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Century Senior Managers
Ronald M. Griffith
President & CEO
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Since 2007, Mr. Griffith has served as President and CEO of Century Housing. Prior to his current position, Mr. Griffith was Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Before joining Century, he was a partner in a national law firm specializing in all aspects of real estate law and finance. He also established the office of general counsel at Union Federal Bank. Earlier in his career, Mr. Griffith served as Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Mr. Griffith graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.
Mr. Griffith was the recipient of the Combat Infantry Badge and Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam.
Alan R. Hoffman
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
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Mr. Hoffman is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Century Housing and its affiliates. With 26 years of experience in management and finance, Mr. Hoffman is currently responsible for all corporate finance, risk management, investments, financial planning, tax, and IT functions.
Mr. Hoffman has spearheaded capital markets and corporate finance functions for such companies as Exxon Corporation, GM-Hughes Electronics, K & B Home Corporation, and Lockheed Martin Finance Corporation. To date he has raised $4.5 billion in debt and equity capital for companies in various industries in public and private markets, including 3 IPOs.
Mr. Hoffman received an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Political Science and International Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. in Social Systems’ Science from UCLA. He has also instructed as an adjunct professor of finance in Pepperdine University’s M.B.A. program and at UCLA Extension.
Mr. Hoffman first moved to Los Angeles in 1976 and is active in the Los Angeles finance community.
Senior Vice President, Housing
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As Senior Vice President of Housing, Brian oversees Century’s affordable housing activities. In this capacity, Brian serves as president of two Century affiliates, Century Villages at Cabrillo (“CVC”) and Century Affordable Development, Inc. (“CADI”). In his CVC role, Mr. D’Andrea is responsible for the 27-acre Villages at Cabrillo campus that is home to more than 1,500 individuals on any given night and managed by a staff of more than 50. In addition to overseeing the campus’ fundraising efforts, Mr. D’Andrea is actively involved with expanding the collaboration of some 30 nonprofit and government agencies that operate at the Villages, including U.S.VETS and the VA. In his CADI role, Mr. D’Andrea manages an 8-member development team that handles all of Century’s affordable housing preservation, investment and development activities on the Villages at Cabrillo campus and beyond.
Since joining Century in 2006, Mr. D’Andrea has been involved in nearly $350 million worth of affordable housing transactions entailing more than 1,000 affordable homes. These include campus-based new construction developments, preservation projects, acquisition-rehabilitation projects, and infill new construction developments. Mr. D’Andrea is responsible for Century’s expansion into other large-scale redevelopment efforts, including the 21-acre Rancho San Pedro site and the 388-acre West LA VA campus, coupled with myriad infill and preservation projects.
Prior to Century, Mr. D’Andrea worked for Toll Brothers, a public homebuilder, where his responsibilities varied from acquisitions to project management. Previously, Mr. D’Andrea was a Program Manager for an economic development organization. Mr. D’Andrea graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with a liberal arts degree. In 2005, Mr. D’Andrea earned his MBA in real estate and finance from UCLA’s Anderson School and is a licensed real estate broker in the State of California since 2010. He is a 2012 graduate of NeighborWorks America’s Achieving Excellence in Community Development, an 18-month performance-driven leadership program administered in collaboration with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Senior Vice President, Lending
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As Senior Vice President of Lending, Mr. Hamilton oversees Century’s affordable and workforce housing lending platform. Mr. Hamilton is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in affordable housing finance. Since joining Century in 2016, Josh and his team have closed over 150 loans totaling more than $525 million for affordable housing projects throughout the State of California. Century Housing has consistently been listed as one of the top 20 lenders of affordable housing in the nation, by volume, and is one of the largest lenders of affordable housing in the State of California. Prior to Century Housing, Josh was a loan officer with PNC Bank where he was responsible for originating more than $300 million in financing throughout the nation primarily for affordable housing properties.
Josh graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles cum laude with a degree in Political Science. Upon graduation, Mr. Hamilton served in state government as a California State Senate Fellow with a focus on affordable housing and local government policy. Additionally, Mr. Hamilton earned a Masters in Real Estate Development through the School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.
Vice President, Loan Administration
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Ms. Bennett-Green, Vice President of Loan Administration, is responsible for managing Century Housing’s loan portfolio. Has more than 16 years of real estate loan experience, including commercial, multifamily, and affordable niches. Has extensive experience in working with tax credit terms, tax-exempt bonds, and Fannie Mae “Direct Underwriting Service” transactions. As a previous housing specialist for the Housing Authority of the City of Inglewood before going to the Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group in Long Beach where she oversaw all aspects of risk management for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) of an 8,000-unit Section 42 portfolio.
Ms. Bennett-Green serves as Vice President of Century Affordable Development Corporation and Century Community Lending Company, LLC. Ms. Bennett-Green is an advisory member of HSGP, Inc., a community based advocacy organization in the Harbor Gateway South Community. She is working with the community leaders to secure the acquisition of land and develop a safe and secure recreational area for a community that has been identified as needing an environmentally green facility. Also, Ms. Bennett-Green is a member of the Women in Real Estate, an international organization, and a member of Leader to Leader since 2003.
Finally, she has been a board member of the View Heights Block Club and previously served on the Inglewood YMCA board of directors prior to the closure.
Ms. Bennett-Green received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University, Los Angeles.
Rosa Cardona Menart
Senior Vice President, Finance & Treasury
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Mrs. Menart is Senior Vice President, Finance & Treasury for Century Housing. She has over 20 years of experience in Accounting and Finance. Mrs. Menart is responsible for all corporate accounting, treasury, capital raising, investments, loan accounting and loan servicing. She manages the day-to-day activities of the Finance/Accounting department and Loan Servicing. She coordinates, formulates, and manages a capital and operational expense budget of over $30 million. Mrs. Menart coordinates the annual audit and tax returns of Century Housing and all affiliates. She oversees the Loan Accounting & Loan Servicing departments, which are responsible for a loan portfolio of over $250 million. Mrs. Menart is responsible for helping to raise capital via the capital markets, lending institutions and grants. She oversees the investment portfolio and is responsible for financial and compliance reporting.
Prior to her employment at Century Housing, Mrs. Menart worked as a Planning Assistant to a prominent Financial Advisor at American Express and as a Financial Assistant for a top producing Farmers Insurance agent.
Mrs. Cardona Menart graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a Bachelor of Science (with honors) in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.
Vice President, Human Resources
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Ms. Hendrickson has been with Century Housing since 2001 and is responsible for directing Human Resources functions. Her responsibilities include identifying sources for talent acquisition, implementation and monitoring of compensation and rewards systems required to retain talent, and assuring the health and welfare of employees. She is responsible for the management of policies to provide a supportive employee environment including maintaining good employee relations and providing equal opportunity. Ms. Hendrickson manages the Human Resources budget and staff along with the general administrative staff.
Ms. Hendrickson is certified by the Human Resources Certification Institute as SPHR-CA and a graduate of California State University, Dominquez Hills, where she earned her B.S. in Business Administration with honors. She is an active member of Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA) and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Before joining Century Housing, Ms. Hendrickson worked for two multinational manufacturing firms, a microwave engineering firm, in banking, and in sales training.
Executive Director, Century Villages at Cabrillo
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Steve Colman is the Executive Director of Century Villages at Cabrillo and is responsible for all operational aspects of the 27-acre campus. Mr. Colman has more than 35 years of experience in the areas of office operations, facilities management, and financial analysis.
In the five years prior to joining Century Housing, Mr. Colman supported the Sr. Director of Global Real Estate and Risk Management at Korn/Ferry International, assisting the office operations in 21 cities across North America and directly managing the office operations of Korn/Ferry’s corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Colman was Operations Manager-West Coast for The Conde Nast Publications and from 1986 to 1993, held successive roles as Financial Analyst, Administration Manager, and Director of Administration for Knapp Communications Corporation, then publisher of Architectural Digest and Bon Appetit magazines. Before moving to the for-profit sector, Mr. Colman spent five years as a caseworker for Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles.
Mr. Colman received his B.A. from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and is an alumnus of Leadership Long Beach, a civic improvement organization designed to educate and develop community leaders. Outside of his duties at Century Villages, his past volunteer activities included local PTA, Cub Scouts, and coaching youth baseball, basketball, soccer, and football programs. He also serves as a board member of Long Beach Community Action Partnership and spends his free time surf fishing and walking his rescued Beagles.
Vice President, Residential Services
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As Vice President of Residential Services, Ms. Wee oversees the services offered to residents in Century’s supportive housing developments. Ms. Wee has more than two decades of program development and contracts experience, which enables her to oversee Century’s intensive case management county contract, develop and evaluate programming for adults and youth, as well as support the larger backbone role that Century Villages at Cabrillo plays within the community. She supports a dedicated team of case managers and clinical staff that serve formerly homeless veterans, youth, and families. At the Villages at Cabrillo, she has worked collaboratively to strengthen and expand the community resulting in thousands of lives being transformed.
Ms. Wee began her work in social services and as an advocate for women in Connecticut more than 20 years ago. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Psychology at Central Connecticut State University. As an undergrad, she worked in the Women’s Center and the Counseling Center where she first began her work as a certified domestic violence counselor and sexual assault advocate. Her work as an undergrad led to being offered a prestigious graduate fellowship to study substance abuse and sexual assault on college campuses throughout the state. In 1998, she relocated to California where she began working at a domestic violence shelter in Orange County which led to her career path in the field and to Long Beach.
In 2000, she started her work in Long Beach at a domestic violence agency as Program Coordinator. She worked to integrate the shelter and agency into the new community and to build the program into the success it is today. She held several leadership positions in the agency including the Senior Director of Contracts and Quality Assurance. Ms. Wee remains active in the domestic violence movement as a graduate of BlueShield’s Strongfield Leadership Program, an intense 18-month statewide initiative for leaders in the domestic violence field and as a long time member and current president of End Abuse Long Beach. She is a graduate of the Leadership Long Beach Institute, class of 2020, and has recently joined their board of directors.
Kim resides in Orange County with her husband and amazing 8-year old son Maddox. She enjoys spending time with friends, parody songwriting, party planning, golfing, dancing, travelling, and is hoping to resume her interest in rock climbing as a family activity.
“My whole life I have seen myself as a voice for those who needed help; as time goes on, I find my voice just gets louder and stronger”
Vice President, Property Management
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Brett Morales currently serves as the Director at Large for the Affordable Housing Management Association of the Pacific Southwest (AHMA-PSW).
As Vice President of Property Management at Century Housing, Brett oversees Century’s Property Management operations in support of the mission to finance, build, and operate exceptional affordable housing so that the people served may have a dignified home, a healthy and hopeful future, and attain economic independence.
Mr. Morales has 30 years of diverse experience in the Property Management Industry and specializes in Homeless and Permanent Supportive housing.
He also holds the following professional designations: NCP-E®, NAHCP-E®, SHCM®, FHC®.
Vice President, Housing
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As Vice President, Housing, at Century Housing Corporation, Mr. Chan is responsible for all aspects of accounting, tax and financial reporting for CVC’s portfolio of assets. Mr. Chan also assists in the asset management functions of the housing projects. Mr. Chan joins the team with over 10 years of experience in the affordable housing and low-income housing tax credit industry from his tenure at Novogradac and Company and Highridge Costa Investors. Mr. Chan began his professional career at KPMG LLP and also worked at The Walt Disney Company and a private real estate investment management company in the greater Los Angeles area.
Mr. Chan received his B.S. degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Accounting from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley. He earned his Masters of Business Taxation degree with high honors from Golden Gate University. Mr. Chan is a certified public accountant in the State of California.
Vice President, Client Relations
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Beulah Ku brings over 20 years of marketing and management experience to Century as the Vice President of Client Relations. Beulah focuses on identifying, assessing and developing new business opportunities. She is involved in strategic marketing and operations and works closely with Lending.
Prior to joining Century, Beulah held various management positions in a diverse arena including architecture, media and venture capital. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and an undergraduate degree in dietetics. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH), served on the Board of Directors of the Beverly Hills Women’s Club and co-owns Joss Cuisine in Beverly Hills, California.
Assistant Vice President, Marketing
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Bartek Malecki directs all Century marketing activities including those of the Century Villages at Cabrillo supportive housing community. He maintains and executes Century’s marketing plan, including reporting, communications, and advertising, and seeks opportunities to serve Century’s lending business and aid its mission to provide affordable housing options to California’s low-income residents.
Mr. Malecki holds a bachelor’s degree in Design and Media Arts from UCLA and is an active member of the Polish American Film Society’s Board of Directors, which has hosted the Annual Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles since 1999.

domain: finance


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Walking one of Denver's oldest neighborhoods is a must for locals and visitors.
Head straight to the historic LoDo area and hit up Snooze, a local favorite for steaming mugs of java and wonderful pineapple upside down pancakes. LoDo, a former skid row, painstakingly revitalized into a bona fide hot bed of art galleries, chic boutiques and snazzy bars and restaurants nesting in restored Victorian buildings, is a 26-block area that also includes Larimer Square, Union Station, Tattered Cover Bookstore and the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. LoDo is the city's heartbeat, and you could easily spend the entire day here. In this historic area, it's easy to imagine Denver's former Gold Rush days when money was rolling and 17th Street, which ends at Union Station, was strewn with horse-drawn carriages, bustling brothels and wealthy businessmen — familiar images in the Western movies retracing this era.
LoDo is also the motherland of the microbrewing industry, and beer connoisseurs shouldn't miss the Wynkoop Brewery, Denver's first brewpub, opened by Colorado governor John Hickenlooper. More than a half-dozen brewpubs and microbreweries are located in LoDo, all of them unique in their own right.
LoDo peddles an astonishing number of notable restaurants, including Rioja, a Mediterranean-influenced food temple, Bistro Vendôme, a lovely French restaurant flaunting a terrific patio, Osteria Marco, an Italian dining den that does Sunday night pig roasts and Euclid Hall, a relative newcomer that may very well be the top restaurant in the city — with a notable craft beer list to boot. If you're hankering for fresh oysters, seafood and fish, steer your way toward Jax Fish House, a wildly popular sea of aquatics or McCormick's Fish House & Bar, located in the Oxford Hotel.
When night falls, check out El Chapultepec for live jazz, The Clocktower Cabaret for music, burlesque, comedy and drag shows, the Green Russell, a speakeasy that pours inventive cocktails concocted by the city’s best mixologists, comedy and burlesque acts or the Denver Performing Arts Complex, a catchall of culture that includes Broadway plays, ballets, opera, classical music concerts and lectures.

domain: geography


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Seagate Technology announced its new lineup of Solid-State Drives (SSDs), as well as its new X8 Accelerator storage class memory PCIe card.
Singulus Technologies announced financial results for the first quarter of 2013.
IHS announced it forecasts that PC Solid-State Drive (SSD) shipments will rise to 227 million units in 2017, up more than 600% from 2012, while shipments of hard disk drives (HDDs) will decline to 410 million units in 2017, down 14% from 2012.
Singulus Technologies announced that it has sold a BLULINE II prerecorded Blu-ray Disc (BD-ROM) replication system to CD Video Manufacturing in Santa Ana, California.
DTS, Inc. announced that CinemaNow and other digital video storefronts powered by Rovi will soon offer content incorporating DTS-HD surround sound audio.
Rovi Corporation announced that Toshiba Corporation is launching a range of TVs certified for DivX Plus Streaming.
LG Electronics announced that it is now taking orders for its Curved OLED TV in South Korea, with deliveries to begin next month.
SENSIO Technologies announced that its 3DGO! Video-On-Demand (VOD) service for Connected and Smart 3DTVs is now rolling out to consumers in the United States.
Barnes & Noble announced that Google Play is now available on the company’s NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ tablets.
The NPD Group announced that, according to its latest survey, 72% of American gamers report gaming online.
Panasonic Canada announced its new HX-A100 wearable camcorder, which offers built-in Wi-Fi functions and Full HD video recording.
The Diffusion Group announced it reckons that 56% of all US broadband households have at least one TV connected to the Internet.
Corel Corporation’s Pinnacle product group announced that it has updated its Pinnacle Studio for iPad mobile video editing app.
Denon Electronics announced its new AVR-X1000 ($499), AVR-X2000 ($699), AVR-X3000 ($999) and AVR-X4000 ($1299) network home theatre audio/video receivers.

domain: news


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Pretty much every week there's one of these in my grocery cart coming home with us. At Costco they are $4.99. $4.99!! WHAT!? Each time this bad boy comes home with us he has a future life in three meals:
Meal #1 - I slice off a breast, a leg and a thigh and serve those alongside a roasted vegetable and some Artisan Bread or rice. My current favorite veggies are roasted broccoli and roasted kale:
Roasted broccoli and/or kale
- Pre-heat oven to 425.
- Wash and chop two heads of your green veggie (I like to separate the broccoli head from the stem and peel/chop the stem as well - it's delicious - don't waste it!)
- Spread on a baking sheet and drizzle with a healthy coat of olive oil, sprinkle with salt
- Roast for 10 minutes, shake the pan around to turn the veg and roast 5 more minutes or until just starting to brown. (For kale, usually 12 minutes is enough, just keep your eye on it)
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a medium saucepan or dutch oven (I use my dutch oven for everything) bring broth to a boil.
- Add potato, carrot, onion, thyme, salt and pepper (add more salt than you think you need if you're a novice cook - I find lots of my recipes that don't taste quite right just need more salt)
- Simmer 15 minutes or until veggies are soft
- While they simmer, whisk the milk and flour together.
- Slowly add the mixture to the vegetables, stirring until thickened.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in chicken and peas.
- Pour filling into a pie plate, cover with pie crust and cut a few slits in the top
- Paint with egg wash
- Bake 25-30 minutes, until filling is bubbly.
Homemade Chicken Broth
- Throw the carcass of the chicken you've just picked apart into a large stock pot and cover with cold water.
- Add in the tops of carrots, the skin of onions and/or garlic and any wilted celery you have laying around.
- For good measure add two bay leaves. Or don't. It's optional, this isn't supposed to be stressful.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for HOURS. This is the important part. I don't know if it's possible to simmer a broth for too long. Is it?? I usually leave mine simmering from whenever I started dinner (6ish) til bedtime (10ish)
- After several hours, pour the broth out through a strainer and into a waiting tupperware container (or two, or three).
- Leave on the counter overnight and in the morning, skim the fat that comes to the surface.
- Pop in the fridge for use in a soup later that week or freeze in 1 cup portions to make cooking simple later on down the road.

domain: food


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Summary of Lesson Plan:
Music is a great way for students to explore their creative side and engage in performance. Young students (the target for this lesson) have had some experience with musical instruments it can be assumed during their early life stages and may have created musical preferences so as teachers of music we need to give students the opportunity to explore different styles of music and instruments at this age to give them a broader appreciation of the world of music and what can be achieved. This will give them the confidence to explore and try new things – an important lesson for children to learn.
This activity will give students the opportunity to explore different instruments to recreate sounds heard in a story. They will have the chance to work cooperatively with their classmates as they add sounds from various instruments and other tools to the song ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’.
This lesson is designed to engage the students by allowing them the freedom and creatively to add their own touches to the song/story.
Australian Curriculum Links:
- Develop aural skills by exploring and imitating sounds, pitch and rhythm patterns using voice, movement and body percussion (ACAMUM080)
- Sing and play instruments to improvise, practise a repertoire of chants, songs and rhymes, including songs used by cultural groups in the community(ACAMUM081)
- Create compositions and perform music to communicate ideas to an audience (ACAMUM082)
- Respond to music and consider where and why people make music, starting with Australian music, including music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAMUR083)
Lesson Plan Sequence:
Introduction/Motivation – 10 minutes
Body – 30 minutes
This strategy is designed to give students the chance to explore, which is a great focus of arts education. As the teacher we shall inform students about the objects but also giving them room to explore and generate ideas by themselves about how they want to take the lesson.
Look through each page of the book and have students decide which instrument will best make the sound that they believe will create a sound similar to that on the page. i.e. what instrument can make a sound similar to walking through sticky mud.
Conclusion – 20 minutes
- Evaluation will take place in looking at the way in which the students engaged in the lesson. As this book is a popular tale and has been the case for a substantial period of time it is hoped all students will engage in the lesson.
- Assessment can be completed by watching the way in which the students work with each other to create the sounds of the story. Asking questions along the way will help to identify students who are understanding the concept and those who are struggling with the ideas.
- Future lessons would continue to focus on introducing new instruments as well as developing the skills of listening to music and the understanding of it.
- Book and CD (Audio version) of ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’
- A large variety of different musical instruments and other materials that could be used to make sounds for the story/song.
- Audio Player
If you like this lesson plan, or have an idea to improve it, please consider sharing it on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook or leave a comment below.

domain: artistic


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Mayor Ralph Becker, the City Council and Special Events Office are inviting event organizers to apply for sponsorship through the City’s Signature Events Fund.
The Signature Events Fund, established by Mayor Becker and the Salt Lake City Council, is intended to financially support public events, both large and small, that provide significant economic and cultural contributions to Salt Lake City.
Last fiscal year, 30 different events received financial support from the Signature Event Fund in amounts ranging from $1,500 to $15,000. A total fund of $150,000 has been set aside this fiscal year for the program.
Considerations for sponsorship are based on public and community benefit, economic impact, cultural and civic contribution, financial need and relationship to Salt Lake City’s mission and goals.
Organizations planning public events in Salt Lake City between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014 are encouraged to apply.
Applications are now being accepted and two page proposals are due to the Special Events Office no later than Thursday, March 7 at 5 p.m. Recipients will be selected by the City’s Signature Events Fund Committee and notified by mid-March.
More information can be found at http://www.slcgov.com/slcevents/slc-events-signature-events-fund.
I hope someone out there wants to plan a grunge festival. That genre needs to be resurrected. I am serious.
|1.||Serena Williams extends winning streak to 22|
|2.||Photos: Taylor Swift dominates Billboard Awards, Bieber awards draw boos|
|3.||Utah soldier confirmed dead in explosion in Afghanistan|
|4.||‘Star Trek’ does $70.6M but falls short of studio hopes|
|5.||Victim’s three daughters get a day of magic|
|6.||Gun-toting Utah teachers to parents: Your kids safe with us|
|7.||‘Righteous Housewives’ offers humor but not much depth|
|8.||Kirby: What would you let money do to you?|
|9.||Wyoming man dead after officer-involved shooting in Evanston|
|10.||PBS recalls Mel Brooks’ life of laughter|


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In all my years of home baking, I bake cookies the least as compared to cakes and breads. Cookies somehow just don't excite me as much, they just don't have that show-stopper appeal in the final outcome as compared to beautifully iced cakes and tall golden breads and I just find them tedious to make. Yes tedious ... strange right?
Anyway, my Daughter has been suggesting and bugging me to bake chocolate chip cookies for some time now and I finally gave in, after all it's the school holidays now and it'd be great to spend some quality time together doing something that's fun for her instead of her gluing to the computer the whole time. This is a rather simple chocolate chip cookie recipe I found here. I find that this recipe can go both ways for crunchy cookies or the soft centered chewy types, depending on your preference, you just have too adjust the baking time.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
(makes about 30 small & 6 large cookies)
125g butter, softened
90g caster sugar
90g light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
150g self-raising flour
150g plain flour
250g bitter-sweet chocolate chips (I used a combination of bittersweet and white chocolate chips)
1. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
2. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat well to combine.
3. Mix in the flour then fold in the chocolate chips. (At this point, I have divided the dough into 2 portions to make two type of chocolate chip cookies, one with bittersweet chocolate chips and the other white chocolate chips).
4. Roll cookie dough into balls and place on lightly greased tray. Flatten and bake in preheated oven 175 deg C for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool and store in air-tight container.
Note: I find that I need to bake a lot more longer than the baking time stated to produce crunchy cookies. At 15 minutes baking time my cookies turned out soft & chewy in the middle with slight crispness on the edges.


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Hitchin Town Hall: North Herts Museum fiasco enters fresh phase as new option is mooted for 14/15 Brand Street
- Credit: Archant
The long-running saga surrounding the opening of the North Herts Museum in Hitchin entered a fresh chapter last night, as a new option was floated to end the impasse surrounding the entrance to 14/15 Brand Street.
Work on Hitchin Town Hall and the adjoining museum has been dogged by budget overspends, money problems and bitter wrangling since construction began in September 2013, and has already cost taxpayers more than £1 million.
The latest phase of the fiasco has seen the district council deadlocked with Hitchin Town Hall Ltd – the charitable trust originally formed to oversee the project on the council’s behalf – and bankers HTH Finance Ltd over the purchase of 14/15 Brand Street, the entrance to the museum.
A price of £550,000 was agreed in March for the district council to buy 14/15 Brand Street from Hitchin Town Hall Ltd, but a deal is yet to go through. The museum, housing collections from both Hitchin and Letchworth, remains closed – albeit with behind-the-scenes tours now offered to the public.
Addressing a meeting for all North Herts District Council members in Letchworth’s Spirella Ballroom last night, Hitchin Town Hall Ltd chairman Stephen Pike made the new suggestion of potentially transferring the town hall and museum to the Hitchin Town Hall Gymnasium and Workman’s Hall Trust, of which the district council is trustee.
“This valuable community facility for North Herts has had a considerable amount of council taxpayers’ money spent, and it is essential that the facility remains in the control of those taxpayers,” he said.
“I would urge you all to discuss this proposition democratically and make it happen for the good of everyone in North Herts.”
- 1 A1(M) closed in both directions near Letchworth
- 2 11-year-old boy 'seriously injured' after e-scooter and car crash
- 3 Lights stolen in Baldock burglary
- 4 Villagers pull together to support boy with life-limiting condition
- 5 Weston fraudster given jail time after scamming council out of £700,000
- 6 Licence review for Hitchin's Chicken George after neighbour complaint
- 7 Crowds gather to mark Armed Forces Day in Letchworth
- 8 Our sporting stars celebrated with museum exhibition
- 9 Bid to find living kidney transplant donor for Hitchin girl
- 10 'He lives on in the hearts of those who knew him' - hundreds pay respects to Kajetan at moving mass
Mr Pike stressed that his members required Hitchin Town Hall, which reopened last April, to be protected as a community asset.
He quoted an email sent by the Conservative council’s leader Lynda Needham last month in which she said that such community protection for a district-wide asset was “not permissible for the council due to its best consideration obligations and therefore cannot be considered”.
He concluded by calling for an open discussion with no further confidentiality – and floating the new idea involving the Hitchin Town Hall Gymnasium and Workman’s Hall Trust.
The town hall revamp descended into chaos after Hitchin Town Hall Ltd, which formerly held the lease for 14/15 Brand Street, sought to recover losses incurred during a bitter legal dispute with the district council after internal changes were made to the hall.
Receivers appointed by the project’s major funder, the Social Investment Bank, then offered 14/15 Brand Street for sale in mid-2016 – with the district council outbid by outside parties before a group of “concerned businessmen” formed HTH Finance Ltd, which clinched the site that August by offering even more.
HTH Finance Ltd, which insists it is separate from Hitchin Town Hall Ltd, said it stepped in to prevent the site being bought by private developers – but the council questioned its motives.
HTH Finance director David Leal-Bennett – who represented Hitchin Highbury ward on the council until May 2016 – also addressed last night’s meeting.
He opened by saying there had been “a lot of misinformation circulating” regarding HTH Finance’s role, which he said was to save 14/15 Brand Street for the community of Hitchin.
“We knew of at least two developers who were interested, so the threat was very real and the building could be lost forever,” he said.
“Some of you have been informed that had we not stepped in, the district council’s bid would have secured the property. I can tell you absolutely categorically that this would not have been the case.
“If it were not for HTH Finance Ltd, we would not be here and the site would have been developed, probably shops. North Herts District Council would have had to spend over £800,000 for access, and there would still be substantial outstanding litigation.
“I am pleased that the business community were able to step in.”
He said that bankers HTH Finance wished for the district council to buy 14/15 Brand Street, but wanted this to happen in a way that would secure the town hall for the future and avoid any litigation.
“Those of you who have had a chance to visit the new museum will realise what a superb facility it will be, but that it needs 14/15 to work,” said Mr Leal-Bennett.
“The only confidentiality aspect that was important was the price of £550,000, but unfortunately this was leaked.”
He said that HTH Finance’s directors were prepared to make a deal over 14/15 Brand Street as soon as the district council was ready.
Addressing the councillors directly, he said: “As representatives of the community of North Herts, I believe you need to have a democratic discussion about this facility, which is important for the whole of North Herts – and instruct your officers to ‘make it happen’.
“Our experienced local authority lawyer says that you are able to do this deal. This is now your decision.”
The district council’s chief executive David Scholes suggested at the end of the meeting that there could be a meeting next week.
A spokeswoman for the authority confirmed to the Comet this morning that its next update would be after the weekend.
The North Herts Museum is to replace the former Hitchin and Letchworth museums, which closed in 2012.


Grapes in Charts: Prices hit five-year high despite heavy October volumes
In this installment of the ‘In Charts' series, Cristian Crespo F. of Agronometrics illustrates how the U.S. market is evolving. Each week the series looks at a different horticultural commodity, focusing on a specific origin or topic visualizing the market factors that are driving change.
The seasonality of the grape market in the U.S. is clearly marked. At the start of the year, California volumes fall off and are replaced by Peru and then Chile. Chilean grapes finish around May or June, when Mexican begins to send fruit.
Once Mexico finishes, California starts the cycle up again, as can be seen in the chart below.
Arrival volume of grapes in the U.S., by origin
Currently, average reported prices of California grapes are at a five-year high in the U.S. market - around US$21.10 per box. At the same time last year, prices were at their lowest in five years - just US$14.96 per box.
Average prices of California grapes in the U.S. market
Despite that, in terms of supply levels from California, October saw the greatest volumes in five years for that month, with 170,753 metric tons (MT) reported by the USDA.
High volumes don’t always lead to low prices. As we commented in a previous ‘In Charts’ article, stock levels could have a significant effect on pricing. According to the USDA, stocks rose by around 18% in the second half of October, which may have helped to absorb the impact of the high volumes.
So far November looks to be a quieter month, with substantially lower volumes than October.
Monthly volume of California grapes in the U.S. market
In our ‘In Charts’ series, we work to tell some of the stories that are moving the industry. Feel free to take a look at the other articles by clicking here.
You can keep track of the markets daily through Agronometrics, a data visualization tool built to help the industry make sense of the huge amounts of data that professionals need to access to make informed decisions. If you found the information and the charts from this article useful, feel free to visit us at www.agronometrics.com where you can easily access these same graphs, or explore the other 20 fruits we currently track.


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- Alicia Augello Cook
January 25, 1981 (age 40)
- Musician, Record producer, Author, Singer-songwriter, Actor, Music Video Director, Keyboard Player,
- Swizz Beatz (m. 2010)
- Craig Cook, Teresa Augello, Terria Joseph
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known by the pseudonym Alicia Keys, is an American singer, pianist, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records. Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'", becoming the second American recording artist to win five Grammys in one night. Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005. Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States. She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.
Keys has made guest appearances on several television series, beginning with The Cosby Show and most recently on season 2 of Empire. She made her film debut in Smokin' Aces and also went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries in 2007. Her third studio album, As I Am, was released in the same year and sold five million copies worldwide, earning Keys an additional three Grammy Awards. The following year, she appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, which earned her a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards. She released her fourth album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009, which became Keys' first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom. She released her fifth album, Girl on Fire, in November 2012, which became Keys' fifth chart-topping album in the United States. Keys released her second live album, VH1 Storytellers, in June 2013.
Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards such as 15 Grammy Awards, and has sold over 35 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide. Billboard magazine named her the top R&B songs artist of the 2000s decade. In 2010, VH1 included Keys on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Billboard magazine placed her number ten on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years. In February 2012, Keys was ranked 14th on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music list. Keys was ranked at number thirty-three on VH1's "50 Greatest Women of the Video Era" list and number 10 on their "100 Sexiest Artists" list.
Life and career
1981–99: Early life and career beginnings
Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, in New York City. She is the only child of Teresa (Augello), a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant. Keys' father is African-American and her mother is of Italian, Scottish and Irish descent. Keys has expressed that she was comfortable with her biracial heritage because she felt she was able to "relate to different cultures". Her parents separated when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. Keys has 2 younger half brothers: Clay Cook (Branch) and Cole Cook. In 1985, Keys made an appearance on The Cosby Show at the age of four, where she and a group of girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable's sleepover guests in the episode "Slumber Party". Throughout her childhood, Keys was sent to music and dance classes by her mother. She studied classical piano from age seven, playing composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin, and enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts School at the age of 12, where she majored in choir and began writing songs at the age of 14. She graduated in four years as valedictorian at the age of 16.
In 1994, Keys met long-term manager Jeff Robinson after she enrolled in his brother's after-school program. The following year Robinson introduced Keys to her future A&R at Arista Records, Peter Edge, who later described his first impressions to HitQuarters: "I had never met a young R&B artist with that level of musicianship. So many people were just singing on top of loops and tracks, but she had the ability, not only to be part of hip-hop, but also to go way beyond that." Edge helped Robinson create a showcase for Keys and also got involved in developing her demo material. He was keen to sign Keys himself but was unable to do so at that time due to being on the verge of leaving his present record company. Keys signed to Columbia Records soon after. At the same time as signing a recording contract with Columbia Records, Keys was accepted at Columbia University. At first, Keys attempted to manage both, but after a month, she dropped out of college to pursue her musical career full-time.
Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and So So Def Recordings, where she appeared on the label's Christmas album performing "The Little Drummer Girl". She also co-wrote and recorded a song titled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black. The song was Keys' first professional recording; however, it was never released as a single and her record contract with Columbia ended after a dispute with the label. Keys was unhappy with the label because her career had stalled during her two years under contract at Columbia due to executive indecision over her direction and major changes within the company. Keys called Clive Davis, who sensed a "special, unique" artist from her performance and signed her to Arista Records, which later disbanded. Keys almost chose Wilde as her stage name until her manager suggested the name Keys after a dream he had. Keys felt that name represented her both as a performer and person.
2000–02: Songs in A Minor
Following Davis to his newly formed J Records label, she worked with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers and recorded the songs "Rock wit U" and "Rear View Mirror", which were featured on the soundtracks to the films Shaft (2000) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), respectively. Keys' first studio album Songs in A Minor was released in June 2001. Musically, it incorporated classical piano in an R&B, soul and jazz album. Jane Stevenson of Jam! described the music as "old-school urban sounds and attitude set against a backdrop of classical piano and sweet, warm vocals". USA Today's Steve Jones wrote that Keys "taps into the blues, soul, jazz and even classical music to propel haunting melodies and hard-driving funk". Debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 236,000 units, it went on to sell over 6.2 million copies in the United States and 12 million copies internationally. Additionally, it was certified six times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Songs in A Minor established Keys' popularity both inside and outside of the United States where she became the best-selling new artist of the year.
The album's release was preceded by the April release of her debut single, "Fallin'", which spent six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "A Woman's Worth", was released in February 2002 and peaked at seven on the Hot 100 and number three on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; becoming her second top ten single on both charts. Released in June, "How Come You Don't Call Me" served as the album's third single, peaking at 59 on the Hot 100. The album's fourth single "Girlfriend" was released in the United Kingdom where it peaked at 82. The following year, the album was reissued as Remixed & Unplugged in A Minor, which included eight remixes and seven unplugged versions of the songs from the original.
Songs in A Minor led Keys to win five awards at the 2002 Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song for "Fallin'", Best New Artist, and Best R&B Album; "Fallin'" was also nominated for Record of the Year. Keys became the second female solo artist to win five Grammy Awards in a single night, following Lauryn Hill at the 41st Grammy Awards. That same year, she collaborated with Christina Aguilera for the latter's upcoming album Stripped on a song titled "Impossible", which Keys wrote, co-produced, and provided with background vocals. During the early 2000s, Keys also made small cameos in television series Charmed and American Dreams.
2003–05: The Diary of Alicia Keys and Unplugged
Keys followed up her debut with The Diary of Alicia Keys, which was released in December 2003. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 618,000 copies its first week of release, becoming the largest first-week sales for a female artist in 2003. It sold 4.4 million copies in the United States and was certified four times Platinum by the RIAA. It sold eight million copies worldwide, becoming the sixth biggest-selling album by a female artist and the second biggest-selling album by a female R&B artist. The album's lead single, "You Don't Know My Name", peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for eight consecutive weeks, her first Top 10 single in both charts since 2002's "A Woman's Worth". The album's second single, "If I Ain't Got You", was released in February 2004 and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for six weeks. The album's third single, "Diary", peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, being their third consecutive Top 10 single in both charts. The album's fourth and final single, "Karma", which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, first release to fail to achieve top ten status on both charts. "If I Ain't Got You" became the first single by a female artist to remain on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for over a year. Keys also collaborated with recording artist Usher on the song "My Boo" from his 2004 album, Confessions (Special Edition). The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for three weeks, became her first number-one single in Hot 100 since 2001's "Fallin'".
Keys won Best R&B Video for "If I Ain't Got You" at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards; she performed the song and "Higher Ground" with Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder. Later that year, Keys released her novel Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics, a collection of unreleased poems from her journals and lyrics. The title derived from one of her poems, "Love and Chains" from the line: "I don't mind drinking my tears for water." She said the title is the foundation of her writing because "everything I have ever written has stemmed from my tears of joy, of pain, of sorrow, of depression, even of question". The book sold over US$500,000 and Keys made The New York Times bestseller list in 2005. The following year, she won a second consecutive award for Best R&B Video at the MTV Video Music Awards for the video "Karma". Keys performed "If I Ain't Got You" and then joined Jamie Foxx and Quincy Jones in a rendition of "Georgia on My Mind", the Hoagy Carmichael song made famous by Ray Charles in 1960 at the 2005 Grammy Awards. That evening, she won four Grammy Awards: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "If I Ain't Got You", Best R&B Song for "You Don't Know My Name", Best R&B Album for The Diary of Alicia Keys, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for "My Boo" with Usher.
Keys performed and taped her installment of the MTV Unplugged series in July 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. During this session, Keys added new arrangements to her original songs and performed a few choice covers. The session was released on CD and DVD in October 2005. Simply titled Unplugged, the album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with 196,000 units sold in its first week of release. The album sold one million copies in the United States, where it was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and two million copies worldwide. The debut of Keys' Unplugged was the highest for an MTV Unplugged album since Nirvana's 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York and the first Unplugged by a female artist to debut at number one. The album's first single, "Unbreakable", peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It remained at number one on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay for 11 weeks. The album's second and final single, "Every Little Bit Hurts", was released in January 2006, it failed to enter the U.S. charts.
Keys opened a recording studio in Long Island, New York, called The Oven Studios, which she co-owns with her production and songwriting partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers. The studio was designed by renowned studio architect John Storyk of WSDG, designer of Jimi Hendrix' Electric Lady Studios. Keys and Brothers are the co-founders of KrucialKeys Enterprises, a production and songwriting team who have assisted Keys in creating her albums as well as creating music for other artists.
2006–08: Film debut and As I Am
In 2006, Keys won three NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Song for "Unbreakable". She also received the Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In October 2006, she played the voice of Mommy Martian in the "Mission to Mars" episode of the children's television series The Backyardigans, in which she sang an original song, "Almost Everything Is Boinga Here". That same year, Keys nearly suffered a mental breakdown. Her grandmother had died and her family was heavily dependent on her. She felt she needed to "escape" and went to Egypt for three weeks. She explained: "That trip was definitely the most crucial thing I've ever done for myself in my life to date. It was a very difficult time that I was dealing with, and it just came to the point where I really needed to—basically, I just needed to run away, honestly. And I needed to get as far away as possible."
Keys made her film debut in early 2007 in the crime film Smokin' Aces, co-starring as an assassin named Georgia Sykes opposite Ben Affleck and Andy García. Keys received much praise from her co-stars in the film; Ryan Reynolds called her "so natural" and said she would "blow everybody away." Smokin' Aces was a moderate hit at the box office, earning $57,103,895 worldwide during its theatrical run. In the same year, Keys earned further praise for her second film, The Nanny Diaries, based on the 2002 novel of the same name, where she co-starred alongside Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. The Nanny Diaries had a hit moderate performance at the box office, earning only $44,638,886 worldwide during its theatrical run. She also guest starred as herself in the "One Man Is an Island" episode of the drama series Cane.
Keys released her third studio album, As I Am, in November 2007; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 742,000 copies in its first week. It gained Keys her largest first week sales of her career and became her fourth consecutive number one album, tying her with Britney Spears for the most consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200 by a female artist. The week became the second largest sales week of 2007 and the largest sales week for a female solo artist since singer Norah Jones' album Feels like Home in 2004. The album has sold three million copies in the United States and has been certified three times Platinum by the RIAA. It has sold five million copies worldwide. Keys received five nominations for As I Am at the 2008 American Music Award and ultimately won two. The album's lead single, "No One", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for ten consecutive weeks, became her first number-one single in Hot 100 since 2004's "My Boo" and becoming Keys' third and fifth number-one single on each chart, respectively. The album's second single, "Like You'll Never See Me Again", was released in late 2007 and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for seven consecutive weeks. From October 27, 2007, when "No One" reached No. 1, through February 16, 2008, the last week "Like You'll Never See Me Again" was at No. 1, the Keys was on top of the chart for 17 weeks, more consecutive weeks than any other artist in Hot R&B/Hip/Hop Songs chart. The album's third single, "Teenage Love Affair", which peaked at number 54 on the 'Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album's fourth and final single, "Superwoman", which peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
"No One" earned Keys the awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Keys opened the ceremony singing Frank Sinatra's 1950s song "Learnin' the Blues" as a "duet" with archival footage of Sinatra in video and "No One" with John Mayer later in the show. Keys also won Best Female R&B Artist during the show. She starred in "Fresh Takes", a commercial micro-series created by Dove Go Fresh, which premiered during The Hills on MTV from March to April 2008. The premiere celebrated the launch of new Dove Go Fresh. She also signed a deal as spokesperson with Glacéau's VitaminWater to endorse the product, and was in an American Express commercial for the "Are you a Cardmember?" campaign. Keys, along with The White Stripes' guitarist and lead vocalist Jack White, recorded the theme song to Quantum of Solace, the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. In 2008, Keys was ranked in at number 80 the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists. She also starred in The Secret Life of Bees, a film adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's acclaimed 2003 bestseller novel of the same name alongside Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning, Paul Bettany and Queen Latifah, released in October 2008 via Fox Searchlight. The Secret Life of Bees had a hit moderate performance at the box office, earning only $39,947,322 worldwide during its theatrical run. Her role earned her a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards. She also received three nominations at the 2009 Grammy Awards and won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Superwoman".
In an interview with Blender magazine, Keys allegedly said "'Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other, 'gangsta rap' didn't exist" and went on to say that it was created by "the government". The magazine also claimed she said that Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were "essentially assassinated, their beefs stoked by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing". Keys later wrote a statement clarifying the issues and saying her words were misinterpreted. Later that year, Keys was criticized by anti-smoking campaigners after billboard posters for her forthcoming concerts in Indonesia featured a logo for the A Mild cigarette brand sponsored by tobacco firm Philip Morris. She apologized after discovering that the concert was sponsored by the firm and asked for "corrective actions". In response, the company withdrew its sponsorship.
Influences and instrumentation
An accomplished pianist, Keys incorporates piano into a majority of her songs and often writes about love, heartbreak and female empowerment. She has cited several musicians as her inspirations, including Carole King, Whitney Houston, Prince, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. Keys' style is rooted in gospel and vintage soul music, supplemented by bass and programmed drumbeats by Joseph Quevedo. She heavily incorporates classical piano with R&B, soul and jazz into her music. She began experimenting with other genres, including pop and rock, in her third studio album, As I Am, transitioning from neo soul to a 1980s and 1990s R&B sound with her fourth album, The Element of Freedom. Patrick Huguenin of the New York Daily News stated that her incorporation of classical piano riffs contributed to her breakout success. Jet magazine states she "thrives" by touching her fans with "piano mastery, words and melodious voice". The Independent described her style as consisting of "crawling blues coupled with a hip-hop backbeat", noting that her lyrics "rarely stray from matters of the heart". Blender magazine referred to her as "the first new pop artist of the millennium who was capable of changing music."
Voice and songwriting
Keys has a three octave contralto vocal range. She can sing from B flat over an octave below middle C (B♭2) to soprano C (C6). Often referred to as the "Princess of Soul", Keys has been commended as having a strong, raw and impassioned voice; others feel that her voice is "emotionally manufactured" at times and that she pushes her voice out of its natural range. Keys' songwriting is often criticized for lack of depth, which has led to her writing abilities being called limited: her lyrics have been called generic, clichéd and revolving around generalities. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune feels that she "[pokes] around for multi-format hits rather than trying to project any sort of artistic vision". Conversely, Jon Pareles of Blender magazine stated that the musical compositio of her songs makes up for their lyrical weakness, while Gregory Stephen Tate of The Village Voice compared Keys' writing and production to 1970s music.

domain: entertainment


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The Sacramento Bee recently published a news article calling angry and frustrated California parents “violent” and “toxic extremists.”
Within days the Bee published another article touting Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s latest hire: a former Community organizer to run Sacramento’s new Community Engagement Team, established in 2020 to replace Sacramento police officers in dealing with the city’s 11,000 street vagrants, lovingly called “underserved,” and “unhoused.”
The Globe has attended the parent protests for several years at the State Capitol, and spoken with hundreds of parents. Yes, California parents say they are angry about their public schools closed down for 18 months during COVID and kids stuck at home distance learning in their bedrooms. They are angry at the fits and starts with school closures and re-openings. They are angry about their kids now being forced to wear masks all day in school, indoors and outdoors during recess and sports. They are angry and frustrated at Gov. Newsom’s latest edict overriding their medical freedom, ordering all children ages 5 to 11, as well as age 12 on up, to be vaccinated with the COVID vaccine – notably, the only state in the country to do so.
And they are angry over discovering Critical Race Theory curriculum in schools throughout the state, as well as porn-quality sexualized curriculum foisted on their children as young as Kindergarteners.
The Globe did not see the Bee at Monday’s State Capitol parent protest.
The Bee wrote:
“From Modesto to Placerville, Sacramento to Oroville to Redding, the dangerous, conspiracy theory-driven spirit behind the deadly Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots has spread across California as far-right extremists and anti-government activists mobilize to disrupt the work of local elected officials. In Rocklin, law enforcement now attends school board meetings, which have become increasingly contentious and riddled with misinformation and conspiracies.”
“Deadly” U.S. Capitol riots? There is one documented death as a result of the protest. However, more than 25 people died at the hands of violent protesters in cities across the country following George Floyd’s May 25, 2020 death. Those were called “mostly peaceful protests” by media, as buildings burned in the background.
Notably, the word “insurrectionist” is a synonym of “leftists.”
The Bee is pushing disinformation about the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol protest, as well as conflating the ostensible “domestic violent extremism, radicalization, calls for mobilization, attack plotting and attempts” of very few real extremists, with the parent revolution currently taking place.
And the Bee slurs all parents opposed to vaccinating their children with the COVID vaccine as “anti-vaxxers.”
“And Keeley Link, an anti-vaccine advocate and member of the Freedom Angels, an anti-vaccine group that has increasingly espoused anti-government ideas, has for more than a year spun elaborate conspiracy theories during board meetings and rallies,” the Bee reported. “She said the vaccines were a ploy to enrich drug companies and doctors. She has criticized county officials in public meetings and sent them scores of emails in recent months.”
Many parents attending these protests would agree with her. Many other parents attending the protests say they aren’t opposed to vaccines, but are opposed to mandates.
“MORE EXTREME THAN THE TEA PARTY” the Bee subhead says. How “extreme” was the Tea Party – that “non-partisan grassroots organization of individuals united by core values derived from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill of Rights as explained in the Federalist Papers,” fighting excessive government spending and taxation?
“What makes this moment particularly dangerous, experts who study political violence and anti-democracy movements say, is that right-wing activists are using misinformation — about public health, school curriculums and elections — to gain traction,” the Bee said.
This is not just routine conservative organizing, said Lindsay Schubiner, a program director at the Western States Center, an Oregon-based nonprofit that promotes equity and counters white nationalism. It’s a confluence of “bigoted and anti-democracy groups” working to undermine basic institutions.
It’s curious that the Bee chose this non-profit, whose board members include an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, a self-described “social justice agitator, cultural sexologist, and public/sexual health educator,” and a member of the PLAN Action Fund board, which “Organizes people to use our collective leverage for social justice.”
“Oregon has faced political violence and attacks on our democracy throughout its history from bigoted and anti-democratic movements,” the Western States Center says.
But ignore what’s happening in Portland… residents are fearful of going to the “trashed” downtown. A tourism report by Travel Portland found that people don’t want to travel to Portland because they associate the city with homelessness, homicide, and civil unrest. “Because of group cancellations stemming from the pandemic, homeless, and downtown riots, tourism jobs in the metro area have dropped by 10,000 from 36,000 in 2019,” Oregon Catalyst just reported.
This is a perfect storm fomented by media, organized leftists, shadow government NGOs and non-profits, and government: Call parents “terrorists,” while defunding local police. This won’t end well.
The Globe reported on this shift away from fully-funding Sacramento’s police department in October 2020:
The Sacramento City Council voted unanimously to pass a “public safety” resolution, but there is little safety involved. The resolution is intended to officially redefine public safety — Sacramento Police Department, Sacramento Fire Department, and Emergency Medical Teams — to include what the city calls “youth-prevention services” such as arts programs and health food programs, and other “community outreach programs.”
Even with all of the data and statistics of a stunning crime spike in the Capitol City, instead of beefing up the very effective Sacramento Police IMPACT Team and the gang enforcement unit, Mayor Steinberg chose to offer concierge services to “the underserved,” and “unhoused.”
“The community engagement team organizes residents through civic engagement to ensure they have access to resources and opportunities provided by the city of Sacramento. The engagement team is the direct liaison between the community and the mayor’s office, and its focus is on reaching the underserved.”
The City already has mental health and homeless outreach units with the Sacramento Police Department, who are trained to deal with these unique issues – unless they’ve already been defunded.
- LAUSD Board Finally Rescinds Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate for Employees - September 28, 2023
- OPINION: GOP Debate Brought to you by Political Consultants? - September 28, 2023
- Whamm, Zwap, Bam! Lawsuits Already Filed Over California’s Newest Gun Control Laws - September 27, 2023


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These feather necklaces are a fun fine motor activity for kids and are a perfect addition to a Thanksgiving, turkey, or bird themed lesson. The article also includes ideas for working on math concepts like counting, comparing quantities, and creating patt
We love these 24 Super Fun Preschool Fall Crafts and we think your kids will too! We’re big into kids fall crafts and love creating with our little ones. So grab your crafting supplies (and maybe some natural elements too) and lets get started!
Paper plate Easter basket craft - NurtureStore How to make an Easter basket paper plate craft - love how each child can add their own art to this. If you appreciate arts and crafts you will enjoy our website!

domain: hobby


It’s a parallel comparison to what’s happening to this world, what with the record levels of carbon dioxide being amassed today and all. I’ve understood for years that climate change was a significant threat, but as more is discovered, it’s turning out to be a far more significant problem than I ever imagined.
Global climate change, fueled by skyrocketing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, is siphoning oxygen from today’s oceans at an alarming pace — so fast that scientists aren’t entirely sure how the planet will respond.
Their only hint? Look to the past.
In a study to be published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Florida State University did just that — and what they found brings into stark relief the disastrous effects a deoxygenated ocean could have on marine life.
Millions of years ago, scientists discovered, powerful volcanoes pumped Earth’s atmosphere full of carbon dioxide, draining the oceans of oxygen and driving a mass extinction of marine organisms.
“We wanted to reconstruct Early Jurassic ocean oxygen levels to better understand the mass extinction and the T-OAE,” said Theodore Them, a postdoctoral researcher at FSU who led the study. “We used to think of ocean temperature and acidification as a one-two punch, but more recently we’ve learned this third variable, oxygen change, is equally important.”
By analyzing the thallium isotope composition of ancient rocks from North America and Europe, the team found that ocean oxygen began to deplete well before the defined time interval traditionally ascribed to the T-OAE.
That initial deoxygenation, researchers say, was precipitated by massive episodes of volcanic activity — a process not altogether unlike the industrial emission of carbon dioxide we’re familiar with today.
“Over the past 50 years, we’ve seen that a significant amount of oxygen has been lost from our modern oceans,” Them said. “While the timescales are different, past volcanism and carbon dioxide increases could very well be an analog for present events.”
When the atmosphere is suffused with carbon dioxide, global temperatures climb, triggering a cascade of hydrological, biological and chemical events that conspire to sap the oceans of oxygen.
“It’s extremely important to study these past events,” Them said. “It seems that no matter what event we observe in Earth’s history, when we see carbon dioxide concentrations increasing rapidly, the result tends to be very similar: a major or mass extinction event. This is another situation where we can unequivocally link widespread oceanic deoxygenation to a mass extinction.”
Steps can still be taken to curb oxygen loss in the modern oceans. For example, conserving important wetlands and estuaries — along with other environments that absorb and store large amounts of carbon dioxide — could help to blunt the effects of harmful industrial emissions.


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Medical Author : William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Medical Editor : Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
What is shoulder bursitis?
A bursa is a tiny fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between tissues of the body. The plural of bursa is bursae. There are 160 bursae in the body. The major bursae are located adjacent to the tendons near the large joints, such as the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.
Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa. Injury or inflammation of a bursa around the shoulder joint occurs causes shoulder bursitis.
How does a bursa become inflamed?
A bursa can become inflamed from injury, infection (rare in the shoulder), or an underlying rheumatic condition. Examples include infection of the bursa in front of the knee from a knee scraping on asphalt (septic prepatellar bursitis), inflammation of the elbow bursa from gout crystals (gouty olecranon bursitis), or injury as subtle as lifting a bag of groceries into the car, which could inflame the shoulder bursa (shoulder bursitis).
What are shoulder bursitis symptoms and signs? How is shoulder bursitis diagnosed?
Bursitis is typically identified by localized pain or swelling, tenderness, and pain with motion of the tissues in the affected area. X-ray testing can sometimes detect calcifications in the bursa when bursitis has been chronic or recurrent. MRI scanning (magnetic resonance imaging) can also define bursitis. Shoulder bursitis is often accompanied by tendinitis of tendons adjacent to the affected bursa in the shoulder. Shoulder bursitis causes focal tenderness of the inflamed tissues. It can also cause a "pinching" pain when the elbow is moved away from the body, referred to as an "impingement" sign.
How is shoulder bursitis treated?
The treatment of any form of bursitis depends on whether or not it involves infection. Infection of a shoulder bursa is uncommon, and bursitis that develops there is usually from injury. Bursitis that is not infected (as from injury or an underlying rheumatic disease) can be treated with ice compresses, rest, and anti-inflammatory and pain medications. Occasionally, it requires aspiration of the bursa fluid. This procedure involves removal of the fluid with a needle and syringe under sterile conditions and can be performed in the doctor's office. Sometimes the fluid is sent to the laboratory for further analysis. Noninfectious shoulder bursitis can also be treated with an injection of cortisone medication into the swollen bursa. This is sometimes done at the same time as the aspiration procedure. Physical therapy can sometimes be used to aid the recovery from bursitis, especially when it is accompanied by a frozen shoulder.
Infectious (septic) bursitis, again which is uncommon in the shoulder, requires even further evaluation and aggressive treatment. The bursal fluid can be examined in the laboratory to identify the microbes causing the infection. Septic bursitis requires antibiotic therapy, sometimes intravenously. Repeated aspiration of the inflamed fluid may be required. Surgical drainage and removal of the infected bursa sac (bursectomy) may also be necessary. Generally, the adjacent joint functions normally after the surgical wound heals.
What is the prognosis (outlook) for shoulder bursitis?
The outlook is generally excellent for a full recovery with shoulder bursitis. If the bursitis is accompanied by scarring around the shoulder joint (adhesive capsulitis or "frozen shoulder"), it can require long-term physical therapy.
Can shoulder bursitis be prevented?
By avoiding overuse of the shoulder by excessive straining the shoulder and gradual exercise training, shoulder bursitis can be prevented.
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Recognize These Skin Conditions?
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Understanding this Common Condition
Flu Fighters (10)
10 Foods to Eat When You Have the Flu
Heart Disease (29)
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Super Foods for Your (13)
Lower Your Risk of Osteoporosis
Stress Management Di (16)
Why Are My Ears Ringing?
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Simple Secrets to Portion Control and
High-Protein Diet (16)
The Good and Bad
Childrens Health (11)
Top 10 Brain Foods for Children
Salt Shockers (24)
Teeth Whitening (16)
10 Secrets to Brighter, Whiter Teeth
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Simple Tips to Keep Baby's Skin Healt
Pet Health (12)
Pet Treats Dos and Don'ts
Food Poisoning (23)
20 Common and Uncommon Types, Signs a
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Nutrition and Health Care Reform

domain: biology


text:
DCA - ORF
$188 - $499
|Popular in||April||High demand for flights, 47% potential price rise|
|Cheapest in||January||Best time to find cheap flights, 28% potential price drop|
|Average price||$219||Average for round-trip flights in سبتمبر 2020|
|Round-trip from||188﷼||From Reagan National to Norfolk|
Friday is generally a great day to depart. Flying on this day could help you save up to 69%.
To save on the cost of your flight from Reagan National to Norfolk, book at least 49 days before your planned departure. Booking around this time can save you about 14% on the cost of this flight compared to booking a flight leaving this week. We have found prices from $238 if you need a flight within two weeks. For flights within the next 72 hours, you can find tickets from as low as $265.
October is one of the best times of the year to fly to Norfolk from Reagan National. Prices for October average $246 per person but you can even find prices for as low as $108. The most expensive prices can be found in the month of June. Opting for a October flight can save you 36% on your journey compared to booking in October
It’s typically best to fly out from Reagan National to Norfolk in the morning. Doing so could potentially save you 22% on the flight price compared to flying in the afternoon, which is usually more expensive.
|Evening 6 PM to midnight||100% of DCA to ORF departures|
|Early morning Midnight to 6 AM||0% of DCA to ORF departures|
|Morning 6 AM to noon||0% of DCA to ORF departures|
|Afternoon Noon to 6 PM||0% of DCA to ORF departures|

domain: travel


Mary Dooe, West Hollywood, Calif
This is a Polaroid that I had on my fridge for years. It made its way through several moves and the tiniest of Manhattan apartments. To me, the middle class is about working really hard for the necessities of life while still daydreaming (or actively working towards) a little something extra – like a great pair of heels that I promise you I will one day be able to afford.
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Ernie Ritz, vice chairman of the Downtown Improvement District, believes now is the time to resurrect plans to improve and expand Five Points Park.
“I think we should pick up the work that’s already been done on Five Points Park,” Ritz told his fellow DID board members Tuesday.
Ritz doesn’t believe the park needs new landscaping, new grass and the removal of the small wall that surrounds the park.
“Just the removal of the concrete curb will make it more welcoming,” he said.
Six concept plans have been design over the years, but each one has been rejected.
DID board member Andrew Foley agreed that park improvements are needed.
“Five Points Park is such an important part of our district,” Foley said. “It’s such a glaring example of something that needs improvement.”
The DID plans to review the six previous designs at its meeting next week and decide then how to proceed.
Contact Robin Roy at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Currently 1 Response
- If the park gets any kind of expansion does that mean marina jack will get more control than he has at the present time?
31 Anna Maria Oyster Bar Halloween Blood Drive
11:30 am - 6:30 pm
31 Siesta Key Village Safe Treats
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
31 Drag Queen Halloween Bingo
5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
31 Drag Queen Halloween BINGO
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Ladies enjoy a night out
Women of all ages ditched their heels and slipped on their running shoes for the New Balance Girls Night Out.
Residents help tame lionfish
A total of 251 lionfish were scooped out of the ocean for the inaugural Sarasota Lionfish Derby last weekend.
Let them eat cake!
The staff and residents at The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch celebrated the first resident to become a member of the centennial club.


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Augmented Reality / AR
Yoobee Colleges becomes largest independent IT and creative college in NZ
Five design and arts colleges have been incorporated to create New Zealand’s largest independent specialised creative and IT college.
Bye bye Yoobee… Hello Oobe as Apple retailer goes 'out of the box'
The Yoobee retail outlets for Apple devices and accessories are no more, with the retail chain rebranding as Oobe.
Exclusive: Yoobee back in black and planning for expansion
Two years after Renaissance sold its ailing Yoobee retail business, the business is back in black – and looking to expand.
Kiwi iPhone demand running high as 6s, 6s Plus break records
Apple says its new iPhone models are smashing global records - and they're in hot demand in New Zealand too, with demand outstripping supply.
Apple retailer Yoobee offers up Huawei Android flagship P8
Yoobee customers now have access to a premium Android option, with the Apple retailer offering Huawei’s flagship P8 device.
Yoobee ups commercial focus with 2degrees
Yoobee is offering 2degrees business phone plans, as the Apple specialist continues its push into the commercial market.
Yoobee eyes commercial and education markets
Apple specialist Yoobee is ramping up its focus on the commercial and education markets, employing both a commercial channel manager and an education manager.
Renaissance... Six months none the richer
Hitting the final nail into the Renaissance coffin, shareholders yesterday approved by way of Special Resolution the appointment of Andrew McKay and Justin Bosley of Corporate Finance Ltd as liquidators of the ailing company.
"A long time coming”... Renaissance finally liquidates
"Today's resolution to liquidate Renaissance has been a long time coming..."
Grim reading as Renaissance outlines bleak future plans...
Struggling Renaissance has released its interim report, outlining the company’s grim future to shareholders.
Renaissance likely to miss $1 million earn-out from Yoobee School of Design sale
Renaissance says it's unlikely to get a $1 million earn-out from the Yoobee School of Design because earnings are tracking below target.
Yoobee ups ante in ‘one stop shop’ plan
Yoobee is offering 2degrees voice and data plans instore, with customers able to use rebates on hardware beyond handsets.
Renaissance capital return unlikely before June
Shareholders in Renaissance Corp, which sold its last business unit earlier this month, are unlikely to receive any payments before June in what will probably be a two-part distribution if they decide to liquidate the company.
Commercial focus for Yoobee
The Yoobee Apple stores will have an increased focus on commercial business under new owner, Logical Systems.
I need a dollar dollar, a dollar is what I need...
Renaissance has completed the sale of Yoobee Retail operations to Logical Systems Limited, for the previously reported figure of $1.
Shock horror as Renaissance sells Yoobee Retail for... $1
Renaissance has agreed the sale of its Yoobee Apple computer retailing operation, for a measly $1.
Renaissance completes $14m Yoobee sale
Following months of negotiations, Renaissance has completed the $14m sale of the Yoobee School of Design with the Academic Colleges Group (ACG).
Renaissance - Where did it all go wrong...?
Following a horrendous 2012 and a crippling 2013, The Channel examines where it all went wrong for the former Apple distributor.
Renaissance sells design school, retail under discussion
Renaissance shareholders have approved the sale of all shares in Yoobee School of Design to Academic Colleges Group, with another party looking at acquiring Renaissance’s retail operations.
Renaissance on the rocks amid yo-yo Yoobee sale
"Ideally the board would be able to sell retail, wind Renaissance up and distribute funds to shareholders. As I write, we are still some way from achieving that goal."
Struggling Renaissance suffers $1.6m annual loss
"The Company has not experienced consecutive 'normal' trading years since 2008."
Renaissance reveals changes to ACG education business deal
Renaissance and Academic Colleges Group adjust their agreement so that the transaction will be executed by way of a sale of shares rather than a sale of assets.
Renaissance sells NatCol / YooBee to ACG for $14 million
The Board of Renaissance has reached a conditional agreement with Academic Colleges Group to sell the assets and business undertaking of its Yoobee School of Design subsidiary.
Struggling Renaissance suffers again
Following the closure of four Yoobee retail stores in New Zealand, things go from bad to worse as Renaissance forecasts another "disappointing" financial year.


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and post notes and photos about your poem like Samual Ronthorpe.
I wrote this poem last year. I posted this on PS, but took it off. I decided to 'give it another run'. Enjoy.
This poem is written in the Sestina form.
Under the cloak of anger,
In a world full of despair,
Surrounded by misery and pain,
Engulfed in darkness,
Loss of hope,
To keep oneself under control,
Fight through the darkness, confront your anger,
Don’t give in to despair, search for hope,
The search can be painful and full of despair,
Lead me out of this angry darkness,
Help me control the pain.
I can’t deal with this pain,
I am lost in the darkness, out of control,
Totally lost, totally dark,
Searching, hoping, use that anger!,
Break through the darkness, conquer despair,
It is within your control, give in to hope.
Despair is neutralized within the realm of hope,
You cannot control the pain,
Anger is the offspring of despair,
Which cannot be defeated, only controlled,
This desperate child named anger,
Sits silently cold, in the darkness.
God, relieve me of this anger, take this darkness,
End this pain, restore my hope,
Give me the control to master this anger,
So I can leave the darkness and end the pain,
I am asking for less anger and more control,
Grant my prayer, O’ Lord, end my despair.
Totally lost and completely desperate,
Angry and confused within the dark,
Hopelessly lost, losing control,
Searching for answers, needing hope,
To lift this darkness and end the pain,
I don’t want to be controlled by this anger.
Never get so desperate as to lose control,
Even if it’s painful and dark,
Rely on hope to deal with that anger.
Original poem written by S.Ronthorpe
Copyright © Samual Ronthorpe | Year Posted 2012


text:
Thought I’d offer my audience a look at the latest Plume Beta, since it’s really not for public consumption yet. This being Beta software, things are not final and are subject to change. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s see what’s cooking for the next Plume Creator release.
Cyril has been giving the Project Tree an overhaul in an effort to make drag and drop smoother and faster. All his hard work is beginning to pay off, because in the limited testing I’ve done, it’s working great. Another new addition to the Tree is icons for Books, Acts, Chapters and Scenes. Yes, you read that right. Acts is new. As you can see in the screenshot below, your novel or book can now have Acts. Very cool. Kudos to Tushant Mirchandani, the new icons look clean and sharp. Again, things are in flux in this area, so the icons may change before the next release. Tushant is also responsible for the new layout options of the main screen.
Below is a screen shot of the Outliner which is now called the Workbench. This is where you are supposed to create your book in outline form. All changes to this Workbench outline immediately show up on the main screen shown above.
There are more new features planned and I’ll let you guys in on them as I test them. Rest assured that Plume Creator is still very much in development and is getting better with every release.
I printed my novel outline for Starforgers and it was four pages long in landscape. This is the finished outline for the nearly finished novel. I’m down to the last two chapters for the first draft. It’s sitting at around 150 pages and about 80,000 words. Plenty of space left to wind the story down and wrap up all the loose subplots.
When I finish this draft I will probably take it to Kinkos and print it out. I did that with Tyrmia and it was much easier to edit that way, with a red pen. I know computers are awesome and all, but sometimes the change in format lets me see things I miss on the screen. It also lets me hold a heavy, tangible object. Which is good for my ego. Just look at this huge, heavy stack of paper. I wrote all those words. Every one of them. Then I start hacking on those words and trying to make them readable.
Filling in the outline for Starforgers is coming along at a leisurely pace. I’m supposed to be finishing up the final draft of Tyrmia, so that has priority right now. Back to the outline. I do my outlining in a spreadsheet. This is so I can add and subtract things with relative ease. I start with the basic plot outline divided up by major scenes and then breaking those down into chapters. Each chapter is broken down into bullet statements with plot points that need to happen. It becomes a check list for writing the chapter. I also note the Point Of View of each scene or chapter bullet.
Sometimes I go into more detail or I mention certain things like – change this name or rethink this scene. Other notes may be about character arcs or just about anything that might occur to me before actually writing the first draft. When the time comes to fire up the word processor and start typing, I usually have it clear what needs to happen in each chapter. My goal is to get through a chapter per week. Usually I write only on weekends, early in the morning. But this time, I’m going to be pushing myself to get through the first draft sooner.
Tyrmia took way too much time to get through the first draft with a several month long break in the middle. I don’t want to do that this time. I want to start writing and stay writing until the end. Not sure how many months that will take. Going to start writing in October, hopefully. The goal for now will be to get to the end of draft one by January 2011. Then let it sit for a month before jumping into draft two. I may have a few beta readers look at draft one. After draft two, I will open it up to more beta reader and hopefully their inputs will be incorporated into the third and final draft. With any luck, by next summer Starforgers will be going to my editor.
Or at least the first draft of an outline. This being for my next novel, Starforgers. Because the web is a visual medium, here are some visual proofs of my labor. I did the outline in Google docs as a spreadsheet. Then I downloaded it as a PDF and printed it out. It is two and a half pages long in landscape mode.
Here is a close up. Warning, if you don’t want to know anything about this story, don’t try to read this picture. If you don’t care about having things ruined, go ahead and read it. It’s only the setup and first act.
As long as I’m taking out the slide projector and setting up the screen, here’s a shot of Tales From Ocherva, Volume One on the nook. Nice!

domain: literature


text:
A wonderful friend is retiring on her 66th birthday after nearly 20 years of working at the library. I searched the internet and found great ideas for this card.
I played a lot with making the vintage Manila folder-colored pockets that used to hold the slips of paper we used to check out books. (Egad! I'm dating myself.....)
I even put magnets on Retirement Rules so Phyllis could stick them to her frig. [Entered in April Daily Inspiration Challenge - Librarian]

domain: library


The Structure & Working Principle of Bearing Heater :
The bearing induction heater is a kind of air-cooling frequency induction heating device, which is composed of induction heating main control, yoke steel, temperature controller & sensor and other accessories. The purpose of heating the bearing is to cause the bearing to produce thermal expansion, so that the bearing can be smoothly sleeved on the shaft.
In fact, the working principle of bearing heater is applied electromagnetic induction heating, which is actually the use of magnetic fields. When we put the bearing on the yoke steel, the circuit is closed and a magnetic field is formed. The heated work piece is a equivalent to a resistance. The current in the magnetic field will accumulate every time it passes through the resistance. As a result, the workpiece is also heated.


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The impasse between the medical fraternity and the ministry of health has been diffused after the government agreed to allocate funds for their deployment effective August 3, 2023.
A statement from the Director General of Health Services Dr. Henry Mwebesa said the 1,901 intern doctors will be paid one million Shillings per month as opposed to UGX 2.5m that their predecessors used to earn.
The interns had spent a year without being deployed, which meant that they would not be eligible for certification by the Medical and dental practitioners council without internship report.
The Uganda Medical Association, the umbrella body for all doctors welcomed the deployment.
However, Dr. Okwaro Ebuku, a former President of the Uganda Medical Association and a major negotiator in the current battle says the intern doctors may sue the government in the industrial court to address pay disparity.

domain: politics


text:
Fire-paramedic service advised to cut stations from 30 to 24
City council poised to put off recommendation, for now; chief hopes plan will be implemented
A long-awaited report recommends Winnipeg reduce the number of fire-paramedic stations in the city from 30 to 24 — but city council is not prepared to proceed with the consolidation plan this year.
A 15-year strategic plan by the Winnipeg Fire-Paramedic Service recommends the city consolidate 30 existing fire-paramedic stations into 23 locations and build a new station in Waverley West.
The plan would involve $154 million of new construction between 2021 and 2034, starting with a Waverley West station in 2023-24.
The plan would not make response times worse, its authors say.
"It is important to note the reduction in station count does not infer any reduction in first responder positions. In fact, response staffing increases are recommended for additional ladder coverage and for ambulance coverage," the report says.
"In concert with emergency vehicle traffic pre-emption, fewer but larger, properly located, and more efficiently designed stations will improve current response times and ensure that future demands are met."
Priority traffic signals for emergency vehicles would be required to ensure fire-paramedic response times are not affected by the consolidation of stations, fire-paramedic Chief John Lane said.
The report was published Tuesday and will be considered by council's protection, community services and parks committee on March 4.
The committee is advised to "receive it as information," which is council jargon for not proceeding with the recommendations.
Lane said he nonetheless expects council to approve the long-term construction plan, which would rely on provincial funding.
In the short term, council is poised to approve a series of minor service improvements this year that fall within a budget expected next week.
Councillor, union respond to report
That budget will include a plan to shutter Station No. 9 on Marion Street, which would be the first station cut under the long-term plan as a prelude to the construction of the new station in Waverley West, said Waverley West Coun. Janice Lukes.
She said she's pleased to see a plan for a new station in her ward.
Alex Forrest, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, said while he applauds the long-term planning effort, he does not believe it makes sense to close some inner-city fire-paramedic stations to improve coverage in newer areas of the city.
He said he does not believe inner-city councillors will approve this plan and said he does not believe it will improve response times over the entire city.
Forrest said signal prioritization will not improve response times because fire trucks can already run red lights.
Numerous consolidations recommended
The fire-paramedic service's long-term plan calls for the consolidation of Station No. 9 with Station No. 15 on Autumnwood Road.
It also calls for the following consolidations:
- Station No. 5 on Sargent Avenue and Station No. 31 on Furby Street would be shuttered and consolidated with Station No. 1 on Ellen Street.
- Station No. 3 on Rue DesMeurons would be closed and consolidated with Station No. 2 on Watt Street.
- Station No. 30 on the southern stretch of Osborne Street would be closed and consolidated with Station No. 4 in Osborne Village.
- Station No. 10 on Border Street and Station No. 17 on Church Avenue would be closed and consolidated at a new location.
- Station No. 8 on Kimberley Avenue would be moved to the east.
- Station No. 13 on Lilac Street would be moved to the south.
- Station No. 14 on St. Mary's Road would be replaced at the same location.
- Station No. 16 on McGregor Street would be replaced at the same location.
- Station No. 36 on Portage Avenue would be closed and consolidated with Station No. 19 on Whytewold Road.
- Station No. 22 on Waverley Street would be remodelled and possibly moved to the south.
- Station No. 23 on Dalhousie Street would be replaced at the same site.
- Station No. 24 on Rothesay Street would be replaced and possibly moved to the southwest.
- Station No. 25 on Day Street would be remodelled and possibly moved to the east.
WATCH | Bartley Kives' report:
- We initially reported that Station No. 2 on Watt Street would be closed and consolidated with Station No. 3 on Rue DesMeurons. In fact, Station No. 3 on DesMeurons would be closed and consolidated with Station No. 2 on Watt Street, which would remain open.Feb 26, 2020 7:59 AM CT