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WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
Ed McCabe v. Nu Science Corporation
Case No. D2007-0422
1. The Parties
The Complainant is Ed McCabe of Hallandale, Florida, United States of America, represented by Eric D. Offner, United States of America.
The Respondent is Nu Science Corporation, Kevin Negrete, Lancaster, California, United States of America.
2. The Domain Name and Registrar
The disputed Domain Name <mroxygen.com> is registered with Tucows, Inc.
3. Procedural History
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the "Center") on March 17, 2007. On March 20, 2007, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the Domain Name at issue. On March 20, 2007, the Registrar transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming that the Respondent is listed as the registrant and providing the contact details for the administrative and technical contact. In response to a notification by the Center that the Complaint was administratively deficient, the Complainant filed an amendment to the Complaint on April 13, 2007. The Center verified that the Complaint together with the amendment to the Complaint satisfied the formal requirements of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy"), the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Rules"), and the WIPO Supplemental Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Supplemental Rules").
In accordance with the Rules, paragraphs 2(a) and 4(a), the Center formally notified the Respondent of the Complaint, and the proceedings commenced on April 20, 2007. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was May 10, 2007. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent's default on May 11, 2007.
The Center appointed W. Scott Blackmer as the sole panelist in this matter on May 23, 2007. The Panel finds that it was properly constituted. The Panel has submitted the Statement of Acceptance and Declaration of Impartiality and Independence, as required by the Center to ensure compliance with the Rules, paragraph 7.
4. Factual Background
The Complainant Ed McCabe is an author and journalist based in Florida. According to his website at "www.oxygenhealth.com," in 1988 the Complainant published a book, "Oxygen Therapies, A New Way of Approaching Disease," describing the benefits and techniques of re-oxygenating and re-mineralizing the human body. The website reports that more than 250,000 copies of the book have been sold, and that the Complainant has published numerous articles, delivered hundreds of lectures, and appeared on television and radio programs to discuss this subject. The website repeatedly refers to the Complainant as "Mr. Oxygen."
The Complainant's informational website cited above links to the website of Oxygen America, Inc. (a Florida corporation) at "www.oxygenamerica.com," on which consumers can purchase a variety of nutritional supplements, air purifiers, bottled water, and home health care devices. At least one of the products, MR. OXYGEN'S OXYEARTH, displays the MR. OXYGEN mark and is advertised as having been "personally designed" by "Mr. Oxygen, Ed McCabe."
In November 2003 the Complainant applied for United States registration of the standard character mark MR. OXYGEN as a service mark, showing first use in commerce on January 1, 1991. The mark was registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on July 26, 2005, United States Registration No. 2975802, disclaiming the exclusive right to use the word "oxygen."
The Respondent did not submit a Response in this proceeding. The Registrar's WHOIS database indicates that the Respondent registered the Domain Name on June 9, 2000.
The Domain Name currently resolves to a website at "www.nuscience.com," which advertises the Respondent's CELLFOOD nutritional supplements that incorporate "bio-available oxygen." The Respondent's website provides information about those products and where they can be purchased. According to the website, the Respondent is the world's leading manufacturer of "oxygen + nutrient" supplements and has produced these products for more than 40 years, based on Everett Storey's original formulation. The website states elsewhere that the Respondent has researched and developed oxygen-based health and beauty products since 1969, and that it sells its products internationally through a variety of distributors.
The "Our Company" page on the Respondent's website identifies the Respondent as NuScience Corporation (omitting the space after "Nu," the form of the name that appears in the Registrar's WHOIS database). NuScience is a California corporation, listed on the state's business entity database. "Nu Science Corporation" (at the same address) is listed on the USPTO database as the owner of the registered CELLFOOD trademark.
Counsel for the Complainant sent the Respondent a cease-and-desist letter dated February 2, 2006, demanding transfer of the Domain Name. There is no evidence in the record that the Respondent replied to this letter or to the Complaint in this proceeding.
5. Parties' Contentions
A. Complainant
The Complaint argues that the Domain Name is identical or confusingly similar to his MR. OXYGEN mark, and that the Respondent, a competitor, has no rights or legitimate interests in the name. The Complainant concludes that the Domain Name was registered and used in bad faith.
B. Respondent
The Respondent did not reply to the Complainant's contentions.
6. Discussion and Findings
Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy provides that in order to divest the Respondent of the disputed domain name, the Complainant must demonstrate each of the following:
(i) the Domain Name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainant has rights; and
(ii) the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Domain Name; and
(iii) the Domain Name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.
Under paragraph 15(a) of the Rules,
"A Panel shall decide a complaint on the basis of the statements and documents submitted and in accordance with the Policy, these Rules and any rules and principles of law that it deems applicable."
As in other cases where a respondent fails to reply, the Panel must still satisfy itself that the Complainant in this proceeding has met its overall burden of proof under paragraph 4 of the Policy. Thus, the uncontested facts must provide a sufficient prima facie basis for finding identity or confusing similarity with the Complainant's mark and then for inferring that, more probably than not, the Respondent has no right or legitimate interest in the Domain Name, and has registered and used it in bad faith. See, e.g., Croatia Airlines d.d. v. Modern Empire Internet Ltd., WIPO Case No. D2003-0455.
A. Identical or Confusingly Similar
The Complainant indisputably holds the registered United States trademark MR. OXYGEN. The mark is identical to the Domain Name for UDRP purposes, as the period and space after "mr" cannot appear in a Domain Name System (DNS) address and the ".com" suffix is merely a necessary element of DNS addressing that is not distinctive as to source.
Thus, the Complainant satisfies the first UDRP element.
B. Rights or Legitimate Interests
The Policy, paragraph 4(c), provides a non-exhaustive list of circumstances in which a respondent could demonstrate rights or legitimate interests in a contested domain name:
"(i) before any notice to you of the dispute, your use of, or demonstrable preparations to use, the domain name or a name corresponding to the domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services; or
(ii) you (as an individual, business, or other organization) have been commonly known by the domain name, even if you have acquired no trademark or service mark rights; or
(iii) you are making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the domain name, without intent for commercial gain to misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish the trademark or service mark at issue."
The Complainant denies, without contradiction, ever giving the Respondent permission to use his trademarked moniker.
An examination of the Respondent's website, to which the Domain Name resolves, reveals that the Respondent's website is commercial, and there is no indication that it uses the Domain Name for legitimate noncommercial fair use. Moreover, nothing in the record in this proceeding or on the Respondent's website suggests that the Respondent is known by the name "mroxygen" or "Mr. Oxygen", or that it sells products with such a name. Instead, the Respondent's name is given as "NuScience" or "Nu Science", and its website advertises its CELLFOOD line of products, CELLFOOD being a registered trademark held by the Respondent.
The trademark registration indicates that the mark MR. OXYGEN has been associated with the Complainant since 1991. The first page of results from a Google search on "mroxygen" all relate to the Complainant. The Complainant was a published author on the subject of oxygenation and made frequent media appearances on this subject long before the Respondent registered the Domain Name. A review of relevant websites shows that the Complainant is associated with commercial products that display his mark in labeling or advertising and that appear to compete directly with the Respondent's products. In these circumstances, where the Respondent uses the Domain Name only to divert Internet users to its own website selling competing products, it cannot be said that the Respondent uses the Domain Name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services.
Despite a cease-and-desist letter from the Complainant and notice of the Complaint in this proceeding, the Respondent has not come forward to assert any rights or legitimate interests. In the absence of contrary evidence, the Panel is entitled to draw a negative inference from the Respondent's default, namely that the Respondent has no such rights or legitimate interests (see Rules, paragraph 14(b)).
The Panel concludes, therefore, that the Complainant satisfies the second UDRP element.
C. Registered and Used in Bad Faith
Paragraph 4(b) of the Policy provides a non-exhaustive list of circumstances that indicate bad faith. One of these, Paragraph 4(b)(iv), fits the evidence in this proceeding:
"(iv) by using the domain name, you have intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to your website or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant's mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of your website or location or of a product or service on your website or location."
In 2000, when the Domain Name was registered, the Complainant had not yet obtained trademark registration for the MR. OXYGEN mark. However, the mark was used in commerce from 1991 onward, and it appears from media reports in the 1990s that the Complainant was often referred to as "Mr. Oxygen," frequently in connection with his 1988 book. Both the Complainant and the Respondent are located in the United States of America, where the book was published and where most of the media stories appeared. Both are associated with the sale of oxygenation products, a rather narrow industry niche. Several online reports or advertisements by distributors of health products and nutritional supplements mention both MR. OXYGEN and the Respondent's CELLFOOD products.
It is probable, therefore, that the Respondent, a direct competitor, was aware of the Complainant and registered and used the Domain Name to trade on the Complainant's mark and reputation. The Respondent has not offered any legitimate, alternative explanation for its choice of the Domain Name in response to the cease-and-desist letter or the UDRP Complaint, and none appears from an examination of the record and the Respondent's website.
The Panel concludes, therefore, that the Domain Name was registered and used in bad faith.
7. Decision
For all the foregoing reasons, in accordance with paragraphs 4(i) of the Policy and 15 of the Rules, the Panel orders that the Domain Name <mroxygen.com> be transferred to the Complainant.
W. Scott Blackmer
Sole Panelist
Dated: June 7, 2007


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I had insider information about this book as Helen Boyle, editor of tBkmag, had raved about it. In fact, wearing another hat she had bid for the publishing rights only to lose out to Bloomsbury. Shame about that, Helen.
Anyway, what a rip-roaring ride it is! 16 year old Dylan Mint has Tourette's Syndrome which leads him to shout unsavoury - and sometimes downright obscene - things in moments of stress. In the back of his mind Mr Dog growls and the more the stress the louder Dylan barks.
Obviously highly distressing but within the context of the special school Dylan attends he is otherwise 'normal'. For Dylan, making sense of the world is an intriguing mix of teenage knowing and incomprehension of why adults say the things they do.
Without giving away too much, Dylan has a list of things he wants to do before he dies, top of which is having 'real sexual intercourse with a girl (preferably Michelle Malloy and definitely NOT on a train or any other mode of transport . . . if it's possible at her house).'
Imagine mustering the courage (and the stress involved) to approach said Ms Malloy only for your Tourette's to blurt out your innermost feelings. Tourette's is a serious and distressing condition but this was only one of many – genuinely - laugh out loud moments that debut author Brian Conaghan engineers. His appreciation of the implications for a coming of age teenager and the way he articulates it are superb and comparisons with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon are inevitable. This, too, is a novel for Young Adults although the crossover potential is enormous and Bloomsbury are planning two jackets, the second to appeal to us grown ups.
So if you enjoyed Curious Incident or My Sister Lives on the Mantelpieceby Annabel Pitcher then keep your eyes peeled for When Mr Dog Bites, due out in January.
And while I'm at it, can I also try once again to encourage you to readGrace Williams Says it Loud by Emma Henderson – a truly grown up version of a similar predicament.

subset: commoncrawl


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Shop Location: 48
Website: www.hwhmc.com.au
Phone: 07 5580 6677
Covering all aspects of General Practice, the medical centre offers both male and female GP's to deliver the highest quality care and service to their patients. Bulk Billing is available to pensioners, health care card holders and children aged under 16 years. Providing a team approach to care, patients are respected as partners in the management of their health and wellbeing. Learn more about the wide range of services we offer on our website.


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Brightening Up the Bedroom
So many times we 2 Ladies have clients who concentrate on their living areas but forget about decorating their bedrooms. We spend a lot of time in our bedrooms. It's the last thing we see at night and the first thing we see in the morning. It can set your mood for the whole day! We suggest spending time on decorating your bedroom. With HomeGoods it is easy to decorate your bedroom and make little changes in its decor to keep it fresh and inviting all year round. We brighten up this bedroom with not only a colorful duvet, but also with bright gold accents. The fabulous tufted chair from HomeGoods was the perfect accent chair for this space!
Whenever we decorate we start with the basics. A quick trip to HomeGoods for bright white sheets! We find you can never go wrong with white sheets. We build from there. This bedroom is simple in color choices but big on texture and pattern. Pops of pink add even more interest to this vignette. Sponsored by HomeGoods


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Every Christmas we find ourselves striving to find that little "bargain buy" or that "gift for that perfect person" in large retail shops. The constant buying and bulk-buying of unnecessary items made all over the world is undoubtedly negatively effecting the environment, the human lives of those making it and the lives of those consuming.Read More
The past week in Brighton has had a distinctly oriental flavour to the town, the Costume Games organised by Moshi Moshi, the Japanese beating South Africa with a last gasp try and Lady Aiko's residency at Ink_d Gallery.
The last one is (obviously) the most topical for this blog, but one that has had a significant impact in the city as a whole, from the exhibition itself to her mural in The Lanes.Read More
Often we are told that something has to have some great big deep meaning with 177 different techniques, and a concept that will contend with the meaning of life and transport your mind to a brand new level simply by being in its presence. Warhol changed all this with the advent of "pop-art", literally meaning popular art. It became OK to create work that is simple to understand and appeals to people for its simple message.Read More
Matt Smith uses Brighton, its gay community and his own experiences as a major influence in his work. He has managed to capture the essence of this community: the fun, humour, sassiness and finally the sexuality of this wonderful city and community by creating piece after piece that subtly reference these emotions but without sacrificing aesthetic or alienating anyone.Read More
When making this blog one has to consider all kinds of thoughts: What will the blog feature? What will the tone be? What is the purpose of the blog? This last thought was the most significant, it is to celebrate the wonderful and unique artistic expression that this special city holds. And, act as a signpost for the visitor looking for suggestions from someone who spends too much of his weekends in galleries and pop-ups around town.Read More


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Over deze norm
|Aantal pagina's
|Pyrotechnische voorwerpen / vuurwerk
|Gepubliceerd op
This European Standard specifies requirements for the construction, performance, primary packaging and labelling of hand-held sparklers and the corresponding test methods. It is applicable to fireworks which are classified as hand-held sparklers in categories 1 and 2 in EN 14035-2 and which are contained in a primary pack. It is not applicable to hand-held sparklers containing pyrotechnic composition that includes any of the following substances: - arsenic or arsenic compounds; - mixtures containing a mass fraction of chlorates greater than 80 %; - mixtures of chlorates with metals; - mixtures of chlorates with red phosphorus; - mixtures of chlorates with potassium hexacyanoferrate(II); - mixtures of chlorates with sulfur; - mixtures of chlorates with sulfides; - lead or lead compounds; - mercury compounds; - white phosphorus; - picrates or picric acid; - potassium chlorate with a mass fraction of bromates greater than 0,15 %; - sulfur with an acidity, expressed in mass fraction of sulphuric acid, greater than 0,002 %; - zirconium with a particle size of less than 40 mm. Schemes for type testing of hand-held sparklers and batch testing of hand-held sparklers are specified in annex A and annex B respectively.
|Nederlandse titel
|Vuurwerk - Deel 19: Sterretjes die in de hand vastgehouden worden - Specificaties en beproevingsmethoden
|Engelse titel
|Fireworks - Part 19: Hand-held sparklers - Specification and test methods
|Vervangen door
|Gewijzigd door


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"Home Sweet Home"! Home is where the heart lies and Yes! There are some Luxury Homes Real Estate in Duxberry that just astound by-passers, owners, and viewers with their magnificence. They are made as if to withstand time and to be of subject for art and poetry.
These luxury homes often have the most up-to-date amenities and state-of-the-art appliances. The lot areas are as big as football fields and they loom over everything else.
In 2004, Forbes listed The Ridges in South Africa as one of the most amazing places to live or buy in Duxberry. This holds true until today. The misconception of a lot of people that Gauteng is only about Gambling, quick weddings, and Show-girls couldn't be further from the truth. Although they do bring in a big crowd of gamers and honeymooners, there is also a softer and subtle side to Johannesburg and it can be seen in places like the Morningside, Fourways, Parkhurst, Duxberry, and Waterfall.
Most homes here are owned by high net worth individuals who live with their families. The ridges are home to a good number of some of the richest and wealthiest people in the world. The people live like royalty and are pampered with everything that a fun-loving person would desire to sale or buy a house.
The Ridges is just next to Red Rock Canyon, which is one of Nevada's geological wonders. The point in the Ridges has is known for its spectacular view that everyone remembers after their first visit. This is the place that is nestled right in the heart of all the beauty that Las Vegas has to offer.
Whether you are looking for a home for the reputed fun and games in Las Vegas, out-of-this-world scenery or just have the need to be pampered, then the Luxury Homes Real Estate Duxberry will be able to satisfy your cravings for a finer lifestyle than no other.
How do You Buy Luxury Homes?
Every residential real estate transaction has both real and personal property. It is also possible for real property to become personal property and personal property to become real.
Real property is the land and also any improvements built upon it. In most cases it is also anything that would be considered immovable or affixed to the land; this may occur naturally or by man. Here are some examples of what is commonly referred to and considered to be real property: land, houses, trees, streams, wells, window treatments, and light fixtures, to name a few.
Personal property is just about everything else that is not considered real. For example, plants may be considered either real or personal, but those that are in pots would be personal property. All belongings in the house that are not considered a fixture are also personal and are most often not included in the residential purchase agreement. Though, there are always exceptions to the rule and anything is negotiable. Some times negotiations will include some personal property to remain in the home at the close of escrow, such as furniture.
This is an area of real estate that is not always clearly explained to the buyer and seller and it can add unnecessary tension between the buyer and seller as well as added stress to agents and other third parties involved. It is always advantageous to point out examples of real and personal property to buyers and sellers early in the relationship.
Luxury Homes Real Estate in Duxberry
A ravishing home with stunning interiors is a dream of many Indians. Presently most of the people want to live in spacious and comfort homes where they can enjoy all the ultimate and modern facilities. In India, Delhi NCR has been a fascinating destination with many corporate houses, national and multinational companies setting up their offices in Delhi NCR. The high disposable income group working in these companies has increased the demand for luxury homes in Delhi NCR.
The demand and popularity for luxurious homes for sale is gaining fast for many reasons. These luxury homes are available with ultimate modern facilities and amenities such as private swimming pool, stylish club, branded shopping center, indoor stadium and many more. In India there are wonderful and comfortable luxury house are available for rent and for sale.
To get the more details regarding luxury homes for sale, visit free online classified ad websites. One can get the full details over there.
Listing Your House For Sale By Owner
The reasons for buying property in South Africa are many and varied but there are a number of factors that must be considered when it comes to matching property types to property buyers. For the purposes of this article we will examine three buyer groups that are traditionally associated with buying property in Portugal: the property investor, the relocation buyer and the retirement buyer.
Property investors are typically interested in properties that can provide a high rental yield. The best buy to let properties are often situated in or near to Portugal's major resorts such as Vilamoura or Vale do Lobo and because of this the amount of capital available to the property investor, or their ability to service a loan, will be an influential factor in the buying process. This is because there are large differences in the prices of property, based on their location.
Properties in Quinta do lago and Vale do Lobo, for example, can command prices of up to £20.000.000 whilst those in Vilamoura are generally of lower value. A non-resident property investor should also consider whether there is a reputable property management company on hand to service the property in their absence. A good property management company can advise on legalities and requirements pertinent to the commercial rental of property in Portugal as well as dealing with the day to day issues that renting a property entails.
Whatever the motive for buying property in Portugal, the buyer will need to contract a licensed real estate agent to represent them through all areas of the buying process. Only a government licensed real estate agent can offer the buyer peace of mind that everything from registering the property with the local Land Registry to applying for a fiscal number will be dealt with correctly. Licensed real estate agents in Portugal must show their government license number on their websites by law, so any "would be" property buyer would do well to verify this before contacting an agent with a view to purchasing.
South Africa is a wonderful place to buy property and, with due consideration, buying property in Portugal is highly recommended to investors, families and retirees alike. So why not take time out to learn more about this wonderful part of South Africa.


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Advisory Board
Advisory Board
Ben Allen
California State Senator Ben Allen was elected on November 4th, 2014 to represent the 26th Senate District, which consists of the Westside and coastal South Bay communities of Los Angeles County. He was selected as a freshman senator to serve as chair of the Senate's Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments as well as the state legislature's Joint Committee on the Arts. He also serves on the Senate's Budget Committee, the Budget Subcommittee that oversees the state's education budget, the Natural Resources and Water Committee, the Transportation and Housing Committee, and the Veterans Affairs Committee. Ben is a former board member, and former Board President, of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and was elected as the top vote-getter in both his 2008 election and 2012 reelection. He is of counsel with the law firm of Richardson & Patel LLP and is a past lecturer at UCLA Law School, where he taught education law and policy. While in law school, Allen served as a voting member of the University of California Board of Regents, and as a judicial clerk with the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Prior to his law career, Allen worked for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), and then as communications director for Congressman Jose Serrano (D-NY). He is a senior fellow with the international human rights organization Humanity in Action, is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, and a graduate of the Jewish Federation's New Leaders Project. Allen has degrees from Harvard, Cambridge, and UC Berkeley, and he is fluent in Spanish.
Tom Ammiano
Tom is a long-time San Francisco leader who has served the City for four decades as a teacher, School Board President, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and history-making member of the State Assembly. Tom was elected to the San Francisco School Board in 1990, where he served until 1994 and was twice elected President of the School Board. In 1994, Tom won citywide election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In 2000, after the institution of district elections, he was elected District 9 Supervisor. He served as President of the Board of Supervisors from 1998 to 2002. Tom served in the California State Assembly November 2008 until 2014, when he left office because of term limits. His many landmark accomplishments include: passing the Healthy San Francisco program, which made San Francisco the first city in America to provide universal health care access and sponsoring sweeping campaign finance reform and ethics laws to minimize the influence of special interest money on elections and to open government to public participation. He authored: "Great Schools for a Great City" which added $300 million to San Francisco public schools, legislation that established San Francisco's Rainy Day Fund, a Hetch Hetchy water system improvement bond measure that created 28,000 jobs, domestic partners legislation to extend marriage privileges to domestic partners, the landmark Seth's Anti-Bullying Law, a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, and the Trust Act which gave communities the right to opt-out of the controversial Secure Communities enforcement program. Finally, Tom authored a bill to close Proposition 13 corporate loopholes, which passed the Assembly in 2014 on a bipartisan 56-8 vote.
Tony Thurmond
Tony Thurmond was elected California State Superintendent of Public Instruction in November 2018. Prior to that election Thurmond represented California's 15th Assembly District from 2014-2018. First elected to the Richmond City Council in 2005, Thurmond served as Council Liaison to Richmond's Youth Commission, the Workforce Investment Board and the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Immediately prior to his election to the Assembly, Thurmond's project, CEO Youth, was improving school attendance and reducing dropout rates—issues that he will continue to prioritize as Superintendent. He recognizes that jobs, education, and crime are interrelated challenges. A Fellow in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Children and Family Fellowship program, Tony is a graduate and former student body president of Temple University. He did his graduate work at Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA) where he received dual Masters Degrees in Law and Social Policy and Social Work. He lives in Richmond, California.
Nick Josefowitz
Nick was elected to the BART Board on November 4, 2014. He represents District 8, which includes portions of San Francisco. Nicholas launched RenGen Energy, a company that developed and built renewable energy power plants. Nicholas quickly grew the business, building over $100m of solar power plants and providing thousands of homes and businesses clean electricity. He worked closely with communities and local governments to create consensus and generate well-paying local jobs. A lifelong Democrat, Nicholas has been fighting for a just and sustainable future ever since he first knocked on doors for John Kerry's presidential campaign in college. He was appointed by Mayor Ed Lee to San Francisco's Environment Commission, and helped bring low-cost loans to San Franciscans looking to upgrade their homes to make them more comfortable and energy efficient. Nicholas has pressured the city to plan for significantly improved speed, reliability and frequency of buses on Geary Blvd, and co-authored an influential review of Caltrans, the state transportation agency, which identified structural issues in the organization that encouraged urban sprawl and led to poor performance. The report spurred much needed action in Sacramento. Nicholas's commitment to world-class public transportation is grounded in his family, and his community. He volunteers with numerous non-profit and community groups -- serving on the board of the Jewish Community Relations Council, the California League of Conservation Voters and as the founder of Leadership For a Clean Economy. Nicholas graduated from Harvard. He lives in Pacific Heights with his wife Tali, whom he met in college. In their spare time they like exploring the city on foot, and cooking for each other and friends.
Gayle McLaughlin
Gayle joined the Richmond City Council in 2004. She was elected Mayor of the City of Richmond, CA in November 2006, and was re-elected in November 2010. In November of 2014 she was elected to the City Council. As Mayor of Richmond, Gayle led the City in a progressive direction that kept City workers in jobs and City services in place, even in hard economic times. In 2014 under Gayle's leadership, the City Council passed a Minimum Wage Increase Ordinance, raising the minimum hourly wage for Richmond workers to $13.00 by 2018. Gayle facilitated grassroots efforts calling for fair taxation that led to an historic settlement in which Chevron agreed to pay an additional $114 million into the City's general fund over the next 15 years. During her tenure as Mayor, violent crime and property crimes have showed significant declining trends: homicides decreased 66 percent from 47 in 2007 to 16 in 2013 – the lowest total in 33 years. Gayle has a background as an educator, and professional experience in nonprofit leadership organizations promoting literacy, social justice, and environmental health. Gayle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, graduating summa cum laude. Her graduate studies include psychology and education.
Jim Prola
Jim is currently the Vice Mayor of San Leandro. He is also the Political Chair of Retiree Chapter 57 of AFSCME, and a current member of: the California State Democratic Central Committee, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, California Alliance of Retired Americans, Federation of Retired Union Members, Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, and League of Conservation Voters. Jim attended Merritt College, Cal State-East Bay, and University of California at Berkeley with an emphasis in science and sociology. He is married to Diana Prola, President of the San Leandro School Board, and has three grown children.
Nancy Shepherd
Nancy began her community volunteer efforts over 25 years ago with PTA, where she was awarded for developing the district-wide fundraising policy for Palo Alto public schools. She has held leadership roles in the community including various parcel tax and bond measures to increase funding for education, infrastructure, libraries, and teachers. In 2009, she was elected to Palo Alto City Council where she accomplished many objectives including deepening the relationship between the city and school community by establishing a Regional Housing Mandate Committee with members from the city council and school board to establish the city's housing and zoning policies. Additionally she served on the Peninsula League of Cities Executive Board, and was an alternate to Northern California Power Agency. Nancy holds a masters degree in International Relations with a focus in International Political Economy and Development Theory, and is a retired commercial real estate accountant.
Matt Haney
Matt was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing District 6 in November 2018. Prior to that election Matt served as a Commissioner and President on the San Francisco Board of Education. As the previous Director of Policy at Rebuild the Dream, he led policy advocacy for #cut50, a bipartisan initiative to cut the prison population in half in ten years, and #YesWeCode, an initiative to create a pipeline for 100,000 low opportunity youth to become the best coders, computer engineers and designers in the world. Matt is an Education Fellow and Adjunct Faculty Member at the Stanford d.school, where he uses design thinking and human centered design to incubate new ideas in education relating to student voice and student engagement. Matt has a BA from UC Berkeley, an MA from Stanford University School of Education, a JD from Stanford Law School with a focus on education law, and an LLM in Human Rights from National University of Ireland where he was a Senator George Mitchell Scholar. As the former Executive Director of the University of California Student Association, Matt worked directly for the over 200,000 students in the UC system, managing a budget of over half a million dollars and a team of dedicated professional staff, to ensure public education is protected for current and future generations. Matt is the Co-founder and Chair of Citizen Hope, a Bay Area organization which encourages civic engagement and community service. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Mission Economic Development Agency, Advisory Board for Music Mural and Arts Program, a member of the Glide Legacy Committee, member of the 2012 Democratic Party National Platform Committee, and a delegate to the California Democratic Party.
Karalee Hargrove
Karalee was elected to the Morongo Unified School District in 2012 and currently serves as the Board's President. As a mother of five school age children, Karalee puts quality education, for all California children, at the top of her priority list. Karalee ran for California's 42nd Assembly District in 2014. She intends to run again at a future date after completing her B.A program in Child Development.
Rich Gordon
Rich Gordon has spent his life in service to others. First as a minister in the United Methodist Church and later in the nonprofit sector he worked with young people and families. He would eventually spend twenty-four years in elected office. From 2010 to 2016, Rich Gordon served as a member of the California State Assembly. As a member of the Assembly he served as Chair of the Rules Committee. He saw 70% of the legislative ideas he pursued signed into law. He did significant work in the areas of the environment, election law and transparency, and water policy. Most significant was his work on sea-level rise that led to adaptation planning being recognized and funded as a state priority. As a member of the Assembly, Rich earned the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Prior to service in the Assembly, Rich Gordon served for thirteen years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. As a County Supervisor, Gordon was actively involved in the creation of the Children's Health Initiative that guarantees health care coverage for children. In 2008, Gordon served as the President of the California State Association of Counties, which represents all of California's 58 counties. Mr. Gordon also served as a member of the San Mateo County Board of Education for five years. Prior to public service his work was as a minister in the United Methodist Church and for twenty years he worked in the nonprofit sector where he was the founder and Executive Director of Youth and Family Assistance. Currently, Rich is serving as the Government Relations Officer for a nonprofit mental health agency, Caminar.
Nina Senn
Nina Senn is a longtime resident of California. She attended public K-12 schools in Southern California and moved to Central and Northern California to attend college and work. Nina is the daughter of California public school K-12 and UC educators. One of her most vivid memories was in 1978 when her non-political mother, who taught 3rd grade, picked up a picket sign that warned voters about Prop. 13. As a public school student, parent leader and school board member since Prop. 13's passage forty years ago, Nina has firsthand knowledge of Prop. 13's devastating effect on California K-12 public schools as they plummeted from the top to the bottom. She believes strongly that Prop. 13 reform is vital to California's future success.
Nina received her B.A. from U.C. Berkeley and her law degree from Santa Clara University. She has a multi-dimensional professional life in the tech industry as a business person and a lawyer and has also served in leadership positions in both non-profits and educational institutions. As in-house counsel to multi-billion dollar high tech and logistics companies based in Europe and the U.S. for over 20 years, she handled a variety of domestic and international commercial and departmental matters. For over ten years, she also served in a variety of roles in the non-profit dispute resolution sector: as SEEDS Board President, Federal and Superior court and community mediator and public school restorative justice circle keeper. Most recently, Nina served as an elected policy maker in her role as a School Board Director for the Oakland Unified School District (2015-2019) with two of those years as Vice President, where she championed and collaborated with other policy makers and community leaders to increase funding for schools by passing Measure G1, a $144 million parcel tax in Oakland and AB 1840, a multi-year, multi-million dollar fiscal relief trailer bill that benefited several financially distressed school districts across the State of California.


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Frederick Sherrell Ltd Consulting Engineers approached us to ask, "is it possible to create a horizontal catch net to catch and hold a potentially unstable 10 ton boulder?" The client is Wookey Hole Show caves, they were planning to bore a tunnel from an existing cave to a cave that previously was only accessible to divers. There was a small risk that the vibration from the works could dislodge a 10 ton block in the roof of the currently accessible cave.
To carry out the works all tools, equipment, anchors and all components of the catch net had to be carried into the cave system by hand. A specialty rope access contractor with extensive experience in caves was engaged to assist with installation of the upper and lower access ropes. They first had install bolts for the rope access, before installing the anchors and the catch net. The anchors had to be drilled and installed using hand held equipment so the anchors had to be short enough for easy handling. To add to the complication of using short anchors the bedrock in the cave is a Dolomitic Conglomerate with a mean strength of only 35-40MN/m2. Following pull out tests we discovered that we would be required to design for a max load of 40kN per anchor.
Geobrugg engineers designed a solution using our ROCCO 12/3/350 ring net to catch the block. Given the requirement to hand-carry and manually winch the net to the roof, we customized the ring net panels to allow for easy maneuverability and easy installation based on the location of the ropes. To take load from any impact Geobrugg installed five transmission ropes across the width of the cave. Geobrugg installed a U300 brake at each end of the ropes. Perimeter ropes were installed to give shape to the net.
Collaborating with the designers at Frederick Sherrell we designed a novel solution for installing suitably safe anchors given the weakness of the rock. In total 14 sets of anchors were installed. The anchors were paired together using wire rope. Two pairs were then attached to the U300 brake at each anchor point.
Upon project completion the contractor commented that the system drawings were clear, Geobrugg's engineer was accessible if there were questions, and the installation was extremely straightforward and far less complicated and time consuming than he had expected. He was impressed with this level of service and drawings that were provided for a custom designed product.
|+1 860 377 3230
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|+1 505 771 4080
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|+1 503 423 7258


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Saturday Sketch/
What day is it everyone?
Meaning time for another Saturday Sketch!
This week as some of you may have seen already, there has been a large gallery that has appeared on the interwebs.
This gallery consists of the First Generation's 151 Pokémon.
The gallery is titled "The Pokémon Battle Royale" and can be found on Tumblr!
So a little information about this gallery...
- · 151 Pokémon in the gallery
- · 151 Artists
The description on Tumblr:
"151 artists have each selected and created original works of art inspired by each of the original 151 Pokémon. From Bulbasaur to Mew, each Pokémon is represented and injected with the artists' own aesthetic, style, and creativity, exploring just what made those little Pokémon so interesting and fun to catch.
The Pokémon Battle Royale was a curated art show curated by Alyssa Nassner (@smalltalk) and Bryan Ische (@ishyyyyy) in the spring of 2012."
So now that you know about this gallery let's take a look at some of the works contained in this gallery of amazingness.
So you like Pokémon and the Simpsons huh?
Well you may perhaps like this crossover.
Homer J. "Dratini" Simpson.
In all honesty this kind of seems right...
"#147 Dratini by Adam J. Kurtz"
Oh that Crazy Hypno, what will he do next?
Actually… let's not get into what he's possibly going to do next...
"#97 Hypno by Jordan Jeffries "
After seeing this one… I don't think I will ever see Clefairy the same again.
As a matter of fact she looks very happy to see you!
"#35 Clefairy by Mikey McCollor"
Pidgey ain't picking on Weedle for much longer! Forget evolution! This Weedle is not messing around, it will Body Slam you! Perhaps actually one day it will break the fourth wall and become the most powerful bug in its class!
"#13 Weedle by Tyson Hesse"
Well that's it for this week's Saturday Sketch ('s)!
Hope you enjoyed taking a tiny look at this gallery!
This is truly some outstanding work and you should check out the full thing!
You can even purchase some of the work as prints!
Check it out at the Tumblr!
Thanks for viewing this week's Saturday Sketch, Cya all next week!


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A home, a bridge, a playground, every construction outdoors needs protection from the elements. For new projects, renovations or modernization SILRES® holds the solution to the central challenge: effectively protecting mineral and wood surfaces from moisture.
SILRES® protection agents play a key role in preserving the monetary but also the cultural value of outdoor constructions.
In coatings for mineral and wood surfaces the water-repellent silicones in
SILRES® create a durable silicone-resin network that is water-repellent yet breathable. Thus it reliably protects against the effects of weathering and any resulting structural damage.


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Well To Do
By Marian Connor
I was thinking about pink. Well pink and purple to be more precise. Recently I have been creating new cards and booklets for a series of workshops we will be presenting at Google Campus London over the next few months.
Time and again I am drawn to pink and purple with a smattering of orange so I reviewed the significance of these colours and found some interesting information.
The names we use for colours slowly develop within languages. In ancient Greece there appears to be no specific adjective for blue. Anthropologists found after an analysis of 98 different languages that they all contained words for black and white but it was only after they had words for 8 other colours that they named purple, pink and orange.
Since ancient times purple has been associated with spirituality and higher consciousness. In antiquity purple was created by extracting the colour from marine molluscs, Murex and Purpura. This required large quantities of marine life plus much time and labour, resulting in a very expensive product, which was only used for royalty and exalted citizens. Romans dressed their triumphant soldiers and generals in purple.
Born to purple – born to wealth and privilege
Not until the 19th century was a dyestuff chemically created by William Henry Perkin which allowed the cheaper mass production of purple textiles, allowing the hoi polloi to wear the colour of the few.
Purple is a Japanese symbol of universal harmony as it is thought to transcend the duality of yin and yang, shadow and light, used to promote peaceful reflection and enhance creativity.
In popular culture a purple heart is a medal awarded to American soldiers for bravery. Purple Haze uses the title of a Jimmy Hendrix song in reference to psychoactive drugs. Purple Rain is a classic by Prince.
"I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to see one, but I can tell you anyhow I'd rather see than be one."
Gladys Taber
A mixture of red and white resulting in the colour named after a flower, Pink-Dianthus. European languages stayed with the flower theme but chose a rose, hence the French and other variations.
The pinks we refer to have frilly edges and from the 14th century pink was used to describe something with a decorative edge, resulting in the name pinking shears for scissors that cut a zigzag finish.
The association of pink for girls and blue for boys is a modern construct. Prior to World War 1 the colours were not gender specific, in fact babies usually wore a neutral white but gradually manufacturers must have seen a marketing opportunity, they chose pink for girls and blue for boys and it stuck.
Chromotherapy, using colour and light to affect us physically and psychologically would use pink to encourage calmness and relaxation. Its symbolic association with health and abundance is seen in:
'In the Pink'
'Everything is Rosy'
'Tickled Pink'
"Almost all words do have colour and nothing is more pleasant than to utter a pink word and see someone's eyes light up and know it's a pink word for him or her too."
Gladys Taber
By the middle ages we still had no specific word for orange. It was referred to as 'Geoluhread' which meant yellow red. Chaucer referred to it as "bitwixe yellow and red." In the 16th century the fruit arrived and orange was derived from the Spanish word, Naranja.
Orange is a combination of red and yellow representing passion and flair which is why the colour is used to promote energy levels.
The Chinese and Japanese see it as a colour that brings love and happiness.
"Orange is the happiest color."
Frank Sinatra
I would find it difficult to choose a favourite from these colours as my preference changes with my mood, but if I was to be represented on the Charles Booth Map of London Poverty I would have to choose red which represented 'Well To Do', as opposed to purple which in this instance ironically was the colour of the 'Poor and Comfortable.'
Colour Key for the Descriptive Map of London Poverty by Charles Booth, 1889
Here is a little something to bring colour into your day.
Colors by The Mercadantes
Image Tile/Header/Blog – Colour Key for the Descriptive Map of London Poverty by Charles Booth, 1889.
YouTube – Purple Rain by Prince – duration 00:04:24
Vimeo – Colors by The Mercadantes – duration 00:02:40
If we have whet your appetite for further discovery, keep in mind that we create interactive experiential workshops and events embracing 8 elements, exploring a myriad of ways to enhance your health and happiness. Oh yes and let's not forget these are beautifully packaged with individually created accoutrements for your delectation. All delivered by us, business to business, people to people.
Copyright © 8 in the Universe Limited 2015. All rights reserved


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Our ministry director is Tyler Helfers. Tyler and his wife, Christina, graduated from St. Cloud State University. He previously studied Biblical Studies at Birmingham Theological Seminary, and is now a M.Div. student at Calvin Theological Seminary. Tyler is an avid reader and writer, enjoys a good movie, and is a huge sports fan. In addition to these things, he is passionate about helping people grow in their understanding of the Kingdom of God, the relationship between faith and vocation, and discussing Reformed theology.
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: 515.518.6072


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Every weekend I try and do some experimentation with XBRL. Last weekend I created a prototype of what I call XBRL Techniques and Trends. This weekend I built upon that base and created XBRL Techniques and Trends 2.
This second prototype is closer to what a real tool such as this might work. Again, granted, it is limited because of my lack of programming skills, but I think it shows where this can go. This version has actual information from the filings whereas the first version showed information from the XBRL taxonomy. Both are useful, the actual information is more useful it seems to me.
Be aware that my prototype works against a set of only 1474 SEC XBRL filings. These filings are all 10-Ks and 10-Qs. But, some are still in the block tag phase, others detail tag their filings. Notice that you can navigate back to the SEC Interactive Information Viewer rendering from the filing from which the fragment comes.
While this only shows single concepts, mostly policies but a few disclosures; this could handle multiple facts reported also, but that would require the ability to render the information.
Imagine taking this to the next level by sending a search engine against the concepts. Because you know the context of what you are searching against, the information returned will be both more accurate and more useful.
Imagine having this type of information available within a software application which you are using to create a financial report. And I am not talking about Microsoft Word, although having the information available using that soon to be legacy process might be helpful; imagine if the software application "understood" US GAAP. How can software understand US GAAP? Well, that possibility is provided by the structured nature of XBRL. Now, you do get some of this information from the US GAAP Taxonomy today, you will get far, far more information as more meta data is added to the taxonomy. Things like "if this is disclosed, then this must be disclosed" are easy for a computer to check. Today we call that a disclosure checklist. Can a computer do everything? Certainly not. Another thing a computer can do is make sure all the computations foot, cross cast and otherwise tick and tie. That is easy for a computer, harder for a human who can loose focus or get tired.
People are beginning to realize that XBRL is far more than a punitive regulator mandate. This will get easier and easier as more and more software, such as (but much better than) things like my little XBRL Techniques and Trends prototypes show where all this XBRL stuff is leading.
What ideas do you have for useful software which can leverage the nature of XBRL? Leave me a comment, I may have some time during a weekend to build another prototype.


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|Match Schedule
|Player Leaders
Manchester City-Chelsea Preview
Even if Maurizio Sarri does not believe his Chelsea side can overtake Manchester City for the Premier League title, his side may be the last obstacle to the Citizens repeating as champions as the sides collide Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
Though the Pensioners (9-4-2) are only 10 points adrift of City (13-2-0), it may as well be a chasm of 10 miles to Sarri, who wrote off his team's chances after their 2-1 loss at Wolverhampton on Wednesday. Chelsea looked to be in control of the match after Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored on 18 minutes, but two goals by Wolves in rapid-fire fashion in the second half consigned the Blues to their second league loss in three contests and left Sarri at a loss for his team's fragile psyche.
"We played very well for 55 minutes," he said post-match. "After their first goal, that was an accident because we were in full control of the match, we were suddenly another team, without the right distances and without our football. I don't know why.
"I am very worried, not with the result, but for the fact we didn't react to the first goal of the opponent. We didn't react at all. I worried about this."
Sarri's concession his side will not challenge for the title was not all together surprising considering he downplayed those hopes almost immediately after his arrival, but to publicly confirm it while currently top four with 23 matches to play was still jarring. It also needs to be remembered he dealt with such a plight in Italy in charge of Napoli as they pushed and pushed Juventus in Serie A without ever finishing ahead of the Bianconeri.
"Manchester City are in another category. We have to play and to fight to be in the top four," he continued. "The result is very difficult for this, because I know in every match you have to gain points. In the last championship in Italy I lost Serie A with 91 points, so I know very well you have to gain points in every match.
"City are the best team in Europe, maybe the best in the world. They can win the Champions League, but that depends on moments."
Sarri made five changes from the side who defeated Fulham last weekend, most notably holding out central midfielder Jorginho and centre back David Luiz. Both will likely be restored to the first XI, along with centre-forward Olivier Giroud and winger Pedro for Alvaro Morata and Willian, respectively.
With goals in his last two league matches, Loftus-Cheek could be in line for a second straight start over both Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic on the left side of the midfield in Chelsea's 4-3-3.
Manchester City are completing their first run-through against the other "Big Six" teams and have taken 10 points from the previous four matches, with their only dropped points a scoreless draw at closest pursuers Liverpool. The Citizens have won seven on the bounce in league play since that deadlock at Anfield and survived a nervy finish in Tuesday's 2-1 win at Watford.
Leroy Sane continued his torrid run as he and Riyad Mahrez scored City's goals on either side of halftime, but the Hornets grabbed a late lifeline through Abdoulaye Doucoure after an error by Fabian Delph and pressed for an equaliser before time ran out.
"We started to lose balls and let them have the opportunity to come back," City boss Pep Guardiola told the club's official website. "And of course when they score with ten minutes left you suffer. In this league you have to score the third goal and we didn't do that, that's why we suffer."
The suffering, though, has been at a minimum in league play as City are unbeaten in their last 21 (18-3-0) dating back to last term and they have trailed for all of 12 minutes this season. Additionally, their plus-38 goal difference through 15 matches is the largest in top-flight English football history since the 1892-93 Sunderland side amassed a plus-39.
Manchester City are also trying to become the first non-London side to win seven consecutive league matches in the capital. They currently share the mark of six with the 1950-51 Portsmouth side and are 7-1-0 in London since a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge on April 5, 2017.
Sane has five goals and four assists in his last six matches, making Mahrez the more likely of the two to be dropped with the expectation Raheem Sterling will return to the first XI. Gabriel Jesus, though, is likely to lead the line for a third straight contest as Sergio Aguero aggravated an adductor injury in training Monday and is doubtful to feature in this contest.
Guardiola also overturned his entire back line at Vicarage Road, though it would not be surprising if three of the four - wide backs Delph and Kyle Walker and centre back John Stones - retain their spots and are joined by Aymeric Laporte.
Manchester City did the double over Chelsea en route to the title last term, returning the favour the Pensioners performed in 2016-17 when they lifted the trophy.
Both matches last season were decided 1-0, with Kevin De Bruyne - missing for this match through injury - making the difference at Stamford Bridge while Guardiola outfoxed Sarri's predecessor Antonio Conte by using a 3-2-2-3 set-up that kept Chelsea's back three wide and neutralized their counterattacking possibilities.
City have won two of their last three trips to Stamford Bridge but are just 4-5-12 there in the Premier League era.
Updated December 6, 2018


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September 4, 2013 @ 4:26 pm
ABIDE 123 John week 1: Introduction
This podcast covers content from week 1 of the 123 John study.
The teaching covers pages i-iv and the fill-in sheet on page 3 of the workbook. We had some kinks with the audio for session 1, so if it sounds weird on your device, try using headphones or listening on a PC.
You can download the workbook by clicking {here}.


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MISSION, KS--(Marketwired - Jan 21, 2014) - (Family Features) "Hectic family schedules don't have to get in the way of serving up tasty and healthy weeknight dinners," explains leading nutrition expert, cookbook author and television star Ellie Krieger, author of "Weeknight Wonders: Delicious, Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less."
Krieger notes that pairing the unique sweetness of healthy, fresh pears with savory proteins like pork or chicken makes for a satisfying supper that can be made in a snap. "Pears are a perfect pick for weeknight dinners," says Krieger. "Their distinctive flavor goes well in savory main dishes that are simple to make and will be enjoyed by the whole family."
Krieger's recipe for Pork Chops with Pears in Port Wine Sauce from her new "Weeknight Wonders" cookbook will help add variety to the weeknight dinner routine, as will these other suppertime recipes that feature juicy USA Pears.
For more great recipe ideas, visit www.usapears.org.
Check the Neck for Ripeness
Pears are best enjoyed at the peak of ripeness. The best way to judge whether a fresh pear is ripe, sweet and juicy is to "check the neck":
|Pork Chops with Pears in Port Wine Sauce
|Makes 4 Servings
|large firm-ripe USA Pears, such as Bartlett or Anjou
|Cooking spray
|1/2-pound center-cut bone-in pork loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
|teaspoon salt
|teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
|cup low-sodium chicken broth
|cup tawny port wine
|tablespoon Dijon mustard
Peel and core the pears, then slice them into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over medium-high heat. Add the pears and cook, stirring once or twice, until warmed and slightly softened but they still retain their shape, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the pears to a plate.
Season the pork chops with the salt and pepper. Spray the skillet with cooking spray again, then add the pork chops and cook until just slightly blush in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a second plate and cover to keep warm.
Add the broth and port to the skillet, raise the heat to high, and cook until the liquid is reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the mustard and whisk until dissolved, then return the pears to the pan and stir to combine.
Spoon the sauce over the chops and serve.
Recipe adapted and reprinted with permission from the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, from Weeknight Wonders by Ellie Krieger. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.
|Asian Style Lettuce Wraps with Chicken and Crunchy Pears
|Makes 4 servings
|tablespoon cornstarch
|tablespoons peanut oil
|tablespoon minced garlic
|1 1/2
|tablespoons grated gingerroot
|scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts separated
|pound ground chicken, dark meat
|tablespoon chili sauce
|tablespoons hoisin sauce
|tablespoons soy sauce
|large USA Pear, such as Red Anjou or Bosc, cored and cut in matchsticks
|Toasted sesame oil to taste
|large tender lettuce leaves, such as bib, butter or red leaf
|Cilantro sprigs
In small bowl, mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water to form smooth paste and set aside.
Warm peanut oil in skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic, ginger and white parts of scallion and stir-fry until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently until it breaks into small pieces and is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
Add chili sauce, hoisin, and soy sauce, stirring to combine and evenly distribute ingredients. Add reserved cornstarch slurry and stir until sauce is clear. Finish with reserved scallion greens, pear matchsticks, and a splash of sesame oil.
To serve, place heaping tablespoon of filling in middle of lettuce leaf with few cilantro leaves, if desired. Wrap lettuce around contents, pick up with hands and eat.
|Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Pears, Shallots and Wilted Spinach
|Makes 4 servings
|small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
|Salt and freshly ground black pepper
|cup all-purpose flour
|cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
|tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
|shallots, thinly sliced
|large USA Pears, peeled, cored and cut in 1/2-inch dice
|Juice of 1 lemon
|teaspoon Dijon mustard
|cup chicken or vegetable stock
|teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme (about 4 sprigs)
|tablespoons coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
|cloves garlic, thinly sliced
|1 1/4
|pounds fresh spinach, trimmed, washed and dried
Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using heavy skillet or mallet, pound breasts to 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper and lightly coat with dusting of flour.
Place 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in large skillet over medium high heat. When butter begins to foam, add two chicken breasts and sauté one side until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn chicken breasts over and sauté other side until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, raise heat to medium high and repeat with another tablespoon each of olive oil and butter and other 2 chicken breasts.
Add shallots and pears to pan and cook over medium-high heat until lightly translucent and golden, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, mustard, chicken stock and any juices on plate and deglaze pan, scraping to loosen any brown bits on bottom with wooden spoon. Simmer until sauce reduces by half, about 4 minutes. Add chopped thyme and parsley, and gradually stir in remaining butter until just melted.
For spinach, add remaining olive oil and sliced garlic to large sauté pan. Warm oil over high heat. When very hot, and before garlic has color, add spinach and cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes or until spinach is bright green and slightly wilted. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, divide spinach between four plates, placing a mound on each. Top spinach with cutlet and spoon shallot and pear sauce over top.
About Family Features Editorial Syndicate
This and other food and lifestyle content can be found at www.editors.familyfeatures.com. Family Features is a leading provider of free food and lifestyle content for use in print and online publications. Register with no obligation to access a variety of formatted and unformatted features, accompanying photos, and automatically updating Web content solutions.
Contact Information:
Vickie Rocco


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We are pleased to announce that we've asked three awesome, divergent and interesting new people to be CU Water Cooler editors.
Welcome gents! We'd also like to thank Doug True. Doug is stepping down as an editor and we'd like to thank him for being one of our founding editors and for his dedication and support for the CU Water Cooler and the CU Water Cooler Symposium.


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1.5 billion people worldwide live on less than 1 dollar a day, and 70 percent of them are women. According to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) study in 1995, women carry out more than two-thirds of the world's work – the equivalent of 11 trillion dollars or almost 50 percent of world GDP. Women also shoulder almost all responsibility of meeting the basic needs of the family. Yet, they only receive an estimated 10 percent of the world's income and own only 1 percent of the means of production.
Women's poverty is a violation of their human rights to health, wellbeing and development. Even though there have been efforts to address global poverty, significant progress must still be made to ensure gender equity before we can truly eradicate poverty.
Presently, women disproportionately suffer from hunger, disease and impoverishment. Moreover, with the disparity in wealth between men and women set to widen, the odds for a better quality of life for the world's poorest women appear slim unless concerted efforts are exerted.


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National Radon Action Month advising people living in areas of high concentration to have their homes tested.
Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) issued notice today that January 2011 is National Radon Action Month and advised especially those living in areas of high concentration to have their homes tested.
Radon has been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the President's Cancer Panel and the World Health Organization as the second leading cause of lung cancer.
Lung Cancer Alliance President & CEO, Laurie Fenton-Ambrose said that international studies are adding to the growing body of evidence of the serious health risk associated with exposure to radon, which may account for 15% of lung cancers.
Radon occurs naturally in the radioactive decay of uranium in the soil, rock and water and can collect undetected in confined areas in buildings such as basements and attics. The gas itself further decays into radioactive solids that can latch on to dust particles and enter the lungs through respiration.
Since radon is a colorless and odorless gas, special testing kits must be purchased to determine the levels of concentration, which are measure in picocurlies per liter of air (pCi/L).
The national average for outdoor radon is 4 pCi/L and EPA recommends any building or home testing above that level should be fitted with venting systems and other remedial measures to reduce the level. WHO, however, recently reduced its acceptable level to 2.7 pCi/L.
In 1988, Congress passed the Indoor Radon Reduction Act (IRRA) which authorized over $80 million in matching grants for states to encourage construction companies and realtor's to test buildings and homes for radon before title transfers.
However, voluntary compliance has resulted in less than 3% of homes with radon reducing features in place.
In 2009 LCA wrote to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson urging her to develop a better strategy and increase public awareness of the issue. For additional information on radon and testing kits please go to: www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html.
Lung Cancer Alliance, www.lungcanceralliance.org, is the only national non-profit organization solely dedicated to patient support and advocacy for people living with, or at risk for, lung cancer. Lung Cancer Alliance is committed to leading the movement to reverse decades of stigma and neglect by empowering those with or at risk for the disease, elevating awareness, and changing health policy.


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We celebrate a lot of things here on RSR, the Caribbean islands, great music, smooth rum and a relaxed lifestyle. Flip flops are a symbol of that relaxed lifestyle and that's what we are celebrating this week.
This Friday, June 21st is National Flip Flop Day. Yes believe it or not, it's a real "official" holiday, especially for Castaways! It's definitely one of my favorite days. I think most of you know, but I have a slight addiction to flip flops and sandals. What can I say, my toes need to be free! I think my collection of flip flops numbers in the 35-40 pair range. I might have a problem.
To celebrate National Flip Flop Day I'll be giving away two $50 gift cards to Cushe footwear company. You can use them to get yourself a new pair of flip flops! Cushe is one of my favorite brands of flip flops, they are super comfortable and have a great style to them. Feel free to check out the Cushe Facebook page here.
Photo Contest Details
For a chance to win a $50 gift card to Cushe.com, simply post a photo of your flip flop collection on the RumShopRyan Facebook page. The two photos that are the most creative will win. All the submitted photos will be gathered up on Thursday night (June 20th), and a representative from Cushe and myself will choose the two winning photos. The winners will be announced on Friday, National Flip Flop Day.
Remember be creative! We want to see your entire collection of flip flops. Feel free to use props, people, animals–anything you like!
Good luck everyone! Let's see your flip flops!
Please Subscribe If You Love The Caribbean!
Subscribe to Daily Updates
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It is no secret, and nor should it be, that my reality involves the daily management of anxiety and depression. It has been this way for roughly a third of my life, it is familiar as well as feared. The circumstances of my late teens, the decade of my 20's and the tragic loss of my beautiful young Mother has resulted in a whole lot of collateral damage for myself and most of my family. It has been a process of self-discovery as well as navigating the darkness of my grief and the permanence of my emotional scars. It can take many years to process trauma, and to truly comprehend the depth of those emotional scars. If you are living with anxiety and depression, working through your own grief or loss, please know that you are not alone.
Resilience plays quite an important role in the recovery and ongoing management of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. For me it has been about building my understanding of what works best. It does take time, to work through the different medications, the different forms of talk therapy, the other proven complementary therapies. I am not a health professional, my sharing comes from the heart, and it is based on what has worked well for me, for my own very unique situation. Everyone is different, and if there is one thing that I would always emphasise; that is to seek help as soon as you suspect the symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is not a sign of weakness to admit that you need help, it is sign that you respect yourself, and that you care enough to take the very important steps involved in healing and managing these very real mental health issues.
So with that in mind, these are some of the things that I have relied on over a long period of time to support my own experience with anxiety and depression:
♡ Learn to say no: I think this becomes a little easier with age and wisdom to be honest. When you're younger you feel as though you are missing out on things if you say no to an event or occasion in particular. Taking a step back from the constant demands on your time, taking the time to carefully select how you spend your precious time, this will make a big difference. It does get easier to say no, trust me!
♡ Surround yourself with kind and non-judgemental people: just as it gets easier to say no, it also gets easier to let friendships go if they are not healthy or fulfilling. Anxiety and depression are difficult to understand at times, for those who are on the outside. However, they are not to be ridiculed, dismissed or simply ignored. A friend will take the time to listen, accept and understand, anything less than this is simply not friendship.
♡ Slow down: I know its tempting to fill the darkness with activity, at times this allows you to avoid the anxiety. I used this bandaid solution for many years, busy was my mantra and I packed every minute with work, socialising, courses and anything that would fill my days and make me feel normal. Avoiding time alone can only be sustained for so long, and it is actually this time that can provide the most sacred space for healing.
♡ Find and keep the right health professional for you: it is so important to include the regular support of health professionals in your recovery and ongoing care. My Psychologist has been a part of my experience for more than ten years, she is my rock in the mental health space and although there are times when we go many months or even a year without a visit, I know that this is where I need to return for care and support.
♡ Consider your diet and physical wellbeing: excessive alcohol and crappy food was once a part of my own self prescribed therapy, needless to say this did not end well. It makes much more sense to nurture your body, especially when you are struggling mentally. I find that fresh salmon is a staple for my ongoing mental health, as is lots of bright salads and juices.
♡ Prioritise self care: I know that I harp on about this one, I do that for good reason, it works! Is it a bath, massage, new book, lunch with a loved one, shopping trip, meditation, signing up for a course? What is it that nurtures you, refills your own tank so that you feel better about coping and doing the things that are required of you in life? It is not self indulgent to care for yourself, it is essential, especially when you are living with anxiety and depression.
♡ Connect with others: the power of the support group cannot be underestimated! In modern times it is less about sitting in a hall AA style, there are so many ways to connect with others both online and face to face. Do some research online or through a health professional, reach out to others and share your story if you are comfortable, it will change your life!
♡ Be patient with yourself: recovery and ongoing care is not a quick fix. Be realistic about your progress, and set goals that are achievable. Medication in particular is a slow process, at times it can feel overwhelming and slow. Hang in there though, surround yourself with the right people, take each day at a time and remember to notice the small positive things in the moments, in your days.
♡ Plan and enjoy regular breaks away: I have found that the planning of a lovely weekend away every few months is a great uplifter! It does not need to cost a fortune, it is more about the lovely research into nice areas to explore, accommodation options and the experience of a mini break. It could be a romantic escape, family focused or some precious time with the friend you just don't see as much as you would like to!
♡ Create a healing home: it is so important to put some love and time into your spaces, so that they are supporting your healing and your ongoing care. A home that is filled with light and the things that you love, the colours that uplift you..a work space that is reflective of your creativity and personality, these things will support you greatly.
I hope that by sharing these tips you are feeling a little more hopeful or you may know someone living with anxiety and depression who needs a little support, please feel free to share xx


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Agenda: Tuesday 10th February to Thursday 12th February 2015
Arrival Milan Malpensa: 09.50am and a quick head check to make sure that we haven't left anyone on the plane.
All students accounted for, we take the coach to the luxurious (not!) Hotel Cristallo
Lunch then some reconnaissance to get our bearings and find a restaurant for the evening's meal
Table for thirteen please!
The waiter took time out from his busy schedule to photograph us on the overspill table
Day 2
At 9.30am we meet with our guide, Valentina Dalla Costa at the Porta Genova metro station for a four hour Fashion Retail Tour
... The impeccably well-designed Bonaveri showroom
An informative and interesting presentation by Nemo Monti and Elena Pasqualini about the
history of Bonaveri mannequins
As mentioned before, this showroom is impeccably well designed
Nemo shows us the historical photo display
VM student class of 1969!
Beach life
With the presentation over, we are given free reign to explore the showroom and take a look at the recently published Bonaveri book
Mannequins: Bonaveri: A History of Creativity Fashion and Art is on Amazon here
Photo ops!
A bit of Hipstamatic fun wraps up this particular visit, then we're back on the bus to our next destination.
Valentina pinpoints the route for our next stop, Martino Midali
There weren't too many photo opportunities here because some of the new designs were yet to be unveiled and were still under wraps
The designer, Martino Midali himself came upstairs to pose for a group photograph
with our VM students
with our VM students
Then another bus trip to our third and final destination of the day
That destination being, Antonio Marras in Piazza Civica
Valentina translated the talk given by our host and introduced us to the current exhibition
The current exhibition featured work by Paolo Ventura entitled 'The Automaton'
That was the end of our superb tour, with many thanks to Valentina, and one more group photo!
Day 3
plus an interesting and amusing presentation by ABC's Commercial Director, Marco Bordonaro
To round the visit off, candid photos of Mirsini Trigoni, Ana Roncha...
...and Sarah Bailey
Not forgetting the obligatory group shot
Then some more free time to explore Milan, before heading back to the hotel
where we boarded the coach to the airport and our flight back home to London
Ancient and Modern


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Deadlines & Decisions...Shooting to a brief/
During the Summer of 2015 I was approached by a professional musician (Justin Swadling) who was working on a new project. We'd been friends for many years after meeting through my musical work life, and he'd been following my photographic journey with interest. This new project was an album release to be made on vinyl featuring his own new compositions, and he was looking for me to provide images for the vinyl cover.
Upon discussing this further it became clear to me that Justin had invested much of his own resources into the project already and not only from a time or money point of view but also from a heart and soul perspective. With the music being of his own creation he had a strong attachment to it and thus the creative process behind matching an image with the mood, feel, spirit and direction of the music was in need of the same care and attention.
Over the course of a couple of meetings I was able to listen to some of the early rehearsals and sections of the music, this was key to understanding the nature of the project. After all you can throw adjectives around to try and describe these feelings but nothing beats the real thing. Armed with a good picture of what mood was needed I attempted to 'shoot' for the project.
Despite having done some previous commercial photography work this was the first time I was commissioned to provide images from nature that were to match a musical concept and mood. It's not quite the same as taking a picture of a product or event, it requires a deeper connection to the project and an understanding of how that can affect your own image making process.
There were some criteria that had to be met, for example the images needed to be square to suit the Vinyl cover, the title of the work was 'A Place To Be' and the idea was to present an image that asked as many questions as it answered about location, mood and spirit. There needed to be an element of intrigue, simplicity and yet be eye catching enough to make the cover stand out in a retail environment where commonly buyers are browsing through many records.
At first my attempts to capture this 'feeling' felt a little too staged, I was forcing the issue by overthinking the brief and concentrating too much on the type of location geographically rather than the mood. In theory the framework of what was required was there to help but I found it was becoming a weight as I overthought the whole process.
In the end I tried to just revert back to my normal shooting procedures and mindset, after all it was my previous work using these methods that had triggered the contact and request. It was clear that certain conditions would be more suited to fit the bill, for example I'm not sure bright sunny days with blue skies were what was needed, also the images needed the simplicity of elements to keep the intrigue.
The final images were captured by Ullswater in the Lake District during November. Early one Sunday morning as the mist and cloud rolled around the area the shoreline was irresistibly peaceful and beguiling...it was then just down to making the composition reflect that.
All in all it was an interesting experience to be working to a deadline on a project that had guidelines but also required a large element of my own inspiration to connect the image with the music. I came away pleased with the final result but with a glimmer of understanding of the pressure felt by commercial photographers who maybe have one or two weekends to capture the spirit and feel of a location, this is when you truly have to start praying to the weather gods to be kind and help you with the creative process!
If you're interested in checking out the album (I can highly recommend it as an original and innovative piece of work) please keep an eye on Justins facebook page for more details.