Fields trip

Ted and Lisa Kessel stood outside their beautiful produce farm in southern Brooksville, breathing in the cooler crisp air. It was a beautiful fall morning and the couple was preparing to welcome some 150 second grade students from Chocachatti Elementary school on a class field trip they were hosting.

Within moments, the quiet morning was interrupted by three Hernando County school buses, inching their way up the long driveway. The children departed the bus as calmly as possible, trying to contain their excitement. Most had made this trip before, as first graders. They were well acquainted with the level of pure fun they were about to experience.

Lisa Kessel welcomed the group as parents and teachers mingled among the students. She gave each groupleader a map itemizing the different stations they would encounter on this second visit.

Some boarded the hay wagon for a guided trip to the back vegetable gardens, pulled by Farmer Ted and his tractor.we supply all kinds of polished tiles, Others headed toward the open fields to get a hands-on experience with animals and vegetation common to life on the farm.

Sweetfields Farm is located in the southern tip of Hernando County, in Masaryktown, where rural beauty is still gently preserved. Ted and Lisa Kessel purchased the property four years ago, planning to farm the land and offer locally grown produce.

Health-conscious for themselves and their young children, the couple wanted an opportunity to provide life-changing habits that would also positively impact the community.

"We used to take our kids to Georgia," Ted Kessel explained, where u-pick farms are available for children to gain a first perspective account of the farm environment. "It was such an amazing thing for them that we wanted to bring something like that here."

The farm opens to the public for a nominal fee during spring and fall harvests, offering different seasonal produce grown using organic methods. They host public visits during the weekends in May for the spring harvest and October through mid November for the fall harvest.

The highlight of the spring season, apart from the freshly grown produce, is the well-known sunflower maze. This memorable attraction boasts five acres of sunflower stalks ranging in size from 8 to 10 feet.

Visitors are challenged to navigate through the maze to the finish.

The fall harvest is in full swing, opening at the beginning of October. Apart from the freshly grown, mostly organic produce like zucchini, squash, green beans, different varieties of lettuces,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. okra and herbs, Sweetfields also offers family events like a corn maze (similar to the sunflower maze), vegetable picking opportunities and a colorful pumpkin patch.

But more than a local produce farm,The additions focus on key tag and magic cube combinations, Sweetfields Farm is also a learning tool, inviting the community to enjoy an education format that caters to some of the novelties of farm life.

Field trips are opened to area schools and place students in an atmosphere rich with education about irrigation, harvesting, picking, and caring for the crops and animals on the farm.

Simulators for milking cows and water irrigation are installed to give hands-on experience. Many of the students visiting the farm had only their last visit to pull from. Yet they seemed mesmerized by the variety of things to do.

Like Michelle Geiger, 7, who admitted she liked picking the green beans the best after taking the bouncy hay ride into the fields. Many of her peers squealed at the sandpaper-like texture of the cow and goats as they fed them treats.

It is evident from every angle of this farm that great care for the earth and its creatures was always the motivating factor.

Unique details, like planting grass seed on the roof of the goat house so the goats could climb the stairway and graze, or crafting a wooden walkway, extended at roof level, and allowing them to stroll above the land.

The chicken coop is an amazing sight — complete with henhouse modeled after a real barn and lofts.

The picnic and play area,It's hard to beat the versatility of zentai suits on a production line. dotted with huge hay bales painted and arranged into kid-friendly shapes, enticed these kids to play naturally with the land. Students climbed, jumped and played tag in the open air. Many were drawn to the old-fashioned wooden planked swings, strapped to tall, shaded oak trees.

The farm hosts events periodically throughout their harvest seasons and include weddings and scheduled charity galas. Weekends are open to the public from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Weekdays are usually reserved for field trips and other pre-scheduled engagements.we supply all kinds of polished tiles,

Sweetfields Farm is the perfect cohesion of natural organic harvesting with an educational introduction to life on the farm. The Kessels' dream, to open the land to natural harvesting while teaching a community about its natural resources, led to one of Hernando County's favorite places to visit.

Five Easy Ways to Save For Vacation

In this economy, traveling may seem like more of an out-of-reach luxury than a viable option for many people. Now more than ever, we're pinching pennies and focusing on covering essentials like mortgages, food, vehicle expenses and education.ceramic Injection mold for the medical,

Don't let these day-to-day financial responsibilities take away the possibility of adventure and relaxation with your family.As many processors back away from offshore merchant account , Start using these tips to save for next year's vacation.For the last five years Ripcurl , You'll be shocked by the money you're going to accrue.There are RUBBER MATS underneath mattresses,

Open a "vacation" account at your local bank. Each week, add $10 or $20, whatever you can afford, to the fund.there's a lovely winter landscape oil paintings by William Zorach. Every little bit will count by the time you're ready to hit the road.

And don't forget to sign up for your vacation-specific plastic. Many banks will provide a dedicated debit card for your checking account, which you can use exclusively while on the road.

This assures the money is coming straight from your vacation savings and not from your personal funds. This is hugely important in terms of your overall financial picture and costs you nothing.

Set up an auto-transfer with the new bank account. This is an easy way to make sure you've got a little something flowing into that vacation fund, yet won't break your bank.

Even as little as $14/week ($2/day) will add up to just over $700 in a year's time. This could represent a major portion of your vacation and can be used for gas, food, or even plane tickets.

Use the old-fashioned change jug. Keep a five-gallon jug next to the front door. Any time you come home with change in your pocket or purse, drop it in the jug.

From our experience, it's feasible to collect upwards of $400 in a year's time just from dropping spare change. Plus, it's fun to watch it "grow" throughout the year. Have the kids manage their own change jars for travel souvenirs.

Be smart when cashing out. Save up to 10 percent by taking your change collection to a local bank rather than a grocery store where they typically charge you to cash out. Banks such as KNBT offer change machines that charge no fees to account holders.

Sell your stuff. Every year, we hold an annual "Vacation Fund Garage Sale" a month before we hit the road. We dig through the closets, basement, and attic, selling our things for just a dollar or two and end up with several hundred dollars ¨C all of which is deposited directly into our vacation fund. This year, we made enough to cover our airfare to Las Vegas and back!

There are lots of ways to save, but if you are serious about a family adventure, it's wise to get started now.

You only live once ¨C don't let the economy hold you back from making special vacation (and savings!) memories with your loved ones.

Harris Tea Going Solar

Harris Tea Co. has announced its first solar power system will commence operations on August 31st.

The 508.8 kW rooftop array consists of 2,212 REC Solar panels installed on the company's building in Moorestown, New Jersey. The system will generate an estimated 600,000 kilowatt hours annually; providing approximately 60% of the sites annual power needs.

According to Ray Borooah,Traditional Air purifier claim to clean all the air in a room. CEO of Harris Tea, "The solar power project is a major step forward in integrating our sustainability initiatives, focusing on reducing our carbon footprint, and investing in the future of our company,Graphene is not a semiconductor, not an Insulator , and not a metal, products,Unlike traditional cube puzzle , and customers."

A "Harris Tea Goes Solar" ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for the day the system is switched on; with key customers and city officials in attendance.

Harris Tea's first foray into solar power is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 300 tons annually, equivalent to the emissions associated with the combustion of 137,410 litres of petrol.

REC Solar partnered with Harris Tea, providing the design,By Alex Lippa Close-up of solar panel in Massachusetts. solar modules, and installation services.

Among its other sustainability initiatives, Harris Tea is committed to moving towards zero land fill.Flossie was one of a group of four chickens in a chicken coop . Harris Tea has designed self sealed cartons eliminating plastic overwrap, redesigned corrugate packing boxes and reduced excess packaging from suppliers in order to reduce waste and resource use. The company has also implemented motion sensors for all warehouse lighting and has a blackout policy in place for periods of non-use.

Additionally, the company provides farmers with programs on productive farming techniques that promote biodiversity and environmentally safe farming practices. Harris tea has field representatives working with farmers to encourage use of organic soil inputs to improve soil fertility and water retention.

The company also rates suppliers on their environmental commitments, contributes to green house gas reporting and participates in the Carbon Disclosure Project.

Volume 3D-IC and TSV Manufacturing

EV Group (EVG), a leading supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets,Choose from one of the major categories of Bedding, today announced it has introduced a new in-line metrology module for its EVG850TB automated temporary bonding and debonding systems. This new metrology capability, which is now available as an option on the EVG850TB and EVG850DB platforms, allows customers to implement in-line process control for thin-wafer processing. This enables IC manufacturers to reduce defects and wafer breakage¡ªthereby improving yields and lowering production costs. Adding in-line metrology to thin-wafer processing is particularly crucial in helping to enable the ramp-up of 3D-IC and TSV manufacturing from pilot-line to volume production.

EVG's new integrated in-line metrology module can detect a variety of process irregularities and defects during temporary bonding and debonding, including: total thickness variation (TTV) of the carrier wafer, adhesive layer, bonded stack and thinned wafer; bow/warp of the bonded stack; and voids in the bond interface.

With semiconductor device scaling reaching its physical limits and becoming increasingly cost prohibitive, IC manufacturers are turning to 3D IC architectures¡ªwhere multiple circuit layers are stacked into a single circuit and connected via TSVs¡ªin order to increase device functionality. Thin-wafer processing is key to enabling TSV applications.Not to be confused with RUBBER MATS available at your local hardware store However, since thin wafers are very fragile and prone to breakage, temporary bonding of the device wafer to a carrier wafer is needed to provide stability to the device wafer during thin-wafer processing. After thinning and backside processing, the device wafer must then be debonded in order for the individual devices to be singulated and packaged.

Since device wafers undergo many process steps prior to thin-wafer processing, it is essential that the wafer thinning and bonding/debonding process do not contribute to yield loss. By integrating in-line metrology into its EVG850TB/DB platforms¡ªthe industry standard for temporary wafer bonding and debonding¡ªEVG has provided its customers with a powerful new tool to optimize their wafer-thinning and bonding processes, reduce tool downtime resulting from yield issues that arise during processing, and maximize their product yields and investments.

"For more than 10 years, EV Group has pioneered thin-wafer processing with our temporary bonding and debonding solutions¡ªcontinuously adding new features that enable our customers to aggressively pursue their technology roadmaps and lower their cost of production," stated Dr. Thorsten Matthias, Business Development Director at EVG. "With our new integrated in-line metrology module, we can now provide a total solution for thin-wafer processing that will enable our customers to reach the next level of production readiness on their leading-edge products by giving them overall control of their entire metrology process, including setting control values to help mitigate the cumulative effects of any bonding/debonding process issues.uy sculpture direct from us at low prices"

Added Matthias,A glass bottle is a bottle created from glass. "Beyond improving yields, the integration of in-line metrology to our EVG850TB/DB systems can also enable temporary bonding and debonding to be performed by different companies¡ªopening up an entirely new supply chain model for TSV manufacturing to further increase TSV adoption and drive down costs. Integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and foundries can now perform temporary bonding, thinning and backside processing, while outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies can do the debonding before dicing and packaging¡ªsince each party can perform outgoing or incoming qualification of the integrity of these extremely fragile thin wafers."

As part of its ongoing efforts to share its expertise and educate customers and partners regarding its 3D technology capabilities, EV Group will be presenting at two upcoming industry conferences. Markus Wimplinger, corporate technology development and IP director, will speak on "In-line IR metrology for high-volume temporary bonding applications" at the SEMATECH Workshop on 3D Interconnect Technology, July 13, 2011, in San Francisco,Detailed information on the causes of dstti, Calif.; and Thorsten Matthias, director of business development, will present on "Thin die stacking for wide I/O interface memory-on-logic" during SEMICON Europa, October 11-13, 2011, in Dresden, Germany.

South Africa basks in glow of BRICS addition

For too long the world had seen South Africa as a morbid montage of crime, poverty and sky-high HIV-AIDS infection rates. A third world country considered short on skills and long on laxity, avoided like a cold sore by global investors.

But that is all in the rear-view mirror. With its accession to the unofficial club of high-growth emerging economies, South Africa has now emerged as yet another symbol of the shift in global economic power. Some analysts broadened the BRIC constituency late last year to BRICS, the last initial representing South Africa.

The continent's biggest economy, South Africa is the world's fourth largest source of gold and diamonds, possesses over three-quarters of global platinum reserves and brings to BRICS a four-continent breadth, influence, and new growth opportunities for global investors.

South Africa's membership in this elite and increasingly strategic group of populous and high-growth emerging markets presents enormous opportunities and challenges for the country, as it pursues global competitiveness, says Kuseni Dlamini, CEO of Old Mutual Emerging Markets, part of South Africa-based Old Mutual Investment Group, a multi-boutique asset manager with operations in 33 countries.

"South Africa stands to benefit from preferential trade relations, improved inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI), improved capital flows and knowledge transfer through strategic collaboration in research and development," he said.A glass bottle is a bottle created from glass. "Over the past five years, exports to other BRICS countries increased from 73% to 88% of total exports to emerging markets."

There is plenty on offer for global investors, too. "The BRICS provide great opportunities that financial services companies in particular can and must leverage to expand their reach and penetrate these increasingly attractive markets," said Dlamini.

Although South Africa has both the smallest GDP and population of the BRICS countries,uy sculpture direct from us at low prices it is an indisputable strategic and legitimate gateway to the African continent.

"It has pockets of global excellence in certain industries, especially financial services, mining and infrastructure development, as well as good corporate governance, [which] makes it an invaluable member of this esteemed group of countries," said Dlamini.

According to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) World Competitiveness Report, South Africa's financial services sector is among the best in the world in terms of regulation, governance and stability.

The Forbes's list of leading global companies features many South African companies. Corporations such as Sasol, De Beers, Old Mutual, Anglo Platinum and the local automobile manufacturers are global leaders in the fields of technology, innovation and in terms of world class quality standards in their manufacturing processes.

But how susceptible is South Africa to global events considering many of them are playing out in proximate geographies. Hardly at all, according to Rian le Roux,Detailed information on the causes of dstti, chief economist at Old Mutual Investment Group South Africa (OMIGSA).

"Thus far, South Africa has hardly been affected by the global crisis, and capital flows into the country have remained strongly positive," he said. "Also, the surge in commodity prices narrowed the current account deficit to less than half a percent of GDP by the fourth quarter of 2010."

Moreover, interest rates are still high in a global context¡ªSouth Africa 10-year government bond yield at 8.5% with little fiscal risk in sight¡ªwhich has attracted more inflows, he added.

South Africa is well endowed with much sought-after commodities, so it would take either a global economic slump, especially in commodity prices, and/or Government economic mismanagement that can create risk to investment and potentially stem the inflow of foreign capital.

"However, with South Africa's recent inclusion in the BRICS, local policymakers will be forced to keep their local house in order if they wish South Africa to play a meaningful role in this influential club," said le Roux.

There's a lot more going for the constitutional democracy than commodities, it is argued.

"We have reasonable growth potential with a strong government focus on increasing the growth rate over time; an increasingly attractive outlook for Africa is great for South Africa as we are a hub for Africa-destined investments and will benefit directly from African economic successes," said le Roux. "We have healthy macroeconomic metrics¡ªfiscal and foreign trade balances; the South African Reserve Bank is independent, with a fixed inflation target, and low foreign debt."

One of South Africa's macroeconomic themes is lower returns from all asset classes globally over the medium term. That said, le Roux remains of the view that equities will deliver the best returns going forward, and will likely average at around 6% real (in local currency) over the next five years.

"In the short-term we expect excellent earnings growth as particularly the resource counters recover from the recession," he said. "Longer-term steady South African growth and some leverage to faster growth in Africa should underpin returns."

Finally, no commentary on emerging markets is without cautionary footnotes.

"South Africa remains a developing country, with the associated risks," admitted le Roux. "However, political risk is low as the ruling party is well entrenched; economic management risk is relatively low too, as government is cognizant of all the macro constraints and understands that ¡®popular policies' will simply fail over time."

Global investors may also want to keep an eye on the recent softening of South Africa's economic data. South Africa's leading economic index (LEI) took another step back in April, moderating to a level of 133.8 from 134.4 in March.

"Though the slowdown observed in the last two LEI prints suggest a slightly more modest GDP growth trajectory in the second half of the year after the economy grew a better than expected 4.8% [quarter over quarter, seasonally adjusted annual rate] in Q1,Choose from one of the major categories of Bedding, we nonetheless continue to look for GDP growth to average 3.8% y/y in 2011," said Jeffrey Schultz of Absa Capital, the investment banking division of Absa Bank Ltd., affiliated with Barclays Capital.Not to be confused with RUBBER MATS available at your local hardware store

Encouragingly, South Africa's consumer confidence index (CCI), as measured by the Bureau of Economic Research (BER), tracked higher in the second quarter of 2011. Household consumption remains the dominant driver of the economic growth impetus.

"The main reasons behind the improvement in the CCI stemmed from consumers becoming more positive about the prospects for the South African economy over the next 12 months as well as having greater optimism about their own financial positions," said Schultz.

JVC Readies 2 A/V-Nav Units

JVC Mobile Entertainment plans March shipments of its first two head units that control Clear Channel's iHeartradio app on USB-connected iPhones.

Both models, shown at International CES, are double-DIN A/V-navigation units with embedded HD Radio, iTunes tagging, 6.1-inch touchscreen display, hands-free and stereo Bluetooth, detachable faceplate and iPod/iPhone external mode. Both are also the company's first two head units with HD Radio Artist Experience feature, which displays images transmitted by select HD Radio stations. Images could include album art, artist-related images, promotional images, and station logos.

The two head units are the $1,199-suggested KW-NT50HDT and $999 KW-NT30HD.

From a connected iPhone, the iHeartradio app streams content from Clear Channel's 750 terrestrial radio stations, plus Internet-only channels, to an iPhone via cellular. From the navigation units and from the iPhone itself, users can view song and artist information, view high-resolution album artwork, and control channel up/down.

For the top-end A/V-nav unit, the app also delivers Clear Channel's Total Traffic and News (TTN) data service via cellular in areas where the HD Radio-delivered TTN service is unavailable. Via HD Radio, TTN delivers traffic data to the KW-NT50HDT 10 times faster than Clear Channels' RDS-based RDS-TMC service. TTN also adds the ability to deliver sports, news, and weather data.

The top-end nav unit also features dual HD tuners, letting users listen to an HD Radio station at the same time they're receiving traffic information via HD Radio.

The head units' iPod/iPhone external mode delivers the sound of any app, including Internet radio apps, to the car's sound system via USB cable. Unlike the iHeartradio app, however, those apps cannot be controlled from the head unit.

An optional cable lets iPod/iPhone users display stored video on the navigation units.

Navigation features include maps of all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico, high-sensitivity WAAS-enabled GPS, more than 6 million points of interest, and quick startup in less than 15 seconds. Other useful features include magnified view, Lane Guide, Speed Limit Display and Speed Alert function.

Hard keys are also available on the frame for instant access to frequently used functions.

Adaptive volume adjusts volume levels according to car speed for navigation and music.