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Traditionally, for newspapers August is the 'silly season' when news becomes so thin on the ground that they - or the skeleton staff who hold the fort - are reduced to reporting incidents of ducks taking to skateboarding ('skateboarding ducks') and that kind of nonsense. Admittedly, such reports might appear indistinguishable to the naked eye to what appears in the rest of the year, but as a rule, when you get into detail, they are far sillier. For example, any duck found skateboarding in any month which is not August will be found, on further investigation, to be nothing but a common or garden duck. A duck caught skateboarding in August (and newspapers are adept at catching that kind of thing on camera) will, on further investigation, be found to be fluent in French and one of Princess Margaret's former lovers.
This August, I suspect, will not be a silly season. It might today seem like a long way off, but August 1, as of today, is just 44 days away. And there is enough bubbling under to make August not just not silly, but downright interesting. For example, in Argentina the country's president Cristina Kirchner is stirring the pot marvellously over the 'disputed Falklands'. Why? Well, there's an election coming up and Kirchner wants to be re-elected. More to the point, my sources in the Ministry of Defence (Ships and Rum) complain that the recent defences cuts mean that should the Argentineans decided to invade the Falklands again, not only could Britain not get a fleet together to defend the islands, it would be hard pushed even to send a strongly worded telegram. An Argentinean writer memorably described the Falklands war in the early Eighties as 'two bald men fighting over a comb', but sadly that neck of the woods is now a little more important what with various oil companies drilling for oil they suspect might lie just offshore.
Then there are the bloody Greeks who, creative as ever, are coming up with ever more exciting and innovative ways of going bust in the certain knowledge that no one will let them until their own plans are in place to avoid as much of the flak as possible. Germany (quite rightly in my view) wants the money markets to share the pain, but the rest of Europe is fighting shy of that rather as one fights shy of standing up to a bully. This morning, it seems, the appeasers have finally persuaded Germany to stand down and accept that Greece should get another dollop of moolah just to keep the show on the road. At this point I might be inclined to advise everyone to bite on the bullet, face the music and stop dithering, but unfortunately the fall out from doing that would be so horrendous for Joe, Jose, Johan, Jacoma and Giorgio public that it isn't worth contemplating. There's the old joke about the traveller in Ireland who asked for directions and was told: 'Well, I wouldn't start from here.' But that is exactly what we have to do. We are here and there's nothing we can do about it. But given all the euro crap that's been flying around, you do wonder why Croatia, or rather, the Croatian government is still so keen to join 'the club'.
Or how about Syria. How long can that go on? Something's got give, either way. They say Turkey, which does a hell of a lot of trade with Syria, is both trying to persuade Assad to go a little easier (kill fewer people?) as well as keep on good terms with the Syrian regime. One commentator remarked that it is very possible that Bashir al-Assad is not quite the man in charge he is assumed to be, but being manipulated by the army and security forces, who have rather too much to lose if the regime collapses. The Assad Jnr we have now was not the Assad Jnr his dad had marked out as his successor. The old dictator had groomed his oldest son Basil to take over, but he was killed in a car crash in 1994, so there had to be a change of plan. The second son - and current president - Bashar was living in London studying ophthalmology (well, makes a difference to chicken farming which was Heinrich SS Himmler's vocation) when his brother was killed and was recalled to base to become a trainee dictator.
Then there's the question of whether the Syrian army really stay together. There have been reports on the radio that enlisted men and officers are defecting, but there are comparatively few of them. That one will run and run, too.
In view of all that, so much for a silly season this August.
. . .
Talking of silliness, I can't resist the opportunity to plug a very amusing and comprehensive book by my friend and colleague Ben le Vay called Eccentric Britain. The title say is tall. If you have ever wondered whether dwile flonking (attempting to hit a member of the opposing team with a dishcloth soaked in beer) really does go on in rural pubs in East Anglia, if you would like to visit a museum of cornflake packets, if you want to read all about the fifth Duke of Portland who was so shy, no one but no one was allowed to look him in the face, if you want to visit a memorial to British pigeons who are regarded as heroes of World War II - if, to come to the point, you want to find out a lot more about true Brit eccentricity, get the book. It is published by Bradt Travel Guides and you can get hold of a copy here at Amazon.
This is Ben's most comprehensive guide to eccentricity hereabouts, but he has previously written books on eccentric London, eccentric Cambridge and eccentric Edinburgh. It's also available at (as they say) all good bookshops and, undoubtedly quite a few bad ones. Do get a copy. Not only will you keep yourself amused for hours but Ben would get a bit more money.
. . .
The major news this morning was that 'the Americans are in talks with the Taliban', presumably to end the war and get the hell out of Aghanistan. That would be no bad thing, of course, but who is asking for the talks and who is agreeing to them? That should give us a fair idea as to who thinks they are losing and who doesn't think they are losing. That won't be lost on the Taliban.
Incidentally, as far as I know the name 'Taliban' is perfectly useless, being used, as it is, to describe such a disparate group of people. The one thing they have in common is their desire to get U.S., British and other Nato troops the hell out of their country. But apart from that the different groups have nothing in common. They range from journeymen fighters who just want to earn a living and will fight anyone if the money is right, to would-be warlords who know a great route to power when they see one, to out-and-out radical Islamists to the kind of opportunist you'll find the world over.
One new element in the equation might be, though, the hope and courage would-be Afghan reformists get from the so-called Arab Spring (as we are now obliged to call it - those damn sub-editors), who might not feel inclined to buckle under if and when the Taliban demand all women return home and stay there and reinstate all those vile, supposedly Islamist, punishments for a variety of offences.
. . .
Courtesy of Spotify, I'm listening to a few tracks from my salad days. While listening to She's Gone by Hall & Oates my daughter - who is 15 at the beginning of August - asked me - who is 62 in November - what's that? I told her it was pop. She was probably asking because as a rule if I play music in is usually baroque, jazz or Dave Fiuczynski. That's not pop, she informed me. It is, I said. It's not, she replied. I gave up.
One of the tracks on my playlist is Money's Too Tight To mention - not by that ginger-haired twat Mick Hucknall, but by The Valentine Brothers, compared to whose version drinking shampoo is more preferable to Hucknall's version. Anaemic, fake, soulless, plastic - that's Hucknall and his bloody band.
Ah, now another of my favourites is on - Joy And Pain by Maze. There's a great alternative version by Frankie Beverley and Kurtis Blow.


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To say that some people dislike Donald Trump may well be the understatement of the year. It's hard to imagine any duly elected president seeing so many protests, yet here we are.
It's so bad that now an 11-year-old in Annadale, New York, was docked 15 points on a homework assignment because she failed to answer a question demanding students bash Trump:
Vincent Ungro, a dad from Annadale, New York, has an 11-year-old daughter who attends I.S. (Intermediate School) 75. She asked him for help with her vocabulary homework last Friday night because she was trying to fill in the blanks from a word bank to complete her assignment — and was really puzzled.
And what were the choices for the two questions, you ask? These three words: "haughty," "humble," and "precedent." You can guess which ones were meant to be the "correct" answers in this teacher's mind.
Ungro, 46, told his daughter not to fill in those blanks — and wrote a note to the teacher, Adria Zawatsky, on the homework sheet, as The Post noted. "Please keep your political views to yourself and do not try to influence my children on them. Thank you," he wrote.
The teacher docked the points — which Ungro called "vindictive."
This is not a exception, it is probably laid out in a internal memo sent by the NEA. Think of the result of this Orwellian mind molding in another twenty years.

subset: commoncrawl


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Events for February 6, 2019
All Day
The Chesapeake Art Group
Unity Renaissance presents "The Art of Life" from the Chesapeake Art Group. Art from five talented locally based artists will be on display in the sanctuary throughout January and February. All art is for sale. Featured artists are: Rena Harmon … ContinuedFind out more »
10:30 am
"Be Heard Now" with Rev. Paula
Tap into your your inner speaker and communicate with ease. An empowering class to help you find your inner voice and lose your fear of public speaking. Based on the book "Be Heard Now".Find out more »
7:00 pm
"Journey of Souls" Discussion Group
What do you suppose you will be doing after you make your transition? How do you think you made the decision to have this life? What do you know about your soul's journey? Before Michael Newton discovered how to put … ContinuedFind out more »


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The scent of Summer
How lovely to enjoy a relaxed Bank Holiday weekend at home and not in a 16-mile traffic jam: yes, southbound on the M5 yesterday….thankfully we were heading northbound. Last evening, whilst sitting exploring the hidden tricks of my new camera, I spotted this chap taking a break on the garden room window and couldn't resist a photo. I'd have liked to have caught the other side too, but I disturbed him and he flew off.
This morning, I've been out in the garden, pottering about. The philadelphus smells so sweet, I'm hoping the rain forecast for later today doesn't wash it all away. Time to make the most of it now.
We've a few roses in bloom, so with a bowl in hand, I went collecting rose petals for a sweet friend whose daughter is getting married in a couple of weeks. Around here, we do what we can for our friends and during our book group discussion last week all agreed, we'd collect and dry as many petals as we could for her confetti.
If only the colours would stay so bright!
If only the scent would stay too. Instead, you'll have to imagine how sweet our airing cupboard smells with trays of rose petals drying in there right now.
We're still having probs with our pond and rill, so I took the opportunity to top it up, noticing the beautiful iris as I did.
I'm still waiting for our peonies to open though.
I've been keeping an eye on the elderflowers too, noticing them coming into bloom a good week or more earlier than usual. Time to (not) find the packet of citric acid powder then and get the stocks of lemons and sugar in, ready to get the cordial factory going. Who knows where we had put that citric acid though? Thankfully, Intralabs offer a super quick delivery, so this morning I had no excuses. Could I find the recipe though? Yes, of course I could!
The blooms this year are enormous and extraordinarily plentiful and I think this could be the earliest Elderflower Cordial post ever.
With an airing cupboard smelling of roses, a kitchen filled with lemon and elderflower, can there be any better scent of summer?
The bowl of fruit I just prepared for lunch, maybe? (No pavlova today!)


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Much has been made of Per Mertesacker's seeming mission to duck out of as many headers as possible in recent weeks, which has played its part in Arsenal conceding set-piece goals to both Stoke and Liverpool.
The statistics indicate that the giant German wins a respectable 70 per cent of his aerial duals, but for the tallest centre half in the Premier League, this record could be considered average at best.
It is interesting that Mathieu Debuchy has only lost eight of his 41 headers and this suggests that he could follow in the footsteps of the likes of Javier Mascherano and become a capable converted central defender despite being on the shorter side.
Former Cardiff midfielder Gary Medal also plays at the heart of the defence when on international duty with Chile, even though he is only 5ft 7ins tall.
But should Arsene Wenger decide that a more aerially-dominant defender is required in January, here are two of the better options from the Premier League menu.
James Collins
Of all the defenders to have played over 100 minutes of Premier League action this season to date, no player can claim to have won a higher percentage of their headers than West Ham's Welshman.
The Hammers' win percentage more than doubles in their games to feature Collins in comparison to those without him and only six goals have been conceded with him on the pitch this season.
Ryan Shawcross
What managers want from their central defenders are players willing to put their bodies on the line and attack every aerial ball.
Shawcross arguably does this better than anyone in the top-flight and only Steven Caulker has won more headers than Stoke's skipper this season, albeit at a far lower percentage.
The former Manchester United trainee best combines winning headers with a high percentage of doing so and it has remained a slight mystery how a bigger side hasn't come knocking for him in recent seasons.


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I usually try to write blog posts ahead of time so that the night before I want them to go live, I'm not sitting in bed typing while my cat attacks my feet demanding attention. Unfortunately, between traveling and being sick over the last two weeks, my planning went out the window. So yes, I wrote this Chocolate Easter Ice Cream blog post last night while Onyx wreaked mayhem.
Luckily I was so hyped after seeing the new Fast & Furious movie that I knew I'd be up for hours anyways. I know, I know, I don't seem like the type of person to be a HUGE fan of this movie series but it's not all rom-coms in my Netflix queue. Terrible action movies are in there too. But only the ones that are so terrible they are actually fantastic. All joking aside, how soon is too soon to see it again in theaters?
This is the first year in ages that I'm not going to be traveling for Easter so I thought I might as well make a fun treat for myself. My Pinterest feed has been blowing up with adorable bunny cakes and edible bird nests but with the weather finally warming up, I thought I'd go the ice cream route. I also branched out from hazelnuts since I figured that after two recipes in the past two weeks y'all were probably ready for something different.
I haven't made a chocolate-based ice cream for the blog in over a year (not since this batch of chocolate thin mint ice cream) so I knew that's where I had to go. Instead of using chocolate chips for this one, I used chocolate pudding in the custard. The texture is equally soft and smooth but it tastes almost like a cold hot chocolate. Like the Swiss Miss packets my office keeps our snack room filled with.
Confession time: I loved this batter so much that I went through every single spoon in my kitchen stealing tastes while it churned. I didn't want to double dip since I was sick so this strategy made the most sense. Until I ran out of spoons.
I'm having a hard time making this ice cream batch last until Easter but luckily I'll be busy doing fun things with fellow Blog Society members that force me out of my apartment and keep me away from my freezer. The 14th Street SoulCycle studio will be welcoming us for a late morning class before we head out for some well-earned brunch. Pretty much my ideal Saturday.
Charlotte Lamontagne
- 2 Cups heavy cream
- 1 Cup milk
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 5 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup chocolate pudding
- ½ cup Cadbury mini chocolate eggs
- ½ cup Reese's peanut butter chocolate eggs
- Heat heavy cream and milk over medium heat in a medium saucepan until simmering. While it is heating up, whisk in the cocoa powder. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, granulated sugar and chocolate pudding. When the milk and cream is simmering, temper into egg mixture. Return everything to the saucepan over medium low heat until it reached a temperature of 160 degrees, being careful to whisk continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Transfer custard to a bowl and refrigerate until cool (about 8 hours or overnight). Once cool, churn according to manufacturer's instructions. In the last few minutes of churning, throw in the Easter candies. Place ice cream in a tupperware and return to the freezer until ready to enjoy.


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Words containing aeolatry
Found 2 words containing aeolatry. Browse our Scrabble Word Finder, Words With Friends cheat dictionary, and WordHub word solver to find words that contain aeolatry. Or use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play! Related: Words that end in aeolatry
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Chaga mushroom is a legendary tonic food.
It has been acknowledged in traditional medicine and in modern scientific studies to have magnificent healing properties. Historically, Chaga mushroom has been known as the "King of Plants" in China, "Diamond of the Forest" in Japan and is the cornerstone of the Siberian shamanic healing tradition.
Chaga is particularly special in that it grows on living Birch trees taking 15-20 years to reach maturity. Over this time it concentrates many important nutrients and enzymes from the tree and brings them into a form we can consume to support our bodies health.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chaga is considered a Chi Tonic and is reputed to contain adaptogenic qualities which modulate immune responses.
Chaga has high levels of B-Vitamins, flavonoids, enzymes, minerals, and phenols and contains some of the highest known concentrations of antioxidants of any food, such as Melanin. Chaga is also a rich source of Zinc, an essential nutrient for cell growth, differentiation and survival as well as Germanium.
SunPotion Chaga is wildcrafted in remote parts of Northern Canada where the cold winters work to concentrate the beneficial compounds in the mushroom. Chaga contains both water and alcohol soluble compounds and at Sun Potion we follow the classic way of consuming Chaga through a slow-cooked tea.
• A powerful adaptogen
• promotes overall well-being
• a strong source of energy
• rich source of B-vitamins


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Help me keep my mouth healthy » Pregnant Women
Firstly, the dental team at Smile Essential Dental Practice in Leicester would like to congratulate you on your pregnancy. Pregnancy can be an exciting time with lots to plan for. Our Leicester dentists also urge you to give some consideration to your oral health during pregnancy.
It's more important than ever to pay close attention to your dental health because the hormone changes during pregnancy can detrimentally affect your oral health.
Pregnancy gingivitis
Many pregnant women often notice that their gums are red, inflamed and sometimes bleed when they brush their teeth. The swelling and inflamed gums are referred to as 'pregnancy gingivitis' and this can start as soon as the second month of pregnancy.
The hormone progesterone can be around 10 times higher than normal during pregnancy, affecting the body's response to toxins as a result of plaque build-up. Women are therefore more susceptible to developing periodontal disease when these hormonal fluctuations occur.
Some women also experience a growth on their gums known as a pregnancy granuloma, which are red nodules, usually found on the upper gums. While they are not dangerous, they can cause discomfort.
Morning sickness affects your teeth
Other oral health problems may include tooth erosion as a result of constant exposure to acid from severe morning sickness. Dry mouth is another major complaint, but can be easily remedied by drinking plenty of water and using sugar-free chewing gum to stimulate saliva flow.
Regular visits are vital
If you are pregnant we recommend that you visit Smile Essential Dental Practice in Narborough Road Leicester for a thorough dental health examination so we can help you have a healthy and happy pregnancy.
Call us now on 0116 289 1317 or click here to book.
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This Month in BM History: February 1995
Ballet Manila was formed in December 1994, but it celebrates its anniversary in February as it was on that month in 1995 that the group had its debut performance.
On February 17 and 18, the fledgling company led by principals Lisa Macuja and Osias Barroso and artistic director Eric V. Cruz presented Ballet Manila Dances! at the PCIBank's Francisco Santiago Hall in Makati. The show's repertoire consisted of classical pieces, except for Barroso's original choreography In Quest which had its world premiere.
As Ballet Manila marks its 22nd anniversary this year, we revisit its beginnings through items culled from the Ballet Manila Archives. That first show in Makati paved the way for countless others in places big and small all over the Philippines and abroad. As the title of that launching concert proclaimed, the group has lived up to its promise for more than two decades since. Indeed, Ballet Manila Dances!


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Designating a well-perused science coach for your kids can be the initial phase in accomplishing great science grades. In the instructional framework, it is the evaluations your youngster gets in science at each level that will decide his entrance into the following levels.
Chemistry as a vocational subject
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Understanding student retention in computer science education: The role of environment, gains, barriers and usefulness
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Researchers have been working to understand the high dropout rates in computer science (CS) education. Despite the great demand for CS professionals, little is known about what influences individuals to complete their CS studies. We identify gains of studying CS, the (learning) environment, degree's usefulness, and barriers as important predictors of students' intention to complete their studies in CS (retention). The framework aims to identify reasons that may contribute to dropout, using responses from 344 CS students. The eight-predictor model accounts for 39 % of the explained variance in student retention. A high level for degree's usefulness has a positive effect on retention. Further, cognitive gains and supportive environment positively impact degree's usefulness, while non-cognitive gains hinder it. Lastly, negative feelings (personal values) are found to reduce student retention. The overall outcomes are expected to contribute to theoretical development, in order to allow educators and policy makers to take appropriate measures to enhance students' experience in CS studies and increase retention.
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I really love the water, the beach, etc. It's such a wonderful place to sit and be still. I stink at slowing down, but the water actually makes me go slower. The rhythmic movement of the sea as it moves forwards and backwards is like a car's movement to a baby. :) It just brings calmness and peace (and even sleep!). Unfortunately, most of us in the world cannot live at the beach so we really have to learn it elsewhere. Where do you find rest at in your context?
For me it comes from a few places. One is with my guitar. Fortunately, my guitar is easily transportable, so I've been able to have one with me even as we've traveled around Texas! I have one overseas as well. I find if I can just bang on my guitar and sing at the top of my lungs for an hour every once in a while, I feel so much better!
Another place of rest for me is friends. Being around my friends in the Dallas area has been so amazing. I couldn't emphasize enough how important and restful community is for me. These friends are the kind of friends that you wouldn't see for a couple years and when you meet up again it's like you just left yesterday. I think everyone needs these kinds of people. I'm thankful that we built these friendships before we left, otherwise coming back would be depressing.
The last restful thing for me is doing fun things with my husband. Lately our fun things have been active sport-like activities. If you've seen my instagram photos as of late, there has probably been a lot of disc golf. :) We love disc golf and play it at least once a week, normally on our Sabbath when we try to stop working for one day and just rest. Another active thing we've adopted lately is CrossFit! I imagine at this point after reading that you're either chiming in with me at how amazing CrossFit is or you think I'm pyscho for calling that restful. :) Regardless, it actually has been fun and has created another space for us to get away, work out really hard and to be with people from another context.
So what is it for you? You have to have something, otherwise you will go crazy and burnout. If you don't know what it is, think about it and start implementing it into your week. I find if I can try to have something restful apart of my week, it really fuels me to push harder in all the things I need to do.
Hope that you can find that rest in your context, whatever that looks like!


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A wooden worker's dwelling, circa late 1800s, located on the grounds at Batsto Historic Village in Hammonton, New Jersey. Workers in the village would sometimes live in one of the several identical swellings that lined the road on the west side of the village.
Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7 large format metal field camera with 4x5 film back.
Fujinon-W 210mm F5.6 lens in Copal B shutter.
Wratten # 8 Yellow filter on lens.
Ilford FP4+ B&W Negative Film, shot at ISO 125.
1/30 second at F32.
Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Mod54 daylight development tank. 11 1/2 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius.
Negative scanned with Epson V600.


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Unleash the Power of Mainframe using API Economy
What has mainframe got to do with the API Economy?
Existing mainframe systems have been built up over the years and encapsulated enormous valuable business logics and data. These rich and mission-critical sources of business services and information are critical for digital transformation. As enterprises address business transformation, they will have to make their mainframe data and applications available as APIs in the total digital solutions.
In my recent engagements with enterprise clients, clearly, both the healthcare and financial services sectors are becoming major drivers of digital innovation. I have been frequently asked to advise how to revitalize, and incorporate enterprises' mainframe assets in digital environments. Here are some enterprise clients' business cases related to digital transformation:
A financial services company, which handles majority of credit and debit processing, including prepaid cards, is looking to re-engineer their mainframe based complex and high speed transaction and data processing. Currently, I am leading an architectural proposal to modularize the mainframe portfolio and expose core capabilities as micro services and REST APIs to expedite future development efforts in meeting business demands on a timely basis. Our proposal also addresses their skill issues with emerging technologies for decades to come. The proposal lends itself for a commercial project with defined outcomes.
This year, Infosys was chosen as the preferred partner for an American health insurance company's digital transformation initiatives. While our engagement teams were working diligently to deliver the transformation, this client also actively approached Infosys for mainframe integration. Their digital initiatives will not work without incorporating their family of systems, which are mainframe based mission critical business capabilities. The primary challenge they are facing is to expose their mainframe assets as REST services, with transactional tracking and problem determination capabilities across multi-components and platforms.
The other case is a Brazilian large banking and financial services company. This bank's core banking system resides on mainframe, and processes more than 2.5 billion transactions every day. With increased transaction volumes for digital banking, including a recent merger, and upcoming public/hybrid clouds, the bank is facing challenges for continuing integration with mainframe systems with same QoS and reduced MIPS. The mainframe revitalization proposals have been well accepted by the Bank's technical community for execution.
How to expose mainframe assets as micro services, and nature APIs?
Creating a successful API, however, is not easy. Creating APIs for mainframe data and applications is even more difficult, because it requires deep integration capabilities, especially in exchanging data between legacy and newly-written applications in the API digital world.
Solving such difficult and challenging problems of data exchange require certain technology like CAM (Common Application Metamodel). CAM is a standards based technology which facilitates data transformation from one language and platform domain to another, and also simplifies new applications creation. CAM is highly reusable and independent of any particular tool or middleware, and has been adopted and implemented as the underpinning in heterogeneous systems for enterprise application integration. Language based importers, which parse programming language source files and import relevant language metamodels, have already been implemented in a variety of AD tools, and can also be re-used in any new tools to be created.
A comprehensive development tooling can therefore readily be developed by leveraging CAM and associated language importers to expose mainframe applications, e.g. CICS and IMS transactional applications, as micro services. Such tooling will read and parse legacy applications' interface declarations, e.g. COBOL copybooks, PL/I include files, and other source files, to generate REST / JSON services.
Further considerations also need to be evaluated regarding data transformation techniques. A development tooling can be designed for interpretive marshalling by generating metadata to be used during execution time. The very same tooling can also be designated to generate stub routines for compiled marshalling instead. In general speaking, compiled marshalling is faster than interpretive marshalling, though there are trade-offs between these two marshalling techniques. However, a hybrid approach between these two techniques should be considered to resolve the trade-offs.
Once REST / JSON services are created from legacy applications, these services can then be easily mapped as standard, language-agnostic interfaces to REST APIs, according to the OpenAPI Specification. These generated invocable APIs allow both human and computer to discover and understand the capabilities of the mainframe services. New apps can also be easily developed with these APIs to interact with mainframe assets with minimal implementation logics.
With mainframe APIs, enterprises can now readily extend their digital reach for consumption in mobile applications, cloud applications and Internet of Things (IoT).


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Bench to Blackboard: Q&A with Dr. Colleen Sheridan
Dr. Colleen Sheridan's professional career has changed drastically – once an immunologist focusing on research, she is now a tenure-track college biology professor focusing on teaching. Two things have been a constant throughout her journey: a love of science and a passion for teaching.
Sheridan was awarded the Valerie Logan Leadership in Science Education Award at the Valerie Logan Luncheon held at Institute for Systems Biology on Thursday.
"I am so honored and thrilled to be presented an award from my heroes," she said after accepting the honor. "We all have the power to change people's lives."
We wanted to learn more about how Sheridan decided to change students' lives by transitioning from life as a scientist to life as a teacher. Read on to learn what prompted her decision to change the direction of her career, what challenges she sees facing STEM education, and much more.
ISB: You were honored with the Valerie Logan Leadership in Science Education Award for your pioneering vision and ongoing commitment and support to bridge STEM education beyond K-12 and into post-secondary education. What does this award mean to you?
Colleen Sheridan: I am thrilled and so honored to be given an award from the people in this organization that mean so much to me. Their tireless efforts have always inspired me to learn and try new things to help excite students about science!
ISB: You're an immunologist-turned-science professor with stops in between. What prompted your professional journey from research scientist to science educator, and what are highlights of that journey?
CS: I had often tried my hand at teaching while in college and grad school in various ways to give back to and to interact with my community, whether it was teaching about epidemiology and viruses to middle school girls, HIV/AIDS and the immune system to high school students, or immunology to college students. But it wasn't until I came to the ISB during my post-doc and became involved with the ongoing work at the Logan Center for Education and Systems Education Experiences that I finally knew that teaching science was what I really wanted to do.
I then found a biology instructor at a local two-year college and wrote her an email asking for an informational interview. After speaking with her, she introduced me to the dean and I was soon hired to teach general biology. I am so thankful that this instructor took the time to talk to me when she could have easily said she was far too busy. This instructor has remained an important mentor to me to this day.
After teaching college-level biology as a part-time instructor for a year, I decided that I should get formal professional teacher training and obtained my Master of Education degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Washington. During this time, I was taught engaging culturally responsive science instructional methods from an incredible instructor, Mark Windschitl. For me, these methods have revolutionized how I teach in the classroom and they engage students in authentic scientific practices that help them to learn challenging science concepts more effectively.
Just this year I got a tenure-track faculty position at Highline College teaching all levels of biology and am LOVING it!!! Highline College is one of the most diverse colleges in the Puget Sound area and I really get to see the effectiveness of the culturally responsive teaching techniques that I was taught. A big part of that is creating a caring learning community in my classroom while helping my students to attain high-level expectations of performance. In order to do that, I make sure to get to know their names in the first week of class and use their names often. I also try to get to know them and what their goals are. I am always learning from my students about their lives and new ways that I can help them, making this the biggest highlight of all.
ISB: How has your work with ISB's two education groups, Logan Center for Education and the Systems Education Experiences, shaped you as an educator?
CS: Hands down, they were what excited me to become an educator in the first place. I can never thank them enough for involving me in their work with teachers and, when I finally became a teacher, in helping me to think of how to get my students learning about systems biology.
ISB: What are the biggest improvements/advancements you've witnessed in STEM education?
CS: When I was in high school and college, I had to get authentic science experiences by going outside of the classroom, and it was these experiences that inspired my love of science and continuation in the STEM fields. But that meant that not every student got the chance to experience how science could really be done. The move toward bringing authentic scientific practices inside the classroom, teamed up with student-centered active learning techniques and culturally responsive teaching methods have been the three biggest advancements that I have witnessed in STEM education. These methods help a diverse population of students become active, engaged learners in science and allow ALL students to have authentic scientific experiences. I expect this to engage a more diverse population of students and inspire them to choose a STEM career.
ISB: What are the obstacles you see facing administrators, educators and/or students in terms of STEM education? What are some approaches being taken to overcome these obstacles?
CS: It takes a lot of time and an incredible amount of effort for teachers not formally trained in these practices to start to develop them for their classrooms. It can often be overwhelming because this can be a whole new way of engaging students. I have seen several approaches to help overcome this daunting obstacle.
The Next Generation Science Standards for K-12 and the Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology: A Call to Action report published by AAAS in 2011 can be used as motivators to help stimulate change in teaching practices. In addition, many conferences in the area such as the Assessment, Teaching and Learning conference run by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), or the annual NWBIO conference run by the Northwest Biology Instructor's Organization have workshops that focus on active-learning and culturally responsive teaching methods specifically for biology.
Schools may also have a committee whose mission is to support teachers to implement these practices. Highline College has one called the Assessment Committee that provides support to our teachers in reflecting on and revising their teaching methods to help their students meet their learning outcomes. This Committee also has wonderful support from our administrators because, in addition to helping improve student learning, it also helps to provide data to our accreditors that we are reflecting and revising our teaching methods for this purpose. Also, having just gone through the full-time tenure-track hiring process, I have seen departments specifically write their job descriptions to include that applicants have experience in student-centered active learning and culturally responsive teaching methods, which will help to bring new faculty on board who are familiar with such practices and encourage potential applicants to seek out this training.
ISB: What advice would you offer young educators looking to get involved with STEM education?
- Be passionate about the subject you teach. Your passion and energy can inspire and engage students to work through challenging science concepts and keep them coming back for more!
- Know your students' names and use them often. In today's diverse world, being able to create a caring learning community of students from backgrounds different from your own and helping them to succeed in STEM could not be more important. Read Geneva Gay's "Preparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching" (2002) Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2): 106-116 and help all of your students to learn science from a teacher who cares that they meet your high expectations.
- Get as much professional development as you can through formal training, workshops and conferences! This way you can really see what ambitious science teaching is going on out there and you can start meeting those educators to help excite you to try new things. There are many opportunities available in Washington state, from attending the UW College of Education, to working with the amazing folks at the Logan Center for Education, and, specifically for college educators, there is the SBCTC, NWBio, the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U), and so many others.
- For K-12 science educators, read the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and for college biology educators, read Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (2011). For all science educators, go through the Tools for Ambitious Science Teaching website. These publications will invigorate you and give you an idea of what you should aim for and how you can teach what you love to do – science!
- Find a mentor – someone whose teaching you'd like to learn more about – and ask them for an informational interview or even if you could sit in on some of their classes. You could search the web for science teachers at schools in your area and send them an email. I emailed out-of-the-blue someone at a local community college, introduced myself, and asked for an informational interview. That interview got me in the door and that professor became one of my most valued mentors.
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Small Deck Ideas on a Budget
Deck Companies in Ottawa – An assortment of Decks from the past few years. Get in touch to have one of our designers create something beautiful in your yard!
Wood is still Good for Decks
So you have a small budget for a deck. Maybe it is best to steer clear of the composites and PVC decking products. Building with wood just means a little more maintenance over the coming years.
Among deck companies, we stand out as elite designers of beautiful decks. Are you looking for the cheapest deck? We may not be the right deck company for you. Builders that specialize in cheap have to cut corners somewhere. We are not interested in cutting corners or hiring semi-skilled builders in order to "Keep it Cheap". Our team is building a company that will last. Our builders use the best materials that your budget will allow. We invest in training our builders. Our builders are paid well and that's why they stay with us. You can't offer the lowest price for decks without squeezing builders or be skimping on quality so we hope you will understand why we are typically not the lowest budget builder.
Cheap Deck Ideas from Designers?
Professional Deck Designers can build more with less!
Better deck companies have professional deck designers. Free consultations with somebody that built a deck does not qualify them as a professional designer. A professional designer will show up at your home, take photos and measure up. They will sit down at your kitchen table and ask questions. Most importantly, they will listen to what you say and take notes. Only once they have a fix for your tastes and wish list and expected budget will they begin to design.
Professional designers will not apply a cookie cutter solution to your hopes and dreams. If your budget does not fit your wish list, they may suggest breaking the project into stages. Finish parts to make it functional, then add to it over time. Most importantly, a professional deck designer will make your needs their priority.
Plenty of Options for Decking and Railing
Deck companies that care about their clients will have numerous options for decking products. Different products fit different budgets and it just makes sense to help the most people. Everybody wants maintenance free these days, and aluminum guard rails are part of the solution. Lighting options and glass in the guard rails are also common asks.
DIY Floating Decks are fine too–if you know what you are doing!
Better deck companies will use better methods and materials. Things like helical footings, floating decks and foundations can really help. These days, joist flashings are critical to long-lasting decks. Not every company can offer waterproof platforms so that the frame will last north of 50 years. Modern decking products now have 25-30 year warrantees that actually cover
The Best Deck Company offers a Long Warranty
A deck company in Ottawa offering a 5-10 year warranty is uncommon–and deck companies that have been in business 30 years are even rarer! It's not enough to promise the world, you need to be able to back it up! Promising a 5-year warranty when you have been building for 3 months is a leap of faith. The warranty should read 5 years "If we are still building". GardenStructure is a deck company that has been building for 30 years.
We are always looking for great builders–if you know someone please let us know!
Let Us Design your Project Get a Quote for Your Designs


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Report from the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (2013)
This report from the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities is the result of consultations with 200 employers on their experiences in recruiting and employing people with disabilities. It examines the advantages, as well as the struggles, that exist in doing so, and includes practical advice from actual employers who are working to change perceptions about individuals with disabilities in the workplace.
The report includes some myths and realities about employees with disabilities, such as the myth that "workers with disabilities do not perform well and require extra supervision." It also includes inspiring stories from companies that have accommodated employees with disabilities. While there can be challenges and a need for accommodations when employing individuals with disabilities, this report effectively exemplifies the many positive outcomes from doing so. There is also guidance on how to hire individuals with disabilities, and how to help these individuals to be as effective as possible in their jobs, as well as a list of how to get started.
To read this document, visit the Employment and Social Development Canada website and view the PDF.


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According to a recent study, only a small number of us are happy at work. However, one expert believes that change without change is quite easy.
I'm one of the lucky ones. I wake up of a morning and think to myself "Self, it's time to go to work! Yes!"
Mind you, for me "going to work" involves walking down stairs, grabbing a cuppa and plonking myself at my desk. It's not so easy for some. In fact, 85% of the working population dislike their work! Gasp!
I kid you not. Gallop's recent State of the Global Workforce report showed that only 15% of people in full time work are fully engaged and happy, while the majority of the 85% are actively looking for a new job. Whaat?
Coach and program facilitator of the Joy of Business, Corinna Kaebel, recommends that unhappy employees should think twice about jumping ship too quickly.
"It is important to be able to live a happy and fulfilled life and our work is such a big part of our every day," she says. "What many people don't realise, however, is that your work and workplace can move from feeling wrong to very right once you know how to go within to access and show up with a truer version of yourself."
Inspired by her own success, finding joy in work she vowed she would never do again, Corinna now teaches everything she knows in her seminar called the "Joy of Business". We caught up with Corinna, who shared the following tips to help you find more happiness in your existing job or workplace.
1) Write down everything you love doing at work
Open yourself up to more positive energy by writing a comprehensive list of anything and everything you enjoy doing at work. Then, figure out if there is a way to do more of what you love and less of what you don't.
2) Write down everything you love doing outside of work
Do the same thing for your hobbies and passions outside of the workplace. Pick one or two and start doing them more often. Whether it's baking cookies or playing a team sport, the fastest way to improve how you feel at work can sometimes be to improve how you feel outside of it.
3) How can you bring more of you into your workplace?
You're not a robot. You are much bigger than your job alone. Not being seen as a whole person by the people you work with can feed into very low job satisfaction. Realise that you do have a choice around how you show up and figure out how to bring more of the "real you" to work so you feel more alive.
4) What can you change that you have always felt you can't?
Identify what you don't like about your work or workplace and brainstorm ways to make the experience a better one. It could be suggesting a weekly lunch with co-workers or a physical space for meditation in the office. Whatever your ideas are, speak up and suggest it. Even if they don't accept or actualise your idea as is, it could open up new possibilities.
Report find that only 15% are happy at work, here 8 ways to be happier at yours. Read the full article from thebigsmoke.com.au, here!
Corinna Kaebel is a professional interpreter, communicator, coach and mentor. Being fluent in English, German and Russian allows her to travel the globe extensively to teach, coach and interpret. Corinna loves being on the road, exploring new places and working with people from all different cultures and backgrounds. Her number one goal is to inspire, support and help people to show up with more of themselves in tact and to navigate their own life journey with more ease, grace and glory. Corinna is a Joy of Business facilitator, a specialty program from personal development organisation Access Consciousness.


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Each of those conventional, or outbound," marketing channels have been used by entrepreneurs for years—with various levels of success. Promoting is a form of outbound media, which implies an ad interrupts what somebody is doing in an effort to seize their attention. A marketing strategy is an inventory of targets which can be based on an understanding of who the goal consumer/consumer is, what it's they need to purchase or use, and where they typically go to hunt those products and services. On this module you will establish and evaluate the key parts of the exterior and inside advertising atmosphere.
The rise of new advertising platforms has enabled advertisers to collect more data than ever before. The job responsibilities seem to incorporate beard stroking, consuming coffee and 'bouncing' creative concepts across the office. Promoting: The paid, public, non-private announcement of a persuasive message by an recognized sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its merchandise to its existing and potential customers. The University supplies wonderful assist for any applicant who could also be required to undertake additional English language programs.
The ideas and skills which you will learn listed below are being utilized within the office immediately – we consult with trade at the design stage, so we all know that you'll graduate understanding easy methods to do the job confidently, and with some expertise under your belt to show it.
Due to all of the media we're now exposed to every day—tv, radio, commercials, web sites, books, paid media, billboards, brief videos, social media, and so forth—it's much simpler for advertising and advertising messages to be lost" in the flow of information.
An international degree will enormously enhance your profession prospects whereas boosting your international IQ. Firms search for potential workers who are flexible, ambitious, and nice communicators to work in the advertising and marketing sector, and incomes a advertising and marketing diploma abroad will show that you just possess all of these qualities, and so much more.


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Thurday is the last day of the DS106 class and I have learned so much about myself through doing this blog. I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders because I have been able to put my feelings out there in the open. I have been extremely busy with work and school these past couple of weeks and I have not been able to go to counseling. Once the semester is over I will start seeing my counselor again. I hope to one day reconnect with my dad and talk about all of the abuse that I went through. I know that will be a long time from now because I am still working on my anger torwards him. I hope that one day my mom and I will be able to hold a real conversation. I always think to myself when did things go wrong? My mom and I use to be so close and now I can't even speak to her without getting irritated. I wonder if I will ever tell my parents about the sexual abuse that I went through. Will it tear apart my family if they knew? Would they even care? Would they deny it? Would it make them cry knowing that their little girl was touched in innappropriate ways? These are all questions that I want to one day get answered. I don't know if they ever will be.
I want the people reading this blog to understand that it is ok to admit that you need help. I use to think that by going to counseling and taking medication was saying to myself that I failed. I couldn't do it on my own. That is not the case at all. I'm going to counseling to make myself a better person and to make sure that I am healthy and happy in the future. I attended a conference recently and the speaker said that a mental illness is almost like a car crash, you never know when it's going to happen and it will come out of nowhere. Please, don't be afraid to reach out for help.


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We have been noticing some of the typical conversations on campus: football (soccer), exams, clubbing, The X Factor, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc. I've been thinking of what's missing from what is being talked about...it's Jesus. A great friend of mine, Ali Buras, once told me she felt the same thing while she was on campus in the States. Ali is a Chi Alpha pastor at the University of Oklahoma and has been my friend since we were in a Bible study together as young college students.
She told me that she was sitting on campus one day, thinking the very same thoughts that have been on my own mind recently. She said that she prayed that the common conversation amongst students would change. How amazing would it be to walk past a group of people and, instead of the topic being their housemate's drug problem, they were talking about how Jesus had changed their housemate's life?
Pray with us that the students who know Jesus will have the courage to share their faith with their friends. Also pray for Blake and I as we work to find ways to help them as they do so. Let's change the common conversation.


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[Bylaws 15.01]
Seperate Divison
The Educational Programs Division of the California Society of Anesthesiologists shall act solely in the area of providing continuing instruction and training of the anesthesiologist and allied personnel for the purpose of improving and developing their capabilities and for the instruction of the public on subjects related to anesthesiology beneficial to the public.
[Bylaws 15.02]
The Educational Programs Division of the California Society of Anesthesiologists shall be composed of a chair and such members as the President may appoint, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
[Bylaws 15.05]
General Purpose and Duties
The chair of the Educational Programs Division of the California Society of Anesthesiologists in conjunction with the Chief Executive Officer of the Society shall direct and facilitate educational programs, presentations and publicity designed to accomplish the purposes of the Educational Programs Division.
Ronald Pearl, MD, PhD
Richard Applegate II, MD
Rita Agarwal, MD
Kyle Ahn, MD
Rodolfo Amaya, MD
Eugenia Ayrian, MD
Candice Bereal-Williams, MD
John Brock-Utne, MD, PhD
Mark Burbridge, MD
Lundy Campbell, MD
Brendan Carvalho, MBBCh, FRCA, MD
Tom Caruso, MD
Lee-lynn Chen, MD
Kenneth Furukawa, MD
Adrian Gelb, MB. ChB, DA, FRCPC
Michael Gropper, MD, PhD
Steven Haddy, MD
Jean-Louis Horn, MD
Tara Humphrey, DO
Uday Jain, MD
R. Scott Kriss, MD
Vivek Kulkarni, MBBS
Cathleen Lammers, MD
Christine Lee, MD
Geoffrey Lighthall, MD, PhD
Ludwig Lin, MD
Amy Lu, MD
Stephen Macres, MD, PharmD
Edward Mariano, MD, MAS
Linda Mason, MD
Rodney McKeever, MD
Christina Menor, MD
Natalie Moreland, MD
Victor Ng, MD
Andrea Olmos, MD
Manuel Pardo, MD
Rajesh Patel, MD
Radhamangalam Ramamurthi, MBBS
Kathryn Rouine-Rapp, MD
Roya Saffary, MD
Johanna Schwarzenberger, MD
Lena Scotto, MD
Shalini Shah, MD
Muhammad Shaikh, MD, PhD
Pedro Tanaka, MD
Narendra Trivedi, MD
Jeffrey Uppington, MBBS
Susana Vacas, MD, PhD
Trung Vu, MD
Samuel Wald, MD, MBA
Mark Zakowski, MD
Keren Ziv, MD


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This course will show you the basic steps of Decoupage to get you on your way. We will use a variety of surfaces - glass, wood, canvas, metal, candle. You will be asked to bring a small item with you to class each week to work on.
Students to bring the following each week:
Week 1 - 3 or 4 wooden spoons
Week 2 - one glass bottle of any size and shape
Week 3 - A4 size or smaller canvas
Week 4 - 2 x empty cleaned cans/tins
Week 5 - wooden tray or small piece of furniture
Week 6 - plain scented candle and hair dryer or heat gun


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What's new in GanttProject 2.5?
GanttProject 2.5, code name "Praha" (which is a capital of Czech Republic and very beautiful city), is basically a major overhaul of many features which were published in GanttProject 2.0. Many of them didn't really work or became stale, like it happened to MS Project import/export. Some suffered from counter-intuitive or simply rugged UI. So, a short list:
- Lots of project calendar, timeline and chart improvements: timeline itself is less cluttered and can show months in the bottom row; task end date is the date when a task finishes, not the next day; weekend scheduling option; ability to change weekends without creating a new project; custom date format; ability to move the whole project forward and backward
- Export functions update: data columns are exported/printed; date range for the exported charts; Microsoft Project 2010 files are supported
- Collaboration: major WebDAV bugfixes (HTTPS should work fine from now on!); warnings when file is modified externally (e.g. by some other guy writing the same file)
- UI updates: face-lifting of the settings and task properties dialogs; new toolbar with bigger and nicer icons and a search box; new custom columns manager
- Crash recovery: UI for recovering auto-saved project snapshots; error notification bubble makes easy to view the error log
See more details and screenshots in our blog by label Praha
Video tutorial
Mark Portnell from the University of Edinburgh made a great video tutorial showing the basics of working with GanttProject 2.5


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Does My Roof Qualify For The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Tax Credit?
With the recent signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements that were originally part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 have been reinstated, extended and increased.
• Tax Credit: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2/17/2009 enables homeowners to receive up to a $1,500 tax credit if they install specific energy efficient products (asphalt roofing products) which carry an Energy Star rating.
Energy Star®: Energy Star guidelines for residential roofing products require that products have a minimum solar reflectivity (SR value) of .25.
Additional Details:
- Tax credit for 30% of the cost of energy-efficient products up to a lifetime cap of $1,500.
- The tax credit applies to the cost of materials only (not installation costs).
- At the present time, this credit is available for 2009 and 2010.
- Homeowner must save receipts and provide a Manufacturer's Certification Statement.
- IRS Tax Form 5695 (2009 version) is the form the homeowner will use to apply for the tax credit.
United Roofing & Remodeling is the leading residential and commercial roofing contractor for high-performance roofing systems for commercial and industrial properties in the Twin Cities. We offer our customers the industry's most comprehensive customer support, installation and repair services.
Please Contact Us today for a free inspection of your roof at 612-617-1717
|Roofing & Insulation
|Credit Available
|30% of cost (product only, no labor)
$1,500 maximum for all improvements combined
|Must be "placed in service" (ready and available for use)
Jan. 1, 2009 – Dec. 31, 2010
|Metal & Asphalt Roofs
|Energy Star–qualified
|Meets 2009 IECC & Amendments
Must be expected to last five years or have a two-year warranty
Primary purpose must be to insulate. As of May 31, 2009, IRS has not ruled on SIPs or insulated siding, but it is believed that SIPs are eligible
Tags: Minnesota roofing contractor, Roofing, roofing information, Roofing MN, roofing tax credits


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NASA Spotted Huge Holes in the Sun, Are We in Trouble?
Scientists are continuously investigating the sun to understand its behavior. Any anomaly on the Sun's behavior will definitely affect all life forms harvesting energy from it. Recently, NASA made a study of the black holes on the surface of the Sun called the Coronal Hole using the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).
.@NASASunEarth's #SDO saw a long coronal hole in the middle of the sun in late March: https://t.co/SpmJjBNicW pic.twitter.com/41bdmVTsw1— NASA (@NASA) April 9, 2016
Last May 17, NASA announced that the SDO discovered two Coronal Holes on the surface of the Sun. The other hole is one of the biggest seen in decades which is about "6- to 8-percent of the total solar surface" according to a report by NASA.
The SDO is capable of observing the Sun, including magnetic fields and solar flares which aren't visible to the naked eye and through a normal telescope. The Coronal holes happen to be on the surface of the Sun where it is less dense and the temperature is cooler than the rest, according to a report by Popular Science.
The findings of the SDO are important in understanding not just the Sun, but also the space environment in general. It is also used to determine if space travel is possible, since the Coronal holes also emit high-speed solar particles, faster than any part of the Sun.
Some researchers and conspiracy theorists fear the discovery of the Coronal Holes. But NASA considers the findings as valuable information.
"While it's unclear what causes coronal holes, they correlate to areas on the sun where magnetic fields soar up and away, without looping back down to the surface, as they do elsewhere," said Karen C. Fox and Steele Hill of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, in a joint statement.


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Sold for $50,000
on Aug 5, 2019
Double wide mobile home with full basement. Home consists of open concept living room, dining room and kitchen plus master bedroom with bath and 2 additional bedrooms and full bath. Laundry area off kitchen. There is a driveway for parking and a carport in rear. The stick-built addition has a double front room with half bath, middle room, kitchen and full bath. The addition looked to have been used for a beauty shop. Could be used an apartment or use for your in-home business. Property is in C-1 zoning and is up and running and ready to move into.
Search for Homes


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HUD's Cleveland plan
How it works: Properties valued at less than $20,000 are sold for $100 to the city or a designated nonprofit group. Since May, 285 houses have changed hands -- 160 went on the city's demolition list and the rest are slated for renovation. And HUD has offered an additional 79 of these low-value houses, which the city plans to take.
Homes valued above $20,000 will be sold to the city or nonprofit for as much as a 50 percent discount. They only get a discounted first crack at those houses if they're in areas targeted for concentrated investment. Otherwise the discount is available after the house has been on the market 60 days. So far, just one such higher-value house is scheduled to transfer to a nonprofit.
HUD is talking with the Cuyahoga County land bank about taking the program countywide. HUD piloted the program here and has taken a different version of it nationwide.
What people are saying: The deal is a good step that should be expanded so that the city can get a $100 first crack on properties valued up to $50,000, or potential buyers interested in a HUD house should be prescreened to make sure they'll responsibly repair the property.
"The $20,000 to $50,000 range is treacherous because of the likelihood of properties going to people who are ill-qualified or who don't intend to bring them to code." -- Cleveland Councilman Jay Westbrook
"A really good vehicle for getting these vacant properties that have been sitting around into the hands of people who are going to do something productive with them." -- Chad Dasher, executive director, Westown Community Development Corp.


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We want to make sure that being part of the tech and startup family doesn't mean having to leave your kids at home. Both parents and children should get the chance to experience everything TechChill has to offer. Which is why we're back with the Future Founders Playground, organized with Learn IT, Portal VR Arcade, & Robo Hub.
Bring your kid to Techchill and we will provide them with hands-on workshops in robotics, coding, board games, and virtual reality. Why not give the future innovators an opportunity for hands-on explorations with topics and tools that actually interest them? During the two days, there will be a variety of workshops, activities, and games tailored for each age group. Signing up for the specific workshops will soon be available online or will also be possible on-site, during TechChill 2019.
Future Founders playground is not meant as a drop-off area, as TechChill does not provide babysitting services. The Playground serves as a kid-friendly space for parents to have a breather while the kids play with tech. We kindly ask parents to be responsible for their children at all times during TechChill and not to leave the kids unattended during the event outside of the workshop times.
// Date: 21-22 February
// Time: 10:00 – 16:00 (Virtual Reality activities 12:00 – 15:00)
// Lunch break: 12:30 – 13:15 accompanied by parents
// Room is open to all parents as a child-friendly space to take a break – no need to register in advance
// This is not a drop-off area or a babysitting service
// To take part in the organized workshops, register here: www.ej.uz/futurefounders19
All children ages 0-12 are welcome, as long as the accompanying adult has a valid TechChill pass. All activities at Future Founders playground are child-friendly, taking place in an accessible venue.
Age 0-3
For those little ones that are not yet able to partake in some of the activities, there will be a special comfy corner where their moms and dads can hang around with them without being disturbed. It's a great fit if you need a discreet sofa for a breastfeeding break or a comfy carpet for some crawling time. There will be water and coffee available as well.
Age 3-6
Our youngest stars will get the opportunity to engage in some creative play, from building and playing with LEGO robots, to handicrafts, board games, and making festive blinking cards with Led lights – all accompanied by teachers and volunteers who will keep a watchful eye on the kids throughout both days.
Age 7-9
The older ones will get a chance to immerse themselves in coding and electronics. Some activities include building and coding LEGO robots, writing the first line of code in Scratch and of course, the day wouldn't be complete without the Makey Makey robots, and a bit of robot competition.
Age 10-12
Our 10-12-year-olds will get to engage in activities challenging enough to keep them interested throughout the day. They will try their hand at block coding and text programming in order to code games, animations, and interactive mobile apps. Depending on the kids' interest they will create smart interactive accessories, step counters or simple games with the pocket-sized computer called micro:bit.
Dive into Virtual reality
But wait, there is more – thanks to Portal VR Arcade, this year at TechChill the kids will not only get to play the latest VR games but will also get to experience the creative side of virtual reality. They will learn to create their own virtual reality by drawing in space using various VR tools. Portal VR Available from 12:00-15:00.
All parents are welcome to use the facilities at Future Founders playground. This is not a drop-off area, but rather a child-friendly space for parents to have a breather. To take part in the organized workshops, please register here: www.ej.uz/futurefounders19.
Feel free to bring your kids on both days, the activities will be different each day!


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Grand Rapids, MI (PRWEB) June 30, 2011
Dr. Char Wilson, Vetionx's 'Ask Our Vet' and 'This Vetionx Moment' veterinarian, has expressed her excitement for Vetionx to join the soon-to-launch HelloLife Smart Living Network.
Dr. Charline Wilson, known to customers as Dr. Char, is a long-time personality staple of the Vetionx community. She is the expert behind the popular 'Ask Our Vet' – a feature of the Vetionx website allowing customers to send questions directly to Dr. Char. Questions are answered through email and video segments.
Until this point, Vetionx and HelloLife operated independently of each other. President and CEO, Albert Duoibes, recently made the decision Vetionx would join its sister company, HelloLife, on its health-centered social media site, the HelloLife Network. Presenting HelloLife and Vetionx together will serve to connect healthy pets and people in a nurturing online environment. It will also support both business' philosophy of integrated and holistic health care.
Dr. Char is a 1981 graduate of Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Motivated by the desire to help pets with chronic degenerative conditions, and who don't respond well to conventional treatments, Dr. Char began exploring and then offering holistic care for her animal patients. Her presence within the Vetionx and pet communities of the HelloLife Network will provide a new avenue for her advice and expertise, and she eagerly anticipates the opportunity.
"I am so happy that we'll be a part of the HelloLife Network," said Dr. Char. "Interaction with pet owners is one of my favorite things about Vetionx - and I look forward to extending that to the social media site. What a great opportunity to spread the word about safe and effective methods for pet health!"
Customers will still be able to order their favorite HelloLife and Vetionx products from the separate company websites.
Vetionx features a line of six safe and effective pet health care products for all pets and animals, including dogs, cats, horses, birds and reptiles. The company has been manufacturing and selling OTC pet health products since 2005. Interested consumers can visit the VETiONX® website at: http://www.vetionx.com/. Its headquarters are located at 4460 – 44th St. SW, Ste. C 600, Grand Rapids, MI, 49512.
HelloLife provides thousands of people with natural medicine care and lifestyle products, and is committed to providing safe relief, nutritional support and education for healthy lifestyle choices. For more information about the company or products, visit the website at: http://www.hellolife.net.


text: As a skier, a Winter Storm Warning is one of the best messages you can see. Snow is definitely coming, and lots of it. The weekend will be filled with powder skiing, hoots and hollers, and sore legs. This project, shot over the course of the 2016/17 winter shows reveals how a skier sees their own sport. Shot 100% on location in Sun Valley, Idaho, these shots range from powder, terrain park, to all mountain styles of skiing. Conveniently, the 16/17 winter was the best ever recorded for Sun Valley. These photos are intimate, and show the true talent of local skiers within the region.


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Amphora Shaped Unguentaria
Perfume Bottle
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 4th century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Perfume bottle with cone-shaped, dimpled body, tall cylindrical neck, spread lip and twin handles.
Green glass.
Height: 13 cm
Width: 6.5 cm
Intact, iridescence and encrustation, number "105" in red to the base.


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Two New Ambulances Delivered for Red Lake and Ponemah; Two More to be Delivered in March
Published December 22, 2017
RED LAKE INDIAN RESERVATION – At about 8:30 am on Wednesday, December 20, 2017, officers of the Red Lake Tribal Council, Chairman Darrell G. Seki, Sr., Secretary Darwin Sumner, and Treasurer Annette Johnson, met with Kathy Luepke of the United States Department of Agriculture, (USDA) Rural Development, to sign papers for two new ambulances to be delivered that morning. They were joined by Tribal Attorney Joe Plumer and Tribal Administrator Tom Cain.
EMT's paid particular attention as representatives from Fire Safety USA demonstrated the use of the state of the art "power pro" cot and stretcher, and other amenities of the new ambulances. The vehicles are known as a Conversion Ford Model 170 Medic. It has a headroom of six feet, it has LED lights and the latest in safety for passengers. It even has a battery charger, on board vacuum, oxygen, and bio waste containers.
– All aluminum construction


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The first track from singer-songwriter's sixth album was revealed yesterday
Sia has claimed that she could have given new song 'Chandelier' to Beyonce or Rihanna but chose to keep it for herself.
The former Zero 7 singer has enjoyed huge success in recent years as a songwriter for hire, penning hits for Beyoncé and Rihanna as well as Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Eminem. Most recently she contributed a number of songs to Kylie Minogue's new album 'Kiss Me Once.'
However, 'Chandelier' is the first track to be heard from Sia's forthcoming solo album, her first since 'We Are Born' in 2010. Speaking to On Air host Ryan Seacrest about the song yesterday (March 17), Sia admitted the song was written "by accident".
"I usually think, 'Oh this would work for Rihanna, or this would be a good one for Bey or Katy,'" Sia said. "But this time I was like, 'Uh oh I think I just wrote a full-blown pop song for myself by accident!' My friend Jesse Shatkin and I were jamming in the studio – I was playing piano and him on the marimba – and this gem popped out."
Sia's sixth solo album is expected later this year. She has also contributed vocals to songs such as David Guetta's 'Titanium' and 'Wild Ones' by Flo Rida.