ECU's Athena SWAN Charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education and research.
ECU's Athena SWAN Charter covers women (and men where appropriate) in; academic roles in STEMM and AHSSBL, professional and support staff, transgender staff and students in relation to their representation, progression of students into academia, journey through career milestones and working environment for all staff.
The programme aims to enable women in academic and service roles to think of themselves as leaders and to develop leadership skills and strategies for working in the higher education environment.
Helen Byfield Professional Adminstrative and Support Staff Forum I am a Clerical Assistant in the Research Support Team and work full time. I have caring responsibilities for both of my parents who are in their eighties.
Jackie Coupe Faculty Athena SWAN Survey group I am a full time Research Associate in the Faculty Research Support Team. I have supported my three children through full time Higher Education.
Alison Doherty Postgraduate Research Student Forum I am studying for a funded PhD in tackling health inequalities. I have caring responsibilities for children and parents.
Jean Duckworth Mid-Career Researchers' Forum I am a full time Senior Lecturer, having moved between full and part time employment to meet changing family responsibilities. I have balanced this with recently completing a PhD, while supporting my children through Higher Education.
Simone Finley Professional, Administrative and Support Staff Forum I am a full time Senior Administrative Research Officer in the Research Support Team having recently been made permanent and progressed from fixed term junior roles.
Sarla Gandhi Undergraduate Student Forum; School Executive Team I am from an Asian/BME background and was recently promoted to the role of full time Principal Lecturer for Academic Development within the School of Nursing. I balance this role with my carer responsibilities of parents and parents-in-law through the flexibility of managing my workload.
Robert Graydon Student Experience Committee I am a full time lecturer in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics. The role has required flexibility to develop my career alongside my studies as well as accommodating my role as a single parent.
Janette Grey iTrent data group I am the full time Management Information Officer linked to the Faculty. I have supported my daughter and son through Higher Education and have had caring responsibilities for a parent.
Stephen Hall iTrent data group I am full time in my role as Faculty Academic Development Director. I have benefited from flexible working to support my parenting role and fulfil caring responsibilities for family members with significant health problems.
Nigel Harrison Faculty Executive Team I am the Executive Dean of the Faculty and work full time. I live with my husband and I have caring responsibilities for a 91-year-old parent.
I am the full time Human Resource Manager linked to the Faculty. I have balanced this role with parental responsibilities and post graduate study.
Ivan McGlen Student Experience Committee I am a full time Senior Lecturer in Nursing. I am married with three children and balance this while undertaking a part time PhD. I have appreciated the support of colleagues in a phased return to work following a period of illness.
Mick McKeown Induction and staff development group I am a nurse, trade unionist and full time Reader in Democratic Mental Health. I am a parent and have cared for my parents with dementia.
Claire Meadows-Haworth University Athena SWAN website group; iTrent data group I work full time as the university Athena Swan and Equality Officer and link with the Faculty. I have been supported while challenged with a medical condition and disability.
Hazel Roddam Gender-sensitive mentoring group I was promoted to Reader in Allied Health in the last year. I am married and balance work with supporting my 80-year-old parents and my daughter with 2 pre-school children. I have been supported in an extended phased return to work after a serious illness and my ongoing need for flexible working due to my health condition.
Grete Smith Early Career Researchers' Forum I am a full time Project Officer. In the past, I have balanced this role while undertaking postgraduate study at UCLan. I live with my husband who is self-employed and have a good work life balance, augmented by voluntary community work.
Debi Spencer Appraisal and staff development group; Mid-Career Researchers' Forum; Postgraduate Research Student Forum I am a full time Senior Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences and am undertaking a professional Doctorate. I am married and supported my son while undertaking a Higher Education course and have caring responsibilities for a parent.
Lois Thomas Project Manager; Professors' and Readers' Forum I am a Reader in Health Service research. I have always worked part-time to accommodate childcare responsibilities as my husband works for IBM in Dubai. My daughter is now at university and my son works in London.
Leona Trimble Mid-Career Researchers' Forum I am full time Academic Team Leader for Sports Coaching and Management in the School of Sport and Wellbeing, while undertaking a Professional Doctorate. I achieve a work life balance through shared household responsibilities with my husband.
Hayley Tyrer Professional, Administrative and Support Staff Forum I am a full time Business and Operations Manager for the Lancashire Clinical Trials Unit and Research Support Team on a fixed term contract. I live with my partner and have no children.
Leena Vinod Induction and staff development group I am a full time Lecturer for Adult Nursing in the School of Nursing and I come from an Asian/BME background. I have 2 young children and a supportive husband. Over the years, I have grown in my professional standing and responsibilities. The flexible working pattern at UCLan has enabled me to balance work, study and personal life.
Caroline Watkins Appraisal and career development group I am Professor of Stroke and Older People's Care and the Faculty Director of Research and Innovation and work full time. I am married and had a young baby when I joined UCLan. He was premature requiring flexible working to allow care and hospital attendance. He is now a teenager with ongoing support needs.
Karen Whittaker Professors' and Readers' Forum I was recently promoted to Reader in Children and Family Health. I am married with two children who I am supporting through Higher Education. I have benefited from secondment into other universities and health visiting networks.
Debbie Wisby Gender-sensitive mentoring group; Student progression and attainment group I am the Faculty Director of Business Development and have completed a professional doctorate while employed full time. I have support to reduce my working hours temporarily to enable me to undertake family caring responsibilities in my role as a new grandparent.
Professor Heather Tierney-Moore OBE, Chief Executive of the NHS Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust.
Friday, 1st February 2019, Greenbank Lecture Theatre.
Dr Barbara Stilwell, Executive Director of Nursing.
Monday, 4th March 2019, 15:00 – 17:00, Greenbank Lecture Theatre.
Paul Jebb, Associate Director for Nursing and Lead Nurse for Lancaster Royal Infirmary for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
Friday, 12th April 2019, 12:00 – 14:00, Adelphi Building Lecture Theatre ABTVi.
My life journey and interest in Health Visiting started with my degree from Manchester where I qualified as both a Nurse and a Health Visitor. I had not expected to attend University, it was not a path that my all girls' school had ever suggested. Read more about Karen's story.
I was told that I had picked up "a funky virus on your travels." Professor Solomon, Consultant Neurologist, said the virus had come and gone quickly and was either chikungunya (pronounced chik-en-gun-ye) or haemorrhagic dengue. Read more about Ivan's story.
If I had my time to do again I would choose nursing as a career. I always wanted to be a nurse. Going to University was not something my school even thought about as an option for me. My working class parents supported my ambitions and were proud to see me in my nurse's uniform. Read more about Debbie's story.


Stylish entertainer, perfect family home!
Lovingly transformed and with plenty of room to move, this contemporary home is a perfect fit for the modern family. With four classic bedrooms (master with WIR, luxurious en-suite), study, designer bathroom and wide alfresco entertainers deck, it's the two separate living zones that are sure to impress! To the front a formal living area (northern aspect, cosy gas log fire) and to the rear a striking wall of floor-to-ceiling glass serves up the sun in the expansive open-plan living space complete with well-appointed gourmet kitchen (euro appliances, WIP, 3.5m island bench) and warm, inviting fireplace.
The harmonious use of solid red iron bark timber throughout (flooring, benchtops), natural bluestone (fireplace, bathrooms) and statement lighting complete this exceptional home. Featuring premium finishes, ceiling fans, lockable carport, large shed and established gardens. Easy walk to shops, schools, train and the beach. For all enquiries please contact Mark Blit 0412 512 889 - hockingstuart Mentone.


You can use it for your avatar.
Plusheens are so cute! I love it!
I found the whole mane 6 pusheen version on a shirt yesterday.
My parents said I couldn't get it.
If this is cute, well how does RD look??
Lol, just kidding. Looks great! I love how well the combination of Twilight and a cat go so well together!
I want to squeeze it!


Burgin J, Langot P, Del Fatti N, Vallee F, Huang WY, EL-Sayed MA. Time-resolved investigation of the acoustic vibration of a single gold nanoprism pair. Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2008 ;112:11231-11235.
Burda C, Abdel-Kader MH, Link S, EL-Sayed MA. Femtosecond dynamics of a simple merocyanine dye: Does deprotonation compete with isomerization?. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2000 ;122:6720-6726.
Burda C, EL-Sayed MA. High-density femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy of semiconductor nanoparticles. A tool to investigate surface quality. Pure and Applied Chemistry. 2000 ;72:165-177.
Burda C, Green TC, Link S, EL-Sayed MA. Femtosecond Interfacial Electron Transfer Dynamics of CdSe Semiconductor Nanoparticles . MRS Proceedings. 1998 ;43(4):419-424.
Burda C, Link S, Green TC, EL-Sayed MA. New transient absorption observed in the spectrum of colloidal CdSe nanoparticles pumped with high-power femtosecond pulses. Journal of Physical Chemistry B. 1999 ;103:10775-10780.
Braun M, Burda C, EL-Sayed MA. Variation of the thickness and number of wells in the CdS/HgS/CdS quantum dot quantum well system. Journal of Physical Chemistry A. 2001 ;105:5548-5551.
Bordley JA, et al. Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity toward the Oxygen Reduction Reaction through Alloy Formation: Platinum–Silver Alloy Nanocages. Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2016 .
Biesso A, Qian W, Huang XH, EL-Sayed MA. Gold Nanoparticles Surface Plasmon Field Effects on the Proton Pump Process of the Bacteriorhodopsin Photosynthesis. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2009 ;131:2442-+.
Biesso A, Qian W, EL-Sayed MA. Gold nanoparticle plasmonic field effect on the primary step of the other photosynthetic system in nature, bacteriorhodopsin. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2008 ;130:3258-+.


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text:
Generalized Stratigraphic Column
USGS Geolex
North American Stratigraphic Code
AAPG COSUNA Chart
Curdsville Member
Type designation:
Type locality: The name "Curdsville Bed" was given originally by Miller (1905) to 30 ft (9 m) of fossiliferous and partly cherty rocks exposed at Curdsville in Mercer County, Kentucky (Keith, 1986). There it was considered to be the lowermost unit of what is now called the Lexington Limestone (Keith, 1986).
Reference section: An Indiana reference section was designated as the pertinent rocks cored in Indiana Geological Survey drill hole 133 (Indiana Geological Survey Petroleum Database Management System No.126872) on the Robbins farm in sec. 1, T. 2 N., R. 1 W., Switzerland County (Keith, 1986). In this core, the Curdsville is 15 ft (4.6 m) thick (Keith, 1986).
History of usage:
Revised rank: After a period of use at different ranks in Kentucky, the Curdsville was assigned member status by Black, Cressman, and MacQuown (1965) (Keith, 1986).
Extended: Keith (1986) adopted the name "Curdsville Limestone Member" (Lexington Limestone) with slight modification and assigned the name to corresponding rocks in Indiana.
The Curdsville Member of the Lexington Limestone is generally a tannish-gray fossiliferous limestone and is the lower of two named subdivisions of the Lexington Limestone in Indiana (Keith, 1986).
The Curdsville is absent in Floyd and Harrison Counties; it thickens northeastward to a maximum of 20 ft (6 m) in northeastern Dearborn County. The Curdsville thins and becomes absent through facies change with overlying rocks of the Lexington (Keith, 1986).
Miscellaneous Information: Although the lowermost few feet of the Trenton Limestone in southern Indiana resembles the Curdsville Member in color and composition, that part of the Trenton does not everywhere stand in sharp contrast to the overlying Trenton rocks (Keith, 1986). For this reason, the Curdsville is given member status only in the Lexington in Indiana (Keith, 1986).
Distribution: The Curdsville is present everywhere the Lexington is present except in Floyd and Harrison Counties (Keith, 1986).
The Curdsville Member is a distinctive lithologic unit as recognized in both cores and samples (Keith, 1986). It represents a sharp lithologic break from the micritic limestones of the underlying Plattin Formation of the Black River Group, but it apparently has a conformable contact with the Plattin (Keith, 1986). It is overlain conformably everywhere by an argillaceous limestone within the Lexington (Keith, 1986).
The Curdsville Member correlates with rocks known by the same name and mapped by Cressman (1973) in north-central Kentucky and, as is implicit from the discussion above, with other rocks of the Lexington that are not named as members (Keith, 1986).
Regional Indiana usage:
Cincinnati Arch (COSUNA 13)
Supergroup: none
Group: none
Formation: Lexington Limestone
Member: Curdsville Member
Misc/Abandoned Names:
Geologic Map Unit Designation:
Note: Hansen (1991, p. 52) in Suggestions to authors of the reports of the United States Geological Survey noted that letter symbols for map units are considered to be unique to each geologic map and that adjacent maps do not necessarily need to use the same symbols for the same map unit. Therefore, map unit abbreviations in the Indiana Geologic Names Information System should be regarded simply as recommendations.
COSUNA areas and regional terminology
Names for geologic units vary across Indiana. The Midwestern Basin and Arches Region COSUNA chart (Shaver, 1984) was developed to strategically document such variations in terminology. The geologic map (below left) is derived from this chart and provides an index to the five defined COSUNA regions in Indiana. The regions are generally based on regional bedrock outcrop patterns and major structural features in Indiana. (Click the maps below to view more detailed maps of COSUNA regions and major structural features in Indiana.)
COSUNA areas and numbers that approximate regional bedrock outcrop patterns and major structural featuers in Indiana.
Major tectonic features that affect bedrock geology in Indiana.
Black, D. F. B., Cressman, E. R., and MacQuown, W. C., Jr., 1965, The Lexington Limestone (Middle Ordovician) of central Kentucky: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1224-C, p. 1-29.
Cressman, E. R., 1973, Lithostratigraphy and depositional environments of the Lexington Limestone (Ordovician) of central Kentucky: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 768, 61 p.
Hansen, W. R., 1991, Suggestions to authors of the reports of the United States Geological Survey (7th ed.): Washington, D.C., U.S. Geological Survey, 289 p.
Keith, B. D., 1986, Curdsville Member, in Shaver, R. H., Ault, C. H., Burger, A. M., Carr, D. D., Droste, J. B., Eggert, D. L., Gray, H. H., Harper, Denver, Hasenmueller, N. R., Hasenmueller, W. A., Horowitz, A. S., Hutchison, H. C., Keith, B. D., Keller, S. J., Patton, J. B., Rexroad, C. B., and Wier, C. E., Compendium of Paleozoic rock-unit stratigraphy in Indiana–a revision: Indiana Geological Survey Bulletin 59, p. 33.
Miller, A. M., 1905, The lead and zinc bearing rocks of central Kentucky, with notes on the mineral veins: Kentucky Geological Survey Bulletin 2, 35 p.
Shaver, R. H., coordinator, 1984, Midwestern basin and arches region–correlation of stratigraphic units in North America (COSUNA): American Association of Petroleum Geologists Correlation Chart Series.
For additional information, contact:
Nancy Hasenmueller (hasenmue@indiana.edu)
Date last revised: June 8, 2017

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Well, that came out of nowhere!
The movements left the reality-star-turned-White-House-aide-turned-reality-star unable to breathe, as her asthma was exacerbated. "The truth of the matter is my breast milk continues to deplete since I've been here".
As a result of her past fame, her co-stars, while captivated by her discussion, have said they're painfully aware of who she is. They said that putting Shannon and James up guarantees that one of them will go home.
That would most likely elevate Pence, a former governor of IN and House member who is known for being socially conservative and disciplined. They bring this plan to Ross without knowing he's already been thinking about backdooring Shannon. Ross has all the votes lined up to get rid of Shannon but doesn't know if he has the nerve to go through with it. Ross, Keisha, Omarosa, Ariadna, Marissa, and Shannon will be playing in the Veto competition. "Whenever I was accepting a political appointment, it was always about the country", she revealed on last week's episode of the show. While calling him extreme, the former reality star talked about her time working with the politician.
Keshia told Julie Chen said it was not easy. "She'd just made it up to smear me and to provoke me into a confrontation". "I play to win". "I'm not gay and she hadn't heard that about me". You see, I don't think Jesus would take too kindly to people stealing money from the poor and giving it to the rich like the Trump Administration has done since day one.
"It's going to not be OK, it's not", she said, adding, "It's so bad".
Chen was wondering if she was throwing Shannon under the bus?
"I couldn't agree more", said Carlson. She caused a lot of divide.
Morgan brushed that snark aside, saying Omarosa "gave me then, for four or five weeks, unrelenting five barrels of abuse, tirades, homophobic stuff, and really vicious, nasty stuff". "So everybody that's wishing for impeachment might wanna reconsider their life". She is now part of the jury.
If she's a Christian, she should admire people who actually listen to Jesus, rather than mocking them in a public setting for doing so.


* Participate the 38th Dolls party in Tokyo.
We will participate The 38th Dolls Party in Tokyo on Dec 17( Sunday).
Prev *Participate the 15th Dolls party in Kyoto.
Next* Participate in the Dollism Plus 11th in Hong Kong.


text:
int print_encoded_string(Print* print, const char* str);

template <class T>
int M2XStreamClient::post(const char* feedId, const char* streamName, T value) {
  if (_client->connect(_host, _port)) {
    DBGLN("%s", "Connected to M2X server!");
    writePostHeader(feedId, streamName,
                    //  for {"value": and }
                    _null_print.print(value) + 10);
    _client->print("{\"value\":");
    _client->print(value);
    _client->print("}");
  } else {
    DBGLN("%s", "ERROR: Cannot connect to M2X server!");
    return E_NOCONNECTION;
  }

  return readStatusCode(true);
}

template <class T>
inline int write_multiple_values(Print* print, int streamNum,
                                 const char* names[], const int counts[],
                                 const char* ats[], T values[]) {
  int bytes = 0, value_index = 0;
  bytes += print->print("{\"values\":{");
  for (int i = 0; i < streamNum; i++) {
    bytes += print->print("\"");
    bytes += print->print(names[i]);
    bytes += print->print("\":[");
    for (int j = 0; j < counts[i]; j++) {
      bytes += print->print("{");
      if (ats && ats[value_index]) {
        bytes += print->print("\"at\": \"");
        bytes += print->print(ats[value_index]);
        bytes += print->print("\",");
      }
      bytes += print->print("\"value\": \"");
      bytes += print->print(values[value_index]);
      bytes += print->print("\"}");
      if (j < counts[i] - 1) { bytes += print->print(","); }
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    bytes += print->print("]");
    if (i < streamNum - 1) { bytes += print->print(","); }
  }
  bytes += print->print("}}");
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template <class T>
int M2XStreamClient::postMultiple(const char* feedId, int streamNum,
                                  const char* names[], const int counts[],
                                  const char* ats[], T values[]) {
  if (_client->connect(_host, _port)) {
    DBGLN("%s", "Connected to M2X server!");
    int length = write_multiple_values(&_null_print, streamNum, names,
                                       counts, ats, values);
    _client->print("POST /v1/feeds/");
    print_encoded_string(_client, feedId);
    _client->println(" HTTP/1.0");
    writeHttpHeader(length);
    write_multiple_values(_client, streamNum, names, counts, ats, values);
  } else {
    DBGLN("%s", "ERROR: Cannot connect to M2X server!");
    return E_NOCONNECTION;
  }
  return readStatusCode(true);
}

template <class T>
static int write_location_data(Print* print, const char* name,
                               T latitude, T longitude,
                               T elevation) {
  int bytes = 0;
  bytes += print->print("{\"name\":\"");
  bytes += print->print(name);
  bytes += print->print("\",\"latitude\":\"");
  bytes += print->print(latitude);
  bytes += print->print("\",\"longitude\":\"");
  bytes += print->print(longitude);
  bytes += print->print("\",\"elevation\":\"");
  bytes += print->print(elevation);
  bytes += print->print("\"}");
  return bytes;
}

static int write_location_data(Print* print, const char* name,
                               double latitude, double longitude,
                               double elevation) {
  int bytes = 0;
  bytes += print->print("{\"name\":\"");
  bytes += print->print(name);
  bytes += print->print("\",\"latitude\":\"");
  bytes += print->print(latitude, MAX_DOUBLE_DIGITS);
  bytes += print->print("\",\"longitude\":\"");
  bytes += print->print(longitude, MAX_DOUBLE_DIGITS);
  bytes += print->print("\",\"elevation\":\"");
  bytes += print->print(elevation);
  bytes += print->print("\"}");
  return bytes;
}

template <class T>
int M2XStreamClient::updateLocation(const char* feedId,
                                    const char* name,
                                    T latitude,
                                    T longitude,
                                    T elevation) {
  if (_client->connect(_host, _port)) {
    DBGLN("%s", "Connected to M2X server!");

    int length = write_location_data(&_null_print, name, latitude, longitude,
                                     elevation);
    _client->print("PUT /v1/feeds/");
    print_encoded_string(_client, feedId);
    _client->println("/location HTTP/1.0");

    writeHttpHeader(length);
    write_location_data(_client, name, latitude, longitude, elevation);
  } else {
    DBGLN("%s", "ERROR: Cannot connect to M2X server!");
    return E_NOCONNECTION;
  }
  return readStatusCode(true);
}

#endif


Fabulous one level living on a one acre lot in Powhatan County! This stylish rancher impresses upon entry as you encounter a spacious family room with wood floors, vaulted ceiling, fireplace and open flow to the sunny morning/Florida room! The kitchen/dining area also boasts hardwoods along with a bay window, pantry, vaulted ceiling and stainless appliances that all stay! You'll appreciate the split floor plan that features the master suite at one end of the home and the guest rooms and full hall bath at the other. The master suite has a walk-in closet and its own full bath complete with double vanity, jetted tub and separate shower. There's a formal dining room with a vaulted ceiling and hardwoods as well as a laundry room that provides an excellent transition from garage to home. But wait… there is one room upstairs! You'll love this room over the garage that can be bedroom number 4 or a fantastic office/study! Outside you'll find a recently paved driveway providing access to the side entry two car garage. Front porch, rear deck, and shed w/ electricity and loft storage! Just off of Huguenot Trail offering convenience to West Creek, Midlothian and downtown Richmond!


text:
Global Opportunities are programs where you get to select where you would like to go. These opportunities don't have specific locations, but instead you can go wherever your project leads you.
Circumnavigator Club Travel/Study Grant
Each year, Northwestern University and the Circumnavigators Club Foundation jointly award a fellowship worth up to $9000 for an around-the-world travel research project over the three-month period between the junior and senior year. Students apply during the fall quarter, submitting a proposal and preliminary itinerary according to the guidelines listed on the web site. The winner prepares for the research project during the winter/spring quarters of his or her junior year and spends the three summer months in actual travel and on-the-scene study.
undergradresearch@northwestern.edu
Radulovacki Global Health Scholars Research Fellowship
The Radulovacki Scholars Program for Global Health Research is designed to create research opportunities for Northwestern students. This fellowship, administered by the Program in Global Health Studies, funds strong, well-prepared, and creative projects. Groups consisting of 3-4 students working on a single project are highly encouraged to apply for this fellowship, though all projects will be considered.
Program in Global Health Studies
globalhealth@northwestern.edu
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Grant (Academic Year URG)
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Grants (Academic Year URGs) fund independent academic and creative work in all fields of study. Under faculty supervision, URG winners immerse themselves in novel scholarly projects in the laboratory, the library, or the studio, on campus and around the world.
All undergraduate students are eligible for these grants.
Grants provide up to $1,000 of support for research expenses, such as lab materials, travel to archives or field sites, study participant compensation among many others.
Summer Undergraduate Research Grants (Summer URG)
Summer Undergraduate Research Grants (Summer URGs) fund independent academic and creative work in all fields of study. Under faculty supervision, URG winners immerse themselves in novel scholarly projects in the laboratory, the library, or the studio, on campus and around the world. Projects must be at least eight weeks long, and students may not do any outside work during this time period.
Grants provide a $3,500 stipend with additional travel funds available for international projects.
ISEN/URG Award
The Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern University (ISEN) is dedicated to the growth and support of education, research and outreach for energy and sustainability across the Northwestern community. ISEN's mission is to catalyze the development of transformational science, technology, education and policy for sustainability and energy.
John & Martha Mabie Public Health Research Fellowship
The John & Martha Mabie Fellowship for Public Health Research, introduced in 2006, is designed to create research opportunities in Public Health for Northwestern students. This highly competitive award is based on quality of the research proposal, relevant previous experience, and academic merit. Applicant may design research projects for implementation abroad or in the United States. The fellowship is open to all degree-seeking Northwestern undergraduate students who are enrolled at the university at the time of the fellowship. All applicants must complete the Global Health course Qualitative Research Methods OR submit proof of comparable classwork before the project begins.
Northwestern University encourages its undergraduates not only to carry out scholarly and creative projects but also to present research results or perform productions at recognized regional, national, and international conferences or meetings. Participation in scholarly conferences provides an important opportunity for students to communicate research findings to others in the field, network with other researchers, and expand an understanding of the scope and nature of academic research.
Undergraduate Language Grants (ULG) support the intensive and experiential learning of foreign languages. The Office of the Provost will award Undergraduate Language Grants to help defray the costs of summer intensive language study abroad or in the United States. Study programs must be at least six weeks in duration, and language instruction must be the predominant (if not the sole) aim of the program. Grants will cover up to 75% of expenses up to $3,000.
Circumnavigators Travel-Study Grant
Jointly funded by Northwestern University and the Circumnavigators Club Foundation, the Circumnavigators Travel-Study Grant Program offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The winner will receive a $9,000 award to travel to at least five different countries (excluding the U.S.
Global Health Special Funding
The Program in Global Health Studies encourages all students to get involved with global health and international initiatives both in and outside the classroom. In hopes of facilitating student involvement with global health and internationally-minded organizations, conferences, events, speakers, and initiatives, the Program in Global Health Studies offers limited financial support.
Northwestern Alumni Association Global Ambassador
A Global Alumni Ambassador is a volunteer who is willing to act as a liaison for Northwestern University and the Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA) in his/her particular geographical region, city, or country, preferably in areas not currently represented by our NAA International Alumni Clubs.
Sarah Wagoner
sarah.wagoner@northwestern.edu
NU Abroad - Northwestern Alumni Association
NU Abroad is a collaborative engagement opportunity designed to connect current students to Northwestern alumni living abroad. Find our more about the progam on its webpage.


NCMEC has a regional office located in Lake Park, Florida, which started out as the first ever Adam Walsh Child Resource Center. NCMEC's Florida office continues NCMEC's mission and provides child protection education and prevention programs, case management services, and exploited child services. It is also the home of the federally mandated National Emergency Child Locator Center (NECLC). The NECLC is activated by FEMA and operated by NCMEC during presidentially-declared disasters to assist with the reunification of children who are separated from their parents or legal guardians during the disaster.
Outreach and Public Awareness: Utilizing a train-the-trainer model, NCMEC's Florida Regional Office provides training to child-serving professionals in diverse fields. Trainings include information on how to reach children, teens, and families with safety resources such as presentations, Child ID events, and other means of engaging the community.
Case Management: When a child goes missing, NCMEC case managers play a vital role in collecting leads, adding value to tips, and coordinating information for the involved parties.
Exploited Child Services: NCMEC's CyberTipline is the nation's reporting mechanism for online child sexual exploitation. Each day, CyberTipline analysts review reports of online sexual exploitation, notify service providers, and add value to leads and reports.
NECLC: Created by FEMA to provide assistance in natural disasters or other catastrophic events to help reunite families and provide critical resources.
Please select an amount under 10,000,000.
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If your child is missing, IMMEDIATELY call 911, then contact NCMEC by calling 1-800-THE-LOST.
The NCMEC Florida Regional Office trains partners in the community in our prevention and safety resources. Our community partners are a fantastic resource for anyone seeking safety presentations, Child ID kit events, and other NCMEC resources. Contact FLBranch@NCMEC.org for more information on having NCMEC represented at your event.
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Storyboard frames for a new TV pilot.
Two concept frames for a new BioPic in pre-production.
Sketch in progress for a new Postcard (HB pencil & Photoshop)..
Baxter Stockman battles Casey Jones. Two concept frames from the Nickelodeon/Walmart City Under Siege web series. Directed by Mike Rybinski.
These would have been 'Vintage Travel Posters'.
The series never got past the sketch stage last year.
Motel Crime is a completely fictitious magazine. This cover design was part of my current 'Night School' program at George Brown College.
Here's my new post card, for the summer of 2014.
A new CD cover (HB pencil & Photoshop) for Nightingale Music.
and live performer. Her many clients include Paramount Pictures, ABC Sports, Samsung Electronics and American Idol.
by Lenin M. Sivam. The film explores the harsh realities faced by different generations of the Toronto Sri Lankan community as they try to build a life in their adopted land but are unable to let go of their pasts. All these characters are indirectly linked through a diamond engagement ring and a revolver with a hawk engraved on its grip. It was nominated for Golden Goblet Award at the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival.
It was also officially selected for the 37th Montreal World Film Festival (WFF) took place August 22 to September 2, 2013 to present under 'Focus on World Cinema'.
I was very fortunate to be the storyboard artist for this beautifully crafted film.


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Business Day|Welcoming the New, Improving the Old
Business Day | Prototype
Welcoming the New, Improving the Old
By SARA BECKMAN SEPT. 5, 2009
FOR decades, companies from Cisco Systems to Staples to Bank of America have worked to embed the basic techniques of Six Sigma, the business approach that relies on measurement and analysis to make operations as efficient as possible.
More recently, in the last 5 to 10 years, they have been told they must master a new set of skills known as "design thinking." Aiming to help companies innovate, design thinking starts with an intense focus on understanding real problems customers face in their day-to-day lives — often using techniques derived from ethnographers — and then entertains a range of possible solutions.
To many, the two skill sets don't fit together well, and Chuck Jones, vice president for global consumer design at Whirlpool, explains why that may be so. Design thinkers, he says, are like quantum physicists, able to consider a world in which anything — like traveling at the speed of light — is theoretically possible. But a majority of people, including the Six Sigma advocates in most corporations, think more like Newtonian physicists — focused on measurement along three well-defined dimensions.
Six Sigma, a kit of analytical tools first developed in the 1980s at Motorola, has been embraced by many businesses — big and small. Joy Ulickey, a quality consultant in San Francisco, applied them in 2008 to help a midsize Sonoma winery figure out why it was having so many failed fermentations.
Through a detailed analysis of possible factors affecting fermentation, like yeast type, temperature and the rate of cycling wine through the tanks, Ms. Ulickey identified the primary problem as temperature control. Then she suggested several "countermeasures," including hiring workers to monitor temperature or investing in newer fermentation tanks. Her work allowed the winery to save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and improve its wine.
Whirlpool used the principles of design thinking for its Duet washers and dryers, then applied the business methods of Six Sigma to enhance them.
On a much larger scale, it is unimaginable that Intel could produce a single one of its highly complex semiconductor chips or that Procter & Gamble could deliver laundry detergent of consistent quality globally without these types of analytical techniques.
Design thinking can be equally effective, but in different ways. While in business school, Jeff Denby and Jason Kibbey concocted an online underwear company called Pact, applying design thinking to understand prospective customers and to rethink how underwear is developed and sold. They visited underwear stores and asked friends and family to send pictures of the underwear in their dresser drawers, or, for those brave enough, shots of themselves posing in their favorite boxers or panties.
They tested different approaches to marketing, including subscription programs, and different ways of developing stylish products. For example, they considered letting up-and-coming designers compete to create designs showcasing particular causes.
Today, their company, based in Berkeley, Calif., sells organic cotton underwear created by the designer Yves Béhar. The designs use graphics that highlight the work of groups like 826 National, which helps young writers, and a portion of revenue is contributed to those causes.
To survive, many businesses will have to figure out how to incorporate both approaches. Design thinking offers tools for exploring new markets and opportunities; Six Sigma skills can be applied to improve existing products. Companies that adhere strictly to one or the other risk failure. "The practices that make for success at one time can trap firms and contribute to their downfall at a later time," says Bob Cole, a quality expert and professor emeritus at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Pact, an underwear company, has taken new paths to design and marketing. Sales of these word-pattern shorts aid a nonprofit that helps young writers.
Professor Cole uses the history of the Japanese DRAM industry to illustrate his point:
In the early 1990s, Japanese DRAM producers doggedly pursued quality improvement, investing in engineering and equipment to develop products of higher and higher quality. The market, however, was shifting from mainframes to personal computers, a shift that South Korean producers observed.
Samsung, for example, released a 128-megabyte DRAM in 2000 that was a perfect fit for vendors of low-priced PCs, and it leveraged that design into other products. By gathering valuable knowledge on emerging user needs, Samsung was able to rapidly respond to a changing market, while Japanese producers slowly left the DRAM field.
According to Michael Barry, a consulting assistant professor at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford and a partner at the design firm Point Forward, the Six Sigma process starts with an assumption about what is good — like higher-quality DRAM chips. Design thinking, meanwhile, inquires as to what is good — as lower-cost, higher-speed DRAM chips were for PCs and other products.
THE different world views, however, can be brought together.
At Whirlpool, Mr. Jones first proved the value of design with the introduction of the Duet washer and dryer. Duet's novel, easy-to-use, energy-efficient design made Whirlpool a player in the front-loader market. After that success, he invited Whirlpool's Six Sigma experts to help him improve design processes. They developed various new metrics — for how customers evaluate product quality, for example — that allowed designers and Six Sigma types to understand each other better.
Progressive Insurance has also turned design and Six Sigma techniques into reasonably comfortable bedfellows. In the early 1990s, it started emphasizing showing up at an accident scene and handling situations in real time, according to a 2004 article by Michael Hammer in The Harvard Business Review. That move reflected a designer's way of thinking about customer needs, but the company was able to execute the idea through its ability to measure, analyze and improve its processes.
Both worlds — the quantum one where designers push boundaries to surprise and delight, and the Newtonian one where workers meet deadlines and margins — are meaningful. The most successful companies will learn to build bridges between them and leverage them both.
Sara Beckman is faculty director of the Management of Technology Program at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
A version of this article appears in print on , on Page BU3 of the New York edition with the headline: Welcoming The New, Improving The Old. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe


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Tag: stream
Salmon Spawning in Sewage Plant
Peter Baranyai directs Wastewater Operations for the Sanitary District of East Chicago, Indiana. The plant's effluent channel looks like a natural stream and has apparently fooled wilflide into thinking so, too. (Photo by Shawn Allee)
Chinook salmon and lake trout find their way from Lake Michigan through shipping channels, past steel mills and chemical factories to make their way to East Chicago's waste water effluent channel. Then, they have to flitter through a long pipe into this concrete channel. (Photo by Shawn Allee)
The salmon's last hurdle into East Chicago's water treatment plant is seen through this grate. It's a ledge that leads into a 'contact chamber' where ultraviolet lamps disinfect treated and filtered waste water. It's a jump of nearly four feet. (Photo by Shawn Allee)
You might not expect much good
environmental news to come from
sewage plants, but, believe it or
not, there is some on occasion.
And in one case, that good news
even involves thriving salmon.
Shawn Allee has the story:
Sewage plants are often out of sight, out of mind, and people usually like it that way. But people who work at the water treatment plant in East Chicago, Indiana, want everyone to know about an ecological come-back story there.
I'm game. So I meet the plant director Peter Baranyai.
Allee: "You've got this strange mix of some really striking natural areas, rivers and streams, but then everything's kind of dotted by industry as well, and has been for a long time. What kind of industries are we talking about in this region?"
Baranyai: "Basic steel mills, oil refineries, chemical industries also."
Allee: "So, when they're talking 'heavy industry', they really mean it here?"
Baranyai: "Yes."
Allee: "What are we looking at here?"
Baranyai: "We're trying to look at our discharge channel. That's the effluent from our treatment plant. This pipe here's a 60-inch pipe."
Allee: "You can see the water moving out of it pretty quickly."
The treated wast water is from nearby homes and factories. And when it leaves the pipe, you'd swear it's a natural stream. Apparently, it's fooled plenty of critters, including Chinook salmon.
Each Fall, salmon swim from Lake Michigan, past shipping canals, steel mills and chemical factories – just to spawn in the treated waste water.
Baranyai: "They're not being too cooperative today because I don't see too much."
The salmon spawned earlier than normal this year, so, I only find dead salmon on the banks.
Baranyai: "This was a, oh, almost 4-foot chinook salmon."
Allee: "Or the evidence of it."
Baranyai: "And he died."
Allee: "Again, they're kind of programmed to die after they spawn."
Baranyai: "Yeah, he died on the rocks here."
The government introduced Chinook salmon to Lake Michigan decades ago, but for a long time, salmon wouldn't spawn here, and birds and nearly everything else shied away, too.
Baranyai says one problem was that they used to disinfect water with chlorine.
Baranyai: "It's a very effective way of disinfecting, but it continues to disinfect downstream. It's not selective, usually anyhthing that's alive, it usually kills. It pretty much sterilizes everything. And that's how most water treatment plants in our country do that, still."
Baranyai says in the late 80s, things turned around. His plant added better filters, and now, when they disinfect water, they kill bacteria with ultraviolet light, not chlorine. In just a few years, salmon started spawning – right in the plant. Plus, fresh-water sponges grow in the plant, and herons showed up. Word got around.
Roger Klocek was a biologist at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium at the time. He learned the news from a fellow scientist.
Klocek: "I thought he was nuts, literally. What are you talking about?"
Klocek says you have to understand, for a long time people ignored water treatment plants or they expected them to remove only the worst industrial pollutants.
Klocek: "I had no idea that waste water plants themselves could actually contribute to an improved ecology."
Allee: "Maybe the opposite, they were putting chlorine in the water or bacteria, if they weren't disinfecting."
Klocek: "Absolutely, you know we hear constantly that technology is going to save us and I really don't believe that. I think we put too much stock in that, but it sure is gratifying to see when there is some technology that makes a remarkable improvement."
Klocek says, too often, people assume industrial areas like East Chicago will always be ecological basket cases.
He says, sure there's room for improvement, but having one concrete example of something that works? That can give you hope about what nature can do if you give it a chance.
A map of the site
Info from the EPA
A magazine profile of Baranyai
Author Shawn AlleePosted on December 15, 2009 Categories FeaturesTags chinook, fish, fished, fisherman, fishermen, fishes, fishing, king, plant, plants, river, rivers, salmon, sewage, sewer, spawn, spawning, spawns, stream, streams, treatment, water, waters
Preview: The Trail of Dioxin and Dow
A Dow Chemical sign on the Tittabawassee River stating 'Enter At Your Own Risk' (Photo by Vincent Duffy)
A sign on the Tittabawassee River, downriver from Dow Chemical Plant, stating to avoid contact with the soil and not eat the fish due to dioxin contamination (Photo by Vincent Duffy)
If you learned your town was polluted
with toxic waste, you'd just want to
get it cleaned up. That's not how things
have worked out with dioxin contamination
in central Michigan. Dioxin's been a problem
for at least 30 years, but the Dow Chemical
Company, the federal government, and
the state of Michigan are just now hashing
out final cleanup plans. We had Shawn
Allee tour the area to see the
extent of the problem and what's at stake
for the rest of us:
I wanted to begin my tour with interviews at Dow's chemical plant in Midland. That's where dioxin and related compounds were created: the dioxins were by-products of chemical manufacturing.
After a month of calls and emails to Dow, a spokeswoman said the company was interested in talking about the future – not the past. But the past is the reason there's a problem now.
So, I start my tour a bit downstream.
Michelle Hurd Riddick picks me up near the plant. She's with The Lone Tree Council, a Michigan environmental group. We follow the Tittabawassee River and the path dioxins took over time.
"This is Freeland Festival Park. Freeland is kind of like a bedroom community of Midland."
Hurd Riddick says fishing is a huge past time in Michigan – but dioxin's made it complicated.
Allee: "There's a fish-advisory sign right there."
Riddick: "Right. So, they're telling you to not eat the fish."
Actually, the signs tell you which fish to avoid, and how much to eat, or not. The US Environmental Protection agency worries dioxin causes cancer and diseases that affect immune, reproductive, and developmental systems.
"Pregnant women shouldn't eat any, children under a certain age should only eat it once a month."
Fish advisories cropped up in 1978. That's after Dow warned Michigan and the federal government about dioxin in the Tittabawassee River. While the plant's dioxin pollution is well below federal limits, the old dioxins are still around, and they're not just in the river.
Allee: "Where we coming up here?"
Riddick: "This is Imerman Park, it's on the Tittabawassee, too, and it's very frequently flooded."
Flood waters leave behind contaminated silt. Dioxin's been found in the soil of yards and in parks like this. One worry is that kids would get exposed by getting dirt in their mouths.
Riddick: "Those are the hand washing sinks. They put the sinks there to use the hand-washing sink to wash their hands as a way to mitigate their exposure."
Allee: "There's the sign – contamination advisory: avoid contact with soil and river sediment. Please use soap and water to wash off soil and sediment."
Other parks and some yards had soil scraped and removed. Dow cleaned up several dioxin hot-spots in recent years. Michigan and the US EPA want more of a top-to-bottom effort. That might include a sweep of fifty miles of river and part of the Great Lakes.
Riddick: "This is the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. As a child, I came up here a lot. I'm sure someplace I have a picture of me near these trees."
Riddick's middle-aged now. The dioxin was in rivers and Lake Huron before she was born. No one knew that far back. But residents did learn about the problem thirty years ago. Today Dow, the US EPA and Michigan are still debating a final solution.
"We've had many, many starts. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say this is how we're going to achieve this cleanup, I'd be a wealthy woman."
Hurd Riddick says the whole country should care about how this plays out.
Riddick: "People need to care about how this process because could play out in your community."
Allee: "Maybe not dioxin but something else?"
Riddick: "You want to know that that the people your tax dollars are paying to protect you are the ones calling the shots."
A final dioxin-clean up could take more than ten years. Michelle Hurd Riddick says she can wait that long – if it's done right.
But she says it wouldn't hurt if the clean-up got started now.
A related article from the Chicago Tribune
The Dow Chemical Company
"Living Downstream From Dow Chemical" from TER
Author Shawn AlleePosted on November 6, 2009 Categories FeaturesTags chemical, chemicals, clean, cleans, cleanup, cleanups, companies, company, corporation, corporations, dioxin, dioxins, federal, government, lake, lakes, michigan, midland, plant, plants, pollute, polluted, polluter, polluters, pollutes, pollution, river, rivers, saginaw, state, stream, streams, toxic, toxicity, toxin, toxins, water, waters
Interview: Big, Nasty Fish
Some biologists worry the Asian Carp will destroy the four-billion dollar fishing industry in the Great Lakes if it gets in. (Photo courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service)
There is a man-made canal that connects
the Mississippi River system with the Great
Lakes. The Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal
makes shipping cargo between the waterways
possible. It also makes it possible for invasive
pests in the water to invade both systems.
The big concern right now is a big, nasty group
of fish known as Asian Carp that's already
invaded the Mississippi and some of its
tributaries. An electric barrier has been built
in the canal to try to stop the fish from getting
into the Great Lakes. Lester Graham talked with
Jennifer Nalbone about the problem. She's the
Director of Navigation and Invasive Species with
the environmental group Great Lakes United:
Jennifer Nalbone: They are just incredible eaters, and they get as big as 3 to 4 feet, 80 to100 pounds when mature. And they are just prolific. Some species, the females can produce over 1 million eggs in their lifetime. So the fear is, like they've done in the Mississippi River Basin, they'll get so big, they'll have no predators, they'll eat so much food, and there'll be so many that they'll basically take over the ecosystem. In some areas, where they've invaded, upwards of 90% of the river's biomass is carp.
Lester Graham: You've probably seen this fish on videos or something like that – they're the ones that as a boat passes by, they'll jump out of the river, and sometimes even hit the boaters.
Nalbone: I admit, the first time I saw a video of the jumping silver carp, I was so startled I laughed at it. But there's nothing funny about 50, 60, 70 pounds of fish flying at you when you're going 20 miles an hour. It could kill someone.
Graham: Now, there's this electric barrier in place that actually shocks the water so the fish is discouraged from coming into the area. But now there's concern that the fish has invaded a nearby river, the Des Planes River, that's very close to this canal. So, why's that a problem?
Nalbone: Our concern is with flooding. Just last year, we saw major floodwaters in the Des Planes River, where floodwaters connected the Des Planes and the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal in streams of water several feet deep. And carp could be carried into the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal in those floodwaters.
Graham: So, what are you proposing? How could we stop the fish from going any further?
Nalbone: Well, the long-term solution is hydrologic separation of the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes Basin. Army Corps of Engineers has been authorized to study that problem, but that's a multi-year project. Right now, what we're concerned about are floodwaters this fall. We are pressing that the Army Corps of Engineers put in place sandbags or berms in the low points between the Des Planes and the Canal. And also fill in some of the culverts in the IMN Canal that connect to the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal.
Graham: Now, I've watched this situation for years – long before the Asian Carp invaded the Mississippi River system – and I'm wondering, even if further millions of dollars are spent, to try to put up barricades or stop this fish, whether it's simply inevitable that this fish will get into the Great Lakes.
Nalbone: Well, this is a battle against time right now. If we can block the future floodwaters from the Des Planes – which is probably our biggest hole in our defense right now – and plug the culverts in the IMN, we can buy ourselves some good time. But we won't be out of the woods until we separate the Mississippi and the Great Lakes Basin. But we can't let this invasion happen. It would be, perhaps, the greatest anticipated ecological tragedy of our time. So, I don't think that inevitable is an option. We have to get it done.
Graham: Jennifer Nalbone is with the group Great Lakes United. Thanks, Jennifer.
Nalbone: Thank you, Lester.
A video of Asian Carp jumping
A related article from the Detroit Free Press
Another story on Asian Carp from TER
Author Lester GrahamPosted on October 23, 2009 Categories Asian Carp Invasion, InterviewsTags asian, black, carp, carps, chicago, ecosystem, ecosystems, fish, fished, fisherman, fishermen, fishes, fishing, foreign, great, invade, invaded, invading, invasive, lake, lakes, mississippi, native, river, rivers, silver, species, stream, streams, swam, swim, swimming
Dollars and Streams
A creek runs through Melvin Hershberger's farm in Holmes County, Ohio. He was able to clean up the water with money from the Alpine Cheese Company. The company needed to offset phosphorous pollution from its factory, so it pays farmers to reduce their manure runoff. (Photo by Julie Grant)
Hershberger has 54 milking cows. Their manure used to run into the waterways. Now the cows are fenced away from the creek. (Photo by Julie Grant)
When you hear about dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes, they're largely caused by pollution draining from the farm belt. It can take a long time and a lot of money to reduce pollution at factories. So they're starting to pay farmers to cut pollution instead. Julie Grant explains:
When you eat cheese, you might not realize that something so delicious creates a lot of waste. And that waste – that pollution – ends up going into the drain. It eventually ends up in rivers and lakes.
(sound of a factory)
We're at a cheese factory in Holmes County, Ohio where they make nearly 60,000 pounds of cheese a day.
The big stainless steel vats look immaculate. But our shoes are wet.
Bob Ramseyer is CEO of the Alpine Cheese Company.
He says the floors are covered with water because the equipment is constantly being washed.
"We have a pre-rinse – that goes to drain. We have a final rinse, and that goes to drain. And we have all the floors that are flushed down and so forth, so that all ends up as part of the wastewater."
The cheese factory's wastewater includes not only those caustic chemical cleaners, but wasted milk by-products. One milk nutrient is the chemical, phosphorous.
About a decade ago, the Environmental Protection Agency told Ramseyer that the cheese company had to reduce the phosphorous it was releasing into the nearby river. Ramseyer was concerned.
"The equipment alone was going to cost a half million dollars. We projected it was going to cost between a half million dollars and a million dollars a year in operating costs. So we were looking for any way we could to reduce that cost. That's where we got into the nutrient trading program."
Alpine Cheese was among the first to negotiate what's called a nutrient – or water quality – trading program. Instead of reducing the phosphorous coming from his factory, he pays farmers to reduce manure – another source of phosphorous – from washing from feedlots into the river.
(sound of cows)
Mervin Hershberger is an Amish dairy farmer with 125 acres and 54 milking cows.
(sound of a stream)
His farm looks like a postcard – beautiful hilly green pasture.
But a lot of the manure was washing off his farm into the streams. Herberberger says the cows were grazing right around the water.
"With the cows being in the creek we could see dirty water. The rocks were covered with dirt from cow's waste. You walk through the stream, you'd kick up dirt and waste from the cows."
Hershberger didn't like it, but he didn't have money to change it.
So when the County Soil and Water Conservation District held a neighborhood meeting to explain that Alpine Cheese was going to pay to reduce pollution from nearby farms, Hershberger saw a way to afford to clean up his farm.
He did about a dozen projects to reduce manure run-off into the water, like building a fence to keep the cows out of the stream.
And the little creek is bouncing back:
"As of now, it's just totally clean, what you see. For the minnows and all the critters that are in the creek."
Hershberger gets paid for the amount of phosphorous he keeps out of the water.
About 25 other farms in Holmes County are doing similar projects to reduce water pollution. And Alpine Cheese foots the bill. In exchange, the company doesn't have to clean up wastewater coming from the cheese factory.
It's a lot like a cap and trade program on water pollution.
There are a growing number of small programs like this around the country. But some people are trying to create water trading projects on a much larger scale.
That would mean a factory in one state might be able to pay farmer in another state. Eventually, all of the thousands of factories in just one river basin could pay farmers enough to reduce dead zones like the one in the Gulf of Mexico and in some of the Great Lakes.
The Sugar Creek Project
The Electric Power Research Institute
A related article on the trading programs
Author Julie GrantPosted on June 29, 2009 Categories FeaturesTags agriculture, clarity, clean, cleaner, cleaning, companies, company, corporation, corporations, cows, csrees, factories, factory, farm, farmer, farmers, farming, farms, fertilizer, money, paid, paying, pays, pollutant, pollutants, pollute, pollutes, pollution, quality, river, rivers, runoff, stream, streams, trade, traded, trades, trading, water, waters
Mountaintop Mining (Part One)
In his last days, President Bush changed rules that made it easier to blow off the tops of mountains to mine for coal. (Photo by Sandra Sleight-Brennan)
One of the last things the Bush administration did was change a rule to allow coal mining companies to dump debris into streams. That means one mining company will be able to remove one of the last mountaintops in a West Virginia county. Sandra Sleight-Brennan reports:
https://environmentreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/feature_brennan_020209.mp3
Gary Anderson takes me out on his back porch and all you can see is Coal River Mountain. Even on a cold, gray winter day, it's beautiful.
"All of that mountain range of there, that is Coal River Mountain– that mountain runs for about 3 miles up there."
When he retired, Gary and his wife Barbara moved from Connecticut back to her family home in Colcord, West Virginia.
"That's basically what brought us back. Is the mountains and the beauty. We grew up here and we came back to spend the rest of our days here. We thought were coming back to what we remember– the beautiful mountains. And really they just started doing the mountaintop removal over here in the past couple years."
Other mountains in the area– Cherry Pond Mountinan and Kayford Mountain have been flattened so energy companies could get to the coal inside them.
Over one million acres in West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky have already been leveled to mine the thin vein of coal.
The mining companies dynamite the tops off to get to the coal underneath.
"Once in awhile you'll see a big puff of dust go up in the air like a bomb has been dropped and in awhile it will settle down and then it will happen again the next day."
Mountains are shorted and flattened–- often by 100's of feet to get to a 14-inch seam of coal. What the dynamite loosens is dumped in the valleys. Thousands of miles of streams have been covered over and nature destroyed.
It's pretty simple. They put dynamite in the mountain and blow it up.
Joe Lovett is the Executive Director of the Appalachian Center on the Economy and the Environment. He's been fighting mountaintop removal for the past 10 years.
It's like a layer cake. The mountain is like a layer cake and that coal is the icing. The dirt and rock in between is the cake. There is a lot more dirt and rock and mining waste than there is coal. And when they blow up the mountain the dirt and rock swell. So they have even a bigger problem because they have more material than they know what to do with. So, as they blow the mountain up they need to find something to do with the dirt and rock and they dump it into the streams and the valleys.
Dumping into streams was stopped. The Surface Mining Act's Stream Buffer rule protected the streams. But the new Bush administration rule changes that.
Joe Lovett says that Coal River Mountain fair game for Massey Energy to blow the top off and fill the valleys.
"We have always believed that the rule prevented these fills, that and I guess so did the coal industry and the Office of Surface Mining because this has been the main thing that the coal industry has wanted from the Bush administration for a long time is that change in this rule."
Lovett says its not good for the environment and it's not good for the local economy.
"We are taking mountains that could support sustainable timber jobs for generations and, in a few short years, destroying them forever and mining them in such a way that those forests will never come back."
The mining industry argues that we need this inexpensive energy source in order to be energy independent. But, says Lovett and other environmentalists, if valley fills were outlawed tomorrow the cost of coal for our electric rates would only go up by pennies.
I'll also talk to an official of the mining industry about why this type of mining needs to continue. The fact it provides American energy and jobs and that West Virginia's economy depends upon it.
Back at Gary Anderson's home, he wonders how it came to this.
Who gave them the right to blow the tops of mountains off to get the coal? I mean, that's what gets me. Where, back in time, did they get the permission to come in and just below the mountains up? It's really unbelievable. You can't go back and reconstruct a mountain that's been here for hundreds of millions of years. Once they're gone, they're gone."
But, the mining companies now have the legal right to level the top of Coal River Mountain and fill up the valleys and streams above Anderson's home.
For The Environment Report, I'm Sandra Sleight-Brennan.
The website of a grassroots organization, Coal River Mountain Watch
A related article from The Environment Report
Author Sandra Sleight-BrennanPosted on February 2, 2009 Categories FeaturesTags bush, carbon, coal, energy, mine, mining, mountain, mountains, mountaintop, mountaintops, peak, peaks, power, president, stream, streams, supply, turbines, virginia, west, wind
Volunteers Testing the Waters
Volunteers across the country gather samples and data for biologists who don't have the resources to get into the field. (Photo by Lester Graham)
Mary Bajcz examines a specimen jar to see how many stoneflies she's gathered so far. (Photo by Lester Graham)
Rochelle Breitenbach uses a fine-mesh net to gather organisms from a creek. (Photo by Lester Graham)
Mary Bajcz is sorting through leaf debris to find stonefly larvae. Stoneflies are a good indicator of high water quality. (Photo by Lester Graham)
Most of us assume the government is keeping track of environmental
issues such as pollution in water. In reality, most pollution problems
are first detected by citizens. Lester Graham reports in some parts of
the nation, volunteers step in to make sure their local streams and
lakes are clean:
https://environmentreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/feature_graham_010509.mp3
Rochelle Breitenbach and Mary Bajcz are trudging through the snow,
winding their way through a thicket to find a small creek. It's 14
degrees above zero. And they plan to go wading. They're lugging in a
fine-mesh net, some hip boots, and an orange 5 gallon bucket of trays and
specimen jars.
Breitenbach says they're headed for a pristine creek that eventually
becomes a river, the Huron River in southeast Michigan:
"One thing about this spot is that it's really close to the headwaters
of the Huron River. So, it's a really good indicator of what they're
going to find downstream too. This has traditionally been one of the
best spots to collect in the entire watershed."
They're just one team of many that take samples up and down the river.
They're looking for a certain kind of bug, stonefly larvae. Stoneflies
are good fish food and they are very susceptible to pollution. They're
considered an indicator species. If stoneflies are there and healthy,
it's a good indication the stream is healthy:
"Their food source is on decomposing leaves, so that's
where you find them. And then, I will get some of the leaf packs in
the net and then I'll dump it in the tray. And then we'll add a little
warm water so they don't freeze. And then we'll sort through the leaf
packs and then look for stoneflies."
Breitenbach cautiously makes her way down the bank, across the ice and
into the water.
She's taking her first sample in this open water. Bajcz steps out onto
the ice, holding a plastic tray so Breitenbach can empty the net's contents
into the plastic tray. But… the ice can't take the weight.
Luckily Bajcz did not fall into the water. In these temperatures, that
would have been bad. They scramble up the snowy bank and start
sorting through the debris in the trays to find stonefly larvae.
Stoneflies have two tails. Mayflies have three tails. So, they're
squinting to see what they've got:
Mary: "Oh, there's one! Right there. Right, Rochelle? That one?"
Rochelle: "I left my glasses in the car."
Mary: "Okay. I'm going to collect it. I think it is."
Rochelle: Yes, go ahead and take it."
Mary: "Oh look! That's a mayfly. Three."
Rochelle: "Yeah, see all the tails."
Mary: "Look at that one! That's two. That's got two. See?"
Rochelle: "Yep."
Mary: "Wow. (whisper) That's gigantic."
Rochelle: "That's why we love this site (laughs)."
Once they find one, they drop the bug into a jar of alcohol. After the
thrill of finding the stoneflies, they hate to kill them, but they have
to preserve the samples for biologists.
Rochelle: "The whole jar goes back and Jo goes through and identifies
Jo is Jo Latimore. She's the Huron River Watershed Council's
ecologist. She says without the volunteers' efforts all along the
river, they'd never be able to monitor this river system as well, but
there are drawbacks to using volunteers.
"The first impression is that volunteer data may not be as trustworthy
as anyone else's, any trained professional's data. But, our volunteers
have been trained and then we also do quality control checks, just like
the government would do with their agencies where we'll go out side-by-
side and send professionals out with the volunteers and compare their
results to make sure that they're trustworthy."
Latimore says the end result of volunteer surveys like this one is a
steady monitoring program that fills in the blanks left by government
agencies that can't do the work.
"The agencies that do have the responsibility for checking the quality
of our waterbodies really have very limited budgets, very limited
staff. For example, in Michigan, the professional biologist from the
DEQ can only get to a particular watershed every five years. And to
really be able to stay on top of the conditions in a stream, you need
to monitor more often than that."
Voluntary watershed organizations all across the nation assist government agencies in
monitoring the streams and lakes. But in many parts of the nation,
there are no volunteer agencies. The water quality is rarely checked,
and the only time anyone realizes there's a problem is when there's a
huge fish kill or other pollution problems that get the attention of
people who live nearby or people who fish the streams. And nearly
everyone agrees that's not a very good way to keep water clean.
For the Environment Report, this is Lester Graham.
History of the Huron River
A story from The Environment Report on repairing rivers
Author Lester GrahamPosted on January 5, 2009 Categories FeaturesTags bajcz, biologist, breitenbach, bug, citizen, creek, data, decompose, ecologist, environmental issue, fish, food source, government, government agency, headwaters, huron river, huron river watershed council, ice, indicator species, latimore, leaf packs, mary, net, pollution, rochelle, southeast michigan, specimen, stonefly larvae, stream, volunteer, water quality, watershed
Trout Used as the 'Canary' in a Stream
Natural resources workers wade in the Vermillion River, 30 minutes south of Minneapolis. They're sending mild shocks through the water to capture trout and measure them. (Photo by Stephanie Hemphill)
Brian Nerbonne is a trout habitat expert with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. He says when developers minimize the flow of warm stormwater into streams, it can help trout survive and flourish. (Photo by Stephanie Hemphill)
The trout in the Vermillion River grow quickly, because they have other fish to eat. (Photo by Stephanie Hemphill)
Suburban growth typically degrades
the quality of rivers and lakes. But
developers are finding ways to protect
water quality even as they build housing
developments and malls. Stephanie Hemphill
reports on a stream in a major metropolitan
area that still has trophy-sized native
trout in it – and how people are working
together to protect the trout:
https://environmentreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/feature_hemphill_120108.mp3
A half dozen people in waders stand nearly waist-deep in a bend of
the Vermillion River. They're getting ready to send electric shocks
through the water.
(sound of gas motor starting)
They're looking for trout.
They're stunning the fish so they can catch them in nets. When they
have about ten fish of all sizes in their bucket, they pull their boat to
the side to count and measure them.
"You can see on the one he's pulling out right now, it's a male, it's got
that big hook jaw on the front. 532. These are millimeters; that's
about 21 inches. "
Brian Nerbonne is a trout habitat specialist with the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources, and today he's a happy man. He's
collecting a healthy batch of trout on this river just thirty minutes from
downtown Minneapolis. He figures the big ones they're finding are
about six years old.
"Fish grow really fast in the Vermillion: you saw when we were
shocking there's a lot of a other fish, suckers, creek chubs, and things
like that they can eat, they grow a lot faster eating those other fish
than if they were just eating bugs."
Biologists regard trout as a kind of canary in the coal mine. These
trout are healthy, and that's a sign that this river is healthy for all
kinds of animals, including people.
As you walk along the stream, you can see schools and houses and
roads literally a stone's throw from the river. Typically, development
like this threatens the trout, because it produces warm, dirty storm
water runoff.
Twenty years ago, a local sportsmen's group asked the state to
designate parts of the Vermillion River as a trout stream. That would
mean local governments would have to do more to protect the water
quality, and not all of them were happy with the idea.
State planner Michele Hanson had the task of coaxing local officials
to get on board.
She did that by doing what the DNR is doing today – shocking the
river to show local officials there was something there worth
protecting.
"Once everyone believed us that it's trout stream, then we went out
and met with every community along the river, of the section that we
were going to designate as trout stream, to tell them what it would
mean to them, what changes might happen."
It would mean every town, every township and county that the river
flowed through would have to make some changes in the way they
Now, in some sections of the river, builders must leave a buffer to
protect the stream, as much as 150-feet wide.
Also, they need to avoid increasing the amount of runoff. Rainwater
that sheets off roads and driveways and rushes directly into the river
is too warm for the trout.
Builders are learning how to get the water to soak into the ground
instead. They can build narrower streets and shorter driveways.
They can build rain gardens and other landscaping that holds the
runoff long enough that it can soak in.
The state is also building structures in the river to provide better
hiding places and spawning grounds for the trout.
(sound of counting fish)
It's all aimed at holding onto a rare treasure – a healthy trout stream in
a major metropolitan area.
For The Environment Report, I'm Stephanie Hemphill.
The Minnesota DNR's trout stream page
A related article from the Star Tribune
Author Stephanie HemphillPosted on December 1, 2008 Categories FeaturesTags city, fish, health, healthy, measure, minneapolis, minnesota, off, protect, protecting, quality, river, rivers, run, runoff, shock, shocking, stream, streams, trout, water
The Fish Are Floundering
An endangered holiday darter. Darters are among the most threatened Southeastern fish; they have been likened to aquatic canaries. (Photo by Noel Burkhead, courtesy of USGS)
A new study shows things are getting
worse for fish in North America. Lester
Graham reports water pollution is the problem:
https://environmentreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/spot_graham3_091508.mp3
The U.S. Geological Survey finds nearly twice as many kinds of fish are now listed
as imperiled today than just 20 years ago. 61 types of fish have gone extinct.
Howard Jelks is the lead author of the study.
He says the decline in fish is because most streams, rivers, and lakes are in worse
shape because of sprawling development, farmers' chemicals, and pollution washed
off parking lots and streets.
Even if you don't go fishing, or really even care about the fish, Jelks says there's a
reason you should care.
"You know, at a certain point, it's a quality of life issue. If it's not good enough for
some of these fish, it's probably not good enough for your kids to swim in."
And the experts say that means we all have to think about what's going down the
drain and what chemicals we're putting on lawns, and on farms.
For The Environment Report, I'm Lester Graham
Read the full report from USGS
A press release from the USGS
Author Lester GrahamPosted on September 15, 2008 Categories News SpotsTags chemical, chemicals, csrees, danger, development, endangered, extinct, farm, farms, fish, lake, lakes, off, pollution, population, river, rivers, run, runoff, sprawl, stream, streams, usgs
Construction Sites Mucking Up Rivers
The EPA says sediment runoff rates from construction sites are typically 10 to 20 times greater than from farmland. (Photo courtesy of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction)
Some home builders say the housing market
is tough enough. They don't need environmental
regulations that make it tougher on them. But
some "green" builders say the housing industry
can improve the environment, do the right thing
for communities, and still make money. Julie Grant
Have you ever driven by a construction site and seen all that dirt? A lot of that dirt is washed off the site by
rainstorms and ends up in local creeks and rivers.
Russ Gibson is with Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
He says that dirt kills aquatic bugs and fish.
The dirt covers up gravel bottom streams – that fills holes
where bugs want to live. If bugs can't live it mucks up the
food chain. Gibson says fishermen know when this
"You'll have some of the smaller fish and the bait fish, like
minnows and darters, will feed on the small bugs that live
there. If you don't have bugs to feed the bait fish you don't
have bait fish to feed the big fish."
Beyond that, the silt from construction sites can also muddy
up where fish lay their eggs.
And enough construction dirt can fill a stream so much that it
can make flooding more of a problem.
So, how much dirt are we talking about?
The EPA estimates that 20 to 150 tons of soil per acre is lost
to storm water runoff from construction sites.
That means every time a new house is built, truckloads of
soil can wind up in local streams.
If a homebuilder pulled a truck up to a bridge and dumped a
load of dirt into a creek, people would scream. But because
construction site runoff is gradual and not as obvious,
builders get away with it.
Lance Schmidt is a builder. But he's not your typical builder.
They used to call him a "tree-hugger builder." These days
he's seen as a trend setter.
Schmidt says nobody in the building industry is talking much
about construction silt.
"Believe me, stormwater's not a fun issue to talk about. (laughs)"
But it's one of the biggest pollution problems in creeks and
rivers.
Schmidt's crew just dug a hole for the foundation of a small
house. He's climbs up on one of four mounds of dirt. He
knows when it rains, some dirt can get washed away, and
end up in a nearby river. That's why he puts up sediment
barriers. But most of the time no one checks to see if he
does.
"There aren't any regulations as far as I know. I mean other
than if somebody was to complain."
The Environmental Protection Agency in Ohio says it does
regulate construction sites. But, usually just the larger ones,
where there might be problems. The homebuilding industry
doesn't really think it's the problem.
Vince Squallice is director of the Ohio Homebuilders
"Construction and earth disturbing activities in construction is
not causing the siltation problem in Ohio."
Squallice says farmers are mostly to blame for dirt runoff in
the rivers. It's true that sediment runoff from farms is a huge
problem. But the EPA says sediment runoff rates from
construction sites are typically 10 to 20 times greater than
from farmland.
Squallice says builders already have to deal with too many
regulations such as setbacks from streams.
"Some of the regulations recommended to protect streams go
overboard in terms of environmental protection."
Squallice says because of the housing bust, it's a time to
help homebuilders, not enforce more environmental
Builder Lance Schmidt says homebuilders need to look at it
a little differently. They can help solve a problem, keep
streams clean, and help cities with flooding problems.
"And that's the avenue that I've decided to attack at. Rather
than attack the regulations, let's sit back and find ways that
we can actually do this."
Schmidt says there are lots of creative building ideas that
can reduce flooding, and improve the rivers for fish and other
wildlife. But in this competitive market, builders won't do it
until everyone has to play by the same rules. And he
doesn't expect that to happen without better enforcement by
regulators.
An article on stormwater runoff from the EPA
The Wikipedia page on surface runoff
Author Julie GrantPosted on April 28, 2008 Categories FeaturesTags away, bug, bugs, build, builders, building, construction, creek, creeks, dirt, fish, fishing, flood, flooding, floods, habitat, home, homes, house, houses, off, rain, rainwater, river, rivers, run, runoff, silt, site, sites, soil, storm, storms, stormwater, stream, streams, wash, washed, water
New Wetland Replacement Regs
Wetlands in Michigan. (Photo by David Kenyon of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
A loon and its chick. (Photo courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
Environmentalists say they don't like a new
federal rule for replacing wetlands that lie in the
path of a developer's bulldozer. But federal agencies
say the rule clarifies what developers must do to keep
damage to wetlands at a minimum. Tracy Samilton reports:
https://environmentreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/spot_samilton_040708.mp3
Developers must try to build around wetlands, but if they can't,
they can build new wetlands somewhere else.
Federal agencies say the new rule helps clarify what developers must do to
make sure the nation doesn't lose more of its wetlands.
Jim Murphy is with
the National Wildlife Federation. He doesn't like the rule.
"If you're losing a high quality marsh or fen and getting a
golf pond even if you're counting up acreage, and you're getting more acreage,
you're getting a much less valuable resource in return."
Murphy says some studies show that up to 80% of these man-made
wetlands eventually fail. The new rule also allows developers to create a
new stream if they have to destroy one.
Murphy says there's very little
evidence that a stream can ever be replaced.
For The Environment Report, I'm Tracy Samilton.
Author Tracy SamiltonPosted on April 7, 2008 Categories News SpotsTags bulldoze, bulldozed, bulldozing, construction, damage, development, land, lands, marsh, pond, ponds, replace, replaced, stream, streams, wet, wetland, wetlands, wildlife


For this week's post, we're going to dive into the history of the Jacquard loom. If you've ever visited the Maine Heritage Weavers factory floor in Monmouth, Maine where our store is located, then you know how fascinating these incredible machines are to watch in person. It is easy to visualize the massive impact they had on textile manufacturing's success.
The Jacquard loom greatly simplifies the process of weaving complex, figured designs, such as matelassé. In a figured design, warp ends must be operated individually (either raised or lowered) to create complicated shapes and forms (for an example, see the Dyer's Wynd Coverlet).
Jacquard looms contain a Jacquard "head" which mechanically controls the raising and lowering of specific warp threads in a given pattern. Before Jacquard looms, this selection was done by an actual person, called a drawboy. Drawboys sat inside the loom, physically moving the warp ends as instructed by the master weaver, who sat in front of the loom and passed the shuttle. Being a drawboy was considered the least glorious job in the weaving industry... poor guys.
Everything changed in 1804, when Joseph-Marie Jacquard unveiled his new invention to the French public: the Jacquard loom. Born into a family of weavers in Lyon in1752, Joseph Jacquard was all too familiar with the tedious and time-consuming process of weaving fine fabrics. He sought to create a machine which would enable him to create more fabric with more ease, but in less time -- thus increasing his profit -- and the Jacquard loom was born.
Jacquard looms not only cut time and labor but also enabled weavers to recreate the same design over and over through the use of cards. In Jacquard weaving, punched cards are read by the loom, and indicate which warp threads need to be raised/lowered in a given pattern. On the cards, each row of holes represents one weft shot (or row) within the design. As the cards pass through the Jacquard "head," they are met by a series of small needles, each of which is connected to a hook. Whether the hook raises or lowers the corresponding warp thread is dependent on the needles meeting a hole or a blank. Cards can be stored, and brought out again whenever the design is to be reproduced.
Because of it's binary nature, Joseph Jacquard's new invention also played a large role in the first computer developments -- pretty neat!
Maine Heritage Weavers currently runs five jacquard looms to create the quality Bates products we know and love. Each loom is outfitted to manufacture either matelassé bedspreads or traditional hobnail terry bedspreads. Our blankets are actually woven on plain dobby looms without a jacquard head since the patterns are much more simple.
Questions or comments? Please speak up in the comments below!


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Failure to plan led to major medicines shortage - David Cullinane TD
9 January, 2023 - by David Cullinane TD
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has said that a failure to plan for a predictable rise in demand for medicines in response to the winter respiratory infection surge has led to the current major medicines shortage.
Teachta Cullinane said that while global supply constraints are part of the problem, this has been exacerbated by government failure to put in place a proactive medicines supply and management strategy.
Following a meeting with the Irish Pharmacy Union today, he called on government to legislate for serious shortage protocols and to enable pharmacists to practise at the top of their licence, which would allow greater flexibility in the substitution of out-of-stock medicines with appropriate alternatives. He said that government must also examine a 'pharmacy first' model for minor illnesses to ease pressure on GP practices.
He called on the government to start thinking radically about how the state manages and ensures a consistent supply of medicines. He added that government has a responsibility to ensure that domestic supply chains and production, appropriately flexible pricing arrangements, and a rapid licensing process for substitute products are all in place.
Teachta Cullinane said:
"The medicines shortage being experienced today is, in large part, a consequence of a failure in planning. The increased demand on the supply of antibiotics, penicillin, and other medications was predicted.
"While not avoidable, there were and are steps which government could take to ease the burden on people, pharmacists, and GP practices caused by this lack of supply. In general, community pharmacy can also play a much greater role in dealing with minor illnesses under a 'pharmacy first' model, which would ease in part the pressures currently faced by GPs.
"The government has no strategy to secure domestic production and supply of medicines, to enable pharmacies to provide substitutes without repeat GP consultations, or expand the number of licenced alternatives. We are below the EU average for licenced alternatives, meaning that we are overly reliant on single suppliers of vital medicines where there is the potential for multiple suppliers.
"Ireland has a higher than average 'single brand availability' and a higher reliance on licence-exempt products, which makes it more difficult to ensure consistent supply. The State also does not trust pharmacists to advise on appropriate substitutes for out-of-stock medicines, despite this being within a pharmacists' area of expertise.
"Additional constraints exist on the HSE in the context of older medicines and medicines in particularly short supply where there is no purchase price flexibility. While this is not a favourable solution, it has been pointed out that pricing inflexibility in the context of global supply shortages means that the HSE is at a disadvantage.
"A proactive, strategic, and long-term government-led response is needed, which deals with each of the above to ensure that the state is better prepared for medicine shortages."


For 10,000 years the UK has been lived-in and visited by many different people who have left their mark.
Images of the effects travellers have had on the land etc, from sunken lanes in the Cotswolds, to worn cathedral steps and medieval Inn gateways, to wear marks from ropes pulled by horse-drawn canal boats.
A keepsake box and small book, suitable for anyone engaged upon a heroic venture. Small and portable, to be kept about the person.
A tidy reminder of the heroic virtues with a cautionary note regarding potential pitfalls.
The myth of freedom of choice and the tyranny of responsibility.
You wanted democracy, to got capitalism: you vote for change, you got politicians: you wanted a house, you got a mortgage etc.
Analogue dictaphone, enabling the May Day 2016 sound recording to be reproduced.
Made in response to FCF manifesto.
A week of journeys in Aizpute (Latvia), collected seeds from found eaten apples in each journey.
With drawings of the GPS trace of the journey.
Together with a set of instructions to plant, tend and draw the seedlings.
Four elements of western culture are Earth, Air, Fire and Water, believed to be essential for life.


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You are here: Home1 / ThePetCheckup Blog2 / 20083 / July
Best dog quotes ever
July 15, 2008 /in Health/by Bev Allen
Every once in a while, I come across a great quote that expresses "the bond" between people and animals. Here is the latest one I just discovered.
The bond of a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be.
(Konrad Lorenz)
https://thepetcheckup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thepetcheckup_header.png 0 0 Bev Allen https://thepetcheckup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thepetcheckup_header.png Bev Allen2008-07-15 09:49:002020-11-12 19:11:09Best dog quotes ever
Oprah went vegan: Will fans follow?
July 1, 2008 /in Health/by Bev Allen
A friend sent me this cool article this morning:
Nearly everything Oprah Winfrey does is newsworthy—and what she eats is no exception. When she announced on her show that she was going to forgo all animal products—as well as wheat, alcohol, caffeine and sugar—for three weeks in order to become a more "conscious eater," I heaved a huge sigh of relief. I've been trying to convince people to go vegan for more than 16 years, but my voice is merely a whisper compared to that of the queen of daytime TV. When Oprah speaks, people listen. Even if only a fraction of Oprah's fans are motivated to try a vegan diet—for three weeks, three months or forever—it will make a world of difference for animals, for people and for the planet.
So far, Oprah is not only embracing her vegan experience, she's raving about it.
During the first week of Oprah's "cleanse," vegan chef Tal Ronnen—who graduated from New York City's Natural Gourmet Institute and started the nonprofit program Veg Advantage to help food-service professionals integrate vegetarian options into their menus—prepared a meal that had Oprah gushing about being "baptized in Vegan Land." "Wow, wow, wow!" she wrote in her blog on Oprah.com. "I never imagined meatless meals could be so satisfying."
On day four of the 21-day cleanse, Oprah said, "I just cleaned my dinner plate, down to the last grain of brown rice left under my oh-so-deliciously seasoned soy chicken. I cannot believe how tasty, spicy and wonderful it all was. I'm ever more surprised at how I don't miss anything and feel so satisfied at every meal."
In her blog, Oprah opens up about her quest to find a higher level of awareness and explains what has influenced her to become a more conscious eater. She raises one particularly insightful point, something I hope others will ponder too: "How can you say you're trying to spiritually evolve without even a thought about what happens to the animals whose lives are sacrificed in the name of gluttony?"
The answer, I believe, is simple: You can't. Animals must be included in our efforts to make the world a more peaceful place and Oprah is setting a great example. Animals feel pain every bit as much as we do, are terrified by the sights and smells of the slaughterhouse and are afraid to die. Yet every year, billions of them are confined to feces-filled cages, stalls and sheds, separated from their families, mutilated—without the use of painkillers—and killed. Many are scalded alive or dismembered while they're still conscious.
Only time will tell if Oprah will remain vegan—or at least eat significantly less meat, eggs and cheese—after her 21-day cleanse, but her food revelations will likely have a profound effect on the way many Americans eat. We may not all have a personal chef preparing meals for us, but anyone can whip up simple vegan fare like mock meatloaf, grilled vegetable skewers and black bean chili. Since vegan foods are cholesterol-free, low in saturated fat and higher in fiber, they're a healthier alternative to animal products. And by going vegan, we can help reduce pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions, and we can each save more than 100 animals every year.
So, follow in Oprah's footsteps—at least for seven days. Take the one-week "veg pledge" on GoVeg.com. It's easy. Oprah wouldn't steer you wrong—and neither would I.
(Source: PETAPublished: Friday, June 27, 2008)
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"EVERTON, a parish in the hundred of Biggleswade, county Bedford, 6 miles N.E. of Biggleswade, and 11 east of Bedford. Potton is its post town, and the Sandy station on the Great Northern railway is about 3 miles south west of the village. It is situated on the borders of Cambridge, a portion of the parish being in that county. The village is very small. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Ely, value with the vicarage of Tetworth annexed, £200, in the patronage of Clare Hall, Cambridge. The church is a small building, dedicated to St. Mary. The charities amount to about £6 per annum. There is a National school for both sexes. There are two manors in the parish-Everton and Tetworth. Stephen and Edward Thornton, Esqs., are lords of the first, and the Hon. Octavius Duncombe lord of the latter."
St. Mary's Church, Everton.
The 'Iron Church', Everton.
There are photographs and a description of St Mary the Virgin on the Bedfordshire Parish Churches website.
A transcript of the Everton parish entries from Samuel Lewis's 1831 Topographical Dictionary of England,
A transcript of the Everton parish entries from The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1866-9
Ask for a calculation of the distance from Everton to another place.
You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TL200511 (Lat/Lon: 52.145163, -0.247739), Everton which are provided by:


Help President Obama ride his chopper across London in high speed in order to reach the G8 meeting. The time is running out and hence you had better be very quick. Use the arrow keys to drive.
Average: 5.0 / 5. Votes: 9.