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Sustainable Living: Simple Steps for a Greener and Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Simple Session 17 - Public Viewing, Stuttgart

Simple Session 17 - kunstform BMX team - Webisode practice, qualification & party

kunstform BMX Shop team riders Miguel Smajlji, Miguel Franzem and Robin Kachfi entered to Simple Session 17 in Tallinn Estonia. This video is about there time at one of world's most iconic action sport event. Riding with one of the best BMX riders, watchin the new wethepeople foundation dvd and party.

Kamera & Edit: Robin Kachfi
Music:
Ryan Little - Drowning
JI Beats - DBZ


Supported by kunstform BMX Shop https://www.kunstform.org

Contest Simple Session 17 http://session.ee

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https://www.instagram.com/robinkachfibmx/

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Simple Session 18 - Tallinn, Estonia

The 18th edition of the annual Simple Session contest series, one of the world's most iconic action sports events will take on the heart of the notorious Nordic winter in 2018, taking place on February 3 –4, in Tallinn Estonia.

The world-renowned international contest will once again host 140 contestants from 30 countries and their newest show-stopping tricks at the cozy Saku Arena, the place that everyone has come to love through the series. As one of the most international action sports events out there, Simple Session 18 pits the globe’s best BMX riders and skateboarders against each other on it’s magnificent one-off contest course, so watch out for the ultimate show of progressive riding ever seen!

The contests will again be held in pro BMX street/park and Pro skateboarding street/park + additional shows/demos. The electrifying contest will be followed by non-stop after-parties and make up one unforgettable festival experience.

Simple Session 18 - Public Viewing, Stuttgart

The kunstform team at Simple Session 18

The 18th edition of the annual Simple Session contest series, one of the world's most iconic action sports events will take on the heart of the notorious Nordic winter in 2018, taking place on February 3 –4, in Tallinn Estonia. Over 140 riders from all over the world will participate at Simple Session 18


This year Felix Prangenberg, Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi und Felix Donat will represent kunstform at the Simple Session 18 in category street. To cheer our boys at the Simple Session, we are hosting a public viewing at our shop with a livestream. You'll find all infos for the public viewing HERE

Simple Session 2018 - kunstform Team Practice

The 18th edition of the annual Simple Session contest series, one of the world's most iconic action sports events will take on the heart of the notorious Nordic winter in 2018, taking place on February 3 –4, in Tallinn Estonia. Over 140 riders from all over the world will participate at Simple Session 18


Watch the first practice day at Simple Session of our bros Felix Prangenberg, Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi und Felix Donat. To cheer our boys at the Simple Session, we are hosting a public viewing at our shop with a livestream. You'll find all infos for the public viewing HERE

Simple Session 2018 - Webisode with Robin Kachfi

Bro Robin Kachfi produced in addition to the main Simple Session Videos, which you can watch right HERE , a new Webisode which shows you, how a weekend at the Simple Session looks like.

Enjoy the video, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!

Video: Robin Kachfi

subscribe to our youtube channel: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/kunstformbmxshop

Simple Session 2018 - kunstform Team Qualification

Our homies Felix Prangenberg, Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi and Felix Donat have reached a great result at this years Simple Session and we're more then just proud of our bros and we looking forward to next year! Watch the Simple Session Qualification runs of our bros right here!

Enjoy the Video, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!



Video: Robin Kachfi



subscribe to our youtube channel: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/kunstformbmxshop

Simple Session 2018 - BMX Street & Park Finals

The 18th edition of the annual Simple Session contest series, one of the world's most iconic action sports events took place again on February 3 –4, in Tallinn Estonia. Over 140 riders from all over the world competed at this years Simple Session. Check out the highlights from the BMX Street & Park finals now!

Enjoy the video! All the best, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!

Video: Robin Kachfi

Over the weekend of 4th and 5th August 2018, street riders and skateboarders from across the world will fire up the Barona street skatepark for the Summer Simple Session, which is the most awesome concrete park in the whole of the Baltic States. Enjoy the rich history of the beautiful city of Riga and join in on the madness that is Simple Summer Session.

Over the weekend of 4th and 5th August 2018, street riders and skateboarders from across the world will fire up the Barona street skatepark for the Summer Simple Session, which is the most awesome concrete park in the whole of the Baltic States. Enjoy the rich history of the beautiful city of Riga and join in on the madness that is Simple Summer Session.

This year Felix Prangenberg, Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi, Felix Donat and Artur Meister will represent kunstform at the Summer Simple Session 18 in category street.

Riders List:
Dan Lacey GBR
Jay Roe USA
Dan Coller USA
Travis Hughes USA
Nathan Williams USA
Fernando Lackzo ESP
Garrett Reynolds USA
Felix Prangerberg GER
Bruno Hoffman GER
Alex Donnachie GBR
Courage Adams ESP
Lahsaan Kobza USA
Sam Jones GBR
Martti Lainevool EST
Mareks Kuhalskis LVA
Tautvydas Gelumbickas LTU
Reed Stark USA
Artem Agarkov RUS
Mikhail Pakhomov RUS
Anthony Perrin FRA
Mati Lasgoity ARG
Jordan Godwin GBR
Austin Augie USA
Gaspar Guendulain ARG
Jiří Blábol CZE
Johnny Raekes USA
Andrés Ochoa COL
Chris Patrick Tilk EST
Filip BafGRC
Stephan Atencio CRI
Lorenzo Mesa CRI
Max Chuprina RUS
Matias Aura FIN
Felix Donat GER
Miguel Smajli GER
Artur Meister GER
Robin Kachfi GER
Andres Lainevool EST
Beniamin Crismariu ITA
Jason Eustathiou GRC
Michael Fleck Da Silva BRA
When:
Saturday 04.08.2018: Qualification BMX Street and BMX Park
Sunday 05.08.2018: Finals BMX Street and BMX Park

Where:
Central Sports District in Riga
KR. BARONA IELĀ 116A


Infos: http://session.ee/summer/

Supported by: PRFOODS, SUBARU, AD REM Auto, kunstform BMX Shop


We see us in Riga!

All the best

Your kunstform BMX Shop Team

Our bros Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi, Artur Meister and Felix Donat were at this year's Simple Summer Session in Riga, Latvia and tried their best, as you can see. Check their Qualification run highlights now on our Youtube Channel.

Enjoy the video, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!



Video: David Schaller



subscribe to our youtube channel: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/kunstformbmxshop

Our Simple Summer Session Highlight Video is finally online at our Youtube Channel, in which our bros Robin Kachfi, Artur Meister, Felix Donat and Miguel Smajli got some clips, as well as the finalists & friends.

Enjoy the video, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!



Video: David Schaller



subscribe to our youtube channel: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/kunstformbmxshop

This is our leftover video from this years Simple Summer Session in Riga, where our bros Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi, Artur Meister and Felix Donat had a great time. In addition to the contest, our boys checked out the streets of Riga, as well, which you can see in the following video.

Enjoy the video, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!



Video: David Schaller



subscribe to our youtube channel: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/kunstformbmxshop

Simple Session 19 - Tallinn, Estonia

The 19th edition of the annual Simple Session contest series, one of the world's most iconic action sports events will take on the heart of the notorious Nordic winter in 2019, in Tallinn Estonia.

The world-renowned international contest will once again host 140 contestants from 30 countries and their newest show-stopping tricks at the cozy Saku Arena, the place that everyone has come to love through the series. As one of the most international action sports events out there, Simple Session 19 pits the globe’s best BMX riders and skateboarders against each other on it’s magnificent one-off contest course, so watch out for the ultimate show of progressive riding ever seen!

The contests will again be held in pro BMX street/park and pro Skateboarding street/park + additional shows/demos. The electrifying contest will be followed by non-stop after-parties and make up one unforgettable festival experience.

The 19th edition of the annual Simple Session contest series, one of the world's most iconic action sports events will take on the heart of the notorious Nordic winter in 2019, taking place on February 2 –3, in Tallinn Estonia. Over 140 riders from all over the world will participate at Simple Session 19


This year Felix Prangenberg, Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi, Felix Donat and Ricky Felchner will represent kunstform BMX Shop at the Simple Session 19 in category street and park.

Where: Saku Arena, Tallinn, Estonia

Infos: www.session.ee

Simple Session 19 - Public Viewing, Stuttgart

Here's our video of the Simple Session 2019 Practice, in which Felix Prangenberg, Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi, Felix Donat und Ricky Felchner smashed the course!

Enjoy the Videos, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!



Video: David Schaller



Subscribe our youtube channel: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/kunstformbmxshop

Watch now the Qualifying runs of our boys Felix Prangenberg, Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi, Felix Donat und Ricky Felchner at this year's Simple Session in Tallinn, Estonia.

Enjoy the Videos, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!



Video: David Schaller



Subscribe our youtube channel: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/kunstformbmxshop

Bro Robin Kachfi filmed a bunch of clips during the Simple Session 2019 that he cut into a cool edit. Watch the whole video right here!

Enjoy the video, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!



Video: Robin Kachfi



subscribe to our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/kunstformbmxshop

Watch now our Highlights Video of the BMX Finals from this year's Simple Session, where our bro Felix Prangenberg took home the first place at BMX STREET, followed by Matt Ray on the second and Justin Spriet on the third place. Boyd Hilder just won BMX PARK, Daniel Dhers went home with silver and Kenneth Tencio got bronze, and won the BMX PARK Best Trick Contest, as well.

Enjoy the Videos, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!



Video: David Schaller



Subscribe our youtube channel: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/kunstformbmxshop

Simple Session 20 - Tallinn, Estonia

The 20th edition of the annual Simple Session contest series, one of the world's most iconic action sports events will take on the heart of the notorious Nordic winter in 2020, in Tallinn Estonia.

The world-renowned international contest will once again host 140 contestants from 30 countries and their newest show-stopping tricks at the cozy Saku Arena, the place that everyone has come to love through the series. As one of the most international action sports events out there, Simple Session 20 pits the globe’s best BMX riders and skateboarders against each other on it’s magnificent one-off contest course, so watch out for the ultimate show of progressive riding ever seen!

The contests will again be held in pro BMX street/park and pro Skateboarding street/park + additional shows/demos. The electrifying contest will be followed by non-stop after-parties and make up one unforgettable festival experience.

The 20th edition of the annual Simple Session contest series, one of the world's most iconic action sports events will take on the heart of the notorious Nordic winter in 2019, taking place on February 8 –9, in Tallinn Estonia. Over 140 riders from all over the world will participate at Simple Session 20


This year Felix Prangenberg, Miguel Smajli, Robin Kachfi, Felix Donat, Justin Rudd and Lara Lessmann will represent kunstform BMX Shop at the Simple Session 19 in category street and park.

Where: Saku Arena, Tallinn, Estonia

Infos: www.session.ee

When:
Saturday 08.02.2020 (14 - 21 o'clock)
Sunday 09.02.2020 (15 - 20 o'clock)
Where: kunstform BMX Shop, Rotebühlstr. 63, 70178 Stuttgart

Simple Session 20 is one of world's most iconic action sport events. We will watch the live stream of Simple Session 20 in our BMX Shop in Stuttgart. Feel free to join us.



All the best

Your kunstform BMX Shop Team

Yuhuu, our bro Felix Prangenberg took first place in BMX Street at Simple Session 20. We congratulate and have recorded on video for you his first winning run which scored an unbelievable 88.60 points .

Have fun with the video, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!

Video: Robin Kachfi

Related links:

• all signature parts of Felix Prangenberg

Miguel Smajli seems to have lots of BMX clips stacked on his computer. This time he shows you impressions of his Simple Session BMX Trip including various bangers from the pratice session, snowball fight and much more! From there the video switches directly into sunny Barcelona. Together with the kunstform & Subrosa dudes the streets and skate parks of the city are shredded to the bones. Hopefully such trips will be possible again soon!

Have fun with the video, your kunstform BMX Shop Team!

Video: Miguel Smajli

Related links:

• all products of Subrosa
• all products of kunstform
• Miguels Youtube Channel

This is the first of a three-part series on team building. The ideas are simple, but the why behind the what is the secret sauce to growing a solid team. Like most people reading this, I’ve made mistakes. And those disasters have forged the conviction that we can’t be in ministry without being radically committed to loving Jesus and his church more, and on a daily basis.

Keep Jesus close, make sure that your family always takes the right priority (more on that in the future) and be willing to make your church better.  Notice I said better, not different. 

Better, Not Different

One of the biggest complaints I hear from worship pastors/leaders is that somehow, they have found themselves in a church that they really don’t like. 

They don’t feel appreciated by their lead pastors. 

They don’t like the weekend worship experience. 

They don’t like the people. 

At the end of the day, there is so much complaining that I am left scratching my head wondering if they even love Jesus.  If this is you, take some time to pray if you can make your lead pastors vision for your church come alive. If you aren’t in agreement, you may be in the wrong place.  Do yourself, your family and your people a favor and get connected with someone or something that is complimenting to your convictions and your philosophy.  God created you to be you, but we are servants before leading anything. Some of us carry the responsibility to make things different.  Most of us don’t.  Know your place.  Is it your burden to change things? …or is it your job to make things better.  Talk to your teams about this.  This is a fantastic “clarity” question that will free up your bandwidth.

Is it your burden to change things? …or is it your job to make things better.

OK, that is my soap box! ☺  As I give you these three helpful tips, it’s important for you to know that these are just tools.  You can’t fake or replace strong spiritual foundations of ministry leadership.  Love Jesus and use tools and resources to LOVE His PEOPLE better.  We try to change people or churches.  But what I’ve found is that when you develop people, things change. 

But what I’ve found is that when you develop people, things change. 

So, if it’s our job to make things better, what are some ideas that we can do to commit to improving? 

1. Develop a leadership pipeline

Developing a leadership pipeline is a helpful tool to bring clarity to “who’s responsible for who and who’s responsible for what”.  It’s really difficult for a worship pastor to carry the burden of a ministry on their shoulders alone…and they shouldn’t. I don’t have to tell you that the apostle Paul makes it clear that we are called to empower people to do the work of the Kingdom, not do it all on our own! (Ephesians 4:11-13) We also get a peek into Moses' anxiety in Numbers chapter 11, where he's at his wit’s end and well over his capacity. The Lord tells him to gather 70 of his most trusted and responsible people. Moses brings them to the "tent of meetings" and the Spirit of the Lord pours over them.

God helped Moses build his team. He will help you build yours.

A leadership pipeline helps you identify your 70 (or even 7 figuratively speaking). This is the pipeline our church utilizes.  

How this works:

In this chart, we document how responsibility falls within a team.

• An assistant is the first place in which we invite someone to be developed as a leader.
• A leader is the first level in which a person is responsible for a team.
• A coach is the first level in which a leader is overseeing other leaders.
• A director is responsible for directing a particular team.
• A pastor is responsible for care, culture and vision.

My favorite area to develop is our coaches. In worship ministry, I am so lucky to have some of the best coaches.

Here's how this role works:

Jordan Hicks is my guitar coach. He is responsible for developing all guitar leaders, recruitment and assimilating guitarists for all of our campuses, adult, youth and kids’ teams. He's responsible for all communication and administration for this group as well. Because Jordan is the leader I've poured into, he completely understands my values, our church’s values and culture, and our end goal. He's a volunteer, but he brings a priceless value of leadership and excellence to our church. Our worship leaders never should worry about who they are leading with. We are spoiled because of warriors like Jordan. He's just one example of Ephesians 4 coming to life in our ministry.

I grew up as a jazz musician—tenor sax. I loved John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk. C’mon somebody!  I was in high school when I first played in combos with some older pro musicians in our city. We started playing a blues tune when one of the guys stopped me and said, “In the words of Miles Davis, man…you can’t play blues because you haven’t hurt enough yet.”  Apparently, I lacked any sense of emotive playing ability as a teenager. And I hadn’t hurt enough yet. 

If playing jazz and blues is an expression of pain and hurt that we’ve experienced, then singing worship music is an expression of the HOPE we know. We can’t and shouldn’t do this alone. Lean on your team. Empower them. 

I am excited to share with you the next two tips over the next few months. You’ll be able to find them right here at allaboutworship.com.  If you have questions about developing your leadership pipeline, you can email me at mike@worship.coach.

For free development resources, check out www.worship.coach.

Over the last few months we’ve tackled the topic of TEAM BUILDING.  As much as I would love to feel as if we have this one nailed, we don’t.  TEAM BUILDING is a muscle that every leader needs to continue to develop.  It’s easy to let this one slip away from us! Just when we start to feel like we are getting on top of this, something changes.  A vital team member leaves.  A leader needs to take on the responsibility of a different area.  Your best guitar player gets hired as the worship pastor at another church.  These are all real-life situations that happen in even the best teams.  They will happen to yours as well.

In our “Month One” blog on team building we presented the IDEA of developing a Leadership Pipeline within your worship ministry.  This IDEA helped support that idea that building an EMPOWERED TEAM is a powerful Kingdom tool.  “Who’s responsible for who?” and “Who’s responsible for what?” are two of the most important questions that needs to be answered in any team environment.  When you lead a team with clarity and spread out the responsibility for others to own your team, you ignite growth opportunities that might have went unnoticed. 

In “Month Two” we presented the idea of “Making Recruitment and Assimilation a Normal for Everyone”.  So many times, I bump into Worship Leaders and Pastors that feel the very unfair burden of building ALONE.  With this IDEA, we present the notion that every team can build better and faster when the team members who are on the teams are your best recruiters.  Make this a normal practice.  At my church, we practice asking new team members to “bring one” with you.  We have found that by making this a standard practice at ground level, we never have to ask for participation from the 10,000-foot level.  Whatever is visible is what replicates.  Empower your best leaders to build.

So here we are. Month Three.

Idea #3. Clearly Identify and Communicate Simple On-Ramps.

I love my city.  I live in Lincoln, Ne.  Home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  I love the youthful spirit and progressive nature of our city.  I have even grown to love and cherish the special college football atmosphere that engulfs our city on game day.  It’s addictive to say the least.  But one thing that I am not a big fan of is traffic on game day.  There is one primary road that leads into Lincoln and over 90,000 fans make the trek to our city on game day.  There are probable more if you include tailgaters.  THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM: The roads infrastructure needs to be able to support the traffic flow to the desired destination.  If there are too many confusing pieces of communication, it would put our city into emergency mode and have catastrophic effects.  I mean, the world might come to an end if people missed a Cornhusker Football Game! (No, but seriously) ;)

Having clear and simple communication about “what to DO next” can make or break your teams culture. 

Every month I host a worship leaders round table in Omaha Ne.  At this round table, Worship leaders from multiple different denominations gather for friendship and peer coaching.  These leaders have become family and they are amazing.  We discuss a wide range of worship ministry issues.  One topic that comes up regularly is “attracting the right volunteers”.  If a leader starts to pour their heart out to me about how they can’t get enough volunteers, I always ask one question to start the conversation.  “Can you tell me about your on-ramp?” This might sound overly simplistic, but what I have found is that sometimes we make it more complicated than it needs to be or we haven’t identified the answer to the most important question at all.  Every leader on your team, in unity, needs to be able to answer this question with clarity and simplicity.

 THIS IS THE QUESTION

“Where do I go and What do I do?”

 Having clear and simple communication about “what to DO next” can make or break your teams culture. 

 Here are a few suggestions when it comes to identifying your onramp into your ministry:

       1.     KEEP IT SIMPLE-

Keep it simple in language and communication.  Your “on-ramp” shouldn’t be riddled with complex forms, interviews and assessments.  Not yet anyways.  Create an “on-ramp’ that just answers the question, “where do I go and what do I do?”.  Worry about next steps later.  But for now, getting a “willing one” to show up is your biggest win. Make it simple for them.

For example, I person asks about playing guitar on the worship team.  Any leader in your department should be able to have the same simple answer. ”I am so glad you are interested!  We host all our new volunteers on Monday Nights at 6:30pm!  Would you be my guest?!”

       2.     USE WHATS ALREADY WORKING AS YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD-

­What is already working in your church?  Do you have a rehearsal process that is spot on?  USE IT!  Is God’s presence so thick in your weekend worship services that lives are being transformed?  USE IT! I’ve made the mistake of overthinking and over programming.  I’ve launched the “extra” visitor’s night or the quarterly worship night with the intentions of attracting new people.  Sometimes those things work.  But the problem is that even though they may be effective, it takes a long time for those events to represent the culture and team that we want people to be attracted to. 

Identify what’s already working and utilize those moments to “on-ramp” your team.

        3.     KEEP IT CONSISTENT-

Nothing can steal the wind out of the sails of progress like a good dose of inconsistency.  If you “welcome” new team members on Monday nights, keep that consistent for a season.  If you “welcome” new people to your choir rehearsal and you celebrate leaders that brought them, don’t change that unless you are communicating change.  Consistency, on this point, allows us the opportunity to get buy in from our team! Consistency builds reliability. Consistency gives our leaders tools to build with.  (Side note:  We will be talking about “embracing change” and reinvention in the upcoming months.)

Consistency tells our teams that we aren’t building a kingdom that only serves us, but we are leading an army that can fight battles when we share the burden.

Identifying your “on-ramps” could be a simple strategy that could help you engage people better.  Below is a sample of an “on-ramps” document that I created for our kid’s ministry at our church.  This idea isn’t just for worship/creative teams, but for everyone.

It is essential that you clearly communicate the “WHERE/HOW” to START whenever you are building teams.  Keep your communication clear and simple.  Try utilizing opportunities that your church is already doing well to interact with potential volunteers.  Lastly, be consistent.  Everyone should know the answer to this question: “Where do I go and What do I do?”.

 Having clear and simple communication about “what to DO next” can make or break your teams culture. 

Jesus, I pray today for the burden and stress that our worship leaders and pastors feel daily. We pray that you would continue to grow our capacity to shepherd well.  Thank you for entrusting us with big things.  We are honored to pastor your people.

Please feel free to use this resource or any that you find at worship.coach. Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions about these three helpful tips.  I am always glad to help. 

Michael King @michaelkingjr
free resources available at www.worship.coach

Being a parent of school-aged children is no small task in the 21st Century. The reasons Christian parents opt to send their children to public school vary. Regardless of why you opt to send your child to a public school, it is important for you to be a vigilant, involved parent.  Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Your child's formative years of moral development are happening concurrently with foundational...

Have you ever stopped to consider the potential "future value" of the money you spend today? If you were to save it rather than spend it, what would it be worth in, say, 20 years? For example, let's say you spend $8 each workday for lunch on the job. What if you decided to fast just once a week and save that $8 rather than spend it? Over 20 years, you would accumulate about $8,300. Not bad. But if you were to invest that $8 a week in a Roth IRA earning 6%, your small weekly investment would...

Why are companies more focused on their stock market prices than moving their industries forward?

As we close out 2022, we’re ending a year that has seen some of the highest housing prices on record. And, while the market has hit new highs, it’s likely that these will be surmounted as rates are expected to continue to rise moving into 2023.

As reports of the current outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) dominate the headlines, keeping calm can prove difficult. However, one of the best ways to combat anxiety – and be prepared – is to be informed.

Santa Monica, CA – More effort is needed to prevent injuries among police officers involved in traffic collisions – including those that occur when the vehicle is not moving – according to a study from nonprofit research institute RAND Corp.

LinkedIn can provide an effective way to bypass gatekeepers and connect with your prospects directly.

As reports of the COVID-19 pandemic dominate the headlines, keeping calm can prove difficult. However, one of the best ways to combat anxiety – and be prepared – is to be informed.

Mizkan America, Inc., (MA) announced that it has acquired the natural and organic barbeque sauce and broth brand Born Simple® for an undisclosed sum.

Aware that consumers prioritize clean, accessible and convenient ways to up protein intake and energy, Clean Simple Eats has crafted the a solution. Designed for those who value transparency in their nutrition choices, these beverages offer a refreshing approach to fitness fuel. 

Mannington’s SimpleStairs stair treads offer a seamless look for luxury vinyl flooring installations with treads that exactly match Mannington's AduraMax, AduraRigid, AduraFlex and Realta wood-look floors. 

The post Disaster Risk Communication Hub: Simple guidance and practical tips for practitioners was curated by information for practice.

Russian dressed herring in shuba-coat or Olivier salads are complex dishes that most Soviet and today Russian families make for special events, like New Year's. Back during the Soviet days, there were also simple recipes that people used for their daily meals and as quick-to-make treats for guests. Fried potatoes Potatoes, some salt and a frying pan — delicious fried potatoes could help out in cases when there was not a very good selection of products in the fridge. It was simply enough to peel potatoes, cut them into cubes or slice them and fry them in vegetable oil under a lid for about ten minutes. Many preferred to add some onions, garlic to the dish and then sprinkle it on top with parsley and dill.

Screenshot from the site of Japanese company K.K. Mirai Genomics The Moscow Healthcare Department purchased more than 50 devices and hundred of thousands of test systems for SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from a company called Medpromresurs. This sounds like good news, if it was not for the dodgy reputation of the company. Thieving businessmen are trying to cash in on the disease that their compatriots suffer from while keeping an eye on the funds from the state budget too. US funded Radio Liberty investigated the Moscow's purchase, that got links to 2019 scandal in Tatarstan. The story began in September 2019. During the Eastern Economic Forum, which was held last autumn, a little-known Japanese company K.K. Mirai Genomics promised to invest 2.5 billion rubles ($30 million) in the production of a diagnostic system for infectious diseases in the Republic of Tatarstan. The systems were supposed to be subsequently acquired at the expense of mandatory medical insurance - the state budget that is. Russian company PharmMedPolis-RT acted as a partner on the Russian side. Taliya Minullina, the head of the Agency for Investment Development of the Republic, put her signature on the agreement for the production of biochips for the diagnosis of influenza. The story was highlighted by a lot of Russian media for its connection to corruption and money-laundering issues. The chips were allegedly patented in Europe, the USA and Japan (coronavirus was nowhere near back then). Strangely enough, the supposedly patented trademark for the LifeRing molecular diagnostic system that consists of disposable chips is not manufactured in any of the above-mentioned countries. Moreover, as the Versia found out, the company's offices in Japan and the United States are located in cheap Class B office buildings, which does not go along with the promise to invest 2.5 billion, because a company like that simply does not have that much money.  However, methods for rapid diagnosis of influenza are not just being developed in our country - they are already in practical use. Moreover, the time that is required for testing biomaterial is even shorter in comparison with the time period that foreign-made chips need for the same purpose.  K.K. Mirai Genomics was a very little-known company indeed: it did not even have a website at the time when the deal was signed. Mirai never provided any specifications and descriptions of the technology, nor did it say anything about the results of clinical trials. Such facts did not stop the authorities of Tatarstan, though. 

Lexmark has introduced the 9-Series printers and MFPs, built with versatility, sustainability and ease of use in mind. They are also reliable, durable, affordable and Secure by Design. Built by evolving Lexmark’s renowned A4 technology, the 9-Series is squarely focused on delivering versatility, simplicity and sustainability.

The structures of the simplest symmetric primary ethers [(CnH2n+1)2O, n = 1–3] determined under high pressure revealed their conformational preferences and intermolecular interactions. In three new polymorphs of di­ethyl ether (C2H5)2O, high pressure promotes intermolecular CH⋯O contacts and enforces a conversion from the trans–trans conformer present in the α, β and γ phases to the trans–gauche conformer, which is higher in energy by 6.4 kJ mol−1, in the δ phase. Two new polymorphs of di­methyl ether (CH3)2O display analogous transformations of the CH⋯O bonds. The crystal structure of di-n-propyl ether (C3H7)2O, determined for the first time, is remarkably stable over the whole pressure range investigated from 1.70 up to 5.30 GPa.

Rietveld refinements are widely used for many purposes in the physical sciences. Conducting a Rietveld refinement typically requires expert input because correct results may require that parameters be added to the fit in the proper order. This order will depend on the nature of the data and the initial parameter values. A mechanism for computing the next parameter to add to the refinement is shown. The fitting function is evaluated with the current parameter value set and each parameter incremented and decremented by a small offset. This provides the partial derivatives with respect to each parameter, along with information to discriminate meaningful values from numerical computational errors. The implementation of this mechanism in the open-source GSAS-II program is discussed. This new method is discussed as an important step towards the development of automated Rietveld refinement technology.

Using the well known Rn ratio method, a protocol has been elaborated for determining the lattice direction for the 15 most common cubic zone axis spot patterns. The method makes use of the lengths of the three shortest reciprocal-lattice vectors in each pattern and the angles between them. No prior pattern calibration is required for the method to work, as the Rn ratio method is based entirely on geometric relationships. In the first step the pattern is assigned to one of three possible pattern types according to the angles that are measured between the three reciprocal-lattice vectors. The lattice direction [uvw] and possible Bravais type(s) and Laue indices of the corresponding reflections can then be determined by using lookup tables. In addition to determining the lattice direction, this simple geometric analysis allows one to distinguish between the P, I and F Bravais lattices for spot patterns aligned along [013], [112], [114] and [233]. Moreover, the F lattice can always be uniquely identified from the [011] and [123] patterns.

Students wave goodbye during dismissal at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 on March 25, 2021 in New York City.; Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Rachel Martin | NPR

New York City schools will reopen in full this fall with no options for virtual learning.

Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement during an appearance Monday on MSNBC, saying, "You can't have a full recovery without full-strength schools, everyone back sitting in those classrooms."

De Blasio said the nation's largest school district will meet in person five days a week, with no remote option available. New Jersey has similar plans, and other states want to limit remote lessons as well.

While the decision in New York is being celebrated as an important milestone on the path to returning to some level of normalcy from the pandemic, some parents remain fearful about sending their children back to in-person learning.

Meisha Porter, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, has heard those concerns firsthand, but says "our schools have been the safest place in the city."

In an interview with NPR's Morning Edition, Porter said that with New York City in the process of a full reopening, "it's important that our schools be fully open, too."

Porter said the city would not make the vaccine a requirement for staff and teachers, but said more than 70,000 employees have already received at least one dose. The city will continue to monitor the health and safety of children, teachers and staff, she said, "but we know our schools have been safe and we need our children back."

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Interview Highlights

What do you say to parents who are still really worried about the virus and may not want their kids to return, especially elementary aged kids who don't have access to a vaccine?

I say what we've said over and over again. You know, this past week, we've been at 0.3% — our seven-day positivity rate. Our schools are the safest place. And I've always said nothing, absolutely nothing, replaces the interaction and the learning that happens between a student and teacher in our classrooms. And so what I say to parents, as a parent, is we're going to continue to be in conversations. We're going to continue to make decisions around health and safety. We're going to continue to do those things that parents need us to do, that I need to ensure that we do, to make sure our buildings remain safe and we can get our babies back.

Is part of that effort a consideration about making the vaccine a requirement for staff and teachers?

At this moment, we're not making it a requirement, but we are encouraging [staff and teachers to get vaccinated], and we're going to really work with the city to provide access for students and families and teachers, as we've done over the last couple of months. And so right now, we're pushing and encouraging our staff to get vaccinated. ...

But I mean, wouldn't that help if you had 100%? I mean, children are required to show proof of of immunizations of vaccines to go to school. Why not maintain the same line for teachers and staff?

... I would say this, that we are not in a place where we want to, at this moment, mandate the vaccine. We want to continue to encourage. We all know that folks have had concerns about vaccines, and we want to continue to encourage that vaccines are safe and they are effective. I've been vaccinated along with the 70,000 DOE employees that have been vaccinated. And so we're not, at the moment where we are going to require it.

Have you heard from families who've come to rely on being able to have their kids, their teenagers, working while in school? There's evidence that those with that kind of economic need are those who want to continue with remote learning or some kind of hybrid.

I can tell you that I haven't heard that from families, that they want to they want remote learning so that their teenagers can continue to work. But I know, that that may be a reality for some families. And one of the things that we're doing this summer is increasing access to summer youth employment, increasing access to our learning-to-work programs for our young people, because we know how important it is for some young people to work. But it is equally, if not more important, that they maintain learning and have a connection to a strong and sound education, and we'll continue to do that through learning to work throughout the school year.

What about those students who have found that remote learning just works better for them? I mean, whether they are kids who have struggled socially in school environments, who have been bullied or kids with learning challenges who appreciate just being able to focus away from other students in the classroom. Are there any plans to come up with ways to better address their needs in the future?

So what we're looking forward to is leveraging what we've learned from remote learning as an innovation in our system as we move forward in return. And I think that's what's going to be important for us.

Do you know what that innovation is going to look like?

It's going to look like access to courses across schools and districts, breaking down district lines and walls, high-level courses, enrichment opportunities. You know, remote learning has expanded the universe of what schools should look like.

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