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A Brief History of Flight Deck Briefing Packages – from Early Delivery Methods to Today
Communication of flight plans, weather, and service requirements between 3rd-party providers and operators has evolved and vastly changed over recent decades. In fact, over the past 50 years, we've probably witnessed the most dramatic advancements in communications since the Wright brothers. This all bodes well for today's corporate flight crew, who now enjoys access to truly remarkable labor-saving capabilities in terms of flight plan, weather, and operational communications.
1. The early days of flight plan and weather deliveries
Telegraph and radio were the first electronic means of delivering flight plans and weather, and this was followed by Telex, Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network (AFTN) – the first truly worldwide communications network -, SITA, and ARINC. Back in the 1950s, rudimentary computer flight plan systems began to emerge – some based on computer punch cards – and these were mostly used by airlines. Weather data from government sources was typically manipulated by hand and delivered by Telex. While feeding long Telex tapes into noisy machines (and hoping those 20 – 30 ft. long tapes would not break) seems archaic today, this was at one time the state of the art in weather delivery. In the early 1970s, we also had access to early generation fax machines. By the late 1970s, first-generation portable computer flight plan terminals, using acoustic phone couplers and thermal paper, provided a leap forward in terms of on-the-go flight planning capability.
2. Challenges with deliveries in the early days
ARINC, SITA, and fax offered significant advances over Telex transmission; however, they were not without issues. While ARINC and SITA were more reliable delivery methods, Telex was still cheaper. ARINC and SITA charged per character, and at that time filing flight plans this way could be very expensive. Early fax machines were not great, and it took time for this technology to mature. Fax machines would run out of paper and ink, and hotel faxes were often inaccessible to crews, depending upon time of day. In the early days, there was no direct-input method to flight management systems (FMS), and crews had to insert all information manually. These early delivery methods, however, were all that was available until more reliable options emerged over time.
3. Costs incurred with early deliveries
While delivery costs using early electronic communications methods were often high, the efficiency advantage of early generation computer flight plans justified these costs. Over time, computer flight plan technology and delivery methods improved dramatically. The process became faster and cheaper with fewer errors and less requirement for manual input.
4. Evolution from previous delivery methods to the operational briefing package
Over time, flight plan package deliveries grew to 30+ page mammoth documentation extravaganzas, and it became cumbersome to send all of this material by fax. Often these briefing packages were faxed to multiple recipients, including the crew's hotel and the local ground handler, with high associated communications costs. E-mail transmission eventually replaced some usage of the slow, illegible, and costly fax deliveries. However, there were still issues with the crew's ability to receive the associated e-mail attachments at certain locations, and file size caps sometimes posed an issue with larger deliveries.
5. Today's delivery technology with mobile apps
With the mobile device apps available today, the entire process of filing flight plans, loading flight plans to the FMS, and accessing a full range of weather options has changed. There's no longer a need to carry all sorts of paperwork on international trips, there's no longer dependency on hotel fax machines, and flight plans and weather can be managed from smartphones and tablets in all four corners of the world. Reliability and ease of use of new mobile technology applications has revolutionized our industry. We have access to global databases and weather forecasts within seconds and can quickly change/view flight plans or catering/services orders, to name a few, at any moment, from wherever we happen to be. Using a smartphone or tablet allows crews to easily review schedules and view the latest updates to services, flight plans, weather, etc.
6. How important has this transition been?
Today, flight departments routinely use Internet and mobile devices for almost all pre-flight and operational deliveries, and crews are using mobile devices to manage all operational aspects of a trip while on the road. Digital versions of flight plans and weather are clear, accurate, and reliable, without any of the former issues of running out of ink or paper.
This migration to mobile usage has been dramatic. For instance, here at Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc., we see that over one third of all the operational briefing packages we deliver are being done via Apple® iPad® apps. This has significantly reduced fax requests and associated costs of delivery, such as hotel charges for printing flight plan deliveries. Assorted apps have transformed the way in which we operate internationally. There are, however, still issues with connectivity in some areas of the world, and airborne Internet connectivity, particularly broadband Internet access aloft, is still in an evolutionary state. Looking to the future, however, we anticipate broadband data capabilities in the flight deck to become the norm.
7. Are there still hard copy requirements?
As per FAA regulations, many deliveries still need to be printed and maintained for 30 days. There are also times when a crew needs to print flight plans, aviation fuel releases, and weather or ground handler service confirmations. Many flight departments address these issues by installing wireless printers on flight decks to print flight plans, weather, and assorted trip briefings. Additionally, many crews now carry portable printers while on the road. This allows the crew to show up at the aircraft with the latest information and any printed documentation requirements they may need.
8. What are some tips in managing deliveries?
Ensure that your 3rd-party provider is utilizing the latest apps and delivery communications in order to take advantage of the broadest range of delivery options. Delivery technology is constantly evolving, and 3rd-party providers are moving quickly to support all of these new forms of technology. Best practice is to research all of the new delivery options and apps for business-aviation flight planning, weather, and support service coordination, to determine the optimum fit for your particular organization.
If the trends we're seeing don't change, and we see no reason for current advances in delivery technology and adoption to slow or change, we expect to see the majority of flight plan, weather, and service coordination deliveries via mobile devices and apps within the next year. Adoption of mobile delivery technology offers significant advantages for flight departments, dispatchers, and crews on the road, and this is truly one of the good news stories in the world of business aviation today.
Apple iPad is a trademark of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
If you have any questions about this article, contact Christine Vamvakas at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Everyone looks forward to a break away whether you've got a staycation planned or if you're jetting off further afield somewhere exotic. And there's always so much to organise; packing, travel tickets, passports, the list goes on but there is one really important element to consider when you're planning a trip away and it involves probably the most expensive asset you own. Your home.
There are over one million burglaries and attempted burglaries each year. Homes with no security measures in place are on average 5 times more likely to be burgled than those with simple security measures.
An experienced thief might walk around neighbourhoods during the darker hours, noting which properties look unoccupied and then return at the same time for the next few nights running, trying to determine who could be away and which property looks like an easy target.
So, here are our top tips for protecting your home and reducing your risk of being burgled:
- Make your home look occupied when you're not there.
- Leave lights or music in your home on a timer. If you can, set these to different times each day.
- Ask a trusted neighbour to clear post or parcels from your front door every day, at a different time of the day. Not only does this prevent the chance of post sticking out of your letterbox or parcels left on your doorstep for days, it also looks like there is someone coming and going from your property.
- See if a neighbour could park their car on your drive overnight occasionally whilst you are away.
- If you are away for a longer period of time, organise for someone to come and cut your lawn.
- Make it too risky for a burglar to target your home.
- Install security lighting particularly in areas where tall trees or high fences could provide cover for a thief.
- Fit deadlocks to your doors to make it harder for a burglar to pick a lock.
- Most break-ins happen at the back of a property. Check how easy it is to gain access and put locks on gates to make it difficult for would-be-thieves to gain access.
- Invest in a burglar alarm and CCTV cameras from a reputable company. Seasoned burglars can quickly tell which home security system is genuine and which is nothing more than a rusty old fake.
- Remove any obvious temptation
- Hide all keys and valuables from view of ground floor windows. This includes portable electronics, jewellery or identity documents.
- Don't post on social media that you are away.
- If you have neighbours you trust, let them know that you are away so that they can keep an eye on who is coming and going from your property. A would-be thief will often take a closer look at your property before deciding to attempt to break-in.
- Hide/lock away all tools or anything a potential thief could use to help them gain access to your property.
All of these hints and tips should help to make your home less of a target, but technology now means that you don't have to wait until you are home to see what has happened to your property during your absence.
Installing a CCTV system brings you the peace of mind of being able to check up on your home at any time you choose, plus the added benefit of being a strong deterrent to any would-be thief. Not only are the CCTV cameras visible to any potential burglars, but they can also record continuously for up to 30 days, even during the night thanks to infrared night vision. High-resolution images can be saved and transferred for use elsewhere if needed, should you spot any suspicious activity or used as evidence if you do suffer a break-in.
So, spend some time planning how you protect your home before your holiday and then enjoy a well-earned break.

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conor 2004/02/02 06:54:01 Modified: docs/manual/OptionalTasks Tag: ANT_16_BRANCH dotnet.html Log: Clean up munged changelog Revision Changes Path No revision No revision 18.104.22.168 +32 -95 ant/docs/manual/OptionalTasks/dotnet.html Index: dotnet.html =================================================================== RCS file: /home/cvs/ant/docs/manual/OptionalTasks/dotnet.html,v retrieving revision 18.104.22.168 retrieving revision 22.214.171.124 diff -u -w -u -r18.104.22.168 -r184.108.40.206 --- dotnet.html 17 Dec 2003 17:47:51 -0000 188.8.131.52 +++ dotnet.html 2 Feb 2004 14:54:01 -0000 184.108.40.206 @@ -235,69 +235,6 @@
WsdlToDotnet written
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Version 0.3
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The csc task automatically includes the common dotnet assemblies, so -there is no need to remember to refer to 'System.dll', 'System.Web.Services', - etc. This feature can be disabled by setting the 'includeDefaultReferences' - flag to false.
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Version 0.5
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Application of Jedits JavaStyle task resulted in a major reshaping of the codebase and the insertion of a blank line every second line. Significant effort was required to revert some (but not all) changes.
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Clustaar, a customer support automation platform will be exhibiting at the Web Summit for the third consecutive year. The platform launched last March and now has 1,800 accounts from nearly 85 countries.
In the past year, we have invested resources in selling the product and in customer success organization. Many of our clients are anchor clients that have shared key insights with us which allowed us to get key chatbot and automation insights.
As we prepare for Web Summit 2018, the largest startup & tech convention in Europe, we would like to take this opportunity to share what we have learned during this past year, and how we see the future of customer support automation.
Customer Support Needs Automation
Through speaking with potential clients, startups, and investors, at conferences along the way, we have narrowed down our core business use-case. Our conclusion is this: There are two types of convincing use cases for bots. One is where the bot reduces existing costs (or avoids extra costs) and the second is where the bot generates additional revenue (or avoids lost revenue).
We believe that the most convincing use case is where the bot reduces existing costs. Reducing cost is more measurable than pinpointing the factors of increased revenue.
Most of the companies we talked to had the same CS issue: their customer support teams cannot keep up with the increasing number of user requests, and most of those questions are all the same. For software companies are all looking for scale and human customer support doesn't scale very well. By automating all recurring questions, it relieves customer support teams, which allows for more time to tackle real issues that demand human intervention.
For a password-reset request, or for a simple question of "where can I find this," a bot can be very effective.
Imagine a bot that manages to save 500,000€ in a customer support case. It's 500,000€ that goes directly to the bottom line. Whereas it will always be difficult to attribute 100% of a 500,000€ increase in revenue to a bot. Moreover, 500,000€ in new revenue will only contribute 15% of that to the bottom line.
B2C Customer Support Is Best
When it comes to customer support automation, the more users with support queries the better. Especially if the queries are simple level 1 request that can be easily answered (i.e- I need to reset my password). Usually, in these type of situations, you get a Pareto effect: 20% of requests will generate 80% of volume.
Most Companies Do Not Know How To Build Bots
Over the past year, we have discovered that providing companies with the tools to build bots is not necessarily sufficient. Often times companies lack the right experience and build bots that do not deliver sufficient value to the end user. For example, bots that provide the latest news or movie schedules, things that users can easily complete by themselves with a web page. This shows that bot-building skills are in short supply. In other words, not only do companies need bot technology but they also need training in using it.
When we built the Clustaar Platform we had one objective in mind: make it user-friendly and easy for clients to use without assistance. However, reality check: most companies would like help in the process. So we built a Customer Success team to follow up with clients, train them on the Platform, help them to draw solid scenarios, and follow the project to improve the bot along the way.
Today, we sell more higher price licenses which come with support and assistance than licenses without help.
Another tip: given the still-low understanding of bot technology in the market, it is better to choose the value-oriented projects than innovation-led projects. When we meet prospective clients, these are the first 3 questions we always ask:
What is the value chain that you want to improve?
What makes you think a chatbot is a viable solution?
What is the key KPI by which the bot's performance will be measured?
If the client cannot provide a clear answer to these questions, then the chatbot project is most likely half-baked and will lack support and funding internally. It's wise to run away from that.
Live Handoff is not necessarily best
There are situations where clients would like the conversation to be escalated "live" to a human agent when necessary. In these cases, the bot takes the request to a human agent who can respond right away.
A live handoff looks deal, however for businesses, this is not always possible. The live handoff involves time and resources which may not be available. We have also found that the live handoff is not always necessary. Users are content with the promise that a representative will reach out to them at a later time.
For live escalation to work companies need the right resources, i.e – a call center sized support team able to take the additional questions that the bots are sending on the spot.
For example, if you are a fast growing startup with a team of 4 customer support agents, it may be difficult for those agents to cover all requests, around the clock. In this case, a live handoff may not necessary nor recommended. Daily, requests come in surges and it can be difficult to process them with consistency.
Now imagine the same situation where all end-user queries to go through a support chatbot, which answers 50-60% of requests and the remainder is transferred to the support team. When these agents receive the bot-prequalified requests, they now have the time to properly process the queries. With the advantage of having the queries prequalified by the bot, the team can provide complete and appropriate answers much faster than before. The result is overall better customer satisfaction. Take a look at our Web Summit 2018 takeaways in our blog post.
Over the past year, we have gained valuable knowledge of how to provide user-friendly and efficient bots to companies and their end-users. The platform makes it easy to set-up and maintain bots. Try it for yourself, or you can just request a personal demo from our team!


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We really like this domain name but we decided to let it go. Find all kind of answers here? Perfect for Q&A portal.
Offer your (best) price and answers.com.my might be yours!
Looking for more options? These might interest you.
Malaysian loves social media. Why not make this the preferred social media platform for Malaysians?


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Ever noticed how some people are very effective in both oral and written communications whereas others seem unable to communicate anything clearly?
KISS = Keep It Short and Simple – but why?
In 1956, the psychologist George Miller wrote a classic article titled "The Magical Number Seven Plus or Minus Two: Limits On Human Information Processing Capacity."
In this article, Miller defined what good communicators intuitively understand: People mentally store and retrieve information in "chunks," and the maximum size of a chunk is 7 ± 2 and fewer is more effective.
Our ability to organize ascending and descending chunks makes our information processing capacity huge. The ability to do this effectively is called cognitive efficiency.
The communication principle: Fewer is better, less is more
Here are some of the many places where this works:
- Processing: look for the core ideas in a paper or the key take-aways in a meeting.
- Speaking: Using no more than 2 or 3 ideas and reiterateing them to assure reception (redundancy).
- Writing: Using as few bullet points as possible, doing executive summaries.
- Participating people in a meeting: 7 ± 2 maximum
- Improving personal performance: Don't put too many things on your work plate.
Get the point.
Pop Quiz: Who Said, "If I Had More Time, I Would Have Written You a Shorter Letter?"


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Our Gallery of Unique Aviation-Themed Toys and Gifts—For All Ages
Be reminded of your love of flying wherever you go with our Pull To Eject Keychains! These mementos are of the highest quality with a fully embroidered banner and reinforced eyelet attached.
Use this popup to embed a mailing list sign up form. Alternatively use it as a simple call to action with a link to a product or a page.
By clicking enter you are verifying that you are old enough to consume alcohol.


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Radford: New Greenpeace Boss on Climate Change, Coal, and Nuclear Power
Environmental group Greenpeace USA has a new boss: 33-year old Phil Radford, whose embrace of both the familiar sidewalk membership drives and new technology like Twitter as former head of organizing helped double the green group's budget.
We took the opportunity to chat with Mr. Radford about the energy and environmental challenges facing the U.S. right now, and Greenpeace's role as an environmental gadfly.
WSJ: You said one of your priorities as new executive director is to "help persuade President Obama and Congress to do what's necessary to solve global warming." What's necessary and what can you do about it?
Phil Radford: We want a 25% to 40% cut in greenhouse-gas emissions below 1990 levels. Now, President Obama's targets are a bit weaker than that, but he's also shown tremendous leadership. So our job is to show him the moral high ground and give him the support to take that stand.
We want to strengthen the Waxman bill in Congress, by taking coal out of there and making sure no [emissions] permits are given away.
WSJ: Now that you've brought up the coal question. Greenpeace has been critical of the ability of "clean coal" to become a viable solution for emissions reductions. But there are plenty of people out there in industry and government who figure carbon capture and sequestration has to be part of the future energy mix. Should you be so down on "clean coal"?
Radford: They're pretending that the tooth fairy will come and save us. There is no such thing as "clean coal." Even the industry figures it will take 10 or 20 years to arrive, and we need solutions sooner than that. We need to scale up renewable energy; "clean coal" is a distraction from that. Our job is to say scientifically what we need, and morally where we should be standing.
WSJ: Speaking of the science, nuclear power is another bugbear for Greenpeace. Former members like Patrick Moore now preach its virtues, and plenty of people think nuclear power must be part of any clean-energy future. Why don't you?
Radford: First, you can get to a clean-energy future without any new nuclear plants—it's completely feasible. There are a whole slew of reasons to be opposed…


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LA Times/Manhattan Beach Food Bowl cool in every way
by Richard Foss
The hottest South Bay dining event of the year featured celebrity chefs from all over Los Angeles cooking alongside top locals, but the usual attire of sport coats and cocktail dresses was notably absent. It was cool and threatening to rain Thursday night during the sustainable seafood dinner and a breeze blew across the tables on the sand by the Manhattan Beach pier. So most attendees wore what any sensible person would wear for an evening walk on the beach, despite the event's cost and prestige. The 300 guests paid $275 to attend the LA Times Food Bowl event.
Photos by JP Cordero
The sustainable seafood theme, while conceptually fitting for an outdoor meal on the beach, was a political and logistical challenge. Restrictions imposed by the city included a ban on amplified sound and artificial lighting. The multi-course gourmet dinner required a makeshift kitchen that had to be built and dismantled in the course of a single day. The seafood, produce, and wine was wheeled across the sand on a plywood boardwalk that was dismantled behind their carts and reassembled in front of them, like click clack blocks. At the end of the event everything had to be removed, leaving the beach at it was. The huge undertaking required military precision.
Happily, Outstanding in the Field, the company that handled logistics for the dinner, specializes in just this kind of extravaganza. When asked whether the unexpected cool breeze would disrupt their plans, event director Anna Gelb gave a surprising answer.
"All of our events take place outside and most are on farms, so we're always at the whim of the weather. It's actually more memorable when we get tumultuous weather – everybody talks about it afterwards. It helps remind people they're in an untamed space. Having this feast literally steps from the water helps tell the story of sustainable seafood in the LA area. The local fishermen are named on the menu, so being outside is central to the theme. There's a symbiotic relationship between what people are eating and where they're eating it."
Photos by Richard Foss
David LeFevre of Fishing With Dynamite was similarly unfazed by the weather as he assembled halibut terrines on squid ink rice chip crackers with radish slices and sprigs of dill.
"If I knew what the weather would be like I would have done fewer chilled items and more warm items, but we can execute everything we planned. Everything I'm doing here is something I'd be proud to serve in the restaurant."
LeFevre was one of several chefs who mentioned he was attracted to the event because of its themes of environmental consciousness and rediscovering local seafood. Many expressed the hope that trying dishes made with non-threatened species would change the dining and buying habits of those who attended. Josiah Citrin, who became famous at Santa Monica's Melisse and also owns Charcoal in Venice, was asked whether he thought that this event was primarily educational or entertainment, He was adamant it was both.
"I want to entertain them, I want to feed them, and I want to inspire them to look outside their usual paths and find things that are best for our environment. I grew up surfing here and sustainability is really important to me."
All of the chefs interviewed expressed a sensitivity to presenting the seafood with subtlety so that the flavors of the natural ingredients were front and center. Sometimes this meant a traditional pairing would be presented with a new twist, as in oysters with ponzu sauce also enhanced with pickled peach slices. Another novel reimagining was crabmeat and corn soup, popular both in New England and in Chinese communities, but here presented with melon and cucumber. Other ideas were untethered to tradition, such as Josiah Citrin's Channel Islands vermilion rockfish that was grilled and then topped with white asparagus, morel mushrooms, green garlic, and miso sauce. Ten savory items and one dessert were served, along with five wines and two beers.
Before the main event there were short presentations by several seafood experts, including diver Stephanie Mutz, who had harvested the sea urchins from the Santa Barbara channel. These were served with a topping of chopped seaweed and thinly sliced radish. She brought several of the live shellfish with her, and explained their life cycle while diners posed for pictures holding the spiny creatures.
Mutz was followed by biologist Sarah Rathbone of Dock to Dish, who informed the audience of some of the strange economies of the seafood trade that distort the meaning of the word "local." For instance, much of the squid caught near Catalina is shipped to China for processing into calamari rings, which are promptly re-exported to California. The information obviously was new to most of her hearers, who continued to discuss it as they adjourned to dinner. It was the kind of conversation that the event was designed to spark, but when asked whether she thought any listeners would change their buying habits, Rathbone gave a surprising answer.
"I think part of this is preaching to the converted, but that's not all bad. When you have this many people in one space who are dedicated to the same goal, who have that same sense of consciousness about where their food comes from, it's going to filter out into their neighborhoods. They'll talk to their friends about this event, about the things they learned and that kind of conversation starts people thinking."
For at least some of the audience, it really was new information. Sanjay Khurana said attending this event might help turn a vague sense that something is wrong into a set of actions.
"I have never come to an event like this, but I want to do my small part about being a steward of the environment, whatever that may be. When we have seafood today we're cognizant of the broader environmental issues, and this is a great way to raise awareness while experiencing some great food. As a Manhattan Beach resident, I think it's a win-win."
Being a Manhattan Beach resident he was aware that some residents objected to having the event on the sand.
"I read about the controversy, and I understand the concern. I understand that the beach is and should remain primarily a public space, and I'm still forming an opinion about when there should be exceptions."
Noelle Parks, owner of Noelle Interiors, had made up her mind.
"I think the worry is that these events might cause trash and noise, but I doubt that will be a problem. Most of the people here are local, and they're super respectful of the beach and want to take care of what we have. The company that does this, Outstanding in the Field, has a really good reputation and is trusted to take care of all the details."
Those logistics, as well as both the restrictions set by the city and the daunting permit process needed to run an event here, do indeed make it likely that beachfront dinners will be rare. Still, it is also likely that more will happen, because this event was an unqualified success and will spark the imaginations of other event planners who are looking for a stunning setting for a memorable meal. ER
by Kevin Cody
Kevin is the publisher of Easy Reader and Beach. Share your news tips. 310 372-4611 ext. 110 or kevin[at]easyreadernews[dot]com
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The disc opens with a short chamber work Night Fantasy by Dorothy Rudd Moore. It is a wonderfully evocative work conjuring up the spirit world. The clarinet first of all weaves a beautifully simple tune in the first movement, Largo, and then, with spiky rhythms, dances Puck-like in the second effusive and sparkling Allegro. The second short piece is taken from a larger chamber work and was arranged by the composer for clarinet and piano. It is a wonderfully playful piece in which both the clarinet and piano duet, almost mirroring each other in every note.
Clarence Cameron White's Basque Folk Song is a wonderfully descriptive piece with a simple beauty that is enchanting.…Undine Smith Moore's Introduction and Allegro is another delightful work that, like the others, though short in length, makes up for it in the wealth of ideas within its brief span.
A complete change of tempo comes next with Quincy Hilliard's Coty which is in three short movements. It is a gorgeous song without words that allows the clarinet fully to exploit its most attractive notes with a lovely piano accompaniment.
Soul Bird by Todd Cochran is beautifully soulful. It perfectly captures the nature of a bird as the clarinet awakes and flies around against the background of the piano before finally resuming its sleep.
The final piece on the disc is a really attractive arrangement of Amazing Grace attributed to H. Stevenson about whom nothing is written in the notes and about whom I could find nothing anywhere. The arrangement brings out the best elements of the tune and allows you to hear it afresh in a charming display of the clarinet's attributes.
Marcus Eley has done a great service to African-American composers. He is a brilliantly talented advocate for his instrument who successfully exploits everything a clarinet can do while Lucerne DeSa is an extremely sympathetic partner. Together they have created a disc of unalloyed joy. © 2013 MusicWeb International Read complete review
Eley focuses on music for clarinet and piano by African-American Composers. A mixture of very melodic pieces and…some challenging modern chamber works as well. A gift of music that can also be a thoughtful exploration of ethnic identity and accomplishment as well. © 2012 The WSCL Blog Read complete review
The music thrives with life, whether in the formal abstract lines of Dorothy Rudd Moore or Alvin Batiste, or more free‑form escapades. There are lyrics with tunes of indescribable sweet beauty: a Basque Folk Song by Clarence Cameron White, a Pastorale from Samuel Akpabot's Scenes from Nigeria. Todd Cochran's Soul-Bird soars transcendent above them all, at eight minutes the longest piece on the disc; it is well deserving of the honour.
Throughout ['But Not Forgotten'], Eley applies his pure, limpid tone eloquently in music of a varied range of styles; perhaps the most personal playing comes in Joplin's sad Weeping Willow rag, or in a lovely arrangement of Amazing Grace.
Add in Lucerne DeSa's full‑bodied, elegant playing and the gratifying natural acoustic at Endler Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa's Western Cape Winelands, and the result is an exceptional musical experience in every way. The booklet‑notes are documentary in authority and the sound is of the highest audiophile quality. © 2012 Gramophone Read complete review on Gramophone
As the title suggests, this new CD brings together music by composers ranging from the slightly neglected to the completely ignored. As a matter of fact, the majority of the pieces in this collection get their world première recording exposure on this CD thanks to the hard work and dedication of clarinetist Marcus Eley. It presents hidden musical gems from composers spanning a time period from 1868 to the present day, from ragtime to the purely impressionist.
The moods and styles range from the lyrical and evocative Basque Folk Song in which Marcus Eley clearly demonstrates the clarinet's singing quality, to the technically challenging Episodes where he probably doesn't even have time to come up for air. From the traditional form of the Romance to the quirky adventurous freedom of Coty, both Eley and pianist Lucerne DeSa easily shift gears and comfortably get into character.
Marcus Eley knows when and how to make the clarinet charm, dance, sing and cry. His versatile take on all of these widely different pieces makes this an enjoyable collection. The recorded sound itself by Sono Luminus…is warm and intimate. © 2012 Classical Music Sentinel Read complete review


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Why mortgage holders should talk to their lenders and consider refinancing: Cameron McEvoy
By Cameron McEvoy
Thursday, 19 July 2012
I want to begin by saying this: I do not house any hostility towards lenders. In fact, I've written many times in the past about how lenders can be your best friend when it comes to starting out fresh in your property investment career. Let's be honest; if you're like most new investors out there, you don't have suitcases of cash just lying around, ready to buy real estate with, so lenders can absolutely be the "determining force" in your decision to get into property investment. If no one will lend you money, well, your pipe dreams can be quickly flushed.
All of that aside, lenders are simply a means to an end. Providing that you find a lender that offers the best rate and features relevant to you, they are all pretty much the same. For many years, lenders had, quite cunningly and cleverly, marketed themselves as more of an authority over you. They did this by using a certain kind of language when discussing and corresponding in paperwork the nature of their products. Basically, they made it seem like you were locked in forever to their mortgage products. One way they did this was to charge excessive and complicated "break fees" should you ever look to shop around and move to a different financier.
The industry watchdogs, and eventually government bodies, cottoned on to these tactics and established legislation to remove all of these break fees, effectively making it much easier to switch your mortgage to a better/cheaper product in the marketplace. So you know (and it goes without saying, you need to double-check this yourself should you actually be looking at breaking a mortgaging product), banks cannot charge their exit fees anymore, however you will always have to pay the government processing fees – usually a couple of hundred dollars only – to get out of a mortgage.
There was initial fear that as a result, lenders would recoup these losses by charging heavier entrance fees into new mortgage products; however this has not really happened as yet, at least to extremes. The beauty of the removal of break fees meant that the marketplace has become more competitive, and lenders now actually have to fight their competition to get a slice of your potential custom.
For any would-be switchers out there, my advice is to do up a spreadsheet and calculate all the costs to switch out from one product into a new one. If the savings in one year's interest repayments at the new lender's rate is greater than double the cost to switch, it is an exercise worth doing.
When approaching lenders as a property investor – even if it is your first property – you should always make clear mention of your growth potential and desire to hold a large portfolio. Although it won't win you any brownie points in terms of qualification and verification for mortgage products, mentioning your growth plan to them will certainly make them earmark you on their computer systems! No jokes – I've seen lenders who literally input an asterisk against someone's details, which is pretty much code for "keep an eye on this one; he could be a repeat customer!" I would encourage everyone to do this when buying their first property, even if you only intend on buying a home to occupy and never an investment property.
It is therefore important to remind a lender at times just how valuable you can be as a potential "repeat customer". Having a great mortgage broker working for you can help with this – they are able to leverage – and effectively vouch for – your future portfolio growth expansion/potential and use this as a bargaining chip to negotiate better product offerings back to you, but I strongly believe that it is always important to have a direct and solid relationship with your lender(s).
All of this is especially important when considering the times we're living in. Finance is edging further and further down, and interest rates could fall to all-time lows. Lenders know this. They understand how the cheaper rates in market will truly change the dynamic for everyone. In fact, I attribute the recent increase in lender marketing campaigns, which heavily promote "switch to us" themes in their tactics as a response to this trend. For example, UBank from NAB has released an online home loan product offering a variable rate of 5.62%, one of the cheapest currently on offer in the market. But the bank is very quick to point out the product is only available to new customers and switchers from other lenders. Existing customers cannot get access to this product.
So as the market – investors and owner-occupiers alike – respond to cheaper finance products hitting the market, consumer confidence may begin to return. This could mean that would-be buyers, who previously held the mantra "the entire global market is too unstable; now is the worst time to take a risk" change to a mindset of "the global market might not be so stable, but darn it, rates are probably not going to be this cheap again anytime soon, so I should give this a second look".
I'd love to hear from the community about experiences in mortgage switching – was it easy? Were there in fact hidden costs (whether it is a government cost, lender cost, or other kind of cost)? And did the old and new lenders make the process easy or hard? Also, when leaving your lender, was there a last-dash attempt to keep your custom, or did it let you go easily?
Cameron is a NSW-based property investor and maintains a blog.
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How to avoid the winter home buying blues: The case for and against buying now
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Buying is just a small part of residential property investment.pdf


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PLUS Model Magazine (PMM), plusmodelmag.com, the #1 plus size fashion and beauty magazine, is partnering with POSH LA Fashion Week, (PLAFW) poshlafw.com, as the official media sponsor.
PLAFW, taking place October 20, 2013 in Los Angeles, California, is LA's premier plus experience, taking place twice a year (March & October). The event provides top plus size designers an international platform to showcase their collections to industry insiders including buyers, editors, retailers, celebrities, VIPs and more. This year, the event includes a 'Fall/Holiday 2013 Trend Report', styled by PMM Executive Fashion Editor, Reah Norman.
"PMM is passionate about supporting events that celebrate curvy women and raise the bar when it comes to offering stylish, on-trend, plus size fashion," shares Madeline Jones, PMM Editor-in-chief. "POSH LA Fashion Week is a class-act, offering just that."
Plus fashion vendors involved this year include retailer giant Sonsi® as the Official Sponsor for PLAFW. Australian retailer City Chic will also participate as partial sponsor for the event. Designers include RIOT Boutique, SimplyBe, SWAK Designs and Wild Siren.
Jones comments, "I am ready to hit LA and see all of the amazing plus fashions, models and industry-insiders who support and drive our industry."
For more information, visit poshlafw.com
About PLUS Model Magazine
Editor-in-Chief, Madeline Jones / Considered the VOGUE of plus size magazines, PMM is the #1 plus size fashion & beauty magazine, blog and media outreach serving the full-figured market. PMM inspires readers to thrive in her curves, crave contemporary fashion and design her life, on her own terms, sans apologies. PLUS hit viral status in January 2012 for their explosive and controversial editorial, "Plus Bodies, What's Wrong with Them Anyway?" and has appeared on/in ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, CNN, FoxNews.com, HuffingtonPost.com, Entertainment Tonight and 200+ other media outlets across the globe.
Website: plusmodelmag.com


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Some AVIO services or resources are not visible in AVIO Manager, although IP settings are correct and they are in the same network. What can I do ?
If you are using a PC, is is likely that your firewall settings prevent AVIO using certain ports to communicate. Often the AVIO Service is blocked by standard firewall settings in Windows. Therefore, please let your firewall settings allow communication for all AVIO software applications components (WINGS VIOSO, AVIO Manager, AVIO Service, AVIO Touch).


text: California Base Support Groups Write State's Incoming Senator Published: Dec 13, 2016Fourteen local military support organizations in California emphasized the unique attributes of the state's air, sea and land ranges, and its 30-plus installations in a letter to Senator-elect Kamala Harris (D) urging her to seek a seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Supporting California's defense assets, its host communities and the military personnel and their families stationed there requires leadership at all levels of government, the Dec. 9 letter states. "Serving on this distinguished committee will allow you to remain at the forefront of the important issues that will shape the future of our defense infrastructure in California, and support our military families for years to come," it says. Harris, who will fill the Senate seat of the retiring Barbara Boxer (D), currently is California's attorney general. Read more here


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Netherlands and Scotland raring to go
Hosts Netherlands and Scotland will be looking to be at their best in a bid to make it from the eight-team ICC Womens World T20 Qualifier 2018 from 7-14 July, which provides the top two teams passage into the event proper in the West Indies later this year.
The Netherlands, fourth in the 2013 edition and eighth in 2015, are in Group A along with Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea and the United Arab Emirates. Scotland, who finished fourth in the 2015 edition, are placed in Group B along with Ireland, Thailand and Uganda.
The tournament will be held at the VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen and Kampong Cricket Club in Utrecht, with the finalists joining Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and host West Indies in the ICC Womens World T20 2018 from 9-24 November.
Netherlands coach Sean Trouw wants to see positive cricket from the team, which includes Sterre Kallis and fast bowler Cher van Slobbe, their most successful batter and bowler, respectively, in the last edition in 2015.
We have set ourselves high standards and want to make sure we play to our full potential. We want to keep progressing as a team and show how far we have come since 2015. Sterre Kalis and our captain, Heather Siegers have the ability to take the game away from the opposition but I feel that as a team we have got much stronger mentally and have grown to be a much more cohesive unit with a good understanding of what our roles are within the whole, he added.
We played in the 50-over ECB County competition and will have played seven T20 games before the tournament starts. We have also been working hard in the winter on our individual game plans to ensure we give ourselves the best chance to succeed.
We want to play a good, positive brand of cricket, and focus on one game at a time. We have the ability to play some good cricket and do not want to get ahead of ourselves. As a young team, we want to grow and gain experience and just really enjoy a home tournament which will also give much more exposure to womens cricket in the Netherlands, he added.
Siegers, who took over captaincy last year, wants to put up an impressive performance on home turf.
We have a young but very talented squad and they are all really looking forward to playing at home against some wonderful sides. Being able to captain the side against these teams will make me very proud and hopefully we will be able to put in a string of good performances and thus go onto the next stage."
Scotland coach Steve Knox is hoping to win all three league matches and is aiming to qualify for the West Indies tournament.
I wouldn't like to single out any players in advance of a tournament and hoping that anyone of the 14 can contribute at any given moment. We haven't played in the Netherlands as a squad since 2011 and only have one warm-up game, so we'll be a little under prepared for conditions in the Netherlands, Knox said.
Captain Kathryn Bryce feels adapting to the conditions quickly would be important for her team, which includes Rachel Scholes, the teams leading run-scorer last time.
One of the key players is probably Sarah Bryce (wicketkeeper-batter) with her current form, but small contributions from everyone in the team is what will make us successful. Not many of the team have played cricket in the Netherlands before so the first few days of training and warm-up match will be key.
7 July - Netherlands v UAE (1600-1845); Ahmed Shah Pakteen and Jacqueline Williams (on-field umpires), Sue Redfern (reserve umpire)
8 July - Netherlands v Bangladesh (1600-1845); Claire Polosak and Roland Black (on-field umpires), Ahmed Shah Pakteen (reserve umpire)
10 July - Netherlands v PNG (1600-1845); Sue Redfern and Ahmed Shah Pakteen (on-field umpires), Jacqueline Williams (reserve umpire)
NETHERLANDS squad - Heather Siegers (captain); Cher van Slobbe; Esther Corder; Caroline de Fouw; Babette de Leede; Denise Hannema; Sterre Kalis; Lisa Klokgieters; Mariska Kornet; Juliet Post; Annemijn Thomson; Robine Rijke; Silver Siegers and Jolien van Vliet. Sean Trouw (coach)
7 July - Scotland v Uganda (1200-1445); Roland Black and Claire Polosak (on-field umpires), Pim van Liemt (reserve umpire)
8 July - Scotland v Ireland, VRA (1200-1445); Pim van Liemt and Sue Redfern (on-field umpires), Jacqueline Williams (reserve umpire)
10 July Scotland v Thailand, Kampong (1200-1445); Claire Polosak and Pim van Liemt (on-field umpires), Roland Black (reserve umpire)
SCOTLAND squad Kathryn Bryce (captain), Abbi Aitken; Sarah Bryce; Priyanaz Chatterji; Becky Glen; Laura Grant; Lorna Jack; Abtaha Maqsood; Katie McGill; Jess Mills; Hannah Rainey; Rachel Scholes; Ellen Watson and Ruth Willis. Steve Knox (coach)


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I hate the phrase "living by faith". At least I hate the phrase when it is used as a way to describe missionaries or other Christian workers who don't have a regular salary, but rely on donations from friends, families and churches for their regular income.
I don't like the phrase because it seems rather super-spiritual and, anyway, the Biblical picture is that we should all be living by faith in all aspects of our lives, not just the financial one. But this post is about finance, so I'll stick to that aspect for the moment.
In the jargon, Sue and I live by faith; we don't know how much money we will receive each month, but so far we haven't gone hungry or failed to pay our bills, so God seems to be keeping things working. But what about the kind people who support us, some of them extremely sacrificially, what can they expect for their money?
Well, we can more or less promise that each day, Sue will knuckle down to working on translation issues in Madagascar and that slowly, but surely the Gospels will be published in yet another language. You can be pretty sure that I'll spend part of the day staring at my laptop in frustration trying to write some words that will help people to think about world mission in new ways, on other days, I attend meetings and try to inspire, encourage and cajole people into different ways of working. A chunk of our support is spent on paying the TV licence, buying dog food and frozen pizzas for our Friday night tradition and I do have to own up to a very expensive running-shoe habit.
In other words, we spend the support in the same sorts of ways that other people spend their money, but it allows us to do jobs that are rather different to those done by most people. The generous support we receive allows us to do a certain type of work. What it doesn't do, is promise that this work will have predetermined results. We can't promise that thousands of people in Madagascar will read the Scriptures and have their lives turned upside down or that the British missionary movement will see a massive re-invigoration. We'd love these things to happen and we do what we can to create the conditions for them; but the ultimate results are out of our hands. In terms of final outcomes, we and our supporters are all living by faith. The Holy Spirit blows like the wind and can't be controlled by our programmes.
The reason I'm highlighting this is that good fundraising techniques suggest that agencies wanting to interest donors (especially what are called 'high value donors') need to promise that the donor's money will achieve certain ends. "Give us X dollars and Y will happen." Worryingly, some Christian fundraising organisations seem to be falling into this trap.
OK, at one level it works. You can reasonably predict that it will cost a set amount to buy a new vehicle or to publish some books. But when it comes to 'spiritual impact' (sorry, horrible phrase), you simply can't equate dollars in with the numbers of lives or communities that will be transformed through the message of the Gospel. It doesn't work like that.
This sort of thinking can give rise to a horrible 'race to the bottom' as agencies and donors 'compete' to see who can achieve the most 'bang for the buck'. A friend of mine was told by one funding agency that they would not work in his country, because people could be saved in another place at a lower financial cost. What? The cost for salvation was the death and resurrection of Jesus, to even think that you can put a financial tag on salvation is tantamount to blasphemy.
Sue and I live by faith because we don't know how much money we'll get this month. Donors live by faith because they generously entrust their hard earned money to other people in the hope that they will use it wisely. None of us can know or predict how God will use our time our energy or our finances; sometimes he brings amazing success and other times – for reasons best known to himself – he stretches our faith by long periods of apparent failure. It has always been so and it will continue to be so until the end of time; whatever the best practices of fund-raisers try to promise.
Any Christian agency that promises definite 'Kingdom' outcomes in return for a donation is fooling themselves and trying to fool you; avoid them.


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Dance the limboYour home, Anywhere , FL 0
Play it with kids, your spouse or a date. All you need is a stick (broom handles work great) and some music (preferably Caribbean). The rules are simple: Duck under the stick as its held parallel with the floor. Only your feet can touch the floor and the stick keeps getting lower. A few tune ideas: Limbo Rock (Chubby Checker) and The Limbo Song (Frankie Anderson). The limbo offers elements of dance, competition, humor and just plain fun. Get enough people trying and the limbo is bound to lead to both laughter (spectacular falls) and gasps of amazement (how low you can go). It also improves your balance, strength and flexibility.


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The toe of Puel's left shoe beat the floor. His hands were clasped together - each policing the other. Marlowe watched and waited for him to uncoil.
'He was a real good boy, real talented. Came to work for me six months ago. Soon as he arrived, I knew something was up - say, you got a drink?' Marlowe had anticipated the question. Five seconds later, Puel was necking Bourbon like it was going out of fashion. But when would Bourbon go out of fashion? Same day as gambling, whoring and a guy tearing hell out of his buddy over a broad.
'This kid had it all. The hacks called him the new Zidane for Christ's sake. Aulas - that's the boss - laid out twenty-five million for him. Gave him the fattest contract I ever saw - I mean crazy money.'
'So what happened?'
'What happened? Nothing happened. The boss wanted fireworks and he got a fifty cent lighter. The kid's lost it, his confidence, everything - and Aulas blames me.' The kilowatts of nervous energy had travelled from Puel's feet to his hands, which clung desperately to his skull. Marlowe wondered when Puel's hair had begun to fall out. Six months previous, he figured.
'What exactly do you want me to do, Mr Puel?'
Puel bit down on his bottom lip and slowly shook his head. Marlowe counted as the second hand of his watch marched past five, ten, fifteen... He had met a thousand guys like Puel. Pawns in someone else's chess game: Puel could go forward or back or maybe diagonally if he got lucky - at the expense of another lousy pawn.
'I want you to find out what's eating the kid. I want Aulas off my back.' Now desperate didn't come close.
'I'll help you, Mr Puel. I'll need all the information you have on the kid. First, his name.'
'Yoann Gourcuff.'


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Launched in 2007, the Malkin Lecture Series presents scholars and experts on topics relating to the Park Avenue Armory and its pivotal role in the civic, cultural, and aesthetic evolution of New York City in the 19th and early 20th centuries. For our 10th anniversary year, we focus on American icons of the arts, politics, and sports who were personally connected with the 7th Regiment and who helped define New York and America in the 20th century.
Edith Wharton and France at War: The Great Generalissima
Tuesday, November 28
Casey Stengel: Baseball's Greatest Character
Thursday, September 28
Henry James: The Houses of the Fiction
Thursday, October 5
Eleanor Roosevelt: The War Years and After
Wednesday, November 15
All lectures take place in the Armory's newly restored Veterans Room.
Photo by James Ewing
Other ways to buy:
Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (212) 933-5812 Monday–Friday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM. The Box Office is open for walk-up sales only on days of performances and during the open hours of visual art installations. On performance days, Will Call opens one hour prior to the performance.
Be the first to know about ticket sales and Armory Events by joining our Mailing List.
2017 Season Sponsors:


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Round four of the 2019 North Eastern Baseball Association has been completed. Keep reading for the highlights from the Orange and Black matches. But first a junior recap. The juniors once again showed up in force this week to take on Benalla. After a rainy training on Thursday night the junior Rangers were keen as … Continue reading Round 4 Results
Round 2 Results
Two Pitchers Team Up As Wangaratta Rangers Black Shuts Out Wodonga Warriors White Wangaratta Rangers Black defeated Wodonga Warriors White 11-0 on Sunday as two pitchers combined to throw a shutout. Owen Godenzi induced a groundout from Mark Cory to finish off the game. Scott Jenkins led Rangers Black to victory by driving in four … Continue reading Round 2 Results
Juniors look to return to the diamonds of the North East
. The North Eastern Baseball Association are looking to run an under 14s competition this coming winter season. The competition is proposed to be run during term 2 of the school year which is from 28th of April till the 7th of July from 12:15pm-1:45pm each weekend The Wangaratta Rangers are looking for any players interested … Continue reading Juniors look to return to the diamonds of the North East
Ranger news November 26th
Hello all you Ranger supporters out there. This is just a quick post to keep you all informed in what is going down at the Ranch in Wangaratta. After a committee meeting last week President Nathan Pool would like to let you all know about a few things which is going on at the club … Continue reading Ranger news November 26th
Ranger Ramblings March 25
It has been a busy few weeks down at Wangaratta with the club getting prepared for the new season. Here is just a short recap of what is going on down at Targoora Park. T-BALL END OF SEASON. WED 28TH MAR 6PM. Last session for this season. Will run from 6-7pm as usual. The aim … Continue reading Ranger Ramblings March 25
Ranger Ramblings March 5th
The season is fast approaching and the Wangaratta Baseball club are continuing to look for new players for the 2018 Winter season. Beginners, juniors male and female players are most welcome. At the moment training is on Wednesday nights following t-ball at 6pm. Numbers have been very solid for junior baseball and t-ball packs are … Continue reading Ranger Ramblings March 5th
Diamond Upgrade Stage 3 is this Sunday
ATTENTION ALL PLAYERS, MEMBERS AND ABLE BODIED SUPPORTERS!!! THE CLUB NEEDS YOUR HELP!! The club has decided to upgrade the infield on the main diamond with drainage, resurfacing and new turf, This comes at a considerable cost to the club. To offset the cost we need your help in supplying the labour. This is … Continue reading Diamond Upgrade Stage 3 is this Sunday


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Will cancer agency 2.0 bring more cures and less controversy?
Would-be grant recipients are eagerly waiting for the state's reborn cancer-fighting institute to get back to business, but the head of the agency says it will be mid-fall at the earliest before the award process resumes.
From codifying new rules to putting in place new staff and board leaders, the tumult-ridden agency given new life by the Legislature has much work ahead of it, said Wayne Roberts, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas' interim executive director.
"A lot of people are going to have to accept that at least while I'm here, we're going to move very slowly," said Roberts, a Capitol insider hired in December after executive director Bill Gimson resigned under fire. "We have quite a few procedural-administrative issues that need to be dealt with this summer. If we don't deal with them, it wouldn't be wise to start up the grant-awarding process."
Roberts on Wednesday was still waiting to learn when a moratorium imposed in December might be lifted. The moratorium followed disclosures that two huge grants - a $20 million award to the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and an $11 million award to a new Dallas biotech firm - didn't follow proper procedures. A state audit in January found problems with a third large grant.
More Information
Reforms on the way
1 Look back: The bill overhauling the embattled cancer agency had to overcome a major hurdle. Read more at houstonchronicle.com/cprit
Roberts got good news Friday when Texas lawmakers passed a reform bill, tightening CPRIT's conflict of interest policies and revamping its leadership, that ensured the agency would receive nearly $600 million in the coming biennium.
Still, key questions remain. Foremost among them is who will lead the agency.
The Legislature removed the agency's entire 11-member governing board, known as the oversight committee. Two members, Attorney General Greg Abbott and Comptroller Susan Combs, are off for good. But the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker must appoint three members each, including one person with a public health or oncology background, to the new, nine-member board.
The political leadership can either reappoint the current oversight committee members or choose new ones.
Most critical decision
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst faces the most critical decision. He appointed the chairman, James Mansour, and vice chairman, Dr. Joseph Bailes, both of whom were involved in the much-maligned CPRIT Foundation. This offshoot agency supplemented the salaries of cancer agency officials while taking donations from foundations affiliated with institutions that benefited from CPRIT funds.
Dewhurst also appointed Houston biotech investor Charles Tate, who appears to have played a key role in steering the controversial grant to M.D. Anderson.
Travis Considine, a spokesman for Dewhurst, declined to say whether Mansour, Bailes and Tate would be reappointed.
Reconstituting the board is the first of many steps that must be taken before grants can resume, Roberts said. New CPRIT rules must be published in the Texas Register. And the honorarium amount the agency will pay its reviewers must be established before new scientific review teams can be assembled.
Alfred Gilman resigned as the agency's chief scientific officer last year to protest the lack of scientific oversight of the M.D. Anderson grant. Five months later, 54 members of the panels he assembled followed.
Funding priorities
Margaret Kripke, the chief scientific officer selected to succeed Gilman, said she hasn't begun recruiting reviewers because of the many questions about CPRIT's future.
Kripke said she has a couple of candidates in mind and also will explore bringing back some of those who resigned. She said she hopes to have the review committees in place before fall.
Another key question is the agency's funding priorities.
By law the cancer agency devotes 10 percent of its funds to prevention efforts. Under Gilman's direction the majority of the remainder of the money went into basic research to identify new approaches to treating cancer.
He and others have noted that it wasn't research grants that got the cancer agency into trouble, but rather grants to "commercialize" this research.
Nevertheless, the state's leadership, including Gov. Rick Perry, have made it clear that they expect more money to be spent on drug development and moving promising medicines from research labs into the clinic.
Kripke said CPRIT's research mix could use "a bit of rebalancing." She said she's interested in a little more emphasis on translation and clinical research and a little less on basic science. She wants to see additional emphasis on prevention research.
Roberts said he expects more emphasis on product development from the new oversight committee.
"CPRIT is not just research," he said. "It's not just prevention. It has to get new products into the doctor's offices to treat cancer patients."
Some researchers say they are not opposed to research on commercialization or product development, but they don't want to see the cancer agency turned into a vehicle for economic development.
"I don't think that's what the people voted for," said Dr. Kent Osborne, director of the Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine. "I think they want better care for cancer patients, more research and, hopefully, ending up with better treatment and prevention of the disease."
Restoring trust
All of that hinges on CPRIT operating properly - not just when it resumes awarding grants, but throughout its existence, said Roberts.
"I think we've come a long way to restoring trust," said Roberts. "We're not completely there yet. We may never be. Trust isn't something you say you regained, put in the drawer and move on. We're going to have to make sure it's in evidence in everything the agency does."


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When I first glanced at ABC News blogger Jake Tapper's post this morning calling on his readers to count the number of young, white women in the latest McCain ad — because, you know, showing Obama with young, white women is RAAAAACIST — I thought it was a clever parody of nutroots racial paranoia.
But no, it seems he was perfectly serious. And his unhinged commenters took the warped ball and ran with it:
McCain's campaign is so blatantly racist it isn't funny. They obviously are employing Spike Lee's theory of fear of the big black johnson.
Glad to see you catching on, Jake. Of course they'd feature white girls as a code for "black man wants your white daughter." This is not rocket science, it's subliminal messaging 101.
When McCain chose (he is responsible for any actions of his staff) Paris and Britney as two celebrities in the "Celebrities" ad when Oprah and Tiger are the two most well-known people in the U.S. while Paris and Britney are approach has-been status, you know it's because comparing Obama with two amazingly talented black persons doesn't convey the message intended. With Paris and Britney, "sex with white women" is the message. With Oprah and Tiger the message would be "Jeez, black people are brilliant." Not the message McCain particularly wants to convey.
We are talking about dog whistles and coded racial messages. It's blatant and it's real.
McCain campaign trying to get their money's worth of all those focus groups on how racially biased they could go w/ their ads.
The ad was pulled, but not because of the Leftist grievance-mongering. As Allahpundit notes, incompetent or oblivious boobs in the McCain campaign infringed copyright by including a clip of Wayne's World in the ad.
But back to the subject at hand: If Tapper wants to play racial bean-counting games and make insinuations of bigotry based on them, let's turn the tables.
How many black on-air reporters and marquee bloggers and "senior national correspondents" does ABC News have covering the presidential campaign?
Searching…high…and low…can you find them?
And what does that say about the attitude of ABC News towards black reporters? Huh?
I infer that ABC News believes black reporters are not as capable as white reporters!
I infer that ABC News is subliminally instructing its audience to distrust non-white journalists!
I infer that ABC News management does not believe that black faces are as attractive as white faces!
I infer that ABC News hates diversity!
ABC: All Bigots Cleared!


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Movies intended for young girls usually centre on fancy clothes, fairy tale love and unrealistic portraits of life. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl focuses on none of those things.
This is the first feature-length film based on the popular American Girl series of books and dolls. Kit (Abigail Breslin) is a nine-year-old aspiring reporter in Depression-era Cincinnati. Her idyllic life is shattered when her father (Chris O'Donnell) loses the car dealership and must leave the city to find work.
In the meantime, to stave off the bank collectors, Kit and her mom (Julia Ormond) take in borders. Their houseguests include a travelling magician (Stanley Tucci), a vivacious dance instructor (Jane Krakowski), a madcap mobile librarian (Joan Cusack), as well as Kit's classmate Sterling (Zach Mills) and his mother (Glenne Headly). Unable to turn away strays, they also allow two young hobos, Will (Max Thieriot) and Countee (Willow Smith), to do odd jobs in exchange for food.
All of a sudden, a rash of robberies sweep the neighbourhood and one of Kit's new friends are accused of the crimes. With the help of Sterling and her best friend Ruthie (Madison Davenport), Kit puts her investigative skills to the test of solving the mystery and proving her friend's innocence.
Breslin is wonderful as the bright and inquisitive Kit. Having first captured moviegoers' hearts in Little Miss Sunshine, here she achieves just the right balance of sweet and aggressive that her ambition and convictions require. Although she treads the line of know-it-all, which bright-eyed children tend to do, she never crosses over to annoying.
The adults in the film, particularly Cusack, turn themselves over to the story's charm. O'Donnell sports some grays and a very natural fatherly concern, while Ormond genuinely appears to be just trying to roll with the punches. And Tucci is quite the believable professional illusionist. But Cusack is fantastic as the zany librarian, staying just under the threshold of too over-the-top (even though it often looks like she has to use the ladies room). Most of the adults are eventually reduced to bumbling caricatures but nothing less could be expected of a film aimed at kids.
The filmmakers do an excellent job recreating 1934; the costumes and interiors are particularly convincing. Director Patricia Rozema is an Ontario-native and the woman behind 1999's Mansfield Park. Once again, she proves she is very comfortable adapting a period piece and obtaining great performances from actors of all ages and experience.
It's refreshing to see a film for young girls that places less value on material possessions and impossible notions of romance and focuses on the importance of friends, family and making the best of life's hardships. With the wide-range of characters and sub-plots, it's a film the whole family can enjoy.
But be prepared – if your child has not yet discovered American Girl, she will want to after seeing this film.


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What is the first word that comes to mind when you hear the word, 'creative'? Do you, like many people, think of a person who spends hours slinging paint on canvas or sewing stories on elaborate quilts? Maybe a singer, like Celine Dion comes to mind, and you, like me think, Wow, she is so whimsical.
"…being a Creative goes beyond, but certainly encompasses, the creative passions of the visional, musical, and written arts, but it does not exclude other forms of creativity."
The most important question to ask here, is do you picture yourself when you hear the word creative? If not, let this be the day that this changes.
What does it even mean to be creative anyway? First, let's define what it means to create.
- … God created the heaven and the earth.
- —Genesis 1:1 (King James Version)
2a : to invest with a new form, office, or rank
- She was created a lieutenant.
b : to produce or bring about by a course of action or behavior
- Her arrival created a terrible fuss.
- create new jobs
4a : to produce through imaginative skill
- create a painting
b : design
- creates dresses
1: to make or bring into existence something new
- an artist who is good at imitating but not at creating
2: to set up a scoring opportunity in basketball
- create off the dribble
- the creative impulse
- a creative genius
2: having the quality of something created rather than imitated: imaginative
- the creative arts
- creative writing
When we look at the definition of both words, we find that being a creating, being a Creative goes beyond, but certainly encompasses, the creative passions of the visional, musical, and written arts, but it does not exclude other forms of creativity.
To be a Creative is to embrace and act in the ability to bring forth something fresh and new. Doing so with your authentic and original 'voice' and 'vision' is what makes it truly creative.
"We are His workmanship, His poetry in motion, and we are called to be creative with the same passion and imagination that is within Him."
The impulse to 'make' something, whatever that something is, be it a new app or a new meal or a new plan for scheduling your workday for better work-life balance and margin is creativity at its finest expression.
We know that our Heavenly Father and Savior, is the Ultimate Creator. He began His creative expression by the His Word and then allowed His Word to paint His thoughts into tangible reality.
He then sculpted, with His very hands, man from clay and then knit him together with the breath of life (PSALM 139:1-18), breathing into him His very own Creative DNA.
You and I are made in the very image of God (GENESIS 1:27). We are His workmanship, His poetry in motion, and we are called to be creative with the same passion and imagination that is within Him (EPHESIANS 2:10).
When we, be us men or women, get up every day and put our hands to do the divine work that Christ Jesus has commissioned us to do, we are walking in His call and in our creative identities.
If you are teaching from school, or from home as a stay-at-home parent, you are a Creative. If you are working in a bank, you are a Creative. If you are blogging, you are a Creative. If you are using your mind and your imagination to create, improve or maintain something to the glory and honor of God, you are a Creative!
Creatives in Action is a new initiative through ICFTS, to celebrate those who have stepped out in faith to create in the way Christ Jesus has called and purposed them to.
Creatives in Action is not about showcasing those who have 'made it,' but rather looking into the lives of those who have harkened to the call within them to do. No matter the phase in the creative process, we want to share these journies, these stories, and truths, with you to bless and encourage you to step out in Christ-centered faith, courage, and confidence and create to His glory! For we overcome by our testimonies (REVELATION 12:11)
Coming in October of 2018, ICFTS will begin highlighting a new Creative in Action. Stay tuned and be blessed by the stories of others. And if you have a Creative that you think should be highlighted, please forward us an email with the subject as "Creative in Action."
"We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle." ~Marilyn Monroe
~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!
Definition Citation: "Creative." Merriam-Webster.com. 2018. https://www.merriam-webster.com (8 September 2018).


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Easter is such a wonderful day to spend time with family! I hope that everyone will take the time to cherish those moments with the ones you love and care for the most. Whether the spouse is home or deployed take a moment to drink in the memories and make these times together extra special! HAPPY EASTER! Hugs!
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What do you think?
They were super easy ... quick hole punch in the card, feed the pipe cleaner through the back (see below), cut out red hearts out of card stock, add the wiggly eyes, a nose, and smile, then glue the face onto the card! Last, wrap the "hand" around the sucker!
|Used a little peace of tape on the end of the sucker so it wouldn't be as "floppy"
|The best smile I could get ... she was being extra silly this morning!
Sophia helped on the first few, but then it got a little boring she said! Ha!! She loved putting on the wiggly eyes!!
I was able to snap a few more pictures over the past few days!
|She loves practicing her letters. "S" is her favorite letter! I wonder why!
|My sweet boy with Daddy's favorite shirt! Already have him in baby camping gear! Ha!
|Yes, she really has Christmas Mickey socks on. The girl lives in those things! Some things aren't worth the fight!
Have a wonderful weekend!!


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- Jules Verne -
I'd taken this pic a few days ago, when I still had Synchronicity
You had a great life, Pandy ... and a peaceful passing. We know you're now up in pet heaven frisking around with all of the other pets that have been in our family.
Cindy (golden labrador retriever) - my first ever pet, my birthday gift for my 1st birthday
Gobberlina (cat)
Mehitabel (cat)
Tuptim (cat)
Tarzan (dog)
Zola (dog)
Kizzy (dog)
Kiku (dog)
Sheba (dog)
Martina (dog)
Patch (dog)
Tarka (dog)
Misty (dog)
Daisy (dog)
Bijoux (no longer with us ... but hopefully still alive and well in a home that loves her)
I think that's it. Hope I havent missed anyone.


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Just a quick note to wish you all good luck on your final exams. Thank you for your support of the site and my YouTube channel. The viewership is growing tremendously! I'm looking forward to creating new content for you. In the works: dissection pictures and videos!
-Dr. Lotz
Please Follow, Like, and Share 🙂


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How Custom Magnets Can be used to Promote Emergency Health Care Units
Brand recall can be crucial for business entities like critical and trauma care units to grow their business. The unpredictable nature of this business coupled with the tough competitions make it important for these businesses to stay connected with their target audience 24 x 7.
The fact that nobody can predict when they will fall sick and might need your services will make the promotional efforts tougher for healthcare business marketers. Most businesses plan their marketing campaigns depending on their peak seasons or based on prediction factors and get immediate results. But critical care units may have to wait for many months for their brand promotional efforts to generate results.
To beat the challenges and the volatility of this segment, marketers might need something that will never fail to deliver. This is where promotional magnets come to the bigger picture.
Custom magnets generate responses even after the campaign has ended as these enjoy a long shelf life and will remain in front of your recipients' eyes for a very long time. The lowest cost per impressions of magnets is another trump card of logo magnets. The low cost factor of these magnets for the health care industry will make it a great item for mass promotions like mailer campaigns or tradeshows.
Magnets ensure an impressive brand recall at a fraction of the cost of conventional marketing. Guess why? A magnet will literally keep your brand alive over a refrigerator door to be seen by your recipients for over 50 times a day on an average. Well, that will add up to a staggering 20,000 times a year! Whenever your recipients need an emergency medical care they know where to look for aid. The best part is that they have this useful information right at the end of their arms for their friends or families in distress and in need of medical help.
It is quite natural that people under distress often get panicky and the confused thought- processes will make it difficult for them to remember the medical care details. These magnets that become a handy hold up for all their reminders and shopping lists will make an integral part of their home and will serve as a friend in need every time they need to find a critical care service provider.
While brochures and flyers get filed away, end up as bin-liners or forgotten all about in a few weeks time, magnets remain right in front of your audience. This is what makes custom magnets a true winner. So, when you are dealing with emergency services, how can you take your brand promotions lightly? Browse our exhaustive collection of healthcare magnets and pick up items that will surely make your brand stick in the memory of your recipients. Available in various shapes that people immediately relate to health care industry these logo magnets will keep your brand in the pink of its health.


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An 88-year-old woman died and the 90-year-old driver of the car they were in was critically injured in a two-car crash Sunday morning near the Thompson line, Connecticut State Police said.
Marta Saulenas, a resident of the Sisters of Immaculate Conception, a senior housing complex at 341 Thompson Hill Road in Thompson, died in the accident, which occurred just before 8 a.m.
Ms. Saulenas was a passenger in a Toyota Camry driven by Ona Skardis, who also lives in the complex.
Ms. Skardis� car was headed from Thompson into Putnam on Route 21 when she lost control on the snowy road, state police said. The car spun into the northbound lane.
An oncoming Chrysler minivan driven by Edward Donovan, 48, of Dayville, struck the passenger side of the Camry.
Ms. Saulenas was pronounced dead at the scene, state police said. Ms. Skardis and Mr. Donovan were taken to Day Kimball Hospital, where Mr. Donovan was treated and released.
Ms. Skardis was transferred to UMass Memorial Medical Center � University Campus in Worcester. Police are investigating the accident. All three were wearing seatbelts, state police said.


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So I go to a fancy fucking dogpark, okay? It's right under the Hollywood sign and the view and the dogs are pretty awesome.
It's not "really" a dog park but everyone that lives nearby uses it as one. My puppy has made friends with all (or most) of the regular dogs and recently I shot some of his more famous fury friends.
These are super photoshopped on purpose, so if you're not into overly photoshopped photos then you probably won't like these.
The lesson I learned here: My camera has more settings than I am yet used to. My D3S ISO can go up to 1600 which helps a ton in low light situations. I was trying to shoot in Aperture mode only (like Josh said) but all of my pictures were coming out blurry and kind of dark. I was alerted to the fact that if I shot on Manual and set the Aperture wide open with a fast speed and high ISO I would be able to capture moving dogs and retain some of the rich color of sunset. I had forgotten all about the ISO settings.
I still photoshopped the shit out of the color but the original pics were pretty good. Shot with a D3S using a 28-300 Nikkor lens.


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Huawei Technologies is the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world and they are rising up the ranks in the smartphone industry with 75 million sales in 2014, now betwixt with a few companies striving to take third place after Apple and Samsung.
Now Huawei want a slice of the wearables pie as they just revealed their new Android Wear smartwatch at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona 2-5 March.
It's a good time to enter the smartwatch game, now that other companies have tested out the market in terms of what consumers want in a smartwatch, and what sells, and one thing we do know is that round-faced smartwatches are popular. Plus, with the tweaking of Android Wear since its release and the latest update just being announced, it seems Huawei have timed their project pretty well.
It's not Huawei's first wearable, their first effort was an activity tracker called the Huawei TalkBand B1 which tracks steps and sleep, but also works as a Bluetooth earpiece for phone calls. With such stiff competition in the fitness tracker market, the Huawei TalkBand B1 didn't take off at full speed, but have Huawei stepped up the mark with their new smartwatch?
So far it seems that the answer is yes, the watch, aptly named the Huawei Watch, won't be available to buy for a while but early reviews from the Barcelona MWC are putting the Huawei Watch on the right track.
First of all the AMOLED touchscreen display is 1.4-inch 400×400 (286 PPI) which makes it the highest resolution Android Wear Smartwatch to date, compare that to the forthcoming LG Watch Urbane which has a 1.3-inch 320×320 (245 PPI) display.
There is normally a 'But'! This time it's the fact that bigger screen means more battery drain, and the Huawei watch only has a 300 mAh battery, whereas the LG Urbane has 410 mAh, go figure! It's also worth noting that the Huawei Watch display goes full circle unlike the Moto 360 which has a slice taken out of the bottom.
What's under the hood of the Huawei Watch fits the standard of the current generation of smartwatches, a Qualcomm APQ8026 1.2GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB storage.
The Huawei Watch is equipped with a 6-axis motion sensor Gyroscope + Accelerometer for sports and activity tracking. It also has a Barometer just in case you want some instant meteorological readings. According to Huawei, the watch is smart enough to distinguish between different sports and activities.
Heart rate monitoring is a must for wrist bound wearables in 2015. On the rear of the Huawei Watch there's an optical heart rate sensor to give you constant BPM tracking with alert features. There is also a vibration feature and the necessary built-in microphone.
There is little doubt that the watch has a high quality build. It's housed in scratch-resistant stainless steel with colour options for black, silver or gold. The display is protected with Sapphire crystal, so the watch is scratch proof on all sides. There will also be different leather and stainless steel straps available, and at least 40 watch faces to download.
The Huawei Watch is very kind to the eye, possibly the kindest of all! With the upcoming release of the Apple Watch, smartwatch makers need to exert premium effort to turn people's attention towards their product and away from the Apple.
The watch will hopefully be available to buy mid 2015. As far as the price goes, there's not too much word, but suggestions say 'it ain't gonna be like the budgie! (cheap)
• Huawei Watch
Check The Latest Deals on Amazon USA
Check The Latest Deals on Amazon UK CAN DEU


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Old Dutch has been a long time supporter of the Minnesota Twins. Next time you are out at Target Field make sure to stop by and grab a combo with Old Dutch Chips! Old Dutch Foods, The "Official Potato & Tortilla Chips" of the Minnesota Twins & Target Field!


text: July 2, 2012 by cuencatechlife Reminds Me Of New York City Last Thursday George Evans of The California Kitchen Restaurant gave me some of their Smoked Salmon to sample. The taste reminded me of my Brooklyn, NY roots. This is a must have dish at The CK. Share this:TwitterFacebookMoreEmailLike this:Like Loading... Related


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Three generations in the jewelry business are working together.
By Julie Baumkel
Jeff, Gary and David Wachler grew up in the jewelry business. While each of them represents a different generation of jewelers, this grandfather-son-grandson trio has created a potent "secret to success," harnessing the strengths of each generation in their downtown Birmingham jewelry store, the Wachler Estate Collection.
Jeff, 88, devotes his years of experience to evaluating the estate pieces for which Wachler Estate Collection is known. Gary, 60, couples his laid-back people skills with those of his business partner and wife, Susan, to connect with customers, friends and community. And, David, 23, augments his family's strong suits with his global social media connections, youthful energy and growing business expertise.
Some say it is simply a match made in heaven.
"I am a jewelry person," says Max Broock Realtor Edee Franklin, 68, of Huntington Woods and a regular customer of the Wachler Estate Collection. "For example, right now I am wearing four necklaces and an anklet I purchased from them. They also have gorgeous antique jewelry. After my 94-year-old grandmother died, I took one of her pieces to Wachler. My sister-in-law kept the diamond and made a necklace and Wachler helped me find a gorgeous stone to put in the ring so that we both had a nice piece that reminded us of her."
Franklin can't say enough good things about the store and its owners.
"I have purchased jewelry from many places, but I have sent so many people there. I get so many compliments on their jewelry," Franklin says.
Moreover, "I have complete confidence that anyone I send there will be treated like family. Whether it's getting a fair price for estate pieces, having new pieces made or just choosing from their gorgeous selection, they do it all. And they really support their customers, their fellow business owners and their community."
It is a reputation that Jeff Wachler and family earned over time.
Jeff, his father and his brother started in business in Downtown Detroit making jewelry for jewelry stores. He was 9 when he began helping in the family business. That business was sold when his father and his brother returned home from World War II. By 1950, the business relocated to Southfield and began selling jewelry direct to customers.
Jeff soon married his lovely wife and they had four sons, Link, Andrew, Gary and Glenn. The business later moved to Birmingham, employing immediate and extended family members. Jeff retired for a short while and enjoyed time with his wife, children and their spouses, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
He became a widower three years ago, around the time his son, Gary, and his wife, Susan, were laying the groundwork for the Wachler Estate Collection.
It seemed time to go back to work.
"I am happy to work and I feel good enough to work, so I do," Jeff says. He typically spends around 24 hours a week appraising jewelry for the store at 162 N. Old Woodward.
"I really grew up around the jewelry business," David says. "I've always had a passion for it. However, I think my youthful vision sees opportunities where my grandfather and parents might not. That works two ways also. They see things I might not."
David found he had a knack for selling jewelry — especially signed pieces and fine new and vintage watches including Rolex, Patek Phillippe and Vacheron.
"It's what I like to wear," he says. He found he also enjoyed educating his generation, the millennials, about the value that certain pieces of jewelry retain over time.
David, who was instrumental in creating the business's social media presence globally, now does a larger and larger part of the family's business online — often with clientele he has befriended through sales and acquisitions of one-of-a-kind pieces but whom he has never met in person. Facebook and Instagram are two strong sources of new business.
"We now have clients in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Abu Dhabi, Israel and all over the United States," he says. "I also educate my customers that buying estate jewelry is a great way to save."
Gary says, "I am always surprised at how well we all work together." He and Susan have been partners in life and business for 31 years. "This business we created just seems to have a formula that works for it. We want everyone to be happy in the transaction. We always make sure everyone is treated the way we want to be treated."
Susan says a vitally important part of their business is giving back to those less fortunate.
"Gary and his mom started a charity to comfort sick children with stuffed bears through
ComfortBearsforKids.org, and we've provided hundreds of bears to children in local hospitals," she says. "Our ultimate goal is to create a Wachler Foundation to do charitable work within the larger community." NS
Wachler Estate Collection
162 N. Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham
(248) 540-4500, www.wachlerestate.com.


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Our City's parks and recreational areas are valuable community assets – provided by Council for the community. What we've been seeing lately is a rise in the number of residents reporting the unauthorised use of parks and recreational areas by groups and personal trainers. We have a system where we take bookings (and receive fees) for use of the recreational areas, with priority given to local community and sporting groups. Council encourages our local kids and families to use our parks, but what we do object to is the use of our community paid for facilities by groups who don't bother to make a booking or pay what is a reasonable fee. Our rangers are always out and about and if they receive a report of, or see, unauthorised use of our community's facilities they will step in.
Mar 18, 2011
Unauthorised use of our parks
Posted by Ron Hoenig MP at 10:07 PM
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Aletheia Ida
Assistant Professor
Aletheia Ida, PhD is an architect, designer, educator, and philosopher developing interdisciplinary design theory for robust frameworks to inform applied research in emergent environmental building technologies. She teaches courses in Design Studio, Research Methods, Environmentally Adaptive Systems, Emerging Materials, and Building Enclosures as well as Independent Research and Thesis advising. Aletheia earned her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon (1998), post-professional Master of Architecture in Design and Energy Conservation from the University of Arizona (2005), and Doctorate in Architectural Sciences from the Center for Architecture, Science and Ecology (CASE) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2014). With over twelve years of experience in professional architecture practice and fluency with building performance analytics, she develops contextual applications for solar, water, and metabolic systems through parallel explorations of socio-environmental criteria, material inventions, and innovative digital and physical design methods. Her expertise in building energy analysis includes dynamic systems modeling with multi-scalar analysis methods using custom programming with Optics, Window, and EnergyPlus simulation platforms linked to spatiotemporal architectural visualizations in Rhino-Grasshopper and Processing. She also incorporates energy analysis methodology with customized life-cycle-analysis (LCA) tools in the building technology design process. Her research is published in the Association for Computer Aided Design In Architecture (ACADIA), World Sustainable Built Environment (WSBE), International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), Materials Research Society (MRS) Programmable Matter, Metropolis "Source Materials," Building Technology Educator's Society (BTES), and the American Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). http://www.aletheiaida.design/