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FOOTBALL – Mercato PSG : News on the Achraf Hakimi file
June 6, 2021 June 10, 2021 hbureauh 0 Comments Achraf Hakimi, FOOTBALL, Mercato, PSG
In this Sunday's PSG mercato news, Leonardo's offer for Achraf Hakimi revives the rivalry between the capital club and Chelsea on the file.
Mercato PSG : Achraf Hakimi, Paris SG always ahead?
Leonardo is known to make a hit every time he advances on a file. In the case of Achraf Hakimi, Moroccan defender of Inter Milan, the Brazilian seems to be in difficulties despite a first concrete proposal. With the current situation of crisis that knows the world of soccer, PSG hoped to collect the agreement of the leaders of Inter with its proposal estimated at 60 million euros.
The Inter side demanded 80 million euros, an amount that seems to have cooled the former midfielder of the Parisian club. Leonardo would not have given any more news on this file, according to an information of Tuttosport. This source indicates that this silence benefits for the moment the winner of the last Uefa Champions League; Chelsea.
Tuchel on the point of scorching the politeness to the Parisians?
Coach Thomas Tuchel's officials are reportedly working on this track, which could therefore escape Paris Saint-Germain. The 22-year-old Moroccan, Achraf Hakimi, was not closed to the idea of joining the main soccer club of Paris. But with this prestigious courtier, things seem to change, especially since Chelsea shows more willingness to have him than Paris SG.
Leonardo was thinking of recruiting the Madrid native to compensate for the possible return of Alessandro Florenzi to As Roma. The sporting director of the Parisian soccer club is studying other tracks, which suggests that Achraf Hakimi was not really his priority. Otherwise, PSG would have increased the pressure on this file.
The real hot files of Paris Saint-Germain
It is known that the big issues of this PSG mercato were the extension of the contracts of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. If the Brazilian offensive player signed a new lease, the French striker, announced in the papers of Real Madrid, has still not accepted the offer of his management. The versatile Brazilian striker has put an end to the rumor of his return to Barça with his signature.
The transfer market will only open on June 9, so the club from the Parc des Princes still has a few days to work on its files. Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has already confirmed that there will be enough movements within the club this soccer mercato. Of course, the rumors of the transfer market are numerous.
However, Achraf Hakimi was obviously not one of them since concrete acts, from the man who had brought Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and even David Beckham to PSG, are cited by the Italian media. The price offered by PSG corresponded to the real value of the Moroccan. The specialized website Transfermarkt estimates the defender at €60 million. He was bought by Inter Milan for €45 million while he was playing for Real Madrid.
Wijnaldum's transfer to Paris SG completed?
For the time being, PSG may be preparing to make official the arrival of Georginio Wijnaldum, for whom an agreement would be almost found with Liverpool. According to RMC and L'Équipe, the remaining details to finalize the file should be settled in the coming hours.
The Parisian manager could therefore soon devote more time to the Hakimi file, unless Chelsea has taken advantage of his calmness of late to snatch his signature.
← FOOTBALL – PSG Mercato: Juve, a major clue in the case of Cristiano Ronaldo
FOOTBALL – Real Madrid Mercato: Thibaut Courtois drops a bomb for Eden Hazard →
FOOTBALL – OM Mercato : Real Madrid, negotiations in progress for Marcelo
July 15, 2022 July 15, 2022 hbureauh 0
FOOTBALL – Juventus: Massimiliano Allegri on the comeback, Ronaldo close to a departure?
April 30, 2021 April 30, 2021 hbureauh 0
FOOTBALL – PSG Mercato : Juventus ready to play a dirty trick on Paris
June 20, 2021 June 20, 2021 hbureauh 0


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Sachs Explains 'Economics for a Crowded Planet'
Economist Jeffrey Sachs says that the world's population, climate change, poverty and resource use are all closely intertwined. In his book Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet, Sachs discusses the intersection of economics and the environment and argues that humanity must address global problems on a global scale.
"One-sixth of the world remains trapped in extreme poverty unrelieved by global economic growth," Sachs writes. "The poverty trap poses tragic hardships for the poor and great risks for the rest of the world."
NPR NewsEnvironment
Subscribe to Daily Digest, your five minute read to know what's happening in Iowa and around the country.

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Come join the Morrice team for an evening of interactive flower arranging. With help from our staff, participants will arrange stunning holiday floral centerpieces and bring them home to showcase. Please bring your own cocktails or wine. We will provide light snacks and non alcoholic beverages.
10% off storewide to all participants.


"What's the answer to question 2 mate?"
Manchester United's 2018/19 season so far has been turbulent to say the least, but how much do you remember from the Premier League campaign to date. United may have found some form in recent weeks with wins over Newcastle and Bournemouth in the league, but the real test will be when the visit the Etihad this weekend to take on bitter rivals Manchester City.
United have struggled in defence this season conceding 18 goals in the league already and keeping just one clean sheet. David de Gea has come in for some for some criticism given the lack of clean sheets United have been keeping compared to last year but in fairness to the Spaniard, he is playing behind a very shaky defence.
Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof have all struggled at different points at some point during the season with even Scott McTominay filling in at the back as Jose Mourinho searched for a solution.
Antonio Valencia has now been left out of the side whilst Luke Shaw has emerged as one of United's top players this seasons. Now United have found a bit of form, their midfield has also drawn some attention. Ander Herrera put in an excellent performance off the bench against Bournemouth whilst Fred and Paul Pogba have also impressed in spells.
It is this rotation that Jose Mourinho seems to be employing that makes this quiz below very very difficult. It is all about the Manchester United stats from this season, can you get all of them right?


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Gatwick Airport drone disruption ruining Christmas for Surrey families expected to continue overnight
Gatwick Airport apologised to all its passengers, with its CEO saying it shared everyone's anger and frustration
Ann YipSenior reporter
The arrivals board at Gatwick Airport, showing cancelled, diverted and delayed flights (Image: Thomas Hornall/PA Wire)
The disruption at Gatwick Airport is continuing to ruin Christmas travel plans for thousands of people - including families in Surrey.
There is no indication, as of yet, when the airport runways might re-open, but the airport said it expects the chaos to continue for the rest of the evening and into Friday (December 21).
All flights were suspended on Wednesday evening (December 19) after two drones were spotted flying over the airfield at 9.03pm, according to the airport.
A further of sighting of drones forced the airport to close the runway from 3.45am on Thursday (December 20), causing all flights to be cancelled or delayed. There were further reports that a drone was spotted at lunchtime.
Thousands of passengers stranded
Live updates on Gatwick Airport chaos
Staff cancel strike after pay offer
No trains to airport on GWR line
The Ministry of Defence was brought into the airport this afternoon at about 4.20pm to assist Sussex Police. It confirmed it was "deploying specialist equipment".
Meanwhile, easyJet at 5pm announced it has cancelled all its flights travelling to or from Gatwick on Thursday (December 20).
Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate apologised in a statement: "On behalf of everyone at Gatwick I would like to repeat how sorry we are for the inconvenience this criminal behaviour has caused passengers and we share their real anger and frustration that it has happened.
"This is a highly targeted activity which has been designed to close the airport and bring maximum disruption in the run up to Christmas. We are working very closely with the police and the security services to try to resolve this for passengers.
Queues of passengers in the check in area at Gatwick Airport on Thursday morning (December 20) (Image: Thomas Hornall/PA Wire)
"We hope passengers appreciate that we must and will always prioritise their safety over everything else. We are all working flat out to minimise inconvenience and have additional staff in both terminals assisting passengers who are waiting. Regrettably we are still not in a position to say when it will be safe to reopen the airport. As soon as we can we will."
He added: "We are working hard with both the police and Government agencies as we seek to resolve this situation. We know that everyone, including Government, appreciates the severity of the situation and are very grateful for the active role that the police are taking to try and resolve this. We all recognise the urgent need to take the necessary steps that can lead to services getting back to normal as quickly as possible.
Surrey passengers among thousands stranded as drones cause Gatwick Airport travel chaos
"Although not for today, these events obviously highlight a wider strategic challenge for aviation in this country which we need to address together with speed - the aviation industry, Government and all the other relevant authorities. It cannot be right that drones can close a vital part of our national infrastructure in this way. This is obviously a relatively new technology and we need to think through together the right solutions to make sure it cannot happen again.
"In the meantime all our focus is on sorting the current challenge and getting services back to normal for passengers. At the moment, I am not in a position to say with certainty when that might be but everyone is doing whatever they can to help make that happen."
Live updates as Gatwick Airport grounds all flights due to drones
Theresa May in a press conference also spoke out to condemn the illegal activity and clarified that those responsible could face up to five years in jail. She said the government would continue to work with Gatwick Airport to resolve the issue.
Passengers whose flights have been affected have been advised by Gatwick to try booking onto a flight the next day, to try travelling from another airport or to seek a refund.
But trying to catch another flight is not as easy as it sounds. Families in Surrey spoke of having to cancel travel plans for Christmas.
Valerie, 35, from Walton, and her seven-year-old son had planned to fly to Bordeaux to spend Christmas with family.
Queues of passengers at Gatwick Airport, as the airport remains closed after drones were spotted over the airfield (Image: Thomas Hornall/PA Wire)
She said: "I didn't stay at Gatwick as my flight has been cancelled and there was no other flight for my destination (Bordeaux) until December 26 (even full when I tried to transfer my tickets ) and now me and my seven-year-old son are very upset are we are stuck here for Christmas.
"We were planning to see family.
"We go only twice a year and they (my family) are all very sad, especially my nephew who is the same age as my son and they always look forward to see other. So now, we have to deal with lots of tears."
Anita Gibson-lee, 46, from Chertsey, said her family will be giving up on plans to travel to Tenerife.
Gatwick-based staff cancel strike after being offered better pay
She said: "I was due to fly at 6am. We left home at 3am. We had seen the issue but were told to still go to the airport. We were checked in and in the departure lounge when the drones were spotted again. Our flights to Tenerife were cancelled.
"No chance to re-book as it's Christmas. Gutted to be honest, but safety is paramount. I feel sorry for the many families who will lose their holidays and can't book again. In particular the children who were going to Lapland to see father Christmas. Very upsetting for them."
For the latest updates on this situation, visit our live blog here.
Why isn't Guildford a city? Here's why the town hasn't got city status yet
GuildfordGuildford's attempts at becoming a city in the past have not been successful - but why is that? We take a look...


You may have heard about the passage recently of the 21st Century Cures Act. The law was passed on a bipartisan basis by Congress and then signed by President Obama. It provides funding to research cures for many of the most prevalent diseases facing Americans today. Also part of the new law is something known as the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act. This remedies a former quirk in the law that sometimes made it difficult for individuals with disabilities to have a special needs trust.
What is a durable power of attorney and why might you need one?


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Rebel Galaxy headed to Xbox One and Mac
By Charlie Hall@Charlie_L_Hall Jan 13, 2015, 1:00pm EST
Share All sharing options for: Rebel Galaxy headed to Xbox One and Mac
Double Damage games, the "micro-studio" comprised of Travis Baldree and Erich Schaefer, today announced that their space adventure Rebel Galaxy will be released on Xbox One and Mac.
The title, which was unveiled last year here at Polygon, had previously been slated for PlayStation 4 and Steam. Baldree said that a multi-platform release has always been the goal.
"It's a pleasure to announce to Xbox and Mac communities that Rebel Galaxy will be coming to the Xbox One and OSX," Baldree said in a press release. "We wanted to wait to announce it until we had the game up and running on both platforms. That milestone has now been achieved!" Work on the ports is being handled by their partner, Blitworks.
Rebel Galaxy is a space opera that asks players to explore a gritty galaxy as the scheming captain of a massive capital ship. The men behind Diablo and Mythos have taken their expertise in action RPGs and smothered their space game with the same kind of addictive, loot-spawning mechanics that kept PC players' attention through several console generations.
Double Damage plans to have a demo of the game at this year's PAX South in San Antonio, Texas later this month.


Coming off a shocking victory of previously undefeated Burlingame, the Menlo-Atherton boys' basketball team played inspired basketball for the first half before bouncing back with a 45-36 triumph over visiting Terra Nova in a PAL Bay Division game Wednesday night (Feb. 10).
The Bears (5-4, 13-10) took a 26-12 lead into the locker room at halftime. While Terra Nova surged back in the third quarter and outscored the Bears, 16-10, Menlo-Atherton stepped it up in the fourth quarter to post its third straight victory.
Leading all scorers was the Bears' Nils Gilbertson with 17 points, followed closely by Jeff Keller's 16. The Bears continue to be stung by injuries and had only eight players available.


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Ready Mixed Concrete Production Statistics Updated Through June 2018
The estimated ready mixed concrete produced in June 2018 is 34.3 million cubic yards, the same as that in June 2017. The estimated production in the U.S. for 2018 through June is 169 million cubic yards, 2.8% higher than that during the same period in 2017.
Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. More detail, including second quarter production by state, is available to NRMCA members here.
NRMCA, Construction Industry Joins in Support of Hours of Service Reform
NRMCA last week joined the American Trucking Association and members of the Transportation Construction Coalition, including the Associated General Contractors, the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association and the American Concrete Pavement Association, in supporting H.R. 6178, the HOURS Act, introduced by Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR-1), Sanford Bishop (D-GA-2) and Bruce Westerman (R-AR-4). This legislation would build on victories NRMCA secured for the ready mixed concrete industry in the FAST Act: increasing the air mile radius from 100 to 150 miles. The bill further underscores the need for Hours of Service and Electronic Logging Device mandate reform and will likely be part of a broader discussion and push for Hours of Service relief for the construction industry, with NRMCA advocating for ready mixed concrete-specific relief.
Click here to view the letter here. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.
NRMCA Spurs Reintroduction of Resilient Construction Tax Credit
Last week, Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) agreed to reintroduce NRMCA's resilient construction tax credit. This legislation provides a tax credit of up to $3,000 to individuals and $25,000 to companies who rebuild after a federal disaster using resilient construction techniques. This legislation was introduced for the past several sessions of Congress and garnered broad bipartisan support. NRMCA will lead a push for cosponsors once the legislation has been introduced, so stay tuned to ask your Member of Congress to support this important legislation.
For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Looks at Endangered Species Act
The Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) is putting forward legislation to renew the Endangered Species Act (ESA), with an eye to giving states and localities more say and improve the transparency of the listing process. The committee intends for these changes to play a role in contributing to broader efforts to streamline permitting for infrastructure projects. NRMCA joined the Portland Cement Association and the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association in sending a letter of support to Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) and the committee's work on this draft proposal.
Click here to view the letter. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at tyrrell@nrmca.org.
NRMCA Announces Build With Strength Roundtable and Site Tour Events
Join the Build With Strength team and other coalition partners for a roundtable and site tour event where we'll explore the latest innovation in concrete construction: Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) (see photos here).
You'll learn how ICFs are helping apartment and hotel developers, school districts and other building owners provide high-performance concrete buildings at a competitive first cost and low operating cost. You'll learn from developers, architects and contractors about their experiences designing and building with ICFs. They will tell you about energy efficiency, fire safety and noise reduction provided by concrete construction. You will have a chance to ask questions during the roundtable discussion before taking a tour of completed projects and projects under construction.
This event is targeted to developers, architects, engineers and contractors. However, NRMCA encourages concrete producers and other product manufacturers to attend one or more of the events and bring a decision maker with you. In fact, when you register yourself, you will receive a Promotion Code for free registration for your invited guest. Register to today for one of our upcoming events:
October 17-18 - Milwaukee
November 14-15 - Fort Worth, TX
February 5-6, 2019 - Phoenix, *registration coming soon
Come and learn from the experts about the most durable and energy efficient concrete building system and see the product in action for yourself!
For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.
NRMCA Expands Building Promotions Team
Majil'e McCray has joined the NRMCA Building Promotion team as project manager, structures and sustainability, to support the Build With Strength Concrete Design Center. Based out of Elizabeth, NJ, Ms. McCray will develop design recommendations, cost estimates and proposed details, converting building projects to concrete. The Build With Strength program presents developers with concrete building innovations, alternatives and solutions.
New Tennessee Train Station Features Pervious Concrete
NRMCA's Amanda Hult recently joined Tennessee Concrete Association's Executive Director Alan Sparkman (shown on left below) and Beech Construction Services in testing the pervious concrete placed at the Hamilton Springs Station located in Lebanon (below right). This development has been showcased as a part of Tennessee's first transit-oriented development community according to an article in the Lebanon Democrat. Sparkman has been instrumental in working with Beech Construction Services on several pervious jobs, counting toward the advancement of the pervious certification levels. NRMCA Producer member company IMI supplied the pervious concrete for the project.
For more information, contact Amanda Hult at ahult@nrmca.org.
NRMCA Provides Concrete Overlay Webinar for Utah Church
NRMCA Vice President, Local Paving, Don Clem recently conducted a Webinar on concrete overlays for parking lots for Chris Barker, SE, LEED AP, senior structural engineer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) in Utah. Clem outlined the history of concrete overlays in the region, project selection criteria and how to use the Guide to Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Parking Lots (funded by RMC Research & Education Foundation). Also attending the meeting at the church's engineering office in Salt Lake City was Clem's NRMCA colleague Patrick Matsche, Brad Stevenson of the Utah Ready Mixed Concrete Association and Mike Smith of NRMCA member Forta Corp. who coordinated the Webinar. NRMCA will work with Mr. Barker to see if a suitable concrete overlay pilot project can be located.
For more information, contact Don Clem at dclem@nrmca.org.
NRMCA's Ken Justice Noted as Super Fan by Football Hall of Fame
NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Ken Justice's longtime devotion to the Philadelphia Eagles rose to a new level when he was recently inducted into the Pro Football Ultimate Fan Association (PFUFA) at the NFL Hall of Fame. Justice traveled to Canton, OH, last week to don the Eagles' green and be recognized as a super fan; PUFUA honors top fans in the NFL for years of dedicated services in the community as well as at all home games for their respective team.
Justice was one of 14 across the NFL to receive such an honor. The inductees received a gold coin and a gold ring (see photo) and are invited back to Canton for future Hall of Fame weekends. In addition, Justice put his NRMCA speaking skills to the test during an interview on national television with Nate Burleson and Coleen Wolf of the NFL Network (also pictured).
Uncle Sam Wants You: Sign the Pledge to America's Workers!
NRMCA is working with the White House to promote workforce development, job training and skills-based education. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to develop a national strategy for creating and promoting workforce development through skills-based training and partnerships with private employers, educational institutions and non-profit organizations like NRMCA. As part of this initiative, the White House is calling on America's employers to pledge to train and retrain its current and existing workforce through the Pledge to the America's Workers. Across America, companies like IBM, Walmart, Lockheed Martin, FedEx and Home Depot are signing.
National Mixer Driver Championship Sponsorship Opportunities are Selling Fast, Will Your Company Be Seen?
Each year, hundreds of people attend NRMCA's National Mixer Driver Championship, which is a highlight of the year! In conjunction with ConcreteWorks, September 29 through October 1, this conference is one of the best opportunities for ready mix producers to interact with companies that provide goods and services to the concrete industry.
December 11 – 14, Austin, TX Sold Out
Summer/Fall, Cheyenne/Casper, WY
Registration Information Forthcoming
September 6, Phoenix
October 17, Las Vegas, NV
October 17 – 18, Milwaukee
Build With Strength: Roundtable & Site Tour
October 23 – 24, Springfield, MA
October 30, Okemos, MI
November 14 – 15, Dallas
November 29, Kansas City, KS


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Donate to KSHFoundation
Join Now! | Member Login
— Main Menu —Home About Us	- Mission Statement - Vision Statement - Strategic Pathway to Setting the P.A.C.E. - Our Purpose - President's Message - Executive Council - KSHA Board Structure - KSHA Elections - KSHA Photo Gallery - Executive Council (Restricted Access) Members	- Become a Member	- - Welcome - - Online Application	- - - Member Renewal - - - New Memberships - - Printable Form (PDF) - - Auto Renewal Form - Membership Renewal - Member Center - Update Your Information - Professional Development Grants (PDF) - Professional Research Grant Application (PDF) - Awards Information - Resources Students	- Become A Member	- - Welcome - - Online Application - - Printable From (PDF) - Membership Renewal - University/College Programs - Scholarships and Grants Advocacy	- KSHA PAC - iKAN - Tri-Alliance/Advocacy Training - Student Team Event - Professional Advocacy Toolkit - Representatives - Find Your KY Legislator - Find Your US Representative Continuing Education	- Convention	- - Registration - - Convention Brochure - - Wednesday Program - - Thursday Program - - Friday Program - - Partner Opportunities - - Call for Papers - Webinars - iKAN - CE Events Communicator Community	- Resources for Coronavirus - Find a Therapist - Community Resources - Research	- - Survey Opportunities - - Research Participation - Donate to KSHF - Career Center
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2021 KSHA Convention
Kentucky International Convention Center
Interested in presenting a professional presentation or poster? Submit a Call for Papers for consideration.
Submission Deadline:
Professional Presentations: EXPIRED
Poster Submissions: January 20, 2021
(Note: Poster submissions received after January 10, 2021 may not be listed in the onsite program, on the website or in the Pathfinder.)
Submit Today
Join Us In-Person or Virtually
When we think about TEAM, we think about each and every one of you who help to make up this wonderful organization. Wikipedia defines team as a group of individuals who are dependent on one another to work as a whole to achieve a goal. There is no doubt that we are dependent on our members, leaders, lobbyists and support staff. It is cliché that no reputable organization can exist without its members but most importantly an organization cannot be successful without teamwork. KSHA's goal has always been to support the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology in the Commonwealth. This past year has personified that this goal cannot be accomplished without tremendous grit, determination, love and teamwork. KSHA thanks you for your kindred spirit and support.
Now, more than ever, it is critical we continue to work together as a team, as essential health care providers, researchers and educators to provide high quality outcomes for all of those impacted by communication disorders.
No one could have ever predicted we would be living and working through a global pandemic. COVID-19 has no doubt challenged us personally, professionally, mentally, socially and physically. It has truly had an impact on everyone. However, we are bound and determined to show our resilience as an organization to work together as a team to continue to serve our members and to provide you the support you deserve.
It has made us think outside the box resulting in creative and innovative ways to provide care to our patients, to teach the new generation of students, to sustain research endeavors and to provide continuing education events such as this year's Convention.
COVID-19 has definitely illustrated how important and essential audiologists and speech-language pathologists are in our various work settings. Each and every one of us have been pushed to the limits and had to adapt on a daily basis. With face masks, face shields, teletherapy, furloughs and the temporary closing of many of our workplaces, we have had to find a way to continue forward with a sense of grace, diligence and the power of flexibility.
This year's Convention will no doubt look different than ever before but thanks to your commitment, adaptability, flexibility, creativity and teamwork, it will continue to be an event that provides opportunities for high-quality continuing education and networking, albeit if it is in-person, virtual or a combination of each.
We are excited to have a past president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Shari Robertson, as our keynote speaker. She will kick off this year's Convention by highlighting the importance of teamwork within the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology. You will also not want to miss our luncheon speaker, Kentucky's own Joel Katte, who will discuss the need for love and compassion in our profession and beyond.
Our general sessions will include hot topics such as telehealth, advocacy, apraxia, early intervention, pediatric feeding, COVID and dysphagia, dementia, hands-on voice therapy and trauma informed care.
We are humbled and excited to be able to have this year's Convention and we look forward to seeing each of you whether in-person or virtually. We are proud to be a part of this organization and proud to be #TeamKSHA. Thank you for all that you do to support our beloved professions and thank you for being a part of this tremendous team.
Your Chairs,
Tommy Evans and Leigh Anne Roden
Convention Co-Directors
New Session Formats for 2021
Make the Right Choice for You!
To accommodate the comfort level of all of our participants, KSHA will be offering a hybrid Convention model for 2021. All sessions will be offered for virtual viewing while in-person attendees enjoy the same session with a live presenter or watch a virtual presenter. Each session is marked with a format indicator to help guide you through making the right choice for you!
Presenter Format Indicator:
PIP = Presenter In-Person
PIV = Presenter Is Virtual
R = Presenter Will Be Recorded
PIP – Presenter In Person:
In-person attendees will join the presenter in a pre-selected session room. Virtual Viewing Pass participants, will watch from a location of their choice.
PIV – Presenter Is Virtual:
This session will be available to in-person attendees and Virtual Viewing Pass participants. In-person attendees will watch the presenter on-screen in a pre-selected session room while our Virtual Viewing Pass participants watch from the location of their choice.
R – Presenter Will Be Recorded:
For those not able to view the following sessions during their live /virtual presentation, all participants will be provided with a link to watch the recorded version within five days of receiving the link. You will report your participation with your other session attendance. (Sessions 5, 12, 13, 14, 53)
Disclaimer: All session and presenter formats are subject to change. We recommend monitoring the KSHA website, www.ksha.info, for updated information.
Back by Popular Demand
Spirit Day and Tailgate | Thursday
Wear your college gear on Thursday to show your support for your favorite university team competing in the Gold Brain Competition! Join us for a fun tailgate party Thursday immediately following sessions. Wear your college gear and join us for games, fun and a bit of competitive razzing!
Empowerment Zone
Experience Empowerment of Your Association
Join us at the KSHA Empowerment Zone* to learn more about (and experience) the value of your membership.
Learn about advocacy from members of Kentucky's Advocacy Network
Interact with executive council members
Find your path to power by:
Learning about advocacy efforts
Finding out how you can connect with your local legislator to make a difference
Creating a personalized message for your legislator
Silent Auction – Online Bidding
Please plan to place a bid on one of the many items offered by our Kentucky universities. Each university will be competing for the right to claim the first and second place KSHA cash awards
for raising the most amount of money for their university. Please help them achieve their goal by placing a generous bid. Watch for more details.
To promote member advocacy and representation, professional headshots will be available to KSHA members during select days and times that are to be announced. Look for additional details in further KSHA emails.
KSHA Advocacy and Membership Forum – Now on Wednesday
This session will provide updated information to members regarding changes to current legislation, as well as a discussion on advocacy. Additionally, members will be given time to ask questions of professional concern regarding current, upcoming State/federal legislation impacting those with communication disorders.
Show your Kentucky hospitality by volunteering to introduce a presenter or be a virtual session facilitator. Watch your email in January to sign up.
KSHA is offering volunteer slots to students attending the Convention. For volunteering a minimum of four hours, you will be entitled to a free Convention registration. You must be a KSHA student member
to participate. Watch your email in January to sign up. Registration and virtual session facilitator positions will be available.
Highlighted Presenters
Hammam AlMakadma, AuD, PhD, CCC-A, is an assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisville. He earned his doctor of audiology in 2011 and his doctor of philosophy in audiology in 2017 from Syracuse University. His current research activities focus on refining wideband acoustic immittance measurements for clinical diagnosis of middle ear disorders in children and adults and detection of conductive dysfunction in newborns' ears. In addition to research, Dr. AlMakadma assumes responsibilities in teaching and clinical supervision of audiology students at the University of Louisville.
Presenting Wideband Acoustic Immittance: Interpretive Approaches and Clinical Applications, on Wednesday.
Sandra Combs, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist with more than 30 years of clinical, teaching, research and supervision experience. She currently works as a full time clinician at a private special education school in Lanham, Maryland. Dr. Combs has presented on language, literacy, autism and teacher coaching and collaboration at the local, state and national levels.
Presenting What is Autistic Communication, on Friday.
Lynzee Alworth Cornell, PhD, CCC-A, FAAA is the director of clinical services for the program and currently divides her time at the University of Louisville between clinical practice, teaching and research. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee were she obtained her degree in speech and hearing science with a concentration in audiology. While completing her degree she also completed an Alexander Graham Bell Cochlear Implant Fellowship in 2010; one of only nine nationwide.
Presenting Precepting 101: What You Really Need to Know, on Friday.
Angela Dixon, MA, CCC-SLP, is the manager of outpatient rehabilitation services at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana. Clinically, she has been the speech-language pathologist on Riley Cleft and Craniofacial Team, specializing in the evaluation and treatment of cleft palate and velopharyngeal dysfunction related speech disorders. Ms. Dixon is the assistant coordinator for American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Special Interest Group (SIG) 5: Craniofacial and Velopharyngeal Disorders and is the co-chair on the Learning Resource Committee through the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association.
Presenting Early Intervention Therapy for Children With Cleft Palate and Evaluation and Treatment of Cleft Palate Speech Disorders: Preschool and School Aged Children, on Wednesday.
Cari Ebert, MS, CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist in private practice in the Kansas City, Missouri area. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 1993 and her master's degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1995. Ms. Ebert is a therapist, consultant, author and nationally recognized speaker who gets paid to do what she loves most—TALK! She specializes in the birth to three population and believes that collaborating with parents, caregivers and teachers is the most effective way to support early learning and development. She has dedicated her career to helping young children achieve their maximum potential with speech, language and social-emotional development. Ms. Ebert's son has autism and apraxia, allowing her to engage audiences both as a professional and as a parent of a child with special needs.
Presenting Coaching and Bagless Visits in Early Intervention and Using Deep Interests to Guide Programming for Students With Autism, on Thursday.
Kellie Ellis, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Eastern Kentucky University. She received her doctorate from the University of Kentucky in rehabilitation sciences. Dr. Ellis teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework in language intervention, speech sound disorders, literate language and research methods. Kellie is a former chair of the Kentucky Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, former president of the Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association (KSHA) and former chair of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) Governmental Relations and Public Policy Board. She currently serves as KSHA's Governmental Relations/Political Action Committee (PAC) Chair and is a member of the Site Visit Team for the Council of Academic Accreditation.
Presenting The ABC's of Spelling Assessment and Intervention: Practical Strategies for SLPs, on Friday.
Amber Valentine Forston, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, IBCLC, CNT, is a speech-language pathologist who graduated from the University of Kentucky with her Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders. She is a board certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders and an international board certified lactation consultant, as well as a certified neonatal therapist (CNT). She worked for Baptist Health Systems, Inc., for eight years before moving to Florida where she worked for Wolfsons Children's Hospital and Mayo Florida. She is now back in Kentucky working for Baptist Health Lexington. She has experience in adults and pediatrics with feeding and swallowing difficulties including: bedside swallow evaluations, modified barium swallow studies, fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and pediatric feeding evaluations including the neonatal intensive care unit. She has experience with head and neck cancer patients including evaluation and treatment of swallowing difficulties, Passy-Muir valve use and voice after total laryngectomy including tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis.
Presenting COVID and Dysphagia: The Hurdles of PPE, on Thursday.
Sandra Grether, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Cincinnati in the College of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. She has been practicing for 46 years. Her areas of interest and expertise are in prelinguistic communication with individuals with significant cognitive disabilities, the impact of cognition on language in pediatric hearing loss and cognitive disabilities, the neurophysiology of speech and language in children with childhood apraxia of speech and augmentative communication.
Presenting Augmentative and Alternative Communication for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, on Friday.
Caroline Alexander Hudson, MS, CCC-SLP, has provided services to individuals in a variety of settings: early intervention, schools, hospitals, outpatient clinics and long-term care facilities. She has worked as program manager, clinic director and has taught college level classes in communication sciences and disorders. She believes that language is closely connected to overall development, and that language is the foundation for life success. This belief has created a passion for helping children develop language skills. She currently serves as the director of speech-language pathology at Western Kentucky University's Clinical Education Complex.
Presenting Clinical Supervision in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, on Wednesday.
Mark Ittleman, MS, CCC-SLP, has been a speech-language pathologist for 47 years. In Florida, he operated a private practice in Lakeland for nearly 20 years. He also specialized in profound speech and language difficulties in children and adults. In 2001, Mr. Ittleman developed an intensive speech and language stimulation program in Texas. He is a patient advocate and has a special zeal for teaching therapists, caregivers, parents and spouses methods of speech and language stimulation for aphasia. He also teaches others an approach to apraxia that enables caregiver training, home practice and improvement of spontaneous talking.
Presenting Methods to Help Those With Apraxia Talk at Home, on Wednesday and The Teaching of Talking: Stimulating Speech-Language the Fun Way, on Thursday.
Joel Katte has been a staff developer and presenter since 2013. Mr. Katte contends today's relationships are urgent. His professional developments help individuals maximize their relationships and moments with clients, students, colleagues, families and community members. The positive energy that emerges from his learning experience is instantly catapulting cultures to greater levels! He is an experienced secondary English teacher, elementary school principal and alternative schools administrator.
Presenting as our Awards Luncheon Speaker, Getting in the Heads and Hearts of Those You Serve!, on Friday.
Jenna (Rayburn) Kirk, MA, CCC-SLP, has been a school speech-language pathologist for 10 years. She has a passion for creating speech and language therapy materials and writing about current topics in the field on her website The Speech Room News. Ms. Kirk has authored more than 500 best-selling resources on Teachers Pay Teachers and has been featured in the ASHA Leader.
Presenting Mastering Mixed Groups, on Wednesday and SLP Time Savers for the School SLP, on Thursday.
Joneen Lowman, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at the University of Kentucky. She is project director for LinKS, a federal grant to train graduate communication science disorders students in telehealth and the program director for the interprofessional telehealth graduate certificate offered through the University of Kentucky. She is co-principal investigator on an National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) RO1 grant investigating effectiveness outcomes of behavioral parent training for families with deaf and hard of hearing children. Her teaching, research and publications focus on school-age language disorders and telehealth.
Presenting A Systems Approach to Telehealth Design and Delivery, on Thursday.
Tim Nejman, AuD, is an audiologist who works at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. His previous work experiences included providing a variety of audiological services to both the pediatric and adult populations. His interests include amplification (traditional and bone conduction devices), the use of advanced hearing aid features for the pediatric population, selection of prescriptive hearing aid fitting formulas for children with acquired hearing loss, single sided deafness and auditory processing disorders. Dr. Nejman received his Doctor of Audiology from the Ohio State University in 2009.
Presenting Pediatric Hearing Aid Candidacy, Selection and Fitting Considerations, on Wednesday.
Michelle Niehaus, LCSW, is the program administrator/statewide coordinator for deaf and hard of hearing services with the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. A graduate of Indiana University and Washington University in St. Louis, she also holds a certificate in the administration of programs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing from San Diego State University. Ms. Niehaus serves on the KY Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the statewide advisory committee for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program and various other state, regional and national committees.
Presenting Addressing the Whole Patient: Biopsychosocial Impacts of Hearing Loss, on Thursday.
Lesley Raisor-Becker, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a researcher, teacher and practicing clinician specializing in the language and literacy development of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Her research interests include the effects of prenatal drug/alcohol exposure on development, social skills and executive functioning in children. Dr. Raisor-Becker has adopted two children from foster care and has committed her career and personal life to helping vulnerable children.
Presenting Building Trauma-Informed Services in Early Intervention and Examining Implicit Bias: Building Trauma-Informed Services in EI, on Friday.
Erin Redle Sizemore, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor-educator in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at the University of Cincinnati. She has more than 20 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist and has worked with inter-disciplinary teams in a variety of settings including early intervention, schools and pediatric hospitals. Her clinical and research interests include working with families in early childhood, quality improvement, feeding and swallowing disorders, and early speech sound disorders.
Presenting Childhood Apraxia of Speech: What's New and What's Important and Interactive Learning in Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders, on Thursday and co-presenting Building Trauma-Informed Services in Early Intervention and Examining Implicit Bias: Building Trauma-Informed Services in EI, on Friday.
Luis Riquelme, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is currently an associate professor at New York Medical College and director of Barrique Speech-Language Pathology, PC which contracts with a large acute care hospital in Brooklyn, New York. He has authored articles on dysphagia (swallowing disorders), multiculturalism/cultural sensitivity and quality improvement. He has presented locally and internationally. Dr. Riquelme is on the Board of Directors of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative, and immediate past chair, American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. He remains the only person-of-color to have served as president of the New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and received ASHA's Certificate for Special Contributions in Multicultural Affairs in 2009. Most recently, he was recipient of the ASHA 2020 Media Champion Award for his representation of and guidance to speech-language pathologists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presenting COVID-19 Update and Presbyphagia: Impact on Our Practice, on Friday.
Shari Robertson, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a professor emerita and provosts' associate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She is an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Fellow and the 2019 President of ASHA. Robertson has published numerous articles, book chapters, and clinical materials and presented hundreds of workshops at state, national, and international venues on a variety of topics. She enjoys helping her fellow ASHA members find ways to nurture their professional and clinical skills as well as their creative and entrepreneurial talents.
Presenting I Used to Have a Handle on Life, But it Broke!, on Wednesday and on Thursday as our Keynote Presenter, Imaginologists Imagine More! Also presenting Stress-Free Strategies for Building Better Readers, on Thursday.
Jade Robinson, PhD, is an assistant professor in the communication disorders program at Eastern Kentucky University. She received her Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Disorders from Florida State University. Dr. Robinson is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. Her primary clinical research interests include early intervention and parent-implemented strategies that facilitate language development. She teaches a variety of courses, including language development, language assessment, diagnostics in communication disorders, school-based services and augmentative and alternative communication.
Presenting Training for Team KSHA!, a special student session, on Thursday.
Michael Scott, AuD, currently serves as the Auditory Clinical Research and Implant Program Coordinator at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. His clinical and research interests include auditory implants, auditory (re)habilitation and electrophysiology. In addition, Dr. Scott has a background in educational audiology, adult auditory (re)habilitation and auditory implant program development. He received a master's degree in communication sciences and disorders from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and a doctor of audiology (AuD) degree from the Northeast Ohio AuD Consortium. Dr. Scott is also an adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati.
Presenting Contemporary Approaches to Auditory Implants in the Pediatric Population, on Thursday.
JoAnna Sloggy, PhD, CCC-SLP, received a bachelor's degree in music from Methodist University, a master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Memphis and a doctorate degree in rehabilitation sciences from the University of Kentucky (UK). She is a provider at the University of Kentucky Voice & Swallow Clinic where she is a member of the voice care team and serves as the singing voice specialist. Dr. Sloggy provides assessment and intervention for general and professional voice disorders, aging voice, behavioral disorders of the upper airway including vocal cord dysfunction and chronic cough. In addition, she serves as clinical supervision of graduate and undergraduate students completing rotations and observation hours. Her research area focuses on aging voice changes in professional singers. Dr. Sloggy is also a consultant for medical device technology software companies and provides professional vocal coaching for television/on-air personalities.
Presenting Voice Therapy Workshop, on Friday.
Stephanie Volker, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist who specializes in providing cognitive rehabilitation to children and adolescents who have impairments due to acquired brain injury or chronic conditions. She received her Bachelor of Science in education and Master of Science in speech-language pathology at Miami University in 1994 and 1995 respectively, and achieved certified brain injury specialist certification in 2005. She is currently employed at Cincinnati Children's, serving children and adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) as a clinician in the Division of Speech-Language Pathology. She was instrumental in creating and developing Cincinnati Children's outpatient neurorehabilitation team, a family-centered, collaborative, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation program for children and adolescents who have sustained an ABI.
Presenting SLP Treatment of Executive Function and Attention Skills, on Thursday and Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist in the Treatment of Mild TBI, on Friday.
Gail Whitelaw, PhD, is a clinical associate professor and director of the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She is also the audiology faculty member on the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Disorders (LEND) grant at Nisonger Center at Ohio State, a maternal and child health training grant. Dr. Whitelaw has been involved with leadership aspects of the profession of audiology, including serving as the president of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), chair of the Board of Governors of the American Board of Audiology (ABA), and president of the Ohio Academy of Audiology (OAA). Her areas of clinical interest include auditory processing disorders (APD) in children and adults, tinnitus and sound tolerance disorders, and issues related to functional hearing loss. She is also interested in professional practice issues, including ethics education and mentoring. She received the Outstanding Clinical Educator Award from the American Academy of Audiology in 2019.
Presenting Fifty Shades of Ethics: Professionals Ethics for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists, on Wednesday.
Continuing Education and Disclosures for the KSHA Convention
ASHA Continuing Education
This course is offered for up to 2.75 ASHA CEUs (various levels, professional area)
The supervision session is offered separately for 0.2 ASHA CEUs.(intermediate level, professional area)
The ethics session is offered separately for 0.2 ASHA CEUs. (introductory level, professional area
AAA Continuing Education
Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association is approved by the American Academy of Audiology to
offer Academy CEUs for this activity. The program is worth a maximum of 1.9 CEUs. Academy approval of this continuing education activity is based on course content only and does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedure, or adherence of the event to the Academy's
Code of Ethics. Any views that are presented are those of the presenter/CE Provider and not necessarily of the American Academy of Audiology.
International Institute for Hearing Instruments Studies
This program has been submitted for 1.9 International Hearing Society CE credits.
Division of Child Care for Early Care and Education
(Pediatric Track Only)
Click here for list of approved sessions, instructions and forms.
Presentation Disclosures
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KSHA empowers speech-language pathologists and audiologists through...
Setting the PACE for our Profession!
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Magdalena Wolf is executive producer at Magnopus, responsible for business development and overseeing planning & implementation of all aspects of production, from budgeting through final delivery.
She transitioned to the visual effects industry in 2001 from physical production on television shows, commercials and music videos in Europe. With over 10 years of experience in visual effects, her credits include films; After Earth, Gangster Squad, Life of Pi, Savages, Water for Elephants, 2012, and Iron Man. In addition to feature films, she has worked on a variety of television shows, commercials and music videos, notably with clients such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, BMW, Lincoln, and ESPN Monday Night Football / NASCAR. She has managed complex projects with teams of 300+ artists and more than a dozen vendors worldwide.
In 2008 Magdalena effects produced a Gold Clio winner; The Key to Reserva, a seven-minute commercial short film by Martin Scorsese.
Magdalena is a member of the Producers Guild, the Visual Effects Society, and is a certified Project Management Professional® with the State of California, as well as a Certified ScrumMaster®.


USN-2306-1 introduced a regression in the GNU C Library.
USN-2306-1 fixed vulnerabilities in the GNU C Library. On Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, the security update cause a regression in certain environments that use the Name Service Caching Daemon (nscd), such as those configured for LDAP or MySQL authentication. In these environments, the nscd daemon may need to be stopped manually for name resolution to resume working so that updates can be downloaded, including environments configured for unattended updates.


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Lawyers, Guns and Money: Gold Mining and Biodiversity in the Biosphere Reserve
by Bryan Jáuregui | Conservation, Culture, Education, Plants, Wildlife
by Bryan Jauregui, Todos Santos Eco Adventures
This article was originally published in Janice Kinne's Journal del Pacifico
Lawyers, guns and money. For the last several hundred years these have been the tools employed throughout the Americas to resolve land use and land ownership issues, and the system continues to thrive in present-day Baja California Sur. If you have enough of all three deployed in the correct proportions, you can generally carry the day. So how could the staff of a resource-restricted, government-operated, conservation-driven institution face down a large multinational company aiming to put an open pit gold mining operation in the UNESCO-certified natural area that they are charged with protecting? If you're the employees of CONANP (The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas) in Baja California Sur you look to the earth. You invoke the powerful forces of nature. You call in the botanists.
When the CONANP team first met Dr. Sula Vanderplank of the Botanical
Sierra El Taste.Photo by Jon Rebman
Research Institute of Texas in 2014, she and her colleague Dr. Benjamin Wilder of the University of Arizona and Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers (N-Gen; www.nextgensd.com) had just completed a terrestrial biodiversity study of the lands surrounding Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park. Not coincidentally, these were the same lands targeted by a developer with plans to construct a massive 30,000-room hotel complex on the shores of the marine park. While there are likely many factors that ultimately lead to the termination of the project –massive protests, focused effort by leading local and international NGOs, international media scrutiny – it is beyond a shadow of a doubt that the findings of the team lead by Sula and Ben were a strong contributing factor. Why? In the area where they were to construct the hotel the botanists and their bi-national, multi-disciplinary team recorded no fewer than 560 species of flora and fauna. Of those, 100 (almost 1 in 5) are endemic to the Cape region of Baja California Sur, and 42 are on the Mexican endangered species list. Until that time, no one had any idea of the magnitude of the biodiversity of the area. As the authors of the study concluded, "Given the large number of endemic species present in the area, large-scale development projects risk the full scale and local extinctions of endemic species with narrow geographic ranges. Entire species could be lost forever (and their roles within the Sonoran Desert ecosystem) from the unique places where they evolved in situ during thousands or millions of years."
Development 's deadly impact on biodiversity: CONANP was inspired. Gold mines operating in a protected natural area: N-Gen was invigorated. The opportunity to bring serious scientific scrutiny to Arroyo La Junta and the Los Cardones open pit gold mining project: it was too compelling to ignore. The CONANP/N-Gen team of Sierra scientific superheroes was born.
Now fictional superheroes like Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark conveniently come with immense family fortunes to back their earth-saving endeavors. Not so with reality-bound botanists and their colleagues. When Sula and Ben were first introduced to the Arroyo La Junta area in the Sierra foothills where the Mexican government had authorized the Los Cardones mining project, they couldn't find much science on the area. A good bit of work had been done at the higher elevations of the Sierras, but the area around the proposed gold mine had remained a generally science-free zone. With the help of CONANP, Sula and Ben set out to change that and, as they had done in Cabo Pulmo, created a proposal to bring rigorous scientific investigation and analysis to determine the magnitude of endemism and biodiversity in the area. CONANP was thrilled. Potential funders were silent.
Anti-mine protest in Todos Santos town plaza. Photo by Kamal Schramm
"Then an interesting thing happened" says Ben. "When the government approved the MIA (environmental impact assessment) of the Los Cardones mine, the people of Todos Santos and La Paz rose up in protest and staged rallies and marches against the mine. This public outcry really gave new life to the importance of understanding the potential impact to the biosphere reserve."
Anne McEnany, president of the International Community Foundation, had been involved in educating people about economic activities in the Biosphere Reserve for years, and immediately grasped the importance of the N-Gen project. "ICF has been working with local organizations to educate and inform the general public about the Biosphere Reserve and the La Paz watershed by developing curriculum, analyzing potential economic activities, and convening workshops. When the N-Gen research team approached ICF to finance a biodiversity assessment there, we knew it was the right next step. How can CONANP appropriately manage such a large area without knowing what is there?" The CONANP team breathed a sigh of relief. The botanists got busy.
Sula came down in September 2015 to scout out the area and to work with the director of the Sierra La Laguna Biopshere Reserve, Jesús Quiñónez Gómez, on the permitting required for the team to conduct its research. The scouting trip a little scary. Recalls Sula, "The Los Cardones people had guards and check points at several spots in the Arroyo La Junta area, and it was definitely a little intimidating. So when we came back with the whole team in December 2015, we were apprehensive about the type of reception we might receive." The "whole team" consisted of 46 participants, including 29 scientists from 19 institutions (10 from Mexico and 9 from the US). Everyone was a little nervous, but by the time the team arrived to conduct their 8 days of investigation starting on December 4, 2015, the roadblocks and guards had been removed and the team worked without interference.
And apparently without much sleep either! The group, many of whom had worked on the Cabo Pulmo study and are part of the N-Gen network of investigators, consisted of 5 main teams of scientists: 4 botanists (the plant people), 6 entomologists (the insect folks), 8 herpetologists (the snake and lizard researchers), 7 mammologists (self-evident) and 4 ornithologists (the birders). Specialists for each taxonomic group worked almost around the clock, systematically surveying different areas as daytime collections gave way
Herpetology Team. Photo by Alan Harper
to nocturnal studies, which in turn rolled into bird surveys underway well before dawn. A CONANP management team of 10 people kept the whole project going, while the Rancho Agua de Enmedio family kept them all well fed, and Niparajá assisted with local logistics.
It couldn't have been more perfect: a CONANP-inspired, ICF-funded, N-Gen-executed project with a multinational team of scientific rock stars to assess the biodiversity of an area that has been consigned to the ravages of open pit gold mining. It is the people of Baja California Sur's dream team, and if ever salvation were at hand, it is now. But "now" is December. The rains of summer are but a distant memory so few annual plants persist, and the perennials are not sporting many of their distinguishing flowers and fruits; the botanists are challenged. The weather is cool and the cold-blooded snakes are not inclined to come out; the herpetologists find solace in the amphibians. There's water in the arroyo so land mammals are around, but volant mammals (AKA bats) are the least likely to be active in the Sierras in December; the mammologists scan the night skies with few catches. Aquatic invertebrate communities often show great seasonal variability, and there are substantial taxonomic limitations to larval identification; the entomologists take pleasure in the huge number of harvestman spiders around that freak out all the other scientists. Lots of birds are in residence, but several important species frequent the Cape Region only in summer; the ornithologists make do with what they have.
Baja California Sur Tree Frogs. Photo by Michael Bogan
All of which makes it even more impressive that in the 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of land currently petitioned for use as the Los Cardones open pit gold mine project, the N-Gen team found 877 (eight hundred and seventy-seven!) species of flora and fauna, including 107 species endemic to the Cape Region alone, and 29 species listed as endangered by the Mexican government. Not only that, entirely new species were documented, including 2 insect species (and possibly more), and a completely new plant species record for the entire Peninsula, Brickellia diffusa, part of the sunflower family. And given the limitations of their research – they only had 8 days at a relatively unproductive time of year – the results are all the more astounding. In fact, the scientists reckon that their study represents only 25% (invertebrates) to about 50% (reptiles and amphibians) of the total species present in the region. It's the frickin' Garden of Eden on a 500 hectare lot.
But everyone knows that the Garden of Eden comes with a fast-talking serpent (apologies herpetologists) who doesn't have the happiness of mankind at heart when he offers temptation to the innocent. As Exequiel Ezcurra, Director of the California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) and co-editor of the study writes in the introduction to the soon-to-be-published study, "At the end of ten years of operations, the Los Cardones mine would have extracted about 173 million tons of rock, 135 million of which will have been deposited as waste in large pilings, and 38 million tons will have been accumulated in tailings in the form of sediments saturated with cyanide solution. In those ten years the project would have consumed about 300 million kilowatt-hours from the local power grid, releasing about 150,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere generated by the consumption of about 100 million liters of fossil fuels. In return, the project would generate only about 200 jobs for the entire region and only a meager eight tons of gold for the benefit of a private company."
Scarier still, like the Garden of Eden, Arroyo La Junta is bounded by rivers, and its tributaries lie along the division of two watersheds. The ridge just to the north of Arroyo La Junta demarcates the boundary where water flows to the La Paz watershed, ending in the Gulf of California. Arroyo La Junta itself flows towards Todos Santos and empties into the Pacific Ocean. As Exequiel writes, "The mining project Los Cardones….plans to extract gold at the headwaters of the La Paz watershed treating the extracted rock with tons of cyanide, an amount sufficient to kill the entire population of Mexico." Everyone on the peninsula knows that just one big hurricane could release a disaster of untold proportions from the mining site – it's already happened in Sonora.
Of course it is the water that is the very source of the incredible biodiversity of Arroyo La Junta. The aquatic organisms that the water supports attract a vast array of predators like bats, birds and spiders, and the huge number of insects attracts reptiles and amphibians like frogs, who in turn attract larger predators like raccoons and coyotes. The arroyo is not just a source of drinking water for many of these species, it forms the actual basis for regional biodiversity. The humid air and damp areas extend the active period for many species, most especially reptiles, which means that they can extend their ecosystem functions for a larger part of the year.
CONANP discussed the study's results. "When a company arrives to undertake a project in a protected area, the government wants to know if the project is compatible with the
Dr. Benjamin Wilder and Dr. Sula Vanderplank at Arroyo la Junta. Photo by Alan Harper
mission of that area. In this case, the protected area is the Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve, and the mission of CONANP is to protect its biodiversity for future generations. The results of this study reaffirm that mining is incompatible with that mission. The mining company says that it can restore everything as it was after it digs these huge holes in the earth, but this study proves that restoration would be extremely difficult, if not impossible." Ben is more direct. "The biodiversity numbers of the mining company's MIA (environmental impact assessment) don't even come close to what we documented. Restoration to what we see today after 10 years of mining would be impossible." Exequiel agrees. "…we want to remind ourselves again, extinction is forever; our children will never be able to see the species that our generation pushes to oblivion."
Lawyers, guns and money. In some cases these tools bring clarity, but in others they are employed to obfuscate, intimidate and renumerate away obstacles. And therein lies the beauty of the N-Gen study – it is pure, crystal clear, science. Every fact fully documented and not subject to dispute. And the timing could not be better as there is now a precedent for scientific institutions setting environmental parameters for mining operations. On February 8, 2016 Colombia's Constitutional Court repealed Article 51 of the National Development Plan that had allowed the Environmental Licensing Authority to authorize mining projects in the Andean paramos, tropical alpine ecosystems. It ordered the Ministry of the Environment to use the map created by a scientific research institute, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute, as the basis for demarcating the boundaries of the paramo habitat. As Exequiel writes, "This was the first time a country had so explicitly put the human right to a safe water supply above the interest of big mining companies. It was also the first time that a nation had given such importance to a scientific research institute in the decision making process."
Arroyo La Junta is in the part of the Sierras that was designated a Biosphere Reserve by the Mexican government in 1994 and by UNESCO in 2003. So the area's value has long been suspected, but now, because of the inspiration of the CONANP team to bring in the scientific star power that is the N-Gen network, the true natural wealth of the area has finally been documented and all the players know exactly what is at stake: "Hundreds of species, many of them rare and endemic, others new to science or yet to be described." The incredibly high rate of endemism is a result of the extreme isolation that the Sierras enjoyed for possibly millions of years. It is the natural heritage of the Mexican nation, and the very source of life for the residents of the Baja California peninsula. All the gold, all the lawyers and all the guns in the world cannot replace it. The botanists showed us that.
Study Findings:
Group No. Taxa Endemics NOM-059
Endangered Species List
Plants 381 77 2
Insects 366 15 0
Reptiles & Amphibians 24 6 16
Mammals 29 3 2
Birds 77 6 9
Mexican Institutions US Institutions
@Lab Botanical Research Institute of Texas
CIBNOR Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers
CICESE Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, The College of Idaho
CICESE, Unidad La Paz San Diego Natural History Museum
CONANP San Diego State University
Fauna del Noroeste San Diego Zoo Global
Niparja Sky Island Alliance
Rancho Agua de En medio University of Arizona
Terra Peninsular University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Guadalajara
Vanderplank S, BT Wilder, E Ezcurra. 2016. Arroyo la Junta: Una joya de biodiversidad en la Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra La Laguna / A biodiversity jewel in the Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve. Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers, and UC MEXUS. 159 pg.
The study will be published in June 2016, and you will be able to find it on the N-Gen web site at www.nextgensd.com.
Todos Santos Eco Adventures operates trekking and cultural programs in the Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve, working with local ranchers and their families. For more information please visit www.TOSEA.net
© Copyright Sergio and Bryan Jauregui, Casa Payaso S de RL de CV, 2016
Mangroves: The Trees of Life
by Bryan Jáuregui | Conservation, Food, Plants
This article first appeared in Janice Kinne's Journal del Pacifico
Extinction. It happens. In fact, scientists estimate that 99% of all species that have ever strutted, slithered, swum, fruited, flitted or flowered on earth no longer exist. Cataclysmic events like asteroid hits, smashing continents and massive volcanic eruptions have already caused 5 mass extinction events over the last 4.5 billion years, each wiping out 50% to 90% of extant species. So why do some people currently get so het up about the extinction of a pretty bird species here or a weird-looking fish species there? Because it's personal this time. After only 200,000 years on the planet our poor homo sapien habits have disrupted 65 million years of peaceful evolution to trigger the 6th mass extinction. That is, this time humans are not only the major cause, we're also a likely casualty. Let's face it, being at the top of the food chain matters not if there's nothing underneath.
Mangrove Circle of Life. Collage by Tori Sepulveda and her students Monica Devine, Carol Bailey, Susan Willison, Joanna Spinoza, Christina Douglas and William Dubroraw.
Two Mexican biologists – Gerardo Ceballos and Andres Garcia of the National Autonomous University of Mexico – workingwith colleagues from Stanford, Princeton, Berkeley and the University of Florida, recently published an article in Science Advances showing that if the loss of species in the world continues at its current rate, then the current extinction could be on par with the 5 previous ones in 240 to 540 years – three to seven human life spans. A mass extinction happening fast enough to be perceived within a human lifetime – it's completely unprecedented. The study states that the triggers for these deaths – pollution, predation and habit change – are all manmade. But Dr. Ceballos, the lead author on the study, offers some hope, "I'm optimistic in the sense that humans react – in the past we have made quantum leaps when we worked together to solve our problems."
In other words, we need to get our collective act together. The study concludes, "Avoiding a true sixth mass extinction will require rapid, greatly intensified efforts to conserve already threatened species and to alleviate pressures on their populations – notably habitat loss, overexploitation for economic gain, and climate change." It's perhaps not surprising that two of the study authors are Mexican, as Mexico is one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet, and actually is considered mega-diverse – one of only 17 countries in the world with 70% species diversity. And here in Baja California Sur, mangroves are one of the most biologically important ecosystems in the state. In fact, mangroves are one of the most productive and biologically complex systems on the planet.
Magnificent Frigatebird Rookery at Isla Espiritu Santo by Ettore Botta
Mangroves are arboreal amphibians – salt tolerant trees that have evolved to bridge land and sea in tough coastal environments. They cover over 700,000 hectares (over 1.7 million acres) of the Mexican coastline, which is 5% of the world total – only the huge coastal countries of Brazil, Australia and Indonesia have more mangroves than Mexico. And they don't just look cool, they are a full service life support system, providing food, refuge and breeding grounds for numerous crustacean, fish and bird species, waste processing and pollutant filtering for good ocean and wildlife health, and hurricane and storm surge protection for coastlines and coastal communities; with roots deeply embedded in mud, mangroves can absorb up to 90% of a wave's energy. On top of all that, they're a heckuva lot of fun to explore recreationally. Dr. Octavio Aburto of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography has calculated that these services can reach an annual value of US$100,000 per hectare, which means that every year, Mexico's mangroves contribute up to 70 billion dollars to the national economy.* Even Donald Trump would call that a lot of money.
Yet every year humans clear thousands of hectares of mangroves in Mexico to make way for tourism developments, shrimp farms and other agro-industrial developments, giving Mexico the dubious distinction of having one of the highest mangrove deforestation rates in the world. Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra, Director of the Institute for Mexico and the United States at the University of California laments, "This short-term vision ignores the losses for society that are generated by degrading such a valuable ecosystem."* Dr. Aburto and Dr. Ezcurra predict that, at current deforestation rates, in 25 years close to 50% of Mexico's mangroves will have been lost, and countless more species will succumb to habitat loss. To put this into perspective, the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that the planet lost 50% of its wildlife in the past 40 years, and that habitat loss is the greatest threat to all remaining species.
Yellow-crowned Night Herons in Mangroves by Kaia Thomson
Dr. Patricia Gonzalez Zamorano, a landscape ecologist at CIBNOR (Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste) in La Paz who has been studying the mangroves of the Baja peninsula since 1997, cites a book† on mangroves recently-published by her institution and others when discussing the importance of mangroves to biodiversity in Baja California. "The mangroves of Baja California are the northernmost in the Eastern Pacific, and they support a tremendous number of species. Research over the years has confirmed that our mangroves support 159 fish species, 152 bird species – 43% resident, 57% migratory, 214 seaweed species, and 213 species of marine macroinvertebrates, including 72 species of crustaceans such as crab, shrimp, and krill, and 62 species of bivalves including oysters, clams, and mussels. While the rate of mangrove loss in Baja California is comparatively low at "only" 2% per year, between 1973 and 1981 we lost 23% of the mangrove forests surrounding La Paz alone due to development." It can cost several thousand dollars and up to 100 years to restore a single hectare of mangrove to its full environmental services capacity.
Fish in Mangroves by Octavio Aburto
Dr. Aburto and Dr. Excurra worry that mangrove loss could cause irreparable damage to fisheries. Mangrove-related fish and crab species account for 32% of the small-scale fisheries landings in Baja California Sur, and mangrove loss, coupled with overfishing, have already had a severe impact on the state's fishing industry. While the evidence is only anecdotal at this time, it is clear that many families who have been fishing in the state for generations are already looking to other sources of income as rapidly declining fish stocks are challenging their traditional livelihoods.
As homo sapiens we often make the short-sighted decision to allow a habitat to die, because we feel the resources required to sustain it are needed to allow mankind to live. It can take great creativity and commitment to find solutions to immediate human problems that will provide the biodiversity mankind needs to flourish past more than just the next three generations. The stakes are about as high as they come: Dr. Ceballos and his colleagues state that if the loss of species continues on the current projection, then "On human time scales, this loss would be effectively permanent because in the aftermath of past mass extinctions, the living world took hundreds of thousands to millions of years to rediversify." In other words, save that pretty bird, that weird-looking fish, that mangrove today, and they just might return the favor tomorrow. Extinction. It happens. But it sure feels different when it's coming for you.
*National Geographic Voices, the International League of Conservation Photographers, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Mangroves in the Gulf of California increase fishery yields
†Los Manglares de la Península de Baja California, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur
Rescatando Nuestros Arrecifes Y Manglares (Rescuing Our Reefs and Mangroves) is a brand new project taking place in BCS. It's the brainchild of four marine biologists who, while sitting around the pool enjoying a cold beer, got into their favorite topic: how dirty the ocean is becoming and how plastic seems to be everywhere. Usually that would have been the end of it. But not this time.
Rescatando Nuestros Arrecifes Y Manglares
A date was set, a plan was made, and on July 22, 2015 more than 50 divers cleaned four reefs. Then less than a month later, on August 16, more than 100 kayakers and SUPers cleaned all the mangroves in La Paz Bay. Just a few weeks later, on September 6, the divers cleaned Pargo Villa, a rocky reef in 60 feet of water south of Cerralvo Island. While the divers were out a classroom of 5th graders cleaned the beach at La Ventana. Afterward the two groups got together to share what they had found, talk about how it got there, and how to prevent it from returning.
The organizers of Rescatando Nuestros Arrecifes Y Manglares – Mariana Padilla, Pepe Torres, Ronaldo Vilchis and Pablo Ahuja – have pledged to do a cleanup of a reef or mangrove every month, and so far have completed 3 cleanups in less than 3 months.
The organizers are seeking donations to purchase a laptop and computer projector so that they can begin environmental education in the schools of La Paz. To learn more about how you can get involved and be a part of the project, please visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Rescatando-Nuestros-Arrecifes-y-Manglares or contact organizer Pablo Ahuja at
ROCKIN' THE MANGROVES. The rock band Linkin Park is taking center stage in conserving mangroves in Baja California. Through their philanthropic arm Music for Relief, Linkin Park has partnered with the environmental group WildCoast to conserve 61 miles of mangroves in Baja California's Magdalena Bay. Through WildCoast's #MangleEsVida campaign, the program is raising funds to help protect mangroves so that they in turn can help mitigate coastal flooding to protect wildlife and coastal communities. For more information on Linkin Park, WildCoast and saving mangroves in Baja California, check out #MangleEsVida and/or contact WildCoast's Monica Franco Ortiz at
Also check out our article, Mangroves: Coastal Problem Solvers


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School of Music Statement Against Injustice
Over the last few weeks UofSC School of Music Community has been profoundly impacted by the growing movement for racial justice following the senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement officers as well as private citizens. The nation, our state, and our university are acknowledging and confronting the hurtful and life threatening impact of systemic racism. The School of Music stands together with them in expressing our outrage, denouncement of anti-Black violence, and our dedication to the cause of achieving justice for all through inclusion, equality and equity.
Members of our Carolina Music Community stand by the words in the Carolinian Creed that actualize a community invested in equity and justice for all: I will practice personal and academic integrity; I will respect the dignity of all persons; I will respect the rights and property of others; I will discourage bigotry, while striving to learn from differences in people, ideas and opinions; I will demonstrate concern for others, their feelings, and their need for the conditions which support their work and development.
The School of Music is dedicated to working with our university leadership, President Robert Caslen, Provost William Tate and Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Julian Williams to actively advance action on behalf of fairness and the safety for all Americans, but most especially Black Americans at this critical moment in American history. We are engaged in self-reflection and planning to manifest and inspire lasting change. We encourage others to do so and join us in our musical efforts as they emerge over the coming weeks and months.
Forever to thee…
Tayloe Harding


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