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Writer: Moira Buffini
Director: Peter Scott
Reviewer:Jaclyn Martin
Everyone thinks their families are normal, relatively speaking. Sometimes the only way to see things clearly is to see it through the eyes of someone else. The arrival of a doctor into the lives of the Blavatsky family shake up the world they have always known; A world contained entirely in a small, sparsely decorated flat at the top of a tower, with only each other for company, looking down on the rest of humanity – 'the crushed'.
The small intimate space is perfect for the fly-on-the-wall intrusion into this private family's life. The set consists simply of a large white structure with doorways interspersed between bookshelves. The action occurs in the living area, which starts off with empty shelves and a flat devoid of furniture, bar a small old-fashioned TV in the corner, but slowly gains more objects as the world outside begins to leak in.
The characters that inhabit this space are complex and well-rounded but certainly not well-adjusted. Household patriarch and former architect, Hector Blavatsky, played by Tony Leader, has been blind for a few years but claims to see angels. There are frequent insinuations of him believing himself to be the embodiment of God.
The brother, Roland (Tom Hurley) is vernacularly verbose, obsessive and frenetic and spends his days working on his 'Theory of the Universe'. Sister, Ingrid (Hannah Lloyd) is a nurturing type who cares for their ailing father and lovingly tends a rooftop garden – a caged free-spirit with a fear of being free.
At first glance, it seems that eldest sister Audrey, played by Emma MacNab, may be the "normal" one, unscathed by her strange living conditions – she leaves the flat and has a job. As the play progresses she is revealed as manipulative and controlling and likes keeping the others contained and dependent – her father's daughter.
The nature of their circumstances means all characters are difficult to relate to – even the logical, pragmatic but overly stuffy, "cardboard cut-out" personality of Doctor Dunn (Dean Rehman). We can at least understand their motives through the skilful acting of the cast. They have clearly invested a lot of time in getting to know their characters and portray them with insight and truth to the writing.
With a dark and serious concept, such as this, there is a danger of the material becoming incredibly heavy. This isn't the case for 'Blavatsky's Tower', there is a lightness to this production that doesn't detract from the mood, instead enhances it. The humour dances with the darkness creating comedic moments that remain inherently uncomfortable. This mixture works perfectly for the tone of the show.
A small space, containing big issues – this play will have you peeking through the proverbial keyhole, drawn into the strange and unusual behaviour of these characters, desperate to know more about their story.
Runs until 12 May 2016 | Image:Kirsten Mcternan


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Hi, and welcome! This is the last Travel Photo Thursday before Christmas, and our 156th episode. I can't believe it. The year has absolutely flown. This time tomorrow I will be putting the finishing touches on the suitcase. In the afternoon I'll be heading to the airport and a late evening flight to Bangkok. Because of what is going on in Bangkok right now I have opted to head directly to Chiang Mai. I'll be in the airport for a few hours before my 7:00am on Saturday morning. This is when I appreciate my Priority Pass lounge card! Anyone who follows Travel Photo Thursday know that I spend a lot of time in Chiang Mai. I never tire of the city, and looking forward to experiencing my favorite things over the next two months. Here's a few things I'll be doing…
To join in the Travel Photo Thursday fun simply post a photo on your blog.
Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post.
Please post a link to a post featuring a travel photo, not simply a link to your blog.
The Twitter hash tag for Travel Photo Thursday is #TPThursday.
As a courtesy please post a link to Budget Travelers Sandbox.
The food!
I can't wait to tuck into the best Pad Thai in all of Chiang Mai!
Som Tom Salad is another favorite. My tongue is itching with the thought of those hot chilies!
My favorite salad maker…
Those beautiful chiles…
The Temples…Chiang Mai has over 300!
And of course…the awesome Chiang Mai cats!!
Not to be left out…the beautiful people of Chiang Mai…
Wherever you spend this holiday season, let it be filled with love, laughter and kindness…MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
This is the 156th edition of Travel Photo Thursday. You can browse the archives here.
You can follow BTS on FACEBOOK.
- Flavors of Thailand: My Favorite Top 5 Dishes - December 22, 2018
- AirBnB Moncton: A Fabulous Find - November 27, 2018
- NordVpn Review: The Ultimate VPN for Travelers - November 13, 2018

subset: commoncrawl


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We recently settled a claim for significant value against the Sunday Life Newspaper in relation a Defamation Action taken on behalf of a client wrongfully identified as being involved in a murder.
Proceedings were robustly defended but ultimately the matter was settled on favourable terms and a full apology was given to the Plaintiff. In complementing McIvor Farrell the Plaintiff said
"I felt (your) staff, throughout the whole process, dealt with my case professionally and efficiently at all times"
and went on
"From the very first introduction meeting to the conclusion I believe that I was given excellent and clear advice. I also felt supported and that I had someone on my side throughout this difficult time and throughout the negotiations to reach final settlement"
We were delighted to have been of assistance in this difficult and emotionally demanding case. If you feel that you may have been defamed please contact our litigation experts without delay.


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Minot State University makes top 25 in four-year college rankings
Published: Jun. 13, 2017 at 1:37 PM CDT
Minot State University has been named one of the best four-year colleges of 2017, according to the website Schools.com.
The website ranked more than 1,600 schools across the country, and looked at affordability, flexibility, and other factors.
Minot State ranked 23 out of the top 25. The website credited MSU for its intimate class settings, opportunities for Canadian students, and online bachelor's degree programs.
Utah State University in Logan, Utah, garnered the top spot.
You can find the full list here: www.schools.com/research/best-schools-of-2017


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Employer Profile
Medical Communications Group
Pointe-Claire, QC Canada
MCG is a company specializing in healthcare marketing, communications and logistics management. Since its inception in 1985, MCG has developed a reputation as a company that innovates, executes and delivers. MCG provides a multitude of business opportunities for pharmaceutical manufacturers, physicians, pharmacists and patients through a variety of innovative services. MCG's role in Canada's pharmaceutical industry is clearly defined in the company's signature:
The following jobs are available:
No jobs found for this employer.


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Larry Brigden on Rome's current support for the Critical Text and the United Bible Societies:
"Whenever in the past Rome could not 'altogether prevent the Holy Scriptures from being translated and circulated, she has made no scruple of falsifying the text'.[2] Hence, the use of the corrupt Critical Text by the United Bible Societies is consistent with Rome's purposes, and she will consequently lend support to such a work. On the other hand, if the Received Text were to be used, Rome would doubtless take a different view."
[2] T.H. Horne and W.E. Painter, Popery, the Enemy and Falsifier of the Scripture (London, England: William Edward Painter, 1844), p. 4.
Bridgen backs up this latter statement with the fact that Rome has never published any Bible translated from the Masoretic and Received texts.
Source: Trinitarian Bible Society, Quarterly Record Issue Number: 620 – July to September 2017, 186th Annual Report for the year ending 31 December 2016, pages 41-42.


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Here is a very simple activity , in which young learners just read the sentences , then match them with the pictures as they are starting to learn the present continuous tense
Upload date: 2018-01-09 06:56:02


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Apparently my tent is not as structurally sound as it should be. The rains came and a lake formed in my tent. had to relocate all my stuff to the hall of the high school. Nice.
Guess it's time to retire hubby's old tent… In retrospect, I should have brought my other one. It's bigger and newer.


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Cocktails from around the world ...
Part of New Holland's Retro series, this book is filled with our all time favourite cocktails, including punches, shots, martinis, margaritas together with tips on how to mix the perfect cocktail. There is also a section on understanding how to create fun and interesting cocktails.
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Argyle Commercial services all regions across Australia from their head office in NSW. We guarantee fast delivery times, exceptional service and quick quotes.
We are committed to providing our customers with exceptional service at all times! To send us your feedback or make an enquiry, please fill out our contact form below.
NSW Office and Warehouse: 2 Gulson Street (Cnr Copford Road), Goulburn NSW 2580
WA Warehouse: 189 Campbell Street, Belmont WA 6104
Ph: 1800 006 099
Fax: 02 4821 0037
Email: email@example.com


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A special homemade treat for my buddy's 7th birthday!
For the Pupcakes:
- 1/2cupwhole wheat flour(can substitute other if wheat sensitive)
- 1teaspoonbaking powder
- 1/3cupvegetable oil
- 1/3cupunsweetened applesauce
- 1egg
- 2tablespoonshoney
For the Frosting:
- 3tablespoonsGreek yogurt
- 1.5tablespoonscreamy peanut butter
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 6 wells of a standard muffin tin with paper liners, or spray with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add the vegetable oil, applesauce, egg and honey, and whisk gently to combine. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. All the pupcakes to cool completely before frosting and serving.
- 3. To make the frosting, stir together the yogurt and peanut butter, then spread on top of each pupcake before serving. The pupcakes can be kept for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.


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Dundee boss Jim McIntyre will have to rejig his signing plans for this transfer window after Andrew Davies suffered a broken foot.
Davies, who only signed up on an 18-month deal last week, was stretchered off during a bounce game against St Johnstone on Saturday.
The 34-year-old defender underwent a scan yesterday afternoon which has confirmed a metatarsal injury that will keep him out of action for up to 10 weeks.
This will force a rethink when it comes to further signing targets this month.
With Andy Boyle's loan spell from Preston North End being brought to a premature end and Darren O'Dea facing a two-game suspension that will take in next week's top flight clashes with Hearts and Motherwell, it means Dundee have just two fit first-team centre backs – Genseric Kusunga and Ryan Inniss.
And having targeted midfield and the wide areas as his signing priorities for the rest of the window, Jim may have to instead move for another central defender.
Another option may be to recall 20-year-old Kerr Waddell from his loan at Morton, though it's not clear if that is possible and, having already played in the Scottish Cup for the Greenock men, he would not be available for this weekend's Dens Park tie against Queen of the South.
Although Premiership survival remains by far the top priority, Jim has stressed that he wants a run in the cup as well.
"The first game is the cup game and we want to go into the next round," he said. "It's important to the club and it's always good to try and get some sort of cup run. It's good for the revenue so we are fixed on getting a positive result."
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NORRIS and his brother CHUCK were found roaming a little village in the mountains of Cyprus.Our colleague tried to catch them for two days and finally managed to take them under our wings.
They are growing and gaining more confidence from day to day. NORRIS is still a bit more timid than his brother. They are both very good with other dogs – males and females. They are playful.
NORRIS and his brother CHUCK are ready to travel anytime. They will be given through Pointer-Freunde e.V. with an adoption package incl. passport, chip, vacc, rabies, de-flea, de-worming.
The shoulder height is appr. 55 cm at the moment.
Regarding the adoption fee incl. travel costs please contact us.


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Erieau is likely best known for it's incredible beach, sunsets and sunrises, no matter what the season. It's a great place to bring the family and enjoy the playground and waters of Lake Erie. Whether taking a dip or fishing, Erieau will not disappoint in allowing you to bring home adventurous stories.
Anglers can cast a line behind the Fire Hall and couples can capture unforgettable sunset pictures on the pier. In July, prized fish are caught in the Great Erie Salmon & Walleye Hunt while year round, anglers of all levels can enjoy fresh water fishing in Lake Erie out of Erieau.
For dinner, fresh perch awaits you at Molly & OJs or you can grab a craft beer and a casual lunch at Bayside Brewing Co. Erieau has a unique charm that will keep you coming back year after year. You can stay locally at the Erie-O Motel & Marina and find all of your supplies like the Erieau Marina.
Annually, car enthusiasts will enjoy the Boulevard of Dreams Car Show in June while art enthusiasts and those looking for a special treasure will enjoy Art on the Boulevard in August.
Whether on the way in or out, be sure to make a stop at Pardo's Berrie Farm, and pick your own berries for dessert or linger at Greatview Orchards and pick some veggies for a delicious salad. Delhaven Orchards will surely delight as well with seasonal offerings of apples and peaches and a wide variety of locally grown fruits.


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Before starting his junior year at Centre College, Alex Grove '20 (Louisville, Kentucky) spent his summer interning at Molto Properties, an industrial real estate development firm based in Chicago with nation-wide holdings.
"I attended lease negotiations, environmental mitigation meetings, construction progress meetings, punch list walks and even investment committee meetings," Grove said. "I got to prepare initial drafts of a letter of intent, pro forma underwriting, loan financing requests, and figures and charts for investment committee memos."
Throughout the internship, Grove also wrote published press releases, developed a new website for the company, created an eight-page company information brochure and a standardized template for all of their listings using specialized branding accents.
"One of my primary responsibilities was coordinating the transition to a new property management company by providing information and necessary documents on Molto's holdings," he explained. "I performed research for potential acquisitions primarily for potential intermodal transportation projects and created a construction cost estimator that used historical data to provide average costs based on location and square footage."
In addition, Grove attended various professional and networking events for developers, and he secured a sponsor to fund a successful intern networking event that he organized. He also negotiated a cost decrease on a forced relocation issue, worked on a contract to provide internet to one of their distribution centers and executed a professional photography contract.
As an economics and finance and politics double major and an international studies minor, a majority of Grove's past experience has been in the legal and political field, while this internship expanded his horizons to the financial and business-like atmosphere.
"This job was very different from my previous positions at a medical malpractice firm, a city councilwoman's office and at the cloakroom of the U.S. Senate; however, industrial development requires a lot of knowledge about legal contracts, navigating tax abatements and personal relationships that I had some related experiences with in past jobs," he said.
"Additionally, I found that a lot of my experiences with writing in my classes at Centre assisted with writing press releases and other tasks I had to perform. My experience in Professor Rogers accounting class helped me be able to effectively prepare some of the financial documents I was responsible for drafting, as well."
Grove said this internship was a very important opportunity for him, providing "an incredibly potent and enthralling dose of real world experiences."
"For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a lawyer, and while I still want to go to law school, this position helped me realize how much you can do with a law degree and that you don't have to be limited to an office for your entire life," he added. "A lot of things that I liked about law, like oral arguments in court, the personal interaction with the client and high level of intellectual engagement, all translated seamlessly in the industrial real estate world and opened my eyes to a whole new potential career path."
by Kerry Steinhofer
September 26, 2018


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I've been reading this book recommended by Fred about the history of writing implements. It's really cool.
What other books would you recommend for a neophyte interested in pen history?
Of particular interest is the development of the pen industry in America, and history of major brands like Parker, Sheaffer, Wahl, Esterbrook, etc.
Are there other published sources of fountain pen history, like magazines or blogs, that would be good to look at?


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Turquoise Distressed Metal Knob
Add a personal touch to doors, cabinet doors, dresser doors and more with this Turquoise Distressed Metal Knob. This small knob is perfect for adding rustic chic and style to your space. Simply screw it onto your drawer, and enjoy your colorful, new digs!
- Full Length: 2 1/4"
- Width: 1 1/4"
- Projection (Distance Decor Will Extend From Surface): 1"
- Screw Length: 1 1/4"
Item not available in Hobby Lobby Stores.
Check your local store for availability.
Send me an email when it's back in stock.
Check your local store for availability.
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Injured GR deer helped
A deer with a drooping, broken antler, that was visibly distressed was helped by a local agency.
A couple weeks ago, Green River resident Stan Blake was going into his backyard when he saw an injured buck.
"I knew the deer was in distress," Blake said.
The buck was laying down and I could see its antler was broken.
Blake called Green River Animal Control and officer Kim Wilkens responded to the call. It only took her a couple of minutes to decide she needed to call the Wyoming Game and Fish.
Patrick Burke, Game and Fish wildlife biologist, and Game and Fish employees Justin Dodd and Rob...
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Helping Your Business Evolve, Grow, Transform
Microsoft Office Training.
To provide the greatest value, most innovative business solutions and to be the service provider of choice for businesses in the Greater Western Sydney region.
A project spanning over 2 years, starting with the migration of all existing applications to Office 2010. Using the power of Microsoft Office in conjunction with Microsoft SQL server and Oracle data warehousing, the RPBC team then set about automating more than a dozen processes for the National Accounting Group and other teams within Boral.
With ageing IT infrastructure the AHSA decided to go to the cloud and take advantage of the latest technology on offer and negate to need to invest in new on premise infrastructure. RPBC was called in to sort it out.
The upgrade project included upgrading to Windows 10 and Office 365, Migrate the Member database to SQL server hosted in the cloud (Microsoft Azure), Develop an eCommerce site to manage membership renewal, Custom Applications including Document Emailler and the Show App used to run the National Championships.
The National Near Miss Register is a custom application built on Microsoft Access using VBA. The application was deployed nationally to track any near miss incidents across the country, critical for managing the companies WHS obligations.
The National Near Miss Register enables Downer to proactively managing WHS by identifying incidents along with the root cause, then implementing measures to ensure incidents don't occur again.
Unit 9/40 Bowman Street, Richmond, New South Wales
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Tel: 0408 608 901
For any general inquiries


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The student struggle for affordable housing
Rent on the rise, bidding wars and a growing demand for property.
Still having thoughts about moving out?
Darlen Poce did everything she was told to do in order to become successful. She went to school, graduated from Humber College in human resource management and she landed a new job at Scotiabank as an employee lifecycle administrator.
But after all she has accomplished, the 22-year-old graduate is still having difficulty with finding a suitable place to move out on her own.
"Honestly, it's been a little difficult," Poce said. "I started looking since the beginning of summer, like right after I graduated. I've just been kind of looking everywhere, hoping to find something as soon as possible."
Poce scrolled through the Kijiji posts with no luck. Struggling to find something affordable and functional, Poce clicked on dozens of condo, apartment, and basement apartment listings in her search for her first place.
"It's been tough, price point wise. It's been very tough because I don't know who can afford like, $2,000 a month in rent as a student or as a part-time worker," Poce said. "That's for like, a bachelor basement apartment and you have like, one fridge, one stove and that's it."
Average rent prices in the GTA recorded in second quarter reports by TREB.
Living close to the lake in Mississauga, Poce has to commute five days a week to her job based in North York. Finding a place somewhere in the middle is what she said is most ideal.
"I was looking kind of like, GTA area but more so Mississauga, Etobicoke [or] Brampton, something that's like, still close to my parents," Poce said.
But when it comes to deciding between a location and the price, Poce said it is all about the money.
"I have thought about raising my budget," Poce said. "It's doable but not with the job I have now. Definitely not. I would be living paycheque to paycheque, there wouldn't be any point."
So, why is Poce having trouble finding a place of her own?
Lily Tran, a real estate agent at Century 21, said that it is becoming harder for people to purchase a house or condo.
"There's a lot of factors," Tran said. "Because a lot of people do not have a lot for a downpayment, plus the government sends out different rules for people to purchase and with the interest rate going up, people cannot afford to buy the property anymore. Then they have no choice but to rent."
Like the prices of everything else this year, something that was once attainable is now out of range for many.
On Oct. 18, the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) released its third quarter (Q3) report on the condo rental market. TREB concluded that the average rent for a one-bedroom condo is $2,163, up by 9.5 per cent compared to Q3 2017. A two-bedroom condo in Toronto has also risen in price by 8.3 per cent this year, putting average rent prices at $2,822.
TREB Q3 report.
"This year especially, the prices now are really high, then the rentals are very high in demand," Tran said. "So it is very difficult for the people that have a small budget."
This cannot be good news for students and young adults working their part-time jobs or making their starting salaries. Poce calls it "insane."
"You want to live in a condo downtown Toronto, you're paying a ridiculous amount of money," said Poce.
"And then you think that like, I'm going to move outside of the city because Toronto's where it's really expensive, then you go outside of the city," she continued. "Where am I supposed to move? Am I supposed to move to St. Catharines and live over there and drive to Toronto?"
Tran said St. Catharines is actually among one of the best places to go when looking for affordable rentals.
"Toronto is the most expensive, whether it is for purchase or rental," Tran said. "Mississauga, lately in the past few years, the prices have gone up also."
Bryan Sperandei has been a Mississauga landlord for the past three years and said that these more "active" cities attract the most demand.
"I've noticed this year there seems to be more demand," Sperandei said.
"Even three years ago when we first got these places…there was a lot of demand, but it seems to have skyrocketed this past year. Now, if I'm putting up a posting or an ad, it's literally a matter of hours before I'm getting lots of responses pouring in," he said. "I can [post a listing] within a week of when I want it rented and it seems to work out."
Sperandei has rented out both of his properties this year and says the bidding wars were nothing like he had ever seen before.
"Usually, I expect some bargaining to get the place for a little bit less, instead this was the opposite," he said.
With the increasing demand and relentless competition, it is easy for students and millennials to get lost in the mix of it all. So, what can be done to make an application stand out?
Tran said there are five things to think of when applying for a tenancy:
- First of all, you need a good credit score. Have a copy ready to submit along with your application.
- Then you need to have a full-time job. An employment letter or pay stubs show that you are maintaining steady hours and making money in order to pay your rent. Bonus: reference letters are good for proof of your character.
- Having a lump some of money in your account shows that you are able to pay on time. Tran's advice is to have at least six months worth of rent in your bank account.
- Get a guarantor. This can be a parent, family member or close friend, someone who will co-sign your lease to guarantee all that is listed in the lease agreement.
- Bump up the asking price. But only if your budget is flexible.
Unfortunately, Tran said that although a student's rental application may seem appealing, there is still a hesitation to rent out to young people.
"Landlords do not feel safe because maybe they're thinking the student is not mature enough," she said. "They worry about damaged property, plus [students] don't have job security for the payments."
Tran said that students or those who have just graduated should look into different types of living spaces like renting someone's basement or a room in their house and to stay away from downtown.
Sperandei, on the other hand, does not care whether his applicants are students or raising a family.
"To be honest, it also comes down to just a personal vibe I get from the person," he said. "You're going to be dealing with these people in the future, so you just want someone who you can get along with."
For more information about rent prices in Ontario, try the map below.


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Rob Anderson appointed as BDM by Oprema
Oprema has appointed Rob Anderson as Business Development Manager.
Rob has over 25 years' experience in the security industry in both distribution and manufacturing, having previously worked for both Norbain and Panasonic. His experience spans from a Branch Manager in Bristol the early 90's to managing a remote sales team of nine across the security disciplines. More recently Rob has concentrated on project led business tailoring security solutions at end user and consultant level.
Rob now brings his wealth of account management experience to Oprema, where he will be responsible for building and fostering client relationships throughout Wales and the South West.
Commenting on his appointment, Rob said "Oprema's growth has been phenomenal over the last few years and I would like to think I could add to this successful formula. I have been very impressed with the operation with the focus clearly set around the customer."
Gareth Williams, Sales Director at Oprema added: "I am delighted to welcome Rob to the Oprema family. Rob brings a wealth of knowledge and experience within sales and management from both distribution and manufacturing. This invaluable experience from both sides will greatly benefit us as we continue our focus. He joins at an exciting time for Oprema and will become a vital part of our team and continued growth."


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Sergei Vinogradskii and the Cycle of Life
From the Thermodynamics of Life to Ecological Microbiology, 1850-1950
- Citations
- 4.9k Downloads
Part of the Archimedes book series (ARIM, volume 34)
Part of the Archimedes book series (ARIM, volume 34)
This is one of those biographies that provide a window onto the broader understanding of science in its social and cultural context. Using Sergei Nikolaevich Vinogradskii's career and scientific research trajectory as a point of entry, this book illustrates the manner in which microbiologists, chemists, botanists, and plant physiologists inscribed the concept of a "cycle of life" into their investigations. Their research transformed a longstanding notion into the fundamental approaches and concepts that underlay the new ecological disciplines that emerged in the 1920s. The book presents a reconstruction of significant episodes of Vinogradskii's laboratory practices and the role of theory in their development. It paints the broader picture of the history of ecology, microbiology and soil science and how these are uniquely united: through the concept of the cycle of life.


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Whether you consider yourself a novice or expert poet, all are welcome to Lourde's Poetry Jam, themed "Our Roots Run Deep," encouraging locals to bring poems related to their personal heritage or the diversity of American culture. Each reader will have 3-5 minutes to share their work and participate in the slam competition. If you are more of a reader than a writer, you may choose to bring a poem written by others, however this work will not be included in the slam competition. 5:30-7:30pm. Thursday, February 8.
Ebeid Student Center. 6832 Convent Boulevard, Sylvania
419-517-8413 | lourdes.edu | Free


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Introduction: Arduino Magic Clock
What if a clock could tell you more than just the time? In this Instructable we are going to make a clock that, with just a glance, can tell someone where you are and just to spice things up the temperature of your surroundings. Alright, grab your Arduino and lets get started :)
Things you will need for this Instructable:
- Arduino
- Breadboard
- Wires
- Wood (Balsa or even cardboard)
- Servo
- Temperature Sensor
- Resistors
- Hot Glue
- Glitter
- Paper
Step 1: Prototyping Clock Design
Begin your design by writing down the places you are most likely to be during the day. These will be the first few positions on the clock, then add in a few fun ones to make your clock unique. I added "Mortal Danger" and "Lost" to my clock. Now, think of 5 words to describe temperature, from super cold to super hot. I used "freezing", "chilly", "just right", "warm" and "swelter".
Next, I went about designing my prototype in Illustrator. If you would like to use my template please feel free to download the attached file. I cut out the paper prototype with an Xacto knife and traced the outside circle onto a piece of wood. My clock will have a diameter of about 12 inches. If your printer cannot handle the whole clock face in one go, just tape two halves of the picture together and mark your hole positions.
Step 2: Cut Paint Clock Face
Use an X-acto or saw to cut the outside profile of your clock and a 3/4" drill bit to cut out the holes. I then used painters tape to section of the top half and spray painted it blue. Once it was dry I reversed the tape line and spray painted the bottom half silver. While everything is drying use your X-acto knife to cut out the position locations for your clock.
Step 3: Decorate Clock Face
Now that our positions have been cut out, flip them over, rub on some glue, center them onto the face of the clock and press them down.
I may have gotten a bit to fancy at this part, but I thought "you know what would make this clock more magical.....glitter!" So I ran beads of glue around the edges of the clock positions and then sprinkled copious amounts of glitter on top. Once you shake it off it will leave a nice shimmery border around your lettering.
Step 4: Adding Servo Motor
I needed to adjust the hole size in the center of the clock to accommodate the servo, a drill and file makes short work of this process. Next, hot glue in the servo motor. Its very important to keep the servo at 90 degrees to the front face so your clock mechanism will not scrape on the clock face. I held the servo in the proper position until the glue dried.
Step 5: LED Extensions
We are going to need to extend the legs of the LED so they can easily plug into our breadboard. To do this we are going to twist the wires together and then electrically connect them with solder. Begin by stripping both ends of the wires with the universal stripper. Next twist the wires together to form a strong mechanical lock, you should be able to lightly tug on the wires without them coming apart. Don't hesitate to use pliers to help get a couple more twists. Then use your iron and solder the wires together.
Step 6: Add LED's to Clock
With all the LED's soldered lets add them to the back clock. I bent the leads at the base of the LED's 90 degrees and using the hot glue gun secured them in the center of the five temperature cutouts.
Step 7: Wiring Up LED's Part 1
Using double stick tape I fastened down the Arduino and breadboard onto the back of the clock. To begin wiring up the LED's I put all of the ground wires (green wires) into the negative column of the breadboard. Then I plugged in all of the power wires in order into the breadboard.
Step 8: Wiring Up LED's Part 2
Now add another wire from all the positive LED's leads to the Arduino. I used pins 4 through 8 for this, but you can of course use any pins you wish.
Step 9: Wiring Servo Motor
Begin by plugging in the servo power wire into the 5V pin on the Arduino. Then plug in black wire to GND and the signal cable (your might be white or orange depending on your servo) into a pin with PWM capability, I used pin 3. Once you have your servo plugged in and your LED's plugged in add a wire form the Arduino GND to the ground rail being used by all the LED's.
Step 10: Adding Temperature Sensor
This temperature sensor works by changing voltage depending on the temperature in the room, very similar to the way the light sensor would change voltage based on how much light was in the room. To wire up the temperature sensor begin by placing a wire from the middle leg, which is signal, to the A0 pin. In my circuit the signal wire is orange.
Then you are going to want to add power and ground to the sensor. This will require a slight modification to the servo motor circuit. Instead of plugging in the servo power directly into the 5V pin on the Arduino, run a wire from 5V power to the breadboard and then plug both the temperature sensor and the servo into the same row. If your circuit looks similar to the one below you're on the right track.
Step 11: Attach Clock Hand
Now that all of the circuitry for this project is done lets flip over the clock and work on the face. To make the clock hand I started by trimming down a clock hand off an old clock I found. Wear your safety glasses while doing this just incase :) Next grab your hot glue gun and put a thin bead of glue on the servo motor attachment, and then quickly attach the clock hand.
Step 12: Coding Part 1
We begin our coding with a standard but slightly larger initialization of the 5 LED's, Servo, and temperature sensor. Additionally, we create place holder variables for the servo clock position and the temperature variable which I am calling initialTemp. Notice that this is labeled as a float and contains a number with a decimal point, this will give us more resolution on temperature measurements
#include Servo myservo; int clockPos = 0; int tempSensorPin = A0; const float initialTemp= 20.0; int tempLED1 = 4; int tempLED2 = 5; int tempLED3 = 6; int tempLED4 = 7; int tempLED5 = 8;
Besides a lot of setting up pinModes we will need to attach the servo we connected to the Arduino to its software include library. I've attached the servo to pin three so using the function myservo.attach(3) will let the Arduino know which pin should be PWM.
void setup(){ Serial.begin(9600); myservo.attach(3);
Step 13: Coding Part 2
To make controlling the clock hand easier we are going to program the Arduino to label the possible positions on the clock (ex: work, traveling etc.) with numbers from 0 to 6. Using the Serial.parseInt() command makes short work of understanding the numbers we are sending to the Arduino. To trigger the actual motion of the hand we check to see if the enter key has been hit, remember the invisible "\n" that gets sent, we are now going to check the end of our message and if its found we will write a new position to the servo.
if (Serial.available()>0){ int clockPos = Serial.parseInt(); if (Serial.read() == '\n'){ myservo.write(clockPos*25+((clockPos+1)*3)); delay(200); } }
The math I used to get the clock position angles down took a lot of tweaking but it comes down to multiplying the number we entered (clockPos) by 25 and then figuring out the proper offset to get the arrow pointed close to the center of the position logo on the clock face. For me I added one and then multiplied by three to get a good looking offset. Lets run through the math with some real numbers to show you how this works.
Servo Position Math
Using my clock positions lets assume I want so show that I am "Traveling". This would be represented by the number 2, where 1 was "Mortal Danger" and 0 was "Work".
So our clockPos = 2 therefore:
Servo Angle = (2*25)+((2+1)*3)
Servo Angle = 59 degrees
To the Arduino once it solves the math the servo write line looks like this now, which is exactly that we want.
Step 14: Coding Part 3
In the next code block we are going to head back into the main loop and analog read the temperature sensor, a short delay ensures that the value has time to settle. Then to convert the voltage being read into temperature we divide the number we are getting from the ADC by the maximum value of 1024 and multiply by 5V. This gives us the temperature sensor value in volts. To get it into degrees we subtract by .5 and then multiply that whole thing by 100. Whew! That was complicated but we are almost done.
int tempVal = analogRead(tempSensorPin); delay(10); float temp = (((tempVal/1024.0)*5)-.5)*100 ; Serial.println(temp);
To finish off coding the temperature sensors we are going to create a switch case for each LED light using a lot of the same code and functions we used before. The one addition we are going to make is mapping the temperature in the room to a number from 0 to 4. This will allow us to easily use the switch case to control the LED's.
int switchcase = map(temp, 12, 28, 0, 4); Serial.println(switchcase);
Step 15: Upload Code & Test
Phew! That was by far the most challenging code we have written so far. Now lets upload it and test out our clock.
Step 16: Enjoy Your New Clock!
YOU DID IT!!!! Hang your clock proudly in a place everyone can see. Not only did you finish an awesome project but you learned so much.
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11 Discussions
I don't understand - what drives the "location" hand? Do you just send numbers to the clock remotely? I'd think there was a way to integrate this with Waze or Google Maps on your phone, but that's above my pay grade :P
Also if it does can it show more than 1 person i would like to show 3
Does it actually show you your location
Love the way this Instructable looks
nice idea and well done!
Note: Some AVR CPU's have a temp sensor built into the chip - so you can save the external sensor ... http://playground.arduino.cc/Main/InternalTemperat...
very cool
very cool
This is super cool! It reminds me of the Weasleys' clock in Harry Potter!
Is there a way you could maybe make this with more needles (pointy thingeys)?
Thats what I was going for :) I imagine there is a way to do it with more pointy things if you were to have different shafts inside of each other that could rotate independedntly.
Might be able to salvage those from a clock kit or (often cheaper) a cheap clock.
Hmm cool! I want to try this! :) Thanks so much!


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Shavonda Sisson, 2nd Year Ally in Milwaukee, was featured on FOX-6 News last night as they looked at how young people are turning to public service after graduation.
Shavonda Sisson, 2nd Year Ally in Milwaukee, was featured on FOX-6 News last night as they looked at how young people are turning to public service after graduation.
Here's Episode 5 in our series, which asks a variety of people to explain the value of Public Allies from their point of view. In this post Raj Shukla talks about risk-taking, community impact, and his efforts to change energy-use habits. He is the founder of a marketing firm called Brightbend and lives in Madison, Wisc. We interviewed him in March in Washington, D.C., where he took part in a gathering of Public Ally Alumni entrepreneurs.
(And yes, we know we are posting this series out of order, but unlike "Lost" you can watch any episode without losing the thread.)
Who he is: Program & Operations Manager at Public Allies New York, and a Milwaukee Ally 1999-2000.
Originally from: Born in Portland, Maine, grew up in LaCrosse, Wis., and moved to Milwaukee, Wis., right after high school.
Before joining the Public Allies staff: "I was running the youth program that I built when I as an Ally. I worked for Project Q – the LGBTQ Youth Drop-In Center at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center – for nine years. After that I worked as an Associate Director at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin in the Prevention Department. I left that position to come to Public Allies New York."
What's it like at your workplace right now? "Just like all of the other sites, we are gearing up for end-of-year events such as Team Service Project Wrap-Up, Presentations of Learning, and graduation. In addition, we have begun our recruitment process so we've started interviewing hundreds of candidates for next year's class and recruiting new and returning Partner Organizations. We are Read the rest of this entry »
Alums from Milwaukee and Chicago reflect on how their Program Managers helped them develop, and what qualities they had that helped make a successful experience.
Milwaukee Alum, Megan McGee, checks in to share how her Ally experience inspired her to start Ex Fabula, a storytelling performance collective.


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05 Jul Chunk Pasties Served at Wimbledon
Big thanks to our driver Pete who has safely delivered the first order of pasties to Wimbledon
on Monday. The Chunk hunks are incredibly proud to be supplying the official caterers of The Championships, Wimbledon again this year – making it our sixth year that we've been delivering our pasties and sausage roll to this great event.
If you're lucky enough to be going to watch any of this great event & the weather is looking likely to stay good – why not enjoy a picnic with a Pimm's and a Devon Pasty – and of course strawberries & cream!
Here is the list of Singles winners since 2012….I wonder if any of them enjoyed a Chunk pasty..?
Wimbledon Men's Singles Winners:
2017 – Roger Federer – winning the Gentlemen's Singles title for a record eighth time
2016 – Andy Murray
2015 – Novak Djokovic
2014 – Novak Djokovic
2013 – Andy Murray
2012 – Roger Federer
Wimbledon Women's Singles Winner
2012 – Serena Williams
2013 – Marion Bartoli
2014 – Petra Kvitová
2015 – Serena Williams
2016 – Serena Williams
2017 – Garbiñe Muguruza


text:
Samsung SCV-2080 Surveillance Camera
Samsung SCV-2080 Surveillance Camera
Canadian Orders Welcome!
· We ship to all Canadian provinces.
· Contact us if you have any questions.
International Orders Welcome!
· We ship to customers around the world every day.
· Many payment options available.
· Contact us if you have any questions.
Two types of installation (flush or surface mount)
Equipped with the high performance W-V DSP chipset, the SCV-2080 high resolution vandal dome camera provides a horizontal resolution of 600TV lines for exceptional imaging. With a low light level of 0.15Lux, it forms noise-free images even in the darkest conditions and the extra-sturdy aluminum chassis provides unparalleled durability. The built-in 3.6X varifocal lens (2.8 ~ 10 mm) provides an optimal monitoring range in any installation environment. This camera features enhanced user-friendly options including a multi-language OSD, coaxial control compatibility, SSDR and DIS.
SCV-2080 Options
Samsung SCV-2080 (SCV-2080R)
1/3 inch Super HAD Color, True D/N 2.8-10 Varifocal, IP66 Rated
|DiscontinuedNeed Assistance?
Samsung SCV-2080 (SCV-2080)
1/3" Super HAD Color CCD, TRUE D/N 2.8-10 MM VARIFOCAL LN
|DiscontinuedNeed Assistance?


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That's great! So happy for y'all! Enjoy the ride!2020 Order kit arrived today!
No, it was not me.Did you take your fox DPS car to radwood by chance?? I was there and saw a very cool one, just curious..
Not many Kansas SSP's out there!
Hey, look at my avatar. I'm still a kid! LOLEd you getting grumpy in your old age?


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A 20-year-old man from Melbourne's south-west has been arrested for allegedly trying to acquire a gun and carry out an attack on New Year's Eve. Victoria police detained the man on Monday (27 November) alleging that his plan was to "shoot as many people as he could".
Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton told reporters on Tuesday that the man was planning to shoot people around Federation Square in Melbourne's central business district (CBD) during New Year's Eve celebrations. However, he was arrested in Werribee, a Melbourne suburb, before he could lay his hands on any weapon.
Federation Square is a mixed-use development in Melbourne, which is the most popular spot in the city to celebrate New Year. In 2016, around 500,000 people were present at the place to ring in 2017, according to the BBC.
According to media reports, the young suspect is a Muslim and an Australian citizen born to Somalian parents. He was reportedly connected to other extremists and Victoria police said they were monitoring him since January as he had accessed documents produced by al-Qaeda, including a "guidebook" on how to commit a terrorist act and how to use firearms.
He has been described by Victoria police as one of their "high persons of interest" and is facing charges in relation to preparing to commit a terrorist attack and collecting documents to facilitate that attack. However, more charges are likely to follow once the interrogation is complete. One of the charges reportedly carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
"We were monitoring this person. He has been subject to our active investigation and at no stage did he access a firearm — albeit that was his intention," Patton told Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"This is a person who would become particularly energised, for a lack of a better word, when overseas events occurred and would express a great deal of interest in committing an attack himself."
Patton added that there was no ongoing threat for the upcoming Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations in the state.
The arrested man's home is still being searched by police while his place of work, where he worked part-time, was also raided. Patton said it was "very much an open question" whether his relatives were also involved in his plan and refuted the speculations that the arrest was linked to any previous operation.


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Blindspot Season 1
Country: USA
TV channel: NBC
Original release:
About TV show Blindspot Season 1
The new project by the NBC network is definitely going to become a worthy watch and attar lots of viewers to their screens at the primetime slot.
In the very center of this incredible story viewers can see a woman named Jane Doe, who was found in Times Square naked and without any memories about what has happened to her and her life in general. That is more, Jane's body is covered from head to toe with intricate colorful tattoos that bear some mysterious significance.
There is one very interesting tattoo on the woman's back that features the name of FBI agent. This discovery turns to be very important for FBI and they start following the road map of Doe's tattoos as each of them holds a clue to grave crimes. The events bring girl closer and closer to solving the enigma of her past and discovering her identity.
Are you into mysterious stories that bring numerous secrets and not so many reveals? Do you like intrigue being kept till the end of the movie only to present the most unexpected answer? Then you definitely won't miss watching the new mystery drama on the NBC. Blindspot got is release date set for September 21, 2015. Don't miss this incredible story stuffed with mysterious surprises.


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Modi, Jivanji Jamshedji
In: Asiatic Papers: Mostly Papers read before the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Bd. 3. The British India Press, Bombay 1927, pp. 215-224
PDF, English
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The paper is based on an article written at the time of the visit of India by the late Amir of Afghanistan in 1907.
|Document type:
|Book Section
|Secondary publication
|Date Deposited:
|31 October 2014
|Faculties / Institutes:
|Miscellaneous > Individual person
|General history of Asia Far East
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|History and Archaeology
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|Jivanji Jamshedji Modi / Works


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Bosduifklip open air restaurant is situated on a Sandveld farm 4 km outside the West Coast town of Lamberts Bay. Here, along the old winding road surrounded by ancient rock formations and huge concave cliffs, bride and bridegroom, best man and bridesmaid, mums and dads, grannies and kids, neighbors and friends, can linger undisturbed, relax and enjoy one of the most enjoyable and unforgettable weddings.
The restaurant is situated over the original blacksmith shop that was built in1870 as well as the stone sheep kraal. The undercover area is used during the colder months of the year and for lunches. Most of the wedding couples have the wedding ceremony in the undercover area. It just has a very special feel to it – standing next to the huge ancient rock saying your wedding vows – very special!
If you want a beach ceremony you can have the ceremony and photos at the beach and the reception at Bosduifklip. Whether you have the ceremony at the beach or at Bosduifklip with the reception at Bosduifklip, you will have the most wonderful West Coast wedding ever!
And the food … at Bosduifklip they serve seafood and authentic South African "boerekos" like Musselkebabs, home made pickled fish, waterblommetjie stew to the best Spitbraai lamb you have ever tasted! And then end it all with the softest "souskluitjies" (sweet dumplings in a cinnamon sauce).
For more information about having your wedding at Bosduifklip, see Bosduifklip Restaurant or contact Aletta Engelbrecht on telephone +27 (0)27 432-2735 or on her mobile +27 (0)84 703-8311.
Wedding Links:
Happy Wedding Planning!
Oh, and please "Like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we'll ♥ you so much if you do x


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Looking for startup teammates? Or, just want to know how the entrepreneurship ecosystem at Illinois can help you get started? Don't miss SocialFuse, recurring pitching, and networking event for you. Come to pitch your ideas, find teammates to scale your startup, or just sit back and check things out. Make your idea a reality at SocialFuse! Food provided. Learn more.
RSVP here.


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I've come to the conclusion that I lead a somewhat boring life. I've been living in the same city for 40 years, the same house for 37 years, and I've had the same husband for 46 years! My days are filled with everyday routines. There's the food shopping, house cleaning, carpooling, cooking and writing. Do I sometimes wish things could be different and that I could spice up my life? Sure, it would be exciting to sail around the world, live in an exotic country or act in a Broadway show. However, these things are not likely to happen. But what I can do is to spice up my writing by using adjectives .An adjective's job is to modify a noun or pronoun. Just be sure you don't overuse them!
Here are a few examples of some "spicy" adjectives:
Appearance adjectives: adorable, sparkling, unsightly, clean, drab
Condition adjectives: alive, shy, rich, odd, careful, musty, clever
Feelings adjectives: grumpy, panicky, helpless, itch, victorious, angry, calm
Shape adjectives: deep, curved, flat, skinny, chubby, low, narrow
Size adjectives: colossal, petite, teeny, mammoth, large, tiny
Sound adjectives: cooing, purring, thundering, noisy, faint, raspy, hissing
Adjectives may not spice up your life but they'll definitely spice up your writing!


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Be part of our community & join our international next generation forum now!
Guys and gals, If you knew this already disregard.
I had a major hot oil spill happen yesterday because one of my tri clamp seals on my elements degraded and failed. I used the ones the manufacturer gave me (NOT STILLDRAGON) and they were not right. I switched them out for the hard teflon ones. Luckily nobody was burned, and there was not a fire but it was my worst nightmare. It all happened right before a corporate event tour too.
Glad to hear it was a mess and not a disaster. Be safe.
Ours would have likely burned up too. The oil has the capacity to get so hot.
My personal feeling is that you should convert to the water. Heat up time will be really reduced and will be super easy to pull maintenance with respect to the "mess" factor. Also jacket temps will never exceed 250 F so you will not have melting as long as there is water in your reservoir.
StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America
I had distilled water at first but kept blowing elements. It dident matter how much water I put into it they would just blow. Checked power multiple times. I went through 8 elements in 5 months.
my personal comment is to ..... not use silicone gaskets in your application as above and I say it for the following reasons.
1 Rather use EPDM. I find that its supplied shore hardness is generally harder. This is the main reason. 2 I find that the silicone hardness (generally supplied) is far softer. 3 EPDM has great chemical resistance as does silicone 4 EPDM is good for elevated temperatures (not quite as high as silicone). My preference is to always use it for steam. Just note that it does require frequent changeout in this case.
So in your case I suspect that it was a poor quality supplied seal. When I buy my seals I only get German kieselmann seals or very reputable similar. Sorry but never Chinese or Indian. I have had too many failure cases and am dealing with another Chinese failed O-ring in another filter application.
Richard sometimes i wonder if you think things through. We are the StillDragon forum, all our equipment is supplied through China, including the gaskets and you come here and rubbish our equipment just because of the country it's made in?
Did you really think through what you were saying and the impression it would make?
StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand
No, it's not meant like that. You get some stuff ex China that's really good.
Let me expand. People, they see prices ex China by comparison to local or elsewhere and they are brilliant and you can not compete and they purchase based on that. Unfortunately the cheapness bites them in the butt down the line.
Case in point, I build really high end, smart and sophisticated kegging plant and compete on the international market. Like every other country there has been a boom in the micro brewery business where all to often a kegging plant is required. Unfortunately +80% of the time a Chinese kegging plant is purchased because of its cheapness. You look at such machine and you thump your head against the wall. Valves are installed back to front, the technical machine process design is flawed, the build is crap with super low quality, there is no machine safety considered etc. etc. To cap it all, the machines generally crash after one year and there is zero support not to mention zip guarantee.
So back to the seals, my supplier was importing Chinese seals as were many others. Repeated failures with poor quality corrected this and they now only import the correct ones.
So unless the importer really knows what they are importing with correct QA knowledge there can only be problems and this is the point more that I am making.
Yes SD are importing from China and no doubt they have their finger on the pulse as they ought have. Perfect.
In the post at the beginning .. Local Goat mentioned from another supplier. Surely a quality problem.
This would probably be a good location to use a high-end PTFE envelope gasket or a gasket with even higher temperature resistance. What is the temperature your oil is hitting? You may be out of the safe range of any standard elastomer gasket. If you are using a mineral oil based thermal transfer oil, it is likely only marginally compatible with silicone. This could be a big factor.
For example, Rubberfab Tuf-Steel Gaskets - probably the best option as they are tested for hot oil duty:
Or a higher-end Teflon/EPDM Envelope Gasket:
Even better would be a Teflon/FKM envelope gasket, a little bit harder to find but they will offer better temperature resistance than EPDM, but the Tuf-Steel is probably the best you are going to get.
These gaskets should be used only once. Once installed, and removed, they should be replaced and the old gasket relegated to hose duty. Yes, they are expensive, they cost nearly $10 for a single 2" gasket. However, realize why they cost that much, and how rarely you need to replace them. Cheap insurance if you ask me.
Another lesser known fact.
Replace the wing nut on your triclamp flanges with a washer/lockwasher, and a nut, and use a torque wrench. Over tightening a gasket can deform it, and when subjected to the heat, will really do a number. This isn't a joint that needs the convenience of a wing nut to open and close it 10x a day.
Respect the gasket manufacturers torque ratings. For example, those Tuf-Steel gaskets need to be torqued to 50 pounds, as do the hard teflon gaskets. Otherwise, 30 pounds is the top end before deformation. However, any good manufacturer will provide the recommended gasket torque. You may not be able to get to 50 pounds finger tight.
Or get some of these fancy things, fairly spendy compared to a nut and a torque wrench though.
This way, you'll only be cracking open the jacket and inspecting it once a year, if that.
I personally could not give a rats arse where the equipment came from. I like the equipment. Plus I am sure StillDragon do have their figure on the pulse and have no problem someone pointing out their view on deficiencies. Any impression it should make should only be seen as a point of consideration for possible improvement or show the need for more information on use.
Thanks @grim for both those posts as I had not seen those gaskets before though the nuts are a bit over the top
I am no expert in distilling but point to almost any manufactured item nowadays that isnt made in China. Very very few. What I like about SD and the gear is that you guys care about quality. I work in mining project construction and if you buy Chinese gear most of the time its not worth it but if you do you had better send a couple of people to the factory 24/7 or you will get shit quality. SD seem to very much care about quality and the products that I have bought from you guys really work.
Yeah you can get a decent torque wrench and a few nuts for less than the price of 1 of those fancy bits.
I'd never use these on hose connections, but if you are using hard-piping or semi-permanent process piping, why bother with a wing-nut? They are easy to kick, get caught on a hose, and all the sudden you have a loose connection.
Plus, they have a cute dog in the logo.
Thanks grim for the links. I replaced the silicone gaskets with PTFE. I now have a checklist before I start the still to check for loose connections due to worn gaskets. I'm up and running again and will be hitting 190 for the first time on my big still today. Yippi! I found that all the down units on my bubble plates were lined up perfectly with the drain on the one below it so it wouldn't allow water to rest on the plate. I adjusted and installed flow meters on my Dephlegs, and condenser. Its going to be a good day of Neutral. Im starting my first bourbon next week. 51%white corn, 34% Triticale, 15%Barley.


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Happiness is the Road... Part Deux
It's been great to have some time to work on the city boards for All Things Zombie. First job was to finish the road markings. Having all four boards together for this process enabled me to make sure all the tire marks were in the correct places, and allow me to add in the right turns. I must confess this initially did my head in as I had to get my brain around driving on the wrong side of the road! Thankfully the interweb helped me out with examples.
So I decided to be bold, grabbed a larger paint brush, and set to work painting in the darker shade and then blending and drybrushing my way back to the original base coat. Further drybrushed highlights on the kerbstones were needed to blend everything and cover a few over-enthusiastic brush strokes from the earlier stage. I also drybrushed some of the road highlight colour over the crossing sections to add more wear to them.


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ADOTAS — Most advertisers and marketers say with the economic downturn, ROI must become the primary focus for online advertising.
So I'm surprised that only 47 percent of marketers use analytics to measure the success of their online marketing investment. Is it because they're off not knowing? That they can use the usual metrics to entice advertisers while disregarding what doesn't work? I'm not sure.
Online marketing investment is predicted to increase for the 6th consecutive year as organizations begin to look to social networks as well as email, SEO and pay-per-click advertising, according to Alterian in its sixth Annual Marketing Survey. A quarter of those surveyed cite analyzing results as the hardest part of any campaign.
"With the current economic climate," said David Eldridge, CEO Alterian," it is refreshing to see results that show businesses investing in areas that can directly drive sales – essential in this market. What is less encouraging is the low number of marketers who use analytics to evaluate and refine their campaigns."
With responses from more than 1,500, a fifth are predicting a reduction in offline marketing investment, with 38 percent predicting it will actually increase. Online direct marketing is also set to see healthy growth this year, with 62 percent of organizations citing planned increases in budgets. Only one-fifth of respondents said their website was only 'basic' and not at the core of its marketing activity.
— Express your opinion, comment below.


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AS Tallinna Sadam invites all the stakeholders to join its investor conference webinar, introducing the results for the 2nd quarter of 2019. The webinar is scheduled for 14 August 2019 at 11.00 am EET and will be held in English.
The Chairman of the Management Board Valdo Kalm and Chief Financial Officer Marko Raid will be presenting the results and answering the questions. The questions will be answered after the presentation. Due to limited webinar time, we encourage participants to send their questions beforehand to e-mail: email@example.com .
Participating in the webinar:
To join the webinar, please register the latest by 14 August 2019 at 10.30 am EET via following link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2889630203974507267
When joining the webinar for the first time, you will be asked to download the plug-in which will take only a few seconds. In case plug-in can't be downloaded, a web browser which enables attending the webinar, opens automatically.
Registered participants will receive a reminder e-mail one hour prior to the webinar. The webinar will be recorded and available online for everyone at the company's webpage for investors: https://investor.ts.ee/en/ and on Nasdaq Baltic youtube.com account.
What is webinar?
Webinar is a virtual conference, during which company's representatives give information about the company and its performance. Webinar allows interactive communication and a possibility to ask questions and get answers directly from the board members of the Company.
Marju ZirelHead of Investor RelationsAS Tallinna email@example.com


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Choe Ryong-hae, a ranking North Korean party official, has visited a steel factory in North Korea's central and west province, Pyongyang's state media said Friday, marking his first on-site inspection in nearly three years, source from the Yonhap.
Choe, a vice chairman of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), visited the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex located in North Hwanghae Province to encourage workers and spur production, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
It marked his first inspection since March 2014 when he served as director of the military's general political bureau, which is currently assumed by Hwang Pyong-so, widely viewed as the No. 2 official in North Korea. They are both key aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The on-site survey has been conducted by ranking officials, including the premier, since 2011 as a way of checking situations in the economic sector.
North Korea's leader usually makes the on-site "field guidance" to military units and other key places, accompanied by his entourage.
The North's media previously reported on Choe's field surveys on more than 20 occasions for two years starting April 2012. Hwang has accompanied the country's leader on his on-site tours, but has not conducted field surveys as a top military official.
Kim Keun-sik, a professor at Kyungnam University, said that the resumption of Choe's on-site visits might indicate that he is effectively viewed as the second highest official in the North.
Choe was sent to a rural farm in November 2015 as punishment for his mishandling of a newly built hydroelectric power plant project, but was reinstated a few weeks later, according to Seoul's spy agency.
South Korea's unification ministry said that it is too premature to say that Choe may have regained the status of North Korea's No. 2 official.
"It is rare for Choe to carry out the on-site inspection, but it is too early to give weight to his activity," Jeong Joon-hee, ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.


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We just finished a study from the consumer side of volunteer travel/voluntourism in conjunction with GeckoGo and Bradt Guides – check it out!
Monthly Archives: April 2009
Lessons Learned: 'Competitors' Should be Partners
A great blog post by Daniela Papi – PEPY Executive Director
Lessons Learned: 'Competitors' Should be Partners
Those of you who have traveled with us in the past might know that for many years we have complained about the failure of libraries in rural Cambodian schools. "There are no librarians. Any training given has to do with maintaining books, not literacy education. Teachers never enter the libraries. Kids can't read and no one is teaching them. Libraries are locked so that no one steals any books." These are all complaints we have issued and heard echoed throughout rural Cambodia. So we complained and stamped our feet and vowed to make our library in Chanleas Dai different, but what good does that do for all of the rest of the libraries in Cambodia?
About a year ago I was reading a book called "Forces for Good." Have you read it? If you are working in development, looking to donate funds responsibly, or are interested in effective ways to effect change, read up. In the book it talks about how "great" NGOs work on the ground and they also work in advocacy for the issues they are working to change. Another common thread among the most successful NGOs was that they often partnered with their "competitors" or sometimes even their "enemies".
"Competitors?", you ask? "Isn't that a funny word to use in the NGO sector? Shouldn't you all be working together to make this world a better place?" You would think…..
but unfortunately "competition" and "proprietary information" and other barriers to successful information sharing are common terms even in development. One of our heroes who was trying to break that down and bring light to these issues was Mickey Sampson who we have featured in a previous post and we have learned from him that, only once we all work together can we reach our common goals.
So, one year ago, we decided to try to change things on a broader scale. We learned a lesson: that complaining isn't going to change things, but partnering and working through problems with long term goals in mind, rather than quick fixes, might. We approached Room to Read, an organization with over a million dollar per year budget in Cambodia alone, and said "Let's do this better." And they agreed. Their new Cambodian Country Director at the time had also gone out to do surveys of libraries in Cambodia and came to the same conclusions as us: libraries sit locked or unused, the training that does happen usually gets to the principal of the school who attends the training simply for the high per-diem he receives and does not pass on the information, and teachers never enter the libraries. Together we decided that we would work to find a way to do this better.
Our first step was to create a concept paper around "Classroom Libraries" with the idea of bringing the books into the classroom. At PEPY, our belief is that the key to change in libraries is bringing training to the teachers, not just to the librarian. If the TEACHERS know about the books and have ideas for how those books could be used in the classroom, then perhaps the library will get more use and will actually serve as a tool to further education as it can be integrated into their classes. A side product is that the teachers will be better trained for all of their classes and, with many teachers listing training as a top need after increased pay, we know there is a demand for this. In Cambodia, we are working with a generation of teachers who never had books in THEIR classrooms, so there is little understanding as to how to use books as learning tools.
With the support or Room to Read and additional outside funding from PEPY supporters such as the Hunter Advisors, we are installing classroom libraries in 10 schools in Siem Reap this month. We designed the classroom library unit to include shelving where students have access to books targeted at their grade level as well as levels below and above in order to challenge all students. These books should be available to students between classes and any time they are in the classroom without their teacher. The bottom portion of the shelf has a locked storage area which holds 20 copies each of a variety of titles chosen for each grade level. These books will all come with two lesson plan ideas per book and detailed instructions for the teacher as to how to integrate the lesson into their classroom. The PEPY team has reached out to educators all over Siem Reap to help create these lesson plans and ideas with the goal of creating templates which could be repeated with any number of books as the teacher gets used to the system.
The training, as I said, is what we believe will be the key to the success of this program. This is still the area we are working on and hope to complete the initial training phase for all schools by the third week of May. The final week of May we will have a training with the head of Room to Read's programs throughout Asia to discuss this concept and the methods we have used to structure this program. Our hope is that, if this model proves successful, it will be copied in areas across Cambodia and adapted to fit the needs of neighboring countries as well.
By getting the books into the classrooms and bringing much needed training to teachers who self-describe themselves as ill-prepared to teach reading, we will make a dent in what should be our real metrics of success: increasing literacy rates not number of libraries.
CNN Covers Voluntourism (Again!)
According to our survey results which will be released in the next couple weeks and the abundance of recent press – voluntourism is definitely on the rise!
Below the latest story from CNN. Question: Do you really feel there is an increase in boomers volunteering? I have heard a lot of you talk about expecting a surge but not many that have actually experienced it.
More Older Americans Signing on to Volunteer Abroad
(CNN) — When Autumn Preble was a teenager in the 1960s, she spent hours gazing at black-and-white LIFE magazine photographs that documented the journey of Peace Corps volunteers all over the world.
George Stouter, 67, is helping build mental health programs in Saint Kitts for his Peace Corps stint.
Preble, of Whidbey Island, Washington, wanted to join, but after college came marriage and a child.
Now at 58, with her son off to college, she has begun her two-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer working in the public health sector in Francistown, Botswana, where nearly one in four individuals are infected with HIV.
"I'm getting to experience what it's like to live in another culture, and that has a lot of value to me," Preble said from her simple two-bedroom bungalow in Botswana. Preble is known to natives in her community as Masego (Ma say ho), which means "many gifts." "This is the kind of travel that I'm interested in."
Forget the mapped-out cruises or packaged vacations to see the world. A growing number of Americans over 50 are dedicating time in their golden years to volunteering abroad. The decision is becoming more attractive with a sickly national economy sparking more layoffs and early retirement packages.
"The economic crisis is giving them an opportunity to take a break," said Vanessa Noel, an associate director in the nonprofit department of Alliance Abroad Group. The Austin, Texas-based company offers work, teaching and volunteer programs to students and graduates in the U.S. and abroad. Noel coordinates volunteer trips abroad that typically last between two and 12 weeks.
Inquiries from eager adults over 50 have flooded her office in recent months — so much so that she is creating new programs this summer to Costa Rica and Ecuador tailored to older volunteers that will last several weeks. "Life is short, and now they can seize the opportunities out there."
Applications for the Peace Corps from adults over 50 have spiked 44 percent in 2008 compared to 2007, driven largely by the weak economy and a campaign launched in 2007 to lure mature volunteers. All applicants to the Peace Corps — a federal program created in 1961 that puts Americans overseas in places of need — must pass background checks and a health test. Married couples are allowed to join together.
To read the full article visit:
Travelocity's Change Ambassador Grants Offer Volunteer Vacation Opportunities
Tasha Carvell, Director of Travelocity's Corporate Social Responsibility program, Travel for Good, was kind enough to submit the below blog post. The Travel for Good site is alive and well – what do you think of it's contribution to the field?–
Travelocity's Change Ambassador Grants Offer Volunteer Vacation Opportunities
When Travelocity returned to the black in 2004 after the bleak period after 9/11, the company breathed a collective sigh of relief. Rather than bask in the glory of profitability, however, a groundswell of employees joined in a united appeal to company leadership to funnel some of those earnings into a philanthropic effort. To their credit, and thanks to a couple of particularly committed members, the executive team was quick to concur and, in the spring of 2006, a committee which included employees from all levels of the company was formed to brainstorm and come up with a concept that would be the focus of Travelocity's corporate social responsibility program.
There was no shortage of ideas to come out of the working group, but everyone in the room quickly realized that the common denominator was a belief in the transformational power of travel, and the conviction that Travelocity had a role to play in promoting responsible tourism. That passion, combined with some internal polling which showed that many of Travelocity's customers were interested in giving back to the communities they visited while on vacation but were unsure how to go about it, led to the establishment of the Travel For Good program and its cornerstone, Change Ambassadors.
The idea of Change Ambassadors is to help bring the idea of volunteer vacations to a broader audience. Travelocity launched a microsite to help make it easy for its customers to find volunteer opportunities through partnerships with gold-standard voluntourism providers Cross-Cultural Solutions, Earthwatch, Globe Aware, the American Hiking Society, and Take Pride in America, all of which can be accessed at http://www.travelocity.com/travelforgood or from a permanent "voluntourism" link on the Travelocity home page. In addition, travelers wanting to hear about the experiences of other everyday folks who have taken a volunteer vacation can do so at http://www.travelocity.com/volunteerstories, a site dedicated to highlighting user-generated volunteer stories.
Although Travelocity's members for the most part can afford a volunteer expedition as an alternative to their traditional family vacation, Travelocity recognizes that there are also many people who could not afford to go on their own. Therefore, the company launched a second part of the Travel for Good initiative – Change Ambassador Grants. Travelocity awards two $5,000 grants per quarter to customers and one $5,000 grant per quarter to an employee to go on a volunteer vacation sponsored by any one of the Travel for Good partner organizations. Thanks to generous donations from partners like Marriott Hotels, Conde Nast, and MasterCard, additional grants have been added in past quarters. Forty grants have been awarded to date, and the number of quarterly applicants has grown by 200 percent year over year. Grant recipients have run the gamut of volunteer work along the way: building wheelchairs for landmine victims in Cambodia, doing trail maintenance on volcanoes in Hawaii, caring for orphans in Peru, and restoring mangrove ecosystems in Kenya.
Problems like climate change and needs like disaster relief demand something from each of us, and traveling responsibly doesn't just help the communities it touches, but also affords a deeper experience for the volunteer-a chance to see local cultures and address challenges from the inside, the opportunity to gain a fresh perspective, and to know the joy of sweat equity. Travelocity is proud to help its customers and all travelers navigate the voluntourism opportunity waters and take that transformational trip of a lifetime.
Tasha Carvell
Director, Travel for Good (Travelocity)
Tasha Carvell is the director of Travelocity's corporate social responsibility program, Travel for Good, overseeing its non-profit and corporate partnerships, grants program, employee-engagement initiatives, online community-building activities, sustainability efforts, and marketing. She was part of a small grassroots group of employees who helped to found the program in 2006.
To learn more from Tasha regarding Travel for Good you can follow her at The Window Seat at http://windowseatblog.com
Building Bridges Coalition – New Voluntourism Industry Site
For those of you who haven't seen it the BBC has launched a new portal for voluntourism providers to share best practices and work to facilitate the BBC's 2010 goal.
Check it out at: http://buildingbridgescoalition.org
For those of you who don't know much about the BBC here is a list of their goals:
1. To double the number of international volunteers sent abroad annually by 2010
— Increase public awareness of international volunteer opportunities
— Encourage organizations to commit to scaling up
— Foster partnerships among international volunteer organizations, universities & colleges, corporations, and government agencies
— Support the Public Policy Group to expand national resource commitment to international volunteering and service
2. To improve the quality of international volunteer service
— Establishing and promoting effective practices for international volunteer service
— Create a forum for interaction and information sharing for international volunteer organizations, universities & colleges, corporations, government agencies, and other stakeholders in the field of international volunteerism
— Encourage increased corporate engagement and improved social and business impact in international strategic volunteering programs
3. To maximize positive impacts of international service in communities throughout the world
— Support the Research and Impacts Group to implement the comprehensive research agenda and improve effectiveness in international volunteer service
More details can be found in the Building Bridges Strategic Plan.
NY Times Covers Voluntourism Again
Voluntourism is going strong. The below article gives a sneak peek at what our survey is confirming, most volunteer travel operators are growing in this recession!
Getaways that are 'Guilt Free' – by Michelle Higgins
SURE, you'd like to take a vacation. But with layoffs hitting your best friends and your own company hinting at pay cuts, how can you justify it?
Readers' Comments
Consider the guilt-free vacation. To counter customers' reluctance about jetting off for conspicuous consumption during a recession, travel companies are pushing trips that emphasize service, values and personal fulfillment. The message: If there is more involved than frivolous pleasure, you don't have to feel bad about dropping all that cash on a splashy vacation.
Abercrombie & Kent, a high-end tour operator perhaps best known for its elite safaris, is offering Philanthropic Journeys (www.abercrombiekent.com/philanthropy), a collection of luxury tours that include elements of volunteering or giving back to the visited community. On sale now is a two-week trip, Fighting Climate Change in Antarctica, from $5,697 a person if booked by June 30. Travelers see penguin colonies, visit a working scientific station and help deliver equipment designed to measure the impact of global warming in the region.
Taking a slightly different tack, Virtuoso, a network of upscale travel agents, is using the banner slogan "Return on Life" to promote trips. "It's about spending time on what matters most to you," says the pitch on www.virtuoso.com/returnonlife, its Web site. "Maybe it's a personal journey to your favorite destination. Perhaps it's creating wonderful vacation memories with family, friends or your significant other. It may be that you want to get back to nature." The destinations include 10-night family trips to Vietnam and Cambodia from $3,605 a person or seven-day Alaskan cruises for $3,295 a person.
"Even people who have money to spend are feeling somewhat a sense of guilt in spending money when reading and hearing of difficult times for so many other people," said Edward Piegza, president of Classic Journeys, a tour operator based in La Jolla, Calif. "But if they can see their spending is actually having a positive impact in some way, they are more able to justify to themselves that their travel is doing good."
IN January, Jill Stanley, a retired personal assistant from Washington, took a 12-day Conservation Safari, operated by Abercrombie & Kent as part of its Philanthropic Journeys program. The trip demonstrated joint charity work the company has done with Friends of Conservation, an environmental organization that works with locals to develop sustainable ways of living in harmony with nature. "We did the safari thing," she said, "but they also took you around to see what A & K and the F.O.C. had done to help the area."
On the trip, which cost about $10,800 a person, Ms. Stanley visited an orphanage for children whose parents had died of AIDS and spent time with a Masai village and learned about reforestation efforts in the region. "It made me feel good that we were able to plant trees or give in our name for somebody in the Masai Mara," she said. "It's much more rewarding than going and sitting on the beach."
Companies offering more affordable volunteer vacations report that bookings for do-good trips haven't dropped as much this year as those for more traditional vacation packages. Sierra Club Outings, which offers a series of "service" trips in which volunteers can help eradicate invasive plants in Channel Islands National Park in California ($695) or maintain trails in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky ($375), said its domestic trips were down by 16 percent for the first three months of the year overall, compared with the same period last year. But service-trip bookings were down just 9 percent.
In some cases, volunteer vacations have even been growing. Projects Abroad, which runs volunteer programs overseas, said bookings were up 20 percent this February from February 2008, with some of the travelers recently laid off but others simply looking for vacations that involve service. Options range from teaching soccer in Moldova for two weeks ($1,795) to teaching English in Nepal for three months ($3,295).
For other travelers, the urge to imbue a trip with a sense of purpose is fulfilled in more personal ways.
"We are getting more requests for trips they can share with family and friends, such as celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary," said Pamela Lassers, a spokeswoman for Abercrombie & Kent. "They want to rent a villa or a barge in Europe and then invite friends and family to join them. Or plan a private tented safari to celebrate a 50th birthday. Or host a family reunion at a ranch in Colorado."
Virtuoso's Return on Life campaign was created in response to a similar trend toward trips that focus on spending time with loved ones. "I really think people are putting their lives in perspective," in light of the recession, said Kristi Jones, president of the travel agency network. "There is this need for people to feel reconnected and rejuvenated, but not in a self-indulgent way."
For Globus, a major tour operator, bookings are down overall, said Steve Born, vice president of marketing, but religious tours, family packages and dream trips like Galápagos cruises "are stronger or on pace with last year."
Faith-based trips, like pilgrimages to Jerusalem or other places of religious significance are resilient partly because travelers view them not just as vacations but also as "an expression of faith," Mr. Born said. "It's not a commitment they feel they can break."
Globus is also offering another kind of vacation customers may find easy to justify — the fast, affordable trip. The company recently introduced 14 Guilt-Free Getaways from 4 to 10 days each, starting at around $100 a day — trips "that won't tax pocketbooks or keep travelers away from their daily responsibilities too long," according to its Web site, www.globusjourneys.com/Guilt-Free-Getaway-Vacations.
For families limited by school and activity schedules, Mr. Born said, the timing of vacations is pretty much predetermined, and even this year "it's just a matter of where and how." And given the stress of the economy, many people may feel they need a vacation now more than ever.
"I think people need things to look forward to in this economy," said Jill Walsh, a mother of three from San Diego, who along with her in-laws has been planning a summer family trip to celebrate her husband's parents' 50th wedding anniversary. "What do you work hard for and save for if it's not something to have memories?"
To keep costs down, the family plans to rent a house in Glacier National Park in Montana. "Four to five special days just with the family — who knows if that opportunity with Grandpa going on 82 will happen again?" she said. "It's an investment in memories for a lifetime."
Last Chance to Join Voluntourism Survey!
Alrighty, for all you folks who have been thinking about filling this voluntourism survey out but haven't gotten around to it here is your chance! We've had a ton of great replies so far and Christina and I'd really love to make this a survey truly indicative of the whole market.
Some of the brave companies who have replies so far are:
Geovisions World Teach Projects Abroad GVI Intrepid WAVES i-to-i Global Citizens.org Amigos Volunteers for Peace Heritage Conservation Network CCS Ambassadors for Children Globe Aware We're also running a consumer side of the survey with GeckoGo to see if the destination and activities companies are offering are matching with the traveler's interests. So go on, fill out the survey and send it back to me by the end of the week - it's good for ya. =) https://voluntourismgal.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/voluntourism-survey-please-participate/
Why Discounting Won't Work to Survive this Recession
Great article by Anna at Tourism Internet Marketing – what are your thoughts on discounting? Have you tried it? What were the results?
The tourism industry has often boasted of its resilience and ability to rebound after drops in demand caused by such negative factors as 9/11, SARS or natural disasters. The adaptive response most frequently deployed is generic discounting. But does this serve the individual business or the tourism community well and will it work this time? I believe the answer is NO and for the following reasons:
1. We're not looking at a temporary blip in demand. Life and business, as experienced between 2003 and Q3 2008 will not return to normal. The growth in demand for discretionary services was fuelled by cheap credit, cheap energy (until 2007), and asset inflation – all unsustainable illusions based on a denial of environmental realities. Expansion in capacity (airline seats, condominiums and ocean view apartments, whether sold in wholes or fractional units, hotels and restaurants) was all based on an over estimation of demand by suppliers and consumers alike. Now only the airlines have the option to remove excess capacity from circulation by parking their vehicles in the desert. As identified by Time Magazine in February 2009 , consumers shop very differently today. As indicated by McKinsey as far back as 2007[i], boomers won't be spending as freely after seeing their assets (first homes, second homes, pensions and equities) plummet in value; and the kids, who were supposed to be filling a major labor shortage due to retirement of the boomer workforce, will face tough competition from people old enough to be their grandparents.
2. We are looking at fundamental changes in the nature of demand; the way consumers make decisions and respond to brand messages and the way suppliers gain their attention. Not only do consumers regularly turn their backs on advertising, they worry more about the opinions of peers or society. Sean Gregory's article in Time identified three kinds of consumer in terms of their willingness to spend right now. In short:
- Those that can't (they've lost their job or income)
- Those that might but won't (they fear they might lose their job or income or are simply being prudent/cautious)
- Those that could but still won't (because they don't want to send the wrong signal to peers)
3. We are looking at deep and major changes in the source of travel demand and businesses must be more granular and refined in their approach. In their 2006 article, McKinsey showed how price sensitivity varied by a factor of 13 across regional markets and even by a factor of 3 across zip codes in the same cities. In other words, consumer behaviour cannot be predicted by macro demographics, psychographics and post code but by individual circumstance, perception and attitude. Individual consumers are demonstrating their individuality. Destinations that continue to rely on macro economic models to prioritize top ten performing countries will miss out big time. This is the time for more in-depth research into customer perceptions and motivations not less.
4. We are also looking at fundamental shifts in the way consumers spend their free time (internet usage now exceeds TV watching for many) and the way customers are reached and influenced. Furthermore, the relative cost and ROI of various distribution channels can vary enormously as illustrated by McKinsey's research[ii]:
In this context, blanket reductions in marketing spend across the board combined with a reluctance to change channels would spell disaster.
At a time when customers have ceased to trust brands; when they favor the recommendations of friends and peers over the exhortations of sales personnel; and when they can research a producer's claims or compare supplier's prices on their mobiles as they walk to the check out stand, loyalty cannot be bought. It can only be earned through assiduous attention to detail, through rigorous honesty, through genuine respect for the customer's intelligence and through genuine gratitude for past business. Tough but true.
To read the full article visit:
Researching Volunteer Tourism: Defining the Experience
Just wanted to take a second to clear up a little confusion that seems to have arisen about this blog in the last couple days. I am a voluntourism industry consultant so some people who read this do hire me – but I will never let that influence what is done or said on this blog. My consulting practice is just that, and the blog is a forum where I try to present a neutral issue and encourage people to debate so we can further the field. I don't make money off of this blog, I just want to help facilitate conversations. There have been some great learnings so far so let's keep it going!
On to the real post of the day:
Angela M Benson, Principal Lecturer Sustainable Tourism Development, University of Brighton, presented the below research at the GWTTRA Symposium – I found this really interesting as she talked to a lot of travelers and compared their perceptions of volunteering with the messages that voluntourism operators are putting out there.
"What is clear is that if organizations do not want volunteers to view this as a holiday experience more clarity in the message and terminology used is required and a transfer of that message is actions and activities at the field site."
To see the full study download: defining-the-experience
Serve America Act – Good or Bad for Voluntourism??
I wanted to wait at least a week before I posted this topic again for discussion. The initial 'woo hoo' sentiment is wearing off and I have heard a lot of mumbling about whether the Serve America Act is good or bad for voluntourism. Let's start the debate – make a comment, share how you feel.
What do you think? Is voluntourism better or worse off as a result of this Act?