text:
May 18, 2022 by Mary Campbell
EverWind: Powered by 'Hopium?'
Having tried to understand the financing of the EverWind green hydrogen project in Point Tupper it's now time to consider the science—or lack thereof—behind it.
First, you need to understand that hydrogen does not come in a variety of colors. The color coding is used to denote how the hydrogen is produced. If it is produced using fossil fuels without any form of carbon capture, it is black (or grey); if it is produced using fossil fuels with some sort of carbon capture, it is blue; and if it is produced using renewables like wind or solar, it is green. (Carbon capture is also a technology of dubious efficacy, of course, but that's a topic for another day.)
EverWind proposes to build a windfarm that will generate electricity that will be used to produce hydrogen and if you're wondering how it will all work, you're in luck, because the company provides this comprehensive overview:
May I begin by saying I find this whole schtick of pretending concern for Nova Scotia really annoying? Investors don't get involved in projects like this because they care about the environment or they want to help "local ice rinks." (Do you honestly believe EverWind's founder, New York-based private equity manager Trent Vichie, has been losing sleep over the lack of green ammonia in Nova Scotian ice rinks?) They get involved because they smell money.
Also, I lied about EverWind's "comprehensive" description of its process. From simply stating it will lead "innovations in green hydrogen and green ammonia production" the way one might state, "I will sell shoes" or "I will open a motel," to supplying green hydrogen "as a substitute for coal," to suddenly, in phase two, "becoming globally competitive" this entire plan hinges on what I discovered this week is called "hopium."
I learned the term from Paul Martin, a retired chemical engineer and co-founder of the Hydrogen Science Coalition, a non-profit organization made up of academics, scientists and engineers who, as Martin told me when we spoke on Tuesday, know something about hydrogen but "unlike most people in the space, have no money riding on it."
The group's tagline is:
Bringing an evidence based viewpoint into the political discussion on hydrogen.
Multiple inefficiencies
I spoke with Martin and I read some of his articles and I listened to an interview he did with the HC Insider podcast (which I highly recommend) and my big takeaway is this:
Green hydrogen for fuel—bad.
Green hydrogen for fertilizer and ammonia—good.
Paul Martin
EverWind, as you will just have read, is promising fertilizer and green ammonia for the local market but its real aim, when it becomes "globally competitive," is to produce fuel.
But Martin says talk of using hydrogen for fuel is a "dumb distraction" on the road to decarbonization. To begin with, turning water into hydrogen is really inefficient. You have to feed electricity into an electrolyzer, a highly expensive piece of equipment that splits the hydrogen from the oxygen and in the process loses 30% of the energy. (Although as Martin explains on the HC Insider podcast, that 30% loss is a best-case scenario, achievable only with a "bleeding edge, state of the art" electrolyzer that an outfit like EverWind would be unlikely to be able to afford.)
Once the hydrogen is produced, it has to be stored and Martin says the most basic way to do this is by compressing it into a high-pressure gas, a process that is about 90% efficient.
In Martin's example, the gas doesn't have to be moved, it's used where it's produced, but it has to be converted back into electricity in an engine or a fuel cell, which are about 60% efficient. By the time you multiply out the efficiencies, he says, you're left with 37% of the energy you started with.
EverWind's plan envisions the Point Tupper coal generation facility being "retrofitted to use green hydrogen, while providing the same amount of power to the grid per year."
So they plan to use wind power to generate electricity to convert into hydrogen to produce electricity? Is this some sort of Rube Goldberg approach to decarbonization?
As Martin says, if your goal is to help decarbonize Nova Scotia, a province that produces 60% of its power from fossil fuels, why not just feed the electricity produced by the windfarm directly into the power grid?
EverWind offers no hint as to how it will transport the hydrogen it produces and that's likely because transporting hydrogen is a whole other kettle of fish. Exploring the problem in Forbes, James Morris says transporting hydrogen to a fuel station will result in "another 26% loss of the remaining energy…meaning, you've already lost a total of 48% of the energy before any hydrogen makes it into a vehicle." Morris adds:
In comparison, the typical loss from transferring electricity over wires to a charging station is just 5%, so you still have 95% left.
The lure of hydrogen as a fuel for cars and light trucks is that it will allow us to continue driving as we always have—we'll pull up to hydrogen stations and fill up in about the time it takes to fill our gas tanks. This contrasts favorably with waiting a few hours to recharge an electric car. But producing and transporting hydrogen requires significant energy which Martin says would make your hydrogen car five times more expensive to run than your electric car. And that's assuming we actually figure out a way to transport significant amounts of hydrogen efficiently.
EVP Mitsuhisa Kato reveals the 2015 Toyota FCV hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to the media in Tokyo on June 25, 2014. (Photo by Bertel Schmitt (BsBsBs), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Martin says in all of the United States, there are about 2,000 miles of hydrogen pipelines and they all connect chemical plants or refineries to each other so that, if necessary, they can draw on each other's supplies of hydrogen. In contrast, the US has about 2 million miles of natural gas pipelines. The amount of hydrogen moved is "trivial," he says, and that's because it has got "a very poor energy density per unit volume and as a consequence that makes it energy inefficient to move."
Martin says natural gas pipelines can carry hydrogen, but the expensive pipes, the ones that carry natural gas long distances, are made of steels with higher-strength carbon content and even adding a small amount of hydrogen to these pipes "reduces their fatigue life considerably."
Green ammonia
There's more, in his piece "Distilled Thoughts on Hydrogen," Martin demonstrates why hydrogen makes no sense for powering ships or airplanes or as a source of home heating and I encourage you to give it a read, but I'm going to move on to the use for which green hydrogen does makes sense and that is, as a replacement for black hydrogen.
As Martin explains, hydrogen is used to produce ammonia and ammonia is used to produce fertilizer and fertilizer is essential to agriculture or, as Martin says, is necessary to ensuring people can eat. Even in a decarbonized future, we will still require millions of tons of hydrogen each year. But 98.7% of our hydrogen is produced with fossil fuels using no form of carbon capture—that is, with black hydrogen:
Hydrogen is a valuable (120 million tonne per year) commodity CHEMICAL – a valuable reducing agent and feedstock to innumerable processes- most notably ammonia as already mentioned. That's a 40 million tonne market, essential for human life, almost entirely supplied by BLACK hydrogen right now. Fix those problems FIRST, before dreaming of having any excess to waste as an inefficient, ineffective heating or comfort fuel!!!
A facility that used renewables to produce hydrogen to turn into green ammonia could be a good thing, Martin told me, but "you wouldn't build it in Cape Breton, you'd build it in Western Australia" which has a combination of desert and ocean that means you have sun all day and winds that blow in, reliably, every night. So your expensive electrolyzer can run on solar power by day and wind by night and never sit idle.
An ammonia molecule, NH3 (I know, it would be better if they Nitrogen were green but I could only find it in blue.)
But no matter where your green ammonia is produced, Martin says it's going to be prohibitively expensive compared to black ammonia unless carbon taxes make the black alternatives unaffordable. Given we're nowhere near that stage yet, I would really like to see EverWind's business case.
As noted, Martin thinks talk of using hydrogen for anything other than the production of green ammonia (and some other, niche uses) is a "dumb distraction" but a dangerous one that could stop us from doing things that could actually help decarbonize our province—like investing heavily in wind and solar and "electrifying everything" (an idea Paul Strome floated in these pages back in February 2021).
Oh Joi, Oh Rapture!
Martin blames fossil fuel companies for hyping hydrogen and delaying electrification and that's a topic I need to explore further, but governments are also to blame for supporting some seriously hare-brained hydrogen technologies and I'm going to leave you with a cautionary tale from just over the border in New Brunswick, where the provincial government gave millions of dollars to a Florida-based company called Joi which promised, in return, to break the laws of thermodynamics.
As the CBC reported:
NB Power paid Joi Scientific $13 million Cdn to license a technology that claims to be able to efficiently generate hydrogen gas from seawater to generate electricity on demand, something that would be a major scientific breakthrough.
Of the payment, $6.7 million came from taxpayers via the province's Regional Development Corporation. NB Power CEO Gaëtan Thomas said earlier this year that the other half of the licensing fee came from a fund for research and development that is part of the utility's regular annual budget.
One of the company's patents claims it can generate hydrogen at 200 per cent efficiency. For one watt of input energy, the patent says two watts of energy in the form of hydrogen gas are produced.
"We've seen results indicating, clearly indicating, independently witnessed, that it does produce more energy than in," Thomas told CBC News in May.
By the fall of 2021, Joi was admitting its calculations were wrong and the CBC's Jacques Poitras was reporting that "flattery, connections and looming carbon costs" had driven the partnership, which by then was on the rocks (New Brunswick cut its funding of the project in December).
Poitras had accessed "hundreds of pages of documents" which revealed, among other things, that:
Mike Sellman, a U.S. nuclear power specialist on NB Power's board of directors, said Joi appeared to be claiming it could break one of the fundamental laws of science.
"You can't get more energy out than you put in," he wrote in an email exchange with senior NB Power staff. "This flies into the face of what Joi Scientific seems to be saying."
Vancouver energy consultant Michael Barnard had told the broadcaster back in May that Joi's claims were like:
…saying you have a machine that works on cake. You have a cake, you put it in the machine, you press a button, it produces not only the cake you had, but a new cake. So you sell or eat the cake, and you put the cake back in the box.
While I feel for the people of New Brunswick, who did not deserve this, I cannot disguise the joi joy I am experiencing looking at this photo, which seems to suggest the technology would have allowed you to plug your grandmother's table lamp directly into the ocean:
Gaëtan Thomas stepped down as president of NB Power in May of 2020. I do not know if Lampgate ended his career but he is now president and CEO of the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick (CÉNB), which just goes to show a lack of familiarity with the laws of thermodynamics can't keep a good man down.
Tags: electrolyzer, EverWind Fuels, fertilizer, fuel, green ammonia, green hydrogen, Paul Martin, Point Tupper, Trent Vichie
More in Agriculture
Gardening Tips: Dishing the Dirt February 8, 2023
Gardening Tips: All About Onions January 25, 2023
Gardening Tips: Fun with Seed Catalogs January 18, 2023
No Act of Contrition: Benedict XVI on Sexual Abuse
Mocking the Tax System?
The Ben Eoin Shuffle
One Ocean Expeditions Update
SEC Says Influencers Pumped & Dumped Torchlight
Bridging Finance Update
Pros and Cons (and Future) of Trams
Canappalachia
A Short History of Blame: Accident Reports from NS Mines


text:
San Leandro, Calif. deploys 'moving target data protection' to streetlight network
Written by Colin Wood
Jan 22, 2019 | STATESCOOP
One of the biggest challenges information technology officials face in managing "smart city" infrastructure, such as networks of connected streetlights, is that they expand a government's potential to be targeted in a cyberattack. But San Leandro, California, is deploying a new security tool on its network of 4,730 streetlights that the tool's developer says turns each of those devices into a security asset rather than a liability.
The San Francisco suburb entered a $40,000 contract with CryptoMove last year to audit its security, establish a lab for testing new security technologies that might be applied to city agencies and to secure the city's streetlight network using proprietary software the company calls "moving target data protection."
CryptoMove co-founder Mike Burshteyn said that his company's program fragments and then encrypts sensitive data — in San Leandro's case, the streetlights' security keys — and moves the pieces around the city's computer network.
"Imagine taking a secret and disintegrating it and turning a fan on in the room," Burshteyn said. "And it's constantly shifting, so if the attacker manages to grab a piece of the data, by the time they get the next one, it's been re-encrypted, so it doesn't add up."
Authorized users can recombine the data, and an attacker who steals an authorized user's credentials could still potentially gain access to that data, but Burshteyn said the idea is to eliminate the attack vector that tends to worry city administrators most when dealing with complex "internet of things" systems. In fact, the addition of each new device to a network using moving target data protection makes it more secure because that makes one more place an attacker would need to look to ensure every scrap of data has been found, he said.
"A lot of the innovation around data security has been 'lets make the algorithm stronger,'" he said. "We flipped it and said 'let's just make the data a moving target.'"
CryptoMove initially developed its technology to help the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Air Force secure drones. San Leandro's IT director, Tony Batalla, told StateScoop that he realized it was the perfect way to protect his city's mesh network of LED streetlights, which were first planned back in 2014 as a way to save energy.
"I realized I didn't know the security implications of having tall these sensors out in the city now," Batalla said. "If we're introducing something in the future, we don't know if someone can backdoor using the streetlights."
A citywide security audit from CryptoMove validated Batalla's fears.
"Yes, your streetlights can be hacked into and we did [enter your network]," Batalla recalled the vendor telling him, noting that the company didn't actually hack the city's streetlights, but did force its way onto the city's network.
Batalla said CryptoMove employees were able to penetrate the city's network and simulate a botnet attack — a network of distributed devices that can be used to perform denial of service attacks or other malicious activity — that caught the attention of Google, which notified him at 2 a.m. that a botnet, while probably not malicious, was active on his network. Gaining knowledge of that security gap alone was worth the price of the contract, he said.
"If every investment had that kind of ROI, I'd be very happy," Batalla said.
San Leandro also wants to position itself as model for IoT security. Its next step is to launch a lab-type environment for proving out common uses of CryptoMove's technology that could be applied to other cities. Through a partnership with the Institute for Security and Open Methodologies and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Burshteyn and Batalla said they hope to develop a case study that can help cities across the country repel attacks against their connected infrastructure.
Batalla said one of the biggest challenges cities face in forming this type of solution is ensuring it's something a city can maintain itself without too much outside assistance.
"We don't want to just throw new tech on our critical systems," he said. "We want to demonstrate how we can secure these highly critical systems in a way that's safe and that our staff can manage."
This story was updated on Jan. 23, 2019 to clarify that CryptoMove never hacked into the city's streetlights, only the city network.
Cybersecurity, Internet of Things, San Leandro, Smart Cities, streetlights
NYC names winners of small-business cybersecurity challenge
by Ryan Johnston • 23 hours ago
Cybersecurity isn't infrastructure? 'Like hell it isn't' warned New Orleans mayor
Pitt think tank to review ethics of algorithms in local governments

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Foo Fighters announce amazing 20th anniversary blowout concert
on November 06, 2014, 9:10am
Foo Fighters // Photo by David Brendan Hall
Photo by David Brendan Hall
As part of their 20th anniversary celebration, Foo Fighters have announced an epic Fourth of July concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.
Billed as the band's biggest US headline engagement to date, the all-star concert also promises performances from a number of the artists who contributed to Foo Fighters' latest album, Sonic Highways, including Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., Heart, Joan Jett, Trombone Shorty, LL Cool J featuring DJ Z-Trip, and Trouble Funk.
Additionally, Foo Fighters will host a BBQ, motorcycle rally, and firework display as part of the festivities.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, November 8th at 10 a.m. ET. A press release notes, "There will be no reserved seating. Field tickets and seated tickets are general admission only. There will be no pre-sale."
Check out Foo Fighters' current tour itinerary below.
Foo Fighters 2014-2015 Tour Dates:
12/10 – Cape Town, SA @ Cape Town Stadium ^
12/13 – Johannesburg, SA @ FNB Stadium ^
01/15 – Santiago, CL @ Estadio Nacional
01/18 – Buenos Aires, AR @ Estadio Unico De La Plata
01/21 – Porto Alegre, BR @ Estacionamento Da Fiegs
01/23 – Sao Paulo, BR @ Estadio Do Morumbi
01/25 – Rio de Janerio, BR @ Estadio Do Marcana
01/28 – Belo Horizonte, BR @ Mega Space
01/31 – Bogota, CO @ Estadio El Campin
02/08 – Christchurch, NZ @ AMI Stadium
02/21 – Auckland, AU @ Mt. Smart Stadium
02/24 – Brisbane, AU @ Suncorp Stadium
02/26 – Sydney, AU @ ANZ Stadium
02/28 – Melbourne, AU @ Etihad Stadium
03/02 – Hobart, AU @ Derwent Entertainment Centre
03/04 – Adelaide, AU @ Coopers Stadium
03/07 – Perth, AU @ NIB Stadium
06/05-07 – Nürburg, DE @ Rock am Ring
06/05-07 – Nuremberg, DE @ Rock im Park
07/04 – Washington, DC @ RFK Stadium #
08/29 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field *
^ = w/ Kaiser Chiefs and BLK JKS
* = w/ Cheap Trick, Urge Overkill, and Naked Raygun
# = w/ Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., Heart, Joan Jett, Trombone Shorty, LL Cool J featuring DJ Z-Trip, and Trouble Funk
DJ Z-Trip
Gary Clark Jr.
Lollapalooza announces new festival in Berlin
Madonna teases collaboration with Chance the Rapper


Vintage Swiss Lacquered Brass Cased 8-Day Cylindrical Case Alarm Clock "Swiza"
Unsold EUR 104,14 Buy It Now, EUR 13,19 Shipping, 30-Day Returns, Pay with PayPal and you're fully protected.
Popularity - 125 views, 3.6 views per day, 35 days on eBay. Very high amount of views. 0 sold, 1 available.
125 views, 3.6 views per day, 35 days on eBay. Very high amount of views. 0 sold, 1 available.
Seller - 1.362+ items sold. 0% negative feedback. Top-Rated Seller! Ships on time with tracking, 0 problems with past sales.
1.362+ items sold. 0% negative feedback. Top-Rated Seller! Ships on time with tracking, 0 problems with past sales.
Vintage Gents 1958 Longines SS Manual Watch. CAL 23ZS. Tropical Dial.
IWC CARRÉ, 18K GOLD, Cal. 89, 1952 - STUNNING AND IMMACULATE!
Vintage Roamer Micro Quartz Chronometer Beautiful Wood Case Swiss Movement Runs?
SWIZA Heavy BRASS Mantle CLOCK 8 Day w/ AlarmGood Working Order Height 6 1/4 In.


text:
Currently viewing Australian site, you can change region at any time in the navigation bar
Junior Readers
The Spark Prize
Hardie Grant Explore
Little Hare Illustration Prize
COVID-19 Special Permissions
Ampersand Prize
Hardie Grant Books London
Hardie Grant Gift
A Hardie Grant Books book
The Last Hurrah Melbourne Premiers 1964
Adam Woolcock
Angus & Robertson
Paper Plus
The Nile
The Last Hurrah tells the story of Melbourne Football Club's last great Grand Final and the fall from grace that has left the club without a premiership since.
From the mid 1950s, the Melbourne Football Club, led by the legendary coach Norm Smith, dominated the Victorian Football League like no other club before or since. From 1954 to 1964, the Demons competed in 11 finals series, played in eight Grand Finals, winning six. Year after year the club was able to recruit new stars, as other left or retired. The 1964 Grand Final victory, achieved after a last-minute goal by back-pocket player Neil Crompton, turned out to be not only the end of this dominant era, but also the beginning of a black hole of success for the club. In the 56 years since, Melbourne has made just two Grand Finals, both thrashings.
The Last Hurrah describes the reasons why Melbourne was such a great team, and how its great coach Norm Smith was sacked – albeit briefly – the following season, leading to what many have described as the 'curse of Norm Smith'. Author, Adam Woolcock, describes, in minute detail, the events of 1964, and what has followed, a period in which Melbourne has competed in just 13 finals series, with little success.
Love this? Share it around!
Travel, Sport
Cycling Atlas Europe
Claude Droussent
Tom Rosenbauer & Brian Grossenbacher
Strong Like a Woman
Laken Litman
Surfer Magazine
Grant Ellis
Sport, Food
The Pendleton Field Guide to Campfire Cooking
Pendleton Woolen Mills & Rocio Egio
Sport, Biography and Memoir
A Football Genius
Dan Eddy
hardie grant travel
hardie grant egmont
quadrille publishing
beautiful accommodtion


During the Summit, the collection of best practices in oral health promotion and prevention across Europe was presented, outlining the scale of the oral health problem in Europe, and containing 28 examples of oral health prevention and promotion programmes from across Europe which the Platform sees as possible solutions.
To find out more information, about the event, see the report here and the press release below. To see the collection of best practices, click here.


High Point is a municipality in North Carolina, United States. In 2005, the population of the city was 92,000 and an area of 131.3 square kilometers. High Point is known for its furniture, textiles and bus manufacturing. It is normally regarded as the Furniture Capital of the World and North Carolina's International City due to the bi-annual High Point Market that attracts 100,000 exhibitors and buyers from around the world. It is home to the only Bentley dealership in all neighboring states.
High Point is North Carolina's only city that extends into four counties. In discovered history of High Point was located at the highest point of the 1856 North Carolina Railroad between Charlotte and Goldsboro. In the city the population was spread out with 26.0 percent under the age of 18, 9.3 percent from 18 to 24, 31.8 percent from 25 to 44, 21.0 percent from 45 to 64, and 11.9 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
High Point is definitely one of the popular tourist attractions in United States worth paying a visit while touring the country. This place leaves a pleasing and unforgettable memory and justifies the proud cultural tradition of United States.


text:
Tajik Jamaat Ansarullah terrorists step up activity in Afghanistan
The terror group resurfaced almost 6 years after a deadly ambush of Tajik troops.
By Nadin Bahrom
Members of the JA terrorist group gather at the Tajik-Afghan border in June. [Photo obtained by Nadin Bahrom]
DUSHANBE -- After a six-year-long hiatus, Jamaat Ansarullah (JA) is making its presence known again.
The Afghan-based extremists, who are all or predominantly Tajik nationals, joined the Taliban in fighting Afghan law enforcement in Badakhshan Province the night of July 4-5.
About 50 to 60 militants participated, according to the provincial government's website. Thirteen Afghans and two Tajik nationals were killed.
The dead Tajiks were known as Umar Islom and Khoji Furkon, commanders of a group of Tajik militants in Badakhshan, Afghan National Army (ANA) Brig. Gen. Mohammed Akram Sameh, who is based in the province, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Tajik service.
"Those were their pseudonyms," Sameh said. "They received combat training from al-Qaeda and the Taliban."
The group had lofty ambitions of overthrowing the Tajik government, he said.
"But first they sought to strengthen their position in Badakhshan, since the province borders Tajikistan," he said.
"We won't abandon our Tajik brothers," Sameh said. "We will not let the terrorists ... cross into Tajikistan."
JA, outlawed in Tajikistan since 2012, is the only Tajik-founded terrorist organisation. It emerged in Pakistan in the early 1990s and gradually moved to Afghanistan under commander Amriddin Tabaraov.
JA made its biggest news back in September 2010, when it committed its lone terrorist act on Tajik soil. JA gunmen ambushed a Tajik army convoy in Rasht District, killing more than two dozen troops. After that attack, JA confined itself primarily to social media postings from its base in Afghanistan.
The return of JA
JA returned to combat even after it lost its leader.
Tabarov [also known as Domullo Amriddin] "was killed [in the summer of 2015] ... in Afghanistan during an Afghan special operation," a source in the Tajik Interior Ministry (MVD) told Caravanserai.
"At present, they number no more than 100 in Afghanistan," the MVD source said of JA. "Their ranks are growing ... but they exaggerate the size of their group."
The JA website is full of boastful postings about supposed victories in fighting Afghan troops.
JA also claimed responsibility for a failed jailbreak by three convicted extremists in Khujand, Tajikistan, in June. One inmate was killed during the escape, one was wounded and recaptured at the scene, and one was caught a few days later.
New Tajik militant leaders
Afghan officials are mentioning other Tajik militant leaders in Afghanistan, such as Mustafo Tajik in Kunduz Province.
Forty Tajik militants are training under Tajik, Amonullo Quraishi, chairman of the Imam-Sahib District government, told Caravanserai.
Tajik came to Imam-Sahib two years ago, Quraishi said, adding that the militant used to make land mines for the Taliban.
Meanwhile, Kunduz Province has 120 "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) militants too, who are fighting alongside the Taliban, Quraishi said.
"This is causing apprehension, naturally," he said.
Kunduz Province has been a flash-point before. Last fall, troops and the Taliban fought in Kunduz city for several days.
Tajik officials are confident
Tajik authorities, though, are confident that no militant invasion of Tajik territory is coming.
Militants from Afghanistan have never breached the Tajik border in the Tajik Border Troops' 22-year history, Border Troops spokesman Mukhammad Ulugkhojayev told Caravanserai.
In those 22 years, the force has arrested more than 16,000 border violators and had about 350 shoot-outs on the border, he said.
In a July 4 gun battle, Tajik border guards and police thwarted a group of Afghan drug smugglers. The traffickers fled back to Afghanistan, abandoning more than 7kg of hashish.
"The border is under our control," Ulugkhojayev said. "We are prepared to give our foreign enemies ... a resounding blow. We don't care whether they're from the Taliban, ISIL or JA."
New threats from Jamaat Ansarullah hollow, observers say
The Afghan-based group of Tajik militants reportedly has less than 100 fighters and is too feeble to threaten the Tajik government.
Afghanistan extradites 5 Jamaat Ansarullah members to Tajikistan
Sons of Jamaat Ansarullah leader sentenced to prison in Tajikistan
Uzbekistan faces renewed pressure to rejoin CSTO in wake of Kazakh unrest
The Kremlin knows the CSTO's value in terms of strengthening its control over former Soviet republics, since the help of the CSTO -- or rather Russian armed forces -- requires loyalty in exchange.
Uzbeks bristle at CSTO's intervention in Kazakhstan
As the dust settles in Kazakhstan and CSTO troops begin withdrawing, Uzbeks are expressing alarm over what the deployment means for the region's sovereignty.
Clerics back US stance against China's repression of Muslim minorities
The United States is punishing China economically and diplomatically for its 'genocide' of Muslims in Xinjiang, and leaders in the Islamic world say more countries should follow suit.
Subscribe to Caravanserai's newsletter
What do you think of Russia's troop deployment in Kazakhstan?
It is a very bad sign for Central Asia's sovereignty
The ramifications of the move are still unclear
It was timely, but the forces have to leave soon
It was the right decision as it helped stabilise Kazakhstan
Global Imams urge Muslims to boycott Beijing Olympics
Islamic leaders of all denominations have told Muslims not to attend or participate in the games over China's ongoing oppression, torture and sexual abuse of Muslims in Xinjiang.


text:
CEOs Leave Industry Meeting With Piles of Homework
David Orgel | Feb 05, 2007
By David Orgel
There's loads of pressure on food industry CEOs these days, so surely they must look forward to escaping work for the occasional industry conference at a warm-weather location, such as FMI's Midwinter Executive Conference in Orlando, Fla., late last month.
Yet anyone who attended with the expectation of a worry-free interlude would have been mistaken.
Top executives were forcefully challenged by conference speakers to embrace industry initiatives, fix internal company problems and act before regulators force change upon them.
The food industry's top brass left Midwinter with lots of homework assignments.
"I need you to have passion for these issues," Tim Hammonds, FMI's president and chief executive officer, said in a speech that outlined hot-button topics. "You are here to take something home that can make a difference."
Hammonds urged action on issues ranging from high interchange fees to food safety. He also warned of the "tremendous gap in management talent" that will follow the retirement of Baby Boomers. Particularly troubling was how some supermarkets are undermining themselves as they attempt to attract college students to deal with this management problem. It turns out some of these students are forever turned off during retail internships in which they encounter store managers who give them the worst jobs and impart an uninspiring experience based on the philosophy that everyone has to come up through the ranks. This is a problem embedded in supermarket culture and one for CEOs to address forcefully.
The issue of sustainability is gaining momentum and was addressed by more than one Midwinter speaker. Claude Hauser, CEO of Federation of Migros Cooperatives, Switzerland's largest retail organization, urged executives to seek global industry standards for sustainability initiatives. It was hard to argue with this point. For example, why should each retailer have to develop their own codes of human rights conduct for suppliers rather than standardize them? "We must enlarge the circle and work together before regulations oblige us to find expensive solutions," Hauser said.
The topic of health care took center stage when Steve Burd, Safeway's chairman, president and CEO, pressed industry leaders to attack rising costs by seeking market-based health care plans and by lobbying lawmakers. Burd observed that change can be easier than many seem to believe. "I'm trying to broadly enlist the business community to change the rules of health care," he said.
If all that didn't provide enough CEO assignments, there were urgent remarks about diversity from Jeff Noddle, Supervalu's chairman and CEO and current FMI chairman. He said retailers need to improve diversity both in their organizations and on the FMI board. "We need to make tremendous progress on diversity, and we need to start now," he said. His remarks were sure to ruffle a few feathers, as many executives feel their companies have already made much progress.
So many issues, so little time. How many topics will get adequate follow-up attention? No one can say for sure, but there's lots of opportunity for individual and collaborative action. However, as any schoolchild knows, the longer you wait, the more homework builds up.


Foshan Guanyu Group is one of the गहरे रंग चीनी मिट्टी के बरतन कांच मोज़ेक मिश्रित leading brands in China. It is the factory & supplier specializing in manufacturing गहरे रंग चीनी मिट्टी के बरतन कांच मोज़ेक मिश्रित. Offer high quality गहरे रंग चीनी मिट्टी के बरतन कांच मोज़ेक मिश्रित at a cheap wholesale price.


If you haven't already heard the exciting news, leading aesthetics industry titles SPA+CLINIC and Professional Beauty have joined forces to present their very first industry event, BEAUTY & SPA Insiders on May 27th – a unique summit for spa, salon and clinic practitioners and business owners alike.
Early Bird registrations are open until March 29th, and as we continue to announce our stellar line-up of industry speakers, we thought we'd give the chance to get to know them a little better before the big day.
Kelly George, from Kelly George Aesthetics, will be presenting on the panel discussion 'Are Devices Worth Their Hefty Price Tag?' Kelly George is a Registered Cosmetic Nurse and the Founder of Kelly George Aesthetics, a cosmetic clinic based in Tamworth, NSW. Kelly's career in medical aesthetics began in 2006, working for Allergan Australia. Since then, Kelly's passion for helping her patients achieve natural results has been the driving force behind what is now one of the most successful anti-ageing clinics in Australia. Kelly's philosophy is that "great skin is achieved through science, not marketing gimmicks". Her commitment to this philosophy has ensured an outstanding 97% client retention rate. Kelly has recently been named as one of the Ultimate 100 Global Aesthetic Leaders for 2019, by My Face My Body.
I'm looking forward to speaking along side a great panel of industry experts and the agenda is really different compared to a lot of events, there are a few topics that I can't wait to hear! Plus, I absolutely LOVE the Ovolo Hotel so I'm looking forward to spending a day there.
My dog will usually wake me up (earlier than preferred), my husband then makes me a coffee and we spend 20 minutes or so chatting (every day). I arrive to work by 8am and then my day consists of treating clients and business management. I work late Thursday evenings and other days I aim to finish by 3pm so I can spend time with my kids after school. I'd like to say I exercise every day, but that would be a lie.
What is your favourite treatment/procedure to perform and why?
I love treating lips! It's usually something the client has thought about for a long time so there is a sense of excitement in the air. The results are visible straight away (minus some slight swelling) so I get to see the client leave the clinic with renewed confidence.
Your greatest accomplishment so far?
The success of my clinic is something I'm really proud of, but I've also raised 2 beautiful boys who are growing into wonderful humans (aside from a bit of teen angst!).
Anything you would choose to redo or take back?
Maybe 1 or 2 things, but they might be a bit deep for this forum! Mostly however, I am a big believer in "everything happens for a reason".
Sunscreen, of course, so when I'm found I don't look 1000 years old! Music, and maybe my dog, because I actually think he'd love to be trapped on an island!
"Everything She Wants" by Wham, it's nearly 30 years old but I still listen to it (multiple times) every day! It makes me happy.
If you were a shoe, what would you be and why?
A pair of high-end stilettos because they get to attend all the cool events.
What is the next step for you and your business?
I'm expanding my brand this year, with an additional location and a new range of products. I'd also love to continue to book speaking engagements and build my mentoring business.
Most loved AND most hated industry trends you've seen throughout your career?
I LOVE the fact that we are heading towards more natural looking faces! Enhancing what people have, focusing on great skin and not trying to change people too much! Conversely, I really can't deal with over the top injectables – frozen faces, insanely large lips etc. I realise there is still a market for this, but I'm glad that in my demographic the preference is for natural.
What do you do to energize, and to wind down?
I play in a Netball team that is all KGA staff and clients. We play on Monday nights and I find this really energises me for the week ahead (and I get to say I've exercised!).
To wind down, I (embarrassingly) love watching trashy TV, The Kardashians, Married at First Sight – all the terrible shows. My brain is always going at 100 miles an hour, these types of shows let me think of absolutely nothing! It's great.


text:
var rows = 1;
//add a new row to the table
function addRow() {
    rows++;

    //add a row to the rows collection and get a reference to the newly added row
    var newRow = document.getElementById("humantaskTbl").insertRow(-1);
    newRow.id = 'file' + rows;

    var oCell = newRow.insertCell(-1);
    oCell.innerHTML = 'Humantask Package (.zip)*';
    oCell.className = "formRow";

    oCell = newRow.insertCell(-1);
    oCell.innerHTML = "<input type='file' name='humantaskFileName' size='50'/>  <input type='button' width='20px' class='button' value='  -  ' onclick=\"deleteRow('file" + rows + "');\" />";
    oCell.className = "formRow";

    alternateTableRows('humantaskTbl', 'tableEvenRow', 'tableOddRow');
}

function deleteRow(rowId) {
    var tableRow = document.getElementById(rowId);
    tableRow.parentNode.deleteRow(tableRow.rowIndex);
    alternateTableRows('humantaskTbl', 'tableEvenRow', 'tableOddRow');
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Hurricane Matthew survivor gets keys to new home in Princeton
Friday, August 30, 2019 - 1:46pm
State Disaster Recovery Act provided funding
Barbara Fletcher's home near Princeton sits less than a mile from the Neuse River in one direction and Mill Creek in the other. She has experienced flooding a few times over the years, but Hurricane Mathew's flooding was the worst.
"I moved here in 1975 and put a $20 bill down on the house," she said. "When I came back after that last flood, the bottom was saturated. You could pull out a drawer and the drawer would fall apart."
After Matthew, the house was gutted and repair work started, but funds ran out before the work was finished, and mold began to set in. When Hurricane Florence came, the waters ran underneath the house and the mold problem grew even worse.
When emergency managers from Johnston County and North Carolina Emergency Management became involved with her case, they looked at repair options. After consultation with professional contractors the decision was made to demolish the old house and rebuild new using funding from the Disaster Recovery Act of 2016. The Disaster Recovery Act provides state funding designed to help storm victims who have unmet needs after other Federal relief programs have done what they can.
Fletcher's replacement home is a 1,500 square foot, 3-bedroom modular home delivered in two large pieces and hoisted by crane onto an elevated foundation, high enough to raise the home above the base flood elevation. Generous local merchants and donors from the Johnston County community pitched in to provide furniture, furnishings and landscaping. On her move-in day, friends, volunteers and staff from Johnston County Emergency Services were busy cleaning up the yard, loading dishes into cabinets and even ironing linens.
"I've never had this much new stuff," said Fletcher. "Most of what I had before came from thrift stores."
Fletcher had insurance on her home, which replaced some things. "I had homeowners, but I didn't have flood insurance," she said. "It was expensive, but I've got it now and I will continue to have flood insurance."
"It hasn't sunk in yet that this is my home until I die," Fletcher said. "I pray to God that I enjoy it for a long time."
Keith Acree


Choose a leader for your Pool Play group.
Distribute an accounting of all money collected and all tickets purchased for each jackpot drawing before the drawing.
Make and distribute copies or photos of the front and back of all tickets purchased for your lottery pool for each jackpot drawing.
Check the ticket numbers after the drawing to determine if your lottery pool won.
Create rules for your lottery group and require every player to agree to them in writing.
Create a contract for the pool to ensure that everyone agrees to the rules and all winnings are properly split. Require that every member of the group sign the contract prior to collecting their funds and adding them to your group.
Only participate in a lottery group with people you know and trust.
If you are considering an office lottery pool, check with your human resources department to make sure that organizing a lottery pool doesn't violate a company no-gambling policy.
Print a copy of the Pool Play sign-up sheet and post it in your workplace.
Have all group members sign the sign-up sheet indicating their level of investment for each jackpot drawing. This sheet will serve as a record of who is participating in each drawing.
Consider re-investing the funds from small wins for future jackpot drawings. Make sure to record these funds and let the group what's being done with them.
Keep the original tickets in a safe place.


The KONG Extreme Ball is a very strong and bouncing ball for your dog. It is made from strong natural rubber.
The KONG Extreme Ball is one of the most robust toy balls on the dog toy market. This toy is ideal to stimulate your dog's natural hunt and bite instincts.
This ball is extremely strong; your dog can chew on it all that he likes.
Have you used KONG Extreme Ball before? Let us know what you think about this product.


text:
My Pancakes Taste Different Today Blog Tour & Giveaway
I have always had a love for children's books, and my kids had every children's book they asked for because for me reading was most important. I would rather my kids be reading a good book than playing a video game or watching television. My Pancakes Tate Different Today! Authored by Wood and Bruce Galpert is a wonderful story about a boy in love with his moms pancakes, but discovers that a lot goes into the process of making them.
As his mom explains where all the ingredients come from the Ethan takes it all in. One day he decides to go fishing and accidentally contaminates the river with trash. The next morning he thinks his pancakes taste different. Its clear that Ethan understands the process that goes into how fruits, vegetables and grains are grown.
Heather and Bruce Galpert authors of My Pancakes Taste Different Today! Talk about the book and why young children will like it
1. What inspired the idea behind this book?
BRUCE: As a young father with two sons, I read a lot to my kids…I also spent most Sundays cooking pancakes with and for them–I ate quite a few myself! Trying to teach my kids life lessons, recycling and protecting the environment were also concepts that were important, but difficult to teach to young kids. I always felt that it was hard for children to grasp how their actions could impact the environment positively or negatively. The idea of My Pancakes Taste Different Today! came out of that quest.
2. How would you describe the character of Ethan?
BRUCE: Ethan is just like my youngest son Evan was at that age. The character of Ethan is built around Evan: Ethan is eight years old, observant, intelligent, fun loving, sweet and kind to nature, animals and others. He loves his pancakes and his mother! He is smart and funny, has tons of friends, and is always asking questions. In real life, I now have a three-year old grandson named Ethan by way of my son Matthew, so all bases are covered!
3. What was the biggest challenge you faced in writing My Pancakes Taste Different Today!?
BRUCE: Getting started, the beginning, the middle, and the end! Writing is not my strong suit! Fortunately for me, my wife Heather came into my life. Not only did she inherit my family, but she inherited this project of 20 years that I was unable to complete, even after attending children's book writing workshops given by some of the best writers in the business. She is credited for helping me put a structure around the story and move it from an idea to something I can hold and read to my grandkids.
4. What was the most rewarding moment you experienced while writing this book?
BRUCE: Seeing the beautiful artwork that Barbara Cate did, and how it worked in harmony with the writing to really tell the story. Heather and I have had such a wonderful time working on this together – it's our baby.
5. How much research did you do for the book? What type of research did you do? BRUCE: Countless Sundays making all kinds of pancakes: blueberry, chocolate, apple fritters. Flipping pancakes and spending time with my boys, was the extent of my research, the best kind! And sadly, watching the growing environmental stress and crisis we are facing as the years march on.
6. What does your writing process look like?
BRUCE: A lot of hair pulling and the words just fall into place. Heather is the the writer in the family, I'm a numbers guy. She helped me tease out the story.
7. Where do you turn for inspiration?
BRUCE: Heather
8. Where did your interest in writing children's books begin?
BRUCE: I have always had my favorite books…The 4 Chinese Brothers, Ferdinand the Bull, A Fly Went By, A Fish out of Water, Go Dog Go…many of these were based on cause and effect…progressive events. I am also a cartoon addict, still to this day I spend more time watching cartoons than any other medium. My son Evan is a brilliant voice over artist and my dream is to see him as a character in an animated film.
9. Which writers inspired you as a kid? Which writers inspire you today? (see above)
10. What are some ways to get young people interested in the environment and what foods they eat?
BRUCE: Farmer's Markets, natural groceries, growing seeds from a packet at home. I think getting kids to engage with nature is the best way…sadly this is so hard for many kids around the world. I had the fortune to live in both Japan and the Philippines as a child and young adult, and the differences in the way each of those cultures reveres and cares for their environment is vast. It really begins culturally at a very young age.
11. How should kids be taught about personal responsibility and their role in sustainability? BRUCE: By their parents, actions speak the loudest.
12. How would you describe the importance of investing in our children?
BRUCE: They are all we have for the future, a dollar invested in them is worth many more dollars in return down the road. You are seeing this in action today with all of the technology innovations from well-educated Millennials
13. How do you like to eat your pancakes?
BRUCE: I like putting chopped apples in the batter, adding cinnamon, and then topping with a blend of butter, syrup, and raspberry jam! Don't forget to sprinkle powdered sugar on at the last minute.
14. What do you hope readers take away from My Pancakes Taste Different Today!?
BRUCE: I hope that parents read the book to their kids and that the book is also used as an early reader. This will be the best way to teach children how their actions impact their world.
15. What future projects are you working on?
BRUCE: We have two books in the hopper that we are both very excited about. One thing at a time I am told by my wife, but creativity has no timeline
Would you like a chance to win a book of your very own?
my pancakes taste different today
Father's Day Feature: Fruit of the Loom T-Shirts
Covergirl's Ready Set Gorgeous and Queen Collections are Perfect for Latina Women
Review of Noxicare Supplements
Natalie J Vandenberghe
My kids are grown (and gone from the house) now, but they were read to on a daily basis; and, they are voracious readers. I'm hoping to win this for my grandchildren. Their mother, my oldest daughter, loves to read (and I'm certain she's instilling her love of books in her children)
I guess I already answered the second question above (sorry–I got ahead of myself, unknowingly) I will give this my grandchildren (Orion who is 6, Roman will soon be 4yo, and Irelyn will be two next month)


Global purchases of imported iron ore in 2017 totaled US115.5 billion.
Overall, the value of iron ore imports for all importing countries fell by an average -30% since 2013 when iron ore purchases were valued at $165 billion. Year over year, the value of iron ore imports advanced by 34.4% from 2016 to 2017.
From a continental perspective, Asian countries consumed the highest dollar worth of iron ore imported from foreign markets with purchases valued at $99.2 billion or 85.9% of the worldwide total. In second place were importers in Europe at 11.3% while 1.2% of the global total were delivered to customers in North America. Just 0.9% of iron ore shipments arrived in Africa and 0.6% in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
The 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 2601 for iron ores and concentrates including roasted iron pyrites.
The listed 15 countries purchased 92.5% of all iron ore imports in 2017.
Among the above top importers, four countries increased their purchases of iron ore since 2013: Indonesia (up 186.5%), Malaysia (up 119.3%), United States (up 51.4%) and Egypt (up 26.2%).
The fastest-declining iron ore importers since 2013 were led by: United Kingdom (down -55.6%), Japan (down -44.5%), Taiwan (down -37%), Netherlands (down -36.3%) and Germany (down -35.1%).
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which China imported the highest dollar value worth of iron ore during 2017. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country.
The listed 15 countries shipped 98.9% of all Chinese iron ore imports in 2017.
The sole country that upped the value of its iron ore supplies to Chinese importers from 2013 to 2017 was India, via a 19.1% uptick.
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their iron ore supplied to Chinese importers included: Sierra Leone (down -81.2%), Canada (down -73.5%), Russia (down -72.9%) and Mauritania (down -58.8%).
Overall, the value of Chinese iron ore imports fell by an average -28.3% from all supplying countries since 2013 when iron ore purchases were valued at $106.2 billion.
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Japan imported the highest dollar value worth of iron ore during 2017. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country.
The listed 15 countries shipped close to 100% of all Japanese iron ore imports in 2017.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of iron ore to Japan since 2013 were: China (up 24,037%), United States (up 1,880%), Mauritania (up 231.1%) and Canada (up 131.2%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their iron ore supplied to Japanese importers included: Russia (down -83.2%), South Africa (down -70.2%), New Zealand (down -67.4%) and Australia (down -50.9%).
Overall, the value of Japanese iron ore imports were down by an average -44.5% from all supplying countries since 2013 when iron ore purchases were valued at $17.4 billion.
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which South Korea imported the highest dollar value worth of iron ore during 2017. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country.
The listed 15 countries shipped virtually 100% of all South Korean iron ore imports in 2017.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of iron ore to South Korea since 2013 were: Ukraine (up 326.8%), Canada (up 255.7%), Finland (up 158.3%) and India (up 67.2%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their iron ore supplied to South Korean importers included: China (down -64.2%), Brazil (down -47.6%), Australia (down -40.5%) and Sweden (down -16.7%).
Overall, the value of South Korean iron ore imports fell by an average -34.6% from all supplying countries since 2013 when iron ore purchases were valued at $8.3 billion.
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Germany imported the highest dollar value worth of iron ore during 2017. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country.
The listed 15 countries shipped 99.9% of all German iron ore imports in 2017.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of iron ore to Germany since 2013 were: China (up 11,173%), Russia (up 611%), South Africa (up 30.3%) and Ukraine (up 27.4%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their iron ore supplied to Indian importers included: Norway (down -70.2%), Liberia (down -51.8%), Brazil (down -49.6%) and Sweden (down -37.8%).
Overall, the value of Indian iron ore imports fell by an average -35.1% from all supplying countries since 2013 when iron ore purchases were valued at $5.3 billion.


Today at The Ranch, the Agronomy team will be mowing greens two directions with our walking greens mowers, mowing tees and approaches, hand raking bunkers as well as refreshing coolers and comfort stations. We are continuing to move around the course edging bunkers, we ask for your patience as some bunkers might not be raked or dirty as our crew makes their way around to clean and re-rake them. We are moving to Hole Location Guide #1 for today and at this time, carts are permitted off the paths.


text:
La Llentriscla (Pistacia lentiscus) és un arbre que es troba a Galliners (Vilademuls, el Pla de l'Estany), el qual és un llentiscle totalment arbori (cosa que és rara de veure en aquesta espècie a Catalunya).

Dades descriptives
 Perímetre del tronc a 1,30 m: 1,62 m.
 Perímetre de la base del tronc: 2,23 m.
 Alçada: 7,9 m.
 Amplada de la capçada: 8,05 m.
 Altitud sobre el nivell del mar: 157 m.

Entorn
S'emplaça al replà que queda al costat del carrer principal, a la part alta del poblet de Galliners, al costat de Can Cerossa (un mas i voltants amb aspecte d'abandó sobtat). Queden restes d'un magatzem de maquinària agrícola i un antic corral, amb conreus d'horta. L'arbre creix envoltat de lledoners i a prop d'alzines, figures i pins blancs. Entre els arbusts hi veiem aladern, galzeran, espina de Crist, roldor, ginestó i magraner; quant a enfiladisses, heura, arítjol, rogeta, esbarzer, vidalba i carbassina, i, pel que fa a herbàcies, lletsó bord, dent de lleó, tabac, sarriassa, mercurial, morella de paret, falzia negra, polipodi, fonoll, blet i flor de nit. És territori de tudons, merles, pit-rojos i pinsans.

Aspecte general
Presenta un gran nombre de forats i corcadures, sobretot al tronc principal, però estructuralment, en referència a la part aèria, l'aparença és acceptable, tot i que l'arbre no gaudeix d'una situació gaire bona: davant té el carrer general del poble i, ben a prop, certa diversitat d'arbres de gran port que li dificulten un creixement en harmonia. Mostra un estat de deixadesa que no li fa cap bé, encara que el seu gruix i la seua alçada el converteixen en un monument excepcional.

Accés
Des de Banyoles, cal agafar la carretera GIV-5132 en direcció a Vilademuls, que ens durà al poblet de Galliners, al qual hem d'accedir pel carrer principal, el qual fa pujada. El seguim fins a arribar a les darreres cases i fins que, a mà esquerra, hi trobem l'arbre, ben bé a peu de carrer, al costat d'un magatzem amb tractors i altres menes de maquinària agrícola. GPS 31T 0489339 4666451.

Referències

Enllaços externs
 Parcs naturals

Vilademuls
Pistacia
Magnoliòfits individuals de Catalunya

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A look at some of the creative worked created on behalf of our clients.
I knew Mark from a prior agency relationship, but had never used the creative team from Brand Kitchen and was not sure what to expect. The team took time to fully understand our business and the marketing task at hand. They hit the mark with the first set of concepts and have consistently delivered high quality creative for each aspect of the campaign. Our offices were very excited when we showed them previews of the new pieces. The development process has been very collaborative and easy, I get regular communication and we've stayed on budget.
I have worked with both Mark and Ken and know them to be outstanding in understanding client needs, delivering on strategy and providing creative, impactful work, all while staying within our budgets. Our projects focused on bringing a new target audience to the brand and their expertise yielded compelling branding/creative for both a short form commercial and long form video for use in our digital initiatives. Both were very successful tools for building our brand.


text:
CBYSA Constitution
Article 1 Name thru Article III Affiliation
1.1 The name of this Organization shall be Coastal Bend Youth Soccer Association, which shall be referred to as "CBYSA" or "the Association" for all purposes hereinafter enumerated. CBYSA is subject to laws of the State of Texas and the conditions and rules presented in its' own Constitution, By-Laws, and Registration and Playing Policies.
Article II. Purpose
1.2 The purposes of CBYSA are charitable, educational, and athletic, as defined by the Texas Non-Profit Corporation Act, and include promoting and supporting soccer for boys and girls eligible to play youth soccer within the CBYSA boundaries through regularly scheduled competition; teaching good sportsmanship both on and off the field of play; educating youth participants and adult sponsors in the fundamentals of the game of soccer; and conducting such other activities as CBYSA deems appropriate.
Article III. Affiliation
1.3 CBYSA affiliates with and is subject to the conditions and rules presented in the Constitution, By-Laws, and Registration and Playing Policies of the South Texas Youth Soccer Association (STYSA). CBYSA, through STYSA, shall comply with the authority of United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA). CBYSA may be affiliated with other such associations as the Board of Directors may deem appropriate. As an association of STYSA, CBYSA shall comply with the following:
1.3.1 CBYSA will not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex or national origin;
1.3.2 Membership in CBYSA shall consist of properly constituted youth soccer leagues/clubs within its boundary area.
1.3.3 Member leagues/clubs shall, subject to the approval of CBYSA, admit organizations within their areas and provide management assistance as requested.
1.3.4 CBYSA will have an Executive Committee that is selected through an open and democratic election process;
1.3.5 CBYSA will be governed by a Board of Directors as defined in Paragraph 1.11 of the CBYSA Constitution.
Article IV Boundaries
Article IV. Boundaries
1.4 CBYSA Boundaries. CBYSA's geographical boundaries shall be as follows: The Association shall control and represent all member leagues/clubs falling within the Coastal Bend area, which includes the cities of Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Ingleside, Aransas Pass, Rockport, Gregory, Portland, Sinton, Odem, Taft and Robstown.
1.5 Member Boundaries. Member league/club boundaries shall consist of the Corpus Christi and Coastal Bend ISD's School Attendance Zone Boundaries as determined by actual residence, as follows:
Express Soccer Club* Encompasses the whole of CBYSA boundary area
Great Western Soccer League Calallen, Tuloso Mid-way, Robstown, and West Oso I.S.D's
Gregory Portland Soccer Association Gregory and Portland I.S.D's
Gulf Coast Soccer Club All of North Padre Island, NAS/CCAD, Flour Bluff and the portions of King High School that are north of Saratoga Blvd. (Saratoga Blvd. toward SPID and from S. Staples/Saratoga east toward the Cayo del Oso).
Padre Soccer League Carroll High School and the portions of King High School that are south of Saratoga Blvd. (Saratoga Blvd. toward Oso Creek between Rodd Field Road and S. Staples).
Port Aransas Soccer League Port Aransas I.S.D.
Santa Fe Soccer Club Ray High School
San Patricio Soccer League Odem, Sinton, Taft I.S.D's
TOPSoccer (associate member) Encompasses the whole of CBYSA boundary area
Tri-City Soccer League Rockport, Ingleside, Aransas Pass, I.S.D's
*The Express Soccer Club, approved for membership by the CBYSA Board of Directors in July, 1993, is the only sanctioned Division I soccer club within CBYSA and is allowed by CBYSA to maintain an open boundary policy encompassing all areas within the geographical boundary of CBYSA. Super II and Division II levels of competition are also allowed, by CBYSA, to maintain an open boundary policy encompassing all areas within the geographical boundaries of CBYSA.
1.6 Amending Boundaries. Amendments to a member league's/club's boundaries may be made at any meeting of the CBYSA Board of Directors by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors, members in good standing, present and voting. Each Board of Director's member shall be given thirty (30) days notice in writing of the purpose of the amendments prior to the vote. All proposals to amend member league/club boundaries must be made in writing to the CBYSA Secretary at least fifteen (15) days before a regular meeting.
Article V Membership thru Article VIII Meeting
Article V. Membership
1.7 League/Club Membership. Membership in CBYSA shall consist of properly constituted youth soccer leagues/clubs within its boundaries as defined in Paragraph 1.5 of the CBYSA Constitution.
1.7.1 Full Membership. Youth soccer leagues/clubs within the geographical boundaries of CBYSA with 50 or more registered players are considered to have a full membership. A full member; i.) may participate in CBYSA member meetings and shall have the right to vote and ii) may send teams to compete in CBYSA or STYSA competitions.
1.7.2 Associate Membership. Youth soccer leagues/clubs within the geographical boundaries of CBYSA with less than 50 registered players are considered to have an associate membership. An associate member may participate in CBYSA member meetings but shall not have the right to vote. Their teams shall have the right to compete in CBYSA and/or STYSA competitions if they have qualified to do so. (amended 2-8-07).
1.8 Requirements of League/Club Membership. Each league/club shall retain its own autonomy, but will adhere to the Constitution, By-Laws, Registration and Playing Policies and regulations of CBYSA in all matters pertaining to Intra-Association competition or in other competitions sponsored by CBYSA. Each league/club shall have voting powers as set forth in Paragraph 2.2 of the CBYSA By-Laws.
1.9 Good Standing. Any member league/club that (i) is delinquent in the payment to CBYSA of any registration fees, fines or other fees; or (ii) fails or refuses to comply with the authority of CBYSA, shall be considered to lose good standing and shall have its voting rights automatically suspended until such rights are reinstated by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Article VI. SEASONAL AND FISCAL YEAR
1.10 The seasonal year of CBYSA shall begin the first day of September of the current year and end on the last day of August of the following year. The fiscal year of CBYSA shall begin on the first day of September of the current year and end on the last day of August of the following year.
Article VII. Governing Board
1.11 Board of Directors. CBYSA shall be governed by a Board of Directors. Each member league/club shall elect or appoint a number of persons to the Board each year as set forth in Paragraph 2.2 of the CBYSA By-Laws.
1.12 General Powers. The Board of Directors shall transact all business of CBYSA and shall have the power to enforce the Constitution and By-Laws of CBYSA and the Registration and Playing Policies and Rules of STYSA. The Board of Directors shall also adopt and approve an annual budget for CBYSA and approve all unbudgeted expenditures in excess of $200.00.
Article VIII. Meeting
1.13 Regular Meetings. The regular meetings of the CBYSA Board of Directors shall be held once monthly, as determined by the Board of Directors. The order of business for regular meetings shall be as follows:
Reading an approval of the minutes of the last meeting
Introduction of Guests
Standing committee reports
Officer reports
Special committee appointee's reports
Notification of date and place of next meeting
1.14 Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the President upon his/her own volition, upon request of the Executive Committee, or upon written request of a quorum of the Board. The Board members shall be notified of each special meeting and the purpose for which it is being called. Only the business for which the special meeting is called may be conducted at such meeting.
1.15 Annual Meetings. An annual meeting of the CBYSA Board of Directors shall be held during each August of the current year. Mandatory attendance is required of all member leagues/clubs. An annual report, standing committee reports, and reading of proposed plans for the future will comprise the order of business. Any member league/club not represented shall be assessed a $100.00 fine.
1.16 Robert's Rules of Order. All regular, special, and annual meetings of CBYSA shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, latest edition.
Article IX Officers thru Article XI Dissolution
Article IX. Officers
1.17 List of Officers. The members of the Board of Directors shall elect the following officers, who shall comprise the Executive Committee:
President Secretary
First Vice-President Treasurer
Second Vice-President Registrar
Third Vice-President
1.18 Terms. The term of office for each officer shall be for two years. The following officers shall be elected in even numbered years:
Second Vice-President
The following officers shall be elected in odd numbered years:
First Vice-President
Regristrar
An officer shall take office on April 1st of the calendar year in which he/she is elected and remain in office until the end of his/her term of 2 years or until a successor has been duly elected, whichever event occurs later, unless said officer resigns or is recalled by the Board of Directors as described in Paragraph 1.20 of the CBYSA Constitution.
1.19 Vacancy of an Office. Upon the death, resignation, or removal from office of any officer, the Executive Committee shall fill the vacancy by appointment subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors.
1.20 Removal from Office. Any officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds favorable vote of the Board of Directors for the following reasons:
(i) inability to function due to illness
(ii) neglect of duties
(iii) failure to attend three (3) consecutive scheduled meetings; or
(iv) malfeasance.
Any committee chairperson or member of any other appointed or hired position may be removed from office by the President with two-thirds approval of the Executive Committee.
Article X. Amendments
1.21 Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed in writing by any voting member. Amendments may be adopted at any regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors provided a copy of the proposed amendment change has been provided to the CBYSA President or Executive Administrator not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the regularly scheduled meeting preceding the regularly scheduled meeting at which the amendment is to be voted on. A two-thirds vote of those present and in good standing shall be required in order to amend the Constitution. An amendment voted by a two-thirds affirmative vote shall become effective immediately. All amendments shall remain in effect for one (1) full calendar year prior to another vote on the same item. Amendments shall not be retroactive.
Article XI. Dissolution
1.22 In the event that CBYSA dissolves or ceases to function for a period of two fiscal years, the assets and properties of CBYSA shall be divided and distributed equally to each member league in existence at the time of dissolution.
CBYSA Bylaws
Article 1 Registered Agent thru Article III Election
Article I. Registered Agent 2.1 The registered agent for CBYSA shall be the CBYSA President unless the CBYSA President designates another to be registered agent in his/her place.
Article II. Voting 2.2 Voting Powers. Each league/club shall be represented on the board by the league's/club's designated representative(s) with total votes based on their league's/club's most current paid registration figures as provided by the CBYSA registrar. This voting strength is determined on the first day of April of each year:
*50-200 Players……………….. One Vote
201-400 Players……………….. Two Votes
401-600 Players……………….. Three Votes
601-800 Players……………….. Four Votes
801-1,000 Players……………….. Five Votes
1,000+ Players……………….. Six Votes
*(Except for associate members – See Paragraph 1.7.2 of the CBYSA Constitution) Each Executive Committee member shall have 1 vote. Each league/club through its President shall present the name and signature of its' voting representative(s) for the fiscal year to the CBYSA Secretary prior to the first CBYSA meeting after the first day of April of each year. Each representative shall have 1 vote unless in possession of properly executed proxies as defined in Paragraph 2.7 of the CBYSA By-Laws. Names and signatures of all voting representatives (including any changes during the fiscal year) must be reported by the league/club President to the CBYSA Secretary before a representative or his/her proxy will be recognized by CBYSA. Voting representatives will be determined at roll call or whenever the league/club representative is recognized.
2.3 Mandatory Abstention. Any voting member of the Association, associated with a formally filed grievance, protest or appeal, shall not vote in respect to that particular grievance, protest or appeal.
2.4 Quorum. A majority of the voting power of the Board of Directors' members which are in good standing (as defined in Paragraph 1.9 of the CBYSA Constitution) shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the Board of Directors. In order to conduct business, one more than half the voting Leagues must be present constituting a quorum. So long as a quorum is present, any proposal other than amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws, shall be considered adopted if it receives the affirmative vote of a simple majority of those individuals present. Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws shall require a two-thirds affirmative vote of those present. For purposes of transacting business of the Executive Committee, a quorum of the voting members shall be present when a majority of the members are present
2.5 Loss of Quorum. The members present at any duly organized meeting may continue to transact business until adjournment, even though members leave and less than a quorum remains.
2.6 Good Standing. To vote, a member must be in good standing as defined in Paragraph 1.9 of the CBYSA Constitution.
2.7 Proxy. Any vote to which a member league/club is entitled may be cast by a proxy holder. To be valid, a proxy:
2.7.1 shall designate, by name, the designated voting member for whom the proxy is being offered;
2.7.2 shall designate, by name, the person who is entitled to vote under the proxy;
2.7.3 shall be specific as to the meeting at which the proxy is to be exercised;
2.7.4 shall be specific as to issue(s) upon which the proxy may be exercised,
2.7.5 shall be signed by the ranking officer available and one other elected officer of the member league/club;
2.7.6 shall be presented to the CBYSA Secretary upon recognition of attendance;
2.7.7 facsimile copies of offered proxies shall be deemed valid if they bear the items, including signatures, listed above. E-mail type proxies, without the actual signatures of the persons listed above shall not be deemed valid.
Executive Committee members shall not hold proxies for representatives of member leagues/clubs.
Article III. Election and Installation of Officers 2.8 Nominations.
A Nominating Committee shall be named by the President at the January meeting. Said committee will report all nominations for the March elections. Additional nominations may be taken from the floor during the March meeting for elections. Nominees are not required to be Board of Directors members.
2.9 Elections. Elections will be held during the month of March. The Executive Committee members shall be elected by a simple majority of the Board of Directors. If there is more than one nominee for an office, the vote will be taken by secret ballot. Once elected, officers shall become full voting members on the first day of April of the election year, with their term expiring on the last day of March of the next election year of their office.
Article IV Officers
Article IV. Officers
2.10 President. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of CBYSA. His/Her duties and responsibilities include:
2.10.1 presiding at all meetings of the Association, Executive Committee, standing committees and other committees;
2.10.2 attending or appointing delegates to represent the Association at any district or STYSA meeting;
2.10.3 appointing chairpersons of the standing committees outlined in Article VIII of the CBYSA By-Laws (within 30 days of taking office) with all appointments being subject to confirmation of the Board of Directors;
2.10.4 appointing an audit committee at the January meeting with an audit report due at the March meeting;
2.10.5 entering into contracts on behalf of the association provided those contracts are of one year's duration or less provided they have been reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee; such contracts shall be binding on the Association upon ratification by the Executive Committee;
2.10.6 exercising such other duties and responsibilities necessary or appropriate for the proper management of CBYSA;
2.10.7 the power to approve expenditures under $200.00 without Board approval; and
2.10.8 at expiration of his/her term turning over all books, records, and other property of the Association pertinent to the office in his/her custody to the successor and receiving a receipt therefore.
2.11 First Vice-President. It shall be the duty of the First Vice-President to assist the President in matters concerning the operation of the Association and to succeed to the powers of the President in his/her absence. His/Her duties and responsibilities include:
2.11.1 coordinating all coaches' clinics within the CBYSA boundaries;
2.11.2 maintaining a listing of Association coaches and their level of certification;
2.11.3 coordinating the summer soccer program; and
2.12 Second Vice-President. It shall be the duty of the Second Vice-President to serve as Tournament Coordinator for the Association in all tournaments hosted by the Association whether they are invitational in nature or in-house tournaments. His/her duties and responsibilities include:
2.12.1 chairing the tournament committees;
2.12.2 receiving/dispensing all tournament invitations;
2.12.3 assisting the President with the operation of the Association;
2.12.4 assisting the 3rd Vice-President with Western District and/or State Playoffs; and
2.12.5 succeeding to the powers of the 1st Vice-President in his/her absence; and
2.12.6 at the expiration of his/her term turning over all books, records, and other property of the Association pertinent to the office in his/her custody to the successor and receiving a receipt therefore.
2.13 Third Vice-President. It shall be the duty of the Third Vice-President to be responsible for the development, promotion, coordination, and administration of soccer in CBYSA. Additional duties include:
2.13.1 scheduling all traveling teams (both Intra-Association and Inter-Association play) into appropriate age groups and dispersing said schedules to the coaches;
2.13.2 scheduling all Intra-association playoffs and Western District playoffs;
2.13.3 maintaining a database inclusive of game reports and misconduct reports;
2.13.4 succeeding to the powers of the 2nd Vice-President in his/her absence; and
2.14 Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep an accurate record of all proceedings of the Association and keep custody of all official papers and records. Additional duties include:
2.14.1 maintaining an official copy of the Constitution and By-laws including any changes voted upon during any official Board of Directors meeting;
2.14.2 making necessary changes/additions/deletions to the official copy of the Constitution and distributing new copies of the document to all member leagues/clubs at the annual meeting in August of each year;
2.14.3 recording the minutes of all regularly scheduled meetings;
2.14.4 attending to all correspondence;
2.14.5 providing a complete list of members of the Board of Directors and officers of the Association to District and STYSA.
2.14.6 mailing (postal or e-mail) a copy of the minutes from the previous regularly scheduled meeting to the members of the Board of Directors at least one (1) week prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting; and
2.14.7 at the expiration of his/her term turning over all books, papers, and other property of the Association pertaining to the office in his/her custody to the successor and receiving a receipt therefore.
2.15 Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to keep an accurate record and have custody of all monies of the association. Additional duties include:
2.15.1 preparing a budget and making recommendations for registration fees;
2.15.2 rendering all just bills and receipts;
2.15.3 submitting a report at each meeting of the monies received and disbursed since the last report;
2.15.4 paying all bills for budgeted expenses as directed by the President or the Executive Committee;
2.15.5 surrendering all financial records for the annual audit; and
2.16 Registrar. It shall be the duty of the registrar to coordinate the registration of all players, coaches, assistant coaches and referees. Additional duties include:
2.16.1 forwarding roster and registration forms of all participants to district/STYSA fr Registration, tournament and insurance purposes;
2.16.2 maintaining a central CBYSA registry, to include adult registration forms; and
2.16.3 providing individual signed rosters to the member leagues/clubs;
2.16.4 reviewing and authorizing all completed USYSA ID cards;
2.16.5 being responsible for providing insurance forms to each member league/club;
2.16.6 being responsible for collecting/dispensing goal inspection forms to each member league/club prior to start of each seasonal year; and
Article V Offices thru Article VII Executive Committee
Article V. Offices
2.17 Offices or positions that may be appointed by the President with Board approval or the Executive Committee are:
2.17.1 D&P Chairperson. This officer (appointed position) shall be responsible for handling all matters before him/her in the realm of discipline and protest, including those matters of constitutional or by-laws infractions. He/She shall:
maintain accurate records of all correspondence concerning matters of discipline and protest;
set up meetings to handle these matters;
notify all persons involved of the date, location, and time of theses meetings in accordance with discipline and protest rules as set forth by STYSA;
notify all persons involved and the Association Executive Committee of the outcome of hearings and meetings; and
at expiration of his/her term turnover all books, records, and other property of the Association pertinent to the office in his/her custody to the successor and receive a receipt therefore.
2.17.2 Referee Development Coordinator. This officer (appointed position) shall be responsible for handling
all matters concerning the development of referees within the Association. He/She shall maintain a database of all Association referees (telephone and addresses);
organize and oversee all referee certification clinics within the Association;
serve on the D& P committee; and
Article VI. Executive Administrator
2.18 The Executive Committee may hire a paid employee to assist in all matters within the Association. The Executive Administrator shall answer directly to the President. He/She shall:
aid all officers/committees when deemed necessary;
abide by the job description under which he/she is hired;
not have voting rights;
not hold office in any Association soccer club or league; and
at expiration of his/her term, turnover all books, records, and other property of the Association pertinent to the office in his/her custody to the successor and receive a receipt therefore.
Article VII. Executive Committee
2.19 CBYSA elected officers shall constitute an Executive Committee to act on all matters pertaining to the daily operation of CBYSA in concert with existing Board of Directors policies. An Executive Committee meeting may be called by the President or by a majority of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall set the time and place for regularly scheduled meetings. It shall assist the President as required in overseeing all committee work to insure its presentation before the Board of Directors in an orderly and timely manner. The Executive Committee will hear appeals of decisions of the Discipline and Protest Committee and will have full right of disposition. Appeals of decisions must follow procedures as set out by STYSA.
Article VIII Standing Committees thru Article XII Amendments
Article VIII. Standing Committees
2.20 The Discipline & Protest Committee shall consist of a chairperson (appointed by the President subject to the approval of the Board of Directors), the Referee Development Coordinator, and additional members appointed by and serving at the discretion of the D&P Committee chairperson with the approval of the President. The committee is charged with aiding the chairperson in performing those duties outlined in Paragraph 2.17.1 of the CBYSA By-Laws.
2.21 The Budget Committee shall consist of the Treasurer as chairperson and additional members appointed by and serving at the discretion of the President. The committee is charged with compiling the annual operating budget of CBYSA for presentation to and review by the Board of Directors at their regular monthly meeting in August.
Article IX. Suspension
2.22 A particular section of the By-Laws may be suspended for a single purpose by a two-thirds favorable vote of the voting membership.
Article X. Coverage
2.23 Any point not covered by the By-Laws shall be decided by a two-thirds favorable vote of the voting membership.
Article XI. Rules
2.24 The Board shall have authority to set up all rules and policy for any CBYSA playoffs, tournaments and special competitions.
Article XII. Amendments
2.25 Amendments to the by-laws may be proposed in writing by any voting member. Amendments may be adopted at any regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors provided a copy of the proposed amendment change has been provided to the CBYSA President or Executive Administrator not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the regularly scheduled meeting preceding the regularly scheduled meeting at which the amendment is to be voted on. A two-thirds vote of those present and in good standing shall be required in order to amend the Constitution. An amendment voted by a two-thirds affirmative vote shall become effective immediately. All amendments shall remain in effect for one (1) full calendar year prior to another vote on the same item. Amendments shall not be retroactive.


RALEIGH, N.C. (May 22, 2017) – WakeMed Health & Hospitals recently honored Duncan Phillips, MD, with the prestigious Harry E. Dascomb, MD, Award. WakeMed's highest teaching honor, the Dascomb Award is presented annually to a physician who demonstrates excellence in teaching and patient care.
Dr. Phillips' many contributions in medical education and patient care made him a truly deserving candidate. As the surgeon-in-chief of WakeMed Children's Hospital and the director of pediatric surgery for WakeMed Physician Practices, Dr. Phillips specializes in minimally invasive surgical procedures for infants and children. He helps children get back their lives by providing important access to his specialty to area families.
Harry Dascomb, MD, was an infectious disease physician at WakeMed who was recognized for his bedside clinical and teaching skills and for his ability to provide compassionate patient care. The Harry E. Dascomb, MD, Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching and Care was established in his honor. Recipients must have three or more years of clinical experience and exhibit leadership in establishing, maintaining and supporting clinical teaching programs at WakeMed.
The 919-bed system comprises a network of facilities throughout the Triangle area, delivering health and wellness services that bring added value to the communities we serve. WakeMed is a leader in cardiac and vascular care, women's and children's services, emergency medicine and trauma care, physical rehabilitation, orthopaedics and neurosciences.
Specialty facilities include the WakeMed Heart Center, Children's Hospital, Women's Pavilion and Birthplace, Women's Hospital at WakeMed North, WakeMed Rehabilitation Hospital, Adult and Children's Emergency Departments and a Level 1 Trauma Center.
WakeMed's team of more than 8,800 employees, 1,500 volunteers, 1,200 affiliated physicians, and the more than 280 physicians employed by WakeMed Physician Practices use the most advanced technologies along with the best minds and the biggest hearts to ensure the finest quality in health care and community health. For more information, visit www.wakemed.org.


This policy and supporting procedures clarify the requirements for the naming of schools and other facilities.
This document confirms the continuation of the ban on mobile phone tower installations on school sites.
This guidelines provides an outline of processes for public schools, Education Regional Offices and the Western Australian and Commonwealth Governments for the opening of new schools, school buildings and upgraded facilities.


We care about the safety and well-being of you, your family, your employees and your animals. While response to a fire is important, prevention is even better. That is why we continuously work with farmers and industry to develop different ways to plan, monitor and inspect farms to reduce the potential for human and animal life or injuries and/or property loss as a result of barn fires.
Barn fires can be tragic events for farmers, and the loss of livestock, buildings and equipment can be devastating in many ways. Approximately 40 per cent of all barn fires are caused by faulty electrical systems, which is one of the leading causes of barn fires. Regular inspections and maintenance are key to reducing the risk of a barn fire.
Monitoring and inspecting your buildings and equipment can go a long way in preventing a fire on your farm.
Have your buildings inspected and maintained regularly by a licensed electrical contractor.
Develop a preventative maintenance and housekeeping schedule to reduce the risks of a fire.
Monitor the heat conditions of your barn using infrared technologies.
Work with your local fire department and insurance company to identify problem areas on your farm, and fix any problem areas identified.
Have a plan ready to deal with any emergency.
Ensure you have an adequate number of fire extinguishers, and that they are in good working order.
Train your family and employees on what to do if there is a barn fire. Plan what to do about livestock, who to call and establish a safe meeting point.
There are many new technologies available today that can help you monitor and inspect your farm buildings. We haven't tested the technologies listed here, nor do we endorse any of these companies; however, the technologies are available and in use currently in Ontario and are good starting points in your research to find what could work for your operation.
FLIR makes a series of different cameras that can detect gas leaks and electrical hot spots.
There are many different methane sensors available. Do some research into what might work for you, such as Cole-Parmer gas detectors or MSA's combustible gas infrared detector.
When activated, the DSPA 5 aerosol generator releases an aerosol cloud to put out flames.
Haven Fire Suppression Safety Device is a heat-activated, dry chemical device that can control or extinguish fires.
Do you have a different fire prevention device, technology or program that could be listed here? Contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.
These resources can help you determine risk areas in your operation, and provide guidance for reducing the risk of barn fires.
Barn fires are stressful and traumatic events for farm families. The After the Fire Checklist is a tool to help you manage the overwhelming number of decisions you may need to make in the aftermath of a fire involving livestock.
Reducing the Risk of Fire on Your Farm examines the main causes of farm building fires and what you can do to minimize risks.
Barn Fires - A Concern for Ontario Farmers describes the common causes of barn fires and some ways to help prevent them.
Use our checklist to help you assess your farm's risk for a barn fire.
Electrical Systems in Barns provides information on how an electrical system can start a fire, regulations and barn electrical maintenance practices.
Use our Agricultural Information Atlas to develop a sketch of your farm showing farm features like fire risk areas, utility shut-off points, water sources, livestock barns and access routes for emergency vehicles. This sketch can be shared with local first responders to have on-hand in case of an emergency. Visit the Farm Fire and Emergency Sketch web page for guidance on how to create one for your operation.
Silo and Hay Mow Fires on Your Farm and Spontaneous Combustion and Hay Fires explain how you can reduce the risk of silage and hay fires caused by spontaneous combustion.
Methane Gas in Hog Barns and Hazardous Gases on Agricultural Operations discuss manure gas build-up and how you can manage the dangers.
Livestock Welfare's Emergency Response web page has great resources, such as how to handle livestock during an emergency, how to manage loose and scared livestock, and what to do when a barn fire involves animals.
Equine Guelph has a fantastic training program on livestock behaviour in emergencies and online barn fire prevention tools.
FLIR Lending Program through Farm & Food Care Ontario.
Barn fires can create unique challenges for farmers, including the disposal of large volumes of deadstock. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a regulation that gives you options for deadstock management. These options help to protect water quality, reduce environmental impacts and minimize biosecurity hazards, such as scavenging. Visit ontario.ca/deadstock for more information.
This web page is intended for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide engineering, legal or other advice. OMAFRA does not guarantee absolute accuracy or sufficiency of subject material, nor can we accept responsibility for health and safety recommendations that may have been omitted. We recommend that you consult with your own professional engineer or lawyer as applicable to determine the best course of action or legal requirements applicable to your farm.


text:
Odisha FC unveil Stuart Baxter as their new head coach
19 Jun, 2020 ISL Media Team
Odisha FC welcomed Stuart Baxter as their new head coach on a two-year contract, the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) club confirmed on Friday. The Englishman was previously the head coach of South Africa as well as Finland, and comes with the experience of managing in Asia having been at the helm of Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Vissel Kobe in the J1 League in Japan.
Speaking on his upcoming challenge in Indian football, Odisha FC's new head coach said, "I'm pleased to say that Odisha FC and I have reached an agreement for the upcoming ISL season. "I'm looking forward to the challenge of Indian football and the opportunity to develop players and coaches in India. I'd like to wish all the supporters, players and staff good health during these testing times."
"The vision of the Sharma family for the club representing the sporting state of Odisha is an exciting one with development, teamwork and cooperation with our stakeholders serving as cornerstones for the task ahead. Together we will bring joy and success to the region," he added.
A midfielder during his playing days, Baxter began his footballing career with Preston North End before going on to represent a host of other clubs from England, Scotland, Australia, Sweden and America. As head coach, he began his career with Swedish club Örebro SK's youth team, while his first role in senior management came with Norway's Idrettsforeningen Skarp, which was followed by a brief stint with Vitória Setubal in Portugal.
After returning to Sweden from Portugal, Baxter enjoyed a three-year spell with Halmstads BK, guiding them to promotion in his first season with the club. His first experience of coaching a team in Asia was with Sanfrecce Hiroshima, winning the J1 League title (1st stage) with the club. Baxter then moved to another Japanese club, Vissel Kobe before returning to Sweden again to manage AIK. The Englishman went on to win the league championship as coach of AIK and also lifted the Swedish football cup with them. He also managed Helsingborgs IF and won his second Swedish football cup with them before continuing his adventure on the international stage as Finland's head coach.
After two years with Finland and a couple of years away from coaching, Baxter returned to club management and enjoyed plenty of success, joining South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs and guiding them to two Premier Soccer League triumphs as well as a domestic cup win.
"I am delighted to welcome Coach Stuart Baxter to Odisha FC! We conducted an extensive global search for a coach that matched our vision for the next phase of OFC. We are excited that Stuart is both motivated and experienced to create a championship club, develop our Indian starlets into national team players, & strengthen our youth academy, in order to have a consistent inflow of talent into OFC," Dr. Anil Sharma, CEO of Odisha FC's parent company GMS said about his club's new head coach.
He added to this, saying, "I am sure the fans and the Odia community will be pleased with our decision and welcome Coach Stuart to Odisha with open arms. I wish him good health and the very best of luck for a highly successful stay at Odisha FC."
With more than 25 years in management across three continents at the club and international level, Baxter brings an abundance of experience into the fold for Odisha. His track record of winning trophies also bodes well for the Bhubaneswar-based club. He will be taking over from Spanish head coach Josep Gombau under whom Odisha finished sixth last season.
Odisha have been busy in the transfer market with the signings of goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh, defenders George D'Souza, Kamalpreet Singh, Hendry Antonay and Saurabh Meher and midfielder Thoiba Singh Moirangthem. The appointment of Baxter comes as another boost for the club as well as another reason for their fans to be optimistic about ahead of the new season.
Excited about Odisha FC-Watford FC partnership, Foster doesn't rule out move to India in future
Odisha FC and Watford FC full of optimism after historic partnership