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(Pocket-lint) - Television manufacturers release new models at least twice a year and the technology in their latest sets is constantly improving. It can be hard to keep up at times.
Even if you've bought a new TV recently, you might not know what it is truly capable of; what all the badges and logos on the box actually mean.
That's why we've looked at some of the most important new TV tech buzzwords to help demystify them for you.
Just when you finally understand the benefits of a Full HD TV and 1080p video a new, better format arrives. Otherwise known as Ultra HD or even 4K Ultra HD, it is a standard that refers to the new resolution boost manufacturers are giving their TVs to make them sharper and more detailed.
4K TVs come with a resolution of 3840 x 2160, so are capable of showing around four times the amount of pixels as a 1920 x 1080 Full HD set. That means that, when displaying a native 4K film or TV show, it will look much more sharp than before.
The refresh rate, which is generally 50Hz in the UK, 60Hz in the US, refers to how many frames are displayed on your TV in a second. 50Hz means than your TV screen refreshes 50 frames per second (fps) and therefore seems smooth and judder free.
Some formats use different frame rates, such as movies. Most films are shot in 24fps so Blu-ray playback invariably offers the same – ensuring that the action looks as the director intended. Videogaming though is better when displayed in as high a frame rate as possible, with action benefitting from more frames to keep it fast and smooth. Modern games consoles aim for 60Hz (60fps) although they are more likely to stick to 30fps for a more consistent picture.
Although the TV industry has largely settled on 4K and Ultra HD to describe the new, higher picture resolutions, you might also hear it referred to as 2160p.
That's because a 4K pixel resolution is 3840 x 2160, while the picture shown is progressive, hence 2160p. "Progressive" describes the way images are refreshed on your screen. Each image is shown in its entirety with a progressive signal, while an interlaced signal means that only half the image is updated at a time. A progressively scanned image is therefore smoother and better than an interlaced one.
Almost all TVs sold these days connect to the internet and commonly called Smart TVs. That means that they can download applications for different services, utilities or even games.
Different manufacturers use different operating systems on their TVs, but most offer the main apps for streaming services, such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Netflix and Amazon Video. The latter two often have 4K content available to view, while iPlayer is trialling its 4K service at present.
Catch-up television is becoming more and more popular. Rather than having to record a show, you can now stream any programmes you missed directly through your connected Smart TV. All the major channels have their own catch-up service, but not all TVs give you access to all of them. If your TV has a Freeview Play badge (as detailed below), it is guaranteed to have the catch-up services from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and UKTV Play's channels: Dave, Yesterday, Drama and Really.
Recording programmes is still very popular, but the ease of use and convenience of catch-up and on demand services makes them very compelling.
Dolby Vision
We detail high dynamic range (HDR) picture technology below, and Dolby Vision is a specific HDR standard.
There are plenty of HDR TVs out there, far fewer that support Dolby Vision too. The latter, branded tech is fractionally better although both are capable of showing a wider colour gamut and greater contrast between dark and bright areas. Dolby Vision TVs are renowned for their image quality with compatible content. Some Netflix 4K shows are capable of being shown in Dolby Vision, for example, as are many 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays.
EPG stands for electronic programme guide. Most EPGs show you seven days worth of TV schedules but with Freeview Play, for example, you can also scroll seven days back to choose retrospective shows to play through catch-up.
Freeview Play
Freeview Play is Freeview's catch-up TV service and appears on a rapidly increasing number of televisions. It gives users the ability to catch-up with their favourite shows by scrolling backwards through the electronic programme guide.
By clicking on shows on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and UKTV channels (which include Dave, Yesterday, Really and Drama), they open in each broadcaster's respective app automatically, then play for you to enjoy. It makes catching up more simple.
High dynamic range (HDR) picture tech allows a TV to show a wider colour range than conventional sets. They are also capable of greater brightness and/or deeper black levels. The end result is a more natural picture that can be bright and vibrant without losing definition or detail in darker areas.
4K Blu-rays have HDR encoding, so look great on a HDR TV. Both Netflix and Amazon also offer HDR on many 4K shows on their streaming platforms. The Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PS4 and PS4 Pro consoles have HDR output for video and games these days.
LED refers to the backlight technology now adopted for the vast majority of LCD TVs. The backlight uses either side or rear-mounted LEDs to illuminate the LCD panel pixels.
Many TVs now have zonal backlighting, which allows for darker areas of a picture to remain as dark as possible because the backlight is only shining in sections of the screen where needed rather than across the whole display.
Benefits to LED technology are very high brightness - especially on HDR LED TVs - and cheaper cost as they are easy to manufacture in bulk.
The biggest rival TV screen technology to emerge in recent times is OLED, which has a couple of major image benefits over rival tech. OLED pixels are self-illuminating, so an OLED TV does not need a backlight.
This makes OLED sets much thinner than their LED rivals. And black levels are much better as when an OLED pixel is off, no light whatsoever shines through it. There is also very little light bleed from pixel to pixel.
OLED TVs aren't as capable of the extreme brightness of some of the more recent LED TVs, however. They are also much more expensive.
Like your mobile phone or tablet device, a modern TV will have a processing unit dedicated to ensuring apps and menus run smoothly. This will not be the same as the picture processing chips that have been used in TV manufacture for many years.
Therefore, it can sometimes be important to check the speed or quality of the internal processor, as that will determine how well your TV responds to your actions. Some TVs even sport octa-core processors nowadays, much like premium smartphones.


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David Kulick, ICT and Innovation Program Officer with Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, addressed a problem integral to the analysis of many development projects. That problem is assuring that when tools or resources are delivered to communities, knowledge of use needs to be delivered as well.
This made me think about our discussions on One Laptop Per Child because this was a case in which large assumptions were made of the connection between a tool and results without anything in between. It may be true that a laptop can be a road towards improving education, but there has to be more to it than just delivery of the tool.
Kulick explained one assumption concerning people's knowledge of malaria. He noted a project that delivered bed nets to keep out mosquitos, but questioned whether people got the connection between the bed nets and prevention of disease.
One program Kulick brought up as an example of closing these knowledge gaps is The ReMiND Project. Catholic Relief Services partnered with Dimagi, a technology innovator, to provide a service for new mothers to prevent newborn deaths and improve maternal health. The goals of The ReMiND Project are "Phone-based job aids for government community health workers and midwives; Real-time data tracking and SMS reminders to health workers to conduct home visits in the first 24 hours after birth with alerts to supervisors for missed visits; and Mobile phone birth announcements and health messages for fathers to generate demand for services and encourage healthy practices." (source) This is an example of an eHealth practice to reduce newborn deaths.
The interesting contradiction is in the material I read about The ReMiND Project I didn't once come across anyone addressing if the people had a way to receive SMS messages.

subset: commoncrawl


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3 Texting Traits That Reflect a Healthy Relationship
Tamim Alnuweiri・August 31, 2018
They say a watched pot never boils, but that idiom should really be updated for 2017 to be a watched cell phone never pings. Seriously, is there anything that causes dating burnout or convinces you to do a cell phone detox more persuasively than a text message that goes ignored, or least without response, for 30 seconds (or way longer)?
If not, perhaps you are exactly the type of person who thinks a five-hour gap between texts isn't life-shattering, or worse: totally normal behavior. Whichever camp you're in, a new study published in Computers in Human Behavior claims that it's not just IRL compatibility with your romantic partner that matters, it's texting compatibility, too.
The study examined at a sample of 205 18- to 29-year-old adults, surveying them about their relationship status, habits, and satisfaction.
Here are 3 main takeaways about healthy-texting habits when it comes to relationships.
1. You text each other similarly often
You know the feeling that comes with sending off paragraphs of texts and only receiving one or two lines in response? No—just me? Well, no one likes feeling like they're a burden. Texting each other paragraphs back and forth is not actually separation anxiety but a sign of a healthy relationship!
2. You initiate text conversations equally often
It's not just about responding to texts with appropriately long- or short-form responses, but rather initiating conversations an equal number of times. Let's be real, we've all been there and thought, "Well, I texted him the last two times, so it's his turn." Once things are truly balanced, you'll probably stop all the mental arithmetic.
3. You text each other just to chat
Ever feel like you're texting someone but have absolutely nothing to say? According to the study, "That's actually a good sign of relationship satisfaction." There you have it: Digital oversharing may in fact be good for your healthy relationship.
Originally published on October 26, 2017; updated on August 31, 2018.
Has your love life been been on the fritz lately? It might actually be your dating app algorithm—or your bad dates might be narcissists.
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Creating the 6 DoF Platform – Pt2
In this follow-up to part one (rapid prototyping) article we will discuss how we created an Android based application to run on a tablet which transmitted XY rotation data out over Bluetooth to our Arduino. We will also discuss the Bluetooth module we attached to our Arduino and how this was programmed in Flowcode. Finally, we will discuss how we created the maze structure for the top of the platform using 3D design Software and a laser cutter.
In our first article we demonstrated how we were able to quickly develop a crude rapid prototype of a 6DoF Platform in preparation for the Electronica Show. In that article we discussed how we used potentiometers to mimic XY rotation, which would later be achieved from the accelerometer within a tablet device This prototype gave us confidence to continue with the prototype, so we find ourselves here in article 2.
The Android App!
The android app was created using the Android SDK and Eclipse IDE. The code started life as the BluetoothChat example which is part of the main Android examples pack that Google provides to supplement the SDK. We downloaded the BluetoothChat app from Google Play and used to first test the embedded hardware functionality by sending manual characters and using an LCD to display the incoming characters. This worked really well so we then checked that the source code compiled and worked correctly on the Android device. This proved to be problematic as the latest Android SDK has some changes which caused the example to have compilation problems. Thankfully all the problems were well documented and we were able to change the code enough so that the app compiled and ran on the Android device.
After following a few Android tutorials we felt confident to edit the example app enough to change the GUI and add buttons to do specific jobs. The Jump button is an example of this where we send a specific ASCII character 'j' wherever the button is pressed. The Arduino would then respond to this character 'j' differently to how it responds to the XY rotation data. We then looked up the Google Android example code to access the accelerometer. This proved to be very easy to add into the app with just a few lines of code. There is a function which is automatically fired whenever the sensor value changes and this function simply calls similar code to the Jump button. This time we send the character 'x' followed by the scaled 0-255 byte value of x and the same for the Y axis. A value of 128 represents the mid-point when the android device is completely level. The only addition to this to finish things off was that we added a very simple low pass filter to the function to get rid of some troublesome vibration and oscillations in the raw accelerometer data.
A screenshot of version 1 of the app we created is seen below;
Next we had to add a Bluetooth module to our hardware to allow us to receive the data from the tablet. The Bluetooth module of choice was a HC-06, a great little module that connects to the Arduino over Serial connection. Luckily this is nice and simple in Flowcode using the RS232 component. We configured the RS232 component in Flowcode to match that of the UART on the Arduino; Digital 0 and Digital 1. You may also notice that we changed to the Arduino Uno at this stage of development. The reason was that we wanted to place the hardware inside the 6DoF platform, and using the smaller Arduino Uno made this easier.
In terms of hardware connections, we purchased an Arduino Proto Shield for all our additional hardware to make our connections. In the image below you can see the Bluetooth module connected to the Arduino via a pair of black cables. We also attached 6 servo connectors to allow the servos to be controlled from the same shield (Digital 8-13). The final part of the board is a DC power connector, allowing the separate power supply required for driving the servo motors. Note that despite the external power supply the servo control signals still come from the Arduino Uno.
Within Flowcode we needed to create code for the Arduino that received Bluetooth data. We configured the UART0 interrupt, which automatically fires a section of code each time data is presented on the UART of the Arduino. In this example, it means that we do not need to continually poll the UART for received Bluetooth data. Instead the Arduino can concentrate on other tasks and only receive data when there is an incoming packet. Below we can see that whenever the UART interrupt fires we first receive the data and save it to a local variable named '.RxChar'. We then send that data back out over the UART so that we can receive the data for our real-time simulation (next article). Finally we save the data received into a circular buffer, another handy Flowcode component.
All received data was saved to allow us to calculate where the platform was and where it should be. We saved data in a circular buffer with a chosen size of 128 elements. In our 6DoF flowchart we continually check the contents of the buffer. If there is information in the latest index we then proceed to use inverse kinematics to calculate where the current position is, and how the servo motors will need to rotate in order to move to the desired position.
One final discussion relating to the configuration of the Bluetooth module was to send AT Commands to configure it before we begin receiving data. We do this again through sending serial commands. During the initialisation process we call a macro BTCommand. In this macro we send a string of text over serial, which configures the Bluetooth module. The command we sent changed the name of the Bluetooth module to 'PLATFORM' as can be seen below. During the initialisation procedure we also initialised RS232 comms, initialised our variables our motors. With most embedded systems you go through an initialisation process to get a good clean starting point to begin your program. Initialising the motors in this example reset them all to point 0, to give a level platform. The next initialisation command flushes the buffer, which empties its contents and resets the index to zero. Finally, we enable the UART interrupt, and here we can see that when that interrupt fires it will call the macro 'RxInt'.
Maze creation and laser cutter:
The final part of this blog article discusses the maze which sits on top of the platform. We created the maze using Design Spark Mechanical, a fantastic 3D drawing package which is available for free from RS/ DesignSpark. We knew the outer dimension we wanted for the maze so created a circle of this size. We then drew a 2D circular maze with only one path to the middle. We used the 'Pull' feature in DesignSpark Mechanical to extrude the maze shape upwards. The final maze was actually cut from two pieces of clear 3mm acrylic. The first was the flat base 'TopPlatformBase' with the mounting holes and the second was the maze outline itself 'TopPlatformMazev2'.
With both mazes designed we saved them as .DXF files, compatible with our laser cutter, and cut them out. We glued the two parts together to create the final maze. With the mounting holes we were able to mount the maze on top of the rods connecting the servo motors.
We've reached the end of our blog article for this week. Next time we will discuss the final few steps of creating the 6DoF platform and how well it fared at the Electronica Exhibition, along with converting it to use Microchip PIC based hardware.
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LOS ANGELES – The homeless population in Los Angeles county recently soared 23 percent over just the last year.
According to the LA Times, the startling jump has touched every significant group, including youth, families, veterans and the chronically homeless.
In 2015, Elvis Summers, who was once homeless himself, started tackling the problem, one tiny house at a time.
It all started after he became friends with a woman named Irene McGhee, better known as Smokey.
Irene had been homeless for 10 years, following the loss of her husband.
In an interview with CBN News he explained, "One day I was like, 'Smokey, I know you said you lived down the street but where exactly?'"
"…I made her walk me down there and show me and it was one of the houses down the street like a strip, a dirt next to the house and a broken chair. And she was, like, 'I sleep over there.... right by that chair,'' he said.
"It just got to me."
Providing a Place to Call 'Home'
That revelation moved Summers to build Smokey a place she could call home: a tiny home.
"I just asked her, 'you know, how would you feel if I built you a little mini house?' And I love her response, she said 'when's it gonna be ready?'" said Summers.
"…I went to Home Depot and bought 500 bucks' worth of wood, threw it on the ground and went, ok, let's build a tiny little house."
It took five days to build the three-and-a-half by eight-foot house. Video of the construction went viral.
Since then, Summers has raised more than $100,000 to build more of these houses for people in his community.
Although not officially recognized by the government, each of the tiny homes comes with its own personal address.
Summers said, "That's what people want, just a place to rest their head. So I put an address on there to mentally help that lift."
Some local governments around the country are also using tiny homes to help their homeless populations.
Tiny Homes: Solution or Nuisance?
Tiny homes for the homeless are popping up from Chicago to Portland, Oregon, where the idea has grown to tiny house villages.
But in Los Angeles, some officials see the small houses as nuisances with some saying they pose health and safety risks.
"These wooden shacks are not the real estate I'm looking for in my district," said Councilman Joe Buscaino.
Councilman Curren Price agrees, saying, "I'm getting complaints from constituents who have to walk in the streets to avoid them."
Earlier this year the LA City Council moved to seize the homes without prior notice.
Government Seizure Leaves Homeless Back on the Streets
Summers managed to move eight of them to Faith Community Church, but the people who lived in them were once again on the street.
He explained, "It was like watching Linus and the Peanuts drag the blanket away."
"It was heartbreaking. It was one of the worst days."
Tim chambers pastors Faith Community Church.
"It hurts my heart how the city has been taking the homes from the homeless and wanting to destroy them if they didn't have somewhere else to put them," said Chambers.
"Elvis is, and I am too, trying to see if we can get some property somewhere to be able to set these homes up and set up a homeless encampment to be able to allow them to have a place."
After months of backlash and media attention, the city said it is developing a process to work with non-profit groups, including Summers, to help those living on the streets.
Meanwhile, Smokey recently passed away.
"She was a wonderful human being," Summers said.
"She was my friend."
He said her that her memory motivates him to help others.
"I can't go and change the whole world but I can do the best to change the world around me and that's what I'm trying to do."
"And I hope that in the process it inspires other people to just take a second and be better."
Did you know?
God is everywhere—even in the news. That's why we view every news story through the lens of faith. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1.


text: Cartoon Network and Warner Home Video have announced that the Clarence – Vol. 2: Dust Buddies DVD will be released on 15th September in the United States. The price will be $14.97 SRP, and there's 132 minutes of episodes on a single DVD with the Pilot episode as a bonus.


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Birmingham, West Midlands
Job type:
£45000 - £55000 per annum
Mollie Dyson
Contact email:
Job ref:
8 months ago
Expiry date:
Senior Software Engineer BIRMINGHAM 55K
An exciting opportunity for an experienced and enthusiastic Software Engineer to work for an award winning leading provider of content protection solutions to the media and entertainment industry! This specialist company in video security is expanding their team and you could be exactly what they're after. Their client base reaches on a global scale including the likes of broadcasters and platforms. Content owners range from TV and movie producers to even prestigious leagues and event operators.
Sounds pretty cool right? Keep reading.
The Role
Located in the Birmingham office, you'll join the team reporting to the Team Lead, giving you huge opportunity to work on a large-scale distributed applications. You'll need a good understanding of network communications, a passion for problem solving and the drive to meet deadlines!
A Typical Day
* Working as part of a team on a large-scale application that supports services in use by major global media companies.
* Conducting research into new video search, delivery and capture technologies, and implementing solutions for these.
* Liaising with other teams within the company working on related technologies (such as video fingerprinting, watermarking and front end portal) to ensure delivery of an integrated service to our clients.
* Being responsible for the full development life-cycle, from design and prototype through development, testing, and deployment.
* Delivering to rapid timescales in a dynamic environment.
* Working closely with other team members in an agile environment, sharing knowledge and mentoring.
* Demonstrating drive and enthusiasm, innovating, working with minimal direction, meeting requirements, and delivering to a high standard.
What Skills are Needed?
* BEng / MEng / BSc / MSc in relevant subject or equivalent experience.
* Proficiency in one or more modern general purpose programming languages such as PHP, C/C++, Python, JavaScript etc.
* Knowledge of basic data structures and algorithms as well as object-oriented development and design patterns
* Knowledge of TCP/IP fundamentals and web technologies
* Experience with Unix/Linux systems, including scripting skills.
* Experience with relational databases, particularly MySQL
* Experience with version control systems, especially Git.
Desirable (i.e Bonus Points!)
* Knowledge of media technologies such as video codecs
* Experience with packet analysis tools (e.g. tcpdump, Wireshark etc.).
* Experience in computer vision, machine learning, NoSQL databases and/or big data
* AWS cloud services (including ECS, EC2, CloudWatch, RDS, Lambda, S3)
* GitLab CI or other CI / CD tooling
* Docker
You've read this far - might as well check out the great benefits!
* Flexible working options
* Pension scheme
* 25 days holiday (increases with length of service, plus extra day off for your birthday)
* Group Health Insurance and more!
* You will work at the cutting edge of a high growth industry with an opportunity to shape the technical vision of a large cloud-based platform.
* You will have the opportunity to work on solutions for some of the biggest and most well known sports and entertainment brands in the world.
* Our hardware products are installed in broadcast head-ends worldwide, and our software components are deployed into millions of set-top boxes and streaming video players worldwide.
This fantastic opportunity is NOT to be missed click apply now!
Alternitvely send your CV to Mollie on firstname.lastname@example.com and connect with me on LinkedIn, I'm always up for a chat! https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollie-dyson-mcipd-02aa00119/
Mayvbe this isn't quite right for you? We offer £500 in referal vouchers if you know anyone who fits the bill.
Senior Software Engineer BIRMINGHAM 55K
Oscar Technology is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
To understand more about what we do with your data please review our privacy policy at https://www.oscar-tech.com/our-privacy-policy.


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A recent study from Pew Research finds that the number of fathers who stay at home with their children has nearly doubled since 1989, from 1.1 million to 2 million in 2012.
High unemployment rates have contributed to the recent increases, but the biggest contributor in "stay-at-home-fathers" is the rising number of dads who are at home primarily to care for their family.
While most stay-at-home parents are mothers, fathers represent a growing share of all at-home parents --- 16% in 2012, up from 10% in 1989. Roughly a quarter of these stay-at-home fathers (23%) report that they are home mainly because they cannot find a job. Nearly as many (21%) say the main reason they are home is to care for their home or family. This represents a fourfold increase from 1989, when only 5% of stay-at-home fathers said they were home primarily to care for family.
A rise in the number of stay-at-home fathers is occurring side by side with another important parenting trend of the past half century: a rising share of fathers who don't live with their children at all. About 16 percent of fathers with young children lived apart from all of their children.
As is the case among mothers, stay-at-home fathers are less well-off financially and have lower educational attainment than their working counterparts. At-home fathers are twice as likely to lack a high school diploma as working fathers (22% vs. 10%). And almost half (47%) of stay-at-home fathers are living in poverty, compared with 8% of working fathers. This poverty figure is even higher than among stay-at-home mothers (34% of whom are in poverty), and may be due, in part, to the fact that stay-at-home fathers are far less likely to have a working spouse than stay-at-home mothers (50% vs. 68%) and are more likely to be ill or disabled than stay-at-home mothers (35% vs. 11%).
Source: Pew Research Center


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The Guardian
Masonic dodge
Monday 10 December 2012
Reading your interview with Denis Forman (8 December) brought back many memories of my time on World in Action. He's right about Granada being a "community and an organisation that was unique". That said, the programme on freemasonry that Stephen Moss refers to was, in fact, never transmitted. I was its director/producer. In one way it illustrates the autonomy of World in Action that it was completed without the knowledge of Sidney Bernstein or, more importantly, his brother Cecil. When the news surfaced it transpired Cecil was a mason; as were others on the board of directors. The brothers were very close, so when Cecil threatened to leave the company if the programme was shown, Sidney found himself trapped in an awful emotional bind. With great reluctance he pulled the programme. Cecil stayed; but now Denis Forman threatened to resign. I'm glad he didn't. Of course, the suspension of the programme was a perfect example of its content the secret influence of masonry!
Mike Hodges
U.K. Freemasonry in the News, have the 'Brethren' finally met their Waterloo?


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Video for food bloggers discussing natural lighting concepts for food photography!
Food blogging is a crazy, fun, always-changing, mostly-wonderful world. Some people don't "get" it, but I'm ok with that because I sincerely enjoy every aspect of it. Minus the whole content-stealing part. And the nasty comments. Do you have any idea how many times I've wanted to say, "Seriously, people, this is MAC AND CHEESE you are fighting about. CHEESY PASTA is causing you to type hurtful words into your keyboard." Sorry, I digress.. Food bloggers wear MANY hats. We are cooks, bakers, creators, photographers, food stylists, taste testers, recipe developers, photo editors, writers, graphic designers, web developers, web designers, troubleshooters, promoters, web traffic managers and social media experts. Juggling all of these roles can be overwhelming and intimidating, especially for new food bloggers. I don't know of ANY job or hobby that encompasses such a wide array of responsibilities.
My website will turn FIVE this year, and it hasn't caught on fire. I take that back. There are plenty of fiery words hidden in the comments of my Mac and Cheese post. Does that count? Those were my credentials, by the way. My new signature line will read: Megan Porta, My website will turn FIVE this year, and it hasn't caught on fire! Impressive, right? Ha! After five years of doing all of the above duties, week in and week out (some weeks more than others), I feel like maaaaybe, just maybe, I have acquired some information that someone out there might find valuable. I have been wanting to start this project for over a year, but I haven't made the time for it. It has always seemed like a great idea, but the enormity of the task kept me from starting. An incredible friend recently encouraged me to "Start with one video! The rest will follow.." And so I did. And here it is. I have already begun producing others, so stay tuned!
Next up – Food Photography:Artificial Lighting


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Skive & Roller Burnish
- Skive and burnish (Dia.) 5.00″
- Spindle horsepower 75
- Available strokes up to 240″
- AC servo driven Ballscrew
- Coolant flow 65 to 165 Variable
- Filtration 10 Micron
- Full safety enclosure with auto loading door
- Automatic part unloading
- Most specifications available at greater capacity
Skive and Roller Burnishing Capabilities
Our expertise and capabilities are ready to manage projects with varying stroke sizes, drill capacity and other specifications to meet your needs. Click here for more information about skive and roller burnishing at TechniDrill.


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I have been uploading videos to YouTube mainly for fun though they are monetized. I haven't made any money yet though.
Now, I go to upload a video, click Upload then Upload video and select my file and… nothing. No text fields or progress bars, nothing. It shows up in Video Manager as processing until I delete it. Otherwise, nothing. Help?


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Chalet Baloo Chamonix, France Sleeps 12
Sleeps 12
+44 1993 899 420
Home > Resorts > France > Luxury Ski Chalets & Hotels in Chamonix > La Ferme du Bois
What we love
An authentic farmhouse that offers traditional alpine living. La Ferme du Bois is the ultimate place to stay with its mix of rustic design and modern furnishings, it works well for groups who prefer a more conventional design.
Sleeps 10
La Ferme du Bois is one of the oldest farmhouses in Chamonix and also one of the valley′s most stunning properties. It is situated in the picturesque village of Les Bois - a very sought after area in Chamonix.
The master suite, located on the ground floor is approximately 18 sq.m and has an en suite bathroom and a spacious feel. The slightly smaller guest master suite is approximately 15 sq.m and has access to the back garden. Next to this is a smaller double bedroom, these two bedrooms share a shower room. The fourth bedroom is rustic and has an en suite bathroom and windows facing the back garden. All bedrooms have a rustic, warm and antique feel with comfortable beds, all of which can be either twins or doubles.
Upstairs lies the dining room with seating for up to 16 people. This space is decorated with antique furniture and historic details in every corner. The kitchen is separate and has all necessary facilities.
Half a step up from the dining area is the vast and beautiful living room with high-beamed ceiling, panoramic windows and a huge granite fireplace. There is also a small library and snug with children′s toys and a flatscreen TV on a separate level, this spacious living area is special, cozy and authentic! Next to the living room is the 5th bedroom with its bathroom ensuite. Also accessed from the living area is the sun terrace with views of both Le Dru and the Mont Blanc massif. Next to the terrace is the outdoor hot tub.
We could not have wished for a more charming chalet, the chef and driver were absolutely fantastic. Annabel was fabulous from start to finish. In fact, we were also offered the same chalet from a different operator but chose to book with The Oxford Ski company due to the amazing service provided by Annabel. We will book with her again this year.
exclusive use chalet price, excludes travel
The booking price is fixed in EUR, other currencies will vary subject to exchange rates/conditions.
Price available on request.
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And I wanted to do something for her so about a month or two ago I talked with her and she gave me the green light to get something rolling.
But then my Road Trip and Family Reunion Trip intervened......and then the health problem took hold of me so this all got delayed for a while. And then coordinating with Judy during this trying time of her life put us behind schedule some as well because frankly, she's got more important stuff to deal with lately than me! ;-)
So forgive me for being a bit late in getting this all finished and ready to launch.
As her regular readers and followers know already, Judy over at That's udy with a J had her husband Will pass away earlier this year suddenly and unexpectedly.
You see, Will brought in 75% of their income. With his death that income is no more and they are trying to live on the 25% that is still coming in from Judy's job.
Plus the life insurance Will had from his employment, which Judy thought was in place to get them over this stretch was not anywhere NEAR the amount that was needed. So not only does she have to manage going forward on 1/4 of their old income, she didn't have that financial cushion of life insurance to see her to a point where they could get through the first 6 months or so monetarily, so she has been behind the 8 Ball ever since Will was taken.
Anyway, here's the deal.
I've set up a page on the Go Fund Me site to raise cash for Judy and her family to get specifically her car payments caught up.
Please go visit it HERE.
Excuse my lame video but it's the best one of 5 I tried to make and at least I didn't break down into sobs on it.
Sally Struthers I'll never be....lol
Please, if you can afford it, consider donating something....anything. Even a few dollars would go a long way in helping Judy get caught up and continue to be able to get to her job.
I know many of us out here in cyper space are struggling with the finances but if everyone just gave $3, it could add up fast.
Now let me also say that this Go Fund Me thing does charge a total of 7.99% in fees from all monies collected to use their service.
So if anyone would prefer to use Paypal to send a donation that is also ok. Paypal only charges about 3% in fees. If you prefer to Paypal over some cash, just email that to my account which is under firstname.lastname@example.com Be sure to clip a note to any Paypal sent donation so I know it's for Judy because I also receive eBay payments at that account.
And if you don't want Paypal taking a cut, there is the option of snail mailing me a money order(money orders can be purchases for about $1 at many stores). If you prefer to send a MO email me privately and I'll provide the mailing address/full name for you to send it off to.
I don't want to take personal checksd(or have Judy receive them directly) at this point as that opens me or Judy(depending on whom you make it out to)up to possible "bad checks" and having to pay hefty bank processing fees on them. I know no one would send a bad check on purpose but if you don't have overdraft protection on your checking account and you have an OOPS!, it could happen inadvertently and cost one of us $30 or $40 in fines. 8-)
Now, no matter if you are in a place financially that you can or can't donate to Judy's cause, if you could SHARE THIS POST AND A LINK TO THE FUNDRAISING SITE that would help immensely to spread the word across the web!
You can also share the link to the Fundraising page via FACEBOOK and TWITTER. If you have a large following/friend pool on either/both, Please share the link on those sites! It amazes me sometimes how far things can travel on the net.
And if you have a blog, PLEASE be so kind as to blog about this effort to help Judy on your blog(with a link to the Fundraising site page please), or at least post something on your blog linking back to my blog post.
I have already had one of Judy's loyal readers email me privately with a nice sized donation for her.
I'd like to say THANK YOU to this individual(you KNOW who you are!)and tell you that she approached me privately before she even knew about what we were working on behind the scenes here. This person has a good heart...... 8-)
And thanks for being the kick in the butt to finally get this finished..... 8-P
So that's it folks.
The gauntlet has been thrown down and the challenge started.
Let's get Judy a little pile of money love together, shall we?
I am sure I'll be bringing this all up again to nag everyone in the near future.
Again here is the link to the Fundraising Page..... http://www.gofundme.com/3u67fw
If you have any questions, thoughts or comments of your own, feel free to email me privately or leave a comment on this post.
Thank you for reading!
I know bloggers and blog readers are awesome people......don't prove me wrong now, ok?


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Parking arrangements made for Scholars Day at School of Engineering
The KU School of Engineering has announced parking arrangements for High School Scholars Day on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Because of a KU men's basketball game on that day, many campus parking lots will close to the public at noon. However, the School of Engineering has reserved the following parking lots for our Scholars Day guests:
-- Lot 41, just west of Learned Hall
-- Lot 34, south of Sunnyside Avenue
Parking will be available for the duration of the program (9 a.m.-2 p.m.), and handicapped accessible parking is available at Lot 41 and Lot 7, which is on the southeast corner of 15th Street and Burdick Drive. Please refer to the KU parking map at http://www.parking.ku.edu/0809Map.pdf for more information.
Parking also will be available at the St. Lawrence Catholic Center at the northeast corner of 15th Street and Engel Drive. Guests parking here should park in the lower level of the garage and should move their vehicles promptly after the conclusion of the Scholars Day events.
For more information, please click http://www.engr.ku.edu/events/scholarsday/ or e-mail Director of Recruitment Alexis McKinley Jones at email@example.com.


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Monthly Archives: June 2012
It's Black Over Bill's Mother's
The #YSPtweetup Bench Dance
Built from photographs by the excellent @TheJohnnyMC.
YSP Tweetup – Best Wedding Anniversary Ever?
Well, it was a cracking day, wasn't it? The weather behaved beautifully, Dave behaved beautifully, and the kids….. well they had fun too. Sorry we got there a bit later than planned, making some of you hang around the exciting car park. This was due to circumstances.
There's a shedload of pics here, not all mine, so if I've used one of yours that you'd rather wasn't here, let me know. Think I'll let the pictures tell the story.
Me and Austin had a fascinating visit to "Australia – a nundred miles away" from the picnic site. He was particularly taken by the masked man and what had happened to his underpants…..
… and the racing man, who he thought would slip over in the mud.
I ate SO much stuff, but how could I resist? Samosas (five second rule applies), cornbread, millionaire's shortbread (my favourite), strawberries and champagne (thank you Andrea).
"And then Wombat ate it OFF THE FLOOR! EEEWWW!"
I love the happy faces in this pic: I think Matt must have just told the best joke in the world cos Lou and Dawbes are peeing themselves.
Dave has a pork pie, while Otherdave reaches for his FNP 45 USG Bitone.
MEN are here! Men who have proper rucksacks and tattoos and stuff.
The pickernick table. Rob & Aud are obviously seated 'below the salt' (look it up) with the sprogs.
Thirty-third Anniversary stuff. It's quite remarkable that me and Maeve have been married longer than some of you have been alive. Sweet Baby Jeebus, but we're old. I have to say, though, that I'm still besotted by this woman even after 33 years. Thanks to everyone who came and helped us celebrate (you know, proper heartfelt thanks, not just hey-its-a-word thanks), and particular hug-and-a-bottom-feel thanks to 'Manda for the flowery goodness, and Andrea for the champers.
Entertaining The Kids. And Dave.
Uncle Johnny entertains the kids with tales of tigers disembowelling zebras, and games about strangling.
Cat and Nell, either best buddies, superhero and sidekick, or evil mastermind and minion. Only they can decide.
I fell in love with Dave (and a little bit with his owner, but don't tell her that). Speaking of which, have a few more Dave pics while I have them to hand….
"Can't… quite… reach… the… itch….."
Dave plays "Spot The Difference".
The canine appreciation of Antony Gormley's work.
Turning The Titanic
Sorry, that was Cat's way of describing getting the group moving after nomming. It's not easy to think up interesting titles, you know. This pic by Mel is one of my favourites, showing the herd flocking South.
A nice sit down. The kids, I have to say, were wonderful, and really added to the fun of the day.
Sexy rabbit, just cos I like to take every opportunity to look at a nice arse.
David reckons this looks like I've just beamed down from the Enterprise, and he's not wrong. I did enjoy that crystal cave thingy.
Team photo by Steve's camera, minus a few who had got lost by walking past a sign that said "Do Not Go Past This Sign".
I'm pretty sure this is what made my arse ache so much on the Sunday, sitting-down-dancing on the Snow Patrol benches. No bugger rubbed my buttocks better either
I like this photo of the do-not-climb-on-this-sculpture simply because of the way the kids are positioned. It's like an album cover.
Proper photographers with proper cameras, making mine seem most inadequate. Their penises are probably bigger than mine too.
Peep-oh! Look, there's Ted!
Jim's Leap
Showing us all how to behave responsibly in the presence of children, Jim discovers that the properties of an umbrella as a parachute are greatly over-rated by cartoons. Click this sentence to hear his song about this foolhardy leap of faith.
Around The Lake
Artistically posed by accident. Well played, gang.
What's in the box, Will?
Rob is very proud of his bumbershoot.
Mel decides to…. well I'm not sure, actually. Maybe he found a lovely ladybird or maybe a wounded tiny bird.
Uncle Johnny in charge at the stepping stones.
Waterfally falllingdownhousey shot. Just because.
Awwwww! "Chums"
And finally – bring on the wall! Dave loves it inside this Goldsworthy sculpture. He got all excited, bless him.
Thank You
I'm not going to name you all individually, cos I'd be bound to forget someone and then you'd be upset, but I really do appreciate everybody who came on 23rd June. I appreciate the effort it took, especially following days of rainy deluge. You made it a right special day, ta. Special thanks to Jim, for his Wombat song. That's right, click just there to hear it.
Tis the day before Tweetup……
All you need to know for tomorrow's #YSPtweetup. If you have any questions, or can't find us tomorrow, @ or DM me on Twitter.
Weather Forecast
The Forecast (click on Saturday) says currently that it'll be cloudy, with a chance of light showers & sunny intervals in the afternoon. It may be a bit too damp underfoot to spread blankets on the grass like last year, but hey-ho! Come with a hat and a cheerful heart and we'll manage, eh?
It's a big old car park. Parking is £7.50 per car for all day parking, and the machines take both cash & cards. Motorbikes are free.
Bus from Wakefield
Thanks to @sjnewton for the info that the 96 bus goes to YSP once an hour from Wakefield Bus Station, and the last one back leaves YSP at 17:38
The YSP opens at 10am, and we'll meet up outside the YSP Centre (see the map below) , then move down to the Picnic area (also on the map) where there are at least tables. Any rain shouldn't arrive until later, but if anyone can remember an undercover place to eat, please do jog my memory.
When the spirit moves us, we can wander off to explore the park, either en masse or as smaller groups. Do remember to take plenty of photographs for Sunday's #WOMBATPICS.
anniversary Hugs
Yes please.
Paper bags
Purely to please @TheFlossieTP (what better reason?) it'd be fun to attempt a Mass Paper Bag Trick (a la Eric Morecambe), so do bring along a paper bag if you fancy joining in.
To find YSP, leave the M1 at J38 and follow the signs. Click the map below to see a much larger version.
How to pronounce "scone"
Father's Day Poppies
Some years ago, Ellie's Father's Day gift to me was this story. Her writing has improved immeasurably since, but it remains one of my favourite presents ever. Enjoy.
The young girl stared out across the field. Dusty red poppies swayed steadily in the tired breeze and small swallows dove joyfully like ribbons across the land, barely touching the bobbing heads of the sorrowful watchers. From a bramble-wrapped stone wall a bashful, brown rabbit darted out and scurried through the long, tan grass leaving a wistful peace behind. Above the green, shaded dome-like hills an orange sun blushed with pink slowly sank beneath the horizon, milky trails of colour washing across the surrounding landscape.
The girl tilted her head, her blonde hair swaying, catching the last of the sun. In her hand she clutched a basket of blackberries, freshly picked. They were for her mother to whom she would present them on her return, and consequently some sort of sweet baked dessert would follow, much to the girl's delight. This was the first time the girl had been sent to gather berries. The task usually fell to her older brother, a source of wisdom the young girl had always admired. But today, her mother had sent her to gather the berries.
She had been sitting on one of the wooden kitchen chairs, watching her mother make the dinner. It smelled lovely. A smell of delight and deliciousness that the girl was not yet old enough to pinpoint in her memory though she knew it led to something nice. Her mother was at the stove, her lovely bright blue dress, her golden hair, scraggily pinned up and the eyes that the girl so brightly remembered and had consequently inherited. Lovely grey eyes. Her mother had looked across at the girl and told her that now she was five, she was old enough to go and gather the blackberries.
The young girl, thrilled at the idea of being given this new responsibility had eagerly run from the house, barely recognising her mother's warnings to be careful. She didn't need directions either as many a time she had followed her brother as he had collected the berries, sneaking from the kitchen.
Now the girl remembered those times and she remembered the way to where the best berries grew. She had revelled in choosing and picking the best berries and would not rest until she reached one at the top of the bush, even though it had resulted in a grazed elbow. The girl hadn't cried, though she had wanted to for her arm hurt fiercely, but she was a big girl now. Five years old, and she was growing up.
But the girl didn't remember this place. A field full of lovely red poppies. She struggled to find a picture of it in her memory but was only met by a grey, misty haze. The girl liked poppies, her father had told her about them many a time and the field reminded her of a song her father used to sing her to sleep with. A song of colours and corn, of meanings that the girl did not yet understand, but seeing the field full of poppies reminded her of it.
As she stared across the landscape a surge of inspiration hit the girl's mind. She would take some of the poppies for her father. She placed the basket down on the verge of the track and lithely climbed over the gate. She decided to pick five poppies, one for each year old she was. That way, there would still be plenty of poppies left for anyone else who wanted to pick them for their fathers. As she picked five of the best poppies around her, the girl remembered something her mother had told her. That tomorrow was a special day. A special day for fathers where their children gave gifts to them. The little girl smiled when she remembered. What a perfect gift for her father. Five poppies from his daughter.
Soon, satisfied with her bundle the girl clambered back over the fence and collected her basket. The sun was almost gone behind the hills, and she knew her mother would be worrying but the girl was too happy with her gift to mind. She happily skipped home humming the song her father sung her so often and picturing his face when he saw the poppies.
Upon arriving home the girl hurriedly placed the berries on the great wooden table, ignoring her mother's questioning glances, and filled a jug with water. She carefully carried it up the stairs and tentatively opened the door to her parent's room and proceeded to place the jug on the table next to her father's bed. Then she dropped the five poppies into it. Once finished, she stood back to admire the present and smiled. The poppies seemed to light up the room, a bloom of red amongst the browns. As she stared at them the girl found she was delving deeper into her thoughts than she had ever done before, and the words of the song her father sung, for a short time no longer were a swirl of words, but something that had meaning.
Her mother's shout brought the girl from her trance and the song again became just that, a song. Forgetting all she had been thinking the girl ran back out of the room and again became a carefree five-year-old.
Her father never forgot the day he woke to find a jug of five poppies next to his bed. Neither did his daughter, for each year poppies yet again appeared at his bedside, though, for each year the girl grew older another poppy appeared in the jug. No words were spoken between the two about the gifts, for nothing was needed but the special bond remained, and as the girl grew up and learned more about the world her father revelled in the sight of the his little five-year-old who left five poppies at his bedside become a woman, get a job, find a perfect man and have two children of her own.
The day after fifty poppies filled the father's room a mournful funeral procession took place in the church in the nearby town. The girl, who was now a woman, stood at her father's grave, family and friends surrounded her, her own little five-year-old clutching her skirts uncertainly. Then, as the bright red of the sun slowly departed below the horizon, the girl began to sing. The song her father had sung her all those times. But now the girl understood the song and it would always be so special to her and she would pass it to her own children, to be sung for evermore in the family line. But in her heart, the words would always be just words of colours and corn, and a bright field full of poppies, swaying in the fresh autumn evening.
#YSPtweetup useful info
Here's just a couple of things that you might find useful to know for next Saturday's Tweetup at YSP, June 23rd. Here's the map again too, so you know where to find us. If in doubt, DM me on Twitter and I'll guide you in by phone.
Paper bags
I'd like to attempt a Mass Paper Bag Trick, so do bring along a paper bag if you fancy joining in. Here it is performed by the originators. Instruction will be given if for any reason you *don't* know how to do it.
Parking is now £7.50 per car for all day parking, but the machines take both cash and cards. Motorbikes are free.
Bus from Wakefield
Thanks to @sjnewton for the info that the 96 bus goes to YSP once an hour from Wakefield Bus Station, and the last one back leaves YSP at 17:38
Mr. @yura_toole (Manchester) and Mr. @sjnewton (not sure, but I think North London ish) would appreciate a lift from anyone in their area. Her Majesty @chickenprincess says she has room for one and a half people travelling from, well, who the fuck knows?
Click to see a much larger version.
What the Actual???
Not sure if you'll remember this theme, but that might be to the good as you'll have forgotten the answers even if you do. You took photographs of common objects from an unusual angle for others to guess – a bit like in "Ask The Family" when television was steam-driven.
OK, see how many you can recognise, and if anyone bothers to send me their answers, I'll award a special prize to the person getting the most correct. Hover over each pic to see who sent it.
New hashtag poll
I'm still not convinced about the new hashtag to replace #SUNDAYPICS (see post below). On the right there is a poll – please let me know which you prefer.


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During the long, freezing Caucasian winters that drive most plants into fruitless dormancy, Corydalis conorhiza busies itself with growing unique "snow roots" that suck nutrients from the snow above it. The snow roots, which were discovered by botanists exploring the Caucasus mountains in southern Russia, are almost more similar to the filaments of fungi mycelium than they are to the normal ground roots of the plant. They are extremely thin and rot away almost immediately after the protective layer of snow melts away from them.
Covered by snow for most of the year, C. conorhiza has only a short summer growing season to produce shoots and flowers. The scientists who discovered the plant determined that the snow roots absorbed nitrogen, an essential yet scarce factor for plant growth, from the snow they grew in, allowing them to make the most of their few months of summer.
Note – Here's a challenge for you Wikipedia fans:
There's no Wikipedia page for Corydalis conorhiza! I don't know about you, but I think that that's unacceptable. Go out and make a Wikipedia page! I would do it myself, but, um, I want to leave the honor to one of you. Yep.
More information: Everything here pretty much comes from the New Scientist article.
Unique roots let plant forage in the snow [New Scientist]
Snow Roots [Isegoria]
Image Sources:
New Scientist – Unique roots let plant forage in the snow (Image: V. G. Onipchenko)
Isegoria – Snow Roots (Image: unknown)
Tags: Corydalis conorhiza, snow roots, yeti roots


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Iran Sympathizes with Iraq over Karbala Crush Deaths
TEHRAN (Press Shia) – Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman offered his condolences to Iraq over a tragic incident in the holy city of Karbala in which dozens of people lost their lives in a crush.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, Abbas Mousavi expressed deep regret over the tragic incident in Karbala that occurred on the day of Ashura, when Shiite Muslims flock to the holy city to perform mourning rites in commemoration of Imam Hussein (AS).
The Iranian spokesperson offered condolences to the Iraqi nation and government and expressed the Islamic Republic's sympathy with the families of the victims.
Mousavi also wished highest rewards for the martyrs and speedy recovery for the wounded, according to the Foreign Ministry's website.
Iraqi officials say at least 31 people were killed and about 100 injured on Tuesday after a walkway collapsed and set off a mass stampede in Karbala. At least 10 among the wounded pilgrims were reportedly in a critical condition.
The deadly rush began when part of a walkway collapsed during a procession, causing mass panic among worshippers.


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Maybe found a bit of the Christmas spirit today, that or I'm faking it the best I can.
Friday is the last day of school before the boys are out for 2 week for the holiday break.
That means it's time for teacher's gifts!
This year each of the teachers are receiving a jar of applesauce, two produce bags, an ornament the boys made and our Christmas card.
Here's the one for Cody's teacher...
Tyler has 3 teachers right now, they are all receiving the same as above.
His assistant teacher that is leaving has 1 or 2 girls, so her basket is the larger one with 3 pairs of hair clippies.
Tyler's ornaments (missing another yellow one) are the snowflake prints.
Cody made the one on the right, cool patterns, so he's giving that one to his teacher.
Also on Friday, Santa is coming to visit Tyler's class. They get to decorate cookies, so I signed up to bake 24 sugar cookies. I figured I would triple the recipe and bake some for family and friends as well.
The boys were spending the afternoon with the Grandparents to find a Christmas tree so I was busy decorating...
Peppermint sprinkles, Yum!
Better get crackin'!


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Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
In 2009, Edmonton joined a Convention on Biological Diversity initiative called the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity. The Index will help cities to benchmark their progress in biodiversity protection by applying many indicators, which can be combined into one figure to allow for comparison with other cities.
User's Manual for the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty to sustain the rich diversity of life on earth. It was adopted in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro to inspire international action on the conservation of biodiversity. More information about the CBD and the Secretariat that supports it, can be viewed on their website.
ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability)
Edmonton has partnered with ICLEI ("Local Governments for Sustainability"), an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. One of ICLEI's strategic goals is biodiversity protection, and in 2007, the ICLEI Africa Secretariat started the Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) project, which Edmonton has been a partner of for the last 3 years, along with 20 other cities from around the world. The goal of the LAB project is to explore the best ways for local governments to engage in urban biodiversity conservation, enhancement, and management.
This year, ICLEI Africa is rolling out a second phase of the LAB project, with a theme of Communication, Education and Public Awareness. The City is excited to be part of the continuation of this unique and innovative project. Visit the LAB website for more information.
In 2009, Edmonton hosted the Urban Nature Forum, in conjunction with the ICLEI World Congress. The Forum included informative and participatory presentations, with emphasis on global strategic biodiversity protection and hands-on practical biodiversity management at the local level.
Urban Nature Forum Opening Statement by Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (June 12, 2009)
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Edmonton is part of a global network of national, regional and local governments in more than 60 countries worldwide who have joined Countdown 2010, an IUCN initiative to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010. Each partner contributes unique efforts to achieve the 2010 Biodiversity target: "to achieve a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss."
The City is involved with several projects that support this target, most notably the Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) project.
More information about Countdown 2010 can be found on their website.
PLUS Network: Sustainable Cities
Edmonton is also a partner of the PLUS Network (Partners in Long-Term Sustainability), a network of over 30 cities from around the world committed to action that supports urban sustainability through integrated strategic planning and best practices. The PLUS Network is helping cities to become resilient in the face of ecological, social and economic change, through collaborative and experiential learning and exchange.


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Ryland Wiseman, a Class of 2017 accounting and finance major, came to St. Bonaventure University in 2013 from Phoenix, Ariz., with his best friend.
While the trek from Arizona to Western New York is extensive, Wiseman quickly immersed himself in the Bona Bubble, joining BonaResponds and helping form the men's club basketball team.
He also joined Students in Money Management (SIMM), an experiential program in which students manage a real investment portfolio.
"Not only did I practice on-the-job skills and tasks each day in SIMM, but I was also initially exposed to the finance world there," Wiseman explained, adding that his original background is in accounting.
Wiseman said his time with SIMM allowed him to learn and understand finance at his own pace, and, within a year in the class.
Through his time in SIMM and connections made during networking trips to Chicago and New York City, Wiseman was able to secure a summer internship as an investment banking analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets. The internship turned into a full-time offer of employment.
"I learned skills in SIMM that I use every day on the job, starting with the basic one-minute markets and industry updates we did daily," Wiseman said. "This kept me well read and taught me how to read through information and narrow down what's important and worth reporting on."
He said the resources SIMM provided put him ahead of his peers when it came time to get a job.
"Using Bloomberg and having that resource in the classroom was awesome," he said. "I got to my internship and full-time job being ahead of other students who didn't have one to use on their campus."
The Bloomberg machine, a piece of industry technology, provides information that informs the buy and sell decisions of SIMM members.
Wiseman said the class also taught students how to analyze companies' stocks and learn to use the fundamentals of valuation, something he now uses daily in his work.
"In my opinion, if we want to continue placing students at top firms and positions, we need to continue to focus on SIMM in the business school," he said.
The university recently launched a crowdfunding site to help boost funding for SIMM, featuring a $16,250 challenge match from alumni Chris and Eileen Madigan Kinslow and the SIMM Advisory Board. To make a gift and join the challenge, please visit www.sbu.edu/SIMMChallenge.
About the University: The nation's first Franciscan university, we believe in the goodness of every person and in the ability of every person to do extraordinary things. St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. Named the #5 best college value in the North by U.S. News and World Report, we are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition.
Application forms, procedures and additional information
There are many ways to experience
St. Bonaventure for yourself
Learn more about the programs that interest you


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abc PocketPhonics
Hungry Guppy
Designed for kids between the ages of 3 and 6, abc PocketPhonics is a great app that teaches the basics of reading and writing. This app focuses solely on letter sounds instead of letter names so that young children will learn to read more quickly. Preschoolers will also learn how to write each letter and how to sound out over 170 frequently used words. You can try the abc PocketPhonics Lite app for free or purchase the full abc PocketPhonics app for $3.
Motion Math's Hungry Guppy app is great for teaching children between the ages of 3 and 7 numbers and basic addition. Using a fish who loves to eat numbers, children can drag bubbles around to add the dots and then feed them to the fish. In addition to showing numbers, the app also uses symbols to show what numbers represent. Available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, you can purchase the Hungry Guppy app for $4.
Toca Kitchen Monsters
Nick Jr Draw and Play
Recommended by Robin at Farewell Stranger, the free Toca Kitchen Monster app will encourage your child to use their imagination and have fun in a pretend kitchen. With this app your preschooler can pretend play by cooking food and feeding two very hungry and very picky monsters. They will learn what the monsters like and don't like to eat and can experiment with different cooking methods. A great start for getting young kids interested in what goes on in the kitchen at home.
Natalie at Mommy of a Monster says "Nick Jr. apps are awesome" and this Draw and Play app from Nick Jr is no exception. Featured as Editor's Choice app by Apple, Nick Jr Draw and Play allows your preschooler to create fun artwork with their favorite Nick Jr characters, including Dora the Explorer and Diego. Children can draw, paint, add stickers and more to their virtual creations that can be shared by parents via email and Facebook. Available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, you can purchase the Nick Jr Draw and Play app for $3 or you can purchase the Nick Jr Draw and Play HD app for the iPad for $5.
More on teaching preschoolers
How to teach your child manners
Teaching independence through play
Mommy school ideas


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Dave Pratt is Professor of Mathematics Education, Institute of Education, University of London, UK.
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From Bonni Stachowiak of The Productive Online and Offline Professor:
Active learning requires meaningful action and reflection. Furthermore, reflection is more than one thing. Students need guidance and sometimes direct instruction on how to reflect.


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Author: Kevin P. Martin, Jr. | Smart & Resilient Cities
I've had the privilege of being a delegate in the Leading Cities annual Exchange Missions since their beginning. For me, lifelong learning, sharing insight, exchanging knowledge, developing global relationships, building bridges and helping to develop new ideas and platform strategies… it's been an amazing, deeply personal experience.
In recent years, delegates have traveled to Haifa, Barcelona, Lisbon and Dublin and this has been the first of hopefully many visits to South America.
On our exchange mission to Rio de Janeiro, we have learned about US business interests in Brazil, global marketplace solutions, sustainable socio-environmental development, port region revitalization, unique knowledge transfer ideas, rapid transfer transportation investment and, of course, the hopeful legacy of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It has been a fast-paced and culturally rich mission.
And yet, amid the many learning gems from these many take-a-way smart city topics, on a seemingly daily basis, I could not can't help but feel enveloped by the art deco statue, Christ the Redeemer (Portuguese: Cristo Redentor).
Is faith part of a smart city? Is it part of the conversation?
Sitting perched atop Corcovado, Christ the Redeemer is made of soapstone and was created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa in collaboration with the French engineer, Albert Caquot.
It's big and it's bold measuring 124 feet tall, including its base, and has a wingspan of 92 feet wide.
At almost every meeting I went to this week, I asked business leaders and city officials what the statue meant to them. People told me their personal stories but almost overwhelmingly I was told that "for each person it has a different meaning." And because of that, because the statue embraces everyone in some way…it is embraced in return.
For some, it's the ultimate religious symbol, it's a symbol of faith. For some, it's the symbol of a nation and the symbol of a world class city. For others, it's a symbol of peace. For others, it's is a symbol of hope, welcome, resiliency, hospitality and community. And yes, for some many more, it's a tourist attraction…a very big tourist attraction. No matter how you slice it, these are pretty good, foundational qualities of any leading city.
We continue to learn about what smart cities are…and maybe what they are not…about their design features, planning challenges and complexities, barriers and opportunities. For all of its likely technological platforms, a smart city has vitality, wonder and promotes community goals and values.
Is faith part of a smart city? Sure, I'd like to think so. I'd like to think it's part of the conversation. I'd like to think that it's the greatest public-private partnership of all.
But maybe, at a minimum, like Christ the Redeemer meaning different things to different people, the qualities of a smart city, too, means different things to different people…all of it with wonder…with faith in its community…and maybe, just maybe, that is my biggest and broadest take-a-way from this exchange mission.
No matter their background, as so many people told me again and again on this trip about the Christ the Redeemer statue, "I'm aware of it every day." I would call that faith…others would call that a smart city…maybe it's both, maybe it's smart faith, maybe it's two wings on which the human spirit rises.
Kevin P. Martin, Jr. is the Managing Director of Kevin P. Martin & Associates, a Boston-based CPA and consulting firm. Kevin specializes in affordable housing development and building sustainable communities. He is also a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Boston.


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Youniverse Contributor Heather Hesington
How many gym-goers really take the time to stretch and prepare their bodies for an intense workout every visit?
Stretching may seem like a waste of time to some, but even taking a few short minutes to warm up and cool down your muscles will do wonders for your body and overall health.
Skipping that crucial 5-10 minutes before throwing your body into a variety of exercises could result in extra muscle stiffness, soreness, cramps, and even injury. Without proper warm up or stretching, muscles may not recover from strenuous workouts like running, fast-paced group fitness classes, and especially heavy lifting.
Of course, different people and different types of workouts could require individualized prep routines. If discovering a personalized routine of prep and corrective exercises is something that interests you, YouCoaches are available to provide advice to target problem areas and to help you reach your fitness goals.
Today, let's focus on prepping and stretching with a variety of general exercises anyone could do to warm-up their muscles before a workout.
Foam Rolling
Have you ever used a foam roller?
Foam rolling (also known as self-myofascial release or SMR massage) uses bodyweight compression to roll out fixed knots or muscle pains that develop in deep tissue. The hard cylinders come in all different sizes and intensities that you can usually find at your local sporting goods store. Some are even gridded to trigger pressure points.
Any fitness professional would recommend investing in a foam roller to use at home, and if nothing else, encourage clients to take advantage of the supply available at the gym!
Foam rolling is an important part of warming up your muscles for stretching. The concept of warming up to warm-up might seem unnecessary, but I assure you it's not. Think of your body as clay. The only way to move and stretch it is to warm it up, right? Foam rolling helps loosen the body up while relaxing knots and slowly releasing tight areas.
Below are a handful of exercises to try on your foam roller.
Each position should be rolled about 20-30 seconds. Keep your stomach tight and think of pulling your belly button back to your spine. If you hit a tender spot, pause on it for about 10-12 seconds. Readjust your position (if needed) and continue on with the exercise.
Calf (Lower Leg)
Sit on the floor with the foam roller under your ankles. Cross one leg over the other and lift yourself off of the floor to apply pressure. Slowly move back and forth on the roller from your ankles up until the top of your calf. Switch legs and repeat.
Start by sitting on the foam roller with your buttocks directly on top of it. Slowly roll down to the knee, back and forth and slightly to the side. Increase or decrease the intensity of this exercise by using one or both legs at a time. Roll with your feet turned in and out to cover the entire muscle group.
Turn over to a face down position and place the foam roller right above the knees. Keeping the quadriceps relaxed, slowly roll from your knees to hips.
Piriformis (Glutes)
Sit on the roller, leaning to one side. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee and position the roller on your glute while placing one hand behind you for support. Slowly roll the backside of your hip.
Thoracic Spine (Upper Back)
Place the foam roller under your upper back. Keep your knees bent and feet on the ground. Put your hands behind your head and let your head fall to the floor as you roll back and forth. Slowly roll up and down the vertebrae, pausing on any spots with tension. Avoid rolling the neck.
Now that your muscles are waking up, it's time to move into static stretching, or exercises that lengthen the muscles while your body is at rest. This is where you can really dig into those muscles and prepare them for the work coming their way.
Static Stretching
If you are properly performing a static stretch, you should go far enough into the position to feel a slight discomfort, but no pain. Exhale as you go into a stretch, and avoid holding your breath while you're there. Breathe normally and never bounce!
Below is a series of exercises anyone at any level could do to get their muscles ready to work out.
Place your palms on a sturdy surface like a wall or beam. Place one leg behind the other, pressing your back heel into the floor. The front leg is in a forward lunge position while the back leg is fully extended. Keeping your heel down, slowly lean forward.
Stand with your feet together and then step one foot back about two feet. Lower your hands to the floor, keep your nose pressed in towards the direction of your knee, and bend your back leg to intensify the stretch. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides.
With the support of a sturdy surface like a wall or a beam, stand on one leg and raise the other foot behind you while bending the knee. Pull the foot as close to the buttocks as possible. Use the same hand to hold the foot (example: left hand holds the left foot), or intensify the stretch by using the opposite hand to hold the foot. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides.
Hip Flexor
Get on the floor and in a kneeling position on the right knee with your toes down. Place the left foot flat on the floor in front of you, with the knee bent and in line with the ankle. Place the hands on your hips or on left thigh. Slowly press your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your right thigh. Try not to let your lower back arch. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides.
Piriformis (Glutes)
Lie on your back and cross your left ankle over your right knee. Both legs are bent throughout the exercise. Slowly pull behind your right leg towards your right shoulder, hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides.
Adductor (Inner Thighs)
Start standing with your feet wide and parallel. Sink down into one side by bending the knee you're moving towards and keeping the other straight until you feel a stretch in the groin. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides.
Stand in the middle of a door way or in front of a beam with one foot slightly in front of the other. Bend your elbow at a 90 degree angle and place your forearm on the beam (or on the side of the door way). Lean forward, bringing your weight to the front leg until you feel a stretch in your chest. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides.
Perform a similar stretch as the Pectoralis (pictured above), only bring your front foot further out and extend the arm from a 90 degree angle to a straight stretch. Lean forward until you feel a good stretch, hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides.
Stand tall and reach your right arm overhead. Grab the right elbow with the left hand and place the right palm of your hand on the center of your back. Keep the shoulders relaxed and reach your fingertips down your spine. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides.
When talking to athletes, personal trainers, and older active adults, one piece of advice they will consistently offer is to make stretching before and after your workouts a priority. I wholeheartedly agree!
I have heard "If there's one thing I wish I did more of when I was younger, it would be stretching," numerous times, and can only hope you take the suggestion as seriously as I do.
Happy stretching!


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You dentist will decide what type of tooth restoration to apply.
Whether you agree with the use of amalgam or not, what is true is that amalgam restorations release mercury into the human body, that aging amalgam restorations cause fractures in the teeth they are placed and extensive amounts of tooth structure whether decayed or not must be removed in order to guarantee the retention and strength of the amalgam. This was acceptable 20 years ago as that was where technology had taken us. But, with the advances made in dental materials, affordable alternatives like composite restorations must be considered when restoring teeth. Finally, it is each dentist's obligation as a health care provider to inform her/his patients of the advantages and disadvantages of having composite verses amalgam restorations placed in their mouth as a definitive restoration.
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Preparing for Graduate Study in the Health Professions
Preparing for Graduate Study in the Health Professions
Health Professions Advisory Committee
The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) at Grinnell College coordinates activities to prepare students for application to health professional graduate schools. Committee advisors help students with curriculum planning and are responsible for the preparation of committee letters of recommendation. The HPAC works closely with the Center for Careers, Life, and Service, which can help students explore health care fields, find internship opportunities and community connections, think about the personal statement, and prepare for interviews. Contact any member with questions.
Members of HPAC, 2018-2019
- Clark Lindgren, Biology, Co-Chair
- Jim Swartz, Chemistry, Co-Chair
- Gwenola Caradec, French and Arabic
- Pam Fellers, Mathematics and Statistics
- Michael Guenther, History
- Shannon Hinsa-Leasure, Biology
- Hanna Key, Chemistry
- Erick Leggans, Chemistry
- Josh Sandquist, Biology
- Sarah Barks, CLS
- Administrative support: Erika Jack


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Issue 10
The magazine about men who date men announces its 10th issue will be its last. The issue stars Years & Years frontman, Olly Alexander on its cover, who, at the helm of his new album "Palo Santo" opens up about imagining and creating a queer future. Jim Parsons talks about perfecting his craft, hard work, and his motivations behind telling impactful queer stories. Most poignantly, the magazine also includes a conversation between Alexander Chee and Chani Nicholas about her relationship to astrology and studying the roots of her teachings.
The final, 10th issue signals the title's self-evaluation — a nostalgic look at the past, present and future state of the queer media landscape.
"Much of our obsession with astrology, our obsession with projections about the future, has to do with our anxiety around the present," says editor-in-chief, Ryan Fitzgibbon. "The themes in this issue are a projection of a better queer future."
Joining in this gaze into the future is rebellious fashion designer Raul Lopez (from the brand LUAR ) who questions heteronormative understandings of gender and reflects on the process of creating clothes that tell a story.
Then there are those which comment on the future, by way of looking at the past, like Jacob Tobia's harrowing tale of navigating the gay world as a genderqueer person, Savage Grace and Swoon screenwriter/director Tom Kalin's telling of resistance through the years, or Tom Capelonga's survey of queer pop culture in the 20th century.
Finally, as if that wasn't enough, Hello Mr. 10 also unveils the product its second magazine-in-residence— Dyke Queen --which focuses on queer women and their exploration of identity. Publishing the zine alongside its next issue solidifies Hello Mr. 's long time goals—not only of nurturing young queer writers, editors and creators—but also strengthening the position of the LGBTQ+ perspective in publishing, and the media at large.
"From the start, Hello Mr. was a space to understand each other better through a deeper understanding of ourselves." Fitzgibbon explains. "But I was determined to create something bigger than that. And with the support and validation from this community, we built a platform to showcase new stories on a global stage. In six years, we shipped nearly 65,000 magazines around the globe, amplifying the voices of over 500 contributing artists, writers, and photographers. This exposure to possibility and of new discoveries has always been the magic of Hello Mr."
UK cover price: £15.00


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I'm excited for Kong: Skull Island, mainly because I like to look at things through the lense of pro wrestling, and this really works out with the upcoming Godzilla vs King Kong remake. Just hear me out.
He's not really a monster. Sure, technically he is, but the 2014 Godzilla movie goes out of its way to be like "THIS IS NO REGULAR ANIMAL. HE IS A GOD." Godzilla is a step above anything else in the world. He doesn't fight in the Heavyweight division because he doesn't need to. Godzilla could win every title out there if titles meant anything to him. No, Godzilla just plows through whatever is in front of him. Don't piss him off or get in his way or try to disrupt the balance of the world and you should be cool. Godzilla isn't a vicious god. But he is an uncaring one.
Here's the thing about Godzilla. Just like Brock Lesnar, you don't bring him out every week. The 2014 movie went a little overboard with the "not showing Godzilla" thing, but they had the right idea. Godzilla is best when he's awe-inspiring. Every time he shows up should be a "Holy shit" moment, because you know that he's about to german suplex you with his atomic breath. Or something like that. He's not a monster that you humanize. He's a monster that you mythologize.
On the other hand, you have King Kong, who basically fills the Daniel Bryan role.
Kong is smarter, Kong is faster, and Kong is a little more ingenious. But Kong's not a god. No, Kong is firmly in the Heavyweight class. He can beat up any T-Rex or skullcrawler that comes his way, and he could probably take down a Rodan or a Mothra if he really wanted to. Although, King Kong vs Rodan wouldn't sell shit for tickets, with the exception of me, four times.
Kong is a guy that you show off. You put him out there every week. You make him fight a skullcrawler or a giant spider or a big octopus, as the trailer shows him doing. You make him a fighter. And throughout that, you give him little moments where he doesn't necessarily want to crush the human cast members in his movie, because Kong is a monster that you humanize. Kong is an underdog. Not just because he lacks fire powers and spikes, but because, unlike Godzilla he cares.
That's how you build a fight. And that's why I refuse to be pessimistic about the Monsterverse that's being set up. Because this isn't just another shared universe. This is Legendary basically setting up the Monster WrestleMania main event. And I will be chanting "THIS IS AWESOME" the whole time.


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The Motivator
Steve Finnerty grew up in Washington, D.C., in the 1950s, but he spent two weeks of every summer on his grandparents' farm in Princeton, Mo. "There was no running water," he recalls, "so I'd have to go out to the well and get the pump going by pouring some water into it to prime it."
Today, Finnerty, the CIO of Kraft Foods Inc.'s North American division, is still priming the pump, but this time it's all about using his leadership skills to inspire new ideas from his IT staff and business executives about how technology can beef up Kraft's bottom line.
Biz View: "In my experiences prior to Kraft, business folks would be in one corner, IT folks in another. There were business groups who couldn't spell IT and IT groups who were so enamored with technology that they forgot about the business."
Kraft doesn't do too badly pumping out profits: The Northfield, Ill.-based company is the second-largest packaged foods company in the world, with 2001 earnings of $1.9 billion on $34 billion in sales. Kraft controls hundreds of brands around the worldfrom Kool-Aid to Jell-O to Oscar Mayer hot dogsand packages more than 500 different cheese products alone, including Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Kraft marketing executives say Kraft products can be found in 99.6 percent of U.S. households.
But given Kraft's size and complexity, making sure information technology is continually used to carry out the company's business strategies is becoming more critical to its ability to maintain its margins. Finnerty credits IT-business teamwork, for example, for Kraft's ability to move aggressively on the new-products front. Kraft spends more than $350 million annually on research and development, and last year, new products generated $1.1 billion in new revenues. "With work flow and collaboration technologies," Finnerty says, Kraft was able to bring Boca Rising Crust Pizzaa new frozen pizza with meat-flavored soy protein toppingsto store shelves in just 12 months, well under the industry average of 18 to 24 months.
IT View: "If you're constantly trying to focus on where the other person is coming from, instead of concentrating on your point of view, you're going to effectively communicate. If you're truly communicating, you're going to be in alignement."
How does Finnerty manage to keep such IT-business teamwork on the front burner? Part of it is exposing his staff continuously to new technology ideas from outside Kraftand outside the confines of the IT department.
At regular retreats, for example, Finnerty invites senior business executives, such as Daryl Brewster, chief of Kraft's Nabisco Biscuit Division, to schmooze with senior IT staff. At the meetings, top business executives talk about what they want to achieve and what's holding them back. The IT managers then spend the next two days coming up with solutions. In Brewster's case, the session led to ideas for how IT could help his unit get market data faster so that it could make smarter strategy decisions. Now Brewster's direct-store sales force uses handheld computers to improve how efficiently they order products, execute merchandising and communicate with each other. His research and development teams are sharing ideas globally, day and night.
The meetings also give IT managers the chance to brief each other on their visits to other companies in other industries, another source of new ideas. Says Madeline Weiss, president of Bethesda, Md.-based Weiss Associates Inc., who helps Finnerty run the retreats: "Steve's whole approach is how to increase profits, not just cost-savings."
Photos by Marc Asnin (Brewster) and Jan R. Bohm (Finnerty)
This article was originally published on 07-01-2002


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Skydive Out Of A Helicopter
Experience the most thrilling and unique adventure available nowhere else in Las Vegas! Test your limits as you Skydive out of a helicopter and free fall for over 60 seconds reaching speeds of up to 160 MPH.
Your Skydive Adventure begins with complimentary pick up from your Las Vegas Strip hotel by one of our master Tour Guides. You will tour through the Scenic Mojave Desert to the Hoover Dam Bridge for a 15-minute photo and video opportunity. Live guided commentary will be provided about the history of Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, and surrounding areas. Upon arrival suit up and get ready for the most incredible experience of your life! Take off and climb nearly 15,000 feet into the earth's atmosphere. Now it's time to jump and fly through the sky as you reach speeds up to 160 MPH. Experience the best adrenaline rush of your life as you free fall for nearly 60 seconds to the earth. Don't forget to take in the incredible views of the Colorado River and Lake Mead National Park. Touch down after your life changing experience and relax for lunch at our onsite restaurant and bar. We will serve you our World Famous Burger, Fries, and Soda. After, your tour guide will bring you back to your Las Vegas Strip hotel with memories that will last a lifetime.
This adventure can be combined with our Bullets and Burgers Outdoor Gun Range, Scenic Motorized ATV Tour through Lake Mead National Park to the Colorado River, or Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour for the Ultimate All-Day Outdoor Adventure.
Included in the Skydive Out Of A Helicopter Package:
Walk the Hoover Dam Bridge for a 15-minute photo opportunity. Live guided commentary about the history of the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, and surrounding areas. Skydive out of a helicopter. Lunch: World Famous Burger, Fries, and Soda (Vegetarian Option Available).
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(2 person minimum)
- Pick up from most Las Vegas Strip hotels (7:00 am, daily)
- Walk the Hoover Dam Bridge for a 15 minute photo opportunity
- Live guided commentary about the history of the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, and surrounding areas
- Skydive out of a helicopter
- Lunch: World Famous Burger, Fries, and Soda
- Drop off at your Las Vegas Strip hotel
Approximate Duration: 6 hours
(hotel to hotel)
- There is a 2 person minimum per booking.
- All jumpers must be 18 years old. Photo ID will be verified at the time of check-in.
- Maximum weight limit is 240lbs. All jumpers will be weighed at time of check-in.
- Photo ID is required at time of check-in.
- Must be in good mental and physical health.
- This is an extreme activity and is not recommended for everyone.
- Photo Identification and the Credit Card used to make the reservation is required for verification purposes.
- Please be sure to eat prior to your scheduled pick up time. There are no food or drinks allowed on the tour shuttle. Lunch is included with all packages and will be served after the conclusion of your activity.
If you have any questions please feel free to call us ay 702.983.1629 or email us at [email protected]