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Montana Environmental Trust Group receives EPA's Excellence in Site Reuse Award for Transformation of the East Helena Superfund Site
August 22, 2019 /in East Helena News /by Anna Novikova
Federal, State And Local Partners Are Honored For Teamwork Critical To Revitalization Of Hazardous Waste Site
Front row, left to right: Rebecca Harbage (Montana Department of Environmental Quality); Jan Williams (Lewis and Clark County); Kathy Moore (Lewis and Clark County); Cindy Brooks (Montana Environmental Trust Group [METG); Karen Nelson (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service); Betsy Burns (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency); Gregory Sopkin (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).
Back row, left to right: Ron Whitmoyer (East Helena Public Schools); Mary Hollow (Prickly Pear Land Trust), Drenda Niemann (Lewis and Clark County); James Schell (City of East Helena Mayor); Harley Harris (Montana Department of Justice Natural Resource Damage Program).
East Helena, Mont. (August 22, 2019) — At a ceremony today at Prickly Pear Elementary School in East Helena, Mont., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Gregory Sopkin presented representatives from the Montana Environmental Trust Group (METG) with EPA's Excellence in Site Reuse Award for successful efforts to advance the cleanup and revitalization of the East Helena Superfund site. EPA also recognized the host of federal, state and local partners who have contributed to transformation of the site, which was hailed as a national example of the environmental, economic and community benefits that are possible at Superfund sites.
"This year, EPA is marking the 20th Anniversary of the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative by recognizing the people and communities that demonstrate the very best of what can happen when we work together to clean up contaminated sites and get them back into productive reuse," said Gregory Sopkin, regional administrator for EPA Region 8. "The new schools, residential neighborhoods, and trail networks we celebrate today reflect the hard work and vision of the Montana Environmental Trust Group and the many partners who have been critical to the transformation of the East Helena Superfund site."
"METG and our East Helena stakeholders are honored and grateful for EPA Region 8's recognition of the partnerships that have shaped the successful revitalization of former ASARCO lands. We are particularly grateful to EPA for its leadership and support of the community-backed reuse and renewal of the East Helena Superfund Site," said Cindy Brooks, managing principal of the Montana Environmental Trust Group LLC (METG), trustee of the Montana Environmental Custodial Trust. "The trust model works because our lead agency (EPA) has fully embraced everything that can be done, and these are the results. We look forward to continuing our work together with all these stakeholders."
EPA was joined at the ceremony by East Helena Mayor James Schell in recognizing several other partners who have contributed to the cleanup and revitalization of the Superfund site. These included representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the Montana Department of Justice Natural Resource Damage Program, Lewis and Clark County Environmental Health Services Division, the City of East Helena, East Helena Public Schools, and the Prickly Pear Land Trust.
A century of lead smelting by ASARCO contaminated soil and groundwater and left behind a 16-million-ton toxic slag pile. Since the Montana Environmental Custodial Trust was created in 2009 as part of the ASARCO bankruptcy settlement, METG as trustee has been remediating and facilitating reuse of the Superfund site in collaboration with its beneficiaries—the United States, acting through EPA, and the State of Montana, acting through MDEQ—and East Helena stakeholders.
The award ceremony was held at Prickly Pear Elementary School, which opened in 2018 on land that METG as trustee donated to East Helena Public Schools (EHPS). Under construction nearby is East Helena's first public high school; it's scheduled to open in 2020 on land that METG sold to EHPS. Next door, a 319-unit housing subdivision is planned on a parcel that Oakland Companies bought from METG. Nearby, a 254-acre tract was sold by METG to a company that anticipates developing a mixed-use project. These land sales generated nearly $3 million in proceeds for cleanup and paved the way for the kinds of beneficial, safe and sustainable reuses that the East Helena community has welcomed.
"What I point to as the example of success is East Helena," Sopkin of EPA said during the ceremony. "Look at East Helena. Look at what has been done here. I'm just so excited to see this growing up. There's going to be a subdivision there. There's going to be a new high school…What the revitalization does is it brings people together…Communities like yours have great ideas."
As part of the cleanup, more than a mile of Prickly Pear Creek was moved away from the slag pile in order to reduce groundwater contamination. The revitalized creek now flows through newly restored floodplain, habitat and conservation land. In collaboration with EPA and the State of Montana Natural Resource Damage Program, METG as trustee is exploring potential transfer of 350 acres of creek corridor to the nonprofit Prickly Pear Land Trust for inclusion in the proposed Prickly Pear Creek Greenway trail network.
For more information about METG, the Montana Environmental Custodial Trust, and the remediation and redevelopment of the former ASARCO lands in East Helena: https://www.mtenvironmentaltrust.org
For more on the East Helena Superfund site: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0800377
For more on EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative: https://www.epa.gov/superfund-redevelopment-initiative
Land Sales Produce Cleanup Funds and Make Way For New Public High School, Mixed-Use Development and Residential Subdivision, April 23, 2019
Montana Environmental Trust Group's Prickly Pear Creek Realignment Project Wins National Engineering Excellence Award, May 13, 2019
The Montana Environmental Trust Group LLC (METG), as trustee of the Montana Environmental Custodial Trust, is dedicated to the mission of protecting human health and the environment. The Custodial Trust's responsibilities include owning, administering and remediating two federal and two state hazardous waste sites in Montana: the 2,000-acre East Helena Superfund Site as well as hundreds of mine-scarred acres at the Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex/Mike Horse Mine, the Black Pine Mine and the Iron Mountain/Flat Creek mining area. The Custodial Trust received $138 million to remediate and facilitate reuse of the four sites. The Custodial Trust has been managing remedial actions that have included construction of a sustainable cover system—the largest of its type in the country—and excavation of tons of contaminated material, as well as relocation of Prickly Pear Creek. METG is a subsidiary of Greenfield Environmental Trust Group, Inc.
Media Contact: Christine Amrhine, Montana Environmental Trust Group, LLC (METG), 540-846-3163, ca@g-etg.com
https://www.mtenvironmentaltrust.org/newsite/wpinhere/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/METG-logo-transparent.png 0 0 Anna Novikova https://www.mtenvironmentaltrust.org/newsite/wpinhere/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/METG-logo-transparent.png Anna Novikova2019-08-22 16:57:492019-09-05 11:20:15Montana Environmental Trust Group receives EPA's Excellence in Site Reuse Award for Transformation of the East Helena Superfund Site
EPA recognizes cleanup efforts at East Helena Superfund site Bullock signs $5.4M ASARCO settlement funds for East Helena trails, water i...


I've spent a fair chunk of my artistic life directing all-female classical productions and I've discovered a few things through the doing. As a theatre maker I'm hungry to work with the best actors possible, people who push me to do my best work. As a theatergoer I'm hungry to see female actors onstage doing adventurous, surprising and heroic things. Though this is happening more and more in contemporary theatre, we are still stuck in the past with our great old plays. What do we do about that? My answer is use the power of gender-blind casting.
The power of gender-blind casting is simple. It is the power of inclusion. When we include the majority of the population – women – as well as minorities in our casting decisions, we're going to get the best actor in the role.
For men that means you'll know you got the role because you were the best actor, not simply the best guy in the room. And you'll be acting opposite the best actor, not simply the other best guy in the room. It will stretch you, startle you and challenge you. It will make you a better actor.
For women it means you will be asked for your full humanity and not just the safe small feminine part of yourselves. You will be asked to be people of action, just like your brothers. It will be exciting, scary, exhilarating and well worth the effort.
And for those of you still asking, 'why gender-blind casting?' I'll give you a simple answer. It's 2015. Not 1915. Its time to stop being so old fashioned in our casting practices. It's time to stretch ourselves. We will be the better for it.


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Independence Day invariably makes one ponder on freedom and the sacrifices that have been made to ensure that we are able to be free citizens of a strong country. As I thought about India's past and future this 15th August, my thoughts invariably also turned to the question of freedom within our closest relationships.
Swati has been married for fifteen years now and she has been living in a nuclear family setup for the past ten years. Her husband finally responded to her feelings by moving out with her. Yet, their relationship with each other is far from being cordial.
Most of us live by values. Our relationship is also based on shared values that are dear to both the partners. What are the values you live by? They may be- Honesty, speaking truth, helping others, understanding others, caring for others, being compassionate and such other values that you may be sharing with your partner.
Do you live by these values in your work life? Many of us compromise our values in our work life to achieve quick results and money. When it comes to living by the values in work, we do not think about scarifying the values to reach targets and achieve quick growth. are you also doing the same?
There are a number of incredibly nice things that you can do for the man in your life to let him know how much he means to you. Really thinking about his personality and hobbies and personalizing your gestures will demonstrate that you care about him. You will surprise the man in your life with your thoughtful and tailored gestures.
One incredibly nice thing you could do for him is to make arrangement to have his car professionally detailed. Many men take pride in their car and enjoy spending their time to make sure it looks and runs its best. You can let him know that you understand his fascination with his car by making the arrangements to have the car detailed. If you know that he will be out of town for a few days, try making the arrangements for that time so that it will be a surprise for him when he returns. If you are unable to do this in secret, go ahead and let him know about your plans. It's okay that it won't be a surprise because he will probably enjoy being involved in the process.


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Tag Archives: expats in Latin America
Going Up Country
Posted on November 8, 2014 by Anita and Richard @ No Particular Place To Go	28 comments
Both of us remember as kids piling into the family station wagon for Sunday drives to "see the scenery" and we both had the same thought: "B-O-R-I-N-G!" Fast forward to present day and it's readily apparent how much we've changed. A road trip is a cornerstone of travel and the thought of a day spent exploring new towns and countryside can leave us with a sense of giddy anticipation.
We headed north of Manta through a series of small "don't blink your eyes or you might miss them" towns. Because we've found that this area of Ecuador seems to be very aware of its image and protective of its environment, we were surprised when piles of garbage and random trash appeared dumped beside the road for a stretch of a few miles. We spied a large landfill off to the side, servicing the large military reservation in the area, along the otherwise scenic route and once we left it behind we began to enjoy the views again. Our favorite trees, the ceibos, appeared and we began wending our way through the low hills.
As we moved inland from the coastline we began noticing small farms of row crops, many with solitary or multiple workers bent over their tasks – stoop labor. Among the offerings we recognized were onions, maiz, pole beans alongside banana and plantains. Picturesque rice paddies appeared with egrets scattered here and there in the shallow water near workers standing in the mud, hunched over and laboring at the work of tending their crop as in years gone by.
We arrived in Bahía de Caráquez, with an estimated population of 20,000. As a coastal town situated at the mouth of the Río Chone, it's a popular vacation destination for residents of Quito and Guayaquil and has begun to attract foreign visitors and retirees as well as investors in the last decade. Tourism is a significant source of income and, with its high-rise condominiums and hotels located along the waterfront, this new, vertical construction has earned Bahia the nickname of "Little Miami." Numerous fishing boats, pleasure boats and yachts of various sizes were moored at Puerto Amistad near the bridge which crosses the Rio Chone.
Because it's a small town there's not a lot to see but we had a terrific time looking for and taking pictures of the colorful variety of tuk-tuks and pedicabs. There is talk that a new mall with a modern grocery will be coming soon and this will reduce the need for the frequent trips to either Portoviejo or Manta for some basic shopping.
We crossed over the Los Caras Bridge, admiring the boats on the bay and drove through the small town of San Vicente which appeared to be largely ignored by tourists and no comparison to its wealthy neighbor. Here, as elsewhere through our journey, we noted the widespread use of bamboo as a construction material for houses, shops and many examples of split rail picket fences.
Passing by occasional roadside signs that counted down our longitude we reached our final destination, a little fishing village named Canoa (0°28'59.9″S 80°27'04.5″W). Maybe because it was mid-afternoon or low season the few streets seemed almost deserted although it's a popular tourist destination. Shops and small eateries lined the sandy street adjoining the huge expanse of golden beach that sold beachwear, souvenirs and basic groceries. Surf lessons for beginners and intermediates were advertised and there were several of the obligatory surfboard shops and hostels as well.
And finally, it was time to feast on some amazingly fresh and cheap seafood at a little thatch-roofed beach restaurant while we admired the view of the Pacific Ocean, bluffs off to either side and scattered fishing boats along the quiet and almost empty beach.
By Anita and Richard
Long term travel
Granada In The Rear View
Posted on May 17, 2014 by Anita and Richard @ No Particular Place To Go	12 comments
Granada, Spain conjures up visions of the fabled history of Andalusia, the breath-taking magnificence of the Alhambra, the Moorish conquerors turned overlords.
La Catedral
But Granada, Nicaragua? Before our Nicaragua sojourn our conversations with travelers suggested to us that we would prefer Leon, Granada's sister city on Lake Managua, which is the larger of the two cities, the liberal bastion, the university town. Granada is smaller, more commercial, more conservative, favored by tourists seeking more amenities. We were fully prepared to be drawn more to Leon; so it came as somewhat of a surprise that we were captivated by Granada, Nicaragua.
The Old Hospital Ruins
In Granada the colonial architecture around the city is being refurbished and upgraded; its charm enhanced with each renovation. The city has begun to effectively lure the tourist – the more affluent class beyond the transient, back-packer crowd.
Hotel on Avenida Calzada
Avenida Calzada, jutting out of Parque Central, is a vital, bustling, pedestrian thoroughfare crowded with restaurants catering to many tastes. The adjoining streets offer more eateries, watering holes, souvenir shops selling traditional handicrafts and shops seeking to accommodate the needs of a growing city.
Kathy's Waffle House
Scattered around the historic city center are the cathedrals and churches which lend an air of dignity and accentuate the beauty of the skyline. Breezes blowing off Lake Nicaragua help cool the air, in all but the dry season, vitalizing the city.
Iglesia Guadalupe
The physical expression of a city is fundamentally important; it's the first impression, it's what keeps you wanting to dig deeper, to know more. And what began to emerge, what drew us back for the third and extended stay was the relaxed feel and hospitality exerted by the expat community of varying backgrounds and nationalities. There is an eclectic mix of full-time residents, part-time residents and visitors driven by a multitude of personal motivations. The mix includes retirees, entrepreneurs, gap-year students, NGO professionals, volunteers, vagabonds and thrill-seekers. And most have those ex-pat qualities of gregariousness and affability. It is the norm to run into acquaintances on any short journey as we walk about the city and, since shank's mare is the preferred mode of travel, social contact is amplified.
Old Train Depot
To augment the welcoming ambiance provided by the architecture and the expats, there is also the availability of world-class medical care and international transportation options found in the capital, Managua, just a short drive north of Granada. Vivian Pellas Medical Center, a newly constructed facility and private hospital, offers exceptional health care services at extremely affordable costs; it's possible to ensure medical coverage through a monthly payment option. International flights are readily available at the Augusto C. Sandino International Airport to whisk tourists and expats to the States, Canada or any onward destination. Tica Bus Line has daily routes to all the capital cities in Central America and Mexico, so low-cost modes of transport are available for shorter jaunts.
So it's hard to leave a city that we have come to appreciate and friends with whom we've had great conversations and with whom we could develop deeper bonds given more time. But we both agree that it's time for new experiences and locations; time to leave a city and a country that have imprinted themselves upon us and move south, leaving Granada in the rear view.
La Iglesia Xalteva
By Anita and Richard, May, 2014
Travel in Central America
Howlers At The Green Puddle
We exited the ferry onto Ometepe, an island comprised of two volcanoes rising above Lake Nicaragua's choppy surface which are connected by a low isthmus giving it an hour-glass shape. The northernmost volcano, Concepcion, is active while the southern, Madera, lies dormant with a caldera and lagoon crowning its heights. The island is large and sparsely populated for its size with a population somewhat in excess of 40,000 inhabitants. Ometepe is still primarily devoted to livestock and agriculture although tourism and eco-tourism are rapidly growing economic sectors. There are two small ports, Moyogalpa on the northwest coast of Concepcion, where our ferry docked, and Altagracia on its northeastern shore, with a newly paved road connecting them. A paved road also runs the length of the isthmus then abruptly ends on the northern slopes of Madera and the ride rapidly deteriorates. Clench your teeth because, if you want to go anywhere off this semi-circular road, you're in for a bite-your-tongue, slow and bumpy journey. The island has an interesting archeological history whichs appear to have begun with migrants from Mexico as the initial inhabitants perhaps around 2000 BC. By happenstance, we stumbled upon Jorge Luis who was knowledgeable and who served as both chauffeur and guide during our stay. He shepherded us around the island starting with Museo de Ceibo at the end of a dirt road near a small village with the unusual name of Tel Aviv. The museum, devoted to the artifacts of the island, was much more than we had expected and showcased household and ceremonial pottery, kitchen and agricultural implements, weapons for hunting and war and burial urns. The influence of the Mayan culture in certain polychromatic ceremonial pieces was obvious. We also visited Altagracia to view the few pieces of statuary left on the island (most have been moved to Managua and Granada) and many of the numerous and sizeable petroglyphs located on the lower slopes of the volcano Madera, among the most ancient of the relics on the island. After a tasty lunch of fresh grilled fish from the lake we headed for a swim to Ojo de Agua, the Eye of the Water, a mineral spring marginally developed by an encasement of the basin in a tiered pool, situated at the end of, yet another, rutted, bumpy road. The water, crystal clear, mirrored the surrounding colors of blues and greens and the sun's rays slanting down through the leafy cover overhead reflected mystically off the water. After a hot and dusty day the cool water was divine and the atmosphere of the spring was extraordinary and surreal. On the third day of our visit we discovered the newly opened Butterfly Paradise, obviously intended for butterflies but it could also have been called that for us humans as well. A recently built, enclosed, mammoth-sized enclosure was beautifully and artistically landscaped which allowed our flying friends to live in an environment without predators. Fresh fruit was cut and strategically placed throughout the enormous space as a supply of fructose and colorful flowers offering nectar as a food sources in abounded in well-tended garden beds. For us, the only visitors at the time, it was simply an oasis of tranquility and a place to marvel at the delightful creatures.
We lodged at the Charco Verde Hotel, literally translated as the Green Puddle, so named due to its association with a small nature preserve of that name, found at the terminus of (yet again!) a dusty dirt road. The setting was quiet and relaxed, nestled on the water's edge in a cove on the south shore of Concepcion. The lagoon itself, the "puddle", was fed by a fresh water spring and was lined with trees, forbs and shrubs. But the most appealing were the troupes of howler monkeys which we found could be witnessed each afternoon, high overhead, around dusk. The dry season provided the perfect viewing with the sparse vegetation allowing us to observe these clever acrobats and listen to their deep and reverberating warnings. All in all, a few days delightfully spent in the somnambulant life of Charco Verde serenaded by our hosts, the howlers.
By Anita and Richard, April, 2014
The 'Hood: Living In Our Barrio
Posted on April 5, 2014 by Anita and Richard @ No Particular Place To Go	18 comments
It starts to get light about 5:00 a.m. and the roosters commence their competition to welcome the new day. Who can crow loudest? Longest? Most Inflections? The birds join in with a songfest and soon we hear the occasional bark of dogs as households begin to stir and take advantage of the cool morning temperatures to get some chores accomplished. A baby wails, a child laughs, a new day begins.
We can go up to the third-floor rooftop terrace and peer over the waist-high railing into our surrounding neighbor's irregularly shaped dirt yards filled with an outdoor stove for cooking, various shade trees, the occasional mango, and the ubiquitous banana trees. Drying clothes hang from lines and, in a haze of suspended dust, the women sweep the hard dirt backyards clean of leaves and place the debris into a trash pile with other discards to be burned every few days. The funky odor of burning trash and other garbage wafts into our window occasionally.
We are renting a cheerful, airy, one-bedroom apartment, about 500-square feet, at the Vista Mombacho Apartments. We have doormen who monitor the entrance around the clock for security and keep an eye on the neighborhood doings. A small staff makes certain that maintenance problems are promptly fixed, the apartment cleaned twice weekly, the 5-gallon bottles of drinking water replaced as needed and our questions answered as they arise. The laundry facilities are clean and the Wi-Fi, while not blazingly fast, is reliable. And, oh yes, there's a lovely pool to float around in during the heat of the day and a roof-top patio for get-togethers or star-gazing while relaxing in a hammock.
As for the neighborhood, zoning is a first world concept and "mixed" would most aptly describe the area. The predominant style is colonial with the attached dwellings fronting the walkways and/or road and finished in a stucco facade. Some homes are well-maintained with freshly varnished doors and a gleaming coat of paint. Some are a little shabby and some are in uncared for, dilapidated disrepair interspersed with the occasional empty, trash-strewn lot. Mixed in with the houses are pulperias: small, family run stores in the front of the home specializing in convenience items and groceries, homemade foods and drinks, bicycle or small appliance repair shops, etc. Many mornings we'll glimpse the neighborhood women here and there busily scrubbing down the walkway in front of their homes or businesses. At various times of the day, groups of men (varying in age but all unemployed) will congregate to visit or pass around a bottle. Occasionally, as you walk a few blocks in any direction, will be some prone, passed-out man sleeping off another day of no work, no hope.
Home security – Stretching concertina wire
The two grocery stores we shop at, La Union and La Colonia, are about four blocks from our apartment. Every couple of days we grab our canvas bags and set off. The stores are surprisingly westernized with shopping carts, scanner check-outs, and US and Latin American brand names. The familiarity and ease of shopping is reflected in the increased pricing. We attempt to economize by buying some of our fresh fruits and vegetables in the small markets around the city or the mercado but the habit of convenient one-stop shopping dies hard.
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, just a couple blocks down from the grocery store is the office of our physician, Dr. Francisco Martinez Blanco, who speaks fluent English and enjoys a popular reputation in the expat community. In the other direction is the Laboratorio de Diagnostico Clinico Jesus Christo known to expats as "The Baby Jesus Clinic" where you can get your lab work done. Two blocks further on is a husband and wife dentist team, both fluent in English and trained in Argentina, who run a spotless, modern and well-organized office and personally performed our bi-annual cleaning and dental checkups at a fraction of the cost of work in the US.
The Baby Jesus Lab
It's not hard to find fault in any city if you're looking but Granada, a beautiful little city, is easy to love and easy to feel at home in. There's plenty to do and see in the area for those so inclined or there are many places to relax and while away an afternoon. Parting company with the city and continuing our travels at the end of April will be difficult.
Where No Sewer Has Gone Before…
Posted on March 15, 2014 by Anita and Richard @ No Particular Place To Go	6 comments
We all know the dull headache that comes when the city announces impending plans for a sewer repair or a road extension project. In advance, we anticipate the congestion caused by the heavy equipment which will crowd the cars to the margins of the streets. The sight of earthmovers plying their trade on our public thoroughfares does not draw a second glance. But that is there, in the States – back home, where energy is abundant and affordable, where mechanical power has for scores of years replaced human power.
For the last two-plus months, during our daily commute, we have watched a major sewer expansion project as the City of Granada extends the sewer lines into the previously ignored and poorer barrios south of the city. Electrical power has recently been provided to the vast majority of the area along with potable water. The sewer, as the most complex of the projects, is the latest improvement. So, if you need to construct a new sewer line and you do not have access to cheap, reliable electricity or heavy equipment, you use the resources that are available to you. You use the labor force to dig the trenches, lay the pipe, install the man-hole connections and complete all the ancillary work that needs to be done.
Now, mechanized power is not totally absent. There are trucks delivering pipe and bedding gravel. There are water trucks providing construction water to the project. There are a few whacker-packers for compaction; there are even a couple of Bob-cat style loaders, presumably to assist with some lifting aspect of the work. But, primarily, the work is conducted with shovels and an enormous effort of physical stamina, brute strength and human power.
Does a project of this scope cause a bit of havoc in the neighborhood? Well, yes. There is no difference there. The major streets are closed or restricted with traffic forced onto the laterals. The number of "close calls" between vehicles and bicycles, scooters, pedestrians and the numerous horse-drawn carts, increases exponentially. Street traffic gets diverted to the unpaved side streets creating hovering dust clouds for the residents. Traffic control, a discipline that has not yet reached its maturity in Granada, is inadequate – signage and traffic flow is a matter of secondary or tertiary importance.
But the work does get done. From our seats in the taxi we click our camera shots and watch as the project unfolds. The route to our school in the Pantanal neighborhood seems to change regularly as portions of the road are released for traffic. There is no major fan-fare about the progress of the work; it simply proceeds, day after day. The only sign, while not announcing Your Tax Dollars at Work, does explain that this new work was made possible with assistance from Germany and Japan.
So, say what you will about the disparity of construction methods between the US and Granada, Nicaragua. There is still a basic and unmistakable commonality – those damn construction guys are forever leaning on their shovels!
By Anita and Richard, March, 2014
Ladrilleria Favilli: Where Italy Meets Nicaragua
Posted on January 25, 2014 by Anita and Richard @ No Particular Place To Go	28 comments
The sign on the building reads Ladrilleria Favilli and the sidewalk in front of the building on Calle Santa Lucia in Granada is a colorful patchwork of tiles in many original and classic designs. We poked our heads in the door to check out the displays of distinctive and traditional patterned tiles and the pretty woman sitting at the desk, Maria, invited us to come in and look around the workspace. While we admired the beautiful tiles she shared the fascinating history of the tile factory and explained and showed us how the tiles were made.
In 1915, leaving war-torn Europe and Italy behind, Mario Favilli, Maria's great-grandfather, arrived in Granada accompanied by his wife and two children. Mario was an architect and sculptor and, to support himself and his family in his newly adopted country, he brought two hydraulic presses for the making of the tiles which grace the floors of many homes, both old and new, throughout the city.
There are many things that make the Favilli tiles unique. Each tile is handmade: the molds are classic patterns and many were designed by Favilli himself although customers can create their own designs and select the desired colors for a truly one-of-a-kind floor. Favilli's will then create a template to meet the custom order. The tiles are made out of cement (not clay as we had assumed), are approximately ¾ of an inch thick and weigh almost 8 pounds each. The colored pattern runs halfway through the tile so, needless to say, they're extremely durable!
We followed Maria into the factory as she gave us an impromptu tour. Sand is brought into the workspace through the courtyard and a worker then sieves it to remove any over-sized pieces of sand, rock or debris. The resulting fine sand is then mixed with water and concrete by hand in buckets and color is added to create a thick, viscous liquid to be used for the design. The liquid is carefully poured into the molds in several different steps as one color after another is added to make the motif . At this point, with the mold halfway filled, moist concrete mixture and then a thin layer of the dry mixture are added. A weight is placed on top of the mold and the whole, heavy load is transferred to the hydraulic press which squeezes out the liquid (about 15 seconds). The template is turned upside down and the resulting tile is carefully removed and placed on its edge in a line with previously made tiles where it will need to dry for at least seven days before it can be laid. The tile must cure for at least three months if it is to be sealed and polished.
The resulting handmade tiles can be arranged in an endless possibility of designs and patterns forming borders and "carpeted" areas on the floor, countertops and bathroom walls throughout one's home. After all, why limit art to paintings on the wall?
By Richard and Anita, January, 2014
La Bomba: A Not So Silent Night
Posted on December 28, 2013 by Anita and Richard @ No Particular Place To Go	6 comments
Granada took on a new personality for Christmas Eve. Rather than a handful of people sitting on their stoops to chit-chat while taking in the sights and sounds of the city's night life, the doors and windows of the colonial homes on block after block were open displaying their Christmas decorations and lights for all to see. People congregated in groups, large and small, in front of the homes. Generations of families and friends greeted the strollers with "Feliz Navidad". Kids vied for space in the streets with the adults to shoot off fireworks or launch the numerous types "bombas", the explosives and sky rockets. The truly awe-inspiring missiles were those which were constructed locally using dynamite with prima-cord fuses. These brutes were wrapped in brown paper twists, placed into an upright, steel pipe-stand on the street and then lit with a long taper. The wee children, of course, were relegated to the curbs and steps to play with sparklers and ladyfingers.
As we were walking by the home of the Arana family we stopped to admire the multitude of lights and glimpsed a beautifully decorated tree in the back of the living room. The matriarch, Fatima, invited us to come inside to better appreciate their efforts. The home, built in the Spanish colonial style around an interior courtyard, was a lavish display of twinkling lights and ribbon wrapped columns. We were given a tour of the home by one of the daughters and admired each room festively decorated for the season. Later that evening, when we passed by the home again as we were walking to our house, we greeted the patriarch of the family, Emilio, sitting at the entry way overseeing his grandchildren setting off their firecrackers in the street.
The fireworks had been building towards a crescendo all day. In the early part of the day the reports were sporadic and tentative. By mid-afternoon they were reliably steady and increased hourly as the night progressed. It was not a coordinated effort; it was thousands of households independently and simultaneously asserting their right to celebrate in the loudest, most frenetic manner possible. At midnight, the culmination of the evening, the cacophony was majestic. From every side, on all the streets and walkways in the barrio, from over the garden walls fireworks exploded with abandon; the skyline a strobe, pulsating, white glow. The occasional colored skyrocket only accentuated the bright flash of gunpowder with its resounding report. The angels would know that Granada was joyously paying homage to the Christ child.
We awakened on Christmas morning to a neighborhood disturbed only intermittently by the occasional sound of fireworks. When we left our home at mid-morning Christmas day, the city was quiet for Christmas is a day to be with the family. The only evidence of the assault on the senses that had transpired only hours before were the neat piles of paper residue left behind by the street sweepers to be hauled away later that morning. The city, its energy spent, had returned to normalcy.
By Richard and Anita, December, 2013
Celebrations-Holidays-Traditions


Our technological surveys are up-to-date research about technical and technological developments in a determined field of your choice. Sable Chaud's surveys include existing products, technical processes, scientific discoveries, products or services, norms, substances, and materials.
Sable Chaud's insight into the latest developments stems from multiples sources : specialist - and trade press, fairs, business networks, onlline research, selceted publications in print, exhibitions, interviews, and more. Our surveys provide an instant overview of current testing and trials, research and business.
Our technological surveys are delivered with illustrations and explanatory charts regarding technological aspects. They come with a glossary to enable you to become familiar with new territories, and also to give you the means to further your own research.


The first step is figuring out how X-Plane communicates with external programs. Never having interfaced with any other software before, I figured this would be a good challenge for me.
I've chosen to go the UDP route. Although this is designed to work over a "network", I'll being doing it all on a single computer. For a very good explination of how all this works, check out Jeff Lewis's site. I found it the most helpful while trying to make heads or tales of everything.
My "simplified" (and probably over-simplified) version of how it all works goes like this: UDP communication occurs over a network, typically with more than one computer. Computers all have addresses in the form of an IP address. Well, each computer also has a localhost address or "home" address, typically 127.0.0.1, for loopback network connections. Basically, any software on your computer that is connected to the localhost can send/receive data from each other. Ports are used to tie into the network. Any software that wants to send/receive data on the localhost must open or bind to a port, and ports can not be shared.
Jeff had a good analogy: If you think of the localhost (127.0.0.1) as being the apartment building, ports are like the individual apartment numbers. Another way to think of it is to think of the localhost as being the power wires running through your home. If you want to to access it, you must do so through an outlet (or port). You can't plug-in more than one device per outlet plug (same goes for ports).
I will not get into all the details of how it works, as Jeff does an excellent job of that already, so be sure to check out his site above!
Before I jump into the C# of this, here's how to get X-Plane all setup for UDP. In the previously shown options screen, in the bottom-right corner there is a box for setting UDP rate. This tells X-Plane how many times per second to send a datagram. For initial testing, anything from 1 to 10/sec works.
X-Plane binds to port 49000 for receiving data, 49001 for sending, and 49002 for iPad devices. Since there is no reason to change these values, I'll not touch them. But, it does tell me that ports 49000 to 49002 are already taken, so for receiving any data in my C# application, I know I'll need to use a port other than those, such as 49003.
Now that the ports are known, I can click on one tab to the left, the Advanced tab. Here, I can put in my localhost IP, 127.0.0.1, and the "receiving" port I anticipate using in my C# application, 49003.
Understanding the format of X-Planes UDP sentences is very important, obviously. So I'll review them here.
The first 5 bytes are the message header, or "prolouge"
First 4 of the 5 prolouge bytes are the message type, like "DATA"
68,65,84,65,60 = D,A,T,A,'' : These are CHAR's. The 5th byte we don't care about, so when sending any data sentences to X-Plane, a 0 (zero) should be placed there.
18,0,0,0 = 18 : This is an index number that corresponds to a specific data set in X-Plane. In this example string, we're looking at the data set, "18: pitch, roll, headings". The only byte we need out of these 4 is the fist one. The other 3 will always be zero. The first byte doesn't need any calculations, use as an integer.
171,103,....,151,193 : These 32 bytes make up the 8 single-precision floating point numbers that will need to be calculated. This is EASY to do with a single C# function, BitConverter.ToSingle... I'll get to this shortly.
Not all Data Sets use all the 8 floats. They will either just be zero's or "0,192,121,196", which is -999.
For any item in a Data Set for which you do not wish to change or you wish to "give back" control of to X-Plane, send the value -999, or 0,192,121,196.
MAC users: due to the way Macs order bytes, you'll want to read this: Little Endian vs Big Endian.
There are well over 100 different UDP sentences available through the Data Set panel in X-Plane. Each of them is unique and constains up to 8 floating-point values. Luckily there's an easy way to view the data order of any of those sentences.
In X-Plane, back under the Data Input & Output -> Data Set tab, the 2nd check-box next to all the data sets, sets that particular data set to be logged in a .txt file, called Data.txt. This is stored inside the X-Plane root folder. For any sentence you wish to view the data order of, simply check the Disk File 'data.text' option, select how many times per second you want to log the data, then run the sim for a few seconds. Once you know some data has been written (X-Plane will display a message that it's writing to the data file), go back to your Data Set option, un-check the data box (so it doesn't keep logging data), then go to your X-Plane root folder and view the data.txt file.
That was a fairly quick run-down of "how it works", but if you'd like to read some more "background" information, see Jeff's tutorial here, or to view X-Plane's own documentation on the subject, see this page: X-Plane UDP Reference.


We all know how important it is for kids and teens to see reflections of themselves in literature, especially written by members of their communities. At this meet-up, we will discuss recent stand-out books for kids and teens, that are diverse in race, gender identity, learning and physical abilities. We'll share tips for curating diverse and inclusive library collections and look at publishing practices and underrepresented authors. Come with your best ideas and favorite recent titles!


There are five basic steps to be done when injecting a crack in concrete that is leaking water. This is crack injection 101. Learn these steps and you will be well on your way to understanding what it takes to seal a water leak in concrete with products such as Spetec PUR F400, Spetec PUR F1000 and AP Seal 500. In future articles, we will explore every one of these steps in more detail and address the multitude of options (such as port selection, hole spacing, depth, what to do when you hit rebar, etc.) But for right now, we are going to discuss the most basic steps.
Step 1: Drill holes. Use a hammer drill to drill holes in the concrete that intersects the crack. These holes are usually drilled at a 45 degree angle to intersect the crack halfway through the structure so that the resin is forced towards the front and back of the crack.
Step 2: Flush the holes. When you drill, you create concrete dust. If you don't flush this dust out of the holes, it will be forced into the crack during injection and may clog the crack, preventing resin from getting where it needs to go. Put a flexible hose all the way to the back of the hole so that water flushes the dust from the back of the hole to the surface of the concrete. Flush until clean water is flowing.
Step 3: Install your injection port. The port is what seals the hole and gives the injection pump a direct connection to the crack.
Cleans the crack of dirt and other contaminants to allow resin to flow freely.
Gives you an idea of how far and how easily the resin will flow into the crack when you start injecting the foam.
Helps to open areas that the resin wouldn't otherwise flow. Water is thinner than resin and will penetrate deeper and into tighter areas.
Ensures the resin will have enough moisture to react with.
Step 5: Inject the resin. Always use the lowest pressure that will continuously feed resin into the crack. Slowly turn up the pressure as necessary to get the resin flowing. My rule of thumb is to keep injecting even if resin starts to flow out of the crack. As long as more resin is going in than is coming out, you are improving your chances of success. When the resin isn't moving further along the crack, move to the next port.


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Memoirs of Dr.Andrew Moonir Khan: Journey of an Educator
By brenchris on Mon, 01/28/2019 - 00:33
The Lost Letters
/genres/non-fiction
The life of the mind
Attiude is everything
Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche, trans. Walter Kaufmann
Basic Judaism by Milton Steinberg
Nobody Wants Your Stuff Non Fiction Giveaway
Speeches of Note Christmas Giveaway
Resisting the Challenges of the 21st Century Non Fiction Giveaway
Get a glimpse into life in the days of Indentureship in Trinidad and Tobago.
Memoirs of Dr. Andrew Moonir Khan: Journey of an Educator, is an inspiring and motivational story.
The book received four five-star reviews from Readers Favorite.
The foreword was written by a former Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago, Sir Isaac Hyatali, Q.C.[now deceased]
Do you know that at one time Education was not a priority?
The young teacher Andrew overcame all obstacles and became a trailblazer in Education in his country climbing the ladder from classroom management to school principal, and superintendent of schools.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago awarded him a scholarship to study teaching methods in the United Kingdom.
School violence was never heard of during his tenure.
He was God-fearing.
Later in life, he became the first Presiding Elder in the Presbyterian church in Trinidad and Tobago.
He preached many sermons, some of which are appended to his biography.
Teachers will love Dr. Khan's memoir.
Extract of Review by K.C. Finn from Readers Favorite:
Mrs. Brenda C. Mohammed has done a wonderful job in bringing the life, philosophy and personality of Dr. Andrew Khan to life in this compilation of teachings.
As an educator myself, I was particularly interested in Dr. Khan's individualistic approach to students and the humanitarian way in which he achieved success.
Memoirs of Dr. Andrew Moonir Khan presents the life of an inspiring man who struggled through underprivileged circumstances to rise to the top of his field, all without losing his generosity of spirit or his creativity.
For educators, the book demonstrates how passion and planning can lead to a great many good things in the future, but for a wider audience, the book holds value as an inspiring story of faith and commitment to one's true path.
I would recommend this book for biography fans seeking a deep but feel good read.


Rotary is Ordinary People working together to accomplish Extraordinary Things! If this appeals to you, then Rotary definitely is for you, too!
Rotary International is the world's oldest (est. 1905) and largest service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide! Rotary club members are volunteers who work together locally, regionally, and internationally to leverage their resources and skills to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate deadly diseases like polio, all under the motto of Service Above Self.
Villagers line up to harvest rainwater. Vihule Kond, India. Photo by Alyce Henson / Rotary Images.
Rotary club members represent a cross-section of business leaders, professionals and community volunteers around the world. These 1.2 million men and women give their expertise, time, and donations to support local and international projects that help people in need and promote understanding among cultures. Rotary International is the worldwide association of Rotary clubs united under a motto of Service Above Self.
Rotary's flagship program is its effort to protect children against polio. It aims to eradicate the disease from the world. But Rotary does much, much, much more!
Team up with Rotarians and help make a change in your world! You'll never be the same; nor will the world!


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COA Affirmed Trial Court's Denial of Grandparent's Adoption
In the Matter of the Adoption of E.M.M. (February 17, 2021)
HELD: Trial court's denial of Grandparents' adoption petition was affirmed, as the Court of Appeals declined to reweigh the best interests evidence that led the trial court to deny the adoption.
FACTS & PROCEDURAL HISTORY: Mother and Father had Child together in 2010, but never married. The three lived together in Arizona for an extended period after Child's birth. Father established paternity in 2012.
In 2017, Mother and Child moved to Indiana, and Mother remarried Stepfather. In 2018, Mother and Stepfather were convicted of domestic battery arising from injuries to Child's sibling, which resulted in Child and Mother's two other children being placed with Grandparents. DCS was unable to contact Father.
In 2019, while a CHINS case was proceeding, DCS located Father in Arizona, causing DCS to elect a placement of Child with Father. However, Grandparents then filed a petition to adopt Child. The trial court heard Grandparents' adoption petition on its merits, and denied it based upon an analysis of Child's best interests. Grandparents appealed. On appeal, Grandparents argued that the evidence established the adoption would be in Child's best interests, as they had provided a stable home for Child for many years. However, the Court of Appeals considered this a request to reweigh the evidence, which it declined to do. The Court noted that the CASA testified to the trial court that adoption was unequivocally not in Child's best interests, and that Child had been flourishing in Arizona since reunification with Father. Finding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion, its denial of Grandparents' adoption petition was affirmed.
James A. Reed and Michael R. Kohlhaas represent clients in a wide spectrum of relationship transition and wealth planning matters, including premarital agreements, estate planning, cohabitation, separation, divorce (especially involving high net worth individuals and/or complex asset issues), custody, parenting arrangements, adoption, and domestic partnerships. Cross Glazier Reed Burroughs, PC, is the premiere boutique family law firm in the state of Indiana. Visit the firm's website at https://www.cgblawfirm.com/ .
Trial Court
Family Law Case Review
COA Reasons that Trial Court's Specific Findings of Inability to Communicate & Cooperate
COA Reverses Trial Court's Provisional Order that the Marital Residence be Sold
COA Affirmed Husband was Voluntarily Underemployed, but the Income Imputation was Remanded


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Research Article|August 01, 2012
Heavy metal, sex and granites: Crustal differentiation and bioavailability in the mid-Proterozoic
John Parnell
School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK
Malcolm Hole
Adrian J. Boyce
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Glasgow G75 0QF, UK
Samuel Spinks
Stephen Bowden
John Parnell, Malcolm Hole, Adrian J. Boyce, Samuel Spinks, Stephen Bowden; Heavy metal, sex and granites: Crustal differentiation and bioavailability in the mid-Proterozoic. Geology ; 40 (8): 751–754. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G33116.1
Biogeochemical and genomic studies have suggested that the availability of trace metals has been essential to the progressive evolution of life on Earth. In particular, the evolution of eukaryotes to diverse complex multicellular life has been related to the availability of trace metals. The radiation of eukaryotes, and the evolution of sex, is timed as Mesoproterozoic, but at that time the metals may have been preferentially sequestered in a sulfidic deep ocean. However, the addition of a huge volume of new crust to form a supercontinent ca. 1.9 Ga, including an unprecedented episode of within-plate anorogenic magmatism, led to an extraordinary new flux of metals to the upper crust in the late Paleoproterozoic–Mesoproterozoic. The appearance of sulfate evaporites from ca. 1.7–1.6 Ga indicates extensive weathering of metallic sulfides. Erosion of the supercontinent into Mesoproterozoic sediments introduced key metals to near-surface reservoirs, providing an enhanced biogeochemical environment conducive to the expansion of an evolving biota.
chemically precipitated rocks
evaporites
magmatism
Mesoproterozoic
paleoecology
upper crust
Continental growth and recycling by accretion of deformed turbidite fans and remnant ocean basins: Examples from Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic orogens
4-D Framework of Continental Crust
Archean magmatic granulites, diapirism, and Proterozoic reworking in the Northern Marginal Zone of the Limpopo Belt
Magmatism in the Vermont Appalachians
Geochemistry and origin of Neoproterozoic ironstone deposits in the New Jersey Highlands and implications for the eastern Laurentian rifted margin in the north-central Appalachians, USA
Mineral occurrences in central East Greenland (70°N–75°N) and their relation to the Caledonian orogeny—A Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic study of scheelite


Fyi for ppl interested: "Thanks for your interest. The bed is free to use for needy terminally ill patient. Should you wish to be evaluated for suitability by social worker please provide your phone number."
3 crank electrical hospital bed. Free to use.
See picture for details. Fulfilling my mother's last wish. Bed was brought brand new but she didn't get to use it. Bed is currently in Jurong. Free to use if you need it.


This smooth cream acts during the night for a peeling effect that reveals radiance. Night after night, its resurfacing action diminishes the appearance of wrinkles, illuminates the complexion refines the skin's texture and reduces blemishes.
AHA safely acts during the night for a peeling effect and an action on wrinkles, dark spots and imperfections.
Protects skin from pollutants by boosting its detoxification system.
Enriched with Uriage Thermal Water and Plant Waxes (Acacia, Sunflower, Prairie Flower) for supple, moisturized skin.
Clinical study conducted under dermatological supervision on 24 volunteers over 56 days. Application every other day for 1 week, then daily over the following weeks. Self-evaluation on a scale. Self-evaluation, percentage of satisfaction.
Apply in the evening once or twice a week on perfectly cleansed and dry skin. Avoid contact with eyes. In case of tingling sensations, space out the applications.


Residents of Park City rejoice! The days of bumps, razor burns and cuts are over and the days of smooth, silky skin are here. LunchboxWax Park City offers a wide variety of waxing services for every body. From eyebrow waxing to full-body waxing, our location provides high-quality services that use the finest products to achieve the best results. You can become that low-maintenance beauty guru you've always envied – our appointments take no time at all. Take advantage of our services and fill out our form below. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you achieve your goals.


Why do Saturday's go by so fast?
All during the week I look forward to Saturday and once it's finally here it disappears quickly.
I spent my Saturday working on this doll. I've been on a mission to learn how to sew. Sewing was something I never was too interested in when I was younger. I learned how to sew in high school in my Home Economics class. I was never really good at it and found myself using the seam ripper WAY too many times which probably led to my total lack of interest in it. Through the years I've sewn a little bit but only out of pure necessity like taking up the hem on my pants. So, sadly, my sewing machine has been siting in the closet most of the time.
Here lately I've drug it out of the closet to take on a few easy projects. I'm determined to learn. I want someday to be able to sew a skirt for myself. But in the mean time I have to stick to easy stuff. It doesn't get any easier than a cut and sew doll. I worked on this doll much longer than I should have but that's ok. I finished her and that's all that matters.
So, What did you work on today?
She is darling! I happened upon this meme as I was looking for a place to share my doll's dress that I made - don't sew much anymore but really have always loved to sew. I found early on that following my pattern directions religiously saved me a lot of time ripping out stitching and I ended up with a garment that I was pretty satisfied with. Good luck on your progress!
This little doll is adorable! My almost 3 year old would love it! I'd be thrilled if you'd link up at this week's Off the Hook!
What a precious little doll! I love her...and I love ALL dolls! We like many of the same things. I've enjoyed looking at your blog this morning!


Every donation counts. We realize that everyone doesn't have limitless funds to support charities that touch their hearts, but every little bit helps. Plus, you can't put a price on the feeling you get when you help a teen to grow and flourish as a confident member of society.
Automatic monthly deductions via credit card make it easy to help support Solid Rock's goals and benefiting future generation s of at-risk teens.
According to Charity Navigator, workplace giving programs account for $4.8 billion in employee giving every year. Our hope is that this number will grow in the coming years as companies continue to realize the benefits to company morale, teamwork and community involvement.
Please check back soon as we implement new programs and alignments to assist you and setting up these valuable programs at the workplace. Sign up for our online news and we will keep you updated when these programs become available.


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New bail bond reforms put in place in Shelby County
Shelby County Bail System Reform
By Kelli Cook
Published: Aug. 25, 2022 at 5:57 PM CDT
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Criminal justice reform advocates say this is a time to celebrate, a new bail process is now in place in the Shelby County Court system, and thousands of people enter the doors at 201 Poplar every year.
For some, they're in and out in a manner of hours.
For others, a proper bail hearing can take days, even weeks.
"Across the country, we've seen time and time again people are detained in that kind of backwards way where it's just because they can't afford their bail," says Andrea Woods with the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project.
ACLU, along with other organizations such as Just City, Official Black Lives Matter Memphis, and Wharton Law firm, sent a letter to
government officials last year asking for bail reform.
The changes include a guarantee an individual will be given a bail hearing within three days after the arrest.
After an examination of a person's financial circumstances, cash bail will be imposed only as a last resort.
The county will also add a new bail hearing courtroom.
However, the reforms don't come without a price tag.
Shelby County Commissioners approved over 3 million dollars in general and capital improvement funds to pay for it all earlier this month.
"The money that is being allocated for this endeavor pales in comparison to what I think we would be facing in the county with your typical class action lawsuit, which we've had many before," said Shelby county attorney Marlinee Iverson.
Cash bail has been a long-debated issue in this country, but it does have some critics, specifically the bail bonds industry, who spoke against the funding of the project just before the vote with commissioners.
Josh Spickler with Just City says the most significant impact of these reforms will be on non-violent, low-level criminals.
The new bail reforms should be complete by mid-February.
MPD: $70K worth of merchandise stolen from East Memphis business
Tyre Nichols: 2 MPD officers relieved of duty
Winter storm could bring freezing rain & sleet


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Kitten, Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, Bomba Estéreo at Cargo at the Whitney Peak Hotel | Reno, Nevada | 9/4/2014 (Concert Review + Photos)
September 6, 2014 by Jason DeBord Leave a Comment
"I wanted to give a shout out to the other bands that played tonight; weren't they all so hot? I was like, 'damn, I got some work to do tonight – those bitches were hot!'" Kitten's Chloe Chaidez giving props to the other two amazing bands sharing the stage with her at Cargo at the Whitney Peak Hotel Thursday night, which also featured Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas and Bomba Estéreo. Kind of a triple headliner show, each act put on incredible sets with tons of energy, with the awesome lighting and sound at the Cargo giving them a lot to work with to showcase their unique approaches to their music. As this was all filmed by PBS member station's KNPB, each set will be an episode of the upcoming television series, Cargo Live at Whitney Peak Hotel, due to start airing early next year.
Filed Under: Bomba Estéreo, Cargo at the Whitney Peak Hotel, Cargo Live at the Whitney Peak Hotel, Concert Reviews, Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, Kitten, Live Rock Music, News, & Events, Reno Nevada Tagged With: 2014, Bomba Estéreo, broadcast, california, cargo, cargo at the whitney peak hotel, cargo live, cargo live at the whitney peak hotel, Chloe Chaidez, cities, Concert, concert photo, concert photography, Concert Review, headlining, interview, jessica hernandez and the deltas, kitten, knpb, knpb presents, like a stranger, live, Music, nevada, new music, pbs, photography, photos, podcast, reno, review, september 4, set list, setlist, show, television series, television show, tour
Charli XCX with Kitten and LIZ at Slim's | San Francisco, California | 11/1/2013 (Concert Review)
November 3, 2013 by Jason DeBord 2 Comments
Charli XCX's first U.S. headlining tour kicked off this past week, making an early stop in San Francisco at Slim's last night to a dedicated and enthusiastic young crowd. The high energy evening kicked off with opening sets by LIZ and Kitten, providing a showcase of music with three young women fronting acts with three different styles of music. While Charli has been making music and performing going back several years, she broke much wider into the pop culture consciousness in the past year with Icona Pop's "I Love It", which she wrote and also provided vocals to in the hit pop song. Her own music, off her debut album True Romance, is a bit more experimental and darker by contrast, which is why she gave the song to the synthpop Swedish duo for their own album. Charli has had a productive time since I last saw her opening for Santigold in the Summer of 2012, having toured with Coldplay, Paramore, Marina and the Diamonds, as well as put out a lot of new music and music videos like the recently released "SuperLove". She is definitely one to continue to watch as she forges her own unique path through the music industry. She put on a great show last night and really seems to have grown into having a real command on the stage (with new band in tow) and has inspired and sparked the imagination of a generation of fans.
Filed Under: Charli XCX, Concert Reviews, Kitten, Live Rock Music, News, & Events, San Francisco California, Slim's, TWIN iDol Tagged With: 2013, announcement, audio, california, charli xcx, Charlotte Aitchison, Charlotte Emma Aitchison, Chloe Chaidez, cities, Concert, concert dates, Concert Review, dates, download, festival, headlining, interview, itunes, kitten, like a stranger, live, LIZ, new music, new wave, north america, november 1, photography, photos, podcast, pre-sale, San Francisco, slim's, tickets, tour, tour dates, true romance
Chloe Chaidez, Kitten: "Rock Talk" Podcast Audio Interview
September 6, 2013 by Jason DeBord 1 Comment
This article features the latest in an ongoing series of "Rock Talk" podcast audio interviews for the Rock Subculture Journal. Today's guest is Chloe Chaidez of Kitten. Chloe is the singer and driving force in the very young band that has been blowing up the music industry with their high energy live shows and interesting blend of musical genres. They will be supporting the upcoming Charli XCX tour, which has recently been rescheduled. Kitten just released their new EP, Like A Stranger.
http://rocksubculture.com/Podcast/Rock-Talk-Rock-Subculture-Interview-012-Chloe-Chaidez-Kitten-The-Band.mp3
Filed Under: "Rock Talk" Podcast Interviews, Kitten Tagged With: 2013, audio, Chloe Chaidez, download, interview, itunes, kitten, like a stranger, live, new music, new wave, podcast, tour, tour dates


A wide range of traditional uses of the Mangosteen set it apart from most other medicinal plants. The fruit contains significant quantities of several classes of phytonutrients.
Also known as Garcinia Mangostana, Mangosteen is a tropical evergreen with sweet and tangy fibrous fruit. Various parts of the plant have a history of use in traditional medicine going back to the Ming Dynasty.
A tropical tree, the Mangosteen must be grown in consistently warm conditions.
Mangosteen fruit trees can grow as tall as 82 feet and takes 7-10 years to produce fruit!


Discarded, broken and useless computer keyboards recreated into fridge magnets.
E waste is piling up in landfills as computer design and technology changes day to day. All these lovely little plastic letters, icons and symbols from discarded computer keyboards are going to waste.
Recreate has added a magnet to each key and now these glass jars hold one keyboard full of fun quirky magnets for your fridge or office notice board!


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Ryan Wiser
Dr. Ryan Wiser is a Senior Scientist in and leader of the Electricity Markets and Policy Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Ryan oversees a 35-person department that seeks to inform public and private decision making within the U.S. electricity sector through research on electric system planning, reliability and regulation as well as on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and demand response. Ryan specifically leads a research program on renewable electricity systems, including on the costs, benefits, impacts and market potential of renewable electricity sources; on electric grid operations and infrastructure impacts; on public acceptance and deployment barriers; and on the planning, design, and evaluation of renewable energy programs.
Ryan has been a lead author for two reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and he has offered invited testimony to the U.S. Senate. He is a founding member of the academic advisory board for the University of San Francisco's Master of Science in Energy Systems Management; serves on the board of directors for the Clean Energy States Alliance; serves as a United States representative on a multi-country IEA Wind collaboration on the cost of wind energy; and is an advisor to the Energy Foundation's China program. His work has received awards from the Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group, the American Real Estate Society, the Wind Powering America Program, Institutional Investor News, the American Wind Energy Association, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Ryan has published 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, 20 book chapters, and 400 other conference papers, magazine articles and research reports. His work has been quoted in or by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, USA Today, Fox News, Washington Post and numerous other publications, and he has been featured on radio and broadcast news. Ryan regularly advises public and private entities on issues related to renewable energy.
Ryan has been a consultant to, among others, the California Energy Commission, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the International Energy Agency, the World Bank, the Center for Resource Solutions, and several private companies. Prior to his employment at Berkeley Lab, Ryan worked for Hansen, McOuat, and Hamrin, Inc., the Bechtel Corporation, and the AES Corporation.
Ryan holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.
Cost, Benefit and Market Analysis - Project Lead
Renewable Energy - Project Lead
Solar - Project Lead
Staff - Project Lead
Solar Demographics Trends and Analysis
Wind Technologies Market Report
Bolinger, Mark, Eric Lantz, Ryan H Wiser, Ben Hoen, Joseph Rand, and Robert Hammond. "Opportunities for and Challenges to Further Reductions in the "Specific Power" Rating of Wind Turbines Installed in the United States." Wind Engineering (2020).
Pre-print Article PDF (1.2 MB) Webinar Slides PDF (1.77 MB)
Wiser, Ryan H, Mark Bolinger, and Joachim Seel. "Benchmarking Utility-Scale PV Operational Expenses and Project Lifetimes: Results from a Survey of U.S. Solar Industry Professionals." 2020.
Technical Brief PDF (437.73 KB)
Wiser, Ryan H, Mark Bolinger, Will Gorman, Joseph Rand, Seongeun Jeong, Joachim Seel, Cody Warner, and Ben Paulos. "Hybrid Power Plants: Status of Installed and Proposed Projects." 2020.
O'Shaughnessy, Eric, Galen L Barbose, and Ryan H Wiser. "Patience is a virtue: A data-driven analysis of rooftop solar PV permitting timelines in the United States." Energy Policy 144 (2020).
Presentation PDF (2.4 MB)
Duffy, Aidan, Maureen Hand, Ryan H Wiser, Eric Lantz, Alberto Dalla Riva, Volker Berkhout, Maria Stenkvist, David E Weir, and Roberto Lacal-Arántegui. "Land-based wind energy cost trends in Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the United States." Applied Energy 277 (2020).
O'Shaughnessy, Eric, Galen L Barbose, Ryan H Wiser, Sydney Forrester, and Naïm R Darghouth. "The impact of policies and business models on income equity in rooftop solar adoption." Nature Energy (2020).
Wiser, Ryan H, Mark Bolinger, and Eric Lantz. Benchmarking Wind Power Operating Costs in the United States: Results from a Survey of Wind Industry Experts. 2019.
Riva, Alberto Dalla, János Hethey, Silke Lüers, Anna-Kathrin Wallasch, Knud Rehfeldt, Aidan Duffy, David Edward Weir, Maria Stenkvist, Andreas Uihlein, Tyler Stehly, Eric Lantz, and Ryan H Wiser. IEA Wind TCP Task 26‒Wind Technology, Cost, and Performance Trends in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, the European Union, and the United States: 2008‒2016. Ed. Hand, M Maureen. 2019.
Wiser, Ryan H, and Mark Bolinger. 2018 Wind Technologies Market Report. 2019.
2018 WTMR Report PDF (3.34 MB) 2018 WTMR Briefing PDF (5.82 MB) 2018 WTMR Data File XLSX (186.93 KB)
Wiser, Ryan H, and Mark Bolinger. Benchmarking Anticipated Wind Project Lifetimes: Results from a Survey of U.S. Wind Industry Professionals. 2019.
Summary Report PDF (428.93 KB)
Watson, Simon, Alberto Moro, Vera Reis, Charalampos Baniotopoulos, Stephan Barth, Gianni Bartoli, Florian Bauer, Elisa C Boelman, Dennis Bosse, Antonello Cherubini, Alessandro Croce, Lorenzo Fagiano, Marco Fontana, Adrian Gambier, Konstantinos Gkoumas, Christopher Golightly, Mikel Iribas Latour, Peter Jamieson, John Kaldellis, Andrew Macdonald, Jimmy Murphy, Michael Muskulus, Francesco Petrini, Luca Pigolotti, Flemming Rasmussen, Philippe Schild, Roland Schmehl, Nafsika Stavridou, John Tande, Nigel Taylor, Thomas Telsnig, and Ryan H Wiser. "Future emerging technologies in the wind power sector: A European perspective." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 113.109270 (2019).
Hoen, Ben, Jeremy Firestone, Joseph Rand, Debi Elliott, Gundula Hübner, Johannes Pohl, Ryan H Wiser, Eric Lantz, Ryan Haac, and Ken Kaliski. "Attitudes of U.S. Wind Turbine Neighbors: Analysis of a Nationwide Survey." Energy Policy 134 (2019).
Journal article PDF (1.31 MB) Presentation PDF (3.03 MB)
Barbose, Galen L, Naïm R Darghouth, Ben Hoen, and Ryan H Wiser. Income Trends of Residential PV Adopters: An analysis of household-level income estimates. 2018. LBNL-2001146.
Report PDF (760.68 KB) Executive Summary PDF (359.29 KB)
2017 WTMR Report PDF (2.41 MB) 2017 WTMR Presentation PDF (3.3 MB) 2017 WTMR Data File XLS (294 KB)


text:
Christian Rosner
Christian is an Advisory Board Member and Partner at i5invest supporting Business Development, Corporate Development, and M&A transactions. In this role, Christian leverages his experience in deals, tech corporate development, operational leadership, and M&A on the buy/sell-side, to support and scale i5invest's clients and team. Additionally, Christian has broad experience in building and developing technology companies especially in Software Services/Products, IT Infrastructure Services, and listed tech companies.
Christian, a notable technology expert, had an early start in software development, then progressed to various sales and marketing functions within the IT industry – later serving as Managing Director, Chairman of the Board, and CEO, also in listed companies.
He started his career in 1977 with Philips Data as Software Engineer focusing on ERP applications. His next career step was sales/key account management roles at Nixdorf and Digital Equipment. Subsequently, he served in several Marketing/Sales Management functions at Hewlett Packard and was selected as a member of the Austrian management board. At Commodore Computers, Christian had his first Managing Director role as Country Manager Austria/CEE, followed by seven years as MD of CWS for AT/CEE, where he transformed the loss-making company into a profitable market leader.
In 2000, as CEO, Christian built the leading private telco/ISP for SMEs in Austria and led the exit to private equity. In 2004, he joined the listed S&T AG in Vienna as COO, soon moving into the CEO role, driving the expansion of the company to a team of 4,000. Subsequently, Christian started at Allgeier SE (an IT Service provider) where he acted in several management roles, focused on changing the business model to higher-margin businesses including exits and acquisitions. In 2015, Christian successfully established his M&A boutique CRC in Vienna fully focused on IT and Software Services plus the DACH/CEE region.


text:
Book: A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe
Author: Mark P. Silverman
Formats: pdf, epub, ipad, audio, text, ebook, android
A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe
The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality [Dalai Lama] on Amazon.com. *FREE* super saver shipping on qualifying offers. Gallileo
The Elements: A Visual Exploration of
The number of atoms in the entire observable universe is estimated to be within the range of 10 78 to 10 82. We've added the word 'observable' because we
"If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generations of creatures, what statement would
In Big Bang cosmology, the observable universe consists of the galaxies and other matter that humans can in principle observe from Earth in the present day, because
The Universe in a Single Atom: The
The Universe Adventure - Atoms
Atoms in the Universe
Observable universe - Wikipedia, the free
The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe [Theodore Gray,Nick Mann] on Amazon.com. *FREE* super saver shipping on qualifying offers. An
Atom - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Who Discovered the Atom Parts of the Atom The Power of the Atom The Atom DC Comics Observable universe - Wikipedia, the free The Atoms Family Song The Universe in a Single Atom: The The Atom Superhero The Universe in a Single Atom: The Rutherford's Model of the Atom The Universe Adventure - Atoms Atoms in the Universe Models of the Atom .


text:
Dell Launches New Powerhouse, Liquid Cooled XPS Desktop PC
Jaron Schneider
Dell has launched what it is calling the most powerful XPS Desktop computer it has ever made. It is packed with 12-gen Intel processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series or AMD GPUs, and is the first XPS to be liquid-cooled.
Dell says that the new XPS Desktop is a heavy hitter that is cloaked in an understated design and made for creators and gamers alike. It features the new 12th-generation Intel processors (up to i9) along with what Dell describes as the most impressive graphics options available with either NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series (up to the 3090) or the AMD Radeon RRX (up to the 6900 XT) GPUs. It also has next-generation DDR5 memory that supports up to 50% faster clock speed than DDR4 as well as is PCIe Gen5 graphics ready.
Below is a photo that shows the size difference between the previous XPS and this latest version:
For those unfamiliar with DDR5 and what makes it better than DDR4, Linus Tech Tips very recently published a video that explains, in detail, what to expect:
The highest-end hardware available will be the 12th Generation Intel Core i9 12900K (16 Core, 30 MB Cache, 3.2 GHz to 5.2 GHz with Turbo Boost Max 3.0), 128 GB 4×32 GB DDR5 3600 MHz memory, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 24GB GDDR6x or AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16GB GDDR6, and 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD with the option to pair it with a 2TB 7200 RPM SATA HDD.
To maximize performance, Dell says its engineers architectured the device to soften acoustics through improved airflow. The front bezel of the chassis is designed to intake cool air and move it to the back, and the company says that the XPS Desktop is 21% cooler under load or up to 18% cooler under load with liquid cooling when compared to a 125W cooling solution or 125W thermal solution respectively.
On that liquid cooling note, Dell says that it is the first time that such a cooling system has been integrated into an XPS Desktop as an option. Additionally, the new desktop should be at least 50% quieter under load than previous generations thanks to new high RPM fans (up to 5,000 RPM) that operate more efficiently at slower speeds.
The new XPS Desktop case comes in two colors, either "Night Sky" black or "Platinum Silver", and Dell says its team chose the finish based on testing various textures and colors with the goal of making it look less like a PC and more like a "natural and authentic object" that "fits harmoniously" into a space. This means there are fewer access ports that would be distracting, apparently.
Objectively, though, it still looks like a computer, just not an onstentatious one. On the note of ports, the Dell XPS Desktop features a built-in SD card reader, headphone jack, three USB-A 3.2 ports, and one USB-C Gen 2×2 port on the front of the device, and gigabit ethernet and 7.1 channel audio 6-connector on the back, at a minimum. Final port selection differs depending on graphics card choice. Below is a shot of the back of the computer which shows additional USB ports as well:
Dell will offer the XPS Desktop in multiple configurations, including a "Creator Edition" designed for photographers that simplify the choices and are pre-selected with what Dell says is optimal for a specific workload.
The Dell XPS Desktop will begin shipping later this fall with Windows 11 (either Home or Pro edition) and will start at $920, though that price is sure to go up based on what hardware options photographers will want to include.
Equipment, News
amd, computer, dell, dellXPS, intel, nvidia, NVIDIAGeForceRTX3080, pc, processor
Dell Reveals Redesigned XPS 15 and Powerful New XPS 17 Aimed at Creators
Dell Launches Upgraded XPS 13 Laptop and a New Two-In-One
Dell XPS 17 Review: A Photo Editing Powerhouse with a Stunning Display
10 New High-Performance NVIDIA 'Studio' Laptops Just Hit the Market
Real-World Test: Photoshop for Apple Silicon is Really, Really Fast


[==========] Running 741 tests from 77 test cases.
2018-04-13 11:32:48.050	  0x7fff75a51000	INFO 	global	src/p2p/net_node.inl:222	Host 1.2.3.4 blocked.
2018-04-13 11:32:48.050	  0x7fff75a51000	INFO 	global	src/p2p/net_node.inl:234	Host 1.2.3.4 unblocked.
2018-04-13 11:32:48.050	  0x7fff75a51000	INFO 	global	src/p2p/net_node.inl:222	Host 1.2.3.5 blocked.
2018-04-13 11:32:48.050	  0x7fff75a51000	INFO 	global	src/p2p/net_node.inl:234	Host 1.2.3.5 unblocked.
[  PASSED  ] 741 tests.


Nancy Pelosi mocks Progressives and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez!
Julian Assange exposes Democrats that are Corrupt War Mongers!
Live from Ventura Harbor Comedy Club!
Tulsi Gabbard answers her critics!
Phone calls from Vince Vaughn, George Clooney, Mitt Romney, and Chris Christie!
Featuring Stef Zamorano, Ron Placone, and Mike MacRae.
RussiaGate skeptics take victory laps!
Media humiliated by Mueller Report conclusion!
MSNBC won't give up their conspiracy theories!
Trump keeps ripping John McCain!
Americans now think Trump is victim of a witch-hunt!
Guess who Bernie's new press secretary voted for in 2016!
Phone calls from Sean Spicer, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, and Al Pacino!
Jimmy Dore Show is three weeks ahead of the New York Times!
MSNBC millionaires would rather vote Trump than Bernie!
Tulsi Gabbard counters pro-war CNN!
Phone calls from NY Congressman Peter King, Mitt Romney, and Chuck Schumer!
With Stef Zamorano and Mike Macrae!


text:
RHS graduate featured in sports book
Josie Sellers | June 1, 2014
COSHOCTON – We all have talents and sometimes we can use them in ways we never imagined.
Ridgewood High School graduate Anna Powell learned that during her senior year.
Powell was a soccer player for Ridgewood, but during her senior year (2012-2013) she ended up using her talents to help the football team out of a jam and her story is featured in Frank Agin's book, "Chase Greatness – Life Lessons Revealed Through Sports."
"This was really unexpected," said Powell, who now attends The Ohio State University. "I know it's unusual for a girl to be on a football team, but when it was occurring I didn't think too much about it becoming a book."
Ridgewood's football team lost its starting kicker to an injury and no one on the team impressed coaches when they held a tryout. Athletic director, Alan Keesee, was watching the tryouts and decided to stop girls soccer coach Casey Claxon, who was getting ready for a home soccer game, and ask him if he had anyone who could kick.
"I told him, 'Sure this one right here,'" said Claxon about Powell. "He told the (football) coaches he was sending them a kicker. It's one thing to go out there and kick footballs, but she had to do it in front of all her teammates and the entire football team."
Powell nailed her first attempt and didn't miss until the coaches had backed her up to almost 40 yards.
"It was like everything stopped in time to see how it would unfold," Claxon said. "I was proud of her and so were all of her teammates and the football team."
After that tryout, she became the first female to play varsity football for Ridgewood.
"I dressed and went to five games and stepped on the field for three," Powell said. "I did point afters and attempted one field goal for the last game."
She got a few surprise looks at football games, but was always treated like part of her own team and made quite a few friends.
"It was a really great experience," Powell said. "We never really had a large turnout for our soccer games so running under the bleachers and out on the field for football really got the adrenaline going. The best part though was just being able to be a part of and contribute something to the football team. That's a big part of small towns and it was cool to be helpful."
Agin found her story to be quite unique.
"In researching the book, I stumbled on lots of stories," he said. "There are many two-sport athletes. While laudable, it is not unique. Anna's story, however, was about a young woman crossing over into a traditional male sport and not just being the "token girl" but actually contributing."
He learned about Powell's story from Claxon, when the pair were at a meeting together.
"He asked me what I was up to and I shared with him that I was occupied writing an eighth book," Agin said. "I then shared with him the gist of the book – a series of inspiring sports stories from obscure athletes and events. with that, he said, 'You have got to let me tell you about one of my players – Anna Powell.'"
Her story is chapter 11 in the book and is called, "Awesome Kick – You have wonderful talents. Use them wherever you can add value."
"To elaborate, we all have talents," Agin said. "Accounting. Teaching. Fixing stuff. And we all use our talents. Some of us use them in our hobbies and others use them in our vocation. Whatever the case, we should not assume that our talents are only useful for one particular job or activity. We need to open our mind and share our talents with those around us. Use your accounting talent to help a small charitable organization. Teach in the school system, but share that talent with Sunday school or tutoring. It is that extra effort that people will recognize us for."
Numerous other stories like Powell's can be found in the 178 page book, which is available on Amazon.
"The list price is $12.95, but I believe Amazon has it discounted to $10.25," Agin said. "For someone looking to get 10 or more copies, I can work through the publisher to get them for $7.50 per copy (which would include shipping)."
Powell hopes that those who read the book can learn something from her story.
"Just because something isn't considered normal don't be discouraged from doing it," she said. "Also don't let other people's opinions influence you. Do what you think you should do because it should payoff in the long run."
Tags: featured, full-image
Category: People & Places
Dale Wilson says:
How would she take a shower after the game since both locker rooms would be filled
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The MYP eAssessment is a logical next step for our school. We shifted to a conceptual curriculum three years ago, realizing that learning through a spiraling conceptual curriculum would allow our students to transfer knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes more easily across a range of open-ended problems to solve. The eAssessment requires this sort of transfer and allows the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes to manifest in its process toward successful completion.
Last December, half of our Year 4s piloted an eAssessment that we constructed in-house. We had viewed a video from the IB introducing the MYP eAssessments and observed how the platform might behave, how our students needed to behave, and thought about what it might take to successfully complete this innovative type of assessment. Then, we designed an approximation of an eAssessment, which would simulate the platform and require the sorts of behaviors needed for successful completion.
Observing the experience and obtaining feedback from students rounded out the pilot. Here is what we learned.
In considering the design of the platform for the assessment, we investigated a wiki, an HTML standalone site, or a Google Site. The wiki was crossed off immediately because it is linear to the user; the items inside it are added one after another, and a lot of scrolling would have to happen to move back and forth between stimulus materials and problems.
The Google Site would have been more preferable since it can be designed in frames; a frame could hold stimulus material, and we could add a window wherein students could write responses. In a Google-subscribed school, students can find their responses in a Google Doc if the Google Site is designed with a Google Form, and these are easily accessed through their Gmail accounts. The issues with the Google Site were that there were several steps to take to access each document and that it required an internet connection. First, when responses are written on the form, an extra click on Google Docs had to happen before the student could see what they had produced. The form responses and the site with the stimulus materials were also on different tabs, preventing real-time visual reference of both elements by the student. Second, the internet connection is not a facility in the MYP eAssessment since all stimulus materials are already in the platform; this was something we did not need to provide in the structure of the eAssessment.
The HTML site, although the best option, required the teacher designing the eAssessment to spend hours coding. At the time of our pilot, this was prohibitive.
So we designed a simple platform for the eAssessment using static, hyperlinked slides and Word documents. The slides held the instructions, embedded stimulus materials, and the open-ended problem. All materials were uploaded into the desktops in a single folder which included a folder for saving work. Students could then write responses on a Word document and save it directly into the eAssessment folder.
Stimulus materials and the student's responses could be simultaneously visible on screen.
It was important for students to be able to see stimulus materials and problem in the slides and their work in progress simultaneously, so we used 21″ iMacs for the eAssessment. The students could place the exam materials and their response document side by side on the large screen. We also froze the internet connection for the machines used as connectivity was not important. With individual headphones connected to each iMac, students could access material and record responses on an eAssessment that was as close we could get to the platform we had observed in the IB eAssessment introduction video.
ATL skills students have internalized are key in any performance assessment, including an eAssessment. In a paper-based assessment, at least four categories of ATL skills are drawn from as the student progresses through their problem solving.
In an electronic format, students need to recognize the need for and use a wide range of ATL skills from the skills categories, including thinking critically about previously unseen stimulus materials, thinking creatively to form solutions to the open-ended problem; research skills from citing a video versus citing a print text from the materials to keeping organized notes on what they are learning from the materials to reference as they responded; self-management skills were in high demand during the two hour assessment, as students had to keep organized and manage time and tasks, as well as manage their affect, for instance, through practicing focus and concentration and avoiding distraction.
Students' range of ATL skills were essential to the tasks.
The challenges expressed in the student interviews highlighted the ATL skills that students need to have internalized to use during this independent performance in a controlled environment. One student had difficulty following instructions in written format without teacher support. Two students found it challenging to keep track of their time and tasks independently.
It was clear to us how important an articulated focus on approaches to learning presented so that in Year 5 our students might easily evaluate the need for approaches to use and easily perform the skills necessary to persist through a problem-solving situation. In this trial, our essential understanding was that ATL skills needed to be internalized so that students could just get to the heart of problem-solving in their culminating assessment.
Really appreciated. I am currently looking at trialling eAssessment but your simple solution seems the most obvious. Static documents without internet access. Thanks this really helped.
Megel, Thanks for your comment. The platform for the eAssessments (in the MYP) is purpose-built and difficult to simulate. This seemed as you said the most obvious way for the process to be simulated. All the best as you trial eAssessment.


The Ottawa Autism Roadmap was designed to be a visual tool to help the parents of children who A) suspect autism, or B) have been newly diagnosed. The Roadmap was conceived on pieces of scrap paper at a coffee shop in Ottawa during a conversation between three Moms with young children on the spectrum. We were comparing notes about our experiences and realized that no process existed for parents to follow, at a time when you need a lot direction and guidance.
The Ottawa Autism Roadmap currently exists as a 1 page PDF with clickable links. There is also a 1 page accompanying "Services and Supports" sheet that you use during and after diagnosis.
Please use this road map as you please. Share it with others if you find it useful! Other road maps to help different age groups of people with ASD are in the works. Please check this page.
My name is Anne Borbey-Schwartz and I am the Family Support Coordinator for the Ottawa, Kingston and Cornwall chapters of Autism Ontario.
I have ad the chance to look over your road map and must tell u that I love it. It's a nice, simple way to help families navigate the system.
This said, I am wondering if you'd either like to collaborate on building one for the Kingston and Cornwall region or giving us permission to use your model to prepare one. You would be properly referenced of course.
I think your roadmap is EXCELLENT. Congratulations on such a compact and concise starting point format for parents. I am the director of Dragonfly Centre for Autism Inc in Charlotte County New Brunswick. I am just finishing up a parent handbook similar in nature to your project. It will contain contact information of all the medical & non-medical services available in our area as well as many clues to watch for and helpful tips. It will be distributed to parents, care givers, medical professionals, social service workers, teachers, etc., for free as well as being available at our resource centre. Your format would be a major asset as a template for other centres to create their own information map. We have 9 autism resource centres in NB and we all receive modest provincial funding that at least makes us possible to exist. It would be wonderful to create a network of autism centres in other areas of the country to share our efforts.
Thank you for your kind comment! I have sent you an email and hope that we can keep in touch!
Thanks for doing the updated map. This is a very important and valuable resource for families – helps make the navigation process much easier. Thanks again.
Thank you Lynne, for your comment and support!
Great road map. But one piece is missing….Childcare providers, daycare centres, often the ECE is one of key people to recognize that something is amiss.


NYSPA-PAC is the only nonpartisan political action committee formed and governed by psychologists for the sole purpose of advancing our profession's political agenda in New York. NYSPA-PAC is the vehicle informed psychologists utilize collectively to exert their influence, politically. NYSPA-PAC collects voluntary contributions from psychologists all around our state and then distributes them to the campaigns of candidates for the New York State Legislature.
The Foundation of NYSPA supports the Leadership Institute, Public Education Campaign, Disaster Relief Network and other initiatives.