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Many cities around the world have wall art that talks about the city, the life, the people, and much else. It’s colorful, witty, holds stories, and certain pieces are a major tourist attraction. We focus on 8 such cities around the world that are a canvas for this art form, ones that hold it out like flags for people to see and admire, and are inspiration to many art and design enthusiasts around the world. Before our Iceland trip, I heard that the winter months were not the best time to travel to Iceland because of the short daytime, the capricious weather, and the desolation. So we did not expect to get much out of our trip, the main thing that drove us there was to see the aurora (the Northern lights). Traveling to a different country always needs planning. And some countries like Iceland – need a bit more thought and effort than others. Located at a distance of 1800 miles from the North Pole, locals in Iceland often refer to Reykjavik as the northern most capital of the world. While thinking of a trip to Iceland the top most fact to consider about this Nordic island is its dramatic landscape with volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, hot springs, craters, lagoons and lava fields. We pinned down a list for you – of crucial questions you need to ask yourself before you book – and use them as your core plan of action.
OptoDrumThe Ultimate Optomotor Drum OptoDrum: The Ultimate Optomotor Drum The animal sits on an elevated platform, surrounded by computer monitors. A camera observes the behavior of the animal from above while a visual stimulus, a virtual striped cylinder, is projected onto the screens. The stripe pattern slowly rotates around the animal, triggering the optomotor reflex. This means that the animal follows the stripe pattern with its gaze by moving its head. This head movement is automatically detected and analyzed by the OptoDrum software. In addition, the projected pattern is continuously and automatically adjusted so that the animal is always in the center of the cylinder. As a result, the spatial frequency of the stripe pattern stays constant in all directions. In a staircase procedure, the stripe pattern is made more difficult to be seen, by reducing either the contrast or the width of the stripes, until the animal fails to follow the stimulus with its head movements. The assessment of whether or not the animal follows the rotating stimulus, is done automatically by the OptoDrum software. This removes any observer bias, and it makes the experimental outcome objective. Further, even untrained personnel can immediately use the OptoDrum.
QC11a - High Strength Fastener Requirements: Subcontractor’s Quality Assurance department shall be responsible for ensuring that items per this Subcontract/Purchase Order are packaged in such a manner that the dimensional integrity is preserved, contamination and corrosion are prevented, and physical damage to the threads is avoided during shipment. When size permits (usually #10 and MJ5 and larger), the threaded portion of the fastener shall be individually sleeved. Other methods used shall ensure that threads remain undamaged during shipment. Cadmium and zinc plating is prohibited. Test Report Requirements Subcontractor shall include with each shipment a legible copy of the following test reports/certifications: 1.0 Materials Test Report from the fastener manufacturer: 1.1 Name and address of the manufacturer. 1.2 Part number and the ordering and procurement specification, including revision levels that controlled the manufacture of the goods. 1.3 Manufacturer’s production order/lot number. 1.4 Material traceability data: 1.4.1 Material specification. 1.4.2 Alloy class, type, or grade. 1.4.3 Raw material heat lot, lot, or melt number. 1.4.4 Name of raw material producer. 1.5 All mechanical, chemical, dimensional, non-destructive and metallurgical test reports, when required by the applicable specification. 2.0 Raw Material Certification, from the original raw material producer. 3.0 Heat Treatment Certification, when required by the applicable specification. 4.0 Surface Treatment Certification, when required by the applicable specification. High-strength fastener is defined as any externally threaded fastener that have a minimum tensile strength of 160 ksi or 1100 MPA.
With the nearly-awful looking Justice League just around the corner, I thought I would look back at the first ensemble film and see the little moments of genius that made it so good. NO-ONE EVER WAITS: You go through the movie and can pay attention to the characters, you will notice people hardly ever wait. When people are walking around or walking into the shot, they are having conversations. In the action scenes, people are constantly moving around and flowing from one to the other. FLOW OF SCENES: This seems like primary school stuff. When I was taught to write stories, I was taught the last line in a paragraph or section should link with the first line of the next section. Here, there are nearly seamless transitions at the beginning of the movie between scenes until the momentum is built up. ABBREVIATED INTRODUCTIONS: The character introductions are done quickly and efficiently. Allot of times people talk about the world building done before the movie. However, even if you didn’t watch many previous movies, the movie efficiently and respectfully brings people up to speed on characters, relative powers, etc. while still making sure each scene contributes to the overall story. SUBTEXT: There is a subtext in the middle of the movie where the good guys (SHIELD) want to use weapons of terror to fight terror. However, Nick Fury wants a team of heroes (the Avengers) to succeed so they don’t have to do this. It is almost like they are talking directly to the audience of which do we want to succeed- dark, gritty, gray “heroes” or bright, inspiring heroes. TIME TO BREATHE: Despite an efficient plot, there were plenty of times the story was allowed to breathe. Things such as Coulson talking to Captain America, Banner and Stark interacting or characters contemplating things (even in the middle of the battle for New York). Every scene had a purpose, including the scenes to let the audience calm down and preventing us becoming numb to seeing how cool these heroes sharing the same screen are. These are some of the little things I noticed that helped make Avengers stand out. There are also allot of big things they got right (the heroes treated the villains like threats, great action, good prior world-building, etc.) but these are more the unsung heroes and perhaps some of these they didn’t quite nail in Age of Ultron as well.
Teaching with a Pianist: Intro to Swing at the Spotted Cat A few weeks ago I read reading Glenn Crytzer’s blog post about being bombarded with music in which one of the things he mentions is a challenge for instructors to hire a pianist to play for their lessons. Lo and behold two days ago I walked into The Spotted Cat in New Orleans to find Giselle Anguizola teaching a beginner swing dance lesson with Brett Richardson on Piano and Paul Tenderloin on Washtub Bass playing music for her students to practice to. One thing I found interesting is half-way through the class they took a break to grab a drink from the bar or practice what they learned to live music. For a newbie lesson this is great because it lets them socialize with other students and apply what they learned in a realistic environment. Anyways below is a short summary of what I perceived as advantages and disadvantages of teaching this way: - Adds energy to the class and makes students excited. - Great marketing tool. Intro swing dance class with live music, sounds a bit more enticing then just intro swing dance class. - Prepares students for dancing to live music. (In New Orleans, if you dance downtown this is the norm 7 days a week. So it is especially relevant for their scene.) - For instructors it can be difficult to give feedback because you are essentially trying to talk over an instrument/instruments several feet away. - For most dance instructors hiring musicians consistently for lessons is not an affordable expense.
Lower Back Pain There are many causes of lower back pain. The most common cause is “Small Intestine Kyo,” which is from shock or the long effect from an accident, or from prolonged mental stress. After an accident, if Small Intestine Kyo stays distorted, it becomes the cause of lower back pain. For example, in one case, a person fell from the stairs when he/she was a child, and then that distortion appeared in adulthood. The reason for Small Intestine Kyo is that the Small Intestine meridian contains blood vessels as an anatomical organ, and when an accident happens, the most concerning injury is bleeding. “You cannot sustain life without blood.” Therefore, by biological reaction, the body becomes Small Intestine Kyo the moment we are shocked in an accident and tries to protect our life by contracting our blood vessels. As above, Small Intestine Kyo is the cause of lower back pain, and it can be easily healed through Tao Shiatsu treatment By Ryokyu Endo
The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910 Page: 34 The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software: Texas Iiistorical Association Quarterly. Austin at anchor off Sisal.'" Accompanying his own letter are copies of letters exchanged between him and the officials of Yuca- tan, which illustrate the embarrassing situation in which he was placed on his arrival. They also show the estimation in which the Texas navy was held by the government of Yucatan, which was on the point of reuniting with Mexico, and was negotiating the terms with the commissioner, Quintana Roo, under the im- pression that Texas would not be able to comply with her engage- ments. But, encouraged by the arrival of the Texan fleet, it in- sisted on justice from Mexico; and the refusal led to a war, which for the time diverted the energies of Mexico from Texas to Yucatin.2 Among other things the letter says: Dec. 13, . . . I opened the "Secret Orders" received 1st October, in the presence of Lt. A. G. Gray, Purser N. IHurd, and Doct. Winm. Richardson. . .. 1 arrived and anchored off Sisal on the 6th inst," the schooners San Antonio and San Bernard in company, having met the former on the 4th, and the latter on the 5th, . . . exchanged salutes with the Castle, and on the next day proceeded to the city of Merida, Lt. Com'g. Seeger in company with me. The Yucatan political situation is next portrayed, and Moore The San Antonio takes this letter to Galveston and proceeds immediately to New Orleans for provisions, and when she joins me 1 will be enabled to keep at sea until the 1st May, without calling on the government for one dollar. If it be the wish of His Excellency the President to coerce Mexico to acknowledge our Independence, I can at once blockade all the ports of entry, viz.: Vera Cruz, 'Tampico, and the Brazos de Santiago; and if I had the steamer Zavala to co-operate with the Squadron, I could levy contributions on several of their towns to a greater amount than the entire cost of the Navy-without the Zavala little else can be effected but to pick up any vessel that they hazard out. . The vessels building in New York when I left Galveston, for the Mexican Navy, I will use my utmost to intercept, and if they have contraband of War on board, I will send them to Galveston--this course being strictly in accordance with International law. . . . 'Moore to the Secretary of the Navy, in Moore's To the People of Texas, 21-36. The date of the letter as printed is 1841, which is clearly incorrect. 2Moore, To the People of Texas, 21. Here’s what’s next. This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document. Tools / Downloads Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text. Citing and Sharing Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding. Reference the current page of this Periodical. Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910, periodical, 1910; Austin, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101051/m1/42/: accessed August 14, 2018), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.
Many of us have ad-blocking scripts installed on our web browsers to protect our, but that is truly enough? If you want to go for a suspenders-and-belt approach, you might consider the eBlocker Pro. On display in the Sands Expo this week at CES 2016, this $99 device is a network appliance that promises to give an added level of security. Simply plug it in, and it will stop all tracking scripts, blocks ads and lets you surf truly anonymously. It will hide your IP address, and it will also give any device on that network the same cloaking ability. It also prevents data collection from third parties without your permission, giving you control of your online identity. “The internet has evolved into mass surveillance, and most people have no idea how much data is collected without their knowledge and then used against them,” said Christian Bennefeld, founder, eBlocker. “User profiles employed by third parties can result in you paying more for goods, flights, hotels and can even influence insurance rates and home loans. We strongly believe that a user should know who is collecting this data, and be able to stop it if they desire.” The hardware is being shown off this week in Las Vegas, and it will be available through a Kickstarter campaign on 20 January (the company had previously run a successful Indiegogo campaign). $99 will get you an eBlocker Pro, while the eBlocker Family costs $124. Both come with a year of updates, but if you want a lifetime updates then you will have to pony up $299. That is a high price to pay for privacy, compared to the free web browser extensions; do you think it is worth it?
According to the 4th edition of the Retratos da Leitura no Brasil survey report, ebooks have been read by 26% of survey respondents. The survey showed that the number of ebook readers in Brazil grew 6% between 2011 and 2015, and that the average number of books read in the three months prior to the survey was 2.54 books. The smartphone was the most popular reading device, used by 56% of those who read ebooks, followed closely by computers (49%) and tablets (18%). eBook readers like Kindle, Kobo, and Lev came in a distant fourth, at 4%, thus making Brazil one of the countries which (as I explained three years ago) jumped right past the ereader phase and straight to the app phase of ebook market growth. Free downloads far outweighed sales, as one would expect, with 88% of respondents having downloaded an ebook versus 15% having bought one. The most popular type of ebooks were literature books such as short stories, novels, or poetry (47%), followed closely by technical books (33%). The report is based on a survey of 5,012 personal interviews across Brazil. Among those polled, 8% indicated they were "illiterate" or "did not attend formal school."Another 21% said they had elementary school (1st to 5th grade), a quarter had attended middle school (6th to 9th grade), 33% high school, and 13% had taken some higher education classes or completed college. image by GiPereira
By Samantha Greaves – 1851 Staff She’s the First, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education to young women in developing countries, started a chapter on the Lasell campus in spring 2014. Student leaders worldwide have taken the initiative to start a She’s the First chapter within their school community, spreading awareness of the complexities young women may face that prevent them from receiving a higher education. Danielle Fortin, a senior public relations student, has taken that initiative. “Studies show that girls’ education within a developing community can help lift that community out of poverty. The mission of this club is to bring about global development through girls’ education,” said Fortin. While studying during a semester at American University in Washington D.C., Fortin was invited to a gala held by the university. There she met the founder of She’s the First, Tammy Tibbetts, who was professionally recognized at the gala for the work she has done through the organization. Fortin also met Lorrain Magee, the president of the She’s the First chapter at American University. Fortin had a meaningful conversation with Magee that sparked her New manager hopes to bring change to LCR Samantha Plumey 1851 STAFF interest in the non-profit. “This is everything I would look for in a club,” said Fortin. Fortin’s passion for international development issues only heightened after she participated in the recently cancelled service-learning trip to Uganda. Many students involved with the final Uganda trip are also involved with She’s the First. The club raised more than $360 last semester, which will go toward sponsoring the primary school education of a female student in Uganda. Through more activities, the club hopes to raise enough for more students. To raise more money this semester, She’s the First will sponsor a half-marathon called the “Run the World Campaign.” Members of the Lasell chapter of She’s the First will have people sponsor them and all the proceeds will go toward a young girl’s education. The club will also bring back yoga classes to promote the cause. People pay for a class and the proceeds will go to a young woman in need. If interested in joining She’s the First, contact Danielle Fortin at email@example.com.
Just when I thought I had seen it all, technology and innovation have gone and blown my mind AGAIN. I recently published a post about how toy manufacturer Mattel is making efforts to bring 3D printing to the fingertips of the general consumer. Well, the concept of accessible 3D printing has just been taken to an entirely new level – and I don’t know if I can contain my excitement. San Francisco-based tech company OLO 3D Inc. has recently begun crowdfunding through Kickstarter to raise funds for OLO 3D – the “first ever Smartphone 3D printer”. Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin. OLO 3D is a portable 3D printer that works in conjunction with smartphones of almost any size or brand, using the light from its screen to print 3D objects. You really can’t make this stuff up. The key to its success is the daylight photo-polymer resin it uses to create the objects, which hardens when it comes into contact with the light captured inside of OLO’s “build” chamber. The best thing about it all? OLO 3D costs a measly $99. This, my friends, is truly a game changer. Creativity and ingenuity are limitless with this little device, and I can’t wait to see how it all pans out.
When you think of tattoos you probably imagine bikies, celebrity tats or that Japanese flourish on your left foot that means “Honour” (or so you think). You probably don’t picture medical revolution … which is what tattoos may now represent. Well, temporary tattoos, at least. Work published today in Science shows how a simple stick-on tattoo could be used in a medical context. Think of a patient in hospital overnight with a heart complaint. With existing technology, the patient might be hooked up to an electrocardiogram (ECG) device in order to monitor their heart. Those devices use skin electrodes to pick up readings from the patient but unfortunately, there are significant drawbacks to using electrodes. Worn for more than a few hours, they can start to leave marks, and on sensitive people (or when left on for longer than recommended) they can leave some impressive welts. In the case of non-disposable electrodes, the application of conductive gel and cleaning (or even abrasion) of the skin is required. The new development by Dae-Hyeong Kim and colleagues at the University of Illinois could put an end to the use of surface electrodes forever. Using recent developments in nanotechnology, the team has developed a technique for printing electronic circuits on to water-soluble polymer sheets that can be applied like a “temporary tattoo”. This development blurs the line between biology and electronics and offers nothing less than the possibility of completely unobtrusive, fully wearable, biological monitoring – with no electrodes in sight. The researchers have dubbed it the “epidermal electronic system” (EES), and it has exciting possibilities in a range of disciplines: In cardiac electrophysiology (i.e ECG): Cardiology patients under observation over the course of a day typically wear a Holter heart monitor. Such devices are usually attached for a minimum of 24 hours (and often substantially longer) to capture the behaviour of the heart. By making equipment lighter and wearable, it might be possible to continuously monitor patients who have known cardiac illnesses which put them at risk of heart attack. A wearable “skin” sensor with an integrated circuit to detect arrhythmias – irregularities in the heart beat – could conceivably monitor individuals with a known cardiac problem or those who have a high-risk of developing such a condition – people with anorexia, for example. In my field (heart rate variability), we extract measurements of the autonomic nervous system – the part of the nervous system that controls involuntary actions – from the beat-to-beat changes in the heart. Comfortable, unobtrusive electrodes will allow us to monitor patients or experiment participants over very long periods of time, and investigate the very long-term changes in the variation of the heart. Currently, we know almost nothing about what these changes represent. In exercise physiology: The firing rate and contraction force of the muscles are monitored by surface electrodes of an electromyogram (EMG). These devices are quite bulky, and often prevent full, violent or natural movements to be studied while athletes are performing at their peak. (Try running at full speed while carrying an extra device and a dozen electrodes stuck to each leg!) With a “skin” electrode it may be possible to monitor athletic performance completely without any noticeable difference from normal. If the information can be accessed in real time, it may be possible to monitor the loss of force development over time during training itself and adjust accordingly – almost as if your muscles were “talking back to you” from under the skin. One of the main problems with existing electroencephalogram (EEG) techniques – measuring the electrical activity of the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp – is the fact that participants are placed in artificial situations: stuck in a lab chair, barely able to move, watching stimuli on a screen. But with the fully wearable, portable and invisible EES system Kim and colleagues have developed, we could monitor the same signals in real life, as they actually happen. Moreover, in the case of conditions such as lateral temporal lobe epilepsy, it may be possible to pick up patterns indicative of seizures, directly from electrodes layered across the surface of the scalp. All of this is just the beginning. Kim and colleagues have already tested a number of these possibilities. Soon, instead of merely being passive sensors, the EES might entail whole integrated printed circuits that are able to measure biosignals, correct and analyse those signals, and provide feedback from digital devices in real time, all the time. Psychophysiological experiments are frequently concerned with “external validity” – whether or not what we measure in the lab sufficiently represents the phenomena we’re trying to model in the real world. With this system, that concern may soon be a thing of the past, as we won’t even be able to see the equipment. So how long until we see this technology in Australian hospitals? Well, if EES systems are classified as a medical device – and considering their role, that’s entirely likely – there will be some years of testing before they can be successfully employed in treatment. It’s very hard to say when any device will be brought to market, but in around two years our laboratory will be asking suppliers if the EES is available for purchase yet. Read more about the EES at our news story.
A Key Worker is one therapist within a therapy team and is responsible for coordinating service delivery. When starting services with Therapy Focus you will be appointed a Key Worker. Your Key Worker is one of the clinicians in your therapy team and your main contact. Your Key Worker will: - Help develop your therapy plan with you - Give you, your family and/or carers information and advice - Help you and the people around you to work toward your goals - Help you work through challenges or issues you’re facing - Visit the places where you need support - Attend meetings with you - Invite other therapists to meetings when needed The important people in your life can contact your Key Worker if they have questions. This includes: - Family members - School staff - Doctors and medical professionals - Local Coordinators (LC) - Other service providers
patent number 8226850 An oxygen scavenging system comprising a free radical scavenger (e.g., .alpha.-tocopherol, trimethylhydroquinone, ubiquinol, carotenoids, flavonoids, etc. and mixtures thereof) and a transition metal (e.g., iron (II), copper, manganese, cobalt, etc. and mixtures thereof) in a medium is generally provided. The medium containing the antioxidant and the transition metal has been thermally processed by heating to at least about 150.degree. F. for at least about 10 minutes. Methods of removing oxygen from an environment surrounded by a medium containing the oxygen scavenging system and methods of making the oxygen scavenging system in a medium are also provided. Clemson University Research Foundation (Clemson, SC, US) 252/181.3, 252/181.6, 252/400.53, 252/404
Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist fundamentalisms are imitations of Christian fundamentalism. They all claim to be “the original, traditional version” of their religion, but none is more than a few decades old. (Christian fundamentalism goes back to the late 1800s, but even it only became significant in the 1970s.) Fundamentalisms claim to oppose modernity, but actually are totally modern themselves. They are expressions of “systematic mode of meaningness,” in the language of the Meaningness book. That is, they try to found all meaning, via a network of justifications, on some primal Truth. This is a modern, Western idea; it is unknown in genuine traditions. In genuine traditions, authority rests in institutional continuity, not justifications. Fundamentalisms are radical new movements that claim special insight that obsoletes the “corrupt” institutional opinions—which makes them the very antithesis of tradition. Genuine traditions have no defense against modernity. Modernity asks “why would you believe that?” and tradition has no answer (besides, perhaps, “we always have”). Modernity’s innovation was to construct systems of justification that answer all questions of meaning. Fundamentalisms try to rebuild their traditions into systems—in imitation of modernity. I find the whole article fascinating, so please consider clicking through and reading.
Many pet owners don’t take the time to clean their dog’s teeth. Others may think that it’s fine to use human dental care products on their dogs. This is a big mistake. Today I’ll explain how to choose the best toothbrush for dogs, and why taking some time to consider this really matters. Dog teeth cleaning is important. If you don’t brush Fido’s teeth, plaque and tartar will build up. This will cause teeth decay, and could lead to severe pain for your pet. Not to mention, poor dental health will also make your dog’s breath unbearably stinky. Dental health won’t just benefit your dog’s mouth; it benefits your dog’s entire body. There’s a direct correlation between poor dental health in dogs and heart disease, according to AVDC. And that said, did you know that the most common health condition found in adult dogs is periodontal disease? Heart health isn’t the only potential issue. Pet owners that don’t take care of dog’s dental hygiene may see their canines experience serious health problems, including: - fistulas (holes leading from the oral cavity to the nasal passage) - destruction to and loss of the gum tissue and bone around the teeth - weakened jaw bone - osteomyelitis (bone infection) - bacteria entering the blood stream and damaging the heart, kidneys and liver Once you know how to choose the best toothbrush for dogs that’s right for your pet, it’ll make the process much easier for you, less stressful for your dog, and more effective for the dog’s dental hygiene. MORE VIDEO GUIDES: How-to Tips and Advice Videos for Dog Owners How to Choose the Best Toothbrush for Dogs What You’ll Need to Consider As with some other hygienic products made for dogs, there are three things you must remember when trying to pick the best toothbrush for dogs: - You need to select products only made specifically for dogs (in most cases) - Size of your dog - Your experience level These three factors will determine which dog toothbrush you should buy. If you try to use a toothbrush made for humans, it will leave plaque and tartar behind and may end up hurting your dog. The right dog toothbrush will have an angled head. This is necessary to reach all the nooks and crannies in your pup’s mouth. The shape of the jaw of a canine is much different than the shape of the jaw of a human. When compared to human toothbrushes, those made for dogs have very soft bristles that will be gentle on the dog’s teeth and gums. The bristles of a human brush may scratch your dog’s gums causing pain and making him resent the act of brushing altogether. This will only make it more difficult for you to brush your dog’s teeth on a regular basis in the future. What Makes the Best Toothbrush for Dogs? A few things you’ll need to consider. Of course, a lot depends on the brand of the toothbrush, how well it’s made and what other pet owners are saying. I have reviewed and covered many best dog toothbrush options before. However, it will also depend on your dog’s size and your experience with brushing canine teeth, as said above. These brushes slip right over your finger so you can easily see and feel what you’re doing inside your pup’s mouth. These are great for beginners, because you can get to know you dog’s mouth and which areas may need extra attention. You can also find traditional toothbrushes for dogs. These have a long shaft, like human toothbrushes, and a brush head on one or both ends. I demonstrate both of these types of toothbrushes in my video above. Toothbrush for Small Dog Breeds If you have a small breed dog, you can get away with purchasing a traditional toothbrush with just one head. Make sure that the head of the brush is appropriately sized for your dog’s mouth. For example, a brush that would fit comfortably in the mouth of a Beagle wouldn’t be very comfortable for a teacup Chihuahua. Finger toothbrush for dogs also work well for small breeds, unless you have very large fingers. Regardless of which type of brush you pick, it needs to be small enough to get into every little crevice in your dog’s mouth. Toothbrush for Large Dog Breeds If you have a large dog, like my chocolate Labrador, you may need to buy more than one dog toothbrush. At the very least, you should purchase a double headed traditional brush (pic on the right). These will have a large head on one end and a smaller head on the other end. The larger head can be used on the big teeth in the back of your dog’s mouth, and you can use the smaller brush head on those little teeth in the front of his mouth. Again, it’s important to pick a brush that is appropriately sized for your dog’s mouth. There’s a big difference between a brush that could work for a Collie and a brush that would be suitable for a St. Bernard. You can also find traditional toothbrushes that have two brush heads on the same end. The brush heads face each other and wrap around the teeth so that you can brush both sides at once. These types of canine toothbrushes are best used by professionals that have a lot of experience. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could miss a lot of the little nooks and crannies in the mouth when using a brush of this style. READ/WATCH NEXT: How to Brush A Dog’s Teeth (A Video Guide)
RiverQuest to stay afloat, keep focus on STEM programs Back on course after floundering financially, the 90-foot floating science lab that docks outside Carnegie Science Center will return to cruise Pittsburgh's rivers this fall with expanded educational and recreational offerings. Rivers of Steel Heritage Corp. President and CEO August Carlino announced Wednesday that his board has completed the acquisition of RiverQuest, a nonprofit that's provided river-based education to more than 100,000 students over two decades. The acquisition comes two years after Rivers of Steel announced it was pursuing a merger or arrangement to sustain RiverQuest's assets and service to the region. “The end result is the preservation of a world-class environmental science, technology, engineering and mathematics program on what many consider one of the most advanced green energy boats in the nation,” said Carlino, who initiated merger talks after reading about RiverQuest's April 2104 dire straits in the Tribune-Review. New programs will build on RiverQuest's focus on STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — by adding an “H” for history and heritage, with plans to market the “H-STEM program” to elementary, middle and high schools as well as colleges across Western Pennsylvania, Carlino said. The boat will be available for tourist packages as well as private charters, corporate events, weddings and other gatherings. Rivers of Steel is a Homestead-based nonprofit that aims to preserve Western Pennsylvania's natural, historical and recreational resources. It manages one of 49 national heritage areas and a state heritage area. Its major projects include the Carrie Furnaces in Rankin, The Bost Building in Homestead and the Battle of Homestead site at The Waterfront. Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-8514 or email@example.com.
We’ve all heard that speaker that was so boring or confusing that our brains have shut off before they’ve even finished their introductory paragraph. Think about it. You probably won’t remember anything they talked about. But you will remember that they seemed awkward or weird or just plain confusing. While they were speaking, you check Instagram and liked a photo of your friend’s too perfect-looking cake and your cousin’s chubby toddler. We’ve all skimmed a character’s supposed-to-be moving-and-dramatic speech to his village to rise up and take back their town from the evil invaders. It was long and seemed unimportant, so we skipped ahead to the action. Some of us have probably even written that not-so-great speech for our favourite character. Why do some speeches suck? Probably because the speaker did some of these eight things. Speechwriting is an art. But it’s not an unattainable one. Anyone can write a compelling, memorable speech with a little practice. When you write speeches, avoid these pitfalls. Began the speech by thanking people “Hello, thank you so much for inviting me to speak to you today. I also want to thank the honourable Dr. So-and-so for coming. And thank you, Mr. So-and-so for accompanying your wife today. It means so much to have such a considerable audience….” Nobody came to hear you list a bunch of dignitaries’ names out. There is no surer way to lose your audiences attention than by giving a long-winded preface. Someone probably introduced you. Leave the prefaces and introductions to them. Get right into your talk with a good hook, just like in a book or short story or feature article. Grab your audience’s attention with a joke, an anecdote, a fact or a question related to your topic. Dive right in. Made the speech too complex for ears When you’re used to writing for the eyes you forget how to write for the ears. Listening is different from reading. It takes longer to absorb the information and glean it’s meaning. And when you’re listening, you can’t go back and reread a sentence for clarification–you’ve only got one chance to grasp it. Keep things simple. Have 2 to 3 takeaways for your audience to remember (fewer if your talk is short). Before you start writing the speech, sum up your theme in 15 to 20 words. Use classic story structure–beginning, middle, end. Use concrete examples to back up every statement, but use only one example per point. Didn’t check in with their audience You’re not speaking in a vacuum. Give your audience pauses and breaths to process what you’re saying. Plan regular breaks to see if they understand and are following. If they aren’t engaged, mix things up and try something else. Talked for too long If you’re given a time limit of 20 minutes to talk, plan for 15. If you don’t have a time limit, keep it short anyway. If your character is giving a speech, keep it as short as possible. Think of your 2 to 3 takeaways and cut all the other unrelated or tangentially related fluff. Listening is tiring. Give your audience a break and only speak as long as you absolutely need to to get your idea across. Cared only about themself I get it. You have an idea or a message that needs to be told. But your speech isn’t about you or your needs. It’s never about what the speaker wants or needs. It’s about your audience. It’s about what they want and need. Be kind to your audience. Tell them, at the beginning of your speech, where you’re going to take them and define key terms. “There are eight pitfalls to speeches that make them boring and unmemorable. A bad speech is one from which the audience leaves having no memory of the message the speaker hoped to communicate.” Kept it cold Think about the most famous speeches: “I have a dream!” by Martin Luther King Jr., “The Gettysburg Address“ by Abraham Lincoln. These speeches are full of feeling. They are full of humanity. They have a unifying theme throughout the speech. They make the listeners care, think, feel, and respond. That is your goal. Used stats instead of stories What is easy to remember? A list of numbers or statistics or a story? There’s a reason why so much of history is passed down through oral traditions and stories.We feel them. We experience them. We remember them. Didn’t dress it up Don’t just talk. Speak! Use rhetorical questions. Use imagery in similes, metaphors, analogies. Use devices like chiasmus, antimetabole, diacope, anaphora, axioms. (Read the links on each of those words to learn about what they mean. It’s okay, I had to google them too. Once you’ve read the definitions and examples, go include some of these in your next speech.) Ended without tying everything together Weak endings are even worse than weak beginnings. Your audience should remember your close. Recap your biggest takeaway. Tie everything in your speech together to it. Share a success story that illustrates it. Make a call to action. Give you audience something to do with what you’ve just told them. If you follow my speech writing instructions, you’ll avoid these pitfalls and your speech will start well, end well, and stick in your audience’s mind for quite some time.
We've all done it: your friend forgets to log out of Facebook and leaves you unsupervised, and within moments you are declaring to all the internet your friend's unusual sexual predilections or Justin Bieber fandom. I myself did it to a good friend just a few hours ago. It was, and is, very funny. What's not so funny is the popular name for this practice: “Facebook-rape”, or “frape” for short. People, this is not a cool thing to say. I know that if I tell you this kind of language trivializes rape and perpetuates rape culture, some of you will roll your eyes and tell me to get a sense of humor; but spare a thought for this statistic: One in six. Do you know more than five women? Then, statistically, one of them has been sexually assaulted. Your friends and relatives are not exempt. You may not be aware of it, but you know people who have been raped. And it's just possible that, when you are explaining your sudden linkspam to Justin Bieber fanvids, one of them will see the word “frape” and be triggered into reliving the worst thing that ever happened to them. I agree that “I left Facebook logged in and unattended, and one of my joker friends posted these things under my name” is a little long-winded, so, as an alternative, I propose that we refer to this phenomenon as “Facebook-pranking” – “franking” for short. It's short, it's snappy, and it just might spare someone a traumatic flashback. If we change our language, we might change people's thinking, and our culture might stop seeing sexual assault as something to laugh about. Don't frape your friends. Frank them.
DENVER — A group convened by Gov. John Hickenlooper says Colorado homeowners living in high-risk wildfire areas should be assessed a fee, and officials should adopt statewide building requirements to mitigate damage from destructive fires. The group also recommends that the state develop a map of areas where development overlaps with forested areas to calculate risks to individual properties. Hickenlooper said Monday that homeowners living in high-risk areas must share some of the responsibility to address wildfire danger. Historic wildfire seasons these last two summers have brought more attention to how to mitigate and try to prevent big fires. Hickenlooper created the task force in January. Colorado lawmakers and local officials will now work to determine what to do with the recommendations.
KIM - The dust flies through the drought-stricken grasslands of southeast Colorado. As the wind rips across the barren plains, ranchers eat breakfast at the Kim Outpost store and talk about the tough winter that brought too much cold and snow. After a four-month break from the topic, they talk about the Army, the biggest landholder in this sparsely populated region. The Army plans to ramp up training at the 235,000-acre Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site. "In these parts, you're always looking on the ground for a rattlesnake," Frank Sumpter said. The figurative rattler is the Army's longtime desire to expand the training area, which made for a decade of hard feelings before the Pentagon renounced Piñon expansion plans in November. The Army says it is working for a permanent peace with ranchers, with outreach initiatives and a pledge of transparency. "There has been a lot of dialogue between Fort Carson and our good neighbors in southeastern Colorado," said Dee McNutt, the post's public affairs chief. The Army will spend the next 18 months preparing an environmental impact statement on the new training and will listen to concerned neighbors at meetings through the region. But a decade of mistrust casts a long shadow. "I'd just as soon not think about them," said rancher Jack Pearce, a lifelong resident of the region, as he set his empty cup on a table. The Outpost is where a revolt began 10 years ago, pitting ranchers against the Army's now-defunct plans for a massive expansion at Pi?n Canyon. The insurgency gained steam over thousands of cups of coffee inside this eclectic store - one of two businesses in this town. Last November, the Pi?n Canyon Opposition Coalition, headed by Outpost owner Lon Robertson, won what appeared to be its final battle. The Pentagon revoked its permission for the Army to seek more land, and Congress approved roadblocks that would stall future bids for more acreage at Pi?n. As they sell off their herds to weather the drought, the ranchers are pondering another tussle with the Army. This time the fight would be about the environmental impacts of training with new combat vehicles, helicopters and drones. "If they're doing something that makes sense, that would be a first," Robertson said. At Fort Carson's Department of Public Works, leaders say the new impact statement is a matter of common sense. After a number of legal tangles, the service is still working off a 30-year-old document that has dictated how units can train at the site since it opened in 1983. The impact statement was written long before the Army acquired drones or the eight-wheeled Stryker combat vehicles Fort Carson's 1st Brigade Combat Team is beginning to use. "Over time, the Army continues to look at new tactics and equipment fielding," said Hal Alguire, the post's director of public works. The Army hasn't given clear definition to what a new impact statement will look like. Leaders say a series of public meetings is planned before they produce a draft statement, due by year's end. Fort Carson officials say a top goal is creating a bubble of restricted air space above Pi?n Canyon that would forbid civilian planes below the altitude of 10,000 feet. That would allow Army brigades to use 320-pound Shadow unarmed reconnaissance drones. The drone is a key tool the Army began using overseas a decade ago that allows commanders to spot enemies at long distances and track their movements. The airspace also would allow more training for a new 2,800-soldier aviation brigade, which is scheduled to reach full strength at Fort Carson this year. Army leaders also want federal OK to use jamming gear that troops overseas use to counter roadside bombs. The Army's requests come as the service braces for post-war changes and a smaller budget. From a peak of 570,000 soldiers in 2011, the Army is cutting 120,000 troops from its roster after 13 years of combat. In another money-saving move, Fort Carson leaders want cheaper training opportunities closer to home rather than sending the post's 24,500 soldiers to Armywide training centers in California or Louisana. Piñon Canyon, little-used during the past decade, will see more troops, tanks, aircraft and Humvees in the future, leaders predict. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq required troops to learn counterinsurgency tactics that don't require a huge space such as Pi?n Canyon. Now, though, soldiers will train for larger engagements that could require commanders to maneuver 5,000-soldier brigades to combat enemy armies. Carson officials say Pi?n Canyon is a great place to train for big battles, with its mix of terrain including high desert, undulating valleys and the dramatic canyonlands along the Purgatoire River. "It's complicated and tough and you have to train like you fight. And if you don't do it, someone will get hurt," said retired Army Lt. Gen. Ed Anderson, who heads the state-sponsored Colorado National Defense Support Council. A desire for more realistic training drove the Army to seek more land in Las Animas County. In 2004, the expansion move came as a surprise to ranchers - especially an early Army document that called for acquiring an additional 418,577 acres for training, a request that was later trimmed to 100,000 acres. Weathered "Not For Sale to the U.S. Army" signs still hang from twisted juniper fence posts along Colorado 160 from Kim to Trinidad. Now, the Army says it has changed its ways, seeking to work with locals to smooth over trouble and better use the land it owns. Colorado's Democratic Sen. Mark Udall, who brokered the November peace deal, hopes the old battle won't affect debate of the new environmental review. "I believe there are ways to balance training requirements and concerns of the southern Colorado community," Udall said. The Army says it will mitigate training impacts and work with the community to craft a plan that satisfies soldiers and ranchers. "Obviously, we will mitigate anything we find," Fort Carson's Alguire said. Udall is dangling the carrot of permanently stationed troops at Piñon Canon and locally sourced contracting. "The environmental impact statement announcement is a sign that the Army is listening to the concerns of southern Coloradans," Udall said. "I really want to encourage local residents to participate in upcoming meetings." Getting an environmental impact accord could be key to the future of the Army in Colorado. Congress is considering a Pentagon request for a new round of base closures in 2017. The ability to train troops is a key factor in whether military bases will remain open. "One thing we don't want to do is communicate to those decision-makers in the Pentagon that once again, Colorado is pushing back against Army training," Anderson said. Anderson and other military boosters are pushing bills before the state General Assembly that would pay for an economic impact survey of the military in Colorado and boost state lobbying efforts to grow the military's presence here. "If the Army is unable to exercise all of its systems in its training, that is not good," Anderson said. At the Outpost, ranchers said they're willing to listen to the Army's training needs. Pearce served as an Army draftee in the 1950s and says he understands what Piñon Canyon could mean for soldiers. "Yeah, they need to train," he said. "Those guys have to learn how to maneuver." Robertson, though, said the fear caused by the Army's now-dead expansion plans isn't gone. "Every time a helicopter flies over, it's like taking a scab off of an old wound."
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 As Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in the EU, he will be meeting with EU leaders who will no doubt chastize him for Canada's inaction on climate change. Canada is sourly missing an opportunity to formulate a "Made in Canada" climate change plan that reflects our northern reality and vast landscape. This wat-and-see-what-the-Americans-will-do position is sure to hamper our competitiveness in the medium to long term. As the Globe and Mail reported, even China and the United States are aggressively moving to lower their emissions. Governor Schwerzenegger recently took bold steps in not supporting offshore drilling as he does not want to put the environment at risk. This reflects the state of California's electorate who, as the fifth largest economy in the world, tend to be more forward-looking than their neighbours. Isn't there a message for Canada in all of this? Monday, April 26, 2010 An interesting article to share: From Reuters Environmental News Service, April 2010 Call it green gold. A Peruvian engineer says he has come up with an environmentally sound way to isolate gold from clumps of sand without using toxic mercury that wildcat miners in the Amazon basin rely on to extract the precious metal, then dump into rivers. The small, cylindrical machine blends mineralized dirt with jets of pressurized air, water and biodegradable chemicals in a centrifugal motion that produces a cocktail of thousands of bubbles that rise to the surface attached to specks of gold. "This is ethical gold, because it's not using mercury. Small scale mining is a big employer, and the machine's cost of operation is cheap," Carlos Villachica, an engineer who developed the device, told Reuters inside his small lab in Peru's capital, Lima. While large, professionalized gold mines rely mainly on cyanide in sealed pools, mercury is used by millions of wildcat miners around the world. They buy hundreds of tonnes of it each year to extract gold from mud. Environmentalists say much of it will eventually make its way into the food chain, causing health problems. About 20 percent of gold in Peru is produced by wildcatters -- people who mine, usually without formal permits, using picks and dredges. The high concentration of gold produced by the device allows for direct melting of the precious metal, according to Villachica, who says it also conserves water, recycling up to 90 percent and as much as 70 percent of all chemicals used during the process. Peru's government has long struggled with curbing some 300,000 wildcat miners and with reducing pollution in the Amazon basin. Villachica said he is close to introducing the machine in the Madre de Dios region, where 70 percent of Peru's wildcatters operate. The machine would produce up to 95 percent of the gold obtained by using mercury by wildcat miners, who often put their own health at risk by exposing themselves to the toxic metal. Villachica runs Smallvill, a Peruvian firm that focuses on green technology and that built a plant to clean waste water of the mining company Volcan. But his latest device is still unknown and it remains to be seen whether it can transform Peru's mining industry. Patrick Taylor and Corby Anderson, two colleagues at the Colorado School of Mines, said it remains to be seen what the invention is capable of doing. "He might be reaping some gold, but we would need to see the results. He's not going to produce pure gold, just a concentrate," Anderson said. But, Taylor said, there is room for testing new technologies. "Even though I am unaware of this specific technology, how it works, and it's utility for small gold miners, advances in technology are made often and this may be very useful. I am interested in learning more about it." NEW MACHINE AT MINE OF INCAS? Peru is the world's No. 6 producer of the precious metal and shipments of gold and other metals make up 60 percent of its exports. President Alan Garcia has passed laws to curb pollution by wildcatters, but they have protested against the new rules. A deadly clash with police this month forced the government to say it would revise the laws in Congress. Villachica's invention could be a way to finding a solution to conflicts over wildcatting in Peru. He said people have contacted him from as far as Australia and Tanzania asking him how to produce gold in an environmentally-friendly manner. Among the most interested is a local group of farmers and miners in the region of Cusco, the old Inca capital, who want to reopen a 16th century gold mine. "It's an environmental project that would benefit the community," Samuel Solis, a community leader said. "They want to find gold like their ancestors using the green technology." (Editing by Carole Vaporean) Reuters© Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved Monday, January 25, 2010 Communities and industry need to start examining more closely adaptation strategies in order to respond to climate change challenges, especially in northern Canada, low-lying countries and regions subject to storms and hurricanes (severe weather). In Canada, the thawing of ice roads disrupts mining activities and adds additional costs to fly-in material and resources. On the social side, communities are being displaced due to changing habitat and biodiversity. How should governments respond? And industry? Should adpatation to climate change be seen as the next emerging issue? Or shall we wait until disaster has struck? NRCan has a program underway but perhaps the government would be better to tackle the issue head-on instead. Makes sense? Wednesday, January 6, 2010 - clean energy and renewable energy - mining sector - sustainable development, and - forestry sector The province of Quebec is moving rapidly ahead in order to position and differentiate itself from the other provinces as “leader of the pack” as regards the environment. There are a number of reasons why the province has taken this position, including plans to exploit its northern territory for mining and increasing hydro-electricity production, and therefore it wants to ensure support from both citizens and industry. The government is also encouraging industry to develop its own SDIs and sustainability reporting in general in order to be well-positioned to demonstrate its’ “greener” environmental footprint --especially from a life-cycle perspective. Wednesday, December 16, 2009 Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Monday, December 14, 2009 She begins with a refreshing demonstration of enthusiasm for the upcoming conference in Copenhagen, expressing that the fact that world leaders are getting together to talk about climate solutions is a huge triumph and potentially an important step in right direction. But she harshly warns that cap and trade should not be the only solution considered. Cap and trade has been strongly promoted by many well-intention people, but its designers comprise a surprising amount of Enron and Goldman Sachs representatives who have essentially created a carbon stock market. While this may sound disconcerting, it can also be argued that because cap and trade is supported by those who actually have wealth and power, it stands a better chance of being pushed through. Ideally, this market will be capped such that each country gets a certain number of pollution permits. Each year such permits will become fewer and so more expensive. Those who do not need them will sell to those who do and therefore total emissions will remain under the cap. According to Leonard, “the devil is in the details.” Detail number one is that initial permits will be free in what is more accurately a “cap and giveaway” system. The more an individual company has historically polluted, the more permits they will receive. Europe has tried this, and according to Leonard it resulted in unstable permit prices, higher gas prices, increased emissions, and the polluters made money. This can be disputed from all angles but for more information on the EU ETS, check out their site. Rather than creating a system in which polluters profit, Leonard advocates that funds instead be used to promote a clean energy economy, provide dividends for citizens to afford energy while transitioning to new fuel sources, and to compensate for ecological debt, which mainly occurs as first world countries benefit at the expense of environmental degradation in the third world. While these solutions certainly sound good, they are a bit too vague to provide a clear view of realistic alternatives to investing in cap and trade. The second “devilish” detail is in the concept of offsetting. It is very difficult to guarantee that offsets are truly serving their vital function. For example, Indonesian indigenous forests have been cut down and replaced with palm oil trees, and somehow this destruction has been valued as a false offset. Additionally, some companies can receive credit for offsetting simply by not expanding as much as they claimed they had planned to. Expanding less certainly does not actually offset any carbon emissions. Thirdly, Leonard portrays cap and trade as a dangerous distraction. She argues that people are eager to accept whatever is proposed and so are neglecting alternative solutions that exist. Leonard claims that it weakens our ability to effectively utilize strong laws like the Clean Air Act, which already lists carbon dioxide a pollutant that can be regulated by the EPA. Cap and trade does more to protect business as usual than it does to demand solid caps, strong laws, citizen action, or carbon fees – all of which offer truer solutions to climate change. Basically, its creators want to sacrifice nothing, get rich, and save the planet if possible. Leonard admits that cap and trade may serve as an important first step and it is certainly better than nothing, but she insists that we cannot solve the climate change problem with the same mindset that got us into this mess. She has indeed raised some valid concerns about cap and trade; however, Leonard fails to provide adequate arguments in favour of other solutions. She does not explain with any degree of detail how a carbon tax would work. Carbon taxing, like cap and trade, has several benefits but also its own set of faults and imperfections. Please see the Western Climate Initiative's (WCI) section on cap and trade which can provide you with a introductory background on how cap and trade works. Adapted from Strategic Sustainability Consulting - http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=92183403&gid=983557&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Esustainabilityconsulting%2Ecom%2Fblog%2F2009%2F12%2F7%2Freview-annie-leonards-the-story-of-cap-and-trade%2Ehtml&urlhash=uL5C&trk=news_discuss Sunday, December 13, 2009 I know this has nothing (directly) to do with the environment, but seeing Berlusconi's bloodied face made me smile today. His latest political gaffes, including doodling women's underwear at the recent climate change talks, continues to embarrass Italians (including myself). One starts to wonder whether, given his track record, whether it was fabricated. One starts to also start to feel thankful for having a leader such as Harper... Wednesday, December 9, 2009 But if we don’t prepare, and climate change turns out to be real, life on this planet could become a living hell. Tuesday, December 1, 2009 Reuters reported today that Denmark, the host country for the upcoming climate change summit in Copenhagen, is proposing that global greenhouse gas emissions should be cut by 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. A draft of the text states that to meet the 2050 target, industrialized nations will have to slash emissions by 80 percent over the next 40 years. Monday, November 30, 2009 Are Quebec's Climate Change Targets Ambitious? Est-ce que les cibles Québécois sur les changements climatiques ambitieux? The problem is that many people living in urban centres, where the majority of the population resides, do not visually see or feel the impact that climate change is having on their daily lives. But the reality is that record floods, record fires, loss of evergreen forests in Western United States, people living in low-lying countries/regions, such as in Bangladesh who are already moving more inland, and pine beetle impacts due to the warmer climate in Western Canada which is devastating forest cover, are real examples which demonstrate that a threat to the future of civilization is already occurring. How can the population at large be forced to change their behaviour which is to reduce their consumption of fossil fuel? Do cities and municipalities have a large-scale plan to tap into geothermal energy and build smart grids which would truly drive sustainability? It is important to change the light bulbs but what is much more important is to change the laws and policies which, compared to other Western industrialized countries have gone way further than where Quebec stands at this point (Sweden -40%; Norway -30%; United Kingdom -34%; Japan -25%; Germany -25%). The key players at the summit have also agreed to arrive with targets and timetables. Over the last few years, several countries have witnessed the emergence of innovative new business groupings to offer support for a progressive public policy agenda on climate change. These include the Corporate Leaders Group in the UK and EU, the US Climate Action Partnership (US CAP) and Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) in the US, Empresas pelo Clima (EPC) in Brazil and Climate Change Business Forum (CCBF) in Hong Kong. The debate that will undoubtedly emerge in the next few weeks is what the public policy priorities should be, post-Copenhagen, to speed delivery of the low-carbon economy. In Quebec, the it appears that the business community, led by the CPEQ, was misquoted in Le Devoir (see 23 November blogpost) as they do not endorse any targets for Quebec. The Quebec Minister of the Environment, Line Beauchamp, endorsed Quebec's position in Poznan last year, as supporting a global target based on scientific consensus which demands that the international community control a temperature rise by 2 degrees Celsius and therefore supports a global target of -25% (IPCC). So it begs the question: how did Quebec come up with its -20% target? Based on what? What would happen if the target were -40%? Is the CPEQ showing sufficient leadership? Any leads to solving these mystery questions is requested! From an investment perspective, climate change may also present opportunities. Investors are starting to look more closely at companies in order to ensure that they have clear strategies for responding to climate change and reporting on risk assessment processes. Investors are also playing a much more proactive role in public policy debates on adaptation to the effects of climate change, highlighting a need to develop long-term policies which enable companies to plan and invest appropriately. It is expected that many world leaders will be attending the Copenhagen summit to negotiate a new deal. So what needs to happen for success? Expectations have been scaled down, not surprising, due to the challenging situation, feet-dragging and inertia. A likely scenario is that near-term reductions and simultaneous instructions to country negotiators to complete a new deal will be handed out in Copenhagen for final completion at the next meeting which will take place in Germany in March 2010. News has it that Obama will attend the summit and that he will further put a reduction number on the table. And both India and China have recently accepted to commit to binding targets. Back on the farm, Canada continues to not take this issue seriously and, as a result, it affects our country enormously. The Canadian government has been so focused on the economy that it has practically shunned the environment debate. It doesn't hurt to remind our federal leaders that Kyoto is an international law that is binding on all signatory countries, including Canada. But the federal government continues to believe that efforts to reduce GHG emissions will destroy the economy. It is many years since Sweden has implemented its carbon tax and their economy is thriving. And they stand at 8% below 1990 levels! Under international and US pressure, Prime Minister Harper has agreed last week to attend the Summit. PM Harper needs to provide moral leadership. This is what distinguishes Canada from a host of other countries. What is at stake is not just our global reputation (let alone our national symbol, the red maple leaf) but also our economic prosperity (France has indicated that it will penalize Canadian products due to carbon dumping). We have brought the Montreal Protocol and UN Peacekeeping to the international fora. The trade-off between short term profits (i.e.: the tar sands) and the risk factors to a dire crisis is not a suitable trade-off. In Al Gore's new book, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, he noted that gas derived from tar sands gives the Toyota Prius the environmental footprint of a Hummer. And the risks to Canada's North has already begun (see Globe and Mail, 28 Nov 2009, A10). We need to deal with this problem now as the consequences, as predicted by all the top scientists, will be dire. If we fail, the problem will be handed over to the next generation to solve. Let's start by tackling the root case: our excessive use of fossil fuel. We have the opportunity to embark on a truly sustainable path and personally, I believe in human ingenuity and resilience. How will you act? Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Download: MP3 / FLAC / Ogg Vorbis or Stream Monday, November 23, 2009 Quebec and Greenhouse Gas Emissions reduction target/ Québec et la réduction des émissions de Gaz à effet de serre Thursday, November 19, 2009 Tristan Pearce from the University of Guelph provided the EIA Concordia students a formidable opportunity to discuss how climate change is impacting Canada's north: impacts on communities (food shortages), impacts landscape (i.e.: loss of ice roads), and impacts on mining activities (i.e.: increased storm activities) through the report published for the David Suzuki Foundation.
Are there different degrees of sins? Can one sin be worse than another sin or is all sin on the same plane to God? Does Hitler receive the same amount of judgment in hell as a man who is a moral man, but an unbeliever (like for instance, a Mormon)? The concept that any man is moral outside of the work of God, the new birth, is a false concept. We must think biblically, and recognize that "all our righteousness is filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6), or as Paul states in Romans 3:12 "there is none good, no not one." So therefore all of our good deeds, or what appears as moral and just behavior is still tainted with sin outside of the blood of Christ and His perfect work. Keep in mind that God looks not at the externals, but at the heart (1 Sam 16:7). Genesis 6:5 states that God did an evaluation of all men and found the "thoughts and intentions of the heart were evil continually." This means that man outside of a work of God is at his best still evil and doing whatever good or positive thing he is doing with wrong motive, or tainted manner. This is why Paul said in Philippians 3 that although he kept the letter of the law, it was so insufficient that he counted it as rubbish. It is also the reason that Christ was hardest on those who professed to know God, and keep His word externally, but internally He said they were like tombs “beautiful on the outside but inside they were full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” Yet, even though unsaved man cannot please God in a saving manner because of his heart, there is no doubt that the deeds of mankind fall into degrees of better and worst. We see this in society. Our country had general morals and standards 50 years ago that were higher than today. As those standards have deteriorated, so has society, and the consequences or outcomes show the rule of God in cause and effect. God in His sovereignty is judging both in temporal matters and eternal matters. The question of degrees of sin, and degrees of punishment fits with the infinite righteousness and omniscient understanding of God. With God there is no limitations to His perfect judgment. Christ will judge every man (John 5:22), and Isaiah prophecies (Isaiah 11:3-4) in the coming kingdom of God that Christ will judge not according to externals, but with righteousness. The fact of His perfections of knowledge, righteousness, and wisdom assure the perfect equity of justice at all levels - whether in Heaven or in Hell. Those in Heaven will be there because of the blood of Christ and His grace. However, their responsibilities in this wonderful environment of righteousness will be according to the perfect judgment of Christ concerning their faithfulness during this life (2 Corinthians 5:10). The person in Hell without the grace of Christ, and because of their Christ rejection will receive according to their deeds (Revelation 20:12-15). This means that every person will receive absolutely perfect justice. Those in Christ will have the justice of Christ absolve them of their sins, but yet they will be judged for their faithfulness, and those outside of Christ will be judged perfectly for their deeds without any absolution from sin. Anything else other than perfect justice with God is impossible. The statement by Christ in Matthew 11:21-24 concerning His denouncement of the people in Chorazin, and Bethsaida for having an accountability greater than Tyre and Sidon (whom God destroyed because of their sin), and extending that accountability to the day of judgment using the term "more tolerable" is a clear statement of the perfection of degrees of punishment. These were unsaved people, but according to Christ's judgment one group had a magnitude of sin worse than the other. The statement by Christ in Matthew 12:36-37 "that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall give an accounting for it on the day of judgment" is another clear statement of the detailed perfection of Christ's judging. In Mark 12:38-40 Christ's says to those who are pretentious "Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation." This clearly indicates that certain sins bring more accountability than other sins. Christ here speaks of the sins of hypocrisy. In the parable of the Lord concerning the faithful and sensible steward, Luke 12:42-48, Christ closes it by saying: "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more." This indicates again the perfection of Christ's righteous judgment according to the light a person has been exposed, and in accordance with their actions in relation to the opportunities they have received in life. In Hebrews 10:29-30 "How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." Again, this speaks of the judgment of God being severer on those who have had the greater opportunity, and yet have not taken advantage but wickedly rejected those opportunities. In each case there is an individual assessment, not a blanket assessment and it is according to the righteous knowledge of God. Some sins are then obviously greater in magnitude and bring with them greater judgment. There is the fact that those who deal directly in the things of God, professing God, have a special and severe accountability before God for leading people astray. Christ had the most scathing statements against the religious leaders of His day (see Matthew 23). James says "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment" (James 3:1). Also, you have the statement made by Christ concerning those who would lead others astray "but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6)." Paul also proclaimed that he was the "foremost of sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). This would indicate that his sin of persecuting the church of Christ was the greater degree of sin. All these statements and the concepts they present show that God is holding man accountable individually and particularly for their sin, and the judgment of God will be perfect to fit each person. That is why “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). How much wiser to flee from the wrath to come by finding reconciliation in Christ.
Would you like to get your GED in Ghent KY? The GED examination is for adults who have not completed their high school diploma. The certificate that you receive upon passing the Kentucky GED examination is accepted as an equivalent credential to a high school diploma by employers and colleges across the United States. The GED exam covers basic skills that students learn about in high school. Lessons covered in GED classes include reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. These are the subject areas that make up the GED examination in Kentucky. Usually GED classes in Ghent KY are offered at: - Ghent Adult Education Centers - Ghent Public Library - Ghent Literacy Centers - Ghent Community Colleges
Looking for GED testing in Rocky Hill KY? The GED examination is only offered in pencil and paper format. Typically in order to sit for the General Education Development test the student must be older than 17 years old. The GED testing cost in the state of Kentucky typically ranges from $40-$90. The General Education Development (GED) test consists of five topics: language arts (reading), language arts (writing), mathematics, science and social studies. Each part of the test gives a score between 200-800. Most states require test takers to receive a score of 410 on each of the five topics and an overall average of 450 for the GED exam to pass. Most GED testing centers in Rocky Hill KY are offered at: - Rocky Hill Literacy Centers - Rocky Hill ISD - Rocky Hill High Schools - Rocky Hill Community Colleges
Cosmologists are in the business of figuring out how and why we got here. But if you call their work unscientific, you’re sure to set off a nerve. A recent story in Scientific American managed to irk a whole bunch of these thinkers, so much that 33 of them (four of whom have Nobel prizes) signed a letter in response. Signatories included Stephen Hawking, Leonard Susskind, Lisa Randall, and others who’ve written books and lectured to the world about how all we got here. At the center of the controversy is a popular theory that our universe inflated like a balloon right after the Big Bang. One group of scientists essentially said this theory wasn’t science—which is like calling artist’s work “not art,” or a chef’s “not food.” Physicists Anna Ijjas and Paul J. Steinhardt from Princeton, and Abraham Loeb from Harvard, wrote the initial story, titled “Pop Goes the Universe” and published it in Scientific American this past February. They challenged inflation, a collection of scientific models first proposed by Alan Guth around 1980 positing that immediately after the Big Bang, the universe expanded exponentially like an inflating balloon before settling down into the one we live in today. The authors stated that astronomical observations have constrained inflation in a way that makes the remaining models in support of it unlikely. Instead, the authors’ story bolstered a competing theory, that the universe “bounced back” to where it is today after a collapse. (You can learn more about various theories for the formation of our universe, and this ongoing debate, here). Steinhardt has written articles like this for Scientific American before. But a particular line in the most recent article’s conclusion set people off: “...Inflationary cosmology, as we currently understand it, cannot be evaluated using the scientific method.” In other words, Steinhardt argues, the dominant theory for the formation of our universe isn’t testable, and thus, not real science. Inflation proposer and MIT professor Guth penned the response with physicists David Kaiser (MIT), Andrei Linde (Stanford), and Yasunori Nomura (UC Berkeley), then gathered famous signatories from across the physics world. The four disagreed with many of the statements in the Scientific American article, but “We were particularly in strong disagreement with the statements they made about the testability of inflation which we thought were completely without justification,” Guth told Gizmodo. “We thought it was about time someone answered those objections.” The response letter, also published in Scientific American, sums up the physicists’ complaints. Inflation isn’t just one theory but many models, and no one thinks that all of these models are correct, it says. Some models have been ruled out, others haven’t. Some of them have made correct predictions, like the average mass density of the universe, for example. The models have gotten more accurate over time with the help of more mathematical theories and observation. But the letter’s main point is that while inflationary models have become the predominant way to explain the universe, they’re still testable science, and could be disproven if the right evidence turned up. When I called some of the signatories, they felt conflicted about the initial article, the response letter, or both. Renata Kallosh, a Stanford theoretical physicist, told Gizmodo in an email that she’d reviewed some of Steinhardt’s papers, and they contained errors. MIT theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek told Gizmodo that the initial article was “very biased,” a selective interpretation of inflation that bordered on slander. “It’s kind of outrageous,” he said. But still, he said he “was uncomfortable with the idea bringing some massive hammer of dissent down,” and thought the new letter was possibly overkill. That’s because the signers of the response letter—even Guth—agree that inflation isn’t an established truth yet. “The model of inflation is incredibly unsatisfying,” Lisa Randall, Harvard University physicist, told Gizmodo. “It’s very hard to define exactly what is meant by inflation, and that is somewhat the source of disagreement here.” Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist at Caltech, pointed me towards his blog, where he summed his (and my) opinions up: We judge theories by what predictions they make that we can test, not the ones they make that can’t be tested. It’s absolutely true that there are important unanswered questions facing the inflationary paradigm. But the right response in that situation is to either work on trying to answer them, or switch to working on something else (which is a perfectly respectable option). It’s not to claim that the questions are in principle unanswerable, and therefore the field has dropped out of the realm of science. Inflation has made several predictions that have since been proven, the letter points out, by experiments like the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and most recently the Planck mission. Those include its predictions of the shape of the universe (flat) and several properties of the cosmic microwave background, the furthest-traveling light in the universe from only a few hundred thousand years after the Big Bang. I reached out to Clara Moskowitz, the initial story’s editor at Scientific American about how she felt (full disclosure, I interned at SciAm and Moskowitz was one of my editors). “This piece fits right into the wheelhouse of what Scientific American likes to publish and wants to do: host a healthy scientific debate,” she responded. She was thrilled to see so many scientists talking about this, and is interested in hosting all sides of the story. She welcomed the response letter’s authors to contribute articles as well. And when I reached out to the story’s initial authors to hear their thoughts on the letter, they pointed me towards their response and a Frequently Asked Questions page, where they wrote: “We urge all our colleagues to focus on solving the outstanding problems of inflation and keeping an open mind about other, yet unknown theories that avoid these problems altogether.” Which leaves us basically in the same place we started, with an imperfect paradigm that attempts to describe our universe, and scientists who want to explore other options. Moskowitz hopes discussions like this will move the field of physics forward, and Guth hopes that the letter has demonstrated that the community at large agrees inflationary models are real science. He thinks the buzz about all of this will die down quickly. “I think we’ll all continue on with our research,” he said.
Posters are the best source for branding. It makes a brand to get the high voltage of people attracts to it. It makes a deep impact on customers that needs to get the services of the related business or brand. It includes all the information and specifications of that special brand and improves the morale in front of the world. Posters have different sizes and each size contains a maximum volume of data. If anybody wants to maximize his business intensity then this is the best source to make this happen. It is normally a piece of printed paper that includes the whole information that needs to deliver. These are designed to be an eye catcher so that it could attain everyone’s sight. These could be graphical and textual and can be both. The purpose of this tool could be in various ways but we can conclude that the basic concept of this class is to communicate or deliver a message to the public. Now we are going to give you best ideas of 30+ Creative Advertising & Communication Poster Designs By 12 Creative Artists. These graphics have been gathered for the betterment of your designing concepts. These inspirations are the best in their values and according to your needs. These will truly act according to your demands and you will love these posters. So, keep attached with us and don’t forget to watch our creative stuffed blog daily. 30+ Creative Advertising & Communication Poster Designs 1. WORLD FOR ALL Creative Advertising Posters 2. Shakespeare Creative Posters 3. Grand Canyon Travel Creative Poster 4. Letterpress Creative Posters 5. Creative Campaign Poster Designs For Inspiration 6. Creative Human Rights Poster 7. Visual Communication Lecture Posters 8. Creative Advertising Poster Designs 9. EVERY FREEDOM NEEDS A FIGHTER Creative Poster 10. Creative Communication Campaign Posters 11. Ogilvie Campaign Creative Posters 12. Lyrics Creative Poster Designs
Columbus, Ohio, is bucking trends when comes to mass transit — and not everyone is happy about it. In June, the city won a $40 million Smart City grant from the Department of Transportation, beating out 71 other cities also vying for the money. But whereas most of the other cities proposed using the money for rail-based mass transit options like street cars, monorail, and light rail, Columbus plans to spend the money on a network of autonomous vehicles. The city is calling this move “leap-frogging,” as in leap-frogging over existing technology that has already been proven to reduce both congestion and pollution. “I don’t know, maybe light rail is technology of the past,” said Alex Fischer on the Columbus Business First podcast. Fischer is CEO of the Columbus Partnership, a group of local CEOs that secured an additional $90 million in the push for driverless cars. He continued: “You just absolutely leap-frog past it if you believe as I do that the autonomous vehicle – we’ll all be in one the next decade. I guarantee you that.” But can he? There is no evidence that foregoing buses and trains for autonomous vehicles will do anything to ease congestion or make cities more livable. In fact, while advocates for the technology argue that driverless cars will be more efficient than our current vehicles, there’s research indicating that the number of miles driven each year will skyrocket, and traffic could actually get worse. For these reasons, some transit advocates in Columbus are pushing back against the plan. “Being a smart city means more than embracing driverless cars,” members of Transit Columbus, an organization petitioning for light rail in Columbus, told Columbus Underground. “It means investing in making Columbus a city focused on moving people. Being a smart city means building a city that is walkable and embracing a future that is people focused, not one that embraces a new era of sprawl and congestion.” Columbus is currently the largest American city without any rail transit. The Smart City grant means it’s likely going to stay that way for now, if not forever.
Translating an inspired idea into a robust business plan 002 The Free Cash Flow J-Curve Free cash flow is a hugely important concept for business planners, managers and investors. Free cash flow is an essential metric when valuing companies based on discounted cash flow. This chart shows the free cash flow for a project of new business venture on a year by year basis (blue bars) and the cumulative free cash flow (orange line). The cumulative free cash flow is the cash flow for each year added year after year. The cumulative free cash flow line has the shape of the letter J and hence is referred to as the J-curve. Americans tend to call it the “hockey stick curve”. Many businesses or projects will be initially cash flow negative because of set-up related capital expenditure, operational expenditure tends to exceed revenue, and working capital has to be funded. As revenue builds up and capex comes down the business will turn cash flow positive. In the example this occurs in year 4. In each of first 3 years the annual cash flow is negative. By the end of year 3 there have been 3 years worth of negative cash flows before turning positive in year 4. Year 3 is the year of “peak funding”. Peak funding is the amount of cash that has to be invested in the business because it starts to turn cash flow positive. Ideally a project is fully funded from the start. This does not mean that the total funding requirement is raised at the outset, but commitment from equity investors or lenders must be in place or there is a risk that the project fails because funding cannot be secured at a later stage. The next important point occurs in year 5. At the end of year 5 the initial negative cash flows are recouped by positive cash flows in years 3 and 4. This means “pay back” occurs in year 5. Many businesses use pay back and Net Present Value to decide whether a project should go ahead. In principle projects with a shorter payback time are less risky and are more cash generative. The latter point is important in cases where capital is scarce. In the example, the project is big capital intensive business and cash flow is measured in years. However, for many smaller projects or businesses you can produce the same chart in monthly or quarterly intervals, as appropriate. Greater granularity has the advantage of identifying the true peak funding in cases where a project turns cash flow positive during a year. For example the peak funding may occur in June, and by the end of the year already some positive cash flows have occurred. Hence looking at the picture on an annual basis would understate the peak funding requirement. This is an illustration that good business planning requires a certain degree of granularity.
A search begins when someone contacts their local police with a problem and the police determine that they require additional assistance. The police obtain this additional assistance by contacting the volunteer search and rescue unit in their immediate area. A callout for the local search and rescue unit is initiated and members start heading out to an agreed rendezvous point. Once at the rendezvous point, a command post and base of operations is set up. This base of operations is staffed by a search manager, communications co-ordinator (responsible for radio communication) and the searchers. Once the base of operations is in place, the search can begin. Searchers sign in and are divided up into teams (groups of around 3-6 searchers). A team leader is assigned to each team. He/she attends a briefing with the search manager to determine the area their team will be covering and to receive important information such as a description of the missing person, where they were last seen, the direction they were heading, important behavioural information about them and any other relevant information. The teams are then dispatched to their areas where they begin searching and looking for the missing person or any clues that might point them in the right direction. There are two outcomes: either the missing person is found and evacuation is initiated or, having completed the search of their allocated area, the team reports back to the search manager for re-assignment. The final search step is a debriefing. The first part of the debriefing process is an operational debriefing. This is usually held in two stages, an immediate debriefing of events and an organised meeting at a later time to go over procedures and determine how things could be made more efficient. A stress debriefing may be held if there is psychological stress caused as a result of the search.
There are a multitude or articles, books and gurus that claim to hold the secret to happiness. Perhaps I am trying to be one of these gurus myself. However, I believe you may already hold the ‘secrets’ within yourself. More specifically, within your past experiences. At the very least you should find one or more signposts to greater happiness. A common theme I use is that ‘Success’ and ‘Happiness’ are flip sides of the same coin. Much of our social programming tends to lead us to focus on being successful. We suppose or assume that success, once achieved, will bring happiness or more of it. This focus on success should be balanced with what makes us happy, unless of course you care only about success in which case please stop reading now. A focus on success will guide us towards things such as: - more money - climbing the career ladder - achieving a certain status - buying that dream house - buying that sports car Contrast this with a focus on happiness which will guide us towards: The items in these two lists may correlate you may be thinking. There is clearly some correlation but it is not as strong as you may think and is certainly not guaranteed. What we need is a balance. Do not focus on Success at the expense of Happiness and vice versa. The exercise that follows aims to provide a more balanced view. It also, as stated at the beginning, aims to unlock the signposts to happiness that already reside within you. Step 1) Think of one or more times when you were really happy in the moment; energised with a sense of joy and purpose. There may be some big moments in your life when this was true. There may be many, perhaps lots of small instances. Jot one or more of these down. Step 2) Now under each instance, write down the characteristics of those occasions which you believe contributed to them making you happy. Step 3) Now look for the common themes. Which characteristics crop up repeatedly? These are your signposts to happiness. In other words, if you can find experiences that tick these boxes then you will be happier more of the time. For example, can you find a job or career that ticks these boxes? A hobby? A weekend pastime? The point is that the answers may provide a different perspective that will help you gain the ultimate success, happiness. Here are the characteristics of my most happy and fulfilling experiences: - clear purpose - stretched (out of comfort zone) - constrained (by time or other aspect) I look for experiences that tick as many of these boxes as possible. I’m a visual person and if you are too you may wish to visualise this as a “Happiness Flower” where each petal is a way of being or doing that makes you happy. Find ways to live in the centre of this flower and you will certainly smile more of the time Here’s my “happiness flower” – what does yours look like?
When the clocks change each autumn everyone seems to start hunkering down for the winter. The heating goes on and we all trudge off to work or school in the morning gloom, returning when it’s dark and living in something of a twilight world. It’s miserable and this kind of dark, dank wintery misery even has a medical name – Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. For SAD sufferers there’s one thing which can really help – sunlight, or simulated sunlight. I don’t have SAD, but I do have the winter blues, it’s not officially medically recognised, but is characterised by sufferers saying “Meh” whenever they open the curtains between November and March. There are a few things I do to try and perk me up, but there’s no known cure other than a four month holiday in the sun. - If the weather isn’t too grim I try and get outside during daylight hours, if only to the local coffee shop for a brew and a biscuit. Fresh air and daylight are good for the soul, as is the tiny amount of Vitamin D the weak winter sun will give you while you’re outside. - Keeping warm and active helps stave off the winter blues a bit, getting out for long walks at the weekend with the family is a good way to get some fresh air and exercise, and makes me feel less cooped up. - During the day I try and flood the house with natural light, opening curtains and blinds wide, so even if it’s raining outside I can still enjoy natural light. I hate having electric lights on during the day as it makes me feel closed in, natural light is for me always preferable. We have large skylights in our kitchen and in the room I work in, these are brilliant for providing bags of natural light all year round, and were probably the thing which sold this house to me, having a light, bright house is very important. Equally important as lots of natural light is the ability to shut that light out at night, or when the summer sun is strong. VELUX are a well known company who design and sell a range of blinds for skylights. All of our skylight windows have been fitted with pull-down VELUX blinds and during the heat of summer I know I couldn’t use those rooms without them. The winter blues aren’t enough to send me to my bed for three months, but I do try and look after myself a bit more, enjoy any breaks in the weather to get out and about, and to make the most of the natural light available for the sake of my mood and my electricity bill. How do you stave off the winter blues?
|Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp |Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp. All rights reserved. |about the book |The Homeschool Diner's Guide to Holistic and Alternative Homeschooling by Julie Shepherd Knapp, copyright 2006 Looking for a homeschool approach that addresses the mind, body, and spirit of your child? Looking for an alternative, holistic, contemplative, global, earth-centered, Asian, or New Age approach? There are several programs that might meet your needs, or at least help you get started with a basic framework of curriculum. Because most of these approaches are not (yet) very popular, you won't find a lot of ready-made commercial materials to use in your homeschool -- you will probably end up having to pull together most of what you use from a variety of sources. There are quite a few online support groups (I've listed some below) where you can find out what other parents have used, and share your own discoveries. If you don't find what you're looking for here -- do a Google search for your particular interest combined with the word "homeschool" and see what is out there. If you do find other great resources, please let me know, and I will add them here, so those who follow will have will have more choices. There are other resources out there for teaching your children about individual philosophies, religions, and concepts -- I have only included those that address general education subjects, as well. A Brief Introduction to Holistic Education by Ron Miller Curriculum and Other Resources Enki Education -- (K - 6) currently available, teaching guides, resource guides of stories and activities, and full (or partial) curriculum for K - 2. Enki is a "Contemplative Education" that seeks human wisdom and vitality, wherever they arise, "in all people, in all cultures, in all times." An approach that incorporates elements of many educational philosophies and religions and integrates the skill mastery techniques of traditional education and the integrated project learning of theme-based education. Waldorf (or "Steiner") Philosophy - (K - 12) first formulated by Austrian Rudolf Steiner in 1907 in his short book, "The Education of the Child in the Light of Spiritual Science", a child's learning is based on prescribed developmental stages, with formal education being delayed until age 7, relies on lecture-based experiential learning - a subject is introduced through experiences, then children are guided to explore a subject, then the concept is discussed. Emphasis on arts and crafts, music and movement, natural science, spirituality, and social skill. Children journal their experiences, thoughts, and conclusions, including daily drawing and painting. Oak Meadow - PreK - 12 Waldorf inspired curriculum Live Education! - K - 8 Waldorf curriculum modified for home use Montessori Homeschooling -- (K - 12) based on her observation that children learn naturally when in a "properly prepared environment" that is designed to promote independent learning and exploration by the child, students often work on activities of their own choosing and are allowed to work at their own pace, Montessori principles are “...rooted in a social movement intended to champion the cause of all children, in all strata of society, of all races and ethnic backgrounds, within and beyond the context of educational institutions...” Nebel’s Elementary Education: Creating A Tapestry of Learning covers K-5 for all subject areas, "... a flexible, child-centered, hands-on, minds-on, logical systematic increments lead to broad, integrated knowledge and understanding supported by self-directed inquiry skills..."", designed to foster critical thinking and a love of learning, no religious focus, includes strong coverage of science. There is a Yahoo! Group, K5science, for parent support. Zen Homeschooling -- (all grade levels) teacher's guide and homeschooling starter manual available, advocates a "Natural Education" approach to homeschooling, defined as "... the continuous process of observing and protecting nature, finding ways to live in harmony, and demanding truth in education..." This is a reality based, secular approach "... free from religious dictates with an anti-science agenda." Global Village School for Peace and Diversity Studies -- (K - 12) a progressive, customizable homeschool program using online worktexts and text-based curriculum, students may work at their own pace, accredited diplomas available, "...Our courses integrate peace, justice, and diversity studies with the core subjects..." Catalysta -- a Quaker-influenced high school curriculum, "promotes a hopeful vision of humanity's most pressing social concerns, seeks to inspire community service, and to encourage personal reflection", online interdisciplinary content, project-based learning Clonlara -- (K - 12) founded in 1967, "...Ours is as close to a "do it yourself' program as we can get it, designed for those who want assistance on the way. You, the parent, are "the expert", more capable of establishing and maintaining a successful educational process for your child than any school could. Clonlara School is your guide, coach, shoulder to lean on, listening ear, records keeper, and all around HELPER..." provides record-keeping and optional achievement tests, allows early high school graduation, has flexible curriculum requirements using student chosen texts, etc., optional online program, issues Goddess Moon Circles Academy - (preK - 12) a pagan-focused curriculum with an emphasis on literature and the humanities, can be teacher or student led, offers full package or partial "framework" option, uses online texts and packaged curriculum, uses Spectrum Math and standard science texts in upper grades Uhura Homeschool Hut -- a collective of homeschooling parents joining forces to educate their children in an African–centered approach towards a multi-cultural curriculum that will best fulfill the needs of our children, our communities and our people in hopes to initiate global Roots and Shoots -- a service learning program Founded by Dr. Jane Goodall, a global program based on the principle that knowledge leads to compassion, which inspires action. Herb gathering and learning in an article by Kimberly Gallagher Support and Discussion groups Wonder Homeschool - resources and support in holistic homeschooling Holistic Moms Network -- a support organization Natural Parenting 101 -- an online holistic health support group Weaving the Wisdom -- online support group for "personal healing and spiritual growth as we move towards peaceful living" GreenTaraMama -- online group for natural family living Natural_Muslim_Mamas -- online support group Unschooling Spirituality -- an online support group Free Thinking Home Educators -- an online support group Freethinking Unschoolers -- an online discussion group NAHomeschoolers -- Native Americans homeschooling without a Buddhist Homeschoolers -- an online support group Vaisnava Homeschoolers and Holistic Educators -- a support group fo educating with Krishna Consciousness
1. You need to know what the AC (Shore Power) voltage is inside your rig. This is the power that indirectly powers lights, water heater, microwave, furnace, charger for the 12-volt battery system, etc. If the voltage gets below 102 volts and should stay there for a few minutes it would be possible to sustain approximately $1200 of damage or more. So what do you need? You will need an AC Line Voltage Monitor. The unit shown below is plugged into an AC wall outlet that you can see and will monitor what the line voltage is. If it should go below 105 volts you need to unplug your rig from the outside power pedestal until the voltage goes back to normal. |AC Line Voltage Monitor| Could this monitoring of the voltage be done for less money? Yes, by using a cheap Digital Volt Meter pictured below; |Digital Volt Meter| |AC Cord With Test Meter Leads| 2. Next is The Polarity Tester . This is used to be sure that the Neutral wire of the power line is not reversed with the positive lead of the power line. If that were to happen you could have what is called a hot-skin condition. Meaning that if you had an aluminum skinned rig you could receive quite a shock from your rig. |The Polarity Tester| The Earth Ground is a separate conductor which may seem to be doing nothing but, is, in fact, a protective wire. It is there, ready to take the current away to earth ground, from the body or frame of the electrical device it is connected to, makes contact with any "hot" wire. [the 120 volts mains power is carried in two current carrying conductors called "hot" and "neutral".] So, IF one of the "hot" conductors should contact the metal frame of the rig, or housing of an appliance, perhaps because the appliance got damaged by being dropped from a table, or similar accident, the third wire which is the earth ground wire, which runs directly from the housing to the grounding [or earth ground bus] in the fuse or breaker panel, will in effect cause a short circuit which should blow the fuse or trip the breaker. This third wire also guarantees a current path back to the electrical panel where the fuse or circuit breaker protecting that circuit is located, in the event that the hot wire should come in contact with the rig's frame, but the neutral conductor should happen to have been cut or damage and become disconnected, or open. The idea is to guarantee that if a part of the rig, device or appliance should become "hot," which could be fatal to anyone who then came into contact with it. That the earth ground would trip/open the circuit protection device [fuse or breaker], and turn off the flow of AC current. To help further in checking for unwanted or wanted electricity a good investment is the, Voltage Sensor which is shown below; 3. Often times you want to know or need to know how much power something uses, especially if you keep popping a breaker or the power pedestal. The solution is Kill-A-Watt . The unit shown below can be used to show how much power an appliance, tool or piece of electronics is using. |Refrigerator/Freezer Surge Protector| These special surge protectors offer extra features like audible alarms, flashing lights, displays, etc and are to be used with just the items listed on the packaging for the one you would buy. 5. Next is a group of power management items that will protect your entire Rig not just one item or several items in it. First is the Portable Power Management System This type of system looks at High and Low voltage protection, a time delay for air conditioning compressor start up, 3-mode surge protection, reverse polarity protection, open neutral protection, open ground protection, AC frequency protection accidental 220 Volt protection. Includes an Integrated information panel, previous error code display is weather resistant and has a built-in locking bracket so it can be chained to the power pedestal at the campground to prevent theft. The only thing this unit can not do is flush the black water tank. The miracle unit we are talking about is shown below. |30 Amp Portable Power Management System| |50 Amp Portable Power Management System| Ah, but there is more! What happens if you do not want something portable but something more permanent in the Rig? Then you have the permanently installed units which are called Fixed Power Management Systems These units are not really a DIY type of item but, they can be installed by the DIYer if care is taken during the installation. The 30 amp models is shown below; |30 Amp Fixed Power Management Systems| I hope that you now have come to the conclusion that some type of power management is needed to protect your Rig, its contents and YOU! Until Next Time And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through any of the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual.
Iranian researchers have designed robots that help combat desertification and repel pests. Researchers from the Science and Research Branch of Islamic Azad University have successfully designed robots that are able not only to plant seeds but also to fight harmful pests. Here is IFP’s translation of a report by ISNA about a robot invented by the researchers of Islamic Azad University which is capable of planting seedlings. Mahdi Lajevardi, a researcher from the Smart Machine Group of the university, referred to the initiative of National Green Industry Plan to speed up planting seedlings in an effort to combat desertification, and said that it was an inspiration for building the robot. In the pilot tests, the robot managed to carry 50 seedlings in its container, Lajevardi said, adding, “The unique robot has successfully fulfilled all the stages of digging, planting and filling in the holes.” According to Mahnaz Rouhi, another researcher from this university, the researchers are working on two other projects called Ultra-Wash and Scott. “In addition to Ultra-Wash, which washes fruits using ultrasonic waves, Scott has been designed to repel pests of pistachio trees,” Rouhi noted. She further explained that Scott is composed of several ultrasonic wave generating devices capable of controlling and collecting harmful insects in a particular area. “The ultrasonic device works based on the pain threshold of the insects,” she noted, adding that the wave generating devices are located in different parts of a garden while being connected to the source device. Rouhi stressed that the robot produces and spreads out waves through particular speakers, and this repels the insects.
Unfortunately, it was just a small cut out section from a magazine page so I can’t give proper credit. I’m so sorry! 🙁 Since I had lots of felt in my supplies it was a perfect craft to make for my kids. They have loved playing with them… Here is how to make them: 1. Cut out a bird body, wings and beak out of felt. I let my kids decide what colors they wanted to use. You can see what the pieces will need to look like in the picture below. 2. Use a craft knife to cut small slits in the center of the bird body, as shown pictured below. 3. Roll one of the wings up (pictured below). 4. Put the rolled wing through the slits in the bird body to attach it to the bird. The loop underneath the bird now acts as the place you put your finger in to use it as a puppet. 5. Use a hot glue gun to add on the beak and googly eyes. 6. Lastly, use a hot glue gun to add colorful feathers at the end of the bird. And wah-lah….A bright, colorful, finger puppet for your children to play with.
What percentage of meetings that you attend devolve into unstructured discussions about off-topic material? 10%? 25%? More? Meetings, whether in-person or virtual, can be terrible wastes of time if conducted poorly. Is It Meeting-Worthy? Very few people commute to work every day excited at the prospect of a calendar full of consecutive meetings so, before scheduling a meeting, ask yourself if the discussion or decision warrants carving out time in everybody’s schedule to talk about it real-time. Long email chains can be ineffective but starting with an email (and scheduling a meeting if the interactions warrant) can be a perfectly effective method for making decisions quickly or sharing information. Eyes On The Prize The least productive meetings occur when nobody knows why they’re meeting. Have a clear objective and make sure it’s readily apparent, ideally by setting it as the subject in your meeting invite and making it a prominent piece of your agenda. What Are We Talking About? Help get everyone on the same page by outlining an agenda for your meeting that clearly lays out the topics, including owners and duration of each topic. Include the agenda in your meeting invite and display and review it at the beginning of your meeting. Also, it will help you and your coworkers more easily reference any notes taken during the meeting if they are documented directly in the agenda. If you’re using OneNote, this is all very easy to accomplish! It’s been said that the amount of time that one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete the task (Parkinson’s Law). To relate that to this topic: the same discussions that could be covered in a 60-minute meeting will also fill a 90-minute meeting. Critically evaluate the topics you’d like to discuss in your meeting and assign them appropriate and sufficient durations. If you have only a limited block of time to conduct your meeting, this may mean paring down your list of topics (see “Is It Meeting-Worthy?”, above). There are two benefits to involving the right people in a discussion: the decisions made have already been vetted for feasibility and compliance with organizational goals and…decisions get made, period. If the people in the meeting are not able to make decisions, you’re essentially brainstorming and having a “pre-meeting meeting”. Admittedly, these are occasionally necessary but, if that is your goal, make sure you’ve communicated the objective as such so everyone is on the same page about the expected outcome of your meeting. Stay On Track It’s your meeting, so own it. Politely table sidebar conversations and visibly – so everyone knows you’re doing it and nobody thinks their ideas are being ignored – note any ideas that should be followed up on later. If there is good conversation being had about a topic when its allotted time is up, verbally note that fact and (as a group or independently) make the decision to table the current discussion or postpone another discussion, again visibly flagging the one that needs follow-up so you can reschedule it after the meeting. Let Me Just Find… Since you know the agenda and what you plan to cover, be prepared and ready to smoothly transition between documents, presentations, etc., by having them all open on your computer before you begin the meeting. If you’re using a screen-sharing tool (e.g. WebEx or Go To Meeting), share your entire desktop and close windows that you’d rather not accidentally share so you don’t have to take the time to share each specific applications with your audience as you change topics (especially since it’s very easy to forget to do this). The Good, The Bad, The Technology Everyone in IT has attended meetings that have been underproductive because someone (everyone?) is buried in their laptops or phones and not paying attention. If your corporate culture allows, require that only the presenter and note-taker have their laptops open, for example, and ask that anyone who needs to use their phone step out of the room while they do so. If your corporate culture does not allow for this, talk with your supervisor about your great idea to change your corporate culture. If you’re conducting a virtual meeting, of course, this doesn’t exactly apply but you should still lay out ground rules regarding muting phones when not speaking, etc. If any attendees are unable to meet in person and you have the technology, use screen-sharing if you are reviewing or drafting any documentation rather than asking everyone to follow along on their own. And for goodness sake, learn how to use the projector or monitor in the conference room ahead of time… Who’s Doing What Now? While meeting outcomes are less likely than emails to be misinterpreted or misunderstood, it’s not that uncommon for two people to leave a meeting with different expectations regarding next steps. It’s important to have all of the decision-makers and other attendees in sync regarding decisions and next steps, so be sure to take good notes and share them afterwards with both those who attended the meeting and those who were invited but did not attend. This will also minimize the risk of someone dropping the ball on something critical because they left the meeting without realizing they’d been assigned a task or weren’t at the meeting and are unaware of the assignment. This Post Is Kind of Bossy… You’re right, sorry about that. If you haven’t seen them yet (or even if you have), take a moment to watch these great videos by Tripp and Tyler: “A Conference Call in Real Life” and “Every Meeting Ever“ Do you watch some of your coworkers navigate through Microsoft Office Suite products with a smoothness that makes you green with envy? In the next post, I’ll explain how to get faster at everything by learning to Avoid the Mouse…
Press Ombudsman Professor John Horgan addressed the DCU Journalism Society last night. In his address to the inaugural meeting of the society, Professor Horgan had some interesting thoughts on new media and the internet. "Their business model is in serious trouble" said Professor Horgan of the Irish newspaper industry. Asked where he sees Irish media being in five years time, Professor Horgan stated; "I think newspapers will probably continue. They’ve [gone through] all sorts of threats to their existence [before]. They will probably be smaller and more expensive. The web will have mushroomed but it will also have taken some kind of shape. Just as the 18th and 19th century; newspapers were pretty chaotic. Anybody could have their say and they pretty well did. I have a strong view on the web actually. It is not a medium of mass communication in the way that a newspaper, radio or TV station is; it is a place where lots of people go to talk to other people on a one-to-one basis. There are things developing. You have a very interesting thing in Holland; where there are two web-based publications that are regular publications. They have applied to join to Dutch Press Council although they don’t appear on paper at all. There will be a climate of regulation, perhaps self-regulation, simply because whatever you publish you do want to be read and the best way of being read is if people trust what you’re saying. We will have lost a few provincial papers I suspect. I think the national papers will survive but they will probably look quite different, have a greater web presence and a more integrated business model between the web side of things and the print side of things."
India is home to world's fourth highest number of billionaires with Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani leading the club of more than 100 super-rich Indians, according to a new list released by Forbes magazine. The Forbes list of the World's Billionaires 2017 consists of 2,043 of the richest people in the world who have a combined net worth of USD 7.67 trillion, a record 18 per cent increase over the past year. The list has been topped by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for the fourth year in a row. He has been the richest person in the world for 18 out of the past 23 years. For more news from India Today, follow us on Twitter @indiatoday and on Facebook at facebook.com/IndiaToday For news and videos in Hindi, go to AajTak.in. ताज़ातरीन ख़बरों और वीडियो के लिए आजतक.इन पर आएं.
Last week Trevor Hunnicutt reported in ETF.com’s daily posting that the SEC approved quadruple-leveraged ETFs. This is the first time 4x leverage has been approved for use in ETFs in the United States. Leverage is used in many ways in financial transactions. In the structure of domestic mutual fund products, leverage available to the public until now has been limited to 3 to 1 (3x leverage). Let’s start with a brief discussion about leverage. Leverage in the financial markets is the use of borrowed funds or structured contracts, such as options and futures, to gain access to exposure to a market beyond what actual cash may be put up. Examples of the use of leverage include people putting money down and getting a loan to buy a house, a business doing the same thing to build a plant, and an airline putting money down as a good-faith deposit on a futures contract covering the fuel they will need in December. In all of these examples, leverage was used to magnify the purchasing power of the amount of money put down on the transaction. Leverage is not inherently a bad thing. It is a financial tool widely used by individuals, businesses, and governments. It can be used wisely and unwisely. Mutual funds (including ETFs) are generally not allowed to borrow money to buy securities, even though doing so is a common practice in the financial industry. Many years ago funds were allowed to use options and futures within their portfolios to manage risk and to gain exposure to stocks and bonds without committing all of their available cash. This set the stage for what are known as leveraged funds. Anytime leverage is used to magnify exposure to securities, it does so both in up market moves as well as down. An ETF that uses 2x leverage magnifies each dollar in the ETF by a factor of 2, and so on for 3x and 4x ETFs. The following graph illustrates a $10,000 investment in a 1x, 2x, and 3x S&P 500 ETF over the past five years. Notice that both the rising and falling moves are magnified by a factor directly related to the leverage used by the ETF. A 4x ETF is not illustrated because it does not currently exist in domestic markets. The following table shows the effect of leverage. The exposure, gain, and loss values all assume the purchase of $10,000 of S&P 500–based ETFs using different amounts of leverage. In crafting portfolios of securities such as ETFs, investors use leverage for many reasons. For example, investors may want to increase the efficiency of the use of capital, increase exposure when they aren’t able to borrow money on margin (as is the case in retirement accounts), or add volatility when the market is not providing it. Let’s take the efficiency of the use of capital as an example. An investor who wants $30,000 of exposure to the S&P 500 could buy $10,000 of a 3x S&P 500 ETF and $20,000 of a short-term bond fund and earn a bit of interest on the bonds in addition to getting the desired exposure to the S&P 500. Many investment strategies require certain levels of market volatility in order to drive meaningful returns. Sometimes the market provides adequate volatility. However, when it does not, volatility may be added to a strategy by using leverage. A convenient way to do this is through the use of leveraged ETFs. For retirement accounts that cannot borrow money, it is one of the only ways to employ leverage. Leverage has been used in economies ever since there were borrowers and lenders. Leverage in the securities industry is readily available and often used. Leverage is able to be carefully tailored to nearly any investment style and methodology. According to the 2017 “ETF Field Guide,” there are 127 ETFs that use (long) leverage. The following table shows how that total breaks down by investment category. Use leverage with a purpose and an understanding of both the benefits and risks. Leverage should not be used simply because it is available. In other words, leverage in financial markets should be used with the same knowledge and care as leverage provided by credit in our day-to-day lives. Disclosure: Author has no positions in any of the securities mentioned and no positions in any of the companies or ETF sponsors mentioned. No income, revenue, or other compensation (either directly or indirectly) is received from, or on behalf of, any of the companies or ETF sponsors mentioned
Steroids have been used been used by Humans for a long time. Though taking steroids to boost the health and physicality may seem to be a new trend, originating with the development of a host of new steroidal drugs in the 1950s, mankind has been using it since a long time. The first instance available is the instance of Ancient Greeks using raw animal testes to increase the systemic testosterone. The modern medicine has created many suitable regimens to use the modern steroids effectively, and most importantly, use them with safety and minimal side effects. There is a rising trend among modern doctors, trainers and sportsperson to use multiple steroidal drugs to get a high synergistic activity among the components of the drug regimen. This is colloquially known as ‘stacking’. A point must be made clear that stacking steroids needs to be done under the supervision of registered medical supervisor or else “free use” might cause serious side effects. The ultimate stack One of the important combinations which are actively used in the body-building domain is the Decadurabolin along with Winstrol. DecaDurabolin and Winstrol are the brand names of NandroloneDecanoate and Stanozolol respectively. Chemically they are compounds of two different classes. DecaDurabolin is a testosterone derivative while Winstrol is a DHT or Dihydrotestosterone derivative. These compounds are created synthetically from their natural precursors. When injected with Winstrol and Deca Durabolin, it causes the development of lean body with structured muscle. It is because various athletes have realized the potential of combining these two drugs. Winstrol has fat lowering property while DecaDurabolin acts as a bulking agent. This reduces down a simple equation: Deca gives you the muscle along with increased red blood cell count and Winstrol reduces the body fat. This is results in a fully structured body with low fat content; the perfect combination for performance based sports. Chemistry and associated pharmacology Deca-durabolin is chemically is the decanoic acid ester of Nandrolone (19- nortestesterone). This is specifically obtained as oily intra-muscular injection. Winstrol, on the other hand, is Stanozolol, a 17α methyl DHT derivative. The methyl group on the C-17 position allows oral administration by reducing the chances of pre-systemic (first pass) metabolism. Being a DHT derivative, it doesn’t aromatize by the aromatase enzyme. The best feature of Winstrol is that it is water soluble and can be administered as tablet, removing the chance to be administered by painful intra muscular injection. Both these drugs have high anabolic activity pitted against low androgenic potential. Thus they can be safely used with low chances of side-effects. This doesn’t warrant their unsupervised use, as they might cause severe damage if done so. Both these drugs elaborate its anabolic activity via the DNA based mechanisms. Both these drugs bind to cytoplasmic receptors which then in turn up regulates the protein synthesis mechanisms by binding with DNA. Dose and side-effect The combination regimen usually lasts for 16 weeks with decadurabolin at 300 mg per week. This winstrol regimen starts from the 13th week with 25 mg/day of winstrol being administered for 4 weeks. When injected with Winstrol and Deca durabolin, it prepares the body to lean with proper muscle structure. The side effects involve high cholesterol levels with hair loss and acne with heaptotoxic potential and testicular atrophy in male. Women typically show a development in secondary male feature.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: |Title:||The effecacy of pre-starter on the perfomance of Ross 308 broiler chicken.| Feed Conversion Efficiency |Publisher:||Lupane State University| |Abstract:||Progress in genetics and management has allowed the poultry industry to produce heavier chickens in a more efficient manner. However, many farmers fail to achieve breeder specified standards and are constantly faced with relatively lower performance. The most logical approach to addressing this low performance has been to work on improving the nutrient allocative efficiency of broiler feed. Focusing on nutrition of the chicks in the first week is important as this period represents 20% of the broilers growth. Provision of well formulated pre-starter diets should propel growth of the chicks in a favorable direction and result in improved performance. An experiment was carried to evaluate efficacy of using a pre-starter feed in improving broiler performance. The performance of a quad-phase feed, (Feed B: pre-starter. Starter, grower and finisher) was compared to that of a tri-phase (Feed A: starter, grower and finisher). The performance parameters looked at were live weight, feed intake, Feed Conversion Efficiency (FCR) and mortality. 150 unsexed Ross 308 broiler chicks were allotted randomly to 3 runs, 50 birds in each run. In each run the birds were divided into 2 partitions for the different treatments (Feed A and Feed B). The experiment was terminated at week 5 when birds fed Feed A which also served as a control had reached weights of 1.8kg.Results showed that there was a significant difference in the effect of treatment on live weights (P=0.038) in the first week showing the prestarter had performed marginally better than the starter. In week 5 a significak difference in the effect of treatment on live weights was seenity.| |Appears in Collections:||Department of Animal and Rangeland Management| Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Drawing on the individual and collective experience of recognized intelligence experts and scholars in the field, "Analyzing Intelligence" provides the first comprehensive assessment of the state of intelligence analysis since 9/11. Its in-depth and balanced evaluation of more than fifty years of U.S. analysis includes a critique of why it has under-performed at times. It provides insights regarding the enduring obstacles as well as new challenges of analysis in the post-9/11 world, and suggests innovative ideas for improved analytical methods, training, and structured approaches. The book's six sections present a coherent plan for improving analysis. Early chapters examine how intelligence analysis has evolved since its origins in the mid-20th century, focusing on traditions, culture, successes, and failures.The middle sections examine how analysis supports the most senior national security and military policymakers and strategists, and how analysts must deal with the perennial challenges of collection, politicization, analytical bias, knowledge building and denial and deception. The final sections of the book propose new ways to address enduring issues in warning analysis, methodology (or 'analytical tradecraft') and emerging analytic issues like homeland defense. The book suggests new forms of analytic collaboration in a global intelligence environment, and imperatives for the development of a new profession of intelligence analysis. "Analyzing Intelligence" is written for the national security expert who needs to understand the role of intelligence and its strengths and weaknesses.Practicing and future analysts will also find that its attention to the enduring challenges provides useful lessons-learned to guide their own efforts. The innovations section will provoke senior intelligence managers to consider major changes in the way analysis is currently organized and conducted, and the way that analysts are trained and perform. Posted by Anonymous on Monday, December 07, 2009
Burning fossil fuels does Molecular Nuclear Fusion 1 CH4+pO2+Tu->(CO2-E)+r(He2++O2-+E2+L) Tu=turbulence It is so obvious, as there is no chemical source of light, but a mantel cause a gas light to give off light. We are so familiar with a lit candle giving off light! But we are probably unaware that a lit candle or flame of gas and oil gives out X-rays, as they do nuclear fusion. This is so interesting! The hearts of arctic fish give out X-rays as their hearts beat Your heart does this as it beats. So Arctic fish do Molecular Nuclear Fusion at -20oC. You do it at body temperature. Sun's coronas reach 10milliono C due to the atomic nuclear fusion they do! It is the product of nuclear fusion not a requirement. Dr Z told me 2000 that circulating Hydrogen gas around a helix, does nuclear fusion. Going off from room temperature. What temperature will the helix reach? Probably too high a temperature too quickly. Immersing the helix in water would allow it to drive a steam tubine boiler room – producing steam with a 20oC super heat. But at 100 atmospheres we are still looking at under 300oC. There is a better answer – copy nature. Use a steam plasma. Some science work has been done on steam plasmas https://www.iter.org/sci/plasmaheating. They are talking about reaching 15,000oC. At 4 atmospheres, we are looking at a temperature of 1,540oC. The plasma does Molecular Nuclear Fusion 3 H++e- ->n0 4 16O+s n0 ->8H++4e- Each nuclear fission changes neutrons into energy. 5 H++r n0 ->Er3+L+X-ray Matter is such a dense for of energy! E=mc2 and all that. One hydrogen ion converts into about 6 W. So the water molecule converts into 48 W. From 3.8 x 10-22 mol l-1 . This is 16 times the energy density of hyper toxic enriched uranium. And we produce no Plutonium – no continental toxic death, as we get a triple core melt down once every 25 years. So a 50x1cm steam plasma at 4 atmospheres will produce a constant1.2 MW. 1.4 million UK pounds a years – as it powers 300 homes. No toxic waste! From regular water. We require a pulse of electricity at 2000 V to start the plasma – that self sustains at only 4 atmospheres. No gas or oil burn! No CO2 – or hyper toxic radioactive waste. And national grid will buy your power automatically. One house in 300 running a steam plasma tube, to drive a turbine set. Contact http://www.marineturbines.com/3/news/article/44/marine_current_turbines_kicks_off_first_tidal_array_for_wales No gas or oil! Which will become valueless by Christmas. An no uranium fission power anywhere in the world. I told Sheffield University this 2001.My book They ended my PhD with no award. The department and its 8 professors no longer exists.
| This article has been evaluated to be at quality level 6.| Bolo finds this pleasing, but she would like more. |Vehicle in Just Cause 2| |List of owners||Panau Air (Owned by the government)| |Top speed (km/h)||375.78| |Top speed (mph)||233.50| |The following statistics are from the official strategy guide.| The Aeroliner 474 is a commercial airliner in Just Cause 2. The Aeroliner 474 is the second largest airplane in the game. It resembles both the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 and A321 series. The integer classification of this aircraft appears to be based on the "747" in "Boeing 747" and "Aeroliner" may be a reference to "Airbus". The stripes on different variations of this aircraft vary in color; it can spawn with either dark red, dark blue, or dark green stripes. While two cosmetic seats are visible in the cockpit, it's assumed that as a result of some animation-related complications, Avalanche Studios moved the driver's seat from the cockpit to just next to the main exit. It's worth noting that this aircraft has the same wheels as the F-33 Dragonfly Jet Fighter. The Aeroliner's wheels were probably re-used for the Dragonfly, as it is DLC and was presumably developed long after the Aeroliner was finished. Due to its size, it's one of the hardest to land and maneuver. It is, however, very easy to land it in large, flat places which is a steep contrast to the Pell Silverbolt 6, which is prone to exploding if the landing isn't executed in a certain way. This is probably because the wheels are much larger, and further away from the fuselage. The maximum speed of this aircraft is 233.50 MPH. Click here to see the test. The plane, despite being large and heavy, does have some noteworthy in-game uses. Because this aircraft is very large, it creates a large explosion when crashed. This can be used to the player's advantage in destroy military property easily. Notable targets include Communications Masts, Cranes, and drilling towers. This strategy is most effective in bases like Pulau Berapi or Pulau Kait, as there are many destructible items grouped together here. It's a good idea to take the Aeroliner to the maximum altitude to avoid mid-air collisions, being shot at from military bases, or encountering other threats. At this altitude the only thing to worry about is the "EMP" weapon at Hantu Island, though the weapon has limited vertical range. - One of the most entertaining uses for an Aeroliner 474 is to go to the Panau International Airport, take the Titus ZJ on the display in front of the main terminal or any other vehicle in close proximity, drive to one of the places where the tarmac meets the runway, and attach your vehicle to one of the departing Aeroliners. If you get back in the car and drive quickly to keep up with the jet, you should be able to remain attached without falling off, unless you exit the vehicle's driver's seat or break the grapple wire. An MV V880 spawns just outside of the entrance to the tarmac and in the airport's accessable hangar, though it's much heavier than the Titus and will probably weigh down the Aeroliner. It's worth noting that if your vehicle touches the jet at a high speed, it will explode. This stunt will give the player easy Stunt Driver Points. - Landing a helicopter on top of an Aeroliner will not cause it to explode immediately, but at a certain speed it will explode. The helicopter will not fall off of the Aeroliner so long as it's horizontal. - If you steal an Si-47 Leopard, it is possible to land at Panau International Airport and dual hook the Leopard to the Aeroliner, allowing for entertaining loop-de-loops around the plane. - It is possible to attatch an Aeroliner to another Aeroliner. To do this you must hijack a stationary Aeroliner and follow one that is driven by a Panauan soldier to the runway. If you're quick enough you may be able to attach the two airplanes while they're still on the ground, but it's easier to follow the AI-driven Aeroliner into the air, level off with it, and attatch them there. Because the AI-driven Aeroliner will fly in a straight line, it's rather easy to do this. The Aeroliner can only be found at the Panau International Airport. It spawns stationary in three different places and AI-driven planes will spawn near the ends of the two runways. - Only found at Panau International Airport. - On the side of the plane is a small label with Devengari (Hindi) writing which translates to "airliner". It looks like this: एयरलाइनर - Players can create an Aeroliner pile-up at the airport by stealing an Aeroliner as it is taxiing to the runway and parking it near the end. Every few minutes another one will spawn until there is a long line of Aeroliner 474s piled up on the runway. - The Aeroliner, along with the rest of the airplanes in Just Cause 2, has no reverse thrust. This makes it very difficult to get out of certain situations. - Despite being owned by Panau Air, only Panau Military members fly these airplanes. - The only time you will find a green-marked version of this vehicle is in the mission Airport Troubles. - If the player travels to Panau intenational airport there is a chance that the aeroliner will spawn with a reflective surface. Making it seem like a stealth plane. This is a glitch. See more about it at Just Cause 2 Vehicle glitches in the vehicle discoloration section. - Even though there was another airliner in Just Cause (1), Just Cause 3 lacks both an international airport, and an airliner. The closest thing to an airliner in Just Cause 3 is the Urga U17 Akrobat. - If you grapple a car to a plane taking off and you hit the Aeroliner with your car hard, the jet will instantly explode, no matter where you hit it.
Human Growth Hormone is a protein that is naturally synthesized in the body. It comes to the limelight due to the use of people to slower the natural clock of the body and be youthful. Human growth hormone leads to some positive effects like it tightens the muscles in the body, reduces the fat, increases libido and increases the energy in the body. The Human Growth Hormones tricks the body to feel younger and energetic which is beneficial trait if found in athletes. You have to understand more about hormones before uses and side effects to avoid unfavorable circumstances. Human Growth Hormone Human Growth Hormone is a protein which in developing children leads to bone growth. The hormone leads to the increase in height and development. In normal cases, the Human Growth Hormone also known as somatropin is synthesized by the pituitary gland, the master controller of the body. The pituitary gland is the small pea- shaped lobe at the base of the hypothalamus, which controls various hormone glands in the body like the adrenal gland and gonads. Hormones are the chemical messengers that flow through the bloodstream to distinct locations in the body and regulate its control. The use of Human Growth Hormone is beneficial to the body as it leads to the cell growth and regeneration; this helps to heal wounds faster in the body. To know more about Human Growth Hormone you can check sites like http://www.hghsupplement.org/. Benefits of Human Growth Hormone The Human Growth Hormone has been widely and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S.A for some purposes. Its use is approved in children that suffer from reduced growth, a congenital disease like Turner Syndrome, Prader –Willi Syndrome and renal failure. Recently it has also been approved to treat short idiopathic diseases in children. The level of the Human Growth hormone synthesized in the body decreases with increase age which indicates that there might be a deficiency in the body. This fact indicates that the Hormone Replacement Therapy can benefit adults. The Human Growth Hormone has been used to treat muscle wastage caused by HIV/AIDS, also burns. It is used for inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis, fertility problem. The use of this hormone has been highlighted for an entirely different purpose. Human Growth Hormone has been known to increase the collagen synthesis in the body leading to increasing muscle mass and strength. The use of this hormone deals with faster healing of the bone fracture, decrease in body fat by lipolysis (fat breakdown), stronger bones and reduced chances of developing cardiovascular diseases. Unmonitored Human Growth Hormone Use Can Have Side-Effects The fact that use of Human Growth hormone has many advantages it has certain disadvantages too. At times due to increases use it can lead to longer fingers and toes, increase in jaw size. It can also lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia. More use of this drug can lead to thickening of the skin also known as “Elephant skin”. Care should be taken during use of this hormone. If you still have questions in mind about this hormone, you can find more information in sites like http://hghsupplement.org/.
Each year FLL releases a new Challenge for our teams. The Challenge is released in late August and focuses on a different scientific topic or question each year. You don’t need to wait until August to get started though. Knowing what to expect will help your team hit the ground running. The Challenge has three parts: the Robot Game, the Project, and the FLL Core Values. In the Robot Game, the kids build and program an autonomous (no remote control) LEGO MINDSTORMS® robot to score points by performing mission tasks. These missions will be inspired by the Challenge theme. Missions require the robot to navigate, capture, transport, or deliver objects on a printed mat (the Field). The robot has 2 ½ minutes to complete as many missions as possible. NZ Team Anti-matter at 2012 NZ Championship. Through the Project, teams learn more about the science behind the Challenge theme. The kids use their creativity to design a solution (or modify an existing solution) to solve a real-world problem. We even give you a head start – we tell you the theme months ahead of time! Even though you will not know the exact details of the Challenge, you can begin researching the theme with your team as soon as it is announced. While FLL teams work on the Robot Game and the Project each year, they are guided by the FLL Core Values. The Core Values are part of what makes FLL so special, because kids compete like crazy against the game but still respect their teammates, coaches, and even their “competitors.” Don’t forget, our last (and maybe most important) Core Value is “We have FUN!” If you have time before the Challenge is released, you may want to: • Register your team for the season (see below). We recommend registering early to ensure your team has a spot. • Review Challenges from past seasons to see what FLL teams have done before • Review the FLL Participation Rules and download other resources. Read the Coaches' Handbook. • Create a team identity – name, logo, team shirts, mascot • Fundraise or apply for grants – to pay for team shirts, any tournament fees, registration fee, etc. • Learn how to use the MINDSTORMS Robot Set and software through online resources or the tutorials included with your FLL Robot Set • Follow @firstlegoleague on Twitter • Check out the videos on our YouTube Channel • Read about other team experiences that our official correspondents are reporting on our blog • HAVE FUN! (Well, you can have fun AFTER the Challenge is released too.) You need to recruit up to 10 team members from ages 8 to 16 . Team members must not exceed the maximum age on January 1 of the year the Challenge is released. For example, in the United States a student who turns 15 in May of 2013 would be eligible to compete in the Challenge released in August of 2013, whereas a child who turned 15 in December 2012 would not. Keep in mind that children can only be on one (1) team, but a coach is allowed to coach multiple teams. You will need a meeting space that has room to set up the 1.2x2.4m playing field, and a computer with internet access. Once you know that you will have a team (you do not need all team member names yet), register your team on kiwifirst.org. There are three (3) basic items every team needs: Team Registration (in New Zealand this also covers entry to the Championship tournament), a Field Setup Kit (this is the practice field for your robot – it includes an exclusive selection of LEGO bricks, the instructions to assemble your mission models, and a roll-out field), and a LEGO MINDSTORMS set (to build your robot). You will need a new Field Setup Kit each year, but you may share your Field Setup Kit with another team if you wish. Just make sure you work out a sharing schedule that works for both teams. Remember, it would be very hard for two soccer teams to practice on the same field at the same time – the same is true for the FLL field. Once the Challenge is released in late August, you will find all the documents you need on firstlegoleague.org. These will include details of what the team is expected to complete this season as well as information about how your team will be judged at a tournament. Then your team can begin working in earnest. Most teams spend about eight (8) weeks preparing for a tournament. Many new teams start by meeting twice a week for one (1) to two (2) hours. See how that works, and then you can adjust your meeting schedule if you need more or less time. Some teams work on both the Robot Game and the Project for part of each meeting. Others devote one meeting per week to each part of the Challenge. Work with your team to find the right balance. Just remember that you will need to have both your robot and your Project ready before you attend a tournament. At FLL tournaments, teams are judged on their Project Presentation, Core Values, and Robot Design. Teams will also compete in three rounds of the Robot Game. Teams have the opportunity to win awards in each of these categories, but the FLL Core Values remain the focus. “What we discover is more important than what we win.”
Charitable donations can provide the donor with a “feel good” benefit because they are helping other people. However, they also can provide for tax savings and should be considered during year end tax planning. In Arizona, you can actually decide where your state tax dollars are going to be spent. There are hundreds of charities on a list provided by the state of Arizona through which you will receive a tax credit against any money owed for that year. In other words, if you owe $400 in Arizona state taxes and donate $400 to one of the designated charities, you will owe zero taxes and get a federal deduction for the contribution. For a list of 2016 approved charities in Arizona, click here. A charitable remained trust or a charitable remainder trust can be invaluable to avoid high estate taxes and shielding the taxpayer from capital gains taxes on low basis property. A charitable trust described in Internal Revenue Code section 4947(a)(1) is a trust that is not tax exempt, all of the unexpired interests of which are devoted to one or more charitable purposes, and for which a charitable contribution deduction was allowed under a specific section of the Internal Revenue Code. A charitable trust is treated as a private foundation unless it meets the requirements for one of the exclusions that classifies it as a public charity. Thus, it is subject to the private foundation excise tax provisions and the other provisions that apply to exempt private foundations, including termination requirements and governing instrument requirements. However, a charitable trust is not treated as a charitable organization for purposes of exemption from tax. Accordingly, the trust is subject to the excise tax on its investment income under the rules that apply to taxable foundations rather than those that apply to tax-exempt foundations. For purposes of the organizational test, when a charitable trust seeks exemption from tax as a charitable organization, the trust is considered organized on the day it first becomes subject to section 4947(a)(1). Generally, for purposes of the special and transitional rules for excise taxes discussed in this publication, a charitable trust will be considered organized on the first day it has amounts in trust for which a deduction was allowed under the Internal Revenue Code. Under this rule, a trust may be treated as a private foundation in existence on a date governing one of the applicable special and transitional rules even though the trust did not otherwise become subject to the provisions that apply to private foundations until a later date. Scope of provisions regarding charitable trusts. These provisions apply to nonexempt trusts in which all unexpired interests are charitable. An estate from which the executor or administrator is required to distribute all of the net assets in trust to charitable beneficiaries will not be considered a charitable trust during the period of estate administration or settlement except for the conditions discussed in the next paragraph. A charitable trust created by a will is considered a charitable trust as of the date of death of the decedent-grantor. However, a revocable trust that becomes irrevocable upon the death of the decedent-grantor, or a trust created by will from which the trustee is required to distribute all of the net assets for, or free of trust to, charitable beneficiaries, is not considered a charitable trust for a reasonable period of settlement after becoming irrevocable. After that period, the trust is considered a charitable trust.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 Posted by D. Daniel Sokol Joo Hwan Seo, George Washington University - School of Business - Department of Marketing and Bumsoo Kim, Sogang University - Sogang Business School - Department of Management Science discuss The Impact of Initial Market Competitiveness on the Factors Affecting the Value of Shelf Space.ABSTRACT: This study generalizes the empirical model for shelf-space variables such as advertising, R&D, and firm characteristics to account for firm-specific heterogeneity. Our empirical results indicate that there is substantial firm-specific heterogeneity in shelf-space variables, and this heterogeneity is associated with differences in initial market competitiveness. Sales incentives constitute a large part of the marketing budgets of consumer grocery firms. Despite over three decades of research, confusion persists about the causes and consequences of sales incentives. One part of the problem is due to the lack of data regarding the dollar value of sales incentive payments made by firms. A second part of the problem is determining whether sales incentives are explained by market power and efficiency theories. This paper addresses both of these problems. We found that sales incentives are associated with industry concentration. It analyzes data on sales incentives disclosed by firms pursuant to the FASB requirements in 2001. It looks beyond industry competitiveness, signaling and channel arguments to include managerial considerations. It also uses analytical models that allow for parameter heterogeneity, thus incorporating a measure of diversity for situations faced by firms in their industries.
We’re working with a Project Curator to help make Liberty Bank Building feel like home. Our Project Curator, Al Doggett Studios, is tasked with realizing a vision for artwork that honors the history of Liberty Bank, fits with the Central District neighborhood and will be respectful of its location within the Black community. Read more about the team below. Al Doggett was born in Brooklyn, New York, where his interest in art began at an early age. He developed his drawing and painting skills with encouragement from teachers and friends. At the age of ten he attended his first art classes at a neighborhood community center and at the Brooklyn Art Museum. At the age of fourteen, he took an entrance exam and was accepted at the High School of Art and Design in New York City. There he majored in illustration, graphic design, and photography. After graduation he took advanced classes in illustration and graphic design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) in New York City. Upon completion of his courses at F.I.T., Al enrolled at the Arts Students League of New York, where he studied fine art, figure drawing, painting, design, and composition for three years. After a successful career as an illustrator in the advertising art industry in New York City, Al decided to move to the Pacific Northwest. He had visited relatives there several years earlier and was inspired by the open space, mountains and lakes of the region. He opened Al Doggett Studio in Seattle in 1967, producing art projects for the advertising and graphic arts industries. He built one of Seattle’s top studios, specializing in illustration, graphic design and photographic retouching. While overseeing the studio’s variety of accounts and guiding a staff of five artists he managed to continue to produce his fine art work. Aside from his work for Seattle’s advertising industry Al provided art studio services to his Central District community by producing flyers, logos, brochures and business cards for Black owned businesses. During the 1970’s he designed several posters for Black Arts/West theatre. The past ten years he designed posters and flyers for Martin Luther King Jr. Day march and rally. Children have been a very important part of his life and art, he has depicted them in many of his drawings and paintings. He taught art classes at his studio for children and adults, and has also given many presentations and art workshops at various schools and community centers in the Seattle area. Al continues his fine art work, creating paintings and drawings for exhibitions nationally and in the Northwest. Esther Ervin received a BS in Biology from the University of California at Irvine, with undergraduate credit from the American University of Beirut, in Lebanon. After graduation, she lived three years in Colombia, South America, as a Peace Corps volunteer. After Peace Corps, she earned an MFA in BioMedical Illustration from the University of California at Long Beach, and eventually furthered her artistic studies as a PONCHO Artist in Residence at Pratt Fine Arts Center where she was also awarded the Gregory M. Robinson Scholarship. The following year Esther was awarded a residency at the James W. Washington Foundation in Seattle. Her work has been shown in numerous invitational and juried exhibitions since 1978 and has received a variety of awards. The Form/Space Atelier in Belltown, Seattle, hosted her in a solo exhibition titled “We Wear the Mask,” in 2014 and she soloed at the Carco Theatre in Renton, WA, in October and November of 2016. Both shows focused on social issues. While consistently generating and exhibiting her art-jewelry and mixed-media works, Esther has curated over 45 exhibitions; half of them as Curator for South Seattle Community College. She curated numerous exhibits for Onyx Fine Arts and for several special events. During this time Esther has been an invited juror for a variety of local exhibitions and served as an on-site-program reviewer for 4Culture, which helps support county arts organizations. She has also been invited to help select artists and arts organizations that would receive funding on the neighborhood, city and state levels and was an invited juror for the national NAAACP 2014 ACT-SO Competitions in Las Vegas, NV. She was formerly active on the Madrona Community Council and in 2014 received a community service award from the Central Area Chamber of Commerce. She is currently associated with the Historic Central Area Arts and Cultural District and is the Director of the James W. Washington Foundation. Esther works from home on the east end of the Central District.
In 1999 the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 was amended to require Federal awarding agencies to ensure that all data produced under an award will be made available to the public through the procedures established under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Government funding agencies implement this requirement in various ways. Here are some basic guidelines driven by the major funders. Several journals and publishers are recognizing the need to cite data in articles and have open data policies. Proposals submitted or due on or after January 18, 2011 must include a supplementary document of no more than two pages labeled “Data Management Plan”. This supplementary document should describe how the proposal will conform to NSF policy on the dissemination and sharing of research results. See Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Chapter II.C.2.j for full policy implementation. For most grants over $500,000, a data sharing plan must be included in application and incorporated as a term and condition of the award. Final Research Data "should be made as widely and freely available as possible while safeguarding the privacy of participants, and protecting confidential and proprietary data". The Office of Science mission is to deliver the scientific discoveries and major scientific tools that transform our understanding of nature and advance the energy, economic, and national security of the United States. The Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management has been developed with input from a variety of stakeholders in this mission. Here, data management involves all stages of the digital data life cycle including capture, analysis, sharing, and preservation. The focus of this statement is sharing and preservation of digital research data. "NASA promotes the full and open sharing of all data with the research and applications communities, private industry, academia, and the general public. The greater the availability of the data, the more quickly and effectively the user communities can utilize the information to address basic Earth science questions and provide the basis for developing innovative practical applications to benefit the general public." "The Federal Ocean Data Policy requires that appropriate ocean data and related information collected under federal sponsorship be submitted to and archived by designated national data centers." Applicants should prepare a data management plan for their project. The plan should describe how the project team will manage and disseminate data generated or collected by the project. For example, projects in this category may generate data such as software code, algorithms, digital tools, reports, articles, research notes, or websites. NEH realizes that many institutions apply to both NEH and NSF, so it has made its data management plan requirement identical to NSF’s. Non-specific to sharing, rather, ensures "a basic standard of quality, including objectivity, utility, and integrity".
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has signed legislation into law that will allow some of the state’s largest private universities to directly provide health coverage to their students, potentially lowering health care costs and boosting school revenue. New York state doesn’t permit schools to self-fund student health plans without a license to do business as an insurance company. As a result, schools must purchase a policy from an insurer or incur the costs of becoming a licensed insurance company. But this pilot program lets the schools operate as insurers, potentially lowering costs by eliminating a layer of bureaucracy. “Allowing the schools themselves to offer health plans lowers the cost, while ensuring that students get the health coverage they need,” Cuomo said. The bill doesn’t allow other schools directly to insure students, but Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin M. Lawsky said it “creates a demonstration project that could eventually be extended to other colleges and more students.” The four schools approved in this pilot program approached the state about insuring students, leading to this new pilot program. “Once we have experience with these large financially-strong institutions, we can consider whether the model will work for other universities,” Lawsky said. Universities must set up reserves to ensure funding will be available to pay out claims under policies regulated by the state. Under the new law, students will be provided with comprehensive health plans that must spend at least 82 cents of every dollar collected on health care claims. More breaking news - Valley National Bancorp acquiring USAmeriBancorp - LI hospital recognized for its heart attack care for patients - NEFCU’s second tech-centric branch opens in Deer Park - LI group sells NC retail center for $21.55M - Fed keeps key interest rates unchanged amid low inflation - LI investment advisor pleads guilty to insider trading - Priciest home sales in Center Moriches - NYCB net falls, sells mortgage banking biz - New York eyes ‘textalyzer’ to bust drivers - Senate health care debate could be suspenseful and raucous
A communication lecture on Effective Note Taking took place at the beginning of the academic year for 1st year students. During the lecture and over the following weeks I learnt that effective note taking can be unique to the individual. There is no single best way of taking notes. It depends on the context in which you are attending the lecture, on the kind of lecture it is, and most of all on the way you work and learn. I need to ask myself what I hope to gain by making notes. The beginning and the end of the lecture is an important time to take down notes as it sets the scene of the lecture and it summarises what has been covered in the lecture. Listening and documenting the examples and illustrations helps me to remember and understand the subject/concepts discussed within lectures. It can be very challenging talking down effective notes during lectures as time constrains play a factor during a PowerPoint presentation. I find it is a good idea to take down the slide number and key words the lecturer mentions or words that will help me learn and understand the subject. By reviewing both the lecture handouts and my notes I can develop and link/enhance the theory I have gained in the lectures. Having effective notes improves my learning and I hope they will assist me in my continuous assessments and revising for my exams.
The Mass Media and Popular Culture Picture in Numbers: In 1970, 35% of homes had more than one TV set; 6% of sixth-graders had a TV in their bedrooms. In 1999, 88% of homes had more than one TV set; 77% of sixth-graders had a TV in their rooms. The average American child grows up in a home with 3 TVs, 3 tape players, 3 radios, 2 VCRs, 2 CD players, 1 video game player and 1 computer. The TV is usually on during meals in 58% of homes with children. Two-thirds of children 8 and older have a TV in their bedrooms. One out of five has a computer there as Children ages 8-13 spend more time with media than those in any other age group: 6 hours a day. In a typical week, children spend an average of more than 19 hours watching TV, more than 10 hours listening to music, more than 5 hours reading for pleasure, about 2 hours using computers for fun, and more than 2 hours playing video games. On a typical day, one out of every four boys will play an action or combat game like "Doom" or "Duke 85% of children are able to buy M-rated video games and recordings labeled for explicit content. Fewer than 17% of music and game store clerks ask children their age. Slightly more than half of movie theaters enforce the Motion Picture Assn. of America restrictions that children under age 17 must be accompanied by an adult to see R-rated movies; 48% ask children their age; 45% sell tickets to underage children unaccompanied by adults. Commission Survey May-July; 2000 and Kids & Family Foundation Report, 1999
color="#FFFFFF" size="2">Back to National & World News Digest Friday, March 13, 1998Last modified at 12:33 a.m. on Friday, March 13, 1998 Charles Hernandez, calling a now-cancelled Cicero Klan rally a staged ruse, holds up a newspaper headline during a news conference Thursday, March 12, 1998, in Cicero, Ill. Hernandez, a Hispanic Democratic candidate for Cicero town committeeman, said the town president whom he has had a long-running fued with, staged the KKK confrontation hoping the group's presence would intimidate Hispanic voters just days before a primary election. (AP Photo/Charles Bennett)Town's donation quells KKK rally CICERO, Ill. (AP) - Cicero, a gritty blue-collar Chicago suburb once seen as a hotbed of racism, cut a $10,000 deal with the Ku Klux Klan to head off a KKK rally that officials feared would trigger violence. The town arranged for a $10,000 contribution, pledged by an anonymous donor, to pay for printing and distribution of Klan literature. In exchange, the Klan called off the rally, which had been set for Saturday. "I guess it could be deemed extortion in one sense, but I don't see it that way," Cicero Police Supt. David Niebur said Thursday. "I think this is really a sensible solution under the circumstances." Cicero's racial tensions date back many decades. During the civil rights era, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. likened Cicero to Selma, Ala. In 1985, President Reagan canceled a visit after racial tensions flared. Cicero, population 67,000, was once nearly all-white. While it is almost 50 percent Hispanic today, only a few blacks live here. Town President Betty Loren-Maltese shared a podium with Klan Imperial Wizard Jeffery Berry on Wednesday to announce the deal. She moved well off to the side as he spoke. But it wasn't far enough for some Cicero residents, who were stunned the town would make such a deal. Richard Hirschhaut, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, called it a "deal with the devil." But he said considering the potential for violence, it was for the best. "We have to applaud the good people of Cicero and its official leadership," Hirschhaut said. The police superintendent said security fences alone would have cost about $20,000. The town have also had to pay transportation and expenses for 150 state troopers. The Klan literature must be delivered either by direct mail or by a private delivery service. "There will be no Klansmen involved" in delivery, Niebur said. "They have agreed to notify the police department of when the literature will be sent." Some saw the deal as yet another sad chapter in Cicero's history of racial problems, which include a 1951 incident in which rioters destroyed the apartment of a black bus driver. Bill Yekel, a 36-year-old assistant manager of a hardware store, said: "I've always had concerns about race issues in this town. It's something that hasn't gone away."
Associate Marine Extension Professor, Maine Healthy Beaches Coordinator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant Research focus: Water quality, invasive species and climate Years at UMaine: 20 Milestones: Providing a leadership role in the development and implementation of coastal citizen environmental monitoring in Maine, supplying data used by local, state and federal data managers; and facilitating opportunities for volunteers (both youth and adult) to gain real-life science experience that is meaningful for their communities. Links related to this story Question: What do you consider the biggest threat to the overall health of Maine's beaches? Answer: With the population growth primarily in the coastal and southern regions of the state, we face development pressures affecting the beach areas. Typically accompanying these development pressures are nonpoint source pollution, and human practices that affect water quality and health. However, beyond immediate human development pressures, the biggest threat to Maine's beaches is the effect of climate change through sea level rise, storms and other coastal hazards. Question: Why are clean beaches so important? Answer: Clean beaches are important for the abundance and distribution of beach system organisms and the health of this fragile ecosystem. Tourism is Maine's largest industry, with 60 percent of visitors coming explicitly to explore the beach and ocean. Beaches are vital to our economic well-being. Question: What role do beaches play in the ecological health of Answer: Sandy beaches provide habitat for important small organisms, such as decomposer bacteria and fungi, algae and invertebrates, as well as shore birds. Sandy beaches also provide ecological linkages to adjacent ecosystems, such as sand dunes, the surf zone, estuaries and coastal lagoons supporting a myriad of life. Question: What can people do to protect Maine's beaches and Answer: Some of the most basic steps that can be taken include maintenance of septic systems and healthy habits at the beach. The latter includes a long list of practices, such as the use of swim diapers, picking up your litter, leaving pets at home or cleaning up after them, not feeding the wildlife, etc. The more involved and critical things that can be done include the following: ensure that communities maintain and monitor waste systems, including sewage treatment systems and individual septic systems; require that boaters have holding tanks and use pump-out facilities; avoid construction in critically sensitive areas, such as wetlands or beaches. Finally, we all have to do our part to reduce carbon emissions through whatever ways possible, such as replacing incandescent lights with fluorescent in our homes, driving fuel-efficient vehicles, and selecting green power as our source of electricity.
[alsa-devel] Dynamically registering a codec broonie at opensource.wolfsonmicro.com Thu May 14 00:44:24 CEST 2009 On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 03:18:36PM -0400, Jon Smirl wrote: > On PowerPC the device tree is used to dynamically load the correct > codec module. How am I supposed to get this dynamically loaded module For an AC97 CODEC in the standard configuration there should be no need for the CODEC to appear in the device tree for it to be discovered. > registered? The WM8580 codec registers itself. The CODEC driver should use the normal kernel APIs to get itself probed. In the specific case of AC97 what ought to be happening is that the CODEC driver is dynamically probed based on the ID registers (as the non-ASoC AC97 core code does). There's quite a bit of infrastructure work that needs to be done on the AC97 bus to make that viable, though - at the minute it doesn't support dynamic module loading and is only used for secondary CODEC functions like touchscreens. There doesn't seem to be much prospect of anyone doing anything with this in the immediate future, most of the PC side effort is on HDA these days and in the embedded space the situation is similar and there's more urgent things with AC97 like platform data that are likely to get dealt with What's happening at the minute for ASoC is that AC97 CODECs are not required to be registered before the card instantiates. A better solution would involve having the AC97 controllers probed for CODECs when they register but that would require some cooperation from the machine driver since random actions may be required to ensure that the CODECs are operational (see Zylonite with CLK_POUT in use for a simple example). There would also be some fun handling the ac97.c adaptor but we can cross that bridge when we come to it. > Modifying the WM9712 codec to register itself on device load works for > me. If I don't do this how am I supposed to dynamically find the DAI > pointer so that I can call snd_soc_register_dais()? I'm unenthusiastic about including any more of this soc-of-simple stuff in CODEC drivers, if it's going to be more generally used it ought to be pushed into the core. soc-of-simple predates the core registration support and since registration is now required for everything there doesn't seem to be any sense in going through all the existing CODEC drivers adding specific bodges for this - we should just move the soc-of-simple stuff into the core registration functions so we don't need to modify the individual drivers. That doesn't solve your OpenFirmware problems; the easiest thing there is probably to do a specific soc-of-simple variant or option that knows how to find the various AC97 driver options there are. That's not ideal but it's tractable since there aren't that many AC97 CODECs. I don't think I'd object to core code to read the ID registers either so long as it doesn't impact boards that need to jump through hoops to get the I definitely don't want to be adding random platform devices for AC97 CODECs if at all possible since it feels like it complicates the AC97 support more than it already is. More information about the Alsa-devel
Many Canadians feel that the cost of local housing, whether purchased or rented, is beyond their means. Affordability is especially an issue in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. Less in the news are non-residential properties and the hardships their rising property taxes are causing to small businesses. It’s an expense that is causing small businesses to relocate, reconsider expansions and, in some instances, shutter, notes a recent Globe and Mail Report on Business. The process for assessing a commercial property’s value varies across the country. Some municipalities base commercial assessments on a property’s best potential use, as opposed to actual use, and as a result “end up with a property liable for a tax bill that doesn’t reflect the income stream the property is earning,” notes the article, quoting the executive director of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas. No matter which process is applied, the business owner gets no break First of all, even though a small business has a few bad years as a result of a declining economy their property tax continues to rise. Secondly, government wages and benefits including pension have grown to be far in excess of what industry and small business can afford. This dynamic seems unfair to me and cannot be supported long term. Finally, the tax system does not work. It may have worked when municipalities funded roads, water, sewage, and garbage. But now they are providing housing, social services, transportation, etc. etc. and yet the source of their income to fund these services is still property tax. And with the related increases in taxes, seniors and others who live in appreciating property are being driven out of their home. It would be more appropriate to use income tax, which is relative to what people can afford based upon their income. The municipalities could calculate their needs and the funds could be collected by Revenue Canada through an income tax surcharge that would vary based upon the municipality of residence. That approach would generate the same money and be more humane. I have proposed this to the province however the system will only change when there is sufficient political pressure. Small business pays way more than its share Back to the disparity—the tax rates for businesses are much higher than the tax rate for residences even though the businesses use fewer services. Garbage collection, snow removal, the maintenance of parks and the education budget, for instance, are all part of the package of municipal services included in the assessment. A real-life example: The property tax for our Ottawa-based office is $50,000 per year based upon an assessed value of around $2M. My house is assessed at one third of that but is taxed around $6,000 per year. So the commercial property is paying three times the tax based upon the same assessment. I don’t think that is fair. Do you? Whichever way you slice it, small business pays way more than its share. Do you own a small business? Check out my other posts directed to small business owners.
The Wheels On The Bus The Wheels on the Bus, 公车上的轮子, is a popular Western children song, and now you can learn to sing it in Mandarin. This is a great song loved by kids of all ages even as young as a few months old! Children love to add verses and act out movements when they sing the song. With its highly repetitive and catchy tune, learning it in Chinese will be so fun! Watch my video to learn how to properly pronounce the lyrics, and then sing with me and act out the movements. Download the colorful lyrics pages in Chinese, pinyin, and English. Practice Chinese vocabulary from the song with interactive flashcards, and then test your knowledge by taking an interactive fill in the blank quiz. For added fun, print out the template for a 3D bus to use as a perfect prop when singing this song. Don’t forget to watch the original version of the song by 智慧树 all the way on the bottom of this page. Learn to Sing 公车上的轮子 The Wheels On The Bus Study vocabulary words from Wheels On the Bus 3D Bus Template Print out the following template on thick card stock. Fold along the dotted lines and press firmly together. The dotted lines should be folded white sides together and apply glue. Use as a prop when you sing the song! Another version of The Wheels On The Bus by 智慧树 Annotated lyrics for the above version of the song. Hover over any Chinese word(s) to see the pinyin and English translation.
Math Placement Test Score - 13 or greater on Algebra I section or successful completion of the self-paced Algebra Program offered by the Math Learning Center. Discrete Mathematics for IT Prentice Hall, Custom Edition 2006 Math 112 satisfies the Discrete Mathematics requirement for the AIT degree. The course will cover the following topics: - Principles of Counting - Permutations and Combinations - Graphs and Trees - Summation Notation - Mathematical Induction - Test 1 : Thursday, February 13 - Test 2 : Thursday, March 20 - Test 3 : Thursday, April 17 - Final Exam : Tuesday, May 13, 12:00pm-2:00pm *NEW TIME Your grade for the course will be calculated based on three exams (100 points each), and a final exam (200 points). The sum of these grade divide by 6 determines your grade according to the scale: A: 90-100 B:80-89.9 C:70-79.9 D:65-69.9 F: below 65 + or - will be attached ( if applicable) to the grades that occur in the lower or upper 2 points of each category. No Make-up tests are given. Solutions will be posted online as soon as possible. Quizzes will be given in one of the following formats - In class on paper - Take-home on paper with a specific due date - On Blackboard submitted electronically during a specific time period Homework problems will be assigned at the end of each class and reviewed at the beginning of the next class meeting. Reading the sections of the text related to the problems is part of the homework assignment. If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Resources at 703.993.2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office. The University Honor Code is to be followed at all times. Sharing information of any kind about exams or quizzes is prohibited. This also applies to take-home quizzes. GMU Honor Code The Math Tutoring Center is located in the Johnson Center Room 344. Help is available on a walk-in basis. For hours of operation see Please be considerate of other students. Please get to class on time. If you must arrive late or leave early sit in the back near the door to minimize the distraction. Please turn off your cell phone before class. My responsibility as the instructor of this course is to answer questions and organize the material in a logical manner to facilitate learning. Your job as the student is to attend every class, arrive on time and be attentive, meet deadlines and be responsible for your learning.
Stand Up to Questionable Odds If you went to the movies in Los Angeles this summer, you may have seen the following ad from Stand Up to Cancer, a charitable program whose telethon aired last Friday night. A clear homage to MasterCard's long-running Priceless campaign, this ad swaps out prices for odds, ending with the sobering fact that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with some type of cancer in their lifetime. Presumably, those cancer odds are taken from The American Cancer society, which has the relevant stats posted here. When it comes to some of the other claims in the ad, though, I couldn't help but be skeptical. Take the bowling claim, for instance. This ad would have you believe that your odds of bowling a perfect game are 1 in 11,500. This seems quite high, even when I consider the fact that I am not a bowling master. Let's try to reverse-engineer this statistic. To score a perfect game in bowling, one must bowl 12 strikes in a row. Let us suppose that your probability of bowling a strike on any given frame is some number p. Furthermore, let's suppose that your performance in any frame is independent of your performance in any other frame, so that you have a probability p of bowling a strike each time it's your turn. Of course, whether or not these probabilities are independent is up for debate. On the one hand, bowling many strikes in a row may make you more anxious about keeping your streak going, which may in turn decrease your probability of another strike; but on the other hand, if you are an adrenaline junkie who thrives in the limelight that only a bowling alley can provide, perhaps such a chain would make it more likely for your streak to continue. In any event, these are questions better suited to a psychologist rather than a mathematician, so for simplicity let us ignore them here. If you have a probability p of bowling a strike, and a perfect game requires 12 strikes, then the probability you will score a perfect game is the product of 12 copies of p (one for each strike), or p12. If the above ad is to be believed, this probability must equal 1/11500. In other words, p12 = 1/11500. Taking the twelfth root of each side, we can then conclude that p = (1/11500)1/12 ≈ 0.4588. In other words, your odds of bowling a perfect game are 1 in 11,500 if and only if the probability that you'll bowl a strike is around 45.88%. This seems like an extremely generous probability to give to the population at large. After all, who among you or your circle of friends bowls a strike, on average, every other frame? Perhaps I bowl exclusively with people who are not very good (myself included), but I would think a fairer probability for the entire population would be closer to 20% or 30% (maybe even this is too generous). What to these two alternatives yield for the odds of bowling a perfect game? Well, if p = 0.3, then p12 is approximately 1 in 1,881,676; for p = 0.2, the odds plummet to 1 in 244,140,625. Both of these are significantly lower than the odds cited in the ad (roughly 164 and 21,230 times lower, respectively). It may be that the odds of witnessing a perfect game are around 11,500. For example, when you go to a bowling alley, there may be experienced players practicing. Moreover, there are many games occurring simultaneously at a bowling alley, thus increasing the odds that at least one of them will be a perfect game. But saying "you have a 1 in 11,500 chance of seeing someone else bowl a perfect game" doesn't sound as sexy as "you have a 1 in 11,500 chance of bowling a perfect game," I suppose. Some of the other odds are questionable as well. For example, the National Weather Service has some data here that suggests the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are about 1 in 500,000, not too far off from the ad's claim of 1 in 576,000. This isn't an apples to apples comparison, though, because the ad does not specify that these are the odds you will be struck by lightning in a given year. If we take into account the average lifespan in the United States (approximately 78 years), then the probability of being struck by lightning (in one's lifetime, not in one particular year) is closer to 1 - (499,999/500,000)78, which is around 1 in 6,411. Much higher, you'll note, than the odds of bowling a perfect game. (Once again, of course, we are assuming that the odds of being struck by lightning don't vary from year to year, and that the odds of being struck in one year are independent of the odds in any other year.) If the point of the ad is to give us an intuitive understanding of how likely it is for us to develop cancer, then it seems important to give benchmarks that are accurate and relatable. Most people have bowled, but few people will have a good intuitive understanding of what it means to face odds that are 1 in 1.8 million (the odds of bowling a perfect game if you get a strike 30% of the time). I think the point of the ad is understood regardless, but it's a shame that the claims leading up to this point weren't checked more thoroughly. Indeed, many of the odds quoted in the ad can be found here, a humor website that offers no sources for any of its statistics. Perhaps Jon Stewart was in charge of fact-checking. Given his lack of understanding about the nature of this program, this is perhaps the most reasonable explanation.comments powered by Disqus
713 - Bridge Rehabilitation, Steel Furnishing and fabricating structural steel additions/replacements of existing structures and steel portions of temporary supports shall be according to section 707 of the Standard Specifications for Construction. Shop drawings shall be submitted for approval prior to fabrication. Temporary supports for girder ends may either be as shown on the plans or an alternate design proposed by the Contractor and approved by the Engineer. three types are typically used on MDOT projects, column type supports from below, hanger or suspension type supports from above, and diaphragm types, where the hydraulic jack is placed directly on the substructure unit. If temporary hanger rods are used, reject any rods with notches, nicks, welds, or excessive corrosion. Each length of bar used to make hanger rods must be sampled and submitted along with certified mill test reports. Column supports may either bear on compacted natural ground, substructure concrete, or engineered fill as shown on the project plans. In all cases the material must be compacted to at least 95 percent of the maximum unit weight. Check the plans to verify if cross bracing of the temporary support columns are required, and if so, verify the cross bracing welds are sufficient. After supports have been erected but before loading temporary supports, ensure the offsets at each of the following locations, in each direction, and the sum, do not exceed one inch. - The horizontal offset from the top of the column to the bottom of the column - The horizontal offset of the hydraulic jack to the column centerline - The centerline offset of the column perpendicular to the beam web - The offset of the hydraulic jack to the beam web Once the hydraulic jacks are loaded, and the existing beam is unloaded, ensure the contractor does not remove the jacks until the new pin and hangers are installed and in operation. During the first four hours after loading, check hourly for settlement of temporary supports, and after that check daily. Shims must be added to correct any settlement in excess of 1/16 inch. Ensure the contractor does not place the column based plate directly on finished concrete. Timber mats are typically detailed in the plans. A general example a column type temporary support can be found in Appendix 7.06.04A of the MDOT Bridge Design Manual. Suspension type supports typically consist of and overhead beam and an underslung beam, connected with high strength hanger rods and heavy hex nuts. Material acceptance of the hanger rods is based on MDOT testing, and certified mill test reports. It is important to ensure an MDOT representative witnesses the removal and submission of samples for tensile and yield testing. Ensure the overhead and underslung beams are in contact with the top and bottom flanges of the beam to be unloaded, and ensure any vertical stiffeners are centered over the beams. Ensure the heavy hex nuts are adequately tightened prior to jacking operations. Ensure the hydraulic jacks are in the correct location with respect to the overhead beam, and the centerline of the existing bridge beam. Ensure the hydraulic jacks are equipped with locking rings or other positive locking devices to prevent settlement, or sudden unloading in case of hydraulic system failure. The Engineer may approve the removal of hydraulic jacks after placement of stable shims. If sufficient space permits the placement of hydraulic jacks directly on substructure units, ensure the hydraulic jacks are placed directly under load bearing diaphragms. H-1 grout in accordance with section 702 of the Standard Specifications for Construction must be used under hydraulic jacks to provide a smooth and level bearing surface. Ensure the contractor does not apply load until the grout reaches a compressive strength of 4,000 psi. If multiple hydraulic jacks are used they must be equally loaded and simultaneously advanced to avoid uneven or eccentric load which could damage the structure. Jacks must remain in place until repair or replacement and operation of structural components although the contractor may disconnect lines and pumps provided the equipment remains on the project. Ensure measurements of all pin and hangers to be replaced are taken, including pin diameters, distance between pins center to center, and length, width, and thickness of link plates. It is important that existing field dimensions are used to verify dimensions for shop drawings as opposed to existing plan dimensions. Ensure the girder web alignment is also measured by laying a straight edge across the opening at the top and bottom of the girders. If pin and hanger assemblies are being removed from more than one girder at a time, ensure that work is not being done the same end of adjacent girders or from both ends of the same girder for drop in spans. Ensure suspenders and shims are in place prior to beginning removal. The link plates should be cut first, following the diagonal opening between girder ends, or at the pin with a sheet metal shield behind the link plate to protect the girder. After cutting the link plate the pins should be cut with a sheet metal shield around the pin holes. If the contractor choses to burn a hole through the ends of the pin for ease of removal, ensure the appropriate metal heat shield is in place to protect the pin plates. Caution must be exercised by the contractor not to damage the pin plates, pin holes or any other portion of the structural steel that will remain in place. If the girder or pin plates are nicked, gouged, cut, or otherwise damaged during the removal process notify the Engineer and Bridge Field Services. A repair plan will need to be submitted for approval. If existing end diaphragms prevent installation of new pins, do not allow the contractor to loosen or remove the diaphragm. A hole in the web of the diaphragm may be flame cut, ground smooth and cleaned and coated to allow for easier installation of new pins. It is important to note that cleaning and coating 3 feet each side of the centerline of the pin and hanger is included in the Hanger Assembly, Rem and Erect pay item, and is not paid for as part of Structural Steel Cleaning and Coating pay items. Ensure all bolt holes for bearing stiffeners are field drilled and not flame cut. Upon completion of the field drilling, ensure faying surfaces, and other contact surfaces are cleaned, and primed per section 715 of the Standard Specifications for Construction. Ensure the bearing ends of the angles or bent plates used as stiffeners are ground smooth, and fit tightly against the top and bottom flanges of the existing beam. Do not allow the contractor to connect the stiffener to the existing beams via welding unless called for in the plans. Sealant must be applied around the perimeter of bolted or riveted plates or angles on steel beams as shown on the plans or directed by the Engineer. Ensure the sealant must is applied over the epoxy intermediate coat when dry to the touch. The urethane top coat must be applied over the sealant after both the intermediate coat and sealant is fully cured. All surfaces receiving sealant must be clean and dry at the time of application. Ensure sealant is not be applied when the air or surface temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Immediately after the sealant is applied, ensure the sealant is tooled to form a 5/16 inch fillet and force it against the contact surface. Sufficient sealant shall be applied to completely fill all pits and depressions regardless of width and depth in the steel beam. All heat straightening work must be conducted under the direct on-site supervision of a pre-approved structural steel heat straightening specialist listed on the frequently used special provision 12SP713(A), or a specialist who has been approved by Bridge Field Services based on submittal of written documentation of three years’ experience, on a continuous basis, with successfully heat straightening comparable steel structures. Heat straightening must not be started before obtaining the Engineers approval of the heat straightening types and methods, and after providing at least 48 hours’ notice to the Engineer. Heat straightening may not be performed if the area is exposed to precipitation, unless the area is housed and approved by the Engineer. The temperature of the steel must be monitored to ensure it does not exceed 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The contractor must provide heat indicating devices and make them available to the inspector. After each heat straightening cycle the steel must be allowed to cool to 250 degrees Fahrenheit before beginning the next heating cycle. It is not permitted to cool the steel by applying water or any other materials or methods that would accelerate cooling. The application of heat during heat straightening works by providing restraint during the heating process and applying heat in select locations so that when the steel cools it moves back into place. Mechanically straightening the steel is not permitted. It is important to finish heat straightening before reattaching any cross frames or diaphragms. Forcing the beams into position to attach cross frames or diaphragms is not permitted. Ensure that all bends, creases, folds and dents in beam, diaphragm and stiffener elements are eliminated. See section 713 of the Standard Specifications for Construction for the tolerances for heat straightening. Once heat straightening is complete, ensure the contractor grinds burrs, nicks, gouges and scrapes. Report cracks or tears in the beams, or other structural steel elements to the Engineer. Cracks are to be repaired by welding in accordance with subsection 707.03.D.8 of the Standard Specifications for Construction. If realigning rockers of more than one girder at a time, do not work on the same ends of adjacent girders. Before removing rockers from girders make sure girder ends are stably supported on shims. Sole plate welds must be removed by grinding unless shown on the plans and approved by the Engineer. Sole plates must be cleaned and coated along with the other contact surfaces, in accordance with the plans, before welding of the sole plates. Ensure the sole plates are placed in the appropriate location to provide the correct rocker tilt in accordance with the plans. Beam ends must be cut with a plasma cutting torch to provide adjacent vertical beam ends that are 1 inch apart. The same amount shall be cut from each adjacent beam end, but no more than ½ inch from either beam. Beam ends must be marked prior to cutting and guides or straight edges shall be used to provide control. All cut edges must be ground to remove burrs, nicks, gouges, and scrapes before cleaning and coating in accordance with section 715 of the Standard Specifications for Construction. When trimming beam ends at pin and hanger assemblies, ensure the pin plates themselves are not trimmed. For wide flange beams, the protruding web and fillet weld may be removed. Remove structural steel as shown on the plans using mechanical methods, plasma cutting, or air-arc gouging. Ensure that removal does not extend beyond the limits shown on the plans, and ensure that adjacent structural steel is not damaged. Removal or damage of structural steel beyond the limits shown in the plans should immediately be brought to the attention of the Engineer and Bridge Field Services. Preparation of existing structural steel to accept proposed components may include grinding, drilling, and coping holes in accordance with the plans. All field welding, inspection, and testing must be in accordance with section 707 of the Standard Specifications for Construction and cleaning and coating must be in accordance with section 715 of the Standard Specifications for Construction. Ensure that any field welding is done by a certified welder with an approved weld procedure. Any vertical field welding must be done in the upward direction (starting at the bottom and working towards the top). Welding vertically in the downward direction is not permitted. Bolted repairs are often used to strengthen structural steel that has significant section loss. It is important that prior to erecting structural steel for bolted repairs that the faying surfaces of existing steel have been cleaned, primed, and cured as recommended by the paint manufacturer for slip critical surfaces. High strength bolts for bolted repairs on fascia girders must be oriented with the bolt shank pointing upwards through flanges and inward through webs.
An-Naẓẓām spent his youth in Basra, moving to Baghdad as a young man. There he studied speculative theology under the great Muʿtazilite theologian Abū al-Hudhayl al-ʿAllāf but soon broke away from him to found a school of his own. It seems to have been an-Naẓẓām who began the struggle against the intellectual influences of Asiatic Hellenism, which the Muʿtazilites represented, a struggle that Muslim thinkers were to continue for centuries. In his theological thinking he was the first to formulate several problems that were of major importance to orthodox Muslim theologians. He convincingly argued that the material world had been created in time by God and did not exist from all eternity to all eternity. Much more important, though, was his discussion of the question of human free will. Muslim theology stressed the transcendent power of God, which brought into question the efficacy of human will in determining human actions. To an-Naẓẓām man consisted of two aspects. One was his material self, which was reflected in his actions and movements in the material world and which was under the sway of God’s power. Man, however, was equally spirit, not subject to the determinism of the material world but free to make choices and thus become morally responsible.
Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program grants are funded by specialty license plate sales LANSING, Mich. – (RealEstateRama) — Locals and tourists in South Haven will be able to enjoy a well-maintained historic icon for years to come thanks to a Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program grant. The Historical Association of South Haven (HASH) will receive $60,000 to continue its work to preserve and protect the South Pier Light, Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s Executive Director Kevin Elsenheimer and State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway announced. “Growing up in northern Michigan, I have seen firsthand the enthusiasm people have for lighthouses,” Elsenheimer said. “Thanks to Michigan residents who buy specialty lighthouse license plates for their cars, we are able to assist with the preservation of South Haven’s South Pier Light.” In 2012 ownership of the lighthouse was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to HASH with the stipulation that it be maintained. The society plans to use the funds to hire a contractor to repaint and repair the metal exterior of the lighthouse. “Lighthouses are an important part of Lake Michigan’s history,” said State Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Lawton). “This grant will allow the Historical Association of South Haven to restore the South Pierhead lighthouse so that it may continue to inspire future generations.” The original wooden lighthouse was constructed in 1872 at the end of the south pier entrance to the Black River. It was replaced by the current steel lighthouse in 1903. The lantern portion is believed to be from the original lighthouse. The catwalk leading out to the lighthouse is one of only four that survive in Michigan. “The South Pier lighthouse is emblematic of South Haven and has been in need of extensive restoration because of lack of maintenance and corrosion caused by the weather,” said State Rep. Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton). “I am happy that this stunning tourist draw will be repaired, and hope it will greet visitors to our area for another century.” Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program grant recipients are chosen annually through a competitive application process and are required to contribute 50 percent of the grant amount as matching funds. Since 2001 the State Historic Preservation Office has award more than $1.5 million in grants toward the preservation of lighthouses. “With more than 120 lighthouses along its shorelines and offshore, Michigan could be called the ‘Lighthouse State’ in addition to the Great Lake State. These iconic structures, often located in remote areas, have come to represent Michigan,” Conway said. Vehicle owners in Michigan can help support the preservation of these maritime structures by purchasing a State of Michigan specialty license plate from the Secretary of State. To learn more about these special license plates, or to purchase one for your vehicle, please visit the license plate store at michigan.gov/sos. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is financed in part by a grant from the National Park Service, Department of Interior. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of the Interior. The Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on its federally funded assistance programs. If you believe you’ve been discriminated against please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C. St. NW, Washington DC 20240. The State Historic Preservation Office is part of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), which provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents and to engage in community economic development activities to revitalize urban and rural communities. *MSHDA’s loans and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds as well as notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. Proceeds are loaned at below-market interest rates to developers of rental housing, and help fund mortgages and home improvement loans. MSHDA also administers several federal housing programs. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mshda.
Molly has said the scandal of power stations burning millions of tonnes of wood pellets from the US, is the result of ‘government prejudice against domestic renewables’. A new study by Chatham House argues that overall, using woody biomass for energy releases higher levels of emissions than coal. Greens have consistently argued against classifying large scale biomass as a clean and carbon-neutral energy source and have called instead for investment in genuine renewable sources such as solar wind and tidal energy. Molly said: “Small scale biomass which uses sustainable wastes or locally coppiced wood has its place in a renewable energy mix. But the harvesting of timber on an industrial scale and shipping it across the Atlantic cannot be considered either sustainable or carbon neutral. “The real scandal here though is that the use of wood pellets on this scale has come about because of a government prejudiced against domestic renewables. Since I became an MEP, there have been two major off-shore wind farms dropped: Navitus Bay in Dorset and the Atlantic Array off the North Devon coast. Combined, these could have generated enough electricity for over a million and a half homes. And then there have been huge cuts to solar subsidies, and planning regulations that make onshore wind farm development virtually impossible, it is clear we have a government that has an ideological opposition to clean green renewable power. “The South West could be a green beacon to the rest of the country, showing how it is possible to produce in excess of 100% of our energy needs from renewables. We have the resources, the people, the skills and the ambition to make this happen. All that is missing is the political will.”
WATER GAMES - scoop a ball and put it in the correct pail, according to the colours. Great for colour recognition and matching. The balls in the pool, up close. The children have to scoop up a ball and put in the correct pail with the corresponding label. These are the pails with the colour labels. Most children of 2 and 3 understand the game well! Another game which they played was pouring coloured water into coloured pails - another good matching game as well as enhancing hand-eye coordination.
ARBRE’s overarching goal is to better understand the mechanisms governing the adaptation and evolution of trees and forests in order to predict their responses to global changes (climate change and land use) in the medium and long-term, ultimately to guarantee sustained production of quality ecosystem goods and services. Recognizing that forest resilience and productivity both rely on a range of biological and biophysical processes, the ARBRE research agenda is centered on the interactions that occur between these processes at micro-, meso-, and macroscales. ARBRE’s main research objectives are to further understanding of the biological, ecological and evolutionary processes that affect interactions between organisms in temperate forest ecosystems, and to develop new approaches to address key questions related to nutrient cycling, carbon storage and cycling, forest productivity, wood products, ecosystem services and sustainable forest management. We have implemented a cross-thematic approach activating a wide range of disciplines – from genomics to functional ecology and economics – in order to understand, monitor and predict community structures, dynamics and processes in forest ecosystems. ARBRE is also focused on addressing key questions in forest ecology and evolution by synthesizing existing data, developing innovative conceptual models, designing novel wood products and providing policy recommendations based on scientific data. ARBRE’s unique added value, relative to existing international research efforts in this field, is its integrated approach designed to: (i) develop a comprehensive molecular-level understanding of the forest soil microbiome, tree-microbe interactions, and tree development and functioning, through the application of ‘-omics’ approaches and system biology; (ii) generate functional and mechanistic insights into the complex interactions between biogeochemical cycles, carbon sequestration and biodiversity in forests, including interspecific and intraspecific genetic variability. This is achieved by using long-term observatories (LTO) for field experiments such as isotopes tracing and large database analysis; (iii) integrate biochemistry- and biophysics-based knowledge to understand wood formation and to produce timber with properties tailored for ‘green’ end-products; (iv) contribute to the broader development of social, economic, and regulatory policies related to forest sciences and innovation in France, with specific focus on biodiversity; (v) provide high level training for careers in France’s R&D-driven industries and institutions; and (vi) rapidly disseminate scientific innovation to end users represented in the ARBRE consortium [i.e., the National Forests Office (ONF), the National Center for Forest Owners (CNPF), among others]. ARBRE’s research groups combine both bottom-up and top-down approaches (from understanding processes to forest functions, and from production of goods and services back to processes) within a series of interconnected task forces or work packages (WPs). WP1 integrates genomics know-how and toolkits to identify major genetic factors controlling soil microbiomes, root-microbe interactions, tree root development and functioning, and is focused on responses to global changes. WP2 investigates the processes that occur at the soil/microbe/tree and tree/atmosphere interfaces in forest ecosystems and forecasts the state and evolution of temperate forests. WP3 links wood properties of the forest resource to ‘green’ end-products that can be derived from wood fibers and their chemical components. WP4 is focused on developing biodiversity indicators and a new set of economic instruments (e.g. payment instruments) for motivating forest managers based on those indicators. - Actions Thématiques - Projets de recherche - Projets de thèses en cours - Projets post-doctoraux en cours - Projets post-doctoraux – clos
This 400-acre preserve is located on the Tuckahoe Creek and includes portions of the region's most significant wetlands. Offers four miles of walks, education programs, art exhibits, lectures, workshops, garden tours, and Nursery Hours Thursday, Friday and Saturday's 10-4 April through October. Public amenities include a visitor's center with gift shop, library, and meeting room. Many volunteer opportunities available. Visitor's center open Guided Nature Walks 1st Saturday of every month 10:00am Meeting Rooms Gallery rental for Non-profit $100.00 for 4 hours and $150.00 over 4 hours. Corporate or individual $500.00 for 4 hours and $1000.00 for full day. Rentals are during normal hours of Tuesday - Friday 10:00 - 4:00. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Promotes the study and enjoyment of birds, knowledge about our natural resources and fosters its appreciation and conservation. Maintains a system of sanctuaries to encourage the conservation of birds and their habitats. Helps to record and publish observations of bird life. Volunteers accepted to help clean Pelot Sanctuary, go into schools and teach children about nature, and to lead bird walks. If you find an injured bird, please review the following document that explains how to care for it: www.mdbirds.org/conservation/rehab/rehab.html. To find a bird rehabilitator in your area, please go to the following website: www.mwra.org. For our Facebook page please visit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Caroline-County-Bird-Club/138388266259687... Presents a variety of programs throughout the year, see www.carolinearts.org for a complete listing and friend on facebook/carolinearts/ for updates. Administers The Foundry community arts gallery, the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore (see FiberArtsCenter.com), and maintains a local artist registry. Volunteers accepted. The Historical Society is at work on a project "Preserving Old Caroline", which seeks to document, stabilize, relocate, market, restore and salvage numerous historic structures throughout the county. Some of these buildings will be relocated to the evolving Linchester Mill project, or the new "ArtsWay" in Denton. Other buildings will be sold and restored by private owners with the assistance of the Historical Society. In addition, they are working in conjunction with the Tourism Office on creating a tourism infrastructure and plan to use small buildings as tourist information points, such as kiosks and visitor reception buildings. The Museum of Rural Life, run by members of the Historical Society, is open to the public. It acts as a repository of Caroline County artifacts. There is a mailing list notifying members of annual meetings and special fundraising events. Individuals and school groups are invited to tour the Museum. Offers free public computers with internet access, free wifi, color printing for $.25 a page, black and white copying for $.25 a page, free scanning, free access to databases, books by mail, a family information center, meeting rooms, faxing for $1.00 per fax, and free access to books, ebooks, audiobooks, DVD's, magazines, newspapers, and CD's. Proctoring can be done, by appointment, Monday - Friday between 3:00 - 6:00pm, the customer requesting this service is responsible for getting details of the requirements for the proctored session OR should initiate contact between the testing entity and staff at the library. Proctoring will only be done at the Central Library location in Denton and will only be scheduled if staff are available. Offers free public computers with internet access, free wifi, color printing for $.25 a page, black and white copying for $.25 a page, free scanning, free access to databases, books by mail, a family information center, free meeting rooms for qualified groups, faxing for $1 per fax, and free access to books, ebooks, audiobooks, DVD's, magazines, newspapers, and CD's. Offers free public computers with internet access, free wifi, color printing for $.25 a page, black and white copying for $.25 a page, free scanning, free access to databases, books by mail, a family information center, faxing for $1 per fax, and free access to books, ebooks, audiobooks, DVD's, magazines, newspapers, and CD's. The meeting room adjacent to the Greensboro Branch is managed by Maryland Rural Development Center. It is available at no cost for free meetings that are open to the public with a capacity of 45-50 people. Call 410-482-2585 ext. 210 for more information. We meet the third Monday of the month at 7:00pm. Meetings usually held at Subway on Legion Rd. Everyone who wants to help the youth of Caroline County are welcome to attend our meeting to see what you can do to help!!! The Chesapeake Bay Community Band was formed in 1994 as the Kent Island Volunteer Marching Band and incorporated as a 501c3 Non Profit Organization. The group performs public concerts and provides musical support for community functions in Queens Anne's County Maryland and the surrounding Chesapeake Bay Region. The group became the Chesapeake Bay Community Band in October of 2009. As is the tradition with community bands, the group includes musicians from all walks of life. The band's repertoire includes marches, classic concert band literature and Broadway favorites. The Chesapeake Bay Community Band is opened to anyone who plays a concert band instrument and has the desire to perform in a community band. We are always looking for new members. The band rehearses Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 8:30pm at the American Legion located at 800 Romancoke Road, Stevensville, MD 21666.
A conventional valuation which is established as the outcome of the mass psychology of a large number of ignorant individuals is liable to change violently as the result of a sudden fluctuation of opinion due to factors which do not really make much difference to the prospective yield; since there will be no strong roots of conviction to hold it steady. In abnormal times in particular, when the hypothesis of an indefinite continuance of the existing state of affairs is less plausible than usual even though there are no express grounds to anticipate a definite change, the market will be subject to waves of optimistic and pessimistic sentiment, which are unreasoning and yet in a sense legitimate where no solid basis exists for a reasonable calculation. But there is one feature in particular which deserves our attention. It might have been supposed that competition between expert professionals, possessing judgment and knowledge beyond that of the average private investor, would correct the vagaries of the ignorant individual left to himself. It happens, however, that the energies and skill of the professional investor and speculator are mainly occupied otherwise. For most of these persons are, in fact, largely concerned, not with making superior long-term forecasts of the probable yield of an investment over its whole life, but with foreseeing changes in the conventional basis of valuation a short time ahead of the general public. They are concerned, not with what an investment is really worth to a man who buys it “for keeps”, but with what the market will value it at, under the influence of mass psychology, three months or a year hence. Moreover, this behaviour is not the outcome of a wrong-headed propensity. It is an inevitable result of an investment market organised along the lines described. For it is not sensible to pay 25 for an investment of which you believe the prospective yield to justify a value of 30, if you also believe that the market will value it at 20 three months hence. Thus the professional investor is forced to concern himself with the anticipation of impending changes, in the news or in the atmosphere, of the kind by which experience shows that the mass psychology of the market is most influenced. This is the inevitable result of investment markets organised with a view to so-called “liquidity”. Of the maxims of orthodox finance none, surely, is more anti-social than the fetish of liquidity, the doctrine that it is a positive virtue on the part of investment institutions to concentrate their resources upon the holding of “liquid” securities. It forgets that there is no such thing as liquidity of investment for the community as a whole. The social object of skilled investment should be to defeat the dark forces of time and ignorance which envelop our future. The actual, private object of the most skilled investment to-day is “to beat the gun”, as the Americans so well express it, to outwit the crowd, and to pass the bad, or depreciating, half-crown to the other fellow. This battle of wits to anticipate the basis of conventional valuation a few months hence, rather than the prospective yield of an investment over a long term of years, does not even require gulls amongst the public to feed the maws of the professional; — it can be played by professionals amongst themselves. Nor is it necessary that anyone should keep his simple faith in the conventional basis of valuation having any genuine long-term validity. For it is, so to speak, a game of Snap, of Old Maid, of Musical Chairs — a pastime in which he is victor who says Snap neither too soon nor too late, who passes the Old Maid to his neighbour before the game is over, who secures a chair for himself when the music stops. These games can be played with zest and enjoyment, though all the players know that it is the Old Maid which is circulating, or that when the music stops some of the players will find themselves unseated. Or, to change the metaphor slightly, professional investment may be likened to those newspaper competitions in which the competitors have to pick out the six prettiest faces from a hundred photographs, the prize being awarded to the competitor whose choice most nearly corresponds to the average preferences of the competitors as a whole; so that each competitor has to pick, not those faces which he himself finds prettiest, but those which he thinks likeliest to catch the fancy of the other competitors, all of whom are looking at the problem from the same point of view. It is not a case of choosing those which, to the best of one’s judgment, are really the prettiest, nor even those which average opinion genuinely thinks the prettiest. We have reached the third degree where we devote our intelligences to anticipating what average opinion expects the average opinion to be. And there are some, I believe, who practise the fourth, fifth and higher degrees. If the reader interjects that there must surely be large profits to be gained from the other players in the long run by a skilled individual who, unperturbed by the prevailing pastime, continues to purchase investments on the best genuine long-term expectations he can frame, he must be answered, first of all, that there are, indeed, such serious-minded individuals and that it makes a vast difference to an investment market whether or not they predominate in their influence over the game-players. But we must also add that there are several factors which jeopardise the predominance of such individuals in modern investment markets. Investment based on genuine long-term expectation is so difficult to-day as to be scarcely practicable. He who attempts it must surely lead much more laborious days and run greater risks than he who tries to guess better than the crowd how the crowd will behave; and, given equal intelligence, he may make more disastrous mistakes. There is no clear evidence from experience that the investment policy which is socially advantageous coincides with that which is most profitable. It needs more intelligence to defeat the forces of time and our ignorance of the future than to beat the gun. Moreover, life is not long enough; — human nature desires quick results, there is a peculiar zest in making money quickly, and remoter gains are discounted by the average man at a very high rate. The game of professional investment is intolerably boring and over-exacting to anyone who is entirely exempt from the gambling instinct; whilst he who has it must pay to this propensity the appropriate toll. Furthermore, an investor who proposes to ignore near-term market fluctuations needs greater resources for safety and must not operate on so large a scale, if at all, with borrowed money — a further reason for the higher return from the pastime to a given stock of intelligence and resources. Finally it is the long-term investor, he who most promotes the public interest, who will in practice come in for most criticism, wherever investment funds are managed by committees or boards or banks. For it is in the essence of his behaviour that he should be eccentric, unconventional and rash in the eyes of average opinion. If he is successful, that will only confirm the general belief in his rashness; and if in the short run he is unsuccessful, which is very likely, he will not receive much mercy. Worldly wisdom teaches that it is better for reputation to fail conventionally than to succeed unconventionally. So far we have had chiefly in mind the state of confidence of the speculator or speculative investor himself and may have seemed to be tacitly assuming that, if he himself is satisfied with the prospects, he has unlimited command over money at the market rate of interest. This is, of course, not the case. Thus we must also take account of the other facet of the state of confidence, namely, the confidence of the lending institutions towards those who seek to borrow from them, sometimes described as the state of credit. A collapse in the price of equities, which has had disastrous reactions on the marginal efficiency of capital, may have been due to the weakening either of speculative confidence or of the state of credit. But whereas the weakening of either is enough to cause a collapse, recovery requires the revival of both. For whilst the weakening of credit is sufficient to bring about a collapse, its strengthening, though a necessary condition of recovery, is not a sufficient condition.
There has not been a snake entry this whole month. Something must be wrong. Time to remedy this! I swear to gods that snake is not venomous. It does, however, want you to think that it is; tri-color milk snakes (Lampropeltis triangulum, various subspecies) utilize Batesian mimicry, copying the venomous coral snake's banded pattern. The milk snake itself is not venomous; it is a beneficial snake that not only kills rodents, but, like many king snakes, eats other snakes. (If you want to see a California king snake (L. getula) doing what it does best, click this link.) Milk snakes are found in forests and biology books throughout the U.S., parts of Canada, and Central America. As you can see, this little snake is not venomous. Either that, or the guy holding it is crazy. It is suspected that, due to the coral snake's fatal venom (thus eliminating any animal stupid enough to touch it), both coral snakes and milk snakes are instead copying a less-venomous species. (This is refuted by the mimicry of other milk snakes to other venomous species; maybe my textbook was outdated and/or wrong. It is, however, supported by the idea that most Batesian mimics copy distasteful/painful species rather than venomous ones. I'm really on the fence, here.) Milk snakes aren't the only ones in on this banded mimicry deal, either; there is one type of caterpillar that bears a striking (...bad pun) resemblance to a coral snake (from Asia, apparently). There are copies of copies of copies of this banded pattern in nature - hint hint, gaming companies. THIS can kill you. So, how do you tell the non-toxic snakes from the poisonous ones? If you are from the U.S., you might already know this one: "Red next to yellow will kill a fellow; red next to black is a friend of Jack." There are a few other mnemonic devices, but the basic idea is that red next to black is safe. You can also look at things like band width, but really, it's better to just leave the snake alone. Coral snakes, despite being deadly, are reclusive creatures and prefer not to be disturbed; milk snakes are helpful and should be left to their own devices. Milk snakes are so called because they are easy to find around barns, and were once thought to suck milk from a cow's udders. Don't try that at home; even though the Greeks and Romans left out offerings of milk for snakes, it really is not good for them and the milk snake cannot suck milk out of cow udders. Plus, what did I say about cows and milk when I did aurochs? Milk snakes are also popular in the exotic pet trade. Milk snakes can hybridize with corn snakes (a risky venture, given that they even eat their own species), other milk snakes and king snakes for some really trippy combos. More importantly, within milk snakes (especially the Pueblan milk snake), you have albino, tangerine, 'Oreo' and 'Halloween' color morphs. From Milksnakes.com. I swear I would have self-hosted if Blogger pic hosting was not so slow. Happy early Halloween, all! I have something even trippier for Halloween Day!
To whom it may concern, I believe Mobile learning is a good technique for this school. Due to low supply students are unable to been home work that was done is class, so instead work is left in school to be finished the next day. With teenagers it only take hours for them to forget what they learned. If students are given mobile learning they would be more able to remember. Work will be take home and it would be much easier to travel with school work.
[np_storybar title=”Black Friday shopping starts early — and crowds waste no time creating trouble: Video” link=”#6″] Deal-hunters marked the official start of the holiday shopping season by swarming stores across America Friday morning. The yearly event, named because it’s the day retailers traditionally go “into the black” on their ledger books for the year has evolved into a shopping frenzy with stories of people getting trampled, shot and sometimes even killed in the process. Here’s a look at how the day went down in 2012: Authorities believe a disagreement over a parking space led to two people being shot and wounded outside a Walmart in Tallahassee, Fla. Police say officers responded to the shooting shortly after noon on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. A man and a woman — discovered at the store’s outdoor garden center — were taken to a nearby hospital with wounds that were not considered life-threatening. They were expected to make a full recovery. No arrests were immediately made, but police were searching for a dark green Toyota Camry in connection with the case. 4:03 p.m. ET Shoppers at a Walmart fighting over cell phones can be seen shoving one another and struggling to stay standing. At one point, a woman yells “Stop!” as the shoppers around her continue to grab at the merchandise. 3:45 p.m. ET Five men stole from a 14-year-old at a Bed, Bath & Beyond at about 2 a.m. on Friday, the Baltimore Sun reports. The victim told police the men accosted him on the sidewalk just outside the store, one of them punched him and another stole a bag containing merchandise he had just purchased, the newspaper reported. A line-up in front of a Sears store in San Antonio got a bit of a shock Thursday night as two Black Friday shoppers waiting to get into the store had a violent altercation. Allegedly, Alejandro Alex punched Jose Alonzo Salame in the face, and then Salame followed that up by pulling a black 9mm semi-automatic handgun. When confronted by police, Salame showed them his concealed handgun licence, which made brandishing the weapon legal. 3:03 p.m. ET Protesters outside a Walmart in California, lobbying for better working conditions, are being arrested, according to CBS. #BREAKING Walmart protestors who sat in the middle of lanes on Century Blvd. in Paramount are being arrested by sheriff’s deputies. CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) November 23, 2012 The draw of pink underwear and pyjama bottoms was just too much for a crowd of teenage girls from Kansas on Black Friday, as they nearly overwhelmed a line of security guards and a brave Victoria’s Secret manager inside a crowded mall. Before the gate in front of the store’s entrance even rose, the crowd of several hundred young people lurched forward and filled the air with high-pitched screaming. 1:42 p.m. ET Apparently unwilling to obey the commands of a police officer to get back in a Black Friday lineup inside a Florida Walmart, one woman ended up in jail, according to Bay News 9. She claimed she was frantically looking for her sister-in-law, whom she’d lost in the crowd, according to the report. But when she tried to push past a bulky officer, he stopped her and she “began screaming, causing a larger scene and disturbing other customers.” She was charged with disorderly conduct. 1:26 p.m. ET Shopping during Black Friday takes persistence and concentration — but ideally not so much concentration that you forget your girlfriend’s son in the car. A man from Massachusetts left the two-year-old boy in the car as he shopped for a TV at a Kmart on Thursday night, according to a Fox News report. After he purchased the TV, he went home and left his car — with the kid inside it — in the parking lot. Police found the child asleep inside the vehicle at 1:30 a.m. It’s not immediately evident how the man — who claimed he lost the child and panicked — got the giant flat-screen TV home without use of a car. *sigh* // Massachusetts man takes home TV, leaves kid during Black Friday shopping, cops say | Fox News fxn.ws/V1Tk4r Jay Acevedo (@Darth_Jay) November 23, 2012 As Black Fridays wears on, anticipated videos of shoppers swarming merchandise displays and fighting with one another have begun to emerge. In this YouTube video, a man shopping at Wal-Mart with his two children records a hoard of people scrambling to get their hands on $5 headphones. Once the merchandise is unveiled, it disappears within 15 seconds. 12:30 p.m. ET It used to just be parents eager to nab the hottest Christmas gifts for their kids lined up outside Black Friday retailers. But Black Friday shoppers are getting younger and younger. This year’s crowds have been dominated by packs of teenagers and young adults, waiting in line in the cold for the experience and for the hot deals. “More than a third of those aged 18 to 29 report they will be taking advantage of the sales and price discounts,” the research agency Gallup said in a report. “Black Friday shopping intentions drop off as age increases, falling to 8% for those 65 and older.” 12:15 p.m. ET Black Friday isn’t even over yet, and Wal-Mart is already calling the day of shopping madness its best ever. “During the high traffic period from 8 p.m. through midnight, Walmart processed nearly 10 million register transactions and almost 5,000 items per second,” the company said in a release. Over the course of those four hours, 22 million people were shopping in Wal-Mart stores. Protests by Walmart workers in at least nine states apparently did little to deter the masses from shopping. Read more here. 11:30 a.m. ET One Redditor posted his Black Friday work schedule. 10:43 a.m ET A thread on Reddit has popped up with a user claiming to have taken a photograph of a baby left untended at a U.S. Best Buy. Back story: I take my two cousins out to Black Friday because they can’t drive yet and it’s been a 5 year long tradition. One of my cousins was waiting on line for the TV he wanted and the other was hanging out with me(white pants). We are hanging around, resting from standing in the cold for 2 hours, and this woman walks from this little area into the aisles of the store and starts shopping for stuff. My cousin points out that there’s a baby in the carrier and no one’s is watching him or her. We decided to see how long the parent would take to come back. 20 minutes. This woman left her infant unattended for 20 minutes in a Best Buy on their busiest and most chaotic day. Someone could have easily taken the infant out from the carrier and walked out of the store, and she would not have known until she looked in the carrier. People make me sick. 10:35 a.m ET More pictures from Black Friday crowds across the U.S. 9:30 a.m ET By the time Lori Chandler, 54, and her husband, Sam, 55, reached the Wal-Mart in Greenville, S.C. early Friday, they had already hit several stores, including Target and Best Buy. In fact, they had been holiday shopping since midnight. “It’s a tradition,” Lori said as she looked at some toys she bought for her four grandchildren. Sam, smiling, agreed: “We’ve learned over the years, you have to stand in line early and pray.” The intensity of some of the Black Friday shopping played out in social media, with some people literally throwing up. This mall is a force ppl throwin up on dis blackfriday ewwwwwwww!!! http://t.co/XlXLKrNb Papi (@10akbrooks) November 23, 2012 And some people passing out. Stevie Hendrix (@stevie_lynne) November 23, 2012 6:30 a.m ET In the moments before Black Friday began, about 11,000 shoppers waited in lines wrapping around Macy’s flagship store in New York City, which opened its doors at midnight. Joan Riedewald, a private aide for the elderly, was among them — as were her four children. By the time they showed up at the department store, Riedewalde had already spent about $100 at Toys R Us and planned to spend another $500 at Macy’s before heading to Old Navy. “I only shop for sales,” she said. The Black Friday festivities started earlier than ever this year, with some stores, such as Toys R Us and Target, opening their doors during U.S. Thanksgiving Thursday night. Others stuck to the recent tradition of opening at midnight. Retailers are hoping that the earlier openings will help boost sales this holiday season. About 147 million people are expected to turn out for the sales in the U.S. between Friday and Sunday, according to the National Retail Federation. Overall, it’s estimated that U.S. sales on Black Friday will be up 3.8% to $11.4-billion this year. While no one expects the same kinds of crowds, many Canadian retailers are opting to import U.S.-style Black Friday sales this year, even though Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving in October and the year’s biggest sales traditionally come after Christmas. “What we really wanted to do was show retailers how we can work together to embrace the phenomenon,” said Meredith Vlitas, senior marketing director at the Eaton Centre in Toronto, Canada’s highest-traffic mall. In the U.S., the earlier hours are an effort by stores to make shopping as convenient as possible for Americans, who they fear won’t spend freely during the two-month holiday season in November and December because of economic uncertainty. Many shoppers are worried about high unemployment and a package of tax increases and spending cuts known as the “fiscal cliff” that will take effect in January unless Congress passes a budget deal by then. At the same time, Americans have grown more comfortable shopping on websites that offer cheap prices and the convenience of being able to buy something from smartphones, laptops and tablet computers from just about anywhere. That’s put added pressure on brick-and-mortar stores, which can make up to 40% of their annual revenue during the holiday shopping season, to give consumers a compelling reason to leave their homes. That’s becoming more difficult: the National Retail Federation estimates that overall sales in November and December will rise 4.1% this year to $586.1 billion, or about flat with last year’s growth. But the online part of that is expected to rise 15% to $68.4 billion, according to Forrester Research. As a result, brick-and-mortar retailers have been trying everything they can to lure consumers into stores. Some stores tested the earlier hours last year, but this year more retailers opened their doors late on Thanksgiving or earlier on Black Friday. In addition to expanding their hours, many also are offering free layaways and shipping, matching the cheaper prices of online rivals and updating their mobile shopping apps with more information. “Every retailer wants to beat everyone else,” said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, a research firm based in Charleston, S.C. “Shoppers love it.” Indeed, some holiday shoppers seemed to find stores’ earlier hours appealing. “I ate my turkey dinner and came right here,” said Rasheed Ali, a 23-year-old student in New York City who bought a 50-inch Westinghouse TV for $349 and a Singer sewing machine for $50 at a Target in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood that opened at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving. “Then I’m going home and eating more.” Carey Maguire, 33, and her sister Caitlyn Maguire, 21, showed up at the same Target about two hours before it opened. Their goal was to buy several Nook tablet computers, which were on sale for $49. But while waiting in line they were also using their iPhone to do some online buying at rival stores. “If you’re going to spend, I want to make it worth it,” said Caitlyn Maguire, a college student. By the afternoon on Thanksgiving, there were 11 shoppers in a four-tent encampment outside a Best Buy store near Ann Arbor, Mich., that opened at midnight. The purpose of their wait? A $179 40-inch Toshiba LCD television is worth missing Thanksgiving dinner at home. While some shoppers appreciated the early start to the holiday shopping season, not everyone was happy about it. Some store employees and traditionalists denounced the move as pulling people away from families on Thanksgiving. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, has been one of the biggest targets of protests against holiday hours. Many of Wal-Mart’s stores are open 24 hours, but the company offered early bird specials that once were reserved for Black Friday at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving instead. The issue is part of a broader campaign against the company’s treatment of workers that’s being waged by a union-backed group called OUR Walmart, which includes former and current workers. The group is staging demonstrations and walkouts at hundreds of stores on Black Friday. Jackie Berg, 26, of Ann Arbor, arrived first with her stepson and a friend Wednesday afternoon, seeking three of the televisions. The deal makes the TVs $240 less than their normal price, so Berg says that she’ll save more than $700. “We’ll miss the actual being there with family, but we’ll have the rest of the weekend for that,” she said. Mary Pat Tifft, a Wal-Mart employee in Kenosha, Wis., who is a member of OUR Walmart, started an online petition on signon.org that has about 34,000 signatures. “This Thanksgiving, while millions of families plan to spend quality time with their loved ones, Wal-Mart associates have been told we will be stocking shelves and preparing sales starting at 8 p.m.,” she wrote on the site. OUR Walmart said workers walked off their jobs in stores in Dallas, Miami and Kenosha, Wis., on Thursday. But a spokeswoman for the group did not immediately give numbers on how many workers participated. [npooyala src=”s5ZTI0NzrTpGHbw5U0AKXTWaHeXmnEiS” playlist=”yes” width=”940″ height=”600″] For their part, retailers say they are giving shoppers what they want. Dave Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said that the discounter learned from shoppers that they want to start shopping right after Thanksgiving dinner. Then, they want to have time to go to bed before they wake up to head back out to the stores. Still, Tovar said that Wal-Mart works to accommodate its workers’ requests for different working hours. “We spent a lot of time talking to them, trying to figure out when would be the best time for our events,” he said. Files from Reuters, National Post staff
There is an uptick in the number of Zika cases in the U.S. and University of Nebraska Medical Center’s infectious diseases expert Dr. Mark Rupp says there have been about 15 and 20 cases reported in people in southern Florida who have not traveled to South or Central America. That likely means the Zika virus is likely being transmitted by mosquitoes in that area. Dr. Rupp says the mosquito that is known for spreading the Zika virus is not found in Nebraska but we do have the Egyptian Tiger mosquito that can spread it. it is not as good of a vector as the mosquito found in Florida but there is a chance it can spread the virus as well. The virus can also be spread through sexual contact. Dr. Rupp says, “There is one of those questions that continues to be asked is where people harbor the virus and how long can the virus be present in the body. So for in men it appears that it can be harbored in seminal fluid for a longer period of time than you can find it in the blood stream or certain other body fluid. There is some data that suggests that might be as long as two or three months.” The Zika virus is only dangerous for those who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant because it can cause birth defects. Those individuals should pay close attention to travel advisories and change their plans accordingly. Dr. Rupp says those individuals should watch carefully for Zika travel advisories and avoid those areas. In others it can cause mild flu-like symptoms. There is also concern that some people may not travel to Rio for the 2016 Olympics. Dr. Rupp says it is winter in Brazil so the number of mosquitos has dropped dramatically. Dr. Rupp says another thing that is working in our favor in the Florida region is these mosquitos don’t travel very far. They stay within a few hundred feet of where they are hatched. This is why it is important to get rid of standing water on property. Doing that and spraying for mosquitos should take care of the problem fairly quickly.
Unknown Cetacean of t he Sout h Pacific and Nor t h At lant ic Oceans. Etymology: Aft er t he scient ific r esear ch ship Scientific name: Amphiptera pacifica, given by Enr ico Hillyer Giglioli in 1870. Variant names: Mongitore’s Monstrous Fish, Rhinocer os whale. Physical description: Lengt h, 60 feet . Gr aygr een back. Lower par t s ar e gr ayish-whit e. Muzzle is lar ge and blunt . Lower jaw is slight ly longer t han t he upper . Two dor sal fins, 6 feet apar t . Distribution: Sout h Pacific and Nor t h At - lant ic Oceans; possibly t he Medit er r anean Sea. Significant sightings: A t wo-finned baleen whale was observed Sept ember 4, 1867, by Enr ico Hillyer Giglioli on t he ship Magenta in t he Sout h Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 miles off t he coast of Chile. The dist ance between t he animal’s two fins was about 6.6 feet , and it was gr ayishgr een above and gr ayish-whit e below. It had no ridges on t he t op of it s head or on it s t hroat . A sea monst er wit h two dor sal fins about 20 feet apar t was seen by Alexander Taylor and t he cr ew of t he fishing boat Lily off t he coast of St onehaven, Aber deenshir e, Scot land, in Oct ober 1898. It spout ed like a whale and was about 68 feet long. On July 17, 1983, a sailboat was followed by a large animal wit h two dor sal fins, a t r apezoidal head, and a whit e belly in t he Medit er r anean between Cor sica and Cavalair e-sur -Mer , Fr ance.
Apple has long had a reputation amongst its investors for hoarding cash. In fact, the company has 137 billion in cash reserves. Some believe that Apple’s reluctance to distribute cash to their investors is a by product of the fact that they almost went bankrupt in the past. For Apple supporters, it is just one part of why the company continues to be hugely successful. However, for one former supporter, Apple’s cash hoarding has been cause for action. Hedge fund operator David Einhorn hopes to be able to change the way that Apple can distribute stock and force Apple to give more cash to shareholders. Einhorn’s plan called for $50 billion in preferred stock, valued at $1 a share, to be issued to holders of existing shares of Apple stock. Each of the shares issued by Apple would then pay an annual dividend of four percent forever. Apple has fought back against Einhorns plan. The company has decided to remove the board’s power to issue preferred shares. This removal of power is an item on Apple’s proxy statement that would be voted on at the annual meeting. The unusual move to give away power is Apple’s attempt to maintain their cash reserve. Einhorn is attempting to block Apple from making that move. He has filed a lawsuit in order to prevent Apple’s board from being able to give away its own power to issue preferred stock. This legal challenge is part of a unique attempt in what is likely an uphill battle to get Apple to allocate more of their cash to investors. Whether or not the legal challenge is successful, the action taken by Einhorn has certainly cast a light on how Apple chooses to maintain such a huge cash reserve. It has brought forth the issue into the arena of public discussion. What do you think Apple should do? Do you think that they are right to maintain such a huge cash reserve? Do you think Einhorn is right to take legal action? These are questions that at this point, look as though they will be determined in court. [Image via dawn]
"Yes, it is," they replied. "Are you sure?" He produced a bucket of sand and poured that in around the marbles until it reached the top of the jar. "You can see there was room for more. Is the jar full now?" This time, the audience eyed him suspiciously—and silently. "You're right, it still isn't full." The speaker picked up a pitcher of water and tilted that over the jar. The water poured in for several seconds, then began to trickle over the sides. "Now it's full. What can we learn from this?" "No matter how full your life is," someone called, "you always can manage to squeeze in more than you think!" "Are you sure?" The speaker turned to the second jar and tipped the pitcher again. In flowed the water, rising and rising until it hovered around the brim. "Is this jar full?" A moment's nervous silence passed before someone ventured, "It probably is." "You're right, and here's proof." The speaker dropped in a marble. Drips of water immediately escaped over the rim and trickled down the sides. "Now, what can we learn by considering both jars together?" The room was quiet for a full minute. Finally, a hand shot up. "I know! If you don't put the big things into your life first, your life will get so full of little things that you'll end up with no room for the big ones!" What do you put into your schedule first? Big things, such as prayer, Bible study, and serving your neighbors? Or little things such as household cleaning, television, and e-mail? Try it both ways and see which leaves sufficient room for the other. Fill a jar with rocks and pebbles, space will yet remain around;
In 1822, three months after Champlain, New York, native Jehudi Ashmun’s colony of freed slaves landed on Africa’s west coast (and two months after losing his wife), the group faced impending hostilities from surrounding tribes. The attack finally came on November 11. Ashmun, a man of religious faith but deeply depressed at his wife’s death, was suddenly thrust into the position of impromptu military leader. Approximately ten kings of local tribes sent 800 men to destroy the new settlement, which held only 35 residents, six of whom were younger than 16 years old. Many among them were very ill, leaving only about 20 fit enough to help defend the colony. By any measure, it was a slam dunk. The results are now legendary: against incredible odds, the settlers routed their attackers. It was a great victory, but the fight wasn’t over. Immediately, and for days after, Ashmun worked to improve their defenses, fearing another attack. A confidant informed him his suspicions were warranted, and on November 30, via a foreign ship, Ashmun sent a desperate message to the American Colonization Society, sponsors of the new settlement. “All the tribes around us are combined in a war against us. Their principal object is plunder. We are surrounded by only a slight barricade and can only raise a force of thirty men. … We endeavor to make God our trust. I have no idea but to wait for His deliverance—or to lay out our bones on Cape Montserado.” The second assault, which came on December 2, was made by an even larger force, estimated at more than 1,000 warriors. Furious attacks were mounted, including at least four in one location, but all were repulsed. Within 90 minutes, and at great loss to the enemy, the settlement stood intact. Ashmun and his band of colonists had once again achieved the impossible. It was truly the stuff of legend, marking the beginning of an incredible journey. Jehudi became the settlement’s de facto leader. As per the Society’s instructions, he assisted the new colony in establishing a constitution and code of laws based on those of the United States. Having negotiated deals with several kings before they had decided to turn against him, Jehudi now dealt with the task of mending fences and forging a peace agreement with his enemies. During the next several years, he successfully navigated through myriad problems, daunting hardships, and frequent illness, leading the colony to success. A working economy was established and new territory was acquired, making for a promising future. In a treaty signed with five kings, he once traded “500 bars of tobacco, three barrels of rum, five casks of powder, five umbrellas, ten iron posts, ten pairs of shoes,” and other items in exchange for land and certain rights. (See the illustration. At the bottom of the treaty are the kings’ names with their marks (X), and Jehudi’s signature near the bottom right.) Ashmun was present for the birth and initial growth of the settlement, guiding the way to legitimacy. But in 1828, another serious illness struck, and on July 18, the great dismay, sadness, and appreciation of the entire colony was expressed when he returned to America for treatment. Writing to his parents in Champlain, he expressed the hope and desire to return to the village in the coming months, but it wasn’t to be. On August 25, at the young age of only 34, Jehudi Ashmun died in New Haven, Connecticut, where he was buried. The colony he established had become known as Liberia (“Land of the Free”), and its capital, originally Christopolis, had been renamed Monrovia after President James Monroe. Within a decade of the colony’s birth, those first few dozen settlers had grown to nearly 1,500 citizens; a daily newspaper had been established; a self-governing system of laws was in place; and the economy was supported by trade with other countries, just as Ashmun had envisioned. In 1847, the Liberian colonists declared their land an independent republic, receiving official recognition from nearly all the world’s countries, with one notable exception: the United States. American recognition was withheld for a familiar reason—southern states refused to accept a black ambassador in Washington. The US finally came through with recognition of Liberia in 1862, when the southern voices in Congress were silenced by their secession from the Union. A century after Ashmun’s tiny group of colonists repelled those two initial attacks, Liberia was about the size of Kentucky and had a population of more than two million, which exceeded that of thirty US states. Oddly enough, as noted in 1919 by the National Geographic Society: “Of these two million or more inhabitants, only about 50,000 [12,000 of whom were of American origin] may be considered civilized and take part in government.” That’s only about 3 percent. It’s rather ironic that a colony of former slaves, established to encourage freedom and provide a voice in their own governance, would one day restrict the freedom and rights of 97 percent of its own population, placing them at the whim of the other 3 percent. Sound familiar? Further irony is found in Liberia’s constitution, which contains a clause carried forward for generations. It still exists today in Chapter IV, Article 27, Section b): “In order to preserve, foster, and maintain the positive Liberian culture, values, and character, only persons who are Negroes or of Negro descent shall qualify by birth or by naturalization to be citizens of Liberia.” And so it is that in Liberia, directly translated as “the Land of the Free,” non-blacks are denied citizenship. Perhaps they became more like America than Jehudi Ashmun intended. Still, there’s no denying the fact that, in light of its most humble of beginnings, and the changes we’ve seen to the globe even in the past 50 years, it’s amazing that Liberia still survives nearly two centuries after Ashmun first landed on Africa’s shores. He was smart, tough, and wise, but another side of Ashmun that stayed with him throughout life is revealed through his own writings. Consider this self-assessment from 1819: “I am now 25 years of age; almost three years from college; have no profession … I am involved in debt, possess neither books nor money, and have a delicate and beloved wife to provide for. “I am wearied with the same daily round of dull employment … of studying in circumstances forbidding the exercise of half the strength of my mental powers; of sleeping immoderately because I have nothing to do or to enjoy sufficiently interesting to keep me awake. … The future is a dreary expanse of storms and clouds, pervaded by a few faint gleams of hope. “I am broken with disappointments; have been robbed by the perfidy and ignorance of supposed friends and the malevolence of enemies. … The frown of Heaven is upon me. My hopes for eternity are clouded.” If at times you feel a deep hopelessness like that once expressed by Jehudi Ashmun, remember what he accomplished in the next few years of his life. Not bad for a North Country boy—or any boy, for that matter. Photos― Top: Location of Liberia on Africa’s west coast. Bottom: Treaty signed by Ashmun and several African tribal kings. The Jehudi Ashmun story is one of 51 original North Country history pieces appearing in Adirondack Gold: 50+ New & True Stories You’re Sure to Love (352 pp.), a recent release by Lawrence Gooley, who has authored ten books and dozens of articles on the North Country’s past. He and his partner, Jill McKee, founded Bloated Toe Enterprises in 2004. Expanding their services in 2008, they have produced 20 titles to date, and are now offering web design. For information on book publishing, visit Bloated Toe Publishing.
In Defense Of The Rose Vh Soror Vl by guest blogger vhSoror V.L (5=6)Rosicrucian Regulation Alpha et Omega It is obtrusive that a bash who works for the good turn of the whole chi be loathed by inhabit whose peculiar advantages are not benefited thereby; at the same time as self-centeredness is opposed to altruism, and the claims of the few are not perpetually identical with the interests of the community. The Rosicrucian chi along these lines be repeatedly resisted by conservative and short-sighted people; he chi be slandered by calumniators, his motives chi be tainted, he chi be misjudged by the unintentional, ridiculed by the aptitude prudent, and taunted by the fool around. All such skirmish, nevertheless, cannot stimulate or provoke the look after of the true Rosicrucian, nor harass the divine request of his soul; for his rely on rests in the outline and knowledge of the truth within himself. The disagreement of a thousand unintentional workforce chi not cause him to withdraw from be active that which he knows to be gain and good, and he chi do it even if it penury involve the loss of his worth or of his life. Survival able and everyday to position his spiritual prospect towards the divine, he cannot be deluded by the illusions of reflection, but clings to the eternal proof. Survival surrounded by fantastic influences, and listening to their voices, he is not stilted by the rumbling ended by the flora and fauna. He lives in the band together of inhabit gain beings, who were as men seeing that others, but who take become transfigured, and who are now especially the command somebody to of the lippy and low. Magical Egypt A Tv Documentary Series"Breathtaking Egypt" explores separate be drawn against of Egypt that is not so a lot professional. Egypt is else the land of secrets. Sundry history, a secret history, tells of Egypt as the progeny of burdensome wisdom and magical specialist from an even hindmost culture. It is the edition of the Egyptians themselves. This replace with history is echoed by direct towards accounts from the myth and history of other ancient cultures... Phra Luang Phor Thuat The LegendLuang Phor Thuad is a upper level parson taking part in 400 verve ago Luang Phor Thuad was natural in b.e 2125 (1582)in Suan Chan Population, Chumphol Dustrict, Sathing Phra in Songkla (Southern Thailand). His parent was Khun Hu and Mae Chan, a average trouble living in the place of Shrentthi Pan, the unfair landlord. His parents name their child as "Pu" (meaning crab). At the same time as Pu (Luang Phor Thuad) was less than 6 months old... Lf LawsDemand OF Morals and ethics--lifeway shamanic fellowship By Usen's buff up, Ho-dah.... This is an era of alternative. Do we allow ourselves to cut the throat of the Blood relation Who has nourished us as a separate the same as we "came down from the vegetation"? Or do we work to trek in Good looks and Concord with Her, and be acquainted with Her, and work to see Her healed? The revitalization of Shamanism... The Hoodoo Truth Hoodoo In The ChurchI bet contest would be horrified to learn that hoodoo was for the fastest time in the black church. Most contest manipulate no supposition about this. We know this is the scabbard to the same degree their are accounts of preachers and ministers party hoodoos on the be opposite and put on are next known accounts of hoodoo works that hold to be performed by black preachers. Here's an seminar at my other blog...
In so many ways loneliness is really, really important. I was recently flipping through an old journal of mine from when I was thirteen. It is both so sad and so funny and I love reading it because it helps me appreciate where I am right now and how thankful I am that I never, ever, ever, EVER have to go back to middle school. At one point in my journal I write that my sister Rebecca has two of her friends over and I felt "so lonely." I had friends growing up and I'm definitely an extrovert. I love parties and people and being the center of attention (definitely to a fault). But I remember this loneliness, this real feeling of "I don't know if I have anyone." Even as young as thirteen we feel these things, right? Loneliness is perhaps the most common human condition, right? Because it's not just like, a feeling or emotion. It's this state we are in. Because we can be around tons of people, we can be in a city with hundreds of bodies all around us and still feel really, truly alone. But it's important to be alone. And it's important in those moments of loneliness to know that "Okay. This is where I am right now. I'm lonely. But I'm okay." I used to fear loneliness. I don't anymore, to be honest. I used to fear loneliness because I was really just afraid to be by myself. I didn't want to have that moment where I'm forced to look at that the person I was because for so long I hated the person I was. But now, with each year that passes, each moment, I'm learning to love myself and accept myself. I'm learning to understand that I'm not always going to be happy and I'm not always going to be okay. But that in and of itself is fine and it's life or whatever. So now if I feel loneliness, I know it doesn't necessarily mean I'm actually alone. I think it's good to feel it and not immediately shut it out with distractions. I want to feel it and then just let go of it and know like, it's going to be okay. It's funny reading that part of my journal now because at this particular moment in my life, I really don't feel very alone. I have amazing friends, a family that lets me know they love me every single day, and I'm....oh my GAWD, dare I say it....happy? Did I just jinx myself? Whatever. Whatever. But I know I will feel loneliness again, one day, because that's life and that's what happens. I guess I don't know what I'm trying to say with this blog other than I think it's okay to feel lonely sometimes. I don't think that's wrong at all. I think it's okay and I think it's important, because it helps us appreciate the not-lonely moments a little more.
Ever since I was a kid, I have listened to the song, Auld Lang Syne (translated to mean “times gone by”). I remember my family always ending the year by watching Guy Lombardo and waiting for the countdown to the New Year, as the ball in Times Square dropped. I’m not sure I ever really understood the lyrics, but the song always depressed me. “Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?” These words have been stuck in my head for years. What way is that to start off a New Year? Should we be thinking about people and past relationships, including those that ended badly? Or is it a resolve never to think of them again? I really never knew the answer. As usual, I did a little research to try to put this haunting song to rest, at least in my mind. This is what one article had to say: “The question it asks is clear: Should those we knew and loved be forgotten and never thought of? Should old times past be forgotten? No, says the song, they shouldn't be. We'll remember those times and those people, we'll toast them now and always, we'll keep them close. "We'll take a cup of kindness yet."“ So all these years it sounded to me like the song was telling us to forget our past and the people in it and move on in the New Year. But no, it’s a song reminding us not to forget days gone by and to remember those who were in our lives and those that are still part of our lives, keeping them all fondly in our memories. And, considering how many people are no longer in our lives, for one reason or another, it’s still seems sad to me. It’s true we all have wonderful, happy memories of the past to cling to, but this song reminds me those times are over. We can never go back in time, recreate special days or spend time with loved ones who have left this world. We can rarely mend a broken relationship, even if the person is still around, and make it what it once was. For me it’s often sad to reminisce because I feel a sense of loss. I often write about my past experiences and loved ones. I know if I don’t, a lot of my memories will fade in time. Sometimes it’s a bit painful to write about certain events, but I do it anyway because it’s cathartic and it’s kind of a legacy for my girls. It gives them a chance to “know” me better from my past and to know about our family members that they never met or were too young to remember. Some memories make me laugh, others make me cry. But I don’t want any of them to be lost or stolen by time. So maybe the song is right, maybe there is some wisdom in remembering people from our past who have contributed in some way, big or small, to who we are today. And maybe we can even remember the good times shared with those who hurt us or treated us badly, and think kindly of them and toast to the moments of joy they managed to give us? I’m going to give it a try this New Year’s Eve. How about you?
Plane carrying Polish leader Lech Kaczynski, his wife and other officials crashes while landing in Russia The governor of the Smolensk region, where the crash took place about 11 a.m. (0700 GMT), said no one survived. "The Polish presidential plane did not make it to the runway while landing. Tentative findings indicate that it hit the treetops and fell apart," Sergei Anufriev said on state news channel Rossiya-24. "Nobody has survived the disaster." The Polish foreign ministry confirmed that Kaczynski and his wife were aboard the plane. The head of Russia's top investigative body, Sergei Markin, said there were a total of 132 people on the plane, a (Russian) Tu-154. Kaczynski was flying to Russia for events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police in Katyn and elsewhere during World War II. Update: 7:04AM CST Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has just announced that he will setup a Government Commission to investigate the crash of Polish President Lech Kaczynski’s plane, which occurred moments before it was scheduled to land. Heading up the “Government Commission” will be none other than …. wait for it …. Vladimir Putin. Lech Kaczynski was no friend of Putin, which will tell us much about the “results” of this “investigation.” Hate to brag on myself, but I nailed it 90 minutes ago with my original thoughts below….. Editors Note: Those of you who’ve read my blog for awhile know I’m no conspiracy theorist, so I went and looked up the safety record of the TU-154 and discovered some things that alarmed me: - The majority of these planes were built during the Communist Era of the USSR, and are in the 30-40 year old range. This means they’re operating at the limits of their operating potential, meaning everything has a lifespan. - The Tu-154 still comprises the majority of the former eastern Communist Block’s airline fleet, including that of Russia itself. - The Tu-154 is banned from flying into, and landing in several European countries due to known and unspecified safety deficiencies. - In the past few years, Tu-154’s flown by post Soviet era countries have gone down for a number of reasons including terrorist attack, air traffic mistakes, “accidental shoot downs” and a myriad of other “unspecified reasons.” - Also in the past few years, of all airline incidents in the former Communist block, the Tu-154 accounts for 10% of all crashes and mishaps, that’s a highly disproportionate number. While Russian “Officials” say it’s too soon to pinpoint the cause of the crash, I have what I believe is a simple question: Given Russia’s (and Vladimir Putin’s) desires to re-constitute the former Communist block, is it really a coincidence that a plane carrying more than 100 Government Officials from Poland crashed while landing in Russia? Polish President Lech Kaczynski was an ardent anti-Communist and outspoken friend of the United States. He was harshly critical of Barack Obama’s “decision” to rescind on America’s promise to deploy the missile defense system in Poland. This morning America lost a very good friend in the former Communist block, and Poland unfortunately has taken a step back towards Soviet style Communism. Kaczynski was seeking a second term against Parliament speaker Bronislaw Komorowski, the candidate of Tusks’ governing Civic Platform party, which has Communist leanings. Again, I’m no conspiracy theorist, but this seems to fit a pattern of what happens to Putin’s “enemies” and political opponents, and is well too timed to cause turmoil in Polands upcoming elections, potentially returning the country to the path of Communism. Why Are Major U.S. Banks Buying U.S. Treasuries? And Why Aren’t They Lending To Small Businesses? An analysis by a primary dealer in the U.S. Treasuries market shows that domestic banks could account for a large increase in direct bidders for government debt. The presence of direct bidders, one of three main categories of participants at Treasury auctions, has increased during recent auctions of securities. Primary dealers, the banks and investment firms (That’s Wall Street, folks!) authorized to deal directly with the government and help the Federal Reserve carry out monetary policy, have fretted over the unpredictability of the direct bid, as well as the paucity of information on the identity of the bidders. A report from Nomura Securities analyzing the Treasury Department's investor allotments and auction data theorizes that domestic banks account for part of the increase in direct bidders. "With banks still reluctant to lend and the saving rate on the rise, bank assets have been shifting from loans to securities, benefiting from the steep curve," wrote George Goncalves, a fixed income strategist at Nomura. Treasury data shows banks increased their purchases of longer-dated Treasuries just as the percentage of direct bidders began to increase. The department, which is aware of the identities of bidders but does not disseminate the information, welcomes the added participation in auctions as the government continues to issue new debt at a breakneck pace. Editors Note: Let me de-geek the banking speak for you since I happen to work in the banking industry, albeit not at a Wall Street firm. First, large U.S. Banks have taken “hits” from the Obama Administration for not lending money to small businesses that need credit and cash flow to stay in operation, and consumers thus causing the economy to further collapse. If small businesses cannot get credit, they can’t expand or hire. If consumers cannot get credit, they don’t spend if they don’t have the cash on hand. In large measure, this holds back our economy as 70% of all spending is consumer driven. Second, the U.S. Government is openly welcoming large U.S. Banks (and by the way, Wall Street Investment Firms/Banks that it blames for the financial crisis in the first place) buying U.S. Treasuries as the Obama Administration continues to print money to pay for its socialist programs. Third, the large U.S. Banks that Obama is blaming for not lending money are not only funding Obama’s socialist programs – which he needs them to do - are making between 3% – 3.5% on their return for buying those Treasuries that fund Obama’s socialist agenda! Now ask yourself this question: If the Banks are going to make a safe 3% to 3.5% return on their investment with no risk, just why in the world would they incur any risk at all by lending to small businesses and consumers in a weak economy? If you haven’t figured it out by now, let me explain it to you: Obama’s wild spending spree has caused this problem and that he’s deferring the blame for a problem he largely helped to create on the very institutions he needs to fund his socialist programs. By doing so, he’s further hurting our economy, driving up unemployment, and fast-tracking this country to economic ruin. At the same time, yet another major transfer of wealth is actually being given to large U.S. banks and Wall Street investment firms in what will ultimately be a failed attempt to stave off economic ruin. Incurring all this debt with no way to pay it back – whether to the Chinese, our own banks, Wall Street or the Fed Reserve – ultimately leads to an economic implosion like nothing this Country has ever seen. Ronald Reagan once said, Government is often the cause of a problem, and never the solution for it. Clearly we have a case of that here. Stupak “Retires” From House Claims Tea Party Didn’t Influence Decision Dear Mr. Stupak, you lied to the American People when you said that you’d never back a “health care reform bill” that contained taxpayer funding for abortion. You lied to the American people about your principles and convictions. You lied to the American people about being pro-life. Why should we believe you know when you say that the Tea Party Movement in Michigan didn’t influence your decision to retire from the House of Representatives rather than face the voters of your district? The fact is this: you’re lying Mr. Stupak, and here’s the proof. Your Republican opponent Dr. Dan Benishek received just over $250,000 in donations the day you caved and announced your vote in favor of ObamaCare. At the same time, support for Benishek’s campaign surged so much, it was registering a new volunteer every 30 seconds his campaign office was open. That support continues to this day. The Tea Party movement sponsored some $250,000 in television ads opposing your re-election once you announced your traitorous vote against the unborn. You were no longer able to hide your betrayal of the unborn, or your self-professed Conservative principles. Support across Michigan’s 1st Congressional District, especially across the Upper Penninsula cratered to less than 20% within the week of your betrayal. Fact is Bart, you knew you couldn’t win again, and that’s why you’re dropping out. Without the eastern Upper Penninsula and down to Saginaw Bay, you were toast and you know it. As far as this writer is concerned, good riddance you pro-life traitor. Each and every child who’s aborted from this point forward has you to thank, and their blood is on your hands, Mr. Stupak. Live with that.
posted by Josh Evans In November I traveled to the Faroe Islands, a remote archipelago north of Scotland, west of Norway, and south-east of Iceland. It has a tumultuous history, occupied, subordinated; and, though now part of the Danish kingdom, this place is a world apart from Denmark. These islands seem desolate, barren – a cluster of rocks sticking up out of the sea. But they hold a richness, and a Faroese will tell you so. The islands are wet. Waterfalls spring from nowhere along every ridge. All roads defer to these older, shifting veins. The mountains are abrupt and ribbed, covered in grass and moss and water underfoot and scree in some of the higher valleys. It is a heath that baptises every step. The waters around the islands hold some of the best fish and seafood in the world. The langoustines are renowned. My host's father runs a scallop fishery – bay scallops of a disarming suppleness, a taste sweet and clean. The Gulf Stream warms the climate from the south-west, with alternating winds coming in occasionally from Norway. This creates climactic conditions very particular to the islands: consistent winds across cool summers and mild winters readily air-cure any foods left to hang. Fish and sheep are the most traditional. There is a concept called ræst, a specifically Faroese understanding of fermented flavour – the flesh is dried by the winds as it ferments, creating layers of flavour both mellow and deep. The fish – ræstur fiskur – is often hung on racks exposed to the elements, while the sheep – ræstkjøt or, specifically, skerpekjøt – is more often hung in wooden huts called hjallur, with small gaps between the slats to allow the winds to pass through and dry the meat. My host's brother gave me a hare he had hunted on the heath. Since November, we have been aging the legs according to the method we developed for venison, to see how it would work with a smaller beast. These hare legs would provide a good opportunity to test a technique we thought of since the original recipe: coating them in wax to both slow the fermentation and keep in the remaining moisture. Certain traditional aged hams, like Prosciutto di Parma, use a similar technique to seal up the open flesh where the leg was separated from the body. They use rendered pork fat. We had no rendered hare fat, so instead we used beeswax from our friends at Bybi. One of the most divine smells. The lab was enveloped as it melted in the pan. One leg we rubbed with honey; the other, we left bare. After basting both with the molten wax, we hung them to harden fully. We are interested to see how the honey will not only add sweetness but change the texture, remoistening the meat and softening the outermost layer. We made a quick balm with the rest of the melted wax. Nothing like beeswax to keep the brisk winter at bay.
José Saramago: writer, communist, iconoclast. Also a Nobel Prize laureate and, more recently, a blogger. The Guardian UK reports that Saramago died today at age 87. Saramago is, for somebody like myself who is merely a reader of his work, difficult to eulogize or to mourn. For so many of his characters, and even the narrator, who ever so often directly addresses the reader to offer criticisms and reassurances, live out their stories either in anonymity or trapped by antonomasia, becoming only the doctor's wife, the interior minister, the boy, etc. Saramago, at least as a literary persona, tried to disappear behind these other voices. In his Nobel Lecture, he states: I can clearly see those who were my life-masters, those who most intensively taught me the hard work of living, those dozens of characters from my novels and plays that right now I see marching past before my eyes, those men and women of paper and ink, those people I believed I was guiding as I the narrator chose according to my whim, obedient to my will as an author, like articulated puppets whose actions could have no more effect on me than the burden and the tension of the strings I moved them with. In reflecting on his own writing, Saramago drew the conclusion he learned something from each story. Certainly a consoling statement in abstraction, but what he learned is hardly the kind of self-congratulatory humanism that is today's ideological currency. Saramago always found the reverse; every traditional sacred object was, to paraphrase Walter Benjamin, much more a document of barbarism than a document of culture. And like Benjamin, the task was to see this egalitarian-- here, communistic and iconoclastic-- insight through to its conclusions, which were most aptly realized in his novels Blindness and, in my opinion, the much stronger 'sequel' Seeing. Hence it's hard to mourn and to eulogize a writer, who, in Death with Interruptions, had twisted the idea of personal immortality around into a burden. The book opens when, in an unnamed country, people stop dying on midnight of New Year's Day, a change that is initially celebrated by its citizens, but quickly deteriorates into calamity. Far from Paradise, immortality proves to be undignified as daily life becomes haunted by the near-dead, for, certainly, the absence of death does not stop aging or accidental casualty.Very quickly people begin to look for ways to let people die, until, one day, months later, death returns. Perhaps it's inappropriate to draw a conclusion about Saramago from one of his novels, but it seems to me that he would have recognized that death, as he notes in his Nobel Lecture, is "a pity," but the alternative is worse. At best, the writer has the chance to document the barbarism endured by so many, to capture the "human dignity [that] is insulted every day by the powerful of our world." At best one can be an echo of some of these voices of protest and affirmation, voices that bear witness to the fact that one of the fallen ought to be mourned, and yet there's still a world to be won. Perhaps here it is possible to conclude. Saramago, comrade, writer, iconoclast: I conclude. The voice that read these pages wished to be the echo of the conjoined voices of my characters. I don't have, as it were, more voice than the voices they had. Forgive me if what has seemed little to you, to me is all.
Friday, December 11, 2009 I’m thinking about dogs, mostly because my beloved 12 year old cockapoo is in her final days. Of course it’s VERY sad, but comforting to know that soon she won’t be in any pain. Americans have the luxury of treating our pets like children: taking them to the vet regularly, buying healthy food and snacks, brushing their teeth (if we remember!), grooming them, and giving them cozy beds (which might be our own!). Our dogs are no exception – they even give and receive gifts at Christmas! Dogs in Nigeria have different purposes. While some (mostly people in or from villages) prefer to eat them (including my Save-A-Life patient), dogs are usually most useful as guards. A large one named King lives in the guesthouse compound. His owner lets him out at night to roam the compound and shred everything that might be inadvertently left on the ground. During the day King circles the inside of his dog cage out back and our cook Baba says “He wants out.” (Photos taken by Cindy Frost. You have to look closely for the dogs.)
Washington state is 125 years old. There was a celebration Tuesday at the state capitol. It featured a historic reenactment, a time capsule ceremony and, of course, cake. In the Capitol Rotunda, a member of the Squaxin Indian tribe sang a blessing song. That was followed by “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Then a speech by the governor before the action moved to Washington’s time capsule. The locked vault was opened and a new generation of time capsule-keepers sworn in.
Once Mr Stewart’s initial shock wore off, he may have recalled a couple of other high profile sightings that had been reported over recent years. Little would he have known however, that these incidents were just the latest in a string of similar sightings which research has uncovered, span back at least four decades. What follows is a complete overview of alien (as in foreign) big cat sightings in NZ and abroad. This is a fascinating story that deserves to be told to a largely uninformed public. Several of the following sightings are being reported for the first time and where requested, witnesses’ names have been omitted. It was January 1962, and after a long and hot day’s work, an orchard worker in the Cromwell Gorge area decided to go out and enjoy the summers evening exploring the nearby countryside in an area since flooded by the Clyde Dam. As he approached a derelict miner’s cottage at the base of a barren hillside, he observed not far up the hill a fawn coloured, cat-like animal that he immediately identified as a puma. Upon being disturbed, the mystery feline quickly scampered off and was lost among the rocks. The Canterbury, Otago areas seem to be a hotspot for NZ sightings. A young couple was out rabbit shooting in the back hills of Bendigo .As one of the pair remained lookout atop a large rock, her partner worked the valley below. Suddenly something large and black shot out from the bushes below. It ran low and fast, had a noticeably long tail and was large enough to send the young lady nervously running to join her friend. The year was 1973. Newspapers and the public had a field day, when in July of 1977 they refused to take seriously the report of ‘Tiger Lady’ Mrs F Clark who claimed to have seen a tiger in the street outside her suburban Kaiapoi home in the early hours of the morning. Critics were silenced however when large pug marks and droppings were found on nearby Pines Beach. Both these were described as being consistent with those of a lion or tiger according to an Orana Park administrator. The (Christchurch) Press followed the story over several issues. A report quotes Mrs Clark as saying ‘I couldn’t make out its stripes but it was a fairish colour and had a long tail.’ A farmer also reported seeing the creature some four days later. The South Island mystery cats seemed to go in to hiding as it was not until1989 that a further sighting was reported. Two young men were driving late at night near Waitahura when they saw the distinct shape of a very large cat silhouetted in the car headlights. Also around that time a gentleman travelling during daytime on the road between Middlemarch and Hyde saw a large cat-like animal cross the road further down the straight ahead.. He described it as being the size of a sheepdog but with a cat’s outline and gait. Although he stopped by the pile of wood cuttings the creature had disappeared in to, he was weary about approaching for a closer inspection. Dunedin Police were in for a surprise when on Christmas day, 1995, a couple called in to report an encounter with a strange animal. They had been travelling the Pigroot, State Highway 25 during the very early hours of the morning, when they saw a large black animal with a thick, bushy tail cross the road in front of them. The creature stood about 1 metre tall and looked like a cross between a leopard and a panther. Head South some 30kms from Invercargill on the road to bluff and you will come to the turn off that leads to the country settlement of Maui. It was here in 1996 that Christopher and an aquaintance made the first of two sightings in this location. It was a brief, night-time encounter, the beam of their torch reflecting in a pair of large, green eyes, staring intently from a large, dark body. The mystery creature slowly lowered its head behind the bank it had been standing on. Spooked, the witnesses quickly got back in to their vehicle and left. It was to be a further 6 years before Christopher was to meet up with that strange animal again. You can read about that and some of the other encounters by visiting the website www.mysteriousnewzealand.com/. Meanwhile, back to 1996 and further North, school teacher Marianne Daines was out mountain biking in the Twizel district when she spotted what she initially thought to be a black Labrador dog. She realized her misidentification as soon as the animal ran off with a feline gait and she was able to see its shape Invercargill man Jim Walton got the surprise of his life as he peered through his binoculars, scanning the hillsides of the Dunstan ranges. For nearly half an hour one day in August of 1998, he watched a large mustard coloured cat that, once again, was described as being larger than a Labrador dog. After moving around the slopes of an opposing gorge, the large cat finally lay down to rest on an exposed rock English tourists Craig and Deborah Greening were astonished to see a ‘black panther’ while travelling through McKenzie country towards Queenstown from Omarama in July of 1999.Curiousity encouraged them to photograph the animal as is stood on its haunches, attempting to navigate its way through a wire fence. Its size was about that of an Alsatian dog. The Greening’s intriguing photo graced the pages of the country’s press over several days. Later that same year, Canadian couple Professor Terry Chattington and his wife were concerned to see what they believed to be a mountain lion standing on boulders above Moeraki, south of Oamaru. Being North Americans, both were familiar with this species and discounted opinions that what they had seen was a holidaymakers golden retriever. Having encountered disbelief at a nearby establishment, they later reported the incident to DOC at Te Anau. Their initial response to seeing the animal had led them to believe there must have been a zoo nearby. The trifecta for 1999 was struck when late in the year a sighting was reportedly made by a pest destruction officer on Banks Peninsula. Since then similar South Island sightings have been reported at Winterslow, Bushside, Rangitata River (Canterbury), Fairton and Roxburgh. During Sept. 2003, Peter & Toni May were driving along Hakatere Potts Rd not far from Mount Somers. It was early afternoon and a sunny day when they spotted a large animal the size of a Labrador standing beside the road ahead. Upon being disturbed it bounded in to roadside scrub, its long round tail and strong hind quarters drawing their attention. Glenroy resident Dave Cawley encountered a large black animal in a horse shed on his property around 2000 and again three years later. He was certain it wasn’t a feral cat. Mr Cawley’s story was reported in the Christchurch Press on Oct 10th 2003 MAF have taken some of these sightings seriously and conducted field searches on several occasions yet they have still to come up with concrete evidence to suggest large feline predators are stalking the countryside. Undoubtedly, some people may have mistaken large feral cats for panthers or pumas. Parts of the country are infested with these pests which can grow to an excessive size. An October 2003 issue of The Otago Daily Times shows a photograph of Bendigo Station gamekeeper Steve Brown holding up two such cats that he had shot. One is a seven kilogram whopper yet Mr Brown also states he has seen an even bigger cat. He first thought it was a deer running across the paddocks but it had a tail and was a cat like a big black panther! Last year a Rotorua possum trapper snared a huge feral cat in one of his traps at Lake Okataina. It was extremely aggressive as he approached and had to be dispatched with a well aimed shot. The cat turned out to be bigger than the trapper’s dog. Big cat fever struck again in May 2005 when Timaru man Mark Brosnahan observed and photographed a black feline near Lake Clearwater. Mr Brosnahan noticed the animal approaching up a valley. The cat heard him and dropped to the ground in the long grass, watching as the witness snapped off a couple of photos. Unfortunately, with no objects against which to measure size, the photo must be considered as inconclusive. Before discussing several North Island reports, readers need to be informed that this is not just a NZ issue, but one which is truly global. Hundreds, if not thousands of similar reports have been made in the British Isles over several decades. These continue to this day. Older readers may remember the Beast of Bodmin Moor, the Surrey Puma, the Exmoor and Basingstoke Beasts. In Ireland an elusive large cat or cats is still being hunted as sheep continue to be mauled or killed. A search of the internet will disclose many websites dedicated to the big cat mystery. Just search cryptozoology or Alien Big Cats, (ABCs for short) a term that has been coined to describe our elusive quarry. The reader will discover the mystery prevails throughout mainland Europe, with reports emanating from Sweden, and other localities. North and Central America also share the excitement with reports coming in from areas not inhabited by the native pumas / cougars. Even the island of Hawaii is not exempt. A rash of sightings in 2003 led to the visit of an employee of The Arizona Game and Fish Dept. in an effort to trap the animal. Needless to say he was unsuccessful. In Australia ABC sightings are confined mainly to the lower half of the continent. There are hot spots of activity in Victoria, South Australia, NSW, The Blue Mountains, the Grampians and even Tasmania. Veteran Aussie investigator Rex Gilroy has detailed many hundreds of sightings over a lifetime of investigating unusual phenomena .Combined with other researchers, sightings continue and tally in the thousands. An Australian Freedom of Information request two years ago uncovered a secret government study that supported the possibility of a colony of big cats, something that had always been publicly denied. Theories abound as to the origins of these elusive intruders. Escaped zoo animals, released illegal pets, mascots liberated by American troops during WW2. Undoubtedly some of the global sightings could be attributed to any of these factors. There is another possibility that also needs consideration. The big cats are just one variety of several unexplained creatures that are reported globally. Well known varieties include Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, yeti, Elma, mawas, etc depending on country . Then there are the lake, fiord and river monsters ( aka Nessie ), of Scotland, Scandinavia, Canada and Africa and several other countries. Could there be a paranormal factor? Is there a common denominator that would explain all these enigmatic creatures . Back to these shores however. About 35years ago a couple of friends from Hawke Bay were shooting at a local firing range. Imagine their surprise when after firing the first volley, an extremely large cat like animal scampered up the steep bank at the rear, disappearing in to the trees. These men are outdoors people and hunters familiar with stray cats. Another couple believe they may have seen the same creature outside their residence one evening shortly after and at again at a later date crossing the highway. A truly unusual incident occurred at Mangere, Auckland in July 1977. I am unsure if it fits in to the category that we are discussing however I will include it here out of interest. Security Officer Graham Stevens was doing his rounds when he spotted a large pair of beady yellow eyes staring at him through the darkness from across the bonnet of his van. He though they probably belonged to a pony they may have escaped from the circus he knew was in town. As he closed in to make friends he suddenly realized the eyes belonged to a rather large lion. Graham dived for the safety his vehicle and called HQ who in turn called police but by the time they arrived the mystery visitor had disappeared in to the dark. The circus manager later assured that all the animals had been safely tucked up for the night and that none were awol. So what did Graham see? Did he really mean lion when he used that word or did he just mean a species of big cat? I’ve been unable to find out. In October 1980, several reports were made of a large marmalade coloured, lion sized creature in scrub covered farmland near Newlands, Wellington. One of the observers however, later retracted and declared it to be just a large cat although it was invariably described by others as being as large as an Alsatian dog. A nearby resident great Dane was also given blame When Tawa resident Ross Pedlar looked out his kitchen window one day in early December 1994, it was with utter disbelief at what he saw. There, sitting in the branches of a nearby tree, was an extremely large fawn coloured cat which he considered to be a puma. It still sat there as he excitedly spoke to police on the ‘phone, although it eventually wondered off in to bush nearby. Ross described the animal as standing as tall as a persons shoulder. Police and armed offenders searched the area without success. The incident was reported in the (Wellington) Evening Post and also aired nationally over news bulletins. sightings of ABCs seem few and far between. I am currently seeking further details of a reported evening sighting in the Kaitaia district whereby a large panther-like cat circled a vehicle a motorist was sleeping in while parked in a roadside An acquaintance of the author is presently investigating sightings in the lower Coromandel following a sighting and disconcerting incident at a secluded eastern coast bay. So then, the big question is, what exactly are these witnesses seeing? Most common descriptions are as being like a puma, cougar or panther and of comparable size to Alsatian or Labrador dogs .Colouring seems to be limited to black or tan . Sightings (overseas) have been recorded from around the turn of the 20th century. Dogs become extremely nervous when in the same vicinity. Our quarry have an uncanny ability to melt away unseen in to the Are these creatures dangerous? In the main it appears not although as with any large animal in the wild it would be prudent to keep one’s distance. A rare example of an encounter gone wrong occurred in Australia on March 13th, 2003. Kenthurst (Nth West Sydney) teenager Luke Walker was walking home one moonlit evening when he was startled by a low growl. Without warning a large animal leapt upon him from just a few steps away, its sharp claws gashing open wounds on his arms and stomach. The creature, was described as being black, the size of a Labrador and very powerful. It immediately retreated and disappeared in to the night. Thankfully such human attacks are rare however marauding big cats are having a devastating effect on livestock in parts of Australia. Sheep are the main targets, their corpses with broken necks and stomachs ripped open presenting a sad and frustrating sight to farmers. Dismembered bodies have been found dangling from the branches of trees. It is hoped this article will create an awareness of the reality of any future ABC sighting reported in NZ. If you have a previously undisclosed incident to report, the author would be pleased to hear from you as would the publication you are reading this in. .- Special thanks go to those people who have been kind enough to share their experiences with the author and also to a fellow researcher who sent several older newspaper clippings plus personal research notes.
A Biography of the Ocean Health Index by Julie Lowndes 2017 marks five years since the OHI first launched. With this short biography we reflect on its many achievements thus far as we continue to work for healthy oceans. The Ocean Health Index (OHI) is a scientific method and tool for channeling the best available scientific information into marine policy. First published in 2012 in the scientific journal Nature, the OHI is now used in governmental-management-academic collaborations around the world. Global assessments have been endorsed by the World Economic Forum, praised by the Prince of Wales, used as an indicator by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, and are expected to be an indicator in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. OHI has also been included in United States policy to evaluate ecosystem health as part of the nation’s first Ocean Plan in the Northeast Region, and independently-led assessments are ongoing in over twenty areas including Canada, the Baltic Sea, Ecuador, China, Colombia, Hawaii, and New Caledonia. Keys to its successes thus far include its inclusiveness - bringing people, teams, information, and knowledge together - and its flexibility and transparency as a marine assessment tool. Our team is a unique academic-nonprofit partnership between the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and Conservation International that continues to push boundaries in collaborative management and scientific contexts. We bridge science and policy through OHI assessments, bringing stakeholders together with the ultimate goal of all oceans sustainably providing a range of benefits to people now and in the future. The OHI is a useful tool across geographic jurisdictions where coastal and marine policy decisions are made. Its standardized structure is repeatable and familiar across assessment jurisdictions but it is flexible to represent the important social and ecological characteristics, values, and priorities of the area assessed. Independent groups are able to lead assessments within their own waters, deciding what is important to measure and which data to include while building directly from the experiences and methods from other OHI assessments. Using the OHI framework to think critically about what is important in different contexts facilitates holistic assessments of human-ocean systems. ‘Healthy oceans’ does not just mean lots of fish, happy whales, and clean water. It also means catching fish, watching whales, developing renewable energy, and continuing many other activities that provide jobs and revenue for coastal communities in a sustainable way. OHI evaluates these elements of ocean health – environmental, economic, and social — in an integrated way by combining their status against sustainable targets, the pressures acting upon them and management action to counteract these pressures. The OHI pledged a commitment at the Our Ocean Conference to provide the technical tools and assistance needed by governments and coastal resource managers to help measure and manage ocean health within their jurisdictions. We do this by advising independent groups and openly sharing all our instruction and methods (including data and code) online at ohi-science.org, using the same tools that software developers in Silicon Valley use to work efficiently and collaboratively with data. Environmental science demands transparency and repeatability to increase scientific rigor, strengthen public trust, and enhance how science can inform policy, and we continue to be visible leaders of open and collaborative science. In 2017, we will continue to work for healthy oceans, continue to push boundaries for collaborative science and policy, and look forward to working with an ever-expanding network of ocean leaders. The Ocean Health Index was developed from 2009-2012 to fill the need for a quantifiable and easily communicated method to define, measure, and evaluate ‘ocean health’. The Halpern et al. 2012 publication presented both the scientific framework and the first assessment at the global scale. This was quickly followed by assessments at smaller scales with differing data availability and spatial scales in Fiji and the US West Coast, and improvements to several global models (Halpern et al. 2015). Many independent assessments have since been completed or are underway (Lowndes et al. 2015). 2016 marks the fifth year of annual global assessments, with scores representing ocean health for 220 coastal nations and territories using the best available data each year.
Born: August 15, 1915 Ohio connection: Birth Brinton Cassaday Turkle was born on August 15, 1915, in Alliance, Ohio where a family friend, Gertrude Alice Kay, a children’s author and illustrator, encouraged his creative interests. Turkle showed an early inclination toward the theater, and entered the drama department at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (1933-36). Deciding that opportunities in theater would be limited, he then began to develop his drawing ability and studied at the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (1938-40). Turkle worked for several years in advertising before becoming an illustrator of children’s books, beginning with Timberline Treasure by Adrien Stoutenburg. Turkle had married Yvonne Foulston in l948, and the couple moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, that year. In 1959, Turkle moved to New York City to pursue his writing and illustrating career, and Obadiah the Bold was published in 1965. Turkle created 3 more stories about Obadiah, a precocious Quaker boy in early nineteenth century Nantucket; Thy Friend, Obadiah(1969) was a Caldecott Honor Book. In 1977, Turkle won the Ohioana Award for Deep in the Forest (1976), a wordless twist on Goldilocks and the Three Bears. He returned to Santa Fe in the 1970s and was active in local Quaker meetings. Continuing to illustrate his own and other authors’ writings, he also made many trips back to Ohio for programs at his hometown library. It was always his hope that he could impart to his readers an appreciation for integrity, mutual respect, kindness, and reverence for life. In 2001, he was honored by the state of New Mexico with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. Turkle died in 2003. Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts for state of New Mexico, 2001.
The ACC offers a variety of programs at the Anthem Civic Building. Past programs have included a Summer Teen Series, financial planning, safe driver presentations, estate planning, social media for businesses, personal branding, Alzheimer's/Dementia informational sessions and more. For more information on programming, contact Civic Building Meeting & Program Manager Taylor McCulley at firstname.lastname@example.org. The ACC welcomes input on programming that is useful and invites residents to complete an online programming survey. SENIOR CINEMA WEDNESDAY | July 19, 2 p.m. "Arrival": Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) leads an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery, she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of mankind. (credit IMdB) Cost is $5 and covers snacks/beverages. Ages 50+. Pay at the door; no registration required. Closed captioning provided. The program will occur the third Wednesday of each month in 2017 (except February and November). Aug. 16: "Passengers" Sept. 20: "The Light Between Oceans" Oct. 18: "The Outlaw Josey Wales" ANTHEM MIND QUEST | Think TED Talks, Anthem-style. This monthly program will feature high-caliber, university-style speakers on diverse topics including cyber crime, international relations, genetics, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, etc. Any topic someone is an “expert” in will be considered for the series. Mind Quest is on summer break and will return in September. Check back for details on the fall schedule. JEWELRY MAKING | 2017: Taught by Denise Paradis, classes are 2-3 hours in length; prices vary by class. All tools & materials are provided. Ages 16+ only, please. Classes are limited to six participants. July 29, 9 a.m.: Intro to Wire Working (see example): $40 Aug. 12, 9 a.m.: Flower Power (see example): $48 Aug. 26, 9 a.m.: Big Swirl Bracelet (see example): $40 Register at the Civic Building. PARENT SUMMER SERIES | June 8 (internet safety) and July 6 (substance abuse): 6:30-7:30 p.m. Part of the Teen Summer Series, these two parent/guardian/adult-only sessions are open to any adult who interacts with teens, not just parents - and not just those whose teens are registered for the summer program. These courses are designed to help parents understand the daily challenges faced by their kids. Moreover, they will be informed about the signs of potential problems before they occur. Presenters must have completed training at notMYkid, where they consistently work with local law enforcement agencies (police and FBI) to update and improve the presentations based on current trends. Sessions with parent and faculty groups last one hour with ample time for questions. Attendees at every parent substance abuse program leave with a complimentary home drug testing kit provided by First Check and a personalized family prevention plan. July 6, 6:30-7:30 p.m.: Substance Abuse | Register to attend. >> RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE | July 10: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Blood donation is an integral part of the health and well-being of every community. The need is constant, and there is no substitute for volunteer blood donations. Visit the Civic Building to donate blood and make a difference in the lives of others. Select a donation time >> (enter 85086 and select Anthem Civic Building)
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether voter identification laws unfairly deter the poor and minorities from voting, stepping into a contentious partisan issue in advance of the 2008 elections. The justices will hear arguments early next year in a challenge to an Indiana law that requires voters to present photo ID before casting their ballots. The state has defended the law as a way to combat voter fraud. The state Democratic party and civil rights groups complained that the law unfairly targets poor and minority voters, without any evidence that in-person voter fraud exists in Indiana. The party argued that those voters tend to be Democrats. Courts have upheld voter ID laws in Arizona and Michigan, but struck down Missouri's. Election law experts had urged the court to take the Indiana case to instruct courts on how to weigh claims of voter fraud versus those of disenfranchisement. "The court better resolve this question before ballots start getting counted next fall," said Stanford University law professor Pamela Karlan. The court is expected to issue a decision by late June, in time for the November general election. The Indiana law enacted in 2005 was upheld by a federal judge and by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Before the law's passage, an Indiana voter had only to sign a poll book at the polling place, where a photo copy of the voter's signature was kept on file for comparison. "The purpose of the Indiana law is to reduce voting fraud, and voting fraud impairs the right of legitimate voters to vote by diluting their votes," Judge Richard Posner said in his majority opinion. But in a dissent, Judge Terence Evans said, "Let's not beat around the bush. The Indiana voter photo ID law is a not-too-thinly veiled attempt to discourage election-day turnout by folks believed to skew Democratic." Bill Groth, an attorney who has represented the Indiana Democratic Party in the lawsuit, said he was thrilled that the nation's highest court will take up the case. He said the appeals court made light of the right to vote in its decision, but the Supreme Court has guarded that right more seriously. "The court has over and over stressed that the right to vote should be protected, and any state law that burdens that right should be carefully and meticulously reviewed," Groth said. The voter ID challenge was among 17 new cases accepted by the court in advance of the start of its new term on Monday. Earlier this month, a federal judge dismissed a challenge to Georgia's voter identification law, saying the statute does not impose a significant burden on the right to vote. © 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) – The Hampton Police Division unveiled its open data portal Friday afternoon. The Hampton Division says it will now upload information to its website through an open data portal sponsored by the White House. Citizens will have access to crime statistics, officer-involved shooting information and other data. The user will be able to download, embed, save and filter the information. The Open Data Project is about crime and police operations in Hampton. It is about transparency and getting out as much information as possible. Hampton Police Chief Terry Sult said, “But if we can put that information out there, preemptively, in a variety of ways — we are reducing costs, reducing staff time and creating legitimacy in our department.” Hampton is one of 21 law enforcement agencies nationwide selected to participate in this initiative. Thanks to chance conversations at The Police Executive Research Forum, Chief Sult made connections and those connections paid off. The White House Office of Science and Technology learned about the Chief’s interest and asked Hampton to become part of the White House Police Open Data Initiative. Here’s how the Open Data Project works: In Hampton, you can find all the incidents reported to police for the quarter. You can do it by listings and bar charts. There’s a year to date comparison of offenses updated weekly. The Chief said at a news conference, “If people understand where a current crime problem is, and how it is trending, then maybe they understand where and how we deploy resources.” There is a category for officer involved shooting reports. There is data on all police shootings since 2010. “All too often you have officer involved shootings, and you have to get out information or it appears we are hiding behind the secret wall,” said Chief Sult. Break down the wall and get out as much information as you can as quickly as you can. How about high accident locations in your neighborhood? You can see on the site how safe you really are and crimereports.com reports on crimes accurate at the time of processing, “If we can be more forth coming and proactive with that then when we have to keep that information close at hand to preserve the integrity of an investigation then maybe there’s a little more trust from the community,” the Chief added.
What is the area of this figure? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth. Select the best answer from the choices provided. Stacey Warren - Expert brainly.com Hey! We 've verified this expert answer for you, click below to unlock the details :) At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat. I got my questions answered at brainly.com in under 10 minutes. Go to brainly.com now for free help! First, you should find the area of the rectangle. The height is 14 and the width is 6. So\[A=14*6\] Then, add that to the areas of each semicircle. Semicircles are half of circles so their areas are half but since we have two semicircles with the same radius, both their areas add up to one. \[A=\pi r^2\]. Now add those two and you have the area of the figure. Not the answer you are looking for? Search for more explanations. That's not what I got. What did you plug into your formulas? I had multiplied it , 72.01 was the closest answer \[A=12*6\]\[A=72\] That is the area of the rectangle.\[A=\pi r^2\]\[A=\pi(2)^2\]\[A=4\pi\]\[A\approx12.56\] That is the area of the circle (assuming pi equals 3.14) Now add those two and see what you get.
Rome has an extensive transit system operated by ATAC that includes buses, subways, and tram lines. Combined across all these modes, ATAC serves 4 million passengers each day. The bus network consists of 490 lines and more than 2,700 buses. A single trolleybus line has been in operation since 2005, but Rome previously had trolleybuses from 1937 until 1972. The subway system consists of three lines with a fourth in the design phase (as of 2015), the first line opened in 1955. Today, the Metro has about 37 miles of track and 73 stations. The tram system consists of six lines, however, this is merely a small remnant of what was once the largest tram system in all of Italy. Some of the active fleet has been in service since the late 1940s. As is the case in many European cities, all fares are paid via the honor system and are valid for unlimited transfers within a set period of time. Although Line A opened after Line B, it is called Line A because it was originally the longer of Rome's two subway lines. Line A first opened in 1980, operating from Anagnina to Ottaviano. The line was extended to Viale Aurelia on May 29, 1999, and to Battistini on January 1, 2000. The line is now 11.8 miles (19 kilometers) long, all of which is underground aside from when the line crosses the Tiber River between Flamino and Lepanto, has 27 stations. The line is served by CAF MA300 Stock. These Spanish built trainsets have articulated cars that allow easy movement from one railcar to the next, automated announcements, LED displays that show the name of the next station, TV screens in each car, and CCTV. Rome Metro Line B was the first of Rome's two subway lines to open. The initial section, from Termini to Laurentina, opened in 1955. In 1990, the line was extended to the northeast, to Rebibbia. As of 2015, Line B has 26 stations along 14.7 miles of track, including the recently opened branch to Jonio. Line B is served by Breda built MB100 Stock; the stock was starting to undergo a rebuilding program as of 2008. In 2010, new stock, similar to the stock used on Line A, was delivered. The "historic" Stanga trams were manufactured in 1949-1950, and still run on lines 3, 5, 14, and 19 each day. These cars are single ended, so they are unable to operate on the newer Line 8 that does not have loops at each end to turn the trams around. The Viberti built trams look very similar to the Stangas, but they are numbered in the 7100 series and are slightly longer than the Stangas. Socimi built 35 double ended trams before going out of business in the early 1990s. In addition to being Rome's first double ended trains, they were also the first low floor trams to operate in the city. However, they were not fully low floor trams. As a result of the Socimi company going out of business, the Fiat trams were ordered at the end of the 1990s. The Fiat-I and Fiat-II trams were ordered at the end of the 1990s after the Socimi company went bankrupt before finishing the manufacture of Rome's first low floor trams. Like the Socimi trams, the Fiat-Is are partial low floor trams, and began to arrive in 1999. Currently, there are 28 Fiat-I trams in operation. An order for 50 fully low-floor trams was placed shortly after the Fiat-Is began to arrive. Known as Fiat-IIs, these trams entered service in 2000. Both the Fiat-I and Fiat-II trams are double ended with doors on both sides of the vehicles, and can operate on any of the city's tram lines. ATAC has a fleet of 53 electric powered TecnoBus Gulliver buses. These buses are assigned to circulators in Central Rome that operate on streets that are too narrow for standard sized buses. Additionally, because these buses' electric engines are so quiet, they do not create noise pollution that might be harmful to old structures in the ancient city center. Rome had trolleybuses from 1937 until 1972, and again since 2005. The current fleet of 30 Solaris trolleybuses operates on Route 90 between Stazione Termini and Largo F. Labia. Because it was thought that overhead electric wires would negatively impact the streetscape within the city center, from Termini to Porta Pia, the buses are powered by on board batteries that recharge as the bus runs on the section of the route with overhead wires.
Children and alcoholism, that's impossible! As a thing of information it isn't. One of the hardest property for a parent to have to face is the reality that a son or girl may have a tribulation beside drugs or potable. Even if their "children" are now adults, it is motionless provoking to encounter the problem, but battle and reporting are important in bidding to free the child's natural life. If you suspect that your kid may have a tablets or uptake problem, here are whatever tips that may assistance. Realizing that childlike population will act to drug of abuse otherwise is in all probability the primary step to recognizing your child's intoxicant idiosyncrasy. While supreme adults can have an alcoholic beverage or two in need losing the expertise to deliberation plausibly or having tendency swings, children may not be competent to brick with drinkable so recovered. If your son, who is by tradition mild and rarefied suddenly starts to display hectic behavior, it may be more than than "puberty" merely. If such conduct continues for more than a time period or so, it may be juncture to launch asking a few questions. Also, you should pay public eye to the types of friends your children are disbursal their case near. By the event your children are in minor or ranking dignified school, they may not deprivation you to be highly participating in their social group lives, but this is the incident when you involve to be elsewhere the maximum. Your kid will be outlay much clip away from the address during this time, which could discredit them to a lot of of influences that may not be practical - with drugs and alcohol. You should breed confident that you bump into all of your child's friends as okay as their parents. This is a intelligent entity to do because it will offer you good judgment into the child's interests and upbringing, so that you can get an perception of the impinging or impressions this new collaborator will be going on your fry. During the teenage period, we all know that kids are more than imagined to comprehend to their friends and working class kids at college than their own parents, so if you can kind firm that your child's friends are not curious in taking drugs, imbibing alcohol or active in thoughtless behavior, you will discern more than at allay near your son's or daughter's common natural life.Post ads: Nylon Endless Slings - Heavy-Duty 2-Ply - Orange / Aqua Brass Double towel bar 20" 505bngd Brushed Nickel W/ / 4 LAV FCT W/MILANO TWIN BRS HDL & SPOUT, TEAPOT-Satin / Emtek 8711 French Antique - 9" Height Colonial Sideplate / Soho Collection Nickel Finish Double Pull Floor Lamp / Ornate Sanctuary Lamp with Ruby Sanctuary Globe / 32" Round Ceiling Medallion / Hummingbird Vertical Wall Mounted Mailbox Finish / Insert / Schonbek 71211-51 Black Versailles Crystal Single Light Up / Aqua Brass Towel bar 405bngd Brushed Nickel W/ Gold / Prince Single Spool Monoblock Hydraulic Valve - 8 GPM, / Hitachi Main - Digi Part Ux28022 / Colonial Riviere Faux Marble Table Lamp / Sahara Pendant. 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And if your son or daughter starts to make clear to you active a individual who is experimenting beside a pills or alcohol, it's clip for you to distribute your healthy advice; repeated action next to this playmate is not good, but your tiddler should static cognize that a unadulterated person would bring a helping extremity in a picture same this. Last but not least, you should cognisant that no entity how old your youngster gets, you will immobile be their first and supreme trusty function classic - whether they impoverishment to come clean it or not. If drugs or street drug is in the quarters on a stock argument or if your offspring see you partying and ingestion ofttimes with friends or nearest and dearest members, they will not be able to see the dangers in intake regularly or at an early age. Your movements and the mode you choose, are the selected tools you can use to relief your offspring get round drug addiction. Therefore, select wisely. 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Pon has brown, curly hair. As the gardener's boy, Pon wore a long, brown smock with sandals. He lived alone in a small cottage set away from the road but within sight of it. Princess Gloria fell in love with Pon, the humble gardener, and he politely returned her love. But their romance was forbidden by King Krewl, who wanted Gloria to marry a rich courtier named Googly-Goo. The witch Blinkie froze Gloria's heart, and she could no longer love Pon (or anyone else), but the Scarecrow came and reversed the enchantment. King Krewl was deposed and Gloria was made queen. She chose Pon as her consort and the two ruled Jinxland together. (The Scarecrow of Oz)
There is a huge rush of Nigerian medical tourists coming from cities like Lagos and Abuja for their Health checkup in India. Medical treatment in India is no more a far fetched dream for the foreign residents living in different continents of the world. Anyone suffering from any medical ailment can avail the Indian medical facilities with some of the best treatment methods and that too from quality doctors and surgeons. Of late, Indian health sector is among the best health destinations in the world, wherein you will find high profile medical doctors and experts dealing cases from simple to complex. They have immense of experience in handling cases both India and abroad. Most of them are qualified from prestigious universities of the world and are known for a good success rate. Where as the Indian medical infrastructure runs parallel to the health centres found in developed nations like US or UK. They maintain high benchmark set by the international medical fraternity while carrying various medical treatments and these Health checkups in India. The Medical tourism offers Health checkup in India for foreign patients, which is the best mode to know about your health conditions, the ailment and its proper diagnosis to get the best cure. Interestingly, these Health checkups in India come at an affordable price. Medical Tourism in India comes with various lucrative and best options suited for people across the globe. Thousand and millions of people come every year for these Health checkups in India and then enjoy their recuperative holidays across the country. People from different walks of life cut across the entire span of the globe to come to India to have their treatments done with peace and tranquility. Regular health exams and tests coming through various Health checkups can help find problems before they start. They also can help find problems early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better. By getting the right health services, screenings, and treatments, you are taking steps that help your chances for living a longer, healthier life. Your age, health and family history, lifestyle choices (i.e. what you eat, how active you are, whether you smoke), and other important factors impact what and how often you need services and screenings. So a Health checkup on time is nothing but prevention better than cure. To know more about the Health checkups in India you can visit its site at or mail your queries at [emailprotected] or call us at: +91-9371136499, +91- 9860755000 (International) / + 1-415-599-2537 (USA) / +44-20-8133-2571 (UK)
A major military milestone "Carter broke that silence in a briefing with reporters last week. He said that the U.S. Cyber Command was attacking ISIS communications networks in support of efforts to help local forces take back the cities of Mosul, in Iraq, and Raqqa, in Syria. Cyber Command was established in 2009 and is made up of groups from the various military branches.Pentagon Hackers Are Waging America’s First Cyberwar Carter later offered more detail about the role of those operations at the world’s largest computer security event, the RSA Conference, in San Francisco. “We are using our cyber [attack capabilities] to interrupt their ability to command and control their forces, to make them doubt the reliability of their communications, [and] take away their ability to control the local populace,” he said. “We’re going to defeat ISIL [as ISIS is also called]. I’m looking for all the ways I can accelerate that defeat.”"
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Subject: Why autistics are SO different...from each other! Date: Sunday 2nd December 2007 15:13:16 UTC (over 9 years ago) One concept that keeps coming up again and again, and that is the concept that there must be something "common" to autistics--that they must have an area of concern, idea, perspective, outlook, or basis of thought that is common to all of them. Nothing could be further from autistics. In all the groups that I have encountered, the most flagrant opposition to my ideas and descriptions have come from (you probably guessed it): persons on the autistic spectrum. Each one is so unique, so different in outlook, wants, needs, emotional attachments, communication methods, timing, interests, etc., etc., etc.... That is why, so far, I have had no oppotunity to enter a group of autistics (even in the online forums) and find any type of comraderie anywhere. When I describe things that are important to my life, the sparks begin, as others say that they find something completely unrelated to be of importance to them, and many of these autistics have used disparaging language (such as "you sound like you are 'superior' to others") to downplay anything that I have posted. While I try to respect the personal views of each of these autistics, I am still lost as to why they feel that I am "out to get them"? Why do they feel that, by describing how, my life, as an autistic, has developed over the years, that I am, in any way, trying to hurt them or damage their reputation, as an autistic? For example,when I described using sleep to help alleviate feelings of depression at times, another autistic claimed that I was using sleep to escape from challenges, and that it is not advisable to hide from these challenges--it is manditory to face up to one's challenges. I tried to say that sleep was not one of ignoring the challenge of depression, but allowing the processes within me to help lead me through the depression, processes that take time (hours of sleep) to formulate, but once these processes have formulated the means of handling the depression, the processes, themselves take over, and the depression is handled without conscious effort the following day. To that, this autistic responded that I was displaying a "superiority complex" in my replies, which I had no idea of what this autistic was referring to--as I was only describing my own means of handling depression. I was not stating or implying that this would work for others. Why do other adult autistics take such offense at any ideas that are "different" than their own? That is the puzzle that I would like discussed more openly. Is it their upbringing, the way their parents and teachers made them feel as though their own methods of detailing their three "R's" where far more important than anyone else's methods? Could it have been the constant support their received during their adolescent years about their educational needs (while ignoring their social needs)? This is just a few questions that might be brought forward to try to figure out why autistics are so adamant, at times, that anyone who perceives any concept in life differently than they do is just "patently wrong" in their way of seeing these aspects of life. Does anyone on AUTISMLIST have any ideas or hints????