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Organic vegetables at the market in Caen in may 2008. — AFP PHOTO
- Journalists from France 3 have found residues of three pesticides in carrots bios of the Organic brand it Good.
- For Future Generations as well as for the national Federation of organic farming (Fnab), this revelation requires an investigation of the repression of the frauds to know the origin of the contamination.
- These analyses also show for the Fnab the need not to “weaken the organic supply chain”.
A discovery that is a mess. Journalists from France 3 have found pesticides in carrots labeled organic after having carried out tests on eight brands, four from agriculture and conventional and four organic certified.
Three pesticides in carrots Organic it Good
A lot of carrots organic, the Organic brand it Good, this
” residues of three plant protection products “, say the journalists. Even more than carrots non-organic selected for the study. How do you explain that ? “This is not necessarily known to the general public, but there are a few plant protection products allowed in organic farming “, said the
Anses (French Agency for sanitary safety of food) that publishes the list.
And if you ate local: What you should know before consume in a short circuit ?
Yes, but in the specific case of the batch of carrots Organic It Good, the three molecules detected are azoxystrobin, the difénoconazole and the prosulfocarbe, all three totally prohibited in organic agriculture. The presence of traces of these pesticides on those carrots are supposed to be organic can be explained by external contamination. France 3 suggests a number of avenues : an application in a nearby field by a farmer in conventional agriculture, a setting in which contact with products containing pesticides during transport or storage of carrots or a contamination to the irrigation system, the groundwater can contain their own pesticides.
A fraud at a time of the chain ?
But François Veillerette, director of Future Generations, an association for the defence of the environment, rejects the hypothesis of external contamination. “It can happen, but in the specific case of these carrots Organic it Good, the number of pesticides found and the quantities (even if the rates are too low to cause a public health problem), are too important for that it is only an external contamination. “
In other words, for François Veillerette, there has been fraud at one level of the chain. “Cheating comes from it may be the producer, which would not have complied with the specifications of organic agriculture, but it may also have occurred at the distributor level which would have labeled deliberately carrots from agriculture conventional carrots organic,” he continues. This is why an investigation of the repression of the frauds is necessary. The bio must maintain the confidence of the public with a label and strict sanctions when requirements are not met. “Interviewed by France 3, Organic it Good demented fraud :” The evolution of the ecosystem may explain the presence of small amount of these products but does not call into question the rigour and the process of biological of our producers. Qualification bio, therefore, is not likely to be challenged “. After the revelations of the chain, the company says on its website that it had made a counter-expertise by an accredited laboratory : “We confirm that there is no trace of pesticide was found on our carrots “.
Not to draw a general conclusion
On his side, Stephanie Pageot, president of the Fnab (national Federation of organic farming) also requires an investigation of the repression of the frauds, while asking them not to call into question the entire organic supply chain from a particular case. “In the past, other analyses similar to that undertaken by France 3 showed that the organic products were much less contaminated than others,” she says.
Read also: Vegetables banned from the Crossroads: The signboard says it all?
The investigation by example of What to choose, ” The Bio-is it really the coup ? “, published in September last, for which the consumers ‘ association has compared nine core samples for organic and six non-organic. The analysis of the pesticides was without appeal : “no residues of [pesticide] sought is not found in eight of the nine samples of core organic. Only those purchased from Biocoop have a trace, not quantifiable. The non-organic contain, they, one and seven residues at very low levels, writes the magazine. But two batches of [non-organic] contain traces of iprodione, a substance fungicide considered by Anses as disruptive endocrine. “
Further strengthening the organic supply chain
For Stephanie Pageot, the survey of France 3 shows that this is not the time to drop the organic supply chain and to lower its standards. However, the signs are not all positive today, according to the president of the Fnab. Wednesday, however, at Rungis, in a speech at mid-term of the States-general of supply, Emmanuel Macron, has sung the praises of the bio. “But next, Stéphane Travert, his minister of Agriculture, announced in September the withdrawal of State aid to the maintenance of organic farming and sets a goal to get to 8 % of agricultural surface in organic farming in 2020 when we’re already at 6.5 % today, laments Stéphane Pandora. A target of 20 % would be much more ambitious. “
Another threat pointed to by the organic farmers in French is the willingness of the european Unionto define for Europe a new regulation on organic agriculture is supposed to reassure consumers even more. The text, which still needs to be validated by the special commission for agriculture of the european Council, a priori, by the end of the year, provides, inter alia, a relaxation of the controls of farms organic. “We would be more controlled once a year, but once every two years only, says Stephanie Pageot. In other words, organic farming regress. We, what we want is to progress. “

domain: agronomy


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here) tries to raise the alarm over a generation of children living without the traditional family holiday taken somewhere within their own country.
Apparently, without fond memories of regular excursions to that beach house down the coast, and with their exposure to that new-fangled Intertube, these kids will be lured overseas by the promise of exotic foreign lands.
Well... I have to ask... what's wrong with that? One of the best things about travel is its ability to expose people to cultural experiences, and ways of thinking, that they would never have encountered at home.
Yeah, I know, there are plenty of people who go overseas and come back just as narrow-minded as ever. But on the other hand, there are plenty who come home and see their own country in a different light - and learn to mix the best from overseas with the best of their homeland.
Living in a hugely successful multicultural city, Melbourne, I can appreciate every day the richness that borrowing from other cultures bestows. Sure, a lot of our vibrant diversity has been introduced by the migrants who've come here from every continent; but a deal of it has come from Australians going overseas, doing the traditional months-long backpacking tour, and learning from their experiences.
And it's not as if those young people won't travel locally at all when they grow up. In our busy work lives, there will always be a market for those quick out-of-town getaways, to escape from work for a de-stressing break.
The demand for these mini-breaks has already revived some of our region's great Victorian-era resort towns (Daylesford, Queenscliff etc) decades after the car had threatened to make them redundant.
Though that's another inhibiting factor to local holidays - the cost (both environmental and financial) of running a car.
As much as aircraft emissions are complained about re climate change, could a traveller choosing an overseas holiday, then using public transport while in his/her destination, be causing less greenhouse gas emissions than if he/she went on a longish driving holiday? Interesting thought. Anyone got any figures?

domain: sociology


text:
Reviewed by Jacob Laba
The Friday Book: Essay and Other Nonfiction
by John Barth
John Hopkins University Press
February 1997, Paperback, 304 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0801855573
When I first learned that the meta-virtuoso John Barth wrote nonfiction every Friday morning to stretch his writerly muscles, I couldn’t help but grow curious and indulge myself in his collection The Friday Book… oh, and what a choice it was!
Essays can often have a certain unapproachable quality. However, when you read Barth, you can’t expect a constant stream of seriousness, or at least seriousness in the most acceptable times. Even before the barrage of essays comes forth to dazzle us, under the heading “The Title of This Book,” he already starts with some unserious seriousness when reflecting on the various sorts of titles floating around in the literary world—while refraining from actually speaking of his title much at all. And, still before letting us readers jump into the work, he throws us meta crack-ats on subtitles of books, writing under “The Subtitle of This Book”: “Subtitles – like printed dedications, notes on titles, author’s introductions, forewords, sonnets and epistles dedicatory, and the rest – should be avoided. Get on with it. Get on with it,” before reluctantly, wildly, and duplicitously jabbing at subtitling for the next few paragraphs. He does something similar in the author’s introduction, so readers really think we know what we’re getting into.
But how surprised I was to see what was actually in these essays: hard-boiled seriousness! Well, a Barthian seriousness, but still seriousness. There is a still-witty but somewhat level-headed sort of seriousness—Barth tells us the tale of his twinship, twinning-twining of their dual identities and, most importantly, special little language. Then he divulges into more bizarre essays… in fact, the work finishes off regaling us readers with a super serious detailing of Scheherazade’s fecundity of 1001 Nights with a deep-dive into obstetrics, which was strangely enjoyable.
At the heart of the collection, though, is Barth’s infamous essay “The Literature of Exhaustion”, in which he sneaks up on well-regarded writers by tearing apart the view of postmodern literature… he asks, “do the writers most often called postmodernist share any aesthetic principles or practices as significant as the differences between them?” He also rears his colleague’s definition of postmodern literature which, put simply, is that the writer thrust into the loose category of postmodernism is more self-reflexive, more inclined to commentary on writing and artful composition than producing art in a meaningful way. Barth believes that if this is all there is to postmodern literature, then it is a rather infirm ‘movement’ if its purpose is commentary on the process of composing purpose, instead of serving to create artful purpose itself. Some postmodern writes that transcend this—Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino, he mentions—that employ a synthesis or transcension of literature of the past and the recent, that touch on a diversity of human themes with the innovation and illusion of postmodern to prop them up. In his eyes, in Borges’s story “Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote” does this to a pithy ideal, stating that Borges achieves an artistic victory as he “confronts an intellectual dead end and employs it against itself to accomplish new human work” the intellectual dead end being the aftermath of modernism and originality in literature itself.
Throughout The Friday Book we get a full breadth of who Barth is as a person. A strange writer. A serious literary critic and academic, with a just-as-serious comic in him. We also get to peek into his learnings, his inklings on life, his insights on the growth of his literary character, titled “Some Reasons Why I Tell the Stories I Tell The Way I Tell Them Rather Than Some Other Sort of Stories Some Other Way”. When the collection is finished, there is a sense of satisfaction, a sense that we have just bathed in a great deal of valuable impressions on literature, religion, art, life, meaning, signs and symbols, and, more than anything, the fun and rich life of John Barth.
About the reviewer: Jacob Laba is a writer and poet from El Cerrito, California. He has been published in the East Bay Times, Collidescope, Haiku, LitVegan, and is forthcoming elsewhere. Find him @the_vegan_writer on Instagram.

domain: artistic


text:
Major disruption of the pelvic ring during normal vaginal delivery : a case report
CITATION: Van Heukelum, M. & Blake, C. 2017. Major disruption of the pelvic ring during normal vaginal delivery : a case report, SA Orthopaedic Journal, 16(1):24-27, doi:10.17159/2309-8309/2017/v16n1a2.
The original publication is available at http://journal.saoa.org.za/index.php/saoj
Open-book pelvic fractures are generally associated with high energy trauma. Occasionally these fractures are seen as a complication of normal vaginal delivery. We report the case of a 25-year-old female with a 77 mm symphysis pubis diastasis with associated disruption of the sacroiliac joints following delivery, which was successfully treated with open reduction and internal fixation.

domain: literature


If Chelsea are going to three-peat as WSL champions, we’re going to have to do it the hard way. Of our six remaining league matches, three are against teams in the top 5: two against Tottenham, including tonight’s, plus Manchester United on the final matchday.
Manager Rehanne Skinner has done a great job of improving Spurs tactically, making them an extremely annoying team to play against. In fact, we may remember that our last match against them late last season was an uncomfortable 2-0 win. The first half hour saw the North Londoners frustrate with a high press that had our entire team flustered. Sam Kerr came to the rescue with a brace eventually, while Spurs weren’t able to get any of their four shots on target past Ann-Katrin Berger. Expect a similar performance to be necessary to collect all three points.
The added bonus of doing so would be leaping one point ahead of Arsenal at the top of the table, with the same number of matches played. The Gunners also face Spurs, later this week in another North London Derby, but let’s heap a bit more pressure on that matchup, shall we?
Date / Time: Wednesday, March 23, 19.45 GMT; 3:45pm EDT; 1:15am IST (next day)
Venue: Kingsmeadow, Kingston Upon Thames, UK
Forecast: Clear; 50°F/11°C
How to watch: The FA Player
Tottenham team news: Winger/midfielder Kyah Simon went off injured in their last match with a finger injury, but as that was ten days ago ago, it’s likely she’ll be available.
That relatively length break will have also allowed Spurs to get in extra training sessions and focus on crafting a gameplan to foil Chelsea’s title aspirations, which their manager pointed as well.
Chelsea team news: Thankfully, the squad’s fitness has been improving, with Captain Magdalena Eriksson, Maren Mjelde, and Lauren James all seeing increased minutes in recent games. Same with Erin Cuthbert and Jessie Fleming, two crucial options if we are to stitch together a complete midfield.
Fran Kirby, however, will still be out, with Emma Hayes giving her a physical as well as mental break.
“[Fran] won’t be available this week. She’s been tired so we’re giving her some time at the minute, nothing more than that. We’ve had an Olympics, two weeks’ holiday, then back in. It’s taken its toll on some of the players — I don’t think it’s just Fran.”
“I’ve taken her out of the spotlight a little bit and given her some time to recover because it’s important she regains her freshness, and at the moment she’s not available for selection.”
-Emma Hayes; source: ChelseaFC
Previously: Our previously scheduled meeting with Spurs was postponed due to COVID-19 cases, so we have to go back to the end of last season for a head-to-head. A Sam Kerr brace plus a Berger clean sheet made it look rather routine, when, truthfully, it wasn’t really!


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Friday, March 02, 2007
I have been making these basket forms for the last couple of weeks. Really taking myself back to the beginnings of my clay days when all I did was coil handbuilding. I actually thought making pots was stupid...I was a bit arrogant at 20. Anyway, when I start any process the first things I make become the test subjects for glaze. And this one is was the tested for this turquoise glaze. It was supposed to be a light turquoise but alas, as with most glaze recipes what I think is light turquoise is not what the author thinks is light. I do like it though but it is not what I had in mind....so back to the drawing board.


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[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: This study compares a traditional agricultural approach to minimise N pollution of groundwater (incorporation of crop residues) with applications of small amounts of biodiesel co-product (BCP) to arable soils. Loss of N from soil to the aqueous phase was shown to be greatly reduced in the laboratory, mainly by decreasing concentrations of dissolved nitrate-N. Increases in soil microbial biomass occurred within 4 days of BCP application-indicating rapid adaptation of the soil microbial community. Increases in biomass-N suggest that microbes were partly mechanistic in the immobilisation of N in soil. Straw, meadow-grass and BCP were subsequently incorporated into experimental soil mesocosms of depth equal to plough layer (23 cm), and placed in an exposed netted tunnel to simulate field conditions. Leachate was collected after rainfall between the autumn of 2009 and spring of 2010. Treatment with BCP resulted in less total-N transferred from soil to water over the entire period, with 32.1, 18.9, 13.2 and 4.2 mg N kg(-1) soil leached cumulatively from the control, grass, straw and BCP treatments, respectively. More than 99 % of nitrate leaching was prevented using BCP. Accordingly, soils provided with crop residues or BCP showed statistically significant increases in soil N and C compared to the control (no incorporation). Microbial biomass, indicated by soil ATP concentration, was also highest for soils given BCP (p < 0.05). These results indicate that field-scale incorporation of BCP may be an effective method to reduce nitrogen loss from agricultural soils, prevent nitrate pollution of groundwater and augment the soil microbial biomass.
Water Air and Soil Pollution 01/2014; 225:1831. · 1.75 Impact Factor
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Many soil microbes exist in biofilms. These biofilms are typified by variable quantities of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS: predominantly polysaccharides, glycoconjugates, and proteins) and the embedded microbial cells. A method to measure soil-EPS (the biofilm exclusive of microbial cells) has not yet been described. The present work investigates the potential of five extraction methods to estimate changes in soil-EPS content. A rationale for selection of appropriate EPS extraction and methodology is discussed, including the crucial consideration of both intracellular and extracellular contamination.
EPS was developed in situ by provision of labile C (glycerol) to the microbial biomass of a moist soil and then applying desiccation stress. Only two out of the five extraction methods showed statistically significant increases in polysaccharide production responding to substrate addition. Humified organic matter, estimated by its humic acid equivalent (HAE) was used to indicate the degree of extracellular contamination, and/or creation of humic artefacts – both of which affect detection of changes in EPS. The HAE concentration was very high when applying original and modified methods designed to extract glomalin related soil protein (GRSP). Extraction methods involving heating with dilute sulphuric acid appeared to overestimate EPS-polysaccharide. Using microbial ATP as an indicator of cell-lysis, confidence could only be ascribed to EPS extraction with cation exchange resin. Using this method, the expected increases in EPS-polysaccharide were clearly apparent. The HAE/protein ratios of EPS extracts were also lowest with cation exchange – indicating this method did not cause excessive contamination from humified soil organic matter or create related artefacts.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry 01/2014; · 3.65 Impact Factor
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Elevated CO2 respiration rates have been observed in soils treated with complex mixtures versus single low molecular weight (LMW) organic substrates, and it has been postulated that a more diverse range of soil microorganisms responds to increasingly complex mixtures of LMW organic substrates. To test this hypothesis, 13C-labelled substrates (glycine, an amino acid mixture and an extract of water soluble compounds from plant roots) were applied at 15 μg C g−1 soil to an arable top soil. The soils were incubated and destructively sampled after 8, 24, 48, 120 and 240 h, and the 13C content of biomarker PLFA for Gram negative bacteria, Gram positive bacteria, Actinobacteria and fungi was determined. There was no significant increase in the concentration of the biomarker PLFA, apart from Actinobacteria at the end of the incubation (120 and 240 h). However there were significant changes in total PLFA concentration due to increases in the 16:0 and 18:0 PLFA, which cannot be assigned to specific functional groups of microorganisms. 13C incorporation into the biomarker PLFA of all microbial groups was significant at every time point, but more 13C was determined in the biomarker PLFA of all microbial groups after the application of the amino acid mixture compared to glycine. Calculations of the proportion of the incorporated of 13C in the different biomarker PLFA suggested the routing of substrate 13C between the microbial groups over time. This was related to the broad functional ecology (‘r’ or ‘K’ strategy) of the different microbial groups. In conclusion, we observed that the response of all microbial groups (detected as 13C incorporation) was increased by the addition of more complex mixtures of LMW organic substrates, but that different microbial groups responded differently over time.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry 01/2013; 34:57-64. · 3.65 Impact Factor
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: The aim of this work was to determine the magnitude of the priming effect, i.e. short-term changes in the rate (negative or positive) of mineralisation of native soil organic carbon (C), following addition of biochars. The biochars were made from Miscanthus giganteus, a C4 plant, naturally enriched with 13C. The biochars were produced at 350 °C (biochar350) and 700 °C (biochar700) and applied with and without ryegrass as a substrate to a clay-loam soil at pH 3.7 and 7.6. A secondary aim was to determine the effect of ryegrass addition on the mineralisation of the two biochars.After 87 days, biochar350 addition caused priming effects equivalent to 250 and 319 μg CO2–C g−1 soil, in the low and high pH soil, respectively. The largest priming effects occurred at the start of the incubations. The size of the priming effect was decreased at higher biochar pyrolysis temperatures, which may be a way of controlling priming effects following biochar incorporation to soil, if desired. The priming effect was probably induced by the water soluble components of the biochar. At 87 days of incubation, 0.14% and 0.18% of biochar700 and 0.61% and 0.84% of biochar350 were mineralized in the low and high pH soil, respectively. Ryegrass addition gave an increased biochar350 mineralisation of 33% and 40%, and increased biochar700 at 137% and 70%, in the low and high pH soils, respectively. Certainly, on the basis of our results, if biochar is used to sequester carbon a priming effect may occur, increasing CO2–C evolved from soil and decreasing soil organic C. However, this will be more than compensated for by the increased soil C caused by biochar incorporation. A similar conclusion holds for accelerated mineralisation of biochar due to incorporation of fresh labile substrates. We consider that our results are the first to unequivocally demonstrate the initiation, progress and termination of a true positive priming effect by biochar on native soil organic C.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 01/2011; 43(11):2304-2314.
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: The efficiency of the fumigation extraction method on the determination of soil microbial biomass carbon and ninhydrin-N was tested in three different soils (UK grassland, UK arable, Chinese arable) amended with black carbon (biochar or activated charcoal). Addition of activated charcoal to soil resulted in a significant decrease in K2SO4 extractable carbon and ninhydrin-N in all three soils, whereas the addition of biochar generally did not. A lower concentration of the extraction reagent (0.05 M vs. 0.5 M K2SO4) resulted in a significantly lower extraction efficiency in the grassland soil. The extraction efficiency of organic carbon was more affected by black carbon than that of ninhydrin-N, which resulted in a decreased biomass C/ninhydrin-N ratio. The impact of black carbon on the extraction efficiency of soil microbial biomass depended on the type of black carbon, on the concentration of the extraction medium and on soil type.
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: The advantages of no-tillage (NT) over conventional tillage (CT) systems in improving soil quality are generally accepted, resulting from benefits in soil physical, chemical and biological properties. However, most evaluations have only considered surface soil layers (maximum 0–30 cm depth), and values have not been corrected to account for changes in soil bulk density. The objective of this study was to estimate a more realistic contribution of the NT to soil fertility, by evaluating C- and N-related soil parameters at the 0–60 cm depth in a 20-year experiment established on an oxisol in southern Brazil, with a soybean (summer)/wheat (winter) crop succession under NT and CT. At full flowering of the soybean crop, soil samples were collected at depths of 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, 40–50 and 50–60 cm. For the overall 0–60 cm layer, correcting the values for soil bulk density, NT significantly increased the stocks of C (18%) and N (16%) and microbial biomass C (35%) and N (23%) (MB-C and -N) in comparison to CT. Microbial basal respiration and microbial quotient (qMic) were also significantly increased under NT. When compared with CT, NT resulted in gains of 0.8 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 (67% of which was in the 0–30 cm layer) and 70 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (73% in the 0–30 cm layer). In the 0–5-cm layer, MB-C was 82% higher with NT than with CT; in addition, the 0–30 cm layer accumulated 70% of the MB-C with NT, and 58% with CT. In comparison to CT, the NT system resulted in total inputs of microbial C and N estimated at 38 kg C ha−1 yr−1 and 1.5 kg N ha−1 yr−1, respectively. Apparently, N was the key nutrient limiting C and N stocks, and since adoption of NT resulted in a significant increase of N in soils which were deficient in N, efforts should be focused on increasing N inputs on NT systems.
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: The drying and re-wetting of soils can result in the modification of the amounts and forms of nutrients which can transfer,
via leachate, from the soil to surface waters. We tested, under laboratory conditions, the hypothesis that the rate of re-wetting
of a dried soil affects the solubilisation and concentrations of different forms of phosphorus (P) in leachate. A portion
of grassland pelostagnogley soil (sieved moist <2mm) was dried at 35°C and another portion maintained at approximately 40%
water-holding capacity. Water (25ml) was added at ten regularly spaced time intervals in 2.5-ml aliquots to the surfaces
of both soils over periods of 0, 2, 4, 24 and 48h, resulting in different rates of application. The leachate was collected
and analysed for dissolved (<0.45μm) and particulate total P and molybdate reactive and unreactive P. The rate of re-wetting
significantly changed the concentrations of P, especially dissolved forms, in the leachate. Dissolved P concentrations were
highest in leachate from the 2-h treatment, while particulate P concentrations were highest in the 0-h treatment leachate.
In all cases, most P was unreactive and, therefore, likely to be in an organic form. Soil drying decreased microbial biomass,
but this could not be directly linked to an increase of P in leachate. These results suggest that changes in patterns of rainfall
frequency and intensity predicted by climate change scenarios could significantly affect the quantities of P leached from
Biology and Fertility of Soils 01/2009; 45(6):635-643. · 2.51 Impact Factor
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Our aim was to determine whether the smaller biomasses generally found in low pH compared to high pH arable soils under similar management are due principally to the decreased inputs of substrate or whether some factor(s) associated with pH are also important. This was tested in a soil incubation experiment using wheat straw as substrate and soils of different pHs (8.09, 6.61, 4.65 and 4.17). Microbial biomass ninhydrin-N, and microbial community structure evaluated by phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), were measured at 0 (control soil only), 5, 25 and 50 days and CO2 evolution up to 100 days. Straw addition increased biomass ninhydrin-N, CO2 evolution and total PLFA concentrations at all soil pH values. The positive effect of straw addition on biomass ninhydrin-N was less in soils of pH 4.17 and 4.65. Similarly total PLFA concentrations were smallest at the lowest pH. This indicated that there is a direct pH effect as well as effects related to different substrate availabilities on microbial biomass and community structure. In the control soils, the fatty acids 16:1ω5, 16:1ω7c, 18:1ω7c&9t and i17:0 had significant and positive linear relationships with soil pH. In contrast, the fatty acids i15:0, a15:0, i16:0 and br17:0, 16:02OH, 18:2ω6,9, 17:0, 19:0, 17:0c9,10 and 19:0c9,10 were greatest in control soils at the lowest pHs. In soils given straw, the fatty acids 16:1ω5, 16:1ω7c, 15:0 and 18:0 had significant and positive linear relationships with pH, but the concentration of the monounsaturated 18:1ω9 PLFA decreased at the highest pHs. The PLFA profiles indicative of Gram-positive bacteria were more abundant than Gram-negative ones at the lowest pH in control soils, but in soils given straw these trends were reversed. In contrast, straw addition changed the microbial community structures least at pH 6.61. The ratio: [fungal PLFA 18:2w6,9]/[total PLFAs indicative of bacteria] indicated that fungal PLFAs were more dominant in the microbial communities of the lowest pH soil. In summary, this work shows that soil pH has marked effects on microbial biomass, community structure, and response to substrate addition.
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: The preparation of soil for measurement of properties such as microbial biomass P involves the removal of plant roots. Any soil attached to the roots (root-attached soil) is also removed. In a very poorly drained silty clay loam under grassland we found that the root-attached soil contained more than twice the quantity of bicarbonate extractable P than the bulk soil. Discarding this root-attached soil could potentially result in underestimation of bicarbonate extractable P. We also showed that preferential inclusion of deeper soil due to variability of root density with depth is likely to result in underestimation of soil bicarbonate extractable P in fumigated and unfumigated soil samples. Additionally we investigated a conventional and alternative (rapid) sod preparation technique that might affect the accuracy of measurement of sod bicarbonate extractable P as part of a microbial biomass P measurement. Preparation technique made no significant difference to the quantity of P recovered.
Soil Science Society of America Journal 01/2009; 73(6):1861-1863. · 1.82 Impact Factor
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Soil biological processes contribute stability against physical disruption. We present an approach of step-wise fragmentation to assess the role that microbes and organic matter have on soil aggregate stabilisation. Compared to slaking and ultrasound procedures, the approach has a low impact on the microbial biomass. It also does not impose a severe drying stress. Grassland soil was found to be more stable than arable soil. Further examination of the arable soil revealed that increased disruption by shaking caused unstable microaggregates 53–250 μm in size to fragment, leaving a higher proportion of stable microaggregates in this size range. Carbohydrates, C:N, and basal respiration were found to be higher in the stable microaggregates than the other size fractions. Our results indicate that a distinct size range of soil aggregates exists in which microbial stabilisation dominates. This contradicts other research and questions the usefulness of measuring the biological properties of aggregate size fractions without understanding the physical effects of the fractionation procedure.
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Effects of changing pH along a natural continuous gradient of a UK silty-loam soil were investigated. The site was a 200 m soil transect of the Hoosfield acid strip (Rothamsted Research, UK) which has grown continuous barley for more than 100 years. This experiment provides a remarkably uniform soil pH gradient, ranging from about pH 8.3 to 3.7. Soil total and organic C and the ratio: (soil organic C)/(soil total N) decreased due to decreasing plant C inputs as the soil pH declined. As expected, the CaCO3 concentration was greatest at very high pH values (pH > 7.5). In contrast, extractable Al concentrations increased linearly (R2 = 0.94, p < 0.001) from below about pH 5.4, while extractable Mn concentrations were largest at pH 4.4 and decreased at lower pHs. Biomass C and biomass ninhydrin-N were greatest above pH 7. There were statistically significant relationships between soil pH and biomass C (R2 = 0.80, p < 0.001), biomass ninhydrin-N (R2 = 0.90, p < 0.001), organic C (R2 = 0.83, p < 0.001) and total N (R2 = 0.83, p < 0.001), confirming the importance of soil organic matter and pH in stimulating microbial biomass growth. Soil CO2 evolution increased as pH increased (R2 = 0.97, p < 0.001). In contrast, the respiratory quotient (qCO2) had the greatest values at either end of the pH range. This is almost certainly a response to stress caused by the low p. At the highest pH, both abiotic (from CaCO3) and biotic Co2 will be involved so the effects of high pH on biomass activity are confounded. Microbial biomass and microbial activity tended to stabilise at pH values between about 5 and 7 because the differences in organic C, total N and Al concentrations within this pH range were small. This work has established clear relationships between microbial biomass and microbial activity over an extremely wide soil pH range and within a single soil type. In contrast, most other studies have used soils of both different pH and soil type to make similar comparisons. In the latter case, the effects of soil pH on microbial properties are confounded with effects of different soil types, vegetation cover and local climatic conditions.
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Soil organic matter comprises all dead plant and animal residues, from the most recent inputs to the most intensively humified. We have found that traces of fresh substrates at microg g(-1) soil concentrations (termed 'trigger molecules') activate the biomass to expend more energy than is contained in the original 'trigger molecules'. In contrast, we suggest that the rate limiting step in soil organic matter mineralisation is independent of microbial activity, but is governed by abiological processes (which we term the Regulatory Gate theory). These two findings have important implications for our understanding of carbon mineralisation in soil, a fundamental process in the sequestration of soil organic matter.
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Biological and chemical stabilization of organic C was assessed in soils sampled from the long-term experiments at Rothamsted (UK), representing a wide range of carbon inputs and managements by extracting labile, non-humified organic matter (NH) and humic substances (HS). Four sequentially extracted humic substances fractions of soil organic matter (SOM) were extracted and characterized before and after a 215-day laboratory incubation at 25 degrees C from two arable soils, a woodland soil and an occasionally stubbed soil. The fractions corresponded to biochemically stabilised SOM extracted in 0.5M NaOH (free fulvic acids (FA) and humic acids (HA)) and chemically plus biochemically stabilised SOM extracted from the residue with 0.1M Na4P2O7 plus 0.1M NaOH (bound FA and HA). Our aim was to investigate the effects of chemical and biochemical stabilization on carbon sequestration. The non-humic to humic (NH/H) C ratio separated the soils into two distinct groups: arable soils (unless fertilised with farmyard manure) had an NH/H C ratio between 1.05 and 0.71, about twice that of the other soils (0.51-0.26). During incubation a slow, but detectable, decrease in the NH/H C ratio occurred in soils of C input equivalent or lower to 4Mgha(-1)y(-1), whereas the ratio remained practically constant in the other soils. Before incubation the free to bound humic C ratio increased linearly (R2=0.91) with C inputs in the soils from the Broadbalk experiment and decreased during incubation, showing that biochemical stabilization is less effective than chemical stabilization in preserving humic C. Changes in delta13C and delta15N after incubation were confined to the free FA fractions. The delta13C of free FA increased by 1.48 and 0.80 per thousand, respectively, in the stubbed and woodland soils, indicating a progressive biological transformation. On the contrary, a decrease was observed for the bound FA of both soils. Concomitantly, a Deltadelta15N of up to +3.52 per thousand was measured after incubation in the free FA fraction and a -2.58 Deltadelta15N in the bound FA. These changes, which occurred during soil incubation in the absence of C inputs, indicate that free FA fractions were utilised by soil microorganisms, and bound FA were decomposed and replaced, in part, by newly synthesized FA. The 13CPMAS-TOSS NMR spectra of free HA extracted before and after 215 days of incubation were mostly unchanged. In contrast, changes were evident in bound HA and showed an increase in aromatic C after incubation.
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Soil organic matter is extensively humified; some fractions existing for more than 1000 years. The soil microbial biomass is surrounded by about 50 times its mass of soil organic matter, but can only metabolize it very slowly. Paradoxically, even if more than 90% of the soil microbial biomass is killed, the mineralization of soil organic matter proceeds at the same rate as in an unperturbed soil. Here we show that soil organic matter mineralization is independent of microbial biomass size, community structure or specific activity. We suggest that the rate limiting step is governed by abiological processes (which we term the Regulatory Gate hypothesis), which convert non-bioavailable soil organic matter into bioavailable soil organic matter, and cannot be affected by the microbial population. This work challenges one of the long held theories in soil microbiology proposed by Winogradsky, of the existence of autochthonous and zymogenous microbial populations. This has significant implications for our understanding of carbon mineralization in soils and the role of soil micro-organisms in the global carbon cycle. Here we describe experiments designed to determine if the Regulatory Gate operates. We conclude that there is sufficient experimental evidence for it to be offered as a working hypothesis.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry 01/2008; 40(1):61–73. · 3.65 Impact Factor
[show abstract][hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Most investigations into the effects of changing soil pH on microbial activity use, from necessity, soils taken from different sites so that soil physical and chemical properties are confounded. Studies along continuous gradients of soil pH within a single soil type are rare, simply because so few exist, in UK or even worldwide. Here we report measurements of mineralisation of native organic matter and added arginine along a continuous soil pH gradient (range about pH 3.7–8.3) of a UK silty clay loam soil (Chromic Luvisol or Typic Paleudalf). The soil has been maintained under constant management for more than 100 years, with winter wheat sown annually. The soil NH4+-N concentration was maximal at the lowest pH (pH 3.7), declining exponentially until pH 5.5 and remaining negligible thereafter. However, unexpectedly, soil NO3−-N concentration was also maximal at pH 3.7 and was significantly negatively correlated with increasing pH thereafter. To investigate these unexpected NO3−-N results, arginine was added as a labile source of organic N and its extent of ammonification and nitrification measured at soil pHs 3.79, 4.42, 6.08 and 7.82. While arginine ammonification was apparently greatest at pHs 3.79 and 4.42, similar to mineralisation of soil organic N, nitrification of this added N was greatest at soil pH 7.82 and least at pH 3.79, the reverse of the situation with soil organic N, but much more in line with what was expected. It was concluded that the decline in soil NO3−-N with increasing pH in the unamended soils was an artefact, caused by increasing plant uptake of NO3−-N as yield increased, rather than a true effect of low pH increasing nitrification of soil organic N. Our results differ from most previous studies, which showed poor correlations between soil pH and arginine mineralisation. This was attributed to our use of much longer incubation times (up to 50 days) than usually employed. Under our conditions, arginine was therefore shown to be a useful model for mineralisation of labile soil organic N.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry 01/2008; 40(3):797-802. · 3.65 Impact Factor


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I’m celebrating as my new picture book ‘Daddy and I’, illustrated gorgeously by Sophie Burrows, is out today! It was a tricky one to write and to be honest I wasn’t expecting a yes from my publishers at Maverick… maybe because I’d just spent so long hammering away at it, trying to get every verse to include a different rhyme for the word ‘I’. Sometimes you just wish you’d never started something!
I’d been thinking for a while of writing something that worked on two levels, the child’s point of view and the adult’s. What can be quite a mundane experience for us can be full of wonder for a child because they see everything with a fresh eye. A walk was the simplest way of expressing this, and I’ve got lovely memories of going for super-long walks with my Dad (probably quite short now I come to think of it) which we treated as a huge adventure. I thought it would add a fuller background to the story to put it in the context of a Saturday visit where the child doesn’t necessarily spend the rest of the week with her dad, so the time they have together is extra special. When I saw Sophie’s sketches I knew she completely understood what I was trying to say!
I’m glad I finally got the chance to write the idea that had been simmering for so long. Sometimes it can take a long while for a story to brew. At other times it can be very quick. One of the mysteries of the writing process!
And a last minute ‘good luck’ to anyone entering the Writing Magazine/Amy Sparkes/Julia Churchill picture book writing contest. I know a lot of my critique customers are going for this. I’ll be crossing my fingers for you!
I thought I’d use this blog to answer some frequently asked questions about the submission process, starting with one of the most common. Do I need to find an illustrator for my book before I submit it?
The simple answer: no. There are various reasons for this.
- Publishers usually like to source their own illustrators. They may even have artists in mind that they want to work with, and are waiting for the right manuscript to come along (as was the case with my own manuscript Professor McQuark and the Oojamaflip and the illustrator Julia Patton).
- A publisher will often have a house style that makes their books stand out as theirs. The type of illustrators they choose will reflect this. Yours is unlikely to fit unless you are only ever targeting one publisher.
- Fashions change in children’s illustration as much as anywhere else. Your publisher will have a much better idea of how your book should look and what will make it fit (or stand out) in the current market.
- The right illustrator takes your book to another level – it’s like having a co-author who comes up with brilliant ideas. The publisher knows which illustrator will make the most out of your text.
- Your editor and designer have a wealth of experience in laying out books, not only in terms of pictures but in the way the text interacts with the pictures, the pacing of the text through the spreads, typography etc. Rarely these days does text simply sit under a picture. It’s more likely to be dancing across a page, growing and shrinking or even spiraling through a spread. If you’ve already provided illustrations, this hampers the space the designer can use rather than allowing them to work with the illustrator.
If you are already an illustrator then of course you will want to provide your own illustrations. (Picture book author-illustrators are amazing and, in my opinion, demi-gods!) Another exception might be that you have already teamed up with an illustrator and you want to work as a partnership or not at all. It will be harder to be published in this case as both words and pictures will have to be accepted. And finally if you are self-publishing you may need to find your own illustrator. Self publishing is not something I tend to cover in this blog but there is plenty of help on line if you do pursue this route.
What happens next?
So how does your publisher find an illustrator? While you are going through the editing process and refining your text, the publisher will also be researching artists and asking for sample pages to be created. They may approach the artist directly or through an agency. You may see these samples and be asked for your opinion but you may not! Rest assured, your publisher knows what’s best for your story.
After the illustrator has been commissioned they will produce sketches for each page which are put together into a dummy pdf together with the text. Again you may be asked to comment on this. Once the roughs have been agreed, the illustrator finalises them with colour and detail. The whole process can take a few months, but when you see the detail that goes into a picture book it’s surprising it’s not a few years! By this time your text is normally complete too and you will be asked to look over the finished pdf and check for typos etc. The book then goes for printing which can take about three months if it’s being printed abroad. Finally you and your illustrator have a bouncing baby book – and you may never even have met!
I couldn’t wait to tell you about the exciting picture book competition in this month’s Writing Magazine! It’s open to any unpublished and unagented writer and the prize is a lunch consultation with top children’s agent Julia Churchill (plus a subscription to Writing Magazine – oh, and £200 as well). And who knows where that could lead?
From my critique pile I know loads of you have some fantastic picture books waiting for the right opportunity, and there’s no entry fee so I urge you to give it a go!
Your text should be no longer than 800 words and can be rhyming or prose. You can present it in page spreads or as continuous text. No illustrations, pop-ups etc. Details here.
There’s also some great tips on picture book writing from prolific picture book writer Amy Sparkes in the accompanying article (August edition).
Closing date is 29 September. Good luck!
I was delighted to attend the Get Writing Conference at the weekend as a delegate/author. Organised by Veralum Writers, the conference has grown each year and now attracts some amazing speakers and workshop leaders. I attended two workshops: comedy sketch writing with Mark Keegan and writing historical fiction with Emma Darwin. Both were hugely helpful and I now feel fired up to have a go at both disciplines while their excellent advice is still ringing in my ears. The great thing about writing children’s fiction is that you can encompass so many genres and styles. So watch out for a historical crime comedy thriller picture book in the distant future!
Here’s some pointers I picked up during the day (which also included talks and panels) that I hope will be useful to you too.
- Some people read a book a day, and two at the weekend (lizlovesbooks.com).
- Psychic distance is a thing and it’s rather useful (thisitchofwriting.com).
- Writers love cake. Not a tip, but it helps to know you are not alone.
- Successful comedy sketches are often about subverting the balance of power between the characters.
- You don’t have to be a ‘plotster’ (planning) or a ‘pantser’ (not planning) – there is a middle way. You need to choose the route that works for you.
- The British love a bit of wordplay, ambiguity and, of course, innuendo.
- Research before or after writing, not during (unless it’s crucial).
- BBC Writers Room is an oft-recommended resource and for good reason.
- Don’t blog unless you enjoy it. But if you do, it can help open doors.
- Use Google Scholar to search for academic articles about your chosen subject.
- Notice what your character notices – look through their eyes, not your own.
- Comedy can have dark undertones.
- Don’t sweat about the synopsis. Shock horror – half the time agents don’t even read them! Even if they do, it can be just a quick glance to make sure you’ve got the story in hand. Your letter and sample chapters are much more important.
- Use escalation to take your comedy sketch from mundane to ridiculous (in a good way).
- Watch Andrew Stanton’s Ted talk – The Clues to a Great Story.
- Go to writing conferences. Attend workshops. Keep on learning. Keep on writing.
PS – I will be randomly selecting the winner of the signed copy of The Snugglewump on Friday. If you haven’t entered, just comment on my previous post to be in with a chance!
Posted in Uncategorized, workshops, Writing conferences
Tagged Andrew Stanton, BBC Writers Room, Emma Darwin, Get Writing 2017, Google Scholar, Liz Loves Books, Mark Keegan, this itch of writing, Veralum Writers Circle
My new picture book The Snugglewump illustrated by Kate Chappell is out! The Snugglewump is a featureless comforter with an inferiority complex. When it hears the other toys arguing about which of them Molly loves best, it crawls out of the cat flap and ends up in a puddle in the local park. Will the Snugglewump be reunited with Molly? Could it be that she loves it best after all? To find out, why not enter my free signed copy giveaway? Just comment below and tell me what age group you like to write for and why. I will print off the comments and draw one out of a hat!
Also I’m running a two hour picture book writing workshop at the Get Writing 2017 conference at Oaklands College, St Albans, on Saturday 3 June. It’s an all day event where you pick which workshops you would like to attend as well as talks and opportunities to pitch to agents and publishers. Plus lunch! A lovely day – I have attended several times in the past. More details and tickets available here.
If you have a picture book text that’s too long for publishers’ requirements, have you considered the short story market? There are a small number of magazines out there, both in print and online, that accept children’s stories and will happily consider a longer length. Here’s my current (short) list which also includes markets for older children’s fiction and young adult; if you know of any others please do comment and I will add them.
Cricket Media submissions
The US-based Cricket family of children’s print and digital magazines includes Babybug for up to three years, Ladybug for 3-6 years, Spider for 6-9, Cricket for 9-14 and Cicada for over 14s. They all have different submission requirements so be sure to check out the word counts required by each one.
The Caterpillar Magazine
This beautifully produced Irish-based print magazine accepts stories up to 1,000 words as well as poetry and art.
Knowonder is an online site that promotes literacy. They are occasionally open for submissions of short stories between 500-2000 words but do not pay.
Alfie Dog Fiction
This small but ambitious publisher aims to be the foremost choice for downloading short stories on the web, and payment comes as a percentage of the small download fee charged to customers. Length is 500-10,000 words.
Cast of Wonders
This site is a little different and features young adult fantasy stories up to 6,000 words recorded as podcasts. See this blog post for more details and an interview with a Cast of Wonders author.
A couple of days ago I listened to a live talk on Facebook by publisher Scott Pack on the five most common mistakes people make when submitting their manuscripts. The most interesting point to me was when Scott said that in his experience about half the people who submit are sending a manuscript too early. He said some of these manuscripts might even have been very good after a third or fourth draft, but they were rejected. The reason this struck a chord with me is that I have done this myself many times. Caught up in the exhilaration of finishing a book, I’ve rushed it off into the outside world without another thought. If you think about it, it’s like pushing your baby out of the door and into the cold alone without even a coat and hat. In fact you haven’t put any clothes on them at all! They are not going to survive!
How do you resist the temptation to submit too early? It’s difficult, but you have to start thinking in terms of first draft, second draft, third draft and so on and move your expectations so that submitting becomes connected with the fifth draft, or the sixth one, or whenever you decide you can’t possibly do any more to improve your work. The first draft is just a sketch. Or the naked baby again. Don’t let anyone see your work naked!
It was a big leap for me when I understood that in the first draft anything goes because no one will see it and it’s not going anywhere. You’re free to make mistakes, experiment, write huge chunks that will never be used, or introduce characters that make absolutely no sense later. It doesn’t matter, because the editing stage will take care of all that. Every time you edit or redraft your work you will see a huge improvement.
Everyone’s different of course, but to give you an example this is how my own drafting process goes:
- First draft – write longhand in a notebook, preferably using the same pen. Lose the pen. Panic. The muse has gone! Try writing with another pen. Realise it’s going to be okay. Maybe even better. Phew. Find the original pen. Panic.
- Second draft – type up first draft on to the computer, editing as I go. Correct the problems at the beginning caused by having a different middle and end to the ones I intended.
- Third draft – correct printed out second draft using a pen (any pen – the superstition has mysteriously gone). Perform a massive facelift plus possibly invasive surgery (of the manuscript, not me). Result can be a fifty percent improvement (of the manuscript, definitely not me).
- Fourth draft – print out third draft and put away in cupboard. Agonising wait, preferably for a month. Desired outcome: the ‘I don’t remember writing this!’ effect. Edit again feeling like an older, wiser person.
- Final fifth draft – the paranoia edit. Recheck on screen or paper, tidying, honing and searching for typos and cliches. Realise I’ve used the word ‘look’ a million times on one page. Wear out shift + f7 looking for alternatives. Gah!
Bing! It’s ready. Submit and prepare to repeat stages 3-5 if rejected. Meanwhile buy new notebook and pen and start next project at stage 1.
You can still read Scott’s broadcast on Reedsy’s Facebook page to find out about the other common mistakes. The question and answer session at the end was very useful too.
After having had several enquiries about manuscript assessments, I have decided to launch my own critique service. Simply choose your rate depending on the length of your manuscript and email to me. Once I have received your payment (Paypal or bank transfer) I will aim to respond to you within 6-8 weeks. You can also include your synopsis and covering letter for each manuscript for free! Payment is per thousand words. For a longer book, why not send the first three chapters plus synopsis and covering letter for an appraisal of your complete submission package?
My critique includes:
- Assessment of pace, plot, characters, dialogue and your author voice.
- Advice on grammar and punctuation.
- Help with presentation and layout.
- Suggestions on how to edit your work.
- Areas to work on, and most importantly, your strengths!
- Appraisal of your submission package, if applicable.
I specialise in picture books and young fiction as that’s the age group I’m published in, but I’m happy to look at any writing for children up to young adult.
Please see Critique Service page for current prices.
Plus free synopsis and cover letter critique with each manuscript!
Payment should be via paypal to lou dot treleaven at sky dot com or bank transfer (please email me for details). I look forward to hearing from you!
Posted in covering letter, critique service, Submissions, synopsis, Uncategorized, writing resources
Tagged advice, appraisal, assessment, chapter book, children, Covering letter, critique, editing, Fiction, manuscript, middle grade, picture book, submission, synopsis, writing, writing for children, young adult, young fiction


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RUV has announced today that its Eurovision preview show Alla leið, will be returning to screens on April 18.
The Icelandic broadcaster RUV is set to bring the Eurovision 2020 entries to its audiences with Alla leið. The Eurovision preview show which has been broadcast for a number of years features Felix Bergsson and guests reviewing the songs competing in the competition.
The programming schedule is as follows:
- Saturday 18th April – Show 1
- Saturday 25th April – Show 2
- Saturday 2nd May – Show 3
- Saturday 9th May – Show 4
- Tuesday 12th May – Show 5 (Top 15)
- Thursday 14th May – Okkar 12 stig (Our 12 Points)
This years edition however will have a change to previous years. Felix is set to be joined by Björg Magnúsdóttir, with the two sharing Eurovision memories and clips with the audience. Furthermore, the Icelandic audience will be involved in helping determine which act would have received Iceland’s 12 points. Felix commented:
We know that Dadi would have won, but we are going to find out with the audience who would have finished second.
Iceland joins Finland, Austria, Sweden and Germany in holding shows featuring the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 entries. Finland and Germany are holding traditional preview shows, while Austria, Sweden and Iceland have opted to involve the audience.
Iceland debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986 and, aside from 2 years of relegation in 1998 and 2002, has participated every year since. The contest is incredibly popular in Iceland, regularly being one of the most watched programmes of the year. Iceland has yet to win the contest but has finished in 2nd on two occasions. In 1999, Selma missed out on victory in Jerusalem by 17 points, and in 2009 Yohanna became the most successful Icelandic entrant ever finishing 2nd in the final with the song “Is it True?”. She scored 218 points, yet still finished 169 points behind the runaway winner Norway.


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Morgana is a kiwi born actress, writer and creator based between Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Los Angeles. Last year she played the role of Vanda in Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Venus in Fur.
Morgana is best known for her role as Kylie in the 2014 feature film Housebound, her role as Naomi in iconic Australian soap opera Neighbours as well as TV roles in Billy, Safehouse, Nothing Trivial, Sunny Skies and A Thousand Apologies.
Morgana has had a strong presence in Auckland’s theatre industry since beginning her professional theatre career in Silo Theatre’s 2008 Ensemble Project followed by Toa Fraser’s Bare and Andrew Bovell’s When the Rain Stops Falling.
She is also known for her one-woman show The Height of the Eiffel Tower directed by Abigail Greenwood, which she has performed in theatres, living rooms and festivals all over the world.

domain: entertainment


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Newt Gingrich has surged ahead of Mitt Romney in the polls, and Donald Trump thinks it's because of his GOP debate.
On Monday, Trump told the hosts of "Fox and Friends" that Romney's poll numbers were down because he declined an invitation for a GOP debate moderated by the real estate mogul. Gingrich's numbers were up, according to Trump, because he had agreed to participate.
"His [Romney's] numbers have gone down very substantially since he said 'no', and a lot people think it's because it showed a lack of decisiveness or a lack of courage in going into this debate," Trump said. "And you look at what happened with Newt. Newt has gone up like a rocket ship."
Gingrich is just one of two candidates who have accepted Trump's invitation for his GOP debate. Trump also said that the event is still on, despite speculation that it would be canceled. He added that it may take the form of a "chat" instead of a formal debate.
The announcement of a GOP debate moderated by Trump surprised many earlier this month, even drawing some comparisons to his reality show "The Apprentice." It has also been the subject of more than a few jokes.
Of course, as The Hill pointed out, both Romney's slide and Gingrich's surge began well before his debate was announced.
Watch (via The Hill):
Some more of Donald Trump's feuds:
More:Donald Trump Poll Donald Trump Gop Debate Donald Trump Debate Donald Trump Newt Gingrich Donald Trump
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domain: politics


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An operation was launched inside the Istanbul courthouse where gunmen linked to the far left DHKP/C had been holding the prosecutor investigating the death of teenager Berkin Elvan during 2013 protests.
A manhunt is underway in the area for a man described by police as "armed and dangerous." He was in the custody of a private security guard when he fled with the officer's gun.
The Corinthia Hotel, a hub for foreign visitors, was attacked by gunmen possibly linked to the Islamic State. Follow the latest developments here.
Alberto Nisman was due to testify to parliament on Monday over his claims that Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner plotted to clear Iranian suspects in the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center.
LIVE UPDATES: 'Charlie Hebdo' Suspects and Gunman in Paris Kosher Store Killed in Simultaneous Raids
At least four hostages were killed in a kosher shop in the French capital before security forces carried out twin assaults on the site and on a printworks 22 miles from Paris where the magazine attackers were holed up. Follow latest developments here.
The death drew immediate protests in the suburb of Berkeley, just a few miles from Ferguson, where the killing of Michael Brown sparked months of unrest.
Video footage shows a soldier repeatedly grabbing the throat of Ziad Abu Ein, who died on the way to hospital. His death immediately sparked clashes in the Palestinian territory.
The group said Luke Somers would meet his "inevitable fate" if the United States does not meet a series of demands of which Washington is "aware."
Students Aarti and Pooja fought back when three men began to molest them on their way home from college.
Britain's prime minister suggested that the UK could leave the EU if its members thwarted his plans on immigration, which is fast becoming the hot-button issue of next year's election.
At least 10 pro-democracy activists arrested amid scuffles as officials clear Mong Kok camp; UK politicians pull out of Shanghai visit after China denies visa to former diplomat who voiced support for protesters.
One victim is in critical condition after a shooter opened fire at Florida State University's campus in Tallahassee. The shooter was killed by police after apparently opening fire on officers.
The brutality of the killings earlier this week of Shahzad Masih and his pregnant wife Shama Bibi surpassed even the usual horrific standards of such events.
A teenage runaway from Sydney has surfaced in a video taunting Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott over the US-led offensive and insisting the group won't stop until it has beheaded every 'tyrant.'
The North Korean leader's disappearance had led to speculation he was seriously ill or had even been toppled in a coup.
World Health Organization says man 'unlikely' to have contracted virus but case taps into rising nerves in Europe and beyond
Up to 18 people were reported killed in clashes between security forces and Kurdish protesters in several cities.
Four men arrested in a series of London raids, amid suggestions that they may have been planning a public beheading and other random street killings.
A nurse who treated two Ebola patients evacuated from the outbreak zone caught the virus despite wearing full protective gear.
On Friday, British aid worker Alan Henning was executed by the jihadists. They say Abdul Rahman Kassig, an American NGO founder previously known as Peter, will be next.

domain: news


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Interfaith Hard anodized cookware relationships are becoming increasingly common among Southerly Asian persons. It’s obvious that this type of relationship can pose a whole lot of troubles for both couples and the families. However , these issues can be beat with proper communication and a clear understanding of right after between each religion.
According to a study coming from 3 years back, about 25% of English-proficient (EP) Asian American Protestants were in interfaith relationships, while simply 19% of non-EP Cookware Americans had been. The difference was far more pronounced when it came to Korean, Oriental and Japoneses American groups, where above 40% these individuals at present belong to a religion https://asianbrides.org/georgian-brides besides the one we were holding raised in. As opposed, fewer Philippine, Vietnamese and Indian American people have https://www.datingscout.com/dating-tips/men switched their very own faiths.
Regardless of the range of persons in interfaith Asian associations, there are many obstacles that they need to face that aren’t within other types of relationships. Whether it’s family members disapproval, religious groups that don’t promote the marriage or social and dialect limitations, these kinds of boundaries can be difficult to overcome.
Manahil Buttocks, a consumer operate professional that harmonizes with interfaith lovers, notes that concentrating on the components they may share and having hard discussions of their differences may help them overcome emotional complications that often happen in these types of charming connections. She also alerts that keeping away from these issues won’t work and suggests lovers to address all of them at the beginning of their romance.


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Who is Tata Estaniecki Cocielo?
Tata Estaniecki Cocielo is a famous Instagram star, TikTok Star, and YouTube Star from Brazil. She is a Brazilian vlogger most recognized for the content on her self-titled YouTube channel. She is recognized for her energetic challenge completions, friend tagging, and beauty tutorials. Her YouTube channel currently has over 2.38 million subscribers. She has also earned more than 11.7 million followers on her Instagram account. She is a very creative person, and her sense of humor is very good. She shares a Family content video, Beauty Tutorials, and Energetic Challenge Dance videos. She had a great bond with her listeners and audience on social media. She has a huge fan following. She is among the most trending girls on Instagram. She usually shares her fashionable outfits and modeling photos on her Instagram. She has continued to increase her popularity across several social media platforms. Her massive following which can be largely attributed to her ingenuity and creativity has attracted the attention of several brands across the globe. She broke into prominence for her amazing looks, cute smile, style, and fantastic personality, growing her popularity for her captivating images and videos. We will walk you through all about her.
Check out her Wiki, Age, Family, Facts, and Many More.
Tata Estaniecki Cocielo’s Biography/Wiki
She hails from Brazil. Her age is around 30 years old as of 2023. Her Zodiac sign is Scorpio. She is Brazilian by Nationality. She was born on November 16, 1993.
She completed her early schooling at a local high school in Brazil. After that, she enrolled at a local university in Brazil where she completed her graduation.
She uploads photos of her Fashionable outfits.
She Promotes a Variety of Brands.
Her Instagram is full of Selfies.
She often posts family pictures on her socials.
She also modeled for several Clothing Brands.
She has also been featured on several magazine covers.
She captivates millions with her Instagram Reels, showcasing Lip-sync videos and dance videos with her daughter.
Her engaging dance and Energetic challenge content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram garnered her a substantial following, with over 6.1 million TikTok followers.
Eu e a equipe do @Poddelas esperando no camarim HAHAHAHA
♬ som original – oCastrin
She Runs a popular YouTube Channel, where she uploads her Lip-sync videos, Skits, family content videos, and beauty tutorial videos.
Tata Estaniecki Cocielo’s Physical Appearance
She is beautiful and hot. She has a slender figure. She is hugely popular among youth. She looks like a doll. She is approximately 5′ 5” inches tall and weighs around 57 kg. She has a Slim Build. She has brown eyes and blonde hair. She has beautiful big eyes which look very appealing and long silky hair. She has a very attractive personality.
Tata Estaniecki Cocielo’s Family, Religion & Boyfriends
Her husband’s name is Julio Cocielo.
Her chidlren name is Beatriz Estaniecki Cocielo.
Tata Estaniecki Cocielo’s Facts
- Her Instagram account has 11.7M+ followers.
- Her TikTok account Username is @tata.
- Her TikTok account has 6.1M+ followers.
- Her YouTube account has 2.38M Subscribers.
- She is Smart and Attractive.
- She keeps posting photoshoots on Instagram.
- She keeps posting her beautiful images on Instagram.
- She is a Social media influencer.
- She has collaborated with various other influencers.
- She is pretty famous for her Stylish looks.
- She is a Fitness and Fashion Enthusiast.
- Her cute smile and style add a bit more to her charm.
- She also Endorses various Brands and collaborates with various influencers.
- Her numerous outdoor adventures and vacation experiences have been shared on social media.
- She is pretty popular for her modeling videos and photos on Instagram.
- She has earned much fame, admiration, and recognition for her incredible talent and work. As a workaholic person, she always settles tremendous strength into everything she does.
- She is a creative thinker, with a positive attitude, and an inner-directed, self-motivated individual who works with focus and determination to turn dreams into reality.
- She is multi-talented and possesses a variety of diverse abilities. However, discipline and focus are the true keys to her success.
- She always lооkѕ fоr opportunities tо convert ideas іn action, along with her brand of creativity іntо еvеrу important Life, аnd develop strategies fоr innovation
- She enjoys Travelling, good music, Adventure, Food and drinks, Shopping, Swimming, Love to hang out with Family, Love Nature, etc.
- She advocates for living a healthy lifestyle through fitness and nutrition to her fans.
——– Thank you ——–
If you are a Model, Tiktoker, Instagram Influencer, Fashion Blogger, or any other Social Media Influencer, who is looking to get Amazing Collaborations. Then you can join our Facebook Group named “Influencers Meet Brands“. It is a Platform where Influencers can meet up, Collaborate, Get Collaboration opportunities from Brands, and discuss common interests.
We connect brands with social media talent to create quality sponsored content

domain: celebrity


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Sexy Durga Movie Posters and Location Photos
A film by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan
Story, Screenplay : Nil
Director of Photography : Prathap Joseph
Sound Recording : Harikumar Madhavan Nair
Art Direction : Murukan A
Sound Mixin : T Krishnanunni
Editor : Sanal Kumar Sasidharan
Music : Basil Joseph
Durga, a north Indian migrant and a Keralite youth named Kabeer are running away on a midnight. They are waiting for a transport to the nearest railway station to catch a train to a distant place. Two small time gangsters, transporting arms, offer assistance to the couple. The hapless “Durga” encounters a cross section of the society through the rest of the night. Parallel to the journey of Durga another mysterious event intercuts in the film. In a Kerala village, devotees perform ‘Garudan Thookkam’, a ritual art form submitted as a reward for the problems solved in the abode of Goddess Kali, who represents Goddess Durga’s personified wrath & embodied fury.
Cast : RajSri Deshpande, Kannan Nayar, Sujeesh KS, Vedh, Arunsol, Bilas Nair, Baiju Neto, Sujith Koyikkal, Nistar Ahammed.


text: The director of the Phoenix VA hospital and two other employees are on administrative leave following allegations that the hospital delayed medical treatment to veterans. Note: they have not been fired. Legislation moving through Congress would make it easier for the VA secretary to give the boot to senior executives. Susan Tsui Grundmann is chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board, which hears appeals from federal employees on personnel issues. She joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to explain how the law could change. Read related article by Federal News Radio’s Shefali Kapadia.


Community band moves to new venue for 24th season
Published 4:39 pm, Tuesday, August 16, 2016
With a move to a new venue, the Lone Star Symphonic Band now has room to grow as it begins its 24th performance season.
The band, which in previous years rehearsed and performed at CrossPoint Community Church, has officially moved to Holy Covenant United Methodist Church for all of its rehearsals and concerts beginning with the 2016-17 season.
This move allows the band space to store its percussion and equipment, a larger stage to perform on, a choir loft behind the band for the community choir that performs annually with the band, and an opportunity for patrons to sit in the balcony during performances. Both the band and church are excited about working with each other this season. Holy Covenant United Methodist Church is located at 22111 Morton Road in Katy.
Music Director Bob Bryant has a season lined up for the Lone Star Symphonic Band as well.
The Oct. 23 concert is titled “A Touch of Class-ical” and will include classical symphonic literature to classic rock pieces.
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On Dec. 11 the band will present “The Perfect Gift,” the Band’s annual Christmas concert.
Texas and Rodeo themed music can be heard on the March 3, 2017, concert titled “It’s Texas, Ya’ll!” The band will help prepare everyone for summer with the May 5, 2017, concert titled “The 3 R’s of Summer.”
The annual Patriotic concert, “America, Land That I Love!” will be performed on July 2, 2017.
All concerts will be performed in the main sanctuary of Holy Covenant United Methodist Church, and will begin at 4:00 pm. Individual concert tickets are available on the Band’s website for $6.50 each, with season tickets available for $25.50 each.


Turkey signs deal to buy Azerbaijani gas through new line
The US government Monday praised an agreement that would allow Turkey to buy the 233 billion cu ft/year of gas, beginning in 2004, from Azerbaijan�s Shah Deniz field. The deal would require construction of an export pipeline.
By the OGJ Online Staff
WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 13�The US government Monday praised an agreement that would allow Turkey to buy gas from Azerbaijan�s Shah Deniz field.
The US State Department said the agreement �further strengths the East-West Caspian transportation corridor that includes the emerging Aktau-Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Supsa pipeline, the Baku-Novorosysk pipeline, and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium pipeline.
The US has supported a gas export pipeline parallel to the planned oil pipeline as an alternative to proposals to export gas through pipelines crossing Iran.
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Azerbaijani President Haidar Aliyev signed the 15-year contract for 233 billion cu ft/year of gas, beginning in 2004. The line is likely to supply cities in Azerbaijan and Georgia as well as those in Turkey.
The State Department said, �The US has long supported such commercially viable export routes for Caspian basin hydrocarbons. These projects enhance the political, economic, and commercial cooperation among the states of the region and strengthen our energy security.�


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The World Today - Monday, 23 July , 2007 12:17:00
Reporter: Gillian Bradford
ELEANOR HALL: The reaction from the forestry unions may be positive, but environment groups are outraged about Labor's forestry policy announcement.
Geoff Law is the Wilderness Society's Tasmanian campaigner, and he's speaking to Gillian Bradford in Canberra.
GILLIAN BRADFORD: Geoff Law, I take it you're not as happy as the forestry workers we've just heard from there?
GEOFF LAW: Ah, well what was just reported is much worse than what we've been emailed about what was in Mr Rudd's policy statement, and if what is reported is correct, then it's an absolute capitulation on the part of Mr Rudd. And furthermore, it is a squandering of an opportunity to deal with climate change.
For over a year Mr Rudd has been carrying on about climate change and how the Howard Government has been failing to come to grips with it. One of the best ways of ameliorating the effects of climate change, and indeed reducing greenhouse contributions, is to protect old growth forests, native forests, and lock-up the carbon within them. Now he's saying that he won't do that. Now he's saying that he supports the forestry agreements signed by Mr Howard, which actually provide taxpayers' money to destroy more of those forests, which include places in Tasmania's south-west, in the Tarkine, Great Western Tiers, North-East Highlands, including some areas that the Prime Minister himself promised to protect. So instead we are going to see taxpayers' funds being used to prop up an industry of dubious financial viability, given the fact that it is constantly wanting these handouts. Hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers' money have now been passed over to that industry to allow it to continue on its merry way, destroying these forests, and Mr Rudd has put his hand up and said 'yes, I'll be part of that'.
GILLIAN BRADFORD: Do you understand the politics of this though, Geoff Law, that Labor's decided it simply can't afford to give away those seats in Tasmania?
GEOFF LAW: Well, all he's doing there is mindlessly accepting some folklore. In fact, the opinion polls showed well before either forestry policy was announced in the last election, either by Mr Latham or Mr Howard, that the seats of Bass and Braddon were lost to Labor. And instead what we have now is Mr Rudd, instead of moving for a win-win situation where we can protect the ancient old-growth forests and other high conservation value areas in Tasmania, lock up the carbon in them, keep it out of the atmosphere.
Instead of doing that and focusing on the plantations we've already got in the ground, we've got Mr Rudd instead joining the juggernaut, leaping onboard, which is just ploughing its way through ancient forests into wilderness areas, at taxpayers' expense, in Tasmania. It is a capitulation, it breaks Labor Party forest policy, which was for further protection of old growth forests of high conservation value in Tasmania, and it is just squandering opportunities, squandering opportunities …
GILLIAN BRADFORD: But let me just clarify here, Geoff Law. You say this is worse than you expected, but can you assure us that Labor's Environment spokesman, Peter Garrett, in his meetings with you, hasn't promised Labor might do deals after the election has passed, after they've got over this sensitive period?
GEOFF LAW: There've been no promises from Mr Garrett. He was quite tight-lipped about what Labor might be doing. And certainly none of the information that we put before Mr Garrett has found its way into the formulation of the policy which was announced today, or indeed what we've been emailed.
Instead what we've had is, as you describe it, a political exercise in appeasing forestry unions. And this is a case of Labor's forest policy being dictated to it by part of a union, the CFMEU, that forestry union which is exercising power well beyond its means, well beyond its representation in the Australian community, because you've got millions of people all over Australia, as shown in opinion polls, who believe that these wilderness areas, these old growth forests, should be protected, that the Government and the Opposition should be moving more quickly to deal with climate change, which means they should be locking up the carbon in those forests, and instead he's just capitulated and done what that particular union, the industry, the State Government, want on very, very spurious political grounds which simply do not bear scrutiny once you analyse the figures.
GILLIAN BRADFORD: Geoff Law, thanks for talking to The World Today.
GEOFF LAW: Thank you.
ELEANOR HALL: That's Geoff Law from the Wilderness Society speaking to Gillian Bradford in Canberra.


CHENNAI: Police on Friday arrested three Bangladeshi nationals from a house in Thoraipakkam for preparing forged documents
cards and passports and for cheating and staying in India without valid papers.
Noor Hossain, 24, and his brother Sahadat Hossain, 21, and Mohammad Alamgeer Hossain, 23, of Chittagong district in Bangaldesh were sent to jail and police are looking for another man. Police said they busted the gang based on a specific tip from CISF personnel at Chennai airport.
Earlier, a CISF officer who had served in West Bengal
stopped a flyer named Zia-ul-Haq, 19, who spoke Hindi with a Bangladeshi accent, and interrogated him. Haq, who had an Indian passport and a valid flight ticket to Dubai, told police he bought the passport and Aadhaar card from a gang at Mettukuppam near Thoraipakkam.
Following an alert, a team of the Thoraipakkam police nabbed the three men, narrowly missing a fourth. The three, booked under Section 14 (c) of Foreigners Act, 1946, Section 12 (1) (A) of Indian Passport Act, apart from 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of Indian Penal Code, were handed over to the CCB wing dealing with passport fraud.
The arrested men told police that five years ago they crossed the Bangladesh
border, travelling on top of empty trucks plying to West Bengal. Then they came down to Tamil Nadu. They stayed at a rented house owned by a man named M Raja Simhan in Thoraipakkam for a monthly rent of Rs 5,000 and worked at a juice shop and a few restaurants. Police are questioning him to find out how they managed to prepare fake
Aadhaar cards and passports.
A few weeks ago, Bulgarian nationals Peter Velikov, 47, and Ilianzdravkov Markov, 36, were arrested for cloning credit and debit cards at a hotel in Semmancherry.


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Get a sassy, free recording of "The Godfather" love theme by signing up.. or scroll down to read my blog posts!
If you are a ballet teacher, you use waltzes ALL THE TIME! Whether you select them yourself for an unset class or it's set in the syllabus that you use! A waltz for your pointe class warm up, another for slow tendus, perhaps one for rond de jambes and yet another for grand battement/cloches. You've already used 4 waltzes and you're not even into centre practice yet! If you teach unset ballet classes on a regular basis, you've got your favourite recordings for each of those exercises, however, the...
come back soon, k?
- Lorel L
Hey! Great to see you here! Listen, if you're a ballet teacher who loves to learn about music in relation to ballet classes, you're in the right place! Sign up to get a free recording and stay in the loop with monthly newsletters and alerts about new blog posts.


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Category Archives: street photography
I am having a challenging time sorting out in my head which version of this image works the best. It is interesting how much a small cropping can affect the mood of an image. Is the bottom rendering the strongest … Continue reading
I thought that I completed my work in the business district of Eureka. Instead, I see that my study is taking me deeper into the workings of the city.
Perhaps it is just me, but I cannot easily find a place to rest my eyes in this image. They finally settle on the greenish horizontal strip near the center. Perhaps that is all right. I am open to comments. … Continue reading
In Eureka last week.
Opera Alley in Eureka the other day.
An image from some years back that I reworked today. It is of a stretch of abandoned highway that is sometimes used for backcountry packers to get to a wonderful campground directly above the ocean. It is near Stone Lagoon … Continue reading
I took this with the 17mm tilt-shift lens on a July morning in 2016. I reprocessed this using a graduated filter instead of dropping the blue luminance to darken the sky. By doing so, I eliminated the fringing that was … Continue reading
Once a bustling hotel, The Clyde Hotel at Tulelake, CA is now a condemned structure.
As I stated before, I often need to “sit” with an image for awhile before it comes to maturity. I think that this one is nearly fully rendered.

domain: geography


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Leave Thomas St., voter IDs alone: column
At first glance it might not appear that Wausau’s Thomas Street fiasco — I will call it WTSF for short — and Wisconsin’s voter identification Law have anything in common, but alas, they do: they are both solutions in search of a problem.
When I moved to Wausau almost 12 years ago, WTSF was in its infancy. At the time, I didn’t know any actual residents of the street, but that soon changed. And here we are, all these years later, and the beat goes on and on. The unfortunate residents and businesses on the street continue, year after year, to live with the uncertainty of the situation.
Recently I’ve made a concerted effort to observe traffic on that street, and except for some minor congestion at rush hours, there’s really no unusual traffic problem in that corridor, especially by a larger city’s standards. I was disappointed that the City Council’s Capital Improvement and Street Maintenance Committee, on a 3-2 vote, approved a plan wherein part of the street would be two lanes while part, from Third Avenue to the Wisconsin River, would be four lanes.
Common sense tells me that when using a funnel, what’s really important is not so much the diameter of the top of the funnel, but the size of the opening on the bottom. Is there not an analogy there, especially thinking of the westbound traffic going from four to two lanes?
However, the plan approved by the CISM committee does bring some joy to the heart, since that stretch of road would contain a raised median — which means, I suppose, more opportunities for metal bird sculptures.
Thomas Street was recently repaved. It makes for a pleasant ride. Why not just leave it alone and thus bringing some peace of mind to the street’s residences?
That problem wisely solved, what about voter ID? That effort is part of a extreme right-wing master plan devised in large part by North Carolina’s multi-millionaire, Art Pope, a close friend of the Koch brothers. It’s an attempt to make the entire nation into a one-party state. Three legs to the program: First, do, by any means, whatever it takes to defeat not only Democrats but even moderate Republicans (believe it or not, there still are a few in existence) in state legislatures and replace them with lemmings with Tea Party or Tea Party-like mindsets. Second, get these puppets to gerrymander both state and national voting districts, which, as we’ve seen, has happened in Wisconsin. Third, do whatever is possible to make it more difficult for opposition voters to vote, including reducing registration and voting opportunities and, of course, strict enforcement of picture ID laws even when there is no evidence of voter fraud. (Editor’s note: The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday blocked enforcement of Wisconsin’s voter ID laws in November’s elections.)
“State for Sale,” Jane Mayer’s 2010 article in The New Yorker, described Pope’s plans. I would suggest that any voters who consider themselves to be “informed” voters find it online before they decide how to vote this November.
Jerry Buerer lives in Wausau. Want to write a “My View” column? Email email@example.com.


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New items will appear on Tuesday, June 15th.
2021∙06∙07 | BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
A series with a noise print on the small triangular pieces. The three-dimensional look is emphasized through the three-color composition of the bags.
Lineup: 1 tote bag, 1 shoulder bag, 1 backpack and 1 wallet
Colors: Yellow Mix, Pink Mix, Green Mix


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Let us bring together all of your best transportation options at key station locations in Waterloo Region, Guelph, and Burlington, making the places you live, work, and play feel just a little bit closer.
The First Service From Wroute - $20 or less per seat between Fairway and Guelph Central
A Grand Experience
Our initial intercity service connects Waterloo Region and Guelph, two of Ontario’s most vibrant communities, sharing the stunning landscape of the central Grand River valley. The connections of families, businesses, and institutions across this area result in thousands of journeys every day.
While some choose to get on board with existing alternatives, most trips are made alone by drivers in their own cars. Our goal at Wroute is to build up the passenger community, so that all service providers can prosper. An affordable, sustainable, and innovative approach makes sense in these forward-thinking places we call home.
Fairway Station - Waterloo Region
Find us just North of the new ION light rail transit platforms between Leon’s and Hudson’s Bay.
At the geographic heart of Waterloo Region – and the local transit system – is CF Fairview Park Mall, a prime shopping destination connected to the full breadth of a bustling city. Head inside the mall for adventures in retail, or to grab a bite to eat in the food court. Use Grand River Transit buses to complete your journey, or better yet stay electric by hopping on the brand new ION Light Rail Transit service to downtown Kitchener, midtown KW, uptown Waterloo, and the universities.
Guelph Central Station
Find us South of the train station at the 72 Farquhar Street passenger drop-off facility.
All your transportation options are integrated at this downtown focal point. Hop on GO Transit and VIA Rail trains, or let Guelph Transit give you access to the whole city.
Check out the independent shops and restaurants that give the area its unique character, or take a very short walk to key destinations such as City Hall, the Sleeman Centre, and River Run Centre.
The Second Service from Wroute – connecting Waterloo Region and Guelph to Burlington and frequent rail services
Region of Waterloo International Airport
Find us curbside in front of the main passenger terminal.
Situated between Kitchener and Guelph, “YKF” is a destination for training, travel, and tourism. With Air Cadets, Private Pilots, and students from the University of Waterloo and Conestoga College aviation programs, this is where our neighbours learn to take to the skies. Connect with commercial passenger flights provided by WestJet, FlyGTA, and Sunwing. Visiting private pilot guests, charter passengers, and daily commuters will enjoy easy connections too.
Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
Find us curbside in front of the main entrance.
Whether you’re there for science, whimsy, or a very special event, you’ll love being able to take Wroute to the Butterfly Conservatory. Check out educational displays, the gift shop, and café – but it’s the main attraction that will thrill you: an indoor tropical garden with thousands of butterflies soaring through over 10,000 square feet of lush greenery. When you next have a little time along the way between Fairway Station and Guelph, check out cambridgebutterfly.com to plan a stopover.
University of Guelph
Find us in Parking Lot P42, just at the South end of the University Centre Bus Loop.
Home to the Ontario Veterinary College, The Arboretum, and the Art Gallery of Guelph, this vibrant university campus brings together tens of thousands of students, staff, and faculty across a wide variety of research fields. Connect with great local and intercity transit options at the Bus Loop adjacent to our station location. Destinations within walking distance include the Delta Hotel, Days Inn, and Royal Brock Hotel, as well as offices and laboratories of the provincial and federal agriculture ministries.
Find us curbside in the passenger drop-off area, on the East side of the bus boarding platforms.
The corner of Brock Rd and McLean Rd hosts a park and ride facility served by GO buses to destinations in the local region and the Greater Toronto Area. Currently, Aberfoyle GO is only a transfer point for Wroute passengers connecting among our own services – it is unavailable as an origin or destination or a transfer point to other services, pending the development of the relevant by-law at the County of Wellington. Once the regulation is in place, Wroute will be able to open trips to and from Aberfoyle.
Find us curbside in front of the main train station building, in the passenger drop-off area.
Aldershot is the best served train station in the Wroute network. GO Transit serves the station primarily with frequent trains to Halton Region, Peel Region, and Toronto, with continuing service to Durham Region, as well as some trains and buses into Hamilton’s Downtown, West Harbour, and McMaster Campus areas. VIA Rail heads Westbound to destinations such as Brantford, London, and Windsor, and Eastbound to Toronto with connections to Kingston, Montreal, Ottawa, and more. Amtrak also offers morning train service to New York.
Mapleview Shopping Centre
Find us at the Tesla Superchargers in the parking lot West of Shoppers Drug Mart.
Grab a bite to eat at the Upper Level food court, or linger for dining at Earl’s or Turtle Jack’s. Major fashion brands are complimented by over one hundred smaller shops and services to suit your interests. See the Tesla Superchargers in action as we top up your ride with high-powered Direct Current from Ontario’s low-emission grid.


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We recently blogged that collecting used cellphones can be a great way to raise funds for your favorite charity or cause.
Today we want to explore that idea in a little more detail, by providing some data on how much used cellphones are worth. Our source for this information is 911Metallurgist.com, a company that monitors trends in mining and metallurgy. For our examples below, we are providing data on the content of different iPhone models.
How much value is hiding in iPhones?
An iPhone 3G contains about $72 worth of recyclable materials like gold, silver and platinum . . . an iPhone 4, about $175.
What metals does a typical iPhone contain?
According to 911Metallurgist.com, each iPhone contains an average of $1.58 worth of gold, $0.36 of silver, $0.12 of copper, $0.05 of aluminum, and $0.02 of platinum.
What other valuable stuff does an iPhone contain?
They also contain small quantities of rare earth minerals in their display screens, speakers, ringers, and other components. These minerals are principally Yttrium, Lanthanum, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, and Dysprosium. But according to 911Metallurgist.com, it is not currently worth recovering these rare compounds from cellphones due to the high cost of recycling.
Is it true that iPhones contain more gold per ounce than gold ore does?
Yes, it is true, according to data compiled by 911Metallurgist.com. In fact, a ton of used iPhones contains 324 times more gold than a ton of gold ore does. A ton of iPhones also contains 13 times more copper than a ton of copper ore does, and 6.5 times more silver than a ton of silver ore does. So the message seems to be that as demand for precious metals remains high, recycling phones is a practice that is not about to go away.
How Can You Turn Collected Cellphones into Dollars?
Call at 800-426-2344. Just don’t do it on an iPhone – those things are more than worth their weight in gold.
Is it Worth Recycling Smartphones
New Applications for Precious Metals Keep Demand and Prices High
How to Pick the Best Precious Metals Recycling Company
As Gold Supplies Dwindle, Demand for Recyclable Gold Will Remain High

domain: chemistry