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Introducing Juliette Richards.
The Budding music maestro has recently released her brand new EP and sat down with industryme to discuss her musical inspirations and bringing together two popular music styles.
Here's what happened when she spoke to InsustryMe about bringing together the two worlds.
How would you describe your music to someone who had never heard it before?
On my EP, all of the four songs are deep piano ballads. They are very soulful, and two of them ('Do You Remember?' and 'Just Like That') also feature haunting cello lines that I think gives them a unique sound.
As a classical pianist would you ever consider going down the traditional route?
Oh yes, certainly! My aim is to keep up both aspects of my music (pop and classical) alongside my academic studies and later, my career (I also love science!). I think the main point here though is that I wouldn't want to only be a classical pianist and have that as my main career. I can't see myself being happy in the future while not giving piano recitals, but at the same time, I don't think I can see myself being happy only doing that.
Who are your three favourite classical composers and why?
Chopin is my absolute favourite. A valse of his was my first repertoire piece and it was love at first hearing! His music is full of long cantabile lines, so melodic and so poetic. His first Ballade will always be the piece that means the most to me – I have grown up with it. Liszt is my second great love. I have played both intimate, poetic Liszt (e.g. Un Sospiro) and flamboyant Liszt (e.g. the Tarantella from the 'Venezia e Napoli' suite), and I find both styles exhilarating to play. The only downside in the Liszt repertoire is that he had crazy big hands and mine are relatively small. I also really love Beethoven's music. I remember how I was dying to play the 'Tempest' a few years earlier, and now I am enjoying his 'Appassionata' even more. The sense of sheer drama in it is unbelievable, and I think it suits me really well. I could go on to list many more favourite composers though!
What inspired you to combine pop music with classical sounds?
The amount of people I hear saying 'classical music is boring', or 'pop music is stupid', is just sad. It seems so wrong to me to just completely shut out a whole genre of music simply because you haven't given it the chance. I'm in no way trying to force people to listen to a type of music that they don't enjoy listening to, because that is equally wrong. I just wish that people could have a bit more of an open mind. I have already seen examples of where people have followed me on social media for my pop music, have consequently heard my classical music and have then thanked me for introducing them to a new genre of music which they now really love. This has also happened in the reverse too: people have visited my webpage because of my classical music and have then stumbled across my original pop songs. I can only hope that I will be able to do this for more and more people in the future.
Describe your typical songwriting process?
I know that most people tend to write either the lyrics first or the melody… Well, I'm that person who writes them both together! Whenever lyrics come to me they are always accompanied by a melody. Once I've worked out the lyrics and melody for at least the majority of the song, I then go to the piano and try to work out which chords sound the nicest underneath. Once I've done that, I try to develop the piano part to make it sound richer (and also to exploit my ability to play more complex parts on the piano!) and see if I can add other instruments as well. It's a weird process I know, but hey, it works so….. 🙂
Where do you see your musical career 5 years from now?
I hope that I will be playing in big concert halls and singing in large arenas. I hope that I will be in a position where I can inspire others, help others, and be a role model to others. I hope that my music will take me all over the world, to places I've never even heard of before. But most of all, in the same way that I once did, I hope that little children will look up at me on the stage and turn round to their parents saying 'I want to be like her'.
Who is on your playlist right now?
Ummm, Shawn Mendes, Shawn Mendes and….. Shawn Mendes. Haha no I'm kidding. I mean, I'm a HUGE Shawn Mendes fan so yes, he does take up most of my playlist but anyways… To be honest I have way too many artists on my playlist, but some of my favourite ones (except for Shawn LOL) are Camila Cabello, Freya Ridings, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Tom Odell, Birdy, Maisie Peters, Adele, Charlie Puth, Sigrid, Ed Sheeran, 1D, Taylor Swift….oh dear I got carried away, didn't I?! Oh and me, I'm also on my playlist, of course 🙂
Which three artists would you most like to work with and why?
Well I don't think it would surprise you if I said I wanted to work with Shawn Mendes haha. I want to work with him because he's just such an amazing songwriter. I mean, I have listened to his songs on repeat more times than I'd like to admit (!), but I never get sick of any of them. The same goes for Camila Cabello, she's also an incredibly talented musician who I'd love to work with. I think the third person I'd choose to work with would probably be Ariana Grande, obviously because she's another amazing songwriter, but also because she can hit high notes that I can only dream of ever hitting, as I was blessed (or cursed, depending on how you look at it!), with a naturally lower singing voice.
Any final shoutouts or plugs?
Huge shoutout to my parents for helping me do all of this, and for giving me the opportunity to make my dreams come true. I also have to give a massive shoutout to my incredible friends – you guys are the best friends I could ever ask for, you support me in everything I do, you are always there for me, and you make me who I am, so thank you. I also want to thank everyone else out there who has supported me, listened to my music, and followed me on my journey so far – it means the world.
Keep up with the latest from Juliette over on her website: https://juliettepiano.com/


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Glazed Donut French Toast recipe
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Like this recipe? "Pin it" to save it by clicking the photo above!!
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Okay, confession time. First: my 9 year old daughter came up with this idea. Confession number 2: I had to work really hard on my self control so I didn't eat every last bit of these. French toast is my favorite breakfast food, and let's be honest, donuts are good all the time. Mix the two, you've got heaven on a plate!! Now, when making this you need to remember that you need to put the heat on a lower setting than when you're making regular french toast, and you will need to keep a close eye on the glazed side of the donut. The glazed side is harder to cook and it burns faster so you might want to just assume that you will need to practice on the first donut to get it right 😉
Sweet and fluffy french toast made from donuts is perfect for breakfast or dessert!
- 6 glazed donuts
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup milk or you can use half and half or even liquid coffee creamer
In a small mixing bowl combine eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk.
Beat well and set aside.
Cut donuts in halves and dip each into the egg mixture.
Place 2 donuts halves into a greased pan over medium heat.
Cook with cut side down until lightly browned.
Flip and cook on glazed side, watching very closely until just cooked.
Mix equal parts milk and powdered sugar in a bowl and drizzle over donuts.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)

subset: commoncrawl


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|Thermaltake Level 10M Gaming Mouse
|Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices
|Written by David Ramsey
|Sunday, 09 December 2012
Page 5 of 6
Testing & Results
Testing Methodology
I used the Thermaltake Level 10M Gaming Mouse for a week on my primary PC, playing a variety of games as well as using it for ordinary day to day work. The games I used were Bad Company 2, Crysis 2, Serious Sam BFE, Half Life 2, and Singularity. I also used the default configuration (which I labeled "General Browsing").
The pointing device you use for your computer might be a mouse, trackball, track pad, or something else: it's a very individual choice. Consequently some users will absolutely hate a device that someone else thinks is the best thing available. The Thermaltake Level 10M Gaming Mouse is, for my use, a good mouse that is nonetheless afflicted with some significant issues.
The good parts first: the macro functions worked perfectly, and since they're stored in the mouse, they will apply to any computer you plug the mouse into. I'm not sure how useful this actually is, but it's still neat. Button action is very crisp and light, and the mouse is solidly built and exudes quality, which I suppose one would expect at this price level. The lighting effects are nice, and if you click the "Battle Mode" button in the utility, the lights will start pulsating once you pass some defined level of button-pressing rapidity. If you've ever damaged a wired mouse cable where it enters the mouse, you'll appreciate the integrated strain relief on the mouse cable. Last, the ability to adjust the physical structure of the mouse-- raising or lowering the rear surface where your palm rests, and adjusting the sideways angle of the mouse body-- make it easier to find the best fit for your hand. Personally I adjusted the body at maximum height and a very slight leftward tilt.
Although reaching for ever-higher resolutions is common these days, I have to wonder who would ever actually use 8200DPI? I found 1600DPI useful in a few games but kept the mouse at its lowest 800DPI setting most of the time. Most of the games I play are FPS, and a "sniper" button that reduces the mouse resolution while it's held down would have been nice. Perhaps a software update can add this feature as a programmable button action.
And now for the bad parts: the first problem is the placement of the buttons on the left hand side of the mouse. As I mentioned, the button action is very crisp and light, but the buttons are placed precisely where a right-hander's thumb will rest when using the mouse, which means it's very easy to press the buttons accidentally. Many other mice with left thumb buttons place them above this area so that the user has to raise their thumb slightly to press them; I think this would have been a better design to use.
The lightning bolt button acts as a four way rocker switch, and you can define each of the four ways as a separate macro. However, the position of the switch makes rocking it down impossible with your thumb on the switch; instead, you have to move your thumb to the top of the switch and press downwards to rock it down. It's a minor point but something you have to get used to if you assign macros to this button. And it took some time for me to stop accidentally pressing the rocker switch in when using it...doing so immediately switches the mouse to the next profile, which can obviously be disastrous in the middle of a fast-paced game...and the "press to switch profile" function can't be changed.
There is no documentation included on the mouse software, and the online documentation is so sparse that the procedure for assigning a macro to a mouse button isn't actually defined anywhere that I could see...I had to figure out for myself that you have to click on a button on the picture of the mouse before you can assign a macro to it. The software can't show you a list of the macros assigned to a profile, which means that if you want to see what a button does in a particular profile, you must switch to that profile, then click the appropriate button on the picture of the mouse on the screen, then click the "T Key" button to show the current assigned macro. With 11 possible macros per profile, this can get tedious.
In the last section I'll give my final thoughts and rating of this mouse.
Got to agree on the software, it's pretty rough around the edges. Full of spelling errors and dubious UI issues. A rather bizarre Easter egg of sorts I found is that if you click the '3d axis movement' button it opens your media player and starts up an odd track which was included with the drivers.
My main gripe with the mouse are those side buttons though, they're crap. The small ones are annoying to push due to their size and angled shape whilst the large one on the left is too close to the stick. Due to the constant risk of accidentally pressing said stick I've only used it for forward/back functions whilst browsing the net.
Also the '3d steering' thing I'm fairly sure refers to the way the mouse has a bit of wobble to it, as in if you press down on the left or right hand side it moves with you a small amount, outside of the whole adjustable tilt action.
> axis of movement, although I'm not sure what use that would be.
1. Place the heel of your palm at the edge of your mousepad.
2. Keep the heel of your palm anchored, do not move it.
3. Move your hand side to side to a comportable extend and watch the cursor.
4. Move your fingers open and closed a bit, watch the cursor.
You need up and down to be much more sensitive than side to side (unless your a "Palm Dragger"; relative to the "Knuckle Dragger").
We would have liked to know how well the Macros actually worked on your favorite game.
Could you set the Macros up to click on 'Build something' / 'Go somewhere' / 'Do Whatever' and get accurate (and very fast) repeatable results for your favorite things you do ?


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Conserving Dominica's Sea TurtlesLatest update August 22, 2019 Started on October 28, 2018
Our project works to understand sea turtles and the habitat they depend on and protect endangered nesting leatherback sea turtles, the worlds largest reptile, from poaching. To accomplish this, we work with local communities to patrol nesting beaches, conduct research into turtle movement and behavior, and implement education programs on ocean conservation in schools near nesting beaches.
We're exploring reefs around Dominica documenting sea turtle foraging habitat damage since Hurricane Maria. Storm surge left many corals and sponges damaged. Hawksbill turtles rely on these sponges as their primary food source. The marine reserve is also an important habitat for juvenile turtles because of the reliability of a healthy reef and sponge ecosystem.
We combine visual observations with an educational program known as Floating Classrooms. Floating Classrooms enables students in Grades 4 and 5 across Dominica to learn about the sea turtles and marine life that share their island home. Each year participating students help collect data on coral reef health with an experiential learning research cruise where they deploy drop cameras, listen with hydrophones and use plankton nets to look at the diversity of life in their own backyard. All while helping protect sea turtles and the ocean environment!
Hey everyone - Jake here. I arrived in Dominica last night and jumped right in!
There's lots to be done on this trip (as with all trips to Dominica). Nesting season is in full swing so I'm joining the team to visit nesting beaches and observe any known nests with eggs, and also keep an eye out for new nesting turtle arrivals. We have a few satellite tags that we'd like to place on turtles this week, so we're on the lookout!
I'm also visiting potential sites for two side projects that we're hoping will become sustainable income sources for local residents. One is a fish hatchery, which will provide alternative income to poaching sea turtles, plus it will give Dominica's communities a reliable source of seafood.
The second is a rum distillery. Sugarcane grows across Dominica, and we're working to utilize that sugarcane to distill the first ever Dominica-based rum. We've teamed up with Lyon Distilling to develop a method and flavor profile that's unique to Dominica, sponsored by DomSeTCO.
Sea turtle saving rum, anyone?
Exciting things are happening - will share more soon!
June was an exciting month for the DomSeTCO team! With World Oceans Day and World Sea Turtle Day occurring just one week apart, we had plenty of opportunities to share our passion for sea turtles and ocean conservation. We participated in #SeaTurtleWeek, an initiative to bring awareness to sea turtles, the challenges they face in the wild, and what so many people around the world are doing to protect them.
The first year of #SeaTurtleWeek was a shining success -- over 60 organizations joined forces to promote ocean conservation, sharing thousands of posts on across social media platforms to reach 4 million online viewers!
For our participation in #SeaTurtleWeek, we shared some of our favorite photos, videos, and facts about sea turtles from Dominica. Some of those photos were of turtles that came to nest in Dominica during the first few weeks of June! We managed to tag several turtles, and will be tracking their movements over the next few months.
We've been excited to see numerous sea turtles coming ashore to nest this season. With our patrollers watching for turtles on known nesting beaches, we're hoping that every turtle that comes to Dominica will safely nest!
Here are two photos of a nesting leatherback turtle from #SeaTurtleWeek, as well as a graphic we shared for World Oceans Day. We also shared the first video from the series The Last Turtle, highlighting the beauty of Dominica, some of DomSeTCO's team members, and more information about sea turtles in Dominica.
View the video here: https://youtu.be/ncI-HSp22g0
Yesterday I met with Dominica's newly formed organization to coordinate all things climate. Dominica aims to be the world's first climate resilient country. The org is CREAD (Climate Resilient Execution Agency for Dominica). We had a great meeting yesterday and it ended with me sitting down with them today to outline a blue vision for a green dominica.
Basically, how do you plan for economic growth, conservation, and climate change.
Simple, right?
There was a lot of sharing of my various notes and proposals. Next week I'm off to a meeting with the Clinton Global Initiative to talk about how Dominica can be climate resilient and see if we can get people to invest in this big picture vision.
Then more meetings! I joined a meeting with CREAD and UNDP on Dominica's blue economy. The "blue economy" concept aims to fuel economic growth and improve the livelihoods of Dominca's residents by using ocean resources, while still protecting and preserving the ecosystem. So it's on par with what we're trying to do with our conservation work.
I'm hoping that we can collaborate with CREAD to make lasting changes for the betterment of Dominca's communities AND its natural resources.
After that it was back to Rosalie Bay to brief Beverly and Oscar on all the progress.
Not exactly thrilling fodder for an OE update, but it's important to set up the logistics of these conservation efforts before we head back to the states.
It's my last day in Dominica today. I leave tomorrow, and I'm down to my last three mangos! Fruit just doesn't taste the same back home as it does in Dominica.
Throughout this trip I'm pretty sure I've driven the equivalent of around the island at least 12 times. It's been a lot of work, but again, it's important. I'm excited to come back in March for our patroller training, and to see how things are going.
Until next time!
Our team did cleaned up the waters near one of our eating beaches yesterday. We removed a ton of plastic debris, including a number of "biodegradable" bags.
I'm always disheartened when I find bags like this; they're marketed as good for the planet because they are biodegradable, so when people use them they feel like they're contributing to a cleaner environment.
But what really happens is that these bags just break down into microplastics, which end up everywhere from the ocean to inside animals bodies – including humans. Scientists have found microplastics in increasingly alarming places like shellfish, sea salt, and even beer.
So here's your reminder, if you need one: use reusable bags instead of any kind of plastic one, even the "biodegradable" kind.
We certainly can't control whether or not everyone uses reusable bags (though we can strongly recommend it) but what we can control is what to do with the plastics that end up on Dominica's beaches.
Yesterday three of us put in about 30-40 minutes of effort and recovered about 50 pounds of plastic in a tiny area.
I'd love for there to be less plastic on the beach, but right now I'm just grateful that we have the team to go out and clean up what we can. It's a step in the right direction, and it's on par with our values of protecting and conserving the natural marine resources of Dominica, and ensuring prosperity for all the economic sectors which depend on Dominica's waters.
Yesterday we said goodbye to Emily, our intrepid data manager, ROV feather manager, and Jane-of-all trades as she had to head back to the US. After dropping her off at the airport I drove to the other side of the island to meet our patrol teams in Rosalie and La Plain.
La plain and Rosalie are both hotspots for turtle nesting and, unfortunately, illegal hunting.
Simon, Kenny, Marvin and Pierre are our DomSeTCO patrollers at Rosalie and La Plain beaches. These guys literally put their lives on the line protecting turtles. Marvin and Pierre had to park their car in a hidden location because poachers have vandalized their car in the past.
We met to talk about our plans for this season, how we can ensure that everyone is safe at night on the beach, and how to improve how we engage our communities.
For the organization to be successful we need to make sure the patrollers are safe and that there is a plan (financial and logistical) to support them for the foreseeable future.
But how do you generate sustainable livelihoods in a country where ecotourism is particularly challenging?
For many island and coastal areas around the world, communities can rely on their beautiful natural landscape to draw tourists. Ecotourism has allowed countless communities to transition away from harvesting resources and instead learn an income by showcasing the beauty in their backyard to the world.
But on Dominica, the turtle population has declined so much that seeing a turtle isn't exactly common. That means that these communities can't consistently rely on turtle sightings as a way to encourage tourists to visit.
It can be difficult to justify the importance of protecting animals that don't have an obvious economic benefit. Many endangered animals around the world face threats because humans often overlook their ecosystem role in favor of their economic value.
So our job is to find ways to protect these sea turtles even though their economic value might not be so obvious.
Fortunately, we have a passionate team that isn't afraid to think outside the box.
Sometimes demonstrating the value of the animal is the key to conserving its population, while other times stressing the importance of a whole habitat is a way to keep endangered species safe. In our work, we combine education with creative problem solving; if Dominica residents need a consistent way to make a living and support their families, we can come up with a different method that doesn't put sea turtles at risk.
Our plan to sell Sargassum fertilizer and driftwood could prove to be a huge economic boost for the area, and potentially employ folks from more remote communities that may otherwise consider poaching endangered sea turtles.
Conserving animals that don't seem to have an economic value is an uphill battle, but we're going to fight it. The first steps are making sure that our patrollers are safe, and finding ways for them to generate income for themselves, and to generate funds for the program.
Yesterday we took a trip up to the north of Dominica to visit with the team in Londonderry. We're setting up for the season ensuring everyone has what they need to succeed. There are lots of things to coordinate, like making sure that everyone has data sheets for recording turtle nesting and the contact information of necessary officials to confirm that any poachers caught interfering with turtle nesting face criminal prosecution.
We also spent time discussing our business planning. That miight not sound all that adventurous for a digital field journal about exploration, but it's an important piece of maintaining financial sustainability for our program. When projects like ours can be financial stable, our efforts to protect Dominica's sea turtles can continue for years to come.
There are few things we have a lot of in Dominica: sunshine, salt water and more recently sargassum seaweed and driftwood. Sargassum seaweed seems to be building up in the area and impacting our nesting beaches. The influx of seaweed and is likely caused by climate change shifting the ocean's currents, sending offshore algal blooms from Brazil (caused by nutrient runoff) into Caribbean waters. The beaches last nesting season were inundated with sargassum, making it very difficult for both nesting turtles to build a nests and for hatchlings to emerge from their nests after hatching.
We're brainstorming how to use all of this sargassum to our advantage to make money for sea turtle conservation. This extra income could support the work of our 30 patrollers in addition to helping fund the science we do.
But how do you make money from washed-up (literally) seagrass? We're planning to set up a compost station to turn the sargassum into nutrient-dense compost and fertilizer. We'll be able to sell this fertilizer and compost to people around the island. It's all organic so it won't cause excess nutrient runoff (the root of this sargassum overwhelm), farmers need it, and the proceeds can benefit sea turtle community groups. It's a win for everyone!
Hurricane María – and actually every year after hurricane season – brought us a ton of driftwood too. It seems crazy to me that such a valuable natural resource (people pay lots of money for driftwood art) is so plentiful here, and it's just sitting around blocking animals like turtles from using the natural landscape. We're trying to think of how we can profit off all the driftwood that comes to us every season.
Until next time,
~ Jake
It was a largely uneventful day today, with a few exciting moments.
The AIS is online, so that's exciting! We couldn't quite figure out why it wasn't working earlier today and I was about ready to give up when Vaughn, a dive instructor, started poking around with it and it suddenly came alive.
I also had a chance to teach Dan Perryman, who has played an important role in our Floating Classrooms program how to drive the openROV. We're going to set up a time with the rest of the folks from the Floating Classrooms crew to learn.
We ran into a new obstacle today: the roof of our Domsetco boardroom collapsed in Hurricane María, and it looks like someone had broken in at some point, so the place was a mess.
Our giant inflatable whale we use for kids in our Floating Classrooms was covered in evidence of small woodland creatures (read: rat poop) and our reusable bag supply we give people to reduce plastic use was chewed into and used for something to nest.
Needless to say, much of that will have to get tossed.
Another day, another challenge – but setting up the AIS receiver in Dominica is a big win, and I'm going to focus on the positive!
We also did a little survey with the ROV a nearby reef. This reef in particular used to be a turtle habitat, as it was lush sponges for hawksbills to feed on. Since María, landslides and river runoff (logs and tons of silt, mud, sand) seems to have covered it up and is just gone.
Stay tuned for more (ever eventful) updates!
Just a quick post since it's 3:00am, and some small creature is rustling around. We're staying tonight in the former home/debris field of my friend Simon. I say home-slash-debris field because his home basically blew apart in Hurricane María.
Tomorrow, we work to recover our AIS antenna and giant inflatable whale we use for an education program called Floating Classroom. More on that later.
Our whale is located what we refer to as our DomSeTCO board room. The roof collapsed and sent debris flying. Hopefully, it's still alive so we can keep bringing it to school visits to help inspire conservation action.
Ok, whatever is rustling around out here is getting closer, so I'm just going to wrap myself in my hammock and hope it goes away.
Better status update when the sun comes up soon!
It's day one on Dominica, and so far most of the day has involved logistical work. We checked on our AIS antenna that's been offline since Hurricane María. Amazingly, while other things flew away in 200mph winds, our antenna is still standing.
We're going to see if we can relocate the antenna to somewhere with power and internet to get it back online. This antenna is vital to collecting data that will help us understand the risks that sea turtles and large whales face of being struck by ships in transit. At the moment there is no recommended route to get into the port, so we'd like to establish routes that minimize collision risk.
I also had a chance to meet with Stephen Durand, who helps coordinate our network of turtle patrollers.
Stephen is an amazing guy that works for Dominica's forestry division. Today we reviewed strategy for communicating our work better, and data collection processes.
It's a lot going on at once. (A lot.)
We had one obstacle of the day: we got a flat on our way to check on the AIS antenna – ironically on a newly paved road. Fortunately, a man with a jack miraculously appeared to help. We were very grateful for the assistance, and we were back on the road in no time.
Next I traveled to Soufriere (which means, "sulfur springs") on Dominica's southern point. Dominica is basically the top of seven giant volcanoes. The village of Soufriere sits at the caldera of one of those volcanoes, the rim of which extends underwater. The sand can be warm to the touch because of geothermal heat, and bubbles can be viewed popping up through the wet sand.
This is is where I met meet up with Simon Walsh. Simon owns Natura Island Dive, a local dive shop. He's also the the coordinator of an organization called Resilient Dominica or REZDM. Simon and I had a ton to catch up on, including the training process for new patrollers. We'll be coordinating patrollers on the southwest coast of the island, as we've had a few poaching incidents and dogs raiding nests in that area.
We're going to fix that this season so it doesn't happen again!
We also "splashed" the OpenROV trident for the first time. Dominica's coastline has dramatic drop offs underwater; for every mile you travel offshore, the ocean floor drops about 100 feet. That means that we can remain on the shoreline and still send the ROV to explore up to 100' below the surface! The display is difficult to view in the bright Dominica sun, so we got creative and used a garbage bag as an impromptu sun shade.
Just three guys under a garbage bag on the beach oohinng and ahhing...totally normal. :)
Now we're in the wreckage of Simon and Wendy's home where we'll camp out for the night. Tomorrow is meeting with Tracey who coordinates turtle patrols in Mero – it's a family affair that involves her mom and siblings too.
Finally – and perhaps my favorite part of today – I was reunited with my favorite dog in Dominica, Amber. She's the sweetest thing ever, and she somehow survived a hurricane outside!
Until next time,
Some days you're the fish, other days you're fish food. This week I've felt more like the latter.
In the span of 24 hours – just a day before I departed for Dominica – all of this happened:
• I learned that our shipping company destroyed $20,000 worth of sea turtle satellite tags because, "the shipper requested the package be destroyed if it couldn't be delivered". Words cannot describe how totally crazy that is.
• I discovered that my underwater camera housing has a broken latch, rendering it totally useless.
• The AIS receiver that we use to track ship traffic suddenly isn't working. At all.
I repeat: we were just hours from departure.
So, that's the bad news.
The good news (ok, awesome news) is that our OpenROV Trident arrived. That means we'll be able to get some terrific Hawksbill turtle habitat data beyond the range of scuba divers, which is a major boost to our research efforts in Dominica.
Even better, having a Trident in Dominica will be a fantastic tool in our floating classroom program.
Ever since I brought my Version 1 OpenROV to Dominica years ago, I've had a dream to get one of these cool robots in the hands of every school across the island.
Ok, that's a lofty goal. But if it could happen it would open up new opportunities for a whole generation of young Caribbean Ocean explorers.
Dominica is an incredible place. Just about everywhere you turn there is something amazing to explore underwater. But historically, ocean exploration has been limited to those who can afford it. That means that the folks who live on the islands (and other islands in the area) aren't the ones doing the exploring; instead, it's tourists and visiting researchers who are diving and taking data.
By bringing OpenROVs to the island, we have a very real potential to break down financial barriers so that more local people on these small islands can explore the ocean firsthand.
The students that are part of our floating classroom program are going to go nuts when they see this! I cannot wait to be able help them explore the amazing ocean habitat in their backyard.
Over the coming week in Dominica, we'll be getting everything organized for this upcoming sea turtle nesting season. There's research planning to be done, beach patrollers to coordinate, forms to copy, payroll to set up, education programs to schedule, and of course, grants to simultaneously write while we're doing all this.
One do the most important roles in this effort is to protect sea turtle nests on Dominica's beaches.
Dominica's sea turtle population is small – really small, in fact. That means losing just one old female to poaching has a ripple effect for generations to come. With just one of 1,000 hatchlings makes it to adulthood, every single hatchling counts.
To keep the sea turtle nests safe, we coordinate beach patrollers to keep an eye out for poachers.
These patrollers put their lives on the line to protect sea turtles. That might sound dramatic, but my patroller friends have endured all sorts of situations in the course of their regular duties – some have even been chased off the beach by poachers wielding machetes.
I'm so appreciative of the team we have, and I know that our efforts are going to pay off when we start collecting data. Coordinating a team of 20 anti-poaching sea turtle patrollers takes a lot of effort, and involves a lot of paperwork. So in addition to the array of unexpected news, we spent today organizing binders of sighting, payroll, and nest monitoring forms for each beach team across the island. And of course, we packed. Lots and lots of packing.
And the packing isn't over yet, so I need to get back to it and make sure my tent still has all of its parts.
More to come!
Hi everybody!
I'm Jake Levenson, and I'm leading this team of dedicated and amazing people, all committed to protecting marine life and ensuring both people and nature thrive. I'll make sure folks stop in to introduce themselves along the way.
I like to think of myself as just the guy behind the curtain empowering local people dedicated to conservation with the tools and expertise they need to get the job done. I'm probably less of a scientist and more of a community builder, grant writer, administrative assistant, master duct taper and general helper of getting good things done.
I first came to Dominica while working as the Whale Program Officer for the International Fund For Animal Welfare more than 10 years ago, and despite my career taking a few turns, Dominica, and its marine life, has always been a focus of my work. I guess I never really left.
This will be my 22nd trip to Dominica, although I may have lost track of the stamps in my old passport.
Over the coming few months we'll share stories of our work protecting turtles, exploring their habitat and teaching the next generation of ocean stewards right here. Stay tuned!
I'm Emily Kelly, a recent graduate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an aspiring marine biologist. I am thrilled to be a part of the Dominica Sea Turtle Conservation Organization (DomSeTCO) team, serving as a data manager. My past experience has been in a wide variety of subjects, including forest conservation, salt marsh monitoring and marine life conservation. Last summer I was an intern at Loggerhead Marinelife Center conducting sea turtle nesting research in Palm Beach County Florida. This opportunity provided me with great experience studying sea turtles and contributing to ocean conservation efforts. This knowledge has allowed me to contribute to improving data collection and analysis for DomSeTCO in the hopes of optimizing both the efficiency of the data and the contribution of local patrollers.
In the past year I have been helping to enter and organize past sea turtle sighting data that the patrollers in Dominica collect each nesting season. More recently I have been helping get things ready for the 2019 nesting season, which will start in March. We are aiming to standardized and improve data this year so that we can continue to monitor the sea turtle populations in Dominica and make informed decision about conservation efforts on the island.
Jake and I are making a trip down to Dominica in a few days to ensure everything is ready for this years sea turtle nesting season. We'll meet with patrollers, ensure everyone is clear on data collection, we'll deploy some sensors, and collect some habitat data where turtles have been tagged. I am excited to finally experience the island and am looking forward to my future with DomSeTCO!
With the potential to outgrow the size of a small car, and a history that pre-dates the extinction of the dinosaurs, the leatherback sea turtle is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating reptiles alive today.
Leatherbacks have been around, and largely unchanged, for over 100,000 million years. Yet despite the longevity of this species, in today's climate, their population is declining, particularly in Dominica. While once a popular nesting ground for these sea turtles, it is estimated that as few as 20 total leatherbacks currently call this Caribbean country home.
This is where the Dominica Sea Turtle Conservation Organization (DomSeTCO) comes in. We provide community-based sea turtle conservation initiatives and population monitoring across Dominica. And while we do place a concerted effort of the wellbeing of sea turtles—their goal is to ensure the pragmatic conversation of the ocean habitats that both humans and animals depend on.
Through this work, and the satellite tagging efforts, we have discovered that leatherbacks tagged in Dominica can travel more than 11,000 miles from home. Although these sea turtles are known to travel far—swimming around 130-150 miles per day, it is customary for female turtles to return to the same beach area where they were born to nest. Unfortunately, our current climate changes are threatening this pattern, and the leatherback turtle's ability to safely nest in this area.
It is no secret that sea turtles have long been the poster children for climate change, due to the severity of the ramifications for these animals. In the case of the leatherback turtles, beach erosion caused by increased storm frequency and intensity is now impacting nesting success for the turtles that come back to Dominica to hatch their young.
While there are current laws in place that make it illegal to kill leatherback turtles between June and September—climate change has warmed the ocean and caused the nesting season to shift earlier and earlier each year. Yet, the government is not changing along with our climate and has failed to adapt these poaching laws to accommodate this environmental shift.
However, even with these obstacles, we are proud to report there are some positive steps are being made to protect these turtles and the shores they nest on every season. At the heart of our conservation efforts is the Floating Classrooms program—an effort that has led to reduced incidence of poaching and decreased plastic use on the Island of Dominica.
First launched over a decade ago, this program is designed to help install an appreciation for the ocean in the Caribbean youth. Floating Classrooms brings young people together with animals, face to fin, while fostering a commitment to protect marine life, both in the Dominica and beyond.
These current activities, and all our initiatives are important steps not only to foster a better appreciation for leatherback sea turtles—but to save their lives. As without proactive intervention, within just a decade's time, it is likely that Dominica could lose this prehistoric turtle all together.
Continuing the current efforts and activities, hosting community meetings, promoting anti-poaching patrols and implementing these educational and outreach efforts is essential to ensuring the conservation and protection of the leatherback sea turtle, not only in the Commonwealth of Dominica, but around the globe as well.
Contribute to this expedition
Thank You for Your Contribution!


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Industry Launch Programs
Talent INC The Studio is in the business of developing the next generation of STARS!! Our Launch Programs train and brand aspiring singers into both competitive triple threat talent and pop star quality performers! We are the only facility of our kind in the area!
Not only do we train but we also place our performers with agencies in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and all areas of the US. We have connections with casting directors that book for the Voice, Little Big Shots, America's Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance and many others! We've also placed singers and dancers with national music tours, X Factor, music videos and stage shows like Cirque Du Soleil.
Our programs are for the serious performer. We want to give aspiring new artists as much exposure as possible. Let us be your link to the Entertainment Industry!
Triple Threat Program
$275 a month
Our Triple Threat Program includes:
One on one vocal lessons with one of our amazing vocal coaches
Group vocal training
Unlimited acting classes throughout the week
Dance or movement training
Performance opportunities
Branding and marketing
Social media assistance
Classes will cover:
Vocal Technique
Vocal Styling
Dance, Choreography and Staging
Performance Technique
Imaging and Branding
Packaging and Marketing
Social Media Development
Entertainment Business Knowledge
Studio Time for Singers
Acting (Improv, commercial work, scene study)
Additional benefits:
A huge discount on our Talent INC Showcase in Orlando in front of major agencies from NY, LA, Atlanta, NC and other markets
$10 discount on all audition tapings and one on one acting coaching
Pop Star Launch Program
(For the serious singer/performer)
$275 a month for individuals and $200 each a person for groups
Our Pop Star Launch Program for individuals or music duets/groups will focus on:
Vocal Technique
Vocal Styling
Choreography and Staging
Stage Performance Technique
Audition Technique for Tours and Shows
Imaging and Branding
Packaging and Marketing
Social Media Development
Music Industry Knowledge
Studio Time for Singers
Songwriting Assistance
Live Artist Showcases and Performances


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The Hostaway software offers 2 calendar types:
- An individual calendar based on the selected listing
- Multi-calendar view with all your listings
Once you've connected your channels and listings, your Hostaway calendar becomes your main calendar to work with.
Individual calendar
The individual calendar view is a great tool to see if you've received new reservations, which days are blocked, what are your base rates per day and more!
Available options:
- Month & Year view - This offers you an easy access to monthly or yearly overview
- Add Direct Bookings - You can select multiple days in the calendar and by clicking on the "Add direct booking" button, you can add a reservation to this listing for the selected days. After completion, it will block these dates for other channels.
- Grey days - These days are blocked on all channels. It is commonly used when a listing is closed for maintenance or is unavailable as the owners stay at the property. You can manually open and close days in Hostaway.
- The reservation overview B - In the example, you see a direct booking. You can click on it to see more information.
Managing the rates, availability and minimum stay
With Hostaway, you are able to update rates, availability and the minimum stay for your properties.
This works for most of the channels but it depends on the channels you have connected with and the way how they are connected.
For example, it works well with Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Innclusive and 9flats.
For other channels such as HomeAway and Tripadvisor, it is only possible if you are using our special connection and only if you have more than 5 listings.
NOTE: The iCal specific connections are not able to update rates and minimum stay. However, you can still change availability for the property.
When you click on a day or select multiple days, you will see:
Available options:
- Put this date as available or blocked
- Enter a rate in Hostaway and will be updated later on in Airbnb
- Set a minimum stay for the selected day or period
- Shows you the markup rates per channel
- Enter a personal note
- Important! When you change a range of days, the settings you set will be pushed to the other channels. So when you mix blocked and open days, it will open all days or close all.
- The updates may take between 2 and 15 minutes to reflect on your channels.
- You often need to refresh the channel dashboards to see the changes.
CTR+F5 on windows, MacKey+R on Mac
- When you're just starting to use the software, it is strongly advised to verify the updates after processing.
When you save the changes you might see:
- Green clock: Changes have been synchronized.
- Orange clock: Synchronization is in process.
Individual calendar filter views
In the individual calendar overview, you can select the information you want to see.
Available options:
- Reservations: Confirmed reservations
- Inquiry & pending: These shows Airbnb requests you can approve in the Reservation detail section
- Sync status: Shows the status if the changes have been processed. (For reservation sync timing, look at the Listings menu page)
- Tasks: You can see which tasks are assigned to you and those you need to follow as a supervisor. The number of task and timeline will appear. Clicking on it shows a menu where you can click on the individual task to see the details.
Multi-calendar view
When you manage multiple properties, the software can provide you with an overview of your reservations.
On the top part, you have several options you can use to filter.
There are 2 types of reservations:
- Green: Booked by a guest
- Grey: Manually blocked
When selecting a day or multiple days, by holding down the CTRL key, you are able to adjust the day's settings as described above.


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In a surprise move, Kanye West posted a text conversation he recently had with Caitlyn Jenner.
His wife Kim Kardashian called out Caitlyn as a "liar" in 2017 after she released her memoir "Secrets of My Life," which made claims about Kim's late father Robert Kardashian.
In September, Jenner told "Good Morning Britain," "Since the book came out, I've never talked to Kris again. Kim, I haven't talked to in six, nine months, whatever it is."
Despite the fallout, Kanye is still in touch with Kim's former stepparent and they seem to be on friendly terms.
Jenner sent West a photo of her rumored girlfriend Sophia Hutchins, 22, sporting the rapper's designs.
August 30, 2018
Caitlyn wrote, "Sophia loved the first set of looks your team left and went all yeezy for her travel outfit today! We love your looks!!"
She continued, "Thanks again," and Kanye responded, "So awesome. Your welcome."
Hutchins also posted photos of the outfit — bike shorts and an oversized sweatshirt — on her Instagram. She tagged Yeezy Mafia and included the caption, "I feel fall in the air."


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4 Ways To Develop Your Career When The Internet's Your Workplace
Old school careers like law, finance, and medicine have professional bodies, institutes, awards, and more conferences at the Radisson than you can shake a stick at. But there's no Chartered Institute for Twitter Practitioners (yet). Millennials working in newly minted creative industries have a unique opportunity to set their own expectations around career development and find the resources that can help them get there.
I'd never even thought about what Continuing Professional Development (CPD) was until I saw it glaring at me in bullet pointed glory on Seek:
–The ideal candidate undertakes regular CPD
It's such a throwback, like what decade is this company stuck in? If I get an interview will they talk about synergy? Should I wear trouser braces and bring a box of cubans?
CPD is usually associated with a briefcase full of cringeworthy management speak. Maybe your boss makes you sit through a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and you set some SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Realistic, Timed). Of course it's just box-ticking anyway so you'll probably both agree on the first easy answer that came to mind:
My weakness is public speaking ✓ I'll sign up for Toastmasters ✓
According to recruitment agency Adecco, 68% of grads rate opportunities for career growth as one of their top professional priorities, which kinda seems like a no brainer when you put it that way.
So how can you own and develop opportunities for growth that aren't dated?
#1 Shoot for the moon
The worst part about that godawful SMART backronym is the the R. Your goal doesn't have to be realistic. It can be the most wildly ambitious thing you can think of. Why not change the world? Google calls these ideas "moonshots" and famously allow their employees to dedicate 20% of their time to self-driven experimental work. The name of one of those projects? Gmail.
Of course you don't need to work at a shiny tech startup to find a creative outlet. Once you've chosen your moonshot, find a way to take initiative and work towards it. In some cases you'll be able to suggest related projects to your boss and ask to be put in charge. For others passion projects are a strictly after-hours affair that they hope will one day turn into a job.
#2 Click the books
Whatever your goal is, identify gaps in your knowledge that are preventing you from progressing and either find people to team up with or hit those virtual books. Are you a creative with a cracking idea for an app? Well, join the club. Just don't be all talk. Not when you can start learning programming for free right now on Codecademy. Or perhaps you have a product design idea? Find your nearest Fablab and learn 3D printing.
Interactive courses are democratising learning in creative and techie fields so rapidly that degrees are becoming outmoded. Even the old guard are taking note. Recently both professional services giant Ernst & Young and book publisher Penguin removed degree requirements for all of their jobs. If you wanted to hire a software developer to help you with that app idea, would you go for a CS grad without any practical magic or a self-taught wunderkind who has a dozen of their own creations in the App Store?
#3 Choose how you work
Professional goals can include how you work as well as what you're doing. Does your end game involve working for yourself or someone else? Perhaps you're a born freelancer and thrive in the gig economy, juggling client work with your personal projects.
Many people want a compromise, working for someone else but on their own terms. A study by researchers Millennial Branding revealed that 45% of Gen Y would prefer workplace flexibility to more pay. Think about the environment where you'd thrive, be it a traditional 9 to 5, a startup with pool tables and free lunch, or a co-working space. Then you're able to start making decisions to make that ideal a reality.
#4 Find your people
Everyone is sick of the ol' networking dance. Fake smiles, swapping cards, and 'I'm totally giving you a call next time I need a graphic designer' empty promises. LinkedIn used to be the online version of this, however with some recent updates, it's changing. They've introduced Pulse and updated their app, so you can now 'follow' people like Twitter, and post your own (relevant) content. Turns out it can actually be a useful networking tool, after all.
Whatever you're working on, find out where other people like you are hanging out online. If you're doing anything visual, forget Behance and find a hook up for invite-only Cargo Collective. If you're writing, show it off on Contently. And what if you're making something resolutely offline that doesn't translate well to a share button? Make a stop motion video of your process and put it on Vimeo.
Finally, if you spend a lot of time in your own little laptop bubble, it's important to hit the town and be inspired by other bright young things. Pecha Kucha nights are a rapid presentation format held in a bar where creatives show 20 images of their work for 20 seconds. TedX events are a great place to to present project. And definitely look out for the next Junket, an "unconference" where 200 of Australia's finest young minds set an agenda for the future.
Matthias McGregor writes from Delillo's fictional Pop Culture Dept, here to "decipher the natural language of culture, to make a formal method of shiny pleasures—an Aristotelianism of bubble gum wrappers and detergent jingles."


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Superintendent proposed adding 13 jobs to help get students to grade level, and another 3 to teach more students art, music and gym.
After years of slashing jobs and programs, the Erie School District is taking a more optimistic approach in its proposed budget for 2019-20.
Erie schools Superintendent Brian Polito wants to add positions to help boost the academic performance at the district's 10 elementary schools and three middle schools, where many students are performing below state averages on standardized tests.
The proposed budget, which Polito issued to the School Board last week, includes the addition of 13 academic "interventionists," or one for each school, and the addition of three "specials" teachers, who would instruct elementary and middle school students in music, art and physical education.
The cost of the additional staff is roughly $1 million, Polito said. Bringing in the new employees, he said, is part of the school district's five-year strategic plan, which it developed to coincide with its receipt of $14 million in additional annual state aid to stay solvent.
That money, which the General Assembly approved in 2017, has allowed the district to rebuild its academic programs through the updated curriculum and with the additional staff if the positions stay in the budget. The role of the interventionists is to work with students "who are not at grade level" in terms of academic performance, Polito said. He said the district eliminated the positions years ago as its financial condition worsened.
As he presented the proposed 2019-20 budget to the School Board on Wednesday, Polito, the superintendent since July 2017, recalled the district's financial health in 2016. Polito, a certified public accountant, was then the district's chief financial officer and preparing the proposed budget for 2016-17. The initial projections showed a budget deficit of $10 million, due largely to increased expenses and a stagnating tax base.
For 2019-2020, Polito told the School Board, "We're talking about a budget that is not cutting things, but talking about a budget that is adding things back and investing in our students."
The proposed 2019-20 budget totals about $204 million, and is 2.25 percent larger than the 2018-19 budget, according to the proposal. Much of the proposed increase is due to higher personnel costs, leading to a rise in that category of 2.91 percent. The district can use some of the additional $14 to million to cover those costs and embark on the district's $80.8 million program to renovate its buildings, Polito said.
The proposed budget includes a fund balance of $8 million and a preliminary deficit of about $1.4 million, which Polito said the district is likely to reduce as it adjusts estimated spending for charter school students. The proposed budget does not yet include a tax increase, though Polito said tax increases will be the subject of budget talks in May. The School Board must pass a final budget by July 1.
At Wednesday's meeting, no school directors objected to the addition of the interventionists and other new staff. The directors have generally encouraged Polito to go in that direction as he has formulated the budget.
The proposed staff additions are also included in the preliminary financial improvement plan that the district's state-appointed financial administrator, Charles Zogby, is developing. The state Department of Education asked Zogby in March to revise several areas of the plan but raised no objections to the plan's inclusion of the additional staff. Zogby has said the final plan should be done soon.
The district must abide by the final financial improvement plan as a condition for the $14 million funding boost. The school district in 2019-20 will spend an additional $1.2 million on the new staff — the interventionists and specials — and another $1.2 million on the updated curriculum, according to Zogby's report.
The interventionists, Zogby wrote in his report, are "to provide additional academic support to students who are not on grade level," especially students who are learning English as a second language. The district's plan also calls for the addition of the three specials teachers, Zogby wrote, "so that art, music and physical education can be provided to all students."
Ed Palattella can be reached at 870-1813 or by email. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ETNpalattella.


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Navigating the Procurement Process
The procurement labyrinth
Navigating through a public sector sales process can be a terrific challenge. You are required to discern the mobilizers from the impostors, streamline procurement red tape, leverage internal and external politics, fight budget constraints, overcome competing projects, and mitigate security concerns, while still delivering on expected revenue goals. Can it be done? Yes!
Now that you have successfully navigated the discovery, assessment, presentation, and pricing components of the sale there is an entirely new bridge to be crossed before you can ring the bell on this deal. It is the back end process, which includes procurement and contracting. In most public sector sales processes, the back end can be just as involved, if not more, than the front end. If you're not careful, you may end up spinning your sales wheels on a deal that may look great now only to find later that you are at risk of losing it because your process isn't sound.
You've been there before. You've successfully navigated a deal through the technical sale to this next stage and your manager asks you for a status update. You say something like, "oh, it's in procurement." To an inexperienced public sector sales manager that may be fine but to one who has been around for a while, your statement is a red flag. It is a proverbial sales process mullet - business in the front, party in the back - and it says that you do not yet fully understand what the procurement and contracting process actually looks like.
We want to make sure that when you are asked questions like this one, you are ready to drop some strong knowledge on management. Here are some tips to make sure you have answers to navigate contracting and procurement like a champ.
Embrace the details early
First, during the discovery process, start to gauge your internal champion's expertise with the procurement and contracting processes by asking the following:
Next, ask yourself the following questions. If you don't have the answer to one of them, find a way to get it tactfully and soon.
There are many more questions to consider as you work on this investigative process. One of our next posts will aggregate this detail into key milestones to focus on to get the deal done. Happy selling!
Check out the original article here: https://gopatri.com/insightslibrary/public-sector-sales-navigating-the-back-end-process-part-1


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From June 2016 to June 2017, Malaria Consortium implemented a pilot project that integrated and scaled up Myanmar's two community case management components to ensure the health system has the capacity to respond to all major childhood illnesses.
Malaria volunteers were trained to manage cases of pneumonia and diarrhoea, as well as malaria, and assess and refer cases of malnutrition. By expanding the roles and responsibilities of MVs in this way, Malaria Consortium also sought to improve volunteer motivation and promote the retention of MVs in areas where malaria transmission rates are declining.
This brief provides key lessons learnt around using non-qualified community members to treat childhood diseases and recommendations for future implementation and scale up.
Country: MyanmarKeywords: Community delivery | Child and maternal health | Health system strengthening | Diarrhoea | Malaria | Malnutrition | Pneumonia | Case management | SDG3
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Welcome to e² Young Engineers North West Las Vegas, Nevada website!
We are extremely excited to offer e² Young Engineers® programs to the NW area of Las Vegas! e² Young Engineers® programs include after-school enrichment classes, pre-school classes, summer camps, birthday parties and special events where children are given an opportunity to LEARN while having FUN building with the world's favorite building block – LEGO®! Our programs utilize an EDUTAINMENT (education + entertainment) approach, transforming the learning process into a game while introducing children to theoretical and practical knowledge in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).
e² Young Engineers NW Las Vegas, NV has been operating in the NW area of Las Vegas since 2017. We have had thousands of students (Young Engineers) participating in our programs. We work with many centers throughout the area to provide our children an opportunity to experience these wonderful programs firsthand. We invite you to explore our website and learn more about what makes e² Young Engineers® programs the best enrichment program you could provide your young loved ones!
About the Owner:
Hello! My name is Donna Roddy-Petersen and I am the proud owner/operator of the e² Young Engineers NW Las Vegas, NV franchise. I began conducting e² Young Engineers programs in the Spring of 2017, and have since grown to love these programs more and more every day!
When we first discovered the e² Young Engineers programs, my husband and I instantly fell in love with the concept and ultimately found a way to bring e² Young Engineers to Nevada! As a classroom teacher, I strongly feel that our children deserve every opportunity possible to further their understanding of how things work, and what better method of doing so than by utilizing the universally loved LEGO® brick and combining it with a well thought out curriculum. What ultimately won me over is witnessing firsthand how these programs make the learning process fun, allowing children to have so much fun building and playing and then they leave the class with a further understanding of various concepts in the STEM fields…something that is so crucial in our children's education today.
I graduated from Capella University with a Masters in Education, and worked as a classroom teacher for many years. I am the proud mother of two children. My son is in his third year at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (working toward his PH.D!). My daughter is attending Northwest Career and Technical Academy, a local charter high school where her program focus is media arts.
If you have any questions about our programs or operations at all, please don't hesitate to contact me directly at email@example.com or 702.328.8168.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at one of our classes soon!
Franchisee – e² Young Engineers


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Anything Goes Open Performance Night
LaunchPad (721 Franklin Ave., Brooklyn)
$5 suggested
A new open performance/screening series where anyone can present anything under 10 minutes. We will accept almost anything including music, readings, video, demonstrations, film, comedy, dance, animation, presentations and more! Performance slots are limited so please e-mail email@example.com to sign-up in advance.
Plus, free home-brewed beer provided by Honest Pete.
Click here for more cheap New York City events & things to do.


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Get Pumped For The 2020 Summer Olympics, Because They're Not That Far Off
The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang are drawing to a end after two intense weeks of athletic competition, including upset wins and shocking losses. If you're already craving your next fix of world-class shows of athleticism and ready to go down another Wikipedia rabbit hole while looking up the rules to obscure sports, get ready, because there's just two years to go until the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The next Olympics will take place July 24-Aug. 9, 2020. This is the second time Tokyo will host the summer games, the first being the 1964 Olympics. Japan also hosted the the Winter Olympics in 1972 in Sapporo and in 1998 in Nagano, which is where a 16-year-old Tara Lipinski famously won the gold medal in figure skating ahead of fan favorite Michelle Kwan, who took home silver.
Now Japan will continue its history of hosting the Olympics, after winning the host city election against Istanbul and Madrid. At the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the governor of Tokyo accepted the Olympic flag and Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, showed up dressed like Mario, the iconic Nintendo character. Since then the host nation has been working on revamping the Tokyo National Stadium and replacing it with a new arena. Both the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, as well as athletic competitions, will be held in this stadium.
About 40 percent of the venues at the 2020 Tokyo Games will be located outside Tokyo proper, said John Coates, coordination commission chair of the International Olympic Committee. The venues at Aomi and Ariake, for example, will host competitions in BMX racing and freestyle, skateboarding, basketball 3x3, and sport climbing. Basketball 3x3 and sport climbing are two new events that will make their debut in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
According to the official Olympics website, Tokyo 2020 organizers have described their vision of the Summer Olympics as "the most innovative ever organized, and will rest on three fundamental principles to transform the world: striving for your personal best (achieving your personal best); accepting one another (unity in diversity); and passing on a legacy for the future (connecting to tomorrow)." Masa Takaya of the Tokyo 2020 team said preparations for the Summer Olympics are "right on track" and that organizers are making an effort to keep the event budget in check
And you can bet the 2020 Tokyo Games won't just be a show of the most elite display of most elite athletes in the world. You can also expect a stunning display of emerging technology. The capital of Japan is one of the most advanced cities in the world and it's no wonder Tokyo served as an inspiration for Blade Runner and other futuristic sci-fi stories. Japanese cyberpunk is its own genre of cinema (for an introductory taste, check out Akira, a 1988 animated film set in Neo-Tokyo).
People are predicting that the 2020 Tokyo Games will be the most futuristic Olympics to date. To the tune of $18 billion, the 2020 Summer Olympics are set to showcase high-end technology that hasn't reached mainstream use yet. Some of that technology includes a robot village adjacent to the Olympic Village. Robots will help visitors with directions, transportation, and translation.
Panasonic also hopes to introduce a small, instant translation device to be worn around the neck that can translate Japanese into 10 languages and vice versa. Japan already has one app, VoiceTra, which translates 27 languages in real time. Tokyo and Nissan are testing the possibility of self-driving taxis.
Other possibilities include an artificial meteor shower, an Olympic village run entirely on hydrogen power, algae-fueled airplanes, and of course a return of the bullet trains — only faster, like way faster. Tokyo introduced the shinkansen bullet trains to the public ahead of the 1964 Summer Olympics, breaking major ground in public transportation. So who knows what kind of futuristic technology we can expect at Tokyo 2020?


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Life Coach Training from the Spencer Institute in Florida
Florida Life Coach Training and Life Coach Business Development
Start your career, and learn how to operate a profitable business!
4 Essential Life Coaching Skills
If you want to become a life coach in Florida, you will need several skills to enable you to achieve success. Fortunately, just like good sales people, great life coaches are made, not born. Like anything else, all the life coaching skills you need can be learned.
The best life coaches in Florida have the skills and knowledge to help others achieve what they want in life. They gain these skills from studying the best life coaching courses.
Make sure that you choose an excellent course too, because it means the difference between success and failure as a life coach.
The course you choose should include a wealth of life coaching skills, including the following:
NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming)
NLP enables you to help your clients in Florida identify and change certain thoughts and behaviours. This is virtually impossible to do without using NLP, as those behaviours are controlled by the subconscious mind. The technique is widely regarded by experts in the field as being a crucial element of life coaching.
Circle of Excellence
Circle of Excellence training is vital in enabling you to build successful relationships with clients in Florida, and to teach your clients how to do the same. This training gives you the techniques you need to build a rapport with anyone you meet. It is an essential skill that will help you build your life coaching business and teach your clients how to get ahead in life.
Effective Listening Skills
Effective listening is one of the life coaching skills that you must master if you want to become a successful life coach in Florida. Many people think they listen properly, but they don't hear. Effective listening skills involve more than knowing what was said. To be an effective listener, you need to be able to make others feel heard and understood. You also need them to know that you empathise with their situation.
Using the Right and Left Hemisphere of the Brain Together
You may have heard people in Florida claim that they use their right or left brain more. It is true, that most people do use one hemisphere of the brain more than the other. The challenge is, in order to overcome fears, achieve success and make the right decisions, you need to use both halves of your brain together. A good life coaching course will teach you how to do this. This one skill alone will help you to transform your clients' lives, as well as your own.
So Where Do You Start?
These are just 4 of the important life coaching skills you will need to acquire before you launch your life coaching career . There are many other skills to master too. So where do you begin?
Weekend courses are not recommended, as they are too short to enable you to learn and absorb all the skills you need to learn. But it is possible to take an online life coaching course, and learn everything you need to launch a career as a successful life coach.
One reputable online course that includes the 4 essential life coaching skills, and many more is The Spencer Institute Life Strategies Coach Certification.
Earning your Florida life coaching certification and having a successful life coaching business is rewarding for many reasons. You get to enjoy a career that is highly regarded, while you get to make a big difference in people's lives. You can make your own hours, and earn a great living. And, to top it off, you will enhance your own life using the life coaching skills you have learned.
With the Florida Spencer Institute for Life Coach Training, you will choose from a wide range of professional coaching education, training and certification programs. Our life coach programs include: Life Strategies Coaching, Wellness Coaching, Holistic Life Coaching, Green Living Coaching, Corporate Wellness Coaching, Food Psychology Coaching, Sports psychology Coaching, Personal Fitness Chef and Sports Hypnosis.
Start your Florida life coach training program >>>
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RNA - The Syrian army troops, backed by artillery fire, engaged in heavy clashes with Tahrir al-Sham militants in Northwestern Hama, recapturing the town of al-Sakhar and Tal al-Sakhar.
The army forces gained control over the town of al-Jaisat in Northern Hama near the border with Idlib province and approached the town of al-Habit in Southern Idlib.
Meantime, the Syrian army continued its military advances in other parts of Syria over past 24 hours.
Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army's operations in provinces across Syria.
The Syrian army forces continued military operations in Northern Hama, regaining control of several regions and reaching the strategic town of al-Habit in the Southern part of Idlib province.
The Syrian army troops, backed by artillery fire, engaged in heavy clashes with Tahrir al-Sham militants in Northwestern Hama, recapturing the town of al-Sakhar and Tal al-Sakhar.
Meantime, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the army forces have gained control over the town of al-Jaisat in Northern Hama near the border with Idlib province, adding that they have approached the town of al-Habit in Southern Idlib, one of the terrorists' strategic bases.
The Syrian army destroyed a military convoy of Tahrir al-Sham al-Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) terrorists in Northern Hama after operations to regain control of the militants' main base in the 'death triangle'.
A Syrian military source reported on Thursday that the army forces had cut the main supply route of Tahrir al-Sham and Jeish al-Izza from the town of Kafar Zita to al-Latamineh in Northern Hama which is their main base in the death triangle, after liberating the towns of al-Arbaeen and al-Zakat.
According to Fars News Agancy, he added that the Syrian army is trying to advance towards the town of Kafar Zita, noting that several towns and villages, including al-Latamineh, will collapse militarily after the army's control over the region.
Meantime, the Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper quoted a field source as saying that the Syrian army had targeted the military convoys of Tahrir al-Sham which were moving towards the fronts in Northern Hama to retake the lost areas, with artillery and missile fire, killing tens of terrorists.
He added that the Syrian air force also pounded the terrorists' positions in Khan Sheikhoun, Abedin, Jabal Shahshabou, Madaya and al-Habit in Southern Idlib, destroying several positions of the so-called National Liberation Front and killing a large number of them.
Eastern Euphrates
Hundreds of children are present among the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) despite an agreement with the UN not to recruit child soldiers.
The Arabic-language al-Arabi al-Jadid news website quoted sources close to the SDF as saying that the SDF has still maintained hundreds of under-18 children in its military bases.
They added that family members of these children are angry with the SDF for using them in battleground, noting that the SDF issued a statement after popular and media protests, saying that hundreds of child recruits were freed from bases in Eastern Euphrates in Northeastern Syria.


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4 Holiday Traditions You Should Start Now
By Michelle Alfaro
Are you feeling like your Christmas is just the same old blah whatever? Make the season special by starting up some new traditions your family will look forward to for decades to come.
1- Learn about another group of people and their traditions around this time of year (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.)
Sometimes we can become so focused on our own pursuit of the perfect holiday, we can easily forget that there are other groups of people out there who don't celebrate quite like we do. Make it a tradition to broaden your horizons. If you're rolling your eyes and thinking of your 4th grade world country report, I think there's much better ways to get the feel of a different culture. Invite a nearby neighbor over to dinner who doesn't share your own belief system. Ask them to teach you about their home traditions. Try some new recipes. Maybe put together an interesting matching or quiz bowl game. I promise your family will look forward to learning something new!
2- Get a new, special ornament with significance for your family each year
For years now, my mom has been giving her adult children a new ornament every year. She says she likes the idea of each of her children having a similar looking tree even if we can't all be together. But, you don't have to wait for your children to be adults to start this tradition. As a family, pick out a new ornament that may mean something to all of you. Has it been a rough year? Maybe an ornament that says "Hope" would be appropriate. Did you have a new baby? Maybe a baby Jesus ornament would resonate. Take the whole crew and decide together.
3-Check out a local light display, or just drive around your neighborhood
There's something about Christmas lights that just makes Christmas special. Maybe it's the contrast with the gloomy weather. Whatever it may be, make sure you get your fair slice of light watching. If you're not brave enough to put them up on your house (TOTALLY don't blame you for that one), find out where a local light display is. Make it a fun family outing. Go out for cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate afterward. Or, if you live in an area where the neighbors make their own light show, drive around and find the best houses. I promise it will fill your soul with holiday cheer and be looked forward to every year.
4-Make a special recipe or treat only around this time of year
Dessert is awesome. I love (almost) all of them. Who doesn't? Find a recipe your family really enjoys that might be a little too decadent for your average weekend dinner. Then, make it only for Christmas! Limiting how often you make your special treat will make it even better. And food, like it or not, is a major part of memory making.
I hope these suggestions help you make a wonderful new set of traditions to keep your holiday season happy and bright!


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Saturday, July 30, 2005
Spread Some Love, No Matter What Your Geographical Attitude
Just as I am contemplating the recent implication that I am too nice for the "big city" (for the record, I would say "too sensitive" rather than "too nice" and well, the meds help with that), SpinsterSpin puts me wise to the "You Are Beautiful" project. I like it. I like it and I might be sending off for some stickers.
Another look brought some irony. Where do you write to get the nice stickers that might just turn the world on with your smile? Chicago. That's right, Chicago, the big mean city that would eat the Country Mouse alive!!
Posted by educat at 7/30/2005 03:41:00 PM
2 comments:
- eatmisery said...
Good luck to you!
- Karina. said...
I gotta say, I still don't know about that comment on your "Wanderlust"/Guardian post about "big city attitude." Not to pick a fight with anyone, but the comment seems to reflect a naive notion of what living in a big city is like. I was an 18-year-old super-quiet uber-nice Wisconsin baby when I went to Philly for school. Sink not did I. (Haiku-writing has me in Yoda mode.) And you can't find many deeper holes than Philly, Ah tell you whut.
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Dealing with the effects of cancer sometimes necessitates physical therapy. Below is a listing of Utah Physical Therapists who can help you get back on track. Looking for a Physical Therapist in Green River, Utah (UT), than start browsing the directory. Are you a Physical Therapist in Green River? Join our directory and get connected with those in need of your assistance.


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Here's a little catch up post of the things that have been making me smile!
Tag: halloween
Autumn & Halloween Home Décor (so far!)
Things That Made Me Smile This Month | September 2019
Here's a little catch up post of the things that have been making me smile! Work ★★★ Play ★★★ Health ★★ Favourite Photos This Month What I've Been Watching… Re-watching – Gilmore GirlsRe-watching – The Walking DeadDownton Abbey (from the beginning for the first time) What I've Been Reading… P.S. I Still Love You –… Continue reading Things That Made Me Smile This Month | September 2019
Autumn Leaf Biscuit Recipe
My Autumn Checklist
Dear Autumn,
Autumn is my favourite season for a lot of reasons. The darker evenings, cosy clothes, pumpkin candles and golden leaves to name just a few! I live in the UK where summer is usually over as soon as it starts so I love to embrace everything that comes with the colder seasons. This means I… Continue reading Dear Autumn,
Things That Made Me Smile This Month | October 2018
Autumn Baking: Chocolate Pumpkin Biscuits
Autumn Adventures: Pumpkin Picking
Autumn Adventures: The Pumpkin Festival
Last Autumn I attended my local pumpkin festival for the first time. I knew then that this would be something I look forward to every year. There's food, lots of stalls, live music and some of the biggest pumpkins in the UK so it's a really great opportunity to get outdoors. On the morning of… Continue reading Autumn Adventures: The Pumpkin Festival


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Motown music: Axminster Musical Theatre invite you to dance the night away
PUBLISHED: 17:00 13 March 2019
Chance to dance to the sound of Motown in Axminster.
Axminster Musical Theatre have lined up a night of dancing to the sound of Motown.
The group is encouraging those going along to dress up in the outfits of the era, when they attend the event at the Guildhall, in Axminster.
A spokesman for the group said: "If you're finding March a little dreary, come along to Axminster Guildhall on Saturday, March 23, at 7.30pm, and dance the night away to Motown music.
"Dress to impress if you want."
The event is a fundraiser for the group as it prepares for its next big production, which is due to be staged towards the end of the year.
In November, last year, the group performed the highly acclaimed Made in Dagenham.
Prior to that, the society will be staging its Magic of the Musicals, which will be staged on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1.
To buy tickets, at a cost of £8, visit www.ticketsource.co.uk or call Archway Bookshop on 01297 33595.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Midweek Herald. Click the link in the orange box above for details.


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Islamabad: (May 31, 2018): Dr. Tariq Banuri has taken the charge of Chairperson of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The newly appointed Chairperson was welcomed by Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director, HEC, senior management and employees of HEC. In his maiden address to HEC employees, Dr. Tariq Banuri extended his …Read More »
Home / Tag Archives: Dr. Tariq Banuri Assumes Charge as Chairperson HEC


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Is there a way to make a report so I can see all the titles read and who read them? I know how to go into each individual user and drill down and see what each person has read by searching for the patron, then logs and looking there–but my administrators would like a list of how many books were read, and what they were, over the summer because of the summer reading program, and I'm not sure how to make this list?
Also–I'm still trying to make the literacy test work, but the "enter" button is still missing Not sure how to fix that, or if I can.


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from the Past
Despite losing
the first two Tests, Sri Lanka have defeated South Africa 3 -
2 in the recent International played in Sri Lanka. Full details
of the Series can be found on the Ceylon Indoor Cricket website,
The newest
of the International teams continues to impress, and this latest
success simply underlines the steady improvement they have been
making over the past couple of years.
And now our
attention turns to next year's World Cup . . . to be played in
Sri Lanka. After the last World Cup we speculated on just how
difficult Sri Lanka would be on their home turf. I think we're
beginning to get some idea . . . . .
© Indoor Cricket World


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I have the fantasy that one day I am going to get into the spirit and grab a hot chocolate from Starbucks and come home to snuggle with my pillows and be in my pajamas watching all four Halloween Town Movies and then finish watching Twitches. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow since I have lots of free time this weekend. Out of curiosity, what is your favorite Halloween movie?
So I just recently went to Ulta with my best friend to go on a hunt for some fab red lookin' lipstick. I purchased 2 different lipsticks – NARS and Dose Of Colors which I will be reviewing today! I am always on a good lookout for new colors, and these two lipsticks caught my attention several times. Not only do the colors look visually appealing but the packaging looks irresistable.
Finding a good lipstick can take a really long time, especially if you are picky with your lipsticks like I am. It took me a couple of years to finally find a lipstick that I really really like. Every brand that I have tried has a completely different feel and look to my lips. Some lipsticks are too sticky, and some don't even last and you have to keep re-applying every thirty minutes. I am a matte lipstick kinda gal. I don't like the feeling of stickiness and gloss on my lips. Matte goes on wet but it dries within a couple minutes.
Now the Dose Of Colors lipstick isn't necessarily a red-colored lipstick, it looks to be more of a dark pink color. But honestly, when I swatched this color at Ulta, it was too hard to just put back on the shelf and say my fellow goodbyes to it. Can I just say, both lipsticks look like they could be about 50 bucks each! I'm a sucker for cute and sophisticated looking things.
As you are looking for a new lipstick to use, asking yourself these three questions always helps you separate the good lipsticks from the bad ones.
1.) Do I like the color of it?
2.) How long will it last on my lips//how often do I have to reapply it?
3.) Does it make my lips look dry and cracked?
Dose Of Colors – Strawberry Pop Red
Purchase Here
Pros + Cons Of This Lipstick!!
–The color is beautiful!
-The price
–The color did dry up pretty fast on the wand
-Had to reapply many times
I absolutely love the color of this lipstick. I thought it would have been a little bit darker but I have to say I'm digging this color. It's a mix between an orange and a pink. I have some perfect outfits that would pair up amazing together. The product did dry up pretty fast so I had to hurry up and apply it to my lips. But I think for the price this is such a steal!
NARS – Powermatte Starwoman $26Purchase here!
Pros + Cons Of This Lipstick!!
-Beautiful red color
-Smells delicious
-Only had to reapply once
-Price was a little on the high side
This gorgeous red color from Nars. It went on so smoothly! Something I absolutely love with both of these lipsticks is that when I went to take them off for the day they came off super easily without any struggle! So, there you have it! Two gorgeous looking lipsticks that I def recommend for anyone to try if you are in to bright color lipsticks or just looking to change up your look.
My slogan is called "Daily Dose of Inspo" and if you are wondering what this post has to do with inspiration you are right. It doesn't. But! To me, wearing lipstick makes me feel powerful. I know, something so small as lipstick can make me feel different and strong. But it's true! Anytime I put on lipstick, especially if it's bright and colorful, it makes me feel like I can slay the day. So I want to know what is something that makes you feel powerful in the world?
Word of the week – Tenacious : persistent.
I am signing off
So until next time!


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JERUSALEM – Israeli officials are planning a funeral – Yasser Arafat's.
The Jewish state has decided to deny the Palestinian leader burial at Jerusalem's Temple Mount, a site holy to both Jews and Muslims, according to a government document revealed yesterday.
The Israeli officials are working on contingency plans for the death of Arafat, 74, in an effort to deal with the rampant violence that is expected to break out afterward, whether it be from an Israeli military action or of natural causes.
"Chaos will take place in the territories," said Israeli military radio, which broke the news of the document.
"Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will try to take the coffin of Arafat and bury it on Temple Mount in Jerusalem."
To head off the prospect of funeral bloodshed, Israeli officials said they will allow Arafat to be interred in a suburb of the holy city called Abu-Dis, which overlooks the Temple Mount area.
The area is known to Palestinians as the Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, and is the third-holiest shrine in Islam.
News of the death plans comes some nine months after Arafat became seriously ill with digestive problems.
It also comes after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told President Bush that Israel is no longer bound by a promise made in 2001 not to kill Arafat.
Just last week, Sharon met with Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), and reiterated what he told the president.
Arafat, who is now apparently in good health, has been pinned down in his Ramallah headquarters for almost three years.
Meanwhile, more than 400 North American immigrants arrived in Israel yesterday, the first of more than 1,500 Americans and Canadians expected to move to the Jewish state in the next few months.
With Post Wire Services


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ECO Destination Certification is a way for your tourism destination to receive official recognition for best environmental and professional practices.
Undertaking certification enhances the sustainability of your destination, focusing on product development. It encourages you to implement and maintain high standard practices that will help you, your staff and the community plan for the long term.
All ECO Destination certified members are listed on Ecotourism Australia's website in the online Green Travel Guide and on Green Destination's website.
Certification also offers networking opportunities with diverse industry stakeholders.
Global Network
Ecotourism Australia has partnered with Green Destinations who is accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to create and implement the first ECO Destination Certification program throughout Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
GSTC establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria.
Green Destinations is a non-profit foundation for sustainable tourism, leading a global partnership of organisations like Ecotourism Australia to run assessment and certification programs that meet the GSTC standard.
Becoming a Certified ECO Destination means being promoted globally and joining a global network of other like-minded destinations who meet regularly and have created their own network to discuss issues and explore opportunities: collection.greendestinations.org.
Once you reach Green Destinations Certified (Ecotourism) level of certification, you will also have the opportunity to be promoted on the GSTC Certified Sustainable Destinations map alongside other internationally recognised sustainable destinations.
Sustainable Destinations Top 100
By undertaking the certification process destinations have the opportunity to enter the Sustainable Destinations Top 100 and then the "Best of" Awards at ITB Berlin.
This is an optional component of the certification process in which a destination can nominate into the Top 100 awards program free of charge where they could be selected as one of the world's top 100 sustainable destinations.
Then the next stage is to submit a success story to be considered as 'best of' a category, then the destination could be presented this award on stage at ITB Berlin —The world's leading travel trade show.
Marketing and Promotion
- Free listing (with image, link to your website, contact details, fully searchable capabilities, and more) in Ecotourism Australia's online Green Travel Guide. Our Green Travel Guide is promoted regularly through Ecotourism Australia's web marketing streams, and at Australian Tourism Exchange to international buyers.
- Free linking of your destination to an interactive map on Ecotourism Australia's Green Travel Guide.
- Opportunity to upgrade to premium web listing options on Ecotourism Australia's Green Travel Guide.
- Free opportunities to feature in our monthly EcoBytes newsletter distributed to over 6,500 subscribers and followers.
- Increased social media exposure: Ecotourism Australia regularly features certified operators and destinations through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and reaches out to close to 13,000 followers, share with us so we can share for you!
- Ecotourism Australia features and refers to certified destinations and operators in Green Expos, trade events, media referrals and editorials. We also use our operators photos and footage in our own marketing material for additional promotional benefits.
- Ecotourism Australia regularly partners with major publications to offer members discounted advertising packages, making some marketing opportunities more accessible.
- Full Membership with Ecotourism Australia included with all Certifications.
- Certified Members receive full voting rights at the Annual General Meeting.
- Certified Members may nominate and/or stand for election to the Board of Directors of Ecotourism Australia.
Australian tourism exchange
The Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) is an annual business-to-business forum, aimed to bring businesses working in the tourism industry together. During this event tourism operators have the opportunity to promote their products directly to international tourism wholesalers and retailers. The ATE is a global event, attended by around 1,500 delegates every year, including roughly 500 tourism businesses and over 600 domestic and international Buyer delegates and media representatives.
Understanding that attendance at the ATE is not always achievable for small businesses, Ecotourism Australia attends the ATE on behalf of all its certified operators and destinations. While attending ATE, Ecotourism Australia aims to promote members' products and create connections, build meaningful partnerships and value enhancing relationships, and to broaden the reach of our certification programs.