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Martin Copley, 1940 - 2014

Martin Copley, 1940 - 2014

It is with great sadness that we report that Martin Copley, our Founder and Chairman for nearly 15 years, passed away in Perth after a short illness on 30 July.

AWC Founder Martin CopleyMartin’s quest to save Australia’s threatened wildlife began in the early 1990’s when he purchased a block of land which became AWC’s first sanctuary - Karakamia.  After building one of Australia’s first fox and cat-free fences around Karakamia, Martin successfully reintroduced several threatened mammals including Woylies and Tammar Wallabies.   Inspired by the success at Karakamia, Martin funded the acquisition of a further four sanctuaries - Paruna, Mt Gibson, Faure Island and the 312,000 hectare Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kimberley.

By the turn of the century, Martin’s vision had extended to the establishment of a national, non-profit organisation that could help Martin Release BHW On Faure Island 04 Croppedlead the way in reversing Australia’s extinction crisis.  To this end, Martin launched Australian Wildlife Conservancy in 2001.  AWC is now the largest owner and manager of land for conservation in Australia, protecting endangered wildlife across 3 million hectares in places like the Top End, Cape York, central Australia and the south-west.  Under Martin’s leadership, AWC sanctuaries grew to protect over 80% of Australia’s native bird species and 67% of our native mammal species including some of the largest remaining populations of species like the Numbat and the Bilby. AWC is now supported by thousands of people around Australia who share Martin’s passion for our native wildlife and his determination to prevent further extinctions.

IBanksia Awards 029n 2010, Martin was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to conservation and the environment.  Few, if any, Australians have done more to protect Australia’s wildlife.

Earlier this year, Martin’s daughter – Sophie Chamberlain – joined the Board of AWC.  All of us at AWC are committed to honouring Martin’s work, and building on his remarkable legacy, by continuing to deliver effective conservation for Australia’s endangered wildlife.


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Epic & Lyric (#544)
Unstrangers (#546)

City Child (#545)

A young man with Asperger's we recently met noted to us that he likes being in the city---New York City, in particular---because when he is in the city he can be with people (lots of people, indeed) without having to have direct social interactions with them. Wallking down a crowded city street---Fifth Avenue on one of the dwindling before-Christmas shopping days---is like parallel play, to the nth degree. Is the figure of the flâneur---the dapperly-dressed stroller in the metropolis, detached from the multitude he walks among, first noted by the 19th-century French poet, Charles Baudelaire---not a potential metaphor for the autistic person?
For now I leave discussion of Baudelaire, modernism, and the dandyisme of the flâneur to those more versed in modernist aesthetics than myself. I can say that Charlie is---like Eloise at the Plaza---a city child.

We do not live in New York like Charlie's friend M, but across the river in New Jersey and, indeed, deep in the suburbs of the Garden State. During the week, Charlie's little yellow schoolbus takes him past lawns, the occasional deer, and, yes, soccer moms in shiney SUVs. Jim works in NYC and, in Jersey City, I am just across the Hudson from Wall Street. But the 'burb we are in does seem to have the right kind of autism program that Charlie needs in the public schools: Charlie's educational needs have determined our last three moves, and will continue to do so. And he certainly loves bike-riding on the wide streets and running around all the grass and amid the trees and he has never done so well in school as he has here.

But it does help that we live five minutes from the train.

After a breakfast of a rather large number of clementines and white rice, Charlie got himself dressed and got on his glasses and bike helmet and off he and Jim went for an hour's ride. I had him write his name twice on the present for his piano teacher, as it came out in a broad scrawl the first time; the lighest of taps under Charlie's wrist resulted in a semi-legible signature. His teacher got Charlie started on a major new development toay: Playing with his left hand as well as his right. Charlie seems to be vaguely ambidextrous---he will use his left hand to hold his fork or spoon sometimes---but we have concentrated on him learning to write and do other tasks with his right hand. Playing the piano has definitely strengthened the fingers on his right hand and I am curious as to what will happen now with his left.
After the lesson it was "Train tuh New Yawk!"

And subway rides: The D train, the A train. A man was playing Chrismas carols on a steel drum as we came down the stairs; Charlie chortled and ran back and forth (and rather close to the edge of the platform); Jim gave him a dollar to pass on to the man. (It took Charlie a few tries to give it to the right person.) We went straight into the crowd which got thicker as we neared the massive Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza; green and red silken flags waved in the wing before it. "Sushi!" Charlie called out, a little more than distracted by his thoughts than by the glowing tree.
Neither dogs nor the elaborate displays of Christmas commodities caught Charlie's eye as we made our way down Fifth Avenue and across Central Park South where a huge menorah was being lit. We caught sight of the Plaza Hotel, now being converted into condos, and there saw a huge sign trumpeting the words of Eloise: "I am a city child. I live at the Plaza."

Then something of the holiday hustle and bustle got into Charlie, who started smiling and skipping as he held Jim's hand. "Who' foods!", said Charlie, then (imitating Jim) "write books! who' foods!" He chose a precious pack of salmon sushi and stood beside me at the cold foods counter. "Eat peas": Charlie was eyeing a dish of marinated edamame and I scooped some out. We sat at picnic-like table and Charlie carefully took a fork as requested and dug into the container.

Bright lights, big city, one happy boy amid the multitude.

Kristina, it has been a year blessed with faith, resolve and purpose, though not without it crises. Throughout, my convictions, although tested, have helped me survive-and my pursuit to a be better parent has enhanced not eroded my understanding of autism.
Thanks for candidly sharing your life-talking of the love and support for Charlie, your husband, your friends, and for parents(like me).
In this poignant and insightful blog, you explore your extraordinary life and personal spiritual(in my opinion) odyssey, with observations as profound as the knowledge you have gathered from your relationship with Charlie.

Here's wishing you the best for the New Year!

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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Parenting a Child with ASD

Did you get a book when you had a child? I didn't get the book with any of mine. There should be an instruction book that comes with a baby.

I sure did not get an instruction book with the child with Autism. If I had of it would not have done any good with the daughter with Aspergers. There should have been one with her too.

Even after 22 and 18 years I am not sure I could write and instruction book. I am still at the point I am telling our stories.

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Ionia Free Fair

Well, we're right smack dab in the middle of the ten days of the Ionia Free Fair. Largest Free Fair in the world. I've been there three times now! I won't ride any of the rides though, for two reasons. 1. I'm not willing to pay their prices for those rides and 2. With my back issues I really shouldn't be doing it.

Although, the fair does have a pretty decent ride all day armband deal. $20 to ride unlimited rides all day. If you purchase them before the fair starts, you can get them for $12. They also have these mega passes that are only for sale in November and December that let you ride unlimited rides the whole ten days of the fair! I don't know how much those are yet.

I am taking all four of my cousins, and our boys, to the fair on Thursday. They are very excited, we did it last year and have been planning this years adventure for a long time now. Mike and I will be chaperoning, along with both my sisters. My Mom will join us later in the day, as she has a meeting in the early afternoon. I'm not quite sure if I'm up for this now. My cousin's ages range from 12 to 14 yrs. old. And three of them are girls! Sigh. Teenagers are not easy to deal with. Wish me luck!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

I am so bored. I've had nothing to do for almost a week now. Nowhere to go, nothing to do. I've been entertaining myself watching movies and tv shows on dvd. But I've pretty much run out of those. I've read all my books at least once, if not more. I've been so bored I haven't even had anything to blog about!

Last Saturday Nathan threw my cell phone into a cup of water, submerging it. So, it stopped working. I was so upset. I knew buying a new phone would be to expensive for me to afford right now. Plus, it's my only phone. We don't have a home phone. So, this last week I couldn't even call anyone to chit chat. I had to wait to see if anyone got on Facebook.

I've only been outside once since last Saturday, and that was just to go shopping for groceries. So, it doesn't really count. I was wanting to go to lunch with Mom yesterday, but by the time I got her on FB, Dad had already left to work with the car. So we couldn't do that.

My sister, Amber, found an old verizon cell phone that she brought to town last night. She was going to charge it up and transfer my account to that phone. Someone told me last week about putting the phone in rice for a few days and it would absorb the water from the phone. That sounded silly, but I figured rice is cheaper than a new phone. So I tried it. I kept it in the rice for 5 days, and finally pulled it out last night and put it all back together. Pushed the power button and.... Nothing. I was so disappointed, I was really hoping it would work. Then this morning Mike tells me, "I plugged your phone in to charge, and it came on!" !!!!! Yaaaay! My phone is now working.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Well, Mike is in Indiana right now. He left yesterday. A friend of his from Florida is in the Army Reserves, and finally got a job position for recruiting. But, he has been stationed in Indiana. So, he just drove in yesterday from Florida, and his stuff is being shipped by the Army for him. Mike decided to drive down there and visit him before he started his job. He is only about a four hour drive from us, which makes Mike pretty happy.

They are staying at a hotel, and today they should be apartment shopping together, looking very much like a gay couple!!!! Then they will do some furniture shopping and all that. He was living in a furnished apartment in Florida, so he is going to need everything. Mike is looking forward to helping him out with getting settled. I hope they find a place this weekend, so he doesn't have to live out of a hotel for very long.

Now is a good time for Mike to be there, before college starts. Once we begin, there won't be time to visit anyone until Christmas break, at least. And then things will be busy for Christmas, so who knows what we'll be doing for fun?!?!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Summer School

Well, today was Jacob's first day of Summer school. He goes twice a week, Tuesday and Thursdays. He really needs to be going all week, because school gives him stability. He wakes up, and he knows it's time to get dressed and go wait for the bus. He has a regular routine at school, and when he gets home he does the same things. It keeps him going. He's been going nuts these last few weeks since school has been over. He doesn't know what to do with himself. He hasn't been sleeping well, he's been getting testy, and being mean to Nathan. He had a hard time falling asleep last night, and was very tired today. His paraeducator said that he had a nice calm day. I'm glad it went well.

Yesterday, things weren't going well for any of us. Jacob kept picking and bullying Nathan, so I kept having to discipline him and he would get upset. Nathan was upset because of the bullying. I was upset because I had two upset boys, and I was in alot of pain. Finally, we all lost it. All three of us. We sat on Jacob's bed, and cried and cried and cried for about five minutes. Then Nathan perked up and tried being cute, while Jacob and I kept crying! I tell you though, it's hard to continue being miserable while Nathan is sticking his smiling little face in mine and giving me kisses!

Sunday the boys spent the day at my parents, while my sisters were visiting. Mike and I stayed home and cleaned the boys' room almost thoroughly! Which is why I was in so much pain yesterday. We have two big boxes of toys we are donating, and still several big boxes of toys to go through. We need to get rid of about 95% of the toys we have. They don't get played with, just stepped on. When the boys got home Sunday night, I could just tell they were thinking "Where's all our stuff?" I followed them into the bedroom and showed them where we put their toys away, and books are on the bookshelf. I tell you, it's alot easier to get them to clean up their room when it isn't so bad!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Mike and I weren't able to see the fireworks here in town. Mike was working, and I wasn't up to taking the boys out myself, so we skipped it. But tonight in a town about 20 minutes away are more fireworks! So, the plan is for us to take the boys there tonight, play at the McDonald's playland until its late enough, and then go watch the fireworks. This will be Nathan's first time seeing them. There were to many mosquitoes out last year to let him watch. So, this should be fun watching his reaction.


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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

So...I've let a few days go by without blogging. Since my last blog I turned 35! My son (and our family) survived a carnival night called "Fun Fair" at the kids' school. My parents took the kids overnight on Friday and my in-laws on Saturday giving my husband and I some MUCH, MUCH, MUCH needed time alone! So, all that being good, I still wasn't ready to be called on Monday for therapy. They had a cancellation and I said sure I'll come. So, I only had a few hours to have anxiety about going - ha!

Anyway, we spent this session talking about the "plan". It was kind of like and IEP goal setting session. Goal #1: I will not get mad at my parents or parent-in-laws 4 out of 5 times - that just cracks me up! So, even though the parents had the kids this weekend. I was still frustrated with the whole process of getting that to happen...comments made to me...etc.

So, this week I'm supposed to work on relaxation techniques. Of course they are basic ones I know but don't always practice. The therapist also spent a lot of time typing up notes on her computer/writing out our session note. I felt like a lot of the time I spent watching her type. Anyway, maybe it will get better after this preliminary stuff is set.

Okay, back to Fun Fair. My husband was supposed to fly in at 5:15 and arrive at our house by 6. Ha! His flight had problems. I got a text that said "engine won't start...going back to gate". Okay seriously not something you say to a wife who has been diagnosed with "generalized anxiety disorder". Anyway, that left me and the kids and my mother to head to the Fun Fair. I was glad she was there because she stayed with my daughter and I hung with Alex. By the time Korey got there Alex was showing signs of over stimulation so he took him home. Let him get a shower and then my mom headed home with my daughter and got the kids in the car to head off to her house. That left me at the Fun Fair to help as they were in need of volunteers for concessions. I met a nice lady while working (we just moved here in October so I'm still meeting people). Anyway, the principal started to do the raffle basket winner announcements just after 8:00. I was so glad that Alex wasn't there. He has the worst time understanding the whole raffle thing and gets so upset when he doesn't win.

So, now that we know how this Fun Fair thing goes, we will be even more prepared for next year but I was so glad that we had no issues!!!

My husband and I worked in the yard on Saturday it was hot but beautiful on Saturday and Sunday. I ordered the weather especially for my birthday weekend :) We went for a run/walk together through town. He fixed me dinner from start to finish...grilling steaks, etc. on Saturday. We went to the Y on Sunday and pumped some iron then he met his mother to get the kids giving me some time to work on transcription in peace and quiet!

I seriously couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

Well done Honey!!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

So my little thinking brain was hard at work last night. I feel like Ellen Degeneres when she talks about how she is always thinking although I don't come up with the funny things she does. So, I digress....This therapy thing will work this time and I feel encouraged by yesterday although a hard cry does make you very sleepy. I had a hard time functioning the rest of the day/evening.

When I first went to therapy back when Alex was being diagnosed...Simone wasn't sleeping and my husband had had his seizure. The therapist diagnosed me with Depression...duh! Of course with figuring out what therapies Alex needed then subsequently getting him to the therapies/scheduling, etc. Oh and Korey lost his license for 3 going to therapy appointments was out of the question. So, she put me on an anti-depressant that helped but I don't like medication so I only took it for about a year. I'm not opposed to taking it when needed. I personally wanted to not take it as I felt I was at a better place. So I went off it for a few years then started having some major ups and downs (mostly hormonal) so my OBGYN put me back on birth control. ARE YOU KIDDING husband has had a vasectomy! Seriously though that has helped a lot and I think if I wasn't on that I would be back on an anti-depressant.

So, that is a little background that brings me to yesterday. She did the "assessment" and said that at this point she would diagnose me with "generalized anxiety disorder". The secondary diagnosis is "depression NOS". Ha! How many parents of Autistic children get the PDD/NOS diagnosis. The "NOS" means "not otherwise specified". I find that ironic. She said that if I wasn't on the birth control that the underlying depression would be stronger and probably warrant that as a primary diagnosis. She also reminded me that I have been dealing with this for over 5 years - ouch!

The last therapist I went to let me talk/vent and I think I needed that but I also feel like I needed a plan of action. At my next appointment she said we would work on just I can change my thinking/worrying, etc. So I am hopeful!

Now, I want to go back to the early therapy time for Alex. Some of you reading this feel like you may have been one of those people giving me platitudes. I don't mean to be so blunt but when anyone is going through a hard time they do not hear things the way you mean them. Most of my issues with the platitudes have to deal with people who I feel should be helping us more so when I hear the platitudes it just makes me upset. So many of you have been there for me over these last 5 years.

Therapists are awesome...

My sister is my sounding board....

My sister-in-law is my sounding board and also our free housing when needed for summer camps...

My best friend from college is another sounding board....

And many other friends....

Wow! Looks like I've needed some sounding boards! Again, why I'm in therapy :)

So, when we started this intensive 6 week program at the Piqua Center. I was scared of Christine. Christine if you are reading this you already know this. She was Alex's neuroeducation teacher that he would see for about a half hour then later an hour. She is the bomb and helped him so much over the 3 years he was there. I remember him crying and her taking him "sternly" with her and I felt just awful as a parent when he misbehaved. Oh and the time he pooped on her pants - OMG! I grew to appreciate (that isn't even a big enough word) what Christine was able to do with Alex. I am SO grateful that we are also still in touch.

Alex also had "floor" work for about an hour each time he went. The therapists would work on patterning and tactile exercises with Alex (read about it more on their website as I cannot explain it correctly). Oh how he screamed and cried the first 4 days. He grew to love it and had a famous saying of "one more time" in a cute Alex voice that the therapists can imitate :)

Alex also had water therapy. Basically it was like private swim lessons with a twist. He had to listen to direction all the while totally obsessed with pouring water or seeing water fall when he flapped his hands. Water was very overstimulating for him. Jason was just awesome and because of him going to the pool in the summer is so much fun for us. I have heard stories about parents of children with Autism that have had to fish (no pun intended - maybe I am funny like Ellen) their kids out of ponds. Regular swim lessons don't work for these kids so having this therapy was such a blessing.

Now, during the "floor" work I was supposed to help Alex with the program. Most of the time, though (and thankfully) they had enough help and he often didn't want me there. This was such a blessing as I really enjoyed my time with books/magazines/journaling and sometimes napping! I especially loved it when they got the new building and the nice navy leather couch! I remember when we first started and Mrs. Hahn saw me sitting at the table while Alex was in therapy. She said she believed that the caregiver should get time to themselves. Oh how true!

Now the biggest stress I think during this time was finding someone to watch Simone for me while I went to therapy. I relied a lot of friends. I didn't have the family support I needed during this time. I don't think I even did the relying on friends very well. Looking back I think that I relied too much on friends and didn't show my appreciation well. Some of those friendships didn't last or make it through this time and that saddens me. I think this is also why I have a hard time relying on friends and family currently. I feel like I should have to ask or maybe should ask and I hope to work through this again in therapy!

So, thankfully we had this Piqua Center, music therapy in the home as well as preschool. Now what is "recommended" is 40 hours a week of intensive therapy such as ABA. When I researched the cost I was just blown away. So many of these families were scheduling round the clock therapist to come into their home. The cost to the families was $20K-40K. Often wiping out retirement accounts, taking out second mortgages, etc. Not to mention the toll on the marriage. I read a story that talked about the divorce rate in families with special needs children being over 80%. Wow! We spent an average of $7000/year the first 4 years. That was a struggle for us but we made it through. I couldn't imagine if we had to spend more and I couldn't imagine if Alex was more severely Autistic.

But...what did we do in the summer months when there wasn't school...??? We continued with a few days a week of the Piqua Center. However, he needed more structure on those off days. I remember feeling hopeless that so many summer "camps" were for older/school-aged children. It was so hard to find something for preschoolers. Then I heard of Stepping Stones in Cincinnati (about an hour and a half away). I can't remember honestly how I heard about it. They have a summer camp, Camp Allyn, in Batavia, Ohio, which ironically is less than 15 minutes from my sister-in-law's house. So, we spent a few summers going to camp there. I remember we would go for several weeks each summer.

The first time I went to observe, I just cried to my sister-in-law. I still couldn't believe that I was having to take my child to a special needs camp. She was there for me so much during those summers and I can't thank her enough.

Okay...I think I need to go treat myself to a fancy coffee at the coffee shop and read a good book. This Autism stuff is heavy.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Hmmmm....Had my first appointment with my third therapist (yes I have tried this 3 times now). Its been over 5 years since Alex was diagnosed and I still have problems dealing with the anxiety and depression that comes with everything. So, I'm promising myself that I will now focus on this and work through my many issues and the issues I have with other people's issues :)

We had a rough morning today. Alex got invited to a birthday party for a boy from school this weekend but we have plans so he can't go. So, he was upset last night and again this morning about not being able to go. I gave a heads up to the teacher and she said he mentioned it when he got to school but was soon distracted and moved on. Thank God!

One of the things people have said to me (many times) when I talk about Alex's issues is "typical kids do that too". Okay...seriously....that doesn't help. Yes I know that other kids have meltdowns or are affected but noise or fight with their siblings or want their shoes tight, etc., etc. Alex just takes it to whole other level and unless you are living with a child with Autism....keep you mouth shut! Sorry...I just had to say it. I have received a lot of platitudes from people that just rub me the wrong way. I know a lot of you are just trying to think of something nice to say but the old saying "actions speak louder than words" applies here. Do something thoughtful...don't say something that you think is thoughtful.

So, there you have it...a perfect example of why I am in therapy! I'm also hoping this blog can become a form of therapy for me.

Where was I on Alex. Oh, school. I have to say that once we got him into a structured school program, I felt relieved. I also felt guilty (and still do). These people know what to do for him and I didn't/don't. He does so well at school (with the exception of one school that I'll discuss later). He started preschool the day after he turned 3. He got to ride that bus (it wasn't a short bus either). He loved the bus and still does. He started going 4 days a week M/T/W/TH in the mornings. We would round out the week with music therapy in home and a trip to the "Piqua Center" on Friday mornings.

He did really well in the preschool program offered by the County but he probably had the class format memorized the first day. We found when he was eligible for Kindergarten (by age) that he probably could have handled it academically but his social skills were still lacking. So, we asked the school district for help in programing. They "tested" him for Pre-K. What!!?? There is a test for Pre-K?? I thought if you weren't going to Kindergarten you went to Pre-K. Anyway, they said he wasn't eligible and all they could do was put him in another preschool class (he had been with the same teacher for 2+years). Now, I knew he could handle more but we went with it. In addition to the other preschool class through the County, we enrolled him in some afternoons at our church's preschool hoping the additional structure would help. That school I mentioned above...this is it! They just weren't willing to make modifications to assist Alex. This was not a special needs preschool. However, by law they are not allowed to discriminate. So there were many things going on here. We decided (only after a few months) that both programs were not working for Alex. He needed a more challenging environment as well as modifications for him to succeed.

We took him out of both programs and right after Christmas break he started the Nicholas School Kindergarten Program 5 full days a week in Piqua.

More on that experience next!

Monday, April 20, 2009

So, Alex did well at school on Friday...much better than Thursday. Sometimes we just don't know what causes his misbehavior. It is so hard to get detail/information out of him on how he is feeling or what is going on in his little brain. I am so grateful though that the teachers/administrators are willing to work with him. Makes be happy to know he is in good hands. As I write this, he is still is almost 10:00...we have been struggling with getting him to go to sleep lately...hope this doesn't cause problems tomorrow.

Today I met with my Representative to the Ohio House. In a previous blog I mentioned how we had NO insurance coverage for therapy for Alex. Well, Ohio is trying to pass a bill to require private insurance companies to cover therapy for Autism. Now, I have strong feelings about government being too involved in the private sector. That being said...there is really no excuse for an insurance company to not cover these children. We are not expecting full coverage. We know that there are deductibles, copays, limited number of visits, etc. However, some of these families cannot provide services for their children at the cost (for 1 hour of Occupational Therapy it was over $100 at Children's Hospital). So, we were told that if Alex had a physical problem with his ears or mouth that caused a speech delay we would get 20 visits a year for speech therapy. Since he had a "developmental" disorder this coverage was 0. Why is that the case? Also, I heard from a mother at my support group last night that has coverage for her child through her husband's new work insurance. His old insurance didn't cover therapy but the new insurance does. She said that it doesn't cover everything they need but at least they get 20 visits. I just don't understand!

It was nice to talk to my representative and to have him see our personal story/side. Not to mention that I felt like I was doing something good today.

Now, what if insurance is covering therapies...??? I wonder what therapies would be covered. This is of concern for us because we utilized a wonderful organization in Piqua, Ohio called the Hahn-Hufford Center for Hope/Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development and The Nicholas School. This is a non-profit organization that provides therapies for patients with neurological disorders. Now this isn't your traditional speech and occupational therapies. So, would private insurance consider this an out-of-network service? Anyway, the cost of these services for us was so worth the 30 minute drive one way and the time commitment. Alex participated in the rehab program for 3 years. His growth was amazing during this time. He started with a 6 week intensive program that then went down to 2 days a week then finally to 1 day a week as he was getting more involved with school. The work they do there is just so amazing I find it hard to put into words.

Alex had so many sensory problems but by the time he was done with the program he would walk/play in sand at the beach!!! Now to appreciate the greatness of this....he would NOT walk on wet pavement even with shoes on before this. He didn't like to get his clothing wet...wouldn't get messy...had severe sound sensitivity...didn't like tags in his clothes. He still struggles with loud noises like at a basketball game (the buzzer) and is uncomfortable getting clothes wet at times but he has come a long, long way. Tags in clothes no longer bother him!!

He also attended the Nicholas School for 5 months and I'll talk more about that when we get to his schooling.

If anyone is reading this and lives near Piqua, Ohio, please check out the "Piqua Center"

Because of this organization we were able to provide Alex with almost 3 hours of programming for less than $60 (at the time we were taking him this was the fee). It still cost our family over $8,000 per year during this time to provide services for Alex but compared to what other families were spending, we felt very fortunate. Research shows families spending $20,000 to $40,000 for their children per year.

I just can't imagine. My heart aches for them!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Boy is my heart breaking right now. I'll have to hold on the "history" blogging right now as Alex is having a very rough day at school. We used to have a lot of issues with meltdowns at school but he has gotten better. Usually they are able to head off a meltdown or if he starts getting upset they can work through it or he can work through it before it gets bad. Well today I was called 3 times by his teacher. He has just refused to work. He had a meltdown in with his intervention specialist then a meltdown in gym...and gym is his favorite next to recess! So, what gives I am wondering? After the third call I headed to school (another reinforcement of why I am not working full time outside the home). Now he has been at this school for about 6 months since we moved here in October so I figure that he has done well not to have anything major happen with the transition to the new school. What being said, I went to the office and the principal (who I love) was there to greet me. Alex and his teacher were in his office so he talked to me first. They wanted him to try to work through it this afternoon. He would have to walk around recess with the principal and not play kickball...his absolute favorite thing to do. He seemed to be in a daze. He wasn't responding much and started to cry and told me he had a bad dream (he didn't mention that this morning). Anyway, I told him that he could have his own recess after school with mom if he started his day over and was good for the principal and his teacher. I'm hoping I didn't confuse him. We'll see.

So, I'm at home this afternoon not trying to think about it but keep thinking about his little face and those vacant eyes. Sometimes he acts out when he is getting sick (he had a little cough/froggy voice this morning) and other times we just can't figure it out. I am so grateful for the teachers and principals that are willing to work with him.

Okay....trying not to cry now. I'm going to figure something out that I can do to keep from thinking about this.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Now, someone other than my neighbor (which by the way she is a professional although I said in my last post that the speech therapist testing Alex was the first professional to tell us he had red flags for Autism)....anyway, I digress....has told us that Alex has these "red flags". Wow! Are you kidding me. Our sweet boy who likes to entertain himself may be Autistic. Now what do we do? Well, that was when things got difficult....really difficult...okay really it just sucked!

We quickly found out that to get into a Developmental Pediatrician that specializes in Autism could be upwards of 9 months on a waiting list. So, I quickly went to work getting him on the waiting list for 2 Children's Hospitals - good thing I love paperwork and forms - that's my paralegal training kicking in. Then, we had to contact the local county MRDD - again more paperwork. Really, my first thought was that my kid could be going to school on a short bus. Now admit it, you have all made fun of the kids on the short bus. I'm wondering if I am now beging taught a BIG lesson. The county came in and did their "assessment" while we were waiting on the big waiting list to get our official diagnosis and they said they could start services for Alex with just a speech delay while pending diagnosis. Our school district was also brought in...again more paperwork...and I was introduced to the world of Special Education and IEPS. So, the county immediately sent in an in-home intervention specialist a few times a week until he turned 3. Then when he turned three he went to preschool 4 mornings a week (and thankfully got picked up in a regular bus although it did say "Montgomery County Transportation"). More on the preschool later.

Thankfully the lady from the county who did our assessment had remembered that a wonderful doctor had once worked at our local Children's Medical Center but had moved to Akron she thought. She said that he was really good at determining if a child met the Autism guidelines whey they were "mild", which was what she though Alex was. So, I immediately started researching this doctor and low and behold he was in Akron, OH....I got Alex on their weighting list and they had a lovely cancellation policy that got us in in about a month. Now we had to make a quick decision to drive up there one Thursday night for a Friday appointment but it was well worth it. We got the diganosis and continued on our waiting list near home so we could have a doctor closer to home monitor his progress but the diangosis was most important.

Now, how were we feeling about the diagnosis??? Interestingly I felt calm when he told me that Alex was on the "Autism Spectrum". I remember my husband not really knowing what that meant and that we had to have a conversation about that on the way home. Yes, Alex was Autistic but on the "spectrum" of Autism this doctor felt he was mild to moderate. I didn't do a lot of reasearch on Autism prior to our meeting. Maybe I just wasn't ready but when the doctor finally said he was on the "Spectrum" and recommended some books, I was ready to hear it and ready to learn more. I remember reading one book that talked about the "signs" or "red flags". Things that Alex did or was doing now really made sense now:

He had hand flapping when excited since 6 months of age.

He knew his letters and numbers before age 2.

He could use language to communicate his wants and needs but didn't have functional converational language (remember this was January we got the diagnosis and he was turning 3 in March).

He loved to watch doors open and close even before he could walk.

He loved to put things into slots/holes. He put a lot of cards into or fireplace fent holes and money in our tape player in the car.

He loved playing with books, looking through them for hours and watching the pages turn.

He loved playing with cars/trains but would get down to the level of the wheels and watch them turn.

He was always lovey and affectionate with us. However, if I was sitting on the ground he would run towards me but when he as a few steps away he would turn around and backup into my lap (this was in the book as a sign and I was blown away).

We didn't have the lack of eye contact like many Autistic children do but he did often seem like he was in his own world. I personally thought he was like his dad and was ignoring me!!!

I thought he played well with other kids but later found out out that he played "around" other kids not with them.

So I continued to plug away at finding services. We quickly found out the most frustrating thing I think of this whole process....our private medical insurance would not cover services (therapy) for Autism. Yes I am 100% serious. I remember having some severe breakdowns on the phone over this issue. Those poor insurance representatives I talked to. Oh my was I mean. The "diagnosis" process was covered but once he was labeled Autistic they said it was no longer a medical issue but a "developmental" issue. Can you believe it. How more medical can a disorder of the brain be??? I will write more on this issue later for sure.

So, after many, many phone calls I found that traditional speech and occupational therapies would cost us over $100 per session. Are you kidding me...where are we going to get this $$? Now, the county did have some funding but it was limited (we never received more that $900 a year which seems like a lot but not at $100/session). The preschool was free through the county but the extra therapy recommended was going to put us in the poor house. In addition, summers were going to be really hard. How do we start school in March and then a few months later have no structure? Oh, now I am seeing why my mental breakdown happened. I thought the first year with Simone was our hardest. This may have been the worst year.

Okay so I'm having a mental breakdown. Seriously suffering from depression. My son was just diagnosed with Autism. My husband had a seizure (thankfully after much testing) nothing serious was discovered. It was attributed to lack of sleep and stress! My daughter was still a handful. I felt like I had little extended family support through this whole thing (oh definitely more on that later). I then find out that our medical insurance will cover 100%...yes 100% of up to 20 visits in a year for me to seek counseling for mental health. ARE YOU F#@!@** KIDDING ME! I'm going mental mostly because we can't provide services to our child because you won't pay but you'll pay for me to get help for something you are partially contributing to. Seriously!

But wait....there's more....

Monday, April 13, 2009

Now, where was I? Oh...first there were two then there was three and then four... So, when I was growing up I always wanted to be at home with my kids (not working outside of the home)...driving a yuppie car, volunteering at church...maybe take golf or tennis lessons. Well, for the first 3 years after Alex was diagnosed it wasn't all that fun. There wasn't (and still isn't) a yuppie car, not much volunteering and I still don't know how to play tennis or golf! Most of this is because we didn't have the $$ for extra things like tennis and golf or the yuppie car. We quickly found out that health insurance that we pay almost $400 a month for doesn't consider Autism to be a "medical" issue. They consider it "developmental". So, once we finally got him diagnosed and set on our way to find services/therapies or him...boy did we find out that we would spend a lot of $$ on that child!

Sorry, I need to back up. How did we come to the diagnosis? Alex was our first child so we didn't really have a benchmark to go by for developmental milestones. Although I still believe that if Simone was our first child people would have said that we couldn't compared him to her because she's a girl. In fact we heard that a lot..."he's a boy" Einstein didn't talk until 3".... Anyway, our neighbor is a special ed intervention specialist/special ed teacher and she was the one to first mention something to me. Now that was extremely hard for her and for me. I still don't know when she first noticed something was wrong with Alex but when she did finally say something to me she knew it would end our friendship or at least stress it greatly. And stress it it did!! It took us about a year but we finally got back to each other.

Okay, so she tells me she thinks there is something wrong with Alex. Oh no she didn't just say that there was something with wrong with my child!!! We did the "right" thing and went to our pediatrician and wouldn't you know he said he didn't think there was a problem and that she was just a nosey neighbor. Great...that's what we wanted to hear. Then, since I worked at the Y and Alex had been in their childcare when I worked teaching classes since he as a baby they knew him well. One of their workers was going to college for special ed and said that she thought Alex wasn't responding to them and that he may have a hearing problem. Okay, back to the doctor we went. He still didn't think anything was wrong with Alex - "he isn't in the corner rocking so he isn't Autistis but I'll go ahead and order some hearing/speech tests since this is now not a nosey family member/neighbor questioning but someone else questioning his development". Needless to say he was WAY OFF!!! We later found out he didn't believe in the "spectrum" of Autism. The worst is that he to this day is missing diagnosing children. We have friends that see him and their child was in 2nd grade before they got a diagnosis....same doctor!!!! He should have his license taken away!!!!!!!

As we headed to the testing, we still thought that he was okay but boy was that first hearing/speech test an eye opener. He didn't do too well in the hearing test (very distracted/meltdown) and when we met with the speech therapist, all his "autistic traits" showed. I remember being in this small room where there was a clock and he started watching the second hand go around the clock and saying the number when it reached it...1...2....3...4.... Then she pulled out bubbles and he was so amazed and his hands flapped like he was going to take off. This is where we heard for the first time (from a professional) that our son had "red flags" for Autism.

Our next step was a sedated hearing test to rule out hearing problems. Boy that was fun...NOT! I can't even write about that!

The next step was trying to get into an autism specialist (developmental pediatrician). More on that process next.....

Saturday, April 11, 2009

In the beginning....there were two of us. My husband and I met the summer after my freshman year in college and the summer after he finished college (yes I married me a sugar daddy). We met at his hometown hometown too but not my church. Anyway, he says I stalked him for a few weeks then he decided he would ask me out. I remember us spending a lot of time (hours) on the phone together while I was home that summer. I also remember that my dorm room phone for whatever reason was listed as a "local" number...I was in Cincinnati and he was in didn't charge us for long distance so our long phone conversations continued. I also remember for the first year we dated he gave me one rose for the first month, two roses or the second month and so on. So romatic he was!

We dated from 1993 through 1996, marrying on September 14, 1996. He continued to work in Springfield and I began working in Dayton for a "large" lawfirm after graduating. I worked full time until I had Alex in March, 2001. I had a hard time convincing my old fashioned firm to let me work part time and, even when they did agree, I didn't feel right going back there. I think I only ended up working part time for about a month after having Alex then made the decision to stay home full time.

Okay so this making the decision to stay home full time thing....I'm going to have to come back to that.

Our daughter, Simone was born in December, 2002 (yes that was less than 2 yers apart!!). Now, she was an AWFUL baby. Alex was such a wonderful baby for the 1st year of his life. Simone was so the opposite for her first year....cried all the time!!!

That first year with Simone and Alex being 2 was probably the hardest year of our marriage. It also lead to our famous "breast feeding pump argument". Korey and I don't argue much at all. However, the breast pump broke and, like any man, he thought he could fix the situation. Me with my raging hormones was so mad at him for trying to do anything. Wow....that was a bad time. Also the worst part was without good sleep for a full year it seemed...Korey ended up having a grand mal seizure at work. YES! This was a hard year for us!

Also, during this year we were starting to have people question Alex's development (between age 2 and 3). The story of how we came to the Autism diagnosis will continue....oh and also that deciding to stay home issue...

Friday, April 10, 2009

Here I am. What to write? I love to read and am totally in awe of those that write fiction. For me, I think writing non-fiction would be easier as my life has so much that I could write about and my creative gene just isn't there. The reason I am starting this blog is to journal my days as a mom of a child with Autism. Oh how somedays I hate that now I am known as a mother of Alex, who has Autism. Some days I am in awe of him and how he has progressed since learning of his diagnosis in 2004. Other days I am so frustrated I could cry all day. As I write this I have my typical child standing next to me pouting that she can't color easter eggs RIGHT NOW! The eggs that I just remembered to boil are cooling. What a bad mother that I don't have them ready RIGHT NOW! Wow is she good at pouting. Okay, I think this is a good start. I'll elaborate on my story in future blogs.


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Monday, September 16, 2013

Carlsen Wins Sinquefield Cup

By , GuideSeptember 16, 2013
The Sinquefield Cup was billed as the strongest tournament ever held on U.S. soil, and it certainly had a great claim to that crown. With both Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian participating along with the top two American players (Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky), there was plenty of strength in the field. Perhaps the only complaint some observers could have had was that there were only those four playing, but chess certainly has room for more intimate events as well as those with larger fields.

In the early rounds of the double-round robin, the tournament appeared to be turning into a race between Hikaru Nakamura - who jumped out to a 2.5/3 score, conceding only a draw in a game where he had an advantage against Carlsen - and Carlsen, who can always be counted on to be in contention. Meanwhile, two losses in the first half effectively removed Kamsky from contention, while Aronian also struggled after his first round loss.

The fourth round saw Kamsky eliminated for good by losing to Carlsen, but a win by Aronian brought him somewhat back in the mix while also knocking Nakamura back to 2nd place. Heading into the 6th and final round, Carlsen held a half-point lead over Nakamura and was a point ahead of Aronian - but with Aronian playing the leader, virtually anything was possible.
In the end, though, Carlsen showed why he's the world's #1 ranked player. He scored an improbable win against Aronian from (what else is new?) a seemingly drawn position. Meanwhile, Nakamura drew Kamsky, making Carlsen's final margin a full-point over Nakamura and two over Aronian. Carlsen's performance rating was a mighty 2966 - especially impressive considering that he was likely holding something back for his championship challenge later this year. Also a fun fact: since this was a USCF-rated tournament, Carlsen was able to post a provisional USCF rating of - wait for it - 3004, which would put him 134 points clear of the official leader, Nakamura. For the record, Aronian has a paltry USCF rating (also provisional) of 2881.
All in all, the Sinquefield Cup appears to have been a great success. The web coverage, anchored by Jennifer Shahade, Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley, was entertaining and informative, and it sounded like there was plenty to do on site as well (the games were even broadcast live in a nearby sports bar, which was apparently packed with chess fans). Here's hoping that the tournament can become an annual event with an equally appealing field next year.

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Should I Buy an Audi Q5 or Volvo XC60?

I can't decide whether to buy an Audi Q5 or a Volvo XC60. The details: Not white or black. I'd prefer silver or grey as we live in a dirt road. We commute 1000 kilometres each week into the CBD. We bought a Mercedes-Benz GLA a few months ago, but it's too small. We still owe $40k through Mercedes-Benz finance. We want an auto diesel with standard features: Bluetooth, reversing camera camera etc. I have one three-year-old boy and a 'seven-foot' husband (and an old golden retriever). We do country road driving but mainly freeway into the city for work.

Thanks, Kelly.

Both the Audi and the Volvo are acceptable vehicles that will do what you want, based upon your description above.

However - and this is a big ‘however’, which I feel compelled to give you despite the fact that you might not like it - I really don’t think Audi or Volvo exemplify the pinnacle of high quality. They're certainly premium brands, but not the highest of quality. Independent assessment by JD Power and Associates put BMW and Mercedes-Benz significantly ahead of Audi and Volvo.

The ‘prestige’ these brands both lunch off is largely historical and imaginary. Volvo was hastily fire-sold to the Chinese by Ford in the aftermath of the GFC. Ford needed to get rid of Volvo (plus Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin) to remain liquid and avoid bankruptcy. The Chinese (a company named Geely) bought Volvo so that it could acquire the safety technology for its other automotive enterprises. This has helped Geely, but not Volvo so much.

Audi has Volkswagen disease - which is to say that the Volkswagen Group (of which Audi is a part) is hell-bent on achieving its stated objective - which is to be the world’s number one carmaker by 2018. To do that in a short time, they had to start rolling out an incredible inventory of new vehicles quickly. Inevitably, R&D corners are cut, leading to range-wide quality issues - some of which are highly resistant to solution, and others of which mean the vehicle is sidelined at the dealership for weeks or longer awaiting parts.

Audi is also famous for offering a staggering range of options in an effort to upsell you at the dealership. If you get time, watch this video: (Audi Q3 Vs Mazda CX-5). A similar proposition pertains with the Q5 - and a good comparative case study would be the Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander. (You should drive that vehicle with an open mind as a benchmark just to make sure you’ve objectively assessed the market - then, if you still want the four rings up the pointy end, you know what you’re in for.)

Hyundai Santa Fe

2015 Hyundai Santa Fe a.jpg

Price: $53,240 (RRP)
Safety: five-star
Manufactured: South Korea
Warranty: 5yr/Unlimited km
Seats: seven
Engine: 2.2-litre diesel 4cyl
Power: 145kW @ 3800rpm
Torque: 436Nm @ 1800-2500rpm
Fuel: diesel
Economy: 7.3L/100km
Length: 4.69m
Width: 1.880m
Height: 1.69m
Kerb weight: 1968kg
Towing: 2000kg
Tyres: 235/55R19 on 7.5-inch alloy
Full-sized alloy spare wheel & tyre

Audi Q5
2.0 TDI

2014 Audi Q5 b.jpg

Price: $62,600 (RRP)
Safety: five-star
Manufactured: Germany
Warranty: 3yr/100,000 km
Seats: five
Engine: 2.0-litre diesel 4cyl
Power: 130kW @ 4200rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 1750-2500rpm
Fuel: diesel
Economy: 6.1L/100km
Length: 4.629m
Width: 1.898m
Height: 1.655m
Kerb weight: 1895kg
Towing: 2000kg
Tyres: 235/60R18 on 8.0-inch alloy
Space saver spare wheel & tyre

Volvo XC60
D4 Kinetic

2014 Volvo XC60 a.jpg

Price: $59,990 (RRP)
Safety: five-star
Manufactured: Belgium
Warranty: 3yr/100,000 km
Seats: five
Engine: 2.0-litre diesel 4cyl
Power: 133kW @ 4250rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1700-2500rpm
Fuel: diesel
Economy: 4.9L/100km
Length: 4.644m
Width: 1.891m
Height: 1.713m
Kerb weight: 1748kg
Towing: 1800kg
Tyres: 235/65R17 on 7.5-inch alloy
Space saver spare wheel & tyre

Objectively: Base model Q5 = $63k + on-road costs with anorexic diesel engine, and almost no standard equipment. Fully loaded Santa Fe = $53k with everything that opens and shuts, two more years’ warranty, great to drive, potent engine, full-sized spare (important for regional customers) and capped-price service for the life of the vehicle. If you landed here from Alpha Centauri tomorrow and had yet to carry out your brand cachet research, the choice of which vehicle to buy would be an absolute no-brainer...

At least the Q5 is still built in Germany (unlike the Q3 - Spain - and Q7 - Slovak Republic). So that will doubtless help its build quality quite a bit. And the Volvo is built in Belgium - not exactly a world-pedigree car-making country, either.

On price, I’m going to put you in touch with a good broker. They will call you ASAP. They are experts in the new vehicle pricing area and they can help you achieve the best price on your new SUV, plus help you get a good trade-in on the GLA, and/or cheap finance if you need that.


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The full story of crude oil

In the one second it took you to decide to read this far in the sentence, the world consumed 150,000 litres of crude oil. It would just fit in a cube 5.3 metres along each edge. This volume is burnt every second of every day of every year.

If the pundits are correct, global demand will jump 50 per cent in the next two decades. The question of supply – the ability to meet demand – is less clear cut.

Crude oil is measured and priced by an arcane yardstick called the barrel. One barrel is 42 US gallons; approximately 159 litres. Perversely, it is no longer sold by the barrel. The minimum purchase quantity for west Texas crude on the Nymex exchange is 1000 barrels, at $86 (AUD) each. There is no home-delivery option.

To conceptualise our rapacious thirst for crude oil, one must empty and replenish our hypothetical 5.3-metre cube once every second without pause. This is the liquid portion of humanity’s hydrocarbon heartbeat. A slight hiccup – refilling with ‘only’ 120,000 litres every second for a fortnight – and the global economic equivalent of a cardiac arrest would be at hand. The world could easily be on the brink of war, or a 1930s-style great depression. This is not an exaggeration.

Daily, 15 million barrels of crude oil (20 per cent of global supply) in supertankers steams between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and emerges from the Straits of Hormuz. It’s a tense place to transport valuable stuff.

It really would be better if the Middle East held two-thirds of the world’s supply of carrots. It doesn’t. Instead, a mind-boggling 64 per cent of global oil reserves are problematically located there.

Almost every US President since WWII has taken military action in the region. The US Military’s Central Command polices the Middle East. Its long-term mission, enunciated by former President Jimmy Carter, was to facilitate the flow of Persian Gulf oil “by any means necessary including military force” as a “vital interest” to the USA.

The first military objective of Operation Iraqi Freedom, for example, was to secure southern Iraq’s oil production.

However popularly unpalatable the US war in Iraq seems, it’s merely the latest of many regional engagements for US Central Command soldiers. The majority of post-1980 US combat deaths were from the ranks of Central Command soldiers – keeping the oil flowing. Michael Klare observes in his book Blood and Oil: “The US military is being converted into a global oil protection service.”

Eleven per cent of crude oil reserves are located in Venezuela, Nigeria and Mexico. Russia and the Caspian Sea hold seven per cent more. Together with Middle Eastern oil, the total is a staggering 82 per cent of reserves – all in unstable places. Only 18 per cent of reserves are in the USA or allied nations.

Thinking of emulating the Beverley Hillbillies’ Jed Clampett? Save your strength; there’s no ‘Texas tea’ beneath your backyard – or just about anywhere else. Everywhere on the planet has been explored. Everywhere. Very little oil remains undiscovered.

Crude oil forms only when five key geological conditions are met. Even then nine out of 10 wells are dry, and only one in 100 hits an important oilfield. Here’s another kicker: the limit on extraction averages about 35 per cent – meaning 65 per cent of discovered crude oil remains locked underground forever.

The largest oilfield on Earth, the Saudi Ghawar field (87.5 billion barrels) was discovered in 1948. The second-largest, Burgan in Kuwait (fractionally smaller) was discovered 10 years earlier. Third largest: Samotlor in Russia, 20 billion barrels, discovered in 1961. Fourth largest: Safaniya in Saudi Arabia, 20 billion barrels, discovered in 1951. Fifth: Lagunillas in Venezuella, 14 billion barrels, discovered in 1926.

Look at the dates. What’s happened since 1961? Not much.

Consider all the money spent on geological exploration, all the technological development – computers, satellite-sensing, etc. Only 50 super-giant oilfields have ever been discovered. The most recent was in 2000 – 10 billion barrels of problematically acidic crude. It was the first big discovery since 1975.

Of the 65 oil-possessing countries, 60 have well passed their discovery peaks. Forty-nine, including the USA and UK, have also passed their production peaks.

Most of Earth’s oil has already been found.

Reassuringly, it’s ‘business as usual’ at oil companies. The corporate agenda does not generally embrace worrying shareholders. There was a ‘small’ hiccup in 2004 when then Shell chairman Sir Philip Watts told investors they had ‘accidentally’ overestimated Shell’s known reserves. By 20 per cent. He was sent packing and prosecuted.

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a price-fixing cartel that limits supply, controls price and exerts economic leverage against the west. But it is not a happy alliance. Since 1982, its 12 member countries have been allocated a production quota as a proportion of their individual oil reserves. Between 1985 and 1990, many OPEC countries found – fortuitously – that they had been needlessly conservative in their reserves estimates. Kuwait upped its reserves from 64 to 90 billion barrels. Abu Dhabi ‘found’ 61 billion extra barrels, possibly in a shoebox out the back, and added this to its former total, 31 billion barrels. This was nothing more than a blatant grab for more of the pie by each member. Official statements of known reserves are sometimes grossly inflated.

The oil industry is not investing in additional production capacity. The peak year for global oil tanker capacity, refining capacity and oil rig count was 1981.

Remaining oil is difficult to get at and expensive to exploit. To get Caspian Sea oil from Baku to Turkey (avoiding Chechnya and Russia), for example, a 1700km pipeline costing $4.6bn (AUD) is required. It passes through an earthquake zone and equally unstable populations. It was touted as a several-hundred-billion barrel deal, but now looks like being more like 50 billion – call it one year’s supply at projected 2030 demand levels.

One day, perhaps soon, global production will begin inexorably to decline. Expert opinion is divided on when this ‘peak oil’ point will occur. It could be any time from right now to 2030.

The oil industry is gorging itself on the spoils of discoveries past. But warning bells are ringing. Investment bank Goldman Sachs put it like this in 2004: “Global oil demand is closing fast on tanker and refining capacity. If the core infrastructure does not improve, energy crises are likely to become progressively more frequent, more severe, and more disruptive of economic activity.” Reading between the lines of banking’s stereotypical conservatism, this conclusion borders on panic.

What does this mean for us? Unfortunately, $2.00 per litre is just around the corner. And after that the hits will just keep on coming.


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Avacend has woven into its business fabric the ideals of diversity. Avacend understands the challenges and opportunities that are presented to companies like ours. We appreciate those challenges and opportunities because they make us stronger and more responsible as a company.

Avacend has been actively involved in Supplier Diversity Initiatives with our corporate clients and partners. We have invested the time, energy, and resources as an expression of our commitment to supplier diversity. It is an important part of what we do as a company. It is just as important to our clients and partners.

Avacend understands the value propositions that are embedded in supplier diversity that include:


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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Daily Eats ~ July 23rd

The lovely Kristina at Stonyfield Farm is a fan of my blog and sent me this wonderful package, complete with 5 coupons to try their Oikos Greek Yogurt! I'll probably head over to Whole Foods tomorrow to get some... I can't wait to try them! And who could pass up free greek yogurt?! Here's a picture of what she sent me:

I had my cinnamon bun from Whole Foods, along with a Chobani pineapple yogurt and an apple juice box. Obviously I couldn't finish the cinnamon bun since it was as big as my head! So I mostly just ate the middle of it, and I had around half of my Chobani yogurt.

I had an Amy's Tofu Scramble in a Pocket Sandwich with a Mott's Peach Medley apple sauce (that Peanut helped me eat like usual :). I also had my last Trader Joe's 100 calorie milk chocolate bar after lunch (not pictured).

Peanut chillin' on my bed. :)

I had a Clif Mojo Dipped Fruit & Nut Bar. And later I had a handful of Blue Diamond Brown Sugar Cinnamon Roasted Almonds (not pictured).

I had one of my mushroom burgers on a whole wheat bun, with a slice of american cheese and ketchup. I also had an Annie's single serve mac & cheese with peas mixed in with it.

I warmed up a Peanut Toffee Buzz Clif Bar in the microwave (I've never tried this flavor until today) and topped it with Nutella. I also had a big strawberry with it (after I had already taken the picture). I don't know if it's this bar, or the Nutella, but I thought it was really good!

I'm having problems with my Macbook... something may be wrong with Safari (Mac's web browser), so for now I'm using Firefox. Everytime my Safari is open, my computer seems to freeze (like it's loading something), and I have to restart it. I have an appointment with a "Mac Genius" tomorrow afternoon at the Apple store in Soho. Hopefully my computer won't completely crash like it did last summer. :( It's the weirdest thing, because it seems that I can't make the text it's normal size in Firefox. It only publishes my blog in the small font.
Can anyone help me?! [Edit: I was able to fix the text in Safari.] Because God knows I need it today... just one problem after another!
Even Peanut has had it! lol

Jenny said...

yum i love stonyfield farms yogurt! congrats on the coupons, girlie :)

Peanut Butter Swirl said...

that is my favorite chobani hands down :)

joyofood said...

Lucky you with all those coupons. Peanut is getting big isn't he.

Helen said...

Wow your breakfast looks so indulgent and divine.

Healthy Beach Bum said...

Wowza that cinny bun looks INCREDIBLE <3 Yay for coupons! Gotta love saving some $ on delicious food

Jenny said...

What awesome eats! that cinnamon bun!! YUM! Did you get it in the bakery section?

Neela Marijana said...

aww you american bloggers really are spoild with all your coupons and free samples. or maybe i am just insanely jealous :)
i cant help you with the computer problem cause i have a dell. i have no idea about macs. sorry hun

Marina said...

Jenny ~ Yes, I got it in the bakery/bread section.

VeggieGirl said...

Amy's should send you coupons now - you're a good salesperson for them, haha :-D

As for the Safari issue - make sure that you empty your cache to make more room. That may help with the freezing.

Healthy Beach Bum said...

sorry I'm not sure about the Mac problem :( I got the tirimasu and kaluha ice cream from D'Lites.. a small little chain in the Tampa Bay area

Low cal ice cream gotta love it! Happy TGIF :)


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Thomas Cook Group selected Rockwell Collins’ radio sensors and avionics, including MultiScan Threat Detection System and GLU-925 Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR), for its new Airbus A320 and A321 fleet.

Rockwell Collins and Thomas Cook Group commemorated the agreement yesterday with a signing ceremony here at Farnborough.

“Airlines need to take crucial avionic equipment decisions to be compliant with the new CNS standards and at the same time enhance their flight operation procedures to further improve their operational efficiency,” said Bernd Bechtel, EVP of group fleet management for Thomas Cook.

Bechtel added, “Rockwell Collins avionics solution offers technology which delivers the required compliance, with growth potential where operators are becoming capable to further develop their operational procedures, ultimately resulting in more efficient operations.”


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Sunday, 16 June 2013

All the 3's at Glitter N Sparkle CH#37

So sorry for the lateness of this post, I lost my Uncle John yesterday, quite suddenly, I was nearly finished these cards, but have just this moment completed them...hope you like them

Cowboy Balloon Boy from QKR Stampede
Sentiment from QKR Stampede
3, Button Brads, 3 Balloons & 3 Candy

I would like to add this to Gem of a Challenge #84 - Father's Day/Male
The Hobby House - Challenge#1 - Anything Goes

Dinner-Time from QKR Stampede
3 Patterned Papers, 3 Embellishments, 3 Butterflies, 3 x 3 gems (3 different colours, and 3 Pearls)

I would like to enter this card into:-

Creatalicous Challenge#52 - All about Summer

Morning and a fabulous Sunday to you all, today at Glitter N Sparkle we have a new challenge starting, ALL THE 3'S...(3 of anything, except image), quite simple, or so I thought, until I got my images to play with, LOL....the 1st one is Cowboy Balloon Holder and the Sentiment from QKR Stampede. and the 2nd one Dinnertime, also from QKR Stampede...had to really think about my embellishments on these, but hopefully you like them.  So our sponsors for this week are, QKR Stampede - giving 5 images from their store, Lacey Sunshine - $20 Gift Voucher for their store, Fresh Brewed Designs - 3 images from their store, and Di's Digi Downloads - $10 Gift Certificate for their store...The winners from last weeks challenge can be found here.  Thank you to all who took part xxxx

Linda Simpson said...

These are fabulous Avril, Gorgeous designs and love the images.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

Linda xxx

Tracey Boley said...

Great cards Avril.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

scrappyjen said...

sorry about your sad news.lovely cards, jenx

Jan Ltc said...

Brilliant cards Avril hugs xx Jan

fabiola jaques said...

trop trop fun et sympa, biz

Andree said...

Both fabulous cards Avril.
I'm so sorry to hear about your Uncle John. Sending you big hugs xx

Nicky Wilcox said...

So sorry for your loss hun, the cards a fabulous. xxxx

Kate at the Hobby House said...

thank you for joining us for the Hobby House first challenge
Hugs Kate xx

mags said...

A lovely creation. Thanks for sharing with us at A Gem of a Challenge and good luck.

Sue Crease said...

Thanks for linking up this week at MSC

Shea said...

Am so sorry for your loss. Your card is lovely - LOVE the blue/brown color scheme. Thanks so much for joining us at A Gem of a Challenge this week!

Asha said...

So sorry to read of your loss. Hope you feel better soon.
You've made gorgeous cards... cheeky and fun. Love them! And thank you so much, Avril, for taking the time to leave me a sweet comment.
xxx Asha
Sunny Summer Crafts

P.G. Lamb said...

So sorry to hear about your uncle. Thanks for sharing your wonderful projects with us at My Sheri Crafts.


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Saturday, May 9, 2009

Update On Progress...

Just writing to update you guys on the progress so far. I have been very busy with work commitments lately, so there's not much progress. But now I'm trying to cleanup my work and will post an experimental image and some instructions soon (I hope :)). Just need some more time.

I also want to clarify some things that are asked:

1. I use HaRet as it's seen in the video. (Don't know how to make it work by flashing the rom yet)

2. I tested this only on x51v (that's what I have). It would certainly need some minor modifications to work on x50, x50v or x51.

3. I will make the source code available.

There's lots of interest in this project and there are really kind words towards me. I appreciate it. Up until now I refused some donations that were kindly made to me, because I didn't want money for something that I cannot promise. But if you feel you really want to contribute, I will accept them from now on.


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Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Internet Marketing - Business Marketing Agency

Currently, many people find it very useful to shop online given that they find varied information about the things they need to buy. . To overcome this challenge, the top available option is to hire an expert agency that could handle your company's overall Internet online marketing strategy.. A business institution must look into the following when seeking services of your Internet marketing agency or marketing company:. Investing in Internet Marketing has become a necessity for each and every company. But with lots of agencies claiming to be the very best, how do you find the right one? . These agencies use e-mail marketing tools for any variety of purposes including request call to action, reminders, email, offers, newsletters etc..
If you are not quite sure what to do with your internet marketing business or if it seems as if your strategies aren't working, obtaining the help with the professionals through agencies can be a big assistance to you and your small business. . An website marketing agency offers various services on the internet marketers which help them in enhancing the traffic of a website in addition to provides them with functioning websites. . The success of one's business completely is dependent upon the internet marketing agency you choose. . Online advertising agencies use Internet marketing techniques such as search engine optimization (SEO), paid inclusion, Pay Per Click (PPC), and contextual marketing to aid to increase a website's visibility. . As you can see, your organization could benefit considerably from using an online advertising agency to help you you get your web site noticed. .
White hat methods are strategies applied to your web site that follow the rules of the engines like google. . All of the things will need quite a long time to complete. Search engine optimization can not be done overnight.. Blogs give you a more intimate platform for business owners and workers to interact with current and future customers.. They will walk together with you every step from the way and show you what needs to be changed and what works where. . The caliber in the portfolio can also be essential in determining that the agency really delivers of these work. .
Websites don't require as much work because the information stays static for several months. . Online marketing just isn't as simple as it can certainly sound. There are so many aspects to it that it is hard for any one person to take care of. . Gone were the periods when web marketing methods were so simple and easy straightforward. Today, you have to develop a comprehensive method of get results. . With the growing using internet an internet-based transactions, it is now unavoidable to not be on the internet.. All your works related to internet marketing will be performed by the experts in online marketing agency. .
These marketing agencies try this by using various tools such as database segmentation; permission received, forwarding, timing and personalization. . Since online marketing is their work, they definitely understand what will work and what is going to not work. . Let us face the reality that the majority of us are increasingly creating an internet business to look and getting product or service. .  But designing and developing your site alone cannot take your web business to new heights of success. . The professionals in these online marketing agency will work all that they're able to do to make your website in the top ranks. . For more about adventuremarketing  | boisemarketing firms

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Sunday, May 12, 2013

I'd rather go and pick some of those wild strawberries

              Hello Lovelies, thought I'd do a quick outfit post for today. Today is Mother's Day and I'm taking my mother out to dinner, I decided to wear my high waisted jeans, which gave it a more casual feel.I paired them with my favorite top, which is from Forever 21. It has little roses all over and I feel like it makes any outfit into a summer look. The blue satchel is also my favorite because it makes any outfit pop, with it's bright colors. Hope all of you lovelies enjoy mother's day! :-)

Top: Forever 21
High waisted jeans: Charlotte Russe
Oxfords: Urban Outfitters
Satchel: H&M

  1. Cute casual look
    Your lippy looks lush
    S xx

    1. Thank you hun it's brighter than what I usually wear :]


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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

One of my nursing friends made this cute little wallet. She brought probably
15-20 to give out. What a nice little surprise and put a smile on my face. Someday,
when I get a sewing machine I want to make these. Adorable. :)

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State Affiliate of:

Membership in AzAMP helps keep you educated and well-informed on everything happening in the mortgage industry.  Get involved, take control and help steer the industry into the future!

Join us

The Arizona Association of Mortgage Professionals - AzAMP (originally The Arizona Association of Mortgage Brokers - AAMB) is a not-for-profit professional organization that was established in 1980 to promote the common business interests of those engaged in the mortgage broker industry.  AzAMP's membership is comprised of individual members, not mortgage companies.

For over three decades, AzAMP has been a valuable networking resource for its members and has advanced public awareness of mortgage professionals as a source of real estate financing.

AzAMP members can also join the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB).  Members at both the state and national levels pledge to abide by the requirements of AzAMP & NAMB Bylaws, Code of Ethics & NAMB Best Business Practices Guidelines.

Don't Miss The Arizona Mortgage Expo on October 6 -7, 2017 at the Wild Horse Pass Casino and Resort in Chandler, AZ!

Click Here For More Information!

Arizona Association of Mortgage Professionals
PO Box 487, Peoria, AZ 85380
PH: 623.972.6180   FAX: 623.972.6192

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software


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China puts into operation world's largest filled aperture radio telescope

Baku, September 26, AZERTAC

China has completed building and testing the independently-designed Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), intended for probing remote parts of the universe.

Scientists and reporters have gathered for a completing ceremony at the site of the telescope, the CCTV broadcaster reported, according to Sputnik News.

Located in a natural depression in the mountains of Pingtang County, Guizhou Province, the construction takes up the space equal to 30 football fields. A total of 1.2 billion yuan (almost $180 million at the current exchange rate) have been invested in the project since 2011.

The telescope is connected to one of the fastest astronomy computers Sky Eye 1 and is expected to enhance China's space exploration capabilities.

With the project first proposed in 1994, construction began in 2011 and was completed in July 2016, when testing commenced.

Despite its name, the telescope uses a circle of 300 meters (1,000 feet) of the total 500 meters to probe the distant universe. While the largest filled aperture telescope, it is second in size to Russia's RATAN-600, which is a sparsely filled aperture telescope and has a diameter of 576 meters.

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We Want You - to tell us what Garibaldi' s political platform would be. What would be his campaign promises? Campaign theme, song and quote. Who would he have as his cabinet? Where would his campaign headquarters be? You tell us. The winner will get one free year of membership, an autographed Technical Manual (we are going to try and get the author to autograph this along with Jerry' s personalized autograph). All entries will be posted in the fall 2000 newsletter and the winner will be chosen by a panel of 3 judges (to be announced). Send in your ideas today! Email entries to: b5fanatic@yahoo.com (Please put "Garibadi for Pres as your subject line)or send them snail mail to:

Garibaldi for President

P.O. Box 360

LaPorte, TX 77571

Contest Rules

Please visit our Contest Sponsors:
Jerry Doyle Drool Page

You do not need to be a member of the JDFC to enter


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Ask Jerry

Submit your questions for Jerry Doyle here, check back in a few weeks for your answers. (Answers will be published in the JDFC mag first)

Where are you from?

Jerr Doyle Fan Club Member Status:

Your email address (for a reply).

Ask your question.

Link here for answers

Questions will be screened. Repetative and excessively dopey questions will be dumped.

Questions from Members will have priority. They will be posted first in the Members Only area, then later online. All questions may be published in the fan club newsletter, so please keep it PG.


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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

PTPA Awards Exclusive Offer & #ABCTweetup Event:

The ABC Kids Expo is very excited to announce our 2012 ABC Expo Tweet Up Event, sponsored and co-hosted by PTPA Media. Register today and join us for refreshments, meet with industry colleagues and learn more about integrating Twitter into your marketing efforts. Samples must be received by September 4th. Contact Kathryn Howell at 905-738-1447 ext. 222 or find her on twitter@Dogpaddling and @PTPA for more info.

The Tweet Up will be Monday, October 15th 2012 at 3:30 p.m. during the ABC Kids Expo.

The ABC Expo is also pleased to announce a special ABC Kids Expo Awards Campaign open exclusively to participating exhibitors at the show. Enter your product today with our popular Premium Package and receive a suite of Bonus Media Add-Ons (Over $750 Value):
- Exclusive Invitation to PTPA-Hosted Tweet up Event at the Show (Open to buyers and media)
- Feature spot in OhBaby! Magazine Galleries
- Chance to be included in post-expo Television Segment
- Inclusion in PTPA-Hosted TweetChat leading up to the show
The PTPA Media Seal of Approval is one of the most prestigious and highly recognized awards in the industry. PTPA Media represents the best of the best in family products which are tested by parents, for parents. At this year's show there will be dozens of exhibitors displaying their PTPA award winning products. Here's your opportunity to do the same.

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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Red Thread Collection Sews Together Little Hearts and Minds

Connecting hearts and hopes, the Red Thread Collection from Bunnies By The Bay is a true-blue collection of soft, lovable friends that binds together toys and owners. Each Red Thread item includes a cloth tag that reads, "A Red Thread connects your heart to mine." "We are painfully aware that many children are alone and not connected to anyone. A portion of proceeds from The Red Thread Collection is donated to orphans and abandoned children around the world and here at home," Jeanne Ming Hayes, sister and co-founder of BBTB, says. "We all long to be connected to someone who loves us. We believe an invisible red thread connects our hearts together."

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Best Prices Guaranteed

You will undoubtedly have a very long wish-list to ensure life with your baby is as easy, stress-free, stylish and comfortable as possible.

Not only do we offer you the widest possible choice of products to give you and your baby the best start, we also want to make sure you can make your budget stretch as far as possible with our special show deals.

So that’s why we are guaranteeing the best prices on your big purchases such as car seats, prams and buggies at the show; have one to one demonstrations from the brands representatives direct, find the products that best meet your needs and then buy them at the best price – guaranteed!

Plus, don’t forget it’s not just about the big-name brands, we have over 150 different brands from quirky, funky stylish and innovative companies that aren’t available in the big nursery stores or on the high street.

Bring your baby shopping list to the show and make your baby budget stretch even further!