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Environmental Assessment
**The below information is from the 2006-2016 UIS Strategic Plan. For information on the current 2018-2028 Strategic Compass, visit https://www.uis.edu/strategiccompass/ **
Environmental forces impacting the University of Illinois overall include demographic, educational, economic/fiscal, economic development and research, and political factors and trends. Key findings can be summarized as follows:
- The growing demands for education, creation of new knowledge leading to technological innovation, and economic development through technological commercialization create high levels of opportunity for the university.
- The higher education marketplace is seeing abundant and aggressive competition (both nationally and internationally) for students, faculty, resources, and reputation from both traditional and non-traditional providers.
- There has been a sea change in the traditional model for financing public higher education in Illinois and across the nation that is unlikely to reverse itself anytime soon. The State of Illinois has held steady or cut funding to public higher education in the past four years, since FY02. The university must respond as if state support for higher education will not grow in the near future.
Specifically for UIS, the following environmental factors present both challenges and opportunities in the following categories:
- Demographic factors and trends
- Higher education
- Economic, budgetary, fiscal, and political issues
- Economic development and research
- Competitive/Benchmark analysis
Demographic factors and trends
Baby boomlet: While Illinois will experience only slight population growth in coming years, a "baby boomlet" of high school graduates is now under way and will persist for the next few years. UIS – with relatively new facilities and room to expand, a new general education curriculum, and a young but highly credentialed faculty – is prepared to compete successfully for superior students who are looking for the environment provided by a small public liberal arts institution.
Retirees: As baby boomers reach retirement age and as people in general are living longer, the number of retirees is increasing. This national trend matches an interesting aspect of UIS history. Now 35 years old, UIS has more alumni, faculty, staff, and students who have reached retirement age and still have many years of vibrant productivity ahead of them. This offers many opportunities in the areas of alumni relations, development, mentoring, and building a community that recognizes the wisdom and experience that retirees have to offer.
Ethnic diversity: Historically, UIS has had relatively low percentages of minority students, staff, and faculty. The changing Illinois population and opportunities for partnerships in central Illinois, especially Springfield but also the Metro East and Chicago areas, provide UIS with opportunities to diversify its community in every area.
Latinos: Illinois' population is becoming more diverse, and the Latino population will grow faster than any other segment in Illinois. While central Illinois historically has had a low percentage of Latinos, that trend has been changing in recent years. The new UIS general education curriculum emphasizes issues of diversity and globalization, which positions UIS to recruit, attract, and retain a growing number of Latino students, staff, and faculty.
African Americans: Even with the growing Latino population, African Americans are still the largest minority group in Illinois, especially in central Illinois, and that will continue to be the case. Nonetheless, the percentage of African American students, faculty, and staff at UIS remains well below Illinois and Springfield percentages. This presents a major challenge for UIS to recruit and retain more African American students, staff, and faculty.
Faculty: Although a significant proportion of University of Illinois tenured/tenure-track faculty is age 55 or over, that is not the case at UIS. By a coincidence of timing, the retirement of the first generation of Sangamon State University faculty is almost complete, and more than 20 percent of the faculty were in their first year at UIS in the fall of 2005. That is an astounding percentage that affords many opportunities for UIS. With new faculty also recently hired for the initiation of Capital Scholars and online programs, UIS actually has a majority of junior faculty. Retention, not retirement, is a concern for the UIS faculty base. It will become an increasing concern as the quality of instruction and scholarship grows at UIS and faculty will have the choice either to remain or seek opportunities elsewhere. It will be imperative for UIS to retain its new base of highly credentialed faculty.
Rural counties: UIS is located in Sangamon County, which is surrounded by rural counties that are declining in population. This provides opportunities for UIS to seek grant funding to increase opportunities for higher education for rural students, especially those living near the poverty line. It also provides opportunities to the aging population in rural Illinois for those who seek lifelong learning opportunities, cultural and intellectual stimulation, certificate programs, or continuing education programs.
Alumni: The University of Illinois has more than 500,000 living alumni – about 22,000 of whom are UIS alumni. Most people would agree that UIS has a long way to go to connect a significant percentage of those alumni to UIS in heartfelt ways. There is great potential for UIS if it can harness and direct that energy.
Higher education
College-age population: The college-age population nationwide is growing. The Sloan I online baccalaureate programs at UIS (Liberal Studies, English, History, Math, Philosophy, Computer Science) draw 62% of their fall enrollment from outside Illinois. California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida account for a combined 24% of enrollments. The growth of the college-age population makes it likely that UIS will continue to be a leader in providing online education.
Women: A larger percentage of women are attending higher education institutions, and the gap between men and women is increasing. This fall, 59% of UIS students are women; UIS is in a good position to continue to capture its fair share of this important market.
Proprietary institutions: Competition from proprietary institutions and other non-traditional educational providers in the marketplace for students (both nationally and internationally) has greatly increased in recent years. Illinois community colleges have articulated with online programs from proprietary institutions, but have also been happy to promote UIS as an alternative. Competition will increase for UIS as we offer more professional programs online while the proprietary institutions expand their offerings in the liberal arts.
Competition for faculty: Growth in faculty compensation at private institutions has surpassed public universities, and the intense competition for faculty will continue. UIS will become more and more a part of this competition as it pursues its top-tier status. Among the benefits offered to UIS faculty are opportunities to build and improve many programs, to pursue their scholarship and service interests in a historically rich environment, and to teach in a small institution with a long history of public affairs, teaching, scholarship, and service.
Service learning and civic engagement: Nationally, the growth of programs such as Campus Compact and the American Democracy Project are signs that civic engagement, citizenship, and community service – sometimes wrapped up in various types of "service learning" packages – are re-emerging as critically important at colleges and universities. With its history of service to non-traditional students and its strong focus on public affairs, UIS is poised to build on its foundation and traditions of blending real-world opportunities for students with academic offerings.
Lifelong learning: Rapid technological innovation has led to a need for lifelong learning that will allow individuals to continuously adapt and update skills. Lifelong learning is one of UIS' strengths and is one of the central themes of the new general education curriculum. The average age of a UIS student remains over 30 this fall. The average age of our online students is 35 this year at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. We are well positioned to meet the lifelong learning needs of the non-traditional student nationally with our online presence and with our considerable experience on campus in working with non-traditional students.
Illinois exports college students: Illinois is the second largest exporter of college students (New Jersey is first). Offering a high-quality small public alternative experience should keep more students in Illinois even as a neighboring school (ISU) had to put a cap on admissions due to the high number of applications.
Economic, budgetary, fiscal, and political issues
State of Illinois as the major funding source: UIS at one time received almost 90% of its operating revenue from the state. That figure has dropped to about 40% and continues to decline. The state's fiscal difficulties are expected to continue, and the current state administration does not seem inclined to support higher education at increasing levels. UIS will have to look to other sources of revenue as it strives to become a premier university. The same state funding problems also make it unlikely that UIS will derive any major capital funding from the state – making it necessary to raise money from other sources for renovation, new buildings, and other needed projects. The University of Illinois overall has become more reliant on multiple revenue streams, and state policymakers interpret this characteristic as meaning the university can more easily absorb reductions or at least flat funding in the general appropriation. In spite of significant administrative cuts over the past four years (including a $1.057 million midyear recision in FY02), there is still strong political and editorial opinion that the University of Illinois has administrative bloat and can keep cutting administrative costs.
Tuition: While tuition seems to be the most likely place to generate additional revenue at UIS, there is growing public concern over affordability. Moreover, recent legislation (e.g., the four-year guaranteed tuition program that is referred to as "truth in tuition") will challenge attempts by the public universities to raise tuition by percentages deemed politically unacceptable. UIS historically has been one of the most affordable public universities in Illinois.
Lack of operating reserves: Because of historically low tuition, accompanied by funding cuts in the past three years, UIS has not been able to develop operating reserves. The absence of reserves means that UIS has little budgetary flexibility and limited capacity to undertake new initiatives within our current limitation on resources. UIS has trimmed its administrative budget by 25% in recent years, and there is very little else to trim without a serious negative impact on services to students or the academic enterprise.
Emergency preparedness and homeland security: The new millennium sees a renewed federal, state, and local focus on building capacity to anticipate, prepare, and respond to emergencies of all types, including those related to natural disasters and homeland security. With a heritage of public affairs activities and strong graduate programs addressing the principles of preparedness and security, UIS is uniquely positioned to help train local and first responders and administrators to build solid programs in emergency preparedness and homeland security.
P-16: The "P-16" education continuum, which is important to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, has been truncated in the minds of many state policymakers and no longer includes higher education. There is, however, a significant focus on issues related to K-12 education and its financing. It appears that Illinois public higher education institutions have not sold their story as well as the K-12 community. Meanwhile, UIS strives to be a community leader in the region by working with Lincoln Land Community College and many public school districts on various initiatives.
Illinois General Assembly: The interests of UIS are effectively represented in the legislature by our current local legislators – Senator Larry Bomke and Representatives Raymond Poe and Rich Brauer. We appreciate the advocacy of Senator Deanna Demuzio and Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin as well. While the University of Illinois overall enjoys a broad base of support within the General Assembly, political support for higher education tends to be fragmented and regional.
State capital location and Lincoln's hometown: Location is a major plus for UIS. Its presence in the state capital means strong networks of alumni in state government. Each year the many graduates of UIS degree programs throughout state agencies, the legislature, and the statehouse press corps are joined by nearly 150 interns from three major graduate internship programs: the Graduate Public Service Internships, the Illinois Legislative Staff Internship Program, and the Public Affairs Reporting Program. Additionally, many undergraduate students gain practical experience through their Applied Study Term. The UIS curriculum will continue to emphasize public affairs and civic engagement opportunities. Our location in the capital has afforded our faculty and students research and educational opportunities in the area of public policy. Leaders in state government and policy both teach and serve as resources for classes at UIS. The Center for State Policy and Leadership symbolizes UIS' longstanding commitment to public affairs. Springfield is also the headquarters for many nonprofit organizations and trade associations, which provide numerous opportunities for internships, student engagement, and research. Finally, the proximity of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the many historical sites provides significant opportunities for scholarship, educational programs, and student engagement.
Economic development and research
Science: The United States is in danger of losing its edge in science and engineering to other countries as fewer American students are training to become scientists and engineers and more international students are staying in their home countries for such education. Quietly, the number of majors in the natural and quantitative sciences at UIS has grown to 727 students this fall – 16% of the total head count. Our imminent expansion in the lower division will provide a larger faculty base in the sciences and greater opportunity for growth. These faculty have been successful in attracting external funding.
Business: There is a growing need in the marketplace for workforce training and assistance to small businesses. The College of Business and Management, with the support of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, launched the Center for Entrepreneurship and recently has forged a strong alliance with Mayor Davlin, Senator Demuzio, and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. UIS and its College of Business and Management are now positioned to be growing forces in local economic development efforts.
Competitive/Benchmark analysis
Two key components of UIS' strategy for achieving its vision are developing a clearer understanding of its position in comparison to its regional competitors and its national aspirational peers and then, based on that understanding, making strategic decisions (e.g., investment of resources, admissions criteria, hiring choices) to improve its position.
Competitive analysis is useful for highlighting market advantages that can be used to strengthen both student recruitment and fundraising.
Currently, UIS is in the beginning stages of the use of competitive positioning analyses for these purposes. However, even the initial effort at this type of analysis has proven to be most helpful.
This strategic plan highlights UIS' aspiration to be a leading small public liberal arts university, an institution with many of the strengths of small private liberal arts colleges, while resembling public universities in other ways.
Figures 1 through 6 in Appendix B illustrate these variables, which
were selected from those used in the U.S. News
rankings of colleges and universities. See a description of the U.S. News methodology.
These charts compare data for UIC, UIUC, and regional public and private
competitors of UIS:
- The six regional public universities are Eastern Illinois University (EIU), Illinois State University (ISU), Northern Illinois University (NIU), Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE), Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC), and Western Illinois University (WIU).
- The six regional private institutions are Bradley, Illinois College, Illinois Wesleyan, Knox, McKendree, and Millikin.
Figures 1 and 2 show the comparative position of UIS on two factors associated with learning environments: student-faculty ratio and proportion of large classes (classes with more than 50 students). Those variables are plotted against first-year retention rates. It is reasonable to assume that lower student-faculty ratios would be associated with higher first-year retention rates and that a lower proportion of large classes would be associated with higher first-year retention rates. The data bear out these hypotheses.
Moreover, private colleges promote themselves as having low student-faculty ratios and small class sizes, factors that, as noted above, tend to increase retention. The clustering of points on the scatterplots show that the private colleges do, indeed, have lower faculty-student ratios and fewer large classes, while at the same time have higher first-year retention rates.
What is particularly notable about these charts, however, is the way that UIS clusters with the private institutions. At UIS, the relationship between student-faculty ratio and first-year retention and between proportion of large classes and retention is much more similar to the regional private colleges than it is to the regional public universities.
Complementary analyses are shown in Figures 3 through 6. These charts show the relationship between tuition and four variables used in the U.S. News rankings: student-faculty ratio, first-year retention, proportion of large classes, and entering SAT/ACT scores. The charts show that UIS tends to "look like" the private universities in terms of the U.S. News variables, but clusters with the regional public universities in terms of tuition. These data clearly have marketing implications (e.g., "value for the dollar"), but also prompt consideration of how much could be achieved toward the goals of the strategic plan by a tuition strategy that moved UIS up in comparison to the other publics.
Implementing the strategic plan over the next several years will, in part, consist of continuing such analyses and using them to shape strategy and inform decision-making.


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Iraq's constitution seemed headed toward passage yesterday despite strong opposition from Sunni Arabs who turned out in surprisingly high numbers in an effort to stop it. The apparent victory was muted, though, by the prospect that the vote result might divide the country further.
Rejection seemed more and more impossible as vote-counting continued across the country. In one key finding, Ninevah, one of three crucial northern and central provinces that Sunni Arab opponents pushed hard to swing their way, appeared to have gone strongly for a "yes" vote.
In London, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice predicted it was likely to pass, although she cautioned that she did not know the outcome for certain.
US casualties
Meanwhile, five US soldiers were killed in Iraq on Saturday when their vehicle was hit by an improvised bomb in the western city of Ramadi, the US military said yesterday. The deaths took to at least 1,970 the number of Americans to die in the Iraq war.
Few in Ramadi took part in Saturday's referendum because of clashes between US and Iraqi forces and Sunni Arab insurgents.
According to a vote count from 260 of the provinces 300 polling stations, about 300,000 in Ninevah voted "yes" for the constitution, and only 80,000 voted "no," said Samira Mohammed, spokeswoman for the election commission in the province's capital, Mosul, and Abdul-Ghani Boutani, a senior official in the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
Ballots from the remaining 40 stations still had to be counted, but it would be impossible to turn the vote around to a two-thirds "no" Sunni opponents would need.
The constitution is a crucial step in Iraq's transition to democracy after two decades of rule by Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. Washington is hoping it passes so that Iraqis can form a legitimate, representative government, tame the insurgency and enable the 150,000 US troops to begin to withdraw.
Majority assured
A nationwide majority "yes" vote is assured by the widespread support of the constitution among the Shiites -- who make up 60 percent of the country's 27 million people -- and the Kurds -- another 20 percent.
So to defeat the constitution, Sunnis have to muster the two-thirds rejection in any three of Iraq's 18 provinces. They were likely to reach that threshold in the vast Sunni heartland of Anbar province in the west. Salahuddin province also looked possible, but with Ninevah out of the running, they would need to get the province of Diyala, which will also be difficult.
An elections official in Baghdad told reporters that indications point to the charter having been approved. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the counting was still going on.
Sunnis turned out in force in Saturday's voting, a stark contrast to parliamentary elections in January, which they boycotted as a protest to a political process they felt was handing the country's Shiite majority unfair power. That move cost them, leaving them a miniscule presence in parliament.
The lines of Sunnis at the polls in the key electoral battleground states suggested they wanted to now participate in the political system.
Now the question is whether they will accept the passage of a constitution despite a significant "no" vote among the Sunni community. While moderates could take a more active role in politics, hard-liners could turn to the insurgency, deciding violence is the only hope of retaining influence in the country.

subset: commoncrawl


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Department of Revenue News Release
November 25, 2013Gladstone License Office contract up for bid
JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Office of Administration is now accepting management contract bids for the Gladstone License Office. Interested individuals and groups must submit their bids to operate the Gladstone License Office by Dec. 20.
A copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) bidders are required to use to develop their bids can be viewed here. Prospective bidders may also tour the Gladstone office from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m., Dec. 2 to gain perspective on how a license office is operated.
In fiscal year 2013, more than 133,300 transactions were conducted at the Gladstone office, generating $451,072 in agent processing fees.
The Missouri Department of Revenue oversees 182 license offices which are each operated by independent agents. All of the license offices were put out for bid under the competitive procurement process in 2009. Contracts were awarded for one year with three one-year renewal options. The move toward a competitive procurement process of the license offices overhauled the way local motor vehicle and driver license offices are awarded and was one of the first actions of Gov. Jay Nixon's administration.
Bids will be evaluated on areas such as expertise of the personnel proposed, methods proposed for performing the services and whether the individual or entity is a not-for-profit, political subdivision, a Missouri Certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) or a Missouri Service-Disabled Veteran Enterprise.
Follow the Missouri Department of Revenue on Twitter @MoRevenue


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Items where Author is "Deeks, Lynda"
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Rickson, Jane, Deeks, Lynda, Posthumus, Helena and Quinton, John (2010) Understanding the costs and benefits of mitigation measures used to reduce or prevent soil erosion. Project Report. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), London, UK.


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What is a convert millilters to liters
What is a convert millilters to liters as well as the US?
We will consider many other values needed in everyday life, such as convert millilters to liters, how many ounces in a gallon, gallons to an unce and many others.
There are 1000 milliliters in a liter (1000 mL in 1 liter).
Liters to fluid flows (fl oz) volume units conversion factors are listed below. To find out how much the liter is in the x liters, multiply the liter by the conversion factor.
1 Liter = 33.814022 US Fluid Ounces
1 Liter = 35.195079 Imperial Fluid Ounces
So, convert millilters to liters!
What is a liquid ounce (fl oz) convert millilters to liters
A liquid ounce is an imperial as well as US customary measurement system volume unit. 1 US fluid ounce equals to 29.5735 mL and 1 royal (UK) fluid ounce equals to 28.4131 mL. So, convert millilters to liters?
There are 33.8140226 ounces in a liter because one liter (liter) is defined as the volume of 1 kilogram of water and there are 33.814 fluid ounces in the same volume of water.
There are 35.195079 imperial (UK) fl. ounces in a liter, because 1 fl. an ounce is 1.04084 imperial fl. ounce, and that makes 1.04084 * 33.814 (US fl oz in a liter)= 35.195079 imperial fl. oz in a liter. convert millilters to liters
We need to know convert millilters to liters
1 gal is equal to 128 oz
Convert fluid formula to this formula:
pints = fluid ounces × 0.0625
1 Gallon (US, Fluid) = 128 Ounces (US, Fluid)
1 Gallon (UK, Fluid) = 160 Ounces (UK, Fluid)
convert millilters to liters
In Summary :.
1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 mugs = 128 fluid ounces.
convert millilters to liters


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A Glam, Romantic Wedding at The Addison in Boca Raton, Florida
To complement the natural beauty of their venue, Erika Sheffer (26 and a digital marketing strategist) and Kyle Auckland (26 and an entrepreneur) relied heavily on flowers, filling their day with blooms in shades of pink, peach and purple.
"We're laid-back people, but we love small details like flowers and plants," Erika says. "We didn't add much to The Addison because the space is so gorgeous." One pretty detail? The caramel drip dulce de leche wedding cake that even included a gluten-free tier for Erika.
A stunning flower chandelier draped between two banyan trees marked the spot where Erika and Kyle said "I do."
"I wanted the flowers to feel organic, romantic and pretty. I love olive leaves, roses, peonies and a mix of what's seasonal and pretty," Erika says. "I told my florist what colors I love and let her do her thing. She completely wowed me. She even surprised us with mini pineapples in my bouquet!"


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A delicate balance of strawberries and sugar is the key to playing up the frizzante, Prosecco's lightly sparkling quality, in this delicious sorbet from writer and food stylist Ellen Jackson. Sorbet is usually churned smooth in an ice cream maker, but these ingredients lend themselves equally well to granita. Made with the same ingredients as sorbet, granita is a feathery-light frozen dessert textured like shaved ice.
3 cups ripe strawberries, lightly mashed
½ cup sugar
1½ cups Prosecco
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt
Set up a double boiler by arranging a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches of simmering water. Put the strawberries and sugar in the bowl and stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. The berries will have broken down slightly but shouldn't be mushy. Remove the bowl from the heat. When the berries are cool, purée them. Add the prosecco, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Makes 1 pint.
For the sorbet: Freeze according to your ice cream machine manufacturer's instructions.
For the granita: Pour the mixture into a shallow pan approximately 8 by 8 inches and place it in the freezer. Every 30 minutes for the next 2 to 2 ½ hours, roughly stir up the mixture with the tines of a fork until no liquid remains and the granita has a light, icy texture. Freeze until completely frozen, 8 hours to overnight.
Ellen Jackson, Food Print Style


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by Deanna
Willy Wonka Family Costume Photo 3 of 10
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Wonka bar with oompa loompa
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This homemade costume for families entered our 2015 Halloween Costume Contest.
A word from Rita, the 'Willy Wonka' costume creator:
Our family costume idea was inspired by or favorite movie ever. Alison: Violet Beauregard: I made her costume by using flour and water dipped with newspaper to make paper mâché over a yoga ball. I measured... Read more »
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REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Ford Motor Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally is in talks to run U.S. tech giant Microsoft Corp., a tech website reported.
Citing sources knowledgeable about the situation, All Things Digital said Friday the talks were serious, but had not gotten to the stage of contract negotiations.
Mulally, a former CEO at Boeing Co., has been with Ford for seven years and has said recently he is "focused on serving Ford."
However, several factors suggest a switch to Microsoft is possible -- including the fact Mulally still keeps the home in Seattle he owned when he worked for Boeing and he is known to covet the idea of returning there, the report said.
Mulally was an adviser to departing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer concerning a recent Microsoft restructuring.
Mulally, while resistant to the idea at first, has softened on the idea of moving over to Microsoft, the sources said.
Other contenders for the job include Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. Nokia is now owned by Microsoft.
Two executives with experience at Microsoft -- Tony Bates, the former CEO of Skype, and Paul Maritz, a former Microsoft executive who is currently the CEO at Pivotal -- are also in the running for the Microsoft job, All Things Digital said.


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Sally Hansen nail polish is the polish my beloved Grandma used to wear. I would love to know that Grandma would think of Sally Hansen polishes today. She wore those frosty pink or beige shades. I rather like my nails polished and I love Sally Hansen polishes but, that's were the similarity between grandmother and granddaughter ends. I like this one!… The Satin Glam line has an array of different shades from wild to mild. The finish is a semi-matte and the texture is just a bit pebbly. But this shade, 'Silk Onyx', sets right on trend with 2014 nail wear… The color you see in the bottle is nothing like what you find on the nail. I was expecting a midnight blue/galaxy-like color. But, I'm not disappointed with what transpired… After a couple of days of tip wear, Satin Glam is holding on pretty tight. I have on three coats but no top coat. I tried out a top coat on the thumbnail to see if it would shine and it was a no-go. Silk Onyx ate that top coat in one big gulp. So it is totally meant to be a semi-matte finish. Removal wasn't hard at all. I used Zoya's Remove+ and it was easy. I have on a layer of clear soak-off gel to strengthen my nails as a base coat and it didn't have any staining from this polish.
I got 'Silk Onyx' at Walgreen's for $6. This week, Walgreens has them as a BOGO 1/2 price online. Have you tried any of the Satin Glam polishes?


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Designer: Tibetan Pillow Collection
Approximate Dimensions Square: 22" x 22"
- Inspired by throne cushions traditionally used by Tibetan Lamas during meditation, these pillows are individually hand-knotted Tibetan carpets.
- Made out of premium wool with cotton backs and removable down inserts, each pillow is finished off with hand sewn, decorative brass fasteners.
- Rich in texture and extremely sturdy, they bring an ancient charm by adding a uniquely interesting element to any space.
- Color: Lavender
Shipping: Included


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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Back in this rivalry's glory days, when the hate between Florida State and Miami (Fla.) was real and the stakes were off-the-charts high, just winning the game was enough. Heck, some of the matchups were so meaningful, so momentous, that they're still referenced and remembered only by nickname. (Wide Right, anyone?)
To be sure, No. 3 Florida State's 41-14 victory against the No. 6 Hurricanes on Saturday night will not be remembered the same way, if it's remembered at all. What looked on paper like a resurrection of the days when the two programs stood in each other's way of a national title was nothing more than a showcase for one of them. And for all the woofing and taunting Miami attempted Saturday night, which got tempers flaring for a while, the most symbolic moment occurred with 1:03 remaining when thousands of fans inside Doak Campbell Stadium started chanting, "We want Bama, We want Bama."
BOX SCORE: Seminoles 41, Hurricanes 14
HIGHLIGHTS: How the top 25 teams fared Saturday
As it turned out, this wasn't about Florida State-Miami at all. It was about a team not even in the same conference, a team Florida State may or may not even get to play. But now, with the Seminoles' second demolition of a top-10 team complete, it's suddenly a legitimate question: Do they really want Alabama?
"Yeah, we do. We do," nose guard Timmy Jernigan said. "I feel like we can play with anybody in the country. I feel like we're second to nobody."
Doubt the Seminoles if you must. Over the last dozen years of mediocrity, they've handed skeptics a treasure trove of reasons to question how much of this is real.
WEEK 10: Winners and losers
WATCH: Winston, Jimbo Fisher's son have special handshake
But here are the facts. Florida State has played eight games. It has scored more than 40 points in each of them. It has defeated a pair of top-10 and otherwise undefeated teams, Miami and Clemson, by a combined 64 points. And unlike the Seminoles teams that have raised expectations only to inexplicably collapse, this one has given off no signs of weakness in any area, particularly at quarterback.
What's different about this Florida State team? All you needed to see was the scrum that broke out early in the third quarter when the Seminoles were driving and Miami defensive end Anthony Chickillo reached through a pile of bodies and into the facemask of Seminoles tackle Bobby Hart.
Though Chickillo's eye-gouge move was a dangerous cheap shot, Hart had come into the pile late and retaliated unnecessarily. When he went to the sideline, head coach Jimbo Fisher was furious that Hart risked a damaging penalty or perhaps an ejection in a 21-14 game. But just as Fisher's anger reached full froth, here came redshirt freshman Jameis Winston, moving Fisher aside and giving Hart his own speech.
"I said, 'Guys, the party just started,' " Winston said. "Those guys were getting mad and we were winning, and that's what you expect in a rivalry game. They're not just going to give up and let us beat them. I told Bobby, 'Let's just beat them real bad for doing that to you.' "
It was a revealing moment for both sides. Knowing it was outmanned, Miami had to mix it up and try to get the Seminoles rattled. And Florida State, knowing it was the better team, had to follow Winston's lead and handle the situation as calmly as he has handled everything else this season.
The very next play, Florida State was in the end zone. And the play after that, it got the ball back on a Stephen Morris interception. A few moments later, Florida State had pushed the lead to 35-14 and put the clamps defensively for good. Miami mustered just 105 yards of offense in the second half.
"When you're out there playing against family and friends and two top teams, emotions are at the verge," cornerback Lamarcus Joyner said. "We were able to keep our wits about each other and calm down and start playing smart football. The score doesn't determine how physical that team is and how good of a team that is. It was tough, it was emotional, it was hard-nosed football and we needed that test."
Test is a relative term when you win by 27 points; in retrospect, it took nearly a perfect game for Miami to hang close for as long as it did.
But this was indeed the closest thing to a test Florida State has had, and perhaps the most compelling evidence yet that it could hang with – and perhaps beat – Alabama.
Miami did to Winston exactly what the Crimson Tide would do: drop seven or eight men into coverage and take away the deep balls he loves throwing to those brilliant, NFL-bound receivers and then see how he would react. Early on, Winston fought it, trying to squeeze balls into tight windows when he didn't have to. The result was a pair of interceptions, both of which Miami converted into touchdowns.
"I made a promise to my team (at halftime) and said, 'Guys, I'm not turning the ball over no more,' and I kept that because I felt that was really the only reason they scored," Winston said.
Winston's capacity to self-correct was evident in the second half. Instead testing good coverage, he lived on screens and check-downs, finishing 21-for-29 for 325 yards.
"I keep forgetting he's a freshman, too," Fisher said. "I'm not used to him making mistakes, either but he managed the situation. Here's a simple rule when you play quarterback: Throw the ball to the open guy. As crazy as that sounds, that's the simplicity of what you've got to get to and sometimes you have to just let the guys around him work. That was very critical for his development, and I'm very proud of the way he did that."
Fisher has said all year he loves this team, loves how Winston has developed, but he has also avoided campaigning. Though Florida State could theoretically go unbeaten and never play for the BCS title, stuck behind Alabama and Oregon, Fisher believes enough performances like this and everyone will see that the Seminoles belong.
Bring on the Crimson Tide, though?
"How about let's just get ready for Wake Forest," he said. "If the time comes, it'll come."


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The Persona role-playing-game franchise is getting a hi-def entry called "Catherine". It's an action-adventure type game that is aimed at adults.
The game follows Vincent as he wakes up every night from his dreams. Vincent, website Siliconera points out, appeared in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable!.
Catherine is being developed for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Introducing Catherine, The First HD Game From The Persona Team
Catherine's Connection To Persona 3 Portable [Siliconera]


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Saturday's crash in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Daytona was truly awful. Now the Taiwanese animation has been released and it's more ridiculous than you could possibly imagine.
On track, we don't have NASCAR racers. We have Toyota Corollas. In the stands we have crash hungry men and women. One fan with a mullet is standing and cheering, then gets his in the face with a wheel and a simply huge amount of blood splatters out of his head and then gushes out of his chest. Tasteful.
Next Media Animation, the company that makes these animations, then portrays NASCAR as sharks that will avoid lawsuits by pointing to the fine print on the back of tickets. NMA shows a ticket that says "Get yourself killed or hurt: not our fault."
This is the weirdest and wildest 1:30 video you'll watch today. Possibly ever.


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VEVEY, Switzerland (Reuters) - Nestle NESN.VX said competitive pricing helped to lift sales growth in spite of tough conditions in emerging markets and Europe, reassuring investors worried by recent negative news from its peers.
The world's biggest food group and rivals such as Danone (DANO.PA) and Unilever (ULVR.L) have been grappling with sluggish consumer demand in austerity-hit Europe and a slowdown in many emerging markets, hit by inflationary pressures and political instability.
But Nestle said on Thursday that it achieved a slight pick-up across all its markets in the third quarter and expects the trend to continue into next year.
The company's share price rose on the news and was up 2.9 percent by 1254 GMT, against a 1.9 percent rise on the European food sector index .SX3P.
Investing in its strongest brands while divesting underperforming businesses, improving capital allocation and structural efficiency should help to drive growth and preserve margins, Chief Executive Paul Bulcke said at the company's headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland
Underlying sales, stripping out the effects of foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestments, grew 4.4 percent in the first nine months of the year, helped by improvements in all three of Nestle's geographical regions - Asia, Oceania and Africa, Europe and the Americas.
That was slower than the 6.1 percent in the same period last year and just below a 4.5 percent forecast in a Reuters poll, but it was slightly better than the 4.1 percent growth in the first half.
Sales in emerging markets, which account for about 45 percent of group sales, were up by 8.8 percent, against 8.2 percent in the first half.
In Europe, lower prices helped it to gain market share. CEO Bulcke said this proved the company is sensitive to consumers' needs, while European head Laurent Freixe pointed out: "We're still growing in a market without growth; most of our competitors aren't."
Nestle sees signs of improvement in Portugal and Spain while Italy and Greece are still slow, Freixe said, adding that Northern Europe, Russia and Britain are driving growth in the region.
Bernstein analyst Andrew Wood described the results as fairly solid and somewhat dull, but added: "After the 'excitement' of Unilever's Q3 reduced sales guidance, Danone's Q3 sales miss and full-year profit warning, and Nestle's disappointing year-to-date performance, that is probably all that Nestle's shareholders were hoping for."
Unilever said last month that a further slowdown in emerging markets meant that underlying sales growth would be 3-3.5 percent in the third quarter, while Danone on Wednesday cut its full-year growth target to 4.5-5 percent in the wake of product recalls and a bribery scandal in China. Unilever publishes third-quarter results on October 24.
Nestle's group sales rose to 68.4 billion Swiss francs ($74.7 billion), lagging a 69.3 billion franc estimate in the Reuters poll.
"We expect our continued growth momentum to enable us to deliver around 5 percent organic growth for the full year, together with an improvement in margins," the company said.
The maker of KitKat chocolate bars and Maggi soups had cut its 5-6 percent long-term goal in August and warned at the time that even the lowered guidance would be tough to reach.
In the first half, Nestle's operating profit margin was 15.1 percent, against Unilever's 14 percent and 13.3 percent at Danone.
Bulcke confirmed the company had drawn up a list of businesses to be improved or divested but declined to give further details. Sources have told Reuters that the PowerBar energy bar and Jenny Craig weight-management businesses are up for sale.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported on Thursday that Nestle had submitted an offer to buy Italy's Ferrero, the maker of Nutella chocolate spread. Ferrero denied it had received an offer and Bulcke said Nestle is not planning any big acquisitions.
Nestle's shares, which have gained about 4 percent this year, are trading at 17.2 times forward earnings, on a par with Unilever and at a small premium to Danone at 16.8 times. ($1 = 0.9160 Swiss francs)
Editing by David Goodman


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Open Mic night is always different and it's always amazing! Come out and participate or show up and be enchanted. It's a lot of fun :-) You get 2 songs or ten minutes. The evening is always different! Artists and performers come from all over the Bay Area, especially throughout Marin. Singers, songwriters, comedians, Storyteller's, spoken word artists, poets, dancers, and musicians of all types. It's a beautiful evening of magic and co-creation. The hosting emcee is Nick Nutzu
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: December 27Tarot with Rainer
Later Event: December 31New Year's Eve Celebration


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Great day for work
Great day for work
Genesis Technology specializes in custom installation and system integration of audio, video and lighting systems throughout the world. Everything from the initial design, acoustic analysis, budget developments, installation and training is professionally handled from one source by a staff of specialists.
Genesis Technology, LLC | 44710 Cape Court #108, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States


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South Africa approach judgement day
Stephen Nell
October 3, 2011
Springbok centre Jean de Villiers in action against Wales. He will be seen as the perfect replacement for Frans Steyn against Australia © Getty Images
Seldom has there been so much riding on one match for Springbok rugby and some of the individuals involved as Sunday's quarter-final against Australia in Wellington.
For the Springboks it will be season-defining. They decided some time ago that the Tri-Nations would not be their tournament this year as they opted to rest key players in order to condition them to peak at the World Cup.
As a result South Africa were undercooked when they lost to Australia in Durban. They got up to beat a second string New Zealand side in Port Elizabeth and have subsequently hit their stride at the World Cup following a narrow escape against Wales.
It remains difficult to judge exactly where they are based on performances in Pool D, but it should be noted that some of the key performance areas have been good. South Africa have thus far done well at set-piece, defended superbly, been extremely disciplined and have kicked well.
The performance against Wales should be viewed in perspective. South Africa have a winning habit against the Welsh and have only ever lost to them in 1999. This year's Welsh side is arguably the best one they have subsequently come up against.
Secondly, South Africa weathered a Welsh onslaught and when they were in trouble at 10-16 down took the ball through a number of phases before Francois Hougaard landed the decisive blow.
Even so, Wales even had their opportunities to win in the closing stages, but did not have the temperament. Perhaps all the years of struggling against South Africa had instilled an inferiority complex.
South Africa's most clinical performance came against Fiji. They demolished the islanders 49-3, but this Fijian side is nothing to get excited about.
After that a routine 87-0 victory against Namibia followed before a struggle against Samoa that resulted in a 13-5 victory. There are romantic notions about how the islanders play the game, but Samoa's tactics were downright violent and it was outrageous to hear them complaining about referee Nigel Owens in the aftermath. It was as tricky a pool match as the Boks could face and all that matters is that they came through it with a victory.
There have been numerous star performers. They include props Jannie du Plessis, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Beast Mtawarira, reserve hooker Bismarck du Plessis, lock Danie Rossouw, flankers Heinrich Brüssow and Schalk Burger, flyhalf Morné Steyn, centre Jaque Fourie, wing JP Pietersen and fullback Patrick Lambie.
South Africa have nevertheless lost a trump card in inside centre Frans Steyn. While he executed his fundamental duties as well as one could expect from a No 12, his massive boot again proved to be a factor. Now that he's out of the tournament with a shoulder injury, the Boks have lost the ability to punish the opposition for a penalty conceded from up to 60-odd metres out.
However, Jean de Villiers is as good a replacement as one could hope for now that he has recovered from the rib injury that he sustained against Wales. Lambie, who is the baby in the side, has also proved that he has the temperament to succeed at international level. Now it's all or nothing against Australia and whoever loses the match will consider their World Cup a failure.
Perhaps the Wallabies will be considered favourites based on them being Tri-Nations champions, but pause for a moment and consider this a World Cup rather than an annual tournament.
There is so much riding on it that teams may well be a lot more inhibited in the knockout phase. Consider South Africa's strengths and that the weather in Wellington is bloody awful. Australia probably deserve to be favourites having beaten South Africa in seven of their last 11 matches, but a Bok side with a strong set-piece and accurate kicker in Morné Steyn must at least be considered as being in with a reasonable chance.
It also appears that the technical expertise of Rassie Erasmus and the defensive coaching of Jacques Nienaber has yielded the desired results. The Bok defence is much better than in 2010 and they scramble particularly well. They only conceded two tries in their pool matches.
The Boks therefore appear to have the game plan for the challenge and experienced personnel who know how to win. There is so much riding on this game. If South Africa lose, it will be a last one in a Springbok jersey for at least John Smit, Victor Matfield and Danie Rossouw.
Smit's detractors have argued that he should have called it quits after the Tri-Nations in 2009, but he remains central to coach Peter de Villiers's master plan.
As for a coach who has been ridiculed so much in the international media, there is the prospect of a last laugh before he rides into the sunset. De Villiers has communicated his vision particularly well at the World Cup and thus far not courted any controversy. He is measured in his comments and South Africa appear to be winning the public relations battle.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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text: This week, we're happy to welcome back Elizabeth, our resident party planner, who's here to share her 5 must-have items for party planning. —————- I host a lot of parties. Whether it's a family member's birthday party, a friend's baby shower, or an end-of-the-summer happy hour, there always seems to be a reason to celebrate. […] Read More »


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Right now I'm hanging out in North Carolina at my friend Ashley's house. She's off at work and such, but I'm just hanging out here.
It's interesting visiting her, because... she basically was my best friend through high school... and so it's like... I REALLY know her.... and she knows me.... so it doesn't have that slight weirdness to it that most of these online encounters have... I'm just extremely comfortable around her and such.
That's not to say that I wasn't comfortable
I've never planned anything like this road trip before, and so far things have been moving along alright with it all.... but already I can tell that this type of stuff isn't really my deal haha.
I'm one to normally just flow with whatever comes at me... but I realized that most of the people that I'm going to be visiting won't really be able to work like that... so I have to try to stick to a schedule for it all. I've already poured hours into this planning phase on just trying to


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How excited is Aimee Garcia -- best known for playing nanny Jamie Batista on Showtime's "Dexter" -- about her role in the reboot of the 1980's sci-fi franchise, "Robocop"?
"I'm smiling ear to ear right now," said Garcia, who attended Fenwick High School and Northwestern University, over the phone from Los Angeles Wednesday. "Almost all my scenes are with Gary Oldman. It's a dream come true."
In addition to Oldman, the reboot co-stars Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Clive Owen, Michael Kenneth Williams (aka Omar from "The Wire") and Joel Kinnaman as Robocop himself.
"I play Kim," Garcia said. "She's a scientist and her and Gary Oldman help bring Robocop to life. … She has a Ph.D from MIT and is at the forefront of robotic chemistry and physics. This takes place in 2028. She's a prodigy handpicked by Gary Oldman's character to work on this first of its kind experiment.
"I've watched more tech talks than I ever have in my life. I've learned so much about the brain. The technical things this girl has to say, I want to make sure I understand what each and everything is. She might be a little bit of a punk too."
Garcia said she will begin shooting the film Saturday in Toronto. The movie is scheduled to hit theaters August 9, 2013. Season seven of "Dexter" premieres September 30.
Twitter @aboutluisgomez


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Wadzaire Blanc doesn't dwell on the routine tackle, yet brutal collision that changed his life.
"Thinking negative won't get you nowhere,'' the Lake Nona senior said.
It has bothered Colton Plante ever since that spring game, May 17, 2012.
Plante lowered his head, and Blanc went to stop him at the goal line. It's what football players do.
When the two football players collided it sent Blanc to the turf immediately.
As trainers ran to his aid, Blanc lie motionless, a contradiction of pain and numbness overcoming his upper arm, shoulder and lower neck area. He eventually walked off on his own power, however, and no one really thought much of the play, afterward.
It was the last time Blanc suited up for the Lions until this past Thursday, when he made his long-awaited return to the game he loves.
Plante, an Orlando First Academy fullback at the time, learned of Blanc's return Tuesday.
"That shows some incredible determination for him to come back from that after so long," Plante said from Newport, R.I., where he is in his first year at the U.S. Naval Academy prep school. "I thought about it a lot. It bothered me a ton. I felt terrible about it.
"Obviously, that was never my intention to do that to a kid."
It was originally thought that Blanc had what often is referred to as a "stinger," a pinched nerve that is painful but eventually goes away. Blanc's issues never went away.
He could not raise his right arm. He had surgery to repair the nerve last October. One year later, he was back on the field.
"He's got the greatest attitude of any young man I have ever coached or been around," Lake Nona head coach Anthony Paradiso said. "He could have easily packed it up and left the school and gone a whole different direction. His attitude, his spirituality … it's all just unbelievable."
Paradiso called for a basic sweep late in the Lions' 54-0 romp over Celebration on Thursday night. It will go down as a 5-yard touchdown run in the game summary, but for Blanc, it was the longest carry of his life.
It took 17 months to get back in that end zone.
"Getting back feels great,'' Blanc said. "Getting back with the team and being able to get coached by coach Diso again and all these other coaches out here and just to be able to help out the seniors, just feels great all around."
Blanc was cleared medically for practice at the beginning of last week.
"It was really exciting for me just because I've been good friends with him, and we have such a great bond together," junior quarterback Tucker Israel said. "I was really happy for him to be back out on the field.
"I knew when the coach called the sweep, he could do something with it."
The celebration was subdued. That's how the quiet, laid-back Blanc prefers.
"It was great for our whole organization just to see him get back out there and then to score a touchdown," Lake Nona wide receiver Ryan Sousa said. "Everyone was excited and we were just happy he gets to play.
"He's a very high-spirited kid and he's never really down. He always finds something positive just to pick him up. I wasn't really surprised at all that he came back out there with the same mentality and the same attitude."
It takes a special person to persevere through what Blanc has endured. The 5-foot-8, 178-pound running back/defensive back was coming off a stellar sophomore season. He rushed for 1,185 yards and 10 touchdowns, and caught 37 passes for 565 yards and nine more touchdowns.
Blanc even picked up a scholarship offer from South Carolina.
His future was bright. Then the collision.
"Just being out here with the team all that time just motivated me to come back," Blanc said. "I just believed in God and trusted in God that everything would be all right."
Everything will be even better Friday night in the biggest game of Lake Nona's short history. A victory at Harmony would give the five-year-old school its first football playoff berth.
As special as it would be, however, Blanc doesn't say much.
"One day at a time," he said.


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Metrotube is by far the most popular YouTube application for Windows Phone. Wouldn't it be great if that same interface was available for your Surface or PC? It will be soon, because Metrotube for Windows 8 is almost here.
Lazyworm Applications, the team behind Metrotube and Tweetro+, are on track to submit Metrotube for Windows 8 to the Store within the two weeks. The app will be free for everyone and the team will accept donations through the form of an in-app payment system. Otherwise there won't be any ads obstructive your experience while using the app.
If you have any questions about Metrotube for Windows 8 sound off below, the developers tend to hang around and respond. You can also reach out to them on Twitter. Don't forget to subscribe to the Windows Phone Central YouTube channel for the latest videos. Anybody excited to load this up on their Surface?


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Rush Limbaugh doesn't have much love for Beyonce--especially with the release of her controversial single, "Bow Down / I Been On."
The conservative talk-radio host called out Jay-Z's missus what he deemed a "180" in the image department, blasting her for supposedly abandoning the feminist credo she previously espoused in her solo work and her former group Destiny's Child, and for now telling women to "bow down" to their husbands.
"[Destiny's Child] songs were attempts to inspire young women not to take any grief from men. She's done a 180." said Limbaugh. "Beyonce, now having been married, having been impregnated and giving birth to Blue Ivy... she's got a new song,'Bow down, bitches'... Beyonce is now saying, 'Go ahead and put up with it!'"
He continued: "You know why? I'll tell you why. Because she married a rich guy. She's even calling herself Mrs. Carter on the tour... She has shelved Beyonce... She now understands it's worth it to bow down."
Beyonce releases new song "Bow Down / I Been On"
Limbaugh also cited an editorial in U.K.'s The Telegraph by a woman angered by Queen B's allegedly new direction away from the "Independent Women" champion who played President Barack Obama's inauguration and offered up "Singles Ladies" good advice.
Unfortunately, if Limbaugh had bothered to read the lyrics to Beyonce's new song a little more closely, he might have understood their meaning and not taken the songstress completely out of context.
As E! News pointed out, a more likely interpretation of "Bow Down"' is it's a tough message aimed at any upstart singers hoping to challenge her place on the pop-music throne.
"I know when you were little girls/You dreamt of being in my world/Don't forget it, don't forget it/Respect that. Bow down, bitches," she croons.
She does refer to hubby Jay-Z, singing: "I took some time to live my life/But don't think I'm just his little wife."
But naming her tour the Mrs. Carter Show was more a playful nod to her role as H.O.V.A.'s other half than a serious command for women to be subservient to their partners.
To be fair though, Limbaugh isn't the only one to take issue with "Bow Down," as R&B star Keshia Cole also slammed the ditty.
"First 'Women need to Stick together' now bitches better Bow. Smh. But it's all G! Chicks stay shooting the s--t. But when I speak my mind it's a prob," she wrote on Twitter Monday.


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Such a simple thing as travelling on a bus can be practically impossible for those with a disability. It shouldn't be like that. And it is no longer like that, thanks to "A bus for All".
"A bus for All" is the result of ideas, visions and knowledge within several different fields. The bus is designed with the thought that everybody, independent of disabilities, should be able to participate.
For the visually impaired there are visual interpretations, for the hearing impaired there is a hearing loop and screens with sign interpreters and for those suffering allergies all the materials in the bus have been selected very carefully.
And for the disabled, Liko has developed a unique solution, an overhead lift in a traverse system, enabling them to move along the entire bus, and also to the toilet.
One of those who have travelled with the bus is 73 year-old Ingvar Björk, who is wheelchair bound. During his time as a member of parliament (1982-1994), Ingvar travelled a lot, something that has become increasingly difficult, with his mobility decreasing and his dependancy on a wheelchair.
– Ever since "A bus for All" was introduced, I have travelled to Denmark, Gripsholm Castle and to Gothenburg. It has worked excellently, says Invar. There is no question that the solution works and is needed.
Berth Nilsson, who has conducted the project of developing the bus for the owner Ädelfors Buss, says that during the summer of 2006 they lifted more than 160 patients and performed a total of more than 2000 lifts.
– We are very satisfied with the lift, it is such a nice thing to see what it means to a person who has not been able to travel before, says Berth.
When we speak with Anne-Marie Wiklund, the importance of the lift is confirmed. Anne-Marie is 78 years old and wheelchair bound. When she and her now late husband were younger, they travelled around the entire country in their car, something that has been all but impossible lately.
– It is quite fantastic, it is sheer pleasure to travel with the bus. With the help of the lift, I can now even go to the loo, which has never been possible before, says Anne-Marie Wiklund happily.
The solution with an overhead lift in a traverse system is unique in its kind and Liko is first in the world in developing such a well-functioning solution. Even if this system cannot be installed directly in other vehicles, it proves that nothing is impossible and that the experiences from this project can be used to implement the same technique in buses, motor homes, caravans, trains and boats.
Anne-Marie Wiklund and Ingvar Björk, who have both travelled with the bus, are completely agreed that more similar vehicles are needed. Ingvar finds that the Swedish bus manufacturers should look at this example and start manufacturing such buses. Of course, it is also a question of money, but Anne-Marie does not believe that that is a big problem.
– Everybody can use the bus, whether they are disabled or not. The fact that it costs more, I believe, will pay for itself in the end. For example, there are always more people who want to come along when they hear that it is with this bus, ends Anne-Marie.
Everybody who has seen the bus, has been impressed by how well thought-through and functional everything is. The bus has for many been the good example of how one can work with accessibility.
Apparently this has made more people book it for travelling. Ever since "A bus for All" was put into operation, it has been fully booked and made trips in all of Sweden and also into Europe. When we met Berth, he had just been together with Svenska Afasiförbundet (the Swedish Aphasia Union) on a trip to Brussels, where the Euro parliamentarians got a chance to look at the bus.
Berth's hope is that more companies will build accessible buses and other transport vehicles to enable everybody, irrespective of disability, to have the freedom to travel where, when and how they want.
– We will continue to work on this and create attention until we have reached the goal, Berth Nilsson concludes.
Desde nuestros comienzos, nuestro objetivo principal ha sido siempre pensar en las personas para las que desarrollamos nuestros productos . Nuestro concepto refleja nuestra visión de las actividades cotidianas: mejorar siempre la calidad de vida de los pacientes y del personal asistencial.
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South African Journal of Science
On-line version ISSN 1996-7489
Print version ISSN 0038-2353
S. Afr. j. sci. vol.103 n.7-8 Pretoria Jul./Aug. 2007
Integrated approach to nutrient cycling monitoring
M.C. ScholesI, *; S. de VilliersII; R.J. ScholesIII; G. FeigIV, **
ISchool of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS 2050, South Africa
IIDepartment of Geology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
IIIDivision of Water, Environment and Forest Technology, CSIR, P.O. Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
IVSchool of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
There are two issues of social importance in relation to nutrient cycling. The first is the depletion of nutrients in croplands and rangelands. The second is the overabundance of nutrients through the enhancement of inputs, particularly in freshwater bodies and coastal systems, which results in loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services through eutrophication. Nutrient cycling encompasses 15 or so elements, each with multiple chemical forms and phases, four media (air, soil, biomass and water) and many transformation and transport processes. It is not cost-effective to monitor them all, even in intensive research sites. The two key elements involved in both fertility loss and eutrophication are nitrogen and phosphorus; thus their changes in nutrient pools and fluxes need to be monitored. Key anthropogenic nitrogen contributions are through atmospheric deposition and liquid waste streams. A sensitive impact indicator is the nitrogen saturation index, which rises abruptly when the absorptive capacity of the landscape is exceeded. Key anthropogenic phosphorus inputs are agriculture and, in certain locations, mining and industry. Monitoring phosphorus fertilizer application rates and local-to-regional nutrient balances is useful because phosphorus is highly conserved in ecosystems. Measurement of nutrients associated with sediment fluxes in rivers is important for both nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as for carbon balance. To place current fluxes and perturbations in perspective, historical records have to be established. Additionally, tools such as isotopic tracers, which can be used unequivocally to differentiate between the natural and anthropogenic components of nutrient cycles, need to be explored.
Element interactions have been studied since the middle of the nineteenth century. Von Liebig was one the early pioneers investigating the role of soil crop nutrition. He stated that 'by the deficiency or absence of one necessary constituent, all others being present, the soil is rendered barren for all those crops to the life of which the one constituent is indispensable'.1 This concept, termed the 'law of the minimum', has been central in biology since the 1840s even despite some awareness of multiple resource limitation. An oceanographer, Redfield, proposed a stoichiometric model in 1958, which required the elements carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur and some others to be available in distinct proportions for the formation of organic compounds in biological processes. This concept of stoichiometry is now widely applied to explain the basic principles of element interactions and to explore the consequences of human perturbations for the main element cycles. It is believed that there are 31 elements essential for the functioning of animals, microbes and plants.2 Of these, the macronutrients, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur, are the principal constituents of living tissue and comprise 95% of the living biosphere.3 The productivity of many ecosystems is limited by the supply of biologically available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P).4,5 The mandate of SAEON is to develop and sustain a dynamic South African observation and research network that provides the understanding, based on long-term information, needed to address environmental issues. Six scientific themes have been chosen as key areas by the SAEON Technical Steering Committee. Five of these, namely, carbon/nutrient cycles, water, soils, biodiversity, and climate/atmosphere, all impinge on the need to have an integrated approach to nutrient cycling monitoring.
Nutrients are held in ecosystems in a variety of chemical forms that are constantly being cycled through the atmosphere, the biosphere and the soil. Two concepts are needed for understanding the cycling of nutrients. Nutrients can either be stored in pools or they can be moved between pools, this process being referred to as a nutrient flux. The size of the pools and the rate of the flux are what determine the extent of nutrient cycling in an ecosystem. These two processes require a different monitoring approach. Factors controlling these flux rates, such as soil moisture, temperature and species diversity, have formed the basis of many global ecosystem studies. Very limited nutrient cycling research has been conducted in South Africa linking terrestrial and aquatic environments, as these research communities do not often work together; SAEON can play a key role in facilitating new research, especially in the area of understanding and monitoring the impact of phosphorus sediment fluxes.
Increasing public awareness of the impact of anthropogenic change on ecosystem function will increase demands to improve the interface between scientific findings and policy intervention. This has already followed the release of the Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2004.6 Human activity has altered all global biological cycles, notably those of nitrogen and phosphorus (Table 1),7 with the degree of change being dependent on the nature of the alteration at any particular location. Data shown in Table 1 indicate the percentage change in nutrient stocks as a result of industrialization. The productivity of many ecosystems is limited by the supply of biologically available (or reactive) nitrogen.4,5 For many years now, anthropogenic activities have been altering the nitrogen cycle in the atmosphere, on land and in water, locally and globally.8,9 Over the last 100 years, there has been a doubling of the rate of nitrogen transferred from the mostly biologically inaccessible, atmospheric pool to biologically available pools. This doubling is largely as a result of human activities, especially the production of food and energy.9 Important processes in which nitrogen is transformed include the cultivation of nitrogen-fixing crops, the production of fertilizer and the combustion of fossil fuel.4
Increased nitrogen in many ecosystems has numerous ecological consequences, since it contributes to many environmental phenomena, such as the greenhouse effect, atmospheric smog, the production of tropospheric ozone, the depletion of stratospheric ozone, acid deposition, nutrient loading and eutrophication processes in fresh water and coastal ecosystems, and changes in the productivity and species composition of ecosystems. These effects have also led to an increase in respiratory illnesses due to ozone and the inhalation of particulate matter.9 One of the important characteristics of reactive nitrogen molecules is their linked effects along the continuum from the atmosphere, through the biosphere, to the soil and back to the atmosphere.
For example, nitrogen can increase ozone in the troposphere, augment particulate matter in the atmosphere, alter the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems, acidify surface water, enhance the productivity of coastal ecosystems, increase coastal eutrophication and raise the greenhouse potential of the atmosphere.10
While many of these environmental impacts are global, they may vary regionally. Many parts of the industrialized, developed world are experiencing nitrogen saturation, whereas the main nitrogen issues for the African region can be briefly listed as follows:
1) The low use of mineral nitrogen fertilizer inputs on small holder farms (less than 5 kg N ha1yr1), compared with the average fertilizer use on commercial farms in the developed world of between 150300 kg N ha1yr1.
2. Nutrient mining, which results in unsustainable agricultural production. The low productivity of African soils has an effect on food security and poverty in the region.
3. The production and deposition of atmospheric trace gases, which lowers air quality. The production of atmospheric trace gases results from large-scale biomass burning across vast areas of the continent, biogenic emissions from soil and vegetation, and from industry in South Africa and other localized areas in Africa.11
4. Eutrophication, caused by excessive contributions of nitrogen through atmospheric deposition, leaching and runoff from areas of human habitation and agricultural lands. Eutrophication also results from phosphorus inputs from a variety of sources, including industrialization, dust deposition, leaching and runoff.
In contrast to the many papers published on changes in plant species diversity as a result of nitrogen enrichment,12,13 much less emphasis has been placed on the impacts of phosphorus additions or depletions and the measurement of phosphorus in ecosystems. Some studies, however, show that plant species that have become adapted to limited phosphorus availability may be much more sensitive to increased phosphorus levels than those species lost as a consequence of elevated nitrogen levels.14 A review of techniques for measuring soil phosphorus pools and fluxes, which focused specifically on Africa, was last published by Tiessen and Frossard in 1991.15 The situation in South Africa is particularly interesting because it reflects a combination of the problems listed above: many of the rural areas show nutrient depletion due to agricultural activities, acidic deposition from coal-burning power stations and increased sediment loading of rivers following overgrazing and droughts. The use of integrated spatial information, provided by SAEON through its agreement with Collaborative Geographical Information Services, will facilitate the creation of a novel map of the country detailing areas of nitrogen depletion versus parts which may become saturated with nitrogen.
While nitrogen and phosphorus limitations are one of the main drivers of food insecurity in Africa, research in this area does not fall within the scope of SAEON. However, estimates of nitrogen deposition, which do fall within the SAEON mandate, should be incorporated into the agricultural database, because deposition may offset nitrogen depletion due to mining from the majority of African soils.16 Large-scale deposition of anthropogenically liberated sulphur and nitrogen, over the eastern regions of South Africa, has been occurring over almost a century. This can lead to increased acidity of soils and water, as well as enhanced salt export, which may, in turn, impact negatively on ecosystem function with further declines in plant species diversity, water quality, plant growth rates and soil health. The effects are insidious and cumulative, only becoming evident over periods of decades, and are difficult to reverse. The deterioration in water quality also impacts negatively on industrial and domestic water use, necessitating additional water treatment and water transfer schemes. This has implications for supply costs, as well as having direct and indirect environmental consequences. Acidic deposition has affected ecosystems in South Africa to varying extents. This mosaic of impacted lands provides SAEON with an interesting template with which it can conduct monitoring studies. In addition, SAEON can play a key role in making databases available which, to date, were difficult to access for instance, information from the agricultural database on fertilizer usage and from the water quality database.
In this article we present examples of nutrient cycling studies from South Africa and other regions in the world, and a framework suitable for SAEON in the investigation of biogeochemical questions. In so doing, we hope to make the links between terrestrial, aquatic and atmospheric processes clear. An evident national need exists for integrating ecological data with those from other disciplines. We also recognize the need to combine biogeochemical issues with those of other challenges within the emerging SAEON project; namely, land-use change, loss of biodiversity, spread of invasive species, impact of emerging diseases, and climate change.
South African studies
There have been several nutrient cycling studies in South Africa which have mostly focused on relationships between soils, plants and animals in the savannas, grasslands,17,18 Karoo (see Milton et al.33 this issue) and fynbos biomes. Nitrogen and phosphorus were the elements examined in most detail, with phosphorus playing a more important role in the fynbos than in the other biomes. In the fynbos, low ecosystem nitrogen and phosphorus levels have resulted from frequent fires and erosion over extremely long periods of time, resulting in unique root modifications for phosphorus capture (e.g. cluster roots).19,20 Most of the research has focused on savanna systems, with the studies conducted at Nylsvley, the site of the Savanna Biome Programme, contributing extensively to the understanding of nutrient cycling.21 Nitrogen was a stronger limiting factor than phosphorus, probably due to the nitrogen losses which occur during fires. The process of mineralization, whereby nutrients are made available in ionic forms by the oxidation of organic compounds, dominates both the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles at Nylsvley, and is controlled by water availability and soil temperature. Nitrogen can accumulate as a result of landscape processes and the formation of sodic soils, which often have high nitrogen levels and elevated sodium to calcium and magnesium levels, or as a consequence of local processes, at scales of a few metres, through accumulation by trees and termites.22 Biogenic emissions occur as nitric oxide at the beginning of the rainy season and there is evidence from studies in the Kruger National Park that some of this nitrogen is returned through biological fixation taking place in the herbaceous legumes.23,24 There is significant deposition of nitrogen in Mpumalanga province as a result of fossil fuel-burning power stations.16 At the regional scale, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling is determined by the interactions of factors such as climate, parent material, biodiversity, herbivores, fires and anthropogenic effects.25
Examples from other regions of the world
In the northern hemisphere, environmental problems exist, mostly due to excess fertilizer additions, resulting in eutrophication of water bodies, altered ecosystem biodiversity and changes in retention of nitrogen and carbon in ecosystems.2628
The examples below show that the contribution of nitrogen is an environmental problem with a wide range of consequences by causing changes in the structure and type of primary productivity. The extra input of nitrogen has multiple sources, distributed across many temporal and spatial scales, resulting from various different activities; for example, from local agriculture to Europe-wide industrial and vehicular emissions. It is, therefore, important to stress the importance of these different causes and effects; the relevant research and management should be multidisciplinary and cooperative.
Cedar Creek case study
Extensive work has been conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota at the Cedar Creek research site, which is one of the long-term ecological study sites in the United States.29,30 The savanna/grassland systems in South Africa are similar to those studied at Cedar Creek. Net primary productivity is limited by nitrogen at the American site and research has focused on determining the influence of nitrogen on species abundance, composition and diversity, the relevant feedbacks and the mechanisms that control these effects. The deposition of nitrogen has increased worldwide, and is expected to continue rising. While the experiments at Cedar Creek do not explicitly determine the effects of nitrogen deposition, they do give insights into how nitrogen deposition will alter species composition. Nitrogen additions were made to 162 grassland plots in three nitrogen-limited Minnesota grasslands varying in successional age, total soil carbon and plant species composition. The youngest field (field A) was dominated by vegetation, with the C3 photosynthetic pathway, primarily non-native cool season grasses and forbs, whereas the two older sites (fields B and C) were dominated by native C4 'warm season' prairie grasses. All other potentially limiting nutrients were supplied and soil pH was controlled.
Results were reported after 12 years of experimental nitrogen addition (Fig. 1).30 Nitrogen loading greatly changed plant species composition, decreased diversity and increased above-ground productivity in these plots. Species richness declined by more than 50% across the nitrogen-addition gradient, with the greatest losses occurring at values similar to the depositional nitrogen levels of 15gNm2 yr1 currently being experienced in North America. This loss of diversity was accompanied by major shifts in composition, with C4 grasses declining and the weedy C3 grass Agropyron repens becoming dominant at high nitrogen addition rates. Of the remaining C4 species, one, Schizachyrium scoparium, contributed >95% of the C4 biomass in the plots.
As the vegetation shifted with increasing nitrogen inputs from C4 to C3 species, the C:N ratios of above-ground and below-ground plant tissue decreased. Two analyses indicate that interspecific differences in tissue chemistry together with the observed species shifts can account for most of this shift in biomass C:N ratios across the experimental nitrogen gradient. The efficiency of nitrogen use by plants, soil nitrate levels, soil nitrogen retention and nitrogen mineralization rates all responded to high levels of nitrogen additions.30
Kattegat case study
Coastal zones are a valuable resource that is extensively threatened by human activity. In Europe, high population densities and levels of industrial activity create acute pressure on coastal seas. One of the main problems is the rapid increase in the amounts of nitrogen-based contaminants entering the water, with resultant eutrophication. Rivers are frequently the dominant source of nitrogen to the coastal seas, but recent evidence suggests that atmospheric inputs are large and can equal, and in some cases exceed, those from the rivers.27 Atmospheric inputs are dominated by nitric acid, nitrate, ammonia and ammonium through a combination of wet and dry deposition. The sources and atmospheric chemical characteristics of these compounds differ from one another and their differential rates impact on the amounts deposited.27,31
Kattegat, the transitional area between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, has been studied in detail because of extensive eutrophication occurring from high rates of atmospheric deposition. Algal blooms first devastated fish population, with large economic losses in 1988; since that time extensive studies have aimed at quantifying the full nitrogen budget for the Kattegat. The data (Fig. 2)31 indicate the complexity of the system, with atmospheric deposition contributing a major external input additional to a very large internal cycle of nitrogen that dominates the productivity of the system. An integrated, interdisciplinary project (MEAD) showed that atmospheric deposition on its own cannot induce algal blooms. Knowledge of the source of the nitrogen was essential for introducing policy and regulations to reduce the impact on fisheries. A 50% reduction in NH3 and NOx emissions resulted in only an 8.8% reduction in algal primary production. It was shown that some strategies need to be locally applied; for instance, emissions of ammonia from local agriculture had to be reduced, whereas other strategies required were more far-reaching; for example, reduction in nitrous oxide emissions across the whole of Europe.31 Transboundary pollution is an emerging environmental problem in southern Africa and an integrated study like that described from the Baltic would be very valuable in southern Africa. SAEON could champion this type of regional study.
Scientific approach and infrastructure for SAEON
It is essential that SAEON embraces the living landscape and not only conserved areas as is clearly stated in their mandate. Nearly all nutrient cycling studies to date in South Africa have been conducted in conserved areas and this needs to change rapidly. SAEON can play a major role in facilitating the permissions needed for data collections across different land uses. There is a growing need to conduct studies across gradients from urban to rural areas where a variety of land uses are practised. Studies should be conducted within an integrated framework of research questions.
Possible research questions
1. How does the element residence time (the balance between sequestration and liberation) of carbon and other elements determine the level of human impact on natural ecosystems?
2. How will water management in the 21st century affect element interactions along a continuum from uplands to oceans?
3. What is the general theoretical framework linking plant and animal species interactions to element cycles? Can we go beyond strong but idiosyncratic effects of species changes on element interactions? How do the main plant photosynthetic and functional types react to changes in nitrogen and phosphorus availability?
4. What is the effect of climate forcing on element interactions?
5. What is the role of natural and anthropogenically-accelerated fire regimes on critical pools and fluxes?
Addressing these questions will require multidisciplinary teams to quantify the driving forces, develop an understanding and predictive ability of the processes and to apply tools to assess the present and likely impacts on the ecosystems and water supply. There have been many attempts to conduct multidisciplinary research in South Africa over the last 20 years and there have been successes (for example, see Milton et al.33 this issue). However, SAEON could create a platform which would help establish a modelling framework in which multidisciplinary teams could use the data to test hypotheses and key questions. In addition, research and human capacity needs to be developed in some very specific areas, such as in the use of isotopes in environmental applications. A number of different scientific methods will be needed and will include working with existing net works as well as establishing new areas where critical mass is not achieved at any one institution in the country. Stable isotopes are very powerful tools and are used extensively in many studies to elucidate biogeochemical process and pathways and anthropogenic influences. Nitrogen isotopes, in combination with other isotopes, can be used to elucidate the contributing sources of nitrogen to the aqueous environment (Fig. 3).32 Such studies have proved particularly useful in the identification of fertilizer or human and animal waste sources. There are two stable isotopes of nitrogen: 14N and 15N. All nitrogen compounds contain both isotopes, but be cause of isotopic fractionation they are incor porated into compounds in differing ratios, depending on the nature of the reactions that produce the compounds. The dominant source of nitrogen in most forested ecosys tems is the atmosphere (δ15N = 0‰); many plants fix nitrogen and organisms cycle this into the soil. The greater the amount of nitrogen fixed through the process of biological nitrogen fixation, the more negative is the isotopic signature. Other important sources of nitrogen include fertilizers, produced from atmospheric nitrogen, with compositions of 0 ± 3‰.
There are a number of tools identified by the North American Experimental Observation Network (NEON) shown in Table 2. Key areas which will need development through the SAEON network include the setting up of a Centre for Scaling and Modelling Studies. This centre could engage with colleagues specializing in complex-system analysis and together develop data sets for validation of predictive models to be used in scenario planning. The establishment of a few instrumented catchment studies in which soil, plant, animal, atmosphere and social studies could be conducted in an integrated way would be invaluable in addressing some of the key questions posed earlier in this article.
Concluding remarks
An integrated approach to terrestrial, aquatic and atmospheric monitoring must be conducted in South Africa to allow for an improved understanding of impacts. This can be done through the establishment of instrumented catchments in which nitrogen and phosphorus form part of the focus. This understanding will feed into adaptation strategies, which will be key to sustainable resource utilization. SAEON can play a number of useful roles in ensuring the success of an integrated programme, by: bringing academics from the terrestrial and aquatic communities together, conducting research over a wide range of ecoregions and land uses; linking data sets that are difficult to access, e.g. the national water quality data set and the atmospheric emissions data set; creating a Centre for Scaling and Modelling Studies; strengthening the capacity in key research areas, e.g. the use of stable isotopes for environmental studies; and, finally, by establishing instrumented catchment studies in key areas.
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* Author for correspondence. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
** Current address: Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Joh.-J.-Becherweg 27, Mainz 55128, Germany


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