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Government + Elections
Sununu joins businesses to blast employer vaccine mandate
BY: Ethan DeWitt - November 8, 2021
As New Hampshire joins a multi-state lawsuit against a Biden administration employee vaccine mandate, some state business leaders are arguing the mandate will cause them to lose employees. At a press conference Monday, a group of business representatives argued the new mandate – which directs businesses with employees of 100 or more to require vaccines […]
Proposed program would help women and people of color access capital
BY: Amanda Gokee - November 8, 2021
Proposed legislation would make money available to assist business owners who haven't historically had access to capital, including women and racially diverse residents of New Hampshire. The $1 million scholarship fund would cover both the borrower fee and the bank fee in the loan process for those who are eligible. The goal is to provide […]
Supply chain issues are taking a big bite out of school lunch menus
On Oct. 26, the food service director for Governor Wentworth Regional School District hopped on a Zoom call with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The news was disheartening. The next monthly shipment of staple items from the department would contain only one meat item: pulled pork. The rest of the shipment would consist of canned […]
Marketing firm talks clicks and impressions, but is it finding success getting people vaccinated?
BY: Annmarie Timmins - November 1, 2021
In mid-October, the Manchester marketing firm awarded nearly $1.3 million by the state to boost New Hampshire's vaccination numbers sent the state a performance report of the newest social media campaign: Ads had 619,736 "impressions" and 1,231 "clicks" on Facebook and Instagram in the first week. It's the same proof-of-success evidence the state Department of […]
Legislative committee approves use of robotic delivery devices
BY: Ethan DeWitt - October 21, 2021
New Hampshire could be on the path to legalizing and regulating autonomous package carriers, after the House Transportation Committee voted unanimously to recommend a bill to do so. In a 20-0 vote Tuesday, members of the committee recommended a bill that would allow a "personal delivery device" or "mobile carrier" to operate on sidewalks and […]
Banks rally opposition to IRS reporting proposal
A federal proposal to require banks to file financial reports about U.S. bank accounts to the Internal Revenue Service has attracted sharp criticism from New Hampshire Republicans in recent weeks – with the governor and House speaker arguing it will impinge on privacy and freedom. But as lawmakers tinker with the idea down in Washington, […]
Sununu tells executive councilors they can set conditions for sale of Lakes Region Facility
BY: Annmarie Timmins - October 18, 2021
A recent law change requested by Gov. Chris Sununu allows him to bypass the typical review process and sell the 220-acre former Lakes Region prison property in Laconia with just three votes of the Executive Council. But Sununu told councilors they can set any conditions they like on a future buyer. Councilor Joe Kenney, whose […]
New study links state's high cost of living to the number of building restrictions
New Hampshire has one of the highest costs of living in the United States and the fourth highest number of building restrictions. A new study from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy and St. Anselm College's Center for Ethics in Society says the two are connected. In a 50-page report published Wednesday, study author […]
Border to reopen to vaccinated Canadians next month
BY: Amanda Gokee - October 13, 2021
Vaccinated Canadian tourists will be able to travel across the land border with the United States starting in November, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday. That's good news for New Hampshire residents and businesses that have been negatively impacted by the closure that started in March 2020. And it follows calls from the […]
New Hampshire employers face another pandemic hiring challenge: housing
Back in spring, Simbex was looking to expand. The Lebanon-based medical device manufacturer was hoping to grow its workforce from 32 to 46. The hiring market was brutal; restaurants, main street stores, and businesses were struggling to entice new employees and coax back old ones. But Simbex wasn't having trouble attracting employees. The real difficulty was […]
Border closure continues to be a challenge for Indigenous people, businesses, residents
The Canadian border has been open to vaccinated citizens of the United States since early August, but the United States has yet to reciprocate the policy. Instead, each month the Biden administration has extended the closure – as well as the closure of the southern border – to the confusion and dismay of some New […]
Cut to meals and rooms tax to take effect on Friday
BY: Ethan DeWitt - September 30, 2021
New Hampshire's meals and rooms tax will decrease 0.5 percent starting Friday, a result of a change in the 2021-2023 budget that brings the rate down to 8.5 percent. As of Oct. 1, those in New Hampshire eating at restaurants and food service establishments, purchasing alcohol at bars, staying at hotels and app-driven accommodations on […]
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Pest Exterminators London offers specialist advice, inspection and control when it comes to rats in your house.
We've helped countless of landlords in Temple Mills, Sanderstead and Croydon. We have a dedicated team that's determined to exterminating rats, mice and pests from your flat.
Nobody likes having rats in their property, which is why we're committed in providing tenants with long-lasting 24 hour rat control and treatment.
Our trusted team of specialists rat terminators are here to help you in Temple Mills. Contact us on 0800 772 3262 and we'll be able to get a pest controller at your Temple Mills home on the same day.
At PEL, our team of experts follow and carry out an effective service that delivers a 93% success rate on our first visit.
Step 1. Will visit your property or flat within 24 hours. A member of our experienced team will assess the property for signs and areas for rats. They'll explain the solution needed to eliminate the pests and clear your infected property.
Step 3. We'll schedule another appointment to revisit your property. We'll analyse the current situation and clear any dead pests. Afterwards, prevention measures will be put in place, blocking any identified accessible entry points. This will prevent further intrusion.
impressive and proficient. At PEST EXTERMINATORS London, we're devoted in providing homeowners or residents with efficient pest treatments. We promise to dispatch rat terminators in Temple Mills.
Our team of professionals are trained to evaluate the extent of your invaded property and carry out a 100% removal of Bees, Earwigs and Rats.
This includes home and home. Our pest services are also available for schools, restaurants and factories.
PEL (London) takes great pride in the friendly solutions we offer to residents in Temple Mills. Whether you need us on weekdays or bank holidays, you can be sure that PEL is here to help you within hours. If you're are browsing for an trustworthy pest service, then you've found the right team of professionals.
We also offer commercial contracts to charities and housing associations for rat terminators in Temple Mills, Highams Park and Hither Green. Pest Exterminators carries out regular reviews of the COSHH Regulations 2002 and ensures all our documentation is current.


Better late than never this time, here is my official announcement for the 2014 Halloween Costume Contest Giveaway!
Upload your Halloween Costume video response before midnight November 10th.
Costumes should be based around a weapon of some sort.
Comment to this YouTube video with a link to your YouTube Halloween Costume entry video.
The winner (Canada & US only) will get a KWC/Cybergun Blowback Pistol of their choice (standard versions).
Of course anyone from outside of Canada and the US can send me a video link to their Halloween Costume videos and I will be sure to include your videos in my Featured Halloween Costume Contest Giveaway 2014 YouTube Playlist even though you are not eligible to win a prize.


For many leading markets, February produced the largest monthly volume since the first quarter of last year, with 30-day BTC trade activity surpassing $200 billion, and ETH exceeding $100 billion.
February saw the highest volume for BTC trade in one year, with BTC pairings generating nearly $206.37 billion in trade during the last 30 days.
The increase in trade activity was driven by the run up to $4,000 during the middle weeks of February, with volume having since retraced amid sideways consolidation. The surge in activity comprised a 34% gain in trade activity month-over-month.
USDT trade also produced its heaviest month of trade since the first quarter of 2018, with $177.12 billion worth of tether changing hands. USDT trade activity increased by 56.50% when compared with January.
Monthly ETH trade activity reached a one year-high during 2018, with $104.46 billion worth of ethereum having been traded during the last 30 days. As such, ETH trade increased by 34.40% month-over-month.
During February, EOS ranked as the fourth-most traded cryptocurrency for the fifth consecutive month. $33.24 billion worth of EOS were traded during the last 30 days, comprising a 54.75% gain in trade activity. February comprised the strongest month of EOS trade since May 2018.
LTC ranked as the fifth-most-traded crypto asset for February, with $32.85 billion worth of litecoin changing hands. LTC saw a 93.58% month-over-month gain in volume, comprising the strongest month of trade since the first quarter of 2018.
XRP was the sixth-most traded cryptocurrency of February for the second consecutive month, with $17.66 billion worth of XRP changing hands during the last 30 days. XRP trade activity increased by 30% month-over-month, however, failed to exceed the trade volume generated throughout December.
BCH ascended two positions to rank as the seventh most traded crypto asset of the past 30 days with $8.91 billion worth of trade. Despite posting a 40.54% gain monthly trade, February comprised the second-weakest month of trade in more than 12 months.
Dash re-entered the top ten after falling to 12th last month, ranking eighth with $6.22 billion worth of trade. February saw dash produce a 48.45% volume increase month-over-month, comprising the strongest month of trade since September.
NEO produced its strongest month in over 12 months, with $6.21 billion worth of NEO changing hands in the last 30 days. NEO comprised the ninth-most traded crypto asset during February, breaking into the top ten for the first time since November. NEO trade activity increased by 72.5% month-over-month.
QTUM produced its strongest month of trade since the first quarter of 2018, generating $6 billion worth of trade in the last 30 days. Monthly QTUM trade increased 22% when compared with January ranking it as the 10th-most traded cryptocurrency during February.
CKUSD comprised the 11th-most traded crypto asset during February with $5.87 billion worth of trade. February saw monthly CKUSD trade activity gain 38%, comprising the strongest month of trade since Q1 2018.
ETC rose two positions to rank as the 12th-most traded cryptocurrency with $5.75 billion worth of trade in the last 30 days. February posted a 60% gain in monthly ETC volume, comprising the strongest month of trade since August.
Despite falling from the top ten, ZEC produced its strongest 30 days of trade since Q1 2018 for the second consecutive month, with $5.22 billion worth of ZEC changing hands. February saw ZEC volume increase by 4.4%, ranking as the 13th-most traded cryptocurrency.
TRX comprised the only crypto asset of the top 15 to post a reduction in trade volume during February. $5.08 billion worth of TRX was traded during the last 30 days, ranking as the 14th most trade crypto asset.
XLM posted its strongest month since the first quarter of last year, with $3.99 billion worth of XLM changing hands. XLM comprised the 15th-most traded cryptocurrency during February, with volume increasing 23%.
BTT comprised the 16th-most traded crypto asset during February, with $3.86 billion worth of BTT having been traded.
BSV ascended one rank to comprise the 18th-most traded cryptocurrency during February, with $2.70 billion worth of trade. BSV trade activity increased 34.33% month-over-month.
PAX saw a nearly 10% decline in monthly trade activity, slipping one position to rank as the 19th-most traded crypto asset with $2.01 billion in trade.
TUSD ranked as the 20th-most traded cryptocurrency for the second consecutive month with $1.87 worth trade, a nearly 17% increase in trade volume.


Second truth about Penguin 2.0 is that it is not limited to English queries. It extends to the hundreds of other queries conducted in other languages. This simply means that wherever you are in the world and whatever language you are using, you are not safe from the potential harmful effects of the flightless bird.
Third important thing to take note is that Penguin 2.0 is not a mere data refresh. This means that Google has completely changed the algorithm. This further means that those spammy tricks that seems to work so well for you in the past? Guess what? They are unlikely to work for you now. In fact, indulging in black hat SEO techniques may just be your downfall.
Last but not the least is that you can expect a lot more Penguin updates in the not so distant future. Looks like Google is pretty serious about these changes and there is nothing anyone can do to change that. The changes now are just the beginning. Matt Cutts has mentioned that they are adjusting the impact that they want, starting at one level and working their way up.
While these updates can be good, this also leaves many other affected webmasters and SEOs frustrated at the negative impacts.
To give you an overview of the effects, sites that are included to be on the losing side in terms of search big brands.
But just as there are two sides of a coin, there is also what can be considered as the winners. These winners are the sites that have greatly benefited from the Penguin 2.0 update.
Notice that there most in the top 25 winners are social media sites? This result coupled with the fact that more and more people are into social media may just bring the era of social media marketing at its height. If you want that high rankings then you might want to consider a significant portion of your time and resources to social media marketing.
Another thing to take note of is the unethical practice of black hat SEO methods. The ethics, or rather the absence of it, when it comes to black hat is universal knowledge yet many webmasters often resort to it as a means to achieve the desired rankings. But with the Penguin 2.0 and the subsequent updates later on, black hat SEO will cease to be just unethical. It will be harmful to your site as well.
If you are big on black SEO, then it is high time to clean up your sites. Remove those spammy or low-quality pages from your website as well as those spammy inbound links. It is also recommended that you engage in a new inbound link building campaign.
I guess the moral of all this lies in the most basic of all: the importance of keeping your sites clean and free from unethical method, and the importance of keeping up to the date with the latest strategies. Looks like social media marketing is the new "in" thing.


Do your school science facilities make the grade? Do they give you a platform to inspire pupils and nurture their potential?
Innova Design Group is conducting a fun survey with a serious aim – to build an accurate picture of the quality of school science labs in the UK.
Win a day without the stress of lesson planning as Science Made Simple deliver a trio of interactive shows at your school worth up to £650+VAT.
Receive – a fun illustration that visualises (or perhaps more realistically dramatises) how good or bad your lab is. Believe us – you'll want to see this! The illustration comes complete with Latin lab classification.
Benefit – from being kept in the loop with the results of the survey.
So please – get involved. You could win a great prize that engages your students with science, while helping us to build a picture of how good, bad or indifferent school science labs are in the UK.
Fab lab or drab lab? Complete our survey here to find out!


WASHINGTON (AP) _ A monumental work by contemporary German-born artist Anselm Kiefer titled ″Zim Zum″ has been given to the National Gallery of Art by a private committee of wealthy contributors, gallery director J. Carter Brown said Wednesday.
″Zim Zum,″ which measures nearly 18 1/2 feet by 14 1/2 feet, is the first Kiefer work to enter the gallery collection. Completed earlier this year, it will be put on public display Thursday in the gallery's East Building.
The Kiefer work is made of several interlocking sheets of lead partially covered with canvas treated with oil, crayon, ashes, sand and lead and clay dust, with a canvas landscape painting across the bottom.
Kiefer's complex works include references to Teutonic mythology and historical drama. The title ″Zim Zum″ refers to the Judaic concept of Tsimtsum, the instant of creation described in the Kabbalah, a mystical Jewish system of occult beliefs and scriptural interpretation.


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Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Dark Gravity
Enabling a Universe that Supports Intelligent Life
By darkmatterdarkenergy
Dark matter is like the hidden part of an iceberg found below the water line. The hidden part is the dominant portion of the mass and supports the structure apparent from the visible portion above. Dark matter couples to ordinary matter through the gravitational force. The ordinary visible matter, which we detect through light from galaxies and stars, is analogous to the portion of an iceberg above the water line.
Why is dark matter important? It dominates the mass-energy density of the universe during the early part of its lifetime. Just after the epoch of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) the universe is composed of mostly dark matter (dark energy comes to dominate much later, during the most recent 5 billion years). But also there is the ordinary matter, which at that time is a highly uniform gas of hydrogen and helium atoms, with slightly overdense and slightly underdense regions.
The existence of a large amount of dark matter promotes much more efficient gravitational collapse of the overdense regions. This is a self-gravitational process in which regions that are slightly denser than the critical mass density (which is also the average mass density of the universe) at a given time will collapse away from the overall expansion that continues around them. Both the dark and ordinary matter in such a region collapse together, but it is the ordinary matter that forms the first stars since it interacts via various physical processes (think friction, radiation, etc.) to a much greater degree allowing for collapse. The dark matter, interacting only via gravity and perhaps the weak nuclear force, but not through electromagnetism, remains more spread out, more diffuse. The dark matter promotes the collapse process though, through increasing the self-gravity of a given region and this results in more efficient formation of stars and galaxies. There are many more stars and galaxies formed at early times than would be the case in the absence of substantial dark matter.
From cosmological observations including the CMB and high redshift (distant) supernovae, we find dark matter is about 1/4 of the mass-energy density of the universe. Dark matter is composed of either faint ordinary matter or, more likely, exotic matter that interacts through the weak and gravitational forces only. Dark matter is clearly detected by its gravitational effects on galaxy rotation curves, and is inferred from the kinematics of clusters of galaxies and the temperature measures of X-ray emission from very hot gas between galaxies in these same clusters. Dark matter is also detected through gravitational lensing effects in our galactic halo and in very large-scale cosmological structures. The abundance of deuterium, which is produced from Big Bang nucleosynthesis, in conjunction with the universe's now well-known expansion rate, severely constrains the density of baryons (amount of ordinary nucleonic matter, i.e. protons and neutrons) in the universe and leads to the conclusion that over 80% of matter is nonbaryonic.
The MACHO (MAssive Compact Halo Objects) alternative, which refers to potential ordinary matter, is thus limited. The WIMP (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) contribution is dominant. Hot WIMPS (e.g. neutrinos) are ruled out because they inhibit clumpiness and galaxy formation in the early universe. Cold nonbaryonic dark matter is the best candidate, with the primary candidate being an hypothesized, undiscovered particle. Neutralinos are thought by many particle physicists to be the best candidate for this, and have an expected mass of order 50 to 250 times the mass of the proton. It must be emphasized that no neutralino or similar particles (known as supersymmetric particles) have ever been detected directly. It is hoped that the Large Hadron Collider newly operational at CERN near Geneva may do this.
There may be direct detection of an annual modulation of the WIMP wind in a large scintillation array. There is also a possible indirect detection which manifests as an excess of 1 GeV gamma rays in our galactic halo. Significantly more sensitive detectors are needed to find these elusive particles and to provide a stronger foundation for supersymmetric physics, which postulates many new and heavy particles. An important experiment AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, 2nd generation) is scheduled to be carried to the International Space Station on the last Endeavour Shuttle mission scheduled for April 19, 2011. See http://www.ams02.org and http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/04/04/6403905-will-space-jam-delay-shuttle-launch
The next decade should allow us to shed new light on dark matter. Whatever it is made of, without the existence of substantial amounts of dark matter, there wouldn't be nearly as many stars and galaxies in the universe, and we very likely wouldn't be here.
1 Comment	| tags: Dark matter, MACHOs, neutralinos, WIMPs	| posted in Dark Matter

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The Lebanese government is approving a plan to deal with the worst financial collapse in the country's history
Rolf Colon September 16, 2021 2 min read
Beirut – Reuters
On Thursday, the Lebanese cabinet approved its policy plan to deal with the worst financial collapse in history.
As Lebanon plunges into the abyss of economic collapse, three-quarters of its population is on the brink of poverty, and the local currency has lost 90 percent of its value over the past two years.
The government of new Prime Minister Najib Mikati met at the Presidential Palace on Friday after a year-long political stalemate and agreed to a motion to be tabled in parliament for approval.
The draft document includes the resumption of talks with the International Monetary Fund and the restructuring of the banking sector. An official source said the government had agreed to the plan without any major changes to the draft.
The Lebanese pound has risen significantly against the dollar in the past week since the government was formed, after reaching $ 23,000 last month, selling at about $ 13,800 against the US dollar on Thursday.
The draft plan said the Mikadi government would revamp the previous financial recovery plan, which set the deficit at about $ 90 billion, which was approved by the International Monetary Fund. The World Bank has described Lebanon's financial crisis as the worst recession in modern history.
The size of the losses was a major sticking point that led to the collapse of the plan last year, the size of which was opposed by key politicians and bankers, which eventually led to the suspension of negotiations last summer.
Some believe that the rapid decline in living conditions over the past year and the shortage of basic commodities such as fuel and medicine, which have paralyzed almost every aspect of life, will motivate politicians to make decisions. Previously rejected.
See also Find out about the countries that officially announced the start of Ramadan on Saturday
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Mhm. Just a few moments ago, together with two friends, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates, I made a very special appeal for them to agree on a historic peace agreement. The most interesting question is why the United Arab Emirates has chosen to change its long-standing position to become the third Arab country to establish formal relations with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan. The United Arab Emirates had previously complied with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which established the normalization of a two-state peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, which accepted pre-1967 borders and guaranteed the right of return of Palestinian refugees. The head of the Israeli settler group Yesha Council, David Elhayani,[he], accused Mr. Netanyahu of "betraying" some of his most loyal supporters and of "deceiving half a million people in the region and hundreds of thousands of voters." Oded Revivi [he], the mayor of Efrat, a settlement of more than 9,000 people south of Jerusalem, supported Netanyahu, arguing that "the Israeli agreement to defer the application of Israeli law in the Jewish settlements of Judea and Samaria was a fair price to pay," adding that it could change the way settlements are viewed. [40] Beit El Settlement Mayor Shai Alon and Shomron Regional Council President Yossi Dagan also criticized the agreement. [37] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes in the strategy first described in the 1920s as an "iron wall" between the Jewish state and the Arabs. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned the United Arab Emirates that it will have dangerous consequences for the agreement. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the agreement a "huge mistake" and warned the United Arab Emirates that Israel was not safe in the Gulf. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke of a betrayal of Arab and non-Arab countries in the Middle East. A group of protesters with less than 100 residents gathered in front of the VaE Embassy in Tehran on 15 August, chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".
What Is An Noa Agreement


Ask and you shall receive… I'm so excited to share my first real weddings feature with you today! Not only are the future bride & groom very near and dear to my heart, but their photographer is nothing short of fabulous. Kerry, the bride-to-be, fills us in on some behind-the-scenes details – While, Kina Wicks, captures their Chicago love story perfectly.
Your engagement photos are gorgeous. How did you discover Kina Wicks?
Thank you! We both are so excited with how they turned out! As two not-so-normally-photogenic people, we were a little worried but we really couldn't have asked for them to turn out any better.
We were really nervous about picking a photographer. A certain style of photography for the wedding was really important to us and we had put a lot of pressure on finding the perfect one in our heads. We absolutely love the style of film photography as it has a real soft, almost antique look when it's developed but knew that asking for film photography was raising the price bar significantly. Needless to say we were anxious to find someone who fit the bill and our budget.
I had worked with an amazing family and birth photographer (Suzy at Simply by Suzy) at my old job who shot mostly on film and had that soft, personable look that we loved. Knowing she only does a select number of weddings each year, I reached out to ask if she had any recommendations for photographers that shared her style and love of film. As fate would have it, Suzy just opened a studio space with a wedding photographer, the lovely Mrs. Kina Wicks, and quickly passed us along to her! We met her for an in-person consult a few days later and 100% fell in love. Though we tried to play it cool in the meeting, the minute we both got in the cab to go home, we turned to each other with HUGE smiles and knew then and there that we had found the perfect person to capture our big day.
Love that green dress. What made you chose your outfits for the shoot?
Ohh man…I spent hours thinking about what I wanted to wear and stalking other people's (including yours) engagement pictures online. I knew I always wanted two different outfits — one a little dressy and one a bit more casual – but hadn't really thought much about it outside of that. Once we decided to do engagement pictures, I liked the idea of us wearing one "everyday" outfit so it felt more natural and less staged.
A few weeks before the shoot, I was browsing online and immediately spotted the green sheath at Banana Republic. I love that it was long-sleeved and knew that I'd get wear out of it outside of the shoot so I took the plunge hoping it'd work out. Luckily it did…and Colin loved the color!
I also really needed a new fall coat so what better time than now, right? I found the blue corduroy one I wore for some of the pictures while at LOFT one day after yoga and while there spotted the comfy cream and black sweater which I quickly snatched up. That sweater has actually become my favorite…it is SO soft and cuddly.
Colin didn't really have a huge preference on what he wore so I picked up the grey sweater and plaid button up (which had some green in it to match my dress!) at Banana after work one day. He chose the purple thermal for his second outfit from his closet that morning as we were getting ready, which turned out great.
The thing I love about the outfits is that they are completely our style and things that we continue to wear on an ongoing basis. The more casual outfits make it feel like they don't necessarily have to be engagement photos. They could just be random pictures of us from a random day, which is nice to have!
What's the significance of the locations of your engagement photos?
The only place we really wanted to make sure we had pictures at was where Colin proposed – Diversey Harbor. Over our years here in Chicago, we've developed a love of the city skyline view from this harbor and it's really become a special place in our hearts. Before we got engaged, we even bought a painting of the view because we love it so much. That always makes Colin laugh because at that time he knew it would become an even more significant place for us a month later when he would propose.
The other locations we left up to Kina. We told her we wanted some "downtown" looking ones so she brought us along the river on Wacker Drive where we got some amazing shots with the buildings behind us and some of our favorite "artsy" ones on the bridges down there.
What made you decide to get engagement photos?
Going into the photographer hunt, we really had no thoughts about engagement photos. I always thought they were really cute but didn't see them as a necessity. Kina's packages always include engagement photos so that's really how ours came to be.
Looking back, we're really glad we did them for a few reasons. They really gave us and Kina the opportunity to get to know each other and how we act in a photo shoot environment. For most, you're not used to getting your picture taken professionally and since you'll be in the same situation on your wedding day, it's nice to have a "dry-run" of sorts where you figure out what's comfortable, what's not, what angles you like of yourself and what works for the two of you. For Kina, I'm sure it also gave her a better idea of how to get the best pictures out of us on the big day.
I also really like having nice, professional pictures of us that aren't of me in a wedding dress and him in a suit. Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait for the wedding pictures and will for sure have a billion of them around the apartment, but these provide us with something that's a little more typical or representative of us in daily life.
So, when can we see more? When/where is your wedding?!
We are getting hitched on October 4 at The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum here in Chicago and we couldn't be more excited!
While it's an out-of-town wedding for most of our friends and family, anything but a Chicago wedding just didn't feel right to us. We likely won't be out here forever so wanted to have this be a really special day to celebrate our time here.
Thank you Kerry for giving us a glimpse into your gorgeous shoot! (and thanks brother!) Be sure to stay tuned for more on their wedding journey!
note: I'm off for a little winter break – Back to blogging on Monday. Don't miss me too much!
So honored to be part of the blog today Cait! Love love love it…and you!


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@interface MKPhotoCell : UICollectionViewCell
@property (strong, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIImageView *photoView;
@property (strong, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *nameLabel;
@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


What will be in your horse's stocking this year?
December 25 is nearly upon us, which means two things. On the one had, it's a time of togetherness and love, when far-flung families meet up and even strangers greet you with the familiarity and cheer of an old friend. On the other hand, it also means having to rush around like a headless chicken finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones.
If the clothes make the man, the show rug makes the horse.
It's not just your human friends who will need to be pampered. Your cantering companions should also experience a little Christmas cheer. To make the job a little easier, here are five horse products you might want to consider for your horse's stocking.
If the clothes make the man, the show rug makes the horse. You might already know your horse is a champion, but you'll want it to look like one too. Whether you haven't got one, or your horse's old show rug is starting to look tatty, spoil your horse with a new, beautiful, custom-tailored show rug that will help it stand out in competitions.
Remember, there's an equine health aspect to this, too: A horse rug in general will protect your horse from being battered by the elements. There are a variety out there, such as the generic turnout rug or the stable rug, but if you don't mind spending a little extra, you could buy a New Zealand rug, made from wool and shipped over from the Pacific country itself.
It's not easy being a horse. Spending countless hours in a stable, particularly on one's own, could drive anyone a little crazy. Cooped up horses without entertainment or companions can develop behavioral tics like stall-walking, head-shaking and wood-chewing, according to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
A toy such as a large horse ball or jolly ball can do wonders to alleviate this boredom, inside and outside the stall. One need only look at a video of a horse playing with one of these toys to see how true this is.
We're all familiar with the terrible feeling of putting on cold clothes in the dead of winter. Spare a thought for your horse, who has to bite onto a freezing, metallic bit every time you take it for a ride in the colder months.
A bit warmer can be a useful item that will improve your horse's comfort when the mercury drops. There are countless types, from corded models that are constantly heated, to the more common cordless versions that require you to put a heat pack in the microwave before applying it to the bit.
Christmastime should give you the leeway to spend on horse supplies that you might not otherwise buy, but would make for a pleasant treat. If yours is not a show horse, for instance, you might ordinarily pass on buying the kinds of beauty products that get a steed looking sharp for a show.
Treat your horse this Christmas. Buy a new brush to whip that mane into shape, or get yourself some high foaming shampoo to give your horse healthier skin.
Whether it's money or concern about keeping your equine in shape, you might not always buy your horse its favorite tasty treat. But it's Christmas! This one time of the year, you can afford – literally and figuratively – to go out and nab the biggest bag you can of the treat your horse loves best. And don't be stingy – give it a couple extra goodies on Christmas morning.


I live near the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. I'm a spontanious and sportive woman and I love modelling. Two years ago I discovered that I really liked it very much and I'm so enthusiastic that I want to learn more. I like challenges and I think that here are the opportunities to meet and work with different people, photographers, make-up artists, bodypainters etc. I have experience in modelling and worked with several photographers. I like Art Photograpy and the Art of the Body. I think this website is the place to be to meet so many different artists!


text:
The hydrogen panel
How did bioscience engineers at KU Leuven manage to convert water vapour directly into hydrogen gas, with record efficiency? And does their hydrogen panel signal the end of fossil fuels? We asked Johan Martens and Tom Bosserez from the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis for the answers.
Johan Martens and his team developed a panel that converts sunlight and water vapour into hydrogen gas with a 15% efficiency.
Professor Johan Martens and his team have had some pretty hectic weeks. The media interest in their new hydrogen panel has made his mailbox explode, says Martens. "The telephone hasn't stopped ringing, and we get countless questions from journalists, fellow scientists, and even homeowners offering us their roof as a testing ground. But we're not losing any sleep over it – unlike our colleague Jan Rongé (the third main protagonist in this story – ed.), who is probably not getting much rest: he became a father, so we're trying not to bother him too much."
In Belgium, twenty of these panels could heat and supply electricity for a well-insulated house with a heat pump all winter long.
When we bring up the famous panel, Martens is quick to warn us: he can't divulge too much information about the science behind the system yet. "We've submitted several patent applications. As long as these are still pending, it's way too risky to give details. That's also why we've barely published anything." Nonetheless, there's plenty to talk about, even without the technical details.
Is your team's latest invention a new type of solar panel?
Johan Martens: "Strictly speaking: no. A solar panel converts solar energy into electricity, while our panel converts moisture from the air into hydrogen gas. Sunlight is part of the picture, of course, and our panel does look like a solar panel, but we prefer to call it a hydrogen panel."
What makes this hydrogen panel so special?
Tom Bosserez: "Our system converts sunlight and water vapour from the air directly into hydrogen gas, with an efficiency of 15%. That's more efficient than the traditional ways of producing hydrogen gas. In Belgian weather conditions, our panel can produce an average of 250 litres per day on an annual basis. To give you an idea: twenty of these panels could heat and supply electricity for a well-insulated house with a heat pump all winter long. If you also install a solar thermal collector and traditional solar panels, you have enough to get through the year."
Martens: "Our technology is completely unique. Look, anyone who is familiar with what we do at the KU Leuven Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis knows what our field is all about: clever combinations of adsorbents, catalysts, and membranes. But that's all we can say at this point. Next question!" (laughs)
What was the biggest challenge you faced when developing this technology?
Martens: "Our starting point was simple: how can we produce fuel any time and anywhere? That question led us straight to the most logical answer: air, and especially the moisture it contains. Even desert air has enough water vapour in it, so you can apply this process anywhere. Water vapour is the fourth gas in the air after oxygen, nitrogen and argon, so if you find a way to catch that, you have more than enough water to split."
"But then comes the key question: how do you get this water out of the air to split it into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas? The temperatures on a solar panel can easily reach up to 50 or even 70 degrees Celsius, which doesn't help when you're working with water vapour. Moreover, how do you create a system that works in the pouring rain and in situations where the humidity is very low? The biggest challenge, in other words, is the aspect of water management. Our system has a solution for that issue. But if you want to know more, you'll have to wait a little bit longer."
What are the advantages of hydrogen gas as a renewable source of energy?
Bosserez: "Hydrogen gas is easy to store during the summer, allowing you to use it during the following winter. You could store the hydrogen gas in a pressure vessel, for instance. When there's overproduction, you could also put the surplus gas on the natural gas network – similar to what we're already doing when traditional solar panels and the electricity network produce too much electricity. This approach would require some changes to the gas network, but nothing excessive. You could even mix natural gas and hydrogen gas in the existing network for a gradual transition to pure hydrogen gas."
Does this panel make wind farms and traditional solar panels obsolete?
Martens: "No, definitely not. Our technique complements other ways of producing green energy. The existing methods to produce hydrogen gas will still have their place. To manufacture steel or artificial fertiliser with our system, for instance, you would need a substantial number of hydrogen panels. As such, traditional electrolysis is still a better option for these industries. People who think that we're lobbying for the hydrogen gas economy are wide off the mark, in other words."
A truck can't drive from Leuven to Spain on batteries. With hydrogen as a fuel, long-distance transport becomes possible.
Bosserez: "Our system does not necessarily compete with the batteries in electric cars, either. Batteries are ideal for short distances in light vehicles. At a certain tipping point, however, hydrogen gas becomes the better option. A truck, for instance, can't drive from Leuven to Spain on batteries. Moreover, hydrogen gas has great potential for shipping as well."
Is hydrogen gas dangerous?
Bosserez: "Hydrogen gas is a form of concentrated energy – as are batteries, natural gas, and petrol – so you always have to be careful. However, hydrogen gas is not more dangerous than, say, natural gas. We've been using natural gas in an industrial context and at home for decades now. If we gradually replace natural gas with hydrogen gas, you wouldn't even notice the difference."
Can hydrogen gas save the climate?
Martens: "Energy supply is not the sole cause of climate change, of course, but it's true that hydrogen gas can play an important role in the transition to a carbon-neutral society. It's a chemical way to reach that goal, if you will. Our system produces hydrogen gas in a carbon-neutral way: we take water vapour out of the air, use it to produce energy, and at the end of the cycle, it's water vapour again. This is a very quick cycle, unlike the extremely slow geological cycle of fossil fuels. The cycle of biomass is too slow as well, by the way. As such, biomass is not a very interesting option for the supply of energy, but it has its use for the production of materials and green chemicals."
Bosserez: "Did you know that most hydrogen gas is produced on the basis of natural gas? That's why the end product is called 'grey' hydrogen gas. Our hydrogen panel produces 'green' hydrogen gas because we only use renewable sources of energy. There are several other hybrid forms with equally colourful names, by the way. These hybrid forms are still useful because green hydrogen gas is not an economically competitive option yet."
How much is this hydrogen panel going to cost?
Bosserez: "At this stage, we can't put an exact price on the panel yet, but we want to make it as affordable as possible. In any case, the raw materials for our hydrogen panel aren't costly: we don't need any precious metals or other expensive components."
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Join England's #1s Lauren Smith, Abigail Holden, Freya Redfearn, Evie Burbidge and Gauri Shidhaye for an evening of girls badminton training, practices and challenges.
The session is for any girl (11-18 years old) who has played badminton before (no complete beginners) and wishes to understand what it is like to take the sport to a competitive level. All that is required is a reasonable standard of badminton skills (we recommend club players and above) and a willingness and enthusiasm to try.
Players will get to meet the country's best young female players, hear about their experiences and gain some valuable tips for when they are next on court.
The session will be led by our EPT lead coach George Bevan.


Discussion in 'Teaching overseas' started by kinderegg, Apr 7, 2011.
Yes. I'm going. Booked a hostel through hostelbookers.com near to the venue. Cost £50 for a bunk for 2 nights!
Staying with a friend. To be fair to them, I think they booked the date before William and Kate did, so it's a bit selfish of those royals really.


The Project Censored show hosts Mickey Huff and Peter Phillips look at the police state and suppression of information in the US. They check in with civil rights activist Carl Dix from Ferguson, MO and Peter Phillips and Diana Grant tie in their recent study on police violence and militarization soon to be released in Censored 2015. Next they talk with Michael McCray, of the Acorn 8, co-organizer of the recent Whistleblower Summit in Washington, D.C.,; and finish with a clip from Strike Debt on eminent domain in Richmond, CA.
Mickey Huff host this week's Project Censored Show which presents a speech given by Peter Phillips at the Fellowship of Reconciliation's annual conference on July 4, 2014. Peter spoke on "the Transnational Corporate Class, U-S NATO Empire, and Corporate Media Propaganda." Phillips addresses the concentration of global capital and identifies the financial core of 161 individuals who control $24 trillion dollars of capital investment. The US-NATO military Empire is in service to the Transnational Corporate Class, Phillips claims, and adds that "wars are started to protect global capital."
Peter Phillips hosts with Project Censored Affiliate Faculty member Nolan Higdon. Mickey Huff had just returned from the National Whistle Blower Conference in Washington DC and joins by phone later in the show. The shows acknowledges the importance of protest songs in the struggle for human rights and social justice. David Rovics joins us for the airing of activist music from his most recent CDs Falasteen Habibti ("Palestine, My Love") and All the News that is Fit to Sing. During the second half of the show they get an update from Mickey Huff on the content of the new Censored 2015 yearbook to be released next month and the national Whistle blowers Conference. At the end of the hour they play short segments from the award winning film Project Censored the movie.


text:
Q: change dash layout don't work after trying to access some page without being logged I have a code that is responsible for logging in a user, if the user is successfully logged in, he is redirected to the data page.
If the person tries to access the data page without being logged in, they are redirected to the login page.
The problem is that after I try to enter the page without being logged in and logging in it does not redirect me to the data page.
I accept any help, thanks in advance.
Follow the code for each part below.
app.py (responsible to initialize the app):
from dash import Dash
from dash_bootstrap_components import themes
import os
from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy
from flask_login import LoginManager, UserMixin

app = Dash(__name__, external_stylesheets=[themes.BOOTSTRAP])
server = app.server
app.config.suppress_callback_exceptions = True

server.config.update(
    SECRET_KEY=os.urandom(12),
    SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI="mysql://root:Bambam&xx12@localhost/mobbi",
    SQLALCHEMY_TRACK_MODIFICATIONS=False
)

db = SQLAlchemy(server)

login_manager = LoginManager(server)
login_manager.login_view = "/log"

class Usuarios(db.Model, UserMixin):
    __tablename__ = "usuarios"

    id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True)
    u_nome = db.Column(db.String(50), nullable=False)
    p_nome = db.Column(db.String(50), nullable=False)
    login = db.Column(db.String(50), nullable=False)
    senha_hash = db.Column(db.String(255), nullable=False)

@login_manager.user_loader
def load_user(user_id):
    return Usuarios.query.get(int(user_id))

login.py (responsible to logging in the user):
import dash_bootstrap_components as dbc
from dash import Output, Input, State, dcc
from flask_login import login_user
from app import app, Usuarios
import hashlib

layout = dbc.Form([
    dcc.Location(id="url_login"),
    dbc.Label("Login"),
    dbc.Input(type="text", id="login-field", placeholder="Digite seu login"),
    dbc.Label("Senha"),
    dbc.Input(type="password", id="password-field", placeholder="Digite sua senha"),
    dbc.Button("Login", id="login-button", n_clicks=0)
])

@app.callback(
    Output("url_login", "pathname"),
    Input("login-button", "n_clicks"),
    [
        State("login-field", "value"),
        State("password-field", "value")
    ]
)
def make_login(n_clicks, login, password):
    usuario = Usuarios.query.filter_by(login=login).first()

    if n_clicks != 0:
        if usuario:
            check_password = usuario.senha_hash
            hashed_password = hashlib.sha256(password.encode()).hexdigest()

            if check_password == hashed_password:
                login_user(usuario)

                return "/graficos"

            else:
                pass

        else:
            pass

    else:
        pass

graficos.py (responsible to show the charts, it's the data layout):
import base64
import binascii
import json
from dash import html, dcc, callback, Output, Input
import urllib
from chartManager import generate_charts
import dash_bootstrap_components as dbc
from app import app

layout = html.Div([
    html.Div(id="chart-layout"),
    dcc.Location("url_chart")
])

@app.callback(
    Output("chart-layout", "children"),
    Input("url_chart", "search")
)
def load_charts(url_search):
    try:
        parsed = urllib.parse.urlparse(url_search)

        parsed_data = urllib.parse.parse_qs(parsed.query)

        result = parsed_data["data"][0]

        decoded_result = base64.b64decode(result).decode()

        json_data = json.loads(decoded_result)

        charts = generate_charts(json_data)

    except KeyError:
        return html.P(
            children="Nenhum dado foi passado",
            style={
                "textAlign": "center"
            }
        )

    except binascii.Error:
        return html.P(
            children="Dado passado não pode ser convertido de base64",
            style={
                "textAlign": "center"
            }
        )

    except json.decoder.JSONDecodeError:
        return html.P(
            children="Dado passado não pode ser convertido de JSON",
            style={
                "textAlign": "center"
            }
        )

    return dbc.Container(
        children=charts,
        fluid=True
    )

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Csv file not found error in Google colaboratory notebooks
I am trying to load csv file stored in google drive to colab notebooks. When i try to load the file it is showing "File not found". What is the procedure to load files stored in google drive to colab notebooks??

A: For accessing file from Google Drive, you need to load file using PyDrive or Drive Rest API.
Run below code before accessing file
!pip install -U -q PyDrive

from pydrive.auth import GoogleAuth
from pydrive.drive import GoogleDrive
from google.colab import auth
from oauth2client.client import GoogleCredentials

# 1. Authenticate and create the PyDrive client.
auth.authenticate_user()
gauth = GoogleAuth()
gauth.credentials = GoogleCredentials.get_application_default()
drive = GoogleDrive(gauth)

# 2. Load a file by ID and create local file.
downloaded = drive.CreateFile({'id':'fileid'}) # replace fileid with Id of file you want to access
downloaded.GetContentFile('export.csv') # now you can use export.csv

A: Try:
from google.colab import drive
drive.mount('/content/drive')

This commands will bring you to a Google Authentication step. You should see a screen with Google Drive File Stream wants to access your Google Account. After you allow permission, copy the given verification code and paste it in the box in Colab.
In the notebook, click on the charcoal > on the top left of the notebook and click on Files. Locate the data folder you created earlier and find your data. Right-click on your data and select Copy Path. Store this copied path into a variable and you are ready to go.
file = "copied path"

df = pd.read_csv(file)
df.head()

TIP: Add a slash (/) as part of the name of directory (for Linux or Mac users). Eg: "/content/drive/My Drive/Colab Notebooks/data/xpto.csv"

A: easiest way I found is mounting google drive in colab:
from google.colab import drive
drive.mount('/content/gdrive')

then use '/content/gdrive/My Drive/' as prefix of the file path. suppose you have a text file in data directory of you google drive. Then you can access it with following code:
open('/content/gdrive/My Drive/data/filename.txt').read()

A: from google.colab import files

files.upload()

add those lines then you can manually upload the file, I hope it helps.


Аннотация: We study the system of a 2D rigid body moving in an unbounded volume of incompressible, vortex-free perfect fluid which is at rest at infinity. The body is equipped with a gyrostat and a so-called Flettner rotor. Due to the latter the body is subject to a lifting force (Magnus effect). The rotational velocities of the gyrostat and the rotor are assumed to be known functions of time (control inputs). The equations of motion are presented in the form of the Kirchhoff equations. The integrals of motion are given in the case of piecewise continuous control. Using these integrals we obtain a (reduced) system of first-order differential equations on the configuration space. Then an optimal control problem for several types of the inputs is solved using genetic algorithms.
Ключевые слова: perfect fluid, self-propulsion, Flettner rotor.
This research was done at the Udmurt State University and was supported by the Grant Program of the Government of the Russian Federation for state support of scientific research conducted under the supervision of leading scientists at Russian institutions of higher professional education (Contract No11.G34.31.0039). The work of the first and the third authors was supported by the Support grant of leading scientific schools NSh-2519.2012.1.


The International School of Ulm / Neu-Ulm offers an inquiry-based program in English for students from ages 3 to 18.
The International School of Ulm/Neu-Ulm welcomes students living in the Ulm region who originate from different countries. We also enroll the children of German and other resident families who are globally-minded and would like to join an international learning community.
If you are interested in enrolling at our school, we invite you to read more about the application process below. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our admissions officer, Manuela Oberfrank or use the following registration option.
If you would like to apply to our school, please submit the following items to our office in order to complete the application process.
Applicants with limited English proficiency or having special needs (such as dyslexia, ADHD, and medical intervention) will be assessed by the head of school in order to ensure that the school can offer the necessary educational program.
We will contact you upon receipt of the forms. Should you have any queries regarding your application, please contact us.
YOUR NEW Registration for the International School of Ulm / Neu-Ulm. Here you can register at the school and create a new account.
YOUR LOGIN to the International School of Ulm / Neu-Ulm. Here you can sign in to an already existing account.


We've just released our newest animals from the 2019 Jaunty Animals Calendar as wall art prints! Each one is available as a 5″x7″, 8″x10″ and a new bigger size, 11″x14″. These quirky animals come signed and with a sturdy backer, all ready to pop into a frame.


Looking for any advice on how to go about fixing a leaky faucet in the bathroom. Where to start? I don't want to replace it, but will if I have to. Thanks in advance.
Leaking underneath could be a washer. Up top at the handle could be a seal. Cheap enough to replace with better.
We would be happy to assist you with your 2016 Cherokee. Because your ongoing satisfaction is very important to us, we invite you to contact Mikala Yoder in our Customer service department through the following personalized and direct link: Forest River RV Direct Service Contact - Forest River, Inc..


It will be a number of months before Sonia Maasik and I begin work on the ninth edition of Signs of Life in the U.S.A. but, given the continuing evolution of American popular culture, I am always watching and assessing the current signs in anticipation of whatever new directions the next edition of the book will need to take. So I was rather taken this morning by an L.A. Times headline to the effect that Mad Max: Fury Road stands to "lead the pack" with as many as ten Oscar nods, when the nominations are announced on the day this blog is scheduled to appear .
And, no, I am not going to make any predictions about the matter myself in this blog. That isn't what popular cultural semiotics is about.
What I find so striking about this successful return of the Mad Max franchise is how it reflects a continuation and, perhaps, intensification, of a popular cultural trend that receives a good deal of attention in the current (eighth) edition of Signs of Life. This is the phenomenon explored in Chapter 3, "Video Dreams," of the "new Westerns" that have been appearing in both television and the cinema. Such entertainments as The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones reset the stage of the traditional Western while maintaining the basic situation: an endless battle for survival conducted by armed men and women in a lawless wilderness. When you add to this the predictable (and predicted) mega-blockbuster success of the latest Star Wars episode—which, with its desert settings and echoes of the very first movie in the series (remember that famous saloon scene?), may well qualify as a new Western as well, especially in its vision of a world permanently at war—a fairly obvious, yet nonetheless important significance appears.
Thus, there is a significant difference between the Westerns and war stories of the past and those of the present. Sure, The Lord of the Rings is about a war: but that war ends, decisively, with the destruction of the Ring. And certainly, the American cinema is awash with war stories—especially with respect to the Second World War. But those stories too portend an end to the violence. In High Noon Marshal Will Kane confronts the bad guys, blows them away, and that's that. But the new stories make it a fundamental premise that the violence not only has no ending, it really has no interruptions. Each of Tolkien's ages of Middle Earth end in a climactic battle (implying future wars, of course), but at least the wars are thousands of years apart. But in Mad Max—which is a new Western if there ever was one—the whole point is that battle is all that there is, and no victory is ever complete in the Star Wars, Walking Dead, and Thrones sagas.
What with the rise of ISIS/ISIL, the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, and the continuing evisceration of the American middle class, the conditions that helped foster the new Western have only been intensified since Sonia and I addressed them for the eighth edition of Signs of Life in the U.S.A. The return of Mad Max is a sign of this continuation and intensification. America appears to be stuck in a very bad place. The preface to the eighth edition begins with the words, "The more things change, the more they . . . intensify." I am beginning to suspect that the ninth edition will be composed under similar conditions.
Although I refer to it often and have been very grateful for the work of NCTE, WPA, and NWP in creating the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing, I have never posted about it, which I regret. This document, and the eight habits of mind it describes as integral to the deep learning of our students, has been enormously beneficial. Drawing on rhetorical theory as well as the best work in contemporary writing studies, the document sees writing development as a thoroughly rhetorical process, one that can be guided but not acquired by rote or by learning rigid "rules." Rather, the document puts emphasis on students' writerly choices and on embodying habits of mind: curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and metacognition. Developed in 2010 and released in January 2011, the Framework responds powerfully if indirectly to the Common Core Standards, which were drawn up without consultation with college teachers and scholars. To my mind, the Framework is a valuable and necessary addition to the Common Core, or even a substitute for it in terms of writing development.
Recently I've had an opportunity to read a collection of essays called Applications for the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing: Scholarship, Theories, and Application. Edited by Sherry Rankins-Robertson, Nicholas Behm, and Duane Roen, this volume (forthcoming from Parlor Press, so watch for it!) comprises sixteen chapters—five on scholarship, four on theory, and seven on application. Essays help to put the Framework into historical and pedagogical context, situate its principles within the theory and practice of rhetoric, and provide practical, detailed advice about how to integrate the Framework into varying curricula. Perhaps most important, this volume adds to the growing critical mass of scholarship growing out of and supporting the Framework. As such, it's a very timely addition: I found it a thoroughly good read and a fine way to start off 2016.


text:
This E. Tenn. woman CEO shares secrets to making the Inc. 5000 list 10 times
This East Tennessee business has made the Inc. 5000 list 10 times. How did CEO Patricia Bible do it? Hint: Use your ears.
This E. Tenn. woman CEO shares secrets to making the Inc. 5000 list 10 times This East Tennessee business has made the Inc. 5000 list 10 times. How did CEO Patricia Bible do it? Hint: Use your ears. Check out this story on knoxnews.com: https://knoxne.ws/2N97ORG
Brenna McDermott, Knoxville News Sentinel Published 8:00 a.m. ET Sept. 11, 2018 | Updated 9:29 a.m. ET Sept. 12, 2018
Tips for bring your dog to work day. Wochit
KaTom founder and CEO Patricia Bible(Photo: Submitted)
KaTom Restaurant Supply joined an elite group when the 2018 Inc. 5000 list was revealed, which ranks the fastest growing private companies in the U.S.
The wholesale restaurant supplier appeared on the list for the 10th time, this year at No. 3804. The company, based in Kodak, reported $127.2 million in revenue in 2017 and 96 percent growth over the last three years.
More: 10 Knox and Sevier companies rank among nation's fastest-growing
According to a 2017 Inc. article, only 142 at that time had appeared on the list 10 times or more.
KaTom has averaged 17.5 percent growth since 2001 in an industry that grows one to three percent each year, according to CEO and founder Patricia Bible.
Part of the company's 10-year plan is to reach $1 billion in sales. If that holds true, KaTom should likely make the Inc. list a few more times.
How does KaTom keep up the pace? Bible credits a few basic principles for guiding the team.
1. Have meaningful meetings.
Meetings set the tone for the company's direction, Bible said. KaTom has, among others, a weekly board meeting, finance meeting and growth meeting to get everyone on the same page. Their customer engagement team, a core priority for the company, meets twice a week.
On the agenda: are all teammates on the same page and are they moving toward the same goal? Are they executing the same vision?
In short: communicate.
"I think that's what really has made the difference in making this list consecutively," Bible said.
2. Listen in those meetings.
Meetings shouldn't be an echo chamber, they should be a time to value each person's thoughts, concerns and ideas. Listen to the idea, no matter who it comes from.
"Once that idea is put on the table, there's no attack toward any idea, there's no preface for any idea,' Bible said. "It is an idea that belongs to everyone and we all embrace the idea that's put on the table."
More: Four ways to improve posture at work
Maybe the idea doesn't get used, but it doesn't matter. Don't interrupt, don't make excuses, just hear what the person is saying.
Bible said she's learned since founding the company "to listen twice as much as I was speaking" with KaTom's team of 161.
"That's 161 opportunities to listen to great ideas," Bible said. "As that team has grown and I've recognized how valuable each brilliant mind is that comes to the table, there's a nugget with every conversation I have."
3. Be aware of how you communicate.
Bible has a motto: everything communicates.
"Whether it's your body language, your facial expression the words that you speak or don't speak," Bible said. "Those two words are pretty powerful."
Consider how your actions are being perceived by the world around you. And then make sure those words and actions match up.
4. Plan meticulously and grow carefully.
Bible runs what she describes as a planning company. She's passionate about setting metrics and creating an accountability structure for each person.
Those metrics say to each employee: what you're working on is important, your time is important and you are important.
Significant growth doesn't happen by accident. It takes work, visioning and planning.
And once that planned growth is happening, tread carefully. Growth is a tricky and marvelous opportunity, she said. Don't lose sight of the core values that make your company what it is. For KaTom, that means a focus on customers, customer experience and maintaining a culture that is passionate, visionary, powerful and fun.
5. Own your gifts.
It takes dedication to take a company from a two-person shop to one on the path toward $1 billion. Bible encouraged entrepreneurs to utilize their own, internal gifts.
"You're the driver of your own bus," she said. "You can't take what somebody else wants you to do, what they prefer that their plan is for your life."
More: Annoyed at work? Try this one-minute fix
Discover your gifts, connect with them and cultivate them, whether it's being a wonderful leader or a talented artist, or both.
"Whatever that gift is, if you can connect, you're unstoppable," Bible said. "And you can go to the moon and back."
And if you screw one of these up? Just try to do better tomorrow.
"Let's be honest about it," Bible said. "A winner is a just a loser who's tried one more time."
News Sentinel 2018 Top Workplaces ceremony
Attendees mingle during the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
At right Jessica Hill of the Helen Ross McNabb Center sits during the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
Pinnacle Financial Partners receives their award for being the top midsize company workplace at the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
Attendees listen during the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
An attendee holds a program during the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
Kim Harris of Pinnacle Financial Partners smiles during the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
U.S. Cellular receives their award for being the top large company workplace at the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
Martha Leuvke of U.S. Cellular walks towards her seat during the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
LBMC receives their award for being a top small company workplace at the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
News Sentinel President Frank Rosamond speaks during the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
Bill Johnson listens during the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
Mark Waters of LBMC mingles during the News Sentinel's 2018 Top Work Places awards ceremony at the Foundry in World's Fair Park Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
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What does it mean to close LEDlab?
As Winter releases its hold on Vancouver, slowly giving way to Spring, so too do we begin moving the Local Economic Development Lab towards its planned close in June of 2018. This week, our final cohort of graduate students reports out to Urban Core and other community partners on the results of their eight-month internships. At the end of April, Austin and Nicole will move into full time roles with their project supervisors, EMBERS and Buy Social respectively, while David is off on an adventure to Rwanda, where he will continue to explore social entrepreneurship.
As Ara and I prepare for a period of reflecting, reporting, and celebration, it seems there's a curious paradox to be winding down LEDlab, while the world around us comes alive at the very same time.
But what does it mean to 'close down' a social innovation lab?
Over the past six months, we've been working internally and with our partners to understand: what are the unique contributions and types of value being created by the lab? And how can we ensure those contributions are being adopted, institutionalized, or held in some way by the DTES community moving forward?
With succession planning in mind, we set about codifying the core offerings of LEDlab: student internships, interagency coordination, strategic facilitation, social innovation workshops, etc. We have thoughtfully woven these functions into grant proposals, job descriptions, and the mandates of some of our partners including Eastside Works, Exchange Inner City, and Urban Core. We've also played a pivotal role in helping to resource these organizations (by supporting grant writing, making introductions to private donors, etc.) so that they can move forward the work that we've collectively shaped over the past few years from a place of stability.
In January and February we ran a workshop series inviting 40+ organizations to learn about 'systems change', supported by Vancouver Foundation. Our goals were for organizations in the DTES to be better equipped to engage with complex challenges through experimental approaches, to provide a space for reflection and system-level sensing, and also, to feel empowered with the vocabulary of social innovation and systems change now being used by many Canadian funders.
From workshops to fundraising, to recruitment and hiring, we're trying our very best to ensure that the work that may have started 'inside' the lab is able to thrive and survive in the DTES community beyond our involvement.
While all this work is appreciated by our partners, another message came through loud and clear in the impact report research that our Developmental Evaluator, Steve Williams, led in 2018. That is, the ability of LEDlab to identify and respond to gaps and emergent opportunities, without ego, and outside of an organizational mandate, is a unique value that will be missed once we close.
I don't have an answer for this, but I personally feel heavy under the weight of knowing how hard it is to resource and find the right type of weaver who can dance between the tangible and the abstract, knowing when to lead, and when to step back. It takes contextual knowledge. It takes relationships and trust. There's not a hard deliverable to 'sell' to a funder. The role of network weaving is too often undervalued and underestimated, and we need to find a better way of recognizing and resourcing this work in our communities.
But another way of looking at the work moving forward in the DTES is through a lens of strengths. Last week Ara and I met with a wise woman, Vanessa Richards, Director of Community Engagement at 312 Main and an incredible community organizer and weaver herself. She reminded us to make our 'closing' more of an 'offering', one which shines a light on what's glowing, juicy, vibrant, flourishing, and coming alive.
What's alive and ripe with possibility in Vancouver, B.C. and Canada is activism and an appetite for change. There is momentum and openness at all three levels of government for poverty reduction. This is significant! There's a real opportunity for an ambitious social policy agenda in B.C. There's 312 Main, the largest coworking space in Canada, over 100,000 sq ft, with a mandate of social and economic development, opening at the corner of Main and Cordova. There's Eastside Works, a project that has been in the making for over two years, taking in clients and finding creative ways to recognize and enhance skills and find meaningful sources of income. So it's not a time to feel scarce, or to feel loss. It's a time to feel hopeful.
I'm proud of the work we've done the past three years, and I'm incredibly excited about the assets and resources the DTES community has to move forward with. In particular, social enterprise and employment services groups have so much more cohesion than a few years ago, and clarity in approach that is rooted in cross-sector collaboration and systems change. LEDlab closing isn't about succession planning, it's about success.
Over the years I've written about the importance of trust. We asked for trust when we first starting working in the neighbourhood. And by consistently showing up and creating value, we earned that trust. We also sought explicitly to build trust amongst our partners. Now, I can see that trust is again needed. Trust in ourselves, that we have the opportunity and the ability to advance the work started and to see it through. We got this.