Line Change

Thea Jenson has her future meticulously planned out. Graduate from college. Get a job. Marry her high school sweetheart and have two beautiful children. When she decides to transfer schools, her brother suggests she move in with him and his unruly hockey roommates. Everything in her life is going according to her plan . . . . . . until she bumps into Kyler in their kitchen and sparks fly. Kyler Rose, the starting center for the Northport University hockey team, is done for the moment he lays his eyes on Thea. But he can't allow her to become a distraction. He's determined to make it to the NHL. That's if he doesn't get booted for failing grades first. And even though he's on scholarship, it doesn't pay his bills or provide for his family. Neither do the tips he earns from his bartending gig. When an offer to make some fast cash falls in his lap, he takes it, thinking no one will care if he gets hurt . . . . . . except Thea does care. But just as Kyler finds a way to navigate his feelings for Thea, an unexpected link to his family comes to light and he finds himself in the fight of his life to protect those he loves the most - his family.

The WIS:dom® (Weather-Informed energy Systems: for design, operations and markets) optimization planning model is the state-of-the-art energy model developed by Vibrant Clean Energy, LLC (VCE®). It is the first commercial co-optimization model of energy grids that was built from the ground up to incorporate vast volumes of data; starting with high-resolution weather and demand data. WIS:dom®-P simultaneously co-optimizes the capacity expansion requirements (generation, transmission, and storage) and the dispatch requirements (production cost, power flow, reserves, ramping, and reliability) for the entire electric (energy) grid of interest. Not only does WIS:dom® co-optimize these critically linked properties, it was developed from the ground up to work with “big data”. The model can determine the cost/benefit ratios for new HVDC transmission lines, compared with other technologies. It can also determine the risk and rewards from retiring existing generators for the topology of the transmission infrastructure; simultaneously to determining how more variable generation is deployed to replace them. WIS:dom® utilizes high-resolution (spatially and temporally) weather data to determine resource properties over vast spatial-temporal horizons. Thus, WIS:dom® can be used on scales as small as campuses, cities, counties or states/provinces; but uniquely can also be used for sovereign entities and continents. Moreover, these scales can be nested, allowing high-fidelity local modeling accompanied with lower-fidelity larger areas to create feedbacks within the model that simulate outside influences on local markets. The model relies on publically available data where possible, and contains default values for generators, transmission, storage, production cost and resource siting. However, WIS:dom® was designed from the beginning to allow “plug-and-play” capability, whereby it can take advantage of customized datasets required for detailed modeling of specific questions, markets or balancing areas. For example, higher-resolution weather data over a utility or ISO; or proprietary heat rates for generators within a utility. The modeling framework is unique and consistent across various scales facilitating more transparent analysis between results derived. With WIS:dom® new opportunities are identified due to the co-optimization detecting patterns ignored by other modeling endeavors. The WIS:dom® optimization model allows datasets to be added for specific local interests. For example, WIS:dom® can be deployed for any country or continent around the globe. The model requires the local datasets (or uses the default global one) and then can study various questions of interest – such as greenhouse gas emission, HVDC transmission links, variable generation and reliability, water consumption, air pollution, electric vehicle penetrations, electric heating, jobs and tax revenues, and more.

• How do you plan and implement change? • How do you monitor progress? • What models and concepts are available to help? • How can you identify resistance - and deal with it? These are some of the questions addressed in Alan Warner's compelling business novel. Phil Moorley has just become CEO of a family firm in the north of England, and his main task is to change its culture so that it can meet the challenges that lie ahead. He enlists the aid of Christine Goodhart, training consultant, long time friend - and sometime mistress.

JT McDonald is back and dealing with a difficult hockey coach - his dad! JT McDonald is finally back on the ice with his team, doing better at math thanks to tutoring from his teammate Eddie and sporting the awesome new helmet he bought with his prize money from the Vancouver Canucks contest. Everything seems to be getting back on track for JT. That is, until Coach O'Neil has a bad fall on the ice and the team is left without a coach mid-season. JT is thrilled when his dad steps in to lead the team - but his teammates have a harder time adjusting to the new coach. Suddenly practice time isn't fun anymore, they're fighting among themselves, and they're devastated when they lose a game that should have been an easy win. Can the Cutter Bay Cougars get back on track before the season ends?

The dangerous work of leading change--somebody has to do it. Will you put yourself on the line? To lead is to live dangerously. It's romantic and exciting to think of leadership as all inspiration, decisive action, and rich rewards, but leading requires taking risks that can jeopardize your career and your personal life. It requires putting yourself on the line, disrupting the status quo, and surfacing hidden conflict. And when people resist and push back, there's a strong temptation to play it safe. Those who choose to lead plunge in, take the risks, and sometimes get burned. But it doesn't have to be that way say renowned leadership experts Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky. In Leadership on the Line, they show how it's possible to make a difference without getting "taken out" or pushed aside. They present everyday tools that give equal weight to the dangerous work of leading change and the critical importance of personal survival. Through vivid stories from all walks of life, the authors present straightforward strategies for navigating the perilous straits of leadership. Whether you're a parent or a politician, a CEO or a community activist, this practical book shows how you can exercise leadership and survive and thrive to enjoy the fruits of your labor.