SGNScoops recently talked with Erica Cookston, a rising star who beautifully sings Southern and Country Gospel. She delivers songs with a clear, high emotional soprano that touches the heart. This young lady hails from Hollywood, Alabama. She was recognized at Gospel Fest through the 2018 Crimson Music Award for Social Media Artist of the Year. Erica is an accomplished instrumentalist and vocalist, traveling and singing gospel music while in her first year of college.
Scoops: Why do you sing gospel music?
Erica Cookston: I sing Southern Gospel and Country Gospel music because it is what I grew up listening to. I was raised watching the Gaither Homecomings, listening to the Gaither Gospel Hour, and watching groups such as the Crabb Family on TV. I have always loved this kind of music. I do like other types as well, such as the Contemporary, and Praise and Worship, but my heart lies in the kind that I am doing. I do love other kinds of music as well, but I want to be able to reach others through gospel music like the 'gospel greats' that paved the way for little people like me to share ministry. I come from a very faith-based family, and we just love the Lord. Many people in my family, such as my dad, have been preachers.
Scoops: Tell us how you came to do compilations with Guy Penrod and Gerald Crabb? Who else would be on your bucket list to sing with? Do you always want to be a soloist?
EC: I was working with Alisa Asbury at Sweet Southern Entertainment and had met Gerald Crabb. They decided to do this project, and I was just lucky to have been able to be a part of it. It is a crazy thing to be on a project with someone that you have always looked up to! The Guy Penrod compilation came about the same way, although I have never had the opportunity to meet him. I think that my number one person on the bucket list to sing with is Karen Peck. She performed at GospelFest 2018, where I had the opportunity to be in the choir on stage with her to sing alongside her. She has been the biggest inspiration in my life, and I listen to her music more often than not. She has a lot to do with why I want to go the direction I am going. I love being a soloist, but I would love to have a group at some point as well. I think it would be a lot of fun.
Scoops: What are you studying at college? And why did you decide to step out now as an artist…why not wait until you are done college?
EC: I am a business major. I currently work in an office, B&B Reporting, as a pre-employment background researcher. I love the atmosphere of an office, and I think it is a good idea just to have a business degree at my disposal. I work 40 hours a week and am also currently taking 16 credit hours at school (so, 5 classes and a lab). I am usually gone every weekend singing. It is very difficult because of the busy schedule and little free time, but I absolutely love it and wouldn't trade it for anything. I have been singing since I was four years old, and I started doing more things as I first hit the teenage years, with all of the traveling. I am doing it now, more so, because I do believe that the Lord has called me to do so. I don't think that anyone is too young to try to step out to share their passion. Many people my age are told by our society that it isn't okay to do so, but I hope that maybe I can set an example to prove that this isn't the case. I never expected to be where I am today, and it is all very surreal to me. I do know that it was all a God thing, though. He gets all of the credit, and I just am his vessel to go wherever I am called.
Scoops: Why do you have a passion for non-profits (charities)?
EC: Right now I am not working with any organization in particular – I am doing everything independently. I have always had a heart to help others, so I think it is just another one of my passions. I try to be available for anything. I do head up a charity each year in my local area, Scottsboro, where I host a benefit concert to raise money for food distribution. I use these funds to purchase canned food items and meat certificates which go to those in need in Jackson County, providing them with a Christmas meal that they might not originally have. All of the food is purchased locally. I love to volunteer to help out for different causes as well and always stayed pretty busy doing these types of events in high school. I think it is important to show that there is still good in this world, and that sometimes people want to help without expecting anything in return.
Scoops: What has the Lord been speaking to you about specifically in recent days?
EC: Recently, the Lord has just been telling me to be patient and trust in him, and that everything is happening for a reason; things will fall into place. Also, that I don't need to be scared to step out of my comfort zone because he is with me.
Thanks so much to Erica Cookston for answering our questions! In our eyes, you are already a star as you share God's love in what you say, and it is evidenced by your actions in helping others. All the best in your future.
You can find out more about Erica by going to her Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter.
Listen to Erica on Reverb Nation HERE.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—November 7th, 2016—Gaither Music Group's all-new Circuit Rider DVD rode straight to the top of this past week's Billboard Music Video chart in addition to the Christian Music Video chart, according to Nielsen Soundscan, garnering the #1 position on both. The audio version of the docu-musical also claimed the #1 position on the Southern Gospel Album Sales chart and a Top 20 spot on the Contemporary Christian Music chart.
The recording features vocal performances from some of the most celebrated talents on the Gaither HOMECOMING stage, including Guy Penrod, Russ Taff, William Lee Golden, Gloria Gaither, Lynda Randle, Tanya Goodman Sykes, Mark Lowry, Benjy Gaither, Woody Wright, Buddy Greene, Judy Martin Hess, The Isaacs, Joy Gardner, Reggie Smith, Charlotte Ritchie, Angie Primm, Michael Sykes and more. The DVD is hosted by former governor of Arkansas, talk show host and presidential nominee Mike Huckabee.
Created by Jennings and Woody Wright, Circuit Rider is the real-life account of the spiritual formation of a nation and the church we have today shaped in part by the dedication and vision of these circuit riders. These musical performances and readings, sung and read by some of the most well-loved gospel artists, tell the story of these preachers who blazed the trail to share the gospel of Jesus with people of every race and nationality living in little towns and settlements across the nation. These brave men and women, from every denomination and creed, understood the meaning of perseverance and sacrifice. Their stories are not often told, but they are as much a part of the American landscape as Mt. Rushmore and the Grand Canyon.
That story of hardships, revivals, baptism, sanctification and suffering is captured through this release, which is currently airing as a TV special on a large number of networks including PBS, DirecTV, Dish TV, AT&T U-verse, TBN, RFD, GaitherTV, FamilyNet, CTN, GMC, GMTN, Guardian, Liberty, TCT and TLN. In Canada it is airing on Vision TV, The Miracle Channel, CTS and Hope TV.
Gaither Music Group brought in the esteemed Michael Merriman to direct the filmmaking, and he and Stephanie Reeves produced the LIVE performances taped at Fiddler's Grove Historic Village in Lebanon, Tennessee. Jennings and Michael Nolen teamed up for the screenwriting.
Circuit Rider is exclusively distributed by Capitol Christian Distribution and is available throughout general market stores and the Christian marketplace in addition to online retailers including iTunes, Amazon and www.gaither.com.
(Top to Bottom) Oak Ridge Boy William Lee Golden and Russ Taff, Buddy Greene and cast film the new Circuit Rider DVD.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—GRAMMY® and GMA DOVE Award-winning recording artist Guy Penrod celebrated a successful first week of sales this week for his new, LIVE recording. LIVE Hymns & Worship (Gaither Music Group/Servant Records) claimed the No. 1 position on the Southern Gospel chart as well as the No. 2 position on the Contemporary Christian Music chart, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The all-new DVD, recorded at Thomas Road Baptist Church at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, landed at No. 1 on the Christian Music Video chart and at No. 1 on the Billboard Music Video chart.
Produced by Penrod, the new CD and DVD feature some of today's most cherished hymns and popular worship songs performed in keys and arrangements that are "accessible," making it easy for concert-goers and congregations to sing along with him. Featuring the Liberty University Center for Worship Choir, the evening included a long set list of classic and contemporary favorites.
The DVD includes behind-the-scenes footage with the Penrod Family, allowing viewers to "spend some time" with them on their farm and hear messages behind the music through an up-close interview on their front porch with Penrod, whose career boasts combined sales in excess of four million units. The nationally acclaimed, award-winning vocalist is one of the most popular artists featured on the Gaither Homecoming Video Series.
LIVE Hymns & Worship is positioned in retail outlets everywhere and is currently airing as part of a television special on Dish TV (Gaither TV, Channel 276), PBS, GaitherTV, TBN, RFD, FamilyNet, CTN, GMC, GMTN, Guardian, Liberty, TCT and TLN. It is airing in Canada on Vision TV, CTS, The Miracle Channel and Hope TV.
The new CD and DVD are distributed by Capitol Christian Distribution and are available at retail and digital outlets worldwide including iTunes, Amazon, www.gaither.com and www.guypenrod.com.
For further information visit www.guypenrod.com, connect at facebook.com/GuyPenrod or follow Guy on Twitter: @GuyPenrod.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—GRAMMY® and GMA DOVE Award-winning recording artist Guy Penrod has announced the release of a LIVE recording of some of today's most cherished hymns and popular worship songs. LIVE Hymns & Worship, (Gaither Music Group/Servant Records), produced by Penrod, will be available everywhere on January 29th, in both audio and DVD formats.
The nationally acclaimed, award-winning vocalist, known for his unmistakable, rasp-tinged vocals, went "home" to his alma mater for this special concert, which was recorded at Thomas Road Baptist Church at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Featuring the Liberty University Center for Worship Choir, the evening included a long set list of classic and contemporary favorites.
The university is where Penrod first met his future wife, Angie, when they both attended college there. After earning their degrees Angie and Guy married and started a family, and Penrod began his career in music–a career that now boasts combined sales in excess of four million units. One of the most popular artists featured on the Gaither Homecoming Video Series, Penrod spent 14 years as the lead singer of the Gaither Vocal Band before launching a successful solo ministry in 2010.
The Penrod Family and Guy's ministry grew quickly. Today he and Angie live on a farm, just south of Nashville, TN, with their eight children—seven sons and one daughter. When he is not farming and enjoying time at home with his "tribe," Guy and his band of musicians are on the road sharing his faith in song to audiences nationwide.
The DVD includes behind-the-scenes footage with the Penrod Family, allowing viewers to "spend some time" with them on their farm and hear messages behind the music through an up-close interview on their front porch with Penrod.
LIVE Hymns & Worship will receive prime placement in retail outlets and will air as part of a television special on Dish TV (Gaither TV, Channel 276), PBS, GaitherTV, TBN, RFD, FamilyNet, CTN, GMC, GMTN, Guardian, Liberty, TCT and TLN. It will also air in Canada on Vision TV, CTS, The Miracle Channel and Hope TV.
The new CD and DVD are distributed by Capitol Christian Distribution and will available at retail and digital outlets worldwide including iTunes, Amazon, www.gaither.com and www.guypenrod.com.
Last year, Sandi Duncan Clark reviewed new music for December, including two new Christmas releases. If you still have not picked up these CDs to add to your collection, we urge you to visit these artists' websites.
What a wondrous announcement the angels made to the shepherds so many years ago, giving all of us the reason to rejoice and celebrate a precious birth! God's plan of salvation for the redemption from sin was being fulfilled. I'm so grateful for His birth, death and resurrection for our opportunity to become His child! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
We wish you all a very blessed Holiday, and thank you for your love and support throughout this year. We are so blessed to have each of you read and enjoy our magazine.
We have new music this month, which will encourage you and entertain you throughout the holidays. Some of the albums are Christmas while others are just great Gospel music. We hope that once you read our comments, you'll look for these at your local Christian music store. These recording will make wonderful Christmas gifts.
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas from the Clark household and prayers for a blessed New Year.
This week's program on "Good News Music Radio with Woody Wright" features Part 3 of our interview with Adam Crabb and music from The Hoppers, Guy Penrod, The Martins, The Nelons, Woody & Vonnie Wright, The Collingsworth Family and MORE!
It's time to get to know the 2014 Diamond Awards 'Male Artist Of The Year' Nominees. The Diamond Awards are being held at Creekside Gospel Music Convention at Pigeon Forge on November 3rd through 6th. These Awards recognize the best in Southern, Country and Bluegrass Christian music and are hosted by SGNScoops digital magazine and Coastal Media Group.
The Diamond Awards have a long history of being a gala event with surprise guests, great music and an evening of worship. We urge you to reserve your FREE tickets HERE.
SGN Scoops would like you to meet our top-five finalists for each category of the 2014 Diamond Awards.
Today's category is the Male Artist Of The Year, awarded last year to Jason Crabb.
The Diamond Awards are swiftly approaching. Reserve your free tickets today!
Candi's Catch-ups: An Evening of Worship with Guy Penrod ready to tape!
Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University is all abuzz this week with anticipation of An Evening of Worship with Guy Penrod, Friday, October 3. Dress rehearsals at the church are on track for Thursday as LU students prepare to lend choral arrangement vocals for the event.
While attending college in Lynchburg at Liberty Baptist College (now Liberty University) Guy displayed his talent with the Sounds of Liberty. He quickly became a favorite of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty's student body. Shortly after graduating, Guy and wife Angie found their way to Nashville. It was there, that work as a studio vocalist led to the invitation to become the lead singer for the Gaither Vocal Band.
Guy has now established a solo ministry that has him booking dates internationally. With that unmistakable voice and the ability to communicate like few others can, you do not want to miss the singer recognized around the world on his special night back home.
Each time Guy comes home to Lynchburg it is an extraordinary evening. Guy's normal program takes a back seat when he comes home to Lynchburg. October 3, 2014 will be a wonderfully unique night of Praise and Worship to the King as Guy performs favorites from his debut album 'Breath Deep', selections from the award winning 'Hymns' album and his current project release 'Worship'.
When Penrod graces the stage at the famed Thomas Road Baptist Church, he will be joined on stage by a 240-voice choir, live background singers (coming in from Nashville just for the night) and an extensive band of Nashville best musicians.
Byron Davis with Lift HIM Up Events told SGN Scoops that they are thrilled to invite everyone to this special DVD taping with Gaither Music Group.
Plan to be in Lynchburg, Va., October 3rd – 6:30 pm at the Worship Center at Thomas Road Baptist Church. Tickets are still available!
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The Wallace H. Kuralt Centre.
Before you take a trip to any of these sites, please remember to make a bookmark link back to this site!
Visit Tommy McNabb's award winning Carolina Custom Knives Site.
Tommy's is making hydraulic presses for blacksmiths.
North Carolina Native Plant Society - Join Now! This has links to identifying Native Plants.
Red Oak Brewery, Fresh Brewed without any of the 400 additives & preservatives allowed in US beers, collector.
With 26 years of design and forging experience, Glenn Gilmore creates site-specific architectural metalwork for interior and exterior locations.
Our Japanese friend and fabulous knife maker - Koji Hara.
Sawtooth Center for Visual Art The Sawtooth Center for Visual Art nurtures the development of critical thinking, aesthetic appreciation, creativity and personal growth providing education for people of all ages.
Piedmont Craftsmen A nonprofit organization that exists to provide a forum for the wide appreciation of fine traditional and contemporary crafts.
Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art Presents and interprets contemporary art of the United States with programs and exhibits encompassing the issues engaging artists today.
Associated Artists in Winston-Salem gives members an opportunity to exhibit their work.
Old Salem An original and renovated Moravian town originally founded in 1776.
NC Arts Council A wonderful resource to the arts, collectors, public arts, arts organizations and artist of North Carolina.


Vivian's bridal photo shoot was done in the lush rainforest of Mount Keira near Wollongong. Three years after getting married, Vivian wanted more detailed photos of her wedding dress in a natural, lush, setting.
"I'm so pleased!!! They are gorgeous!
Hi Paul, had a look through the photos late last night. They are absolutely fantastic! Steven is even glad I made him do the shoot! Sorry we were such terrible models. Good thing you made us look great! I'll be sure to put up a great review! Thanks again for your great work.


text:
Jesus Calling®
Jesus Calling Podcast
You're Different—And God Designed You That Way: Sally & Nathan Clarkson and Hayley Morgan
Via iTunes
Via Stitcher
Nathan: God created each of us differently, for a good purpose, and for good reason. And each of our differences will play into the story He has for us to tell.
You're Different—And God Designed You That Way: Sally & Nathan Clarkson and Hayley Morgan – Episode #173
Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Today's guests celebrate what makes them different and how we're all a vital part of the family of God: authors Sally Clarkson and Nathan Clarkson, and writer Hayley Morgan.
First up: As a mother of four, Sally Clarkson embraced the unique traits of her children, but noticed that her son Nathan struggled with a few things her other children didn't. Nathan learned a little bit differently, showed hyperactive tendencies, and seemed controlled by obsessive thoughts. Determined her son's actions were signs of a gift, not a malady, she prayed for wisdom to guide him toward a productive life while showing him he was fiercely loved, just as he was. That grounding helped Nathan work through what made him "different," and now as an adult, he is a successful actor and filmmaker. He joins his mother today to talk about their new children's book that speaks to kids with different interests and abilities called Only You Can Be You.
Sally: My name is Sally Clarkson. I'm an author and a podcaster [and a] blogger. I just love words and messages. I have four children, adult children, and I just love the Lord and I love encouraging women to live to their potential in Christ.
Nathan: My name is Nathan Clarkson and I am Sally Clarkson's son. I am an actor, author, and filmmaker. I live between Los Angeles and New York. I wrote a book called Different with my mom about my upbringing as the "different" kid. In between those things, I act in TV shows and movies when I can.
The Loneliness of Feeling Different
Nathan: From the time I was very young, I realized I was different. When I would look around the world, I would see all the kids in class sitting very still and doing their homework very well. And I would be bouncing my foot and moving and making jokes and [getting] distracted. Even at home, I was dealing with these really intense thoughts that result from something called obsessive-compulsive disorder. They're obsessive thoughts that would plague my mind all the time. I needed to wash my hands and take showers all the time. There's just really little peace, especially in my younger and adolescent years.
The thing about feeling different and realizing your difference, especially as young kids, it can make you feel very alone, and it can make you feel very different, and sometimes it can just make you feel bad or broken because you don't work like the rest of the world. It was an interesting thing to feel all these things and then look at the God from the Bible, and He's one of peace and love. As I started digging in, even in the midst of my adolescent angst, I found a God who says He loved me as I was, and I found a God who said I was made for a purpose, and that all these differences could be used for His glory and for the story that He wanted to tell with my life. Just that fact was something that brought me peace in the midst of the storm of my young life that I was living with all these differences.
"Even in the midst of my adolescent angst, I found a God who says He loved me as I was, and I found a God who said I was made for a purpose, and that all these differences could be used for His glory and for the story that He wanted to tell with my life." – Nathan Clarkson
I knew I was different. All these things added up and showed me that I didn't quite fit in. Like I said, that can be a very lonely thing, especially when the world wants to fit you into a mold and wants you to look like something, to be like something, there's a so-called normal that wants you to fit. It could be a lot of pressure, especially from school and from friends, from peer groups.
But what I was blessed enough to have was a family and a mother who I could come home to, and I didn't find pressure. I didn't find pressure to be like my siblings or to be like anything else. In fact, I heard different messages. And those messages where, "You are created exactly how God intended. All the differences you have, God will use. And I love you the way you are right now." Just having that through my teenage years, and my even in my pre-teen years, and all the way into my adulthood, has really shaped me and shaped my mind to not despair when I feel alone because of my differences, but instead say, "No, I'm going to believe the messages that were given to me in my home. And I'm going to believe that I was created uniquely for a purpose and that God loves me the way I am and will use me the way I am."
Learning to Love the Story God Gave You
Sally: I've always told my children, "You might as well decide to like this story that God has given you, because it's not going to change." In other words, this is the day. This is the place the Lord has made. Let's rejoice in this place and find out how we can bring light to any of our dark corners, but also to learn to be content within the story that we've been given.
"Let's rejoice in this place and find out how we can bring light to any of our dark corners, but also to learn to be content within the story that we've been given." – Sally Clarkson
Jesus Calling, I will read it and I will ponder it. It gives me food for thought for the rest of my day, every day. No matter how busy I am, I try to say, "God, please be in charge of my life, my thoughts, my time." And then when I read these wonderful, intimate thoughts about the heart of Christ for us, I seek to make it stay at my frontal lobe all day long, so that I can be aware of His fingerprints, His music, His voice, His dance during the day. I just really feel like she [Sarah Young] has captured the heart of Christ for me.
So here's the [July 20th entry of] Jesus Calling.
Do not be afraid to be different from other people. The path I have called you to travel is exquisitely right for you. The more closely you follow My leading, the more fully I can develop your gifts. To follow Me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your desire to please other people. However, your closeness to Me will bless others by enabling you to shine brightly in this dark world.
Nathan: I grew up [from] the kid who had such a hard time focusing on one thing at a time. And now, in my life, I do so many different things all at once. It's so neat to me to see that these differences actually play into who I was supposed to be.
I used to think outside the bounds and not fit very well into the quiet settings of a classroom and things like that. And now, in my life as an actor and performer, I get to perform and express myself and be passionate. It's so cool to me to see all these differences that, when I was young, made me feel alone or like I didn't fit in. Now [those differences] play into the story that God wants me to tell.
Sally: One of the most profound things I began to understand was that I needed to love Nathan for who he was, for who God made right as he was, and not wait to love him until he became what I thought he should be.
I didn't want Nathan to feel like he was too much. I wanted him to feel like who he was the wonderful story, that wonderful imprint of God's love on the world that God intended right from the beginning.
Discovering Only You Can Be You
Sally: I have an arena where I get a lot of letters from people. I began to realize that we live in a culture that appreciates cookie-cutter people. We want to all try to conform and live up to the standards of someone else. But in actuality, I was thinking, I want to give freedom to the parents and the moms in my arena, because each of us has a different fingerprint, different DNA. We have unique personalities and we can each give glory to God with the different things that we have.
Nathan came to me and he said, "Mom, let's write a book together and tell people about how you and I really became the best of friends, how we have flourished in our family and in our relationship so that we can give them the freedom to be able to admit that they have struggles in their home as well, and that struggles are just a part of what every family feels."
Nathan: It was from that us telling our story that we received so many messages and so many connections to our story that inspired us to write a children's book for younger kids to start getting this [message]. And that's kind of where this whole idea for Only You Can Be You came from, which is really exciting because I know this will really touch a lot of kids.
Sally: I think that if all parents could understand how deeply their children want to be loved, just as they are, a parent would hold their child closely in their lap and tousle their hair or go through the pages of the book to say, "Let's see if you find yourself here, there's so many beautiful different people."
I love the verse that says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." And so we were hoping that this book might be a sort of a renewal for people to really understand how important it is to give children a legacy of [understanding that] every single person is worthy of respect, because they were made in the image of this amazing God. Every single personality, whether they're loud or or whether they're shy, whether they like adventure or they like sitting at home reading—we wanted to give a book to parents that would imprint the minds of their children to say, "All of us are an incredible, magnificent reflection of the fingerprints of God as He made us each individually for His own glory."
"Every single personality, whether they're loud or or whether they're shy, whether they like adventure or they like sitting at home reading—we wanted to give a book to parents that would imprint the minds of their children to say, 'All of us are an incredible, magnificent reflection of the fingerprints of God as He made us each individually for His own glory.'" – Sally Clarkson
I would want parents to know that words matter, that speaking forward into their children's lives, that holding them if they're reading the book, that when they say, "I believe you're going to have a special story to tell in your lifetime, you're going to bring light to the world in amazing ways that no one else will ever be able to. Let's imagine you're one of these people. And what do you think that God might have you do to bring His light and beauty to the world, just like all of these special, amazing and wonderful children?" I would love for them to use it as a tool to focus on their children's hearts, to speak acceptance, love, and affirmation for exactly who that child is at that moment in their lifetime because those are the kinds of foundations that serve children the rest of their lives.
Narrator: You can find Sally and Nathan's children's book, Only You Can Be You, at your favorite book retailer today.
Stay tuned for our next guest, author Hayley Morgan, after a brief message about how you join a community of prayer through Jesus Calling every Tuesday morning.
Did you know that Sarah Young, the author of Jesus Calling, prays for her readers each day? In that spirit, we want to extend the Jesus Calling prayer community out to you in a more personal way. Each Tuesday morning, you can dial in to the Jesus Calling Weekly Prayer Call, where the team from Jesus Calling and special guests will minister to us during a ten-minute call to reflect on that day's passage from Jesus Calling, read scripture references, and pray together for each other and our world. Prayer call times are 8:00 a.m. Eastern, 7:00 a.m. Central, 6:00 a.m. Mountain, and 5:00 a.m. Pacific and are for U.S. only.
For more information on the Jesus Calling Weekly Prayer Call, or to submit prayer requests, please visit www.jesuscalling.com/prayer-call.
Narrator: When she met Jesus as a teen, Hayley Morgan felt a missing puzzle piece in her life click into place. For the next few years, as she grew into adulthood and into her faith, Hayley tried desperately to be perfect—only to grow frustrated when she came up short. But it was after she co-authored books with her friend Jess Connolly, including their latest devotional called Always Enough, Never Too Much, that Hayley found freedom in letting go of perfect and becoming content with love.
Hayley Morgan: My name is Hayley Morgan and I am an author and an entrepreneur and I have four little boys. Both my parents were those people who really empowered you to think that you could do anything, and that was a keystone part of my childhood [that led me to be] who I am now. I always had a really strong sense of right and wrong, but I didn't have words to put to any of it.
Getting to the Place We Long For
I got to be a teenager. And by that point, my life, my parents had split up and we were going through a very tumultuous time in our family. Even though I had a really strong sense of right and wrong, at about fifteen, I started making decisions that weren't in line with my own set of morals. But I just really wanted my parents' attention. I really wanted them to say, "Hey, this isn't right," or "Hey, good job." One of the two. I just wanted them to pay attention.
I started going to youth group with my best friend, because her parents were really strong believers, and we wanted them to think that we were good kids so we could go do bad things, which looking back, just feels crazy. I started to be mentored by two older women, and it really changed my whole life.
From being fifteen and meeting Jesus for the first time, I was one thousand percent bought in. I mean, I realized that this was what I had been longing for. This was a safe place, Jesus, the Father. They were safe places for me in a time of my life where I did not feel like I had that. And it felt like all of a sudden, there was a plan for my life that I had wondered [about] so much before that.
Embracing the Concept of Grace
My husband and I met at youth group, we met shortly after I became a believer and he led worship at the youth group. I mean, we were such a cliché. We were the cute youth group people.
I got married very young. I got married three weeks after I turned twenty, and then six months later, I was pregnant. A little more than a year after we got married, I had my first son when I was twenty-one. I really became an adult as I was becoming a mother and as I was a newlywed. We had also moved six hundred miles away from home. so there was like this cataclysmic event in my life where all the sudden it was like, Oh, I am an adult. And in a lot of ways, I still felt like I was a kid.
That was when I started to untangle the idea of grace and grace for every day, not just grace as a one-time event.
"I started to untangle the idea of grace and grace for every day, not just grace as a one time event." – Hayley Morgan
Looking back, as new believers often do, I swung really far from grace into thinking that I had to do it right. I thought that, sure, I accepted Jesus and that was great, and that saved me from all the things I had done wrong up to that point in my life. But now I knew better, and so I should do better. From that point, I exhausted myself trying to be good, and I don't know why I did that or where I got that from, but it became part of me. In some ways, I think it's a natural part of when you become a Christian. It's like being a child. And you know how children are really black and white and things are either right or they're wrong? I think I had just not grown yet, I had [not] matured yet. But I made myself so tired trying to be good, and that made me really prideful. It made me really mad and annoyed that other people weren't trying as hard as I was to be good.
"Once I really understood grace, I had to apply the gospel to my life every day, to myself every day. I'm never going to grow out of needing it. That freed me up so much to then walk with the Lord, not just try to please Him and try to impress Him." – Hayley Morgan
From there is where I started writing, and people started listening, and it was just a natural fit for me. I feel grateful to have an avenue to be able to channel these things. I feel like I always say that my main goal is to remind women what's true of God and what's true of themselves. I'm grateful for all the ways that we're all different.
Remembering Why We Come To God
I've always loved bookstores, libraries, I just love to be around books. I found Jesus Calling in a bookstore one day and I've gifted it to a lot of people since then. But it's for me. It's a great tool. For me, it's a warm up. It's a great tool to use. As I sit down and try to quiet my heart—we live in a really busy world. We live in a super noisy world. And it can be really hard for me to go into Bible study like cold, even in my personal devotional time. It can be hard for me to just sit down and open up to Luke 14.
For me, a devotional book like Jesus Calling is perfect, it's like a warm up stretch for me. It's an easily approachable, easily digestible bit about God that helps me to remember His goodness, remember his kindness, remember why I'm coming to Him in the first place.
For me, it's a gift. I mean, it's a gift when we can have an eye into other people's devotional practices. And I'm grateful for it for that reason.
I started writing a blog that had a little more purpose and a little more intention. It was called Tiny Twig Goes Out on a Limb, and it was fifty to Adventures for the Passionate Life. Each week, I set out to do a different adventure, and I would spend one day talking about why I was doing it, one day showing how I did it, one day recapping it. That sense of structure really gave me some limitations and made a box that I could fill with my words.
I realized that I could write. I wrote an e-book about that blog, from that series, and through a funny chain of events, I just started interacting with people who assumed that I would write, like it was just an assumption that someday I would write a book and the thought had not crossed my mind. And so I was like, Oh, this could be a thing. This could be something that I could do.
My friend Susie Davis is an author, too. She is kind of a spiritual mother to me, and she said—I was probably twenty-six at the time, so about seven years ago—"Haley, I believe that you will write a book, but please, please don't rush it." She was like, "You have your whole life to do that, but you're very young. Your kids are really little, and they need a lot from you. Once you start this writing thing, it's very hard to get off, and then decide you want to get back on later." She just said, "When you start, just know that that's where the Lord is leading you." And like every good daughter, curbing my spiritual mom, I was like, "Okay, sure." And now looking back, it was very, very good advice. And I did heed it for a while.
My friend Jess Connolly and I did a lot of things in ministry together. We started kicking around this idea of wild and free and what it looked like to really walk as God made us. In the fullness, the quirks, the weirdness of how God made us, and then also to walk in the freedom that Christ died to give us. That became a message that felt too hard to keep in, and that's when we knew it was time to try to try to write. So that's what we did, and that was when Wild and Free was published.
We also did a devotional together called Always Enough, Never Too Much, and when we put it out into the world, I think I had hoped that I would all of a sudden be an expert on it. I felt let down that I didn't have it perfected, that I wasn't able to stand in it perfectly. And that really calls back a lot of my college self, this desire to have it figured out once and for all, to not have to keep needing it. And yet in my flesh, I still wasn't able to live it out perfectly every day.
Debunking the Myth of Perfection
In my own walk with the Lord, the Lord has used my failures in equal or greater measures than He has used my successes to draw me closer to Him. And ultimately, that's my aim. It's great if people learn about the Lord because of something that I say, or something that I write. That's great, and that is a gift for me to be able to join in the work that God's already doing. But what really, really matters in my life with God is that at the end of it, I have grown in intimacy and grown in integrity with Him.
"The Lord has used my failures in equal or greater measures than He has used my successes to draw me closer to Him." – Hayley Morgan
I find that in the generation coming up behind me, I see a lot of fear of failure. It's a lot of desire to get things perfectly on the first try. And I really want to dispel the myth that God is proud of perfection, that the only way that we can be perfect is through Jesus. Finding my own voice was really fun and it felt like I really grew as a writer and as a believer. I had to stand firm in what I was saying on my own.
There are times when you have to step out and you have to say, "I'm owning this. This is the Lord and He's called me to do this, and so I'm going to." And that's not always easy, but I want us to feel freed up to earnestly seek Jesus and then to go after what it seems that He's calling us to, and we're not always going to get it right. That's okay, too.
Narrator: Learn more about Hayley's book co-written with Jess Connolly called Always Enough, Never Too Much at Hayley's website, which you can find at hayleymorgan.com.
If you'd like to hear more stories about people who've learned to embrace what makes us different and unique check out our episode featuring photographer Jeremy Cowart and newscaster Elizabeth Hasselbeck.
Narrator: Next time on the Jesus Calling Podcast, we speak with entertainer Kristin Chenoweth. As a star on stage, television and in films, Kristin's faith, which began as a young girl, has never wavered, and how her personal relationship with God has carried her through problems big and small.
Kristin Chenoweth: I do think that when things get really tough, I can take a moment and say, "Oh right. Remember I'm supposed to walk with you today, and you're there to take care of all my problems," there is a peace in that. And this—not just this business, but this life—is with a new set of interesting problems in today's time. The more it comes, the more I talk to God all the time. I actually talk to God all the time. People don't know it, but I can be in the car talking to Him. That's the best part of having a personal relationship with God.
Narrator: Do you love hearing these stories of faith weekly from people like you whose lives have been changed by a closer walk with God? Then be sure to subscribe to the Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you like what you're hearing, leave us a review so that we can reach others with these inspirational stories. And, you can also see these interviews on video as part of our original web series with a new interview premiering every other Sunday on Facebook Live. Find previously broadcasted interviews on our Youtube channel, on IGTV, or on www.jesuscalling.com/media/video.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home Perspectives War and the Televised Greatness of George W. Bush
War and the Televised Greatness of George W. Bush
Norman Solomon's Column
President Bush's upward spike of popularity owes a lot to his presence on television — a medium that has not always been so kind. At times, under pressure, he has earned many comparisons to a deer in headlights. But after a wobbly performance on Sept. 11, Bush got into a groove of seizing the TV opportunity and making the most of it.
Today's television environment is, more than ever, warmly hospitable to simple — and simplistic — declarative statements. That's just as well for Bush, who has shown a distinct tendency to get entangled in a morass of fragmentary linguistic riffs. Last year, on many occasions, he seemed painfully anxious to make his way to the end of sentences without further embarrassment. But now, for the most part, it's a very different story.
For insights about recent shifts of George W. Bush's persona on television, I contacted media critic Mark Crispin Miller, whose 1988 book "Boxed In: The Culture of TV" was a groundbreaking analysis of the tube. In the book, he disputed the customary image of the U.S. president as a "mighty individual" — and identified that image as "a corporate fiction, the careful work of committees and think tanks, repeatedly reprocessed by the television industry for daily distribution to a mass audience."
Boosted by family ties and powerful corporate backers, Bush won the presidency (though not the popular vote) while projecting an affable personality that some have found endearing. But even while carrying out weighty duties of the presidency with all its trappings, he struck many Americans as a lightweight, ill-suited for the job. A turning point came with his dramatic speech to a joint session of Congress in mid-September.
The rave media reaction "was understandable," Miller told me, "because it actually reflected less on Bush's speech per se than on the moment's strange and terrifying context. The speech was deemed 'Churchillian' because the audience (the American people, the Congress, the media) was so desperate for a proper leader at that fearful moment. At that moment of catastrophe, there was so fierce a hunger for a national father-figure that the audience saw one in the president, who therefore came across like Churchill, or like FDR, despite his lack of stature — which, prior to the shock, had been quite clear to most observers."
Miller's book "The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder," published a few months ago, warns against assuming too much about the significance of Bush's habitual tongue-tangles. It's a cautionary note that now rings especially true. The man in the White House is shrewd and capable of high-impact rhetorical feats.
Since Sept. 11, Miller says, President Bush "has continued, by and large, to speak with more authority than usual." While acknowledging that Bush "has at times reverted to his usual gaffery" (as in his announcement that "ticket counters and airplanes will be flying out of National Airport"), Miller observes that "on the subject of 'America's new war' — 'the focus of this administration' — Bush has managed to ad lib with an overall coherence that is, for him, extraordinary."
Miller adds that "the president has lately spoken relatively well for the same reason that he's always broken into sudden fits of lucid English — because, in speaking of our national mission of revenge, he's speaking from the heart." In fact, George W. Bush "has always spoken clearly on those subjects that genuinely matter to him. Thus it is that, when he talks about baseball, say, or about his property in Crawford, he has no problems with his syntax, grammar or vocabulary."
Professor Miller, who specializes in media studies at New York University, contends that Bush also "is most articulate when speaking cruelly — on the value of the death penalty, or when cracking jokes, or when saying no. It's when he tries to sound a higher note — idealistically, or out of magnanimity, or on his trademark theme of 'compassion' — that Bush starts speaking broken English, because, like most of us, his tongue will not cooperate when he is being insincere."
These days, President Bush is evidently sincere about wanting the missiles to keep flying and the bombs to keep falling on Afghanistan — circumstances that notably enhance his verbal skills. The fact that large numbers of Afghan people are now facing imminent starvation due to the ongoing attacks does not seem to bother our nation's leading compassionate conservative. "The president," says Miller, "has lately spoken with unusual coherence in his off-the-cuff remarks — because his subject nowadays is war."
Previous articleThought paper on U.S. "War on Terrorism"
Next articlePakistan's predicament
Norman Solomon, the national coordinator of the online activist group RootsAction.org, is a member of the task force that wrote "Autopsy: The Democratic Party in Crisis." His books include "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death." He is a regular contributor to Media Monitors Network (MMN).


text:
package ipfs

import (
	"testing"
	"time"

	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/core/mock"
)

func TestCidCompatibility(t *testing.T) {
	tests := []struct {
		path  string
		valid bool
	}{
		{"/ipfs/zb2rhfXc9CE96apvjFYZaSAEg25ffbgcbSW4hg2BX8ucW5LRE", true},
		{"/ipfs/QmTHCE9EEcDi9mZqdp2JF61n4fkYRjSJbRxYwtoY7ofjJp", true},
		{"/ipfs/asdfasdfadsf", false},
	}

	n, err := coremock.NewMockNode()
	if err != nil {
		t.Error(err)
	}
	invalidCidErrorString := "selected encoding not supported"
	for i, test := range tests {
		_, err = Cat(n, test.path, time.Millisecond)
		if !test.valid && err.Error() != invalidCidErrorString || test.valid && err.Error() == invalidCidErrorString {
			t.Errorf("TestCidCompatibility failed to correctly parse test %d", i)
		}
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I am not a nutritionist or a dietitian. I am not going to put out a diet or a meal plan for you. I am not sponsored by supplement companies and I'm not trying to sell you anything.
So, why am I going to tell you how to eat clean if there's nothing in it for me?
Because I'm your friend, I care about you, and I totally believe that you are capable of eating in a way that supports your health goals. Also? I happen to know that what you are putting in your mouth is vital to your health.
Wait. What the hell am I talking about? You came here expecting me to write up a list of foods you should never eat and some rules about how many calories or how many meals per day, or some other crap like you can find on thousands of other "self help" websites.
But you know what's even more awesome than me telling you what to eat?
You, figuring it out for yourself.
Seriously question everything you read or hear about nutrition and health. Even the words you're reading right now! (Yes, I just told you that you should be skeptical of me.) I've already mentioned that I'm not a nutritionist, and maybe the things I'm telling you don't apply to you. You are an experiment of one, just like we all are.
That last one is the biggie. Personally, I find that any diet with a name (paleo, low carb, IIFYM, intermittent fasting, Weight Watchers, etc.) is always a little "off" for me. Even though I believe in some of their merits, I can't always apply the rules in my daily life, and that's where being skeptical comes into play.
For example, how do you feel about grains, beans, and sugar? If you read the paleo and Whole 30 people, they are very anti-grains, -beans and -sugar, with some pretty compelling arguments against them. The Weight Watchers and IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) people believe that nothing is off-limits, that you can enjoy moderate amounts of anything, as long as it adheres overall to your eating and health goals.
So what do you think about that? Not just, what do you want to believe because it sounds easier, but what do you feel in your gut (both literally and figuratively) to be true? These are super broad generalizations, by the way, and not meant to be an in-depth look at any of these particular eating styles.
The point I'm making is that all of these camps are putting it out there that their way is "clean" or "healthy" eating, but they can be pretty mutually exclusive. So, if they can't all be right, it's up to you to think critically, be skeptical and choose for yourself.
Think about it. Do you call Cheetos food? Yeah, I think we all do. Except that it's totally not. I mean, we know objectively that it offers us no nutritional value, and yet there we go, calling it food.
So, let's think critically about this, too.
Is it still recognizable as the thing that grew in the ground or walked on the earth? Yeah, this is where you have to be honest with yourself. An apple still looks almost exactly like it looked on the tree. (Meat of course, is tougher to apply this rule to, but I don't think most of us are all that interested in killing our own chickens.) But cereal? Pasta? The label says "whole wheat," but have you ever seen actual wheat growing out of the ground? Bread doesn't look like that.
So does that mean the only things you can eat are vegetables, fruits and meat?
Well, yes and no. What do you think? For me personally, the answer is no. I choose to eat as naturally as I can as often as I can, but I am definitely willing to make exceptions.
Every good rule has an exception, even clean eating rules. If you know that there are certain things that you just love to eat, that don't leave you feeling crappy afterward, and that you are never, ever going to pass up, then skip the guilt and just include them in your healthy eating plan.
Wanna know what my cheats are? (Yes, cheats. Plural.) I drink creamer in my coffee and I always leave a little room for dessert.
So, where do I get off saying that I eat clean?
Because I decided for myself what that definition looks like, and you should, too.
You have health goals, and you are going to need to eat a certain way to achieve them. What way is that?
Do you feel like you have to eat perfectly 100% of the time? Then do that. Maybe follow a 90/10 rule? Sounds good. Do you want to have your cake and eat it, too? Well. Cake's not really my thing, but if it works for you, then go for it!
Be critical, be skeptical, make informed decisions, be honest with yourself, and then make your goals happen without feeling like you have to fit into somebody else's mold.
If you're not getting the results you want, then do some more research and make some changes. It can take months or years to really get this "eating clean" thing to work for you, so be patient and go confidently in the direction you want to go.
You are in charge of your eating. You are in charge of deciding what "clean" looks like.


text:
Q: Does TCC allow for the creation of static libraries? I have been working with the Tiny C Compiler and am trying to create a static library. I have search the TCC documentation but have not found anything about creating a static library. Is creating a static library possible with TCC?

A: You create a static library the same way you do with any other compiler. You generate .o files from all the .c files, and combine them into a library with the ar command.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The RM of Headingley is fortunate to have two community centres available for community programs, events, weddings and socials.
Our premier centre is the The Headingley Community Centre,the jewel of our community. The newly constructed 1.8 million dollar facility is not only the hub of our community's activities but has become Headingley and surrounding districts most popular facility to hold Weddings, Socials and Business meetings.
The Community Centre has state-of-the-art audio, video and lighting equipment to enhance your special event. Bright,modern and cheery atmosphere with plenty of paved parking and wheelchair accessibility for all your guests. Your wedding, social or business meeting is professionally managed from planning through to the conclusion of the event.
Our smaller community centre is The Phoenix Community Centre situated in the heart of the Headingley south hamlet. Phoenix is our original community centre built many years ago but is still used extensively by our community recreation groups. Although we do not use this centre to facilitate weddings and large events, it is still used to hold small wedding showers, birthdays and family events.
In addition to Phoenix, we also have our Hockey Hutch outdoor ice facility. The hutch has two outdoor rinks with a fully heated dressing rooms and canteen facilities. As part of our ice facilities we have a fully lit skating trail winding through a beautiful treed setting.


text:
La schoepite, est une espèce minérale, rare produit d'altération de l'uraninite dans des gisements d'uranium hydrothermaux, de formule empirique (UO2)8O2(OH)12•12(H2O). Elle peut également se former directement à partir de la ianthinite. Le minéral se présente sous forme de cristaux orthorhombiques tabulaires transparents à translucides de couleur jaune, jaune citron, jaune brunâtre ou ambre. Bien que plus de vingt autres formes cristallines aient été observées, elle est rarement sous forme d'agrégats microcristallins. Lorsqu'elle est exposée à l'air, la schoepite se transforme rapidement en métaschoepite (UO3 • H2O, ), dans les quelques mois suivant son exposition à l'air ambient.

Sa dureté est de 2,5, sa densité de 4,8 g/cm3 et son trait est jaune.

Elle a été décrite pour la première fois à partir d'échantillons provenant de la mine de Shinkolobwe en République démocratique du Congo (ex Congo belge) en 1923 ; plusieurs autres localités sont connues.

La schoepite a été nommée d'après Alfred Schoep (1881–1966), professeur de minéralogie à l'université de Gand en Belgique.

Références

Liens externes
 Handbook of Mineralogy

Uranyle (minéral)
Oxyde (minéral)
Hydroxyde (minéral)
Hydrate
Minéral orthorhombique
Minéral nommé d'après une personne

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
function mm_drop_database( m,database_name )
% drop database
% This software is distributed under the MIT License (MIT): see copyright.txt

%{
m                   : handle to MongoDB client
database_nam        : name of database that is to be removed
%}

cur_db = m.listDatabaseNames().iterator() ;             % cursor for database names
while cur_db.hasNext()                                 	% while more database names are available
    dbname = cur_db.next() ;                          	% next (name of) database
    if strcmp(dbname,database_name)                     % found the one we want to drop
        m.dropDatabase(database_name) ;                 % drop it (we are now sure it will not be created first)
        break                                           % no need to look any more
    end
end

end


Utilizing the original artwork of guitar master Steve Vai, this design titled "Alligator Jungle" takes Steves artwork and incorporates it into this signature series neck illusions. Colorful fingerboard design with white circular fret markers. Choose from a black or white "Steve Vai" signature or white dots on the 12th fret. This design also provides subtle neck glow while under a UV black light.
These graphic decals are designed to fit standard electric and acoustic steel string guitars up to 24 frets (6 strings) from 24" to 25.625" scale lengths. Nut widths starting from 1.55" (39mm) and wider.
This design works with both right and left handed guitars.


text:
Despite Trump promises, Kentucky loses coal jobs
Written By Dan Haugen November 12, 2018
COAL: President Trump promised to put coal miners back to work, but Kentucky has fewer coal jobs now than when he took office. (Lexington Herald Leader)
ALSO: Georgia Power demolishes an exhaust stack at the site of its retired Plant Mitchell coal-fired power plant. (WALB)
***SPONSORED LINK: "Designing Climate Solutions provides a valuable toolkit for policymakers committed to timely mitigation of climate change…A small portfolio of proven policies, applied in a small number of countries, can yield enormous progress." – Former DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz. Use "CLIMATE" for 25% discount.***
PIPELINES:
• Virginia regulators unexpectedly delay voting on an Atlantic Coast Pipeline permit affecting a historic African American community. (Washington Post)
• A town hall meeting focuses on residents' concerns about a natural gas pipeline between Chesapeake and Norfolk. (WVEC)
NUCLEAR:
• SCANA's CEO pleads ignorance as the possibility of criminal charges looms for management of the utility's failed nuclear project. (The State)
• TVA extends a deadline for a potential buyer to close on its purchase of the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in northeast Alabama. (AL.com)
SOLAR:
• A Virginia planning commission sets public hearings for next month on special use permits for a large solar facility. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)
• First Solar starts construction on Georgia's largest solar farm, which is expected to create up to 400 construction jobs. (Solar Power World)
• A planned community just north of Ft. Myers, Florida, hopes to operate almost entirely on solar power. (PBS NewsHour)
• The city of Lebanon, Tennessee, receives the 2018 Solar Champion award from a regional solar industry group. (Lebanon Democrat)
• Resilience is becoming more important to year-round planning and operations for utilities like Duke Energy. (Greentech Media)
• Duke Energy begins installing smart meters in the Orlando area. (WFTV)
EFFICIENCY:
• The University of Alabama wins a DOE grant for research into superconductor materials to more efficiently transport electricity. (Alabama Newscenter)
• Volunteers help residents winterize homes in central Kentucky. (WKYT)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Arkansas' attorney general joins a 21-state coalition in support of President Trump's proposed Clean Power Plan replacement. (Newton County Times)
• Forty-eight candidates seek nine seats on the board of South Carolina's Tri-County Electric Cooperative following a vote to remove all of the directors. (Times and Democrat)
• TVA recognizes companies with the largest and most improved carbon emission reductions in 2017. (The Chattanoogan)
CLIMATE: A survey finds half of Latinos in Florida say it's "extremely important" for Congress to pass climate change legislation. (Orlando Sentinel)
POLITICS: Opposition to offshore drilling drove a Democratic upset in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District. (HuffPost)
• The president of the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council says Dominion wants to fleece its customers for an unneeded pipeline. (Roanoke Times)
• The executive director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association says natural gas is the fuel for West Virginia's future. (State Journal)
• The people sickened by America's largest coal ash spill may finally get some justice, writes a columnist. (Esquire)
About Dan Haugen
Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
More by Dan
South Carolina wrestles with the fate of state-owned Santee Cooper
UTILITIES: The debate over whether to sell or reform troubled state-owned utility Santee Cooper is shaping up as one of the most contentious issues in South Carolina's legislative session. (Post and Courier)
• Duke Energy asks Florida regulators to approve a settlement that includes construction of electric vehicle charging stations and the closure of coal plants eight years early, but also higher rates for customers.
Coal bankruptcy could leave massive environmental mess for taxpayers and communities
COAL: Kentucky residents worry that bankrupt coal operator Blackjewel may abandon many of its unreclaimed surface mines, leaving a massive environmental mess for taxpayers and communities. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
ALSO: A new report says the cost of reclaiming nearly half a million billion acres of mined land in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and Tennessee may amount to $6 billion — more than twice than the $2.5 billion available in bonds for cleanup.
Florida developer proposes solar to power housing development
SOLAR: A Florida real estate developer plans to build a 300 MW solar facility — one of the largest in the state — to complement a 10,000-house development already under way. (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
• Houston's city council votes unanimously to lease a closed landfill in a historically Black neighborhood for a solar farm.
More on Southeast Energy News
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The job title of wine judge conjures up a glorious image of a triumphant taster proudly attaching a golden sticker and brandishing a winning bottle. As always, there's more to the story than this.
Wine judges work all round the world, at local, national and international competitions. The latter are the ones that get the press attention, but they are only a small part of the network of tastings that offer opportunities for tasters.
Compared to many of the other careers featured in WSET's career series, wine judging is not a full-time role. There are judges who travel from city to city and take part in many competitions. However in general judges will be working in the business: retailers, sommeliers, agents, educators, journalists, winemakers.
There are two main types of competition. The 'Anglo-Saxon' which usually scores out of 100 and comes to a decision based on independent blind tasting, and a collective discussion. The most finely tuned version of this is the show system in Australia where as an individual taster you may start the day with 50 Chardonnays or 60 Shirazes. As the discussion does not happen until the end of the line-up you need not only to be a fine taster but also a good note taker, to be able to discuss and defend your choices later.
The second main system is run under the auspices of the OIV, Organisation Internationale de Vin. Each competition may have its own version, but effectively the wines are scored out of 100, according to a set of attributes which each have their own maximum score. Sometimes the wines are judged one at a time, rather than in a group of, say, 5 or 10. This is obviously to avoid unfair comparison, though I prefer to judge a set. There is no requirement for written descriptions, and my early experience of the OIV system was that discussion was not allowed. This obviously avoids people dominating the table, but means that as a guest judge you cannot learn from local experts, or encourage a colleague to retaste and reconsider.
The 'Anglo-Saxon' competitions are usually all-day events, where you judge 80 or even 100 wines in a day. The OIV competitions are typically half-day affairs, where you judge a maximum of 30-40 wines. There will be lunches and dinners sponsored by generic bodies or wine brands, and trips to local wine regions. These can be educational, and a useful opportunity to discover more about the wine.
Remember that ultimately you are doing the judging for the winemaker and brandowner. They want to enter or remain in your market, and the medals and scores enable them to do so. Like a good parent or teacher, try to find the good points in any wine.
Work backstage at a show. Tiring physical work, but a great way to understand the system and know the people.
Why be a wine judge?
Wine judging is also an opportunity to discover new wines. For producers and retailers it can be a good chance to taste across a category. With the very large shows the results may not come through for a few months. The bonus with the smaller shows is that you can find out the next day which were the wines you liked.
No one judges wine for the money, for the fees they earn. One motivation that keeps us coming back is friendship. We return to meet friends and colleagues out of the office. Networking is important: judging at a wine show is an excellent way to build contacts across the business. Some competitions pay a day rate, which varies depending whether you are a regular judge, or a panel chair; some competitions pay travel expenses and hotels and no day rate; a few pay attendance and expenses.
Knowledge - Above all, a good judge needs a wide knowledge of the wines of the world, or of the wines of that specific category, depending on the competition.
Confidence - To come to an opinion independently and to be able to defend it in discussion.
Flexibility - To listen to other views, and to be willing to accept the different opinions. If, in the end the wine you adore has been overruled by your table, and the panel chair, and the chair of the wine show, then be a good loser. But do find out what the wine was later; it might become the best seller in your shop, or a star at your tasting classes.
Good humour - After a long day, with your tongue blackened by too much tannin, and your teeth tingling from the acidity in the wine, it is easy to lose patience with the person next to you who hums while tasting, or slurps their wine just a bit too noisily, or only scores between 78 and 82 out of 100.
Vocabulary - Some of the 'Anglo-Saxon' competitions require tasting notes, and for the winning wines publishable tasting notes. You will need to practise building a diverse vocabulary to differentiate between similar wines. You can learn from your fellow judges. Christine Parkinson, Group Head of Wine at the Hakkasan Group, is a model with her delicious accuracy: I have always remembered her choice of 'crystallised greengages' for the palate descriptor of a white.
Wine judging is also an opportunity to discover new wines. For producers and retailers it can be a good chance to taste across a category.
If you have the time, then think about working in the run-up to a show, either entering wine details, or packing and unpacking boxes. These jobs may be advertised in local wine media and wine schools; or write to the organisers.
Work backstage at a show. Tiring physical work, but a great way to understand the system and know the people. WSET's Job Board regularly lists opportunities with show organisers and is a good place to start your search.
And importantly practise blind tasting; build your confidence.
One motivation that keeps us coming back is friendship. We return to meet friends and colleagues out of the office.
If it's your first time at the particular event, do ask the organisers beforehand for detailed advice about how the judging system works.
Make friends with the sommelier/assistant at your table, they can help you. Remember they have probably arrived at early o'clock and have been heaving boxes while you were relaxing in the cafeteria, so don't be demanding.
Make friends with your table or panel chair. Look to them for guidance.
Keep up with your table's pace of tasting. Be sure to taste meticulously, but you will quickly lose the sympathy of your fellow judges if you are making them late for lunch.
Know your limitations. Are you blind to Brett? Averse to acid? Being aware of your blind spots makes all the difference.
Know your wine faults. It's easy to be intimidated by wine judges who constantly find fault. They may not always be right; furthermore, some faults – volatile acidity, for instance - may be acceptable in some wine styles. Be ready to discuss that possibility.
Wear dark clothes (for the spills), and comfortable shoes for large tastings. In Australia, you'll be given a lab coat to wear.
Dress in layers – the air-conditioning is always too cold or too hot.
Wear perfume, or smoke cigarettes immediately before the tasting.
Keep your mobile phone on while tasting is going on. And especially DON'T answer a call mid-tasting.
Job hunt too obviously during the event. This IS a great opportunity to meet people and network, but make the contact now and do the hard sell later.
Be intimidated by your other judges. It's a fact that we all have had to face condescension and criticism from other judges. It's something that your panel chair should be keeping an eye on, or that you need to draw to their attention.
Written for WSET by Sarah Jane Evans MW, DipWSET. Evans is co-Chairman of the Decanter World Wine Awards, an author and journalist, and Winner of the WSET Outstanding Alumni Award 2017.


text:
El río Garganta es un afluente del río Guadalaviar por su margen izquierda en la comarca de la Sierra de Albarracín. Desagua la vertiente sudeste de la Sierra del Tremedal atravesando los términos municipales de Noguera de Albarracín y Tramacastilla, donde que desemboca en el río Guadalaviar. Su valle hace frontera al sur con la paramera de Villar del Cobo.

Hidronimia e historia
El hidrónimo Garganta es recurrente en la Sierra de Albarracín para indicar formas del terreno con aspecto de foces (La Garganta en Bronchales). Dos ríos de piedra en Orihuela tienen la palabra garganta en su nombre (barranco de la Garganta y barranco de Garganta-Avellanos). No obstante ya desde la baja Edad Media la "garganta" más emblemática de esta zona es la que hay en Noguera de Albarracín, que ya se cita en textos medievales. En el "Libro de Pasos" de 1326 se hace mención de unas vías pecuarias entre El Puerto-La Garganta y El Paso-Peña Serrano-Fuente de las Talayas-Cabezuelo de la Garganta, que tiempo después harán parte de la red de cañadas reales, en concreto de la Cañada de la Sierra Alta y la Cañada de las Tejidas.

En un texto del Archivo municipal de Gea de Albarracín de 1486 referido a un habitante de Bronchales y escrito en aragonés local hay una referencia al agua de la Garganta que explotaba un molinero

En un inventario de 1506 escrito en castellano se hace mención a una heredad y casa de La Garganta y que corresponde a la actual Masía de la Garganta de Noguera de Albarracín:

Véase también
 Anexo:Ríos de la cuenca del Júcar

Referencias

Garganta
Garganta
Ríos del sistema Ibérico


text:
package asia.gkc.vneedu.service.impl;

import asia.gkc.vneedu.common.QueryCondition;
import asia.gkc.vneedu.repository.*;
import asia.gkc.vneedu.service.IService;
import asia.gkc.vneedu.utils.BeanUtil;
import com.github.pagehelper.PageHelper;
import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import tk.mybatis.mapper.common.Mapper;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;

/**
 * File Name: BaseService.java
 * Function:
 *
 * @author jakes.
 * @version 1.0
 * @DateTime 4/1/16 5:07 PM
 */

public abstract class BaseService<T> implements IService<T> {
    /**
     * 注入DAO Mapper
     */
    @Autowired
    protected UserMapper userMapper;
    @Autowired
    protected CategoryMapper categoryMapper;
    @Autowired
    protected RequirementMapper requirementMapper;
    @Autowired
    protected RequirementFileMapper requirementFileMapper;
    @Autowired
    protected DiscussionMapper discussionMapper;
    @Autowired
    protected KeywordMapper keywordMapper;
    @Autowired
    protected OrderMapper orderMapper;
    @Autowired
    protected JudgementMapper judgementMapper;

    @Autowired
    protected Mapper<T> repository;

    protected Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(this.getClass());

    @Override
    public T addObject(T entity) {
        repository.insert(entity);
        return entity;
    }

    @Override
    public T addObjectWithoutNull(T entity) {
        repository.insertSelective(entity);
        return entity;
    }

    @Override
    public int updateObject(T entity) {
        return repository.updateByPrimaryKey(entity);
    }

    @Override
    public int updateObjectWithoutNull(T entity) {
        return repository.updateByPrimaryKeySelective(entity);
    }

    @Override
    public int removeByIdWithoutCascadeChecking(String id) {
        return repository.deleteByPrimaryKey(id);
    }

    @Override
    public T getObjectById(String id) {
        logger.debug(id);
        return repository.selectByPrimaryKey(id);
    }

    @Override
    public List<T> selectPage(int pageNumber, int pageSize) {
        PageHelper.startPage(pageNumber, pageSize);
        return repository.select(null);
    }

    /**
     * 查询处理
     *
     * @param list           - 用于处理的数据
     * @param queryCondition - 处理操作
     * @return 处理后的内容
     */
    @Override
    public List<Map<String, Object>> queryProcess(List<T> list, QueryCondition queryCondition) {
        List<Map<String, Object>> result = new ArrayList<>();

        for (T item: list) {
            Map<String, Object> map = BeanUtil.beanToMap(item, item.getClass());
            result.add(map);
        }
        return result;
    }
}


text:
The dairy industry is built from the ground up, and we are committed to making a positive difference to our people, our farmers, our customers, our communities and environments where we operate.
Dairy Nutrition Goodness
Fonterra Grass Roots Fund
Our business starts with, and relies on, dairy farmers.
Australian Global Dairy Update
Become a Fonterra Supplier
Western Victoria community groups get a leg-up thanks to the Fonterra Grass Roots Fund
#Cobden
#Dennington
The Dennington Cricket Club is on its way to unearthing the next Shane Warne, Dean Jones, or Cameron White, with the Club just one of the deserving community groups receiving a leg-up in the latest round of funding from the Fonterra Grass Roots Fund.
Eleven community groups across Western Victoria will receive funding under the program for projects ranging from veggie gardens to chicken coops, medical gear to fire safety equipment.
Dennington Cricket Club President, Mick Howely, says the Club is home to around 40 senior and 30 junior players, and the grant means it can improve the cricket pitch and provide a decent facility where these players can develop their skills.
"We always encourage young girls and boys to get out here, enjoy the sport and be part of our team, and hopefully the new cricket pitch will be more reason for them to come and join us", says Mick.
The Camperdown Playgroup is another community group receiving support in the latest round of funding, using its grant to purchase crafts for children so they can learn and build skills through visual art.
Playgroup leader Ruth Barber says that while it might only be a small contribution for Fonterra, it has made a huge difference the playgroup and the kids will be over the moon with their new arts area.
"We're run solely on volunteers and raising funding is often a big challenge for groups like ours, so for Fonterra to recognise the importance of the work we're doing with kids in the community is truly heart-warming," says Ruth.
Kevin Brown, Fonterra Regional Operations Manager – West, says the Fund is all about supporting groups that keep Fonterra's local communities thriving and which make a real difference to peoples' lives.
"At the heart of every community, there are groups like the Camperdown Playgroup and the Dennington Cricket Club which make our rural communities a better place to live. They are often run by volunteers who give up their time to help to keep our rural towns alive, and we're lucky to have them.
"The Fonterra Grass Roots Fund is our way of providing much-needed funds to support the valuable work they do for our farming families and their neighbours, and our people.
"This year, we've supported some great community groups and I'm excited to see their initiatives come to life through the year," says Kevin.
Since 2011, Fonterra has supported almost 450 initiatives across Victoria and Tasmania that focus on bringing communities together, caring for the environment and promoting healthy lifestyles and dairy nutrition. The Fonterra Grass Roots Fund provides grants of between $500 and $5,000 for projects and initiatives that make a real difference in Fonterra's dairy communities.
The 2019 Western Victoria recipients include:
Cobden Football and Netball Club
Wyndinia Kindergarten and ELC
Alvie Cricket Club
Camperdown Playgroup
Camperdown Swimming Pool Committee of Management
South Beach Committee of Management-Lake Bullne Merri
Merri Group of Fire Brigades
Dennington Football Netball Club
St John's Primary School Dennington
Woodford Fire Brigade
Dennington Cricket Club
Supply Chain & Operations Stream
Sales Stream
Finance Stream


Love Eggplant Parmesan? You've got to try my Baked Eggplant Slices with tomato sauce!
Happy tax day everyone! I get my Hubby back today, so I'm celebrating with another delicious recipe.
Last summer I planted a single eggplant plant. It was slow to take off, but by late summer and early fall I had more eggplant than I knew what to do with! I remember taking some all the way to Charlotte just to pass them along to my Brother, who's an amazing chef. I ended up roasting a lot of them, but I also tinkered around with eggplant casseroles, grilled eggplant and this fun, healthier twist on Eggplant Parmesan. So when one of my friends asked for a good eggplant recipe the other day, I was shocked to realize I had NO eggplant recipes on Running in a Skirt. I feel like I failed you guys!
To redeem my foodie status, I went to work actually writing down one of those recipes I worked on last summer… Baked Eggplant Slices with tomato sauce.
So these delightful and downright pretty eggplant slices look pretty, but are really not that hard to make. Plus they are made on a sheet pan… woop! woop!
The first step is salting the eggplant to get extra moisture out of it. If you haven't done this before, I left some detailed instructions in the recipe. It's easy and helps with the extra moisture and texture of the eggplant.
The next step is to set up an assembly line of sorts. Get out one flat bottomed bowl for an egg mixture and another for a panko mixture. A dunk in each creates that gorgeous, crunchy crust. You first bake the slices plain so they can get golden brown… no frying here.
The final step is to top the Baked Eggplant Slices with tomato sauce! You can use either your favorite canned version or use a homemade no sugar version… try my Crock Pot Marinara if you are feeling especially fancy. A sprinkle of cheese gives these beauties the feeling of a more indulgent meal. To finish them off, you just pop the slices back in the oven long enough to melt the cheese.
The fresh basil on top is optional, but in my opinion you can never go wrong with fresh basil!
The end result are delicious Baked Eggplant Slices with tomato sauce that you'll be making over and over again. Serve it with pasta or even zucchini noodles and more sauce for a more traditional meal OR a packed Italian style salad… either way you'll have a meal where everyone will be wanting seconds. You can plate it with or without the extra marinara… whichever floats ya boat.
I hope y'all like eggplant because I'm absolutely planning to ramp up the selection of recipes here this summer… but first… try this. 🙂 Enjoy!
This Sheet Pan Healthy Baked Eggplant Parmesan Slices is so good! It's a faster and healthier take on Eggplant Parmesan.
Prepare the eggplant by slicing the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Lay the slices flat and generously salt on both sides. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and pat dry. Repeat for both sides. This can be done ahead of time for faster preparation.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Depending on how large your eggplant is, you might need two sheets.
Get two small flat bowls that are large enough to dunk the eggplant in. In the first bowl whisk the two eggs together. In the second bowl mix the panko, basil, oregano, garlic powder and salt and pepper.
Set up an assembly line where you can dunk the eggplant slices first in the egg, then in the panko mixture and then transfer to the baking sheet. Try to get the slices as coated as possible with the panko.
Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Spoon the tomato sauce on each slice and top with the cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt.
Remove from the oven and top with the fresh basil. Serve with pasta, zoodles or a salad.
Thanks for stopping by today! Tomorrow I'm sharing my favorite ways to beat hearburn.
What's your favorite way to cook it?
I'm linking up my Baked Eggplant with tomato sauce with: Meatless Monday, Meatless Monday, Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday, and the Weekend Potluck. Thanks so much ladies for the link up parties!
How many servings and what the serving size?
I tweeted and saved it on Pinterest. I LOVE eggplant. How nice you grew so many. Was it easy?
I have to be careful with tomato sauce so when I bake mine I put olive oil on each slice and close to the end we add cheese. It is one of our favorite lunches. If I could eat more tomato sauce I'd do it your way. Yum.
This sounds so tasty. I really like eggplant but only seem to eat it in a Parmesan.
This is so lovely! Can't wait to give it a try.
You make so many delicious looking sheet pan meals. My list of recipes to try always grows when you post one!


text:
Augustin "Gustav" Bubník (21. listopadu 1928 Praha – 18. dubna 2017) byl český hokejista, trenér a politik, člen Síně slávy českého hokeje.

Biografie

Hokejová kariéra
Na Zimních olympijských hrách 1948 ve Svatém Mořici získal stříbrnou medaili. O rok později vyhrál Mistrovství světa v ledním hokeji 1949.

V roce 1950 byl nejlepším střelcem ligy. Jako hráč hrál v týmech LTC Praha, ATK Praha, Spartak Brno, Motorlet Praha a HC Slovan Bratislava. V roce 2008 byl jednou z osobností československého hokeje uvedených do nově vzniklé Síně slávy Českého svazu ledního hokeje.

Politický vězeň
Dne 13. března 1950 byl po zrušeném odjezdu na mistrovství světa zatčen a 7. října ve vykonstruovaném (tzv. "proces s protistátní skupinou Modrý a spol.") soudnímu procesu odsouzen k odnětí svobody na 14 let za špionáž, velezradu a rozvracení lidově demokratického zřízení (zatčeno bylo i 10 jeho spoluhráčů). Byl vězněn v uranovém lágru v Jáchymově. V roce 1955 byl omilostněn, ale do reprezentace ani do nejvyšší soutěže se vrátit nesměl. O případu hovořil i v televizním dokumentárním pořadu Postavení mimo hru připraveném Českou televizí.

Hokejový trenér
V letech 1966 až 1969 trénoval jako třetí cizinec finskou hokejovou reprezentaci a významně přispěl k rozvoji hokeje ve Finsku. Byl prvním Čechem, který trénoval cizí národní tým. Jeho největším úspěchem byla porážka Československa na Mistrovství světa ve Vídni. Jako trenér vedl finskou reprezentaci po tři roky a celkem v 69 zápasech. Finské muzeum ledního hokeje ho roku 2004 zařadilo jako 146. mezi Lvy ledního hokeje.
Trénoval rovněž domácí hokejové celky - konkrétně v sedmdesátých (1973/1974, 1974/1975, 1977/1978) a osmdesátých letech (1986/1987 a 1987/1988) 20. století prvoligový oddíl TJ Zetor Brno.

Hokejbalový trenér
Augustin Bubník působil jako asistent trenéra české hokejbalové reprezentace na historicky prvním mistrovství světa, které se konalo v roce 1996 v Bratislavě. Český tým si odsud odvezl stříbrné medaile.

Politik
Ve volbách v roce 1998 byl zvolen do Poslanecké sněmovny za ODS (volební obvod Praha). Ve sněmovně setrval do voleb v roce 2002. Byl členem sněmovního výboru pro vědu, vzdělání, kulturu, mládež a tělovýchovu.

Ve volbách 2010 neúspěšně kandidoval do senátu za obvod č. 19 - Praha 11 jako nestraník za SNK ED, když se ziskem 2,36 % hlasů obsadil předposlední 9. místo.

Odkazy

Reference

Literatura

Externí odkazy

 Více o "procesu s protistátní skupinou Modrý a spol."

 13. komnata Gustava Bubníka na stránkách České televize

Českoslovenští lední hokejisté
Čeští trenéři ledního hokeje
Českoslovenští stříbrní olympijští medailisté
Stříbrní olympijští medailisté v ledním hokeji
Mistři světa v ledním hokeji
Hokejisté československé hokejové ligy
Hráči ZJS Zbrojovka Spartak Brno
Hráči LTC Praha
Hráči ATK Praha
Hráči I. ČLTK Praha
Hokejisté HC Slovan Bratislava
Členové Síně slávy českého hokeje
Trenéři HC Kometa Brno
Političtí vězni komunistického režimu v Československu
Poslanci Parlamentu České republiky (1998–2002)
Členové ODS
Nositelé medaile Za zásluhy (Česko)
Narození v roce 1928
Úmrtí v roce 2017
Narození v Praze
Narození 21. listopadu
Úmrtí 18. dubna
Muži
Čeští trenéři hokejbalu
Čestní občané Prahy 4
Paměť národa


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SURVIVORville registration and room block at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center is now OPEN! Reserve your space TODAY at this year's historic event and get ready for a HUGE National Cancer Survivors Day celebration in downtown Nashville on Sunday, June 7th. Transporation provided!


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Home » Science in society » European Agriculture Impacted by Drought and Water Scarcity
European Agriculture Impacted by Drought and Water Scarcity
4 February, 2019 Megan Ray Nichols 3 Comments
We live on a water planet, but climate change is causing water scarcity around the globe. This came into sharp relief in Cape Town, South Africa, which was very nearly the first city on the planet to run out of water. Strict water-use restrictions averted this tragedy — Cape Town citizens were restricted to only 50 liters of water per household per day. For comparison, the average California home uses more than 300 liters of water a day.
It isn't just residential water sources that are at risk. Drought and water scarcity are impacting the agricultural industry in Europe, and farmers may need to change their tactics to adapt to the changing climate.
The Growing Threat of Droughts
Droughts are natural parts of the climate in many areas. There's a dry season, often followed by a rainy season, and the cycle continues like that once or twice a year. But climate change and global warming are swiftly making these drought seasons worse. In 2012, a massive drought affected 81 percent of the continental United States and caused more than $30 billion in damages.
Extended dry periods leave lands bereft of moisture. It's harder for these dry soils to absorb moisture once the rain starts falling again, increasing the risk of flooding. The rising number of droughts in the European Union is directly affecting the agricultural industry. During 2018, abnormally high temperatures and a lack of rainfall caused crop failures across Europe, threatening many farmers in the area with bankruptcy. Sweden, for example, had only received 12 percent of its normal annual rainfall — and the country was ravaged with wildfires as a result of these extensive droughts.
Droughts and a lack of rainfall aren't the only things affecting the agricultural industry in Europe. Water scarcity and food imports are both becoming increasingly problematic.
A Lack of Water
We live on a planet that is 70 percent water, making it look blue from orbit. Unfortunately, only 3 percent of that water is drinkable, with the other 97 percent making up the planet's saltwater oceans. Of the remaining 3 percent, we only have access to one-third of that water. The rest remains frozen in the planet's polar ice caps. Agriculture takes up more than 70 percent of our collective annual freshwater use. Water scarcity could make it impossible for the agricultural industry to feed the world.
This is a growing threat for farmers in Europe. Nearly 40 percent of the country's water used for agriculture is sourced from other countries outside the borders of the European Union. This makes the EU especially vulnerable to global water scarcity. If this trend continues, it may be impossible for farmers in the EU to grow their crops without finding alternative water sources. When paired with the devastating droughts that occurred as recently as last year, it paints a frightening picture.
The meat and dairy industries are the most at risk. It takes 460 gallons of water to grow just one-quarter pound hamburger, although these estimates may vary depending on the breed of cow and the local climate. Many thirsty crops that require a lot of water — like soybeans, sugar cane, almonds and avocados — are grown in areas that are vulnerable to water scarcity.
It will be up to farmers to alter their processes to reduce their water consumption. Some have already started making these changes by switching to drip irrigation, which delivers water directly to the roots of the plant and minimizes evaporation. Other farmers are creating ponds on their property to capture and store rainwater that falls throughout the year.
For meat and dairy farmers, this is a more significant challenge. They can't reduce the amount of water they provide to their livestock, but by utilizing grazing rotation — changing the fields where the herd grazes periodically throughout the year — farmers can keep the land healthy so it can absorb water when the drought ends and the rains return.
Water scarcity is becoming an enormous problem around the globe. While most cities aren't at risk of running out of drinkable water just yet, it is becoming harder for the agricultural industry to justify its water use. Farmers and the federal branches that manage them need to start making changes to reduce the industry's water consumption. Like fossil fuels, water is not an infinite resource. We need to start thinking about our water uses, on both an individual and industrial scale.
Megan Ray Nichols
Megan Ray Nichols is a freelance STEM writer and blogger. She's the editor of Schooled By Science and regularly contributes to sites like The Naked Scientists and Inhabitat. Keep up with Megan by following her on Twitter and subscribing to her blog.
Latest posts by Megan Ray Nichols (see all)
Smart Sensors Are a Game Changer for the Construction Industry - 9 January, 2020
You Need to Understand the Relationship Between Agriculture and Climate Change - 12 December, 2019
Do Schools Need a Robotics Program? - 14 November, 2019
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3 thoughts on "European Agriculture Impacted by Drought and Water Scarcity"
Pingback: Europe dodged a Bullet during Record June Heatwave – Enjeux énergies et environnement
Pingback: Europe dodged a Bullet during Record June Heatwave – Climate State
Shannon Weiss says:
5 March, 2019 at 11:09
Yeah, it is true that EU agricultural sector ( http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/quantity/water_agri.htm ) is going through a hard time. Mankind is responsible for everything. So, we should work together to preserve our mother nature.
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