text:
Log In Matt Sassano
Transparentsoulmatt@gmail.com
Matt Sassano Music
How Many Skillet Song Titles Can I Use to Tell My Story?
How many Skillet song titles can I fit in this story and announcement? ONLY PANHEADS know! This is just a fair warning up front. This blog post will consist of as many Skillet puns as humanly possible. You may get Sick of It if you are not a Panhead. For those of you who are fans I hope you enjoy this Madness In Me, as I come Unleashed and Never Surrender.
What have been some of the most defining moments in your life? For some people you may remember when you graduated high school or college and now are leading a life you worked so hard for. For others you may have met a role-model, Hero or someone who gave you a unique perspective that made your life and purpose Collide. Maybe you remember The Last Night of being a single entity and stepping into parenthood with the birth of a child.
For me there have been may of Those Nights, but one stands out as it relates to what I am doing now in music. The Older I Get I tend to think about why music has played such a huge part in my life. As someone who grew up with crippling disabilities Sometimes finding a sense of belonging and identity was Hard to Find. I remember having issues at home as my parents combatted serious marriage issues and Sometimes among all the fighting and unrest my home felt like a Circus For A Psycho. On top of that, school presented other challenges. When I wasn't Comatose from boring classes, my Cerebral Palsy and Dyscalculia made me an anomaly. Teachers and educators would often go embarrassing lengths to pinpoint what some of my undiagnosed disabilities were at the time. Although I got along with most of the student body, deep inside I felt like a Freakshow.
When I first found music it gave me the sense of identity I was looking for. For most kids, it was a past time, a hobby, nothing more than American Noise. For me, a young angsty kid full of Fire and Fury, music became my Anchor and My Religion. It made me Feel Invincible. In 2009 in the wake of my parents divorce and the chaos going on at home, I remember being enrolled in a trade school for digital media arts. I was a years older than the high school classmates I attended with and due to my disabilities memorizing and utilizing tools for that trade were confusing and frustrating. I would try and try and try and just couldn't thrive in it. The fact that I was an underdog in class, at home and in life got Under My Skin. Why did I constantly feel out of place like an Alien Youth?
I remember around that time attending a Kingdom Bound Festival with my Mom and best friend. If there was one thing that made it Good To Be Alive it was seeing live bands give it all on stage. Up until then, I have been a moderate listener of Skillet and remember songs from their first self titled album and "Hey you, I love your soul." I know they were good but what I saw that night from John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Ben Kasica and Jen Ledger would Pour a kind of Gasoline on my passion for music like a thick coat of Paint. It was like a Whirlwind propelling me Deeper into my calling. It was like a Rebirthing. I remember the pure Energy as song by song they gave 100% to their fans all gathered and united in excitement and anticipation. The pyro-tech, the lights and overall atmosphere that made me feel Awake and Alive. It was no doubt Better Than Drugs. Near the end of the show I remember John speaking a heartfelt message that made me feel uplifted. With that I now knew my purpose. I turned to my Mom, our ears buzzing and said, "I want to do music!" Before long I got her support and dropped the class I was in and started pursuing my first band. I knew a few kids in the class that were musicians and would have them come over to make music after class. Years later and many projects later, I am very excited to be gearing up for tour and doing what I am doing now. Sometimes we go through life Looking For Angels, but it comes in the form of a band called, Skillet. Check out my unique cover of "MONSTER" in my own EDM, Dubstep, Trap and Rock style. I promised you were Not Gonna Die but I hope you've enjoyed this blog because your Salvation has come and you made it through.
Tell me what you think about my cover and I appreciate the listen! Cover release date is March 20, 2020. Check it out on Spotify@mattsassano.
Kingdom Come Festival 2020 Review
Rock On Purpose Introduces Matt Sassano
What does music mean to you? While I think it's safe to say that everyone "likes" music to some degree, it takes on different meaning for different people. To some, it's a simple past time; a thing
One thing for sure - Change always happens


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New lawsuit seeks 'legal personhood' for a chimpanzee
By Katie Drummond
Via The New York Times | Source The Nonhuman Rights Project
Dec 2, 2013, 10:25 PM UTC |
An animal rights group is taking to the courts in an effort to seek personhood for a chimpanzee. In a lawsuit filed today in Fulton County, New York, the Nonhuman Rights Project demands that "Tommy" — a privately owned chimp who lives on a reindeer farm in the state — be freed from his owners and moved to a sanctuary.
According to the group, they'll also file two additional lawsuits seeking sanctuary for chimps in other parts of the state. Those chimps are Kiko, living at a nonprofit center, and Hercules and Leo, being used for research at Stony Brook University. In all three instances, the group says, the animals are being held captive and, because of key cognitive capacities including the ability to make choices, have a limited right to freedom and cannot be held in captivity. "When we visited Tommy, we found him in a small cage at the back of a dark shed at a trailer sales park," a press release from the Nonhuman Rights Project reads. "Tommy was all by himself — his only company being a TV on a table on the opposite wall."
The animals are being held captive
The lawsuits hinge on the use of habeas corpus, a strategy historically employed in cases of unlawful human confinement (slavery in particular). According to the group, led by legal academic and professor Steven Wise, one does not need to be human in order to merit certain rights — and as such, these chimpanzees are being illegally enslaved by their owners. "This petition asks this court to issue a writ recognizing that Tommy is not a legal thing to be possessed by respondents, but rather is a cognitively complex autonomous legal person with the fundamental legal right not to be imprisoned," reads the group's court filing, obtained by The New York Times.
"A cognitively complex autonomous legal person."
The move marks a first in the US, but legal proceedings in other countries have sought — and sometimes obtained — certain rights for chimpanzees. Whether or not the case succeeds, it is bolstered by a growing body of scientific findings, which have concluded that chimpanzees boast complex cognitive abilities and profound emotional lives. And while this might be the most extreme effort to change how chimpanzees are perceived and treated, it's also one of several recent high-profile ventures in the same vein: the federal government earlier this year, for instance, announced plans to sharply limit the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research.
More from Policy
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New York City will require Uber and Lyft to go 100 percent electric by 2030
Yes, Twitter changed its font
The tech industry's moment of reckoning: layoffs and hiring freezes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


JoosTricot's turtleneck sweater is made from the label's signature 'peach skin' fabric and has a close, second skin fit. Knitted with touches of cotton, stretch and silk, this camel style is perfect for transitioning through the seasons and tucks effortlessly into jeans, track pants and flowy skirts.
Shown here with: REJINA PYO Pants, STAUD Tote, Nike Sneakers, Ellery Earrings.


the leg of a table テーブルの足 《★【用法】 所有するものが無生物の時は, 時間・単位・地名など, また慣用句を除いては所有格を用いないことが多い》.
the wife of the professor 教授の奥さん 《★【用法】 所有するものが人や生物の時は, 所有格を用いるほうが普通; cf. the professor's wife》.
the plays of Shakespeare シェイクスピアの戯曲.
the arrival of the train 列車の到着.
the love of a mother for her children 子供に対する母親の愛 《★【変換】 a mother's love for her children に書き換え可能》.
[it is+形容詞+of+(代)名詞 (+to do)で] 〔人が〕(…するのは)…である 《★【用法】 ここで用いられる形容詞は kind,good,clever,wise,foolish などの人間の性質を表わすもの》.
It was kind of you to do so. そうしてくださるとはご親切でした.
Columbus's discovery of America コロンブスのアメリカ発見 《コロンブスがアメリカを発見したこと》.
the love of nature 自然愛 《自然を愛すること》.
a portrait of my father 私の父を描いた肖像画 《★【比較】 a portrait of my father's 私の父が所蔵している[描いた]肖像画》.
I'm fond of music. 音楽が好きだ.
Her look was expressive of doubt. 彼女の表情は疑いを表わしていた.
the city of Rome ローマ市.
the fact of my having seen him 私が彼に会ったという事実.
the five of us 我々5 人 《★【用法】 この場合 the を省略することもある; cf. of B1a》.
a friend of mine [yours, his, hers] 私[君, 彼, 彼女]の友人(⇒mine1 2).
Look at that red nose of Tom's. トムのあの赤い鼻をごらん.
There're about five hundred of us. 我々は 500 人ばかり(居合わせて)います (cf. of B1a).
a girl of ten (years) 10歳の少女.
a man of ability [importance] 有能[重要] な人.
a machine of no use 全然役に立たない機械.
a man (of) his age 彼と同じくらいの年の男.
They're (of) the same age.=They're of an age. 彼らは同じ年齢です.
This is of no importance. これは全然重要でない.
It's (of) a strange shape. それは奇妙な形をしている 《★この例では of を用いるのは文語的》.
I'd like to sleep in a bed (of) that size. あのくらいの大きさのベッドに寝たい.
[名詞+of+a… で] …のような 《★【用法】 前の部分の名詞+of が形容詞の役割をする》.
an angel of a boy 天使のような少年.
a mountain of a wave 山のような波.
He goes to the pub of an evening. 彼は晩になるとよくパブに出かける.
the City of London ロンドンのシティー (cf. of A4).
some of that bread そのパンを少し.
five of us 我々のうちの 5 人 (cf. of A4).
the younger of the two 二人のうちの若いほうの人.
Memory is the strangest of all human faculties. 記憶は人間の知的能力の中で最も不思議なものである.
the 15th of March 3月 15 日.
a box of chocolates 1箱のチョコレート.
a cup of coffee 1杯のコーヒー.
a pair of trousers ズボン1着.
two pounds of pork 豚肉2ポンド.
a piece of furniture 家具 1 点.
[材料を表わして] …で(作った), …から(成る) (cf. from 13,→out of 5).
made of gold [wood] 金[木]製の 《★make…from との違いについては make 他動詞 A1c を参照》.
a house (built) of brick れんが造りの家.
make a teacher of one's son 息子を教師にする.
He's twenty years of age. 彼は20歳だ.
It's true of every case. それはどの場合にも本当だ.
I know of him. 彼について(間接的に)知っている 《★【比較】 I know him. は直接知っていることを意味する》.
within ten miles [hours] of Tokyo 東京から 10 マイル[時間]以内に.
ten miles (to the) north of Tokyo 東京の北 10 マイル.
in the north of Tokyo 東京北部に 《東京内》.
Ireland lies west of England. アイルランドはイングランドの西方にある.
[時刻を表わして] 《主に米国で用いられる》〈何時〉(…分)前 (cf. to A5b).
at five (minutes) of four 4時 5 分前に.
It's five minutes of twelve. 12時 5 分前です.
deprive a person of his money 人から金を奪う.
be cured of a disease 病気が治る.
be [come, descend] of… …の出である.
a man of California カリフォルニア出身の人.
be weary of life 世の中がいやになる.
The eyes of the bronze statue are impressive.
In the beginning of July, we'll start a new business.
She is the fastest runner of all.
She read some of the most famous poems in Japan.
Of 300 persons, only 12 passed the test.
Drink a glass of milk every day.
Give me a pound of pork.
A flute is a kind of musical instrument.
That is a form of entertainment.
She is a kind of critic.
He is a graduate student of Columbia University.
I feel like seeing a movie of love romance.
We of the young generation think that we are more flexible than those of the older generation.
That baseball player is a good friend of mine.
The matter is of utmost importance.
I like the atmosphere of the tea ceremony.
The purpose of this course is to write as many essays as possible.
I cannot estimate the worth of your work.
He comes of an old family.
The hospital was within ten miles of the city.
He lives in a town 10 kilometers north of Tokyo.
Her sweet words cured him of his deep grief.
The war deprived us of basic human rights.
The man robbed me of the important documents.
I want to live in a house of wood.
He wants to make a pianist of his daughter.
My younger sister is an angel of a girl.
She accused me of telling her a lie.
I suspected him of cheating in the test.
My grandfather died of old age.
It's stupid of me not to be able to refuse their offer.
It's very generous of you to make such a big donation.
It's important to have a feeling of gratitude.
People all over the world are concerned with the problem of global warming.
I'm glad to have this opportunity of talking to you.
The city of New York attracts a lot of young musicians.
There are many theories of communication.
The Japanese have an excessive consciousness of how they appear to others.
Let me speak of the plan.
That reminds me of my hometown.
I convinced him of his mistake.
Be careful of your language.
I am confident of winning the race this time.
The rise of the sun brings a new day.
I waited for the arrival of the plane for hours.
I highly evaluate her love of music.
This chart shows a rise of 2% in population.
What's your opinion about the Prime Minister of Japan?
He went to the University of Chicago.
The population of my hometown is on the decrease.
She has a baby of eight months.
I have a temperature of thirty eight degrees.
Young people under the age of 18 years old are not allowed to enter.
He has a farm of 200 acres.
F/O, FO, fo, fo', fo.
Proto-Germanic *af- ("away, away from"), from Proto-Indo-European *apo- ("off, away"). Cognate with Old Saxon af-, Old Norse af-, Gothic 𐌰𐍆-, Old High German ab; and with Latin ab-, Ancient Greek απο-.
Forming verbs and adjectives with the sense of "off", "away", "from", "out of", "away from"
ofmunan "to call to mind"
ofġiefan "to give up, surrender"
ofclipian "to call for, request"


text:
/*
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 * You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
 */
package io.trino.sql.planner.iterative.rule;

import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
import io.trino.matching.Captures;
import io.trino.matching.Pattern;
import io.trino.sql.planner.iterative.Lookup;
import io.trino.sql.planner.iterative.Rule;
import io.trino.sql.planner.plan.ExchangeNode;
import io.trino.sql.planner.plan.PlanNode;
import io.trino.sql.planner.plan.TableExecuteNode;
import io.trino.sql.planner.plan.TableFinishNode;
import io.trino.sql.planner.plan.ValuesNode;
import io.trino.sql.tree.NullLiteral;
import io.trino.sql.tree.Row;

import java.util.Optional;

import static com.google.common.base.Verify.verify;
import static io.trino.sql.planner.plan.Patterns.Values.rowCount;
import static io.trino.sql.planner.plan.Patterns.tableFinish;
import static io.trino.sql.planner.plan.Patterns.values;

/**
 * If the predicate for a table execute is optimized to false, the target table scan
 * of table execute will be replaced with an empty values node. This type of
 * plan cannot be executed and is meaningless anyway, so we replace the
 * entire thing with a values node.
 *

 * Transforms
 *

 *  - TableFinish
 *    - (optional) Exchange
 *      - TableExecute
 *        - (optional) Exchange
 *          - empty Values
 *

 * into
 *

 *  - Values (null)
 *

 */
public class RemoveEmptyTableExecute
        implements Rule<TableFinishNode>
{
    private static final Pattern<TableFinishNode> PATTERN = tableFinish();

    private static Pattern<ValuesNode> emptyValues()
    {
        return values().with(rowCount().equalTo(0));
    }

    @Override
    public Pattern<TableFinishNode> getPattern()
    {
        return PATTERN;
    }

    @Override
    public Result apply(TableFinishNode finishNode, Captures captures, Context context)
    {
        Optional<PlanNode> finishSource = getSingleSourceSkipExchange(finishNode, context.getLookup());
        if (finishSource.isEmpty() || !(finishSource.get() instanceof TableExecuteNode)) {
            return Result.empty();
        }

        Optional<PlanNode> tableExecuteSource = getSingleSourceSkipExchange(finishSource.get(), context.getLookup());
        if (tableExecuteSource.isEmpty() || !(tableExecuteSource.get() instanceof ValuesNode)) {
            return Result.empty();
        }
        ValuesNode valuesNode = (ValuesNode) tableExecuteSource.get();

        verify(valuesNode.getRowCount() == 0, "Unexpected non-empty Values as source of TableExecuteNode");

        return Result.ofPlanNode(
                new ValuesNode(
                        finishNode.getId(),
                        finishNode.getOutputSymbols(),
                        ImmutableList.of(new Row(ImmutableList.of(new NullLiteral())))));
    }

    private Optional<PlanNode> getSingleSourceSkipExchange(PlanNode node, Lookup lookup)
    {
        if (node.getSources().size() != 1) {
            return Optional.empty();
        }
        PlanNode source = lookup.resolve(node.getSources().get(0));
        if (source instanceof ExchangeNode) {
            if (source.getSources().size() != 1) {
                return Optional.empty();
            }
            PlanNode exchangeSource = lookup.resolve(source.getSources().get(0));
            return Optional.of(lookup.resolve(exchangeSource));
        }
        return Optional.of(source);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


There is a growing trademark dispute between a small Alaskan museum devoted to a 900 piece display of hammers and the great Los Angeles based Hammer Museum (formerly known as the Armand Hammer Museum). On February 10, 2006, the Los Angeles based Hammer Museum filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to register the mark, HAMMER MUSEUM for museum services. Early this summer, Dave Pahl, the founder of the Alaska museum, became aware of the L.A. Hammer's application and filed his own in July. Pahl filed his application based on use in commerce and listed the date of first use as April 14, 2000.
This story has already received a significant amount of coverage, including a page one spread in the Wall Street Journal. Most of the stories focus on the "David and Goliath" element; the Alaska museum took in revenue last year of around $8,000 (half of which were from t-shirt sales) while in 2006 the LA Hammer reported approximately $10 million in sales. The Journal wrote, "if one museum is granted the mark it could stop the other from using the name" and then notes that the LA Hammer says it can date its first use to 1999. Readers may come away from the story with the belief that all is lost for Pahl and his cultural oasis in the great tundra. But Pahl should not trade in his hammers for sled dogs. Pahl may have acquired rights to the mark that are senior to the Westwood based fine art museum – at least in Haines Alaska.
Common law trademark rights resulting from a prior but non-registered use are not wiped out by a later filed federal trademark registration application. Trademark rights stem not from registration of a mark but from actual use in commerce. While some civil law nations follow the "first to file" rule which grant senior rights to the first party to win the race to the trademark office, the United States follows the rule that ownership and priority go to the party who was first to use.
Common law rights are defined by the scope of actual use and the geographical territory in which the mark was used. While a merchant may acquire common law trademark rights in the name of a brick and mortar business, that interest is limited to the geographic area in which the merchant actually does business. As such, another merchant in another town can use the exact same name for a similar business and not infringe the common law rights of the first merchant if the first merchant does not advertise or do business in that town.
The LA Hammer Museum filed its application in 2006. Contingent upon the application maturing to registration, the LA Hammer Museum will enjoy a presumptive nationwide right in and to its mark as of the filing date. This presumptive nationwide right is one of the primary motivators for filing a trademark application. However, this right is subject to any common law rights in existence at the time of LA Hammer's filing.
The LA Hammer states that it can show a date of first use of 1999 on a brochure for the "UCLA Hammer Museum." This is prior to Pahl's stated 2000 date of first use. However, depending on how this brochure was utilized, it very well may be that LA Hammer's common law trademark rights in the mark HAMMER MUSEUM is geographically limited and excludes the town of Haines, Alaska. Assuming that the LA Hammer did not use this brochure to actively market its museum to residents of Haines, Pahl may have superior rights to the mark HAMMER MUSEUM in Haines -and perhaps even the entire state of Alaska.
The USPTO provides a mechanism which enables parties to sort out issues such as this called a Concurrent Use Proceeding and it recognizes that, under certain circumstances, a registered mark can and may function to identify more than one source of goods or services. A concurrent use proceeding is initiated by an applicant filing an application that is limited as to territory. The application will be examined as all trademark applications are examined, and if it appears that the application is fit for registration it will be published. If no opposition is filed, the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board (TTAB) will prepare notices and send them to any parties named in the application as concurrent users of the Mark. In the case of an owner of a registered mark, unless it consents to the concurrent use application, the matter will move forward as a concurrent use proceeding before the TTAB. In the proceeding, the TTAB will take evidence on the scope of geographical use of each of the marks and eventually decide who can use their mark in certain geographical areas.
Pahl may not have to go through all of this though. In the Wall Street Journal article, a representative of the LA Hammer is quoted as stating that they have no interest in stopping Pahl from using the mark HAMMER MUSEUM; she continues in stating "we are a fine-art museum in California, not a museum of hammers in Alaska, we think we have very different audiences." Given that the LA Hammer appears to be indicating that it believes there is no overlap in the group of consumers who encounter the two marks, and therefore no likelihood of confusion, Pahl next step should be to work out a Coexistence Agreement which may very well allow his pending federal application to also go forward to registration.


It seems the one constant in Canada's wine industry is growth. While the seasons change, and the climate changes, Canada continues to see strong and lasting growth in acres planted, number of wineries, wine prices, revenues and profits. Our country is overcoming the prejudices of consumers who saw the 'Frozen North' as too cold to possibly turn out a quality wine. In every other way, change is the other constant. We surveyed wine producers in the Okanagan Valley to get a snapshot of the industry. Our thanks to the many producers who passed on their knowledge about the most successful varietals, the shift to organic, and the growth in their business.
"We are responsible growers who use organics as much as possible."
"We are working towards being more sustainable but will not be looking for organic certification at this time."
"We are aiming for sustainable growing versus fully certified organic."
How was your business affected by the smoke this year?
"I think people will still come to visit, but hopefully the smoke will settle down within the next couple of years. Tourists can only handle smoke so many times before they stop visiting entirely."
"July and August business was down 15% but we made it all up in September and October."
"The smoke did affect visitors. I am concerned about the long term effect it will have on future planning of our tourists."
Regarding tourism and the term Smokanagan, do you feel visitors will continue to visit the Okanagan and BC in August next year?
"Not if we call it the Smokanagan as you did in this question. 3 years turns people off."
"Visitor count was way off when we had the smoke and after as well."
"Our visitors were down significantly but our sales were up as we had visitors who were here for wine and not as many people looking for something to do while on vacation but not that interested in wine."
"I am hoping people are optimistic that what we have experienced will not be an every year event. They may adjust the timing of their vacation."
"I think people will still come to visit… tourists can only handle smoke so many times before they stop visiting entirely. "
"We also had construction on our road, so it is tough to say how much of it was due to that. By mid August, we felt as if many tourists left. It really slowed down towards the end of August too considering that should still be a peak time of year for us."
Will the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Affect your wine business?
"Grocery shouldn't have happened at the expense of the VQA wine stores closing down. The loss of those VQA stores was a foolish move from a business perspective. Those stores created a lot of loyal dedicated customers for many wineries… too bad this has been put to an end."
"It will force producers who sell in grocery stores to up their game to be able to compete."
"Lower grocery sales. VQA sales once were a significant channel, but sold out by BCWI. California wines continue to dominant channels, segments, marketing, events, etc. "


text:
Q: Sci-Fi Story Involving Illegal Drug that Temporarily Turns User into Super-Genius Story was written before 1980s - perhaps from the 50s or 60s involving a character who takes an illegal drug that temporarily turns him into a super genius.
I believe that part of the story involved an ancient alien maze which the character uses the drug to navigate.  I'm a little sketchy on this part.
The story is not Rogue Moon.

A: One of Keith Laumer's Retief books (I'm pretty sure it was "Retief and the Warlords", published 1978) has a character use an alien drug that ended up temporarily making him super fast (like fast enough everything else stands still).
I think the drug was originally supposed to give him a slight edge, maybe think or react a bit quicker - but obviously had an exaggerated reaction cross-species.  I believe he uses it to compete in an arena, and later race over terrain to mess with an army (not specifically recalling a maze, but it could be).
I realize super smart is not the same thing as super fast, but the character is also portrayed as pretty much a genius, out thinking and out plotting others in the series, and he does use the drug to navigate scenarios where he could not have done otherwise - and the scenario sounded similar enough to me I thought it was worth offering as an outside possibility.  I hope you find it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


You are here: Home Latest News The Mining Art Gallery Set To Open Next Summer!
The Old Bank Chambers building in the town will house the works, which have been collected over twenty years by Bob McManners and Gillian Wales.
The plans for the gallery have peaked national media interest, with both the Financial Times (subscription only) and the BBC covering the story.


Last year a friend of mine gave me a copy of "What Would Google Do" by Jeff Jarvis.
I have read it, and found it quite intriguing. Although it might not apply to all businesses around the globe, Jarvis gives great advice.
While I was reading it, I realized that the Google Rules applied to Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS) as well. I started to explore the possibilities of applying the Google Rules for IWMS.
The result of my exploration is a post series that we ran on our website, and this e-book.
Although I assume that the 10 rules are applicable to other software solutions such as ERP, CMMS and CAFM Solutions, I have focused solely on IWMS.
This e-book contains all the posts that I have published in the post series, but I have included additional material that hopefully will help vendors and customers of Integrated Workplace Management Systems.
I hope you'll have a lot of fun reading it, and I'm really looking forward to your comments.


Independent house "feet in water", facing the sea, up to 5 people, surrounded by a walled landscaped garden 458 m². Ground floor: fitted kitchen, living room (DVD, stereo player), living room, shower and separate WC, utility room (washing machine, dryer) kitchen. Floor: 2 bedrooms (1 bed 140, 3 beds 90), shower room and separate toilet, baby equipment (bed, bath, high chair). Private parking. no pets. Rental Period: all year round.


Yesterday morning on my Facebook page, reader Craig Hexham asked a great question.
He wrote, "I'm generally satisfied with my results as a sixty-one year old male with twelve extra pounds (Having lost fourteen in the last four months). Is there a particular reason (ie, benefit) why I should add suspension training?"
"Those guys single-handedly eliminated the stability ball from most gyms because there's nothing that you can't do better on a TRX than you were doing on a stability ball. It's so versatile and it's alive. Every rep is a slight adjustment and tweak. It becomes asymmetrical in nature with the loading. It's the future of strength training."
Wow, that's a SERIOUS endorsement of Suspension exercises from a man that has been training people since the late 80's, and who has co-authored five books on the New Rules of Lifting, and who has the most successful gym in North America.
When Cosgrove speaks, the entire Fitness Industry listens.
"If I give you a set of dumbbell presses, Craig, with 50 pounds, there's a fatigue. Maybe you do nine or ten, and you can't do any more.
"But I can do a TRX chest press or TRX push up, which is a similar exercise. It's the same muscles. I get more muscles involved because of the selection, but I when I hit fatigue I can move my feet, use them as a mechanical drop set, and extend time under tension.
"It's something where we can adjust the load in real time. I could do a drop set with dumbbells and hand you smaller weights, but Suspension Training is better...because it is the equivalent of going from a 50 pound dumbbell, where you can't lift anymore, to a 49 pound dumbbell where you just about lift it, and I can keep tweaking it in real time.
"Suspension Training is a huge tool in our training."
But here's what's funny. Before he used Suspension Training for the first time, Alwyn was hoping that it wouldn't work. Then he tried it, and was hooked (just like YOU will be).
"Craig," Alwyn said in his Scottish accent that makes my name sounds like Creeeeg, "I hoped that I could say that Suspension Training was a gimmick and that I wasn't going to use it. Then I started using Suspension exercises, and it was so good that I had no option but to rewrite some of my philosophies because this tool was so powerful."
Changed an Expert's training philosophy.
So why aren't you using Suspension Training?
"As a trainer, you have to bring it in to your facility. I can't imagine not having it."
www.SuspensionRevolution.com <= Sale ends TONIGHT Bring the energy to Suspension Training and change your body fast.


Sharon's story is entitled "After The Avalanche" where she talks about the time when the ordinary are put to the test then they breakthrough and bring out their best and a time when negative situations demand that you bow defeated.
Sharon's story is entitled "After The Avalanche" where she talks about the time when the ordinary are put to the test then they breakthrough and bring out their best and a time when negative situations demand that you bow defeated. Sharon Bowes simply refused and turned an extraordinarily testy circumstance into a mind blowing opportunity for herself. From slingshot circles to delightful miracles hers is a story that jolts you to realization and moves you to strength. Sharon explicitly demonstrates how to take an unfavorable, difficult situation and turn it into an opportunity that serves your greater good. Sharon explains "If you often feel defeated by what life deals you from time to time, this story will speak to you and will show you how to get around that in seamless style".
Beating all odds and capitalizing on negative life altering experiences can be a very daunting way to live. But Sharon Bowes did it over and over again in her career as she consciously made slingshot moves to grow and develop herself into the force to reckon with she is today.
Sharon specializes in coaching entrepreneurial thinkers by helping them to predictably achieve innovative, results. She uses insights from her new Interactive Seminar Series and Thought Leading learning Community to create slingshot results generated from consciously directed energy that unleashes innovative thinking. She is a change catalyst and entrepreneur, understanding and leading with feminine power, balanced harmoniously with masculine practices that have created agile abilities second to none.
● Using one's challenges to live a more fulfilled and balanced life.
It is written by and for inspirational entrepreneurial women whose hidden creativity and business acumen emerged despite facing an array of traumatic experiences, mindset and domestic battles, RISE – In Pursuit of Empowerment, is a beacon of hope for all women.
Through the incredible stories of twenty-five women, readers will learn that while obstacles are a given, they also have what it takes to rise above challenges, create a space and a niche for themselves while turning impossible experiences into incredible opportunities that are profitable and fulfilling at the same time.
Organization: Going 4 Value Inc.


This entry was posted on Freitag, April 1st, 2011 at 13:25 and is filed under Twitter, Facebook & Co. Social Media, Vortr.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


The ISM manufacturing index indicated contraction in August. The PMI was at 49.4% in August, down from 52.6% in July. The employment index was at 48.3%, down from 49.4% in July, and the new orders index was at 49.1%, down from 56.9% in July.
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in August following five consecutive months of expansion, while the overall economy grew for the 87th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.
The report was issued today by Bradley J. Holcomb, CPSM, CPSD, chair of the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. "The August PMI® registered 49.4 percent, a decrease of 3.2 percentage points from the July reading of 52.6 percent. The New Orders Index registered 49.1 percent, a decrease of 7.8 percentage points from the July reading of 56.9 percent. The Production Index registered 49.6 percent, 5.8 percentage points lower than the July reading of 55.4 percent. The Employment Index registered 48.3 percent, a decrease of 1.1 percentage points from the July reading of 49.4 percent. Inventories of raw materials registered 49 percent, a decrease of 0.5 percentage point from the July reading of 49.5 percent. The Prices Index registered 53 percent, a decrease of 2 percentage points from the July reading of 55 percent, indicating higher raw materials prices for the sixth consecutive month. Manufacturing contracted in August for the first time since February of this year, as only six of our 18 industries reported an increase in new orders in August (down from 12 in July), and only eight of our 18 industries reported an increase in production in August (down from nine in July)."
This was below expectations of 52.2%, and suggests manufacturing contracted in August following five months of expansion.


A B-spline neural networks-based adaptive control technique for angular speed reference trajectory tracking tasks with highly efficient performance for direct current shunt motors is proposed. A methodology for adaptive control and its proper training procedure are introduced. This algorithm sets the control signal without using a detailed mathematical model nor exact values of the parameters of the nonlinear dynamic system. The proposed robust adaptive tracking control scheme only requires measurements of the velocity output signal. Thus, real-time measurements or estimations of acceleration, current and disturbance signals are avoided. Experimental results confirm the efficient and robust performance of the proposed control approach for highly demanding motor operation conditions exposed to variable-speed reference trajectories and completely unknown load torque. Hence, laboratory experimental tests on a direct current shunt motor prove the viability of the proposed adaptive output feedback trajectory tracking control approach.


text:
Clara (irl. An Clárach) – miasto w hrabstwie Offaly w Irlandii położone nad rzeką Brosna.

Przypisy

Miejscowości w hrabstwie Offaly

vi:Clara

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Canadian Airlines Among Worst In The World For Flight Delays
But is anyone surprised?
Flying anywhere is stressful enough without having to deal with the delays, cancellations, and gate changes. But quite honestly, delays have been so common on some Canadian airlines that it is just expected at this point. According to a new study, Canadian airlines are among the worst in the world for flight delays.
According to a new study, all but one Canadian airline ranked at the bottom of the list for on-time performance. Altogether 125 airlines were surveyed during the ranking. Coming in at number one out of all the Canadian airlines was WestJet. At 57th place, it has settled with 77.1% of flights arriving on time.
Our nation's worst performer was Sunwing. In fact, this airline is so bad for delays, that it was rated the second-worst airline in the entire world, coming in at 124th place! Apparently, only 57.8% of its flights arrive and depart on time.
Sunwing's insanely low rating on the list isn't surprising isn't all that alarming considering the hot water it has been under recently. Earlier this year, Sunwing was fined $694,500 by the Canadian Transportation Agency for flight delays, losing baggage, and more!
@final_approach_newcastle
According to the report, Canada's best airport was in Grande Prairie, Alberta. It ranked as 108th out of 505 airports surveyed.
Apparently, it's no surprise when we say Canadian airlines aren't exactly known for being the best. In a Claim Compass survey that was conducted just one month ago, Air Canada was ranked as one of the worst airlines in the world when it comes to flight delays.
This research revealed that in 2018, 24.3% of all flights were delayed by 15 minutes or more! That can be a lot of added stress to travellers. They also found that the average time of delay per flight reached 47 minutes.
In a different travel study also involving Canada, Americans surprisingly beat out Canadians as being the more polite travellers. But once you consider the amount of time we wait on the tarmac or inside the airport, this might make sense!
Maybe it's time to start going on cruises?


text:
Featured Social Innovations
Rebecca Maltzman and Shara D. Taylor
Founded in 1988 by Linda Katz and Pat Federman, the Children's Literacy Initiative (CLI) began as a book fair for the general public. After hearing a North Philadelphia father express his desire to begin reading regularly to his four-year-old, Linda saw the need to address the literacy gap between inner-city and suburban students. Soon, Linda decided to grow CLI into an educational services boutique that specializes in preparing kindergarten through third-grade teachers to improve their students' literacy skills. Known as "Model Classrooms," CLI's signature program gives teachers the tools they need to effectively raise their students' reading and comprehension levels.
Since then, the organization has grown significantly and become one of the national leaders in addressing the literacy gap challenging low-income, urban school districts. For two decades, Linda and the dedicated employees of CLI have demonstrated significant growth by capitalizing on emerging opportunities and leveraging talented staff to bring projects to fruition.
Within the next five years, however, CLI expects to undergo major changes in leadership and funding. Chief among these changes is the retirement of Linda, the CEO, who has been the primary driving force since its inception. Added to the complexity of succession planning that is often accompanied by an adjusted or new direction is the issue of board composition. Because Linda has historically relied upon the support of a founder-created board, CLI must now work toward sustaining its current value with potentially new board and executive leadership.
In addition to the future seismic shift in leadership, CLI was recently awarded a five-year, $22 million grant under the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3). This money will fund new Model Classrooms in 39 schools, as well as 39 other schools that will serve as the control group. Not surprisingly, the award has brought CLI new national recognition for its work. This grant marks the first time that CLI is able to put together a long-term business plan because it knows how much funding it will have available over the next five years. Although this business plan is still a work in progress, it bodes well for CLI as it imagines a future without its founder at the helm. This article discusses the factors that have made CLI successful since its beginning and the challenges it faces going forward.
Lessons for Success
In addition to the strong personal leadership provided by its founder and leader Linda, CLI's enormous success in its first 22 years can be attributed to five major organizational factors. Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, these factors are also among the keys to success lauded by leading researchers of nonprofit organizations. Most evidently, CLI has capitalized on many of the six practices for high-performing nonprofit organizations described by Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant (2008) as well as the factors that can push an organization from good to great, as promoted by Jim Collins (2001).
It is important to highlight CLI's success factors, as well how they align with findings in the literature, for two main reasons. The first reason is the importance and usefulness of highlighting the positives or strengths in any evaluation conducted. Since these successful practices are ones that CLI has utilized in order to achieve—but ones that may or may not be utilized consciously—the organizational leadership should be made aware of what they are doing right. This encourages self-praise and recognition, which is important for morale
Secondly, this success analysis highlights CLI as a model nonprofit and as a proof point for the existing organizational research. CLI's success trajectory is evidence that the practices espoused by Crutchfield, Grant and Collins really do work in real organizations. Therefore, this success analysis can be used by other organizations to reflect upon their own practices and strive to emulate CLI's success.
Success Factor #1: Integrating Business Models into Nonprofit Management
There is no question that during its first two decades, CLI has benefited enormously from being led by a business-minded Wharton MBA graduate. Not only has this influence transcended the way that Linda herself views her work and leads the organization, but it has also seeped deep into the organization's priorities and dynamics themselves. This business influence at CLI is evident, most primarily, through 1) the focus and attention placed on metrics, outcomes and effectiveness measures; and 2) the ability of the organization to harness market forces.
Focusing on outcome metrics.
In order to measure their own effectiveness and prove their worth to funders, and out of fairness to the clients they serve, great nonprofit organizations focus on outcome measurement. Organizations that accurately evaluate their impact can improve programs when necessary and provide their executives with important information when faced with difficult programming decisions (Thomas 2005: 391-392). Along with other model organizations, CLI prioritizes measuring its outputs and impact in two central ways: through changes in teacher practice and through student achievement results.
To analyze teacher effects, CLI looks at the difference in teaching practice in a CLI classroom before and after instructional intervention, using the CLI-created Teachers' Effective Literacy Practices (TELP) rubric. Teachers are evaluated on these rubrics, which highlight more than thirty effective instructional practices, before their involvement with CLI and then afterwards. The rubric comparison numbers are then analyzed on an organizational level. While this measure could technically be considered an input in many education circles (as it measures teacher practice and not student outcomes), CLI is focused on developing teacher skill as its primary purpose, so the measure aligns with the specific organizational mission.
At the same time, as CLI acknowledges that its larger aim and reason for existence is and must be to improve the student achievement outcomes for urban students, it has adopted the use of student test scores as its second impact measure. This is a strong strategic choice for two reasons. One, student achievement is what funders care about and is the type of the evidence that makes news. Two, this metric is aligned with what research organizations, such as OMG, use when conducting outside evaluations of CLI. This metric choice, therefore, ensures consistency in analyzing impact. While Linda has reasonable and substantial objections to the use of test scores as accurate measures of student knowledge, as many individuals do, she is also practical in recognizing that this is the type of student achievement evidence that exists and so she must rely on it.
CLI has also been able to go further with these student achievement results and calculate an organizational return on investment: for every $500, CLI can ensure that one additional student is reading on grade level. This number was calculated as follows: Over the past 11 years, teachers in CLI classrooms have taught over a million kids, and as a result of this intervention, 11 percent more of those kids were reading on grade level than were the children in matched classrooms (OMG Center for Collaborative Learning 2010). Therefore, a total of 111,000 more students are on grade level as a result of CLI's work and dollars. What's more, this is likely a conservative estimate because it counts only students who are or are not on grade level, not students who simply improve their reading but do not yet reach grade level (which is very significant in and of itself). This specific ROI number allows CLI to not only measure its own effectiveness but also to prove to external parties, including funders, what can be accomplished.
While Linda states that a commitment to measurable outputs has always been a priority at CLI, it was only in the drafting of the 2010–2015 business plan that the mission of the organization was amended to reflect this commitment. The new mission reads: "Children's Literacy Initiative works with teachers to measurably transform instruction so that children can become powerful readers, writers and thinkers" (emphasis added). Inclusion of the word "measurably" is likely related to the point in the organizational development cycle at which Linda places CLI. CLI has refined its model and learned that it is effective, and now wants to prove its widespread impact in a scientific and statistical manner. This revision to the mission and the codification of this business practice speaks very well to the organization's continued and future attention to the crucial analytical practice of quantifying impact.
Harnessing market forces.
The most successful nonprofits harness market forces in order to increase their own impact. In doing so, these organizations prove that "social responsibility and profit aren't mutually exclusive" (Crutchfield and Grant 2008: 58). One way to leverage business is to actually "run a business" and generate profit for the organization (Crutchfield and Grant 2008: 60).
As aligned with Linda's business background and in adopting practices from the private business sector, CLI has done just that. Whereas many, if not most, nonprofits must work to raise funds through grants and donations from the very beginning, CLI saw itself as a business from its inception. Linda began the organization by starting a book fair and selling high-quality literature to parents and teachers. She soon realized that teachers were a prime market and began to focus more on that customer—and then, later, transitioned into schools and school districts. In exhibiting such a strong business sense two decades ago, Linda placed CLI ahead of the curve of nonprofits in the development of the social enterprise movement (Massarsky 2005: 442).
What perhaps has made this practice most effective for CLI is that it has rooted itself in an industry into which billions of dollars are poured every year (the professional development of teachers) and in which there is a constant search by school districts for new and different practices. By harnessing itself as a force in a large and thriving market, CLI has made itself less dependent on private donations than most nonprofits .,It has also helped the organization to have the unrestricted funds necessary for operational expenses. Indeed, this enterprising funding model has sustained CLI's growth and development to date.
Success Factor #2:Refining the Program Model
CLI has committed to finding what Jim Collins calls its Hedgehog Concept and has continued to search for the essential balance of passion, excellence and economics in its program model. According to Collins,
The essence of a Hedgehog Concept is to attain piercing clarity about how to produce the best long-term results, and then exercising the relentless discipline to say, "No thank you" to opportunities that fail the hedgehog test. When we examined the Hedgehog Concepts of the good-to-great companies, we found they reflected deep understanding of three intersecting circles: 1) what you are deeply passionate about, 2) what you can be the best in the world at, and 3) what best drives your economic engine (Collins 2001).
This Hedgehog Concept mission has been of central importance to Linda and CLI's leadership since the beginning and, after 22 years, they are more confident than ever that they have found it.
To start, passion is essential to everything that the leadership of CLI does—Linda always points to it as her most essential characteristic. The very idea for the entire organization was premised on her love of books and the fact that she credits her mother reading to her as what allowed her to be the first person in her family to go to college. While thinking about ways to expand and grow the organization, the leadership has never strayed away from their love for and belief in the power of high-quality children's literature.
Finding the area in which CLI can be the best has been a little more of a struggle—but the organization continues to move closer and closer to that point. As discussed above, CLI started with book fairs and has since developed a Model Classroom program to train literacy teachers in instructional excellence. In developing this program, CLI has made sure to use data to figure out exactly where it excels and where it does not. For example, as of the 2010 business plan, CLI is no longer servicing stand-alone early childhood centers because this program has not been its most successful. In addition, the organization has refined its Model Classroom so it no longer coaches just one teacher in a grade level (which caused problems in the past), but provides support to whole grade-level staffs instead. Similarly, as Collins states, good-to-great companies "[do] not focus principally on what to do to become great; they [focus] equally on what not to do and what to stop doing" (Collins 2001: 11). These examples are also evidence that CLI has created a climate where its leadership faces the truth, even when negative, and make decisions accordingly (Collins 2001: 73).
The third circle of the Hedgehog Concept is the economic engine. As discussed above, CLI has been committed to finding a market in which they can be financially viable while retaining their passion.
Facing a time of significant transition, CLI must adapt to these new conditions while staying committed to refining and driving toward its Hedgehog Concept. In all likelihood, this will be even more difficult than it has been in the past given the upcoming influx of funds and newfound national attention. At the same time, CLI has a great track record of success to build upon.
Success Factor #3:Thinking about the Future and Planning Accordingly
A third success factor for CLI has been its leadership's ability to think strategically about the future and to plan accordingly. This ability has arisen in two main contexts: when strategic planning and foresight has been structured as part of the organization's life cycle, and when thinking and planning have simply had to happen.
Beginning in 2009, CLI undertook a formalized strategic planning process after members of the staff, the board and funders convinced Linda and her senior leadership that it would be important to do so. Initially, CLI was going to hire and pay an outside consultant to complete this project. However, instead, they were able to employ a board member with significant strategic planning experience to lead the process. According to Cameron Voss, CLI's Deputy Director, this was helpful because the board member was already familiar with the organization so she did not have to spend time gathering background context before beginning the planning and because the organization avoided the costs associated with hiring an outside consultant.
The strategic plan that was created, while still in draft form, is well thought out and comprehensive. It covers the multiple aspects of CLI's work including professional development and policy impact. It also addresses the important aspects of CLI's operations and support system such as its board development and public relations. CLI also appears to be using the strategic plan in an interactive way, revising it based on new developments and not allowing it to sit on a shelf as plans tend to do in many nonprofits.
The second way in which CLI has succeeded due to planning and foresight is in its leadership's ability to foresee changes in the outside environment that would likely affect the organization in the future—and then to make strategic choices and changes accordingly. For example, Linda states that before the recession hit, she began to think that CLI should plan for an economic downturn and change their funding model as a result. At that time, they were fully dependent on their enterprising model and the services they sold to districts. Linda realized, however, through discussions with others and through her own thinking, that they needed to diversify their funding model because a recession would be likely to impact school districts in a severe way. Linda began targeting foundations and high-wealth individual givers. Then, once the recession hit, she was also able to capitalize on the federal government's stimulus money and the i3 grants. An executive leader's ability to "develop an information network" (Herman and Heimovics 2005: 159) is a key to successful leadership—one that Linda has clearly exhibited and one that has served CLI well.
Success Factor #4:Organizing Based on Human Capital Strengths
The fourth key to CLI's success has been the senior staff's ability to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and to structure the organization accordingly. In other words, CLI has not only gotten the right people "on the bus," it has gotten the "right people in the right seats" (Collins 2001: 13).
Linda founded the organization with Pat Federman. From the beginning, Linda acknowledged that internal management was not her strength and that she was more adept as the thought leader and external representative for the organization. Accordingly, for many years, Pat served as the deputy director and was responsible for the internal management while Linda represented the organization externally. However, Pat realized that while she was serving this role because it needed to be done, it was not aligned with her passion. She transitioned into more of a policy and client relations role, and Cameron was brought into the deputy director role. According to Linda, this role is ideal for Cameron's strengths—she is adept at managing internal conflict, ensuring staff satisfaction and overseeing operations. In other words, Cameron is now sitting "in the right seat." In addition, the leadership structure of CLI is supported by the "Two at the Top" model promoted by Crutchfield and Grant (2008: 161): one in which strong executive leaders have a second-in-command who takes responsibility for internal management.
Success Factor #5:Maintaining Persistence and Passion
Finally, the organization's own commitment to making success happen and belief in its mission has driven CLI to high levels of achievement. From the beginning, CLI was convinced that it was contributing something positive and unique to the educational world. It kept working to improve the product and mission and to make others believe in it as well. This process came from a combination of persistence and passion. According to both Linda and Cameron, people who join CLI believe strongly in CLI's potential impact and are willing to work hard to make it happen.
These qualities are ones that Collins believes are central to good-to-great organizations. According to Collins, leaders of these organizations retain a "ferocious resolve," "an almost stoic determination to do whatever needs to be done to make the company great" and they are "fanatically driven, infected with an incurable need to produce results" (Collins 2001: 30). In addition, while these good-to-great companies face the brutal facts and address the truth when they are failing, they retain an unwavering belief in what they are doing and how they will best serve their mission (Collins 2001: 81).
Facing Future Challenges
There is no question that CLI has capitalized on these five factors to ensure success for the organization, and that it should continue to incorporate these same qualities moving forward. However, with its success and growth come new and different challenges. According to Linda, while these challenges are difficult, they are part of the "growing pains" and development of the organization—and they are all, in fact, great challenges to have. In light of where CLI is today and where it is likely to head over the next couple of years, we have highlighted two major areas in which upcoming challenges may fall: adapting to change and sustaining the organization's leadership.
Challenge 1: Adapting to Change
In the face of external changes, excellent organizations master the art of adaptation and work to endlessly adjust to the changing world around them (Crutchfield and Grant 2008: 132). At the same time, top organizations stay true to their core values and remain committed to their Hedgehog Concept (Collins 2001: 15). Given extreme changes occurring around them and to them, CLI must seriously contemplate how to adapt to these changes while remaining disciplined and focused on its mission.
The major question that CLI must ask itself, given the new influx of funds and the national attention, is what type of nonprofit organization it wants to be. Since its founding 22 years ago, CLI has defined itself as a small local boutique, largely because of the challenges of reaching funding sources on a large scale and its localized focus. Now that it has received the i3 grant, it has the ability to push itself, if it wishes, into a national model. . However, Linda has emphasized that she strongly wishes to remain a boutique. She does not want to spread CLI to every classroom in America. Instead, she wants to create a model that works and then to show other people how they can do the same thing in their locality. She acknowledges, however, that a future executive director may strongly disagree with this sentiment. Either way, we encourage Linda and CLI to exhibit due diligence before making this large organizational decision and to consider all of the arguments on both sides when undertaking this serious identity self-reflection.
Whatever model Linda and CLI choose, the organization must also make sure that their theory of change remains coherent and logical in the shifting external context (Hunter 2006: 193). When discussing their current theory of change and how they hope to use the i3 Model Classrooms that will now be implemented in Philadelphia, Camden and Newark to make an impact throughout the country, CLI must consider how this theory is impacted by its new presence. This will likely take a significant investment of time and attention—but will pay off with more impact in the long run.
In addition, CLI might use this opportunity, as it clarifies its theory of action, to align organizational goals and objectives with the organization's vision. The vision relates to all children and a general opportunity to learn—even though CLI's work targets children in grades pre-K to 3 and relates to literacy instruction. It would seem appropriate to adjust this vision to align with the current theory of change and practice. This would also enable the organization to remain true to its Hedgehog Concept.
Challenge 2: Sustaining the Organization's Leadership
Change is currently under way, or being planned, in the two main sources of leadership for CLI: its board and its executive director. Historically, CLI has been governed by a "founder's board" that consisted mostly of individuals who supported the organizational vision. . Recently, Linda and the board have showed intent to strengthen their governance structure to include more responsibility and higher accountability. Specifically, there is a desire for the board to take a greater role in the development arena and they are looking for new members to take on this responsibility. Crutchfield and Grant's findings support this effort, as they have found that the best organizations are co-led by both strong boards and executive teams (2008: 174).
Board reconfiguration and strengthening is especially important given the impending change in the executive director role. According to Linda, within three years, she will be transitioning out of her role, and she and the board are currently creating a succession plan. A strong board must be in place to shepherd this process. According to Collins (2001: 25), top organizational executives are usually adept at setting up successors for success and ensuring that the next generation excels. To do this, the leader must have ambition primarily for the organization and not for him or herself or the fame associated with having been the leader (25-26).
As is evident from the analysis above, Linda Katz and her team have founded and developed an exceptional organization and have brought CLI to an extraordinary place. We encourage the leadership to continue excelling in the areas it has mastered and to face the upcoming challenges head on. Success and change can bring new challenges, but with the foresight and passion that CLI has exhibited over the past two decades, we are confident that CLI will continue to excel.
Rebecca Maltzman is a third-year law student and Toll Public Interest Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She is also Director of Special Projects at Scholar Academies, a Philadelphia-based charter management organization. During law school, Rebecca has worked for the District of Columbia Public Schools, Teach For America and South Jersey Legal Services. Rebecca spent the 2009–2010 school year as a Zuckerman Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Previously Rebecca was a 2005 Teach For American corps member, teaching second grade in Camden, New Jersey. She holds a master's degree in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University and a BS from Northwestern University.
Shara D. Taylor holds a Master of City Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Howard University. From 2006 until 2010, she served as a founding board member and Assistant Executive Director of The Young Friends Society of African Diasporan Institutions. She has interned with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. Currently, Shara works at The Assisi Foundation of Memphis, where she is involved with the formation of a community development intermediary.
Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great. New York: HarperCollins.
Crutchfield, L. R., and H. M. Grant. (2008). Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Herman, R. D., and D. Heimovics. (2005). Executive leadership. In R. D. Herman et al. (Eds.), The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership & Management (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 153-170.
Hunter, D. E. K. (2006). Using a theory of change approach to build organizational strength, capacity and sustainability with not-for-profit organizations in the human services sector. Evaluation and Program Planning, 29: 193-200.
Massarsky, C. W. (2005). Enterprise strategies for generating revenue. In R. D. Herman et al. (Eds.), The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership & Management (2nd ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 436-465.
OMG Center for Collaborative Learning. (2010). Model Classroom Project Evaluation Final Report. Philadelphia.
Thomas, J. C. (2005). Outcome Assessment and Program Evaluation. In R. D. Herman et al. (Eds.), The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership & Management (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 391-416.


Thanks for the portuguese translation, but only .po file included. Can you also include the .mo file?
Sorry. I'm sending them again.
This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by elelievreberna.
Hello, Thank you elelievreberna for the french translation.
but nothing changes. For instance, I still have the word "download" (instead of "Télécharger" displayed next to the pdf icon to be clicked by the user.
Could you please explain to me what I did wrong?
This reply was modified 2 years ago by jsillen.
The names of the PO/MO files have been modified by the authors of the plugin. So I attach an updated archive of the 'languages' folder and a screenshot of the folder. You should not change the names of the files. WP uses the appropriate one according to its configuration.
I have also uploaded and completed the translation of the plugin on the WP site following Shaon's invitation and hope they will include the French translation in future releases.
Here is a translation to Swedish.
Anyone can offer the german translation?
I could offer a GERMAN Translation, but how can I prepare this??


Posted on February 4, 2010 by Esotouric Bus Adventures in Uncategorized.
On Sunday, February 7, 2010, Esotouric rolled south from Philippe's The Original on an urban exploration tour bookended by the sites of three old Lugo adobe homesteads (The Plaza/Olvera Street, Boyle Heights, Bell Gardens). Here are a few of the scenes seen along the way.
A highlight of the day came when Lauren Baumann opened her home, the historic Rives Mansion in Downey, for a fascinating tour through this beautiful early 20th century mansion. We also met Miss Downey Princess Natalia Amador, and learned about the evangelical youth work done at the house, including after-prom events and plenty of music.
At the Gage Mansion in Bell Gardens, that strange and fascinating adobe-wrapped-in-a-Victorian-wrapped-in-a-trailer-park, an eagle-eyed passenger spotted a wee hummingbird mama sitting on her eggs in nest built around an antique hanging lamp. She was gracious enough to pose for photos before zipping off to fill up on nectar.
In Downey, land of surprises, we listened to some vintage Carpenters' tracks before slipping down a side street to spy a striking modernist home by Edward Durell Stone, architect of the Museum of Modern Art.
The lovingly restored Harvey's Broiler provided a rare glimpse of new mascot Big Boy, rendered entirely in balloons, and an introduction to teenage cruising culture from restaurant manager and hometown boy Joe. Cruise nights are Wednesdays and Saturdays, if you're planning a visit.
We paused to pay our respects to a deceased and possibly cursed tavern with an amazing doubled neon and bulb sign.
And were blown away by the precision and grace of the long lost Irving Gill-designed Clarke Estate in Santa Fe Springs, seen in this shot of the interior courtyard, where tour host Richard Schave discussed Gill's influence on California modernism.
See all the photos from our tour here.


text:
Diplomacy International News Report
Saudi Arabia: Bush will combine our initiative with the Road Map
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said on Wednesday that his country managed to get the U.S. President George W. Bush to slightly support the Arab initiative for peace in the Middle East.
In an exclusive interview with the American weekly, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister says ties between Washington and Riyadh are back on track and oil prices should go down, he also and expressed feelings that Bush adopted the Saudi initiative and is going to combine it with the Road Map.
"President Bush is confident about the road he wants to travel," said Al-Faisal, "and I think Prime Minister Sharon better listen."
The Saudis felt that they have the last word as the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's meeting with Bush in his Crawford ranch in Texas succeeded the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's visit.
Al-Faisal said, 'If the U.S.A does not act strictly, there will be no progress on the peace process. However, seriousness and willingness to implement the agreements and the plans were present in Crawford meeting.ÂÂ
'He talked about a two-state solution, he talked about bringing back the roadmap, he talked about the Arab peace plan as an adjunct to the roadmap—all these are encouraging signs. And he talked about helping the Palestinian people who have been so severely tested and damaged,' the Saudi Prince said.
The Saudi's were trying to convince Bush that Sharon does not intend to continue the peace process after the pullout from the Gaza Strip, therefore, he needs to pressure him to accept the Saudi initiative that was approved twice by the Arab league, in Beirut, three years ago and recently in Algiers.
The Arab Initiative basically calls for a full-scale Israeli withdrawal to the borders of 1967 in exchange of a full-scale normalization of relation with the Arab countries.
Many Arabs believe the only Palestinian state Sharon's ever likely to allow would be a fenced-off Gaza and a walled-off fraction of the West Bank.


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