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At This Theater: The American Airlines Theatre
Like the Hudson and Lyric Theatres, the American Airlines Theatre is one of Broadway's "new-old" venues, with its auditorium revitalized to its former glory. For me, it is one of the most comfortable places to see a show. The leg room - especially in the mezzanine - is a spacious luxury. And I don't think there's a bad seat in the house; even the last row upstairs feels close to the action. I look forward to my fifth visit!
At This Theater:
The Shows I saw There: Violet, On The Twentieth Century, Noises Off, Long Day's Journey Into Night
How They Rate:
4. On The Twentieth Century: Maybe it was the show itself, but all of the lavish sets and costumes, spectacular tap dancing porters, and across-the-board star-casting couldn't save this one for me. I truly adore Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher (not to mention the supporting cast), but I found them to be over-acting and shrill. I was bored within 15 minutes, and really only stayed to see how bad it would get. I wasn't disappointed in that regard.
3. Long Day's Journey Into Night: This one was the show itself. Far be it from me to cast aspersions on a true American classic. I can appreciate why it is so highly ranked by critics everywhere. But we got the point O'Neill was trying to make by the end of act one. Three acts? Torture. The saving grace? The casting, with Jessica Lange (and her table) turning in a spectacular performance, and Gabriel Byrne, Michael Shannon and John Gallagher, Jr. more than holding their own as father and sons. The tension was thick. But it was exhausting.
2. Noises Off: I had seen the previous revival (with Peter Gallagher!) and loved it. But I had to wonder<|fim_middle|> First?
CD REVIEW: Jay Records' Anyone Can Whistle
Broadway Who's Who: Bob Avian
This Week in Broadway History: February 16 - 22
Broadway Games: Broadway Romance
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This Week in Broadway History: February 9 - 15
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At This Performance: Jessica Phillips in Next to N...
One That Got Away: The Testament of Mary
This Week in Broadway History: February 2 - 8 | if I'd get much out of this production, given that I knew all of its many surprises going in. Well, I wasn't disappointed one bit. It was great fun to see a new crop of amazing actors chew through this one. I especially loved Megan Hilty and Andrea Martin. Sardines!
1. Violet: Other than being aware that Jeanine Tesori was involved in the creation of the piece, I went into this show completely unknowing. What a beautiful, moving piece it is - at times horrifying, joyful, sinister and hopeful, I was immediately swept up in the journey of a disfigured girl. That said, it was the three principals that sealed my love for this show. Both Colin Donnell and one of my all-time favorites, Joshua Henry, were wonderful. But it was Sutton Foster who impressed me most. With no traditional musical comedy tricks to play, and even less glamour, Ms. Foster shined in way I didn't think she could. And without a stitch of extra make-up on her face, she made me see Violet's disfigurement clearly, and the beautiful young woman underneath it.
Do you have fond (or not so fond) memories of a show at the American Airlines Theater? Please share with us by email (jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com) or on Twitter (@jkstheatrescene).
Labels: American Airlines Theatre, At This Theatre, Noises Off, Violet
Broadway Games: Which Leading Lady...?
Favorite Designs: The Scenic Design of The Great C...
Track By Track: Zorba (New Broadway Cast Recording)
This Week in Broadway History: February 23 - March 1
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Broadway Games: Which Came | 359 |
Softricity was the pioneer with application virtualization. Microsoft did a great acquisition in January 2007 by buying this company. After one and half year the new 4.5 version is the first version which is branded to Microsoft. The name SoftGrid is almost disappeared and replaced by App-V 4.5 (or Microsoft Application Virtualization, which was initially the new name for the product).
In previous version it was not really easy to preload applications on the SoftGrid client, because a user needed to be logged in. In App-V 4.5 this is now possible to arrange that without any users logged on. Unfortunate this only functions in combination with Microsoft SMS.
One of the major complaints of the SoftGrid infrastructure was the back-end overhead including a management server, Active Directory assignments and a database. With App-V 4.5 there is now also a lightweight server available without those components. There is now also a possibility to use the virtualized applications without a server, but logically you don't have the streaming and active upgrades option.
The auto caching option allows background streaming of virtualized applications (even when the application is not in use) without disrupting the work of the end-user. You can configure the behavior of the auto caching on the client.
The configuration of the client has several improvements. A great improvement is the possibility to overwrite the SFT location specified in the OSD file to another location (very useful if you have different locations with a local App-V server). Also the client settings can now be management by using the App-V ADM Template within Active Director Group Policy Objects.
This feature is probably the most important feature to upgrade your current App-V infrastructure. The concept of separating each application in a separate "bubble" solves many compatibility issues, but the middleware applications still were needed in several "bubbles". This caused that updating such a much used middleware still needed much work. With Dynamic Suite composition you can create a separate sequence for the middleware application and assign that to another application. Really wonderful option and my current experiences are pretty OK with this feature.
Although the protocol used is a relative good protocol using HTTP Streaming according to Microsoft will providing dramatic performance and scalability improvements.
The sequence process is simplified by hiding and removing advanced features which were never touched by any sequencer.
With this feature virtual applications can be easily deployed with any existing infrastructure that uses MSI deployment (most useful when using the App-V Lightweight Server or Stand Alone option).
App-V 4.5 can be seamless integrated with System Center Configuration Manager.
For a full list and more information about the new features this webpage is a very good starting point. Now we have seen the new feature let's take a look at the product.
Like the previous versions there are three installation procedures: the installation of the App-V server, the App-V client and the App-V Sequencer. Because of the new different server types (full version or streaming) you should carefully consider which type you are going to use, because it are to separated installations. When choosing the full version you also need to decide where you are going to install the components. Like previous version there is a web service for administrating the App-V environment which needs IIS and .Net Framework 2.0. This can be installed separately or combined with the Streaming component.
The installation is pretty similar as the previous versions. You need to specify the database server (a new database can be created within the wizard now), a certificate can be selected (if you would like to use secured streaming), the streaming port and the groups authorized to use App-V and to administrator the App-V infrastructure.
The client installation is changed a bit, because one of the new features to override the SFT location specified in the OSD (see Figure 2). Other installation steps are specifying the locations for the Global Data and user Data, the App-V Drive, the Cache size, the automatic load options (also a new option) and at last the type and name of the App-V server.
The sequencer installation is really a step by step installation with only one parameter to specify the installation location of the program.
Configuration for the App-V infrastructure can be performed both on Server as the client. The server configuration is done via the Application Virtualization Management Console. This console contacts the installed web service providing the administration features. Out of this console you can configure some specific App-V settings like memory application, block sizes, number of core processes and similar.
From the same console you import the virtualized application into the database, manage the file type associations, authentication settings, refresh settings, managing the administrator role and so on. Remember that his part only applies to the App-V Full infrastructure. When using the Streaming only option you don't have the database and these settings cannot be configured.
Also on the client several settings can be configured. Logically the App-V Streaming Server can be configured and more specific settings can be configured. In<|fim_middle|> application to the desktop or start menu. In the lightweight mode you should arrange the placement of shortcuts to the end user.
If you have worked with previous version of SoftGrid on the client side you will see no big differences. The console still looks the same and also from user perspective the look and feel is the same.
Under the hood, ad configured in your settings, the application will be cached on the client without disrupting the end-user independent of the user is actually using that part of the applications (as in previous version only the used components were cached).
App-V can now be integrated with System Centre Configuration Manager so most of the management tasks and logging can now also be done out of that product. When you compare the App-V as a standalone application against the previous version the functionality is comparable. The report functionality is still available in the management console to create both graphical and textual survey for the following subjects: Application Utilization, System Utilization, System Audit and System errors. When troubleshooting App-V issues there are two log files, which are very useful. On the server side there is the file sft-server.log, while on the client sftlog.txt is available. This sftlog.txt file is your starting point when troubleshooting issues. Microsoft is still using those number error codes, while those codes are still not all available within the knowledgebase. There is still some work to do, because some of those numbers and also the corresponding text do not point you to the right direction.
This App-V version includes a lot of new features which many of them are desired. The Dynamic Suite Composition (DSC) and the App-V Streaming only Server are features that for many companies can be a good reason to upgrade to this new version. Of course there is still space for improvements mainly based on troubleshooting (error codes not available in the knowledgebase) and manageability (overview of the connected sequence). | this App-V 4.5 version Microsoft is providing an ADM template to configure all clients centrally using a Group Policy Object. This is a wonderful solution, especially when you have several locations with several App-V infrastructures. It is a pity that now all options are available in the ADM template like the configuration of the cache size. But there are additional ADM templates released by third parties with such configurable options.
The most important part of the App-V infrastructure is logically creating the virtualized applications with the App-V Sequencer. Technically there are not many differences in comparison with the earlier versions of the Sequencers. The biggest change is the simplification of the Sequence wizard. In the wizard lots of configuration options are removed or moved after advanced buttons. This makes the process easier.
As mentioned before at the new features Dynamic Suite Composition (DSC) is now available. With DSC it is possible to link sequences in another sequence so those sequences can be used out of the sequence they are linked in. Very useful for middleware applications like Java Runtimes, Oracle Client, Crystal Reports and so on. Linking is based on entries within the OSD file. Unfortunate there is no mechanism to manage the linking out of the management console centrally, but out of the sequencer (or manually editing the OSD files). Therefore you should administrator which sequence is linked in which sequence, especially because the link is based on the SFT file and the corresponding GUID (so a change in the middleware sequence implies changing the OSD in which that sequence is linked). It will go way into detail to mention all the steps. I'm preparing an article for another website about this topic, so check the news section of this website regularly so you are notified when this article is available.
After adding the sequence to the management console (or copying the sequence to the content share in the streaming only feature) it is possible to use the application using the Client. With the full version you can configure shortcuts to the | 395 |
In the midst of national reform initiatives and a<|fim_middle|>'s Leadership Development Framework. | rapidly changing global economy, one critical challenge around improving the quality of education for all of Ohio's students is clear: we must ensure that the leaders of our schools, regardless of their role, have the essential knowledge and skills to do their job and do it well. Ohio's colleges and universities play a critical part in preparing future educational leaders to fulfill this role. This module was designed to assist post secondary instructors, who teach in programs preparing future school administrators, to integrate the OLAC Learning Modules into their curriculums.This guide offers supplemental instructional activities based on the OLAC Learning Modules and integrates them into the typical courses leading to administrative licensure in Ohio.This module features videos, pre- and post-assessments, and questions for discussion.
This module aligns with all areas of Ohio | 158 |
If you are looking for a fun way to explore the beautiflul Sedona why not check out A Day in the West, the oldest tour company in Sedona.
Priding themselves on being the oldest tour company working since 1949 and they offer a wide range of tours, including: Jeep Tours, Horseback Rides, Jeep / Helicopter Combination, Jeep / Spa Combination, and Jeep /<|fim_middle|> and geology of the area. | Winery Combination Tours. There is a tour for every type of person, and they have thousands of thank you letters to prove it.
Familydaysout were lucky enough to take one of the Jeep Tours and we had a fantastic time. Guide Giff was as informative as he was full of fun and the sites were incredible. We were able to stop and take great photos and learned so much about the area and the flora and fauna. Even a thing or two about geology. The ride wasn't too hairy and safety was key at all times.
If a jeeps and helicopters are not your thing how about Horse riding?
Travel by air-conditioned van out to the stables, where you will enjoy a 1.5 hour horseback ride (approximate) on a working ranch located in the valleys wine country. Relax as you ride across Oak Creek and Javelina Leap Vineyard and Winery then head on up the original Stage Coach Trail that takes you to a vista view point of the Verde Valley in true Arizona western style.
There are many combination tours too so check out the website as there is something for everyone!
If you take a tour later in the day bring warmer clothing as the temperature drops when the sun goes down. The seats are heated though!
The tours are informative and incorporate learning about the land | 265 |
Nic Fanciulli new album announced 'My Heart'
Nic Fanciulli is a name synonymous with electronic music culture. As part of the generation of DJs that were formative<|fim_middle|> scenes. 'My Heart', Nic's debut album is an amalgamation of these experiences and passions.
Over the course of the 15-track LP, Fanciulli explores a variety of musical landscapes,moods and emotions. 'My Heart' presents club-ready tracks offset with more downtempo tracks for the home-listener.
"The conception of the album started ten years ago and there's probably been around 300 records written in that time. I've spent so much time and effort making this album that it's essentially become a part of me, it has become my heart and my soul" – Nic Fanciulli
Nic's first track from the album is 'Wrong', featuring long-time friend Agoria and electro vocalist JAW. 'Wrong' is Nic's first original production to drop following his remixes of Jamie XX and Gorillaz. 'Wrong' is a showcase of Nic's signature deep sound offset with JAW's soaring vocals.
You can listen to the track below
On the album, Nic also collaborates with Guy Gerber, Audion, CONSTANCE, Innervisions affiliate Eagles & Butterflies and one of the early Chicago house music pioneers Jamie Principle lends his hand to '100mph'.
My Heart is released 20th October via My Heart. | of the revolution of dance music in Ibiza, Nic's career has spanned two decades at the forefront of the UK underground | 25 |
Know your plan of action.
~ The project<|fim_middle|> to join my monthly e-mail list! | should be planned to the very last detail. By the time financing was secured, a timeline and schedule of events was set, finishes for home were chosen, and the team was in place for demo and finish out. What about a budget? That was completed PRIOR to securing financing.
A solid performing neighborhood is a must.
~ A serious knowledge of the immediate and larger neighborhood market is required to pinpoint this type of location, and it is not usually as easy as you might guess. Finding the property, approaching and working with a seller who is not listed in the MLS can be intimidating and challenging – while also worth it!
No Time for Lazy when flipping a home.
~ Whether it is your own home you are improving on a timeline to list in the MLS or a project you are working to sell in the next 6 months, staying on task is essential. Know your timeline and execute it as planned and you will make money. Not sure what is next or falling behind schedule costs time. Especially when carrying the cost of the property, its insurance, taxes, mortgage and utilities, time equals money.
Want to see the progress of our flip? Like my Facebook Page to follow our progress or email me at Rachelle@RachelleAnselmi.com | 252 |
<|fim_middle|> effectively manage today's workforce in the day to day operation of the organization. Leadership Development training will enhance the skill set necessary to better understand their responsibility and authority to effectively manage their workforce.
Successful leaders are those who are able to adapt to the unique demands of the situation. This module covers coaching, collaboration and respect. These leadership behaviors help team leaders, managers, and supervisors focus their efforts on higher value-added activities. "Coaching helps people explore their motivation and overcome barriers that hold them back. Coaching is a useful way of developing people's skills and abilities and of boosting performance".
Participants will learn about different communication styles and techniques that create different communication perceptions. They will learn what types of approaches are necessary to communicate effectively in different types of situations.
Participants will learn their personal approaches to stressful situations through assessment and understand how to address various levels of anger and stress. This workshop helps employees through the conflict resolution process, and shows them the skills to resolve conflicts on their own.
Participants learn how to evaluate and implement motivational theory and various techniques that can be used to foster a high performance environment. Participants discuss situations that help them apply the material on the job.
Participants learn the importance of healthy employee relationships; what strategies motivate to improve morale; understand the strategy that employees are the company's number one asset, and to instill true sense of ownership. Students will participate in trust building activities to develop mutual respect, openness, understanding and empathy, as well as helping to develop communication and teamwork skills.
This program helps individuals identify and develop the skills that make them more effective at leading change, whether the change is one they have chosen to initiate or one they have been asked to implement. Additionally, attendees gain an understanding of change reactions and how to deal with them.
Although sexual harassment has been defined and declared illegal, several problems concerning the prevention and handling of sexual harassment continue to plague workers and employers alike. This session defines and identifies sexual harassment and offensive behaviors that could be considered harassment. Real-life episodes are discussed and the ramifications of not complying with employment laws are addressed. The Diversity training program explores four main characteristics - sterotypes, similarities, unity and benefits - by listening to the stories and thoughts of characters who actually live and work in a diverse world. Participants learn why diversity is so important and are given the definitions and tools to understand more deeply our roles in diverse workplaces.
This session focuses on setting performance expectations, observing and measuring performance, coaching and developing, and recognizing and rewarding performance. This session also includes a process for dealing with job-related behavior that does not meet expected and communicated performance standards. Interviewing deals with protecting the company from legal trouble and embarrassment by avoiding the wrong questions while still getting to the root of the concern behind the question.
Who Should Attend? CEO's, VP's, District Managers, Directors, Supervisors, First time supervisors, front-line and mid-level supervisors, Foremen, Coordinators, and Team Leaders responsible for directing the workforce. | What is Leadership Development Essentials?
Leadership Development Essentials is a series of eight (8) highly interactive sessions that utilize a variety of instructional techniques including: group discussions, role playing, self-assessments, homework, and practical applications. Participants are encouraged to bring real life issues to each session to facilitate on-the-job application of the skills learned.
Participants need to understand how to | 75 |
Events, Films & Music
Irish Film Series this fall
The Irish Film series resumes on Sept. 16, 2009 in the Multimedia Room of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Fairfield University students and the community are welcome to enjoy this free event. Light refreshments will be served.
Sharing the introduction of the first film, "Veronica Guerin" (2003), is veteran journalist Dr. James Simon, formerly an editor with the Associated Press for ten years. Simon is chair of the English department and also teaches journalism. Dr. Kevin Cassidy, director of Irish Studies who teaches in the politics department, joins him in his introduction.
Directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Cate Blanchett in the title role, the film is based on the true story of Dublin award-winning reporter Guerin, who investigated the blatant drug trafficking in her city for 18 months. Set in the mid-1990's gritty Dublin before the roar of the Celtic tiger, Guerin pursues and exposes the drug lord John Gilligan, played by Gerard McSorley, who brutally attacks her, then later offers her a bribe not to press charges. Guerin, a happily married mother of a young son, is not simply obsessed with getting the story she is an idealist who is compelled to make Dublin a safer place for children. Following the screening, Simon and Cassidy will field questions from the audience.
The second film, "The Crying Game" (1992), will be shown on September 30. Directed by Neil Jordan, the film deals with sexual identity, national identity, and the IRA's efforts to get the British out of Northern Ireland. Stephen Rea plays Fergus, an IRA volunteer who rejects the excessive violence associated with the cause, along with the overtly masculine world of the paramilitary organization.
In contrast, Miranda Richardson as Jude, an IRA operative and one-time lover of Fergus, has no problem inflicting pain and suffering on the enemy. Forest Whitaker's Jody, the bisexual black Caribbean British soldier stationed in the North, represents both national and sexual ambiguity. Jaye Davidson, in the role of Dil, is the love object of both Jody and Fergus. Jordan's psychological thriller explores the controversial boundaries in love and war. Dr. Robert Epstein, associate professor of English, will introduce the film.
Next, on October 14, is "High Spirits" (1988), a comedy directed by Neil Jordan, and starring Peter O'Toole, as Peter Plunkett, the broke proprietor of Castle Plunkett that he runs as a hotel catering to American tourists. In an effort to encourage<|fim_middle|> Welcome Class of 2013 Next New Library website! | business, he claims the castle is haunted and gulls the Americans with the staged shenanigans of his staff. The fake ghosts turn out to be real ones, a bride and groom, played by Daryl Hannah and Liam Neeson, who have been dead for 200 years, but are, in fact, brimming with life. The meeting of the creatures from the two worlds creates confusion, some unlikely relationships, and plenty of high-spirited Irish humor. Dr. William Abbott, associate professor of history, will present the film.
The series closes on October 29 with "True Confessions" (1981). Directed by Ulu Grosbard, it stars Robert DeNiro, as a Catholic Monsignor, and Robert Duvall, as his brother, a cop. Set in Los Angeles in 1948, the story addresses the ethical conflicts the brothers encounter in their respective professions.
The plot hinges on a corrupt developer named Amsterdam, played by Charles Durning. This former pimp has become rich through the lucrative building contracts he receives from the Los Angeles Archdiocese, thanks to the Monsignor and with the blessing of the Cardinal. Amsterdam is named "Catholic Layman of the Year," an honor that angers the cop, who is privy to the developer's checkered past. When a young woman is murdered, Duvall's investigation leads him to Amsterdam, who may or may not be guilty. Burgess Meredith plays a dedicated priest who is not rewarded for his piety. Director of American Studies Dr. Leo O'Connor will introduce the film.
For more information, please contact Marion White, Irish Studies Committee, at (203) 254-4000, ext. 3021, or by e-mail: mwhite@fairfield.edu
Previous | 377 |
Move your character around the world of Monkey King Online by clicking a spot on the map. Click and hold the mouse button to have your character follow the cursor.
Press Z to auto-collect items dropped by enemies. You can also click on an item to pick it up. Items left on the ground disappear after a short time – don't miss out.
Press B to open your backpack or click the Backpack icon at the bottom of the screen. Click an item once to see a list of ways you can interact with that item.
If you double-click most items, you will usually be taken to the screen where you can use that item.
Hover your mouse cursor over any item icon - even those<|fim_middle|>, use A to go AFK and your character will automatically use skills.
ENTER Send a message when chatting. | you do not own - for more information. You can find out all kinds of key information, including how to acquire more of that item as well as information about expiration dates.
As with many RPGs, you may collect items for which you simply have no use. Fortunately, you can easily sell off unnecessary items using the 'Quick sale' button in your backpack. First click on the 'Quick sale' button, then click on items you wish to sell for Gold. You can always buyback items you did not mean to sell in your Saddlebag.
You recover HP, MP, and stamina while meditating, but you will most likely use meditation to gain Chi and EXP. There is a meditation button in the bottom right of the main screen, but it is much faster to meditate by simply hitting the X button. If your character moves or if you leave the game you will stop meditating.
Left-click to select a target. Double-click to begin attacking. Use the hotkeys 1-5, Q, W, and E in battle to toggle skills and transformations. If active combat isn't for you | 225 |
The US-based Episcopal Church's Forward Movement is inviting Episcopalians to study the Gospel of Luke during Lent and the Acts of the Apostles over Eastertide, through a series of daily readings. "We love sequels, and Luke-Acts provides a wonderful two-part narrative," the ministry says on its Good Book Club website. The Forward Movement grew out of the Episcopal Church's General Convention in 1934 and has been producing a range of resources since then "to encourage spiritual growth in individuals and congregations." This year's Lent invitation to study Luke and Acts begins on Sunday 11 February. Participants will read a section of Luke's Gospel every day during Lent, before moving on to Acts at Easter.
"People who read scripture with an open heart grow in faith through their encounter with the sacred stories of the Bible," the Forward Movement say on their Good Book Club website. "We know this to be true in our personal experiences – and we have research to back it up<|fim_middle|> which contains theological reflections written by faith leaders from around the world. There is also a downloadable discussion guide for groups.
The readings are also available as a printable pdf. | . RenewalWorks, a Forward Movement research-based initiative, has data from nearly half a million participants that identify scripture engagement as a key catalyst for spiritual vitality in congregations and for individuals.
At its simplest, participants will read a few verses of Luke and Acts each day – each book has been divided into 50 segments. Those who want to do more, can take part in the Forward Movement's Bible Challenge series, A Journey with Luke and A Journey through Acts, | 95 |
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When it comes to a good drop, Howard Park Wines know a thing or two about delivering the goods. With a long history of developing a range of great varieties, these winemakers continue to work towards a style of wine that is destined to stand the test of time - no fluff or trends will be found here, just quality and elegant drinking for all to enjoy time and time again.
Image from Howard Park Wines Instagram
It's all good and well to highlight that these wines are great, but who is Howard Park Wines and what's their whole mission behind wine? We chatted to them recently about the ins and outs of their establishment, so you, the reader and wine lover could have more of an inside scoop about these incredible wine developers<|fim_middle|>. Each year we lock away a small amount of our new release Riesling to re-release once it has had some time to age and develop. This is an exciting program that gives wine lovers the opportunity to taste back vintage wines without the hassle of storing or cellaring wines for future enjoyment. Cellaring can be such a rewarding experience when done properly, and the Burch family wants more people to enjoy this delicious wine artform through their own Museum Series wine releases.
We're featuring the Miamup Chardonnay 2020 - can you tell our readers a little more about this white and why it's so special?
We focus on a critical selection across our Margaret River vineyards to produce the Miamup Chardonnay. Each parcel adds rich complexity to the wine due to the soils, aspects, clones, and microclimates for each site – giving our winemakers a diverse palette, so to speak, to craft this wine. Needless to say, the team is pretty enthusiastic about working through each of the parcels and combining them together to produce this special wine.
Image supplied by Howard Park Wines
What pairs well with this lip-smacking drop?
The wine is ultra-flavoursome and complex, so can be one to sip and savour on its own, or for added complexity, a pungent, soft cheese like camembert or Roquefort and some crisp biscuits would go down a treat.
The three best scenarios to enjoy this style of wine
A few friends and a lush cheese platter.
Sundowner drinks after a day at the beach.
A glass to enjoy while cooking dinner for someone special.
Want to visit this incredible location for a wine tasting? Don't miss the chance to visit one of the best locations in Australia:
https://www.howardparkwines.com.au/
543 Miamup Road
Cowaramup
hpw@hpw.com.au
543 Miamup Road, Cowaramup, WA 6284
cellardoor@hpw.com.au
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Who are Howard Park Wines and how did they come about?
Howard Park Wines was originally founded by John Wade who released a Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling under the Howard Park label in 1986. John's mission was to craft a wine with generational cellaring potential, and that remains true to Howard Park's philosophy today. His friend and fellow wine lover Jeff Burch joined in a partnership seven years later after he and his wife Amy purchased a parcel of land to develop for vines, in addition to constructing a winery and cellar door as part of the venture. The Burch family took sole control of Howard Park in 1998.
What is your point of difference when it comes to the development of a great wine?
Many things go into producing a great wine, but for us at Howard Park, people are at the heart of everything we do. The team are dedicated to our mission to produce wines of provenance and elegance that stand the test of time. The people behind Howard Park's wines have built an intellectual database of the regions, vineyards, blocks and clones of the fruit sourced to produce these wines and has developed this knowledge over the course of our 30-year plus history.
What's the ethos of Howard Park Wines?
We aim to showcase the best of the Margaret River and Great Southern wine regions through an ethos that celebrates passion, commitment, and dedication to our craft. Both regions are incredibly diverse and known around the globe for producing exceptional wines. Our team is dedicated to understanding the intricate personalities of the sites we source our fruit from, and this exhaustive knowledge of the regions and plots of lands we work from shows in the outstanding wines we produce year to year.
"The team are dedicated to our mission to produce wines of provenance and elegance that stand the test of time."
What exciting things are coming out of Howard Park at the moment?
Our Icon Wines consistently impress critics with each new release. The Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon, Allingham Chardonnay and A.S.W. Cabernet Shiraz are individually considered benchmark wines in terms of style and quality for the region. We're very passionate about showcasing the Great Southern as a leading sparkling wine producing region. The Great Southern is perfectly suited to growing fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes that display high natural acidity ideal for sparkling wines and our Jeté collection is a terrific example of the style and diversity coming from the region. We are also excited to be releasing our 2014 Museum Release Riesling as part of our Museum Series program | 525 |
It's been a dark, cold, wet and snowy winter! New Year's resolutions notwithstanding, it's really difficult to resit curling up inside instead of going outside and, you know, moving around a little. Between the lack of light and the lack of<|fim_middle|> will make many of us addicts happy: your morning coffee will also give your heat-generating metabolism a little kick!
Stay warm, happy, and healthy, friends! | activity that can afflict us this time of year despite our best intentions, the food we eat is as important as ever in terms of keeping both body and mind feeling comforted, energized and generally balanced. These are a few of our tips for foods that will work with your psychology and physiology to bolster you up while things slowly get warmer and brighter out there.
Now, technically, if your food is so hot and spicy you break a sweat eating it, that will cool you down not warm you up because sweating is your body's built in cooling system. But a moderately spicy (whatever moderate is for you) chilli or curry will absolutely make you feel warm from the inside out, and there are loads of really healthy recipe options out there for both of these. Ginger of course has some delicious heat to it, and you can sneak it in anywhere from soups, to flavouring roasted veg, to a cup of tea. And cumin, cinnamon and turmeric are all spices known for bringing some deep warmth to dishes without pushing things into eye-watering heat territory, so look out for recipes that feature them!
To get to a more elemental level, having low iron will never make your life easier but it may make things particularly difficult in the winter, because people who suffer from anemia and borderline anemia do often have a difficult time keeping their body temperature up. There are lots of high quality iron supplements out there, and/or be sure you're eating iron-rich foods like ethically raised red meats, oysters, spinach, lentils, tofu… Meanwhile, good fats from foods like avocados, quality plant oils (coconut, olive, seeds), fatty fish, grass-fed butter, and so on, will help keep your metabolism at a good, steady burn which will help regulate both your energy and your warmth. And a final note that | 373 |
HomeOp-edparents
Do we need better parents?
November 23, 2011 John Merrow Current Events, Education Philosophies, Occupy, parenting, parents, teaching
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If you live in or around NYC, John will be appearing in conversation with Randi Weingarten — the topic is "Unions and the Future Of Our Schools" — on Wednesday, December 14. Click here for tickets and info.
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If we want our children to perform better academically, we need "better parents." That's what Tom Friedman wrote, perhaps ironically, on November 19 in the New York Times. The column provoked hundreds of readers to comment, and those comments provide insights into just how far apart we are as a nation, at least when it comes to public education.
Friedman cites an OECD study that reveals that "Fifteen-year-old students whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents read with them infrequently or not at all." (My use of the verb 'reveals' is my effort at irony, in case you are wondering.)
Friedman cites another study, "Back to School," from the American School Board Journal, which says that, when parents are involved in children's learning, the kids do better. "Monitoring homework; making sure children get to school; rewarding their efforts and talking up the idea of going to college. These parent actions are linked to better attendance, grades, test scores, and preparation for college," the study reports. It adds that these things matters more than attending PTA meetings, volunteering in classrooms, or helping raise money for the school.
There is a certain "Duh" factor — yes, involved parents make a difference in their children's education — but what struck me was the heat and intensity of the responses, some of which I am excerpting below.
A few readers responded to Mr. Friedman's comments about 'better parents' by changing the subject and preaching about the need for 'better teachers.'
Janet of Salt Lake City was an early responder who wrote, in part: We need to place the responsibility for teaching squarely where it lies — on the teachers. A great teacher can teach anything to any child. Rather than wishing to turn every parent into the perfect parent, a goal that can't be achieved, we need to provide the training and salaries that will attract the best and the brightest of our college graduates into a career in public education.
Moreover, suggested another respondent from Salt Lake City, SThomas: It's the fault of the schools that parents aren't involved. He wrote, in part: Unfortunately, most of these uninvolved parents were educated in the same school systems that are now failing our children, so naturally they lack the kinds of skill sets needed to instill in their children a thirst for learning. And it's a vicious cycle: these same parents will then go on to elect next year's school board members who will determine next year's under-performing curriculum when compared to the rest of the world, thus setting up their children for failure in an ever-changing world.
Many readers attacked Janet, often in a 'what planet are you living on?' vein.
Persam1197 of NY was pretty typical: Janet, you said: 'The public school system of every community has the responsibility to teach every student, regardless of the quality of the home life.' I agree wholeheartedly, and that's why placing the burden and responsibility of squarely on teachers as you suggest is misguided. It takes a village to raise a child, and, until our communities accept responsibility for our children, expect more of the same.
Do mom and dad need to improve?
Predictably, teachers — like Malcolm in Pennsylvania — responded defensively to the being criticized. I have taught in public schools for more than 20 years, in an inner city and in a rural setting. I wouldn't mind being held highly accountable for achievement in children I see for 150 hours a year (50 minutes a day for 180 days) if the parents who are responsible for them the other 8,610 hours out of the year were also held highly accountable. "Accountable" means more than showing up for a 10-minute parent conference once a year.
A more common response, however, was supportive of Mr. Friedman's point, often with hand-wringing. Here's what Judy C of Phoenix wrote:
It goes without saying that when parents are actively involved in their children's education, the children do better. Unfortunately, for many reasons, a lot of parents are uninvolved, and the raising of the child is essentially left up to the school. Sure, there's nothing better than a good teacher; but really, a child's primary, and most important, educator is his or her parent. Parents need to step up.
Don Myers of Connecticut agreed: How the parent respects learning is the key to how the child perceives and respects learning. Learning is a 24/7 deal not just limited to the school and related activities. We treat the school with disdain and with no more respect than we do the baby sitter.
Dale, a former teacher in Idaho, suggested that parents actively instill anti-school attitudes in their children: Many students regard school and their teachers as adversaries.
Jim G in DC agreed: Hostility toward education does not come from the great teacher. It comes from the parent, or from the lack of a parent. We must break the cycle of poor student performance in economically disadvantaged homes, and we cannot expect the preschoolers in those homes to do the fixing. The parents must change.
Which prompted a question from Josh Hill in Connecticut:
Sure, but how do you improve the parents?
If the challenge is to improve parents, whose job would that be?
Susan of Eastern Washington noted that "Parents often do not acknowledge that they, and not any school, are ultimately responsible for their children's educations."
Why is this happening? Do parents not know they are responsible, are they aware but incapable, or are they willfully ignoring their responsibilities to their children in their mindless pursuit of money and status? (Those were all popular explanations, by the way.)
None of the comments I read addressed what to me is a critical issue, and that is a false distinction between 'education' and 'schooling,' a distinction that I believe has been perpetuated and reinforced by many educators. That is, too many educators act as if they are in charge, a kind of "Leave your children — and your tax dollars — at the schoolhouse door, and don't bother us."
(Many superintendents and principals then set up 'parent involvement committees' and other patronizing activities that actually reinforce the barriers between parents and schools. It's like saying 'yes, we will let you be involved in your children's education, but only through channels and by serving on committees.' No wonder so many parents are fed up with educators!)
So what's to be done? Ken of Hobe Sound (FL) suggested that "One powerful change a parent from an at-risk family can apply to transform their child's defeatist approach to school is to become very involved in their student's education on a daily basis."
Bingo! But how can that happen? Mr. Friedman quotes from his conversation with Andres Schleicher of OECD:
"Just asking your child how was their school day and showing genuine interest in the learning that they are doing can have the same impact as hours of private tutoring. It is something every parent can do, no matter what their education level or social background."
Sure, every parent can do that if they know they're supposed to, but I believe that schools and teachers can actually make that happen, organically and naturally, with a carefully designed curriculum in the early grades that continues up through secondary school.
I have written about this elsewhere but here's a short summary: beginning in kindergarten, teachers should create 'homework' that involves the parents or guardians of their students. It can be as simple as asking Mom or Dad about their favorite movie for the first-grader's 'show and tell' the next day. Early writing assignments can be on family-connected topics: What was Mom's favorite food growing up, and why? What was the first trip Dad or Grandma took? Why is XX your favorite (athlete, actress, political leader)? And so on. And this is not a one-off but a routine, at least once every week.
This works for math as well, with shopping and cooking and anything else that involves numbers.
When 'homework' is organic, the families cannot help but 'fulfil their responsibilities, but not in an 'eat your peas' way. Parents will want to see what their children write, and what the teacher writes on the paper. More connections emerge.
I am thankful that we live in a country where we can speak freely, but in public education the 'them versus us' approach isn't working. We all can and must get better, but finger pointing won't get us there.
With testing, where do we go from here?
July 19, 2011 John Merrow Arne Duncan, charter schools, Cheating, Early Childhood Education, Education Wars, Educational Language, innovation, Last In First Out, media, parents, reading, school reform, Standardized tests, teaching, Testing
As always, remember that John's book The Influence of Teachers is for sale at Amazon.
Forget cheating on tests for a minute and think about the concept of 'teaching to the test.' Just what does that mean? The usual line (which I have used myself) goes something like this: "It's OK if it's a good test," and that may be correct. Unfortunately, most of the tests that I have seen are not 'good' tests.
Think about teaching students to write, and then testing their skills. Clear writing is important. Employers want to hire people who can write clearly, accurately and well — but learning to write takes time and requires rewriting and more rewriting, under the guidance of a good teacher. There are no shortcuts. However, our obsession with numbers subverts both teaching and learning. Teachers are told that their students must be able to pass bubble tests and write a lot of short so-called essays (usually one or two paragraphs!) There's no time for reflection or rewriting.
Instead, students are drilled in the 'constructed response' process: write a declarative statement and then add three or four details to support a statement, such as: "I always use sun block when I go to the beach." And so they follow the formula they've been given and produce something like: "I always wear sun block when I go to the beach because too much sun can cause cancer, and because too much sun will make me all wrinkled when I get old, and because cancer can kill you. My mother makes me use sun block too."
That 'essay' would get a passing score because the student supported his statement in four ways. The teacher (or machine?) grading the 'essay' could simply count the supporting reasons. Everybody — teachers, principal, superintendent and school board — would pat themselves on the back, but is Microsoft, GE or Hilton likely to offer someone who's been trained to write that way a job?
That's what we are doing to our children. It's only slightly hyperbolic to say that we are lying to our kids.
Cracking down on cheaters — which we should do — won't fix our problem. Think about it this way: You are sitting in your living room when drops of water begin falling on your head. Clearly, you have a problem. If you move your chair, have you solved it? After all, you no longer have water falling on your head.
Tests aren't going away. But where do we go now?
Of course not, because the problem persists, although now the water is falling on your living room rug. Suppose you get a large pot and place it where it can catch the falling water? Have you solved the problem? Of course not, because you still have a leak somewhere.
You get the point. I think it's time for those of us who are attacking bubble testing and the intense pressure to 'produce' to back off and ask, "Where do we go from here?"
Unfortunately, we haven't asked and answered that question in the past. Subverting the testing system is an old story that we don't seem to learn much from. Remember Austin, Texas, where most of the school board was implicated in test score deception? How about that small town in Connecticut with its 'miraculous' test score gains a few years ago? Not miracles, just plain old cheating.
Sometimes the system aids and abets the deception, as in Florida, where a loophole in the state law allowed districts to counsel low-performing students to drop out to go into GED programs. By law, the districts didn't have to count these kids as dropouts as long as they suggested the GED alternative, no matter that no one had to follow up to see if the kids actually enrolled.
How about the so-called 'Texas Miracle" that turned out to be the 'Texas Mirage?' Houston had great test scores, and Superintendent Rod Paige eventually became U.S. Secretary of Education. Then we learned that an inordinate number of low-performing 8th graders were simply being held back, often for more than one year, because high-stakes testing didn't begin until 9th grade. Some find the seeds of No Child Left Behind in that misadventure.
Atlanta may actually be the proverbial tip of the cheating iceberg because evidence that suggests major cheating has also occurred in D.C., Pennsylvania, Florida, Houston, Baltimore, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Some consultants, test security companies and even the test makers themselves are licking their chops right now, expecting to make a lot of money designing what they will claim will be better defenses against cheating, because 'firewalls,' 'fail-safe' steps, 'erasure detection software', and other 'technical fixes' are a big part of the conversation. In fact, Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
"The technical fix is very simple, and they need to put that in place. The job for a new superintendent coming in after a crisis is to rebuild public confidence with absolute integrity, transparency."
I respectfully disagree, because cheating is not the real problem; it's a symptom of a larger problem, and the solution is not simple. Not by a long shot.
The problem in Atlanta, in D.C., and wherever else cheating is occurring proves Campbell's Law, which states "The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor."
Live by the test, die by the test.
We rely too heavily on the scores of relatively simple (and relatively cheap) machine-scored 'bubble' tests as the measure of educational accomplishment, and that invites deception, cheating and criminal behavior.
So where do we go from here? Well, we aren't going to 'get rid of testing,' that's for sure. Anyone who wants to throw out that bath water ought to recall the New Orleans high school valedictorian that could not pass the Louisiana state graduation test, despite being given multiple opportunities!
Nor is it enough to endorse "multiple measures" of achievement. It's more complicated. We have to ask ourselves what we want young people to be able to do upon graduation and figure out how to teach and encourage those behaviors. Then — and only then — do we figure out ways to measure them.
What if we were to ask large employers like Michael Dell, Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, Carol Bartz of Yahoo, the heads of Hilton, Hyatt, Avis and Hertz, Wendy Kopp of Teach for America, Steve Jobs, Jeffrey Immelt of GE, the provosts of some major universities, top advertising agencies and so on what they look for in potential employees? What would they say?
Or maybe you hire people for your company. What do you look for?
Life is not all about work, of course, so we ought to ask what we want our youth to be: good parents, concerned citizens, informed voters, discerning consumers, and so on.
Then let's figure out what sort of school-based experiences teach or sharpen those skills and attributes. My hunch is that group activities and project-based learning will figure prominently. I think we will be reminded of the truth of the late Ted Sizer's observation that "Less is more."
Tests drive public education right now. But what should be driving the enterprise are agreed-upon goals that come from the real world.
Where do we go from here? That's up to us, isn't it?
June 21, 2011 John Merrow charter schools, innovation, parenting, parents, Politics, school reform, teaching
How did you get through high school? If you are at all like me, your extra-curricular<|fim_middle|> of their parents, many of my students seem to need me to parent them as well as teach them.
On any given day, in order to teach I must also address the results of this kind of parenting:
–The gay teen whose mother tells him she wishes he had never been born and refuses to come get him when he cuts himself in the school bathroom;
–The-15-year-old whose smell makes us wretch because his clothes aren't washed and he doesn't bathe regularly;
–The 15-year-old girl who is shoved through a pane glass window by her mother's boyfriend when she asks him not to smoke around his new infant daughter (her half sister);
–The affluent boy whose parents' acrimonious divorce (his father's 3rd) forces him to quit the tennis team this spring because the shared custody arrangement (alternating homes nightly) leaves no way for him to get home from school after practices and games;
–The mother who corners me in the parking lot at Safeway to challenge a grade on her son's paper, saying it's because he rushed that he didn't clean up the evidence of plagiarism in his essay, and I have to re-grade the paper because his IEP entitles him to extended time (the plagiarism itself didn't trouble her);
–The 14-year-old boy who cannot stay awake in class because he is out until after midnight most school nights; his mother says, "he doesn't listen to me," and add that, in her opinion, he's "too old to have a bedtime;"
–The mother who tells me to stop calling her about her child's behavior and says, "When she's at school she's your problem. Stop expecting me to do your job."
–The phone that does not ring when report cards and interims go home showing failing grades.
–The father who berates me for chastising his daughter (who has 3 Es and 2 Ds) when I find her hanging out with her friends in the hallway rather than participating in an optional after-school Exam Review session which the teacher is running voluntarily and on his own time.
I am not alone. Many teachers feel like punching bags and crash test dummies.
Now, dear reader, ask yourself: would you trade places with that teacher? Could you last in the job as long as she had and still be as effective and caring as she is? Does she have a right to be upset?
For reasons I don't understand, many powerful people are defining public education's problem as "Bad Teachers." That's simplistic and dangerous.
Your thoughts on what we can do to make things better?
MOVIE REVIEW: Where Do I Stand?
November 17, 2010 John Merrow bullying, media, movie review, parenting, parents, race, teaching
I have a new favorite film about education. This one is NOT about school but rather about the moral dilemmas we all face, in this case a matter of life and death.
Where Do I Stand? captures the reactions of seven young people living in South Africa during the xenophobia attacks of 2008 in which 62 foreigners were murdered and about 100,000 driven out of their homes.
MOVIE REVIEW: The Lottery
November 2, 2010 John Merrow charter schools, media, parenting, parents, teachers unions, teaching cory booker, education, eva moscowitz, geoffrey canada, harlem success academy, new york city, reform
Put one notion to rest: The Lottery is not a poor cousin of Waiting for Superman. In some respects it's a purer and more honest film, ferocious in its anger. And although an NPR reviewer called it "a devastating piece of propaganda," the filmmaker begs to disagree.
Madeleine Sackler, not yet 30 years old, says The Lottery simply tells the stories of the lives of four families as they struggle to find better educational opportunities for their children. "That word, propaganda, has a negative connotation," she said. "This movie is true." | activities were the best part of the deal. The fun stuff — often what we worked hardest on — didn't really count as far as many of the adults were concerned, but it kept us sane.
I bring this up because the Yale School of Music asked me to talk to 50 of the country's best public school music teachers earlier this month. Perhaps foolishly, I accepted the invitation — but then had to figure out what I (not a musician) could say that might make sense to them. That got me thinking about the centrality of school's 'non-essential' activities like music. And then I remembered how another 'non-essential' activity — drama — had rescued my own teaching. Here's part of what I had to say:
You are music educators, but because I don't have the bona fides to talk to musicians, I will try to say something worthwhile about education. But what? Well, Last week I arrived at a recording session early, before my producer got there. The sound engineer and I had some time to talk, and he asked me what I was working on. I told him that I had been invited to speak to some of the nation's best music teachers and was grappling with the challenge — what to say.
'That's easy,' he said. 'Thank them for me.'
What do you mean, I asked?
'Well, I wouldn't have made it through high school or college if it hadn't been for my music teachers.'
Tell me more, I said.
'I played an instrument, but that wasn't what made it matter. In music, the rewards are right there for the taking. You work with others and are only as good as the group. But you can get better — and know you are getting better — by practicing. In other classes, the rewards are external and symbolic (letter grades) but not in music.'
So, from 40-something Richard Fairbanks, thank you. I am certain there are hundreds of thousands of Richard Fairbankses out there, adults who survived school — and later prospered — because of you.
From me, congratulations. I am proud to be here with you.
I have read your biographies, and all I can say is 'wow.'
Why teachers matter….
I think schools are teetering on the edge of a cliff marked 'obsolescence.' In my new book, I argue that two of the three reasons for having schools no longer apply. Now I realize there's a fourth reason, one that involves you.
Here's the story: I taught high school in New York in the mid-60s right after graduating from college. I write about that experience in The Influence of Teachers. One story I didn't write about in the book I'd like to tell now, because it's about how we turned to the arts — even then officially a non-essential activity — to energize our class. Looking back, I think it was the best teaching I ever did.
As a rookie teacher in a rigidly tracked school, I was not allowed anywhere near the kids who were on track to go to college. They were the 'ones' and the 'twos.' Instead, I was given five classes of 'threes,' the borderline kids that no one really cared very much about. They were Italian-Americans or working class Jews, with one or two Hispanics. For one class I was assigned to team-teach with an older Social Studies teacher named Patty Ecker (she was perhaps 24!). We struggled to interest the kids in the two subjects, without much success, until one day Patty said, "Let's have them write a play."
John Merrow teaches at Paul D. Schreiber HS in Port Washington, NY in 1966.
Bingo! We told them that they had to come up with a story, explained plots, talked about 'beginning, middle, end' and all that stuff. They could decide on characters, action, plot, and so on. Once they realized that they had a blank slate, they took off.
Maybe predictably, the main characters of their play were tough but misunderstood teenagers, kids the adults looked down on because their hair was slicked back and they wore leather — girls and boys alike.
The plot involved shoplifting from a store in town. Cigarettes, maybe. The owner accused the greasers, of course, and I think the football captain actually fingered them.
You can guess the plot twist pretty easily. The goody-two-shoes guy and his perfect girlfriend were the thieves, and so on.
Word spread that Miss Ecker's and Mr. Merrow's class was writing a play and acting it out in class. Which we were. Kids would say their lines, and other kids would critique. Is that what Rocco would say? Is that how Vinnie would say it?
As enthusiasm built, someone suggested actually staging the play in the auditorium. That meant building at least two sets, because some of the action took place in a kid's garage, some in an official office, maybe the principal's, maybe the police chief's — I don't remember. They scrounged up props, including one kid's chopped and lowered and louvered hot rod, if I remember correctly. Costumes. The whole nine yards.
For Patty and me, it was heaven. We were having — for the first time — the kinds of experiences that you have enjoyed throughout your careers, because we had engaged our kids in real work that both respected them and challenged them.
We had kids enthusiastically writing and rewriting. We heard from parents who had never been in touch with the school before. I remember a lovely letter I got from Joe Levy's mother. Written in a loopy scrawl with a couple of minor mistakes, that letter touched me as very little has since, because she said that her Joey had been ready to drop out because he hated school but now he was jumping out of bed, eager to go.
When they put on the play one afternoon, those kids became heroes to a pretty sizable segment of the school, the large group of students who are barely visible to the adults. Their play stood up to the in-crowd, but that was only a small part of their triumph. They had flexed their creative muscles, something that hardly ever happens for most kids in "curricular" stuff.
Why these classes and activities are ever called 'extra curricular' is beyond me.
What we discovered, quite by accident, is something you know in your core: kids are not afraid of work, not if it's work of value. Some teachers believe, incorrectly, that they can improve a student's self-esteem with words and other easy expressions of praise (like high grades) even though the student isn't doing the best work that he or she can. You know that accomplishment is the foundation of self-esteem. Students know when they're doing their best, and they know when they're being allowed to cut corners. They may grumble that their teachers are expecting too much, but good teachers know enough not to listen to that particular complaint.
So how do we save 'extra curricular' program like art and drama and music? I don't believe that special pleading ("Save The Arts") will work. We need a national conversation about our children, and I challenge you to help lead that.
(That's my bumper sticker for you: DON'T PLEAD. LEAD.)
We have to ask a number of questions: What do we want our children (grandchildren, in my case) to be able to do? What kinds of people do we want them to grow up to become? What values matter? Are test scores a valid surrogate measure of our hopes for children, our own and those of others?
Then ask how we get there? Ask what the role of the school is? Ask what kinds of programs help kids grow in those directions?
If we ask those questions and if citizens and business leaders and politicians answer them honestly, the inevitable conclusion has to be that the arts in all their forms are fundamental, as important as — maybe more important than — the so-called basics.
When that day arrives, when we finally get our priorities right — and I believe we will — I hope you will be magnanimous and keep English and math and history on the list of 'basics.'
But if you don't, I will understand completely.
Again, my congratulations on your richly deserved honor, and thank you for the privilege of speaking with you today.
Does any of that ring a bell for you? What on earth can we do to get the people in charge to wake up to the importance of art, music, drama, journalism and even recess? They're all being cut in the name of 'academic rigor.' And that insane policy is hurting children and youth everywhere.
In education, a lack of response to basic demand
March 9, 2011 John Merrow innovation, joel klein, media, new york city, parenting, parents, pbs newshour, reading, teachers unions, Testing, The Influence of Teachers
I started writing this blog entry on a flight to California from New York; I'm headed there for another book party and a meeting of the Learning Matters board.
For the last 30 minutes or so, I have been listening to a father talk about his two young children, ages 7 and 10. He's an older Dad with at least one adult child, and he radiates child-like enthusiasm about what amounts to a second go-round of childrearing. He's been telling me about their endless curiosity; they always are asking "why?" and "how does this work?" and so on.
As I listened, a dark cloud flickered across my eyes and I wondered: what would their schools do to their spark?
Nurture it, tolerate it, or extinguish it?
E.D. Hirsch, Mike Smith and Linda Katz offer insights on reading development
March 3, 2011 John Merrow charter schools, parenting, parents, reading, school reform, teaching, The Influence of Teachers
If journalism is history's first rough draft, then perhaps blogs like this one are journalism's notes and outline. For me, this blog continues to be a wonderful learning opportunity, largely because of thoughtful readers who question my assumptions and provide me with information I have either forgotten or never seen.
In the few days since I posted my thoughts about early reading, I have received several (welcome) wake-up calls from E.D. Hirsch, Jr. (of Core Knowledge fame), Marshall 'Mike' Smith (former Deputy U.S. Secretary of Education under Bill Clinton), and Linda Katz (Director of the Children's Literacy Initiative in Philadelphia).
On Teachers: Let's Stop Bashing and Get Proactive
February 3, 2011 John Merrow innovation, media, parents, school reform, teachers unions, teaching
Last week in this space I wondered why the President had singled out for high praise a school in Denver where the teachers had taken on their own union to get work rules relaxed. Was he, I asked, sending a not-very-subtle message to teacher unions, "Put kids' interests first. Stop with the trade union behavior"?
I asked Peter Cunningham, the Department's uber-capable Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach, how that particular school was selected. He responded in an email that he had had nothing to do with it.
So if it wasn't the Department of Education, then who? The likely suspects are on the President's White House staff or in the Office of Management and Budget. Perhaps someone is off the reservation.
Or perhaps a speechwriter didn't perform due diligence. That happens.
Or maybe eager staffers who work for Colorado Senator Michael Bennet (former Denver Superintendent of Schools) did their job—promoted their boss—effectively. (We saw the Senator and others from Colorado give their own standing ovation at that point in the speech.)
I wish the President had singled out a successful school that also models what many of us would like to see everywhere: teachers and their unions working with management to give kids maximum opportunities to learn. That would have been a great lesson for his audience, and it would have helped tamp down the teacher-bashing and teacher-union bashing. Instead, he added fuel to their fire, which is already hot and getting hotter, as more governors go after tenure and seniority.
But what matters more right now is what the Department and others are actually doing. Lots, it turns out. For instance, later this month the Department will host 150 school districts (in Denver!) for two days about 'labor management collaboration.' In the press release, Education Secretary Arne Duncan is quoted as saying, "Union leaders and administrators across the country are finding new ways to work together to focus on student success. The leaders from these 150 districts are committed to bold reforms and are showing the country what is possible when adults come together, particularly in tough times, to do the right thing for kids."
This event is sponsored by the two teacher unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, the National School Boards Association, the American Association of School Administrators and the Council of the Great City Schools. That is, just about everyone.
The Ford Foundation is picking up this tab, according to the press release. Elsewhere, the Gates Foundation is putting serious dollars behind collaborative efforts in Hillsborough, Florida and other districts.
The skeptic in me wonders about two phrases the Secretary uses: 'bold reforms' and 'student success.' If by the latter he means higher test scores, this meeting won't amount to much. If by 'bold reforms,' he means 'turnaround specialists' and other half-hearted changes, the meeting will probably be a waste of time.
I hope he (and Peter Cunningham) insist that everyone prepare for the meeting by reading or re-reading the two most recent surveys of teachers done by Met Life and Scholastic/Gates Foundation. Use those documents as the foundation, and something great could come out of these two days in February.
Stopping teacher bashing is not enough. Nor is "better communication" between labor and management. What's needed is a proactive effort to make teaching a better job.
NB: "Better Job" does NOT mean shorter hours or higher pay, if you trust what the teachers themselves say. What they want, according to MetLife and Scholastic/Gates, are opportunities to collaborate, involvement in curriculum, trust and respect.
The State of The (Teachers) Union
January 26, 2011 John Merrow innovation, media, parents, reading, school reform, teachers unions, teaching
2011 SOTU address (photo NY Times)
Was the President sending a strong message to teacher unions last night? Sure looks that way in the light of day.
What most of us saw and heard was high praise for education. He put it #2, behind 'innovation' on his list. Five of his 23 guests were students, and a 6th—Jill Biden—is a community college teacher. That's all good. Mr. Obama praised "Race to the Top" and called for rewriting No Child Left Behind, and that's all good too.
He went out of his way to praise teachers and remind us all that parents must do their job—turn off the TV, and engage with their children. That provided a welcome relief from all the teacher- bashing going on now.
And—icing on the cake–he made an eloquent plea to young people: become teachers!
Friends of public education had to be smiling and may still be today. The National School Boards Association and others have issued press releases full of praise, for example.
You may remember that he singled out one public school for high praise.
Take a school like Bruce Randolph in Denver. Three years ago, it was rated one of the worst schools in Colorado; located on turf between two rival gangs. But last May, 97% of the seniors received their diploma. Most will be the first in their family to go to college. And after the first year of the school's transformation, the principal who made it possible wiped away tears when a student said 'Thank you, Mrs. Waters, for showing… that we are smart and we can make it.' [The reference is to principal Kristin Waters.]
I confess that the significance of the President's choice went right over my head, but Andy Rotherham didn't miss it. He provided context on the NY Times blog. Here's what Andy wrote:
The president singled-out a Denver school that was turned around only after its teachers took on their own union to get out from under the standard collective bargaining agreement. Needless to say that's a strategy the two national teachers' unions don't want to see replicated around the country. I wrote about that episode on The Times's Op-Ed page a few years ago. Michael Bennet, now a senator from Colorado, was the superintendent in Denver at the time and the move was controversial then and the idea remains contentious today. Of all the schools the president could have chosen to highlight, it's a fascinating choice.
Andy's op-ed (March 10, 2008) provides more background:
When teachers at two Denver public schools demanded more control over their work days, they ran into opposition from a seemingly odd place: their union. The teachers wanted to be able to make decisions about how time was used, hiring and even pay. But this ran afoul of the teachers' contract. After a fight, last month the union backed down — but not before the episode put a spotlight on the biggest challenge and opportunity facing teachers' unions today.
This morning's Denver Post explained further:
The high-poverty school was the first to petition for and be granted innovation status — an agreement by union teachers to waive certain district and union rules. The idea was to give teachers more time, money and other resources to work with struggling students. The school has been climbing in achievement over the years.
In its transformation, Bruce Randolph changed from being a straight middle school into a school serving grades 6-12. Its first class graduated last spring into the open arms of a tearful Waters.
Bruce Randolph had been on the list of schools to be closed. Today it's not the slam-dunk success that the President implied. It's still on the 'watch list' and ranks 66th out of about 150 schools in Denver, but it clearly has improved dramatically.
But the story is not how much the school has improved; it's how. Union rules were in the way, and so teachers took on their union. With the support of the superintendent, they forced union leadership to back off.
It seems pretty clear that last night the President was firing another shot across the union bow, much as he did last year when he sided with a Rhode Island school board that fired its high school teachers when they wouldn't go along with a reasonable 'restructuring' plan.
"Stop with the trade union stuff," the President was saying. "Start putting the interests of students first."
Unions don't seem to have much choice in the matter, given the outpouring of anti-union and anti-teacher rhetoric and actions in New Jersey, Alabama, Wyoming and just about any state you can name. Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers, the smaller of the two unions, seems to get it, but she has to persuade her mostly urban locals to move. The far larger National Education Association hasn't shown any signs that I have seen that it recognizes that the ground has shifted, dramatically and probably permanently.
[Click here for the full text of President Obama's address]
Teacher Bashing
January 19, 2011 John Merrow innovation, parenting, parents, school reform, teachers unions, teaching
Teacher bashing is all the rage these days, unfortunately.
Teachers are leaving the profession, and I am hearing from teachers I trust that the exodus would be greater if the economy were better. While I think that aspects of the profession ought to be criticized, particularly the 'trade union' mentality of some—but not all—union leaders, the bashing is way out of line.
I write about this in my forthcoming book, The Influence of Teachers, but here today I am simply presenting the words from one veteran teacher, a woman I know to be dedicated to her students and the profession.
Please read and reflect.
I teach in a public high school whose students reflect the full socio-economic range of our county. But rich or poor and regardless of the educational backgrounds | 4,230 |
Maurit<|fim_middle|> to fight against tax evasion on a large scale. | ius is not a tax haven country and is a leader in Africa against money laundering, according to a British tax lawyer
Philip Baker, British tax lawyer at Gray's Inn Tax Chambers in London, was in Mauritius, earlier this week, to train employees of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), institution responsible for overseeing the regular banking transactions on the island, as shown in the newspaper Le Matinal.
According to the British lawyer who spoke on Monday at the headquarters of the FSC, Mauritius Island is "a very attractive jurisdiction, secure and clean and can attract the right people" in its offshore activities.
"Mauritius has the right policies and is not seen as a black hole where money escapes. This country is a leader in Africa to combat money laundering and financial scandals", stated Philip Baker, British tax lawyer, noting in the passing that Mauritius will have no difficulty in exchanging information with other countries | 183 |
RF Engineering Crossword Puzzle
Take a break and work this week's RF Engineering-themed crossword puzzle. All the words are pulled from a hand-built list of terms, names, and abbreviations that have only to do with science, mathematics, and engineering. Clues for words having to do with types of engineers are marked with an asterisk (*). If you want a crossword with names of movie stars and obscure countries, try the local newspaper.
Reproduction of this puzzle without the express permission of RF Cafe is prohibited.
acr. = acronym, abbr. = abbreviation, pl. = plural, wds. = words
2. The "B" in BJT
6. Turn source into an executable file
11. Silicon transistor type (abbr.)
13. Semiconductor On Insulator (abbr.)
14. Decimeter (abbr.)
15. Type of engineer that deals with reliability and life cycle issues*
19. Home state of Los Alamos lab (abbr.)
20. Stock symbol for Hewlett Packard
23. Total radiated power (abbr.)
24. BlackBerry or Palm for example (abbr.)
26. Type of data conversion device (abb.)
28. Signals in the sky
30. FCC's Universal Licensing System (abbr.)
33. Reduce
35. Nordic<|fim_middle|> Amateur radio enthusiast
86. Chemical symbol for silver
87. Transitions from solid to liquid phase
90. Chemical symbol for silicon
91. Ham-ese for Young Lady
94. Arithmetic Logic Unit (abbr.)
96. Filter type that blocks lower frequencies (abbr.)
97. Telex-Over-Radio (abbr.)
99. Start frequency (abbr.)
100. Chemical symbol for helium
Take a well-deserved break and try your hand at some of these goodies. Every word in the RF Cafe crossword puzzles is specifically related to engineering, mathematics, and science. There are no generic backfill words like many other puzzles give you, so you'll never see a clue asking for the name of a movie star or a mountain on the Russia-China border.
All of these crossword puzzles were created using the fabulous Crossword Express (now called "Magnum Opus") software.
2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | Sudoku | Mobile Telephone
36. Adheres
38. Airport Surveillance Radar (abbr.)
40. Encased in a protective covering
41. Electron beam particle
43. Conductor size unit (abbr.)
45. Type of logic gate (pl.)
47. Singulated piece of IC wafer
48. Logical negation operator
49. High power density battery chemistry (abbr.)
51. Unit of length (abbr.)
53. Semiconductor and calculator company (abbr.)
54. Move like a wheel along a surface
56. 30 GHz to 300 GHz
57. Transmit Incremental Tuning (abbr.)
58. The "T" in ATE
59. Write-Once (abbr.)
61. Chemical symbol for praseodymium
62. Type of antenna with an element made of a single, flexible rod or tube
64. Automatic Calibration System (abbr.)
65. Radio Amateurs of Canada (abbr.)
67. Exponent that returns the original number
68. Frequency Division Duplex
69. The "D" in RFID (pl.)
71. Threaded tuning rod in a coil
72. Type of logic gate
75. Type of reconfigurable memory (abbr.)
78. Greek letter
80. Short for "intermodulation"
84. File name extension for an ASCII file
85. What relationship does one wave motion have to another if its frequency is a multiple of the other
88. World's largest yearly convention of gadget and device manufacturers (abbr.)
89. Logarithmic unit of ratio (abbr., pl.)
91. Yttrium Aluminum Garnet
92. Type of computer display (abbr.)
93. Unit of apparent power (abbr.)
95. Mr. Röntgen's first name
97. Chemical symbol for thallium
98. 30 Hz to 300 Hz
100. Having power applied (slang)
101. Contact used on motors to conduct current through a rotating interface (pl.)
102. Type of engineering that involves determining how a product was made by somebody else* DOWN
1. Type of engineer that designs machines, enclosures, brackets, supports, etc.*
3. International phonetic alphabet letter "I"
4. Parts per million (abbr.)
5. Switch position
7. Unit of time (abbr.)
8. Charged particle
9. Restrain voltage input
10. Type of engineer that deals with circuits*
12. Chemical symbol for chlorine
15. Ham's code for "Shall I send more slowly?"
16. One type of electron spin
17. Test point (abbr.)
18. 36 in. (abbr., pl.)
21. Spurious RF products created by metal joints (abbr.)
22. Ham's code for "Shall I stop sending?"
23. Test equipment (abbr.)
25. Chemical symbol for gold
26. A common battery cell size
27. Cellphone band below PCS
29. Arrangement of vectors showing phase relationships between two or more AC quantities of the same frequency (2 wds.)
30. Electrical safety organization (abbr.)
31. Mr. Boltzmann's first name
32. Chemical symbol for selenium
34. RF Cafe webmaster's last name
36. Chemical symbol for gadolinium
37. Chemical symbol for antimony
39. Variable resistor (pl.)
42. Type of engineer that deals in the region of the radio spectrum above 1 GHz*
43. Analog-to-Digital (abbr.)
44. Electronics manufacturer with "meatball" logo
46. Term for asymmetry of a statistical distribution (pl.)
48. Fuel additive
50. Current-voltage phase mnemonic
52. Unit of admittance
53. End of soldering iron
55. Family of ICs with a certain component density level (abbr.)
58. Circuit or mechanical professional usually with an Associate's or higher degree and/or military experience*
60. Type of engineer that deals with aircraft tracking systems (pl.)*
63. Type of engineer that deals with product creation in the factory*
65. Type of engineer that deals with communications across the electromagnetic spectrum*
66. Chemical symbol for cadmium
70. Morse Code for "from"
71. Type of component package (abbr.)
74. A common RS-232 serial bus command (abbr.)
76. Last stage in a transmitter (abbr.)
77. Amateur radio abbreviation for the Oceania region (abbr.)
78. RF connector type
79. Powers pneumatic devices
81. A Ham station that operates from several grid squares or counties during a contest
82. Opposite of I.D.
83. Logarithmic unit of power (abbr.)
85. | 1,049 |
Summary: In 2014, in partnership with The Bancroft Library at the University of California Berkeley, we launched the NWP Archives Project to ensure preservation and accessibility of NWP organizational records, publications, and resources, including more than 1<|fim_middle|> the NWP Archives Project" | 00 oral history interviews from founding Writing Project site directors, scholars, teacher-leaders, and funders. Hear about the archives' grand opening and learn a little NWP history from NWP leaders past and present.
I think I was also motivated to give my best to this experiment because I thought it was so gutsy. I had talked a lot to Jim Gray about this idea for the institute, but until I walked into that room in Tolman Hall I just couldn't imagine the power of bringing teachers to UC Berkeley to do something for our profession and for each other and for our students. We often say it was just electrifying....[Teachers] certainly weren't looked to or listened to for what they could contribute to improving education, and I think the Writing Project started and had a lot to do with changing that."
Right-click (PC) or Control-click (Mac) to download "From Dusty Boxes to Display Cases: An Update on | 191 |
The winter holidays can be a child's favorite time of year — snow, days off from school, gifts, favorite foods, family. But it can also be a nightmare for snarls, knots and holiday accessories with kids' curls and waves too!
If your child isn't used to new styles and wears the same head band every day, the holidays are a great time to change things up a bit!
First off, prep your kids' curls and waves with products made just for them. Specialty brands such as Curly Q's, Ouidad KRLY Kids or Circle of Friends are a bit more gentle than products formulated for adults. Encourage a regular curl routine with your children as well. Style their curls or waves with your fingers or a wide tooth plastic comb.
If your child is old enough, show him or her just how to use the products and comb and explain why this is important. Encourage these skills early on. Don't allow them to use brushes or wash their curls too often, and have their ringlets trimmed when needed.
Once your "regular" practice is established, it's time to shop for some holiday hair accessories. Look for colorful and glittery headbands, bows and clips. You can even make it a craft lesson and create your own, unique hair accessories at home with some ribbon, hot glue gun and clips or plastic head bands from your local dollar store.
Find unique beads or metal-toned embellishments to add to your hair accessories and allow your child to show their holiday creativity — along with your help and guidance, of course.
As you work with your<|fim_middle|> Award them with something sweet, a favorite bubble bath or new bed time story.
Holiday curls for kids can be a time for something new or a more "traditional" look, accompanied with a dressed up headband or fancy clip. You may even want to take the holiday opportunity to create an annual tradition of making something special with your little ones that they can help create, wear and collect. | child to buy and make curly hair accessories for the holidays you can also create a bit of a learning opportunity as well. Point out holiday colors and patterns, designs, etc. Make shopping into a "treasure hunt" by printing out photos of items you're shopping for, or colors to match their dresses and outfits that will be worn with their special hair accessories. | 73 |
After you download the AngleStrong™ addiction recovery app and create an account, you will be able to personalize the addiction recovery management tools you want to use to remain accountable. AngleStrong™ is secure, convenient, and easy to use.The app lets you add contact information for friends or family members who will serve as your lifelines. If you find yourself in need of physical help or support, you can immediately reach out to your lifelines. Lifelines who have also downloaded the AngleStrong™ app will be able to monitor your well-being — based on your check-ins — and will receive an alert if you may be at risk for relapse.
Checking in through the app on a daily basis can help you to focus on your recovery and earn rewards. The app also gives you easy access to<|fim_middle|> and inspirational messages from Kurt Angle. Once a month, you will have a chance to check in for a live chat with Kurt and submit questions to him and the AngleStrong™ support team. | forum discussions | 2 |
When using an unsubsidized loan, you are responsible for all interest costs. Nobody (the government or a local organization, for example) pays interest for you. Unsubsidized loans are more expensive than subsidized ones, but they're easier to get.
In some cases, an unsubsidized loan is your only option. You may not qualify for subsidies, or you may need more than you can get with subsidized loans. Borrowing costs go up, but you'll get the money you need. You have to decide if an unsubsidized loan is worth the price (for example, if it's worth it to finish college<|fim_middle|> those skipped interest payments. | more quickly).
It is fairly easy to find an unsubsidized loan. For student loans, start with your financial aid office - you can apply for subsidized and unsubsidized loans at the same time. If you need more money than you can get through federal loan programs, you have to use private loans from banks, credit unions, or peer to peer lenders. Whether borrowing for education or to buy a house, most private loans are not subsidized by anybody.
Should you pay interest on unsubsidized loans, even if you don't have to? With some student loans, you have a choice. If you can afford to, it's best to pay interest as it accrues. If you don't, interest charges are added to your loan balance and you'll have to pay more later. Over the years, you'll also have to pay interest on | 171 |
Will Steven Gerrard's Spark Find its Place in The Galaxy?
Anfield Index > Featured Article > Will Steven Gerrard's Spark Find its Place in The Galaxy?
The recent announcement that Steven Gerrard will be joining LA Galaxy at the end of this season will be met with plenty of questions, not least the age-old quandary of where to play him. His only role so far is that of designated player (a player who doesn't count towards the team's salary cap), replacing the outgoing US soccer legend Landon Donovan. But whether he replaces America's greatest ever player on the pitch, is another matter altogether<|fim_middle|> name atop goal scoring and assists charts, and it's likely that he'll be given the job of set piece taker extraordinaire, even if the groin strains and leg injuries mean some of the thunderous power has gone from his right boot.
Whatever happens in the next chapter of Gerrard's story, his performances for the LA Galaxy will attract attention from Merseyside. Eyes will be on whether his balls are truly Hollywood, or whether they end up in Compton, Long Beach, or Inglewood. His position on the pitch could be key to the outcome.
Sports writer for the Morning Star newspaper. Director of Football at World Football Index.
Categories: Featured Article, Liverpool FC Articles and Liverpool FC Stats.' 'Tags: Featured, Gerrard, Gerrard joins Galaxy, LA Galaxy, LFC, MLS and Steven Gerrard. | .
The Liverpool captain has been playing football for a good while now, and for most of this time his best position on the field has been a popular topic for discussion. From journalists to fellow footballers, and from fans to managers; everyone has had an opinion on Steven Gerrard's best role.
Steven Gerrard has played in in all three central midfield positions so far this season, with the attacking midfield berth getting the most from the skipper, whilst also concealing any weaknesses.
Gerrard is one of those rare players you could imagine doing a decent job in any position, and it's this versatility which fuels the positional debate.
The spark you see when he charges into a tackle he probably shouldn't go anywhere near, especially in the modern game, but somehow wins the ball nine times out of ten.
The spark you see when he spots that crossfield pass he shouldn't really play, but plays it anyway and finds the feet of a slightly surprised recipient, who needs to take a touch or two whilst they let what just happened sink in (or, as often happened, mis-controls it and the ball goes out of play).
The spark we saw in the 2005 Champions League final, as he headed his side's first goal and rushed back to his own half; convincing everyone that Liverpool were back in the game.
The spark you see when he's just been down with cramp in an FA Cup final, and can hardly walk, but still fires in a thirty-five yard thunderbolt to take the game to extra time; penalties; trophy.
"I was put on this earth to steam into tackles. For most professionals tackling is a technique, for me it's an adrenaline rush. It's a chance to beat an opponent one-on-one, win the ball and then launch an attack. The sight of the other team with the ball makes me sick.
When Wayne Rooney moved to Manchester United, a lot of the natural aggression was gradually drained from him by the staff at the club who wanted a more disciplined player. The downside of this was that they also removed Rooney's spark, and in the process made him more predictable as a footballer. The same might also have happened to Gerrard, but his coaches preferred the Liverpudlian loose cannon.
This internal ignition, which at his age can no longer be removed with coaching, means there are a couple of positions, or more accurately roles, which he can't play. The most notable of these being the traditional disciplined holding role where the back four need to be protected, and a player's demeanour needs to be slow, steady, deliberate, and unruffled. Gerrard can do deliberate, and could pretend to be unruffled, but could never be slow and steady.
Gerrard can tackle, win headers, and play the ball out from the back like the best ball playing defender you'll ever see, but he'll always want to do more. It's for these reasons he needs people either side of him in defensive positions, and it's for this reason he's never been able to play in a central midfield two at the top level.
One of the best articles on Gerrard appeared on The (which sadly appears to be defunct, else I'd link) Liverpool Word website. Written by Sam Drury, who's now writing for Sky Sports, it dared challenge the common misconception of the time that Gerrard was a central midfielder. In the article Sam covered Gerrard's career up until the time of writing (December 2012), and made the assertion that he's never been a world class central midfielder, and instead has flourished on the right of midfield, or off a striker.
In Liverpool's title challenging season of 2013/14, Gerrard's best role was deep in the midfield, but not as a defensive midfielder. His station in a midfield two, early in the season, was rightly abandoned and he became Liverpool's lone deep lying play-maker. There were runners ahead of him and beside him, and defenders on hand to offload a short pass to if needed, but at his best he was picking out the runs of Sturridge, Sterling, or Suarez further up the pitch.
Steven Gerrard's average pass length in 2013/14 put him in the top 5 amongst Premier League midfielders for this particular stat. His role deep in the midfield allowed him to ping passes to pacy forward players such as Suarez, Sterling, and Sturridge.
He could run around and pretend he was doing a defensive midfield job if he wanted, steaming into tackles and winning the odd useful header but, if truth be told, Brendan Rodgers had relieved him of all defensive duties, even if this occasionally harmed the team. To use the American football term which has found its way into soccer; he was the quarterback, protected by an offensive line of Henderson, Allen, Coutinho, or Lucas Leiva.
As he makes the move across the pond, the dilemma of where to play Gerrard will become the responsibility of respected American coach Bruce Arena.
With the recent retirement of the aforementioned LA Galaxy legend Landon Donovan, the Galaxy could be well served by playing Gerrard in a more advanced role, going some of the way to filling the void left by Donovan. Here he could operate around quicker forward players, and set them up with probing cross-field passes or through balls.
The emergence of Gyasi Zardes as a more reliable forward option for the Galaxy in 2014, will probably see the home-grown player operate up top in a partnership with last season's MVP, Robbie Keane, and Gerrard could be used in a free role behind them, but ahead of the midfield.
In MLS, Gerrard could become the best [insert position here] in the league, but his new side will need to pick a position which gets the most from a player who is up there with the biggest names to ever arrive in the league.
His club (and probably even the league given that MLS is a single entity) will want his | 1,228 |
When you think about dealing with a government agency to access benefits, request documents, or conduct any one of a number of necessary tasks, does it bring to mind a pleasant customer experience, or one that is fraught with challenges? While frustrating experiences might be the name of the game, can agencies improve citizen experience when it comes to accessing essential services?
To answer these questions and see how federal agencies are responding to citizens who are demanding the type of customer experience they enjoy with consumer brands and private sector businesses, we caught up with Jeff Kramer, Senior Director of Government Solutions for Reed Tech. Kramer said that citizens "want more access and responsiveness and customer friendliness because they're used to commercial customer service." In contrast, he pointed out most interactions with the government are by telephone. But things are poised for change.
Government Technology Insider (GTI): What are the barriers to a good customer experience with government agencies? Is it technology, or do the challenges start elsewhere?
Jeff Kramer, Reed Tech (JK): Technology is obviously one of the areas, but I think it's a combination of things, starting with high expectations. You're used to ordering something on Amazon and having it delivered, sometimes within the same day. No matter what that service is, whether you're buying something online or just getting an answer, it's that type of "right now" customer service that just doesn't translate over to the government very well.
Everybody knows there's aging IT and infrastructure and that 80 to 90 percent of operating budgets are geared towards maintaining these legacy systems. This doesn't leave a lot of budget to invest in new ways to deliver citizen services. So there's a perpetual lag in technology, policies, regulations, and procedures.
In practice what this means is that there's a big gap between what citizens are used to in terms of accessing services. When interacting with stores or banks citizens are used to being able to access services on their phones via mobile-friendly apps. But you can't do that when it comes to dealing with government agencies<|fim_middle|> online applications. There's customer service bots where you're trying to order something and somebody pops up and says, "Hey, would you like to chat? How can I help you? What can I do for you? Do you need any help? Here's the number to call. I'm right here." You basically have a little chatbot sitting on your shoulder, helping you through an entire process. The government is just not there.
The gap is so huge. We're just trying to survive and keep up with the services that they're already offering, let alone provide those in a 21st century technology way. So it's a bunch of different problems all grouped together.
GTI: You mentioned that citizen-users have expectations. What about from the other side of things? Should the service providers within the government agencies have expectations that they can provide better service in the way people want.
JK: I don't think there's a lack of wanting to provide better customer service for citizen-facing things. It's just that the barriers are so high. It's almost like modernization, right? Where do you start with such a tremendous problem? And generally, the answer is, just slice off just one little piece of something and call that done and make that a success story. I think a lot of these folks are trying to carve out too much, and when it comes to modernization and even providing these enhanced citizen services, they get lost in the wash because they just try to do too much.
So, there's that, plus the policy. "Well, what about the security? Is it compliant, because it's going to be on the cloud?" "Well, we don't have that either." There are myriad problems and you start backing yourself into a corner and then it's probably just easier to not offer the service at all.
GTI: The American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council – ACT-IAC – is a non-profit industry group that's focused on helping to improve government through technology. They've recently published their Customer Experience Playbook. You've been involved with this group for a long time. Tell us about the playbook and the recommendations.
JK: ACT-IAC has a number of Communities of Interest (COIs). One of those is a Customer Experience or Citizen-facing Experience COI, and they deal with things where the government is supposed to be providing improved citizen services. So, it's a playbook, it's a framework, it's kind of a guide to improve services to citizens. Basically, it's how to establish an office with better customer experience or even some level of a program on the front end, which will allow you to slowly transform your services, which folks aren't necessarily used to.
And part of it is for the government just to understand who their customers are — who is it that they're dealing with on a daily basis. Is it a veteran, is it a college student, is it a taxpayer, employees of other agencies, senior citizens that have hearing issues or folks that are colorblind or can't deal with things online? It provides a recommendation on how to improve the services overall and provide some things that folks in the government haven't thought about in terms of better ways to provide these services.
GTI: How does it tie to the Connected Government Act of 2018, which requires all the agency websites to be mobile friendly?
JK: There used to be things like 508 compliance, where an application has to use the right colors, it has to use the right fonts; it's kind of an extension of that. It's a little bit more advanced, given the technology that websites use. In a previous life I was a software developer. Any software that the government provided had to be 508 compliant. There was a whole process to get approved and confirmed before it could go online and be live.
So, given that technologies that are around today, given potential browser types and internet speeds and those types of things, it's just more heavy-handed guidance, in relation to the old 508 compliance.
Come back tomorrow to read part 2 of Jeff's conversation on how agencies can improve citizen experience. Subscribe and get it directly in your inbox. | . At best, you can go online from a desktop or laptop computer, but typically you still need to call the agency and hope that you can get through the phone tree to talk to a person who will be able to help you. You've got to go online if, in fact, they've got something online. Most of the time, you're still just talking to people.
You get customer service today with | 83 |
Lynsie enjoyed growing up in Myrtle Point and graduated from Myrtle Point High School in 1999. After graduating with a bachelor's degree from Western Oregon University in 2003, Lynsie pursued a career in dentistry. Lynsie is a certified surgical dental assistant and an expanded functions dental assistant. Lynsie has an extensive depth of knowledge regarding dental procedures, and takes pride in giving our patients the highest level of care.
Her favorite activities outside of work include being with her husband and daughters, reading, going to the lake and camping.
Melissa has worked in the dental field for over 7 years, achieving extra certifications with procedures from dental implants to children's sealants. She is a versatile, important part of our dental team because she shares roles both in the front and the back office areas. Melissa graduated from Coquille High School in 2003 and loves spending time with her family.
She especially enjoys being outdoors and boating on the Rogue River.
Shawna has over 15 years of experience in the dental field. She began her dental career as an assistant, but found her skill set was most valuable in the front office. Shawna has a vast knowledge of insurance, billing and scheduling, and has become an integral part of our dental team.
She enjoys spending time with her two children, scrapbooking, bowling and playing golf.
Corinne has been an integral team member for Dr. Herman for over 26 yrs. She has enjoyed her extensive career in dental assisting and enjoys helping patients have smooth, and comfortable dental appointments. Corinne has an infectious smile and equally wonderful personality. Corinne is happily married, has a daughter in college and a son who is attending Coquille High School.
Outside of work, she enjoys multiple golfing, horseback riding and camping with family.
Anni has been in the field of dental hygiene for over 7 years. She spent her upbringing in Myrtle Point and graduated from Myrtle Point High School in 2000. After choosing her career, she graduated from the ODS College of Dental Sciences, Class of 2007. Anni thrives on providing the highest level of service and quality care, with the goal of giving every patient a positive dental experience<|fim_middle|> husband, their daughter and their chocolate labrador retriever. Other hobbies that she enjoys include spending quality time with family and friends, and "Anything Outdoors".
Deanna is a graduate from Reedsport High School. She completed her prerequisite courses at Brigham Young University, and pursued her dental hygiene training at Portland Community College. Deanna impressively completed the latter two portions of her education after her first 2 children were born, and became the proud mother of 2 more children after returning to Myrtle Point to begin her career in dental hygiene. Deanna spent 29 years of her career working for Dr. Jim Gronemeyer before he retired in 2015. Deanna is known for her gentle touch and her attention to detail, striving to do the very best job for every patient she works with. When she isn't in the office, Deanna enjoys music, hiking, reading, cooking, spending time with her husband and traveling. | .
When she is not at work, Annie enjoys traveling with her family, cooking, baking and gardening.
Steve has over 25 years in the dental field, with the past 15 years focused on his dental hygiene career. He received his dental hygiene degree from Loma Linda University in 1999 after serving in the Airforce from 1989–1993. Steve is a fantastic hygienist who values his patients and enjoys his time with them.
Outside of the office, his hobbies include having adventures with his family, playing basketball and going to the beach.
Barbara graduated from Myrtle Point High School in 1980, and has worked in the dental field for 30 years. Barbara began dental assisting as a work study student while in high school, but found her ideal career would bring her to join the front office team. She is known for her positive attitude and excellent customer service.
Barbara is happily married, has a son, a daughter, and one granddaughter. Her favorite activities include being with family, camping, four-wheeling, scrapbooking and knitting.
Dru has been in the dental field for over four years. She graduated from Powers High School in 2010 and received her degree in Dental Assisting from the Umpqua Community College in 2012. Dru began her dental career in the specialty field of endodontics, but has transitioned smoothly into the fields of pediatric dentistry and general dentistry. Patients and families enjoy her calm, cool, easy-going personality. Dru was happily married in 2011 and enjoys spending time with her | 337 |
We are currently looking for support from members of the local community to assist us with occasional fundraising volunteering. In these roles you may be cheering on some of our amazing runners at the Brighton Half Marathon, selling raffle tickets at a fundraising ball, bucket collecting at a local bonfire display… and many more fun opportunities to help us.
We are a Sussex based charity, educating and caring for children and young adults with complex physical disabilities and health needs. We have an international reputation for our work around communication and developing independence through powered mobility. Every year we support hundreds of children,young people and their families by providing a range of world<|fim_middle|>44 ext 709. | -class services, especially catering for those with a neurological motor impairment, such as cerebral palsy.
Our aim is to provide a stimulating and inclusive environment where all young people are given every opportunity to make progress towards fulfilment and develop life skills in preparation for adulthood.However we need to raise funds to buy the specialist equipment to help their learning. This is why we need your help.
The charity encompasses Chailey Heritage School, Chailey Heritage Residential, Chailey Heritage Futures and Chailey Heritage Pathways.
To apply, please click here to download an Interest Form, once completed please return by email to HR@chf.org.uk or by post. If you would like to request a printed application form please call us on 01825 7244 | 154 |
the use of computer graphics and animation to help illustrate and present computer programs, processes, and algorithms. Software visualization systems can be used in teaching to help students understand how algorithms work, and they can be used in program development as a way to help programmers understand their code better.
The MIT Press has published a book on the subject edited by Stasko et al. called Software visualization: programming as a multimedia experience, 1998.
Software visualization is a discipline that makes use of various forms of imagery to provide insight and understanding and to reduce complexity of the existing system under consideration (Proc. IWPC, 1999).
They also work on finding real life metaphors to use when visualizing software. Their current metaphor is that<|fim_middle|> as IWPC, WCRE, and ICSM. | of a city: districts are classes, methods are buildings, dark buildings are private methods, etc.
Visualization for object oriented systems is provided by CodeCrawler.
Program understanding conferences such | 36 |
The King and I's Ashley Park to Star in The Fantasticks
Tony winner Hal Linden also<|fim_middle|> (Barney Miller, The Rothschilds) as Henry.
The creative team also includes music director David O, choreographer Kitty McNamee, scenic designer David F. Weiner, costume designer Shirley Pierson, lighting designer Josh Epstein, sound designer Joe Huppert, and fight choreographer Tim Weske. Casting is by Becky Lythgoe.
Featuring a book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, The Fantasticks tells an allegorical love story about "a boy, a girl, two fathers, and a wall." Now running off-Broadway at The Theater Center, the show holds the distinction of being the longest-running musical in history.
For tickets and more information, click here.
Cabrillo Music Theatre
Hal Linden
Seema Sueko
Pacific Overtures
Harvey Schmidt | joins the cast at Pasadena Playhouse.
Hayley Levitt
Ashley Park will star as Luisa in The Fantasticks at Pasadena Playhouse.
(© David Gordon)
Complete casting has been announced for Pasadena Playhouse's upcoming production of The Fantasticks, opening the theater's 2016-17 season. Performances begin September 6 in advance of a September 11 opening and will run through October 2.
Directed by Seema Sueko, the eight-person company will star Conor Guzmán and the original Tuptim of Lincoln Center's late King and I revival Ashley Park as the central lovers Matt and Luisa.
The cast will also feature Philip Anthony-Rodriguez (Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story) as El Gallo; Regi Davis (Nickelodeon's Game Shakers) as Bellomy; contemporary dance artist Alyse Rockett as The Mute; Amir Talai (Nickelodeon's Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awsomeness) as Mortimer; Gedde Watanabe (Pacific Overtures, Sixteen Candles) as Hucklebee; and Tony winner Hal Linden | 238 |
REVIEW: THE FLOWER KINGS – "Waiting For Miracles"
REVIEW: NOVEMBERS DOOM - "Nephilim Grove"
MERCYFUL FATE Bassist Timi Hansen Has Died Of Cancer
Jonathon Rose
Songwriting & Lyrics
Overall Sound
'Waiting For Miracles' is a true return for The Flower Kings who are back in classical form. While it doesn't reach the heights of their earlier classics, it is an album that is filled with brightness, light, and musical joy, and should remind any longtime listener of the band why they love them so much.
Sweden's The Flower Kings have been one of the forerunners, and among the most active bands in the modern progressive rock scene since the mid-90s. Lead by guitarist/vocalist and primary composer and lyricist Roine Stolt, they are one of the bands that helped breathe new life into the genre, as the neo-prog of the 80s was slowly drifting away. And now they return, releasing their first new band album in six years with 'Waiting For Miracles' and with it a bit of a throwback to earlier days.
For a bit of quick background, Roine Stolt released a solo album last year under the moniker Roine Stolt's The Flower King, despite the name, and a number of band members joining him, it remained a solo release, and one I found to be rather flat and disappointing. The announcement that this was to be a proper Flower Kings album, is a call back to the more fun and joyous music of the 90s, and complete with vintage 70s instruments gave me renewed hope. And I was quite pleased to hear an album that reminds me of why I liked them so much in the first place.
'Waiting For Miracles' is an 85-minute double-album opus, something the band has done many times in the past. However, they keep the song<|fim_middle|> band, but are lovers of quality, melodic, vintage-sounding prog put through the prism of the modern age, they should find plenty to enjoy as well.
Jonathon Rose is a full-time wrangler of small children, occasional writer, bibliophile, and a frequent unapologetic obsessor over progressive/experimental/avante garde music. He frankly dislikes much of the metal scene's endless coma inducing blast beats, repetitive riffs, and stereotypical lyrics.
REVIEW: KIRK WINDSTEIN – "Dreams In Motion"
With the title track, 'Dreams in Motion' begins auspiciously enough with the kind of funereal riff that Windstein probably writes in his sleep. Harmonized lead guitars over tribal tom beat guide the track into the sparse, open chords of a [...]
REVIEW: OCEANS – "The Sun and the Cold"
Some of the most influential bands in music history have been international in nature, originating in the largest countries and the most remote regions of the world. A lot of new music is currently coming from all corners of the globe. Alien [...]
REVIEW: BROTHERS OF METAL – "Emblas Saga"
Heavy metal is a titanic cliché. The lyrics, the names, the clothes…all elements we protect with heart and soul have been done so many times before, in so many different ways, that it's impossible to take it seriously all the time. But [...]
REVIEW: SONS OF APOLLO – "MMXX"
With 2019 winding down to its final days, another year of excellent progressive releases is in the books. So we will be looking forward to 2020, and start with the aptly named 'MMXX' by prog-metal supergroup Sons of Apollo. This comes only a [...]
REVIEW: RAGE – "Wings of Rage"
Rage is probably one of the first bands I ever heard in my life. Having a metalhead brother 8 years older than me had its perks when shaping my taste in music, and given the fact that my family always had a knack for the Teutonic style of playing metal, [...] | lengths to a minimum this time around, there are no half-hour epics like we usually expect from them; indeed the longest song hardly breaks the 10-minute mark, but then they've always excelled at writing shorter songs as well, so this is nothing to worry about.
After the brief instrumental "House of Cards" the album proper begins with "Black Flag" and from the opening notes you know you're listening to a Flower Kings album. The guitar works scream Stolt, and the vintage keyboard sounds produced by Zach Kamins likewise sound exactly as you would expect, not in a tired way, but a welcoming way. And the warm vocals of Hasse Fröberg blend and work as well as they always have with Stolt's higher ranging voice. The song is a 70s style prog rocker, and a fine way to start the album.
It is quickly followed by the longest song on the album, "Miracles For America," which just crosses the 10-minute mark. Thankfully not overtly political in nature, the band uses the time to stretch out a bit and embrace a lengthy instrumental section, where Stolt's solos are at their lyrical best. Few people in modern prog have a clearer or more identifiable guitar tone than he does, and he's at his best when he opens it all up. The first disk clocks in at just over 63 minutes, and has a few other gems worth mentioning. The harder rocking "Wicked Old Symphony" is a standout, as is the one-two punch of "The Rebel Circus," and "Sleep With the Enemy." The first is wholly instrumental, and the later has a lengthy closing section after the opening vocals. Both highlight the always tight bass work of Jonas Reingold, and the drumming and percussion of Mirko DeMaio.
The second disk is bookended by two shorter instrumental pieces, "House of Card Reprised," and "Busking At Brobank," leaving three songs in the middle, the disk is just over 21 minutes. "Spirals" is a quirky instrumental song, with the lone vocals being "save your miracles for America" repeated several times, and some electrically distorted. This is followed by "Steampunk," and "We Were Always Here." Both are rich in the classic Flower Kings sound, rich in melody, deliberate in their movement, and of course, executed with skill and taste. Comparatively speaking there are fewer vocals on this disc than the first, but that is not especially unusual for a FK album, and the vocals that are used are used to great effect.
'Waiting For Miracles' is a true return for The Flower Kings who are back in classical form. While it doesn't reach the heights of their earlier classics, it is an album that is filled with brightness, light, and musical joy, and should remind any longtime listener of the band why they love them so much. For such fans grabbing this should be a no brainer, for someone new to the | 612 |
Here's another awkward celebrity interview for your viewing pleasure – except this one comes with a<|fim_middle|> more important questions about their work rather than their wardrobes.
The red carpet Mani-Cam also became a source of derision by female actors, with Julianne, Reese, and Jennifer Aniston all refusing to show off their manicures during the 2015 SAG Awards.
'I do' is her simple reply.
It's not the first time celebs have played this game, though.
Avengers stars Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson switched questions during an interview earlier this year with hilarious results. | blimmin' hilarious twist.
American Ultra stars Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg decided to interview each other as they promo their new film, but the joke is on Jesse as the questions have been swapped.
As Jesse asks Kristen some relaxed, non-offensive questions such as 'how did you bulk up for the role' and 'what are your favourite sports teams?' (She's a Lakers fan, fyi), Kristen grills Jesse with considerably more offensive ponderings.
Jesse gets pretty indignant pretty quickly, telling Kristen that he doesn't usually get these questions and their questions have obviously been swapped, leading Kristen to ask: 'Are you pregnant, though? Is that why you're keeping things a little bit [close to the chest]?
'Do you get any work done?
Tell that to the actresses who get asked these questions every day, Jesse.
The whole scene plays on gender disparity in the film industry, and the #AskHerMore movement that sprung up earlier in 2015 during awards season.
'Who are you wearing?' is often the first question female stars are asked but actresses such as Reese Witherspoon and Julianne Moore decided to encourage reporters to ask them | 240 |
Choose a Vilano fifth wheel by VanLeigh RV for all of your camping adventures and enjoy everything that a luxury coach provides while keeping your pocketbook happy<|fim_middle|> new level with one of these Vilano luxury fifth wheels! | . You will appreciate the upscale features like an 18 cubic foot French door refrigerator, and a king-sized bed. On top of all of that, each Vilano contains additional amazing features, like the Dirt Devil® central vacuum system and a convection microwave.
Each Vilano model offers at least triple slides that create an open and inviting space when you decide to spend your afternoons indoors. You will have no trouble cooking up meals and snacks while you are away with a full kitchen. The complete bath, along with the private bedroom, makes every stay convenient and comfortable. So whether you are spending the weekend kayaking down the river or relaxing at a lakeside resort, you will be comfortable when it is time to head indoors to rest up for another fun-filled day!
VanLeigh RV wants to take your camping experience to a whole | 169 |
'New' injury
FATE has thrown up another cruel blow for long serving Bury striker Jon Newby.
He returned from a five-month injury lay-off to score a game-turning goal in the Shakers' first win of the season on Saturday.
But delight soon turned to anguish as Newby picked up a groin injury that makes him doubtful for this week's mouth-watering double header with Wycombe Wanderers and Leicester City.
The Shakers travel to Wycombe for a league game on Saturday, August 20, kick-off 3pm, before playing host to Championship giants Leicester in a Carling Cup tie on Tuesday<|fim_middle|> with Leicester is a massive game as far as the directors are concerned.
"We can pick up a lot of much needed revenue if we win and go on to have a good cup run.
"But Leicester are undoubtedly a quality outfit.
"Our players should look at the game as the chance to enjoy themselves and have a right go at a higher league team.
"We have a lot of players capable of, and on the way to, playing at a higher league and this is a good chance for them to prove it." | , August 23, kick-off 7.45pm.
Bury boss Graham Barrow is hoping that his troops will play with more freedom and confidence after laying to rest the first win ghost.
And he has the luxury of being able to bring Tom Youngs into his squad should Newby be unavailable for selection.
The 25-year-old former Leyton Orient and Cambridge forward has recovered from the ankle problem which ruled him out of most of Bury's pre-season preparations.
Barrow said: "Jon's injection of pace is amazing and he gave everyone a lift when he came on to play up front with Allan Smart against Shrewsbury on Saturday.
"But unfortunately he picked up a groin strain in the game.
"It is a reaction injury which happened as a result of him not having enough games under his belt.
"It is nothing to do with the original ankle problem he had and it is not a long term concern.
"I can't wait to have him fully fit again because he is a great option for us in attack."
Barrow expects two extremely tough encounters this week.
He considers Wycombe to be one of the front runners for the Football League Two title and he concedes that Leicester are the overwhelming favourites for Tuesday's cup tie.
But Barrow says that his troops can draw comfort from last season's win at Wycombe and Leicester's inconsistent start to the new campaign.
Barrow said: "We will need to go up a notch from our performance on Saturday if we want to beat Wycombe. They made some excellent signings in the summer and will be a good test for us.
"But we are looking to kick on now that we have got our first win.
"Some pressure has been lifted off the players and we will go to Wycombe in a confident mood."
Barrow added: "The cup match | 368 |
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School Pictures will be taken September 9th and 11th. Photographers will be here from 8:30am until 1:00pm.
Virtual students may come in for school pictures on the days that correspond with their cohorts.
Students with last names A – K (blue cohort) should come in on September 9.
Students with last names L – Z (white cohort) should come in on September 11.
To order online go to INTER-STATE.COM/ORDER and use the order code: 51559RB
Click HERE for the Athletics and Activities Schedule.
The Evansville High School is a progressive learning environment consisting of approximately 550 students, 50 staff members, and a beautiful modern school facility built in 20<|fim_middle|> toward post-secondary college and career readiness is evidenced by the fact we have over 10 courses articulated with Blackhawk Technical College (meaning our students have the opportunity to receive college credit while in high school) as well as a variety of Advanced Placement (AP) classes taught here at EHS in addition to several online AP class offerings as well.
We also provide a wide variety of co-curricular clubs, activities, and athletic opportunities for our students, including an impressive Performing Arts Center and drama/theater department, competitive district sports and cooperative sports such as Girls Hockey and Girls Swim.
Building Goals
You are currently on this page - Evansville High School - About Home
640 South 5th Street | Evansville, WI | 53536 | 02. Our vision for Evansville High School is to continue to strive to become a truly elite environment for excellence and learning. Furthermore, it is our mission to ensure all our students are learning--that they are acquiring the knowledge and skills essential to achieving their full potential and becoming productive citizens.
Our district and staff works hard to try to create an appropriate learning opportunity for all students which includes an Alternative Education program, a wide variety of instructional services for students with disabilities, an Advanced Learner program, an online JEDI virtual school program, a comprehensive school counseling department, among other services. Our emphasis on academic career planning and helping guide our students | 129 |
Another non-Cricut Project for today! Without power, I was forced to stamp! I've been using my Cricut so much lately, that I forgot how relaxing it is to just sit and stamp! I<|fim_middle|> challenges. Thanks for joining us this week.
Great card. I like the dragonfly, the colors are great. Thanks for joining the GAB Challenge this week. | 'll be entering this card into one of my new favorite challenge blogs GAB! They are so sweet over there! This week their theme for challenge #7 is Birthday! I thought I would stamp a birthday card for a little friend who is into bugs! I knew the Stampin' Up! Bugs & Kisses set would be perfect for this little bug catcher!
I had to take 15 pictures just to get these 3 decent ones (silly camera)! I'm thinking I may need to pull out the book and see if there is something I am missing! Once I get it fixed, I will be keeping it far from the reach of Baby E!
I used my Stampin' Write Markers to stamp the dragon fly and popped it up with some dimensionals! The grass is from SU Inspired by Nature Stamp set (it is one of my favs)!
The "cute as a bug" was left over from a previous project and it just happened to work perfectly for this card. If I remember correctly, I believe it was heat embossed with glitter embossing powder. I stamped the base of the card with the dragon fly using VersaMark. I love the way it turned out!
Sorry it is not your typical Birthday Theme for a little girl, but this card is so her! I was thinking maybe I should save it for a spring/summer challenge but then I figured it would be fun to share! This could easily be done in blues/greens and make it for a little boy too!
really cute.love the way you used your markers to pop the image out.love the colors.
Great card! I'd go crazy with no power but on the off chance we lose it around here at night so now stamping for me. You are talented with stamps and the Cricut!
Great card! Love the sparkle!
This is a beautiful card. I love the dragonfly. Thank you for your sweet comment about the GAB blog. We are glad you are enjoying the | 407 |
Imagine this scene. Hot, dry, Santa Ana winds come flowing down the canyons toward the ocean. Power lines sway in the strong wind, until they break free and fall to the ground. Sparks from the fallen lines ignite a fire in the dry brush underneath. With the wind behind it, the fire burns fiercely, destroying thousands of acres of brush, and hundreds of homes and businesses. The state spends millions of dollars containing and extinguishing the fire. Of course, we don't have to imagine this scene; it has become a much too common event in California in recent years.
What we don't often discuss, however, is who should bear the costs of this destruction. Should we hold the power company whose lines sparked and started the fire responsible? Should the home owners and business owners whose houses, offices, factories and stores are now piles of burned debris bear the burden of finding find the funds to rebuild? Should the home or business owner's insurance company bear these costs? Or should government bear the costs, using its taxing authority to spread the costs over the state's millions of taxpayers.
While the state legislators certainly can<|fim_middle|>.
So, going back to the opening scenario, we can use the tort laws to help us determine whether power companies should be responsible for the damage caused by a brush fire started by sparking, downed power lines. We can approach this analysis by asking, first, whether the power companies have a duty to prevent their power lines from starting fires. If the answer is "yes," we can then ask whether they have breached that duty. As part of this analysis, we can look at the steps they have already taken to prevent fires and ask whether those steps were sufficient. However we come out, we will have addressed this question with a structured approach built on the basic expectations established by law.
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Great post. Who would have thought that torts could be so fun. Cheers! | act to answer these questions; in the absence of governmental action, the law of torts provides a set of tools that can be used to decide who should be responsible. At its simplest, tort law looks at the way people interact with each other and conduct their daily affairs. It sets a basic expectation that each of us will act in a manner that avoids causing harm to others, and, if we fail to do so, we must bear the costs of the damage we have caused.
The courts have a variety of ways to implement these expectations when addressing specific cases. The most common form of tort action is for "negligence." A defendant will be found to have been negligent when, as the statute cited above suggests, they have failed to exercise ordinary care or skill in the management of their property or person. The courts established a structure approach to addressing this question, looking at four factors when deciding whether someone has been negligent and must provide compensation.
First, the court will determine whether the defendant owed a duty to the plaintiff, the person who was injured and sued the defendant. A defendant will be found to have had a duty to the plaintiff if it was reasonably foreseeable that the defendant's actions could cause injury to the plaintiff. For example, each of us has a duty to drive safely by avoiding unsafe turns, staying within the speed limit, stopping at red lights, not following too closely, and staying alert.
Once a court determines that the defendant had a duty to the plaintiff, the court will determine if the defendant breached that duty. Did the defendant turn in front of a car coming the opposite direction? Were they driving too fast? Did they fail to stop as required? Were they following too closely?
Next, the court will determine whether the defendant's breach of their duty actually caused the injuries claimed by the plaintiff. In making this determination, the court will look to see whether the defendant's actions directly caused the injuries, a factor the law refers to as "proximate cause." In order for the defendant to be responsible, there must be a direct link between the defendant's breach of duty and the plaintiff's injuries.
Finally, the court will make sure the plaintiff actually suffered damages as a result of the defendant's breach. Generally, courts require plaintiffs to have suffered actual damages; they do not hear cases involving minor or speculative damages.
During the process of evaluating the plaintiff's claim, the court also will look at a variety of factors that may reduce their overall responsibility. For example, the court will determine whether the plaintiff knew about the potential for injury and assumed the risk of being injured. This question comes up when the plaintiff has engaged in some activity that presents risks outside of those associated with day to day activities. We do not assume the risk of being injured while walking down the street, but we may be found to have assumed the risk of injury if we go bungee jumping. The court also will ask whether the person injured was partially responsible for the injuries they suffered. Current California law allows a court to apportion responsibility among the parties based on their relative percentage of fault.
Beyond the tort of negligence, California law recognizes a variety of activities that fall within the scope of torts. A group of torts, referred to as "intentional torts," involve specific actions by the defendant that do not meet the test of negligence but nevertheless involve injury to the plaintiff. These torts include actions such as assault and battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotion distress, malicious prosecution, trespass, and nuisance. Additional actions that often are included in the list of torts include products liability, malpractice, libel, and slander.
One of the questions that most often comes up when discussing torts is the relationship between tort law and criminal law. Torts such as assault and battery, trespass, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution have the same names as criminal actions. However, other than the fact that some actions can be both torts and crimes, the two are much different. Actions in criminal law are brought by the state, using its police powers. Prosecution is based on statutorily designated crimes, and the prosecutor has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime. Once convicted, criminal defendants are punished by imprisonment or payment of a fine to the state.
Torts, on the other hand, are civil, rather than criminal actions, defined both by statute and common law. The party claiming they have been damaged must bring the action themselves and prove the defendant committed the tort. However, the burden of proof is only by a preponderance of the evidence, a much lower standard than beyond a reasonable doubt. In tort, if the plaintiff is successful in proving their case, they recover compensatory damages, which go to them. The defendant does not face jail time, but, if their actions are especially egregious, they can be ordered to pay punitive damages to the plaintiff | 989 |
<|fim_middle|>. | Passion for Mission: The successful candidate must have a genuine passion for inclusive community engagement with demonstrated experience in or knowledge of coalition work and principles in semi-rural/rural environments.
Collaborator and Bridge Builder: The ideal candidate will have the skills to forge collaborative relationships and partnerships with various public, private and non-profit constituencies and community residents and stakeholders. S/he will have proven problem solving and facilitation skills.
Communicator: The candidate will be an excellent written and oral communicator and spokesperson who is comfortable in large public settings and will advocate on behalf of the northern Berkshire community.
Fundraising and Resource Management Leader: The next executive director will have acumen in acquiring diverse funding and will possess good writing skills for grant and solicitation development. S/he will be familiar with effective financial and operational management in a nonprofit agency of nbCC's size.
Diplomat: S/he will be a culturally sensitive leader with political savvy who possesses a practical strategic approach and a demonstrated ability to grow the coalition to achieve its full potential.
Team Builder:S/he will inspire confidence and trust in agency staff to work to their greatest potential and be accountable to their work while adhering to agency values of inclusion.
Education: A minimum of a Bachelor's degree is required with a minimum of seven years of increasing leadership responsibility | 259 |
Science Saturday: Goodbye Spirit + Hello Osiris REx & Orion + Mars Rumor Debunk + Jetpacks!
| June 4, 2011 | By: Kayla Iacovino 26 comments so far
This week in Science Saturday, hear all the latest NASA news, say thanks and give a teary goodbye to Mars Rover Spirit, collect asteroid samples, send humans into deep space, and get a great view of Earth from orbit. All this plus our resident Mars expert's take on "Bio Station Alpha", a rumored new tricorder, personal jetpacks, and more!
A Salute to Spirit: Time to say, "Thanks and farewell" to a Mars Rover
It's been over a year since Mars Rover Spirit became stuck in a sand trap near Troy, Mars. Attempts were made to free the stuck rover, but NASA wasn't able to get her out before the onset of Martian winter, during which Spirit would become too cold to operate. Since then, we have been sending signals to Spirit, but we've had no response. On May 25, 2011, NASA officially called off the search and stopped attempts to contact Spirit.
Spirit was one of twin Mars Exploration Rovers (sister rover of Opportunity, who's still operating on Mars), and was only originally expected to last 90 days. Spirit's mission went for almost seven years. During that time, Spirit photographed Martian dust devils, sun sets, the Martian moons, and discovered a lot about Mars's past geologic history. Thanks, Spirit, for all of those amazing years of science!
One of the last photographs taken by Spirit showing the site "Troy" where she became stuck
HiRISE image of the Spirit rover at Troy, taken from Martian orbit on the MRO orbiting spacecraft
NASA going to asteroid in 2016, bringing back samples
NASA has just green lit OSIRIS-REx, the first U.S. mission to carry samples back from an asteroid to Earth. The mission, called Origins-Spectral Interpretation-resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (I kid you not, that is what the acronym "OSIRIS-REx" stands for. Sigh.), will launch in 2016 and head for the primitive, near Earth asteroid 1999 RQ36. When it arrives in 2020, it will not actually land on the surface, but "dock" with the asteroid, extending a robotic arm to collect a sample. Only a little over 2 ounces of space rock will make it back to Earth in 2023. Not only is this a pioneering mission for spacecraft engineering and mission design, but it will be the first sample of its kind, and scientists hope that it can tell us about the conditions of the formation of our solar system.
OSIRIS-REx mission patch
NASA developing new capsule to take humans into deep space
As the Space Shuttle program comes to a close, the US has finally announced concrete plans for the next human-rated launch vehicle and capsule. The MPCV, or Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, is based on the Orion capsule and will take astronauts beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and into deep, interplanetary space. The MPCV would ride atop a human-rated heavy lift rocket, which the president has allocated $3 billion toward constructing. Could this be the vehicle to take humans to Mars and beyond?
For more information and news, see NASA's official website.
Artist conception of the new space capsule orbiting Mars
(click to encapsulate)
Astronaut delivering astonishing images of Earth from space
As we send things into space, we humans like to take a look back at the good old blue marble once in a great while. Astronaut Douglas Wheelock (@Astro_Wheels on twitter) has been tweeting some INCREDIBLE images of our home from orbit. Below are some of the best. Follow him & check out his twitter page for more!
Greek islands on a clear night during our flight over Europe. Athens shines brightly along the Mediterranean Sea.
Of all the places of our beautiful planet few can rival the beauty and richness of colors in the Bahamas. In this photo, our ship is seen against the backdrop of the Bahamas.
Beautiful atoll in the Pacific Ocean, photographed using 400mm lens. Approximately 1930 km south of Honolulu.
At the southern end of South America lies the pearl of Patagonia .<|fim_middle|>'S SPACE LEGACY?
Danish team successfully tests a homemade space capsule, designed to send cramped humans into space. I'm hereby dubbing this a "space coffin": DIY SPACE TRAVEL
scifib5st
Yea, that Hi Res. picture showing mounds on Mars… could thoes be from Babylon 5 Mars Bio Domes Exposed at last!!!
Sorry, to few screwdrivers last night.
Commodore Mike of the Terran Empire
Some pretty amazing Pics. Great Article.
Cool Article. I was fortunate enough recently to get a personal tour at JPL and see the new Mars Rover. It was a treat to say the least.
SPACE RULES
Mark Lynch
How come we can take a picture from orbit where we can see the Spirit rover, but it is not possible to take a high enough resolution image of the Moon that can show us the Apollo Lunar landers which are far larger?
And before you ask, I do not subscribe to the "Lunar landings were faked" conspiracy theories… :)
Andrew Britton
@Mark Lynch
Have you heard about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera on NASA's LRO?
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/index.php?/archives/76-LROCs-First-Look-at-the-Apollo-Landing-Sites.html
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/?archives/137-Exploring-the-Apollo-17-Site.html
The camera is not as high resolution as HiRISE on MRO. The LRO camera is at around 0.5 meters per pixel.
Pensive's Wetness
i was watching the booster tank views with the GF. pretty much wow'ed… especially the intertank views with the kooky-spooky noises from the tank…
Splendid article. Now I have something to show my crack-pot neighbor who wears a calico-patterned robe, and believes that everything has a taste of conspiracy to it.
Charley W
Re: Orion to Mars:
Alright, will Anyone who is willing to spend 1 to 2 years in a phone booth with 5-6 other guys, no pizza delivery, and 1 toilet, please raise your hand?
Oh, and there's no "I changed my mind after 2 weeks" option.
i'm not really serious, in case anybody wondered.
71°49′19.73"N, 29°33′06.53"W
You'll notice the 1973 North? 1973 was when the last lunar mission was launched! And 2933 West? That's the year Hitler's 1000 year Reich was due to end! Coincidence? You be the judge!
VulcanFilmCritic
Is "Bio Station Alpha" anywhere near where Mars Rover Spirit got "stuck" and stopped transmitting? Hmmmmmmmmm…..
8.@ Charley W. I agree. I was horrified to read in (I think) one the popular science magazines about the conditions under which the astronauts would be working in that tiny capsule for the 6 month voyage to Mars. I say 6 months because it seems that they are looking for people who don't mind making a one-way journey. They don't think they can pack enough fuel for a return voyage. I kid you not!
Make that 5-6 other SUICIDAL guys.
I vote we shut down one war, and go to Mars. Who's with me?
Basement Blogger
@ 11 CmdrR
Hey, it looks like we're getting out of Iraq. Boy, we found a lot of weapons of mass destruction. NOT.
Last November, some scientists suggested that we send explorers to Mars on a one way trip. The proposal was called "To Boldly Go." Keith Olberman video and ABC story below.
I wrote a Star Trek prologue for any fool… er explorer who decides to go on the one way trip. Here it is.
"Space. The final frontier. And for you it is. This is the voyage of the Mars Ship Hemlock. It's mission. Dump your ass on Mars. And if a Martian tries to eat your brains or you get fried from the radiation. Tough luck. That's because we ain't coming back for you."
Olbermann story;
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/40225360#40225360
ABC news story on one way trip
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/mission-mars-boldly/story?id=12607453
elmachocombo
Apple iCorder. The future is now.
@13. Basement Blogger. LOL! After watching these two videos it occurs to me that it just might be easier to imprint human engrams into androids than it would be to establish human colonies on Mars for the following reasons:
1. What if funding runs out for NASA? Do we leave those colonists stranded and just let them die?
2. How do we keep human waste (which contains more microbes than anything else) from contaminating the Martian ecosystem?
3. Mars is very machine-friendly. Rovers which were designed to last only 9 months lasted over 7 years. (Thin atmosphere, little water, no oxidation!)
4. I don't think Mars has a molten iron core like earth which creates magnetic fields which deflect cosmic rays. How long do you think colonists would last before they either fry or mutate into creatures with a taste for human flesh?
5. What do you do with mentally ill astronauts? If the trip there does not drive them nuts, the endlessly bleak Martian landscape will.
No, my fellow carbon-based life forms, he future is not human beings on Mars. It's Data on Mars. We should be designing him right now!
TrekMadeMe Wonder
15. VulcanFilmCritic
I'll take a stab at it, VulcanCritic.
Answer: A long time. Just as we simulated it on the 'Moon' in the 60's & 70's.
4. MRO's HiRISE camera can't photograph the whole surface. It would take decades to transmit back all the data, so it is only used for specific targets. the wide angle "context camera" is what actually maps the whole planet, and is probably where this photo originated. they use HiRISE to survey priority targets, like potential ice deposits and future landing sites. They also scouted ahead for Spiriit, Opportunity, and Phoenix, and searched for wreckage of MPL and Beagle 2. They could use HiRISE on this object, but if nothing turns up, the crackpots would just cry 'cover up', so why bother?
8 and 10… Orion would only be used to get to a Mars ship and back. The crew will live in something like one of the Space Station modules for the trip out and back. I have no idea why that illustration shows Orion free-flying at Mars, it certainly won't do that.
9. The last lunar mission was launched December 7, 1972.
Chris Doohan
I'm going to be first in line to get one of those Martin jet packs.
17 @Thorny I'm sorry to contradict you but I think they intend to use that sardine can to get to Mars! It's supposed to be similar to the Apollo spacecraft which sent men to the moon. They intend to practice the Mars mission on the moon, since the journey will take only three days, but they will stay on the moon for six months. The Mars trip, if they are to return, would take three years, because they have to wait for the planets to re-align.
That's the true horror of the situation. The closeness. The claustrophobia. The odor. And outside, certain death. There is no "outside." Yuck!
There is no prison on earth so horrible.
Get real, NASA! Before they start sending guys to the moon, maybe they should practice here on Earth with six astronaut stuck in a capsule for three years in Death Valley or Antarctica or something.
From Reuters:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/30/us-space-orion-idUSTRE52T6XH20090330
There's gotta be a great science fiction story here somewhere.
19… No, it isn't. It isn't even possible, Orion/MPCV will have a standalone lifetime of only 21 days, far too short to get to Mars and back. Orion will just be a ferry from the ground to the Mars ship and then back again when the Mars ship returns to Earth. The Mars mission itself will be a "stack" of modules, probably including a nuclear propulsion unit, propellant tankage, some sort of docking apparatus for the Mars Lander, and at least one habitat module (based either on Space Station or Bigelow's inflatable module technology) where the crew will live for the 6 to 9 month flight out to Mars and the even longer flight home. Orion will be kept with the Mars Ship so that it can serve as a radiation shelter in case of solar flares, and so that a critical rendezvous with a return ship is not required when arriving at Earth.
The moon landing missions of Project Constellation were to be about two weeks… one lunar day. There isn't much point in staying during lunar night, because it is too dark to get anything done on the moon.
20. @ Thorny. Thanks for clarifying that. The news media seemed to suggest otherwise. I'm feeling a little bit better about the mission now.
On this site, I've had to debate many Trekkers who say Star Trek is not intelligent. Usually, I go over great episodes and the serious science fiction writers who have written for Star Trek. I also go over the scientific concepts of Star Trek. Warp drive, communicators that inspired cell phones, nanites, etc. Now I can say tricorders.
I do think the most of the technology for the tricorder is there, but as he said the library is also not there.. the issue is we do not have the following, a big enough hard drive (SSD as plater base would be to slow) and a battery that would last long enough.
The scanning technology and camera technology are there.
Another thing would be the screen, we are getting in to bendable screens which will help, but i believe it will need to have a touch screen as the scan will pick out a lot of objects (not just one)
Also it will need to have very fast wireless capabilities.. something we do not have constant across the global. While Military would have this, consumers would not.
This device will also need to incorporate what our smart phones do (phone/email/etc) as if it only scans.. its just a scanner.. not a tricorder. (Yes I do know the tricorder on star trek did not do this, but we only saw it scan and output different frequency, which is no help to us as we are not bringing down force fields) if it is to be a true tricorder it would need to do more then scan.
Harry Ballz
Hey, on the news tonight they're saying that CERN scientists were able to capture antimatter for 15 minutes!
Maximum warp!
While I don't consider it to be an actual "space station" or whatever, I'm not so sure that "object" on Mars is an "artifact" of compression. I've been a professional graphic artist for over 12 years and I've NEVER seen ANY compression artifacts that looked like that. Ever.
@25 Alfred McEwen had a better idea
"It looks like a linear streak artifact produced by a cosmic ray," said Alfred McEwen, a planetary geologist at the Lunar and Planetary Lab at the University of Arizona and the director of the Planetary Imaging Research Laboratory. McEwen is the principal investigator of the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), a powerful telescope currently orbiting Mars. "With space images that are taken outside our magnetosphere, such as those taken by orbiting telescopes, it's very common to see these cosmic ray hits. You see them on optical images and a lot of the infrared images too." | The amazing beauty of rugged mountains, massive glaciers, fjords and seas combined in perfect harmony.
Exciting rumor of the week: Apple's first CEO, Michael Scott, announces plans for a real Star Trek tricorder
In an interview with Business Insider Apple's original CEO, Michael Scott, announced that he is working on a device that would basically be a real life Star Trek Tricorder!
"I'm working on a tricorder. It's from the first Star Trek. It's a handheld gadget where you hold it out and it tells you what something was. So I'm working on the libraries that would let you take something the size of a cell phone and if you're walking out the trail, aim it at a rock, and it'll tell you whether it's a sapphire, and emerald, etc. So the technology is there now. What's not there is the library routine that tells you what things are."
Is this actually going to happen? Does this tech even exist yet? Your guess is as good as mine. But, it's exciting to think that someone with brains, know-how, and (arguably most importantly) money is looking into it.
Read the entire interview here.
Crackpot of the Week: Space Station on Mars! (not)
Tabloids and UFO Top Secret cover-up style websites have been picking up a new story that a "space station" has been found on Mars. They've come up with a fancy name, Bio Station Alpha. David Martines, who discovered a grouping of light colored pixels at 71°49'19.73"N, 29°33'06.53"W with Google Earth for Mars, made a YouTube video (below) that's been picked up by The Sun, among other tabloids. He claims that it looks like some "well maintained" building of some sort. "I hope it's not a weapon," says Martines.
TrekMovie's resident Mars imaging expert, Andrew Britton, found some high resolution images of the area for comparison using GIS software known as JMARS (Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing), a program used by NASA scientists that's free for anyone to download! Britton had this to say about the "space station":
I looked at the feature located at the same coordinates. Loading in the Context Camera imagery from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at ~6 meters per pixel you can see barchan sanddunes. The wind is coming from the NW and blowing to the SE based on the orientation of the dunes.
As you can see there is no station on the ground. The feature that is pointed out by David Martines is likely to be an image artifact by compression.
Check out the image found by Martines of the supposed "space station" and the comparison, high-res image below.
Bio Station Alpha? This is the image found by Martines
The high res image at the same location
Image taken by the CTX camera, more info
Gadget of the Week: Commercial jetpack tests explosive parachute at 5,000 feet
The now famous Martin Jetpack, the first will-be commercially available jetpack, has just successfully tested an explosive parachute to allow the craft to drift to the ground from a staggering height of 5,000 feet. The explosive charge releases the parachute fast enough for it to be effective. Check out the video below!
Via DVICE.
Watch Space Shuttle Endeavor blast off, from the point of view of the booster cameras: SHUTTLE LAUNCH
50 years after JFK's historic speech, committing humans to land on the moon, a look at the current state of NASA: OBAMA GROUNDING JFK | 766 |
1499: Dom St Peter, Regensburg, Germany
Mystery Worshipper: Cantato Domino.
The church: Dom St Peter (Regensburg Cathedral), Regensburg, Germany.
Denomination: Roman Catholic.
The building: Regensburg Cathedral is hailed by architectural authorities as the most important Gothic building in Bavaria. It was built between the 12th and 14th centuries. However, the spires, strongly reminiscent of Cologne Cathedral, are 19th century. It is a beautiful building with one truly outstanding feature: the east end has no ambulatory and instead the side aisles end in mini apses of their own. The windows of the central apse therefore continue almost to the ground and behind the high altar is a kaleidoscope of blue and gold medieval stained glass.
The church: The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Regensburg and the centre of the diocese. During the Reformation, the town council voted to become Lutheran but the diocese remained Roman Catholic. There are some Lutheran churches in Regensburg but most of the city is enthusiastically Catholic. It perhaps helps to have such close links to the man at the top, of which more below.
The neighbourhood: Regensburg was left mostly unharmed during World War II and in the physical sense Regensburg Cathedral is the centrepiece of a well-preserved medieval city. Nearby are local churches including the Baroque Alte Kapelle and the exceptionally ancient St Ulrich's, now a museum. In the spiritual sense, the cathedral is in the heartland of Pope Benedict XVI hero-worship. Benedict (as Joseph Ratzinger) was a Professor of Theology at Regensburg University and his elder brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, was the Kapellmeister (choirmaster) at the cathedral. The Pope has said of Regensburg: "here I really feel at home" and declares that the cathedral choir, the Regensburger Domspatzen, is his family. The people of Regensburg clearly cherish their connection with the top man. The Pope's face smiles out at one from<|fim_middle|> the duties as readers. A fifth acolyte appeared as the service went on. Leading the sung element of the service was the resident boys' choir, the Regensburger Domspatzen, and their Domkapelle Meister (DKM) Roland Buchner. The organ was played by the Domorganist Herr Prof. Franz Josef Stoiber.
The date & time: Sunday September 16th, 2007, at 10.00am.
Solemn Mass.
Packed to capacity. There were even people standing in the aisles. I arrived about an hour early to get a good seat (front row pew, in fact) and was glad I did. The cathedral filled gradually from about 9.15, but about 15 minutes before the service started the crowd thronged in and filled the building up. There was a mixed crowd. Many tourists, of course, but a strong crowd of locals, too. Some were in traditional Bavarian outfits, but there was also a strong showing of Burberry chic.
No. I let myself in and found my seat and my hymnal. Possibly there were people on hand later to welcome congregants, but I did arrive very early.
It was fine – certainly not distractingly uncomfortable. More to the point, it was an attractively carved Baroque piece of church furniture and a delight to observe. It also had a high prayer desk in front, which was ideal for hiding the notes I was taking for this report!
Increasingly dynamic. The cathedral was dark and quiet when I arrived. There was a buzz of activity up the front as the new intake of the Domspatzen had their photograph taken, with DKM Buchner demonstrating how to pretend they were singing. A warden removed the ropes around the sanctuary and lit the candles on the high altar using a light on the end of a gas flare. After their photo was taken, the celestial sound of the choir rehearsing drifted in and the cathedral really started to fill up from 9.45. However, it remained remarkably silent inside. The bells started to ring and the organ absolutely pulsated as the clergy party processed in.
"The Lord be with you" (in German, of course).
Gotteslob: Katholischen Gebet und Gesangbuch. This contained the melody lines for the psalm and hymn which were sung. This being solemn mass, the congregational input was limited to singing the psalm refrain, one hymn and speaking the occasional Gott sei Dank.
The pipe organ. The case is in the sanctuary and many of the pipes are hidden behind the large, silver high altar. This organ has a loud, rich tone, but the musical authorities at the Dom are unhappy with it. An appeal is under way (backed by the music-loving Papst Benedikt) to build and install a large organ in the north transept. There seems to be some annoyance at the cathedral that all nearby cathedrals, including Augsburg, Munich and Bamberg, have large and renowned organs.
The number of the psalm and the hymn were flashed up on an electronic screen. This seemed more like the indicator board for a train station than an item of church furniture. The little trebles of the choir sang like angels but fidgeted a lot, which meant there was a constant flash of movement of the red robes up the front. However, they were very little boys and they did have to stand for the entire service.
As high as one can possibly go; this is Bavarian Catholicism, after all. There was a full complement of smells and bells, plus the incomparable singing of the plainchant by the Domspatzen. The genuflections performed by many of the congregants were the deepest and most profound I have ever observed.
About 17 minutes.
5 – It is actually very unair for me to judge as I would have understood about one word in six, given my highly defective German. I have therefore rated him right in the middle.
The canon preached on family values, to judge from the number of times he referred to the members of the family.
The singing, of course. The Regensburger Domspatzen is the world's oldest cathedral choir and was founded by Bishop Wolfgang in AD 975. The boys sing with the characteristic vigour and robustness of German boys' choirs, but the work of Buchner and before him Ratzinger and Theobald Schrems has elevated the standard of this choir beyond most others in Germany. I would imagine that many in the congregation had come for the choir and the trip was worth it. They are far and away my favourite choral group and to hear them live in the cathedral which they serve is as close to heaven as this world can provide. The performance of the psalm was especially heavenly. It was a blessed relief not to have Anglican chant droning away. Instead, a young tenor sang the verses of the psalm as a solo and the congregation sang a refrain between each verse.
Even with the Domspatzen, this Protestant couldn't shake off a tiny unease at participating in Roman Catholic corporate worship. There was also an unsettling incident before the service. Two German women behind me were conversing about the cathedral and an elderly man in front of them turned around and ordered them to be silent. Who was he to give instructions like that? The whole thing smacked of the most unctuous form of arrogance.
The canon, acolytes and choristers all disappeared. The crowd dispersed and the building was given over to tourists. The canon didn't stand at the door to farewell the crowd.
Are you kidding?! This is a Bavarian cathedral; there is no church hall or the like for everyone to troop across to for a coffee.
It certainly made me glad of the inspiration provided to composers and musicians by their faith.
The singing of the choir. All else is detail. | shops everywhere. Regensburg must be the only place in the world where one would find a biography of Georg Ratzinger, not to mention book after book on der Papst.
The cast: An unnamed cathedral canon was the only cleric and presided over the mass. He was assisted by four acolytes, one of them the thurifer, who between them did | 75 |
Clark Hunt has been involved in the leadership of the Kansas City Chiefs for nearly two decades and currently serves as the club's Chairman and CEO.
Hunt has been the driving force behind the resurgence of the Chiefs, transforming the iconic franchise into one of the most successful teams in the National Football League over the last decade. Since taking over as CEO in 2010, the Chiefs have earned five AFC West Division Championships, seven playoff appearances and back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship Game. Following the 2019 season, for<|fim_middle|> Entering the 2020 season, the club upgraded technology inside an additional scoreboard, replaced all the seats in the lower level and renovated the stadium's team store.
The investment and commitment in Arrowhead go beyond football. After more than a year in development, Hunt and his family debuted the first phase of the Arrowhead Art Collection in 2013, highlighting regional artwork while promoting culture, providing educational opportunities and engaging the community. In total, more than 50 pieces of art have been installed at Arrowhead Stadium, combing two pieces of the cultural fabric of Kansas City – sports and the arts – inside a regional architectural masterpiece.
The Dallas, Texas, native, is also a founding investor-operator in Major League Soccer, serving as Chairman and CEO of FC Dallas, while his family originally founded two other MLS clubs, the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) and the Columbus Crew. Hunt is actively involved in the continued growth of MLS, serving as a member of the MLS Board of Governors, Commissioner Don Garber's Executive Committee, and as the Chairman of the Competition Committee.
Hunt graduated first in his class at Southern Methodist University in 1987, earning a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in finance. He was also a four-year letterman on the Mustangs' nationally ranked soccer team. He was named one of the SMU Cox School of Business Outstanding Young Alumni in 2004, and he received the SMU Cox School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. In 2020, SMU presented him with its Distinguished Alumni Award – the highest honor it can bestow upon its graduates – for outstanding leadership in philanthropy, business and civic life. He currently serves on the SMU Board of Trustees, and he also serves as President of the Board of Trustees for the St. Mark's School of Texas.
He and his wife, Tavia, are actively involved in numerous philanthropic initiatives in both Kansas City and Dallas. One of the Hunt family's lasting legacies is the Chiefs Charity Game, which has raised more than $13.5 million for local youth-focused charities since its inception in 1985. In 2017, the Chiefs and the Hunt Family Foundation were selected as a finalist for the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sports Award, recognizing the influence of sports in inspiring healthy change in communities through innovation and collaboration. The Chiefs were also named 2016 Business Philanthropist of the Year in Kansas City by Nonprofit Connect, an association linking the nonprofit community to education, resources and networking opportunities.
The Hunts have three children - Gracelyn, Knobel and Ava.
Clark Hunt: "It's a great accomplishment, 5th time in a row" | Week 14 Press Conference
Chairman & CEO Clark Hunt speaks with the media following the Week 14 win against the Miami Dolphins, clinching the AFC West Division for the fifth time in a row
Clark Hunt: "I can't speak highly enough about the job the two of them have done" | Press Conference 11/16
Chairman & CEO Clark Hunt addresses the media following the official announcement of contract extensions for Andy Reid and Brett Veach
Clark Hunt: "It was a special moment for my brother and I" | Press Conference 8/29
Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt addresses the media after Training Camp practice
Clark Hunt: "I don't think we've had one like Patrick Mahomes in a long time"
Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt addresses the media ahead of the Chiefs trip to Mexico City to take on the Los Angeles Chargers
Clark Hunt: "There's a tremendous energy level throughout the organization"
Clark Hunt speaks with the media after the official start of Chiefs Training Camp.
Clark Hunt: "I want to thank the fans"
Clark Hunt speaks to the media on Victory Monday about the great start to the season and the great excitement around the team. | the first time in club history, Hunt hoisted the award bearing his father's name – the Lamar Hunt Trophy – given to the champions of the AFC. The team advanced to Super Bowl LIV, the franchise's third NFL title game appearance and the first under Hunt's leadership, overcoming a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to claim a 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers en route to earning the club's second Lombardi Trophy as World Champions.
In January 2013, Hunt modified the leadership structure of the organization, announcing that for the first time in club history, the head coach, the general manager and the team president would all report directly to the Chairman and CEO. Hunt hired Head Coach Andy Reid in 2013, and in seven seasons under Reid, the Chiefs have won 77 regular season games, which ranks second in the NFL during that span, and have qualified for the postseason in five-consecutive seasons (2015-19).
Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Hunt extended Reid's contract and also made a change in the leadership of the personnel department, naming Brett Veach as the seventh general manager in franchise history.
In addition to the on-field resurgence of the team, Hunt is a leading voice among NFL owners. In 2019, Hunt was named Chairman of the influential Finance Committee after serving as a member for seven years. Hunt is a member and former Chairman of the International Committee, and he also serves on the Management Council Executive Committee (CEC), the Personal Conduct Committee and Commissioner Roger Goodell's Chairmen's Committee. He was on the Commissioner Search Committee in 2006 which recommended Goodell as the successor to then-Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and was appointed to the NFL's Digital Media Committee in 2007, which was restructured in 2019. He was also one of six members on the NFL Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities.
Hunt was instrumental in securing the NFL's collective bargaining agreement in 2011 as one of 10 NFL owners charged by Goodell with negotiating the NFL's new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Again, in 2020, Hunt was an integral member of the NFL's negotiating team that helped deliver a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with NFL players a full season ahead of the deadline.
During his time as chairman of the International Committee (2011-18), Hunt played a key role in expanding the league's international efforts and the NFL's footprint overseas. The league has hosted at least one regular-season contest in London since 2007, with that expanding to four contests in 2019, including two games at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which was developed through a partnership between the NFL and the English Premier League club. Going into the 2020 season, 31 teams have played a total of 28 London contests. The NFL has also hosted three regular season games in Mexico since 2016.
Twice in the past five seasons, the Chiefs have played internationally, hosting the Detroit Lions at London's Wembley Stadium in October 2015, and most recently, an away contest against the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City's Estadio Azteca in November 2019.
The son of legendary American sports pioneer and Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt, Clark Hunt has built upon his father's legacy by ensuring the Chiefs organization remains focused on its core mission: Honor Tradition, Unite Our Community, Win with Character and Inspire Our Fans.
As part of that mission, the organization has made significant investments in the fan experience, utilizing new technologies and innovative ideas. That includes a $125 million commitment from the Hunt family to the $375 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium that was completed in 2010, providing Chiefs fans with first-class amenities while maintaining the distinct soul and mystique that makes Arrowhead one of the most iconic stadiums in the NFL. The team also installed a new stadium-wide Wi-Fit network and launched a mobile application, allowing fans to connect to their team and to each other in new, unique ways.
Prior to the 2019 season, the club completed three major projects to upgrade the stadium and the fan experience, including an upgrade to scoreboard technology, new concrete waterproofing measures, as well as replacing almost every seat in the upper seating bowl with a new model that included cupholders. | 927 |
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 01, 2018 — Real Estate Finance Corporation (REFCORP) announced it would be the Title sponsor for this year's Ger<|fim_middle|>. | aci Captivate West 2018 Conference, an upcoming three-day conference for investors, lenders and fund managers at Las Vegas' Cosmopolitan Hotel.
Child and the REFCORP team were impressed with previous Geraci events they attended and wanted to play a more significant role in the August Captivate West conference. In addition to having his company as the Title sponsor, Child is also one of the featured speakers at the conference. He and his team at RECORP will give a presentation about their company and projects on Aug. 27.
REFCORP is a private money real estate lender and real estate investor based in Scottsdale, Ariz. The company provides short-term construction loans and value-add revitalization loans for residential real estate projects across Arizona. Adam Child is a founding member of RECORP and serves as its current president and CEO. He also serves as a principal at Mobile Home Financing, which develops manufactured home communities in rural parts of Arizona.
Find out more at http://www.refcorpaz.com and http://www.adam-child.com | 215 |
OK…viral<|fim_middle|> race, "We had one guy come from Arizona." Additionally, she knew of people from St. Louis, New York City, Baltimore and Scranton.
So very cool!! Good job Rebecca.
Good article Mark. You might want to fly out east next year and bring it!
Another reason for people showing up at the last minute was the subway line schedule. It was either 10 min before or few minutes after the start. | may be too strong a term, but in the world of ultra running, landing on page one of the Wall Street Journal, being on the ABC News website and showing up in a nationally syndicated AP news article is pretty much as viral as it gets. This is the inevitable place you land when an idea is just that stellar – and "The Rocky 50k" was just that idea.
The concept, like catching magic in a bottle, all started when ultra runner and TrailAndUltraRunning.com writer, Rebecca Schaefer, read a Philadelphia Magazine blog article by Dan McQuade. Dan, a long time fan of the Rocky Movies, dissected the route that Rocky ran in Rocky II. Pieced together from the various backdrops the route totaled almost exactly 50k. In comes Rebecca "I read it the day it was published and couldn't get it out of my head. I emailed Dan within hours and asked for his blessing." This 'blessing' was to put on a race based off his article. After receiving that she had a Facebook Group up within 24 hours.
Fast forward to the day of the race and with all the buzz around a supposed underground event the weather co-operated, "We got really lucky. Friday it had dropped 30 degrees and raining and on Sunday we got 6 inches of snow. Saturday we had no rain and was 30 to 40 degrees, perfect for the gray sweats." But where were the people? 20 minutes before start time there were only 6 to 10 people…and she still felt that would still be a success if only that many showed up. However, with only 10 minutes to go people started pouring in – arriving in cabs and getting dropped off by cars. The run totaled 150 participants.
I asked Rebecca if she knew who had traveled the farthest for the | 388 |
enquiries@accura.co.uk
Industrial Extruders
<|fim_middle|>Website designed by AIM Internet - A Digital Agency | Wright Industries acquires Accura Engineering
by Accura | Jul 27, 2018 | Corporate
Wright Industries, the technology investment group specialising in business acquisition, investment and growth, has acquired Accura Engineering Ltd.
The deal sees the Chief Executive of Wright Industries, Craig Wright, buy back and return to the organisation 20 years after he held the position of Group Chief Executive at Accura from 1998 – 2001.
Operating across three manufacturing sites in the West Midlands with a turnover of £9m and 95 employees who will continue to work alongside Accura's long-standing Managing Director, Mike Richards, in the delivery of first class manufacturing skills and equipment.
Since starting Wright Industries from his own resources in 2011, Craig Wright's entrepreneurial approach has created a group of companies with sales of £35m and £5m EBITDA.
Such rapid growth has been achieved through investment in a number of light industrial technology and engineering businesses as part of a strategy to establish the UK's leading electro mechanical engineering services group.
Craig Wright commented: "Accura is a well-respected brand name in the region, dedicated to engineering and manufacturing products that meet the needs of some of the world's most demanding industries. As such, it is now the lead investment for our precision technologies strategy alongside our electronics technologies investments, which have been marketed under the "Connexion" brand to date.
"Our operational management model is geared towards adding value to businesses whose customers are seeking technically demanding engineering solutions for their world class, high reliability products alongside skilled and dependable manufacturing capability. Our focus is to be their first choice when outsourcing, thereby we invest in innovation, process technology and people across an ever-increasing design, component sourcing and manufacturing process capability, seeking to ensure the lowest total cost of our rapidly growing customer bases' product build.
"Naturally, Accura fits perfectly within Wright Industries' portfolio and our team is delighted to be working in partnership with Mike Richards and the highly experienced management based in the Midlands to deliver continuous improvements for the benefit of all stakeholders."
Wright Industries has a strategy to identify and acquire its investments from owner manager, Plcs, venture capitalists and banks in particularly complex stakeholder or financial structuring situations with a view to achieving long-term stability and driving significant profitability and growth.
The legal team at Gateley Plc advised Wright Industries on the acquisition, with HSBC providing finance. Other consultants advising the vendors on the deal included Grant Thornton and Addleshaws.
Grant Thornton advisory partner, Eddie Williams, said: "I am absolutely delighted with the sale of Accura Engineering. Throughout the process, Wright Industries and Craig Wright consistently demonstrated a deep knowledge of the business and its potential. It was clear from the outset that that they would be the ideal owner, as part of the wider group."
Engineering Fixtures: Precision Engineering at Accura
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Diamonds and the Movies – Watchlist (Part 2)
Unintentionally yet apparently, the theme for this list is… heists and thrill<|fim_middle|> purchases, besides the new purchases, let's worry about the jewelry you currently have – Are you overwhelmed by a dresser scattered with jewelry? Are…
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2022 Jewelry Goals
2022 is well underway and what better way to start the new year than to set some goals – achievable goals – specifically jewelry goals. We're all too familiar with…
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"); // $(".main-header-bar-wrap").after(''); $(string).insertAfter(".main-header-bar-wrap"); $(".welcome-username-item").append(''); }(jQuery)); Scroll to Top | ers.
While there's a little bit of a cheat with two on the list being "remakes", they made the cut thanks to their impressive gemological eye candy. There might be differing opinions on the plots of or acting in some of the films listed below, but there'll be no quibbling about their big screen baubles.
The Pink Panther (1963), Mirisch Company/United Artists
Pink Panther (1963)
Bumbling yet endearing, Inspector Clouseau/Peter Sellers is in Rome, determined to protect a princess and her priceless diamond, the Pink Panther, from "The Phantom", a notorious jewel thief.
The Pink Panther (2007), MGM/Columbia
In this remake, Steve Martin plays the blundering gumshoe – can he solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and recover the stolen Pink Panther diamond?
Fish Called Wanda (1988), MGM
Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin are a trio of diamond thieves with their minds on double-cross. After prematurely getting their boss out of the way, they'll have to find out if his lawyer, John Cleese, can lead them to where their boss hid a stash of diamonds without arousing suspicion.
The Affair of the Necklace (2001), Alcon/Warner Bros.
The Affair of the Necklace (2001)
In pre-revolutionary France, Hilary Swank decides to avenge her newly destitute and ruined aristocratic family by manipulating the public opinion of Queen Marie Antoinette using a 2,800-carat diamond necklace. (Fun Fact: Inspired by historical people and events.)
Ocean's 8 (2018), Warner Bros.
Ocean's 8 (2018)
Danny Ocean's sister, Debbie/Sandra Bullock, teams up with her best friend Cate Blanchett and some other ladies to steal a diamond from Met Gala to square a previous bad-deal-gone-wrong. (Fun Fact: While the starring necklace is made of zirconium oxides in white gold and not diamonds, it was inspired by a real piece – one designed by Jacques Cartier for a man, the Maharaja of Nawanagar, in 1931. Unfortunately, the necklace does not exist today, but original sketches show it would have weighed in at 500 carats. The design had to be scaled down for a woman; the version Anne Hathaway wears would be about 450 carats if it were made of diamonds. Even though this necklace wasn't real, it still took more than 10 artisans over 4,000 hours to create.)
Blood and Wine (1996), RPC/Fox Searchlight
Blood and Wine (1996)
Jack Nicholson is a spendthrift wine merchant with wealthy clients and an eye for the ladies and another eye on a client's $1 million-dollar necklace that might solve all his financial problems. (Fun Fact: At the time, rumored to be one of the most expensive pieces of jewelry shown in a film.)
The Bank Job (2008), Mosaic/Relativity Media
The Bank Job (2008)
Jason Statham's back at it again, but this time in the 1970s. Working off a tantalizing clue, he leads a team bent on finding a missing, previously stolen stash of jewelry and cash – worth £3 million.
Uncut Gems (2019), A24/ IAC Films
Uncut Gems (2019)
Jewelry store owner Adam Sandler has a gambling addiction – will a valuable diamond save him from his dangerous, disreputable creditors?
The Great Gatsby (1974), Paramount Pictures
Robert Redford and Mia Farrow play F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous on-again, off-again Roaring Twenties lovers, each wrapped up in their own unhappy excesses of money, power, alcohol, and love… or the lack of it. (Fun Fact: Happily for this film, Cartier had begun seeking out and buying back many of its Art Deco pieces a few years earlier. Many of the pieces worn in the film (diamond brooches, pearl sautoirs, diamond necklaces, bracelets, and rings…etc.) are fine vintage and antique pieces by the house.)
The Great Gatsby (2013), Warner Bros./Village Roadshow Pictures
Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan star in the most recent adaptation of Fitzgerald's book. (Fun Fact: All the jewelry worn by Carey Mulligan (Daisy Buchanan) and Elizabeth Debicki (Jordan Baker) are real, supplied this time around by Tiffany & Co. All are either specially made for the film (i.e. the string of pearls Tom buys for Daisy in the book described as costing $350,000) or from the Tiffany archives (i.e. Debicki's vintage diamond hat pins).)
Written by Gloria Cheng
Miss Part 1? Find it here: Diamonds and the Movies- Watchlist Part 1
Celebrity Jewelry, Cinema Jewelry, movies, PS101, silver screen
Published on: January 6th, 2021
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With a new year comes new | 1,214 |
by XSOLIS Media Relations, on Nov 1, 2021 6:00:00 AM
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — XSOLIS today announces the appointment of Tim Kostner to Chief Revenue Officer, a position responsible for growth, sales, and marketing. Tim most recently served as the Chief Growth Officer at WellSky, where he oversaw bookings growth of more than 50%. Prior, Tim spent over 20 years at Cerner and served as Senior Vice President of Client Development, where he held executive responsibility for solution and services sales as well as sales operations.
"We are thrilled to add Tim to this senior leadership role," said Joan Butters, CEO and co-founder of XSOLIS. "Tim brings tested and true sales ac<|fim_middle|> a healthcare technology firm focused on shaping intelligent decisions for healthcare. CORTEX, XSOLIS' technology platform, forms a data-driven framework for neutral, objective determinations of medical necessity and transforms the utilization management process between payers and providers.
Topics:Company News | umen to the team and as we continue to grow our solutions and capabilities serving both payer and provider markets, he will be a key driver in our success."
"I couldn't be more happy to join a dynamic and forward-moving organization like XSOLIS," shared Tim. "I look forward to leading by serving and most importantly, keeping our eyes on our customers' needs." Tim & his wife Leslie raise their three children and two dogs in Kansas City, where they root for the Chiefs, the Royals, and the University of Kansas Jayhawks.
XSOLIS is | 112 |
Most of the films that you and I will see in the course of our lifetimes provide a couple of hours of entertainment and distraction, but are easily erased from our memories as soon as the end credits begin to roll. Every once in a while, however, one is lucky enough to come across a movie that resonates with them so deeply that it essentially becomes an obsession—they cannot imagine a moviegoing existence without it, nor understand people who either have not seen it or, even worse, do not share their utter devotion to it.
When "Until the End of the World" premiered in 1991, it was a notable critical and commercial disappointment. When it arrived in Chicago, it played in one theater for two weeks and was gone. Nevertheless, fueled by my interest in<|fim_middle|> if the soundtrack is not already a part of your music collection, you will almost certainly want to buy it as soon as you finish watching the film.
Although technological advances in film have grown in recent years to the point where things that were once inconceivable are now commonplace, the visions behind these sights have largely grown punier over time—filmmakers can devise elaborate set-pieces but are hamstrung when it comes to developing a narrative that allows backgrounds to serve as something other than meaningless eye candy. "Until the End of the World," on the other hand, has vision to spare and besides its own artistic triumphs, it stands as a worthwhile elegy for a time when film artists were allowed to take chances with deeply felt material that didn't necessarily fit into all of the required quadrants. At nearly five hours, sitting through it in one big gulp may seem more than a bit daunting, but those who are afforded the chance to see it in a theater (this is a film that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible to best represent its epic scale) should really make the effort to catch it. In hindsight, when I described it earlier as one of the great cinematic experiences of the year, I was wildly underselling it. Wenders' film will go down as one of the great cinematic experiences of a lifetime.
"Until the End of the World" will be screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center on Friday, November 20th and Saturday, November 21st. There will be a 10-minute intermission.
Next Article: Gena Rowlands: A Life on Film Previous Article: The Strange Case of "The Other Side of Midnight" | Wenders, who had just scored a couple of arthouse hits with "Paris, Texas" (1984) and "Wings of Desire" (1987), and this film's soon-to-be-legendary soundtrack album (more about that later), I was there on opening night. I found myself so enraptured by "Until the End of the World" that I proceeded to see it no less than three more times over the course of those two weeks, so that I could get lost in its beautiful mysteries. Over the subsequent years, it pretty much disappeared. But thanks to the miracles of videotape, laserdisc, DVD and digital download, I have been able to return to it over the years, where my affection for it has not faded in the least.
There are numerous explanations as to why this film has had such a hold on me over the last quarter-century. But one part of the puzzle has always been my knowledge that what I saw back then was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Even though the film clocked in at a more-than-healthy 158 minutes, word soon got out that this was a version that Wenders edited down to satisfy contractual obligations, and that his original cut supposedly ran eight full hours. In fact, he continued working on the film after its aborted theatrical release, eventually arriving to a version that ran 288 minutes, which played at a few American museum retrospectives, and which also was released on home video in Europe. Alas, to this fan, it remained tantalizingly out of reach until at long last, a new 295-minute-long cut recently started touring the U.S. as part of a traveling Wenders retrospective (and is rumored to be getting a Blu-ray release through Criterion some day). This full-strength version of the film receives its belated Chicago theatrical premiere at the Gene Siskel Film Center on November 20 and 21—the concluding title to their Wenders series that has been running since early October—and while its nearly five-hour running time (with intermission included) may seem a bit daunting, those who skip out on it will be missing one of the great cinematic experiences of the year.
Wenders was, along with Werner Herzog and Volker Schlöndorff, one of the most successful of the new wave of German filmmakers to emerge in the early '70s, thanks to a series of films that demonstrated his fondness for sprawling narratives, gorgeous visuals and American and British popular culture, especially of the musical variety. After first getting noticed for his so-called Road Movie trilogy, a series of three films ("Alice in the Cities" , "The Wrong Move" and "Kings of the Road" ) featuring stories involving the aimless wanderings of their characters, and for "The American Friend" (1977), his sleeper hit adaptation of one of Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley novels, Wenders began work on what he contemplated as being the ultimate road movie—one that would literally be shot all around the world and in 70mm. However, he wound up traveling himself to America when he was summoned by Francis Coppola's Zoetrope Studios to direct 1982's "Hammett," a mystery inspired by author Dashiell Hammett's early days as a detective.
That project was a bit of a disaster that wound up being endlessly rewritten and reshot before getting lost in the Zoetrope bankruptcy, but Wenders soon recovered with "The State of Things" (1982), a low-budget work inspired by his misadventures making "Hammett." He followed that up two years later with his internationally acclaimed drama "Paris, Texas." After that, he returned home to Germany and soon created with "Wings of Desire," a gorgeous fantasy about a couple of angels keeping unseen vigil over Berlin that would become a big hit across the globe. With the success of those last two films, Wenders finally had the clout to make his road movie epic, which boasted numerous intriguing elements: A screenplay written by him and co-writer Peter Carey (filmmaker Michael Almereyda apparently contributed an early draft as well). A cast that included a number of well-known faces. A $23 million dollar budget. A shooting schedule that would spread to 15 cities in seven countries on four continents (he would bring a core group of technicians with him and then hire local crews along the way to shoot in the various countries). And, an early version of high-definition video at Wenders' disposal.
Set during the last part of 1999, the film begins by informing viewers that an Indian nuclear satellite has gone haywire, and is on a path to crash-land somewhere on Earth. Although this news inspires many living in possible target areas to flee to safer ground, free-spirit Claire Tourneur (Solveig Dommartin, who co-wrote the story with Wenders and who would pass away in 2007) barely seems to take notice of the panic around her. Heading home to Paris and her sometimes boyfriend/would-be novelist Gene (Sam Neill), she has a fender-bender with a couple of amiable crooks who have just pulled off a big bank robbery. She agrees to smuggle the money into Paris for them in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. While on her way, she runs into Trevor McPhee (William Hurt), a mysterious American who is being pursued by someone with a gun and asks her for a lift. She agrees and the two make it to Paris where they finally part, and she returns to Gene with the money.
And yet, Claire is intrigued by Trevor—especially when she learns that he has taken some of the money—and impulsively goes off in pursuit of him, following him from Paris to Berlin to Lisbon to Moscow to Bejing to Tokyo, where he finally lets her in on what is going on with him. His name is actually Sam Farber and he is being hunted down by the U.S. government for stealing the prototype of a machine invented by his scientist father (Max Von Sydow)—a camera that can record the brainwaves of the person using it and play them back for someone else, essentially allowing the blind to see—and collecting images from around the world for his blind mother (Jeanne Moreau) to see. While the sheer effort of capturing images is agony for Sam, Claire is a natural at it. Before long, the two set sail for Australia, where Sam's father has set up an elaborate research facility in a cave deep in the Australian outback, with Gene, bumbling detective Phillip Winter (Rudiger Volger) and one of the bank robbers (Chick Ortega) close behind.
They have barely landed in Australia when the United States decides to shoot down that rogue satellite, a move that creates an electromagnetic pulse that evidently wipes out most of the world's electrical and communication systems. When everyone finally arrives at Dr. Farber's lab, he and Sam get to work on experimenting with the camera, reopening any number of old wounds along the way. Meanwhile, the others gather together and begin bonding through the universal language of music while preparing for what might be the end of the world as they know it. Eventually, it is discovered that while the camera is able to bring sight to the blind, it also has the ability to allow users to record their own dreams and play them back later on. The downside is that watching dreams this way eventually leads to both psychological and physical addiction. Before long, things begin to spiral out of control, as both Sam and Claire are at risk of literally getting caught up in their own minds with no way out.
From the first moment I saw "Until the End of the World," I simply fell in love with it. Visually, it was extraordinary in the way that Robby Müller and Wenders captured the look and feel of the various locales without resorting to the usual touristy vistas. I liked the way that the screenplay managed to mix together a number of different narrative ideas—speculative sci-fi, philosophical questions about the use and abuse of technology, oddball humor, romance and apocalyptic drama, to name just a few—in always-surprising ways. I liked the relationship that eventually develops between the two central characters on their journey. Most importantly, as a longtime fan of road movies—possibly because of my own personal uneasiness with the notion of traveling much of anywhere in real life—I loved watching a master of the form making what remains his—hell, anyone's—final word on the subject.
That said, my love for the short version of "Until the End of the World"—and I do realize how odd it is to refer to a 158-minute-long film as "the short version"—has always been tempered by the inescapable fact that it was an uneven film in many ways. Some of the transitions from scene to scene seemed a bit choppy, and there were some elements that simply didn't make sense, especially Gene's willingness to go to the ends of the Earth to help Claire in her pursuit of another man. This also affected the developing relationship between Claire and Sam/Trevor—one minute he was suspicious of her motives and the next moment found him trusting her with his biggest secrets. There also seemed to be an imbalance in the film—after spending roughly the first two-thirds of the running time trekking the globe, it suddenly plopped down in the Australian outback for a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo about the primacy of images and the dangers of technology. Oddest of all, this version lacked the epic feel that it was clearly going for—despite having been shot all over the world, the story was so rushed at times that you never quite got a fix on the full scope of what Wenders was attempting to pull off. But even in that truncated version, Wenders' ability to create a cinematic vision of this size and scope is both a delight, and a depressing reminder of how far we have gone in the opposite artistic direction in the last quarter-century.
In terms of the basic narrative, the long version of "Until the End of the World" is not radically different from the shorter one—there are no major plot divergences that I can easily recall. That said, the addition of the roughly two extra hours of footage adds so much to the proceedings that it all but renders that short version utterly superfluous as anything other than a curiosity. Moments involving the careening satellite and its effect on an increasingly jittery population that were previously removed have been returned to their proper place, and give a plot development that had once been given short shrift in the original a more prominent place in the story. The relationship between Claire and Sam, which had moved in fits and starts in the short version, now has time to breathe and develop gradually in ways that make their story more convincing. And by establishing a proper balance between the globe-trotting section and the stuff in the Australian outback, the shift from road movie to metaphysical sci-fi drama feels a lot less abrupt as both sides now receive more or less equal narrative weight.
As with any film that is set in a future that is now part of our past, there is the temptation to look at "Until the End of the World" to see how close, or how far off, it was in predicting what was to come: While the notion of a unified Europe does not seem especially odd today, the film did predate the formal establishment of the European Union by a couple of years. The film's notion of the turn of the millennium arriving with everything being wiped out by technology run wild will strike a chord with anyone who remembers all that Y2K nonsense. Some of the technological advances on display proved to be startlingly prescient as well, from people utilizing tablet-like screens to autos with then-unheard-of GPS satellite navigation systems. Weirdest of all, the final segment of the film—in which characters become hooked on their own dreams and spend all their time staring vacantly into their personal screening devices to see more and more of themselves—serves as a strangely apt prefiguration of today's selfie-obsessed culture. Really, the only true howler in regards to its predictions is that the film proposes that in 1999, Talking Heads were still together, but the Rolling Stones had broken up for good.
Which brings us to the one element of the film that even those who have never seen it may be familiar with—the soundtrack. Obviously, a road movie offers up any number of opportunities for musical moments (as Wenders himself had demonstrated many times in his previous films) and knowing that he would have plenty of slots available, he reportedly contacted a number of his favorite musicians with requests for new songs that would sound like the kind of music that they themselves might be playing in 1999. Since the musicians that he contacted included the likes of U2, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, R.E.M., Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, Nick Cave, Lou Reed, Robbie Robertson, CAN, Daniel Lanois and Depeche Mode, among others, he had a plethora of material to choose from. Rather than drop songs, he elected to include as many of them as possible. This made for a killer soundtrack album (it is often regarded as one of the great soundtracks of the '90s) but some of the songs wound up getting a little overlooked in the shorter version. In interviews, Wenders has claimed that one of the reasons the film ran so long was to better highlight the songs. Indeed, the music does play a more prominent part in the proceedings—the juxtaposition of Claire and Sam staggering out into the streets of Tokyo with Nick Cave crooning "(I'll Love You) Till the End of the World" is gorgeous, as is the two of them wandering in the outback with an alternate version of Peter Gabriel's "The Blood of Eden." And | 2,868 |
In the spring of 1890, Helen learned to speak. For years, she'd wanted to utter sounds in order to express herself. She had laughed and cried and exercised her vocal chords through wordless utterances, but could not remember how to speak as she had just been learning to do when her illness struck. She was dissatisfied with her means of communication—the manual alphabet—and as she grew older this dissatisfaction only grew. One day, Helen heard the story of a deaf and blind Norwegian girl who had been taught to speak, and soon was "on fire with eagerness" to learn herself. Miss Sullivan took Helen to study with Miss Sarah Fuller, the principal of the Horace Mann School, and soon her speech lessons began.
In this chapter, Helen demonstrates her desire to continually broaden her horizons and challenge other people's expectations of what she could do. Helen, bursting with love for the natural<|fim_middle|> effortlessly with her family, and being able to engage with them in a new way.
At last, it was time for Helen to return home to Tuscumbia and show her family what she had learned. At the Tuscumbia train station, Helen met her entire family on the platform, and as Helen spoke out loud to them for the first time, her mother hugged Helen and "tremble[d] with delight," her sister Mildred kissed her hands, and her father was so stunned and proud that he could only manage silence.
Helen's family was proud and delighted as she shared her new skill with them, and from Helen's description of their happy trembling and outward displays of affection, it is clear that they were deeply moved by how hard she had worked and how far she had come. | world and desire for more and more experiences, longed to be able to communicate more intuitively with her loved ones, and fought intrepidly to pursue her goals. Speaking out loud, for Helen, represents one step closer to being able to communicate with others around her without so much mediation or as many obstacles.
Miss Fuller would pass Helen's hand over her face and allow Helen to feel the position of her tongue and lips when she made a sound. In just an hour, Helen learned the major elements of speech, and after eleven lessons she was able to utter her first connected sentence: "It is warm." With the ability to speak out loud, Helen felt her soul come "out of bondage" and reach for new heights.
Just as Miss Sullivan lifted the veil of darkness which had fallen over Helen's childhood, Miss Fuller now helps Helen to break out of the cage of her dark, quiet world even more by helping her to quite literally find her voice.
Helen spoke to everyone and everything—her toys, stones, trees, and animals. It was a thrill to speak in words that did not need to be interpreted by another, and Helen found herself expressing thoughts through words that "might perhaps have struggled in vain to escape [her] fingers."
Helen was so excited to share her new skill, and delighted in expressing herself even to inanimate objects. As she did so, she found her thoughts soaring to new heights, and realized that her goal of communicating more deftly was on its way to being achieved.
Helen admits that she could not "really" talk at this time—she had only learned the elements of speech. Her teachers could understand her, but most others could not. Miss Sullivan helped Helen daily to practice her speech, and though even now Miss Sullivan still corrects Helen's mispronounced words here and there, their shared labors have paid off. The work of learning to speak was fraught with "discouragement and weariness," but the desire to show her loved ones all that she could accomplish spurred Helen on, and any time she thought of talking with her sister and her mother she was able to pull herself up out of her frustration.
Helen struggled mightily in pursuit of her goal, but undertook her journey towards speech knowing that it would be a lifelong endeavor which would challenge her repeatedly as the years passed by. Helen was spirited in this pursuit by the thought of communicating more | 488 |
Attn Seniors: The lucky seniors who are winners today in the Homecoming Spirit Drawing are: Trevor Estock, Reid McClean, Madeline Molnor, and Ayoola Olapo. You must see Ms. Kiefer in Room 248 today for prize. Any unclaimed prizes by the end of the day will go back in the drawing.
Attn Seniors: The lucky seniors who are winners today in the Homecoming Spirit Drawing are: Julie Schweiss, Carter Welsh, Brendan Paule, Tori Green, Dan Farrenkoph, Cassie Visintainer, Trevor Estock, and Ayoola Olapo. You must see Ms. Kiefer in Room 248 today for prize. Any unclaimed prizes by the end of the day will go back in the drawing.
Any seniors who did not get a senior tshirt and still want one, order one<|fim_middle|> cleats, if available. For additional information, please contact the CE&Rec Department at 262-255-8460. | from Ms. Kiefer in Room 248 by Monday. Cost is $10 and must be paid in advance.
Attention Senior Class--If you did not pick up your senior t-shirt yesterday, see Ms. Kiefer in Room 248. Also, get your homecoming beads at the same time whether or not you ordered a shirt.
Attention all students! Have you noticed jungle animals around the building? If you find them, turn them into the main office to add to your class spirit week totals. Student council members will be totaling these points and adding them to participation points to see which class has the most school spirit. The class with the most spirit will receive the spirit trophy at the pep rally, and they will also receive a treat in their next homeroom!
The Portable Climbing Wall from Adventure Rock will be here TODAY from 10:30-1:30. Come out during your lunch or study hall and try climbing for free. Any questions, see Ms. Whaley.
Attention Juniors! The PSAT (Preliminary SAT) will be offered at MFHS next Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. The PSAT is a national standardized test that measures critical reading, math and writing skills and it is the qualifying exam into the National Merit Scholarship competition. To sign up for the PSAT please visit Student Services. More information and a preparation guide are available. The cost of the PSAT is $17.00 due on test day.
Calling on all students that are interested in a career in manufacturing!!! This is fast growing field with many job opportunities - A robotics operator, a manufacturing engineer, a machine operator, a design engineer, a pharmaceutical researcher are some of the names of careers in the field of manufacturing just to name a few!!!
Next week on Thursday, October 18th is the Manufacturing Career Expo at Davian's Conference Center in Menomonee Falls!! There will be over 43 booths from various area manufacturing companies like Harley Davidson and Quad Graphics and post secondary technical schools like ITT Technical Institute, MATC and WCTC! All there for you to explore and get exposure about this exciting field!!
Our Menomonee Falls High School is taking a bus over to this event during 1st, 2nd and 3rd hours on Thursday morning. Serious students interested in this field can sign up in the Student Services office to go to this event. Signed parent permission is required. For more information please visit Student Services!
Chinese Club meets this week TODAY after school in room 239. All are welcome!
There will be an Art Honor Society Executive board meeting this TODAY during 3rd lunch in art room 30.
Tom Grizzle won the Thassophobia Submission of the Week with his poem "The Harridon Harlot". See the poem on the Smoke Signals website.
Dryland ski training will be starting this SATURDAY in the new gym from 9:00 - 10:30 am. Wear workout clothes and bring water.
The Alpine Ski Team will be having an informational meeting on next MONDAY in the Library from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.
Anyone interested in skiing on this year's team please attend with a parent. You don't have to have any racing experience to participate.
We are looking for 2 or 3 students that would be interested in being a team manager for the Ice Bears-Girls Hockey Team. If interested stop in the Athletic Office.
Hey Super Fans! Make a night of it and come on out TONIGHT and cheer on Varsity Volleyball at 5:00PM then head over to the Soccer Game at 7:00pm to support the Indians as they go up against Sussex in the Regional Finals. The Student section will be a BLACK OUT. All students in attendance will receive a stamp on their PBIS card. See you at the games!
Boys interested in playing rugby this spring should plan on attending an introductory practice on Wednesday, October 24th from 3:45-5pm at the killer hill practice field located east of the community center on Menomonee River Parkway. This no contact session will teach the basic rugby skills, drills, and formations. Participants should bring a water bottle and wear weather appropriate athletic clothing and | 891 |
War and the military have influenced fashion for a long, long time. The<|fim_middle|>, it does so much more for Costa.
Costa has designs ready for civilians as well, including camouflage and the American Flag. There are Blue Line squares to represent law enforcement, red lines for firefighters. He even has pocket squares with military branch colors, though he is reworking the Navy pocket square because he didn't like the way the yellow came out.
Costa believes this is a great way to identify other veterans in a crowd. It's a way to support each other and promote civilian understanding. "And what man doesn't like telling war stories, but with a positive spin," says Costa. | modern necktie is traced to Croatian mercenaries in the Thirty Years' War during the first half of the 17th century. It wasn't until after the Crimean War in the mid-1800's, that the trench coat became popular. Dr. Martens came out of Germany during World War II. The Pea Coat was first made popular by Dutch sailors in the 16th century. Even the plain white t-shirt started as part of the Navy uniform in 1913.
Next up for the fashion world is the simple yet stylish pocket square. And the impetus for this new change comes out of one of the darkest days in America's history, September 11, 2001, and our involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
One day Costa saw a pocket square on the internet. It just had stripes on it. "I was like, that looks like a military ribbon," he recalls. He finally knew what to do.
His trip from Marine Corps to fashion designer has been slow, but he's now toying with ideas for coordinated ties, bowties and cufflinks. But this project isn't just a way to make money | 242 |
Enter for a chance to win two nights in the Happiest City in America for two during the colorful celebration that is Mardi Gras in Cajun Country. Giveaway details below.
The winner will be able to select which two nights they spend in Lafayette for Mardi Gras at a local hotel ranging from Friday, February 9 to Tuesday, February 13 based on their schedule. The contents of the giveaway will reflect which dates the winners choose. Lafayette Travel will be in touch with the winner and the hotel to coordinate the overnights.
You will have the chance to experience the revelry of Mardi Gras in<|fim_middle|>ardi Gras Association Pageant on Mardi Gras Day. This event is held in the evening after the last parade and is always a raucous celebration of Mardi Gras royalty.
Your Cajun Country Care Package will be filled with plenty of goodies and resources to use during or after your trip. Included in this package is a Poupart's traditional king cake, which is French puff pastry with a delicious filling, different than what most people associate with king cakes.
To enter simply fill out the information below and a winner will be chosen on Monday, February 5 and will be announced on our Facebook page later that week. | style at Lafayette Travel's VIP tent located along the parade route at Parc Sans Souci. There you will enjoy Lafayette's signature cocktail the Rouler, the smoked pork and rice delicacy known as boudin as well as king cake.
Avery Island's self-guided, 10-stop tour will take you through the TABASCO® Museum, the greenhouse, the barrel warehouse and the factory building. Save your appetite and be ready to shop and taste your way through the last two stops on the tour, the TABASCO® Country Store and Restaurant 1868.
You will have the chance to experience as many Lafayette Parish attractions as you can fit into your schedule with the VIP pass to Cajun Country. This VIP pass grants you access to 42 attractions free of charge during your stay including Acadian Village, Jungle Gardens, Hilliard University Art Museum, Rip Van Winkle Gardens, Vermilionville, Zoosiana along with many others.
To cap off you stay in Cajun Country, you will also have the opportunity to attend the Greater Southwest Louisiana M | 220 |
Dr. Golden received his medical degree at the University of Miami and continued his training in Internal Medicine-Primary Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After several<|fim_middle|> Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He is actively involved in medical student and graduate medical education, as well as multiple interprofessional student educational programs. His academic interests are in the development of home- and community-based based models of care for frail older adults. | years on faculty at the University of Miami and the Miami VA Medical Center, he became the Medical Director for Geriatrics at Medco Health Solutions Inc. (formerly Merck-Medco, LLC). In 2002, Dr. Golden moved to Orlando, Florida to serve as a geriatrician and an Assistant Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Orlando Regional Medical Center. In 2007, he returned to the University of Miami and the Miami VA Medical Center. As a medical educator he received multiple teaching awards. He was also an investigator in the Miami VA's Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC). Dr. Golden is a practicing clinician and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine with board certifications in | 159 |
Press | Homelessness
The Business of Giving: A Conversation with Community Solutions CEO on Winning MacArthur's $100<|fim_middle|> accelerate an end to homelessness in 75 US communities in five years. And here to tell us more about it, it's a pleasure to have back Rosanne Haggerty, the president and CEO of Community Solutions. Congratulations, Roseanne!
Rosanne: Thank you, Denver, and thank you for having us back.
Denver: So, what was it like for you and your extended team when you received word, out of 755 entrants who had submitted proposals, that your Built for Zero initiative had been declared the winner of the $100 million grant award from the MacArthur Foundation?
Rosanne: Some combination of thrilled, stunned, humbled, grateful that probably characterized the team's response, especially since the other finalists were amazing organizations, and we learned so much through the process. We just are grateful to have gotten that far.
So, we are especially excited for what this means for this issue at this moment in history, especially excited for the extraordinary community partners who are really the essence of the Built for Zero work. So, to wrap it all up, we are really excited.
100&Change, Rosanne Haggerty
Rosanne Haggerty Talks Homelessness with the Chronicle of Philanthropy
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Locally Driven, Network-Supported Systems Change
Santa Fe New Mexican: City staffers deserve our appreciation | Million Award To End Homelessness
A conversation between Rosanne Haggerty, President & CEO of Community Solutions, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving
From The Business of Giving
The following is a conversation between Rosanne Haggerty, President & CEO of Community Solutions, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving.
As regular listeners of this podcast know, The Business of Giving has closely covered the MacArthur Foundation's 100&Change global competition since its inception. The competition seeks to identify the proposal that promises the greatest, real, and measurable progress in solving a critical problem of our time.
This year, MacArthur awarded the $100 million award to Community Solutions to | 147 |
Classic or Contemporary, There's an Elektra Espresso Machine for Everyone
Elektra Espresso Machine Dec 25, 2022
When searching for the perfect espresso machine, there is no shortage of options for consumers. Regardless of your budget, skill, space limitations, or preferred features, you're almost guaranteed to find a machine that satisfies your needs and your desire for exceptional coffee.
However, if you are looking for something that makes a statement while making exceptional coffee- look no further than Elektra.
The Story Behind the Brand
In an uncompromisingly fast-changing world, Elektra has held on to the values of tradition, passion, and innovation that make it one of the finest quality espresso machine makers in the world.
Elektra espresso machines have been meticulously handcrafted in Northern Italy for over three-quarters of a century using in-house-made components. In their commitment to keeping with the company's commitment to quality and craftsmanship, each Elektra espresso machine produced is vigorously inspected and tested by real people before being painstakingly packaged in preparation for its forever home.
However, remaining true to its heritage hasn't stopped the company from integrating some of the most cutting-edge technology into its classically styled machines. Instead, the company has found a unique way to embrace traditionalism while providing consumers with the feature-loaded espresso machines one would expect at the mid to high-range price point.
Choosing an Elektra Espresso Machine for Your Home
Keeping It Classic
For a smaller espresso machine manufacturer, Elektra truly offers something for every coffee drinker. Their diverse lineup of machines includes various features and functions in two very distinct styles.
The Heritage line stays true to classic espresso machine styling, reminiscent of<|fim_middle|> barista. This Elektra espresso machine does not have a water tank; however, it comes equipped with a large 1.8L boiler, providing sufficient capacity for the average household.
The Micro Casa Semiautomatic resembles the Casa Leva but, as the name suggests, comes equipped with a few extra features that may appeal to those who prefer a less hands-on approach to coffee or those who like to enjoy milky drinks. As a semiautomatic espresso machine, a vibration pump generates the extraction pressure while the user maintains control over shot timing. The inclusion of a water tank and heat exchanger also means the Micro Casa Semiautomatica can simultaneously steam milk and pull a shot.
A Modern Twist on a Classic Favourite
In 2019, Elektra released the Elektra Verve. Though, unlike previous new releases, the Elektra Verve abandoned the vintage designs Elektra had previously been recognized for and gave consumers something completely different to enjoy. The Verve brings a modern aesthetic to the Elektra brand while remaining true to the quality users would expect from such a prestigious espresso machine name.
Intended to appease even the most discerning prosumer, the Elektra Verve is a beautifully designed, feature-rich semiautomatic espresso machine. Visually, the Verve immediately catches one's eye with its bold chrome finishes, industrial metal legs, and wood accents.
The Verve is also Elektra's first double boiler offering, equipped with both a 0.15 L brew boiler and a 1.6 L steam boiler. Not disappointing on the technological front, the Elektra Verve surprises users as one of the few espresso machines on the market with full blue tooth capabilities; you can program boiler temperature, preinfusion time, manage cycles, and more, all from your smartphone.
Whether you are into the classics or an enthusiast of modern design, there is an Elektra espresso machine that is sure to delight you.
Tags: Elektra espresso machine | something you might find in a 1900s café. With a bold design and copper, brass, or chrome finishes, an Elektra is an espresso machine that makes a statement. Elektra produces three Heritage models for at-home use, the Micro Casa Leva, the Micro Casa Semi automatic, and the Mini Verticale.
The Micro Casa Leva is a genuinely classic espresso machine and a favourite of coffee lovers dedicated to the art of handcrafted espresso. The Micro Casa Leva is a manual, lever-operated espresso machine that puts complete control in the hands of the | 120 |
You can download leaflets about Sussex Partnership, our services and related topics, including information about medication, below.
If you are not sure about the information you need and would like to talk to someone, please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service.
Your care and how it is delivered to you, with you.
Keeping information safe, including personal information and how we use it and freedom of information for patients.
How to let us know what you think about our services.
Information about hand hygiene, including different ways to clean your hands.
General guidance on infection prevention and control<|fim_middle|> carers.
We conduct research studies in order to improve the services we deliver to our patients. Use this form to tell us if you don't to hear about taking part.
24-hour support and information for anyone experiencing mental health problems including stress, anxiety and depression. Also available to carers and healthcare professionals.
Meeting your spiritual or religious needs.
The importance of being involved in decisions about your medication.
A brief guide for patients and carers. We believe it is very important that wherever possible you are involved in decisions about your medication.
A guide to how people who prescribe choose between different medicines.
Information about the clinical research into the treatment of Alzheimer's disease at the cognitive treatment and research unit.
Information for patients, relatives and carers about the observation of mental health patients admitted to hospital.
Information about how you can help stop illness spreading.
What we do with information about you.
24-hour support and information to anyone experiencing mental health problems including stress, anxiety and depression. Also available to carers and healthcare professionals. | and specific infections.
The Mental Health Act 1983. A brief guide for patients and | 20 |
Home » News » FlashBytes » Watch It Now: Metal Injection's…
Watch It Now: Metal Injection's Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Look @ Lamb Of God's As The Palaces Burn Philadelphia Premiere
On<|fim_middle|> here.
As announced last week, in February 27th anticipation of the worldwide release of As The Palaces Burn, Randy Blythe and Chris Adler will appear on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" on February 22nd, airing at 11 p.m. This will be the first Lamb Of God visit to "That Metal Show." Host Eddie Trunk conducts the 30 minute Q&A that will follow all showings of As The Palaces Burn in theaters and venues.
In addition, Sirius XM's Liquid Metal (channel 40) will present a weeklong special on the film, February 21st through 28th. The special will feature newly recorded interviews by Jose Mangin with Blythe, Adler, and film director Don Argott.
As The Palaces Burn is now set for showings in over 25 countries in addition to the U.S. For a complete updated list of theaters, venues, and show times, go to asthepalacesburn.com.
Exodus · SXSW · Five Finger Death Punch · Pop Evil · MMA / Combat Sports · Worcester Palladium · Slayer · Rob Zombie · Butcher Babies · Trivium · Anthrax · Sabaton · Steel Panther · John 5 · Korn · Nothing More · Rock on the Range · GWAR · Papa Roach · Motionless In White · Twin River Casino · Metallica · Volbeat · Sevendust | Sunday, February 16th, Lamb Of God premiered their feature documentary film, As The Palaces Burn, to a packed house at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, PA. The Metal Injection crew attended the show and got an exclusive insider's look at the premiere and fan meet and greet. Earlier today, Metal Injection posted their official video coverage of the event, which includes exclusive interviews with Chris Adler, director Don Argott, fans in attendance, and other industry personnel involved in the promotion and creation of the film. The video also features a look at the band's personal on-stage film introduction, with commentary from Randy Blythe and director Don Argott.
Watch the video for a unique, first-hand look at the premiere | 148 |
Children's Time "Do not say, 'I am only a ...'"
In Jesus Christ, God has revealed to us what real love is. Through the Holy Spirit God lives in us, a presence and a power that makes love possible. Let's open the door to his knock and invite him in.
O my God, in your presence I seek refuge.
You are for me a place of safety and security .
O my God, in your presence I find renewal.
You supply my every need for abundant life.
O my God, in your presence I know peace.
You offer me the depths of abiding shalom.
Be for me always my hope and my salvation.
And I will praise you my whole life long. Amen.
At the beginning of a race, the starter says, "take your mark, get set, Go!" ... When we end our worship with the words, "Go in peace," are we bringing things to a close or only just setting off on a race, an "odyssey of the Spirit?" Think about that as you return your offering. Ushers? Congregation? "Take your mark, get set, Go!"
Thank you, Lord, for your graceful, loving presence in our lives, which propels us forward in the direction you have set for us. Help us to wisely use what you have given to fuel the race. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
The worship leader (Mike Hanna) is a big, strapping fellow with a strong, deep voice. With him sitting next to us up front, we'll look through the "baby book" his mother made for him long ago. It's hard to imagine he was once that little. I bet his parents had all sorts of dreams for him - what he might grow up to become. Who would've known he'd grow to be so tall (or bald, oops). Who would've known he'd become a daddy to twins, and then a granddaddy to who? Michael and John. Right! Who would've known he'd have such a wonderful speaking and singing voice? (How low can you go, Mike?) Who would've known he'd become a very good salesman, and that people would come to count on his word? Who would have known he also would be a good salesman for Jesus? Who would've known all this when he was a baby? I bet God knew!
I wonder about you. I wonder what you'll become some day. But, you know what? Each of you are special even today. Think about Jeremiah. God knocked on his door, calling him to be a prophet when he was<|fim_middle|> Who knows, some day you might be sitting up here with children all around you, looking up to you. | only a boy. "I'm only a boy!" That's what Jeremiah said. "Only a boy." But God knew Jeremiah long before he was even a dream in his Momma's heart. And God said to Jeremiah, "Don't say you are only a boy. I'm going to do some very special things with you." That's what God said.
That's what I'd like to say to all of you, also. "Don't ever say you are only a ... boy, a girl. God knows you very well, even before you were born - just like Jeremiah, just like Mr. Mike here. And God is going to do some very special things with you. That is, if you're willing. | 148 |
Cardiovascular Sciences, Department of
Published Articles, Dept. of Cardiovascular Sciences
Title: Eligibility of patients with type 2 diabetes for sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor cardiovascular outcomes trials: A global perspective from the DISCOVER study
Authors: Pintat, S
Fenici, P
Hammar, N
Ji, L
Khunti, K
Medina, J
Tang, F
Wittbrodt, E
Surmont, F
First Published: 21-Mar-2019
Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
Citation: BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, 2019;7:e000627
Abstract: Objective To assess the eligibility of patients participating in DISCOVER (a 3-year, prospective, observational study program of 15 992 patients with type 2 diabetes [T2D] initiating a second-line glucose-lowering therapy across 38 countries) for four cardiovascular outcomes trials (CVOTs) of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (CANagliflozin cardioVascular Assessment Study [CAN<|fim_middle|> for each CVOT varied across regions, which was explained by the differing proportions of patients with established cardiovascular disease. Conclusions In a large, international population of patients with T2D initiating a second-line glucose-lowering therapy, DECLARE-TIMI 58 was the most inclusive CVOT, suggesting that its study population will be more representative of patients encountered in routine clinical practice than those of CANVAS, EMPA-REG OUTCOME, and VERTIS-CV.
DOI Link: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2018-000627
Links: https://drc.bmj.com/content/7/1/e000627
Rights: Copyright © the authors, 2019. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium non-commercially, provided the original author and source are credited.
Description: DISCOVER data underlying the findings described in this manuscript may be obtained in accordance with AstraZeneca's data sharing policy described at https://astrazenecagrouptrials.pharmacm.com/ST/Submission/Disclosure
Appears in Collections: Published Articles, Dept. of Cardiovascular Sciences
Eligibility of patients with type 2 diabetes for sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor cardiovascular outcomes trials A global perspective from the DISCOVER study.pdf Published (publisher PDF) 850.4 kB Adobe PDF View/Open | VAS], Dapagliflozin effect on CardiovascuLAR Events trial [DECLARE-TIMI 58], EMPAgliflozin cardiovascular OUTCOME event trial [EMPA-REG OUTCOME], and eValuation of ERTugliflozin effIcacy and Safety CardioVascular outcomes trial [VERTIS-CV]). Research design and methods In this cross-sectional analysis, baseline characteristics of DISCOVER patients were compared with the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the CVOTs to assess patient eligibility, overall and in four regions (Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa). Results Overall, 11 385 patients (71.2%) had sufficient data for the analysis; 56.1% were men. The mean age and time since T2D diagnosis were 57.4 and 5.6 years, respectively. The mean glycated hemoglobin level was 8.3%. DISCOVER patients were younger, and fewer had a history of cardiovascular disease, than those enrolled in the CVOTs. Eligibility varied across the CVOTs; the proportion of eligible DISCOVER patients was highest for DECLARE-TIMI 58 (40.5%), followed by CANVAS (19.9%), VERTIS-CV (7.2%), and EMPA-REG OUTCOME (7.1%); 54.6% of patients were not eligible for any CVOT. Eligibility | 307 |
A reader has tipped me to a Chrome extension which lets users browse Amazon.com and see if a book or ebook is available at their local library. It's called Library Extension, and you can find it in the Chrome Web Store.
Once installed (and configured), simply browse book or ebook listings<|fim_middle|> always added it within days of request, at least in my experience. It simply never occurred to me that so many dedicated readers of e-books had not discovered it. I'm glad it has come up now in any event. | on Amazon.com, and Library Extension will insert an extra window above the buy button with info on whether your library has the title in its catalog. For some libraries, you can also browse the audiobook, movie, and music catalogs.
LibEx works with a lot of libraries in the US, Canada, and Australia, but not all. It can check a library's ebook catalog with OverDrive, Hoopla, or BiblioCommons, and in many cases it can also check a library's print catalog (which is a lot harder than it sounds).
If it finds a match it will offer the option of checking out the ebook or placing a hold As you can see in the screenshot below, my library doesn't have Lash-Up as an ebook and all the print copies are checked out.
Library Extension has been around since at least January 2013, but it started getting press again in 2019. I think it's a great way to reuse one of the better designed bookstore sites, but I do wish it weren't so limited.
It doesn't work with 3M Cloud Library, or most of the smaller library ebook vendors. While services like Freading are not as widely used as OverDrive, they still offer a chance for a reader to save money by not shopping at Amazon.
That is an awesome discovery! Saves me a step when looking up a book. My usual progression is 1. Check Scribd. 2. Check library. Cuts out a step, and if it's in my library, and I'm not in a rush, I can skip Scribd.
It does cut out a step, doesn't it? Now I just have to have a single tab open, and not two.
If you could add Scribd/Oyster to the library additions, that would be awesome. I don't know if they are open enough to allow your extension access, but that would give me everything I need in one place.
Goodreads would be great too!
Great ideas! I'll see if I can get those on my backlog for future consideration!
Welcome! I'm glad it's bringing additional attention. I think more people should use it.
Thanks! This will be especially helpful when publishers decide to price ebooks for insane amounts of money.
Hmm, just imagine if you could achieve the exact same results for indie authors. Like maybe via the eBooksAreForever.com API (shameless self plug).
Seriously, Andrew, this is really awesome.
Any plans to add a similar FF extension?
Yes! Though I can't promise on any dates, I am hoping to release versions for both Safari and Firefox in the coming months!
Any chance that Library extension will come to the UK?
The biggest challenge is often the catalog software in use at a particular library – if it is not already one that I have added support for, then it may take a while (at the moment) to get that library added with my current roadmap. But feel free to submit a request on the website and I'll be happy to take a look!
I've been using this extension for years now and it's fantastic. If any particular library's software is supported the Developer has | 644 |
Ahoy! Thinking about a pirate nursery theme?
What<|fim_middle|> another world. If sliding is not your thing, there is also access via a jail cell style custom steel door. | parent hasn't flirted with the idea of a theme for their child's bedroom? An under-the-sea feel perhaps, with a mural? A princess castle with a four-poster bed, lots of flounces and fairy lights? Or maybe a jungle complete with a tree house bed? Well, check out this pirate themed room. In fact 'theme' doesn't do it justice – this room is a major production.
Designer Steve Kuhl's pirate bedroom is nothing short of astounding. The hull of an 'ancient' ship, a crow's nest, a wooden bridge and a climbing rope are all included but it is the scale of the pieces that are truly jaw-dropping. The soaring ceiling, the expanse of the bridge and the superb (but not overdone) mural of sea creatures and the sky are extraordinary.
The real fun begins with the room's entry and exit points. The room is accessed via a hole in the wall on the floor above – zip down a curvy slide and land in | 204 |
Whole genome sequencing offers the most comprehensive tool for genomic studies. Yet library preparation steps, including DNA extraction, quantification, fragmentation, normalization, purification and quality control pose major labor-intensive bottle necks for the generation of such sequencing data. Usually all steps are done with the aid of a kit but still, preparing a library for whole genome sequencing takes time and is<|fim_middle|> further how the epMotion can contribute to optimize your NGS experiment check our white paper.
Illumina® and Nextera® are registered trademarks of Illumina, Inc., USA. Eppendorf®, the Eppendorf Brand Design and epMotion® are registered trademarks of Eppendorf AG, Germany. | a lot of work.
Multiple kits for whole genome library preparation exist on the market. For an exemplary comparison of library preparation time, steps and costs of different kits, see table 1. With the release of the Nextera® DNA Flex Library Preparation kit, Illumina® introduced a new chemistry which streamlines these time-consuming steps into a faster, highly flexible workflow. To even further improve the library preparation, automated liquid handling systems should be used. Ideally, minimal hands-on time is necessary and the system is optimized to work with the kit. This saves preparation time and guarantees reproducibility of library preparations. Two things play important roles: Logically compartmented workflows and testing thorough or qualifying the kit method.
Logical compartmentalization of automated library prep methods helps choosing which version of kits to use, when to run samples and when to stop at safe stopping points during the preparation of a library. For the construction of 96 sequencing-ready libraries with Illumina's Nextera DNA Flex kit in less than one day we recommend automated liquid handling systems with the possibility to program 4 methods and one off-deck incubation (figure 1). This allows to stop the library preparation after one of the steps if needed. This way the automated liquid handling system can accommodate different sample inputs (e.g., 24-plex or 96-plex) and provides full flexibility to match your busy day schedule.
Figure 1: Workflow for the Nextera DNA Flex Library Preparation protocol on the epMotion® showing single steps. Red boxes show which steps are part of which method file. Steps highlighted in green are not part of the qualified method but can be performed using the epMotion. The running times on the epMotion and tip consumption are shown for handling 24 and 96 samples for each method. The complete process allows construction of 96 sequencing-ready libraries in less than a day with a hands-on time of less than one hour.
Another important aspect in downstream analysis is the consistency of automation and manual liquid transfer. When investing into automation, it is important to have as little variation as possible without wasting reagents and labor time. A proper pipetting technique for manual steps should be applied with great care and the best-fitting automation system must be chosen with focus on the application and real needs to achieve best results.
To evaluate our system, we prepared 8 libraries from 200 to 300 ng DNA from Coriell Institute female reference cell line NA12878 using Nextera DNA Flex and sequenced them in two independent experiments. The average fragment size was closely clustering around ~600 bp as recommended by Illumina. Library yields were highly reproducible and comparable to manual data. This translated to good sequencing performance data with high read diversity and even coverage across the genome and autosomes and a low coefficient of variance (CV). To read | 581 |
Seven stories, 7<|fim_middle|> to get together and bring out the best stories of their friends in a small venue.
"I think everybody realizes everyone has a story to tell. [It's] fun to see people in your community telling these stories. They're not professional storytellers. We work with the storytellers in the weeks leading up to the show, and some of them have a great story right out of the gate, and some just need a little refining on their stories," Barendregt said. "It's just amazing to me to see people around the city want to get up on stage and tell their story."
Each story is personal -- and can be funny, sweet, sad or run the entire gamut. Arctic Entries promotes itself as a venue for building community through storytelling.
"I think it's bearing your soul to the community and allowing people to hear what your story is and realize there's more depth than maybe they imagined," Barendregt said.
The November edition of Arctic Entries takes place Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center. For more information, click here. | minutes each, from seven community members -- that's what makes a round of Arctic Entries. The program, which celebrates the tradition of oral storytelling, is into its tenth season.
Each season consists of monthly story presentations, and each month has a theme. November's edition is titled "Splitsville: Parting Ways, Creating Rifts, and Doing Something New."
Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 2 p.m. for the Nov. 13 performance and Barendregt notes they don't tend to last long.
"We're selling out tickets in 6 minutes, as soon as they go live," Paul Barendregt, an Arctic Entries organizer, told KTVA's Daybreak Monday morning.
When it comes to the show's format, Barendregt says there's no particular meaning behind the number seven.
"I think we just kind of settled upon that, 7 minutes being an ideal amount of time to listen to a story and seven people, you know, anybody can stand up and talk for 7 minutes," Barendregt said.
"And then we are also able to have seven people tell their story, condense it down and put it on air in an hour show. We put this on the website, arcticentries.org, live recordings, and post it on our local public radio," Barendregt added.
Despite its popularity now, Barendregt notes that Arctic Entries had a much more humble beginning. The idea of a few friends that decided | 301 |
Video Pick – I Hate<|fim_middle|> Single White Feline
Amy Sedaris – Living and Loving Her Single Life
Singular Night at the Movies | Every Single Christmas
Enjoy singer and songwriter Sara Baker's musical lament about the hassle she gets over the holidays from her family and friends about being single.
This song was released as a single from the soundtrack of the musical One Kiss Cafe. Sara Baker is the lead character in the musical and moved to Nashville from her small hometown in Ohio to pursue her dreams of being a hit songwriter.
After graduating from high school, it was assumed by everyone, except her, that she would get married and "settle down." So when she returns home from Nashville for the holidays, she is harassed unmercifully by friends and family who want to fix her single status.
The song is not about "hating" Christmas. In fact, she specifically states that "The season is bright" and that she "gets the meaning of the first Christmas night." But, she does hate being single around the holidays and this is her song of frustration. It is fun, up-beat, funny and eventually becomes a song of empowerment as she realizes she is okay with her single life.
Video Pick – The Scarecrow
Video Pick - Mark Sanford Shut Up
Jon Stewart's Take on America's Energy-Independent Future
Video Pick: | 245 |
17-year-old runs 3:52 mile at Pre Classic
By Nick ZaccardiMay 26, 2018, 7:08 PM EDT
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, a 17-year-old Norwegian, clocked 3:52.28 at the Prefont<|fim_middle|>3.43 as an 18-year-old at Pre in 2001, which led to him appearing on "Late Show with David Letterman."
Ingebrigtsen, who ran 3:58 at Pre last year to become the youngest sub-4-minute miler in history, finished fourth in a field of the world's best middle-distance runners. His two older brothers, Filip and Henrik, are also middle-distance runners (but weren't in Saturday's race).
Ingebrigtsen beat Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz (fifth) and Olympic 800m bronze medalist Clayton Murphy (sixth) in the Bowerman Mile. The race's second-place finisher is 18 years old — Ethiopian Samuel Tefera ran 3:51.26
Webb was at Saturday's meet, in part to award the 400th man to run a sub-4-minute mile in Pre Classic history.
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VIDEO: Kenyan star nearly falls, comes back to win Pre Classic 800m
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Amazing. Congrats @JakobIng one second faster and one year younger! 3:52! https://t.co/5cDjOiPKFe
— Alan Webb (@alan_webb1) May 26, 2018 | aine Classic on Saturday, faster than Alan Webb's U.S. high school record set at Pre in 2001.
"My goal was to take Alan Webb's record," Ingebrigtsen told media in Eugene, Ore.
It's the second-fastest mile in history recorded by somebody younger than 18, according to the IAAF. Qatar's Hamza Driouch ran 3:50.90 in 2012, clocked two months before two years of his results would be annulled by a doping ban.
Webb famously ran 3:5 | 122 |
Always a treat we visit BearCreek at least twice a week and never regret they are our second family thanks guys.
Food and service always exellent thouroughly enjoy every single visit at Bear Creek Spur<|fim_middle|> enjoy ribs, steaks and burgers made in traditional style by the most skilled staff. We welcome all visitors with open arms here in Wilkoppies and can't wait to host you and your guests. | keep it up.
Thank you Bear Creek for anothergreat breakfast you guys always take goos care of us.Thank you Pulw for brightening up our morning!
Bring your family down to Bear Creek Spur family restaurant in Wilkoppies to experience exactly what makes us the best burger, ribs and steak restaurant for so many South Africans. We love to celebrate life and great family experiences. That's why we only prepare the most delicious food packed with magnificent Spur flavours and our outstanding service is certainly a cherry on top.
Make any reason for eating out very special, here at Bear Creek Spur in Wilkoppies. Enjoy a lively lunch with your office staff, a leisurely supper with the family, a memorable kid's birthday party, a romantic date or any other occasion – thanks to our uniquely themed dining area and versatile layout.
We provide free wireless access so that all our valued patrons can listen to music, watch videos, catch up on work or chat with friends on social media sites while waiting for their meals. Patrons can also take a glimpse while their fabulous meals are being prepared. Spur's experienced chefs only utilise the finest of ingredients while passionately preparing the flame-grilled favourites you've come to expect when dining with us.
Come on down to Bear Creek Spur family restaurant and | 262 |
World Renowned British Perfumery, Floris Launches Vert Fougére Fragrance Exclusively
at Harvey Nichols Doha
Harvey Nichols Doha, an international luxury fashion retailer located at Doha Festival City, hosted today the exclusive launch of Vert Fougére Fragrance by British perfumery, Floris, the oldest independent family perfumer in the world and the only appointed perfumer to Her Majesty The Queen.
Edward Bodenham, ninth-generation family member of Floris and Director for the brand, attended a special evening at Harvey Nichols Doha with selective clientele where he showcased the new fragrance release in Qatar in collaboration with the retailer.
Bodenham discussed with selective guests, as well attending media and influencers, the inspiration behind the fragrance explaining the combination of<|fim_middle|> and expertise, created with a love for detail and inspired by respect and dedication."
Established in 1730 by Juan Famenias, Floris is the oldest independent British perfume house in the world. Edward Bodenham's love for fragrances began at a very young age when he used to help his father and grandfather blend fragrances in the basement beneath their store. He has been part of the business for over 25 years after working with major luxury fashion and beauty houses such as Lancôme, Rochas, Paco Rabanne, and Calvin Klein. He now creates Floris fragrances for the new generation of customers.
For more information on the collection, customers can visit the Floris beauty counter located on the ground floor at Harvey Nichols Doha at Doha Festival City.
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OPPO Offers Qatar fans a #FameOPPOrtunity to Get Famous on TV | natural scents that make up Vert Fougére and elaborated on the rich history of his British family in the perfumery industry.
Vert Fougére fragrance expresses a thin line between individuality and understated luxury. The fragrance stands out for its uniqueness and distinctive character, with top scents of galbanum, grapefruit and bergamot; heart notes of Neroli, English and French lavender, as well as ginger; and base scents from a mixture of cashmere, cedarwood, amber, Patchouli and smoke accord.
Edward Bodenham said: "By combining our classic fragrances with a carefully developed range of new product innovations, Floris offers its customers craftsmanship | 142 |
Today we walked<|fim_middle|>) enjoy part 2 of your Camino journey!
I'm always amazed at the beautiful farm land. I think we miss a lot in our study of history. Glad you are making good time. Enjoy!
Hi, did you find a white feather and/or hear the rooster crow? Either way, those pretty, pretty pictures look like your pilgrimage is blessed with perfect walking weather! Cheers!
Whoot! Whoot! And they're off. Keep up the posts they're the best part of the day. | 13 miles (20.9 km) in 6 hours with a couple of breaks.
Yesterday, Ted and Lisa flew from Sweden down to Madrid and we all met up at the airport. We then took a bus up to Burgos and stayed the night there, and then took a taxi early this morning to Nájera, to continue from where Kathey and I left off last year. It's Sunday, so a lot of places were closed at 8 in the morning, but we found a little cafe that was open and got our Camino passport stamps — the second Nájera stamp for Kathey and me. Normally after we walk through a little Camino town, we assume we'll probably never see it again, so it was an odd but nice feeling to return to this one.
We had a couple of fairly steep hills today but nothing too terrible. Otherwise it was mostly on dirt roads away from the highway. Lots of wheat fields and some sugar beets as well, and of course the ever-present red poppies. We stopped after about an hour for a snack in the little town of Azofra, and then continued on. The next little town was Cirueña, which the book describes as a ghost town — and that description isn't far off. Other than a nice-looking golf course, there wasn't much there other than a lot of apartment complexes and other buildings that were mostly all sitting empty — apparently because of Spain's housing bubble and a generally bad economy.
Another few miles finally brought us to Santo Domingo, which has a long history with an amusing story involving chickens and a miracle that brought them back to life (read the story here). We checked in to the albergue Casa de Santo, which is a nice and fairly large place in the center of town. After a late lunch at a bar/cafe next door, we walked down to the cathedral to check it out. It's famous for having a rooster and two hens, all three very much alive, living in a special pen in the wall where they can be seen in all their miraculous glory. It was a pretty impressive cathedral actually, even without the chickens.
We're having a great time walking with Ted & Lisa this year, and they're doing great as well. Tomorrow we'll leave the town we've nicknamed "chicken city" and continue west — always west — toward Santiago de Compostela.
What a stack of haybales! The holy chickens story was awesome.
Loved the red poppies and the chicken cathedral too;- | 520 |
One of the keys to keeping AI ethical is for it to be transparent, says Rob High, vice president and chief technology officer of IBM Watson. When customers interact with a chatbot, for example, they need to know they are communicating with a machine and not an actual human. AI, like most other technology tools, is most effective when it is used to extend the natural capabilities of humans instead of replacing them. That means that AI and humans are best when they work together and can trust each other.
Chatbots are one of the most commonly used forms of AI. Although they can be used successfully in many ways, there is still a lot of room for growth. As they currently stand, chatbots mostly perform basic actions like turning on lights, providing directions, and answering simple questions that a person asks directly. However, in the future, chatbots should and will be able to go deeper to find the root of the problem. For example, a person asking a chatbot what her bank balance is might be asking the question because she wants to invest money or make a big purchase—a futuristic chatbot could find the real reason she is asking and turn it into a more developed conversation. In order to do that, chatbots will need to ask more questions and drill deeper, and humans need to feel comfortable providing their information to machines.
As chatbots perform various tasks and become a more integral part of our lives, the key to maintaining ethics is for chatbots to provide proof of why they are doing what they are doing. By showcasing proof or its method of calculations, humans can be confident that AI had reasoning behind its response instead of just making something up. The chances of AI truly going "rogue" are small, but they still need to be considered, and in order to maintain transparency and trust, the machine's processes should be revealed. An example<|fim_middle|> doctors can do and provides them with resources to make the best decisions for their patients. Watson isn't making decisions for the doctors, but instead is presenting options with the proof to back it up.
The future of technology is rooted in artificial intelligence. In order to stay ethical, transparency, proof, and trustworthiness need to be at the root of everything AI does for companies and customers. By staying honest and remembering the goals of AI, the technology can play a huge role in how we live and work. | of this comes from IBM Watson, which is used to help doctors diagnose patients and decide the best treatment options. Doctors can't possibly keep up with all of the data and new studies being created every day, but Watson can scan through millions of records for new data and treatment suggestions. By showing where the information and recommendations are coming from, Watson expands what human | 71 |
Life Saving Victoria > Aquatic Risk and Research > Aquatic Sport Monitoring and Evaluation 2018/19
A review of LSV Sport in 2018 identified challenges and solutions and set a series of recommendations from the participating membership, including the overarching goal of 'better before bigger'.
One of the five key recommendations from the report was 'Improving evaluation: A focus on better analysis and evidence for decision making, with a greater emphasis on feedback, while providing more timely and relevant information for stakeholders.'
The subsequent evaluation project includes the development and implementation of a Sport M&E plan for 2018/19 focussed on the summer beach lifesaving competition.
Aquatic Sport (Sport) plays a vital role in keeping active members fit and active while enhancing their lifesaving skills, known as 'active training'. Each year in Victoria, thousands of members compete in lifesaving events. In addition, Sport participation engages hundreds of volunteer officials and coaches across the beach, pool and IRB disciplines. Initiated by the LSV Board, an internal review of Sport was conducted by the department from October 2017 to July <|fim_middle|>: research@lsv.com.au
By Grace Strugnell Nov 19, 2019 | 2018. Extensive feedback was obtained from the review including: 156 informal interviews at carnivals and events; 54 formal interviews and 18 written responses received. One of the five key recommendations from the report was 'Improving evaluation: A focus on better analysis and evidence for decision making, with a greater emphasis on feedback, while providing more timely and relevant information for stakeholders.' A key challenge identified in the review was a lack of clear goals and objectives for Sport in Victoria (LSV, 2018). Subsequently, the Aquatic Sport Executive identified that the solution to this challenge was to develop a strategic plan underpinned by an evaluation plan, commissioned to LSV Risk & Research.
Project Aim
The overall project aim is to determine, develop and implement a Sport monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan for 2018/19. Given the focus on 'Better before bigger', the 2018/19 plan focussed on the summer beach lifesaving competition. Future M&E plans will expand to IRB and pool disciplines, however these are out of scope of the current project.
Specific project objectives are to
Design a Sport M&E plan relating to summer beach events.
Implement the Sport M&E plan relating to summer beach (beach and surf) lifesaving events, including:
– Data collection, and coordination of data collection.
– Analysing data, interpreting findings, and establishing potential measurable KPIs for subsequent evaluations.
– Preparing a report for dissemination.
Specific objectives within the Sport M&E plan for the 2018/19 summer season are to determine:
The level of participation in Sport.
The level of satisfaction with Sport as an indicator of retention.
The overall experience with Sport including potential barriers and enablers to participation.
Key Recommendations
Address participation in key areas including:
– Setting targets to improve the representation of coaches by gender and club.
– Setting targets to improve the representation of officials by age.
– Addressing lower participation rates from Under 14 onwards.
– Using average participation across carnivals as the key indicator of participation rather than the total.
Methods to review communication to and between athletes, officials and coaches should be assessed, with particular focus on event scheduling, cancellation, and location, explaining how decisions are made and the timeframes around the decision-making process. It is noted that Team App would assist in this area.
Improve members' experience at carnivals. Key areas of focus are carnival locations, event scheduling and timing of carnivals.
Set KPIs for 2019/20 season beach events:
– Overall satisfaction with LSV Sport to increase from 7.2 to 8 out of 10.
– Satisfaction with carnivals to increase from 7.1 to 8 out of 10.
– Satisfaction with LSV's communication of information about carnivals to increase from 7.4 to 8 out of 10.
– Reduce the number of negative comments via the Feedback App by 10%.
Conduct further research:
– Improve data capture and analysis to improve accuracy and usability of data reporting, particularly in relation to participation rates.
– Identify the reasons why more current members and more clubs do not participate in Sport.
– Establish benchmarks (baseline measures) for other areas of Sport.
To view the full report, please CLICK HERE.
Research | 693 |
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Chellaston
Gran loses weight to fit into her wedding dress from 50 years ago
It was hanging in the wardrobe, and I thought 'let me see if I can get into it'
Ben Lyons
Una Batty on her wedding day in 1970, and wearing the same dress 50 years later to mark her golden anniversary (Image: Una Batty / Derbyshire Live composite)
A Derby grandma has lost more than four stone to fit into her wedding dress to mark her golden wedding anniversary.
Una Batty and husband John had booked to celebrate the milestone of 50 years married on a cruise in Hawaii.
But after the trip was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March, the 69-year-old set herself a new goal to mark the occasion.
The grandma-of-three wanted to get into the dress she wore when she got married at<|fim_middle|> manage to do it in early October, and it was a real eureka moment."
Una weighed in at 15st 2.5lbs when she joined Jane Tucker's Slimming World group in Chellaston in October, last year.
Una Batty before her four stone weight loss (Image: Una Batty)
Now retired, the mum-of-three worked as an area manager for a distribution company for 25 years.
Una, who has now slimmed down to 10st 12lbs, revealed the changes she has made to her diet and lifestyle.
She said: "Looking back, I can't say that I was ever one for puddings, cakes and biscuits. I love bread and cheese, they were my weaknesses.
Do you have a fabulous weight loss you want to shout about?
We love sharing your inspirational weight loss journeys - so whether you've gone it alone or with the help of a group, we'd like to hear from you.
You can get in touch by emailing the following details to newsdesk@derbytelegraph.co.uk for the attention of Ben Lyons.
A little background about yourself - your age, occupation, where you're from
How much weight you've lost
How long did it take to lose the weight
Your best before and after pictures
The best phone number to reach you on
"I have cut back on the carbohydrates and fat, and I eat a lot more vegetables now than I did.
"We'll still have a Sunday roast, but we'll have more vegetables with it than potatoes.
"We take a daily walk now, and walk for at least 20 minutes each day. We love gardening, and I have so much energy now that I can do much more than I used to."
Una Batty was named Woman of the Year at her Slimming World group (Image: Una Batty)
After the Hawaii cruise was cancelled in early March, Una was joined at Slimming World by her husband.
John, 72, has since lost two-and-a-half stone himself and is no longer taking tablets for type 2 diabetes.
Una added: "We had heard that type 2 diabetes could be reversed, so he joined me at the classes and he's lost two-and-a-half stone himself.
"He's not taking the diabetes tablets now, so the signs are looking good, but we won't know until the end of the year if it has actually been reversed.
"He's been diabetic for 13 years, but he's fitter than ever now, and I honestly can't remember ever being a size 10." | St George's Church, in Village Street, in March, 1970.
Having already lost some weight, Una's new target gave her the motivation to slim down further still and become a size 10 for the first time in her life.
Una, who lives in Chellaston, said: "When my husband asked me where I'd like to celebrate, in Bournemouth where we'd honeymooned, or Hawaii, it was a no-brainer.
"But then that was cancelled due to Covid, and I had to create a second goal to keep me motivated, and that was to get into my wedding dress.
"I always need to have something to aim for, and the dress was hanging in the wardrobe, and I thought 'let me see if I can get into it'.
"It took a while, but I did | 168 |
General methods
Research Article | January 2008
Highlight disparity contributes to the authenticity and strength of perceived glossiness
Gunnar Wendt; Franz Faul; Rainer Mausfeld
Gunnar Wendt
Department of Psychology, Kiel, Germanyhttp://www.psychologie.uni-kiel.de/psychophysik/wendt.htmlgunwendt@psychologie.uni-kiel.de
Franz Faul
Department of Psychology, Kiel, Germanyhttp://www.psychologie.uni-kiel.de/psychophysik/faul.htmlffaul@psychologie.uni-kiel.de
Rainer Mausfeld
Department of Psychology, Kiel, Germanyhttp://www.psychologie.uni-kiel.de/psychophysik/mausfeld.htmlmausfeld@psychologie.uni-kiel.de
Journal of Vision January 2008, Vol.8, 14. doi:https://doi.org/10.1167/8.1.14
Gunnar Wendt, Franz Faul, Rainer Mausfeld; Highlight disparity contributes to the authenticity and strength of perceived glossiness. Journal of Vision 2008;8(1):14. doi: https://doi.org/10.1167/8.1.14.
The disparity of highlights on specular reflecting surfaces usually differs from the disparity of the surface points. A. Kirschmann (1895) proposed that this fact may be used as a binocular cue for gloss perception. This was confirmed by A. Blake and H. Bülthoff (1990) who found that subjects judged the glossiness of convex ellipsoidal surfaces as most realistic if the disparity of the highlights was close to the physical correct one. Extending on this finding, we investigate more closely whether the effect of highlight disparity depends on the sharpness of the highlight and the relative amount of diffuse and specular reflection. We measured the effect of highlight disparity on both perceived strength and perceived authenticity of gloss. We used complex, three-dimensional curved surfaces that were stereoscopically presented on a CRT. The reflection characteristics were varied using the Phong lighting model. Highlights were presented either with or without highlight disparity. In a rating experiment, subjects were asked to judge the strength and the authenticity of the perceived surface glossiness. The presence of highlight disparity lead to an enhancement of both the authenticity and the strength of perceived glossiness. The latter finding was confirmed in an additional matching experiment.
Gloss belongs to<|fim_middle|> also the strength of perceived glossiness seems to increase if binocular gloss cues are available. In contrast to the results of Obein, Knoblauch, et al. (2004), which suggest a slight contribution of binocular viewing predominantly for highly glossy samples (which show "distinctness-of-image-gloss"), our results indicate that the binocular cue "highlight disparity" enhances the perceived glossiness also for medium-gloss surfaces (that only exhibit isolated highlights instead of broad and complex mirror images of the surrounding; "specular gloss," see Hunter, 1975).
Our matching data ( Experiment 2) also imply a certain kind of "gloss constancy" (cf. Fleming et al., 2003; Nishida & Shinya, 1998; Obein, Knoblauch, et al., 2004): Since the surfaces never had identical shapes, a simple matching of the spatial extensions of single highlights will not work because they depend on the 3D geometry of the surfaces. Nevertheless, the subjects were able to achieve an approximately perfect match in the symmetric conditions (see Figure 7). Therefore, the perceived glossiness of a surface seems to be invariant with respect to the 3D geometry of a surface. In the present experiment, the spatial frequencies of all surfaces were rather similar. The results of Nishida and Shinya (1998), who used monocular viewing conditions in a similar task, indicate that this constancy might be much weaker if surfaces with clearly different spatial frequencies are compared. However, it is presently unclear whether their finding generalizes to binocular viewing conditions when highlight disparity information is available.
Nevertheless, under the conditions realized in the present experiments, the visual system obviously has the ability to generate in some way an abstract representation of the global gloss property of a surface—or, in other words, to separate the input into components that are due to specular and diffuse reflection (cf. Fleming et al., 2003; see also Todd, Norman, & Mingolla, 2004). This aspect was already mentioned by Hering (1879, p. 576): "For a gloss percept to come up, a decomposition of sensation has to occur, by which one portion of the sensation is seen as the essential color of the surface, whereas other portions are seen as accidental lights and darks, located on or in front of the surface or which stem from the inside of an object." ("Soll sich Glanz zeigen, so muss eine Spaltung der Empfindung eintreten, bei welcher ein Theil der Empfindung in die Fläche als deren wesentliche Farbe, andere Theile aber als zufälliges auf oder vor der Fläche liegendes oder aus der Tiefe des Körpers kommendes Licht oder Dunkel gesehen werden.")
Clearly, the presence of highlight disparity information could potentially facilitate such segmentations enormously. However, the availability of highlight disparity does not seem to be a necessary condition for this kind of "gloss constancy." This is indicated by our finding that the precision of the glossiness matches were comparable under both symmetric conditions of Experiment 2 (compare the sizes of the standard errors in the right diagram of Figure 7): Given that the decomposition into different causal layers is a necessary prerequisite for matching glossiness, this finding would imply that the decomposition was also possible without the presence of highlight disparity. This does, however, not mean that highlight disparity is ineffective. An alternative explanation is that there is an additional cue that facilitates the decomposition when no highlight disparity information is available. A possible candidate in our experiment is the dynamic change of highlight positions due to the rotation of the surfaces. Demonstrations from Hartung and Kersten (2002) indicate that gloss perception is indeed influenced by motion induced information. To investigate the specific role played by highlight disparity and motion induced cues, we currently plan to conduct further experiments which compare the effect of highlight disparity in static and dynamic stimuli.
This research was supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Gunnar Wendt and Rainer Mausfeld were supported by grant (MA 1025/10-2), Franz Faul by grant (FA 425/1-3).
Corresponding author: Gunnar Wendt.
Email: gunwendt@psychologie.uni-kiel.de.
Address: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institut für Psychologie, Olshausenstr. 62, 24098 Kiel, Germany.
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Zocher, H. Reinicke, F. (1925). Über die Entstehung des Glanzeindrucks. Zeitschrift für Physik, 33, 12–27. [CrossRef]
Depth perception in the framework of General Object Constancy
Highlights, disparity, and perceived gloss with convex and concave surfaces
Associative learning of shape as a cue to appearance: A new demonstration of cue recruitment
How we perceive the trajectory of an approaching object
Depth cue combination in spontaneous eye movements
Stereo-discrimination between diplopic images in clinically normal observers.
Oculomotor Status, Binocular Vision, and Stereoacuity in a Series of Keratoconus Subjects
Optical Properties Influence Visual Cortical Functional Resolution After Cataract Surgery and Both Dissociate From Subjectively Perceived Quality of Vision
Differential Effects of HCN Channel Block on On and Off Pathways in the Retina as a Potential Cause for Medication-Induced Phosphene Perception
Blur Adaptation to Central Retinal Disease | the most fundamental perceptual dimensions of the overall appearance of objects. Empirical evidence suggests that glossiness, as a global surface feature, is elicited by simple local image properties. Many of these cues are already available under monocular viewing conditions and are used, for instance, by painters to evoke the impression of gloss in the beholder. Familiar monocular cues for gloss are the occurrence of local intensity peaks or "specular highlights" (Beck & Prazdny, 1981; Berzhanskaya, Swaminathan, Beck, & Mingolla, 2005; Forbus, 1977) or more complex light patterns on the surface of an object, which are interpreted as the specular reflection of the environment (Adelson, 2001; Fleming, Dror, & Adelson, 2003). Figure 1 demonstrates that monocular cues can evoke a striking gloss impression even in artificial and static displays.
This still-life from Pieter Claesz (1625) exhibits some parts that produce the impression of several materials. Some objects are perceived as glossy. The sphere, for instance, seems to mirror a broad area of the surrounding scene. Also, the intensity peaks on the drinking glass or the inside of the cap of the pocket watch are not simply perceived as luminance textures but as a global surface property, namely to reflect light in a specular manner (reprinted with permission from the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg).
From a phenomenological view, the appearance of glossiness is intimately tied to a segmentation of image intensities into two layers one behind the other, one layer pertaining to the level of the reflecting surface, the other to an illumination dependent component. The latter component is slightly and somehow indeterminately separated in depth from the first one. Due to this layered representation of glossiness, it suggests itself to investigate the role of binocular cues in the triggering of glossy appearances. Because of the reflection characteristics of a glossy surface—which reflects the incident light to a certain degree in a specular manner—and the distance between both eyes, the positions of the highlights are generally shifted relative to corresponding surface points between the two monocular half-images (Blake, 1985; Blake & Bülthoff, 1990; Kirschmann, 1895). Hence, the highlights have a different disparity (highlight disparity) than the surfaces and appear to be located in a different depth plane than the surfaces (Figure 2).
Depending on the curvature of a surface, the mirror image of a light source is perceived in a different depth plane than the surface. Generally, for planar and convex curved surfaces, the perceived location of the mirrored light seems to lie behind the surface; for concave curved surfaces, it seems to lie before it (adapted from Figures 2 and 3 of Kirschmann, 1895).
The possible contribution of binocular cues to the perception of gloss has been discussed for a long time. Actually, the starting point of the investigation of gloss as a perceptual phenomenon was, when Dove (1850) first described the phenomenon of stereoscopic luster—the emergence of a gloss impression as a result of discrepant intensity signals between both eyes. The lively discussion which followed after the discovery of this phenomenon resulted in different explanations concerning the role of binocular vision for the perception of gloss, ranging from physiological theories (where stereoscopic luster was assumed to be a simple side effect of binocular rivalry; see Brewster, 1861; and also Anstis, 2000; Burr, Ross, & Morrone, 1986) to psychological approaches in terms of "unconscious inferences" (Oppel, 1854; von Helmholtz, 1867). The idea that disparity information may be used in gloss perception (as depicted in Figure 2) was already mentioned by Ruete (1860) and Wundt (1862). Although this suggestion was picked up by many other researchers (Bühler, 1922; Gräper, 1922; Hering, 1879; Kirschmann, 1895; Zocher & Reinicke, 1925; for a brief overview, see also Harrison, 1945), the amount of empirical work concerning this aspect is sparse.
An early study conducted by Bixby (1928) provided some phenomenological data. The reports of his observers (who were asked to give a phenomenological description of their visual experiences while viewing several gloss samples) often contain remarks that indicate that perceptually a spatial decomposition into a surface layer and a layer of reflected light has taken place.
In a matching experiment conducted by Blake and Bülthoff (1990), computer-generated spheres and ellipsoids were used which featured some depth simulating textures so that the stimuli could be perceived as surfaces with either a convex or a concave curvature. Monocular half-images of these stimuli were haploscopically fused by means of a stereo viewing system. The task of the observers was to maximize the perceived realism of surface gloss by adjusting the relative disparity of a highlight that was presented superimposed on the texture of the surfaces. They found (but exclusively for the convex shaped stimuli) that observers never placed the highlight perceptually on the surface to achieve a realistic gloss impression. Instead, they chose the relative disparities between the monocular highlights roughly as large as real glossy surfaces of the same curvature would produce them.
The results of Hurlbert, Cumming, and Parker (1991), who used similar stimuli to Blake and Bülthoff (1990), but a different task, also indicate that highlight disparity influences gloss perception. However, their data are not fully compatible with the findings of Blake and Bülthoff, because maximal glossiness ratings were obtained, in some conditions, for physically incorrect disparities.
Further findings have been provided by Obein, Knoblauch, and Viénot (2004) and Obein, Pichereau, et al. (2004), who used black-coated papers as stimuli within a pair comparison experiment. They found that the increase in the strength of perceived glossiness with increasing "physical gloss" is larger under binocular viewing conditions for "highly glossy samples." A drawback of the method used by Obein et al. is that it is not possible to compare the absolute strength of the gloss impression under monocular and binocular viewing. In particular, their data do not exclude the possibility that the strength of the gloss impression is lower in the binocular viewing condition.
The goal of the present study was to investigate more thoroughly how the availability of these binocular cues contributes to the triggering of gloss appearances. In contrast to extant studies, we explicitly distinguish between two different kinds of effect: First, it is possible that the availability of highlight disparity influences the perceived realism or authenticity of the gloss impression. This kind of effect is suggested by the results of Blake and Bülthoff (1990). We also considered a second kind of effect that is independent from the first: A change in the strength of perceived glossiness, where increasing the strength of perceived glossiness of a surface means that it is assigned a larger value on a subjective gloss scale. The necessity to distinguish between these two kinds of effect is especially obvious if one compares, for instance, a brushed aluminum sphere with a billiard ball: While these two objects clearly differ in strength of perceived glossiness, they presumably appear equally realistic. Furthermore, we considered another factor that may potentially modulate the influence of highlight disparity: In order to use highlight disparity as a cue, it is necessary to determine the relative position of the highlights. This should be more easily possible for sharp highlights, which leads to the expectation that highlight disparity has a stronger influence for highly glossy surfaces. To allow for such modulating effects, we systematically varied the reflection characteristics of the simulated surfaces.
We conducted two experiments. In the first experiment, the observers viewed stereo-pairs of computer-generated three dimensional surfaces with complex curvatures that either did or did not contain highlight disparity. The rendered surfaces varied in the strength of simulated gloss and the subject had to rate on two separate scales the authenticity and the strength of perceived glossiness of the stimuli. To anticipate our results, we found that the presence of highlight disparity strongly increased the authenticity of perceived gloss. A smaller but systematic increase could also be observed with regard to the strength of perceived glossiness. A second experiment was conducted in order to validate the latter finding. In this experiment the task of the observers was to match the strength of perceived glossiness of two surfaces, one with and the other without highlight disparity, by adjusting an "objective gloss parameter" in the matching stimulus. In accordance with the result of the first experiment, we found that a stimulus with highlight disparity needs less objective glossiness than a stimulus without highlight disparity to evoke the same strength of perceived glossiness.
Stimuli and equipment
As stimuli, we used computer-generated surfaces which exhibited complex curvatures ( Figure 3). The surfaces had a square base in the x, z plane and the height profile ( y-coordinate) was the sum of 15 randomly oriented sinus gratings:
y = f ( x , z ) = ∑ k = 1 15 sin ( π a k [ x / λ + π ] + π b k [ z / λ + π ] ) .
Screenshot of the two monocular half-images of one stimulus, as they were used in the experiments (here reduced in size). During the presentation, the surfaces rotated around their vertical middle axes.
The coordinates x and z varied from − λ/2 to λ/2 in steps of 1, where ( λ + 1) is the number of discrete steps along the x and z axis ( λ was 100 in Experiment 1 and 76 in Experiment 2). In Equation 1, a k and b k are pseudo-random numbers from the interval [−4.0, 4.0]. The size of the object (i.e., each ( x, y, z) vector) was scaled with a factor s, which had the values of 0.08 in Experiment 1 and 0.12 in Experiment 2.
In each case, four neighboring vectors built the vertices of one quadrilateral facet of the surface. All stimulus elements were held in an achromatic color (along the space diagonal in RGB color space). The maximum luminance of our monitor was 85.0 cd/m 2. The background was set to relative RGB = (0.75, 0.75, 0.75). The gray scale value of each facet of the surfaces was calculated using the Phong (1975) lighting model. For this purpose, a virtual point light source was placed in the scene, located at (−4.38, 7.85, 4.38). The underlying equation to calculate the grayscale value of each facet of our stimuli was
I=ka+(1−a)kdcos(θ)+akscosn(α),
where I is the resulting grayscale value between 0.0 and 1.0, ka is the ambient component with a constant value of 0.6, kd and ks are the diffuse and the specular components with a constant value of each 0.4, θ is the angle between the surface normal of the facet and the light source direction, α is the angle between the observer vector and the cardinal direction of reflected light, n is the Phong exponent (which determines the "shininess" of the highlights), and finally, a is a variable that takes values between 0.0 and 1.0 and was used to combine the diffuse and the specular component into a convex mixture (see also Figure 4).
Some examples of our stimuli as they were used in Experiment 1 (reduced in size). The surfaces exhibit different combinations of reflectance parameters ('a' and 'n', see Equation 2). The top row shows some examples from the first subset of stimuli, the bottom row some of the second subset. All eight 3D shapes which were used in Experiment 1 are shown.
The surfaces rotated around their vertical middle axes at a speed of approximately 45 deg/s; that is, the duration of a complete revolution was 8.0 s. These rotating axes were additionally tilted by 54 degrees towards the observer direction. The reason why we used rotating surfaces as stimuli was twofold: First, the use of non-static stimuli enhances the gloss impression because the highlights never seem to stick on the surfaces (Hartung & Kersten, 2002). Second, by this procedure, we could ensure that the observers were not able to consciously compare the positions of the highlights between the monocular half-images (by alternately viewing one of the half-images). So there was no opportunity for the observers to find out in an unwanted way whether or not the stimulus contains any binocular gloss cues.
Our stimuli included two different kinds of disparity: One kind of disparity (surface disparity) was associated with the 3D shape of the surfaces and was produced by using the glFrustum method of OpenGL (see below). The surface disparity was always present. The other kind of disparity (highlight disparity) only concerned the positions of the highlights relative to corresponding surface points between the two monocular half-images. This highlight disparity was one factor subject to variation within our experimental design. To apply highlight disparity to the surfaces, a different observer direction according to the interpupillary distance, and the global arrangement of the scene was fed into the lighting model to generate the monocular half-image for each eye of the observer (note that only the specular component in the lighting model depends on the position of the observer, see Equation 2). To eliminate the presence of highlight disparity, one and the same observer vector for both eyes was used, which was the mean of the two correctly orientated observer vectors. In this latter case, the highlight disparity was identical to the surface disparity; that is, the highlights were located exactly on corresponding surface points in the two half-images.
All stimuli were presented on a 22-in monitor (Sony Triniton Multiscan 500 PS), driven by a NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX graphic card. In order to realize stereoscopic features, two monocular half-images of all stimuli were generated, which were haploscopically fused by means of a mirror stereoscope (SA200 ScreenScope Pro). The side length of each quadratic half-image aperture on the monitor screen was 12.4 cm. All stimuli were rendered using the C++ programming language combined with the OpenGL module for 3D graphic applications. To achieve a perspective projection of our stimuli, the glFrustum method was used. The distance between the observer and the clipping plane (monitor screen) was 40 cm; the interpupillary distance was 6 cm. The center of our stimuli was located 10 cm behind the clipping plane into the virtual space.
Three naive observers took part in our experiments. All were well experienced with psychophysical tasks and had normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity.
In Experiment 1, the subjects were asked to rate the strength of perceived glossiness ("how glossy is the surface?") as well as the authenticity ("how realistic is the gloss?") of a set of stimuli with or without highlight disparity.
Task and procedure
The main independent variable was the availability of binocular gloss cues. In one half of the entire set of stimuli, the surfaces exhibited highlight disparity and in the other half, this binocular information was not given. Furthermore, the reflection characteristics of our surfaces were varied by choosing different values for the weights for the specular and the diffuse components and the Phong exponent of the lighting model (see Equation 2). For one subset of our stimuli, we varied the relative amount of the diffuse and the specular component, choosing values for a between 0.0 to 1.0 in steps of 0.1 while keeping the exponent ( n) constant at 85.0 (see top row in Figure 4). For a further subset of stimuli, we varied the Phong exponent ( n) between 10.0 and 160.0 in steps of 15.0 while keeping the weight of the diffuse and the specular component constant ( a = 0.5, see bottom row in Figure 4). Each of the 42 stimulus combinations [11 different a values for a constant n, 11 different n values for a constant a (the combination a = 0.5, n = 85.0 occurred in both subsets but was used only once in the experiment), each presented with and without highlight disparity] was presented 8 times (where 8 different 3D shapes for the surfaces were used), so a total of 336 trials resulted. The subjects made their judgments by manipulating the length of two continuous bars that were presented above and below the rotating surfaces on the screen. The relative lengths of those two bars were used as a measure for the perceived glossiness and the authenticity of the stimuli. The stimuli could be viewed as long as the subjects wanted but they were presented at least for 8 s (the time needed for a complete revolution of the surfaces). After the subjects confirmed their decisions by pressing a key, a 3-s dark adaptation period followed before the next stimulus was presented.
Figure 5 shows the results for the strength (left column) and the authenticity (right column) criterion, separately displayed for the two varied parameters of the lighting model (rows). In all diagrams, each data point represents the average rating across all 3 observers. It is evident from the diagram that the two curves in each plot are of remarkably similar shape. The regular pattern of results and the correspondence between the curves is non-trivial because the subjects rated each stimulus in isolation, that is, without direct reference to other stimuli used in the experiment. This indicates that the subjects were indeed able to reliably judge the two perceptual dimensions "authenticity" and "strength" of glossiness. That the ratings of "authenticity" and "strength" of glossiness show different trends further suggests that the subjects were able to distinguish between these two perceptual dimensions.
Results of the rating experiment, separately displayed for the two varied parameters of the lighting model (rows) and the two different rating criteria (columns). Each diagram shows the mean ratings for the two stimulus conditions "with highlight disparity" ('hld', green lines) and "without highlight disparity" ('no hld', red lines) across all observers. The error bars represent the SEM in both directions.
The "strength of glossiness" ratings are positively related to both the Phong exponent and the relative amount of specular reflection. That the "strength of glossiness" ratings increase with increasing Phong exponent and with an increasing relative amount of the specular component is in line with the intended meaning of the parameters n and a in the lighting model. The curves that belong to the "authenticity" task, in contrast, show a slightly decreasing trend. Somewhat surprisingly, this shows that stimuli with the highest ratings for the glossiness strength appear less realistic than those with lower ratings for strength of glossiness. An anonymous reviewer of a previous version of this manuscript pointed to two possible reasons for this unexpected result. First, due to the limited range of displayable luminances, the brightness of the highlights may be lower than is to be expected under realistic conditions. Second, it would be possible that highly glossy surfaces are rare in typical environments and are therefore rated as less realistic.
Our data provide no clear evidence that the effect of highlight disparity depends on the reflection characteristic of the simulated surfaces. The limited effect of these parameters may in part be due to the fact that the surfaces used in the experiments always exhibited several highlights, and that the spread of the highlights does not only depend on the Phong parameter but also on the local curvature of the surface. A further possibility is that mechanisms underlying intensity-based stereo (Arndt, Mallot, & Bülthoff, 1995; Mallot, Arndt, & Bülthoff, 1996) contribute to the detection of low contrast highlights or highlights that are widely spread.
A comparison of the stimulus conditions "with highlight disparity" ("hld") and "without highlight disparity" ("no hld") shows that the presence of this binocular information obviously has a larger impact on the perceived authenticity of the gloss impression: Except for the smallest values of both reflection parameters, there is always a clear difference in the mean ratings in favor of the stimulus variant which exhibits highlight disparity (see right column in Figure 5).
To a smaller extent, this binocular information also seems to affect the perceived strength of glossiness of the stimuli: At least for the subset of stimuli where only the Phong exponent was varied, the mean strength of glossiness ratings under the "with highlight disparity" condition lay consistently above the mean ratings that belong to the "without highlight disparity" condition (left bottom diagram in Figure 5).
The results of Experiment 1 indicated that the availability of binocular gloss cues also leads, to a certain degree, to an enhancement of the strength of perceived glossiness. This aspect was examined in an additional matching experiment, testing the following hypothesis: A stimulus which exhibits such binocular information should need less "objective" glossiness than a stimulus that only exhibits monocular cues for gloss in order to be perceived as equally glossy.
To test this hypothesis, our subjects were asked to perceptually match the glossiness of two surfaces. For this purpose, two stereo pairs were presented simultaneously on the screen, one pair above the other. The test surface always had the same 3D geometry. The matching surface was one of four different 3D shapes, none of them equal to the 3D shape of the test surface. Both the test and the match surfaces rotated during the presentation (see General methods section). The precise task of the subjects was to adjust the size of the Phong exponent ( n, see Equation 2) in the matching stimulus. To define the step size for the adjustment, the Phong exponent n was transformed into scale m (referred to in the following as the "Phong index") that is approximately perceptual equidistant. Preliminary explorations suggested the following relationship: m = 4√ n.
The Phong index m for the test surface was varied in 7 steps of 0.3 between 1.3 and 3.1, whereas the relative amount of the diffuse and the specular component was kept constant ( a = 0.5) for all surfaces. Furthermore, we chose 3 combinations regarding the availability of binocular cues for the test and the matching surface: (1) both surfaces exhibited highlight disparity (T+/M+); (2) none of the two surfaces exhibited highlight disparity (T−/M−); and (3) only the matching surface exhibited highlight disparity while the test surface did not (T−/M+).
For each of the 21 stimulus conditions (7 different Phong indices for the test surface × 3 different combinations of highlight disparity availability), 8 repetitions were made (each of the 4 different 3D shapes for the matching surface was presented twice, Figure 6), so a total of 168 trials resulted. The position of the test and the matching surface were balanced within the entire set of trials; that is, in one half of the trials, the test surface was presented on the top while the matching surface appeared on the bottom of the screen and vice versa. The subjects finished each trial by pressing a key followed by a short pause of 3 s during which the screen was black.
Some examples of our stimuli as they were used in Experiment 2 (reduced in size). The surfaces exhibit different Phong index values ( m). The 3D shape of the surface on the left was used as the test surface; the remaining 4 surfaces have shapes that were used as matching surfaces.
The left diagram in Figure 7 shows a typical result of the matching experiment. It can be seen that the matches are nearly perfect in the two symmetric conditions "T−/M−" and "T+/M+" (i.e., highlight disparity either in both or none of the stereo pairs). In the asymmetric condition ("T−/M+"), however, systematically smaller Phong index values were chosen for the matching surface. The right diagram in Figure 7 shows the result of all subjects in a more condensed form. For each of the three conditions ("T−/M−", "T+/M+", "T−/M+"), the corresponding bar represents the mean of the deviation of the Phong index in the matching surface from that of the test surface, averaged across all subjects and all 7 steps of the Phong index. The mean matching value in the asymmetric condition differs significantly from the test value ( p < 0.001, one-sided one-sample t-test). In accordance with our prediction, these results indicate that smaller Phong index values suffice in a surface that contains highlight disparity to make it perceptually as glossy as a surface that only exhibits monocular gloss cues.
Left diagram: example results of one subject. Right diagram: the average deviations of the Phong index values of the matching surface from respective values of the test surface across all subjects and Phong index conditions. The error bars in both diagrams represent the SEM in both directions.
The goal of the present study was to examine the role played by binocular information in the perception of gloss. Although gloss is also perceived under monocular viewing conditions, our first experiment revealed that the authenticity of perceived glossiness is considerably enhanced when binocular gloss cues are also available. Most of our subjects reported that there was a noticeable qualitative difference between the gloss appearances of these two kinds of stimuli: Surfaces which exhibited highlight disparity seemed to have a much more "palpable," "vivid," and even "aesthetic" appearance than those which lacked it (the aesthetic content of gloss has been already brought up by Brewster, 1971; Dove, 1859). This part of our results thus fits well with the finding of Blake and Bülthoff (1990) that subjects choose a non-zero highlight disparity when asked to search for the "most realistic" gloss perception.
From a naive conception according to which vision exactly mirrors physical world properties, one might object that our findings simply amount to the observation that a more realistic, that is physically more correct, rendering appears more realistic. Such an objection, however, would express a profound misconception of perception theory by confusing input and output of the perceptual system. The appearance of being "realistic" is an achievement of the perceptual system rather than a description of the input; and it is precisely the task of perceptual psychology to identify the relevant input parameters that function as a physical basis for such an achievement. Apart from the well-known fact that distal object properties are vastly underdetermined by image properties, the question which image properties are actually exploited by the visual system can only be answered empirically. Corresponding empirical investigation will, of course, be guided by attempts to identify regularities in images obtained from objects that usually evoke a certain perceptual appearance. Yet it remains a genuine task for psychophysics to empirically find out which regularities, within the class of physical candidates, are in fact used and how they are used by the visual system.
Beyond this enhancement of perceived authenticity, a further finding of our study was that | 5,730 |
PCs stabilize, tablets are slowing down. What gives?
The PC industry just had its best quarter since 2012. Tablet sales are in a tailspin.
PCs stabilize, tablets are slowing down. What gives? The PC industry just had its best quarter since 2012. Tablet sales are in a tailspin. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/1mDnJTk
Jon Swartz and Adam Ganucheau, USA TODAY Published 5:52 p.m. ET July 14, 2014 | Updated 3:10 p.m. ET July 24, 2014
Rita Calderon and Joaquin Jimenez browse in the computer section at a Best Buy in Falls Church, Va.(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
SAN FRANCISCO — The PC industry just had its best quarter since 2012. Tablet sales are cooling off.
What in the name of desktop PCs, AOL and MySpace gives?
An improving economy, the demise of Windows XP and the evolution of the computing masses conspired to alter the PC and tablet markets. But change could be temporary — a mere blip in the fading fortunes of personal computer sales, industry analysts say.
Shipments of personal computers worldwide<|fim_middle|>usat.ly/1mDnJTk | were 74.4 million in the second quarter, a decline of 1.7% from the year-ago quarter, market researcher IDC said last week. The drop, however, was the lowest since tablet sales surged in 2012.
IDC attributes the easing to short-term business PC replacements, consumer interest in Chromebooks and renewed growth in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Improving economic conditions and consumer confidence underscored the surge, based on a 2014 study of North American businesses by Spiceworks, a professional network for the information technology industry. It found 79% of IT professionals plan to purchase desktops, and 71% plan to purchase laptop devices this year.
Chip-making giant Intel's impressive second-quarter results on Tuesday underscore the PC market's rebound, says Bob O'Donnell, founder of TECHnalysis Research. "Maybe there's hope for consumer PCs as well," he says.
Personal computers — and their power — have also benefited from new technologies such as medical imaging, graphics rendering, 3-D printing, big data and cloud computing, according to Michael Dell and others.
"The world got enamored with smartphones and tablets," Dell told USA TODAY in an interview in June. "But what's interesting is those devices don't do everything that needs to be done. 3-D printing, virtual-reality computing, robotics are all controlled by PCs. Productivity is grounded in the PC.
"Where does the computing power come from?" Dell said. "How would you run a hospital without PCs?"
The reason for the PC industry's brighter outlook is simpler, says Ammiel Kamon, executive vice president of products and marketing at Kontera, a data-marketing company. Once service for the defunct Windows XP ended April 8, people who needed to upgrade their operating systems suddenly were in the market for new computers.
"Comeback is relative," says Mike Feibus, principal analyst at TechKnowledge. "Flat is the new up in the PC biz. Tablets aren't as shiny anymore, and consumers PCs are getting old."
TABLET SALES COOL DOWN
As PC sales rebound, tablet shipments are in a funk.
Research firm NPD DisplaySearch predicts tablet shipments will grow 14%, to 285 million units, this year — far shy of its previous forecast of 315 million units. By 2017, the annual growth rate will sputter to single digits, NPD says.
A 9% drop in year-over-year unit shipments of iPads underscore the market's recent softness.
A confluence of factors have conspired to undercut the market: Younger consumers are perfectly content to watch video on their smartphones; older users feel more comfortable with feature-rich laptops with larger screens; phablets have filled a void in between; and Apple has not upgraded the flagship market product, iPad, in more than a year.
Smartphones with screens larger than 5.5 inches are slicing into demand for smaller tablets — those between 7 inches and 7.9 inches — which accounted for 58% of global tablet shipments last year. Tablets are especially feeling the pinch in China and other emerging markets. (Fittingly, Apple's forthcoming iPhone 6 is expected to sport a larger screen to take advantage of the market shift.)
Tablets don't require replacement as often, too, because they're frequently the second or third computing option among consumers, says Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. Nonetheless, he expects an uptick in tablet sales the rest of the year, possibly after a new iPad is unveiled.
A wild card has been the emergence of the ultra-mobile PC as a bridge between the traditional laptop/desktop computer and the tablet. "Ultra-mobile PCs have given business professionals and consumers the mobility they've demanded while still allowing them to run more resource-intensive business applications (that) tablets have traditionally struggled to address," says Jay Hallberg, chief operating officer of Spiceworks.
The market machinations have come amid a years-old chorus of "The PC is dead." But older users remain holdouts for larger devices with larger screens and type to read. Tablets are, for the most part, devices to play games and watch videos, Feibus says.
Is the conventional — OK, old school — view of tech returning?
Not exactly. Interest in mobile devices based on Web page views over the past six months rose 9%, while all other personal electronic devices — PCs, laptops and tablets — dipped, says Kontera.
Read or Share this story: http:// | 937 |
This video explores the fascinating and innovative scientific advancements of paint. Students will learn how the molecular components in paint are helping to evolve in the world around them. Futuristic paint is capable of replacing light switches, conducting electricity, and regulating temperature amongst other things!
This video investigates the role of a catalytic converter and its corresponding chemical reactions within a vehicle. Students will learn about both oxidation and reduction reactions and how they, in combination with a catalyst, can impact the molecules released in a car's exhaust<|fim_middle|> construct a circuit quiz box that lights up when the correct question and answer are chosen.
In this lesson students will explore the chemical reaction that occurs within a lead-acid car battery and the role of the battery within a car prior to creating their own batteries.
In this lesson, students will explore the concept of oxidation of metals by creating designs on fabric or paper using rusty objects. | .
In this activity, students will learn that the flow of electrons within a closed circuit make our lives easier. Students will | 24 |
"NARHA is a membership organization that fosters safe, professional, ethical and therapeutic equine activities through education, communication, standards and research for people with and without disabilities."
The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) promotes equine facilitated therapy and activity programs in the United States and Canada. Currently, more than 650 N<|fim_middle|>HA has ensured that therapeutic riding is both safe for, and accessible to, those in need. In that time the field of therapeutic riding has expanded along with the numbers of individuals profiting from involvement with horses. Today NARHA represents a growing number of equine assisted therapies and activities, including recreational riding for individuals with disabilities, hippotherapy, equine assisted psychotherapy, driving, vaulting, competition and other therapeutic and educational interactions with horses.
NARHA is proud to provide opportunities for people with varying ability levels to challenge themselves physically and emotionally and to set goals to improve their quality of life via the horse. Training professionals to support and facilitate this process, educating the public about the positive impact of the human/animal bond and setting national standards for safe and effective equine facilitated therapy/ activities will continue to dictate our growth.
More than 30,000 individuals with disabilities are served each year through NARHA programs. The American Occupational Therapy Association and the American Physical Therapy Association as a valuable adjunct to traditional forms of therapy recognize equine Facilitated Therapy and Activities. NARHA is also the accrediting organization for Easter Seals' camps with equine activities. Other organizations participating in NARHA programs include the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Special Olympics, Spina Bifida Association and United Cerebral Palsy.
The riders, clients, therapists, instructors and volunteers involved in NARHA recognize the profound significance of equine facilitated therapy and activities. Over 670 NARHA centers around the nation and in Canada facilitate the personal growth and newfound wellness offered through the various interactions with horses in the equestrian environment.
Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding, Inc. | ARHA program centers serve some 30,000 individuals with disabilities. Each year, dozens of new centers initiate new programs and thousands of individuals profit from these beneficial activities.
Since 1969, NAR | 46 |
Montage Medical Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Montage Health, which also owns Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP), Community Health Innovations (an accountable care services organization), and Aspire Health Plan.
Montage Medical Group was<|fim_middle|> life.
Mission: We produce two products – care and caring. In partnership with the patients we serve, we provide timely access to highly reliable, evidence-based, safe, medically necessary, and affordable care to all who come through our doors. We are trusted in our community for our empathy and compassion. We are a force in the medical community in driving innovative approaches to care delivery.
Culture: We believe the primary motivators for healthcare workers are a deeply held yearning to make a difference, to find meaning in all life experiences – good and bad – an innate human need to be engaged with honorable and talented people doing important work so that, in the end, they could say, "I made a difference in people's lives." We foster the ongoing employment and development of employees who share our guiding philosophy, are engaged in their workplace, and are accountable for their choices and outcomes.
Physician leadership is embedded in the organization, from the Chief Executive Officer of Montage Health to the Chief Medical and Operating Officer of MMG, and other physician leaders engaged in directing clinical change through our interdisciplinary Leadership Cabinet. We strive to continuously advance the quality of our clinical services and our patients' experiences. | launched under the name of Peninsula Primary Care as a non-profit public service physician group in 2009 focused on addressing the shortage of primary care physicians on the Monterey Peninsula. In 2016 Peninsula Primary Care changed its name to Montage Medical Group (MMG) which is now a multi-specialty group representing 13 board-recognized specialties. MMG serves Monterey County through five locations in the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Marina.
In 2015, MMG's primary care practices received national recognition as Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Homes (the highest level of achievement) from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
MMG is governed by a nine-member voluntary Board of Directors consisting of community members and physicians. The Board of Directors and Leadership Cabinet have articulated the organizational guiding principles that light our way each day in the form of our vision, mission and organizational culture.
Vision: We engage patients to achieve optimal health at every stage of their | 201 |
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Home » Local » Sports
Muskies earn Homecoming victory
Wednesday, Oct 9, 2019
Jamie Mountain
It seems a season-opening loss to the Springfield Collegiate Sabres was just the wake-up call the Muskie football team needed.
The Muskies cruised to their third-straight rout, dispatching the Tec Voc Hornets 32-0 in their<|fim_middle|>
Lakers well-rested for clash with Norskies
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Built by Times Web Design Powered by Drupal | annual Homecoming game on Friday afternoon at Fort High.
The win improved the black-and-gold to 3-1 in the six-team Currie Division ('A'), good enough for second place with two games remaining in the Winnipeg High School Football League regular season.
"I was just impressed at how smart [our] kids are," Muskie co-coach Vic Davis lauded.
"They're confident, they go out and play and they go out with the attitude knowing that they can win the game and I think they showed it.
"Offensively they know their assignments, they know the blocking assignments, and I think they're making very few mistakes," he praised.
"As compared to our first game, we were rusty, and they just continue to learn really fast over the last four games and I think it's showing. They're just getting better and better."
Points were hard to come by for the Muskies in Friday's game against the Hornets (1-3), as they effectively shut down the black-and-gold's run game.
That in turn forced Fort High to have to find other ways to beat them offensively.
After a scoreless first quarter, Muskie wide receiver Carson Noga found some room on a reverse play and rambled one into the end zone from 20 yards out to open the scoring early in the second (the extra point was good).
Kicker Sean Huziak then punted home a long single through the Hornets' end zone and the Muskies also got a point off a touchback to carry a 9-0 lead into halftime.
"It was a little different in the first half, we're used to scoring quite a bit but Tec Voc, they played good too. They kept us off-balance," Davis noted.
"They were one of the first teams to kinda stop our run plays, so we just made some adjustments and all that and at halftime we came out and we did pretty well.
"So I was pretty happy with everybody. Especially the defence, they played really, really good," he enthused.
In the third, Muskie quarterback Brady Meeks connected with wide receiver William Richards in the end zone on a 16-yard score to extend it to 16-0 (the extra point was good).
Meeks found receiver Ayden Gushulak-Kelly later in the frame for another major in the end zone, while Fort High also got another touchback, to carry a commanding 24-0 lead into the fourth.
The Muskies then put nine points on the board in final frame to seal the win, which was capped off by a roughly 30-yard rushing touchdown by Meeks.
"I thought we moved the ball well in the game and I was sure we were going to get on track, and we were gonna start getting some points," said Davis.
"The boys were executing all their plays and I think it was just a matter of time. But, yeah, Noga's touchdown really got us going and got everyone all pumped up.
"So, that was good," he enthused.
Meeks finished the game going 12 of 16 for 206 yards and two touchdowns. He also picked up 90 yards on 11 carries with another TD.
Defensively, Jacob Argue and Colten Allen led the way with three tackles each. Noga had one tackle and a forced fumble.
Huziak went a perfect 4 of 4 on extra-points while also picking up 100 yards on three punts.
"He's been everything, like to have a quarterback that can run and scramble like he does and his arm, he's been very accurate in practice and he can throw that ball," Davis lauded of Meeks.
"So he's been huge. It makes a big difference when we can have a guy who can throw the ball like he does and hit the [receivers]."
The Muskies will resume WHSFL action tomorrow when they head to Winnipeg to take on the Maples Marauders (2-1).
Second place in the Currie Division will be on the line, which Davis stressed makes it a huge game for them in terms of playoff implications.
Fort High then will conclude the regular season on Oct. 17 on the road against the last-place Neelin Spartans (0-4).
"So far we've been lucky, no major injuries and as long as they stay healthy, I feel pretty confident,' Davis said of the final two games of the regular season.
"I know this upcoming game with Maples will be our biggest test, other than our first game like in Springfield, but I think we're actually tied in the standings, so this game's gonna be for second place and this is a big game," he stressed.
"We'll just have to watch a little more film on them and try to learn a little bit of their schemes and stuff.
"Like I said, the kids are smart and catch on fast and hopefully we can go in there and establish ourselves as the No. 2 team in the league and go from there," he added.
"Our ultimate goal is to win the championship."
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In 2014, The Marine Mammal Center opened Ke Kai Ola ("The Healing Sea") a hospital and education center dedicated to caring for injured, ill, and orphaned Hawaiian monk seals and returning them to the wild and to be a place where children and the community learn to care for this beautiful marine mammal. The goal of Ke Kai Ola is to promote Hawaiian monk seal recovery through 1) a science-based rehabilitation program; 2) a highly trained and well-managed volunteer stranding response network; and 3) coordinated community efforts and partnerships to inspire the local community to protect, care for, and ensure the future of this endangered species.
volunteers. This position reports to the Executive Director, is a part of the Management Team, and works between Kona, HI and Sausalito, CA.
· Invest in building relationships, fostering community, representing The Marine Mammal Center and Ke Kai Ola to Hawaiian partners, colleagues and supporters, and listening and learning to members of those same groups to encourage the continued positive embrace of the community and to identify pathways towards further strengthening rich and mutually beneficial relationships.
· Serve as a member of Management Team, the Marine Mammal Center's leadership body, and work alongside department directors to set strategy and guide the organization in the achievement of its mission.
· Develop an annual budget and manage revenue and expenses in compliance with Center policies and procedures and in coordination with the Chief Financial Officer.
· Liaise with department leads to ensure coordinated planning, collaborative work efforts, integrated programming and shared success towards agreed goals.
· Manage direct reports including partnering with the Human Resource function to support individuals through their employee life cycle. Responsibilities include setting goals and ensuring accountability, providing timely and routine feedback, counseling, and managing employment transitions.
· Support education program staff and integrate into Ke Kai Ola workforce community. Coordinate with TMMC-based supervisor to ensure close communication<|fim_middle|> in well-respected scientific journals.
• Ability to travel, nationally and internationally, for long periods.
• Comfort with various modes of travel including small watercraft, small planes.
• Comfort working in field conditions and extreme environments.
• Ability to carry up to 50 pounds. | , guidance and support.
· Lead, supervise and support a dynamic and growing facility and animal care volunteer corps, in coordination with the Director of People and Culture and the Volunteer Services Manager.
· Manage veterinary care and provide a lead role in direct veterinary support for Hawaiian monk seals in rehabilitation at Ke Kai Ola.
· Direct the management of the hospital to ensure facility operation, equipment and supply readiness, and adequate staffing.
· Ensure compliance with all required permitting and record-keeping.
· Lead and coordinate communication amongst Ke Kai Ola staff and volunteers.
· Liaise with Center staff outside of Hawaii to ensure that Ke Kai Ola community is integrally connected with other TMMC staff and volunteers via multiple communication vehicles.
· Foster and develop community engagement and awareness in Kona and the broader Main Hawaiian Islands.
· Chair the Ke Kai Ola advisory council.
· Represent TMMC and Ke Kai Ola on the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team.
· Collaborate with Media team and Education team to promote communication of Ke Kai Ola clinical care, science and research.
· Represent TMMC and its mission before a spectrum of audiences; press, professional associations, donors, staff, volunteers, the public.
· Partner with development colleagues to support and lead efforts to raise revenue through major donor cultivation, donor events, and pursuit of foundation, public (federal, state, and local) and corporate funding opportunities.
· Prospect Development: Work with community members and other leadership volunteers to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward appropriate donors. Implement programs/activities to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward donors at the $2,500 level or higher, with an emphasis on maximizing revenue for TMMC. Update donor records in TMMC database.
o Individuals: Cultivate relationships with individual donors personally and by supporting volunteer leaders in peer-to-peer outreach.
· Partner with TMMC research staff and external colleagues to maximize funding opportunities dedicated to Hawaiian monk seal research.
· Encourage and support internal and external collaborations to advance clinical science in support of Hawaiian monk seal conservation.
mission; analyze data and publish results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
· As assigned (but may include limited contract work, or other marine mammal conservation projects.
· The successful applicant must be well-versed in fundamental and applied clinical veterinary medicine in marine mammal species, and possess an in-depth knowledge of current conservation strategies as they relate to the Hawaiian monk Seal.
· Experience with phocid medicine and rehabilitation required.
· Experience and familiarity with global marine conservation issues and skill in managing cross-functional, inter-agency, domestic and international programs required.
· A strong aptitude and disposition for teaching and training required.
· Very strong communication skills and ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team to advance the mission of TMMC.
· An appreciation for Hawaiian culture and a passion and humility for learning from local leaders and colleagues to best integrate people and programs into Hawaii communities.
· Highly organized and detail-oriented with a strong ability to prioritize and deliver against responsibilities and duties.
· Ability to represent and promote TMMC on both a local and global scale.
· Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate a team through shared mission and goals.
· Ability to thrive in a multi-tasking, high energy environment with shifting priorities.
· Ability to excite and engage prospective supporters of the organization through public speaking, one-on-one meetings, and personal outreach.
· Track record of success in solicitation of funds from a diverse range of philanthropic support, or capacity to develop same.
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or equivalent, with additional post-graduate degree or experience in fields preferred.
• Licensed to practice veterinary medicine in California and Hawaii, and possession of a DEA license.
• Effective oral and written communication skills and ability and experience communicating in varied settings in front of diverse audiences.
• A proven track record for publishing | 768 |
SULTAN A<|fim_middle|> fish. Ask for dessert( sufle). Nice bosphorus view. | . • September 2, 2018Pristeg place with great view of the lagoon. Taysty food. Don't miss the grilled king shrimp.
Ayman A. • April 5, 2016Calm, cozy, secluded and great food!
Amber D. • November 17, 2013Try special rolls, especially crunchy and volcano, they're absolutely delicious!
Onur O. • Januar 15, 2015best seafood restaurant in the town. price/quality 10/10!
Levent A. • März 29, 2015Probably the best seafood place in Istanbul! Should start with Taramosalata, pickles, octopus salad, sugar beans, followed by grilled bluefish, fried red mullet and broiled lypsos.
Ozden • Oktober 27, 201310 numara bi yer burası. Best börek in Istanbul and service is great!
B K. • April 5, 2016Cosy comfortable place for lunch or dinner. Salmon salad is delicious!
Ne. C. • Januar 1, 2018Definitive Mega Mega lecker. Ein muss, wenn man in der Gegend ist. Kann ich nur empfehlen.
Abdullah A. • September 4, 2016One of the best coffee shop in city with traditional way. Not only coffee also fresh fruit juices are great. You should visit if you like to play backgammon you have to!!!
Melis Ergin • September 5, 2014The mezes are good enough . Value for money. Fresh | 358 |
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Restoring the Information Flow
For the man and wife who find that the flow of information between them is blocked, compromise is in order. Even a naturally reticent man has a clear responsibility to "cheer up his wife which he hath taken" (Deuteronomy 24:5, kjv). He must not claim himself a "rock" who will never allow himself to be vulnerable again. Instead, he must press himself to open his heart and share his deeper feelings with his wife.
Time must be reserved for meaningful conversations. Taking walks, going out to breakfast, or riding bicycles on a Saturday morning are fresh opportunities for conversation that can help keep love alive. Communication can occur even in families where the husband leans inward and the wife leans outward. In these instances, I believe that the primary responsibility for compromise lies with the husband.
Your sharing must sometimes extend to difficult subjects. If you're in charge of the family finances, and you've accidentally or foolishly depleted the bank account, don't hide it—let your spouse know. If someone makes a pass at you at work, tell your partner, even if it's uncomfortable to do so. As you work together to find the best solution for problems like these, you'll grow closer.
If you reveal your inner feelings honestly, with pure motives, and continually reaffirm your commitment to your marriage, your spouse will become your most treasured confidante, protector, adviser, and friend.
An extremely useful technique for couples seeking to improve their communication is the word picture, described by Gary Smalley and John Trent in their book The Language of Love. In one of their examples, a high school teacher and football coach named Jim came home each evening too tired to even talk to his wife, Susan, leaving her frustrated and angry. Finally, Susan told Jim a story about a man who went to breakfast with his fellow coaches. The man ate his favorite omelet, then gathered up some crumbs and put them in a bag. Then he went to lunch with more friends and ate a turkey tenderloin pie and a huge salad. Again, he put a few crumbs in a doggie bag to take with him. When he came home that night, he handed his wife and their two boys the little bags of leftovers.
"That's the way I feel when you come home with nothing left to give," Susan said. "All we get are leftovers. I'm waiting to enjoy a meal with you, hoping for a time to talk and laugh and get to know you, longing to communicate with you the way you do every day with the guys. But all we get are doggie bags. Honey, don't you see? We don't need leftovers. We need you."
Susan's word picture brought tears to Jim's eyes and led to positive changes in their marriage. You, too, may find that a graphic word picture is more effective at getting your mate's attention than a torrent of hostile words.
Another communication tool advocated by author-counselors Chuck and Barb Snyder is "quick listening," based on the following Scripture passage: "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19). After a disagreement, a husband and wife sit down together and explain their feelings about the issue. The catch is that the other spouse can't interrupt. Partners may try this and still disagree, but by giving their opinion and fully listening to their mate's, they'll increase their chances of understanding each other—and of staying best friends.
For the wife who finds herself attacking an unresponsive man and driving him away, there is a method of drawing him in your direction. It is accomplished by taking the pressure off him. By pulling backward a bit. By avoiding the worn-out accusations and complaints. By showing appreciation for what he does right and for being fun to be with. Happiness is a marvelous magnet to the human personality.
Sometimes it is necessary to interject a certain "mystery" into the relationship in order to attract a disengaged spouse. A demeanor of self-confidence and independence is far more effective in getting attention than a frontal assault.
I remember counseling a bright young lady whom I'll call Janet. She came to me because she seemed to be losing the affection of her husband. Frank appeared bored when he was at home, and he refused to take her out with him. On weekends, he went sailing with his friends despite the bitter protests of his wife. She had begged for his attention for months, but the slippage continued.
I hypothesized that Janet was invading Frank's territory and needed to recapture the challenge that made him want to marry her in the first place. Thus, I suggested that she retreat into her own world: stop "reaching" for him when he was at home, schedule some personal activities independently of his availability, etc. Simultaneously, I urged her to give him vague explanations about why her personality had changed. She was instructed not to display anger or discontent, allowing Frank to draw his own conclusions about what she was thinking. My purpose was to change his frame of reference. Instead of his thinking, How can I escape from this woman who is driving me crazy? I wanted him to wonder, What's going on? Am I losing Janet? Have I pushed her too far? Has she found someone else?
The results were dramatic. About a week after the change of manner was instituted, Janet and Frank were at home together one evening. After several hours of uninspired conversation and yawns, Janet told her husband that she was rather tired and wanted to go to bed. She said good-night matter-of-factly and went to her bedroom. About thirty minutes later, Frank threw open the door and turned on the light. He proceeded to make passionate love to her, later saying that he couldn't stand the barrier that had come between them. It was precisely the barrier that Janet had complained about for months. Her approach had been so overbearing that she was driving him away from her. When she changed her direction, Frank also threw his truck in reverse. It often happens that way.
From Dr. Dobson's book 5 Essentials for Lifelong Intimacy.
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Dr. James Dobson is the Founder and President of Family Talk, a nonprofit organization that produces his radio program, "Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk." He is the author of more than 30 books dedicated to the preservation of the family, including The New Dare to Discipline; Love for a Lifetime; Life on the Edge; Love Must Be Tough; The New Strong-Willed Child; When God Doesn't Make Sense; Bringing Up Boys; Marriage Under Fire; Bringing Up Girls; and, most recently, Your Legacy: The Greatest Gift.
Dr. Dobson served as an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine for 14 years and on the attending staff of Children's Hospital of Los Angeles for 17 years. He has been active in governmental affairs and has advised three U.S. presidents on family matters. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (1967) in the field of child development. He holds 17 honorary doctoral degrees, and was inducted in 2008 into The National Radio Hall of Fame. Dr. Dobson recently received the "Great American Award" from The Awakening.
Dr. Dobson is married to Shirley and they have two grown children, Danae and Ryan, and two grandchildren. The Dobsons reside in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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Support PT Usha's Free School For Athletes:Help India Win Olympic Gold
Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha better known as P T Usha was undoubtedly one of India's greatest athletes and rightfully called the 'Queen of Indian Track and Field'. She became the first ever Indian women to reach the finals of an Olympic event when she won the Semi Finals in the 1984 Olympics at Los Angeles.
She holds the world record for the most gold medals earned by a female in a single track event for the complete sweep in the 100, 200, and 400 meter sprints, the 400 meter hurdles, and the 4 x 400 meter relay at the 1985 Asian Track and Field Championship in Indonesia.
P.T.Usha had become an icon for Indian women athletes and a living legend in Kerala, where streets and new-born babies were regularly named after her.
PT Usha was conferred the Padma Shri and the Arjuna award in the year 1985. She has won 101 International medals till date.
After retirement, P.T. Usha started the 'Usha School of Athletics' in 2002 with the sole aim of winning an Olympic Medal for India by training young athletes.
The school has 18 girl students who live and train under the watchful eyes of PT Usha.As quoted by P.T. Usha "After many years of experience in athletics, I am convinced that what we lack in India is not talent, but the basic, modern and scientific facilities. If we train our young Indian sports talents nothing, not even Olympic medals, is unachievable.
"Everyone thinks that bagging an Olympic medal is a difficult task. It is not. I would have certainly made it in the Los Angeles Olympics if I had a little more exposure in the 400m hurdles. Considering my limited exposure, I did well as I had participated only in two races before I went to Los Angeles. It was lack of experience in the 400m hurdles that cost me the gold medal. If India goes for a real, systematic and scientific approach, I am sure my country has a great athletic future."
The Usha School today has 18 girl students who live in the residential campus. They work hard every day. The day starts at 5:30 AM, and they are at the running ground by6:15 AM. Their morning on court session lasts 3 hours till about 9:30 AM. They attend school till 4:30 PM. An evening training session lasts from 4:30 PM to 6 PM.
The Usha school is completely free and provides free training, stay, shelter and food to the young athletes. The young athletes were found by Usha through a rigorous selection process. Most of the girls are from underprivileged backgrounds but have tremendous potential to make India proud internationally.The government and the corporates support the infrastructure needs of Usha School. However, the Usha School completely depends on individual donations for providing the daily needs of the athletes which include education, food and hostel facilities. The daily needs per student per year are 3 lakh rupees.
The campaign intends to raise funds to support eh girls for 6 months, the cost of which comes to 27 lakh rupees.In the current scenario, the school finds it difficult to support and nurture more deserving young talent.
With your help, Usha School intends to facilitate a safe and positive environment for athletes to nurture their talents.
Thank you for the support you have extended for this campaign. The Corona Virus pandemic has put the brakes on much of the sporting activities across the world. We have been left with very little to do except to keep training and maintain a strict workout schedule for the athletes as there are no competitions or athletic events happening. From the looks of it, this could continue for a few more months at least.
All our athletes have chosen to remain at the academy and keep up their training rather than return home. Since our campus is rather isolated and visitors are strictly restricted, it is safe for the athletes to go about their activities. So except for competitions, their routine is the same.
The money collected through Milaap we have used mostly for the daily expenses of the school. We did purchase a new treadmill and a spin bike to help athletes with their strengthening exercises and fitness drill.
Much of our contributions have dried up due to COVID-19 and its adverse effects on businesses, industries, and other occupations. We will be withdrawing the account of Usha School Of Athletics, which will be used for day-to-day expenses and sports gear.
Hopefully, 2021 will see things getting back to normal. There is Olympics scheduled and one of our athletes, Jisna Mathew, has qualified for the mixed relay event. She is hard at work to retain her edge and to be ready for the biggest sporting event in the world.
Thank you all once again for your support. We appreciate each one of you.
Dear Supporter,
Thank you for all the love and support you've shown us. Our students have been training and working hard and<|fim_middle|>intu Luka and Jessy Joseph, both of whom have blazed a trail of superb performances on the tracks in 800m in years past.
Jessy Joseph clinched the silver medal in 800m at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship in Lucknow (August 29). At the same meet, Jisna Mathew won bronze in 400m making it two in two for Usha School of Athletics at the national meet.
Ushaites dominated the Kerala State Inter-District Club Athletic Championship 2019, at Thiruvananthapuram (7 to 9, August), winning 8 firsts in 9 events participated.
At the 31st Southzone Athletic Championships at Uduppi (Sept 14-15), our athletes clinched 4 gold medals, 2 silver medals and a bronze medal.
The Usha School of Athletics hosted this year's Kozhikode District Junior Athletic meet, September 20-21. Several young athletes from across the district participated in the well contested meet. Thirteen Ushaites vied for medals in various categories and all of them did really well, bagging several medals including 6 firsts. Kids from the school's locality, trained as part of our community outreach program (Usha Rural Coaching Program), also clinched a medal from the meet. They won bronze in the 4x100 m relay in U-16 category which is a great result for us.
And that's all the update for the last few months. This wouldn't have been possible without your support and love. We are ever grateful.
Ajanachandran
Usha School of Athletics
We are extremely grateful for this generous gift and really appreciate your steadfast support for the Usha School. Your payment will enable us to continue helping our young athletes to achieve world recognition
Once again thank you very much for all your support.
1 Supporter expand_more
seemashewani
14 Nov 2017 Kozhikode, Kerala
Beneficiary: Usha School Of ... info_outline
Anonymous donated Rs.2,500 | it has paid off.
Here are some notable feats and results from a few of the major championships in which athletes from the Usha School of Athletics took part in the last few months:
One of the most noteworthy achievements for us in the last few months is the IAAF Veteran Pin award for Ms P T Usha. For her long and meritorious service to the cause of world athletics, Ms P T Usha received the IAAF Veteran Pin award from IAAF President Sebastian Coe at Doha, Qatar, during the 52nd IAAF Congress. The international award is a much deserved recognition for the champion athlete and President of the Usha School of Athletics.
Jisna Mathew was part of India's mixed-relay team that qualified for the 2020 Olympics with their performance at the IAAF World Athletics Championships, Doha, Qatar. Running the 3rd leg of the 4x400m relay, Jisna found her best time of 51.8 sec and helped the team qualify for the finals and book a place in the Olympics.
Athulya Udayan found her best time and clinched a Bronze medal in 800m at the 17the Federation Cup Junior Athletic Championships (Tiruvannamalai, Sept 24-26). She clocked 2:10.05. Athulya follows in the footsteps of Usha School of Athletics' T | 300 |
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Judge mulls release of report by grand jury probing efforts to overturn 2020 election in Georgia
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(WASHINGTON) — A Fulton County, Georgia, judge is hearing arguments Tuesday regarding whether or not to publicly release the long-anticipated report submitted recently by the special grand jury investigating efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The special grand jury submitted its confidential final report earlier this month, according to court records, after probing the matter for months.
Though the grand jury does not have the ability to return an indictment, it can make recommendations concerning criminal prosecution. Another grand jury would bring any possible charges, should they be recommended.
The central question regarding the report: Did the grand jury recommend criminal charges for Donald Trump and his allies?
Attorneys for Trump said in a statement on Monday that they would not be participating in Tuesday's hearing — and did not expect charge recommendations.
"On behalf of President Trump, we will not be present nor participating in Tuesday's hearing regarding the possible release of the special purpose grand jury's report," said the statement. "To date, we have never been a part of this process. The grand jury compelled the testimony of dozens of other, often high-ranking, officials during the investigation, but never found it important to speak with the President. He was never subpoenaed nor asked to come in voluntarily by this grand jury or anyone in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office."
Attorneys in the statement said they therefore "assume that the grand jury did their job and looked at the facts and the law, as we have, and concluded there were no violations of the law by President Trump" — although there's no indication if that's true or not.
A spokesperson for the DA's office declined to comment on the<|fim_middle|>, sparked in part by the now-infamous Jan. 2, 2021, phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump pleaded with Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes," the exact number Trump needed to win Georgia.
Trump has repeatedly defended his call to Raffensperger, calling it "perfect."
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WHEE Public File | status of the investigation ahead of the hearing. The office also had not yet filed a motion in court indicating its position on whether the report should be publicly released.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis officially launched the probe in February 2021 | 51 |
Track your experience of positive and negative emotions over 4 days this week and complete the worksheet. Make sure to complete and include all questions on the worksheet plus the chart described in the UoP Materials (also includes an example, which should be helpful)..
Track your experience of positive and negative emotions over 4 days this week. One way to remind yourself is to set your<|fim_middle|> emotion, the reason, and the rating; see the examples below. | phone alarm to go off at different times of the day. Check in at least three times each day. When the alarm goes off, write the emotion you are experiencing or experienced in the last hour and rate it using a 0–4 scale in which 0 = neutral and 4 = extremely positive or negative emotions.
Example 1: As you come out of a store, you observe a remarkable sunset.
Example 2: You may have been fearful that you missed a deadline at work, school, or home.
List the | 107 |
If you truly love Mediterranean cuisine, this CSA is for you!
Each week shareholders receive primarily premium certified organic tomatoes as well as summer squash, eggplant, plus sweet and hot peppers.<|fim_middle|> to the public Thursday's from 4-6pm July 27 through September 28 at the Farm.
WHAT: Get 10 weeks of local fresh organic, sustainable produce, $250 large share or $150 small share.
WHEN: Farm Stand & CSA Pick-Up Hours Thursday's from 4-6pm, July 27 through September 28.
WHERE: Greg's Organics is next to Peace Lutheran Church on Main Street in Grass Valley.
Taste why many of the regions best chefs insist on Greg's Organics produce.
Thanks for your support and have a great day!
Greg's Organics is a certified organic urban farm located near downtown Grass Valley.
We supply DROPP, Tahoe Food Hub and school food programs in Nevada and Placer Counties, as well as Nevada County Food Bank and Interfaith Food Ministry.
Content copyright . GREGSORGANICS.COM. All rights reserved. | Our specialty varieties are selected for superb flavor, unique characteristics and superior quality. Know what you're receiving in your box each week! Miss a week? We offer one forgiveness per CSA season.
Be assured your vegetables will always be equal or greater value than organic market prices, with the benefit of freshness, quality and farm direct service.
Want more for a few weeks or have a friend? Check out what's available at Greg's Organics Farm Stand, open | 91 |
Helpern (Halperin), Michael
HELPERN (Halperin ), MICHAEL (Mikhl ; 1860–1919), socialist Zionist in Russia and pioneer in Ereẓ Israel. Born in Vilna, Helpern received a large legacy from his wealthy father and decided to devote it to the welfare of the Jews. He joined the Ḥovevei Zion after the pogroms in southern Russia (1881) and visited Ereẓ Israel in 1885. He traveled the length and breadth of the country on foot, and upon his return to Russia (1886) he suggested that the Ḥovevei Zion use his financial resources to establish an industrial enterprise in Ereẓ Israel. The suggestion was rejected, but Helpern accepted Judah Leib Pinsker's idea that he donate a large sum of money to purchase the lands of Yesud ha-Ma'alah. In 1886 he returned to Ereẓ Israel and settled in Rishon le-Zion, where he supported the workers' struggle against Baron Edmond de Rothschild's management, which resulted in the resignation of the chief official, Y. Osovitzky. After a visit to Russia at the end of 1890, he made a substantial contribution toward the purchase of land near Wadi Hanin in order<|fim_middle|>
Helprin, Mark 1947-
Helprin, Mark 1947–
Helps, Robert (Eugene)
Helquist, Brett
Helser, Brenda (1926–)
Helsingfors Program
Helsinki Agreements
Helsted, Gustaf
Heltai, Jenő | to found a workers' settlement, Nes Ẓiyyonah.
In Russia he promoted Labor Zionism among Jewish youth. His major preoccupation, however, was the plan to organize a Jewish military force to conquer Ereẓ Israel and establish a Jewish government there. After the *Kishinev pogrom (1903), he played an important role in organizing Jewish self-defense in Russia. He collected money, gathered arms, and organized and headed fighting groups in Vilna and other towns. Helpern returned to Ereẓ Israel at the end of 1905, fought for the rights of Jewish labor in Jewish villages, and joined the small group founded by Joseph *Trumpeldor to establish a collective settlement. From his return until his death, he was a laborer and defense guard in various localities. He was wounded by Arabs one night when on guard duty in Tel Aviv.
Helpern continued to deliver speeches, devise plans, and compose memoranda to the Zionist movement on the political redemption of Ereẓ Israel by military means. Although he was admired by young people in Russia for his romantic idealism, he became increasingly alienated from the pioneers who had to face the struggles of existence in Ereẓ Israel at the beginning of the Second Aliyah period, so that in his last years he was almost completely isolated. He wrote several unpublished poems and plays in Yiddish on the theme of the destiny of the Jews. Givat Mikhael, a moshav near Nes Ẓiyyonah, is named after him. His colorful personality was the subject of a musical play "Days of Gold" by Shlomo Shva, presented by the Haifa Municipal Theater in 1965.
[Shlomo Breiman]
His son yermiyahu (Irma; 1901–1962), seaman and *Betar leader, was born in Smolensk, Russia, and was taken to Ereẓ Israel in 1913. In the late 1920s he joined Betar and became head of its school for instructors, leading it as a defense unit in Tel Aviv during the Arab riots in 1929. He later became a member of the world leadership (shilton) of Betar, organizing self-defense courses throughout Europe that trained thousands of Betar members. In 1934 he organized and headed Betar's naval training school at Civitavecchia, Italy. After the establishment of the State of Israel Helpern founded the marine museum in Eilat. He wrote pamphlets on military training, short stories, and several books: Avi Michael Helpern ("My Father Michael Helpern," 1964); Via Dolorosa (Heb., 1960); Teḥiyyat Ha-Yamma'ut ha-Ivrit ("The Jewish Maritime Revival," 1961).
[David Niv]
S. Tchernowitz, Im Shaḥar (1935), 86, 358, 424–5; B. Ḥabas (ed.), Sefer ha-Aliyyah ha-Sheniyyah (1947), index; M. Smilansky, Mishpaḥat ha-Adamah, 2 (19542), 57–60; Dinur, Haganah, 1 pt. 1 (1954), 194–7; 1 pt. 2 (1956), 812–3; M. Singer, Be-Reshit ha-Ẓiyyonut ha-Soẓyalistit (n.d.), 198–222; Y. Helpern, Avi Michael Helpern (1964); Tidhar, 6 (1955), 2572–74; Dinur Haganah, 2 (1963), index.
"Helpern (Halperin), Michael ." Encyclopaedia Judaica. . Encyclopedia.com. 28 Dec. 2021 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
"Helpern (Halperin), Michael ." Encyclopaedia Judaica. . Encyclopedia.com. (December 28, 2021). https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/helpern-halperin-michael
"Helpern (Halperin), Michael ." Encyclopaedia Judaica. . Retrieved December 28, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/helpern-halperin-michael
Neturei Karta , NETUREI KARTA NETUREI KARTA , group of ultra-religious extremists, mainly in Jerusalem, who regard the establishment of a secular Jewish state in Ere… Haganah , Haganah HAGANAH (Heb. הַגָּנָה), the underground military organization of the yishuv in Ereẓ Israel from 1920 to 1948. The idea of establishing a def… Aliyah , Aliyah ALIYAH (Heb. עֲלִיָּה; "ascent"), (1) the coming of Jews to the Land of Israel as olim (fem.: olot; sing.: oleh, olah) for permanent residence… Vladimir Jabotinsky , JABOTINSKY, VLADIMIR JABOTINSKY, VLADIMIR (Ze'ev ; 1880–1940), Zionist activist, soldier, orator, writer and poet; founder of the *Jewish Legion duri… Yitzhak Rabin , Rabin, Yitzhak Born on March 1, 1922 (Jerusalem, Palestine) Prime Minister of Israel First as a soldier and then as a statesman, Yitzhak Rabin devote… Safed , Safed SAFED (Heb. צְפָת), principal town of Upper Galilee, situated on a mountain 2,780 ft. (850 m.) high, 30 mi. (48 km.) east of Acre, 25 mi. (40 k…
Giladi (Butelbroit), Israel
Ha-Shomer
He-Ḥalutz
SHOCHAT, ISRAEL
Mohilewer, Samuel
VITKIN, JOSEPH
Smilansky, Moshe 1874-1953 (Havagah Musah)
Helperites
helper T-cell
helper T cell
Help Wanted: Male
Help Wanted Female
help system
Hélou, Charles
Helou, Anissa 1952-
helots
helotry
helotism
Helotiales
Helostomatidae
helophyte
Helon
Heloise and Abelard
Heloise (c. 1100–1163)
Heloderma suspectum
helo.
Helmut Werner
Helpern, Milton
Helpers of the Holy Souls
Helpeston, William de
Helphand, Kenneth (Kenneth I. Helphand)
HELPING VERB
Helpmann
helpmate
Helprin, Mark | 1,586 |
With this drawing you can create a three-dimensional visual effect just with parallel lines. Students of Grade 6th have drawn these bottles with felt-tip pens, choosing a sequence of three or four colours and repeating it to complete the bottle. The background has been drew with the same technique but with different colours.
We start drawing five or six bottles with a pencil on a drawing paper; the bottles have to be quite large in order to fill half of the space on the drawing sheet. The neck<|fim_middle|> between the bottles and the background. To see other works like this click here for three-dimensional snakes and here for a three-dimensional tree. | of the bottle at he top must be slightly curved outwards, to give the illusion of volume. We draw a sequence of three or four colors repeating them on the whole bottle. The lines must be close and parallel, with the same curve. For the background we draw curved, parallel lines starting with a little arc from the middle of the drawing sheet. We choose a different sequence of colors to create more contrast | 82 |
Home Shares magazine 19 Sep 2019 20 Years of Great Returns
FTSE 350 winners: 20 years of great returns
Are the best performing FTSE 350 stocks still worth buying today?
Anniversaries are often a time to pause and reflect and as this publication enters its third decade we felt it would be an excellent excuse to take a look back at the best performing UK stocks from the last 20 years of our existence.
The table below shows the top 10 performers which are currently constituents of the FTSE 350 index. In this article we examine each of these names in turn and determine whether investors should buy more, sell or hold on to the shares.
This is always a good discipline to exercise when investing, and is a lesson you can apply to other names in your portfolio which may have served you well over a long period and thus become favourite stocks where it can be hard to let go.
Impressive returns have been served up – although the best performer by a long chalk is sports fashion retailer JD Sports (JD.) which has delivered a fantastic total return of nearly 10,000% since 1999.
This is a company which really seems to know its onions in terms of serving up exactly what its customers want.
It was ahead of the curve with the 'athleisure' trend which has seen the distinction between what millennials wear at home, to socialise and in the gym become increasingly blurred.
Now investors need to decide if the company's next growth phase, including a stab at the US market through the 2018 acquisition of Finish Line, will be equally as successful. Read on to get the view of Shares' retail expert James Crux.
A look at a slightly longer list of top performers reveals a diverse set of names. The presence of flow control specialist Spirax-Sarco (SPX) is testament to how the UK engineering sector has moved on from its metal bashing past to become a more sophisticated collection of companies.
Not all of this FTSE 350 best of the best have been consistent. One of our favourite stocks – US marketing products outfit 4imprint (FOUR) produced a negative total return of -41.2% in the 10 years leading up to September 2009 as it was hit by the financial crisis.
Yet over 20 years it has delivered a very pleasing total return of 860%. It demonstrates that while you should be vigilant in taking a second look at the prospects for the best firms, there is also value in being patient.
ANTOFAGASTA (ANTO) 934.6p
20-year total return: 1,740%
Miners are mostly cyclical businesses which tend to do really well when the economy is up and everyone is buying stuff, and can do poorly when the proverbial hits the fan.
So it may come as a surprise that Chilean copper miner Antofagasta (ANTO) has been one of the top performers in the FTSE 350 over the past 20 years.
Copper is used in practically everything you can think of, so unlike its big diversified rivals like Glencore, Rio Tinto and BHP, the firm hasn't had as many issues selling its product over the years that rivals who dig lots of other metals out of the ground have had.
A well-run business which focuses on low-cost copper production at four mines in its native Chile, Antofagasta does have an international exploration programme and looks for opportunities across the world.
But it always has a level-headed approach to growth, and has preferred to prioritise the lower risk options in recent years of expanding operations at its current mines.
Its consistently strong balance sheet and regularly strong dividend pay-out ratio, combined with the quality of its assets and operations, means it has long been a favourite with investors over the years.
A best-in-class company at a relatively cheap price, buy Antofagasta while market sentiment is poor.
AVEVA (AVV) £35.80
Computing has a come a long way in the past 20 years and Cambridge-based AVEVA (AVV) has emerged as one of the world leaders in putting digital design tools in the hands of engineers around the world.
AVEVA sells computer-aided design software used by engineers to plan, design and build large infrastructure projects. Think huge oil rigs and nuclear power stations that fuel the world's economy, massive transporter ships that move goods all over the globe and assisting smart manufacturing of everything from steel, chemicals, food and pharmaceuticals.
It has grown into today's £5.7bn FTSE 100 company by partnering with the biggest and best in its industry segments, and has done so almost entirely through organic means. The exception is in 2017 when it merged with the software arm of French firm Schneider Electric to effectively double the firm's scale at a stroke.
In September 1999 you could have bought shares for 75p, making for a capital return in excess of 4,600% to date, but it has also paid modest dividends for years, including a £10 per share one-off cash return as part of the Schneider deal. Pushing the development boundaries into new technologies, such as digital twin simulations, leaves AVEVA in great shape for the decades ahead.
CLARKSON (CKN) £22.45
Called the 'undisputed heavyweight of the shipbroking market', Clarkson (CKN) has long been a favourite with investors.
The company has four main divisions – ship broking (the biggest at 74% of revenue), financial services for the shipping industry, port support services and research.
Having delivered a whopping total return of 4,830% over the past two decades, the firm has been the second best place in the current FTSE 350 index to put your money, behind only JD Sports, and has paid 16 consecutive years of increasing dividends.
Clarkson's fortunes really changed from 2004 onwards, following the appointment of Richard Fulford-Smith, one of the most well-known characters in London's shipping community, as chief executive.
Fulford-Smith became central to the firm's emergence as the world's largest shipbroker, and in his four years in charge helped the company's share price to double.
But he departed abruptly in 2008 after complaints over his handling of legal action against the firm by two Russian oil tanker operators.
He was replaced by current chief executive Andi Case, another highly respected figure in the ship broking world.
Under Case's leadership, the firm's share price has trebled as it weathered the cyclical nature of the shipping business – affected over the years by the financial crisis, oil slump, trade wars, etc – to record consistent growth, with the reputation of its ship broking arm meaning it could brush off any issues weighing competitors down.
A proven long-term winner with a good dividend history, Clarkson still has scope for growth and current investor nervousness could present a good buying opportunity.
CLS (CLS) 244P
Listed on London's Main Market since 1994, European commercial property investor CLS (CLS) has a long-term track record of outperforming the UK real estate sector.
A series of studies suggest family-run businesses beat the market. CLS falls into this category having been founded by the Mortstedt family in 1992 and with Swede Sten Mortstedt holding the position of executive chairman until March 2016. He still serves as an executive director.
Another family member is on the board and the Mortstedts own more than half the shares. Less positively this does somewhat limit the liquidity in the shares.
The most high profile development in the company's history is probably London's Shard tower. It was one of the three original backers of the project but sold its interest for £30m in January 2008.
The company is opportunistic but adopts a conservative approach. It has a diversified portfolio, primarily located in major European cities and focused on more affordable office space.
Nearly half of rents are indexed to inflation and more than half are derived from governments and/or major corporations, reducing the risk of default.
In the aftermath of the financial crisis investors enjoyed strong capital gains from buying property firms and CLS was no exception. While these might be harder to come by, the firm looks an attractive name to hold on to for income, with Liberum's forecasts implying a decent forward yield of 3.3%.
CRANSWICK (CWK) £29.10
Food manufacturer Cranswick (CWK) has served up a stunning 1770% total return over the past 20 years, the shares powering higher on the delivery of consistent sales and profit growth.
Tapping into the British public's insatiable appetite for bacon, pork and sausages has proved a profitable line of business for Cranswick, whose growth has been supported by tasty levels of capacity-boosting capital expenditure and in more recent years, a rapidly growing export business.
Cranswick has proved increasingly popular among yield-starved income seekers, the cash-generative concern having racked up 29 years of unbroken dividend growth. Formed in the 1970s by farmers in East Yorkshire to produce pig feed, Cranswick evolved through organic development and acquisitions into a high-quality fresh pork, poultry and gourmet products supplier to the supermarket and 'food to go' sectors.
Over the past 10 years, Cranswick's UK pork sales have increased from roughly £600m to more than £1bn per year, while the company has also built scale in the poultry market through two acquisitions.
With an eye on future-proofing its profit streams, Cranswick recently acquired Mediterranean food products business Katsouris Brothers, a London-based supplier of continental foods. Katsouris's products are all non-meat, meaning half of Cranswick's continental products revenue is now derived from non-meat categories, a canny strategic move given rising demand for vegetarian foods.
Given near-term challenges including a subdued retail market, potential margin pressure from rising domestic pig prices and the impact on migrant labour from Brexit, Cranswick isn't optically cheap – the shares swap hands for 20.8 times Berenberg's 2020 139.6p earnings per share estimate – although long-term investors should feast on the food producer for its cash generation and dependable dividends.
CRODA INTERNATIONAL (CRDA) £48.96
Chemicals companies have historically been a good place to invest with significant share price gains and occasionally generous dividends, and no firm in the sector epitomises this quite like Croda (CRDA).
Its biggest area of business is providing speciality chemicals for the personal care market – health and beauty products like moisturisers, sun cream, deodorants and colour cosmetics – which has grown by an estimated 5.5% a year from 2004 to 2018.
The firm's focus on premium, faster growth niches in the personal care market mean it has been able to keep up with that momentum over the past couple of decades.
While revenue growth has been subdued in the past few years, the group actually has a history of prioritising profit over market share gains and volume growth. That's why past results have often shown solid profit despite weak sales.
Combined with consistent dividend growth since 2001, it's no wonder the East Yorkshire-based company has delivered a total return to shareholders of 1,590% over the past 20 years. A lot of headwinds face the company with wider problems affecting all its markets, so while there are no structural issues with the business we think now might be a good time to exit.
DIPLOMA (DPLM) £16.51
Distribution group Diploma (DPLM) supplies products that companies must have rather than would merely like to have. If you combine this situation with a very well-run business that serves a diversified range of industries then it is possible to understand why it has done so well over the years.
Diploma focuses on sophisticated healthcare and industrial equipment, operating through three divisions.
The Healthcare division has exclusive distribution deals with manufacturers to supply high-end kit to hospital operating theatres and clinical and industrial testing laboratories.
The Seals division supplies original equipment parts for heavy industrial machinery ranging from construction kit to wind turbines, while the Controls division supplies high-end equipment for use in machines as diverse as F1 racing cars, fighter jets and satellites.
By distributing equipment rather than making it Diploma is an 'asset-light' business, so it enjoys strong margins. Return on adjusted trading capital has averaged just under 24% over the last five years.
By focusing on products essential to its customers, it has a greater degree of revenue visibility than many<|fim_middle|> Bell. Shares is not written by AJ Bell Youinvest.
Shares is provided for your general information and use and is not a personal recommendation to invest. It is not intended to be relied upon by you in making or not making any investment decisions. The investments referred to in these articles will not be suitable for all investors. If in doubt please seek appropriate independent financial advice.
Investors acting on the information in these articles do so at their own risk and AJ Bell Media and its staff do not accept liability for losses suffered by investors as a result of their investment decisions.
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Under The Bonnet
Nagging cash flow concerns mean Netflix's shares aren't worth owning | firms thanks to repeat business.
Over the last two decades the firm has expanded geographically within its product segments with targeted acquisitions, building a global business.
We think the shares are worth buying as a core holding for a diversified portfolio.
HILL & SMITH (HILS) £11.72
The world's road and rail networks provide us all with the day-to-day necessities of modern life, and these vast infrastructure arteries need huge investment to build and maintain. Hill & Smith (HILS) has become one of the go-to engineering experts for government transport planning departments across the globe, particularly in the UK, Europe and in the US.
The £917m FTSE 250 company manufactures roadside crash barriers that run along the central reservation of motorways, appear on bends in the road and alongside railway tracks, particularly bridge-side fencing. It also supplies street lighting and pipe network supports and runs a galvanising business that provides zinc corrosion coating protection against rust.
Providing these safety precautions is not terribly glamorous work but it is vital in our increasingly de-risked lives and it has earned Hill & Smith a long run track record as a capital growth and income story, with the shares running up from 68.5p in September 1999 to today's price more than 1,600% higher.
The stock has put up a total return (including dividends reinvested) that averages 15.6% every year over the past 10 years, according to Morningstar. A 2020 price-to-earnings multiple of 14.5 continues to look good value for a business noted for its 'strong medium-term outlook,' as one analyst puts it, even with the uncertainties surrounding Brexit.
JAMES FISHER & SONS (FSJ) £20.63
After listing in 1996, the fortunes of marine engineering company James Fisher & Sons (FSJ) really took off from around 2003 onwards, minus a drop around the time of the global financial crisis.
Having hovered around the 100p to 150p mark for the first seven years after listing, the firm's shares have rocketed to around £20.10 today. A lot of that is due to a change in the company's strategy.
Approximately 20 years ago, the grand old business set up in 1847 by James Fisher moved away from heavy shipping to refocus on its more lightweight coastal transportation business as well as marine services.
Chief executive Nick Henry and former chairman Tim Harris joined from P&O with the aim of repositioning the company's strategy to higher margin services.
With dividends reinvested, the stock has gained 14.1% annually since the middle of 2006, as it diversified away from solely focusing on oil and gas.
Huge improvements in the profitability of its tankships and marine support services divisions in recent years means it was able to easily overcome slumps in the offshore oil industry.
It's part of the reason why the business also has one of the best dividend track records on the market, increasing its dividend consistently for the last 20 years.
Solid revenue growth in its latest results, but the business has been affected by a number of operational issues. Having always been expensive thanks to its long-term track record, now might be the time to take profit.
JD SPORTS FASHION (JD.) 708.8p
The best total return performer over Shares' two decade-long history is JD Sports Fashion, the branded sports and casual wear star turn having delivered a stellar 9,590% total return.
The company behind outdoor retailers Go Outdoors, Blacks and Millets was recently promoted into the FTSE 100 for the first time, the market rewarding the successful transfer of the 'JD DNA' into global markets. This was a momentous milestone for JD Sports, established in 1981 with a single store in the North West of England, floated on the stock market in 1996 with 56 stores and subsequently expanded organically and via acquisitions.
Guided by executive chairman Peter Cowgill, in recent years JD Sports has defied the wider UK retail sector doom and gloom. Like-for-like growth in the core sports fashion business has been driven by the successful mining of an athleisure boom among youthful gym-goers and fashion-savvy consumers.
At a time when many UK retailers are fighting for survival, JD Sports is thriving by providing a differentiated proposition to the consumer with an attention-grabbing theatre in stores and online.
Close ties with powerhouse brands Nike and Adidas have helped JD Sports to see off the threat from Mike Ashley's Sports Direct International (SPD), while the acquisition of the Finish Line business provided a platform for growth in the US, the world's largest market for sport lifestyle footwear and apparel.
Recent first half results revealed revenue up 47% to more than £2.7bn with profit before tax and exceptional items sprinting 36% higher to £166.2m.
Some investors may fear they've missed the boat, but we are staying bullish with the retailer going from strength to strength.
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I am deviating from horticultural topics today. Allow me to share a drive I took last week into the South Carolina countryside.
As I left my normal freeway route for two lane, tar and gravel country roads, I switched off the blaring radio to enjoy the absence of traffic noise and train whistles. Fields of unrestrained kudzu blanketed the landscape like a layer of green lava. Pine trees replaced the skyline of industrial factories. Former home sites were apparent by their remaining brick or stone chimneys, surrounded by huge oak trees. For some, remnants of smoke stains told the story of their demise.
Elegant mansions sat cheek-by-jowl with clusters of mobile homes. If you are a native southerner, you understand that the well-tended ones are called mobile homes, while those with washing machines in the front yard and old cars perched on concrete blocks are called trailers. Wide strips of aluminum were nailed around pecan tree trunks to outwit hungry squirrels. American flags flew in front yards. By instinct, you know that if you bad mouth the USA in this part of the world, you'll be escorted to your car at the end of a shotgun barrel.
Between towns, an abandoned fire observation deck towered over the fields. There were no electric fences, just miles of barb wire around pastures of cows, goats, donkeys. The only way to tell the identity of each community was to see painted signs proclaiming, "The churches of (town) welcome you," along with a listing of the institutions concerned about your hereafter destination. Along the roadsides, sourwood trees (the first to color up<|fim_middle|> clay soil. They were curing (drying) in the sun so they could be stored all winter instead of rotting. Every house had a nearby woodpile. There were no gas logs in these fireplaces. It will be years before natural gas pipelines run through these rural communities, if ever.
The sight that touched my very soul was the fields of fresh cut hay -- not the square bales that people buy at Home Depot to use with pumpkins as fall décor. These were the giant round bales used to feed livestock throughout winter. Made me feel proud to be American.
Abandoned fire observation tower. At least I hope it was abandoned, since the platform looks shaky.
Native persimmon, Diospyros virginiana. Also known as Possum Apples, since opossums love to eat the fallen fruit. | in the fall) were starting to show a hint of the bright burgundy to come. Staghorn sumac had already shed its leaves, but it waved red seed clusters that looked like horns. In the ditches, yellow goldenrod, perennial blue ageratum, wild asters and white sneezeweed painted a scene worthy of an Old Master. Indeed, this landscape was styled by the oldest Master of all. The peace of the idyllic scene was briefly interrupted when our new travel mapping software announced, "Bear left in 100 yards, then continue for 4,386,284 miles." I wondered what waypoints my husband had entered. Planet Mars, maybe? We switched it off.
Older homes were built of wood. Most had wide, open porches and tin roofs – the sheet tin of years gone by, not the coated, maintenance-free standing seam type sold today. An unpainted barn or outbuildings stood behind most, and small gardens for home-kitchen use were in front of the houses not occupied by farmers. Country people follow the weather, so they knew that Hurricane Michael might bring torrential rains. As a precaution, sweet potatoes had been unearthed from the heavy | 250 |
Our People - Kersey/Wike Associates, Inc.
A licensed interior designer with a degree in Interior Design from Iowa State University, Ann Parker has over 12 years of experience working with a large national architectural firm in a highly creative design position prior to beginning<|fim_middle|> ability to graphically relay his designs. Kersey has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia.
Elisa Joyner has been with Kersey/Wike Associates since 1999 and plays a key business management role in the firm. While her role may be mostly "behind the scenes," from proofreading print-ready materials to assisting with the firm's accounting activities, Joyner's contributions to KWA's operations are of significant merit. | Parker Design Studio in 2010. She now provides her wealth of design and project management experience to Kersey/Wike Associates.
After earning his Bachelor's Degree of Landscape Architecture from Mississippi State University in 1997, Joel Parker joined Kersey/Wike Associates in November of that same year as an intern landscape architect. Since then, Joel has progressed to his current position as owner and Principal Landscape Architect. He is known for his attention to client care and a steadfast desire to treat each project as if it is the only project in the office.
Joel is certified by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Board (CLARB) . He is also a LEED Accredited Professional, and has been directly involved with numerous LEED accredited projects. He is currently licensed to practice Landscape Architecture in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
In 2008, Parker was awarded the Alumni Member of the Year Award by the faculty of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Mississippi State University. The award was presented for outstanding dedication, service and leadership contributions to the profession of landscape architecture and to the Department.
As an award-winning landscape architect, Mel Kersey has over fifty years of design and land planning experience in the public, private and academic sectors. His scope of work includes numerous projects in the following areas: housing, urban environments, resorts, the 1982 World's Fair, parks and recreation facilities, campuses, and retirement communities throughout the United States.
Kersey's work is characterized by his deep commitment to creating quality design that leads to a buildable product and a satisfied client. He continues to inspire awe in most other designers with his design skills and in his | 340 |
Maria Bruno-Britz
FS Web sites Falling Behind
Study says the industry's Web presence is suffering post 'Net boom.
Research conducted by the Web Marketing Association (West Simsbury, Conn.) concluded that over the last three years, financial services Web sites have fallen behind those of other industries in overall innovation.
To be sure, banks and other financial companies have made it clear that the Internet is a valuable channel to exploit. However, says William Rice, president of the WMA, spending on Web site enhancement has begun to subside in the industry. "Financial services overall started off very strongly online," Rice explains. "It was one industry that recognized early on they could really interact with consumers or brokers online. They made Internet investments without expecting much ROI. But then we had the [Internet] shakeout. The Internet remains an important part of their business, but it's being treated as any other part of their business today." FSIs have slowed their investments in the online channel in favor of other areas while other industries continued to innovate on the Web, claims Rice.
The results are part of the WMA's State of the Internet Report, an aggregation of Web site data compiled from nine years of research from its annual WebAward competition. Sites were judged using seven criteria: design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use. According to the association, the goal of the report is to provide the Web development community with a benchmark by which to define the standard for excellence for Web site development. It also offers companies a way to see how they rate against their peers and against other industries. Nearly 9,8<|fim_middle|>, Rice notes. "You also get good feedback on how to improve yourself. You'll get scores for each of our seven criteria and can benchmark yourself against others in the industry," he says.
Winning Websites for 2005 from the financial services industry include: Banking -- Sainsbury's Bank homepage; Insurance -- Medical Mutual - Ohio's Get-Well Card site; Brokerage -- Charles Schwab's A Defining Year site; and Financial Services -- Merrill Lynch Gateway site.
Why Hackers Attack: Understanding Threats & Motivations for Online Intrusion
[Strategic Security Report] Navigating the Threat Intelligence Maze | 00 sites from almost 100 industries were reviewed for the report.
With such a broad sample of participants studied over this prolonged period of time, Rice says the WMA approached the results with an open mind. "What caught my eye, though, was that some of the industries you'd think would do well were at the bottom (such as public relations); while others you wouldn't expect ranked fairly high."
One surprise was that the insurance industry actually had a somewhat respectable showing in the report -- at least against its financial services industry peers. The average insurance industry Web site score was 51 versus 52.2 for the overall Internet standards assessment report (ISAR) index (out of a possible total of 70 points). Rice does, however, point out that most of the insurance sites examined were those focused on the broker community, not consumers. Banks and brokerage firms, meanwhile, rated at 47.6 and 40.9 respectively.
Rice says the overall design of a site is really a make or break factor. In fact, judges from the study said design was the primary reason in their viewing a site positively. "One of the biggest factors that can be a positive or a negative for your site comes from the old adage of not judging a book by its cover," he comments. "The initial visit to your site sets the credibility level for your brand." Elements of design like the look and feel, fonts and colors, and the information architecture "all feed into the ease of use aspect as well. You can have a wonderfully designed site, but if it's not easy to use, then people won't go there. A nice-to-look-at site will get people to look farther, but the content counts in the end."
On the plus side, it was in the category of content that financial services sites actually excelled.
Rice does have a few suggestions for banks, brokers and insurers when it comes to their Web ventures. "Financial institutions should look at their analytics and see what consumers want. They should make the information easy to access otherwise people will go elsewhere," he explains. "Part of making this easy to use is looking at alternative technology, like RSS, which lets you push content to users. They have to find ways to cross-sell and up-sell products, and to personalize Web sites. The beauty of interactive media is that financial institutions can see what offers people have acted on and they can learn about that so they can categorize future offers. It all comes back to analytics."
The WMA is currently calling for entries for the 2006 WebAwards (see webawards-2006.org). The deadline is May 31. Don't just enter for the potential glory | 562 |
Churchill College News From the Collection: The Now by Nigel Hall RA
From the Collection: The Now by Nigel Hall RA
27th February 2015 in Art & Exhibitions<|fim_middle|> Bite (2010) can be seen at the Sidgwick Site, outside the Law Faculty building.
— Barry Phipps, 2015
The Now can be seen on the front entrance lawn of Churchill College
Find out more about the College art collection
Image: The Now, 1999 by Nigel Hall RA. Bronze H 280 cm. Photograph by: Jonty Wilde (2000).
"The balance and tension between the wedge and the cone can be interpreted as reflecting the intellectual or philosophical content of the sculpture, as we are encouraged to think of the fleeting moment of the now. " |
Barry Phipps, Curator of Works of Art at Churchill College explores artists and artworks from the College's collection.
The Now (1999) by Nigel Hall RA
Despite my work being resolutely non-figurative, throughout my life I have made studies of the natural and man-made world around me... As with all my sculpture, I attempt to make the works light on their feet, countering the drag of gravity with a visual uplift, just as nature strives to do.
— Nigel Hall
By placing a wedge and a cone together in a position that individually would be impossible to sustain, Nigel Hall enables them to stand in mutual support. The relative size of the two elements of the sculpture, with the smaller supporting the larger and curve against flat surface, provide visual contrast to their corresponding triangularity. The two triangular points of the wedge and of the cone pull in opposite directions, and some views give the impression that these angles are identical. The line and geometry of the work also give balance and counterbalance within the composition. The balance and tension between the wedge and the cone can be interpreted as reflecting the intellectual or philosophical content of the sculpture, as we are encouraged to think of the fleeting moment of the now. The work does not illustrate; instead, a clear, abstract language of form and an ambiguous title combine to create a chain of associations for the viewer. The visual and the physical experience of the work is joined to the links forged by seeing and walking around it.
Over the last four decades, Hall has distilled his practice into one of sophisticated and refined geometry, which he uses to articulate space. Yet his work is more complex in motivation and appreciation than simple exercises in formal abstraction. Through elegant craftsmanship and poetic reference to the landscape, as in Southern Shade I that sits opposite, Hall has created a body of work that evokes a sense of calm and contemplation.
For the sculptures that make up the Southern Shade series share with the drawings an involvement with interwoven linear elements, some free in space and others entangled in a shadow interior which echo the shaded canopy of the trees and their complex latticework of branches.
Hall is one of Britain's most distinguished living sculptors. His works, principally made of bronze, wood or steel, are concerned with three dimensional space, mass and line. His abstract and geometric sculptures give as much prominence to voids and shadows as to the solidity of material and each work changes with light and viewpoint reflecting the landscapes that inspired them. He is represented in numerous public collections in the USA, Asia, Australia and Europe including the Tate Gallery, London, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has also undertaken many private and public large-scale site-specific commissions.
Another sculpture by Hall, Bigger | 566 |
Musician Spotlight Series: Nuela Charles
The Musician Spotlight Series shines a light on up-and-coming bands and solo acts creating heartfelt and original work across genres, giving them an opportunity to talk about their music, their collaborators, and why they do what they do.
Click Here to follow the series as it progresses.
To submit an artist or band for consideration, email editors@myentertainmentworld.ca.
Nuela Charles
"Kicking off 2018 with a JUNO Award Nomination for her self-released sophomore album "The Grand Hustle," and closing out the year with the release of her new EP "Distant Danger" – Nuela is solidifying herself as a Canadian music staple. Her latest singles "Do it Right" and "Danger" maintained steady ground on the CBC Radio Music charts, collectively spending over 14 weeks in the Top 20, and had "Do it Right" named as one of 2018's Top 100 Canadian songs. With a nod from uber-coveted tastemaker FADER, a placement on the hit show Jane the Virgin and some comfortable real estate on the CBC Music (Radio 2) charts, Charles is ready to release more of her fiery brand of cinematic soul".
Check her out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
When did you know you wanted to be a musician?
I knew I wanted to be a musician during the latter part of my high school years. My family and I were living in the Bahamas and I began to teach myself how to play the guitar and piano and it kind of grew from there. I was gifted an old MacBook with recording capabilities and started recording my simple songs. When we moved back to Canada I went to college for music and haven't really looked<|fim_middle|> Bond film." It is a mix of vintage pop styles, mixed with soulful vocals, dramatic strings and guitars and honest lyrics.
What's your favourite tune in your repertoire and why?
My favourite song to play at the moment is "Forecast". I love listening to it because it just gives me so much joy. I just can't help smiling every time I hear it, and play it.
What can audiences expect from one of your live shows?
I like to build my live shows to ebb and flow. So, you'll be taken on a musical journey full with stories of hope, loss, love and joy.
Where can we find your music?
All of my music can be found online wherever you stream/buy your digital music. To get physical CD's, Vinyl and other merch items you can visit my website www.nuelacharles.com.
Published: Friday, 2019/03/22 - 18:22
Canadian Music
Musician Spotlight Series | back.
How did you develop your skills?
Developing my skills was a mixture of teaching myself, whether it be online tutorials, etc, and formal training. But to be honest, I really only took the parts of the formal training that I needed, and left the rest. Haha. It didn't really teach you to be an artist, you can't really learn that, you have to grow into your artistry and figure that out on your own.
Growing up I listened to a lot of female solo artists who inspired me to get started. Alanis Morissette, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, etc. I've also really been into alternative bands though too, especially ones with great singers like Nothing But Thieves, Arctic Monkeys, etc. It's really a mix of everything.
How would you describe your sound on your 2019 JUNO Nominated EP "Distant Danger"?
I describe my sound as "a fiery brand of cinematic soul that could be the soundtrack to next | 206 |
Heart for Ethiopia is dedicated to development projects in rural Ethiopia. They support 15 kindergartens attended<|fim_middle|> a niche audience that specifically comes to her eBay store looking for these one-of-a- kind items. She explains that"eBay has made it plain and simple to direct sell and donate!" At least 90% of the items she sells for Heart for Ethiopia are on the eBay marketplace.
The funds raised on the eBay platform is integral to the development and infrastructure costs associated with the day to day operations of Heart for Ethiopia's rural programs. In the last 10 years they have raised $500K on eBay through Direct Selling of items mostly in the $1-3 range. These funds have paid for kindergarten teachers' salaries, school supplies, playground equipment, food, vehicle provision and upkeep, central office utilities, supplies and much more.
With most of the items donated and all the work of listing, packing, and shipping done by volunteers and Lauralee, 100% of the proceeds go to Heart for Ethiopia. There is no overhead cost because the store operates out of their home. During the past year they averaged over $1,000 per week after shipping costs. | by children aged 5-12 years who previously did not have access to education, as well as adult literacy classes, health education, sports activities for the youth and micro-finance groups helping adults launch small businesses.
Lauralee Lindholm is the founder of Heart for Ethiopia. After spending 18 years in Africa as missionaries, Lauralee and her husband retired to DeSoto, Texas. A garage-sale fan, she discovered eBay. This is when she realized that 100% of the proceeds of her sales could directly fund her favorite cause. In fact, she shares that, "the eBay platform inspired the charity!" and she decided to establish a 501(c)(3). Now, at the age of 77 years old, she has devoted her time to raising funds with the help of eight volunteers working out of the bookstore in her home.
Heart for Ethiopia supports the infrastructure for 17 kindergartens and 171 churches that offer access to their programs. As Lauralee explains, "they count on Heart for Ethiopia as their meat and potatoes…we financially support the capacity building to fund their auditing, transportation, and basic operating needs of the central office." Without this overhead structure they cannot operate the programs within these hard-to-reach, local rural communities.
Lauralee has found that direct selling of specific items like used books, magazines, old collectible maps do very well on eBay. Over time, she has found | 302 |
As you know, we've been running our Newsletter of the Year contest - and we've had some good entries.
As soon as they meet a potential new client, this entrant provides that person with a copy of their current newsletter and asks if they may put them on their newsletter mailing list. Action idea: Keep copies of your newsletter with you; and ABC: Always Be Collecting - that's how you build your list.
Although the newsletter already comes with a quiz, some<|fim_middle|> the newsletter relevant while creating a feeling of goodwill in the community. Action idea: Community groups are glad of the free publicity - it's a win-win.
Entrants put the newsletters on their websites and used the articles in other advertising. You're welcome to use the content however you like, so why not make the most of it? Action idea: Your marketing doesn't just stop with newsletters - the more ways you can find to reach people with useful, interesting information, the better.
There seems to be one thing that all the entrants have in common - how much they do! The thing about newsletters is, the more you put into them, the more you get out of them. That's why I make these newsletters 100% editable...because I know that the more of yourself you add, the better results you get. | entrants went further and added their own contests with prizes. Some got these prizes sponsored by other businesses. This increased the number of people contacting them about the newsletter - building important relationships. Action idea: Prizes are a great way to get people to engage with you - they're a useful motivator!
One entrant gives space away to local charities to advertise events. It's a way to make | 80 |
Home and Away's Jake Ryan: 'The threat to Robbo is real'
Home and Away's Jake Ryan tells: "We had to<|fim_middle|> up this week's issue of New Idea.
Jackie Brygel
Just $6 for 6 issues delivered!-SAVE 79%
Subscribe to New Idea today
Get more from New Idea | treat the ultrasound scene with a lot of respect"
Home and Away: Robbo returns to Summer Bay
Home And Away: Jasmine takes control
Home And Away: Tori's shock proposition to Robbo
Home and Away: Sam Frost's new love mystery
Home and Away: Justin's nightmare over Leah
Home and Away: Will Tori survive?
Home and Away: Robbo rocked by vicious attack
Home and Away's Olivia Deeble: 'Raffy has trust issues'
Home and Away's Jake Ryan – 'Angus McLaren is a fantastic actor'
Home and Away's Patrick O'Connor reveals – 'It was the best day of filming!'
Home and Away's Jake Ryan tells – "I was a little starstruck!"
Home and Away's Courtney Miller tells all – 'Bella's shock decision!'
Home and Away: Will Jasmine and Robbo leave the Bay forever?
Could his be goodbye for the couple? - by Jackie Brygel
Robbo's been doing the best he can since his beautiful daughter Grace made her arrival in the world a few weeks back. But with Grace's mother Tori (Penny McNamee) still in a coma after suffering a major stroke just hours after the birth, Robbo (Jake Ryan) is more stressed and run-down than he's ever been.
Watch: Robbo's 'stupid stunt'
Thankfully, help is on its way ‒ in the form of an unexpected home visit by Robbo's parents Wendy (Amanda Muggleton) and Ian (Frankie J. Holden)! But the greatest surprise is yet to come.
Wendy and Ian waste no time voicing their disapproval that their newborn granddaughter is living in a share house, before making a shock proposition to their beleaguered son. They want Robbo, Jasmine (Sam Frost) and baby Grace to leave the Bay for good and move permanently to the country with them!
"Wendy and Ian want nothing more than to have Robbo, Jasmine and Grace living at the farm," says Jake
"Robbo's first family were killed, and Wendy and Ian lost two grandchildren. Robbo disappeared off the face of the planet for a couple of years after that, first by going undercover and then with the amnesia, so they lost a lot of time with him. This is now a real chance to make up for lost time as far as Wendy and Ian are concerned."
Robbo is run down looking after baby Grace.
That said, Robbo's initial response to the suggestion is far from positive. He and Jasmine can stand on their own feet without his parents' help or support, he angrily tells them.
But given time to think, Robbo can't help but feel that his parents might be right – farm life could indeed be a fresh start for his young family in a safe and loving environment.
Raising the idea with Jasmine, Robbo is surprised to discover his wife would, in fact, welcome the move. The same, however, certainly cannot be said for Tori's older brother Justin (James Stewart).
Arriving back from the city where, along with younger brother Mason (Orpheus Pledger), he consulted with Tori's medical team, Justin is furious to discover that Robbo is contemplating leaving the Bay forever with Justin's newborn niece.
Robbo's parents suggest that he and Jasmine should move to the country with them.
"The idea definitely doesn't go down too well with Justin," confirms Jake.
For, as Justin sees it, this is proof that Robbo has given up on Grace's comatose mother Tori.
"Robbo's main concern is what's best for Grace," says Jake. "But he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. He cares for Tori a great deal, but there's simply not much he can do for her at the moment. Tensions do flare again between him and Justin, and you can understand where they're both coming from ‒ but emotions get the better of both of them."
Meanwhile, the big question remains – Will Robbo, Jasmine and Grace be farewelling the Bay forever?
"This is certainly not an easy decision for Robbo to make," reveals Jake.
To read more, pick | 857 |
This late Gothic rectorial<|fim_middle|> there are high pointed windows (walled up on the northern side). At the base of the structure one can see a rock with characteristic grooves. As the story goes, they were created by knights sharpening their swords on the rock, which was supposed to give them supernatural power. The high roof is covered with ridge tiles (monk and nun). The church is entered from the south through a pointed portal made of profiled, glazed bricks. A similar portal, only walled up, can be found in the north elevation. The three - nave bay has a Gothic stellar vaulting over the naves and over the chancel and the ambulatory a sail vaulting on supporting arches from 1727. The polychromy inside the church, the design of the stained glass windows and the altar were made by Wacław Taranczewski between 1954-56. | church was most probably built where the stronghold's chapel, erected around 965 by Mieszko I's wife, Dobrawa, used to stand. It was constructed between 1431-47. In the early 19th century the church was in such terrible condition that the Prussian authorities ordered it demolished. That fate was only avoided thanks to the efforts of Archbishop Leon Przyłuski, which lead to restoration of the church in the years 1859-62.
The west gable, crowned with a small bell, is ornamented with pointed blank windows and small ornaments with floral motifs in stone. The side elevations are partitioned with decorative cover profiles, between which | 148 |
Golf At Goodwood reveals redefined Woody 2 buggy
Will Medlock
The buggy is modelled on the 1934 Brakenvan design.
The Woody 2 Golf Buddy. Credit: Golf At Goodwood
Golf At Goodwood have revealed the second generation of its memorable Woody golf buggy.
The buggy<|fim_middle|> enhances its reputation as an imaginative and spectacular golf course."
There are two courses at Golf At Goodwood, giving players the opportunity to play both parkland and downland courses.
The first ever round played at the course was 114 years ago when it was opened by the sixth Duke of Richmond. King Edward VII and King George VI are among some of the most notable players to have graced the course. | is unlike any other and is modelled on the Brakenvan, designed in 1934 by the ninth Duke of Richmond.
There are 1930s style seat covers and increased headroom in the new model.
A mohair roof, the same used on Jaguar e-type convertibles, finishes the redefined exterior.
Players can make use of a cool box contained inside a basket made from Somerset willow, perfect for golfers who require refreshments during their 18 holes.
There are many ways to keep the modern golfer satisfied and the inclusion of two USB ports to keep players connected during their round is another key addition.
The new Woody 2 golf buggy. Credit: Golf At Goodwood
Stuart Gillett, General Manager for Golf At Goodwood, said: "Having long been a pioneer in international motor sport and horse racing, Goodwood can now boast a genuinely ground-breaking golf course."
"Golf At Goodwood has always been about providing a unique experience and redefining the way the game is played and the endearing Woody 2 only | 221 |
La dottrina Truman è la strategia di politica estera ideata dall'allora presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America Harry S. Truman ed annunciata il 12 marzo 1947, in un discorso tenuto al Congresso, prendendo spunto dai casi di Grecia e Turchia, che avevano lasciato intravedere la possibilità di una resa di fronte all'espansionismo sovietico. In particolare, la Grecia si trovava nel pieno di una guerra civile, che sarebbe terminata nel 1949, in cui si scontravano realisti e comunisti; la Turchia, invece, soffriva le pressioni sovietiche che miravano a sistemazioni territoriali negli strategici distretti di Kars e Ardahan, nonché alla revisione del regime degli Stretti regolato dalla convenzione di Montreux del 1936.
La dottrina si proponeva di contrastare le mire espansioniste dell'avversario comunista nel mondo. È importante sottolineare come l'Unione Sovietica fosse chiaramente al centro dei pensieri di Truman, anche se nel suo discorso tale Paese non venne mai direttamente menzionata.
Storia
Le relazioni tra le potenze alleate si erano progressivamente fatte più tese a causa della questione tedesca e della sovietizzazione degli Stati dell'Europa dell'Est sotto diretto controllo di Mosca.
Nel 1946, a seguito del long telegram inviato da Kennan al Dipartimento di Stato, in cui si enucleavano le caratteristiche del potere sovietico e la sua tendenza al controllo egemonico, gli Stati Uniti avevano cominciato a rivedere le proprie posizioni nei confronti dell'Unione Sovietica.
Lo scoppio della Guerra civile greca, in cui i ribelli comunisti erano foraggiati dalla Jugoslavia di Tito, e le pressioni sovietiche nei confronti della Turchia, per una revisione del regime degli Stretti, stavano dissanguando le ormai esauste risorse britanniche. L'impossibilità di poter provvedere alla sicurezza del tradizionale alleato greco unita alla difficoltà nel contenere l'avanzata di Mosca verso i mari caldi inducevano Londra a rivolgersi all'alleato americano. Il 21 febbraio 1947 l'Ambasciata britannica a Washington informava il governo americano che la Gran Bretagna non era più in grado di prestare aiuto finanziario o di qualsivoglia altra natura a<|fim_middle|>
Storia degli Stati Uniti d'America (1945-1964)
Storia dell'Europa
Truman
Truman
Discorsi di Harry S. Truman
Relazioni bilaterali tra Stati Uniti d'America e Turchia | Grecia e Turchia, lasciando presagire lo spettro dell'affermazione dell'influenza sovietica in quei due Paesi.
Il Sottosegretario di Stato Dean Acheson, che più tardi sarà uno degli architetti del Patto Atlantico, tentò di portare i membri del Congresso ad appoggiare l'idea di un maggior coinvolgimento degli Stati Uniti d'America in Europa e nel mondo in generale, formulando un'antesignana di quella che verrà chiamata la teoria del domino: quando in uno Stato si afferma il comunismo, gli altri Stati confinanti sono a rischio di divenire anch'essi comunisti. In particolare i dipartimenti di Stato e della Difesa suggerivano che, qualora l'Unione Sovietica si fosse installata in Grecia e avesse rivisto la status dei Dardanelli, molto probabilmente sia il Medio Oriente sia l'Europa occidentale avrebbero potuto cedere al comunismo.
Harry S. Truman, supportato dal senatore Arthur H. Vandenberg, annunciò la dottrina dopo un incontro con il presidente greco. Il presidente statunitense sosteneva che per la sicurezza interna gli Stati Uniti non potevano rimanere insensibili e indifferenti di fronte a casi in cui l'indipendenza e la sovranità di popoli liberi venisse messa in pericolo da tentativi di sovversione interna o da pressioni esterne. In tal caso gli Stati Uniti avrebbero supportato (interventismo) i popoli liberi a resistere ai tentativi di assoggettamento da parte di minoranze armate o da pressioni esterne.
Nel suo discorso al senato, il 12 marzo 1947, durato 21 minuti, Truman richiese al Congresso di approvare uno stanziamento di $250 milioni per la Grecia, sotto forma di aiuti militari ed economici, e di $150 milioni per la Turchia. La somma totale di $400 milioni, corrisponderebbe a circa $4 miliardi dell'epoca attuale.
Conseguenze della Dottrina Truman
La dottrina ebbe conseguenze anche in Europa ed originò la crisi del maggio 1947. I governi dell'Europa occidentale con potenti movimenti comunisti come Italia e Francia vennero incoraggiati a tenere i gruppi comunisti fuori dal governo. Queste mosse furono compiute in risposta a quelle dell'Unione Sovietica, che nell'Europa dell'Est aveva iniziato a rafforzare la sua sfera d'influenza sui governi locali.
Negli Stati Uniti, sul piano interno, l'allarme sul pericolo rosso condusse alla fobia anti-comunista degli anni cinquanta. Sul piano internazionale, la Dottrina Truman costituì la base della politica estera statunitense nei confronti dell'Unione Sovietica fino alla sua caduta nel 1991.
Benché rivisitata e arricchita sul piano pratico da parte delle successive amministrazioni statunitensi, la dottrina Truman sancì l'abbandono definitivo della Dottrina Monroe e il coinvolgimento permanente degli Stati Uniti nella politica mondiale. Infine, la Dottrina Truman costituì la ragione politica della formulazione del Piano Marshall, il grande piano di aiuti pensato dal Segretario di Stato George Marshall per sostenere i Paesi europei devastati dalla guerra.
Note
Voci correlate
Harry S. Truman
George F. Kennan
Dean Acheson
Lungo telegramma
Piano Marshall
Guerra Fredda
Dottrina Brežnev
NSC-68
Altri progetti
Collegamenti esterni
Guerra fredda
Storia della Grecia
Storia della Turchia | 947 |
VISION ZERO NETWORK
WHAT IS VISION ZERO?
VISION ZERO<|fim_middle|> enforcement, policy and advocacy to develop and share strategies, policies and practices that make Vision Zero a reality.
The Vision Zero Network is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives.
© Vision Zero Network 2018. | CITIES MAP
From Seattle to New York City, San Diego to Washington, D.C. a number of leading cities have committed to Vision Zero — while many others are considering and working toward such a commitment.
So what makes a Vision Zero City? One that meets the following minimum criteria:
A clear goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries has been set.
The Mayor has publicly, officially committed to Vision Zero.
A Vision Zero plan or strategy is in place, or the Mayor has committed to doing so in clear time frame.
Key city departments (including police, transportation and public health) are engaged.
ADD YOUR CITY TO THE MAP
VISION ZERO CITIES
The Vision Zero Network is a collaborative campaign aimed at building the momentum and advancing this game-changing shift toward safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. The Network brings together local leaders in health, traffic engineering, police | 175 |
Within its Tobacco division CNT operates in Leaf Tobacco and Added Value Products (AVP).
CNT has leaf operations in Argentina, Germany, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Brazil and USA where<|fim_middle|> cornerstone of this successful business, which is maintained through robust quality control procedures. Quality control is undertaken in Germany in specialised and renowned laboratories, under the strict supervision of experienced scientists and technicians. | a broad range of tobacco related supply chain activities are covered. This includes contracting and providing agronomy extension expertise to tobacco farmers, financing of tobacco crop production, processing of green leaf tobacco and the marketing of the processed tobacco to manufacturers of tobacco products.
In its AVP business CNT provides customised tobacco blends for all tobacco product segments in cut, threshed and pre-blended form. Based on CNT's leaf operations and strong sourcing capabilities AVP can operate from a broad international leaf pool centralised in Europe. The developments are carried out in house by a team of blending and flavour experts according to customers' specifications. CNT's blends are primarily produced in the company's operation in Belgium.
CNT does not produce or distribute cigarettes or any other finished tobacco products.
For over 30 years CNT has been the world's largest supplier of highly purified, tobacco derived Nicotine to the pharmaceutical industry. In recent years CNT has also emerged as a significant supplier of pharmaceutical grade Nicotine to the expanding e-Cigarette industry. CNT's starting material for the Nicotine production derives from the company's extraction facility in India. The final processing is then done in Switzerland by CNT's exclusive contract manufacturer Siegfried AG under full pharmaceutical cGMP.
The Nicotine is filed and referenced for pharmaceutical use in almost every country of the world.
Through its integrated supply chain CNT controls every step of production to ensure that the product integrity is not compromised. In addition to the highest possible quality standards, CNT focuses on regulatory compliance and security of supply. With expansive production capabilities CNT is able to facilitate any specified volume of stocks to ensure our clients stock security. Our manufacturing process and analytical methods are fully validated resulting in a uniform quality of ultrapure Nicotine.
Ultralow impurity levels (far below USP / EP limits).
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CNT's Natural Ingredients division provides through its subsidiary 'Verdure Sciences Europe GmbH' a range of natural ingredients to the food & beverage industry. The products are sourced via a diverse network of proven suppliers and partners from all over the world.
Product integrity is the | 439 |
Walking In Step (Galatians 2:11-14)
May 20, 2012 Speaker: Bryce Morgan Series: When Jesus Isn't Enough (Galatians)
Topic: Galatians Passage: Galatians 2:11–2:14
(NOTE: the audio for this message is very low, so you will have to turn your audio player all the way up.)
Walking In Step
(One Truth: Walk in Truth)
Have you ever noticed how easy it is, when you're walking forward with your head down, have you every noticed how easy it is to veer off the straight line that you're trying to walk? Yeah, if you're attempting read something or write a text message or just looking for something on the ground, you can look up after a few minutes and discover that you are not quite in line with the direction you were trying to go.
This morning, we will see that this same danger is also present when it comes to our spiritual lives. Let's look together at Galatians 2:11-14.
II. The Passage: "With the Truth of the Gospel" (2:11-14)
Before we read and talk about these verses, let me give you a very brief summary of what we've learned so far from this letter.
You may recall that Galatians was written to a group of regional churches composed of mainly non-Jewish (or Gentile) converts to Christ. But misguided teachers had eventually crept into these churches and were twisting and distorting the gospel message that Paul and Barnabas had originally announced to these young Christians.
Another thing we can piece together from this letter is that these false teachers were also attacking Paul's credibility as a faithful messenger. This is why Paul, beginning back in chapter 1, verse 11, begins to defend the fact that Jesus Christ himself made Paul an apostle.
As we see from chapter one, and continuing on into the first ten verses of chapter two, Paul also had to explain his relationship to the original twelve apostles who were in Jerusalem. Even though he was in no way under their authority, he had gone to Jerusalem in order to make sure all of them were on the same page in terms of the gospel message. Look again at what Paul tells us about that visit in verses 7 and 9 of chapter two:
…when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised [Gentiles], just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised [Jews]…[9] and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. (Galatians 2:7, 9)
So with all of that in mind, look with me at verses 11-14. Let me read those…
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. [12] For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. [13] And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. [14] But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
As you can tell from just a quick reading of those verses, Paul is continuing here to talk about his relationship to the other apostles in Jerusalem, and specifically, his relationship to Cephas, which is just another name for the Apostle Peter. From chapter 1, verse 18, we know that Paul stayed with Peter for 15 days while in Jerusalem, about three years after Paul's conversion to Christ. And then as 2:9 tells us, Paul saw Peter again about eleven years after that when Paul went to Jerusalem to talk about the gospel message.
But in these verses, Paul has not gone to Peter. Peter has gone to Paul; this is while Paul was serving in Antioch (as we know he did according to Acts 11-15). Antioch was a city about 135 miles northeast of Jerusalem, and the beginning of the church there is recorded in Acts 11. Now, even though it isn't clear why and when Peter came to Antioch, it is clear that the focus of these verses is a serious error that Peter made while he was in Antioch.
Let's break this passage down by looking at three things we learn here about Peter's error. Let's first talk about the nature of Peter's error. Second, let's think about the influence of Peter's error. And finally, third, let's talk about the rebuke of Peter's error.
A. The Nature of Peter's Error (2:12)
Verse 12 gives us the specifics of what happened when Peter came to Antioch. We're told from the moment Peter had arrived, he had been eating together with the whole church, with both Jews and non-Jews.
Now from the perspective of an ordinary Jew, this kind of 'table fellowship' (as it's called) would have been scandalous, because Jews did not eat with Gentiles, who were considered by Jews to be unclean in light of God's law. But even though Paul was commissioned by Jesus to reach out to the Gentiles, we know from Acts chapter 10 that it was Peter who was first used by God to preach the message of Christ to the Gentile Cornelius and his family. You see, right before that, God had even given Peter a vision that showed him that the Gentiles should no longer be regarded as unclean.
In the opening verses of Acts 11 we read, "Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."
Notice how eating with Cornelius and his family is highlighted as a "no-no". But Peter defends his action in light of what God revealed to him. And so, he does this same thing when he comes to Antioch: he makes no distinction between Jewish and non-Jewish believers.
But something changes. We read in verse 12 that "certain men came from James". This is not James the fisherman, the brother of John. This is James, the half brother of Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary. He had become the key leader of the church in Jerusalem, and he is even mentioned outside the Bible, by the Jewish historian Josephus.
But when this delegation came from the Jerusalem church, Peter pulled back from eating with his non-Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ. Why? Well verse 12 tells us why: because he was "fearing the circumcision party" (literally in the original language, "those from the circumcision"). In Acts 11, that phrase was used to describe Jewish Christians, and in this context, it is specifically this group<|fim_middle|> law of Moses.
But the "truth of the gospel" that Paul talks about in verse 14 stands in direct opposition the message Peter was sending. Peter was declaring through his actions that our righteousness before God depends on keeping the law. But "the truth of the gospel" tells us that none of us can keep the law, and that our only hope is to receive the righteousness of Christ as a free gift through faith. The gospel is not about what we can do, but about what Jesus has already done. The gospel is not about our trying, but about our trust. All we can do is believe that Jesus did it all.
III. The Importance of Spiritual Orthopedics
You see, we need to remember why Paul is telling the Galatians about all this. His goal is not to shame Peter or make himself look good. Part of his goal is to help the Galatians understand that he is not somehow beholden to the Jerusalem church or the original apostles. No, in fact, Paul had even corrected a fellow apostle when it was necessary.
But we also need to see that the message Peter was sending through his actions in Antioch, is the same message that was explicitly declared by the false teachers in Galatia:
through their distorted gospel, these men were trying to "force the Gentiles to live like Jews". So again, Paul is still defending both his authority as a messenger, and more importantly, the truth of the message he announced to the Galatians.
And this morning, as we consider how this passage should affect us, I think there are several things we could talk about: we could talk again about the importance of the gospel and protecting the gospel. We could talk about what the Bible tells us about the difficult, but sometimes necessary work of rebuking a brother or sister who is in error. We could talk about the influence and accountability of leaders within the church.
But what I find really interesting in this passage is that phrase from verse 14: I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel. That phrase, "their conduct was not in step" is actually just one word in the original Greek language in which Paul wrote. It's the word orthopodeuo. This is the word from which we get our English word, "orthopedics". It literally means, "to be straight-footed".
So Paul is saying, "when I saw that Peter and the other Jewish believers in Antioch (along with Barnabas), when I saw that they were not being straight-footed with the truth of the gospel". What exactly does that mean? Well, when your foot is not straight, you begin to deviate from the path, right? You start to veer off. Listen to some of these other translations of this verse:
...when I saw they were not walking a straight path in line with the truth of the gospel...that they were not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel...that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel...
You see, Peter knew and had confessed and had even defended the truth of the gospel of grace. But that didn't mean that he was immune from allowing his conduct to deviate from the content of that message. And if Peter was vulnerable, aren't all of us just as vulnerable? When the eyes of our heart are not looking straight ahead, we can all begin to veer off, right?
Brothers and sisters, are you walking in step with the truth of the gospel? In your actions and attitudes, are you being 'straight-footed' when it comes to the path of God's truth? Whether you know it or not, your life is a sermon. When you confess to be a follower of Christ, your actions and your attitudes are instructing others, teaching others, influencing others in light of your confession, in light of what you believe.
But may the words of Paul to Titus never describe us: They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny him… (Titus 1:16a (NASB))
No doubt, Peter's situation here was unique in terms of his position and in terms of the unique change that was taking place in the relationship between Jews and Gentiles. But all of us can fail to be in step with the truth of the gospel. At times, all of us stand condemned in terms of this kind of gospel hypocrisy.
We can confess the liberating power of God's forgiveness and yet fail to set others free by granting forgiveness to them.
We can celebrate our eternal hope in the face of death because of Jesus' resurrection and yet live like this life is all there is.
We can agree that we are saved by grace alone through Christ alone, and yet find ourselves holding on to and comforted by our religious performance rather than God's redeeming promises.
We confess that we are now members of God's family through faith in Christ, and yet we neglect our brothers and sisters, and commit ourselves to things other than the church.
We admit that no one is righteous and that we are all equally in need of God's grace, and yet we condemned some people as worse sinners than others or practically live like such people are beyond God's reach.
We can declare freedom in Christ, and yet live like we are still in bondage to sin. We can confess that the price has been paid, and yet still work to pay off our debt. We can admit to the reality of God's mercy, and yet still live like one who is condemned. We can proclaim grace, but still stand in judgment over others. We can testify that Jesus died for us, and yet fail to live for Him; that He identified with us, and yet, in our actions, fail to identify with him.
Are you walking "in step" with the truth of the gospel, or are you veering off into gospel hypocrisy?
Like Peter, so often, we veer because of fear…fear of what others might think…fear of being rejected…fear of losing this or that. And like Peter, so often, our error can influence others. Without even knowing it, we can be encouraging people to veer off the path as well, or we can be causing someone who is not a Christian to look even more skeptically at the word of God.
Brothers and sisters, we don't know precisely how Peter responded to Paul's rebuke (which, by the way, was the most loving thing Paul could do for Peter), but this morning we can admit to the ways we are not "in step" with the truth of the gospel. And when we do that, God calls us to get our eyes back on the path.
You see, just as an orthopedist can help a child correct a crippled foot or leg, God wants to use his spiritual orthopedics in our lives; He wants to correct us through the gospel. God used Paul to remind Peter of these things, of the relationship between his conduct and his confession. Is God using Paul's words in YOUR life this morning? Do you have a 'Paul' in your life, someone who will speak the truth in love to you, who will even 'oppose you to your face' if necessary? We all need that because we can all veer off the straight line of the gospel in terms of our conduct.
Praise God for His grace to 'veer-ers' like us. We might at times stand "condemned" in terms of the reality of an error, but thank God that, because of the gospel, because of the work of Jesus, we are no longer condemned under God's judgment. May God give us the eyes to see the relationship between our conduct and our confession, and may He grant us the grace to get back in step with the truth of the gospel in what we say, do, and think. [Let's pray]
More in When Jesus Isn't Enough (Galatians)
Got Galatians? (Galatians 1:1-6:18)
Two Ways to Boast (Galatians 6:11-18)
Being a True Do-Gooder (Galatians 6:6-10) | that cams from James.
Paul doesn't tell us why these men came. And he doesn't tell us why Peter was afraid of what these men might think of him eating with the Gentile Christians. In Acts 11, Peter had already been questioned about eating with Cornelius and his family. Were these men refusing to eat with the Gentiles believers? Consequently, was Peter was fearful of offending these men? Did he really care about their opinion that much? Was this a matter of Jerusalem Church politics, of some issue between Peter and James, or with the Jews they were trying to reach?
Whatever the reason for Peter's decision, we know from the gospel that Peter was not the most consistent apostle. On the night Jesus was betrayed, he was afraid of what a servant girl might think of him...and so he backed away from his relationship with Christ. Here he is afraid of what these men from James might think of him...and so he backs away from his non-Jewish brothers and sisters.
Have you ever been fearful like that? Fearful of what others might think in regard to your faith? And because you were afraid, you compromised. But look at what else we learn about Peter's error.
B. The Influence of Peter's Error (2:13)
We see in verse 13 that Peter's error was not simply a matter of a private and personal preference. No, there was a ripple effect from Peter's decision. And the first people touched by those ripples were the other Jewish Christians who worshiped in the Antioch church. When they saw Peter, the great Apostle of Jesus, the one whose name meant, "the rock", when they saw Peter pull back from eating with the Gentile believers, they followed his lead.
Paul tells us that even Barnabas was carried away with this mass defection from the common table. Again, who knows what was going through their minds. Barnabas knew better than this. Were they trying to show respect to Peter and the men from Jerusalem? Did some of them really believe they could no longer eat with their non-Jewish brothers and sisters? Were they acting out of fear as well. We just don't know. But we do know it all started with Peter's decision.
C. The Rebuke of Peter's Error (2:11, 14)
Now look again at verses 11 and 14. What we see from Paul's response here is that Paul understood that the ripple effects of Peter's decision were going to affect a lot more than just the eating habits of the Jewish believers.
Paul knew that not only would the unity of the church would be radically affected, but more importantly, the truth of the gospel itself was under attack.
And that's exactly why Paul, as we read in verse 11, "opposed [Peter] to his face". That expression is not quite the same as when we say "she got in his face". Paul is simply saying that he confronted Peter directly. And Paul also points out in verse 14 that when he confronted Peter, he confronted him "before them all", that is, in front of the whole church.
Now wait a minute. If Paul had a concern about Peter's decision, why didn't he confront him in private, like Jesus taught us in Matthew 18? Well, three factors are important here: 1) Peter was an apostle with great influence, 2) Peter's decision was played out in a very public way, and 3) the very truth of the gospel was at stake. This was no minor difference of opinion, and Peter's error had already negatively impacted the entire Jewish portion of the Antiochan church. Paul had to take a stand, and take a stand in such a way that he could also impact those who were negatively impacted by Peter's error.
And HOW he rebukes Peter helps us understand exactly why the truth of the gospel itself was under attack. Look at verse 14 again: But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
You see, Peter was acting like a hypocrite (v. 13). He was saying one thing, but his actions were communicating the opposite. Paul knew that Peter's actions were sending a clear message to the non-Jewish, to the Gentile believers in Antioch. Peter had come to Antioch living like a Gentile, making no distinction between Jewish and Gentile believers.
But when the men from James came, he drew back. And in drawing back, Peter was declaring, through his actions, that the only way the Gentile believers could have fellowship with Jews like himself was to become like Jews...and the only way to live like a Jew was to be circumcised and keep the | 1,019 |
Purified Water Goderich | Problem Water | Huron Water Ltd.
If you're doing the laundry, dishwashing, housecleaning, or any other activity that uses water, you're going to want pure, stain-free water. However, that can be difficult to get if your water has too much sulphur and iron. And it can be even worse if your water ends up with excess bacteria.
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No, this system does not use any chemicals, and it also does not affect your water's taste.
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NEWS: Stadelman joins Illinois State Senate
SPRINGFIELD – Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) and 10 other newly elected Democrats were inaugurated into the Illinois State Senate during ceremonies today at the Capitol. Stadelman represents the 34th District in the new 98th General Assembly as a member of the majority Democratic Caucus, which has a record 40 of 59 seats<|fim_middle|>. | .
"What an honor to take the oath of office today on behalf of the people of the greater Rockford area," Stadelman said. "I am eager to get to work addressing our state's economy, our financial future, improving education and services to seniors in Illinois."
Stadelman is a newcomer to public service yet a veteran in serving the community as a 25-year reporter and news anchor for WTVO in Rockford, earning an Associated Press Best Documentary award in 2003. He has been active in Rockford Public Schools and coaching children's athletic teams. Steve and his wife have four children and live in Rockford.
The 34th District consists of the central and southeast portion of Winnebago County | 150 |
<|fim_middle|>GYGAX | SHINEDOWN Singer Looks Back At Debut Album 15 Years Later
SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith was asked in a new interview with Consequence Of Sound for his thoughts on the band's debut album, "Leave A Whisper", which was released 15 years ago this year. Smith remarked: "I was in my early 20s, and the band had been finally formed, which took three years with all the writing and putting the band together... A lot of people don't know this, but there are three different producers on that album, and that album was recorded in five different locations across the U.S. It was a lot of work. It wasn't a normal debut album where it's like, these guys have known each other since they were kids and have been making music together."
Smith was originally signed to Atlantic Records in 2000 as part of a different band. That group was ultimately dropped but the label remained interested in developing Smith and building a new project. The original lineup of SHINEDOWN was formed as a result and worked on the material that became "Leave A Whisper".
Smith recalled: "There was so much work involved in creating SHINEDOWN and finding those individuals and harvesting a real relationship with a band... I've been given a gift to work with some of the most extraordinary people in the world over the past 20 years, and they've allowed me to be myself the whole time."
The band went through a number of personnel changes over the years but has settled down around original members Smith and drummer Barry Kerch, along with guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass. Smith said about the current group: "Now, more than ever, this band could not be more of a family... But I give much respect to 'Leave A Whisper' and [second LP] 'Us And Them' and the people who were here in the beginning. I don't take it for granted."
Smith gave The Pulse Of Radio his thoughts a while back on why the band has managed to do so well. "Why it's worked is because when we came out, we were very much a no-nonsense type band," he said. "It was about being humble but being honest, and also being confident in who you were. We still wake up every single day and thank the heavens above that we're able to do this for a living, 'cause I know it's what we dreamed about since we were, you know, kids."
"Attention Attention", SHINEDOWN's sixth studio album, debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart back in May. The follow-up to 2015's "Threat To Survival" marked SHINEDOWN's first full-length effort to be produced entirely by bassist Eric Bass.
SHINEDOWN will embark on a U.S. headlining tour in February. Support on the trek will come from PAPA ROACH and ASKING ALEXANDRIA.
Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine
Tags: shinedown
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