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Energy Conservation in Small Sector Tea Processing Units in Southern India
What is the Project About
The project, in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, funded by Global Environment Facility, aims to introduce energy conservation measures in the firewood intensive tea sector in south India by addressing information, technology and financial barriers that stand in the way of greater adoption of energy conservation technologies and practices.
What Have We Accomplished So Far
- Over 200 small tea processing units have implemented a range of energy efficiency measures in both thermal and electrical energy triggering close to US$ 2.5 million in private investment
- The initiative has enabled savings of US$ 10.4 million through savings of 19.5 million kwh in electricity consumed and reduced firewood required for heating by 142,000 tons
- Carbon dioxide emissions generated from producing a cup of tea reduced from 17 to 12 grams per cup of tea
- The pilot has been included for replication in the north-east region of India to be financed through the Government of India's ongoing 12th Five-Year Plan
- While energy cost savings are INR 2.78 per kg of made tea, investments in energy efficient measures are INR 2.4 per kg of made tea, allowing for a comfortable payback period of nine months on these investments
- Impact studies of 86 factories post implementation show that energy efficiency measures have helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 263,952 tons. On an average, the tea produced with ENCON measures generated 0.266 kg lesser CO2 (10 percent lesser) than the earlier amount of 3.81 kg CO2/kg of tea
- Reduction in energy costs by INR 2 per kg of tea through popularization of briquettes, made of agriculture residues
- Four fuel testing facilities have been set up in Valparai, Vandipe riyar, Munnar and Wayanad to ensure good quality of biomass wood and briquettes. These facilities help to measure calorific value, ash content and moisture of the fuel sample
- Innovative methods introduced in Jayshree Tea briquetting unit have helped the unit maintain moisture content of raw materials to 15 percent which is optimal for tea processing
- Three hot water generators, with a capacity of 10 lakh kcal per hour, have been purchased, which will, based on studies, help in reducing firewood consumption by 350–400 tons per year and carbon dioxide emissions by 600 tons per year in a medium-sized factory
- A strong supply chain of energy equipment dealers has been established, which has also helped cater to the special needs of the tea units
- Knowledge products such as tutorials on energy efficiency measures like 'Destination Efficiency,' promotional documentaries, process document, a dedicated project website 'www.encontea.org,' and a compendium- 'Consolidation of Detailed Energy Audits' were developed as part of the project
Funding Support by
|Donor Name
|Amount Contributed
|Global Environment Facility
|United Nations Development Programme
Expenditure in Previous Fiscal Year
Photo Essay
04 June 2014
Saving Energy in the Tea Sector
UNDP in partnership with the Tea Board of the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India and the Global Environment Facility initiated a four year project in 2008, aimed at introducing energy conservation measures in small tea processing factories that could help units save between 15 to 30 percent in energy costs.
Stories of Change
Promoting Energy Efficiency in the Tea Sector
A UNDP project with the Tea Board of India is helping small tea processing enterprises adopt a range of measures to improve energy efficiency in processing. With over US$ 2.5 million investments, the tea producers of the Nilgiri hills in south India are leading the way in demonstrating the possibilities of conserving energy and improving profitability in the sector.


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Pick of the Week & Election Issue Part 1
April 8, 2017 § Leave a comment
Click the link below to listen to the podcast or subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, etc.
DorkUncorked Podcast Election Issue Part 1
We could have chatted for sometime as we really didn't get o deep into some of the issues, but one thing was clear is that Mr. Yap, BC Liberal MLA for Richmond-Steveston, an MLA for the supposed free enterprise party, staunchly supports continuing the current hybrid retail system and problematic distribution system.
For those that have listened to the show over the last year or so, you know that I strongly believe that fixing distribution is key to long term liquor reform and the creation of a truly level playing field.
The current system that supports the LDB's monopoly on the distribution of imported wines, beers & spirits, is broken. By broken I mean costing the government $300M/year in lost taxes because of unfulfilled orders.
How to fix it is remarkably simple, but first let's look at the biggest problem to solve – capacity.
The current distribution centres we built to handle $1B/annum of volume. 2017 will see $3B in volume go through. What this means is that some orders just can't get filled because there is no space to accommodate the stock needed. So what was the LDB/BC Liberal solution. Spend $1B in building a larger facility in Delta.
The fact is that all the BC Liberals had to do was to pass an order in council that allowed suppliers to choose their distributor. There are a number of private & bonded distributors that are nowhere near capacity and would gladly take on the extra work. Not all suppliers would move, but a good number would because they value the 10% growth they automatically get.
Secondly this would speed up delivery times. No longer would a product ordered by a store in Richmond have to leave the bonded warehouse (ContainerWorld, Hillebrand) in Richmond, go to the LDB warehouse in Vancouver, only to be shipped to the store in Richmond.
Third, and this is the bonus, the government would not have to re-purpose any workers at the LDB Warehouse. The only thing that would change is that they have the capacity to fill the orders they get.
There are other things that such a change would involve and I would be happy to share those if you like. Drop me a line at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Pick Of The Week
Paul Mas Valmont Rouge 1L
In October I took a couple of bottles of the Paul Mas Valmont Blanc to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving dinner and they were a big hit, so when I saw the Rouge version, I thought I would give it a whirl and I am very glad that I did.
This blend of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah shows classic Languedoc aromas and flavours of black cherry, plums, dried herbs and black pepper spice.
This is a medium bodied wine that is very well balanced. What that means is that the flavour, the body and finish all worked together. It wasn't flabby, or light, or short or tannic and bitter. It showed fresh ripe fruit, savoury spices with a delightfully fruit filled finish.
I would, and will, pair this with roasted chicken, and beef stews. As for cheese, go with a Gruyere or Ementhal.
Grapes ~ Grenache, Carignan, Syrah
Country of Origin ~ France
Region ~ Languedoc
Price ~ $11.79 1L
Score ~ 8.5/10 – Over Delivers
Purchased At ~ BC Liquor Store Langford
Jas du Lauzon 2015 Luberon
April 1, 2017 § Leave a comment
One of the my favourite things to do when in the 'wine store' is to scour the shelves in the dark corners. Every store has them and the typical retailer places slow-moving items there.
I find that this is also where you find some great deals, and that is how I came across this weeks wonderful find.
As most of you know I have a great love for Grenache and Grenache blends, so when I saw the Jas du Lauzon languishing in a dark corner of the Cascadia Uptown store, it was a match made in heaven. It was also only $14.99 so it seemed to me that it was must try.
It pours almost black in the glass and has aromas of ripe raspberries, stewed plums, blueberry and black pepper spice.
The palate showed richness, and supple depth with a fresh fruit and spice finish.
Given that most of the time any purchase I make has to stretch across 2-3 meals, a great wine, for me, needs to be food versatile, and this one fit the bill nicely. I had this with Paella one night, chicken the next and finally homemade pizza, and in all cases the wine worked really well, and hence I grade this one as a great buy and it over delivers for the price.
Price ~ $14.99
Blend ~ Grenache, Syrah
Country of Origin ~ France
Region ~ Luberon (Southern Rhone/Provence)
Score ~ 8.2/10
Label ~ Over Delivers!
Purchased at ~ Cascadia Uptown
If you have any questions or feedback, let me know – email@example.com
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Domaine de Pellehaut 2015 Rosé
June 28, 2016 § Leave a comment
Have you ever watched the move My Summer In Provence? Every scene that involves a meal has a bottle of Rosé. It makes perfect sense because Rosé can be incredibly refreshing and wonderfully versatile. In fact Rosé goes with a broader spectrum of foods than does white (I know I know I am generalizing). So when the temperature rises to above 20C and the grass starts to bleach out, I get a craving for rosé.
As I strolled through my local wine shop I saw a signficant increase in the number of rosés from Provence, which is classic. Prices ranged from $15-$25 which is what I expected, but then I say a lonely wine from Gascogne. Not your typical rosé hotbed and you know how I love to find great values where they are unexpected, so I grabbed a bottle of the Domaine de Pellehaut 2015 Rosé.
Price ~ $18.99
Score ~ 8.1 Over Delivers
If you follow me on Instagram (rod_phillips) you no doubt saw the photo I took of the wine. The colour is a deep rose, and the nose shows bright fruit of strawberry, raspberry. and currants, while the palate is fresh, alive and bursting with finesse and elegance. The finish shows all the fruit and is dry. It is not possible to not want more of this wine, as evidenced by my instagram photo. This is a highly shareable wine and my recommendation would be to have 6-10 bottles kicking around for when friends drop by as one will not be enough.
Grapes ~ I had to do some research for this one as the label doesn't really tell you anything. Tannat, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon & Malbec
Store Section ~ France
Availability ~ Private Stores only
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Alba de los Infantes 2009 Gran Reserva
June 17, 2016 § Leave a comment
One of the things about the wine business is that it is a business of passion. I can tell you there isn't a lot of money in it, and if you were to ask anyone involved they are not in it for the money, they are in it because they love it. So it is sad when you hear that a talented, passionate importer has decided to pack up and move to a different industry because he can't make ends meet. The silver lining however is that he has reduced the prices on a number of products in his portfolio. Including the Alba de los Infantes 2009 Gran Reserva.
For those that don't know for a Spanish wine to be called Gran Reserva is must be aged 2 years in barrel and further 3 years in bottle. What this means is that the wine grower and the wine maker saw something in the quality of the grapes and resulting wine that was special. So special that they decided to assume the added cost of a min. 5 years of ageing.
Typically the price for a Gran Reserva wine from Spain starts at the $22 mark and goes up, way up from there. So when the importer told me what the 'clearance' price was I started to salivate. It took a while for me to find some bottles in stores, but when I did I was over the moon.
It is not too often that a wine gets a Best Buy rating from me, as it truly needs to punch well above its weight to do so, but this is one.
Price ~ $12.99
Score ~ 9.3/10 Best Buy
It may only be $13 but please let it breathe for at least 30 minutes. If you do you will be rewarded.
The colour is a dark red/purple and the nose shows bright red and blue berries, with some spice and leather.
The palate shows a ton of fresh fruit, while the texture is supple and richly textured. The finish shows generous berry and black tree fruits along with some sensuous savoury spices.
I know that I will be buying this by the case.
This weekend all the dad's in the family will be enjoying a barbeque, and that is exactly what I would recommend for this wine. Slow roasted ribs, grilled meats, chicken. This would also be a delight with some medium aged cheeses right up to some top quality manchego.
Grapes ~ Tempranillo, Garancha
Store Location ~ Spain
Availability ~ Limited to private stores. I got mine from Spinnaker's James Bay.
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Beer Of The Week: Gulden Draak
May 28, 2016 § Leave a comment
I recall a time when I thought beer either can in a bottle with a blue label or a bottle with a red label. In fact there was a time that, like in politics, families were either Labatt Blue or Molson Canadian families. Those times have long since past and the diversity in beer choices rivals that of wine choices.
At the beginning of the craft beer renaissance there was a lot of talk about Belgian beers and Belgian brewing. It was at this time I was introduced to the multi-time World Beer Champion – Gulden Draak.
Price ~ $4.00 (330ml), $8-$10 (750ml)
Score ~ 9.1 Best Buy
Right away you can tell that you are not dealing with your run of the mill brew. At 10.8% alcohol it is a bit of a monster that pours dark brown in the glass. The nose shows caramel and Christmas cake, with generous malty greatness. The palate is big and broad. Caramel, toffee, candied fruit and nuts dominate the flavours, while the finish makes you think of the holidays and is dry.
As much as the above breaks things down, I think the beauty of this beer is in the whole package. There is a whole lot going on and it is all really enjoyable.
I went to the Van Steenberge website and found a very cool looking cocktail of all things – replace the Irish Whisky in an Irish Coffee with Gulden Draak. This is now on my list of things to do.
As for food pairings, this would be ideal with stews, hearty meat based pastas, smoked cheeses, and, yes chocolate.
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Chateau Pesquie 2013 Terrases Rouge
May 22, 2016 § Leave a comment
It is amazing what the combination of proper merchandising and the feeling of optimism can do.
I was in one of my local shops the other day when I got a call from a potential client. This is a company I have been working on for the last 6 months. Finally the call came in that they we were coming on board. That added a little kick in my step and so almost automatically my budget went up. You know the feeling. That celebratory sense, even if it was only a small victory. Initially I was looking for something in the $12-$15 range, with this news I felt justified to go to $18.
I wandered through the BC, Californian, Chilean and Spanish section and nothing really grabbed my attention. I turned the corner and the Chateau Pesquie caught my eye. Not because of the packaging as that is a little dull, but because it comes from a region that just tastes like optimism and blue skies. It was also on sale making it almost irresistible.
Price ~ $19 ($18 on sale)
Score: 8.4 Over Delivers (7.8 at $19)
The wine pours the colour of blackberry and blueberry juice and nose shows savoury spices, black fruits, plums and red berries. The palate is at once elegant and full with big rich flavours, even a little bacon in the finish… just a little. There is a ton of complexity on the palate and as the wine lingers it seems to unfold, or blossom, to reveal more layers of flavour.
This wine comes from the sunny slopes of Mount Ventoux. If you were to spend some time in the region you would notice that the air is filled with the scent of peppery spices, but in the evening the peppery scent is joined by the lovely gentle whisps of BBQ, which is perfect because this wine is so incredibly suited to grilling.
Pair this wine with grilled meats of all stripes. Rubs of savoury spices are heavenly.
Grapes ~ Grenache, Syrah
Store Section ~ France
Availability ~ Both private and public stores.
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PS- below is a link to the Wine Folly book on Amazon. Yes this is an affiliate program and it helps us keep the blog going, having said that I highly recommend this book and use it myself. It is colourful easy to read book that you can have a resource. Enjoy.
Beer of The Week May 7-13: Bridge Brewing Lemon Gin Saison
May 7, 2016 § 1 Comment
Always looking to improve on the offerings here, I have enlisted some of the most respected palates in the Craft Beer world to provide a Beer of the Week Each Week.
This week features Jami Wood of Spinnaker's Spirit Merchants in James Bay.
For Jami this beer was so good that it inspired her to bake a cake with the beer being a key ingredient.
Pick of the Week: Bridge Brewing Lemon Gin Saison
Format: 650ml
Price: $7-$8/650ml
Availability: Private Stores only; very limited stock available – get it now!
Tasting Notes/Technical Info: Brewed with the addition of juniper berries, lemon peel, coriander, and pink peppercorns, and fermented with a French Saison Yeast, this beer is unique and super drinkable. Juniper, used in moderation, emphasizes the gin flavours, while coriander adds depth and complexity. The saison yeast used expresses peppery, spicy and citrusy notes, which play well with the lemon zest and pink peppercorn.
the Dork UnCorked

subset: commoncrawl


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Data Protection – How real is the Threat of e-Espionage?
|Date Added: September 21, 2011 09:11:21 AM
|Author: tier-3
|Category: Business & Economy
|What is e-espionage? 'Espionage' is obtaining valuable or confidential information by theft, stealth and other illegitimate means, and the internet is now the most common route. These days, e-espionage or electronic 'espionage by malware' is carried out by organised syndicates who have 'broken into' targets as diverse as the White House, Google, Data Protection Software vendor Kaspersky and the East Anglia University Climate Research Unit. Estimates put the cost of e-espionage to US companies at around $300 billion a year, with 'proprietary information being gathered by governments, local and international competitors, organizations, criminals, terrorists and individuals.' Experts in Europe estimate that espionage is costing German industry in excess of 50 billion Euros a year. Mandiant,a specialist security firm working with Fortune 500 companies, says it 'has seen a dramatic change in information security incidents. Superbly capable teams of attackers have successfully expanded their intrusions at government and defence-related targets ... to researchers, manufacturers, law firms, and even non-profits.' These attacks use custom malware designed for e-espionage and which 'standard security tools usually do not detect.' That is, the likelihood of undetected penetration by this type of attack is high. Who are likely targets? Even back in July 2010, ASIO Director David Irvine stated that 'corporate networks were as much a target for 'foreign cyber sleuths seeking to steal Australia's secrets' as defence and government agencies. On the same day, then Defence Minister John Faulkner added that, of more than 2400 'incidents on networks considered to be medium to high risk' in 2009, only 200 were directly related to defence. It's not just governments that are at risk of data theft by e-espionage. Victims now include researchers, manufacturers, law firms and even non-profits so, if you hold information of value, you need to take the threat seriously.Data Protection & eEspionage. If you thought only governments and global corporations had to worry about e-espionage, it's time to think again. Moving forward to 2011, ASIO has now created a unit to protect Australia's online networks: 'Known as the cyber espionage branch,it was formed in the past nine months and is believed to be under the control of ASIO's counter-espionage and interference division.'


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Software Solution Consultancy
SSCAL is run by talented software engineers, architects and designers with over twenty years IT experience architecting and deploying many applications on different platforms using the latest innovative ideas in technology.
We understand the technical requirements of IT managers completely and can therefore provide the right consultant / developer / architect for projects on-site on-shore or offshore. We can also provide at much lower hourly rates, dedicated off-shore developers to work remotely on your projects, thereby cutting your development costs significantly.
Want to reach out to us? Call, email to pay us a visit, we can discuss your ideas over a coffee
You can also leave your comments or query in the box below we will contact you as soon as we can.


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Through the history, providing a superior food experience is a unique art mixed with a rooted methology, A few people make it happen, perfectly,From this point Talas Group started and has the aim to go beyond the expectation, our promise is to be committed to provide the markets with Premium Quality ingredients.Talas Group has founded in 1993, as one of a creditable import/export trading company and a manufacturer of canned and wide range of foodstuff
After years of success and expansions, in 2002 Talas group has launched the (TOLIDO) brand with the promise to provide high Quality experience with Premium ingredients.
Since then TOLIDO had no stops towards success. Because of the highly experienced, trained and motivated teams that encourage TALAS group to develop and provide more high quality food categories in the marketplace as TALAS group vision.We have been successfully established long‐term businesses and personal relationships with individuals and companies that share and practice the same mutual honesty, integrity and reliability and this was the key of our success story.
Talas Group now is well known as one of the largest companies in Syria, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq, as well as the main sources of a wide range of products including; Black, Green and Flavored Tea, Tuna, Rice, legumes, canned and conserves and many other products.Presently, TALAS group has a presence in the largest Middle East and North Africa countries in providing high quality products produced with the most advanced manufacturing technology, and Now Talas group decides to expand its operation to Russia, Europe, Africa North America . Over 23 years later, our devotion to seeking out the very best ingredients we can--raised with respect for farmers, and the environment--remains at the core of our commitment to Food with Integrity. And as we've grown, our mission has expanded to ensuring that better food is accessible to everyone.


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By Teachers, For Teachers
Brian Cook doesn't remember how many tweets he sent out, but the response was impressive. Posters, pennants, water bottles, bumper stickers and key chains from colleges throughout the country began to pile up in his middle school classroom. "I think I got something from over 400 schools," he says. "I asked them to send me anything they had, and they did." Cook, a language arts teacher and tech specialist at Pokomoke Middle School, in Pokomoke City, Md., wanted to get kids at his school excited about college, and thought it would help if he had stuff to give to them and to display and use as part of his classroom activities that would make them more aware of the process, and excited about it. His classroom activities work to increase student interest in their futures is part of growing push to improve college and career readiness among students as early the elementary school level. Even federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) regulations have made it a priority throughout education.
"If you get them interested early, there is a better chance they'll have a plan and follow through," says Cook, who has written on the topic and also teaches at nearby Salisbury University, and often connects his student to that fast-growing campus. About 100 of his college pennants also now decorate a hall at the local high school from his collection, too.
Cook says that his school requires each student to have a plan for their future by the time they leave middle school, with steps along the way to provide them information and get them interested.
1) Start Early. Even elementary school students can begin to understand college and get excited about the options with something as easy as talking about the mascots for the schools and doing simple investigations of one campus. They can learn the basic vocabulary of colleges and the application process, too.
2) Encourage Parents. Tell parents to talk at home about their own career path and college, or their expectations for their students. Remind them whenever and wherever you get a chance. Tell them to visit college campuses when they travel, says Sue Luse, an independent college consultant in Eagan, Minn.
3) Get Them Thinking. "What this whole college and career selection process comes down to is raw and honest self-assessment. The better the student knows him or herself, the better the match will be in the end," says Stacey Baker, an educational consultant in Winnetka, Ill. "And so as they explore options, you start with questions like: 'Does this sound more like you or does this sound more like you?' Then they get excited and empowered by the process – they own it instead of feeling like it owns them. That's key." To allow them to explore interests, Naviance has an interest inventory, as does O-Net and Bridges.com (schools must have contract with Naviance and Bridges). And there are other options online where students can take a quick quiz and see what they might like to do, or even take a personality test that can give them some direction. And there are simple paper and pencil tests.
4) Sports Connection. The first exposure to colleges for many students is often from sports, says Cook, so use that interest and talk about big games and big stars, but remind students that those successful people had to get into school and perform, and often needed other careers. Several sports stars have videos online about their experience, including Michael Jordan and others who went back to get their degrees. Sports is often a hook for some students who otherwise aren't inclined toward academics, so make them examine both.
5) Faculty Pride. Have the staff in the school display their colleges on their doors or wear college garb a few days during the year – and remind them to talk about their experience and why it was valuable (someone periodically can send out a brief email reminder: "It's Talk-about-college Tuesday," for example). Ask them to display college-related material in their classroom.
6) Morning Moment. Put a one-minute announcement on two days a week about a college. Assign a different student each time to do a bit of research and make the pitch.
7) Save a Spot. Have each student begin a college portfolio, where they can save things they might use for their application to college or in decisions about schools: One folder for information about them and one for information about potential options. Have them add one thing a week, even if it's just a thought about some future plans or a new school they learned about (a new standard college application that some schools are using has a "locker" for this purpose). Have them include a list of potential schools, says Luse, and get in touch with one or two, which will mean they will be mailed information regularly, reminding them and their family that it's a priority.
8) Career Days. They've been around for a long time, but they can be time consuming for everyone, and can be simplified by just having experts in a field come in briefly for a quick brown-bag chat – or even a Skype talk. But a school full of visiting adults also has an impact.
9) Take a Trip. At Cook's school, every student has to have visited at least one post-secondary school before they move on to 9th grade, including trade schools, which he emphasizes as an option (Purdue even has a special page for middle school visitors). "Many events at local colleges and universities also are open to the public, so encourage students to check out art museums or attend a theater production, or attend other activities on campus," says Cindy Allerman, an educational consultant near Houston.
10) Invite Them In. Ask students or student organizations at a college to come in and discuss their experience, says Allerman. Coach them a bit on points you'd like to make with the students.
11) Build a Connection. Explore a variety of joint activities with nearby post-secondary schools. They may have resources your school can use, and may want to build a bond that will help them recruit.
12) Paint a Picture. At any age, it will help to quell fears and build excitement if you can show students what college is really like – and that many people consider it the best time of their lives. There are sites online where you can design a dorm room and plenty of schools offer virtual tours of their campus, like Towson University, which has students show prospects around on YouTube. "Check out social media pages as many colleges are active on Twitter, Instagram, and even will do Facebook Live videos about what's happening on their campus," says Allerman, who notes that students should know the range of options.
"They can look at colleges with airports, technical schools, art or music conservatories, big sports teams or no sports teams, fraternities and sororities, work options, outdoor adventure classes and activities and other specialties. Show them and make it exciting."


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It's genuinely a hard task to pick my favorite cartoonist out of the original Mad Magazine crew. I admire Harvey Kurtzman, Bill Elder, Wally Wood and Jack Davis all greatly, and for different reasons. They were amazing draftsmen and funny as all get out. But I think Jack Davis would win out in the inking category. His inks are amazing to look at; the variety of line weight, the tangible texture of clothes and faces that he is able to create from the stroke of a pen, is not only instructive but really pleasing to the eye (much of this attention to detail is on display on the splash page of "Hoohaw").
But the thing I notice most about a Jack Davis drawing: the shoes and hands. The men's shoes have such great detail and specificity. And the hands, well, they may be, hands down (oi!), the best in the business; you can see every joint, how they all work together to form an actual, functional mechanism. Indeed, a Jack Davis comic panel is a treat to behold.
Long live Jack Davis, the King of Hands!


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Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. ~Ovid
I am taking a day off from riding bike. This week I have logged 45 miles and lost about a pound. I can live with it. It has been a productive week and happy for the most part. I really have no complaints. I am adding more songs to my set list today and have the goal of producing another video for YouTube today, doing some artwork, rehearsing, reading a few chapters of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and doing some housework. Believe it or not this is my idea of relaxing…LOL. I have a day of peace and relaxation planned, nothing more, nothing less!
Related articles
- Quotes from the Masters: Ovid (shafiqah1.wordpress.com)


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William Kunstler
Trailer | William Kunstler
In this intimate biography, Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler seek to recover the real story of what made their late father one of the most beloved, and hated, lawyers in America. Winner of the L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth Vision Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. A co-production of ITVS.
More about:


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You've seen it before… a well-known brand that slaps their logo on all of the same t-shirts, caps and predictable seasonal product categories. Licensing box, checked.
Except, that's really just merchandising. And while merchandising is certainly a form of licensing, it's not exactly a tool for growing your brand or your business over the long term. For brands with strong brand equity, this "one size fits all" approach to licensing is ineffective, if not risky. It may raise awareness, but it lacks the strategic focus needed to grow and sustain a successful corporate licensing program.
Brand licensing is an incredibly powerful business tool. To establish your brand as a viable trademark to license into categories outside of your core business, brand awareness is important but there are plenty of other factors you need to consider when looking at licensing to grow your business. Is your brand aspirational? Is the equity in your brand clearly definable? From a retail perspective, is there an unmet need in the market? Is there shelf space for new, branded products in the categories you would target?
It is undeniable that strong brand awareness is essential for licensing, even if that awareness is limited to niche markets. However, with growing competition and shifts in market trends, it is equally necessary to set up your brand for the strongest success by approaching licensing with a strategic focus to grow your brand, increase consumer touch points and build new, meaningful revenue streams. Often that requires both quantitative and qualitative research to validate opportunities and avoid risk.
To build out a strategic brand licensing program that best fits your company, you must have a deep understanding of your brand, where its core equity lies and your unique value proposition to consumers. Once you've validated the opportunities against the market and have a clear vision for your brand's extension opportunities, then you're ready to get started building a successful program that will enhance the equity of your brand and even grow your core business. Otherwise you're just selling t-shirts and caps.
To learn more about the ways a strategic global licensing program can help grow your business, visit our Solutions Page.
Sign up to receive LMCA's Quarterly Licensing Newsletter:


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Ep 78: Your FOCUS When Trading Stocks
Hey this is Sasha Evdakov and welcome to another episode of let's talk stocks.
In this episode, I'd like to really concentrate on what your focus should be when trading. What should be your focus when you get in the trade, what should be your focus when you're choosing a stock. What should be your focus when you are in it, when you're actually in the position. What should be your focus when you get out of the trade.
Many traders focus on the wrong thing
I find that many traders, especially at the beginning, they focus on the wrong thing, when they're getting in the trade, when they are in the trade, when they're getting out of the trade, or taking profits, or exiting that trade.
The focus is incorrect. And when the focus is incorrect, you get different results. You get results that are unexpected or results that you really don't want, and it's a simple thing that your focus is wrong.
Just because it's simple, it doesn't mean It's easy to change that focus. Sometimes it is because all you need to do is just be aware of "wow, my focus is in the wrong spot, I need to change my focus, I need to point it in another direction".
For those of you that are lucky enough that are able to just shift from one side of the focus and focus to another direction and everything seems to work out great then, by all means this will be a great lesson for you to see that awareness.
For other people maybe you see and understand that that's where should be your focus, but there's going to be a lot of learning that still goes with it. There's going to be a lot of homework you have to do, there's going to be a lot of studying that you have to do. So some things that you have to push yourself to see thing a little bit differently to get outside of your box, as they say, or get outside of yourself and see yourself from that third person perspective, the observing ego also known as.
If you can see yourself from that outside point of view, then that will be a good thing. But for many people, it is difficult.
What I want to do is shed some light about your focus, maybe by learning this and learning about the focus muscle, where it should be pointed to in trading, it might help you see things a little bit clearer, and that way you might be able to get the appropriate steps to continue deepening the learning from here.
Starting the race at the right point
This is just a starting point to get you to the right starting line, rather than getting you to the wrong starting line. So if you have a long bunch of starting points in a race and you don't show up to the wrong place to run the race.
Instead, let's just get you started in the right approach, in the right place, and then you can do the homework to continue running the race and continue finishing the race.
When you focus on something, it grows
In order to illustrate this example or illustrate the concept of focus, really if you stand back and look at where the focus takes you, it's typically the things that you focus on, grow.
If I'm focusing on something, like let's say, this is you and you're looking at something, and typically the thing that you focus on, this is the thing that grows and stands into something big or beautiful.
Typically the things that you focus on grow. This is what naturally happens. So if I focus on growing a plant, I focus on watering it consistently, then it's going to grow.
Except for money
But unfortunately, with money, it's a little bit differently. With money, the thing that you focus on, does not grow. So if I focus on money, money doesn't necessarily grow. And that is because money is an exchange, it's kind of a middle thing, it's a weird thing that really has been created in order to use for our modern society.
If I focus on money, if I focus on building, building, building, and growing money, it doesn't necessarily grow.
And you might be thinking, yes it does, because if I focus on money, and I go to work, then I make more money. But that's not necessarily the case.
The reason you're making more money at your job or at your work is because you're adding value to that end user, to that employer, or to the customers.
Traditional businesses
If we break this down now and we get into the financial side of things, let's just take a look at any regular business. If you take a look at any business, and we'll just say that this is your business right here.
If you focus money, money will not grow, if you focus on money within your business. Even if you don't have a business, just pretend you have a business, or pretend you're working for a business, or make up a business, let's say a roofing business, any kind of business, or even in the business that I also have by selling educational and informational products as well.
So if we're in this business and we have a business and we just focus on money, money does not grow.
What should you focus on in order to grow a business?
What does make this business grow? What makes this business move and grow to the upside?
The only way that this business will continue to grow and continue to grow and stack higher and higher and make it bigger and bigger, the only way that it'll grow is if I continue to focus on other things that are a result and bring the effect of money.
Let's just say that this is now our bigger business, so in this business, the things that make this business grow that eventually lead to money is if I focus on the customer. Also, if you focus on the product, by having a great product, your business will grow, and therefor, the end result will be money. You can focus also on things like marketing.
These are actually the main things that will grow that business. So we have customer which is really the people, you focus on people then this will actually grow our business.
Because with the people, the people that you hire, the people that you're dealing with, interacting with, you're providing a good service, then that helps grow the business.
If you focus on a product, creating a great product that solves a problem, that saves people time, money, energy, makes their life easier, again, this grows the business and then it creates an effect over here where you get money.
And then finally, if you focus on marketing, and what is really marketing? It's the communication of value, it's communicating what it is that someone is going to get, receive, how they're going to get it, it's communicating what that product or service can do for them, or what that business can do for them.
The end goal or the end result for the marketing is also that communication of that product or that service and what they're going to get, it's communication of value, and by having good marketing, communicating what your product can do for them, that in the end will build your business, and the end result, the effect is money.
But if you simply just jump, and let's just say you jump and try to focus on money right away, you can't really do that. A business doesn't grow by thinking about money.
If you look at any major business, like a car auto shop, if you look at a grocery store, they don't grow their business by thinking about money, they grow their business by focusing on the customer, by focusing on the product, by focusing on marketing.
It's not that they focus on money, and then their business grows and then people will come and buy their stuff, they don't focus on money they focus on the products that they have. The products that you're going to buy at the store, the services that you're going to get. So that's how a business grows.
The stock market is different
In the stock market world, it's a little weird in the sense that we're dealing with money because our product in part is money, so it makes it really confusing, how is it that we grow money, but yet we still have to deal with money. So how do we grow money, but we're dealing with money.
It's a really interesting dynamic, because you don't have a person specifically, you don't have a person or a customer that you're dealing with, you don't really have specific product that you can physically hold when you're talking about stock shares or company shares, it's all intangible really, so you don't really get to see it that this is a phone and it's worth a lot, or this is an orange or a pineapple, so there's no real specific product.
Yes, you do have a product, stock shares, or it could be an option contract or whatever. And you don't really have marketing, you're not promoting anything to anyone.
Don't focus on money
So your focus is going to be something different, and this is where many people get confused and they end up focusing on the wrong thing. So they end up focusing on this money, the end gold, the end effect, but the return on this is really poor. Meaning the return by focusing on this is not going to be the right result, so when you focus on this, on money, the end result in a business, you get a failing business.
You've probably heard of a lot of different entrepreneurs out there that failed, simply because they're looking for a get rich quick scheme. Or simply because they're looking to get rich quick, or just get rich and that's all they focus on. Building wealth, building wealth, but they don't focus on the customer, they don't focus on the product, they don't focus on the marketing, or simply growth tasks, anything that really will grow your company.
They won't focus on that. They focus on wealth, rich, "how can I become a millionaire?" Those are the things that they're focusing on, those are the videos they're watching, those are the article they're reading.
They're not reading about how to make the customer satisfaction better, how to make that product better, and how to communicate value better, so that's why things fail.
What should you focus on when trading stocks?
When you talk about the stock market, the same issues apply, so let's take a look at the stock market and how the focus needs to shift a little bit when it comes to trading.
When I used to trade stocks back at the beginning, when I just was getting started, I used to think about a stock, and when I looked at the stock, I was always looking for what's going to be the hottest stock.
What's going to be the hottest stock that I can find that's going to move the quickest, the fastest in the shortest amount of time? That's typically what I always looked at, and that's what I look at right now as well.
Things may change in the future, depending on the strategy, but for the time being, let's say I was looking at a stock, looking to see which is the hottest stock, and then I'm looking at how much money or profit I can make.
This was my old way of thinking, so I'm always looking for the fancy stuff, the stuff that will move a whole bunch, and also how much money can I really make?
And those are the stocks I'm picking; it's based on what's my end result, what's my effect.
That's what I used to do, and this really was not a consistent strategy, so sometimes I would make some money, other times I would lose some money, sometimes I would get into scratch trade, where you barely make some money, or you lose just a little bit, so maybe $50 up or $50 down.
Beginner's questions
Sometimes you'd make a little, sometimes you'd lose a little, anyways, the strategy was not consistent. So it was a little bit all over the place, because I'm looking for the hot stocks, and this is what I typically get when I get questions that are beginner questions.
When people ask me, how to find the hot stock? What is the tip or trick to finding great stocks?
When I hear things like this, this typically tells me they're a beginner, they're still at the beginning stages and there's nothing wrong with that, you're still learning, but your mentality is still focused on hot stocks, what's the tip what's the trick? What's a system to find the hot stocks?
This typically is again, a little bit more of an advanced beginner question, but it's still thinking about the hotness of a stock, or which stock is moving, other times you might get things like, "do you think that this stock x, y, z is a good stock?"
They'll ask me specific recommendations, and again, this goes back to really a tip, when you think about it. All these things are still a beginner related question. And a beginner mindset and a beginner thinking.
And I say that because there have been some very good questions that have been asked that get sent to me by email or even on YouTube.
But most of the times, many of the questions are more beginner questions, and that's just because there's just more people always starting out at the base, and again, there's nothing wrong with that, I'm not criticizing your question, I'm just simply saying that this is the mindset that typically most people are in when they're getting started, and this is the mindset that typically is where a lot of people fail, because they're thinking about it in terms of "what's hot? what's moving? what's the trick? what's the tip? and which stock do you think is going to be doing well? do you think this stock has reached the bottom?"
Develop a strategy
That's typically the overall mindset for a just getting started point, or not really concentrating on the right thing, the focus is wrong. At least I don't believe it to be the appropriate focus, because you could do this, and your focus might be on the hot stocks, and maybe you're consistent at winning, if you have developed a system or strategy that works for you, and then you have consistency at picking the hot stocks, but then "hot", really needs to be more defined.
You really have to define that a little bit more on what's hot and why you're picking those hot stocks? So this would have to go into a little bit different, this is a little too vague
The appropriate focus
What are more of an advanced mentality? Or what kind of mentality is something that is a little bit the appropriate focus? The focus that actually to me says "wow, this person understands it, this person gets it" And they're understanding the business side of things.
Because again, this is still a business, when you look at it in terms of a business, this is growing funds, growing money, in a way that does it through the stock market, does it through the stock exchange, through risk management.
The questions that are typically more advanced questions that I get, or typically when I see and say "this person has it", are questions something like, if they're looking for a stock, again, let's just say you're at the beginning, you're looking at stocks right here, and then now, they're looking, and the questions that they ask that they're focused, let's say this is the focus, so as we start drawing this down right here.
Risk and money management
Their focus, typically when they're looking at it right here, is more about, what's the risk? How do you manage risk in the market? What do you do if you get in trouble? What do you do if things go against you? How is it that you protect your profits?
I'm still saying the word profits, but really it's about protection, about getting in trouble, what's the risk? How do you manage your money? How do you manage the capital? Because this business is about managing capital. Managing your risk. What do you do when you get in trouble?
This is what you're focused on, or you should be focused on, if you're looking to have the appropriate mindset to get that end result for your money or the consistency.
You can see the two different approaches, at least at a baseline level, I'm just giving you a vague example right here, where they're just going and talking about, asking about hot stocks, tips, "give me some tricks, give me some ways to pick some stocks, or ways to play some hot stocks, what do you think?" That's just kind of a bullet approach.
Whereas this is looking at the risk, "what if things go wrong? What if I get in trouble? What do I do to protect my stock if it goes against me? What do I do to protect my position? What do I do to manage my position better?"
What the business is about
So when you focus on this, when you focus on risk management, this business is a risk management business, it's a capital appreciation business; it's a business where you have to learn to manage money. You don't focus on money, you learn to manage it, that's the business, that's the core of the business.
If we look at a product business, and let's just pretend that this is a cellphone, so we have a cellphone. So in a cellphone business, if you're selling cellphones, right here, the business there is a product business.
You're selling products to a customer and you're giving them a benefit. So that's kind of the business of that cellphone business. You're going step by step, you have a product business that's tied to a customer in which case you're giving them a benefit.
With the stock market, you're really in a risk management business, where you're watching for stock appreciation and in case you get in trouble, you need to manage your money correctly, so that you can grow your money, so that you can, in the end, grow that account, so then your account grows your money. So that's kind of the business you're in.
Whereas here, you're creating a product, it's a good product, and then you tie it into a customer that you're trying to solve that problem that they have to give them a better benefit.
Here you're focused on risk, on trouble, protecting, managing, so that your account is profitable and continues to grow.
And if you're the type of person that's focuses on the hot stocks, that's focused on tips and tricks, that's focused on a system, basically you're looking for something that's moving right now, that's hot, and you're not focused on risk, trouble, protection, managing. Then you're focused on the wrong thing, in my perspective and in my view.
Define "Hot"
You can still do ok in terms of trading in the markets, if you're focused on the hot stocks, but you need to the define what the hot stocks are, you need to define what does "hot" mean to you? What does a hot stock mean?
If I say "give me a hot stock", what does that mean? Who knows what that means? We don't know what that means.
Because it could mean a stock that's I the news, that's pretty hot, right? It's in the news, there's a lot of celebrities in the news and they're pretty hot.
But it could also mean a stock that's appreciating in value time and time again. So I could say, "this person is hot because their mind is sexy, they've wrote ten books, that's hot to another person".
We have a different view of what "hot" is, and everybody can look at it completely different, so you need to then clearly define what does "hot" mean? Is it a momentum trade? Is it earnings? Is it based on news? Is it based on the technicals? Based on support and resistance? What does that mean?
And that's the only way that you will get it, if you define what "hot" means, and you can find a strategy to properly picking the stock.
Take half off
But in the end, you still have to know what to do if you get in trouble, you still have to know what to do when the risk comes around that quarter, and what to do to protect your position, because it's going to happen. How do you manage your money? How do you manage that capital?
And it's one of the reasons why I always say take half off. If you have 500 shares, and that stock goes up $2, that's $1000 profit right there, so take half off, which would be $500, take half off, and then the rest, at least you're profitable even if it goes back to the original position, you're out and you're profitable with $500.
That's food money, grocery money and most people live in this world on less than $5 a day. So think about that for a minute. What is your focus when you're trading? Are you the person that's focused on the hot stocks, the tips, the tricks?
Or are you the person that's creating a strategy, a system to manage your risk? To manage what to do when you get in trouble, to work on protecting your capital and managing your money.
Focus on the right thing or you'll fail
Because that's what this business is about, and if you're not focused on the appropriate thing in the business that you're in, then you're going to have failure. You're setting yourself up for failure.
It' not that you can't do it and you can't be successful, but the odds are against you, the odds aren't in your favor if you're focused in the wrong thing.
You might just happen to hit it by luck, or just have a nice winning streak in a bull market, because if you're in a bull market, you can close your eyes, pick stocks and they all go up, you don't have to think about it, so you might just have a luck streak for a year or two, but in order to survive in the industry through bad times and good times, you need to focus on the appropriate things in that business.
In this business, in the stock market, stock trading, stock investing, it's about what to do with the risk, when you get in trouble, to protect your stock, protect your account and manage your positions.
If you're in a regular business, just a side tip and a bonus tip, you need to be focusing on your product, your customers, your marketing, and adding value to them. That's what you need to do.
Focusing on the right things is critical, and if you're focused constantly on the money, the end result, the Jet Ski you can buy, the fancy watch you can wear, the cool car you can drive, you're not going to set yourself up for success. Not at least in the stock market.
Focus on the right things, focus on the appropriate things and that's where things will continue to grow, that's where things will continue to evolve, and you'll continue to evolve not only your life, but your family's life and other people's lives around you.


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The set up: The much-loved musical Oklahoma!, the first collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, set a new standard of excellence for musical comedy in its 1943 Broadway premiere. Now, produced by the Houston Family Arts Center, it springs into joyous, exuberant life at the Berry Center. Set in 1906, just before the title territory becomes a state, Oklahoma! chronicles with amusement the fluctuating romantic interests of the younger settlers, but adds a darker element of conflict as well.
The execution: Dance plays a larger part than usual, and the original choreographer Agnes de Mille used it to advance the story line, as well as to add energy and sweep, and this fine production more than does justice to this approach, with the stage filled at times with almost 50 highly talented and well-rehearsed performers.
The heroine is Laurie Williams, portrayed by Adrienne Whitaker with fresh engaging charm, aided by a lovely voice and wonderful dancing. Andrew Traylor plays her love interest, Curly McLain, and he has the requisite good looks and likability the role requires, as well as a powerful, magnetic singing voice, from the opening "Oh! What a Beautiful Mornin'" to the enchanting "People Will Say We're in Love." I wished for more catlike grace in movement, and more passion in some of the exchanges with Laurie, but Traylor handles deftly a very difficult, dark, quasi-comic scene with the villain of the piece, Jud Fry, portrayed by Tyler Galindo with an intensity and skill worthy of Sean Penn at his best.
Ado Annie is one of the best-written roles, and Lindsay Sloan captures her warm heart and flirtatiousness; she delights with her song "I Cain't Say No." Luke Hamilton plays Will Parker, one of her suitors, and brings spectacular energy and dancing to the part, and Austin Almanza plays the other suitor, the Persian peddler Ali Hakim, who nails his comic scenes with perfect timing - a delight to watch. Heather Hammond plays Gertie Cummings, and has mastered beautifully the high-pitched laugh that is her trademark. Karen Clayton plays the leading role of Aunt Eller and does so with charm and warmth, from the opening butter-churning to breaking up fights to a stint as picnic-box auctioneer. She also dances up a storm, and her enormous talent serves as an anchor to this extraordinarily gifted cast.
The verdict: Overall direction is by Ilich Guardiola, assisted by Sam Brown, who also did the musical direction, and the choreographer is Ellen Dyer, and they are skilled indeed. Utter professionalism and remarkable talent storm the stage to create a theatrical triumph. This is not merely a musical - it is an event, and one not to be missed.
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Through August 6. Houston Family Arts Center at the Berry Center, 8877 Barker Cypress, 281-685-6374.


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September 22nd is Bilbo and Frodo's birthday, also known as Hobbit Day. So in honor of Hobbit Day I created a retro for the team to asses how Scrum is going Hobbit/LOTR style.
Stage #1 – Set the goal/ context (1 min)
The goal of this retrospective is to look at how the adventure of Scrum is working or not working for the team, to identify and gather feedback from Sprint XX, and to create action items to improve challenges as well as continue to maximize what is working for the team.
Stage #2 – Focus ON: How Scrum is/ has been an adventure for the team (5-10 min)
Post and have team members read the following memes. Then ask the questions below and write down the responses from the team.
- How has Scrum been an adventure during the last however long you have been using it?
- What has surprised you about how the adventure of Scrum has been? Have you been surprised by any changes you have seen in yourself, your team, &/or your place of employment?
Stage #3 – Check – In; Riddles (5 min)
Post where everyone can see/ read these or copy and pass out. Give everyone a couple minutes to write down answers on a post it note. Go over answers and laugh/ see who watched/read the Hobbit so many times they memorized/ know answers.
Stage #4 – Energizer; The Hobbit Questions
Type each question out and cut into strips, place in a bag, hat, bowl… and let each team member pick two and answer.
Stage #5 – Gathering Feedback
- Create 4 quadrants on a white board and draw an image for each or use the pics below.
The Shire, represents everything that is good and right in the world/ your team/ job etc.
Mordoor, represents everything that is so bad and wrong in the world/ your team/ job etc,.. that it needs to stop.
Mirkwood/ (The Forest of Great Fear) – represents things that you are fearful of happening or are happening. It is where you see entropy at work, things that suck you in and you can't get out easily.
Rivendell, represents the place where things are good but there are multiple threats and that good state could change if not protected. In this space put things that are working but could stop working if attention is not given to them.
2. Ask teammates to add notes to each area; "So, in the context of the adventure Scrum has been/ is, please share what you consider; things that are good and under little to no threat this is represented by the Shire, things that are not good and need to be changed/ stopped this is represented by Mordoor, things that you are fearful will or are happening and areas where entropy is at work this is represented by Mirkwood, and things that are good but are threatened and without attention could turn into Mordoor, this is represented by Rivendell. Please write one on each post it note and place them on the board where they go when you are ready.
Stage #6 Analyze and Create Action Items
- Go through and read the post it notes, group them together if applicable, and dot vote to chose one or two to brainstorm on Action Items on if applicable. Reminder to ask the team for solutions rather than proposing them yourself 🙂
- Write down the Action Items that team agrees to commit to and make sure it is a SMART goal.
- Review the progress on the Action Items from last sprint and adjust accordingly, if need be.
Stage #7 – Close-Out; team choice "Would You Rather Hobbit Style" or 5-10 min of playing a Hobbit video game individually.
Would you Rather questions – print and cut them out and pass around like energizer questions.
- Would you rather Be a dwarf or a hobbit?
- Would you rather hang out with Peregrin "Pippin" Took and Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck or Aragorn and Gandalf?
- Would you rather be part of The Fellowship of the Ring or Dumbledore's Army?
- Would you rather watch Hunger Games or the Hobbit Trilogy?
- For your birthday would you rather have the Hobbits be in charge of the festivities and Gandolf at the fireworks (party may last a few days) or be given a birthday present by the Elves and Dwarves?
- Would you rather shoot arrows like Katniss Everdeen or Legolas?
- Would you rather be roommates with the Seven Dwarfs or Thorin Oakenshield and his dwarfs
- Would you rather live in a Hobbit house or a tree house?
- What was the better prequel trilogy, Star Wars 1-3 or The Hobbit?
- Would you rather have to fight goblins or orcs?
The video game is HERE
Enjoy and please don't forget to incorporate FOOD into your festivities. There are so many fun things to make like lembas, seed cakes, and bacon and eggs plus things you can just bring like Swedish fish, hot tea, cheese plate etc. Here is a Pinterest page I manage full of snack ideas and HERE is a website with recipes.
Please share your pics and feedback – and stay tuned for our pics. We will be doing this on Tuesday, September 26th.


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The early part of July 2010, Woodrow, a Black Angus calf - born blind and a sanctuary resident for 6 months, was discovered slowly staggering up the gravel drive headed for the west barn. From a distance, it was quite evident that something was horribly wrong - his head was cocked in a funny sort of way and he appeared to have difficulty with his balance, almost walking as if drunk. Closer inspection revealed that the outer casing of his left horn was completely gone and what was left was a pointed mass of bleeding, inflamed tissue. Apparently, Woodrow collided with something so violently that the force of the encounter severed the outer casing of his horn. The left side of his face was covered in blood and he was obviously in a lot of pain. Two hours later, Woodrow arrived at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Davis, CA.
After a 5 minute examination, Dr. Vengai Mavangira concluded that the only way to eliminate Woodrow's pain was to remove his horns entirely. For those of you that might not know, the meat or interior of the horn is a highly sensitive mass, packed with nerves and blood vessels and when broken, the pain can be excruciating and sometimes, the wound can kill a cow if not treated promptly. Without hesitation, we authorized the surgery and 45 minutes later, Woodrow was hornless, leaving him with two gaping holes (each about the size of a quarter) where his horns used to be.
Dr. Mavangira pointed out that peering into the holes revealed his sinus cavity - a "pink, fleshy void" just a bit bigger than a softball. Medical protocol following a de-horning procedure is to "not" bandage the wounds as covering up the holes would encourage the accumulation of moisture and moisture breeds bacteria so to eliminate the chance of infection, the standard procedure is to leave the cauterized holes open to the air. Concerned, I asked Dr. Mavangira, "what about the flies?" He replied that they can be a big problem and suggested two options. Number 1, spray the holes daily with fly spray and keep your fingers crossed that the flies won't find Woodrow's sinus cavity a suitable environment in which to lay their eggs or, number 2, try to finagle some type of covering that would allow for adequate ventilation. When we returned back to the ranch, we decided the best course of action to keep the flies away was to fashion some kind of a covering as spraying a pesticide directly onto a fresh, open wound just didn't sound like a good thing to do. Our first attempt was to cut up one of the horse's fly masks but we couldn't get it to fit. The Velcro closure was in the wrong place and the material was too rigid. Then, we tried to fashion a "plug" of sorts to place directly over the holes but we couldn't find a way to securely attach the "plug" to his head.
Frustrated, I went in search of Woodrow and found him standing in the canal, tossing his head from side to side, trying to cast off the flies that were, as predicted, crawling in and out of the holes in his head. I stood there for a long while evaluating the situation and then it hit me - two bumps that need to be covered... what about a bra?
As luck would have it, a week earlier, I picked up a truck load of donations for our annual barn sale and I remembered seeing a suitcase full of brand new bras. Even though my husband thought me "completely off my rocker", I went digging and found a baby pink, padded, 36-C cup bra. I cut away the padded inner lining to ensure ventilation, put his ears through the arm bands, tied them together under his neck and connected the back clasp to the arm bands. Much to my surprise, it fit perfectly. Only a "woman rancher" could have thought this one up!!! Later that week, I emailed Dr. Mavangira a few photos of Woodrow modeling his new head gear. He replied, "Well....I must say that I'm at a loss for words. This is GREAT! These pictures and your method of dealing with the problem will definitely be a part of my lectures."
P.S. Woodrow's Last Day.
Sadly, Saturday, August 31, Woodrow was discovered dead - lying on his right side near the blackberry bushes that follow the canal.
We buried him that night up on Old Horse Hill. His famous pink, 36 C Cup Bra hangs permanently on the big, metal gate that opens into the barn. To this day, we continue to speak of Woodrow...his life, his challenges and his accomplishments during our tours, ensuring that "his message" lives on. He taught us many things and by far the most important of all was that he himself - his spirit, his playfulness and his intelligence reinforced the revelation that all "farmed" animals are highly sensitive, feeling, emotional creatures - all deserving of respect and compassionate consideration while on this earth - even a little, blind, lost baby cow named Woodrow. Everyone that met Woodrow or came to know his story got his message, loud and clear. Job well done, Woodrow. Rest in peace. Every life matters www.hartsong.org


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Barn Owls
Welcome to the internet's gathering place for Purple Martin enthusiasts
8 posts • Page 1 of 1
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:52 pm
- Location: Bend, TX
- Martin Colony History: Put up the colony in 2015 and had a mean and nasty fight with the sparrows, yet one pair stayed and five fledged.
Barn Owls
Today I was looking up how many rodents barn owls eat per year and I was astonished to see that they can eat up to 3000 rodents per breeding season With this being, I was thinking about putting up a barn owl nest box. I was wondering if I do obtain a pair of breeding barn owls will they be a disturbance or danger to my martins?
"A good sparrow is a dead sparrow"
2015- 1 pair
2016- 12 pair
2017- 0 pair (predators). Back to square one.
2015- 1 pair
2016- 12 pair
2017- 0 pair (predators). Back to square one.
Re: Barn Owls
I think the great horned owl is the one that you have to look out for. The longer tunneled gourds available today seem to protect martins from owls. I have been trying to get barn owls to nest in our barn. The great horned owl will kill barn owls just like they attack martins. Heck Ive heard they can drive of a eagle to claim a nest site. That being said they are protected and I still like to have them around. The barn owl is more endangered than the purple martin. Let us know if you can get them to nest.
Re: Barn Owls
I have been trying too attract barn owls for about 30 years in our barn. I hear its some what like purple martins. Its up too them.Any suggestions?
- Posts: 515
- Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 6:22 pm
- Location: Marshall County AL
Re: Barn Owls
I know of one long time colony that barn owls almost wiped out. We have 4 barns and I have no intentions of ever trying to attract an owl of any kind to nest here.
Martin landlord since 2003. Currently offering 132 plastic gourds with tunnels and all SREH.
Re: Barn Owls
I've been fighting owls for 6-7 years. They are trying to wipe me out. I hate owls. If you attract any, you are playing with fire. They will in time find the martins and kill them. It's very stressful.
PMCA member
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2019 6:11 am
- Location: Burford, Ontario, Canada
- Martin Colony History: 2019 - Hundreds of fly-bys August and September. Half a dozen birds landed on house.
Re: Barn Owls
I have set up nesting boxes for Northern Saw Whet owls, Eastern Screech owls and American Kestrels. As far as I am aware, none of these predators are a threat to the martins. Has anyone out there had history with these three species? If so good or bad?
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Mon May 06, 2019 4:37 pm
- Location: NC
Re: Barn Owls
I have a couple of eastern screech nest every year. they have fledged by the time my martins come. They are really 2 small to take a martin. Usually insects.I have set up nesting boxes for Northern Saw Whet owls, Eastern Screech owls and American Kestrels. As far as I am aware, none of these predators are a threat to the martins. Has anyone out there had history with these three species? If so good or bad?
Re: Barn Owls
I see barn owls eat a small number of birds. If a Martin colony were close they probably would hit the Martins because thats the close and most available food. Nature adapts too the situation. Barn owl numbers are down and its a shame. I have martins and it took me 29 years to get them.I would be putting a fox in the hen house if I got barn owls.I could try for barn owls away from any Martin colonies.Thanks again Brad for the information. You experienced the barn owl Martin confrontation. We don't always learn from books we learn through other people.
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Hardware is the time period given to the parts that make up a pc. This term was derived from the inner components of a computer which consists circuits, electronics, and briefly anything that you might contact inside your pc.
RAM size is measured in mega bytes (MB) and Giga Bytes (GB) and for most computer systems as of late 1GB ram is advisable however when you plan to do loads of graphics or video editing on your laptop then you should think about at the very least 2GB ram as all these application take up more memory than typical applications akin to word processor.
Most good pc system utility software routinely defrags your onerous drive, cleans up junk files, fix disk errors, turn-off un-needed background applications which are slowing down your computer, fixing registry issues, and a few extra advance packages like Advance System Care Pro even scan and removes … Read more


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Microsoft has confirmed that the Windows 8 Release Preview will be out in the first week of June 2012.
The fledgling OS is already in Consumer Preview mode, which is fancy Microsoft-speak for beta, and it's not yet clear what differences there'll be between the two preview editions.
We're expecting the full Windows 8 launch to happen in the latter half of this year, at which point Windows 8 toting hardware, including a rumoured 32 Windows 8 tablets, will also be released.
Big boy toys
Microsoft has been fairly open about Windows 8's progress, last week detailing the various versions of the OS; Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT. Windows RT is the edition that will run on ARM architecture.
What all versions of the system will feature is the freshly designed Metro interface, bringing the Windows 8 computers and tablets more in line with Microsoft's Windows Phone software.
All that work redesigning the Windows experience and someone at Microsoft still messed up by using the old Windows logo in the slideshow used to announce the Release Preview release date in Japan. Oops.


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Tag Archives: deus ex
Out of Continues Ep 288
This week, I'm joined by Chris, an animator from my workplace. After we introduce him with the rapid-fire interview questions, we talk about games that we would like to see remade. After that, we cover news on Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, … Continue reading
Out of Continues Ep 242
On this episode, Kevin joins me as we talk about our favorite first person shooters. After that, we go over news on Steam, Whore of the Orient, Quake, Nintendo, Sony, Batman, Bioshock, and more. –Stafa http://media.techpodcasts.com/outofcontinues/p/outofcontinues.com/assets/audio/OOCep242.mp3Podcast: Play in new window … Continue reading
Out of Continues Ep 77: Problems in AAA Games
This week I'm with Ali. We talk about Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and Metro 2033. Main topic is on design problems in AAA games. News on Gran Tourismo 6, Shaq Fighter, EA Online Passes, Wii U, Joe Biden, Google … Continue reading


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Healthy Conversations: Summer Safety
By Andrea Chalfin News Dir. On June 7, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Andrea Chalfin, Health, Healthy Conversations, Interview, Interviews, KRCC News, Series
As the temperatures stay consistently warm, summer activities abound. This month's Healthy Conversation features a few topics on summer safety. Lt. Col. Steven Tobler is Chief of Preventative Medicine at Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson. We start by talking about some of the most common safety issues when it comes to summertime.
For more information:
Centers for Disease Control: Spring and Summer Outdoor Safety
Colorado State University: Colorado Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
American Academy of Pediatrics: Summer Safety Tips
Skin Cancer Foundation Sun Protection
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About the Book
About the Book
The Dying Animal
"A man," says David Kepesh, "wouldn't have two-thirds of the problems he has if he didn't venture off to get fucked. It's sex that disorders our normally ordered lives" [p. 33]. And no life was more ordered than Kepesh's. Unmarried, unobligated, unattached, Kepesh lives just the way he wants to, confidently detached from what he views as illusions about romantic love, conventional pieties, and prevailing mainstream models of normalcy. Until he meets his beautiful student Consuela Castillo. Her breasts, her vagina, her hair, her skin, her youth, her clothes, her physical poise and emotional composure, her erotic self-assurance, her Cuban bourgeois background—taken together, everything Consuela is disarms this thinking man. Sustained virtually into his seventh decade by the orderly pursuit of pleasure in life and the arts, this master strategist of freedom is consumed by sex in its most anguishing form, undone for the first time ever by the monster of possessive jealousy.
Now eight years have passed since Consuela left him, the twentieth century has ended in a paroxysm of kitsch and unfulfilled apocalyptic fear, and David Kepesh is seventy, his prodigious erotic career nearing its own end. But he is spellbound by the memory of Consuela and the unmanageable passion that she inspired. The Dying Animal is his candid telling of their story, intermixed with thoughtful excursions into the pertinent subjects that come within the ken of his capacious mind—sexual jealousy, the sexual revolution, the turbulence of the sixties, the cage of family life, pornography, the American Puritan theocracy—and subjects like aging and dying that pertain to his immediate predicament. Who he is recounting his story to isn't fully disclosed; one only knows that Kepesh is speaking meticulously and at length to someone in the room with him, either a woman or a man, who occasionally questions or comments on his story and who issues an ominous warning on the book's final page when Consuela, seriously ill, is about to enter a hospital and Kepesh is confronted with a fateful choice about the resumption of their affair.
The third novel in the Kepesh series, The Dying Animal is both a tour de force of self-revelation and a brilliant reckoning of the full range of consequences, in one man's life, of the sexual revolution.
The Dying Animal
- Publication Date: July 9, 2002
- Genres: Fiction
- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Vintage


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Hiking in the Grossarl Valley
The "valley of the alms" is one of the most beautiful hiking areas in Austria and promises a great holiday!
With over 250 km of marked paths in a unique natural setting, you have an enormous choice of trails. Ranging from liesurely strolls to long high mountain tours, there is something for everyone! Discover the pristine flora and fauna, breathe the fresh mountain air and just enjoy life at one of the 40 alms. The Hohe Tauern National Park also has many great paths to offer.
Your hiking holiday in the Grossarl valley:
- Many hiking paths (250 km of marked trails)
- Over 40 alm huts
- 3 guided tours per week
- Cable car hiking with the Grossarler Bergbahnen
- Great weekly events
- Salzburg alm hike - hiking trail along the many alm huts in the Grossarl valley
- Stress-free hiking with the Grossarl hikers taxi
- Themed walks and hikes from chapel to chapel
As you can see: The Grossarl valley is an absolute must for hikers! Make a non-binding inquiry at Hotel Rattersberghof today!


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Video Call
Send a message to set-up a video call for a free quote
Mr Ryan Sage
Sage Installations is a local family run business providing a very high standard of workmanship throughout the South East and has been running since 2010.
We have a rapidly growing client base with 77% of our work being recommendations. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work and every job we carry out we like to leave clean and tidy as if it was our own homes.
Our products look stunning and are completely made in the UK coming with a wealth of accreditations, including secured by design, 12 point locking windows/10 point locking doors. We believe our relationship with our clients is for life and not just until the work is completed, we want to carry on working with our customers along with their friends and family, not just now but in the future also.
Services Offered:
Much More….
We are a member of Certass so all are double glazing comes with a 10-year insurance backed guarantee giving all of our customer's peace of mind. We are also Kent County Council trading standards approved.
We offer a no pressure quotation service and the price we quote is the price you pay.
So if your house is in need of a little TLC or you fancy upgrading to the latest A rated double glazing then please call to arrange a Free No Pressure, No Nonsense Quote Today.
Why not visit our Website for More Information!
Whitstable Faversham Canterbury Margate Folkestone Dover Deal, other areas further afield considered
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The Fountain of Health Initiative for Optimal Aging aims to help all Canadians to age well- but we will never succeed on our own: We need you! Whether you are a senior, a caregiver, a health professional or an organization large or small, please -- join us in the Fountain of Health Iniative for Optimal Aging.
If you would like your organization to be included as a partner in this national initiative, or join our executive team, please Contact Us.


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Lessons under a tree in Kakadu
I spent the morning with two very well respected cultural men painting under the trees at Bowali. There is something very special about joining a senior artist and cultural teacher for a painting session. In doing so, you are participating in a cultural activity that has taken place since time began - and it's not what you think you've signed up for!
Graham Rostron's story as told by Mikaela Jade.
Some people call Graham Rostron an artist. I can see why. We're sitting under the shady trees at Bowali, surrounded by flattened bark, ochre paint, and sedge grass paintbrushes called manyilk. I watch Graham dip his manyilk in the ochre then paint a long, perfect line across the thick bark. His precision is astounding and I'm mesmerised by his attention to detail as line after perfect line starts to map out Ngalyod – a baby rainbow serpent.
"You gotta be quiet around Ngalyod. If you wake him up he can be a bad spirit," says Graham in a soft but serious voice. He tells me Ngalyod creates whirlpools in the water. I immediately start to think about the places I've been in Kakadu where Ngalyod might have been watching me and I make a mental note to tread quietly next time.
We chat about Graham's upbringing while he continues to fill out Ngalyod body with perfectly fine white lines. "My father died when I was just crawling. I did not know him. Then we were living at Madjinbardi. Then we went to Maningrida to be with family, following my mother."
As his life story deepens, the painting in his lap becomes more intricate. He tells me his second father brought him up at his outstation at Korlorbirrahda, and that Graham watched as he painted, finally picking up a paintbrush himself at 17 years old. "This is part of the knowledge thinking, Mikaela. We slowly learn until we are able to start," he tells me.
Graham begins painting the domdom as he reveals the next part of his story and our conversation is briefly interrupted by an impromptu language lesson. Graham leans in, pointing to the water beetle. "You say it – domdoms." I repeat with the enthusiasm of a five year old hearing a word for the first time. He smiles. "Domdoms. Water beetle from around here. Domdoms."
With the new words etched in my mind Graham switches back to his personal story. "My second dad brought me up at his outstation at Korlorbirrahda. He was keeping me when I was little and he showed me hunting and painting and explaining to me everything. He gave me confidence," he says in his quiet tone.
I'm curious about the flat bark and ask Graham how they prepare it. He says that in the wet season they go and carefully cut large pieces of stringy bark and then put them over the fire to dry it out and make it flat. Once it is flat, they cure it for weeks, then paint it ready for the dry season artworks. I learn that sometimes for special paintings they used to coat the ochres with the sap from a local orchid which made the ochre last longer. "Today we just use glue," says Graham in an accomplished spirit.
Graham is working with Children's Ground, Wurdurd Garriyigarrmerren, where they have created a new way to brace painting barks to improve preservation and presentation of bark paintings. He says they are embracing innovation and new ways of doing things. "I'm excited to teach the young ones, too."
As our session ends, I realise Graham isn't painting 'art' at all, he is teaching me cultural knowledge and language in the way his ancestors taught him. This is Bininj/Mungguy way of learning the lessons for living on Country the right way, as told by the Creation Spirits.
Today I've learned a small part of 'knowledge thinking' as Graham would say – I know to be quiet at Ngalyod places, and how to say 'baby rainbow serpent' and 'water beetle' in the right way for this Country.
Join Graham for lessons under the trees at Bowali Visitor Centre each Tuesday between 9:30am - 1pm, from now until 30 September 2016.
Graham's art is also for sale at the newly reopened Marrawuddi Gallery at Bowali.


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|Land of the Lost
|Season 2, Episode 25
|Episode Guide
| previous
| next
Misery Loves Company
The sorceress Keela returns.
Annie is given the sorceress Keela's spell book for safe keeping.
Unfortunately, Kevin also wants to learn the how to preform magic and tries to steal it from her. Tom warns Kevin to not take things that do not belong to him, but soon Kevin enlists Stink's help in the task.
Later, Shung and his renegade Sleestak steals the book from Kevin and gets his hands on the book. While trying to understand it's workings, he accidentally transforms Tom into a turtle.
Annie gets the book back, and must practice her own magic to restore her imperiled father. Unfortunately, instead of being restored, Tom is turned into Magas. When Keela finally returns to claim her spell book, the sorceress is able to help the children restore their father to normal and informs Annie that using such magic properly takes years of practice.
- Coming Up


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LOS ANGELES, June 29, 2017 – written and directed by Brian Knappenberger, Netflix' latest original documentary film, Nobody Speak: Trials of The Free Press, tackles journalism and free speech by analyzing the Terry Bollea v. Gawker case and the natural limits of freedom of the press.
The filmy first tackles the Gawker case, which pitted the notorious gossip website against former wrestler Terry Bollea, a.k.a. Hulk Hogan. Bollea/Hogan sued Gawker over its publication of a private sex tape made of the wrestling star's extracurricular activities – a tape that was never meant to be seen by the public. Bollea was awarded a substantial payout, forcing Gawker to file for bankruptcy.
In the film, Gawker founder Nick Denton is portrayed as an attack-dog whose routine nastiness finally came back to bite him. The case itself, based on an individual's right to privacy, pivoted on the personal embarrassment humiliation and embarrassment that resulted from Gawker's revealing and presenting the tape.
Bollea's lawyers argued was that tape was done in the guise of Bollea's famous but fictional wrestling character, Hulk Hogan. However, it was later alleged that Bollea's true reason for wanting to get rid of the tape was that portions of it showed him uttering racial slurs.
The film then expands into what may be the real reason for its making: allegations that purport to explain how big money and President Trump are attempting to silence the power of the press.
Adhering to the Deep State narrative, Knappenberger highlights the outrage Donald Trump purportedly created when he blasted the media during his time on the campaign trail. He fails to note that this situation was something that the media had essentially brought upon itself with its relentlessly negative and frequently false coverage of Trump and his campaign.
In pursuing this one-sided narrative, Nobody Speak relies on interviews from routinely biased, anti-Trump sources like NPR's David Folkenflik and the Washington Post's Margaret Sullivan to highlight its political thesis. The documentary also contains interviews with Gawker executives and editors who continue, unsurprisingly, to defend their humiliation of Bollea.
But Bollea's case takes a backseat once tech bigwig Peter Thiel enters Knappenberger's spotlight. Theil's big contribution of $10 million to help back Bollea's case, according to the film, was at least in part an act of revenge on Nick Denton and his scandal sheet, which had outed him as being gay in 2007. It's a plausible allegation.
But then again, by what particular right did Gawker out Thiel to begin with? Was this Gawker's way of punishing Thiel for his conservative politics – a rarity in the cosseted world of Silicon Valley's mega-wealthy. The film never explores this possibility.
Knappenberger also spends a good amount interviewing former reporters from the Las Vegas Review-Journal who "broke" the story that their own company was purchased by generally conservative casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson, long a matter of record. However, as in the case of Thiel, the inference is that Adelson, who became a Trump supporter fairly late in the 2016 campaign, somehow bought the Review-Journal as a way of thwarting its journalists' "freedom of expression." It's a long shot.
The film's ultimate propaganda thrust is that if conservative money can silence negative media coverage, what will we all do when someone like Donald Trump is elected President of the United States?
But this one-sided film fails to address the nearly 100 percent ownership of news and mass media outlets by wealthy socialists. It also fails to note the massive amount of secret funding that George Soros and other legendarily wealthy left-wing ideologues and taxpayer-funded government entities have used for decades to defame and silence critics and undermine American democracy itself in favor of a socialist, globalist New World Order they will own and operate themselves.
Nobody Speak offers no self-examination, no reflection, and no explanation as to how and why the left got us to this place to begin with. Worse, it falsely accuses the right of doing what the left has already done.


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Black AMEX Bags Modigliani
SHANGHAI -- In what may be the largest single credit card transaction ever, Chinese collector, Liu Yiqian, pulled out his Black AMEX last week to pay for Modigliani's Nu Couché.
Bidding via telephone through a Christie's VP, he beat out five opponents by offering $170.4 million including fees, the second-highest price ever paid for an artwork at auction.
Before last week, Mr. Liu and his wife Ms. Wang Wei, both 52, had already made a name for themselves in China's art circles, he in particular as the most flamboyant of the country's small group of major collectors.
Art collectors of Art Kabinett social media network know Mr Lui as the brash former taxi driver turned billionaire, who provoked an uproar when he bought a tiny Ming dynasty porcelain cup for $36.3 million at a Sotheby's auction — and proceeded to be photographed, shown here, drinking tea from the antique vessel.
Ms. Wang is known as the driving force and general director behind the couple's Long Museum, which has two branches in Shanghai. Over more than 20 years, the two have amassed an extensive collection of mostly traditional and contemporary Chinese art, much of it on display in the museums.
They have said their goal was to transform the Long Museum into a world-class destination that could compete with the likes of the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Rags to Riches
Mr. Liu's rise is a classic rags-to-riches tale of post-Mao China.
Growing up in a working-class family in Shanghai in the 1960s and '70s, he said, he knew early on that he wanted to go into business. After dropping out of middle school, he began selling leather handbags, then saved enough money to buy a taxi.
In 1983, he was still eking out a living as a small-time businessman when he met Ms. Wang, who was working as a typist at Shanghai Normal University.
By the late 1980s, with China's economic liberalization in full swing, Mr. Liu's fortunes turned as a series of stock market investments he had made began to take off.
Today, he is chairman of the Sunline Group, a holding company based in Shanghai whose interests include chemicals, pharmaceuticals, real estate development and a financial unit.
In addition to owning a stake in a pharmaceutical company, he was also an early investor in Beijing Council International Auction, an auction company in the Chinese capital started by one of Ms. Wang's friends. According to Forbes, his assets in 2015 totaled $1.22 billion.
China's art market was still in its nascent stages when Mr. Liu and Ms. Wang began going to auctions and buying art in the early 1990s. Over the years, what started as a hobby became an obsession.
While Mr. Liu preferred collecting traditional Chinese artworks and objects, Ms. Wang focused on acquiring art from the Cultural Revolution era and, later, contemporary Chinese art and art from throughout Asia. They began to collect Western artists as well, and their holdings now include work from Jeff Koons's mirror-polished sculpture series.
Long Museum Pudong
Several years ago, Ms. Wang, a self-proclaimed "art fanatic," came up with the idea of opening a museum so they could show their collection to the public. But first, she needed to persuade Mr. Liu.
So in 2012, Mr. Liu and Ms. Wang opened the Long Museum Pudong, one of many private museums that have begun in Shanghai in recent years as the local government tries to transform the city into an international cultural capital.
In 2014, they opened a second branch, the Long Museum West Bund, part of a government-sponsored project to develop a waterfront cultural corridor in Shanghai that includes private museums, a large entertainment complex, and soon, the headquarters for DreamWorks' new Chinese joint venture animation studio.
Exhibitions range from a large show of revolutionary art to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II to a performance-art exhibition curated by Klaus Biesenbach of MoMA and Hans Ulrich Obrist of the Serpentine Gallery in London.
Although they received a discount from the government for the land in the West Bund area, Ms. Wang said, almost all of the operation costs — about $9.5 million for both museums this year, she estimated — are undertaken by her and her husband.
AMEX Miles
There is another, more personal, benefit to the Modigliani acquisition: airfare.
Ms. Wang confirmed that, as in the past, she and Mr. Liu used their American Express Centurion card to pay for the Modigliani. That way, with the cardholder's points they accrue, their whole family — the couple, their four children and two grandchildren — can continue flying for free.
"We are on a one-year payment plan for the painting," Ms. Wang said. "If we had to pay cash upfront, that would be a little difficult for us. I mean, who has the money for that?"
Today's homepage Featured Art Video recaps last week's exciting auction action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5mBevmrd7I&sns=em