Much of the hype around a mutual fund is placed on the person managing it. In the world of finance, fund managers have garnered celebrity like qualities, with much of this having to do with the star rating systems, popularized by investment research agencies like Morningstar. Within this star rating world, 4 and 5 star rated managers represent to many the crème de la crème of mutual funds. For some, having a 5 star coveted manager is a bragging right. For others, it is a sense of security that their investments are in the right hands.
But the question is, how predictive is this star-rating system? Do highly-rated fund managers really offer the consistent returns and security people crave? The answers to these questions are at best, mixed. For example, some newer fund managers who are highly rated, have only been managing for 3-5 years. If they took control of a fund during a bull market, the rating system over this one period may not fully depict how skillful they actually are. A more appropriate 10+ year ranking would certainly provide more clarity.
It is important to realize however, that neither a fund's past performance nor its star ranking can predict the future outcome. There are currently many 4-5 star rated funds that a decade ago lost 80% of their value in one year, then another 50% a year later. It is also important to consider that the performance of a fund is also based on the amount of risk it takes on. While one tends to focus on the benefits of a fund, one also needs to be prepared for potential huge losses during a bear market.


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Launch of the New Motul 300V at 24H of Le Mans
Tagged: 300v, launch, lubricant, mans, motul
From racing, to high-performance cars, one name has been synonymous with success for the last 50 years – Motul 300V. This product was born out of Motul's never-ending pursuit of perpetual movement. Today, Motul launches a new and improved version of its flagship product, with a new formulation pushing again the boundaries of performance. The new Motul 300V is revealed for the 24h of Le Mans, the most iconic racing event in the world.
Launched in 1971, Motul 300V was developed to help racing teams accomplish maximum performance and reliability out of their engines, the holy grail of motorsport. Its name is a tribute to the 300 racing victories achieved by the time of its launch – but Motul 300V has gone on to help countless more motorsport legends to victory.
Over the following decades, Motul has continuously perfected its flagship product and today, Motul 300V continues to propel the world's top teams to podium glory. From Le Mans to high-performance cars, Drift Masters to Dakar rally, it has proved itself to be a game changing lubricant in the paddocks of top racing.
Fifty years after its first launch, Motul is proud to unveil the latest evolution of its benchmark lubricant: the new Motul 300V range.
The new Motul 300V brings many improvements:
Improved performance: The new Motul 300V racing oil improves your engine performance by reducing internal friction. This new formulation ensures proven power and torque gains across the whole power band.
Better reliability: Motul 300V protects your engine without compromising performance, by providing high shear stability for maximal oil film resistance, even in most extreme conditions.
Improved compatibility: Motul 300V now fulfills modern engine requirements: compatible with exhaust gas after-treatment systems such as particulate filters, compatible with biofuels (especially Ethanol) and protects against LSPI (on downsized engines).
More sustainable: Motul 300V features Organic base stocks using non-fossil renewable materials limiting the environmental impact and allows Motul to lower its carbon footprint by 25% during manufacturing process.
The range is split in 3 major series:
POWER series features the lightest viscosity grades, available from 0W-8 to 5W-30, brings the maximum power and can cope with engines subject to low oil fuel dilution.
COMPETITION series features our mid viscosity grades, available from 0W-40 to 15W-50, brings the best compromise between power and reliability, and can cope with engines subject to mid oil fuel dilution.
New generation of 300V Le Mans series offers the maximum engine reliability possible and is now available in 10W-60 and 20W-60 viscosities. It is perfect for extreme motorsport applications such as endurance racing and drifting. Adding to the uniqueness of these products is the fact that they are the only engine oils worldwide bearing the prestigious 24 hours of Le Mans name.
A launch at 24 Hours of Le Mans 2021:
The brand new Motul 300V is launched during the 24h of Le Mans, the most gruelling endurance race of the year and probably the most iconic of all.
Besides powering most of the LMP2 teams on the grid, including 2020 category winners United Autosports, Motul is proud to be the official lubricant partner of Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, which had the opportunity to test the new Motul 300V and share their excitement about the new product.
Jim Glickenhaus, the Founder of Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus said: "The new Motul 300V makes a gigantic difference. In challenging racing conditions, the engine often gets stretched to its limits, therefore we need a reliable lubricant which will make the engine able to continue the race. The new Motul 300V is exactly that. We have full confidence in this lubricant."
About Motul
Motul is a world-class French company specialised in the formulation, production and distribution of high-tech engine lubricants (two-wheelers, cars and other vehicles) as well as lubricants for industry via its Motul Tech activity.
Unanimously recognised for more than 150 years for the quality of its products, innovation capacity and involvement in the field of competition, Motul is also recognised as a specialist in synthetic lubricants. As early as 1971, Motul was the first lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formulation of a 100% synthetic lubricant, issued from the aeronautical industry, making use of esters technology: 300V lubricant. 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the Motul 300V.
Motul is a partner to many manufacturers and racing teams in order to further their technological development in motorsports. It has invested in many international competitions as an official supplier for teams in: Road racing, Trials, Enduro, Endurance, Superbike, Supercross, Rallycross, World GT1, 24 Hours of Le Mans (cars and motorcycles), 24 Hours of Spa, Le Mans Series, Andros Trophy, Paris-Dakar, 8 Hours of Suzuka, Bol d'Or, Daytona 200-mile motorcycle race.
MOTUL Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd
1A International Business Park, #06-03
www.motul.com
Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The National Student > Film
What you need to know about new IMAX with Laser
Barnaby Walter at Southampton, University of
Film nerds rejoice: the new 4K IMAX with Laser projection system is now in place at the Empire Leicester Square.
To celebrate, we attended a demonstration of the new technology and spoke to Brian Bonnick Chief Technology Officer at IMAX and Andrew Cripps, IMAX's President of Europe, Middle East and Africa.
"We are raising the benchmark once again with the launch of IMAX with laser at Empire Leicester Square – providing film fans in the West End a cinemagoing experience unlike anything they've ever seen or heard before," Andrew Cripps has said amidst the technical details supplied to us about the wonders of this new technology.
"We couldn't be more excited to mark the European debut of this new laser technology at such an iconic venue – particularly with the strong upcoming slate of films, like The Walk, Crimson Peak, Spectre and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, that demand to be seen in this new format."
They went on to talk us through some of the amazing changes this means for film viewing at one of London's most iconic locations.
Contrast is key
Contrast (the difference between the whitest white and the blackest black) is an integral part of making a movie look great on the screen (sadly, as many film-lovers know, this is something many regular cinemas get horribly wrong). IMAX has always done its best to offer viewers the best contrast range, but now screens with their Laser projectors will reach contrast levels much higher than ever before. This means more detail.
The brightness is better
A laser light source provides greater brightness than previous models have been capable of, and will allow IMAX to offer viewers much sharper, clearer images.
This means great things for 3D
Yes, the growth and now decline of 3D cinema has a been a torturous experience, with audiences made to pay ridiculous ticket prices for a gimmicky money-making schemes that caused drastic brightness loss. But now studios are getting over their 3D obsession, there are some filmmakers who are using it as is should be used: as a form of artistic expression. And for those filmmakers and audiences who chose to view the content, IMAX with Laser solves the brightness issue. At last, you can now watch a 3D movie without the atrocious dimming effect, providing you see it in their IMAX Leicester Square cinema.
Colours are expanded
This new projection technology will allow filmmakers to use an expand amount of colours by providing a wider gamut of colours and a more vivid image. Audiences will get to experience colours that have never been seen on screen when new film projects start to take advantage of the potentials IMAX with Laser projection offers.
Amazon 3D Adventure review: science and history come to life in the jungle
Must-See Movies: January
Star Wars: Episode IX has announced its cast!
What movies should be seen in IMAX?
IMAX has traditionally been about showing big, lush documentaries and action blockbusters likes the Transformers franchise. In recent years, they have diversified, though there are still a few things they don't usually do.
"We do very few dramas, romantic comedies and I think if you are going to pay a premium price as a consumer you want an experience that you are not going to get elsewhere," says Andrew Cripps. "I think what IMAX does is enhance that movie going experience for an action adventure, sci-fi or fantasy movie. I think it takes the customer somewhere that they can't otherwise go.
"There are certain genres of movies that we do extremely well. I think documentaries are really good. The Walk is a drama at the core but the 3D and special effects are incredible – you feel you are on the wire with him."
Earlier this year, however, they chose to remaster Fifty Shades of Grey for IMAX presentation in some territories, a choice that provoked 'a lot of debate' at their headquarters, and they're still not sure if they'll be doing the sequel. Watch out. You may be getting more Jamie Dornan than you bargained for.
How do they guarantee IMAX screenings will always be such high quality?
Quite often, digital cinemas these days are...well...atrocious. The projectors are set to a low brightness level, the contrast is appalling and quite often underpaid and badly trained teenagers have replaced experienced projectionists (who have all been made redundant because cinema chains see them as sooooo yesterday).
IMAX won't let any of these trends affect their quality presentations. But how do they do it? Why is it perfect every time when other cinemas get it wrong every day? Brian Bonnick, IMAX's Chief Technology Officer, has the solution: "We have a very involved training programme, both online and on-site training. When you used to have film-based projection, the projectionists were experts at their craft – it really was a skill-set – but with digital projectors today, you basically have to click a start button so they've trained high-school students to do it.
"So recognising that, with our camera and microphones at the rear of the theatre, we are setting it up every single day by having an on-focused lens. Our decision was let's not rely on a person doing it, let's have that camera to adjust the focus of the lens." With brightness loss, often caused by lamp degradation, they now have a notification system that comes up telling the cinema to change the lens, and if they don't, IMAX get notified to tell them the people running their screen have failed to change the lamp and the light level is falling.
"We will make a phone call to the client to say 'change the lamp'; that often solves it, occasionally we have to send someone out on our buck to do it and work out who's paying for it later. It's all this automation we've put in that's part of the feedback loop. We've kind of pulled the human out of it. That's why it's a good question as it directly affects your experience of the movie. Our reputation's on the line."
The Walk is showing in IMAX with Laser at the Empire Leicester Square. IMAX films this Autumn/Christmas season also include Crimson Peak, Spectre, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and In the Heart of the Sea. Watch a video about IMAX with Laser technology below:
Who should play a young Han Solo?
Why it's okay to get excited about Star Wars again
Adrift review - Woodley steals the show in Komákur's epic survival drama
The funniest Star Wars Twitter parody accounts
Film review: Ant-Man
Film Review: Boulevard
Film Review: Testament of Youth
There is a moral element to essay websites - they are wrong
Metronomy - Nights Out, Lights On at Southampton's Joiner's Arms
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Recession dents student aspirations
Desperate students willing to pay for internships
Review - Nedry: Condors
Televised election debates
To Moscow!


Last week the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered over 640 cases involving 3M's allegedly defective Dual Ended Combat Arms earplugs to be transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida for coordination by the Honorable Judge M. Casey Rodgers. According to allegations, 3M supplied those earplugs to the military from 2003 to 2015. The alleged defective design made the earplugs ineffective in preventing injuries against which they were intended to protect: hearing loss caused by loud gunshots and explosions from military combat.
Under federal law, the U.S. Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation has the authority to coordinate the management of multiple lawsuits which share common issues of fact and law under the purview of a single district court. This relieves the court system from the stress of handling multiple lawsuits on the same or similar issue by letting one federal court make decisions and orders on matters of discovery and other preliminary matters, thus conserving judicial resources.
Both the defendant, 3M, and the multiple plaintiffs agreed that coordination in one federal district would be beneficial. However, the parties had not agreed on which district should manage the litigation. In its order, the Panel selected the Northern District of Florida to manage the more than 640 lawsuits currently spread across over 30 federal districts and all future cases filed in federal court.
If you served in the military between 2003 and 2015 and suffered from tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears), you might qualify for legal recompense if you used 3M Dual Ended Combat Arms earplugs. At Wilson Law, P.A., we proudly represent the interests of military service members and their families to help make sure they have a chance at getting justice for their wrongfully or negligently inflicted injuries.


Maid Agency Singapore: How To Remove Burn Stains From Kitchen Stove Top?
How To Remove Burn Stains From Kitchen Stove Top?
Various types of stoves including stoves with ceramic top or glass top or electric stoves etc. are used in almost every kitchen in Singapore and all over the world to cook food. They usually have stains on their top and around the burners most of the times due to food bubbling out of the pans or pots or spills, no matter how carefully you use them. Most of these stains can be removed easily by wiping with a damp cloth or some mild cleaner but sometimes it becomes difficult to remove burn stains from the stove top. Brief information about the removal of different types of burn stains from different types of stove tops is provided here under to help you in keeping your kitchen clean in Singapore.
Burn stains from stove with porcelain top as well as from other types of stove tops can be removed through various methods in Singapore. But while using any of these methods you should be careful as they can damage your stovetop if not used correctly. Some of these methods that you can use in your kitchen to remove the stains of burnt food are given here under for your guidance.
Use of specialized cleaners: Certain specially designed cleaners are available in the market that can be used on porcelain and similar other stove tops to clean burn stains of any kind. But while purchasing them you should ensure that they match to the type of your stovetop.
Razor blade: You can also use a piece of straight razor blade to scrape the residues of burnt food on any type of your stovetop. But while using the blade you should not hold at steep angle and use gentle pressure otherwise it can damage the smoothness of your stovetop due to scratches. You can avoid scratches by holding the blade like you are shaving the stovetop.
Use dryer sheets: You can put a piece of moistened dryer sheet on the burn stains on your stovetop for some time say 2-3 hours to dampen the burnt food. After that you can remove the stain just by wiping the space gently. But this method is good for not so severe burn marks.
Use vinegar-based window cleaner: The base of window cleaner containing vinegar is made safe and functional for any kind of surface. It can help you in removing any kind of stain from your kitchen stovetop just by applying it gently as you use on your windows.
Baking soda: It is one of the traditional methods used for removing any types of stains including burn stains from various types of stovetops. You can remove these stains just by spreading the paste of baking soda in warm water on and around the burnt food and let it stay there for few minutes. Now wipe it with a paper towel. You may need to repeat the process several times to remove the stain completely.
The stoves with glass top should be cleaned carefully to remove burn stains as it smoothness can be damaged easily if not cleaned properly. Moreover these stains are to be removed for glass tops as soon as possible otherwise it can adhere to its surface permanently. Though people use various methods to remove theses stains but most popularly used method is described here under for your consideration. All you need for this method include a small dish, a plastic spoon, some lemon juice, baking soda, olive oil, plastic scrubber or soft cloth, mild soap, a razor blade, cleaning agent and water. The stain can be removed in just few simple steps given below.
After that you can clean the burn stains from the glass stovetop according to their nature. If the stain is thick then you can scrape it with a dull knife or a spoon.
But if the stain is tough then you can use razor blade to scrape most of it after coating the stain with olive oil to lubricate and loosen it.
While scraping the stain, the razor blade should be pushed flat carefully against it so that the stovetop may not get scratched.
After removing even the edges of the burn stain you should make toothpaste like thick paste of baking soda in warm water in a small dish.
Now spread this paste on the burnt area of the stovetop and let it stay there for about 10 minutes or until it dries. You can also pour lemon juice on this paste to remove even the tougher marks of the stains easily and effectively.
Now use the plastic scrubber or soft cloth to scrub the area gently. The use of abrasive scrubber can damage the surface of glass stovetop.
After removing the stains you should use mild soap and warm water to clean the surface and enhance the beauty of your kitchen.
The electric stoves with glass top are becoming popular these days to give elegant look to the kitchen. The smooth surface of these stovetops keeps its electric coil concealed to enhance the sleek looks of the electric stove. But keeping its surface clean from burn stains can be challenging as the burnt food can stick to it very quickly. These stains can be removed in few careful steps to maintain the sanctity of the glass of the stovetop.
You should first of allow the stove top cool down completely.
Now remove the larger food particles from the glass stovetop by using water dampened paper towel.
Now take a glass stovetop cleaner available in the market and squeeze few drops on the burn stains portion and let it stay for about one minute.
Now scrape it gently with a razor blade or spoon by lubricating it with few drops of cleaner.
Now wipe the surface with damp cloth or sponge and let it dry before next use.
Thus you can easily remove burn stains in Singapore from your kitchen stovetop of any kind by following the tips given in this write-up.


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Pacheco Theatre to rock Palace Theatre with The Who's Tommy musical
Joe Belanger
More from Joe Belanger
Published on: May 16, 2019 | Last Updated: May 16, 2019 8:44 AM EDT
Pacheco Theatre Company's production of The Who's Tommy is on at the Palace Theatre in preview Thursday and continuing until May 25. Jon Pilon
The Show: The Who's Tommy, with music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and book by Townshend and Des McAnuff, based on The Who's 1969 rock opera Tommy, presented by Pacheco Theatre, directed by John Pacheco with musical direction by Jake Schindler and choreography by Michael Kozdras Bouw.
The Play: The original Broadway production received 11 Tony Award nominations in 1993, including best musical, winning five, including best score and best direction for McAnuff. The musical, based on the 1969 concept album, The Who's Tommy, tells the story of a boy born during the Second World War, who watches his father kill his mother's boyfriend when he returns from war after being reported missing. The boy goes into shock, becoming deaf, dumb and blind. Yet as a teen he becomes a pinball champion and a star. His celebrity has fans viewing him as a messiah and looking to him for religious guidance. Among the hit songs in the show are Pinball Wizard; See Me, Feel Me; Go to the Mirror; Tommy, Can You Hear Me; We're Not Gonna Take It; The Acid Queen; and I'm Free.
The Quote: "The Who's Tommy is an exhilarating story of hope, healing and the human spirit. The story of the pinball-playing, deaf, dumb and blind boy who triumphs over his adversities has inspired, amazed and puzzled audiences for 50 years."
— director John Pacheco
jbelanger@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/JoeBatLFPress
What: The Who's Tommy, presented by Pacheco Theatre
When: Thursday (preview), Friday and Saturday and May 22-25, 8 p.m.; Sunday and May 25, 2 p.m.
Where: The Palace Theatre, 710 Dundas St.
Tickets: $29 for preview, $35 general; available at the box office, online at palacetheatre.ca or by calling 519-432-1029
Send us opinions, comments and other feedback.
E-mail your letter to: lfp.letters@sunmedia.ca (no attachments please)
Or go to lfpress.com/letters. Letters should be kept to 150 words.
Mother Nature wants to mess with your long weekend plans	 Long weekend weather expected to be seasonal


text:
Eine Verarbeitungsanweisung (engl. processing instruction) oder auch eine Steueranweisung ist ein Sprachelement von SGML und XML, um Daten abzulegen, die an eine bestimmte Anwendung gerichtet ist.

Eine Verarbeitungsanweisung hat in XML gemäß Regel [16] der XML-Norm folgende Syntax:<?Ziel Daten?>Als  Ziel muss ein Bezeichner (Name) angegeben werden, für welche Anwendung diese Verarbeitungsanweisung wirksam ist. Das Ziel der Verarbeitungsanweisung darf nicht die Zeichenfolge XML sein. Die Daten können alle Zeichen mit Ausnahme der Kombination ?> enthalten.

In den Daten können auch Pseudoattribute eingetragen werden, die ähnlich wie Attribut-Werte-Paare aussehen, vom Parser jedoch nicht als solche behandelt werden.

Die Syntax in SGML ist gemäß Regel [44] der SGML-Norm etwas einfacher:

  <?Daten>

Hier sind beliebige Daten außer > zulässig.

Funktion
Obwohl SGML und XML die Trennung von Inhalt und Darstellung ermöglichen, gibt es immer öfter die Notwendigkeit, in denen der Anwender diese Regel umgehen muss. Man kann daher für diese Fälle Verarbeitungsanweisungen verwenden, um z. B. Layoutinformationen in einem Dokument einzubringen ("füge hier einen Seitenumbruch ein"). Die verarbeitenden Programme müssen diese Information lesen und verarbeiten können.

Das Satzprogramm 3B2 z. B. nutzt Verarbeitungsanweisungen zur Einbringung von Satzbefehlen.

Abgrenzung
Die XML-Deklaration (z. B. <?xml version="1.0"?> ) ist keine Verarbeitungsanweisung, auch wenn sie genau so aussieht.

Einzelnachweise

SGML
XML

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Meet our CCA Staff
Meet our CCA Board Members
CCA Member Coalitions
SAPST Training
CCA Documents
CCA Committees
Mental Health First Aid Instructors
Behavioral Health Resources Locator
Community Coalition Alliance
Making our Florida communities safer, healthier and drug-free.
Email director@ccafl.org
Address 11250 Old St. Augustine Road, Suite 15 – 314 Jacksonville, FL 32257
The Community Coalition Alliance Staff
Kathleen Roberts, MS is the Executive Director for the Community Coalition Alliance (CCA). Her research background has focused on substance abuse prevention and treatment, clinical practice and assessments, co-occurring issues, data analysis and evaluation, and program/strategy implementation at the local, regional, and State levels. Ms. Roberts received her Master of Criminology from Florida State University in 2010 as well as a Master of Criminal Justice from University of Central Florida in 2003. She works with substance abuse prevention coalitions across the state of Florida, providing technical assistance and training on environmental strategies to reduce the impact of substance misuse through evidence-based practices guided by data at the regional and local level. Prior to joining CCA, Ms. Roberts worked with the Department of Children and Families Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) focusing on behavioral health related programmatic, clinical, and policy areas. In this role, she served as the State's epidemiology workgroup coordinator, the team lead for the SAMH Clinical Team, and Florida's National Prevention Network designee. She has been intimately involved in several Department initiatives including substance abuse issues with pregnant and parenting women, Family Intensive Treatment (FIT), the development of the Performance Based Prevention System (PBPS), and the development of the electronic dashboard for the FYSAS. Additionally, she was a Research Associate with Florida State University for over seven years focusing on substance abuse prevention, sexual violence prevention, delinquency, and other areas of behavior through grant funded initiatives. Ms. Roberts currently serves as the co-chair for the Florida Prevention Advisory Council (PAC) and a member of the Florida Prevention Workforce Workgroup. Additionally, she is one of the State's trainer for the Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training (SAPST) Curriculum supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Lisa A. Jones
Lisa has over twenty (20) years of experience working in behavioral health from the grassroots level (volunteer) to the upper management in Indiana and Florida. Lisa has extensive experience and knowledge in working with multiple departments, contracts, and providers and coalitions through her previous role as the Program Manager with the largest Managing Entity in Florida overseeing a budget of $8 million for prevention. Through this role she was required to ensure all the contracted prevention providers and coalitions adhered to the SAPT Block Grant requirements, provided a quarterly block grant report to the Department's Regional Office, and conduct training and technical assistance throughout the region. Along with providing intensive technical assistance and oversight to the twenty-one coalitions, Ms. Jones is also one of the key trainers for Florida with the Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training (SAPST) Curriculum supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She provides ongoing technical assistance to coalitions across the northeast and southeast region of Florida as well as conducts requested training events.


The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Malaysia (FCCM) condemns a decision by a Myanmar court to sentence two Reuters reporters to seven years in prison after they were accused of violating a national secrets law.
Foreign journalists in Malaysia view with concern the harsh punishment meted out to Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo for their part in investigating the extrajudicial killings of 10 Rohingya Muslims in September last year, and are unconvinced by claims that they intended to harm the state of Myanmar.
"Journalists in all countries should be allowed to report the news without fear or favour, and we worry that such an action might lead to muzzled media freedoms and further intimidate journalists in Myanmar.
"We urge the government of Myanmar to immediately release Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo and drop all convictions laid out against them," FCCM said in its statement.


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Sustainable energy is energy that is consumed at insignificant rates compared to its supply and with manageable collateral effects, especially environmental effects. Another common definition of sustainable energy is an energy system that serves the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.[1] Renewable energy
Renewable energy is not a synonym of sustainable energy. While renewable energy is defined as one that is naturally replenished on a human timescale, sustainable (often referred to as 'clean') energy is one the use of which will not compromise the system in which it is adopted to the point of not being fit to provide needs in the future
"Clean Energy" on:
Greenpower is the trading name of a charitable organisation, the Greenpower
Greenpower Education Trust, whose objective[1] is to inspire more young people to become
"Greenpower" on:
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes U.S. EPA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States which was created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress.[2] President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA and it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. The order establishing the EPA was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate. The agency is led by its Administrator, who is appointed by the President and approved by Congress. The current Administrator is Scott Pruitt
"United States Environmental Protection Agency" on:
Sustainability science has emerged in the 21st century as a new academic discipline.[1] This new field of science was officially introduced with a "Birth Statement" at the World Congress "Challenges of a Changing Earth 2001" in Amsterdam organized by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change[2] and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). The field reflects a desire to give the generalities and broad-based approach of "sustainability" a stronger analytic and scientific underpinning as it "brings together scholarship and practice, global and local perspectives from north and south, and disciplines across the natural and social sciences, engineering, and medicine".[3] Ecologist William C
"Sustainability Science" on:
In ecology, sustainability (from sustain and ability) is the property of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefinitely. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. In more general terms, sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes. The organizing principle for sustainability is sustainable development, which includes the four interconnected domains: ecology, economics, politics and culture.[1] Sustainability science
Sustainability science is the study of sustainable development and environmental science.[2] Sustainability
Sustainability can also be defined as a socio-ecological process characterized by the pursuit of a common ideal.[3] An ideal is by definition unattainable in a given time and space
"Sustainability" on:
Wind power is the use of air flow through wind turbines to mechanically power generators for electric power. Wind
Wind power, as an alternative to burning fossil fuels, is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, produces no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, consumes no water, and uses little land.[2] The net effects on the environment are far less problematic than those of nonrenewable power sources. Wind
Wind farms consist of many individual wind turbines, which are connected to the electric power transmission network. Onshore wind is an inexpensive source of electric power, competitive with or in many places cheaper than coal or gas plants.[3][4][5] Offshore wind is steadier and stronger than on land, and offshore farms have less visual impact, but construction and maintenance costs are considerably higher
"Wind Energy" on:
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy
Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. The geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials (in currently uncertain[1] but possibly roughly equal[2] proportions). The geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface
"Geothermal Energy" on:
Bioenergy is renewable energy made available from materials derived from biological sources. Biomass
Biomass is any organic material which has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy. As a fuel it may include wood, wood waste, straw, manure, sugarcane, and many other by-products from a variety of agricultural processes. By 2010, there was 35 GW (47,000,000 hp) of globally installed bioenergy capacity for electricity generation, of which 7 GW (9,400,000 hp) was in the United States.[1] In its most narrow sense it is a synonym to biofuel, which is fuel derived from biological sources. In its broader sense it includes biomass, the biological material used as a biofuel, as well as the social, economic, scientific and technical fields associated with using biological sources for energy
"Bioenergy" on:
Energy transition is generally defined as a long-term structural change in energy systems.[1] These have occurred in the past, and still occur worldwide. Historic energy transitions are most broadly described by Vaclav Smil.[2] Contemporary energy transitions differ in terms of motivation and objectives, drivers and governance. The layout of the world's energy systems have changed significantly over time. Until the 1950s, the economic mechanism behind energy systems was local rather than global.[3] As development progressed, different national systems became more and more integrated becoming the large, international systems seen today
"Energy Transition" on:
The endeavor to use 100% renewable energy
100% renewable energy for electricity, heating and cooling, and transport is motivated by global warming, pollution and other environmental issues, as well as economic and energy security concerns. Shifting the total global primary energy supply to renewable sources requires a transition of the energy system. In 2013 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that there are few fundamental technological limits to integrating a portfolio of renewable energy technologies to meet most of total global energy demand
"100% Renewable Energy" on:
Alternative energy is any energy source that is an alternative to fossil fuel. These alternatives are intended to address concerns about such fossil fuels, such as its high carbon dioxide emissions, an important factor in global warming. Marine energy, hydroelectric, wind, geothermal and solar power are all alternative sources of energy. The nature of what constitutes an alternative energy source has changed considerably over time, as have controversies regarding energy use
"Alternative Energy" on:
Biogas typically refers to a mixture of different gases produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Biogas
Biogas can be produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste or food waste. Biogas
Biogas is a renewable energy source. Biogas
Biogas can be produced by anaerobic digestion with methanogen or anaerobic organisms, which digest material inside a closed system, or fermentation of biodegradable materials.[1] Biogas
Biogas is primarily methane (CH 4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) and may have small amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H 2S), moisture and siloxanes. The gases methane, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide (CO) can be combusted or oxidized with oxygen. This energy release allows biogas to be used as a fuel; it can be used for any heating purpose, such as cooking
"Biogas" on:
Organizing Principle
An organizing principle is a core assumption from which everything else by proximity can derive a classification or a value. It is like a central reference point that allows all other objects to be located, often used in a conceptual framework. Having an organizing principle might help one simplify and get a handle on a particularly complicated domain or phenomenon. On the other hand, it might create a deceptive prism that colors one's judgment. Examples[edit]In a Brookings Institution article, James Steinberg
James Steinberg describes how counter-terrorism has become the organizing principle of U.S
"Organizing Principle" on:
Biomass is an industry term for getting energy by burning wood, and other organic matter. Burning biomass releases carbon emissions, but has been classed as a renewable energy source in the EU and UN legal frameworks, because plant stocks can be replaced with new growth.[1] It has become popular among coal power stations, which switch from coal to biomass in order to convert to renewable energy generation without wasting existing generating plant and infrastructure. Biomass most often refers to plants or plant-based materials that are not used for food or feed, and are specifically called lignocellulosic biomass.[2] As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly via combustion to produce heat, or indirectly after converting it to various forms of biofuel. Conversion of biomass to biofuel can be achieved by different methods which are broadly classified into: thermal, chemical, and biochemical
"Biomass" on:
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is electricity produced from hydropower. In 2015 hydropower generated 16.6% of the world's total electricity and 70% of all renewable electricity,[1] and was expected to increase about 3.1% each year for the next 25 years. Hydropower
Hydropower is produced in 150 countries, with the Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific region generating 33 percent of global hydropower in 2013. China
China is the largest hydroelectricity producer, with 920 TWh
TWh of production in 2013, representing 16.9 percent of domestic electricity use. The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive source of renewable electricity. The hydro station consumes no water, unlike coal or gas plants. The average cost of electricity from a hydro station larger than 10 megawatts is 3 to 5 U.S
"Hydroelectric" on:
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect.[1] The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone
"Greenhouse Gas" on:


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text:
package pro.chukai.web.service;

import pro.chukai.web.dto.out.CommentsOut;
import pro.chukai.web.dto.out.PageOut;
import pro.chukai.web.model.Comment;
import pro.chukai.web.model.Comment;

import java.util.List;

public interface CommentService {

    boolean postComments(Comment comments);

    PageOut<CommentsOut> listComments(int pageNum, Integer articleId);

    List<Comment> findRecentlyComments();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Those trains and their grieving sounds were lost forever between stations, not remembering where they had been, not guessing where they might go, exhaling their last pale breaths over the horizon, gone. So it was with all trains, ever.
Don't tell him! thought Will, and stopped. Why not? he wondered, why?
He smiled to show it was a lie.
Mr. Dark smiled to show he knew it.
Evil has only the power that we give it.
Too late, I found you can't wait to become perfect, you got to go out and fall down and get up again with everybody else.
That's friendship, each playing the potter to see what shapes we can make of the other.
Dad's voice was a midnight school, teaching deep fathom hours, and the subject was life.


We're excited about our fledging work in the fields of transportation and environmental justice. In 2018 Lyfe Productives is building out and implementing the deployment strategies for Los Angeles Department of Transportation's adaptation of Vision Zero in corridors throughout South LA and neighboring areas. The aim of VisionZERO is to reduce pedestrian deaths in LA to zero by the year 2025 via a multi-faceted prevention approach that blend education, planning, engineering, and community engagement to meet its goal. In collaboration with Zeldesign and a sleuth of CBOs deeply rooted in neighborhoods- this unprecedented rollout engages drivers, municipalities, and stakeholders in accountability measures to keep all Angelenos safe.
Since 2016 we have been proud and humbled to be working with one of the most important Human Rights NGO's in the country, The National Fair Housing Alliance. We've built the websites for their commemoration of the 50 year Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, and are enthusiastic about our remaining work to connect both philanthropic and corporate sponsorship dollars to their year long event calendar delivering tangible tools for people to assert their full citizenship and continue the assertion of fair housing as a human right.
In 2017 we collaborated with famed actress and icon Zendaya to write and co-produce for her Zendaya App produced by Whalerock Industries: "The Bazics". The Bazics delivers 4 minute smartphone and social media friendly bi weekly news updates geared towards a 14yr – 30yr old demographic- covering everything from politics and finance to social justice and environmental awareness. Each segment will feature a provocative presentation of current events in the news often not inclusive of teen and young adult audiences on traditional news platforms. Each episode ends with a celebratory 'Good News' highlight that lifts up a positive and inspiring happening in the world.
In 2014- 2015 LP has contracted with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition to bring their agency and its members a course on social literacy and navigating relationships. Our course is titled "Relate2Relate" and has been an absolute hit with the agency and members. Relate2Relate is an open forum course exploring the way the neighborhoods, families, and country we grow up in impact not only the way we relate to others, but also how we treat and value ourselves. The class is fun, interactive, and will definitely get us all thinking. This is a safe and non-judgmental environment. All are welcome! ARC is a phenomenal organization and effort working with formerly incarcerated people and advocates to bring personal and institutional reform to sentencing and imprisonment practices nationwide. Learn more about the Anti-Recidivism Coalition here and click here to see what members are saying about Relate2Relate!
California Affordable Housing Initiatives, Inc.
In 2013 Lyfe Productives collaborated with California Affordable Housing Initiatives to create a conceptual art exhibition tilted Brighter Than Blight. The project was ambitious and massive; transforming a blighted and condemned housing project in the Bay Area into a living art piece honoring residents and serving as a narrative on housing as a human right. Not only was this project unprecedented, it was a stellar success! Brighter Than Blight was covered by major media outlets throughout the state and attracted a broad audience as well as hired and educated dozens of young people and community members.
For 2 years Lyfe Productives developed, implemented, and facilitated a health disparity program for Kaiser Permanente. Live UP is a youth empowerment program that engages young people in health education while supporting them in the creation of prevention based solutions to health disparities in under served communities. Our ultimate goal is to expose these fantastic young people to career opportunities in health care and build collaborations with medical institutions to support their strides to become leaders in health and wellness.
It is our belief that the only way effective sustainable change can happen regarding health disparities is if programming not only expands the knowledge of youth participants, but also heightens their compassion and moral obligation regarding promoting healthier living within our communities. Our strategy includes a solid comprehensive social awareness component that exposes the institutional factors that fuel foul health conditions in under served communities. Also, we employ a youth campaign component that is designed to challenge participants to see beauty in their environment regardless of the conditions and call on themselves, peers, teachers and community members to join their campaign for healthier living.
We worked closely with Eddie Griffin and Front of The Bus to build images and graphic design content to support the hilarious and politically charged humor of the famed comedian. The show went on to be a hit when it premiered on the Comedy Central Network, officially ushering LP into the word of commercial television content production.
Since then we have independently produced a sold out large commercial theater stand up show for Eddie Griffin in No. Cal and developed and launched the merchandising and audience interaction platform for his residency in Las Vegas at the Rio Hotel.
Lyfe Productives developed the sponsorship deck (click here to view) for the prestigious and world renowned Pan African Film Festival- which is celebrating its 25th year of presenting stellar films by and about Black people from all over the world. PAFF premiers both commercial Hollywood blockbusters and phenomenal independent works, galvanizing major media and sponsorship support from outlets such as Los Angeles Times, ABC, Playbill.com, Ebony Magazine, Cadillac, and Okay Africa to name a few. A well articulated sponsorship deck and strategy is the cornerstone of generating revenue and excellent programming for large media festivals.
Getting The Most Out of Life (GTMOL ) is an innovative and unprecedented effort for hospice care in Northern California facilitated by the Alameda County Department of Health. GTMOL advocates for all people to have access to end of life planning and affordable hospice care for families supporting elderly or terminally ill loved ones. Since the program's inception, Lyfe Productives has developed the outreach interface and branding of the campaign. Currently, we are the lead for the implementation of a provocative outreach and messaging campaign that unites the cause of GTMOL with National Healthcare Decision Day 2014/2015.
Lyfe Productives developed and has implemented throughout California (Oakland, San Bruno, Fresno, and Los Angeles) a young men's development program with great success. Game Literacy is a multi-faceted Social Literacy/Life Skills course geared toward informing both the heart and mind of teenage boys approaching young adulthood. We've found that this program is applicable and of great need to various demographics of young men, as it challenges false common narratives of manhood and empowers the holistic development of considerate, confident, humble, and non-misogynistic men.
Lyfe Productives is excited to be developing branding and strategic marketing formulas for Leadership Excellence, a leader in the education and advocacy of Black youth in Northern California. Leadership Excellence's approach employs highly provocative educational tools and cultural enrichment to institutionalize knowledge of self and personal/social ethics to not only serve as violence and health disparity prevention measures for young people, but to empower them to lead healthy and productive lives.


text:
Should-Read: Ruy Teixeira: The Optimistic Leftist
Should-Read: The centrist neoliberal project–use market means to achieve both social democratic ends and the rapid expansion of wealth–has crashed and burned. Now comes Ruy Texeira to lead the left that was kept off the plane and the center that has survived out of the mountains to a practical utopia…
Ruy Texeira tells leftists and centrists, cosmopolitans and communitarians, organizers and activists which is the way to a pragmatic utopianism based on the energy and accomplishments of humanity…
Ruy Teixeira: The Optimistic Leftist: "A new utopian vision for the left's emerging coalition will… include…
…First… a commitment to abundance…. Material abundance is a very good thing…. It is only those that already have it that are inclined to downplay its importance…. Closely linked to this aspect of the left's utopian vision will be a re-embrace of technology…. Technological progress will also have a central role in another aspect of the left's vision—a green world where the environment is safeguarded and global warming is held in check…. A better world is also a global, interconnected world…. This means explicitly rejecting the idea that there is an intrinsically disadvantageous tradeoff between the welfare of the West and the welfare of the rest of the world….
The left will aim for a world where racial and gender equality are worldwide realities, where sexual orientation is a non-prejudicial, individual a air and where tolerance of others from different cultural, religious or national backgrounds is the rule…. Universal and deepened democracy…. Universal suffrage, with freedoms of the press, association, speech, etc., should be and can be the core governmental form in every country. In addition, the advance of information technology should be leveraged to provide citizens with far greater access to the workings of government and ease the costs of political participation across the world… an educated world… not just universal literacy but universal tertiary (college) education….
This vision does not include an embrace of "socialism"—much less a planned economy—and implicitly assumes that capitalism will continue in some form with a large role for the market. The key question is not "whether capitalism?" but rather "what form?"… Such a society will not be perfect. But perfection is not the point. The goal is to make society as close as it reasonably can be to the left's new utopian vision, while making no heroic assumptions… pragmatic utopianism… a continuous process, a never-ending quest to improve society…. It is the signature of the optimistic leftist and of a twenty-first century that will be far, far better than you think. We live in extraordinary times; the left can and will make them extraordinarily good for humanity.


Online store Jouw offers a selection of unique, bespoke, and experimental cutlery and dishware. The products are exclusive artist collaborations with Steinbeisser, the organizer of the 2012 'Experimental Gastronomy' initiative to bring chefs and artists together.
The pieces on Jouw don't follow the typical rules of functionality, instead challenging diners to reconsider preconceptions about the relationship between tableware and the user. They have been created by designers including Deborah Rudolph, Maki Okamoto, Matthias Dyer, Nils Hint, Stian Korntved Ruud, Stuart Cairns, Tala Yuan, and Tatjana Giorgadse. The products include a beetle plate made of recycled gemstones and metal, and a spanner spoon made from recycled cutlery and tools collected from junk yards.


text:
'The Bachelor' 2017: Who did Nick Viall send home in week 6?
By Jordyn Taylor
It's that time of the week again, folks! Who's ready to watch Nick Viall stare into the abyss and repeatedly mutter "okay" through 90% of his conversations? I sure am!
This week on the Bachelor, Nick cuts his remaining crop of girlfriends in half: Alexis, Josephine, Jaimi, Jasmine, Whitney and Danielle all go home. Meanwhile, underdog Kristina surges to the front of the pack. Oh, and Nick cries a lot.
We left off last week on a cliffhanger that was totally not staged, no siree. After getting blessed by some voodoo priestesses, Taylor — who was rejected on last episode's two-on-one date — barges in on Nick and Corinne during dinner.
Nick, who looks like he'd rather be sucked into the fiery pits of hell than deal with this situation, agrees to talk to Taylor outside. "She's making it look like I bullied her," Taylor insists, adding, "I want you to, like, open your eyeballs, because I'm not the only one saying this about Corinne."
Ultimately, Nick says his decision to send Taylor home had nothing to do with what Corinne said about her. Sorry, Taylor — Nick just isn't that into you.
Meanwhile, the rest of the ladies arrive at a fancy house for the cocktail party. That's when Chris Harrison crawls out of his hidey hole to make an announcement: There's not going to be a cocktail party this week. Nick knows exactly what he wants to do.
At the sudden-death rose ceremony, Alexis, Josephine and Jaimi don't get picked. A woman named Whitney — who has never once spoken to Nick —survives another week. I'm sad to see those three women go home, but I'd put money on Alexis, at least, returning for Bachelor in Paradise — dolphin suit and all.
The next stop on Nick's journey to find love is the island of St. Thomas. Buckle up, folks, because Nick hopes this is the week he'll finally start falling in love.
Our Bachelor wastes no time. Seconds after stepping off a sea plane, Nick invites Kristina on a one-on-one date. The two get back on the plane and fly away, leaving the other women dejectedly waving goodbye in their denim cutoffs. Jasmine, in particular, is very upset — she and No Screen Time Whitney are the only two contestants who haven't had private dates with Nick.
Kristina has been mysterious — she's hinted at a dark past but hasn't had the chance to elaborate. Sitting with Nick, she starts to open up about being adopted and having a sister back in Russia, but then it's time to go swimming and do kissing in the water. Nick hopes she'll get around to the rest of that story later!
Back at the hotel, a kind staff member named Lorna arrives to assist the women. For Corinne, it's just like being back home with her nanny, Raquel! How much is Lorna making to fetch Corinne piña coladas and lobster dip? And why are we devoting so much screen time to this terrible plot line?
Let's get back to Nick and Kristina's date, shall we? Over dinner, Kristina tells Nick her full life story — and wow, it's heavy. She grew up in a small town in Russia with no food in the house, forced to eat lipstick when she was hungry. At five or six, her mom threw her out of the house, and she ended up in an orphanage. At 12, she made the difficult decision to leave Russia for an adoptive family in the U.S.
By the end of the story, Kristina and Nick are both in tears.
"You're a very strong woman," Nick says, offering her a rose. "It's hard not to look at you and admire so many things about you." Did Kristina, the quiet underdog, just score a spot in the final four?
Meanwhile, the group date card arrives at the hotel. Everyone's name is listed except for "Andi" Danielle, the Andi Dorfman look-alike, and no-screen-time Whitney. Are they fated for another two-on-one date?
Before we find out, let's experience the most miserable group date in Bachelor history. Nick and his flock of girlfriends take a catamaran to a beach where they try to play three-on-three volleyball, but let's face it: Everyone's sick and tired of competing with the other women for Nick's attention. Jasmine, in extreme frustration, literally pushes Corinne to the ground.
The date devolves into complete and utter misery. Every woman seems to be in a different part of the beach, privately weeping.
Later that night, the women are still pretty peeved from their crappy beach date. Some of Nick's frontrunners, including Rachel and Vanessa, complain about having to compete for time with him. "What's the point?" asks Rachel, who is a super cool attorney and definitely too good for this show.
But perhaps none are so angry as Jasmine, the only one on the group date who hasn't scored a one-on-one date. Finally, her rage boils over: "I'm going to tell him straight to his face," she says, "don't you dare overlook me."
If you're holding a fork right now please stab it into my eyeball, because the scene that follows is really, really, unbelievably awkward. Fluctuating between laughter and tears, Jasmine asks Nick why he doesn't seem to see her — a valid question! But then, somehow, she reaches for his neck and asks him if he likes being choked — not cool. Weird. Bad. Nick sends Jasmine home.
Nick is bordering on feeling defeated and discouraged, but he still has to get through a two-on-one date with Andi Danielle and No Screen Time Whitney.
"Whitney and I don't have any animosity between us," Danielle says, confused as to why she's been chosen for the Bachelor's unique form of torture.
The threesome goes to a beach, where Nick has very nice, polite, extremely boring conversations with both women. Everyone has very nice hair!
Talking with Danielle, Nick realizes something: His relationships with the two women are at very different stages. "I don't want to waste anyone's time," he says. So he marches back to Whitney and breaks up with her.
Nick seems to like Whitney enough, but his relationship with Danielle is simply further along. Whitney stays fairly stone-faced throughout the breakup. Something tells me she'll be fine.
Nick and Danielle proceed to their one-on-one dinner date, where more polite conversation ensues. I don't know what they're talking about, but I know I hear the words "communication" and "honesty," and that it's all mind-numbingly boring. To be honest, I get up and do dishes during this scene.
But wait — Nick looks sad. Could it be that the Bachelor is as bored as I am? Danielle says she's falling in love with Nick, but he just isn't feeling it back — no matter how hard he tries. That's it for this Andi Dorfman doppelgänger!
Nick says a lot of meaningless words before sending Danielle home: "I think I went into this day hoping and wanting desperately to end today wanting to give you this rose, but I feel like in my heart, I can't." Deep! My guess? Nick wasn't expecting to have such a strong connection with Kristina, and it's putting some of his other relationships into perspective.
There's someone at the door of the women's hotel room. Is it Lorna? Nope, it's Nick! And he's super sad!
"I want to be honest, and I want to be real with you guys," he says, before telling the women why he said goodbye to Whitney and Danielle. The tears are really flowing! Nick confesses he's scared he's not going to find the right person.
"I don't know if I can keep doing this — I've got to get going," he says, making for the door.
Nick goes down to the lobby and walks out the front door of the hotel, into the street. The ladies never hear from him again.
Just kidding! The previews for next week promise lots more crying on everyone's part. Stay tuned.


text:
The Delighted Eye: Works from the Collection of Allen and Beryl Freer
Lot 329 | John Nash The last major exhibition of John Nash's work in a public gallery was in 1967 at the Royal Academy. Since then, he has been overlooked if not actually forgotten. For over half-a-century his paintings, prints and drawings have been marginalised in the story of Modern British art. There are two main reasons for this: Nash's own lack of worldly ambition and his disinclination to promote himself, and the fact that his work does not fit into the linear development of successive radical art movements so beloved of art historians and theorists. John Nash was an independent and something of a maverick: more interested in painting the world as he saw it than in joining the surrealists or the debate between abstraction and figuration. In this he was the diametrical opposite of his older brother Paul, whose fame has also helped to eclipse John's reputation. Paul was an art world mover and shaker, a writer of manifestos, a dedicated self-promoter, hugely ambitious and eager to ally himself with the latest international stylistic developments. Temperamentally the brothers were worlds apart — much less so in their art. Before the First World War they were spoken of as 'the Nash brothers' because their work was so close in spirit, and John's paintings frequently received better reviews than Paul's. In the 1920s, John was the more assured painter in oils as Paul took time to reach his stride. And it was John who encouraged Paul to take up wood engraving, not the other way around, as often thought. A certain sibling rivalry kept them both up to the mark, but by the 1930s Paul had pulled ahead and made sure that his work would not easily be forgotten. Within ten years of his early death in 1946, books on his work included a lavish memorial volume, a monograph on his photography and an adulatory biography, together with his autobiography. After a tiny book on John Nash appeared in 1925, there was nothing of consequence (bar Freddy Gore's excellent essay for the catalogue of the Royal Academy retrospective) until John Rothenstein's brief study was published in 1983, followed ten years later by Allen Freer's excellent though also rather short monograph. Only now is John Nash receiving the attention he has always deserved, with the publication of my lengthy book John Nash: Artist and Countryman (2019), to be followed by a museum exhibition in 2020. Two quotations from Allen Freer's monograph on John Nash give the flavour of his writing and his enthusiasm for this artist. Firstly, here is a description of Nash's powers of observation: 'Related to this sharpness and sensitivity of observation is the quality of concentration he manages to get into his finest landscapes. He immediately seizes on the pattern that will bring the various elements of a landscape into a coherent whole — he would, if pressed, refer to these as the abstract qualities of a landscape — by which he meant the vital relationship of specific natural forms. It did not do to pursue this line of thought too remorselessly with him. It was an intuitive gift he knew he had and one which he knew would not be helped by art-theoretical probing. But it was unmistakably there in his best pictures and it is what gives them their especial qualities of freshness, unity and unequivocal directness.' And here Freer evokes the Nashes' East Anglian home, Bottengoms Farm: 'To come upon this place at any time of year was a wonder, astringent yet strangely welcoming in winter, burgeoning and voluptuous in high summer. It was like being able to walk into a pastoral dream, at once commonplace, rural, workaday and yet, extraordinary. Here John Nash and his wife Christine lived for the last thirty or so years of their lives. No other place could be more appropriate for a man who knew himself to be a countryman, an artist and a plantsman.' This was where Allen visited John Nash in the 1970s, and it was in this period that he acquired many of the fine Nash watercolours to be seen in this auction. A.L. Read more
John Nash, R.A. (1893-1977)
Misbourne Valley, Chalfont St. Peter
GBP 25,000 - GBP 35,000
(USD 32,575 - USD 45,605)
Sign in to bid
signed 'John Nash' (lower right), dated '1915' (lower left), inscribed 'Misbourne Valley/Chalfont St. Peter/dull evening' (on the reverse)
pencil, watercolour, chalk and ink on paper
10 x 10 ¾ in. (25.4 x 27.3 cm.)
Executed in 1915.
There is an ink and watercolour drawing of a landscape by the same hand on the reverse.
Purchased directly from the artist by the present owner in 1975.
Philip Harley
pharley@christies.com
Rachel Hidderley
rhidderley@christies.com
Esme Dollow
edollow@christies.com
A. Freer, John Nash 'The Delighted Eye', Aldershot, 1993, p. 52, illustrated, as 'Meon Valley'.
A. Lambirth, John Nash: Artist & Countryman, Norwich, 2019, p. 312, illustrated.
This unusual study of a landscape seemingly modelled out of bruise-blue ink is a deliberate attempt to render the dull heaviness of the atmosphere before a storm. Everything is blue or green, and specific form has been diminished in favour of the clumping together of trees and bushes. There are traces of light in the sky, but very little in the immediate landscape, though some of the trees in the distance reassert their separateness in fitful evening sun. A striking, moody image, and far more expressionist than most of Nash's work, it is rather beautiful and oddly memorable. Allen Freer wrote of it: 'Who else at that time would have used that haunting cerulean blue for the trees to offset the green of the mounds, or the one dark tree on the right of the picture, painted in a blackish green so that it forms a point of meaningful emphasis? … It is a picture one feels one could travel into. And yet more impressive than the subtlety of structure and colour is the atmosphere generated; it has a kind of spell-bound calm that is uncannily disconcerting, almost as if Time had had to stop.'
Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent.
The last major exhibition of John Nash's work in a public gallery was in 1967 at the Royal Academy. Since then, he has been overlooked if not actually forgotten. For over half-a-century his paintings, prints and drawings have been marginalised in the story of Modern British art. There are two main reasons for this: Nash's own lack of worldly ambition and his disinclination to promote himself, and the fact that his work does not fit into the linear development of successive radical art movements so beloved of art historians and theorists. John Nash was an independent and something of a maverick: more interested in painting the world as he saw it than in joining the surrealists or the debate between abstraction and figuration.
In this he was the diametrical opposite of his older brother Paul, whose fame has also helped to eclipse John's reputation. Paul was an art world mover and shaker, a writer of manifestos, a dedicated self-promoter, hugely ambitious and eager to ally himself with the latest international stylistic developments. Temperamentally the brothers were worlds apart — much less so in their art. Before the First World War they were spoken of as 'the Nash brothers' because their work was so close in spirit, and John's paintings frequently received better reviews than Paul's. In the 1920s, John was the more assured painter in oils as Paul took time to reach his stride. And it was John who encouraged Paul to take up wood engraving, not the other way around, as often thought. A certain sibling rivalry kept them both up to the mark, but by the 1930s Paul had pulled ahead and made sure that his work would not easily be forgotten. Within ten years of his early death in 1946, books on his work included a lavish memorial volume, a monograph on his photography and an adulatory biography, together with his autobiography. After a tiny book on John Nash appeared in 1925, there was nothing of consequence (bar Freddy Gore's excellent essay for the catalogue of the Royal Academy retrospective) until John Rothenstein's brief study was published in 1983, followed ten years later by Allen Freer's excellent though also rather short monograph. Only now is John Nash receiving the attention he has always deserved, with the publication of my lengthy book John Nash: Artist and Countryman (2019), to be followed by a museum exhibition in 2020.
Two quotations from Allen Freer's monograph on John Nash give the flavour of his writing and his enthusiasm for this artist. Firstly, here is a description of Nash's powers of observation: 'Related to this sharpness and sensitivity of observation is the quality of concentration he manages to get into his finest landscapes. He immediately seizes on the pattern that will bring the various elements of a landscape into a coherent whole — he would, if pressed, refer to these as the abstract qualities of a landscape — by which he meant the vital relationship of specific natural forms. It did not do to pursue this line of thought too remorselessly with him. It was an intuitive gift he knew he had and one which he knew would not be helped by art-theoretical probing. But it was unmistakably there in his best pictures and it is what gives them their especial qualities of freshness, unity and unequivocal directness.' And here Freer evokes the Nashes' East Anglian home, Bottengoms Farm: 'To come upon this place at any time of year was a wonder, astringent yet strangely welcoming in winter, burgeoning and voluptuous in high summer. It was like being able to walk into a pastoral dream, at once commonplace, rural, workaday and yet, extraordinary. Here John Nash and his wife Christine lived for the last thirty or so years of their lives. No other place could be more appropriate for a man who knew himself to be a countryman, an artist and a plantsman.' This was where Allen visited John Nash in the 1970s, and it was in this period that he acquired many of the fine Nash watercolours to be seen in this auction.
A Modern British passion: The Allen and Beryl Freer Collection
Offered on 23 January, a splendid collection of paintings, prints and drawings by Modern British artists including Ivon Hitchens, Winifred Nicholson and John Nash


Packaged in pairs, the tastes run the gamut from subtle and classic to zany and intense.
Things get fruitier when we move over to Bubble Yum and cherry Jolly Ranchers. These are like that crew of sassy teenage girls in middle school.
Then you've got the ADHD kid who almost burned down the entire school on three separate occasions, Nerds and Laffy Taffy. Just thinking about these two candies is enough to give anyone a sugar rush flashback.


text:
Plant breeding is the purposeful manipulation of plant species in order to create desired genotypes and phenotypes for specific purposes. This manipulation involves either controlled pollination, genetic engineering, or both, followed by artificial selection of progeny. Plant breeding often, but not always, leads to plant domestication.
Plant breeding has been practiced for thousands of years, since near the beginning of human civilization. It is now practiced worldwide by government institutions and commercial enterprises. International development agencies believe that breeding new crops is important for ensuring food security and developing practices of sustainable agriculture through the development of crops suitable for their environment [1] [2].
1 Domestication
2 Classical plant breeding
2.1 Before World War II
2.2 After World War II
3 Genetic modification
4 Issues and concerns
Domestication
This map shows the sites of domestication for a number of crops. Places where crops were initially domesticated are called centres of origin
Main article: Domestication
Domestication of plants is an artificial selection process conducted by humans to produce plants that have fewer undesirable traits of wild plants, and which renders them dependent on artificial (usually enhanced) environments for their continued existence. The practice is estimated to date back 9,000-11,000 years. Many crops in present day cultivation are the result of domestication in ancient times, about 5,000 years ago in the Old World and 3,000 years ago in the New World. In the Neolithic period, domestication took a minimum of 1,000 years and a maximum of 7,000 years. Today, all of our principal food crops come from domesticated varieties.
A cultivated crop species that has evolved from wild populations due to selective pressures from traditional farmers is called a landrace. Landraces, which can be the result of natural forces or domestication, are plants (or animals) that are ideally suited to a particular region or environment. An example are the landraces of rice, Oryza sativa subspecies indica, which was developed in South Asia, and Oryza sativa subspecies japonica, which was developed in China.
Classical plant breeding
Classical plant breeding uses deliberate interbreeding (crossing) of closely or distantly related species to produce new crops with desirable properties. Plants are crossbred to introduce traits/genes from one species into a new genetic background. For example, a mildew-resistant pea may be crossed with a high-yielding but susceptible pea, the goal of the cross being to introduce mildew resistance without losing the high-yield characteristics. Progeny from the cross would then be crossed with the high-yielding parent to ensure that the progeny were most like the high-yielding parent, (backcrossing). The progeny from that cross would then be tested for yield and mildew resistance and high-yielding resistant plants would be further developed. Plants may also be crossed with themselves to produce inbred varieties for breeding.
Classical breeding relies largely on homologous recombination of two genomes to generate genetic diversity. The classical plant breeder may also makes use of a number of in vitro techniques such as protoplast fusion, embryo rescue or mutagenesis (see below) to generate diversity and produce Transgenic plants that would not exist in nature.
The Yecoro wheat (right) cultivar is sensitive to salinity, plants resulting from a hybrid cross with cultivar W4910 (left) show greater tolerance to high salinity
Traits that breeders have tried to incorporate into crop plants in the last 100 years include:
Increased quality and yield of the crop
Increased tolerance of environmental pressures (salinity, extreme temperature, drought)
Resistance to viruses, fungi and bacteria
Increased tolerance to insect pests
Increased tolerance of herbicides
Before World War II
Intraspecific hybridization within a plant species was demonstrated by Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel, and was further developed by geneticists and plant breeders. In the early 20th century, plant breeders realized that Mendel's findings on the non-random nature of inheritance could be applied to seedling populations produced through deliberate pollinations to predict the frequencies of different types.
In 1908, George Harrison Shull described heterosis, also known as hybrid vigor. Heterosis describes the tendency of the progeny of a specific cross to outperform both parents. The detection of the usefulness of heterosis for plant breeding has lead to the development of inbred lines that reveal a heterotic yield advantage when they are crossed. Maize was the first species where heterosis was widely used to produce hybrids.
By the 1920s, statistical methods were developed to analyze gene action and distinguish heritable variation from variation caused by environment. In 1933, another important breeding technique, cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), developed in maize, was described by Marcus Morton Rhoades. CMS is a maternally inherited trait that makes the plant produce sterile pollen, enabling the production of hybrids and removing the need for detasseling maize plants.
These early breeding techniques resulted in large yield increase in the United States in the early 20th century. Similar yield increases were not produced elsewhere until after World War II, the Green Revolution increased crop production in the developing world in the 1960s.
After World War II
Following World War II a number of techniques were developed that allowed plant breeders to hybridize distantly related species, and artificially induce genetic diversity.
When distantly related species are crossed, plant breeders make use of a number of plant tissue culture techniques to produce progeny from other wise fruitless mating. Interspecific and intergeneric hybrids are produced from a cross of related species or genera that do not normally sexually reproduce with each other. These crosses are referred to as Wide crosses. The cereal triticale is a wheat and rye hybrid. The first generation created from the cross was sterile, so the cell division inhibitor colchicine was used to double the number of chromosomes in the cell. Cells with an uneven number of chromosomes are sterile.
Failure to produce a hybrid may be due to pre- or post-fertilization incompatibility. If fertilization is possible between two species or genera, the hybrid embryo may abort before maturation. If this does occur the embryo resulting from an interspecific or intergeneric cross can sometimes be rescued and cultured to produce a whole plant. Such a method is referred to as Embryo Rescue. This technique has been used to produce new rice for Africa, an interspecific cross of Asian rice (Oryza sativa) and African rice (Oryza glaberrima).
Hybrids may also be produced by a technique called protoplast fusion. In this case protoplasts are fused, usually in an electric field. Viable recombinants can be regenerated in culture.
Chemical mutagens like EMS and DMSO, radiation and transposons are use d to generate mutants with desirable traits to be bred with other cultivars. Classical plant breeders also generate genetic diversity within a species by exploiting a process called somaclonal variation, which occurs in plants produced from tissue culture, particularly plants derived from callus. Induced polyploidy, and the addition or removal of chromosomes using a technique called chromosome engineering may also be used.
When a desirable trait has been bred into a species, a number of crosses to the favoured parent are made to make the new plant as similar as the parent as possible. Returning to the example of the mildew resistant pea being crossed with a high-yielding but susceptible pea, to make the mildew resistant progeny of the cross most like the high-yielding parent, the progeny will be crossed back to that parent for several generations (See backcrossing ). This process removes most of the genetic contribution of the mildew resistant parent. Classical breeding is therefore a cyclical process.
It should be noted that with classical breeding techniques, the breeder does not know exactly what genes have been introduced to the new cultivars. Some scientists therefore argue that plants produced by classical breeding methods should undergo the same safety testing regime as genetically modified plants. There have been instances where plants bred using classical techniques have been unsuitable for human consumption, for example the poison solanine was accidentally re-introduced into varieties of potato though plant breeding.
Genetic modification
See main article on Transgenic plants.
Genetic modification of plants is achieved by adding a specific gene or genes to a plant, or by knocking out a gene with RNAi, to produce a desirable phenotype. The plants resulting from adding a gene are often referred to as transgenic plants. If for genetic modification genes of the species or of a crossable plant are used under control of their native promoter, then they are called Cisgenic plants. Genetic modification can produce a plant with the desired trait or traits faster than classical breeding because the majority of the plant's genome is not altered.
To genetically modify a plant, a genetic construct must be designed so that the gene to be added or knocked-out will be expressed by the plant. To do this, a promoter to drive transcription and a termination sequence to stop transcription of the new gene, and the gene of genes of interest must be introduced to the plant. A marker for the selection of transformed plants is also included. In the laboratory, antibiotic resistance is a commonly used marker: plants that have been successfully transformed will grow on media containing antibiotics; plants that have not been transformed will die. In some instances markers for selection are removed by backcrossing with the parent plant prior to commercial release.
The construct can be inserted in the plant genome by genetic recombination using the bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens or A. rhizogenes, or by direct methods like the gene gun or microinjection. Using plant viruses to insert genetic constructs into plants is also a possibility, but the technique is limited by the host range of the virus. For example, Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) only infects cauliflower and related species. Another limitation of viral vectors is that the virus is not usually passed on the progeny, so every plant has to be inoculated.
The majority of commercially released transgenic plants, are currently limited to plants that have introduced resistance to insect pests and herbicides. Insect resistance is achieved through incorporation of a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that encodes a protein that is toxic to some insects. For example, the cotton bollworm, a common cotton pest, feeds on Bt cot ton it will ingest the toxin and die. Herbicides usually work by binding to certain plant enzymes and inhibiting their action. The enzymes that the herbicide inhibits are known as the herbicides target site. Herbicide resistance can be engineered into crops by expressing a version of target site protein that is not inhibited by the herbicide. This is the method used to produce glyphosate resistant crop plants (See Glyphosate)
Genetic modification of plants that can produce pharmaceuticals (and industrial chemicals), sometimes called pharmacrops, is a rather radical new area of plant breeding.
Issues and concerns
Modern plant breeding, whether classical or through genetic engineering, comes with issues of concern, particularly with regard to food crops. The question of whether breeding can have a negative effect on nutritional value is central in this respect. Although relatively little direct research in this area has been done, there are scientific indications that, by favoring certain aspects of a plant's development, other aspects may be retarded. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2004, entitled Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999, compared nutritional analysis of vegetables done in 1950 and in 1999, and found substantial decreases in six of 13 nutrients measured, including 6% of protein and 38% of riboflavin. Reductions in calcium, phosphorus, iron and ascorbic acid were also found. The study, conducted at the Biochemical Institute, University of Texas at Austin, concluded in summary: "We suggest that any real declines are generally most easily explained by changes in cultivated varieties between 1950 and 1999, in which there may be trade-offs between yield and nutrient content.[3]"
The debate surrounding genetic modification of plants is huge, encompassing the ecological impact of genetically modified plants, the safety of genetically modified food and concepts used for safety evaluation like Substantial equivalence.
Plant breeders' rights is also a major and controversial issue. Today, production of new varieties is dominated by commercial plant breeders, who seek to protect their work and collect royalties through national and international agreements based in intellectual property rights. The range of related issues is complex. In the simplest terms, critics of the increasingly restrictive regulations argue that, through a combination of technical and economic pressures, commercial breeders are reducing biodiversity and significantly constraining individuals (such as farmers) from developing and trading seed on a regional level. Efforts to strengthen breeders' rights, for example, by lengthening periods of variety protection, are ongoing.
↑ Ngambeki, D.S. Science and technology platform for African Development: towards a green revolution in Africa. The New Partnership for Africa's Development
↑ Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. 2002. Agriculture and the environment, partnership for a sustainable future.
↑ Davis, D.R., Epp, M.D., and Riordan, H.D. 2004. Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 23(6):669-682
Borojevic, S. 1990. Principles and Methods of Plant Breeding. Elserier, Amsterdam. ISBN 0-444-98832-7
McCouch, S. 2004. Diversifying Selection in Plant Breeding. PLoS Biol 2(10): e347.
Briggs, F.N. and Knowles, P.F. 1967. Introduction to Plant Breeding. Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York.
Gepts, P. (2002). A Comparison between Crop Domestication, Classical Plant Breeding, and Genetic Engineering. Crop Science 42:1780–1790
[h
ttp://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pubfile.asp?ID_PUB=47The Origins of Agriculture and Crop Domestication - The Harlan Symposium]
news@nature.com. 1999 Are non-GM crops safe?
Schouten, Henk J., Frans A. Krens & Evert Jacobsen Do cisgenic plants warrant less stringent oversight? Nature Biotechnology 24, 753 (2006).
Schouten, Henk J., Frans A Krens & Evert Jacobsen Cisgenic plants are similar to traditionally bred plants: EMBO reports 7, 750 - 753 (2006).
Sun, C. et al. 1998. From indica and japonica splitting in common wild rice DNA to the origin and evolution of Asian cultivated rice. Agricultural Archaeology 1998:21-29
Making genetically engineered plants
Retrieved from "http://www.gardenology.org/w/index.php?title=Plant_breeding&oldid=2267"
Pollination management


Shiloh Mayor Jim Vernier said the city will be "using the funds from the project to do some power repairs out at the Yorktown Golf Course, and replacing the lighting system that's about 40 years old.
"We will be displaying the signs proudly in our community on a few different roadways so our residents will be aware of the village's award from Ameren as being a Progressive City," he said.
The award really is about our residents and businesses that have made conscious decisions to take action in ways to improve our quality of life and reduce our impact on the environment. I want to thank those residents and business owners for working together on this.
"The actions that our communities are taking to improve the quality of life for their residents and businesses are admirable," Ameren Illinois President Richard Mark said in a news release.
This is the seventh year since Ameren Illinois launched the award program. Previous recipients were selected based on business and residential energy savings throughout the year, but 2016 is the first year the company has stretched the selection criteria to include sustainability and other advance initiatives undertaken by the communities, Bretsch said.
Shiloh and Fairview Heights are two of nine cities throughout the Ameren Illinois service territory to receive the designation for success in implementing forward-looking initiatives to better the quality of life for residents and businesses, according to Bretsch.
"The award really is about our residents and businesses that have made conscious decisions to take action in ways to improve our quality of life and reduce our impact on the environment. I want to thank those residents and business owners for working together on this," Vernier said.
The village's partnership with Ameren Illinois during the construction of a new substation and a power line project is one of the reasons the village was honored, Bretsch said.
"Another factor was the opening of the new Memorial Hospital East to help better serve the healthcare needs of Shiloh's residents," said Ray Riddle, Ameren Illinois division director.
The substation was built close to the new hospital to accommodate projected future growth, Vernier said.
Curbside recycling is another "green" endeavor upon which the village has embarked. Shiloh is in the fourth year of a five-year partnership with Republic Services to provide 18-gallon recycling containers to residents.
Shiloh's Board of Trustees approved the implementation of an energy-savings plan for all village municipal buildings in 2013 with Nu Way Lighting Company.
35 residential and business energy efficiency projects in Shiloh, completed between June 1, 2015, and May 31, 2016, generated more than $21,000 in annual energy savings, Riddle said during his presentation.
Bretsch also highlighted the village's active participation in "Rebuilding Together," a multicounty group that provides home repair and renovation services to qualifying homeowners. The initiative enhances the overall appearance of the community and the development and maintenance of walking and biking trails.
Being eco-friendly has "been a priority for (Shiloh) for a long time, and now it's paying off," Terry Bruckert, village attorney said.
Shiloh Administrator John Marquart said this isn't the first time the village has been recognized for its "green" efforts.
"We received the same award from Heartlands Conservancy for our work at preserving the wetlands and our conservancy efforts. It's kind of a different type of conservancy, but still is important for us to help our residents partner with Ameren in times of emergency, improvement and day-to-day operations," Marquart said.


The Encampment Company was started in 2015 by me, Mike Ranta, and my friend Matt Baker. I had been riding trains for a while and finally landed in Wyoming and reconnected with old friends when the idea of making clothing struck me and I was off to the races. Matt has since gone on to work in a different industry and I have continued The Encampment Company out of love. I feel that I have made something really special because I have stuck to the one idea that we had when we founded the company: Be proud of everything we produce.
When the business was young it was hard to really understand what that meant. What are you proud of when it comes to fabric and thread? In time I realized that it was those little things, the small choices, that make all the difference. Whether its as small as paying a little more for a more sustainable button or deciding that you can't choose a particular fabric because you don't support the work standards of the country that it was produced in. The small things, buttons and thread, backed by big ideals.
I started learning to design men's outerwear in 2015 and went through an unmentionable amount of patterns until I started to feel that I was on the right track. I used to joke that I named the first jacket I ever sold the "30-30" because it took 30 bad patterns and 30 good patterns to finally make one great jacket.
As I was developing patterns I was also acquiring all of the sewing machines needed to make a single product. I began by calling old upholstery shops in town and asking what they had laying around. After two years I had all of the machines needed, all back from the grave. Some are old and cool, some are just really old.
In 2019 The Encampment Company packed up all of its machines and moved shop to Phoenix, Arizona.
That about brings it up to date. I am truly proud of every square inch of fabric that comes out of my shop. I really am a small brand, just some guy named Mike cranking out an unreal amount of clothing. I hope to grow and have some more help one day but for now I am happy to be as dedicated as I can be to making great clothing.
-Mike Ranta, The Encampment Co.


Enjoy exclusive offers, priority purchase and discounted travel next season!
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Last Friday Cambridge-United.co.uk announced the club had smashed through the 1,000 mark at record pace, and the demand from the Amber Army has continued through this week also, as U's supporters look to secure their place for another exciting campaign ahead.
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Last week I was invited to an information day in preparation for the launch of the Ypsomed Insulin pump in Australia.
Full disclosure: Ypsomed paid for my hotel accommodation and transportation to attend the info day without any expectation that I would write about their product. Any of the opinions expressed here are my own and come fully locked and loaded.
From the onset, meeting the folks from Ypsomed was a sheer pleasure. The company is born and bred in Switzerland. Everything in Switzerland is nicely organized, the people are extremely polite and the scenery is stunning.
The motto of the company is, "to make life easier and simpler with diabetes" Customer care is the forefront of their focus. Hence the reason for gathering a room full of diabetes bloggers to tell them about the pump and to garner opinions about the product.
I was impressed by the opening statements from Eberhard Bauer, the senior vice president in marketing and sales. Ypsomed is a family business making high-quality products. Pumps are manufactured in Switzerland and local customer support centers are in every country.
The look and feel of this pump is stunning. Lightweight with an easy touch screen, it's discreet and easily tucked away in a pocket or bra. The inserter for the infusion set is similar to the freestyle libre inserter in that at the press of a button, it's in. The glue used to secure the set is skin friendly too. The infusion set also has a 360 spin for the free flow of movement.
I haven't tried a pump yet, but I am certainly interested in learning more about it. I'd have to change the insulin I'm on, which knowing me would require more bravery (I find it really hard to make changes to my diabetes management due to fear rather than just not liking a change in routine). In spite of my frustrating phobia, I am super curious to see how it would affect my diabetes management and even more interested as to how it would work with my active yoga practice.
Even though I am not a pumper I think everyone in Australia should have options to choose how they want to manage their diabetes. Ypsomed is definitely providing that freedom of choice.
If you'd like to know more about the product some of my fellow Aussie Diabetes Bloggers have written some great in-depth posts not only detailing the pros but the cons as well.
I came away from the event not only feeling inspired by the company and their mission but by my friends and fellow bloggers. They weren't shy about asking questions or giving their opinions. As I continue to wade in deeper into a life with diabetes I am finding incredible value in peer support, trusting that my way of management is perfect for me and that we all deserve to have simple and effective management tools at our disposal.
Go here to find out more about the Ypsomed pump.