Another stunning sunset in Scottsdale, Arizona, as the action at the Ford Ride and Drive program closes after the first day's activities.
What do you get when bring several hundred of some of the most collectible cars together under the warm sunny January skies of Phoenix? You get a lot of gearheads, and a lot of people that just plain love machines. You also get people that truly enjoy to drive and can appreciate what a potent combination a pro driver and a capable car can make. Ford Motor Company is keenly aware of this as well, and has been for many years. That's exactly why they have looked to PFG to manage one of the most successful ride and drive programs that the Barrett Auction has ever hosted.
For 9 days, PFG will provide the staff to manage a ride and drive that will see over 2,500 people get the chance to drive 2 Ford models from a list of 12 cars, and then go for a "hot lap" ride with a professional driver in a Shelby GT500, new-for-2015 Mustang GT, or Ford's best kept pocket rocket secrets, the Focus and Fiesta ST models.
Then, when they finish with the ride and drive program, participants can learn more about the models they drove by visiting the PFG-managed Ford Motor Company main indoor display. As in years past, PFG provides not only the staff to keep the show running, but also provides all of the sign-in kiosks, the associated software, and fully cleansed data uploads.
Ford must see some value in what we're doing, as PFG has been the go-to vendor for the Blue Oval for the past several years at Barrett Auctions across the U.S.
Before the sun goes down on this year's BJ Auction there will likely be a couple of multi-million dollar bids for historically significant machines or simply utterly perfect rolling time capsules of automotive beauty. And we'll be there to see them all!
If you're in the area of North Scottsdale outside of Phoenix, Arizona, be sure to stop by sometime between January 10th and the 18th. It's one of those things that you have to see to believe.
For the 11th consecutive year, the PFG team of professional drivers, coaches, logistics managers, road producers and facilitators helped the Ford Fund realize its goal of training teens across the globe and throughout the U.S. to become safer and more responsible drivers.
While the U.S. was the main focus for the PFG team, logistics manager and PFG vice president Randy Bleicher was also asked to represent Ford Motor Company in England, Germany and Russia. His role in those countries was to help them to teach teens using the Ford Driving Skills for Life curriculum, and to adapt that curriculum to the differences in driving style, teaching style and culture. Randy learned quite a bit over the course of his trips abroad. Plus, he earned an incredible amount of frequent flyer miles – one of those great perks that we see in our industry!!!
On the U.S. tour for Driving Skills for Life, the PFG team travelled with Ford Fund representatives to sites across the country, but the work for the 2014 started in 2013 as PFG was tasked with designing a new look and style for the program while also adding to the scope of the curriculum. Using partner and in-house graphic artists, the PFG team developed artwork for on-site signage and clothing. The result was a giant client pleaser to be sure!
In-house road producer Tresco Boutard put his considerable talents to use over the winter of 2013 to design and fabricate several program enhancements. For example, Tresco designed a light beam actuated stop light that we use to show stopping distance and reaction times of drivers in the Hazard Recognition/Speed and Space Management exercise. The mechanism is so effective, that we have received several comments from teens and parents that have gone through the DSFL program praising the fact that we have clearly shown the effect of reaction time on driving scenarios. Tresco also built a foot pedal system and attached it to a purchased group of table based reaction timers for our new-for-2014 Reaction Timer breakout exercise.
Long time PFG go-to guy and local Phoenix racer Todd Cook took on the mantle of speaker for the new-for-2014 breakout exercise in the DSFL program that we call Safety and Technology. Todd is tasked with talking to teens about the many current safety features available on cars of all makes. He also touches on how maintenance and understanding the systems of the vehicle you own can have a direct impact on safety.
DSFL rig diver Dennis Werner also increased his role in the DSFL program by becoming the official Safety Around Big Rigs speaker at all of the DSFL events. His easygoing and charismatic demeanor have mad him a favorite amongst teens and parents alike, and the information he provides has been an eye opener for many participants.
In addition to the breakout exercises, the newly fabricated materials and artwork, the PFG team developed curriculum for DSFL that helped teens learn to drive manual transmission equipped vehicles. The curriculum proved to be a huge success and was a hit especially with the Ford marketing team that partnered with the Ford Fund for those particular exercises.
While DSFL placed most of its emphasis on the full-scale programs in the U.S. for 2014, there were several smaller programs that the PFG team was tasked with that were designed, managed and run by PFG team members only; the Ford Fund personnel were comfortable allowing the PFG team to do the programs alone. These programs ranged from behind-the-wheel driving programs to media driven talks to school assemblies. Each small program had a different flavor, a different audience and different need – all of which was the responsibility of the PFG team to handle.
And finally, the PFG team was a major force in the DSFL debut in Canada. The PFG team handled site selection and site tours, travel logistics for the team and the supplies, changes in curriculum, and hiring and training of Canadian staff. Dave Drimmie, manager of the PFG Canadian office was a critical part of the process and will continue in his role into 2015. The two cities selected by Ford of Canada for the debut of DSFL were Toronto and Calgary. Both cities were terrific choices and made the debut that much more successful. Plus, the Phoenix based PFG crew wasted no time taking in the sites, visiting downtown areas in both cities and enjoying the spectacular natural setting in Calgary. Select PFG personnel will likely travel back to Canada this year as a management team, and the requests are coming in already to be a part of that next trip!
While 2014 was a banner year for PFG and DSFL, 2015 is shaping up to be even busier and better. And we are really looking forward to it!
The Ford Driving Skills for Life program celebrated its 10 year anniversary in early June, with a trip and media blitz in New York City! PFG instructors and managers set up a program in the parking lot of CitiField in Queens – home of the New York Mets. The program emphasized distracted driving driving, simulated impaired driving, the relationship between reaction time and distance traveled at various velocities, safety and technology and also vehicle handling.
The program was used to allow the media to see how the Ford Driving Skills for Life program has evolved to meet the needs of new drivers and to address the continually changing technology at the fingertips of many drivers for communication and safety.
PFG also worked with Ford public relations personnel to make sure that the proper visual and speaking messaging were delivered.
Despite a weather forecast that called for potential thunderstorms, the event day saw clear sunny skies and an impressive media presence. PFG personnel set up a shuttle service to whisk media to and from the stadium itself to the driving area in a timely and comfortable manner.
In addition to the driving elements, the media also covered a panel discussion featuring several people including former FDSFL students and their parents, as well as Ford Fund manger Jim Graham among others. The panel discussion covered a wide range of topics related to safe teen driving and also allowed several of the panelists to express their opinions as well.
PFG managers ensured that the CitiField catering provided proper areas for the driving and panel discussion elements and also diligently with the catering service that turned out a wonderful Big Apple style spread.
Once the program was completed, the PFG team heading into spectacular Manhattan! Indeed, it is a city like no other and the instructors and PFG managers made the most of their time. From Times Square to Grand Central Station and all the eateries in between NYC doesn't ever seem to sleep. And, a visit to the stunning and somber 9/11 memorial with the massive 1776 foot tower overlooking it all was an absolute must.
Now that the PFG team is back home, we are looking forward to our next trip in two weeks – Salt Lake City, Utah for another full scale FDSFL safe teen driving event.
If you like iconic and older model American muscle cars, and you also like the spring conditions in northern Nevada, then the Hot August Nights Spring Fever event being held May 31st and June 1st, is an event you don't want to miss. The Barrett Jackson auto auction folks don't want to miss it either, and since we at PFG are a supporting vendor for them, we are headed up there now with a BJ liveried F-250.
The May/June gathering of hot rods from all over the country leads up to the big Hot August Nights event in, well, August!! And, since Barrett Jackson auto auctions are not only the biggest auctions out there, but also the biggest with regard to American metal, it definitely makes sense for them to be there.
At PFG, we handle data capture and ride and drive services for all of the Barrett Jackson events each year, and we also provide support services for the BJ team at some of their "sponsor" level events.
Which means that they trust us to make them look good. And, we do. It also means that we have to end up spending hours on end around some of the most beautiful cars and trucks that the U.S. has ever produced. Yeah, its a tough job! And we are very very glad to do it!
So, if you happen to be in the Reno, Nevada area this weekend, and get the urge to check out some American muscle cars, stop by the car show, and take some time to visit us at the Barrett Jackson truck.
At PFG, we are proud of our association with Ford Motor Company and our involvement with the Ford Driving Skills for Life safe teen driving program. While our primary responsibility has traditionally been to handle the logistics, driving instructors, course builds and show production, we were recently tasked with a large video project.
Even though the attention grabbing behind-the-wheel training part of Driving Skills for Life program is what most people see, the Ford Fund has also updated their new for 2014 site. And, the PFG team had a large role in the Academy section of the site. The Academy was developed to help those teens that can't get to the behind-the-wheel programs. The way the Academy helps is to provide a series of informative videos on all things safe driving.
As subject matter experts, the PFG team was selected to write the scripts for the videos. We then, working with a professional video team, directed the videos and provided the on screen talent. The result was a series of 22 informative and fun videos using instructors that work on the DSFL programs. The videos include static shots, animation and even some in-car footage to get the points across.
It turns out that some of the people that have seen the videos also make it out the programs. How do we know? Teens actually come up to us and tell us they learned just from watching us speak to them and using terms and personalities that they could identify with. Hearing that kind of positive feedback from a teenager is a great thing, and is just one more reason why we are proud of what we do!
From the site of the old Comiskey Park to Lincoln's hometown, to the site that represents the heart of Ford Motor Company, the PFG team of professional drivers, instructors, program managers and speakers finished off a highly successful tour of the Midwest with the Ford Driving Skills for Life program.
Many people don't know this, but the Chicago White Sox U.S. Cellular Field is built just a few feet from the site of the fabled, legendary and now torn down Comiskey Park. What's left of the old pitchers' mound is a large parking lot. That lot has proven for several years to be a great place to hold driving events, and indeed the PFG team set out again to build courses and set up tents for the program. Despite the wind and cold, the free driving program was filled for both days. NBC's Today show even made a visit out to the program, and showed the nation how Ford and PFG are bringing safe driver training to teens across the country.
After two program days in Chicago, the PFG crew tore down the courses, packed up the DSFL big rig, and headed down to Springfield, Illinois. Although most noted as being the birthplace of President Abraham Lincoln, Springfield is also home to some really great people and to the Illinois Air National Guard base at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. The commander at the base was kind enough to temporarily let us use the flight line for event. The primary mission of the Guard base is to rebuild and maintain the power plants for F-16 fighter jets across the U.S. As it turns out, many of the PFG drivers that work on the Ford Driving Skills for Life program are big fans of aviation. Add to that fat that the personnel on base were simply terrific people to work with, and the result was that our stay there was very enjoyable.
With roughly 48 hours of rest, the PFG team was back at it, this time in the heart of Ford country – Dearborn, Michigan. The program was held at the Dearborn Proving grounds, literally within direct line of sight of Ford Corporate World Headquarters. Over the course of four days, the PFG team of instructors and logistics personnel worked with the Ford Fund team and the Dearborn proving grounds staff to teach 800 newly licensed or permitted teens how to be safer drivers.
The Dearborn Proving Grounds has been a yearly stop since 2011, and houses one of the largest and most comprehensive proving grounds areas in the world. The site of the current facility was actually originally an airport, and during World War II served as a manufacturing and testing area for the B-24 Liberator.
So, after a strong two week stint, the PFG team will take a bit of a break to work on other part of the business, before packing up again and heading out to New York City for another Ford Driving Skills for Life event in early June.
Road going shows – its what we do – and we love it!


It is a ground floor with kitchen, dining and living under one roof along with the fireplace. Has four bedrooms and each with its own bathroom.
The house is ready for people with mobility difficulties can access in it.
Outside there is a big garden where the children can run and play. There is also outside the barbecue.
The 4x8m pool is shared with other rural accommodation situated in the same building but entirely separate from Le Permanyer called La Cabanya of Le Permanyer.
The game room has a tennis-table, and you can also do parties and family gatherings.


This page displays sold house prices for Graham Street in Newport.
Graham Street in Newport NP20 consists predominantly of terraced houses. Properties on Graham Street typically have values around £100,000 - £150,000, with larger terraced houses and townhouses valued at around £150,000.


The European IPR Helpdesk, in close co-operation with the Fit for Health 2.0 project and the Enterprise Europe Network, invites you to participate in the international training event "Exploitation of EU project results with a focus on IP in the field of health and biotechnology".
The strategic use and management of Intellectual Property (IP) – in business as well as in international research initiatives – is essential for strengthening the European scientific and technological base, boosting innovation and ensuring growth in the EU. In this context the current EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, places even more emphasis on systematic IP exploitation strategies as a means to better protect innovation initiatives and to reap commercial and economic benefits from EU-funded research.
The IP training event will therefore address the overall topic of how to create value through professional management and exploitation of IP – with a special focus on IP in the field of healthcare and biotechnology. Based on a very practical and comprehensive training approach, participants will be made familiar with central concepts and strategies of how to turn intellectual assets into value-creating innovations and increase impact. Moreover, the course will provide concrete examples of using IP as a strategic tool and how to transfer innovative ideas into valuable assets. The event particularly addresses SMEs and researchers interested in using Horizon 2020 more strategically to strengthen their innovation capacities.
Registration: The event is now fully booked.
The organisers of the training do not offer travel grants or any similar arrangements.
Practical information and accomodation: see PDF "Practical Information" below.


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leadership now
Timeless Branding Lessons From A Young Steve Jobs
To understand how a legacy lasts, let's flash back to when Steve Jobs rebuilt his own.
By Drake Baer 2 minute Read
"It's a complicated and noisy world," mused a younger Steve Jobs, "and we're not going to get a chance to get people to remember much about us. "
That chance to make a memory, he says, is the essence of brand marketing.
For Jobs, who looks so Jobsian–and so 1997–in his sandals, shorts, and turtleneck, that chance to make a memory presents the fundamental question of branding. The oft-mythologized executive laments that Apple's brand had fallen off, and the way to get back was not by talking about speeds or megahertz or why Apple is better than Windows.
A brand is not so much about rational arguments, Jobs argues, but the way that the company resonates with people emotionally.
Like Marc Ecko, Jobs uses Nike as a case study:
Nike sells a commodity, they sell shoes. And yet when you think of Nike you feel something different than a shoe company. In their ads, as you know, they don't ever talk about the product, they don't ever talk about their air soles, how they're better than Reebok's air soles. What's Nike do in their advertising? They honor great athletes and they honor great athletics. That is what they are about.
Branding answers the question of what are we here to do?, he says. And so, somewhat similar to Nike, Apple rediscovered that they were all about accessible aspiration. Jobs continues on, fitting self-knowledge to marketing know-how:
Our customers want to know, "Who is Apple and what is it that we stand for? Where do we fit in this world?" What we're about isn't making boxes for people to get their jobs done, though we do that well. We do that better than almost anybody in some cases. But Apple's about something more than that: Apple, at the core, its core value, is we believe that people with passion can change the world for the better. That's what we believe.
Having done that existential legwork, Jobs enthused that it was time to bring that message to the people with a marketing strategy. And while the market's changed, the company has changed, their products and distribution and all the other details have changed, the core values stay steadfast.
"The things Apple believes in at its core are the same things that Apple really stands for today," he says. "And so we wanted to find a way to communicate this."
That communication would turn into advertising history:
The ad, Jobs says, features living and dead heroes who were crazy enough to think they could change the world, who, as we know by now, decided to think different.
"The ones who aren't (alive), you know, if they ever would have used a computer, it would have been a Mac," he says.
Bottom line: As Jobs says: "Marketing is about values." So we need to know ours.
Check out Design Crazy: Good Looks, Hot Tempers, and True Genius at Apple, our captivating oral history of the company that "taught the world taste." The ebook is available through Apple, Amazon, and Byliner.
Drake Baer was a contributing writer at Fast Company, where he covered work culture. He's the co-author of Everything Connects, a book about how intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational psychology shape innovation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Lee Watkins
philosophy, books, and writing
← Henry Miller's Destination
Limitations →
Kathy Acker, Peter Greenaway, and Storytelling
Posted on June 10, 2019 by Lee
Hollywood films and popular novels are made with certain audience expectations in mind. They have a story to tell, and they are structured so that this story is easy to follow and understand. Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 – we can usually tell how much of a film is left to go by what is happening on the screen.
Structure and story tend to fit together neatly in a Hollywood film or popular novel. The structure is designed to fit the story: beginning, middle, and end. Or "orphan", "wanderer", "warrior", "martyr". The audience know what they came for: a drama in which a hero runs into trouble, learns a lesson, and meets with surprising consequences. (Recently I read Story Engineering by Larry Brooks, which explains the elements of storytelling really well.)
Sometimes it can all seem quite shallow, especially if it's not done well. Or if it's done so neatly that there's just no surprise, not really. You knew from the beginning that it had to go one way or the other, and – Oh! – it went this way and not that.
Perhaps one day you're feeling tired of the shallowness of much of popular culture – one "psychodrama" after another – and you decide you'll try something different. You won't try to deliver a story like that at all. Instead you'll play with moments and textures and let a like-minded audience come to you. And perhaps you'll feel some satisfaction in doing that for a while.
But what if, having done all that, you find you want to tell stories after all? What do you do then?
Structure is essential. But that doesn't mean you have to revert to the Hollywood-style, story-guided template. There are all kinds of ways you can introduce structure into your work, by putting the requirement for structure before the needs of the story.
"John Cage had made a record in the '40s called … Indeterminacy? … for which he collected a hundred tiny narratives, fragmentary fictions. Then he looked for a structure: he would tell each story in exactly one minute. No matter how long the story."
And that's just one way to do it, described by Peter Greenaway in an interview with Kathy Acker. The structure is not only external to – meaning, not determined by – the stories, but it's also utterly arbitrary: why one minute, after all? Acker explains the effect this arbitrary structure had on the storytelling:
"A very short story had to be read so slowly that it became incoherent; a long story so fast, equally incoherent."
But structure is essential: you need something to get you started.
How can an arbitrary structure be essential? Isn't this a contradiction? Isn't "arbitrary" almost the opposite of "essential"?
It's best not to think too much about it. Accept the paradox. Otherwise you'll never begin. So he just gets to work.
So Peter Greenaway moved from abstract to "narrational" films while remaining "a lover of abstract systems." This determined the kind of storyteller he would be. Some people are natural storytellers, while others find the process of making stories up to be a bit silly or trivial, and are ashamed that this is how they want to spend their time.
"Tell stories … without embarrassment." You've done it on your own terms, so there's nothing to be ashamed of. (There was never anything to be ashamed of, of course, but we get in the way of ourselves.)
The main thing is not to lose your own vocabulary in the process of becoming a storyteller. I suppose this is why we often feel that Hollywood films are less valuable then "real" works of art: they are so often created with a ready-made template in mind, so the original voice seems to have been lost somewhere along the way, if it was ever there at all.
What are you interested in? What are you trying to do? Why do you need to tell stories? I feel like I can tell when a writer or director has asked themselves these questions earnestly again and again all the while they've been working. A sense of purpose keeps the work real, keeps it from being trivial.
And not compromising. In this case, not compromising means not simplifying. All the depth and texture you wanted to get across remains and it's not just a story but a story that's your own and has meaning.
(Image is from Pixabay.)
This entry was posted in Beat Generation and tagged Art, creativity, film, Kathy Acker, Peter Greenaway, writing. Bookmark the permalink.
4 Responses to Kathy Acker, Peter Greenaway, and Storytelling
cindy knoke says:
I read once that the majority of hollywood movies are directed towards 14 yo males.
It is around this age that puberties onslaught cause most boys lose to their track, for a bit, a few forever
So could this be the explanation for the movie makers?
leewatkins says:
Oh I never heard that, I'll have to find out more. Do you remember where you read it?
Leon Horton says:
Excellent piece, Lee, as ever
Kalganov and Karamazov (Notes on Book 9)
The Conduct of Life
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Classic Books Revisited
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Arctic adventure: experiencing climate change through geography field course
Polar bears and glaciers among the highlights of two-week Arctic trip
It's not every day that you come face to face with polar bears. Or hike untouched moraines. Or stand among glaciers—witnessing first-hand the devastating effects of climate change, as Cassandra experienced while travelling across Nunavut and Greenland. A trip of a lifetime; you just had to be there.
"The sheer beauty of the north, its size, and significance—I find it almost overwhelming, indescribable," says Cassandra, who, along with 14 other students and University of Waterloo professors Drs. Christine Dow and Natalie Carter, embarked through the icy landscapes and northern communities of Nunavut and Greenland. The 13-day cruise formed the basis for the Geography and Environmental Management program's 430B Arctic Field Course, a comprehensive study of the north where students examined the interconnections between the human and physical environment, while exploring the impacts of climate change.
Between lectures, assignments and data collection, Cassandra and her classmates had opportunities to explore their surroundings, through excursions and other activities on and off the ship.
"We looked at everything from glacial retreat and rock formations, to food insecurity and how climate change is directly impacting cultural traditions and how people live," says Cassandra. "If you want to study climate change and the environment, you need to examine the world through both the physical and human experience.
"People assume a geography degree is just about looking at maps. However, it's more about the forces that shapes the physical landscape and how that directly impacts people."
Cassandra recalls watching as glacier chunks floated by their boat. "It was like watching climate change in action," she says. "It seems like everything is changing so quickly up here." The rapid melting of sea ice has had a profound effect on the communities, disrupting traditional cultural practices, travel, hunting and spiking the cost of food and supplies. And while she was aware of the scope of such problems before the trip, it took experiencing it first-hand to fully appreciate what's at stake, and how her geography degree can help her make a difference.
Indeed, it's this combination of co-op and classwork that led Cassandra to Waterloo's Geography and Environmental Management program. "Nowhere else compared to what I could do at Waterloo," says Cassandra. The only problem? "I'm a big city girl, from Toronto, and I didn't think I would enjoy living here. I was so wrong."
Now in her third year, Cassandra is deeply involved with on-campus clubs, and plays on Waterloo's women's football team. "I could probably talk forever about football," she says.
"There's more to school than what you study. Getting involved makes you feel part of something, expands your horizons. That's what university is all about."
So, what else is on her horizon? "I'm considering doing my master's degree, or working with an environmental agency," says Cassandra. "There's so much you can do with geography." She's also considering a return to the north. "When we were in Nunavut, we visited the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. They're doing ground-breaking work and they're hiring."
Photography courtesy of Jeff Topham, One Ocean Expeditions
More about Beyond Ideas
Faculty of Environment The world is your classroom
Faculty of Environment A day in the life of an Environment student


Dark La Crosse episode 1: Jailbreak!
For the inaugural episode of Dark La Crosse, the archive team at La Crosse Library travels back in time to revisit a jailbreak and car chase that rocked the city. The Dark La Crosse series is made possible by a partnership between the La Crosse Library and the La Crosse Tribune.


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Jamaica re-elected to the IMO Council; stresses commitment to protecting marine environment
Published:Tuesday | December 21, 2021 | 12:05 AM
Jamaica has affirmed its commitment to the marine environment and blue economy as it was re-elected to Category C of the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The country was re-elected to serve another two-year term until 2023 during the 32nd session of the IMO Assembly, held virtually on December 10. The council approves the work of the various committees, proposes the budget, appoints the secretary general for the assembly's approval and makes policy recommendations, including the IMO's strategic plan.
Minister of Transport and Mining Robert Montague, in a pretaped statement for the December 7 opening, said "Jamaica remains mindful of the vulnerabilities of our location, but also our responsibilities to join with the international maritime community to preserve and protect the marine environment and the blue economy. With the impacts of climate change, Jamaica remains ready to assist our Caribbean partners. We continue to show leadership in the region in partnering with the IMO to find viable solutions to reduce emissions."
Montague continued, "Jamaica's long-term objectives fully recognise shipping as a major plank of our own Vision 2030 Development Plan. The maritime sector is a major contributor to the growth of Jamaica's economy, enabled by substantial investments in world-class cruise and trans-shipment port facilities; global distribution through the logistics hub; and a dynamic university which continues to develop social capital to serve the region and beyond. Jamaica's maritime administration continues to execute its mandate, with a focus on safety and security; the prevention of marine pollution; and the recognition, in law, of our valued seafarers as essential workers."
He also pledged to continue to support the IMO in all aspects of its work, including efforts to reduce and eliminate ships' GHG emissions and address climate change.
«Spirit of Christmas:SAJ spreads cheer to 50 elderly Greenwich Farm residents
Salvaging history: Mission to recover the Windrush anchor »
More Shipping
US$37-million shipyard project pushes Jamaica closer to logistics target
SAJ to host two-day customer service excellence workshop
Caribbean Shipping Executives' Conference returns to Florida from May 1-2
CMU president meets with SAJ Managing Committee
Shipping Industry: The year that was (Part 2)
Shipping industry: The year that was


Technology Internet Google Just Launched A New GIF Maker!
Google just launched a new Data GIF maker which will help the journalists to tell stories in a more appealing way. This is just a simple tool which lets you create GIFs to compare statistics about two different topics.
Google had just taken a major step to make your research look even better. Google just launched a new Data GIF maker which will help the journalists to tell stories in a more appealing way.
Well, Google on its blog post said that this free tool is aimed at journalists, but it looks like anyone can use it however they want. Let me tell you this is just a simple tool which lets you create GIFs to compare statistics about two different topics.
Users just need to visit this link and then have to enter two data points, text, choose the colors, choose the explanatory text and then hit the Launch comparisons or Download as Gif button.
You can use the free tool from here. So, what do you think about this? Share your views in the comment box below.


below pls. find a compilation of my own research on OBEs.
Cases of NDEs most often take place during sudden shock, accidents, cardiac arrest, falling into coma and during the process of natural death.
-OBE accompanied by significant increase in perception of basic human senses such as sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
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November is now coming to an end, for this months Styling the seasons I've been thinking a lot about candle light and crafts.
As part of my Styling the seasons blog challenge (hosted by Katy and Charlotte), I couldn't resist organising and styling my yarn and wool, displaying them in my lovely glass display dome. Completely unnecessary but so pleasing to look at! By styling my yarn in this way it has taken the 'old lady' stigma of crocheting and knitting away and looks very inviting. What do you think?
Crocheting danish grydelappers (pot holders) is one of my favourite things to make this time of year and great as a Christmas gift. I make either knitted or crocheted grydelappers take a look at my blog posts for more inspiration.
I love to decorate with candles and at this time of year I find it hard not to have them everywhere. My favourite candle stick holder from Design House Stockholm takes pride of place in my living room, with a few scattered t-lights it's a perfectly paired-back style.
As my style tends to be Scandinavian inspired, it's important to bring in a balance of nature with crafts and design. I collected branches found in my local park, two is enough to create a statement, softening the design without being flowery. I love the combination of the natural branches and birch wood cabinet, industrial tin tiles, vintage danish ceramics , candle holder and stark white walls.
I look forward to planning my December styling post, I wonder what theme that will be??……..


You can also download important quotes for UPSC essay PDF/quotes for essay UPSC PDF.
With the introduction of Essay Paper in the year 1992 in the UPSC Civil Services Exam by the commission, it is now a known thing to every aspirant that how important is essay paper in assessing one's skills and abilities and the marks scored by a candidate in essay paper is also considered for the final round (interview) in UPSC Exam.
Understanding the importance of Essay Paper in UPSC Civil Services IAS Exam, here we bring a list of quotes quoted by famous personalities, which candidates can go through and include relevant quotes in their essay topic in the UPSC Mains Exam.
Good news! It's now easier for readers to download online study materials from ClearIAS. We have added new download links in ClearIAS website, right in the menu bar itself. Readers can now download ClearIAS notes as PDF for free!
Yes, online study materials published in ClearIAS.com were always free to download. We have now compiled the must read notes to make it more user-friendly for our ever loving readers. Readers can now download ClearIAS notes of individual subjects via the drop-down menu option at the top.
How to download ClearIAS study-materials as PDF?
We believe that services like IAS, IPS, IFS etc need the best brains in the country and we strive to ensure that no deserving candidate be left out of UPSC exam competition due to inaccessibility of expensive IAS classroom coaching.
As an emerging EdTech startup, ClearIAS has been providing free IAS online coaching, free online study-materials and mock tests. We have also listed out the recommended books for UPSC preparation, with links to buy online.
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Bill Nye 'The Science Guy' is getting a new Netflix show. This is not a drill.
Science rules, according to Bill Nye. (Courtesy of Bill Nye)
By Rachel Feltman
Bill Nye, known as "The Science Guy" ever since a TV show of the same name basically owned the mid-1990s, will soon return to our screens. IndieWire reports that the veteran science communicator will star in a new Netflix series called "Bill Nye Saves the World," set to premier next spring.
For nerds of a certain age (sorry, but I'm about to talk about myself), Nye's influence is hard to overstate. Some of my earliest memories are of plopping down in front of the TV to watch him make science accessible and cool. The theme song will never get out of my head, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.
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Nye has had an impressive career resurgence in recent years, no doubt in part because his original fan base is now grown up and endowed with spending power and no small amount of '90s nostalgia. He published two books in 2015, made a habit of engaging with those who deny evolution and climate change in public debates and brought the Planetary Society into the headlines as the space-exploration advocacy group's gregarious CEO. He also appeared on "Dancing With the Stars."
When I spoke to Nye about his friend and fellow science superstar Neil deGrasse Tyson's own talk show in 2015, he admitted (after some prodding) that he could see the nerdy seeds he'd sown in 1993 bearing fruit in the general populace.
"Sure, sure, it's all me," he joked. "But it's true that 'The Science Guy' is still huge — bigger than ever, I guess — because these millennials are all grown up, and we have a whole new generation of kids watching the show in school. This of course was my goal, to change the world and so on, but to see it actually happen is a bit spooky," he said.
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Nye brings up that lofty goal a lot. If I searched the phrase "change the world" on my work computer, I'm pretty sure nine out of 10 results would be notes from interviews with him. So it's no surprise that he's leaning into the cheeky motto and using it as a title for his new show.
Here's the official synopsis from Netflix, as reported by IndieWire:
Each episode will tackle a topic from a scientific point of view, dispelling myths and refuting anti-scientific claims that may be espoused by politicians, religious leaders or titans of industry.
Netflix promises to preserve Nye's "unfiltered style" while using interviews and experiments to educate viewers on everything from climate change to GMOs. In other words, he's going to be doing exactly what he's been doing for the past few years, but now we get to marathon it all on Netflix. Phil Plait (who blogs as The Bad Astronomer over at Slate) is on board as the show's head science writer, so you can expect good things. Thank goodness, because pretty much every millennial on Earth will be waiting with bated breath.
No pressure, Bill.
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