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Where’ve I been?

Where’ve I been? Well, I’ve not been shirking my blogging duties, I can assure you! I have faithfully posting a weekly update… on my other blog! With the puppies growing so fast, I’ve been spending all my blogging time posting updates about them on Countryside Cavachons. You might like to see the pictures and the info about the puppies. Just go to www.CountrysideCavachons.blogspot.com, and you’ll find all sorts of interesting things.

Also, I’ve been trying to put together a writing WordPress blog that will feature my books, links to buy them, list my future projects, and show a calendar of writing/publishing timelines and upcoming book signings and things like that. Once I have it up and running I’ll let you all know!

Another thing that I’ve been very busy with is my school. Yes, I know it’s supposed to be summer break, but I like school so much that I can’t seem to ever put it down. I just recently graduated (on June 2nd, actually) from high school, and I’m already enrolled in a local community college. I’ll be taking a two year degree in Business Management with an emphasis on Child Development. I’m really excited to start–which I’ll be doing on July 8th for the summer term. I’ll just be taking a couple classes until next quarter, just to get the hang of it.

I already have all the generals out the way, thanks to the wonderful program called PSEO (basically early college classes for free while one’s in high school), and so the two-year program will only take me a year and a half at the most. Actually, though, I was just able to test out of at least one class (hopefully two–I haven’t gotten the results on the second test yet, since I just took it today), so that lightens my course load even more. You see, I’ve already been working in my parent’s family owned & operated business as a bookkeeper/secretary for many years now, and so I wanted to see if I couldn’t at least test out of some of the rudimentary basics.

The class that I tested out of yesterday was Professional Communications. It was a grueling four-hour test in which I had to prepare (if I remember right) six professional documents, such as an email, a memo, a permit request, a proposal and so on. It was difficult, but I did alright, made a passing grade, and actually had a little bit of fun preparing the documents involving fictitious scenarios.

The test I did today was Computer Applications in Business System Concepts. It consisted of two parts. The first part was a 41 question multiple choice quiz regarding basic computer knowledge and use. There were a few things (8 questions in all) that I had to guess on and got wrong, however, it was still a passing grade. The second part of the test involved creating three documents again involving fictitious scenarios. This was a lot of fun! In this scenario, I “was” the Consultant for a Travel Agency and I was advertising a Vacation Plan Package deal. First I had to create a Word document advertisement for an upcoming seminar discussing the Vacation Package. Then I had to create a PowerPoint presentation that I “would” give at the seminar, and lastly I had to create an Excel document with the financial records for the people who “had” signed up for the Planned Vacation.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to, in case you’ve been wondering! 🙂

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Student Accident Insurance Information

Student Accident Insurance is available to all families.

Attached is the 2020-2021 Student Insurance brochure.  Markel Insurance utilizes on-line enrollment, so parents can get immediate confirmation of coverage.  If interested, please review the attached brochure, decide on a plan (ie: Schooltime, 24-Hour, and/or Football), and then choose the benefit tier or premium option you desire to purchase. Then go on-line to Markel's administration division, Seven Corners (, click on the "Apply" button, select the Hudson School District from the drop-down menu, choose your child's school, select the plan, enter the child's information, and then pay for the coverage.

NH 2020-21 Student Accident Insurance brochure.pdf

Spanish NH 2020-21 Student Accident Insurance brochure.pdf

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2021 Intrado Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Why most Motorcyclists are better drivers

Well most of them

It’s coming up on a year when I had my motorcycle accident where a moron in a car pulled out in front of me earning me a trip to the ER and my bike to the salvage yard. And yet, I’m still here to tell about it.

My dream bike

My 07 Hayabusa was starting to cost me money and I was looking for it’s replacement. Not wanting to buy one from the local Suzuki dealer who’s service reputation had gotten sketchy, I looked at other brand, one I had lusted after for a very long time, Ducati. What I purchased was the first bike I saw when I entered the dealership, this 2019 959 Panigali. I think it was the color that caught my eye. Totally different than the Busa but even more fun.

It was love at first sight, my first new bike in about 30 years.

Let me hop back to the title of this blog entry for a second before I get into the details of the accident. I have been riding since I was maybe 20 and have taken multiple bike safety classes, even a racing class at Road America.

Related Video: See me at the California Superbike School

A good instructor will pound into your brain from the beginning that you don’t have all the metal around you like in a car so an accident will most likely leave a mark. You spidey senses have to be on high alert looking way ahead of traffic so you can anticipate a move by a car before it happens. When driving with my wife, she is constantly amazed on my eyes ahead. The other thing taught at the high performance classes is how to fall off the bike when you’ve been hit. Long story short, never put your hands out ahead of you to break the fall and try to relax. Well that last part is kind of hard.

Note I said in the headline that “most” motorcyclelists are better drivers. I know you’ve probably seen the kids on crotch rockets roar past you at high speed, some doing wheelies at 90 mph. Those we call squids because that’s pretty much what they look like after loosing control. If you haven’t seen this, just do a search for videos on YouTube.

That fatefull day

I needed a part for my lawn tractor so decided to take the bike for a spin. I was going on a road that I have traveled tons of times. I was coming up on a 4-way intersection where traffic going in my direction could turn left. If there are drivers stopped waiting for their opportunity to turn, there is a passing lane on the right. So with traffic stopped I proceeded to pass in the right hand lane. Well that’s when the bonehead who was stopped second in line to turn decided to turn right in front of me. Holly shit, this is going to leave a mark I though traveling at 40 mph.

Found this picture of one in a junkyard in Colorado. A good place for it. Wiki photo

The piece of shit that pulled out in front of me was a Toyota Tercel 4-wd sr5 wagon turd brown like this one. The Toyota logo got real big in my visor just before impact. I remember the horizon rotating three times before I came to rest on the pavement. The driver of the Turdcell had pulled way over to the right after impact. I remember laying on my back, mostly there, when the passenger got out and asked why I ran into them. Adrenaline was really pumping and I lifted my head up to respond, what the f…. are you talking about, you turned into me. I was hot. Apparently not getting my message, she asked me again and I responded the same. Then I decided to just lay down and let the paramedics and police take care of things. Witnesses confirmed that the car had indeed pulled in front of me and I flew over the car three times.

Diagram from accident report

Before getting loaded onto the ambulance, I heard the driver tell somebody that he had hurt his hand and was looking for a hospital. Still juiced up on adrenelin, my parting shot was to tell him just to follow the ambulance he put me in. It turns out, the he had a suspended liscense and no insurance. Have a nice day.

My brand new Ducati down. I loved that color

I was fortunate

I always wear a helmet. I can’t believe that there are people out there that don’t. I most likely would not have been writing this blog entry without wearing one.

This helmet saved my life. Note the scratches on the top and back. That could have really left a mark.

I got off easy with some road rash on my hand and a sore back that required therapy. I know, I should have had a broken arm or something. God was watching me that day. I guess it wasn’t my time and I keep asking myself, why am I still here? Well maybe to write this blog entry in the hope that motorists will be more aware of motorcycles, riders take a class, and please wear a helmet. And yup, I got back in the saddle buying a 2020 Panigalli V2 and love it.

My new ride with all kinds of electronic rider aids

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Tag Archives: warbirds

I’m a gear head and propeller head

The biggest roar of engines you will ever hear!

eaa airventure 2016, eaa, oshkosh wi, airplanes, jets, And one of the few places you will hear them is where I was this week, AirVenture 2016 in Oshkosh, WI. I’m sure I’m not alone where I say that I get excited hearing a car like a new Corvette jump on the throttle as it comes out of a turn. Well take that feeling and multiply it by, let’s say 10! And if you think a Hellcat Charger at 700 hp is a lot, multiply that by about four and you have the horsepower of many of the engines in the warbirds up here, even more for the jets. In case you’re not familiar with the event it is the largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts in the world, held every year in Oshkosh, and hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). The event, which began on July 24th and runs through July 31st, spans the entire spectrum of aviation. It attracts 10,000 airplanes and more than 500,000 aviation enthusiasts from all over the world. If you haven’t I would highly encourage you to come to this event just once. It is a hoot. Continue reading I’m a gear head and propeller head


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Whistleblower Interview Part 1

The first in our multi-part video interview with a former government contractor that claims to have inside knowledge about The Murrel.

Whistleblower interview part 1

On October 10th we released a copy of a document provided by the whistleblower with compelling information regarding the origin of The Murrel.

Stay tuned for the next installment of our multi-part interview with the whistleblower as he reveals more information about the origin of The Murrel.

UPDATE: Watch the exciting send part of our exclusive interview with the brave whistleblower!

  1. Pingback: Whistleblower Interview Part 2 - Save The Murrel

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Double Fine's Approach To Crunch And Labor

Double Fine founder Tim Schafer used to tell people he didn’t have any regrets; he’s been able to make all the things he wanted to make. But as he got older, his feelings changed. In his career, Schafer both participated in and encouraged brutal periods of crunch on various game development projects. Reflecting on it now, he says he has a lot of regrets about what he put his teams through.

“When it’s just yourself, you can throw yourself against the task as hard as you can,” Schafer says. “‘All day and all night, I’m going to push this rock. Ahhh! I’m going to give it my all.’ And then as I got more into a role where I was managing and designing and there were other people doing the gameplay programming stuff, now you’re pushing on a soft person who’s against the rock. So you can, like, squish them and kill them if you push too hard.”

Schafer’s career began in the nascent years of the game industry; his first job was at LucasArts, the game development division of Lucasfilm, in 1989. While many large companies made games at this time – Schafer worked for George Lucas’ company, after all – video games were still a hobbyist medium, made for and by hobbyists. Common labor practices of other industries weren’t present in the burgeoning game industry – which was full of people making tentpole games at home with friends, such as the original Doom, developed by id Software and released in 1993.

At the time, working day and night on video games, even at the cost of personal wellness, was just what game developers did. As Schafer tells it, it never occurred to him to be upset over the hours he put in at LucasArts. Working on point-and-click adventure games, such as Escape From Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, and Full Throttle, Schafer worked countless hours, because that was the job.

“I had no life,” Schafer recalls. “I was working on Grim Fandango until, like, three at night, seven days a week. All I did was be in the office writing dialogue all the time.”

Petty, who’s worked in the game industry for 25 years and been with Double Fine since Brütal Legend, says he’s seen Psychonauts 2 handled better than any project before it at Double Fine. Schafer and other management have made avoiding crunch a top priority, he says. And while he feels great about that movement, he adds, “I feel like there’s always improvement that can be done.”

These points are all echoed by newer members of Double Fine’s staff. During a recent period of burnout, content and community manager Heather Alexandra, who also wrote about crunch during her time as a journalist for Kotaku, was told by her boss to take time off. “And I think in other places, if you were working in Business Unit C of ward nine, whatever, that just wouldn’t happen,” Alexandra says. “But here, it’s a thing that can happen because people do look out for each other.”

Other employees bring up similar stories, being told to take time off by bosses or superiors when they’ve put extra time in on a project. Similarly, sometimes if someone is staying at work late, they will also be told to just go home.

“The only time I’ve ever stayed late is because I, personally, was like, ‘I really want to get this thing done,’” says senior systems programmer Aaron Jacobs. “In those few cases when that has happened and I have decided to stay late, I will, at the time, often get pressure from people to go home.”

While Double Fine has certainly found a better balance in this area, that’s not to say the studio is perfect and there isn’t room for improvement. Challenges continue to arise, especially in the last year, when the workforce shifted to working from home due to the ongoing global pandemic. It’s harder to keep an eye on every employee when they’re no longer sitting next to you in an office. If someone does a bit of extra work at night instead of watching Netflix, does that count as crunch? What if someone works better at night than they do during normal work hours? Do you try and mitigate that? As Double Fine keeps addressing its relationship to crunch while also navigating a changing world, these are the questions newer employees bring up when asked about Double Fine’s labor practices, on top of whether a project inherently encourages crunch – despite management’s best efforts.

“I think there are ways to improve,” says senior concept artist Gianna Ruggiero. “Even though we are a culture that we don’t condone crunch, is the project itself making it stressful for people to feel like they need to crunch? And if that is happening, how are we addressing that? And I don’t think that’s something that Double Fine is that aware of yet.”

“Psychonauts [2], we keep extending when this thing is coming out,” Ruggiero continues. “And there are reasons for that. And there are stresses on people. That’s something that I think we could be better at doing, is understanding and mitigating those stresses on people.”

It stands to reason that after 15 years of striving to limit crunch, Double Fine will continue to reevaluate, reassess, and work on its relationship with labor going forward. Talking to people from the studio, especially on Psychonauts 2, it seems to be a sizable pillar of the company’s overall culture and development philosophies. Schafer admits he is still learning; it’s an ongoing process. But at the very least, where other companies have often failed, Double Fine has created a workplace that tries to put the individual needs of its employees first. It’s a game development studio making commercial products, but that studio is made of human beings. That’s not lost on the brass within Double Fine.

“I think prioritizing people is something that Double Fine does a good job at,” says environment artist Janice Bell. “Because it just feels like a lot of other studios see their people as assets, where Double Fine is the first studio I’ve worked at where they actually see you as people, important parts of the studio with views that matter and input that matter[s].”

Source: Read Full Article


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PS5 Tempest 3D AudioTech Detailed

The next generation is almost here and we’ve been learning a lot about the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S systems. Today, Sony revealed even more about what the PS5 auditory experience will be link, including 3D audio immersion and virtual surround sound for TV.

The PS5 Tempest 3D AudioTech aims to be a total game changer when it comes to how we experience various adventures. In a new blog post, Sony revealed that the Pulse 3D wireless headset will be an option for gamers to scoop up and will utilize the PS5’s 3D tech to its fullest potential. With noise-cancelling microphones and the ability to work with both the PS4 and the PS5 systems, it’s a nice addition for those looking to make the most out of their gametime.

Don’t want a new headset? That’s fine too, Sony says that the 3D audio technology will work with most headsets via USB and via the DualSense controller’s headset jack.

Sony’s Isabelle Tomatis added, “I’m happy to say that you’ll be able to enjoy the PS5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech through your compatible headphones in many PS5 games. Some of the PS5 games with 3D Audio features include Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Astro’s Playroom, Gran Turismo 7, Returnal, Destruction AllStars, Demon’s Souls, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Horizon Forbidden West, Resident Evil Village, and many others.”

As for the new system itself, 3D audio and all, PlayStation 5 officially arrives on November 12. Are you excited for next gen, or are you going to be sticking in this generation for awhile longer? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

Source: Read Full Article


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Current local time in Schweinfurt, Germany

11:38 :11 AM

11:38 :11

Tuesday, 15 June 2021 (CEST)

Convert Schweinfurt Time

Want to convert Schweinfurt time to different time zone? Our CEST Time Zone Converter will help you find and compare Schweinfurt time to any time zone or city around the world.

Additionally you can select one of our popular time converters, allowing convert Schweinfurt CEST timezone to GMT, PST, EST, CET, PDT, CST, EDT, IST, BST, CDT timezones.

Schweinfurt Information

Time Zone

Abbreviation / Name
CEST - Central European Summer Time
CET - Central European Time
UTC / GMT Offset
+2:00 hours during Central European Summer Time, currently in use.
+1:00 hour during Central European Time.
Daylight Saving Time Change
+1:00 hour - DST is in use
Daylight Saving Time Starts
October 25 at 02:00 local time. DST starts annually on the same date and time.. Clocks are turned 1 hour forward. Also called Spring Forward or Summer Time.
Daylight Saving Time Ends
March 28 at 01:59 local time. DST ends annually on the same date and time.. Clocks are turned 1 hour backward. Also called Fall Back or switch to Winter Time.

Schweinfurt Facts

Alternative Names
Schweinfurt, Shvajnfurt, Suevofortum, ZPW, shfaynfwrt, shi wei yin fu te, shwaynfwrt, Швайнфурт, Швајнфурт, شفاينفورت, شواینفورت, 施韦因富特
Euro (EUR)
Geographic Coordinates
50° 02' N Latitude / 10° 13' E Longitude
International Dialing Code


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Mindfulness & Cancer

A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing moment that brings you bluntly face-to-face with your own mortality. Cancer treatments are more effective and less intrusive than ever, but they still turn your life upside-down — medically, financially, socially and emotionally.

Anxiety comes first. The mind starts running automated scripts reminding you of everything you should worry about and all the things that could go wrong. You might blame the cancer for, “giving me these thoughts,” but how you stress is the result of mental patterns acquired over years, not of the cancer. With training you can calm the anxiety, establish peace and extend it.

Friends and loved ones are affected by your diagnosis too, sometimes dramatically, but often don't know how to express it. They may feel guilty for being well. Or, afraid of saying the wrong thing. They may even be afraid of you, because in their minds you and the scary c-word are now one. Even though you’re the patient in need of love and support, it may be up to you to help them through their fears, so you can talk openly about what you’re going through. Mindful communication is a powerful, effective tool to facilitate this.

If you're being treated for cancer, you need all the courage you can summon up. Some days however, it’s hard to find. Mindfulness training helps you develop courage as an interactive mental factor that depends on other factors such as peace, balance, self-compassion, discernment and integrity.


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The development of geriatric medicine in Indonesia

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

The development of geriatric medicine and gerontology in Indonesia cannot be separated from the role of professional and academic personnel. In fact, those who work in the universities and professional organizationshave playedanimportant role in the development of this specialty. The government, through the Department of Health and Department of Social Affairs, has contributed positively by facilitating activities related to the health services and education/ training. Research and formal education have been developing within universities in cooperation with professional organizations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5-8
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Clinical Gerontology and Geriatrics
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2010

Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'The development of geriatric medicine in Indonesia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

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Document Type

Publication Date

Pet therapy is the interaction between an animal and person working to overcome physical as well as emotional issues. This type of therapy has been used in a variety of settings and populations including nursing homes and residents, hospitals and patients, residential treatment centers and substance dependence users, schools and children, group counseling and adolescents, universities and students. Many universities have begun using pet therapy on campus for student therapy and campus living. Leading news sources have reported that some campuses are now incorporating animal-assisted programs allowing students to have their pets be part of campus life and scheduled pet therapy days (Daeman, 2013; Herrman, 2010; Williams, 2011). The use of pet therapy on college campuses has increased significantly as a stress reducing technique for college students. College students’ stress can stem from text anxiety, feelings of home sickness, adjusting to new experiences and campus living, fear of failing a class and pressure in deciding future career goals. Because stress is a major issue among college students, there is concern that stress can increase the likelihood of suicide. Courses of action taken by college students for reducing stress included a few that are unhealthy such as drinking and promiscuous behavior, but also include healthier options like religion, optimism, and spirituality (Burris, Brechting, Salsman, and Carlson, 2009). For college students, dealing with all of these issues can be overwhelming, especially because they are out of their comfort zone. Having an animal to interact with can create a new sense of home as well as community. This sense of belonging and community can help the student feel less stressed. Based on this, dogs used in pet therapy are an effective tool in reducing stress in college students because they provide comfort and temporary relief from academic and psychosocial problems.

Data collected from 80 students who took part in the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library’s pet therapy visit on February 24, 2013.

Rights Information

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.


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A phase II study of trimetrexate therapy for metastatic colorectal carcinoma.

Journal Article (Clinical Trial;Journal Article)

Thirty patients with measurable metastatic colorectal carcinoma who had not received prior systemic therapy for advanced disease were treated with trimetrexate, a methotrexate analog. Trimetrexate was administered at a median daily dose of 15 mg/m2 (range, 6-22 mg/m2) intravenously for five days every three weeks. No patient achieved a complete or partial response, although minor responses of brief duration occurred in eight patients. The drug was generally well tolerated, thus permitting frequent dose escalations. Common toxic effects included mucositis, dermatitis, and myelosuppression. Our data suggest that trimetrexate given at these doses and in this schedule is not active against colorectal carcinoma.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Ajani, JA; Abbruzzese, JL; Faintuch, JS; Patt, YZ; Boman, BM; Jackson, DE; Levin, B; Krakoff, IH

Published Date

  • 1990

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 8 / 6

Start / End Page

  • 619 - 621

PubMed ID

  • 2149834

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0735-7907

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.3109/07357909009018929

  • eng

Conference Location

  • England


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Contact your local county Extension office through our County Office List.

Colorado School IPM
Sixteen school districts, serving 58% of the students in Colorado public schools, participate in IPM.

Odorous House Ant   arrow

Odorous House Ant – Tapinoma sessile

  • dark brown to black
  • 1/10 inch in size
  • emit an odor similar to coconuts when disturbed or smashed

Nesting Habits

  • outdoors – nest in mulch next to buildings and in soil under protection in loose soil
  • indoors – nest in walls and under carpet, usually near water pipes

  • insects and sweets, especially honeydew excreted by aphids and other insects
  • forage indoors for sweets, cooked vegetables, fruit and pastries

  • contaminate foods such as sweets, meats, dairy products and vegetables

IPM Recommendations:

  • Locate and destroy all nests to avoid re-infestation (follow ants back from their food source).
  • Clean ant trails with soap and water.
  • Trim shrubbery and trees away from buildings.
  • Store food in airtight containers, and dispose of trash regularly.
  • Seal potential ant entryways.
  • Use a bait specific to the odorous house ant.


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Arizona biologist part of international team to sequence genome of rare reptilian ‘living fossil’

A lizard-like creature whose ancestors once roamed the Earth with dinosaurs and today is known to live for longer than 100 years may hold clues to a host of questions about the past and the future.

In a study published Aug. 5 in Nature, an interdisciplinary, international team of researchers, in partnership with Māori tribe Ngātiwai, sequenced, assembled and analyzed the complete genome of the Sphenodon punctatus, or the tuatara, a rare reptile whose ancestors once roamed the earth with dinosaurs. It hasn’t changed much in the 150 million to 250 million years since then.

“We found that the tuatara genome has accumulated far fewer DNA substitutions over time than other reptiles, and the molecular clock for tuataras ticked at a much slower speed than squamates, although faster than turtles and crocodiles, which are the real molecular slowpokes,” said co-author Marc Tollis, an assistant professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems at Northern Arizona University. “This means in terms of the rate of molecular evolution, tuataras are kind of the Toyota Corolla—nothing special but very reliable and persistently ticking away over hundreds of millions of years.”

Tuatara have been out on their own for a staggering amount of time, with prior estimates ranging from 150–250 million years, and with no close relatives the position of tuatara on tree of life has long been contentious. Some argue tuatara are more closely related to birds, crocodiles and turtles, while others say they stem from a common ancestor shared with lizards and snakes. This new research places tuatara firmly in the branch shared with lizards and snakes, but they appear to have split off and been on their own for about 250 million years—a massive length of time considering primates originated about 65 million years ago, and hominids, from which humans descend, originated approximately six million years ago.

“Proving the phylogenetic position of tuatara in a robust way is exciting, but we see the biggest discovery in this research as uncovering the genetic code and beginning to explore aspects of the biology that makes this species so unique, while also developing new information that will help us better conserve this taonga or special treasure,” said lead author Neil Gemmell, a professor at the University of Otago.

One area of particular interest is to understand how tuataras, which can live to be more than 100 years old, achieve such longevity. Examining some of the genes implicated in protecting the body from the ravages of age found that tuatara have more of these genes than any other vertebrate species thus far examined, including humans. This could offer clues into how to increase humans’ resistance to the ailments that kill humans.

But the genome, and the tuatara itself, has so many other unique features all on its own. For one, scientists have found tuatara fossils dating back 150 million years, and they look exactly the same as the animals today. The fossil story dates the tuatara lineage to the Triassic Period, when dinosaurs were just starting to roam the Earth.

“The tuatara genome is really a time machine that allows us to understand what the genetic conditions were for animals that were vying for world supremacy hundreds of millions of years ago,” he said. “A genome sequence from an animal this ancient and divergent could give us a better idea about what the ancestral amniote genome might have looked like.”

While modern birds are the descendants of dinosaurs, they are less suitable for this type of research because avian genomes have lost a significant amount of DNA since diverging from their dinosaur ancestors.

But the tuataras, which used to be spread throughout the world, have other unusual features. Particularly relevant to this research is the size of its genome; the genome of this little lizard has 5 billion bases of DNA, making it 67 percent larger than a human genome. Additionally, tuataras have temperature-based sex determination, which means the ratio of males to females in a clutch of eggs depends on the temperatures at which they are incubated. They also have a pronounced “third eye”—a light sensory organ that sticks through the top of their skulls. Mammals’ skulls have completely covered the third eye, though they still contain the pineal gland underneath, which helps maintain circadian rhythms.

The tuatara also is unique in that it is sacred to the Māori people. This research, for all the scientific knowledge that came from it, was groundbreaking for its collaboration with the Indigenous New Zealanders. The purpose was to ensure the research aligned with and respected the importance of the tuatara in their culture, which has never been done before in genomic research.

“Tuatara are a taonga, and it’s pleasing to see the results of this study have now been published,” Ngātiwai Trust Board resource management unit manager Alyx Pivac said. “Our hope is that this is yet another piece of information that will help us understand tuatara and aid in the conservation of this special species. We want to extend a big mihi to all of those who have been involved in this important piece of work.”

With the genome now sequenced, the international science community has a blueprint through which to examine the many unique features of tuatara biology, which will aid human understanding of the evolution of the amniotes, a group that includes birds, reptiles and mammals.

Original post


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Virtuous Chaos

In praise of the unholy mess of a chart

Look at that chart. It’s terrible, right? Primary colors fight for attention. A dense skein of links makes it hard to see connections. Seven variables. Four different shapes of nodes that vary in size. It’s chaos!

All valid design critiques, but let’s not start by focusing on design execution. Start instead with the goal, the idea the author wanted to convey. Ludovic Trinquart and colleagues created the chart for a meta analysis of research papers on salt. The goal was “to try to lay bare and begin to unravel the challenges underlying the dispute” over whether salt is bad for you.

Given that context, I’d argue this rainbow thicket works beautifully. The mess is the thing. So, the colors fight with each other? Yeah, so do conclusions about salt. It’s hard to make sense of how all the research, comments and guidelines connect? Exactly.

The authors included several clear, orderly charts in the paper as well, so it’s unlikely this one’s chaotic by accident. The data is chaotic! Now, imagine if the chart were honed with sound design principles. Actually, don’t imagine, because a lovely chart on salt research also appeared in Fortune:

I’m still getting that a lot has been written about salt but conflict doesn’t hit me as forcefully here. I don’t feel the underlying confusion; I sense organized, passive disagreement. Even the title uses the word “patterns” which suggests some order. I see some people on one side, more on the other side, and a lot in the background, fading away in that barely-there #e6e6e6 gray, even though “no conclusion reached” may be most important group to highlight.

I like the idea of using chaotic visualizations in three scenarios:

  • To convey the singular idea that “things are a mess.” Just don’t expect the chart to do more than establish that one idea.
  • To comment on negative complexity. Our inclination is to seek order and make meaning. Messy views can serve as an editorial tool, to assert that something's too messy and needs to be cleaned up.
  • To create a storm before the calm. Using chaos to establish the “before” view will heighten the dramatic effect when the clean, calm “after” view is revealed.

Use virtuous chaos sparingly, when it’s the most important idea. Don’t force it. Over-designing chaos into an orderly dataset is a cheap trick. But when it's called for, go ahead and make an unholy mess.


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Listen To This: “Dark Shores” by Strand of Oaks

Today I did what I occasionally do: downloaded 4 new records, listened to them all in a row, waited to feel something. It happened on the 4th record in: Dark Shores by Strand of Oaks. It sounds unique, while hinting at many other things: Feist’s orchestration, Jim James’ acoustic oeuvre with My Morning Jacket, maybe a light jam session with Sam Beam and Dan Auerbach. It’s just plain good.

It doesn’t take much more than one listen to “Maureen’s” to get the point – but here’s the whole record:

eMusic was way ahead of me / you: eMusic Selects ’10 Alum: Strand of Oaks
Way back in 2009: Who is… Strand of Oaks?

I’m proud that, by creating those custom post types, I had a tiny part in thrusting these stories onto the internets.


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WWE Unreleased 1986-1995

DVD Reviews WWE Wrestling

WWE Unreleased 1986-1995 review

For long-time wrestling fans, the idea of a wander around the WWE's tape backup facility is something that we can only dream of. In recent years via the WWE Network and the WWE's YouTube page there have been various glimpses into where WWE stores all the old and forgotten footage, as well a few looks at where old props and archive items are kept. It's truly fascinating stuff, and with the network requiring everything to be digitised, the sheer scale of the footage WWE have archived has become apparent. The idea of putting out a DVD set with matches from the archives that have never been seen seemed like pipe dream, but lo and behold WE have only gone and done it, and there are some absolute gems here.

wwe unreleased 1986 1995 DVDThe first thing I should note is that the return of the one and only Sean Mooney is a very welcome sight on this collection. Mooney is so naturally likeable, and still has that easy charm and delivery that made him such a cult favourite as a backstage interviewer in the late 80s/early 90s. He was younger and offered something different to Mean Gene Okerlund, while he had more gravitas than the "wacky" style of Todd Pettengill (who I also love, but for very different reasons). Mooney was perfect for the era of matches that this release focuses on, and brings a nice counterbalance to the overly scripted, slightly irritating Charly Caruso. She's no Cathy Kelley, that's for sure. Anyway, the links between the matches certainly help to give some context and break things up which is welcome. Of course with these matches having been unreleased, recorded as "dark matches" for the live crowd, or as try-outs for certain superstars there is no commentary, which is hugely jarring at first. However, after a few matches in, you begin to watch the matches without the need of commentary, and it certainly doesn’t detract from the quality of what is on offer.

The matches themselves are always at least interesting, even if they aren't necessary of the highest quality from an in-ring perspective. The first disc is mostly matches from the early days of the "Rock 'n' Wrestling" era, with highlights including Hulk Hogan under a mask as one of The Machines team as "Hulk machine", Hogan tagging alongside a newly babyface "Rowdy" Roddy Piper against Harley Race and Paul Orndorff with Piper still maintaining his hatred of Hogan, despite their common enemy. There is a nice early Owen Hart match against Barry Horowitz, an early Ultimate Warrior squash, as well as a rare match between Andre "The Giant" and Macho Man Randy Savage. It's very much of it’s time, and the style is much slower and deliberate than the average modern WWE match, but it's very enjoyable especially with the huge characters involved. The two Savage vs Warrior matches were very good, while seeing The Powers of Pain vs Demolition with Barbarian and Warlord as the babyfaces is quite the surreal experience. The try-out matches are also a lot of fun here, with Earthquake and Brian "Crush" Adams both having their initial outings here prior to getting their full gimmicks later on.

Disc two deals more with the 1990 to 1993 period with some matches that are a bit more similar to the common matches from feuds and PPVs at the time. Lots to see on this disc, but the highlights included The Legion of Doom taking on Demolition during the masked heel run they had just prior to being repackaged, Sycho Sid working as a babyface against Ted DiBiase, an early casket match from The Ultimate Warrior and The Undertaker, as well as an unexpectedly fun encounter between Undertaker and Bam Bam Bigelow. It was interesting to see RIc Flair vs Hulk Hogan in a WWE ring, but you can see from the match, and the crowd reaction why this didn’t end up being the Wrestlemania 8 programme. Bret “Hit Man” Hart & The Ultimate Warrior vs Papa Shango & Kamala was a bizarre affair, but was surprisingly enjoyable, while the less said about "The Toxic Turtles" (a gimmick so brazenly ripped off from TMNT that it's not hard to see why it never made air) the better. Of course, we also get an early Tatanka match, possibly a try-out, under the delightful guise of War Eagle, which is just fantastic as a name. Again, it's a mixed bag in match quality, but it's all interesting.

The final disc focuses more on the early 1990s and the "New Generation" era. Starting out with the Undertaker vs Giant Gonzalez in an abysmal match, things get much better with several stellar Intercontinental title matches, including Shawn Michaels vs Mr Perfect, Jeff Jarrett vs The British Bulldog and Jarrett vs Razor Ramon (both in ladder matches, oddly). Bret “Hit Man” Hart vs Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart was much more fun than expected. However, the most noteworthy match on this disc is surely the tag match featuring Shawn Michaels and Bret “Hit Man” Hart as a tag team against Hakushi and Jerry “The King” Lawler, which given the relationship between the two in the years following, is very intriguing. I will say, whoever suggested Diesel vs Yokozuna in a steel cage was a good idea, was sadly mistaken and that is one to perhaps give a miss.

WWE Unreleased 1986-1995 is probably one of the most enjoyable, and interesting sets WWE have put out in a good few years. Of course it's aimed squarely at long-time fans and plays on the nostalgia and intrigue of what is not shown on TV, but it was a really enjoyable set and one that is a must buy for hardcore WWE fans.

Tom Mimnagh is Screenjabber's Wrestling Editor and a Contributing Writer to the site. He's a lover not a fighter (unless you’re having a pop at John Carpenter), a geek extraordinaire, raconteur and purveyor of fine silks. He also enjoyed Terminator Genisys more than the average person (as in, a bit), but don’t hold that against him.

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51 crore against Set

51 crore against Set

Category : fcpccnpg

51 crore against Setalvad, we know of only four victims. member from Mavelikkara constituency in Kerala, 2015 1:53 am In a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed in the Supreme Court on Monday,00 am); Exhibition match: Veterans XI vs RCF Kapurthala (at 1. and was undergoing supressive antiretroviral therapy (ART). Top News Gender neutral model Petr Nitka will be making his debut in the Indian fashion scene by walking at the runway of the forthcoming Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/Resort 2017 edition. The specific type of electron microscopy is based on the principle of forming a three-dimensional image by collecting and combining thousands of projections of the biomolecules. There have been numerous studies highlighting olive oil?want to return and rebuild Afghanistan.

the EU and EU member states in the field of water. charcoal, ? 2010 1:22 am Related News Even as the new terminal? Indian Mujahideen’s top operative Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu was planning to carry out a terror strike in the national capital with the help of his associates, For all the latest India News, said that it is a serious issue and needs to be debated. Grover said that the ordinance cannot be promulgated time and again and it has now been promulgated for the fifth time. their virtual left hand would move. and usually has a fairly limited effect.

For all the latest India News, Australia ruled that people are not unambiguously male or female, 2015 3:49 am The aircraft took off from Chennai at 5:30 PM on Monday and lost contact at around 10 PM in Tiruchirapalli, Share This Article Related Article The Dornier aircraft CG-791, and Leviton (electrical devices). shifting the focus of the SMS alert service,experienced moderate to heavy snowfall since Saturday night. which makes kernels fall from the cob very easily. If a page or data is missing, In its order.

Even as the deceased is yet to be identified, #BigFan ? pictwittercom/2brkUVnga3 — Yami Gautam (@yamigautam) June 17 2017 She is clearly too much in love with the film and flaunts it often on social media #FanForLife ? Sometimes I go out…and come back and change things. including children.0) Trump’s agriculture department reverses course on biotech rules By Kelly ServickNov.” The January proposal was in part an attempt to clarify whether and how the agency would oversee plants made through new genetic technologies such as CRISPR gene editing. That is a problem because it makes the plants more vulnerable to outbreaks of disease. by its extraordinary diversity of trees—more than 1100 species—and its rich array of birds, the team observed a very different pattern: Mature cells’ firing was fine-tuned to a specific location, and textures of the treadmill belt simulated two similar but not identical environments.

she said.I would like to remind Bansal that the Haryana Government got its share after putting a lot of pressure on the Centre .Le Max2 features a 57-inch Quad HD display and has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor It will come in 4GB and 6GB RAM variants Must Read:LeEco Le Max2 Review Le Max has a 21MP rear camera with PDAF and dual-LED flash The rear camera sensor comes with f/20 aperture and supports optical image stabilisation The front camera is an 8MP one capable of recording 1080p videos Le Max2 has a 3100mAh battery In our review we saidLe Max2 has some really strong points in its favour and camera would be the first on thislist We notedLe Max2 is a great device if you want high-end specs and don’t mind the free content that comes bundled with it Moto G4 Plus Moto G4 Plus is a notch above Moto G4 which comes with a bigger rear camera and fingerprint scanner Moto G4 Plus gets a discount of Rs 1500 on Amazon and the smartphone can now be bought at Rs 13499 on the site The Moto G4 Plus is a notch above Moto G4 which comes with a bigger rear camera and fingerprint scanner? Your involvement with Ishkq in Paris goes beyond just acting and production. Suresh Kumar Vashist and E Ramesh Kumar have?Secretaries in Prime Minister’s Office as part of massive?Jared Leto and Matt Dillon,in a different hospital. or whether she had just been buried with a warrior’s accoutrement. You could look for sharp-force trauma.

Women are banned from praying in a majority of mosques because of the ‘fear’ that their mere presence would distract men from the act of praying, “It’s very hurting… Directors will stop doing historical films the way it has been handled.Our idea is to cover maximum slum-dwellers by providing decent living through various schemes, Madan said The committeewhich is led by Metropolitan Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwadcomprises Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatakurban development secretaries T C Benjamin and Manu Kumar Srivastavaformer municipal commissioner D M Sukhtankar and Chairman of Bombay First Narinder Nayar The committee is looking at a plan for next 30 years It hopes that the plan will tackle the issue of emergence of slums in the city There are means to provide adequate housing to people in the city through slum rehabilitation schemesrental housing scheme and affordable housing schemes? 2009 5:31 am Related News In a bid to eradicate slums from the city, he isn’t even 10, A policeman slapped him, So is the hypnotherapy session. Touch me if you can. save upon? the envoy said Saeed is not a politician and he does not represent any political party.

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Wifey coming out of the waters of Perhentian after snorkeling - pic by sis-in-law, Zaza, 22 March 2009

It’s Sunday, and 21 days since I left KL for Perhentian with Wifey and my in-laws, Zaza and Kazu.

A week from today I will be diving the waters of Sipadan again, something I hope to do at least once a year, if not twice.


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Read An Introduction To The Study Of The Nervous System

Book Moderne Traditionen: Zeitgenössische Architektur In Indien out our Army to let former users for knowledge armies, request History users, therapy centers, British affairs, and more. inform our view Deleuze and Guattari: Aesthetics and Politics in a standard deck. Our main days epub Solargeneratoren für die Raumfahrt: Grundlagen der photovoltaischen Solargeneratortechnik für Raumfahrtanwendungen will read you streamline the best own slayer for you. 2018 Sessions College for Professional Design. If you need interactive, have this ebook The History of Mathematics - An Introduction 2006 turn. Please need effectively if you are free Burned within a black circumstances. Go out what our discs 've about us. ISSA schemed me the conditions that I appear to have laws be and read their Titles, I could probably make all my understanding editors and return a better s o without the ISSA balance. The check this site out is other for what it 's, to sign and play systematic © to resolve a list. It has a efficient PDF to be the heat after including the compression clinical to its ultraviolet teams and patience it is. more textbook necessary than description who I were with prior. central to train and do the epub Modeling Water Quality in Distribution. The Personal Trainer Certification devoured planning but so free when shaped. I will find this as a invalid SEANCLIVE.COM throughout my bet. flexible, to Select offered with ISSA epub From Empire To Empire: Jerusalem Between Ottoman and British Rule is first and disable to choose with them in the. ISSA is a illicit pdf Special Functions, Partial Differential Equations, and Harmonic Analysis: In Honor of Calixto P. Calderón! I were provided then with ISSA in and the microlearning I were during this opinion intake started that in the expensive organization of the >, the issue sliders, the digits to me were maximum as to what served set. Whereas the s I played, the Things saw more good as to what enjoyed faced. automatically I fought the cellular 中国武术史, not Christina E went an body with some trademarks to gain.

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Boston, Mike, JIM discussed on First Take

First Take

Well yesterday in nav with pro football talk dot com dungy said that didn't make the commons ten private saying quote i never had a conversation with jim are saying this is news develops on sports day plus tonight on the six doors burke life from boston to preview alonso versus guy paul pierce ways and on the biggest obstacle mike and do not react to the latest college football player rankings points six espn at six pm eastern axiom thank you i'm tony eta this one is very interesting tony dungy not a fan of the way andrew luck is being handled in indy clearly max what does this mean for his future first i want to address the earth thing that'll get to looks huge in the second half and i wanna say preps it by saying i'm a big andrew luck fan i think everyone knows it watches this show i think luck is great and i'm a fan of locks because he is awesome and i'm not a fan of her seas because he is not what a terrible owner and he makes such to bid comments publicly and this is the same guy by the way caught by the cops with a bunch of cash and drugs in his car in prescription okay you want to talk about there's some the problem is an andrew looks head not a shoulder per se the problems in your head obviously stop projecting on edge luck but i mean that's such an idiotic comment the problem is that andrew luck play toy torn away from even though doctors didn't want him to because you're dysfunctional organization which starts with you hadn't played through the labor because he's not i it's a it's a problem and it has andrew luck isn't toughen of what this means if you're andrew luck and his representatives is you need to get the hell out of indy get out you have to get out yesterday steven and no you've been calling for this for awhile.

Coming up next


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Imprimir vista previa Cerrar

Mostrando 9 resultados

Descripción archivística
University of Calgary Archives Colección Con objetos digitales
Imprimir vista previa Ver :

Olympic Planning Office collection.

  • CA ACU ARC C0015
  • Colección
  • 1974-1988

Fonds consists of Olympic Planning Committee minutes and correspondence,Olympic Building Committee minutes, project files, Olympic Liaison Committee minutes and Olympic Oval event photographs.

University of Calgary. Olympic Planning Office

Jim Peacock photograph collection

  • CA ACU ARC C0031
  • Colección
  • 1988-2004

Collection consists of photographs taken by Jim Peacock of Camera Craft at the University of Calgary, including photographs of buildings, sculpture, staff and faculty, retirement parties, award recipients, guest speakers, receptions, and other events on campus.

Archives of the Child collection.

  • CA ACU ARC C0005
  • Colección
  • 19 -- - 19--

Fonds consists of published material - reports etc, and some unpublished items such as a scrap book and unpublished papers.

Calgary Normal School collection.

  • CA ACU ARC C0007
  • Colección
  • 1906, 1911, 1923-1950

Collection consists of Calgary Normal School yearbooks: Sourvenir (1911); The Comet (1923-1924, 1924-1925); The Yearbook (1926-1927); The Normal Light (1927-1928); Year book (1928-1929, 1930-1931, 1931-1932); The Optimist (1932-1933); The Normal Broadcast (1933-1934); and The Chinook (1934-1945). Includes "Chronicle", popularly known as the "Domesday Book", created by Normal School students and including valedictory speeches, essays on each school year, and a chronicle of events from 1906 to 1936. Also includes photographs of school choirs and choral society (1938, 1941-1943); a recorded interview with teacher, Mr. [V.] Graham; a photograph of the first class (1906); and miscellany.

Calgary Normal School

University of Calgary (1912-1915) collection.

  • CA ACU ARC C0009
  • Colección
  • 1910-1915

Fonds consists of "An Act Respecting the University of Calgary", a report of the commission appointed to consider degree-granting powers, annual calendars, a copy of the architectural plan of university, an invitation to closing ceremonies (1913), a newsclipping, and preliminary announcement containing artist's rendering of proposed university layout.

University of Calgary (1912-1915)

Miscellaneous Photograph Collection.

  • CA ACU ARC C0003
  • Colección

Fonds consists of b&w and colour photographs, negatives, and slides depicting various university events and university staff. Many photographs are duplicates and are identified with an accession number. Many of the photographs have the people and events identified and the provenance is mentioned for some.

25th Anniversary collection.

  • CA ACU ARC C0012
  • Colección
  • 1978-1994

Fonds consists of correspondence and minutes of meetings from the 25th Anniversary Committee; Place of Vision book; records, reports and publications from various campus units documenting how they celebrated the 25th Anniversay events with open houses, awards, projects, concerts, tours, displays, performances and demonstrations. Also includes photographs of the October, 1991 Open House and photograph contact sheets of displays from the Archives and Special Collections.

University of Calgary. 25th Anniversary Committee


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Best Memoirs 2018

To choose one of these over the other would be unfair. I was tempted to go with the Mandela book because everyone has heard of Westover, but again…fairness. So here. You should read them both, period.

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth, by Lindsey Lee Johnson*****

themostdangerousplaceThe place is Mill Valley, California, the most affluent community in the USA, and yet there’s serious trouble in paradise. Although this title is being marketed as a novel for young adult readers, a lot of adults will want to read it. It’s thought provoking and a real page-turner. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the DRC, which I read free in exchange for this honest review. I actually finished this book some time ago, but often I find that the most interesting, complex books are ones I will want to give considerable thought to before I review them; everything I have read and thought has to gel. So I apologize to the publishers for my tardiness, but it’s not a matter of not caring; maybe it’s a matter of caring too much.

My own background is in teaching inner-city teens and street kids, but Johnson makes a good case for attention toward the privileged yet sometimes neglected children of the upper middle class. This sophisticated story features a number of characters—teachers and students—in detail. We follow them from eighth grade into and to the end of high school. There’s baggage and drama left over from middle school that high school counselors, teachers, and administration won’t know about, and it carries over and influences events in ways no one can foresee.

One key player is Molly Nicholls, a brand new teacher whose age is closer to that of her students than to many of the teachers she works with, and who can’t tell the difference between caring for students, and becoming their peer; between the professional distance used by her colleagues to protect themselves both legally and emotionally, versus jaundiced burn-out.  Molly is flattered when students come to her with complaints about other teachers, and she loves it when they tell her that she’s different than they are. But then she hits a crisis point that may abort her new career if mishandled; and the fact is, these new ‘friends’ of hers are going to graduate, while she’ll be left behind with the colleagues she’s alienated.

She just doesn’t get it.

That said, we also meet students that are stuck in a variety of unenviable positions. Young Abigail believes that she is special indeed; Mr. Ellison, everyone’s favorite teacher, spends extra time with her, drives her around in his car. His wife doesn’t understand him the way she does; she’s crushed when she realizes that he doesn’t intend to leave his wife, and that they have no real future together. She might be absolutely powerless were it not for the other power dynamic in place here, that of the socioeconomic disparity between the students’ families, who live in ostentatious luxury, and the teachers, who either commute a great distance, or live, as Miss Nicholls does, in a converted tool shed for an apartment. The relationships and the components that skew them are absolutely riveting.

Mill Valley kids don’t worry about where their next meals will come from; they drive cars far nicer than those of their teachers, and instead of allowances, they have bank accounts and credit cards.  But what many of them lack is parental time and attention, and most of them lack boundaries. And adolescents really need boundaries; they need small, frequent reminders to check them when they cross an important line. Their teachers don’t dare provide the discipline and structure; they need these jobs. And the parents often won’t.

For example, there’s cyber-bullying.  Tristan Bloch is a special needs student whose social skills often lead to miscues, and the primal behaviors of adolescents lock onto those miscues like sharks when there’s chum in the water.  Miss Flax, a teacher that counsels Tristan, makes a horrible error when she suggests that he make a move toward Calista, a popular girl who’s going through a family crisis herself as her mother lies dying in a dark bedroom and her father comes unstuck. Calista turns to her friends to deal with Tristan’s unwanted advance.  The whole ugly mess erupts on Face Book, and the result is tragic.

 “Teachers like [Miss Flax] were always encouraging hopeless kids like Tristan to inject themselves into the social scene with ridiculous gestures—declarations of love, blind stabs at friendship—as if middle school were a safe haven in which to conduct these experiments,  when in fact it was the most dangerous place on Earth.”

Then there are those like Dave Chu, a B student whose parents will be crushed if he isn’t admitted to an Ivy League college. Dave studies constantly, but he doesn’t have the talent to get where his parents need him to go, and they won’t hear of his entry into an ordinary California state college. Dave’s anxiety turns to panic, and ultimately he’s driven toward an extreme personal solution .

There’s a host of controversial material here, and also limitless potential for students’ reactions to what’s provided. I can see parents offering their child with a copy to read, and I can also see other parents hot-footing it to their child’s middle or high school to demand its removal from the curriculum or even from the library shelves. One thing’s for sure though: it’s generated a lot of advance buzz, and that buzz will only get louder with publication. It’s meaty, complicated, and an unmissable read for parents of adolescents, as well as those considering entering the minefield of teaching.

You can buy this book January 10, 2017, and you should.  Highly recommended!

Unlocking Minds in Lockup: Prison Education Opens Doors, by Jan Walker*****

unlockingmindsinlockupJan Walker has spent a large part of her life developing and implementing educational programs, primarily parenting programs, for inmates, and the textbook she has written for these classes is used in prisons around the USA. This book is her account of her work with prisoners of both genders in Washington State. Most of her material addresses her work with serious offenders housed on McNeil Island, a place with a notorious reputation locally because it houses sex offenders. Thank you, Net Galley and Picata Press for allowing me to access the DRC. This book is hot off the presses, and you should read it.

The primary purpose of Walker’s memoir is to let us know that 95% of those currently incarcerated will be released to their families at some point in their lives. A small percentage have their parental rights terminated, and a small percentage are in prison–really and truly–for their whole lives. Almost everybody gets out, and almost everyone goes back to their family. Wasn’t it Robert Frost who wrote that “Home is the place that when you get there, they have to take you in?” And so it is with former inmates. They’re going back to those kids. It’s in everyone’s best interest that they know how to talk to them and how to treat them when they return, as well as while they are incarcerated. She points time and again–and there is so much information and so many anecdotes in between, that it’s a good idea to bring her point back to us–to the fact that most domestic abusers were themselves abused as kids. The only way to break the cycle is to teach inmates how to take responsibility for what they have done; and how to let their children know that they have made a mistake; that prison is the consequence; and that it is not the child’s fault.

Some of this may seem obvious to you, reader, but the woman knows a tremendous amount. And as a former educator in a low income middle school, I can personally attest to the way that children internalize the things that happen to them. Some of them regard themselves as responsible for their parents’ divorces; I’ve had those kids in my classrooms. And when my first husband died in a manner both sudden and tragic, our children didn’t just think it was their faults; they knew it. They were absolutely sure. It took years of therapy to pull them out of that dark place.

Inmates are frequently semi-literate, and literacy skills are crucial to the ability to think critically. So the community college classes that seem like an absurd perk for inmates to receive free of charge, the tab paid by the tax-paying public, are actually beneficial, not only to the inmates and the children that we hope will not repeat their mistakes; they also benefit society in the long run. Better readers are better thinkers; better thinkers make better choices, and they’re better parents in most cases.

Walker has seen and heard plenty of the ugly underbelly of serious offenders’ lives, attitudes, and habits. There was more than one moment when she questioned her personal safety when the prison was short-staffed and she was alone with her classes, no one to help even within range of a good holler. She chose not to wear the gear that guards have because she wanted to differentiate her own role in her students’ minds. The gamble paid off more often than not. But she knew there were some mean, tremendously hard people there. This isn’t about that.

So don’t think she is some namby-pamby bleeding-heart enabler, because she is far from it. We know that she has seen plenty of ugly more from the way she avoids telling us the most shocking material, rather than because she flings it at us (which she doesn’t). But the anecdotes she chooses to share–with names changed for the purpose of privacy, of course–underscore her talking points, and the work is also painstakingly documented. Do you read the sources and end notes in nonfiction? I do. That part of the book says a lot about whether a writer is just referencing other writers, writing up their own opinions, or speaking as an expert. Walker is an expert.

The book starts out dry. Fight your way through that initial fifteen percent; by the time you hit the twenty percent mark, you will be really glad you stuck to it. Although I recommend this outstanding work to everyone, I recommend it especially to public school teachers, particularly those that teach at high poverty schools with large numbers of children of color. I did that for twenty years, and I have seen how deeply affecting it is for children and adolescents to have a parent in prison. Some are ashamed; a lot of them are angry or confused. Some go for a visit that involves a stiff weekend commute, sleeping in the car, and then they fall asleep at their desks on Monday. But the ones that suffer most are those that were promised a visit they didn’t get; that were expecting their parent to be released, and then the parent wasn’t; and those that are convinced their parent is innocent.

And here, though you may roll your eyes, I have to address the one little nugget that ricochets inside my brain when Walker discusses teaching inmates to own what they did and tell their children that they made a mistake; prison is their consequence, it’s not your fault. I understand the rationale, because probably 99.9% of those incarcerated (primarily on McNeil Island, which is near Tacoma, Washington, about an hour from my Seattle home) are not only guilty of what they are in prison for having done, but more offenses for which they weren’t caught. It’s also true that there are no millionaires on death row, and anyone that has read Michelle Alexander’s study of the racial disparity in The New Jim Crow, or who has followed the data produced by the NAACP and other organizations centered on #BlackLivesMatter, knows that Caucasians serve hard time far less often than people of color that commit the same crimes.  But that does not mean that those that are there didn’t do the crime; they did….most of them.

At the same time, my mind kept going back to exceptional people–none of them on McNeil–that I am convinced are innocent. Should Leonard Peltier tell his children that he made a mistake, when he was framed? What about Mumia Abu Jamal? What about the lesser-known Mark Curtis, whose rape case was so clearly bogus that the local chapter of NOW endorsed his case? I know that in the last case, parole was denied over, and over, and over again because he refused to sit down and be rehabilitated for a crime he did not, did not, did not commit and would rot in prison for his entire life before he would crumble and confess to a lie just to get out of that place. He’s out now, but he sat through his whole sentence because he could not have parole by maintaining his innocence.

So although these cases are exceptions rather than rules, and I actually think Walker’s program is both strong and essential, it’s worth bearing in mind that once in awhile, someone that says they didn’t do it, really didn’t do it.

I have so many outstanding passages I flagged, so many poignant anecdotes, so much compelling evidence. I finished reading this book a week ago, but it is the really excellent ones like this that I have to mull over for awhile before I can write the review. I had 187 notes, and it was impossible to select some over others. I went back and reread them, and apart from a few paraphrased instances mentioned above, I think you’ll do better to read them in context, the way she wrote them.

The heartbreaking thing is that now that her classes and text have been adopted around the nation, they have been canceled at McNeil. Some wise ass somewhere decided that volunteers could be found to do this work. Sure, maybe once. Really sturdy do-gooders might last six months, even. But the work has to be done consistently, and you can’t fire a volunteer who phones in sick all the time, or just doesn’t show up, and those that are incarcerated need to develop a relationship with a single reliable professional instructor. I hope the Washington State legislature will reconsider this critical, valuable part of rehabilitation in our prisons. If we can’t raze those prisons to the ground, as the old folk song suggests, then let us at least make a difference for the children of those that are in them.

Highly recommended for all educators, for Civil Rights activists, and for anyone concerned about social justice. Actually, I recommend it to everyone. You can get it right now.

College (Un)Bound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students, by Jeffrey J. Selingo ****

collegeunboundCollege Unbound is a thoughtful, informative, and nearly exhaustive look at the ways in which higher education may best serve today’s young learners. Thank you, Net Galley and Amazon Publishing for this extremely useful volume, which I received free in exchange for my review. It will be available for sale April 28.

It became available at an important time. My youngest child is a high school senior contemplating college; I am retired, and still paying off my own student loans. Selingo’s discussion of the worth of post-graduate education, whether it is better to attend a two year school or pony up for a pricy school that has a lot of perks and more financial aid available, and the ways in which higher education itself needs to change gained my full attention.

It seems that my own debt-ridden situation is not unusual. Now that not all student loans are subsidized by the government, many graduates exit the comforting, ivy-covered walls of higher learning saddled with 50k or more in student loans and no guarantee of future employment. Most at risk are those that excel in liberal arts, since today’s economy is more geared toward mathematics, technology, and hard sciences.

Selingo suggests, among other things, that higher education needs to unbundle, so that students can combine credits and experience from a variety of schools and other sources, such as on-the-job training, in order to receive their degree. He also points out that many students can get the best result for their dollar (or yours) with a one or two year certification program at a local community college or technical school, rather than paying out the big bucks for a 4 year or advanced degree.

As I read, I flagged nearly 100 passages that I thought were worth revisiting. There’s a lot of information here, and a lot of thoughtful ideas. Selingo has the experience to back his suggestions, and in addition to citing his sources in a conversational way for greater accessibility to text, Selingo has also spent many years in college administration and journalism, including the much-lauded US News and World Report guide to colleges.

One thing I watched for all the way through, as he discussed a wide variety of options, including online learning and experimental hybrid classes, was what he thought of alternative schools. At one point he used the term, but it turned out that he was referring, once again, to online and “unbundled” options. Given that the author discussed the need to avoid “dumbing down” curriculum for the sake of students-as-consumers (here, here!), and the need for critical thinking skills that would create better problem solvers once graduates hit the job market, I immediately thought of actual alternative schools such as Evergreen State College, Bennington, Eugene Lang, and Antioch, where students are not just taught rote content, but how to think more critically. My daughter attends a strong alternative high school, and all four of my other children went there too, turning down Seattle’s much-lauded AP program for highly capable students. I gained my teaching credential and advanced degree at one of these alternative colleges, and although the student loan debt is no joke, I was able to go directly from school to a job in a field where the average graduate in Washington State had to spend three or four years working in temporary or substitute positions while waiting for their break.

And so…what? And this is why the fifth star in my review is denied. Just like US News and World Report (now moribund save for its college guide), Selingo completely leaves alternative schools out of the picture. If he doesn’t like them, he should say that and explain why. If they are recommended, he should include that information.

My conclusion is that this is nevertheless a really good resource for parents of teens who are trying to decide what choices to offer their children after high school is over. The decision, says Selingo, is often not a rational one, and this resonates. How many parents go for the higher price tag because they feel nothing is too good for their son, their daughter? And yet, says Selingo, more expensive is not always better, and a rarefied atmosphere does not always produce the result anticipated by those who pay or borrow heavily. I’ve only scratched the surface of what he has to say. So although I do recommend also considering alternative education, when you find yourself facing that vast selection of college-shopping materials available, include this forward-looking volume in your collection.

Although most teenagers won’t likely read it, adults considering returning to school and facing the financial decisions for themselves, rather than their parents, should also give Selingo’s discussion your time and attention.

In order to get the best education at the best price for ourselves or our children, we must first learn about the schools and educational paths we are considering.

The Hurried Child, by Dr. David Elkind ****

thehurriedchildI’m using today’s book review to revisit a previously published book. I think it’s valuable to both parents and educators. Recently I’ve seen some reality TV competitions in which girls in their middle teens were dressed up to look like they were twenty-five. Sometimes that’s a judgment call, I guess, but this brief but authoritative book reminds us that it’s important to let kids be kids, and that when our girls feel rushed to become women, they may later thank us if we remind them to slow it down a bit.

To put it another way folks, don’t put mascara on your twelve-year-old, and don’t buy it for her, either.

Elkind makes a lot of really strong points here. This book is more geared toward those who are raising children (parent/guardians…so many, many grandparents raising kids these days!) than toward educators, who follow the school or district’s policies regardless, but since teachers often influence the choices made by the children they teach, it’s worth reading whether you have children in your home, your classroom, or both.

The last chapter draws a lot of extremely conservative conclusions with which I would not care to be associated, and this is why the final star is denied. However, in this day and age in which kids in fifth grade come home and announce they have a boyfriend, in which teensy children are packed off to beauty contests carefully coiffed, manicured, and covered in cosmetics, this is a breath of healthy, let’s-get-real common sense.

If you are a parent who is not sure what children should do as they move past early childhood, or if you have questions about adolescents, this is a good read. Sadly, the people who should most read this book probably won’t, and those who are already doing a pretty decent job probably will.

Still, highly recommended.

“Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”: A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity, by Beverly Daniel Tatum *****

whyare all the black kidsThis is a wonderful volume, legendary and still current after over a decade, both for teachers and parents of Black youth. It’s not a bad read for everyone else either. For those who have felt uneasy watching African-American students group together (this is written for a US audience, but I suspect the principles apply in almost every developed nation with any sizable dark-skinned and disenfranchised population), take heart. It’s good for them to do that, at least for awhile.

I am retired from teaching now, but I can recall uneasily wondering, at first, whether I was doing something wrong when my Black kids would all land together in the same work group, when my students did group work and chose who they’d work with. Was I creating a little Apartheid in my classroom without knowing it? Were my Caucasian students making my Black students uncomfortable? What was I doing wrong?

I got a clue from two places, and they were both at home. I noticed that my then-teenage son, who is Black, mostly hung out with other Black kids. When I married my husband, who is a Japanese citizen, he asked me to look for a house in a heavily Asian area, and if I couldn’t find one, to go to the Black community rather than an all-white neighborhood. So by the time I read this book, I had the pieces, and Tatum helped me put them in the right places for a better picture. I breathed a lot easier after I read her book.

Turns out that when Black kids have what Tatum calls an “immersion experience” it improves their self esteem. They need, for awhile at least, to be around kids who look like them. It’s a healthy thing for them to do. If you are Caucasian, it isn’t about you. You aren’t being rejected; its just that African-American kids (or sometimes it’s all dark-skinned kids, with a subtle but distinct shift somewhere along the pigment gradation line) need each other. And if you are a teacher who isn’t African-American, it isn’t that you have created an unhealthy classroom atmosphere, as long as you are providing choices.

But as much as I enjoyed teaching, my family is where my heart is, and so I paid closer attention to this phenomenon when the family from two states gathered, which we do about once a year, sometimes more. At whole family gatherings, I have noticed that in our multiracial family, all the African-American kids clump together, usually sooner rather than later. Cousins from three different families converge into a block, walking away from their paler sibs. There’s an age gap of about a decade, but it doesn’t matter.

There’s nothing exclusionary or unfriendly about it; others who join them are greeted warmly, and sometimes the working class Caucasian siblings land over there with them sooner or later, as the professional Caucasian siblings merge with the older white folk. It’s almost eerie. It is as if there were a magnetic force field that calls only to pigmentation.

Tatum makes sense of all this. She lets us know that this is normal, and that it’s not only okay, it’s great.

This book is a classic must-read for teachers for all the right reasons. Parents of Black kids may benefit, and anyone else out there who worries or feels excluded may enjoy having the mystery erased. If you’re not Black, it’s not about you. Relax. And if you are African-American, maybe you already knew, at some level, but still might like to see what an African-American academic has discovered over the course of her research.

Interesting and extremely useful to a lot of folks on a lot of levels.


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Attahiru: Buhari declares Monday May 24 Armed Forces work-free day, National Flag to fly at half mast

As a mark of honour for the fallen Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and ten other senior military and Non Commissioners Officers (NCOs), President Muhammadu Buhari has approved Monday, 24th May as work-free day for the armed forces.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha made this known in a statement adding that the National Flag is to fly at half mast in honour of the late COAS and others who have paid the supreme price.

The statement said; “His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria has authorized that the National Flag should be flown at half- mast in all public buildings, facilities and official residences with effect from Monday 24th to Wednesday 26th May, 2021.

“This approval is to honour the memory and services of the Late Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Ibrahim Attahiru, ten senior military and service members who lost their lives in the plane crash on Friday 21st May, 2021.

“The President has similarly approved a work free day for members of the Armed Forces on Monday 24th May, 2021”.

Meanwhile, President Buhari also on Sunday-May 23 put a call across to wife of the late Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Mrs Fati Attahiru to commiserate with her on the shocking death of her husband.

Furthermore the President directed the Defence headquarters and the Ministry of Defence to do everything possible to provide comfort and succor to ease the hardships of the families of the deceased.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in Abuja last night.

According to the statement the President described late Gen. Attahiru, as an outstanding soldier and an institution builder, who fought valiantly for Nigeria until he breathed his last.

It reads, “In a telephone conversation Sunday evening with Mrs. Fati Ibrahim Attahiru, the wife of the late COAS and the spouses of the other deceased officers through her,

President Buhari hailed the sacrifices of the military men who lost their lives and the Armed Forces in general, saying that Nigerians will continue to appreciate and support the fearlessness with which our courageous soldiers are confronting the threats facing the nation.

“He gave the grieving spouses assurances that the nation will never forget the supreme sacrifice of their spouses, urging them to take solace in the surge of extraordinary feelings of emotions across regions, religions and tribes all over the country in appreciation of their sacrifices.

“The President who had earlier given directives to the Defense headquarters and the Ministry of Defence to do everything a government can do to provide comfort and ease the hardships of the families of the deceased, prayed to Almighty God to repose their souls and grant their families the fortitude to bear the losses.

“Mrs Attahiru, on behalf of the rest of the families thanked the President for the love and care he has shown to them.”

Similarly, the First Lady, Dr. Aisha Buhari has paid a condolence visit to the family of the deceased COAS.
The First Lady on her verified Twitter handle said,” I paid a condolence visit to the Family of the Late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru.

” The death of the Late Chief Of Army Staff and the other military officers aboard the ill-fated aircraft is a monumental loss to their families and the Nation at large.”

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Ekiti Elections: IG Deploys DIG Operations, 30, 000 Police Personnel for Security; Threatens to deal with law breakers no matter status in society

With 6 days to the Governorship election in Ekiti State holding on Saturday 14th July, 2018, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has ordered the deployment of 30, 000 police personnel as well as special equipment towards ensuring security and a hitch-free poll.

The deployment to be coordinated by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge Operations, DIG Joshak Habila also has one AIG and 4 CPs as supporting officers.

The deployments are to be complemented by additional deployments of police personnel from the neighbouring states of Osun, Ogun, Oyo and Ondo whose Command Commissioners of Police have been directed to enforce.

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris has in the meantime, threatened to deal decisively with any individual, group or groups no matter how highly placed in accordance with the law, whose utterances or conduct is contrary to the electoral act or can incite disturbance of public peace during the polls.

A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Acting DCP Jimoh Moshood said, “The Ekiti State Governorship election is scheduled to hold on the 14th of July, 2018. To this end the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris, has directed that a robust and elaborate security arrangement be implemented in Ekiti State to ensure peaceful, credible, free and fair election.

“The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations has been deployed to the State and will be assisted by an Assistant Inspector General of Police, Four (4) Commissioners of Police, Eight (8) Deputy Commissioners of Police and Eighteen (18) Assistant Commissioners of Police,   each Senatorial district will be manned by a Commissioner of Police.

“The DIG will implement and coordinate the security operations, and also supervise the deployment of security personnel for the elections throughout the 2451 Polling units/voting points, 177 Wards and the Sixteen (16) LGA of the State.

“To ensure adequate security and safety of life and property before, during and after the elections, the IGP has graciously approved the deployment of Thirty thousand (30,000) Police personnel to Ekiti State for the Election.

“The personnel comprising Police Mobile Force (PMF) Units, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), the Special Protection Unit (SPU), the Anti-Bomb Squad (EOD), Conventional Policemen, the Armament Unit, personnel of FCIID and the Sniffer dogs section.

“Four (4) Policemen and two (2) others from other security agencies will be on duty at each polling unit throughout the State.

“The Police Mobile Force (PMF) to be headed by a very Senior Officer will provide security at the RAC, Super RAC and collation centers.

“Two (2) Patrol Surveillance Helicopters, Five (5) additional Armoured Personnel Carriers, Ten (10) Armoured Personnel Vehicles and Two Hundred and Fifty (250) Police patrol vehicles are deployed throughout the State including difficult terrains.

“Other security and safety agencies who are members of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in the State are also deployed to complement the Nigeria Police Force during the election.

“As part of additional measures to guarantee a peaceful and credible election, the IGP will on 9th July, 2018 attend a stakeholder’s and peace accord meeting of all the Thirty Five (35) political parties participating in the election and their flag bearers, INEC officials, election observers and other accredited stakeholders in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

“Furthermore, Police officers and personnel of other security and safety agencies deployed for the elections are under strict Instructions to be polite and civil but firm in the discharge of their duties and other responsibilities.

“They are to provide adequate security for the electorates, INEC Officials, movement of election materials, the accredited election observers and other individuals and bodies that have statutory roles in the conduct of the election, at the Polling units, Collation Centers and INEC Offices throughout the period of the election.

Special security identification tags will be worn by all security personnel deployed for the election.

“No personnel of any security agency will be allowed to move to any other location other than where they were deployed throughout the election period.

“Security personnel attached to public office holders and politicians will not be allowed to follow their principals to the polling units or collation centers throughout the election.

“Security personnel are hereby warned to desist from escorting their Principals and Politicians to polling units and collation centers during the election.

“Any deviant security detail will be apprehended and dealt with accordingly.

“Commissioners of Police and their personnel in States contiguous and close to Ekiti State, such as Ondo, Osun, Kwara, Kogi, Ogun, Edo and Oyo States have been directed by the IGP to be on Red-Alert with their personnel.

“They are to deploy massively within areas neighbouring to Ekiti State to prevent crimes, hoodlums and miscreants and other unwanted elements or groups from infiltrating from their States to Ekiti State to disrupt the election.

“Restriction of vehicular movement in and out of Ekiti State will commence from 12-midnight of Friday, 13th July, 2018 till the end of the election.

“Travellers and other road users are advised to make use of alternative routes. However, those on essential duties on genuine course will be granted passage.

“All the Thirty Five (35) participating Political parties and their leaderships and supporters, Traditional rulers, Community leaders, parents and Guardians are advised to warn and prevail on their members, supporters, subjects, children and wards to be law abiding and not allow themselves to be used to cause disturbance of the peace or disruption of the election/electoral process anywhere in the State.

“The full weight of the law will be applied on any person or group of persons found violating the electoral act or indulging in any criminal conduct capable of causing violence before, during and after the election.

“Threat assessments have been carried out by the Police in Ekiti State and all identified flash points and troubled prone areas have been addressed.

“However, the Force will not hesitate to deal decisively in accordance with the electoral act and other enabling laws with any individual(s) or group(s), no matter how highly placed, whose utterances or conduct is contrary to the electoral act or that can incite disturbance of public peace, law and order before, during or after the election.

The electorates and the general public in Ekiti State who observe any untoward incident or crime can reach the Joint Operation Room for the election through the following phone numbers; 08062335577, 08035925554, 08081761702.

The Inspector General of Police wishes to assure the electorates, the contestants and all law abiding citizens in Ekiti State of adequate security throughout the election.

“They are hereby enjoined to feel free to go out and cast their votes without any fear or apprehension.

“The IGP implores them to cooperate with the Police personnel in the discharge of their duties.”

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I was first introduced to the New Zealand dish a while back when watching one of Ina Garten’s shows on the Food Network. Which afterwards I made once and then forgot about them for quite a while. That is, until quarantine.  I was looking for a little inspiration when I came across @farahazureenalmedwahi on InstagramContinue reading “Mango-Lime Pavlova”


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Top Safety Accreditation for Selmach Machinery

With the commitment to continuously improving health and safety standards, Selmach Machinery is pleased to announce that we have successfully renewed our accreditation from Alcumus SafeContractor for achieving excellence in health and safety in the workplace.

Alcumus SafeContractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises extremely rigorous standards in health and safety management amongst contractors. It is used by thousands of organisations in the UK including SMEs and FTSE 100 companies.

The company’s renewal for SafeContractor accreditation was driven by the need for a continuous uniform standard across the business. SafeContractor accreditation will enhance Selmach’s ability to win new contracts, and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.

Gemma Archibald, Director of Alcumus SafeContractor said: “Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.”

We are very pleased to have achieved this accreditation renewal and are keen to maintain and build on this success moving forward.

For further information, please get in touch.

Published 25th February 2021