Topiary Herbs Shaping Up Nicely
If you’ve ever admired those closely cropped plants that form fanciful shapes calledtopiaries, Wayne McLaurin says you don’t need a degree in horticultural art to get thesame effect using herbs.”Topiary herbs are functional and useful,” says McLaurin, a horticulturistwith the University of Georgia Extension Service.>”You can always use herbs in seasoning your foods,” he said. “And theymake pretty nice patio plants.”So how do you go from a little potted plant to an eye-catching topiary herb?Start with a healthy herb plant with an unpinched leader and a strong stem. Rosemary,French lavender and scented geranium work well. You’ll also need scissors, stakes, tiesand patience, McLaurin says.”This is about a two-year project, so you need to start now,” he says.The growing point or tip of the plant is important in topiary, because that’s where theplant grows.>”If you pinch it back, the plant will produce side shoots and will bebushier,” McLaurin says. “You can design what the plant will look like bypinching or not pinching the tips.”First let the plant grow straight up to the desired height. A slow-growing orsmall-leaf plant should be eight to 14 inches tall, and a fast-growing or large-leaf plantshould be two to five feet tall.Place a stake beside the plant and tie the plant to it for support. Allow only the tipshoot of the plant to develop by cutting off any side shoots that start to grow. Allowleaves to stay on the trunk.”Check the ties often so they don’t girdle or injure the growing stem,”McLaurin says. “Check for bugs that like to hide around the ties.”Turn the plant so each side gets enough light and it grows evenly. With every four orfive waterings during active growth, feed it a liquid fertilizer for houseplants.”The next stage is forming the top of the plant to the shape you want,”McLaurin says. “Before you pinch the growing shoot tip for the first time, think ofthe finished look you want. Consider leaf size and rate of growth. Where will you displayyour topiary? What kind of container will it live in?”When you know those answers, you’re ready to pinch out the tip of the plant to make itbushier. Allow three pairs of branches to develop. The trunk will lengthen a bit as itmatures and thickens. “Now comes the real art of topiary,” McLaurin says. “Keep in mind theshape you want the plant to take and train the plant through careful tip pinching. Pinchtips about every two inches.”Pinch or cut at nodes so new shoots will grow in the direction you want,” hesays. “Encourage width and branching at the base of the ‘head.’ Top growth willnaturally develop faster, so keep upward-growing shoots trimmed back.””As you become aware of growth habits and see theresults of careful pruning,” he says, “you’ll see how to train thetopiary to the shape you want.”
Georgia farmers grow more than 45 percent of the nation’s peanut supply, but almost none of the organic peanuts that a growing number of consumers want. Out of over a half million acres of peanuts, few to none are certified organic. Just one acre of peanuts in Georgia can make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches, but organic peanut butters at the grocery store aren’t likely to contain any Georgia peanuts.Carroll Johnson, a USDA research agronomist working at the University of Georgia campus in Tifton, is trying to change that fact.Switching career streams“Call it a later mid-life crisis. I decided I was going to do something different the last quarter of my career,” Johnson said. “So I decided to get into organic crop production research and organic weed control.”Johnson became interested in organics because of the lack of applicable research in that field, while the needs of conventional production were already being addressed. At the same time, he saw a growing demand for organic peanuts used in organic peanut butter.Texas peanut butter or Georgia peanut butter?According to Johnson, the majority of organic peanuts produced in the U.S. that go into peanut butter come from a single operation in west Texas and eastern New Mexico. Under a co-op, one operator grows, shells, blanches, roasts and even processes peanuts into peanut butter.But that farming land is at an elevation of 5,000 feet, has a short growing season and grows a short-season variety with half of the yield potential of the runner peanut varieties grown in Georgia.“We can do it better here,” Johnson said. “It’s going to take somebody to open some doors and take some chances on the shelling end for farmers to have a way to sell them. But farmers can serve that demand.”Field trials at the Sunbelt Ag ExpoStanding before an organic peanut trial at the recent Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day in Moultrie, he held up a container of organic peanut butter processed by a North Carolina company — with peanuts from Argentina.“The best this company in North Carolina can do — bless their heart — is to get (peanuts) from Argentina. And we can do it better in Georgia,” he said. “What’s lacking is somebody to buy them in Georgia, somebody to blanche them, somebody to shell them.”Admittedly, growing conditions in west Texas and Argentina are different from Georgia.WeedsJohnson says that the purpose of his research program is to give growers information and ideas on how to deal with weeds in an organic peanut system in Georgia.Organic producers rely on mechanical cultivation — physically turning over the soil — to deal with weeds instead of chemical herbicides. Weeds can get out of hand when conditions don’t permit mechanical cultivation. This happened over the summer with the organic peanuts trials at the Ag Expo when heavy rains created standing water.“The delays that caused these weeds to get away are real-world for organic growers,” Johnson said. “When you’re relying heavily on cultivation for weed control, if you get delayed, or you try to cultivate when the soil’s wet — you don’t get adequate weed control.”“You’ve got to be very adaptable and very flexible when you deal with this production system,” he said.Under better conditions at organic production trials conducted in conjunction with the UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences in Tifton, results were entirely different. One continuous two-acre planting of three varieties yielded over 5,000 pounds per acre with mechanical cultivation alone.High-residue cover cropping experimentsJohnson is set to embark on a new experiment in organic production that has shown promising results in mid-Atlantic states and at the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania. Using a tractor with GPS auto-steer and a front-mounted roller-crimper, Johnson’s technicians will roll, crimp and plant peanuts in one pass in a “super-high residue” cover crop.The high-residue cover crop suppresses weed growth until the peanuts are well established. Johnson says his research shows that organic production systems for peanuts work in Georgia.He also encourages conventional producers to consider organic production as an additional market opportunity.“There’s a fairly large segment of our society that will pay an extra dollar for organic peanuts,” he said. “The quicker we accept that, and the quicker we try to serve that demand, the quicker we have this as a niche market in smaller acreage,” Johnson said.A processing voidAccording to Johnson, Georgia farmers can grow organic peanuts; they just need processing to get those peanuts to market.“The growers I’ve been working with know how to grow them,” he said. “The inability to sell them is what’s standing in the way of expanding this.” In addition to peanuts, Johnson is overseeing organic trials of soybeans, millet and Southern peas for the Sunbelt Ag Expo on October 16-18.
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. says it is done financing coal projects FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享Bloomberg:Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp., Southeast Asia’s second-largest lender, said two Vietnamese coal-fired power plants will be the last it finances as it increases funding for renewable projects.“We won’t do any new coal-fired power generation plants in any countries, except for the power projects that we are already in, or we have committed to,” Chief Executive Officer Samuel Tsien said in an interview at its Singapore headquarters Monday. “We hope that by doing this, we are encouraging the governments to do facilitating, arrangements for the countries to move from coal to renewable.”At least 100 major lenders have put restrictions in the past five years on mines that produce coal and power plants that burn it, according to a February report from the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis. Their decisions reflect the rising recognition of coal’s role in climate change, and the potential for the fuel and facilities that rely on it to become obsolete before investments in them are paid off.OCBC cannot backtrack from its earlier commitment to two projects in Vietnam, said Tsien, who declined to identify the developments. OCBC was among lenders for the 1.2 gigawatt Nghi Son 2 power station in Vietnam, the Straits Times reported in April last year. The lender also co-funds the Van Phong 1 project, according to Market Forces, a climate advocacy group.The bank, which decided on the financing strategy this quarter, hasn’t engaged in discussions on coal-fired power plants over the last two years, according to Tsien.Meanwhile, OCBC is stepping up efforts to finance renewable energy projects, an area the bank sees as a profitable business, Tsien said. It’s currently funding more than 20 solar farms in Malaysia, as well as wind projects in Australia and Taiwan.More: OCBC says coal plants it’s financing in Vietnam will be its last
Let’s face it – for most members, your credit union is about as sexy as a faded powder blue muumuu with holes and an unraveling hem. The spark is gone, the romance dead. What was once red roses and chocolates is now prickly weeds and hard candy.That “new relationship” phase is terrific. Both parties are a little nervous, apprehensive and excited to figure out exactly what the other can offer. Then, after a while, normal sets in and it’s time to figure out if the two of you can make a go over the long-haul. But you can’t forget the magic of those first few days together—the excitement, the romance, the allure and spark of fresh love.Before you get too hot and bothered, think about it this way—the same is true of your credit union and its new members. You both start a new relationship with excitement. I wonder what kind of rate I can get on my car loan? I wonder if I can get them to open up a checking account and a line of credit? Will they open a branch closer to my office? Will they download and use our new app?The great news is, there is a way to keep that excitement alive during the entire lifecycle of a membership. The secret? Sprinkling a dash of love into the mix with Lovemarks.Lovemarks is a concept that says: love is the future beyond brands. They inspire loyalty beyond reason and deliver beyond your expectations of great performance. Simply put, they are products, people and places you love. The driving concept behind Lovemarks says that one thing makes truly great brands resonate. That one thing is love.So, the question becomes – how can you get members to love your credit union and keep the spark alive for decades? Following are a few ideas.Find your most passionate members and listen to what they say. They will tell you all you need to know about the level of love for your credit union. Many credit unions now use their own members and marketing messages (both photographs and testimonials) as opposed to stock photography. This is a much more powerful way to communicate your brand and nurture a culture of love.Tell your stories. You’re going to bore people to death if all you talk about are your products. Products tell but benefits (in this case, the way they impact your members in a positive way) Show how your brand is part of an overall experience. For example, instead of selling the features of a home equity product, tell the story about how a specific member financed their childrens’ college educations with a home equity loan from your credit union. Use their pictures and direct quotes. This tugs at the heartstrings and helps establish love as an important part of your brand.Make building relationships more important than making sales. Yes, I know this is going to cause a number of business development and branch managers to flip their wigs. But it’s critical. To keep the spark alive during a long-term relationship with your members, they need to know that the relationship they have with your credit union is more important than just selling them something. If your credit union, over time, positions itself as the go-to source for information and help when it comes to their financial lives, members will actually come to you for the sale. If they think all you care about is pumping their wallets dry, they will move on to another bank or credit union.Think about the brands you love. Apple. ESPN. Starbucks. Now think about the reasons you love them. Is it the products they provide? Not so much. It’s the experience that doing business with them helps build in your heart. That’s branding. That’s a lovemark. And that’s what will help sexy-up your credit union and keep it deep in the hearts of your members for generations. 23SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Mark Arnold Mark Arnold is an acclaimed speaker, brand expert and strategic planner helping businesses such as credit unions and banks achieve their goals with strategic marketing insights and energized training. Mark … Web: www.markarnold.com Details
continue reading » Is strategy or implementation more important? Yes! That’s a slightly nonsensical way of saying that these two components are so critical and dependent upon each other that both must be successful for your well-crafted plan to become a reality. For that to happen, strategy and implementation must be driven from the same level within the organization.Even organizations that are good at execution and consistently get projects done on time can find that they are not moving toward their strategic goals as planned. The missing link is strategic implementation. Strategic implementation means that the strategy drives what the institution does and how it gets done, which in turn results in successful strategic implementation.This isn’t a matter of simply choosing projects that support the strategic plan. That’s a given. Taking strategic implementation to the next level requires the team to keep strategy in sight at all times. For example, too often we hear that new systems have been put in place but aren’t delivering as anticipated. This could be the result of the credit union focusing on getting the system in place rather than implementing it in such a way as to further the strategy. A newly launched loan origination system that does not result in the desired strategy of a simpler member experience would fall into this category. The strategy can get lost when it is not the driving force behind decisions made every step of the way. ShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr
Bellingham moved to Borussia Dortmund from Sky Bet Championship side Birmingham during the summer and has already made six appearances in the Bundesliga. “We are about preparing for each game as it comes and controlling the ‘controllables’ really,” Mings said.“We can’t control whether that game (Iceland) goes ahead, or where it goes ahead, the different situations which will affect that game.“All of our focus at the moment is on Thursday, with the year we are going through, being able to be fluid and adapt to change has been more crucial and important than ever.“If we can demonstrate that through the week, then we will be fine, but all of our focus at the moment is rightly on Ireland.” – Advertisement – 
Image:Mings says the England squad remain focused despite concerns they may have to forfeit their final Nations League group game against Iceland 3:53 “I know he is from the blue side of Birmingham, but I have got no problem in admitting what a fantastic player he is and what a fantastic lad he seems.“For someone who has achieved so much in such a short space of time, he seems to be very grounded and humble.“It is a huge occasion for him, and fair play to him.”England face Republic of Ireland in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday before travelling to Belgium on Sunday and welcoming Iceland on Wednesday to complete UEFA Nations League Group A2. However, Sky Sports News reported on Monday England may have to forfeit their game against Iceland, with UEFA expected to sanction Denmark’s fixture with the Icelanders on Sunday.Currently, the UK Government will not allow any of Iceland’s players into the country to play the game if they have been in Denmark – where a new strain of coronavirus has been linked to the country’s mink farms. Bellingham only made his Birmingham debut last season, but the club chose to retire his No 22 shirt in honour of what he had achieved at St Andrew’s following his switch to Germany.“I have had the opportunity to see him in training over the past couple of days, and what a fantastic talent he looks,” Mings said at an England press conference on Tuesday. Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett explains why England manager Gareth Southgate has called up Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham to the senior squad for the first time 
Image:England may have to forfeit their final Nations League group game against Iceland due to government policy 
Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings hailed Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham as a “fantastic talent” following his maiden call-up to the England squad.The 17-year-old had originally been included in the U21 squad but was promoted to Gareth Southgate’s senior camp after both Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse withdrew through injury.- Advertisement – 
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According to Article 16 of Chapter III in the omnibus law, which is about improving investment ecosystems and business activities, businesses can submit a request for the use of space with the central government if the local administration does not have a detailed spatial plan (RDTR).However, Herman said that from the 514 regencies and cities in the country, only 53 had an RDTR. This means that the central government will handle the approval of Amdal documents for more than 400 regencies and cities.“The central government will also decide the risk level of businesses, although it is actually the local governments that understand the risk and impact of business activities in their areas.”The bill will also revise Law No. 26/2007 on spatial planning, allowing the central government to issue a presidential decree when there is an overlap in the use of land, forest areas or permits.The bill will also amend Article 23 of Law No. 32/2009 on environmental protection. The omnibus bill states that only businesses that have “a major impact on the environment, social, economic and culture” will require an Amdal.Further criteria regarding what constitutes a “major impact” will be determined by a government regulation (PP).Environmental impact assessments will also be conducted by the central government and it can delegate certified institutions or experts to carry out the job, replacing the role of Amdal assessment committees, which comprise the environment agency, related technical institutions, environment and technical experts, environmental organizations and public representatives.“We are not sure that Indonesia has enough certified Amdal assessment institutions,” Herman said.Meanwhile, KPPOD executive director Robert Endi Jaweng said the omnibus bill on job creation would reduce regional governments’ power to manage their own regions.Furthermore, he said, the central government usually did not understand the situation that occurred in the regions.“What is left for the regional government to do?” he asked during the seminar. “With Indonesia’s vast territory, it will be difficult if all matters related to licensing are taken over by the central government.”He expressed doubts that the central government had the capacity to handle all the tasks stated in the bill.Robert suggested that during the bill’s deliberation in the House of Representatives, legislators should make changes that would distribute the responsibilities between the central and regional governments to ensure decentralization.“I think there is no need for a target on when this bill should be passed if it means sacrificing the quality of the regulations,” he said, adding that he predicts the bill would be passed later this year.The omnibus bill on job creation will amend 73 laws and consist of 15 chapters and 174 articles. Businesspeople have long complained about Indonesia’s overregulated business environment, which involves 43,511 central government regulations. Eisya A. EloksariThe Jakarta Post/JakartaThe omnibus bill on job creation will weaken regional administrations by taking away their authority over the use of space and environmental impact analyses (Amdal) and putting in solely in the hands of the central government. According to Jakarta-based think tank Regional Autonomy Watch (KPPOD), instead of improving the process for starting a business, the bill will confuse prospective entrepreneurs.“These new regulations obscure the role of local governments,” KPPOD researcher Herman Suparman said during a seminar on the omnibus law as seen through the perspective of regional administrations on Feb. 20.“At present, potential business owners go to the regional government to approve their Amdal. Later, it would have to coordinate everything with the central government.”He added that this would only complicate bureaucracy and lengthen the process of creating a business.
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The bathrooms have been recently updated.He said he will miss the home, but hopes another family will enjoy it as much as his did.“You can’t have that many years of memories and not always have a soft spot for it,” he said.“Hopefully it’s taken up by a younger family who can experience what we did.” There is direct access to Cabbage Tree Creek.When they’re not on the water, the Kearneys spent a lot of time landscaping.“The house is designed and built around outdoor living,” Mr Kearney said.“We designed and commissioned the backyard, upgraded the pontoon and the access, built an outdoor barbecue and fire pit area, and built a pergola and children’s playground.” The family spent extensive time and money investing in landscaping.More from newsFor under $10m you can buy a luxurious home with a two-lane bowling alley5 Apr 2017Military and railway history come together on bush block24 Apr 2019Mr Kearney said the home had seen many celebrations, from 21st and 60th birthdays, and his son even had his wedding there.“My son’s wedding was held in the gardens and they arrived by boat,” Mr Kearney said.The two-level home has two large bedrooms on the upper floor, along with a kitchen, living, and dining area, and a bathroom. The home at 3 Central Ave, Deagon is up for sale.Terry Kearney spent 40 years sailing Cabbage Tree Creek, so it was only natural he would buy along the water.Mr Kearney and wife Leonie bought the property at 3 Central Ave, Deagon, 17 years ago and love to spend time out on their boat.“I’ve sailed the creek for 40 years and the person I sail with lives at the property next door,” Mr Kearney said. Look out from the balcony over the pool, gardens and creek.The ground floor has three bedrooms, a massive family room, a laundry and a second bathroom.Both floors have stacks of outdoor entertaining space, with a huge wraparound deck at the front of the house, and another large deck out the back.Mr and Mrs Kearney are selling to retire at Bribie Island.“We’re boaties and we love living on the water, so it will be nice.”
Lesley Williams, chair of the PLSA, delivering the opening address at the conference:“If we all mix with people of the same background, who like the same things, have similar political views and who look the same, then we will work and socialise with self-regarding groups whose biases are confirmed by one another.“There’s been plenty written about how ‘group think’ and a refusal to contemplate the perspectives of other people has led to financial crisis, and even war and atrocity. We are not the rational beings that we like to think we are. If we are to build sensitivity to different perspectives and an appreciation for what they bring we need to seek out diversity.”And on the closing day of the conference:#*#*Show Fullscreen*#*# “One of the criticisms thrown at me has been that I might be in danger of excluding male perspectives. That isn’t what I want to do at all.“I will conclude by saying we are 25 years behind the curve – thank you to whoever said that – but we’re there now, we’re starting.”Gillian Tett, US managing editor at the Financial Times and a keynote speaker:“The one thing we know is that we don’t just need to hedge our portfolios in asset classes but also with perspectives. In a fragmented world, one of the best ways to join up the dots is to make sure you have different perspectives from different pools of the world. Diversity of perspectives, of opinions, is really important. It’s hard to get but more important than ever.”Margaret Heffernan (pictured), business author and former CEO, and a keynote speaker:“I think it’s really tremendous that this conference has put diversity as its headline topic because it signals that at last, maybe, we are finally moving beyond the notion that this is about political correctness and we are embracing the idea that collective intelligence is about harnessing multiple kinds of thinking, attitudes, experience, ways of tackling problems – and that’s what you need for really robust decision-making.”Lesley Titcomb, chief executive of The Pensions Regulator, speaking on a panel about diversity:“I used to be one of those people who never filled out diversity questionnaires, because to my mind I would succeed on my own merits, people would judge me by the quality of the work and the quality of my leadership. Over the years I became persuaded that being a leader in an organisation you have to show the way and one of the ways you showed the way was by contributing to things like diversity questionnaires so you could get accurate data. What I would say to leaders in organisations, chairs of trustees, is ‘get the data’… It is hugely valuable and it helps you deal with the sceptics.”On that same panel, Chris Hitchen, chief executive at RPMI, the in-house investment manager for the UK’s £25bn (€29bn) Railways Pension Scheme, gives an example of what RPMI is doing about diversity“It’s quite a small thing but when we’re recruiting now we ensure CVs are de-genderised”Chair of a trustee board, speaking from the audience after the diversity panel on the closing day of the conference:#*#*Show Fullscreen*#*# Diversity as a route to “collective intelligence” was one of the key ideas presented at the 2017 investment conference of the UK pensions trade body, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, held in Edinburgh last week.Panels and talks covered various aspects of diversity under the strapline, “Diverse Investments, Diverse Perspectives”.There was talk of gender and investment diversity, but also a reframing of the issue as “cognitive diversity”.Several keynote speakers and panellists shared their thoughts over the course of the conference.
“When we last did our trustee elections we took the names off the CVs when we sent them round to the members to vote on candidate A, candidate B, candidate C etc… We had quite a significant backlash from members about that, formal complaints about it because people wanted to know whether candidates were male or female, because they wanted to vote for men or they wanted to vote for females, which was exactly the reason why we didn’t [name candidates]. It was interesting how strong some people felt… it is quite difficult to hold your line”Saker Nusseibeh (pictured), chief executive, Hermes Investment Management, when asked by a delegate about “the extent to which lack of diversity ultimately has led to Brexit, Trump, the end of this era of political stability because siloed thinking by the educated elite has allowed us to forget that critical link between the capital allocation process and socio-economic outcomes”:“This disconnect between the financial system and the real world is harmful. And the reason it’s happened is because we are not diverse. And diversity is not just about gender diversity, although it is still appalling that we are still talking about it. But also diversity of background. One of the ways we should break out of this is to encourage diversity of thought.”
UUV Aquabotix has sold a Hybrid underwater vehicle to the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). The government-supported geological marine institute will utilize the Hybrid and its technology for ongoing geoscience and energy research in the Korean waters, the company informed.“We are excited to provide KIGAM with the means to achieve its research goals and uncover vital energy resources hidden under the sea, particularly given the organization’s deep history and dedication to protecting the earth,” said David Batista, CEO of Aquabotix. “We are eager to see how the functionality and brain power of our Hybrid vehicle benefits KIGAM in their quest to create a brighter future for both the Korean peninsula and the world.”Aquabotix’s Hybrid vehicle can search wide areas using AUV mode (untethered) while conducting detailed inspections using ROV mode (tethered). Users can switch from AUV mode to ROV mode by attaching the tether to remotely control the vehicle’s six degrees of freedom of motion.“The lightweight feel and ease-of-use of Aquabotix’s Hybrid vehicle will be instrumental in helping us fulfill our research and tasks over multiple missions,” said Jung Kyun Shin, KIGAM senior researcher. “Having the capacity to operate this vehicle in both untethered and tethered modes also allows us to properly explore underwater areas that have previously proved difficult to navigate. We look forward to leveraging the power of hybrid as we work to promote Korea’s sustainable future.”