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City of DeKalb City Council met January 28
City of DeKalb City Council met Jan. 28.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
1. Proudly DeKalb: Sergeant Keunte Mallett Pinning Ceremony
City Manager's Summary: Officer Keunte Mallett was promoted to the rank of Sergeant effective January 3. He had served since November in an acting supervisory capacity following the retirement of former Sergeant Tom Petit. Sgt. Mallett began his career with the DeKalb Police Department in 2007, coming from the NIU Police Department. He has served in the Patrol Division and in specialty assignments such as Defensive Tactics Instructor, Field Training Officer, Domestic Violence Unit Officer, and with the Special Operations Team. The ceremonial pinning and swearing-in is a Council tradition. Sgt. Mallett is the first African- American officer promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the history of the DeKalb Police Department.
1. Appointment of Evelina Cichy to the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners for the Completion of a Term through December 31, 2019.
Mayor's Summary: Evelina Cichy has lived in DeKalb since 1973. She graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Master's Degree in Political Science. Since retiring in 2013 as Vice President of Instruction at Kishwaukee College, Evelina has been active as a volunteer with the Kishwaukee Filipino-American Association, Northern Illinois University's Pick Museum, and Oak Crest. She has served on the Board of Directors for the following organizations: the Kishwaukee College Foundation, 4 Cs, the DeKalb County Community Foundation, Hope Haven, the National Bank & Trust Company of Sycamore, and Safe Passage. City Council approval is recommended. (Click here for further information.)
1. Minutes of the Special City Council Meeting of December 18, 2019.
2. Minutes of the Committee of the Whole Meeting of January 14, 2019.
3. Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of January 14, 2019.
4. Minutes of the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan Task Force Meeting of May 7, 2018.
5. Accounts Payable and Payroll through January 28, 2019, in the Amount of $2,800,987.67.
6. Investment and Bank Balance Summary through November 2019.
7. Year-to-Date Revenues and Expenditures through November 2019.
8. FY2018 Human Services Funding Fourth Quarter Report.
9. Omnibus Approval of FY2019 Human Services Funding Resolutions 2019-012 Adventure Works of DeKalb County Inc.; 2019-013 Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA); 2019-014 Community Coordinated Child Care (4C); 2019-015 DeKalb County Community Gardens; 2019-016 DeKalb County Youth Services Bureau; 2019-017 Elder Care Services; 2019-018 Family Service Agency of DeKalb County; 2019-019 Hope Haven; 2019-020 Kishwaukee YMCA, Camp Power; 2019-021 Nguzo Saba; 2019-022 RAMP (Regional Access and Mobilization Project Inc.); 2019- 023 Safe Passage; and 2019-024 Voluntary Action Center (VAC), Authorizing Human Services Agreements for Human Services Funding Beginning January 1, 2019, though December 31, 2019, in the Amount of $144,500.
City Manager's Summary: Since 1998, the City has awarded Human Services Funding (HSF) grants as a means of supporting local non-profit agencies that provide essential social services for the most vulnerable individuals and families in the community. Grantees have traditionally been considered in order of the following priorities:
1. Providers of services that help meet basic emergency needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter;
2. Providers of services that are preventative in nature and promote the highest degree of self- support, self-care, and self-help; and
3. Providers of services that seek to enhance the quality of life of persons whose basic needs are already met, with priority given to services that primarily benefit low- and moderate-income residents.
Targeted populations include, but are not limited to: individuals and families who are at risk of homelessness, individuals who suffer with substance abuse or mental health conditions, victims of domestic and/or sexual violence, abused and neglected children, older adults, individuals with disabilities, at-risk children and youth, and households with low-to-moderate incomes.
In its first year (FY1998), HSF grants totaled $184,000. The highest amount of HSF grants was awarded in FY2008 and FY2009, when 13 recipients received a total of $211,900 in each of those years. Since that time, the total amount distributed has remained at or near $150,000. For FY2019, Council budgeted total HSF funds of $144,500, the same level as was awarded in FY2018.
A new review and ranking system was established in FY2018 and was used to evaluate the increased requests for funding for FY2019. A scoring rubric, using a numeric scale and a variety of standards was utilized. Several factors were considered including, but not limited to, the following:
• Whattargetedpopulationswillbeserved?
• HowmanyDeKalbresidentswillbeserved?
• Doestheagencyhavedemonstratedexperienceprovidingservices?
• Aretheproposedservicesaduplicationofanotheragency'sservices?
• DoestheagencyleveragefinancialsupportfromsourcesotherthantheCity?
• If the applicant is a past grant recipient, does the agency have a history of timely and accurate submission of quarterly reports?
Applications were individually reviewed and scored. Grant amounts were considered with respect to the number of people to be served and the type of services being offered to ensure the most prudent investment of City funds.
The following table depicts the recommended grants and their amounts:
Community Services Coordinator Joanne Rouse has prepared further background which has been linked to this item. Resolutions appropriating the grants shown in the table above are also posted. City Council approval of these Resolutions (2019-012 to 2019-024) in omnibus fashion is recommended. (Click here for further information.)
H. PUBLIC HEARINGS None.
1. Consideration of Personnel Changes to Address Fiscal Imbalances in the General Fund.
City Manager's Summary: The City Council and the general public are well aware that the City government operating revenues are structurally out of balance. That is, general operating expenditures have annually been outpacing general revenue growth. There are a number of reasons for this fundamental dilemma. The housing collapse and deep recession that impacted the country in the period 2008-2010 continued its grip on the local economy through 2014 in many sectors. The City's cumulative EAV has been rising since 2015 but median home values and household incomes remain at the lower end of the scale of comparable communities developed by our Finance Advisory Committee (FAC). In addition, the State's disruption and reduction of public funding for education rocked two large local employers - Northern Illinois University and Kishwaukee College - and adversely affected payrolls and enrollments, which translates to jobs.
In this constrained fiscal environment, there are promising portents. New construction starts are increasing. Local businesses - with TIF assistance - have invested in our downtown revitalization. Northern Illinois University - our largest employer - has a dynamic and purposeful new president and a board that is publicly committed to putting a floor under the University's enrollment and spurring new investment in research and development.
The strategic, long-term financial planning recently completed by the Council and FAC has set directions for fiscal change to complement these new beginnings. Among the objectives is the maintenance of a projected General Fund reserve balance of 25% of budgeted General Fund expenditures. Another key objective is to level the impact of local taxes on DeKalb businesses and residents.
The City's FY2019 General Fund budget was approved with a projected reserve that is about $1.1 million below the reserve threshold of 25%. The approved FY2019 Budget also does not balance realistic revenue growth against rising pension and health care obligations.
The Mayor and Council purposely charged the new City Manager to address these fiscal challenges in the first quarter of 2019. Time is of the essence; with each week the challenge grows larger unless substantial change is made in the way the City has "sized" local government to meet the essential service demands of the community.
Accordingly, the City Manager is proposing some bold personnel changes to take effect as of March 1. These changes have been carefully considered and discussed in one-on-one sessions with the Mayor and Council, and in individual sessions with the personnel most affected by the changes. As a result of these changes, the City government will be able to sustain its essential services, but some management personnel will be required to stretch their time and talent.
Top Management Layoffs
The following management layoffs are not disciplinary separations but are purely based on budgetary concerns. Each manager is a dedicated employee and has shown the utmost professionalism through difficult discussions leading up to these recommendations. Upon Council approval, each layoff will be effective March 1. Each affected employee will be expected to perform his or her assigned duties until that time. Upon separation, each affected employee will be compensated for all accrued paid time-off and will otherwise be eligible for the City's COBRA provisions regarding health care, and other benefits in accordance with City policies and applicable laws. No one will be placed on leave or paid a severance.
The layoffs are:
• TimHoldeman,PublicWorksDirector
• JoEllenCharlton,CommunityDevelopmentDirector • MarcThorson,InformationTechnologyDirector
• RobertMiller,AssistantFinanceDirector
In addition, the following vacancies will not be filled:
• EconomicDevelopmentPlanner(JasonMichnickhasresignedtopursueanother position, effective February 1).
• Finance Director (Molly Talkington has separated according to the agreement approved by the Council on January 14).
• DeputyFireChief(DeputyChiefJimZarekhasresigned,effectiveFebruary15).
Budget Impacts
The estimated total Budget savings achieved by these decisions will be $1,105,258 in annualized personnel costs moving forward. However, previous city administrations bailed out the General Fund from enterprise and other funds to hide General Fund imbalances. As a result, the annualized General Fund savings will be closer to $892,332 in FY2019, because the Water Fund is paying $190,917 of the salaries of the seven positions above, and the Airport Fund is paying $22,009.
Further, in terms of closing the gap in the reserve balance, the recommended layoffs in the period March 1 through December 31, 2019 only raise $583,650 because (a) January and February personnel costs count against the General Fund; and (b) substantial accrued leave balances must be fully paid at the time of separation. The dedicated personnel on the layoff list have been reluctant to "burn" their leave allowances in order to serve the City more productively.
Management Adjustments to Meet Service Demands
A number of other top managers will have to step up to assume more responsibility. The Assistant City Manager will assume coordinating responsibilities for Information Technology and Finance. The experience and talent in each of those areas will sustain day-to-day operations under his overall supervision. The City Manager will continue to assume the duties of chief financial officer and budget director, per the Municipal Code.
In the areas of Community and Economic Development, the City Manager will assume the overall coordination of City services. This is not untypical in smaller cities. Principal Planner Dan Olson, Community Services Coordinator Joanne Rouse, City Engineer Zac Gill, and Chief Building Official Thaddeus Mack will continue to provide strong staff support in their areas.
Further Steps
Other cost-saving measures will be proposed by the City Manager at future Council meetings as a continuing vetting process unfolds within the organization.
1. Resolution 2019-001 Authorizing an FY2019 Tourism Agreement with the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau in the Amount of $50,000 for Tourism Activities Beginning January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019.
City Manager's Summary: At the January 14 Council meeting, the Council directed the City Manager to meet with the directors of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce (Chamber), and the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC). In the context of tough budget decisions necessary to "right size" the city government, the Council felt it was appropriate to reconsider the funding for these three not-for-profit agencies contemplated in the FY2019 City Budget. The City Manager was able to meet with all three executive directors, who were most gracious in sharing the considerations behind their original funding requests.
During the meeting with CVB executive director Debbie Armstrong on January 16, the City Manager inquired about the impact of a possible grant reduction of about $10,000 to help address City budget imbalances. Ms. Armstrong explained that each municipal dollar is matched by a dollar from the Illinois Office of Tourism to support such events as the IHSA high school football championships and IESA state wrestling championships, which will be held at NIU in 2019. The CVB markets these and other events in DeKalb County through a variety of print media, including the annual DeKalb County CVB Guide.
The City of DeKalb is a key beneficiary of this marketing, but at the same time contributes disproportionately as compared to the 14 municipalities in the county. In the period 2010 through 2018, the City of DeKalb contributed $425,000 to the CVB.
The City Manager recommends a grant of $40,000 to the CVB in FY2019. (Click here for further information.)
2. Resolution 2019-002 Authorizing a Funding Agreement with the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce in the Amount of $45,000 for the Purpose of Facilitating Community Events Beginning January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019.
City Manager's Summary: The City Manager met with executive director Matt Duffy on January 17. In 2000 the City of DeKalb allocated $15,000 to the Chamber to promote local tourism. This allocation became an annual grant and was accompanied by grants to the former Mainstreet DeKalb and Renew DeKalb as shown in the following table:
In 2013, the annual grant was pegged to the estimated cost of a full-time employee engaged in events management, including the Farmer's Market, Santa's House, etc. The Chamber has begun its planning for 2019 events.
The City Manager recommends an FY2019 grant of $35,000. (Click here for further information.)
3. Resolution 2019-003 Authorizing a Funding Agreement with the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation in the Amount of $45,000 for Economic Development Services Beginning January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019.
City Manager's Summary: The City of DeKalb was a founding member of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation in the late 1980s and has significantly benefited from the agency's business attraction and retention efforts ever since. DCEDC is the strategic planning arm of DeKalb County government and continues to be a vital clearinghouse for business prospects and commercial brokers interested in development sites in our community and our planning area. The DeKalb city manager is automatically a member of the agency's executive committee and the DeKalb mayor is an ex officio member of the board of directors.
The corporation's role as an intake point or an initial point of contact for industrial and commercial prospects is very valuable. The organization's ongoing surveys of county-wide business activity and its retention visits are also very important. Long- range planning in concert with all county communities is currently underway (the DeKalb County Thriving initiative) and the City will substantially benefit from the comprehensive data it generates.
The City of DeKalb's fiscal challenges bring a brighter light to its very substantial funding commitment that is only matched among public entities by the County of DeKalb.
The City Manager recommends an FY2019 grant of $35,000. (Click here for further information.)
4. Resolution 2019-025 Authorizing the Appointment of Jeff McMaster as Fire Chief Effective February 1, 2019.
City Manager's Summary: Three permanent appointments are needed to stabilize City operations, particularly in view of the City Manager's recommended staffing reductions detailed under "Consideration #1," above. The City Manager has reviewed Interim Chief McMaster's performance record and considered the breadth of his experience and depth of his professional standing in the fire profession. After careful consideration and in accordance with the DeKalb Municipal Code, Section 5.04 (a), the City Manager requests the Council's concurrence in the appointment of Jeff McMaster as full-time, permanent Fire Chief with a base salary of $141,244, effective February 1. Interim Chief McMaster is currently earning an interim base salary of $139,500. The recommended base salary is approximately the mid-point in the salary range for Fire Chiefs among comparable northern Illinois cities. By way of comparison, former Chief Hicks was earning a base salary of $145,003 at the time of his retirement. Chief Lowery's base salary is $147,903. Fire Battalion Chiefs currently earn a base salary of $109,695, plus overtime (roughly $10,000 a year). (Click here for further information.)
5. Resolution 2019-026 Authorizing the Appointment of Raymond Munch to Assistant City Manager Effective February 1, 2019.
City Manager's Summary: The City Council promoted Ray Munch from his Management Analyst role to Interim City Manager on November 13, 2018. In that role, Mr. Munch stepped up unselfishly and very effectively to lead the completion of the annual budget process, manage the annual tax levy process, supervise the staff support for the City Manager search process, guide the Council's discussion of a variety of TIF measures, and generally sustained operations at a time of intense public scrutiny and public criticism of the city organization. In difficult circumstances, he has demonstrated the leadership qualities expected of the Assistant City Manager, as defined in the Municipal Code.
The City Manager requests the Council's concurrence in the appointment of Ray Munch as Assistant City Manager with a base salary of $120,000, effective February 1. Mr. Munch is currently earning an annual base salary of $81,180. The salary range for the assistant city manager position among comparable northern Illinois cities is $107,312 to $155,603, with a mid-range of $131,457. (Click here for further information.)
6. Resolution 2019-027 Authorizing the Appointment of Andy Raih to Street Department Superintendent Effective February 1, 2019.
City Manager's Summary: Andy Raih has been serving as Interim Street Department Superintendent since January of 2018. In that capacity, he has assumed the supervision of both street maintenance and facility maintenance. Mr. Raih has shown inspired leadership and is highly regarded by his department staff, his colleagues in other departments, downtown merchants, and local property owners who appreciate his attention to detail and service.
The City Manager requests the Council's concurrence in the appointment of Andy Raih as full-time, permanent Street Department Superintendent with a base salary of $96,000, effective February 1. Mr. Raih is currently earning an interim salary of $76,021, based on a 10% increment over his previous position as the Support Services Superintendent. The last full-time Street Superintendent earned $111,413 upon his retirement. The starting point of the pay range for the superintendent position is $80,444; the mid-point of the pay range is $98,543; and the top salary is $116,644. In addition to the duties formerly assumed by his predecessor, Mr. Raih's job description now includes facility maintenance and requires that Mr. Raih personally perform a variety of maintenance tasks including sidewalk snow removal, painting, etc. in addition to his full-time supervisory responsibilities. (Click here for further information.)
Taken altogether, the three recommended permanent appointments represent a personnel increase of $60,543. Offsetting these increases is the recommended savings of $30,000 from the original grant allocations to the Chamber, DCEDC, and CVB, plus an additional $30,000 in savings drawn from a reduction in the City Manager's base salary. The residual difference is more than offset by the fact that the proposed permanent salaries are not retroactive to January 1.
Leaders lead. The City Manager must be fully on board for the spending reductions needed to reach fiscal stability.
7. Resolution 2019-028 Authorizing a Retail Tobacco Store License for The Smoke Shop NIU Inc., Located at 818 W. Lincoln Highway, Suite 3.
City Manager's Summary: The Council considered a similar item on January 14, 2019 when it approved a license for Aroma's Smoke Shop located at 811 W. Lincoln Highway. This item concerns the proposed new ownership of the existing retail tobacco store located at 818 W. Lincoln Highway. The business is presently operated as Xtreme Smoke, and a new ownership proposes its operation under the nameofTheSmokeShopNIU,Inc. UndercurrentCityCode,achangeinownership triggers a new license application, but existing retail tobacco stores are grandfathered to permit continuing operation even under that new ownership. The change in ownership does trigger City Council review. The application has been reviewed by the City Attorney and staff. City Council approval is recommended, subject to the conditions outlined in the background memorandum from City Attorney Dean Frieders (see attached), and the payment of a license renewal fee of $3,511. (Click here for further information.)
8. Resolution 2019-029 Authorizing the City Manager to Sign Loan Application Forms and Supporting Documents on Behalf of the City to Apply for Funds from the Public Water Supply Loan Program through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in an Amount Not to Exceed $1,700,000.
City Manager's Summary: The City has applied for a low-interest (1.82%) loan through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's (IEPA) Public Water Supply Loan Program (PWSLP). The loan proceeds would be used to replace the water main along Joanne Lane, Ilehamwood Drive, and Golfview Place at a cost estimated to be about $1.7 million. In previous action, the Council has dedicated cash reserves from the Water Operating Fund (Fund 60) and the Water Capital Fund (Fund 62) to pay for this loan. The IEPA requires Council to authorize a representative to sign the loan application forms and supporting documents as part of the loan application process. Molly Talkington was approved as the City's representative at the June 25, 2018 Regular Council meeting (Resolution 2018-077). A new representative is required. It is recommended that the City Council appoint the City Manager to serve as the new signatory and city representative. (Click here for further information.)
9. Resolution 2019-030 Authorizing a Professional Services Agreement with B&F Construction Code Services Inc. for the Provision of Plumbing Plan Review, Inspection, and Related Services.
City Manager's Summary: In recent months, B&F Construction Code Services of Elgin, Illinois has provided plumbing inspection services for the City of DeKalb, following legal notice by HR Greene that they wished to withdraw from their contract (see the attached memorandum from Jo Ellen Charlton and Thaddeus Mack). The City circulated a request for proposals (RFP) for plumbing inspection services on December 11, 2018 and received two proposals by the deadline for proposals on January 2, 2019.
The two bidders were SAFEbuilt of Park Ridge and B&F Construction Code Services. SAFEbuilt performed plan reviews and inspections for the City in the period of 2014-2016. In terms of pricing, SAFEbuilt's minimum four-hour show-up time pushed their hourly rate higher than that proposed by B&F. In addition, in terms of staff experience and public interaction, B&F is believed to be more reliable. The projected annual cost of B&F's services is about $40,000 in FY2019, which is within the budgeted amount of $41,600 for plumbing inspection services. City Council approval of the B&F proposal is recommended. (Click here for further information.)
10. Resolution 2019-031 Authorizing the Transportation Improvement Program for Federal Fiscal Years 2020 – 2024 for the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport.
City Manager's Summary:
The Federal Aviation Administration requires municipal airports that receive federal funding to adopt and submit five-year strategic project plans. These plans – Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) – are the collaborative outcome of conversations on staff, with the Airport Advisory Board, with the FAA and IDOT and the Council. The attached resolution would adopt the Transportation Improvement Program for the period 2020-2024. Because of the years-long processes for receiving federal dollars, projects are often funded years after the intended timeframe for the improvement in the TIPs.
As the attached memorandum from Public Works Director Tim Holdeman and Airport Manager Tom Cleveland explains, our staff presented the proposed 2020-2024 Transportation Improvement Program (TIPs) to the FAA and IDOT-DOA at the annual TIPs meeting in Springfield on October 30, 2018 (Exhibits A and B). In addition, the attached list of projects including runway and taxiway repairs and new instrumentation were discussed in detail at the meeting.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Illinois Department of Transportation – Division of Aeronautics (IDOT-DOA) recommend proceeding with these projects. City Council approval of the attached Resolution is recommended. (Click here for further information.)
11. Resolution 2019-032 Authorizing the Waiver of Competitive Bidding and Approving the Purchase of Water Meters and Radio Transmitters from Badger Meter Inc. and Core & Main in an Amount Not to Exceed $70,000.
City Manager's Summary: For a number of years, the City of DeKalb has installed water meters and radio transmitters from two companies, Badger Meter Inc. and Core & Main LP (Core & Main). The replacement of aging meters is an ongoing process, and the installation of new meters with identical recording features is important so the Water Department's labor-saving, radio-reading instruments can be effective. Due to the proprietary nature of the meter radio transmitters, mobile drive- by reading equipment, and billing software applications, the City Manager recommends that the City Council waive competitive bidding as it has in recent years. The funding for this commitment is budgeted in FY2019. (Click here for further information.)
12. Resolution 2019-033 Ratifying an Intergovernmental Agreement with DeKalb County Pertaining to Sales Tax Sharing and a Memorandum of Understanding Relating to Emergency Telecommunications.
City Manager's Summary: This item provides for ratification of an intergovernmental agreement with DeKalb County pertaining to sales tax sharing and public safety communications. Some detailed background is in order; a more extensive report is presented in the attached memorandum from City Attorney Dean Frieders.
Some History to the City/County Partnership at Market Square
The City of DeKalb, as a home rule municipality, has the legal authority to establish home rule sales taxes and to periodically adjust the rates for the same. Rates can be adjusted in 0.25% increments and there is no maximum or minimum rate prescribed by statute. No referendum approval is required for home rule sales tax adjustments. The City of DeKalb's current tax rate for home rule municipal sales taxes is 1.75% pursuant to Section 57.03 of the City Code.
In 1993, the City of DeKalb carried a 0.75% home rule sales tax rate into an intergovernmental agreement with DeKalb County regarding the proposed development of the former County Farm property ("the 1993 IGA", a copy of which is attached hereto). The resulting Market Square commercial retail development comprises 138 acres of land located at Barber Greene Road and Route 23; the agreement has a 40-year term through 2033. Under the terms of the 1993 IGA, the City and County agreed that they would equally share the sum of revenues generated from the "State of Illinois Municipal Retailers' Occupation Tax (one percent), the City of DeKalb Home Rule Sales Tax (three quarters of one percent) and the County of DeKalb Sales Tax (one quarter of one percent), derived from taxable sales on the Property. This cumulative 2% sales tax-sharing results in the City paying approximately $2,200,000 to the County on an annual basis. The 1993 IGA also provided for the annexation of the County Farm property to the City.
In late 1997, the City entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois Toll Highway Authority providing for the improvement of the Peace Road (I-88) interchange. The City agreed to incur roughly $2,300,000 in expenses, which were due and payable by June 30, 2004 to the Illinois Toll Highway Authority. The City and County subsequently entered into a 2004 intergovernmental agreement passed by City Resolution 2004-031 ("the 2004 IGA", a copy of which is attached hereto). The 2004 IGA indicates that the City requested County funding for the Peace Road interchange improvements and further indicates that the County budgeted to provide such financial support, provided that the City increased its home rule sales tax. It goes on to indicate that the City passed Ordinance 2003-100, which effected a 0.5% increase in the City's home rule sales tax, which took effect as of January 1, 2004. This 0.5% increase from Ordinance 03-100 is specifically identified and defined in the 2004 IGA as the "City Sales Tax Increase."
The City has, since 2004, shared the proceeds of the City Sales Tax Increase with the County. In FY2017, this represented a roughly $245,000 expenditure to the City, from sales tax revenues that otherwise could be utilized by the City to meet any City financial need.
The 2004 IGA goes on to indicate that the "City agrees to share half of the City Sales Tax Increase for revenues generated from the DeKalb Market Square property during the term of this agreement." The City also pledged "one half of its share of the revenue received as a result of Ordinance 03-100, the.5% (one half of one percent) increase in the City Home Rule Sales Tax. As such, the City hereby pledges to the County.25% of the City Sales Tax Increase generated from the DeKalb Market Square Shopping Center during the term of this Agreement." Based on those agreements, the City has continued to share one-half of a 1.25% sales tax (and the City retains the full remaining 0.5% sales tax).
Recent Negotiations
In recent years, the City and County have disagreed over the historical bases of each IGA. In 2018, negotiations were entered to resolve these differences. The negotiations have been led by Alderman Jacobson and Mayor Smith on the City side, and County Board Chairman Mark Pietrowski and County Administrator Gary Hanson on the County side. Through those discussions, the City and County Board have put together a list of projects that the County would assist the City with, in exchange for the City agreeing to continue to share the 1.25% sales tax through the end of the IGAs in 2033.
The projects include a number of areas of collaboration, with the City and County leveraging DeKalb Sycamore Area Transportation Study funds, County cash contributions towards certain projects, the provision of in-kind engineering services from the County, and other examples of collaboration, in order to provide for interim and long-term improvements to portions of Peace Road, Gurler Road, and Twombly Road. Those projects are described in greater detail in the staff memorandum.
The City Council conditionally approved the sales tax IGA on September 24, 2018 and extended the period for ratification of the IGA on November 13, 2018. This item would constitute final ratification of that IGA and continuation of the sales tax-sharing agreement.
One final point of interest: in November, the Council discussion of the proposed IGA was continued to allow time for the negotiation of a companion intergovernmental agreement pertaining to public safety communications. As the Council is aware, the City is converting from daily utilization of a Motorola Starcomm digital radio system to using the County's P-25 digital radio system. The parties had discussed entering into an IGA to address joint dispatch and emergency telecommunications issues. Such an IGA is not needed at this time, because Chief Lowery and County Sheriff Roger Scott have developed a memorandum of understanding that the County has ratified. The attached resolution similarly affirms that MOU on behalf of the City.
City Council approval is recommended. (Click here for further information.) K. ORDINANCES – SECOND READING
1. Ordinance 2019-002 Authorizing a Zoning Map Amendment from the "HI" Heavy Industrial District to the "PD-I" Planned Development – Industrial District and Approval of a Planned Development Preliminary Plan for a Community Solar Garden to be Located Along the North Side of Gurler Road, Approximately 500 Feet East of South First Street (SunVest Solar Inc.). (Second Reading)
City Manager's Summary: This item was heard on First Reading at the City Council meeting of January 14, 2019.
The applicant, Bill French of SunVest Solar Inc., is requesting approval of a zoning map amendment from the "HI" Heavy Industrial District to the "PD-I" Planned Development-Industrial District and the approval of a planned development preliminary plan for a 36.34 acre site located along the north side of Gurler Road, approximately 500 feet east of the intersection with South First Street. The parcel will be subdivided into three lots, with Lots 1 and 2 (totaling about 26 acres) containing a 2-megawatt community solar garden, with Lot 3 (about 10 acres) reserved for future industrial uses. The solar panels will be installed on fixed-tilt racking systems supported on galvanized steel beams that are pile-driven 8-10 feet in the ground. The panels will be oriented south, with rows stretching from west to east. Access will be from a private drive connecting with Gurler Road. A seven (7) foot high deer fence is proposed for the perimeter of the panels with a gate at the entrance. A 100-foot setback will separate the panels from the adjacent residence on South First Street. A minimum setback of 40 feet will parallel Gurler Road and South First Street. Twenty (20) foot easements will also be established along the south and west frontages to allow for future water main and sewer main extensions.
The developer will be required to contribute 50% of the estimated cost of any future water main extension through three annual payments of $40,833.33. Further details are noted in the attached memorandum from Principal Planner Dan Olson.
A public hearing was held on the application on November 7, 2018 before the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Commission voted 5-0 (Commissioner Castro was absent) to recommend Council approval, with the conditions outlined in the attached memorandum. City Council approval of the attached ordinance on second reading, with conditions, is requested. (Click here for further information.)
1. Ordinance 2019-006 Amending Chapter 2 "City Council." (First Reading)
City Manager's Summary: City Attorney Dean Frieders has prepared some minor revisions to Chapter 2 of the DeKalb Municipal Code regarding the conduct of City Council meetings. The proposed changes are red-lined. There are a number of non- substantive modifications intended to clarify or simplify existing language.
The substantive modifications include:
• NotingtheabilityofCounciltoapprovetheConsentAgendaandtoapprovewaiver of second reading and approval of ordinances with a single motion.
• Amending the process for public comment at public meetings. Rather than separating public comment between "Public Participation" (for items not on the agenda) and discussion at the time of individual agenda items, all public comment would be offered under "Public Participation," with the exception of persons who have a unique standing relative to a given item for separate action, such as the petitioner in a zoning matter. Such persons could be recognized by the Mayor to speak at the time of the action if desired.
• This approach also allows members of the public the ability to provide their comment at the very beginning of the meeting for their convenience (rather than waiting until much later in the meeting) and allows the Council a more orderly flow for agenda items.
• Elimination of the quarterly Discussion, Planning, and Vision Meetings. The Council has not adhered to the requirement of conducting these meetings on any regular schedule since this code provision was adopted, and it is recommended to remove this language if the Council does not intend to follow it.
• Removal of the language permitting imposition of penalties for Council members who do not attend meetings. The Council has not previously utilized this language.
• Updating the provisions relating to approval of meeting minutes to be compliant with the requirements of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
• Noting that the Council has adopted Robert's Rules of Order under its home rule authority, which gives clarity to the legal effect of votes taken by Council under certain circumstances. For example, where fewer than all members of the Council are in attendance at a meeting and an ordinance is approved by a vote that is a majority of those present, but not the concurrence of a majority of the full Council, under Robert's Rules (as interpreted by recent Illinois case law), the vote would be effective. In the absence of this amendment, the outcome is not as reliable.
These revisions are proposed for consideration by Council and are subject to such further revisions as Council may wish to direct. City Council approval is recommended. (Click here for further information.)
2. Ordinance 2019-007 Amending the Fiscal Year-End December 31, 2018 Budget in the Amount of $171,669.20 for the Remainder of the 2018 Street Maintenance Program with Curran Contracting Company. (Passage on First Reading, Waiver of Second Reading)
City Manager's Summary: Curran was awarded the 2018 Street Maintenance construction contract on June 25, 2018, based on their competitive bid. City Council approved staff to spend up to $1,852,203 for construction services with funding from four sources: the MFT Fund, TIF #1 Fund, TIF #2 Fund, and the Capital Projects Fund. The Capital Projects Fund share was to be $340,000: $228,000 for construction and $112,000 for engineering services. This amount would have been covered by the two-cent increase in the Local Motor Fuel Tax (approved in January 2018) which generates about $360,000 per year. The Capital Project Fund balance as of December 31, 2018 was $574,160.88.
Because of an oversight in budgeting in the Capital Projects Fund 2018 budget, only $132,400 was allocated for the Street Maintenance Program. Thus, the budget must be amended from $132,400 to $304,069.20 (+$171,669.20) to fully fund the 2018 Street Maintenance Program. This is $35,930.80 less than the original estimate, because Curran completed the project under the budget. Although the actual year- end balance would cover the error, it is important to show a true 2018 budget for audit purposes.
City Council approval of the proposed amendment to the Capital Fund budget is recommended. (Click here for further information.)
1. Monthly Freedom of Information Act (F.O.I.A.) Summary.
City Manager's Summary: Beginning in February, the City staff will provide the Council with a summary of the previous month's Freedom of Information Act requests, including the name of the interested party, the nature of the request, the staff hours spent preparing appropriate responses, and the cost of those staff hours.
1. Pending or Imminent Litigation as Provided for in 5 ILCS (120/2)(c)(11).


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Amazon Executive: "You Will Love My D*ck"
"Amazon Studios President Roy Price has resigned, ABC News has confirmed.
Price was put on leave last week, following an allegation of sexual harassment involving Isa Hackett, an executive producer on the network's series "The Man in the High Castle."
Hackett told The Hollywood Reporter last week that in 2015, Prince allegedly propositioned her in a cab on the way to an Amazon party, but she told him she has a wife and children.
She said that Price did not give up and that she later reported the incident to Amazon executives.
"We take seriously any questions about the conduct of our employees," an Amazon spokesperson told THR. "We expect people to set high standards for themselves; we encourage people to raise any concerns and we make it a priority to investigate and address them. Accordingly, we looked closely at this specific concern and addressed it directly with those involved."
After the incident, Hackett said she hasn't seen Roy."
Read more here: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/a...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I was doing some fault injection testing of 3.2.1 with
ZOOKEEPER-508 patch applied and noticed that after some time the ensemble failed to re-elect a leader.
See the attached log files - 5 member ensemble. typically 5 is the leader
Notice that after 16:23:50,525 no quorum is formed, even after 20 minutes elapses w/no quorum
I was doing fault injection testing using aspectj. The faults are injected into socketchannel read/write, I throw exceptions randomly at a 1/200 ratio (rand.nextFloat() <= .005 => throw IOException
You can see when a fault is injected in the log via:
2009-08-19 16:57:09,568 - INFO [Thread-74:ReadRequestFailsIntermittently@38] - READPACKET FORCED FAIL
vs a read/write that didn't force fail:
2009-08-19 16:57:09,568 - INFO [Thread-74:ReadRequestFailsIntermittently@41] - READPACKET OK
otw standard code/config (straight fle quorum with 5 members)
also see the attached jstack trace. this is for one of the servers. Notice in particular that the number of sendworkers != the number of recv workers.


text:
Canon PIXMA MG5751 Drivers & Software Download
Canon PIXMA MG5751 Wireless Multifunction Inkjet Printer
Canon PIXMA MG5751 Reviews – PIXMA MG5751 is an All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer that lets you perform all tasks easily and conveniently with print, copy and scan functions fast and stunning. MG5751 with a sleek and compact size of 18.0 (W) x 14.6 (D) x 5.9 (H) inches, and weighs about 13.8 pounds, so you do not need anyone else to pick and act on it, so with easy to put in all the narrow places, on your desk and work chair. The Canon MG5751 delivers professional performance results with the support of some exciting features to make it easier for you to complete your small package.
Use of ink by adopting a high-quality five-colour system. Provides very bright and detailed photo prints. Maximum print resolution reaches 4800 dpi, with ISO 13AT print speeds of 12.6 ipm mono and 9.0 ipm colours and for printing 10 x 15 cm with a beautiful boundary of about 41 seconds only.
MG5751 can also easily print and scan directly from your smart device, with support for Canon PRINT applications, Wi-Fi Direct and Cloud services. You simply install the app on your mobile device to connect to the printing device and you can print anywhere and around your home that is connected to Wi-Fi or ethernet.
Canon MG5751 Paper Compatibility:
- Plain: (Plain Paper, Canon High-Resolution Paper).
- Super High Gloss: (Photo Paper Pro Platinum).
- Glossy: (Photo Paper Plus Glossy II, Photo Paper Glossy).
- Semi-Gloss: (Photo Paper Plus Semi-Gloss, Photo Paper Pro Luster).
- Matte: (Matte Photo Paper).
- Envelope.
Canon Pixma MG5751 Printer Driver & Software Download Compatibility – Operating System (OS):
⇒ Windows: 10/10 (x64 bit-x32 bit), 8.1/8.1 (x64 bit-x32 bit), 8.0/8.0 (x64 bit-x32 bit), 7/7 (x64 bit-x32 bit), Vista/Vista (x64 bit-x32 bit), XP/XP (x64 bit-x32 bit).
⇒ Macintosh: MacOS-10.13 (High Sierra), Mac OS X-10.12 (Sierra), Mac OS X-10.11 (El Capitan), Mac OS X-10.10 (Yosemite), Mac OS X-10.9 (Mavericks), Mac OS X-10.8 (Mountain Lion.
⇒ Linux: (Debian – rpm – source file).
How to Install [Canon PIXMA MG5751 Driver & Software]
Below is Driver & Software, which you can download directly to connect your Device to Printer.
Download ⇒ MG5700 series Full Driver & Software Package, (Windows) – 10/10 x64 /8.1/8.1 x64 /8/8 x64 /7/7 x64 /Vista/Vista64 /XP – Ver. (1.0) – Size (48.17 MB).
Download ⇒ My Image Garden, (Windows) 10/10 x64 /8.1/8.1 x64 /8/8 x64 /7/7 x64 /Vista/Vista64 – Ver. (3.6.0) – Size (294.38 MB).
Download ⇒ MG5700 series Full Driver & Software Package, (Mac) OS X (10.12 / 10.11 / 10.10 / 10.9 / 10.8 / 10.7) – Ver. (1.2) – Size (9.31 MB).
Download ⇒ Easy-PhotoPrint EX, (Mac) OS X (10.13 / 10.12 / 10.11 / 10.10 / 10.9 / 10.8 / 10.7) – Ver. (4.7.1a) – Size (102.14 MB).
Download ⇒ IJ Printer Driver, (Linux) Source file – Ver. (5.20) – Size (455.57 KB).
For those of you who want to get a Completed Canon PIXMA MG5751 Driver & Software, Please Download it ⇒ [HERE]


text:
Scattered in the east Caribbean between St. Lucia and Grenada in the Lesser Antilles, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a nation made up of 32 islands. The capital of Kingston is located on the largest island, St. Vincent, which is blanketed with tropical forests, edged by black-sand beaches, and dominated by a 4,000-foot active volcano. The Grenadine archipelago continues south from here, comprising dozens of islands and cays, of which only a handful are inhabited. Petit St. Vincent lies about halfway down the island chain, some 40 miles south of St. Vincent.
Lagoons, reefs, and turquoise seas make for excellent swimming, snorkeling, and sailing in the Grenadines, and the islands themselves, volcanic and wild, offer up interesting exploration as well. A few of the nearby islands are described below. Others include Bequia, Mustique, Mayreau, Canouan, and Palm Island.
The five tiny isles known as the Tobago Cays are home to white-sand beaches, a reef that stretches two and a half miles, and nesting and feeding grounds for green and hawksbill turtles. Hiking trails abound, a seabird sanctuary can be approached by boat, and the park even includes a World War I shipwreck for divers to explore.
Just across from Petit St. Vincent, Petite Martinique is actually part of an entirely different country: Grenada. With a population of under a thousand and an area of less than 600 acres, the island has a vibrant culture derived from African, Carib, and European roots. The fishing community here supplies much of the seafood served at PSV.
Home to a small airport and a busy harbor as well as a dramatic topography, Union Island has become a lively port of call. Mount Taboi towers above, at 999 feet, and the town is full of boutiques, Internet cafes, bars, and restaurants.
Marine life is the most obvious draw in these volcanic islands, as the reefs that fringe the shores harbor all manner of species, including angelfish, damselfish, trumpet fish, parrotfish, and sergeant majors, as well as moray eels, lobsters, and large game fish. Sea turtles can often be found, as can barracudas and rays.
Yet birdlife is also quite rich, ranging from herons and glossy ibis along the shores of the islands to whistling warblers, Antillean crested hummingbirds, magnificent frigatebirds, and more. Other resident creatures in the Grenadines include iguanas, lizards, and tortoises.
The livelihoods in St. Vincent and the Grenadines now hinge on fishing, small farms, and tourism, but the past few centuries tell a different tale. Once part of the British Empire, many of these islands were involved in whaling or covered in banana and sugarcane plantations worked by slaves from Africa. As in many parts of the Caribbean, the islands' cultural heritage resulted from a blending of African and European traditions with those of the indigenous Carib people.
Fishing communities on the islands surrounding PSV use a variety of methods that are gentle on the marine habitat: spear fishing, hand line, and fish pots. Traditional wooden schooners and whaleboats are still crafted by artisans in Bequia and Canouan.
The annual carnival festivities on St. Vincent showcase the costumes and music of the Windward Islands with beauty pageants, parades, and concerts featuring calypso, soca music, and steel drum bands.
Want to plan the trip of your dreams? Create a custom trip around this lodge.


text: "Chakras & Evolution of Consciousness" Special Yoga Course Please complete all required fields! Name(*) Please Enter Name Surname(*) Please Enter Surname Email(*) Please Enter a valid Email ID Country(*) Please Enter Country Date & Place(*) Please Select Date & Place3 - 22 July 2019 at the Himalaya Shanti Ashram Invalid Input Message(*) Please Enter a Message. Prove that you're human(*) Invalid Input Terms(*) I read and agree to the: Requirements for Participation, Code of Conduct, Terms and Conditions of Payment Please Agree to Our Terms & Conditions a. As you click below "Booking Request" button, you will receive a welcoming email from us. b. We will contact you as soon as possible with further details about the course price and booking.


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text:
NerdWallet's mission is to provide clarity for all of life's financial decisions. But when the company started out, it focused on one particular decision: picking the best credit card.
So you'd think the co-founder and CEO, Tim Chen, would have a wallet full of cards and be a wizard at maximizing rewards.
Chen keeps things simple. "I'm not actually a huge points optimizer," he says. He carries just two credit cards: the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card for day-to-day spending and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for travel-related purchases.
Here's why Chen calls the Fidelity card his "top-of-wallet" credit card and how he uses it.
More about this card
Why is the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card your everyday card?
Until very recently, Chen carried the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card and the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card — only it used to be an American Express card, not a Visa. He used the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card for everyday purchases instead of the Fidelity card.
"In San Francisco, there's a lot of places that don't take AmEx, so it used to be my backup card," Chen says.
When Fidelity switched from American Express to Visa in 2016, Chen was able to use it just about everywhere. But it didn't become his favorite card until he decided to propose to his girlfriend.
Though he's not a big optimizer, Chen didn't want to pass up the rewards he could get by using a credit card to pay for an engagement ring. He called Capital One to ask it to raise his credit limit. "I got rejected multiple times," he says.
With his Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card, it was a different story. The issuer agreed to the credit limit increase right away, almost tripling his available credit.
"It was a pretty fast process," Chen says. "I think they just did it right then and there."
Chen paid for the ring with the Fidelity card, and the rewards were automatically deposited into his Fidelity account.
Any other cards you carry?
Recently, Chen snapped up a new premium travel card that's been generating a lot of buzz: the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. He still plans to use the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card for most of his purchases, with a couple of notable exceptions:
- He'll pay for all travel and dining with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Those purchases earn 3 points per $1 spent. When redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, points are worth 1.5 cents apiece. That gives him an effective 4.5% rewards rate — much higher than the flat 2% rate on the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card.
- He'll use the Chase Sapphire Reserve® when traveling abroad because it doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee. The Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card charges 1% on all purchases outside the U.S. That's low compared with most other credit cards, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve® still beats it.
Aside from those instances, Chen expects to pay for everything using the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card.
What do you like about the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card?
"It's so simple and straightforward," Chen says.
The $0, and Chen's rewards are automatically deposited into his Fidelity checking account, so there's no need to log in and redeem points or miles.
Anything you don't like?
Chen hasn't been a fan of Fidelity's online interface for managing the card, but he says the card's features have gotten better. Recently, Fidelity added the feature he wanted most: the ability to set up automatic payments, so his checking account would directly pay his credit card bill every month.
"I've forgotten to pay my bill maybe two or three times over the past five years," Chen says. Late payments can trigger fees and possibly damage your credit scores. But Chen won't have to worry about that anymore.
He has just one remaining complaint about the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card.
"I think it's really ugly," Chen says. "Other than that, it's a great card. I love it."
Information related to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.
Interview by Virginia C. McGuire. McGuire is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: email@example.com. Twitter: @vcmcguire.


text:
Sulphur Emissions Cap 2020 – Costs vs. Insurance
Gas emissions discharged from commercial cargo vessels have become one of the major global environmental concerns within the maritime industry. These harmful gases are produced through the burning of the bunker fuel[1] used to power most large cargo ships around the world, with ships using between 1 and 16 tonnes of bunker fuel per hour.
On January 1, 2020, there will be a turning point in what has become an accepted negative consequence of human demand for goods. This is the date that a new International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulation will come into force in many countries around the world; capping the emissions of sulphur coming from ships from the current globally permitted limit of 3.5% to 0.5%.[2]
A costly solution
This positive step will however come at great cost to vessel operating companies, as they must choose between:
1. Switching from high sulphur fuel oils (HSFO) to low sulphur fuel oils (LSFO).
2. Fitting expensive "scrubbers" to their ship engine exhaust systems.
3. Changing the fuel they use altogether, to liquid natural gas or another alternative.
With regard to the former, HSFO bunker fuel currently costs around US$450 per tonne.[3] By comparison, the equivalent LSFO currently costs around US$752 per tonne.[4] Switching to a fuel source that enables compliance with new regulations could cost an average vessel operating company an extra US$2.78 billion per year.[5]
Some vessel operating companies have as many as 150 vessels or more to control, so the cost of fitting said "scrubbers" and having to purchase expensive fuels will become very costly very quickly.
What now?
So where will vessel operating companies find the required additional capital to fund their regulatory compliance? An organisation's insurance purchasing strategy could provide the answer.
Finding the optimal balance of retained risk and insurance premium spend (for risk transfer), could be one way for vessel operating companies to help finance the additional fuel costs that the new regulations will require. To achieve this, it will be critical to understand and quantify the risk volatility of the various marine risks for which insurance is purchased; including: marine cargo, marine hull, protection and indemnity, and other liability insurances.
Although unlikely to fully fund all the costs of the necessary sulphur regulatory changes, such an exercise could lead to lower premium insurance spend and unlock funds that may go some way to assisting those who own, operate, or charter commercial vessels.
[1] Typically heavy, residual oil left over after extracted light hydrocarbons from crude oil during the refining process.
[2] Outside of the two major emission control areas of North America and North West Europe; where the permitted limit is 0.1%.
[3] Ship & Bunker. World Bunker Prices, available at https://shipandbunker.com/prices, accessed 23 July 2018.
[4] Bunker Index. Bunker Index MGO, available at http://www.bunkerindex.com/prices/bixfree.php?priceindex_id=5, accessed 20 July 2018.
[5] US$6.93 billion - US$4.15 billion: Calculated on an example fleet of commercial cargo ships (i.e. using 8 tonnes of bunker fuel per hour) and assuming that each individual ship is burning fuel for 24 hours a day and operating its main engines for 320 days each year.


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Magic Precision Inc. is a pressure die casting manufacturer in Asia founded in 1998 and backed by a family that has 40 years of experience in the toys and power tools manufacturing business. We, Magic Precision is a high-tech company including casting china, die cast zinc, pressure die casting and casting foundry etc. From the design to the installation phase our engineers work in concert with the customer to deliver solutions that help them stay competitive in today's global marketplace. We are dedicated to providing high quality die casting and related manufacturing services at competitive prices for low to medium sized orders. If you have any question or inquiry more details, please contact us with no hesitance. To get more information about our casting foundry products, please browse our website or contact us soon!
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text:
Skip to Content
Explore Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, where prehistoric mammals roamed during the Ice Age. Visitors enjoy fossils and rare plant species.
Just north of Las Vegas, Nevada is Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. This monument captures a prehistoric time in rock with fossils of extinct mammoths, lions, camels, horses, bison, dire wolves, and several other creatures that roamed what once were wetlands of the area. Tule Springs Fossil Beds represents a period that ranges from 200,000 to 3,000 years ago. The area was once so abundant with mammoths that it has been referred to as "mammoth central." Now, fossils of these extinct giants fuel research about paleontology, geology, and prehistoric climate change. Tule Springs Fossil Beds is the first NPS monument to be specifically dedicated to the preservation, public education, and scientific study of Ice Age fossils. The area also houses several patches of very rare Las Vegas Bearpoppy flowers. Tule Springs Fossil Beds offer paleontological fun, scientific discovery, and educational opportunities to visitors of all ages.
In partnership with the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation is piloting a volunteer network to strengthen the national parks community, enhance national parks, and improve the visitor experience.


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Since the Kids' Conference had its foundation in history teaching and story telling we thought we should share something about its origin …
Megan's story
The idea for the Kids' Conference was born in 2011 after our son came home with an English test he'd just taken. The test was on an A4 sheet of paper and had sentences with blank spaces for the student to write in the missing words in the gaps. There were red circles around incorrect answers and a number in the top right corner. He'd got 15 out of 20.
He tossed the test on the kitchen bench for our information, raided the fridge, made some toast and then settled in front of the computer with his new headphones and microphone. In a few minutes he was deep into Minecraft and totally engaged in taking his self-designed avatar out around the digitised landscape.
When we finally managed to drag him away for dinner we wanted to know who he was talking to via the computer – was it a school mate and why were they all playing Minecraft when they should be eating?
Well – he replied – one of the gamers was a kid in the US and the other one lived in China and they were discussing creating a server for the game they were co-designing.
"That's nice dear," we said – having no real idea what he was talking about.
A few weeks later on Mother's Day he showed me what he'd been working on for hours over the weekend. "Here Mum – push this button!"
The Minecraft scene he'd created was a huge brick wall with a simple button on a plinth in front of it. As I pressed the digital button – the words 'Happy Mother's Day' were punched out in individual letters from the wall. He then showed us the intricate digital electronics and mechanics that he had designed to create this effect. What we'd thought of as just some form of computer Lego was an incredibly sophisticated digital game.
Was our son exhibiting some amazingly precocious skill or gifted insight? No – he is just an average achieving (but great) kid who was super interested in being able to use a digital environment to test out some ideas, explore and create something new. The fact that he had apparently worked out basic engineering principles was a bit amazing.
After these observations we started to discuss this disconnect – how could there be such a gulf between what was happening in lounge rooms all over the world once kids got home from school with what was happening in the classroom? How could it be that kids were creating their own digital worlds, seamlessly communicating internationally online and then discussing the next possible use of technology all without any adult intervention or specialist teaching?
Yet meanwhile these kids were still being universally subjected to the same hand out English tests that we remembered doing in drafty school rooms on wooden desks in the '60s.
Stephen's story
At around the time our son was getting into Minecraft I was starting a PhD in Education Systems and grappling with a topic and a focus. One area I'd written about in the past was the issue of national testing and how this appeared to actually drive down the typical measures of learning outcomes – mainly assessed through those same paper tests – which estimate the learning potential of school age children by looking at reading, writing and 'rithmetic.
But our experience at home – like that of many parents – made it starkly apparent that the education system was becoming rapidly out of step with the emerging digital learning environment and social-media platforms. What curriculum designers like myself thought would happen 'in the near future' was happening rapidly in real time. It was then we started talking about the chance to have a session where kids presented to teachers on their discoveries using digital media. Why not a whole day – a Kids' Conference – where students had the podium?
Mulling this over I happened to meet up with Jo Clyne from the History Teachers Association of Victoria (HTAV) while lining up for coffee at ACU one day and talked about whether the association would be able to help develop such a Conference.
A year later I was invited to speak at HTAV's annual teachers' Conference and presented my take on the potential for digital learning in the classroom and proposed the first Kids' Conference. There was a flood of recognition with the teachers present – they appreciated the phenomenal change they could harness if only the curriculum would flex enough to enable these new tools to flourish inside the classroom.
With the help of HTAV's input we brought together a small group of students and teachers from across Victoria who were actively using digital technologies in new ways to share their ideas in November 2012 – my son happily came along to present on Minecraft and gave a comparison of the MCG and the Coliseum.
From that first Conference we've had students present from across Victoria and even internationally. Some presenters have demonstrated apps which have become successfully adopted, last year we had students present on augmented reality, we've had the digital radio team from Carrum Primary and creations from amazing budding digital film makers.
With the growing dialogue on 'National Innovation' there seems to be a recognition that this innovation reaches back into primary and secondary schools. Tools like Minecraft are now clearly recognised for their educational qualities and not seen as simple recreational games. Students are being appreciated as great generators of ideas – just like anyone else in the community.
So is the intention of the Kids' Conference to find entrepreneurs or to showcase the apparently 'super talented'?
No – it's about supporting students and teachers in the classroom to be greater co-learners and co-creators of knowledge. It's about bringing adaptability into the classroom and supporting facilitation as a greater part of the teacher's toolkit.
The Kids' Conference enables any student or, ideally, any group of students, to show how they are approaching the use of digital technologies in the classroom. As we've seen over the past five years that's something we can all learn from.


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Tools for local delivery - inclusionary zoning key to affordable housing in Queenstown
By Angie Cairncross June 30 2017
Inclusionary zoning has been the key to success in providing affordable housing in Queenstown, according to Executive Officer Julie Scott of Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust.
Under the Queenstown Lakes planning process, a developer who applies to rezone a rural area to an urban zone must allocate 5% of the land to the Trust which then uses the land to build affordable housing which is helping to address the housing stress in their community.
Suffolk street development Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust
This novel approach of using inclusionary zoning alongside a local community housing trust was reported on by Julie at the recent CHA-IMPACT 2017 Conference at Te Papa in Wellington. She told the conference that the Trust operates three programmes, has net assets of over $15 million, and an interest in $28 million of property. The 5% allocation is the source of most of the Trust's assets, which are "building an enduring asset for the wider community".
Since setting up in 2007, the Trust has had 1138 households register interest in their housing services. "We've been able to work with 150 of them so far," says Julie. "Around 430 remain on the waiting list, and the number increases by 20–30 a month. It's thanks to inclusionary zoning – a legacy of our forward-looking Council – that we've been able to do this."
Inclusionary zoning has also enabled the Trust to leverage grants from Government and Council.
Julie believes that local authorities can support the delivery of social and affordable housing in their communities in many ways. Inclusionary zoning works well in Queenstown and could work well in other communities, as could partnerships with local community housing providers using council land.
The Queenstown approach was the subject of a recent piece of research by Sense Partners who found that there is no significant impact on house prices where inclusionary zoning was used to deliver affordable homes in local neighbourhoods. Some of those opposed to including affordable housing in new developments have argued that it brings down prices in the rest of the neighbourhood. This analysis of the actual experience in Queenstown, supported by international evidence, demonstrates this is not the case.
Di Anorpong from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) says the tool to help understand the extent of local demand for affordable housing at a local authority level is the new National Policy Statement (NPS) on Urban Development Capacity. This creates a requirement for local government planning and monitoring to include housing affordability. "It provides an opportunity for councils to take a whole-of-city rather than a whole-of-council approach to establishing housing use and demand at a local level" she said.
The NPS was made operative in December 2016 and is now a permanent, long term feature of local authority planning. Monitoring of local housing markets are expected every quarter from June 1 in medium and high growth areas. Three yearly development capacity assessments are required to determine if housing supply is matching housing demand, with responsive planning a requirement where there is a mismatch.
One of the measures councils are required to measure against under the NPS is affordability and the new Housing Affordability Measurement (HAM) also from MBIE supports this. HAM is a tier one official statistic introduced in May 2017 to allow the market to be monitored at a more detailed level. It measures how much money households have left each week after meeting housing costs and sets the benchmark at 2013 census figures.
These measurements can be broken down by city and district council level and even to ward-level information for Auckland.
There are two very good things about this measure. Firstly, councils now have a consistent measure of the changes in housing affordability for both renters and entry level homeowners providing a constantly reported statistic. Secondly, the use of a "residual income approach", means that it measures affordability of housing by making sure that a household has enough money left over after housing costs to pay for the essentials of living.
Local authorities around New Zealand are aware of the many citizens in their communities experiencing housing stress. The NPS on Urban Development Capacity creates a requirement for local government planning and monitoring to include housing affordability.
Queenstown Lakes District Council's use of inclusionary zoning alongside a local community housing trust to support the development of affordable homes and to meet these new requirements has blazed a trail to address this requirement that other councils could adopt with confidence.


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Learn to think creatively and lead organisational change on this innovative degree. Learning for a enterprise and management studies diploma allows you to develop a broad understanding of business organisations and gives you with subject-specific information in areas comparable to markets, clients, finance, operations, communication, data know-how and business policy and strategy.
Cross HNC in Enterprise Administration, Enterprise Administration with Entrepreneurship, International Enterprise Administration, Administration and IT, Enterprise, Human Resource Management, Administration (not retail) or Advertising with grade B at SCQF level 7 in the graded unit.
This unique and innovative programme supplies a mix of theoretical concepts and sensible techniques which provides an intensive grounding for a variety of careers in a spread of administration features equivalent to advertising and human resource administration, as well as generally management.
There is larger scope for college students to decide on elective modules on this programme and as a result of broad nature of the diploma, students take at least one module of their final yr from every of the fields of HRM, Advertising, Accounting, Operations and Common Management.
You may be outfitted with a various vary of abilities to reach the enterprise world as you pursue twin specialisation in fields reminiscent of Buyer Relations & Service Administration, Occasion Administration, Human Useful resource Management, Worldwide Business, Retail Management and Provide Chain Management.


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With the 4th of July right around the corner, now is the perfect time to make sure you are prepared to celebrate in style! Whether you plan to stir up festive cocktails or garnish colorful drinks for.
Monogram letters may be the biggest trend right now when it comes to wedding decorating. Whether on napkins, balloons, signs, or invitations, you've probably seen monogram letters in action at some.
Depending on what part of the country you live in, you may have differing views of Mardi Gras and what it involves. For me growing up in Indiana, I have for the majority of my life associated it with.
Valentine's Day is around the corner and you are probably thinking of what you should do for your significant other. Flowers and chocolates can be considered if you want to take the traditional.
When it comes to planning a party, one of the most important things to check off your list right off the bat is picking out the theme! The theme dictates what you are going to buy and make for the.
Royer custom stirrers are perfect for any gathering or party! We had the pleasure of being sent these amazing pictures of our Mustache and Cheers Stirrers from a happy customer. These swizzle sticks.
Royer's Cheers Script Cocktail Stirrers/Picks are a new addition in 2017. Given the incredible recent success of our line of Love Script Swizzle Sticks, the Cheers concept was created based on a.
If you're looking for fun & colorful swizzle sticks to mix up your favorite cocktails, we encourage you to consider our popular line of fluorescent, day-glow stirrers! Available in a variety of.
In July of 2015, we began selling several of our popular swizzle stick designs on Amazon in small quantities. In just a short amount of time, we have shipped Royer products to Amazon customers all.
Finding attractive, well-made cocktail swizzle sticks & picks in small quantities for home bars and parties/events can sometimes be hard to come by. As an established American manufacturer of.


text: On the field trip we sat in a room that is normally used as a classroom. On the chalkboard was a section entitled Practical Life showing bathing equipment. There are small drawings under it with the towel, bucket of water and bar of soap. Most people here bath outside with these 3 pieces of equipment. We are so blessed to have indoor showers. There is a second section entitled Nature Talk with drawn pictures of two different types of trees; apple tree and paw paw tree.


text: Play the Game 2017 < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > The IOC has only one option By Andreas Selliaas 29.11.2017 / The IOC is struggling with the decision on Russia. With all the information we have now, they have just one option: suspension of Russia. Professional cycling is at risk of losing pace 28.11.2017 / Professional cycling needs to find an alternative funding model and embrace a wider audience was the conclusion of a panel on the business side of the sport. Human rights, soft power and the legacy of mega-events 28.11.2017 / Will the legacies of major sporting events always be cost overruns, abandoned venues, and human rights clampdowns? "He had total power, total control over me…" 28.11.2017 / Starting with a highly personal and emotional story, Play the Game 2017 discussed the far-reaching consequences of sexual abuse, its prevalence and how to prevent an often overlooked problem. Innovation tour of Eindhoven 28.11.2017 / As part of the social programme during Play the Game 2017, delegates were given a tour of the city of Eindhoven on the second evening of the conference. Sports reform – a need for outside intervention? 28.11.2017 / Few observers disagree that many of sport's governing bodies lack accountability. The question is, how can they best be reformed? Should governments, NGOs or the athletes themselves take control - or can change be achieved from the inside? Collusion? – The strange relationship between Qatar and Russia in the field of sports By Andreas Selliaas 28.11.2017 / Qatar and Russia. Corruption and doping. That is what everybody is talking about at Play the Game 2017 in Eindhoven. The latest developments in both doping and corruption investigations link the two countries closer and closer together. Are we seeing the contours of a collusion between Qatar and Russia in sports? Window undressing: Stories from international sport 27.11.2017 / A wide-ranging panel at Play the Game 2017 told participants stories about whistleblowers, corruption and organisational anomalies in sport. < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >


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Scottish chemist Davidsons raised over £11,000 for Crohn's & Colitis UK in 2018 after making us their Charity of the Year.
Davidsons 37 branches worked tirelessly throughout 2018, fundraising to improve the lives of people living with Crohn's and Colitis by taking part in events like Rough Runner and MacTuff, as well as hosting quizzes, raffles and bake sales, and having collection tins in all of their pharmacies.
We're so grateful to them for their incredible efforts in raising a total of £11,196 – more than doubling their target - along with lots of awareness throughout the year.
Crohn's & Colitis UK is an invaluable charity. Not only do they support people who have Crohn's and Colitis but also their families and friends by breaking taboos, supporting and bringing people together, funding pioneering research, and campaigning to improve lives in hope of building a brighter future.
Special thanks goes to the top 3 fundraising branches – Aberfeldy who won branch of the year for the very first time, Thornton and Aboyne – who raised £3,887.92 between them.
We secured this Charity of the Year partnership due to recommendation from their fantastic staff followed by an online vote at the end of 2017.
Thank you to all our supporters who voted and shared, getting us 4,403 votes - which was 42.1% of all votes!
If you're interesred in how your company or workplace can support us, get in touch with our corporate team.


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ON1 Photo 10.5 Runs Slow On The iMac 5K. Here Are Two Workarounds.
Last month I migrated my photo and video libraries from my aging MacPro to a new iMac 5K system. I decked the thing out, too. When I buy new machines, I expect them to last 5 years (a long time in the tech world) so they get beefed up. I've been very, very happy overall. My move happened to coincide with the release of ON1 Photo 10.5, and I was eager to start using 10.5 on this snappy new machine. And then I launched ON1 and the application limped along, bordering on unusable.
The crux of the problem is the high resolution of the 5K display. It would seem ON1 is struggling to manage all those pixels in the preview window. Screen refreshing and tool response gets very choppy. This took several days to get sorted out, and during the course of investigating I learned ON1 isn't the only app that's had issues moving to the higher resolution screens
I have two workarounds. Neither are ideal. That's why we call them workarounds I suppose :-)
1. Make the ON1 window smaller
If the app has problems with lots of pixels in the preview window, make the preview window smaller. The upside is I'm still using the high resolution screen and have less scrolling to do through an image when zoomed in at 100%.
The (obvious) downside is it defeats the benefit of having a large, high resolution screen. There's a lot of unused space on the screen. Space I want to use for a nice, large preview as I work on my photos. In my testing, if I grow the window much larger than what's pictured here, ON1 Photo starts to slow down.
2. Launch the app in Low Resolution mode
Apple obviously knew of, or found apps during testing, that didn't perform well with the iMac 5K displays. Right click on an app, choose Get Info, and there's an Open in Low Resolution checkbox. Turn that on and ON1 Photo 10.5 runs like a champ.
The downside.... I don't get the 5K retina display and I have a lot of scrolling to do when zoomed in at 100%. The difference is very clear. Working in low resolution mode feels like working on my laptop when it comes to scrolling through an image.
Neither workaround is ideal because I lose benefits of the 5K display. I haven't decided which one annoys me less yet.
I have been in touch with ON1 continually on this problem. Performance isn't uniformly poor across the board. Some Effects filters are more prone to slowing down (I'm assuming it's the ones that do more math at the pixel level). I'm hoping there'll be a long term fix for this, whether it be in a patch or simply no longer be a with Photo RAW in the fall.


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most of you dont really beilve. You say you do, but you
dont. If you are not careful, they will come for you. They will make your life filled with sorrow. If you need any help with
it, just ask someone. To show that they belive, you will look them straight in the eyes, if the eyes look watery, or creept
out or anything like that, that means they belive.
Another way to tell.... if you are being haunted by the dead,
you will suddenly get cold.... and if you move to any other spots in the room and they are warm, and you move back to that
one certain spot, and it is the only spot around that area that is cold, that means that there is something right there with
you, standing right there. You might want to get out of that room immediatly if that ever happens. You can never tell if a
spirit is an evil one, or a good one.
Wicca's goblit! Sorrce of evil/good.


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"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"- Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
The excellent Spirit is the Holy Spirit of God that He gives to His children. The excellent Spirit is the Spirit of God in us. He is the Spirit that God Himself shares in common with all His Children.
So, just as God is Spirit, man also is a Spirit that dwells in a body and has a soul. What gives God His nature of goodness is the excellent Spirit of God, and what gives Satan his nature of evil is the evil spirit in Satan. What produces the character you manifest is the type of spirit that is at work in you.
The excellent Spirit produces the kind of fruit in us which distinguishes us. For this to happen, you and I must live a life that is Spirit controlled, not flesh controlled. That is, the Holy Spirit having dominion over the flesh in our lives.
Spiritual growth involves the flesh dying, and the Holy Spirit growing in us daily. Such a life will not seek to gratify the desires of the flesh or body. The excellent Spirit in us makes us supernatural, He makes us extraordinary in character, and not just in charisma alone.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, so God is love. God is an embodiment of the Spirit in Him. So you and I must embody love.
A tree is known by the fruit it bears. In order words, the fruit reveals the name and identity of the tree to us. The distinguishing factor that differentiates trees is the types of fruits they bear. It is the fruits the tree bears that attracts people to it. The fruit a tree bears determines the value placed on it.
In fact, what determines people's attitude to a tree, (i.e. whether to destroy it or to nurture it) is whether it bears fruit or not, and if it does, is the fruit beneficial or a nuisance.
Therefore, as Christians, the type of character we manifest or fruit we bear will determine how people will relate to us, and how they regard us. What more, the influence we bear on people is determined by the type of fruit we bear, we can either attract people or repel them. The proof of your spirituality is your character. If you are full of the Spirit of God, then you must be full of God's character.
Love is the fruit that the excellent Spirit bears. Love that flows from the heart (that is, the Spirit)! The God's kind of love. The love that is shown in spite of the attitude or shortcomings of others, the love that is not deserving.
This love is characterised by joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness gentleness and self control. Any love that lacks any of these virtues is not the true love.
Our individual lives will be a blessing to others if we manifest the fruit of the Spirit, our lives will glorify God and draw people to Him if we have Christ-like character.
Remember, the fruit we bear or the character we manifest is not a gift, it is the result of subduing the works of the flesh in our lives and allowing the Holy Spirit to take control.
God bless you.


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Larry SchneiderLong-Term Care
Larry is a partner in our long-term care studio and enjoys having a dedicated team in the studio to create a close-knit culture that you find in a smaller firm while maintaining a high degree of expertise to the industry. The cross-pollination that occurs between studios adds even greater value to our clients as certain projects cross between education, religious and healthcare industries. Larry is involved in LeadingAge, Wisconsin Association of Assisted Living (WALA), and the Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments (SAGE). In his spare time he is involved in Kiwanis and his local church. Larry is passionate about creating a dignified manner for all to age gracefully as we rely on social, emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual needs. He is married and has two grown children.


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Dear travelers,
Today we're very happy to announce that our Classical Iran tour has been chosen by InfoHub.com as their "Out-of-the-ordinary trip of the Month". To celebrate this anyone who books onto this tour by September 30th, 2017 will be entered into a draw to win a GPSmyCity App. The app features offline city maps, self-guided walking tours and travel articles for 1,000 cities worldwide. With this app you can explore Tehran and other cities in Iran and further afield on your own, at your own pace. The GPSmyCity app works offline so there's NO need to worry about roaming charges when travelling abroad.
A lucky winner, chosen randomly, will get a one-year full membership of the GPSmyCity app including access to ALL the GPSmyCity content – over 6,500 self-guided city walks and travel articles – to the total value of over $8,000!!!
Book now and enjoy your Iranian adventure!
Good luck,
The Travel The Unknown Team


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Bank of America / Countrywide Financial - Mackler
Steve W. BermanShayne C. Stevenson
- Complaint 07/07/11
HBSS represented whistleblower Gregory Mackler, who challenged Bank of America's alleged fraudulent handling of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) meant to help millions of struggling homeowners.
Mr. Mackler's complaint, filed in 2011 under seal, alleged that Bank of America violated its agreement with the Department of Treasury to assist qualified homeowners in obtaining modifications of their mortgages under the HAMP program. The Treasury Department itself in 2011 suspended its incentive payments to Bank of America for its substantial noncompliance with the terms of its servicer agreement with the Treasury Department.
Mackler, represented by Hagens Berman partner Shayne Stevenson, alleged that instead of attempting to help qualified homeowners whose mortgages the bank serviced, it instead undermined their ability to get mortgage relief.
The government investigated Mackler's claims of servicing fraud at Bank of America and ultimately brokered a settlement with the Bank
Hagens Berman praises the Department of Justice for its efforts in the case, particularly Assistant United States Attorney Richard Hayes who handled the investigation and settlement.
Hagens Berman takes whistleblower cases brought under the False Claims Act as well as more recently adopted programs at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Hagens Berman purchases advertisements on search engines, social media sites and other websites. Transmission of the information contained or available through this website is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. If you seek legal advice or representation by Hagens Berman, you must first enter a formal agreement. All information contained in any transmission is confidential and Hagens Berman agrees to protect information against unauthorized use, publication or disclosure. This site is regulated by the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct.


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Azalea Lee is demonstrating her beautiful tight buns while being oiled. Watch her this tanned cutie gets nailed right after with a big cock.
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A far-off song
Today, intent on both diligence and delight, I chose an off-beat tea shop called The Albion Beatnik Bookshop as my corner for study. Rapid, deadlined reading goes better when accompanied by a small blue pot of fragrant assam, acoustic music, and a flapjack (don't be fooled, this is a golden oatcakey bar, not a pancake). I settled back in my chair and began a thorough and very swift reading of George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind. Papers are due and brilliance must be attempted. Not a moment can I waste this week. But this passage stopped me still. My fretting eased and I tilted my head back, lifted my eyes to the line of blue sky just visible above the buildings out my window and felt the air of my spirit widening:
"How can you bear it North Wind? For I am sure you are kind; I shall never doubt that again." "I will tell you how I am able to bear it, Diamond: I am always hearing, through every noise, through all the noise I am making myself even, the sound of a far-off song. I do not exactly know where it is, or what it means; and I don't hear much of it, only the odour of its music, as it were, flitting across the great billows of the ocean outside this air in which I make such a storm; but what I do hear is quite enough to make me able to bear the cry from the drowning ship. So it would you if you could hear it."
At the Back of the North Wind is a fantasy novel about a little boy named Diamond who is befriended by the mighty and beautiful North Wind, borne in her arms on strange journeys. In the novel she is a figure of... God? The Holy Spirit? The presence of Love blowing through the world? I'm supposed to figure this out for my paper, but for now, I will say simply that she is a force of holiness, "blowing the world clean," bringing calamity and grace, always with the intent to "make the ugly beautiful."
The causing of calamity makes Diamond question how she can bear to bring pain. Earlier, she explains that sometimes it is the only way to waken people to good, but that passage above about the song that sings amidst the storm, that echoes down to us here and gathers, a rising, miraculous music to heal all grief - the fancy of it took my breath and I halted my study to savor it... just for a minute or two.
But tonight, as I sat in a dim, candlelit chapel, I felt that I actually heard it. I had come to Magdalene College to hear the evensong service. This is a nightly choral service that always includes several readings of Scripture, Mary's Magnificat, and Simeon's proclamation in Luke. The fact that I can attend one of these every night of the week makes me feel wealthier than if I owned a pot of gold. Settled in a high, wooden pew with prayer book in hand, I listened to the words of my faith blazed out in a weave of harmony that haled my soul into my throat. But it was Simeon's words, suddenly distinct, that sat me a little straighter amidst the candles and put me in mind of the North Wind's song:
Now Lord, may your bond servant depart in peace according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, the light you have prepared in the sight of all nations, the glory of your people Israel...
I was gripped with the abrupt realization that the music heard by the North Wind is a real thing. The all-healing song whose echo she caught is in truth the news of the coming of Christ. I thought the picture in the novel so hopeful, a lovely, fantastical idea. But sometimes the symbols of a story can revitalize a truth you knew, but had forgotten to actively believe.
Sometimes a story can creep into your heart on the busiest of Saturdays amidst a cramming of study and strike you back awake to joy. The joining of the novel's words with the straight fact of Simeon's proclamation of Christ as Messiah made the truth of the symbol real. I have seen that salvation, I have heard that song. The North Wind's music is as real as my own skin. Here, now, amidst the bustle and study of my Oxford life, here, amidst the roar of the world and its countless suffering, hope-starved people, the music has come in the love of Christ. The song truly is among us now. We may sing and be healed.
And amidst the candlelight, with the choir singing its last amen, I was.