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Category: Independently-submitted research
Following its most recent quarterly gathering, held at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on 16th October, the Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (SMPC) decided by six votes to three that Britains Bank Rate should be held at ½% on Thursday 8th November. Among the dissenters, one wanted to raise Bank Rate by ¼% and another wished to see a ½% increase while at the opposite extreme one shadow committee member thought that Bank Rate should be reduced to a nominal 0.1%.
Looking further ahead, six SMPC members believed that Bank Rate should be raised in the near future, provided there were no further major shocks arising from overseas, and seven said that there should be no additional tranche of quantitative easing (QE). However, two members voted to increase the stock of QE by £50bn and £200bn, respectively. In addition, several SMPC members argued that QE would be more effective if it included the purchase of more private sector assets.
There was a widespread view on the IEAs shadow committee that a substantial part of the UKs poor growth performance since 2008 reflected supply-side weaknesses, including those caused by the hugely increased share of government and government-financed expenditures in national output since 2000, and that these weaknesses could not be overcome by injecting more nominal demand into the system. Unfortunately, the contrast between the weak output figures and the stronger trend showed by the labour market data up to 2012 Q2, made it hard to know how much spare capacity was available. However, the strong third quarter GDP figures, released after the SMPC gathering on 25th October, suggest that the underlying growth trend currently may be the equivalent of some 1¼% per annum.
Minutes of the meeting of 16th October 2012
Attendance: Roger Bootle, Jamie Dannhauser, Anthony Evans, Andrew Lilico, Kent Matthews (Secretary), David B Smith (Chairman), Akos Valentinyi, Peter Warburton, Trevor Williams.
Apologies: Philip Booth (IEA Observer), Tim Congdon, John Greenwood, Ruth Lea, Patrick Minford, David H Smith (Sunday Times observer), Mike Wickens.
Chairmans Comment
The Chairman said that he was pleased that one of the newer and younger members of the SMPC would be doing the background presentation that evening, for the second successive quarter. Any committee that had maintained as much of its original membership as the SMPC had done since its establishment in July 1997 he noted that no less than four founder members were physically present that evening needed an infusion of new blood from time to time. He added that the SMPC was not a closed shop and that applications to join the committee from qualified younger monetary economists would be welcomed. The Chairman then invited Jamie Dannhauser to give his assessment of the global and domestic monetary situation.
The Global Economy
Jamie Dannhauser referred to his presentation which showed that the recovery in world trade had been slower than that which had followed any other world trade downturn since 1974. Global industrial investment had slowed. The savings and investment figures for the advanced and emerging economies indicated a history of excessive saving and overinvestment in the global economy. Fiscal consolidation had continued in the developed economies that had seen recent deficits in excess of wartime experience. World monetary and credit conditions remained weak and the lending survey of banks in emerging markets showed gradually tightening credit conditions. The Chinese economy had experienced a sharp growth slowdown. A hard landing had already occurred and there would be little policy stimulus until after the leadership changeover in China. There were some signs of improvement in the current quarter but underlying growth in China could remain weak for some time.
Recent work by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on fiscal multipliers indicated the potential impacts of the expected US fiscal squeeze in 2013. The consolidation programme was taking place against the backdrop of easing credit conditions. The commercial banks in the USA had increased credit availability. However, the growth of US broad money on the M3 definition, which was currently around 4% year-on-year, had been boosted by portfolio outflows from bank debt into monetary assets, which suggested an increase in money demand rather than in money supply. There remained other reasons for caution, one of which was the still low level of real business lending relative to other post-war recoveries. Another reason was that US banks were still heavily reliant on foreign funding from non-banks.
In the Eurozone, lending to the public sector continued to grow but lending to the non-bank private sector had fallen. Broad money had grown moderately but the European Central Bank (ECB) lending survey indicated a continued tightening in lending standards. To the extent that the Spanish bailout package imposed even deeper fiscal retrenchment, it could be a disaster for Spain if the country was to sign up. It had the validity of a treaty and Spain would be stuck in an agreement that would be undeliverable with the outcome of a potential walk-away by Germany.
Bank lending rate spreads to firms and households have continued to widen and coincident indicators of activity in the Eurozone continue to point downwards. Nevertheless, money market conditions were much improved as evidenced by the continued decline in the Libor-OIS and FX swap spreads.
UK Monetary Conditions
In the UK, the underlying monetary picture remained weak. Spreads on syndicated loans had been rising. Nevertheless, companies were sitting on cash. The corporate liquidity ratio had been rising and there was no issue of a lack of access to credit by the company sector as a whole. Spreads on mortgage products had increased in the past year and were now in the range of 300 to 500 basis points (bps). Meanwhile, the marginal cost of sterling funding to UK banks had been falling. The Bank of England credit conditions survey indicated that, except for mortgage loans, credit availability was unlikely to change much in the coming quarter.
The Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) represented a sizeable funding subsidy, which should encourage a greater supply of credit. How big a monetary stimulus it would provide remained unclear, however a Financial Services Authority (FSA) rule change had allowed banks to use their existing capital base to support new loans under the FLS which effectively imposed a zero risk-weight on new loans funded by the scheme.
UK Activity and Inflation Trends
Activity indicators showed a stagnant profile for the British economy. The UK economy was bumping along the bottom and experiencing zero-growth but there was probably no double-dip recession. Firms were prioritising cash on the balance sheet. UK goods exporters were benefitting from the weakness of sterling. However, this was being offset by declining exports from the services sector.
Household net worth and the savings ratio had risen but the story was less of a balance sheet repair than a labour market one. Employment intentions suggested a slowing in employment growth. Unit labour costs were rising and this would lead to deterioration in the jobs market if it continued. Real government departmental spending was expected to decline in absolute terms over the coming years. Fiscal multipliers under normal circumstances would be low but this was questionable in the current circumstances.
Inflation at 2.2% was marginally above the official target and was expected to rise in the coming months under the pressure of rising energy costs. The above-target outcome for inflation was entirely because of the pass through effects of increased costs. Underlying inflation was about 1½%. Inflation expectations on indirect and survey measures had fallen. While the recession had destroyed capacity, estimates of the output gap were probably in the region of 4%.
Peter Warburton questioned Jamie Dannhausers conclusion that there had been over investment in the pre-2008 period, saying that the figures were based on a dubious adjustment for purchasing power parity (PPP). Jamie Dannhauser responded that he believed the figures were appropriate but would go back and check the basis on which they had been compiled. Akos Valentinyi said that the backdrop to the fiscal consolidation in the developed economies was the emergence of the sort of budget deficits previously only encountered in wartime. Jamie Dannhauser said that what was important was what the monetary offset would be.
Andrew Lilico and David B Smith then discussed whether the Chinese economy would slow down to in a similar way to the Japanese one, which had also enjoyed 10% plus real growth rates in the 1960s and early 1970s. The general view was that it would be another twenty years before Chinas economy began to resemble the Japanese situation, although the longer-term demographic outlook for China was clearly not favourable.
Peter Warburton said that fiscal consolidation may not result in actual fiscal change. Jamie Dannhauser said that considerable political uncertainty existed about the fiscal consolidation programme in the USA. Akos Valentinyi said that the uncertainty of the fiscal consolidation extended to Europe with the problem of the democratic deficit in Greece, no structural adjustment was likely to occur.
As Roger Bootle had indicated that he had to leave by 6.30pm and time was pressing, the Chairman next asked him to make his comments before asking everybody else to cast their votes. These are listed in alphabetical order below. Because a full set of nine SMPC members had attended the meeting, there was no need for any votes in absentia this quarter.
Comment by Roger Bootle
(Deloitte and Capital Economics)
Vote: Cut Bank Rate. Increase QE.
Bias: Carry on increasing QE as necessary.
Roger Bootle said that he was puzzled about the underlying truth of the economic statistics. In his experience, London did not feel like a city in recession. However, the outlook was not very good. There was no hope of an expansion in bank lending. Real disposable income would rise if inflation eased but the signs were that inflation would rise in the short term. The discrepancy between the stronger employment data and the weak GDP figures remained a puzzle and QE could be used more effectively to stimulate activity, in his view. He therefore voted to cut the rate of interest further to 0.1% and to increase QE by a further £200bn, to take the total QE stock to £575bn.
Comment by Jamie Dannhauser
(Lombard Street Research)
Vote: Hold Bank Rate. Do not extend QE.
Bias: To increase QE and expand asset purchases to include private-sector assets, specifically bank debt.
Jamie Dannhauser said that he was not as bearish as Roger Bootle, although he generally held a similar view. He said that he wanted to wait and see what the effects of the FLS would be. The stresses related to the Eurozone had fallen back but he remained deeply concerned about the ultimate resolution of the crisis. He added that he was concerned about the hysteresis effects of a stagnating economy. Jamie Dannhausers conclusion was that rates should stay on hold but QE needed to be extended to include non-bank private sector assets.
Comment by Anthony J Evans
(ESCP Europe Business School)
Vote: Raise Bank Rate by ¼%. No QE.
Bias: To raise Bank Rate.
Anthony J Evans said that it looked as though a corner has been turned in the domestic economy but that the recovery would be like a barbeque long and slow. Monetary policy had a role as a preventative but QE was now suffering from diminishing returns. Nominal GDP was increasing but this was largely through price increases. He said that this pointed to a supply-side problem. Inflation was set to rise. Monetary policy could still be useful if the situation changed and there was a genuine liquidity emergency. However, if interest rates were to return to normal at some point, they needed to be increased. It was unlikely there would be an ideal time to do this. Nevertheless, there was currently a window of opportunity and policymakers might also learn important lessons about the transmission mechanism from a moderate rate rise. Policy had to be rebalanced. He said that there should be no further QE and Bank Rate should be raised.
Comment by Andrew Lilico
(Europe Economics)
Vote: Raise Bank Rate by ½%; no further QE.
Bias: To raise Bank Rate.
Andrew Lilico said that policy makers missed the chance to raise rates in 2010 and early 2011 and now should be looking for every new opportunity that presented itself. The correct policy concern was to raise the medium-term rate of growth, not the short-term rate. There existed a real danger of unemployment rising: firstly, as firms shed low productivity employees, and, secondly when, inflation having risen, policymakers do finally act against it. Credibility was not just about what rate of inflation is expected but about the belief that, if inflation were to rise, the Bank would conduct appropriate policy to bring it down such credibility had gone, and it would be expensive to get it back. He said that the economy could experience both rising inflation and rising unemployment. Monetary policy had long-since done all that it could, and there was a need to normalise as quickly as could be achieved without tipping the economy over into slump. He voted to raise Bank rate by ½% with no further QE.
Comment by Kent Matthews
(Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University)
Vote: Hold Bank Rate. No further QE.
Bias: To raise Bank Rate.
Kent Matthews said that there was growing evidence that this particular financial crisis had been followed by significant capacity destruction. Research published in the American Economic Review showed that financial crises could lead to permanent and unrecoverable output contractions. The problem for monetary policy was that, if the output gap was small as a result of a permanent contraction in output, then QE was not just ineffective but was also storing up an inflationary balloon that would eventually burst with negative consequences for future monetary policy.
Kent Matthews added that there was a need to return to a normality in which real interest rates were non-negative. The question of when Bank Rate needed to rise was a matter of fine judgement. With each passing month, economic uncertainty provided further reasons for keeping interest rates where they were. Right now, the weakness of Europe dominated the short term position of the UK. However, interest rates would have to rise in the near future to bring the economy and economic policy back into the realms of normality. He said that he was less optimistic about a resolution to the Eurozone crisis, which would continue for the foreseeable future and economic uncertainty along with it. If the crisis were to worsen, it would be better for the Bank to have room to manoeuvre by lowering rates from a position of normality. Supply-side policy should be the medium-term objective of the government.
He said that he too wanted to give the FLS a chance to work. However, and if it looked as if the commercial banks were using the scheme to widen spreads and increase liquidity rather than to increase lending, the case for raising rates was strengthened. For now, Kent Matthews voted to maintain Bank Rate at its present position with no further QE.
Comment by David B Smith
(University of Derby and Beacon Economic Forecasting)
Vote: Hold Bank Rate. No additional QE.
Bias: To avoid regulatory shocks, raise Bank Rate and hold QE.
David B Smith said that he had attended the Office for National Statistics (ONS) conference on the discrepancy between the output and employment data immediately before coming to that evenings SMPC meeting. Furthermore, a paper dealing with the issue by Peter Paterson The Productivity Conundrum, Explanations and Preliminary Analysis had been placed on the ONS website that day (i.e., 16th October). Nevertheless, it still remained difficult to reconcile the weak GDP figures with the strong employment data. He added that his main concern about Roger Bootles call for a further substantial bout of QE was the political moral hazard it gave rise to in encouraging fiscal fecklessness. He accepted that the immediate economic impact of further QE need not be inflationary provided that the broad money supply was constrained by other but probably, inherently undesirable means such as regulatory-induced credit rationing, which was where we were at present. He was also concerned that, if Roger Bootles proposal was implemented, the gilt-edged market would be so socialised that it would cease to function properly or be available as a normal implement of monetary policy thereafter.
David B Smith added that his recommendation was to hold Bank Rate, but with a bias to raise it in the near future, and that it was time to prepare the financial markets for a putative rate rise. He also said that there should be no further use of QE, except in a lender of last resort situation. The increase in governments share of the economy, which had been accompanied by increased and damaging regulation of the financial and energy sectors, had slowed the growth of potential GDP. International growth studies suggested that the rise in the share of the economy devoted to public sector consumption since 2000 had knocked the growth of potential GDP down from 2¾% to 1¼% at best.
Current policy was dominated by the short term. If the Coalition was not prepared to tackle the fiscal crisis through a package of genuine public spending cuts and lower taxes, then it was essential that it did everything in its power to improve the supply side through other measures, such as deregulation of the labour and goods markets and tax simplification. He added that an open economy, such as the UK, which had experienced a current account balance of payments deficit of 4% of market-price GDP in the first quarter and 5.4% in the second quarter was not obviously suffering from a deficiency of aggregate demand relative to total supply, to put it mildly. For much of the post-War period, officials would have argued that the balance of payments equalled the Keynesian demand gap with sign reversed.
His final comment was that institutions did matter. Like a defeated army, the Bank of England now needed a thorough institutional overhaul and the choice of the new Governor of the Bank of England would be crucial in that respect. Monetary policy was discredited and a new Governor had to restore credibility to the Bank through rebuilding its existing institution as well as taking on its new regulatory responsibilities. However, he welcomed the story on the front page of the 10th October Financial Times that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) had been quietly relaxing its crucial capital and liquidity rules in order to stimulate lending. This suggested that regulatory policy would be less perversely pro-cyclical than it had been hitherto, with consequent benefits to the real economy.
Comment by Akos Valentinyi
(Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University)
Vote: Hold Bank Rate. No additional QE.
Bias: To raise Bank Rate.
Akos Valentinyi said that the coordination of fiscal and monetary policy was important but that growth before the crisis was above potential. Part of the downturn was the correction in output from this overshot position. However, there remained uncertainty about the size of the gap although his view was that there will be inflation pressure in the future. Political uncertainty also impinged upon policy and there was a case for keeping rates on hold in consequence. He voted to end QE and to raise rates in the near future.
Comment by Peter Warburton
(Economic Perspectives Ltd)
Vote: Hold Bank Rate. No additional QE.
Bias: To raise Bank Rate and diversify QE into private sector assets.
Peter Warburton said that UK macroeconomic policy was at a dangerous juncture and risked coming apart at the seams. The whole presumption that it was possible for the Bank of England to operate an independent monetary policy was at stake if the Government were to steer away from fiscal normalisation. Subject to a re-affirmation of the fiscal policy course on 5th December, it was appropriate to leave monetary policy on a loose setting. Indeed, the case for an easing of banks capital constraints was mounting, given that these appeared to be binding on economic outcomes, particularly the achievable rate of real economic growth. Abstracting from a number of temporary distortions, it seemed reasonable to suppose that the underlying growth rate for the UK was in the region of 1%, much less than before the global financial crisis. The financial crash was part of the crowding out transmission mechanism.
Over the longer term, this constraint could be lifted by improved supply-side policies, but the concern in the short term was that attempts to stimulate economic growth would merely deliver high and unpredictable rates of inflation. Given the likely positive impact of the FLS, Peter Warburton believed that there should be no further asset purchases of gilts. These had created an undesirable boom in the gilts market, which had been exacerbated by foreign demand for bonds that were not contaminated by the situation in the Eurozone. Bank Rate should stay on hold while the FLS was being evaluated but there should then be a bias to tighten. The existing QE pool should be diversified into private sector assets.
Comment by Trevor Williams
(Lloyds Bank Wholesale Markets)
Vote: Hold Bank Rate. Increase QE by £50bn in November.
Bias: Neutral.
Trevor Williams said that the global economy was weakening and the challenges facing the UK remained as intense as at any time in the last year, with some risks predominating to the downside. Key amongst these was the weakness in our key export markets and the deleveraging by households and companies. Hence policy should remain loose for now. With the backdrop just described, the announcement of a further £50bn tranche of QE in November seemed appropriate. However, the increased QE needed to be concentrated on private sector assets rather than gilt-edged securities, as hitherto. Thereafter, policy should be kept neutral, with a bias to tighten should recovery become sustainable. The outlook for fiscal policy should become clearer after Mr Osbornes 5th December Autumn Statement. However, an expansionary monetary policy looked as if it had to be one of the offsets to economic weakness until such time as recovery appeared more certain.
Policy response
1. On a vote of six to three the committee agreed that Bank Rate should stay on hold.
2. Six members said that Bank Rate should be raised in the near future and seven said that there should be no further QE activity.
3. Two members voted for an immediate rise in rates and one voted for a further cut.
4. Two members voted to increase QE and two voted to extend QE to include private sector assets.


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Anger, confusion, amusement … Daniel Hamilton's decision to leave UConn after his sophomore season and enter the NBA draft generated a range of negative reactions around here.
And in terms of cold logic, it didn't make sense. No draftniks were projecting him as a first-round pick in 2016. Most thought another year of college could make him a lottery pick. But Hamilton's internal clock was telling him it was time.
He went to coach Kevin Ollie's office to tell him he was leaving.
"It was pretty difficult, because he wanted me to stay," Hamilton said as he suited up among the former Huskies at Jim Calhoun's Charity All-Star Game at Mohegan...

subset: commoncrawl


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Board of Education
What is a school board?
Southern Columbia Area School Board
Michael Yeager, President
Term Expires December 2021
Tim Vought, Vice-President
Term Expires December 2019
John O. Yocum, Treasurer
Term Expires December 2019
Brenda Creasy
Term Expires December 2021
Kaye Keller
Term Expires December 2019
Gregory Klebon
Term Expires December 2019
Joseph Klebon
CSIU Representative
Term Expires December 2021
Robert Lunger
Term Expires December 2021
Jim Rosenberger
Term Expires December 2019
Non-Voting Members of the Board
Richard Roberts, Solicitor
Paul Caputo, Superintendent
Tresa Britch, Board Secretary
Ted Yeager, CMAVTS Authority
January 8 and 15
February 12 and 19
March 12 and 19
April 9 and 16
May 14 and 21
June 11 and 18
July 16
August 13 and 20
September 10 and 17
October 8 and 15
November 12 and 19 (cancelled)
Reorganization Meeting: December 4
All meetings will be held in the Southern Columbia Area District Office Conference Room,
800 Southern Drive, Catawissa, PA at 7:00 p.m with the exception of the Reorganization Meeting which will be held at the Columbia-Montour AVTS at 7:00 p.m.
The Southern Columbia Area School District Board of Education consists of nine members. Effective with the 2015 Primary Elections, all nine seats will be "at-large," meaning candidates do not have to live within a specific region to run for office; they simply must be a resident of one of the following communities:
Catawissa Borough, Catawissa Township, Cleveland Township, Franklin Township, Locust Township, Ralpho Township, or Roaring Creek Township.
Superintendent Evaluation
As a result of Act 82 of 2012, formal written contracts for superintendents and assistant superintendents are required. The contracts must contain the "terms and conditions" of the superintendent's employment and "complete agreement between the district superintendent or assistant district superintendent and the board of school directors," including a number of mandatory provisions. At a minimum, the written agreement must expressly address the following issues:
Southern Columbia Area School District's Superintendent Contract and Performance Objectives


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This set contains the vector files of 10 hand drawn cats + 4 cat's toys which you can adjust colors and sizes as you want.
You will receive 1 zip file which includes:
-1 AI file, fully adjustable
-1 EPS file, saved as EPS Format Version Illustrator Version 10
-PNG files of each element. Transparent background, saved at 300 ppi
-The font displayed in the design included. Free for personal use only.


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Tag: Jean shirts
Fall Fashion
18th October
Fall is one of my absolute favorite seasons! I have to admit a lot of it has to do with the fun fashion you can wear in the comfortable temperatures. It's not too hot to wear cooler weather accessories like scarves and hats, and it's not too cold to cover up your fall ensemble with a bulky jacket.
Men and women alike, I've whipped up some fall fashion ideas that can help you get started with sprucing up your closet for the next month or so of pleasurable weather! Just a little hint—you don't have to go on a large shopping spree every season when new fashion hits the stores. Instead, you can buy two or three key pieces that are interchangeable and work as basics with pieces you already own. Now check out three simple key components that might be … Read More »


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Simple Man
Keep it simple. I track 30 ETFs instead of 10,000+ stocks. Pure price action analysis - no magic indicators, no voodoo theories, no brainless algorithms, just clean price charts and proven methods with disciplined risk management.
- Member since November 10th 2017
- Kansas City
- Equities,Options,Forex, Technical, Swing Trader, Professional


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NEA awards $73,000 to further Dena'ina, marine debris exhibitions
November 18, 2011
Nov. 18, 2011
Contact: Sarah Henning (907) 929-9231 (w) (907) 250-3352 (c) firstname.lastname@example.com
NEA awards $73,000 to further Dena'ina, marine debris exhibitions
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded a $34,000 grant to the Anchorage Museum for a groundbreaking exhibition about Dena'ina Athabascan culture.
The NEA also awarded a $39,000 grant to the Alaska SeaLife Center for a joint project with the Anchorage Museum — a scientific expedition and exhibition about marine debris.
About half of Alaska's residents live in traditional Dena'ina territory, but there is little general knowledge about the indigenous people who have called Alaska's Cook Inlet region home for more than a thousand years. "Dena'inaq' Huch'ulyeshi: The Dena'ina Way of Living," curated by the Anchorage Museum, will be the first comprehensive exhibition about Dena'ina Athabascan people.
This exhibition, opening in summer 2013, will feature about 200 Dena'ina objects from museums across the globe, including caribou skin clothing adorned with fine quill work, puffin beak rattles and birch bark cradles. Dena'ina history and culture will come to life through art, music, storytelling, re-created settings and hands-on activities.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an island of trash about the size of Mexico. Similar accumulations of human debris exist in every ocean. "Gyre" is an expedition and exhibition with marine debris serving as both material and message.
In summer 2012, an international team of scientists, artists, and educators will set sail along Alaska's coast to observe, document and collect marine debris. An exhibition will debut in January 2014 featuring the expedition's scientific discoveries, as well as art created from the marine debris gathered on the journey. This is a joint effort between the Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward, and the Anchorage Museum.
On Thursday the NEA announced 863 grants totaling $22.5 million. Just eight Alaska organizations received NEA grants.
ANCHORAGE MUSEUM The Anchorage Museum is the largest museum in Alaska and one of the top 10 most visited attractions in the state. The museum's mission is to share and connect Alaska with the world through art, history and science. Learn more at www.anchoragemuseum.org.
ALASKA SEALIFE CENTER The Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward is a private, non-profit marine science facility dedicated to generating and sharing scientific knowledge to promote understanding and stewardship of Alaska's marine ecosystems. Learn more at www.alaskasealife.org.
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS The National Endowment for the Arts is a federal agency that supports artistic excellence, creativity and innovation. Learn more at www.arts.gov.


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Breens Cleaning Centre was established in 1994 and has been offering professional cleaning service and equipment to the Gold Coast region in Australia. Over the years, Breens Cleaning Centre has developed a reputation for itself as a leading company in the cleaning and supply industry across Australia.
A range of cleaning equipment are provided by Breens Cleaning Centre including domestic, commercial and industrial vacuum cleaning equipment that are widely used for a variety of applications. Other products from Breens Cleaning Centre include carpet cleaning equipment, vacuum bags, cleaning chemicals, warranty agents for most vacuum brands, special dust extraction vacuums and hospitality range vacuums.
Breens Cleaning Centre is the agent for Valet Australia in Gold Coast and offers ducted vacuum systems, security alarms, video and audio intercom systems, music communication systems, CCTV surveillance cameras and DVD recorders. Several home automation systems for easier home equipment control are also offered by Breens Cleaning Centre. Specially trained technicians from Breens Cleaning Centre can install these systems in new as well as existing homes and commercial structures.
Breens Cleaning Centre is also a provider of many varieties of cleaning chemicals from different brands. They include research chemicals, safety equipment cleaning solutions and special cleaning substances.


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The 3 Star Scottish Tourist Board cottage is situated in the most beautiful picturesque setting looking out over St Magnus Bay. It is an ideal location for people looking for a peaceful retreat. Own transport is recommended, cyclists are also welcome. It is suitable for fishing, walking and artistic based holidays. Situated beside a stream, the cottage faces west, with lounge windows looking across Nibon Isle to Sandness and Papa Stour. Foula can also be seen on a clear day.
The cottage has a double bedroom and a bedroom with 2 single beds, open peat fuelled fire,TV and payphone. Kitchenette with electric cooker, fridge, microwave and washing machine. Bathroom with electric towel rail and fan heater. Linen provided and heating is by electric panel heaters.
Beach below cottage looking to south west.
There are a wide variety of pursuits for the visitor to Nibon. Nibon itself is a lovely spot for walks out along the coastline to the south. Dramatic cliff scenery, seals and birdlife to be seen. Many artists have taken a great liking to this spot and found it very inspiring. Further afield are trips to Hillswick and Eshaness. Eshaness cliffs and lighthouse are a priority for most visitors to Shetland and Eshaness is 15 mins away from Nibon by car. The dramatic 'Drongs' are clearly visible also on route. The Tangwick Haa museum, in Eshaness, is a quaint little museum with a wealth of local history.
Other walks further to the North that can be undertaken are to Uyea or Fethaland in North Roe. Also a walk around Hillswick Ness is very pleasant. To the South of Nibon the Isle of Muckle Roe is a beauty spot and many visitors take in the walk to the 'Hams' of Muckle Roe and the cliff walks around the area. Cycling is enjoyable in the North end. Single track roads to the North are peaceful and winding, some routes are hilly for the cyclist who requires a challenge.
Eating Out
While staying at Nibon you may wish to dine out rather then 'eat in'. We would recommend you try Busta House Hotel. Take the first junction to the left after leaving Brae towards Hillswick and follow directions. Busta House is an old laird's house and is full of history and even has tell of ghosts. Dining is either in the bar or restaurant.
To book please contact : Mrs W. A. Balfour, Olwell Knowe, Busta, Brae, Shetland ZE2 9QN
phone : 01806 522 589
email : email@example.com
web : www.nibon.shetland.co.uk
More information on Visit Scotland website - search for 'North Mainland' or accommodation name.
If you contact this business, please let them know you found them on the Northmavine website.


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Please join us!
The Centers for Exceptional Children
Charity Golf Classic & Hall of Hope Reception
Honoring Inaugural Inductee Mike Britt
August 4 & 5, 2016 at Tanglewood Park
Our mission is to educate, nurture and support children with special needs to reach their highest potential intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically.
In July, 2010, two extraordinary schools joined hands to create The Centers for Exceptional Children, bringing together more than 95 years of nurturing children with special needs. The Children's Center and The Special Children's School have been "Hallways of Hope" for thousands of children and their families.
The Centers for Exceptional Children (CFEC) are dedicated to serving children with developmental delays, orthopedic disabilities and other health impairments. Our mission is to educate, nurture and support children with special needs to reach their highest potential intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically. We accomplish our mission through providing developmentally appropriate education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech/language therapy. In addition, both of our Winston-Salem, NC campuses provide nursing support, family support services, and numerous enrichment activities. The CFEC serves children and families in most of Northwest North Carolina.
Family Support Network of Greater Forsyth is an outreach program that further enhances The Centers for Exceptional Children. In 1987, FSN began to provide support to families who have children with special needs (medical, developmental, or other). FSN is affiliated with The Family Support Network of NC and currently serves Forsyth and surrounding counties. There is no charge for any service provided by Family Support Network of Greater Forsyth.
Programs & Services at The Centers for Exceptional Children
Instructional Programs
The CFEC provides a wide range of individualized
therapeutic programming with outcome-based services.
Therapeutic Services
The CFEC maintains a highly-trained and experienced
clinical staff that is focused on providing outcome-based services.
The Centers for Exceptional Children's Schools
The CFEC encompasses two campuses: The Special Children's School and The Children's Center, each having a slightly different focus in serving children. The Children's Center has predominantly served children with physical disabilities and/or significant medical issues. The Special Children's School has focused its efforts on children with a wide range of developmental delays. In addition to preschool and school-age programs, The Children's Center houses an Infant/Toddler Program which serves children from birth through age two.
News from The Centers for Exceptional Children
Stay up to date on the all of the incredible things happening at The CFEC by following our blog.


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Continuing Education Credits Information
The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas (PCC) offers a wide selection of continuing education courses, scientific programs and community programs for clinicians, academicians, and researchers who have an interest in psychoanalytic treatment approaches and the application of psychoanalytic ideas.
Courses range from a basic introduction to psychoanalytic theory and technique to those with a more in-depth focus in particular fields of interest. Many courses are eligible for retroactive credit towards one of the Psychoanalytic Training Programs if an individual decides to pursue further training.
Please see individual course descriptions to determine if Credit Hours are applicable.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of __AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6518. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.


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Forthcoming Autumn dates and themes at The Underground Restaurant
All dinners £25, £20 for unemployed, unless stated otherwise. A dinner is generally a free cocktail with nibbles, home baked bread, starter, mains, salad, dessert, coffee. And remember the shed can hired as a private room, £50 extra including bottle of champagne.
2nd Sept: Private birthday dinner, possibly with Flamenco dancing
5th Sept: Afternoon focaccia making course with nibbles and drinks £40
11th Sept: All things 9/11, including I love New York and conspiracy theorists
12th Sept: Previous night's menu, but tweaked!
25th Sept: Quiz night with Marcus Berkmann, writer and quiz master of The Prince of Wales, Highgate.
26th Sept: Quiz night with Marcus Berkmann
4th October: Meet the Domestic Sluts from Domestic Sluttery for High Tea and vintage glamour. 3pm
10th Oct: Gay men's night, singles encouraged
11th Oct: Gay women's night, contact Citipink
31st Oct: Harry Potter night, magical food including butterbeer. Sorting hat, which house are you in?
13th Nov: Good food.
14th Nov: Same but with 'The Conversational'. Also 'Expert in a shed'.
28th Nov: Umami night with food anthropologist @scandilicious. Every course umami...
5th Dec: Baked Vacherin night or Cheese fondu. 'Tis the season...
12th Dec: Getting into the spirit of Christmas...
25th Dec: Christmas day at The Underground Restaurant, open fire, crackers, mistletoe, games, champagne, smoked salmon, roasted vegetables in the Aga, all kinds of goodies £60 (Doing it so you don't have to...)
31st Dec: New Years Eve...£50
More dates may be added...
If you would like to do a house concert or would like to perform at The Underground Restaurant please get in touch...


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Establishment of the Calabar Botanic Garden and Conservation Centre in Nigeria
Volume 3 Number 10 - June 2003
Tunde Morakinyo
The Iroko Foundation and Cercopan, a Nigerian NGO, have commenced a project to rehabilitate the old botanical gardens in the centre of the city of Calabar in south-east Nigeria. The garden is located on land owned by the Cross River State Forestry Commission, and will incorporate a nature trail, medicinal plant nursery, primate rehabilitation facilities and an environmental education centre in the new layout.
The botanical gardens were initially established by the British colonial administration in the mid-1880's to introduce economic crops into Nigeria from other parts of the tropics and to cultivate indigenous plants that might be exported to other parts of the empire. However, by the 1930s much of the grounds were sold off leaving the remainder to house the offices of the state government Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission tried to establish a zoo on the grounds but unfortunately never had sufficient funds or the expertise to run the zoo. For several years, the Forestry Commission and NGOs in Calabar also discussed rehabilitating the gardens but none had access to funding and the plans never came to fruition. Today the garden grounds are derelict. Nevertheless, it is the only green space in the city and is strategically close to the university and the commercial centre of the city. In spite of its air of neglect, people still visit the garden to sit in the shade of its large old trees.
In June 2001, the Iroko Foundation (UK based NGO), the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K. and Limbe Botanic Garden, Cameroon facilitated a design workshop with the Cross River State Forestry Commission, and local NGOs to re-design the grounds of the garden. A design was developed that will entail substantial re-landscaping of the grounds to include extensive planting of economic and medicinal plants collected from the Cross River rainforests. A nature trail will be constructed through these plantings. Other amenities will include facilities for the rehabilitation of orphaned captive primates that will be re-introduced to the wild and a nursery to propagate and sell endangered medicinal and horticultural plants to the public. This nursery will operate an extension service to train villagers throughout the state, to establish their own nurseries for endangered tree species from the rainforests particularly commercially important Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs).
The project will also build an environmental education centre in the garden that will contain a library, video room and other educational facilities for schools, university students, NGOs and the public. To ensure sustainability of the project's outcomes after the end of the grant period, a trust fund for the gardens will be established for their long-term up-keep.
Cercopan will run the gardens along with the Forestry Commission on behalf of a semi-autonomous management board on which relevant government agencies and other NGOs will be represented. The Cercopan staff will be Nigerians who will be trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Limbe Botanic Garden.
The Iroko Foundation has been able to raise an initial amount of funding to initiate the project and at present, Cercopan, the Iroko Foundation and the Cross River State Forestry Commission are recruiting staff to commence the re-landscaping of the garden. The Iroko Foundation is seeking experienced staff from elsewhere in Africa to assist with training the new staff of the garden and also with an innovative design for the garden environmental education centre.
The gardens will educate young people, NGOs and the general public of Nigeria about the Cross River rainforests, their importance to their daily lives and the threats these forests face. The gardens will also help to conserve highly endangered species from the rainforests of Cross River State – one of Africa's most important biodiversity hotspots. Finally, the gardens will also play a role in enabling villagers to address their poverty through the cultivation and sale of commercially valuable non-timber forest products that are becoming increasingly scarce in the wild.
For more information contact the author Tunde Morakinyo at the Iroko Foundation via the link below.


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It was perhaps the last electoral battle for former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel. And he has been defeated emphatically by his confidante turned bête noire Narendra Modi.
Keshubhai first tried to play the 'I'm victim of Modi's politics', then dabbled in tried-and-trusted caste politics game by seeking the support of his community – Leuva Patels, but he failed miserably.
Keshubhai had split with the BJP after his life-ling association and launched his Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) in the hope that he would consolidate the anti-Modi vote; but it seems like he miscalculated the power of Moditva.
Though the GPP was only a debutant in the 2012 Gujarat polls, with just two seats and 4% vote share, the grand old man of Gujarat politics will now have to walk towards the sunset, alone.
While Keshubhai won from the Visavadar constituency in Saurashtra, many of his key candidates lost. Jagrutiben Pandya, the wife of former BJP minister Haren Pandya, who contested from Eillisbridge constituency on a GPP ticket, failed to win the election. Another key GPP candidate Gordhanbhai Zadafia too lost from Gondal.
The future for Keshubhai looks bleak. At 84 years of age, the RSS veteran has probably fought his last election. With the BJP winning a near two-third majority and set to rule Gujarat for another five years, the options for Patel are next to none.
The only thing he can pursue now is to try and build support base for his Gujarat Parivartan Party. He may have lost badly this time around, but with Modi looking set to move to the national scene in 2014, there is a chance for him – and the Congress as well – to fill the gap and emerge a stronger political force in the state.
But the pertinent question here is whether Keshubhai could have avoided the ignominy of having to bow out of the ring defeated?
Clearly there lies a message – it is best to bow out with honour than be pushed out with disgrace. Hope other 'grand old men' of Indian politics are listening.


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Note to our readers: This is a friendly reminder that your employees can increase their saving with the new transportation and parking limits. Click on the link below to read the full email release that was sent 12/23/2015. Cadillac Tax Delayed and Permanent Changes Made to Transportation Accounts.
Beginning in 2016, the monthly maximum tax exclusion for qualified mass-transit passes or van pool rides will increase from $130 per month to $255 per month, the same as the already established $255 per month cap for qualified parking benefits. Organizations can subsidize their employees' commuting or parking costs with pretax dollars up to the allowable monthly limit, which results in lower payroll taxes than if they paid the money in wages. Alternatively, employees can pay for mass-transit passes or parking by having pretax dollars deducted from their paychecks through an employer's salary deferral program, up to the allowable monthly limit.
The measure also retroactively raises the 2015 mass-transit tax-exclusion limit from $130/month to $250/month, equal to the existing 2015 cap of $250/month for parking benefits. Unfortunately, for employees who fund their benefits with pretax dollars through a salary deferral program, retroactively contributing more than $130/month for 2015 could be administratively difficult.


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Live updates
Couple convicted of plotting to kill Joss Stone appeal for sentence reduction
Two men found guilty of plotting to kill Joss Stone are appealing to have their sentences reduced at the Court of Appeal today.
Junior Bradshaw and Kevin Liverpool were found guilty of planning to rob and kill the singer at her Devon home last April.
Liverpoool was jailed for life with a minimum of 10 years and 8 months while Bradshaw was jailed for 18 years.
Latest from the Joss Stone trial
One of the men accused of plotting to kill Joss Stone has told a jury he had never heard of the singer before his arrest. Junior Bradshaw said he thought he was going for 'a day out' in the country when he travelled to Devon with flatmate Kevin Liverpool.
Bradshaw told Exeter Crown Court he had no idea that the car he was driving contained an arsenal of weapons and said he did not know why there were two knives, two hammers and two balaclavas in it.
The former mental patient said he was sharing a small flat in Manchester but had no inkling about the plan he was allegedly cooking up to attack Joss Stone at her home in Devon. He denies all charges, as does his fellow defendant, Kevin Liverpool.


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Poe Park
>Be: Women of Color Exhibition by Walter Cruz
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
This event repeats every week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 3/1/2018 and 3/31/2018.
Please note: This event has already taken place. Please use the Search options on the right to find upcoming events.
The Poe Park Visitor Center proudly presents Be: Women of Color Exhibition, for Women's History Month!
Artist Walter Cruz's exhibition, Be: Women of Color, is a collection of acrylic works that depict women living their everyday lives. The simplified forms serve as a slightly blank slate for viewers to imagine themselves as the subjects. Complimentary colors have been chosen as the palettes to create a welcoming presence within each piece.
We are reflections of each other. Let's hold one another as such.
Event Organizer
Poe Visitor Center
Contact Number
(718) 365-5516
Contact Email
Directions to Poe Park
- January Events At Poe Park
- Greener Pastures: Celebrating 125 Years Of Bronx Parks
- Comic Book Art Exhibition On Display At Poe Park Visitor Center
- 6th Annual Whimsical Winter Wonder... Exhibition
- Adults Creative Crochet
- Kid's Le Petit Art-Mini Coloring Book
- 6th Annual Whimsical Winter Wonder... Exhibition
- Adult's Le Petit Art


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Thank you so much Cleas. As you know I'm computer illiterate and didn't want to have to type it all out.
About the only thing it didn't do was show you how to build the Conditioned Reinforcer. You can use a word or a clicker. I like to use the word yes because it goes everywhere with me.
Say yes, give treat, say yes, give treat. You are not asking the dog to do anything all you are doing is building an association between the word and getting a treat, do this until the dog looks at you the second you say yes. Do not extend the treat at the same time as the spoken word. Now when the dog either offers a behaviour or you handle the dog into a behaviour you say yes and treat. The dog will learn to associate it's behaviour with getting a treat. So getting your timing spot on is the trick.
I call it a bridge because it bridges the time between the behaviour and the dog getting a treat. Once the association has been built it gives you time to reach for a treat.
I wear a little velcro pouch around my waist and the ripping of the velco has become the bridge for my dogs.
Best of luck with it all.


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Iran's nuclear programme and the heated rhetoric of its leadership continued to heighten the tensions in the past weeks. With increased talk of preventive Israeli strikes on the horizon, naval deployments near Iran's maritime border, negative feedback from the International Atomic Energy Agency's reports and potential new Security Council sanctions, it seems that things had reached a significant, perhaps boiling point. However yesterday in Istanbul, the P5+1 (US, UK, France, China, Russia, Germany) and Iran broke a 14-month deadlock and reached an agreement on a framework for talks and a date for upcoming negotiations. It is a positive step, but concrete and measurable results will have to be taken quickly by both sides for a significant de-escalation to bear fruit. Russia's role in this is key and its bridging approach with Iran must be supported.
Teheran can thank the belligerent and reckless leadership in Pyongyang for diverting international attention from its own nuclear activities. It is now very clear that there will not be any reforms, no glasnost any time soon for the leadership of Kim Jong Un, which is still very much in its assertive phase. The face of the leader may have changed, but the military elitist system remains very much in place and it has taken a life of its own under an inexperienced and untested youth. The senseless and illogical botching of the recent US food aid deal over the failed launch of a long-range missile suggests that there may be trouble in the hermit kingdom. As I elaborated in my paper Pre-Emptive Peace, I fundamentally believe that the top of the pyramid of the leadership in North Korea is akin to the incomplete top floors of Pyongyang's iconic Ryugyong Hotel: chaotic, incoherent and full of holes. It started in the dawning years of the sickly Kim Jong Il and under Un, it is now practically open season: rival old-timer generals vying for power and position in a decaying nation through various acts of faith in contradiction, try to cater the favour of the Dear Leader. Kim Jong Un's appointment of 70 new generals and the public admission of the launch failure a few days ago is likely a response to his current advisors' shortcomings (who will likely be severely punished for the pathetic spectacle of the exploding rocket).
South Korean analysts now believe that a new nuclear test by North Korea is a strong possibility, to rally their wounded pride. Should this occur, the international community should twist in the final screws by imposing the toughest sanctions possible and sever all ties with North Korea. Furthermore, China should be actively talked into getting on board, not only to deter Pyongyang from further provocations, but to remind them that they have crossed the line and that they will no longer be supported as an embarrassing client-state.
Iran is monitoring the North Korean situation very closely, and its choice of whether or not to develop a nuclear arsenal to face off with the international community will depend on how Teheran perceives the risks and gains of a standoff like the one in the Korean peninsula.
All of this being considered, I expect the G20 Foreign Ministers to discuss these pressing international security matters should they decide to meet in Mexico in June. All of the world's strength, world powers and emerging economies alike must be focused on coordination for global peace and security, and it is nations like Russia, China, Brazil, Turkey and Mexico who will be true game changers.


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My Kitchen Was Designed for Someone Else: What I Would Change, and What I Wouldn't
My husband and I know our limits. We have bought two houses together, and they were both move-in ready, because we are afraid of remodeling and what it might do to our relationship. We've lived here for nine years, and this house will probably be our last stop before the nursing home. The kitchen is enormous, but it wasn't designed for a cook. One of these days, I'll get brave enough to do something about it.
I love all the natural light, the transoms, and the light wood floors. The counter tops are granite, something I never thought I'd have, and they disguise crumbs and minor spills, perfect for our family of five. Also, they look nice and shiny with minimal wiping.
There isn't much cabinet space for such a huge kitchen. See the picture at the top of this post? That's it. I have been in much smaller kitchens with the same amount or more storage than mine. This kitchen was designed for someone who uses a caterer. I am way too happy at the stove — not to mention too broke — to use caterers. Like many of you, I could stay in my kitchen all day, reading, experimenting and making a delicious mess.
I love having a big table within view of the work area, because I can talk with my children while they do homework and I cook. This arrangement also encourages me to clean as I go, because who wants to look at a huge mess while they eat?
My kitchen is L-shaped and, opposite the table, there's an area surrounded by windows, where we have a chair perfect for reading. Okay, who am I kidding? Most often, that chair holds a napping dog, a kid playing a video game or someone watching sports on our computer. But I could totally read there! If it wasn't always occupied. Yes, that's a snowman painting. No, we haven't redecorated in a while.
Our pup loves his sunny corner, and I love having him in the kitchen while I cook. He doesn't get under my feet, because he knows I'm unlikely to drop anything. This dog learned quickly which family members were messiest —and most likely to be eating bacon.
The kitchen opens into the dining room. When pressed, we can seat ten in each room, and eight to twelve more at card tables in the living room, for a grand total of 32. Which I have done several times, and enjoyed every minute of it. It may be a little cramped, but I love that I can have the whole family and a big group of friends for a holiday meal. (Yes, we have to borrow dishes and chairs. Who on earth has that many dishes and chairs?)
I love our multi-use kitchen and the wide open space. I love the light streaming through the windows on a pretty day, and the great view of our
completely unmanicured lush backyard in the rain.
So, what would I change?
- I crave more cabinet space, enough to arrange dishes, glassware, and serving pieces where they were easier to reach and organize, and enough to get another small appliance or three. I dream of a day when all the storage containers could be organized by size, with their lids. To be fair, this may be more of an issue with the people who put them away than the actual kitchen.
- Because of those fantastic windows, the kitchen is the hottest room in the summer and the coldest in the winter. When we first moved here, I thought about shades or curtains, but the bare windows are so purrrrty!
- The fridge is a side by side, too narrow for large dishes. When I get ready for a party, I like to be able to prepare some of the party trays a day or so ahead and store them. I also like trying large cooking projects, which can take up entire shelves. The water dispenser has been broken for years, but I don't miss it. When the time comes to get a new fridge, I want one without a dispenser, because I probably wouldn't get that one fixed if it broke, either. Also, we'll go with a top and bottom model. In my dream kitchen? One fridge, one freezer, both full size.
- The oven is strange. It looks very fancy and, when I first saw it, I was thrilled. Five gas burners! A full size oven and a smaller one beside it! But...the full size oven is just a hair smaller than a regular one, so I can't put two cookie trays side by side. And that smaller oven? Doesn't hold any normal size dishes or trays, and occasionally lights on fire. We don't use it. The upside: it cooks really evenly, more so than any other oven I've had. My dream oven? La Cornue's Chateau 165, of course, in Summer Blue, or some other color I could design a whole kitchen around. I think I will have to dream a little smaller, but I would love two ovens some day.
- The chandelier in the windowed area is not my style. This is something I've been meaning to change for years, but I just can't make a decision. Any suggestions? With links, please! I would like something that complements the kitchen as is, but not a major investment, in case I win the lottery and change the whole space.
- I love the wood floors and white cabinets in our kitchen, but would love black cabinets and white marble countertops even more. Hey, this is a dream kitchen, right?
- And since we're making a fantasy list here — so much more fun than fantasy sports teams, if you ask me — I'd love a bar sink and some cabinets away from the main work area. And maybe a little writing desk, with a few drawers to store office supplies, enough room for my laptop, and a view of the back yard.
There's nothing really wrong with my kitchen, certainly nothing that would justify spending a pile of money on a new one, even if I had the pile of money. I like that we've lived here for a while, because by the time we need an update, I'll know exactly what I want and we won't make costly mistakes.
What do you love about your kitchen? What do you not love so much? Did you do it, or did someone else?
P.S. We have a housekeeper come to clean on Mondays. I took these pictures on Monday. It doesn't always look like this, but you might've already guessed that. I love Mondays.


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To the editor:
I know I'm not the only one with a huge question about the request from the Southern Nevada Water Authority to be water smart. My family and I have done everything that was asked of us and more. We bought a low-water toilet, put in xeriscaping, use dish water to water plants, only run the dishwasher when it's filled to the brim, wash our cars at a car wash and not in the street, take camping-style showers and anything else we can do to protect our precious water supply.
So how are we thanked? Our rates are raised, permission is given to build more unneeded, tightly packed tracts of homes, water parks are approved, huge casino water features are running unnecessarily (saying these use recycled water is a joke; water evaporates and needs to be replaced), and all kinds of water is wasted in construction work under the guise of keeping the dirt down.
We don't need more destruction of the desert, as there is so much empty real estate in the city as it is. These are just a few examples of misuse outside of the homeowners' sphere. Hence, if I don't follow the rules anymore, my guilt factor has been nullified.


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Name of Innovative Program:
Educating and Healing Through Applied Storytelling
Sponsoring Organization
First Person Arts
Name of Innovative Program Lead:
Nancy Martino
E-mail Address of Innovative Program Lead:
Project Description:
In 2011, FPA discovered a promising new storytelling program while collaborating with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services. Finding the Light Within was a community engagement project whose goal was to de-stigmatize depression. These storytelling workshops produced real life stories of people impacted by suicide that were transformed into a play presented by professionally trained actors and musicians as part of the First Person Arts Festival in 2011. Audience members then participated in a "Decompression Cafe" where mental health professionals stood ready to answer questions and process audience feedback. The entire process (5 months) from workshop to performance was a profound and transformative experience for participants and audiences. In 2012, FPA built upon this success, serving roughly 300 people, mainly youth who have experienced trauma, through community engagement projects modeled after Finding the Light Within.
Creativity and Innovation:
Mental health and substance recovery programs regularly make use of therapeutic storytelling in counseling and therapy sessions. While these approaches are generally successful in empowering patients to either overcome or better manage specific issues, the clinical applications of these techniques are generally applied in one-on-one situations or "closed" group sessions in which patients are already in treatment. All sessions are also confidential, therefore stories cannot be shared. FPA's community-engagement storytelling–to-theatre projects are open to the insured and uninsured. The workshops are made affordable through grants that often underwrite a portion of the costs. Workshop curriculum engages participants in a process of embracing their personal truths through storytelling and moving beyond them in a positive way. Final performances of the real life stories from the workshops are open and have the vital impact on educating and healing audiences. Such a model does not currently exist in our region.
The City of Philadelphia was so pleased with the results of our 2011 collaboration that they invited FPA to collaborate with Mural Arts again in 2012 on a project focusing on children and trauma. Mural Arts has included $15,000 in its 2013 budget to work again with FPA.In a letter from Valley Youth House / Achieving Independence Center to FPA Executive Director, Jamie J. Brunson, who conducted the workshops there, its Community and Activities Coordinator wrote: "It was after I heard you speak with great passion about your professional and personal desire to work with and assist young people…that I knew the AIC and First Person Arts would make great partners."Ms. Brunson has been asked to serve on the Board of the Mental Health Association of Greater Philadelphia, where she will have direct access to organizations working with populations affected by a range of behavioral health issues.
One of the project's strengths is its capacity for self-sustainability. This program has the capacity to generate revenue three ways: 1) Earned Income/Fees – paid to FPA by organizations like Mural Arts to conduct the workshops and develop the theatre piece presentation; 2) Contributed Income/Grants – organizations like the Thomas Scattergood Foundation underwrite workshops/theatre performances through grants; and 3) Ticket Revenue –culminating theatrical performances at the First Person Arts Festival also generate ticket income for the organization. Our goal over the next three years is to expand our applied storytelling work to generate more earned and contributed income. The Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative has invited FPA to submit a proposal to create an Applied Storytelling Division in order to meet the demonstrated demand for this work.
The potential for program replication was evident after our first collaboration with Mural Arts. Placing personal stories that culminate in theatrical performances at the center of the healing process engages the broad community in solutions-based, awareness-raising conversation. If this can be done for people impacted by suicide and trauma, it can be done for communities impacted by other pressing health and human services issues - the potential is almost limitless. This year, we also conducted workshops, followed by a performance, with the Valley Youth House / Achieving Independence Center for youth aging out of the foster care system. This work gave participants the courage and strength to stand in front of an audience of their peers and share their hurts, hopes, and dreams, their stories. Other organizations, such as Philadelphia Academies, Tree House Books, and The Art Sanctuary, want to work with us, but lack the resources to participate.
- In 2013, doubling both the number of workshops to eight and the number of program participants to 600 through strategic partnerships with organizations that serve the audiences we seek;
- For the participants, increase their self-awareness and help them and others cope with their feelings, enhance cognitive abilities, and enjoy the life-affirming pleasure of making art, with the goal of enabling them to heal and move on with their lives;
- For the audiences, address misconceptions, de-stigmatize, and create community around shared experiences;
- Development of evaluation criteria specific to behavioral health issues to qualify and quantify the program's success; and
- By 2015, creating an Applied Storytelling Division at FPA to bring this work to scale, including hiring a Manager of Applied Storytelling and a Sales Assistant and implementing a train-the-trainer component to produce a cadre of trained professionals using the newest intelligence and developments in the field.


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My husband is my first reader. Boy, is he tough. He's all down about back story, character development and plot movement. If he has any questions, his manuscript comes back with red circles all over it. Oh yes, he also tells me what he likes.
My family and friends can be trusted to like every word. Bless them, they help but only if they think they won't hurt my feelings.
My best beta readers are members of one of my two writing groups. They provide the critique necessary for me to figure out what's wrong with what I wrote and how I wrote it. Once I pass this group and edit the heck out of the story one more time, I send the manuscript to my agent. After all, she has to love it as much as I do, or she can't sell it.
So why didn't she love Mad Max 2? After all, my critical beta readers pointed out what had to be fixed. I paid attention. Really I did.
After much angst, I realized that I had done everything I should to make the Mad Max 2 manuscript worthy. Except one thing. I selected the wrong members of my critique group. Each beta reader had already read Mad Max 1. They filled in the gaps in character development, in particular, because THEY KNEW THE CHARACTERS. They knew the difference between Whip and Johnny. They knew about the Great Dames.
But two readers who haven't read Mad Max 1 (shocking, I know, but there are a few people who haven't read the first in the series) were lost in the first twenty pages.
So, what did I learn? My beta readers did what I asked. It's just that I asked the wrong thing. Lesson learned.
Thanks to all beta readers of Mad Max 2 and the readers who bought Mad Max 1. I will make you proud of your support. I promise.
Ciao for now. Off to write. Must write on, right now.


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First Sunday of Advent: Stones
There is stone in me that knows stone, Substance of rock that remembers the unending unending Simplicity of rest While scorching suns and ice ages Pass over rock-face swiftly as days. In the longest time of all come the rock's changes, Slowest of all rhythms, the pulsations That raise from the planet's core the mountain ranges And weather them down to sand on the sea-floor.
– from "Rock", Kathleen Raine
Find last year's poems here.
See Emmie's beautiful reflection here.


text: Just read this news.. Apparently A Gentleman's Dignity will continue to broadcast its last 2 episodes per schedule, just at an earlier. i.e 9.30 instead of 10pm KST.. YAY!! I am jumping with joy here.. Credit: enews world ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SBS was initially contemplating on temporarily suspending the drama as it conflicts with the 2012 London Olympics broadcasting schedule beginning on July 27. But perhaps with the drama's popularity rising and only two more episodes left in the series, SBS decided to air the drama at an earlier time of 9:30 pm instead of the usual 10 pm slot. July 28′s episode of A Gentleman′s Dignity is expected to address the new relationship of Kim Min Jong and Yoon Ji Ni, who became a couple against Kim Soo Ro′s wishes.


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Christopher Painter – interviewed by Peter Reynolds
What are your strongest musical memories from your childhood?
I'm told that my first musical experiences would have been pre-birth, which sounds awfully pretentious. My mother, who was confined to bed when she was in the last stages of her pregnancy, spent her time listening to Shostakovich's symphonies. Apparently, when I was a baby, to get me to sleep they would play me recordings of his symphonies and then I would go to sleep! I'm still very fond of Shostakovich's music and return to it frequently.
So you came from a musical background?
My mother was a writer, short stories mainly, and a journalist. My dad was a sportsman and worked for the railway, and later, the local steelworks. But there was always that Welsh thing about the importance of culture. My great-grandfather on my mother's side, Thomas Owen David, was a poet and a composer. I still have some of his poetry but the majority of it and all the compositions were lost when my grandmother gave it away for war salvage.
There was an extraordinary degree of culture in rural Wales in those days.
Yes. My great-grandfather died very young and I can understand why. He would work in the steel works all day and then sat up all night writing poetry or music. He wrote in the English and Welsh languages (writing in a particularly elegant and grammatically correct Welsh) and was a member of the Gorsedd of Bards under the name Owain ap Japheth. There was an awareness that work was what you needed to do to get by but that culture was the important thing. There was also the Welsh-thing of always striving to better oneself.
So, was there much cultural activity in Port Talbot when you were growing up?
Oh yes. There was, and still is, a great deal of artistic activity – literary groups, amateur dramatics, brass bands, choral societies and artist's groups. There was a lot of amateur music making going on and I was able to try out many things. We were very lucky in that we had free instrumental tuition in school – I tried out several instruments, including recorder, ukulele and violin. Fortunately, I ended up deciding I wanted to play the trumpet which was probably the best move I ever made. It brought me into contact with Walter White, from Ystradgynlais, who started out as my trumpet teacher and later went on to become my classroom music teacher. He not only pointed me in the direction of the local brass band (I still play in brass bands now) but encouraged me to take music seriously, I have a great deal to thank him for.
So is that how you began to compose, through that teacher?
Yes. There was a prevailing ethos that music isn't in a vacuum. You don't just play it or you don't just write or talk about it, try composing and conducting it. We used to get pieces performed in school and this encouraged us to be adventurous. I wrote a lot of brass quintets and pieces for the local brass band that I played in. I've still got a Requiem that I wrote when I was about fourteen! Severely sub-Verdi!
So you were writing, really, from your early teens?
Yes. We also had a magical store cupboard in the music room which was full of recordings and scores and I remember taking records home. One could just help oneself. One was very privileged if told that you could just go there whenever you wanted to. One didn't have to have permission and I remember taking records home. Also, we had quite a record collection at home. Again, we were fortunate in those days that there were a lot of local record shops. I don't think there's one classical record shop in Port Talbot, now. Or one shop where you could even buy classical records.
So you were obviously at a good school…
There was a very strong brass tradition, so my original influences were brass and one was encouraged to write. I was expected to conduct school assembly every morning, so I had the experience of actually having to get up and do it as well.
What kind of things were you listening to at that kind of stage?
I was heavily into Berlioz and started to find Stravinsky and Britten. I didn't formally study for 'A' level; I chose double maths and physics and was going to be a civil engineer and actually got a place in Swansea to study civil engineering. Just before I left school, the economics teacher came over to me and actually talked me out of it - saying that he had turned his back on music for a 'safer' career and had constantly regretted it. That summer, I went on a brass band course at Marlborough College (I had been several times before) which was led by Edward Gregson. I had composition and conducting lessons with him and he reinforced the advice to follow a career in music. So I went back to school for an extra year, did my 'A' level and, on the recommendation of Walter White, went to Cardiff University, partly because in my third year I heard a lot of Hoddinott records and wanted to study with him.
So, in fact, it was Hoddinott being Professor at Cardiff that led you to Cardiff University.
What kind of Hoddinott pieces were you hearing before you came to Cardiff?
Walter White pointed me towards the orchestral works and I just loved the sound world. The most notable works were The Sun the Luminary of the Universe, Third Symphony and Variants, whilst the Fifth Symphony just knocked me sideways; one of the pivotal pieces. One could really hear the planning and the piece's integrity.
And what did you get from Hoddinott when you went to him?
I didn't get to study with Hoddinott until I returned as a postgraduate. My initial, undergraduate, study was with Timothy Taylor who went through the basics with us and then I spent two years studying with Richard Elfyn Jones who taught me to handle material more efficiently and economically and helped me to attempt extended forms. It was only after my B.Mus that I went on to study with "The Prof".
What kind of pieces were you writing as an undergraduate? Had they moved from your school days, or were you discovering lots of new things at that time?
I was trying everything and anything, to be honest. I was very lucky in the year I was in college, we had a lot of good performers and a lot of people wanted to play new music. I was lucky to have a number of friends who were good players and would come and say "Write us something". So it was a chance to write for odd combinations, or for established ensembles.
Was postgraduate study a good experience for you? What did you get from your sessions with Hoddinott?
When I came to study with Hoddinott I had to think a lot harder to justify what I was doing and tutorials were very intense but also enjoyable. Hoddinott focused my mind on what I was doing and encouraged me to be much more critical of my work and to concentrate on the minute details.
So Hoddinott focused your mind on the integrity of the material?
And slowed me down, because I used to write very, very quickly; I was very fluent and I could write pieces easily but there was very little substance to them although they helped to develop my technique.
Alun Hoddinott himself was a very facile composer, in the best sense, but he worked it all out in advance. It's interesting that he should have slowed you down.
Yes. Even when copying his music, I couldn't keep up with him. In our lessons he'd comment, "Why have you put those notes here? If you can't explain why they're there, they shouldn't be there." And it was that process that slowed me down to condense what I was doing.
So that was actually a milestone, really, in terms of developing your technique?
He'd say, "Well, if you want to do this seriously, then you have to approach it seriously". There was much more emphasis on the thought behind it. I think he believed, at that stage, that putting notes on the paper wasn't difficult; it was the thought behind the notes which was important.
And the professionalism of being a composer?
Yes. If you take something on, you do it and it's always done to the highest standards, and you behave properly. One of his maxims which has stuck with me: "There's no such thing as a good or bad composer, there are just those who give up." You keep at it. If you believe in what you're doing, it doesn't matter if other people say it's no good, as long as your faith in your technique is good.
What happened after university, in terms of your development as a composer?
I basically sat in my flat and worked, and didn't get a piece played for ten years. I naively thought "Right, if I start writing, people will start playing it" – I learnt a very hard and useful lesson there! There were at least thirty pieces, all now destroyed, I started but never finished. I just thought "There's no point! Nobody's going to be playing this!" I also, at that time, preferred the big form, rather than chamber music, so I was writing pieces that wouldn't get performed.
What got you out of that cul-de-sac into writing again?
I had a very uncomfortable dinner with Alun and Rhiannon (Hoddinott). And I had two hours of brow-beating from the two of them about wasting my time, and "What the **** do you think you're doing?" They challenged me to write a small work so I wrote a carol and that got me back into the swing of it. Also, a Lower Machen Festival commission also came in - the first thing I actually had performed publicly, for ten years.
How do you view things these days? Do you have a forward plan, or do you think in terms of responding to commissions as they come along?
Both, in a way, and they're linked. In the past, I've tended to want to write big pieces. I've been trying to write big orchestral pieces and I've been lucky in the last three years: I've had two played. My big ambition was to get a BBC commission but I've realized that it is not the be all and end all. I'm not very good at getting out there and getting commissions and find the promotion side of being a composer very difficult. I either do very little or go about it in a very heavy-handed and clumsy way. I have a number of pieces that I want to write but no idea how to get them commissioned so I tend to wait until I'm asked and hope that commissions fit in with my plans.
What about the composition process itself: how does a piece begin? Is the process a very long one, or does it actually happen quite quickly?
It's a slow process. I find once I'm past the first page, it's OK. I have a tendency always to want to write the big opening. I'm trying to consciously move away from that and be happy to write a slow opening, or a quiet opening. Just to write exactly what I think I should be writing, not what I think will please. I'm well along the road back from serialism, because I did get into total serialism at one point, which was useful at the time. It didn't have a good future though. Once you've done it, I don't think you can keep on being so prescriptive. So I use elements of serialism and adapting them.
But it does provide a backbone and way of moving notes around the page I suppose.
Since I've been teaching I can see students thinking in the way I used to. I used to have in mind who might analyse my music. I thought "You have to do the right thing, because somebody's going to go through this and look at it" and then you get to a point where you think "I don't really care who analyses it: that's what I want to write".
Are you influenced at all by external stimuli, or are they always purely musical ideas? I remember seeing a harp piece, I think, based on Lake Vyrnwy.
Yes. I got very hung up on Lake Vyrnwy and was influenced by its folklore. It's a fantastic part of the world. I can understand how all the folklore has evolved up there when one sits in the forest there watching the birds, especially when it gets dark. There are also external stimuli in the piece Toward the Light which I wrote for the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Symphony Orchestra here. It came out of a walk from Birling Gap to Eastbourne over the Downs along the edge of the cliffs past Beachy Head. It was a terribly foggy day and a boat that had been blown up onto the cliffs and smashed. That made a big impact on me, and the whole piece is this journey, really. Things like that affect me. Poetry and painting also affect me to a certain degree and I have been greatly influenced by the poetry of Vernon Watkins too.
What about writing a piece? Do you write for a set number of hours a day, or is the
process more piece-meal?
It's become piece-meal through necessity. I originally started music copying as a means to be able to compose, but the hours required for copying meant that the composition time became increasingly squashed. The Britten thing of getting up at a set time and working set hours has always been an attractive idea of that, but it's never, ever worked yet. I long to be able to devote long periods to writing and to plan my work schedule but, by necessity, I have to cram in the odd minutes and hours when I can.
Do you tend to through compose or do you need to sketch a lot to discover the structure?
I prefer to write straight into full score and rarely sketch. I tend to have a structure in mind before I start. But it's not set in stone. I know roughly where we're going. It's just getting the balance right and as I go through I'm continually going back through the score and adjusting the structure.
We just talked about you going back over pieces. When a piece is finished and performed, do you go back and revise, or is it finished by then?
One thing that was said to me, certainly by Alun, and I seem to remember by Tim Taylor as well, was that the time it takes you to revise a piece, you could write a new one. So don't get bogged down with continually revising. I do go back sometimes and look at things. But you could tinker forever, going back and forth.
And are you a piano composer or a desk man when it comes to composing?
A desk man: I can't play the piano to save my life but I do try things out.
Verticals and things?
Yes, and just to see if things work. I forced myself very early on to hear things in my head rather than rely on the piano. This has, unfortunately, become more difficult since I developed tinnitus.
Do you ever play your score back on the computer?
I try not to. I got into a habit of doing it, and I suddenly realised I was destroying a lot of stuff that was actually going to work. I've started to preach to all my students: "Don't play it back on the computer!"
Your music suggests a pre-occupation, to my mind with classical forms. Do these the classical forms of the past, the traditional form of symphony, concerto and so forth, play a big part in your music?
They have done. I had an e-mail about three years ago from somebody from an American contemporary music group saying they'd looked at my web-site, and they'd looked down my list of works and they said "You write sonatas and quartets. Are you sure you shouldn't be dead!" Fair enough! There was a fairly heated exchange of e-mails, but I thought, "That's charming!" I don't agree with the sentiments, but part of the point was well taken.
Or are you one who has been trying to move away from those forms, in a sense?
I'm starting to. I think it's a confidence thing. Again, when I first left college, I felt: "Well, you have to write a symphony, you have to write a quartet in the style of..." And if you're going to call it a quartet, then you write the four movements. As time goes on, one starts getting more and more confident and one thinks "I can write a quartet but it doesn't have to be a four-movement quartet with a scherzo and so forth. Logically, if you think of it that way: there is no reason to follow the form because no-one ever has. The form has evolved. I like the idea of sonata form. My ultimate preference is continual variations. I like the idea of: "I'll start there, and that will evolve right through the piece". You may not recognize it by the time you get two-thirds of the way through, but it is based on the original.
It's like a bit of material working for you.
I love puzzles. I love working out puzzles. I love working out how things come together. To a certain extent, I approach composition like building a puzzle. You get your building blocks and you ask "How can I manipulate these to get me from here to there?" When I can really get down to doing that, I really enjoy it.
So, in a sense, it's a bit more about manipulating material rather than that straight-jacketing that we were talking about as serialism and pre-plans of pre-composition, and so on.
That's the part of serialism that I hated. The bit I like, and still use, are sets of row rotations. I use a lot of row rotations. I don't do it strictly though and have my own way of doing it. But I end up with sheets of blocks of notes but then there's no strict use of them. I can just use them when I want within a fairly fluid tonal framework.
It's more like what the Americans call "Set Theory".
Yes. It's a set of notes. In one piece I ended up with 300 different sets that all inter-related and I could cut together. You could just pick one or two. If I write a big orchestral piece I tend to use those row rotations.
In terms of what's going on in music today, how would you feel about the contemporary music scene? How do you see what's been going on in the last few years?
I like the diversity. I like the fact that, for the first time, I can write what I like without worrying that it doesn't fit in with some current trend. I have to say, I see some contemporary music as "Emperor's New Clothes". If a certain composer with a certain standing writes something, he's always going to be regarded as good, and those ones that criticise him will be called "Imbeciles" for misunderstanding it. But there are those who can write what they like and it will be said "That's wonderful!", because it's the thing to do, as it were. You're perceived as being intelligent by supporting them.
How do you see the interaction between composer and performer? Do you like writing for any particular performers, and is that quite important in the way that it was for someone like Britten?
I think it's great to know whom you're writing for. I've been very lucky to be able to work with performers and find out from people what might work better or something that takes you down a really different route. I was Ensemble Cymru's first Composer in Association and wrote a substantial part for the guitarist Craig Ogden as part of an education project. I'd never written for guitar before and I didn't have a clue. But it was great, partly because he's such a nice guy anyway, and took me to one side and said "This ain't gonna work, but if you do it this way…" Not only did it work, but I went away and re-wrote the thing, and it completely changed the shape of it because that opened another avenue which I didn't realise I could do. That's how it should be.
How do you feel about the opportunities for composers in Wales, today?
There are a lot of positives and negatives. Performance-wise, there are a lot of positives but I think we have a problem in thinking we're a little country. We don't have much self-confidence. We're not very good at telling the world how good we are.
Do you think there's enough promotion done inside Wales?
Frankly, no; there's a lot of promotion done by voluntary bodies and ensembles but our official bodies, who are charged with doing their day-to-day work, could do a lot more. There's a lot of talk of new initiatives and we, as practitioners, are told that we should be innovative, but I don't see much innovation or support coming out of the bodies that tell us to be innovative.
It also seems to me that notated music using classical musical instruments is seen as being a less and less of a priority these days.
It's an awful phrase but "dumbing down" is an apt term for what we are doing. The kind of music I write is seen as elitist. That makes me furious. I don't want to be elitist; I want everyone to listen to what I do. Rather than trying to raise the standards so that everyone can take part in so-called "serious music", they want us to lower our standards then we're accused of being elitist when we refuse. It's not elitist, but if you want to play the piano, you have to be able to play the piano. You can't just come along and open the lid, and expect it to play itself. It's like anything. You wouldn't call sport elitist.
No, and you have to reach very high technical standards to be a good sports person.
Yes. So there's a disparity. There was an instance back last year where there was an issue about raising money to send sportsmen to the Commonwealth Games. I don't see a lot of fuss being made about raising money to send musicians overseas, or to promote music in communities. We have the odd nod towards it, but people don't start screaming and shouting that there should be more money going into music to encourage the "ordinary person" to get involved in music, whatever the "ordinary person" is.
But surely there are good factors as well?
There's a growing confidence, and I'm very heartened by the number of ensembles that are working in Wales and who have a willingness to perform Welsh music. I was talking recently to a number of younger musicians starting out in their career who want to perform Welsh music. The more of that we get, the better, because I don't think we've had a Welsh identity for years. In the past, people have not wanted to be seen as being Welsh and promoting their own culture; fortunately, that is changing.
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff: 1.4.03
Edited by Chris Painter: 30.12.13