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Tag Archives: deanna durbin

An Interview with Patricia Hammond, part 1

Dear readers, let me introduce you to Patricia Hammond. She has a gloriously beautiful mezzo-soprano voice and puts it to good use sharing renditions of popular vintage songs from the 1900s-1940. She hails from Canada but now lives and works in England. I recently had the incredible opportunity to chat with her for 40 minutes, (direct from the UK!) about her work, her love of vintage music, her inspirations and our mutual appreciation for classic movies and their stars (particularly Deanna Durbin). She’s a joy to speak with, a fountain of facts and a truly sweet lady. I’m so happy to have met her and am determined to see her perform live one day. Please read on for the interview and have a listen to one of her sensational songs while you read!

[Large headlines are my questions and comments, regular paragraphs are Patricia’s answers, comments in square brackets are pieces of additional information I looked up after the interview and have added]

How did you become interested in vintage music?

My mom sang and also my parents both collected classical (well not classical, there wasn’t actually that term in those days) 78 RPM records – there were loads of them and I had unlimited access to all the un-filed ones, so I could just take a fistful of them and as long as I promised not to scratch or break them, I could play them. It was all these old, well – for want of a better term – dead opera singers, that I grew up with. So, I grew up with these songs and recordings from anywhere from 1900-1940, something like that.

So they were classical opera singers that you were listening to?

Yeah, yeah they were. Although there was no such thing as “crossover.” I love to talk about this. There really was no such thing as crossover a long time ago. People just sang. People just performed music. And it was only when classical music entered into the academic world and you had oh – it’s that whole institutionalized thing of classical music and when jazz became arcane and specialized and then pop kinda went off into its direction and it was all about “the now,” but if you went back, it was still about “the now” but they didn’t reject everything that went before it. So, 40’s people were still really keen about Stephen Foster and I’m sure you’ve probably encountered a few films that used Stephen Foster in the background.

Oh, I bet I have!

Yes! [Laughs] Songs were songs. You went down to your local department store to see what the latest crop of sheet music was. Which was kind of like the hit single in those days – you went and you actually got sheet music. Not record shops so much as music shops. It was just single songs and I believe that in the better shops, you had these professionals who would sit down and play and sing it for you.

Yes, have you ever seen In the Good Old Summertime – that movie with Judy Garland?

Yes! And it’s so funny, when I first saw that I thought “Oh yeah. Hmm. Yes, they sure had imaginations back then.” And it was only later on after doing research that I realized, they did do that! They were professionals. And I think, oh – what’s her name – a really energetic singer, sang Annie Get Your Gun…Ethel Merman. She started as a song plugger, that was her job.

I didn’t know that!

I believe so, you can check it. [Laughs] But I think that’s how she started – retail. Like someone working in TopShop. She worked singing the latest sheet music for people who were going to buy it. But, yeah – that was it. You got your latest piece of sheet music, but you didn’t throw away what you had before.

There wasn’t any of this crossover. So, an opera singer could quite shamelessly and joyously record the latest song by Carrie Jacobs Bond or somebody like that. Just popular songs. It was just a song.

See, I think that’s wonderful. All this segmentation in the music industry is quite unfortunate. It just boxes everybody in.

It does, absolutely! And as I say, good music is good music. A song that you remember or that you love and gives you a piece of beauty or a piece of fun or evokes something that’s universal or specific to you – it’s valuable and it should be brought back. It’s really lovely, I work with two extreme ends of the spectrum. I have all my elderly people I sing for, and I do sing for a lot of elderly because they’re amazing. They can give you their perspective on what it used to be like, stories about songs. And they all remember them they’re all “Oh yeah, I haven’t heard that for years!” And then, in the evening or late night, I go to one of these retro clubs and sing them. The same songs, to people who have never heard them before and they love them just as much!

Yes, it’s extraordinary the appeal – how well written the music was, that it can be that widely regarded.

Exactly! Yeah, it’s true. And also, there were so many out there – just thousands. I’ve got a collection – I don’t know I’ve never counted – just piles and piles and boxes and boxes and they are all different songs. There are so many that you can just keep on refining them to just the best, the best, the best and what you’re left with are really the enduring ones and they are just so good.

I expect it’s the same with movies?

Yes, it is! It’s funny how you think you’re a movie historian or a movie buff and you think you’ve seen them all and then of course there’s always more and more you never knew about.

And I noticed that you like Deanna Durbin?

That is fantastic.

She is a great singer!

Oh yes, and actually looking at what she sang is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. She sang old songs, she sang opera, she sang sweet little tunes (again, Stephen Foster) and then she sang stuff that was written just for her. It was just amazing how many different styles she encompassed. And yet she doesn’t do anything, she’s not like a jazz singer – she doesn’t mess about with the music. She doesn’t go, “Right, we’re bored with that, let’s do something strange.” She just sang them really simply and beautifully. I think she’s one of my favorite singers.

Yes, she had this great style that it just transcended everything. No matter what, it was her song first and then it was whatever genre.

Yes! Exactly. She’s lovely. I actually wrote to her.

Oh, you did?? Did you get a reply?

I did! Which I understand is very rare.

It is!

[laughs] I got two replies actually. Well, I wrote twice. And they were really sweet. She was mostly just- it was because I was talking about myself. Obviously, it was “I really love you, I think you’re fantastic…” and everything. And then I enclosed a picture of me backstage in an opera with a friend who also really admires her. “My friend and Iwere very inspired by you…” And then she actually hand wrote back and said “What lovely ladies and what lovely girls!” and how happy she was for us. And because I’m a mezzo, she said “the mezzo voice is one of my favorites.”

Wow, that’s amazing! You’re so lucky!

I asked her if there were any Deanna Durbin songbooks out there, which subsequently I found about five of them, but back then I hadn’t. And she said, “Yes, but I don’t have any of the DD songbooks. They didn’t have my favorite songs in them anyway!”

[mutual laughter]

And then I wrote back and asked “What were your favorite songs?” And she said, “You’ll find your own!”

[mutual laughter]

She was not going to be drawn out. She just was not going to. She’s just so lovely.

Aww, she is a lovely lady. Do you have other people who have inspired or influenced your style of singing?

Well there have been so many, because listening to the old 78s, a lot of times I was listening to about 15 different singers in an evening, at the age of whatever…12, 13. And I don’t remember them all, but I did have this horrible snobbery when I was that age, well – when I was, gosh, about age 12 to (it lasted awhile) to about 24. I was a terrible snob and I would not listen to modern singers. I would only listen to the old ones because I thought that there were all sorts of imperceptible subtle inflections in the old songs that I didn’t want to miss. I don’t know if you understand?

Yes, I know what you mean. That you wouldn’t be able to hear what was going on in the old music if you were listening to the new.

I wanted to be as if I lived then. So that I would only hear sounds from the singers that would be from that time. So yes, but my gosh, there’s so many of them! I like Rudy Vallee actually.

Oh yes!

I like his style. He’s so…ahh he’s so suave! And very lyrical. And early Bing Crosby – though I get a bit sick of his- that little grace-note he has on every note.

YES. Bu-bu-bu-ba-boo!

Ha, yes!

[mutual laughter]

He’s got a sense of joy which I really love. And Dick Powell!

Oooh yes!!

Dick Powell is SO sweet. And I always listen to the old radio dramas and they are so great.

They are, aren’t they? It’s amazing how they all make the sounds for each sound effect.

It’s incredible to sit there and listen to it and realize that there was somebody actually making the sounds right then.

There’s a show, actually in London called the Fitzrovia Radio Hour where they do a live show. They make a big feature of actually making the sounds. Showing they’d take a balloon and scrape it with their hand to make a horrible monster noise and things like that. And people in the audience can kinda go “Wow!” But, that’s another way of being in the past. You can turn off all the lights, listen to it and think you’re actually listening to a radio back then, which is great.

But oh I love Dick Powell. “Rick Diamond, private detective…

[laughs] Yes!

I really love those French Chanson singers from the 30s, like Nitta-Jo. She’s amazing. Amazing. If you’ve listened to too much Piaf and you want something different, try her.

Of course, Deanna Durbin.

I sometimes really like, and this is something you’d definitely know about, the singers who would dub the stars.

Marni Nixon, wonderful voice.

They don’t get enough appreciation.

I like the people who dub Lana Turner. [I looked it up, and that was Trudy Erwin.]

Where does she sing?

She sings in a couple. [After researching it, I discovered Patricia was talking about Mr. Imperium and The Merry Widow] There’s one called…

Oh, Ziegfeld Girl?

I don’t know if she sings in that! But I love it, that’s one of my favorites though, of hers. That walk down the staircase.

Yes, with the crazy hat and the big dress!

Ohhhhh, yes! And she’s got to die at the bottom of it! And that music that’s in the background. Love it. But yeah, a lot of opera singers. Especially from the 30s.

There’s a wonderful singer called Conchita Supervia, she’s just so wonderfully out there.

There’s a coloratura–soprano, actually she made a film, not enough films! She’s in something called The Great Waltz

Oh yeah, with Luise Rainer?

Yes! Yes I think so. Her name is Miliza Korjus. She sings so high, you think it’s got to be a machine, but she genuinely could sing that high and that agile and that fast. It is amazing.

All of that kind of fades into the distance when you are looking at a tattered old piece of sheet music and you bring it to… I now work with these wonderful musicians with whom I’ve done the album.

Yes, your new album! The one that’s coming out in October.

Yes, the new one – Our Lovely Day.

I’ve listened to some of the tracks on your website, they are really wonderful.

Oh, you like them?

Oh yes! How did you decide which songs would go on your album?

That’s a very good question. It took years, basically. Again, a refinement process. Since age 9, I’ve been collecting old music, basically going begging around the neighborhood. I grew up in a small town north of Vancouver on the west coast of British Columbia and I made friends with all the elderly people. Because I just thought they lived in a much more interesting time than I did. And next door to me was this little old lady who had been a genuine flapper.

I’d go there and I’d just be fascinated saying, “what was it like to be a flapper? How did you dress, what did you do?” And she would talk about how they disapproved of her and her friends because they were fast and they liked cars and “oh yes, we had really long necklaces! We swayed about when we danced and we danced really fast!” Wow. So I just wanted every old person’s stories and I discovered sheet music that way, because very often they had pianos and piano benches filled with the old music. And old music is a very affordable antique.

Yes, it is!

Yeah, with those covers. Do you have some?

Oh yes! I have some that are from actual movies that are my favorites, so they have movie star pictures on the fronts.

Yes, they tend to be more expensive now because people think, “ooh that’s a collector’s item.”  I used to look down on those growing up, I’d think, “They’re not old, they’re movies! I want the the stuff with the ladies with the big hats!”

Oh, from the 1900s?

Yes, actually the most beautiful ones were from 1919. I don’t know why, there was an explosion of gorgeous fanciful covers. All the exoticism and soiree influenced stuff. Fringing, wild prints – absolutely beautiful. A lot of great songs, also from 1919. It was a boom year. Yeah, so I look at the actual music, I pick up a song and play it through on the piano, see what it sounds like and go Yes, Maybe or No. Or there’s a forth one: Nice Cover! Makes everything irrelevant!

It gets kept anyway. Although I never throw anything away, never. So the Yes, Maybe or No piles. And the Maybe, I’ll put it away and then I’ll play it again later, like a week later when my ears are fresh. And I’ll put them in a Yes, Maybe or No and usually there’s a lot more No. Then I’ll get this Yes pile and then I’ll try it out in front of audiences. A very good place is retirement homes, nursing homes. And in Canada, there’s something called Health Art, which is a charity that sends professional musicians into retirement homes. You get paid for your time, which is good. And also they audition people so that people who go out there can sing to a professional standard. So, they don’t get tired. Among other things, if you’re doing a tour, it can be very tiring, so you’ve got to have the endurance.

Yes, build it up.

Yeah, yeah. And performers have to be personable and be able to hold somebody’s hand and be able to sing one-on-one if need be. So I do a lot of work with that kind of an outfit. There are two that I work with in England called Music in Hospitals and Lost Chord, singing in retirement homes. Before, when I was just learning, I used to do it for free. I used to just go up to a retirement home and say, “Do you mind if I do a little bit of a performance?” And they’d say, “Oh, oh go ahead!” And that way, you could really tell which songs would go over and not go over. Because residents are quite fussy. They remember how the music should be and they didn’t ask you to come there so you’ve got to be good!

So, I gradually built up this collection of songs that really worked. They were just always good in performance and people wanted to hear them. Sometimes there would be requests, “Could you sing this? I remember my grandmother used to sing it.” “Oh, certainly!”

And then in my work as a classical singer, I’d always do them in encores. And then when concert organizers gave me enough artistic license, I’d say, “Well, I’d like to do include some of my older songs.” And they would ask “like what, Mozart?” And I’d say, “Well… no.” This album is a distillation of the most popular ones. The ones people really react to the most. Although, I have enough to do 10 albums right now.

Wow, you could? You should! They are such great songs.

Oh, I’d love to! There is just an endless array. If you go to my website, you can see a big list of them. I actually need to update it because I’ve added about 20 and I need to add them.

So many songs haven’t been recorded in years, which is really strange. Jazz musicians do them, but then they mess about with them.

Ugh yes, and they change everything.

They change everything! Yeah, like they’re bored with them. How can we be bored with them? We’ve forgotten them. Maybe back in 1950 or 1940, they were going, “Oh gosh, this is the one that’s on every organ-grinder, every street corner, every pub there’s somebody playing this in the corner. Let’s do something funny with it. But we’ve kind of lost sight of those original songs.

Yeah, I think most people have never heard any of them.

Yeah! So this is what I want to do. I want to bring them back. I want to make people sick of them again.

Aww, well, I think people are ready for some nice nostalgia.

The last half of this interview will be posted tomorrow, [read it here] because I want to give everyone a chance to read through all of it without bombarding you. In the latter part of the conversation, we discussed vintage fashion, London shops and Dana Andrews! In the meantime, be sure and have a listen to Patricia’s new CD, here!

And if you are in the US and have access to TCM, The Great Waltz is playing today (July 22) at 6pm eastern time. I’m definitely tuning in to catch the performances of Miliza Korjus!

Filed under Music

Music for the Vintage Lover

For some time, I’ve been aware of a void in my wide circle of vintage involvement. Yes, I have the clothes, the hairstyles, the slang words, the movies, the dancing, and the music from days gone by. But, while all the other areas are experiencing revivals with modern twists at the moment, I couldn’t find a place where vintage music was flourishing in the capable hands of modern artists… Until now, that is.

Let me introduce you to a very lovely lady: Patricia Hammond.Patricia is a mezzo-soprano singer with an undying appreciation for what she likes to call “old songs” – classic vintage tunes from the 1900s through the 40s. She’s a performer in the style of Deanna Durbin, Alice Faye and Jane Powell and the range of her repertoire impresses even the most diehard vintage lovers. And because Deanna Durbin has been a major source of inspiration for her, Can’t Help Singing (the title song from one of Deanna’s technicolor spectacle films) appears on Patricia’s new not-yet-released album, Our Lovely Day.

I was given the unforgettable opportunity to speak with Patricia direct from England and have prepared two posts full of links, videos and fascinating tidbits for you to get to know her. Look for the first installment right above this post and the second tomorrow. And be sure and listen to the first few tracks of Our Lovely Day over at Patricia’s site!

Filed under Classic Movies, Music


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Salton Rotary Waffle Maker

Rotary Waffle Maker

points was 8,400 points

SKU code 1157-0018

WM1082 - Prepare a delicious homemade breakfast with the Salton Rotary Waffle Maker: bake an 18 cm authentic Belgian style waffle with 2.5cm deep pockets.

• Rotate waffle plates and fold down handle for compact storage
• Non-stick cooking surface makes cleanup easy
• Removable drip tray is dishwasher safe
• Lights indicate when to pour batter and when waffle is done
• Adjustable browning control for perfect waffles every time; set the control on low to reheat and crisp cold waffles

1. Please allow 2 weeks for delivery.
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Portugal: A Gourmet Travel Guide

Catavino's tips and tricks for any gourmet food and wine lover traveling in Portugal!

Portugal is a land of unexploited adventure, dramatic beaches, unique cuisine and a people with a seemingly limitless supply of compassion and kindness. When we first visited in 2003, I’m not sure if I was more transfixed by the thick, lush green forests, succulent flavorsome vegetables, simple liquid greetings with a glass of Ginja (a local cherry licor), or the numerous castles that dotted the landscape; but whatever the secret potion was, I never stopped coming back to imbibe some more. The country is undoubtedly an exotic world unto itself… and few have taken full advantage of its beauty and cultural flair until now! If we haven’t convinced you enough, here are 10 delicious reasons to savor Portugal, along with 20 must try Portuguese dishes. If you”re craving tips to guide you expertly through the country, check out our Essential Guide to Traveling Portugal!

European cities can be daunting with their narrow, windy roads, so why not go by electric tram. These are red, white and gold-liveried trams, fitted with conductors that operate the tourist routes, pass through the steep and tortuous streets of the Alfama district from the Praça do Comércio, via Martim Moniz, to Estrela and back. Their interiors have been retro-converted to an approximation of early 20th-century fittings. Lisbon is a city of heights, with incredible views that are especially made for sunsets. You can climb to very top of the city to experience breathtaking views from the Bairro Alto’s Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcantara and Alfama’s Portas do Sol. If, however, you’re more of a water dweller, like myself, you might prefer an afternoon walking along the rippling waters to experience the 11 mile long Vasco de Gama bridge, followed by a cable car ride near the Vasco de Gama tower, the highest building in Lisbon.

If hunger strikes along the way, there is no shortage of places to enjoy a Bica (Portuguese coffee) or sticky pastry. One of the most renowned cafes in all of Portugal to experience a sweet cream and egg filled pastry is at Pasteis de Belém, a worthwhile visit especially paired with a Port wine. With energy renewed, you can keep your ode to Vasco da Gama alive by visiting the World Heritage Site, Jeronimo’s Monastery, Vasco’s resting place built in the 1500’s, known for its beautiful cloisters. Or head out of town to enjoy a day trip to the fairytale castle of Sintra, the quaint fishing town of Cascais – where you can enjoy succulent grilled fish, or the very eery but mesmerizing Chapel of Bones in Évora.

If nature calls, and your desire to explore local vineyards screams vinho!, then take the opportunity to hop on a train to a wide variety of wine tastings or you can stay in the city itself and visit Viniportugal’s Sala Ogival. Here you can try a wide variety of wines by the glass, not to mention speak with experts who can guide you to the best shops, wineries and restaurants depending on which wines you’d love to explore further.

As evening falls, and the moon casts long shadows across tiled buildings, your appetite will surely kick in. Now is the time to tuck into a wide variety of local cheeseshomemade breads or local dishes such as Camarão a Guilho (shrimp in garlic sauce), Frango no Churrasco (chicken on the grill), Cozido á Portuguesa (Portuguese stew) or Sopa da Pedra (Stone Soup), to name a few.

Check here for our Gourmet’s Guide to Lisbon.

Porto is one of the last undiscovered European cities… but this is rapidly changing with an influx of modern architecture and shifting cultural landscape raising its profile and attracting a new wave of tourists. As a UNESCO Heritage site, Porto is an ancient port teeming with stories of tradition, lineage and heritage. Take its monuments built by famed architects such as Gustave Eiffel’s Ponte Dona Maria, Nicolau Nasoni’s Clerigos Tower, Rem Koolhaas’ Casa da Musica, or Siza Vieira’s Serralves Museum. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, Porto was the muse that enticed J.K. Rowling into her internationally acclaimed series, most especially the Lello bookstore with its windy wooden staircase and sky high bookshelves. In lieu of soft lines and tiled walls, you can experience some of the most modern design in Porto, including: the Casa da Musica (Rem Koolhaas), Casa de Chá da Boa Nova (Siza Vieira), Sao Bento Metro Station (Siza Vieira), Avenida dos Aliados (Siza Vieira & Souto de Moura), Medieval Town Hall – Casa dos 24 (Fernando Távora).

Porto is also the source of Port wine. Along the river Douro, on Vila Nova de Gaia, you can tour dozens of Porto houses to learn about RubyTawnyVintage and Colheita Port wines. When you’re finished exploring the underground ‘caves’ (as the Port lodges are called), you can head back across the river to the Porto side and dip into one of the many river-lined restaurants serving fresh fish and olive-oil-marinated octopus. Or head slightly up the hill to seek out Tripas à moda do Porto (a traditional tripe dish), 1,1001 different styles of Bacalhau (salted cod) or a Francesinha (meat on meat on meat sandwich lathered in cheese and beer sauce).

Day trips opportunities are many, but by far our favorite is to take the scenic train along the river Douro to the Douro Valley where you can see the steep, terraced vineyards first hand. It’s a gorgeous trip, worthy of your camera skills. If this is more of a long term stay, you can rent a rural house, or stay in a bed and breakfast, to enjoy a quaint, personal experience. Other worthwhile day trips are to Viana do Castelo, Guimarães and Braga.

Check here for our Gourmet’s Guide to Porto.

Located in the south of Portugal, the Algarve is renown for its stunning weather, gorgeous beaches and breathtaking scenery. However, what most people don’t know is that it’s also famed for its pottery and ceramics, particularly hand-painted pottery and azulejos or tiles. If you’re keen to participate in a pottery class, head to the main ceramic hubs in the towns of AlmancilPorches and Loulé.

Check out the capital city of Albufeira, a cliff-lined coast of 23+ golden beaches and lively nightlife. If you’re a history buff, then you’ll love the city of Faro, where the old part of the city is still surrounded by the Roman walls dating back to the 9th Century. On the rugged southwest tip of Portugal, is the small historical village of Sagres, where Prince Henry the Navigator lived and planned voyages into the unknown during the 15th century Age of Discovery. Today however, it’s a famous hotspot for surfers keen to catch that killer wave. For a quieter side to the Algarve, point your compass east to the Ria Formosa nature reserve where you’ll find island lagoons, never-ending sandy beaches and the occasional beachside bar, okay, so maybe there’s a lot of those – but partake you will. The Quinta do Marim centre, part of the reserve, is a series of mudflats and dunes and a popular spot for bird watching – look out for spoonbills, turtle doves, Iberian chiffchaffs and the more elusive purple gallinule. It is also home to the distinctive Portuguese water dogs.

Read on for our foodie’s guide to the Algarve region of Portugal.

Meanwhile click here for a full list of the food and wine tours in Portugal that we recommend, from day trips out of Lisbon to multi-day tours of the region around the Douro Valley and many other great gastronomic experiences.

Highlighted Tours

Private Portugal

Portugal Luxury Harvest Tour

Catavino's Harvest Tour showcases the world renowned wine regions of Central and Northern Portugal with us as your guides!...

Learn More
Private Lisbon

Lisbon Culinary Experience

Meet the passionate people crafting old-school Portuguese food deep inside Lisbon’s traditional neighborhoods. Visit the traditional hole-in-the-wall bakeries famed for their...

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Private Porto

Porto Walking Food Tour

This delicious food tour is more than a culinary experience, it’s a love letter to Porto highlighting the city’s history, architecture and...

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The “We”

Who is responsible for the condition our nation is in? The anger, vitriol, fear, and war-mongering ideas have now saturated every part of our nation’s fiber so that even our neighbors are looking over their shoulders to be sure they are not a target of the ideologies of their angry “friends”. I believe we have reached a tipping point.

Before you begin to tell me of the corrupt governments, greedy political parties, derelict leadership, and eroding values; before you offer as evidence the quotes, sound-bytes and public statements of candidates, agencies, and major corporations, would you do me a favor? Would you pause and consider these words from scripture?

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (Emphasis mine)

Before you unfriend that person on Facebook who has opposite views from yours, and before you accuse others of not “being able to handle the truth”, Would you pause and pray this prayer with Daniel, and with me:

Daniel 9:1-19
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes[a] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” (Emphasis mine)

Now together, the “we” of this nation, with the stones dropped from our hands, as Jesus writes in the sand of our generation, let’s join the “sinner” at the feet of Jesus. Let’s run to mercy.Three crosses

All scripture from the NIV version of the Bible


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Bytown Cat Hospital
[email protected]
The Cat Hospitals: Ottawa, ON
Merivale Cat Hospital
[email protected]

Time spent with cats is never wasted. Sigmund Freud
Ottawa's only veterinary hospitals devoted exclusively to cats
Our services include preventive health care, examinations and consultations, x-rays, ultrasound, endoscopy, laboratory testing, dentistry, and surgery.

We are locally owned and our staff includes Ottawa's only board-certified feline specialist, Dr. Susan Little. In fact, she's one of only six feline specialists in Canada!
Did you know?
Cats sleep up to 16 hours each day!
Cats spend about half of their
waking time grooming.

Have an emergency when we're not open?
Contact Animal Emergency & Specialty Hospital


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BONUS ** ADD DISCOUNT CODE "i love that box" TO GET A FREE TRAY with a 10 PACK PURCHASE AT CHECKOUT! Hurry....ending soon! Expires 3-31!

Pleasing a finicky kitty

susan harrelson

 Why cats are finicky is anyone's guess.  Their independence is one of the reasons we have come to adore them so much. If a kitty shows you affection it is because they genuinely want to be near you and love you.  Because they are so independent, each cat has their own personality - just like people.  Some cats are lazy, others are full of energy.  Some could care less while others are very particular.  They are truly unique to themselves.

Taking care of a finicky cat can be challenging - finding the right food, the right litter box location, the right litter or even the right litter box can be a frustrating experience.  Finding a solution to your cats requirements is necessary if both of you wish to become best friends. Since you will be the one caring for them, try to sway them to your way of thinking and make it easy on yourself, after all, you are the owner.

 A cat that eats only moist, canned food is cute, while finding a hard food they like will mean less expense and mess for you - which one is right?  Both are, it really depends on whether your kitty is finicky or not.  If your cat is finicky about the litter box location, move it around until they are satisfied.  If it's the litter, give them options until they demonstrate which one they prefer.  And if the litter box itself is in question, search for one they will use every time.  Finicky cats often require a spotless bathroom every day.  Maintaining a clean litter box can be daunting; the scooping; the washing; the disinfecting and deodorizing.  Owners who have a busy schedule can often forget to keep a tidy litter box.  This single issue can lead to disaster.  Thousands of precious kitties are abandoned to the animal shelter every year because of a stinky litter box.  A stinky litter box can lead to going outside the box.  Once a cat starts going outside the litter box, it can be very difficult to fix.  Keeping your kitty happy has to be a priority.  Scooping litter has to be right up there with hair ball clean-up!  I hated it too, but some cats require this regiment.  If you have to scoop and a covered litter box is hard to reach in to, choose a litter tray which is deeper than a traditional litter tray.  Deep trays are wonderful and will help contain litter yet allow you easy access for scooping.  Covered litter boxes are harder to scoop and even harder to clean.  Choosing a deeper litter box will certainly be worth it if you have a finicky cat who loves to scatter litter everywhere.  Sweeping up the area can become a constant chore; sweeping, cleaning, scooping - repeat.  The chore seems to be there every time you walk by.

 Obviously covered or enclosed litter boxes are harder to clean and maintain than an open litter tray.  Separating the pieces and cleaning with soap and water, disinfectants, sanitizers, deodorizers, etc… can be a hassle.  With finicky cats, sometimes you have to perform this task more often than you want or you risk having them going in places you don’t want them to go.  The shape of the lid and the way it locks together can quadruple the amount of time it takes to clean every little nook and cranny of both pieces of an enclosed litter box.  Even a traditional litter box takes several minutes to clean properly.  If you have multiple cats, the time adds up quickly!  Now may be the time to change to a disposable litter box and eliminate this task permanently.

 Covered or enclosed litter boxes can be great a thing for a cat owner.  They hide unsightly looking items, reduce odor and control litter scatter wonderfully.  Be sure to maintain your litter box according to your cat’s habits – sometimes we can overlook maintaining our cats’ bathroom when we can't see what’s inside - out of sight, out of mind.  Keeping a clean litter box for you kitty is just part of being a cat lover.  Why not eliminate this one chore forever!  Try a disposable litter box.  They will keep both of your happy for years to come...

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3 Myths of the 501(c)(3)

A recent article in Church Executive was titled “3 myths of the 501(c)(3): When misunderstandings lead to misguidance”. The three myths discussed in the article are:

  • Misconception #1:      Obtaining 501(c)(3) approval means my church will be a ‘state controlled church’; therefore, the government can tell me what to preach.
  • Misconception #2:      Obtaining 501(c)(3) approval would subject my church to participate in activities it does not condone.
  • Misconception #3:      Obtaining 501(c)(3) approval is not required.

Each week CBAmerica is contacted by churches seeking verification of their 501(c)(3) status under the CBAmerica Group Exemption Number 1719. A church is covered by the CBAmerica Group Exemption if the church is in good standing with their region, has its own Employer Identification Number (EIN) and is included in the CBAmerica Database of active churches.

If you church desires a letter of verification of their coverage under CBAmerica’s Group Exemption for the current year please submit the following completed FORM.

The Pacific Church Network and Next Generation Churches are covered by their regions Group Exemption. Please contact your regional office to receive verification of your status under their Group Exemption.

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Recent News

As your local water utility provider, we strive to keep you continually updated on all matters related to your water service. If you do not find the information you need, please contact our office and we will gladly assist you!

Chlorine Flush Order Has Been Lifted

CBB Water System, Inc. has been notified by the Louisiana Department of Health that the mandated chlorine flush order issued in October 2018 has been lifted.  CBB will immediately begin lowering...

Read More

Chlorine Flush Status

We have been in touch with State Department of Health and they have advised us that the Chlorine Flush they ordered CBB to undertake will not be lifted until the first part of January 2019 at the...

Read More

CBB to Conduct Chlorine Burn Effective Immediately

Press Release
October 10, 2018

Effective immediately, CBB Water System in Benton Louisiana has been ordered by the Louisiana Department of Health to conduct a chlorine burn of its system. CBB...

Read More

Undated Statement regarding Naegleria Fowleri Ameoba with CDC link

We are aware that the Naegleria Fowleri amoeba was recently found in the Sligo Water System, which purchases water from Bossier City.  As most of our members are aware, CBB also purchases water...

Read More

The Latest Water We Drink Report is Now Posted

CBB Water System, Inc.'s Annual Water Quality Report is now available for the year 2017.  You may view the report by clicking on this link or call the office at...

Read More

Alternative sources of water cannot be connected to CBB's water lines or any water lines, homes, barns, sprinkler systems or any other fixtures or devices (whether inside or outside your home)...

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Cash in with freebies and discounts for National Coffee Day

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

For many people, it’s the fuel they need to get their day started.

So it’s only fitting that we celebrate National Coffee Day with free and discounted cups of Joe. Several companies are offering deals today.

Dunkin’ Donuts, which has 12,000 locations around the globe, will use the occasion to celebrate its 66th birthday. Customers can get a medium cup of coffee for 66 cents to commemorate the occasion.

The chain will also choose 66 of its Twitter users with Dunkin’ Donuts cards good for a year’s worth of free coffee. The special cards were created exclusively for the promotion, the company said.

In addition, Dunkin’ Donuts will offer a special National Coffee Day Snapchat Geofilter design that will only be available on Sept. 29.

Pilot Flying J will give you a free small cup of coffee (or another selection like tea or cappuccino). Customers just have to print out the online coupon at the company’s Facebook page. The deal is good only for Thursday, Sept. 29.

Krispy Kreme stores are offering a free 12 oz. cup of coffee and a free glazed donut for National Coffee Day at participating locations. No purchase is necessary to cash in on that deal.

Starbucks isn’t offering a discount, but it’s hoping to appeal to the generosity of coffee drinkers. The company will donate a coffee tree for every cup of brewed Mexico Chiapas sold on National Coffee Day.

Those trees will support efforts against a fungus called “coffee rust” that’s devastating trees in Latin America. Starbucks hopes to sell enough of the coffee to donate 20 million trees by the end of the year.

Jack’s Donuts locations around central Indiana are giving away a free cup of coffee with every donut purchase.

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OPINION: Exposing myths about green regulations

Dr Antoine Dechezleprêtre and Dr Misato Sato explain the findings of their latest report, ‘The impacts of environmental regulations on competitiveness’ published  by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at London School of Economics and Political Science. The report was produced as part of the Grantham Research Institute’s programme on ‘Growth and the economy’, sponsored by the Global Green Growth Institute.

Our research has shown that environmental regulations have small impacts on productivity and employment, only marginally affect international competitiveness and induce businesses to develop new clean technologies, which may boost economic growth.

Although concerns have been expressed since the 1970s about the effect of environmental regulations on businesses, we conclude that few studies in the UK, United States and other countries over the past 40 years have found evidence of major negative impacts.

The report reviews the existing evidence on the impacts of environmental regulation on productivity, employment, trade, industry location and innovation and symthesises findings. A key finding is that the benefits of environmental regulations often vastly outweigh the costs.

For instance, even when job losses at polluting businesses are taken into account, the estimated health benefits from the introduction of the Clean Air Act in the United States in 1963, and subsequent amendments to it, are more than 100 times greater than the employment costs of the regulation. The costs of environmental regulations therefore need to be weighed up against the benefits they provide and which justify the regulations in the first place.

We find that environmental regulations can reduce employment and productivity by small amounts, in particular in pollution- and energy-intensive sectors, at least during the transitory period when the economy moves away from polluting activities and towards cleaner production processes. Job effects are more likely to occur within countries, where relocation barriers are low, than across borders. This suggests that government policies encouraging labour mobility, such as flexible labour markets, affordable housing and lifelong training, can help reduce or offset the costs of environmental regulations.

There is ample evidence that environmental regulations encourage businesses to undertake innovation in clean technologies, and discourage research and development in conventional polluting technologies. Yet, there is evidence that low-carbon innovations induce larger economic benefits than the ‘dirty’ technologies they replace. This is because clean technologies are radically new compared to old polluting technologies and hence they generate more knowledge in the economy, which can be used by other innovators to further develop new technologies across various sectors.

This makes it plausible that the switch from ‘dirty’ to ‘clean’ technologies could generate economic growth and justifies strong public support for clean technology development.

Although the lessons can be equally applied in developing countries, almost all of the existing studies use data from developed countries. Our research identified a clear need for more studies focusing on developing countries.

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You’re on QUIZ UK | Change Country Close X

Day Tops

Give your day wardrobe a revamp in time for the autumn and winter months by shopping QUIZ's range of day tops. From super-flattering blouses and bardots to jumpers, frill sleeves and knitted tops, you’ll find AW18's must-have styles here. Take your pick and crown yourself leader of the fashion pack.

304 Styles

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Axel Vervoordt bij het water

From the book: 'May and Axel Vervoordt'

Portret Roger Baltus - Advocaat

Prisoners - Angola State Penitentiary

Waterpret in Normandië

Personal project: Calvados

Paardenraces in Calvados

Personal project: Calvados

Zelfportretten in Cuba

People taking their own picture

Jehova-fans  in Havana

Personal project: Cuba

Straatbeeld in Cuba

Personal project: Cuba

Iraanse vrouw met masker

Jongen met hond - Winnende foto van de Kodak European Gold Awards

Boer in koeienstal op Landgoed de Utrecht

Personal project: Landgoed De Utrecht

Meisje met zonnebril waarvan één glas ontbreekt

Personal project: Old school

Model onder Magirus Deutz 256 truck

Personal project: Piushaven

Model met roodgelakte nagels gluurt door luxaflex

Personal project: Studio

Kameraadschap in Duitse fabriek

Annual report: Stork

Kussende man op een oud bankje

Personal project: Cuba

Van Beek en Dings in Kasteel Middachten

Van Beek en Dings

Zwart/wit portretten van veteranen

Portret van Gert-Jan van der Hoest in eigen interieur

From the book: Marcel Wolterinck
Gert-Jan van der Hoest

Hardcover - Luxe uitgave

300 pagina's / 30 x 30 cm

De beste foto's van 40 jaar Cees Roelofs. Een boeiende retrospectieve
met schitterende beelden van Cees Roelofs' reizen, bloemen, interieur,
architectuur, mensen, natuur, auto's enzovoort..

€ 49,95 inclusief btw
Gratis verzending binnen Nederland

We gebruiken de informatie in dit formulier om contact met u op te nemen over uw vraag. Door dit formulier te verzenden, gaat u ermee akkoord dat wij uw gegevens kunnen verzamelen en gebruiken voor de redenen die hierboven genoemd staan. *

Looking for passion and creativity?
I'm your man. My name is Cees Roelofs, an experienced Dtuch photographer
with a broad perspective on professional pictures. As a digital pioneer I stood
in the frontline, already experimenting with atmosphere, style and detail.
Without exaggeration I can say the the world is my stage.

The art of living
I have captured the serenity of the Asian continent and explored the mysteries
of African tribes. I travelled to the Americas to really understand life's liberties
and boundaries. In every picture there is a story. Sometimes hidden, sometimes
obvious. But nevertheless, it's the power of story that makes my work rise above
the average image. I consider myself as an imagineer, designing images with
maximum impact and meaning, inviting you to become part of the scene.

Truth is in the heart
It's true that I have been honored with the Kodak European Gold Award, but
more important is the warm feedback of all those people I have worked with.
They constantly remind me of the reason why I started taking pictures a long
time ago when I was a boy. I can still vividly remember the faces of my family
and neighbours in the village I lived in. Proud or shy, wrinked or shiny, they
all expressed a sense of authenticity. A notion that still gets me going. It's that
same realness that has been driving me since.

Take a shot
All pictures can be applied anywhere you like and delivered in every kind of
size. Next week on the walls of your client? Or even better, hire me to boost
your campain or project with exciting pictures in accordance with your desired
emotion and atmosphere.

Come closer
I invite you to have a look at my work. The photos on this website are only a selection
of what I have been busy with over a long period of time. You will see my
fascination with contrast: formal and natural, detail and overview, intimate and bold.

If you get the picture, then I would be glad to get in touch with you. If you have
any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by mail or phone.

Kind regards,

Cees Roelofs

First a prison, now a hotel
Men in Angola State Prison Louisiana, who are punished for what they did, but still proud to be part of their small reality. You can recognise their identity without exception. Just people, plane and simple. Their characters are now part of a hotel's identity.

X-ray protection suits normally aren't very appealing. Those of MDT are. Because they are functional and even fashionable. So that's why I chose to have them photographed with suitable models on a catwalk.

Scandinavian Tobacco Group
Dutch cigars as a world traveller. This concept led me to cities all over the world. I travelled to Canada, Russia, Australia, India and several European capitals to show the diversity and selling points of STG cigars. Ofcourse I also took pictures from the source, impressions of tobacco fields and workers in Indonesia.


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Cember.net to Xing

Xing has finally moved to acquire Cember.net, the only online professional networking platform in Turkey. Given Xing’s previous moves in Spain, this is perfectly in line with the company’s expansion model.  The company has announced that the deal cost €4.36m.

Fast-growing Xing, a competitor to U.S.-based LinkedIn,
said it would pay 4.4 million euros ($6.4 million) in stages
for cember.net.

"Xing is driving forward its course of consolidation in
Europe," it said in a statement, after it bought Spanish rivals
Neurona and eConozco in the last year.

The Hamburg-based company, an early social networking
company to go public in 2006, had 4.25 million members at
end-September and offers services in 16 languages.

The €15/member price tag for the acquisiton shows that there’s still a bit of a discount for Turkish internet properties.  Xing is trading at about €45/ member.

Cember.net started out heavily inspired by Xing (which used to be OpenBC), and the founder team of Çağlar and Nihan Çolak Erol have executed their plan flawlessly.  Congratulations to the team!

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News clips

‘Abdu’l-Bahá To Preach Peace For Americans

Abdul Baha To Preach Peace For Americans
Srpingfield Massachusetts News
April 12, 1912
New York, NY

Persian Philosopher, Leader of Bábai Movement, to Urge One Religion for All Men

New York, April 12. — The accomplishment of a task which many leaders have undertaken, but at which none has succeeded, the bringing about of universal peace and a single religion among all men, is the professed purpose of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, famous Persian philosopher and leader of the Bábai movement, who came to this country from Alexandria, Egypt, yesterday on board the Cedric, of the White Star Line.

Abdu’l-Bahá will begin his work of converting America at the Peace Conference at Lake Mohonk late this month, and thereafter will be heard at colleges, churches and gatherings of earnest persons throughout the land.

Abdu’l-Bahá’s philosophy is of a sort which the Occidental mind does not grasp in the first sentence. Universal peace and oneness of religion, he said yesterday, exist rather in the inner man than in his circumstances of time, place, race or condition of servitude, and he who loves his fellow man with all his heart and has shaken off the fetters of “self-imprisonment” is both free and a communicant in the universal religion.

For instance,” he said, with a gesture in the direction of the Statue of Liberty, “there is your country’s emblem of peace and justice toward all. But I know that peace and justice are not a matter of race and country. Happiness is not his only who loves his native land, but his who loves all humanity.”

It was explained for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá through his nephew, Dr. Ameen Fareed who interprets him, that no man in the world has had more cause to despair of peace and justice than his uncle. Until last Summer, when he visited Paris and London, he had been immured for 40 years, a prisoner in a fortress at Acre, Syria. The Young Turks party, after the overthrow of ‘Abdul Hamid, brought about his release. He was sent to Acre with his father, Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bábai movement, when he was a young man.

One proof of his uncle’s devotion to the ideal of universal justice, Dr. Fareed said, lay in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s championship of the cause of women suffrage, which is not popular with the men of the Orient. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is a firm believer in the right of woman to equality with man, and he believes the time is not far distant when she will enjoy all the political and other privileges now held by man.


text:
Murder in Little Egypt

O'Brien, Darcy

Running Press, 2002

p. 108

Once, Dale Cavaness’ wife Marian said something Dale didn’t like. “She had always spoken her mind to him, had prided herself on that, on not being like so many of the women she knew in southern Illinois, silent and obedient. But Dale had reacted like a typical down-home son-of-a-bitch, grabbing her thumb and bending it back until she could hear the bones cracking. ‘We better get that x-rayed’ was all he had said the next morning, without apology….” “One night they were home from a party, standing in the kitchen, when Dale opened the refrigerator to see what there was to eat. A bowl of gravy fell out and broke on the floor. ‘Damn,’ said Marian. ‘I’ll clean it up. Leave it alone.’ ‘Is this all there is to eat?’ Dale asked, and he bent down and scooped up a handful of the gravy and threw it in her face. When she shouted and cursed him he punched her in the eye, knocking her to the floor. There were no apologies.”

p. 129

Dr. Dale Cavaness, married to a beautiful and vital woman, collected others, many in connection with his medical practice. He committed “crimes against the human heart.” One married nurse became a Demerol addict after Dr. Cavaness rejected her. Her moods rocketed from euphoria to depression until she lost muscle coordination and collapsed in fits of vomiting. Dr. Cavaness fired her. “He was adept at finding a weakness and exploiting it. He won over a married patient whose child had died, inching his way in, commiserating with her, until she divorced her husband in anticipation, it seemed obvious, of the doctor’s divorcing his wife and marrying her. Her husband took her back after the doctor dumped her. One time after another, the story repeated itself. He would flatter the women, send them gifts of cash or, sometimes, cheap jewelry or perfume, seduce them, and cut them off.”

pp. 281-82

Why had Dale Cavaness killed two of his four sons? 1) Greed. He was a business failure and wanted the insurance money! 2) Hatred. He held his two least successful sons in contempt and regarded them as an embarrassment to his own elevated status. 3) Revenge. His contemptible behavior had driven away a lovely wife, Marian. She left him. He had to get back at her. So he killed two of their sons—a deed he knew would cause her unrelenting pain. “No matter that Dale had brought the divorce on himself by his behavior: No woman was going to rebuff Dale Cavaness and get away with it.”


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Economic Policy in the Modern Welfare State - CEPR PP Symposium 2009

19 - 20 June 2009

After an interruption of 3 years, the annual Public Policy symposium meetings are resuming. Its goal is to provide a forum for high quality work in public economics and to bring together economists in the field from across Europe and key researchers from outside the region. The title of the symposium is "Economic Policy in the Modern Welfare State". Paper proposals are invited in any area of public economics broadly defined (including tax and transfer policy, education, income distribution, political economy, and public policy issues in general). Both theoretical and empirical work is welcome.

The conference hopes to provide a unique opportunity for researchers from different universities and countries to discuss their work in a relaxed atmosphere and to develop long-term collaborative relationships. It also aspires to provide young researchers with the opportunity to meet and discuss their work with senior economists.

The organizers will bring together around 30 economists for a period of two days (Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20). To foster the desired interaction we ask that participants stay for the entire duration of the Symposium.

Friday morning (9am-12:30pm) will be devoted to three keynote presentations on recent developments in public economics research by Richard Blundell (UCL), Raj Chetty (University of California Berkeley), and Thomas Piketty (Paris School of Economics). We plan to include 10 presentations on Friday afternoon and Saturday. The symposium will end at 5pm on Saturday.


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News roundup | The American Ceramic Society

News roundup

Alfred University to offer short course on glass and ceramics fracture, failure

Alfred University’s Inamori School of Engineering will offer a short course for glass and ceramic engineers, scientists, and technicians entitled “Fracture Analysis and Failure Prevention of Glasses and Ceramics” from Monday, July 30-Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012. This hands-on course will cover the examination and interpretation of markings on fracture-exposed surfaces of glasses and polycrystalline ceramics and the analysis of crack systems (fractography). It will also explore the use of fractography in failure analysis, strength testing and fracture mechanics testing. The course will use discussions, case studies, and examples to analyze links between fractography and failure prevention. The course will be limited to 18 students so early registration is encouraged. The course fee is $1,395 and includes the Fractography of Ceramics and Glasses practice guide. Instructors are James Varner and George Quinn.

Carborundum ties up with UK firms

Carborundum Universal Ltd. has entered into techno-commercial agreement with U.K. firms Sheffield Refractories and Anderman Ceramics to manufacture, supply and install a range of high-end refractory solutions for the steel and glass industries and for aerospace component manufacture. The manufacturing of these products would be done at Carborundum’s plant in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, and also at a new location, the company, which is part of the Murugappa group, informed the stock exchanges on Wednesday.

2012 Carnegie Science Awards honor PPG glass scientists

Three scientists from PPG Industries received the Advanced Manufacturing Award at the 2012 Carnegie Science Awards in Pittsburgh for work on the development of Solarban R100 glass. Adam Polcyn, PhD, Andrew Wagner, PhD, and Paul Medwick, PhD, helped engineer the neutral-reflective, solar control, low-emissivity glass to provide better solar control performance than other neutral-reflective, low-e architectural glasses. Introduced in 2010, Solarban R100 glass has a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.23 and visible light transmittance of 42 percent. The resulting light-to-solar gain (ratio of 1.79 is as much as 29 percent greater than the LSG ratios of competing glasses.

New energy source for future medical implants: sugar

The fuel cell, described in the June 12 edition of the journal PLoS ONE, strips electrons from glucose molecules to create a small electric current. The researchers, led by Rahul Sarpeshkar, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, fabricated the fuel cell on a silicon chip, allowing it to be integrated with other circuits that would be needed for a brain implant. The new twist to the MIT fuel cell described in PLoS ONE is that it is fabricated from silicon, using the same technology used to make semiconductor electronic chips. The fuel cell has no biological components: It consists of a platinum catalyst that strips electrons from glucose, mimicking the activity of cellular enzymes that break down glucose to generate ATP, the cell’s energy currency. (Platinum has a proven record of long-term biocompatibility within the body.) So far, the fuel cell can generate up to hundreds of microwatts—enough to power an ultra-low-power and clinically useful neural implant.

Northwestern University team wins Energy Department’s National Clean Energy Business Plan competition

As part of the Obama Administration’s Startup America Initiative that works to encourage and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation, the Energy Department today announced that NuMat Technologies from Northwestern University won the first-ever DOE National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition. The competition aims to inspire university teams across the country and promote entrepreneurship in clean energy technologies that will boost American competitiveness, bringing cutting-edge clean energy solutions to the market and strengthening our economic prosperity. NuMat Technologies presented a plan to commercialize a nanomaterial that stores gases at lower pressure, reducing infrastructure costs and increasing design flexibility. One potential application for this innovation is in designing tanks to store natural gas more efficiently in motor vehicles.


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Ceramic Leadership Summit Archives | The American Ceramic Society

Ceramic Leadership Summit

Why you need to be at Ceramics Expo 2016

By Stephanie Liverani / March 18, 2016

For the second year in a row, Cleveland, Ohio, will play host to Ceramics Expo 2016, April 26–28—the industry’s only free-to-attend, twin track, commercial and manufacturing conference that runs parallel to the Expo. And here’s why you need to be there.

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Ceramics Expo 2016 draws thousands of commercial and manufacturing industry leaders to Cleveland

By Stephanie Liverani / March 8, 2016

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Cleveland will host more than 3,000 ceramic and glass commercial and manufacturing industry leaders and 300 vendors for Ceramics Expo 2016, April 26–28, outpacing last year’s event, which brought 171 exhibitors and more than 2,300 attendees from 25 countries representing 1,000 organizations.

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Midwest lands new innovation hubs built to boost advanced manufacturing

By Jessica McMathis / February 27, 2014

Manufacturing production is up, and US manufacturers are adding jobs (some 622,000 since early 2010)—but a $280-million investment in two new innovation institutes cements a renewed commitment to advanced manufacturing in the States.

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Turning trade-offs to pay-offs—Business, manufacturing leaders to converge, connect at CLS 2014

By Jessica McMathis / February 18, 2014

The 4th Ceramic Leadership Summit (CLS), April 7–9 in Baltimore, Md., will bring manufacturing and business executives together to tackle business strategies for success.

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Free online journals cover microwave and electroceramics, ICC4 papers

By Jim Destefani / October 24, 2013

For a limited time, ACerS is offering free online access to two special editions of the International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology.

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Wolfgang Rossner on advanced ceramics for sustainability & Siemens’ corporate technology

By / September 5, 2012

Wolfgang Rossner, leader of the Ceramic Materials and Devices division of Siemen’s, spoke at the Ceramic Leadership Summit about how the company approaches the development of its technical strategies.

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Students and Young Professionals look forward to ICC4-CLS

By Eileen De Guire / March 16, 2012

The 4th International Congress on Ceramics with the 3rd Ceramic Leadership Summit track ACerS director of membership and marketing, Megan Bricker, coordinates the Society’s outreach to students and young professionals. Here she tells us about what’s in store for the youthful ceramic materials professionals and what they are saying about ICC4-CLS. The 4th International Congress…

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Ceradyne leader Joel Moskowitz opens up on acquisitions, ceramics business

By / August 8, 2011

Ceradyne head Joel Moskowitz uses a team approach to evaluating acquisitions for the company. Credit: Ceradyne. I first interviewed Ceradyne honcho Joel Moskowitz in 2009, and last week I ran into him again at the ACerS Ceramic Leadership Summit in Baltimore. There, the Ceradyne president and CEO mentioned that he had recently been interviewed by an…

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The business of doing business in the ceramics industry

By Eileen De Guire / June 29, 2011

Participants from the 2010 Ceramic Leadership Summit. Credit: ACerS The Ceramic Leadership Summit is about business – and the unique aspects of doing business in the ceramics industry. ACerS president, Marina Pascucci says, “It’s not a conference of technical papers. Instead, every speaker is presenting information that can change the way you and I do…

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Rare-earths chess game intensifies with new moves in China, Washington

By / June 16, 2011

Maybe not a zugzwang yet, but rare-earth strategies are getting more complex and riskier. Credit: Wikipedia. It’s been a while since I have addressed strategic materials, but several recent developments are worth noting. Let’s start by going back a few months. In late March, a ripple went out among rare-earth supply watchers when China’s Ministry…

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5 Tips For Alternate Route Candidates Preparing For edTPA

Alternate route candidates training in New Jersey are required to complete edTPA, a State-mandated teaching performance assessment, in order to receive their teaching certification. edTPA requirements impact alternate route teachers entering classrooms across New Jersey during and after the 2017-18 SY. edTPA was designed to replace student-teacher evaluations and better ensure that teacher candidates are equally prepared to enter the classroom. Though the edTPA process is difficult, it provides alternate route candidates with the opportunity to demonstrate their readiness to teach and engage in structured self-evaluation.

Our latest blog series is designed to help alternate route candidates understand and meet the requirements of edTPA. Consider these 5 tips when preparing for edTPA.

Read the edTPA handbook in its entirety

Dissect edTPA’s handbook prior to beginning to develop your portfolio. Highlight and organize information from the handbook that provides guidance, as to “how” and “when” you will complete each requirement area. While reading edTPA’s handbook you can concurrently draft an action plan that includes a checklist of required materials, and timeline to ensure you stay on track.

Practice time management

edTPA submissions must contain lesson plans, student work samples, classroom videos, and instructional commentary. This can not be completed in one sitting. The instructional commentary alone adds up to upwards of 40 pages of writing. Commit to dedicating a few hours of focused work on your edTPA portfolio at least once a week to ensure you aren’t faced with the (costly) consequences of submitting an incomplete portfolio.

Familiarize yourself with edTPA’s portfolio management platform

Rutgers Alternate Route’s unique inclusion of exercises that encourage digital literacy put our candidates at an advantage. When it comes to navigating the edTPA process, candidates must leverage digital platforms and video recording tools in order to prepare, request and receive feedback on, and submit their assessment. edTPA partners with a handful of platform providers. Before gaining access to any of them you must first register as a ‘Candidate’ on the edTPA website. Rutgers Alternate Route’s candidates are encouraged to sign up on LiveText’s ePortfolio System. This will be the system that you’ll use to build your portfolio, and submit your evidence for scoring.

Visit LiveText before the school year starts to minimize your stress levels when it’s time for you to begin building your portfolio. Practice completing these tasks:

  • Uploading documents (which types of files are allowed?)
  • Downloading and requesting commentary
  • Typing notes into documents
  • Uploading videos (what kind of video files can be uploaded? Which does your camcorder/recorder support?)

(Consult this document for detailed instructions and visualizations.)

Enhancing the quality of your evidence and commentary

Commentary that addresses all parts of the question, references video evidence, elaborates on video clips and maximizes page count are more likely to earn high scores based on edTPA’s instruction rubric. Your evidence is scored based on five dimensions of teaching:

  • Planning Instruction and Assessment: Use lesson plans, materials, student assignments and assessments to demonstrate content standard alignment, and support instructional differentiation
  • Instructing and Engaging Students in Learning: Practice monitoring student response and pedagogical strategies, reflect on student response and subject matter understanding
  • Assessing Student Learning: Analyze student learning patterns, summarize classroom performance, identify focus students and explain feedback
  • Analysis of Teaching Effectiveness: Justify and analyze classroom lesson plans, instruction and assessment results
  • Academic Language Development: Use work samples and/or video recordings to explain how students demonstrate academic language

Your commentary should demonstrate an awareness of student’s unique needs and provide evidence of your ability to differentiate instruction. When preparing to write your commentary, collect pertinent background information on your students, such as how many of them are able to complete a certain task. This will provide you with more context when explaining how and why your instruction accommodates students at varied levels of understanding.

Know which scoring phase you fall under

Your assessment scores may or may not impact your ability to gain a Standard Teaching License depending on when you complete your edTPA portfolio submission.
Certificate of Eligibility (CE) holding alternate route candidates who began teaching this upcoming 2017-18 school year (SY) and complete edTPA in the same school year aren’t faced with pass/fail requirements. Completing the assessment is the only requirement for gaining a NJ Standard Teaching License.
Candidates who plan on completing edTPA during the 2018-2019 SY must gain a score that’s at least one standard error of measurement below the national recommendation in order to gain their Standard Teaching License.
Alternate route teachers who complete the requirements of edTPA during the 2019-20 SY will be required to achieve a passing score yet to be determined by the New Jersey Department of Education.

Final Words

Rutgers Alternate Route’s teacher training program is committed to ensuring the successful licensure of our candidates. Our curriculum has been refined to align with the scoring elements of edTPA, providing ample opportunity for candidates to align their thinking and practice with the skills that are emphasized in edTPA. Our program will also continue to publish informative guidance on edTPA through our blog. Teacher candidates who know what to expect, and are properly supported throughout the process are less likely to feel intimidated and overwhelmed when preparing for edTPA. In the coming months, our program will make best practices on preparing for edTPA, guides on changing requirements and instructional how-to’s publicly available. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed.

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Heather Ngoma

Heather Ngoma has over 20 years experience collaborating with educators across New Jersey to drive education innovation. She currently serves as the Director of Rutgers University's Alternate Route Teacher Training Program at the Center for Effective School Practices, a program which helps career changers, recent college graduates and other aspiring education professionals become licensed teachers in New Jersey. Follow her on Twitter @heatherngoma.