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Source: Merapsarpa Journal
By Kalsang Wangdu
Blue Lake
One cold winter day in 1984, on the far edge of the Tibetan plateau that gives way to the lowland of Mainland China, a Tibetan composer sat by a piano in his office. The audience that day was composed of three Tibetan women in their early twenties, who were his co-workers. As he played his newest composition, the young Tibetan women fell silent and tears rolled down their cheeks. Such was the power of the song that in the late 1980s and 1990s, it is said to have attained an anthem-like status in the Tibetan world. Tsering Shakya calls it the "unofficial anthem" (as cited in Stirr, 2008, p.305), and the Tibet Information Network report named it as "the most famous Tibetan nationalist song" (TIN 2004, p.149). The song was first performed at and relayed by Qinghai Radio station in Xining, and became a runaway hit. It is called Mtsho sngon-po or Blue Lake, named after the beautiful Kokonor Lake located in the traditional Tibetan province of Amdo[1]. Historically, Kokonor Lake has a special significance as an important marker of Tibetan geography and is, along with Mount Kailash, depicted in many paintings as a symbol of Tibetan territoriality (Stirr, 2008). The song's lyrics were composed by none other than Dhondup Gyal, who is often lauded as the father of modern Tibetan literature, and was put into music by Chopathar, a graduate of Shanghai Music School. The original recording at the Xining radio station was by Dorje Tseten, an accomplished artist of the region.
Like many creative art works, this song was conceived during a drinking session. One evening in early 1984, Chopathar, Dhondup Gyal and some other friends were having a get-together. In the midst of cigarettes, drinks, and small talk, Chopathar had a sudden thought. He asked Dhondup Gyal to compose a lyric on the Blue Lake. Dhondup Gyal said nothing, thought for a while and then demanded a pen and paper, and scribbled a full-length lyric. For Dhondup Gyal, whose path-breaking compositions created a new wave of literary fervor, it was an easy job and he completed the composition in just an hour. However, it was more arduous for Chopathar to compose the music, taking him about a year.
Chopathar likened making music to composing a literary piece, getting better and better with each successive revision. He had played the draft composition to farmers, nomads, lamas, teachers and students, and carefully wove their critical comments into each new revision. Music in Tibet in the early 1980s was heavily controlled by the state for propaganda purposes, and was just beginning to emerge as a space for individual expression. Thus it can be said that he was pioneering a new move to produce modern Tibetan music that is aesthetically pleasing to Tibetan sensibilities and a lyric that speaks to their collective consciousness. Therefore, hitting the right note was extremely important for him.
Dhondup Gyal's metaphorical lyric is seen as concealing political meaning of the song. According to Chopathar, Dhondup Gyal deliberately used indirect lyrics to hide the political message. Later, listeners started making political interpretations of the song leading to its ban in Tibet on two occasions (Harris, 2005). The section that could be said to serve as political commentary is as follows:
(Mtsho ngon po 'gram dar chags dus/Bya ngang pa sems pa skyo song/)
When ice freezes the Blue Lake/Wild geese become sad…
(Mtsho sngon po 'khyag pas bsdams dus/nya gser mig mtsho la 'thims song/)
When the Blue Lake was gripped by ice/The golden-eyed fish was trapped inside the lake.
The lyrics are at best ambiguous and are open to a number of interpretations. However, self-censorship and ambiguity play an important part in a society that lives under a dictatorial regime. In the article "China: The Anaconda in the Chandelier", Sinologist Perry Link (2002) argues that the current Chinese Communist political system is quintessentially a "psychological control system that relies primarily on self-censorship. Questions of risk – how far to go, how explicit to be, with whom to ally, and so on – are to be judged by each writer and editor… To be safe, a person must pull back in every respect, and moreover must become his or her own policeman". What could be said with a fair amount of certainty is that the song is very uplifting and it continues to inspire nationalistic sentiment among Tibetans. Even for generations of Tibetans born in exile, the song gives an immense sense of pride. I remember singing Blue Lake during inter-house cultural competitions when I was in TCV School with much pride.
Chopathar claims that there are now about twenty renditions or editions of the song, performed by artists of international caliber such as Dadon and others. Dechen Wangmo produced the first music video of the song in both Tibetan and Chinese language. Even decades after its initial release, the song continues to reappear in the Tibetan music landscape. Perhaps one of the most recent renditions is sung by the popular artist Kunga Phuntsok in 2011.
The sound of unity
More than two decades later, another song from the same region would rise to a similar height, but in a very different political climate. It is called Mthun-sgril gyi rang-sgra orThe Sound of Unity and was sung by an emerging Amdo artist called Sherten. Blue Lake had appeared at a time when the political situation was getting a little better after the tumultuous Cultural Revolution. However, The Sound of Unity emerged in 2010, when the state was clamping down hard on Tibetans following 2008 protests and new rules were in place requiring even lyrics to be approved by the party (Barnett, 2009). This time dissemination was swift and far-reaching due to technology and social media. In the last couple of years, it has gained immense popularity among Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet, and different artists can be seen performing the song or remaking it in their own fashion. The song received further attention when it was performed live by Sherten, Tsewang Lhamo, Choegyal and Tsekyi in Kham. A new version also emerged with slightly different lyrics sung by another band of young artists comprising of Tenzin, Kelsang Yonten and Choegon in Tibet. During the Tibetan Language Concert held on December 10, 2011, in Columbia University's Miller Theater, the famous artists Tsewang Lhamo, Kyidjam, Pemsi and the audience sang The Sound of Unity in unison. Perhaps this was the first occasion that artists from both inside and outside Tibet could perform this song together on one stage.
Taglha Gyal wrote the lyrics, and Dubey, a famous Amdo artist of a genre called dunglen whose songs are known to carry political meanings, composed The Sound of Unity. Their message was loud and clear, as Sherten himself put forth in the beginning of the video: "If we care about the well-being and the future of our nationality who are in despair, people of Amdo, U-Tsang, and Kham hold hands together in harmony, unite as one". The video features people from the three provinces calling for unity in their own dialects adorned with traditional regalia. It even has a group of U-Tsang people dressed in traditional aristocratic attire, which by the CCP's standard could be construed as a disreputable relic of feudal Tibet. It can be argued that the lyrics are more candid, compared to Blue Lake. Though it avoids mentioning any names, the song makes it clear that there is a common adversary for the Tibetan people, who is responsible for the "sadness in father's face" and "tears in mother's heart". Moreover, it is interesting to note that the song promotes the notion of Tibet as having been comprised of the "three provinces" which is coterminous with the Tibetan Plateau, in contention with the official division of Tibet into Xizang (TAR) and other Tibetan areas incorporated into Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan. If we deconstruct the lyrics, the song calls for unity among Tibetans living in the three provinces, across gender and age, citing parental grief, future, and freedom of Tibet as the reasons for becoming united. It extols the common ancestry and heritage of the Tibetan people, and described them as its future inheritors. Interestingly in the view of the Tibetan problem as essentially a question of governance, both songs proclaimed Tibetan people as the 'owners' (bdag-po) of Tibet.
Music is fundamentally a social activity (Blaukopf, 1992). It is a socially symbolic act constituted and performed within a specific historicity. Highlighting the social conditioning of individual expression, Adorno asserts that "all music, even the stylistically most individualistic, takes on a collective content: every single sound speaks in the plural" (cited in Blaukopf, 1992, p. 45). Thus it can be argued that the saga of the two songs represent Tibetan people's struggle for identity and rights. Both songs evoke strong feelings, echoing a deep sense of collective loss while challenging the dominant and official narrative of happy, dancing and often-eroticized minority others (Gladney, 1994). It is also interesting to note that the two songs emerged from the far-flung northeastern corner of the Tibetan plateau, thousands of miles away from Lhasa, the hub of Tibetan civilization and the theatre of political activities.
The growth of modern Tibetan pop music has been phenomenal in recent times. Although state restriction has certainly limited the range of subject matters that an artist can explicitly touch upon, it hasn't rid the artists and listeners of their individual agency. In the context of Tibetan music, Morcom (2008) postulates that there is an existence of "remarkable kind of 'public sphere' in a region famous outside China for repression rather than expression" (p. 262). By looking at the current trend, Tibetan artists seem to be engaged in an act of pushing the boundary, and the state has so far chosen to ignore these implicitly oppositional and political songs. However, those who have crossed the limit with overtly political songs are punished with arrest and imprisonment such as the cases of artists like Tashi Dhondup, Ugyen Tenzin, Chogsel, Achok Phuljhung, etc (BBC, 2010, Tsering 2012, Yangchen 2012, Phayul, 2012). Are Tibetan artists engaged in an act of expressing clarity in ambiguity, hoping to convey a clear political message with ambiguous lyrics? Under current circumstances, with a dearth of relevant sources and little scope for conducting meaningful research, it is perhaps impossible to establish the intention of the artist. Thus any attempt to reify them from the outside is problematic. It would be better to conclude by drawing a thin line of distinction between expressing emotions and being political. For example Tibetan artist Dadon claims: "…I had no idea that what I was doing was political. I was just doing things spontaneously…if you want to move other people, you have to sing from your heart…I say things as I feel, like any regular Tibetan" (Henrion-Dourcy 2005, p. 241). In many cases, the line between emotion and political opinion may be invisible.
Barnett, R. (2009). Television drama series in Tibet. InV. Donati (Eds), Tibetan Cinema: Discovering a new political and cultural language (51-70). Naples:ASIA Onlus.
BBC. (June 27 2010). Tibetan cultural figures' detained after protests. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10416699
Blaukopf, K. (1992). Musical life in a changing society: Aspects of music sociology. Portland: Amadeus Press.
Gladney, D. (1994). Representing nationality in China: Refiguring majority/minority identities. Journal of Asian Studies, 53(1), 92-123.
Henrion-Dourcy, I. (2005). Women in the performing arts: Portraits of six contemporary singers. In J. Gyatso & H. Havnevik (Eds), Women in Tibet: Past and present (195-258). New Delhi: Foundation Books.
Link, P. (2002). China: The anaconda in the chandelier. Retrieved from http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2002/apr/11/china-the-anaconda-in-the- chandelier/
Morcom, A. (2008). Getting heard in Tibet: Music, media and markets. Consumption Markets and Culture, 11(4), 259-285.
Phayul. (August 22 2012). Singer arrested for praising the Dalai Lama and Kalon Tripa Dr Sangay. Retrieved from http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=31960&t=1
Stirr, A. (2008). Blue Lake: Tibetan popular music, place and fantasies of the nation. In R. Barnett & R. Schwartz (Eds), Tibetan modernities: Notes from the field on cultural and social change (305-332). Leiden & Boston: Brill.
Tibet Information Network. (2004). Unity and discord: Music and politics in contemporary Tibet. London: TIN.
Tsering, T. (March 28 2012). China arrests Tibetan singer over lyrics. Retrieved from http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=31153&t=1
Yangchen, P. (August 18 2012). Another Tibetan singer arrested, banned from singing. Retrieved from http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=31934&t=1
[1] Most of the information pertaining to the song Blue Lake has been culled from a wealth of information collected during several rounds of interview with Chopathar in 2011 at Columbia University, New York.


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Let's face it, tricking out your truck is fun, but you can't blow the grocery budget on a new totron led light bar without risking getting laid-out by your significant other. When it comes to purchasing new truck accessories for your ride, you may need to convince your wife or significant other of the purchase beforehand. This may be easy or it may require some extreme tact. SharpTruck.com is in your corner. We know how to schmooze your loved one and get her to bend on the budget so you can get that tonneau cover or chrome trim for your truck.
Totron LED Light Bar
You can't just tell your significant other that you're going to throw down for some truck accessories. You need to be explicit on what you want to buy, how much it will cost and how often you'll be buying new accessories for your truck. You need to be up front about the kinds of accessories you want to buy, how much it will cost and how you will save for it.
You won't want to come to your significant other with an entire laundry list of accessories you want totaling thousands and thousands of dollars. Pick your top two or three items you'd like to purchase. Do some research ahead of time to determine how much it will cost and have a plan in place for how and when you'll achieve the purchases.
Although this may be the riskiest of all, sometimes you need to just be a man and pull the trigger. It is often better to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Just ensure you don't blow that month's rent or morgage payment in the process and you should be able to weather the storm.
One of the easiest ways to convince your wife to let you buy what you want is to buy her something she wants first. Whether it is some new clothes or jewelry, this will show that you're unselfish and willing to get her something she wants! After that you should be good to get those Gatorback Mud Flaps you've been eyeballing.
Instead of asking for permission to buy somethng for yourslef, drop her some hints that it is something you'd like. Once the hints have been dropped, take her out to dinner and a movie. She will love you and more than likely will surprise you with the truck accessory you want. Another easy to drop a hint is to leave your internet browser open on the truck accessory you want and ensure she sees it.
For some reason this always works and combined with the steps above, you should get the accessories you want!

subset: commoncrawl


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AspectCTRM provides businesses with a metals trading software solution underpinning the entire trading lifecycle. This includes modules for Trade Management, Risk Management, Financial Operations & Physical Operations. AspectCTRM for Metals is ready out-of-the-box and it takes only days to configure your portal and start managing trade activity.
Physical Metal Types
Trade Types
This screen shows Aspect's LME Metals Card, featuring daily longs / shorts and cumulative totals by metal. Physical and Futures trades are easily captured into the system, and various reports (both standard – such as this one – and customized) are available to traders and risk managers.
AspectCTRM features rich functionality for capturing and managing the complexities required for base metals trading with complete administration and straight-through-processing support from trade capture to invoicing and hedging. Trade support includes:
AspectCTRM supports Ferrous Metals trading. This includes physical (including assays & penalties for iron ore, freight linked to Baltic Exchange indices), and derivative contracts including iron ore, coking coal, steel and FFA swaps & options.
AspectCTRM offers a complete standard system with customized functionality unique to precious metals trading to help you manage metal forwards, lease trades and exchange-traded precious futures and options, and also:
AspectCTRM gives you the tools you need to manage price risks across your physical and derivative trading activities, ensuring your physical positions are hedged in line with your risk appetite. Continuously manage changing positions through Aspect's robust real-time profit and loss, exposure and risk analysis functions and reports. AspectCTRM provides users with support for invoicing, broker reconciliation, VaR, stress testing and more.
Aspect Enterprise Solutions offers very powerful reporting functionality. Users can easily create and customize their own reports using Aspect's scripting language – here is an example of a customized base metal concentrate report.
Most AspectCTRM customers also subscribe to our AspectDSC Market Data & Analytics solution which allows for a seamless transfer of market prices to AspectCTRM to validate trades and update positions. AspectDSC delivers the metals industry with business-critical market news and data, benchmark price assessments and insightful market reports from leading sources like London Metal Exchange (LME), COMEX, Shanghai Futures Exchange, Dow Jones Metals Wire, Platts and Argus metals and steel indicators, and other key exchanges and sources.Learn more about AspectDSC
Learn the basic principles of using hedging instruments to mitigate exposure to commodity price movements. View simple examples which illustrate: How hedging works to measure and manage spread risk, and "how AspectCTRM supports price risk management and hedging."
Read the blog post from CTRMCenter that says, "Aspect Enterprise Solutions has moved a long way beyond oil and liquid hydrocarbons ETRM in the cloud and can now boast a truly multi-commodity CTRM platform that supports an increasing number of commodities and customers."
Through a series of demonstrations which apply to all market sectors including ferrous, base and precious metals, you'll learn how to avert risk and maintain full visibility of combined physical and derivative positions and risks.


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Smaller passenger planes are increasingly in demand in Asia as budget carriers cash in on the region's growing middle classes by expanding their reach to less prominent cities, industry executives say.
So-called "regional" jets -- short to medium-haul aircraft that generally seat under 100 passengers -- were among the best-sellers at the Singapore Airshow which ended at the weekend.
Jimmy Lau, managing director of show organiser Experia Events, said demand for smaller aircraft will rise as Asia's burgeoning middle class sustains the growth in air travel that began in metropolitan areas.
"The people who will be likely making good inroads are the Embraers and the Bombardiers who will be selling their smaller regional jets to countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia," Lau told reporters as the Airshow ended with deals totalling a record $32 billion.
Embraer, the Brazilian plane maker, forecasts that Asia-Pacific carriers will take delivery of 1,500 new jets in the 70- to 130-seat segment over the next 20 years, with a total value of $70 billion. This would represent nearly 20 percent of global demand.
Canada's Bombardier expects the region to get one-third of the 12,800 aircraft in the 20 to 150-seat segment it forecasts to be delivered worldwide in the next two decades.
The company's vice president for marketing Philippe Poutissou told AFP that Bombardier sold almost 80 percent of its planes to Western countries in the past.
Four-month-old Indian carrier Air Costa sprang the biggest surprise at the event when it ordered 50 E-Jets E2 planes from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer worth $2.94 billion, with purchase rights for 50 more.
Air Costa wants to connect cities in southern India such as Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Vijayawada, as well as key secondary cities in the country's north and northwest.
- Reaching further -
"Our philosophy is that we believe that 70 percent of the population, of the huge 1.2 billion population in India, still reside in these non-metros," Air Costa chief financial officer Vivek Choudhary said.
Bangkok Airways, which describes itself as a "boutique" airline that serves popular tourist destinations in the country as well as the Maldives, Laos and Cambodia, ordered six 72-600 planes from European plane maker ATR for $150 million.
Thai budget carrier Nok Air ordered two Q4 100 aircraft -- which can seat 70-80 passengers -- from Bombardier to help it expand into smaller cities in Thailand and neighbouring countries, and may buy six more.
Nok Air chief executive Patee Sarasin said the airline's strategy is to use 33-seater planes to penetrate small towns and stimulate air travel, and then to increase frequency or use bigger aircraft as demand rises.
"There are so many airports in Thailand that are underutilised and so many towns that are underdeveloped in terms of the flying experience," Patee said.
Poutissou of Bombardier said his company is also aiming at a slightly larger aircraft class with its C Series of planes that can seat up to 150 passengers, competing directly with popular single-aisle planes made by Boeing and Airbus.
The Airbus A320 and Boeing B737 -- currently favoured by Asia's major budget carriers -- can seat between 126 and 200 passengers.
Poutissou said regional jets and single-aisle planes can complement each other, and he expects airlines to have a combination of both.
Boeing and Airbus are watching their smaller challengers.
"They are moving up into that part of the market (single aisle) in order to compete directly with us," said Randy Tinseth, vice president for marketing at Boeing.
Tinseth said Boeing and Airbus must assume that one of the smaller aircraft manufacturers, including some from China, will become successful.
"It's not a question of whether they will be successful, but when," he said.
John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer, said he was not "overly concerned" about the upcoming competition.
But he added: "If you ask: Will Airbus and Boeing be under threat in the next 10 years? The answer is no. And 20 years? The answer is probably yes."
The information is "" Is always quoted the reference link.


text: From branding to security, catering to telecom, we've put all the support you need at the touch of a button through our Event Plus e-commerce platform. As the region's largest purpose-built events complex, Dubai World Trade Center offers the ideal environment to reach your key audiences when they are most receptive. Our venues have earned a solid international reputation, and we back it with all the expertise required to make your stand truly spectacular. Our Event Plus e-commerce platform puts all your show services just a click away, with dedicated customer care on hand to assist. Whether you want to design and build a stand, book primary rigging, add a cleaning package or engage extra security, you can rest assured our experts will do what it takes to ensure a seamless experience.


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An Indian government agency has made a public statement to protect its transgender hires, even producing a Facebook video to educate the public about discrimination.
It's being heralded as a first in the country, where transgender women still face abuse and hostility from society.
SEE ALSO: Here's why you should pay close attention to India's space program
The 23 women will be working at a new Kochi Metro station in Kerala, south India.
In the video, one woman says: "I also have ambition, hopes and dreams."
Another says: "I want you to look at me, and just see a person doing a job."
More about India, Gender, Social Good, Transgender, and Gender Identity


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Many top-level executives from across the industry recently visited Washington to meet with their Senators and Congressmen to urge action on issues important to the industry at large. The biggest issue was ethanol.
In office after office, industry executives buttonholed their elected representatives and made the case that the federal government made a mistake in embarking on the program to encourage the use of corn-based ethanol by imposing a mandate, handing out subsidies, and protecting the domestic ethanol industry through a tariff on imported ethanol.
The reception varied. Some members of Congress were very supportive and promised to sign on to legislation to begin to unwind the ethanol program. Others were polite but obviously unwilling to take action.
Another side to ethanol
For a few, however, this seemed to be the first they had heard that there is another side to the ethanol picture. Clearly some thought that using ethanol is unburdened by impacts on other sectors of the economy.
I think we made some progress in getting elected representatives to understand that the diversion of feed grains into fuel is causing huge problems.
Among the points our members made were:
Impact on food costs - Because of the voracious demand from the ethanol sector, the price of corn has skyrocketed, going from around $2.50 per bushel just two years ago to more than $6.00 today. As a result of rising feed grain prices, the broiler industry will spend $6 billion dollars more on feed in 2008 than it would have under 2006 prices. These higher costs will inevitably be passed on to consumers nationwide.
Impact on jobs -While the ethanol industry has created a few jobs, primarily in the Midwest, it is destroying jobs across the country as meat and poultry companies close facilities and cut back production in response to higher costs. About 3,000 jobs in meat and poultry production alone have been eliminated so far in 2008 because of the high input costs imposed by ethanol production.
Little impact
In 2007, one-quarter of the corn crop went into ethanol, and this replaced only one percent of our petroleum consumption.
Our members urged specific action on Congress: reduce or eliminate the tax credit for ethanol added to gasoline and the tariff of $0.54 per gallon on imported ethanol. The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFSthe "ethanol mandate") should also be revised or dropped.
We also asked for support of petitions to waive the mandate. One such petition is before the Environmental Protection Agency, and we hope that others will be filed. The process provides a very good opportunity for people and companies to go on the record in favor of reform of the ethanol program.
The Farm Bill actually reduced the tax credit from $0.54 to $0.45 per gallon, a small step in the right direction, but too small to prove meaningful.
We must keep pushing for more significant change in the program. If you haven't written to your Senator and member of Congress yet, please do so now. The future of your business may depend on it.


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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia — Apart from Thomas Jefferson's famed Monticello gardens, he also maintained several other farms, one of them being Tufton Farms that is now the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants. Every Saturday between April 1 and May 27, Charlottesville visitors have the opportunity to pick up a piece of history at the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants. Begin with a tour of the gardens to find your favorites, and afterwards visit the nursery to get expert advice on plant maintenance.
Go towww.Monticello.orgfor more information.


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by Matthew Foster
'Kazan' is my Vincent class Regner loco. It is about 3 years old now and has been modified somewhat.
The baldwin tram
Inspiration came from the 7/8th lounge where David Vergen posted an interesting photo of a Japanese tram loco that was sneaked over from the US for their war in Korea (Russo-Japanese War).http://www.7-8ths.info/index.php/topic,16681633.msg37499.html#msg37499
If the link works you will see a small tram type loco with basic side panels and a roof. I can just about manage such a prototype so I set off to the DIY store in search of some cheap metal sheets. Brass was much too expensive so I settled for aluminium. This bent well in my simple bench vise and the curvy corners were acheived with the help of the top of a plastic PET bottle, hacksaw and half round file.
Before I did the side/end panels I had to make new wodden buffers onto which I could screw the panels. I reused the regner hex head screws and used more aluminium, this time 10mm strip which I tapped a hole to 2mm (M2) and glued to the wodden buffers. These buffers are larger giving more support for the side/end panels. The rear buffer includes a strip that rises nearly to the top of the side panel.
After bending each panel I added rigid plastic rivet detail (using the tip of a scalpel blade to spike the rivets and superglue to secure them) and then sprayed with metal primer. Then two coats of 600℃ stove paint on the inner side, just in case it gets hot, and standard matt black paint on the outer side.
Here you can see the bend and end or rear panel bits:
It reminds me of a US M7 Priest self-propelled gun (if you know what I mean). Without a driver figure it is a bit difficult to gauge the proportions yet. Adding a roof will help.
Now, it isn't going to remain all black. I have two scratch-built carriages that are red to match the original red lining of 'Kazan' so it is going to get over sprayed in red. I'm not that good at painting so I'm going to have a single red panel with another above it where the curved top is.
Regarding names.
I'm going to leave the nameplate on the original body and order another set to attach to the new one. Thinking cap on. I try to use Japanese words that either reflect local produce or words that bring to mind the specific loco. 'Kazan' is volcano in Japanese. This has a double meaning - the heat and steam of a volcano and the fact that there is an active volcano less than an hour from where I live. Other locos are called 'Nashi' or pear, 'Ume' or plum, and 'Cognac' as in the spirit and konyaku ( a locally produced food).
Here the body panels have been given 3 coats of red spray paint with the black bits masked off.
I'm thinking about getting a lining pen and doing the black/red boarders in gold/yellow.
More progress:
And lastly:
I'm still waiting for the name plates I ordered to turn up. They will go in the middle of each side panel.
Locos >


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1. In this interrupted time-series and survival analysis, rates of readmission after heart failure hospitalization decreased significantly after the implementation of the Hospital Readmission Reduction program (HRRP) with public reporting and financial penalties.
2. This study also found, however, significantly increased 30-day and 1-year all-cause mortality rates over the same time period after the implementation of the HRRP, highlighting potential unintended consequences of the program.
Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)
Study Rundown: Readmission rate after heart failure hospitalization is a metric used in determining quality of health care. There are been many aims to reduce these readmission rates. The Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) involved public reporting of 30-day risk-standardized readmission rates and created financial penalties for hospitals with higher readmissions. While readmissions rates went down after implementation of public reporting and financial penalties, it is unclear if there are inadvertent consequences as a result of these same strategies. This study aimed to examine the association of the HRRP with temporal trends in readmission and mortality rates among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with heart failure.
The 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rate declined significantly from 20.0% in March 2010, before implementation of the HRRP to 18.4% in 2012-2014 HRRP penalties phase. However, 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rates increased significantly from 7.2% before HRRP implementation to 8.6% in the HRRP penalties phase. These patterns were also seen in the 1-year risk-adjusted rates. Strengths of this study include its use of a large prospectively gathered clinical registry however given it's observational design cause and effect among the HRRP implementation and readmission reduction and mortality rates cannot be established.
Click to read the study, published in JAMA Cardiology
Relevant Reading: Association of Changing Hospital Readmission Rates With Mortality Rates After Hospital Discharge
In-Depth [time-series analysis]: This interrupted time-series and survival analysis of prospectively collected clinical data from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure registry was conducted from January 2006 to December 2014. The clinical registry data included readmission and mortality information on fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries who were hospitalized with heart failure across 416 US hospitals. The exposure of interest was the HRRP, specifically analyzed using time intervals related to HRRP implementation: before (January 2006 to March 2010), during (April 2010 to September 2012) and after HRRP penalties were implemented (October 2012 to December 2014). Outcome of interest was risk-adjusted 30-day and 1-year all-cause readmission and mortality rates. Statistical analysis included linear and Cox proportional hazards regression.
There were 115 245 patients included in this analysis where the mean (SD) age was 80.5 (8.4) years. The 30-day risk adjusted readmission rate declined significantly from before the HRRP was implemented to the HRRP penalties phase: 20.0% to 18.4% (HR after vs. before implementation 0.91; 95% CI 0.87-0.95; p < 0.001). However, 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rates increased from before the HRRP implementation to after: 7.2% to 8.6% (HR after vs. before 1.18; 95% CI 1.10-1.27; p < 0.001). The 1-year readmission and mortality rates also showed similar significant overall patterns.
Image: PD
©2017 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. All rights reserved. No works may be reproduced without expressed written consent from 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. Inquire about licensing here. No article should be construed as medical advice and is not intended as such by the authors or by 2 Minute Medicine, Inc.


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This blog covers the 2010-2011 season of the Cal Poly men's and women's basketball teams. The blog will cover all the action beginning in November until the Big West conference tournament in March.
The Cal Poly basketball season gets under way this weekend with both teams looking to secure their first ever NCAA tournament berth.
The men's team enters its second season under head coach Joe Callero and looks to improve upon their 12-19 record from last season. The women's team returns reigning Big West Player of the Year Kristina Santiago to a squad that went 18-11 a season ago.
The Cal Poly men's basketball team will play 17 road games this season along with the Big West conference tournament which will be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.
Meanwhile, the women's basketball team will play 14 road games along with the Big West conference tournament.
On this map, you will find all the locations where the men's and women's basketball teams will travel during the 2010-2011 season.
The blue markers indicate the men's non-conference road games, while the orange markers indicate the women's non-conference road games. The yellow markers indicate Big West conference games where both teams will travel to play throughout the season.


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The Easiest Way to Book Private Jet Charter
The GAC private jet card is a program tailored to customers who want access similar to aircraft ownership, but with lower costs and none of the complexities of private jet charter. The JET Card allows our staff to get to know your personal preferences and further enhance your experience. In particular, our members will have priority access to our fleet, create long-term savings, take advantage of personalized service, and access curated programs traditionally reserved for aircraft owners.
The Best Way to Fly Private
One of the most common questions asked when looking to charter an aircraft is, "What is the best way to fly private?" The quick answer is, with a charter company that you can trust. It is essential to do your homework before booking your private jet charter flight to get the most for your money, the safest flight, and the best service. Global Air Charters is here to help you navigate the charter world. With a trusted charter company on your side, you will feel confident that the proper maintenance is complete on the planes. Furthermore, safety standards are exceeded, the best pricing is provided. Your specific needs are met on every flight, no matter how large or small the request.
The JET Card is a No-Hassle Way to Travel
The GAC JET Card is the most cost-effective way to fly private. Not only do you get the best price, but you also get top-notch personalized service and the convenience of one transaction. Our crew boasts expansive charter experience, on both domestic and international flights. This ensures you get to where you need to go seamlessly. Additionally, we are here to help when you need us- 24/7, 365 days a year. Our client management service team is available to assist with your flight requests.
Global Air Charters offers unparalleled convenience, flexibility, and simplicity for your private jet needs with the ease of the GAC JET Card. A one-time payment makes booking charter travel easy and convenient, saving you valuable time while making sure you always have the best pricing. Simply load your card and let us do the rest. Additionally, the JET Card provides a wide array of advantages – no matter if the trip is for international business or to your second home for the holidays. "The JET Card offers confidence that you will always get the best charter rates, flexibility, and convenience," stated Pat Diaz, Director of Sales. "Global Air Charters takes the hassle out of flying and offers unmatched service in the industry. It is our goal to be the private aviation provider of choice."
The GAC Guarantee
GAC's JET Card guarantees a fixed hourly rate, no hidden charges, and no monthly membership fees. We value transparency and honesty, which is why we never surprise you with fuel, ramp, and crew fees. Moreover, the price we give you is the price you pay. Members get access to one of the largest executive fleets in the charter industry, 365 days a year.
We understand that every flight is different. For this reason, we offer access to four jet classes to meet your needs. Flying with GAC provides you with confidence that we will never cancel your trip. Additionally, we provide consistent charter rates, so you don't have to shop around for the best price.
The New Safety Standard – LevelFlight
Global Air Charters is proud to provide the highest safety standards in the industry, offering a new safety standard known as the LevelFlight Standard. We are a proud partner with Airline Cert to introduce the LevelFlight Standard to the business aviation community. LevelFlight goes above and beyond the current FAA Part 91 and Part 135 regulations to exceed safety standards.
LevelFlight is a real-time tool that assists in managing the ever-changing compliance and safety protocols in today's aviation environment. Furthermore, the LevelFlight Standard is the ONLY flight safety standard with the ability to create a safe, efficient, and effective aviation department. Furthermore, LevelFlight exceeds the recommendations set out by the FAA, EASA, Transport Canada, and ICAO member states as well.
Changing the World of Private Jet Charter Hospitality, One Flight at a Time
Personalized service and attention to detail are the qualities that set on-demand charter operators and jet card providers apart. The distinction starts with the flight crew. Our pilots are well-rested, extensively trained, fully prepared, and 100% attentive to your needs. Global Air Charters consistently seeks out ways to ensure that your trip exceeds expectations. Additionally, all of our flight and cabin crews pride themselves on catering to each guest's personal preferences. The GAC team goes the extra mile to make you feel like family. We bring the comforts of home to you. From our cozy Love Your Melon pillows and blankets, to always having your favorite wine or treats on board, we get to know your family, preferences, and the services that will give you the best flight experience. You are our highest priority.
To read our Press Release please click here


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Völkl introduces all-new 'beer league' race skis featuring a new Speedwall 2.0 wood core, with extra-hard wood located just behind the sidewall. With a wider footprint, rMotion2, new construction, and the quiet ride of UVO, there's a new way to go fast!
- EXPERTISE LEVEL: Expert
- CONDITIONS: 100% Groomed – 0% Powder
- CORE: Speedwall Multilayer Woodcore
- UVO (Ultimate Vibration Object) is the first application of free-floating, 360° vibration absorbing technology to minimize disruptive ski vibration. Vibration inherently arises when skis interact with bumpy terrain. The ski's tip, in particular, is set in motion in all directions, all at once. UVO technology delivers proven reduction of these vibrations, delivering a quieter ride. The key differentiation between UVO and other damping systems is the fact that in addition to longitudinal vibrations, it also addresses torsional and lateral vibrations. New for 14/15, UVO is featured on all models in the Racetiger and Code series.
- POWER CONSTRUCTION: Völkl's longest-running construction, Power Construction utilizes traditional vertical sidewalls and a torsion box internal layup. Used in racing skis as well as all the freeskiing models, this versatile, proven construction provides tremendous grip, stability, and a smooth ride.
- POWERED BY TITANIUM: Titanal, an alloy of titanium and aluminum, is an integral part of Völkl ski design. Its strength, light weight, and resiliency make it ideal for use in ski construction. Our engineers found that titanal absorbs harmful vibration frequencies, while allowing "good" vibrations through. Pioneered by Völkl, titanal provides superior damping, stability, edge grip, and smoothness in select high performance models throughout the 2014/2015 collection.
SPEEDWALL 2:New for this season, Völkl engineers have discovered a way to improve performance by integrating the sidewalls and wood core with into a unique SPEEDWALL MULTILAYER WOODCORE. The sidewall is laminated to stiff layers of wood on the outside of the core, with a softer, lighter weight wood in the center. This provides the following advantages:
/// The harder wood adjacent to the sidewall delivers increased power transmission, improves the edge grip and supports the edge.
/// The low weight of the softer section in the middle of the core brings more agility and maneuverability and reduces overall ski weight.
/// The combination of both wood types running through the entire ski length contributes to optimal pressure distribution.
SPEEDWALL MULTILAYER WOODCORE is the first and only sidewall/core technology intended for aggressive skiing on hard snow, even capable of delivering improved performance and faster times on the race course.


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SAN FRANCISCO — T.Y. Lin International has acquired Medina Consultants PC (Medina). Medina will now conduct business as T.Y. Lin International | Medina.
"This is a landmark acquisition for T.Y. Lin International and will expand the number of clients and range of services offered by both firms," said Alvaro J. Piedrahita, P.E., TYLI president and chief executive officer. "We are confident that Medina's dedication to client satisfaction and fundamentally sound engineering designs makes it an excellent addition to T.Y. Lin International, and we welcome Medina's staff of professional engineers and land surveyors to our growing company. Together, the expertise offered by T.Y. Lin International and Medina will be a powerful combination for our clients and partners."
Robert Medina, P.E., Medina president and now senior vice president of TYLI adds: "I've spent my entire 35-year career in the New York/New Jersey marketplace and our firm has developed great relationships with clients and other engineering firms," Medina said. "The specialties that T.Y. Lin International brings, combined with our knowledge of agencies, engineers, and contractors in the East Region, will create tremendous opportunities for partnering and strategic alliances."
For more information about T.Y. Lin International, please visit www.tylin.com.


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Earlier this year, Asus tried to reshape the entire budget segment scenario by taking a page out of Xiaomi's own playbook. The result – the Zenfone Max Pro M1 (Review) – company's most popular smartphone yet with aggressive pricing and competitive specifications. Like its predecessor, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is made up of the very same ingredients but with several noticeable changes.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 flaunts the overall refined user experience, beefy battery, improved cameras, newer hardware and relatively recent design. At the launch event, Asus claimed that the Zenfone Max Pro M2 is a 'people's' phone since it was made after listening to the feedback from fans as well as the tech reviewers. Since then, Asus has sent numerous software updates to improve the overall experience. So, here is our take on the Zenfone Max Pro M2 after updates.
With Xiaomi's latest Redmi Note 7 Pro offering, Is Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 still a budget beast? Let's find that out in our extensive review, shall we?
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 Key Specifications
- 6.26-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display, 1080 x 2280 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass 6
- Snapdragon 660 SoC, up to 6GB RAM, up to 64GB internal storage
- Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box (upgradable to Pie)
- 12MP+5MP rear camera, 13MP selfie snapper
- 5,000 mAh battery backup
- Price Range: starting from INR 12,999
Also Read: Asus Zenfone 5Z Review – The Best Zenfone Asus Ever Made
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 Review: Build, Design
Instead of dull and boring aluminium metal look, Asus this time decided to put in contemporary "glass looking" design. By glass looking, I mean that the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes with a special polymer which is tailored to give a glass-like appearance. If you rotate the phone at several angles, you'll notice different wave patterns at the back (you can even see that in the above image). The phone spreads the light in an interesting and premium fashion.
Weighing 175g and measuring 8.5 mm in thickness, the Zenfone Max Pro M2 creates a perfect well balanced in-hand feel. For a device carrying 5,000 mAh battery, this is a very slim form factor. Thanks to the slight curve design at the back, the phone is pretty much comfortable to use. Although I did take some time to get used to the massive size. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 does have a thick chin at the bottom but on the other hand, has a narrow notch which according to the company is a fully-functional unit. We'll talk about that a little more shortly.
At the back, you'll find a dual camera module positioned vertically and a fingerprint sensor. The back is very much prone to fingerprint smudges so you might have to clear it off from time to time. Asus is also providing a TPU cover inside the box which can give your device a nice layer of protection. Speaking of protection, the phone comes with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 6. The only closest phone packing the same Gorilla Glass is from the OnePlus.
The latest Zenfone Max Pro M2 does look much attractive than its predecessor. On top of that, the addition of Gorilla Glass 6 makes it the most durable option right now in the budget segment market.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 Review: Display
The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 sports a massive 6.26-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. There is a 2.5D glass panel with a pixel density of 403ppi and a screen-to-body-ratio of 82.0 percent. Asus tried to offer bezel-less design on the front to give it a more modern appearance. Like any other budget phone, the Zenfone Max Pro M2 is equipped with a notch but fortunately, it is a narrow one.
While consuming entertainment, we got some wide view angles, high brightness, vivid colours and pretty solid contrast. The adaptive brightness on this device works like a charm. In my 2 week usage, I rarely triggered the brightness manually. Although the sunlight brightness could have been better, it will still do a superb job most of the time. The fact that the Max Pro M2 has a Gorilla Glass 6 protection gives a solid edge to the phone over its competitors. We can say that the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 has the best display in this segment.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 Review: Camera
Now here we are at the cameras at last! To be honest, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 was a bit of a bummer camera wise. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is more interesting because it's actually a bit better. The phone comes with a dual camera setup at the back with 12MP and 5MP camera sensors. The 12MP camera has f/1.8 aperture and 1.25µm pixel size while the 5MP sensor remains the same as its predecessors.
When it comes to the daylight shots with the primary camera, the Zenfone Max Pro M2 did a fairly nice job. The daylight images turn out to be bright with a good amount of details and dynamic range. In landscape shots, the camera was able to handle blue of the sky pretty well. With HDR mode on, I was able to get rid of small problems with the Sun and the faulty dynamic range.
Although I was expecting the cameras to clear out the competition but instead left disappointed. Of course, there is a major improvement in cameras when compared to its predecessors but still, the phone could have done much better.
Coming to the selfie camera, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 has a 13MP selfie snapper with an aperture of f/2.0 and a pixel size of 1.12µm. Accompanying the selfie camera, you will find an LED flash inside the notch. You do get a beauty mode which I personally am not a big fan of since it makes you look quite artificial but hey that's just my personal opinion. On the other hand, the group selfie feature is a nice thing to have and it seems to work pretty well too.
You can shoot video at 4K resolution but since the phone doesn't have any stabilisation, the video comes out to be a little shaky. At Full HD video recording, the phone makes use of EIS, therefore, resulting in less shaky videos. Overall, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 clearly shows bits of improvement in the camera department.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 Review: Software & Performance
The Zenfone Max Pro M2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset coupled with Adreno 512. Even though the processor is a proper upgrade over the predecessor, the phone is still not able to blow out the competition. For instance, Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro packs in much powerful chipset. The internal memory goes up to 6GB and the onboard storage goes up to 128GB. The unit which we're using comes with a 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory.
I tried playing various graphic demanding games like PubG and Asphalt 9. The Adreno 512 GPU handled all the power hungry games pretty well. In terms of performance, there is literally nothing to complain about. Asus once again went with the stock Android experience which is a fantastic decision. The bloat-free UI makes the phone very responsive and quick. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes with Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box but you can upgrade to Android 9.0 Pie.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 Review: Battery Life & Audio
The thing which sets the Zenfone Max Pro M2 apart from the competition is the massive battery inside. The phone is fueled by 5000mAh battery which still used USB 2.0 sadly. The device takes about 2 hours and 57 minutes to completely charge but is well worth it for the time you get. For me, the phone lasts for 2 days on a regular usage which is insane. I did miss the USB Type C port as well as the fast charging feature.
Coming to the acoustics, we're dealing with a singular speaker with five magnets at the bottom. The audio coming out of the phone is louder and doesn't distort at all. Also, the case doesn't vibrate excessively which is a good thing.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 Review: Verdict
It's time for the verdict. The things at which the previous Zenfone Max Pro M1 was falling behind, the latest Max Pro M2 seems to pick up the pieces. The design is sexier even though it's not glass, the massive battery lasts for solid duration and the cameras are definitely upgraded. The only drawback here is the lack of USB Type C port and a fast charging feature. If you can somehow manage living without it, then Zenfone Max Pro M2 might be a decent choice for you.
The foremost question is how well Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 performs when compared with the ultimate Redmi Note 7 Pro. Well, that's the question we still can't give an answer to yet. We will definitely be reviewing the Redmi Note 7 Pro soon and hopefully will try to cover a comparison too. You can keep checking the Review space till then.
Thanks for scrolling this article until the end. If you want to share something which we might have missed then comment it down. We would love to hear your opinions.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow TechFAE on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.


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Honestly, I wasn't really planning on getting an early start to holiday baking this year. I just started working full time back in the corporate world this past week and I'm still adjusting. Every night this past week, I've been so exhausted after a full day of work, the 2 hour (total) commute and coming home to figure out meals, household chores and balancing being a mom and wife while keeping sane. I guess after being a stay at home/work at home mom for the past year and a half, I need to transition into this new schedule slowly. But thankfully, there are the weekends. Like this one. I got a chance to spend some quality time with my son and we had a fun time playing in the kitchen!
To help it make it possible, my friends at Foodbuzz and Nestle Toll House Morsels sent me a holiday baking kit which included an apron and coupons for Nestle Toll House products. With the coupons, I purchased a couple of baking chips - butterscotch and peanut butter milk chocolate chips. To make these gluten free, I used Better Batter gluten free flour and S'moreables gluten free graham crackers.
Now these Magic Cookie Bars were inspired by a previous recipe I made. A few months ago I made some S'mores Cookie Bars and using the same dough recipe, I adapted the ingredients to incorporate the Nestle Chips I purchased. Since I had all the ingredients for the S'mores Cookie Bars, I made some of these too!
Joel loves being in the kitchen with me. In fact, there are always little hints that he's been in the kitchen. When I pulled out my food processor to process the graham crackers, one of his little cars was hanging out in the food processor bowl. Imagine that lol. Joel loved pressing the 'process' button in the food processor. With every press, he giggled...
After processing the graham cracker crumbs, we added them to the bowl with flour, salt, and baking powder. Joel seemed to think his car should have been added too. Yeah, sorry buddy... not this time!
Now that we had our dry mix combined, it's off to the stand mixer to combine the 'wet' ingredients. But what's this? Ha - another car found! After removing his car, we added butter, brown sugar and eggs to the mixer bowl. There, it mixed until fluffy and Joel loved watching the paddle attachment go round and round in the mixer...
After the butter and sugar mixture came out fluffy, it was time to add the graham cracker crumb and flour mixture to the bowl. It continued to mix up to create our cookie dough base...
Once we got our graham cracker crumb cookie base, it was just a matter of assembling the bars in a baking pan and popping them in the oven. I had so much fun baking with Joel and hope you get a chance to bake up something delicious with someone you love too...
As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program,
I received a holiday baking kit and stipend from Nestle Toll House Morsels.
I received a holiday baking kit and stipend from Nestle Toll House Morsels.
Magic Cookie Bars
recipe adapted from S'mores Cookie Bars
recipe adapted from S'mores Cookie Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup peanut butter & milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Thoroughly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly beat flour mixture into butter mixture.
Reserve 1/4 of the dough and set aside. Press the remaining dough into greased pan until dough is uniform and flat. Top with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut and sprinkle with walnuts. Scatter the reserved dough over in clumps. Don't worry about covering the top; the chips, coconut and walnuts should peek through.
Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into bars and remove from pan.


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This is part of The Newsletter dated 11th April, 2019.
Sravani Boinepelli
It's that time of the year, the sun's already beating down on us and summer is upon us. The semester's steadily coming to a close. Decisions are to be made, especially for the second years, as the honors application forms come out. Which lab do I apply to? Will I have to stay back for the summer? Would I be allowed to go for so-and-so internship? Do I even want to take honors at all? These are a few of the questions plaguing the minds of the extremely bewildered second years. Add to this confusion, the feeling of betrayal as you come to the horrific realization that the lab you wanted the most is no longer accepting students? This constitutes a surprising amount of the UG2k17 demographic.
Previously, when inquisitive second years would ask around about officially starting research in the summer, there was always a rather vague mention of some mysterious form that would be released before the end of the semester, comprising a list of labs to pick from. Beyond that, other than an incredibly brief introductory session where each lab was given just 5 minutes to appeal to the aspirants, students were given next to no information on the honors application process. There was no communication on behalf of the college on what kind of system was being employed by each lab in the selection of prospective applicants. Some of the professors had already taken a few students in if they had exhibited prior interest and/or had worked on a project with them beforehand, and when the time to accept Honours applications rolled around, some of them were unable to accept any more.
The manner of prior selection varied as well. Some of the faculty followed selection procedures involving interviews and tests completely independent of the actual Honours form, considering the form a mere formality. It had recently come to light that a number of students in the UG2k17 batch had had no idea that the aforementioned professors had already started inducting students into their labs before the release of the honors application forms. They found instances of some labs propagating information about interviews and the like on informal channels such as WhatsApp, where there was no guarantee of all the aspiring individuals ever receiving the news on time due to various circumstances.
The batch is divided as some students had believed it worthwhile to go ahead before the application forms had even been released, and had personally spoken to potential mentors regarding their fascination with the work being done in the lab and had hence been informed about the lab's selection process. They argued that everyone should have been so passionate as to have taken time out of their busy schedules to meet professors in the middle of the hectic semester as they themselves had. But it is generally agreed upon that information about the entire process should be formally disclosed, prior to the forms being released, so that all students would be given an equal opportunity to properly explore and give every lab a go. A lot of students have missed out on this opportunity and unbeknownst to them, had filled the form at the last minute with options that were no longer even available before being told, when it was far too late to do anything about it, that that lab was no longer accepting applicants. In such cases, it is entirely possible that a student may have filled 3 preferences, none of which they would receive due to the limited number/ lack of vacancies. These revelations were often followed by terrifying stories of students from previous batches, wasting away their summers after a grueling semester of coursework, fervently roaming between labs like rudderless boats without an advisor to speak of, wondering if they would ever get the chance to do research in a field they were truly passionate about.
The issue was brought up in the latest Faculty Student Interaction Session(FSIS) that was held on the 4th of April. The students who had felt that they'd been wronged spoke up and spilled their woes to the Dean Academics who in turn told them to keep the subject of the FSIS strictly to academics and not research. The concerned were advised to write an email to Prof. Vikram Pudi, who replied by saying that his job was only to coordinate the allocation of labs to students. The advisors were free to select their students according to whatever process they chose. While he believes that the faculty in general does not follow a first-come-first-serve process, he acknowledges that approaching early on does show a significant amount of zeal and enthusiasm, and this cannot be restricted. Nevertheless, even now after the honors applications have been submitted, he assures that "The students should feel free to approach any faculty member and request to join them, providing a compelling case based on their interest, dedication and competence."
Sravani Boinepelli
Latest posts by Sravani Boinepelli (see all)
- Lunar Eclipse 2020 - January 21, 2020
- Faculty Student 'Inquisition' Session - April 18, 2019
- (Dis)Honour-able Affairs? - April 11, 2019


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AFP notes, "A suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives blew himself up in the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region on Wednesday, killing at least five people in the first big attack there in more than a year."
While Baghdad, the capital of central Iraq, and surrounding areas have been plagued with violence, the same has not been true of northern Iraq and the provinces making up the semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Governments and especially not true of the city of Erbil.
The attack in the KRG capital on Wednesday should have caused some soul searching on the part of the government.
The Peshmerga are an elite Kurdish fighting force that's done a strong job protecting the KRG.
The attack yesterday should make the KRG re-evaluate the decision to send the KRG here, there, everywhere outside the KRG.
The attack should have the KRG questioning the decision to send the Peshmerga to Kobani.
Not only is that not a city bordering the KRG, it's not even in Iraq.
Why is the Peshmerga being deployed to Syria, to an area bordering Turkey?
This started at the beginning of the month.
The Peshmerga should be used to protect the KRG and any areas that immediately border the KRG.
Kobani is a Syrian border town -- it borders Turkey. It's not even remotely near a Kurdish border.
Seems the Kurdish government's a little too eager to assist the US -- so much so that it's leaving their own region in danger.
Maybe it's the hope that, yet again, if they just try a little harder, the US will be a loyal partner?
That pathetic need has never accomplished anything for the Kurds.
And this week, they've been slamming the US government for not supplying them with weapons.
Press TV reports:
Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has blamed the West for failing to meet its promises about arming Kurdish fighters with sophisticated weaponry, Press TV reports.KRG Masoud Barzani President criticized the West and the US-led coalition fighting the Takfiri ISIL group for not providing Kurdish Peshmerga forces with heavy weapons to help them counter the ISIL.
There has been an effort from some member of the US Congress to send arms to the Kurds. Julian Pecquet (Al-Monitor) reports:
Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., and ranking member Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., introduced temporary legislation to arm the Peshmerga forces in their fight against the Islamic State (IS). Doing so would mark a reversal of current US policy, which has sought to reinforce the central government in a bid to stop the country from splintering along ethnic and sectarian lines.
"We thought a long time ago that our appeals to Baghdad to do the right thing would be heard and [former Prime Minister Nouri al-] Maliki's government turned a deaf ear month after month. We've reached the point where we have allies to our cause of defeating [IS] fighting in the field, without adequate equipment, and we are determined to see that they obtain it," Royce told Al-Monitor. "We want the weapons in the hands of the Peshmerga that are on the front line, now."
The bill comes in the wake of an international public relations push by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). Top Kurdish officials — including Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, and presidential Chief of Staff Fuad Hussein — were in Washington this week handing out a list of demands to lawmakers and administration officials, while President Massoud Barzani berated western powers for not providing his forces enough weapons during an interview on French television Nov. 19.
#الانبار: اغتنام نحو (15) عجلة نوع همر تركتها القوات الحكومية بعد هروبها من معارك منطقة الدولاب في قضاء هيت .
That's the Islamic State taking over the vehicles of Iraqi forces -- after Iraqi forces fled Heet to avoid combat with the Islamic State. They fled, leaving behind 15 Hummers.
So much for the US government's propaganda effort -- amplified by the US press -- insisting the Islamic State is on the run.
As that propaganda effort falls apart, Johnlee Varghese (IBT) reports:
The US-led coalition against the ISIS seems to be crumbling as there have been reports on social media that several "Saudi pilots" have allegedly refused to fly missions to bomb ISIS targets.
The report, which was confirmed by an Iraqi journalist and political analyst, is bound to have severe repercussions not only on the coalition, but it may also spread the seeds of rebellion among other branches of the Saudi armed forces.
Violence continued throughout Iraq today. Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) reports, "At least 142 people were killed across Iraq, and another six were wounded. Almost all the casualties belonged to militants; however, there is a report that several children died from exposure after being forced to flee their homes in Anbar province."
Let's move over to the US Congress. David Swanson Tweets:
Iraq War III's "opponents" in Congress are fine with it lasting a few years or more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO0jLd_MaDM …
In other news, Katherine Skiba (Chicago Tribune) reports US House Rep Tammy Duckworth gave birth this week to a baby girl Abigail O'kalani Bowlsbey. Duckworth was in the news last week and this week because House Democrats voted on various leadership positions this week and Tammy had requested to vote by proxy because she was unable to fly to DC per doctor's orders.
That didn't matter for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi who led the "no" against Tammy's request. Tammy Duckworth is also an Iraq War veteran who lost both legs while serving in Iraq. That didn't matter to Nancy either.
Craven liar and plastic surgery victim Nancy Pelosi went on to Tweet this crap:
Picture is worth a 1,000 words. Proud129 retweets 92 favorites
@HouseDemocrats have elected
leadership that reflects diversity of our nation.
No, the picture doesn't reflect the nation's diversity.
Our nation has many returning veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars -- where are they in the photo?
They're not there.
And this week, the liar Nancy used weasel nonsense to weasel out of supporting veterans.
US House Rep Tim Walz was running to be Ranking Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
He had the support of veterans groups and he himself had over 20 years in the Army National Guard.
He was clearly qualified.
Nancy Pelosi's pet US House Rep Corrine Brown is clearly not qualified.
To ensure that the deeply ignorant Brown get the post, Nancy and her cronies insisted Tim Walz did not serve on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
Well, he had a waiver. You can only serve on two Committees. Tim served on the House Veterans Affairs Committee under a waiver.
Because he served under a waiver, Nance and her goons argued, Tim didn't serve.
No, that's not how it's supposed to work.
But that is how whorish and crooked and unethical Nancy Pelosi is.
She Tweeted the following earlier this month:
On this77 retweets 51 favorites
#VeteransDay, let us salute the indomitable courage & selfless sacrifice of the heroes who have served our nation in uniform.
As she proved by spitting on Tammy Duckwork and Tim Walz and on the publicly expressed wishes of veterans groups, her so-called claims to "salute" those who served are nothing but more lies from Nancy's mouth.
She's an embarrassment to the country and she's lethal to the Democratic Party.
Her disrespect of veterans will not be forgotten but will be her legacy, what the elderly woman will be remembered for.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee needs real leadership.
The VA has had one scandal after another in the last six years.
When Corrine Brown managed to haul herself to a HVAC hearing, she didn't serve veterans. She made excuses for the VA, she offered non-stop praise for the VA, she went out of her way to blame the VA's problems and scandals on veterans.
And now this idiot -- thanks to Nancy Pelosi -- is a vote away from being the Democratic leader on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
If you don't get what liars the VA officials are, let's drop back to yesterday's Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing.
The first panel was the VA's Dr. Harold Kudler (Chief Consultant for Mental Health Service), Dr. Caitlin Thompson (Deputy Director, Suicide Prevention) and Dr. Dean Krahn (Deputy Director in the Office of Mental Health Operations).
The topic was veterans suicides.
This topic wasn't a surprise.
This wasn't the Senate's attempt to spring a pop quiz on the VA.
The topic was announced.
The witnesses knew what it was.
They offered written statements ahead of the hearing.
Remember that as we go through this exchange.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: I want to pursue the line of questioning that Senator Johans began because I think it is absolutely critical. I've held meetings around my state with veterans. Some of them have occurred at what are called oasis which are basically college and school based centers. They're not medical, they're just meeting rooms. They are literally a room where veterans can come together and call that place their own. And they put up their posters, they have a coffee machine, they have doughnuts and they just come together "without medication" -- in quotes. I met with a group just a week or so ago and they talked to me about -- in very graphic, moving terms -- about what it meant just to be with each other. So I know that peer support specialists are part of this program. With all due respect to the peer support specialist, I would respectfully suggest that this kind of resource may not always require a trained specialist but may just require a veteran -- and I have in mind the kind of veteran who got involved in part because I reached out to him at the suggestion of another veteran -- just made a call to him out of the blue. And he came to one of these meetings. So I don't think it involves necessarily a doctor, a nurse, a medical person but just a veteran who is empowered and enabled to perform this function. So I don't want to use too much of my time with a statement about the importance of this topic but I would like to know -- and maybe you could provide this in writing -- specifically what the current peer support program embodies and how it could be expanded to fund meeting rooms on state campuses -- state schools which already which already should be a part of this program, private colleges and universities. But then beyond the college or school setting, in communities, how that outreach function could be expanded and I -- I know this is a topic you are thinking about so I would appreciate your expanding on the testimony that you've given already. I do want to ask you about your testimony because I do think that there are some very important questions about the age group that you don't cover. We're talking about middle aged veterans which, as I understand it, are the 35 to 64-year-old group? And in that group, rates of suicide have come down by 16% for those adults who use VHS services. In the population as a whole, the rates have remained stable. Correct?
Dr. Dean Krahn: [witness off mike]
Senator Richard Blumenthal: Well they've gone up for the -- Exactly, they've gone up from 35.5 to 37.5 percent. Right? So the rates are coming down for middle aged adults who use VA services. Rates have gone up a little bit for the overall group. But they seem fairly stable -- 35 to 37%
Dr. Dean Krahn: Uh -- authenticate the time with numbers -- uh, yeah, go ahead.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: Well here's where I'm going, what that says to me is that among other age groups, suicide rates have risen dramatically for veterans who use your services.
Dr. Dean Krahn: Yes.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: Not just women but men.
Dr. Dean Krahn: Yes.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: Can you tell me how much they've risen, for example, for -- and this is, so far as I can see, no where in your testimony for the age group 18 to 25 for 20 to 29, for the younger population of veterans because after all most of the veterans who are leaving the service right now are in that younger age group, right? So what's the rate there
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: Yeah, we are -- we are extremely concerned about this population --
Senator Richard Blumenthal: Yes, I know you're concerned but --
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: I don't have the actual -- I believe it's up to 70 -- uh -- and this is, uh, over time. The rates -- uh . . . I'd have to find the exact number.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: I think that is a -- I think that is the elephant in the room.
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: Is . . what's . . .
Senator Richard Blumenthal: The elephant in this room. That younger group. You're giving us middle aged veterans
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: No --
Senator Richard Blumenthal: -- who use your services .
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: We do -- I mean, we certainly do acknowledge that that rate is increasing and so what-what are we doing about this? We need to provide and we are providing very, very specific outreach to those youngest veterans that --
Senator Richard Blumenthal: Well we're talking about more than just outreach with all due respect. We're talking about -- and this is the really critical point here -- we're talking about a group here that uses your services.
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: Absolutely.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: We've reached out to them.
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: Yep.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: They're in your doors, they're using your services --
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: Yep.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: And they're committing suicide at a higher rate.
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: Yes. So we're -- Yes. We're trying to understand why is this? We are -- We are at a loss as much -- as much as a lot of people are. We --
Senator Richard Blumenthal: This is -- with all of the publicity surrounding wait time, people dying -- are they dying because of the wait time, are they not? People are dying at a higher rate --
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: Yes.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: -- who use your services.
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: Yes. Yes, in this youngest age group. Aboslutely. We are very, very focused on this.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: I don't know what more to say because my time has expired. I apologize Mr. Chairman --
Dr. Caitlin Thompson: We hear you.
Senator Richard Blumenthal: -- but,-- okay, thank you.
They came to talk about suicides but they didn't have the basic figures?
I don't believe "we hear you" from the VA.
Not when the officials can't -- or more likely won't -- provide answers to basic questions like the suicide rate for young veterans.
This was such a basic detail that if the VA officials really didn't have that figure handy at the hearing, that may be an even more damning example of how unprepared the VA is and how little thought and effort they put into addressing issues.
Her job, Caitlin Thompson's job, is to know that figure.
Forget that she should have prepared for the hearing by having that and other figures handy.
Doing her day-to-day job requires her to know that figure. Her failure to do so goes to her failure at the job.
Senator Blumenthal questioned the VA.
Corrine Brown only compliments and sees her role as to excuse its actions and blame VA problems on veterans.
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Views: 145 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2018-12-11 Origin: Site
UPL Limited declared the new leadership appointments for the merged entity yesterday. The appointments will be effective upon the completion of the proposed transaction. The completion of the proposed transaction is subject to obtaining various regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.
On 20 July 2018, UPL, a global agrochemicals solutions provider, had announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary UPL Corp had signed a definitive agreement with Platform Specialty Products Corporation (NYSE:PAH) to acquire Arysta LifeScience Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively "Arysta"). The vision for New UPL is that it presents a huge opportunity to transform agriculture, enhance the lives of the farmers and grow the world's food supply sustainably. New UPL is a game changer, with the ambition to reshape the industry by revolutionizing the agribusiness through innovation to enhance the life of farmers worldwide. The coming together of UPL and Arysta will be transformative not only for growers but will open new opportunities for partners and customers across the entire agriculture and food chain. New UPL will also be a leader in bio-solutions and is committed to achieving sustainable growth for the world.
Envisioned as an agile organization, "New UPL" will leverage the strengths that both UPL and Arysta bring to this entity. The leadership structure is strategically designed to allow for the organization to deliver impact on both short- and long-term horizons. The leadership will continue to focus on being customer centric, leverage its expertise in manufacturing, innovation and strategic partnerships to deliver innovative solutions to farmers to enhance their sustainability and profitability.
The new executive team will be led by Jai Shroff, currently the Global CEO of UPL Limited. Jai is a well-recognized global leader in the Agri-Inputs industry with over 30 years of experience in India and internationally. Under Jai's leadership, UPL has been one of the fastest growing agri-input companies in the world with strong presence in the Seeds, Plant Nutrition, Crop protection and Post-harvest food preservation value chains.
Vikram Shroff, Executive Director, Rajendra Darak, Group CFO, Raj Tiwari, Global Head of Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Anand Vora, Global Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Rohit Kumar, Global General Counsel, Sanjay Singh, Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO), Paresh Talati, Global Head of Chemistry R&D, Vidya Sagar Kaushik Global Head of Corporate Affairs will all continue to play the same role for New UPL. Bhupen Dubey will continue to lead the Seeds business, and K. R. Srivastava will continue to lead the Specialty Chemicals business for New UPL.
Diego Casanello, currently President of Arysta LifeScience, will take over as the COO for the Crop Protection business for New UPL.
Ajit Premnath, currently the COO of the Crop Protection business at UPL, will assume the position of Business Mentor, Crop Protection, focusing on mentoring Diego to take over the COO role, leading strategic initiatives and ensuring a seamless cultural integration across the two organizations. He will continue in the new role of Business Mentor till March 2020, post which he will assume a new role in the group.
Carlos Pellicer, currently COO Global Strategy Innovation & NPD at UPL, will now be the COO Integration, Global Strategy and Special Growth Initiatives. He will work closely with marketing, R&D and strategic alliances to drive strategic growth initiatives for New UPL. Decco will also continue to report to Carlos.
Below is the new Crop Protection Leadership Team that will be reporting to Diego:
Farokh Hilloo, currently Global Sales Director in UPL, will assume responsibility for the position of Chief Commercial Officer in the New UPL reporting to Diego. Farokh will have overall responsibility for global sales and will lead the budgeting and MBR/MIS process and work with the regions to help deliver the targets. He will also be responsible to help the organization achieve expected revenue synergies.
Rico Christensen, currently Head North America, Australia and New Zealand, will be the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for New UPL. Current Portfolio team, Strategy & Innovation, Marketing Communication and ZEBA teams at UPL will now become part of the Marketing organization.
Paula Pinto, currently Head of Integration and 3rd Party Relations for Arysta, will become Global Head of Strategic Alliances and B2B for New UPL.
The newly created CTO (Chief Technology Officer) position is currently open and will be filled as soon as possible.
Strategically, New UPL structure will be organized in 7 regions, with the following leaders:
Vicente Gongora, currently the head of UPL North America, will continue as the head of North America for New UPL.
Fabio Torretta, currently Regional Business Head LATAM in Arysta, will be the Regional Head of Brazil for New UPL.
Sameer Tandon, currently head of UPL India, will continue in this role as the Regional Head of India for New UPL.
Hisaya Kobayashi, currently Head of Asia in Arysta, will become Regional Head of Asia for New UPL.
Jagdish Nainwal, who currently leads LATAM North business for UPL, will be the LATAM Regional Head for New UPL.
Hildo Brilleman, currently Head of EMEA in Arysta, will become Regional Head of Europe for New UPL. The Europe region will also include Turkey, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.
Marcel Dreyer, currently the head of Southern, Eastern Africa for Arysta, will take on the role of the Africa, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand Regional Head for New UPL.
The global Decco organization will continue to be led by Francois Girin and will continue to report to Carlos Pellicer.
Speaking of the new team, Jai Shroff Group CEO said, "This is the leadership team that will be working closely, to take New UPL to the next level. We are creating the 'new leader' in our space. A company ready to challenge the established order and play a dynamic role in transforming agriculture globally. We have great talent to draw on in New UPL and these new leaders that we are announcing today will push us even beyond our goals. Together with our powerful New UPL team worldwide, we will drive a new era of sustainable growth."
The appointments will be effective only with the closing of the merger. Until that date, both companies will continue to operate under their current structures.
About UPL
UPL Limited is one of the leading global crop protection products companies headquartered in India. UPL Limited stock is publicly traded on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India. Its current market capitalization is ~US$5.3 billion, as of October 31, 2018. For FY 2018, UPL Limited reported operating revenue of c.US$2.7 billion and EBITDA of US$543 million.
UPL Corp is an operating company that leads the international operations of UPL Limited across the world. Since its inception in 1993, UPL Corp has expanded its production and distribution footprint through its
subsidiaries internationally and now has a diversified crop protection and post-harvest solution business with an established presence and leading market position in major agricultural regions throughout the world.
Recap of deal rationale
Following the acquisition, UPL will enhance its position as a global leader in agriculture solutions
• US$5 billion in combined sales
• US$1 billion EBITDA: 20%+ EBITDA margin pre-synergies
Transaction provides a compelling value proposition and underscores UPL's "Farmer First" mission to continue the transformation of UPL into a leading crop solutions company
• A "perfect match" with powerful synergies across geographies, crops and products, strengthened through best-in-class manufacturing and differentiated R&D capabilities
• Brings together two winning teams with strong values and successful track records
UPL Limited today announced the new leadership appointments for the consolidated organization. The appointments will be effective upon the completion of the proposed transaction, which is expected early 2019. The completion of the proposed transaction is subject to obtaining regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.


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'Tis the season for family, food, fun and a little shopping!
In respect of the current extended hours for Lululemon Park Royal, our complimentary yoga classes on Monday nights will be on hold until January 3, 2011!
Take this time to check out all the new product in store, and enjoy complimentary tea every night, to take off the chill of this Wintery season!
For your yoga fix in the meantime, come and see me at Yoga Spirit in Burnaby (one block South of Holdom Skytrain station), or at YYoga Northshore Elements in Lynn Valley Village!
Happy Holidays to all!!


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Fanconi Anemia, Group C (FANCC)
Fanconi anemia, group C is an autosomal recessive disease caused by pathogenic variants in the gene FANCC. While it has been detected in multiple ethnicities, it is most prevalent in individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent due to the presence of a founder mutation. Clinical features include bone marrow failure and anemia due to a lack of neutrophils, platelets, and red and white blood cells. Some patients also have developmental problems of the kidneys, including missing or malformed kidneys, and/or skeletal abnormalities of the thumbs and radius. Patients also have an increased incidence of cancer. Due to bone marrow failure and the increased risk of malignancy, the life expectancy for a patient with Fanconi anemia is 29 years old, although some patients survive longer. Some specific variants have been associated with milder or more severe disease, and therefore the disease severity may be predicted in some patients.
For information about carrier frequency and residual risk, please see the residual risk table.


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March 31, 2015
12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
ILostMyJob.com presents a free webinar
Creating a Blueprint for Job Search Success
with Donna Fedor
Re-Think & Seize Control of Your Job Search!
This webinar will focus on the path to success starting with changing your mindset. Then we will cover everything you need to do to ensure you have a solid plan and foundation. It is smart to prepare your mind so that you can go the distance and take advantage of every opportunity to have that competitive edge.
-How to improve the way you think resulting in less frustration and more action on your search
-Powerful strategies for building your plan and strong foundation
-How you can feel the best every single day
-What relationships are absolutely necessary to drive you forward


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Sadly, we still need to think about the Hulk Hogan sex tape.
While the wrestler dismissed his $100 lawsuit against Gawker in federal court without prejudice last month, TMZ has learned Hogan has now gone ahead and refiled it in Florida state court.
The reason?
This is the same venue in which Hogan has sued Heather Clem, his sex tape co-star, for allegedly playing a role in leaking footage to the public.
An attorney for Hogan says this maneuver will allow his client to deal with less paperwork and lawyer fees.
Hogan originally sued Gawker in October after a 60-second long clip of him getting it on with Clem went viral. The incident took place six years ago.
The ex-WWE and WCW champion also sued former best friend Bubba the Love Sponge, but Bubba proceeded to apologize and that case was dropped.


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Ask any doula, and they'll likely tell you that the skills we use as doulas also come in handy in other areas of our lives.
Encouragement, support, compassion and innate skill of soothing fears. Some of us even excel at helping others overcome mental and physical obstacles. So imagine my surprise when I find myself applying my doula skills in one of the most unlikely places. Potty training my toddler.
While I have permission to share, I won't name the child. They deserve a little privacy and dignity. So I'll call her Jane.
Baby Jane was about two when she began potty training, all on her own. I'd bought a little potty chair for her and just left it out around the house with no pressure to use it. Sometimes she'd bring it into the bathroom and go pee when I did, other times she'd ignore it totally. What she would not do was poop in the darn thing.
By three Jane had peeing in the big potty down pat. But pooping, that was a totally different story. She was so committed to not pooping in the potty that she'd wait all day, until right before bed when we put an overnight diaper on her to unload that burden she'd been bearing all day long. It was impressive. LIke impress the daddy impressive.
I racked my brain for weeks trying to figure out how to get her to just relax and let her poo out on the potty.
I was a big believer in not forcing the issue. Not making potty time traumatic, so I hadn't pushed her. But that was all about to change.
On that fateful summer day she told me loud and clear that she had to do #2. We rushed into the bathroom, she sat on the potty and then came those little words. "I can't." Here we were again. So close, yet so far. I was racking my brain to find a way to help her.
Way in the back of my doula brain, an idea emerged.
"OK baby, I know you're a little scared to poop on the potty, but your poopie is so close. Let's just hold hands and take a few deep breaths."
As we breathed and her arms relaxed her eyes shot open with fear as her tushie felt that poop move closer to its exit. We were breathing that poopie down.
This was it! This was the moment. We were closer than we'd ever been!
The doula skills went into overdrive. "It's ok baby, that's just your poop and it wants to come out. Let's breathe together again, ok?"
"No mommy, diaper."
"Baby, we can do this together. I'm right here. I promise that it won't hurt. If you just let it go it'll slip right out."
"I scared."
"I know baby. Can you growl with me. Grrrrrrrrrr!"
"Grrr, oh!" tears start to swell in her eyes.
"What happened?"
"I poop."
"You pooped?! Let's look!!!"
"Look baby you pooped in the potty! Hey, that poopie kinda looks like Goofy. Can you make a Max poopie?" The Goofy Movie was a huge favorite here at the time.
"Let's growl a little and see if Max will come out and join Goofy!"
"Grrr, Oh! Max!"
And for the next few minutes we named every single poop that came out of that tiny body after Disney characters. By the end of the week we'd covered The Lion King, The Goofy Movie, Beauty and the Beast and the Aristocats.
But by the next week we'd totally conquered the fear of pooping in the potty and my sweet girl was diaper free.
Support, encouragement and creativity have helped me assist clients in releasing their babies into the world. I never thought those skills would work so well for potty training too!


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I'm Annie
A few years ago I had found myself in a place where I desperately needed an escape. It was through this need to escape that I discovered my love for reading. In the past this need to read only lasted a short time, but this time something was different.
This is my 1st blog and I hope to share what I love and support all the authors that have found their way into my heart and soul through the characters in their books.
I'm Sue"Reviewer"
I have always loved to read as far back as I can remember. As a child I would go to the library and devour The Bobby Twins and as I got older, Nurse Cherry books, Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. Soon I was devouring everything written by Danielle Steele, Johanna Lindsay, Kathleen Woodiwiss and so many other authors. Later on, life got in the way and I all but stopped reading (although I still bought books hand over fist) until someone bought me a Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark Hunter and my love of books re-ignited. Now I can't get enough and hope to never have that lull in reading again. I love the author community and the ability to interact with authors has become a passion.
I'm Christine
I was a poor reader, poor student, and poor test taker and if an activity implied some sort of educational pursuit I said "no thank you." One weekend my family was visiting people that lived in the middle of nowhere. The closest neighbor was half a mile away and there was no TV or radio reception, no cable and no one to talk with. Our host offered me a book to read, and I thought "well it can't suck as much as doing nothing does." So I read my first Danielle Steele novel in less than three days. I was hooked and read everything she had written in less than a year. After that I moved on to other authors and genres. I grew to love reading all types of books: romance, sci-fi, mystery, suspense, and even some non-fiction.
When I took my college entrance exam I earned a perfect score on the reading portion. And have now been teaching for over twenty years…all because I read a romance novel.
I haven't always been a fan of book reviews. Over the years I have found that I either like a book or I don't, based on the publisher's synopsis. Only once have I chosen not to finish a story I started because it truly was the worst thing I ever read.
You'll find my reviews are filled with how the book made me feel or what I wanted for the characters as I read and a word or two about the writing style if that was important to my experience. After all, always hated writing book reports in school, why would I want to do that now?


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How To Enable The Path View In Finder? I liked being able to see exactly where my file is located in Windows. Can I do this on my Mac?
To turn on File Path View on your Mac, Open Finder and select View from the menu bar.
In this menu view you will notice a number of options that have Hide/Show in the option.
You can Hide/show the Path Bar, Status Bar, Sidebar, and Toolbar.
I would turn these options from hide to show and look at the Finder window to see what your can now see.
As a new Mac user I would turn everything on and then as you get familiar with the look you can make changes.
I also always liked to see files extensions in Windows. On the Finder Menu, select Finder, Preferences, Advanced, and check the FileName extensions options. You can also have icons display on your desktop under the Finder. Preferences, General tab.
Bottom line - check out all of the settings in Finder Preferences, and View. There is a bunch of information that may help you with managing your Mac computer and make you feel more comfortble with your old Windows view of life.