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CLICK HERE for Email newsletters you can trust We're always interested in hearing about business news in our community View detailed reports of major stock indexes and look up specific symbols Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: BATON ROUGE - After three seasons with the LSU women's basketball team guard Last-Tear Poa has entered the transfer portal The former national champion posted on social media that she is searching for a new place to play after the Tigers fell in the Elite 8 on Sunday A post shared by Last-Tear Poa (@lasttear_poa11) Poa averaged 2.0 points and 1.9 assists this past season for the Tigers She started in 15 games of the 30 she appeared in during the 2024-25 season The guard began her career at the junior college (JUCO) level at Northwest Florida State before transferring to LSU as one of the top junior college transfers in the country.   She has one year of eligibility remaining because JUCO seasons do not count against NCAA eligibility Poa joins Sa'Myah Smith on the list of outgoing portal players for the Tigers.  BATON ROUGE — No. 4 LSU women's basketball was shorthanded for the second straight game when it face off in a top-15 matchup with No 13 Oklahoma inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday night Senior guard Last-Tear Poa was ruled out for the game per the SEC's Student-Athlete Availability Report that was released Wednesday night. LSU went on to defeat Oklahoma 107-100 in a thrilling heavyweight bout that featured technical fouls on Tigers coach Kim Mulkey and Sooners coach Jennie Baranczyk and two player ejections Poa sat out LSU's last game against Texas A&M last Sunday LSU SURVIVES SLUGFEST WITH OKLAHOMA LSU women's basketball emerges victorious from tussle with Oklahoma for big SEC win SA'MYAH SMITH, LIZ SCOTT EJECTED LSU's Sa'Myah Smith, Oklahoma's Liz Scott ejected for shoving in LSU-Oklahoma showdown Mulkey explained why her senior point guard has not played the last two games following the Tigers' win over Oklahoma "She is being disciplined for the breaking of a team rule," Mulkey said The LSU coach did not provide a timeline for Poa's return to action This isn't the first time Poa has missed time with the team this season Poa did not played in the first three games this season for undisclosed reasons Poa averages 2.3 points per game along with two assists KIM MULKEY OUTFIT Kim Mulkey outfit: LSU coach draws attention for outfit in Tigers' game vs No. 15 Oklahoma LSU-OKLAHOMA SCOUTING REPORT LSU women's basketball vs Oklahoma: Score prediction, scouting report for ranked SEC game Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com It’s day three of the GE2025 campaign period Hazel Poa and Tony Tan Lay Thiam—who you might know as Progress Singapore Party (PSP) candidates—welcome me to their home.  The campaign period has been the hardest on Potter the dog who now spends his days wondering where his owners have gone Tony offers to help him check the lighting of the shot with some test poses.  “You can wait in the shade,” he tells Hazel “It’s very hot here.”  seem to like each other a lot—which is good with a subtle case of ‘couple face’ that you can’t really pick up on until you meet them in person I imagine they must have once looked very different when they first met as students in Cambridge University before proceeding to spend the next 36 years morphing into genderbent copies of each other.  Hazel (part of the PSP team for West Coast-Jurong West GRC) and Tony (the PSP candidate for Kebun Baru SMC) are united in both looks and purpose: To win their seats in Parliament and to continue advancing the opposition cause in Singapore.  their political love story has been 16 years in the making I ask: “You joined the Reform Party in 2009 “It’s not important,” Tony demurs They first stood for election in GE2011—long after their marriage in 1994—under the National Solidarity Party (NSP)’s banner in Chua Chu Kang GRC.  (Amusingly, with all the redrawn electoral boundaries since then some of Hazel’s would-be constituents in GE2025’s West Coast-Jurong West GRC were also her would-have-been constituents in GE2011’s Chua Chu Kang GRC.)  I attempt to pry their thoughts on the party swaps they’ve made over the years They joined the Reform Party (RP) in 2009 before departing for the NSP in 2011 But the choices that came afterwards—leaving parties joining parties—were all made jointly.   They remain coquettish about their past with the RP and NSP they say they never even planned to be political candidates they didn’t put much deep thought into the specifics of the party they joined—all they thought about was lending their strength to whatever opposition existed.  Advancing the opposition cause was their “macro-level motivation” we talked to the residents and slowly got to see the issues that actually affect their lives—that gained importance subsequently.”  Their political evolution has been a total reverse of how other candidates usually describe it—most candidates have one micro-issue that inspired them to step up for political office went top-down instead; they loved the institute of opposition politics first and then got into the gritty day-by-day stuff of grassroots work.  there was much less political discourse,” Tony offers “There was very much a culture of fear But I don’t know if it’s because the country’s matured politically or whether people now feel their concerns aren’t being addressed.”  Hazel and Tony seem vicariously troubled by whatever ails the residents they speak to The only untroubled people in this house must be their sons who are nowhere to be seen during the interview—a basketball hoop in their garden is the only obvious indicator that teenage boys live here.   have been party (ha!) to their parents’ political careers from the start It’s also their 16th year witnessing their parents’ political careers the siblings are more preoccupied with hanging out with their friends than their parents—Hazel and Tony concur that their sons aren’t too interested in Singapore politics for now And what if their sons voted for the PAP in the next election?  Hazel and Tony stare at me for a second.  There seems to be an implicit understanding between the two that Hazel has a better chance of winning her seat, if only because of her Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) term. GE2020 saw Hazel appointed as one of the two NCMPs in the 14th Parliament of Singapore The other was fellow party member Leong Mun Wai.  NCMPs are picked from the pool of best-performing losers at the GE—if and only if there are fewer than 12 elected opposition MPs. They vote and debate on the same matters as MPs.  I’ve seen her pop up on my social media feeds more and more frequently over the years. Either it’s a speech people agree with, or an intra-Parliament spar If people didn’t know her name before her NCMP stint I ask if she sees the things people say about her online “When we find that what we’re saying resonates with people You need these energy boosts to carry on,” she says.  Five years of parliamentary experience later Hazel is back to fight for a seat at the table again As an elected opposition MP, her speaking and voting rights in Parliament will differ marginally from those of an NCMP. For Committee of Supply cuts during budget debates she’ll get 20 minutes instead of 18 minutes The real difference lies outside of Parliament she obviously didn’t have any (hence the ‘NC’ part of it) She says becoming an MP will give her resources that she can extend to her constituents—things like having venue spaces open to her and other logistical things that become easier when you run the Town Council.  Her campaign materials focus on big-picture issues such as opposition representation in Parliament Fostering a strong political opposition in Singapore is clearly her pet topic if her GRC-abolition speeches and rally speeches are any indication.  It doesn’t stop her from keeping her ear to the ground she talks about the problems residents have how they differ from the problems they used to have.  [residents] used to talk about not having enough food options they’re worried about jobs and the cost of living.”  she’s balanced doing neighbourhood walkabouts with her day job but there’s always a limit to how many residents she can talk to Tony and Hazel have discussed quitting their jointly-owned business—Smartlab Education Centre a chain of tuition centres—to become full-time MPs.    Hazel says she “feels the strain all the time” because there’s always so much to do—even in her relatively reduced capacity as an NCMP.   “How in the world do elected MPs do this part-time?”  Hazel’s background is in mathematics so she’s most comfortable with numbers she recalls statistics and figures with sickening speed She’s well aware of her numerical dexterity—it’s one of her unique strengths as an NCMP and potential MP “English was my worst subject in school I hated writing essays,” she adds.  where it felt like her main job was to write essays and discuss them in Parliament.  But with the help of her own party’s researchers but you’ve just got to jump into the thick of it Even if you feel like you aren’t ready you’ll probably find that you can do it.  She’s nodding so hard that I feel compelled to nod along “I’ve been getting ready for so many years.”  After Hazel’s five-year NCMP stint, it’s possible most people hearing of Tony this election may know him best as ‘Hazel Poa’s husband’ “Being known as Hazel Poa’s husband is great.” it’s more about the PSP and furthering the party’s platform and that’s where I introduce myself.”  “I think everyone goes through this stage.”  she means the period in politics where you’re known only in relation to someone else this was when she was first appointed as an NCMP.  “When [Leong Mun Wai and I] were first appointed as NCMPs you’re from Tan Cheng Bock’s party right?’ We were known only as ‘Tan Cheng Bock’s people’ at first,” Hazel says.  “Then we got the opportunity to be in Parliament and show people who we were they knew our names—we were no longer just ‘Tan Cheng Bock’s party members’.”  The day Hazel felt she’d stopped being just ‘Tan Cheng Bock’s party member’ and crossed over into making a name for herself was when she filed the motion to suspend then-transport minister S Iswaran from Parliament “That was when more people started coming up to me to talk.” She believes the same shift can happen with Tony.  Maybe he’s ‘Hazel Poa’s husband’ today Besides being a supportive husband, Tony is also an engineer by training. He makes no secret of the fact that he is a geek—he has a robot dog that’s even joined him on the campaign trail his true passion seems to be politics and social issues.    In his campaign material, Tony wants to start programmes to help students and the elderly he worries about HDB prices and empowering young people.  he asks relentlessly for our opinions on HDB prices and employment prospects but his brows knit together with frustrated intensity when he talks about “the next generation” (my generation!) and the issues we face.  And he might be soft-spoken, but he’s not one to shy away from questioning the ruling party. He’s been trying to get his Kebun Baru SMC opponent, PAP’s Henry Kwek, to agree to a policy debate His political identity definitely isn’t as distinct as his wife’s But it was Tony who first floated the idea of joining politics to Hazel all those years ago. And a person looking to join opposition politics in 2009 must be a man of some conviction indeed.  It can’t be overstated that Hazel and Tony really do work well together.  when Tony gets lightly self-effacing like he did with the ‘Hazel Poa’s husband’ question Hazel steps in to soften the impact of his words They might not be standing in the same GRC team this GE They watch out for each other regardless.  “I was really happy for her when she was first appointed as an NCMP,” Tony says “They’ve [Hazel and fellow NCMP Leong Mun Wai] pushed the boundaries.”  he rattles off a list of statistics about Hazel and Leong Mun Wai’s tenure in Parliament as NCMPs—they fielded over 700 parliamentary questions and some other numbers I don’t immediately catch.  I’m well aware this is a political candidate’s rehearsed answer—these numbers feature prominently on PSP campaign material.  This feels like a husband appreciating his wife in their own exclusive love language Tony and Hazel have Reciting Your Spouse’s Parliamentary Statistics.  “I’ve seen how she’s struggled It’s really not easy to be in her position,” Tony says “We’d take much longer than just this interview to tell you everything.”  The enormity of GE2025 isn’t lost on them but they don’t seem to let it engulf them Part of it is because they’ve been candidates before And in the event that only one of them wins They entered politics together to further the opposition cause they’ve amassed grassroots experience and Parliamentary tenure to back up their shared dream of a strong opposition in Singapore.  Will their conviction stand up at the polling booth “Two parents in Parliament,” I say thinking out loud about what it could mean for them and their family “‘Two parents’ is a bit premature to say,” says Hazel.  And then she and Tony chorus: “Maybe it’ll be zero!”   Tony walks me and my photographer out of their home and to their front gate.  He pauses by their letterbox to check for mail the words “IMPORTANT: Poll Card(s) inside“ printed neatly on top.  everything could change for this household They might be up one Parliamentarian (or two) They could be the faces of a burgeoning opposition wave.   Or they might wind up as casualties in the ruling party’s mandate-seeking exercise.  in talking about Hazel’s NCMP career takes pains to warn me and my photographer: “People are what make things hard And politics is all about people.”  It’s good to know that these people will always have each other: Hazel “The voting cards are here.”  the path towards abolition remains cautious yet positive signals could serve as leverage for the rest of the region where a bill for abolition was presented to Parliament in 2023 This collaboration continued in 2024 with the launch of a three-year joint project The actions carried out by ECPM and Crime Si Poa in Nairobi from February 24 to 28 were aimed at better documenting the application of the death penalty in law and in practice reflecting on strategies to work effectively towards abolition of the death penalty and raising awareness on the issue among the youth and the public The activist spirit of the country’s youth is growing and expressing in particular by their participation in actions carried out in favor of abolition in Kenya The two organizations are working to boost advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty with the national authorities and to build the capacity of the stakeholders involved at both the parliamentary and civil society levels partly thanks to the organization of workshops and conferences ECPM and Crime Si Poa work closely with stakeholders of the Kenyan criminal justice system as well as with the Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and also offer para-legal training in prison for people sentenced to death Despite a moratorium implemented since 1987 Kenyan courts still hand down death sentences each year Kenya has witnessed several significant commutations of death sentences President Mwai Kibaki commuted the sentences of all those on death row (4,000 prisoners) commuting the sentences of 2,687 individuals on death row President William Ruto commuted the sentences of all prisoners sentenced to death before November 2022 converting their sentences to life imprisonment This decision followed the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the power of mercy A milestone was reached towards a fairer and more humane criminal justice system in 2017 when the Supreme Court of Kenya declared the mandatory death penalty unconstitutional (Muruatetu v This mandatory sentencing regime had deprived judges of their discretionary powers By ruling the mandatory death penalty unconstitutional the Court allowed for the reopening of trials prioritizing this process and calling for a comprehensive review to establish a framework for similar cases the Supreme Court has issued guidelines on the application of the Muruatetu ruling clarifying that this decision only applies in cases of murder under Articles 203 and 204 of the Penal Code In 2024, while a bill submitted in 2023 still seems to be a dead letter in Parliament, Kenya took a highly symbolic first step towards abolition by voting for the first time in favor of the Resolution for a universal moratorium on the use of the death penalty. subscribe to our newsletter to find out about our actions in the world LSU guard Last-Tear Poa (13) makes the pass during the first practice on Monday reportedly because the agency denied her a visa that would help her strike NIL deals She's beginning her third season at LSU and her fifth playing college basketball in the US primarily filling a reserve ballhandling role for LSU She averaged 4.9 points and 3.0 assists per game and drew 31 charges Poa was absent from both of LSU's exhibition games After the Tigers beat Xavier of New Orleans coach Kim Mulkey said she did not play because she was "taking care of business off the floor."  Staff writer Koki Riley contributed to this report Email Reed Darcey at reed.darcey@theadvocate.com Email notifications are only sent once a day News Tips:newstips@theadvocate.com Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page BATON ROUGE - Former LSU Tiger Last-Tear Poa announced Sunday that she's headed to Arizona State.  The guard came to LSU from Northwest Florida State College in 2022 and played three seasons She entered the transfer portal after LSU's loss in the Elite Eight to UCLA.  Only a few weeks ahead of Poa's announcement the Sun Devils hired new Women's Basketball Head Coach Molly Miller who left Grand Canyon University for the Big 12 job.  A post shared by Last-Tear Poa (@lasttear_poa11) LSU women's basketball ruled out one of its regular contributors for the second straight game She did not see the floor in the team's win over Texas A&M on Sunday The reason behind Poa's absence is unclear She played three minutes against South Carolina on Thursday and took one shot Poa typically sees her time off the bench and prides herself on the defensive end She often draws tougher defensive assignments while giving the usual starters a breather 4-4) 107-100 on Thursday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center behind a strong showing from the "Big 3" of Flau’Jae Johnson The trio of scoring threats combined for 83 of the program's 107 points on Thursday night behind a historic game from Williams after tallying 37 points on the night The 107 points scored by LSU marked the most points in a SEC game in program history surpassing the 106 scored by the Tigers last season against Florida Thursday night marked the fourth game in program history where both teams scored 100 points But the Tigers were without backup point guard Last-Tear Poa for the matchup; marking her second straight missed game for the program Following Thursday's victory over the Sooners head coach Kim Mulkey detailed why her senior point guard has missed the last two games against both Texas A&M and Oklahoma "She is being disciplined for the breaking of a team rule," Mulkey said The LSU coach did not provide a timeline for Poa to return to the floor for the Tigers This is the second multi-game stint Poa has missed games for the LSU Tigers after being out for the program's first three games of the 2024-25 season as well Poa has played in 18 games this season where she is averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 assists per game on 27% shooting from the field Despite Poa being absent on Thursday night LSU's starting five lit up the scoreboard propelling the program to a critical SEC win Morrow and Williams were scoring the ball at an elite level Williams led the way with 37 points to go with 7 rebounds Morrow recorded her 20th double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds Oklahoma’s Payton Verhulst led the Sooners with 26 points on the evening Reagan Beers finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds LSU and Oklahoma committed 27 and 38 fouls LSU Adds Commitments From Seven Top-100 Transfers in the Portal LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER The element requested is either not valid or does not exist Industry Analysts, Inc. Xerox and FUJIFILM News for Office Equipment resellers pre-owned office equipment and dealer logistics dedicated to fostering strong dealer relationships and customer satisfaction BTA  established the association’s Disaster Grant Program in 1992 to provide emergency financial support to BTA dealer members who have suffered a loss due to a natural disaster Click here to donate BATON ROUGE — LSU women's basketball senior point guard Last-Tear Poa has filed a lawsuit against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Per the report, Poa is taking out the lawsuit against Immigration Services over the denial of her P-1A Athlete application "citing that her future events are not internationally recognized." and is currently living in the Unites State and playing at LSU on an F-1 student visa She has more than 200,000 social media followers but since the implementation of Name Image and Likeness on the collegiate athletics scene a handful of years ago it's been difficult for international student-athletes to produce NIL deals LAST-TEAR POA Kim Mulkey on Last-Tear Poa's absence at LSU women's basketball exhibition vs Xavier LSU WBB IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLLS LSU women's basketball ranked top 10 in USA Today Coaches preseason poll The senior guard was not present for LSU's first exhibition last Thursday night and team officials confirmed to The Daily Advertiser that her absence was not related to the lawsuit International students on F-1 student visas are prohibited from employment while they are in the country NIL deals without direct employment are contractual agreements between student-athletes and companies and organizations to execute a service for compensation Poa is LSU coach Kim Mulkey's most experienced point guard on this season's team having played in Mulkey's system the past two seasons Last season was her best statistical season averaging 4.9 points per game but her biggest impact was on the defensive end of the floor where she's become known for drawing charges 'IT'S JUST DIFFERENT AT LSU' 'It's just different at LSU': Why Kim Mulkey says being a Tiger isn't for everyone KIM MULKEY ENTERS YEAR 40 How Kim Mulkey kept her energy, hit her 40th year amid drastic college athletic changes MustShareNews is part of TSL Media Group LSU guard Last-Tear Poa has entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Talia Goodman reported on Wednesday. Poa spent the past three seasons with the Tigers after transferring in from Northwest Florida State as a JUCO player ahead of 2022-23 as LSU went on to win the national championship. This past season in 2024-25, Poa appeared in 30 games and made 15 starts. She averaged 2.0 points and 1.9 assists across 12.8 minutes per game as the Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight. Originally from Melbourne, Austrailia, Poa attended UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginnindera for her high school years. She was unranked as a recruit before opting to spend the first year of her college career at the JUCO level to hopefully garner more attention. It certainly worked as she helped lead Northwest Florida State to an NJCAA national championship during her freshman season. She was considered the top JUCO transfer in the country after averaging 14.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in her second year to win the FCSAA Player of the Year. Poa immediately became a part of the rotation during her first season at LSU and played around 12.5 minutes per game off the bench. That increased the following year in 2023-24, which was her best season to average 4.9 points, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 20.1 minutes per game. She also became a key cog on the defensive end due to her willingness to take a charge. Top 101Baseball Top 25 projectionNew No. 1 on deck Ejected, chews out every ump, tosses chair Hot4Texas lands QB transferLonghorns score in portal By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms and use of my personal information described therein Because JUCO seasons do not count against NCAA eligibility Poa will have one year remaining to play wherever she decides to transfer next It will be interesting to see where she lands and whether her somewhat limited role from this past season at LSU will be expanded at all Last-Tear Poa has one of the most interesting names in college sports and the story of how she got it doesn’t fail to deliver Her family is originally from the Cook Islands and has Polynesian heritage Her great-grandmother died shortly before she was born and Poa’s first name relates directly to her Her great grandmother predicted that a child would be born and shed one final tear while on her deathbed Poa has a birthmark right below her left eye in the same spot where her great grandmother’s last tear fell She’s definitely a player that isn’t hard to find a reason to root for and has proven her value on one of the best teams in women’s college basketball Perhaps given the chance to take on a larger responsibility To keep up with the women’s basketball transfer portal, check out On3’s 2024-25 transfer portal tracker. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves. On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media In our sister publication, Golfdom magazine, we’ve discussed the ups and downs of Poa annua (also known as annual bluegrass), as it can sometimes go past its reputation as an annoying, aggressive weed and find uses on putting greens and fairways and this grassy weed’s ability to adapt to almost any environment makes it one of the most difficult pests to remove for lawn care operators (LCOs) “It has no place in the home landscape industry,” says Jay Wyrick, turf and ornamental agronomist at FineTurf in North Carolina One of the reasons for its difficult removal is because it’s an allotetraploid meaning it has the genetic material of two different species — its mom and dad plants Wyrick says this means Poa has the programming to act as both a perennial and an annual at the same time Wyrick also says this genetic anomaly allows Poa to adapt to different environments depending on whether functioning as a perennial or an annual is more beneficial through a process called transgenerational memory Poa can even “pass down” information to the next generation on environmental growing conditions such as whether the parent plants were mowed or not Wyrick says the ability to control Poa is heavily dependent on the kind of turf you’re dealing with as warm- and cool-season turf have varying amounts of options at the LCO’s disposal Wyrick says warm-season turf has a more straightforward time dealing with the weed through preemergent solutions like Specticle FLO and Coastal we’re limited in what we can do,” Wyrick says you typically have to skip fall aeration and seeding due to that fact using a product like prodiamine or dithiopyr There are some post products and some pre products that have hit or miss success.” Wyrick also says using plant growth regulators to control seedheads in cool-season turf and bagging the clipping when you mow are other strategies that can alleviate some of the issue And because Poa germinates in late summer into the fall when soil temperatures drop below 70 degrees F that’s when Wyrick says to start doing an application of your product of choice “We (use) the PoaConstrictor in mid-October and then again around the first of December to try to eradicate those small young plants,” Wyrick says you don’t have that large seed bank building up.” Besides being an ugly, invasive pest Poa can cause further damage when it goes dormant the weed can die off and leave unsightly brown patches in the landscape potentially waiting to be filled with just another weed Poa can also cause problems between the LCO and their clients as Wyrick says customers don’t always understand how difficult the weed can be to control Wyrick says it’s important to explain your plan to clients and set realistic expectations on what removing Poa will look like even if the process takes multiple seasons “We tell people it’s a multi-season process of lowering the seedhead count in the soil from year over year,” he says “You’re going to deal with it for a couple of months we should be able to get fairly good control on it.” The seeder and all other Agri-Fab products are available at several online retailers or one of the nationwide Agri-Fab retail partners. Keep Reading Tips for managing this evolving turf pest Keep Reading Bob Mann’s accidental journey to industry advocacy Building sales teams for long-term success Vanguard 300 engine now powering Z Turf Equipment’s Z-Spray lean to steer  The Aquatrols Company introduces Vivax Oro surfactant blend Contact BioSolutions to unveil eco-friendly herbicide at Homestead Conference The Cost of Callbacks Survey says callbacks are a pain point for lawn care applicators but advanced planning and good customer service can mitigate those troubles The Importance of Shooting Video Content - Where to Start When your marketing agency asks you to provide media such as video content for them it can feel like stepping into uncharted territory There are a few factors to consider before you hit Record on your camera or smartphone Landscape Management shares a comprehensive mix of content designed to help green industry professionals grow their landscape and lawn care businesses contributing to the broader Eye Valley economy all images courtesy of POA Architecture The design by POA Architecture Studio is based on the concept of ‘Eye Valley + Infinity,’ incorporating the mathematical symbol for infinity (∞) to reflect the area’s growth potential and long-term development The project includes exhibition buildings with publicly accessible spaces and hotel structures designed to maximize surrounding landscape views The combination of these elements establishes a functional and visually cohesive complex within the Eye Valley Town and the surrounding Science and Technology Corridor near Daluoshan Regional integration and cultural references are central to the architectural approach The design incorporates curved forms inspired by the movement of seagulls and the flowing texture of silk aligning with Wenzhou’s historical and cultural context These elements are expressed in the structural composition of the convention center and hotel representing the convergence of historical heritage and contemporary development POA Architecture unveils the Eye Valley Convention and Exhibition Center and Hotel in Wenzhou the design reflects limitless growth potential a balance of form and function creates a visually dynamic complex silk’s flowing texture informs the fluid geometry of the building’s structure strategic positioning maximizes landscape views from the hotel buildings a blend of exhibition halls and hotel structures enhances the urban fabric the convention center features publicly accessible spaces for cultural engagement name: Eye Valley Convention and Exhibition Center and Hotel architects: POA Architecture consultant: Zhejiang Architectural Design & Research Institute Co designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here. edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style Privacy Policy | About Our Ads Prosthetic & Orthotic Associates of Hawaiʻi is marking five years of providing specialized pediatric orthotic and prosthetic care to Maui’s children and families POA travels to Maui multiple times monthly to hold pediatric orthotic and ankle-foot orthoses tuning clinics significantly improving access to care and reducing the financial and logistical burden of traveling to Oʻahu.  POA is renowned for its patient-centered approach and innovative solutions including its Keiki ankle-foot orthoses line These orthoses (braces) are specifically designed to address conditions like cerebral palsy and low-muscle tone – Keiki ankle-foot orthoses are only available at POA and were developed over decades of hands-on clinical experience and in close collaboration with patients POA’s unique ability to bring these solutions directly to Maui families has been vital in easing both the emotional and financial stress of seeking care.  “Our mission has always been to provide customized compassionate orthotic and prosthetic care no matter where families are located,” said Cameron Lehrer owner and clinical director of POA Hawaiʻi “Reaching this five-year milestone in Maui is a testament to the trust and relationships we’ve built and we are committed to continuing to serve the community for years to come.”  In addition to their pediatric ankle-foot orthoses and advanced prosthetic solutions for patients of all ages By connecting and collaborating with local physicians and therapists high-quality care without the need to travel far from home.  For more information, visit www.poa-hawaii.com or call 808-597-1773 Follow POA (@poahawaii) on social media for updates and more information is an independent publisher and comparison service interactive tools and other content are provided to you for free as self-help tools and for informational purposes only They are not intended to provide investment advice NerdWallet does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information in regard to your individual circumstances and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific investment issues Our estimates are based on past market performance and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market the information we provide and the tools we create are objective A power of attorney is a legal document that gives a person the authority to act on another's behalf The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only does not offer advisory or brokerage services nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks Fact CheckedHow is this page expert verified NerdWallet's content is fact-checked for accuracy It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure the information is as clear and complete as possible Taryn Phaneuf Edited by Tina OremEditor & Content Strategist Tina Orem Power of attorney (POA) gives someone the legal right to make decisions for someone else You can name different people for each role An ordinary power of attorney ends if you become incapacitated but a durable power of attorney stays intact » MORE: Best online will makers You can typically choose any adult — including a spouse sibling or even a trusted friend — to act as your legal agent under power of attorney An agent has a fiduciary duty meaning they’re legally bound to make decisions in the principal’s best interest You can give one person power of attorney or split the responsibilities among multiple people Power of attorney laws can differ from state to state so check your state’s rules before drafting your document Power of attorney requirements differ from state to state you’ll need to get a power of attorney form that’s valid in your state and fill out the specific terms of your agreement you may need to have your documents notarized or signed by a witness Many online estate planning software providers have state-specific power of attorney forms available to download See specific instructions for creating a valid power of attorney in these states: California Florida Indiana Texas Maryland New York Washington Most states recognize your spouse as a medical decision-maker if you become incapacitated and don’t have a medical power of attorney in place Your parents or adult children may be contacted if you don't have a spouse In extreme cases, if you don't have an agent and become incapable of managing your personal or medical affairs, a court could appoint a conservator to make decisions for you and although the conservator is required to act in your best interest there's no guarantee that a conservator would act as you wish » MORE: When to establish a conservatorship A power of attorney cannot do these things: Choose a replacement for themself or transfer POA power to someone else Make decisions on your behalf after you die Make decisions outside the scope of the agreement if the POA is limited The principal can revoke or change a power of attorney designation if they’re of sound mind The principal’s incapacity ends a nondurable power of attorney but not a durable power of attorney The principal’s death ends all power of attorney designations. An estate executor takes over responsibilities related to their will and property distribution A court decree can invalidate a power of attorney designation if the court finds that the agent is not fit to serve Someone in the principal’s life who is concerned about neglect or exploitation may challenge a power of attorney designation in court can remove a former spouse’s automatic power of attorney » MORE: Who can override a power of attorney? A power of attorney designation can be used for financial or medical decisions either type (financial or medical) can be made durable or springing/limited and can be assigned to one agent or be made dual » Learn more about health care proxies and how to choose one The financial matters you can authorize them to handle may include things such as: Distribution of assets to cover daily expenses Stock Insurance and annuity transactions Tax filing Handling of government benefits, including Social Security, Medicare or unemployment compensation A durable power of attorney stays intact if you’re mentally incapacitated (you’re under anesthesia or fall into a coma while an ordinary power of attorney designation ends if you become incapacitated Making a power of attorney durable can prevent you from being placed under a conservatorship or guardianship if you become incapacitated your power of attorney should usually be designated as durable so it remains in effect during an emergency A limited power of attorney allows your agent to perform only activities you outline you could authorize someone to execute documents in your name to sell your home or manage your taxes for a specific time period You can set up a limited power of attorney to take effect after a specified event occurs This is called a springing power of attorney your agent may have to wait until your doctors decide you’re unable to handle your own affairs before they can act which may not take effect as soon as you would want also called joint power of attorney or “power of attorney with dual agents,” gives power to two people and requires that both agents sign off on any decisions Appointing dual agents can balance the burden on each person though courts wil hold both legally accountable if necessary A dual power of attorney might be helpful if you have two children who would like to make joint decisions in your stead especially if the two agents disagree on important issues a judge might have to make the final decision which could delay essential medical treatments » MORE: Estate planning: A 7-step checklist of the basics Will: one-time fee of $199 per individual or $299 for couples. Trust: one-time fee of $499 per individual or $599 for couples. $149 for estate plan bundle. Promotion: NerdWallet users can save up to $10. Will: $99 for Basic, $249 for Premium with attorney assist. Trust: $399 for Basic, $549 for Premium with attorney assist. $199 per year for attorney assistance after the first year. Find an advisor for free with NerdWallet Advisors Match LSU women’s basketball player Last-Tear Poa has filed a lawsuit in the Middle District of Louisiana against U.S The decision comes after Poa’s P-1A Athlete application was denied Court documents are currently sealed but the docket shows in the U.S District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana’s filing system native joined the LSU team in 2022 after emerging as one of the nation’s top junior college players at Northwest Florida State College The lawsuit specifically names Ur Mendoza Jaddou Poa helped LSU win its first women’s basketball national title in the 2022-23 season. Last season, she averaged 4.9 points and 3.0 assists per game and took 31 charges throughout the season. Because she is an Australian citizen and on an F-1 student visa, participating in NIL activities is significantly more complicated Poa is represented by immigration attorneys Ksenia Maiorova and Amy Maldonado. Poa has been forced to turn down NIL opportunities, despite touting more than 200,000 social media followers. Roughly 12.3 million viewers tuned into last spring’s Elite Eight matchup between LSU and Iowa. By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein. A source told On3 that Poa’s absence from a recent LSU women’s basketball exhibition game was not related to the lawsuit. U.S. immigration regulations prohibit international students in the country on F-1 student visas from participating in employment. F-1 visas provide for only limited employment authorization types, most of which must be connected to the degree the athletes pursue.  As a result, it has been exceedingly difficult for international athletes – about 12% of Division I are international athletes – to legally participate in NIL in the U.S. Typical NIL deals require an athlete to perform a service for compensation, which conflicts with immigration policy. There has been a dramatic increase in attacks on prison officers and prisoners according to the Irish Prison Officers' Association (POA) The Director of the Prison Service Caron McCaffrey said the service is currently trialling body worn cameras for officers and supports the introduction of incapacitant spray The POA said attacks by prisoners on prison officers increased by 32% last year There were also 1,219 prisoner on prisoner and other assaults in the country's jails graphic images were shown to the delegates of one officer who had his face slashed POA General Secretary Karl Dalton said the problem of overcrowding needs to be resolved because it is damaging vocational and educational programmes in the prison "Structured activities are needed to keep inmates active and away from drugs" adding that "they’re being thrown in to cells with nothing to do." He also said prison officers need the full support of gardaí and the full justice system to deter attacks Ms McCaffrey said any attack on a prison officer is one too many and that they have a major impact on staff She said she fully supports the introduction of incapacitant spray for prison officers because it reduces injuries to staff and prisoners She also said body worn cameras on prison officers improves inmate behaviour and these cameras are currently being trialled in Portlaoise Prison to be "rolled out" across all prisons later this year and into next year Prison Service chief defends temporary release practices Ms McCaffrey defended the practice of granting temporary release to non-violent prisoners with addiction and mental health issues She said there are "a finite number of beds" within the prison system and she has to release people to prevent further overcrowding and to ensure the safety of staff and other inmates She also said it is "not true" to say nothing has been done to tackle overcrowding because the Prison Service budget has increased by €130 million in the last four years 250 more staff have been employed and 300 additional prison spaces have been created and very significantly this year," the director said "but that is due to the success of An Garda Síochána the appointment of additional judges and additional court sittings Over 1,000 people sent to jail last year were released within 24 hours The prison service has said 80% of people sent to prison for low level offences are sentenced to 12 months or less and 70% of those are sentenced to six months or less The director insisted they are "not just opening the door and allowing people out" She said they always consider the victims and the risk to public safety before releasing people but these are people with addictions and mental health problems If there was no system of temporary release she said she would have 6,000 inmates meaning the prisons would be at 130% of capacity and at those levels she could not ensure the safety of staff or prisoners She said people serving between one- and eight-year sentences were "swapping prison for community time" and were on programmes working in the community She said the decision to release was based on public safety and insisted that sex offenders violent and dangerous criminals were not released She pointed out that over 80% prisoners have an active addiction and said they would "go to every end to get drugs" "We do all we can to keep drones out," she said "but drones are a problem faced by prison services all over the world." Read more: Minister examining alternatives to custodial sentences had previously invested in anti-drone technology but due to rapid advances in technology it became obsolete and the service has reverted to a "back to basics" approach It has installed metal netting in Portlaoise Prison and over the D Yard in Mountjoy where the Kinahan Organised Crime Group members are detained and she said there has been no drone delivery there since The director also insists that there are "bespoke windows in all medium- or high-security prisons" which cannot be opened from the inside or out so drones can no longer deliver to individual cells Ms McCaffrey also said a situation where the fire alarm was deliberately set off to open vents to enable a drone delivery was "a singular isolated occurrence" She described it as "a game of cat and mouse" where the Prison Service closes one smuggling route and prisoners open another She accepted that there was always a risk of trafficking contraband into prison but said the Prison Service was taking measures to mitigate those risks "as much as we can" We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences The Prison Service has disputed the POA's assault figures and says attacks in prison are down across all categories It says there were 107 prison officers assaulted last year It also says prisoner-on-prisoner assaults were down 31% while additional aggressive and threatening incidents dropped last year by 8% the POA said it is "wholeheartedly standing over the assault figures issued at this years annual conference" It says its data is obtained locally from representatives on the ground and based on figures directly maintained by local management The Prison Service defines a direct physical assault "whereby a prisoner 'intentionally applies force to or intentionally causes an impact to the body of an operational prison staff member" The POA says Prison Officers have been injured while intervening in disputes between prisoners and that the Prison Service is not counting these as assaults RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites \u003Cp\u003ECaron McCaffrey said she has to release people to prevent further overcrowding and to ensure the safety of staff and other inmates\u003C/p\u003E LSU head coach Kim Mulkey is tasked with reshaping the roster following the team’s Elite 8 loss to UCLA this past weekend LSU junior forward Sa’Myah Smith who was part of LSU’s National Championship team as a freshman before missing her sophomore season with an ACL injury was the first player to enter the portal after she returned to the court this past year to average 6.6 points Smith’s biggest moments came down the stretch when she posted double-double outings in the NCAA Tournament against both Florida State and North Carolina State The Texas native played 22.2 minutes per game and in games against Florida State and NC State in the NCAA Tournament On Wednesday, LSU veteran guard Last-Tear Poa entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Talia Goodman first reported. Poa spent the past three seasons with the Tigers after transferring in from Northwest Florida State as one of the nation’s best junior college prospects. Like Smith, Poa went on to be a role player off the bench during LSU’s National Championship run during the 2022-23 season. This past season, Poa appeared in 30 games with 15 starts, averaging 2.0 points and 1.9 assists after seeing an average of 12.8 minutes per game for LSU. Poa’s biggest contributions by way of time on the court came one year ago when the Tigers had another deep NCAA Tournament run as she averaged 20.1 minutes per game. She finished the year with an average of 4.9 points, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals. With the recent ruling that JUCO seasons do not count against an NCAA player’s eligibility, Poa hasone year remaining to play. She has yet to reveal where her final college basketball will be played, though – at this stage – it won’t be in Baton Rouge. 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Let me review what that is and why it’s so important also called a durable power of attorney for health care is a legal document that provides specific instructions for your medical care if you are unable to communicate for yourself This might seem like something only older folks need but you never know when you’re going to die let me tell you: People think they’ll live forever — even the old ones I have some arthritis and a few other maladies I have a 50 percent chance of a five-year life expectancy If something happens to me and I don’t have an advance directive then some judge somewhere might decide whether I go on a ventilator or not Even though death seems like a faraway afterthought we all know someone who has ended up in the hospital suddenly from a fall or car accident There was the famous case of Terri Schiavo she was kept alive in a persistent vegetative state because she never signed an advance directive allowing her husband to remove her feeding tube I’m just trying to hit home that an advance directive is not something exclusively for old folks just like everyone should have a will — and maybe an extra set of keys you hide under that potted plant in case you get locked out of the house it designates someone who can make the decisions for you You can put down whether you want a temporary or permanent feeding tube it’s the person you designate who makes sure that will happen This is only the first step of the process The more important step is discussing it with the loved one or loved ones you choose to name in the document so they can make the decisions you want I have seen many families torn apart because they’re not on the same page Doctor and author Atul Gawande coined this problem as the “seagull effect.” You and your siblings have been taking care of mom for years You’ve been doing the heavy lifting all these years with her health with one sibling who lives out of town in California who has not taken as much of an interest and even though lots of thought has gone into the decision to pull the plug The best way to prevent this is with a clear path — talking to your loved ones about what you want done or not done and designating one person to be the final person who makes the call A well-planned advance directive plays a critical role here My spin: Everyone should have an advance directive, signed and dated. You can pull down a free form from the state of Wisconsin Or you can pick up one at your doctor’s office and bring it back into the doctor’s office so it can be entered into your medical record This column is the opinion of the author, © Copyright 2025. Dr. Zorba Paster is a family medicine physician practicing in southern Wisconsin Consult a health care provider for personal health information The opinions expressed aren’t meant to reflect the views of Wisconsin Public Radio the University of Wisconsin-Madison or the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board Zorba Paster On Your Health airs on WPR News Saturdays at 1 p.m One of the players who will see an increased role is fan-favorite Last-Tear Poa has endeared the fans during her time in Baton Rouge and this summer she's been showing out to let everyone know she's ready for primetime MORE: LSU's Last-Tear Poa flaunts cheeky pink bikini on Tigers' Croatia tour This week, Poa dropped her latest fit on Instagram with the ocean in the background as she soaks in some final relaxation before the season kicks into full swing She rocked a two-piece fit that immediately turns heads Last-Tear Poa/InstagramLast-Tear Poa/InstagramLast-Tear Poa/InstagramPoa is built for superstardom but her defensive prowess provided a spark off of the bench and energized the Tigers LSU finished the season with a 31-6 record 7 team in the country and will open the season on Monday — Enjoy free dish of rich and fabulous players with The Athlete Lifestyle on SI — Texas stunner: Gabby Thomas flaunts legs in Daisy Dukes on ‘College Gameday’ Hooray!: Livvy Dunne brimming with excitement after MLB star proposes in Italy Kiss the chef: Josh Allen’s gf Hailee Steinfeld turns up the heat in shoestring tank FTW F1: Danica Patrick’s F1 fit in boots, miniskirt is perfect Texas salute NFL WAG wins: Ciara steals Russell Wilson’s QB1 thunder with insane fit post JOSH SANCHEZManaging Editor: Cowboys on SI - Contributor: The Athlete Lifestyle on SI, and Sporting News MMA - Contact: joshsanchez@gmail.com BATON ROUGE — LSU women's basketball depth continues to be tested in the early stages of the 2024-25 season As the No. 7 Tigers took the court against Charleston Southern on Tuesday morning for the program's annual school field trip Senior point guard Shayeann Day-Wilson did not play against the Buccaneers but she was on the bench with the team during the game. Her services weren't needed against CSU as LSU dominated 117-44 in front of a thousands of elementary-aged kids inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center LSU DOMINATES CHARLESTON SOUTHERN LSU women's basketball dominates Charleston Southern as Aneesah Morrow shines for Tigers NICK SABAN VISITS LSU WBB TEAM Kim Mulkey 'in heaven' meeting Saban spoke to LSU women's basketball before NSU game Day-Wilson is the fourth different LSU player to miss at least one game this season guard Mjracle Sheppard as well as Izzy Besselman have missed all three games this season "She got popped in the shoulder yesterday in practice," Mulkey said of Day-Wilson "I think (she) could've played in the game." Freshman point guard Jada Richard started in Day-Wilson's place Richard had a jittery opening to the her first career start with a pair of early turnovers but she settled in and finished the Charleston Southern game with 11 points Mulkey also provided an update on Poa's status with the team "Poa will be back on the practice floor tomorrow," Mulkey says "I don't know when that I will play her but it's time for her to be back on the practice floor." Through the two exhibition games LSU played and the first three games of the season Poa has been away from the team but Mulkey has repeatedly said Poa was still a part of the program and that she would be back with the team at some point LSU WBB RECRUITING Kim Mulkey, LSU women's basketball continue recruiting hot streak, land another top-15 recruit ANEESAH MORROW How Kim Mulkey and a defensive mishap helped Aneesah Morrow earn double-double in LSU's win over EKU Last-Tear Poa is the latest LSU women's basketball player to enter the transfer portal the junior guard entered on Wednesday to go in search of a new program Poa won a national championship and made it to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight three times she started 15 games and played 10 or more minutes in five of LSU's six postseason games Poa worked under head coach Kim Mulkey to lead an offense with Flau'Jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow as the dominant scorers Poa often served as a facilitator for LSU's go-to options but wasn't much of a scorer herself Poa also played two seasons with former LSU All-American Angel Reese including the national championship season Poa scored six points and dished out two assists en route to winning the program's first national title Poa's 2025 was up and down as LSU struggled to find consistency at the point guard position She was also held out from a contest due to disciplinary reasons Poa is the second Tiger to enter the portal after Sa'Myah Smith did the same earlier in the week. Frazier Park, Pine Mountain Club, and Grapevine Neighborhood Reporter PINE MOUNTAIN CLUB, Calif. (KERO) — After serving 18 months, the general manager of the Pine Mountain Club Property Owners Association is resigning. With his departure, what’s in store for the future of the POA? In late November, Todd Greison, general manager and COO of the Pine Mountain Club Property Owners Association released his letter of resignation. The letter says in part, “This has been a difficult decision. I'm greatly saddened because this is such a beautiful place with so many wonderful people living here. I will miss both. What I won’t miss, and why I've been driven to find another home and workplace, is the underlying ugliness of staff mistreatment by a few individuals.” “This is a very different board than the one that hired me,” said Greison. “We have three year term limits for each board member and there’s only three board members remaining that were among the board members that hired me.” But as Greison steps down, what happens to the role? Well for Greison, he found the job posting through the Community Association Institute (CAI) an organization that works with property and homeowners associations. That’s where the Pine Mountain Club board of directors found him. “We’ll fill out an application there and if the board chooses to speak to that person, it would be the board of directors here who would hire just like the previous board of directors hired me,” said Greison. As for when the role will be filled, that varies. Greison said it took about two years to be hired, but it may not take that long. “People in my position are in pretty high demand and because… Pine Mountain Club is kind of remote and not everybody wants to move here,” said Greison. “They might have trouble, it might take them a while.” But in the meantime, the board steps up to fill the duties. “Temporarily, the board chairperson will be just kind of overseeing things as if she were the general manager and just making sure the operations continue without me here,” said Greison. Here is the full statement from Todd Greison’s resignation letter: "To Pine Mountain Club board of directors & members, Please consider this my resignation as General Manager & COO of Pine Mountain Club POA, effective December 13, 2024. I hope the many fine members who live, and work here will take a stand against this hostile work environment and damage created by a few. I truly wish the best to Pine Mountain Club POA." Greison’s last day is on December 13, which will later be followed up by an application for those wanting to fill the role. Volume 10 - 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1512667 Previous studies on blended learning in Chinese universities focused on improving language training higher education should also address key competencies and moral education this study constructed a blended learning mode in English Viewing Listening and Speaking Course based on the Production-Oriented Approach aiming at solving the traditional drawbacks of language training in this course and implementing cultivation of key competencies 40 students were invited to participate in the practice of this mode and teacher’s observation were used to evaluate the effectiveness of this mode The results showed that this mode could effectively implement both language education and the cultivation of virtues and other key competencies The COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the push for blended teaching in universities worldwide Higher education institutions have had to change from traditional face-to-face teaching models to online teaching As the pandemic has been successfully under control universities are gradually returning to normal teaching in the post-pandemic era In other words, whether online education can become a mainstream trend in technological innovation for digital internationalization remains controversial. Professor Ulrich Teichler, an international renowned expert in higher education, actively advocated that in the post-epidemic era, it might be an opportunity to move toward a more creative mix of modes of teaching and learning for all institutions of higher education in the world (Pan et al., 2020) many colleges and universities have chosen to facilitate blended learning so that the advantages of both offline and online education can be combined As for foreign language courses in China, blended learning is not something new. According to Hu and Hu (2020) the development of foreign language education informatization in China can be divided into three phases: the phase of foreign language e-learning (1949–1997) the phase of computer network-assisted teaching (1998–2011) and the phase of in-depth integration of information technology and foreign language education (2012–2019) The third phase can be divided into the “Internet + foreign language education” period and the “Artificial Intelligence + foreign language education” period The goal is to sharpen students’ language skills the post-pandemic era will witness further improvement of blended teaching in foreign language courses in China the fundamental aim of education is to cultivate talents with virtue Foreign language learning should not be limited to the cultivation of foreign language skills but should also focus on the guidance of correct values and the development of other competences the epidemic has a great impact on the cognition of university students Students have gained a deeper understanding of teamwork it is a good opportunity to carry out such a teaching reform in the post-epidemic era Listening and Speaking Course is a basic course for English majors in our university with the purpose of sharpening students’ listening and speaking skills traditional teaching emphasizes listening and neglects speaking due to limited time in class Instead of only targeting at language training this research tried to construct a blended learning mode in this course based on the Production-Oriented Approach (POA) to solve the traditional drawbacks of language training in this course as well as cultivate virtues and other key competences in 21st century POA is a theory of foreign language education with Chinese features It has been developed over the last decade by Professor Wen Qiufang and other scholars with the aim of overcoming the weaknesses in English instruction in higher education in China To be more specific, the first problem POA aims to solve is input–output separation (Wen, 2020a, p. 28). The pedagogical methods used in mainstream education in China are characterized as being text-centered and input-based (Wen, 2018a) Teachers adopt either bottom-up instruction or top-down instruction Other English teachers conduct task-based or project-based approaches which emphasize using English but pay insufficient attention to learning new linguistic forms and lack teachers’ systematic guidance in students’ production The second weakness of current English education in China is the separation of language training and personality shaping (Wen, 2020a, p. 28). “Wen Yi Zai Dao (Literature is the vehicle of ideas and ethics)” is a key concept in Chinese culture. This term is a Confucian statement about the relationship between literature and ideas (Wen, 2020a POA emphasizes the leading role of teachers Such a leading role is not only reflected in the cultivation of students’ foreign language application ability but also in the cultivation of students’ correct outlook on life By integrating the strengths of Western instructional approaches with Chinese contextual features, POA provides a brand-new mode of foreign language teaching. After long-term practice, a relatively mature POA theoretical system has been formed by Professor Wen’s POA research group, as is shown in Figure 1 (Wen, 2018b) Figure 1. The newly-revised system of POA (Wen, 2018b) “Cultural exchange principle” requires that the teaching content should comply with the concept of cultural exchange and mutual learning and advocate that different ethnic groups respect each other’s culture learn from each other’s cultural essence and oppose cultural hegemony and cultural discrimination “Key competencies” consists of six key competencies in foreign language education but no pre-test and post-test data was provided existing research has not explored the integration of POA and moral education in English listening and speaking courses nor has it simultaneously tested the effectiveness of the teaching model in improving both language skills and moral education Moral education should be subtly integrated into language teaching rather than being the sole focus of the language classroom it is necessary to demonstrate that the teaching model can effectively enhance both language skills and cultivate other competencies and virtues We conducted the blended learning reform in an experimental class in our university. English Viewing, Listening and Speaking Course is a basic course for the 1st and 2nd grade English majors. Given that the POA is more suitable for learners with good language proficiency (Li, 2017) only the participants whose grade point average (GPA) was 3.00 out of 4.00 or higher took part in this study Their English level corresponds to CSE 4 (China Standards of English) who met the above requirement and showed willingness to experience this new learning mode were invited to participate in this study Their mean age was 20 years and they were skilled at using digital technology to communicate or study via the online learning platforms two experts were invited to mark students’ initial and subsequent productions Both were experienced English teachers with applied linguistics research background and language evaluation ability listening and speaking course based on the POA motivating and assessing are carried out online while enabling is carried out both online and offline The reason for allocating the two offline class hours to the enabling phase is that the enabling activities directly affect whether students can complete the subsequent productive tasks Offline sessions are more conducive to face-to-face communication between teachers and students allowing teachers to better play their guiding role throughout the enabling phase whether in guiding listening and speaking skills or cultivating other competencies and virtues the teacher uses online learning platforms to describe relevant communicative scenarios either via micro-lectures Students try out the required productive activity online for the first time to become aware of their problems in accomplishing the activity and be motivated to overcome these deficiencies The teacher then explains the learning objectives of a certain unit and describes types of tasks and specific requirements via online platforms Since the enabling process is mainly achieved by listening and students are expected to acquire basic listening skills and strategies in their first two grades the enabling process is also designed as a process of acquiring listening skills and strategies Flipped classroom method is adopted for this purpose teachers use micro-lectures or MOOC to introduce new listening skills to students Students finish some online tasks before class The second part of enabling takes offline during class and the third part of enabling takes online after class The whole enabling phase serves as not only the practice of the newly-learnt listening skills but also the enabling activities for the motivating task Students conduct selective learning of input materials and finish subtasks while the teacher offers guidance and supervision students submit the subsequent productions and TSCA is conducted online Moral education is implicitly integrated with language training in this mode While sharpening listening and speaking skills students also cultivate core competences and virtues which are vital for them in the 21st century The study took Unit 6 Embrace the Unknown from the textbook Over to You Viewing Listening and Speaking Book II as the teaching topic to perform the above blended learning mode The reasons for choosing this topic were: (1) This topic was intriguing to college students who were full of curiosity; (2) Talking about the unknown was a challenging task which coincided with the requirement of the POA’s motivating scenario; (3) Questioning claims one of the learning objectives in this unit related to critical competency in the POA; (4) The story of Zheng He in this unit could be used to integrate language training with personality shaping which made this POA-based blended learning reform special The teaching objectives covered two levels: language and skills students were expected to tell the story of Zheng He as well as the Chinese culture embodied in the story three key competencies would be cultivated critical thinking competency: to enable students to question claims collaborative competency: to enable students to communicate effectively with teammates intercultural competency: to familiarize them with the Chinese cultural concepts “harmony without uniformity” and “amity and good neighborliness” and strengthen the awareness of mutual learning among civilizations The teaching of this unit lasted 2 weeks with 2 offline class hours. Figure 3 shows the timeline of the teaching procedures students completed the motivating task on the online platform Based on the students’ difficulties in output the teacher posted before-class enabling online activities on the third day Students had 3 days to complete the before-class online tasks including learning new listening skill and practicing basic listening exercises where the teacher provided face-to-face guidance students continued to complete the enabling activities online The after-class facilitation activities aimed to further consolidate the listening skills students had learned while also offering additional support in language or discourse structure to address students’ productive difficulties The final 3 days were for online assessing where students submitted their final output and the teacher led a teacher-student collaborative assessment The four elements in the productive scenario (see Appendix I) The topic was “embrace the unknown.” The purpose was to show the world the Chinese spirit of exploration as well as Chinese culture embodied in the story The productive task could not only expand students’ knowledge about Zheng He’s story as well as Chinese culture but also enhance their critical thinking skills The identity of representatives of China gave students a sense of mission so that the scenario could successfully inspire students to learn The productive objective could be achieved with moderate difficulty and within controllable time and could be divided into a series of logically connected sub-objectives as illustrated in the following part Students’ initial production showed that their main difficulty lied in content their stories about Zheng He were too simple failing to provide enough details to demonstrate the feat of Zheng He’s voyages to the West the exploration of the Chinese culture embodied was also insufficient the enabling stage mainly focused on enriching the content of their speeches In response to students’ output difficulties the teacher guided students through an inquiry-based learning process Rather than directly telling students the problem of their initial production the teacher designed a series of activities that would gradually lead students to discover problems These activities were designed in accordance with the POA principles of alignment and incorporated the training of listening skill Critical thinking competency was used to add depth to intercultural competency and intercultural competence adds breadth to critical thinking competency Language skills were enhanced by both intercultural and critical thinking competencies The design of before-class enabling activities (online) The design of during-class enabling activities (offline) The design of after-class enabling activities (online) Being the last phase of the POA, assessing includes ongoing response given to students upon their completion of tasks in the enabling phase and “delayed” response to their after-class output. TSCA is specifically used in this delayed assessment (Sun, 2020a) The traditional TSCA skeleton framework formulated three separate phases: pre-class, in-class, and post-class (Sun, 2020a). In our blended learning mode, the assessing phase was conducted completely online. Therefore, the framework was redesigned, as shown in Figure 8. The specific assessment process presented in Figure 8 can be seen in Appendix I After the students have submitted their second output the teacher organized online collaborative teacher-student assessment guided by four concepts in the POA: (1) assessment is a sublimation of teaching and learning; (2) assessment requires professional leadership from the teacher; (3) assessment requires multiple forms of participation from all students; and (4) assessment requires the teacher to play a leading role evaluating the effectiveness of teaching and learning facilitated by the POA required a combination of questionnaires and output texts to assess students’ engagement Teacher’s observation was adopted to assess students’ engagement questionnaires were employed to know about students’ sense of gain and output texts were analyzed to assess production quality since this course is mainly targeted at improving students’ speaking and listening ability and the improvement of students’ speaking ability could be tested by the initial and subsequent productive performance in the POA a pre-test and a post-test were complemented to test whether students’ listening skill of organizing notes was sharpened The quantitative data of the initial and subsequent productive performance as well as the questionnaires were analyzed by SPSS 29 Students’ initial speeches in the motivating stage and the subsequent speeches after the enabling stage were used to test the improvement of students’ oral production. There were 80 speeches in total, with 40 speeches collected in students’ initial and subsequent production. Two experienced experts were invited to evaluate students’ speeches by the scoring rubrics in the assessing phase (See Appendix II) Both experts are experienced English teachers with applied linguistics research background and language evaluation ability One of them has been teaching English Viewing and the other has been teaching English Public Speaking Course for more than 6 years This shows that the scores of the two experts are consistent and the scores can reflect the true level of students’ speeches Students’ scores were the average of the two experts’ scores Since the data did not meet the assumption of normality, a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, a non-parametric test, was used to compare the initial production and subsequent production scores. The results of the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test revealed a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores (Z = 5.514, p < 0.001) (see Tables 3, 4) This indicated that there was a statistically significant change from the initial production to the subsequent production suggesting that the POA-based blended learning mode was effective in improving students’ oral ability To test students’ improvement in listening Since the learning objective concerning listening in this unit was organizing listening notes the pre-test and post-test adopted the section of “Talk” in TEM 4 (Test for English Majors Grade Four) TEM 4 has been implemented by the Chinese Ministry of Education since 1991 to examine English majors in comprehensive universities nationwide The test covers all aspects of English listening It is held in June every year for sophomores majoring in English “Talk” is a section in TEM 4 listening Students can use a blank sheet for note-taking they will fill in the blanks to complete the outline of the talk on Answer Sheet with no more than three words for each blank The word(s) they fill in should be both grammatically and semantically acceptable the section of “Talk” is appropriate to test students’ ability of organizing listening notes Given the failure to meet the normality assumption, a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, a non-parametric test, was employed to compare pre-test and post-test scores. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test revealed a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores (Z = 5.527, p < 0.001) (see Tables 6, 7) This result indicated a statistically significant change from pre-test to post-test suggesting that the POA-based blended learning approach effectively improved students’ listening proficiency According to descriptive statistics in Table 8 the mean of Item 1 is 7.22 and that of Item 2 is 7.4 showing that students felt they had achieved a lot regarding listening and speaking abilities Students’ self-assessment was consistent with the results of the pre- and post-tests as well as the initial and subsequent speeches Item 3 is related to self-assessment of critical thinking competency and the mean is 7.3 Item 4 is related to self-assessment of communication competency and the mean is 7.7 Item 5 is related to cultural competency and the mean is 7.9 Students thought that they made a lot progress in these three competencies which demonstrated that the POA-based blended learning mode was effective in cultivating students’ key competencies besides learning competency The teacher acted as both the lecturer and the observer in class. Offline classroom observation on students’ participation was conducted from three dimensions: “behavioral participation,” “cognitive participation” and “emotional participation” (Qiu, 2020a, p. 112) as shown in Table 9 it is important to note that the teacher had participated in multiple POA teaching research guidance and training sessions This experience enabled the teacher to comprehensively understand the tasks involved in classroom observation and the requirements for emotional participation the teacher was better equipped to minimize misunderstandings and enhance the reliability of the data collected during the observations From the perspective of behavioral participation students participated in eight teaching steps The main training skills were language listening and speaking skills The organizational forms of student participation included class activities group activities and individual activities The interactive types of participation included teacher-student-teaching material interaction and student–student-teaching material interaction Behavioral participation reflected comprehensiveness Students not only participated in language skills training From the perspective of cognitive participation students participated in different cognitive activities in each teaching step In Activity 1 “Compare Mind Map A and B,” students compared and analyzed two mind maps and reflected on the shortcomings of their initial output In Activity 2 “Think critically: question claims,” students further questioned the reasonableness of the content in the instructional material In Activity 3 “Explore for cultural evidence,” students understood Zheng He′s cultural contributions by understanding the video material and then updated the mind map by using listening skills and the information obtained in the video In Activity 4 “Understand Chinese cultural concepts embodied in the story of Zheng He,” students first analyzed and summarized the cultural concepts embodied in the story of Zheng He and then further understood them in the teacher’s teaching students updated the mind map again by applying the knowledge they understood The whole enabling process reflected the development path from understanding to application and reflected the characteristics of the gradual development of cognitive ability From the perspective of emotional participation, student participation reflected a strong interest. Observers understand students’ emotional experience through their expressions and actions. Curiosity was reflected in the exchange of views with neighbors. Staring at the blackboard and the teacher’s presentation showed concentration and interest. Nodding, frequent hand movements and excited expressions during group communication showed their activeness (Table 9) speaking activities are often used as lead-in or warming-up before listening students mainly use prior knowledge to complete oral tasks and the input from listening is not necessarily converted into output in speaking Students are passive listeners and not sure what language knowledge they are supposed to learn from listening the POA-based blended learning mode uses speaking activities as motivator and listening activities as enabler so that input and output are effectively connected in the teaching procedures students first realized their difficulties in the motivating oral task they became active learners with clear objectives or discourse structure of the following listening enabling tasks to overcome the initial difficulties or discourse structure to produce the oral task for the second time contributing to the significant improvement in the subsequent speeches the realization of integrating listening and speaking is attributed to the POA teaching mode Traditional offline classrooms can also adopt the POA teaching mode and assessing—are all implemented offline the duration of each unit in the offline teaching process would be significantly extended resulting in a limited amount of teaching content that can be covered within a semester and speaking courses take in the form of offline teaching and learning with 2 class hours per week The time and energy students devote to this course is limited which undoubtedly hinders the improvement of their listening and speaking abilities In contrast, blended learning makes learning happen inside and outside class. Digital technology allows students to conduct autonomous study before and after class and frees up class time for activities, allowing a deeper exploration of content because new material has already been explored before class (Zibin and Altakhaineh, 2019) the note-taking listening skill was first introduced to students via a micro-course before class and the practice of this skill spanned pre-class blended learning considerably increases students study time which is a basic requirement for language learners since sufficient practice is the foundation of everything students can adopt a more individualized learning style which is particularly important in the context of listening skills Due to varying levels of language proficiency learners have different needs and abilities when it comes to processing listening tasks some students with higher language proficiency might be able to comprehend the material after listening just once grasping the key points and nuances on their first attempt students with lower proficiency may require additional practice needing to listen to the same material two or even more times to fully understand it This personalized approach to listening practice allows each student to progress at their own pace addressing their specific challenges and strengths By catering to these individual differences the learning experience becomes more effective and supportive ensuring that all students can improve their listening skills according to their unique needs The aim of this teaching was to improve students’ critical thinking The improvement of collaboration and communication skills was attributed to the cooperation and interaction between online and offline groups The advanced online learning platform ensured effective teacher-student and student–student interaction after class assign various types of individual and group tasks and guide students via computer or mobile phone Students were given more flexibility in arranging their study time and could receive instant messages from teachers and group members The cultivation of critical thinking and intercultural competence primarily relied on the design of teaching activities and the selection of teaching materials which broke the limitations of physical classroom conditions that teachers had the freedom to integrate more teaching materials and engage in more refined teaching activities to guide students’ thinking and cultivate intercultural awareness Critical thinking and intercultural attitudes were skillfully woven into language teaching if traditional offline teaching had been used the limited time available could only have been allocated to language instruction the above POA-based blended learning mode not only addresses the traditional limitations of language training in this course but also plays a crucial role in cultivating a range of virtues and essential competences needed in the 21st century This approach goes beyond simply teaching language skills; it integrates the development of personality and character traits into the learning process the POA-based blended learning mode made learning happen beyond the classroom and increased students’ investment in listening and speaking practice by using listening activities as enables and speaking tasks as the drive it successfully stimulated students’ motivation to learn and integrated learning and using it has achieved relatively good effectiveness in both language training and cultivation of virtues and other competencies such as critical thinking competency the POA-based teaching mode constructed in our study is likely to have some implications on the teaching of English listening and speaking in other countries although the content of the practice in this study is related to Chinese figure and Chinese culture the shining points of the diverse cultures in the world provides resources to be integrated with language teaching students can develop different competencies and shape their personalities and outlook the applicability of this mode can go beyond the Chinese context the POA-based blended learning mode constructed in this study not only effectively solves the traditional drawback of “separation of learning and using,” but also naturally integrates the cultivation of key competencies and moral education into language teaching Through online and offline teaching design students’ interest can be stimulated and students can fully participate in the learning process While sharpening the basic language skills students can exercise their learning competency and other key competencies in the 21st century and shape a correct outlook on life and world the results may not be persuasive due to the small sample size and the lack of the control group and there was no long-term tracking of changes in students’ language proficiency and other abilities the study did not provide quantitative evidence of improvements in other student abilities Self-assessment by questionnaires was subjective and the results need to be verified by other possible methods the teacher’s own classroom observation may be biased and lack objectivity This potential bias could be mitigated by involving independent peer observers or using video recordings to analyze classroom interactions in future research although the after-class enabling activities were aimed at creating space for students’ individual development and ensuring the diversity of the output content the content was to a considerable extent prescribed by the teaching materials It would be better to add an extension activity at the end of the unit so that students can engage in personal expression The contradiction between creativity and the POA’s principle of alignment needs to be solved in the future The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors The studies involving humans were approved by the Research Ethic Committee of the School of Foreign Languages The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research This research received funding from Special Group on Philosophy and Social Science Planning of Guangdong Province It is one of the outcomes of the research project (GD23WZXY02–06) entitled “The construction and practice of the POA-based teaching mode of integrating Chinese excellent traditional culture into English Viewing and Speaking Course for English majors.” The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest The authors declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher The Supplementary material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1512667/full#supplementary-material Evaluating the attainment of productive objectives through the use of POA teaching materials Google Scholar Exploring the use of POA-based teaching materials: dialectical research Google Scholar Textbook writing based on the production-oriented approach Google Scholar POA-based instruction of nominalization in academic English writing course: taking enabling phrase for example Google Scholar Comparison of "production-oriented approach" and "task-based approach": concept Google Scholar Oral corrective feedback on L2 writing from a sociocultural perspective: a case study on two writing conferences in a Chinese university Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Theoretical and 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language Citation: Cheng J (2025) Blended learning reform in English viewing listening and speaking course based on the POA in the post-pandemic era Received: 19 October 2024; Accepted: 23 January 2025; Published: 05 February 2025 Copyright © 2025 Cheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Jiaxue Cheng, Y2hlbmdqeEBnY3UuZWR1LmNu Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Welcome to the launch of The South Dakota Standard Tom Lawrence and I will bring you thoughts and ideas concerning issues pertinent to the health and well-being of our political culture Feel free to let us know what you are thinking I was reminded of a financial risk that is often overlooked One of the fastest and easiest ways to unravel your financial security is to have the wrong person gain control of your money.  The example in the manual mirrored a heartbreaking situation I once experienced with a long-term client As her mental and physical health declined this single woman moved into assisted living took control of her financial affairs.  the relative began making large withdrawals and strategies we had established to safeguard the client’s financial security and provide for her long-term care Even though their actions threatened the client’s wellbeing Our only recourse was to report the behavior to the authorities.  This heartbreaking and frustrating experience underscored just how critical it is to be mindful when executing a power of attorney (POA) it is wise to build in safeguards to prevent even a well-meaning relative from inadvertently derailing a carefully constructed financial plan One such safeguard is to include a financial advisor in your POA—as long as that person is a fee-only fiduciary advisor with an obligation to act in your best interests advisors are hesitant to suggest this option because they are sensitive to the potential conflict of interest and do not want to appear self-serving An unfortunate reality is that you should be cautious if an advisor particularly one who sells products on commission seems eager to be added to your POA.  Including your financial advisor in your POA does not mean you designate them as your agent to manage your affairs you include a clause naming them as the professional of record you want your designated agent to continue working with This creates continuity and accountability It prevents your agent from replacing your advisor with someone who may be unfamiliar with your needs and goals Your advisor might also recommend adding a secondary safeguard such as naming an attorney or accountant to oversee the selection of a successor advisor in case your current advisor is unable to continue This additional layer of protection ensures that the financial professionals guiding your portfolio remain aligned with your best interests Taking these extra steps can save you—and your loved ones—from significant financial stress down the road Including safeguards in your POA is not about mistrusting your loved ones but about equipping them with the right resources and support to act in your best interest and it requires expertise that most people One of the hardest parts about planning for diminished financial capacity is the emotional aspect No one likes to imagine a time when they might not be able to manage their own money taking steps now to protect your financial future is the ultimate act of control It can help ensure that your wishes are respected and the financial foundation you’ve worked so hard to build remains intact that avoiding conversations often increases financial vulnerability If you don’t have a POA or aren’t comfortable with what you do have now is the time to bring it up with your advisor These safeguards are about protecting yourself They also support those you will rely on to care for you and your financial legacy Rick Kahler, CFP, is a fee-only financial planner and financial therapist with a nationwide practice, Kahler Financial Group His co-authored books include Coupleship Inc and The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons Help support The Standard’s mission to advance independent political and social commentary with your non-tax-deductible donation sculpted by nature for millions of years—10 minutes from Wall Follow us on Facebook and Twitter