LNER's Azuma fleet for the East Coast main line is being built at Hitachi's facility in Newton Aycliffe.
This milestone for Newton Aycliffe follows Azuma trains built in Japan testing on the route.
Hitachi has designed the trains using their Japanese bullet train technology, with the front of the train using a sleek aerodynamic design.
With much faster acceleration passengers can expect their journey times to be cut once the fleet is fully introduced. The name Azuma means "east" in Japanese, an acknowledgement of Hitachi's roots and Japan's advanced railways.
LNER managing director David Horne said: "We're delighted that manufacturing has now commenced on Azuma in County Durham.
"Our customers can expect a fleet of high-tech, modern trains that will deliver more seats and space, as well as faster journeys.
Karen Boswell, managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, said: "Newton Aycliffe continues to go from strength to strength, now building three separate fleets to serve passengers across the country.
"Our pioneering Azuma trains, inspired by Japanese bullet trains, will transform journeys on the East Coast main line.


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Home / About Venable / News / FCW features Ari Schwartz ...
Ari Schwartz
FCW features Ari Schwartz in an article about the importance of developing standards and automation when it comes to successfully fighting cyber attacks
Ari Schwartz was featured in an article in the July 11, 2017, issue of FCW on how the Trump administration's cyber executive order has tasked the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security with a year-long study of how to reduce botnets, but according to Schwartz, the immediate focus should be on standards and automation.
"The fact that you need a botnet report and we're not at the point of saying 'here is the whole of government approach to this issue' and that the Trump administration needed this report," demonstrates that more could have been done, he said.
Going forward, Schwartz told FCW the first priority is speeding up the development of standards, especially for device manufacturers.
"We're just starting to see the standards be put in place for what they are supposed to do, so I'm worried that it's a long process to get to that point," he said. Schwartz warned that standards need to be put in place before any regulation comes down to avoid ending up "with things locked into place in 2017."
He said NIST and National Telecommunications and Information Agency are playing important roles in developing standards and facilitating public-private partnership.
"There needs to be sustained follow up and sustained participation," he said.
"Government is part of that. Industry is part of that, and it's different parts of industry too."
Schwartz stressed that the government needs to hold off on regulations for now.
"You've got to get the standards in place," he said. "You've got to get people doing it voluntarily and see how that goes for some period of time and then start mandating it as people are not doing it or in the areas they're not doing it."
One of the key standards is automated device updating, Schwartz said.
"Education works to some extent, notification works to some extent, but the scale we're talking about, it's not going to be the answer," he said. "So it needs to be more of automated patching in this space."
"How do we make sure that we can update things and the user doesn't have to be involved in that discussion, but yet we're not invading their privacy, we're not breaking stuff on their side, right?" he said. "That's the key."
Schwartz acknowledged there will be an ongoing challenge posed by expired devices that are still connected but are no longer supported or being updated.
Presidential and Congressional Outlook

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I have had this recipe bookmarked for far too long. It took my sisters FB post to remind me of the Challah bread that I never got around to making. This was something I never thought I'd get the guts to make years ago – it looked so difficult to me for some reason. I found a YouTube video that demonstrates how to properly braid the Challah and that was super helpful. While baking, the top braid started to tip over, but thankfully it never fell off. Next time I make it, I'll make sure that the base is even and maybe even a little wider so this wont happen next time. The amount of dough this makes doesn't seem like it would be enough to make such a large-looking braid and the bread bakes up surprisingly light and airy. This is a slightly healthier version of a traditional Challah bread recipe. I didn't mean to choose a healthier version, and I wont tell M this bit of information 😉 I decided to use grapeseed oil instead of the recommended olive oil, which replaced all the butter in the original version. I don't think I have ever had Challah bread before, so I have nothing to compare it to, so maybe next time I will make the butter version. This loaf is destined to be french toast, and I wont feel bad if I add a little butter to the pieces later;) Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Place all ingredients in the bowl of your standing mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment until combined, then switch to the dough hook. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes or until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let proof until doubled in size – about an hour. Gently punch down the dough, cover and let it rise for another 45 minutes.
Cut off 1/3 of the dough (my digital scale takes all the guess work out, but if you're more daring, you can eye-ball it). Divide the remaining dough into three equal pieces then roll out into 16 inch long strips. Braid.
Take the remaining ball of dough and divide it into three equal pieces and make a second braid. Set the smaller braid on top of the larger braid and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let it proof for 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash and bake it for 30 minutes or until dark brown. Cool completely on a wire rack – at least 2 hours. Enjoy!
Thanks for posting this, it looks completely brilliant – what an awesome colour!
This loaf is so beautiful and shiny.


—- Fellow New York Giants fans know the McVay name and cringe. Rams head coach Sean McVay's grandfather, John, was the Giants head coach during the 1978 season which featured The Fumble, when instead of taking a knee for a sure win over the Eagles Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik screwed up a handoff to back Larry Zsonka, whose fumble was scooped up by Herman Edwards and returned for a game-winning TD, shocking the crowd in the Meadowlands.
Now consider this: What that did was create so much outrage among Giant fans that they cleaned house, which led to the hiring of Ray Perkins as head coach. Perkins hired a linebackers coach named Bill Parcells. Parcells, when he was Giants coach, of course had a defensive coordinator named Bill Belichick. And we all know the rest. Maybe it's six degrees of separation, but you could argue the fact that McVay's grandfather very indirectly has a part in this whole Patriots thing.
Incidentally, John McVay went on to be a superb personnel man for the San Francisco 49ers, drafting some household names for those Super Bowl teams.
—-It really looks like the Patriot to watch in Super Bowl LIII is tight end Rob Gronkowski. Why? The Rams are one of the worst teams in the league at defending the tight end, a bit weak at linebacker. Tight ends caught 80 passes against them, for a total of 1,075 yards.
Gronkowski will be a big focal point this upcoming week, because the question has to be asked whether this will be his final game as not only a Patriot, but of his likely Hall of Fame career. Probably won't get a straight answer.
—–What is it with these NFC champion team coaches and their birthdays? Eagles coach Doug Pederson celebrated his 50th during the middle of Super Bowl week last year in frosty Bloomington, Minn., and just the other day McVay celebrated, uh, his 33rd. Yes, that's right, just 33. Amazing.
—– Not to restate the obvious, but the line between winning and losing doesn't get any thinner than last Sunday night. If Kansas City linebacker Dee Ford hadn't lined up in the neutral zone, the Patriot narrative would be incredibly different. We'd be talking about Tom Brady throwing three picks in the AFC Championship Game, likely fueling the "Brady In Decline" arguments. And Gronkowski's possible last play as a Patriot, a ball going off his usual sure hands to the other team to end the game. Oh, brother would it be different.
—-Remember the criticism that Bill Belichick took time out one evening in Minnesota to attend a Timberwolves game? Well, he won't be able to see the Hawks in Atlanta this week. They're on a west coast swing the entire week, at the Clippers on Monday, the Kings on Wednesday, at Utah on Friday, and at Phoenix on Saturday. Patriot fans will have to find something else to put under the microscope.
—–The hero of the Patriots first Super Bowl win, ironically over the Rams 17 years to the day of this year's Super Bowl, Adam Vinatieri, will be back for one more season with the Indianapolis Colts. He reportedly agreed to a one-year deal, and it will be his 24th season at age 46.
Hard to believe, isn't it? Vinatieri took the New England tour after he made that Super Bowl winning kick (after his big one in the Snow Bowl playoff win over the Raiders), and one of his stops was at a Manchester Monarchs game at what was then known as the Verizon Wireless Arena (now SNHU Arena). He was once one of the most popular Patriots, and he and Tom Brady are the only two left playing from that incredible game.
The one thing left for Stephen Gostkowski, who declared back before his first Super Bowl that "I'm not Adam", is to boot a Super Bowl game winner as the clock hits zero.
—-Think there's no game to pick? First Sunday without football? Wrong. Don't forget the Pro Bowl. It's Sunday at 3 p.m. in Orlando. We'll go NFC 516, AFC 422. Mark it down.
Tom King may be reached at 594-1251 or tking@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow King on Twitter (@Telegraph_TomK).


Since this was my first trip to East Malaysia, I decided to not run around wanting to see as many things as possible within the 4D3N that I was there.. In the end, I walked a lot while in KK.. a very good exercise for me... something that I really miss doing since I got back from Japan..
Visited some of the famous landmarks in the city.. Here are the photos..
The famous landmark of KK.. the Swordfish.. located behind Hyatt Regency Hotel..
Sabah Tourism Building.. nice old two-storey building.. lots of useful and up-to-date brochures and leaflets..
Town Council Building.. of KK.. nicely kept, brightly lit..
Anyway, here are some of the other landmarks not within the city area..
"New" admin building... which the taxi driver said, "baru tapi runtuh runtuh.." (translated as 'new but falling apart')..
Menara Tun Mustapha (Sabah Foundation Building).. this was the office building for Sabah's Chief Minister.. until the current CM decided to build another NEW building opposite the road..
University Malaysia Sabah.. the main gate into the campus..
UMS's library building.. noticed that the buildings are very far apart from one another.. so undergrads need to either take internal buses or drive to get around..
UMS's Chancellor Hall where events and convocations are being held.. the campus is HUGE.. with lots of greenery that look fairly well-tended..


I. G. Lisle; G. C. Sander; J.-Y. Parlange; C. W. Rose; W. L. Hogarth et al.
Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 2012.
International Journal of Thermal Sciences. 2012.
2015. 17th International Conference of Transport & Sedimentation of Solid Particles , Delft, The Netherlands , September 22-25, 2015. p. 45-52.
European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 April 2017.
2015 AGU Fall meeting, San Fransisco, December 13-18, 2015.
Hydrological Processes in Agro-ecosystems and Sustainable Water Resources Management in Arid Land under Changing Environments, Beijing, China, 21-22 July 2017.
AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA, 12-16 December 2016.
9th OpenFOAM® Workshop, Zagreb, Croatia, June 23-26, 2014.


Over 3 fantastic nights more than a hundred people witnessed, experienced and created an amazing light show. There were lights, wands, torches and wires being twirled, waved, pulsed and even juggled to create thousands of patterns in the darkness. I've documented the event shooting 360˚ Panoramas and long exposures, to give you some idea and the unique environment we found ourselves in and the magic created in the dark.


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Distributors Move Beyond Paper
How important is it that most distributors offer some types of value-added services?
Emis: I believe value-added services are necessary for distributors to be effective in the marketplace. It's not as simple as keeping up with the Joneses, but customers read about these services in their trade magazines and want to utilize them. It's just the way the migration of procurement is heading.
Watson: If a distributor wants to be in business long term then it's the proper thing to do. We are basically here to build partnerships with our clients. In fact, we hired a full-time employee due to a request generated by one of our Fortune 500 clients. Depending on your interests and different opportunities, anything you can do to broaden value-added services will be a benefit.
Schachtel: Distributors have to offer value-added services or their clients will bid out for traditional forms, which have become a commodity market. It's too risky for distributors who don't offer value-added services to rely too heavily on strong relationships with long-term customers, because personnel will always change. It is just too easy these days for distributors to lose traditional orders to lower bidders.
Do you see value-added services being a major part of a distributor's business in the future?
Peterson: Definitely. Value-added services will continue to become a major part of business over the next several years, beginning with larger companies and then trickling down to smaller ones. Eventually, most organizations will complete, distribute and archive their present-day forms in electronic formats.
Schachtel: I believe we need a mix of both value-added services and traditional ones. There are only so many value-added products and services you can offer. Even in the next several years, distributors will need to offer value-added services as a complete package.
Emis: Absolutely, because, in a nutshell, we saw the forms in-dustry change rapidly with the advent of the laser printer, so something had to be done to open up new avenues of opportunity. After all, nobody thought the fax machine was going to be a big deal.
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Early 1945 saw Canadian military and local teams battling on the ice at Paisley, with the Canadian teams featuring talent from the NHL.
Ron Laidlaw, longtime resident of London, Ontario, was a war photographer with the RCAF during the Second World War. He was, allegedly, the first Allied photographer to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and among the first to enter the newly liberated city of Paris. He brought back with him a collection of Nazi artifacts and Adolf Hitler collector cards, as well as official photos that he took in England, France, Holland, and Germany. The postwar material includes two scrapbooks, one detailing his retirement from CFPL Television in 1987 and the other his trip for the fiftieth anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands in 1995, his war medals, cuff-links given to Laidlaw by the Masons, and cigarette holders. After the war, Laidlaw returned to his position at the London Free Press until an opportunity arose to launch a new TV station, CFPL. He was the station's only news director until his retirement in 1987.
Joseph Reed Sams enlisted in 1943 and fought with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. While he was at the front, his family kept a scrapbook of newspaper articles concerning the major battles in which they believed he had fought. Throughout the scrapbook are items that are more personal, such as the telegram informing the family that Sams had been wounded. Other interesting items, added after he had returned home are a Nazi badge, Sams' campaign ribbon, and a fifty-Reichsmark bill. After the war, Sams went on to become an insurance agent, and in 1963 was elected as the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Wentworth, Ontario.
The ceiling price - the maximum price that could be charged for any good purchased - was a key element of Canada's wartime strategy to control inflation, and the government relied on shoppers to help enforce price ceilings.
Price controls constituted a major step for Canada's government of the Second World War, so Donald Gordon, the man in charge of implementing them, took every opportunity to explain the process to community groups.
A letter home to Canada written on birch bark.
A pamphlet sold on the home front for 25 cents with sheet music and lyrics for the song "Hitler on the Run!" by Neil MacDonald.
A collection of stamps, an envelope, a letter, and a certification card regarding the production of rationed butter.


If you want something, Ask!
I'm continually amazed by how often people expect others to do something without actually asking them. When they fail to do what was expected, those expecting feel angry, ignored, frustrated, or disrespected. The may feel that the other person should have known and shouldn't have had to have been told.
Why do we penalize and punish others for not doing something that they were supposed to do, or should have known to do, without first making an effort to explain what we really want and why?
The truth is, other people can't read your mind and probably won't be able to guess or assume what you want. You have to give them the chance to do what you want them to do. You do this by being real and genuine. Not by dancing around the edges. Be respectful and get to the point.
If you want something, ask! The person you are asking will appreciate it just as much as you will!
You are not a hat!
Who you are meeting or speaking with, and the purpose of the encounter, really shouldn't have an effect on how you approach the interaction. It especially shouldn't shape how you "act" around those you are engaging with.
on for particular occasions like a hat.
No matter who is present in the room, being real and authentic transcends any kind of strategy or technique you may have for profiling people as either a decision maker, influencer, and simply everyone else.
Avoid a "one size fits all" mentality about who you think they are and what you think they want and stop any inclination to play a part or role in this interaction. Instead, make sure all are heard, their opinions valued, and that proper attention is paid to each person. Solutions and opportunities will then follow.
Listening to others is probably the most impactful thing you can do in any kind of relationship with the least amount of investment.
Don't get me wrong, it does take time, effort , and discipline but the results are crazy good and immensely rewarding. By listening more, and talking less, others feel more comfortable, appreciated, and respected. It doesn't get much better than that, right?
Being an effective communicator, one whose message resonates with others, starts with being a better listener. If you want to make an impact, lead with your ears, not your mouth.


Bus station Zagreb and Bus station Rijeka have excellent connection with numerous daily departures all year round. It is one of the most popular bus line in Croatia, and buses run frequently through the day.
There is 155 kilometers between Zagreb and Rijeka, and a bus ride takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes, depending on the route of each bus line. Please consider increased road congestion during the season.
Please see below departures from Zagreb to Rijeka - do not forget to choose the correct date of travel. If you want to know about return journey here are the information about the route Rijeka - Zagreb.


Hair extensions fitted from Katie's salon in Haywards Heath. For bridal hair Katie covers Sussex, Surrey and surrounding areas including Brighton, Hove, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Burgess Hill and East Grinstead. A travel fee may apply depending on your location.
Fabulong hair extensions, Medusa hair extensions, Easilocks hair extensions, Micro & Nano ring hair extensions, Fusion bond extensions and Easy shrink extensions.


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Joanna (Jo) Riley
7 of the Most Promising Black-Owned Startups to Watch in 2020
Posted on November 10, 2020 by JoannaRiley
Black-owned startup companies have become more widespread. From scheduling apps to TV production companies, we look at seven black-owned startups that appear to be on a promising trajectory.
1. Predina
Founded in 2016, Predina is an artificial intelligence software company in Islington, London, that was established by Meha Nelson and Bola Adegbulu. The company develops innovative software that integrates AI systems with autonomous vehicles in order to analyze risk.
Predina has been recognized by the UK government as among the country's top 29 AI startups. To date, the company has attracted $380,000 in investments. In early 2019, Predina received $129,000 in funding from the black-owned venture capital firm Impact X Capital Partners. Predina has since expanded its workforce, launched an app, and outlined ambitious plans to sell to car manufacturers and major businesses around the world.
2. Three Tables Productions
A London-based film and television company, Three Tables Productions was founded by David Chikwe, J.T. Wong, and Himesh Kar. The production company specializes in international TV dramas, and the team is developing projects with the BBC and France.tv.
Founded in 2018, Three Tables Productions received $322,000 in funding in its first year of operations. The team draws on extensive experience in a diverse range of fields. Chikwe is the former head of development of Leopard Pictures, and Wong is an entrepreneur. In addition, Kar has served as an executive with the UK Film Council. Committed to diversity, Three Tables Productions champions emerging and established talent, embracing differences to tell unique stories.
3. Calendy
Established in 2013 by Tope Awotona, Atlanta-based Calendy offers the ability to streamline the online scheduling process for appointments and meetings. Calendy has grown to become one of the market's highest-rated scheduling apps, providing both free and paid versions.
4. Pace
An AI specialist, Pace develops hotel pricing technology. By leveraging machine learning and real-time forecasting, Pace enables hotel owners to respond quickly to market fluctuations in supply and demand, enabling them to pitch their listings at just the right price.
In 2015, the company was co-founded by Jason Pinto, Jens Munch, and John-Paul Clarke, bringing together a trio with widely different experiences and specialties. Together, they successfully designed Pace from the ground up, driving digital disruption in the hotel industry.
To date, Pace has attracted more than $5.8 million in equity funding from Seedcamp, Amadeus Capital Partners, InterGlobe, and Speedinvest. The company's latest fundraising round in April 2019 attracted more than $2.5 million in funding led by Impact X Capital Partners.
While Pace is only 3 years old, it has built a prestigious client list that includes a&o, Best Western, Machefert Group, Accor, and Generator. The coronavirus pandemic has significantly impacted the hospitality industry, and Pace possesses algorithms to enable hotels to stay ahead of the curve, adapt to meet changing market demand, and provide a valuable competitive edge.
5. Jamii
In 2016, Jamii was launched by Khalia Ismain. An Ealing, London-based e-commerce company Jamii provides a loyalty card scheme designed to promote African-Caribbean businesses, predominantly focusing on the black British community.
After struggling to locate black-owned businesses, Ismain decided to channel her efforts into promoting them. She created a directory of them and provided a discount card scheme to encourage customers to return.
The Jamii Card confers a variety of benefits, including discounts of up to 40% at participating black-owned businesses. The London-based network encompasses more than 150 black-owned businesses trading in clothing, skincare, haircare and beauty products, as well as greeting cards.
6. Black Ballad
Based in Newham, UK, and co-founded by Bola Awoniyi and Tobi Oredein, Black Ballad is an online publishing company whose mission is to empower black British women through content, commerce, and community.
Awoniyi and Oredein developed the concept in May 2014, after they became increasingly frustrated by the lack of mainstream media representation for black British women.
As the CEO of a relatively small team, Oredein steers the partnership, commercial, and investment-facing aspects of the business, while Awoniyi oversees operations and finances. Connecting more than 150 black female bloggers and creators, the company collaborates with industry giants such as Waterstones and the Financial Times to represent Britain's black community.
7. Marshmallow
Founded by David Goate and Alexander and Oliver Kent-Braham, Marshmallow is a Camden, UK-based insurance provider that offers insurance products, leveraging data and technology to make insurance more affordable and inclusive.
Founded by David Goate and identical twins Alexander and Oliver Kent-Braham, the company was initially established with the goal of supporting people who had migrated to the UK with a focus on helping them to find affordable insurance. While the company remains committed to this goal, it has since expanded its mission with a commitment to helping a wider pool of consumers, particularly those who have been rejected by other insurers.
Filed Under: Advancement, Business, Personnel, Tech
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Joanna (Jo) Riley is an entrepreneur, investor, and advocate in technology, and is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Censia. Jo has a highly experienced background in building and scaling companies, which she attributes to her deep passion for people and building technologies that allow people to be their best selves. She brings her wide knowledge of the industry to better transform the way enterprise companies hire talent. You can connect with Joanna Riley at @joannakiddriley on Twitter or on Linkedin. Read her full bio here.
Copyright © 2021 Joanna (Jo) Riley


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Positive stories from underrepresented voices, focused on solutions.
Tony Loyd
Social Entrepreneur Podcast | Social Entrepreneur
Leveraging the Strength of a Corporation, with Stefan Phang, Soap for Hope
December 11, 2015 By Tony Loyd 2 Comments
http://traffic.libsyn.com/tonyloyd/SE017.mp3
Soap for Hope teaches at-risk communities to salvage hotel soap slivers and turn them into new soap bars.
Stefan Phang, Diversey's Soap for Hope
When you visit a hotel, do you ever wonder what happens to the small piece of soap you leave behind? The average hotel generates somewhere from three to six tons of solid soap waste per year. What if that soap could be diverted from the landfill and used to lift people out of extreme poverty and prevent sex trafficking? Well, that's what Stefan Phang of Diversey's Soap for Hope program is doing.
Soap for Hope was piloted in Cambodia in October 2013. By September 2015, they have partnered with 300 hotel properties in 19 countries. They have diverted 630 tons of solid soap waste from landfills. They converted this waste into 5.3 million bars of soap, which were given to 450,000 people. In the process, they have raised the livelihood of 600 people who were previously in extreme poverty. And, as a result, they have reduced the incidence of sex trafficking of children.
Soap for Hope takes the soap waste from hotels, converts them into new soap products, and distributes the upcycled soaps to people who currently do not have access, which creating jobs for the economically disadvantaged. This is a win-win-win for Diversey, for the partner hotels and for the local communities.
Stefan's activities have allowed Diversey and their partner hotels to go beyond a set of written-down values, or words in a CSR report, and to make an impact on some of the most vulnerable people on earth.
Stefan has been involved in child protection for more than twenty years, but not as the leader of an NGO, but as an outreach of his work as an employee of for-profit corporations. Stefan has seen firsthand the fallout from sex trafficking of children as young as 8 years old. Stefan began by working with organizations that rescue and reintegrate these abused children. However, the children had a difficult time reintegrating into society. So, Stefan began to focus more on preventing sex trafficking and protecting the children and families.
Stefan first came to my attention because of something remarkable he did. He noticed that, in developing countries, one of the most common modes of transportation is the motorcycle. There are often multiple family members riding together, frequently with small children, and almost always without helmets. Stefan found a way to acquire and distribute motorcycle helmets, starting in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and India. In the first five years, he and the other participants in the program gave away 60,000 helmets. These helmets saved around 2,900 children from serious head injuries.
Diversey Soap for Hope: https://www.diversey.com/sustainability/soap-for-hope
Stefan Phang on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stefan.phang
Stefan Phang on LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/stefan-phang-8a56a320
UNICEF's Child protection page: http://www.unicef.org/protection
Filed Under: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Podcast, SDG10 - Reduced Inequalities Tagged With: abuse prevention, Asia, child protection, corporate social responsibility, CSR, economic opportunity, hospitality, hotel, inequality, intrepreneur, sanitation, Sealed Air, sex trafficking, upcycling, waste stream
Naresh Bhardwaj
Good Job Mr.Stefan. I proudly remember the time spent with personalities like you in sealed air.
stefan phang
Thanks very much, Naresh!
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Hi! I'm Tony Loyd, a former Fortune 500 executive turned podcast host and keynote speaker. Invite me to speak at your event.
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17 St. Mary's Street, Ely, Cambs.CB7 4ER.
*Provisional bookings are held for 7 days.
N.B. If your holiday is less than 28 days away please enclose full payment.
Click here to download the booking form as a Word doc.


PITTSBURG, Penn., May 12 — Four distinct explosions wrought ruin in the Chartiers Valley this evening. It is estimated 25 persons are dead and between 100 and 150 are burned, many of whom will die. The first explosion occurred in the Sheriden yards of the Pan Handle Railroad, about five miles from the Union Station in this city. Switchmen were shifting a train of cars, to which were attached two cars of refined oil and one of Naphtha. The Pan Handle Railroad Company has thirty-six tracks through Sheridan and has succeeded in keeping communication open.
BORT, DALLAS, twenty-eight years old, of Sheraden; died at Mercy Hospital.
DOUDS, died at Mercy Hospital.
FINEH, TY, aged forty years, Sistersville, West Va.; died at Mercy Hospital.
HERTIG, CHARLES, Chestnut Mines; died at Mercy Hospital.
HUNTER. G. H., twenty-eight years old, leaves widow and five children, G.T. Sheridan; died at Mercy Hospital.
SMITH. DAVID, nine years old, of Shertden, died at Alleghany General Hospital.
SMITKLEY, H. F.. TJhrlchville, Ohio; died at Mercy Hospital.
TAYLOR, W. W.. twenty-seven years old. of Miller's Station; died at Mercy Hospital.
UNKNOWN white man. about forty years old, five feet nine Inches tall, weighing about 175 pounds; taken to McDermofs undertaking rooms.
UNKNOWN BOY, about fourteen years old; died on way to Allegheny General Hospital.
WRIGHT, W. H., twenty-she years old. a carpenter of Sheraden; died at Mercy Hospital.
BAGGS, DORSET, aged nineteen years, Esplen; burned on face and hands.
CONNTDI, FICK, aged forty-three, grocer, Cecil, Penn.; badly burned all over.
DENZINE, HENRY, of Allegheny; burned head, hands, and feet.
DOUGLASS, WILLIAM, hands and face burned.
DOUGLASS, Mrs. MYRTLE, Esplen; burned from head to foot.
EATINGS. Carl, of Tipton. Terra.; badly burned about head.
MRS. SEYMOUR'S DAUGHTER, aged twenty years; burned all over body; not expected to live.
KASEY, SAMUEL, Captain No. 6 Volunteer Hose Company, McKee's Rocks; badly burned about face.
BIEMER, JOSEPH, Sraddock; eye blown out.
SEYMOUR, Mrs., Cork Ran; burned all over body; not expected to live.
SEYMOUR, SADIE, deaf mute, aged twenty three; burned and Injured in panic.
STRASSE, "BUZ," aged ten years, Esplen; face and hands burned.


Located in the beautiful Pocatello, Idaho.
We have been hand crafting antique reproduction leather doll bodies since 1978. Our bodies are hand made in our shop, each one crafted to be as authentic to the old bodies as possible.
We also have earned many awards on our dolls & sell beautiful painted porcelain reproductions. Put on our leather doll bodies ready for you to dress!


A story about a young girl who is about to change the world.
Mercedes Ketch is no average girl. The only daughter of the world's top authorities in long lost cultures, Mercedes is the best of both her parents, gifted with unique abilities… but she's about to learn that there's a cost to looking into histories that a powerful cabal would rather have forgotten.
Her parents are murdered for what they know – that all the old myths are true. An ancient bloodline, the Kinguim, hides the fact that magic flourishes in the modern world – Goblins, Elves, Vampires, and Werewolves stalk their prey unnoticed on city streets on behalf of their Kinguim masters.
Enter the world of Mercedes Ketch and see where else her story goes.
Published by Living Myth Media Inc.
Aaron Golden is a founding member of Living Myth Media, writer of the comics preview and review God of Comics, a sometimes guest on several podcasts, a commentator on politics and philosophy, the creator of the Triune Legacy, a re-occurring contestant on the Live Vancouver Gameshow Geek Interesting, and the author of the Legend of Mercedes Ketch. He's hosted panels and discussion groups, worked as a script doctor, and survived a number of odd jobs.
An avid gamer of table top and console games, Aaron also reads, goes for long walks, and is convinced that insomnia is a super power. He lives in his head a lot of the time, but can be found wandering the streets of Vancouver, mostly on the North Shore or meandering about downtown when he's not writing. He can be found online on facebook, tumblr, and twitter.
Living Myth Media .Inc © 2017 All Rights Reserved.


There were 28 of us, all squeezed in a UAZ-452, an extremely tiny mini-van from Soviet times.
We were sitting one in front of the other and the seats were so narrow that our legs were crossed over, to the extent that, occasionally, my knees were touching the belly of the man in front of me.
When it seemed that there was no more physical space, the UAZ stopped to pick up a few more people, who had to half stand with their cheeks stuck to the window.
We were driving towards the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan, in the western part of the country; a remote mountain system of extreme beauty and home to tens of small villages inhabited by locals, who will always bless you with great hospitality and generosity.
Trekking the Fann Mountains is the perfect journey for those seeking to combine real adventure with authentic local culture.
Tajikistan is a mountainous country, where you find most of the Pamir range, the third highest mountain range on Earth, after the Himalayas and the Karakoram.
After hitchhiking the Pamir Highway and wandering around the mystical Wakhan Valley while skimming Afghanistan, following a ten-day break in Dushanbe, we decided to go and explore the Fann Mountains.
The Fann Mountains are a group of mountains located in west Tajikistan, bordering Uzbekistan.
They belong to the Pamir-Alay, a mountain system spread across Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan which, at the same time, also belongs to the great Pamir range.
The Fann mountains are composed of around 100 peaks, the highest one being Chimtarga, at 5,489 meters.
Unlike the eastern Pamirs, the Fann are highly accessible.
However, they tend to be overlooked by most travelers, as the Pamir Highway and the Wakhan Valley are on everyone's priority list if you don't have a lot of time.
Nevertheless, with countless lakes and small villages, in the Fann mountains, you'll find very attractive scenery and very different geology and landscape from the eastern part of the country, besides being inhabited by people with a very distinct culture as well.
Therefore, if you have the time, I strongly recommend you pay the visit that these Tajik mountains deserve.
Like any mountain system or range, the trekking options are interminable.
The most famous spot would be Iskanderkul Lake, a huge lake which has been a pretty popular touristic spot since the Soviet Union.
Without any doubt, this is a nice place but, actually, it has also become very touristic at a local level, so if you are looking for something more adventurous and want to meet authentic Fann Mountains people, I suggest you trek to the 7 lakes, a 2-3-day trek through seven dreamy lakes and many small villages filled with very hospitable Tajiks.
The trek to the 7 lakes can be done in 2 or 3 days, doesn't require any tough mountaineering experience and most of the trail follows a narrow road, occasionally used by cars.
The trek starts in a small village called Rachnapollon, which is a few kilometers further down from a bigger village called Shing, which is shown on the map.
The truth is that neither of these villages is considered the official starting point but they are the last relatively big villages and are less than one hour's walk from the first lake.
From Rachnapollon to the seventh lake takes around 7 or 8 hours, with generous breaks included.
The landscape is quite dry and rocky, and you will see that the ground is not suitable for camping.
The only cool place to camp is the shore of the seventh lake, where you will find a comfortable meadow.
Like I said before, the trail passes by different lakes and tiny villages.
The highest point is on the seventh lake, at 2,400 meters, which is not very high, given the fact that we are trekking in Tajikistan. The trail ascends very gradually, except for a few sections where is quite steep. Nothing very difficult.
By the way, you could finish the trek in just two days but getting from Dushanbe to the starting point took us the whole day, as well as on the way back.
Therefore, save a minimum of 4 days to complete this trip.
For me, the best thing about trekking to the 7 lakes was meeting people from this part of Tajikistan, very different from the locals I met in the Pamir Highway, who were mostly Kyrgyz; and the people from the Wakhan Valley, who were basically Wakhi.
The people from the Fann Mountains are real Tajiks, considered among the most conservative people in the country, which is reflected in their rural life and their complete devotion to Islam, something quite unusual in the ex-Soviet Central Asia.
I remember all the women running away from us as soon as they saw me and Sam entering their village.
In the same way, when we sat to talk to local men, Adriana felt a bit apart, as, unfortunately, they didn't say hello to her.
However, those Tajiks are kind-hearted and hospitable and, on many occasions, they offered us tea, food, firewood and even a place to stay.
Getting to the starting point in Shing and Rachnapollon is very simple. If you have your own vehicle, from Dushanbe, you will have to first drive towards Penjakent, the main city in the region.
A few kilometers before, in Sujina, you will need to turn left, entering the mountains towards Shing.
We came by public transport, taking a local shared taxi from Dushanbe to Penjakent, which cost 70TJS (8USD) per person, for a 230-kilometer journey.
In Penjakent, for just a few somoni, we got in a UAZ-452, the Soviet mini-van I mentioned in the introduction. It was a really uncomfortable journey, but the experience was worth it.
On the way back, we went to Khujand from Padrut, a village located between the fourth and fifth lake. We paid 100TJS (11USD) per person for a local shared taxi.
There are no official guesthouses and homestays but we were invited by the UAZ-452 driver himself, who fed and hosted us with an extreme hospitality.
On the following day, he didn't accept our money but, in the end, we agreed to pay him 5USD each, which was not even close to the value of what we had eaten.
Padrut is a village situated between the fourth and fifth lake and where you find the only official guest house in the area. It costs 15USD, with dinner and breakfast included. We stayed here on the way back.
If you have your own camping equipment, you can camp on the lakeshore without any problem. Travelers who don't have camping gear can come to this lake on a day trip from Padrut.
Backpacker Hostel – Green House Hostel– Comfy beds, a big kitchen and a living room with awesome couches.
Budget Guest House – Hello Dushanbe – It has both private rooms and a dorm.
When to go – Trekking in Tajikistan is very seasonal and the Fann Mountains are only accessible from May to October.
Buy wine – You will be surprised to know that Penjakent, the main town in the region, is an important wine producer. We found some in the only liquor store in town, located in the bazaar and, honestly, it was not that bad for what it cost. The grape used is cabernet. A little wine is always good when trekking in Tajikistan!
Firewood for camping – When we camped by the seventh lake, we realized that there were no trees, so we could not collect firewood. However, in the evening, many locals passed by with their donkeys, carrying loads of kilos of firewood. They get it from very far away, from early in the morning. We asked them if they had some spare wood and, very kindly, they offered to us some, so we were able to make a good fire! If you don't want to freeze at night, do the same!
Packing list – If you want to see a complete list of all my trekking gear for Central Asia, check my post about Trekking in Kyrgyzstan, as the trekking conditions are pretty similar and I used the exact same gear.
Hi there.. i will be around central asia next year together with a friend of mine and I found your wonderful blog while I was doing my research.. there are few questions I would like to ask regarding to Tajikistan..
1) is there any public shared taxi from Dushanbe to Iskanderkul lake? And another shared taxi from the lake to Panjakent?
2) for transportation from padrut to Khujand, did you guys took the public shared taxi as well?
3) for Wakhan Valley, do you think I can find any public shared taxi from Mugrab to Langar to start off my trip to the Wakhan valley?


J R Controls provides control systems for food and beverage producing customers. With extensive experience in this industrial space, we understand the unique needs of food and beverage customers. We apply that understanding to our documentation, design, and commissioning of your control system.
These systems typically include conveyors that transport cartons from filling or packing machines to accumulation conveyors where cartons are sealed or shrink wrapped.
The cartons proceed to an accumulation and merge area where the various sources of cartons are sent to a high speed palletizer in pallet load quantities.
The palletizer utilizes a barcode scanner which monitors the arrival of cartons into the machine and will detect any issues.
The palletizer creates a full pallet load and will discharge it to the full pallet conveyors. The barcode information is utilized to create and print a pallet label on the pallet load as it discharges from the palletizer.
This label will be scanned by a fork truck operator as he retrieves the load from the pallet conveyors for storage.
A J R Controls, PC application can provide the customers WMS system with information related to the pallet load product identity and quantity.
These control systems typically have multiple system monitor screens (HMI) for system monitoring and trouble shooting.


text:
Revolutionary Biosuit Could Be the New Face of Space Wear
AddyDugdale
Filed to: Astro-hawtFiled to: Astro-hawt
Astro-hawt
Dava Newman
Space Suit
A professor of aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems at MIT has come up with a revolutionary new space suit that she hopes will take the place of the traditional, bulky number worn by astronauts over the past four decades. Although still only a prototype, Dava Newman's spandex and nylon Biosuit will offer space travellers more mobility and flexibility to explore the planets. If given the nod, Professor Newman reckons the Biosuit could be ready for the first human visit to Mars,thought to be about a decade away.
Initially funded by NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts, the Biosuit has been seven years in the making. Rather than using gas pressurization to protect the astronaut's body from the vacuum of space, a method used by the current 300-pound suits (astronauts expend around 70 or 80 per cent of their energy just trying to move themselves in the suit) the Biosuit uses mechanical counter-pressure, swaddling the body in tight layers of material. Apparently it's down to the pattern of the lines on the suit, which provide a stiff "skeleton" of support as well as maximum mobility.
The suit will be able to help space travellers stay in shape, as currently they can lose up to 40 per cent of their muscle strength during a trip. The new outfits will give different levels of resistance, allowing their wearer to exercise during a long flight. Small punctures of the suit will be dealt with by merely bandaging the area - with current suits, astronauts have to return immediately to base in order to avoid decompression.
The team behind the Biosuit reckons that the version that makes it to Mars will be a hybrid of old and new, with a gas-pressured torso section and helmet, with an oxygen tank attached to the back. And if the biosuit doesn't make it to other planets, Professor Newman has other plans for it: as a training aid for athletes, and helping people back on their feet and learning to walk again. [MIT News Office]
Recent from AddyDugdale
Goojje Search Engine, Launches in China, Claims It's Google's "Sister"
200-Meter-Long Superyacht Makes All Billionaires' Existing Yachts Look Merely Clitoral
First Render of Richard Branson's Underwater Plane


text:
Ramsey make RFU National Vase debut
Friday, November 17th, 2017 2:10pm
Match to be played at Parkonians
Ramsey will break new ground on Saturday with their first foray into the RFU National Vase Competition as they take on Liverpool University.
Ramsey go into the game with two very solid wins under their belts, however, they're likely to be without one or two key players, including last year's captain Dan Bonwick and Ethan Benjamin.
The game will be played on the Wirral at the home ground of Ramsey's old friends Oxton Parkonians due to competition rules.
The Pool winner will play the winner of the Midlands Pool and the winner of that game has a Twickenham final to look forward to.


We coat the Piston Crowns with a 'heat barrier' to reduce carbon build-up, protect the piston against ignition damage and to keep heat in the combustion chamber for better detonation. This in turn allows the gases to exhaust quicker allowing cooler and denser air in on intake. We have three types of crown coating, all are suited to naturally aspirated engines, CBX to turbo type applications, PTG (Gold) to Top Fuel applications.
We coat Piston Skirts with solid film and/or dry film lubricants. These coatings allow us to 'build-up' piston diameters by up to 4 thou (per side) if necessary and finish with a softer dry film lubricant. These coatings are designed to reduce friction between the surface of the piston and the cylinder bore. These coatings are slippy to the touch but are also porous to absorb and retain wet lube beyond the normal squish parameters. Coating the pistons skirts will reduce piston slap, false knock and cold start wear as well as increasing engine efficiency.
We coat Piston Underside with a heat dispersant to help the piston run cooler with effecting the rate of thermal expansion and to reduce the amount of oil sticking.
Prices exclude carriage and VAT.
All pistons should be supplied less rings, rods, pins and circlips.


Technological advancements have revolutionized nearly every field of medicine from orthopedics to genetic testing.
Sabrina Paganoni, MD, PhD, a clinician and researcher in the Neurological Clinical Research Institute (NCRI) at Massachusetts General Hospital, has seen firsthand the potential power and impact technology could have for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Paganoni is using technology to find new treatments and improve the care and quality of life for patients with this progressive neurodegenerative disease with no known cure.
Traditionally, the goal of a clinical trial has been to test a drug's efficacy. However, Paganoni sees a larger learning opportunity.
Paganoni is grateful to fellow NCRI researcher James Berry, MD, MPH who spearheaded several technology projects and first tested the use of a smartphone app to monitor ALS disease progression.
Paganoni also recognizes that technology can help improve patient care in the short term as researchers await the results from clinical trials. Her background in physical medicine and rehabilitation and her work at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital has made her aware of new technology's potential to improve the care and quality of life of patients who have disabling diseases.
Paganoni uses assisted technology to support patients she sees in her clinical work. For example, she is collaborating with Conor Walsh, PhD, from the Wyss Institute on a wearable robotic globe that can assist with motor functions such as helping patients open and close their hand.
She feels optimistic that such devices can improve patient quality of life.
Paganoni and her colleagues at the NCRI collaborate with basic scientists both at Mass General and at other institutions to carry drugs through the developmental pipeline and efficiently design, conduct, and manage clinical trials on-site.
One such collaboration is with the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND) which works to translate laboratory discoveries into prevention, treatment and cures for ALS as well as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Paganoni is currently working with MIND investigators Michael Schwarzschild, MD, PhD, and Ghazaleh Sadri-Vakili, PhD, to test a drug known as inosine that they successfully tested in pre-clinical models of Parkinson's and ALS.
Paganoni explains that inosine raises levels of urate, a natural antioxidant present in the body that may help counteract oxidative stress, an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to detoxify their harmful effects.
She is hopeful that among the clinical trials she is currently involved in — including the aforementioned inosine trial — at least one will result in a drug that could be made available to patients.
Paganoni says the ability to conduct ALS research from bench to bedside and in collaboration with researchers working on other neurological diseases is made possible by both the NCRI and Mass General as a whole.
She credits NCRI founder and Co-Director and Chief of Neurology, Merit Cudkowicz, MD, MSc with developing the center's unique infrastructure.
Paganoni also says the collaborative spirit at Mass General helps researchers studying ALS work in parallel with investigators looking at other neurological diseases.


Reiki gift certificates are a unique, personal and thoughtful way to tell someone you care.
Help your loved one relax, reduce anxiety, sleep better or find relief in other physical or emotional issues. This gift can be life-changing and will be one your friends and family will remember for a lifetime.
Your gift certificate can be emailed or mailed to you or directly to the recipient in your name. Please be sure to include a physical address if a postal mail is preferred.
Gift certificates may be used for in-office or online sessions.
Gift Certificates have no cash value and refunds are not available.


text:
function drakeWalking(options)
if nargin < 1
  options = struct();
end
options = applyDefaults(options, struct('use_bullet', false,...
                                        'use_angular_momentum', false,...
                                        'random_navgoal', false,...
                                        'hokuyo', false));

load(strcat(getenv('DRC_PATH'),'/control/matlab/data/atlas_v5_fp.mat'));
if options.random_navgoal
  xstar(1) = randn();
  xstar(2) = randn();
  xstar(6) = pi*randn();
  navgoal = [xstar(1)+rand();xstar(2)+randn();0;0;0;pi*randn()];
else
  navgoal = [1;0;0;0;0;0]; % straight forward 1m
end

% silence some warnings
warning('off','Drake:RigidBodyManipulator:UnsupportedContactPoints')
warning('off','Drake:RigidBodyManipulator:UnsupportedJointLimits')
warning('off','Drake:RigidBodyManipulator:UnsupportedVelocityLimits')

% construct robot model
atlas_options = struct('floating', true,...
                       'ignore_friction', true,...
                       'dt', 0.001,...
                       'atlas_version', 5,...
                       'enable_fastqp', false,...
                       'use_bullet', options.use_bullet,...
                       'hokuyo', options.hokuyo,...
                       'visualize', false);
r = DRCAtlas([],atlas_options);
r = r.removeCollisionGroupsExcept({'heel','toe'});
r = compile(r);

% set initial state to fixed point
r = r.setInitialState(xstar);

v = r.constructVisualizer;
v.display_dt = 0.01;

nq = getNumPositions(r);

x0 = xstar;

% create footstep and ZMP trajectories
footstep_planner = StatelessFootstepPlanner();
request = drc.footstep_plan_request_t();
request.utime = 0;
request.initial_state = r.getStateFrame().lcmcoder.encode(0, x0);
request.goal_pos = encodePosition3d(navgoal);
request.num_goal_steps = 0;
request.num_existing_steps = 0;
request.params = drc.footstep_plan_params_t();
request.params.max_num_steps = 12;
request.params.min_num_steps = 2;
request.params.min_step_width = 0.2;
request.params.nom_step_width = 0.24;
request.params.max_step_width = 0.3;
request.params.nom_forward_step = 0.5;
request.params.max_forward_step = 0.5;
request.params.nom_upward_step = 0.25;
request.params.nom_downward_step = 0.25;
request.params.planning_mode = request.params.MODE_AUTO;
request.params.behavior = request.params.BEHAVIOR_WALKING;
request.params.map_mode = drc.footstep_plan_params_t.HORIZONTAL_PLANE;
request.params.leading_foot = request.params.LEAD_AUTO;
request.default_step_params = drc.footstep_params_t();
request.default_step_params.step_speed = 0.4;
request.default_step_params.drake_min_hold_time = 0.75;
request.default_step_params.step_height = 0.05;
request.default_step_params.mu = 1.0;
request.default_step_params.drake_instep_shift = 0.0;
request.default_step_params.constrain_full_foot_pose = true;

footstep_plan = footstep_planner.plan_footsteps(r, request);

walking_planner = StatelessWalkingPlanner();
request = drc.walking_plan_request_t();
request.initial_state = r.getStateFrame().lcmcoder.encode(0, x0);
request.footstep_plan = footstep_plan.toLCM();
walking_plan = walking_planner.plan_walking(r, request, true);
walking_ctrl_msg = walking_planner.plan_walking(r, request, false);
walking_ctrl_data = DRCQPLocomotionPlan.from_qp_locomotion_plan_t(walking_ctrl_msg, r);

% No-op: just make sure we can cleanly encode and decode the plan as LCM
tic;
walking_ctrl_data = DRCQPLocomotionPlan.from_qp_locomotion_plan_t(DRCQPLocomotionPlan.toLCM(walking_ctrl_data), r);
fprintf(1, 'control data lcm code/decode time: %f\n', toc);
walking_ctrl_data = QPLocomotionPlanCPPWrapper(walking_ctrl_data);

% plot walking traj in drake viewer
lcmgl = drake.util.BotLCMGLClient(lcm.lcm.LCM.getSingleton(),'walking-plan');
ts = walking_plan.ts;
for i=1:length(ts)
  lcmgl.glColor3f(0, 0, 1);
  lcmgl.sphere([walking_ctrl_data.settings.comtraj.eval(ts(i));0], 0.01, 20, 20);
  lcmgl.glColor3f(0, 1, 0);
  lcmgl.sphere([walking_ctrl_data.settings.zmptraj.eval(ts(i));0], 0.01, 20, 20);
end
lcmgl.switchBuffers();

planeval = bipedControllers.BipedPlanEval(r, walking_ctrl_data);
param_sets = atlasParams.getDefaults(r);
if options.use_angular_momentum
  param_sets.standing = StandingAngularMomentum(r);
  param_sets.walking = WalkingAngularMomentum(r);
end
control = bipedControllers.InstantaneousQPController(r, []);
plancontroller = bipedControllers.BipedPlanEvalAndControlSystem(r, control, planeval);
sys = feedback(r, plancontroller);
output_select(1).system=1;
output_select(1).output=1;
sys = mimoCascade(sys,v,[],[],output_select);

traj = simulate(sys, [0, walking_ctrl_data.settings.duration], walking_ctrl_data.settings.x0, struct('gui_control_interface', true));

playback(v,traj,struct('slider',true));

[com, rms_com] = r.plotWalkingTraj(r, traj, walking_ctrl_data);

if rms_com > length(footstep_plan.footsteps)*0.5
  error('drakeWalking unit test failed: error is too large');
  navgoal
end

end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


It was only a matter of time before things got really heated on The Bachelorette, and I don't mean between JoJo and one of her suitors. The men on the show are not exactly getting along this time around, and Chad and Jordan keep butting heads. Things finally came to a head (and I'm sure they will again), and Chad landed some low blows against Jordan on The Bachelorette , insulting not only him but also his profession and (kind of) his family.
For those of you who don't know (and who don't watch the show, because they've said it 30,000 times), Jordan is the younger brother of NFL quarterback and probable future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. He had his own little career in football (I mean little), but Jordan never matched the prowess of his sibling and quickly washed out of the league. There's nothing wrong with that, exactly — most people can't get into the NFL. Chad and Jordan are like oil and water, and during a fight, Chad went low, telling Jordan that he wasn't as good as his brother and that he's done nothing with his life besides throw a piece of leather around. Yikes on bikes, right? Jordan didn't really have a comeback for it but to call Chad a doody head (okay, he didn't say that), which means that he was really rattled by Chad's words.
Do people realize how unattractive it is to fight like that? That's one of the main differences between The Bachelorette and The Bachelor — the male contestants are so outwardly aggressive with each other that it's uncomfortable to watch. That conversation between Chad and Jordan was definitely not the final confrontation between those two. I think it will only be decided when we see who eventually wins JoJo's heart. Until then, I hope the fists don't start flying.


Once upon a time may eons ago (when America was Great the First Time), Paul was a kid living in upstate New York who discovered pop music on his transistor radio. Paul's interest in music has never waned, persevering through a tortuous move to Southern California at age 10, a psychedelic journey through the University of California, 14 months of vagabonding through Europe and Middle East and a 37-year law career. Having retired as senior attorney for the California Court of Appeal, Paul is now exploring the other side of his personality, which includes a lifelong ambition to be a DJ. How crazy is that?
Paul's interests include hiking, bicycling, pickleball, yoga, Qi Gong, political activism and writing. Instead of writing appellate court opinions, Paul now writes blogs on Facebook and edits the Greater Champion Neighborhood Association newsletter. You may ask him for legal advice, but don't expect a useful reply. And please don't get him started on politics.


The history of Cornwall's famous gardens is tied to the adventurous spirit of plant hunters who risked their lives to transform their gardens and knowledge of plants. Their adventures by sea took them around the globe to discover new and exciting plants in far flung corners of the earth. Warmed by the gulf stream Cornwall provided the perfect environment for these plants to flourish and has led to some of the most beautiful exotic and sub tropical gardens in Great Britain. Many of the plants that the early plant hunters introduced can still be seen in Cornwall's famous gardens today.
Benallack is perfectly positioned for you to explore many of Cornwall's great gardens. With Trellisick, Tregothnan, Lamorran, Trewithen, Caerhays, The Lost Gardens of Heligan and Tregrehan all within 15 minutes and Lanhydrock and Trebah a 30 minutes drive it would be easy to wile away a week wandering around these beautiful gardens.
Spring arrives around 6 weeks earlier in Cornwall, anytime from mid February, so it is the perfect time to visit Cornwall's gardens, enjoy the flowering camellias, magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons and lift your spirits as the days lengthen to summer.


text:
Ulster University celebrates 500th Innovation Voucher success
Pictured is Ulster University's Dr Amy Burns with owners of The Gourmet Mallow Company, Yolande and Alan Shannon.
Ulster University has completed its 500th Innovation Voucher project and is now recognised as one of the leading knowledge providers on the island of Ireland for the programme.
Through the programme, Ulster University has been helping small and medium sized businesses to innovate and grow by providing leading expertise in everything from health and manufacturing to advanced engineering and sustainable technology. The Innovation Voucher programme is funded by both Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.
Ulster University's latest Innovation Voucher project, which was funded by Invest Northern Ireland, was carried out to support Limavady based business, The Gourmet Mallow Company, an artisan company making hand-crafted, specialty marshmallows.
As part of the Innovation Voucher project, the company accessed specialist expertise from Ulster University's Food and Consumer Testing Suite to enable it to analyse calorie count and extend the shelf life of its products.
Yolande Shannon, owner of The Gourmet Mallow Company, said:
"Accessing expert knowledge from Ulster University has been a tremendous boost for the business. Along with the research on extending the shelf life of the mallows, we now have valuable nutritional information that is a requirement for selling in larger quantities. This is a huge benefit to us in terms of attracting new outlets for our products and opening up opportunities for export.
"We recognise that innovation is key to continuing success and have already developed over 20 different flavours including banoffee pie, rhubarb and custard, mint choc chip, cookies and cream, salted caramel and Turkish delight. Our lemon meringue mallow was awarded gold in the confectionery section of the 2016 Blas na hEireann, The Irish Food Awards.
"We are continuing to experiment with flavours and in the future hope to work closely with Ulster University again to further develop our range of sugar free and vegan mallows."
Dr Amy Burns, lead researcher on the project added:
"Through the Innovation Voucher programme, businesses can tap into Ulster University's leading expertise in food and consumer testing to help them to gain competitive advantage in the local and international markets.
"Just like The Gourmet Mallow Company, businesses can access Ulster University's state-of-the-art Food and Consumer Testing Suite which offers fully equipped kitchens, sensory testing booths, consumer research facilities and a nutritional analysis laboratory'.
Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Director of Innovation, Research & Development said:
"I would like to congratulate Ulster University on delivering its 500th Innovation Voucher project.
"Innovation is absolutely essential to economic growth. We first introduced the Innovation Voucher programme in 2008 and since then have offered over £7.5million of Invest NI support to more than 1,480 businesses through the programme.
"These businesses have been able to develop new and improved products and services as well as tapping into research and scientific expertise. As the Gourmet Mallow Company experience demonstrates, this investment in innovation and developing new products can lead to new customers and increased exports."
The next open call for Invest Northern Ireland's innovation voucher applications will run from Monday 24 April to 3pm Friday 12 May. Visit investni.com/innovation for more information.


Congratulations to all the graduating McNeill Group members!
Samar Moussa Wins AGU Outstanding Student Paper Award!
Min Kuo and Joe Woo: Qualifying exam success!
Congratulations to Min and Joe for passing the Chemical Engineering PhD qualifying exams!
Allison Schwier: Thesis Proposal success!
Allison Schwier successfully defended her PhD Thesis Proposal, "Sources and Properties of Organic Material in Atmospheric Aerosols," today. Congratulations Allie!
Neha Sareen has been awarded a Boeing Fellowship. Congratulations Neha!
Christian Tyroller joins us today from the Technical University of Munich. He will stay in the McNeill Group through the summer working on his Diplom thesis project. Welcome Christian!
This week Terry Lathem of the Nenes Group at Georgia Tech is visiting the McNeill Lab to perform CCN activation experiments with us. Welcome Terry!


I have recently been watching the programming on link tv and to say the least my eyes have been opened. They weren't totally closed before but wow. Plenty of areas that are messed up and need restructuring. You mentioned that you believed that a political movements are what will be the catalyst for change and I agee.
I have sent a message to Ralph Nader and Bill McGibbon concerning this sublject.
I propose Zero day. This would be a day to affect positive change in or political and corporate models that are getting in the way of saving humanity from its inevitable failure. Zero day would be a day for a peaceful democratic movement involving the whole of the world community using social media.
Great minds like yours are to valuable to go unused in this endeavor. In fact, in can only succeed that way. I have many basic simple ideas to implement a vast humanitarian effort worldwide. I do not have the brains or more impotantly the resources to crunch the numbes on theses ideas. I know that the solutions to our problems globally are already divised. There just needs to be a movement to bring them togther, voted on and put in effect. Zero day can be that start of the journey back from the brink that so many people are anxious to take but just do not know when to start and what to do. Zero day can be the start and with the colaberation of great minds and governments these people can be given something to do to engage with society and create more positive change.
I am aware that I am way behind the curve and the notion for this sort of thing has probably already been kicked around to death. Maybe it is my simple mind working, but I just don't believe that nothing can be done. However, I know enough to also believe it will never happen fast enough in a trickle type fashion. The hypothetical floodgates need to be opened to maximum. Drastic changes need to be made and there can be a way the everyone benefits. The days of dragging leaders into the streets and hanging them to further your political views are past. violence only begets violence. Zero Day could work it the leaders of the world can be convinced by simple modifactions can be made and that theres and their families lives will not be threatened. Peaceful democratic revoulution is the only answer and Zero day is possible day that we can come together as global community and change our fate.


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OpEdNews Op Eds 4/26/2015 at 10:53 PM EDT H3'ed 4/26/15
Carter Going to Gaza for Fatah-Hamas Talks
By James Wall (Page 1 of 3 pages) 2 comments
Reprinted from Wallwritings
Former President Jimmy Carter
(Image by Middle East Monitor.) Details DMCA
The Turkish Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Sunday that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is expected to arrive in the Gaza Strip on Thursday to meet with Palestinian Hamas officials.
A Palestinian security source, who requested anonymity, told the Agency "Carter will arrive in Gaza on Thursday through the [Israeli-controlled] Erez border crossing to meet with leading Hamas officials,"
Maher Abu Sabha, head of the Palestinian border authority, told AA that the director of Carter's office would arrive in Gaza Sunday accompanied by a security delegation to prepare for Carter's "imminent visit."
As of late Sunday, no U.S. news sources had reported on the purpose of the expected visit.
A week ago, Israel officials, advised of the Carter visit, announced that "Israel has officially decided to boycott Carter's visit." The officials added that "Israel would not bar Carter from entering Israel or from crossing to Gaza."
The Middle East Monitor added in its visit announcement that Carter "is undertaking Saudi-backed mediation efforts between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah."
Carter recently met with prominent Saudi officials and urged their intervention to achieve reconciliation between Palestinian factions. His intervention was welcomed by the Saudi officials in Riyadh, the same Palestinian source told the Anadolu Agency.
This Palestinian source added, "The Saudi government has begun preparations for mediation between the two [Palestinian] movements to reach a 'Mecca II' agreement."
"The Saudi government is seeking guarantees from both Fatah and Hamas that they're serious about reconciliation before mediation efforts would start," the source added.
Carter had recently visited Qatar and met with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal who assured him that his movement is serious about reconciling with Fatah, the source said.
Carter visited the Gaza Strip in 2009 where he held several meetings with leading Hamas figures, including the group's deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The first Mecca agreement between Hamas and Fatah was reached in 2007 through the efforts of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.
This agreement led to the formation of a Palestinian unity government which held West Bank and Gaza legislative elections in January, 2006. President Carter was prominently involved in monitoring that election.
To the shock and amazement of the U.S. government of President George W. Bush, Hamas won that election decisively, sending a majority of legislators to a newly formed Palestinian Parliament.
Instead of supporting the electoral will of the Palestinian voters, President Bush, through CIA forces in the region, sided with Fatah and helped train military forces aligned with Fatah.
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James Wall served as a Contributing Editor of The Christian Century magazine, based in Chicago, Illinois, from 1999 through 2017. From 1972 through 1999, he was editor and publisher of the Christian Century magazine. Many sources have influenced (more...)
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Parker's Honored as 2020 Chain of the Year
The Savannah, Ga., chain is the 31st winner of the most prestigious award in the industry for convenience retailing.
By John Lofstock | November 17, 2020
The Parker's team accepts the 2020 Convenience Store Chain of the Year Award. CStore Decisions annually honors a convenience store or petroleum chain that has established itself as a superior retailer and innovator in its markets of operation.
It's 10 a.m. on a Wednesday, and after 44 years in the industry, no one would blink if Parker's Founder and CEO Greg Parker took some time off to enjoy a beautiful fall day in Savannah, Ga. But on this warm October morning, Parker is already an hour into training on how to use the company's new foodservice fryers to ensure they are easy and safe to operate.
"It's important to me to know our team has the best equipment available so they can do their jobs as effectively and as efficiently as possible," Parker told me. "I'd never want our people to use equipment that I haven't already tested and feel comfortable using."
This kind of leadership is precisely why Parker's has been one of the most successful chains in the industry for more than two decades. The industry's leading chains all share the same winning characteristics: exceptional leadership, great stores and unsurpassed customer service. Parker's embodies all of these hallmarks and so much more. Following these guiding principles, CStore Decisions is proud to honor Parker's as the 2020 Convenience Store Chain of the Year.
The Chain of the Year Award showcases the best of the best in convenience retailing, and Parker's is certainly deserving of its place in this rich tradition. As many industry marketers are struggling to reinvent themselves and to identify a strategy that will lead them into the future, Parker's continues to blaze its own trail. The Georgia-based company operates 66 stores in Georgia and South Carolina and has aggressive plans to build 60 new-to-industry stores in 60 months. This aggressive growth would be impressive during normal times, but it's even more impressive amid a global pandemic.
Over the past two years, Parker, who still leads the daily operations of the family business that bears his name, has pushed the needle forward with a host of projects that have made the chain a force in the Southern market. He has expanded retail operations into the metro Charleston, S.C., market with eight new stores and plans to build 32 more units in the area over the next four years. Under Parker's leadership, the company has significantly enhanced its focus on foodservice, operating 42 Parker's Kitchen locations serving Southern-inspired food prepared fresh on-site daily.
"Being named the 2020 CStore Decisions Chain of the Year is an incredible honor that validates our team's hard work and ongoing commitment to serving Parker's customers and giving back to every community where we operate stores," Parker said. "Since our founding in 1976, we've been focused on delivering the ultimate customer experience. In recent years, we've strategically expanded our commitment to high-quality foodservice, cutting-edge technology, charitable giving and customer loyalty. We deeply appreciate this recognition and will continue to set the bar even higher in the future."
Parker's has implemented cutting-edge technology to enhance the customer experience and digitize operations. Upgrades include food-ordering kiosks, self-checkout lanes, a new Parker's Rewards app and investing in internal "smart applications" to increase efficiencies.
The company's goal is to have at least 40% of all transactions completed through the Parker's Rewards program, Parker said.
The Parker's team poses with CStore Decisions Editor-in-Chief John Lofstock (front right) in Savannah, Ga. Since 1976, Parker's has been focused on delivering the ultimate customer experience. In recent years, the family-owned c-store chain strategically expanded its commitment to high-quality foodservice, cutting-edge technology, charitable giving and customer loyalty.
As the chain moves toward establishing itself as a billion-dollar business, it will remain keenly focused on foodservice, technology and providing a better experience for customers.
Technology is one specific area that is driving change. Parker's is currently using predictive analytics and machine learning to determine the most seamless, frictionless and time-efficient ways to complete more than 125,000 daily transactions and to prepare the freshest possible food to meet customer demand. For example, the Parker's Smart Kitchen technology was developed internally and allows foodservice managers to predict food demand down to the minute based on complex analysis of a wide range of data, from local traffic patterns to area weather forecasts.
"Not only can we predict foodservice sales in real time, we can forecast sales out to 2021 or 2022," Parker said. "We can tell you with 94% accuracy how many chicken tenders are going to sell at any store from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on March 21, 2021. It's that impressive."
To understand how impressive Parker's growth is, you have to understand how it all began. Parker opened his first store in Midway, Ga., in late 1976, when he was just 21, and he has been a student of the industry ever since.
"I wish I could tell you that I had some master branding and growth plan when I opened that first store, but I learned everything I know about this industry by being involved and developing metrics to improve every day," he said.
Parker grew up in the industry. His father, Jack Parker, was an Amoco jobber along Interstate 95 in Georgia. As the state was developing new corridors and suburban neighborhoods, Parker saw an opportunity to serve these growing areas. He partnered with a local dairy farmer to acquire the land for his first store and a local bank to finance construction, and he has never looked back.
Greg Parker opened his first store in Midway, Ga., in late 1976, when he was just 21, and he has been a student of the industry ever since.
"I was very involved in the designing and building of that first store," Parker said. "I learned a lot by being there every day. Then, when the store opened, I was the only employee. I opened the store, closed the store, figured out how to do the books, make bank deposits, kept inventory; I mean everything. Back then, there was no playbook to guide you, nor were there study groups to learn from. You had to figure it all out by doing and asking questions."
And doing he did. Parker worked at the store for three and a half years before taking a day off. "I pumped gas, washed windshields and checked the oil. In between servicing cars, if a customer wanted food, I'd run in the back, wash my hands and cook the food," he said. "It used to be a full-service business in those days, so you really had to work hard to be successful; but I loved it, so I was curious, and I was hands-on."
For all his hard work, he paid himself just $75 per week. By contrast, Parker's today employs nearly 1,200 team members in two states, sells more than 165 million gallons of fuel annually and has more than 150,000 Parker's Rewards members.
To grow the business in the mid-1970s, Parker explored many different avenues, even investing in a tow truck to rescue stranded vehicles for the local sheriff's office. "Whenever I got a break between customers, I'd lock the doors to the store, hop in the wrecker and drive out to the interstate to tow a car that had broken down. I didn't have experience with any of this stuff, but I was good at taking care of people," he said. "I was good at figuring things out. When I wanted to learn how to do the books, I took a class. Then, when I wanted to learn about inventory or marketing or operations, I asked a ton of questions until I knew it as well as anybody. After a few years, you can learn a lot in this industry."
It is not an easy industry to learn, and it's even harder to succeed, so a good work ethic has become the foundation of Parker's success.
Parker's has significantly enhanced its focus on foodservice, operating 42 Parker's Kitchen locations serving Southern-inspired food prepared fresh daily.
"The odds were against me," he said. "I understood that I needed to be good at operating the store because if I couldn't make the business profitable, I would fail. Then I would have felt like I was letting my family down, so it was important for me to be smart and work harder than everyone else."
It wasn't until 1979 that Parker opened his second store in Richmond Hill, Ga. As it stands today, he is planning to open an average of one store a month through 2024, almost entirely with cash reserves.
"I wish I could tell you that I had our long-term business strategy figured out, or that I saw the bright light at the end of the tunnel, or that I realized that this industry was going to be able to withstand hurricanes, pandemics and economic recessions, but the truth is, I didn't realize any of that 44 years ago," Parker said. "What I did realize was that if you exceeded the customer's expectations, that you can engender loyalty. And with that loyalty, I saw opportunities. So I just kept my head down and worked really hard. I sacrificed vacations and family time and other personal opportunities to grow a successful business."
This is a timeless lesson that Parker continues to teach the next generation of business leaders. Parker teaches college business classes at Georgia Southern University as well as a proprietary Parker's leadership class for store managers-in-training.
"When I'm teaching, I like to explain the history of our company. I appreciate that young leaders are eager to work, but I will remind them that they will never clean as many toilets as I have. They will never sweep as many parking lots or pump as much gas or clean as many windshields as I have. They probably won't even cook as many things as I've cooked because I've been doing it for nearly 45 years. You have to be committed to hard work to be successful. So while we have achieved a level of success, I still very much envision myself as a blue collar guy who's in a white collar position."
The one common trait Parker sees in all young leaders that he recognizes in himself is curiosity.
Parker's has expanded retail operations into the metro Charleston, S.C., market with eight new stores and plans to build 32 more units in the area over the next four years.
"I'm sure anybody who knows me would tell you how curious I am. If I don't know something, I'll ask a million questions until I understand it," Parker said. "This goes for cutting-edge technology or simply brewing a cup of coffee. I learned by doing, asking questions and avoiding mistakes. Great young leaders share this curiosity."
Parker met one of these aspiring young leaders, Jeff Bush, in 2012. Bush was handpicked to become the chain's director of fuel operations after impressing Parker, who served as guest speaker in an economics class at Armstrong State University in Savannah, with his thoughtful questions. He rose through the ranks and was named president of the company in 2019.
For many years, the entire team at Parker's has been recognized as one of the hardest-working groups in the industry. The team's dedication to detail, outstanding customer service programs and constant evolution as a convenience retailer make them the perfect choice to join the elite list of Chain of the Year honorees.
Parker is effusive in his praise of his team. "Personally, this award means so much to me because of our humble beginnings, but what this award represents is the hard work of what I think is the most talented leadership team in the industry," he said. "They truly are the key to our success at Parker's."
In addition to operations upgrades, the chain increased its commitment to the Fueling the Community charitable program, giving back to every community where Parker's operates stores. The company's policy is to generously support education, healthcare and other important initiatives that touch communities within its corporate footprint.
Through the Fueling the Community Program, which donates a portion of the profit of every gallon of gas sold on the first Wednesday of the month to area schools, Parker's has donated more than $7 million to educational initiatives. The company endows the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University and the Parker's Emergency and Trauma Center at Memorial Hospital in Savannah, and spearheads a successful anti-litter campaign in Savannah.
"At Parker's, we're committed to meeting the changing needs of our customers and to raising the bar for the convenience store industry," Parker said. "We work hard, we believe in what we do, we take care of our people, and we give back to the communities we serve. It's a wonderful feeling to have the team recognized for the hard work they do. I look forward to going to work with them every day." CSD
Parker's is currently using predictive analytics and machine learning to determine the most seamless, frictionless and time-efficient ways to complete more than 125,000 daily transactions and prepare the freshest possible food to meet customer demand.
Parker's by the Numbers
Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Savannah, Ga., Parker's was recently named the CStore Decisions 2020 Convenience Store Chain of the Year, earning the convenience store industry's top award. The company operates 66 stores in coastal Georgia and South Carolina and has plans to build 60 new retail locations in 60 months.
The chain's 42 Parker's Kitchen locations demonstrate a focus on foodservice that reflects its region's flavor through a Southern-inspired menu prepared fresh and on-site every day. "Fast, Fresh, Friendly is more than just a slogan at Parker's. It's a promise we make to every customer we serve every day," said Greg Parker, company founder and CEO.
"'Good enough' is never good enough for Parker's," he said, adding that the company is about "people, process and technology." He cited as ingredients to Parker's success its dedicated technology department that's focused on innovation. Parker is also proud of the company's philanthropy efforts in the areas of healthcare and education, as well as underscoring the work of the chain's executives on down to team members working in its store locations.
Number of stores: 66, including 42 Parker's Kitchen locations
Total donations to local schools through the Parker's Fueling the Community charitable giving initiative: more than $7 million
Number of Parker's Rewards members: 150,000
Amount saved by Parker's Rewards Members: $15 million
Number of gallons of gas sold annually: 165 million
Number of transactions per year: 55 million (125,000 per day)
Number of employees: nearly 1,200
Number of chicken tenders sold annually: 3 million
Number of fountain drinks sold annually: 6.5 million
Website: www.parkerskitchen.com
Social Media: Facebook.com/parkersav, Twitter.com/parkerspumppal, Instagram.com/parkersav
The Parker's Leadership Team
Greg Parker, Founder and CEO
Jeff Bush, President
Amy Lane, Senior Vice President of Special Projects
Brandon Hofmann, Chief Operating Officer
Brian Prevatt, Chief Financial Officer
Eric Jones, Chief Innovation Officer
Powell Jones, Chief Information Officer
Blake Greco, General Counsel
Kate Smith, Chief of Staff
About the Chain of the Year Award
CStore Decisions' Chain of the Year award annually honors a convenience store or petroleum chain that has established itself as a superior retailer and innovator in its markets of operation. CSD's first Chain of the Year award was given to Wawa Inc. in 1990. Parker's follows 2019 Chain of the Year winner Weigel's. Other winners of this prestigious award include Sheetz, Maverik, RaceTrac, Krause Gentle Corp., Alimentation Couche-Tard, QuikTrip, Rutter's and Family Express.
Past Chain of the Year Winners
1990 – Wawa Inc.
1991 – SuperAmerica
1992 – QuikTrip Corp.
1993 – Casey's General Stores Inc.
1994 – Sheetz Inc.
1995 – Diamond Shamrock Corp.
1996 – MAPCO Express
1997 – Speedway Inc.
1998 – Krause Gentle Corp.
1999 – Dairy Mart Inc.
2000 – Amerada Hess Corp.
2001 – Huck's Food & Fuel
2002 – Petro-Canada
2003 – Exxon Mobil Corp.
2004 – Kwik Trip Inc.
2005 – 7-Eleven Inc.
2006 – Valero Inc.
2007 – Alimentation Couche-Tard
2008 – Chevron Inc.
2009 – Nice N Easy Grocery Shopper
2010 – Rutter's Farm Stores
2011 – Thorntons Inc.
2012 – Tedeschi Food Shops
2013 – Maverik Inc.
2014 – RaceTrac Petroleum Inc.
2015 – Family Express Corp.
2016 – QuickChek Corp.
2019 – Weigel's Inc.
2020 – Parker's
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The theme of "The Jungle Book" covers the important relationships in a human's life and the relationship that everyone has with nature. "The Jungle Book" also covers qualities such as loyalty, courage, tradition, honor, persistence and integrity.
A boy taken in by wolves and raised as one of them is an instance of the exploration of family life in "The Jungle Book," and the ill treatment of the boy when brought into the human community explores the negative qualities of human nature.
Unity between the animal and human race along with faith is explored in "The Jungle Book" story "Toomai of the Elephants," as it tells the tale of a young elephant trainer by the name of Toomai who believes in a tale of an elephant dance. Toomai is rewarded for maintaining his faith, despite older trainers attempting to dissuade him, by his own elephant bringing him to the secret event.
Another story entitled "The White Seal" explores the idea of courage, although one may be small, with the tale of a seal pup saving a large number of his species from the fur trade. "Her Majesty's Servants" tells the tale of a man overhearing a royal animal camp conversation solving the concerns of humans.
Are There Vultures in "Jungle Book"?
How Do You Get Promoted at a Bank?
What Are Some New Ideas for a Baby Shower?


Altogether the moves will affect about 4,000 employees. But Toyota has succeeded in keeping its supervision fresh and engaging, in two ways. The type of team in the simulation. Then, while doing some test process consulting with a local client, I ran across an example. A method where a process signals its predecessor that more material is needed. Toyota will construct a new, environmentally-sustainable campus facility in Plano, which is expected to take two or more years to construct after groundbreaking in the fall of 2014. The team has been successfully delivering value at the end of every Sprint.
Often these companies have done away with written forms of communication because, as some claim, written reports and memos do not have the richness of information or interactive qualities needed for product development. These principles are also designed to ensure that only essential materials are employed to avoid overproduction , that the work environment is maintained efficiently the Program to help people share work stations and to reduce time looking for needed tools, and that the technology used is reliable and thoroughly tested. The important thing to note is that every machine on the left can produce an item for every machine on the right. I felt we were lucky to choose their model for a software implementation of Scrum. Each committee has about 10 members and is headed by a senior officer appointed by the president. Other companies that conclude they are going down the wrong track and need a major overhaul of their product-development systems do not have the luxury of developing their system gradually over time.
They are not panaceas, and they do have significant drawbacks. The nemawashi process can take a great deal of time to make decisions, but in obeya the right players are there to make decisions on the spot. Managing Product Development as a System Together, these six mechanisms make up a whole system, each part supporting the others. Typical solutions were such product-development tools as quality function deployment and Taguchi methods. At Toyota, developing the product and designing standard development processes are considered to be inseparable tasks. The 12th principle sets out the expectation that managers will personally evaluate operations so that they have a firsthand understanding of situations and problems. By contrast, at many U.
Manufacturing will not overproduce, under-produce or produce too soon. Toyota, by contrast, seems to go to the opposite organizational extreme. The evidence of such witnesses cannot be treated as effaced or washed off the record altogether, but the same can be accepted to the extent their version is found to be dependable on a careful scrutiny thereof 2. Once the kaizen team has obtained improvement, most groups will give a presentation to management. The kaizen event could focus on any business opportunity.
Making it work in this article Cross- Functional Teams, Team Building The diversity of cross- functional teams can both benefit and hinder team performance. A work team, however, functioning. Accept responsibility for your own conduct and maintain improve the skills that enable you to produce added value. It may be perfectly appropriate in some circumstances to rely almost solely on meetings for communication and problem solving or to abandon standard procedures completely. The principles relating to respect for people include ways of building respect and teamwork. I have broad interests and experience as a journalist, covering the auto business, the consumer-packaged goods industry, entrepreneurship, and others, as well as politics, culture, media and religion.
He states we need two pieces of information: 1 Where the parts associated with a kanban card are located, and 2 On what machines the parts associated with the kanban card should be produced. The team leader would do assembly tasks as well as coordinate the team, and, in particular, would fill in for any absent worker—concepts unheard of in mass production plants… Ohno next gave the teams the job of housekeeping, minor tool repairs, and quality checking. Most of its engineers in Japan, for example, are required to sell cars door to door for a few weeks in their first year of hire. Develop a visual system to alert team or project leaders that a machine or process needs assistance. Do I need to take action? Observations show many issues that cannot be detected viewing reports and data. Observers concluded that the key to Japanese success, and U. In addition, rotations generally occur at longer intervals than the typical product cycle so that engineers can see and learn from the results of their work.
Specialization is out; generalism is in. They helped make the company better, and deserve to share in the celebration. Supervisors see to it that engineers do the appropriate groundwork to ensure that all pertinent views are taken into consideration. Companies also introduced organizational solutions; those solutions ranged from keeping the basic functional organization intact and assigning people to temporary project teams to disbanding the functional organization altogether in favor of organizing around products, as Chrysler did in the early 1990s. Procedures, tasks, duties and sequences may be changed.
Do Teams of Cross Functional Individuals Hide Dysfunctions?
Carlos Ghosn Even though Ghosn expected that his attitude toward cultural respect and opportunism would lead to success, Ghosn was pleasantly surprised by how quickly Nissan employees accepted and participated in the change of their management processes. It is concerned with for achieving such cross-functional goals as , , cost, and delivery. Because firstly, there is a serious motivation problem. This type of work group can be on either a temporary or a permanent basis depending on the particular task. Taiichi Ohno, the inventor of the Toyota Production System says everything he knows he first learned at Ford. The chief engineer also promotes mutual adjustment by providing the working instructions for each vehicle program and by resolving cross-functional disagreements.