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When Njideka Harry answers the phone, her voice is warm and smooth. As she begins to tell me about the foundation she started twelve years ago, her tone conveys both humility and confidence. Before long, it becomes clear that these qualities are a trademark; something embedded in the very fabric of her organization and passed on to the youth who come through the Youth for Technology Foundation's programs in six developing countries across Africa and Latin America.

Like many social entrepreneurs, Njideka's passion for the work of her organization was sparked by a personal challenge. As a freshman from Nigeria at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Njideka realized that the biggest adjustment she'd have to make in her new surroundings revolved around technology. Early in her first semester, when a professor gave the class a writing prompt, Njideka picked up her pen and paper - and then watched all the other students pick up their keyboards to type on laptops she didn't even know how to use.

Nevertheless, Njideka can be counted among the most well-educated in her home country, where an estimated 50 million of the Nigerian youth population are uneducated - and many more under-educated - due to a lack of teachers, technology, and other resources. Both of Njideka's parents were educators working at a university and there were computers on the campus, yet she had never had the opportunity to use one herself.

In 2000, after graduating with a degree in finance and economics, Njideka found herself employed at Microsoft, testimony to how far she had come since that first semester of college. Soon after, fueled by the difference technology had made in her own life and a personal mission to give back to her community, she launched the non-profit Youth for Technology Foundation.

The organization is a proponent of "reverse migration" - a movement to encourage youth to move back to or to stay in their rural communities - by making it meaningful for them to do so. Njideka emphasizes the importance of the energy, knowledge, skills, and capabilities of youth in the fight to reduce rural poverty.

Research shows that when a community lacks the infrastructure to support its agricultural and business activities, such as processing and storage facilities and sales and distribution channels, the brightest, most adaptable youth - and those most open to taking risks - often leave to seek opportunities in urban centers. Unfortunately, more often than not, many fall prey to vices such as stealing, trafficking and other criminal activity when adequate means of income fail to present themselves. YTF is effectively reversing this trend by harnessing the enthusiasm, ideas, and the propensity for risk of rural youth; providing personal and career development while introducing relevant technologies; and supporting them in continued relationships as students move into local agricultural and/or entrepreneurial careers.

YTF operates on the principle that "young people are co-creators of powerful solutions," explains Njideka. "Programs are centered around inspiring these youth to turn passion into action." The results are astounding. Almost all students stay involved with the organization in some way long after they have graduated, and a full 38% of YTF graduates go on to become entrepreneurs, starting local businesses that bring sustainable income into their rural communities.

Nigerian agricultural entrepreneur Sunny O. is a perfect example of YTF's tangible impact upon the lives of young people. It was while studying agricultural economics at a local university that Sunny heard about YTF. Bearing the responsibility of providing for his parents and four younger brothers, he was eager to learn and enrolled as a student in the YTF TechCommunities program at the Owerri Digital Village.

In 2013, Sunny became an entrepreneur with his first venture Integrity Farms, specializing in the agriculture of honey bees, fish, snail, and grasscutter rodents. He says YTF equipped him with the life and entrepreneurial skills to confidently launch this business, especially when it came to the ability to conduct daily research on factors affecting agriculture and its development. In addition to management training, YTF also provided the knowledge, experience, and confidence required to secure the micro-loan which equipped Sunny to start Integrity Farms. In a move to propagate reverse migration and a cycle of sustainable livelihood for the community, Sunny envisions training and hiring local community members as his business grows.

Blast injuries, caused by the sort of explosions that occurred in Boston Monday, can be some of the most difficult and complex injuries to treat.

The "blast wave" from the explosion acts like "an invisible wall of energy." Its tremendous energy can inflict massive internal injuries, says Mark Morocco, associate professor of emergency medicine, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

The rapid pressure wave can instantly inflate the stomach with air, then immediately suck it out. Such pressure is many times worse than the sudden pressure changes that people feel in their ears when a plane changes altitude. The force can rupture intestines and knock the brain around inside the skull, he says.

"You can have disruption of brain function without any physical finding," Morocco says. "You can have internal injuries even without any obvious bleeding."

Boston hospitals reported that many patients had injuries to their lower legs.

That's consistent with a bomb placed at ground level, such as in a backpack, Morocco says.

"Bits of leg can be blown away from the pressure wave, which is like a big wind," Morocco says. "It knocks you down."

In addition to creating a massive shock wave, an explosion can also cause shrapnel or other bits of metal to slice through flesh like a knife, Morocco says.

While no city is ever completely prepared for the kind of horror that beset Boston Monday, the city's emergency management system is about as good as it gets, says Richard Zane, chair of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.

"Boston has one of the most robust mass casualty plans of any city in the United States," says Zane, who previously worked in Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital for 14 years. "I'm certain this response was so well orchestrated because they have planned for this before, they have drilled for this before."

Boston is home to some of the best regarded hospitals in the world.

Beyond the skill of its surgeons and staff, however, the city also has an integrated emergency response system - including police, fire and others - to coordinate and direct care in an emergency. That ensures that patients are portioned out to hospitals evenly, so that individual facilities aren't overwhelmed.

Coordinating care at the scene of a disaster can save lives, Morocco says, through making hard choices about which patients need to be taken first to a hospital, which can wait and which are too injured to even try.

Even patients with extensive injuries are likely to survive if treated within "the golden hour," Morocco says. Patients who languish more than an hour without treatment often don't make it.

That's a lesson doctors learned in World War II, Morocco says. Battlefield medicine in subsequent wars, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have taught civilian doctors better ways to save lives and treat serious injuries, he says.

"Everybody who's been deployed is really chilled by what we saw (in Boston) because it's such a familiar sight," says John Holcomb, a retired Army colonel who provided medical care to troops during several combat tours.

Current and former military doctors say the lessons learned from the carnage of roadside bomb explosions in Iraq and Afghanistan that left more than 1,700 American troops missing limbs after more than a decade of war, are being communicated to trauma systems nationwide and hopefully played a role in saving lives in Boston.

"The only silver lining of any war is really the advances in medical trauma care that comes out of it. A world-class expertise resides in the military with exactly these types of injuries," Holcomb says. "The surgical principles have been honed in Iraq and Afghanistan."

"Blast injury is one of the most challenging constellation of injuries," says John Chovanes, trauma surgeon at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J., and an Army reservist who has done three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has treated dozens of blast victims.

In one explosive event, Chovanes says, a victim can suffer the blunt trauma of a high-speed auto accident from the high-pressure blast wave, the penetrating destruction of multiple bullet wounds from the shrapnel and potentially a swath of disfiguring burns.

Advances in the use of tourniquets, blood-clotting battle gauze, blood transfusion and surgery have led to about a 95% survival rate for the wounded of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the greatest number of them blast injuries, doctors say. Adding to that are dramatic improvements in rehabilitation techniques and computerized prosthetics that provide significant improvements in long-term, quality of life.

"When (victims) get to the point of being able to get up and around, we will certainly return the survivors to a pretty high functioning level sooner than I think would have happened previously," Holcomb says.

As for how this affects Americans psychologically, they once again will be hit with the feeling that "it could happen anywhere, close to us," said Laurie Richer, medical director of the Trauma Recovery Center at the University of California-San Francisco.

Fancy charts and fundamental analysis weren’t necessary to spot the trouble facing commodities this spring. A couple of headlines were all that was needed.

On Thursday, investors were said to be selling commodities because they didn’t need bets in risky assets thanks to gains from a booming stock market. On Friday, those same investors were supposedly selling commodities due to fears of slowing global growth.

Whatever the reason, commodities appear to have fallen from favor. That could have a significant impact on recovery hopes in the grain market, depending on how fundamentals of supply and demand play out this year.

Friday’s Commitment of Traders showed speculative hedge funds selling corn, soybeans and wheat. They’ve been net short in wheat for a while but also assumed that bearish bent into last week’s USDA report. The more positive numbers from the government may have encouraged the big players to reassess their newfound negativity in crops. But the dark mood remains over commodities in general.

Gold was the biggest loser. The government of Cyprus will reportedly be selling some of its reserves, but the precious metal’s collapse – it fell more than $100 an ounce last week – looked like if not a surrender, at least a strategic retreat. Japan’s aggressive move to weaken its currency though the same brand of quantitative easing championed by the U.S. Federal Reserve is a desperate attempt to avoid deflation. For all the talk of inflation caused by deficits and debt, what central bankers really fear is an economy that can’t even generate modestly rising prices.

Someday, all these fiscal chickens may come home to roost. But for the moment, investors aren’t worried about them.

Gold wasn’t the only benchmark commodity suffering. Crude oil and copper are also working lower. Indeed, the CRB index made new lows last week, reaching its weakest reading since the bull market in grains took off last summer.

While investors soured on commodities, equities are the rage, at least for U.S. stocks. The S&P 500 Index finally followed the Dow into record territory last week, despite a weak March jobs report and minutes from the Fed that appeared to suggest at least some central bankers are moving closer to ending their massive injections into financial markets.

Some of the trillions created by the Fed have worked their way into the both stocks and commodities. But so far, it’s commodities that are suffering from expectations the Fed will take away the punch bowl, perhaps sooner, rather than later.

The dollar has sold off some of its gains from Japan’s foray into financial easing. But bonds have stayed near their recent highs. That suggests investors don’t really expect higher interest rates any time soon, even if the Fed stops buying bonds and other term debt.

The prospect for rates to stay low could be crucial for farmers. Strength in farmland prices has been built in part on the low interest rate environment of the last five years. Rising rates, coupled with falling crop prices, would be a severe test for land values.

Senior Editor Bryce Knorr first joined Farm Futures Magazine in 1987. In addition to analyzing and writing about the commodity markets, he is a former futures introducing broker and is a registered Commodity Trading Advisor. He conducts Farm Futures exclusive surveys on acreage, production and farm management issues and is one of the analysts regularly contracted by business wire services before major USDA crop reports. Besides the Morning Call on he writes weekly reviews for corn, soybeans, and wheat that include selling price targets, charts and seasonal trends. His other weekly reviews on basis, energy, fertilizer and financial markets and feature price forecasts for key farm crop inputs. A journalist with 38 years of experience, he received the Master Writers Award from the American Agricultural Editors Association.

Worries about an economic slowdown in China fueled a steep drop in commodity prices Monday, spooking investors and giving the stock market its worst day of the year.

The trigger for the sell-off came from China, where the world's second-largest economy expanded 7.7 percent in the first three months of the year, well below forecasts of 8 percent or better. That news pummeled copper, oil and other commodities. Shares of oil and mining companies fared the worst because China is a huge importer of their products.

The decline came after a pile of negative economic reports. In addition to the concerns about China, a separate report showed weak manufacturing in the Northeast, and a home builders' survey indicated housing activity isn't going to be strong, either, said Steven Ricchiuto, chief economist for Mizuho Securities.

"People are realizing that the global economy isn't as strong as they expected it to be," he said.

The market began tumbling hours before reports emerged of two bombs exploding in the packed streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The attack that killed two people and injured more than 100 was just one more thing to worry investors.

The pullback disrupted, at least for the moment, the phenomenal rally that has sent the Dow Jones industrial average up 13 percent and the Standard & Poor's 500 index up 11 percent in 2013. Both indexes marked record highs only last Wednesday. But the market's exceptional performance has fueled widespread speculation about an inevitable retreat.

Concerns that Cyprus and other troubled European countries may sell gold to raise cash have also weighed on prices for precious metals, said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at the brokerage BTIG.

The Dow tumbled 265.86 points to close at 14,599.20, a decline of 1.8 percent. Caterpillar, a maker of heavy equipment used by miners, led the index lower, falling 3 percent to $82.27. The S&P 500 index slumped 36.48 points to 1,552.37, a loss of 2.3 percent.

The S&P was led by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, which fell 8 percent to $29.27. Analysts at Citigroup placed a "sell" rating on the mining giant on the expectation that copper prices will continue sliding.

The Nasdaq composite fell 78.46 points, or 2.4 percent, to 3,216.49.

It was the biggest drop for the stock market since Nov. 7 — Election Day — last year.

Of the 10 industry groups in the S&P 500, materials and energy stocks fared the worst, losing 4 percent. Indexes of small companies and transportation stocks, which are more vulnerable to swings in the economy, also fell 4 percent.

Crude oil prices hit their lowest level since mid-December, sliding $2.58 to finish at $88.71 in New York trading. And gold fell $140, plunging below $1,400 an ounce for the first time in two years as a sell-off in metals continued from last week. Gold has now slumped $203 an ounce over the past two days.

Frank Fantozzi, CEO of Planned Financial Services, a wealth management firm, says people had bought gold since the financial crisis on the belief that it was safe place to keep money. But now that the metal has slid 20 percent this year, they're jumping out.

"I think you're getting some panic selling right now" in the gold market, Fantozzi said. "People who have been holding on to gold expecting a rebound are now thinking, 'I better get out.'"

Cetin Ciner, a finance professor and expert in precious metal markets at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, said gold had also offered a protection against rampant inflation when the economy recovered. That helped push gold prices as high at $1,900 in 2011, but the high inflation they worried about still hasn't hit.

Gold "was bound to collapse at some stage," Ciner said. "People were waiting and waiting for higher inflation, and they finally realized it's not happening."

Just seven stocks rose in the S&P 500. Among them, Citigroup inched up 9 cents to $45.87, after the country's third-largest bank reported earnings that beat analysts' estimates. Stronger revenue from trading and investment banking lifted the bank's results.

Sprint Nextel jumped after Dish Network offered $25 billion to buy the company. Dish's bid is aimed at beating an offer from the Japanese phone company SoftBank. Sprint surged 14 percent to $7.06, and Dish fell 2 percent to $36.77.

Thermo Fisher Scientific offered $13.6 billion to buy genetic testing equipment maker Life Technologies. That works out to $76 in cash for each share of Life Technologies. Thermo Fisher's stock fell 1 percent to $78.58, while Life Technologies rose 7 percent to $73.11.

In the market for U.S. government bonds, which traders often buy when they're concerned about the economy, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note retreated to 1.69 percent, its lowest level of the year. That's down from 1.72 percent late Friday.

But for all the alarm among investors, experts doubt that the drop in stock prices is a harbinger of another global recession. Deep government budget cuts have slowed the U.S. economy and kept Europe in recession. And China's economy is cooling. But economists still expect the U.S. economy — the world's biggest — to gain strength during the second half of the year.

Nearly four years after the Great Recession ended, the American economy has a stronger foundation. Rising home prices and near-record stock prices make consumers feel wealthier and more willing to spend. And although China's growth was below expectations, it was still a pace that would be considered strong anywhere else.

The broader outlook for stocks was not likely to be "tremendously affected" by Monday's sell-off, Ciner said.

"There's so much money being pumped into the system, and the money has to go somewhere," he said, referring to the more than $2 trillion in bonds the Federal Reserve has bought since the Great Recession.

And there's ample evidence that the U.S. economy is making substantial improvements.

"There is some growth. Profits are up. So I don't think commodities will affect stocks," Ciner said. "There may be some volatility, but I think stocks will continue to go up in the short term."

I took in the Nascar Sprint Cup Race at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. My wife, daughter and I braved perfect weather conditions to watch Jimmie Johnson dominate as he led 346 of the 500 laps to take home yet another Grandfather Clock. There is no question that the trophy for winning at Martinsville is one of the neatest in all of sports.

Given all of the on track incidents and post race confrontations that have happened thus far this season, payback seemed to be on all the spectators minds in southern Virginia. The only problem with that expectation is that the drivers failed to comply. This was the site of Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon starting their feud last year, ending with Bowyer sprinting to Gordon's hauler at Phoenix in November. Perhaps retaliation from those two? Nope.

Joey Logano has been a lightning rod this year and it seemed that several drivers were itching to put the young driver in his place. Tony Stewart perhaps? Nope again. Kurt Busch had a reason Sunday as Logano rooted him out of the way midway through the race. I fully expected Bad Boy Kurt to get even and that also did not happen. Everyone, it seemed, decided to play nice.

That did not mean the day was not exciting. Any time one goes to a Nascar event, the excitement level leading up to the command to start engines is extraordinary. When the directive was finally given, I realized that I had forgotten just how loud 43 racing machines can be. We had earplugs but they didn't seem to help that much. There is hope in that area though.

Two elderly (70-80, I'm guessing) men sat in the row ahead of us. Just before the command, both gentlemen reached up and removed their hearing aids. No earplugs were necessary for the two as they sat stoically and enjoyed the race.

At one point a woman who was a Kasey Kahne fan (she had some kind of homemade head gear that confirmed that) appeared in the row ahead of us right beside our hearing aidless gentlemen. She looked around and announced that she was lost. I had seen the headgear earlier and pointed out the general area she had been sitting in. Alas, she informed me that she had already moved from that seat and was looking for her new one. Twenty minutes later she took off and we didn't see her again. You have to love Nascar fans!

Johnson was very good, but the other driver that caught our attention was Danica. She spun early bringing out the first caution, but rebounded nicely. Coming from the back of the field, she finished a respectable 12th. She is a polarizing figure in Nascar. There are those that think she only has a ride because she brings sponsorship to the table. As true as that is, she can also drive a race car. I hope she continues to get better and better. That can only be good for the sport.

The hour long wait to get out of the facility could not take away from a great day. The view from my seat suggests that it is a special time attending a Nascar race. I have now been to races at five venues including Michigan, Indy, Bristol, Sonoma and now Martinsville. I can't wait to see where I will go racing next!

KOLADE Oshinowo’s celebration of the virtue of womanhood, through his unique portraiture themes was acclaimed recently at the 2013 edition of Yusuf Grillo Pavilion Visual Art Fiesta.

In the lecture, The Master of Romantic Expressionism, delivered by Prof. Jerry Buhari of Department of Fine Arts, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Kaduna State during the yearly gathering in Ikorodu, Lagos, Oshinowo’s aesthetic rendition and depiction of ladies got intellectual interrogation and scholastic treatment from the guest speaker.

Oshinowo is the fifth artist in the series of yearly art fiesta organized by Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi-led pavilion. Established in honour of artist and renowned art teacher, Yusuf Grillo, in 2009, the pavilion had celebrated masters such as Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko and Uche Okeke in that order. And as the Pavilion appeared to have concluded the list of pioneer art students of ABU, Oshinowo’s choice might have opened what could be described as a focus on another set of artists from the same school.

Arguably, Oshinowo is a strong contender for Nigeria’s most prolific painter contest, should there be such a prize. Aside churning out paintings, almost endlessly, Oshinowo’s rendition of portraiture, which is neither of classicism nor impressionism, yet keeps the artist’s signature so strong for four decades must have informed Buhari’s choice of the theme for the 2013 Grillo Pavilion lecture.

However, Buhari, in his humility, did not arrogate to himself a sole authority on his subject. He disclosed to the large audience that the lecture, largely, consists of distillations from the interview Oshinowo granted him, as part of his research on the artist.

The guest speaker described Romanticism, in its subjective context,  as a process of art making that “seeks to make strong social commentary,” focusing issues of emotional texture “that are found in everyday life and give them personal interpretation”.

After an overview of his thought on the subject, Buhari supported his assertion that Oshinowo is a Master of Romanticism Expressionism by noting that “Romanticism seeks to make strong social commentary” such as an artist’s independent interpretation of everyday life of a people. He described Oshinowo’s art as a mastery of uncommon romanticism. “Oshinowo demonstrates unusual mastery, by the way he combines aesthetic exploration with social commentary”. Buhari added that the artist has “structures” of paintings that “are carefully given organic rhythm through the manipulation of drawing, colour and composition”. Oshinowo, he stressed, fuses “the transcendental with tangible reality”.

Dissecting an artist of Oshinowo’s status within the context of Romanticism or any other movement to boost academic study may require quite a volume, perhaps more intensive research. However, the artist’s rendition of female figures in an era infested by disturbing imagery via the social media appears like a challenge in sustaining the resilience of the artist’s style.

Oshinowo’s theme, particularly of women theme is very conservative; against the tide of today’s pop culture of indecent female body exposure, the effect of which is gaining some popularity among some visual artists. In fact, Oshinowo should consider himself fortunate that he already established his signature ahead of a generation that sees female figure as an inducement for sexuality.

If the classicists of post-Renaissance were merely inspired by imagination to render nudity on canvas and in sculptural images, a section of the current generation of artists appears to have every reason to populate contemporary space with indecent female figures. Reasons: the environment induces or inspires the artist, perhaps, interpreting academic theory that an artist is guided by what obtains within the artist’s environment.

For Oshinowo, perhaps his personal interpretation is on the opposite direction; against the tide as his ‘women’ promote virtues of womanhood. Buhari noted this much as he put male artists on the spot on how they interpret female figures. “In Oshinowo’s female figures, we read the glorification of the women. Her figure symbolizes elegance, beauty, motherhood, dignity, home maker, and more”

Shortly after Buhari’s lecture, a visit to the Grillo Pavilion building where some of Oshinowo’s works were on display for the exhibition segment confirms the artist’s aesthetic commitment in promoting the virtue of womanhood. Such virtues exude in works such as At the Party, Togetherness, Aso Ebi II and Lady With Red Beads. The works, indeed, promote elegance, beauty within modesty frame lines. The works, more importantly offers an opportunity for those who missed the artist’s last solo show Silhouette at Nike Gallery, last year. Most of the portraiture pieces such as Aso Ebi II, Togertherness and others represent Oshinowo’s new period of highlighted painting on fabric, which he coined ‘recover and reuse (R and R) – waste fabrics from tailoring and textile shops used as part of the artist’s mixed media.

Earlier, Oshinowo told the audience “I am overwhelmed being celebrated today”. On his style of painting and freedom of expression imbibed from training, he noted that the pioneer artists of ABU art school otherwise known as the ‘Zaria Rebels’ “clear the roads for us, laid the foundation for us to just walk through”. He disclosed how he was compelled to excel “when I saw the works the pioneer  Zarians left behind in the school”.

The patron and founder of Grillo Pavilion, Chief Gbadamosi, OFR gave an insight into his love for Oshinowo’s work. “I have in my collection of Oshinowo paintings of unforgettable landscapes. From village scenes to men and women toiling in the countryside, animals grazing in the fields to the quietude of hills and mountains all over Nigeria particularly the depiction of Zuma rock in the Abuja-Suleja axis of the heartland of modern Nigeria.

“But ever so fascinating are the creation of mixed-media canvases engendered by oil paintings on rags carefully selected and turned into a celebration of beauty, colour and fine strokes of divine creativity.”

Gbadamosi noted that Oshinowo, lately, has “metamorphosed” his skill “into the embroidering of the female forms in attires crafted from rags glued together in motifs of beauty and exquisite tenderness.” He christened the artist’s new technique “a new wave of Oshinowoism”.

“While developers are embracing the sustainable practices that LEED promotes, they seem to be less willing to pay the added cost of certification and commissioning. Just building to the current California Building Code nearly guarantees that a project can achieve LEED certification. However, the six-figure cost for LEED certification is one of the first line items to get scratched from any development budget. Because of this, I think you will be seeing more and more ‘LEED inspired’ projects in the future,” Gonzalez stated.

“As cities update their building codes, they will undoubtedly continue to add green building regulations, which will level the playing field for the construction industry as a whole since it will no longer be an elective cost to build green. But being able to build green in an affordable manner will put the savvy builders ahead of the pack,” said Gonzalez.

“One of my favorite examples is Garbett Homes and the KTGY-designed Solaris Collection at Daybreak, a single family community near Salt Lake City, where a billboard with a picture of one of the community’s homeowners has a quote that reads, ‘My power bill is $5. What’s yours?’” Gonzalez stated.

The Solaris Collection was named Residential Project of the Year in the detached product category and won a Gold Nugget Grand Award in 2012. Solaris offers high-density ENERGY STAR rated single-family homes for cost-conscious, eco-minded buyer, from the low $200,000s. Unique to this price-point, Garbett Homes includes solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, and a super-tight energy-efficient building envelope with HERS ratings under 40 in a Climate Zone 5, which saves residents up to 70% on their monthly utility bills. The homes’ eclectic, modern exteriors with fiber-cement siding are used in unique ways not seen before in this market and a vibrant color palette add to the overall unique appeal, according to Gonzalez.

Garbett Home’s urban infill project, TerraSol in nearby South Salt Lake, broke ground in August 2011, and all 60 homes were sold by April 2012, without Garbett Homes building any spec homes, according to Gonzalez. The single-family homes designed by KTGY are ENERGY STAR rated and include as standard either photovoltaic solar and solar hot water or geothermal heating and cooling.

“While KTGY has been quite busy with many exciting new sustainable projects, the ABC Green Home is certainly one of the most important to the homebuilding industry,” Gonzalez said. “Being able to demonstrate that architects can design a Net Zero Energy home that is affordable, buildable and certifiable has been a tremendous opportunity for KTGY.”

According to Gonzalez, the project’s designer, the ABC Green Home is a 1,695-square-foot single-story affordable, entry-level, certifiable green home, the first of its kind to be built by Southern California Edison (SCE) or any utility company. Built in 70 days and sponsored by Green Home Builder magazine, the ABC Green Home is currently on display at the Great Park in Irvine, Calif., and is open to the public. The home will be on display for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013, October 3-13, at the Great Park. This is the first time this world-famous competition will be held outside of Washington DC, and the ABC Home will be a key display. Eventually, the home will be donated to Habitat for Humanity and given to a wounded service person.

Gonzalez added, “Another exciting project designed by KTGY is Primera Terra, a LEED Platinum luxury for-sale multifamily community in Playa Vista, Calif., developed by KB Home. An innovative redesign/repositioning solution, Primera Terra achieved LEED Platinum certification without incorporating solar panels.” Primera Terra won numerous top honors in 2012 including the NAHB Pillars of the Industry and BALA award programs and the EcoHome Design Grand Award; plus the USGBC LEED for Homes Award in the Multifamily category in 2011.

Other recently completed sustainable multifamily communities designed by KTGY include Dana Strand in Los Angeles, a LEED Gold 100-unit senior apartment community, which was a public/private partnership between the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) with ROEM Development Corporation and Dana Strand Senior, LLC. Dana Strand combines eco-friendly design with luxury, amenity-rich living at an affordable rental rate specifically targeting the needs of seniors 62 years and better. Dana Strand received a NAHB Best 50+ Gold Award in the Affordable Rental Community category in 2012.

Heritage Oaks Senior Apartments in Oakdale, Calif., is a LEED Platinum 50-unit apartment community for low income seniors age 55 and better, which was designed by KTGY and developed by Central Valley Coalition for Affordable Housing and Adroit Development, Inc. The community offers a variety of creative indoor and outdoor amenities including a “Garage” with large workbenches for the men and a hobby and craft studio for the women. Residents can even try out their green thumb skills at the raised-bed gardening areas. Construction was completed in 10 months and ahead of schedule; and was 100% leased within 3 months of the completion date. Heritage Oaks earned several awards in 2012 including NAHB Best of 50+ Gold Award for the Best 50+ Outdoor Amenity and a special Innovation Award for the Outdoor Amenity for the community’s “Garage.”

Gonzalez will showcase these award-winning green projects at the 2013 NAA Green Conference on April 15-17, 2013, in Baltimore, MD. Gonzalez will be joined by panelists William J. Greene, III, of Wood Partners; David Woodward of CompassRock; and Matt Miller, industry principal for Yardi Energy Solutions?, will serve as moderator on the panel “Green Building and Utility Management – Doing it Right Makes Sense.” Hundreds of multifamily property managers, developers and suppliers will gather at the 2013 NAA Green Conference, which is sponsored by the National Apartment Assn. The conference will showcase environmentally conscious products and strategies that can save energy and money.

The program is the first of its kind in Canada and was created by Enbridge with design support from Sustainable Buildings Canada and its network of building experts. The program uses the integrated design process and energy modeling to consider energy efficiency as part of the design stage. It also promotes leading-edge storm water management techniques, reduced water use, waste reduction and the use of materials that are non-toxic and sustainably sourced.

"We were already building energy-efficient homes, but with the knowledge we gained from Enbridge's Savings by Design program, we were able to take it to the next level," says Fabrizio Cortellucci, President of Zancor Homes. "Ultimately, this program helps us deliver long-term cost savings and environmental benefits to our customers."

"Thanks to this unique program for residential builders and developers, the people who purchase Savings by Design homes will have a head start on energy conservation," says Mike Singleton, Executive Director of Sustainable Buildings Canada which leads and facilitates the Savings by Design sessions for Enbridge. "We're proud to help deliver a program that we hope will help set the standard for future home building in Canada."

In addition to enhancing the home's resale value, homeowners will save on their annual energy costs. Natural gas already delivers great financial value - a typical Enbridge Gas Distribution customer purchasing natural gas supply from the utility is paying about $400 less today for their total annual natural gas bill than they were five years ago.

There are also environmental benefits. "We are pleased that Enbridge and builders are showing leadership by taking a holistic approach to building energy efficiency into homes from the start," says Michael Walters, General Manager, Watershed Management, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. "The Savings by Design program goes beyond reducing energy use and identifies solutions, making it easier to support water conservation and water management."

"Savings by Design is part of a long history of energy efficiency programs that Enbridge has delivered to business and residential customers," says Shannon Bertuzzi, Enbridge Gas Distribution's Manager of Residential Sales. "We are thrilled by the enthusiasm and leadership shown in the home builder and developer community, and look forward to helping more companies build more energy-efficient homes."

“Both Hayley and I are well educated in fields supportive of an agribusiness career, which we think is important when running large-scale dairy farms today,” Morgan Easton says. “Large dairy farms are big businesses with significant turnover and numbers of people employed. We feel the knowledge gained from our education has undoubtedly helped us achieve our farming goals to date.”

The other major winners at the Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry Awards dinner held at Hotel Ashburton last night were Richard Pearse, the Farm Manager of the Year, and Adam Caldwell, the Dairy Trainee of the Year. Coincidentally Mr Pearse employs Mr Caldwell as an assistant on the Ashburton farm he manages.

Judges said the sharemilker/equity farmer contest was tight, and they were extremely impressed with the calibre of entrants and farming businesses they are operating.

Morgan and Hayley Easton, aged 30 and 27, have spent the past five years developing the 365ha Oamaru property owned by David and Clare Easton and where they 50% sharemilk, increasing cow numbers from 450 to 1350 in that time.

It was the first time the couple, who won $18,600 in prizes, had entered the awards. “We wanted to have most of the development done before we entered and have the farm both running and looking the way we wanted.”

Mr Easton holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from Lincoln University, as well as a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics, obtained while on a Fulbright Scholarship at Purdue University in the USA. Hayley Easton holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Management from Leeds University and worked as an assistant accountant until the couple’s first child was born last year.

The Easton’s goal is to purchase a farm within five years. To help achieve this they run an expanded artificial insemination programme to increase young stock and improve herd breeding worth. They also plan to take on a second sharemilking position within two years.

Dorie 50% sharemilkers Andrew and Hayley Slater were placed second in the sharemilker/equity farmer contest, winning $9000, and Culverden lower order sharemilkers Nigel and Gina Gardner were third, taking home $7500 in prizes.

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown and RD1, along with industry partner AgITO.

The 2013 Canterbury/North Otago Farm Manager of the Year, Richard Pearse, wants his reputation in the industry to be based on honesty and integrity.

Mr Pearse, aged 30, won $10,700 in prizes and is contract milking 955 cows for Graham and Jane Thomas at Ashburton. He is committed for two more seasons with the Thomas’ and then plans, with partner Susan Geddes, to progress to sharemilking or equity partnership.

“We highly value our reputation in the dairy industry and as we are looking to progress further we believe that having a good image is crucial to our success.”

He also values the input of those around him like staff, farm owners and rural professionals. “We aim to ensure – through good communication – that people feel appreciated and involved in both the running of the farm and the business side of it as well.”

It was the first time he had entered the awards, after beginning his dairy farming career in Balclutha in 2000 and progressing.

Mr Caldwell completed a Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture at Lincoln University before entering the industry and aims to become a farm owner.

“Entering the dairy awards has given me the opportunity to meet and network with other like-minded people in the agricultural sector, as well as the chance to explore my personal knowledge of the dairy industry and improve my communication and interview skills.”

It’s an exciting time of the year for high school kids. The nice weather reminds us that June and freedom are right around the corner.

As I listen to music on my phone at the gym, certain songs remind me of this very time of year, 40 years ago. That’s probably because I only listen to 60’s and 70’s music, unless my sons are in the truck, and I graduated in 1971 from Somerville High.

When I hear these songs it takes me back. Back to the angst and joy of my high school years. Let’s take a look back at three of the best years of my life and the music that was the backdrop of the Somerville of the 70’s.

My first year of high school was in 1969. The world was still mourning the loss of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. while The United States was fighting the war in Viet Nam. Woolworths and Grants were still thriving in Davis Square. My hair was getting longer and longer and the music was getting louder and louder.

In the Year 2525 by Zager and Evans. This song made us think about the future. If anyone had told us back then that there would be T stops in Davis and (eventually) Ball Squares, we would have thought they were nuts. Oh yea, and America put a man on the moon too. That was pretty far out! We thought we were so hip and modern, even with no iPads or cell phones.

Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley. Sadly, this would be one of the King’s last hit records before his untimely downward spiral and death.

Then came 1970. A new decade of math, mayhem and music. Maybe I’m Amazed by Paul McCartney. I was amazed that I was one of the only kids at Somerville High who dared to wear bellbottom pants. I got plenty of ribbing for it until mostly everyone else finally joined in.

War by Edwin Starr. I was worried about myself and my friends being sent to Viet Nam.  I was also very much into the anti-war movement, prompting me to sneak off to Washington for a huge demonstration. From his after work perch at Pat Connelly’s bar in Davis Square, and mom’s comfy chair in the living room, I hoped they didn’t see me on the news clips from that massive demonstration. I forgot which lie I told them that allowed me to stay away for an entire weekend.

In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry. Some of us had cars and took the gang, along with guitars up to hang out and swim at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus.

The Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. Zeppelin was a big part of my youth. By the time The Immigrant Song came out, my hair was already down to my shoulders and denim was the uniform of the day. My friends and I were full-fledged hippies. It was Beatles, beads, and bandanas.

1971 meant finally escaping from high school! In May of ’71 The Rolling Stones released Brown Sugar and John Lennon gave the world Imagine. Little did we know the extreme sadness to come. The Doors came out with Love Her Madly and Riders On The Storm, which stir up tons of emotions to this day. These songs provided the soundtrack to the summer of 1971, one of the greatest years ever.

When I hear the above-mentioned songs, I get a feeling that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s a peaceful, soothing, happy sensation that speaks of old friends with lots and lots of hair, and big old cars with lots of chrome. It was a time when there was a lot of hope, and a lot of youth. Too bad we didn’t know that it was going to go by in a flash.

I asked my Somerville friends to name some songs that remind them of this optimistic, rejuvenated time of year and here some of them: We Gotta Get Outta This Place, Dirty Water, Smokin In The Boys Room, Blinded By The Light, Movin’ Out, Electric Avenue, Kashmir (Zeppelin), I Fought The Law, Light My Fire, Baby I’m-A Want You, Roadrunner, Lido Shuffle, These Boots Were Made For Walking, Rock The Boat, Can’t Find The Time To Tell You, Stairway To Heaven, Takin’ Care Of Business, A Dream Goes On Forever, Living In The Past, When Will I See You Again, Highway Star, Summer In The City and last but not least, School’s Out, but, not just yet!

Just a few years ago, Dominique Caissie was well on her way to a career as a clinical therapist. But a single elective course in her final semester of college quickly changed her life’s direction.

Today, Caissie, 24, is a self-employed glassblower, and manager of Terrapin Glassblowing Studio in Jaffrey. It’s a family business she co-owns with her mother, Anne Marie Caissie, and her stepfather, Jim VanCampen.

Launched in December 2011, the studio is open seven days a week from mid-morning on. Her stepfather handles maintenance and mechanics. Her mother oversees bookkeeping, advertising and promotions.

And, Caissie, the resident artist, provides private and group classes, demos, studio rentals for experienced glassblowers, and a gift shop.

Caissie, who lives in Jaffrey, discovered her passion at Franklin Pierce University, where she earned a degree in psychology. Just prior to her 2009 graduation, she spontaneously took a glassblowing class with Jordana Korsen, a nationally acclaimed glass blower and instructor — and was instantly hooked.

Soon after, she went on to a graduate program in clinical psychology at Antioch University New England, but kept returning to Franklin Pierce for more intensive glass blowing courses. At the end of one year, she quit grad school altogether to focus solely on her art.

“I’ve always been a crafty person,” she said. “Just to think about something, and then to be able to make it. You have so many failures, and then suddenly, you’ll get it just right. It’s never ending. Every day you learn something new.”

Caissie, who grew up in Gardner, Mass., never previously studied art. Instead, from age 7, she trained as a competitive swimmer. At 14, she won the New England Girls’ Championship in the 1-mile swim. She also won the 500-freestyle in the Massachusetts statewide high school championship, and placed third in the 200-freestyle.

Her mother always assumed that a college swimming scholarship was in her daughter’s future, but fate intervened. In her freshman year of high school, she slipped and fell down a staircase during a swim meet, severely breaking both elbows. Her recovery was painful, long and imperfect.

Without swimming, Caissie lacked focus. For a new direction, she turned to academics and the dual enrollment program at Mount Wachusett Community College. Through that initiative, she took college courses during high school for both high school and college credit.

After graduating from high school, she entered Franklin Pierce University as a sophomore transfer student. She was intent on a career in therapy until taking her first glass blowing course.

“I did really well at Antioch,” she said. “I liked it, and I liked my classmates. I just couldn’t picture not working with glass. I was already thinking about what it would take to open my own studio.”

Caissie had encouraged her mother to also learn glass blowing. Together, they sold their products at area craft fairs and farmers’ markets. People frequently approached them asking for lessons, and other artists bemoaned the lack of local studio space.

An area kennel owner was a frequent customer. She asked them to create pet memorials — multi-sized, colorful, ornamental glass balls, mixed with small amounts of cremated ashes. Today they’re among their most popular products.

“We said OK. It sounded like a good business idea,” said Caissie. “But where were we going to do it?”

“Basically we told my step-dad that we wanted to set up a glass blowing studio, and he didn’t complain at all,” she said. “We found a studio that had gone out of business, and snatched up their equipment for sale. We found another in Massachusetts that had gone out of business, and bought the rest that we needed.”

So began a six-month venture to find a suitable rental location. They worked closely with the Jaffrey fire chief and building inspector, who eventually approved their current warehouse location.

In December 2011, they opened for business. Since then, they’ve had hundreds of students of all levels of interest in both private and group classes, and have expanded five times. They offer beginner classes as well as advanced instruction and workshops with guest instructors from throughout New England.

In addition to one paid employee, they hire unpaid interns from area high schools, who work in exchange for academic credit. They help with cleaning the studio and equipment, drilling and grinding glass, and with more intricate glass work.

“We like doing it,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to teach other people how to do this. They also learn to assist and help our customers.”

Josh Grey of Jaffrey is her sole employee. He and Caissie have been acquainted for several years, and took glass blowing class together at Franklin Pierce University.

“Dom is quite responsible and committed to the shop,” he said. “She’s very committed to running the business. She’s good to work with. She’s fun. She’s got a good sense of humor, but at times, she also can be very serious.”

Caissie’s mother, a former longtime Franklin Pierce University employee, works three days per week in Boston as an IT manager, and the rest of the week in the Jaffrey studio.

“I was surprised,” she said. “Growing up, Dom was never an artist in any way, shape or form. When we first opened the business, I thought, she’ll go do her little thing, and I’ll visit once in awhile.”

“I’m so proud of her and her success. Just think of what every business deals with on a daily basis,” she said. “She tells us what we need to do to keep everything going. She’s all about organization. She sets priorities and new tasks.”

Caissie displays her glass work and that of other artists for sale in the studio. There are beads and jewelry, magnets and paperweights, multicolored glass flowers, bowls and vases, among numerous items. The gift shop also carries consigned works by glass blowers, as well as by artists in various other media, including her stepfather’s photography.