatic savvy is required to simultaneously pursue such seemingly contradictory policies.
Against this backdrop, decisions relating to F-16 sales have become a leading indicator of U.S. intentions vis-à-vis Beijing and Taipei. If the United States sells new F-16s to Taiwan, Beijing may perceive it as a threat to the Sino-U.S. strategic relationship and the PRC's position in the region. If the United States refuses to arm Taiwan at all, it would not only be found in violation of the Taiwan Relations Act, but Taiwan would then be forced to make the grand strategic assumption that it no longer has U.S. support. The Obama administration has continued the delicate dance of its predecessors, offering an interim solution of not shipping F-16s to Taiwan but instead offering to help modernize Taiwan's existing fleet.
Read the full article at The Diplomat.


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As marijuana becomes legal in more areas of the U.S.A. (Colorado and Washington have just legalised it at the state level), investors are starting to look for companies that could help supply a mass market.
Medbox makes biometrically-operated vending machines that dispense medication to individuals after scanning their fingerprints. The company's systems are used in pharmacies, assisted living facilities, prisons, hospitals, doctors' offices, and alternative medicine clinics.
It is reported that Medbox has seen their stock price rise by 3,000% since the 2012 election, as the idea of legalising marijuana becomes more popular. If the federal government legalises marijuana and there is a high demand, vending machines like this could be placed in pharmacies and other locations to dispense marijuana to the public.


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We are Davide G. & Davide M., two students of computer science and engineering, respectively. After met by chance on the web we found that we had many common interests related to the world of Crypto coins. Thanks to the computer knowledge of the first and ideas of the second shortly we were able to develop some projects, starting only from primitive concepts and improving them step by step. They are entirely conceived and written by us and they are in some way related to that revolutionary currency, called Bitcoin.
OpenBitLab is born, thus, to gather in a single platform all the projects we have taken care of, with a blog where our users can be constantly updated, express their opinions, giving us tips or ask for help if needed. We always follow with passion the growth of the community in the international scale, from which we hope to have a great support to improve our products. We are supporters of open source and we firmly believe that this revolution can not be stopped, but rather it will change irreversibly the society ... and that's why we are constantly evolving, looking for new ideas and projects to be developed!
Are you interested in our projects? You can finance our works with a small donation in BTC to the address: 13gbybVyaYy5yA7Z7si2zJfo2Aat6d7c8z.


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The Challenge
Popular direct-response toy campaigns come with their share of challenges – sites marketing toward children are held to a strict set of legal guidelines, and children using their parents' info to order cause major customer service issues & distort conversion rate.
The Solution
The DR industry may be chock full of kids products, but Mojo always knows how to make them stand out. From our gorgeous designs, to our easy-to-use checkout process, and our quick turnaround, Mojo's web platform gives clients and customers alike a streamlined, pleasant experience every time.
Mojo has templates on templates available to give you the design of your dreams, and our intuitive visual editor lets us (or you!) tweak & perfect the look you want down to the last pixel. Whether you want a continuation of your current brand or a brand-new look, Mojo has the power to do it faster!
COPPA compliancy is not something you take lightly. All Mojo websites for kids' products are fully compliant!
Mojo's easy-to-use platform provided Baff's marketing team with all of the essential tools to make this product a hit. From our convenient client dashboards, to seamless Google Analytics integration, and even downloadable Excel reports, if you need statistics, we've got you covered.


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Hello, all! I'm a newbie fan. I'm building my own little hobbit hole shed. Too fun! I'd love feedback and suggestions, so check it out at http://www.archive.org/details/AlaskaHobbitHole and recent pictures at http://www.alaskahobbithole.blogspot.com
I'm going to go look around the site, now. Enjoy!
Thread: Hobbit Hole building project
Interesting little project I must say.
I wish you good luck!
I wish you good luck!
A lot of hard work, but it should be fun fitting it out with a potbellied stove, a recliner, ice chest, and electric lights for reading the books on the shelves on those cool summer evenings. Oh yes and you'll be wanting mosquito netting too, or is its function merely that of a potting or storage shed? And don't forget a little yellow, green, brown, and red paint to spruce it up a bit.
Anyway, good luck and enjoy your Hobbit Hole.
Anyway, good luck and enjoy your Hobbit Hole.
Interesting project Restelle, it will probably look alot better once the grass or fireweed you spoke of starts to come out a lushious green... Might I suggest a green paint for the door, like our eleventy-one year old Hobbit Bilbo The carving on the design for the door is really well done... *takes hat off to the artist*
I love your Hobbit Hole! What a great project I have an accumulation of miniature furnishings for a miniature hobbit hole but not the actual hole itself.


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Hey look, I remembered that the ship has ladders!
I was visualizing a roundhouse kick when I scripted this page. The result uberlentil drew is much better. +20 collaboration XP
Next update will be Monday and from then we'll plan on posting each weekday.
Moth... didnt get hurt? Not even his hands?
Tab (Guest):
You can't be a complete tomboy without knowing how to fight.
Dawn (Guest):
Looks fairly close to what a proper kick should look like in the end. The foot on the ground should be pointing straight away from the target and the kicking foot should be rotated a little more so the heel is above the toes... But a fantastic job anyways!
Mike (Guest):
Aaaaaand cue the Roadhouse/Family Guy jokes :/
Hopefully most of the people viewing right now will stay. You guys deserve more views. Have you considered joining more comic directories, like Comic Hovel, Comic Basement, Webcomic Ranking(this last one is a Japanese site, so might wanna get a translator for it) and so on? The more you guys are on, the more people view :)
Wheel kick?
...That'll look so awesome when she has braids.
Whip the Rabbit:
Why is tea holding a chicken? Did I miss something? XD
Go Melody~ :D
Wolf (Guest):
That was well exicuted. Actully, since it is Melody thats prolly her first time doing that.
The G-Man (Guest):
Awww, Moth was pleasently suprsied, but I was still expecting him to end up in the water:)
Kicking Kicker (Guest):
Dawn the Kick-King. It looks like a perfect Melody kick. Since when are all kicks exactly the same?
Parry (Guest):
I was expecting her to kick him in the balls.
Melody (Guest):
^ Parry
That would be cheating! :O
It may be cheating, but it's damned effective and surprisingly easy.
Dawn (Guest):
@Kicking Kicker: Most kicks taken in their static forms actually do look the same in the end. It's the movement to where they end or the point of contact that makes them different (and usually gives them Different names).
Herbal Tea (Guest):
A very nice page. I also was convinced that Moth would be flung into the sea by some yet to be revealed power in Melody. Considering the last panel in the last page, though, I still wonder...
Also, hurrah for ladders!
wow this may be one of my favorite pages yet, it looks soooo pretty :D
Tsuris (Guest):
TwinnThunder (Guest):
And fight!
@Shard yeah that would be could with her braids, but also lethal. Remember her mother? Think of the damage she would be doing!
Ahhh I love this comic! :)
Broseph (Guest):
@Whip the Rabbit: That is the avian formerly known as Birdball, due to Melody's excessive enthusiasm in putting bandages on it.
EarlGrey (Guest):
Turning side kick, by the looks of it. The kick hit with the full bottom of the foot, wheel kick hits with the heel of the foot ;)


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Community Mixer!
WHAT: Community Mixer
WHEN: Thursday, July 30, 6:00-8:30 PM
IN CONJUNCTION WITH: Filter Photo & ASMP Chicago/Midwest
SUPPORTED BY: Revolution Brewing
Come out and meet the community! This coming Thursday we're partnering with Filter Photo and ASMP Chicago/Midwest to host a community mixer. We're looking forward to a casual evening that includes:
- a tour of the lab & an introduction to all the resources available at LATITUDE for artists and photographers
- an introduction to Devil's Promenade, the current exhibition on view in the Filter Space gallery, plus general information about the upcoming Filter Photo Festival
- a chance to meet the folks behind the local chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers, and to learn more about what they can do for you
- beverages courtesy local beer makers Revolution Brewing
If you're a Facebook person, the FB invite can be found here. This event is free & open to all, we hope you can join us!


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[1]. Zeinalzadeh A., Moussavi-Harami R., Mahboubi A. and Sajjadian V. A., "Basin and petroleum system modeling of the Cretaceous and Jurassic source rocks of the gas and oil reservoirs in Darquain field, south west Iran," Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, Vol. 26, pp. 419-426, 2015.##
[2]. Magoon L. B. and Dow W. G., "The petroleum system," In: L.B. Magoon and W.G. Dow (Editors), The Petroleum System—From Source to Trap:American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 60, Oklahoma, pp. 3-24, 1994.##
[3]. Hunt J. M., "Petroleum geochemistry and geology," 2nd edition, W. H. Freeman, New York, p. 743, 1996.##
[4]. Magoon L. B. and Beaumont E. A., "Petroleum systems," American Association of Petroleum Geologists Treatise of Petroleum Geology, Handbook of Petroleum Geology, AAPG, 2000.##
[5]. Mohsenian E., Fathi-Mobarakabad A., Sachsenhofer R. F. and Asadi-Eskandar A., "3D basin modelling in the Central Persian Gulf, Offshore Iran," Journal of Petroleum Geology, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 55-70, 2014.##
[6]. Opera A., Alizadeh B., Sarafdokht H., Janbaz M., Fouladvand R. and Heidarifard M. H., "Burial history reconstruction and thermal maturity modeling for the Middle Cretaceous–Early Miocene Petroleum System, southern Dezful Embayment, SW Iran," International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 120, pp. 1-14, 2013.##
[7]. Mashhadi Z. S. and Rabbani A. R., "Organic geochemistry of crude oils and cretaceous source rocks in the Iranian sector of the Persian Gulf: An oil–oil and oil–source rock correlation study," International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 146, pp. 118-144, 2015.##
[8]. Karimi A. R., Rabbani A. R., Kamali M. R. and Heidarifard M. H., "Geochemical evaluation and thermal modeling of the Eocene–Oligocene Pabdeh and Middle Cretaceous Gurpi Formations in the northern part of the Dezful Embayment," Arabian Journal of Geosciences, Vol. 9, No. 5, pp. 1-16, 2016.##
[9]. Baniasad A., Rabbani A. R., Sachse V. F., Ralf Littke, Moallemi S. A. and Soleimany B., "2D basin modeling study of the Binak Trough, northwestern Persian Gulf, Iran," Marine and Petroleum Geology, Vol. 77, pp. 882-897, November 2016.##
[10]. Alizadeh B., Saadati H., Rashidi M. and Kobraei M., "Geochemical investigation of oils from Cretaceous toEocene sedimentary sequences of the Abadan Plain, Southwest Iran," Marine and Petroleum Geology, Vol. 73, pp. 609-619, May 2016.##
[11]. Sfidari E., Zamanzadeh S. M., Dashti A., Opera A. and Tavakkol M. H., "Comprehensive source rock evaluation of the Kazhdumi Formation, in the Iranian Zagros Foldbelt and adjacent offshore," Marine and Petroleum Geology, Vol. 71, pp. 26-40, 2016.##
[12]. Bordenave M. L., "Petroleum systems and distribution of the oil and gas fields in the Iranian part of the Tethyan Region," In: L. Marlow, C. Kendall and L. Yose (Editors), Petroleum Systems of the Tethyan Region, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 106, pp. 505-540, 2014.##
[13]. Abdollahie Fard I., Braathen A., Mokhtari M. and Alavi S. A., "Interaction of the Zagros Fold–Thrust Belt and the Arabian-type, deep-seated folds in the Abadan Plain and the Dezful Embayment, SW Iran," Petroleum Geoscience, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 347-362, 2006.##
[14]. Saadatinejad M. R. and Sarkarinejad K., "Application of the spectral decomposition technique for characterizing reservoir extensional system in the Abadan Plain, southwestern Iran," Marine and Petroleum Geology, Vol. 28, No. 6, pp. 1205-1217, 2011.##
[15]. Soleimany B. and Sàbat F., "Style and age of deformation in the NW Persian Gulf," Petroleum Geoscience, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 31-39, 2010.##
[16]. Bordenave M. L. and Burwood R., "The Albian Kazhdumi formation of the Dezful Embayment Iran: one of most efficient petroleum-generating system," In: B.J. Katz (Editor), Petroleum Source Rocks, Springer-Verlag, pp. 183-207, 1995.##
[17]. Sefidari E., Amini A. and Dashti A., "Source rock characteristics of Albian Kazhdumi formation in Zagros Region," Arabian Journal of Geosciences, Vol. 8, No. 10, pp. 8327-8345, 2015.##
[18]. Alizadeh B., Sarafdokht H. Rajabi M., Opera A. and Janbaz M., "Organic geochemistry and petrography of Kazhdumi (Albian–Cenomanian) and Pabdeh (Paleogene) potential source rocks in southern part of the Dezful Embayment, Iran," Organic Geochemistry, Vol. 49, pp. 36-46, 2012.##
[19]. Alizadeh B., Maroufi K. and Fajrak M., "Hydrocarbon reserves of Gachsaran oilfield, SW Iran: Geochemical characteristics and origin," Marine and Petroleum Geology, DOI: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2017.08.040, Vol., pp., April 2018.##
[20]. Vincent B., van Buchem F. S. P., Huc A. Y., "Carbon-isotope stratigraphy, biostratigraphy and organic matter distribution in the Aptian – Lower Albian successions of southwest Iran (Dariyan and Kazhdumi formations)," GeoArabia Special Publication 4, Vol., pp. 139-197, 2010.##
[21]. Rahmani O., Aali J., Mohseni H., Rahimpour-Bonab H. and Zalaghaie S., "Organic geochemistry of Gadvan and Kazhdumi formations (Cretaceous) in South Pars field, Persian Gulf, Iran," Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 70, No. 1–2, pp. 57-66, 2010.##
[22]. Bolandi V., Kadkhodaie A. and Farzi R., "Analyzing organic richness of source rocks from well log data by using SVM and ANN classifiers: A case study from the Kazhdumi Formation, the Persian Gulf basin, offshore Iran," Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 151, No. Supplement C, pp. 224-234, 2017.##
[23]. Baniasad A., Moallemi A. R. S. A. Soleimany B. and Rashidi M., "Petroleum system analysis of the northwestern part of the Persian Gulf, Iranian sector," Organic Geochemistry, Vol. 107, pp. 69-85, 2017.##
[24]. Bolandi V., Kadkhodaie-Ilkhchi A., Alizadeh B., Tahmorasi J. and Farzi R., "Source rock characterization of the Albian Kazhdumi Formation by integrating well logs and geochemical data in the Azadegan oilfield, Abadan plain, SW Iran," Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 133, pp. 167-176, 2015.##
[25]. Zeinalzadeh A., Moussavi-Harami R., Mahboubi A. and Sajjadian V. A., "Source rock potential of the early cretaceous intervals in the Darquain field, Abadan Plain, Zagros Basin, SW Iran," Geoscience Journal, In press, Vol. 33, Issue 1, pp., 1-12, 2018.##
[26]. Derks J. F., Swientek O., Fuchs T., Kauerauf A. Al-Quattan M., Al-Saeed M. and Mubarak Al-Hajerim, "Three-dimensional basin and petroleum system model of the Cretaceous Burgan Formation, Kuwait: model-in-model, migh-resolution charge modeling," In: K.E. Peters, D.J. Curry and M. Kacewicz (Editors), Basin Modeling: New Horizons in Research and Applications, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Hedberg Series, Vol. 4, Oklahoma, pp. 159-174, 2012.##
[27]. Abeed Q., Littke R., Strozyk F. and Uffmann A. K., "The upper jurassic–cretaceous petroleum system of southern Iraq: a 3-D basin modeling study," GeoArabia, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 179-200, 2013.##
[28]. Sweeney J. and A.K. Burnham, "Evaluation of a simple model of vitrinite reflectance based on chemical kinetics," American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, Vol. 74, No. 10, pp. 1559-1570, 1990.##
[29]. Peters K. E., Moldowan J. M. and Walters C. C., "Biomarkers and Isotopes in the environment and Human History," 1, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK, p. 492, 2005.##
[30]. Bordenave M. L. and Hegre J. A., "Current distribution of oil and gas fields in the Zagros Fold Belt of Iran and contiguous offshore as the result of the petroleum systems," In: P. Leturmy and C. Robin (Editors), Tectonic and Stratigraphic Evolution of Zagros and Makran During the Mesozoic-Cenozoic, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 330, pp. 291-353, 2010.##
[31]. Karimi A. R., Rabbani A. R. and Kamali M. R., "A bulk kinetic, burial history and thermal modeling study of the Albian Kazhdumi and the Eocene- Oligocene Pabdeh formations in the Ahvaz anticline, Dezful Embayment, Iran," Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 146, pp. 61-70, 2016.##
[32]. Abeed, Q., Leythaeuser D. and Littke R., "Geochemistry, origin and correlation of crude oils in Lower Cretaceous sedimentary sequences of the southern Mesopotamian Basin, southern Iraq," Organic Geochemistry, Vol. 46, pp. 113-126, May 2012.##
[33]. Tissot B. P. and Welte D. H., "Petroleum formation and occurrence," 2nd edition, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, p. 699, 1984.##
[34]. Barker C., "Thermal modeling of petroleum generation: theory and applications," Developments in Petroleum Science, 45, Elsevier, Amsterdam; New York, p. 512, 1996.##
[35]. Pirouz M., Avouac J. P., Hassanzadeh J., Kirschvink J. L. and Bahroudi A., "Early neogene foreland of the Zagros, implications for the initial closure of the Neo-Tethys and kinematics of crustal shortening," Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 477, pp. 168-182, 2017.##
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


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I have so much to catch up on!! A couple of fun cards that I recently created and a splendiferious Stampin Up catalog review to do. :)
I needed to create a card for my friend Katie's upcoming wedding on 07-07-07. I always want to making something special for each person, so I thought I would use Katie's wedding colors at my inspiration for her card. Ironically, these are also colors from a recent color challenge at Splitcoaststampers.
Groovy Flower
Stamps: Flower (Rhonna Farrer), Whirly Gigs (TAC), Fancy Flexible Phrases (SU)
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Basic Brown, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Confetti Cream
Accessories: Pearl Brad, Cuttlebug Wavy Frames
Ok, really liked that one, but as I was looking for wedding and reception details in Katie's invitation I feel in love with the color scheme and the shimmery green cardstock. So, I chopped up her wedding invite for parts (lol) and created this card, which was the one that I finally decided to give her.
Dream Wedding
Stamps: Natural Beauty (SU)
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Shimmery Green, Going Gray, Whisper White
Accessories: Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Flower punch, Flower Brads, Silver Embossing Powder, Scallop Circle Punches, Ticket Punch, Cuttlebug Dry Emboss Stylized Flowers, Stardust Gel Pen Clear
6 hours ago


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Founded by Bonita Lin Wen, NuoMi Shanghai is a social enterprise that creates fashion lines in an an effort to create sustainable employment opportunities.
"Founder Bonita Lin Wen admits that it doesn't make business sense in the traditional way—she has lost thousands of RMB over the years—but the fact that these families and their dependent children are better off than they were before make her efforts worth it," wrote Daniel Elliot in a piece published on Social Earth. "She doesn't see it as a loss of capital, but rather as an investment into making better lives for her community." Here, individuals like Wen and companies like NuoMi are seen as fostering and creating social entrepreneurship in China at large.
Contact Information
NuoMi Shanghai website
NuoMi Shanghai on Facebook
NuoMi Shanghai on Twitter
NuoMi Shanghai is a Social Enterprise Founded by Bonita Lin Wen
Tiana Reid — June 22, 2013 — Social Good
References: nuomishanghai & socialearth.org


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The Convenience of Making an Appointment Online
In our fast-paced world there is nothing we love and appreciate more than convenience. The easier and quicker something is, the better!
Do you even remember what dial-up Internet is? Remember when you had to sit there for 2-3 minutes waiting for the Internet to connect? Or how about the first cell phones that didn't have the capabilities to quick send a text to someone—you actually had to take the time to pick up the phone and call them. Well, those days are long gone and, let's be honest, nowadays people would probably throw their computers out their window if they had to sit and wait for dial-up internet.
Even though it's nice to sit and reminisce about the good old days, it's also very easy to admit that the modern world we live in can unquestionably serve as convenient.
Nowadays we all have a million things to juggle and sometimes something as simple as picking up a phone to make an appointment can throw off our entire day—but thanks to your local health clinic in White Salmon, WA, appointment making has never been easier than it is with our convenient website!
Benefits to making online appointments
Efficiency. The ability to make appointments online not only benefits the patient looking to make the appointment, it also makes things easier on the staff. For the patient, you have the scheduler right at your fingertips and can make an appointment without having to disrupt what you're doing in order to make a phone call. It saves both time and energy.
This form of scheduling is also easier on the staff. Online scheduling allows them to continuously take care of patients without having to stop and answer a phone or help a patient at a window, overall increasing the amount of productivity and efficiency, which makes both the staff and patients happy.
Avoid automated messaging systems. This one speaks for itself. There is nothing anyone hates more than those ridiculous automated message response systems that take what feels like days to get through to a live person. With online scheduling, those automated voice systems are completely avoided, ultimately leading to less frustration and time-wasted.
Automated confirmations and reminders. The busier we get, the easier it is to forget things here and there, but with the online scheduling there are confirmation emails or texts as well as automatic reminders. These messages make it nearly impossible to forget your appointment.
Convenience. Similar to the first point, it's all about making things in our lives more convenient. Rather than having to take time out of your day or night to make an appointment before the clinic closes, you have 24-hour access to the online scheduler. So, you can wait until work is done, the kids are fed, bathed and in bed and you finally have a minute to breathe. With 24-hour online capabilities you can make your appointment when you are ready.
The ability to schedule appointments online has numerous benefits, as listed above, and although human contact is and forever will be a necessity, there is nothing wrong with finding ways to making your life a little bit easier, and that's what our health clinic in White Salmon, WA aims to do.
Categorised in: Health


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If you've ever spent hours chuckling over the absurdist humor of LucasArts' classic adventure title Secret of Monkey Island, this is sure to excite you: Monkey Island co-creators Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert have finally been reunited after twenty years apart.
Ron Gilbert is best known for designing the first two Monkey Island games as well as the original Maniac Mansion. He also did this summer's Xbox Live exclusive, Deathspank.
Schafer, on the other hand, is the head of Doublefine Productions, the creators of Psychonauts and Brutal Legend.
It's a match made in heaven: these are two of the funniest men in the business, as their official announcement of the team-up makes abundantly clear:
Straight man: "What's your new title there?"
Gilbert: "We haven't really talked about that. I'm the boss of Tim."
Schafer: "He's the official Ron Gilbert. Though he started out as vice Ron Gilbert, we want to make sure he works out."
For now, there are no details on the title Gilbert and Schafer are putting together, but with Doublefine now working on multiple smaller titles at once, hopefully the product of this union will be very soon to follow.
Read more at Kotaku


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New Illumine magazine, dedicated to the Chicagoland spiritual community, will be running an article I wrote on local yoga teacher Tom Quinn in their Spring edition. More on that effort shortly. In crafting my requested bio, I playfully touted my efforts as a writer, teacher and amateur herpetologist. "When not writing or teaching workshops, Paul Sarkes Tootalian is often on the hunt for Cook County's only poisonous reptile, the elusive Eastern Massasauga". A bit of a joke, although come the Midwest summer months, I am on the lookout for the black snapper aka Kirtland's rattlesnake, aka the triple-spotted rattler.
Wrangling rattlesnakes and other specimens of the scaly variety has been my deal since I was a kid. Spiritually, I find Genesis 3:3 to be true, that "The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made." And I agree with teacher Joseph Campbell when, in his famous interviews with Bill Moyers, he noted: "It's been tough on snakes." I even wrote this story titled Snake Charmer a few years back, creative non-fiction about how my love for rattlesnakes cured my fear of females. In the tail er I mean tale, I make the point that when I moved to The Sonoran Desert in the late 90's, I discovered Arizona's austere wilderness to be "a giant, wild reptile sanctuary, where I felt every bit the eleven-year old again, free to explore a huge herpetological playground."
Having recently visited, I enjoyed a few interactions with some the local Chuckwalla population on my Black Mountain climbs. Chuckwallas are large, stocky, wide-bodied lizards with tapering tails found primarily in arid regions of the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The common Chuckwalla measures roughly 16 inches in length, and while on the stealth side like most reptiles, can be spotted all over the rocky, elevated hiking trails of Phoenix's Valley of The Sun.
Although The Sonoran Desert offers a color array of specimens to the herpetological enthusiast, The Chicago Tribune's Sunday Travel section highlighted the Critter Heaven of Manu National Park in southeastern Peru. Recently claiming the record as the most biodiverse place on the planet for reptiles and amphibians, the 7,000-square-mile park beat out Yasumi National Park in Ecuador for having the most species, many of them newly discovered. By the numbers, Manu has 155 amphibian and 132 reptiles species besides 1,000 species of birds and 1,200 species of butterflies. We're talking snakes, frogs (some poisonous), toads, lizards, caimans and more. The park contains all kinds of habitats: Amazon rain forests, high-altitude cloud forests and Andean grasslands. Time to soon pack my faux alligator bags, as Manu is about two hours from Cuzco, the popular stepping-off point for tourists heading to Machu Pichu, the most familiar icon of Inca civilization.
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text: www.huffpost.com February 6, 2017 Depression May Be As Bad For The Heart As ObesityDoctors have long known of an association between psychological and physical health, but mental illness wasn't considered to be a major risk factor for ailments like heart disease, until now. Depression has been linked to physical health risks including digestive disorders, chronic pain, stroke and even early death. Read the article on HuffPost Dr. Sears Comments: It is known that depression is highly linked to inflammation as is heart disease and obesity. Since high-dose fish oil has been shown to reduce inflammation in all three conditions, why not kill three birds with one stone.Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *CommentName * Email * Website < Prev | Next >


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Ohio Supercomputer Center has procured a $4 million expansion pack for its IBM supercomputer.
"By adding badly needed computing resources for academic and industry researchers, this expansion can further propel Ohio to the forefront of biosciences research and job creation," said Stanley Ahalt, executive director of OSC, in a statement. "With critical supercomputing resources, Ohio researchers can increase the state's share of national bioscience funding."
OSC noted that the schedule for running jobs on the supercomputer, an IBM Cluster 1350, reached full capacity within three months of the machine going operational in January 2008.
The upgrade, which costs $4 million, should be completed by this summer. An additional 600 nodes, with a total of 5,328 processing cores will be added to the system, bringing its computer capacity from 22 trillion floating point operations per second (teraflops) to 75 teraflops. The upgrade will also involve adding 300 terabytes of storage.
In the field of biosciences, the Nationwide Children's Research Institute has already used the system to look at ways to improve identification of cancer through virtual microscopy, and the Ohio State University Medical Center's Department of Biomedical Informatics uses the system for cancer research, as part of the Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid initiative.
About the Author
Joab Jackson is the senior technology editor for Government Computer News.
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text:
Politics & Government
UNC board members to hash out stance on HB2 amid lawsuits
HB2: A timeline for North Carolina's controversial law
The UNC Board of Governors met Tuesday for more than three hours to try to sort out the university system's next steps on HB2, North Carolina's sweeping law with a controversial bathroom provision.
Now that state and federal officials have filed lawsuits against each other, university leaders say they are caught in the crossfire. The board met in closed session to consult with its attorney, and members agreed to search for counsel to represent the university in the federal lawsuit.
Board chair Lou Bissette said the board stands behind UNC President Margaret Spellings in the way she's handled the situation.
"We are committed to resolving the legal issues in the university's favor as quickly as possible," Bissette said. "In the meantime, we are going to continue to focus on our primary mission of educating students."
The meeting came one day after a flurry of legal action by Gov. Pat McCrory, and legislators, who filed separate lawsuits against the federal government, asking a judge to declare that HB2 isn't discriminatory. Hours later, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch filed a federal civil rights suit against North Carolina, McCrory, the Department of Public Safety and UNC, saying the law amounted to "state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals."
Spellings wrote to the justice department Monday, saying the university has complied and will comply with federal anti-discrimination laws but that HB2 "remains the law of the State, however, and the University has no independent power to change that legal reality." She did point out that the law contains no enforcement provisions, and UNC's 17 campuses have taken no steps to enforce it.
"We hope that the Department of Justice appreciates that the University is in a difficult position," Spellings wrote.
While the issue will ultimately be decided by the courts, that could take months, and the university still faces the potential loss of federal funding, as suggested Monday by Lynch.
"I think it's unfolding," Spellings said Tuesday. "We talked about what those issues might be. The board and I are completely committed and very clear that we can't operate this place without federal funding, and we would not put that at risk."
The university received $1.4 billion in federal funds last year, including research grants and financial aid grants to students.
The UNC board heard about impact from the law from N.C. State Chancellor Randy Woodson and N.C. A&T State Chancellor Harold Martin, as well as Dr. Bill Roper, head of UNC Health Care System.
The law requires people in government buildings to use bathrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates. It also prohibits cities and counties from enacting their own anti-discrimination ordinances, and establishes a statewide policy that excludes gender identity and sexual orientation. And it prevents people from filing employment discrimination lawsuits in state court.
There is apparently a range of opinions on the Republican-majority board, as evidenced by emails obtained by The News & Observer. Late last week, board members discussed the issue among themselves and pondered whether to join lawsuits by McCrory and lawmakers. Several expressed concern about the consequences.
We now know how the salami in a sandwich feels. We are in the middle of a fight we did not start between two powerful forces both of which could do the University great harm.
Champ Mitchell, UNC Board of Governors member
"We now know how the salami in a sandwich feels," Champ Mitchell, a board member, wrote to several members. "We are in the middle of a fight we did not start between two powerful forces both of which could do the University great harm."
"Obviously we cannot afford to lose federal funding," Mitchell added. "In addition to having to immediately close a number of campuses with the withholding of Pell (Grant) funds, the loss of NIH and other research grants would mean the exodus of our most distinguished faculty. In fact, I expect other universities are at this moment planning to use this uncertainty to entice our best away."
Board member Steve Long wrote to Bissette on May 5, after the Department of Justice had said HB2 violates the Civil Rights Act and Title IX.
"Given the aggressiveness of the DOJ in attacking not only the University but all NC institutions receiving federal funding, I don't believe the State has much choice but to fight DOJ in court," Long wrote. "I just don't want you to think, due to our meeting yesterday, that all of us on the BOG are against the idea of bucking the DOJ if the Governor and Legislative leaders go that route."
Board member Joe Knott agreed. "Before the federal government (or anyone else for that matter) can mandate that in North Carolina a man has access to women's and girls' bathrooms and showers; we should litigate the question," he wrote.
I believe to the extent the courts have interpreted the laws of our country to require a government-mandated assault on morality, modesty, and order, they are mistaken. To the extent they are correct in their interpretation, the laws are immoral and should be changed.
Joe Knott, UNC Board of Governors member
"I believe to the extent the courts have interpreted the laws of our country to require a government-mandated assault on morality, modesty, and order, they are mistaken," Knott added. "To the extent they are correct in their interpretation, the laws are immoral and should be changed. In the interim, we should argue our position in the courts."
Board member Harry Smith disagreed with that opinion, writing that Knott did not speak for the board.
Mitchell discussed the pros and cons of siding with state elected leaders against the federal government, or trying to remain neutral.
"Assuming the Governor and legislature file an action such as a declaratory judgment action, joining in it might have some advantages," Mitchell's email said. "First, we would be standing firm with the leadership of our state. Second, we would be standing up to what is really a bullying approach by DOJ. Third, we would be a party to the litigation and thus a judgment would be the final determination that we seek."
But there could be a federal backlash, he reasoned. "All of that would feel good and probably enhance our standing with the state's leadership," Mitchell wrote. "It would also greatly irritate the federal administration."
Mitchell pondered how quickly the federal government could move to strip funding, and whether the university could get an injunction to stop it.
"Joining a case brought by the state's leadership would create an appearance to many that we are supporting the law rather than merely complying as a matter of duty," Mitchell wrote. "If DOJ starts an administrative proceeding, which it could do whether or not we join a declaratory judgment suit, this will also heighten anxieties on our campuses."
The university was not a party in the state lawsuits filed Monday.
Jane Stancill: 919-829-4559, @janestancill


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It took more than 10,000 people 20 months of continuous work to open Phase 1 of the Coquihalla, on May 16, 1986. Many of the men and women who worked on this historic project have moved on to new adventures; however, some still work for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. To get a sense of what it was like to work on a project of this scale, we asked four ministry staffers (one retired/three current) four questions. Their...
- About
- Ministry
- Travellers
- Moving the Economy
- Careers
- Community News
- Emergency Events
- Going Green
- Tell TranBC


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The race to save the Mogao frescoes
The Mogao grottoes at Dunhuang in China are one of the world's richest art treasures. Dunhuang, though far from the center of Chinese civilization, was a key stop on the Silk Road. The Silk Road was not only a trade route for merchandise, it was also the route by which Buddhism was introduced to China, and Dunhuang is home to nearly 500 caves that served as Buddhist temples. The cave-temples are full of thousands of murals and sculptures, created between the fourth and fourteenth centuries.
For centuries the region's remoteness and arid climate preserved that artworks is good condition. But today, according to this report, the murals are "fading away from age, tourist pressures and climate change." The report goes on to describe efforts to photograph and preserve the art works.
A race is on to arrest the deterioration of the UN World Heritage site, which occupies 492 different cave temples along a 1.6-kilometre (one-mile) long cliff face near the ancient Silk Road oasis town of Dunhuang.
That decline has accelerated in recent years due in large part to desertification caused by climate change, said Wang Xudong, head of the Dunhuang Academy, the state-run institution that studies and maintains the grottoes.
More-frequent sandstorms from the nearby Kumtag desert are upsetting the fragile environmental balance inside the caves.
"Our biggest challenge is protecting the interior environment of the caves, especially from sandstorms, which are the biggest risk here," he said.
But it's a complex and painstaking task.
"Each cave has its own unique mineral, temperature, and moisture situation. We have to treat each one differently. We are learning every day," Wang said.
The top image of a bodhisattva appears in a Tantric Buddhist painting in Cave 14. Dating from the Tang dynasty (618–906), it probably reflects a Tibetan influence; Dunhuang was under Tibetan rule during a some of the Tang. The second image accompanied the news article; I have done a little restoration work of my own on it.


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With almost a full year of teaser footage coming out from the 6K RED DRAGON, we are pleased to finally have a few in our hands ready to rent!
If you haven't seen footage from the RED DRAGON yet, check out our previous RED 6K Footage post for a few eye-gasms.
Currently, we only have the RED EPIC DRAGON fro rent. We anticipate we will have a few RED SCARLET DRAGONs available for rent later this year.
If you're interested in renting a RED DRAGON, can you read more details on our site. RED DRAGONS are available for local rental pick up or Nationwide shipping.


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Annies Home a place where I love to share tips, recipes and wonderful products that I find for our family along the way.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thankful Thursday My Job
Wow!!! Today has been a whirl wind of a day. Only one day off at a time then several more days back to work. I am thankful for having a job that is for sure. Thankful that where I work I do not have to worry about missing work unless I need to or fear of losing my job. That is more than mny can say.
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Turkey's Press Crackdown Continues
Journalists are being jailed for an alleged coup plot and we all assume our phones are tapped.
This is what it is like to be a journalist in the world's "model Muslim democracy": Last week, on my first day back at the office after a vacation, I was planning to have lunch with my colleague Nedim Sener, a well-known investigative reporter whose desk at our newspaper, Milliyet, is near mine.
But Nedim wasn't at his...


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so far i love:
english butter
english weather
the yorkshire accent (i have been practicing for this coming season of downton)
english roses. i get it now. i REALLY get it.
and ENGLISH BUTTERRRRR.
i do not love:
the north yorkshire terrible-larious sunset (10 PM!) and sunrise (5 AM!)
it is not awesome.
i hatelove:
the bats screeching from 9 to 10 pm every night.
i mean it's cool and something i would never hear or see in my own hood but i can see how after living here a while you would want to murder you some bats.
they dive in next to your windows as the sun sets and it's kind of awesome.
they are wee and adorable.
here's what we've been up to the last 3 days..
the day before yesterday we explored our beloved harrogate:
this is what i wore..
(and yes, i chose the spikes. and yes i love it.)
grocery shopping has proved to be highly entertaining for me.
treacly is maybe one of the best words ever.
do they know me?!?!
didn't go in. but i will.
oh..but i will.
this is what jet lag looks like.
this is what the english call bacon.
it is not bacon.
but it is delicious.
we pass this building on our walk into town every day and it's my favorite.
i believe it's just 2 flats.
and i believe it is really really expensive.
also on this path..
the most insanely huge roses with the most insanely rosey smell.
the smell is intense but soft.
it's not pure rose...it's rose mixed with vanilla.
not joking.
there is a playground nearby that is perfect for fiona when she is tired of playing tourist (which is every few minutes).
purple door that i like.
fiona made a sweet friend.
yesterday we went to a town nearby via train called knaresborough..
it was market day there..
this awesome dog was there too.
she was so nice and soft.
the town of knaresborough is ridiculously picturesque.
we visited a forrest and caves.
this cool ass gypsy caravan was sitting in the middle of the forrest.
1975 michael caine lives here.
so does 1975 mick jagger.
plenty of amazing houses nestled in among the hills.
you walk up many steep steps to get to the castle.
but you stop 100 times to take pictures.
i spared you 98 of them.
up at the top there are ravens.
this is a 14th century castle once inhabited by kings and queens and it was BADASS!!!!!
a real life dungeon y'all.
fiona LOVED it.
she loved the authenticity of it all.
i did too.
my first ever castle.
we ended the day at the fat badger for delicious food and wine..
lots of wine.


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Since its founding in 1974, BJG has represented government municipalities, their agents, officers and board members, and we have dedicated our practice to representing agencies such as:
Government agencies require analysis and understanding of the issues raised in each litigated case. BJG understands the need to provide efficient and responsive representation, and we will work with your schedules, personnel, and insurance companies to ensure a coordinated and aggressive defense.
Our construction team understands the defense high expense associated with defending construction claims. As such, we work to develop cost effective methods to bring our cases to resolution while providing a vigorous defense.
BJG also provides general counsel and advice for non-litigated issues facing public entities.
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Except for some dissenting drama and one beefy-ish case that is looking favorable for tribal interests, the U.S. Supreme Court has been relatively quiet for Indian Country so far.
The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe is hoping it stays that way. As the justices debate whether to hear a case affecting its sovereign rights, the tribe is hoping to move forward with plans for a long-awaited casino on its reservation in Massachusetts.
Efforts took a major step forward when the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in April confirmed that the tribe can use its own lands for a modest gaming facility. The unanimous decision put the Aquinnah people on the same footing as nearly every other Indian nation.
"We need to be able to chart our own course and land is one of the major components of who we are," Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais told a senior Trump administration official at the National Congress of American Indians annual convention last month.
But state and local opponents are trying to overturn the victory. They have asked the Supreme Court to prevent the tribe from following the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a federal law that has helped countless other governments in Indian Country chart new futures.
"Particularly in a case implicating such important sovereign interests, this court should grant certiorari to resolve this conflict," Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healey (D) wrote in the state's opening brief for the petition in Massachusetts v. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head
The tribe responded with a brief on November 6 and Andrews-Maltais reiterated her offer to work, on a government-to-government basis, with the state and the town of Aquinanh on issues surrounding the gaming project. The town is responsible for the second petition in the case, Town of Aquinnah v. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head.
The state and the town haven't officially accepted the offer. They submitted their final replies on November 20 and the Supreme Court has scheduled a closed-door conference on December 8 to consider both petitions.
An announcement from the court, on whether the justices will hear the case or not, is expected sometime after that conference.
Andrews-Maltais believes both will be rejected. "Once the petitions are denied, we hope the commonwealth and the town will take the tribe up on its longstanding offers to coordinate efforts between our governments so that the entire community will benefit from the tribe's economic development activities," she said.
The tribe is planning to open the casino in an unfinished community center in Aquinnah, its headquarters on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The facility would only be able to offer Class II games like bingo and electronic versions of bingo because the state refuses to negotiate a Class III agreement for more lucrative slot machines, card games and similar offerings.
The state didn't take the same position with respect to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, whose headquarters are on the mainland. A gaming compact the two parties negotiated requires the tribe to share 21 percent of Class III revenues with the state.
The Mashpees, however, have yet to open their long-awaited First Light Resort and Casino due to litigation from local opponents. The Trump administration was on the verge of siding with those opponents but has not made a final decision on the tribe's land-into-trust application for the project despite calls to President Donald Trump to live up to the sentiments in his first-ever proclamation for National Native American Heritage Month.
"A great nation keeps its word, and this administration will continue to uphold and defend its responsibilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives," Trump stated in the proclamation.
With the Mashpee project in limbo, the Aquinnah may end up being the "first to game" in Massachusetts, as a press release boasted four years ago this month. The last legal hurdle is clearing the two petitions before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court's current term, which began in October, has been mostly uneventful for tribal interests. The sole Indian law case accepted by the justices is Patchak v. Zinke, which was heard on November 7. The outcome will determine whether Congress can protect a Michigan tribe's already-operating casino from litigation.
1st Circuit Court of Appeals Decision:
Massachusetts v. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (April 11, 2017)
VIA: Indianz


text: To find out the homework you can be expecting this year and when you need to return it to your teacher click on the link for your year group. If you have any questions about your homework talk to your teacher who will be able to help. Remember ALL year groups have homework clubs after school in Key Stage Two and there are rewards for completed homework to work towards too.


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Sorry, my blog posts in this category, Living in the Now, are very repetitive and quite mundane. Like a broken record, I am humming about just one simple thing: how important it is to acknowledge and appreciate every moment, to live in the present.
A loose translation of a verse from a Russian song goes something like this: "Life is but an instant between past and future." To live fully we have to be alive, embrace the present. Dah.
Last week I went to The Huntington with a very close friend. We planned this outing for weeks. It was supposed to be an inspiration trip. We needed to finalize a planting plan for her little succulent garden.
So, she picked me up and we drove to Pasadena. I think it took us longer than it would have if we were minding driving directions more carefully. It was a nice excursion, we were chatting, truly enjoying each other's company.
Finally, we got to the gates — they were closed shut. The two of us came on the day when the gardens are not open to the public!!! Feeling stupid, but not defeated, we did not despair. Almost immediately, someone remembered that there is another beautiful place to explore nearby.
Shortly, we were at the Arboretum, Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia. It was truly a blessing in disguise because my friend had never been there. Besides, the admission fee was a fraction of The Huntington's.
Feeling adventurous, we were eager to live in the present with all its miracles.
The best part about the experience was that we were utterly open to anything. We walked around, looked at the picturesque succulents, of course. After all, we were on a mission. But that was not as important as soaking in each other's presence, feeling grateful for a chance to spend time together in this serene setting.
Feeling content, we were here to acknowledge every moment!
With this kind of mindset, of course we had a lovely time. Basking in radiant warmth of our friendship, gazing at wondrous plants, celebrating each lush second. Iridescent peacocks accompanied us, as if showing off their own skills of how to live in the present and acknowledge every moment. Quite a site!


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Friend and fellow home-brewer Jeff Rask has accomplished quite a feet in a short amount of time. In a matter of a few months, Bonecrusher Brews evolved from a fledgling idea to a legitimate brewery, that is if you consider a kitchen a brewery. You see, brewing beer in your home is not a particularly hard endeavor, but it takes time, effort and passion for your product for it to actually be drinkable. Speaking from experience (Mavis Beefus, ahem), brewing beer is not just following the instructions that came with your kit.
Bonecrusher has produced four brews to date: Premier Pilsner, Brown Beauty (a nut brown), Glassribs Ale ( a Canadian Ale) and the Hefeweizen-Heimer (named by yours truly after winning a bet). Each beer is flavorful with distinct aromas and tastes. My favorite to date is the Glassribs with floral notes on the front end with a nice bitterness on the back. This could easily change though in the coming days when the Hefeweizen is ready to sample. While Bonecrusher is strictly underground at the moment and only available in a few select refrigerators across the Merrimack Valley, the future is only limited to five gallon batches. Crush one!


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Rockets owner nears purchase of Dynamo
Barring an unforeseen breakdown in negotiations, Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is likely to complete his purchase of the Dynamo from Anschutz Entertainment Group, Oscar De La Hoya and Gabriel Brener "relatively soon," league officials involved in the process said.
With seven games to go in the Major League Soccer regular season and less than a month before the Rockets open training camp, the sides don't want to have the sale of the Dynamo weighing over the management, coaching staffs or players of either team.
"We don't want it to be a distraction for anybody," Rockets CEO Tad Brown said. "We don't want it to be a distraction for coach (Dominic) Kinnear, any of the players, any of the management.
"It's important for Mr. Alexander for the people to stay focused on winning, and we're going to try to take care of this behind the scenes."
In the deal, the Rockets would purchase the Dynamo and secure the 30-year lease and development agreement on BBVA Compass Stadium, which opened May 12.
The Dynamo organization is divided into two arms, and the Rockets will purchase both. One controls the team. The other is Dynamo Stadium Corporation, which paid to build the $95 million facility and has a lease and development agreement with Harris County-Houston Sports Authority to manage the stadium for 30 years.
"We're continuing our conversations," Brown said. "We're working toward a resolution in the near future if we're able to put something together."
email@example.com twitter.com/ortizkicks


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Tokyo Police Club new disc, Elephant Shell, will be in our hands on April 22nd, but until then we have a new track called "In A Cave" to hold us over.
TPC has something to say about their plans this year:
We are all really excited to finally announce the release date of our record. It will be in stores in the US, Canada, and Australia on April 22nd and UK, Continental Europe on May 5th. We are also going to be releasing a bonus remix EP along with the record. Stay tuned for more details on that!
We'll be making the trip down to Austin for SXSW to play a few shows. Our friends at The Onion are throwing a couple of parties that we'll be partaking in along with The Saddle Creek Showcase on Saturday night at The Dirty Dog Bar. Hope to see you there.
We are also finishing up the routing for our UK/European tour in late May/ early June so we should have even more dates to announce in a week or so. Also, wanted to let people in Australia and Japan know that we haven't forgotten about you, we should have some shows in your neck of the woods coming later on this summer!
Our tour starts in a few weeks and we'll be playing a bunch of the songs from the new record! See you there!
[Myspace] Tokyo Police Club


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From the very start of De la Beche's first surveys there was an understanding that it might in due course be extended to other parts of the country.
This understanding is reflected in the 1832 correspondence recorded in the Ordnance Survey letter books. It was also widely reported, prompting at least one provincial geologist to recommend his mapping skills to the Board of Ordnance.
Thus, Dr Henry L. Boase of Penzance wrote to the Board on 30 June 1832 offering his services to 'delineate on your Map, the various rocks and the principal metalliferous veins of Cornwall' (GSM 1/68, 80-2).
Colby advised the Board that it would be wise to defer a decision on Dr Boase's offer until the Devonshire survey had reached a more advanced state.
In the event, nothing further seems to have transpired respecting this offer. Dr Boase's competency as a geological observer was brought into disrepute in 1834 following the publication of an ambitious Treatise on Primary Geology and the reading of a paper at the British Association meeting in Edinburgh, where he showed himself to be ill-informed about the difficulties of interpreting the older rocks of south-west England (Rudwick 1985, 88–9).
On 25 May 1835, De la Beche wrote to the Board to announce 'that the Geological Map of Devonshire, with portions of the adjoining counties ... executed in compliance with the order of the Honble. Board of the 2nd May 1832, is now completed...' In concluding his letter he expressed the hope 'that the Honble Board will be pleased to examine the result of my labors; and if they shall find that it is desirable to continue the Geological Survey, I would willingly devote my time to the Geological examination of another portion of country' (GSM 1/68, 93).
The Board wasted no time in calling upon the President of the Geological Society (at that time Charles Lyell), and two of its most prominent and respected members, William Buckland and Adam Sedgwick, to report on De la Beche's work and on the expediency of extending the survey to other parts of the country.
The Society's report, dated 12 June, was full of praise: 'Our opinion is that the execution of the geological survey of Devonshire is the result of great labour combined with great skill, and that no geological Map of such extent has been published in Europe equal to it in the minute accuracy of its details.
We regard its publication as reflecting great honor on the Board of Ordnance, with whom it originated, and at the same time as a benefit to European Science.
We are further of opinion, from this evidence, but still more from our personal knowledge of the unusual combination of qualifications which are united in Mr. De la Beche, that it would be highly honourable and useful to the Nation to continue his services, in the extension of a geological survey on one uniform system over other parts of Great Britain' (GSM 1/68, 98).
The report goes on to examine the economic advantages of good geological maps ― these are:
The foregoing is expressed in similar terms to that of an undated note written by De la Beche some time before 1835 (North 1936, 47-8).
In terms of organisation, the report advised the establishment of a subordinate branch of the Ordnance Survey under the control of Thomas Colby, consisting of De la Beche and any assistants that might be considered expedient.
It was recommended (on the advice of Colby) that De la Beche receive a salary of £500 per annum, together with £1000 to cover the appointment of assistants and for defraying other contingent costs.
On 18 June the Master General of the Board of Ordnance gave approval for the recommendations to be carried forward for Treasury authorisation.
The Treasury responded favourably on 30 June, stating that 'they will cheerfully give their sanction to any measure which may facilitate so desirable a result, if it can be obtained at a moderate expense.'
With this last consideration in mind the Treasury not unreasonably asked the Board for an 'Estimate of the time which they consider will be required for the entire completion of the whole undertaking' (GSM 1/68, 107).
The question was referred to De la Beche who replied on 4 July that 'In answer to your question respecting the time required to complete the Geological Survey of Great Britain, I beg to state ... that depending as it must do upon the amount of competent aid which I may receive ... I consider that the Geological Map will keep pace with the Geographical Map, and consequently that both Maps will be completed at the same time' (GSM 1/68, 113).
Unsurprisingly, the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury were not about to be disarmed by a cleverly evasive response.
Francis Baring, Secretary to the Treasury, asked De la Beche privately for an estimate of the time required 'to perfect the Geological Survey of that part of England and Wales which has already been completed by the Ordnance.'
De la Beche replied that it would take 21 years to survey the current 66 Ordnance sheets, assuming that he worked singly and was unassisted.
If, however, he received the aid of two or three competent assistants, as was envisaged, and was able to purchase local information as occasion might require, he could complete the geological mapping of the published part of the Ordnance Map in only seven years.
On this basis he estimated that, with the necessary aid, 'the Geological Map of England and Wales may be completed in about ten years' (GSM 1/68, 119–20). It would be surprising if De la Beche believed this to be a realistic estimate, and he certainly changed his mind a few years later.
Behind the scenes, De la Beche was doing everything he could to ensure a successful outcome to the Treasury decision. He asked Sedgwick to use his personal influence with both the Marquis of Lansdowne, Lord President of the Council and a prominent supporter of science, and Thomas Spring-Rice, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
De la Beche's financial situation had worsened during 1833–34 owing to a further decline in the value of West Indian property, while his fee for the Devonshire survey had not even covered his expenses (Rudwick 1985, 103, 125). De la Beche's livelihood was now very much in the balance.
Relief arrived when De la Beche was forwarded a written communication from the Board of Ordnance, dated 11 July 1835 and addressed to the Inspector General of Fortifications (under whose control the Ordnance Survey resided), which informed him that the Treasury had sanctioned a 'Geological Survey of Cornwall.'
The Lords Commissioners still felt that his estimate of expenditure for the whole survey was 'insufficiently ascertained', but hoped that a better estimate of the annual rate of progress and expense might be obtained following the completion of the Cornish survey (GSM 1/68, 117–8).
With this letter of appointment the Geological Survey as an institution may be said to have been born (Figure 15). As a branch of the Ordnance Trigonometrical Survey it assumed the title of 'Ordnance Geological Survey,' under the overall control of Lt-Col. Thomas Colby.
Bate, D G. 2010 Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche and the founding of the British Geological Survey. Mercian Geologist, 17 (3). 149–165.