You work hard enough to win your meeting and conference business, so it makes sense to leave a positive lasting impression and an incentive for delegates to return.
In my line of work I see a lot of meeting and conference venues—sometimes as a mentor, but frequently also as the client or a delegate. Normally the first impression is alright. You get a warm welcome and are asked at the outset if everything is OK. But it's what happens after this that invariably lets you down.
The room setup
The appearance of the room is of course important, but the first impression goes beyond how the room looks.
Is best use made of natural light, or is this blocked off with a dependence on artificial light (which is far more tiring on the eye and wastes a lot more energy)? Where artificial lighting is a must, is this logically positioned so delegates are not sitting in their own shadows? Is there good light on the presenters and props?
The setup of the room requires common sense. I often get the impression that porters have had no training and have not checked the rooms. For example:
* If using a projector, are there sufficient impact socket for a laptop, and can these be easily reached without presenters tripping on a lead and breaking their necks?
* Has the presenter been included in the delegate numbers and been provided with a chair, glass and water, or does the venue really expect them to stand for eight hours? (At two venues only last week I was not given a chair for separate all-day workshops.)
* Check the size of the table needed for the presenter; if they have notes and handout materials, have you provided them with a workspace that is big enough to put down their notes and props, or it is taken over by the projector?
* Is the projector lined up properly with the screen (and in focus), or is it so close to the screen that the image only fills a quarter of the space available. Worse still, is the projector not angled upwards so the image only shows on the bottom third of the screen?
* If presenters have requested flip charts, is there a supply of fresh paper, and do all the pens work? Test them at the end of every meeting and discard those that have passed their best.
* Consider also the positioning of tables and chairs. I frequently find the presenter is positioned so far away from the rest of the participants that it’s necessary for them to shout to be heard. When a cabaret set up is used, factor in the length of the meeting; if it is an all-day meeting and delegates are required to face the front, ensure they can do so without having to keep turning around and straining their necks.
Refreshments
Whereas the room setup will be more of a concern to the presenters than the delegates, the quality and timing of refreshments are a key factor for presenters and delegates alike.
* Having refreshments turn up on time is critical to the smooth operation of any event. A mere five-minute delay during a 10-minute break can have a serious impact on the meeting timetable. And it’s not just refreshments that need to be delivered promptly, but clean cups, fresh milk, plenty of teabags, etc. I know this sounds obvious, but you’ll be amazed how often the milk runs out or everyone favours a particular flavour of tea and there isn’t enough to go around.
* Avoid bottlenecks at coffee stations: Arrange cups, flasks and milk and sugar so you don’t get congestion all around one spot. It might be obvious to the venue which pot or flask is tea and which is coffee and which is hot water, but it isn't to the delegates, so please make this clear. (A show of hands: Who has ever poured coffee as opposed to hot water onto their teabag?) And then what are we supposed to do with our tea bag once our tea is brewed? Please provide a bowl for spent tea bags. (This goes for hotel rooms, too.)
* If you have more sophisticated coffee machines, ensure they can keep pace with demand. A machine that takes just 20 seconds to brew and dispense a cup of coffee at best can only accommodate 30 people in a 10 minute period. It certainly won’t be suitable for a meeting with 50 delegates.
* I don't know about you, but I find it quite difficult to distinguish what's in a sandwich without either opening it up or eating it. A few simple labels on buffet food make such a difference and cost next to nothing in time and effort.
* Watch for trends. If your delegates go through more still water than sparkling (which in my experience is usually the case) match what you provide in your set up to meet the demand. It not only keeps your delegates happy but saves on wastage, too.
Be responsive
Check the room temperatures and respond quickly to organisers’ requests to adjust them. The bane of my life is air conditioning. Invariably it blows too hot or too cold. Half the time I question whether it adds anything, particularly in a room where the windows open. And nobody wants to sit right beneath a blast of cold air. Adjusting it to suit everyone's requirements is a fine line.
Have a system that can be turned off if required. Systems designed to keep every room at the same temperature are sheer madness. If you have a room with just two people in it sitting still compared to a room with 30 people doing group activities letting off all that body heat, you’re obviously going to want them at different temperatures. Be prepared for organisers to ask for a temperature change or for the air conditioning to be turned off altogether. I sometimes feel as if I've asked for the moon when I make this request; is it really too difficult? But then please, please, respond and check that the adjustments have worked rather than simply adjusting them to the opposite extreme.
2011年4月20日星期三
2011年4月19日星期二
PwC sign first corporate electric car rental deal in London
The deal with Hertz, will encourage employees to swap taxi journeys of over six miles with booking the cars from the firm’s central London offices in Westminster or Southwark.
Bridget Jackson, head of sustainability, PwC said: “The journeys our people take at work in central London can be to locations with no direct transport link, or involve carrying materials either too bulky or confidential for public transport. We only need to convert around two of those journeys a day that currently use cabs, to our new electric vehicles to make this add up for us.
“It’s a pioneering initiative for PwC and fits our commitment to work with new technologies, test how they fit in our mix of needs, so we can reduce our overall environmental impact. We need to understand the day to day reality of working with electric cars, just as we test any other transport on offer, so we can lower our overall emissions, potentially rolling out the scheme nationwide.”
The two five door, small hatch cars have a 90 mile range, are 100% electric, and provide a live member car care support line via the Connect by Hertz in car communications system, including statistics on emissions and usage. The cars will be charged at the two PwC offices or via Hertz's wider network, or Source London's network. Employees could also charge them overnight via a three pin impact socket.
Research by PwC’s automotive practice estimates that by 2020, pure electric vehicles (PEVs) could represent between two and five percent of the total output of light vehicles. The depth and speed at which electric vehicles will be able to penetrate the market will rely on several factors, but there remains little doubt that this technology will have a significant impact on the automotive industry moving forward.
The auto industry is responsible for 15 percent of global carbon emissions, amounting to roughly 8 billion tons annually. Although environmental protection has been the primary driver for change, other factors such as the price volatility of fossil fuels and energy independence have also helped drive a change to alternative and renewable energy sources.
Richard Gane, head of automotive, PwC commented: “Electric vehicles (EV) could play a very big part in the future of the automotive market as firms and individuals becoming increasingly conscious of the need to switch to more environmental alternatives to lower our emissions.
“EVs may well represent a more promising transport option to reducing vehicle emissions and creating a more sustainable passenger vehicle fleet but the sector does face its own challenges.
“Comparative battery performance, availability of battery materials, storage technology, mileage range and the need for a 'smart grid' that can recharge millions of EVs using low-carbon electricity without overloading local distribution circuits are all issues manufacturers need to think about. However, the automotive market is ready to take on the challenge.”
Bridget Jackson, head of sustainability, PwC said: “The journeys our people take at work in central London can be to locations with no direct transport link, or involve carrying materials either too bulky or confidential for public transport. We only need to convert around two of those journeys a day that currently use cabs, to our new electric vehicles to make this add up for us.
“It’s a pioneering initiative for PwC and fits our commitment to work with new technologies, test how they fit in our mix of needs, so we can reduce our overall environmental impact. We need to understand the day to day reality of working with electric cars, just as we test any other transport on offer, so we can lower our overall emissions, potentially rolling out the scheme nationwide.”
The two five door, small hatch cars have a 90 mile range, are 100% electric, and provide a live member car care support line via the Connect by Hertz in car communications system, including statistics on emissions and usage. The cars will be charged at the two PwC offices or via Hertz's wider network, or Source London's network. Employees could also charge them overnight via a three pin impact socket.
Research by PwC’s automotive practice estimates that by 2020, pure electric vehicles (PEVs) could represent between two and five percent of the total output of light vehicles. The depth and speed at which electric vehicles will be able to penetrate the market will rely on several factors, but there remains little doubt that this technology will have a significant impact on the automotive industry moving forward.
The auto industry is responsible for 15 percent of global carbon emissions, amounting to roughly 8 billion tons annually. Although environmental protection has been the primary driver for change, other factors such as the price volatility of fossil fuels and energy independence have also helped drive a change to alternative and renewable energy sources.
Richard Gane, head of automotive, PwC commented: “Electric vehicles (EV) could play a very big part in the future of the automotive market as firms and individuals becoming increasingly conscious of the need to switch to more environmental alternatives to lower our emissions.
“EVs may well represent a more promising transport option to reducing vehicle emissions and creating a more sustainable passenger vehicle fleet but the sector does face its own challenges.
“Comparative battery performance, availability of battery materials, storage technology, mileage range and the need for a 'smart grid' that can recharge millions of EVs using low-carbon electricity without overloading local distribution circuits are all issues manufacturers need to think about. However, the automotive market is ready to take on the challenge.”
2011年4月18日星期一
St. Charles Hospital: Leading-Edge Orthopedics on Long Island
“We see this as a reaffirmation of our very high-quality program,” says Jim O’Conner, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. “It’s good to have an outside source agree with us.”
There’s little evidence of the St. Charles Hospital’s humble beginnings more than a century ago, when four Sisters of the Order of the Daughters of Wisdom accepted 24 homeless children with developmental and physical disabilities into their care. The hospital’s expertise grew during the height of the polio epidemic, when 400 children were in residence and when it opened its Outpatient Orthopedic Clinic in 1948 to provide monitoring and care for children who were able to live at home. As devastating childhood illnesses became less common, St. Charles Hospital enhanced its focus on the adult population, fastidiously advancing to a full-service, acute care hospital featuring three Centers of Excellence. One such center includes the team of experts that promote collaboration and use the most advanced surgical procedures in the field of orthopedics. Today, St. Charles Hospital’s innovative orthopedic program is tailored to meet each individual’s specific needs. Four new high-tech operating rooms opened late last year to accommodate the cutting-edge procedures the hospital’s orthopedic surgeons perform. Its focus on orthopedics and rehabilitation sets St. Charles Hospital apart in five areas of expertise: total hip and knee joint replacement; spine surgery; sports medicine; hand, wrist and elbow surgery; and shoulder surgery.
Leading the Way
St. Charles Hospital’s orthopedic department accounts for nearly half of all surgeries performed in the 231-bed hospital. Led by both long-time and newly recruited surgeons — many of whom are affiliated with teaching hospitals on Long Island and in New York City — the program highlights a range of accomplishments that include “firsts” for both its local community and beyond. Among these are its achievements in computer-assisted navigation systems that result in shorter surgeries and smaller incisions with reduced bleeding, more precise alignment of prostheses and quicker healing. In 2007, St. Charles Hospital became the second hospital in the world to use computer navigation for reverse ball and socket total shoulder replacement. Two years earlier, it became the first hospital on Long Island to use that technology for hip replacement surgery and was the first in the Northeast to use it for total knee replacement surgery. It was also the first hospital in Suffolk County to perform gender-specific total knee replacement surgery.
It doesn’t stop there. St. Charles Hospital provides both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs for adults, adolescents and children. As the first rehabilitation facility on Long Island to receive accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities, its network includes the most technologically advanced rehabilitation techniques for patients following orthopedic surgery, with nine outpatient facilities available on Long Island.
“Rehabilitation following orthopedic surgery is critically important. It is necessary to ensure optimum range of motion and to restore strength,” says O’Conner. “No matter what procedure a patient has done, our ability to hand them from their orthopedic surgeon to rehabilitation within the same facility is a major advantage.”
There’s little evidence of the St. Charles Hospital’s humble beginnings more than a century ago, when four Sisters of the Order of the Daughters of Wisdom accepted 24 homeless children with developmental and physical disabilities into their care. The hospital’s expertise grew during the height of the polio epidemic, when 400 children were in residence and when it opened its Outpatient Orthopedic Clinic in 1948 to provide monitoring and care for children who were able to live at home. As devastating childhood illnesses became less common, St. Charles Hospital enhanced its focus on the adult population, fastidiously advancing to a full-service, acute care hospital featuring three Centers of Excellence. One such center includes the team of experts that promote collaboration and use the most advanced surgical procedures in the field of orthopedics. Today, St. Charles Hospital’s innovative orthopedic program is tailored to meet each individual’s specific needs. Four new high-tech operating rooms opened late last year to accommodate the cutting-edge procedures the hospital’s orthopedic surgeons perform. Its focus on orthopedics and rehabilitation sets St. Charles Hospital apart in five areas of expertise: total hip and knee joint replacement; spine surgery; sports medicine; hand, wrist and elbow surgery; and shoulder surgery.
Leading the Way
St. Charles Hospital’s orthopedic department accounts for nearly half of all surgeries performed in the 231-bed hospital. Led by both long-time and newly recruited surgeons — many of whom are affiliated with teaching hospitals on Long Island and in New York City — the program highlights a range of accomplishments that include “firsts” for both its local community and beyond. Among these are its achievements in computer-assisted navigation systems that result in shorter surgeries and smaller incisions with reduced bleeding, more precise alignment of prostheses and quicker healing. In 2007, St. Charles Hospital became the second hospital in the world to use computer navigation for reverse ball and socket total shoulder replacement. Two years earlier, it became the first hospital on Long Island to use that technology for hip replacement surgery and was the first in the Northeast to use it for total knee replacement surgery. It was also the first hospital in Suffolk County to perform gender-specific total knee replacement surgery.
It doesn’t stop there. St. Charles Hospital provides both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs for adults, adolescents and children. As the first rehabilitation facility on Long Island to receive accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities, its network includes the most technologically advanced rehabilitation techniques for patients following orthopedic surgery, with nine outpatient facilities available on Long Island.
“Rehabilitation following orthopedic surgery is critically important. It is necessary to ensure optimum range of motion and to restore strength,” says O’Conner. “No matter what procedure a patient has done, our ability to hand them from their orthopedic surgeon to rehabilitation within the same facility is a major advantage.”
2011年4月17日星期日
Most child accidents caused by trips, falls
Falling or tripping at home is the most common cause of infant and toddler accidents resulting in hospital visits, the Bureau of Health Promotion said yesterday.
The bureau recently surveyed more than 20,000 parents with children under the age of three and asked them about accidents that were serious enough to warrant a trip to hospital.
The survey found that -accidents involving children falling off an elevated location or tripping when walking at home were the most common, followed by impact from other humans or objects. This could include accidentally running into adults or other children or a child bumping his or her head on the edge of a table or a chair.
The third most common form of accident came in the form of cuts and scrapes from sharp objects, including unsafe toys or sharp edges of furniture that have not been child-proofed, the survey showed.
As many as 90 percent of respondents said their household floors were made of hard, smooth materials such as marble or tile, as opposed to wood, carpeting or mats.
Childproofing is lacking in many households, with close to half of the parents who participated in the survey saying that some sharp corners on furniture remained uncovered by rounded protection devices.
One in three households did not cover electric sockets to prevent accidental electrocution, the survey showed.
Other common unsafe locations in the household for children included water coolers that are within reach of children and objects that could be dangerous or even potentially fatal for children to play with, such as the cords on window shades and curtains, as well as plastic bags, the bureau said.
The bureau said local health departments were offering door-to-door services for disadvantaged and low-income families to have a specialist check out the household environment for child safety and to offer helpful tips on childproofing around the house so that children can live and play safely at home, where most accidents happen.
More information on safe environments for children is available on the bureau’s Web site.
The bureau recently surveyed more than 20,000 parents with children under the age of three and asked them about accidents that were serious enough to warrant a trip to hospital.
The survey found that -accidents involving children falling off an elevated location or tripping when walking at home were the most common, followed by impact from other humans or objects. This could include accidentally running into adults or other children or a child bumping his or her head on the edge of a table or a chair.
The third most common form of accident came in the form of cuts and scrapes from sharp objects, including unsafe toys or sharp edges of furniture that have not been child-proofed, the survey showed.
As many as 90 percent of respondents said their household floors were made of hard, smooth materials such as marble or tile, as opposed to wood, carpeting or mats.
Childproofing is lacking in many households, with close to half of the parents who participated in the survey saying that some sharp corners on furniture remained uncovered by rounded protection devices.
One in three households did not cover electric sockets to prevent accidental electrocution, the survey showed.
Other common unsafe locations in the household for children included water coolers that are within reach of children and objects that could be dangerous or even potentially fatal for children to play with, such as the cords on window shades and curtains, as well as plastic bags, the bureau said.
The bureau said local health departments were offering door-to-door services for disadvantaged and low-income families to have a specialist check out the household environment for child safety and to offer helpful tips on childproofing around the house so that children can live and play safely at home, where most accidents happen.
More information on safe environments for children is available on the bureau’s Web site.
2011年4月14日星期四
The seven stones of simpler living
When I was a kid, my parents would sometimes take us to a campground called Paradise Park. It was a little camp in the California foothills: a woodsy reserve dotted with old oak trees sloping down to a well-shaded river.
Most of the time, it wasn't much more than a stream. But its bed was thick with well-worn river stones, testimony to uncountable seasons of floods and the persuasive nature of water.
Over the centuries, the river had slowly carried away mountainsides, tumbling and cracking rock, reducing boulders into a rainbow of smooth, flat stones the size of a child's hand.
We'd spend hours picking through the best of them, finding the perfect rock to skip across the river. Invariably, we'd build little stacks of stones along the bank.
There's something deeply satisfying about stacking stones. It's a common motif in Zen gardens, which seek to create order out of nature's seeming chaos. In doing so, they highlight the harmony and balance of our place in the world.
MNN: 7 apps to get the most out of nature
It's not difficult to find a lesson in the stones for those of us trying to simplify our sprawling lives. We've chosen seven from the riverbed for you today -- ideas that can help you live a lighter, healthier, more sustainable life. Stack them as you will.
1. Reduce your consumption
Anyone who thinks they can shop their way to greener living has been watching too much television. Sure, responsible consumerism matters.
Every purchase is a choice. But the key to simpler, greener living is pretty straightforward: consume less.
A simple way to cut back on unnecessary purchases is the one week rule. Unless you have a real show-stopper, write down the things you need and sit on them for seven days.
Stores are designed to encourage impulse spending, so staying away as much as possible is good news for your bank account. After a week, round up the items you still need and group them together with an eye toward combining as many trips as possible. T
hen stick to your list. While this all sounds very simple, you'll quickly realize how chaotic our spending habits can be -- and how much money you can save through better planning.
2. Reduce your waste stream
We call it garbage; other nations might call it wealth. There's no end to things we send to the landfill. Recycling helps, but the sheer volume of waste generated by the average household is overwhelming.
From obsolete electronics to that mason jar you casually tossed in the trash last night, we're flooding our landfills while robbing ourselves of things which might be put to another use.
Start by thinking twice when you purchase something: is whatever you're buying too heavily packaged? Do you need it all?
Think again before putting anything in a trash or recycling bin. Nobody expects you to become a packrat, but that jar could easily be repurposed as a water bottle or something to pack a snack.
Food scraps belong in the compost heap. Maybe that cardboard, too. For some idea starters on keeping things out of the bin, check out this helpful list from No Impact Man.
3. Trim your energy use
Energy prices have relaxed over the past few months as a direct result of the worldwide economic slowdown. But electricity, gasoline, natural gas and heating oil still represent a hefty portion of the average family budget.
MNN: Can weatherization help the economy and save the world?
Unless you're fortunate enough to live in an area already invested in renewable energy, every unattended TV or flick of the light switch means you're burning fossil fuels. That means you're directly responsible for the air pollution and all the related consumables it took to bring that power to your wall impact socket.
Learn to weatherize; replace or retire inefficient appliances; consider more energy-efficient lighting; and rearrange your living spaces so they take better advantage of natural heat, lighting and cooling.
Switch things off and pocket the change. You'll probably enjoy the peace and quiet.
4. Prepare and grow your own food
If there's one lost art in the past decade or two, it's cooking real food. By "cooking," we don't mean warming up packaged food from the grocery store.
We're talking about preparing meals from fresh ingredients. That's how our parents and grandparents did it.
Admittedly, society has changed: with dual-income households and ever-expanding work schedules, it's easy to fall back on processed meals and fast foods. And that's a shame.
Making a meal -- whether it's just for yourself or a whole family -- is the one of the little rituals which forces us to slow down and be mindful of what we eat. It's also healthier, and an enormous money saver.
Not too handy in the kitchen? Take a class, or spend time cooking with someone you love. Real food needn't be complicated.
And consider growing some of what you consume. Even if you're not blessed with the space to plant a garden, you can grow a satisfying crop of herbs and vegetables in modest containers.
5. Reduce your reliance on automobiles
We love our cars. And why not? Virtually everything about modern living -- particularly in the United States -- assumes automobile transportation. Think how much blacktop and concrete there is within a hundred yards of you right now.
Our cities sprawl across what used to be countryside. Stores and businesses which make provision for bicycles and mass transit are the exception, and we feel inconvenienced if there's not plenty of parking within a few paces of wherever we travel.
Dust off that bicycle or grab a backpack and get walking. Perhaps you could start by taking our 10-mile pledge.
The more you leave your car parked, the more money you'll save and the healthier you'll feel. Start small, establish new habits, and you'll be surprised how much you can get done without burning a drop of gasoline.
6. Reduce your personal stress
It's not an accident that virtually every one of our "simplicity stones" has a meditative component. You have to make time to prepare food, choose walking over a car trip, or even make a proper shopping list.
This is a good thing, because it forces you to unburden yourself of something else. We are hopelessly overstimulated. Living a greener life is less about learning new things than letting go of the old.
Most of the time, it wasn't much more than a stream. But its bed was thick with well-worn river stones, testimony to uncountable seasons of floods and the persuasive nature of water.
Over the centuries, the river had slowly carried away mountainsides, tumbling and cracking rock, reducing boulders into a rainbow of smooth, flat stones the size of a child's hand.
We'd spend hours picking through the best of them, finding the perfect rock to skip across the river. Invariably, we'd build little stacks of stones along the bank.
There's something deeply satisfying about stacking stones. It's a common motif in Zen gardens, which seek to create order out of nature's seeming chaos. In doing so, they highlight the harmony and balance of our place in the world.
MNN: 7 apps to get the most out of nature
It's not difficult to find a lesson in the stones for those of us trying to simplify our sprawling lives. We've chosen seven from the riverbed for you today -- ideas that can help you live a lighter, healthier, more sustainable life. Stack them as you will.
1. Reduce your consumption
Anyone who thinks they can shop their way to greener living has been watching too much television. Sure, responsible consumerism matters.
Every purchase is a choice. But the key to simpler, greener living is pretty straightforward: consume less.
A simple way to cut back on unnecessary purchases is the one week rule. Unless you have a real show-stopper, write down the things you need and sit on them for seven days.
Stores are designed to encourage impulse spending, so staying away as much as possible is good news for your bank account. After a week, round up the items you still need and group them together with an eye toward combining as many trips as possible. T
hen stick to your list. While this all sounds very simple, you'll quickly realize how chaotic our spending habits can be -- and how much money you can save through better planning.
2. Reduce your waste stream
We call it garbage; other nations might call it wealth. There's no end to things we send to the landfill. Recycling helps, but the sheer volume of waste generated by the average household is overwhelming.
From obsolete electronics to that mason jar you casually tossed in the trash last night, we're flooding our landfills while robbing ourselves of things which might be put to another use.
Start by thinking twice when you purchase something: is whatever you're buying too heavily packaged? Do you need it all?
Think again before putting anything in a trash or recycling bin. Nobody expects you to become a packrat, but that jar could easily be repurposed as a water bottle or something to pack a snack.
Food scraps belong in the compost heap. Maybe that cardboard, too. For some idea starters on keeping things out of the bin, check out this helpful list from No Impact Man.
3. Trim your energy use
Energy prices have relaxed over the past few months as a direct result of the worldwide economic slowdown. But electricity, gasoline, natural gas and heating oil still represent a hefty portion of the average family budget.
MNN: Can weatherization help the economy and save the world?
Unless you're fortunate enough to live in an area already invested in renewable energy, every unattended TV or flick of the light switch means you're burning fossil fuels. That means you're directly responsible for the air pollution and all the related consumables it took to bring that power to your wall impact socket.
Learn to weatherize; replace or retire inefficient appliances; consider more energy-efficient lighting; and rearrange your living spaces so they take better advantage of natural heat, lighting and cooling.
Switch things off and pocket the change. You'll probably enjoy the peace and quiet.
4. Prepare and grow your own food
If there's one lost art in the past decade or two, it's cooking real food. By "cooking," we don't mean warming up packaged food from the grocery store.
We're talking about preparing meals from fresh ingredients. That's how our parents and grandparents did it.
Admittedly, society has changed: with dual-income households and ever-expanding work schedules, it's easy to fall back on processed meals and fast foods. And that's a shame.
Making a meal -- whether it's just for yourself or a whole family -- is the one of the little rituals which forces us to slow down and be mindful of what we eat. It's also healthier, and an enormous money saver.
Not too handy in the kitchen? Take a class, or spend time cooking with someone you love. Real food needn't be complicated.
And consider growing some of what you consume. Even if you're not blessed with the space to plant a garden, you can grow a satisfying crop of herbs and vegetables in modest containers.
5. Reduce your reliance on automobiles
We love our cars. And why not? Virtually everything about modern living -- particularly in the United States -- assumes automobile transportation. Think how much blacktop and concrete there is within a hundred yards of you right now.
Our cities sprawl across what used to be countryside. Stores and businesses which make provision for bicycles and mass transit are the exception, and we feel inconvenienced if there's not plenty of parking within a few paces of wherever we travel.
Dust off that bicycle or grab a backpack and get walking. Perhaps you could start by taking our 10-mile pledge.
The more you leave your car parked, the more money you'll save and the healthier you'll feel. Start small, establish new habits, and you'll be surprised how much you can get done without burning a drop of gasoline.
6. Reduce your personal stress
It's not an accident that virtually every one of our "simplicity stones" has a meditative component. You have to make time to prepare food, choose walking over a car trip, or even make a proper shopping list.
This is a good thing, because it forces you to unburden yourself of something else. We are hopelessly overstimulated. Living a greener life is less about learning new things than letting go of the old.
2011年4月13日星期三
Don’t let child abuse damage your career
Child abuse is just as serious in the military as it is in the civilian sector. However, the high-stress environment of the military means a stable two-parent home can become a one-parent home when a service member deploys. There can be more moves and more emotional stress than in a civilian home.
But the military also has standards - and those who maltreat their children can face problems more wide-ranging than their civilian counterparts.
The Department of Defense recognizes this, and each branch of service has a family advocacy program to help families work through the stresses and prevent maltreatment of children and other family members.
Air Force Maj. Michael Burpee, family advocacy officer at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson hospital, explained there is a process for families with a suspected case of child maltreatment.
"We bring the parents and all the children for interviews and assessments," Burpee said. Every possible family member is asked about the family dynamic and what, if any, maltreatment is going on.
After the assessment is made, it is presented at the Central Registry Board. On JBER, that board consists of Army Col. Timothy R. Prior, deputy joint base commander and vice commander of the 673d Air Base Wing, as well as representatives from the office of the judge advocate, security forces, family advocacy and senior enlisted personnel.
The board follows a decision-making tree to determine if the case meets criteria as child maltreatment. If it does - and only about 30 percent of referrals on JBER meet those criteria - it can have far-reaching repercussions.
Most cases can be solved with intervention by Family Advocacy - although it's better to use the program's preventive services, such as the New Parent Support Program or the Home Improvement anger-management class.
Parenting classes offered by Family Advocacy include instructions on time-outs, communication skills, and consistency. In two-parent households, Burpee explained, it's important both parents use the same techniques to reduce children's confusion.
Often, education is all that's needed. A parent might be referred to family advocacy because they left a child unattended in a car on a cold day. It may not have affected the child much on that occasion, but nonetheless, the parents might not know that it's illegal in the state and against base policy to leave a child alone in a vehicle when it's hot or cold out, or perhaps they didn't understand the risks.
"We provide parents with information regarding children being left alone at home, or being on a playground unattended," said Burpee. "There are age-appropriate standards for when that's okay and when it isn't."
Base housing authorities and the chain of command can also refer service members for having unsanitary or unsafe housing conditions.
"We make sure that they understand the risk levels of having dangerous things - from the immediate risk of open electrical sockets to the long-term emotional impact of growing up in a chaotic, disorganized or dirty living situation," said Burpee.
"That has an impact on the child's sense of self-worth and can contribute to anxiety and depression."
When Family Advocacy receives a referral, or any time there is an allegation of maltreatment, it's triaged to determine whether it meets a threshold of a real threat to child safety. If it does, it's referred to the State of Alaska's Office of Children's Service, security forces and the chain of command.
"People should know that our first goal is the safety and well-being of military children," Burpee said. "Secondly, when a situation is identified and Family Advocacy is expecting to intervene, we want to help the service member remain in the service and help the family, with tools to prevent another problem. In the majority of cases, we can do that.
"A referral to Family Advocacy doesn't need to negatively impact a career; in fact, the earlier we get a referral, the more likely that person's career is able to be saved, because we can intervene."
When there isn't time to go to an anger-management class or calling the New Parent Support Program is the furthest thing from a stressed family member's mind, there are coping strategies, Burpee said.
"It's okay for a baby or toddler to cry," Burpee said. "Parents get frustrated when a child won't stop crying, but often they keep holding it and trying to console it.
But there are moments it's okay to put the child in a crib or in a safe room, and get away for a few minutes.
Sometimes the child just won't be consoled, and the parent is frustrated, and then shaking the baby is a real risk, but it's a preventable action. It's okay to just step away for a few minutes."
There are also neighbors, friends, and people from the unit who can take a child for a little while, when a parent is feeling too stressed.
"Sometimes parents feel guilty, like they're not stepping up or they're failing somehow," Burpee said. "But it's better parenting to recognize when you've reached the end of your rope, and let someone else step in."
For older children, he said, reaching the point of frustration often just takes stepping back and redirecting the child's attention.
"If the child is upset about something in particular, don't get into it right then. Come back later, and ask what you can both do to improve those reactions in the future," Burpee said. "Kids like it when you come to them in a calm and rational manner."
Burpee stressed that calling Family Advocacy for help will not result in any investigation or notification of the chain of command.
"Someone seeking services can connect and call Family Advocacy - if it's for preventive care, there's no case opened, we're not notifying anyone," he said.
Bringing in the family for interviews in the case of a referral to the program can be seen as very intrusive, Burpee said. Family Advocacy personnel understand that, and are careful to take that step only when the referral meets a certain threshold.
"We want to make sure we're doing everything possible for children," he said. "But we also respect people's privacy and their right to choose how to parent. It's a balance."
But the military also has standards - and those who maltreat their children can face problems more wide-ranging than their civilian counterparts.
The Department of Defense recognizes this, and each branch of service has a family advocacy program to help families work through the stresses and prevent maltreatment of children and other family members.
Air Force Maj. Michael Burpee, family advocacy officer at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson hospital, explained there is a process for families with a suspected case of child maltreatment.
"We bring the parents and all the children for interviews and assessments," Burpee said. Every possible family member is asked about the family dynamic and what, if any, maltreatment is going on.
After the assessment is made, it is presented at the Central Registry Board. On JBER, that board consists of Army Col. Timothy R. Prior, deputy joint base commander and vice commander of the 673d Air Base Wing, as well as representatives from the office of the judge advocate, security forces, family advocacy and senior enlisted personnel.
The board follows a decision-making tree to determine if the case meets criteria as child maltreatment. If it does - and only about 30 percent of referrals on JBER meet those criteria - it can have far-reaching repercussions.
Most cases can be solved with intervention by Family Advocacy - although it's better to use the program's preventive services, such as the New Parent Support Program or the Home Improvement anger-management class.
Parenting classes offered by Family Advocacy include instructions on time-outs, communication skills, and consistency. In two-parent households, Burpee explained, it's important both parents use the same techniques to reduce children's confusion.
Often, education is all that's needed. A parent might be referred to family advocacy because they left a child unattended in a car on a cold day. It may not have affected the child much on that occasion, but nonetheless, the parents might not know that it's illegal in the state and against base policy to leave a child alone in a vehicle when it's hot or cold out, or perhaps they didn't understand the risks.
"We provide parents with information regarding children being left alone at home, or being on a playground unattended," said Burpee. "There are age-appropriate standards for when that's okay and when it isn't."
Base housing authorities and the chain of command can also refer service members for having unsanitary or unsafe housing conditions.
"We make sure that they understand the risk levels of having dangerous things - from the immediate risk of open electrical sockets to the long-term emotional impact of growing up in a chaotic, disorganized or dirty living situation," said Burpee.
"That has an impact on the child's sense of self-worth and can contribute to anxiety and depression."
When Family Advocacy receives a referral, or any time there is an allegation of maltreatment, it's triaged to determine whether it meets a threshold of a real threat to child safety. If it does, it's referred to the State of Alaska's Office of Children's Service, security forces and the chain of command.
"People should know that our first goal is the safety and well-being of military children," Burpee said. "Secondly, when a situation is identified and Family Advocacy is expecting to intervene, we want to help the service member remain in the service and help the family, with tools to prevent another problem. In the majority of cases, we can do that.
"A referral to Family Advocacy doesn't need to negatively impact a career; in fact, the earlier we get a referral, the more likely that person's career is able to be saved, because we can intervene."
When there isn't time to go to an anger-management class or calling the New Parent Support Program is the furthest thing from a stressed family member's mind, there are coping strategies, Burpee said.
"It's okay for a baby or toddler to cry," Burpee said. "Parents get frustrated when a child won't stop crying, but often they keep holding it and trying to console it.
But there are moments it's okay to put the child in a crib or in a safe room, and get away for a few minutes.
Sometimes the child just won't be consoled, and the parent is frustrated, and then shaking the baby is a real risk, but it's a preventable action. It's okay to just step away for a few minutes."
There are also neighbors, friends, and people from the unit who can take a child for a little while, when a parent is feeling too stressed.
"Sometimes parents feel guilty, like they're not stepping up or they're failing somehow," Burpee said. "But it's better parenting to recognize when you've reached the end of your rope, and let someone else step in."
For older children, he said, reaching the point of frustration often just takes stepping back and redirecting the child's attention.
"If the child is upset about something in particular, don't get into it right then. Come back later, and ask what you can both do to improve those reactions in the future," Burpee said. "Kids like it when you come to them in a calm and rational manner."
Burpee stressed that calling Family Advocacy for help will not result in any investigation or notification of the chain of command.
"Someone seeking services can connect and call Family Advocacy - if it's for preventive care, there's no case opened, we're not notifying anyone," he said.
Bringing in the family for interviews in the case of a referral to the program can be seen as very intrusive, Burpee said. Family Advocacy personnel understand that, and are careful to take that step only when the referral meets a certain threshold.
"We want to make sure we're doing everything possible for children," he said. "But we also respect people's privacy and their right to choose how to parent. It's a balance."
2011年4月12日星期二
Data center design, Itanium roadmap, power management
Rory McInerney discusses power management, the impact of high end processors on data center design. The future of Itanium. What facilities should ask IT prior to a server refresh. Power and heat management. And what’s happening inside Intel’s own data centers.
Energy Management and energy Performance:
In 2006 your data center might have had Intel’s dual core servers. Replace those today with the E7 and we can reduce 18 racks to one and save 93% of energy and deliver a massive consolidation and lower footprint. We’re on a vector of power manager with products like data center manager and node manager. The server is still consuming the most energy within the data center.
What about Energy management?
You’ve bought this hardware. The question is how can I do more work on it. I’ve designed my data center for peak loading and I’ve bought the hardware and that’s were virtualization comes in. As people virtualize their average utilization continues to go up. And that’s where people see the value in buying faster and more powerful servers, because they are getting more out of it. Your value in servers goes up if you can operate at higher utilization more often, then the more work gets done. And that's not from the perspective of using more power, your average energy use over time will be better and that means you don’t need as much infrastructure. Or it can mean you can put more load on so you can expand your business without having to expand your data center.
We’re giving the end user much more visibity into what’s really happening at the CPU and what’s happening over time. We do a lot of turning off things or powering off things. Just using the hardware that’s needed for a particular application or making the hardware more application aware. We are innovating on that space and giving more visibility
Common infrastructure and scaling
There are still interpretations – we’re in a dynamic environment. How do you allocate resources in a dynamic environment? Do you do it in at the rack level, at the server level or do you go into the core. You have to go the [hardware] providers to see if they really go down the actual core and some of them will want to provide that level of granularity.
We’re providing 10 cores in this product. For the E7 on 10 cores that is a little different from doing dynamic provisioning on 2 cores.
How do become efficient?
There are two ways to get efficient. Take inefficient equipment out and put efficient hardware in, and maybe less of it, because you can consolidate. And once you have that infrastructure in provide visibility to how that is being used such that you make smarter decisions dynamically.
Itanium – roadmap:
Following the Xeon E7 announcement will come Poulson – for release in 1st half of 12. This is part of integrated roadmap. We’ve an Itanium roadmap and an E7 roadmap – and they are not exactly timed the same. The rates which systems get refreshed is different in those two markets. Our Itanium roadmap stretches as far as our Xeon roadmap. Poulsion is at 32nm – the E7 is also at 32nm and we haven’t disclosed anything about our future products.
A typical data center scenario – if I’m moving to a Westmere E7 processor – what should I thinking about in terms of my energy efficiency. What kind of energy savings can I see if I am deploying these latest processors?
You have to compare to what? We have a power envelope that we design these CPUs for. We collaborate with hp, IBM and Dell on this power envelope. We have a power envelope that we design these CPUs for. Our typical Xeon, DP2 socket – is probably operating on a 130W CPU envelope. There are lower performance nodes, depending on the data center you are trying to design. Below the Xeon 130W, we have 90W products and 60W products.
What typically happens is that you look at how much memory is being deployed. When you go to lower power products, not as much memory, not as many i/o channels, so you are becoming targeted and less scalable in terms of the applications. So within the Xeon family you can see products with half the power within that same platform family. We see those trends staying, so when we look at our design points over time, what those numbers will be, in terms of Intel design points, will stay. The amount of volume that ships will change [in relation to the power performance] and that’s something we tend to see depending on performance per watt. What is my performance per unit of energy for my application?
The Atom family of Intel products– really low wattage – for deployments that are not performance centric but is extremely power sensitive.
At the CPU level, we have solutions at ultra low power all the way to Itaniums at 170W. So the question for the facilities guys [to ask the IT guys] is which one of those you are looking at deployiong and what are you replacing.
And I would say within the Intel family, you are largely fitting in to the same ecosystem you already have, we’re very cogniscent of making sure you don’t have to do something special, you don’t have to do special cooling over and above what you already have.
Energy Management and energy Performance:
In 2006 your data center might have had Intel’s dual core servers. Replace those today with the E7 and we can reduce 18 racks to one and save 93% of energy and deliver a massive consolidation and lower footprint. We’re on a vector of power manager with products like data center manager and node manager. The server is still consuming the most energy within the data center.
What about Energy management?
You’ve bought this hardware. The question is how can I do more work on it. I’ve designed my data center for peak loading and I’ve bought the hardware and that’s were virtualization comes in. As people virtualize their average utilization continues to go up. And that’s where people see the value in buying faster and more powerful servers, because they are getting more out of it. Your value in servers goes up if you can operate at higher utilization more often, then the more work gets done. And that's not from the perspective of using more power, your average energy use over time will be better and that means you don’t need as much infrastructure. Or it can mean you can put more load on so you can expand your business without having to expand your data center.
We’re giving the end user much more visibity into what’s really happening at the CPU and what’s happening over time. We do a lot of turning off things or powering off things. Just using the hardware that’s needed for a particular application or making the hardware more application aware. We are innovating on that space and giving more visibility
Common infrastructure and scaling
There are still interpretations – we’re in a dynamic environment. How do you allocate resources in a dynamic environment? Do you do it in at the rack level, at the server level or do you go into the core. You have to go the [hardware] providers to see if they really go down the actual core and some of them will want to provide that level of granularity.
We’re providing 10 cores in this product. For the E7 on 10 cores that is a little different from doing dynamic provisioning on 2 cores.
How do become efficient?
There are two ways to get efficient. Take inefficient equipment out and put efficient hardware in, and maybe less of it, because you can consolidate. And once you have that infrastructure in provide visibility to how that is being used such that you make smarter decisions dynamically.
Itanium – roadmap:
Following the Xeon E7 announcement will come Poulson – for release in 1st half of 12. This is part of integrated roadmap. We’ve an Itanium roadmap and an E7 roadmap – and they are not exactly timed the same. The rates which systems get refreshed is different in those two markets. Our Itanium roadmap stretches as far as our Xeon roadmap. Poulsion is at 32nm – the E7 is also at 32nm and we haven’t disclosed anything about our future products.
A typical data center scenario – if I’m moving to a Westmere E7 processor – what should I thinking about in terms of my energy efficiency. What kind of energy savings can I see if I am deploying these latest processors?
You have to compare to what? We have a power envelope that we design these CPUs for. We collaborate with hp, IBM and Dell on this power envelope. We have a power envelope that we design these CPUs for. Our typical Xeon, DP2 socket – is probably operating on a 130W CPU envelope. There are lower performance nodes, depending on the data center you are trying to design. Below the Xeon 130W, we have 90W products and 60W products.
What typically happens is that you look at how much memory is being deployed. When you go to lower power products, not as much memory, not as many i/o channels, so you are becoming targeted and less scalable in terms of the applications. So within the Xeon family you can see products with half the power within that same platform family. We see those trends staying, so when we look at our design points over time, what those numbers will be, in terms of Intel design points, will stay. The amount of volume that ships will change [in relation to the power performance] and that’s something we tend to see depending on performance per watt. What is my performance per unit of energy for my application?
The Atom family of Intel products– really low wattage – for deployments that are not performance centric but is extremely power sensitive.
At the CPU level, we have solutions at ultra low power all the way to Itaniums at 170W. So the question for the facilities guys [to ask the IT guys] is which one of those you are looking at deployiong and what are you replacing.
And I would say within the Intel family, you are largely fitting in to the same ecosystem you already have, we’re very cogniscent of making sure you don’t have to do something special, you don’t have to do special cooling over and above what you already have.
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