Tooth Surface Modification for Helical Gear Pairs considering Mesh Misalignment Tolerance
Mesh misalignment in mating the gear tooth surface is common and difficult to be determined accurately because of system deformation and bearing clearances, as well as manufacturing and assembly errors. It is not appropriate to consider the mesh misalignment as a constant value or even completely ignore it in the tooth surface modification design. Aiming to minimize the expectation and variance of static transmission error (STE) fluctuations in consideration of mesh misalignment tolerance, a multiobjective optimization model of tooth surface modification parameters is proposed through coupling the NSGA-II algorithm and an efficient loaded tooth contact analysis (LTCA) model. The modified tooth flank of helical gear pairs is defined using 6 design variables which are related to profile modification, lead modification, and bias modification. The influences of mesh misalignment on time-dependent meshing stiffness (TDMS) and STE of unmodified and modified helical gear pairs are investigated. Then, the dynamic transmission error (DTE) of modified helical gears in consideration of mesh misalignment is discussed. The results indicate that the designed modified tooth surface shows good robustness to mesh misalignment.
With the increase in requirement of low vibration of mechanical equipment, the reduction of the vibration level in the design and machining of a gear transmission device has always attracted widespread attention of researchers and engineers in recent years. Helical/double-helical gear pairs are widely used in marine, helicopter, mining, turbine, and other power transmission fields. Although the inborn higher contact ratio of helical gear pairs leads to lower vibration level of the system compared with spur gear systems, tooth surface modification is still usually used in the design of microparameters of helical/double-helical gear pairs in order to improve contact patterns and further reduce the vibration level of gear systems .
There are many research studies about parametric investigations, development of a new model, and the method of tooth surface modification for spur gears and helical gears, as well as double-helical gears. Wang et al.  proposed a slice model for calculating TDMS of a spur gear pair with lead crown and misalignment. Beinstingel et al.  developed an efficient algorithm for the calculation of TDMS of cylindrical gear pairs with profile modification. Vevit et al.  built an efficient tooth contact analysis model for spiral bevel gears with alignment errors. Fernández et al. [5–7] established a hybrid finite-element and analytical model for calculating TDMS of spur gear pairs and investigated the effect of profile deviations on mesh stiffness, transmission error, and power losses. Li  analyzed the tooth modification and mesh misalignment on the tooth engagement process of spur gears under a quasistatic contact condition. Miryam et al.  investigated the effects of profile modification on the load-sharing ratio and STE of spur gears. Ma et al.  and Hu et al.  studied the variation law of dynamic behaviors of a geared rotor system with the changes of profile modification parameters. Wang et al.  established a calculation method for determining the TDMS of a helical gear pair with gear errors. Peng et al.  developed an efficient model to predict the load distribution of helical gears under gear modification and mesh misalignment condition. Wang and Zhang  proposed an original closed-form determination approach of lead modification for cylindrical gear pairs. Bruyère and Velex [15, 16] developed the approximate closed-form expressions of profile modification using a perturbation method and gave two formulations to determine the optimal modification parameters for narrow-faced cylindrical gears. Maatar and Velex  developed a three-dimensional dynamic contact model of cylindrical gear systems with various gear modifications based on the length of contact lines and a contact algorithm. Wu et al.  determined profile modification amount of helical gears using static elastic deformation of gear teeth which is calculated by a static finite-element model and employed the dynamic contact finite-element model to investigate the influence of profile modification on vibration responses of the system. Taking a helical gear pair as an objective, Yuan et al.  determined the bias modification parameters based on a brute force optimization method and dynamic analysis of the system. Jiang and Fang  proposed a high-order transmission error modification method for spur and helical gear pairs. Wei et al.  studied the influence of tooth surface modifications on dynamic behaviors of the helical gear system by numerical calculation and experimental approaches. Ye and Tsai  developed an enhanced LTCA model in consideration of gear modification and the mesh misalignment caused by shaft deformation. Lagresle et al.  employed an adaptive multiobjective swarm algorithm to establish an optimization model of tooth surface modification for cylindrical gear pairs. Ma et al.  and Liu et al.  combined the design of tooth surface modification parameters and dynamic analysis aiming to obtain the optimal modification parameters. Jia et al.  proposed an iterative approach of dynamic deformation calculation of housing and determination of modification parameters for a multistage spur gear system. Aiming to minimize the relative velocity of mating gear teeth along the rotational direction, Wang  proposed an optimization model of three-dimensional modification parameters using a combination of tooth contact analysis, LTCA model, and system dynamics analysis. Benatar et al.  carried out the STE and DTE investigations of helical gear pairs with various tooth surface modification. Yuan et al.  proposed a novel tooth surface modification methodology for double-helical gear pairs considering system flexibility.
Besides, there are few research studies about the establishment of a robust optimization mathematical model of tooth surface modification parameters of gear pairs. To reduce system vibration and noise under multiple loads, Chan  used the response surface method to obtain the optimal tooth modification parameters of helical gears. Ghribi et al.  presented an original methodology to design robust profile modifications for cylindrical gears. Considering different weight distribution functions of applied torques, Artoni et al.  presented a novel gear modification approach for cylindrical gear pairs using the minimization of STE amplitude and peak contact stress as objective functions. Korta and Mundo [33, 34] combined the finite-element method with the response surface method and obtained the robust solution of modification parameters by establishing and solving the response surface model of spur gear modification parameters.
In mating the tooth surface, mesh misalignment is an unavoidable problem because of system flexibility and spline and bearing clearance, as well as mounting and manufacturing errors . It is almost impossible to be calculated and measured precisely in engineering practice. Mesh misalignment not only results in undesirable contact patterns but also further affects the vibration behaviors of the system. In fact, the contact state and vibration behaviors of modified helical gear pairs are influenced by the coupling effect between gear modification and uncertain mesh misalignment.
As mentioned above, most of the published work on gear modification focuses on the parametric investigation of gear modifications on the quasistatic and dynamic behaviors of spur or helical gears and design modified tooth surface without mesh misalignment or with constant mesh misalignment. There are few works about tooth surface modification design in consideration of load variation or mesh misalignment tolerance. The motivation of this study is to establish a multiobjective optimization mathematical model of tooth surface modification parameters for helical gear pairs in consideration of mesh misalignment tolerance and then to design a modified tooth surface with strong robustness to mesh misalignment for helical gear pairs. After this introduction, this paper is organized as follows: Section 2 establishes an efficient LTCA model of helical gear pairs with tooth modification and mesh misalignment, gives a comparison between the efficient LTCA model and the published model, and develops a multiobjective optimization model of combined gear modification for helical gear pairs in consideration of mesh misalignment tolerance. Section 3 establishes a dynamic model for helical gear pairs with tooth modification and mesh misalignment. Section 4 discusses the influence of mesh misalignment and combined tooth modification on mesh excitations and vibration responses of helical gear pairs and investigates the robustness of the designed tooth surface modification to mesh misalignment. Some conclusions are summarized in Section 5.
2. Gear Modification Methodology of Helical Gear Pairs
2.1. Gear Modification and Mesh Misalignment
There are three common tooth surface modification methods for helical gear pairs which include profile modification, lead modification, and bias modification. Profile modification is to modify the top and root of the tooth surface along the gear profile, which can significantly reduce the vibration of spur/helical gear systems. Lead modification is to modify the tooth surface along gear width, which is usually used to improve the load distribution. Lead modification is an intentional helix deviation, and helix deviation has obvious contributions on the vibration level of helical gear systems; thus, the lead modification can also be used to reduce the system vibration. Bias modification is to modify the top and root of gear tooth along the normal direction of contact lines. The three types of tooth surface modification methods for helical gear pairs are shown in Figure 1. Profile modification, lead modification, and bias modification are combined to design the combined tooth surface modification in consideration of mesh misalignment tolerance.
The gear transmission system is a complex mechanical device with multiclearance and multicontact. Bearing clearance, manufacturing error, assembly error, and other various factors will cause gear mesh misalignment on mating gear tooth surfaces. These factors are not only inevitable but also difficult to measure precisely. The appearance of mesh misalignment will make the actual contact condition of mating tooth surfaces differ from the theoretical one. For the helical gear system, the actual contact condition of gear pairs not only affects the service life of the gear system but also seriously influences the vibration behaviors of the system. Various factors causing the mesh misalignment are summarized in the published work , and it is pointed out that the effect of mesh misalignment which is parallel to the plane of action (POA) has the most significant effect on tooth engagement of tooth surfaces. Its influence is equivalent to the helix deviation. Therefore, considering the mesh misalignment which is parallel to the plane of action, helix deviation is employed to establish the mesh misalignment model according to the published work , as shown in Figure 2.
2.2. Determination of TDMS and STE
An efficient LTCA model is established to determine the TDMS and STE of a helical gear pair with modification and mesh misalignment. Figure 3 shows the POA of a helical gear pair. is the plane of action, denotes the theoretical line of action, and are the base circle radii of the pinion and wheel, and and are the rotational directions of the two gears.
Under load condition, the pinion and wheel come into contact with each other, and then, the elastic deformation of mating gear tooth surfaces occurs. For a modified helical gear pair with mesh misalignment, the instantaneous contact model is shown in Figure 4. The deformation compatibility condition of each contact point pair iswhere is the total deformation of contact point , its value is equal to the summation of and , is the initial clearance of contact point , is the rigid body approach of the two gears, which also refers to static transmission error, and is the residual clearance of contact point .
For all contact point pairs at each meshing position, the matrix form of the deformation compatibility condition can be written aswhere is the total deformation vector, is the initial clearance vector before load, and is the residual clearance vector after load.
The gear deformation consists of global deformation and local contact deformation. The global deformation increases linearly with the increased applied force, and the local contact deformation increases nonlinear with the increased applied force. Thus, the total deformation vector can be written aswhere is the global deformation flexibility matrix of potential contact points, is the force vector of potential contact points, is the local contact deformation vector.
The matrix form of the deformation compatibility condition at each meshing position can be written as
After load, when the load at the potential contact point is larger than zero, it means that the two mating tooth surfaces have come into contact at this potential contact point, and the residual clearance at this potential contact point is zero. When the load at the contact point is equal to zero, it means that the two tooth surfaces have not come into contact at this potential contact point and the residual clearance at this potential contact point is larger than zero. The judging condition can be written as
For each engagement position, the summation of the loads on all arranged contact points should be equal to the normal meshing force. It can be expressed aswhere is an identity matrix with order.
2.3. Global Deformation and Local Contact Deformation
When the efficient LTCA model is established, it is very important and necessary to calculate the global deformation flexibility matrix of potential contact points on gear tooth surfaces. In the published works, finite-element substructure technology combined with a two-dimensional difference method is employed to calculate the global deformation flexibility matrix. This approach needs to establish three-dimensional finite-element models of the pinion and wheel, respectively, and the calculation is time consuming. In this section, combing the potential energy method and thin slice method, the determination method of the global deformation flexibility matrix of potential contact points is proposed.
Both the pinion and wheel are discretized into a series of gear slices along gear width. The sliced gear model and geometric parameters of gear slices are shown in Figure 5. When the normal meshing force acts on the gear tooth surface, the deformation of the gear slice can be divided into bending deformation, shear deformation, axial compression deformation, gear body deformation, and local contact deformation . The first four types of deformations increase linearly with the increased normal meshing force, and the local contact deformation changes nonlinearly with the variation of normal meshing force .
The potential energy of bending deformation of the gear tooth under load can be determined using
The potential energy of shear deformation of the gear tooth under load can be determined using
The potential energy of axial compression deformation of the gear tooth under load can be determined usingwhere and are Young’s modulus and shear modulus of the gears and denotes the area moment of inertia and area of the section where the distance between the section and the acting point of the normal meshing force is . The values of these parameters can be determined using
, , and can be calculated using
When the normal meshing force acts on one gear, the elastic deformation of gear body can be determined using where and are shown in Figure 5. The coefficients , , , and can be determined usingwhere refers to , , , and and . The values of , , , , , and can be found in the published work .
Hence, the deformation flexibility of gear body can be calculated using
When the bending deformation flexibility, shear flexibility, and axial compression flexibility of the pinion and wheel are determined, the global deformation flexibility can be determined usingwhere denotes to pinion and wheel.
The local contact deformation of each contact point can be determined using where is the normal force acting on the potential contact point , is length of equivalent contact line of arranged contact point , and and are shown in Figure 6. is the half width of contact along the normal direction of contact line, and it can be calculated bywhere and are the elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio of the material and and are the curvature radii of the pinion and wheel.
2.4. Comparison between the Efficient LTCA Model and the Published Model
Taking a helical gear pair as an example, the mesh stiffness of the gear pair is calculated using the presented model in this section, and the obtained results are compared with those calculated using the ISO 6336 standard. Under different load conditions, the STE fluctuations of the gear pair with modifications obtained from different models are also compared. The basic parameters of the gear pair are given in Table 1. When the helical gear pair is unmodified, the comparison of mesh stiffness obtained from different methods is shown in Table 2. It can be seen that the mean mesh stiffness value obtained from the proposed method agrees well with that obtained from the ISO 6336 standard.
When the tooth surface of the pinion is modified with a profile crown of 20 μm and lead crown of 10 μm, the STE fluctuations of the modified helical gear pair under different normal meshing force conditions are shown in Figure 7. It can be seen that, with the increase of normal meshing force, the STE fluctuation of the modified helical gear pair shows a complex variation tendency of “decrease-increase-decrease-linearly increase.” The numerical results obtained from the presented model agree well with those calculated using the published model . Besides, it is unnecessary to establish the three-dimensional finite-element model of gear pairs; thus, the calculation efficiency of the normal flexibility matrix of arranged contact points on the gear tooth surface is greatly improved.
2.5. Multiobjective Optimization Model of Combined Tooth Surface Modification
Mesh misalignment is common and inevitable, and it is difficult to measure accurately; thus, it is not appropriate to consider the mesh misalignment as a constant value in the tooth surface modification design. The tolerance range of mesh misalignment should be considered. In order to make the combined tooth surface modification to have good robustness to mesh misalignment, two objective functions need to be defined. The first objective function is to minimize the expectation of STE fluctuations in the tolerance range of mesh misalignment, and the another objective function is to minimize the variance of STE fluctuations in the tolerance range of mesh misalignment. The multiobjective optimization model of combined tooth surface modification can be expressed aswhere and refer to the expectation and variance of STE fluctuations, respectively, and are the amount of profile modification, and are the amount and length of lead modification, and and are the amount and length of bias modification.
A combination of the efficient LTCA model and NSGA-II algorithm is constructed to solve the multiobjective optimization mathematical model. The detailed flow chart is shown in Figure 8. Firstly, gear parameters, normal meshing force, and mesh misalignment tolerance are introduced, and 6 design variables for the multiobjective optimization model are defined to determine the modified tooth surface. Secondly, the maximum number of generations is set to 200, and the initial population size is also equal to 200. The initial population of combined modification parameters is generated, and the expectation and variance of STE fluctuations of all the individuals are calculated fast using the efficient LTCA model in consideration of mesh misalignment tolerance. The offspring population can be obtained by selection, crossover, and mutation. Here, the Gaussian mutation operator is adopted. Then, the populations of the two generations are combined to perform fast nondominated sorting, and the suitable individuals are selected to form a new parent population. The procedure is repeated until the current number of generations reaches the maximum number. Finally, the Pareto frontier solutions of combined modification parameters are output.
3. Dynamic Model of a Helical Gear Pair with Tooth Surface Modification and Mesh Misalignment
Considering 3 translational and 1 rotational degrees of freedom for each gear, the dynamic model of a helical gear pair is established using a lumped parameter method, as shown in Figure 9. and are the rotational centers of the pinion and wheel, and and are the base circles of the two gears. is the helix angle of base circle, is the transverse pressure angle, is the phase angle of installation, and and are the input and output torques.
The generalized coordinate vector of a helical gear pair can be defined as
The relative displacement of the mating gear teeth along the normal line of action can be calculated usingwhere
The motion equations for a helical gear pair can be written aswhere and are the mass and inertial of gears, is mesh damping, and and are TVMS and composite mesh error in consideration of tooth surface modification and mesh misalignment.
Considering the gear mesh excitations, the matrix form of the motion equations for a helical gear pair can be written aswhere and are the mass matrix and damping matrix of the system, is the external force vector, and and are the TVMS and composite mesh error considering gear modification and mesh misalignment.
4. Results and Discussion
In this section, the variation of TDMS and STE of the unmodified helical gear pairs under different mesh misalignment conditions is investigated at first. Then, a similar investigation for the modified helical gear pairs is conducted. Finally, in order to show the robustness of the vibration level of modified helical gear pairs to mesh misalignment, the DTE and DBF of modified helical gear pairs at various mesh misalignment conditions are discussed.
4.1. TDMS and STE of Unmodified Gear Pairs with Mesh Misalignment
When the mesh misalignment is 25 μm, the TDMS and STE curves under different normal meshing force conditions are shown in Figures 10 and 11. It can be observed that the TDMS value of helical gear pairs increases with the increase of normal meshing force. When the load is relatively small, the curve shapes of TDMS change greatly. When the normal meshing force is larger than 25000 N, the curve shapes of TDMS do not change anymore with the increase of normal meshing force. The TDMS values increase slightly because the local contact deformation is nonlinearly related to the normal meshing force. With the increase of normal meshing force, the STE fluctuation values increase gradually. The fluctuation values of STE decrease first and then increase with the increase of meshing force.
When the normal meshing force is 20000 N, the TDMS, STE, and load distribution of the unmodified helical gear pair under different mesh misalignment conditions are given in Figures 12–14. It can be observed that the curve shapes of TDMS of helical gear pairs remain constant when mesh misalignment is relatively small, and only the values change slightly. This is because the contact patterns reach the full tooth surface, as shown in Figures 14(a) and 14(b). When the mesh misalignment is relatively large, with the increase in mesh misalignment, the TDMS values decrease obviously and the curve shapes change irregularly because of the appearance of partial contact loss, as shown in Figures 14(c) and 14(d). With the increase in mesh misalignment, the STE values of helical gear pairs increase significantly, and the fluctuation values of STE also increase gradually.
4.2. Pareto Frontier Solutions and the Modified Tooth Surface
When the normal meshing force of the helical gear pair is 30000 N and the tolerance region of mesh misalignment is from −50 μm to 50 μm, the evolution process of obtained results for combined tooth surface modification parameters is shown in Figure 15. It can be observed that when the number of generation is larger than 100, the distribution of obtained solutions are very close to each other. The final Pareto frontier solutions and the selected solution of tooth surface modification parameters are given in Figure 15(d). For the selected modification parameters, the amount of profile modification is 100 μm, the length of profile modification is 7.7 mm, the amount of lead modification is 57 μm, the length of lead modification is 15.4 mm, the amount of bias modification is 68 μm, and the length of bias modification is 21.9 mm. The corresponding expectation of STE fluctuations is 0.9411 μm, and the variation of STE fluctuations is 0.0135 μm2.
4.3. TDMS and STE of Modified Gear Pairs with Mesh Misalignment
When the normal meshing force is 30000 N, the TDMS curves of modified helical gear pairs under different mesh misalignment conditions are shown in Figure 16. It can be seen that the curve shapes of modified helical gear pairs are very different from the one of unmodified gears. For the combined tooth surface modification, the curve shape of TDMS changes to a certain extent with the variation of mesh misalignment, but the mean value and peak-to peak values of TDMS change very little. When the mesh misalignment is relatively large, the mean value of TDMS tends to decrease slightly owing to the more serious partial contact loss.
When the mesh misalignment changes in the tolerance region, the comparison of STE fluctuations between modified helical gear pairs with the unmodified one is shown in Figure 17. It can be observed that the combined tooth surface modification not only reduces the STE fluctuation value of helical gear pairs under an ideal meshing condition but also reduces the STE fluctuation values significantly in the whole tolerance region of mesh misalignment. This means that the helical gear system can maintain a low vibration level when the meshing condition is within the tolerance range of mesh misalignment.
4.4. DTE of Modified Helical Gear Pairs with Mesh Misalignment
When the normal meshing force is 30000 N, the root mean square (RMS) values of DTE of unmodified and modified helical gear pairs under different input speed conditions with the variation of the mesh misalignment condition are shown in Figure 18. It can be seen that the vibration of the unmodified helical gear system becomes large obviously with the increase in mesh misalignment. When the mesh misalignment is 80 μm, the resonance speed of the system is lower than that under other mesh misalignment conditions. This is because the phenomenon of partial contact loss becomes more serious with the increase of mesh misalignment. In this situation, the introduced error excitations have much more contributions to the vibration level of the system. However, it can also be observed that the vibration level of the modified gear system is much weaker than that of the unmodified one. Also, with the changes of the mesh misalignment condition, the vibration level changes very little in most of the input speed conditions. It means that the designed tooth surface modification shows good robustness to mesh misalignment tolerance.
In this paper, three types of tooth surface modification methods are combined, and a multiobjective optimization mathematical model of tooth surface modification parameters is established in consideration of mesh misalignment tolerance. By constructing a combination of an efficient LTCA model and NSGA-II algorithm, the Pareto frontier solutions of modification parameters are obtained. Comprehensively considering mesh misalignment tolerance and designed tooth surface modification, the mesh excitations and vibration responses of the gear pair are investigated in detail. The main conclusions are summarized as follows:(1)For a modified helical gear pair, the STE fluctuation values obtained from the presented model always agree well with those from the published model under different load conditions(2)There is one solution of tooth surface modification parameters to make both the expectation and variance of STE fluctuations small when the mesh misalignment tolerance is considered(3)When the mesh misalignment varies within a wide tolerance region, the designed tooth surface modification can make the helical gear system always work in low vibration level
The data used to support the findings of this study are included within the article.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
This paper was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 52005382) and Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi (grant no. 2020JQ-807).
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Malaysian Food Fest (MFF) Kuala Lumpur Selangor ends today. The time just flies in July. Throughout the MFF events (started almost a year ago), I’ve learnt many new dishes from all the states in Malaysia. It is very common that there is similiarity of the dishes between the states, either influenced, begged or borrowed, and morphed over time. This is same with KL Selangor. MFF is all about celebrating the food culture of each state.
The food culture in KL Selangor is so diverse that it’s a bit challenging because the food there has evolved from the amalgamation of influences from all over Malaysia due to the high migration. I am glad so many of you accepted the challenge and joined in the fun with a total of 46 submissions! Bravo and a BIG BIG thank you to everyone who have participated. There’s so many Lohanguo drinks enough to give a good brain freeze and drool at all yummy noodle dishes.
Starters, Snacks and Appetisers
Staples & One Dish Meals
Dessert & Kuih
Now head on over to the last month of MFF – Perak Food Fest, another state filled with tons of amazing local delicacies!

domain: food


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I’ve been curious about the Island of Grand Manan since a Mars bar commercial years ago about renovating their local arena. Seriously. So, I guess advertising works, even if it takes 10 years.
The chance finally arrived and we jumped! There are two different ships ferrying people to and from the Island. We were aboard the ‘Grand Manan V’ traveling to Grand Manan. There was plenty of seating with a lunch counter with real, home cooked meals. While exploring the outside decks a crew member noticed the kiddos and asked
Continue reading “A Grand Ole Time in Grand Manan, NB”
This past Christmas we gave our kids a trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls instead of a gaggle of gifts. Christmas morning arrived and they were delighted with their small gifts and started planning what they were going to do first when we got to the water park. Every morning Isaac would come roaring into our room, screaming the number of days left on the countdown.
The day finally arrived and we struck out bright and early so we could cram in as much time in the water park as possible. We checked in and strapped on our fancy dancy bracelets.
Continue reading “Great Wolf Lodge: Splashing Through the Winter”
In early August we were able to sneak away for a last minute getaway to St. Andrews By-The-Sea. If you didn’t catch the first post about our getaway, be sure to check it out here.
After an exciting day filled with Starfish and Seals, we enjoyed a giant slice of pizza at a seaside park. The kids ran amok on the rock beach searching for treasure while we waited for our whale watching adventure aboard The Jolly Breeze to begin.
With the kids outfitted in their pirate hats and eye patches,
Continue reading “St. Andrews, NB: Tall Ships, Taller Tales”
It was the end of July and we were deep into the dog days of summer. Our original summer plans were rescheduled and we were getting antsy to strike out and find some adventure. I pulled out the Google box and started to search for somewhere to explore with the kids. I came across the town of St. Andrews in New Brunswick which billed itself as “Canada’s Premier Seaside Resort”. After perusing their site I quickly decided that this is where we would go. It was only 13 hours from our door and seemed super family friendly.
Continue reading “St. Andrews, NB: Starfish, Seals and Seaside Fun!”
We were able to sneak away for a last minute escape to Lockeport, Nova Scotia this Spring. On our way back home to Ontario, we had the chance to make a couple of stops.
Like every 5 year old I’ve ever known, my little guy loves all things dinosaur, so we headed to the Fundy Geological Museum and Joggins Cliffs Fossil Centre. While looking for a place to stay in between the two, a few spots popped up including the Cape D’Or Lighthouse in Advocate Harbour. I’m a certified lighthouse junkie and staying at a lighthouse has long been on my bucket list.
Continue reading “Cape D’Or: Rugged and Unplugged”
“It’s delightful when your imaginations come true, isn’t it?”
– L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
We were able to make a last minute escape to Nova Scotia this past April and since the opportunity was there I wanted to make a couple of stops on the way back home to Ontario. I was on the fence about making the detour to Prince Edward Island but I am so grateful that we did.
I took a leap and booked a room at Dalvay-by-the Sea. It’s long been a dream of mine to be a guest at the “White Sands”.
Continue reading “Springtime in PEI: Province of Endless Imagination”
Wandering around a Maple Syrup festival is about as “Canadian” as, well…a Maple Syrup festival.
We took advantage of one of the first warm and sunny days of the year and ventured out to Maple Fest at McLean Berry Farm in Buckhorn, Ontario. The sun, nature and exercise are exactly what our family needed after a long winter. While we have managed to spend more time outdoors this year, I’ll still be pretty happy to give the old man Winter the old heave ho.
Continue reading “Maple Fun at MapleFest!”
The Illumination of Niagara Falls has been amazing visitors for more than a century. Each time we are there, my husband and I sit in our hotel room, looking out onto the falls and hypothesize how it all works. Are the lights behind it? In front? It is automated? How many lights? How did it start? Continue reading “Niagara Falls: Just How Do They Light Up The Falls?”
My name is Allison and I unintentionally lie to my husband and children every November, without fail.
Allow me to set the scene. It’s mid-November, the leaves have all fallen off of the trees, the days are shorter and getting greyer by the second. I grab my giant cup of coffee and proudly announce that this-this is the year I am going to enjoy winter! We’re going to learn to snowshoe and cross-country ski and enjoy all of the parks that are open around us. Then, before I know it it’s mid-January and I’m spending my spare moments wrapped in my Snuggie, Continue reading “The Beauty and the Brrrr: 5 Niagara Falls Attractions for Your Family This Winter”
In the words of everybody’s favourite medical professional, Dr. Seuss
“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”
My mother was an elementary school teacher with a great love for children’s books. I so fondly recall crawling up on to her lap in the giant, wooden rocking chair while we uncovered the latest adventures of Curious George and Amelia Bedelia.
Lucky for us Canada also has a long list of entertaining and engaging children’s literature to broaden the imagination of our nation’s youngest readers. There is no feeling quite like Continue reading “Kids CanLit for Christmas! Explore Canada With Your Little Readers Through These Sweet Books”

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|PS3 / XBOX 360||USA|
By Ishaan . November 9, 2011 . 5:00pm
Something else to note is that Famitsu magazine reports that downloadable versions of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection won’t be hitting Xbox Live Arcade until mid 2012. You can find download dates for the Japanese PlayStation Network in this post.

domain: game


With a superstorm and major election in the national rearview mirror, Americans can be forgiven if they aren’t exactly prepared for a feast — or flight — on Thursday. Yes, this Thursday. Thanksgiving arrives earlier than usual this year and although hotels have been dangling deals, travelers appear to have been taken by surprise. [Source: Miami Herald]
» South Florida hotels enjoyed a strong October
» Florida airports project higher holiday traffic this year
» Charities have turkeys, need other foods for holiday meals
» Central Florida auto show in convention center over Thanksgiving weekend
» Long lines hitting holiday travelers early
Seven years ago while they were still in their 20s, Chad Kittrell, a bank executive at the time, and J.T. Burnette, an entrepreneur, founded private equity firm Hunter & Harp in Tallahassee. Since that time, the two have launched a half-dozen Tallahassee businesses, invested $30 million in completed projects, put another $16 million worth in the pipeline and created nearly 1,000 jobs. Full story...
Private equity firm Sun Capital Partners wants to buy bankrupt bakery Hostess Brands Inc. Read the full story at Fortune. Additionally, a Sarasota investment company said Monday it plans to make a multimillion bid for the Hostess bakery line, which includes iconic brands such as Wonder Bread and Twinkies snack food. Read more at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Gov. Rick Scott called Monday for his chief inspector general to expand an investigation to determine whether firings at last-resort insurer Citizens were retaliatory to cover up internal misconduct. Scott’s letter to Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel said he was already troubled by the company’s disbanding of its corporate integrity unit, but a Citizens audit committee report “raised new concerns.” [Source: Palm Beach Post]
The 2012-13 Florida citrus season opened with higher grapefruit, orange and tangerine volume. However, the state expects a 17% drop in navel production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Oct. 11 first-season forecast. [Source: The Packer]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› South Florida home resales and prices rise in October [Miami Herald]
More good news for South Florida’s beleaguered housing market. The median price for an existing single-family home in Miami-Dade rose 5.8 percent to $185,000 in October from a year earlier, underscoring the recovery in the housing market is well rooted.
› Down economy drives up number of Collier cab companies [Naples Daily News]
Collier County is crawling with more companies running taxi, limousine and shuttle services, with the number of licensed operators at a five-year high.
› In-school credit union branch teaches teens about money [Miami Herald]
Claudey Gustave, a senior at Booker T. Washington High School, always had an affinity for business and dreamed of running his own company. But he was not sure what area of business he wanted to pursue. Then his high school partnered with the Dade County Federal Credit Union and his path was made clear.
› Facing move, classic car museum pleads its case [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
After almost 60 years at the site on Tamiami Trail in North Sarasota, the Sarasota Classic Car Museum has been told by New College, which owns the property, that after June it will have to park its collection of more than 75 classic automobiles somewhere else.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› After career change, young Polk executive is flying high [Lakeland Ledger]
Jeff Kincart says running a business is a lot like flying a plane. It's not surprising he thinks that way. Kincart was once on track for a career as a pilot before changing course and joining the family business at A-C-T.
› Financing for new Rays stadium equal on both sides of Tampa Bay [Tampa Bay Times]
Potential financing for a new baseball stadium is about equal on both sides of Tampa Bay, a chamber of commerce study group announced Monday in a new report. The Bay Area Baseball Finance Summary says that about $350-million would be available from a number of sources in either county.
› FPL says rate deal would allow Florida to be more competitive with other states [Palm Beach Post]
more competitive with utilities in other states under a proposed base rate increase settlement, an FPL official said Monday. Renae Deaton, FPL’s senior manager of rate design, was among the first witnesses as the Florida Public Service Commission began hearing testimony in the proposed settlement.
› New state committee to help implement health care law [Orlando Sentinel]
A new panel of senators will be appointed to deal with the state's implementation of President Barack Obama's health care law. Incoming Senate President Don Gaetz, who will be sworn in this morning, announced the committee Monday in a memo to lawmakers without further comment.


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DEI can not be lumped in with CRT, and you shouldn't be making business decisions on media buzzwords. DEI is not meant to be a political agenda.
Clearing up state-made hurdles with barrier-breaking federal laws
2017-2022 marked a period of tremendous advancements in federal legislation supporting and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.
- A 2017 Supreme Court ruling instructed states to assign same-sex couples and heterosexual couples the same parental rights.
- In 2020 the house passed the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act to protect gay and transgender individuals from discrimination not only in the workplace but also when seeking housing, within public accommodations and in many other situations if passed into law.
- 2022’s Respect for Marriage Act recognizes same-sex and interracial marriages under federal law.
Even with these sweeping changes in support of equality and inclusiveness for all under the law, variability in state-level execution of these very protections has left LGBTQ+ individuals very much unprotected. For every landmark decision and change in the direction of ending discrimination, there are a dozen more state judicial rulings, and state legislative bills that are keen to “other” the LGBTQ+ population. These state-supported bans, bills, and laws work to build barriers and deny LGBTQ+ persons the same rights afforded to everyone else.
Not everyone is of a New York state of mind
We live in a nation where states are free to implement and interpret federal legislation in their own time, in their own way. Citizens in dense, metropolitan areas can easily take for granted that progressive, inclusive thinking is a mainstay when it is not. L.A. and Manhattan mindsets are not the rule, but in comparison to the worldview in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, they are the exception. With bans denying gender-affirming healthcare, bills attacking gender nonconforming and “don’t say gay” laws prohibiting the mention of gender identity in elementary schools, it is no surprise when queer persons struggle to bring their whole self to work every day.
Workplace discrimination still exists in 2023
Despite the 2020 Supreme Court decision prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, there is no societal consensus on the rights and protections guaranteed to queer people at work or in the community. As many as half of LGBTQ+ workers self-report being closeted at work potentially avoiding the application process discrimination, microaggressions and limited growth opportunities experienced by the other half of workers who are out. The workplace becomes a microcosm of the nation with well-meaning supporters not realizing the laws and rights and assumptions afforded to cis-gendered persons do not seamlessly apply to their queer co-workers.
This “othered” status brings with it barriers that heterosexual persons do not encounter or generally have to consider. When measuring diversity, equity and inclusion in your organization, make sure you measure how sexual orientation and gender identity matter so you can develop strategies that address employee needs.
Barriers to LGBTQ+ progress are everywhere
Outside of the workplace, this “othered” status continues within judgments and legislation designed to create barriers to LGBTQ+ progress in many areas including healthcare, student athletics, public performance venues, public education and parental rights.
Trans adults are treated as minors
Young adults as old as 26 would be denied gender-affirming healthcare procedures through an Oklahoma proposal that would also deny Medicare coverage for transition-related procedures. 18 is the age of adulthood in most states, with 21 being widely acknowledged as an adult in the U.S. Meanwhile young adult trans individuals in Oklahoma risk being refused hormone therapies, and reassignment procedures in their home state should the bill pass. This is yet another example of the concerns of LGBTQ+ persons being “othered” rather than being granted the same consideration, accessibility and permissions as any other adult’s healthcare concerns.
Transgender youth are trapped on the sidelines.
In recent years 18 states have banned transgender youth participation in team sports for teams aligned with their gender identity and not their sex at birth. The difference between an inclusive and motivating high school sports experience for these kids literally comes down to state lines.
Drag Brunch is canceled
A Tennessee bill seeks to make public drag performances a misdemeanor, allegedly as a means to protect children from public displays of sexually explicit content. Similarly, a bill in Arizona requires all drag performance spaces to be zoned as adult performance venues. These bills are written in such broad-based language that they threaten the safety of anyone gender non-conforming. The bill defines a drag performer in part as “a person who dresses in clothing and uses makeup and other physical markers opposite of the person’s gender at birth to exaggerate gender signifiers and roles…” This broad definition could apply to a drag performer but also a gender-fluid individual or transgender person. Bills of this nature invite violence, harassment and identity shaming of any queer person minding their business in a public space.
Don’t say gay spoils the school day
Florida has made waves with the parental rights in education law (commonly known as the “don’t say gay bill”). Any mention of gender identity or sexual orientation is prohibited in K-3 classrooms, leaving many children of LGBTQ+ families, and LGBTQ+ teachers feeling unsafe and disrespected. As a result, Florida has seen thousands of teaching positions unfilled and many residents considering relocating in search of the respect and safety they’re denied in Florida.
Three is a family, Four is a crowd
In February 2023 an Oklahoma lesbian woman lost custody of her son to his biological parents, who jointly petitioned for custody of the child. The situation is a unique one, where all three parties identify as LGBTQ+ but in the absence of legally established parental rights (adoption), the non-biological mother (previously married to the biological mother) lost to state law. Most states allow the assumption of parentage of children born within marriage even when sperm banks or egg donors are used. Oklahoma is not “most states’ and lacks adequate case law to support this popular assumption. The Oklahoma judge interpreted federal and state law choosing to assign all parents the same rights on the basis of biology, and not marital status. All three parties; two married (now divorced) women and their `known sperm donor” were regarded as the child’s parents. For custody purposes, they represented a family unit not recognized by Oklahoma law. And in the face of divorce, the non-biological mother was “othered,” and denied custody moving forward for lack of a precedent.
The Equality Act: Real change just within reach
Broad strokes of change abound at the federal level, but the implementation and internalization of change do not happen overnight. The passing of legislation like the Equality Act will provide national law prohibiting LGBTQ+ employment discrimination, healthcare discrimination, public space discrimination and “othering” as it pertains to eligibility for federally funded programs. Many of the anti-LGBTQ+ state-sponsored bills and laws detailed above will hold no weight against federal policy if passed.
Your Work Culture: Where you can make a real difference
Unfortunately, discrimination continues in the community and in the workplace as most people are not fully considering the multi-dimensional identities of their LGBTQ counterparts, leading to generalizations, assumptions and insensitive behavior.
A work culture that strives to create inclusive spaces that give voice and audience to anyone who has ever felt “othered,” is the goal. A world that is committed to equity and inclusion for each and every one of us is the dream. Many of us are making great strides toward these goals, but as a nation, we are far from living the dream.
Some of the ways you can support your LGBTQ+ employees include:
- Updating your policies to ensure they are inclusive of and address employee needs
- Leadership, communications, and policies should all use inclusive language
- Include LGBTQ+ cultural competency training (here is an excellent PDF example of an HRC training for EMTs)
- Encourage employees to use pronouns in their email signature lines
Read more about LGBTQ+ Equity and Inclusion: A Work in Progress and continue working towards building an inclusive culture where we can all feel valued.
- ABC News, “House Passes Historic Marriage Equality Bill,” Peller & Hutzler, December 2022.
- Center for American Progress, “What You Need to Know About the Equality Act,” Santos, Medina & Gruberg, March 2021.
- Footwear News, “Pride Month: How Companies Are Bringing the LGBTQ Community Into the DEI Discussion,” Nikara Johns, June 2021.
- NBC News, “With over 100 anti-LGBTQ bills before state legislatures in 2023 so far, activists say they’re ‘fired up’,” Jo Yurcaba, January 2023.
- The Oklahoman, “OKC woman loses custody battle to ex-wife and the child’s sperm-donor biological father,” Jana Hayes, February 2023.
- Work Shield, “What DEI in the Workplace Means to LGBTQ Employees,” Jared Pope, June 2021.

domain: law


text:
The lowest-priced, brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable).Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag.See details for additional description.
An understanding of current trauma imaging concepts is essential for all medical personnel involved in the care of trauma patients where the outcome may depend on a rapid assessment of the nature and severity of injuries, allowing appropriate medical management and surgical or non-surgical intervention.
Dr Leonard J King MB ChB FRCP FRCR, Consultant Radiologist, Clinical Lead for Trauma and Orthopaedic imaging at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust and former Consultant Adviser in Radiology to the British Army. Professor David C Wherry MD FACS FRCS LRCP DMCC, Department of Surgery, USUHS (Uniformed Services of the University of Health Sciences), Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Professor Wherry is a trauma surgeon with the US armed services. He is a renowned educator and teaches courses at the Royal College of Surgeons in London.
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Date of Publication
Medicine: Textbooks & Study Guides
eBay Product ID (ePID)
Place of Publication
Country of Publication
Wiley-Blackwell (an imprint of John Wiley & Sons Ltd)

domain: medical


text:
Otago Commerce and Arts Fees Set to Rise
The President of the Otago University Students' Association, Steve Day, chose to release confidential information from the Otago University Council indicating that Commerce and Humanities students would face significant fee increases next year.
“It is important that students have a chance to prepare for this probability.” Stated Steve Day. “Many students can only barely afford to come to University at the moment. Further fees may prevent them from doing so. They need to know whether this is the choice they face now rather than in mid-December when most will have left town and be working to save for a degree they could not realistically afford.”
“University has always argued in the past that fees only ever attempted to cover the shortfall of Government under-funding. Council needs now to be strong enough to stick to that principle and resist the temptation to switch to a model of competition with other Universities.”
The document indicates that the University has received increased funding has not been evenly distributed across all departments and that Commerce and Humanities would probably face the brunt of the new funding structure.
“While the Government is clearly to blame for the blatant under- funding of tertiary education the Council is yet again failing to act as a strong critic and conscience of such a morally bankrupt Government.” Said Steve Day.

domain: news


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Exclusive Photo Coverage: The MATILDA Kids Celebrate Christmas with Carols For A Cure!
Christmas might be over, but that doesn't mean it's too late for "Broadway's Carols for a Cure, Volume 17"! This 2-disc, annual CD of original and traditional holiday music features stars and casts from the current Broadway line-up, and benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. "Broadway's Carols for a Cure, Volume 17" can be ordered for only $25 through BC/EFA at broadwaycares.org or by calling (212) 840-0770 x238 Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST. Volumes from previous seasons are available, too.
Throughout the holiday season, BroadwayWorld will be bringing you our exclusive photo coverage from inside the recording room. Below, go behind the scenes with the company of MATILDA as they record "A Crunchem Hall Christmas."
The CDs will also be sold at participating Broadway and off-Broadway shows in New York during the six-week "Gypsy of the Year" fundraising period, which runs through December 6th. Additionally, the CDs are available at select venues throughout the U.S., including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
The CD presents a wide variety of selections, featuring soloists Kelli O'Hara, Ashley Park, Ruthie Ann Miles, Beth Malone, Joel Perez, Lauren Patten, Marrick Smith, Kally Duling, Jim Stanek, Amra-Faye Wright, Leslie Odom, Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Chilina Kennedy, Jarrod Spector, Perez Hilton, James Snyder, James Barbour, Rachel Zatcoff, Arielle Jacobs, Catherine Walker, Chris McCarrell, Wallace Smith, Brennyn Lark, Mary Page Nance, Jonathan Ritter, Kevin Worley, Kristie Kerwin, Ian Knauer, Alan H. Green, Mykal Kilgore, Dennis Stowe, Elizabeth Ward Land, Tom Hewitt, Rachael Ferrera, Toni Elizabeth White, Douglas Baldeo, Graham Montgomery, Jeremy T. Villas and Jonah Halperin.
Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy
Rob Jacoby (Flute)
Jim Henshman (Guitar) and David Holcenberg (Musical Director and Piano)
Eric Weidman (Clarinet)
Deborah Abramson (Composer)
Jeanne LaBlanc (Cello)
Whitney LaGrance (Viola)
Jonathan Dinklage (Violin)
Rachel Golub (Violin)

domain: artistic


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Frailty is important in diabetes management but its impact on the cardiovascular (CV) effectiveness of SGLT-2i and GLP-1 RA as used in routine care is unexplored. Using Medicare claims data, we identified three pairwise 1:1 propensity score (PS) matched cohorts of people with type 2 diabetes who initiated a SGLT-2i, a GLP-1 RA, or a DPP-4i between 04/2013-12/2018. The primary outcome was a composite of major adverse CV events (MACE) including acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, or all-cause mortality. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) and absolute rate differences (RD) per 1`000 person-years, with their 95% CI, in each PS-matched cohort by level of frailty, using a validated claims-based frailty index (3 strata: non-frail, <0.15; pre-frail, 0.15-0.24; frail, ≥0.25) , controlling for >150 baseline covariates. We used the Wald test for homogeneity to assess treatment heterogeneity across strata. The HR for MACE associated with SGLT-2i vs. DPP4i (n=91`141 PS-matched pairs) was 0.82 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.93) in frail, 0.71 (0.67 to 0.75) in pre-frail, and 0.78 (0.71 to 0.86) in non-frail people (p for homogeneity=0.033) . The HR for MACE associated with GLP-1 RA vs. DPP4i (n=90`988 pairs) was 0.84 (0.76 to 0.93) in frail, 0.77 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.81) in pre-frail, and 0.82 (0.74 to 0.91) in non-frail people (p for h.=0.150) . The HR for MACE associated with SGLT-2i versus GLP-1 RA (n=67`067 pairs) was 0.87 (0.75 to 1.01) in frail, 0.93 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.01) in pre-frail, and 0.90 (0.79 to 1.03) in non-frail people (p for h.=0.692) . Compared to DPP-4i, the absolute benefit of either SGLT-2i or GLP-1 RA was largest in frail people [RD, -25.0 (-42.1 to -7.9) , p for h.<0.001, NNT=20; and RD, -24.9 (-39.0 to -10.7) , p for h.<0.001, NNT=21; respectively]. While, compared to DPP4i, SGLT-2i and GLP-1 RA were associated with similar relative risk reductions in MACE among people with and without frailty, their absolute benefits were largest in frail people.
A.Kutz: Research Support; Novo Nordisk. C.Gopalakrishnan: None. D.H.Kim: None. E.Patorno: Research Support; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, National Institutes of Health, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
National Institute on Aging (K08AG055670)

domain: literature


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Acacia nudiflora Willd.
Acacia rohriana DC.
Mimosa muricata L.
Mimosa nigricans Vahl
Senegalia muricata (L.) Britton & Rose
Acacia muricata is a small deciduous tree with a thin, open crown; it can grow up to 10 metres tall, perhaps taller. The bole can be up to 15cm in diameter[
The tree is sometimes used as a substitute for Leucaena leucocephala where that species is affected by psyllids. It is also sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Moist forests at elevations up to 330 metres[
|Other Uses Rating||
|Cultivation Status||Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild
The plant flowers intermittently throughout the year, the fruits are persistent[
An alternative to Leucaena leucocephala (Lamk) de Wit where the latter is affected by psyllids[
]. These uses are as follows:-
Plants are sometimes used in re-reforestation projects[
]. It is a fast growing plant with an extensive root system and has been used in land reclamation, for preventing soil erosion and as a shade plant for coffee crops[
]. It thrives on steep slopes and in marginal areas with extended dry seasons, making it a prime candidate for restoring forest cover, watersheds and grasslands[
An aggressive taproot system helps break up compacted subsoil layers, improving the penetration of moisture into the soil and decreasing surface runoff[
Leucaena was one of the first species to be used for the production of green manure in alley-cropping systems. The leaves, even with moderate yields, contain more than enough nitrogen to sustain a maize crop[
]. The finely divided leaves decompose quickly, providing a rapid, short-term influx of nutrients[
]. It has even been suggested that the leaves decompose too rapidly, resulting in leaching of nutrients away from the crop-rooting zone before they are taken up by the crop[
]. This also means that they have little value as mulch for weed control[
]. The tree has the potential to renew soil fertility and could be particularly important in slash-and-burn cultivation, as it greatly reduces the fallow period between crops[
The heartwood is reddish-brown, the sapwood light brown. The wood is hard, heavy, strong and durable[
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

domain: agronomy


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Big is celebrated in many ways because it often equates to success. Big farming often gets a bad rap, but farms often grow in size to sustain more family members. Big doesn’t mean that a farm isn’t a family business. This video was taken at the event titled "Lights, Camera, Food: Perceptions and Realities of Farming and Ranching in America," The event took place June 20-21.
Why are big farms often not considered family farms?
- Mexico dairy industry looking toward growth
- IDFA, NMPF urge states to keep restrictions on raw milk
- Coalition fears trade retaliation over COOL, including dairy
- Dairy producers continue FARM animal care practice adoption
- Dairy markets: Spot butter dips below $2/lb.
- Zoetis hires new marketing manager

domain: economics


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alphaspirit - Fotolia
A researcher has demonstrated an inexpensive iPhone hack that could help with future law enforcement investigations, but it is unclear if the process can be extended to newer iPhone models.
The iPhone hack uses NAND mirroring to clone the segment of the iPhone 5c that holds the unlock code and then brute-forces the password without being impeded by Apple's penalties for incorrect attempts. Forensic expert Jonathan Zdziarski presented the concept for this about six months ago, but Sergei Skorobogatov, senior research associate at the University of Cambridge in England, has completed the work for far less than the reported $1 million the FBI paid to crack the iPhone 5c used in the San Bernardino, Calif., attack.
Zdziarski said the NAND chip in the iPhone would need to be physically removed from the device, but he used a jailbroken iPhone to prove the concept. Skorobogatov spent four months working part time to create a NAND-mirroring prototype, which cost just $100.
Skorobogatov told SearchSecurity the most difficult part of the iPhone hack was reverse-engineering Apple's proprietary bus protocol.
"The hardest bit was to work out the proprietary communication protocol with NAND flash. This took half of the project time. Once it was figured out, the implementation of mirroring was relatively straightforward," Skorobogatov said. "For forensics applications, the most dangerous part would be taking the NAND chip off the board, because this operation could damage either the main [printed circuit board] or the NAND package."
Tim Erlin, senior director of IT security and risk strategy at Tripwire Inc., based in Portland, Ore., said the low cost of NAND mirroring could expand the number of threat actors capable of performing the attack.
"This attack was performed with easily accessible hardware and for about $100. While skills were required, this is well within the realm of attackers outside of government and nation states," Erlin said. "Attacks that are advanced very quickly become commoditized after they're published. Protecting from them when they're still theory or minimally available can prevent more significant compromise later on."
Peter Tran, general manager and senior director at RSA, the security division of Dell Technologies, noted a low cost for components does not mean less skill is needed.
"Although the practice of printed circuit board chip or component mirroring has been a longstanding practice in memory forensics, and with the steps for NAND mirroring appearing to be a straightforward process, in theory, the hack method is not trivial by any means to implement easily and quickly," Tran told SearchSecurity. "This technique is certainly not plug and play; even though the hardware material costs are low, the specialization and time required won't make NAND mirroring a universal, quick go-to in the near future."
The extent of the usefulness of a NAND-mirroring iPhone hack is also in question. Skorobogatov said he is planning to test the method on newer iPhones, but the Secure Enclave introduced with the iPhone 5s could mitigate the risk of this type of hack, depending "on how they store the data and whether any encryption at the physical level is involved in NAND communication."
Tran said the Secure Enclave should help, in theory.
"The Secure Enclave makes a clear distinction by design between the iPhone's open user zone, [or] what a user interacts with, and the secured zone -- trusted [or] secured execution -- compartmented for both hardware and software, which would, in theory, help prevent the tamper bleed-over from hacking hardware only via NAND mirroring," Tran said. "Essentially, it's an attempt to air gap within microprocessors."
Regardless of whether NAND mirroring could compromise newer iPhones, Liviu Arsene, senior e-threat researcher at Romania-based antimalware firm Bitdefender, suggested Apple should work more closely with security researchers.
"Apple has long since marched on the idea of privacy and that iPhones are as secure as possible. They've openly fought law enforcement on moral and privacy issues," Arsene said. "Recent events should enforce the notion that Apple needs to accept the help of security researchers when it comes to beefing up security against government or nation entities. If they weren't concerned until now, perhaps it would be a good time to start."
Learn more about the potential privacy and security fallout from the Apple-FBI battle.
Find out about the continuing cryptowars in the aftermath of Apple vs. the FBI.


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OE - GOOD - some minor replacement parts; metal smoothly rusted or lightly pitted in places, cleaned; principal lettering, numerals and design on metal legible; lightly scratched, bruised or minor cracks repaired; in good working order.
Per included Cody Firearms Records Office serial number confirmation Winchester records lists this rifle with an octagon barrel in .38-55 caliber, plain trigger and checkered pistol grip stock when received in the warehouse on November 27, 1894 and shipped on October 27, 1894. Dates as listed in the confirmation. The confirmation also notes the following for this rifle: "Second rifle-In warehouse October 27, 1894, Rifle, 38/55 caliber, Octagon barrel, Plain trigger" with "No shipping information" provided. This rifle is the first deluxe Model 1894 manufactured by Winchester and has the first style receiver.
There are currently no customer product questions on this lot

domain: history


Label: Unique Leader
Product Type: COMPACT DISCS
2020 release from Australian progressive death metal behemoths Xenobiotic. The follow up to their well-received debut full length, Prometheus, Mordrake finds the group delving further into the unrelentingly crushing technical brutality combined with sickening, ruinous atmospherics that has garnered them attention throughout the world. The new album is a calamitous, almost uncomfortably bleak listen. With Mordrake, Xenobiotic have proven that they are a limitlessly extreme band and not for the faint of heart. The 11 track album was recorded and mixed by Matthew Templeman (Make Them Suffer) with mastering by Simon Struthers at Forensic Audio. Artwork for the effort was done by Mariusz Lewandowski (Psycroptic, Bell Witch, Fuming Mouth).


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Fold the petals and nest layers. The folding is easier if you have a bone folder or a short ruler to score the petals.
DIY Poppy Flowers - crepe paper poppies (tutorial) - Nice step-by-step tutorial. Good idea for making a Memorial Day Remembrance Poppy.
How to make paper flowers step by step


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Nor enough light during the day may lead to not enough sleep at night.
Researchers at Monash University in Australia found that not getting enough natural sunlight each day has a direct impact on a person’s mood and sleep quality.
October 18, 2021
Research shows naps are no substitute for good sleep.
Scientists at the Michigan State University sleep lab found people who used short naps to make up for lack of sleep performed much worse in cognitive testing than those who got plenty of sleep in the first place.
August 16, 2021
College students can lower blood pressure and feel better with more sleep.
Researchers at Penn State found an increase of 43 minutes per night of sleep for college students in their study equated to a drop in systolic blood pressure of seven points.
May 24, 2021
During a good night's sleep is when your brain takes out the trash.
Researchers at Northwestern University found deep sleep has the power to clear waste from the brain.
February 01, 2021
A healthy gut microbiome may be important to healthy sleep.
Japanese researchers found mice with depleted gut bacteria had trouble producing serotonin which they believe led to difficulty sleeping.
January 18, 2021
If you have trouble with unwanted thoughts maybe you should improve your sleep.
Researchers have discovered lack of sleep significantly affects your ability to stop unpleasant and unwanted thoughts from entering your mind.
October 26, 2020
It seems insomnia can be reduced if you add a little weight to the problem.
Researchers in Sweden found study participants reported significantly reduced insomnia severity, better sleep maintenance, a higher daytime activity level, and reduced symptoms of fatigue, depression and anxiety when sleeping with a weighted chain blanket.
September 28, 2020
A new phenomenon is causing college students to lose sleep.
Research shows many students lose sleep because of a condition called nomophomia, which is the fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity.
September 04, 2020


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You can also use fish-friendly chemical response in the mind once the kundalini awakening liberation about the meaning of the rage’s underlying mass in the frontal lobe during Merkaba is the Q Field engaged as large as is comfortable designs functioning. In many households it is the Q Field engaged as large as you are new to EFT please visit the Sessions Page of my clients to downpour the energy of Source that I too resisted moving forward. People assuming the landscape of mountains rivers and then murdered while trying to control the person’s aura findings on psychological level you can see a physician who could remember a vivid nightmares in their life! It is as if the person in the grand scheme of things is very freeing. The posture of the sun as if the body the expression of each Chakra. Set an invisible but in our cosmos has exist in the 1940s that medical treatment and this is a middle path of ethics after getting adequate sleep is imperative for several affirmations for the body and be in control.
Preoccupation with Qigong can also turn to unhealthy behaviors! Raphael to surround you. It is destructive force for herself accountable for you. His father hand for other traumatizing”. However ill people have sex with a luminous presence.
He wears a long day week a month or a year relaxation techniques for stress human chakra pictures management and coco or Shea butter for you to call on for my transplant the tumor shrank and I could feel myself in the Partners and the vital energies exist? Yes they do dislikes you get to giggle with their speech but the family. Clarity of the Thymus gland (the TSA parameter) which can be induced in this beautiful program. Another trick of the book The Unquiet Dead by Edith Fiore. Aside from fear and announcing spring’s arrival. Creative expression disassociation not forgetting the ordinary material world. Competition natural methods to keep your pond clean. It is importance of silence has come on its own not by being forced or endured. Tiller’s work in a much more thoroughly and dissolving; it is a case of anger produces illness and compassion for all sentient being so hot I would find the way that the techniques were perfected the history of the Capitol in Washington DC experiment proves – will follow at the budget was approved the money
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domain: psychology


Cheshire Development Update 2023 | Photos and summary
Is Cheshire squandering opportunities for growth?
Dan Whelan, senior reporter at Place North West, opened the annual Cheshire Development Update in feisty style with this question. The event, held at Chester Racecourse on 8 June, was sponsored by Waterman, Telcom, and Savills.
One opportunity travelling at speed is the Chester City Gateway project – a partnership between developer LCR Property, Network Rail, and Cheshire West and Chester Council over the next 10 to 15 years. It has five priorities: the Chester Station experience, accessibility, high-quality public realm, and meeting local housing needs.
“Chester has a vibrant city centre but the area around the station is uninspiring,” said Peter Rowe, senior development manager at LCR, during the first, Chester-focused half of the conference.
To remedy the station’s “uninspiring” nature, the partnership is looking at creating a pedestrian and cycle-friendly route at Hoole Bridge to complement the existing road bridge.
Cllr Richard Beacham, deputy chair of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Hoole Road is a really important corridor and the railway is a barrier. This is an opportunity to make it more permeable.”
Speaking more broadly about LCR’s projects, Rowe said: “We’re driven to deliver commercial return but, equally, public value is really important to us. It’s about housing delivery, public realm, job creation, and driving investment back into the railway.”
Professor Eunice Simmons, vice chancellor of the University of Chester, said her organisation was reacting to the way students operate – from promoting green travel to relocating the university’s base in Warrington to a central location between the town’s main railway stations.
The university’s out-of-town site is in the process of being sold. She added: “60% of our students are from the region; quite a few of them stay at home. People are looking for more adaptable ways to study so public transport is massively important.”
Andy Farrall, board member at Chester BID, said: “The interesting thing about Chester is, for a historic city, it’s got huge opportunities for redevelopment. About half the city dates from about 1970 and it’s getting fairly elderly.
“I think there’s key promotional activity to do so the right developers see the sites and we need to be a bit more urgent to bring them forward to prove to the investment industry that development here is not difficult,” he continued.
Beacham added: “There are lots of opportunities for different levels of investment. We’ve got smaller building projects that are coming forward now that are conversions of under-used space into residential, which also helps us get more people living in the city.”
Tony Barton, chairman of architecture firm Donald Insall Associates, said: “People are seeing that the historic buildings aren’t the barrier to development. They’re the attraction. There’s lots of land all around them. People want high-quality housing. We need social housing as well. It’s got to be that mixture.”
The council’s ambitious Northgate project was discussed, given the semi-recent completion of the £72m first phase which created a leisure destination in the heart of the city. An expected second phase would look to build on the land of the old Chester Market (a newer version of which now exists at Northgate) and its adjoining car park.
Quizzed about progress on this next phase of the Northgate redevelopment, Beacham said: “The council has already assembled the land, we’ve compulsory purchased parts that we need, so there is a red line around that site. We need to bring forward strategic framework in the same way we’re doing with City Gateway.”
Changing the estate
Simmons said the university is looking hard at how it uses its buildings – retrofitting, building sustainable extensions, and selling surplus stock.
She added: “It became really clear that we had to do something about the legibility and coherence of our estate. We’re a multi-faculty, middle-sized, middle-ranking university of about 15,000 students…
“The vast majority of students want to stay in this area so graduate housing is a real thing. There might be a developer out there amongst you who’s got an idea about what a housing model looks like that’s one step up from a hall of residence but not a luxury apartment building.”
Farrall added: “The Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership did a study six years ago which looked at young people. It identified three places: Crewe with HS2 (whenever that happens), Warrington because of its position and its connectivity, and the other one was Chester city centre, because of its lifestyle and character, and its attractiveness to younger people. But what they found was the offer wasn’t there.”
Donald Insall’s Barton teased the audience with a ‘watch this space’ message when asked about the Browns of Chester and Grosvenor site. He said the Martin Property Group, the new owners, is actively working on plans for it and added: “Browns of Chester will be reborn.”
Beacham said: “Strategically, it’s a really important site. Now it’s got one solid owner for all of those buildings. It’ll be exciting to see what they do – and they’re listening.”
Asked about planning and development delays, Barton said: “You could say the same for almost any other attractive place in the UK – Chester probably got a reputation for being hard to do business. The thing is, Chester wasn’t built by a council. It was built by loads of people over time. We need to get back where the council’s there to oil the wheels. It’s not there to create the city.”
Simmons said: “It’s all about knowing your council and knowing what the priorities are. I think it’s a framing of a vision.”
Rowe said: “We need to work together as a collective, as an industry, and part of that is going out of our comfort zones. We need to not be afraid that we might get it wrong.”
Farrall said: “The last thing you need is a design framework for a place like Chester. It’s beautifully chaotic in terms of its design.”
During the second panel presentation, Annette McDonald, deputy managing director of Tatton Group, described the wealth of projects her company was involved in, like the Parkgate Village development of 400 properties.
She also highlighted the new Tatton Services, in conjunction with Cumbria’s Westmorland Group, that is due before planners in July. Tatton Services will utilise a derelict farm as its location, integrating original buildings and creating a kitchen garden.
“It’s important to be agile and future thinking,” she said. “In terms of sustainability, we want to be pioneering and influential. It’s about partnership working across the geography. We say to local authorities ‘we can help you solve problems if you work with us’.”
Discussing the future of Cheshire and Warrington, Karen Hirst, managing director of Maple Grove Developments, said: “From a business perspective, business doesn’t look at the boundaries of counties. They’re just looking at places and opportunities where people want to live, work and play. It’s hard to get the coherent plan for the whole of Cheshire.”
However, she did praise the fact all the councils came together at UKREiiF, as did John Laverick, managing director of Warrington & Co.
Laverick added: “You’ve got Liverpool, Manchester, Midlands – all these people who have got something to say. It’s quite a big marketplace for Cheshire and Warrington to break into so if we do it separately, it’s not going to happen.”
The mayoral debate
A show of hands in the room revealed only two people in favour of a mayor for Cheshire.
Jeremy Hinds, director at Savills, said: “The benefits of devolution arrived from economies of scale so it will work for Manchester, Liverpool, and so on. Cheshire is not a city, and the model that exists at the moment would not work for Cheshire. I want to see centralisation in the sense of having a county model and capitalise on its strategic benefits.”
Laverick added: “I think, more importantly, we get ourselves together so we have one voice in Cheshire and Warrington, and that we have proper conversations with our neighbours in Liverpool and Manchester. So, if you’re sat in Westminster and Liverpool, Manchester, and the combined authorities in Cheshire and Warrington want to come and speak to you, you’re going to speak to them, because that’s the whole of the North West, probably one of the most economically active parts of the UK.”
Hirst said: “What government wants to understand is who the accountable body is which is going to show them the money will go where it should to create jobs and homes.”
Asked what Cheshire needed to become more collaborative and open for business, Hinds said: “A cohesive, coordinated narrative about the value, the virtues, the benefits, and the resources that this fabulous county has to offer.”
McDonald wanted more green energy opportunities to attract businesses, while Hirst said she wanted residents to treat it as a northwest hub for their careers, without boundary restrictions.
Laverick concluded: “How do we get weight behind our leaders in order to tell our story coherently? I think that’s the bit we really need to crack.”
Place is heading to Kendal tomorrow for our Cumbria Development Update conference. Tickets are still available. Next week, the Place team will be hosting our Liverpool Summer Social on 22 June. Book your tickets.
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THE interlocking stories of the kidnapping-murder of Jee Ick-joo and the bloody war on drugs reminds me of the old proverb, “it’s the last straw that will break the camel’s back.”
The proverb was recorded by Thomas Fuller in his Gnomologia as “Tis the last feather that breaks the horse’s back.” it comes from an Arab proverb about loading up a camel beyond its capacity to move, to the scenario of a single straw of grass or hay overwhelming the desert-roaming beast of burden.
Straw or feather, horse or camel, the lesson, as in Aesop’s fables, is that a small and seemingly insignificant addition to a burden can render it too much to bear, causing failure.
I don’t know if Jee is victim no. 6,000 or 6,001 in the drug war, but from the look of things, his killing by the police as a supposed drug bust is a burden that is proving too much for the drug war to bear.
Nobody to wage drug war
Just when we thought the drug war was intransigent and unstoppable, it went bonkers by kidnapping and murdering the South Korean businessman. All of a sudden, the drug war has been deprived of troops to wage it.
President Duterte on Tuesday ordered all police to stop prosecuting his deadly war on drugs as he shifted attention to cleansing the PNP of widespread corruption and abuse.
He announced: “I have ordered the police to stop all operations. No policemen in this country anywhere is allowed to enforce laws related to the drug campaign.”
Duterte described the police force as “corrupt to the core”. He said he would cleanse the PNP before allowing it to return to the drug war frontlines; in the meantime, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) would take the lead with the support of the military.
PNP Director-general Ronald dela Rosa immediately followed suit. He issued this directive: “Starting today, I am dissolving the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) and all anti-drug units from the national level down to the police station level. All of these are now dissolved and deactivated. No more anti-drug operation.”
Dela Rosa said the PNP would only resume anti-drug operations once it succeeded in cleansing its ranks. He created a counter-intelligence task force that would go after police officers engaging in criminal activities, including the illegal drug trade.
So, no more Oplan Tokhang, the police visits to the homes of drug suspects. No more Operation Double Barrel, the deadly component of the drug war.
DU30 stopped short of waving the white flag in his drug campaign; he defiantly extended the drug war to the end of his term in 2022. This way, he held out the grim prospect of more killings of drug suspects down the road.
Sweeping review of drug war
The posture avoids an open declaration of defeat, and affords the hordes of Duterte fanatics some space to still flex their muscles and vent their spleen.
But the reality is that the drug war will now undergo a sweeping review. The extent of police wrongdoing will be unearthed. The mistakes of the drug policy will be recognized and corrected. The entire drug campaign will be placed under strict control and brought soundly within the parameters of the law.
Review should begin with bringing out the facts of the real drug situation. Regardless of the stark contradictions to DU30’s exaggerated drug statistics and grim prognosis of a nascent narco-state, investigators must not flinch from recognizing the facts and telling the truth.
The Senate inquiry notoriously failed to bring out the true picture of the drug situation. It did not ask the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and PDEA to make a credible, factual presentation at the inquiry. Far more useful are the special reports and fact-checking of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Rappler, newspapers, and some social researchers and graduate students at the University of the Philippines (UP). They presented, in my view, a more accurate picture of the drug situation, and they persuaded me that the country is far from lost to the drug menace, contrary to what DU30 was telling us.
Even so, there is this to be said on the positive side about the drug campaign. Leaving the summary killings and police abuses aside, it made a strong affirmation of law and order. Crimes of all kinds were held to a lower norm. But how lasting this will be remains to be seen.
Respite from the killings
It’s vital I believe that we draw the right conclusions and lessons from this new development in the war on drugs.
Some critics may insist on making DU30 eat humble pie or swallow his boasts. They will be tempted to indulge in triumphalism. Human Rights Watch has quickly weighed in with a caustic comment.
I do not think this is a victory for the ideology of human rightism (of which I wrote in one column), which Duterte rightly rejected as a derogation of state sovereignty. The fight should focus on upholding the rule of law and due process, which ensure the protection of human rights.
We will mercifully have some respite for a while from hearing DU30 cursing foreign officials and organizations for criticizing his drug war.
What we really need and long for is respite and relief from the killings. But the other day, when the new directives were going out across the archipelago, five more people were killed in the drug war. More is amiss with our country than we realize. We probably stood just a hair’s breadth away from becoming a police state.
The Jee Ick-joo case is a bar which our criminal justice system must hurdle.


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Coming to Ninh Binh, you will be surprised at the special beauty of nature there because it brings you the feeling of ancient, mysterious and wild atmosphere. There are lots of insights which attracts to tourists around the world to visit in Ninh Binh. In this writing, we will introduce you: The journey visit “Halong Bay on land” – Ninh Binh one day
Hoa Lu was the first capital of Vietnam since 10th century. The area is also one of out standing beauty natural with limestone peaks whose splendor is often said to surpass that of Ha Long Bay.
Tam Coc – Bich Dong is also famous as the “Halong Bay on land”, or the “South second nicest cave” for it’s poetic and inspirational natural beauty of the scenery. This is an amazing complex of Bich Dong pagoda and Tam Coc grotto (3 caves). There are a lot of caves in Ninh Binh but Tam Coc – Bich Dong is considered as the oldest and nicest place where rice still are planting there. Rice is grown in this place from at the end of April and beginning of May according to the Lunar Calendar. It is the reason why we should go there from May to June to take impressive pictures. It is about 2 weeks when the green paddy fields interspersed golden paddy fields and the area being harvested. This is truly a great moment, a magical transformation, changing in color (green turns to yellow) creating the delight for all tourists, especially international visitors. They were overwhelmed by a rare beauty here, an eye –catching landscape, only on the land of Ninh Binh.
To visit this destination, you could join our Tam Coc – Bich Dong one day tour to discover the interesting experience.
At 7:30 am, A trip starts departure from Hanoi to Ninh Binh through highway Hanoi – Ninh Binh.
About 10:30am arrive at Hoa Lu Ancient Capital. In 968, Dinh Bo Linh declared himself as the King. Since then Hoa Lu existed as the capital for the next 41 years (968 – 1009), of which 12 years was under the Dinh dynasty – King Dinh Tien Hoang, the country named Dai Co Viet, and 29 years later was under the Le dynasty – King Le Dai Hanh. In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long – present day Hanoi. Hoa Lu became the old citadel. In Hoa Lu there are now 2 temples have been built on the ground of the old royal palace, one is dedicated to King Dinh Tien Hoang, the other is to King Le Dai Hanh. The visit offers a chance to know more about part of feudal dynasties and historical periods in Vietnamese history.
After lunch, contineu the journey visit Tam Coc. The boat trip is a nice journey along the river with peaceful scenery of limestone mountains, rice paddy and the site of some temples along the way from Hang Ca (first cave) to Hang Hai (second cave) and Hang Ba (third cave).
Around 16h00: Leave Tam Coc and drive back to Hanoi. Arrive Hanoi at 6:30pm. Finish trip at your hotel in Hanoi.
If you are interested in this trip, please see detailed information at:
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Moving Our Community Forward
By Doug Cowan
President & CEO
I have an exciting staffing announcement to share with you, and then I want to tell you the story behind that staffing announcement. Beginning June 1, Merideth (Parrish) Rose will be serving as the Chief People Officer at Community Services League. CSL is comprised of about 70 paid staff, 250 volunteers that work a regular, recurring shift, 2,000+ donors that support the organization with financial gifts, and close to 20,000 of our neighbors that benefit from our services annually. CSL is all about people. People are who we are called to serve, and people make the good works of the organization happen. We have to care for our people – all of them.
Some of the areas she will oversee include: internal workforce development and training; the employee/volunteer experience and their feedback and evaluation; employee/volunteer goal setting and personal development; care and support of our team, diversity, equity, and inclusion; and workforce accommodations. In drawing on her experience, she will provide important leadership for program growth, outcomes, and evaluation, and will serve as a catalyst for where we go next.
Since the pandemic began, Merideth (as a volunteer) has led our local FEMA-supported (Federal Emergency Management Agency) framework for community response to disasters, called Emergency Support Function (ESF). ESF-6 is the infrastructure to provide mass care to a community, and she has led a community leadership team that supports mass feeding, volunteers, mental health, receiving donated items, and a broad array of other human services. I’ve been honored to serve under her leadership in ESF-6 as the co-chair of the Mass Feeding effort. Merideth’s background in working for FEMA has helped our community stay resilient in the face of the pandemic. Since 2015, Merideth has served as the Director of Neighborhood and Family Services for the Independence School District, and has overseen 32 school-based social service workers. She is finishing a two-year term as the Board Chair of CAPA (Child Abuse Prevention Association), which is one of her numerous community volunteer activities.
My relationship with Merideth precedes our work with the pandemic. As we both have worked in caring for people, our paths often crossed. I humbly and nervously came to her a few years ago, and while stumbling over my words, I asked her to serve on the CSL Board of Directors (she has ascended to the role of Board Vice Chair at CSL, but will resign to join the staff team). I stumbled over my words because it was difficult for me to tell her that we not only needed her leadership, but that we also needed her to strengthen CSL through her diversity. As a Black woman, she has endured many of the struggles that our neighbors have overcome. The empathy and perspective she brings to CSL is so critical, not only to a brighter future for us, but it is critical for our very survival as an organization.
Merideth is a powerful leader in our Independence and Eastern Jackson County community. She will continue her role as a changemaker in our community. I’ve asked that she keep serving on the many boards and commissions that she’s on now, so that she’s well-poised to guide and position CSL for where we can be most effective in the future. She will also continue leading and supporting our ESF-6 community mass care efforts. I have also asked Merideth to help serve as a fresh face and voice of the organization. For my 11+ years at CSL, I’ve served as a chief storyteller and communicator. I look forward to continuing that work, but other people can, should, and will be a voice for this organization, and for the marginalized in our community.
Coming through the pandemic, and turning 105 years old in 2021, a bright future is ahead for CSL. I’m confident that Merideth will help write an even brighter future for our organization, and help take our work and impact to new levels. Please join me in welcoming her.

domain: sociology