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ASD World

With great curiosity and if I’m honest, a wee bit of trepidation, I got as close to living in ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) World as my life allows this week. Two days as a fly on the wall at Southern Autistic School (SAS) in Bentleigh East. The facility runs the gamut from Early Education Program (preschool) to Year 12, and is introducing a VCAL option from 2020. There are currently 273 students attending, 127 staff, including 51 teachers, 52 assistants, and 10 allied health professionals.

Staff shared with me the pressures of needing to be ‘the font of all wisdom’. While the weight of that responsibility could be difficult to manage at times, they agreed that focusing on attaining the best possible outcome for each individual kid is what steadies any anxiety. They are always searching for new ways to get the best out of the kids, both now and for the future.

Through the ‘I Can’ program, for example, the school has found a unique way for some of the older kids at SAS to manage their acquired feelings of negativity toward their autism. My throat lumped at the notion that some of the kids at this school are all too aware that they are different. We live in a world where the importance of “fitting in” and “finding one’s place” seems to be shouted at us from everywhere and everyone. Involving any child with autism, who has fears for what their future may hold, in programs facilitated by adults with autism, is a stroke of genius.

Upon visiting the school’s swimming pool, an indoor heated facility used in a multitude of therapies, and such, I met a young lad of 11. Let’s call him Mack. Mack was walking independently through the pool, acting as a kind of a human fountain, squirting water out of his mouth with impressive accuracy and length. As he enjoyed his aquatic experience, I was able to chat with his teacher while she was in the water, keeping her eye on him, while allowing him his independence.

Mack, it turned out, had a bit of an obsession with water, without any corresponding survival instincts, when he first came to SAS at preschool. He thought nothing of walking straight into any pool of water that he came across, whether he was fully clothed and wearing a backpack, or starkers. Hilarious, until you consider that Mack couldn’t swim. This obsession was nothing to laugh about. Water therapy for Mack consisted primarily of teaching him to survive when he found it, and given his obsessive adoration for it, find it he did, and often.

Recently, Mack and his family moved, a stressful manoeuvre at the best of times. Imagine his family, stressed out, boxes everywhere, kitchen akimbo, when they notice that Mack is nowhere to be seen. It turns out that our water baby had been checking out the new back yard, when he spotted a swimming pool two backyards away. Quick as a flick, Mack utilised his superior escaping powers, and took off to that pool. It didn’t take long for Mack’s parents to realise what had happened, and they bolted into their new neighbour’s place without so much as a “G’day”. There sat Mack, on the side of the pool steps. Alive. Dry. Waiting for an adult. As he’d been taught at SAS. Let that sink in.

Chatting with several parents during my visit, the issues experienced by them daily were brought into sharp focus. Frustrations ranged from being accosted by well-meaning passers-by ‘advising’ them on how to deal with their autistic child’s melt down, to the difficulties faced when learning how to use a new device designed to assist with communication skills between students and the rest of the world. Managing the obsessive behaviours of each individual child was also highlighted as a great challenge. I sat and listened to a mother who described to me at great length the various strategies she has used in order to manage her child’s love for fire. One of these is to be awake all night. Every night. She spoke of her child’s deep distress at his inability to control his obsession. SAS, she told me, was nothing short of a safe haven for her and her family. Her calm resolve to keep caring for her child, and knowing the great benefit to him of being here, helped her maintain her focus on him, rather than her own exhaustion.

In each classroom, across the varying age groups and range of disabilities, there was one constant. The calm. I observed teachers and assistants managing educational tasks, play time, lunch, toileting, communication and behavioural needs. Each member of staff could see, with the slightest “tell”, how each student was doing. Extra support, when required by a student, was provided without fanfare or fuss, and exquisite dance between staff and student.

Parents know that, at SAS, there are eyes on each child, always, monitoring the slightest alteration in body language, facial expression or sound. Significant behaviours are supported swiftly, safely and quietly. All available staff assist, with the absolute priority always being the safety of both the child displaying the behaviour, and any student in their path. Teachers are at times in the firing line. They just fill in the required incident report and get on with the job.

Not one person I spoke with expressed frustration with SAS. There was frustration regarding a lack of funding for extra staff, but none directed toward the school itself.  I lost count of the number of times parents referred to SAS as their child’s ‘happy place’, and by extension, their own: a place where parents know their children are safe, their complex needs met with calm acceptance and understanding. Every effort is made to make adjustments for each individual student’s educational requirements, disability severity, personal hygiene, and communication style.

The ability to give over the care of your child, let alone a child with a disability requires complete trust. I don’t care whether your family is the traditional model, single parent, divorced, foster care, or any variation of those, the notion that there is another place in the world where your child is safe, is given every opportunity to learn, and is encouraged to belong must be difficult to entertain. From everything I witnessed, and from the very personal stories shared so generously with me during my all to brief visit, it appears that Southern Autistic School take their values, I Am Safe; I Am A Learner; I Belong, to heart. And now, they have found a place in mine.

© Melanie Bateson

5 thoughts on “ASD World”

  1. Hello interesting article.
    You appear to have been given a great deal of access to the school, classrooms,students, staff and parents. Were the parents you spoke to selected by the the school and the interviews with them arranged by the school or did you randomly approach parents as they took children to school? Were you approached by this school or the education department, possibly even paid by the Education department or the school to write this article? Or did you just decide you wanted to write this article, independently approached the school and were given access to the school , classes,teachers and parents and even keys to wander around and interview and write this? Was the article checked and cleared by the the school,/the Education Department before publication? Is this a independent investigative reporting or a paid piece of work for the Education Department? I ask this because right now very serious allegations have been leveled against Southern Autism School and your article reads like an excellent public relations piece. The timing is impeccable .

  2. I was one of the parents you interviewed at Southern Autistic School. I just wanted to say I LOVED your article. You captured it really well.
    Our school is a beautiful place where our unique kids are understood and accepted as they are. They are given their best shot at life- whatever that might be for them individually. It’s is a place of kindness and love.

    Liked by 1 person

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Netflix Offers 'The Crown' Season 3 for Free to First-Time Subscribers in the UK

Netflix has announced that is will be offering the first episode of The Crown Season 3 for free to first-time subscribers in the United Kingdom. According to Deadline, this is not the first time the streaming service has tried this method for encouraging viewers to sign up, as they have apparently tested it areas such as India and South America. The free first episode will be available the same day the entire season debuts, Nov. 17. However, it will only be available until Dec.15.

The new season of The Crown will feature an all-new cast, as it jumps ahead in the story of Queen Elizabeth's reign. By the time of its eventual conclusion, the entire series is scheduled to have produced six seasons, each containing 10 episodes that run for one hour apiece. New actors and actresses are cast every two seasons, which means that Season 4 will feature the same cast as Season 3, but Seasons 5 and 6 will feature new stars.

Season 1 starred Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and Matt Smith as her husband Prince Philip. For Seasons 3 and 4, the roles will be played by Oscar-winner Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies, respectively.

Many have questioned whether or not the real Queen Elizabeth has seen the series, and the answer is — reportedly — that, yes, she has, but she is not always a fan.

In one emotion scene in The Crown, it was implied that Philip was insensitive toward the couple's oldest son, Prince Charles, in regard to him being subjected to bullying at the same boarding school Philip himself attended as a child. This is just one instance where Queen Elizabeth did not agree with the depiction of her family's story.

"The Queen realizes that many who watch The Crown take it as an accurate portrayal of the Royal Family and she cannot change that," a Royal Family spokesperson said of the Queen's thoughts of the scene. "But I can convey that she was upset by the way Prince Philip is depicted as being a father insensitive to his son’s well-being. She was particularly annoyed at a scene in which Philip has no sympathy for a plainly upset Charles while he is flying him home from Scotland."

The spokesperson went on to say that the Buckingham Palace's official position is that the moment "simply did not happen."

Photo Credit: Netflix

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Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

     The Servant of God Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II), born Karol Józef Wojtyla (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005), reigned as pope of the Catholic Church for almost 27 years, from 16 October 1978 until his death, making his the third-longest reign in the history of the Papacy.

     He is sometimes referred to as Pope John Paul the Great. On 13 May 2005, Pope Benedict XVI, John Paul II’s successor, waived the five year waiting period for a cause for beatification to be opened. The official process for beatification began in the Diocese of Rome on June 28, 2005.

     Pope John Paul II’s reign innovated in many ways. He was the first non-Italian to reign since the 16th century. His early reign was marked by his opposition to Communism, and he is often credited as one of the forces which brought about the fall of the Soviet Union. In other domains, he advocated socially conservative values such as opposition to abortion and promoting the “sanctity of marriage”, but also economically progressive ones such as an emphasis on social justice and the fight against poverty.

     During his reign, the pope travelled extensively, visiting over 100 countries, more than any of his predecessors. He canonized more people than all popes before him put together. During his reign Catholicism’s decline continued in developed countries but it expanded in the Third World. Pope John Paul II was extremely popular worldwide, attracting crowds of millions during many of his travels, and being respected by many even outside of the Catholic Church, despite strident criticism over his controversial stances, a disparity of views that has led some to call him a sign of contradiction.

     At first known as “God’s athlete” due to his sports manlike attitude and athletic build, the 1981 attempt on his life had a lasting impact on his vigour. He never fully recovered, and the years afterward were marked by slow decline. In the late 1990s, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. On 2 April 2005, Pope John Paul II passed away. The last years of his reign had been marked by his fight against the various diseases ailing him, provoking some concerns that he should abdicate, but in retrospect his determination was widely seen as an exemplary display of courage.

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Skin tags?

Discussion dedicated to promoting the well-being of your dog through diet, exercise and general health tips.

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

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Skin tags?

Post by Erica » Sat Mar 02, 2013 9:28 pm

Opal has a skin tag kind of thing on the back of her head. It didn't bother her, either with itchiness or pain as far as I can tell (she doesn't flinch or move away when I'm gently petting over it or moving the fur around to look at it), but it has started bleeding. I think we'll probably take her into the vet this week to get it checked on, but is there anything we can do in the meantime to keep it clean and healthy? I'm thinking I'll clean it gently with a damp paper towel, then put a bit of honey on it.

Edit to add: After cleaning it up a little, it's easy to see that the skin around it is pink and raw-looking, so we'll definitely schedule a vet appointment in the morning.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14

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Weight Loss: Exercise vs. A Healthy Diet

Are you trying to lose weight with just exercise alone? Do you have a soda addiction but figure it’s not as bad as smoking or other vices since you can just exercise the ‘bad’ calories away? Unfortunately new research looking at the weight management approach of calories in versus calories out tells us that this is really not the case — you really can’t outrun a bad diet.

Diet Trumps Exercise for Weight Loss

The 2015 study published in the journal Current Biology suggests that too little physical activity can make you unhealthy but too much of it drives your body to make big adjustments to adapt, leading to weight loss plateaus. The authors  of the study point to the need to focus on diet, especially when it comes to weight loss and weight management.

Below is a great video that pretty much sums up exactly what the research says:

How to Make a Healthy Diet Fit Your Life

I’m all about eating yummy desserts and not restraining myself when it comes to birthday parties or get togethers — so what do I do when I want to indulge and still maintain my healthy weight? That’s easy, I create myself a meal plan that includes all the food groups, I stick to whole, plant based nutrition as the base, and allot 20% of what I eat to other foods (mostly homemade) that curb my cravings.

In fact I do this for my clients as well. I create meal plans that fit with clients’ tastes, allergies or intolerances and daily life. I just ask that clients exercise 2-3 days a week as a bare minimum, and that they take the time to prepare the majority of their meals at home (I’m not a fan of processed, pre-packaged foods.)

Nutrition Matters: Macros

I also work with my clients to start understanding their macronutrient intake. By macronutrient I mean the fats, carbs and proteins they eat on a day to day basis. Counting calories doesn’t tell you much, as this March 2015 study published in the journal of Public Health Nutrition tells us, instead, knowing exactly how each food helps to fuel your metabolism and your day is what you need to know.

For example, a calorie’s worth of salmon (mostly protein) versus a calorie’s worth of olive oil (pure fat) do not have the same effect on your body’s energy system or the way your body decides to store the calories from either of those foods. By eating according to your body’s needs for the 3 different macronutrients, you can maximize on burning just the right type of energy (after all, that’s all a calorie is, energy) for your daily activities, including when you are at rest (even when you are not exercising, your body burns energy to run your organs, pump blood, break down food, etc.)

Eating a healthy, macronutrient based diet has been proven to work for weight loss as evidenced by a 2016 study published in the journal PLoS One, where the use of a structured eating system that allowed for flexibility but limited choices assisted in weight change. What’s great is that their study also pointed to the fact that a low fat eating pattern is not the only way to lose weight, because god knows I love me some healthy high fat foods (hello avocado!).

If you are interested in learning more about eating for your specific macronutrient needs, drop me a line, I’d love to show you how exercise can be combined with a healthy diet to achieve your weight loss goals.

To eating positively well,

6 replies on “Weight Loss: Exercise vs. A Healthy Diet”

Great post! I’ve often heard that the struggle comes down to 80% diet and 20% exercise. Once upon a time, I exercised for 30 minutes a day during my lunch break and followed it right up with a bacon cheeseburger and fries. (Of course, that was after having a piece of coffee cake and a latte for breakfast……and I won’t even get into my usual dinner and snacks!) After I went to a healthy plant-based diet, it all changed for the better!

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Engage with me to learn more about everbeat and its ability to change lives through remote patient monitoring.

Over two years ago, Greg Eoyang, Grektek’s CTO, worked tirelessly to get a pilot program with Innovation Health started. We didn’t yet have FDA clearance on the watch. Management at Innovation Health had lots of issues and concerns about how a pilot would work. Lots of bureaucracy, procedure writing, and contracts dragged on endlessly.

Still, Greg was persistent. He knew that everbeat could make a difference even before we had everything working perfectly.  His efforts have paid off. See the press release below highlighting how everbeat software helped saved hospitalizations and ER visits.

One of the most important differentiators for us is our willingness to work tirelessly to create processes and systems that work for both the patient AND the doctors. That’s a natural consequence of our company being founded by doctors.

Hopefully, the right people pick up this release and reach out to engage with us. This proves our ability to deliver value to the health care system.

Thanks to Greg for his tremendous persistence in seeing this project through to this important milestone.

--John McCauley, CEO, Grektek

Read the press release here.

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T-Mobile manages company wide initiatives and more with Microsoft Power Platform

T-Mobile Tablet Showing their app

T-Mobile provides wireless voice, messaging, and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands under the T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile brands. The company operates the third largest wireless network in the U.S. market, with over 84 million customers. Its nationwide network reaches 98 percent of Americans. As of 2018, J. D. Power and Associates, a global marketing-information-services firm, ranked the company highest among major wireless carriers for retail-store satisfaction four years consecutively and highest for wireless customer care two years consecutively.

They’ve seen widespread organic adoption of Microsoft Power Platform with hundreds of makers building apps and flows across several departments. In this post we’ll take a deep dive look at an app built by Brian Hodel, a Senior Systems Analyst with a pro-dev background, who embraced low code and the Power Platform to rapidly build complex solutions. The app, called Orbit, is used by team members, projects leads and executives to approve all new initiatives across the company, such as device promotions, service offers, and more. It uses Power Apps (canvas and model-driven apps), Power Automate, Power BI, Common Data Service, and integrates with Microsoft Teams. It also leverages out of box capabilities of Common Data Service such as a low code approach to configure business process flows and manage robust role-based security permissions. The app has been running in production since February 2020, with approximately 250 daily active users and 750+ new initiatives entered in the first two months.

We will also describe the efforts of a passionate Principal Systems Architect, Arturo Silis, who helped build an internal community of over two hundred Power Platform champions at T-Mobile. They collaborate using SharePoint and Teams, where they share their learnings and help each other use the Power Platform to solve business problems across retail, legal, finance, sales, marketing, and IT.

Video highlighting the Orbit App and the internal community of champions

Meet Brian Hodel

Brian Hodel Quote

For over 10 years, Brian has worked in process improvement in industries ranging from manufacturing to healthcare. During that time, he realized that the two biggest barriers to change across all industries is people and technology. He says, “people don’t like change and technology is expensive and slow to change.” To address these challenges, he began leveraging the Microsoft 365 suite and built live dashboards and reports to share real-time information with employees and management. This changed their perspective from reactive to proactive, preventing problems before they happened. When he came across Power Apps, he immediately saw the potential to further build on the existing tools, without the large investment that is typically involved with building custom applications.

Skip forward a couple of years, and many custom applications later – Brian has successfully built and deployed a comprehensive project management platform that leverages all of the great features and capabilities that those tools offer. He has also been working with other makers in the organization through one to one sessions, workshops, and demonstrations to build their skillsets and implement best practices. He is currently working with the platform team and T-Mobile IT to deploy the Center of Excellence Starter Kit to give better guidance and resources to makers in the organization.

Here’s Brian’s perspective, in his own words, on building partnerships between pro devs and citizen devs:

What scenarios do you see where citizen developers are likely to call in a pro dev?

“I definitely think a pro-dev should be called, at least for consulting on a build strategy and architecture review, anytime there is an expectation of a large amount of data or a complex data structure. I have seen many times where apps are built on SharePoint where it works fine until they start running into delegation issues and suddenly find out that the whole things needs to be moved into a another platform.”

Do you have any examples of where pro devs call in citizen devs to collaborate on a solution?

“There are times where I just hand off a project to a citizen dev because I feel it is a learning opportunity and/or simple enough that the citizen dev will be able to handle it. Often, especially on teams that are used to building on other tools, they tend to overestimate the complexity of the solution at hand. My background is in process improvement, so I am used to the Six Sigma structure of mentorship and growth. I think that same model applies to this situation as well, where you can have, ideally, defined skill levels that help you to optimize your developer resources, have a structure for learning and growth, and have an established path to find answers to questions.”

How do you see pro dev and citizen dev working together?

On larger projects, I like to separate administrative functions out into other apps, especially if they are stopgap issues, until the new tool can be up and running. I like to use these opportunities to have a citizen dev work alongside me to both have a concept of how the new tool is built, but also to build the smaller solutions that I need for various roles. The nice part of this is that it helps with my bandwidth and gives them an opportunity to have coaching along the way to learn best practices and new methods.

Managing company-wide initiatives – ORBIT APP

Business scenario

For T-Mobile to be competitive and a leader in the telecommunications industry, there are a myriad of customer initiatives that are constantly being run, such as device promotions, service offers, technical initiatives, etc. The complex customer initiatives process, from initial input to final approval takes months to complete and involves anywhere from 5 to 15 employees at every stage. This includes project members, team leads, and executives. The process is owned by the marketing team, but it involves inputs and approvals from almost all business functions such as legal, finance, sales, IT, etc.

Before Microsoft Power Platform

Prior to the Power Platform solution, the initiatives process was not centralized. There was no cohesive way that intakes were inputted or reviewed, and mainly Excel was used to run the process. It was time and labor intensive and cumbersome to review.

Power Platform Solution

After an initial Power Apps pilot using a canvas app connected to SQL, the team decided to rebuild the app using the Common Data Service. Brian and his team built a reconstructed Orbit app that had many new features and far surpassed the capabilities of the original SQL-based app. The rebuilt version took advantage of several out of box capabilities in Common Data Service such as generating declarative UI based on a data model (model-driven app), configuring business process flows, and easily configuring role-based security permissions. This solution has been in production since February 2020 with over 3,500 customer initiatives being managed in the app, 700 of which were created within the first two months of going live. The solution is available to ~40k users at T-Mobile, and as of May 2020 has approximately 400 app launches and 250 active users per day. In the month of May, there were ~400k API calls and 600+ unique active users performing ~150k CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on production records.

Power Apps canvas app for tracking initiatives and managing multi-stage approval process

So how is Orbit used by project team members? When a project member needs to create a new initiative, such as a promotion for a new device, they go into the app, input the details, and attach all relevant documentation for their team leader to review. The app is also used by T-Mobile executives to review and approve initiatives. The various tabs in the app are used in specific ways by different members of the team. For example, an executive may use the ‘summary’ view to read the comprehensive notes and key stakeholders on the initiative, whereas a project member will use the ‘detail’ tab to input all the details of the initiative. Once the initiative is entered, a series of follow-up actions are triggered based on the type of promotion – e.g. service offers, device promotions, etc. Some of the key functional features of the solution is as follows:

  • Managing initiative details: The input forms have built-in smarts, such as dynamically showing fields based on the type of promotion selected and performing input validations for each field.
  • Approvals: Once the initiative details are added to Orbit, an approval flow runs and sends an email to the appropriate executive to approve. Executives can view all their pending approvals within the app.
  • Viewing and filtering initiatives: All team members can view the full list of initiatives. The list can be filtered based on several fields, such as pending approval, date, project type, etc., as well as free text queries.
  • Executive summary: This view is used by executives to get a summary view on the initiative, including the key stakeholders. The page has a toggle that allows executives to make changes depending on their permissions.
  • Attachments and document storage: Project members can upload multiple documents as attachments for each initiative. There is built-in logic, so depending on the initiative type, there are placeholders for the appropriate required documents.
  • Note taking: During meetings, project members take notes related to specific initiatives – all this information is kept up to date in real-time in a single central location.
  • Managing security and team permissions: There is a complex hierarchical permission structure in the back end. Levels of permission vary for different teams, sorted by line of business, role of the individual on the team, etc. For example, most people won’t have access to “dark” records, or some individuals will only have view rights versus edit rights.

Impact and benefits

A summary of the key benefits and impact of the Power Platform solution are as follows:

  • One source of truth – a single system where all the data is centralized
  • Easy to scale app with data-driven approach – easy to add a new ‘type’ of initiative based on business requirements
  • A complex system that is built on low code with a lot of flexibility to make changes
  • Permissions are managed at a granular level with the ability to add and remove users as roles are predefined
  • Administrators have flexibility to do a lot of custom activities – like custom Power BI reporting, audit logs etc.
  • Teams Adaptive cards brings together a news feed and task list into a single place for project members to act on.

Overall, the Orbit app has been a powerful example that brings together the capabilities and extensibility available in the Power Platform to implement a business critical solution, which is used to manage the pipeline for new initiatives and approvals across several departments at T-Mobile. Next, let’s take a deeper look at the technical details of this solution.

Solution architecture and implementation patterns

Orbit has complex capabilities with extensive amounts of data that needed to be entered, reviewed, and analyzed. The team made several architecture and implementation choices to utilize the full spectrum of capabilities of what the Power Platform has to offer.

T-Mobile Orbit Architecture

High level solution architecture of the Orbit solution

Choosing to build Orbit as a canvas app

The executives at T-Mobile were particular about the look and feel of the app – they wanted a T-Mobile branded experience and were particular about various UI elements on the screen – layout, size, etc. For this reason, they chose to build it as a canvas app and put in the extra effort to get pixel perfect control over the UI. At the same time, there are several benefits that come with model-driven apps such as auto-generation of the user interface based on the underlying data model and using business process flows. The subsequent sections below describe how these were incorporated into the holistic solution.

Using Business Process Flows (BPF) in a canvas app

The Common Data Service provides rich capabilities for managing complex business process flows. This is typically exposed to makers and users within model-driven apps. Since this solution was a canvas app, the team implemented a custom connector to directly interface with the underlying CDS business process flow engine using the CDS APIs. To use render a BPF within Canvas App, T-Mobile tapped into the rich APIs available with CDS. To accomplish that, they created a “codeless” custom connector in which they only defined the Open API spec that lines-up with the underlying CDS API service without building the service itself.
Depending on the type of the initiative and the approvals needed, the appropriate flow path is assigned. For more details, including a downloadable sample template, see this article on using BPF in canvas apps.

Canvas app user interface for the business process flow

T-Mobile Business Process Flow

Business Process Flow – creating and updating process stages in a no-code editor

Using canvas components

There are shared Power Apps canvas components used throughout the app. This made it easier to repurpose common elements, reducing the overall development time and improving the maintainability of the app. Some examples of components are as follows:

  • Top navigation bar with menu options
  • Left navigation bar that allows the team members to input and view specifics
  • Interface for selecting filters in the main list view
  • Form components with built in validation logic

Screenshot showing usage of canvas components

Using Common Data Service for attachments

The documents associated with initiative that are tracked in the system are stored in Common Data Service. T-Mobile chose Common Data Service over other document management solutions because it scales to accommodate large files, and the team wanted to keep everything in one environment. There is also a version control feature – the history of each document is stored, along with the latest version.

Screen used to manage attachments associated with an initiative

Managing user permissions

Common Data Service provides a security model that protects data integrity and privacy, and supports efficient data access while providing users with the access only to the appropriate levels of information that is required to do their work. In the case of T-Mobile, the app was used by executives, project managers, and team members, each needing different views over the data given their role. There is a complex hierarchical permission structure in the back end, which makes it easy to add someone because the permissions are pre-defined. They have also leveraged the Teams Channel permissions to manage certain groups of users.

Robust role-based security access – configurable in canvas app using CDS User Security Management APIs

Model-driven app

A model driven app is used by back-end administrators to perform a wide range of additional activities that are not built into the canvas app. This includes – advanced search capabilities, exporting data to Excel, and more. For this target audience, the user interface did not need a high level of branding and layout customization and the model-driven approach worked well to rapidly generate an application with responsive UI.

Power Apps model-driven app used by backend administrators to manage initiatives

Teams integration

The Orbit app is embedded in a Teams tab, along with the associated Power BI reports. A news feed of high visibility changes, such as new submissions or intakes, shows up on the Posts tab. Utilizing Teams allows project members to have a single place to access Orbit related tools and information.

Power Apps and Power BI run embedded within tabs in Microsoft Teams

Teams Adaptive Cards

Utilizing the Adaptive Cards feature in Teams allows project members to have customized news feeds that let them easily find out what is going on with initiatives in a single place. The Adaptive Cards has allowed the business to design custom, interactive cards that can display and gather information related to initiatives in a variety of ways so users can easily identify and interact with initiatives from directly within Teams.

Screenshot of an adaptive card posted in a Teams channel using Power Automate

Power Automate

Power Automate was not only used to send approval notifications but also as a “low code” mechanism to process data on the server-side and return an appropriately formatted data response to Power Apps. In effect, a substitute to building a full fledge API service. In the case of the Business Process Flows, Power Automate was used to orchestrate Approval requests creation and process stage advancement as can be seen in the following flow.

Power BI

Dashboards and reports built using Power BI are used to get detailed analytics and visualization on the progress of initiatives as they progress through the approval pipeline. These reports are also embedded as tabs within Teams.

Power BI dashboard for tracking approvals

Building a community of makers – Arturo Silis

The sections above provided a deep dive look into one solution. Across T-Mobile, there are several other app makers in different departments that have discovered the Power Platform and are using it to solve business problems. Let’s look at the efforts of one individual, Arturo Silis, who is bringing these individuals together as a community of Power Platform makers.

Arturo Silis has spent twelve years at T-Mobile. His roles have varied from a sim card hardware engineer to a software engineer. He is currently a Principal Systems Architect. The focus of his job is to be the interface between the business and core networks – to gather business requirements from various team members and build a network offer. The first Power Platform solution that Arturo built was used to optimize an old manual process of collecting offer requirements. He used Power Apps to digitize the intake of offer requirements, Power Automate for reviewing offers, and Power BI for progress reports.

This was just the beginning of Arturo’s Power Platform journey. In 2018 he was invited to join the Power Apps Champions community managed by Microsoft, which inspired him to build a similar community within T-Mobile. He was driven by the productivity that could be found when manual processes were automated using Power Apps. Instead of answering one-on-one questions, he decided to build a community and host ongoing monthly learning sessions. There is now a community of 230+ members within T-Mobile that regularly collaborate and share learnings and best practices using SharePoint and Teams. While this is not Arturo’s day job, it is his passion to build this community, that in turn teaches others to use the right tools for the right solutions. Hear more about Arturo’s experience in this Microsoft Business Applications Summit 2020 interview with Dona Sarkar.

Related links


text:
Never Rained

Tue, 01/10/2017 - 04:47 -- crls

As I sit by

I recall the dark

All the tears that I could not shed

In the desert park

No life around

No signs at all

I've stayed strong

For so long

I love my growth

All the pain that I went through

All the shades of red & blue

Blood, tears, and bruises

My eyes begin to rain

The fire around me goes

Purple flowers start to show

My pain it waters

Nourishes all life around

My heart and land, they pound

Now all the darkness

That's poisoned me

Is replaced with lights and seas

As I sit by

Seas of my tears

The light within me grows

My self created garden

Grows and reaches towards me

I never believed this could be

To believe my pain

To believe my tears that rain

Can create life, such beauty

Now all I see

Are waves of seas

Oh and all my life that's come from me

So many years

Looking below, but not anymore

For I look to what I used to feel was unknown

I look above

Thank the love

Thank the pain

Without it

I could have never grown

I could have never rained

This poem is about:
Poetry Terms Demonstrated:

Need to talk?

If you ever need help or support, we trust for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741


text:
VS code ready to replace PowerShell ISE?

There is a push to go to Visual Studio Code, which is a plug-in rather than the PowerShell.exe having its own dedicated ISE application. It can be seen as smart, others see this as allowing for distractions.

Convenient Or inconvenient?

I do not like the syntax in the responses of commands, I don’t like the lack of the warm tab complete I am used to, and app stability. I complain about ISE lacking UI updates, but I hate the clumsy attempts to cram PowerShell into VS Code. It’s great if you want to do things across OS platforms.

I do however love VS Code for web coding and even do other one off projects.

I find the built in ISE to be the reliable of the two. It doesn’t ask me to update every time I launch it to do work.

I will say you lose some of the cool features if you are managing an updated landscape. For companies living in the past, PowerShell ISE is still relevant for interactions of windows 10 and server 2016 and you save space and can relax knowing you aren’t breaking unwritten standards as far as automation or script development.

What’s your favorite ISE? Let me know in the comments below.

Scripting Technique, Uncategorized

Audit Objects in your Domain(s) using switch statements in PowerShell

I find it important to figure out who and what is in your active directory OUs

get-aduser $TargetedUser

What about groups, and computers?

get-adobject $targetObject

this includes users, groups, and computers.

here is a switch that will report differently based on object class property that gets returned.

get-adobject -filter *| foreach-object{
Switch($_.Objectclass) {

User{ write-host "Found a User" -foregroundcolor red
      $_ | export-csv Users.csv -notypeinformation -append
     } #end User

Group{ write-host "Found a Group" -foregroundcolor blue
       $_ | export-csv Group.csv -notypeinformation -append
     } #end group

Computer{ write-host "Found a Computer" -foregroundcolor cyan
          $_ | export-csv Computers.csv -notypeinformation -append
     }#end Computer
}#end switch

}#end Foreach-object from pipeline
Robocopy, Uncategorized

Robocopy and PowerShell working in harmony.

So lets create a scenario,  and say that they were having difficulty using Robocopy commands within or with PowerShell. Here’s a demonstration of how to use PowerShell to be able to deliver seamless and accurate commands that will ensure that you will have your data copied and have your PowerShell script.

The best part of PowerShell is the ability to manipulate objects of different types in the same way regardless of data type.

let’s start with planning out the end product and work towards constructing our objects.

Import your file with source and destination or you can wing it into a function. For demonstration purposes we will cover both.

Example 1: Scripted with external file input

$data=import-csv data.csv

foreach($item in $data)

$count+=1 #some people use $count++

$source= $item.source

Write-Progress -Activity “Copying $source to $destination” -PercentComplete ($count/$total*100)

Robocopy $source $destination /mir /mt:8 /r:1 /w:1

} #end foreach statement in script

This one s a little tricky due to the possibility of quotation exceptions;  Folders with spaces that require quotes.

 Example 2: Interactive PowerShell session

set-location c:\rootoftargetfolders

get-childitem  |foreach-object {
$source= $_.fullname
Robocopy “$source” “$destination” /mir /mt:8 /r:1 /w:1
} #end foreach-object

Example 3: Function best saved in $profile (PowerShell Profile)

function RoboCopy-Item ($Source,$destination)

Robocopy $Source” “$Destination /mir /mt:8 /r:1 /w:1

} #end function

#now to try it

RoboCopy-item  -Source c:\files -destination D:\usb_documents

I know sometimes dealing with syntax can be a headache but when you take the time to experiment with the shell it is a good path to accumulate lessons learned.

RoboCopy and PowerShell can play nice, of course adding in some try/catch to control your logging output to a text, html or csv or installing a module that can output logs directly to Microsoft Excel or take the old-school approach and use the /log file switch for RoboCopy.


text:
Tag Archives: Asa

Failed Leadership

2 Chronicles 24-28; we are about to finish the history books of the Bible. In this second book of Chronicles, we are reliving the reign of the 19 kings in Judah and Israel. As I have stated before, Israel, the northern kingdom who withdrew from the united Israel kingdom, had 19 kings, all of which established their own kingdom which lasted only as long as the reigned. Israel had 19 kings with 19 different dynasties. The kings repeated have the familiar commentary – “and he did that which was not right in the eyes of the LORD, as Jeroboam, who lead Israel to reject God and embrace Baal.” When we come to Judah, the kings who reign are all from the line of David – affirming the promise Jehovah gave to King David – saying “your throne will not cease to have one from your line upon it. This was an eternal promise – David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD. This statement would mark many of the Kings that followed after the Israelite kingdom was divided. Judah also had 19 kings – but only had one dynasty. In other words no other families in Judah reigned on the throne except those in direct line of David. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this eternal promise. Jesus will reign on the throne of David. Even this is interesting because normally the first born of a family would inherit the place of leadership. Judah [the  son of Jacob] was not the first, that fell to Reuben, and even Simeon, the second born should have been the heir of the Patriarchal clan. Even Levi should have gotten the scepter, but God separated Levi out for service to the Sanctuary.  The scepter fell to Judah – now Judah is not without reproach, but it was Judah who came to the place of reigning lineage. Reuben eliminated because he took one of Jacob’s concubines sexually. Simeon excused because of the revenge he inflicted after Dinah had been raped. Levi, as I have said already had a special service dedicated to the LORD and the Temple/Ark of the Covenant.  Judah was the one who protected Joseph from death by promoting the idea of selling Joseph instead of killing him; he was also in the lead position to seek and find Joseph. Judah was not a perfect leader. His dealing with Tamar, his daughter-in-law and “prostitution” does not view him favorably. However, God saw to had the scepter to his – Genesis 49:8-12.

Leadership for Israel and Judah are marked with leadership failures. We are no less than and no more than they. God knows that we are but dust.

Rather than chronicle the individual lives of each king, I found a more significant issue that needs to be addressed. I have mentioned this once before, but it became more glaring in our reading this week. The youthful leaders/kings many times in Judah were under the tutoring of a man of God or priest that taught them the ways of God. Judah more than Israel [northern tribes] had the prophets of God that would advise and direct the King in the ways of God. An easy example is Josiah; but there are many others. In their youth they listened to the prophets of old and did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD. Joash, Uzziah and Jehoshaphat and Amaziah are all examples of how youthful kings began so strong for the LORD, but because of success, pride and arrogance, they drifted away from God in their latter years. This happened not without repercussions.  We will see this fulfilled in Hezekiah’s life next week.

Failed leadership because they didn’t stay true to the LORD God. Opulence with Solomon was a downfall to succeeding kings. In our country today, America, the thought has to be investigated, has the success economically and militarily caused the decline of our nation? I read much about the original signers of our national sacred documents, and how those men were central in establishing a country and nation founded on the premise of “doing that which is right in the eyes of the LORD.” Much is being done today to try and undermine the foundation of those men, and rewrite history from their personal failures, not from the core and heart of each man. Ultimately, Israel fell along with Samaria in 722 BC; Judah would fall to the Babylonians in 587 BC; again Israel in the Second Temple era fell at the hands of the Romans in 70 AD. When a nation departs from God; failure and demise is surely bound to happen. But in each case of destruction and fall; the nation had already crumbled from inside; Rome included. When looking at our own country – Have we gone the way of Israel by departing from God? I deal everyday with dying churches that are more concerned with their own “comfort and preferences” rather than serving God and winning the Lost with the Gospel.

The people quit listening to the prophets and the Word of God – people in America have come to a place where they don’t even discuss God. God is not even on their radar of topics to discuss. Kingdoms come and kingdoms go? Where are we in that continuum?

Leave a comment

Filed under 2019 History

ASA a King and man of God

2 Chronicles 14-18 is our reading passage, but I want to focus on Asa the king who followed Abijah in Judah. I t says that he did right in the eyes of the LORD. He attempted to rid Judah of the cultic idols that had been worshiped. Asa challenged the people to worship God and to obey the commandments and Law of God.

Just as a point of commentary, Judah by and large had good kings in the aspect that they did the work of the LORD. Israel in the Northern kingdom had many bad kings who followed in the steps of King Jeroboam, and led the people to worship Baal and Asherah. in 2 Chron 14:9 we find that many of the people from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon defected back to Judah because of the gross idolatry and immorality in Israel.

Back to our passage and Asa, early on we find that Zerah the Ethiopian comes to do battle against Asa with 1 million men and 300 chariots.  Asa didn’t back down, he led his army out in battle formation; then he called on the LORD. His prayer is amazing and wonderful; found in 2 Chronicles 14:11; “Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.”

The prayer that avails much – a prayer said with complete dependency on God for deliverance; a prayer worthy of God’s authority and power to answer! The answer – ” So God routed the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah and the Ethiopians fled.” What a victory won that day. I couldn’t help but think of the song “Some trust in chariots, but we trust in the Name of the LORD our God” when I read the prayer.

In chapter 15, we read of the priest Azariah and his words to Asa. Essentially, he says the LORD is with you Asa, and if you obey Him, He [God] will let you find Him; if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. This is very interesting to me – if I seek God He will let me find Him. I understand that no one can call Jesus Lord except the Holy Spirit give him the ability. My understanding is that if we respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then God will continue to “draw” us to Himself. God is not lost that He has to be found, we are lost and are being drawn to the Light – being found. I have often wondered how some people can hear the gospel and not respond, yet others sitting in the same place will hear and respond positively  to the Gospel. Knowing that no one seeks after God, but that God seeks after us makes the difference in who is finding who.

Asa goes on to have a great reign as King of Judah; but – ugh that word But. Asa like so many others in their later years forget to remember God. In chapter 16, Asa is confronted with another enemy, except this time he takes the treasure out of the Temple in an attempt to “buy off” his enemy through King of Aram. This doesn’t miss God’s notice and Hanani calls Asa’s hand on the deal. Asa basically shoots the messenger by throwing Hanani in prison. Later on Asa gets diseased feet, he oppresses the people and even in his pain of diseased feet refuses to seek medical attention. We can ask the question – What Happened? It is hard to say, but there are countless examples where a man of God drifted away from God in their latter years [Solomon and Hezekiah]. I have had friends do the same thing. How is it that they lived out a great testimony before God, family and communities, yet falter and live contrary to everything they previously held to? Weak in the flesh? Carnal? I don’t know, but they ended up ruining their personal testimony. Seek to live for the Lord Jesus and not have a BUT . . .  in you life.

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Sweet Potato Powder

Sweet Potato Powder

In the picture above are 6 pounds of sweet potatoes in the jar. Six pounds. Can you believe it? When sweet potatoes went on sale for 89 cents for 3 pounds, I had to do something. First I made sweet potato chips, but I wanted to store some of these potatoes for longer term. My freezer is getting rather tight, so it was time to get creative. What can you do with sweet potato powder? Reconstitute the powder into a puree and use it for pie, biscuits, sweet potato casserole, soups or just a a side dish. I made sweet potato/black bean burritos with sweet potato puree. This powder reconstitutes beautifully, and you would never know it was once a powder. It’s like a miracle.

A major advantage to turning your sweet potatoes into powder is convenience, and it takes such little space in the cupboard, and none in the freezer. I’m thrilled to have instant sweet potato puree in a snap whenever I need it, making the exact amount I need. To reconstitute, just add 1/4 cup of sweet potato powder to one cup boiling water. You can play with the ratios until you get the consistency you desire. Excited yet? Here’s how it’s done:

To roast potatoes, preheat oven to 400. Wash potatoes, and poke holes on all sides of potatoes. Roast for about 40 minutes. When the potatoes are done, puree:

Mashed Sweet Potato

Spread puree evenly on dehydrator sheets:

Mashed Sweet Potato on Drying Rack

Dry for about 30 hours at about 135, or until done. Let one of the trays cool and when the sheet of sweet potatoes break, they are done.

Dehydrated Sweet Potato Sheet
Dried Sweet Potato Sheet

Now break into pieces and add to food processor:

Dried Sweet Potato

Grind into a powder. You will get different consistencies of the powder. It will still reconstitute no mater how big the pieces, put a powder works quicker for reconstituting. Sift sweet potato powder through a sieve and separate the powder from the pieces that won’t seem to grid up. I finally ended up putting the hard pieces into a spice blender and it was done very quickly.

Sifting Sweet Potato Powder

After you are done, store in a jar and vacuum seal with a lid attachment, if you have one. If not, it’s fine. I did a little sample to see how it reconstituted and it looked like this:

Reconstituted Sweet Potato Powder

I love this trick for having sweet potatoes readily available in the kitchen, and the ability to store my bounty in a space efficient way. I can’t wait to use these again — they taste great!

{ 25 comments… add one }
  • Vicki November 7, 2013, 6:54 AM

    Did you use a dehydrator or low heat in the oven? How long is the powder good for? This really looks like a great idea. I don’t have a dehydrator. My parents do but it doesn’t have solid sheet to work with. It is the round ones with the 3 slotted trays. I would like to try this though and they are in season right now. Any advice you could give on this would be great. Also, I wanted to do something like a sweet potato butter…you know, like apple butter. But everything I am reading says that is really not safe to do. Do you know if you can do a preserve with sweet potatoes, something like a peach preserve?

    Thank you,

  • Laura Macklem November 7, 2013, 12:39 PM

    Hi Vicki! Unless you have a convection oven with a dehydrating feature, most ovens will cook instead of dehydrate. You dehydrate fruits and vegetables at 125-135 degrees, and I don’t believe most ovens will go that low. As long as all the moisture is out (which can tell by clumping) it should last forever. However, I like to rotate my stock on a 1 to 2 year basis. Sweet potato butter – – no, you cannot safely can this, even with a pressure canner. Any potato or winter squash, for that matter, are too dense. The middle does not get hot enough for safe canning. Industrial canneries can pull this off, but not the home canner. Good question! However, you can pressure can sweet potato chunks, or water bath can candied sweet potatoes.

    • Vicki December 4, 2013, 11:01 PM

      Hi Lauren,

      It’s Vicki again. I just wanted to let you know that I am in full on cooking mode right now. I got my sweet potatoes for .19 per lbs., so of course I bought 40 lbs. to start with. I am using the heat from the oven baking the potatoes to help my homemade whole wheat bread dough rise. I have my parchment paper cut and ready to go on each dehydrating tray. Oh and my Vitamix blender is ready to puree the potatoes. I am tired and giddy all at the same time. I will let you know how things turn out in a couple of days. Since it looks like I am the first one to post on this page, I just thought you might want to know if I tried to do it or how it turned out. I hope you don’t mind me posting this to you.

  • Laura Macklem December 6, 2013, 12:52 AM

    Vicki, I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! I’ve been making pumpkin powder lately since I got big heirloom pumpkins for $1 each, and I only have so much room in my freezer. Love to know how the bread and sweet potato powder worked for you. Thanks for posting!

  • Naomi January 21, 2014, 12:05 AM

    If you are already roasting the sweet potatoes, it doesn’t matter at what time and temperature you dehydrate them. Low dehydrator temps are intended for drying foods and keeping their enzymes alive, aka raw food.

  • Laura Macklem January 21, 2014, 1:57 AM

    Naomi, you can overcook the sweet potato. I royally overcooked my pumpkin powder recently, and it’s impossible to grind finely.

  • Lynda October 19, 2014, 8:00 PM

    Soooooo, I’m new to the site and am wondering how Did the sweet potatoes turn out at a low oven temp. At this point in time, like a few others, I do not have a dehydrator.

  • Claire October 26, 2014, 12:15 PM

    just a question for you I have made this powder from both the sweet potatoes and squash and after vacuum sealing the jars I have noticed the powder is hard, is this ok? hope to hear from you as I can’t find any answers online, thanking you in advance

    • Laura Macklem September 16, 2015, 10:46 AM

      Claire, almost a year later and I’m just now seeing your question. I’m so sorry – – I don’t know what happened! If this ever happens again, please post your question on Preserved Home’s Facebook Page.

      If the powder is hard, it still has moisture in it. Go ahead and spread it thin and dehydrate some more.

  • Alexis January 5, 2015, 1:57 AM

    I just found this on page and I plan on using powdered sweet potatoes for baking. When you reconstitute the sweet potatoes with 1/4 cup powder and 1 cup boiling water, how much (in cups) of mashed sweet potatoes does that make?

  • PotatoPowder January 22, 2015, 12:37 PM

    Delicious post. I become happy to see it. I think Potato flour is a good ultimate product to prepare recipe. This awesome dish I made this morning. That was awesome. So I want to pay thanks to you.

  • Tonia Guthrie January 8, 2016, 6:31 PM

    Have you tried substituting dehydrated sweet potato for potato flakes in a homemade bread recipe?

  • Oscar March 3, 2016, 12:12 AM

    Thank you for posting the reicpe. I am half way through cullinary school and was looking for a creative side dish to make for a cooking practical the next day. My chef instructor and I were very impressed with this reicpe. In fact she hounded me for 3 days to print the reicpe for her. And this is the only reicpe she has asked anyone for in my class. Thank you for getting me 10 out of 10 on my cooking test!

  • auto insurance June 5, 2016, 12:04 AM

    I told my grandmother how you helped. She said, “bake them a cake!”

  • penny June 14, 2016, 9:19 AM

    135 is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?

  • New potato June 18, 2016, 7:51 PM

    Excited to make my own flour soon. Question, can you just grate raw sweet potato and dehydrate? Why bake first? v/r (again, I am brand new to this, sincere question)

  • What’s been a shame lately is that I refer to something that happened…let’s see…13+ years ago. That’s when I made that decision to transfer during my first year of college. I’ve had problems making similar ‘gut decisions’ since then, but I’m trying to regain that in my life.

  • http://www./ November 13, 2016, 7:54 PM

    Matthew, Thank-you for the tip. It is a fascinating topic. Where did you come across a copy? I found it on Google books, but it’s not listed in the High Library Catalog. I’ll ask next time I’m in the Library. Maybe it’s available in an on-line journal service or their records room. I’ll also look into these possibilities.

  • Pernille Mayhew March 21, 2017, 4:04 PM

    I made sweet potato powder months ago. I use it only for making high protein pancakes. Very delicious and nutritious.

  • Gena July 27, 2017, 4:40 AM

    I’m so excited I found this! My son and I have a hard time with dairy and we just got done eating Annie’s Vegan mac and cheese. The sauce for the cheese was pumpkin and sweet potato flour with spices. It was so good and filling. I wondered if there was a way I could make my own dairy free cheese sauce powder and with this recipe I can come up with something and always have it on hand for a lot less money and it’s healthy!! I’m super excited about this!!

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Crispy Sweet Potato Chips in the Dehydrator

Sweet potatoes were on sale for 89 cents per three pound bag, so naturally I had to buy several. However,...


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The President Hotel’s dedication to your health and safety

By 16th Mar 2020Blog

Dear friends of the President Hotel,

In light of the challenges that the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is placing upon all of us, we encourage you to not cancel, but postpone and keep tourism alive!

At The President, we value the wellbeing of our staff and guests. To mitigate the spread of Covid-19 additional health and safety measures have been taken to ensure optimum health and reduce human contact.

Our staff:

Upon entering the property, a daily welfare check is conducted that includes compulsory hand sanitization and a routine temperature check. Over 40 additional sanitizing dispensers have been installed at key public points, allowing for regular hand sanitization around the property. Further:

  • Operational teams receive daily training and updated industry best practice
  • The kitchen staff have moved to 15 minute repeated hand sanitisation
  • All food products are sanitised on arrival at the President
  • Social distancing is encouraged with handshakes on hold
  • Administrative staff are working remotely and by the end of this week over 60 staff will work from The President’s virtual office

The President has appointed a dedicated Health Manager who is on call to ensure best practices are implemented across our hotel and amongst all our staff.

Our guests:

Hand sanitation is encouraged upon arrival, with dispensers strategically placed at check-in as well as numerous public spaces. Similarly, dispensers have been installed at the buffet area encouraging guests to be “Virus wise, sanitize” before assisting themselves to food.

In the event of a symptomatic guest, our dedicated Health Manager is available 24/ 7 via mobile or email to provide assistance, with a full quarantine procedure in place. Rooms are routinely deep cleaned upon check-out applying global best sanitation practices.

During this time, we are encouraging staff and guests alike to be mindful of their wellbeing and the health of those around them, by following the recommendations as set out by National authorities and the World Health Organisation.

We fully support local and national governments decisions on the matter thus far and will continue supporting all measures possible to flatten the curve and save lives.

Our thoughts are with you and your families as you navigate this challenging time. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if we can be of further assistance, or if you have specific bookings you wish to discuss. We are in this together and hope that we emerge stronger, once this uncertain time passes.

Best Regards,

Jeremy Clayton

Executive Director, The President Hotel

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Degroof Petercam awarded Best Liquidity Provider for the eighth consecutive year

Degroof Petercam has been awarded 'Best Liquidity Provider' for the eighth time in a row by NYSE Euronext Brussels for its performance in 2017. The award is granted each year to the financial institution that acted as best liquidity provider on NYSE Euronext Brussels. As a liquidity provider, the bank supports listed companies by animating a company’s stock exchange listing by ensuring regular quotations (at opening, during the stock exchange session and at closure of the market) and by reducing the spread between bid and offer prices.

Alexandra Niehe Head of corporate communications, Bank Degroof Petercam
Bob De Leersnyder External Communication Manager, Bank Degroof Petercam
About Degroof Petercam

Degroof Petercam is a reference financial institution with a history dating back to 1871. As an independent group owned by family shareholders with a long term commitment, we serve private and institutional investors.

Our clients benefit from a unique combination of services in private banking, institutional asset management, investment banking (corporate finance and financial intermediation) and asset services. The total clients assets (under management, under administration and in custody) is close to 75 billion euro.

Headquartered in Brussels, we employ more than 1,400 professionals through offices in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Spain, The Netherlands, Germany and Italy.

Degroof Petercam
Rue de l'Industrie | Nijverheidsstraat 44
1040 Brussels


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Prestige Wedding Entertainment

Wedding MC Hire in Sydney

Hire Wedding MC hire Sydney from Prestige Wedding

A wedding MC hire sydney can be the difference between a successful, entertaining wedding reception and a dull event. MCs or Master of Ceremonies are present in a variety of events to engage and amuse the audience. They can bring life to any event. At Prestige Wedding Entertainment, we believe that every wedding reception should have a professional MC. Some couples ask their friends or relatives to act as the MC, but that doesn’t always yield the right results. Here are a few reasons why you should hire our professional master of ceremonies:

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  • Confidence- One can’t be an MC without being confident. After all, professionals have to stand in front of a crowd of strangers and try to engage them. An MC without confidence will quickly lose steam and create an awkward atmosphere. A professional master of ceremonies will be confident even if the audience isn’t easy to please. That ensures the conversation keeps flowing and people are kept engaged. The audience will eventually respond to the MC’s confidence and sense of humour.

  • Humour- MCs can’t be MCs, without humour. They need to be witty and quick, including jokes and making comments that would bring laughter without offending anyone. The professional also needs to ensure the jokes don’t sound rehearsed. That can dampen the mood and make things uncomfortable. This takes considerable amount of skill and experience. Our MCs handle it will aplomb and grace. They will read the audience and plan their conversations accordingly. This ensures no one is hurt or distressed by our MCs humour.

  • Catering to a Diverse Crowd – At any wedding, you’ll have people of different ages, backgrounds, and opinions. It’s difficult to connect with such a diverse audience easily. Our MCs find the right balance that will ensure every person in the audience is entertained. This also requires considerable skill and experience. Fortunately, our wedding MC for hire has worked in this industry for over 5 years and has hosted several weddings. Our MCs are experts at eliciting smiles and laughs, no matter how tough the crowd is.

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Every MC on our team is experienced, skilled, personable and highly professional; no matter which one you choose for your wedding, they will help ensure it is a stupendous success. If you have any more questions about wedding MC for hire and entertainment, don’t hesitate to contact us at Prestige Wedding Entertainment. You can give us a call or email us at [email protected].

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Meatless Monday: Meyer Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Remember how I kept bragging about the 1 pound bags of Meyer lemons I kept scoring for $1.50 at my local Kroger?

They’re all gone. 🙁

This was the very last dish I made with the last of my Meyer lemons. No frets, however…this recipe can be made with just your average lemon, too. It may be the better part of a year before Meyer lemons come back around…

I made this baked oatmeal on a Sunday morning to enjoy reheated all week long. Does the photo below not look like the perfect Sunday morning? A healthy, fiber-rich, antioxidant-packed breakfast with a stack of cooking magazines to thumb through and savory the moment…and every bite. Ahhhh. Weekends.

When Monday morning rolled around, I went about my usual morning routine. I packed my lunch…and my breakfast to-go.

I got to work, caught up with emails and ventured to the kitchen to reheat my leftover Meyer Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal for breakfast. One of my coworkers was sitting down eating breakfast and as I proudly and very excitedly pulled my oatmeal from the fridge, I popped off the lid of the tupperware to show-off my breakfast.

Within a split second, my beautiful breakfast had slipped out of my grip and…SPLAT! It was all over the kitchen floor at work.

If I’m being perfectly honest, I considered the 5-second rule. But given that I work in a dialysis clinic and we work with all sorts of body fluids, I quickly decided that was not an option.

I pouted. My co-worker laughed. Eventually, I joined in with a laugh.

I grabbed a cup of coffee in hopes of subduing my hunger until an early lunch, but come 10am, I was growling. The only thing to save me was a slice of cold pizza that was leftover from a meeting the Friday prior.

Let me tell you, that slice of pizza had NOTHING on this oatmeal. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I’ve made several baked oats, and this is certainly one that tops the charts for me. I’m glad to say the remaining servings made it into the microwave…and into my belly 😀

Meyer Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal adapted from Babble by Mo’Betta

1 Meyer lemon, zested and juiced
2 cups nonfat milk
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.

Zest lemon; set zest aside. In a bowl, combine milk and juice from the zested lemon to make “buttermilk”.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, spices, and lemon zest. In a small bowl, whisk together the “buttermilk”, butter, egg, and sugar.

Spoon half of the oat mixture into the baking dish, and then half of the blueberries. Add the remaining oat mixture and scatter the remaining blueberries on to the top, pressing them in slightly. Pour in the milk mixture and place in oven.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the mixture is a light golden brown along the edges, and the center has set up.

Yield: 4 large servings.

Nutrition Information (per serving): 399 calories; 10.5 g. fat; 49 mg. cholesterol; 486 mg. sodium; 67 g. carbohydrate; 7 g. fiber; 12.3 g. protein

Result: Filling, packed with fiber, and rich in antioxidants! This is simple to make and reheats great for weekday breakfasts. Enjoy!

I am training my replacement today…bittersweet! It’s hard to believe that our movers will be here two weeks from today…

Have a great week!

Be well,

Share With Your Friends!

  1. June 4, 2012 / 6:59 am

    Ugh! Spillage is totally the worst. I would have pouted all the way to the cafeteria in my office and made myself feel better with a bagel or something… not that I’ve done that before… 😉

  2. June 4, 2012 / 7:07 am

    No joke, I WOULD have cried!
    This sounds amazing. Can you believe I don’t think I’ve ever had a meyer lemon?? I know they taste different than regular ones, only because I’ve read it on your blog AND Paul Qui mentioned them yesterday (I thought of you, by the way).
    Ok, so Friday the 15th, we’re on!

    • June 4, 2012 / 9:12 am

      @Gina: Wait, do you know Paul Qui, the Top Chef??

      @Nicole This baked oatmeal looks SO good : d
      I am definitely a proponent of the 5 second rule in most situations, especially since my grandmother lived with us as a child and kept our floors immaculate.

      • Nicole, RD
        June 4, 2012 / 9:41 am

        Samantha: Gina and I went to a cooking demo by Paul Qui at Gina’s work yesterday. So fun! He’s really nice! And cute 😉

        • June 4, 2012 / 9:43 am

          Oooh, I’m so jealous! I loved him on Top Chef. And he is totally adorable. I had a minor crush.

  3. June 4, 2012 / 7:08 am

    Lemon and blueberries work so well together – no wonder this baked oatmeal turned out amazingggg! I would have freaked if I had dropped this all over the floor. Thank goodness it was just one serving and not the whole pan! 😛
    Have a great week, Nicole!

  4. June 4, 2012 / 7:21 am

    These look amazing
    Do you think they’d work with a non dairy milk and flax egg

    • Nicole, RD
      June 4, 2012 / 7:27 am

      Joy: Absolutely! I would’ve used coconut milk or almond milk had I had some on hand…and the flax egg I never have issues with 🙂

  5. Katie
    June 4, 2012 / 8:34 am

    As someone who plans my breakfast well beforehand, I love baked oatmeal. This looks absolutely fabulous and will definitely be made tonight for my breakfast the rest of the week. I love to reheat it and add a splash of milk before eating. Thanks for a great recipe!

  6. June 4, 2012 / 9:38 am

    I definitely would have cried if this fell all over the floor. At least you got to have the original! It looks delicious.

  7. June 4, 2012 / 10:17 am

    Next time blueberries go on sale, definitely making this! Sorry that it fell – I’ve had that happen too – one time with a bowl of ramen noodles – I tripped and noodles went flying all over my cubicle that I shared with three other people – it took me 45 minutes to clean it up!

    Happy Monday – I am sure these next two weeks are going to fly!

  8. Karen
    June 4, 2012 / 10:20 am

    The baked oatmeal looks amazing! I love the lemon/blueberry combo of flavors. I am very fortunate to have a Meyer Lemon tree in my backyard. Believe it or not, our lemons yield anywhere from 1/2-1 cup of juice – they are the size of grapefruit! Could you give the approximate amount of juice you use in your recipe?

    • Nicole, RD
      June 4, 2012 / 10:23 am

      Karen: I’m so jealous!!!!!!! I would say the yield was about 1/4 cup per lemon.

  9. June 4, 2012 / 11:21 am

    I’m so sorry for your (lemon) loss!

  10. June 4, 2012 / 5:34 pm

    Spilling food is so heartbreaking, especially when it’s something you’re so excited about. I would have been devastated.

  11. Hercheyk
    June 4, 2012 / 9:12 pm

    This looks delicious! Any ideas for modifying it so it doesn’t require the oven? I know, that defeats the purpose of a BAKED oatmeal, but with temps already in the upper 90s and low 100s where I live, I’m trying to avoid turning on the oven at all costs.

    • Nicole, RD
      June 4, 2012 / 9:13 pm

      Hmmm!! The grill might be a fun try! You could also try over the stove. It would be a completely different consistency, but not in a bad way!

  12. June 4, 2012 / 9:49 pm

    About two weeks before I gave birth, I dropped my bowl of spaghetti at dinner one night, and I cried and cried. Spilled food is never fun 🙂

    Love the giant bites of blueberry in this recipe!!

  13. June 4, 2012 / 10:33 pm

    Loving this oatmeal Nicole ~ the meyer lemon is a great idea!

  14. June 5, 2012 / 4:23 am

    OMG, this sounds incredibly delish. thanks for sharing it. Hoep you’re having a great week ahead.

  15. June 5, 2012 / 4:34 pm

    Oh my goodness, this looks and sounds absolutely delicious! Do you think it could be prepared the night before, and then put in the oven to bake the next morning? I’m always looking for different breakfasts I can make for my husband without having to get up so early in order to have it ready on time. Thanks for the great idea!

    • Nicole, RD
      June 5, 2012 / 4:53 pm

      Absolutely this can be thrown together the night before. You may need to add a touch more milk, or decrease the baking time by 5-10 minutes, but I see both of those as perks to making ahead 🙂

  16. Karen
    June 5, 2012 / 5:01 pm

    I want to try this on the weekend. I’ve made a few baked oatmeals before, but I think this one will be a keeper. Too bad about the oatmeal on the floor – I bet your lunchroom smelled wonderful though!

  17. June 5, 2012 / 7:36 pm

    Yum! I love baked oatmeal and I really love the flavor combo. I seriously would have cried if that happened to my oatmeal. There’s nothing more disappointing than looking forward to eating something yummy and then… 🙁

  18. June 5, 2012 / 8:32 pm

    Holy crap that looks good! I have been looking around for easy, portable breakfasts to take with me to class and this is the clear winner. I MUST make this! Hopefully my dairy free substitutions will work…

    I knew I would find something perfect when I checked your blog. 🙂

    • Nicole, RD
      June 6, 2012 / 10:56 am

      Bakkah: Dairy free should work great! 🙂 Enjoy!

  19. June 6, 2012 / 3:53 am

    Mmm, I’ve been loving baked oatmeal recently and yours looks delicious! I’ve never considered putting blueberries inside, what a great idea. Can’t wait to try this recipe!

  20. June 10, 2012 / 12:17 pm

    this looks awesome! I love breakfast you can make on the weekend and enjoy in a hurry all week long. Thanks for the inspiration; can’t wait to give this recipe a try (:

  21. June 18, 2012 / 6:25 pm

    This was really wonderful Nicole. The blueberries are a burst of sweetness.
    I made half a recipe, and I’m really glad I did – the full size portions must be huge! For anyone else who might halve the recipe… it made 4 completely full ramekins, baking for 20-25 minutes.
    Thanks for a great breakfast!

    • Nicole, RD
      June 18, 2012 / 6:32 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The portions are VERY generous, yes…I just always have a hard time getting an 8×8 pan into 5 pieces 😉 And, breakfast is probably my biggest meal of the day. Thanks for the feedback and for the ramekin adaptation – I will definitely use that! 🙂

  22. Beth
    June 20, 2012 / 10:43 am

    I am trying this with blueberries, a regular lemon, and peaches. I doubled the fruit, but nothing else since I usually half topping ingredients in cobblers and such. It is in the oven right now. Will let you know how it turns out. Smells awesome. Found you through Pinterest.

    • Nicole, RD
      June 20, 2012 / 10:52 am

      Hi Beth! Sounds delicious! Baked oatmeal is so adaptable – I’m sure it’ll turn out great! Thanks for your sweet note 🙂 Hope you find some other recipes you love!

  23. Jessica Gossett Hale
    June 25, 2012 / 3:42 pm

    Just wondering if you have added anything like walnuts or maybe some bananas to the oatmeal? My his and is I obessed with McDonalds Blueberry Banana Walnut oatmeal and I am trying to find something like it to make him. Something healthier and cheaper.

    • Nicole, RD
      June 25, 2012 / 6:51 pm

      Jessica: You could definitely add in banana and/or walnuts – yep!

  24. Joanna
    July 17, 2012 / 12:24 pm

    I tried your baked oatmeal recipe today and my 2 kids and I enjoyed it. I changed the recipe a little to make it vegan and sugar free.

  25. August 21, 2012 / 11:51 am

    I made this yesterday for the first time (immediately after finding it on Pinterest!), and I love it!! I love the blueberry/lemon combo, and I like the texture of the oatmeal. I like regular oatmeal anyway, but I can appreciate that this is a little less slimy & more fluffy. This is a recipe I will be making over & over! 🙂

    • Nicole, RD
      August 21, 2012 / 2:03 pm

      Michelle: I have to agree – this is a wonderful recipe and the texture is just perfect. I love that I can eat this throughout the week and add some warm milk…mmM! 🙂

  26. Pingback: Breakfast (Sweet)
  27. Jennifer
    December 8, 2012 / 9:59 am

    I made this baked oatmeal this morning, but tripled it for my 14 guys. They loved it. I loved it. And it’s gluten-free, which my son needs. Thanks for sharing your recipe and your story!

  28. January 9, 2013 / 11:32 am

    OK – so I was so excited for this. I pulled out my ingredients and was disappointed that I had just a smidgen of old fashioned oats. However, I did have steel cut. So – I knew I had to give more moist for less oats. I used 1 c steel cuts oats for the same 2 c of milk. I also added about 1/4 c of flour to give it some structure. I also knew, just my preference, I didn’t want too many berries so I cut that back to 1 c. It turned out amazing!! Kind of like your bowl of oatmeal met a dish of cobbler. The flavor was out of this world. Thanks for sharing!!

    • Nicole, RD
      January 9, 2013 / 9:17 pm

      I love the improv! Sounds like it turned out perfectly! 🙂

  29. January 18, 2013 / 11:24 am

    Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post 🙂

    • Nicole, RD
      January 31, 2013 / 9:14 am

      Thanks!! I agree ….delicious!

  30. Elizabeth Zdrodowski
    February 25, 2013 / 12:16 pm

    This is about to go into the oven….I’m using Splenda instead of sugar and a regular lemon instead of Meyer (I don’t think I’ve ever had a Meyer lemon). Hope it’s still yummy even with my changes. 🙂

    • Nicole, RD
      February 25, 2013 / 1:00 pm

      Hi Elizabeth! I’m sure it’ll be delish! 🙂 Enjoy!!

  31. mindie
    March 12, 2013 / 1:41 am

    LOOKS super good! can I put something else in it instead of sugar?

    • Nicole, RD
      March 12, 2013 / 6:46 am

      You can certainly try splenda or stevia but no promises on the results!

  32. AshleyJ
    March 21, 2013 / 11:01 am

    Whoa! This was great. My 6yo made it with me before bed, so that it’d be microwave-ready for an early breakfast the next morning. It was a hit. Even my oatmeal-hatin’ 5yo son gobbled down two servings!

    • Nicole, RD
      March 21, 2013 / 12:30 pm

      I’m so glad it was such a hit 🙂

  33. Renee
    June 22, 2013 / 11:54 am

    This sounded so good and I had a lemon that needed to be used and some frozen mixed berries. Unfortunately I was short on the amount of oatmeal. Added farina to make up the difference. It worked, although not quite as wonderful as it would have been without.

  34. Roseann
    June 27, 2013 / 6:04 am

    Hi there,

    I saw your recipe on pinterest and tried it this morning at work, for my colleagues. I’m not sure where I went wrong but it turned out like dried porridge and nothing like the delicious granola type oatmeal in your picture! I doubled the recipe and I used porridge oats, I don’t know if these are different than old fashioned rolled oats. Can you shed any light on my disaster?

    • Nicole, RD
      June 27, 2013 / 6:42 am

      Oh no! Roseann, I believe porridge oats are steel cut oats. They’re VERY different from old fashioned. I feel pretty confident that if you tried this again with the correct oats, you’d love it 🙂 I’m sorry!

  35. Kate
    August 24, 2013 / 1:32 pm

    Yum!, could I substitute a cup of almond meal for oat flour / oats? Thank you!

  36. Kathleen
    August 24, 2013 / 1:34 pm

    These look great! Almond meal in place of some oats?

    • Nicole, RD
      August 24, 2013 / 6:42 pm

      Kathleen, you could certainly try…not sure it would work super well, though.

  37. Andrea
    January 26, 2014 / 1:16 pm

    I am not find of blueberries, what could I use instead????

    • Nicole, RD
      January 26, 2014 / 1:27 pm

      Apple, pear, any frozen fruit (I used frozen blueberries this morning).

  38. Julia
    May 3, 2015 / 10:02 am

    Great recipe! The lemon and blueberry are delicious together! I made a slight variation by adding a sliced banana across the bottom of the pan and reducing the sugar to 1/4 cup. Next time I might try using brown sugar or molasses for a slightly different flavor.

  39. Leslie
    February 7, 2016 / 10:44 pm

    i made this recipe this evening. Added some fresh raspberries as well. So tasty! I like it because it’s not too sweet. Will be sharing with a couple of besties @ work tomorrow. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    • Nicole Morrissey
      February 8, 2016 / 10:09 am

      I agree! Glad you enjoyed, Leslie!

      • Leslie Jones
        February 24, 2016 / 11:53 pm

        A follow-up to an earlier comment I made: Tonight is the third time in 3 weeks I’ve made this recipe. I just love it. Perfect for workday breakfasts. Keeps you feeling satisfied until lunch time. A gem of a recipe. Thanks again!

        • Nicole Morrissey
          February 26, 2016 / 10:47 am

          Thanks, Leslie! Now I’m craving some! 🙂

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6 responses to “Open Studio at Prisoners of the Crown…

    • Thanks Peter. Don’t expect too much traffic – given that we’re pretty remote down here (in the Badlands of the Far South Coast of NSW.) But we figure we shouldn’t stay entirely isolate by nature (though it’s tempting!!) Yeah, Maurice de Ute is pretty damned cute, eh. How’d your open studio go?

  1. I had one woman from down the highway, fabric artist who’s studied glass at monash. a couple of neighbours from community house. That was it. I’d sent 65 pm’s and emails. Disappointed but not surprised. 5 years and none of the local artists have ever bothered. Very much little Britain, “are you local?” Quite a few pass judgement on my work though??? They promote their “open studios” but I’m not invited, bit like the glass lot I find.
    Interesting to see the diff. between NZ and Aus. glass conferences. How open they seem or not. Hoping Wilhelm Vernim will lift engravers standard and acceptance.

    • Ah well, life wasn’t meant to be easy, eh…(in the Gospel according to Malcolm.) We may very likely suffer similar ennui – though can’t say I’m overly concerned either way at this juncture. It won’t make any difference to our working methodologies/culture. I imagine the day will really just be a barometer of curiosity, which hopefully will grow over the next several years. I’m a long view kinda gal.
      Haven’t been to a NZ conference, but have found them to be a very friendly, personable lot when they come over for ours. I’m still sitting on the fence re January, can’t decide…

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