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September 23, 2016
On September 16, CMS finalized a rule establishing emergency preparedness requirements applicable to seventeen types of providers and suppliers. The rule becomes effective November 15, 2016 and covered facilities must achieve compliance by November 15, 2017. The requirements incorporate as minimum standards “well known, industry best practice standards” of emergency preparedness, namely the following four components:
- Risk Assessment and Emergency Planning;
- Policies and Procedures; a
- Communication Plan; and a
- Training and Testing Program.
CMS cited a number of recent public emergencies and disasters that motivated an evaluation of existing preparedness requirements, including terrorist attacks; natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and wild fires; and diseases such as pandemic H1N1 flu, MERS, Ebola, and Enterovirus. CMS found its existing requirements insufficient to adequately promote the health and safety of “persons served by Medicare- and Medicaid-participating facilities” during such events. CMS also expressed intent to standardize preparedness protocols to reconcile the varying standards imposed by the accreditation bodies of certain categories of facilities.
Which Healthcare Organizations Must Abide by the New Requirements?
The new rule binds the following types of facilities: Religious Nonmedical Health Care Institutions; Ambulatory Surgical Centers; Hospices; Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities; Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Hospitals; Transplant Centers; Long-Term Care Facilities – Skilled Nursing Facilities; Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities; Home Health Agencies; Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facilities; Critical Access Hospitals; Clinics, Rehabilitation Agencies, and Public Health Agencies as Providers of Outpatient Physical Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology Services; Community Mental Health Centers; Organ Procurement Organizations; Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers; End-Stage Renal Disease Facilities.
As used in the rule, the terms “emergency” and “disaster” do not refer exclusively to an event resulting in an official, public declaration of a state of emergency. Even an event confined within a single facility, such as a localized power failure or cybersecurity event, falls under the rule’s ambit.
The one exception to the rule’s requirement that each facility meet the new standards individually is that an integrated health system may develop a system-wide, unified emergency preparedness program with corresponding policies and procedures, communication plan, and training and testing program. Because compliance surveys occur at the facility level, however, each facility within the system must be capable of demonstrating (1) that it contributed to the program’s development and (2) its ability to implement the unified program and comply with the rule’s requirements.
The Four Components
Risk Assessment and Emergency Planning
Recognizing the diversity of emergency risks facing different healthcare facility categories, and even different facilities within each category, CMS has attempted to provide flexibility in applying the four required components. Each facility must conduct its preparedness planning according to the facility’s individual risk profile as determined by an “all-hazards risk assessment.” A satisfactory emergency preparedness plan under the rule will anticipate the “full spectrum of emergencies or disasters” to which the facility is most susceptible. Specifically, the rule requires that a facility considers the probability of dangers such as equipment failures and interruptions in water and power supplies. The risk assessment must also address the needs of the facility’s patient population. To accomplish this, the rule encourages but does not require “facilities…to confer with entities and resources that they consider appropriate,” such as individuals with disabilities, in creating the emergency plan.
Despite the flexibility permitted in developing an emergency plan, the rule makes clear that CMS surveyors will assess whether a facility satisfactorily “based its emergency preparedness plan on facility-based and community-based risk assessments using an all-hazards approach.”
Policies and Procedures
The rule does not provide significant guidance regarding the formulation of policies and procedures except that they are intended to facilitate execution of the emergency plan.
The communication plan is to include methods to preserve coordination of patient care during an emergency (1) within the facility, (2) with providers at other facilities, and (3) with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local public health and emergency agencies such that “patient care functions…are carried out in a safe and effective manner.” Facilities should be aware that this component of the rule requires compliance with pertinent state law.
Training and Testing Program
A facility’s training and testing program must include initial testing for existing and new staff and other care providers, as well as annual refresher trainings. In some circumstances, such as those involving hospitals, the rule treats staff, volunteers, and contracted care providers as separate types of personnel, but it does not differentiate between them as regards their responsibilities during an emergency: “training should be provided consistent with facility [personnel’s] expected roles” during an emergency. This component has two purposes: to ensure personnel understand emergency policies and procedures, and to test the emergency plan for needed improvements.
Preexisting Policies and Procedures, Communication Plans, Training and Testing Programs
While CMS cautions that facilities with preexisting preparedness plans “will be required to develop and maintain an emergency preparedness plan based on an all-hazards approach,” the rule does not explicitly proscribe the preservation of existing policies and procedures, communication plans, and training and testing programs, so long as they support an emergency preparedness plan that satisfies the minimum standards required by the rule.
Facilities’ responsibilities that did not predate the new rule include requirements for coordination with broader care and emergency systems, such as state or local governments; documented contingency planning; and training of facility staff and other personnel.
To the extent that some of a facility’s risks are linked to factors shared with other facilities – e.g. location in or proximity to a flood-prone area – CMS encourages facilities to form coalitions for assistance in satisfying the new rule’s requirements.
Covered facilities should take immediate steps to ensure compliance with this new rule. While the rule’s implementation date is a little more than a year away, conducting risk assessments and developing policies, procedures, and training programs can be time intensive. If you have any questions about compliance with this rule or require assistance complying with the rule, please contact a member of Hancock Daniel’s Compliance Team.
The information contained in this advisory is for general educational purposes only. It is presented with the understanding that neither the author nor Hancock, Daniel & Johnson, P.C., PC, is offering any legal or other professional services. Since the law in many areas is complex and can change rapidly, this information may not apply to a given factual situation and can become outdated. Individuals desiring legal advice should consult legal counsel for up-to-date and fact-specific advice. Under no circumstances will the author or Hancock, Daniel & Johnson, P.C., PC be liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential damages resulting from the use of this material.
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Canonical gets physical with Ubuntu Linux
All of us are used to controlling our desktops with a mouse - but what if you could control your desktop with your body?
It's an idea that Canonical, the lead commercial sponsor behind Ubuntu Linux has been thinking about recently. The general idea is that a 'user-aware' desktop could respond to physical actions - yeaah we're talking real gestures here. So say for example if the desktop detects that you are farther (or closer) from the screen, you'd get fullscreen (or normal screen).
"During a small exploration we did internally few months ago, we thought about how Ubuntu could behave if it was more aware of its physical context," Canonical developer Christian Giordano blogged."Not only detecting the tilt of the device (like iPhone apps) but also analysing the user's presence. I reckon there is a value on adapting the content of the screen based on the distance with who is watching it."
When a desktop is aware of its user, I can imagine all kinds of interesting scenarios. It could mean displays that are always in the proper focus to simple stuff like better screensavers. It could also lead to true 'Minority Report ' type displays where computer mice are obsolete and all you need to control and access your data is your body. Welcome to the future my friends.
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Successful CMOs achieve growth by leveraging technology. Join us for GrowthBeat Summit on June 1-2 in Boston
, where we'll discuss how to merge creativity with technology to drive growth. Space is limited. Request your personal invitation here
AT&T is reportedly giving up some of its call data to the CIA for counterterrorism investigations — and it’s getting paid for its efforts.
The CIA is paying AT&T more than $10 million a year for the data access, which covers both foreign and international calls, unnamed government officials tell the New York Times. But most surprising is that the deal is completely voluntary — AT&T isn’t being compelled by court orders to cooperate.
That’s a big difference from the NSA’s widespread surveillance efforts, which have the full weight of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court behind them. Many tech companies have hinted that court orders forced them to cooperate with the NSA, and Apple just recently released a lengthy report detailing the requests it receives for data from the U.S. government.
As the NYT describes it, the CIA provides phone numbers of terrorism suspects overseas, and AT&T searches through its records to dig up information on potential associates. The deal also covers data that merely passes through AT&T’s equipment, even if it doesn’t belong to one of AT&T’s customers.
While the CIA deal sounds like it covers plenty of the same territory as the NSA’s surveillance, a government official tell the NYT that it makes sense for the CIA to run a program of its own, pointing to a need for a “a certain speed, agility, and tactical responsiveness” that the agency requires for its field operations.
When asked for comment by the NYT, CIA spokesman Dean Boyd didn’t confirm the program, but reiterated that the agency is focused on foreign intelligence. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel offered up the following statement: “We value our customers’ privacy and work hard to protect it by ensuring compliance with the law in all respects. We do not comment on questions concerning national security.”
While I can’t imagine that anyone is surprised by the CIA’s data collection efforts, it’s worth noting how different this story sounds from the onslaught of NSA surveillance stories. It positions the CIA as a slightly more responsible agency — one that doesn’t force partners to cooperate and is more focused on gathering specific data, not vast troves.
Given that the NYT points to government officials for its story, it makes me wonder if someone tied to the CIA wants to point out the many ways it’s better than the NSA.
AT&T is bringing it all together, from revolutionary smartphones to next-generation TV services and sophisticated solutions for multi-national businesses. For more than a century, they have provided innovative, reliable, high-quality p... read more »
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BĀBĀN (or Baban) name of a Kurdish princely family who from their center at Solaymānīya ruled over an area in Iraqi Kurdistan and western Iran (early 11th/17th—mid-13th/19th century) and was actively involved in the Perso-Ottoman struggles. The name occurs in Western travel accounts of the early nineteenth century variously as Bebah, Bebbeh, or Bebe. Modern Kurdish as well as Persian sources refer to them as Bābān or Āl-e Bābān, while the Turkish equivalents are Babanlar or Babanzadeler. The origins of the Bābān are clouded in obscurity. Some information on the relationship of the Bābān and Sorān up to 1005/1596 can be obtained from Šaraf Khan Bedlīsī, Šaraf-nāma (various mss., see Storey, I, pp. 367; recent editions: Arabic, Cairo, 1958; Persian, Tehran, 1343 Š./1964; Russian, Moscow, 1967-76; Turkish, Istanbul, 1975). The authorities are unanimous in their recognition of Aḥmad Faqīh (Kurdish Faqī Aḥmad) as the first known ancestor of the last of several successive dynasties of Bābān rulers originating from the region around Pīšdār. However, there is no agreement on the dynastic chronology or on their family relationship (for a detailed discussion of the sources for the history of the Bābān see Nebez, pp. 10-35). The real founder of the fortunes of the Bābān emirate was Solaymān Beg in the last quarter of the seventeenth century. Somewhat earlier, the Bābān had established their headquarters at Qaḷʿa-ye Čolān in the Šahrazūr region, where it remained until Maḥmūd Pasha Bābān founded Solaymānīya in 1195/1781. Though the exact date of the foundation is disputed, it is generally agreed that Solaymānīya owes its importance as the intellectual center to Bābān initiative. The history of the Bābān emirate from 1163/1750 to 1263/1847 is dominated by the rivalries among the Kurdish emirates of Bōtān, Sorān, and Bābān on the one side, and their reaction against the centripetal endeavors of the Ottomans and Qajars on the other. At the height of their power, the Bābān possessed all the signs of local autonomy and gave decisive military support to the Ottoman wālī of Baghdad in his campaigns against the Qajars. The ferocity accompanying the constant vicissitudes of the frontier warfare and the dynastic intrigues are reflected in the epic poem Bayt-e ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Pāšā Baba (O. Mann, Die Mundarten der Mukri-Kurden, pt. 1, Berlin, 1906, pp. 53-58). Bābān autonomy came to an end with Aḥmad Pasha Bābān’s defeat near Ḵoy in 1263/1847, after which the Šahrazūr region became permanently attached to Turkey. His brother ʿAbd-Allāh Pasha was put in charge of Solaymānīya, but expressedly as Ottoman qāʾem-maqām; he, too, was finally dismissed in favor of a Turkish administrator in 1267/1851. Descendants of the Bābān are still to be found in Solaymānīya.
ʿA. ʿAzzāwī, ʿAšāʾer al-ʿEraq II, Baghdad, 1366/1947.
M. van Bruinessen, Agha, Shaikh and State: On the Social and Political Organization of Kurdistan, Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht, 1978.
M. Dorra, al-Qażīya al-kordīya, 2nd ed., Beirut, 1966.
C. J. Edmonds, Kurds, Turks and Arabs, London, 1957.
S. H. Longrigg, “Bābān,” EI2 I, p. 845.
Idem, Four Centuries of Modern Iraq, Oxford, 1925.
H. Ḥoznī Mūkrīānī, Āwarīkī pāšawa: tārīḵī ḥokmdārānī Bābān le Kūrdistānī Šārezūr Erdelanda le 636 tā 1274, Revandoz, 1349/1931.
J. Nebez, Der kurdische Fürst Mīr Muhammad-ī Rawāndizī, Ph.D. thesis, Hamburg, 1970.
C. J. Rich, Narrative of a Residence in Koordistan, 2 vols., London, 1836.
Moḥammad Amīn Zakī, Taʾrīḵ al-Solaymānīya wa anḥāʾehā, Baghdad, 1951.
Originally Published: December 15, 1988
Last Updated: August 18, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. III, Fasc. 3, p. 307
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The trend is Hollywood to make sequels to successful pictures isn't a recent invention, no matter how much the press (and this reviewer) may complain about it. The eminently sensible practice dates back to the silent era and to books before that. So it should come as no surprise that after 20th Century Fox's CinemaScope Biblical epic The Robe, which did well at the box office and was nominated for seven Academy Awards (it would win three), has a sequel. Also filmed in CinemaScope, Demetrius and the Gladiators offers more action (both in the arena and in the bedroom) than its inspiration did, and is an exciting film for its time. Now the epic gets the Blu-ray treatment from Twilight Time and it's sure to please fans.
Picking up where The Robe (a film about the Roman Centurion who won Jesus' robe as he was being crucified) ended, this movie follows freed slave Demetrius (Victor Mature) who is entrusted with giving holy robe to the disciple Peter. Unfortunately the Emperor Caligula (Jay Robinson) has heard that the relic has miraculous powers and wants it for himself. When Demetrius refuses to reveal the robe's location he's shipped off to gladiator school.
Being a Christian, Demetrius refuses to fight other men in the arena but has a crisis of faith when his love, Lucia (Debra Paget), is killed even though he prayed to God to keep her safe. Then it's all-out carnage in the coliseum as Demetrius takes on lions, gladiators, and anything else that they can throw at him. He also manages to catch the eye of Senator Claudius' wife, Messalina (Susan Hayward), who takes shine to the buff slave. Demetrius is soon climbing the ranks and eventually becomes noticed by the emperor himself, who asks him to renounce Christ, which he readily does and is freed. Will the fighter win his freedom only to lose his eternal soul? The movie was made in 1950's America, what do you think?
One of the striking things about this sequel is that it's quite different in tone than the original. This story, while still religious, jettisons a lot of the preaching and replaces it with sex and violence, almost as if they were daring censors to complain about it, since it is about the virtues of being a Christian (or so the producers would have argued). While this movie is tame compared to what you can see on television today, in its day the arena fights were undoubtedly violent and the bedroom sequences racy.
Victor Mature does a good job in the lead role. He's attractive and fit, but more importantly he brings a sense of dignity to the role. If anything he's a bit too restrained in some of his scenes, but that hat works well in context. The same can't be said for Jay Robinson who takes every chance he gets to chew the scenery playing the mad emperor. I actually enjoyed the over-the-top performance; things were always interesting when he was on the screen.
The best way to think of this film is to imagine an Italian swords-and-sandals flick but without the goofiness, a decent budget, and a cast of A-list characters. It's a serious film, but one that has a lot of fun.
The movie comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 English audio track that sounds superb. It's easy to tell that this was one of the first films to be released with multi-channel audio (to compete with that new threat to theaters: television) as the sound engineers were having a great time playing with their new toy. There is a lot of directionality in the soundtrack with voices and audio effects coming from one side of the room or even from one discrete channel. Even with the age of the production the disc sounds very good with a nice amount of range and no background hiss or noise that can plague the audio from movies this old.
Twilight Time's transfer looks very good. The movie was filmed in CinemaScope and the 2.55:1 ratio is preserved and the 1080p AVC encoded disc brings the movie to life. That's not to say the picture is perfect. The movie was made in 1954 and the print does have some dirt here and there. The colors aren't as vibrant as they could be and they have a slightly brown tint throughout. The level of detail isn't as great as on some HD discs, though it is leaps and bounds better than the DVD that was released around a decade ago. Overall it's a nice looking disc with some minor problems.
The disc includes only the barest of extras: an isolated music score and the original theatrical trailer.
While Demetrius and the Gladiators doesn't have the gravitas of its prequel, The Robe, but it makes up for it with more sex and violence. It's an enjoyable and exciting film that's well worth checking out. Recommended.
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By Mary Miller
Food Service Director
Welcome back to the Royals Café. it seems that spring is just around the corner. We were happy to have no snow days this winter to date, we like the idea of ending the school year in May.
We have had some exciting events this past winter: Watertown Mayer Football Banquet, Primary Breakfast for Parents, Lions Club Breakfast and the Minnesota Special Olympics in January. Now it is time to look forward to spring and warmer weather to bring a new harvest each month.
Royal Happenings is a weekly feature of the Carver County News. Content is provided and written by Watertown-Mayer staff.
During the month of March, Watertown Mayer Food Service will be recognizing two important events which are National Nutrition Month and National School Breakfast Week. Both of these events have been a staple in school nutrition in the past and with the development of new standards set forth this year we are excited about educating the students through their taste buds and minds.
“Eat Right, Your Way, Everyday” is the theme for National Nutrition Month. We want to encourage students to make good choices when eating lunch by offering a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables to build a healthy lunch. We recognize eating habits have changed. We are concerned about the impact to our students and their future health. Additional highlights will continue at the High School Royals Café during lunch with the menu at the Chefs Table. This is a hot spot for students to try new items and come back for some of their favorite requests. Studies indicate that students who eat school breakfast increase their math and reading scores and improve their cognitive speed and memory, according to the Food Research and Action Center. However, fewer than half of the children that receive lunch at school also receive breakfast. To garner increased participation in the School Breakfast Program, Watertown Mayer schools will recognize National School Breakfast Week. Slated for March 4-8, National School Breakfast Week is a weeklong celebration aimed at increasing awareness of the School Breakfast Program among students and parents.
The 2013 theme, “Be a Star with School Breakfast,” highlights how eating a balanced breakfast at school can help students shine like their favorite stars in the movies, on the field, and on TV. The campaign will be appearing in school cafeterias from January to March, culminating in National School Breakfast Week, March 4-8 2013.
We will start the week off with a promotion at Watertown-Mayer Primary School on Monday, March 4, with homemade Fresh Fruit Smoothies and Granola Breakfast Round served during the Kindergarten morning snack. On Tuesday, March 5, the students at Watertown –Mayer Elementary School will be given the opportunity to visit the Royals Tasting Table and create their own yogurt parfaits from a choice of fresh fruit options and homemade granola.
Every school day, our breakfast program offers students the healthy foods they need to get set for a busy school day. Every school breakfast served meets federal nutrition standards limiting fat and portion size. We look forward to seeing the students each day at school and sometimes twice a day. For more information on promotions, please check the Watertown Mayer School website.
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How does Virtual Reality Work?
Okay, virtual reality is a 3D world made by a computer and passed to your brain as a near to reality perception. How is it done?
How does streaming 3D worlds and simulations from a computer gets into your head and immerse you into virtual worlds? Find out how.
Virtual Reality or VR is a fairly new technology and with it comes a dominant question of how it works exactly; from the moment the computer turns on to the immersive graphics projected on the vr headset.
There are many mediums where any user can experience virtual reality video or game. It can be via a vr headset, omni-directional treadmills and special gloves and controllers. Although the most popular of these options is the vr headset, there are some tricks on how it is made to work and stimulate the senses to create an illusion of reality.
Step 1: Hardware
The process starts with a computer. It can be a smartphone like the usual handheld device that can run virtual reality apps in a good frame rate. On the more powerful option is the PC with it’s unlimited possibility hardware choices. Virtual worlds are as good as the hardware that makes it run. So the clarity and smoothness of the vr experience is fundamentally dependent on the power of the devices being used.
Smartphones, for example will have to come up with 4k displays to make sure that the quality of images are sharper and more vivid. PC hardware are making graphics card that support 4k virtual realistic worlds.
If the hardware can’t handle it, then step 2 will be out of the question.
Step 2: Software
If the hardware is good enough, then the next step in the process kicks in: the software applications. Many platforms now supports high quality vr applications from mobile apps to full blown desktop games. The software side of things makes use of the capacity of the hardware to deliver the most immersive experience to the user.
Android have an API specifically made for virtual reality. Steam and Oculus now have dedicated software that will make efficient rendering of 3D games. This makes the usual 2D displays in a monitor into a 3D world on a vr headset.
Step 3: Syncing Hardware and Software
Virtual reality then culminates to the synchronicity of hardware and software. In order to trick the brain that it is in a real physical world, it would have to be near perfect in terms of frame rates and consistency in the graphics including the sound quality fed through the headset.
The term asimmersiveness and realism divides vr experiences into two categories. It’s either unpleasant or enjoyable.
To have that realism effect, virtual reality must take into consideration all of human senses: sight, feel, hearing, smell, and taste. In case of the latest VR technology, sight and hearing is main priority.
Video should be more or less 180 degrees in the field of vision plus a very sharp rendering of the elements within that virtual world. The audio has to also follow the direction from which the user is facing. Making these two unsynced can cause disorientation on the brain causing nausea and motion sickness.
If an implementation of virtual reality manages to get the combination of hardware, software and sensory synchronicity just right it achieves something known as a sense of presence. Where the subject really feels like they are present in that environment.
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The pictured wreath is basically a pillow with several rows of ruffles. It can be stuffed with fiberfill, or a circle of plastic such as a lid from a plastic bucket, or a circle cut from an old election sign. Because it is made of circles, circles and more circles, it could be used as an activity for National Pi Day on March 14. To make one you will need:
- Holiday fabric that is a thin woven material
- Circle to trace for a pattern such as a bucket lid or dinner plate
- Fiber fill or plastic circle
- Small ring or ribbon to make a hanger
- Sewing machine, needle and thread
Begin by making two fabric circles for the back of the wreath. If the wreath is going to be stuffed with a circle from a bucket lid or election sign, add enough of a seam allowance to accommodate the thickness of the plastic. Take one fabric circle, and find the center by folding it in quarters. Using the center mark, use a compass to draw sewing lines; one three inches in from the edge of the circle, and one three inches in from that line, and another three inches in from that line.
Cut strips from fabric that are eight inches wide. Sew the strips together to make two long strips. The outer ruffle should be about 1 ½ times the circumference of the fabric circle. The other two should be about 1 ½ times the circumference of the sewing line. To figure a circumference, take the width of the circle and multiply by three plus a little, or 3.14, Pi.
Sew the ends of the strips together to make a circle. Fold the strips in half, matching the cut edges, and iron flat. Gather the cut edge, and pull the fabric until it fits the sewing line. Pin in place, then top stitch the ruffle in place. Repeat with the inner circle.
Cut another circle of fabric that is one or two inches wider than the space in the middle of the wreath. Gather the edge with a narrow seam. Add a bit of stuffing to the inside of the fabric. Pin the circle over the cut edge of the inner ruffle, and top stitch down.
An option that is not pictured here is to embroider a message or picture on the inner circle before it is sewn down. Another option is to make the circle twice as big as the hole, and then make a yo-yo, which repeats the ruffled look.
Sew a ring or loop of ribbon to the other fabric circle to make a hanging loop. Make sure the loop is placed where it won’t get caught in the outer seam.
After one circle is covered with ruffles, pin the outer ruffle down so that it won’t get caught in the seam. Pin the other fabric circle to this circle, right sides together. Sew the outer seam, leaving enough space to stuff the circle when it is turned right side out. If the wreath is being stuffed with a plastic circle, leave half the seam open. If it is being stuffed with filling, leave a four to six inch space.
Clip the curves and turn the wreath right side out. Stuff the wreath, and then close the final opening.
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By Sami Zaptia:
London, 9 March 2018:
In the section on violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, the UN Libya Experts Forum report said that ‘‘The situation of human rights in Libya continues to deteriorate, highlighted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the end of his visit to Libya on 12 October 2017.
In the absence of a functioning security and justice sector, policing and detention tasks are delegated to state-affiliated armed groups. An increasing number of armed groups subscribing to the Salafi-Madkhali ideology are in charge of the security sector in Libya. They are also taking control of social and religious institutions.
Arbitrary detentions, kidnappings and torture: The case of the Special Deterrence Force in Mitiga
Based on interviews with former detainees, local and international human rights organizations, the Panel estimates the number of detainees in the SDF detention centre in Mitiga at approximately 1,500 prisoners. Individuals arrested by armed groups loyal to the GNA in Tripoli and other cities in western Libya and southern Libya, are taken to the SDF detention centre in Mitiga.
The SDF is involved in the kidnapping and arbitrary detentions of Libyan citizens and foreigners, based on the ground of affiliation with terrorist organizations, trafficking, and other criminal activities. Interviews with former detainees in Mitiga revealed that in many cases, accusations against them were unfounded and lacked due judicial process. Depending on the cases, kidnappings are politically or financially motivated.
Former detainees told the Panel that they were victims of extortion, torture and mistreatment. Testimonies referred to cases of deaths in prison due to deteriorated health conditions of the detainees, aggravated by torture and deprivation of medical care. In several cases documented by the Panel, families were not informed of the detention of their relatives, and the prison keeps no prisoner records.
Prison commanders are directly involved in torture practices. Several former detainees mentioned two in particular: Khaled al Buti and Mahmud Hamza.
The Case of the LNA
The LNA is still involved in kidnappings and arbitrary detentions of Libyan citizens, including politicians, journalists, activists and religious figures. Victims and their relatives said that kidnappings were conducted by men in LNA uniforms, and in some cases driving military
vehicles. Victims are usually transferred to informal detention centres such as farms and schools located in Benghazi and its outskirts.
In Benghazi, al-Kuweifia is the only official detention centre. In the military section of the prison no cases of torture were reported. However, the Panel received reports of rape and torture in al-Kuweifia section under the control of the Internal Security Apparatus.
The case of the informal detention centre situated near Abd al-Razaq al-Shaikhi School, in the area of al-Hadaeq, is of particular concern. The Panel received testimonies from the families of several detainees. The centre is controlled by Alaa al-Biha, from the Warfalla tribe and affiliated with the LNA. According to the same testimonies, al-Biha is receiving orders from a former Special Forces commander Mahmud al-Warfalli.
The case of al-Abyar
Eastern Libya has witnessed more extra-judicial killings, including one mass extra-judicial killing. Testimonies indicated to the Panel that these practices continue to be widespread.
On 26 October 2017, the bodies of 36 men were found in the area of al-Abyar, located around 50 kilometres east of Benghazi. Six victims were identified.25 Some victims were kidnapped by LNA-affiliated groups in al-Laythi and Hay al-Salam neighbourhoods in Benghazi. One of the victims had previously been detained in al-Kuweifia section under the control of Salim al-Ferjani of the Internal Security Apparatus before being released. The LNA General Command ordered an investigation on 28 October 2017. Its results are still expected.
The Panel is investigating cases of extra-judicial killings in western Libya, notably during the attack against Warshefana in early November by GNA-affiliated forces.
Attacks targeting civilians
On 30 October 2017, an airstrike conducted against the city of Derna killed 16 civilians, including women and children. The LNA denied responsibility for the attack. Based on the information available to the Panel the LNA’s air force lack the capacity to conduct targeted air strikes after dark, it seems likely that a foreign air force conducted the air strike.
Political and religious repression by Salafi groups in Libya
Salafi-Madkhali groups are specializing in the control of detention centres and intelligence services. They support different political factions but have been collaborating and exchanging information on individuals suspected of affiliation with “terrorist organizations”.
The Panel received testimonies and reports of human rights abuses against individuals accused of links with terrorist organizations. Segments of the Libyan population seem particularly targeted, notably populations displaced from Benghazi to western Libya, families with members belonging to revolutionary or Islamist armed groups such as the BRSC and also Sufi scholars and followers.
The anti-terrorist narrative developed by those groups is used to capture financial and political support provided by the GNA and the LNA, and to gain international legitimacy.
Prostitution, rape, auctions, and enslavement of migrants
In 2016, Italy dismantled one of the most active prostitution networks. Its web spanned from Nigeria to Italy via Libya.29 So far, the investigation has revealed the involvement of a group of Nigerians and Libyans, reportedly using warehouses in Sebha and Tripoli. These places were dedicated to prostitution, where young Nigerian girls were sexually abused. A woman, called the “Mama”, a Nigerian based in Sicily, managed the organization and revenues from trafficking. The money generated through sexual exploitation was transferred directly to the “Mama” as a reimbursement of the girls’ transportation to Sicily. The Panel is investigating other cases of sexual abuse and exploitation of migrants in Libya.
Young migrants interviewed in Italy also reported they were systematically raped in the Libyan detention centres. In one such detention centre referred to by migrants as the “White House” (see paragraph 114), the African and Libyan guards selected girls for collective raping.
According to Libyan human rights activists interviewed by the Panel, the selling of migrants has been a common practice for decades in Libya. Because the clashes in Sabratha obstructed the main gateway to Europe, smugglers resorted to auctioning the migrants at the best price.
By the end of November 2017, out of the 18,000 migrants who were detained in Ahmad al- Dabbashi’s camps, IOM Libya had relocated 14,000 people to the Tripoli and Gharyan detention centres.
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Singapore’s government is setting up a vocational training institute in Myanmar in an effort to prepare that country’s workforce for an expected surge in demand for local talent.
Goh Chok Tong, Singapore’s second prime minister from 1990 to 2004 and now a senior adviser to the city state’s central bank, said the government has found a location in Yangon, the country’s largest city, and will be training instructors in Singapore while the building is renovated.
Subjects on the menu will begin with hospitality, and then progress to areas like mechanical and electrical skills, and later more specialist subjects, such precision engineering.
“We are very keen on helping Myanmar. If this country takes off, it’s good for Asean,” Mr. Goh said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, referring to the 10-member group of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes Myanmar and Singapore.
“It’s going to stabilize Asean and make Asean more prosperous, and a prosperous Asean is good for Singapore,” he said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on East Asia, a gathering this week of hundreds of world business and political leaders in Myanmar.
The shortage of skilled workers in Myanmar partly reflects its decimation of Myanmar’s higher education system over the past few decades, after leaders of the military takeover became convinced that the country’s once-proud universities were breeding grounds for dissent.
The initiative builds on a package of measures focusing on the training of government officials, which Singapore announced last year, and aims to support Myanmar as it attempts to rapidly open up its economy and transform the prospects of its 60 million people.
Mr. Goh said Myanmar’s government was now keen to get help to develop the financial sector, including in the area of regulation, which could entice more foreign banks to venture into this new market.
He said the Singapore government was also interested in helping to upgrade Myanmar’s laws, with those covering areas such as taxation and dispute resolution being particularly important from an investor’s perspective. Infrastructure, hospitality and urbanization are areas in which Singapore companies would be particularly suited to play a role in the country, he said.
“We’re generally optimistic that [the Myanmar government is] on the right track. The leaders are working together. That’s my sense,” he said.
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posted on Apr, 21 2012 @ 07:49 AM
Here's what Jonahs story means:
The story of Jonah is probably the most popular story in the Bible, and also the most misunderstood in regard to the facts of the story. Millions of
Christians tell the popular story of how Jonah survived three days in the belly of a great whale. Unfortunately, the story of Jonah has been told from
memory so long that few people have ever actually read the Bible story carefully to understand the facts of the story.
The facts of the story are very simple. Jonah was commanded by God to go to the city of Nineveh and preach judgment, but Jonah ran away from God
instead, and booked passage on a ship to Tarshish—an unknown city in the Mediterranean Sea. On the voyage to Tarshish, God caused a great storm on
the Mediterranean Sea that caused Jonah to be cast into the sea. According to the Biblical text, Jonah drowned and even had seaweed wrapped around his
head at the bottom of the sea. Yes, Jonah died in the sea! This is not only a rational and logical conclusion but a solid fact, for the Bible states
unequivocally that Jonah died and descended into Sheol at the bottom of the mountains—NOT THE SEA. Sheol is the abode of the dead. The following
Scripture passage confirms this sequence of events:
(Jonah 2:3-6 KJV) (3) For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves
passed over me. (4) Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. (5) The waters compassed me about, even to
the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. (6) I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her
bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
Verse 5 above emphatically states that the waves surrounded him and even took his life (i.e., soul) as he was in the abyss of the sea. Verse 6 clearly
states that Jonah went down to Sheol at the “bottoms of the mountains” and the bars of the earth closed around him forever. JONAH WAS DEAD!
The following two verses provide some very significant details to the story:
(Jonah 2:1-2 KJV) (1) Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, (2) And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the
LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
It is very important to note that verse 1 has Jonah praying to God from the belly of the fish. This is after the three days that Jonah spent in Sheol,
and Jonah has been resurrected in the fish’s belly. In Jonah’s prayer after three days, he relates in verse 2 how he cried out to God from the
belly of Sheol (translated “hell”) because of his affliction, and God heard his prayer. Jonah states in the last part of verse 2:6 above “yet
hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God”. This is an explicit statement that God brought Jonah back to life from
“corruption”. The Hebrew word for “corruption” means the grave or the pit. God brought Jonah back from death.
The following passage of Scripture in Jonah is highly significant, for it shows that Jonah repented of his disobedience just before he fell
unconscious and died:
(Jonah 2:7-10 NASB) (7) "While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer came to Thee, Into Thy holy temple. (8) "Those who regard
vain idols Forsake their faithfulness, (9) But I will sacrifice to Thee With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation
is from the LORD."
If it were not for Jonah’s prayer in Jonah 2:2-9, we would not know for sure that Jonah had died in the sea and descended into Sheol at the foot of
the mountains. We would also not know that Jonah repented of his unfaithfulness just before he died. God heard Jonah’s cries up from Sheol and
brought him up from the grave in the fish’s belly. At the end of Jonah’s prayer from inside the fish, God causes the fish to vomit Jonah up upon
The true Biblical facts about Jonah’s death, burial and resurrection point to an important sequence of events in the New Testament. Jonah dies
because of sin, and his spirit descends into Abraham’s bosom in Sheol, where it remains for three days and three nights. His body is entombed in the
grave of the great fish’s belly for the same three days and three nights. After three days and three nights, Jonah is resurrected inside the tomb,
and he promptly exits the tomb when the jaws of the great fish are miraculously opened.
This true story from the Old Testament clearly portrays the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself even confirms the story of
the death, burial and resurrection of Jonah in the following Scripture:
(Mat 12:39-41 KJV) (39) But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given
to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: (40) For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the
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Lend a hand during National Mentoring Month
January is National Mentoring Month, so we’re focusing on advice and encouragement for beginners:WRITE ON! Novelist Dave Eggers (“A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”) launched nonprofit tutoring 826LA in Venice last year. Current programs include “Hit the Airwaves With Youth Radio,” which begins Saturday and will teach 15 teens, ages 14-18, the fine art of deejaying. Students will create a Web radio show to be aired on Youthradio.org. On Jan. 28, PR pro Mandy Davis and screenwriter Will Richter teach “When Your Shoes Won’t Stop Talking” to 10 students, ages 8-10. It’s designed to demonstrate the fun in giving personality to everyday objects in stories. Click 826la.org or call (310) 305-8418. CROSSOVER SUPPORT United Friends of the Children needs corporate partners to provide internships or paying jobs for kids turning 18 and preparing to leave foster homes. “Twenty-five percent of foster youth experience homelessness within four years of leaving care,” says UFC president Polly Williams. “Fifty percent experience unemployment.” However, 85% of UFC’s kids get jobs and 125 are in college on scholarship. More information: Unitedfriends.org ALL IN THE FAMILY With 200 kids on a waiting list, Big Brothers Big Sisters needs mentors, bilingual men in particular. “A lot of kids have gone through college with their mentors right beside them,” said coordinator Kathy Kensinger. The minimum for visits is twice a month for a year. Bbbslaie.org is the place; phone is (213) 481-3611. More opportunities: Mentoring.org.
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LITTLE ROCK – A six-month survey of Internet access in Arkansas has been completed, and state officials now have a more accurate roadmap of which regions need more investment in broadband technologies.
They also have a clearer idea of how much that investment will cost. With up to $350 million, broadband can be provided to about 100,000 households. Then it gets even more expensive. To provide Internet capability to the last 10,000 isolated homes in Arkansas will cost about $200 million.
There are 1.7 million households in Arkansas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A total of about 210,000 households lack adequate broadband access, according to the statewide broadband study that was released recently.
Of those 210,000 households lacking broadband, about 100,000 are eligible for existing state and federal programs and the remaining 110,000 households are in areas where no government program exists. Those are the households for which it will cost about $550 million to connect them to high-speed Internet.
The standard of high speed broadband capacity steadily goes up. The statewide study set it at 100/20 megabits per second. The first number refers to download speed and the second number to upload speed.
In the early days of the Internet, still images and text made up the majority of content on web sites, and the data that consumers uploaded and downloaded.
Now, consumers expect to listen to audio, such as podcasts that can last more than 10 minutes. They expect to watch videos, and send them to friends, family and business associates.
Consumer expectations have helped drive a remarkable growth in broadband capacity. For the past 30 years it has averaged growth of more than 50 percent a year.
The exponential growth in capacity is expected to continue, so the state study recommends that providers be required to “future proof” all new networks they install. That means they should be required to install technology that is proven to be able to handle demands of tomorrow. Fiber optic cable is an example.
The study recognizes that the monthly price paid by consumers is a factor that can cause an area to be lacking in service. In other words, if the government pays a provider to install a system that nobody can afford, that provider has not served the area with high speed Internet.
The study recommends $50 a month per household, or less, as the standard for describing broadband as affordable.
The consulting firm that did the study, Broadband Development Group, held more than 300 community meetings and surveyed more than 18,000 Arkansas residents.
The firm worked with 29 broadband providers and electric co-ops, and with the Farm Bureau, the Municipal League, the state Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Arkansas Counties, the Arkansas State Library Association and the Arkansas Sheriffs Association.
The state Education Department, Transportation Department, State Police, UAMS, the Economic Development Commission, Arkansas PBS and the Division of Agriculture helped.
The Covid-19 pandemic provided a huge impetus for the project, because so many students and employees had to work from home. Federal covid relief funds have been essential for much of investment in broadband that the state has made over the past three years. Since July of 2019 the state Broadband Office has distributed $386 million in grants to local communities.
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Qt Declarative Module
This documentation was introduced in Qt 4.7.
Encapsulates a QML component definition
Defines a context within a QML engine
Environment for instantiating QML components
Encapsulates a QML error
Abstract base for custom QML extension plugins
Interface for supporting pixmaps and threaded image requests in QML
The most basic of all visual items in QML
Allows applications to expose list-like properties to QML
Creates QNetworkAccessManager instances for a QML engine
Updates on the QML parser state
Abstracts accessing properties on objects created from QML
Allows you to set key-value pairs that can be used in QML bindings
Interface for property value sources such as animations and bindings
Encapsulates a script and its context
Widget for displaying a Qt Declarative user interface
QDeclarativeListReference allows C++ programs to read from, and assign values to a QML list property in a simple and type safe way. A QDeclarativeListReference can be created by passing an object and property name or through a QDeclarativeProperty instance. These two are equivalant:
QDeclarativeListReference ref1(object, "children"); QDeclarativeProperty ref2(object, "children"); QDeclarativeListReference ref2 = qvariant_cast<QDeclarativeListReference>(ref2.read());
Not all QML list properties support all operations. A set of methods, canAppend(), canAt(), canClear() and canCount() allow programs to query whether an operation is supported on a given property.
QML list properties are typesafe. Only QObject's that derive from the correct base class can be assigned to the list. The listElementType() method can be used to query the QMetaObject of the QObject type supported. Attempting to add objects of the incorrect type to a list property will fail.
Like with normal lists, when accessing a list element by index, it is the callers responsibility to ensure that it does not request an out of range element using the count() method before calling at().
© 2016 The Qt Company Ltd. Documentation contributions included herein are the copyrights of their respective owners. The documentation provided herein is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License version 1.3 as published by the Free Software Foundation. Qt and respective logos are trademarks of The Qt Company Ltd. in Finland and/or other countries worldwide. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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On Jabez appearing next morning he had six bags of potatoes on the ox-sled, which were for seed as well as eating, and said he had left a load of pine-boards to be hauled through the bush to floor the shanties. They now had to decide what kind of shanty they wanted. The cheapest, he told us, for all, men, women, and children, had gathered to hear about the building,—was a house twelve feet by twelve, with basswood staves for flooring or the bare soil, an opening that served both as door and window, with a blanket to keep out the cold, basswood scoops or elm bark for the roof, in which a hole was left to let out the smoke. There were many such shanties, but living in them was misery. From that sort they varied in size and finish, all depending on the settler’s means. With $25 a good deal could be done. Size and finish were agreed on, it being understood the master, who had most money, would have a larger house. This being decided, Mr Brodie set to work to dig his cellar and I was sent to Simmins to see if he could supply shingles for the three shanties and to ask Sal if he would hire until they were finished. I took the compass and found their clearance without trouble. In returning Sal, who carried his axe, blazed the trees, so that it would be easy to know the way. The following morning his mother accompanied Sal. She came to show how they made bread in the bush, and had brought a dishful of bran-risings. Explaining what yeast was and how to treat it, she set a panful of dough. When the mass had risen, she kneaded it, and moulded it into loaves. The bake kettle having been warmed, the loaves were placed in it, and when they had risen enough, she put the cover on, and planted the kettle in a bed of glowing embers. The bread was sweet and a welcome change to the cakes made on the griddle or frying-pan. We had more than bread that day. Mrs Simmins pointed out plants, like lambs quarter and dandelion, whose leaves made greens that added relish to our unvarying diet of pork. How much more she taught I do not know, but her visit was a revelation to our women-folk. Grannie was delighted with her singing because she could hear it.
ANDREW ANDERSON’S DIARY
In Scotland it had been the master’s custom to keep a record of work done, and of money paid or received. On parting with a neighbor, a farmer who had a notion of emigrating, he was asked, as a favor, to keep notes of his own daily experience. He had his doubts as to accounts of Canada he had read being correct, and knew whatever the master set down as to climate and other conditions he could depend upon. The book in which these notes were made was never sent, the master having learnt his friend had taken a new tack of his farm. From this journal I will now quote.
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The present Doodle commends the 657th birthday celebration of Italian writer and poet Christine de Pizan. She is viewed as the first woman in Europe to help herself exclusively by composing professionally.
Christine de Pizan was brought into the world in the Republic of Venice on this day in 1364. She spent her youth investigating libraries in the court of France’s King Charles V, where her dad filled in as court astrologer. Furnished with a pen and her adoration for writing, she started composing heartfelt songs in 1393. This early introduction to wordsmithing enchanted a few incredible patrons, including King Charles VI.
De Pizan is most popular today for her role in an medieval literary fight that equals any modern celebrity drama. It started in the mid 1400s with warmed discussions in regards to the well known poem “The Romance of the Rose.” De Pizan criticized the work’s treatment of ladies and struck back in 1405 with one of her most renowned works, “The Book of the City of Ladies.”
In it, she joined stories that featured the leadership and insight of significant women from history and folklore. She released the sequel, “The Treasure of the City of Ladies,” sometime thereafter, finishing the series currently viewed as among the most punctual women’s activist writing.
All through her vocation, de Pizan distributed 10 volumes of poetry, a significant number of which were “complaints,” the term for medieval protest poems and songs against vice or injustice.
Today, de Pizan is among the 1,038 compelling ladies addressed in Judy Chicago’s notorious 1970s art installation “The Dinner Party” in plain view at the Brooklyn Museum.
Happy Birthday, Christine de Pizan!
- Twitter will launch verified service with colours, according to Elon Musk - November 26, 2022
- Netflix is developing a “brand-new AAA PC game” - November 25, 2022
- According to reports, users of Google Messages can reply with any emoji - November 25, 2022
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Hello my friends
I have a problem in displaying the mesh grid in my plot3d graphs in maple 17. For instance, I when I type:
plot3d(x^2-y^2, x = -1 .. 1, y = -1 .. 1)
The graph has no mesh grid on it. I mean I am not seeing the black lines on the 3d surface. Can anyone help me to display the mesh grid please? Thanks.
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|Scientific Name:||Oscaecilia bassleri|
|Species Authority:||(Dunn, 1942)|
Caecilia bassleri Dunn, 1942
|Red List Category & Criteria:||Least Concern ver 3.1|
|Assessor(s):||IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group|
|Contributor(s):||Cisneros-Heredia, D.F., Gagliardi, G., Icochea M., J., Coloma, L.A., Wilkinson, M. & Ron, S.R.|
|Facilitator/Compiler(s):||Angulo, A. & Jarvis, L.|
Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and given that it occurs in a region where there are still large tracts of suitable habitat remaining.
|Range Description:||This species occurs in the western Amazon basin and on the lower Amazonian slopes of the Andes at 100-800 m asl. It has been recorded from Ecuador (Napo and Pastaza provinces) and eastern Peru (regions of Amazonas, Loreto and Madre de Dios). It possibly occurs in the Putumayo and Amazonas departments of Colombia (Lynch 1999, Acosta-Galvis 2000) and it is suspected to occur in Bolivia (De la Riva et al. 2000).|
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
Very little population information is currently available for this species. In 2006, two individuals were found during 90 person/day surveys in the region of San Martín, Peru (von May et al. 2008).
|Habitat and Ecology:||It is a subterranean species of primary tropical rainforest. At Lago Agrio, Ecuador, individuals were found during clearance of primary forest by bulldozers (Duellman 1978). It is not known whether it can adapt to modified habitats. Its breeding habits are unknown.|
|Use and Trade:||
There are no reports of this species being utilized.
|Major Threat(s):||There is no information on threats to this species. It occurs in an area of low human impact, and so it is unlikely to be significantly threatened.|
|Conservation Actions:||In Ecuador this species has been recorded from Yasuní National Park, and it possibly also occurs in Limoncocha Biological Reserve. It might occur in the Allpahuayo Mishana National Reserve, although this needs confirmation. Further research is needed into its distribution, population status and trends, ecology and threats.|
|Citation:||IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group 2014. Oscaecilia bassleri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 July 2015.|
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The recent return of Mark Henry and his great performance inside the Chamber made me ask myself about what actually is a monster, and how it is reproduced in professional wrestling. WWE always uses the same pattern when it tries to create a new monster, be it heel or babyface : Arrive, squash a random jobber, leave (Stone Cold would be proud).
When you look into the meaning of the word “monster”, you see that it means “different from society’s standards”, or “he whose actions morals condemn.” Basically, WWE creates perfect monsters according to that definition.
However, I think that limiting a monster to those aspects is too simplistic and unoriginal in professional wrestling, and that WWE should try to create a monster in the sense of a horror movie monster.
That kind of monster takes three basic forms :
- The first kind of monster is the “classic” monster, i.e. vampires, werewolves and all the traditional monsters in our culture. We have seen that type of monster with the Ascension recently, but I do not think it is the path WWE should take, as that type of monster in professional wrestling always ends up being too cheesy and absurd to be taken seriously, especially nowadays when the most successful characters are the realistic ones.
- The second kind of monster is when the protagonist of a story is himself the monster, without knowing it. It allows the audience to think about human nature and human psyche, and stare at the worse aspects of human nature, like greed, jealousy and rage for example. We saw a glimpse of what that kind of monster can be when Kane was searching for the person who attacked his brother the Undertaker. He embraced the rage and succombed to his jealousy for his brother without being totally conscious of it all the time. It was very entertaining but far from being a perfect monster.
- Now, the third type, the type that I think would make for an original and entertaining monster in WWE: the abstract monsters. We only see a glimpse of the monster, we never see it clearly in its entirety. There is an aura of mystery surrounding it, and what frightens us is what our mind tells us is scary. We are frightened without the violence itself and the character of the monster plays on our internal fears. One of the best examples in literature are Lovecraft’s books – which I strongly recommend – where the fear is inexpressible and unspeakable.
Instead of doing a vignette to tease the debut of a new wrestler, WWE could show us each week other wrestlers being attacked, but not the attack itself. We could only see a shadow or an evil laugh. We could see some psychological games without ever seeing who did it. I know that we’ve already seen that kind of things in WWE with Kane and the Undertaker, but we always knew who was behind it. Using that kind of monster could allow the WWE to build a wrestler and make him dangerous without ever showing him, without knowing his size or his style of wrestling.
A PG show can’t allow for truly scary situations (like blood spread on the floor, hallucinations and seeing corpses and dead things) but I believe that while staying PG, it is possible to create an atmosphere around a Monster being there, somewhere in the locker room, randomly attacking wrestlers and terrorizing the roster. Why not attack some fans too? Of course, they would be played by local wrestlers, but that would be a great way to install a sensation of insecurity, and our mind would fill in the missing details of who that monster is, and each one of us would frighten ourselves with what we fear the most. The WWE is great at making video packages which would be a great tool.
One concern here is to not be cheesy (Embrace the hate, anyone?), and it is hard to trust WWE creatives here. But the main problem would be to have a superstar that could live up to the hype created. I strongly believe that after weeks of teasing a monster, when he finally enters the ring, we would all eagerly await his first move, his first punch, we would all want to see what that monster is capable of, making an instant star of the wrestler and of the hero that will slay him (I know we all heard “John Cena” instead of “hero.”)
Using that pattern of a monster would allow WWE to build effectively a new superstar and create a unique character that could instantly have a “main-event feeling”, and would give us truly a new kind of monster.
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T8's lower light output over time with no use?
Do T8 bulbs loose light output over time even if they are not in use?
I dug out some old T8's recently and they look awfully dim, though they haven't been used even once IIRC.
I've never read of this happening. All fluorescent tubes decrease their intensity as they burn, because the phosphors inside the tube are literally burning. But without being on,...
Perhaps you used the tubes in the past longer than you remember. The intensity diminishes considerably after only three months of daily use, and after that it's a steady decline in intensity. Some authors suggest replacing tubes every six months, but as this is expensive, they recommend 12 months but alternating so one tube is replaced every six months to maintain a better intensity long-term.
Not all T-8 tubes are the same. Some are 32watts and others are 40. If the bulb has a Lumens rating that may help. Most T-8's these days are rated around 2700-3000 for 32 watts and 3400-3600 for 40 watts. But I agree with Byron. They only wear out with use.
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Thanks to Camille Wilson White, art from OPEF’s Art Start program is now hanging in the Oak Park Area Arts Council Hall Gallery at Village Hall. Artful Portraits (Brooks), Why Triangles? (Irving), Who Are the Peacemakers? (Lincoln) and Meditation, Yoga & Creative Practices (Beye) represent just the beginning of the wonderful and thoughtful work from […]
As part of their Black History Month discussions, first graders from Lincoln worked with mosaic artist Jennifer McNulty on a paper mosaic project that explores historical and contemporary peacemakers and social activists. Students will also create artists statements to accompany their work. Involving math, history, art, and writing, this project is a perfect example of […]
Students in Ms. Cooper’s first grade class at Lincoln had an unusual subject for their history lesson this fall, rock and roll. Over five weeks teachers from Oak Park’s School of Rock came to Lincoln and taught the kids about the history of rock and roll and it’s place in our culture, as well as […]
¿Qué pasa in la clase de Señorita Bartell? Señorita Bartell’s Spanish Immersion classroom at Lincoln explored the concepts of wheels and axles – one of the simple machine units offered through the Oak Park Education Foundation’s Geared Up program. Geared Up provides Spanish language instruction booklets, and the various lessons on simple machines give the […]
We’ve had an exciting few months filled with dancing and yoga-loving teaching artists, creative scientists, and math-inspired visual artists visiting our schools and giving our kids hands-on projects and real-world learning experiences. Enjoy a few of the highlights! ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Beye Art Start Teaching Artist LeKeya Shearrill led Ms. Schweigert’s second graders at Beye in […]
Whittier, Longfellow, and Holmes students saw simple machines in action
Adult LEGO builders faced off in two challenges – build a car and build a landmark – and the competition was fierce (but friendly)!
Nearly 90 Oak Park area children joined us for Arboretum Adventures, our first ever BASE Camp on the Columbus Day holiday.
Oak Park Education Foundation is excited to introduce BASE Camp’s newest offering, Arboretum Adventures.
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Wilf received the e-mail telling him it was time for his annual appraisal.
He was never quite sure why anyone bothered. Last year he got a C, with some comments on his good work and one or two things to “develop”. The year before he got a C, with some comments on his good work and one or two things to “develop”. Last year the things to “develop” from the year before weren’t mentioned.
Snaking back through Wilf’s memory, he had only ever got a C. One year when a very nice lady from an external company reviewed the appraisal system, he was put in a small group with people from other departments he didn’t really know as “flatliners”. He wondered if this meant he was dead.
He was asked to prepare for the discussion with Marcie, his “line manager”. Marcie didn’t know what he did, because she worked in another building.
Wilf thought about it, as he did every year.
He had worked hard, put in his hours, put in some more, and been a good friend and colleague. He compromised when he needed to, and enforced the regulations when he needed to. He went to all of the drinks. Everyone liked Wilf. And nothing fell over.
He hadn’t broken a new market – Kelvin had done that.
He hadn’t hit a personal sales record – Arnie had done that.
He hadn’t seen a way to remove 30% of the production errors – Pippa had done that.
He hadn’t re-organised his team reducing costs by 25% and boosting productivity at the same time – Kelsey had done that.
He hadn’t discovered and fixed a glitch in the financial process that was leaking the company thousands – Corey had done that.
But he had worked hard, put in his hours, put in some more, and been a good friend and colleague. And nothing had fallen over.
Just like every year before.
This year, Wilf got a D.
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The Fields of Dagail
The Fields of Dagail are an expanse of rolling plains populated by independent homesteaders of a similar culture to the population of the five City-States. Many great battles have been fought here over the years.
The land takes its name from a powerful circle of druids who are venerated by the local people and who prevent the land from being abused. Dagail herself was the arch-druid (circa -74 FC), and is famous for having led a defense of the fields against attempted incursions by the Remaic Empire. Although eventually defeated and crucified as a rebel, her actions exacerbated the decline of the Empire and she became a martyr for many other dissidents.
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Dr. Ron McCurdy and John Malveaux
John Malveaux of
Poet Langston Hughes was narrator for the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival. He penned the poem ASK YOUR MAMA: 12 Moods for Jazz. Alongside the words of the poem, Hughes sketched out detailed instructions for musical accompaniment. He planned to stage an elaborate performance of his piece with the help of jazz musician and composer Charles Mingus, but died before seeing it to fruition.
On Wednesday, October 28 at UCLA Faculty Center, I attended Dr. Ron McCurdy's multi media presentation (live music, poetry & slides) of Langston Hughes ASK YOUR MAMA: 12 Moods for Jazz. See opening slide and picture with USC music professor Dr. McCurdy.
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Recently my favorite radio host asked me if I could explain the situation in Syria simply. Well . . . um-m-m . . . The story isn’t short, but it can be made simpler than many “experts” pretend. The basic story is that colonial powers imposed national boundaries upon people and groups that had been at blood feuds with each other since time immemorial. New lines on the map did not make them feel any sense of shared identity with their traditional enemies caught inside the same lines. When the colonial powers departed, they left behind local governments that could only keep up the fiction of nationhood through force. And when the Arab Spring (encouraged by the US) ended those “strongman” governments, the fiction of nationhood evaporated and the blood feuds returned. With a vengeance. This pattern has been played out in several nations. Here is the run-up to what happened in Syria.
Syria is not a nation, in the sense of a people held together by a common set of beliefs and values. Like most Mideast states, Syria is a geographic entity that contains a broad collection of peoples who share some history and common interests, but also differ in religion, culture, loyalties, narrative of the past, and vision for the future. Calling Syria a nation is like calling America a nation before Europeans arrived. Yeah, there were lots of American Indians, but they were local tribes living separately, with little in common and frequently at war. There was no nation. Until the 19th century, the Mideast was marked mostly by the rulers and the ruled – not nations sharing values and beliefs.
When the British, French, and other colonial powers began to occupy the Far East, Near East, and Mideast, they crushed local opposition, and imposed boundaries to serve their own interests, regardless of traditional loyalties. Many academics today castigate the colonizers, but in fact the British ended slavery, minimized local fighting, and generally improved health and sanitation. Not as first priorities, or course. That was making money. But there was to some extent less conflict during British colonial rule than before . . . or after.
The Brits used local minorities to set up colonial governments. The minorities feared the local majorities and other minorities more than their colonial overlords, and used their skills to remain in power after the departure of the colonial powers post-World War II. The result was conflict everywhere in the post-colonial era, as groups small and large struggled for power and dominion over the shells of states that the Western Powers left behind. Of course, in some areas a single tribe (like the House of Saud) with a single religious focus (Wahhabism), won domination without carrying colonial baggage. But in general, former colonies (like Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, etc.) came to be dominated by strongmen with a Western vision of political power, but based on tribal or family ties. They ruled their nations with a combination of benefits for those who cooperated, and broken heads for those who didn’t. And opposition generally coalesced along family, tribal, and religious lines as well.
During the Cold War, those strongmen feared democracy, and were attracted to the centralization of power promised by socialism, so they frequently supported the USSR and opposed the US. Although we had plenty of strongman supporters ourselves (Batista, Marcos, the Shah of Iran), those in North Africa and around Israel tended to line up against us. Meanwhile, whether they favored West or East, strongmen who wanted modern power had to turn to non-Muslim states for economic, military, intelligence and technical assistance. This in turn alienated conservative religious factions even within their own households, just as revolutions in communications and transportation made networking by those disaffected parties easier than ever before. The end of the Cold War produced a transitional period where socialism had failed, but the strongmen were not yet sure of the new alignment. The dramatic US victory in the Gulf War pushed them toward us, and the Neo-Conservatives in power generally welcomed the stability they promised in a part of the world vital to modern economies.
Some strongmen pushed back, however – especially in Iran and Iraq. And for years they were in conflict with each other and with us at the same time. We developed a policy called “dual containment” where we favored neither, and tried to play off one against the other to maintain regional stability. It was a difficult business, and after 9/11 the Neocons saw a solution in the conquest of Iraq, and its conversion to a peaceful, unified democratic nation on the order of Germany after the Second World War. This vision showed a complete misunderstanding of Mideast history and circumstances in general, and Iraq in particular. (Be patient – we are getting to Syria.) But it might have worked if the US had stayed for generations as it did in Germany and Japan.
But Americans wanted out, and the new President Obama obliged them, confident that his support of the Arab Spring (overthrowing strongmen region wide) would bring democracy and a peaceful resolution of those ridiculous ancient grudges based on religion and blood feuds. (“Clinging to their God and their guns,” he called it within the US.) Predictably, the opposite happened. Supporting the overthrow of Qaddafi, et al, released hatreds long suppressed but now equipped with modern weapons. Iraq fractured along minority Sunni / minority Kurdish / majority Shia lines. And states with more ethnic and religious factions (like Syria) fractured into more and smaller pieces.
And now a flashback within the flashback.
Until the Clinton Administration, US national interests were identified as either survival, vital, important, or peripheral. Maintaining the flow of Mideast oil was a survival issue – we would fight for it. Reducing child labor globally was peripheral – we addressed it when convenient. Both Republicans and Democrats agreed with this approach, which is why “politics stopped at the water’s edge.”
But as President Clinton began his second term in 1997, the new Secretary of State Madeline Albright declared for the first time that American VALUES constituted an American SURVIVAL interest. That is, the US would use all elements of national power, to include military power, to advance our values worldwide.
The Bush Administration was careful to couch the invasion of Iraq in Clintonian terms (promoting human rights and democracy), and thus obtained the support of many Democrats who later regretted their decision. While President Obama eschewed the direct use of military power (except under the auspices of NATO command), he was willing to “lead from behind” in promoting his Administration’s values in the Arab Spring – thereby overthrowing the strongmen and their anti-democratic policies which had previously kept the order that served our more venial interests. The expectation of what would follow turned out to be as flawed as the assumptions of the Neocons when they invaded Iraq. So in chasing calculated interests, Bush & Co. pulled the cork from the bottle by overthrowing one strongman, loosing the caustic catalysts of tribalism and religious fanaticism in one country. Obama & Co. smashed the bottle while chasing their vision of values, and loosed a witch’s brew on the entire region.
In Libya, Qaddafi's overthrow led to both anarchy and religious strife, as well as the distribution of his massive store of weapons to radical groups everywhere. For example, Qaddafi reportedly owned more shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles (useful against the US Air Force and civilian airliners) than Great Britain. Many are now missing. (Press reports stated that one of the men killed in Benghazi told friends he was going to Libya as a contractor to recover those missiles.)
Despite anarchy in Libya, and the rise of anti-American religious fanatics to power in Egypt, Obama’s team saw another chance to spread their values in Syria, and publicly encouraged the overthrow of President Assad. Once again, the result did not go as planned.
Which brings us to Syria . . . in the next installment of Thinking Enemy.
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My husband is interested in learning to build motorcycles. How’s the best way to get started? I wondered if there’s some type of school or training program that I could surprise him with for his birthday? Any suggestions?
There are two things I would suggest to learn how to build motorcycles.
The first is read. There are books about building custom bikes and there are manuals that deal with the engines, braking systems and everything else. Here are the most popular books about building choppers on Amazon:
How to Build Choppers - Amazon.com
The second thing he should do is practice. There are “bootcamps” and there are aprenticeships, but if this is just a hobby those may be too instensive for the weekend builder. The best option for you seems to be community college or university auto shop. For a fraction of what it would cost to rent or buy all the tools you need, including welders and paint sprayers, you will have access to all the equipment and an instructor to show you how to do it.
Don’t start from scratch on the first bike you build. Buy a cheap “clunker” and bring it back to life. Make sure it is cheap so you can experiment and fix it if you mess up. Start on a older and/or smaller Japanese V twin and hone your skills until you are confident in them and then you can reburbish a bigger motorcycle, get a kit bike, or start from scratch.
Lastly, unlike the motorcycle shows on TV, slow and steady is the way to build a motorcycle. Making sure it is done right is the most important thing in bike building. Don’t rush it. Your life as well as your passenger’s depends on it.Permalink
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You already have your recycling bins in place, and maybe even a compost bin started… but I’ll bet that there’s still a lot of things going into the garbage can in your kitchen, no matter how hard you try to conserve and reuse. Did you know that there are three common food waste items that you can keep instead of toss?
If you’re anything like me, every morning means the addition of more coffee grounds to the trashcan. But not only are coffee grounds a great addition to your compost bin, they’re also great for your hair!
If you’re a brunette, use coffee grounds to make your hair shiny and deeper in color, with added dimension and sheen. Mix about three to five tablespoons of coffee in three to five cups of boiling water, and let the mixture simmer for five to ten minutes. Allow to cool, then use as a rinse after your normal shampoo-and-conditioner routine. Allow to soak in about five minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
Non-brunettes can take advantage of the beauty of coffee grounds as well: coffee grounds can be used as a natural exfoliant, perfect for buffing away rough patches on knees and elbows. The caffeine content of coffee grounds is also thought to help diminish the appearance of cellulite!
Don’t toss your orange peels! Not only are there tons of culinary options for these, like infused olive oil or sugar, or candied orange peel, but you can also use orange peels or lemon peels in your very own homemade potpourri.
There are two common kinds of potpourri, and orange peels work well in both. For a dried version, combine oranges with star anise, cinnamon sticks, or other scented herbs and spices, and simply place in a wide bowl. Be sure to dry all ingredients before displaying, or else the orange peels may rot, giving off a different — and none too pleasant — odor.
For a temporary potpourri that infuses your home with a more intense aroma, boil orange peels — along with other herbs and spices, should you wish — on the stovetop in a few inches of water. The scents will quickly be dispersed throughout your home.
Banana peels are more than just a prop for slapstick: they’re amazing for your skin. Banana peels can be used to treat or cure all sorts of skin ailments, including acne, psoriasis, poison ivy and warts. Simply rub the inside of a banana peel onto the affected area.
As you might imagine, banana peels can also be used to make a mask for your skin. Use a sharp knife to scrape the inside from the peel, and combine with a raw egg. Apply to your face, and allow the mask to sit for thirty minutes before rinsing thoroughly. You’re on your way to more gorgeous skin and less kitchen waste!
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Monday, October 15, 2018
Becky’s Story: A Collaboration of Care.
When Equality Health Care Team Nurse Rachel Jozaites first met Becky, a 36-year-old Native American woman with a history of alcohol abuse, Becky’s liver was failing.
“She was so ill, I thought she was going to die,” Rachel said.
Becky hadn’t been to a primary care physician in years, but was admitted to the hospital three times between July and August. It was after her second hospital visit, when Becky left the hospital against the advice of the medical staff, that Rachel was notified to reach out and help. “In addition to the alcohol abuse, she had a number of health problems, including depression,” Rachel said.
Becky’s sister had recently died from liver failure, and alcoholism.
When the Emergency Department Becomes a Revolving Door
Becky repeatedly sought care at the Emergency Department (ED) due to fluid retention and the effects of toxin accumulation in the bloodstream. She experienced painful swelling in her feet, legs and abdomen. The white blood cell counts were also significantly out of normal range.
“It’s common for liver failure patients to frequent the emergency department,” Rachel said. “They usually go to the ED, get fluid drained off and medications to help expel those fluids. But Becky had never been given treatment for her other chronic conditions.
“When people leave the hospital against medical advice, you don’t get discharge papers, medication, follow-up care instructions, etc., so people end up being readmitted and still very sick.”
Third Time’s a Charm
Becky was so sick, Rachel told her, “If you don’t go to the hospital, you’re at risk of dying.”
On Rachel’s advice, Becky was admitted to the hospital for the third time, and was told she had to be cleared before she could leave. Rachel said, “There’s a reason why you’re not discharged. You’re not stable enough to be home!”
Rachel discussed Becky’s plan of care with her social worker at the hospital, and explained that she’d never been given any medication to help manage her condition.
Making Primary Care a Primary Strategy
As an AHCCCS patient, Becky was originally auto-assigned to a primary care group. She never thought to make an appointment.
Rachel met with Becky and assigned her to a new primary care doctor, but Becky cancelled the five appointments she made for her. In an attempt to motivate her to go and do something about her poor health, Rachel was calling Becky three to four times a week.
“I told her, ‘I can’t want you to get better more than you want to get better for yourself,’” Rachel said.
“Even though she kept cancelling, I told her I’m here for her. She started crying and said she really appreciated my help. She said she’d go see the primary care doctor if I would go with her.”
Rachel attended the appointment and got Becky established with a doctor and behavioral health specialist. Becky also got all of her medications appropriately adjusted, and was referred to a liver specialist.
“They were going to make her wait six weeks for the appointment but when I explained her condition, they moved it to just two weeks out,” Rachel said.
“Sometimes just having us call providers for the patient can move things up. We help them navigate the system,” Rachel said. “With me advocating for her, Becky’s primary care physician became more engaged, understanding that we are a team.”
They’ll Never Care How Much You Know
Until They Know How Much You Care
During in-home follow-up meetings, Rachel said she did a lot of education with Becky and her husband around disease management and infection prevention. The Equality Care Team Chaplain, Cesar Tellez, also provided the couple with ongoing spiritual and emotional support.
“Cesar prayed with them a lot. If you’re depressed, you’re not motivated to take care of yourself,” Rachel said.
For Becky, the care team efforts made a difference.
“I did a home visit and just from the increase in her water pills and wound care for her foot, her swelling went down significantly. She was actually smiling and joking for the first time—a welcome change from other appointments where she was crying,” Rachel said.
Planning for a Brighter Future
Rachel said she’ll be connecting Becky with a case manager from her insurance—Care1st—so she gets a long-term plan to help her manage her condition and avoid the emergency department.
Rachel said she feels confident that Becky will get the help she needs. “Now that she sees a path forward, I believe she’ll continue with her treatment plan. The face-to-face interaction was a big help to her. We visited her at the hospital, the doctor’s office and at her home.”
“The combination of patient advocacy and collaboration between our Care Team and physicians resulted in success,” Rachel said.
“Many of our members need a lot of handholding and Becky is not unique. One-size-fits-all care actually doesn’t work! The complex healthcare system often neglects the human connection. People want to know somebody cares about them,” Rachel said.
“If I hadn’t called Becky, she would have fallen off everyone’s radar and probably died.”
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While the eyes of the world have been on the 2012 London Games, the Olympic influence did not leave the auction scene untouched.
Firms were understandably keen to capitalise
on the opportunity presented by such a mega-event, including two
London auctioneers who mounted specialist sales of Olympic
memorabilia in the immediate run-up to the Games.
Graham Budd (17.5% buyer's premium)offered 601 lots in
association with Sotheby's at their New Bond Street saleroom on
July 24 and
Bonhams (25/20/12% buyer's premium) put another 216 lots under
the hammer in their Knightsbridge rooms the next day.
At the Graham Budd sale, demand was
strongest for the rarer items dating from the 1896-1924 period,
with the strongest results for medals, although posters also proved
London 1908 was understandably popular, but
other early Games items attracted high interest.
From the 1928 Amsterdam event onwards there
was increasing commercialisation of the Games so many items from
later Olympics are more common and produced in larger numbers.
The earliest lots in Mr Budd's sale related
to the inaugural revived event in 1896. They included the first
three issues of Pierre de Coubertin's (founder of the modern
Olympic movement) original publication Bullétin du
ComitéInternational des Jeux Olympiques 1894/95 (today
known as the Olympic Review). Described as "scarce",
it made a low-estimate £6000.
An 1896 Athens silver medal fetched £15,000
(estimate £15,000-18,000). No gold medals were actually awarded at
this first Games - winners were given a silver medal.
Christie's have another one of these in their September 3
London Sale, estimated at £20,000-30,000. It was supposed to be
given to the winner of the boat race but was never presented after
rough seas and strong winds meant the event was cancelled.
First London Games
The 1908 items really got the sale going,
with interest high considering it was the first of the three Games
to be held in London and the sale was held to coincide with the
third version. Vendors who had maybe retained items in the family
for many years were tempted to consign.
The Olympics were held in White City, West
London, after the Italians said they could not afford to hold it in
Rome following the 1906 Naples earthquake. Just 22 countries took
part in London and Great Britain took 56 gold, 51 silver and 38
bronze medals - a haul surely never to be repeated.
A very rare opportunity came up on July 24
to buy a complete set of cased gold, silver and bronze medals all
awarded to GB competitors and proved to be the stand-out lot. They
were designed by Bertrand Mackennal and produced by Vaughan of
Birmingham. The gold went to Charles Sydney Smith for water polo,
the bronze to bantamweight boxer William 'Wally' Webb, but the
silver was for the GB team in the intriguing 'team single shot
running deer' competition - which featured, as you may have
guessed, a deer-shaped target making ten runs of 75ft lasting about
four seconds. The set made £17,000 against an estimate of
A collection of memorabilia featuring a
cased gold medal and winner's diploma for boxer Richard K. Gunn
fetched £10,500, just above low estimate. Gunn holds the record as
the oldest man to have been crowned as an Olympic boxing champion
at the age of 37 years and 254 days. He had come out of retirement
to take part (an 1896 retirement which was actually at the request
of the ABA because he was far too dominant...).
Making £10,500 against an estimate of
£8000-12,000, a 1908 gold medal awarded for rugby showed that
antipodean dominance of the game is not a new phenomenon. The
recipient was unknown. The touring Wallabies team provided the only
real opposition to a GB side which was effectively the Cornwall
county team, and won convincingly 32-3.
The badges worn by officials at the White
City stadium are rare but have occasionally come up at auction and
proved popular. The July 24 sale included a silver-plated and blue
enamel marathon judge's badge which made a low-estimate £8000.
A marathon steward's badge went for £4200 at
Special Auction Services near Newbury on September 1-2 last
The 1908 event was famously the occasion
when the disorientated Dorando Pietri was disqualified after being
helped when he collapsed close to the finish line, but was later
given a silver-gilt cup by Queen Alexandra.
All the 1908 lots mentioned above went to
overseas private buyers.
Along with the rarity value of the earlier
Games, which of course means many items were the first ever
awarded, as events were added to the roster - or taken away - and
participants became the first to win particular events for their
countries, there are also some remarkable stories adding to the
The background to a 1912 Stockholm gold
medal reflects this, contributing to an £11,000 hammer price
against an estimate of £4000-6000. It was awarded for the 100m
freestyle relay to swimmer Jennie Fletcher - who had become
Britain's first female Olympic swimming medallist when she took a
bronze in the individual event.
Fletcher described swimming as her "greatest
pleasure and no encouragement was needed for me to compete in polo,
diving or swimming". A society where suffragettes were just
starting to have an effect was not so eager, though, and she had to
get special permission for her brother Ben to be allowed to pace
her - there was no mixed swimming. In 1908, after much
deliberation, it was decided that a competition for ladies could be
held, but uncertainty and a late decision meant there were not
enough entries and those events were cancelled.
Reinforcing the interest pre-1928 was a gold
medal from the 1920 Antwerp Games in the original box of issue. A
UK private buyer paid £11,000 to shatter the £2000-2500 estimate,
even though the recipient is unknown. However, it is believed to
have been in Britain since 1920, so is presumed to have been won by
a British competitor. GB won 15 golds at Antwerp.
The 1912 and 1920 medals mentioned above
went to overseas private buyers.
One poster sold for a low-estimate £4200,
also to an overseas private buyer, was for a Games that never
really took place: the 1916 Olympics, cancelled because of the
First World War. A national Olympics was held in Amsterdam instead
and although deemed unofficial, Pierre de Coubertin had declared:
"If an Olympiad is not celebrated, its number remains", so it
became known as the VIth Olympiad. Another poster for a Games
suspended because of war, that of Helsinki in 1940, was sold for a
An official poster for a Games that
definitely took place, Paris 1924, featuring saluting athletes,
made £7200 against a £2000-3000 estimate, bought by a UK private
As Mr Budd acknowledged, the later items did
not have the same pull as the earlier Games. A 1936 Winter Olympic
Games cased bronze medal and diploma presented to Guy Dugdale for
the GB four-man bobsleigh, inscribed
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, did go for £15,000 to an overseas
private buyer but this was under estimate. GB won three medals at
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, including, amazingly perhaps, gold in the
This was the first sale Mr Budd has held
dedicated solely to the Games, although his regular sporting sales
have featured many Olympic items.
The timing - held just days before the
Olympic opening ceremony - boosted interest, although over half the
lots failed to get away in the end. He said there was a very good,
busy atmosphere in the room, with three TV crews joining the many
international buyers from countries such as the US, Australia and
China. With Bonhams holding their Olympic sale a day later many
international buyers would have been in London, also ready to
attend the Games perhaps, and many lots went to private buyers
actually in the room.
"There were a lot of collectors who had
previously not been on our radar, so that aspect was very
pleasing," said Mr Budd.
The sale total was £314,630 hammer, with 262 (45%) lots
Antiques Trade Gazette is the weekly bible of the fine art and antiques industry. Read articles like this every week in the Antiques Trade Gazette or ATG app. Click here to subscribe today.
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Distance from Kalanwali to Bankura
Distance from Kālānwāli to Bānkura is 1,408 kilometers. This air travel distance is equal to 875 miles.
The air travel (bird fly) shortest distance between Kālānwāli and Bānkura is 1,408 km= 875 miles.
If you travel with an airplane (which has average speed of 560 miles) from Kalanwali to Bankura, It takes 1.56 hours to arrive.
Kalanwali is located in India.
|GPS Coordinates (DMS)||29° 49´ 58.1160'' N |
74° 58´ 42.8520'' E
Kālānwāli Distances to Cities
|Distance from Kalanwali to Kaithal||137 km|
|Distance from Kalanwali to Hisar||106 km|
|Distance from Kalanwali to Hoshiarpur||208 km|
|Distance from Kalanwali to Kolkata||1,560 km|
|Distance from Kalanwali to Hanumangarh||69 km|
Bankura is located in India.
|GPS Coordinates||23° 13´ 56.6760'' N |
87° 4´ 17.7600'' E
Bānkura Distances to Cities
|Distance from Bankura to Bagula||161 km|
|Distance from Bankura to Agra||1,012 km|
|Distance from Bankura to Aizawl||579 km|
|Distance from Bankura to Baberu||695 km|
|Distance from Bankura to Banki||354 km|
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List of Apache training courses
availabe (click here for a class schedule):
- Apache Web Server Administration
- a two-day course on administering the popular httpd Web server.
View course description here.
- Apache Tomcat Administration - a two-day course
on Tomcat application server administration. View
course description here.
- Java Web Development on Tomcat - a four-day
Java programming course that focuses on Servlet and JavaServer
Pages development using Tomcat and the MySQL database (or whatever
database you prefer). View
course outline here.
If you are interested in pricing
for our Apache training, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.org
or phone (605) 391-2110 and a representative will assist you.
| 155,948
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[Numpy-discussion] question about optimizing
Sat May 17 14:02:54 CDT 2008
2008/5/17 Charles R Harris <firstname.lastname@example.org>:
> On Sat, May 17, 2008 at 9:52 AM, Alan G Isaac <email@example.com> wrote:
>> On Fri, 16 May 2008, Anne Archibald apparently wrote:
>> > storing actual python objects in an array is probably not
>> > a good idea
>> I have been wondering what people use object arrays for.
>> I have been guessing that it is for indexing convenience?
>> Are there other core motivations?
> You can always define an object array of matrices, which solves Tim's
> problem of matrix stacks, albeit in not the most efficient manner and not
> the easiest thing to specify due to the current limitations of array(...). I
> do think it would be nice to have arrays or arrays, but this needs one more
> array type so that one can do something like array(list_of_arrays,
> dtype=matrix((2,3),float)), i.e., we could use a fancier dtype.
I think if you're going to be writing code to do this, it would be
better not to use object arrays. After all, there no reason the
underlysing storage for an array of matrices shouldn't be one big
block of memory rather than a lot of scattered python objects.
More information about the Numpy-discussion
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Copyright © By Dr. Adel Elsaie, Book Title: "History of Truth, The Truth about God and Religions"
1.1 The Law of Repetition
Translate this page
One Ayah in the Quran in Surah 55 is repeated 31 times. This Ayah states: "Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?" This Surah is 78 Ayat (or Ayahs, Arabic: Ayat) and lists many favors that Allah bestows upon us, and after citing each favor; the above Ayah is repeated as a continuous reminder to humanity to acknowledge His unlimited generosity. It is interesting to note that the Arabic word for "humanity" is derived from the same Arabic term that means "forgetfulness."
Another Ayah is repeated 4 times in Surah 54 starting in Ayah 17. The Ayah states "And We have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and remember. Then is there any that will receive admonition?" Moreover, a part of an Ayah is repeated 5 times in Surah 27 starting in Ayah 60 "Can there be another god besides Allah?"
The above repeated Ayat are just examples of the repetition in the Quran. The repetition of a certain Ayah adds to the beauty and eloquence of the authentic Word of God. It touches the hearts and minds of the believers. This repetition may be thought of as part of the style of the Word of God.
It is possible to extend this style of repetition in the Quran to physical phenomena or events. Consequently I will introduce the Law of repetition. Generally the Divine Law of repetition examines the repetitive design or repetitive event in different branches of science. It then attempts to answer the question of who is the cause of this repetition. The Divine Law of Cause and Effect attributes one cause to one effect. This law is a strong proof for the existence of God. The more general Law of Repetition attributes repetitive effects in non-related fields to One God. This law simply states that because common guidelines exist, in all living organisms, physical objects or historical events, then the Designer or the Creator of all organisms, objects or events is the same. This law also states that because a phenomenon exists in different branches of science, then this phenomenon has to be attributed to only one Uncaused Cause. With humility and open mind, we should believe that God exists.
There are overwhelming evidences to believe that the unseen God does indeed exist, because one can observe the signs and the physical results of His creation. One can see these signs in the technical perfection and intricacy of the structure of atoms, solar systems, galaxies, and living cells. They all have a similar design of a nucleus and objects rotating around it. This similarity or repetition in their design reveals that the Designer or Creator of these physical objects is the same, regardless of their size or function.
Humans, animals, and birds have many repetitive features because they all share the Earthís common environment. On the outside they have symmetrical organs - two hands, two or four legs, two eyes, two ears - all arranged symmetrically. Hair, feathers, and scales are also arranged symmetrically. Even the colored designs on the wings of the butterfly are arranged symmetrically! The internal organs of humans and animals are arranged to use the space inside efficiently. The human left lung has fewer lobes so that it can accommodate the heart, which nestles inside it. Nearly every species, from cow to chicken to human, has its heart on the left. No one really knows the exact mechanism that pushes the cells of the heart to the left during the embryonic stage. No one really knows the exact mechanism that pushes the cells of the ears to each side of the head during the embryonic stage. Etc.
Developing an embryo is more complex than building a skyscraper. In a skyscraper, a supervisor reviews the drawings and instructs workers where to go and which construction material to use. Bit by bit, from the foundation up, the building takes shape. In a living body, the workers are the construction materials, and both are living cells. Each cell has a copy of the master plan inserted into its nucleus in the form of the DNA. Just as the construction supervisor cannot send the roofers before the foundation is poured, cells have to appear at the right time in the right place. Depending on its function, each cell reads a different part of the genetic code from the DNA. Some cells become specialized as proteins, fat or muscle. Others act like conduits signals, carrying messages to other cells. Such signals play a big role in establishing the structure and location of any organ. This is not a simple process, but a very complex one that embryologists have no detailed answer as to why and how.
This whole universe follows certain laws. We know a few of them and may learn some more. One such universal law is "the Law of Repetition." This law is seen in the examples provided by atoms, solar systems, and galaxies. An atom has a nucleus and electrons rotating around the nucleus. Solar system has a star and planets rotating around the star. Galaxies has a nucleus and stars rotating around the nucleus. Therefore, this law may be stated as follows:
The building block of basic objects has a nucleus and smaller things rotating around it.
A human being develops from a single cell, the zygote, which forms when a female egg is fertilized by a male sperm. Immediately after fertilization, the zygote also rotates about the center of the egg. No one knows why! Is it possible that this Law of Repetition represents an act of worship or submission to the Will of God? How else can anyone explain this phenomenon that is valid for the tiny atom and zygote, the midsize solar system as well as the colossal galaxy?
The practice of pilgrimage in Islam follows the same above Law of Repetition. Two million Muslims perform pilgrimage in Mecca each year by circling the Kaabah (the house of Allah) and praising God. Thereby the Kaabah can be looked at as a nucleus and the Muslims are the smaller creatures that rotate around it. Similarly the Quran states in Surah (chapter) 39, Ayah (verse) 75, that the Angels surround the Throne of God, praising their Lord.
Humans are made of cells and cells are made of atoms. Because atoms surrender to the Will of God and are in a constant act of worship, it follows that humans are born into this world with a pure and innocent condition. This also means that the basic nature of humans is righteously created, with no original sin inherited from Adam or Eve.
To expand this Law of Repetition in different branches of science, one has to examine the basics, and then one will find that the basics of one branch of science can be applied to other branches. As an example, all physical systems are in a state of equilibrium or balance. This statement can be expressed by many equations in different branches of science. An example of this case is Newtonís third law, which states "for every action, there is a reaction equal to the action and opposite in direction." The equation in this case can be written as:
Action = Reaction
The mathematical symbol of the equal sign, =, means the right hand side of the equal sign is balanced or in equilibrium with the left-hand side of the equal sign.
All studies in different branches of engineering schools consist of studying and solving equilibrium equations, studying the physical properties of matter, and then designing a system that satisfies equilibrium and the properties of material. This is all what a student learns in engineering school. When dealing with forces, the equilibrium equations can be stated as the applied forces equal to the reactions. In the case of balancing energies, the equilibrium equations are stated simply as the input energy equals to the output energy.
Let us look at the different sciences in the school of engineering:
Structural engineering: Studying equilibrium of structures and the physical properties of steel and concrete.
Aerospace engineering / Aerodynamics: Studying equilibrium of air and the physical properties of air.
Civil Engineering / Hydraulics: Studying equilibrium of flowing fluids in pipes or channels and the physical properties of these fluids.
Electrical engineering: Studying equilibrium of flowing electric currents in circuits and the physical properties of electric and magnetic fields
Chemical engineering: studying of equilibrium of chemical processes and the physical properties of the elements involved in the chemical processes.
Mechanical engineering / Thermodynamics: studying the equilibrium of different kinds of energies such as heat and the physical properties of those energies.
Mechanical engineering / Vibration: studying equilibrium between potential and kinetic energies based upon the physical properties of the vibrating objects.
The entire school of engineering is based upon studying equilibrium and properties of matter. Equilibrium can be static for stationary systems such as buildings or bridges or dynamic for moving systems such as cars, aircraft, or planets.
The Law of Repetition is demonstrated in engineering as follows:
All systems are in a state of static or dynamic equilibrium.
This law of equilibrium did not just happen in nature by evolution or some other mechanism. There is no physical explanation as to why equilibrium is happening everywhere and at all time, unless we extend Newtonís explanation of the nature of gravity to include equilibrium as another divine action. Perhaps equilibrium is Godís way of telling us that His creation is always balanced and perfect. In this case, studying science is just the human way of understanding some of Godís laws for the purpose of appreciating His power and supremacy.
As an extension to the above law, chemical reactions happen all the time in a human body. Every chemical reaction is subject to chemical equilibrium. A disease can be defined as an imbalance in one of those reactions. Taking medication restores the balance. Pharmacology is a branch of medicine that studies the known chemical reactions in the human body and the effect of medication on diseases. Studying in the school of medicine involves the equilibrium of the chemical reaction inside the body as well as the properties of each organ and system in the human body. In that sense, the similarity of engineering and medicine becomes obvious.
A further demonstration of the Law of Repetition is that all systems are uniform on a large scale, but display irregularities on a small scale. If you look at the sky at night, you see the uniformity of the void, with a few scattered stars that represent the irregularities in that huge void. In this case, the stars represent the irregularities in the huge, otherwise uniform, void. Human beings are also uniform on a large scale. Taken as a whole, the populationís height, weight, intelligence, behavior, health, etc. can be quantified with an average value for each trait. Many people are healthy while others suffer an irregularity such as disease. Trees also are uniform on a large scale. They all have roots, stems, branches, and leaves. But, the bearing of different kinds of fruit or no fruit at all, even the different shapes of leaves can be thought of as small scale irregularities. And the list can go on and on.
From a human standard, the irregularities can be beneficial or harmful. The irregularities exist for a reason that we cannot understand each one of them. The solar system is a huge void with the sun and the planets existing as tree leaves in a vast desert. Atoms have the same structure as the solar system with the nucleus and electrons separated by relatively large distance. And since the human body consists of atoms, it can be seen that it is mainly empty space with the nuclei and electrons as the exceptions to this huge void. Why is that? Recall the above-mentioned example of the ant and the elephant! The ant does not know what is in the mind of the elephant, and we will never know what is in God's mind unless He reveals some of His Knowledge. This is simply the system that He chooses, and we do not know why. Hence, this Law of Repetition can be stated as follows:
All systems are so uniform on a large scale, with some irregularities on a small scale.
This Law may also help us understand some of the aspects of human suffering, such as some babies that are born with birth defects. These defects are the exceptions, and the uniformity is that the majorities are born healthy. We may be able to suggest that we know why that happens. People should be grateful to God that they do not have defected babies. But guess how many people on earth actually thank God when they have healthy babies? How many people thank God that they are not sick? How many people thank God that they can find food, water, and shelter? The great lesson of the few who suffer is that the majority should be grateful for all the favors that God bestowed on them. What about those people who suffer in this life? The answer is who knows what God prepared for them in heaven? May be they will be happier for a long time than those who appear to be fortunate on Earth. I do not claim to know the exact answer, but I have full confidence in Godís Wisdom and Justice.
Years ago, as a student studying my Ph.D., I encountered a problem in my thesis that I could not find its solution right away. I felt extremely concerned and sad. Then I went for a walk to calm myself down. There, I saw a man without legs begging for few pennies to eat. I looked at him and thought here was a man whose ambition was to eat, and he was trying to get help for his hunger. And there I was, feeling sad for a luxury item that I could not get fast enough. That was about thirty years ago. I try to remember that scene when I face some problem in my life and compare my problems with that man's problem. This really forced me to say thank you God for what I have.
Another application of the Law of Repetition is the old clichť that states "history repeats itself." Let us understand what this statement means. In one way it means that civilization and power in certain countries rises to a peak, and then citizens become blinded by success, then this civilization reaches its demise, and another civilization starts, and so on. Everyone knows that. But, did you also notice that the more ancient empires lasted more than the following ones. History books tell us about the following civilizations and empires:
Sumerian civilization in Iraq (3500 - 800 BC)
Egyptian civilization (3000 - 1070 BC)
Minoan civilization in Crete (3000 -1000 BC)
Creek civilization (2000 - 300 BC)
Chinese civilization (1523 BC - 906 AD)
Indian civilization (1500 -185 BC)
Mexican civilization (1200 - 300 BC)
Roman Empire (753 BC - 476 AD)
Byzantine Empire (330 - 1453)
Islamic Caliphate (632 - 1526)
Ottoman Caliphate (1300 - 1923)
British Empire (1558 -1982)
French Empire (1804 -1962)
Russian Empire (1689 -1917)
Soviet Empire (1917 -1992)
American civilization (1865 -)
History books show that the duration of civilizations used to be a few thousand years, then several hundreds. Now we live in an era where "superpowers" last a few hundred years, or even less than a hundred years as in the case of the Soviet Union. People who can be affected by preconceived ideas write history books, which can also be audited and adjusted by governments according to the political climate of that time. The Ottoman Caliphate is a case in point. Historians claim that it was an empire. History books in many Islamic countries consider that empire a case of colonization. Very few history books mention that it was an Islamic Caliphate that united many Islamic countries. This is a fact that many governments choose to ignore. If we recognize the Ottoman Caliphate as an extension of the previous Islamic Caliphate, it would make its duration from 632-1923 or about 1300 years. Consequently, the next Law of Repetition states the following:
Duration of civilization decreases with time.
The only exception to this Law is the Islamic Caliphate. Since the Muslims lost the Ottoman Caliphate, Islamic revival is growing in all Islamic countries, and Islam is the fastest growing religion in non-Islamic countries.
If you want to let your mind wander about this Law of Repetition, you can find many other interesting examples about the Law of Repetition.
Now for those who want a proof that God exists, The Quran provides the answer in Surah (chapter) 41, Ayah (verse) 53:
"Soon will We show them Our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?"
Almost all Quranic interpretations agree that the above verse addresses the unbelievers, but I feel that this verse inspired many Muslims to look at the universe and their bodies to strengthen their faith. This verse identifies two groups of people:
Those who are looking for proof or a technique to become faithful can achieve that by looking at the skies and to the human bodies. The complexity of the design of the universe and the living cell leaves one's mind spinning. People need to contemplate and ponder to arrive at the highest conclusion in this universe.
Those who have faith, and accept Godís Word that He is a witness of His Existence without a need for further proof. They know that He exists by their hearts. This is truly a blessed group.
The first group represents the non-Muslims and the Muslims who seek scientific and rational evidences for the divine creation. Those are, also, who base their faith on a logical approach and an analytical procedure. They usually become strong advocates to Islam, and in some cases they have stronger faith than most of the traditional Muslims. This group challenges the strong wave of materialism and atheism in favor of the clear moral values that Islam represents.
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My DIY friends sometimes ask me if they should install a “summer” thermostat in their vehicle (or remove the thermostat altogether) to help it run cooler in hot weather. My answer is always the same—absolutely not! When you start up a cold engine, the computer immediately checks the engine coolant and outside air temperature sensors and ignores the readings from the oxygen sensors. This is called “open loop,” and it’s the least efficient in terms of gas mileage and emissions. That’s why carmakers want the engine to heat up to full operating temperature as quickly as possible. So most install a 195-degree thermostat at the factory and program the computer to switch over to the more fuel-efficient “closed loop” mode when it reaches that temperature. If you remove the thermostat or install a lower “summer” thermostat (180 degrees), the computer will never go into “closed loop.” Your vehicle won’t run well and will suffer poor gas mileage. The richer than normal fuel mixtures can also cause damage to the very expensive catalytic converter under your vehicle. So if your vehicle experiences overheating problems in the summer, fix the root cause (water pump, clogged radiator, inoperative cooling fans, bum fan relay, etc.) instead of masking the symptoms with a lower temperature thermostat. If you’ve already pulled out the thermostat, turn it over and check the temperature stamped into the bottom of the copper pellet. Then check with the parts store to see what temperature thermostat your engine requires.
— Rick Muscoplat, Automotive Editor
Got an engine overheating problem? Click here for tips on finding the cause: http://www.aa1car.com/library/overheat.htm
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Looking for a unique way to explore Roman history? Look no further than Lunt Roman Fort! 🏰👀
Located in Baginton (Near Coventry) this reconstructed Roman fort was the perfect destination for Robins to revisit their existing knowledge learnt in History.
We took a step back in time to discover what life was like in Roman Britain. We explored the fort and took part in a Roman soldier drill, and even tried on some Roman armour! 🛡️🗡️ It was a great day with the sun shining (hotter than expected!) and a fabulous occasion for us to enjoy a picnic lunch outside inside a Roman Fort!
4 thoughts on “Lunt Roman Fort”
It was so fun and interesting.
I thought so too! You learnt very quickly how to battle!
I loved listening about the Romans, and finding out that their way of battiling is different to how we battle.
Thanks for replying on the blog! It’s great to hear you enjoyed it!
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LONDON — The Central Intelligence Agency was bugging the telephone conversations of Britain’s Princess Diana on the night she died, a British newspaper reported Monday. But current and former U.S. officials told NBC News that intelligence agencies never targeted the late Princess of Wales.
The Observer newspaper, citing the findings of a British inquiry into Diana's death to be released later this week, said the CIA was listening in on the princess in the hours before she died in a car crash in Paris.
The 36-year-old princess, her friend Dodi Fayed, 42, and driver Henri Paul died when their Mercedes crashed inside the Pont d’Alma tunnel Aug. 31, 1997, while being followed by media photographers. The British Broadcasting Corp. reported over the weekend that Paul had three times the French legal limit of alcohol in his blood.
The Observer reported that the CIA did not have British intelligence's permission to tap Diana's phone.
U.S. officials deny allegations
However, a Homeland Security official told NBC News it is untrue that the Secret Service ever gathered intelligence information on Diana.
“The Secret Service had nothing to do with it,” the official said.
Separately, a former senior U.S. intelligence official said Diana was never targeted for intelligence gathering in any way. But, the former official said, her voice may have been picked up while others were targeted. Even so, he said that as far as he knows, there were no intercepts of her in Paris the night she died, contrary to British reports.
He also confirmed that there were, indeed, many references to her in the National Security Agency database, some of them innocuous, including references by targets overseas to romantic liaisons with people who the targets thought looked like Diana.
“So if you did a search on her, references like that would show up,” he said.
And he explained that if U.S. officials had learned of any threats to the British royal family, they, too, would have been recorded in the database.
The fact that U.S. intelligence agency files contained references to her has long been known. As far back as 1998, the National Security Agency said in response to a Freedom of Information Act request that it had a Diana file amounting to 1,056 pages.
At the time, NSA officials were quoted as saying the references to her were incidental and that she was never a target.
Report due on Thursday
An official British report into the crash, to be published Thursday, is expected to find Diana's death was an accident, the Observer reported.
The report, by former Metropolitan Police chief John Stevens, also will confirm claims that Paul was drunk and in the pay of the French intelligence services, the Observer said.
Conspiracy theorists have claimed Paul was not drinking that night, contending the blood samples were swapped with blood from someone else who was drunk.
A former judge presiding over the British inquest into Diana’s death said this past week that preliminary hearings would be held in public and not in private, as had been planned, after a protest from Fayed’s father, Mohammed, who owns Harrods department store.
The inquest, convened and then swiftly adjourned in 2004, is due to formally resume next year. Preliminary hearings will be held Jan. 8 and 9 at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Robert Windrem and Pete Williams of NBC News, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
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Rally Near San Onofre
Monday, April 30, 2012
The protesters rallied on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with the twin domes of the San Onofre nuclear power plant as a backdrop. The plant has been off line since January when premature wear was discovered in the steam generator tubes and a radiation leak led to a shut down.
Larry Agran, a city councilman from Irvine, 22 miles from the plant, was the only elected official to attend. His council recently voted unanimously to petition for certain conditions to be met before the plant is restarted. They also asked the NRC to enforce certain conditions before the license comes up for renewal in ten years.
Agran said San Diego is no less threatened than Irvine by the problems at San Onofre.
“I tell you,” he said, “as the wind blows, San Diego and the City of San Diego is probably even more at risk than central and northern Orange County. San Diego is an affected area - has a big stake in all this.”
Agran and half a dozen other speakers told the sympathetic crowd that, after Fukushima, the recent problems with the steam generators at San Onofre are a wake up call
“We all have to rally under the banner of the safe, orderly shutdown of San Onofre," he said.
Shaun Burnie of Friends of the Earth told the crowd that politicians in Germany have already taken a strong stand against nuclear power.
“Within days of Fukushima,“ he said, “ the chancellor - a nuclear physicist - understood that nuclear had no future in Germany. They debated the ethics of ending nuclear power. Angela Merkel had no choice: not one dissenting member of the Bundestag said ‘yes’ to nuclear power.”
One San Diego candidate for political office saw an opportunity and used it to draw a clear line between himself and his opponent, Republican Congressman Daryll Issa.
“He thinks nuclear energy is basically a sound part of the energy mix, and I don’t” said Dick Eiden, an independent, “The only reason we’re still using it frankly, is because it enriches some of the corporations that some of the politicians are beholden to.“
A first-time protestor at an anti-nuclear rally, 30-year-old Jo Dowling of Encinitas, had a professional perspective on the protest. He installs domestic solar panels
“If you incentivized people to put up their own solar panels and also gave them more knowledge about their energy use,” he said, “those things in tandem would help to offset the loss of a nuclear generating station like this.”
A teacher from San Juan Capistrano, Jennifer Blaunt, came with her husband and two young children. It was also her first time at an anti-nuclear rally. She said a recent earthquake centered in San Juan motivated her to take action. She said she’s ready to conserve more power to make nuclear unnecessary, and suggested other people would be too if the price of electricity went up.
Irvine City Councilman Agran said his council is looking at the situation from the perspective of public safety.
“It takes a while to absorb intellectually what took place in Fukushima,” he said, “and what the implications are for us. We know this area is going to incur a horrific earthquake at some point in the future. There is a strong inclination to deny the horrible -- that it will ever occur.”
Solana Beach is the only city council in San Diego County to have taken a stand on San Onofre. They have written to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ask that the plant not be returned to service before the root cause of the tube wear is determined. The NRC has already made that clear. Solana Beach also wants better emergency preparedness plans put in place.
Southern California Edison, the owner of the plant, continues to study the problem, and other power sources are being brought on line to help supplement the electricity supply for Southern California this summer.
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Spam Emails are one particular thing that annoys everyone. Spamming has reached to a level that when we receive any email from an unknown sender, we assume it to be spam, even though the email might be a genuine one. This is when full Email header can come to help. Today, we will guide you through the process of which you can see full email header in Mail app of Mac OS X.
The Email header contains some vital information about the sender. It includes IP address, domain, and many other things, which can be used to judge whether the Email is spam. It certainly isn't useful for average users, but might come to help for advanced users who are aware of the terminology used in Email headers. Anyways, let's proceed with the guide.
How to View Full Email Header in Mail App in Mac OS X
Step #1. Launch the Mail app on your Mac and open any email for which you want the full header.
Step #2. Now open the “View” menu of the Mail app.
Step #3. Get your cursor on the “Message” option and then click on “All Headers.”
That's it; you'll now get full header of that particular email. In case you wish to have full headers for another email, then open it and follow the above steps. You must have noticed that the same can be done using keyboard shortcut as well, given besides “All Headers.”
Now, if you want to hide the full header of the email, then follow the above steps; at the last step, instead of clicking on “All Headers,” click on “Default Headers.” This will bring the standard Email header back. The same can also be done using the same keyboard shortcut.
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Vitacost Synergy Mega EFA Omega 3
Because omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential, the body must obtain them through diet. Cod, tuna and salmon are the best sources of omega-3s. However, they can also be found in plant-based foods, including walnuts, flaxseed and soybeans. Unfortunately, most people do not consume enough of these foods to take in the optimal levels of omega-3 fatty acids. When diet is lacking, supplementing with Vitacost Synergy Mega EFA Omega 3 may be beneficial.
In addition to being a potent source of omega-3s, our Mega EFA has been molecularly distilled for guaranteed freshness and purity. Compared to other low-grade fish oil supplements, which may contain trace amounts of dioxin, mercury and PCBs, Mega EFA delivers what it promises.
EPA and DHA are well known for their cardioprotective properties, their ability to maintain healthy cognitive function, their potential to support healthy moods and their positive impact on joint comfort and flexibility.* Higher blood levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids - including EPA and DHA - are associated with a healthier mood*
Provides higher milligram-per-serving potency than other fish oil supplements, offering 800 mg EPA and 400 mg DHA in each two-softgel serving
- Easy-To-Swallow Softgels With Pleasant Strawberry Flavor
- Molecularly Distilled To Ensure Mercury, Dioxins And PCB Levels Are Well Below Industry Standards
- An Economical And Convenient Way To Meet The American Heart Association's Recommendation To Increase Daily Omega-3 Fatty Acid Consumption
- Exceptional Quality At An Extraordinary Value
- Contains 120 Servings Per Bottle
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Purified Fish Oil ( Molecularly Distilled , Including : Omega-3 Fatty Acids ) , Eicosapentaenoic Acid ( EPA ) , Docosahexaenoic Acid ( DHA ) , Other Ingredients : Gelatin , Glycerin , Water , Natural Strawberry Flavor and Mixed Tocopherols ( Antioxidant ) .
Contains Beef and its Derivatives,Fish and Their Derivatives,Soybean and its Derivatives,Pork and its Derivatives.
Actual product packaging and materials may contain additional and/or different ingredient, nutritional, or proper usage information than the information displayed on our website. You are responsible ... Read More
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Anna Rusjan, 11, Alex Rusjan, 13, and Samuel Rusjan, 9, at their hockey club in Brunswick. Photo: Luis Enrique Ascui
Children from wealthy families are almost twice as likely to play sport on the weekend as children from poorer families, who are missing out, especially on the more expensive sports such as swimming, tennis and hockey.
A study on income-related disparities in sport, which is shedding light on the way schools help to maintain equality during the week, has also revealed a disturbing gap in the amount of exercise and sport children from low-income families receive compared with their peers.
The study, by South Australian researcher Carol Maher, shows children from low-income families get about 25 minutes less physical activity a day compared with children from well-off families. That figure jumps to about 40 minutes less on weekends.
For every $10,000 increment in household income, physical activity decreases by nine minutes for poorer children on a Saturday or Sunday.
The study found sport accounted for about half of the difference in physical exercise across the income groups. It found children from low-income families played half as much sport on weekends (23 minutes against 45 minutes).
Researchers from the University of South Australia last year weighed, measured and surveyed 528 children aged from nine to 11 from 26 schools across Adelaide whose household incomes ranged from less than $20,000 to more than $140,000.
The research comes after a Smith Family report released earlier this month found that almost half of the nation's most disadvantaged children did not play sport outside school.
Dr Maher said factors such as club fees and the cost of uniforms were stifling access to sport. Transport and supervision were also factors, because some clubs required parents to be present at training and games. Dr Maher said this could be difficult for low-income parents, who were more likely to be shift workers or had jobs that had inflexible hours.
Children from high-income families were more likely to play tennis, hockey, soccer and swim, the study found. Cricket was particularly popular among children from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Basketball, football and netball also appeared to be more accessible.
Dr Maher said to boost participation, clubs needed to subsidise fees for children from low-income families. She said car pooling and agreement among parents to supervise each other's children could also help. ''I also think there is a need for more informal sporting opportunities,'' she said. ''Kids don't tend to have a kick of soccer at the local park any more.''
Professor Jo Salmon of Deakin University believes the divide between rich and poor widens in high school, when adolescents rely more on sport and organised exercise to stay fit.
Princes Hill mother-of-three Sally Reid is not surprised by the findings. Describing her household as belonging to a higher-income bracket, she said sport can be expensive and time-consuming. Each of her children, Alex Rusjan, 13, Anna Rusjan, 11, and Samuel Rusjan, 9, play at least two sports and spend about an hour a day playing sport outside of school hours - on weekends, this climbs to at least two hours.
All three children belong to the Brunswick Hockey Club, for which Ms Reid said there was an annual club fee of about $250 per child. Gear can also be pricey.
''If you have kids like mine who like expensive sticks, you can pay up to $200 and $300,'' she said.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, is warning people aged 50 years or more to reheat their cold meat before eating, to avoid listeriosis – listeria infection. For those over 50, and especially over 65, such meats as hot-dogs, cold cuts, luncheon and deli meats should be heated to at least 165 degrees, what the CDC describes as “steaming hot”.
The CDC adds that any opened package of sliced meat should be thrown out within five days.
Listeria is much less common than salmonella or E. coli. However, it can be extremely deadly.
As Spring advances and the days get warmer, there are more group gatherings and a higher consumption of processed meats.
The problem with listeria is that it does not hold back in cold temperatures – put the cold meat in the fridge and it will continue to reproduce. The CDC says the concern over listeriosis in the USA is not new; it seems people are just not paying attention.
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Electroanalytical methods are a class of techniques in analytical chemistry which study an analyte by measuring the potential (volts) and/or current (amperes) in an electrochemical cell containing the analyte. These methods can be broken down into several categories depending on which aspects of the cell are controlled and which are measured. The three main categories are potentiometry (the difference in electrode potentials is measured), coulometry (the cell's current is measured over time), and voltammetry (the cell's current is measured while actively altering the cell's potential).
Potentiometry passively measures the potential of a solution between two electrodes, affecting the solution very little in the process. One electrode is called the reference electrode and has a constant potential, while the other one is an indicator electrode whose potential changes with the composition of the sample. Therefore, the difference of potential between the two electrodes gives an assessment of the composition of the sample. In fact, since potentiometric measurements in a non-destructive measurement, assuming that the electrode is in equilibrium with the solution we are measuring the potential of the solution. Potentiometry usually uses indicator electrodes made selectively sensitive to the ion of interest, such as fluoride in fluoride selective electrodes, so that the potential solely depends on the activity of this ion of interest. The time that takes the electrode to establish equilibrium with the solution will affect the sensitivity or accuracy of the measurement. In aquatic environments Platinum due to its high electron transfer kinetics is often used, although an electrode made from several metals can be used in order to enhance to electron transfer kinetics. The most common potentiometric electrode, by far is the glass-membrane electrode used in a pH meter.
A variant of potentiometry is chronopotentiometry which consists in using a constant current and measurement of potential as a function of time. It has been iniatiated by Weber
Coulometry uses applied current or potential to completely convert an analyte from one oxidation state to another. In these experiments, the total current passed is measured directly or indirectly to determine the number of electrons passed. Knowing the number of electrons passed can indicate the concentration of the analyte or, when the concentration is known, the number of electrons transferred in the redox reaction. Common forms of coulometry include bulk electrolysis, also known as Potentiostatic coulometry or controlled potential coulometry, as well as a variety of coulometric titrations.
Voltammetry applies a constant and/or varying potential at an electrode's surface and measures the resulting current with a three electrode system. This method can reveal the reduction potential of an analyte and its electrochemical reactivity. This method in practical terms is nondestructive since only a very small amount of the analyte is consumed at the two-dimensional surface of the working and auxiliary electrodes. In practice the analyte solutions is usually disposed of since it is difficult to separate the analyte from the bulk electrolyte and the experiment requires a small amount of analyte. A normal experiment may involve 1–10 mL solution with an analyte concentration between 1 and 10 mmol/L. Chemically modified electrodes are employed for analysis of organic and inorganic samples.
Amperometry is the term indicating the whole of electrochemical techniques in which a current is measured as a function of an independent variable that is, typically, time or electrode potential. Chronoamperometry is the technique in which the current is measured, at a fixed potential, at different times since the start of polarisation. Chronoamperometry is typically carried out in unstirred solution and at fixed electrode, i.e., under experimental conditions avoiding convection as the mass transfer to the electrode. On the other hand, voltammetry is a subclass of amperometry, in which the current is measured by varying the potential applied to the electrode. According to the waveform that describes the way how the potential is varied as a function of time, the different voltammetric techniques are defined. Confusion arose recently about the correct use of many terms proper of electrochemistry/electroanalysis, often owing to the diffusion of electroanalytical techniques in fields where they constitute an instrument to use, not being the 'core business' of the study. Though electrochemists are pleased about this, they invite to use the terms properly, in order to avoid fatal misunderstandings.
- Skoog, Douglas A.; Donald M. West; F. James Holler (1995-08-25). Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry (7th ed.). Harcourt Brace College Publishers. ISBN 0-03-005938-0.
- Kissinger, Peter; William R. Heineman (1996-01-23). Laboratory Techniques in Electroanalytical Chemistry, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded (2 ed.). CRC. ISBN 0-8247-9445-1.
- Bard, Allen J.; Larry R. Faulkner (2000-12-18). Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications (2 ed.). Wiley. ISBN 0-471-04372-9.
- Zoski, Cynthia G. (2007-02-07). Handbook of Electrochemistry. Elsevier Science. ISBN 0-444-51958-0.
- Grundl, Tim (1994-02-01). "A review of the current understanding of redox capacity in natural, disequilibrium systems". Chemosphere 28 (3): 613–626. doi:10.1016/0045-6535(94)90303-4.
- Noyhouzer, T.; Valdinger, I.; Mandler, D. (2013-09-03). "Enhanced Potentiometry by Metallic Nanoparticles". Analytical Chemistry 85 (17): 8347–8353. doi:10.1021/ac401744w. ISSN 0003-2700.
- H. F. Weber, Wied. Ann., 7, 536, 1879
- Wang, Joseph C. (2000). Analytical electrochemistry. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-28272-3.
- Hubert H. Girault (2004). Analytical and physical electrochemistry. [Lausanne: EPFL. ISBN 0-8247-5357-7.
- Edited by Kenneth I. Ozomwna (2007). Recent Advances in Analytical Electrochemistry 2007. Transworld Research Network. ISBN 81-7895-274-2.
- Dahmen, E. A. M. F. (1986). Electroanalysis: theory and applications in aqueous and non-aqueous media and in automated chemical control. Amsterdam: Elsevier. ISBN 0-444-42534-9.
- Bond, A. Curtis (1980). Modern polarographic methods in analytical chemistry. New York: M. Dekker. ISBN 0-8247-6849-3.
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The Iowa A.I.R. (Asthma, Indoor Air, & Radon) Coalition educates and empowers all citizens in their desire to have a healthy and safe indoor environment by consistently providing prevention, promotion, and protection activities across Iowa.
The Iowa AIR Coalition consists of dedicated members who devote their time and energy educating the public on the dangers and risk of radon in Iowa. Some members can provide radon test kits and help you with your test results. Members may also provide you with educational materials, seminars, and training on radon basics. To find out if you have a member in your area and what services they provide please click the link below to view current membership list and contact information.
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- Ventilate working area
- Cover walls and electrical equipment in the proximity of the coil to prevent overspray
- Prepare cleaning solution by mixing Nar-Coil with water according to the dilution ratio found on the product label.
- Remove all air filters from the coil surface (if exists)
- Goggles, gloves and other protective garments should be worn when using these products.
- The system should be shut off.
- Spray clean water on the coil surface, wetting the entire coil surface with water. (Using warm water will expand the foaming action and provide better results).
- Apply Nar-Coil solution with a low pressure sprayer (electrical or plastic sprayer should be used depending on the size and accessibility of the coil)
- Spray cleaning solution onto dirty coils or surfaces working from the top to bottom of the coil and allow it to remain in contact with the dirty surfaces for 5-10 minutes.
- When foaming action comes to end and foam begins to fall off the coil, rinse thoroughly with plenty of clean water and then repeat actions 2 – 4 until all scale and corrosion sediments have been removed.
- Spray clean water on the coil surface until ALL deposits and foam are removed from the coil surface
- Spray Clean-Air Ready-To-Use solution on mold accumulation on the coil and on all plastic parts around the coil leaving the coil moist with the product
- Place Pan-Clean tab at the source of condensate water pan in the proximity the drain outlet (ped side down). The condensate water will lock the Pan-Clean tab into. Do not remove unit housing.
- Return the filters to their place after cleaning them with water and applying Clean-Air on the filtration net and close the lid on a/c.
- Ventilate the room by returning system to service for at least 2 hours, and continue with normal usage.
- Rinse out sprayer as well as its spraying wand and nozzle.
v It is recommended to use Clean-air every 4-6 weeks to keep coil disinfected, preventing future growth of mold and mildew. This therefore maintains a high indoor air quality.
Coil Cleaning Process using Nar-Coil
תהליך ניקוי סוללה ביחידת עיבוי אוויר
- 1 Liter (34 Ounce) Bottle
- 4 Liter (1.057 Gallon US) Container
- 30 Liter (7.92 Gallon US) Container
- 60 Liter (15.85 Gallon US) Barrel
- 200 Liter (52.85 Gallon US) Drum
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Source: http://centraljersey.com, April 9, 2014
Court settlement paves the way for government to be reimbursed
Federal and state governments will get back some of the money paid to clean up a contaminated site in downtown Manville starting more than 12 years ago.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency says a legal settlement requires a national firm to pay the federal government more than $4 billion in environmental cleanup costs.
Included is $20 million coming to New Jersey to repay costs in cleaning up the Federal Creosote Superfund site in Manville.
After a lengthy cleanup effort, the EPA proposed in March that the Manville site be removed from the Superfund list of the nation’s most contaminated hazardous waste sites.
The site was listed as a Superfund site in 1999, and cleanup began in 2001.
EPA said it had removed more than 450,000 tons of contaminated soil and cleaned up nearly 100 residential and commercial properties. There were buried lagoons and canals that still contained creosote. Eighteen residential properties were acquired and demolished to better reach the source materials.
The borough is negotiating with the site’s owners on what kind of development will be allowed on the site, which is only a block off Main Street.
N.J. Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said April 3 that Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and its subsidiary Kerr-McGee will pay the state $20 million as part of a wider legal settlement that involves reimbursement for cleanup of the Manville Federal Creosote site off Main Street.
Additionally, $217 million will be paid to the federal Superfund in repayment of costs incurred by the EPA in cleanup, according to spokesman for Rep. Rush Holt, a Democrat who represents the borough in Congress.
Mr. Holt said in a written statement: “For decades, taxpayers have been footing the bill to clean up the Federal Creosote site in Manville — at a total cost of $217 million. Now, finally, the polluters responsible will be paying us back.
”This is a victory for Manville, and it’s a victory for the idea that polluters should clean up their own messes. Now Congress needs to act to ensure that polluters pay the price for other Superfund cleanup efforts around the country.”
The $20 million payment to New Jersey is part of a record-breaking $5.15 billion settlement.
&Following a historic trial in 2012, Kerr-McGee was found by a federal bankruptcy court to have engaged in fraudulent corporate asset transfers in an effort to shield its oil and gas assets from liability claims spawned by the firm’s contamination of properties throughout the United States. The contamination spanned decades, as Kerr-McGee earned profits from such businesses as uranium mining and wood treatment.
The bankruptcy court verdict, which essentially invalidated Kerr-McGee’s transfer of environmental and tort liabilities to a spin-off entity known as Tronox, cleared a path for resolution of liability claims pursued by New Jersey and other parties, and for the settlement.
”This settlement reaffirms New Jersey’s commitment to making certain that those who cause pollution do not evade their obligation to pay for its cleanup,” Acting Attorney General Hoffman said. “We will continue to protect the residents of New Jersey, and their quality of life, by vigorously pursuing those who are legally responsible for contaminating our precious environmental resources.”
The Federal Creosote Superfund Site in Manville was once the home of a coal tar wood treatment facility operated from about 1911 to 1956. During its operation, the facility treated railroad ties with creosote. The most prominent features of the wood treatment operations included two unlined canals that conveyed creosote waste to two unlined lagoons. The lagoons held concentrated creosote waste sludge.
Attorneys for the Division of Law filed proofs of claim related to the Federal Creosote Superfund Site in 2009, seeking past costs and Natural Resource Damages on behalf of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Those claims, as well as environmental claims against Kerr-McGee made by 10 other states, the federal government and the Navajo Tribe relative to polluted industrial sites across the nation, have been resolved as part of the wider settlement.
The settlement must now be approved by the federal bankruptcy court. Once the settlement is lodged with the bankruptcy court, it will be subject to a 30-day comment period.
Assuming that the court approves the settlement after hearing any objections that might be filed during the comment period, it may be subject to an appellate review process in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. It is anticipated that settlement proceeds could be available for distribution by the trustee by year’s end, depending on the pace of any appeal process.
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'Poison pill' tactic used to fend off hostile takeover
A man walks past a wall of stock monitoring panels at a securities trading house in Taipei.
TEXT OF STORY
JEREMY HOBSON: As earnings season continues we'll hear today from Airgas a major seller of argon and helium. Airgas is trying to fend off a takeover by its rival -- Air Products and Chemicals.
And as marketplace's Jennifer Collins reports this battle will have broad implications for corporate deals.
Jennifer Collins: Air Products is trying to takeover Airgas. Airgas wants to stay independent. It's defending itself with something called a "poison pill." The poison pill is this complex tactic that would increase the number of Airgas shares and make a takeover prohibitively expensive.
Law professor Lynn Stout says without the poison pill, Airgas would have trouble fending off the hostile takeover.
Lynn Stout: The board of directors would lose control of the company to a new board that has interests that are very short term in nature.
The poison pill has been around for nearly 30 years and was intended to protect shareholders. But Larry Harris of the University of Southern California says it protects top brass at a company even if its performance isn't up to snuff.
Larry Harris: So it's quite likely that if the poison pill were dropped, that we would see more efficient production in the United States, which is good for all of us.
A Delaware court is expected to rule on the case in the next few weeks.
I'm Jennifer Collins for Marketplace.
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LAS VEGAS — There's been a lot of news about mini-projectors here at CES. Last night I was at a Texas Instruments demo of a DLP projector that came tucked inside the body of a cellphone—not a real cellphone, mind you, just a piece of plastic shaped like a cellphone, with the images looking more like standard photos than video. Nevertheless, you have to separate gee-whiz from reality: As cool as a cellphone the projected video could be, that doesn't mean one will be hitting the market tomorrow.
TI's been showing off a lot of cool, offbeat applications for its DLP projection technology—perhaps because it is becoming more and more evident that customers prefer flat-panel televisions (link to Reynolds piece on TVs) to rear-projection sets that rely upon DLP technology to produce their image. As rear projection dies as a format, companies such as TI have to show new and interesting uses for their technology.
As you may or may not know, DLP uses thousands—sometimes millions—of tiny micromirrors to project light against a surface. It's a highly advanced technology that has worked well for years—but that doesn't mean anything's gonna beat a sleek flat-panel on your wall. So TI has been shrinking its technology down to a truly tiny form factor. It seems promising, but there's obviously still some work to be done.
I also saw another projection technology yesterday that looked pretty close to production. A company called Microvision produces a tiny, portable projector that uses red, green and blue lasers and a single tiny micromirror to project an image much the way old cathode ray tube televisions did, by scanning lines to create 60 frames per second. The whole projector fits in the palm of your hand, but a lot of that size comes from the battery; if you had an external power source, such as a USB, this thing could be as small as your thumb. [Check out video here; story continues below ...]
Of course, we're not talking Jumbotron-size images, but the Microvision can display a small image at DVD quality, and, if its promoters are to be believed, the projector should come out before the end of 2008 as an accessory product to a mobile phone, portable player or gaming device.
When I asked the TI representative what he felt about the competing technology, he was less optimistic—even downright catty—claiming that the green lasers required to make Microvision's system were going to be too expensive to use on a mass scale, and that, in tests, laser scanning projectors had the unique habit of making people feel ill. Hmm, note sure about that one—I just saw it yesterday morning, and I feel fine. —Glenn Derene
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Pepper Spray, Tear Gas, and Mace
All about Pepper Spray, Mace and Tear Gas
There are four major chemicals used as self-defense chemical sprays.
The first two are CS and CN, short for orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile and chloroacetophenone, respectively. They are the most common by far.
A third, code named CR (dibenz(b,f)-1,4-oxazepin), has not come into civilian use. At standard temperature and pressure, these are actually white crystals with fairly low vapor pressures, not gasses, and they're not very soluble in water. In order to disperse them, they are suspended in a liquid carrier and aerosolized. You have probably heard of
Mace, which is one of many brands of CN tear gas and is a well recognized trade name by both civilian and law enforcement tear gas users.
The fourth is
pepper spray, which is the oleoresin capsicum extracted from chili peppers. It's the chemical that gives them their hot quality. OC is a reddish-orange, oily liquid, insoluble in water. This agent is also dispersed by aerosol. Tear gas has been credited with saving lives when police are faced with barricade situations and combative suspects. Its use is a standard tactic which usually facilitates an arrest without the need for lethal force. It has also been used by the military in Vietnam, amid international controversy. Many considered its use in warfare to be a violation of the Geneva Protocols. One infamous use of tear gas occurred at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970. Although National Guard troops shooting students, killing four, was at the heart of the tragedy, the tear gas deployment on campus is well remembered. Pepper spray is generally regarded to be the most distressing to experience, but it must be sprayed in the eyes or inhaled directly to be effective. CS and CN, on the other hand, vaporize to some extent despite their low vapor pressures and may have some effect on a person who is hit less accurately due to the vapors being inhaled or drifting into the eyes. CS and CN may have some effect on a person sprayed in the groin area. Because of the different advantages of each, some formulations are being manufactured which contain blends of OC and either CS or CN. Also, despite the absence of vapors from oleoresin capsicum, aerosolized particles can remain airborne for a long time, especially indoors. Their concentrations can be high enough to irritate many people who were not even sprayed directly. One type of OC product attempts to eliminate aerosolized pepper spray entirely by propelling the agent in a thick foam.
While pepper spray is legal
for use against bears in most states, the use of mace and tear gas is not.
The effects of exposure to tear gas can include tearing and involuntary closure of the eyes, with severe burning sensations on the nerve endings of the skin. Coughing, inflammation, mucous secretion, headache, dizziness, a tight feeling in the chest or excessive salivation may result.
Pepper spray can cause a significant enough inflammatory response in the eyes to severely degrade the vision of even a PCP- intoxicated person who can't feel pain. If you are using tear gas defensively, target the face. A person properly sprayed with tear gas may experience panic, especially if you achieve an element of surprise.
Pepper spray's effects may last up to 40 minutes after the agent has been completely irrigated from skin surfaces, with some minor irritation persisting up to a few hours after exposure. On the other hand CS, CN and CR irritate when there is a sufficient concentration in contact with the skin and the 15-30 minutes of residual irritation degrades rapidly.
CS is hydrolyzed (put into water-soluble form) in water, especially in basic solution; at pH 9, its half-life is about 1 minute. Your tear gas should come with a package insert that includes first aid instructions. If you accidentally spray yourself with tear gas, you will probably not be able to find these instructions, let alone read them--so read them before you need them.
If you become exposed to any of these types of self-defense chemical sprays, large amounts of cool water should begin to provide relief and rinse away the tear gas contamination. Warm water may intensify the burning and inflammation, though. Fresh air helps, and washing twice with soap is recommended. A natural reaction is to rub, Try not to rub! Don't use a soap that contains a lot of oils, and don't apply oily lotions--they will carry tear gas particles deeper into your skin and prolong your discomfort. Remove any contact lenses if you get tear gas into your eyes--but not with fingers that have additional tear gas contamination. Don't touch your face before washing your hands after contacting tear gas. Remove any contaminated clothing, as you may re-contaminate yourself , and CN or CS- soaked clothing will continue to give off noxious vapors. Pain may be reduced by taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug, like ibuprofen.
In addition, an over-the-counter antihistamine may alleviate some of the effects of
pepper spray. Unfortunately, the time it takes for your body to deliver the drug in a pill to the sites of irritation make them of little use until the effects are already wearing off. They will be most effective if taken before exposure, like the antidotes to some chemical warfare agents, making them rarely useful. Infants are very sensitive to tear gas and should be taken to a doctor immediately if exposed to it. Tear gas as a weapon of self defense can be an excellent distraction, allowing the victim time to get away. However, unlike a firearm, it has little “stopping power,” little ability to actually stop an attacker from causing you injury. Tear gas does not paralyze. A person sprayed with it may still grab you, hit you, stab you or shoot you. Also, tear gas may not affect the insane, addicts, intoxicated or hysterical persons.
A person threatening you with a lethal weapon can injure you mortally in less time than it takes you to draw and aim a self-defense chemical weapon. An assailant may be able to take your canister away from you and use it against you. If this is happening, try to throw the spray away out of reach. Your spray could backfire at you in wind. Both wind and rain may reduce its range and effectiveness.
CS, CN and CR tear gasses are usually not very effective against animals. In fact, law enforcement uses horses and dogs in areas they have deployed tear gas. OC has been proven effective against many animals, and has been available to the California public in an aerosol form for this purpose even before its use against humans became legalized.
Most canisters sold for self-defense against humans, however, are marked “Not tested on animals.” If you are attacked, use plenty of spray in the assailants face and run away immediately.
- Tell law enforcement about the incident right away.
- Remember a description of the assailant and the location of the incident and tell them to law enforcement in order to make an arrest possible.
- The best safety measure is to avoid unnecessary risks whenever possible.
Have a security plan:
- Make a habit of walking with others and stick to paths with good lighting, in public view whenever possible.
- Avoid areas known to be dangerous--never go with tear gas where you wouldn't go without.
Although the Materials Safety Data Sheet for OC does not list any known specific lethal dose or lethal concentration, pepper spray has been implicated in the deaths of some people who were sprayed with it.
These people suffered anaphylaxis, a violent allergic reaction that can be life threatening. Symptoms can include airways obstructed by swelling, fainting, and shock. Asthmatics are at higher risk of having an adverse reaction to pepper spray. Another bizarre risk factor that was recently reported is a history of violent behavior and confrontations with law enforcement; this statistic may be an artifact of these people having a higher probability of exposure in the first place, or having a higher probability to multiple exposures which might cause allergic sensitization in some individuals. For the reason of additional risk to asthmatics, such people who wish to carry tear gas for self defense but worry about possible wind-blowback may wish to consider a formulation which does not contain oleoresin capsicum, or at least a foam type pepper spray which reduces the risk from airborne particles of the OC agent. This risk of a bad reaction, however, is not going to be reduced for the user of a foam in a situation where an assailant takes the weapon away and uses it against the victim. Also, the possibility of this reaction emphasizes the importance of using pepper spray only in defense of people, not property. It also adds potential liability in these litigious times.
Canisters may have a shelf life of three to six years. They are usually conservatively dated to expire in one year.
Shake the canister about once a month to keep the ingredients mixed. Canisters have the active ingredient mixed in a liquid, and a pressurized gas propellant.
The inside of a tear gas canister is like a squirt bottle under pressure. An intake tube extends to the bottom of the canister, into the liquid mixture. For this reason, the canister must remain fairly upright. If it's held upside down while spraying, only the propellant may escape. If the canister is sprayed upside down, it will loose pressure and may not be able to spray when you need it, even though you may be able to hear and feel the liquid sloshing around and you believe the can is full.
Other canister failures are possible. The nozzle may become clogged with lint or dirt. The trigger may break off. If left in a car on a hot day, a canister may be exposed to temperatures over 140 degrees F. Even if the it doesn't explode (which it might), this adverse condition may cause a leak or a loss of the pressure needed to fire the device. It could also shorten the life of the active ingredients. If you wish to test your canister for pressure, make your spray burst only a fraction of a second and don't do this often, as there may be as little as four seconds or less worth of spray in some models.
The label or instructions of a good brand should tell you how many seconds of spray it has. Although floating the device in water to determine the quantity of ingredients left has been recommended in the past, be aware that this may cause the label to fall off or dissolve, and the device will no longer comply with the law unlabelled.
Keep it away from children! You are responsible for the use of your canister.
It is vital that you give some thought in advance to how you will
carry your self-defense chemical spray canister.
A purse can be a poor location, as it is likely to end up at the bottom and you will have to dig for it in an emergency. A purse with an accessible, open pocket where the spray can't get lost may be better than keeping it loose in the bag, but the first indication that you need your spray may be when an assailant is already tugging on your purse. Consider carrying the device in the same place whenever possible. That way, you won't have to think, "where is it today?" in the heat of the moment.
Try various carrying methods and practice drawing the weapon. Make sure you can draw it quickly from wherever you're keeping it. Good, accessible locations include inside a pants pocket, especially for the models with a clip. If it's clipped onto the outside of a pocket or belt, it may be dislodged accidentally or grabbed by an attacker. At the very least, it may be noticed before you use it, removing the element of surprise which adds to the effectiveness of tear gas.
Most clip models have the clip on the left side of the canister, which leaves the majority of the canister concealed if it's kept in the left pocket with the clip out. If you are comfortable drawing the weapon with your left hand, this is a good configuration. If this type of canister were kept in the right pocket, it would be backwards when it is pulled out. Another good location may be a loose outer pocket of a jacket. Belt holsters are available for some models. Although these are visible, the canister may be less recognizable to an attacker in a holster than it would be bare.
The importance of accessibility can not be over stressed.
- How much warning might you have in a typical assault?
- How long does it takes you to draw your weapon?
- Does the way you carry your canister allow you to draw it in time to hinder an assault?
Keep in mind that most canisters are effective up to about a ten foot range. You should have your tear gas with you whenever possible. Hopefully, you will never need it. But if you do, you are unlikely to know when until the very moment you need to grab for it.
Always remember that you assume all risk and liability for owning and using self-defense chemical sprays, including
pepper spray. Even if you use it correctly, there is no guarantee that it will always be effective at hindering an attack, and there is always the possibility that it may be used against you instead. We hope this document has given you a better understanding of how Pepper Spray, Tear Gas and Mace can be used as a weapon for self defense and help you make an informed buying decision.
Please be careful and safe!
The above is by no means legal advice. Consult the laws of your state or local agency
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First Age 525
Notable events in this year include:
- Marriage of Eärendil and Elwing.
- Tuor and Idril set sail in their ship, Eärrámë, and leave Middle-earth for Valinor. Alone of all men, Tuor is said to be counted among the Eldar.
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Three. The Wanderings of Húrin and Other Writings not forming part of the Quenta Silmarillion: V. The Tale of Years", p. 352
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"
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Edentulism is the disorder of truly being toothless to more than some point, it is the root cause of tooth loss. Decline in some teeth creates half edentulism, at the same time reduction in all teeth generates entire edentulism. A large number of research projects linking edentulism with conditions of health issue and diseases have already been documented. In a cross-sectional clinical study, Hamasha among others uncovered major variation between edentulism as well as dentate people that have value to levels of atherosclerotic vascular health problem, heart malfunction, ischemic heart problems and rheumatoid arthritis. The etiology, or cause of edentulism, could be extremely versatile. Although the extraction of non-restorable or non strategic teeth by a dental practitioner will create edentulism, the most important factor for tooth loss in developed nations is periodontal health problem.
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- What is v1 v2 v3 v4 v5 verb?
- What is difference between auxiliary verb and main verb?
- What is a verb give 5 examples?
- What are popular verbs?
- How do you use auxiliary verbs?
- What is verb and give some examples?
- What are the special verbs in English?
- What are the 20 verbs?
- What are the 5 verbs?
- What is the verb of good?
- What are the 23 auxiliary verbs?
- What are the 24 auxiliary verbs in English?
- What is v1 v2 v3 English grammar?
- What are the 5 irregular verbs?
- What are the 8 verbs?
- What are the 3 irregular verbs?
- What are the five irregular verbs?
- What are main verbs?
- How many verbs are there in English?
- What are the 20 irregular verbs?
- What are the 4 types of verbs?
- What are the 3 forms of verbs?
- What are the 10 types of verbs?
What is v1 v2 v3 v4 v5 verb?
V1 is the first form of verb (present tense) Examples: Do, sit, write, use, give.
V2 is the second form of verb (simple past) Examples: Did, sat, wrote, used, gave.
V3 is the third form of verb (past participle).
What is difference between auxiliary verb and main verb?
Writing and produced each has another verb before it. These other verbs (is and was) are known as AUXILIARY VERBS, while writing and produced are known as MAIN VERBS or LEXICAL VERBS. In fact, all the verbs we have looked at on the previous pages have been main verbs. Auxiliary verbs are sometimes called HELPING VERBS.
What is a verb give 5 examples?
Examples of Action Verbs in SentencesAnthony is throwing the football.She accepted the job offer.He thought about his stupid mistake in the test.John visited his friend for a while and then went home.The dog ran across the yard.She left in a hurry.She yelled when she hit her toe.The cat sat by the window.More items…
What are popular verbs?
25 Most Common Verbsbe.have.do.say.get.make.go.know.More items…
How do you use auxiliary verbs?
Auxiliary (or Helping) Verbs. Auxiliary (or Helping) verbs are used together with a main verb to show the verb’s tense or to form a negative or question. The most common auxiliary verbs are have, be, and do.
What is verb and give some examples?
Action verbs are words that express action (give, eat, walk, etc.) or possession (have, own, etc.). Action verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. Transitive Verbs. A transitive verb always has a noun that receives the action of the verb, called the direct object. EXAMPLE: Laurissa raises her hand.
What are the special verbs in English?
Basic Sentence Structure: normal vs special verbsSPECIAL VERBSNORMAL VERBSNO –SI can / she canI want / She wantsNO TOI can walk / to canI want to go / to wantNO DOyou can / you can’t / can you?you want / you don’t want / do you want?1 more row
What are the 20 verbs?
100 Most Common English Verbs ListNo.VerbPast Participle17to givegiven18to telltold19to workworked20to callcalled21 more rows
What are the 5 verbs?
Verb Forms. There are up to five forms for each verb: root, third-person singular, present participle, past, and past participle.
What is the verb of good?
good. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To thrive; fatten; prosper; improve. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To make good; turn to good; improve.
What are the 23 auxiliary verbs?
Helping verbs, helping verbs, there are 23! Am, is, are, was and were, being, been, and be, Have, has, had, do, does, did, will, would, shall and should. There are five more helping verbs: may, might, must, can, could!
What are the 24 auxiliary verbs in English?
A list of verbs that (can) function as auxiliaries in English is as follows: be, can, could, dare, do, have, may, might, must, need, ought, shall, should, will, would.
What is v1 v2 v3 English grammar?
It is an “infinity marker” or “particle”. At school, students often learn by heart the base, past simple and past participle (sometimes called V1, V2, V3, meaning Verb 1, Verb 2, Verb 3) for irregular verbs. They may spend many hours chanting: sing, sang, sung; go, went, gone; have, had, had; etc.
What are the 5 irregular verbs?
Other Rules for Irregular VerbsBet.Bid.Burst.Bust.Cast.Cut.Hit.Hurt.More items…
What are the 8 verbs?
The verb be is irregular. It has eight different forms: be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been. The present simple and past simple tenses make more changes than those of other verbs.
What are the 3 irregular verbs?
The verbs ir (to go), ver (to see), and ser (to be) are completely irregular in the imperfect tense.
What are the five irregular verbs?
Irregular Verbs – Complete ListBase FormPast Simple (V2)Past Participle (V3)beatbeatbeatenbecomebecamebecomebeginbeganbegunbendbentbent135 more rows
What are main verbs?
The main verb is also called the lexical verb or the principal verb. This term refers to the important verb in the sentence, the one that typically shows the action or state of being of the subject. Main verbs can stand alone, or they can be used with a helping verb, also called an auxiliary verb.
How many verbs are there in English?
sixteen verbsThere are sixteen verbs used in Basic English.
What are the 20 irregular verbs?
50 Most Common Irregular VerbsRankBase FormPast Participle17putput18bringbrought19beginbegun20keepkept46 more rows
What are the 4 types of verbs?
There are four TYPES of verbs: intransitive, transitive, linking, and passive. Intransitive and transitive verbs are in the active voice, while passive verbs are in the passive voice. Intransitive verbs are verbs that express action but that do not take an object.
What are the 3 forms of verbs?
There are 3 forms of verbPresent.Past.Past Participle.
What are the 10 types of verbs?
Kinds of VerbsRegular Verb.Irregular Verb.Linking Verb.Transitive Verb.Intransitive Verb.Finite Verb.Infinitive Verb.
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There are many religions and much is written about them; but what
good are they if the believers are not made kinder and gentler toward
ALL of earth’s inhabitants, humans as well as nonhumans, by their
There are many who believe in a Creator God who represents the
ultimate in goodness, and that the opposition is Satan, who represents
everything evil. Then why do so many who claim to be believers in God
ignore the enormous, unnecessary brutality that billions of farmed
animals utilized for food are subjected to?
Why do they mock and marginalize those who expose the truth and who
try to bring about positive change? Why can’t they see that their
fund-raising dinners, featuring the body parts and secretions of
sentient beings whose lives are a torment, are an affront to their
Creator? Why can’t these people see that their hardness of heart reveals
how much closer they are to Satan than they are to God whom they purport
When will they ever acknowledge the truth and admit that they are
contributing to a hell on earth? Having someone else do the dirty work
and paying to keep it going by buying animal products makes them
complicit in this evil.
In the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) Jesus says that among those who are
blessed are the gentle, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers.
Furthermore, Galatians 5:22-23 says that the “fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
In my opinion, any religion that doesn’t encourage true mercy,
gentleness and kindness toward the “the least of these” (Matthew
25:40-46) is a sham and a blasphemy; and it shouldn’t matter whether
“the least of these” are human or non-human. True love and compassion
have no limits or exclusions.
For great-tasting recipes, visit:
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TIVERTON, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 23, 2014) - Bruce Power's Unit 6 has now been producing safe and carbon-free electricity to the people of Ontario for a full year.
On Monday, April 22, Unit 6 passed the one-year mark of continuous operations, reliably providing power to Ontarians when they needed it most, during the sweltering heat of last summer and the deep cold of this past winter.
"We're very proud of the production from Unit 6, which has been a workhorse for the province's electrical grid since its last planned maintenance outage," said Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power President and CEO. "By investing millions of private dollars into this publically owned reactor, we are ensuring clean and cost-effective Bruce Power nuclear will be available during the peak demand periods we face in southern Ontario. Bruce Power also received 30 per cent less per kilowatt-hour than the average price paid for power in 2013, so we're helping to keep electricity bills low in the province while generating zero carbon emissions."
The last time Unit 6 was offline was for a two-month planned maintenance outage, an $85 million investment which was successfully completed on April 21, 2013. Prior to that planned outage, Unit 6 had enjoyed a 556-day continuous run, making it the top-performing pressurized heavy water reactor in the world.
About Bruce Power
Bruce Power operates the world's largest operating nuclear generating facility and is the source of roughly 30 per cent of Ontario's electricity. The company's site in Tiverton, ON, is home to eight CANDU reactors, each one capable of generating enough low-cost, reliable, safe and clean electricity to meet the annual needs of a city the size of Hamilton. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among Borealis Infrastructure Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), TransCanada, the Power Workers' Union and the Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power's employees are also owners in the business.
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Last week, you introduced yourself to your readers. This week we look at telling them about the place you live in – such as your school, your town, your state or province. You also get a chance to add widgets and to create an avatar for your blog. When you leave comments this is called your user avatar in Edublogs.
Create your avatar – instead of me writing out all the information about creating your avatar, I am sending you to a previous post where you can read about this activity. Go to number 3 and read through the three steps mentioned.
Widgets – when you first get a blog, there are some widgets included in the sidebar. Once you change themes, some widgets disappear and you need to go to your dashboard> appearance> widgets and drag them across to your sidebar. It would be handy for your teachers and your readers if you could have at least these widgets: blog avatar, recent comments (10), recent posts (10), links or blogroll, pages, categories, archive and meta.
Linking your name and user avatar – To make sure your user avatar is linked to your blog URL, go to dashboard> users> profile and make sure you have a nickname and your blog URL is in the website box. This means whenever you leave a comment, the reader will just have to click on your name or avatar and it will take them to your blog. Include the http:// part in the URL.
If you are not using Edublogs, remember to check the “Get Help” section of this blog and look for the tutorials for your blogging platform.
Students – lots of choice this week
1. Visit other student and class blogs – check out what widgets they have on their blog.
- Do some of the widgets detract from the blog?
- Do some of the widgets overlap into the writing area?
- Are some widgets too noisy?
- Are there too many widgets on some blogs?
Write a post about the extra widgets you have added to your blog and why you chose them. Remember to add a link back to where you can sign up for that widget. Did you check the minimum age for having that widget on your blog?
2. Widgets – add some to your blog
- About your place: This could include weather, time, history
- About your visitors: could be a clustrmap, feedjit, flag counter
- To help your visitors with translating your blog to their language
When adding widgets to your sidebar:
- Go to your dashboard> appearance> widgets.
- Drag a text box to your sidebar.
- Copy and paste the embed code into the text box.
- Save then close.
- If the widget is too wide, you will have to adjust the number next to ‘width’ in the embed code. This might appear more than once in the code.
If your blog is an Edublogs free blog, you might not be able to put all the widgets in your sidebar. Instead put them in a post, but remember to change your post tab in your dashboard to HTML instead of visual when you are pasting in the embed code.
If using another platform rather than Edublogs, then check out the “Get Help” section in the sidebar of this blog.
- Write a post describing your avatar. How much does it look like you? What sort of personality does your avatar have? What makes it typically you? Remember to include your avatar as an image in your post. Check out this post from Nicky, Katelyn,
- Create more than one avatar that represents you. Put them together in a slideshow of some sort – what Web2.0 tool could you use to do this? Perhaps animoto or an app on your phone. Check the post from Kate and Abbi.
- Create your family in avatars and include them in a post. How does that avatar represent your family member? Check out this previous post from Candice, Katelyn,
4. Your place
- Write a post about tourist attractions in your state. Try to include at least five places that Miss W , Davo the Tasmanian Devil or Squirrel would like to visit.
- Write a post, create a glogster, make an audioboo tape, create a Storybird or add a Voki telling your readers about the festivals held in your town throughout the year. Which festivals do you enjoy the most and why? Remember to include the date of the festival in case your reader might want to visit. If under 13, check with your teacher or parent if you want to use a web 2.0 tool rather than writing a post in your blog.
- Visit at least five other blogs from students or classes around the world and ask some questions about their town, school, country in your comments. We have participants from 24 countries taking part in the challenge.
- Create a game or quiz about your town, state or country. A few places to do this include: Quiz Revolution, Class Tools, Remember to check with your teacher or parent before using these web 2.0 tools. Sometimes your teacher or parent will create an account that is moderated by them and is therefore safe for students to use. Do you know any other places to create games and quizzes?
- Which widgets do your students consider should be on every class blog? Why? Write a post about your class widgets.
- Create a poll asking visitors to your blog to vote for their favourite widget on your blog? Why do you think that widget was so popular?
- Display your student avatars in a slideshow such as Animoto. Did you allow students choice of website to create their avatars?
- Where else could you display your avatars? Perhaps in your header like the 26 Bay Bloggers have.
- Create a slideshow about your school and embed on your blog. Check out examples from Miss T and Mr Lamb. Maybe you could use a Prezi as suggested by Justin from Penbank.
- Write a post with questions you would like your visitors to answer in a comment. Try to find out some interesting information about where they live.
- Create a quiz about your state/province/country. Embed in your blog and see how well your visitors or locals know your area.
Create a class poster or video about your commenting guidelines
Commenting is one part of our digital footprint, so it is important students know how to comment in an appropriate way.
- Check out this video by Mrs Yollis and her students.
- Check out this page by Ms Edwards.
- Check out this pdf by Kathleen Morris.
- Check out this glog by Mrs Allen.
It is also important that you don’t just copy and paste the guidelines from someone else. Discuss with your students, show examples, then come up with your commenting guidelines. We must teach the students not to plagiarise by setting the example ourselves as teachers.
Involve parents and other family members in leaving comments on your class blog
- How many parents are involved in your class blog?
- Do they check it out regularly or is the blog just something you and the students do at school?
- How could you involve parents more in the blogging process?
Kathleen Morris and Linda Yollis have some great ideas about involving parents or grandparents. Check out this handout about blogging, navigating the class blog, family blogging month winner and grandparents comment.
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Growing Herbs in Tin Cans is the best way to recycle those empty, used cans. Check out our 14 best DIY Tin Can Herb Garden Ideas for inspiration!
1. Farmhouse Style Tin Can Herb Planters
These farmhouse style tin can herb planters are perfect for your kitchen windowsill or balcony shelves.
2. Cute Little Tin Can Herb Garden
Check out how this blogger made these cute little planters for growing herbs in tin cans here.
3. Tea Tin Herb Garden
Plant a tea tin herb garden with cork labels. The tutorial is here!
4. Kitchen Countertop Tin Can Herb Garden
If you receive sunlight near your kitchen countertop, it’s easy to create a Kitchen Countertop Herb Garden like this from tin cans. Get the tutorial here.
5. Upcycled Tin Can Planters
Upcycle tin cans into appealing herb planters. Watch the tutorial video here.
6. Recycled Herb Planters and an Upcycled Wooden Ladder
Recycle tin cans you dump in the trash, get the full details for this project here.
7. Copper Tin Can Planters
The copper color is as gorgeous as gold, paint your ordinary tin cans with metallic spray paint and smart looking chalkboard tags to identify your herbs. Visit Homey Oh MY for more.
8. Metal Cans Herb Garden Wall
Take inspiration from this post to create a herb garden wall from metal cans.
9. Vertical Metal Can Garden
She attached metal buckets filled with faux plants to a cabinet door. You can do the same with your tin cans to grow your favorite herbs vertically. We found the idea here.
10. Outdoor Succulent Wall Accent (Bonus DIY)
Create a beautiful outdoor wall accent for your porch, deck or patio. You can plant herbs instead of succulents. The tutorial is here.
11. DIY Tin Planter for Herbs
This tutorial shows how to make a tin planter. Check it out here.
12. Tea Tin Herb Garden
Another tea tin herb garden DIY, perfect for your kitchen. We found the idea here.
13. Planting Herbs in Tin Cans
Use tin cans to start herb seeds. Visit Fresh Eggs Daily for the steps.
14. Herbs in Tin Cans
Empty tin cans of food items can be used to create rustic little planters. The instructions are here!
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[Late 19th–early 20th century blanket by Navajo people, Native American; churro wool, aniline, and vegetal dye; 75 x 50 inches; Given to the Birmingham Museum of Art by the estate of Coleman Cooper.]
Wonderfully graphic and durable, too, this brilliant red handwoven "wearing blanket" (a wrap worn by both men and women) is one of seventeen Navajo rugs and five chief's blankets recently culled from the permanent collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art for its exhibition, Woven Splendor. The show remains on view through December 30, so there's still time to see this special installation of stunning textiles.
[Image via Meredith College's Navajo research site.]
here for a list of Navajo textile books.
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How to Make an Olive Oil Face Mask. The best skin care products available are not found in expensive tubes in your grocer's beauty supply section. With a few everyday ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen, you can make an olive oil face mask that beats any product you can buy in a bottle. Easy, natural, inexpensive and fun, this ancient Egyptian beauty secret is now yours.
Gently crack and beat the egg in a small bowl. Eggs are perfect skin care ingredients for people with large pores, or those who want to firm and tighten wrinkles. Egg yolks are made from albumin, which gently dries the skin and refines pores. Egg whites help soothe sunburned or windburned skin, and gently remove oily residue.
Add the olive oil and flour. In this case, the flour is used to thicken the consistency of the facemask. Olive oil is a fantastic way to balance the drying effects of the eggs. Unlike petroleum jelly, heavy lotions and other oils, olive oil will rinse cleanly away, leaving your skin moisturized, supple and glowing.
Stir in the sea salt. Sea salts stimulate blood circulation and assist in cell regeneration, helping to keep your skin looking youthful and beautiful. The salts will help to exfoliate, removing dead skin cells to relieve acne, psoriasis and eczema.
Mix in the whole milk. The lactic acid in milk soothes and softens dry, itchy skin. Milk will help moisturize skin while at the same time tightening wrinkles and refining pores.
Wash your face gently with warm water and pat dry. Apply the olive oil face mask, massaging gently to exfoliate the skin. Allow the mask to set for at least 20 minutes before rinsing.
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Amnesty UK has a really interesting campaign running, and I wanted to encourage you to consider taking part. What it'll need from you is a picture, and some ink on your hand.
To stand with the people of Burma all you need to do is:Here's mine.
1. Read the list of cases below and decide which prisoner(s) you would like to support through this action
2. Write their name on your right hand (or get a friend to!).
3. Hold your right hand out, palm facing the camera
4. Take a picture. Then either:
5. Login to Flickr upload your picture and add it to the group
6. Email your picture to email@example.com/text it to +44(0)7733 134 670 and we will add it to the group for you
7. Tell a friend to do the same
Mie Mie, the prisoner whose name I'm carrying there, was arrested in 1988 as a high school student taking part in anti-government protests. She was sentenced to 65 years in prison. She's now 40, and has spent her entire adult life behind bars as a prisoner of conscience.
As ever, if you're looking for an organization which will be able to accept even small time donations, Amnesty may be a good org to try. They always have campaigns on which can be participated in by as little as writing a letter. Even doing that once a week means contributing to fifty different human rights cases a year.
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“You have to deliver $300 million in incremental growth by 2015,” the business unit head told the leader of his innovation team. “That’s less than 5 percent of our revenues, so that should be quite doable.”
While $300 million might sound like a ridiculously large number to small business owners or entrepreneurs, leaders in many global giants consider the amount a drop in the bucket. But anyone with near-term innovation targets with nine (or six or even four) digits in them should ensure they are familiar with the concept of “planning fallacy.”
The basic concept, first presented by Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman and his partner Amos Tversky in an influential 1979 paper, is that human beings are astonishingly bad at estimating how long it will take to complete tasks. As recounted in Kahneman’s recent book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, one study found that the typical homeowner expected their home improvement projects to cost about $19,000. The average actual cost? $39,000. Despite ample available information, 90 percent of high-speed railroad projects have missed budget and passenger estimates, with an average overestimation of passengers of about 100 percent and underestimation of budget of about 50 percent.
Entrepreneurs often underestimate how long it will take them to produce revenues, and wildly miss how much they will have to invest to commercialize their idea. As investor and pundit Guy Kawasaki notes, “As a rule of thumb, when I see a projection, I add one year to delivery time and multiply revenues by 0.1.”
The same challenge makes it difficult for companies to escape the innovator’s dilemma. To get through the corporate approval gauntlet you have to project big numbers. Then early results disappoint. Often projects or even divisions get shut down. And the company is staring at an even bigger growth gap. (Innosight cofounder Clayton Christensen memorably termed this the “growth-gap death spiral” in his 2003 book The Innovator’s Solution).
One way to avoid planning fallacy is to get — and use — data from comparable efforts. A simple starting point can be historical projects.
Scott D. Anthony is managing director of Innosight Asia-Pacific.
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12 Most Beautiful Photos of Japan
109 Reasons Japan is a Unique Country (part 4)
How To Explain Japan in 7 Words Or Less - Japan Talk
Headed to Fujiyoshida to shoot some sakura with Mount Fuji in the background. The cherry blossoms were not yet in full bloom, but the view was nevertheless very spectacular. Pentax k10d Sigma 10-20mm Hoya Pro1D C-PL filter
Ten Favorite Japanese Expressions - For Dummies
Life is full of ki-do-ai-raku (kee-doh-ah-ee-rah-koo; delight-anger-sorrow-fun), and some phrases slip out of our mouths repeatedly in response to different daily
Tumblr GIFs of Japanese Life
For those nostalgic for the sights and smells of Japan, or even those who just plain love GIFs.
22 Bucket List Things to Do in Tokyo - Bucket List Journey:...
Tokyo is known for its unique experiences, such as a me …
A New Preschool in Japan Designed to Accumulate Large Puddles...
What is it about puddles of water that makes kids want to jump right into them with all their might? It's no doubt that outdoor play, whatever the weather, is a necessity of childhood. So if there's any place where kids should be allowed to be kids, ...
MeijiShowa: Japan - Vintage Images of Japan
The 109 Reasons Japan is a Unique Country
The surprising list of things that make Japan an amazing country.
Learn Japanese Language Online for Free!
japanese-lesson.com offers online self-study programs to learn to speak Japanese. Produced by a native Japanese language teacher. Suitable for JLPT study.
10 stunningly beautiful views of Japanese nature
99 Things You'll Miss About Life in Japan
65 photos to inspire your trip to Japan
Looking for inspiration for your trip to Japan? Here's a guide in 50 photos with tips and and advice for planning a trip to Japan.
28 WTF Japan facts - Aus Globetrotter
We all know Japan is a little different than the rest of the world, whilst spending 3 months there I had some WTF moments, here are the funny Japan facts
Discover the Spirit of Japan
Discover the Spirit of Japan http://www.visitjapan.jp Do you really know the people of Japan? Come and visit to discover the enigmatic character of its people, culture and history. Experience traditional Japanese dance, culture and street festivals...
One Month In Tokyo
I spent the month of July, 2010 working as an animator at Shirogumi VFX in Tokyo. I had a great time living and working in Tokyo and I wanted to share my experience.…
Customer Service In Japan
lol awkward as hell.. SUBSCRIBE , LIKE AND SHARE PLEASE..THANK YOU
easyJapanese.org - Learn Japanese Online
7 Surprising Things That Aren't Considered Rule in Japan...
8 Extremely Weird Japanese Customs
The Internet's visual storytelling community. Explore, share, and discuss the best visual stories the Internet has to offer.
breathtaking view on mount fuji, japan photo
breathtaking view on mount fuji, japan photo
Stunning rediscovered photos show life in Japan 100 years...
A worker pulls a passenger cart over a wooden bridge, Mount Fuji's snowy peak rising in the background. Men wear long dark robes as they catch fish from traditional Japanese boats, and women dive for pearls in the river. Looking at these photos of ru...
List of Japanese verbs
IS JAPAN COOL? Season 2
You'll find lots of cool stories here about old and new Japan.Get to know more about Japan, and decide whether it's cool.Real Japan is even cooler! Why don't you visit Japan on All Nippon Airways?
Mameshiba 5 - Edamame [with English annotations]
Just as a business man is about to eat an edamame, he falls victim to the charm and wit of an adorable edamame mameshiba and its irreverently funny trivia. M...
Six (and a half) essential resources for learning Japanese...
As we've said before, Japanese isn't actually as hard to learn as it's often made out to be. Unlike English, for example, Japanese follows its own grammatical rules far more rigidly, pronunciation is easy because there is only one variant of each vow...
Having sex in Japanese - Everything2.com
Ten Websites That Will Help You Find a Job in Japan
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furoshiki is a traditional japanese wrapping cloth, use it to wrap everything. Furoshiki can be used for gift wrapping, grocey shopping or even as clothing
Japanese Art Collection Highlights
Recent scholarship associates this sculpture of a bodhisattva (enlightened being) with Kaikei (fl. 1180-1220), a master sculptor who contributed to the revival of Buddhist sculpture in the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Proportion and balance in the fi...
Japanese for the Western Brain
Edo Japan, A Virtual Tour
Cats Are the Cutest Guides to Japan
Ever dream of visiting Japan? Wonder what it's like in spring? Or fall? Here, let these cats show you.
Sewer System In Tokyo, Japan
Japanese manhole covers
Here are a few links to photo collections of Japanese manhole covers.
I LIEK MILK!!!!!!!!
Name Exchange - English to Japanese, Japanese name translation...
Your English names will turn into Japanese Character KANA. To find out what it look likes, visit this page!
imgur: the simple image sharer
Tokyo's sewer - Simply Awesome
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Edo-period monster paintings by Sawaki Suushi
In the sophisticated popular culture of the Edo period (1603-1868), much attention was devoted to Japan's rich pantheon of traditional monsters and apparitions, known as . Sometimes frightening, sometimes humorous, these compelling Japanese folk crea...
100% Chocolate Cafe
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The Samurai Archives Japanese History Page
The Samurai Archives History Page is an in-depth research page on Japanese Samurai History, with details of the samurai warriors and battles of Japanese History.
So in Japan, there's an Abandoned American Cowboy Theme...
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The English writer John Mansfield once described universities as places where "those who perceive truth may strive to make others see." That phrase also describes the mission of the new Kean University Center for History, Politics and Policy, which was unveiled during Dr. Dawood Farahi’s opening day address to Kean University faculty, staff, and students.
Dr. Farahi created the center as a platform for Kean University faculty who wish to share their research, wisdom, and observations not only with students and colleagues, but with the global village in which we all live. The Center will give faculty opportunities to comment on the issues of the day with civility and substance, qualities that often seem absent in today’s public square. Through essays written for general audiences, commentary in both new and old media venues, and public programs on and off campus, Kean University faculty will become leaders in New Jersey’s civic conversation on issues ranging from school reform to global human rights to the challenges of aging populations, and many others.
“We know that Kean University has a world-class faculty,” Dr. Farahi said. “The Center will help create greater awareness of the research and scholarship carried out on our campus.”
Dr. Farahi appointed Terry Golway, a five-year veteran of Kean, to serve as director of the Center. Golway left the editorial board of the New York Times to come to Kean in 2006. He has served as the president’s liaison to Liberty Hall Museum since arriving at Kean and is a familiar face on campus.
“The new Center is a wonderful opportunity for Kean faculty to engage the public on issues that inspire their research and scholarship,” Golway said. “Through Dr. Farahi’s leadership, the Center will become one of the University’s most-public, most-engaged institutions.”
The Center debuted with a splash last week, releasing poll numbers on New Jersey’s opinion of President Obama and Governor Christie just two days after their leadership was tested when Hurricane Irene devastated the state. That information was garnered from a comprehensive poll measuring New Jersey’s attitudes towards public education and public school teachers. The state media reported the results of both polls.
“It’s almost poetic that our first poll is about public education, since Kean is the largest producer of teachers in the state,’’ Golway said. “Our roots are in public education. This poll is a tribute to that fact.’’
Golway added that the center is in keeping with President Farahi’s 2020 Vision initiative.
“This center will take Kean to another level in terms of engagement with the public,’’ Golway said. “It’s another indication that Kean University is a vibrant place to be, and that figures to become even more true in the coming years.”
For more information on the NJ Speaks poll, please click here.
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Bloomberg has a series out on the federal government’s crop insurance program, which cost taxpayers $14 billion in 2012. The articles, which reveal a textbook example of politicians and special interests teaming up to pilfer taxpayers, should be read in their entirety.
Taxpayers are helping farmers pay their bills even as farm income this year is expected to top $120 billion, its highest inflation-adjusted mark since 1973, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. Farm income has doubled over the past four years thanks to rising land values and surging exports.
In 2011, the median income of commercial farm households – those deriving more than half their income from farming – was $84,649, almost 70 percent higher than that of the typical American household.
Even as manufacturers and retailers struggle to rebound from the recession that ended four years ago, farm equity ended 2012 at $2.5 trillion, up 37 percent since the start of the recession in December 2007 – compared with a less than 1 percent gain in net worth for all U.S. households over the same period.
In recent years, prosecutors have targeted crop insurance fraud in states including California, Florida, Tennessee and Minnesota. Gregory Torlai, 52, a Stockton, California, farmer, was sentenced in 2011 to 30 months in prison after filing $340,000 in false claims, including for lost crops on a rock-and-garbage-strewn lot he tried to pass off as a wheat field.
In Iowa, soybean farmer Mark Hoffman, 54, drew a 20-month sentence in 2005 and was ordered to repay $2.3 million after involving his wife Susan, 52, and son Justin, 31, in a scheme to cheat the government. An earlier North Carolina case featured a husband-and-wife team that had employees throw ice cubes at their tomato plants and beat them with sticks before filing more than $9 million in phony hail damage claims. Robert Warren, 66, was sentenced in 2005 to a jail term of 76 months; wife Viki, 60, got 66 months.
Former American International Group Inc. chief Maurice “Hank” Greenberg has a new business partner: the U.S. taxpayer.
Greenberg’s Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. is one of 18 companies approved to get federal cash for insuring farmers against loss of crops or income. Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), the nation’s fourth-largest bank by assets, Zurich-based Ace Ltd. (ACE) and units of American Financial Group Inc., (AFG) Deere & Co. (DE) and Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM) all enjoy similar public backing.
My two cents:
Conservative Republicans in the House can’t understand why free market groups won’t support a stand-alone farm subsidy bill that perpetuates this blatant redistribution of taxpayer money to wealthy farmers and insurance companies? Then there’s the hypocrisy: the same conservative Republicans who are a-okay with continuing to fill the troughs of the well-to-do with taxpayer slop are (rightly) pushing for cuts to the food stamps program.
I can’t think of a better way for the GOP to bolster the left’s contention that Republicans represent “the party of the rich.”
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Romulus, chapter 11: Who will be king?[753 BC]
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Their minds being fully bent upon building, there arose presently a difference about the place where. Romulus chose what was called Roma Quadrata, or the Square Rome, and would have the city there. Remus laid out a piece of ground on the Aventine Mount, well fortified by nature, which was from him called Remonium, but now Rignarium. Concluding at last to decide the contest by a divination from a flight of birds, and placing themselves apart at some distance, Remus, they say, saw six vultures, and Romulus double the number; others say Remus did truly see his number, and that Romulus feigned his, but, when Remus came to him, that then he did, indeed, see twelve. Hence it is that the Romans, in their divinations from birds, chiefly regard the vulture, though Herodorus Ponticus relates that Hercules was always very joyful when a vulture appeared to him upon any action. For it is a creature the least hurtful of any, pernicious neither to corn, fruit tree, nor cattle; it preys only upon carrion, and never kills or hurts any living thing; and as for birds, it touches not them, though they are dead, as being of its own species, whereas eagles, owls, and hawks mangle and kill their own fellow-creatures; yet, as Aeschylus says, |
-- What bird is clean that preys on fellow bird?
Besides all other birds are, so to say, never out of our eyes; they let themselves be seen of us continually; but a vulture is a very rare sight, and you can seldom meet with a man that has seen their young; their rarity and infrequency has raised a strange opinion in some, that they come to us from some other world; as soothsayers ascribe a divine origination to all things not produced either of nature or of themselves.
Event: The Foundation of Rome
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By Andrea Robertson, project Manager, Fisheries & Community Development, Ecotrust Canada
BC’s fishing industry is a proxy for some of the most important political, economic, and cultural debates currently on the national stage: Who should benefit from Canada’s natural resources? Should we structure our economies so rural and coastal communities have a role to play? Do we make the rules for a few large corporations or many smaller enterprises?
Ecotrust Canada and the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation are proud to release Caught Up in Catch Shares, a report detailing the economic, social, and cultural effects of privatizing Canada’s public fisheries resources.
Since the 1980s, BC’s commercial fleet has shrunk by 60%. The number of fishermen is down by 70%. Licence and vessel ownership has shifted from individuals to companies; from rural to urban areas. “Armchair fishermen” pocket as much as 75% of fisheries’ landed value, money that should be going to the fishermen who earn it. Once-vibrant coastal communities are in steep declines, as hundreds of millions of dollars are drawn out from the coast by quota leasing.
Most of BC’s fisheries are subject to fishery-wide catch limits. Under quotas, these limits are further subdivided into individual transferable quotas. Fishermen may only catch as much fish as their quota allows. Under DFO rules, quota can be bought and sold by anyone – including people and corporations that do not fish – on the open market. And that’s the rub: major players, processors, multi-national corporations and speculative investors have moved in, buying up and then leasing back quota at rates beyond the reach of most fishermen.
BC is not alone in this situation: quota-based systems are now in effect in 500 fisheries in 40 countries. In recent years, however, many of the earliest quota systems have begun to develop serious problems – with major repercussions for fishermen and coastal communities.
You can download the report here.
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Skip to comments.Urgent: Checking and savings account information stolen from major banks
Posted on 08/27/2014 7:30:24 PM PDT by TurboZamboni
Word has leaked that JPMorgan Chase and possibly four other banks have been hacked. Details are scarce at this point, but the FBI and other government agencies are involved in the investigation.
The hack allegedly took place earlier in August and hackers have siphoned off huge amounts of sensitive data from Chase, including checking and savings account information.
Even more concerning, sources say that the attack goes "far beyond the capabilities of ordinary hackers." Given the timing, some security experts are speculating it was the work of high-level Russian hackers.
According to an inside source, there has been no increase in fraud at JPMorgan Chase since the hack. However, it doesn't change the fact that if you're a Chase customer your most sensitive financial information may now be in the hands of criminals.
(Excerpt) Read more at komando.com ...
How is this different from the IRS?
Russians probably don’t ‘lose’ all their hard drives and blackberries.
“...the FBI and other government agencies are involved in the investigation.”
So, what you’re saying is that we’re basically focked and pretty much on our own?
I thought as much...
I use a small hometown bank that hackers couldn’t find on Google Earth.
The Liberty safe bank is looking better all the time.
Sounds like more Putin terrorism.
Which comment # will say we must all keep all our $ under the mattress.
My coffee can can’t be hacked...
JPMorgan Chase could use the marketing slogan “We aren’t quite as nasty as Bank of America.” I wonder who the other four are . . .
Obama and his Criminal Organization(Administration) are probably helping the Russians out
as long as it’s a sleep number bed.
my sleep number is one million.
I have no money.
Russians will be Russians.
Headline says “banks”, but only JPMC is discussed.
What are the other banks?
Neither do I, but that didn't stop hackers from recently stealing my information (I believe from hospital records) and opening accounts in my name. Trying to resolve the problem now...
“I’ll be tracking this story, and will release the names of the other major banks involved in the attack as they become available. Be sure to stay tuned”
That would be a great way for the feds and the banks to explain a monetary collapse. “We are experiencing an economic cyber attack. Russia did it. Let’s go to war”.
The Community Health System, whose 4.5 million patient records were hacked, had not fixed longstanding security holes. A security expert said there were known bots and blacklists, some six years old. He said, “These infections are a strong indicator that systems have gone unpatched for years - a common theme in the health care industry. If an advanced nation-state penetrated this network, they probably didn’t have to work very hard to gain a foothold.” (Politico Pro , Aug 21, 2014)
We do scans on hospitals. They are really bad. Some won’t even apply patches.
We live in the Age of Distrust. Couple that with normal bureaucratic incompetence and an Internet connection and voila: this story.
Maybe they’ll steal my mortgage.
No, they apply for 2nd mortgages on homes, using your information and credit to secure the loan. And then of course they never repay it, and the bank tries to foreclose on the home that the 2nd was taken out on, and when they find out that that person has no idea about any loan, they then go after you for repayment of the loan.
Eventually, the bank gives up, and then sells the paper to predators who then call your parents, your wife's parents, your brother, your sister, cousins, your boss, etc, who demand repayment, falsely claim lawsuits have been filed, or that papers are going to be served, etc.
I have been dealing with this for nearly 15 years now. Mostly because a local college decided to use SSNs as student ID numbers and PUBLISH a directory listing those numbers. It was eye opening to find out that I had sixteen different accounts open with SoCal Edison, that I had taken 2nds out on four different homes in two counties, and I don't even want to imagine how much unsecured credit was taken out; the credit report companies block you from finding out such information if you don't certify the right addresses.
Very interesting. Last week we discovered a fraudulent charge on a credit card that we never use - a Chase credit card. Since the card hadn’t been used, we assumed the breach had to be at Chase. Was wondering when it would come out - and here it is!
My mattress is looking more secure every day!
If my name comes up, they are damn liars. Especially Uncle Cepheus!
Maybe they could hide some of it in mine. There’s little to try to take out.
same here! hack away...they just might up my credit score by mistake or something
Maybe theyll steal my mortgage
“This will be my last election. Please advice Vladimir that after the election I will be more “flexible.” [I’m sure you understand what I mean.]
The problem must be even bigger than those 4.5 million records. None of the hospitals I went to were affiliated with CHS.
Has anybody sued the college?
Oh, no, I just found out a week ago that my information was hacked along with many, many other people's, and the thieves have been busy opening multiple accounts in my name. I'm guessing this problem will never be resolved now... will it?
The quickest way to destroy a financial system, in this case our electronic system, is to destroy any trust or faith that the depositors and users have in the system. This electronic warfare on our financial institutions could have been perpetrated by foreign hackers, possibly backed by a doreign government, or, it could have come from within our own government. Trust, once lost, is seldom regained.
$50.35? From my dead cold hands!
Directory was published yearly, and the practice stopped in the 90's, typical court approved settlement, money for lawyers, free life lock for victims, does nothing to stop those who buy debt paper that is past any legal recourse who use fake caller ids to harras people into paying for debt they don't owe.
So long as you get it handled now, you should be fine. I found out about most of these bogus accounts long after the companies involved sold off the bad debt.
Mine and my husband’s info was stolen because of this. I’m trying to figure out what to do about it. It’s a HIPAA violation for sure. And the hospital is responsible. Supposed to be offering us identity theft protection.
Supposedly our health info wasn’t accessed. I don’t believe that for a second.
Thinking of contacting an attorney.
I use Netspend (virtual) and if they get mentioned, I’m running the bank.
so nsa left some footprints this time?
Or to be more specific, the hackers may have been working for the Russian FSB (the successor to the KGB) but done in a way there is plausible deniability.
Your mattress can catch on fire and burn. Please transfer your money to a glass jar and bury it in your yard. Make a map with X marking the spot and send it to me as a security feature in case you forget the location.
This article is pure, unadulterated BS.
The tipoff is the article’s conclusion:
“I protect my checking and savings account information from fraud with my advertiser LifeLock”
Basically, this article is nothing more than an alarmist infomercial for “Lifelock”.
Since the FBI can’t find Lerners emails we can rest assured the FBI won’t be able to find out where the hack came from. It seems the Keystone Cops are running the FBI these days
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Little Gidding is the site of a former religious community in the early 1600s, established by Nicholas Ferrar. Ferrar was originally from London and studied medicine at Clare College Cambridge. He spent a few years abroad, travelling through Germany, Italy, and Spain, where he no doubt encountered the spiritual revival that was going in Catholic areas during the Counter-Reformation, and the writings of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross. He returned and direct the Virginia Company before it was suppressed by the King. After this, he left with his family and established a lay religious community in Little Gidding.
The village is located between Cambridge and Peterborough off the A15. More specifically, it is between Great Gidding and Steeple Gidding; Great Gidding is between Winwick and Glatton. By car, one would take the A15, get off on the Great Northern Road towards Glatton, and turn left in Great Gidding, then right. There is no public transport; if you have a bike, you can take the train to Peterborough, then cycle south through Farcet, Yaxley, Holme, Glatton, and Great Gidding. Its a 14 mile cycle.
There isn't very much in the way of sights. Ferrar's house was destroyed during the civil war, the present Ferrar house is modern and not of much interest, except for purposes of hospitality. The Ferrar House Warden staffs the house, which is principally a Retreat Centre, and runs a bed and breakfast. The house also sells light refreshments, and the Warden be happy to tell you a bit more about the Ferrars.
The church is very old, but is largely a restoration. It was restored first in the 1620s by the Ferrars and then again in the 1700s. After the reformation, the church was used mostly as a hayshed until the Ferrars restored it. It was then sacked, looted, and damaged by the puritans during the civil war, and restored into basically its present state later. Its a very small church; architecturally, not nearly as interesting as the Cathedrals in Peterborough and Ely or as King's or St. John's college chapel. What makes the place worth visiting is its history with Nicholas Ferrar's spirituality, and TS Eliot's visit in 1936.
Inside the church are typical choir benches; again, nothing of any great architectural interest. The only stain glass is family coats-of-arms. There is no crucifix in the east window, except a very small altar cross. Behind the altar is a brass engraving of the ten commandments and the lord's prayer. There are also more recent wall hangings with lines from TS Eliot's poem Little Gidding, as well as from George Herbert.
The great part of the experience is sitting in the choir reading TS Eliot. One really gets a feel for what Eliot must have felt. This is really something every Eliot fan ought to do. It was Little Gidding where the issues of the self and history that had plagued him since The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock and The Waste-Land came together for him, and it is worth a visit.
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Bucharest, Jun 15 (AP/UNB) – Britain’s defense minister says Russian aggression toward NATO is increasing and the alliance was right to have agreed to a “very high readiness taskforce”, reports AP/UNB.
Michael Fallon said Thursday that Russia had annexed Crimea, threatened the Baltic states, and interfered in the democratic processes in Western Europe with “propaganda and other means,” in the past three years.
He also accused Russia of “aggression in the eastern Mediterranean, prolonging the conflict in Syria,” adding “the threat to NATO particularly to the southeastern flank is growing.”
He said the alliance had rightly agreed to “a very high readiness taskforce which is ….demonstrating the rapid response that NATO requires.”
Fallon is on a two-day visit to Romania, where he has stressed that Britain, which will leave the European Union, remains committed to European security.
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The Special Archetype includes three industries, each of which has a unique spatial pattern: aerospace manufacturing, telecom carriers, and pharmaceuticals manufacturing and wholesaling. Their spatial patterns are unlike those of any of the other Archetypes, and unlike each other. These differences may be due to particular industry characteristics, including the fact that each is dominated by a few large firms and has a relatively concentrated ownership pattern. So the spatial patterns we are seeing may be those of a few large establishments. At the same time, these companies provide advanced manufacturing and services, so it is important to understand their economic and spatial patterns.
Each of these industries experienced significant employment growth between 2006 and 2016, together accounting for over 11,000 new GGH jobs. In 2016, they together represented over 70,000 jobs in total.
Table 18: Special Archetype Employment, GGH, 2006 and 2016
Total GGH core employment
Total GGH employment
Employment in each industry is highly spatially clustered, most likely representing employment in a few large establishments. However, each has a unique geography.
- Aerospace has clusters at Downsview and at Pearson Airport, with smaller clusters in Ajax, Oakville, and Waterloo region.
- Telecom has clusters in Downtown Toronto and the Airport SKID, as well as in Brampton, and inner suburban Toronto at Don Mills and Scarborough City Centre.
- Pharma has several smaller clusters along Steeles Avenue, as well as in the Airport and Meadowvale SKIDs.
Modest growth in Aerospace is seen in the Airport and Meadowvale SKIDs, as well as in Cambridge. Telecoms has seen growth reinforced in the Airport SKID, Brampton, and Don Mills, with a loss of employment in Downtown Toronto. Pharma has seen growth in the clusters along Steeles Avenue, and in the Markham and Meadowvale SKIDs, with some scattered losses in older parts of Toronto and Mississauga. (See Maps 25 to 30.)
Map 25: Aerospace - Special Archetype Employment, GGH, 2016
Map 26: Aerospace - Special Archetype Employment Change, GGH, 2006-2016
Map 27: Telecoms - Special Archetype Employment, GGH, 2016
Map 28: Telecoms - Special Archetype Employment Change, GGH, 2006-2016
Map 29: Pharma - Special Archetype Employment, GGH, 2016
Map 30: Pharma - Special Archetype Employment Change, GGH, 2006-2016
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Northern Region Sends Aid South
Groups and agencies in the northern parts of our region that were not impacted by Hurricane Sandy are stepping up to send help to the storm ravaged areas.
Last year parts of Vermont and northern New York were ripped apart by Tropical Storm Irene, and now they want to help those impacted by Sandy. Some of the first volunteers heading south are from the Vermont and New Hampshire Upper Valley American Red Cross. Spokesman Doug Bishop says the eight trained individuals being deployed left for a staging area in White Plains.
In New York, a statewide mutual aid system through the Office of Emergency Management is drawing a response from northern counties. Franklin and Clinton Counties have sent swift-water rescue teams to the New York City and Long Island area. Franklin County Emergency Services Director Ricky Provost.
Provost says Franklin County has already responded to two requests.
Clinton County Director of Emergency Services Eric Day says they were also asked to deploy a swift-water rescue team.
The Red Cross sheltered 9-thousand people in 171 shelters Tuesday night in areas affected by Sandy. While that’s down from Monday night, Doug Bishop says they expect the need to increase as power outages continue.
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By Kai Horsthemke
Read or Download Animals and African Ethics (The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series) PDF
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Financial Planning 2017: Understanding How to Get a Loan
Borrowing money can be beneficial, especially if you the money wisely like engaging in a business, covering the cost of your studies or to pay an emergency bill. However, borrowing money is also a complicated choice because mistakes can ruin your credit history that might cause for your loan request to be rejected. So if you need to really get a loan, you should know what to expect and what you can do ahead of time. The initial step is to identify what type of loan you will need, and it depends on what are you intending to do with the money. The different types of loans include home loans or mortgage loans, personal loans, car loans, business loans, and student or educational loans.
Using the appropriate loan that can match your needs improves your chances of getting approved and usually keep your costs lower. The next step if knowing where you can borrow the money or get the loan, and these are the financing institutions or agencies. For example, you need to try your school’s student aid office first to get a student loan before going to a bank to avail a private student loan. The best places to shop for loans, and compare costs and interest rates are credit unions and banks. It is also important to include other sources in the marketplace such as peer-to-peer loans. You can also access reputable websites with access to multiple lenders. Borrowing money from private lending individuals like your friends or family may get your loan easily approved, keeping the costs low, but it may still cause problems because of disputes and inability to pay on time, ruining your relationships. It is really tempting getting what you can especially if you have been repeatedly turned down, but this can be very dangerous, so you need to avoid predatory lenders and high-cost loans like rent-to-own programs and payday loans.
When getting a loan, financial or lending institutions usually require you to have a credit or a history of borrowing and repaying loans, and having a good credit standing increases your chance to get your loan request approved immediately with higher amounts and better rates. It is essential to fix any mistakes in your credit files to prevent getting rejected for your future loans. Before signing the dotted line, it is important to understand all the terms and conditions of the loan such as the interest rates, the repayment method, any late fee or penalty charges, and calculations. You can try using online loan calculator or other online tools to get an idea of how much interest a loan can gain for a specific time frame, and other relevant information.
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Japan-Land of the
Ancient Buddhist Temples and Shinto Shrines! -- Part 1
By Sandy Zimmerman
With over 1,000 years of
history, Japan is steeped in the traditions of its culture. Even when
walking around some sections of ultra-modern Tokyo, you have the feeling
that time stood still. Edo, the original name of Tokyo, was a small
castle town during the time of isolation when Japan was ruled by the
Shogun (1615-1868). The term Torii Gates describes the exotic religious
symbols at the approach and entrance to shrines. They contain 2 vertical
wooden posts with a curved post across the top.
When our guide announced
we were stopping at the Oedo Onsen Monogatari Japanese Bath House
(Greater Tokyo Hot Springs Story), everyone was surprised! Yes, Oedo is
a traditional communal bath of the Edo period, but so much more. This
costumed theme park offers an experience in which you become a part of
the past. In fact, everyone must wear yulkata kimonos in order to enter.
Choose any of 19 beautiful kimonos decorated with Ukiyoe prints
(stylized pictures of geishas, courtesans, Sumo wrestlers, Mt Fuji).
Male and female baths are separated. In Japan, public baths are for
relaxing and enjoying the hot mineral springs, not for scrubbing your
body. Choose indoor or outdoor baths. Oedo combines the traditional bath
experience with a touch of entertainment, shopping, and dining. Try a
Western restaurant or Japanese izakaya pub. You'll see beautiful young
ladies dressed as geishas, men with swords and samari-style haircuts.
It's like a movie set of an ancient Japanese village. Oedo's co-ed
footbaths are a series of wading pools in a romantic setting surrounded
by flowers and trees. Hold the kimono up as you walk in knee-deep water.
Each path is designed with different size stones, which stimulate your
foot's pressure points. Following your bath, relax or nap in the
Relaxation Zone in extra-comfortable lounging chairs. Have an after bath
party for 6-72 people in a Tatami room with mats and low tables. The
Ohiroma Room has 210 Tatami mats. There is a salon for beauty
treatments, foot and body massages. Oedo also offers the Galbanum
healing sauna, Sunaburo sand, and steam baths. This is one of Japan's
largest Onsen hot spring resorts.
Temples, Shrines, and
Tokyo's oldest temple,
the awesome Asakusa Kannon Temple or Sensoji Temple has a main entrance
through Gate of the God of Wind and God of Thunder (Kaminarimon Gate) or
the smaller gate (Nitenmon Gate). We are amazed by the skilled
craftsmanship of its curved roof and decorated building. The red walls
glow in the sunlight. Followers wave incense sticks around themselves
becoming surrounded by smoke. They perform these prayer rituals in front
of large bronze incense burning urns. The main building, Kannon-do was
originally chosen as the site to enshrine a small gold statue of the
Goddess of Mercy caught in a fisherman's net. Check your fortune by
shaking a box until a stick falls out. Each stick has a number and the
clerk finds the corresponding fortune. If you don't like the fortune,
just pay a small donation and keep trying! A beautiful 5-story Pagoda
stands within this temple's courtyard. Sensoji is located in the
colorful downtown old Edo section of Tokyo.
The Meiji Shrine is
dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken
(1853-1912). He was considered the father of modern Japan, during the
time when the power of government switched from feudal system to the
emperor. A simple cedar Torii marks the entrance to the temple's
grounds. Meiji is set within a 175 acre park filled with 100,00 trees.
You walk across an extremely wide gravel path to a larger Torii leading
into the inner gardens. These large gates to the shrine are made from
Japanese cypress and is said to be over 1,700 years old. See the picture
gallery, sports facilities, and treasure museum displaying a private
collection of the Emperor and Empress. The empress spent time in her
beautiful 75-acre Jingo Gvoen (Iris Garden) now blossoming with 100
varieties of irises. A special ring-entering ceremony is performed at the
temple when sumo wrestlers have been promoted to the exalted rank of
Grand Champion. You may catch weddings on weekends the couples wear
Sengakuji Temple is
dedicated to Lord Asano Naganori In Edo castle; Kira Yoshinaka chided
Asano to draw his sword. This act was considered an insult deemed
punishable by self-disembowelment. Asano's 47 Samurai followers avenged
his forced ritual suicide (1702), brought Kira's head to the temple and
placed it on Asano's tomb. They were then sentenced to disembowel
themselves. The museum houses their armor and possessions.
Yasukuni Shrine is
considered new under Japanese standards (1869), yet designed in classic
Shinto-style. View the cherry blossoms or snow from their Torii Gate.
Zojoji Temple is one of
the largest temples of the Jodo sect of Buddhism (600 years old). At the
main gate, Sangedatsumon, General Grant planted the large pine tree,
when he visited Tokyo.
The Imperial Palace,
formerly Edo Castle, is home to the Emperor and Empress of Japan. This
250-acre fortress is surrounded by its original innermost moat, gates,
old guard towers, and was built with 15" thick walls. You are allowed to
visit the East Garden (Higashi Gyoen) or Plaza Double Building depending
upon the time of year. Enter from the picturesque Nijubashi Bridge (Two
Tiered Bridge). The East garden was first designed 300 years ago, as a
garden-within-a-garden. Only on January 2 (New Year's Greeting) and
December 23 (emperor's birthday) visitors are able to enter the inner
palace grounds and see the members of the imperial family who make
several public appearances on a balcony.
To pay respects at Shinto
Shrines, dress appropriately, walk through the Torii Gate, and rinse
your hands and mouth using water from the stone basin. Do not touch the
dipper with your lips directly. Then proceed to the Main Shrine
building. If you wish to show respect in front of the main shrine, bow
twice, then clap your hands twice, and bow again.
Entertainment Hall - see Rakugo (comic storytelling), Manzai (comic
dialogue), Mandan (comic monologue), acrobatics, magic, and mimic
Hana-Yashiki - 150-year-old amusement park.
- Museum of
Traditional Art Crafts - near the Asakusa Temple.
Shopping Center - Adjoins the Asakusa Kannon Temple, a long double row
of 90 shops and stalls selling a variety of goods and souvenirs.
- National Diet
Building - House of Parliament.
- Taiko (drum)
Museum - in the Asakusa Temple district.
- Tokyo Tower -
Modeled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris but 13 meters taller, (333
meters high) this is the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower
(1958). Now functioning as a television/radio broadcast antenna and
half-and-three-quarter-size wooden or porcelain figures perform Bunraku
with the help of puppeteers at the Classic Puppet Theater. Some 300
years ago, storytellers and puppeteers traveled around the country to
entertain the people. These two skilled art forms joined together and
Bunraku was born. Each puppeteer stands in full view of the audience.
Three puppeteers control each principal puppet. One holds the puppet's
back and manipulates the puppet's right arm. The second operator moves
the puppets left arm, while the third moves its legs. Each puppet's
eyes, mouth, and eyebrows move. The Joruri narrator tells a story,
conveys emotion, and reproduces the sound of rain and wind. Shamisen
players change the tempo of music with the action. Their repertoire of
plays was written in the 18th century. Currently there are
four performances each year at the National Theater in Tokyo and Osaka
plus a yearly traveling show.
You can thrill to
classical Kabuki Theatre in the neon-lit Ginza. Originally started by a
female group (1608) but banned as being immoral. Kabuki has been
performed by an all-male troupe to this day. In the beginning, this was
deemed the choice of entertainment for the townspeople, not the upper
classes. But even though noblemen and members of the higher ranks were
not allowed to attend, they did anyway. Kabuki plays are about
historical events, moral conflict, love relationships and are
accompanied by ancient Japanese instruments. Shows include dancing,
singing, costumes, brightly colored makeup, trapdoors, sword fighting,
flying actors, a revolving stage, classical musicians, and a footbridge
leading into the audience.
A different style of
theater than Kabucki, Noh Theatre has been performed for over 700 years.
It is symbolic and rooted in ancient Shinto rites. The actors wear masks
along with beautiful white costumes and perform on a stage under a
Shinto Shrine-style roof. They are also seen at torch-lit temple
ceremonies. Noh were the choice of the upper classes.
The Takarazuka Theatre is
the female's answer to the Kabuki Theatre, an all-female cast presenting
spectacular, romantic musical revues.
If you would like to
experience a traditional Japanese music concert in the United States,
try to attend one of Yukiko Matsuyama's concerts. She plays the Koto, an
instrument, which became popular in the 7th and 8th centuries
for entertaining at court. The Koto has 13 strings and measures 6 feet
long. Yukiko has composed several numbers on her new CD album Tsubomi
(Blossom) and explains, "I composed these songs with love from my heart.
Every moment of our lives is full of possibilities. Choose to make those
moments blossom beautifully. Dream and believe." The other instruments
appearing on the CD- Kaiki drums, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and
Foot Bath in Bath House
Geishas - The "Gei"
(performance) "Sha" (people) are professional hostesses. These girls are
trained in the arts of entertaining, playing instruments, ancient dance,
singing, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, calligraphy, conversation,
and serving; this honored status can be traced back to the women who
danced for warriors during the 11th century. Contact the JNTO about
Participate in the
ancient art of the Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu) at several Tokyo hotels. Zen
Buddhism influenced this formal ritual of preparing and drinking tea.
Each step, each hand movement must be learned exactly. Most tea
ceremonies usually take from 30-45 minutes and use Matcha green tea made
of powdered tealeaves.
Dating back to ancient
times, Sumo Wrestling is still popular today. Their largest champion,
Konishi weighed 625 pounds. Mainoumi, the lightest- 359 pounds, did not
meet the height requirements until he had several silicone implants on
his head. He later married a 90-pound model. Visit the Sumo amphitheater
in the nearby town of Ryogoku Kokugikan (National Sumo district) to
attend a bout. The Dohyo-iri (entering ring) ceremony is exciting. This
area is devoted to Sumo champions with shops and restaurants filled with
wood clogs, kimonos, and supplies. At the Sumo museum displays from the
Edo period to the present are found.
Food Theme Parks and
Museums are unique attractions. You can stop for a snack, meal, or
just to learn about their type of food.
Do you like curry? The
Yokohama Curry Museum offers a curry restaurant food court and exhibits
featuring the history of curry, and curry around the world.
The Shin-Yokohama Ramen
Noodle Museum reproduces a scene from old Japan. Sample ramen noodles
from different areas of Japan. Ramen is one of Japan's popular dishes.
The management says, Ramen fans, ramen connoisseurs, and certifiable
ramen maniacs all come to their museum. Ramen consists of Chinese style
noodles served in a soup with various toppings. Every ramen cook has
developed it's own soup. This is a historical theme park and specialty
Ikebukuro Gyoza Stadium
has over 20 Gyoza shops. Prices are reasonable, so you can sample
different types of Gyoza dumplings. You will enjoy walking around the
streets inside the stadium.
Similar to an upgraded
ferry system, just go to any of their ports. You don't need
reservations. The Tokyo Cruise Ship Company (boats are called suijo-bus
in Japanese) offers service to the following:
Tokyo Sea Life Park Line - beach, aquarium, bird sanctuary, ferris wheel, and Tokyo Sea Life
Park. Each ticket comes with a discount coupon for a Ferris wheel ride.
Odaiba Line - Odaiba
district, Seaside Park, restaurants, cafes on the waterfront, amusement
Harbor Cruise Line -night
Museum of Maritime
Science, Shinagawa Aquarium Line - Nature/Science Experience Tour,
Museum of Maritime Science built in an out-of-duty-passenger boat,
National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Shinagawa Aquarium -
simulated undersea walk in glass tunnel and dolphin/seal shows. Discount
tickets for Museum of Maritime Science and aquarium are available.
Sumida River Line - Old
Edo, downtown Tokyo- Asakusa, Hamarikyu Gardens, 12 unique bridges.
Zeal Dining Cruises -
lunch, sunset, dinner, and bbq excursions.
Symphony Cruises - serves
Italian and French cuisine, state of the art facilities
Typical gateway entrance
Just one hour from Tokyo
and you are in another world! The ancient town of Kamakura (1192) is
like an open-air museum with 119 temples and 41 shrines. Kamakura was
the former capitol of Japan from 12-14 century. You will need a day to
really see Kamakura. Some places that you should make sure to visit
while in Kamakura are:
- The bronze Great
Buddha (Daibutsu) was cast in 1252 weighs 122 tons and seems to reach
up to the clouds (37 feet). How could this have been built without our
- Hasedera Temple (721) exhibits the largest wood sculpture in Japan, the Goddess of
Mercy. Each of its 11 faces is different. Carved out of one piece of
camphor wood. Stroll around tree lined paths to see low-ceilinged
caves, gardens, revolving library, and several ornate buildings.
Hasedera sits atop a mountain with viewing areas of Sagami Bay.
Hachjimangu Shrine - Shinto shrine, 100-year-old gingko tree.
- Kenchoji Temple - oldest Zen temple in Japan, unpainted wood buildings.
- Zeniarai Eniarai
Benton - small shrine inside several hillside caves. Visitors wash
their coins and bills to be able to gain more wealth.
In Yokamana, there are
two places to visit - Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea. Tokyo
Disneyland is in the Maihama district, which is 30 minutes by train.
Tokyo Disney Sea is next to Tokyo Disneyland and features 7 theme ports
and a gigantic flame spewing volcano.
Places to Stay
Almost everything is
different in Japan; they have their own slant on life! Accommodations
are available in all price ranges, and you can take advantage of their
traditional-style Japanese lodging.
- Ryokan or
Japanese Inn - It will seem as though you are back in the Edo era of
Japan. You sleep on futon bedding in a large room with only a
rice-straw tatami floor covering, low table, and sliding shoji screen
doors. They supply blue and white cotton kimono (yakata) lounging
wear. Many of these Ryokans are hot-springs resorts known as Onsen.
Take communal baths, separate sex bathing. Remove shoes at entrance to
the Ryokan, and wear slippers. You can only walk on tatami mats with
stocking feet or barefoot. Japanese baths are for soaking, not
scrubbing. Chat with friends, family, or strangers while bathing.
Price includes 2 meals and simple breakfast. The maid brings each meal
to your room. There are 65,000 Ryokan accommodations in Japan.
- Minshuku Guest
Homes - you rent a room in a families' home. Price includes 2 meals
dine family style.
- The no frills
business hotels are near train stations.
- Grand Hyatt
Tokyo - Luxury at its finest! 10 world-class restaurants, fitness
center, Nagomi Spa, Business center, Grand club, 13 convention/
meeting rooms. Ultra-modern, new hotel. Next to Roppongi Hills
city-within-a-city entertainment and shopping center.
Places to Eat
Tokyo has more than
300,000 restaurants - ramen, noodle, and dumplings, to the finest
international dining - and 7,000 sushi bars. Although many restaurants
do not have an English speaking staff, plastic food displays and photos
help you make meal choices.
Roppongi, Akasaka, and
parts of Shinjuku are popular nightlife districts. Typical places of
entertainment include karaoke bars, discos, live music places, and bars
with live music.
Tropicana - Brazilian restaurant and bar.
- Blue Note Tokyo - featuring jazz.
- El Cafe Latino -
dancing in pre-Columbian decor, 2 dance floors, Latin music, tropical
- Hard Rock Cafe.
- Lexington Queen - international discotheque, model and celebrity hangout.
- Japan National Tourist Organization - offers free information regarding
restaurants, attractions, hotels (western-style, business, Ryokan Inns,
and Minshuku guest houses), tour itineraries, and tips for budget
travelers. They have a Tokyo Walking Guide with 15 courses. JNTO hopes
you discover both sides of Tokyo - ancient and modern. Booklets are
available for other Japanese cities. Whatever information you need, JNTO
can help find it!
Experience Japanese life
with the people who live it. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and JNTO
run the Home Visit System. Spend a few hours chatting and having tea.
Apply in person at JNTO's TIC at least one day before your intended
System - at railroad stations or downtown, red question mark with the
- Goodwill Guide
Program - 47,000 bilingual volunteers ready to assist foreign
visitors- housewives, students, and retirees. Free, just pay for their
travel expenses and admissions to tourist facilities, meals.
- Air Canada - All flights via Vancouver, Canada, 888-247-2262.
Airlines - new 777 luxury jets offer daily non-stop flights to
Tokyo's Narita Airport from Los Angeles, along with Chicago,
Dallas/Fort Worth, New York, and San Jose, California.
International coach passengers are served beef tenderloin steak!
Business class meals include -Teriyaki beef appetizer, choice of
filet mignon seasoned with fresh sage in a Port wine demi-glaze,
seafood risotto topped with goat cheese sauce, or lemon thyme
chicken. Japanese dinners- sushi, beef tataki, Hassun dish,
braised duck, and fillet mignon enhanced by garlic soy sauce
with Shiitake mushrooms. First class passengers are served
salmon appetizers, lobster tail and claw salads, and the same
main courses as business class. The flight attendant prepares an
ice cream sundae at your seat. Business and First Class meals
are similar to those in gourmet restaurants, a continuous
serving of extras, and choice of liquor.
information call 800
Airlines - daily flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Chicago, and New York.
Airlines - daily from Los Angeles, 800
U. S. citizens are
required to have a passport. When you arrive a Temporary Visitor's
Visa for a stay of 90 days or less is provided.
Where to Stay
- Ryokan or
Japanese Inn - $120-200 includes 2 meals, (03)
Inn Group - 80 inns for budget travelers, http://members.aol.com/jinngroup.
Guest Homes - family run lodging, $65-90 include 2 meals, served
family style, (03)
- Western-style hotel - $150-300 for 1 person; $250-450 for two
people. 311 member hotels in the Japan Hotel Association, ttp://www.j-hotel.or.jp/
Hyatt Tokyo - (03)
-4333-1234 in Japan, 888-591-1234 from the
hotels - close to train stations. $55-100. No frills.
Call the JNTO for
information about all types of accommodations, in Los Angeles 213-623-1952, in Tokyo (03)
- The train
and subway lines have an interlocking network that covers most
of the city.
Railways (JR) - 6 railway companies covering the entire country
making stops at 15 - minute intervals during peak periods. The
Bullet Trains, Shinkansen, are ultra fast throughout Japan.
Purchase tickets at vending machines at each station, and
approach the green striped windows for different class tickets.
Japan Rail Pass: 7 days- $28.30, first class $37.80. 14
days-$45, first class $61. 21 days-$57.70, first class $79.
Tokyo Free Kippu (ticket) holders make unlimited travel within 1
day in Tokyo on JR, TRTA, and Metropolitan subway- $15. Each of
JR, Metropolitan subway, bus, and TRTA subway offers 1-day open
ticket for unlimited rides within Tokyo for $7. JNTO has
information about transportation within Japan.
information - (03)
Airport Express - airport train to Tokyo and other cities.
Limousine Bus - door to door to most hotels, (03)
Ride - Asakusa, 10 minutes-$20. 30 minutes-$50. 1 hour- $90.
East building, 3f, 1-20-4 Asakusa, Taitoku, (03)
Tropicana - B1 Edge Building, 1-1-1 Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku,
- Blue Note
Tokyo - Raika Building, 6-3-16 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, (03) -5485-0088.
International - $30 admission, includes 3 drinks and karaoke.
5F, Taimei bldg, 3-11-6 Roppongi, Minato-ku, (03)
- El Cafe
Latino - open daily, Win Roppongi Building, 3-15-24 Roppongi,
- Hard Rock
Cafe - Tokyo-Roppongi, Tokyo-Uyeno; 5-4-20 roppongi, minato-ku, (03)
Queen - international discotheque, free drinks all night, except
Thursdays, Admission: Men-$30, Women-$20, includes 1 dish.
Monday & Thursday- Ladies night, free admission, 2 drinks free.
Model and celebrity hangout. Daily, 8-5. B1-f, 3rd Goto Building, 3-13-14, Roppongi, Minato-ku, (03)
Onsen Japanese bath house - foot bath-11:00 am - 10:00 pm,
open-air bath- 11:00 am - Midnight and 5:00 am -8:00 am, indoor
bath- 11:00 am - 8:00 am the next morning.
Entrance fee- 11:00 - 6:00, Adult-$28. Child- 4 yrs up-$15;
After 6:00 pm, discount, adult- $8, child-$15. Fees include
kimonos, bath towels, and use of facilities.
Indoor bathing- 4 hour limit during weekends & holidays,
additional fees will be charged, except if you enter after 6:00
pm. Last entrance at 2:00 am. No tattoos are allowed. After bath
party rooms are available, from 6-72 tatami mats. Relaxation
rooms- nap, body and foot massages, beauty treatments. 2-57 Aomi,
Koto-Ku, Tokyo, (03)
Theatre - plays change monthly, $25-168. Only $5-10 to see one
act. Rent an English audio earphone translation tape for the
whole show only. Matinee- 11:00 -4:00, Evening- 4:30-9:00
4-12-15 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, (03)
Kabuki Theatre- Eight or nine Kabuki performances per year, each
running about one month. $15-92. English translation audio
earphone tape is available, (03)
Theatre - 1-1-3 Yurakucho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, http://gojapan.about.com/library/weekly/aa091702.htm
National Theatre - 4-18-1 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, (03)
Ceremony - Japanese garden Happo-en, bonsai trees; Tea Ceremony
(Sadoh) Take part as a guest, observe the ceremony, and enjoy a
bowl of foamy powdered green tea.
Amphitheater - $36-113 January, May and September, http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/index.html
Kannon Temple, or Sensoji Temple - 6:00 - 5:00, daily, free.
2-3-1 Asakusa Taito-Ku, (03)
Buddha (Daibutsu) - Admission 200 yen (extra 20 yen for entering
inside the statue) 7:00 - 6:00 (April-September) 7:00 - 5:30
- 2-28 Hase
4-chome, Kamakura, Kanagawa 248-0015 (04)-76-22-0703, http://www.kamakuratoday.com/e/sightseeing/daibutsu.html
Temple - 8:00 - 4:30 daily, 3-11-2 Hase, Kamakura city, Kanagawa
Prefecture, (04)-6722-6300, http://www.shaav.com/travel/japan/hasedera.htm.
Jingu Shrint - Open from sunrise to sunset, shrine free.
Treasure Museum: Adult $5 Student $2 children free. Saturday and
Sunday 9:00 - 4:30. Closed every third Friday of the month.
Shrine: Free.1-1 Joyogi Kamizono-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (03)
3379- 5511, http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/, http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/.
Temple - Adult $2 Child $1. Hall- 9:00 - 4:00, 2-11-1 Takanawa,
Minato-ku, Tokyo, (03)
Shrine - 24 hours, Inner gardens- 6:00 - 7:00, free. Museum 9:00
- 5:00, $3 adults $2 high school, $1 child. 3-1-1, Kudan Kita,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, (03)
Temple - free. 4-7-35, Shiba Koen, Minato-ku.
Hana Yashiki - 150-year-old amusement park.10:30 am - 6:00 pm,
2-28-1 Asakusa, (03)
Entertainment Hall -see Rakugo (comic storytelling), Manzai
(comic dialogue), Mandan (comic monologue), acrobatics, magic
and mimic shows. 11:40 am -9:00 pm, daily, (03)
- Museum of
Traditional Art Crafts of Downtown Edo-free, 10 am -8:00 pm,
daily. 111-0032 2-22-13, Asakusa, Taito City, (03)
- Nakamise -
shops next to the Asakusa Kannon Temple. 6:00 am -5:00 pm (6:30
pm, October-March), daily. Between Kaminarimon and Hozomon, (03)
(Drum) Museum -$3 adults; $1.50 child. 10:00 am -5:00 pm, closed
Monday, Tuesday, during Bon, the end and beginning of year.
111-0035 2-1-1, in Unosuke Miyamoto Shop, Nishiasakusa, Taito
Globe - reproductions of Shakespeare plays.
Disneyland, Maihama district 30 minutes by train, Yokohama.
Disney Sea - Next to Tokyo Disneyland, Yokohama.
Food Theme Parks
Gyoza Stadium - 10:00 am - 10:00 pm, $3 adult, $2 child. 3-1-3
Higashi Ikebukuro Sunshine City World, Import Mart 2F Namco
- Shin-Yokohama Ramen Noodle Museum - Admission $3. Or 3 month
pass- $10, 6 month pass- $15. Around $9 per bowl. 11:00 am -
11:00 pm, last admission 10:00 pm. Closed Tuesdays, except for
national holidays. 2-14-21 Shin-Yokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, (04) 5-471-0503 (Japanese) "Ramen dial": (04) 5-471-0943 (Japanese). 45 minutes from Tokyo, http://www.bento.com/phgal3.html.
Curry Museum - 11:00 am - 10:30 pm. 7-8F, 1-2-3 Isezakicho,
Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken, (04) 5-250-0833.
Cruise Ship Co, Ltd. - (boats are called suijo-bus in Japanese)
Asakusa, Hinode, Odaiba Piers, (03)
Dining Cruises - (03)
Cruises - $30-lunch cruise, 11:50 am; $15-afternoon, 3:00 pm;
$30-sunset, 4:30 pm; $38-dinner, 7:10 pm, Price does not include
meal and cruise -$50-200. Sea Line Tokyo Co., Ltd., 2-7-104,
Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo, (03)
Embassy - Akasaka, Minato-ku, (03)
- Currency -
American money and traveler's checks are not accepted except at
the larger hotels. You have to use credit cards or Yen.
Information - Multi-Lingual - (04)-5671-7209.
National Tourist Organization (JNTO) - Los Angeles: 213-623-1952, New York: 212-757-5640, Chicago: 312-222-0874.
-3201-3331, Monday-Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. 10th
floor, Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan Bldg, 2-10-1, Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo. The JNTO is also at the Tokyo International Airport,
Narita- Terminal 2- Main, Terminal 1- Branch, 9:00 am - 8:00 pm,
daily. http://www.jnto.go.jp/. Contact the JNTO regarding the
Goodwill Guide Program, to visit Japanese homes, or for all
- Information System - at railroad stations or downtown, (03) -5321-3077 ttp://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/
Clinic - Dr. Ishikawa, Azabu Sakurada Hitsu, 2F. 3-2-7 Azabu
-3479-0081 24 hours: 03-3401-6340.
British Clinic - Dr. Symonds day time only. Daikan Yama Y
Building 2-13-7 Ebisu-Nishi Shibuya-Ku, (03)
Metro Health and Medical Information Center - 24 hour medical
International Medicine Information Center - Tokyo, (03)
Clinic - Dental office, No. 31, Mori Building, 3-4-30 Shiba Koen
- Ambulance - 119, English: (01)-2046-1997.
- POLICE -
110, English: (03)
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Gen-Z consumers are the real movers and shakers in today’s e-commerce landscape.
Born between 1995 and 2010, Gen-Zs are true digital natives whose exposure to a myriad of social networks and mobile systems have made them a highly cognitive generation comfortable with various information sources and integrating virtual and offline experiences. And they will soon surpass millennials as the most populous generation on Earth, comprising over one-third of the world’s population.
Click to read our e-book “Malaysia – How BNPL empowers retailers and e-tailers to reach outside the box” to discover more about the Gen-Z consumption growth story and gain insights on how brands can reach and resonate with this market.
In this blog post, we highlight the three key trends that make Gen-Z a unique cohort of consumers and how retailers can unlock new opportunities for retailers seeking growth.
Trend 1: The rise of the singles economy
Households are getting smaller. Over the past twenty years, the average size of households has declined in advanced Asian economies, with nearly one-third of households being single-person ones, which has formed a robust “single economy”.
The growing number of single people will spur new consumption habits. It’s set to boost segments of the economy where single people historically spend more, including health and sport, personal care, food away from home, and luxury and electric automobiles. To win over this group, brands need to truly understand the lifestyle of singles and their motivations.
For instance, single people’s desire for companionship could boost the pet industry. Unlike the past where pets may be seen as an accessory for the owner, they could now be considered to be a real family member. Along with the soaring ownership of pets, the pet food market and pet fashion market may also see huge growth as well.
Trend 2: More wellness enthusiasts
The growing number of singles living alone may spark a rising emphasis on healthy living and health consciousness. As a result, this could lead to rapid expansion of the health and sports market.
Athletic brands like Nike, Lululemon and Under Armour, are expected to benefit because both single men and women tend to spend more time exercising than their married counterparts, increasing the need for workout gear, according to a Morgan Stanley study.
The Covid-19 pandemic has also reinforced consumers’ awareness of the importance on health and wellness. Amid the restrictions, demand for athleisure and activewear has surged and even sales of bicycles.
The world has seen a shift towards digital-enabled fitness solutions too. As consumers continue their work-from-home arrangements, they are naturally drawn to the convenience and personalisation such solutions bring. Digital solution providers can channel their efforts to build a community and look at ways on how to build a high-quality fitness environment.
Trend 3: SHEconomy
According to a Morgan Stanley report, “the Rise of SHEconomy”, never-married women have become the fastest-growing segment of the female population. Furthermore, single women outspend the average household.
Naturally, Gen-Z, which has contributed to a more diverse and inclusive society, will continue this trend. We can expect to see more single women who are more willing to lead a high-quality and niche lifestyle. For instance, spending more on personal care products, beauty products and so on.
Interestingly, Gen-Z are spending more on makeup than any other generation did at the same age. In the restaurant space, fast casual chains should capitalise on how single women may favour small and fancier coffeehouses, for instance.
The future ahead is truly exciting and retailers need to be equally agile as well.
In order to capture the attention of Gen-Z, brands can consider harnessing live-streaming to enable Gen Z viewers to watch, interact and shop simultaneously. Traditional retailers also need to reinvent their operations, create new services and experience tools and create an omnichannel approach. Convenience will be a top priority for Gen Z consumers who demand a seamless shopping experience across different channels.
Headquartered in Singapore with over 5000 partnered merchants and available in 9 markets, Atome offers its users the choice and convenience of flexible payment options for a variety of products and services. The app allows shoppers to split their purchases over three interest-free monthly payments by scanning a partner retailer’s in-store QR code or upon website checkout. By splitting their payments, Atome users will be able to better manage their budget while making quality products and services more reachable.
Find out more in our e-book “Malaysia – How BNPL empowers retailers and e-tailers to reach outside the box” on the key actions and strategies to better attract this market.
They are the game-changers. If you overlook Gen-Z, you will miss the future.
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Presentation on theme: "Japanese University Students’ Attitudes toward the Teacher’s English Use Koji Uenishi Hiroshima University."— Presentation transcript:
Japanese University Students’ Attitudes toward the Teacher’s English Use Koji Uenishi Hiroshima University
Outline Introduction Research Objectives Research Method Results and Discussion Conclusion
1 Introduction In Japan the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT): Changes to English language instruction in mainstream education. Primary sector: Foreign language activities (gaikokugo katudou), formally introduced in 2011; many primary teachers struggling with the teaching method & contents at school. → Discuss English as a formal English subject from now. Secondary sector: English language classes at senior high school taught primarily through the medium of English in 2013 (MEXT’s announcement, 2008). → Mixed response from English teachers at high schools.
Tertiary sector: More discussion on the merits of English classes only in the target language to further promote students’ learning motivation and English ability ⇔ more flexible approaches that incorporate the use of Japanese. Researchers and educators: Research on teachers’ use of Japanese in English classes (Ford, 2009; Burden, 2000; Critchey, 1999). Critchey: 91% (out of 160 university students) welcomed some degree of bilingual support; a teacher’s limited use of Japanese. → English-only classrooms not suitable in Japan. Atkinson (1993): Integration of communicative methodology with a selective and limited use of the L1.
Some researchers’ objection to L1 use: Ryan (2002): The students’ L1 not employed in class → given more opportunities to use the target language. Leane (2006) : The value or importance of English-only classrooms: The more chances they have for authentic communication with each other, the greater the likelihood that their risk-taking, and hence communicative confidence, will increase.
Cole (1998): At lower levels, translating individual words, explaining grammar use, and facilitating complex instructions can save time and anguish, especially for mature students. Ford’s (2009) research: Although 9 out of 10 interviewees tended to follow an English-only approach concerning their own language use, they took a flexible tack on student language use and employed Japanese for ‘primarily humor, creating a relaxed atmosphere, giving instructions and task directions.’
Burden (2000): The teacher should not use the L1 ‘when explaining grammar, giving instructions, explaining class rules or the reasons why the students are doing a task, testing, or checking for understanding’. → Communication exclusively in the target language; ‘a more humanistic approach is needed that values the students, their culture and their language.’
Ford (2009): There is a growing tendency toward recognizing not whether the teacher employs the students’ L1, but when or in what case it should be used in class. → The issue of English-only in classrooms ‘remains hotly debated.’ Teaching: a complex activity. English language teachers: in a wide range of actions in class-time (e.g. explaining new words, explaining grammar, giving instructions, and checking students’ understanding) → Such items: teaching contexts in this paper.
2 Research Objectives The research questions: (1) What are non-English-major students’ attitudes toward the teacher’s English use in different teaching contexts? (2) Are there differences or similarities in attitudes toward the teacher’s English use between English-major and non-English-major students? (3) What ideas regarding the teacher’s English use can be found in non-English-major students’ free descriptions?
3 Research Method Subjects: 91 first-year university students (non-English- majors) Classes: Communication III B during one semester (lower-intermediate and intermediate classes) The aim: students basically develop their receptive skills. Diverse 15 teaching contexts (Table 1) in the lessons (e.g. grammar instruction, explanation of vocabulary, and explanation of social issues). → The questionnaire at the end of the semester; 83 out of 91 students completed the questionnaires.
Table 1: Teaching contexts 1. explain new words 2. give grammar instruction 3. instruct students 4. talk about Japanese and foreign cultures 5. explain class code such as good manners and attitudes toward classes 6. talk about assignments 7. explain grammatical differences between English and Japanese 8. give students quizzes 9. confirm students’ understanding of the content 10. relax students 11. create a good rapport 12. explain activities such as games 13. review the previous lesson 14. wrap up the class 15. give a warning
Students: evaluate whether Japanese teachers of English should use English-only in these teaching contexts through a questionnaire, using a 6-point scale ― to evaluate each item positively or negatively. Further groups of questions: Items 16 to 19 (Table 2): toward a more global attitude to English use in class. Items 20 to 25 (Table 3): to assess students’ perceptions of their own ability/improvement in English after taking the class.
Table 2: General views on L1 and L2 use 16. Japanese teachers of English should use English in class. 17. Please describe the reason(s) why you agree or disagree with Item Students may use Japanese in class. 19. Please describe the reason(s) why you agree or disagree with Item 18.
Table 3: Awareness of English ability / improvement 20. I understood what the teacher said in English. 21. I could interact with the teacher smoothly. 22. I could use English positively. 23. I understood the text. 24. I could memorize more vocabulary in pair work activities. 25. I could improve my reading ability of the text.
4 Results and Discussion Global statement ‘Japanese teachers should use English in class,’ → This correlated positively with students’ awareness of their own English ability/improvement (Table 4). This aligns with the intuition that students who are aware of their English ability/improvement agree with the idea of the teacher’s English use in class. Students’ awareness of receptive ability/improvement was high ⇔ Not feel they could interact with peers and the teacher smoothly or positively (Table 5).
Table 4 Correlation: Item 16 Itemrp Awareness of English ability/ improvement
Table 5 Descriptive Analysis 1 AE: Awareness of English ability/improvement ItemMSDN AE
4.1 Research Question (1) Analyzing non-English-major students’ attitudes toward the teacher’s English use in the 15 teaching contexts, the data were divided into two categories: positive (6-4) and negative (3-1). → The data results (Table 6).
Table 6 Data Results of Students’ Attitudes Item Positive Negative Item Positive Negative
Table 7 Descriptive Analysis 2
Negative responses in the questionnaire content relating to teaching contexts Item 1 (explain new words) Item 2 (give grammar instruction) Item 5 (explain class code such as good manners and attitudes toward classes) Item 6 (talk about assignments) Item 7 (explain grammatical differences between English and Japanese) Item 15 (give a warning) For Items 1 and 5, approximately half of them answered in the negative. For Items 2, 6, and 7, a clear majority of students answered in the negative.
The results for Items 2 and 7: Students do not like analyzing grammatical items only through the medium of English. → support Cole’s research. University students’ preference → taught in the target language (9 teaching contexts); items with high positive percentages (over 4.0) Item 3 (give instructions to students) Item 4 (talk about Japanese and foreign cultures) Item 12 (explain communication activities and games) Item 13 (review the previous lesson) → More preferable to be taught in English in the contexts of reviewing, instructions and explanations of activities and cultures.
Table 8 Correlation: Item 16 Item rpN
Next, the relationship between Item 16 and the 15 teaching contexts (the Pearson product- moment correlation coefficient). →In terms of the global statement: Item 16 “Japanese teachers should use English in class,” … a positive correlation with all 15 teaching contexts except for “explain new words (in English)” (Table 8). →This implies that students who are positive about the teacher’s English use tended to desire it in almost all contexts.
The differences of non-English-major student attitudes toward the teacher’s English use, depending on their levels, were also explored. No significant difference between the two levels of students in 15 contexts in class. No significant differences between awareness of English ability and understanding the class content. →This indicates that there were no differences between non-English-major student levels, meaning that in all 15 contexts both levels of students tended to have almost the same attitudes toward the teacher’s English use.
4.2 Research Objective (2) English-major and non-English-major students were compared based upon the data results obtained from the research. Remarkable differences in awareness of the Japanese teacher’s English use between both groups. The mean scores of English-major students were higher than those of non-English-major students in all 15 teaching contexts (Table 9). For non-English majors: only four out of 15 teaching contexts given a mean score of over 4.0. ⇔ For English majors: 10 teaching contexts. → English-major students appear to prefer the teacher’s use of English in class in almost all the contexts (Table 9).
Table 10 Comparison on Learners’ Awareness (t-test) Item tpdf
When analyzing the data using the t-test, there were significant differences between English majors and that of non-English majors in seven teaching contexts (Table 10). English-major students, generally speaking, prefer the teacher to use English in class (t=5.603, df=117, p<.001); Medium sized effect (r=.46). The following preferred contexts: when the teacher: explains new words in English (Item 1) gives instructions to students (Item 3) explains homework/assignments and various activities such as playing games (Items 6 and 12) relaxes students (Item 10) creates a good rapport (Item 11) gives a warning to students (Item 15)
Among them both groups tended to prefer to be taught in a quite different way in two teaching contexts: explain new words and give a warning. → English majors desired to be taught in the target language. ⇔ Non-English majors preferred the teacher to use the Japanese language. English major and non-English major students tended to: prefer the teacher to use Japanese only in grammar instruction (Items 2 and 7). want to be taught in the target language in the contexts such as understanding the class content and evaluation.
4.3 Research Question (3) Students’ free description (Item 17) in terms of Item 16, ‘The teacher should use English in class’: → 23 out of the 83 participants answer: (1) the teacher’s English use is good for improving listening ability. (2) they can get accustomed to listening to English. Four students: they can focus on English studies. Four students: they take it for granted that the teacher will employ English in English classes. → The main reason that the students give: the teacher should employ the target language in class to develop their ability in listening to English.
14 students: the teacher should play it by ear regarding his or her English use in class (e.g. grammar instruction or Japanese translation). 9 students: they could not follow the English class or did not understand the class content. 5 students: at the teacher’s L1 use promoted a better understanding of the class content.
Table 11 Results of Free Description (Non-English majors) Positive Comments N Good for listening/get accustomed to listening Focus on English (studies) Natural ( English classes) 23 4 Negative Comments N Play by ear / Use both English and Japanese Cannot follow the class / Don’t understand the class Japanese use deepens understanding Insufficient communication Depends on the students’ English ability Miss important points in class
5 Conclusion This research has examined the responses of students who were not majoring in English at university. Regarding non-English-major students’ attitudes toward the teacher’s English use, it was found that it is preferable to be taught in English in the contexts of reviewing, instructions, and explanations of activities and cultures. → It seems that students do not like analyzing grammatical items only through the medium of English. → They prefer to be taught in the target language in nine teaching contexts: reviewing, instructions, and explanations of activities and cultures.
The differences of awareness of the Japanese teacher’s English use: the mean scores of English-major students were higher than those of non-English-major students in all 15 teaching contexts. Especially, in two teaching contexts (explain new words and give a warning), English majors desired to be taught in the target language, ⇔ Non-English majors preferred the teacher to use Japanese. Both groups tended to prefer the teacher to use the Japanese language only in grammar instruction. ⇔ They preferred to be taught in English in the contexts such as understanding the class content and evaluation.
The main reason that the students give for the teacher employing English in class is to enable them to develop their listening ability. Some students fear, however, that they might not be able to follow the English class or understand the class content without the teacher’s use of Japanese. A further issue concerns the connection between awareness of language ability/improvement and actual language improvement. Does a willingness to study in predominantly English-only classes correlate with a belief in English ability, or in actual English ability? Future research is necessary to obtain more reliable and objective results based on data from more subjects.
References Atkinson, D. (1993). Teaching monolingual classes. London: Longman. Barker, D. (2003). Why English teachers in Japan need to learn Japanese. The Language Teacher, 27(2), 7, Burden, P. (2001). When do native English speaking teachers and Japanese college students disagree about the use of Japanese in the English conversation classroom? The Language Teacher, 25(4), 5-9. Burden, P. (2000). The use of the students’ mother tongue in monolingual English “Conversation” classes at Japanese universities. The Language Teacher, 24(6), Cole, S. (1998). The use of L1 in communicative English classrooms. The Language Teacher, 22(12), Cook, V. (2001). Using the first language in the classroom. Canadian Modern Language Review, 57, Critchley, M. P. (1999). Bilingual support in English classes in Japan: A survey of student opinions of L1 use by foreign teachers. The Language Teacher, 23(9), Ford, K. (2009). Principles and practices of L1/L2 use in the Japanese university EFL classroom. JALT Journal, 31(1), Leane, S. (2006). Establishing English only classrooms. Chugokugakuenn Journal, 5, Uenishi, K. (2012). Teaching EFL Classes with English as the Medium: a Focus on University Students’ Attitudes toward the Teacher’s English Use. A paper presented at the third International TESOL Conference in Vietnam. Uenishi, K. (2011). Eigo no jugyou wa eigo de okonau nikannsuru itikousatsu. [A study of teaching English lessons as the medium: A heightening awareness on both the English teacher and the high school student]. Setsunan Journal of English Education, No.5, Willis, H. (1981). Teaching English through English. Essex: Longman.
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Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Accelerator Control Systems
Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (Nprm).
In this NPRM, we (NHTSA) propose to revise the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard for accelerator control systems (ACS) in two ways. First, we propose to amend the Standard to address more fully the failure modes of electronic throttle control (ETC) systems and also to include test procedures for hybrid vehicles and certain other vehicles. This part of today's proposal is related to an NPRM that NHTSA published in 2002.
Second, we propose to add a new provision for a brake-throttle override (BTO) system, which would require that input to the brake pedal in a vehicle must have the capability of overriding input to the accelerator pedal. This BTO proposal is an outgrowth of NHTSA's research and defect investigation efforts aimed at addressing floor mat entrapment and related situations.1 We propose to apply the requirement for BTO systems to new passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) or less and ETC.
1Accelerator pedal entrapment is a particular category of “unintended acceleration.” The latter is the general term we use to refer broadly to any vehicle acceleration that a driver did not purposely cause to occur.
1 action from February 2012
Table of Contents Back to Top
- FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
- SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
- Table of Contents
- I. Executive Summary
- II. Introduction
- III. Safety Need for Brake-Throttle Override Systems
- A. Inability to Stop a Moving Vehicle in a Panic Situation
- B. How Trapped-Pedal Scenarios May Lead to Crashes
- C. Loss of Power Brake Boost Requires Greater Brake Pedal Force
- D. Description of Brake-Throttle Override
- IV. Technical Discussion of Accelerator Control System Safety Issues
- A. Accelerator Control System Disconnections
- B. Electronic Throttle Control
- C. Potential ETC Failures Not Covered
- V. Proposed Update of FMVSS No. 124 Test Procedures
- A. Purpose and Scope of FMVSS No. 124 at Present
- B. Need for Update of FMVSS No. 124
- C. Applicability to Electronic Throttle Control Components
- D. Test Procedures of the 2002 NPRM
- E. Powertrain Output Test Procedures and “Creep Speed”
- F. Comments on the 2002 NPRM
- Blue Bird
- VI. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
- A. Definition of Electronic Throttle Control System
- B. Brake-Throttle Override Equipment Requirement
- C. Brake-Throttle Override Performance Requirement
- D. Update of FMVSS No. 124 Disconnection Test Procedures
- New Creep Speed and Coastdown Test Procedures
- New Air Intake and Fuel Delivery Rate Tests
- Components Included in an Accelerator Control System
- • Components of an Air- or Fuel-Throttled Engine
- • Components of an Electric Propulsion System's ACS
- Definition of Idle State
- Two Sources of Energy for Returning Throttle to Idle
- Criteria for Return to Idle in Normal Operation
- Engines With a Traditional Throttle Plate
- Diesel Engines
- Engines With Unitized Injectors
- Electric Motors
- No Normal Operation Test Corresponding to Creep Speed Method
- Response Time for Normal Operation
- Fail-Safe Performance Criteria
- Powertrain Output “Creep Speed” Test Option
- Fail-Safe Performance Test for Air-Throttled Engines
- Fail-Safe Performance Test for Fuel-Throttled Engines
- Fail-Safe Performance Test for Electric Vehicles
- Fail-Safe Performance Test for Hybrid Vehicles
- Response Time Requirements for Fail-Safe Operation
- E. Compliance Options for Various Vehicles
- VII. Safety Benefits and Crash Data
- A. Summary of Crash Data on Accelerator Control Issues
- Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)
- National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS)
- National Automotive Sampling Survey—Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS)
- B. Owner Complaint Data
- VIII. Cost, Lead Time and Other Issues
- A. Cost of the Proposed BTO Requirement
- B. Proposed Lead Time and Phase-In
- C. Vehicles Over 10,000 lb GVWR
- D. Manual Transmission Vehicles
- E. Proposed New Title for FMVSS No. 124
- IX. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices
- A. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 and DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures
- B. Regulatory Flexibility Act
- C. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)
- D. National Environmental Policy Act
- E. Paperwork Reduction Act
- F. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act
- G. Executive Order 12988
- H. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
- I. Executive Order 13045
- J. Executive Order 13211
- K. Plain Language
- L. Regulation Identifier Number (RIN)
- M. Privacy Act
- X. Public Participation
- How do I prepare and submit comments?
- How can I be sure that my comments were received?
- How do I submit confidential business information?
- Will the agency consider late comments?
- How can I read the comments submitted by other people?
- List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 571
- Proposed Regulatory Text for FMVSS No. 124
- PART 571—FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS
Tables Back to Top
DATES: Back to Top
Comments must be received on or before June 15, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Back to Top
You may submit comments to the docket number identified in the heading of this document by any of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
- Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
- Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
- Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Regardless of how you submit your comments, you should mention the docket number of this document.
You may call the Docket at 202-366-9324.
Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Public Participation heading of the Supplementary Information section of this document. Note that all comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
Privacy Act: Please see the Privacy Act heading under Rulemaking Analyses and Notices.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Back to Top
For non-legal issues, Mr. Michael Pyne, Office of Crash Avoidance Standards (telephone: 202-366-4171) (fax: 202-493-2990). Mr. Pyne's mailing address is National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NVS-112, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
For legal issues, Mr. William Shakely, Office of the Chief Counsel (telephone: 202-366-2992) (fax: 202-366-3820). Mr. Shakely's mailing address is National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NCC-112, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Back to Top
Table of Contents Back to Top
I. Executive Summary
III. Safety Need for Brake-Throttle Override Systems
A. Inability To Stop a Moving Vehicle in a Panic Situation
B. How Trapped-Pedal Scenarios May Lead to Crashes
C. Loss of Power Brake Boost Requires Greater Brake Pedal Force
D. Description of Brake-Throttle Override
IV. Technical Discussion of Accelerator Control System Safety Issues
A. Accelerator Control System Disconnections
B. Electronic Throttle Control
C. Potential ETC Failures Not Covered
V. Proposed Update of FMVSS No. 124 Test Procedures
A. Purpose and Scope of FMVSS No. 124 at Present
B. Need for Update of FMVSS No. 124
C. Applicability to Electronic Throttle Control Components
D. Test Procedures of the 2002 NPRM
E. Powertrain Output Test Procedures and “Creep Speed”
F. Comments on the 2002 NPRM
VI. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
A. Definition of Electronic Throttle Control System
B. Brake-Throttle Override Equipment Requirement
C. Brake-Throttle Override Performance Requirement
D. Update of FMVSS No. 124 Disconnection Test Procedures
E. Compliance Options for Various Vehicles
VII. Safety Benefits and Crash Data
A. Summary of Crash Data on Accelerator Control Issues
B. Owner Complaint Data
VIII. Cost, Lead Time, and Other Issues
A. Cost of the Proposed BTO Requirement
B. Proposed Lead Time and Phase-In
C. Vehicles Over 10,000 lb GVWR
D. Manual Transmission Vehicles
E. Proposed New Title for FMVSS No. 124
IX. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices
A. Executive Orders 12866, 13563, and DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures
B. Regulatory Flexibility Act
C. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)
D. National Environmental Policy Act
E. Paperwork Reduction Act
F. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act
H. Unfunded Mandates Act
J. Executive Order 1211
K. Plain Language
L. Regulation Identifier Number (RIN)
M. Privacy Act
X. Public Participation
I. Executive Summary Back to Top
NHTSA is proposing to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 124, Accelerator Control Systems, in two ways. First, we are proposing to update the throttle control disconnection test procedures in FMVSS No. 124. This would apply to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses, regardless of weight. Second, we propose to add a new requirement for a Brake-Throttle Override (BTO) system. The latter would be applicable to the same types of vehicles with 10,000 lbs. (4,536 kilograms) gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or less and that have ETC.
The first part of today's proposal follows up on a previous rulemaking effort. In 2002, NHTSA published an NPRM to update FMVSS No. 124. That proposal was withdrawn in 2004 mainly because the agency concluded that further development was needed on some of the proposed test procedures. Today's proposal revives that effort and resolves test procedure issues raised in the previous rulemaking.
The second part of our proposal, a BTO system requirement, would require that the brake pedal in a vehicle have the capability of overriding input to the accelerator pedal when both are pressed at the same time. This action augments NHTSA's ongoing research and defect investigation efforts aimed at addressing a serious safety situation where a pedal becomes entrapped by a floor mat or no longer responds to driver release of the pedal because of some other obstruction or resistance.
In general, this proposal aims to minimize the risk that loss of vehicle control will be caused by either: (1) Accelerator control system disconnections; or (2) accelerator pedal sticking and entrapment. For both of these safety risks, which can affect vehicles with mechanical as well as ETCs, the purpose of this rulemaking is to ensure that stopping a vehicle is possible without extraordinary driver actions. Accordingly, we believe both aspects of this rulemaking to update FMVSS No. 124 are warranted.
For measuring return-to-idle in the event of a disconnection, this proposal includes updated test procedures carried over from the 2002 proposal including a powertrain output test procedure which, under today's proposal, would be based on measurement of vehicle creep speed.
For situations where the accelerator pedal fails to return after release, this proposal incorporates a new BTO requirement which comprises:
- An equipment requirement to ensure the presence of BTO in each vehicle; and
- A performance requirement using a stopping distance criterion with the accelerator pedal applied.
II. Introduction Back to Top
Controlling acceleration is one of the fundamental tasks required for safe operation of a motor vehicle. Loss of control of vehicle acceleration and/or speed, so-called “unintended acceleration” or “UA”, can have serious safety consequences. It can arise either from driver error or for vehicle-based reasons including accelerator pedal interference and separation of throttle control components.
To address loss of control of vehicle acceleration, FMVSS No. 124 requires an engine's throttle to return to idle when the driver stops pressing on the accelerator pedal or when any one component of the accelerator control system is disconnected or severed at a single point. The standard was issued under 49 U.S.C. 30111(a), which directs NHTSA (by delegation from the Secretary of Transportation) to prescribe FMVSSs. Section 30111(a) also states that “Each standard shall be practicable, meet the need for motor vehicle safety, and be stated in objective terms.” This subsection is also the basis for this proposal.
In recent years, NHTSA has been working to update FMVSS No. 124 to more directly address newer electronic engine control systems and also to address different types of accelerator control safety issues such as those that could be mitigated by BTO technology.
We have evaluated BTO technology to understand its performance characteristics and how it differs among manufacturers using this technology. Based on that evaluation, we believe that light-vehicle manufacturers in the U.S. can implement BTO on vehicles having ETC without significant difficulty or cost.
Currently, there are a few vehicle models that still have mechanical throttle controls, and the manufacturers of those vehicles may lack sufficient lead time at this point and probably would incur significant cost to change their manufacturing plans to install BTO systems within the next one or two model years. This is due to the need to change over from mechanical throttle control to ETC for implementation of BTO. However, we believe in the near future these mechanically-throttled vehicles will be discontinued or replaced with new models having ETC.
Based on compliance information that NHTSA receives from vehicle manufacturers annually, almost all model year 2012 light vehicles sold in the U.S. will have a BTO system. Based on our experience with these BTO systems, we believe they will comply with this proposed rule without significant modification. Consequently, any manufacturer design, validation, and implementation costs associated with this proposal should be minimal. Furthermore, compliance testing costs are expected to be low since the proposed test procedure is nearly identical to existing brake performance test procedures. Tests could be conducted along with existing brake performance tests.
Although we do not have a statistical estimate for the number of fatalities or injuries that could be prevented by brake-throttle override technology, we believe that BTO would prevent a significant number of crashes and thus have a positive impact on motor vehicle safety. In NHTSA's complaint database, over a period of about ten years starting in January 2000, the agency identified thousands of reports of UA events of all types (see Section VIIB of this proposal). Based on NHTSA's review and analysis of a subset of vehicle owner-provided narratives in the complaints, some UA incidents appear to have involved stuck or trapped accelerator pedals, and a portion of those resulted in crashes. We believe brake-throttle override would prevent most crashes where a stuck or trapped accelerator pedal was to blame because, with a BTO system, the driver would be able to maintain control through normal application of the vehicle's brakes. We believe brake-throttle override also could prevent stuck-pedal incidents which do not result in a crash but which may require extraordinary driver actions to avoid a crash.
III. Safety Need for Brake-Throttle Override Systems Back to Top
One of the specific observations of the NASA in its report to NHTSA on Toyota unintended acceleration stated: “When the brake can override the throttle command it provides a broad defense against unintended engine power whether caused by electronic, software, or mechanical failures.” In Section A, below, we discuss actual incidents where a brake-throttle override system very likely would have provided a safety benefit. Of interest are driving emergencies in which drivers have extreme difficulty stopping or slowing their speeding vehicle because the accelerator pedal is prevented from returning to its normal rest position. Some of these incidents resulted in crashes and, in rare cases, deaths. These instances involve vehicles both with and without ETC systems. In Section B, we discuss how trapped pedal scenarios may lead to crashes. In Section C, we discuss how loss of power brake boost necessitates greater brake pedal pressure to stop a vehicle. Finally, in Section D, we discuss our conclusion that brake-throttle override systems can effectively prevent crashes involving trapped-pedal and sticking-pedal scenarios, and why we are proposing to require brake-throttle override systems on light vehicles with ETC.
A. Inability to Stop a Moving Vehicle in a Panic Situation
On August 28, 2009, there was a passenger car crash near San Diego, California that resulted in the deaths of four people. NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) inspected the crash site on September 3, 2009, and subsequently both ODI and the NHTSA Vehicle Research and Test Center inspected the vehicle. A report was filed on September 30, 2009. The investigators noted the following:
- The vehicle was a loaned Lexus ES350 traveling at a very high rate of speed that failed to stop at the end of Highway 125.
- The driver was a 19-year veteran of the California Highway Patrol.
- The cause of the crash was “very excessive speed.”
- A customer who had previously used the same loaner car involved in this crash reported an unwanted acceleration event, experiencing speeds in excess of 80 mph.
Investigating this crash, NHTSA inspectors and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department discovered evidence that floor mats had trapped the accelerator pedal, as it was apparent that floor mats had been stacked in the driver footwell, the floor mat was unsecured, and the mat was not appropriate for the vehicle.
The driver in this crash used the brakes during the prolonged event as evidenced by heat-related destruction of some brake components, but it is apparent that the brake application was insufficient to control the vehicle. It is unknown if the driver and occupants made attempts to use other means to stop the vehicle, including shifting the transmission to neutral and turning off the engine. The passenger car involved in the crash was equipped with a push-button keyless start system and a gated automatic transmission shifter with a manual shift mode. It did not have a BTO feature.
NHTSA's Office of Defect Investigation has received complaints through the Vehicle Owner's Questionnaire (VOQ) of similar situations in which a driver attempted to stop a runaway vehicle. The following examples of this are excerpted from narrative descriptions in VOQs:
Truck was in cruise control. Accelerated to pass slower traffic. Let off throttle. Truck went to full throttle. Could not get truck to decelerate. Had to stand on brakes to bring to a stop. Truck needs new rotors and pads. *The consumer stated the floor mat and gas pedal can interact. When the all weather mat is not clipped in place, and is moved under the gas pedal, it will become fully depressed. The mat can trap the pedal. *Updated [NHTSA-ODI ID# 10245488]
I was accelerating on the highway and my car continued to accelerate after I took my foot off the gas. I tried to brake and the pedal was extremely hard to press on. The car was able to slow down a bit but once I took foot off brake pedal the car would speed up again. I took my car in for service and was told they could not duplicate the problem and maybe a floor mat caused the problem. My car continues to have trouble braking. [NHTSA-ODI ID# 10260682]
While driving on a two-lane road * * * the accelerator became stuck. My car reached speeds of up to 80 mph. I could only reduce the speed to 60 mph by riding the brakes. I finally stopped the car by finding a safe pull-off and shifted into Neutral and then Park. My brakes were completely ruined and required replacement. My car was towed to a Toyota dealer. * * * The service department determined that the faulty acceleration was due to a rubber all-weather mat. The mat had been placed over the standard floor mat. [NHTSA-ODI ID# 10200097]
There are similar examples of these kinds of incidents, with and without crashes, in complaint narratives in the VOQ database. Given our evaluation of brake-throttle override technology and the impact it could have in these types of incidents, we believe a regulation is necessary. Furthermore, this can be done at low cost and with minimal vehicle design impact. Therefore, NHTSA has decided to proceed with this proposal to require brake-throttle override systems.
B. How Trapped-Pedal Scenarios May Lead to Crashes
The possibility of a trapped accelerator pedal has been widely acknowledged by NHTSA, vehicle manufacturers, consumer groups, and in the media as a key contributor to the problem of UA. Based on review of UA complaints in the agency's VOQ data and other sources such as media accounts, we can reconstruct how a pedal entrapment event might lead to a crash.
Based on VOQ narratives, when a pedal entrapment occurs, it often follows an acceleration event such as an overtaking maneuver or a merge onto a highway. Upon completion of such a maneuver, when the driver backs off or releases the accelerator pedal, the pedal may be trapped due to interference caused in many cases by stacked or out-of-position floor mats, but it also can be caused by bunched or worn carpets or foreign objects in the driver footwell. In at least one case, a sharp edge on a plastic pedal snagged on the carpeting at wide-open throttle. We also have seen examples where internal friction in a pedal assembly prevented the accelerator pedal from springing back fully (i.e., to a neutral position).
When pedal entrapment or sticking occurs, the driver is likely to be startled upon realizing that the vehicle is continuing to accelerate or is proceeding without an expected drop in speed, without any action on the driver's part. One possible reaction is to re-apply the accelerator pedal, which may dislodge it. More likely, a driver will attempt to apply the brakes. In doing so, a driver's conditioned expectation is that the brakes will produce quick and deliberate deceleration, responding with the same feel and feedback they provide in everyday driving.
However, because the accelerator pedal is being held down and thus the vehicle is trying to accelerate or maintain speed, normal brake application usually will not result in the expected braking effect. This has been characterized as feeling like a “tug-of-war” between the engine and brakes. The problem is exacerbated at higher vehicle speeds where increased stopping effort is necessary. Also, if the brakes are applied with light to moderate force for an extended period, i.e., if the driver “rides” the brakes, heat-induced brake fade can result which lessens braking effectiveness. The loss of braking effectiveness may be compounded further by a reduction in brake boost, as described in the next section.
From the perspective of a driver in a vehicle that is accelerating unexpectedly or that fails to slow down in the usual manner when the brake is applied, this may amount to confusing and even frightening vehicle behavior. Depending on the duration of the event, many drivers in this situation may experience panic to some degree, and their subsequent actions may be unpredictable.
Especially in cases involving a high level of throttle input, in order to overcome the racing engine, the driver's application of the brakes has to be forceful and steady enough to produce a strong braking effect, ideally over a short duration to avoid brake fade. It is apparent from the complaint narratives that drivers sometimes do not apply steady, hard pressure to the brake pedal in these situations. Instead, they may “ride” the brakes with insufficient pedal force. Or they may release the brakes and repeatedly try to re-apply them, sometimes stabbing at the brake pedal. This kind of driver reaction is evident in incidents investigated by NHTSA and also in complaint narratives, and it may lead to or be a result of a loss of power brake boost, as described below.
C. Loss of Power Brake Boost Requires Greater Brake Pedal Force
Power brakes, as contrasted with manual brakes, provide boost to the brake pedal so that the force a driver must apply to the pedal in order to stop a vehicle is reduced. If the power assist fails, the brakes would still work, but the pedal force required to stop the vehicle would be multiplied. On vacuum-assisted power brake systems, which are by far the most common type in light vehicles, power assist is maintained by negative pressure (i.e., below atmospheric) in the engine's intake manifold.
When an accelerator pedal is stuck with the throttle open, manifold vacuum is diminished. In order to maintain brake boost until the throttle closes and restores vacuum in the manifold, many light vehicle brake systems have to rely on residual vacuum, which usually is very limited.
If the brake pedal is pumped while the throttle is open, a loss of boost can ensue quickly for some vehicles. This depends on several factors including the rate of brake pedal application and how far the pedal is depressed. Brake booster volume and residual capacity are important factors that vary among different vehicles. Some vehicles have an auxiliary vacuum pump to maintain brake boost under low vacuum conditions, but even those systems have limitations. On vehicles with a hydraulic boost system, brake boost is unaffected by manifold vacuum, as are air brake systems in heavy vehicles. If a vehicle is equipped with an anti-lock brake system (ABS), engagement of the ABS provides brake hydraulic pressure to stop the vehicle, but sufficient brake pedal force still must be maintained by the driver, so having ABS does not always mitigate a loss of brake boost.
Even with a loss of boost, a driver can usually bring a vehicle with a stuck accelerator to a stop. If a high enough brake pedal force is applied and held steadily, a vehicle's brakes typically are capable of overpowering its engine, but the force necessary on the brake pedal can be many times greater than that used in daily driving.
In some of the UA complaints in the ODI database, it was reported that the driver eventually was able to stop a vehicle with a stuck accelerator by holding down the brake pedal forcefully. However, presumably because the required pedal pressure was much greater than what those drivers were accustomed to, many complainants stated that the brakes seemed to have failed even in cases where the vehicle was successfully stopped without a crash.
D. Description of Brake-Throttle Override
A BTO is a feature that helps to address UA in trapped accelerator pedal situations and possibly in some other related situations. As reported in the press and to NHTSA, a number of vehicle manufacturers already have adopted brake-throttle override or will be incorporating BTO into their vehicle designs over the next few model years.
Based on our technical review of the technology, brake-throttle override is an electronic function of the engine control system. Generally, it works by continuously checking the position of the brake and accelerator pedals and by recognizing when an acceleration command through the accelerator pedal is in conflict with a concurrent application of the brake pedal. If the BTO system identifies that a pedal conflict exists, it invokes the override function which causes the engine control system to ignore or reduce the commanded throttle input, thus allowing the vehicle to stop in a normal fashion. How this is accomplished depends on the design of the vehicle control system. In some vehicles, BTO engagement may partially close the throttle or return it to idle. In other types of powertrains, it may reduce fuel flow or, in the case of an electric drive system, attenuate the electric current driving the vehicle. Regardless of the specific means used, BTO intervention quickly reduces or eliminates the unintended vehicle propulsion.
If a BTO system uses throttle closure to reduce power, this action may have the additional benefit of preventing loss of brake-boost by maintaining manifold vacuum (see discussion in the previous section).
On a vehicle equipped with a BTO system, if for any reason an accelerator pedal fails to return after the driver stops pressing on it, BTO will engage as soon as the driver applies the brake pedal (there may be a delay built into the system on the order of one second; in some systems, other pre-conditions have to be met for the BTO to engage, as discussed below). By intervening in this way, the BTO system essentially gives the brake pedal priority over the accelerator pedal, allowing for normal braking. Thus, the vehicle can be brought to a stop with an amount of pedal effort that drivers are accustomed to, even though it may be clear that something out of the ordinary has occurred. Without a BTO system, the brakes would have to overcome the propulsive force of a racing engine, and the driver would have to “fight” the drivetrain as the vehicle is slowed and brought to a stop.
Because it reduces or eliminates propulsive force and also has the potential to minimize loss of power brake boost, we believe that BTO would be very effective in scenarios like those described in the relevant VOQs where drivers apparently experienced trapped pedals. In those cases, BTO would ensure that normal application of the brake pedal would produce sufficient braking to stop the vehicle. This should minimize panic on the driver's part and very likely would lower the risk of a crash following a trapped pedal event.
Some manufacturers' implementation of a BTO system may include checking for certain prerequisite conditions prior to actuation. The BTO system may check conditions such as vehicle speed, engine revolutions per minute (RPM), brake pedal travel, and pedal sequence (i.e., whether the brake was pressed first and then the gas pedal, or vice versa) to determine if the driver's intention is to stop the vehicle. Based on these conditions, the BTO system may determine that the combined brake and gas pedal inputs are actually intentional, and it would not necessarily intervene in that case. This may occur, for example, if the vehicle is at very low speed and the driver presses on the brake first and then on the accelerator. This behavior is consistent with intentional driving maneuvers which may be used for such things as trailer positioning or similar situations. We believe there is no particular safety issue in these situations, and in fact this type of “two-footed” driving capability can be desirable and may be in widespread use. Since there is no reason for the BTO to intervene in this case, today's proposal would not prohibit this kind of BTO design. In fact, our proposal intentionally avoids restricting the specific design aspects of BTO systems so that current BTO systems can be accommodated to the greatest extent possible, because we believe those systems (based on our testing) would address the safety issue at hand.
Although often caused by floor mat interference, the failure of an accelerator pedal to return after release may also result from “sticky pedal” situations. Depending on the source of “stickiness” in an accelerator pedal, we believe that brake-throttle override will be an effective countermeasure in most instances as it would treat sticky pedals the same as trapped pedals, and thus would prevent any significant vehicle acceleration once the brake pedal is applied.
We note that an ETC system may recognize when a pedal assembly is malfunctioning, and it may be able to invoke some fail-safe action without involving BTO. This would depend on the nature of the malfunction and the design of the control system. For example, an ETC could override the accelerator pedal assembly if signals from the pedal position sensor exceed design limits. This could occur without brake pedal application. This is a desirable response to a broken pedal assembly and meets the need for safety independent of any brake-throttle override capability.
IV. Technical Discussion of Accelerator Control System Safety Issues Back to Top
A. Accelerator Control System Disconnections
In the past, vehicles had mechanical throttle systems consisting of rods, levers, cables, and springs to translate movement of the driver-operated accelerator pedal into throttle plate rotation. These systems were subject to the possibility of disconnection or separation of its linkages. Without a safety countermeasure such as a spring-loaded throttle plate, a disconnection in a mechanical system could result in a throttle plate that remained open after the driver let off of the accelerator pedal.
Similarly, return springs are susceptible to the possibility of disconnection or breakage, which could lead to an open throttle if the control system lacks a backup spring or other supplemental means of closing the throttle.
There also is the possibility that an accelerator control system could have excessive friction between its moving parts, especially in very cold temperatures. This could inhibit the throttle from immediately rotating back to idle after release of the accelerator pedal.
FMVSS No. 124 has been in place since the 1970s to ensure that disconnections, separations, or severances do not result in an open throttle and potentially a runaway vehicle. The Standard also prohibits ACSs that return the throttle to idle too slowly even with no disconnections, which could be hazardous in severe instances.
These protections against disconnections and slow-returning throttles are carried forward in today's proposal.
B. Electronic Throttle Control
Now that mechanical accelerator controls have been superseded by ETC, the kinds of failures that might occur are somewhat different. In an ETC or “throttle-by-wire” system, the driver still uses an accelerator pedal to modulate drivetrain output. However, most of the mechanical components linking the pedal to the throttle on the engine now are supplanted by electronic components including sensors, electric motors, a control module, and connecting wires. Some mechanical parts, particularly springs, are still employed, but the primary connection between the pedal and the engine throttle is electronic.
Disconnections of the kind covered by FMVSS No. 124 are possible in ETC systems, but would involve separation of electrical connectors or severance of connecting wires rather than disconnection of linkages or cables. In official letters of interpretation, NHTSA has asserted that disconnection of power and ground wires in ETC systems, as well as shorting of those wires, are to be considered among the faults covered by the Standard, and the agency has conducted compliance testing accordingly. However, none of these electrical disconnections are explicitly addressed in FMVSS No. 124 currently. As such, today's proposal updates FMVSS No. 124 to incorporate these interpretations so that the standard will now have specific regulatory language to address electronic ACSs.
C. Potential ETC Failures Not Covered
ETC systems generally are designed with fail-safe characteristics such as fault checking and control redundancy to prevent throttles from opening unintentionally. They often have “limp home” modes which restrict the throttle opening to a small range when a fault occurs. These fail-safe characteristics limit engine power so that the vehicle is incapable of abrupt acceleration. However, NHTSA understands that manufacturers and suppliers have implemented ETC systems in different ways and have incorporated different fail-safe characteristics in the design of these systems.
Allegations of throttles failing to close after accelerator pedal release, or throttles opening unexpectedly without accelerator pedal input, have been widely publicized, and it has been alleged that some such incidents have been caused by electronic faults such as errant throttle control signals or ambient electrical disturbances. The agency has been carefully evaluating the safety of ETC systems through research and defect analysis, and we engaged the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), an independent scientific body, to study the problem of UA in motor vehicles. The NAS issued a report in January 2012 to broadly address the issue of safety in electronic vehicle control systems. (Note that this study is different from the NASA report released in February 2011 which focused specifically on Toyota ETC systems.)
Until this work is complete, it is premature to propose additional safety requirements at this time. Therefore, the only ETC failures within the scope of this proposal are disconnections of ETC components and wiring which result in open or short circuits, which is consistent with NHTSA interpretations of the current language of FMVSS No. 124.
V. Proposed Update of FMVSS No. 124 Test Procedures Back to Top
We believe that changes set forth in this proposal are necessary to ensure that the longstanding requirements in FMVSS No. 124 remain relevant for modern ACSs.
Although this proposal introduces new test procedures, we believe it does not impose a significant new burden on vehicle manufacturers. In fact, we expect it can relieve certification burden by providing test procedures for different kinds of accelerator control systems and also by accommodating fail-safe strategies other than return of a throttle to a mechanical stop.
We note that this portion of today's proposal is nearly the same as the 2002 NPRM (July 23, 2002, 67 FR 48117), with two exceptions. First, an intake airflow rate criterion has been added to the other disconnection test procedures as a compliance option that may be useful for spark ignition engines. This criterion has been added in response to comments on the 2002 NPRM. Secondly, the powertrain output test we are proposing would use vehicle terminal speed or “creep speed” instead of some other parameter like engine speed or torque. This also has been added in response to comments on the 2002 NPRM.
A. Purpose and Scope of FMVSS No. 124 at Present
The scope of FMVSS No. 124 as it currently exists is limited to how quickly a throttle returns to idle, either in normal operation (i.e., without any disconnections) or in the event of a disconnection or severance in the control system. We have sought to maintain the scope of the existing Standard by limiting today's proposal to what was designated in past agency interpretations as being within scope, and by limiting the additional test procedures to the minimum necessary for non-mechanical ACSs. For example, where the present Standard applies to single-point failures such as the disconnection of one end of a throttle cable, today's proposal also is limited to single-point disconnections such as removal of a single electrical connector or severing a conductor at one location.
The current language of the test procedure in FMVSS No. 124 is expressed in terms of the return of an observable moving part, i.e., the throttle plate, to a closed or nearly closed position. It does not prescribe other types of vehicle fail-safe responses besides throttle closure. This neglects the variety of ways in which powertrain output in a vehicle with a modern throttle control system can be reduced to an acceptably benign level, e.g., spark adjustment, even though the throttle plate may be at a non-idle position. It also leads to non-optimal test procedures for hybrid or electric vehicles and diesel-engine vehicles whose drive power may not be governed by throttle position.
The current Standard's stated purpose is to “prevent engine over-speed.” The sole performance criterion, expressed in terms of throttle plate closure, does indeed have the effect of limiting engine speed, or more specifically engine torque. That, in turn, limits power output to the drive wheels.
FMVSS 124's focus on control of the throttle was a convenient criterion at the time the Standard was adopted. However, NHTSA does not believe the intent of the Standard should be construed as merely setting a limitation on throttle position. Instead, it is evident that the fundamental safety purpose of the Standard is to prevent a vehicle's powertrain from creating excessive driving force when there is no input to the accelerator pedal. There would be no safety reason whatsoever to require the throttle to close if that did not limit vehicle propulsion.
B. Need for Update of FMVSS No. 124
Even if it is well established that FMVSS 124 does apply to ETC systems, regulating ETC systems by drawing analogies to mechanical systems has undesirable outcomes. This can lead to situations, as we have mentioned, where safe engine responses are discounted, and test methods for some alternative types of vehicle propulsion are not clearly defined.
There are important questions about exactly how the Standard should be applied to ETC. For example, in a request for interpretation, one vehicle manufacturer suggested that merely placing two return springs on the accelerator pedal assembly satisfied the requirement for “two sources of energy” capable of returning the throttle to idle. NHTSA responded that, while that approach might be enough to satisfy the need for pedal return, it could not ensure return of the engine throttle itself in the event of a disconnection beyond the pedal.
Another reason that FMVSS 124 needs updating is that powertrain responses that can result from failures in electronic systems are much more varied than with mechanical systems. Fuel injection and ignition timing are among factors that can be varied without any change in throttle position.
For example, we have seen engines with spring-loaded throttles that do not close fully to idle when disconnected from the electrical harness. They assume a default position that is slightly more open than idle. This kind of “limp-home” feature presents no safety hazard. In fact, it provides a safety benefit by avoiding engine stalling and allowing the vehicle to be moved out of traffic, which can be critical for preventing a crash. Engines with this kind of design may accomplish the essential fail-safe performance by retarding the ignition timing or restricting fuel delivery so that the engine torque output is limited to a level at or below what is normally provided at idle. A design of this kind thus is able to achieve an equivalent level of safety without full return of the throttle.
Other technology also illustrates the need for this update of FMVSS 124. Modern engines routinely have variable valve lift and/or timing control. In at least one recent engine design, the level of valve control is great enough that the throttle plate no longer throttles the engine during at least part of the engine's operating range. Instead, air intake is throttled to a large extent by the intake valves themselves while the throttle plate stays in an open position. In such a design, requiring “return of the throttle to the idle position” would be design restrictive without any safety justification.
Furthermore, the reduced relevancy of the throttle plate removes the most easily observable component for verifying return-to-idle. For some engines such as electronically controlled diesel engines with unitized injectors, assessing compliance cannot be done by simply observing retraction of a traditional fuel rack to a set position. This means that some alternative method of verifying return-to-idle is needed.
In spite of these facts, even the most advanced engines do have an idle state, and it is still possible to identify a measurement criterion for them and to expect these types of engines to return to a safe idle state.
In order to recognize the advancement of engine technology, and to better regulate advanced vehicle propulsion systems, improved regulatory language is needed. This proposal addresses this need with revised regulatory language to include new test procedures that can be applied to a variety of vehicle propulsion systems.
C. Applicability to Electronic Throttle Control Components
NHTSA concluded in published interpretation letters that electrical wires and connectors in an electronic ACS are analogous to mechanical components in a traditional ACS and are therefore subject to the same safety requirements as their mechanical counterparts. We were able to conclude this because the regulatory language, although modeled on mechanical features of carbureted engines, actually is stated in very general terms. It defines the ACS as “all vehicle components, except the fuel-metering device, that regulate engine speed in direct response to the movement of the driver-operated control and that return the throttle to the idle position upon release of the actuating force.”
NHTSA stated that the ACS does not consist only of the accelerator pedal assembly and the wiring harness connecting it to the engine control module (ECM), but extends beyond the ECM to include connections to the actual throttling device on the engine. We stated that the ACS must extend beyond the pedal assembly because those components are the only link between the engine throttle and the accelerator pedal. Otherwise, if the electrical connection between the ECM and throttle actuator was disconnected for example, no fail-safe action would be required, which would be contrary to the Standard's primary purpose.
There was also the issue of whether the ECM itself should be considered part of the ACS. We concluded in the interpretation letters that the ECM should be considered an ACS component for the purposes of the Standard because throttle control signals originate within it. We stated that the ECM as a whole unit, along with its associated external connective wires, are critical “linkages” that in effect form a connection from the gas pedal to the engine throttling device.
On the other hand, it was less clear whether internal circuitry within the ECM or another enclosed electronic module should be subject to “severances and disconnections.” If that were the case, the system might have to withstand disruption of internal electronic elements such as the microprocessor without causing loss of throttle control. Instead, we concluded that the internal elements of an ECM, besides serving functions unrelated to throttle control, are analogous to the internal fuel-metering parts of a carburetor, which the existing Standard's ACS definition specifically excludes. Thus, the agency's position has been that severances or disconnections of elements inside of the ECM or another enclosed module in the ACS are outside the scope of Standard No. 124.
The 2002 proposal included new regulatory language to clarify FMVSS 124's applicability to electronic components. It included the following requirement for fail-safe performance:
Severances and disconnections include those which can occur in the external connections of an electronic control module to other components of the accelerator control system and exclude those which can occur internally in an electronic control module.
The interpretation letters (discussed in the July 2002 NPRM) also recognized that disconnections of wires between electronic components could result in short circuits, not just open circuits. For that reason, the proposed regulation also stated:
The accelerator control system shall meet [these] requirements * * * when either open circuits or short circuits to ground result from disconnections and severances of electrical wires and connectors.
These requirements are carried forward in today's proposal.
D. Test Procedures of the 2002 NPRM
Of the several test procedures included in the 2002 NPRM, the first was essentially the air throttle plate position of the original Standard, normally applicable to conventional gasoline engines.
A second proposed procedure, new to FMVSS 124, allowed for measurement of net fuel flow rate, and was included primarily for diesel engines, but could be applied to vehicles with other types of powertrains.
A third proposed procedure, also new, allowed for measurement of electric current flow to an electric drive motor, and was intended for electric vehicles and for the electric driven portion of hybrid vehicles.
Finally, the 2002 NPRM proposed a new procedure which would use engine speed to indicate idle state. As conceived, the procedure was to be conducted on a chassis dynamometer in order to simulate a realistic load on the drivetrain. RPM was thought to be a valid idle-state measurement as long as the appropriate amount of load was exerted on the drivetrain of the vehicle so that the engine speed response reflected actual driving conditions. The engine RPM test was considered a multi-purpose test because it could be applied to different powertrain types including those of gasoline, diesel, and possibly electric vehicles.
Under the 2002 NPRM, a manufacturer could choose any one of the proposed test procedures as a basis for compliance, and the choice was to be irrevocable so that failure to comply under the selected procedure could not be negated merely by trying each of the other procedures in hopes of successfully complying.
All of the procedures in the proposal were premised on return to a “baseline” idle condition which was the measured idle of the vehicle in normal operation, i.e., without any faults or disconnections in the ACS. Return to the “baseline” idle was treated as analogous to return of a throttle plate to the idle position. A tolerance was deemed appropriate to accommodate overshoot and/or fluctuation which are possible responses when disconnections are present in electronically controlled throttle systems. The proposal set the idle state tolerance at 50 percent above the measured baseline value.
E. Powertrain Output Test Procedures and “Creep Speed”
Early on in the effort to update FMVSS No. 124, comments from industry groups led to the idea that a performance test which measured engine output would be a useful alternative to a throttle position test. Among suggested measurement criteria were engine RPM and drive wheel torque. This idea evolved into using vehicle speed as a measurement criterion, and the term “creep speed” was applied to this because it would measure the speed that a vehicle has when it “creeps” along. Creep speed describes the condition of a vehicle moving under its own power when it is in gear and has no input to the driver-operated accelerator control. It is defined as the maximum or terminal speed that a vehicle can achieve in that condition both with its ACS intact and with disconnections.
This test had the significant advantage of being “technology-neutral” meaning that it would be applicable to all forms of vehicle propulsion. However, measuring vehicle speed as a compliance criterion necessitates testing a vehicle under real or simulated driving conditions. That meant that a chassis dynamometer would be required for a creep speed test, or else the vehicle would have to be tested on a test track.
At the time of the 2002 proposal, NHTSA was persuaded that the creep speed test had merit, but decided that further evaluation of the idea was necessary for a number of reasons. First, it was necessary to verify feasibility of using a dynamometer to measure creep speed since the agency did not have a similar procedure in any other regulation. Second, it would be necessary to determine whether creep speed was a useful and practical performance criterion. Lastly, we wanted to demonstrate the practicability of conducting compliance tests using that approach.
Subsequent to the 2002 NPRM, NHTSA conducted a series of tests using a wheel-driven (chassis) dynamometer at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in East Liberty, Ohio. A report describing the testing and results is available in the docket number cited in the heading of this notice. Tests were conducted using three ETC-equipped vehicles instrumented with torque wheels on their drive axles for measurement of the net acceleration or deceleration torque. As described in the report, the dynamometer was programmed so that its power absorption simulated the net road force of actual driving conditions, including the effects of tire rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag unique to each test vehicle.
Dynamometer tests were conducted on each vehicle in a variety of operational conditions including both normal operation and with disconnection faults. The testing evaluated vehicle response to the types of disconnections that are possible in electronic ACS systems. Torque output, vehicle speed, and engine RPM were measured parameters of each test. Throttle plate position was also monitored. The latter was useful for determining if a vehicle's design strategy to limit engine power during fail-safe operation was to use throttle control or some other factor. The following are key test results of NHTSA's testing:
|Chevrolet pick-up, LT245/75R16||Buick Lacrosse sedan, P225/55R17||Toyota Corolla sedan, P195/65R15|
|Creep Speed at unfaulted idle||3 mph-4 mph||5 mph||4.9 mph.|
|Maximum faulted creep speed||9 mph||23.5 mph||23.6 mph.|
|Fault condition where maximum creep speed occurs||Disconnection at throttle actuator (whole connector)||Pedal harness disconnect at 40 mph or greater||Disconnection at throttle actuator (whole connector).|
This NHTSA testing indicated that drivetrain torque values were low following each sampled type of ACS disconnection. This was evident in that the test vehicles' engines did not race to a high RPM level and the vehicles decelerated or gradually accelerated (depending on the initial test speed) to their terminal creep speeds. The vehicles behaved as if they were operating either in a normal idle or a “high idle” condition, except in a few cases where the result was stalling or rough idling. The vehicles remained easily controllable in terms of being free of any abrupt acceleration. At any point in each test, it was possible to bring the test vehicles to a stop on the dynamometer with only light brake application (equivalent to or only marginally greater than that needed to prevent movement of an in-gear vehicle at a normal idle).
The drivetrain output test procedure that we are proposing today as an alternative to throttle position, fuel delivery rate, air intake rate, or electric power delivery is based on this creep speed methodology. We are proposing that FMVSS No. 124 should allow a maximum creep speed for all vehicles of 50 km/h (31 mph). This is a speed that we concluded would accommodate typical light vehicle responses to ACS disconnections including various limp-home modes. This was based in part on a demonstration of vehicle response to pedal position sensor disconnection using a popular passenger vehicle with ETC. The demonstration was conducted as part of an ex-parte meeting and discussion with vehicle manufacturers as a follow-on to the 2002 NPRM.
Our subsequent laboratory tests, as reported above, showed that this level of speed is equivalent to a relatively small amount of drivetrain torque output. Considering that this speed would be the ultimate terminal speed of a vehicle with an ACS disconnection, it represents a small and easily controllable amount of vehicle acceleration. We believe that it is a reasonable threshold that would ensure safety in the event of an ACS disconnection.
The proposed procedure would measure terminal speed following an ACS disconnection from any initial vehicle speed. It is divided into two parts, corresponding to whether the initial test speed is greater or less than the required maximum of 50 km/h. For initial speeds lower than 50 km/h, the vehicle's terminal speed following an ACS disconnection would have to stay below the 50 km/h threshold. For higher initial speeds, the terminal speed following a disconnection would have to drop to 50 km/h or lower within some specified period of time after the accelerator control is released. We call the latter case the “coastdown” procedure. The creep speed and coastdown procedures are discussed in more detail later in this document.
F. Comments on the 2002 NPRM
A number of comments were submitted in response to NHTSA's 2002 NPRM (before it was withdrawn). Commenters included The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (Alliance), The American Trucking Associations (ATA), The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM), and The Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA). Some individual member companies of those organizations also submitted comments including Blue Bird Body Company, BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, American Honda Motor Company, and Volkswagen of America, Inc.
The comments were generally supportive of NHTSA's effort to update FMVSS 124, but raised a number of important issues. To a great extent, changes we have made in the current proposal vis-à-vis the 2002 NPRM address those issues. The following is a brief point-by-point summary of the comments:
- Cancellation of “limp-off-the-road” mode by brake pedal application is design restrictive.
- 50 percent idle state tolerance is insufficient and could lead to stalling; range should be defined by manufacturer or some different way.
- Favors having compliance options, but objects to “irrevocable selection.”
- Suggests fuel delivery and air intake rate tests be done simultaneously (combine S6.2 and 6.3), i.e., measure both quantities at once; vehicle “passes” if either measurement meets the specification.
- Recommends allowing optional early compliance with the new standard.
- Favors deleting “normal operation” requirement or at least adding appropriate test procedures.
- Increase delay time allowed for return of entire powertrain to idle state in the proposed RPM test.
- Allow manufacturer to define an acceptable range for idle.
- If NHTSA keeps tolerance, 50 percent is not large enough.
- Procedure in S6.2.5, S6.3.5, and S6.5.5 should say “remove actuating force after at least 3 sec. but before X sec.”
- Concerned with use of “indefinitely” with respect to maintaining idle following disconnection.
- The dynamometer-based RPM test procedure would be overly burdensome because manufacturers would have to consider so many permutations of vehicle mass, final drive gearing, and drag.
- Uncertainty in measurement of RPM return time by itself is probably greater than the specified 3 second allowance.
- Tolerance of 50 percent is too small—high altitude example given; suggests much larger tolerance since even twice the baseline (100 percent tolerance) would still be safe for drivers to handle.
- With automatic transmissions, gear selection is modified after an ETC failure occurs, i.e., the vehicle cannot maintain same gears in failure-mode tests as in baseline tests.
- Favors measuring vehicle speed, not engine speed, in RPM procedure.
- Favors establishing an overall powertrain output test as main criterion in the safety standard.
- Maximum idle should be defined according to manufacturer, not according to baseline measurement.
- Supports the 2002 NPRM in full; two year lead-time relieves burden of compliance.
- Supports NHTSA effort; specific comments included with Alliance and TMA submittals.
- Recommends that the “idle state” definition be consistent throughout the standard.
- Recommends performance-based test for cancellation of “limp-home” mode instead of specifying brake application which is too design restrictive.
- Believes that the 50 percent tolerance should be adjusted to account for likely variation in fuel rate at or near idle.
- Believes tolerance concept is impracticable and 50 percent is inadequate.
- linking maximum idle to baseline is design restrictive and unnecessary for safety.
- Fail-safe idle state varies too much to achieve stable conditions for comparison to baseline.
- Stalling will result if fail-safe idle is restricted as proposed.
- Standard 124 should be based on a manufacturer-specified maximum idle.
- Suggests technology neutral “powertrain torque output” test for fail-safe operation.
- Technology-neutral test should apply to normal operation as well as fail-safe (but not sure what compliance criterion should be used).
- Return to idle should not be required before removal of pedal force after fault inducement.
- Asks for confirmation that manufacturers will be allowed to make running changes in production to “irrevocable selection”.
- Electronic “dashpots” should be treated the same as mechanical ones in current standard (however, this would be unnecessary if NHTSA allows manufacturer-specified maximum idle).
- “Detection by powertrain control system” should be added to stop-lamp illumination as an allowable indicant of brake pedal application.
- When air throttle percent-opening is close to zero at idle, 50 percent is meaningless.
- Definition of “air throttle position” neglects non-rotating (slide type) throttles; suggests a simplified definition.
- Anticipates most trucks using fuel rate test to comply; suggests that fuel rate signal, not fuel delivery rate, is the appropriate criterion.
- Severing power to the ECM shuts down processor, which means fuel rate signal goes away, which would necessitate observing some other compliance measure.
- Wants to allow bench test of stand-alone engine instead of whole vehicle but not sure how “impose test load” as used in the procedures would apply to a test of a stand-alone engine, i.e., not mounted in a truck chassis.
- Irrevocable selection wording too restrictive.
- Recommends performance-based specification for removal of limp-home mode, not the design-restrictive “service brake apply” in the NHTSA proposal.
- Wants return to or below the baseline to be an acceptable response.
- Asks if the tolerance is based on 50 percent of the average, maximum, minimum, or what? Also thinks the term “indefinitely” should be defined or quantified.
Generally, these comments have been addressed in today's proposal where appropriate or necessary. We have removed the procedure which specified that a limp-home mode would have to be cancelled by a light application of the service brake. Limp-home modes instead have to fall within the 50 percent tolerance of the applicable idle state indicant, or cannot exceed the allowable creep speed of 50 km/h.
We have not increased the tolerance but left it at 50 percent as proposed in 2002 because commenters did not provide a specific alternative value or any rationale to support changing the tolerance.
We have maintained the “irrevocable selection” stipulation given that we want to deter a manufacturer that fails to comply under their chosen test option from claiming compliance under another test option.
In regard to determining the idle state for a test vehicle, we continue to believe that measuring a baseline value for the idle prior to executing any disconnections is a better alternative than requiring the vehicle manufacturer to provide idle state information for each test vehicle. This issue was discussed in the 2002 NPRM, and the reasoning has not changed. Essentially, we believe it is more expedient and practical to ascertain the baseline idle as part of the test methodology.
Among other issues raised in comments on the 2002 proposal, and how we propose to address them, are the following:
- We have elected to leave FMVSS No. 124's “normal operation” requirement in today's proposal because it has always been part of the Standard and no compelling reason for removing it was offered by any commenter. It may be relevant for vehicle operation in very cold temperatures.
- Some commenters disagreed with our use of “indefinitely” to refer to the required duration of a vehicle's return-to-idle following a disconnection. We believe it is necessary for safety to prohibit a design in which the throttle initially responds to an ACS disconnection by closing but re-opens after a short time. We would consider alternative suggestions for how to ensure that idle is maintained following disconnection, and we request comment on this issue.
- The tolerance of 50 percent may not be relevant when applied to a throttle position because it is not valid for a closed or nearly closed throttle. In general, engine output is not a linear function of “percent throttle opening.” NHTSA requests comment on the best way to evaluate throttle position as it relates to engine output (i.e., angular position, percent of full open, or some other measure) and how the 50 percent tolerance should be applied to throttle position.
- Regarding the comment suggesting how to define throttle position for rotating air throttles, we note that the term “percent throttle opening” was not defined in the 2002 proposal even though it was used in one of the proposed compliance criteria. As above, we are requesting comment on how best to define throttle position so that it corresponds with drivetrain output.
- Regarding the comment that, when measuring fuel rate or air intake rate, disconnection of the ECM power might cause the internal processor to stop functioning, and thus the fuel rate or air intake rate signal would cease: We do not view this as a significant difficulty because it can be assumed that the engine would shut down in this case, which would of course qualify as a complying vehicle response since powertrain output would go to zero.
- To the extent that we have not addressed in today's proposal comments that were made on the 2002 NPRM and remain relevant, we request further comment in response to this proposal.
VI. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Back to Top
This section explains how we propose to amend FMVSS No. 124 so that crashes and associated injuries or deaths as described previously can be minimized.
Based in part on NHTSA's VOQ data, we propose in this NPRM to address drivers' inability to stop vehicles in stuck-accelerator emergencies by amending FMVSS No. 124 to require a brake-throttle override system on all light vehicles having ETC.
With this requirement, we intend for the effect of the BTO system to be independent of the stopping capability provided by a vehicle's service brakes. That is, even if stopping power alone is sufficient for a vehicle to meet the performance requirement under high-speed, open-throttle conditions, we are proposing that there still must be electronic intervention invoked by brake application to abate drive torque caused by a stuck accelerator pedal.
A. Definition of Electronic Throttle Control System
We propose to define electronic throttle control as an accelerator control system in which movement of a driver-operated control is translated into throttle actuation at least in part by electronic, instead of mechanical, means. Note that in this definition, “accelerator control system,” “driver-operated accelerator control,” and “throttle” are separately defined terms whose definitions are included in the regulatory text. This definition is necessary to identify vehicles to which the BTO requirements would apply, i.e., those having ETC.
B. Brake-Throttle Override Equipment Requirement
We also are proposing an equipment requirement for BTO. This would be included in addition to a BTO performance requirement as described in the next section. We are proposing the requirement in paragraph S5.4.1 of § 571.124.
The equipment requirement also would specify that a BTO system may be designed so that it does not engage at speeds below 10 mph, as discussed below.
This equipment requirement is necessary to ensure that a brake-throttle override capability is installed on each vehicle, and that a manufacturer's certification is not based only on brake system performance. Otherwise, it might be possible for a manufacturer whose vehicle meets the BTO performance test without engagement of a BTO system to avoid installing BTO altogether. Under this requirement, BTO must engage if the powertrain controller determines that inputs to the brake and accelerator pedals are conflicting. This means not just that the pedal inputs are overlapping but also that they probably are unintentional; are unlikely to occur in normal driving; and may create an unsafe operating condition. For example, if a vehicle is travelling at a high rate of speed, and the brake is forcefully applied while accelerator pedal input signal remains high, it is logical to conclude that the driver's intent is to slow the vehicle and that the throttle command should be ignored. On the other hand, if overlap between the accelerator pedal and brake exists only briefly, such as for less than one second, there is no reason to engage an override feature since a vehicle could not accelerate much in such a short time span, and the potential for loss of control would be very small.
This proposed equipment requirement makes BTO engagement optional below 16 km/h (10 mph). We believe this will accommodate most “two-footed” driving situations which have legitimate purposes such as maneuvering trailers, pushing other vehicles (as police sometimes do to move stalled vehicles out of traffic), and in off-road driving. These driving scenarios are not considered to be unsafe, and there is no compelling safety reason to prohibit them.
The proposed equipment requirement limits required BTO engagement to “conflicts” between the accelerator pedal and brake, so that BTO systems can allow for left-foot braking and other two-footed driving situations as manufacturers see fit to accommodate their customers. For example, a brake-first-then-accelerator sequence of pedal application would not necessarily be considered a “conflict” and so would not always have to engage the BTO.
The 10 mph (16 km/h) cut-off is the speed below which initial engagement of BTO is not required. That is, if a pedal conflict initially occurs below 10 mph, the onset of BTO intervention is not required until the vehicle speed reaches 10 mph. Once vehicle speed reaches 10 mph, BTO must engage at that point, assuming other conditions for engagement exist. This does not mean that, if BTO engages at a speed above 10 mph, the BTO can disengage as the vehicle slows to below 10 mph. It must remain engaged until the vehicle has been brought to a stop and remain engaged until either the pedal conflict no longer exists (for example, if the driver releases the brake, or the gas pedal becomes unstuck), or vehicle drive power is removed by another action such as turning off the ignition.
We have considered whether it is appropriate to require that BTO activation be accompanied by a warning or alert to signal to the driver that BTO intervention has occurred. This could be in the form of either a visible or audible alert. We are not proposing that such an alert be required, but we request comment on this issue, specifically if there is any safety data that would justify such a requirement.
A related issue is whether it should be possible for a vehicle operator to manually turn off the BTO function. For example, a switch or control could be provided for that purpose, similar to on/off switches for disabling Electronic Stability Control (ESC). Alternatively, a manufacturer might design an “ESC off” switch so that it also disables the BTO. We are not proposing to prohibit controls that turn off BTO. However, if a vehicle is equipped with a control for turning off BTO, we believe that the driver should be warned that the system is off, and the system should always default to a “BTO On” state whenever the ignition is cycled. We request comment on whether a BTO Off function should be allowed and, if so, how it should function.
C. Brake-Throttle Override Performance Requirement
As indicated previously, we are taking the approach in this proposal of including both a performance requirement and an equipment requirement for brake-throttle override systems. We considered establishing a design requirement as the sole requirement for BTO, but the differences among BTO systems currently available from different vehicle manufacturers are significant enough that a design requirement by itself cannot effectively accommodate them all without being overly complex and/or design restrictive. By combining a relatively simple performance test with the basic equipment requirement described above, we can achieve a robust standard which is largely performance-based and minimally costly or burdensome.
We believe this approach is appropriate because, by all indications, existing BTO systems are effective for their intended purpose, and we would not be able to justify a BTO requirement that favors one design over another or compels some manufacturers to go to the expense of re-designing their systems. In fact, NHTSA recently sampled a number of current BTO systems in a brief series of high-speed, open-throttle braking tests. Those tests demonstrated that each of the different BTO designs was very effective. In each test, at speeds up to 99 mph, stopping distances of BTO-equipped vehicles with their accelerator pedal held to the floor typically were less than 5 percent to no more than 15 percent greater than normal (“normal” meaning in a drop-throttle condition from the same test speed). That was contrasted with open-throttle stopping distances from similar speeds that were about 35 to 70 percent greater than normal for vehicles without BTO. The stopping distance improvement for vehicles with BTO compared to those without BTO was even larger in tests in which the brake pedal was modulated or “pumped”. When combined with an open throttle, pumping of the brakes increases the pedal force needed to stop a vehicle, and this seems to be a fairly common occurrence in stuck accelerator pedal situations according to complaint narratives in the ODI database.
In order to ensure the effectiveness of new BTO systems, we are proposing an open-throttle stopping distance test. The proposed requirement specifies a stopping distance measurement in which the accelerator pedal is applied at up to 100 percent of pedal travel for the duration of the braking event. The procedure would consist of conventional stopping distance measurements in accordance with specifications found in FMVSS No. 135, “Light vehicle brake systems.” Where Standard No. 135 specifies that the throttle is released or the vehicle is placed in neutral, the vehicle would remain in gear with the accelerator pedal held down to as much as 100 percent of its travel. This represents the situation when an accelerator pedal is trapped by a floor mat, with 100 percent pedal application being the worst-case scenario. For the purposes of these tests, we are proposing that the minimum accelerator pedal input would be 25 percent because pedal inputs below that level may not produce significant vehicle acceleration and may not require intervention by the BTO system. (We note that this is merely to facilitate consistent BTO performance testing, and does not mean that BTO systems cannot engage at less than 25 percent accelerator pedal input.)
Test speeds for the proposed BTO procedure would be any speed from 30 km/h (18.6 mph) up to as much as 160 km/h (99.4 mph). The latter is the maximum specified under FMVSS No. 135. The procedure carries over the specification in S7.6 of FMVSS No. 135 that limits test speed to 80 percent of a vehicle's maximum speed, not to exceed 160 km/h.
The required stopping distance would be based on one of two requirements in FMVSS No. 135, depending on whether the test speed was greater or less than 100 km/h, to reflect the fact that FMVSS No. 135 stopping distances are somewhat different for speeds above and below 100 km/h. For test speeds of 100 km/h or below, the stopping distance requirement in S7.5, “Cold Effectiveness,” would apply. For speeds above 100 km/h, the stopping distance requirement in S7.6, “High-Speed Effectiveness,” would apply.
We propose that the BTO performance test would be conducted at Lightly Loaded Vehicle Weight (LLVW) as defined in S6.3 of FMVSS No. 135. Although the Cold Effectiveness and High Speed Effectiveness procedures in FMVSS No. 135 specify conducting tests at both LLVW and GVWR, the stopping distance requirement is the same regardless of the loading condition. Consequently, we believe it is unnecessary to include the GVWR loading condition in the BTO performance test. We request comments with supporting data on whether there is any safety need for BTO performance to be measured at GVWR.
Under S220.127.116.11 of FMVSS No. 135, for stopping distance procedures specifying multiple test runs, compliance is achieved if any one of the test runs is within the prescribed distance. This applies to the Cold Effectiveness and High Speed Effectiveness procedures, where six test runs are required for each set of test conditions. The vehicle is deemed to comply if at least one stop is within the required distance. We propose using this same methodology for the BTO performance tests.
All other test conditions and procedures would be in accordance with FMVSS No. 135 specifications. This includes ambient environmental conditions, track conditions, and vehicle set-up. This would utilize existing practices to the greatest extent possible, thus reducing test burden and cost.
We are proposing that the stopping distance of a vehicle in an open-throttle condition shall not be more than 5 percent greater than the required stopping distance in FMVSS No. 135, specifically as set forth in S7.5 for test speeds up to 100 km/h and S7.6 for test speeds over 100 km/h. This 5 percent margin allows for any additional stopping distance resulting from the delay that may be needed for the BTO system to engage and during which the brakes have to work against the powertrain drive torque. The stopping distances in FMVSS No. 135 do not account for any such drive torque because they are measured with the vehicle in neutral or with the accelerator pedal released. The 5 percent margin represents approximately the additional stopping distance NHTSA found was needed in our tests of BTO-equipped vehicles (the same tests cited immediately above) comparing their wide-open throttle stopping distance to their drop-throttle stopping distance at maximum FMVSS No. 135 test speeds.
D. Update of FMVSS No. 124 Disconnection Test Procedures
New Creep Speed and Coastdown Test Procedures
We are proposing a new vehicle performance test of powertrain output as an optional test procedure for compliance with the FMVSS No. 124 disconnection requirements. This procedure would measure vehicle speed following an ACS disconnection, so-called “creep speed,” as the criterion for compliance. Other criteria such as engine RPM were considered and rejected as a result of comments on the 2002 rulemaking effort. By evaluating vehicle speed and acceleration, the creep speed test will directly measure the fundamental parameter that affects safety with respect to vehicle accelerator controls.
Specifically, the compliance criterion we are proposing is vehicle terminal speed following an ACS disconnection and removal of force on the accelerator pedal. In order to comply, the measured creep speed obtained with no accelerator pedal input would have to fall below a maximum allowable value, which we are proposing should be 50 km/h (31 mph). As mentioned previously in this proposal, this speed was suggested by a vehicle manufacturer and was confirmed as an appropriate level in NHTSA's tests of two passenger cars and one light truck. It would accommodate typical responses of vehicle control systems to ACS disconnections, including limp-home modes. Our tests also confirmed that this level of speed corresponds to a low level of drivetrain torque capability and thus is easily controllable.
Under our proposed requirement, in the worst case of a vehicle whose torque output following an ACS disconnection allows the vehicle to reach a creep speed of exactly 50 km/h, the vehicle would accelerate at a rate only marginally greater than it would with no ACS faults. The vehicle's acceleration would be limited to the equivalent of the aerodynamic and frictional drag forces on the vehicle at 50 km/h which, for light vehicles, is a small fraction of what the powertrain is capable of producing.
Compliance with the creep speed requirement would be evaluated by selecting any accelerator pedal input (including zero input) that results in an initial test speed below 50 km/h. Then, following disconnection of the ACS and release of the accelerator pedal (if it was initially applied), the vehicle's speed would have to remain below 50 km/h. We are proposing a time limit of 90 seconds for this procedure, meaning that the vehicle would comply if its speed does not exceed 50 km/h before 90 seconds have elapsed. If a vehicle is accelerating so slowly that it meets this requirement, then that is sufficient indication that it has an acceptable fail-safe response. The average acceleration rate to reach 50 km/h in 90 seconds is approximately 0.015 g's, which is a very low value considering that conventional passenger cars are capable of well over twenty times that value at low initial speeds. The 90-second time limit also will avoid unnecessarily prolonging the tests to wait for very slowly accelerating vehicles to finally reach a terminal speed. We request comment on whether 90 seconds is an appropriate value and, if not, what time limit should be substituted and why.
For creep speed tests where the initial test speed is above 50 km/h, we are proposing a coastdown procedure which uses as a baseline the coastdown time of the test vehicle with its transmission in neutral. This compliance criterion was suggested by a vehicle manufacturer and appears to be a practical and appropriate specification. Under this procedure, each assessment of compliance would require two test runs as follows:
- The first run would measure the elapsed time required for the test vehicle to coastdown from a selected target speed to exactly 50 km/h in neutral gear. The coastdown time measured in this way should constitute a worst-case since there would be no engine braking (resistance to vehicle motion resulting from engine friction and compression, independent of the vehicle brake system) to decelerate the vehicle. This elapsed time would be a “baseline” for comparison to the result of the second test run.
- In the second run, conducted at the same target speed but with the vehicle remaining in gear, coastdown would commence following an induced ACS disconnection and release of accelerator pedal. As in the first run, elapsed time for the vehicle to decelerate to 50 km/h would be the measured value.
Compliance would be determined by comparing the coastdown time in these two runs. The coastdown time in gear, from the second run, would have to be less than the coastdown time in neutral, from the first run. This comparison would verify that the powertrain output of the test vehicle in fact was reduced to a safe level, i.e., a level that produces less than a 50 km/h terminal speed, while at the same time establishing a time limitation to ensure that the rate of deceleration is not unreasonably low.
As NHTSA has not had the opportunity to conduct trials using this methodology, we are requesting comment on any issues related to this proposed coastdown test procedure.
We are proposing that the vehicle creep speed and coastdown time measurements would be conducted using a chassis dynamometer to impose road force through the vehicle's drive wheels. The general test parameters for this type of dynamometer testing are available in an industry standard, SAE J2264, “Chassis Dynamometer Simulation of Road Load Using Coastdown Techniques.” We are proposing to incorporate by reference portions of that SAE standard. In NHTSA compliance testing, the vehicle's terminal speed would be measured following an ACS disconnection when using the test procedures and environmental conditions specified in the SAE standard. For testing using a dynamometer, manufacturers would have the option of either measuring a vehicle's road load characteristic directly by use of the procedure in SAE J2264, or by looking up the necessary road load coefficients in an Environmental Protection Agency database.
A potential issue with creep speed and coast-down measurements conducted on a chassis dynamometer is that FMVSS No. 124 includes test temperatures down to as low as minus 40 Celsius (equivalent to minus 40° F). To the best of our knowledge, existing vehicle dynamometer facilities normally cannot achieve ambient temperatures that low. Therefore, we specifically request comment on whether a different lower limit on environmental temperature should be specified in the FMVSS for tests of vehicle ACSs conducted using a dynamometer facility.
We are proposing that the new creep speed test also could be conducted on a test track, to the extent that a suitable test area with adequate straightaway space is available. When starting from a high speed in the coastdown portion of the proposed test procedure, a vehicle may coast for a number of minutes. The required length of the test area could easily be on the order of a mile or more. This may limit the feasibility of substituting a track test for a dynamometer test.
For a track test, the test area should meet a maximum slope specification since any significant grade could affect test outcome. Furthermore, in order for the test to be repeatable, wind conditions would have to be light, and air temperature should also be within a limited range because these factors influence aerodynamic drag. We are proposing the following conditions for creep and coastdown speed measurements conducted on a test track:
- Straight course of dry, smooth, unbroken concrete or asphalt pavement with a continuous grade of not more than 0.5 percent in any direction;
- Ambient temperature between 5 C (41 °F) and 32 C (90 °F);
- Average wind speed no greater than 16 km/h (10 mph) with gusts no greater than 20 km/h (12 mph) and with the wind velocity component perpendicular to the test direction no greater than 8 km/h (5 mph).
To the best of our knowledge, these conditions are consistent with current industry practice for this kind of testing. We request comment on these proposed conditions, specifically any information to support why NHTSA should consider different test conditions.
We believe that this new method of compliance is a necessary addition to FMVSS No. 124 that fulfills the need for a “technology neutral” test that can be applied to any type of wheel-driven motor vehicle regardless of the type of propulsion system it uses. This procedure is performance-based and uses established vehicle test methods that should be familiar to the industry. Therefore, we believe that this new proposed procedure is both practicable and objective.
New Air Intake and Fuel Delivery Rate Tests
This proposal includes a fuel delivery rate test procedure as in the 2002 NPRM. It also includes a new air intake rate test procedure that was not included in the 2002 NPRM. This procedure was suggested in comments as an alternative that will expedite testing of some vehicles. It is identical to the fuel rate test, but uses mass airflow rate rather than fuel flow rate to quantify the state of vehicle power output and whether the engine is at idle.
These test procedures are logical extensions of the traditional throttle position test. For most existing gasoline engines, throttle position indicates (and in fact controls) the rate of intake of air/fuel mixture into the engine which, in turn, determines engine power output. Since the air/fuel ratio stays relatively constant over the engine's operating range, observing either the fuel intake rate or air intake rate also provides a valid indicant of engine output, and either quantity can substitute for throttle position. In effect, fuel rate, air intake rate, and throttle position are equivalent for FMVSS 124 purposes in that they each can indicate whether the engine is at idle.
For diesel engines, the traditional FMVSS 124 test indicant is the fuel rack position which determines fuel flow. (The fuel rack is the mechanical linkage on older diesel engines that moves back and forth when the accelerator pedal is pressed and released; its operation is analogous to a mechanical throttle linkage on a gasoline engine.) Fuel rack position corresponds to fuel intake rate, so we are proposing that, on modern diesels without a fuel rack, the net fuel delivery rate is the appropriate engine power indicant. Diesels operate on excess intake air unlike a gasoline engine, so power output cannot necessarily be gauged by air intake rate alone. We request comment as to the appropriateness of air intake rate as a measurement criterion for diesel engines, and also whether there are other possibilities for diesels besides those we have considered here.
Components Included in an Accelerator Control System
In interpretation letters on FMVSS No. 124 which responded to questions about which parts of an ETC system are considered ACS components, we treated an ACS as a series of linked components extending from the driver-operated control to the throttling or fuel-metering device on the engine or motor. Electronic systems using wires, relays, control modules, and electric actuators joining the accelerator pedal to the throttle or injectors on the engine are analogous to mechanical systems in which levers, cables, and springs serve the same purpose. We indicated that a severance at any one point in the system should not result in a large increase in engine power, and that this also applies to an ACS that mixes mechanical and electronic components.
Nevertheless, an ETC system is less easily defined than a mechanical one because a variety of components can influence engine speed without being in the direct line of action between the accelerator pedal and the throttling device on the engine. As in the 2002 NPRM, we see two basic approaches for defining the items included in an electronic ACS.
One approach would be to list in the regulatory text of the Standard each and every component, including each conductor, connector, module, etc., which is subject to the fail-safe requirements. This explicit approach would provide a high degree of specificity, but would lack flexibility. It carries a significant risk that a connective component omitted from specific mention in the standard would be excluded from regulation, even if the omission was unintentional.
An alternative approach, and the one that we have chosen to adopt in this proposal, is to specify in general terms the connective components that are regulated. This approach lends a greater degree of flexibility and leaves open the possibility that the regulatory language can be adapted to new technology. The covered ACS parts still would be limited to “connective components” only, so we believe that using this general approach does not diverge from the scope of the existing Standard.
We are listing here some common components of an ACS to illustrate the intent of the proposed Standard and to make it widely acknowledged that these components are considered connective components of an ACS. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list. The following enumerates some of the connective components for both mechanical and electronic systems that we believe must comply with the disconnection requirements of FMVSS No. 124:
• Components of an Air- or Fuel-Throttled Engine
The critical connective components of the ACS are: (1) The springs or other sources of stored energy that return the driver-operated control and the throttle to their idle position; (2) the linkages, rods, cables or equivalent components which are actuated by the driver-operated control; (3) the linkages, rods, cables or equivalent components which actuate the throttle; (4) the hoses which connect hydraulic or pneumatic systems within an ACS; (5) the connectors and individual conductors in the electrical wiring which connect the driver-operated control to the engine control processor; (6) the connectors and individual conductors in the electrical wiring which connect the ECM to the throttle or other fuel-metering device; and (7) the connectors and individual conductors in the electrical wiring which connect the ECM to the electrical power source and electrical ground.
The ECM itself is also included as a single component of an electronic ACS. However, as before, we treat the fail-safe (i.e., disconnection) requirements of the Standard as pertaining to the external connections to and from the ECM. We consider the internal elements of the ECM to be like the internal elements of a carburetor or throttle body injector, which are not subject to the fail-safe requirements of the Standard. The wiring and connectors between the pedal position sensor and the ECM, the wiring and connectors between the ECM and the fuel or air throttling device on the engine, and the power and ground connections to the ECM all qualify as connective elements rather than internal ones.
• Components of an Electric Propulsion System's ACS
For an electric motor-driven vehicle, the critical connective components of an ACS are: (1) Springs or other sources of energy that return the driver-operated control and the motor speed controller to the idle position; (2) linkages, rods, cables or equivalent components which are actuated by the driver-operated control; (3) linkages, rods, cables or equivalent components which actuate the motor speed controller; (4) hoses which connect hydraulic or pneumatic actuators and components within the ACS; (5) connectors and individual conductors in electrical wiring connecting the driver-operated control to the motor speed controller or motor control processor; (6) connectors and individual conductors which connect the motor control processor to the motor speed controller (if they are separate modules); (7) connectors and individual conductors in the electrical wiring which connect the motor control processor to electrical power and ground; and (8) the connectors and individual conductors in the electrical wiring from the motor speed controller to the electric traction motor.
Definition of Idle State
Based on comments NHTSA received on the 2002 NPRM, manufacturers would prefer that the Safety Standard allow the manufacturers to determine what is an acceptable idle state. Manufacturers consistently commented that the idle state varies according to a number of factors such as engine temperature, accessory load, emission controls, and altitude. It may not be possible to specify fixed values for throttle position, engine speed, fuel rate, etc., because those characteristics can change according to many conditions without any input from the accelerator pedal. They pointed out that limp-home modes can adjust engine operation to prevent stalling and to provide enough power for a vehicle to be moved from an unsafe location in the event of a malfunction.
The current Standard accommodates a range of idle state values by allowing any throttle position “appropriate for existing conditions.” In a traditional air-throttled engine which has a mechanical throttle stop that designates the idle position of the throttle, the throttle stop can change position as dictated by operating conditions. For example, it may move to a position of increased throttle opening when the engine is cold. In testing, the throttle stop provides a convenient reference position that makes determination of compliance a simple matter.
Vehicle manufacturers recommended that idle state should be a manufacturer-specified data item provided to NHTSA for each compliance test. Under this approach, each manufacturer would specify a value or range of values for the applicable idle state indicant for each of its vehicles.
After considering the comments, we are not persuaded that this approach is the best solution to the question of how to define an appropriate idle state value. We believe it would be burdensome to have to obtain idle state data from manufacturers for each test vehicle, potentially for numerous possible operating conditions.
Instead, we believe it is easier and more practical to establish a baseline idle state simply by measuring the initial value of the applicable idle state indicant (throttle position, fuel delivery rate, electrical power input, etc.) at the beginning of a compliance test (i.e., immediately before any fault is induced). This initial value would be an appropriate baseline because it would account for whatever operating conditions exist at the time a test takes place. It is convenient because it is measured directly as part of the test procedure, and it does not depend on information provided by vehicle manufacturers.
Once the baseline is established, the value of the idle state indicant at the end of the test is expected to be the same as or close to the baseline value established at the start of the test (within a tolerance range, as defined below). Compliance is indicated by whether or not the idle state returns to the baseline value within the elapsed time specified in S5.3 of the regulatory text.
This approach is valid only if operating conditions such as engine temperature, accessory load, etc., are fairly constant during a test since adjustments made by an electronic control system to compensate for changes in conditions would not be observable but rather would take place within the ECM. Consequently, it could be difficult to distinguish between a permissible increase in idle state and a noncomplying one.
In order to address this, NHTSA's proposal specifies that operating conditions must be held constant to the greatest extent possible during fail-safe tests in order to minimize variations in engine idle that are not due to an ACS disconnection. In a compliance test, the engine must be stabilized and all accessory controls fixed so that conditions that affect idle state do not change significantly during the course of the test. This includes operating the engine long enough to deactivate cold start features as well as to stabilize emission controls. We have specified that the engine must be operated for at least 5 minutes prior to any measurement of idle, as this should be sufficient to achieve a reasonably steady idle state. We request comment whether 5 minutes is an appropriate value.
For some operating characteristics such as “variable displacement” or cylinder de-activation modes, we recognize that maintaining a constant operating condition may not be straightforward. It would be acceptable to either prevent engagement of these kinds of features during testing or to ensure that they do not change the idle state during testing. We request comment on what means are available to ensure that features like cylinder deactivation do not influence test results.
Under today's proposal, the baseline value is established by observing the idle state indicant for an engine with a normally functioning ACS. For the “normal operation” requirement, the compliance criterion would be the time to return to the baseline value from the moment of release of the accelerator pedal from any position within its full range of movement. For the “fail-safe” requirement, the idle state following a disconnection in the ACS is compared to the baseline value to ensure that it is close to (i.e., within the tolerance) or below the baseline. The time elapsed from the moment of the disconnection and pedal release for the measured value to return to the baseline value must be within the Standard's specified time spans (1 second for light vehicles). With the engine operating in a steady state with accessory controls at fixed settings, any difference in the “before and after” idle states should be attributable to the induced disconnection.
Two Sources of Energy for Returning Throttle to Idle
At present, FMVSS No. 124 states in S5.1, “there shall be at least two sources of energy capable of returning the throttle to the idle position” within the specified time limits from any accelerator position or speed, whenever the driver removes the actuating force on the accelerator pedal. It also specifies that, whenever one source of energy fails, the other shall be able to return the throttle to idle. In the past, springs have been the predominant sources of energy for return to idle. That appears to still be the case for accelerator pedal assemblies of vehicles with electronic accelerator controls and for throttle bodies. These assemblies usually incorporate multiple springs, and testing of fail-safe operation would still include disconnection of each single spring.
However, because the standard requires return-to-idle regardless of whether there are two sources of energy present, this requirement may be considered superfluous. Most if not all manufacturers will continue to provide two or more return springs on accelerator pedal assemblies and throttle bodies whether or not there is an explicit requirement for it because it is a simple way of meeting the “single-point disconnection” requirement when one of the springs is disconnected.
As we have noted elsewhere in this proposal, our letters of interpretation have stated that, although having two or more springs on a pedal assembly is a good idea, that alone is not sufficient to ensure compliance with the FMVSS No. 124 fail-safe requirements. For example, dual springs on the pedal assembly would be irrelevant if the assembly's electrical connector was disconnected.
For these reasons, we believe it may be appropriate to delete the requirement for two sources of energy which return the throttle to idle. We request comment on this issue.
Under today's proposal, the single-point disconnection requirement is applicable to any source of throttle return energy connected to the ACS. This includes electric motors and actuators, solenoids, and other electrically powered devices. The electric power source for these components would be considered a “source of energy” for closing the throttle, and thus the power and ground leads for these components would be subject to disconnection.
Criteria for Return to Idle in Normal Operation
Engines With a Traditional Throttle Plate
Like the previous NPRM, this proposal retains return of a throttle plate to the idle position as the criterion for normal operation of air-throttled engines with a traditional throttle. This criterion is still valid for many gasoline engines with either mechanical or electronic accelerator controls, and probably will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
For diesels (and other fuel-throttled engines), this proposal provides fuel delivery rate (gallons/hour of fuel entering the combustion chambers of the engine) as a measure of idle state. It requires return of the fuel rate to the idle fuel rate as a measure of return-to-idle. For diesel engines, power is controlled directly by controlling fuel flow. The result of rapidly releasing the accelerator control is a rapid return of the fuel rate to the steady idle rate, and there is no need to account for the time lag required for the engine speed to return to idle. In this respect, the fuel rate of fuel-throttled engines is analogous to the throttle position of air-throttled engines.
Engines With Unitized Injectors
An engine with self-contained, integrated fuel injectors (called “HEUI” injectors for High Energy Unit Injector), now commonplace in commercial trucks, is potentially problematic with respect to return to idle criteria because it has multiple “throttles,” those being its individual injectors, which can operate independently of each other. However, fuel flow rate for these engines generally can still be used to quantify the operational state of the engine. The fuel rate combines the action of the individual injectors and represents the steady effect of all the injectors' dynamic duty cycles (percent open time or pulse width and frequency). It also avoids the problem of the lack of a visibly observable throttle reference position. Fuel rate thus provides a satisfactory return-to-idle indicant for modern diesel engines with electronic fuel systems.
For light vehicles, similar fuel control arrangements may become more prevalent as diesels become more common and direct-injection gasoline engines enter the marketplace. We believe these vehicles will be able to comply by either the fuel rate test or one of the other available test procedures described in this proposal.
For many heavy vehicles, we understand that a fuel rate signal which consolidates the effect of fuel pressure and fuel injector duty cycle is available as a standardized diagnostic channel. For engines without this diagnostic signal, direct measurement of fuel flow in the supply and return lines would be necessary to ascertain the net fuel rate.
For vehicles which use electric motor propulsion, the electric power input at the drive motor (computed from voltage and current) would be used as the indicant idle state. This measurement responds directly to the operation of the motor controller which, like a unitized electronic fuel injector, is a throttle without a measurable reference position. Since drive torque is directly proportional to the drive motor input current and voltage, this indicant is equivalent to throttle position. Alternative measurement criteria used for non-electric vehicles such as fuel delivery rate are not applicable to electric vehicles, but we request comment on whether there are any other measurement criteria that would be appropriate for electric vehicles.
No Normal Operation Test Corresponding to Creep Speed Method
Unlike the test procedures for throttle position, fuel delivery rate, air intake rate, and electric power delivery, the creep speed test does not have a corresponding normal operation criterion. This was the subject of at least one comment on the 2002 NPRM that suggested that an engine output criterion should be provided for normal as well as fail-safe operation. However, establishing a normal operation requirement based on creep speed would require restricting aspects of vehicle performance such as engine braking effect that have never been part of FMVSS No. 124 or any other NHTSA regulation. For example, a normal operation requirement for creep speed might specify that a vehicle has to coastdown to a speed of `X' from an initial test speed of `Y' in `Z' seconds. This would place restrictions on vehicle rolling resistance and engine-braking that are unrelated to safety. Therefore, a creep speed-based normal operation requirement is not feasible under FMVSS No. 124.
Consequently, if a manufacturer selects the creep speed procedure to certify to the fail-safe requirement, a different procedure would have to be selected to certify to the normal operation requirement.
Response Time for Normal Operation
This proposal maintains the existing requirement that, in normal operation (i.e., without faults in the ACS), return to idle must occur within 1 second after release of the accelerator pedal for light vehicles, and within 2 seconds for heavy vehicles (over 10,000 lb. GVWR). The required response time is 3 seconds if the test vehicle is exposed to temperatures of minus 18 Celsius or lower during any portion of the 24-hour conditioning period, for both light and heavy vehicles.
Fail-Safe Performance Criteria
Because electronic ACSs can use various means to reduce vehicle power in response to an ACS disconnection, our intent in this proposal is to allow manufacturers to take advantage of those possibilities by establishing fail-safe criteria that are performance-oriented rather than design-oriented.
Powertrain Output “Creep Speed” Test Option
We have included in S6.5 of the proposed regulatory text a new “technology-neutral” powertrain output test performed on a dynamometer or test track, as described previously in this document (see “New Creep Speed and Coastdown Test Procedures” under section VI D, above). This test of fail-safe response is performance-based and independent of powertrain design, i.e., it is valid for any type of powertrain in any wheel-driven vehicle. It provides a universal measurement criterion, i.e., maximum vehicle terminal speed, that has direct relevance to the safety purpose of FMVSS 124. The new creep speed and coastdown procedures require that a test vehicle cannot accelerate appreciably if its initial speed is below 50 km/h and must decelerate if its initial speed is above 50 km/h upon release of the accelerator pedal following an ACS disconnection. The new creep speed and coastdown procedures appear in section S6.5 of the regulatory text of this rule which specifies controlled test conditions for accurate exertion of road load on the drivetrain.
Fail-Safe Performance Test for Air-Throttled Engines
For air-throttled engines, return of the throttle plate to the idle position is the least burdensome test for many vehicles in current production. This alternative is identical to the procedure of the present Standard. A second alternative is return of the fuel rate to the idle state. For air-throttled engines, engine power cannot vary substantially from the idle state if the fuel rate is constrained to the value observed at the idle state. Thus, fuel delivery rate is a reliable indicant that engine power is constrained. Similarly, a third alternative is mass airflow rate through the intake manifold. Air intake rate behaves like fuel delivery rate for vehicles whose fuel-air ratio stays relatively constant as operating conditions vary. Thus, air intake rate is also an acceptable indicant of engine power output.
Fail-Safe Performance Test for Fuel-Throttled Engines
Since fuel-throttled engines such as diesel engines may operate with excess intake airflow, neither the position of an air throttle, if one is present, nor the air intake rate would be an accurate indicant of engine power. Fuel delivery rate, on the other hand, is an accurate and sufficient indicant of engine power for these engines in most cases. The same fuel delivery rate criterion specified for evaluating compliance in normal operation of fuel-throttled engines is included in this proposal as an optional test for fail-safe performance.
Some modern diesel and gasoline direct injection engines may inject additional small amounts of fuel during a single injection cycle. This extra fuel does not contribute to propulsion, but is intended to smooth engine operation or to meet emissions requirements. If vehicles with these types of engines could not be adequately tested using the fuel delivery rate procedure, then the optional creep speed procedure would be an appropriate alternative since that test is not sensitive to any particular fuel delivery characteristics.
Fail-Safe Performance Test for Electric Vehicles
For vehicles driven solely by electric motors, we are proposing that an optional test of fail-safe performance be the same as the normal operation criterion, i.e., return of the drive motor electric power input to the idle state. This procedure can also be applied to the electric drive motor of a hybrid vehicle.
Fail-Safe Performance Test for Hybrid Vehicles
For a hybrid vehicle that combines more than one type of propulsion system, the most applicable test procedure would be the creep speed test which would evaluate the net driving effect of the various propulsion systems working together. Alternatively, fail-safe performance of each separate engine's or motor's accelerator controls could be demonstrated independently using test options appropriate for each type of propulsion system. For example, on a gas-electric hybrid, the gas engine might be tested by measuring the throttle position while the electric motor is tested by measuring current and voltage.
Response Time Requirements for Fail-Safe Operation
The required response times for the idle state indicant to return to or near the baseline value following an ACS disconnection are the same as those given in the current Standard and also for normal operation of the ACS. For light vehicles (under 10,000 lb GVWR), return to idle must occur within 1 second after ACS disconnection and release of the accelerator pedal, or, within 2 seconds for heavy vehicles (over 10,000 lb. GVWR). The required response time is 3 seconds if the test vehicle is exposed to temperatures of minus 18 Celsius or lower during any portion of the 24-hour conditioning period, for both light and heavy vehicles.
For the proposed creep speed procedure, compliance is not based directly on the time required for an idle state indicant to return to idle. Instead, for test speeds at or below 50 km/h, compliance is based on whether the vehicle's terminal speed remains below 50 km/h for at least 90 seconds after an ACS disconnection; for test speeds greater than 50 km/h, compliance is based on whether the time required to coast down to 50 km/h is greater or less than the coastdown time in neutral from the same test speed.
E. Compliance Options for Various Vehicles
Our proposal would require manufacturers to specify one of the following criteria as the basis for certifying a vehicle to the requirements of S5.1 (normal operation) and S5.2 (fail-safe operation) of the standard: Throttle position, fuel delivery rate, air intake rate, electric power delivery, and creep speed/coastdown performance. The selection would be at the option of the manufacturer. However, while one of the criteria, creep speed/coastdown performance, could be used for any vehicle, the appropriateness of the other criteria would depend on the nature of the vehicle. For example, an electric vehicle could be certified based on electric power delivery in addition to creep speed/coastdown performance, and a vehicle with a gasoline engine could be certified based on throttle position, fuel delivery rate, and air intake rate, as well as creep speed/coastdown performance. We believe it is appropriate to permit multiple options to manufacturers so long as each option would meet the relevant safety need. We request comments on the appropriateness of each of the proposed options; the possibility of a manufacturer seeking to use an option that might not be appropriate for a vehicle given the characteristics of the vehicle and, if so, the safety consequences; and whether there is a need for the regulation to limit any of the options to vehicles with particular characteristics.
VII. Safety Benefits and Crash Data Back to Top
A rule based on today's proposal would be expected to prevent most crashes resulting from accelerator pedal entrapment, including floor mat incidents. The accidents that could be avoided are similar to highly publicized crashes that have played a key role in the escalation of UA as a nationally recognized safety problem.
With regard to the ACS disconnection requirements, any benefits associated with the original FMVSS No. 124 safety standard would be unchanged by this proposal.
A. Summary of Crash Data on Accelerator Control Issues
Three of NHTSA's crash datasets were identified as potential sources of information about possible accelerator control issues in passenger vehicles: Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS), and National Automotive Sampling System—Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS). FARS is an annual census of fatal traffic crashes based upon secondary data sources such as the police accident report. NMVCCS was a one-time three year special study of crashes involving at least one passenger vehicle towed due to damage and investigated by NHTSA with an emphasis on pre-crash factors. NASS-CDS is an annual sample of crashes involving at least one passenger vehicle towed due to damage and investigated by NHTSA with an emphasis on crashworthiness factors. Overall these databases each contain cases involving an allegation of a stuck accelerator or throttle, and the available information is summarized below. However, each of these sources also has limitations that should be considered when using the results.
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)
FARS is a nationwide census providing yearly data regarding fatal injuries suffered in motor vehicle traffic crashes. FARS records when a pre-existing vehicle defect or condition is noted in police accident report (PAR) as a vehicle related factor. According to the FARS Coding and Validation Manual, “the report may indicate that a component is inadequate, inoperative, faulty, damaged or defective.” The FARS Manual also cautions that the presence of a vehicle related factor “only indicates the existence of the condition(s)” and that the condition “may or may not have played a role in the crash.”
The most relevant vehicle related factor in FARS to identify possible accelerator control issues is “power train.” The code for “power train” includes the following components: universal joint, drive shaft, transmission, engine, clutch and gas pedal. In the 2009 data there were seven light passenger vehicles with the presence of a power train related factor involved in seven fatal crashes resulting in ten fatalities.
Because of the inclusion of many different components and situations in the category of powertrain, researchers must request the PAR from the State and review the narrative sections to extract additional information. However, in this case, analysis of these seven PARs indicated that the police reports did not typically contain useful information for understanding whether the accelerator control was a factor in the crash. Our analysis also indicated that many of the reports with this designation involve vehicles that stalled.
National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS)
NMVCCS was a nationwide survey of crashes involving light passenger vehicles, with a focus on the factors related to pre-crash events. A total of 6,949 crashes were investigated between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2007. Of these, 5,470 cases comprise a nationally representative sample. The remaining 1,479 cases are suitable for clinical study. Each investigated crash involved at least one light passenger vehicle that was towed due to damage.
The advantage of NMVCCS over FARS for identifying possible accelerator control issues is twofold. The first is that the data in NMVCCS are based upon the investigation of a researcher trained to focus on pre-crash events rather than exclusively on secondary sources such as the PAR. The second is that NMVCCS contains a more specific vehicle related factor. According to the NMVCCS SAS Analytical Users Manual, the vehicle related factor of “engine” in NMVCCS “documents if the vehicle experienced an engine related problem during the pre-crash phase. Examples of engine related problems include stalling, missing, and throttle problems.” There were 26 cases that included a vehicle with an engine related problem—20 in the nationally representative sample and 6 among the case studies. After reading the crash narratives associated with these cases, most of them involved engines that stalled or overheated. Only three cases involved a problem with the accelerator control: Case numbers 2005074596262, 2007008450848 and 2007079486127. The first case involved a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass that was known to have an accelerator problem before the crash. The driver reported that “the vehicle would not remain running unless [he] held [his] foot on the gas and then [put] the vehicle into gear” and that while doing this right before the crash “the accelerator stuck at full throttle.” The second case involved a 1994 Chevrolet Corvette that the driver reported was not running properly. The driver “tried to feather the gas, upon doing so the gas pedal stuck down.” The driver lost control while braking and steering. The third case involved a 1965 Ford Mustang where the “accelerator became stuck and the vehicle accelerated to approximately 129 km/h (80 mph).” The driver lost control and left the roadway after applying the brakes. Only two of these three cases were part of the nationally representative sample, and there are not enough cases to accurately estimate a sample size for the problem.
National Automotive Sampling Survey—Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS)
NASS-CDS is an annual nationally representative sample of traffic crashes involving at least one passenger vehicle towed due to damage. The advantage of NASS-CDS is that many years of data can be examined, and this analysis focuses on the most recent ten years (2000 through 2009). A limitation, however, is that NASS-CDS does not have a coded variable to search for possible accelerator control factors. Instead, the identification of potentially relevant cases is based upon searching the crash narrative for key words. A caveat associated with this search is that the potential accelerator control issue must be mentioned in the crash narrative and the key words must be able to identify these cases.
A search of the crash narrative for “throttle,” “accelerator” or “gas pedal” resulted in 44 cases from 2000 through 2009. However, in many of these cases the person applied the gas pedal rather than the brake. In a few cases the driver's foot struck the accelerator usually because of a medical condition such as a seizure but sometimes because of the foot becoming trapped or wedged. However, eleven cases during the ten-year period indicated an accelerator control issue. Additional searches were conducted for “racing,” “acceleration” and “runaway” to find cases related to racing engines, sudden or UA and runaway vehicles. However, these searches did not produce any additional relevant cases.
The following table summarizes the results, including a brief recap of the accelerator control issue as described in the narrative:
|Chevrolet||Corvette||1995||The PAR reported the throttle had stuck open for some reason.|
|Oldsmobile||Cutlass||1989||Vehicle throttle stuck open.|
|Oldsmobile||Ciera||1990||The driver of the vehicle has indicated that his accelerator pedal stuck causing the loss of vehicle control.|
|Ford||F-Series Pickup||1997||The driver stated the accelerator stuck.|
|Chevrolet||C/K/R/V-Series Pickup||1988||The driver experienced a problem with the accelerator, attempted to stop at the marked intersection, but was unable to stop.|
|Buick||LeSabre||1989||The driver stated that the accelerator stuck and he could not stop the vehicle.|
|Pontiac||Bonneville||2002||The PAR related the driver was driving in lane one of the three-lane, one-way street when the accelerator stuck and the driver took evasive action and steered the vehicle to the left so he would not run out into traffic. But the interview stated the driver was parked on the right side of the road and when he started up the vehicle it took off.|
|Chevrolet||Cavalier||1990||The vehicle's accelerator stuck depressed.|
|Chevrolet||Blazer||1996||A portable oxygen tank fell onto the accelerator.|
|Ford||Bronco||1985||The accelerator of vehicle got stuck.|
|Infiniti||J30||1993||The driver claimed the accelerator stuck.|
Overall it appears that the claims of accelerator control issues span a variety of vehicle models and model years. Also, in most cases, the only information available about the nature of the problem is a claim that an accelerator or throttle “stuck” while the vehicle was in motion. In some cases the narrative explicitly mentioned that the driver tried to stop but could not. Two of the eleven cases do not fit the general pattern of a stuck accelerator with little additional information. In one case an oxygen tank fell on the accelerator, and the driver was unable to stop the vehicle. In another case, there were conflicting reports of whether the driver could not stop a moving vehicle or whether the vehicle suddenly accelerated from a stopped position.
There are several reasons that NASS-CDS is not particularly useful for providing national estimates of the incidence of accelerator control issues. As mentioned previously, searching for key words in the narrative requires that the information be recorded in the narrative and that the key words are capturing all of the appropriate cases. A second reason is that the information available in the narrative is usually just the claim of a stuck accelerator or throttle with little additional information to understand the nature of the problem. A final reason is that the sample size of eleven cases over ten years is not sufficient for accurately estimating the problem size. Nevertheless, to the extent that we are able to identify in NASS-CDS some cases where an accelerator pedal became stuck, along with out test track assessment of vehicles with the technology, we believe brake-throttle override would be a solution for mitigating the subsequent crashes that occurred.
Because the FARS, NASS, and NMVCSS data are of limited usefulness for estimating harm caused by ACS-related failures, we cannot estimate the safety problem on a national level. However, based on media reports, our analysis of recent ODI complaint data, observations from NASA's review of certain Toyota vehicles, and NHTSA's history with floormat issues and other types of problems that prevent an accelerator pedal from responding normally, we believe this rulemaking is necessary.
B. Owner Complaint Data
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is the office within NHTSA responsible for conducting defect investigations and administering safety recalls in support of NHTSA's mission to improve safety on our nation's roadways. One important means by which ODI discovers vehicle safety-related defects is self-reporting by vehicle owners. By relating the information over a toll-free hotline or by filling out a VOQ on-line, vehicle owners can provide complaint information that is entered into ODI's vehicle owner complaint database. This information is used with other complaints and information to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
Our analysis and discussion of stuck and trapped accelerator pedals in today's notice is exemplified by ODI VOQs because consumers have described crashes or incidents involving a vehicle speeding out of control with a stuck accelerator pedal. These incidents cannot be identified readily from data elements in NHTSA's traditional crash data sources (as discussed in the previous section) or there are too few cases available in those databases. In addition, one of the specific observations made by the NASA in its report to NHTSA on Toyota unintended acceleration stated that some VOQs indicate that drivers may not know or understand the vehicle response when they attempt to control a runaway vehicle, i.e., that the high engine speed resulting from a shift to neutral will not harm the vehicle, or that pumping vacuum-assisted brakes can decrease their effectiveness.
There are important qualifications in the use of VOQs as a data source for conducting rulemaking. Among them are:
- VOQs are self-reported data, meaning that the information they contain is dependent on the description of an incident provided by the driver, another involved party, or someone related.
- There may be no follow up investigation to verify what actually happened or to make an objective analysis of the root cause of a crash. However, in the case of complaints involving UA, ODI did do extensive follow-up work, mostly in connection with defect investigations that were opened, and attempted to confirm, for example, if there was evidence of floor mat interference contributing to a UA incident.
- Important facts about other possible contributing factors in these incidents may be unavailable.
- The crashes and incidents reported are not randomly selected (random selection is a normal prerequisite for statistical analysis.) In the case of UA incidents, selection depended partly on which vehicles were involved in ODI investigations.
- Many relevant incidents may be unreported because the driver or other party chose not to file a complaint or did not know how or where to do so.
- The numbers of complaints relating to any safety problem may either under-represent or over-represent the extent of the problem on a national level.
VOQs can, however, help to identify emerging safety issues and problems that drivers are having, which is appropriate for what we are trying to address with this proposal. NHTSA's analysis and breakdown of UA complaints is available in the February 2011 NHTSA report, “Technical Assessment of Toyota Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) Systems,” Section 2. Using a broad keyword search and manual review of the results, NHTSA identified a total of 9,701 UA incidents of all types involving model year 1998-2010 vehicles reported in VOQs between January 1, 2000, and March 5, 2010. It was possible to identify the UA initiation speed in 5,512 of those incidents, and a crash was indicated in 2,039 of the 5,512. Of those crashes, 16 percent had either medium or high initiation speed (defined as at least 15 mph or 45 mph, respectively).
Although we do not know how many of those complaints are attributable to UA resulting from stuck or trapped accelerator pedals, there are many examples of VOQs which indicate that the accelerator pedal was stuck, or something to that effect, including some that specifically mention floor mat entrapment. A few of these go into greater detail, describing harrowing incidents that exceed a minute in duration, include swerving in and out of traffic, and are accompanied by severe heat damage to the brakes. While these are relatively uncommon compared to overall crash/incident risk, they often pose extra danger because of the longer duration of the events and the freeway environment where they often occur which may include evasive action by surrounding vehicles, therefore exposing more people to crash risk.
In any case, it appears that stuck or trapped accelerator pedals present a serious safety problem and occur frequently enough to warrant regulatory action, even if accurate quantification of the problem is not possible at the present time.
VIII. Cost, Lead Time and Other Issues Back to Top
A. Cost of the Proposed BTO Requirement
We expect the cost of a brake-throttle override requirement for light vehicles to be close to zero for the following reasons. As of model year 2012, all but two light vehicle manufacturers have incorporated brake-throttle override in the ETC-equipped vehicle models that they produce for sale in the U.S. This is based on manufacturer-supplied information that NHTSA receives as part of our annual safety compliance testing program. There are a few specific ETC-equipped models currently without BTO because they are at the end of their product design cycle and which either will be discontinued or will be equipped with BTO in the next design cycle, prior to the effective date of any final rule which results from this proposal.
The proposed BTO regulation would set minimum requirements for existing as well as future light vehicle BTO systems. Based on our experience with them, existing systems will meet the proposed standard without modification. However, if some systems do require changes to meet the proposed standard, we believe the changes would be minimal.
Because of the nearly 100 percent market penetration of the technology, the fact that most if not all systems already would meet the rule, and given that a final rule would not take effect for at least one or two years from the date of today's notice, we expect that manufacturer design, validation, and implementation costs attributable to the proposed brake-throttle override requirement for light vehicles would be close to zero.
Compliance testing costs also are expected to be low since the proposed test procedure is nearly identical to existing brake performance test procedures and could be conducted along with existing brake performance tests.
B. Proposed Lead Time and Phase-In
As discussed in Section V, we believe that current vehicles should be able to comply with the ACS disconnection requirements in this proposal without significant lead time because the updated procedures in this proposal do not change the basic return-to-idle requirement that has applied to motor vehicles for as long as the current standard has been in effect. We are proposing the following lead time for compliance with the disconnection requirements in this proposal as follows:
- Each vehicle shall comply within one year from the next September 1 following the date of publication of the final rule.
We are not proposing a phase-in period for the disconnection requirements because the proposed rule codifies the positions taken by the agency on those requirements that have been promulgated in interpretation letters available for a number of years to industry and the public. Also, our compliance testing of vehicles with ETC has not demonstrated significant compliance issues to date.
We are proposing that lead time for compliance with the new brake-throttle override requirements should be as follows:
- Each vehicle subject to the requirements shall comply within two years from the next September 1 of the date of publication of the final rule.
For example, if a final rule were published on October 1, 2012, the disconnection requirements in the final rule would take effect on September 1, 2013, and the brake-throttle override requirements would take effect on September 1, 2014. We believe that this would give vehicle manufacturers ample time to implement the new requirements at minimal cost.
For the brake-throttle override requirements, we believe a phase-in is unnecessary because a significant portion of new vehicles already are either equipped with a BTO system or will be by the coming model year.
We request comment on the proposed lead time, including specific safety issues or cost and production issues that might influence the effective date of the rule.
C. Vehicles Over 10,000 lb GVWR
In addition to covering light vehicles, FMVSS No. 124 also applies to heavy vehicles, i.e., trucks and buses. Many heavy trucks are diesel-powered. For throttle system disconnection testing on those vehicles, the fuel rate compliance option would be applicable. The creep speed procedure on a dynamometer or test track would be an option also. However, since heavy truck powertrains and chassis often are produced separately by different manufacturers, a given powertrain might have to be certified for several different chassis. Responsibility for certification (assuming it is a multi-stage manufacturing situation) typically would fall to the chassis manufacturer.
For heavy vehicles, a brake-throttle override requirement may or may not be necessary. Trucks and buses already are subject to compliance with FMVSS No. 105, Hydraulic and electric brake systems and FMVSS No. 121, Air brake systems, so performance tests based on braking distance are practicable. In addition, NHTSA's complaint and crash data reports do not indicate a trapped pedal problem in heavy vehicles.
Furthermore, trucks and buses often operate at full throttle during normal driving, and the acceleration rate of trucks and buses is significantly lower than for light vehicles. Additionally, most trucks have manual transmissions for which the clutch functions as an available countermeasure in the case of a stuck throttle in a truck.
Since there is no apparent safety need for brake-throttle override systems to apply to heavy vehicles, we are proposing that the brake-throttle override requirement would apply only to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses with GVWRs of 10,000 pounds or less. However, we seek comment on this issue, specifically any data related to pedal entrapment or similar issues where BTO might be an effective safeguard.
D. Manual Transmission Vehicles
In the proposed brake-throttle override system regulation, we have not made any distinction for vehicles with GVWRs of 10,000 pounds or less equipped with manual transmissions. There are cogent reasons why manual transmission-equipped vehicles might be less susceptible to crashes resulting from trapped pedals. Primarily, these vehicles have a clutch pedal which disengages the engine from the drive-wheels. This provides an expedient countermeasure for a driver in the event of a trapped accelerator pedal. Furthermore, clutch operation is not influenced by a stuck throttle the way that brake operation may be.
Compared to vehicles with automatic transmissions, pedal placement in a manual transmission vehicle may be different and the brake pedal typically is smaller. We do not know if these factors influence trapped pedal incidents, either positively or negatively.
NHTSA invites comments on this issue. If comments include sufficient justification for excluding manual transmission vehicles from the BTO requirements, and we are convinced that there will be no safety-related consequences, we will consider adopting that exclusion. Otherwise, we would not have any basis for excluding vehicles from the brake-throttle override system requirements based on their having a manual transmission.
E. Proposed New Title for FMVSS No. 124
To reflect the addition of a Brake-Throttle Override requirement, we are proposing that the title of FMVSS No. 124 be changed from “Accelerator control systems” to “Accelerator control and brake-throttle override systems.” We invite comment on this proposed change.
IX. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices Back to Top
A. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 and DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures
The agency has considered the impact of this rulemaking action under Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 (January 18, 2011, “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review”) the Department of Transportation's regulatory policies and procedures (44 FR 11034; February 26, 1979). OMB has advised us that this NPRM is not significant. This action was not reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget under these executive orders. It is not considered to be significant under the Department's Regulatory Policies and Procedures. []
This NPRM includes the following proposed changes to FMVSS No. 124: Adds language so the Standard explicitly applies to ETC systems; includes test procedures for hybrids and other vehicles whose propulsion is not governed by throttling of combustion air intake; and adds a new requirement for a brake-throttle override system. We believe that the cost of implementing this proposal, if adopted, would be relatively small. Given the interpretations issued by NHTSA, manufacturers should have been aware for a long time of the applicability of FMVSS No. 124 to ETC-equipped vehicles. Since this proposal does not change the scope of the ACS disconnection requirements and only defines specific test procedures for ETC systems, all vehicles should be able to comply without costly re-design. Also, since this proposal allows new alternative methods of compliance for ACS disconnections, vehicles should not have significant compliance issues.
There would likely be costs associated with certification testing. Those costs might vary somewhat depending on which procedure a manufacturer selects, but they should be similar to the costs of certifying to the current standard. In the case of the powertrain output (i.e., creep speed) test option, we expect the cost would be comparable to that for a single test run conducted for EPA emission or fuel economy purposes in a dynamometer facility or on a test track. These are tests that vehicle manufacturers conduct routinely either in their own facilities or through a commercially available source.
For Brake-Throttle-Override systems, we believe the cost of the rule would be minimal because manufacturers already are incorporating BTO in their light vehicle fleets, and those systems are likely to meet the new safety requirement without modification. This would minimize any costs attributable to a NHTSA rule. There would be compliance testing costs.
B. Regulatory Flexibility Act
Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) of 1996), whenever an agency is required to publish a notice of rulemaking for any proposed or final rule, it must prepare and make available for public comment a regulatory flexibility analysis that describes the effect of the rule on small entities (i.e., small businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions). The Small Business Administration's regulations at 13 CFR Part 121 define a small business, in part, as a business entity “which operates primarily within the United States.” (13 CFR 121.105(a)). No regulatory flexibility analysis is required if the head of an agency certifies that the rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The SBREFA amended the Regulatory Flexibility Act to require Federal agencies to provide a statement of the factual basis for certifying that a rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
NHTSA has considered the effects of this rulemaking action under the Regulatory Flexibility Act. According to 13 CFR 121.201, the Small Business Administration's size standards regulations used to define small business concerns, manufacturers of passenger vehicles would fall under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) No. 336111, Automobile Manufacturing, which has a size standard of 1,000 employees or fewer. Using the size standard of 1,000 employees or fewer, NHTSA estimates that there are fewer than 20 small business manufacturers of passenger vehicles subject to the proposed requirements.
The Head of the Agency hereby certifies that this proposed rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The basis for this certification is that if made final, none of the proposed changes will require the addition of new systems or equipment on existing vehicles that manufacturers are not already putting on vehicles (i.e., brake-override systems), and costs associated with the proposal will be minimal for all manufacturers, including small businesses.
C. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)
NHTSA has examined today's proposal pursuant to Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255; Aug. 10, 1999) and concluded that no additional consultation with States, local governments, or their representatives is mandated beyond the rulemaking process. The agency has concluded that the proposal would not have sufficient federalism implications to warrant consultation with State and local officials or the preparation of a federalism summary impact statement. The proposal would not have “substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between the national government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.”
NHTSA rules can have preemptive effect in two ways. First, the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act contains an express preemption provision:
When a motor vehicle safety standard is in effect under this chapter, a State or a political subdivision of a State may prescribe or continue in effect a standard applicable to the same aspect of performance of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment only if the standard is identical to the standard prescribed under this chapter.
The express preemption provision described above is subject to a savings clause under which “[c]ompliance with a motor vehicle safety standard prescribed under this chapter does not exempt a person from liability at common law.” 49 U.S.C. 30103(e). Pursuant to this provision, State common law tort causes of action against motor vehicle manufacturers that might otherwise be preempted by the express preemption provision are generally preserved. However, the Supreme Court has recognized the possibility, in some instances, of implied preemption of State common law tort causes of action by virtue of NHTSA's rules—even if not expressly preempted.
This second way that NHTSA rules can preempt is dependent upon the existence of an actual conflict between an FMVSS and the higher standard that would effectively be imposed on motor vehicle manufacturers if someone obtained a State common law tort judgment against the manufacturer—notwithstanding the manufacturer's compliance with the NHTSA standard. Because most NHTSA standards established by an FMVSS are minimum standards, a State common law tort cause of action that seeks to impose a higher standard on motor vehicle manufacturers will generally not be preempted. However, if and when such a conflict does exist—for example, when the standard at issue is both a minimum and a maximum standard—the State common law tort cause of action is impliedly preempted. See Geier v. American Honda Motor Co., 529 U.S. 861 (2000).
Pursuant to Executive Order 13132, NHTSA has considered whether this rule could or should preempt State common law causes of action. The agency's ability to announce its conclusion regarding the preemptive effect of one of its rules reduces the likelihood that preemption will be an issue in any subsequent tort litigation.
To this end, the agency has examined the nature (e.g., the language and structure of the regulatory text) and objectives of today's rule. NHTSA does not intend that this rule preempt state tort law that would effectively impose a higher standard on motor vehicle manufacturers than that established by today's rule. Establishment of a higher standard by means of State tort law would not conflict with the proposal announced here. Without any conflict, there could not be any implied preemption of a State common law tort cause of action.
D. National Environmental Policy Act
NHTSA has analyzed this NPRM for the purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act. The agency has determined that implementation of this action would not have any significant impact on the quality of the human environment.
E. Paperwork Reduction Act
Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, a person is not required to respond to a collection of information by a Federal agency unless the collection displays a valid OMB control number. NHTSA has carefully examined this notice of proposed rulemaking and has determined that there are no Paperwork Reduction Act consequences on motor vehicle manufacturers or any other members of the public if this NPRM is made final.
F. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act
Under the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (NTTAA) (Pub. L. 104-113), “all Federal agencies and departments shall use technical standards that are developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies, using such technical standards as a means to carry out policy objectives or activities determined by the agencies and departments.” In today's NPRM, NHTSA proposes to incorporate by reference, in whole or in part, two voluntary consensus standards developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): SAE J2264 (APR 95) “Chassis Dynamometer Simulation of Road Load Using Coastdown Techniques” and in SAE J1263 (JAN2009), “Road Load Measurement and Dynamometer Simulation Using Coastdown Techniques,” the following test conditions: S7.1, “Ambient Temperature”; S7.2 “Fog,” S7.3 “Winds,” and S7.4 “Road Conditions.”
With respect to the review of the promulgation of a new regulation, section 3(b) of Executive Order 12988, “Civil Justice Reform” (61 FR 4729, February 7, 1996) requires that Executive agencies make every reasonable effort to ensure that the regulation: (1) Clearly specifies the preemptive effect; (2) clearly specifies the effect on existing Federal law or regulation; (3) provides a clear legal standard for affected conduct, while promoting simplification and burden reduction; (4) clearly specifies the retroactive effect, if any; (5) adequately defines key terms; and (6) addresses other important issues affecting clarity and general draftsmanship under any guidelines issued by the Attorney General. This document is consistent with that requirement.
Pursuant to this Order, NHTSA notes as follows. The issue of preemption is discussed above in connection with E.O. 13132. NHTSA notes further that there is no requirement that individuals submit a petition for reconsideration or pursue other administrative proceeding before they may file suit in court.
H. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 requires agencies to prepare a written assessment of the costs, benefits and other effects of proposed or final rules that include a Federal mandate likely to result in the expenditure by State, local or tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of more than $100 million annually (adjusted for inflation with base year of 1995). This NPRM, if made final, would not result in expenditures by State, local or tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector in excess of $100 million annually.
Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997) applies to any rule that: (1) Is determined to be “economically significant” as defined under E.O. 12866, and (2) concerns an environmental, health, or safety risk that NHTSA has reason to believe may have a disproportionate effect on children. This rulemaking is not subject to the Executive Order because it is not economically significant as defined in E.O. 12866. However, since this NPRM, if made final, would require an updated ACS on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses, and would require a brake-throttle override system on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less, it should have a beneficial safety effect on children riding in such vehicles.
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 18, 2001) applies to any rulemaking that: (1) Is determined to be economically significant as defined under E.O. 12866, and is likely to have a significantly adverse effect on the supply of, distribution of, or use of energy; or (2) that is designated by the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs as a significant energy action. This rulemaking is not subject to E.O. 13211.
K. Plain Language
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-274) and Executive Order 12866 require each agency to write all rules in plain language. Application of the principles of plain language includes consideration of the following questions:
- Have we organized the material to suit the public's needs?
- Are the requirements in the rule clearly stated?
- Does the rule contain technical language or jargon that is not clear?
- Would a different format (grouping and order of sections, use of headings, paragraphing) make the rule easier to understand?
- Would more (but shorter) sections be better?
- Could we improve clarity by adding tables, lists, or diagrams?
- What else could we do to make the rule easier to understand?
If you have any responses to these questions, please include them in your comments on this proposal.
L. Regulation Identifier Number (RIN)
The Department of Transportation assigns a regulation identifier number (RIN) to each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulations. The Regulatory Information Service Center publishes the Unified Agenda in April and October of each year. You may use the RIN contained in the heading at the beginning of this document to find this action in the Unified Agenda.
M. Privacy Act
Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78).
X. Public Participation Back to Top
How do I prepare and submit comments?
Your comments must be written and in English. To ensure that your comments are correctly filed in the Docket, please include the docket number of this document in your comments.
Your comments must not be more than 15 pages long. (49 CFR 553.21.) We established this limit to encourage you to write your primary comments in a concise fashion. However, you may attach necessary additional documents to your comments. There is no limit on the length of the attachments.
Comments may also be submitted to the docket electronically by logging onto the Docket Management System Web site at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Please note that pursuant to the Data Quality Act, in order for substantive data to be relied upon and used by the agency, it must meet the information quality standards set forth in the OMB and DOT Data Quality Act guidelines. Accordingly, we encourage you to consult the guidelines in preparing your comments. OMB's guidelines may be accessed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg_reproducible.
How can I be sure that my comments were received?
If you wish Docket Management to notify you upon its receipt of your comments, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the envelope containing your comments. Upon receiving your comments, Docket Management will return the postcard by mail.
How do I submit confidential business information?
If you wish to submit any information under a claim of confidentiality, you should submit three copies of your complete submission, including the information you claim to be confidential business information, to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the address given above under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. In addition, you should submit a copy, from which you have deleted the claimed confidential business information, to the docket at the address given above under ADDRESSES. When you send a comment containing information claimed to be confidential business information, you should include a cover letter setting forth the information specified in our confidential business information regulation. (49 CFR Part 512.)
Will the agency consider late comments?
We will consider all comments received before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated above under DATES. To the extent possible, we will also consider comments that the docket receives after that date. If the docket receives a comment too late for us to consider in developing a final rule (assuming that one is issued), we will consider that comment as an informal suggestion for future rulemaking action.
How can I read the comments submitted by other people?
You may read the comments received by the docket at the address given above under ADDRESSES. The hours of the docket are indicated above in the same location. You may also see the comments on the Internet. To read the comments on the Internet, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets.
Please note that even after the comment closing date, we will continue to file relevant information in the docket as it becomes available. Further, some people may submit late comments. Accordingly, we recommend that you periodically check the Docket for new material. You can arrange with the docket to be notified when others file comments in the docket. See http://www.regulations.gov for more information.
Proposed Regulatory Text for FMVSS No. 124 Back to Top
In consideration of the foregoing, NHTSA proposes to amend 49 CFR Part 571 as set forth below.
PART 571—FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS Back to Top
1. The authority citation for Part 571 continues to read as follows:
2. Section 571.5 is amended by adding paragraphs (k)(50) and (k)(51) to read as follows:
§ 571.5 Matter incorporated by reference.
* * * * *
(k) * * *
(50) SAE 1263 (JAN2009) “Road Load Measurement and Dynamometer Simulation Using Coastdown Techniques,” Sections S7.1 “Ambient Temperature,” S7.2 “Fog,” S7.3 “Winds,” and S7.4 “Road Conditions.”
(51) SAE J2264 (APR 1995) “Chassis Dynamometer Simulation of Road Load Using Coastdown Techniques.”
* * * * *
3. Section 571.124 is revised to read as follows:
§ 571.124 Standard No. 124; Accelerator control and brake-throttle override systems.
S1. Scope. This standard establishes requirements for each engine, electric motor, and other motive power source connected to a vehicle's drive wheels to return to idle, within a specified time and a specified tolerance, whenever actuating force on the driver-operated accelerator control is removed and whenever there is a severance or disconnection in the accelerator control system. This standard also establishes requirements for brake-actuated throttle override systems.
S2. Purpose. The purpose of this standard is to reduce deaths and injuries resulting from uncontrolled vehicle propulsion caused by malfunctions or disconnections in accelerator control systems and from conflicting inputs to the brake and accelerator controls in a vehicle.
S3. Application. This standard applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses. Section S6.6 does not apply to vehicles having a GVWR greater than 10,000 lb (4545 kg), or to vehicles without Electronic Throttle Control.
Accelerator control system means all vehicle components, including both mechanical and electrical/electronic components and modules, that operate a vehicle's throttle in response to movement of the driver-operated accelerator control and that, upon removal of actuating force on the driver-operated control, return both the throttle and the driver-operated control to their idle or rest positions. For the purposes of this standard, an electronic control module is considered a single component, and the external wiring and connections of each module to other accelerator control system components and to other vehicle components including power and ground connections are subject to severance or disconnection.
Air intake rate means the rate at which combustion air is supplied to an engine.
Air-throttled engine means an internal combustion engine in which output power is controlled primarily through regulation of the air intake rate.
Ambient temperature means the temperature of air surrounding a test vehicle measured at a sufficient distance to not be significantly affected by heat from the test vehicle.
Coastdown means vehicle deceleration which occurs when there is no input to either the brake or accelerator pedals.
Creep speed means the maximum terminal speed that can be achieved when a vehicle in a lightly loaded condition, starting from a standstill or any speed of which the vehicle is capable, is driven in any gear with no input to its driver-operated accelerator control.
Driver-operated accelerator control means any device on a vehicle, such as an accelerator pedal, that a driver uses to modulate engine or motor power, but not including cruise control, locking hand throttles, or any engine or motor control not intended for regulating vehicle propulsion.
Electric power delivery means a power computation (such as wattage) derived from the current and voltage input to an electric motor that drives a vehicle.
Electronic throttle control means an accelerator control system in which movement of the driver-operated control is translated into throttle actuation, at least in part by electronic, instead of mechanical, means.
Engine or motor means any source of motive power in a vehicle, including internal combustion engines and electric motors, connected to the drive wheels and capable of propelling the vehicle.
Fuel delivery rate means the net rate of fuel use (supply minus return) in an engine.
Fuel metering device means the internal parts of a carburetor, fuel injector, fuel distributor, or fuel injection pump, and the internal elements of electronic modules in the accelerator control system such as circuit boards and discrete electrical components contained inside an engine control module, which adjust engine or motor operating variables such as fuel-air ratio and ignition timing.
Fuel-throttled engine means an internal combustion engine in which output power is controlled primarily through regulation of fuel delivery rate.
Idle or idle state means the normal running condition of a vehicle's engine or motor with no faults or malfunctions affecting engine or motor output when there is no input to the driver-operated accelerator control.
Idle state conditions are conditions which influence idle state during normal operation of a vehicle, including but not limited to engine temperature, air-conditioner load, emission control state, and the use of speed setting devices such as cruise control.
Idle state indicant means a vehicle operating parameter which varies directly with engine or motor output, including: throttle position, fuel delivery rate, air intake rate, electric power delivery, and creep speed.
Throttle means the component of an accelerator control system which, in response to movement of the driver-operated accelerator control, modulates vehicle propulsion by varying throttle position, fuel delivery rate, air intake rate, electric power delivery, or other means by which powertrain output is regulated.
S5. Requirements. Each vehicle shall meet the requirements of S5.1 through S5.3 when tested in accordance with applicable procedures in S6, at any ambient temperature between minus 40 and plus 50 degrees Celsius and after 12 hours of conditioning at any temperature within that range unless otherwise specified, and with its engine or motor running under any load condition and at any speed of which the engine or motor is capable.
S5.1 Normal Operation. The throttle shall return to idle within the time limit specified in S5.3 whenever the driver-operated accelerator control is released from any position when the vehicle is tested in accordance with S6.3.
S5.2 Fail-safe Operation. Each vehicle shall meet S5.2.1 or S5.2.2. A fuel metering device is not subject to disconnection or severance under this test procedure.
S5.2.1In the event of a disconnection or severance at a single point of any one component of the accelerator control system, including disconnection or severance of an electrical component that results in an open circuit or a short circuit to ground, but not a disconnection or severance inside of an electronic module, the throttle shall return to or below idle plus a tolerance of 50 percent, within the time limit specified in S5.3 after release of the driver-operated accelerator control from any position, when tested in accordance with S6.4; or
S5.2.2When tested in accordance with S6.5, each vehicle's maximum creep speed shall be no greater than 50 km/h (31 mph), and the vehicle shall decelerate continuously from any initial speed greater than 50 km/h of which the vehicle is capable until its speed is reduced to 50 km/h or lower, and the time required to coast down to 50 km/h shall not exceed the time required to coast down to 50 km/h from the same speed in neutral gear without faults in the accelerator control system.
S5.3 Response Time. When tested in accordance with S6.3 and S6.4, the maximum time to return to idle as indicated by the throttle position or other selected idle state indicant shall be
(a) Not greater than 1 second for vehicles of 4536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR),
(b) Not greater than 2 seconds for vehicles of more than 4536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) GVWR, and
(c) Not greater than 3 seconds for vehicles, regardless of GVWR, that are exposed to ambient air at minus 18 to minus 40 degrees Celsius during a test or any portion of the 12-hour conditioning period.
S5.4 Brake-Throttle Override.
S5.4.1Each motor vehicle under 10,000 lb GVWR having electronic throttle control shall meet the performance requirement of S6.6 and shall be equipped with a throttle-override system that is engaged by application of the vehicle's service brake and that meets the following requirements:
(a) The system shall consist of hardware and/or software components on the vehicle which have the capability of identifying and reacting to conflicts between accelerator pedal and brake pedal inputs;
(b) At vehicle speeds greater than 16 km/h (10 mph), when a conflict exists between the vehicle's accelerator and brake pedals, the override system must engage and must substantially reduce propulsive force delivered to the driving wheels to a controllable level by means of a change in throttle opening, fuel delivery rate, air intake rate, electric power delivery, or an equivalent means;
(c) Once engaged, the override must remain engaged at any speed as long as brake pedal application is maintained at or above the force level or travel which initially engaged the override, and as long as accelerator pedal input is in conflict with the brake application.
S5.4.2When tested in accordance with the brake-throttle override performance test in S6.6, a vehicle is deemed to comply if at least one of the six stops is made within the prescribed distance. However, in all of the six stops, the brake-throttle override must engage if the system identifies a conflict between the accelerator pedal and brake.
S5.4.3If a means is provided for the vehicle operator to turn off the brake-throttle override system—
(a) There must be an illuminated alert or message that remains in view of the driver as long as the system is turned off and the vehicle ignition is on, and
(b) The system must default to an active state whenever the vehicle ignition is started.
S6. Test Procedures.
S6.1 Irrevocable Selection. The manufacturer shall select one of the following criteria upon which it bases its certification to the requirements in section S5.1 and S5.2 in this standard: throttle position, fuel delivery rate, air intake rate, electric power delivery, or creep speed/coastdown performance. This selection is irrevocable and shall be made prior to or at the time of certification of the vehicle pursuant to 49 CFR Part 567, “Certification.”
S6.2 General. For the test procedures in sections S6.3 and S6.4, the “baseline” value is the value of the selected idle state indicant measured for an engine or motor operating at idle without accelerator control system faults under the conditions that exist at the beginning of a test and which are held constant during the test.
(a) For idle state conditions that provide a means of driver control, for example air-conditioner setting, the selected setting for testing may be any point within the control range, including “off.”
(b) The engine or motor is operated for not less than 5 minutes to stabilize the idle state prior to testing.
(c) Vehicles are conditioned and tested at any ambient temperature between minus 40 and plus 50 degrees Celsius, except as specified for creep speed and coastdown test procedures in S6.5.
(d) The time to return to idle in S6.4 is measured first from the instant that a severance or disconnection occurs and then, if necessary, from the instant of release of the driver-operated accelerator control.
S6.3 Test Procedure for Evaluating Return-to-Idle in Normal Operation
S6.3.1Condition the test vehicle to a selected ambient temperature for up to 12 hours.
S6.3.2Start the vehicle, set controls such as for the air-conditioner, and operate the engine for not less than 5 minutes.
S6.3.3Measure the baseline value of one of the following idle state indicants identified by the vehicle manufacturer for the test vehicle: throttle position, fuel delivery rate, air intake rate, or electric power delivery.
S6.3.4Set engine speed and powertrain loading condition by shifting the transmission to neutral or any gear and moving the driver-operated accelerator control to any position, with or without resistance applied to the vehicle's drive wheels.
S6.3.5After at least 3 seconds, release the driver-operated accelerator control.
S6.3.6Verify that the measured idle state indicant returns to or below its baseline value determined in S6.3.3 following release of the driver-operated accelerator control within the response time specified in S5.3.
6.4 Test Procedure for Evaluating Return-to-Idle Following a Disconnection or Severance
6.4.1Condition the test vehicle to a selected ambient temperature for up to 12 hours.
S6.4.2Start the vehicle, set controls such as for air-conditioning, and operate the engine for not less than 5 minutes.
S6.4.3Measure the baseline idle value of one of the following idle state indicants identified by the vehicle manufacturer for the test vehicle: throttle position, fuel delivery rate, air intake rate, or electric power delivery.
S6.4.4Set engine speed and powertrain loading condition by shifting the transmission to neutral or any gear and moving the driver-operated accelerator control to any position, with or without resistance applied to the vehicle's drive wheels.
S6.4.5While continuing to measure the idle state indicant, disconnect one component of the accelerator control system by removing one connector or severing a wiring harness or individual wire, leaving the disconnected or severed component in either an open circuit condition or shorted to ground.
S6.4.6If there is no change in the idle state indicant after at least 3 seconds, release the driver-operated accelerator control.
S6.4.7Verify that, following either S6.4.5 or S6.4.6, the idle state indicant returns to and remains at or below a value that is no more than 50 percent greater than its baseline value as measured in S6.4.3, within the response time specified in S5.3.
S6.5 Alternative Procedure for Evaluating Return-to-Idle Following a Disconnection or Severance, Using Creep Speed and Coastdown
S6.5.1This test procedure measures creep speed and coastdown time on a chassis (wheel-driven) dynamometer configured to simulate the correct road load as a function of speed for the test vehicle as determined in accordance with SAE J2264 (APR 95), “Chassis Dynamometer Simulation of Road Load Using Coastdown Techniques.” (Incorporated by reference, see § 571.5.) This test procedure also may be performed on a straight road course consisting of dry, smooth, unbroken asphalt or concrete pavement with a continuous grade of not more than 0.5 percent in any direction.
S6.5.2The test vehicle is lightly loaded (driver-only with no cargo and fuel tank level between one-quarter and full.) Tires are set at cold inflation pressures provided on the vehicle placard and/or the tire inflation label, and all vehicle windows are fully closed. For track tests, ambient conditions are as specified in SAE J1263 (JAN 2009), “Road Load Measurement and Dynamometer Simulation Using Countdown Techniques” in section 7, “Test Conditions” at S7.1 “Ambient Temperatures”, S7.2 “Fog,” S7.3 “Winds,” and S7.4 “Road Conditions” (incorporated by reference, see § 571.5).
S6.5.3Time intervals measured in S6.5.5 and S6.5.6 begin at the instant that a disconnection or severance is induced in the accelerator control system, or from the instant that the accelerator pedal is released or the transmission is shifted to neutral, as applicable, depending on which of those actions initiates a vehicle response. Test vehicle speed versus time are recorded continuously during test runs.
S6.5.4Start up the test vehicle, set accessory controls such as for air-conditioning, and operate the vehicle for not less than 5 minutes.
S6.5.5Creep Speed Measurement Procedure
(a) With the vehicle's drive wheels on the dynamometer roller(s) or with the vehicle positioned on the road test course, place the transmission selector in the “drive” position. For manual transmissions, select the highest gear (lowest numerical gear ratio) which allows the vehicle to coast without stalling if the clutch is gradually released when there is no input to the accelerator pedal.
(b) With the vehicle operating at idle or at any target speed up to 50 km/h (31 mph), simultaneously release the accelerator pedal (if applied) and disconnect one component of the accelerator control system by removing one connector or severing a wiring harness or individual wire, leaving the disconnected or severed component in either an open circuit condition or shorted to ground.
(c) Note the speed of the test vehicle at 90 seconds after the disconnection and verify that it does not exceed 50 km/h.
S6.5.6Coastdown Time Measurement Procedure
(a) With the vehicle's drive wheels on the dynamometer roller(s) or with the vehicle positioned on the road test course, place the transmission selector in the “drive” position and drive the vehicle up to any selected target speed greater than 50 km/h. For manual transmissions, select any gear appropriate for the selected target speed.
(b) At the target speed, release the accelerator pedal and simultaneously shift the vehicle into neutral. Allow the vehicle to coast without any brake input.
(c) Verify that the vehicle decelerates to or below 50 km/h and record the elapsed time needed for the vehicle to reach 50 km/h.
(d) Repeat the step in S6.5.6(a) and, at the same target speed, simultaneously release the accelerator pedal and disconnect one component of the accelerator control system by removing one connector or severing a wiring harness or individual wire, leaving the disconnected or severed component in either an open circuit condition or shorted to ground.
(e) Record the elapsed time needed for the vehicle to decelerate to 50 km/h, and verify that it does not exceed the elapsed time in the step in S6.5.6(c).
S6.6 Performance Test for Brake-Throttle Override Systems.
Measure vehicle stopping distance with the test vehicle's accelerator pedal applied as specified in the following procedure:
S6.6.1Select a target speed which is greater than or equal to 30 km/h and less than or equal to 160 km/h and which, if greater than 100 km/h, does not exceed 80 percent of the test vehicle's maximum speed. “Maximum speed” is used as defined in section S4 of 49 CFR 571.135, “Light Vehicle Brake Systems,” (FMVSS No. 135).
S6.6.2Conduct stopping distance measurements in accordance with the general procedures and test conditions specified in S6 of FMVSS No. 135, and as follows:
(a) Accelerate the test vehicle and, while still in gear, hold the accelerator pedal in any fixed position between 25 and 100 percent of the full range of pedal travel.
(b) At the target speed, without releasing the accelerator pedal from the position as selected in S6.6.2(a), apply the service brake and bring the vehicle to a stop using a brake pedal force of not less than 65N (14.6 lbs) and not more than 500N (112.4 lbs).;
(c) Repeat six times for a total of six test runs at each target speed.
S6.6.3Verify that the stopping distance `S' (in meters) for each vehicle speed `V' (in km/h) is no more than 5 percent greater than the stopping distance specified in either S7.5.3(b) or S7.6.3 of FMVSS No. 135 by meeting one of the following requirements:
(a) For test speeds up to and including 100 km/h: S ≤ 1.05(0.10V + 0.0060V ).
(b) For test speeds greater than 100 km/h: S ≤ 1.05(0.10V + 0.0067V ).
Issued on: March 28, 2012.
Christopher J. Bonanti,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2012-9065 Filed 4-12-12; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
Footnotes Back to Top
1. Accelerator pedal entrapment is a particular category of “unintended acceleration.” The latter is the general term we use to refer broadly to any vehicle acceleration that a driver did not purposely cause to occur.Back to Context
3. In NHTSA's February 2011 final report “Technical Assessment of Toyota Electronic Throttle Control Systems,” the agency defined “Unintended Acceleration” or “UA” very broadly as “the occurrence of any degree of acceleration that the vehicle driver did not purposely cause to occur.” Today's proposal deals mainly with a sub-category of UA which is characterized by accelerator pedals that fail to return because they are stuck or trapped.Back to Context
4. See Observation O-2 in section 7.2, page 173, of the NASA report at: http://www.nhtsa.gov/PR/DOT-16-11.Back to Context
5. Memorandum from B. Collins (Investigator and Interviewer, Vehicle Research and Test Center) to K. DeMeter (Director, Office of Defects Investigation), September 30, 2009, available in the docket cited in the heading at the beginning of this notice.Back to Context
6. The degree of this diminishment depends mainly on throttle position and engine speed.Back to Context
7. Loss of brake boost is highly dependent on the type of vehicle propulsion and the design of its braking system.Back to Context
8. We note that a BTO system fundamentally relies on brake pedal application. If the brake is not applied, even if all other necessary conditions are met, the BTO system will not engage and the vehicle accelerating force will not be suppressed. For this reason, pure pedal misapplication (meaning that a driver unintentionally steps on the accelerator pedal and does not apply the brake at all) is not addressed by installation of a BTO system.Back to Context
9. This may occur due to a malfunction in the moving parts of an accelerator pedal assembly causing the pedal to lose its ability to quickly spring back to its rest position. The assembly, after it has been in service, may develop excessive internal friction for a variety of possible reasons such as: internal springs or sensing elements can break; seating surfaces and housings can deform or fracture and fragments may lodge in moving parts; or foreign liquids can penetrate and coagulate inside the assembly. Manufacturing variation can play a role, as well as environmental factors like heat, cold, and moisture, which can lead to warping and corrosion. NHTSA has experience with pedal defects of this kind which have led to recalls, most notably the Jan. 2010 recall of accelerator pedal assemblies in Toyota vehicles [NHTSA Recall no. 10V-017].Back to Context
10. For a fuller discussion of these letters of interpretation, please see NPRM of July 23, 2002 (67 FR 48117).Back to Context
11. The NASA report is available at: http://www.nhtsa.gov/PR/DOT-16-11. After ten months of studying Toyota's ETC system, NASA was not able to identify an electronic cause of large, unintended throttle openings.Back to Context
12. Road force data is available for U.S. vehicles through the Environmental Protection Agency's annual vehicle database which is available on the EPA Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/crttst.htm. The EPA measurements are derived using a coastdown technique defined in SAE J2264 “Chassis Dynamometer Simulation of Road Load Using Coast Down Techniques” (APRIL 1995).Back to Context
13. See docket NHTSA-2002-12845-0014, record of discussion and demonstration held on December 10, 2002, with Toyota.Back to Context
14. AIAM did not suggest a specific definition.Back to Context
15. This approach of combining an equipment requirement with a performance test is similar to the approach NHTSA used in establishing FMVSS No. 126, “Electronic Stability Control Systems.” In that rulemaking, NHTSA stated, “An equipment requirement is necessary because it would be almost impossible to devise a single performance test that could not be met through some action by the manufacturer other than providing an ESC system.” [72FR17238]. In the case of brake-throttle override, whereas the proposed performance test is based on stopping distance requirements in FMVSS No. 135 which many vehicles can meet with a significant margin, it is likely that some vehicles, for instance those with high brake-torque-to-drive-torque ratios, could meet the proposed BTO performance test without actually having a BTO system.Back to Context
16. See test summary “Results of NHTSA Stopping Distance Tests of Production Brake-Throttle Override Systems” at the beginning of the notice.Back to Context
17. `G' or `g' is a unit that refers to the average acceleration produced by gravity at the Earth's surface.Back to Context
19. The VOQ form and other information about filing a complaint can be found at the following NHTSA-administered Web site: www.safercar.govBack to Context
20. See Observation O-1 in section 7.2, page 172, of the NASA report at: http://www.nhtsa.gov/PR/DOT-16-11.Back to Context
21. The report is available on the internet at: http://nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nvs/pdf/NHTSA-UA_report.pdf.Back to Context
. Department of Transportation, Adoption of Regulatory Policies and Procedures, 44 FR 11034 (Feb. 26, 1979).Back to Context
22. The issue of potential preemption of state tort law is addressed in the immediately following paragraph discussing implied preemption.Back to Context
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Burn out … De Bortoli winemaker Steve Webber lost almost an entire harvest because of smoke taint in 2007. Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones
Scientists have identified more than 20 chemicals that make smoke-tainted wine taste like leather, disinfectant and other unpalatable flavours in a new research project that aims to limit the damage to the wine industry caused by smoke.
Researchers hope that the findings, part of a $4 million smoke taint study, will lead to better timing of controlled burns and the creation of an online interactive tool that will help wine growers assess the likelihood of their grapes having been damaged by smoke.
The research, undertaken at the Victorian Department of Primary Industries research centre near Mildura, vastly increases the number of chemicals in smoke that are known to taint wine.
The industry has long known that wine grapes do not need to be exposed to smoke for long to be damaged.
Senior research scientist Davinder Singh said the problem of smoke taint emerged in the wake of the devastating bushfires of 2003 which caused some vineyards in north-eastern Victoria to be affected by smoke for about three months.
''When they made the wine out of it, it had a very unpleasant aroma and taste - like bacon and barbecue, disinfectant, leather, an ash kind of aroma and taste. And in taste it had a very metallic and strong flavour at the back of the tongue. And because of these unpleasant flavours and aroma people didn't like it,'' he said.
Smoke seems to affect different varieties differently, Dr Singh said. The differences could be due to the type of grape, but also to the manner in which the wine is made, he said.
Dr Singh nominated Sangiovese as a variety that seemed to ''accumulate as much smoke chemicals as possible'' in its skin and more than other reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
De Bortoli winemaker Steve Webber said the business lost almost the entire harvest at one of its properties because of smoke taint in 2007.
Two years later, smoke from the Black Saturday bushfires had a substantial impact on De Bortoli's Dixons Creek vineyard in the Yarra Valley. Mr Webber said it was important to know if the chemicals in smoke from bushfires had the same impact on grapes as the chemicals in smoke from prescribed burns.
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PINELLAS PARK, FL – On Friday, April 24, 2015, Gulf Coast Armenians centered in Tampa/St. Petersburg will join Armenians around the world in solemnly commemorating the Armenian Genocide.
Beginning in 1915, the Ottoman Turkish government launched a premeditated campaign of genocide against their Armenian citizens. Approximately 1.5 million Armenians—75% of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire—were killed. This was the first modern example of genocide in the 20th century. Indeed, the very word genocide (denoting the destruction of an entire people) was originally coined in 1944 to describe the policy of systematic extermination used by the Young Turks regime against the Armenian people, and that the Nazis subsequently waged on European Jews.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of this dark chapter in world history and a series of specially orchestrated events are taking place around the world. On the Gulf Coast of Florida Armenian Americans have planed a diverse program of religious, academic, and physical activities to commemorate the lives of those lost a century ago. Below is the listing of events in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area on and around April 24th:
“Stop Genocide” 5K Commemorative Walk/Run
Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 8:30AM
Ft. Desoto Park
3500 Pinellas Bayway South, St. Petersburg, FL 33715
All walkers and runners are invited to participate in Tampa’s first-ever 5K dedicated to the Armenian Genocide and towards raising awareness about all genocides. Interested participants can register on Active.com. Guests can also connect with other runners on the Stop Genocide 5K Facebook event page.
Orphans of the Genocide Screening & Director Q&A
Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 7:00PM
The Florida Holocaust Museum
55 5th Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Hear from South Florida film director Bared Maronian as he presents his documentary on the orphanages that housed the many orphans who lost parents and were separated from siblings during the Armenian Genocide.
Orphans of the Genocide & The Armenian Genocide Airing on WEDU+
Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 8:00PM, and 9:30PM on WEDU+
Orphans of the Genocide is a documentary by South Florida film director Bared Maronian showing the orphanages that housed thousands of orphans who lost their parents and were separated from siblings during the Armenian Genocide. Film starts at 8:00 PM (90 minutes).
The Armenian Genocide is the complete story of the first Genocide of the 20th century. It features interviews with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power, and best-selling author Peter Balakian, and contains historical footage of the events.
Narrated by Julianna Margulies, it also includes narrations by Ed Harris, Natalie Portman and Laura Linney, among others. Film starts at 9:30PM (60 minutes).
“Rising from the Ashes of Tragedy” Lecture and Student Panel Discussion
Thursday, April 23, 2015 at 2:00PM
University of South Florida (USF)
Tampa, Main Library
4th Floor Grace Allen Room
The USF Libraries Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center host Armenian scholar Dr. Garabet Moumdjian for a presentation entitled “Rising from the Ashes of Tragedy – Armenia’s Triumph Over Its Genocide.” A panel discussion by USF students will follow the presentation.
FEATURED EVENT: An Evening of Remembrance
Friday, April 24, 2015 at 7:00PM
St. Hagop Armenian Church
7020 90th Avenue, Pinellas Park, FL 33782
Armenian heritage comes to life in gifted performances of song and prayer to remember those lost in the Armenian Genocide and to celebrate their ongoing legacy.
“Rising from the Ashes of Tragedy” Lecture and Q&A
Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 7:00PM
St. Hagop Armenian Church
7020 90th Avenue, Pinellas Park, FL 33782
Armenian scholar Dr. Garabet Moumdjian presents “Rising from the Ashes of Tragedy – Armenia’s Triumph Over Its Genocide,” followed by Q&A.
For a full listing of Armenian Genocide 100th anniversary commemorative events in Florida, please visit our Florida Armenians 2015 Page.
Symposium Will Take Place in Boca Raton on Saturday, March 14, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) is pleased to announce the speakers for the Armenian Genocide Symposium that will take place during the Assembly’s Annual Members Meeting weekend in Boca Raton, Florida, March 13-14, 2015. Entitled, “A Century of Genocide: The 1915 Armenian Genocide & Its Lasting Impact,” the symposium will feature Dr. Rouben Adalian, Dr. Rosanna Gatens, and Hannibal Travis.
Dr. Adalian will present on the topic “The Armenian Genocide as a Prototype of 20th Century Mass Killings.” Dr. Gatens will discuss “The Impact of the Armenian Genocide on Holocaust Education,” and Hannibal Travis will present “The Armenian Genocide as a Political Act and International Crime.” Assembly Trustee Marta Batmasian will moderate the discussion.
The Symposium will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
Dr. Rouben P. Adalian is the Director of the Armenian National Institute (ANI) in Washington, DC. He is the editor of The Armenian Genocide in the U.S. Archives 1915-1918 and its accompanying Guide and associate editor of the Encyclopedia of Genocide. Adalian is also the author of From Humanism to Rationalism: Armenian Scholarship in the Nineteenth Century and Historical Dictionary of Armenia and has contributed to Genocide in Our Time; Studies in Comparative Genocide; America and the Armenian Genocide; and Centuries of Genocide: Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts. He is a specialist on the Caucasus and the Middle East, and has taught at a number of universities, including George Washington University, Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. He received a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Rosanna M. Gatens is the Director of the Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE) at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Gatens is a specialist in the social and intellectual history of Germany, especially during the era of the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. Dr. Gatens has written about the collapse of academic freedom in German universities during the 1920s, the anti-fascist and anti-militarist campaigns of the German League for Human Rights during the interwar years, and racism as a component of National Socialism. Her research and writing in the area of Holocaust education focuses on the effectiveness of particular teaching and learning strategies for high school and college students. Dr. Gatens is a member of the Florida Task Force on Holocaust Education and a member of the Save Darfur Coalition of South Palm Beach.
Hannibal Travis is a Professor of Law at Florida International University (FIU) College of Law in Miami, Florida. He has published widely on Ottoman Turkey’s Christian genocide, freedom of expression, religious freedom in the contemporary Middle East, and human rights in Africa. Travis wrote the first comprehensive legal history of genocide in the Middle East and North Africa, entitled Genocide in the Middle East: The Ottoman Empire, Iraq, and Sudan. His second book, entitled Genocide, Ethnonationalism, and the United Nations: Exploring the Causes of Mass Killing Since 1945, undertakes the first in-depth exploration of the causes of genocide and politicide using the U.N. archives.
The Assembly’s Armenian Genocide Symposium will be held at the Marriott Hotel at Boca Town Center, 5150 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, FL 33486 on Saturday, March 14, 2015 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Guests that are traveling from out of town should call (561) 392-4600 to reserve a room at the Armenian Assembly’s reduced rate of $169.00 per night.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
Florida Atlantic University Conducts First Public Teacher Workshop on the Armenian Genocide in South Florida
Workshop is Part of a Series of Events in South Florida Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
By Taniel Koushakjian
FLArmenians Managing Editor
As part of the South Florida commemorations of the Armenian Genocide, the first genocide of the 20th century, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) will conduct a two-part series of events. On January 20th, Dr. Rosanna Gatens, Director of the Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE) at FAU and Reverend Fr. Paren Galstyan, Pastor of St. David Armenian Church in Boca Raton, Florida, held a workshop at the Alex and Marie Manoogian School. The workshop featured lectures, exhibits, and thought-provoking information and dialogue on the Armenian Genocide. Facilitated by Dr. Mary Johnson, Facing History and Ourselves, the workshop explored the role of World War I in the execution of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
Fifteen teachers from Broward and Palm Beach County participated in the FAU workshop. “St. David’s Armenian school was the perfect setting for teachers, not only to learn about the Armenian genocide and how to teach it, but also to begin to understand Armenian identity,” stated Dr. Gatens. “All of us were fascinated by the richness of Armenian culture, but even more by the ancientness of Armenian Christianity,” Dr. Gatens said.
During the workshop instructors examined the exhibit “Witness to the Armenian Genocide: Photographs by the Perpetrators’ German and Austro-Hungarian Allies,” produced by the Armenian National Institute (ANI), the Armenian Genocide Museum of America (AGMA), and the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). The ten-poster set includes an introductory page, a detailed timeline, a color-coded map geographically matching the photographs with their location, and seven pages displaying 34 captioned historic photographs. The color-coded map in the exhibit is based on the previously-published ANI map of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkish Empire illustrating the three prevailing aspects of the Genocide: the deportations, the massacres, and the concentration camps.
FAU’s second lecture commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will take place on Sunday, April 19, 2015, as part of the Martin and Edith Stein Community Lecture Series. Dr. Tamar Akçam will discuss his book, “The Young Turks’ Crime Against Humanity: The Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire.” Dr. Akçam is the Robert Aram, Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Florida Atlantic University Events Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:
January 20, 2015
Teacher Workshop: The Role of World War I in the Execution of the Armenian Genocide, facilitated by Dr. Mary Johnson, Facing History and Ourselves, FAU, Boca Raton Campus, 8.30-a.m.3.30 p.m. at St. David’s Armenian Church, Boca Raton. Substitute reimbursements available. April 2015 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This program is part of local commemoration of the first genocide of the Twentieth Century.
April 19, 2015
Martin and Edith Stein Community Lecture Series: Dr. Tamar Akçam will discuss his book, “The Young Turks’ Crime Against Humanity: The Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire,” Dr. Akçam is Robert Aram, Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University. This program is part of south Florida’s commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. FAU, Boca Campus, 7-9 p.m., location TBA.
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Taking Stock of 2014: How Now, Dow Jones?
So says Jerry Gross, a chartered financial consultant based in Feasterville. Instead of full disclosure, Gross favors the Rule of 10, also referred to as the 10 Percent Rule.
“If you’re making $50,000 a year, tell anyone who wants to know that you make $45,000,” Gross suggests. “Convince yourself that you’re making $45,000. Whatever your income, take 10 percent of it, and invest in your future.”
Many in the financial field agree with Gross that the Rule of 10 is, well, an honest approach to financial planning. For them, as well as those who subscribe to different financial planning strategies, the dilemma is how best to invest available resources.
After a period so difficult that it has come to be known as the Great Recession, the U.S. stock market had an extraordinary — and largely unexpected — 2013, posting its best numbers of the millennium. The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 both experienced gains of more than 25 percent. With the arrival of 2014, the most pressing questions include:
• Will the market continue to soar?
• Have the economic problems that caused the Great Recession been solved?
• Will this be the year that consumer confidence in the economy, which has remained lukewarm even as stock prices soared, finally returns?
“Since last year’s stock market results were well above trend, and follow several other good years since the market lows seen in early 2009, it is reasonable to have reduced expectations after this kind of period,” says Neil Kauffman, a fee-only adviser at Kauffman & Drebing in Center City. “We’re pleased when returns are so robust, but cannot count on them. Since we view the capital markets long-term, however, caution does not suggest across-the-board reductions in stock market exposures. A wide array of stocks from small-, medium- and large-size universes is still called for, and we think that there is a good place for carefully vetted no-load mutual funds.”
John Solis-Cohen, managing director, investments, for Wells Fargo Advisors in Jenkintown, put it this way: “Last year’s stock market performance was outstanding due to a backdrop of positive economic data, generally favorable earnings comparisons, low interest rates and some political reconciliations in Washington. As we enter 2014, I do not believe that this trend will continue. I believe that concerns that the stock market is nearly fully valued, along with the specter of rising interest rates, will act as a damper on the market’s performance this year.
“I do believe the markets will move higher as I expect the economy to continue to expand, and I believe there will only be a modest rise in long-term rates this year,” he continues. “This investment environment can promote a positive return for stocks, but more likely in the single-digit range.”
Bruce Rader, an associate professor of finance at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, opines that 2014 is no time to abandon the stock market, even if overall gains fail to approach the near-30 percent levels of ’13.
“I anticipate a rise of perhaps 10 or 11 percent,” he says, “but I expect volatility to be an issue.”
Rader’s concerns about volatility in the market are hardly unique. Discussions with financial professionals from across the economic spectrum yielded similar warnings.
“I’m telling clients to expect volatility in 2014,” says Gary Klazmer, principal at Klazmer Financial Group in Jenkintown. “That said, I’m optimistic that despite the anticipated volatility, the market will have high single-digit returns in the coming year.”
It’s been said that it is impossible to use a yardstick to forecast the stock market. There will be downward surges during the best of times and northern spikes during down periods.
Even with that knowledge, the volatility some investors expect, even in the face of predicted gains, is troubling enough to some investors that they’d prefer alternatives to stocks.
Particularly for older and more conservative investors, tax-free municipal bonds “offer a great alternative to equities,” says Craig Langweiler, president of Langweiler Financial Group LLC, with offices in Center City. “Tax-free bonds currently provide tax-free returns up to approximately 5 percent and limit the downside that accompanies equity investing in the stock market.
“My only concern is rising interest rates,” he continues. “If we go into a period of rising interest rates or improved economy, these bonds, although guaranteed to mature at par, could temporarily lose short-term market value.”
Some financial professionals direct their clients to Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), which is a Treasury security indexed to inflation in order to protect investors from the negative impact of inflation. TIPS are generally regarded as low-risk investments.
Still others favor fixed-index annuities, which enable the owner to enjoy stock market performance without incurring any loss of principal due to stock market downturns; or variable annuities, which are essentially insurance contracts through which, at the end of the accumulation stage, the insurance company guarantees a minimum payment.
The experts are not steering their clients toward the bond market, since rises in interest rates result in declining share values of bonds.
“In an environment where interest rates are increasing, the bond market is not the best place to be, so we’re underweighting bonds and overweighting equities,” meaning stocks, says Klazmer, whose traditional allocations are 60 percent equities and 40 percent bonds. “Our current allocations are 65 percent equities and 35 percent bonds.”
Yet numerous financial experts, among them Langweiler and Solis-Cohen, are recommending municipal bonds — also known as munis — particularly to investors in higher tax brackets. Munis are fixed-income investments that, depending on an investor’s tax bracket, may be able to provide higher after-tax returns than similar taxable corporate or government issues.
For those whose investment strategies include the stock market, Langweiler is especially bullish on technology and pharmaceuticals.
“The Internet should continue to be a main focus for most companies and risk-tolerant investors, and for this reason, I expect this sector to outperform the market,” he says. “Blue chip stocks in the predictable sectors, like pharmaceuticals and technology, continue to offer above-average total returns — Microsoft, Merck and Verizon, to mention a few.
“In addition to growth in the stock prices, these companies provide investors with 3 percent dividend returns in addition to any rise in stock price. Microsoft, in particular, has finally started to think outside the box and may surprise investors with double-digit returns in the future. Microsoft started to provide investors with estimated guidance and increased dividends. The 3 percent dividend offers a nice return, limits downside risk, and offers some protection to any downside in the market.”
When Solis-Cohen looks at economic conditions and Europe, he is struck by the similarities to the U.S. economy in early 2009.
“The valuations of European stocks today are in many cases cheaper than our market valuations,” he says, “and if one is willing to assume the risk of investing in that fragile economy, the reward may be worth the risk. I favor European companies that have a history of growing their dividends annually.”
The financial experts are in agreement that investors are best served by a soundly constructed, diverse portfolio designed with the specific needs of the client and his or her family in mind. Furthermore, the portfolio should be reviewed on a regular basis and modified as needed.
Experts also agree that complete economic recovery cannot become a reality if consumers remain skeptical.
“It’s actually a pretty simple concept,” says Rader, who intended to remain at Temple for one year and is now in his 18th year on the faculty. “It’s all about the current and future outlook. If people feel good about their own situations, they’ll spend more. If you feel things have been going well at work, you’re getting raises and your employer is hiring people instead of reducing the size of the workforce, then you tend to spend money you might otherwise be saving for a rainy day.
“It certainly would help if people felt Congress was more about the American people and less about special interests or themselves. It also would help if we could avoid the quick differential when it comes to rising prices. For example, look at oil prices. When they soar, people react strongly. When prices rise, but the rise is gradual, people are willing to adapt. It’s the same with virtually every product.
“Still, the most important factor is employment. The more people are working, the lower the budget deficit, and the happier everyone is.”
Matt Schuman is an area writer. This article originally appeareed in the special section, "Financial Health."
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Time is running out for thousands of people to avoid missing out on a top-up to their pension income following changes to the rules introduced in May. Those affected have until 13 August to apply for pension credit. Otherwise they will lose the money for good.
The issue affects pensioner couples where one partner is eligible to claim pension credit – paid to poorer pensioners to ensure they have a guaranteed minimum income – but the other has not yet turned 65. Since May 15, couples have only been allowed to make their first claim for pension credit once both partners are aged over 65. However, those who were entitled to claim credit before the rules changed but hadn’t done so were given three months’ grace to make their application, even if they aren’t eligible under the new system. The deadline for doing so is 13 August.
If you were already claiming pension credit before 14 May, you don’t need to worry, even if your partner is not yet 65. These pensioners will continue to receive the benefit. But those who were eligible to claim but had not done so will lose the right to the money once the deadline passes – they’ll then have to wait for their partners to reach the age of 65.
If you’re in doubt about your eligibility, check before it’s too late. Government figures suggest around one million people entitled to the credit aren’t claiming it. Call the government’s Pension Credit claim line 0800 99 1234 for advice.
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Tell Me Your Real Name: Korea’s Real-Name Verification Policy
Posted by parkdo
In April 2011, Freedom House, international human rights NGO, published the report about freedom on internet and digital media. In the report, they describe South Korea as “partly free country”. They states that South Korea’s internet infrastructure is one of the most advanced in the world, and its democratic institutions, however Real-Name verification policy and a recent series of arrests of bloggers have presented challenges to internet freedom. UN special rapporteur, Frank La Rue, also concerns regarding Real-Name verification that “clearly qualifies as pre-censorship, restricts freedom of internet-based expression rooted in anonymity, inhibits public opinion formation, and contravenes freedom of expression.”
Real-Name verification policy refers process of website registration that asks users to verify their real-world identity before making user content on the web – especially comments and posting. Users won’t be required to use their real names as their IDs, but still they have to verify their particular online ID is mapped onto their real name and Resident Registration Number (RRN) of 13-digit number. Surely, this policy has been criticized regarding freedom of speech on the Internet and infringement of intellectual freedom.
At first, Real-Name verification policy adapted to the amendment of Public Official Election Act in 2004. The policy targeted preventing widespread cyberbullying in postings and comments of election-related online discussion forum. However, New conservative government, President Lee Myoung-bak administration suffered from candlelight protest and massive Anti-Government opinions from online. The government decided their way to extend the range of real-name registration policy to apply any website with more than 100,000 visitors per day in 2009. Hundred and fifty three of local and global operated websites were concerned including Google’s YouTube.
However, Google officially had decided to refuse it. Rachel Whetstone, vice president of Google said, “Google thinks the freedom of expression is most important value to uphold on the internet.” He continued to say “We concluded in the end that it is impossible to provide benefits to internet users while observing this country’s law because the law does not fall in line with Google’s principles.” As a matter of fact, Google had no choice but to find a way to refuse compliance with the Real-Name Verification in order to maintain their corporate universal access to information for all users, and services it provides worldwide.
Social Network also makes Real-Name Verification policy useless. Many websites started adopting social API function also called ‘Social comments’. Social comments allow leave users comments with login status of social network like Twitter or Facebook without website’s own login function. As expansion of Social Network, 45.1% of website adopted the social comment which means Social comments became a sort of bypass of Real-name verification. In Mar 2011, the government officially announced that social comments are not a subject matter of Real-Name Verification policy anymore. Finally, Korean government realized that enforcement of local act to global based company is almost impossible.
This case shows interesting dynamics and complexity between local and global internet environment setting. Korean government had been made a ceaseless effort to extend the as local policy, even though various criticisms over the policy had been raised. However Google and Social Network API, global function makes local policy powerless. In addition, it also reminds us needs of researches for how local and global setting is interwoven in internet environment.
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The holidays can represent the best time of year for healthy living, as it is a time when many people can focus on a mind-body-soul connection. However, stress, heavy traffic, sold-out store items and bad weather can interrupt that healthy and wholesome way of life for many. How can you maintain that holiday season joy and love for both yourself and those around you?
The following ten easy, healthy living tips may help you keep your focus during the upcoming holiday season. These tips are divided into categories for mind (as in stress management), body and soul, and each link leads to more information about each topic.
Mind (stress management)
- Spend some time alone: Use this time to meditate, read or relax. Regain your equilibrium and remember that this time of year is a special time for friends and family.
- Avoid unnecessary travel: One way to keep your peace of mind is to stay home. But, if you need to travel, plan your trips to combine errands or — on longer trips — plan to drive at night and to avoid large cities during rush hours. If you’re caught in rush hour, make sure you have some music or a book on tape with you to help pass time.
- Watch the anger: Stress can lead to anger, which can often lead to more stress (and may be linked to heart problems). Help yourself during bouts of anger by counting to ten and visualizing a relaxing experience. Additionally, if you can refuse to buy into another person’s anger, that moment may diffuse.
- Don’t overspend: Your daughter/son/husband/wife or friends may prefer spending more time with a cheerful you than with whatever you got on sale during Black Friday. Avoid the temptation to overspend, and you can avoid stress as well.
- Allow someone to help you: Why do you want to do everything yourself? Clone yourself by allowing a friend to help you with chores, managing kids or cooking (try a potluck for the holidays, rather than take on all the cooking yourself). You might enjoy the company and you can avoid stress at the same time. You might want to offer some fruit (or a gift card) for their efforts.
- Balance work, play and family life: What better time to learn how to balance your life than during the holidays? Parties, family events and other social activities basically demand that you stop working for at least a few hours. You can continue this practice long after the holiday season.
- Be creative: Think outside the box when problems arise. Use humor, rather than anger, to find resolutions. Open your mind to the new and unusual and think about how you might incorporate those new ideas into your life.
- Smile: Smiling can make you feel relaxed and happy, even when you don’t mean it. You can tilt your neurochemical balance toward calm by smiling, as smiling transmits nerve impulses from the facial muscles to the limbic system, a key emotional center in the brain.
- Watch your weight: Sure, those candies are tempting and you don’t want to hurt Aunt Cookie’s feelings by passing them up. But, eat one item instead of two to help maintain your weight and to keep the peace. Eat before you attend parties so you’re not so hungry when you arrive.
- Drop caffeine and soda: Get a jump start on a possible New Year’s resolution by weaning yourself off caffeine and sodas. Wean yourself away from caffeine slowly, otherwise you might end up with a caffeine-withdrawal headache that could last for a few days. Substitute herbal teas for hot and cold drinks. After a few days without sodas, you might wonder why you thought they tasted so good…
- Use locally-grown ingredients: While you may stick with traditional recipes, try to use locally-grown ingredients as much as possible. Perhaps a farm up the road sells chickens, or maybe you can buy some fresh eggs or herbs to supplement your meals. Using local ingredients is environmentally sound as well as healthy.
- Drink plenty of water: Water can help to keep hunger at bay as well as to help hydrate you when you are subjected to dry air in heated environments. Water also helps your body eliminate toxins, such as those martinis you had the night before.
- Keep your body moving: It’s a given that most people eat more during the holidays. If you move more as well, you can keep your metabolism running and help burn those extra calories. Take stairs when possible, stand rather than sit, and offer to clean the table after dinner — not really exercise, but it all counts.
- Wash your hands often: Washing your hands often is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer if you can’t get to a sink and soap.
- Stay warm: If it’s cold, then dress warmly in layers of loose-fitting tightly-woven clothing. This way you can shed some layers if the day warms up or if you spend some time visiting indoors. Be sure that infants and older adults, especially, are dressed warmly.
- Travel safely: Don’t drink and drive (and don’t allow others to drink and drive), wear a seat belt and don’t speed. You also can put an kit in the trunk for emergencies that includes blankets, band-aids, aspirin and other first-aid items.
- Treat yourself to a massage: Not only can a massage help release toxins physically, it can help you release negative and stressful energy. Think of the massage as a gift to yourself for the holiday season; but, you might think about doing this several times per year. You, after all, deserve it.
- Volunteer: You might gain a grasp on your own fortune when you offer to help others. Work in a soup kitchen, take a meal to an elderly neighbor or look for local events that need volunteers.
- Count your blessings: What better time to be grateful than when you’re stuck in a traffic jam? You can begin by understanding that you’re not alone in that traffic jam and then work up from there. You can end by understanding that you are the only person in this universe who is exactly like you – a unique and amazing creation.
- Forget comparisons: One way to spoil your holiday is to compare yourself to who you see as the most beautiful/talented/charming, etc. person in the room. Stop those comparisons and you may begin to feel the love — from yourself and from others.
- Let go of expectations: The holidays often provide a time for expectations, especially in the gift-giving department. If you can let go of the material and remember the spirit of the season (better to give than receive), then you might enjoy whatever you do receive with a bigger heart.
- Make your heart bigger: This is an exercise in appreciating beauty in all forms and the elimination of a need to nit pick and point out flaws. Everyone is a unique soul, different than you. This does not make them better than you, nor does it make them less than you. Insults and judgments, even if they are not voiced, might only serve to increase your own insecurities. This process may begin with self acceptance.
- Let go of the need to control: While you can continue to make that dinner for friends and family, you can stop worrying about whether the gravy is just right or if the meat is overcooked. Relax, enjoy, and understand that the world will go on despite small flaws and even despite the huge mistakes. Go with the flow.
- Think of others first: This does not mean that you need to neglect your own needs; however, when you think about others and their needs you might be able to crowd out all those negative thoughts that might creep in over the holidays. Think altruism.
- Forgive and forget: Why not start out a new year with a clean slate? If you can forgive someone and forget the slight (real or imagined), perhaps you can enter 2010 with a real smile on your face.
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When comparing these two types of knives, you need to know a thing or two about the materials they are made of and what they can be used for so that you will see for yourself which type is the best. While steel knives have the advantage of versatility, ceramic knives try to outcome them with innovation. Needless to say, the choice depends mostly on personal preferences but the utility of each model is also important when it comes to picking a new knife.
The materials used in manufacturing them
Steel is known to be very durable, which is why many heavy-duty objects are made of it. Knives made of steel are usually composed of one or two metals like iron, titanium or carbon that can last for decades. These are quite expensive but you can also find more affordable stainless steel knives made of vanadium, cobalt, or manganese. It’s not like this is particularly important but it’s good to know that there are different metal combinations that influence the durability of a knife.
The ceramic used in manufacturing knives is not the regular one you know but a more resistant one composed of zirconium and oxide that is the second strongest after diamond. This is why only a diamond-dust-coated grinding stone can sharpen them. This increased hardness is what makes ceramic knives so durable and sharp.
The blade’s sharpness and sharpening methods
Generally, ceramic blades are sharper and they stay this way for many years. The best ceramic knife will never require sharpening throughout its lifespan while others only become dull after ten years or more. This is because the ceramic doesn’t fret when chopping or slicing so the blade doesn’t get smaller and duller. If, however, you shall need to sharpen it, you can use a qualitative electric sharpener that takes good care of the blade. Never use honing rods or stones because these will damage the ceramic. It’s best to take it to a professional to have it sharpened, which is not very convenient because it’s time and money-consuming.
Steel, on the other hand, is more prone to becoming blunt with every use so it only takes a couple of months after the first use before it will require sharpening. However, the blade is not so demanding so you can use almost any type of tool to put a sharp edge back to it. If you want to keep the blade sharp, you can use a whetstone daily to avoid it getting too dull but you must be very careful not to hit the blade directly.
The resistance of each blade
This is where stainless steel scores more points and outcomes the fancy design of ceramic that is more breakable. It’s true that you can expect ceramic to last a lifetime but if you accidentally drop it or hit it against a hard object, the blade is likely to chip. Also, you can’t cut any food item with it, only the softer ones, excluding bones, frozen foods, or ones with a rough peel.
Steel knives, on the other hand, are so durable that you can cut anything with them, from melons to hard cheese to frozen foods and you can even remove the bones from the meat. There is no risk of chipping the blade not even if you throw it or drop it blade down.
Conclusion – Steel or Ceramic?
Ceramic, as well as steel knives, come with their own strong points and downsides, as you have already understood after reading the previous sections of the article. Each of these two types of knives is the better choice for certain tasks that you must perform when cooking, so what you need to do is to own at least one of each. This way, regardless of the food that you’ll have to cut or the action that you are going to perform, you won’t be caught off-guard in the kitchen.
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Overheard in New York: The Voice of The City.
The obsession with the memory that the unstable computer networks have inculcated turns, in certain cases, serial filings, not all inclusive, which attempt to preserve evidence and documents for future ethereal digital memory. But the endless communication channels can be activated by the network in both directions pamper the ability to contribute to projects more extemporaneous storage and give instant gratification for the contribution that together are able to give back to the community. Overheard in New York: The Voice of The City , directed by S. Morgan Friedman and Michael Malice, for example, is a hive of uncontrollable contributions perfectly credible reporting origliati short dialogues in the public spaces of the Big Apple, complete with the location and description of the characters and added sarcastically titled by the editors. A collaborative scheme that, in this case, creates photographs of textual conversations in public places. Ephemeral moments and passengers, unrepeatable as, indeed, a photograph, testimonials that describe in a lightning storms brevity a complete scene of real life, slices of New York immediately viewable in the minds of users. The old adage "If these walls could talk" is implemented here in a perpetual fragmented screenplay written by drawing live and bringing back the pieces on the web.
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R. DIXON SPEAS
R. Dixon Speas was born in Davie County, North Carolina. Known for his dedication to improving the safety and efficiency of public and private air transportation, his future career was foreshadowed in the 1930s when he won t h e pre stig ious W i ll i am E . Boe ing t h es is Cont est.
Following graduation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he flew for American Airlines and served as President C.R. Smith's assistant. During World War II, w h ile on loan from A merican, he performed special assign ments for the U.S. A rmy Air Force.
In 1951 he founded the first of several consulting firms; the most recent, PRC Aviation in Tucson. Over the years he has handled projects for most of the world's major airlines, for much of corporate aviation and for many international airports.
Also, he pioneered development of new operating procedures, including intercontinental computerized flight planning, that greatly increased the utility and profitability of commercial air carrier and business aircraft. There's hardly an airline or corporate aircraft operator flying anyw h ere in the worl d today w h o doesn't use som e innovative idea or method that can be credited directly to R. Dixon Speas.
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JEFFREY BROWN: And now to Russia, where an unlikely figure has become a lightning rod for concerns about political repression and the rule of law.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky stood in the defendant’s last cage as a judge convicted him of embezzling nearly $30 billion in oil from the company he once ran. His lawyer reacted even as the verdict was still being read.
VADIM KLYUVGANT, attorney for Mikhail Khodorkovsky (through translator): Of course, once the verdict is fully announced, we are going to appeal against it. Irrespectively, of the substantive part, including the sentence, we are convinced the accusation is false. It is not a mistake. It is a fake, a crime.
JEFFREY BROWN: For Khodorkovsky, it was the latest twist in a saga that began in the 1990s. After the old Soviet Union collapsed, he took over Yukos, Russia’s largest oil company, and became one of the country’s new oligarchs and Russia’s richest man.
He also began to branch into politics, funding opposition candidates and publicly accusing the Kremlin of corruption. In 2003, Khodorkovsky was arrested and sent to a Siberian prison for tax evasion. Critics inside the country and abroad claimed the arrest was politically motivated.
But then President Vladimir Putin said he was cracking down on fraud, and the government seized the oil company. Putin is now prime minister, but still seen as Russia’s most powerful figure. Earlier this month, he compared Khodorkovsky to American financier Bernard Madoff.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, Russian prime minister (through translator): A thief should sit in jail. If you look at the practice in other countries, Bernard Madoff’s punishment in the U.S. for a similar crime was 150 years in prison.
JEFFREY BROWN: But, on Christmas Eve, Putin’s chosen successor, President Dmitry Medvedev, seemed to push back.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV, Russian president (through translator): Neither the president nor any other official person in the service of the state has the right to express his position on this case or on any other case before the moment the verdict is announced.
JEFFREY BROWN: Today, protesters gathered outside the Moscow courthouse, and opposition leaders charged Putin had influenced the outcome.
BORIS NEMTSOV, Russian opposition leader (through translator): What is happening here has no relation whatsoever to law, humanity or justice.
MARGARET WARNER: Khodorkovsky had been nearing the end of his initial jail term, but this new conviction could keep him behind bars until at least 2017.
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WASHINGTON -- In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have received more attention, and more funding to boot, from the U.S. military, as well as from Israel, parts of Europe and Russia, as a cheaper alternative to manned aircraft for a variety of missions.
The trend is only accelerating as a growing list of countries turn to UAVs for their military potential. Even civil and commercial users are beginning to weigh the costs and benefits of UAVs for other uses, experts said.
"The whole thing about the operation of UAVs is that it isn't so exotic anymore," said Larry Dickerson, an unmanned systems analyst for Forecast International, Inc. of Newtown, Conn. "People are becoming more comfortable with the whole idea, to a point."
UAV's are just beginning to be exploited for uses beyond military surveillance, according to experts, and are being groomed to become faster, more reliable and to have enhanced capabilities.
The international landscape
While the United States has equipped some of its UAVs, such as the Predator, with weapons, others are still relying on the UAV for its originally-intended purpose. "The difference between the U.S. UAV programs and the programs we see in other countries is that elsewhere, the emphasis is very much on surveillance," said Jim Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The UAV is a cheap way for them to duplicate the surveillance capabilities the U.S. can get from satellites. They haven't looked as closely at weaponization; at least, no one is admitting that in public."
There has been an increase in interest in UAVs in countries in Asia and the Middle East, according to Dickerson.
"There's a much larger number of countries coming out and actually saying, 'Yes, we're going to pursue UAVs," Dickerson said.
Japan is looking at producing a high-end UAV system which can do over-ocean surveillance and high-altitude surveillance, while countries like South Korea and Taiwan are hoping to build long-endurance vehicles which can be used over international airspace, he said.
"You're also seeing more cooperation at the high-end between countries," Dickerson said. As countries look to equip their UAVs with additional capabilities, companies from different countries that produce them might choose to pair with each other to develop a particular project.
UAVs are gaining more attention for U.S. civil government agency uses, including border patrol, homeland security, air traffic control and emergency response. But there are still difficulties which come with using unmanned vehicles for these purposes.
"In some ways we haven't made as much as we could out of UAV capabilities," Lewis said. "[Border patrol] is an ideal situation for UAVs, as you have a long, undefended border with very different terrain, unpopulated in many areas. The ability to loiter over a large area and fly at night would all be advantages. It's an opportunity we haven't exploited."
The Department of Homeland Security had its first Predator B vehicle for border patrol use delivered Sept. 29.
But using UAVs for homeland security purposes has its risks, according to Victoria Samson, a research analyst for the Center for Defense Information.
"My concern is that while they've certainly improved situational awareness, it's not at 100 percent," said Samson. "These are pretty crowded air quarters, and we have to ensure that UAVs aren't going to crash with other aircrafts."
Overcrowded airspace becomes a problem when looking to rely on UAVs for air traffic control or emergency response, Dickerson said.
"It's very crowded up there," Dickerson said. "The [Federal Aviation Administration] and [Department of Homeland Security] haven't quite been able to work out a way to operate in civil airspace, so UAVs mostly operate in either controlled military or at very high altitudes, where there is a lot less traffic."
UAVs were largely unused during the recent Hurricane Katrina and Rita disaster response, according to Dickerson. This was mostly due to an inability to coordinate the airspace to ensure UAVs could fly safely, he said.
How much UAVs will be used for emergency response depends on a variety of factors, Dickerson said, one being the need to properly train those who operate the equipment. If used, Dickerson said, it is most likely to be on a case-by-case basis where military operators already trained in the use of the equipment assist, such as has happened previously with the Olympic Games. And if this trend continues, it is unlikely emergency responders will invest in UAVs for their own use.
"If you don't fly them all the time, what's the point of having them?" Dickerson said.
Lewis said there needs to be more of a focus on the tactical applications of UAVs, using them to over-fly a target, or to try to uncover roadside bombs.
For example, a UAV could be sent in front of a manned vehicle to fly past a target, which would avoid the risk of putting a manned vehicle in the more dangerous territory.
A commercial market?
UAVs have been used on a very limited basis commercially, experts agreed. Dickerson said that power companies in Nevada and other western states have occasionally relied on them for power line inspections, but only when the lines are in open areas, free of crowds. Oil companies have occasionally used UAVs for oil platform security internationally, but the trend isn't a burgeoning one.
"I think it's just not commercially appealing," Lewis said. "If you ask yourself, 'What can I get from an UAV that I can't get from an airplane or a helicopter?' I'm not sure there's enough of an advantage there. The needs of the commercial industry are different than the government's needs."
UAVs are finding a role as platforms for cameras during Hollywood productions, however, Dickerson said; though this has been happening for years now, the practice is gaining wider usage.
Another potential use is for monitoring traffic, but since news stations usually subscribe to a traffic service, it is unlikely each would pay to fund a vehicle, and the service itself would have to decide whether it was an economical option, Dickerson said.
"I think until they can get very well certain that [UAVs] fly safely and accurately and not crash on landing, I don't see any reason that commercial industries would want to pursue them," Samson said. "You'd be putting out a lot of money for a very dicey return."
UAV's usage may be growing, and their capabilities are increasing, but their bodies are actually getting smaller, Dickerson said. Companies are attempting to produce lightweight (2-5 kilogram), portable UAVs which could be hand launched or launched off of a small truck.
Experts agreed that the U.S. Army wants to see more easily-deployed vehicles with increased combat capabilities. They also want to be able to use multiple UAVs together to perform certain tasks in formation.
"The whole thing is, 'Make it do more,'" Dickerson said.
But as the use of UAVs becomes more prevalent, the amount of bandwidth necessary to keep them functioning becomes a problem, he said.
"UAVs are actually interfering with each other," Dickerson said. "It's escalating slowly. That's going to be a technology problem we'll have to address just because there's so much noise up there."
As shooting capabilities increase, though, users are going to have to do a cost/benefit analysis of whether the vehicles are worth the added expense.
"The problem is that adds to the weight and the cost and the technological difficulties, almost to where it gets more expensive than a regular manned vehicle," said Samson. "People have to ask themselves, "Ok, what benefit am I getting with a UAV with these added bells and whistles?'"
In terms of production, UAVs are still a market in which small companies can enter, Dickerson said, but the trend is shifting away from that direction.
"Now it's coming to the point where UAV contracts are with the big companies," Dickerson said. "As requirements are getting more complicated, the small companies are teaming their electronic expertise with deep-pocket backing."
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Russia's TVEL has signed a contract with Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant for the supply of uranium-gadolinium (U-Gd) fuel. TVEL said that use of the fuel should enable the Paks reactors to operate at a higher thermal power capacity, up to 108% (1485 MW). It added that the fuel would also reduce the number of fuel assemblies required for the reactor core refuelling by some 12%, shorten refuelling outage time and reduce costs of used fuel management. The fuel would also enable the Paks plant to shift to the five-year fuel campaign and increase fuel burnup, TVEL added. A batch of lead U-Gd fuel assemblies will be loaded into unit 3 at Paks in 2009. All four Paks units will begin using the fuel as from 2010. The fuel supply contract specifies the price of the fuel for the period 2009 to 2011. TVEL and Paks was signed fuel supply contract in 1999 covering the period until the end of the plant's service life, expected in 2037.
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Have YOU Read the famous Bosco HOW-TO-DO-IT Books by… Harry B. Paschall No? Then you haven’t read ANYTHING YET! These books by HARRY PASCHALL are considered the last word in practical, honest, straight-from-the-shoulder inside information on building a powerful, shapely physique. Each book gives how-to-do-it advice, detailed exercise routines, secrets […]Read More!
Brooks Kubik Author of “Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development” The “Original” Dinosaur! It all started with a young high school lad in Ohio who had a burning desire to become a champion high school wrestler. One day, as he watched his father work out in their garage […]Read More!
The Bosco System of Progressive Physical Training GUIDES YOU STEP BY STEP TO PHYSICAL POWER AND PERFECTION by Harry B. Paschall THERE are a number of bodybuilding courses on the market. All of them have merit. Some are better than others. But none of them, hitherto, were compiled from […]Read More!
Muscular Arms and Shoulders A HOW-TO-DO-IT BOSCO BOOK! by Harry B. Paschall Another Bosco How-To-Do-It book originally published in 1953 and devoted to one subject: How to get those huge muscular arms and shoulders that you have admired on the Stars. Practical information that will make your arm training more productive […]Read More!
Muscle Moulding A BOSCO BOOK FOR ADVANCED BODY-BUILDERS by Harry B. Paschall Have You Read MUSCLE MOULDING? Originally published in 1950, this is the famous book which thousands of barbell men the world over called “The Bodybuilder’s Bible”. This is the first of a series of books and courses that made […]Read More!
Development of Strength by Harry B. Paschall Famous Author and Creator of “BOSCO”! Originally published in 1951, this is the companion volume to the author’s enormously popular “Muscle Moulding”. It tells HOW to Build a Superman Physique with inside Secrets of the Stars of the Strength World. It contains Five Complete […]Read More!
The 4th Book in the Landmark Series… Legacy of Iron: York Goes to War! by Brooks D. Kubik The continuing saga of the Legacy of Iron takes us to the morning of December 7th 1941 when the United States entered World War II. The war demanded a massive, all out effort […]Read More!
The 2nd Book in the Landmark Series… Legacy of Iron: Clouds of War by Brooks D. Kubik Last year my good friend and world famous author of “Dinosaur Training” took a chance on doing something that no one else had done in the strength training world. He wrote a novel. […]Read More!
The 5th Book in the Landmark Series… Legacy of Iron: Barbells in the Pacific by Brooks D. Kubik In this, the fifth volume, our hero, Jack Ryan, along with Jim Miller, Vickie, Harry Paschall and the rest of the York gang find themselves in the midst of World War II. After the […]Read More!
The 1st Book in the Landmark Series… Legacy of Iron: A Novel by Brooks D. Kubik Here it is, finally, after 12 long years, the latest hot selling book by premier strength author and champion weightlifter, Brooks Kubik, the man who coined the phrase, “Dinosaur Training.” Have you ever asked […]Read More!
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If you or a family member has been diagnosed with hepatitis you may have a lot of questions or concerns, such as: What exactly is hepatitis? How is it spread? And how can it be treated?
In the next few minutes we hope to answer these questions and help you better understand this condition. We'll explain things like, how your liver normally works, what causes hepatitis, and what the symptoms are, and some of the ways it can be treated.
If you still have questions after the presentation, feel free to discuss them with your healthcare provider.
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Guest Author - Susan Gaissert
Sasha Abramsky is an excellent journalist. In Breadline USA, his reporting skills are evident in the large amount of information he provides about hunger in America, giving equal weight to its causes and effects. But he does something more. He uses his talent as a writer to describe the effects of hunger in a manner that goes beyond reporting. He writes about food and the lack of it as a novelist would, and that is what makes reading the book such an emotional experience.
Abramsky is interested in poverty in America, and poverty leads to hunger. In the novel Moll Flanders, author Daniel Defoe's Moll prays, "Give me not poverty, lest I steal." But the underpaid Americans in Breadline USA do not steal food; they simply go without. A trip to the food pantry -- where they can get stale bread; assorted, unrelated canned goods; and past-sale-date, often inedible boxed foods -- is a routine part of the last week of every month -- when the paycheck money runs out.
Barbara Ehrenreich covered some of the same topics Abramsky covers in her book Nickel and Dimed, and Ehrenreich and Abramsky both went undercover in a way. Ehrenreich worked at low-paying jobs to see how she would survive, and Abramsky bought food and regulated his eating habits as if he were on a low-income food budget. He also made trips to the food pantry.
The book soars in the sections where Abramsky describes the wonderful foods he has enjoyed – the Passover dinners with his family, the Mother's Day trips to a fine restaurant, even the casual stops at local cafes for a latte and a pastry. These are sensuous, beautiful experiences that most of us take for granted, but Abramsky elevates them to their proper level, as precious moments to be grateful for and to remember.
By contrasting that high level of food security and food satisfaction most of us enjoy with the desperate, food-obsessed, stomach-growling undercurrent that becomes a normal state of being for the hungry people he encounters, Abramsky is able to communicate the meagerness of their food experience. That is where the book finds its true voice.
Books don't often make me cry, but when I read about the woman who thinks Campbell’s Chunky Soup poured over noodles is "like a delicacy," I actually sobbed. I thought about the macadamia nuts, white chocolate bar, and light brown sugar I had just bought to make a special cookie recipe for my daughter. I wanted to pack them in a box and send them to that woman.
But charity is not the answer. As Abramsky makes clear throughout Breadline USA, what needs to change is the way America treats it working people. A living wage needs to mean a wage that allows you to eat well for the entire month, every month. And until that happens, or in cases where people lose their jobs, an adequate food-security safety net must exist. Abramsky writes, "To share food is to share life." When people are hungry, and we do not help them, and change the system so that they can feed themselves, we are denying them participation in one of the basic elements of life.
Just for one day, eat only two meals. Make sure the meals are small, low in protein, and high in starch. Drink lots of tea to trick yourself into thinking your stomach is full. See how you feel. You won't like it. Neither do the Americans who feel that way most days of every month. Breadline USA is a factual account of hunger in America and an impassioned appeal to treat our fellow man as we would wish to be treated. It is a book that feeds your head and your heart.
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Sermon shared by Jeff Seaman
Summary: learning through problems
Audience: General adults
About Sermon Contributor
“LEARNING FROM ProblemsPart”
Pastor Jeff Seaman
Have you ever had one of those weeks that everything went wrong that could go wrong? This has been one of those weeks for me. I have started this week on a new job so that we can put more money back into the church for ministry. I was a potter before I went into ministry, so you can say my tent making is pottery. Well, I used to make planter for a company called H.R Pottery, and I would make about 300 to 400 a day for them, and I made good money at it. Well I am going to work for Clouds Pottery here in Folsom, and they only us clay called porcelain, and it is one of the hardest clays to work with. The clay that I used at H.R. was very easy to work with, but the clay I am using at Clouds is not that clay.
For a potter to make a lot of pots they use this things called bats, bats round thing at a potter make his pottery on so that he could take it off the wheel fast and not have to cut it off the wheel head. Well I knew that the clay had its reputation for being hard to work with but I never though it would be like this. The clay would not stick to any of my bats. I would start to make a pot and half way through making the pot, the clay would slip off.
In pottery if you are going to work for some one you need to be able to make the pots fast. Well I was very fast at making pots at H.R Pottery with the right clay. I used to be able to make a pot in 42 seconds. But not this week every other pot a tried to make, the clay would not stay.
This week as we look at Nehemiah and his passion for rebuilding of the walls we see that they came up against some opposition and some problems. Last week we saw how he reacted to the news of the city and it conditions, we saw that when he heard that the walls were broken down, he wept, he prayed, and he fasted. Last week we talked about what do we do when we hear about Gods house in trouble?
Nehemiah had great passion for the things of God and he is a great example for us today. We will all at some point in our life come face to face with opposition and problems, the question we need top know is how will we respond to they when they come.
In chapter 1 we see his response to the news, in chapter 2 he is sent and he inspects the walls, in chapter 3 we read who the builders are. But in chapter 4 we see how the builder faced oppositions and problems and how they over came them. We would do well to learn from this story today, of how we can learn for opposition and problems.
4:1When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall; he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble-burned as they are?"
3Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building-if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!"
6So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. 7But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were
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Day of the Doctor on November 23
BBC is preparing the world for the simultaneous broadcast of “Day of the Doctor“, a special episode of Doctor Who marking fifty years since the first episode aired in November 23, 1963. The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) are still stuck in the Doctor’s timeline, and the only way out is to open the lock on the Doctor’s darkest day, The Time War. David Tennant (The Tenth Doctor) and John Hurt (The War Doctor) appear alongside Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). Two trailers have been released, with a microsite outlining venues for watching the episode in 3D on the big screen. Content is being unlocked on the Doctor Who Save The Day site, doctorwhosavetheday.com, in response to social media using the hashtag #SavetheDay.
BBC’s Doctor Who Facebook Page is counting down to November 23 over 11 days with a series of photographs featuring past incarnations of Doctor Who, and infographics featuring the number 11.
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Heuer Publishing's HitPlays.com
- Offers over 200 plays and musicals especially for schools and community theatre, with Show Finder tool to browse by type and genre. Includes posters, t-shirts and theatrical resources.
A Play in Progress
- Billed as a play "Not for people who want heroes, villains and easy answers."
- Writers of bespoke and off-the-peg scripts for pantomimes, short plays and sketches.
- A group of writers, actors and directors producing new dramatic writing in Cambridge, UK. Includes a series of newsletters about their performances and workshops.
Ye Olde Catalogue of Boy Scout Skits
- Dozens of campfire skits to be performed and witnessed by Boy Scouts.
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Subprime lenders spread lobbyists, cash, tickets around government
Rolling Stones tix among gifts spread to lawmakers
As state governments around the country were trying to regulate subprime lending practices that critics say were responsible for this year's mortgage meltdown, the subprime industry was spreading cash and gifts to lawmakers in a dozen states.
The Wall Street Journal's Glenn Simpson details the case of Ameriquest Mortgage Co., reporting the company worked with a married pair of DC lobbyists to spread more than $20 million in political donations in states considering subprime regulations. Ameriquest also handed out stacks of Rolling Stones tickets to lawmakers in eight states as well as to the campaign of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Home loans made by Ameriquest and other subprime lenders are defaulting now in large numbers, roiling global credit markets and sparking debate about whether regulators and lawmakers should have anticipated the mess and taken action," Simpson reports. "A close look at Ameriquest's lobbying and political donations shows how the subprime industry maneuvered to defeat legislation that might have contained some of the damage."
The industry lobbying focused on state governments since at least 2001. At the federal level, members of the until-recently GOP Congress -- who had received $645,00 in donations from subprime lenders -- didn't seem too interested in enacting new oversight of the industry.
"What seemed to be developing in the states was that there was going to be a wave of legislation," lobbyist Wright Andrews, who coordinated the industry's lobbying operation with hiw wife, Lisa, told Simpson.
Although Andrews didn't directly lobby for Ameriquest, according to Simpson, he "ran three different subprime-industry trade groups: the National Home Equity Mortgage Association, of which Ameriquest was a member; the Coalition for Fair and Affordable Lending, which spent $6.3 million lobbying against state laws before it dissolved earlier this year, according to federal filings; and the Responsible Mortgage Lending Coalition." Lisa Andrews was a senior vice president in Ameriquest's lobbying division from 2003 to 2005.
Ameriquest's state-level lobbying focused on Georgia after the state passed its Fair Lending Act in 2001. The act required lenders to provide a "tangible net benefit" to borrowers when it refinances loans less than five years old.
Ameriquest became "very, very engaged," in working, along with other banks and mortgage houses, to get the law changed, Georgia state Sen. Vincent Fort told Simon. Fort, the author of the law, said he accused an Ameriquest lawyer of victimizing poor minorities, who made up the bulk of subprime borrowers.
After the law was passed, Ameriquest and other lenders began spreading campaign donations and tickets to lawmakers there. Less than a year later, in October 2002, Ameriquest announced it would state doing business in the state unless the law changed; the ratings house Standard & Poor's Corp. said it would stop rating mortgages there.
The subprime industry essentially said it would no longer do business in the state until the law changed, Simon reports. Georgia's state House and Senate voted within months to remove the "net benefit" provision Ameriquest objected to.
The industry worked together to roll back a similar effort in New Jersey. Simon reports that two of the recipients -- Republican Gerald Cardinale and Democrat John Adler -- introduced a bill "to make changes sought by the industry," in December 2003, less than two months after receiving Ameriquest donations. The company gave Cardinale $2,200 in October 2003 and Adler $1,200 the next month.
The lawmakers recollections of the time period was far fuzzier when Simon asked them about the proposal's genesis.
"I don't remember ever being lobbied by Ameriquest," says Mr. Cardinale. "I do recall that we were trying to make it easier for folks to be able to access funds. And, in general, I feel it is a good thing for us to remove barriers to people being able to buy homes." He says he doesn't remember receiving any contributions from Ameriquest. "You guys think we know all of our contributors, but that's usually on a staff level. I don't frankly know who Ameriquest is."
Adler also didn't "recall" ever meeting with Andrews firm.
As the Wall Street Journal documented how industry-influenced governments failed to head-off the negative impacts of the subprime lending crisis, new market data revealed that sales of new homes plummeted to their lowest level in more than 12 years.
"I think you can classify what we are seeing in the housing market as a crash," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "Sales and home prices are in a free fall. The downturn is intensifying."
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Embedded System Access (ESA) - test-focused
Access printed circuit boards (electronic PCB)
with Embedded System Access technologies.
JTAG/Boundary Scan Test (BST) for electronic PCBs
In 1990, Boundary Scan was adopted as the IEEE 1149.1 standard. This technology utilises so called boundary scan cells, combined into a Boundary Scan register, as primary access points for a target system’s circuit nodes. The Boundary Scan register is accessed and controlled through the Test Access Port (TAP).
All vectors are serially scanned. The test bus is comprised of four mandatory signals and a fifth optional reset signal. Boundary Scan is a structural methodology and provides excellent fault diagnostics, especially for connectivity tests on BGA devices, for example.
However, since Boundary Scan tests are static in nature, dynamic defects usually cannot be detected, let alone be diagnosed. In addition to IEEE Std. 1149.1, various related IEEE 1149.x standards have been created or are in development to expand fault coverage and to get access to printed circuit boards (electronic PCBs).
Processor Emulation Test (PET)
The Processor Emulation Test (PET) utilises the debug interface (implemented in many micro processors for software validation) to transform the processor core temporarily into a native test controller.
In this case, the processor itself becomes the access point for the connected circuitry in the target system. Remote-controlled through the JTAG interface or some other debug interface, the processor core utilises write and read access to the system bus with respective test vectors in order to manipulate and test the connected internal and external resources and components. No operating system or flash firmware is necessary to accomplish this.
The technology can detect both static and dynamic defects; however, diagnostics are limited due to the functional test approach. PET complements Boundary Scan very well and enables or improves especially the test of dynamic components such as DDRSDRAM, gigabit interfaces, and other non-scannable components at chip, board, and system level.
Chip-embedded Instruments (IJTAG)
Chip-embedded Instruments are essentially test and measurement intellectual property (IP) blocks integrated into ICs, often accessible through the JTAG port.
The functionality of Chip-embedded Instruments is completely open and ranges from simple sensors, to complex signal processing and data collection, through to complete analysis instruments and programming engines. The IP is either integrated permanently in the chip (hard macro) or it can be temporarily instantiated and configured (soft macro) in field programmable gate arrays (FPGA).
This specific form is also referred to as „FPGA Assisted Test (FAT)“ or „FPGA Assisted Programming (FAP).“ Chip-embedded Instruments have been utilised for years in chip testing, for instance, in the form of a built-in self-test (BIST) IP.
Another example is the logic scopes integrated into FPGA for design validation. However, access to these instruments has, until recently, not been standardised, a situation that will change with the launch of the new IEEE P1687 (also known as IJTAG). Hence, standardised Chip-embedded Instruments present an alternative, especially in the field of gigabit analysis, to the traditional testing and measurement instruments with their increasing access problems.
* depending on instrument and implementation
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Yltransferase (HisG), is the most significant enzyme getting regulated on enzymatic level in von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) Degrader manufacturer Histidine biosynthesis. This enzyme catalyses the first step of histidine biosynthesis, the condensation of ATP and PRPP to PR-ATP. The regulation of this specific enzyme is of exceptional value, as it prevents waste of ATP as well as of PRPP. The latter will not be only the substrate for the biosynthesis of histidine, but in addition utilized for the de novo synthesis of purines (Zhang et al., 2008) and pyrimidines (Garavaglia et al., 2012), the tryptophan biosynthesis (Sprenger, 2007), and for the synthesis of arabinogalactan, a vital component in the corynebacterial cell wall (Alderwick et al., 2006).Fig. 4. Secondary structure model of your 5 UTR of the hisDCBcg2302-cg2301 mRNA from C. glutamicum ATCC 13032. Nucleotides shown in orange and yellow represent the SD sequence plus the hisD start codon respectively. The histidine specifier (CAC) is shown in red and also the putative CCA binding site for uncharged tRNA 3 ends (UGGA) is shown in blue. Each sequences could be involved in a histidyl-tRNA dependent riboswitch mechanism. A. SD sequester structure. The SD sequence is sequestered inside a hairpin and not readily available to ribosomes. Translation from the hisD gene is blocked. B. SD anti-sequester structure. The formation on the anti-sequester hairpin prevents the formation from the sequester hairpin. The SD sequence is readily available to ribosomes and hisD is translated. Uncharged histidyl-tRNA interacting with the histidine specifier and also the CCA binding site could possibly be involved inside the stabilization from the anti-sequester hairpin, resulting in a switch in the SD sequester to the SD anti-sequester structure.HisG is affected by feedback TBK1 Inhibitor Biological Activity inhibition in C. glutamicum It has been demonstrated quite early that HisG from S. typhimurium (HisGSt) is topic to histidine-mediated feedback inhibition within a non-competitive manner (Martin, 1963a) and the same holds accurate for HisG from E. coli (HisGEc) (Winkler, 1996). It has been recommended that ATPPRT from C. glutamicum (HisGCg) is topic to histidinemediated feedback inhibition, too, because the histidine analogues 2-thiazolyl-DL-alanine (2-TA) and 1,2,4triazolyl-3-alanine (TRA) inhibit development of C. glutamicum (Araki and Nakayama, 1971). These two analogues are known to be non-competitive inhibitors of ATP-PRT in S. typhimurium (Martin, 1963a). Analogue-resistant C. glutamicum mutants isolated by Araki and Nakayama (1971) accumulate histidine inside the supernatant, indicating that these mutants are deregulated in histidine biosynthesis probably resulting from loss of feedback inhibition. Later, by performing enzyme assays with cell-free extracts it was demonstrated that HisGCg is indeed inhibited by L-histidine (Araki and Nakayama, 1974), and recently, Zhang and colleagues (2012) confirmed the inhibition by histidine on the purified HisGCg enzyme. Histidine acts as noncompetitive inhibitor of HisGCg getting a Ki value of 0.11 0.02 mM (Zhang et al., 2012). The enzyme is3 ends and not downstream as in this case (Vitreschak et al., 2008; Gutierrez-Preciado et al., 2009). Hence, a T-box regulatory mechanism seems unlikely. Even so, it is nevertheless feasible that histidyl-tRNAs function as effectors in an additional kind of riboswitch mechanism, since components for binding of histidyl-tRNAs are present and two alternative secondary structures are predicted. The sequestration with the SD sequence within a hairpin in 1 of these structures, with each other using the observat.
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But as free human beings with independent wills, they choose a hundred different ways to further this goal. Some of them might sound goofy to us, or even repellant. But as long as they stay within our nation’s legitimate laws, we should welcome them, and accept that diversity is our strength. Working differently, even separately, is not the same as working at cross-purposes. We need unity in charity, in gratitude, and in mutual respect — but the false idea that we need unity in strategy, tactics and institutions leads to most of the ill-will and infighting in pro-life circles.
I rarely engage in pro-life infighting.
Because we need all kinds of people in the pro-life movement and contradictory strategies.
We need people calling for incremental laws, and people calling for abolition. We need people making religious-based arguments, and those making purely secular arguments. We need prayer, we need lobbying, we need care for pregnant women, etc.
We need it all.
People who believe in fetal rights are not the enemy. They are allies. Sometimes they are allies that promote things we believe to be immoral, and thereby annoy the hell out of us. But they are still allies. If we wait for people to agree with us on every individual point before they can act in the name of fetal rights, nobody will ever join.
Stay focused on the goal: fetal rights and protection of the unborn. The rest is details.
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Is luck an acceptable character trait?
Question: I've tried to balance it out by having my character's luck failing occasionally and just opting for the least likely outcome rather than something that is beneficial but I'm still questioning whether or not everything will seem too convenient. (Also something I think I should mention, This character isn't the main character.)Answer:
You've hit upon the problem with giving a character too much of an advantage. The same thing can happen when you give a character magic powers: if you don't built limits into the magic, you end up with no story because everything is too easy for the character.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't use the character. It's an interesting trait. You just need to balance the advantages with disadvantages.
A classic example is the character Cassandra from The Iliad
. She has the power to know the future, but the limitation is that no one ever believes her.
Another example is the current TV series, Stan Lee's Lucky Man
, in which the main character has a bracelet that makes him powerfully lucky. The limitation is that for every lucky event that happens to the character, an unlucky event occurs in his life to balance it.
So I think you're on the right track by putting limits on the usefulness of the character's luck. Just make sure that once you establish the rules/limits you stick to them consistently. Also, it helps if the limits are as significant as the benefits, and if the magic can be a disadvantage as often as it is an advantage.
Best of luck.
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In the latest battle in his war against proselytizing in the ranks of America’s military, Air Force veteran and church-state separation activist Mikey Weinstein is taking aim at the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
Weinstein, who sued the Air Force in 2005 for religious coercion, is calling attention to a passage in the Junior ROTC’s curriculum that questions the legitimacy of the separation between church and state. Researchers at Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a not-for-profit group he founded to protect First Amendment rights in the military, discovered the passage in an educational guide distributed by the Defense Department to the military’s high-school leadership training program.
Weinstein, who represents the second generation of his family to graduate from the Air Force Academy, sees this newest revelation as but one example of evangelical Christianity’s creeping encroachment in all branches of the armed forces. The 52-year-old attorney from New Mexico has made it his mission — in an almost evangelical sense — to beat back what he sees as a campaign to Christianize the military.
In October 2005, Weinstein fired his opening salvo when he sued the Air Force. That suit came after his son Curtis, a cadet at the academy, told Weinstein that he had been subjected to antisemitic harassment, and evidence indicating a pattern of proselytizing emerged. The case was dismissed last year by a federal district court judge on legal technicalities, but Weinstein, a lifelong Republican, is eager to file a bevy of new lawsuits. Among the possibilities, Weinstein said, is a court case against the Junior ROTC.
“This is the 13th stroke of a crazy clock,” Weinstein said. Referring to the JROTC’s textbook, he added: “It’s not just religious predation. This is an example of the metaphysical rape of our youth, the ones being prepped for the military in the Junior ROTC.”
Weinstein also said that, in recent weeks, a powerhouse Washington law firm, WilmerHale, finished formulating a far-reaching litigation strategy for his foundation.
The Junior ROTC textbook chapter, titled “You the People — The Citizen Action Group Process,” recommends that cadets read an excerpt from an article that makes the argument that Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists — often cited as the basis for the separation between government and religion — was solely intended to keep the state from meddling in the church, and not the other way around.
“In summary, the ‘separation’ phrase so frequently invoked today was rarely mentioned by any of the Founders; and even Jefferson’s explanation of his phrase is diametrically opposed to the manner in which courts apply it today,” the textbook reads.
A Junior ROTC spokesman did not return a call seeking comment.
This is the type of discovery that keeps Weinstein, a former Reagan White House lawyer who worked on the Iran-Contra defense, plugging away. A one-time boxer, Weinstein has the pugnacious constitution of a pit bull. And with his compact, stocky build and dour grimace, he even bears a slight resemblance to one.
Weinstein’s fiery rhetoric — one of his most oft-repeated phrases is, “My job is to lay down a withering field of fire, take no prisoners and leave sucking chest wounds” — and in-your-face tactics haven’t always won him friends in the organized Jewish community. And he isn’t shy about naming those organizations that, he said, have lost their “fighting spirit.”
According to Weinstein, Jewish leaders such as the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman and the American Jewish Committee’s David Harris do American Jews no favors by not speaking out more on the issue of evangelicals proselytizing in the military. Neither Foxman nor Harris returned calls from the Forward seeking comment.
Marc Stern, who frequently handles constitutional church-state issues as general counsel of the American Jewish Congress, described Weinstein as a “mixed bag.”
“I thought he was unduly confrontational about the Air Force guidelines, and I think that comes from years of improper activity going on uncorrected,” Stern said. “But,” he added, “I don’t find it a particularly useful way of dealing with government officials.”
Still, Stern notes, “Almost no cause is advanced without somebody who is not meshugene about the cause and prepared to do battle.”
Stern also pointed to Weinstein’s unflappable military credentials as the reason that veterans and armed forces personnel turn to him for help and not to the major Jewish groups.
On any given day, the peripatetic activist fields up to 250 calls from military troops, as well as from members of the media. Weinstein also receives a steady stream of death threats — on average, three to four a week.
Those threats increased markedly in late April, Weinstein said, during the lead-up to a debate at the Air Force Academy in which he and Jay Sekulow, a messianic Jew who serves as chief counsel of the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, argued the proper bounds of religion in the military. Weinstein also expressed concern that those threats would increase when Curtis, the last of his sons to graduate from the Academy, receives his diploma May 30.
The Air Force Academy debate not withstanding, Weinstein’s public appearances are most often funding appeals for his nascent foundation. He is in the midst of a national tour of sorts, hitting some synagogue groups, but mostly invite-only gatherings at private homes, to get out his message. Weinstein said that he hopes to raise $1 million a year to support his work. So far, he said, the fundraising effort, which he puts “in the six figures,” has been buoyed by joint appearances with foundation trustee Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who famously accused the Bush administration of outing his wife as a covert CIA agent.
At his appearances, Weinstein is also hawking his 2006 book, “With God on Our Side: One Man’s War Against an Evangelical Coup in America’s Military.” That tome will soon be outdated by a sequel, tentatively titled “Taking God to Court.”
Even when Weinstein is signing books, his fierce commitment to America’s armed forces is apparent. In a nod to his military roots, Weinstein wears his class ring from the Air Force Academy, where he and his wife, Bonnie, were married in the school chapel’s only Jewish wedding. The ring, with a prominent aqua-marine stone set in the center, is inscribed with two words: “Never Again.”
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Maria Sharapova's Biography
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova was born on the 19th of April, 1987. She was a Russian professional tennis Player and had been ranked as the former world's number one. Being an US resident since 1994, sharapova won 23 WTA singles title, including three Grand Slam singles title at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She even managed to win the year-end invitational WTA tour Championships in 2004.
The Women's Association (WTA) has ranked Sharapova World No.1 in singles for the first time on Aug 22, 2005 and last regained this ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. She is currently ranked as the world's number fifth with a record of participating in 5 Grand Slam finals with 3-2.
Maria Sharapova's Personal Profile
Name: Maria Yuryevna Sharapova.
Date of Birth: 19th April 1987 (Age 24).
Birthplace of Maria Sharapova: Nyagan, Siberia.
Residence of Maria Sharapova:Bradenton Florida, USA
Plays: Right handed(two handed Backhand)
Hair Colour: Brownish Golden
Eye Colour: Hazel eyed
Sharapova's Father's Name: Yury Sharapova
Sharapova's Mother's Name: Yelena Sharapova
Siblings of Maria Sharapova: None
Maria Sharapova's Boyfriend: Engaged to a professional Basketball player Sasha Vujacic
Interests: Sherlok Holmes story books, hip hop dances, Stamp Collection
Favourite surface of Maria Sharapova: Fast playing hard and grassy courts.
Maria Sharapova's Tennis Career
Maria Sharapova made her first breakthrough at the age of 17 in 2004 by defeating the top player Serena Williams for her first Grand Slam Finals. This win helped her enter the top ten WTA rankings. It is heard that she started playing when she was four and from the age of nine she started taking of professional training. She became a pro in 2001 when she was only fourteen. She later became the first Russian to reach Number 1 in WTA rankings.
At the age of 17 after winning the 2004 Wimbledon finals, she earned more than 16 million dollars only from advertising contracts. In the 2008 Australian open she reached the peak of her career by not dropping even a set on her way to winning the tile. Although 2008 started off well for Maria, it didn't end off that well due to an injury on her right shoulder which caused her to miss a number of tournaments. She even missed the Olympics, the US Open and the season ending championships in 2008 and as well as the Australian opens in 2009.
After that her performance had been quite inconsistent and she lost her position from the Top 10 WTA Rankings. In 2011 only owing to a change in coach, Sharapova managed to bring herself back to the Top 10 with brilliant performance in all the competitions. Atlast in the 2011 Wimbledon Championships where she was seeded fifth, she lost to Petra Kvitova though she had not drop even a set before entering the final.
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