Now that you have all been practicing the "One-Handed Pie Crust", you need to make sure you have a good pie pan. I like the Le Creuset 10" Stoneware Pie Dish – about $35. It comes in three colors – white, red (my choice) and cobalt. I like this product because it looks great and it can be used in the oven, broiler or microwave. Find it at Amazon, Williams Sonoma, Macy's and others.
The Thermapen is a wonderful instant read thermometer made in the UK. It is very accurate and is ideal for measuring meat temps, but it will also measure ambient air temperature and the temperature of any liquid or oil (very handy if you are into Tempura dishes or any deep frying). If you tried the Pork Tenderloin with Chinese Five Spice, you could have made good use of this great device. It's a great addition to the Bravado kitchen, but it isn't cheap – about $90. In my opinion, it is worth it. Go to www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen for interesting details or to purchase. You can also find it on Amazon or Williams Sonoma.
No, it's not an instrument that you play – it's a great device to slice things a uniform thickness. It is especially good for potatoes, carrots, celery and any hard vegetable, even cabbage. I think the best bang for the buck is the Progressive International HGT-11 Folding Mandolin Slicer, which is about $18 on Amazon and Target. It has separate inserts for thin or thick slices, is easy to use. Whoever you gets this gift will be using it all of the time.
Again, this is not a cheap gift – about $80 – but it is bound to make a hit.
Clearly one of the best gifts for everyone and very cost effective ($0) is an email subscription to the Bravado Cooking blog. Copy the following link and email it to all of your friends: www.Bravadocooking.com. Tell them to click the button that says "Email Subscription" and join our society. Do this now – Santa will know if you don't.


If you are considering taking the GED test, it is very important that you take the time and exert effort to prepare for it so you can increase your chances of passing.
It is essential to undergo GED preparation so you will be assured of passing the exams and obtaining your GED diploma. The credential acquired from General Educational Development will enable you to take up advanced education or be qualified for employment which otherwise necessitate high school diploma. Those who want to study for GED have various alternatives made available through 20 preparatory GED programs under the technical college system.
GED classes in Georgia are offered at the Chattahoochee Technical College's campuses in Acworth, Canton, Cartersville, Ellijay, Casper and Cobb County. The program is meant for adult students who want to earn the GED diploma. Chattahoochee Technical College is a two-year school located in Marietta, GA, just out of Atlanta. The school also has learning centers located mainly in the northwest portion of Atlanta.
Savannah Technical College has a two-year adult education program with degree. The main campus is located within the city of Savannah but the school provides services to the counties of Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty. Adult education students can develop their expertise in writing, reading, mathematics, science and social studies in preparation for the GED testing in Georgia. Forthcoming students are required to register, attend orientation programs and take the Test of Adult Basic Education. This helps the staff and student come up with lesson plans focusing on student needs. Students are assigned in one of six levels of classes with each subject having its own stage of progression. Classes are offered and scheduled in the morning and evening.
The Adult Education Department at West Georgia Technical College is situated at its Carroll campus. Basic skills and GED classes are available for locals at the Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson, Heard, Meriwether and Troup counties. Pre-requisites for enrollment include attending registration and orientation, as well as completing a basic assessment of skills. Students can be given assistance in the fields of reading, writing and mathematics as preparation for the GED exam. Other related services are ESL classes and the fast-tracked GED program.
Augusta Technical College is another institution that grants a two-year degree in GED studies.
The college has modules for adult learners at its classroom sites in Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie and Richmond counties. Classes are available in several fields including GED preparation and English Literacy Program. All classes are offered during the day, afternoon and evenings. Individuals who are 18 and 19 years old will need photo identification, as well as proof of withdrawal from the last school they attended. All of the adult education classes require registration.
Central Georgia Technical College serves the central Georgia counties of Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Jones, Monroe, Putnam and Twiggs. The school's primary campus is in the city of Macon. The school's two-year degree concentrates on technical education. Adult education programs such as GED Preparation, English Literacy, Civics, and Georgia Work-Ready programs are available at all county locations. The school uses the Test of Adult Basic Education to evaluate students' need. The TABE test is part of the mandatory orientation process for new students. An individualized Student Education Plan is developed which helps adult learners develop the proficiency they need to pass the GED test.


Google Play Store hosts vast number of Android Applications and Games. There are numerous paid and free apps. Google accepts payment via Credit or debit cards.
Due to RBI rules, Indian debit cards requires extra layer of authentication and Google doesn't support it. Play Store requires cards with International payment enabled.
But Indian users don't enable International payment by default and end up finding difficult buying an App from Google Play Store. Due to this restrictions many people don't buy official apps in India.
Now Google is coming up with carrier billing in India for Google Play Store. The company has now added carrier billing option in India. But it is not full fledged rollout.
Google has added limited carrier billing option in India with Idea Cellular. Some Postpaid idea customers in India are noticing Idea Billing as payment method. The option only shows up when mobile data is enabled.
Idea Cellular is the third largest operator in India and selecting only Postpaid customers, Google is targeting very limited audience. Google might add prepaid customers as well in future.
Still it is a good start, we may see more operators could join the program. As of now Idea postpaid customers can buy apps or games from Google Play Store and pay it via monthly bill.


HPR DIESEL is designed for use in 4, 6 & 8+ cylinder multi cam, naturally aspirated, supercharged, turbocharged common rail & direct injection diesel engines. It is particularly suited for use under high load conditions such as towing, in older worn engines or where ambient temperatures are high.
HPR DIESEL is recommended for use in light & heavy duty diesel engines, LPG/Dual fuel & four stroke motorcycles including those with wet clutches. It is also suitable for use in petrol and LPG engines as a mixed fleet oil. It is NOT suitable for use in diesels fitted with a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter).
HPR DIESEL exceeds the requirements of API CH-4/SJ and ACEA A3/B3/E7 as well as many manufacturers' requirements. It can be used where SAE 20W-50, SAE 20W-40 or SAE 30 grade oils were originally recommended by the manufacturer.
HPR DIESEL features the Penrite EXTRA TEN in the oil's SAE rating. This technology helps protect your engine by using a normal start up viscosity with an oil that has a higher operating temperature viscosity. This improves engine oil film strength, lowering frictional heat whilst providing an extra layer of anti wear protection over standard SAE grade oils, reducing engine wear in all driving conditions.


After my last few posts on the scaling of Azure Functions I was intrigued to see if they would perform any better when run on a dedicated App Service Plan. Hosting them in this way allows the functions to take full advantage of App Service features. However, to my mind, this is no long a serverless approach as rather than being billed based on usage you are essentially renting servers and are fully responsible for scaling.
With immediately available resource, all three App Service Plan configurations begin with response times slightly ahead of the Consumption Plan. At around the one minute mark however, the Consumption Plan overtakes our single instance configuration, creeping ahead of the double instance configuration at two minutes, and, while the advantage is slight, at three minutes begins to consistently outperform our four instance configuration. However, AWS Lambda remains some way out in front.
From a throughput perspective, the story is largely the same with the Consumption Plan taking time to scale up and address the demand but ultimately proving more capable than even the 4x S1 instance configuration, knocking on the door of AWS Lambda. What I did find particularly notable is the low impact of moving from two to four instances on throughput. The improvement in throughput is massively disappointing – for incurring twice the cost we are barely getting 50% more throughput. I have insufficient data to understand why this is happening but do have some tests in mind that, time allowing, I will run and see if I can provide further information.
At this kind of load (650 million requests per month), from a bang per buck point of view, Azure Functions on the Consumption Plan come out stronger compared to App Service instances, even if we don't allow for quiet periods when Functions would incur less cost. If your scale profile falls within the capabilities of the service, it's worth noting that currently there isn't a Service Level Agreement around Functions when running on the Consumption Plan – and to be fair the same applies to AWS Lambda.


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'DuckTales' Season 3 is on the Way
Tuesday, October 9, 2018 Wednesday, October 17, 2018 Maria H. (ndm#130) 0 Comments Disney channel, ducktales
Maria H. (ndm#130) (3167 Posts)
A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin' wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life - A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects - create~inspire~share.
DISNEY CHANNEL HATCHES A THIRD SEASON OF EMMY® AWARD-NOMINATED 'DUCKTALES' PRIOR TO ITS SEASON TWO PREMIERE SATURDAY, OCT. 20, ON DISNEY CHANNEL AND DISNEYNOW
Julie Bowen, Edgar Wright, Jack McBrayer, John Hodgman and Jameela Jamil Among Season Two Guest Stars
DUCKBURG – Disney Channel has ordered a third season of the Emmy Award-nominated series "DuckTales" prior to its season two premiere SATURDAY, OCT. 20 (7:30 a.m., EDT/PDT), on Disney Channel, DisneyNOW and Disney Channel VOD. The series stars David Tennant ("Doctor Who") as Scrooge McDuck, Danny Pudi ("Community") as Huey, Ben Schwartz ("Parks and Recreation") as Dewey, Bobby Moynihan ("Saturday Night Live") as Louie, Kate Micucci ("Garfunkel and Oates") as Webby Vanderquack, Beck Bennett ("Saturday Night Live") as Launchpad McQuack, Toks Olagundoye ("Castle") as Mrs. Beakley and Disney Legend Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck.
News of the season three pick-up was revealed in a video featuring Pudi, Schwartz and Moynihan recording together for the first time.
Season two guest stars include Julie Bowen ("Modern Family"), Edgar Wright ("Baby Driver" director), Jack McBrayer ("30 Rock"), John Hodgman ("Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches"), Jameela Jamil ("The Good Place"), Libe Barer ("Sneaky Pete") and Lance Reddick ("John Wick"). The previously announced recurring cast for season two include Paget Brewster ("Criminal Minds") as Della Duck, Donald Duck's twin sister and his nephews' long-lost mother; and Bernardo de Paula ("Rio") and Arturo del Puerto ("Fear the Walking Dead") as José de Carioca and Panchito Pistoles of The Three Caballeros.
"DuckTales" reached nearly 100 million views on social media and digital platforms in its first season. Brand extensions for the series include toys, books, apparel, plush and collectibles from Disney Parks, Experiences & Consumer Products, with new products debuting spring 2019.
The animated comedy-adventure series chronicles the high-flying adventures of Duckburg's most famous trillionaire Scrooge McDuck, his mischief-making triplet grandnephews – Huey, Dewey and Louie, temperamental nephew Donald Duck and the trusted McDuck Manor team: big-hearted, fearless chauffer/pilot Launchpad McQuack; no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs. Beakley; and Mrs. Beakley's granddaughter, Webby Vanderquack, resident adventurer and the triplet's newfound fierce friend.
If you liked this, be sure to check out:
"DuckTales" Comes to Pundit Stickers Marshmello Meets DuckTales Don Cheadle as Donald Duck for Season Finale of Disney's 'DuckTales' TV Shows can be Great Books – The NDK Review Disney Junior's "Goldie & Bear" Coming to WATCH Disney Junior
← New Music Video 'Legendary' for International Day of the Girl
More Memorable Moments Added to 'Mickey's 90th Spectacular,' Airing Sunday, Nov. 4, on ABC →
Maria H. (ndm#130)
A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin' wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney :) Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life - A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects - create~inspire~share.
'Duck The Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special' Premieres Friday, December 9 on Disney Channel
Thursday, December 8, 2016 Maria H. (ndm#130) 0
OUAT Season Four, Episode 10 "Shattered Sight"
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 Jen I. (NDM#483) 2
'The Chew' Returns to 21st Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 Maria H. (ndm#130) 0

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A unique blend of Natural healing oils to give you instant relief from pain in joints, backache, lower backache, knee pain, stiff neck, muscular pain, sprains, and headache. Red Rub is effective for anyone suffering from arthritis. It is also effective for common cold and chest cold. The red rub can be massaged gently onto the chest area to ease congestion and support restful sleep.
Apply to the affected part and rub gently for 1-2 minutes.


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Q: How to tell to the compiler a function can only return subtype of a trait and not the trait itself? I am trying to write some code that takes an URL, get the content from this URL, and saves it. The method to get the content from an URL is specific to the website, but then the content extracted uses a common format and can be saved in a database for example.
So I first define a type representing each supported URL:
trait Url(url: String)

case class Soundcloud(url: String) extends Url(url)
case class Youtube(url: String) extends Url(url)

Then a method that given a string return the correct URL type:
def matchUrl(s: String): Option[Url] =
  val s_regex = "soundcloud.com".r
  var y_regex = "youtube.com".r
  s match
    case s_regex() => Some(Soundcloud(s))
    case y_regex() => Some(Youtube(s))
    case _         => None

Then I define a trait for the content extractors:
trait GetContent[T <: Url]:
  def get: Unit  // should actually return something like `Content`

Here is my method to save an URL's content in the db:
def save[T <: Url](t: T)(using gc: GetContent[T]) =
  gc.get
  // save into db

Then I provide two implementations of GetContent, one for each URL type:
given GetContent[Soundcloud] with
  def get = println("getting some content from soundcloud")

given GetContent[Youtube] with
  def get = println("getting some content from youtube")

And finally I can plug it all together:
matchUrl("youtube.com").map(r => save(r))

The compiler complains that

no implicit argument of type GetContent[Url] was found for parameter gc of method save

If I call my method like this it works fine:
save(Soundcloud("http://soundcloud.com/some/content"))

I need to tell the compiler that matchUrl can only return an instance of Soundcloud or Youtube, never a Url.

A: One way to solve your problems is leveraging transparent inline.
Furthermore, if you want to tell that the method will eventually return a Soundcloud instance or a Youtube instance, you can use the union type |.
In this case, the compiler refines the return type with the subtype return:

transparent inline def matchUrl(s: String): Option[Soundcloud | Youtube] =
  inline s match
    // I use some regexs here for the real implementation
    case "soundcloud.com" => Some(Soundcloud(s))
    case "youtube.com"    => Some(Youtube(s))
    case _                => None

In this way, calling matchUrl("soundcloud.com") will return the refined type Option[Soundcloud] and then the compiler can find the implicit accordingly.
Scastie snippet

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Sarah Koenig Of "Serial" To Speak At Maryland Hall
Photo Provided
Posted Tuesday, May 14, 2019 12:36 pm
By Maya Pottiger
Ahead of Sarah Koenig -- host of "Serial," the most downloaded podcast in history -- speaking at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts this Friday, The Voice spoke with Margaret Davis, CEO and president of Maryland Hall about the decision to invite Koenig.
The Voice: Why are you interested in bringing Ms. Koenig to Maryland Hall?
Davis: Sarah Koenig is a pretty eminent storyteller. She's a phenomenal journalist. The way her art of storytelling connects with people and brings people together really truly to form a community of connections is the best there is. Maryland Hall wants to present the best. She connects people.
The Voice: Was there any specific time peg as to why you wanted to bring her now?
Davis: Maryland Hall is entering its 40th year. This is a big milestone for us. To have Sarah Koenig here with all that she represents and the firsts she's obtained -- the most downloaded podcast in history -- the incredible journalist that she is. This is a terrific springboard for us launching our 40th anniversary year.
The Voice: Do you know what she'll be discussing?
Davis: As she said in her own voice: What makes good stories; the art of storytelling; why we connect through stories; how we connect through stories; and what makes a good story, what keeps us engaged in stories. She's been telling stories her whole career. She's going to be talking about them.
Sarah is going to be talking about her storytelling and how we connect through stories, but she's really being interviewed with a very important interviewer, pretty well known, Aaron Henkin from WYPR. He has a national show called "[Out of the Blocks]." He's both going to be talking to her on that show, but he's the one who's actually going to be here facilitating that conversation. This is a tremendous opportunity for people who are long-listeners of this genre, but more importantly, interested in how to tell phenomenal stories and how human beings and humanity all over the world connect through stories for millenia. I always say the humanities and humanity is about connecting through stories.
The Voice: Circling back to the beginning of the conversation, in terms of both the audience and Maryland Hall, why is it important to bring Sarah Koenig?
Davis: Our mission is we're dedicated to arts for all. We're defining our mission as we are the region's cultural core. We convene and we're engaging all people in art experiences to strengthen the community. That is what Sarah Koenig is all about. She's a perfect match for our expanded mission as we look toward the future.
The Voice: Those are all of my questions unless there's anything you think we should know.
Davis: We surveyed our ticket buyers in advance of this performance so we could get their questions and incorporate them for Aaron and give them to Aaron in advance so the conversation he's having with Sarah is going to very much reflect the interests of the audience, as well.
We very much take our responsibility as the region's cultural hub seriously, and this is about art in all of its forms for all people. We're convening and engaging our audiences and beyond in an experience that truly strengthens the community. I want to reiterate that and say none of that is possible without the donations and support to make this kind of programming feasible.
We're excited about this, and this is a huge step. This is an internationally renowned individual. We're so excited to be able to bring her to Maryland Hall.
Koenig will be speaking at Maryland Hall on Friday, May 17. The discussion starts at 8:00pm. Tickets range from $25-$35, and they can be purchased online.
Zach Sparks
Zach Sparks joined The Voice Media Inc. in 2013. His responsibilities include writing and editing stories, taking photographs and delegating assignments to freelance writers. On the rare slow day, he will also tell bad jokes for entertainment.
You can reach Zach at:
zach@pasadenavoice.com
@@Sparks907


text:
Global Education: Universities in the 21st Century
What is AC21?
AC21 Member Institutions
Innovation and Enterprise
Global Student Imprints
Research Festival
About Warwick
Warwick Arts Centre
Social Programme
Personalised Medicines International Symposium 5th July 2006
Research Festival Podcasts & Media Links
Podcasts and associated texts may be used for personal study. Any other reproduction of the texts or use of the podcasts should only be by prior approval of the authors. For further information, please contact the CPT Office .
iTunes RSS feed for this podcast
r09_0001.mp3
13:51, Wed 17 Oct 2012
(MP3 format, 83 KB)
Jan Dumanski: Gene dose, cancer, HIV and drug discovery
Professor Jan Dumanski, molecular geneticist at the University of Birmingham, Alabama, USA and at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, discusses how gene copy number (CNV or copy number variability) can play a major role in diseases such as cancer and HIV, and in explaining drug responsiveness and adverse effect profiles. Topics discussed: - chromosome 22 - contrast between SNPs and CNVs - role of CNV in cancer - importance of gene deletion and amplification in HIV - practical implementation of CNV testing for improving human diagnostics and treatment Length - 7mins 3secs
(MP3 format, 6.4 MB)
Genetic testing and pharmacovigilance
Margaret Thorogood, Professor of Epidemiology and Chris Bridle, Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology at Warwick Medical School discuss the impact of pharmacogenetics on pharmacovigilance with Professor Ralph Edwards, WHO Monitoring Centre, Uppsala, Dr Duncan Hale, Pharmacogenetics Division, Pfizer, Dr Robin Ferner, Director of the West Midlands Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Centre, Birmingham and members of the audience. Topics discussed include: - pressure from seriously ill patients to accept higher risk from drugs in the hope of treatment benefit - need for very large population databases to capture rare events - impact on reporting of genetic testing - completeness of phenotypic information in databases Length 16min 15sec
(MP3 format, 15 MB)
John Hearn: Stem Cell therapy - potential and risks
John Hearn, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor of Physiology, University of Sydney describes AC21 and discusses the potential and risks of stem cell treatment. Topics include: - what are stem cells? - embryonic stem cells - adult stem cells - wound repair - replacing damaged organs - treating diabetes - unregulated cell growth and cancer
Duncan McHale & Kevin Cheeseman: Potential impact of pharmacogenetics on drug development and safety
Dr Duncan McHale, Senior Director and Head of Molecular Profiling, Pharmacogenetics Division, Pfizer and Dr Kevin Cheeseman, Director of the Discovery Medicine and Epidemiology Section of AstraZeneca Research and Development discuss the potential impact of pharmacogenetics on drug development and safety. Topics discussed: - current long lead time for drug development - potential and limitations for pharmacogenetics to accelerate new drug development - reducing risk of long QT syndrome - improving medicine safety - complexity in understanding drug adverse effects - risks of liver toxicity - TPMT and 6-mercaptopurine/azathioprine toxicity Length 11mins 13secs
Magnus Ingelman-Sundberg: the right medicine and the right dose for all?
Magnus Ingelman-Sundberg, Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, discusses pharmacogenetics of inter-individual and geographical variability in genes which regulate how drugs are activated or cleared by the body by the important cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of liver enzymes. Topics discussed: - variability between individuals in drug metabolism - pharmacogenetics - drug metabolising enzymes - cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of liver enzymes - geographical and ethnic variation in genes for drug handling - examples of drugs for which pharmacogenetic testing before treatment is already clinically recommmended Length - 7mins 56 secs
Nanotechnology Press Release
Nano-scientists call for greater understanding Scientists at the University of Warwick are spearheading a campaign to improve the public's understanding and acceptance of nanotechnology with a special conference aimed at local schoolchildren and members of the public. More...
Health, Wealth and Nutrition Film:
Sleep and Obesity: If you do not get enough sleep, you are at risk of getting fatter! In fact, you will have doubled your risk of becoming obese! These are the early findings of a study by researchers at the University of Warwick led by Professor Francesco Cappuccio and presented at the International AC21 Research Festival hosted by the University of Warwick this month. Research TV Film
Report on Personalised Medicines Symposium
CPT Newsletter No. 3 July, 2006 : Over 80 national and international delegates attended the 5th July International Personalised Medicines Symposium, which was held within the over 1100 delegate 3rd International AC21 Research Festival hosted by the University of Warwick from 3rd-7th July 2006. Genetic targets and methods were discussed including CYP enzymes, drug transporters, receptors, cell signalling, genotyping, gene mapping and SNP vs.CNP studies. Clinical case studies focused on application of pharmacogenetic approaches to cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, cancer, inflammatory and psychiatric disorders. More ...
Report on WIMRC Cavitation Conference
Professor SC Li, Meeting Organizer, Professor Stuart Palmer, University of Warwick Deputy Vice-Chancellor
and Professor Prof Y Matsumoto, University of Tokyo
On Monday 3rd July 2006, the WIMRC International Forum on Cavitation was held at the University of Warwick, forming the opening day of the 3rd AC21 International Research Festival. Eminent academics from around the world were invited to Warwick to present a day of lectures on the effects of cavitation in turbomachinery and medical applications. Delegates were welcomed to the Forum and the Research Festival by Professor John Jones, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for research at the University of Warwick. This was followed by an introductory presentation about the EPSRC-funded WIMRC by the Research Manager, Dr Nick Mallinson. More ...
Report on Sustainable Manufacturing Symposium
Over 90 delegates from industry and academia from as far afield as Japan attended the Symposium. See article from September 2006 issue of Plastics and Rubber Weekly (subscription 500,000) for further information on how a tropical plant and changes in our lifestyle can help to save our planet.
Health Wealth & Nutrition
Podcast Transcripts:
Professor Jan Dumanski
Professor John Hearn
Page contact: Donald Singer
Last revised: Sun 10 Sep 2006


text:
Tag Archives: Darryl Sittler
Children's Programming, Featured
TVO's Canada Crew celebrates the country's 150th in style
June 18, 2017 Greg David
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to be everywhere. Running behind a group of students prepping for their prom in Vancouver, kayaking up to supporters outside their cottage … I almost expect to see him in line with me at Starbucks. So, it's nice to see Sophie Grégoire Trudeau getting some airtime as well, as one of several guests on TVO's newest kid's series Canada Crew.
Created by Ben Mazzotta and executive-produced by Maria Kennedy, Canada Crew—debuting Monday—is part of the public broadcaster's Summer of Canada lineup that includes Opie's Home and Kid Diners; both of those series bow on Tuesday. Mazzotta and Kennedy were meeting with Marney Malabar, TVO's director of kids TV, to go over ideas for Now You Know when she asked for content tied to Canada's 150th birthday. The independent producers batted around ideas in the car ride home.
"We were saying, 'What if we did this? What if we did that?'" Mazzotta recalls. "We came up with an idea that morphed into what we see now."
"We went with our strengths," Kennedy says. "We know puppets through Now You Know and having high-profile guests on a show. We wrote a concept based on that." Canada Crew's puppet hosts are Bebe the Beaver, Mo the Moose and Gavin the Canada Goose; the trio travels to every province and territory introducing kids the things that make Canada what it is: people and places, food, pastimes, animals and nature, and the national anthem. Big-name guests in the 26 seven-minute instalments include, aside from Trudeau, celebrity chef Susur Lee, hockey great Darryl Sittler, Olympic kayaker Adam van Koeverden, WE Day founder Craig Kielburger and Major Indira Thackorie of the Royal Canadian Air Forces Snowbirds team.
"Bebe is excited by everything," Mazzotta says. "She's precocious, she's really funny, energetic and not afraid of anything. Mo is a little more cautious, studious and uses an iPad to research facts. And Gavin is a little more of a bumbling character, falling and tripping and forgets he can fly." Together, they aim to educate viewers not only about the history of this country and what makes us unique from the rest of the world but to entertain too.
Canada Crew airs at 8:20 a.m. ET and 2:30 p.m. ET on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on TVO Kids and is available on TVOKids.com.
Images courtesy of TVO.
Canada CrewDarryl SittlerSophie Grégoire TrudeauSusur LeeTVOTVOKids