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O2 Pool Innovation
Why ?
The poolside environment is a pleasurable and relaxing experience whether unwinding on the sundeck or taking a refreshing swim.
Like all nature, the human body deserves respect, attention, and care. Infused with the natural wood of the South of France, our exceptionally pure, chemical-free water guarantees long, healthy, and enjoyable swims. Swim in the wood of Provence and benefit from thalassotherapy in your own home.
O2pool not only exemplifies the finest quality and effortless comfort, but also maintains the constant priority of a deep respect for the environment.
Our pools at O2pool are made with solely renewable and sustainable materials. Our carefully selected wood is naturally grown, ensuring a strong and durable pool. The O2pool environment is one that replicates the lakes in the forests of Sweden. Utilizing the same timber that was used centuries ago to construct Venice, our pools have exceptional longevity and durability.
O2pool's biological filtration system ensures pure, clear, and chemical-free water.
Your Well-Being
Handmade in Provence with regional materials, our pools are constructed with the vision for a happier environment and a healthier client.
We have intentionally selected each material to guarantee the highest quality and exceptional durability in our pools. Our wood is certified as naturally grown and free of treatment in order to ensure the utmost respect for the consumer. O2pool is 100% French and 100% Organic!
O2pools adapt easily to all soil and terrain types.


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Next month marks the anniversary of Momma's Meals moving to www.mommasmeals.org. It's been a great change for me, and there are a lot of new exciting things going on. New topics, new recipes and this Momma has a new baby we welcomed this past Summer. I've noticed that I've had some views and some new followers show interest in my new site so I wanted to extend the invitation to come on over and check out the new site!!! Hope to see you over there! 🙂
Momma's Meals has MOVED!!! Come on over!!
Got something to say? Go for it!

subset: commoncrawl


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How to Win Mahjong Titans Fortress
Mahjong Titans Fortress is a game that comes preinstalled in windows vista and is the new version of Mahjong solitaire. The game allow users to choose a tile layout from six options; dragon, crab, fortress, cat, turtle and spider. These options not just change the layout of the game but these also reflects the difficulty level of the game. The prime objective of the game is to gather as much tiles as you can but note that you can only collect 'open' tiles. Here, open tiles are the tiles which can be moved freely.
Choose your tile
In order to start playing the game, you must choose the type of tile that you wish to collect. For this, you will have to select the layout. After you have chosen the tile, you must start searching for similar tiles to collect as the more tiles you gather greater will be your chance to win the game. In order to collect the appropriate tile, you must ensure that the tile type and number matches with your tile.
Collect special tiles
You should not be solely focusing on matching the ordinary tiles. Of course they are necessary for clearing the level but in order to gain maximum points, you must also focus on collecting special tiles that includes winds, seasons, flowers and dragons. In order to match flower and seasons tiles, you do not have to match the number; all you need is to have the same layout.
Search for an available option
In order to check your available options, move the mouse to the top left screen and click on 'Game' and choose 'Hint' from the options. This will flash two tiles on your screen and will list the options of moves you can perform. Taking help from these hints will always help you perform better in the game and note that there is no loss in taking help from the hints. So you should use these hints as much as possible.
Work hard to collect matches in a sequence
Your focus should be to collect as much pairs in a row as possible. If you are able to gather more than one matched pair or a particular layout, you will be awarded bonus points.
Search the internet for cheat codes
There is always a hidden way to get more things, you should search the internet for cheat codes that would assist you in winning the game.


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Gig Reviews
Big Thief
Store Vega, Copenhagen, DEN - 11/3
Album Reviews
Useless ID
State Is Burning
Written by: PP on 12/02/2017 20:26:16
Now that we're on the topic of political punk and bands we should've covered six months ago, it's only appropriate that the next review is about Israeli punks Useless ID and their eighth album "State Is Burning". Let's just put it this way: if tight skate punk that varies between the aggressive hardcore-rooted approach of Good Riddance and the anthemic sing-along melodies of NUFAN appeals to you, it's about time to salivate. "State Is Burning" is their best album in a decade, and takes the genre playbook and follows it religiously through because sometimes the wheel just doesn't need reinventing.
The opening track "Land of Idiocracy" sets the tone of the album in just under a minute. Ferocious vocals, relentless tempo, and tight melodies yet infectiously catchy song with no added bullshit or inflated production values. Pretty much as Good Riddance as it comes. Compare it then to "Borrowed Time" and it's Authority Zero style melodic punk that flirts just enough with pop punk to draw in a The Loved Ones reference as well. More importantly, it highlights the great pipes of vocalist Yotam Ben-Horin, which is clean and powerful, crackling just enough at the edges to give that extra character to make it stand out. Elsewhere, the band channels pure NUFAN style skate punk anthems, leaving behind a collection of songs that range from pedal to the floor, hardcore punk influenced bangers to instantly memorable sing-along tracks throughout. Fifteen songs in just under thirty minutes, what's not to like?
In that sense, "State Is Burning" is like a quintessential Fat Wreck Chords release. No bullshit, just solid, straight up melodic punk with catchy, memorable vocals without delving too far into pop punk. While still some way to go to the genre heavyweights, "State Is Burning" is a good reminder that quality punk rock does exist in unconventional locations like Israel, too.
Download: Land of Idiocracy, Borrowed Time
For the fans of: Good Riddance, No Use For A Name, Authority Zero
Listen: Facebook
Release date 01.07.2016
Fat Wreck Chords


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The Court of Protection is a specialist Court tasked with protecting the interests of vulnerable adults of all ages who are unable to take rational decisions relating to their property and financial affairs and or their health and welfare by reason of mental incapacity.
The Court of Protection will always act in the best interests of the incapable person.
Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005:-
- A person must be assumed to have capacity unless it is established that they lack capacity,
- A person is not to be treated as unable to make a decision unless all practical steps to help them do so have been taken without success,
- A person is not to be treated as unable to make a decision merely because they make an unwise decision,
- An act done or decision taken for or on behalf of an incapable person must be done or taken in the incapable person's best interests, and
- Before the act is done or a decision is taken regard must be had to whether the purpose for which it is needed can be as effectively achieved in a way that is less restrictive of the incapable person's rights and freedoms.
The Court of Protection can make decisions on applications relating to:-
- Appointment or removal of a Deputy,
- Objections to the registration of an Enduring Power of Attorney or a Lasting Power of Attorney,
- Cancellation of a registered Enduring Power of Attorney,
- One-off decisions relating to statutory Wills, Gifts of Settlements,
- One-off decisions relating to the sale of the incapacitated person's property and appointment of a new Trustee where there is a continuing Trustee under Section 36(9) of the Trustee Act 1925 or the incapable person is the only remaining Trustee under Section 54 of the Trustee Act 1925, and
- Deprivation of Liberty of an incapacitated person.
We will be pleased to assist you with the making and Application for Registration of your Lasting Power of Attorney, Objections to the Registration of an Enduring or a Lasting Power of Attorney, Application for the Appointment of a Deputy, Application for Cancellation of a Registered Enduring Power of Attorney, Applications for the making of a Statutory Will, Gifts or Settlements, Application for Permission to Sell the incapable person's Property, Application for the Appointment of a New Trustee, Deprivation of Liberty Applications.
For further information please contact:
If you require further information please complete the contact form.


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"Whether you call it home or look forward to spending a vacation or business trip here, Oregon has what it takes to delight, intrigue, relax, entertain, and challenge you."
These words were taken from the Oregon.gov website and they are a perfect summary for the state of Oregon. Our state offers you lovely beaches to explore, beautiful mountains to climb and ski, lakes and rivers by which you can relax, and cities that offer riches in art and culture. There is no shortage of things to do and see in Oregon.
Why We Love Portland
The endless variety of parks, festivals and things to do make Portland both the perfect community for raising a family and an appealing place for single people. Portland is a open-minded and friendly city that embraces diversity. Our community is concerned with staying aware of today's issues and many people are actively involved with volunteer organizations. There are many opportunities for new energy. Our legal community is small enough to maintain a collegial and cooperative feel. This is a place where new attorneys can still make a mark professionally and civically.
Northwest cuisine is inspired by the bounty of the region. Portland's world-class chefs revel in creating menus from locally harvested produce, nuts and seafood. Oregon's climate is ideal for growing excellent wines and there are many fine wineries within an hour's drive of Portland. Our city is recognized for our craft-brewing as well and offers a variety of locally crafted beers. Beer is not the only thing brewing – it's been said that you can't walk more than a few blocks in any direction without bumping into a local brew pub or a specialty coffee shop.
Portland has an impressive variety of art house cinemas, performance spaces, galleries and outdoor sculpture to enjoy. Our performing arts offer ballet, Shakespeare, Broadway musicals, modern dance and much more. Whether your interests lay in our world famous jazz festivals or the critically acclaimed Oregon Symphony, the Portland Art Museum or the Ming Dynasty-style Portland Classical Chinese Gardens, there is plenty to take in.Children can discover the performing arts at the Northwest Children's Theater and School and the Oregon Children's Theatre, or take a more interactive approach at the Children's Art Museum.
Edgier performances and art can be found at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art and the Northwest Film Center.
Portland's award winning mass transit system is one of the most extensive and advanced in the U.S. It includes buses and the MAX, an urban light rail line, as well as a downtown transit mall and free-ride zone. Portland boasts 245 miles of bikeways: 29 miles of bicycle boulevards and 156 miles of lanes!
|PORTLAND HAS RECEIVED ACCOLADES for its
Some Helpful Links:
Oregon State Bar
Oregon Bar/Bri
National Conference of Bar Examiners
Lewis & Clark School of Law
University of Oregon School of Law
Willamette University College of Law


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You are here
Making Trouble - and Alternatives - in Asia
Originally published in Truthout
The Obama administration's provocative decision to send a veiled nuclear threat to China in late November with B-52 flights over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands grew out of a complicated set of issues with deep historic roots. Not the least of them is the Obama administration's campaign to preserve the United States' Asia-Pacific hegemony in the era of US decline and China's rise.
There are few good guys in this dangerous game - which brings to mind my first international relations professor's maxim that the study of international relations is analogous to studying the rules of the game among mafia families. (Such was the world view taught at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service when Bill Clinton and I were students there.)
|Xi Jinping and Joe Biden. (Photo: Antonio R. Villaraigosa / Flickr)
The crisis didn't begin last week. It was initiated a year and a half ago with a very calculated right-wing Japanese semi-coup, reminiscent of those that brought militarists to power there in the early 1930s. In the spring of 2012, Shintaro Ishihara, then Tokyo's extreme right-wing governor, set the coup in motion by moving to purchase the uninhabited Senkaku/Diayou islands, which had been administered by Japan since the US military occupation of Okinawa came to an end, from their private owner. This he understood would lead Beijing to over-react, and that, in turn, would reinforce right-wing and militarist political forces in Japan's coming national election.
As Ishihara anticipated, then-Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda moved to contain the emerging crisis with China by purchasing the rocks on behalf of the Japanese government. China wasn't amused. It predictably challenged the changed status quo (a 30-year-old agreement to shelve the dispute until the future) with changes of its own by proclaiming what it termed its historic rights to the islands. Beijing then reinforced those claims by sending warships and later jet fighters into the disputed zone. Taiwan also reasserted its claims by sending hundreds of fishing boats into the disputed waters. The Noda government responded by increasing its military presence in the region. And following his subsequent election victory, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeated his willingness to go to war to preserve Japanese control of the islands.
To reinforce their rival claims, Japan and China have dispatched jet fighters to fly over the islands. When Beijing announced its plans to send drones over the isles, Abe warned that he would shoot them down. China responded that such an attack would constitute an act of war. And on November 25, it escalated the crisis by declaring its aerial defense identification zone over the islands.
To understand why the Obama administration has responded as it did to the recent Chinese expansion of its "aerial defense zone," recall that just before Hillary Clinton announced the US military, economic and diplomatic "Pivot" from the Middle East and Central Asia to Asia and the Pacific, Joseph Nye (long a leading figure in the formulation of the United States' Asia-Pacific policies) wrote "Asia will return to its historic status, with more than half of the world's population and half of the world's economic output. America must be present there. Markets and economic power rest on political frameworks and American military power provides that framework." Challenged by US-Chinese competitive interdependence, the Obama administration's China policy, like that of its predecessors, is simultaneous containment and engagement.
So, in the context of US commitments to reinforce its Asia-Pacific hegemony (a project launched with the1898 Spanish-American War and the resulting conquests of the Philippines and Guam, along with the annexation of Hawaii), the Obama administration is not only driving an arms race with China and sparking one across the Asia-Pacific region, it is expanding its network of hundreds of foreign military bases to more fully encircle China and negotiating the strategic TPP free-trade agreement designed to marginalize and gain leverage over China.
Central to this strategy is reinforcing Japan - the "keystone" of US regional hegemony - by encouraging the Abe government's increasingly militarized and confrontational policies. Contrary to its "Peace Constitution," Japan is already the world's sixth-greatest military spender. And even with its economy stalled, Abe is pressing for increased military spending. A new National Security Council has been created, soon to be augmented by a new state secrets law feared by the press and by those monitoring Fukushima fallout and crtiticized by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. And most troubling to the neighbors of a nation that has yet to fully acknowledge its wartime aggressions, Abe has made the personnel changes needed to fulfill his commitment to revise the official interpretation of the "Peace Constitution." When implemented this spring, almost all limits on Japan's war-renouncing basic law will be removed.
The Obama administration has responded to the tit-for-tat escalation of tensions between Tokyo and Beijing in the context of China's rise and the consequent implicit threats to US regional hegemony. In October 2012 and again in November 2013, even as it claims neutrality in terms of China's and Japan's competing territorial claims, the United States warned that if it comes to war, Washington will be bound by the secretly imposed US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty to fight on Japan's side.
Why? Because, in the tradition of falling dominoes, it believes that the regionwide alliance system that has been the foundation of the United States' Asia-Pacific hegemony since 1945 would unravel quickly if it failed to fulfill its treaty commitments to Japan. The expectation is that with US backing less assured, ASEAN nations and South Korea, which are increasingly dependent economically on China, would more willingly kowtow to Beijing. Hence the November 26 veiled nuclear threat warning China to back off now that it has taken Japan down a peg or three and planted a marker for the future.
China, of course, is no innocent. In what may have been a serious miscalculation, when it declared its expanded aerial defense identification zone, the claim was not limited to the uninhabited Senkaku/Diaoyu rocks. It included 1,160 square miles of ocean and reefs claimed by South Korea, including a rock known to Koreans as Leodo. This is not winning China friends in Korea, which again is finding itself caught between its traditional enemies Japan and China.
There is also the related matter of Beijing's much contested claim to 80 percent of the mineral-rich and strategically vital South China Sea, which has led to militarized tensions with Vietnam and the Philippines. China's unanticipated and aggressive claims provided the opening for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to up the ante by declaring the region's sea lanes to be of "vital interest" to the United States. Beijing has, indeed, massively increased spending to build a blue water navy, is beginning to compete with the United States in high-tech weaponry and cyber warfare capabilities, and is "modernizing" its nuclear arsenal (about the size of France's and Israel's) with its commitments to its no-first-strike doctrine increasingly questioned. China also is pursuing its alternative to Obama's Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement in negotiations designed to accelerate the integrations of ASEAN nations into China's sphere – not entirely unrelated to its tradition of tributary empire.
As I write, Vice President Joe Biden is completing his unexpectedly challenging embassy to Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul. The original plan was to focus on TPP negotiations with Japan, to press Japan to deepen its military cooperation with Japan despite their profound "historical differences." Instead, fearing that miscalculations in Tokyo or Beijing could trigger a calamatous war, much as they did a century ago, resulting in the first world war, Biden focused on managing, if not resolving, the crisis. Of course, with Washington's nuclear fist in its velvet glove, he made no public reference to the signal sent with the B-52s as he pressed Japanese and Chinese leaders to create "crisis managment mechanisms." And, in his effort to manufacture consent in Japan and the United States, he falsely claimed that it was China that "unilaterally chang[ed] the status quo in the East China Sea" with the aerial defense identification zone. There was no mention of the ways that Ishihara and Noda precipitated the crisis with their unilateral changes of the status quo.
Some have suggested that one way out of this dangerous morass would be for Japan and China to turn to the International Court of Justice, but neither nation is inclined to do so. Japan fears losing control of the strategically important contested Senkaku/Diaoyu rocks, and China isn't inclined to seek arbitration with Japan when, at the same time, it is refusing the Philippines' initiative to arrange arbitration over contested Spratly Island rocks, which Beijing has occupied militarily and which are considerably closer to the Philippines than to China.
In these contexts, we need to stress alternatives to increasingly dangerous Asia-Pacific military tensions. This will be the subject of local and national forums being initiated by the Working Group for Peace & Demilitarization in Asia & the Pacific. Among the alternatives that immediately occur are:
- The US must pivot diplomatically, not militarily. Campaigning to reinforce US hegemony in Asia and the Pacific will be no more successful than it has been in the Middle East, with potentially much more disastrous consequences than Bush's invasion of Iraq and Obama's drone war from Libya and Yemen to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
- It is past time to pursue common/human security diplomacy - what the American Friends Service Committee terms "Shared Security" - to resolve the increasingly dangerous Asia-Pacific tensions, possibly via the Six Party Talks initially established to resolve the Korean crisis. That's how the Cold War came to a close before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- Plans for massive increases in US military spending to reinforce the pivot with an expanded Navy must be challenged. Congressional hearings scheduled for early next year, designed to inflate the threat posed by China, provide a focal point for such a challenge. With schools being closed and needy families losing Section 8 housing across the country, the last thing we should be doing is building new aircraft carriers and $1.5 trillion F-35s.
- Instead of making veiled nuclear threats, the United States should be stanching pressures for nuclear weapons proliferation by fulfilling its Article VI commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: the obligation to engage in good faith negotiations for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
- Finally, we urgently need to act in solidarity with Japanese peace and democracy activists as they challenge Abe's campaign to restore many of Japan's pre-war systems, prioritizing militarism over diplomacy in its relations with China, subverting the Peace Constitution and increasing military spending, while simultaneously refusing to fully acknowledge that Japan's Fifteen-Year War (1931-45) and wartime sexual slavery were criminal acts of aggression.


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Tai Po Garden itself is nothing special. The area where it stands Tsung Tsai Yuen, has long been a local beauty spot (as we shall soon see) and it's popularity was perhaps enhanced by its location along Tai Po Road in the hills above Tolo Harbour affording it a rather spectacular view. These days the logistical importance and usage of Tai Po Road (it was once the only road into this part of the territory) has waned somewhat but the place remains popular because of the entrance to the nature reserve. As a result, the L.C.S.D has put some effort into beautifying the surrounding area and keeps the garden in a pretty good condition. It has a small pavilion and benches and an array of vegetation around the border. In all a rather pleasant little spot. However, over in one of the corners (see top right of the map above and picture below) is a rather strange looking stone tablet covered in red Chinese script.
Being tucked away in the corner it makes me wonder how many people actually notice the thing, which is a shame because the story it tells is a fairly tragic one and is the reason for the rather sinister nickname of this location. Let's take a closer look.
Actually, even the above closeup is difficult to read, but for my Chinese-literate readers, the full transcript in Chinese is posted below:
松仔園一地,山水清幽,郊遊者多趨之。一九五五年八月念八日,盛暑逼人,士女雲集,遊興方濃,洪流突至,趨避不及,葬身狅流者,男女長幼二十八人。勝地多險,其或然歟?都人士恐慘劇重演,特勒碑誌之,使後之來遊者,觸目警心而知所慎戒焉。遇難者姓名列下:吳灼明、張丁加、邱華佳、梁國權、魏淑蓮、謝焯華、張富星、徐煥興、歐德成、潘宏志、張志勇、馬仁志、莫作彬、林行根、梁寶珠、吳學強、周振興、李寶根、鄭棣華、金碧、麥煥勝、梁牛、王效全、李靜儀、梁錦全、黃麗卿、譚立民、梁海。一九五五年十一月吉旦立,大埔七約鄉公所全體委員仝立.If you are wondering why I have put some characters in bold, it's because these are actually people's names and I've translated them as best as I can below because I think these are names worth hearing about.
But why- what actually happened? Bunce - a reader of my old blog post back in 2009 - was kind enough to supply a translation of the main text of the tablet, but before I post it here is a brief outline of what actually happened.
On the
It sounds unbelievable that something like this could happen, but having experienced quite a few summer storms myself, I can certainly vouch for the potential power HK's wet summer flash floods. One example I can remember not too long ago was during a massive storm in June 2008 when - in Tai Po - a poor girl was washed away down the Lam Tsuen river and killed after being hit by a surge of water as she crossed!
So there you have it, a very sad story and one that certainly deserves some remembrance. However, with the memorial also comes a stern warning as you shall now read in Bunce's (in his own humble words: 'rough') translation below:
The picturesque scenery of Tsung Tsai Yuen attracts many visitors. On 28 August 1955, a day of intense heat, a sudden torrent washed away and buried 28 men, women and children just as their excitement at visiting the area reached its height. Is it really true that our favourite places are filled with danger?
This tablet is erected to alert future visitors so that they, armed with this knowledge, can take the necessary precautions to avert a similar disaster.
[Names of the perished - see below]
Members of the Tai Po Tsat Yeuk (七約) Village CommitteeA sad story indeed. Anyway, here is my best attempt at putting the victims names into some sort of acceptable standard HK-style English name format - if there are any Chinese readers who would like to offer corrections please feel free.
An auspicious day in November 1955
吳灼明 - Ng Jeuk-ming, 張丁加 - Cheung Ting-ka, 邱華佳 - Yau Wah-kai,
梁國權 - Leung Kwok-kuen, 魏淑蓮 - Ngai Suk-lin, 謝焯華 - Tse Chow-wah,
張富星 - Cheung Fu-sing, 徐煥興 - Tsui Wun-hing, 歐德成 - Au Tak-sing,


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Published November 3, 2016
One leads a company shifting its long-term focus toward a world where autonomous vehicles ease gridlock in major cities across the globe. Another is leading a company committed to being at the forefront of trends in hospitality and live sporting events. And the third heads an organization that's constantly finding creative ways to leverage its resources to protect the environment.
All three of these visionaries shared the stage in the Katharine Cornell Theater on Wednesday for a discussion of how to move toward a regenerative society. The discussion was part of the UB RENEW Institute's Distinguished Lecture Series.
The panelists were Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Co.; Jerry Jacobs Jr., co-CEO of Delaware North; and Mark Tercek, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. Each talked about how his respective organization is working to create a more prosperous future focused on sustainability.
"These national leaders come from very different fields. They represent the kinds of diverse perspectives that need to come together to achieve a regenerative society," said Provost Charles F. Zukoski, who noted that in a similar way, the RENEW Institute brings together researchers from a range of disciplines to address pressing environmental issues the world is facing. "RENEW's overarching goal is to advance energy, water and environmental sustainability through the foundation of a regenerative economy," Zukoski said.
Here are highlights from Wednesday's discussion.
Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford admits it seems counterintuitive for an automobile company to invest in a future that's less reliant on putting more vehicles on the road. But that's the long-term vision he has laid out for the company his great-grandfather started.
"The goal really has to be a sustainable industry that enables mobility around the world and makes people's lives better," he said. "To me, this is the most exciting time in our industry. I can't wait to get up every morning and get going. It's really fun — kind of scary — but also really fun."
In the short term, Ford acknowledged, there remains a need to build cars and trucks. But cities across the globe have reached a saturation point of vehicles and that requires a new model of transportation.
Enter autonomous vehicles.
"Think of a world where you don't have to own a vehicle but it shows up anytime you want, wherever you want, where there isn't any more drunk driving, where the elderly don't have to give up their driver's license, where people who have physical challenges can go wherever they want, whenever they want. That's the world that we are aiming to create," Ford said.
He also talked about an on-demand, ride-sharing program called Dynamic Shuttle that's being piloted in San Francisco. The routes are crowdsourced based on rider demand. The program will be rolled out to other cities.
Ford Motor Co. also is working with cities around the world to find mobility solutions that will help improve quality of life in those cities. The city-as-customer idea is another new model for the company, Ford said.
"That's not something we've done before and it's a new muscle we're starting to develop," he said. "If you imagine a city where people and health care and food can move freely around that city, to me that will be a great thing. Our goal is to help make that happen and to do it in a way that's sustainable."
Delaware North is a century-old hospitality and entertainment company. While it has a lot of history, the company can't rest on its laurels, co-CEO Jerry Jacobs Jr. said in explaining the company's focus on the future.
A few years ago, he attended a conference in which futurists spoke about emerging trends. When he returned to the company's headquarters, he gushed to his father, Jeremy M. Jacobs, the company's chairman, about how enlightening the conference was.
"He said that's great, but what does it mean for Delaware North?" the younger Jacobs recalled. It led to the creation of an innovative report called the Future of Sports. This year marks the second year for the report, which asks a group of futurists to offer bold predictions for the next 25 years of the sports industry in an effort to identify new challenges and opportunities.
Among its businesses, Delaware North operates concessions in stadiums around the world, and the company, Jerry Jacobs Jr. said, needs to be at the forefront of what fans crave.
"We're trying to think about what's happening in our industries, in our businesses and in our communities that's going to really change our future. How do we prepare for that and can we play a role in making it better?" he said.
Delaware North also serves guests in a number of parks and resorts, which made it easy for the company to champion sustainability efforts, like encouraging guests to take shorter showers. "It's something that we take to heart and that we're passionate about," Jacobs said.
During his remarks, he noted the move toward a regenerative society has major implications for Delaware North. "It's creating opportunities and it's creating threats. We have whole industries that could evaporate and you have whole new industries that are emerging."
The Nature Conservancy's roots go back to an environmental campaign around the Mianus River Gorge near the New York-Connecticut border more than six decades ago. Since then, the organization has expanded to more than 70 countries and diversified to become what it is today, president and CEO Mark Tercek said.
Tercek talked about several innovative ways The Nature Conservancy has fulfilled its conservation mission.
About a year and a half ago, The Nature Conservancy purchased more than 300,000 acres of private forest land in Montana and Washington from the Plum Creek timber company. If the organization hadn't intervened, the land would have been developed and the ecosystems destroyed, Tercek said.
The cost — $150 million — was steep, even for a large global non-profit, so the organization devised a creative solution: leverage impact capital. The Nature Conservancy raised 90 percent of the purchase price from institutional donors whose missions aligned with the organization's. "We did a leveraged buyout for nature. Not everybody likes when I describe it that way, but it's a pretty smart way, I think, of harnessing capital from stretch philanthropy to get more done," he said.
In 2011, The Nature Conservancy partnered with Dow Chemical to encourage the company to invest in green instead of gray infrastructure. The partnership garnered criticism, with people asking why TNC would work with a chemical company that has such a large environmental footprint.
"And of course the answer was, that's exactly why we want to work with a company like that. We helped them discover a better way to do business," Tercek said.


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Applications for 2017 are now being sought – forms are available from the Hagley College site – http://www.hagley.school.nz/study-options/writers-institute/
Applications for 2017 sought…
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Leslie McKay wins Caselberg Trust Poetry Prize
Congratulations to graduate, Leslie McKay for winning the 2016 Caselberg Trust Poetry Prize – a great month for Hagley with Gail Ingram taking out the NZPS poetry prize as well.
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National Poetry Day celebrations…
We had a fantastic turnout, over 90 people, at our Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day celebrations at Scorpio Bookshop on Friday 26 August. Thanks to our wonderful readers, Frankie McMillan, Bernadette Hall, Owen Marshall, Christina Stachurski, Rose Collins, Teoti Jardine, Jeni Curtis and Marisa Cappetta. And huge congratulations to the winner of our competition, Danielle O'Halloran and Sile Mannion, the runner – up. James Norcliffe did a great job of judging with over 120 poems submitted. A marvellous response all round. Photos show the crowd at Scorpio and winner Danielle O'Halloran and
director, Morrin Rout with the winning poem which has been published as a poster by Phantom Billstickers
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Huge success at National Flash Fiction Day…
Congratulations to all the Hagley writers who triumphed at the National Flash Fiction Day celebrations. Nod Ghosh and Linda Moser who were second and third respectively in the competition, Sam Averis highly commended for his 2 stores, Gail Ingram commended for hers and Wade Bishop, Sue Kingham, Tracey Peterson, Marie McGuigan all in the long list. There were also Hagley writers in the SIWA competition – Lucy Jane Walsh won and Celine Gibson was third. And of course I need to acknowledge the wonderful work of Hagley graduate, Brindi Joy with Sam Averis and others in organising such an entertaining and enjoyable evening
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WRITERS' INSTITUTE TRIUMPHS AT FLASH FICTION…again
Last modified: June 14, 2016
Hagley Writers' Institute is gaining a reputation for producing top-class flash fiction writers – again in this year's shortlist for the 2016 NZ Flash Fiction competition we have 4/10 of the entries. Congratulations to Sam Averis for his 2 shortlisted stories and to Nod Ghosh and Linda Moser.
We have a significant presence in the long list as well. This year there were over 500 entries so getting long listed was a great achievement. Congratulations to Tracey Peterson, Sue Kingham, Gail Ingram, Wade Bishop and Marie McGuigan.
We are looking forward to the celebration on Wed 22 June when the winners will be revealed. Many Hagley graduates will be participating in this and it will be MC'ed by the Director, Morrin Rout.
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Nod Ghosh interviews Frankie McMillan
Hagley graduate, Nod Ghosh has just published a fascinating and insightful interview with Hagley tutor, Frankie McMillan on her website – you can read it here.
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Welcome to our 2016 students…
We are looking forward to welcoming our new students to the 2016 Writers' Institute programme. The day will start with morning tea at 9.30am on Saturday 13 February and then students will spend the rest of the morning in their tutorial groups.
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Graduation 2015
Congratulations to all our graduates in 2015. And especially to the award winners and runners up.
Year 1 – Margaret Mahy Award – joint winners – Isabelle McNeur and Chris Stewart. Runners up – Sile Mannion and Mark Sanders
Year 2 – Margaret Mahy Award – Angela Brett. Runner up – Rose Jenson
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Late applications welcome…
Applications for 2016 are still being accepted – please email the Director, Morrin Rout, email@example.com or phone 033299789, mob: 0210464189 if you want any further information or to have an application form emailed to you.
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Bernadette Hall is awarded the 2015 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Poetry
We are delighted to learn that our patron, Bernadette Hall has been named as the 2015 recipient of the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Poetry. Bernadette was one of the founders of the Hagley Writers' Institute and a long-term tutor and supervisor. We congratulate her on this prestigious award, a well deserved recognition of her literary talent and outstanding contribution to NZ poetry.


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As your cheeseboard centrepiece with fresh bread.
Pinot Noir
My Details
Another signature cheese by international cheese judge and Cheese Master Neil Willman. The rind is soft and white and the paste is smooth with a luscious buttery flavour. Made from high quality cow's milk in a 1kg wheel or sold in wedges, each wheel is layered with black truffles giving a rich aromatic nutty or earthy taste. Truffles have also been described as mysterious, dark and musky. Best alone on a cheeseboard where this unusual cheese can be the star.
Available in a 100gram wedge or 1kg wheel.


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Lions get QB commit
A quarterback just north of 6-feet tall who is nimble on his feet and throws a really good slant or deep fade — sounds a lot like Trace McSorley, doesn't it?
Yes, but it also would be an ideal description of New Jersey junior Taquon Roberson, who announced on Thursday that he was going to head to Penn State to try to become one of McSorley's successors as Nittany Lions' signal-caller in a couple of years.
Roberson went public with his commitment through a video he posted on Twitter that showed his highlights spliced together with some of McSorley's. He is the second member of Penn State's 2019 recruiting class, joining State College cornerback Keaton Ellis.
Roberson was one of 110 prospects that attended the Lions' 42-13 win over Michigan as part of a record crowd at Beaver Stadium last Saturday. He actually gave the staff his pledge on Sunday and has asked the media not to pursue interviews with him until this weekend.
"I've been thinking about committing, but this visit really made me pull the trigger," Roberson told Scout.com recruiting analyst Brian Dohn. "I know it was the 'White Out,' the best time of the year for Penn State football, but the atmosphere was just amazing. It was like no other. Everyone was part of the football team. The fans are like a 12th man. It was just crazy."
On Thursday, Roberson announced a final five of Penn State, Rutgers, Kentucky, Virginia Tech and North Carolina, although he'd already committed to the Lions.
A three-star recruit, the 6-foot-1, 187-pound Roberson has been putting up big numbers this fall at 5-2 DePaul Catholic in Wayne, N.J., completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 1,616 yards and 18 touchdowns while running for 340 yards and four more scores. He's only been picked off four times.
In the last two games, Roberson has thrown for 681 yards and nine scores.
Roberson practiced before the Penn State coaches twice over the summer according to Lions247's Sean Fitz, making the Lions comfortable with making the scholarship offer.
"We have a really good relationship," Roberson said. "Every time I visit them, we go film, we talk about how the offense is very similar to our offense, and how Trace McSorley is very similar to me, and how I would be a perfect fit in the offense."
Penn State isn't expected to have a full complement of 25 scholarships to offer for 2019, but Fitz believes the Lions might still sign two quarterbacks in the class. They also are considered to be high on the list for North Carolina four-star quarterback Garrett Shrader, who also attended the Michigan game.


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93+ Points from The Wine Front
Campbell Mattison from The Wine Front has rated both of Steve Wiblin's 2015 Rieslings at 93+ points.
Steve Wiblin's Erin Eyes Riesling:
The wine is pitch perfect. Plenty of drive, thrust, acidity, flavour and length. Citrus, fennel seeds, blossomy notes, bath salts. It needs to settle, it's been released slightly too young, but it's on its way to a very good place.
Steve Wiblin's Erin Eyes Pride of Erin Riesling:
Excellent intensity. It has a softness but the flavours really kick. Lime, lemon, rind, juice. Steely. Long. Laden with ripe citrus. Pretty simple for now but the quality is impressive … and the drinkability.
96 Points for 2015 Riesling
The James Halliday Australian Wine Companion has awarded 96 points to Steve Wiblin's Erin Eyes 2015 Riesling.
Have a look at the tasting notes and contact Steve to order firstname.lastname@example.com
5 Star Rating in the Australian Wine Companion 2016
The James Halliday Australian Wine Companion has given Steve Wiblin's Erin Eyes a 5 Star Rating for the 2016 Edition.
To see James Halliday's reviews of the current Erin Eyes wines head over to Facebook and while you are there 'Like' Steve Wiblin's Erin Eyes Wines to stay up-to-date with the latest news, reviews and specials.
2015 Erin Eyes Rieslings released
Now released our 2015 Erin Eyes Rieslings.
Two wines this year include our 2015 Erin Eyes Riesling blended across 3 top vineyards.
Also, our 2015 "Pride of Erin" Reserve Riesling. A single vineyard wine from a Penwortham micro climate that showed outstanding fruit on the vine and in the winery. High natural acid made this wine a stand out.
The Reserve name "Pride of Erin" thanks for the inspiration Huon Hooke.
Apart from seafood and the usual recommended dishes try it as we are doing with Parmigiano Reggiano and crusty bread.
Contact us for purchasing locations or use this form.
Gourmet Traveller – 2013 Erin Eyes Sangiovese
The June/July issue of Gourmet Traveller Magazine includes the 2013 Erin Eyes Sangiovese.
A full-bodied, smoothly textured wine which perhaps tastes more of Clare than of sangiovese with a lacing of mint over the raspberry aromas. The profile is long and supple with soft tannins underlying the appealing flavour.
James Halliday's Top Cellaring Selections – 2013 Erin Eyes Clare Valley Shiraz
Issue #22 of James Halliday's Wine Companion Magazine includes the 2013 Erin Eyes Clare Valley Shiraz.
"One of those wines where you're happy to be taken prisoner. It's dense and luscious but well disciplined, with strict rules of tannin and lines of acid maintaining order amid the riot of black berried fruit.
Cedary oak has melted straight down intho the wine's inky depths. Great value, all things considered. 14.5% alc."
James Halliday
Wine Genius – Erin Eyes Wines Malbec 2013
The Wine Genius team have had the opportunity to taste the Erin Eyes Wines Malbec 2013.
Here is the tasting note and score.
Medium weight with complex briary tones, overlayed with soaked plums, exotic spice and hints of feminine perfume. Lifted and varietal fruits pulse across the palate, finishing with bold acidity and significant length.
Huon Hooke reviews 2013 Erin Eyes Shiraz
Independent wine writer Huon Hooke has reviewed the 2013 Erin Eyes Shiraz.
What Huon thinks…
92 Points
"Deep red/purple colour, the aroma is plummy and dark cherry-like, chocolate and vanilla too. There are some oak-influenced characters. The acidity is fresh and keeps it lively, the finish is firm and tight and the wine promises to age well. Very good."
Australian Wine Showcase Awards – 2013 Erin Eyes Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
Awarded in March 2015, the Australian Wine Showcase Awards presented the 2013 Erin Eyes Merlot with 91 points and the 2013 Erin Eyes Cabernet Sauvignon with 94 points.
Winsor Dobbin reviews 2013 Erin Eyes Merlot
Food wine and travel writer Winsor Dobbin reviews the 2013 Erin Eyes Merlot:
"Steve Wiblin is closing in on four decades in the wine business, first on the marketing side for labels such as Wynns and the now sadly neglected Seaview, then for close on 15 years as a partner and co-owner of the Neagles Rock label. Now, after recovering from a period of ill health, he's sourcing premium Clare fruit for his own boutique label Erin Eyes, the name of which is a nod to to his Irish ancestry. This is one the better merlots to be found in Australia, rich and profound with plenty of length and palate weight. It's soft, as you'd expect, but also very interesting."


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The Greatest Weapon Against Stress
"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." -William James
This quote speaks volumes to me, someone who (like most people) tends to overthink every situation. Stress is inevitable for all people, but we don't realize that the majority of our stress actually comes from ourselves. One good example comes from my experience at dance auditions. Dancers go in, learn the choreography in a short amount of time, and prepare to perform in smaller groups in front of the judges- usually all under an hour. Though I've been going to these auditions for almost two years now, the nerves that come from auditioning have never completely gone away. However, the best way I overcome these nerves is simply by choosing to think positively. I don't think about how I compare to the other dancers, nor do I panic about how well I know the choreography. These little worries that come into your mind are just distractions, big "What if"s that are not worth stressing about.
My first year of auditioning had me asking myself these "What if" questions, leading to self-doubt as a dancer. But the second year, I told myself that I was an amazing dancer. I told myself that even if I went on stage and fell on my face, I would do it with pointed feet and a fabulous smile on my face. I told myself that I had no reason to put extra stress on myself; all I needed to do was dance. And it worked! I had more confidence in myself, remembered the entire combination, and was even hugged by my dance teachers who were surprised by my change in energy.
It's natural to feel stress in a high-anxiety environment. But when you boil the situation down to its core, eliminating the stress you create for yourself, you can perform much better. We have the ability to "choose one thought over another", so in everything you do, choose the thought that brings out your positive energy!


text: We all took a drive up in the mountains to Ronda, Spain and it was an awesome drive for views with hairpin turns and death-defying cliffs. The Koller's little girl's stomach reacted to this drive and we had to make a pit stop. We ended up taking family pictures at the top so we turned that into a positive. The town of Ronda is spectacular with an old town and a new town that is separated by a gorge that is so far down that I was having trouble looking down. It is joined by this 700 year old bridge. It is quite the picturesque place. There is a church there that is quite unspectacular and it was the seat of the Spanish Inquisitions. We would have done more sightseeing but it was up in the clouds and we were not dressed for it and froze our butts off. Driving down was just as dizzying as driving up. My husband seems to think that he is Mario Andretti on cliff drives like this, so I ended up closing my eyes allot.


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Whether you are still on your way, arrived yesterday or are planning to come later this week, I'm sure lots of you are thinking of Iatefl and Glasgow. I was told the weather would be cold and raining, and although there was some rain today it really was not very cold. Yesterday was a beautiful day with sunshine and blue skies. So, I think the key is probably to dress in layers. The weather reporter is actually promising better whether for the second half of the week. In any case, for those of us who were at the Pre Conference day today, it didn't really matter what was happening outside as we spent the day in our SiG groups.
Joint PCE TEASIG and ESPSIG
This year our TEASIG group joined up with ESPSIG to host a joint event. The day was characterised by various series of shorter (15 min) talks followed by the chance to ask questions to everyone in each group, like mini panels. This worked quite well although there were comments that it did not really give people to go into the issues in much detail, which they would have preferred. There were also those who said that having a joint session meant 'having to be interested' in something they actually weren't. One person who was of this opinion said that she belongs to TEASIG and was not interested in ESP, so she was rather disappointed. However, the fact that the two groups were going to co host the event was well publicised in advance, and it is important to try out new formats for events, rather than always following the same one. In fact the group was split, quite a few people saying that they liked to have the two groups together and the others saying 'No'.
Read Before You Choose
I, personally, am interested in both assessment and EAP/EMI so I found the content to be relevant. I think the only advice I could give would be to look very carefully at what your SIG is planning and if you are not interested in that, go to something else. One example of this for me is the LTSIG, which I have been a member of for quite a few years. One year the focus was on young learners that I don't teach, so obviously I chose to go to something else.
Anyway, I was wondering what other people thought about this? So here is a quick poll. Let me know what you think: it expires in one week.


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Tag Archives: Stink Bugs
Should I Squash These Bugs?
I found this interesting collection of bugs on a group of wild vines growing on my back fence last summer. When I was a kid my grandma told me to just leave them alone because they're stink bugs, a name … Continue reading
Posted in Bugs, Plants Tagged Stink Bugs, Sweet Autumn Clematis, Vines Leave a comment


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Victoria's Secret is being hauled back in to court by Zephyrs, one of its suppliers, on patent infringement grounds. According to a lawsuit filed in New York federal court by the New Jersey-based Zephyrs, Victoria's Secret is selling "slavish copies" of one of its bra designs, namely its Kidney-Shaped Push Up Inserts. Zephyrs' principal Debra MacKinnon alleges in the complaint that she met with Laurie Jeannine Wirgler and Heather Naughton, buyers from Victoria's Secret, with whom she discussed the bra inserts and packaging prototypes, ultimately offering them an exclusive license for the lifetime of the product in exchange for patent fees, development costs, and minimum-purchase quotas. All the while, Zephyrs' patent application for the bra inserts was pending before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), something Zephyrs alleges that VS was fully aware of.
In March 2010, roughly two years after Zephyrs' principal MacKinnon met with VS buyers, VS's defendant's legal counsel applied for a design patent with the USPTO for a VS Push Up Design Patent. According to Zephyrs' complaint, VS "erroneously named Laurie Jeannine Wirgler and Heather Naughton, (the VS employees MacKinnon disclosed her invention) as the inventors, which they assigned to Victoria's Secret Brand Management, Inc., which erroneously omitted MacKinnon as the inventor."
Meanwhile, Victoria's Secret allegedly placed "significant purchase orders for supply" of Zephyrs' bra inserts and received "tens of thousands of packages of the Kidney Shaped Push Up Inserts." According to Zephyrs' complaint, Victoria's Secret terminated its agreement with Zephyrs for the supply of the bra inserts in 2012 and began selling its own "STYLE SECRETS SHAPING INSERTS" under the Victoria's Secret brand name in its "approximately 1,000 retail stores in all fifty states." The infringing products were also allegedly sold through "the Victoria's Secret print catalog and online distribution through VictoriasSecret.com, [which] reach more than 390 million customers each year."
At this point in time, Zephyrs (whose bra inserts patent was still pending before the USPTO) filed a $15 million suit against Victoria's Secret, after MacKinnon discovered that Victoria's Secret had breached its contract by contacting her manufacturers directly in an effort to replace her. In its complaint, Zephyrs alleged that the lingerie giant was falsely advertising hosiery (that VS did not make) with photos that appear on authentic Zephyrs products. In addition to monetary damages, Zephyrs also asked the court to order Victoria's Secret to remove the misleading packaging and in-store displays, and issue a recall for its Lace Top Fish Net Stockings, Fish Net Thigh-Highs With Backseam, and Signature Stripe Thigh-High With Bows. The parties ultimately managed to settle this one between themselves and mutually agreed to dismiss the claims and counterclaims with prejudice.
Over the last year, Zephyrs' lawyer, Joseph Gioconda says MacKinnon discovered that in 2010, Victoria's Secret had gone behind her back and filed a design patent application in both the United States and Canada for its VS Push Ups, listing Laurie Jeannine Wirgler and Heather Naughton as the inventors. According to Zephyrs' lawsuit, neither Wrigler nor Naughton are developers but rather buyers.
On January 12, 2016, the utility patent for MacKinnon's push-up inserts was finally clarified and reissued by the USPTO (following the correction of errors regarding the ratios of the inserts, which, rendered it unenforceable for some time), thereby, allowing MacKinnon and Zephrys to file suit on patent infringement grounds against Victoria's Secret.
According to Gioconda: "There's really no question that Victoria's Secret knew completely about the pending patent application. What is unknown is why Victoria's Secret employees and its attorneys chose to go the route they did" and file independent design patents. They [falsely] claimed under oath they were the sole inventors of this design, and they were placing orders for these products while they submitted those patents."
As a result, Zephyrs is seeking preliminary and permanent injunctive relief (which would immediately and permanently prohibit Victoria's Secret from manufacturing, marketing, and selling the designs at issue), monetary damages, attorneys' fees and costs for the VS's defendants' willful patent infringement. In addition, Zephyrs wants the USPTO to correct the "VS Push Up Design Patent" that was issued to Victoria's Secret for its bra inserts (which lists Laurie Jeannine Wirgler and Heather Naughton as inventors) and to transfer ownership of that patent to Zephyrs.


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A couple years ago, when the mice first showed up in our basement, my son insisted we buy no-kill traps and release the critters unharmed into the wild. They were field mice and had found their way in by tunneling into some mulch laid up against the foundation of the house. Once the mulch was moved, we trapped the mice and carried them off to a vacant lot to live their furry little lives elsewhere.
Now, the mice have returned. When we saw the cute little one with the large ears scurry by the TV downstairs, we brought out the traps again. We baited them with peanut butter, having learned the first time that they preferred this to cheese. We set the two traps near the TV, carefully placing them so they were properly balanced to trigger the door after the mouse entered.
And for good measure, we set a new kind of trap, one recommended by someone at a pest control company. This trap consists of a bucket with a ramp up either side and a string placed across the top. From this string dangles a piece of chocolate, a bait more enticing, the pest control man said, than even peanut butter. The mouse is supposed to scale the ramp, tightrope its way across the string and fall into the bucket in its attempt to reach the chocolate. Once you've caught the critters, you can take them anywhere you like.
A bucketful of mice.
My children concocted such a trap from household items, the ramps being wooden rulers left over from school secured to the edge of the bucket with duct tape. It took a few tries to figure out how to hang the chocolate from the string. My son tried softening a Hershey's kiss (plain, not almond) in his hand and sticking the string to it, but the string wouldn't stay put (so of course he had to eat the chocolate). My daughter eventually skewered a Hershey's kiss on an unwound paper clip and tied it to the string. Then we placed the bucket in the crawl space next to where we saw the mouse.
The first day, both of the little traps were sprung, but with no mouse inside. When I checked the big trap, I found the string dangling outside the bucket and the chocolate gone. Obviously the system needed refining. We reset the traps, re-hung the chocolate and tried again.
We've repositioned the traps and restrung the chocolate a dozen times now. My husband did manage to catch a mouse in a shoebox when it ran by him in the furnace room, and we released it into the wild. But as it scurried into the woods, we noticed that this was not the mouse we had seen at first. This one was large and had small ears. The one we'd seen was small and had large ears.
Two days ago, when we went down in the morning to check the traps, one of the small ones by the TV was missing. We thought perhaps the mouse had managed to move it behind the TV, so we reset the other one and replenished the chocolate in the bucket. The next day, we moved the TV out from its niche in the wall to retrieve the second trap.
No trap.
It's been three days now, and we can't find the trap.
Mice. They're smarter than we are.


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And if you don't like the price, you can grow your own.
Marijuana legalization Bill C-45 officially passes Senate vote, heading for royal assent
The Senate has voted to accept the latest version of the government's long-debated legal marijuana legislation, paving the way for the bill to pass into Canadian law.
The Senate voted 52-29 to approve the government's newest version of Bill C-45 on Tuesday evening.
Bill C-45 now moves to royal assent, the final step in the legislative process. That could occur within days at the government's discretion. The government's desire to see home grown marijuana permitted across Canada eventually prevailed, and a proposal from the Senate to allow provinces and territories to ban them has been stripped from the final bill.
"We have witnessed today a very historic vote that ends 90 years of prohibition, that's historic. It ends 90 years of needless criminalization, it ends a prohibition model that inhibited and discouraged public health, and community health approaches in favour of 'just say no.' Approaches that simply failed our young people miserably," independent Senator Tony Dean said after the vote.


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I have been tagged again but a different tag by Richa of Iscriblr. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, dear! ❤
•How do I feel at the moment?
Sleepy 😴. It's already 10:50 pm here.
•What do I need more in my life?
A massage and a commune with nature.
•What would make me happy right now?
Go out of town with my family. It's been a while since we had a vacation altogether.
•What is going right in my life?
I have so much to thank for.
•What am I most grateful for? List 10 things.
• God. For all the grateful things I have
• My hubby and kids
• My extended family
• My friends
• My health
• My life
• My blog
• Our pet
• My positivity. It's what keeps me going
• Nature
•When did I experience joy this week?
When my eldest son followed our advice
•List a small victory/success?
When I started my blog, I do not know what to write but now I have published 244 blog posts.
•What is bothering me & why?
Clutter bothers me.
•What are my priorities at the moment?
My spiritual health, physical health and family
•What do I love about my self?
My ability to bounce back from difficulties is what I love about myself.
•Who means the world to me & why?
My husband, kids, family and friends means the world to me for their support and bringing the best in me.
•If I could share one message with the world, what would it be?
•What advice would I give to my younger self?
Don't give in to negativity and don't give up.
•What lesson did I learn this week?
Always believe that something good will happen. Just be patient.
•If I had all the time in the world, what would I do first?
I will travel the world.
•What's draining my energy?
Worrying too much sometimes.
•What does my ideal morning look like?
Being a full time mom and wife, my mornings are usually busy doing chores and sometimes errands.
•What makes me come alive?
Planning a party and travels makes me alive.
•What/who inspires me the most?
My kids inspire me the most. They inspire me to become a better person.
•Where does my pain originate?
From past hurts
•What are my strengths?
Flexible, forgiving, determined, friendly
•What is something I've always wanted but too scared to get?
Traveling alone overseas
•What is something I would love to learn?
I would like to learn the violin.
•Where would I want to live my ideal life?
Still in my country.
•Where would I like to travel in the next 5 years?
European and Asian countries
•What can I do to take better care of myself?
Connect more with successful people and eat healthy
•What hobbies would I like to try?
•When have I done something that I thought I couldn't do?
A few months ago, I thought my blog will not gain many followers but here it is 😉.
•At the end of my life, what do I want my legacy to be?
I want to be remembered as someone who's made a difference in someone's life.


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Garcinia Cambogia is now the top selling diet supplement in the world, thanks to its active ingredient of HCA, Hydroxycitric Acid, which acts as a fat busting triple threat, blocking the absorption of fat, enhancing metabolism to burn existing fat, and suppressing the appetite. As a result, supplement manufacturers have swarmed to create a product to cash in on this amazing capability. Top Garcinia Cambogia Reviews (http://topgarciniacambogiareviews.net/) is an independent online presence designed to help people discover which of these manufacturers is best. The site has now updated its website with a new countdown of 2014's best releases.
The countdown includes links to the full review of every product listed, and gives a summary of the review in a single paragraph together with multiple star-ratings of effectiveness, quality, cost, consumer feedback and money back guarantee to ensure that individuals can buy products according to what is most important to them.
The current number one has been manufactured by Rush Nutrition, and features an impressive 1,000mg dosage of 60% HCA garcinia cambogia extract per pill, giving users a massive boost to their metabolic rate, melting fat away without any changes to diet or exercise. Crucially, individuals buy the product as they use it, and needn't subscribe to monthly payment plans.
A spokesperson for Top Garcinia Cambogia Reviews explained, "Rush Nutrition were not the first on the scene when it came to garcinia cambogia, but there are benefits to entering the game at a later stage. With fresh eyes and the benefit of a huge amount of consumer data, clinical trials and different approaches, they have been able to optimize the formula to maximize its efficacy while minimizing investment, meaning they can offer a better product cheaper than anyone else. The site has information on this and many more great garcinia cambogia supplements, so individuals can find what they need no matter what they're looking for."
About Top Garcinia Cambogia Reviews: Top Garcinia Cambogia Reviews is a website dedicated to creating in depth, insightful and independent reviews of garcinia cambogia products including extracts, supplements and powders. The site is regularly updated as new products are released, and also includes a resource center with information on clinical studies and more. For more information please visit: http://topgarciniacambogiareviews.net/
Company Name: BrandOutreach
Contact Person: Joe Bragg
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: (415) 632 1664
City: San Francisco
State: California
Country: United States
Website: http://topgarciniacambogiareviews.net/


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CPA Australia Maori Scholarships
Related scholarships
On this page
- Closing dates for applications
- Length of award
- Number of awards offered
- Purpose of award
- Selection criteria
- What conditions are attached to acceptance of this award?
- How do students apply?
- How and when do students learn of the decision?
- Decision makers
- History or background of award
- Additional information
- For guidelines, application forms and more information about this award contact
- Disclaimer
Closing dates for applications
Next: 31 August 2020
Applications must be received by 31 August 2019.
Length of award
Scholarships are effective from the date awarded and will be tenable for five years.
Number of awards offered
CPA Australia offers up to two scholarships annually for students of Māori descent.
Purpose of award
CPA Australia offers up to two scholarships
annually for students of Māori descent.
The scholarship will assist recipients to meet the
educational requirements needed to attain CPA
status. Scholarship recipients will be exempt from
all CPA Program subject fees and from the first
year's membership fees as an Associate (ASA).
Selection criteria
To be eligible, applicants must provide evidence
that they have been recognised from Māori descent.
Applicants must be studying towards the
requirements to join CPA Australia as an ASA.
They must have completed a minimum of one year's study, and two subjects as part of a CPA-accredited course. To enrol in the CPA Program professional level applicants must hold as a minimum a New Zealand bachelor's degree that is accredited by CPA Australia or an overseas bachelor's degree that CPA Australia has assessed as being comparable to a New Zealand bachelor's degree.
Applicants may need to complete additional
accredited units to meet ASA membership
Applicants can apply to join CPA Australia
before their tertiary results are finalised.
A list of accredited courses can be found at:
What conditions are attached to acceptance of this award?
Recipients would have to activate their Associate Membership and start the CPA Program
within five years of receiving the scholarship. Once they have activated their Associate
Membership, recipients will have six years to complete the CPA Program.
How do students apply?
Only applicants who meet the eligibility criteria and submit a complete application package will be
considered. Applicants must submit:
• evidence of recognition from Māori descent
a brief curriculum vitae
• a certified, itemised copy of their academic transcript showing subjects passed and grades
awarded, and the years in which they passed
if studies have been completed, a certified copy of their accredited bachelor degree that shows
the degree awarded, the name of the tertiary institution and the year the degree was awarded
• a written reference from a kaumātua in your Iwi
• a one-page statement detailing their planned professional career and the reasons for wanting
to be a CPA Australia memberTwo copies of the completed application form
must be sent to CPA Australia. One copy must
be emailed to
and another copy, with signatures and supporting
documentation, must be mailed to:
Rick Jones, Country Head
CPA Australia
Māori Scholarship
Level 16, HSBC House
1 Queen Street
Applications must be received by 31 August.
Regulations and Application Form
Scholarship Page
How and when do students learn of the decision?
The scholarships will be awarded each October to the best-qualified applicants based on their
tertiary academic results.
Award recipients will be announced in CPA Australia's INTHEBLACK magazine. If you
do not want your name published advise the accreditation and research coordinator.
Decision makers
Scholarships will be awarded by the selection committee solely based on the applications
received. The chairperson of the selection committee will submit a brief report each year to the CPA Australia Board of Directors Decisions of the selection committee will be final.
History or background of award
CPA Australia provides scholarships and subsidies to assist members in need to undertake the CPA Program. Members completing CPA Program subjects for continuing professional development (CPD) purposes and non-members are not eligible.
Additional information
The scholarship does not require the recipient to render any service to the donor.
For guidelines, application forms and more information about this award contact
Rick Jones
Country Head
CPA Australia
CPA Australia, Māori Scholarship, Level 16, HSBC House, 1 Queen Street , Auckland 1010
Every effort has been made to ensure the above information is current and correct. However, applicants should contact the appropriate administering body before making an application, as details do change frequently. The administrator of this record last updated this information in June 2020.


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Perhaps you've been at a show in which some people left believing they saw a concert of heroic proportions while others left just mildly impressed, saying they've seen better, like maybe a Skid Row/Whitesnake bill at a state fair in '88. But you would be hard pressed to find anyone who attended Saturday evening's Barenaked Ladies show at the Louisville Palace who wouldn't say they didn't have a great time. True, "great time" is a pretty innocuous term, even a bit vague. But that's what you have when you see a Barenaked Ladies concert - a great time. It's that simple, and it doesn't matter how many members are in the band.
Kicking off the show with a surprising choice, Testing 1-2-3, the band started nearly two hours of camaraderie among each other and the audience. If summer blockbuster movies are supposed to be pure escapism, a Barenaked Ladies concert is the musical equivalent. And much like an episode of Fat Albert, they come at you with music and fun, and if you're not careful, you may learn something before it's done.
Their mix of humor and sincerity could win over any crowd.
They played their biggest hits: One Week, Pinch Me, and If I Had a $1,000,000; that was appreciated but expected. (I always appreciate ...$1,000,000 because, yes, my first car was a nice Reliant automobile, a white 1985 model to be exact.) What wasn't expected were some interesting additions to the set list. The seldom played These Apples off their second album Maybe You Should Drive showed up much to the delight of bassist Jim Creegan, who previously lamented how they never did that one. The acoustic portion of the show is nothing new, but a handful of songs in the middle of the show provided some of the night's best moments.
With drummer Tyler Stewart on bongos, Creegan sang Pollywog in a Bog off their 2008 kid's CD Snacktime!. That was followed by a nicely done reworking of Sound of Your Voice. This one really featured their tight harmonies. Perhaps the night's most poignant moment came when Creegan joined lead singer Ed Robertson for a haunting rendering of one of their underrated gems When I Fall.
Throughout the show, the band didn't shy away from songs that former member Stephen Page originally sang lead vocals on; instead, it was almost like they made a concentrated effort to do those songs: The Old Apartment, Too Little Too Late, It's All Been Done Before, and Alcohol, which was played during the encore with Stewart on frantic and funny lead vocals and Robertson sitting in on drums.
Before the song, Stewart spoke about having allergies, which was the perfect red herring for fans expecting to hear the Snacktime! song Allergies, which also features a rare Stewart lead vocal. That is pretty exemplary of the band's live shows in that they you should prepare for unpredictability, but you also should know exactly what to expect. Paradoxial? Confusing? Well, you can always expect a spirited and happy show, but they are big on banter and (Robertson declaring that Louisville was a nice city that is "not just chicken and bats") and masters of improv as the ad-libbed rap during a peculiar cover of Pilot's Magic confirmed.
The concert was perfectly paced, which isn't always an easy thing to do. For example, they went from the upbeat 4 Seconds off the new All In Good Time CD right to the acoustic banjo-tinged Adrift off Barenaked Ladies Are Me. Throughout, they seemed to really be enjoying themselves - as was the crowd which was a wide cross-section of ages. Page's departure also gives Creegan and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn more of a chance to shine. Hearn, who Robertson said "put the 'ill' in Louisville" took over some of Page's vocal duties, but more so played keyboards, guitar, and accordion. His guitar solo that ends Pinch Me was impressive and seemingly effortless.
Another high point of the evening was their new single You Run Away. It is a powerful and emotional song. While its lyrics seem primarily aimed at Page, hearing it in person made me realize how songs can live a life of their own for each of us independent of what they meant to the songwriter. When Robertson sang, "When you're older, I'll look you in the eye," I looked at my eight-year-old son who was with me, and it gave me pause.
Those unfamiliar with the band beyond the hit singles may not be know the depths of their material. The evening ended on one of those weightier songs, What a Good Boy, originally a Page vocal. This time Robertson took it, and it worked. It remained earnest and vital - like good songs tend to do regardless of who is singing it or how much time has passed since it was written.
Opening act Ingrid Michaelson, who was joined by guitarists and vocalists Bess Rogers and Allie Moss, was - well, I'd use the word "delightful" if it didn't sound so cheesy and lame. Taking the stage, she showed off her good humor by saying, "Thank you for coming to see the Barenaked Ladies close for me." She then went into Soldier, a favorite on local station WFPK. She then told of a story of her blue sweater stolen by a drunken woman at Headliners the last time she played Louisville.
When she did Maybe, you realized that in a perfect world, it would be a Top 10 hit. She closed her seven-song set with a really interesting version of R.E.M.'s Nightswimming, in which she used vocal loops to supply or own layered sound. Her voice (well, all of them) filled the hall to great effect. While The Way I Am, which was made popular in an Old Navy commercial, seemed to get the biggest response, arguably her finest moment came on the ballad The Chain, when she, Rogers, and Moss harmonized in a rememorable and soothing echo. Her harmonies, sense of humor, and assessable personality is the perfect match for the Barenaked Ladies, but her stint on the tour was brief, and this was her last stop with them.
So, in addition to being a tight band with legitimate virtuosity on their instruments, Barenaked Ladies are a fun band that brought fun opening act along as well. They can certainly make you think, but they can nearly always make you smile. And there were quite a few smiles seen leaving the Palace Saturday evening.


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Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a good idea for everyone. But if you are one of the 12 million Americans who lives with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this can prove to be a difficult challenge. People diagnosed with COPD have to be especially aware of their lifestyle choices, including the foods that they eat. A proper diet will keep your arm, chest and leg muscles strong, and your heart and lungs well supplied with oxygen. But can a healthy diet increase lung function in COPD?
Healthy Diet? Healthy You?
For most people, breathing is unconscious and perceived as effortless. Yet, for many patients with COPD, breathing requires a conscious effort. COPD is a progressive lung disease that makes breathing difficult due to partially obstructed airflow into and out of the lungs. COPD can result in the body suffering from severe weight loss and deplete much needed oxygen to blood. Proper nutrition is especially encouraged in people with COPD.
In fact, according to a recent study published in the European Respiratory Journal, a diet rich in antioxidants may protect against the progression of COPD and even improve lung function. One hundred twenty patients with COPD were randomly placed to follow a diet based on the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, or to follow a free diet of their own choosing. After 3 years, researchers discovered that COPD patients that ate foods rich in antioxidants (fruits and vegetables) showed an increase in lung function, compared to patients that were on a standard diet. Researchers suggest that a diet rich in antioxidants may bring favorable outcomes to improved lung function in patients suffering from COPD.
A healthy diet is especially important for people with COPD. Shortness of breath can make eating difficult. Eating small meals more frequently can sometimes help. Try to get plenty of fruits and vegetables along with high-protein foods such as milk, fish, eggs, meat and soy. Drinking plenty of water can help too. Water may help thin mucus and phlegm so that it's easier to expel by coughing. If you can't seem to eat enough calories, liquid supplements may help. Of course, talk with your doctor about which foods will be best for you.
COPD is a life-threatening illness that can't be cured, but it can be effectively treated. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are crucial to helping control symptoms of COPD. There are different treatments available to help with COPD, including cellular therapy. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with COPD, then contact us at the Lung Health Institute or call 888-745-6697 today.


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- "When she spoke, her voice...it was as though it came from the depths of the earth, and her eyes...they were so sad. So much pain in them"
- — Merlin on the Cailleach
After Morgana sacrifices Morgause at the Isle of the Blessed, in order to tear the Veil between her world and the Spirit world, she releases the Cailleach. The Cailleach then warns Morgana of Emrys, allegedly Morgana's destiny and doom, not telling her that he is in fact Merlin. She also informs her that the Dorocha will now be unleashed upon her enemies.
At the same time, Merlin is serving at the royal banquet for Samhain Eve, when the Cailleach appears to him. She calls him Emrys which causes Merlin to faint from the shock.
Kilgharrah later informed Merlin that it was not the spirits who demand a blood-sacrifice, but the Cailleach. When Arthur confronts her at the end of his journey, she laughes at the mention of innocent people dying and knocks Gwaine unconscious with her magic when he tries to attack her.
Before Arthur can sacrifice himself, Merlin knocks him out with his magic to confront the Cailleach. She tells him, that his time among men is not over yet, even if he does want to sacrifice himself, as Lancelot decides to sacrifice himself instead. Once he steps into the rift, it closes and the Cailleach disappears along with the Dorocha (The Darkest Hour).
The Cailleach appeared to be a very sad individual, presumably because she looked after the souls of dead people. However she simply laughed when Arthur told her that innocent people were dying, though this was probably out of bitterness rather than cruelty. She did not seem to enjoy her position but nor did she attempt to break away from it. The Cailleach also possessed knowledge of Emrys, as did most other creatures of magic. Despite appearing to help Morgana by summoning the Dorocha to destroy Camelot, the Cailleach did not truly appear to be evil as she was unwilling to sacrifice Merlin and she did not tell Morgana that Emrys was in fact Merlin, choosing to instead name Emrys as a different person. It is possible that she only helped Morgana because she summoned her by tearing the Veil and possibly knew that her plan would later be thwarted. It is unknown why she chose to warn both Merlin and Morgana of the future and why, although she cruely laughed at the death of many people, she seemed to care for the two sorcerers.
As a goddess, the Cailleach was an incredibly powerful being, she was the only one who could control the Dorocha, and as it is stated it is she who demands a sacrifice, it is implied only she can tear and repair the Veil between worlds. Whether she actually needs the sacrifice or simply wants it is unknown, but considering how miserable she seemed to be about looking after the souls of dead people, it is likely that she actually needs one in order to open it.
It is possible that the Cailleach might be even more powerful than Kilgharrah. Although the full extent of her powers have not been shown, she easily defeated Gwaine with a non verbal spell. She was also able to appear in more than one place at once, and act separately from her other self, as well as mask her appearance from all but one. Also, she was confident that she would be able to best even Merlin in a magical combat, whose skills are great. The young warlock also aknowledged that it would be wise to avoid fighting her and instead negotiate with her.
She implied that she knew when every living beings time to die was, saying that Merlin's time among men was not over even if he wanted it to be. She was also aware of Merlin and his powers, calling him Emrys as do many other sorcerers and creatures of magic.
|Series 4 Enemies
|The Darkest Hour: Morgana • Morgause • The Dorocha • The Cailleach • Agravaine • Wilddeoren • Wyvern
The Wicked Day: King Odin • Morgana • Agravaine • The Gleeman • Geldred
Aithusa: Julius Borden • King Odin
His Father's Son: Morgana • Agravaine • Queen Annis • King Caerleon • Derian
A Servant of Two Masters: Morgana • Agravaine • Fomorroh • Merlin (indirect)
The Secret Sharer: Morgana • Agravaine • Alator • Orn
Lamia: Lamia • Agravaine
Lancelot du Lac: Morgana • Lancelot (Shade) • Agravaine • Dochraid
A Herald of the New Age: Shrine Boy • Elyan (indirect)
The Hunter's Heart: Morgana • Agravaine • Helios
The Sword in the Stone: Morgana • Agravaine • Helios • Aithusa • Nathair
Behind the Scenes
The wood used to make The Cailleach staff is conifer. It was made by Andrew Duncan who is a Bushcraft Instructor. www.birchwoodbushcraft.co.uk Andrew also made the staff used by The Old Merlin in Series 4 which is made from twisted hazel.
The Cailleach seems similar to Hades or Pluto from the Greek and Roman myths, or even Osiris from Egypt, or Hel from Norse myths. It could be that she is a sorcerer who mastered life over death, keeping the eternal cycle of death and birth in place. Or she could be one of the gods Merlin mentions, the goddess of death. She seems to be similar to the Greek Thantos and Roman Letos, in the meaning that she guards the entrance to the spirit world, also acting as a herald of death. She certainly has a strong role in series 5.


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It's something that seems to appear everywhere for our surveyors; garage ceilings, soffit boards, packings underneath window sills or even hidden inside doors. Asbestos insulating board can sometimes seem to be everywhere, its fireproofing qualities and ability to be cut to size contributed to it being used throughout the UK until it was banned in 1985.
Amongst professionals asbestos insulating board is rarely mentioned when talking about the most dangerous asbestos containing materials (ACM's). This is reflected with the industry standard scoring when conducting a material risk assessment. Asbestos insulating board will score a two out of three, whereas the more obvious high risk products (pipework lagging, sprayed coatings etc) score a three. The level of risk for asbestos insulating board materials generally comes out as Medium Risk or Low Risk.


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Food, Law & Public Health
May 2, 2018
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Jacob Shelley—a public health law scholar and assistant professor at Western University in London, Ontario. Dr. Shelley is primarily interested in how law can promote public health and prevent chronic diseases. He's researched on marketing to kids in Canada, food safety, obesity and chronic disease prevention—and more.
We cover many topics in this episode: we first talk about what public health law is and how law and public health can intersect to protect our health. From tobacco control, to cycling safety, to food labelling and safety, Dr. Shelley describes what kinds of research a public health scholar could be involved with. He talks about what makes him so interested in product liability law for food products and research connected to food. We also talk about food safety in Canada, and dive into the topic of food product labelling and its link to chronic disease prevention (like warning labels for sugar-sweetened beverages or the recent ruling in California to have coffee companies carry cancer warnings).
*The views expressed in Food and Health Today do not necessarily reflect those of the Ontario Public Health Association/ Nutrition Resource Centre.
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