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Read about one famous deaf person, Marlee Matlin. - Sam Edwards was a teacher, dancer, poet, story teller and mentor to so many people...he lived to dance...he was admired by so many people for his ability to look at his experiences in such a positive light...he put a positive spin on even the negative ones. He was a graduate of Gallaudet University taught American Sign Language at New York Society for the Deaf...He encouraged me to go to deaf workshops to improve my signing skills...he said "Even if you learn one thing about my culture from these workshops, it brings you closer to my world"...I admired him soooo much and still, after all these years (he died in 1989), I miss him so much...he brought much joy to my life. - —Guest Joy Kahn My Hero, My Brother - My hero is Sean Berdy my little brother is deaf and I am amazed by him he is my idol and when I watched switched at birth I feel in love with him he is incredible and no one needs to judge people how they were born and how they talk - —Guest tera Sign Language Interpreter Jack Jason - How wonderful that the secretary who took the call for an interperter handed the phone to Jack,one of the unknown people who had a hand in making history! God bless her. - First time I saw his videos just blew me away... his signing, what he had to say. It was hard to realize he was 100 years ago -- what he had to say was still completely relevant! - —Guest BEG65 My Hero - Andrew Foster - Andrew Foster was a black deaf American who had a passion to give children in un-developed countries of Africa and opportunity to read, write and sign. He knew that without the ability to communicate they would be trapped in a silent life of hopelessness, futility and poverty. With no voice they would be victims without justice. Andrew Foster did something about this situation and dedicated his life to opening schools, training teachers to teach the deaf to communicate. By the time he died in 1987 he had opened schools for the deaf in over 30 countries..and changed the destiny of untold numbers of the deaf. Andrew Foster was a man of passion and a man of action. I also have a passion to help the deaf in developing countries learn to read, write and sign. I follow in the footsteps of a true hero who showed what it means to live a sacrificial life. - —Guest Rev Michael Jarrett Hard To Name Just 1! - I would have to choose Helen Keller. What she accomplished( w/ A.Sullivan) was beyond unreal. Marlee Matlin for being such a strong presence and helping destroy stereotypes. There are those who fight for justice, equality, & against mistreatment of those w/hearing impairment (or multiple issues). And can I just add the beautiful strong spirits like my friend T., not famous (yet!) but, like others who will go unnamed here- a strong advocate for the Deaf communities. She seeks also to educate & bridge the gap of misunderstanding between hearing & persons deaf/hoh- using patience, kindness & humor. She is one of the unsung heroes, & I am proud to call her "friend". And lucky enough to have another friend who is deafblind, who also works tirelessly to help others. - —Guest KT - My hero, is Rev Andrew Foster, a deaf missionary who opened schools for the deaf in Africa. He founded schools in over thirty African nations and changed the destiny of untold number of the deaf. He died in a plane crash on his way to another African country in 1987. - —Guest rev jarrett I admire Hellen Keller - Because she overcome all the problems and obstacles she found on her way and become a successful member in society. A role model for many people. - —Guest Fabiana Barker Mr. Antoine Hunter A.K.A Fire Storm - I love Antoine Hunter Deaf World known Dancer. He dances like no man I ever seen. - —Guest Michelle frost admire deaf person - i admire heather whitestone because she didn't take sides on either side of the issue, but accepts everyone. - —Guest dondrea cody - To answer the question-most admire person(s) I admire is George Veditz for trying to save ASL by filiming deaf signers and coming up with the smartest quote, "As long as we have deaf people on earth, we will have signs." Also, Phyllis Frelich has captured my admiration..its a shame she lacks the deserved recognition in media today. - —Guest Lee Dray Fred Beam/Antoine Hunter - You know I saw Fred Michael Beam and Antoine D Hunter. Two very different artists who seemed to make a big different in the artist world. They are Amazing. - —Guest One Who Dream - Matt hamill is a Pro UFC fighter i belive he is one of most sucessful deaf athletes.... - —Guest Kyle B. Howie Seago and Billy Seago - I most admired Howie Seago and Billy Seago are excellent involved with deaf drama in Seattle in Washington. Billy taught ASL to hearing or deaf children. Disappointed Howie is no longer involved Drama in Seattle Center. Howie is best actor and taught deaf and hearing teenager to be involved in Deaf Community in Seattle, WA - —Guest Margaret Adamski - Fan of Deaf Read Admire Three People - I have three--all living. Deborah Sonnenstrahl, my art history teacher at Gally and author of the awesome DEAF ARTISTS IN AMERICA; Jane Norman who I consider a Queen of Deafness; and Phyllis Frelich, our greatest actress. All of whom should be in the public "light" more often. - —Guest Susan Cruse
BOGOTÁ, Colombia – While recent policies and actions to improve security have been effective in the majority of the country, Colombia’s government is still working to improve residents’ safety in the department of Chocó. The department’s numerous waterways leading to the Pacific Ocean have made it a hotbed for narco-traffickers and criminal gangs who have unleashed a wave of violence, forcing locals to help them in the drug trade and other criminal activities. “Only three months ago I became governor of the Chocó Department, and since then I’ve been finding complications at every turn,” Malcom Ali Córdoba said. “The [departmental] government has a financial deficit; the few professionals in the region are not getting paid; the schools show a low level of competence; sexual abuse is very high; and it’s no secret to anyone that the department is one of the poorest in the country.” Córdoba, who at 28 is the Andean nation’s youngest governor, is charged with looking after the needs of a region with 9.9% unemployment, according to the National Administrative Department of Statistics. Córdoba said Chocó does not have enough jobs to provide income for all of its residents. “Our biggest problem is the corruption, the impunity, and the indifference,” he said. Chocó’s high unemployment level has driven residents to engage in criminal activities to earn a living, which creates a vicious cycle, Córdoba said. “All the illegal armed groups working in the region undermine in one way or another the peacefulness and the development of the department.” He was referring to an incident this past May where a series of attacks by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) along the Atrato River left four dead and disrupted navigation of that river for two days. The attack, officials said, made it clear the FARC’s strategy is to use the local villagers as human shields to protect themselves against the police. The FARC’s 34th Front blocked the passage of vessels along the Atrato River bound for Quibdó, the capital of the department of Chocó, on May 22. The Diocese of Quibdó responded by alerting authorities the FARC intended to use villagers from Beté to shield members of the terrorist groups when engaged by the military. The Colombian Armed Forces and National Amy resolved the situation during a joint operation in which they commandeered the Atrato River so it could be used by civilians. But the operation came with a steep price: The FARC killed three civilians and a police officer during an attempt to take control of the river. President Juan Manuel Santos said he’s committed to making Chocó safer. “I’m not [going] to allow the department [to continue] being seen as the poorest in the country,” Santos said in a statement posted on his website, adding his administration would bolster security forces throughout Chocó. “We Chocoans are used to counting the dead in the news, not a week goes by without [an] incident,” says Rafael Restrepo, who relocated to Bogotá from Chocó a decade ago out of concerns for his safety. Restrepo added: “I left because I felt my life was threatened – and not because I didn’t believe in the region’s potential. But the truth is that drug trafficking and violence have done a lot of damage to Chocó. They have slowed down the education and prosperity of the region, and looking at the news I can see that little has changed.” Córdoba said he would like to see Chocó as prosperous as other regions. “Our region is rich in culture. In natural resources, we’re a work in progress, but we have a lot of potential, and that’s why I’m asking the government to invest – to really invest – in the recovery of Chocó,” he said. Adm. Édgar Cely, the commander of the armed forces, visited Chocó in May. He’s now working with Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera to devise a strategy to make the department safer. “The new strategy of prosperity and security will revitalize the Chocó Department and will reinforce security,” Rivera said. “We will invest in the future of the region’s population. The Colombian government will not let any of the country’s departments fall by the wayside, but we will pay special attention to solving and alleviating the needs of Chocó.” Córdoba added: “My intention is to help and to do everything possible for Chocó to move forward; but you need a 360-degree change to achieve this and in this sense, the help we’re being offered by the government is vital.”
Important bird areas : South Georgia Research output: Contribution to journal › Article \|Number of pages\|\|27\| \|Journal publication date\|\|1 Mar 2012\| The mountainous island of South Georgia, situated in the cold but productive waters of the Southern Ocean, is a UK Overseas Territory and one of the world's most important seabird islands. It is estimated that over 100 million seabirds are based there, while there may have been an order of magnitude more before the introduction of rats. South Georgia has 29 species of breeding bird, and is the world's most important breeding site for six species (Macaroni Penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus, Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma, Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes holli, Antarctic Prion Pachyptila desolato, White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis and Common Diving Petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix). Several of the key species are globally threatened or near-threatened, which emphasises the need for action to improve the conservation status of the island's birds. South Georgia is currently classified by BirdLife International as a single Important Bird Area (IBA) but it may be better considered as comprising several distinct IBAs. Current threats to the South Georgia avifauna include rats (a major campaign to eliminate rats began in 2010/11), regional climate change, and incidental mortality in longline and trawl fisheries. Local fisheries are now well regulated but South Georgia albatrosses and petrels are still killed in large numbers in more distant fisheries. © British Birds.
Quotes I Like* Who the Dickens wrote "Oliver Twist", anyway? *Your mileage may vary. Some quotes are puns, or require historical or technical literacy to appreciate. If you miss the humor, please re-read the Internet and then try again. More About This Website Dr. George's Science Web is 100% kid-safe, pro-Christian and pro-Free Software. Read more about DGSW here. Celebrating the Loophole (Communion) Aim: To enhance the children's spirit of worship during communion Core Competency: Worship Objectives: The children will Key Verse: For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. ( 1 Corinthians 11:26 ) Story: "The New Covenant " ( 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Jeremiah 31:31-34 ) Eye on Science: Quote the core compentency: "I worship God for Who He is and What He has done for me." Explain to the children that they will tell you Who God is, and they you will explain what He has done for them. Define "attribute of God" to the children ("A word that describes Who God is.") On the white board, write "Perfect" (preferably in a unique color) and state that God has no flaws or sins, and cannot tolerate any flaws or sins in His presence. Ask the children to give you more attributes of God for you to write on the white board; reward each child offering an attribute with a small piece of candy or other favor. Continue until the board is full or each child has offered at least one attribute. Some attributes of God for which to watch: If time permits, offer to entertain a few testimonies of how God has acted recently in the life of each child present. Emphasize the importance of thanking God and worshiping Him for His goodness and mercy. Remind the children that God is perfect, and cannot tolerate sin. No matter how many "good works" a child does (going to church, helping a little old lady across the street), if even one sin is present in the life of that child, the child is less than perfect and completely unacceptable to God. Read Romans 3:23 and explain that every person has sinned. The situation looks hopeless. Ask for two volunteers. Take the two ropes and tie slipknots or two half-hitches in each end (this may be done prior to class to save time). Attach one rope between the hands of each volunteer, such that the ropes overlap and join the children together (see figure). This represents our bondage to sin, which separates us from God. Tell the volunteers they must separate themselves without removing the rope from a wrist or cutting the rope. Allow them time to try various strategies. Their efforts (hopefully energetic and increasingly frustrated) represent our efforts to win salvation by "good works". After a suitable interval (perhaps 30 seconds), provide the answer - the "loophole" that frees them from each other. Run a loop of the rope between one of the voluneer's wrists and rope and over her hand; the ropes should now be separated (see figure). This represents the "loophole" God used to free us - a sinless man (Jesus) who died for sin (though He had none) can now take the place of each of us. Remove the ropes and thank the volunteers. Tell the children that it is the sacrifice Jesus made - His death on the cross - that we celebrate at Communion. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 . Emphasize in verse 24 the phrase "which is for you" - that is, His death replaces the need for the child to die for her sins. Emphasize in verse 25 the phrase "new covenant". Ask if the "new covenant" was a surprise to those who knew the Old Testament. Assure the children it was not. Read Jeremiah 31:31-34 . Emphasize "I will remember their sin no more" and "they shall all know me." Ask the children if God remembers their sins (if they have placed their trust in Jesus, He does not). Ask if they know God - not just know of God from Sunday School and Bible reading, but actually know Him. Counsel each child who does not (preferably with her parents present) on the plan of salvation. Used: KIDZ 06/01
Winston Churchill could have been called a divisive figure. During the 1930s, the aristocratic scion-turned-newspaper reporter and political leader stood alone, defying conventional wisdom, facing constant derision from rivals and media pundits at the time, for calling out governments throughout Europe and political leaders such as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain for vainly avoiding dealing seriously with the increasingly aggressive menace that was Nazi Germany. His ascent to the British premiership in 1940 only came after his rival, Lord Halifax, declined to take the job — and even then, others in the coalition government Churchill would lead didn’t want him in the job. Thomas Paine was also what one would have called a divisive figure. In his lifetime, the polemicist behind Common Sense and The Rights of Man offended defenders of British monarchy such as British statesman Edmund Burke for defending liberty and freedom for the young American republic, was convicted in absentia for supposed sedition for defending French revolutionaries, and angered the religious for arguing about inconsistencies in the Bible. Even in death, critics declared that Paine only “did some good and much harm”. Same with William Lloyd Garrison, whose strident rhetoric and activism against American slavery — and declaration that enslaving African-Americans must come to an immediate end — subjected him to arrest attempts by Southern politicians and made him a target of more moderate players in political life. Decades and even centuries later, Churchill, Paine, and Garrison are regarded as the great moral and political leaders of all time, highly regarded for their forthright articulation and activism of their views on the world. Same is true with others considered “divisive” by their foes and supposedly moderate folks in their lifetimes: American politicians such as Barry Goldwater — now celebrated for articulating conservative and libertarian views that made him a target of left-leaners and even fellow conservatives during his lifetime — and Abraham Lincoln (whose steerage of this nation during the Civil War is now celebrated). Civil rights activists such as Ida B. Wells (who was attacked in her lifetime — and heralded today — for daring to criticize Jim Crow segregation and lynching), and the Freedom Riders organized by the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee in 1961. Global figures such as Mohandas Gandhi (who stared down British imperialism in India through non-violent protest), Margaret Thatcher (who along with others such as Pope John Paul II, put an end to Communism), and Simon Wiesenthal (whose celebrated efforts to bring to justice Nazis who perpetuated the Holocaust was not well-regarded by many in the 20th century). The divisive men and women of their lifetimes turn out to be the figures that fought rightfully and morally for the freedoms and liberties we cherish. This reality should be a lesson for all school reformers as they battle with education traditionalists to overhaul American public education today. There is nothing wrong with being divisive. In fact, there is no way to battle against failed amoral ideas in any time — especially now –without taking stands that force men and women to make choices they would rather avoid. One of the rhetorical tricks employed by education traditionalists and their fellow-travelers is to declare that a school reformer — especially one who actively advances their ideas in both word and deed — is “divisive” and thus incapable of being a player in education decision-making. Paul Vallas, for example, is considered divisive because his strident reform efforts in Chicago, New Orleans, and now, Bridgeport, Conn., have not been welcomed by American Federation of Teachers unionists, school district bureaucrats, and their fellow-travelers. Same is true for Joel Klein, who remains a lightning rod for the likes of AFT President Randi Weingarten and once-respectable education historian Diane Ravitch even though he is considered far more likable. Klein’s role as co-chair of the Council on Foreign Relations panel that offered up a school reform agenda prominently supporting expansion of choice, in particular, has once again served as red meat for AFT and National Education Association bosses, who, like their fellow-travelers in university schools of education, are none too fond of outsiders finding their practices to be wanting. Then there’s Michelle Rhee, who has riled up education traditionalists with every move she has made since her days founding teacher quality outfit TNTP. From her aggressive effort to overhaul Washington, D.C.’s collection of traditional failure mills, to her current role wooing Democrats and Republicans alike as founder of StudentsFirst, Rhee’s strident activism, sharp tongue, willingness to go bipartisan, and ominous poses on the covers of national magazines have made her no friends among those who would rather keep the status quo ante. This was especially clear last month when Rhee again became a lightning rod for NEA and AFT bosses (and their fellow-travelers among supposedly progressive Democrats) after her appearance alongside Connecticut Parents Union President Gwen Samuel and other school reformers supporting Gov. Dan Malloy’s teacher quality overhaul plan. Vallas, Klein, and Rhee are certainly the most-prominent of the supposedly divisive reformers out there. But they aren’t the only ones. The reality is that it doesn’t take much for anyone to be considered divisive, either by education traditionalists or reporters who don’t exactly always think when they write. Harlem Children’s Zone boss Geoffrey Canada and Green Dot Public Schools founder Steve Barr, for example, have been labeled as divisive simply because they support expanding choice and argue that the view among traditionalists that poverty is essentially destiny is pure hogwash. Same is true for Parent Power activists such as Samuel, Black Alliance for Educational Options cofounder Howard Fuller, and local activists such as AJ Kern and her husband in Minnesota. Even someone writing about the problems in American public education in a way that doesn’t favor traditionalist views is considered divisive; Steve Brill can tell you plenty about that. In short, if you are a school reformer, you are in the view of your opponents a divider. This shouldn’t be shocking. American public education has long embraced a culture in which anti-intellectual civility — in the form of false consensus, phony collaboration, and embrace of “best practices” — is far more important than honest conflict and strong, vigorous, intellectually- and morally-challenging debate over how to provide children with high-quality education. From where education traditionalists sit, anyone wading into education discussions should just simply stick to working them on what they consider to be ‘real’ strategies and ‘authentic’ solutions that will help kids succeed in school, support teachers in their work, and preserve their vision of what American public education should be. In short, conflict is to be avoided (except when savaging those whom they oppose). And those who stir up conflict through their contrary views are to be vilified. But as with conflict, being divisive isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, being divisive can actually be a good thing. For one thing, being divisive means standing by your principles. This is because divisiveness is at the heart of all morals, ideas, and policies, which visible representation of our ideals, ideologies and morality — and human beings, being sentient creatures, aren’t going to always agree. By being divisive, you are declaring the willingness to articulate your views forcefully and take action in equal measure — and you are accepting the reality that your principles will separate you from those who disagree. Being divisive also means being willing to challenge policies and practices that are amoral, immoral, and untenable to continue bending the arc of American history toward progress. After all, policies and ideas are divisive because they can also serve as threats to — or in defense of — existing influence and power. Conflict with those who benefit politically, financially, or even psychically, from a system of things remaining in place is never a bad thing, especially if the existing order is unacceptable. Being divisive involves forcing others to clarify their own ideas and beliefs. It also forces people to deal honestly with the implications of their thinking and the consequences of the practices and policies they defend. Being divisive means forcing revelations of which movements have the moral and intellectual high ground. And like conflict, being divisive also leads to the kind of problem-solving that benefits society as a whole. And being divisive means to embracing the mantle of true leadership. Certainly leadership does involve occasional efforts to reach sensible organizational and movement-level consensus. But as shown by politicians such as Ronald Reagan and civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, true leadership generally means making decisions and taking positions that are going to afflict the financially, ideologically and politically comfortable — including your own friends and family. It is the divisive who force the positive changes that have improved the world for all of us. It is because of the divisive Moses and Hammurabi that we have the soul-freeing concepts within Christianity, Judaism and the Golden Rule. Thanks to divisive Founding Fathers such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin (along with the equally divisive William Wilberforce), slavery is no longer acceptable and women’s rights in most of the world is a given. It’s because of those divisive economists such as Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill that we now have a global economy that has helped make prosperity a reality for many (if not all) people even in countries such as China. And because of such divisive civil rights activists such as Bayard Rustin and James Farmer, Jim Crow segregation is now a thing of the past. Being divisive about challenging a failed, amoral system that condemns 1.2 million children a year to poverty and prison is at the heart of the school reform movement. And this is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with actively opposing a traditional system of compensation that has fostered teacher quality policies that subject our poorest children to the worst American public education offers. And, more importantly, there is nothing terrible about pushing to end policies that do little more than harm the futures of children who deserve better. The reality is that we need more supposedly divisive figures such as Rhee, Jackson, Klein, and Vallas because it takes Churchills, Paines, and Garrisons to win ideological, political, and economic wars. And let’s be clear: The battle over the reform of American public education involves all three. This isn’t to say that there is no room for conciliatory figures. They are needed. The lack of such a figure is why Rhee’s reform efforts were short-circuited in D.C., while the presence of such a figure in New York City in the form of Mayor Michael Bloomberg (along with Klein’s own genial nature) is why the reform effort under Klein’s tenure has continued to succeed even after he left the job. But you cannot transform a sclerotic system that continues to benefit its incumbents (even if the kids they say they care about suffer from educational neglect) with a few kind words and gestures. You have to fight fire with fire. In short, school reformers should accept — and fully embrace — being divisive. Because it is the only way we can transform American public education.
This database was compiled by Kyle Zinth, policy analyst, ECS Information Clearinghouse. For questions, additions or corrections: 303.299.3689 or email@example.com. \|State support for STEM mentoring and real work internship programs for students\| \|Connecticut\|\|Yes, 2006 legislation directed the the department of education to establish a "Generation Next" pilot program to provide industry-based job shadowing and internship experiences to high school students and externship experiences to teachers in the public schools. Authorizes the commissioner of education to award grants to local and regional boards of education, regional vocational-technical schools or business associations - in partnership with such boards of education or schools - for demonstration projects. Grants served as seed-money for programs, and all applicants must include in their applications an explanation on how the program will sustain itself following initial grant funds.\| Grants must be used for developing and implementing a coordinated high school level teacher externship and student job shadowing and internship program with science or mathematics or with technology intensive businesses in the state. \|District of Columbia\|\|None identified\| \|Florida\|\|Yes, career academies enable students to simultaneously earn industry certification and a standard high school diploma. All career academies must provide a rigorous standards-based academic curriculum integrated with a career curriculum and include one or more partnerships with postsecondary institutions, businesses, industry, employers, economic development organizations or other appropriate partners from the local community.\| These partnerships must provide opportunities for: Career academies can be established in a number of career clusters, including: \|Illinois\|\|Yes, the purpose of the High Technology School-to-Work Program is to increase the number of students exiting secondary and postsecondary schools that enter occupations and advanced educational programs that require advanced skills in the areas of science, mathematics, and advanced technology. The program provides grants to consortia of high technology businesses and local schools. Projects are designed by partnerships among employers, employer associations and schools to provide youth with work experience in high technology occupations, combined with closely related classroom instruction.\| Proposals must designate a private sector employer, or employer-based intermediary organization, to serve as the grantee. This will ensure that the employer side of the partnership has the final approval over all aspects of the project. Proposals must also demonstrate that a strong and cooperative relationship exists between the grantee and the school(s) that represent the educational side of the partnership. \|Kentucky\|\|Yes, among the responsibilities of the Kentucky Science and Technology Council is to coordinate, promote and support activities designed to develop additional learning experiences outside traditional classroom courses, to enhance interest in mathematics and science for high school students, including business and industry internships and mentorships and career awareness exploration.\| The department of education is responsible for promoting, supporting and assisting the council by: \|New Hampshire\|\|None identified\| \|New Jersey\|\|None identified\| \|New Mexico\|\|None identified\| \|New York\|\|Yes, the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) is designed to assist eligible students in acquiring the skills, attitudes and abilities necessary to pursue professional or pre-professional study in post-secondary degree programs in scientific, technical and health-related fields. Eligible students are secondary school students who are either economically disadvantaged or minorities historically underrepresented in the scientific, technical, health and health-related professions.\| Individual postsecondary institutions, or consortia of postsecondary institutions, may apply for grants to operate STEP programs. The curricula of these programs must emphasize the concrete aspects of the scientific, technical or health-related discipline as it relates to a professional career, through laboratories, relevant work experience opportunities or similar activities. \|North Carolina\|\|None identified\| \|North Dakota\|\|None identified\| \|Rhode Island\|\|None identified\| \|South Carolina\|\|None identified\| \|South Dakota\|\|None identified\| \|Texas\|\|Yes, multiple provisions.\| Cooperative Program with Johnson Space Center (JSC) 1999 legislation authorized the University of Houston to establish and coordinate a cooperative program with one or more school districts under which high school students may be employed by the university to work at NASA's JSC on a part-time basis during the school year or on a part-time or full-time basis during school holidays or vacations. The JSC is responsible for: (1) placing, supervising and evaluating each student who participates in the cooperative program; and (2) ensuring that the student performs work related to the study of science, mathematics or engineering to encourage students to study those courses after high school graduation at an institution of higher education. The 35 T-STEM academies include a mixture of charter schools, traditional public schools and schools operated in conjunction with an institution of higher education. All academies will begin at 6th grade and focus on the most challenged school districts and the most disadvantaged students across the state. Academies will include partnerships with employers to expose students to careers in STEM fields. Additionally, the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science provides students with an awareness of mathematics and science careers and professional development opportunities through seminars, workshops, collaboration with postsecondary and university students including opportunities for summer studies and internships in foreign countries. \|Utah\|\|Yes, Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program is intended to increase the number of under-served minority and female students who pursue course work, advanced study and possible careers in STEM subjects. Approved activities that participating districts or schools may use state funds for include internships or work experiences in identified areas which may be encouraged by student stipends or academic credit or both.\| \|Washington\|\|Yes, 2007 legislation directed the superintendent of public education to provide support for statewide coordination for mathematics, science and technology education, including employing a statewide director for mathematics, science and technology. The duties of the director include developing and maintaining public-private partnerships to generate business and industry assistance to accomplish the creation and promotion of student internships and \|West Virginia\|\|None identified\| © 2014 by the Education Commission of the States (ECS). All rights reserved. ECS is the only nationwide, nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education. To request permission to excerpt part of this publication, either in print or electronically, please fax a request to the attention of the ECS Communications Department, 303.296.8332 or e-mail Helping State Leaders Shape Education Policy
Nagler, Katja (2012) Investigation of Bacillus subtilis spore germination at high salinity. Master's, University of Cologne. Full text not available from this repository. The effects of high salt concentrations on the germination of Bacillus subtilis endospores are barely investigated. This thesis addressed questions concerning high-salinity effects on spore germination, the roles of cellular components in germination under high salt conditions and salt-dependent alterations in gene expression during spore outgrowth. B. subtilis wild type spores are generally able to germinate despite the presence of very high salt concentrations and osmolalities (up to 3.6M and 7.2 osmol/kg, respectively). However, elevated salt concentrations exert inhibitory effects on germination, leading to a delay of germination onset and decreased germination efficiency. Four major factors were identified to differentially affect spore germination at high salinity: the germination medium, the employed germination trigger, the type of ionic species and the ion concentration. Cationic and anionic species, valence and general chemical properties seem to influence the inhibitory features of a salt, whereas the overall osmolality of the germination medium is apparently less important. Salt inhibition seems to have several targets, at least one being related to nutrient germination receptor (GR) functionality. In fact, the different GRs were found to be unequally affected by different salts. However, high salinity can also inhibit non-nutrient germination that does not involve GRs, indicating at least one additional, GR-independent inhibition target. The germination analyses of mutant spores provided interesting information on the involvement of different cellular components within the germination process. The anionic phospholipid cardiolipin (CL) is not essential, but beneficial for successful nutrient germination in the absence of salt. Yet, CL is highly important for germination in a high-salinity environment, possibly due to stabilizing effects on the GRs. The K⁺-transport systems KtrAB and KtrCD are not essential for germination, but KtrAB seems to play a role for germination in the presence of high NaCl concentrations. Regardless of the salinity of the germination medium, the five osmoprotectant uptake systems (OpuA to OpuE) are not involved in germination, although they generally seem to facilitate outgrowth and subsequent growth. \|Document Type:\|\|Thesis (Master's)\| \|Title:\|\|Investigation of Bacillus subtilis spore germination at high salinity\| \|Number of Pages:\|\|109\| \|Keywords:\|\|Bacillus subtilis spores, high-salinity effects on spore germination\| \|Institution:\|\|University of Cologne\| \|Department:\|\|Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences; Department of Biology\| \|HGF - Research field:\|\|Aeronautics, Space and Transport\| \|HGF - Program:\|\|Space\| \|HGF - Program Themes:\|\|Research under Space Conditions\| \|DLR - Research area:\|\|Raumfahrt\| \|DLR - Program:\|\|R FR - Forschung unter Weltraumbedingungen\| \|DLR - Research theme (Project):\|\|R - Vorhaben Strahlenbiologie\| \|Institutes and Institutions:\|\|Institute of Aerospace Medicine > Radiation Biology\| \|Deposited By:\|\|Kerstin Kopp\| \|Deposited On:\|\|30 Oct 2012 09:39\| \|Last Modified:\|\|30 Oct 2012 09:39\| Repository Staff Only: item control page
Topic: Crimea’s Fate Guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun© REUTERS/ U.S. Navy/Petty Officer 3rd Class Deven B. King/Handout MOSCOW, March 12 (RIA Novosti) – A US navy destroyer began joint exercises Wednesday with Romanian and Bulgarian warships in the Black Sea, about 130 miles from Crimea, the Reuters news agency reported. The mission was cited by the White House last week as a sign of the United States’ commitment to the region amid ongoing turmoil in Ukraine – which also borders the Black Sea – that threatens to split the country apart. The exercises, taking place in Romanian territorial waters, were scheduled to begin Tuesday but were delayed due to adverse weather. The USS Truxtun, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was dispatched last week from its duties as an escort in the carrier group led by the USS George H.W. Bush, part of the US 6th Fleet headquartered in Italy. Romania’s coast is as close as 130 miles (220 kilometers) to Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, where troops lacking official insignia but carrying weapons and wearing uniforms of the Russian military have seized key infrastructure and military bases in recent weeks. The Crimean government declared independence Tuesday ahead of a referendum scheduled for Sunday on the question of annexation by Russia. Add to blog You may place this material on your blog by copying the link. - Mikhail1228Shaking in their boots!17:56, 12/03/2014I'm sure Russia is shaking in their boots over this! This is akin to one Russian destroyer in the Gulf of Mexico. The Black Sea is Russia's bathtub. A few Russian missiles could take out this ship in less than 15 minutes! - sohelsaheenRussia CAN CRUSH all...18:16, 12/03/2014Well, USA knows GOOD that all will take maximum 30 minutes for Russia to crush those stuffs in Romania and Bulgaria. - bielecBeware of a false flag operation18:41, 12/03/2014It might be the Gulf of Tonkin syndrome of the U.S. military. Ignore it but take precautionary measures. - severnayazemlyaUSS Truxton: don't run aground in Black Sea20:49, 12/03/2014Try not to run aground in Black Sea, like the USS Taylor, guided missiles destroyer, which ran aground at Samsun, Turkey February 12th, and was towed to Crete for repairs. U.S. should permanently close their embassy at Kiev, save billions. - firstname.lastname@example.orgMost Bulgaria have Warm Feelings about Russia and Ukraine01:24, 13/03/2014Most Bulgaria have Warm Feelings about Russia and Ukraine. They should stay outside of the Crimea issue. This is very bad for the Bulgarian government to take part in NATO warship drills directed against Russia. I am sure most Bulgarians agree with me. - R.Deus-von HomeyerRE:Should Bulgaria participate in the drills with USS Truxton?20:17, 13/03/2014Of course,ALL Bulgarians LOVE Matushka Rossia and Ukraina! The problem is,that after the desolvement of the Warshau Pact,Bulgaria was left without ANY military protection as the Soviet Union fall apart and as a small country Bulgaria was and STILL is afraid of being attcked by Turkey. Every time I talk to my relatives in BG,they woory a lot,that Turkey might occupy them. For that reason Bulgaria became a member of NATO and this is the result...USA is forcing Bulgaria to participate in their military drills. In Case of a war,certainly the Bulgarians will NEVER EVER shoot at the Ukrainians or Russians as WE,ALL are SLAVIC Brothers and we are gratfull to the Russians for liberating us from the OSMAN Empire. - mythoslightRelax it´s just...17:41, 13/03/2014...a "chicken race" with the US and western fascist forces being two chicken-ducks quacking around the Hawk/Russian Black Sea bathtub, trying not to bump into 200.000 combat ready Russian anti-fascist troops,with all the moral and professionalism an army could ask for, 24/7 Russian aerial war-games and, among other , a battleship/flagship with the capacity to sink two carrier armadas simultaneously. Only a complete trigger-happy Am. retard would pick a conventional war, for a fascist neo-nazi mob regime, against Russia anywhere near the country and particularly in that region. Short of actually saying it, Obombah has drawn yet another red line, just outside Russia´s doorstep, and Putin is not going to save his *ss this time and just like Georgia they will back off, again. - jg(no title)19:31, 13/03/2014I guess it will be quite convenient for Russian surveillance of US and other NATO warships conducting an exercise. Normally, the Russian aircraft and submarines would have to chase US ships in the open sea. Military exercises are held in order to prevent a war rather than prepare for one. If a potential enemy knows and sees that the Russian Army is constantly improving its skills and adopting state-of-the-art combat equipment and combat support systems he will hardly risk aggression against these Armed Forces and the country they defend.
Benign neglect was a policy proposed in 1969 by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who was at the time on Nixon's White House Staff as an urban affairs adviser. While serving in this capacity, he sent the President a memo suggesting, "The time may have come when the issue of race could benefit from a period of 'benign neglect.' The subject has been too much talked about. The forum has been too much taken over to hysterics, paranoids, and boodlers on all sides. We need a period in which Negro progress continues and racial rhetoric fades." The policy was designed to ease tensions after the American Civil Rights Movement of the late 1960s. Moynihan was particularly troubled by the speeches of Vice-President Spiro Agnew. However, the policy was widely seen as an abandonment of urban neighborhoods, particularly ones with a majority black population, as Moynihan's statements and writings appeared to encourage, for instance, fire departments engaging in triage to avoid a supposedly futile war against arson. A Rand Institute report suggested that many of the fires in the South Bronx and Harlem were arson, but subsequent analysis of the data did not back this up. Of the fires in buildings, only very few were arson, and that portion was not higher than the rate of proven arson found in wealthier neighborhoods. However, influenced by the report, Moynihan went on to make recommendations for urban policy based on the assumption that there was "widespread arson" in poverty stricken neighborhoods like the South Bronx and Harlem. To Moynihan, arson was one of many social pathologies caused by large cities that would benefit from benign neglect. The term is today more widely known as a type of laissez-faire policy, in which a lack of regulation or investment is allowed in the belief that it will improve, or at least not hurt, the interests of the "neglected" group. Benign neglect is also used as to mean divestment from under-served communities, with the implication that resources will be diverted to preferred communities, usually suburbs. \|Look up benign neglect in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.\| - #1579 Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations (1989) - Wallace, Deborah and Wallace, Rodrick. A Plague on Your Houses: How New York Was Burned Down and National Public Health Crumbled. ISBN 1-85984-253-4
Finland during the Great Northern War Finland during the Great Northern War was dominated by the Russian invasion and subsequent military occupation of Finland, then part of the Sweden, from 1714 until the treaty of Nystad 1721, which ended the Great Northern War. The period is also referred to as den stora ofreden ("the great discord") in Swedish or isoviha ("the great wrath") in Finnish. Finland was left largely to fend for itself after the disaster of Poltava in 1709. Russia captured Viborg (Russian: Выборг (Vyborg), Finnish: Viipuri) in 1710 and already in 1712 started first campaign to capture Finland which ended in failure. More organized campaign starting in 1713 managed to capture Helsinki/Helsingfors and drive defending Swedes away from the coast. The Swedish army in Finland was defeated in Storkyro (Isokyrö) in February 1714 where Russians won a decisive victory. Swedish efforts to hinder Russian advance by blockading the coastal sea route at Hangö ended in failure in late July in battle of Gangut. Presence of Russian galley fleet in the Gulf of Bothnia forced in the end both Swedish fleet and army to largely abandon Finland already in late 1714. Even the Swedish areas on the western side of the Gulf of Bothnia was ravaged by the Russians. The city of Umeå was burned to the ground by the Russians on 18 September 1714, and after struggling to rebuild was razed again in 1719, 1720, and 1721. Russian occupation of Finland After the victory at Storkyro, Mikhail Golitsyn was appointed the governor of Finland. Finns began waging partisan warfare against the Russians. As retaliation, the Finnish peasants were forced to pay large contributions to the occupying Russians (as was the custom in that time). Plundering was widespread, especially in Ostrobothnia and in communities near the major roads. Churches were looted, Isokyrö was burned to the ground. A scorched earth zone several hundred kilometers wide was burned to hinder Swedish counteroffensives. At least 5,000 Finns were killed and some 10,000 taken away as slaves, of whom only a few thousand would ever return; According to newer research the amount of those killed is much larger. Thousands, especially officials, also fled to the (relative) safety of Sweden. The poorer peasants hid in the woods to avoid the ravages of the occupiers and their press-gangs. Atrocities were at their worst between 1714–17 when the infamous Swedish Count Gustaf Otto Douglas, who had defected to the Russian side during the war, was in charge of the occupation. In addition to the predations of the Russian occupants, Finland was struck – as were most other Baltic countries at the time – by the plague. In Helsinki, 1,185 people died: nearly two thirds of the population. Plague had struck Finland already before the Russian invasion sapping the strength of Sweden in Finland. It took several decades for the Finnish population and economy to recover after the peace in 1721, at which point Finland was scourged again during the war of 1741–43, although less devastating. - Mattila, Tapani (1983). Meri maamme turvana [Sea safeguarding our country] (in Finnish). Jyväskylä: K. J. Gummerus Osakeyhtiö. ISBN 951-99487-0-8. - Svenska slagfält, 2003, (Wahlström & Widstrand, ISBN 91-46-21087-3)
The Mallard Song is an ancient tradition of All Souls' College, Oxford. It is sung once a century in a ceremony in which the Fellows parade around the College with flaming torches, led by a "Lord Mallard" who is carried in a chair, in search of a giant mallard that supposedly flew out of the foundations of the college when it was being built in 1437. The procession is led by an individual carrying a duck — originally dead, now just wooden — tied to the end of a vertical pole. The ceremony was last held in 2001, with Martin Litchfield West acting as Lord Mallard. His predecessor as Lord Mallard was Cosmo Lang, who presided over the centenary ceremony in 1901. The words of the song are as follows: - The Griffine, Bustard, Turkey & Capon - Lett other hungry Mortalls gape on - And on theire bones with Stomacks fall hard, - But lett All Souls' Men have ye Mallard. - Hough the bloud of King Edward, - By ye bloud of King Edward, - It was a swapping, swapping mallard! - Some storys strange are told I trow - By Baker, Holinshead & Stow - Of Cocks & Bulls, & other queire things - That happen'd in ye Reignes of theire Kings. - The Romans once admir'd a gander - More than they did theire best Commander, - Because hee saved, if some don't foolle us, - The place named from ye Scull of Tolus. - The Poets fain'd Jove turn'd a Swan, - But lett them prove it if they can. - To mak't appeare it's not att all hard: - Hee was a swapping, swapping mallard. - Hee was swapping all from bill to eye, - Hee was swapping all from wing to thigh; - His swapping tool of generation - Oute swapped all ye wingged Nation. - Then lett us drink and dance a Galliard - in ye Remembrance of ye Mallard, - And as ye Mallard doth in Poole, - Lett's dabble, dive & duck in Boule. The word "swapping", repeatedly used in the chorus, is a now-obsolete use from Middle English meaning "striking" (as in "what a remarkably big duck that is!"). The identity of King Edward in the song is not known; it could refer to any of the five English monarchs of that name (three numbered, and two earlier monarchs) up to the time the song was created. Not surprisingly, the Victorians disapproved of the reference to the mallard's "swapping tool of generation", mightier than any other in "ye wingged Nation" (of birds). They dropped this verse from the song, but to the delight of traditionalists, it was restored in the 2001 ceremony. (And apparently this honour does indeed belong to a duck, though not a mallard. ) The last two lines are an invitation to the singers to retire to a convenient watering-hole. They could be paraphrased as saying "in much the same way as the Mallard dives into a pond, let us dive into a drinking bowl." - Another song about the mallard A folksong found in southern England is an accumulative song about the body of the mallard. - Gregoriadis, Linus; O'Neill, Sean (15 January 2001). "Mallard Leads Oxford Fellows a Merry Dance". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 April 2011. - MacLeod, Donald (12 January 2001). "Oxford Dons Go Quackers". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2011. - Horan, David (1999). Oxford: A Cultural and Literary Companion. Oxford: Signal Books Limited. pp. 55–56. - Palmer, Roy (1979). Everyman's Book of English Country Songs. London: J. M. Dent
\|Part of a series on the\| Pakistan Monument, Islamabad Pakistani architecture refers to the various structures built during different time periods in the modern day region of Pakistan. With the beginning of the Indus civilization around the middle of the 3rd millennium B.C., for the first time in the area which encompasses today's Pakistan an advanced urban culture developed with large structural facilities, some of which survive to this day. This was followed by the Gandhara style of Buddhist architecture that borrowed elements from the Ancient Greece. These remnants are visible in the Gandhara capital of Taxila. Indus Valley civilization Archaeologists excavated numerous ancient cities, among them Mohenjo Daro, Harrappa and Kot Diji, which have a uniform, appropriate structure with broad roads as well as well thought out sanitary and drainage facilities. The majority of the discovered brick constructions are public buildings such as bath houses and workshops. Wood and loam served as construction materials. Large scale temples, such as those found in other ancient cities are missing. With the collapse of the IVC culture the architecture also suffered considerable damage. View of Mohenjo-Daro towards the Great Bath. Unfortunately little is known about this civilization, often called Harappan, partly because it disappeared about 1700 BC for reasons unknown and because its language remains undeciphered; its existence was revealed only in the midst of the 19th century (your text says the 1920s), and excavations have been limited. Surviving evidence indicates a sophisticated civilization. Cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro (=the "City of the Dead") had populations of some 35,000, they were laid out according to grid system. Inhabitants lived in windowless baked brick houses built around a central courtyard. These cities also had a citadel, where the public and religious buildings were located, large pools for ritual bathing, granaries for the storage of food, and a complex system of covered drains and sewers. The latter rivaled the engineering skill of the Romans some 2,000 years later. Buddhist and Hindu architecture With the rise of Buddhism outstanding architectural monuments were again developed, which have lasted into the present. In addition, the Persian and Greek influence led to the development of the Greco-Buddhist style, starting from the 1st century A.D.. The high point of this era was reached with the culmination of the Gandhara style. Important remnants of Buddhist construction are stupas and other buildings with clearly recognizable Greek statues and style elements like support columns which, beside ruins from other epochs, are found in the Gandhara capital Taxila in the extreme north of the Punjab. A particularly beautiful example of Buddhist architecture is the ruins of the Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in the northwest province. The arrival of Islam in today's Pakistan - first in Sindh - during 8th century A.D. meant a sudden end of Buddhist architecture. However, a smooth transition to predominantly pictureless Islamic architecture occurred. The way early mosques were built with decorations oriented them strongly to the Arab style. The earliest example of a mosque from the days of infancy of Islam in South Asia is the Mihrablose mosque of Banbhore, from the year 727, the first Muslim place of worship on the Indian Subcontinent. Under the Delhi Sultan the Persian-centralasiatic style ascended over Arab influences. Most important characteristic of this style is the Iwan, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. Further characteristics are wide prayer halls, round domes with mosaics and geometrical samples and the use of painted tiles. The most important of the few completely discovered buildings of Persian style is the tomb of the Shah Rukn-i-Alam (built 1320 to 1324) in Multan. At the start of the 16th century, the Indo-Islamic architecture was at the height of its boom. During the Mughal era design elements of Islamic-Persian architecture were fused with and often produced playful forms of the Hindustani art. Lahore, occasional residence of Mughal rulers, exhibits a multiplicity of important buildings from the empire, among them the Badshahi mosque (built 1673-1674), the fortress of Lahore (16th century and 17th century) with the famous Alamgiri Gate, the colourful, still strongly Persian seeming Wazir Khan Mosque (1634-1635) as well as numerous other mosques and mausoleums. Also the Shahjahan Mosque of Thatta in Sindh originates from the epoch of the Mughals. However, it exhibits partially different stylistic characteristics. Singularly, the innumerable tombs of the Chaukhandi are of eastern influence. Although constructed between 16th and 18th centuries, they do not possess any similarity to Mughal architecture. The stonemason works show rather typical Sindhi workmanship, probably from before Islamic times. The building activity of the Mughals came close to succumbing by the late 18th century. Afterwards hardly any special native architectural projects were undertaken. British colonial architecture In the British colonial age predominantly representative buildings of the Indo-European style developed, from a mixture of European and Indian-Islamic components. Amongst the more prominent works are Mohatta Palace and Frere Hall in Karachi. Post - independence architecture After independence Pakistan strove to express its newly found national identity through architecture. This reflects itself particularly in modern structures like the Faisal Mosque in the capital built during the 1960s. In addition, buildings of monumental importance such as the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore or the mausoleum established with white marble known as Mazar-e-Quaid for the founder of the state expressed the self-confidence of the nascent state. The National Monument in Islamabad is one of the latest examples of integrating culture, independence and modern architecture. World Heritage Sites - Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro - Buddhist Ruins at Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol - Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens (Lahore) - Historic Monuments of Thatta - Rohtas Fort - Culture of Pakistan - Architecture of Lahore - List of Pakistani architects - Islamic architecture - Indo-Greek Kingdom - Sikh architecture - Buddhist architecture - Indo-Islamic Architecture - Persian architecture - Guisepi, R.A. The Indus Valley And The Genesis Of South Asian Civilization. Retrieved on February 6, 2008 - Meister , M.W. (1997). Gandhara-Nagara Temples of the Salt Range and the Indus. Kala, the Journal of Indian Art History Congress. Vol 4 (1997-98), pp. 45-52. - Meister , M.W. (1996). Temples Along the Indus. Expedition, the Magazine of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Vol 38, Issue 3. pp. 41-54 - Mumtaz, Kamil Khan. Architecture in Pakistan. Singapore: Concept Media Pte Ltd, 1985. - Maurizio, Taddei and De Marco, Giuseppe. Chronology of Temples in the Salt Range, Pakistan. South Asian Archaeology. Rome: Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente, 2000. - Crossing Lines, Architecture in Early Islamic South Asia. Anthropology and Aesthetics 43 (2003) - Malot and the Originality of the Punjab. Punjab Journal of Archaeology and History 1 (1997) - Pattan Munara: Minar or Mandir?. Hari Smiriti: Studies in Art, Archaeology and Indology, Papers Presented in Memory of Dr. H. Sarkar, New Delhi: Kaveri Books, 2006. \|Find more about Category:Architecture of Pakistan at Wikipedia's sister projects\| \|Definitions and translations from Wiktionary\| \|Media from Commons\| \|Quotations from Wikiquote\| \|Source texts from Wikisource\| \|Textbooks from Wikibooks\| \|Learning resources from Wikiversity\| - ARTSEDGE Pakistan: The Gift of the Indus - Pakistan's Salt Range Temples - A photographic review of Professor Michael W. Meister of the University of Pennsylvania. - Architecture in Pakistan: A Historical Overview - Islamic Architecture Pakistan - Modernity and Tradition: Contemporary Architecture in Pakistan - 100+1 Pakistani Architects And Their Own Houses - Amazon.com Accessed May 4, 2008 - Islamic Architecture in South Asia: Pakistan-India-Bangladesh - The Architectural Heritage of Bahawalpur
A rotary valve is a type of valve in which the rotation of a passage or passages in a transverse plug regulates the flow of liquid or gas through the attached pipes. The common stopcock is the simplest form of rotary valve. Rotary valves have been applied in numerous applications, including: - Changing the pitch of brass instruments. - Controlling the steam and exhaust ports of steam engines, most notably in the Corliss steam engine. - Periodically reversing the flow of air and fuel across the open hearth furnace. - Loading sample on chromatography columns. - Certain types of two-stroke engines. - Most hydraulic automotive power steering control valves. Use in brass instruments Joseph Riedl is credited with the first use of rotary valves on brass instruments in 1832. Use in industry In industry, a rotary valve (which can also be called airlock) is often used to enter or extract material from two chambers with different pressure level. As part of the material exchange process, the valve is often used as a measuring or metering device. A rotary valve in the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industry is used to dose and feed solid bulk products within the processes. Use in engine design The rotary valve combustion engine possesses several significant advantages over the conventional assemblies, including significantly higher compression ratios and rpm, meaning more power, a much more compact and light-weight cylinder head, and reduced complexity, meaning higher reliability and lower cost. As inlet and exhaust are usually combined special attention should be given to valve cooling to avoid engine knocking. Rotary valves have been used in several different engine designs. In Britain, the National Engine Company Ltd advertised its rotary valve engine for use in early aircraft, at a time when poppet valves were prone to failure by sticking or burning. Austrian engine manufacturer Rotax used rotary intake valves in their now out-of-production 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 532 two-stroke engine design and continues to use rotary intake valves in the 532's successor, the current-production 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 582. US company Coates International Ltd has developed a spherical rotary valve for internal combustion engines which replaces the poppet valve system. This particular design is four-stroke, with the rotary valves operated by overhead shafts in lieu of overhead camshafts (i.e. in line with a bank of cylinders). The first sale of such an engine was part of a natural gas engine-generator. Rotary valves are highly suitable for high reving engines, such as those used in sportscars and F1 racing cars, on which traditional poppet valves with springs can fail due to spring resonance and where the desmodromic valve gear is too heavy, large in size and too complex to time and design properly. Rotary valves allow for a more compact and lightweight cylinder head design. They rotate at half engine speed and lack the inertia forces of reciprocating valve mechanisms. This allows for higher engines speeds offering appr. 10% more power. The 1980s MGN W12 F1 engine used rotary valves but never raced. Between 2002 and 2004 the Australian developer Bishop Innovation and Mercedes-Ilmor tested rotary valves for a F1 V10 engine. Bishop Innovations' patent for the rotary valve engine was bought out by BRV Pty Ltd, owned by Tony Wallis, one of the valves original designers. BRV has constructed several functional motors using the rotary valve technology, such as a Honda CRF 450, which had greater torque at both low(17% increase) and high (9% increase) engine speeds, and also produced more brake horsepower up to around 30% more at functional engine speeds. The engine was also considerably smaller and lighter, as the cylinder head assembly was not as large. A company in the UK called Roton Engine Developments made some progress in 2005 with a 2 rotor (one for inlet and one for exhaust) on a motorcycle single cylinder Husaberg. They filed patents and got an example running in 2006 but were backed by MG Rover who subsequently went bust, leaving Roton without enough funds to continue. The designs surfaced some years later in Australia with Engine Developments Australia Pty Ltd. A prototype casting was produced in 2013 on a Kawasaki Ninja 300 parallel twin unit. This unit is still in development phase at the time of writing but is significant as it has the potential to run much higher compression ratios than even other rotary valve engines due to a significant but undisclosed new cooling method of the combustion chamber and the ability to eliminate the throttle completely, making it vastly more economical at lower engine speeds, so it is claimed. Use in production engines UK company RCV Engines Ltd uses rotating cylinder liner technology as a specialized form of rotary valve in some of their four-stroke model engine and small-engine line-up. ACV also use horizontal and vertical rotary valves in four-stroke engines in their current range of engines. RCV have developed a 125cc rotating cylinder liner engine, incorporating a rotating valve in the cylinder liner, for scooter applications. PGO Scooters of Taiwan were working with RCV in developing the engine for their applications. Use in chromatography Rotary valves are used for loading samples on columns used for liquid or gas chromatography. The valves used in these methods are usually 6-port, 2-position rotary valves. - Flight magazine, April 1911 - Aspin Rotary Valve Engine Accessed on 18th Oct 2010 - Free engine info Accessed on 18th Oct 2010 - BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG (2006). "OPERATORS MANUAL FOR ENGINE TYPES 447, 503 & 582". Retrieved 4 January 2011. - Raisner, William: LEAF catlog, pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. - Coates International Accessed on 3rd Mar 2011 - Tony Wallis. "The Bishop Rotary Valve (AutoTechnology, Special 2007)". Retrieved 2011-12-26. - "The Bishop Rotary Valve". AutoTechnology Magazine. Retrieved 19 April 2012. - RCV. "RCV Engines Ltd - UK (India – AutoExpo 2004)". Retrieved 2012-01-03. - Keith Lawes. "The Rotating Cylinder Valve 4-stroke Engine (SAE Paper 2002-32-1828)". Retrieved 2012-01-03. - "rcv_engines_ltd". Rcvengines.com. Retrieved 2014-04-18. - "Engine Development". RCV Engines. Retrieved 2014-04-18. - By Jeremy Korzeniewski RSS feed Google+. "PGO working on rotary valve scooter engine". Green.autoblog.com. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
\|Breaching experiment was a Social sciences and society good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. There are suggestions below for improving the article. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.\| I just wanted to provide an overview of my plans for expanding this page based on the outlines currently provided. I started by expanding the opening intro explaining what a "breaching experiment" actually is, as students in both introductory sociology and social psych are often assigned this as a field assignment, but have no idea what it actually means. Along those lines, I am adding sections trading the idea as it has developed across disciplines. I was able to trace the theoretical notions of creation of social meaning and norms, as well as the importance of complying with norms in social settings to Erving Goffman. I believe Garfinkel was thinking along these same lines at the same time (1960s) so I follow with discussion of breaching experiment as a research tool in ethnomethodolgy and some examples of how Garfinkel had his grad students do this informally. This is also covered under the Harold Garfinkel Wiki page, so I'm trying not to overlap too much. Finally, social psychologist Stanley Milgram, famous for the Milgram Obedience experiments, carried out two "social norm breaching" studies, which I describe in the final section in order to give readers an idea of how social psychology has also approached this issue. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ioanaschmidt (talk • contribs) 01:13, 18 November 2012 (UTC) I'm not allowed to edit articles but some mention of Harold Garfinkel and his theory of Ethnomethodology. A large part of his work was dedicated to breaching experiments which he used to highlight the hidden method we use to create sense and order in our lifes. The example 'The literalist' in the article was used often by him too. Other examples that come to mind include getting students to act as a lodger in their parents house, and breaching games of tic-tac-toe. - added a mention and link both to Garfinkel and to ethnomethodology Earl R. Babbie cite Could we please get a cite for the Babbie point? Tarheelcoxn 00:10, 17 October 2006 (UTC) Should the Boiling Points reference be deleted? There seem to be many examples that could be offered to illustrate the experiment as well; this one seems as though it could be more a promotion than is necessary.--Plaidfury 23:30, 13 October 2005 (UTC) - Boiling Points is interesting, but only tangentially related. Maybe we need to add 'A stream of consciousness' to what Wikipedia is not ... and it does look promotional, as you mention. eritain 22:53, 24 October 2005 (UTC) - I agree that Boiling Points should probably be removed. It is sensationalistic -- it's not really what breaching experiments are about. Katxena. Literalist and elevator I removed two "examples" of breaching experiments because I am somewhat doubtful that they have actually been conducted. (Well, the elevator one possibly, but the "literalist" one seems very dubious.) I think we need to have some sources here referring to particular, actual experiments conducted by psychologists, and not just "hey, that would be a cool experiment" ideas. Has anyone actually done the "literalist" experiment? How would you possibly set that up (since we don't say "hi how are you" to strangers, it seems like it would be very hard to control.) Sdedeo 15:35, 17 November 2005 (UTC) (Re: Garfinkel -- I haven't been able to find any evidence that Garfinkel conducted a "literalist" breaching experiment, or indeed ever talked about it in a significant manner. Indeed, the only hits for a goole of Garfinkel's name and the term "literalist" point back to the earlier versions of this page -- sigh.) Sdedeo 15:39, 17 November 2005 (UTC) Example 1 in Action "The inexplicable do-gooder": Social science researcher Earl R. Babbie writes that "it is a social rule that ordinary citizens should not pick up garbage from the street, or mend street signs, or otherwise fix problems." So, umm, does anyone know when it will be revealed that Wikipedia is one giant Breaching experiment? -HiFiGuy 23:14, 17 January 2006 (UTC) I see what you are saying and as you can see by the success of Wikipedia that it works very well. Now to figure out how to change the norms of the real world to be more like Wikipedia... Guy who couldn't get a username (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 22:02, 5 December 2013 (UTC) I added a references section to this entry, but I wasn't certain how to format it. Also, I wanted to note that in my experience (I'm a sociologist) breaching experiments are not commonly done anymore by psychologists or sociologists. However, they are an important teaching tool -- they are often used to teach students about social norms. I'm not certain how to include any of this in the article, since it's just my own experience. I don't have any references for this. Advice? Ideas? Katxena. - The concept of "personal space" is still taught via breaching experiments, and from what I've seen of printed enclopedias it qualifies as a relevant example QEF. The broader sociological field of interpersonal creative capacity is still being investigated by behaviorists, isn't it? As such, you might want to work downwards if standardised references are difficult to find (I realise that the bulk of studies into breaching social norms were conducted in the 1970s, and that scientific journals typically disclude any research conducted prior to the late 1980s as a point of order) --Ottre (talk) 17:08, 6 December 2007 (UTC) It seems to me that a breaching experiment, since it relies on the reactions of unsuspecting members of the public, by definition cannot obtain consent from experimental subjects prior to experimentation. Is there any literature discussing the ethics of this type of study? 126.96.36.199 (talk) 22:45, 14 August 2012 (UTC) - This review is transcluded from Talk:Breaching experiment/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review. - The main reason for the failure is lack of sources and verification issue. The article has 13 sources from which the content cannot be verified much. One should provide links to either ISBN or any site link where the link is present. The article has many facts unsourced so it qualifies for a quick fail. Other issues include, MoS corrections, c/e, and the topic is presented in a bit confusing manner if seen from readers point of view who knows nothing about the topic. The prose is ok but needs few MoS fixes as well as large number of sources. These are tough to fix in a month or some so I'm sorry to say but it is a quick fail. TheSpecialUser TSU 03:14, 30 November 2012 (UTC)
Television in Switzerland Television in Switzerland was introduced in 1950. People who live in Switzerland and receive television services are required by law to pay a television licence fee, which is used to finance the public radio and television service SRG SSR. Licence fee-payers in all the linguistic regions of Switzerland all pay the same amount (462 CHF for 2008, counting both radio and television licences) and, in return, are entitled under the law to services of equal quality. The history of television in Switzerland began in 1939 when the first test transmissions commenced. Regular transmissions started in 1953, at first only one hour a day for five days a week, and only in German: transmissions in French started in 1954 and in Italian only in 1958. Romansh-speaking Swiss had to wait until 1963 for the first programme in their language, a full decade after regular television transmission were initiated. To this day, there is no dedicated Romansh-language channel; instead the German and Italian channels air a few hours of Romansh programming per day. The 1960s also saw the arrival of television advertising, in 1964, and of colour television, in 1968. In 1984, the Swiss teletext service, SwissTXT, was started. In 1993 a fourth SRG SSR channel was created, first named "S Plus" but later renamed Schweiz 4 (Switzerland 4). However, this was short-lived: during its existence the channel constantly suffered low ratings and was hence shut down in 1997. In the same year, as a result, all the SRG SSR subsidiaries started a second channel, and SRF zwei, RTS Deux and RSI La 2 came into existence. Analogue television was phased out starting July 2006, when TSI (now RSI) began the analogue switchoff. The process continued until January 2008, when the end of analogue broadcasting in Valais and Chablais completed the digital television transition in Switzerland. List of channels The following is a list of television channels broadcast in Switzerland: - SRF 1: the first of the three national German-language channels in Switzerland (the others being SRF zwei and SRF info). Run under the public SRG SSR broadcasting group. SRF 1 is considered to be the channel that airs more local programming, infotainment and other programmes of that nature. - SRF zwei: Channel programming consists of sports, youth programmes, movies and a wide range of American prime time shows. - SRF info: news channel owned by the public broadcasting group. - 3sat: public, advertising-free, television network run jointly by the public broadcasters of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is available off the ASTRA satellite to all of Europe and North Africa and West Asia. - CHTV (CH Television): Culture Channel serving as platform for creative people launched in 2013. Programming consists mainly of culture magazines, entertaining documentaries and movies. - 3+: Swiss general programming channel launched in 2006. Programming consists mainly of reality shows, infotainment and American fiction. - 4+: Swiss channel broadcasting since 2012. - TeleZüri: originally a local station in the city of Zurich, the channel now is available throughout the German speaking part of the country. It airs the most viewed nightly newscast of all commercial channels in Switzerland. - Sat.1 Schweiz: Swiss version of Sat.1. It differs from the latter in some local programming and regionalised advertising. - ProSieben Schweiz: Swiss version of ProSieben. It differs from the latter in some local programming and regionalised advertising. - S1 TV: Swiss channel geared towards an older audience launched in 2013. Programming consists mainly of documentaries and television drama. - Star TV: cinema and lifestyle channel, with moviews and programs about upcoming movies in theaters and in the home market, musical programs (mainly videoclips) and programs about videogames. - joiz: youth-oriented channel, broadcasting magazines, music videos and live call-in shows, where viewers can participate mostly by means of social media. - Viva Schweiz: Swiss version of Viva. - Nickelodeon Schweiz: Swiss version of Nickelodeon. - Comedy Central Schweiz: Swiss version of Comedy Central. - Energy TV: music station, broadcasting back-to-back music videos. - Sport Szene Fernsehen: sports channel, focusing on less popular sports. - Schweiz 5: transmitted by cable, its programming is mostly made of call-in shows and infomercials. - Teleclub: pay-TV company, operating several movie channels and a wide offer of live sports from Switzerland and abroad. - Pink: Swiss general bilingual programming channel in German and French languages launched in December 2014. - German channels available in Switzerland with local advertising: RTL, RTL II, Super RTL, Vox, Kabel 1, Sixx - Unlocalised German and Austrian channels available in Switzerland: all public and most commercial channels from the neighbouring countries are widely available in Switzerland through cable TV. - RTS Un: the first Swiss French language public television channel. Run under the public SRG SSR broadcasting group. RTS Un runs a general schedule with a focus on news and local programming. - RTS Deux: The channel's programming is composed of reruns from the RTS Un television archive, children's television programs in the morning and early afternoon, teens programs in the late afternoon and evening and cultural programs or sports transmissions during prime time. - RTS Info: virtual television channel, owned by Télévision Suisse Romande, and launched on 26 December 2006. It broadcasts 24 hours a day using an internet stream, and many times (especially in the night and the early morning) simulcasts on RTS Deux. - Rouge TV: private musical channel, primarily aimed at the 15-34 demographics. - TVM3: first private channel allowed to broadcast in the whole Romandy after the shutdown of Télécinéromandie. It began transmission on 1 May 2004. - TV5MONDE: global television network, broadcasting several channels of French language programming. - TF1 Suisse: Swiss version of TF1. It differs from the latter only in the regionalised advertising. - M6 Suisse: Swiss version of Métropole 6. It differs from the latter only in the regionalised advertising. - W9 Suisse: Swiss version of W9. It differs from the latter only in the regionalised advertising. - Unlocalised French channels available in Switzerland: all public and most commercial channels from the neighbouring countries are widely available in Switzerland through cable TV. - RSI La 1: general television channel, broadcasting in Italian for the Italian-speaking Swiss in the whole country. Run under the public SRG SSR broadcasting group. Its programming is made of game shows, news programmes, movies, documentaries and less frequently sports programmes. - RSI La 2: Sister channel of RSI La 1, broadcast in Italian. It mainly transmits sport programs, but also reruns and music programs. It does not broadcast any newscast. - TeleTicino: commercial television channel focusing on news from the Italian speaking part of the country. - Unlocalised Italian channels available in Switzerland: all public and most commercial channels from the neighbouring countries are widely available in Switzerland through cable TV. There is not a television channel broadcasting exclusively in Romansh language; instead, Radio Television Rumantscha's productions are transmitted on SRF 1, RSI La 2 and SRF info a few minutes a day. Programming includes Telesguard (a newscast), Cuntrasts and l'Istorgia da buna notg (bedtime story). Local radio and television networks in Switzerland are entitled to 4% of the licence fee every year (about 50,000,000 CHF for 2007). The number of subsidised television broadcasters is limited to 13, one for each designated coverage area. Also, the support share cannot exceed 50% of the operating costs of each network. - TeleBärn: local television channel in German for the capital city of Berne and its surroundings. - Telebasel: local television channel in German for the city of Basel. - Tele M1: local television channel in German for the Mittelland region. - TeleBielingue: simulcast in German and French for the city of Biel/Bienne. - Tele 1: local television channel in German for the area of Lucerne. - Tele Top: local television channel in German for the area of Winterthur. - TVO: local television channel in German for the eastern part of Switzerland. - Tele Südostschweiz: local television channel in German for the canton of Graubünden. - Schaffhauser Fernsehen SHF: local television channel in German for the city of Schaffhausen. - ZüriPlus: local television channel in German for the city of Zurich, an alternative to TeleZüri. - Canal 9: local television channel in French for the canton of Valais. - Canal Alpha: local television channel in French for the cantons of Neuchâtel and Jura. - Léman Bleu: local television channel in French for the city of Geneva. - La Télé: local television channel in French for the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg. In 2007 the UFCOM applied a must-carry regulation, requiring the local cable companies to transmit all the SRG SSR network stations and the following foreign channels: arte, 3sat, Euronews, TV5MONDE, ARD, ORF eins, France 2, Rai Uno. All public and most commercial channels from the neighbouring countries are widely available in Switzerland through digital television services such as upc cablecom. They also carry a great number of international channels including: - Al Jazeera English - BBC One - BBC Two - BBC Three - BBC Four - CBBC Channel - BBC World News - Channel 4 - Channel 5 - Adult Channel - Playboy TV - CNBC Europe - Bloomberg TV Europe - CNN International - France 24 - Channel NewsAsia - Disney Channel Notes and references - UFCOM, Reception fees - (French) Sonia Arnal, "C'est l'autre (la vraie ?) révolution de 1968 : la TV couleur débarque en Suisse", Allez savoir !, no. 42, September 2008. - Switzerland completes analogue switch-over - Elenco dei programmi esteri che devono essere diffusi su linea in tutta la Svizzera (Italian) - Swiss Federal Office for Telecommunications - Digital terrestrial television for Switzerland - Swiss Federal Office for Telecommunications - Index of Broadcasting Stations - SGR SSG Idée Suisse - Reception Maps (German, French or Italian only)
leaving the performers, the band and ring horses, as is the custom, to follow in the rear. We had about twenty horses and ponies of great value, and of invaluable use in the show. One morning, just at daylight, the men who had charge of these horses were attacked by a gang of horse thieves, and the entire lot was taken from them. Our men were left wounded and bound with cords, lying by the wayside. Meanwhile, the tents and other paraphernalia were already in the village, awaiting the arrival of the horses. The time for the show to begin came, but still no horses appeared, and the crowds, assembled to see the performing animals, were growing impatient. While we were in this embarrassing predicament, a citizen came riding up in hot haste, stating that he had seen and released some men who had said their horses had been stolen and who begged him to come into town and report the loss to the managers. When this news was received, it was immediately communicated to the expectant, impatient audience; but being naturally suspicious of all mankind, and especially of circus men, they thought it was a "sell" and a "Yankee trick"; but when once they were made to believe the true facts of the case they rose as one man and
15 Lies about Photography I thought I would follow up my previous article, 15 Truths about Photography, with one focusing on common lies, errors and misconceptions that get thrown around in forums and photography gatherings world wide. I’m sure you’ll recognise many of them. I’m preparing an article explaining why each assertion is not true, but feel free to question my choices in the comments section. - You can fix it later in Photoshop. - Long focal length lenses have a shallower depth of field.* - Full-frame DSLRs are better than APS-C DSLRs. - Film is better than digital. - Digital is better than film. - Film is dead. - Digital is dead. - I only take photos for myself. - Real photographers shoot JPEG. - The only way to make great photographs is by using the most expensive equipment. (Corollary: you can’t make good photographs with a P&S.) - I take pretty landscape and flower pictures, and that qualifies me to shoot a wedding. - Real photographers don’t have websites. - The pop-up flash is useless. - You need at least 12 megapixels if you plan to make 8×10 prints. - Photography blogs suck. *: This is actually true at medium to large distances from your subject (see the article linked below for clarification). You might like to read Justifying 15 Lies about Photography after reading this list, to know what was going through my mind.
Much of the material listed on these archived web pages has been superseded, or served a particular purpose at a particular time. It may contain references to activities or policies that have no current application. Many archived documents may link to web pages that have moved or no longer exist, or may refer to other documents that are no longer available. Senator the Hon Robert Hill Leader of the Government in the Senate Minister for the Environment and Heritage Australians will have a clearer picture of what pollutants are being discharged into their neighbourhoods following the launch of a national pollutant database. The first National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) was launched by Federal Environment Minister Senator Robert Hill and the Victorian Minister for Environment and Conservation Ms Sherryl Garbutt at BASF Aust Ltd in Melbourne. "Using the internet, the NPI allows all Australians to find out what large factories are discharging into the environment, as well as showing what actions a factory may be taking to reduce its emissions of pollution," Senator Hill said. "Any facility using more than specified amounts of certain listed substances must report to the NPI. For this first year we have received nearly 1200 industry reports, which is a great start." The NPI is designed to provide the community, industry and government with information on the types and amounts of chemicals discharged into the air, land and water. "It will be an invaluable environmental management tool for governments, an unprecedented information resource for the community and an impetus for cleaner production for industry," Senator Hill said. Speaking at the launch, Ms Garbutt said the NPI not only illustrated which facility was emitting certain substances, but also detailed the broader pollution issues in geographic areas and water catchments around the country. "Importantly, State and Territory governments will report to the database on pollution levels from non-industrial sources like motor vehicles, wood-fire smoke, and even lawn mowers," she said. "This gives the NPI a more complete picture of pollution levels in a local area or city, as well as identifying the emissions from specific facilities." "The NPI is the result of several years of cooperation between governments and I look forward to its continued development and expansion as the Commonwealth, States and Territories work together to fine tune its operation." In a demonstration of industry's commitment to the NPI, the Minerals Council of Australia and other industry organisations also attended the launch, extending their endorsement to the initiative. The National Pollution Inventory website is at: www.environment.gov.au/net/npi.html Rod Bruem (Senator Hill) 02 6277 7640 or 0419 258 364 Sally Gibson (Ms Garbutt) (03) 9651 5799
Venkatesha, L and Ramanarayanan, V (1998) Torque Ripple Minimisation in Switched Reluctance Motor with Optimal Control of Phase Currents. In: International Conference on Power Electronic Drives and Energy Systems for Industrial Growth - PEDES '98, 1-3 December, Perth,Australia, Vol.2, 529 -534. This paper presents a method of finding the phase current profiles to get minimum torque ripple in switched reluctance motor (SRM) with maximum torque per ampere. The solutions are obtained with peak current limit, finite rise time due to incremental inductance of the phase windings, and the back emf. As these factors are taken into account in obtaining the solution the implementation do not experience the voltage saturation for all the torque levels up to the rated torque. The solutions are obtained using the flux-linkage characteristics and the static torque characteristics. The influence of speed and the bus voltage on the solutions are discussed. All these results are compared with the results obtained by neglecting the effect of inductance and back emf effect. The implementation of the results are carried out on a 4 KW, 4 phase, 8/6 pole OULTON motor using a microcontroller. The simulation and the experimental results are presented. \|Item Type:\|\|Conference Paper\| \|Additional Information:\|\|Copyright 1990 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.\| \|Department/Centre:\|\|Division of Electrical Sciences > Electrical Engineering\| \|Date Deposited:\|\|17 Mar 2006\| \|Last Modified:\|\|19 Sep 2010 04:24\| Actions (login required)
Ferzalia Dwi Oktaviana, Felsy (2008) RESPON MATA TUNAS NANAS (Ananas comosus (L) Merr) TERHADAP BEBERAPA TEKNIK STERILISASI DAN PEMBERIAN ZAT PENGATUR TUMBUH SECARA IN VITRO. Other thesis, University of Muhammadiyah Malang. Download (147kB) \| Preview The research aimed to find out and get sterilization technique to reduce contamination in explant also the distribution of Arrangement substance by several concentration to the development in induction of Pineapple shoot eye. The research was done in the Bio-Technology Development Center University of Muhammadiyah Malang. The research consisted of two sub-experiment. They were experiment technique in Smooth Cayenne and Queen Pineapple Cultivar. In the first research, the research used simple Random Group Design. But in the research the data couldn’t be collected, so the design was unuseful in the research. In data collection, the data taken by average value and deviation standard. The research showed that in Smooth Cayenne pinneapple by sterilization technique still has lack of effectiveness in decreasing contamination level. Contamination level in Smooth Cayenne pineapple by clorox 10% 5 minutes , clorox 5% 5 minutes and HgCl2 0,01% 1 minute (sterilization technique 4) 8.37 ± 5.51. From several concentration of development arrangement substance given to the crown explant of Smooth Cayenne could be seen in concentrate 0,0001 ppm TDZ + 0 ppm NAA 1,07%. But the shoot induction in Smooth Cayenne explant couldn’t be developed optimally. \|Item Type:\|\|Thesis (Other)\| \|Subjects:\|\|S Agriculture > SB Plant culture\| \|Divisions:\|\|Faculty of Agriculture & Animal Husbandry > Department of Agronomy\| \|Depositing User:\|\|Anggit Aldila\| \|Date Deposited:\|\|03 May 2012 06:50\| \|Last Modified:\|\|03 May 2012 06:50\| Actions (login required)
Bradley, David, Acosta-Marquez, C., Hawley, Mark, Brownsell, Simon, Enderby, Pam and Mawson, S. (2009) NeXOS - The design, development and evaluation of a rehabilitation system for the lower limbs. Mechatronics, 19 (2). pp. 247-257. ISSN 0957-4158Full text available as: Recent years have seen the development of a number of automated and semi-automated systems to support physiotherapy and rehabilitation. These deploy a range of technologies from highly complex purpose built systems to approaches based around the use of industrial robots operating either individually or in combination for applications ranging from stroke rehabilitation to mobility enhancement. The NeXOS project set out to investigate an approach to the rehabilitation of the lower limbs in a way which brought together expertise in engineering design and mechatronics with specialists in rehabilitation and physiotherapy. The result is prototype of a system which is potentially capable in operating in a number of modes from fully independent to providing direct support to a physiotherapist during manipulation of the limb. Designed around a low cost approach for an implementation ultimately capable of use in a patients home using web-based strategies for communication with their support team, the prototype NeXOS system has validated the adoption of an integrated approach to its development. The paper considers this design and development process and provides the results from the initial tests with physiotherapists to establish the operational basis for clinical implementation. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Germany warns Ukraine on anti-protest law 17.01.14 @ 15:15 Berlin - The German government on Friday (17 January) said controversial Ukrainian laws banning pro-EU protests would have "consequences" for its EU relations. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the legislation, which bans protests and introduces the "concept of foreign agent" into criminal law, will make life difficult for opposition activists and NGOs. "The German government expresses its great concern about this law, which marks a turn-around from European values," he noted. He spoke of "disappointment for Ukrainian citizens and the EU" and warned that this "will have consequences on EU-Ukrainian relations." Pressed to be more concrete, Seibert said he did not want to pre-empt EU foreign ministers' talks on on the subject on Monday. Another German official told this website that Berlin is not EU envisaging sanctions. But he said it might favour a freeze on all ongoing EU-Ukraine talks, for instance, on visa-free travel. Germany wants is keen to send a message to Yanukovych that his actions will have repercussions, especially if opposition activists are thrown in jail following adoption of this law. German diplomats hope that a tough stance might make him think twice before signing the bill into life. But according to Ukrainian media, he already signed it in secret on Friday. The law is aimed at deterring people from joining the anti-Yanukovych and pro-EU protests which erupted in Kiev last November when he declined an EU pact in favour of a Russian bailout. Under the new rules, people can be sentenced to up to 10 years in jail for blocking access to government buildings or face harsh fines for smaller offences. Germany's message on Friday was echoed by Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt, who said "there can be no business as usual with Kiev." EU neighbourhood policy commissioner Stefan Fuele also told the Interfax news agency: "Decisions adopted by the Verkhovna Rada are a disrespect of basic democratic principles and ... will have consequences for the partnership between the EU and Ukraine."
Assigning the name Enterprise to a Starfleet vessel never has boded well for the craft's safety and well-being. While every Enterprise in Starfleet's history has served with honor and distinction, saving worlds and species (humanity included) countless times, the ships themselves have taken a disproportionate amount of the total beatings the universe has to offer up. NCC-1701 (the original Constitution Class starship named Enterprise) This ship's (mis)adventures are chronicled by Star Trek: The Original Series and by the first three Star Trek movies (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock). In a nutshell, she is shot at repeatedly, placed into dangerous orbits without a functioning warp drive when her crew goes nuts, and is perilously close to destruction on many occasions. After her original five year mission, she is refitted by Starfleet before being sent to confront V'ger in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The ship's true demise begins in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, where she is mercilessly pounded almost back to the stone age by Khan's Miranda Class starship, the USS Reliant, when Admiral James T. Kirk's lack of quick thinking leaves her with shields down as Khan opens fire with every weapon at his disposal. While the crew of the Enterprise ultimately emerge from the massive battle victorious, the Enterprise herself is left a shell of her former self. Barely able to limp back to Starbase under her own power, she's condemned for decommission by Starfleet Command on her return, only to be stolen again by her command crew to make a desperate attempt to resurrect Captain Spock. She is shot into swiss cheese by a Klingon Bird of Prey in orbit around the Genesis Planet, then set on self-destruct to deal one last blow to Commander Kruge. Her charred and broken frame was last seen on screen soaring as a massive fireball into the planet's atmosphere as her skeleton crew watched helplessly from the Also a Constitution Class starship, she had very little screen time and was given nearly no chance to serve before her decommissioning. First introduced at the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home as a "happy ending" of sorts, we are instead shown a shoddily-built, barely working Enterprise in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. "'Let's see what she's got,' says the Captain. Well we sure found out, didn't we?" — Captain Montgomery Scott, as he frantically works to bring the ship online in space The ship is launched before there's even time for a shakedown, and clearly isn't ready for operation, but still gets the job done in its first movie appearance. Fired upon only twice and struck only once by a single disruptor blast from a Klingon Bird of Prey, the only other "stress" endured by the ship in Star Trek V is its journey through the Great The ship fared far worse in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, where she is nearly blown apart in the final climactic battle between the Enterprise and a prototype Bird of Prey that can fire while cloaked. Only the intervention of Captain Hikaru Sulu aboard the USS Excelsior and some quick thinking and work on a custom photon torpedo saves the ship from destruction. Starfleet orders her back to Starbase for decommission after the battle at Khitomer. While little is known about this ship's service record and ultimate fate, we do know that her maiden voyage too was mired in conflict. Again launched before she was completed (no tractor beams or photon torpedos), This Excelsior Class starship encountered the Nexus energy ribbon during the events chronicled in Star Trek Generations, and was nearly destroyed by its violent energy bolts as she made her escape from its gravitational and time distortion waves. She limped home with a gaping hole across several decks immediately adjacent to her main deflector dish. This ship's service record is unknown apart from her last mission (and her destruction) at the Klingon outpost Narendra III. During an epic battle in which she engaged three Romulan Warbirds (and was hopelessly outmatched), she accidentally drifted into a space-time continuum distortion that catapulted her into the future to meet an alternate timeline version of her successor, the Enterprise (NCC-1701-D). She was sent back through the distortion to restore the timeline, and was destroyed (in her own original timeframe) shortly after returning from the future. Enterprise formally referred to as the Federation's flagship, this ship has also received the most documented poundings and has been destroyed more often than any other Enterprise before or since. She has been destroyed numerous times (and restored back to normal by her crew's fiddling with the space-time continuum), severely damaged on many occasions (by attack, sabotage, aliens, new lifeforms, natural phenomenon, and accident), and played host to many bouts of crew insanity or incapacitation. She was finally destroyed (for good) in orbit around Viridian III by a Klingon Bird of Prey (which destroyed the ship by damaging the warp core enough to cause a breach). While only the drive section was actually destroyed, the saucer section was hit by the shockwave and forced to crash-land on the planet's surface. Because the ship's saucer section wasn't actually capable of landing safely on a planet (the Intrepid Class starships, such as the USS Voyager, are the only known Starfleet starships capable of safe atmospheric maneuvers and planetfall), this totalled the saucer section; she could not be salvaged. In the alternate timeline before Jean-Luc Picard and James T. Kirk worked together from the Nexus to defeat Doctor Soren's plan to destroy a star (and the entire star system orbiting it) for his own selfish needs, the saucer section (with all hands aboard) was destroyed by the shockwave that resulted from the destruction of the Viridian star. The Sovereign Class starship built to replace the NCC-1701-D, she was one of probably only three Enterprise-christened ships to be given a proper shakedown mission (the original NCC-1701 and the NCC-1701-D were the other two), of nearly a year in duration. She was introduced in Star Trek: First Contact. Still, she has seen many battles and has stood on the threshold of destruction on several occasions. She sustained minor damage during her decisive battle with the Borg cube trying to invade and assimilate Earth, then suffered additional damage as her deflector dish was detached and destroyed to prevent it being converted into a beacon to attact more Borg, and one of her two primary coolant tanks in Engineering was breached to melt the organic components of the Borg drones that had taken control of Engineering. On her next mission, during Star Trek: Insurrection, she is nearly destroyed by a pair of Son'a ships trying to stop her from escaping the Briar patch to dispatch an emergency distress call and warning to Starfleet command. Her warp core is jetissoned and detonated to prevent an "illegal" subspace weapon from destroying the ship entirely and decimating the sector. The ship is seen being towed back to spacedock at the end of this film, so we know she sustained critical damage. On her most recently documented mission, in Star Trek: Nemesis, she faces an almost indestructible foe -- the Scimitar, equipped with a perfect cloak, nearly impenetrable shields, and loads of disruptors. With both ships staring each other down (having exhausted their energy and photon/quantum torpedo supplies), Captain Picard literally rams the Enterprise's saucer section straight into the Scimitar's hull, causing critical damage to both ships. Much of the Enterprise's forward decks are destroyed during the maneuver. While the NCC-1701-E is presumed to still be in service, she is clearly no longer the bright and shiny craft she was when the champagne bottle first broke across her bow at her christening. She seems to be travelling the long, hard path her predecessors NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-D Truly, the Enterprise is the single-most abused ship in the Federation, no matter what generation of ship or crew is Call for aid: I grossly overlooked NX-01, also a ship named Enterprise, and while not officially a Starfleet ship, is quite definitely part of the Star Trek canon. I haven't watched/seen much of the new series; could someone clue me in a bit?
Plastics repair with ABS cement To state the obvious, the Ninja 250 has a good amount of bodywork. It is ABS plastic, which can be heat formed or heat-welded. Most plastic repair can be done on the cheap and without many exotic tools. So, if you are poor, cheap, or have made a terrible life decision to become a grad student making $600 a year, this article is for you. This process repairs the plastic but does not address paint or making it look good. This page will just cover the structural repair. Make sure that you have a well-ventilated area for the noxious fumes to escape from. Materials and Tools Total investment: around 20 bucks. For a little more money, some people like to use a plastic welding kit. The theory behind the plastic repair is simple. A crack or a break in the ABS bodywork can be bonded back together by welding the plastic together. This can be done chemically or by heat. Heat is used to make the primary bond, and then the surface imperfections are filled in with the ABS cement. This takes place in several steps. The first figure shows the cross section of a break in the plastic. The top surface has a paint layer and a relatively thick plastic layer. Start by sanding the paint off, to clear out the surface. This makes repainting REQUIRED. You can skip this step and only weld the break from the back. This makes a nice-looking, but weaker, repair. If the paint gets into the ABS, it contaminates the bond, and you'll have to sand anyway. A hot soldering iron melts together the two sides. Run the hot iron down the length of the fracture from the rear (unpainted side), with your finger on the painted side, moving gingerly up and down the surface. The idea is to keep the feeler fingertip from getting too hot. This is especially important if you are only welding one side. If your finger can't take the heat, neither can the paint. In this picture, both sides are welded. A run of 220 grit reduces the surface deformation. This doesn't have to be perfect, just neat enough to fill. Cleaning off the sanded plastic, the final process is putting ABS cement into the new repair, filling the grooves or any deformation. From here, the plastic can be put through 400, 600, then 1100 grit to polish the plastic to its natural black color (for the cheapskate) or be repainted properly. This is the front inner fairing. It's the part that isn't too visible unless you look at your bike from the front. There are two spots to repair. First off is the clean break down the middle of the piece. The painted surface has already been sanded. This shows the sanded area; only 2 or 3 mm on each side of the break has been sanded. The backside is welded together. You can mold the plastic from the surrounding area to reinforce the repair a bit. This is the side no one will see. It is important to keep the parts immobilized and in the proper position when welding together. If not, the plastic will be joined warped, and you'll be placing stress on the repair when you reinstall the plastic. The front side, however, is kept much nicer. The center groove is shiny, unlike the surrounding sanded plastic. The shiny part is the welded plastic, as the heat has glazed the groove. Next is a crack on the same piece. The lower end of this piece shattered and left a fracture running up it. The crack is a good candidate for repair. With some sanding, the surface is exposed. Thankfully, this isn't a very visible part of the bodywork. Showing the inside. The crack is held back to its original shape and welded together. A very messy repair, but the crack is completely bonded together. A quick sanding shows the crack is all but gone. The marks can be filled with ABS cement, then sanded again to remove all traces of the crack. Highlighting the original crack just for reference. The tiny fracture in the paint that continues down the left of the picture was ignored. That will disappear in a future repaint. Other larger repairs can be made using the technique. This is the upper fairing, on the left side. A crash had run a long, jagged break into this fairing. This was repaired using the above repair process, and the pieces put back together. The cracks are almost invisible, if it wasn't for the paint contamination into the weld. Sometimes you have to sand off a good amount of the paint to fill in the deep scratches in the plastic. This shows the location of the crack. The orange highlighted area was ground away on asphalt. That's all ABS filler, rebuilding that corner of the bodywork. This is an image of the backside. It's really not necessary to hide the repairs. The weld marks and the ABS fill are quite visible. However, the extensive repairs made are far less apparent from the other side. The mirror mount in the upper right was entirely broken off. Here it's welded back into one piece, like some 3D puzzle. This image shows a rider position view of the fairing. Greatly preferable to looking down and seeing a broken plastic mess. The lines show the fracture ran along the edge, which was reconstituted using ABS cement. As a result, the rounded edge of that corner is gone. It's now a sharp edge, which can easily go unnoticed. The orange is also significant. That section was gone. Entirely gone. It was rebuilt by making a thin ABS layer, then rebuilding the surface. The rebuilt section was less than perfect, and cracked while back on the bike. This was because the shape it solidified into was not the same as the original shape. After welding the new crack to relieve the stress, it has been doing fine. Rebuilding plastic parts from molds. This is a new experiment, and still being worked on. In this case, one of the lower mounting tabs cracked, and needed to be rebuilt. It didn't break off from the main fairing, which is a weld repair. This one needed to have a missing section refilled. PLASTEX, the commercial kit, can do this as well. This is an attempt to do it on the cheap. Clay is used to take a mold of a good tab. This good tab mold is fit to the broken tab, then filled with ABS cement. The tab is rough, and not exactly perfect. However, it is a full plastic repair of the missing section, and a great improvement over what was there. The highlights show the originally missing quarter of the tab. It may not be pretty, but no one is going to see this. For a $3 can of ABS cement, the results come close enough to the $25 PLASTEX kit for most people. As you can see, plastics repair doesn't take a great deal of money, just a bit of patience. Addendum and explanation of terms Before you are scared off by the word chemistry, be assured that it isn't a difficult topic, at least not concerning what we're covering here. ABS, or AcryloNitrileButadineStyrene, plastic is what makes up the Ninja 250 bodywork. What is notable about the plastic is that it is flexible and able to be chemically and thermally formed. What does that mean? You can melt the bodywork using heat (like a soldering iron) or chemicals. Like salt melting in water, nail polish remover (acetone) and MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) will melt the plastic. This can be used to repair the plastics. This repair guide covers the primary method of using thermal forming, or a hot soldering iron, to weld the plastics together. The chemical bonding method is also worth noting, as reforming missing pieces and filling voids are done using this. Advantages of chemical bonding Using ABS cement yields two significant advantages. One is that you are creating a uniform plastic-on-plastic repair. For surface gouging or deep scratches, ABS cement will not only fill those imperfections, but will melt and solidify with the plastic base. When it dries it is real ABS, not just filler material. This will theoretically allow a more uniform paint adhesion, and thus a better paint job. In reality, modern primers and paints are very good, and bond to different surfaces with very little drama. It does, however, make sense to use actual ABS for repairs, instead of bondo. The second advantage is the lack of delamination. Fiberglass or other repairs may be stronger than simple plastic. This is a problem if you shock or twist the bodywork. The stronger (stiffer) parts won't flex as much, and will delaminate, or peel off. This is especially a problem if there is less than ideal adhesion between the fiberglass epoxy and the plastics. A hybrid approach has been suggested, using ABS cement as an epoxy on a fiberglass backing. It wasn't tried for this article, but it might work. It's certainly worth investigating. ABS cement is the primary agent used here. It can be used for two main things: The cement is nothing more than actual ABS plastic melted into some acetone. What is important is that you can make your own to modify the thickness and properties of the ABS cement. The ABS plastic inside store-bought cement is brittle, and cracks long before bodywork will. This is no problem for filling in surface imperfections, like deep scratches. It does become a problem when you are trying to rebuild missing sections. Adjusting the thickness is important for molding new pieces. ABS cement is very much a liquid when first bought. It is easier to form and to use if it is a little bit thicker. This adjustment is decently easy. What is very neat is having some ABS cement that is thick enough to be formed like clay. Plastic in this form can be cut and shaped with a knife and other tools, and will harden to a solid piece of plastic. 1) Thickening The Cement To thicken the cement, there are two different methods. One is to let the can stay open, and let it evaporate off the acetone. This will make the cement thicker and easier to use. Make sure to do this in an open space with plenty of ventilation. Even the low VOC formulas are quite noxious, and will damage your body. Don't kill yourself to save a few bucks. Seriously. Don't. Brain damage isn't funny. Go outside, get some fresh air. Keep a window open. Wear a breathing mask. Alternately, get some ABS plastic and add it into the cement to thicken it. A good source is an industrial plastics shop. Ask for scrap pieces, as you are likely to be able to cut a deal. Even better, ask if you can get the milling dust of ABS. If you are lucky, you might be able to get the dust for free. However, it has to be pure ABS. If there are other plastics mixed in, forget it. Take the piece of plastic and grind it down. This is probably the most productive method. Alternatively, get a drill and drill holes into the plastic. This will yield little bits of the plastic. Using a knife to shave parts or ruining a cheese grater might be fun. Take the plastic bits and mix them into the cement until completely dissolved. This has the added benefit of making the ABS slightly less brittle, assuming you mix in less brittle plastics. 2) Thinning the cement. The consistency of the plastic can be anywhere from a runny fluid (straight out of the can) all the way to something almost like a thick dough. A half empty can will solidify if left unused. Add some acetone to the plastic to thin out the cement. This can be done to completely solid plastic to make it a fluid again. This also means you have to keep the acetone and stuff away from the bodywork. Spill it, and it shouldn't do much damage right away. It takes a bit of time, and a good amount of solvent before your bodywork does a Salvador Dali impression. Still, don't take the chance. To learn about ABS, its uses, and how to work with it:
The U.S. government is facilitating a national self-destruction for the benefit of Wall Street’s megalomaniac obsession. The pattern has been field tested by the IMF and WB for decades and is now being used in Europe. The $17 trillion U.S. debt is the end goal collection. This is how it works – The IMF, in conjunction with USAID and giant agribusiness create the poverty that biotech is advertised to cure, then swoop in and take over entire economies. It’s a time-tested successful strategy that is based in eugenics. The IMF and World Bank have demanded that poor nations lower the standard of living of their people. Are we next? Most people think that the United Nations is a noble enterprise and they don’t understand the history and malignant character of the UN.
"1to19" is a very simple puzzle game with sequences of numbers from 1 to 19. In "1to19" the goal is to find pairs of identical digits or sequences of digits that summed up equal 10. Once you tap on two identical digits (or a sum of 10) those will be erased as long as they're on the same horizontal or vertical level with no other digits in between. You win when you clear all the digits in the current view. Here are some features that make 1to19 a challenging numbers puzzle: - Classic play mode, where you have to clear all numbers from the current view in 50 moves or less - Endless play mode, you play to reach the highest score but die when there are no more moves left - Boosters help you advance faster by destroying entire rows of digits, single ones or square areas - Add new rows of digits to increase its difficulty, but when you reach the bottom of the screen it's game over - Simple interface and sound effects let you focus on the game itself If you’re proud with what your score is you can share it with friends via Facebook and you should do so, since the game is available for free on Google Play ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elvesgames.oneto19 ). App submitted Tue 5 Aug '14
Personal work by Moebius, published in Quatre-vingt huit (Casterman, 1990), p. 51. Here was the ‘naked’ view of the exosuit and a more matte form view with some of the ports that the entity plugs into….might be getting a little too ‘techy’ with organic part lines and things, but can always tone it down a bit when it gets refined or in the closeup…. Think i will do more of a VFX shot next on how the suit reacts/activates when the lifeform starts getting in before getting back to some of the story moments. Ferrofluid on top of a strong magnet forms peaks which follow the magnetic field. Sea peach fluorescence Sea peaches (Halocynthia aurantium) are of the order Stolidobranchia, making them a sub-classification of Tunicates. Sea peaches are commonly found in the northern Pacific ocean, ranging from the Arctic Sea south to Puget Sound, and most common in the Bering Sea at a depth of 40 to 100 metres. The sea peach is typically barrel shaped, growing to a height of 18 centimeters, and its body is attached directly to the substrate. It is usually red or orange with a smooth or wrinkled tunic. There are two siphons at the top. The sea peach is preyed upon by crabs and sea stars. Image Credit: Alexander Semenov Immunostaining of planktonic Cnidari (Cnidarians). Acetylated tubulin (green), myosin (red), nuclei (blue). Image taken with ZEISS Lightsheet Z.1 during the EMBO course on Marine Animal Models in Evolution & Development, Sweden 2013. Sample courtesy of Helena Parra, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona.
Comment, Like, & Favorite Photograph - Photograph Diatom, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). The diatoms are a group of photosynthetic, single-celled algae containing about 10,000 species. They form an important part of the plankton at the base of the marine and freshwater food chains. The characteristic feature of diatoms is their intricately patterned, glass-like cell wall, or frustule. The frustule often has rows of tiny holes, known as striae. Magnification x700 when printed at 10 centimetres wide. May 8th, 2013 Viewed 8 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 08/27/2014 at 2:23 PM copy and paste to your website / blog - preview
Comment, Like, & Favorite Brain Tissue Blood Supply Thomas Deerinck, Ncmir Photograph - Photograph Brain tissue blood supply. Light micrograph of a section through cortex tissue from a brain, showing the blood vessels (branching) that supply it. The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural (nerve) tissue that is the outermost layer of the cerebrum in the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. May 6th, 2013 Viewed 79 Times - Last Visitor from Lockport, NY on 09/14/2014 at 2:38 PM copy and paste to your website / blog - preview
Does what's on your desk reveal what's on your mind? Do those pictures on your walls tell true tales about your character? Is your favorite outfit about to give you away? For the last 10 years psychologist Gosling has been studying how people project (and protect) their inner selves. By exploring our private worlds (desks, bedrooms, even our clothes and cars), he shows not only how we showcase our personalities in unexpected ways, but also how we create personality in the first place, communicate it others and interpret the world around us- The Commonwealth Club of California As the host of Sierra Club Radio, Orli Cotel has conducted more than 300 interviews with leading opinion makers, activists, CEOs and politicians -- ranging from Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, to Indigo Girls' singer Amy Ray. Cotel first joined the environmental movement as a grassroots activist, running campaigns in New Orleans, Lake Tahoe, Cleveland, and Philadelphia. She later became the Sierra Club's National Publicist, searching out the most captivating environmental stories and heroes and pitching their tales to top media outlets. Born and raised in Manhattan, Cortel got her start in radio as a child, recording jingles and voice-overs for national commercials. She now lives in San Francisco. Sam Gosling, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. His work has been widely covered in the media, including The New York Times, Psychology Today, NPR, and "Good Morning America," and his research is featured in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. Gosling is the recipient of the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution. He lives in Austin, Texas. Social psychologist Sam Gosling discusses the psychological significance of virtual profiles, asking whether or not they are used for "projections of an ideal self" or simply a medium of communication. Gosling believes that although sites like Facebook appear trivial they, in fact, are meeting important psychological needs. Movement or policies aimed at regulating the products, services, methods, and standards of manufacturers, sellers, and advertisers in the interests of the buyer. Such regulation may be institutional, statutory, or embodied in a voluntary code accepted by a particular industry, or it may result more indirectly from the influence of consumer organizations. Governments often establish formal regulatory agencies to ensure consumer protection (in the U.S., e.g., the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration). Some of the earliest consumer-protection laws were created to prevent the sale of tainted food and harmful drugs. The U.S. consumer protection movement gained strength in the 1960s and '70s as consumer activists led by Ralph Nader lobbied for laws setting safety standards for automobiles, toys, and numerous household products. Consumer advocates have also won passage of laws obliging advertisers to represent their goods truthfully and preventing sales representatives from using deceptive sales tactics. Consumer advocacy is carried on worldwide by the International Organization of Consumers Unions (IOCU).
View Full Version : Avoid Gimbal lock on collision of instanced particles. 03-21-2010, 12:55 AM The particles are: - set to a randomized rotation between -360 and 360 degrees in all 3 axis of x, y, z. - set to taper and land flat depending on the angle of rotation closest too. The landing collision works perfectly except for a case in which a Gimbal lock occurs...which there are always a couple particles that do a weird flip because it simply can't rotate correctly on the specified axis. Any way possible to avoid Gimbal lock in a case like this? Only way I would think is to restrain one of the axis to 0 at all times so that it only rotates on 2 axis..but then the particles wouldn't have a true random rotation and would look unrealistic at times. I was also thinking if there was a way to detect Gimbal lock when it happens on collision and alter the rotation a little bit so that it can land correctly...but that would also force it to look unrealistic at times as well... Any help would be greatly appreciated. :thumbsup: 03-22-2010, 05:55 AM What I tend to do to avoid situations like that is the following: rotPP = rand(360) assign a rand rotAxis to each particle either <<1,0,0>>, <<0,1,0>> or <<0,0,1>> assign rand speedPP rotPP += rotAxis * speedPP something along those guidelines. The initial rand(360) will orient them all differently. Then each one would rotate on a single axis, but each would be oriented differently and rotating on a different axis. Hope that helps, 03-22-2010, 04:03 PM Hello there and I appreciate the response. There may be some misunderstanding. Is that what you do to avoid gimbal lock? or is that how you rotate an instanced particle? That's what I already have set up...the rotations work great. That is not the issue..the issue is I am getting a Gimbal lock on collision of the piece landing and it then creates a weird flip on any random pieces. The only difference i see with your set up to mine is that my range is rand(360) and also rand(-360). 03-22-2010, 04:08 PM Can you post a playblast? 03-22-2010, 04:28 PM A playblast of my current scene? no. I couldn't..but.. What I can do is set up an example scene of blocks with the same setup for rotations and playblast it. I won't be able too till later tonight though. if you can picture this... Basically it rotates like a charm and lands flat on the ground..but there are a couple that are gimbal locked on collision for the landing and flip around within the 360 degrees instead of the 180 degree they are supposed too. I've checked the numeric rotational value of the specific particles doing the weird flipping and then input those rotational values into an object in the scene..The axis I have set to taper the rotation to land is gimbal locked. Which means it won't allow the current axis of rotation to rotate in the correct way. So it does a weird flip instead. 03-22-2010, 09:16 PM I can think of two things that might aid in avoiding gimble lock when using Particle Instancing: 1. assign a aim axis for the instancer. 2. Bake out the instancer using nimble tools to convert the instances into animated instances and tweak the rotation curves 1. You might have to assign an aim axis for each particle so that they orientate a correct way. Which direction kind of depends on the scene, because by default it is set to +Y which might not be the best solution for you scene. An example scene to check out would help. 2. This limits flexibility of modifying the particle behavior but if your shot is pretty much locked down with the exception of these few weird rotations, nimble tools would be the way to go. Just bake the instancer out to animated instances and adjust the rotation curves for the problematic particles. 03-22-2010, 09:16 PM This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum. vBulletin v3.0.5, Copyright ©2000-2014, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
The Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) is a unifying C/C++ API for accessing raster geospatial data, and currently includes formats like GeoTIFF, Erdas Imagine, Arc/Info Binary, CEOS, DTED, GXF, and SDTS. It is intended to provide efficient access, suitable for use in viewer applications, and also attempts to preserve coordinate systems and metadata. Python, C, and C++ interfaces are available. \|Tags\|\|multimedia Graphics Graphics Conversion Scientific/Engineering Software Development Libraries\| \|Operating Systems\|\|Windows POSIX\| Release Notes: Cumulative bugfixes. Release Notes: This is the first maintenance release of the 1.6 branch. It includes fixes for nearly 120 bugs. Release Notes: This is a bugfix release and adds no significant new features. This release replaces the GDAL/OGR 1.4.3 release, which was retracted because it included an unexpected ABI (Application Binary Interface) change from the earlier 1.4.x releases. This ABI change means that applications using the GDAL/OGR C++ interface, and GDAL/OGR driver plugins built against GDAL/OGR 1.4.0, 1.4.1, or 1.4.2 could not be safely used with GDAL/OGR 1.4.3. Release Notes: Many bugfixes, large and small. No changes have been submitted for this release.
In this post, we'll implement a simple stack based calculator (also known as "reverse Polish" style). The implementation is almost entirely done with functions, with only one special type and no pattern matching at all, so it is a great testing ground for the concepts introduced in this series. If you are not familiar with a stack based calculator, it works as follows: numbers are pushed on a stack, and operations such as addition and multiplication pop numbers off the stack and push the result back on. Here is a diagram showing a simple calculation using a stack: The first steps to designing a system like this is to think about how it would be used. Following a Forth like syntax, we will give each action a label, so that the example above might want to be written something like: EMPTY ONE THREE ADD TWO MUL SHOW We might not be able to get this exact syntax, but letís see how close we can get. First we need to define the data structure for a stack. To keep things simple, weíll just use a list of floats. type Stack = float list But, hold on, let's wrap it in a single case union type to make it more descriptive, like this: type Stack = StackContents of float list For more details on why this is nicer, read the discussion of single case union types in this post. Now, to create a new stack, we use StackContents as a constructor: let newStack = StackContents [1.0;2.0;3.0] And to extract the contents of an existing Stack, we pattern match with let (StackContents contents) = newStack // "contents" value set to // float list = [1.0; 2.0; 3.0] Next we need a way to push numbers on to the stack. This will be simply be prepending the new value at the front of the list using the " Here is our push function: let push x aStack = let (StackContents contents) = aStack let newContents = x::contents StackContents newContents This basic function has a number of things worth discussing. First, note that the list structure is immutable, so the function must accept an existing stack and return a new stack. It cannot just alter the existing stack. In fact, all of the functions in this example will have a similar format like this: Input: a Stack plus other parameters Output: a new Stack Next, what should the order of the parameters be? Should the stack parameter come first or last? If you remember the discussion of designing functions for partial application, you will remember that the most changeable thing should come last. Youíll see shortly that this guideline will be born out. Finally, the function can be made more concise by using pattern matching in the function parameter itself, rather than using a let in the body of the function. Here is the rewritten version: let push x (StackContents contents) = StackContents (x::contents) And by the way, look at the nice signature it has: val push : float -> Stack -> Stack As we know from a previous post, the signature tells you a lot about the function. In this case, I could probably guess what it did from the signature alone, even without knowing that the name of the function was "push". This is one of the reasons why it is a good idea to have explicit type names. If the stack type had just been a list of floats, it wouldn't have been as self-documenting. Anyway, now let's test it: let emptyStack = StackContents let stackWith1 = push 1.0 emptyStack let stackWith2 = push 2.0 stackWith1 With this simple function in place, we can easily define an operation that pushes a particular number onto the stack. let ONE stack = push 1.0 stack let TWO stack = push 2.0 stack But wait a minute! Can you see that the stack parameter is used on both sides? In fact, we donít need to mention it at all. Instead we can skip the stack parameter and write the functions using partial application as follows: let ONE = push 1.0 let TWO = push 2.0 let THREE = push 3.0 let FOUR = push 4.0 let FIVE = push 5.0 Now you can see that if the parameters for push were in a different order, we wouldnít have been able to do this. While we're at it, let's define a function that creates an empty stack as well: let EMPTY = StackContents Letís test all of these now: let stackWith1 = ONE EMPTY let stackWith2 = TWO stackWith1 let stackWith3 = THREE stackWith2 These intermediate stacks are annoying ó can we get rid of them? Yes! Note that these functions ONE, TWO, THREE all have the same signature: Stack -> Stack This means that they can be chained together nicely! The output of one can be fed into the input of the next, as shown below: let result123 = EMPTY \|> ONE \|> TWO \|> THREE let result312 = EMPTY \|> THREE \|> ONE \|> TWO That takes care of pushing onto the stack ó what about a pop function next? When we pop the stack, we will return the top of the stack, obviously, but is that all? In an object-oriented style, the answer is yes. In an OO approach, we would mutate the stack itself behind the scenes, so that the top element was removed. But in a functional style, the stack is immutable. The only way to remove the top element is to create a new stack with the element removed. In order for the caller to have access to this new diminished stack, it needs to be returned along with the top element itself. In other words, the pop function will have to return two values, the top plus the new stack. The easiest way to do this in F# is just to use a tuple. Here's the implementation: /// Pop a value from the stack and return it /// and the new stack as a tuple let pop (StackContents contents) = match contents with \| top::rest -> let newStack = StackContents rest (top,newStack) This function is also very straightforward. As before, we are extracting the contents directly in the parameter. We then use a match..with expression to test the contents. Next, we separate the top element from the rest, create a new stack from the remaining elements and finally return the pair as a tuple. Try the code above and see what happens. You will get a compiler error! The compiler has caught a case we have overlooked -- what happens if the stack is empty? So now we have to decide how to handle this. Generally, I prefer to use error cases, but in this case, we'll use an exception. So here's the pop code changed to handle the empty case: /// Pop a value from the stack and return it /// and the new stack as a tuple let pop (StackContents contents) = match contents with \| top::rest -> let newStack = StackContents rest (top,newStack) \| -> failwith "Stack underflow" Now let's test it: let initialStack = EMPTY \|> ONE \|> TWO let popped1, poppedStack = pop initialStack let popped2, poppedStack2 = pop poppedStack and to test the underflow: let _ = pop EMPTY Now with both push and pop in place, we can work on the "add" and "multiply" functions: let ADD stack = let x,s = pop stack //pop the top of the stack let y,s2 = pop s //pop the result stack let result = x + y //do the math push result s2 //push back on the doubly-popped stack let MUL stack = let x,s = pop stack //pop the top of the stack let y,s2 = pop s //pop the result stack let result = x * y //do the math push result s2 //push back on the doubly-popped stack Test these interactively: let add1and2 = EMPTY \|> ONE \|> TWO \|> ADD let add2and3 = EMPTY \|> TWO \|> THREE \|> ADD let mult2and3 = EMPTY \|> TWO \|> THREE \|> MUL It is obvious that there is significant duplicate code between these two functions. How can we refactor? Both functions pop two values from the stack, apply some sort of binary function, and then push the result back on the stack. This leads us to refactor out the common code into a "binary" function that takes a two parameter math function as a parameter: let binary mathFn stack = // pop the top of the stack let x,stack' = pop stack // pop the top of the stack again let y,stack'' = pop stack' // do the math let z = mathFn x y // push the result value back on the doubly-popped stack push z stack'' Note that in this implementation, I've switched to using ticks to represent changed states of the "same" object, rather than numeric suffixes. Numeric suffixes can easily get quite confusing. Question: why are the parameters in the order they are, instead of mathFn being after Now that we have binary, we can define ADD and friends more simply: Here's a first attempt at ADD using the new let ADD aStack = binary (fun x y -> x + y) aStack But we can eliminate the lambda, as it is exactly the definition of the built-in + function! Which gives us: let ADD aStack = binary (+) aStack And again, we can use partial application to hide the stack parameter. Here's the final definition: let ADD = binary (+) And here's the definition of some other math functions: let SUB = binary (-) let MUL = binary () let DIV = binary (/) Let's test interactively again. let div2by3 = EMPTY \|> THREE\|> TWO \|> DIV let sub2from5 = EMPTY \|> TWO \|> FIVE \|> SUB let add1and2thenSub3 = EMPTY \|> ONE \|> TWO \|> ADD \|> THREE \|> SUB In a similar fashion, we can create a helper function for unary functions let unary f stack = let x,stack' = pop stack //pop the top of the stack push (f x) stack' //push the function value on the stack And then define some unary functions: let NEG = unary (fun x -> -x) let SQUARE = unary (fun x -> x x) Test interactively again: let neg3 = EMPTY \|> THREE\|> NEG let square2 = EMPTY \|> TWO \|> SQUARE In the original requirements, we mentioned that we wanted to be able to show the results, so letís define a SHOW function. let SHOW stack = let x,_ = pop stack printfn "The answer is %f" x stack // keep going with same stack Note that in this case, we pop the original stack but ignore the diminished version. The final result of the function is the original stack, as if it had never been popped. So now finally, we can write the code example from the original requirements EMPTY \|> ONE \|> THREE \|> ADD \|> TWO \|> MUL \|> SHOW This is fun -- what else can we do? Well, we can define a few more core helper functions: /// Duplicate the top value on the stack let DUP stack = // get the top of the stack let x,_ = pop stack // push it onto the stack again push x stack /// Swap the top two values let SWAP stack = let x,s = pop stack let y,s' = pop s push y (push x s') /// Make an obvious starting point let START = EMPTY And with these additional functions in place, we can write some nice examples: START \|> ONE \|> TWO \|> SHOW START \|> ONE \|> TWO \|> ADD \|> SHOW \|> THREE \|> ADD \|> SHOW START \|> THREE \|> DUP \|> DUP \|> MUL \|> MUL // 27 START \|> ONE \|> TWO \|> ADD \|> SHOW // 3 \|> THREE \|> MUL \|> SHOW // 9 \|> TWO \|> SWAP \|> DIV \|> SHOW // 9 div 2 = 4.5 But that's not all. In fact, there is another very interesting way to think about these functions. As I pointed out earlier, they all have an identical signature: Stack -> Stack So, because the input and output types are the same, these functions can be composed using the composition operator >>, not just chained together with pipes. Here are some examples: // define a new function let ONE_TWO_ADD = ONE >> TWO >> ADD // test it START \|> ONE_TWO_ADD \|> SHOW // define a new function let SQUARE = DUP >> MUL // test it START \|> TWO \|> SQUARE \|> SHOW // define a new function let CUBE = DUP >> DUP >> MUL >> MUL // test it START \|> THREE \|> CUBE \|> SHOW // define a new function let SUM_NUMBERS_UPTO = DUP // n >> ONE >> ADD // n+1 >> MUL // n(n+1) >> TWO >> SWAP >> DIV // n(n+1) / 2 // test it START \|> THREE \|> SQUARE \|> SUM_NUMBERS_UPTO \|> SHOW In each of these cases, a new function is defined by composing other functions together to make a new one. This is a good example of the "combinator" approach to building up functionality. We have now seen two different ways that this stack based model can be used; by piping or by composition. So what is the difference? And why would we prefer one way over another? The difference is that piping is, in a sense, a "realtime transformation" operation. When you use piping you are actually doing the operations right now, passing a particular stack around. On the other hand, composition is a kind of "plan" for what you want to do, building an overall function from a set of parts, but not actually running it yet. So for example, I can create a "plan" for how to square a number by combining smaller operations: let COMPOSED_SQUARE = DUP >> MUL I cannot do the equivalent with the piping approach. let PIPED_SQUARE = DUP \|> MUL This causes a compilation error. I have to have some sort of concrete stack instance to make it work: let stackWith2 = EMPTY \|> TWO let twoSquared = stackWith2 \|> DUP \|> MUL And even then, I only get the answer for this particular input, not a plan for all possible inputs, as in the COMPOSED_SQUARE example. The other way to create a "plan" is to explicitly pass in a lambda to a more primitive function, as we saw near the beginning: let LAMBDA_SQUARE = unary (fun x -> x * x) This is much more explicit (and is likely to be faster) but loses all the benefits and clarity of the composition approach. So, in general, go for the composition approach if you can! Here's the complete code for all the examples so far. // ============================================== // Types // ============================================== type Stack = StackContents of float list // ============================================== // Stack primitives // ============================================== /// Push a value on the stack let push x (StackContents contents) = StackContents (x::contents) /// Pop a value from the stack and return it /// and the new stack as a tuple let pop (StackContents contents) = match contents with \| top::rest -> let newStack = StackContents rest (top,newStack) \| -> failwith "Stack underflow" // ============================================== // Operator core // ============================================== // pop the top two elements // do a binary operation on them // push the result let binary mathFn stack = let x,stack' = pop stack let y,stack'' = pop stack' let z = mathFn x y push z stack'' // pop the top element // do a unary operation on it // push the result let unary f stack = let x,stack' = pop stack push (f x) stack' // ============================================== // Other core // ============================================== /// Pop and show the top value on the stack let SHOW stack = let x,_ = pop stack printfn "The answer is %f" x stack // keep going with same stack /// Duplicate the top value on the stack let DUP stack = let x,s = pop stack push x (push x s) /// Swap the top two values let SWAP stack = let x,s = pop stack let y,s' = pop s push y (push x s') /// Drop the top value on the stack let DROP stack = let _,s = pop stack //pop the top of the stack s //return the rest // ============================================== // Words based on primitives // ============================================== // Constants // ------------------------------- let EMPTY = StackContents let START = EMPTY // Numbers // ------------------------------- let ONE = push 1.0 let TWO = push 2.0 let THREE = push 3.0 let FOUR = push 4.0 let FIVE = push 5.0 // Math functions // ------------------------------- let ADD = binary (+) let SUB = binary (-) let MUL = binary (*) let DIV = binary (/) let NEG = unary (fun x -> -x) // ============================================== // Words based on composition // ============================================== let SQUARE = DUP >> MUL let CUBE = DUP >> DUP >> MUL >> MUL let SUM_NUMBERS_UPTO = DUP // n >> ONE >> ADD // n+1 >> MUL // n(n+1) >> TWO >> SWAP >> DIV // n(n+1) / 2 So there we have it, a simple stack based calculator. We've seen how we can start with a few primitive operations ( unary) and from them, build up a whole domain specific language that is both easy to implement and easy to use. As you might guess, this example is based heavily on the Forth language. I highly recommend the free book "Thinking Forth", which is not just about the Forth language, but about (non object-oriented!) problem decomposition techniques which are equally applicable to functional programming. I got the idea for this post from a great blog by Ashley Feniello. If you want to go deeper into emulating a stack based language in F#, start there. Have fun!
Maine Children's Cancer Program The purpose of the Maine Children's Cancer Program is to provide integrated, comprehensive, clinical research based medical care and psychosocial and practical support services to infants, children, and adolescents with cancer and blood disorders from throughout the state of Maine. The Maine Children's Cancer Program strives not only to cure cancer in as many children as possible but also to support families through their experience of living with childhood cancer. The Maine Children's Cancer Program has a goal of helping to keep cancer from getting in the way of letting kids be kids. Based in Scarborough, the program's treatment center is a special place where children with cancer, and their families from across Maine and New Hampshire, find the highest quality medical care, along with support, love and hope. Learn more about how you can support the children and families of the Maine Children's Cancer Program by clicking here. \|\|If you would like to receive emails on MCCP news and upcoming events, send us an email requesting to be added to the list.
Living on Earth doesn’t seem so great some days (blizzards, tsunamis, and earthquakes come to mind) but even the worst day on Terra doesn’t come close to the nightmares that await you on COROT-7b. The small exoplanet was discovered by the European Space Agency’s telescope COROT in February 2009, and researchers at Washington University in St. Louis later mapped out its hellish atmosphere. COROT-7b is only a little bigger than Earth, but couldn’t be more different otherwise. It is extremely close to its sun – about 23 times closer than Mercury is to our sun – and is gravitationally locked, meaning that one side is always facing the sun. This makes for unimaginably hot temperatures on the light side (over 5000 degrees Fahrenheit) and extreme cold on the other. Though scientists can’t be sure what the surface of the planet is composed of, the high temperatures would cause even rocks to boil and vaporize. The researchers believe that the atmosphere on COROT-7b is laden with minerals that would rain down in pebbles and rocks if a cold weather front moved in. As nightmarish as COROT-7b is, it doesn’t share the inevitable doom of WASP-18b. The giant exoplanet shouldn’t even exist, based on what scientists currently know about stars and gravitational pulls. The planet is far too close to its star, and within a million years will be swallowed up by it. Its close proximity to its star means that it completes an entire orbital period – a “year” – in less than one Earth day. Because it’s so large (about 10 times the size of Jupiter) and so close to its star, it’s causing massive plasma waves on the star which are degrading the planet’s orbit even further. Studying WASP-18b over the next decade will help scientists to understand why it’s so close to its star but hasn’t yet been devoured.
Using your brains to control a particular toy is nothing new with Mattel’s offerings in the past, where the goal of the game is to concentrate hard enough and move the ball to your opponent’s area – with your counterpart attempting to do the same as well. Well, it seems that a new brain-computer interface that currently enables people to precisely control a virtual helicopter’s movements with their mind sans surgical implants might be the future where prosthetic limb control is concerned. Of course, such technology would not escape the notice of the military, so we could very well see mind-controlled military robots perform a mission as well. This new noninvasive system that allows the piloting of vehicles will require one to wear a cap on their heads, and so far experiments that involved test subjects guide a computer-animated helicopter on a screen proved successful with a 85% rate. This will definitely mark a new milestone for patients who need help in controlling prosthetic limbs – and we can’t wait to see the fruit of such a discovery happen down the nearby future, or at least that is what we hope.
[Spangle, Wash.] NOVEMBER 15, 2009 Nearly a thousand people attended Go Mission Fest at Upper Columbia Academy November 13-15, 2009. The three-day event was designed to inspire Christians to accept the commission of Jesus, to take the gospel to all the world. All of the worship services, seminars and even the children's meetings at Go Mission Fest focused on some aspect of being a missionary, weather it is mission work in a foreign country or mission work locally. Speakers for the event included former missionaries , missionary trainers, and church planters from around the world including; Jon Dybdal, Gary Krause, Russel Burrill, and others. The keynote speaker for the Friday night service was John Kent, training director for Adventist Frontier Missions. John and his wife Belinda spent eight years as missionaries in a remote village in Papua New Guinea. His stories of life in the jungles of this developing country taught how God is leads people in unique ways in effort to spread the gospel. "I have no idea what God saw in us," said Kent, "but the truth is God looks into every heart and sees something he wants to use for His glory in a world that desperately needs to know Him."
The Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) is one of the leading forces in the science of cities, generating new knowledge and insights for use in city planning, policy and design and drawing on the latest geospatial methods and ideas in computer-based visualisation and modelling. We are part of The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Dr Andrew Hudson-Smith, Director and Deputy Chair of the Bartlett Centre for Advanced SpatialAnalysis (CASA) at University College London. Andy is a Reader in Digital Urban Systems and Editor-in-Chief of Future Internet Journal, he is also an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Greater London Authority Smart London Board. Andy is course founder of the MRes in Advanced Spatial Analysis and Visualisation at University College London and Course Director of the MSc in Smart Cities and Urban Analytics and the MRes in Smart Cities at CASA. With a research focus on location based digital technologies he has been at the forefront of web 2.0 technologies for communication, outreach and developing a unique contribution to knowledge. He is author of the Digital Urban Blog and has a Co-I/Pi research grant income in excess of £6 million. His contribution to knowledge and outreach in the fields of the Internet of Things, smart cities, big data, digital geography, urban planning and the built environment have been wide ranging with an impact strategy focused on policy, outreach and the public understanding of science. He currently supervises 10 PhD students. His research can be found at http://www.digitalurban.org or @digitalurban on Twitter
We need your help! Please take this 5 minute survey to evaluate the ways to sustain and support the UDL Center. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that addresses the primary barrier to fostering expert learners within instructional environments: inflexible, “one-size-fits-all” curricula. It is inflexible curricula that raise unintentional barriers to learning. Learners who are “in the margins”, such as learners who are gifted and talented or have disabilities, are particularly vulnerable. However, even learners who are identified as “average” may not have their learning needs met due to poor curricular design. In learning environments, such as schools and universities, individual variability is the norm, not the exception. When curricula are designed to meet the needs of an imaginary “average”, they do not address the reality learner variability. They fail to provide all individuals with fair and equal opportunities to learn by excluding learners with different abilities, backgrounds, and motivations who do not meet the illusive criteria for “average”. UDL helps address learner variability by suggesting flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments that empower educators to meet these varied needs. Curricula that is created using UDL is designed from the outset to meet the needs of all learners, making costly, time-consuming, and after-the-fact changes unnecessary. The UDL framework encourages creating flexible designs from the start that have customizable options, which allow all learners to progress from where they are and not where we would have imagined them to be. The options for accomplishing this are varied and robust enough to provide effective instruction to all learners. Last Updated: 04/17/2013
8/13/2004 1:09:48 PM Size of Object(s) round, very far out in the sky Distance to Object(s) & Altitude 100 miles to 200 miles, by sattelites Shape of Object(s) Color of Object(s): Full Description & Details I was on my back patio, looking through my binoculars to find my usual sattelite sightings. This was the second paticularly clear nights. I found one sattelite following it's normal West to East path, when I spotted another much fainter sattelite directly above it heading in the opposite direction. Only much much faster and farther out. I followed it for a moment, and then noticed it split into two. I shook my head and refocused the lense, and saw it again, still two. Now following parallel to each other at a speed I have never seen a satelite fly. Then it did something strange, it would come back into one, then split out into two, heading about a 45 degree angle away from each other, then come back to parallel each other. But sometimes they would jump backwards, as if my vision jumped. Only, they did it a few times. I would keep my eyes off center, and keep a major star in focus and steady to jude the movement of the objects. They were definately jerkish and would shoot out fast then come back a little then join together and head out. I followed them until out of sight, about 3 minutes in all. They made the other sattelite seem slow like an airplane, but I have been watching sattelites long enough to know the difference. Plus I fly. This thing was in my estimation about twice the distance of the sattelite I was watching, very faint, but clear enough to see it's movements. This was no sattelite. Moving at 90 degree angles, 45 degree angles in a split second. It was quite amazing. I truely hope some day, I see them again. It was remarkable. My background has included being a Police Officer-Reserve, a volunteer with the Fire Department, and trained in Disaster Response with UMCOR through a FEMA training program. This event was clearly not an airplane, sattelite or shooting star. TV Writer, Producer, FEMA/UMCOR Disaster responder, Civilian Emergency Response Trainer through the Oregon Emergency Management Organization, Volunteer with the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, FEMA trained in Disaster and Terrorism and community planning. Producer of Earthquake Preparedness, and Oklahoma Tornadoes. I have seen unusual objects three times in my life. First time as a child, secondly when in the Navy, and third this year as indicated above. Not once was I looking to find what I saw. Reported To:UFO National Reporting site Name:Michael B. Whipple Your Location:Beaverton, Oregon, USA
May 7, 2002 Roles and Responsibilities of Department Chairs The Academic leadership in a university begins with the Board of Regents and extends through all administrative levels. Individuals who play a key role in daily promoting policies and leading the well functioning of academic life are department chairs. Ordinarily, these are the individuals who work closest with their faculties to improve the quality of graduate and undergraduate education and research. Chairs may propose new majors and graduate degrees. They assign teaching and other functions to the faculty. They work closely with their deans to shape academic visions and serve as the key link between deans and departments. In an environment of shared governance, the chair has the responsibility to consult with faculty on the initiatives in the department and attempt to develop a majority position, if not consensus, on them. In the following pages, it is assumed the chair consistently consults with faculty in performing the many responsibilities of the chair position. At the same time, even in shared governance, there are prerogatives of academic administrators and chairs who are responsible for communicating academic policies and decisions to their faculties. There are numerous examples. The president normally determines what portion of the university budget can be committed to faculty salary increases. Although the faculty grievance process consists of several levels of faculty committees, the provost represents the last decision maker. When space is allocated to a college, it is the dean who determines how that space will be assigned. The purpose of this document is not to suggest there is a significant need for change in the role of chair. Rather, it is to clarify that chairs’ responsibilities and expectations have evolved as universities have become more complex, much less dependent on state funding and more aware of public expectations. The majority of departments already operate within the model that follows. Those departments that do not will need to make adjustments. In particular, no college by-laws can be inconsistent with this document. If department by-laws are not consistent with this description, they are inconsistent with college by-laws and will require change. The chair is both the chief academic and chief executive officer of a university unit and, as such, reports to the dean who is the chief academic and executive officer of the college. The position is an eleven-month appointment and appropriate compensation for this commitment should be determined by the Dean at the time of appointment. A chair should have the stature to represent the academic ideals and aspirations of the department as well as the ability to perform its executive functions, including budget and resource allocations. The ideal chair stimulates the department by generating ideas and initiatives. Faculty members deserve a chair they are pleased to have represent them at college and university meetings as well as national meetings of chairs and scholars. The chair position involves a myriad of responsibilities and challenges. The chair, after consultation with the faculty and according to the department by-laws, recommends to the dean all faculty personnel actions including appointments, promotion, tenure, dismissal, salary increments, and post tenure review. The chair organizes faculty searches. The chair oversees the departmental promotion and tenure process. In addition to forwarding the faculty’s recommendations, the chair submits an independent evaluation of each candidate. The chair also promotes faculty development by mentoring or providing mentors to assist new as well as continuing faculty. The chair should be the first person consulted by faculty and students on matters of academic honesty. These matters will be handled in accordance with University procedures. The chair provides academic leadership and vision for the department in order to enhance its quality and reputation. Planning should occur with faculty in an environment in which the chair demonstrates an ability to listen, organize and stimulate discussion. These discussions, at times, may lead the chair to negotiate with other chairs to develop interdisciplinary initiatives or collaborations. At times, vigorous discussions in departments can escalate into uncomfortable dissensions. It is imperative chairs attempt to resolve such disagreements in a collegial and evenhanded manner. In all situations, it is expected chairs treat all departmental personnel with fairness and dignity. The chair is responsible for the department’s relationship with and service to students. This occurs through participation in the design and implementation of undergraduate and graduate programs. The chair has the prerogative to assign major responsibilities for these initiatives to other members of the department. The chair also is responsible for making teaching assignments in ways that will fulfill the department’s responsibility to provide adequate access to courses in the major, service offerings, and distance education, as appropriate. It is the responsibility of the chair to meet at least annually with individual faculty to discuss each person’s performance. This includes a discussion of the individual’s expected teaching, research and service initiatives for the past and coming years and whatever salary increases (if an increase is available) a person will receive. If the faculty member is an exceptional performer, the chair may wish to examine how special rewards can be given (e.g., nomination for an endowed professorship, request for an equity salary increase, etc.). If the faculty member is not performing well, it is the responsibility of the chair to inform that individual and to advise and assist the person to improve his or her performance. The chair serves as an advocate to the dean for departmental needs and priorities. The chair is responsible for and oversees the financial affairs of the department, submits the annual plan and budget request to the dean, and administers the approved budget as a reflection of the department’s priorities. In addition, the chair oversees the department’s assessment process. Additional duties of the chair include: Within the larger college and university context, the chair enhances the resources of the department through grant writing and fund-raising initiatives in both the public and private sector. The chair maintains sound relations with important educational community constituencies, including the relevant business or professional community, parallel academic departments at other educational institutions, departmental alumni, and the general public. The chair oversees routine departmental matters including but not limited to scheduling classes, admitting students, allocating space, supervising departmental staff, managing internal and external communication, and conducting department meetings. Selecting a Chair The dean, in consultation with the departmental faculty and in accordance with college by laws will decide when a search for a chair will be initiated and whether the search will be an external one or restricted to current UH faculty members. The search will be governed by the following conditions. The process of recommending a chair will be performed by a departmental search committee (which can be a committee of the whole). The committee will recommend one or more possible appointees to the dean. The dean has the prerogative to request a further search. Otherwise, the dean appoints a candidate as chair. In searches for an outside chair, all procedures for appointment of new faculty must be followed. Review of Chair A chair will be reviewed on a regular basis in accordance with college by-laws. When a chair decides not to continue in the position, no review takes place. The review will be conducted by a committee selected in accordance with college by-laws. The review committee will first discuss its findings with the chair. After these discussions, the committee will provide a confidential report to the dean. Ordinarily, the dean will use this evaluation to share with the chair positive reports on the chair’s leadership, any concerns that are expressed and ideas that are proposed for improvement. The dean may use the evaluation to indicate specific actions a chair must take to retain a leadership position. Finally, the dean meets with the faculty, without the chair, to discuss the results of the evaluation.
PTC CTO Jane Wachutka Recognized as a Leading Advocate for STEM Education The honor comes from STEMconnector, who profiled 100 U.S. CIOs/CTOs who have been actively advancing STEM education throughout their careers, industries and companies. The publication was presented at the STEM Council meeting in Washington, ... Seminole sets standard for all counties on STEM: Editorial But as a recent Sentinel story from education reporter Leslie Postal made clear, there's a big difference between school districts in Central Florida in one crucial area: educating high-school students in science, technology, engineering and ... News 13 Orlando Lack of job qualified job applicants prompts push for STEM education News 13 Orlando That's why there's a big push to get more STEM education into the classroom. Thanks to STEM education, Andrea Lane will likely have no problem landing a civil engineering job when she graduates from college. “STEM teaches you the way to think about it. Omron Foundation supports Illinois FIRST, STEM Former Astronaut Helps Students Explore Mars Through STEM AACC professor selected for national STEM award Dinner and auction will benefit STEM education Dinner and auction will benefit STEM education. July 26, 2015. The Maui News. Save \|. "Pathways to our Future," an annual fundraiser dinner for the Maui Economic Development Board Ke Alahele Education Fund, returns Aug. 29 at the Fairmont Kea Lani ... Torrey Smith Adds STEM Education To Multi-Sport Camp There was also be a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) station to get the campers thinking in a completely different way than they were used to at a summer sports camp. Current Stafford athletes served as instructors for the ... The Desert Sun Textbooks to trades: STEM education vital to economy The Desert Sun Experts predict more than 50 percent of careers in the valley will soon require a high degree of technical and computing skills, making school districts a vital pathway into the local workforce. To help fill the need, the Coachella Valley Economic ... Boeing gives $30M to Museum of Flight to expand STEM education museumofflight1 The Boeing Co. and June Boeing today announced a $30 million donation to the Museum of Flight to expand its science, technology, engineering, and math-related (STEM) education opportunities, particularly for underrepresented ... Boeing money to fund Museum of Flight, promote education Boeing, Boeing family donate $30 million to Museum of Flight for STEM academy $30M to The Museum of Flight for STEM Educators, advocates see increased importance in US STEM education When it comes to education reform in the United States, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is the term that is usually at the tip of the tongue of every policy maker, teacher, or school advocate. For its detractors, STEM is a ... STEM News Roundup: The Current State of STEM 'Educator Edition: 2015 National Survey on STEM Education' Details the Current ... 2015 STEM Index Shows Gender, Racial Gaps Widen Engaging Parents in Kids' STEM Education U.S. News & World Report Working with parents has helped various nonprofits expose children to STEM jobs. Speakers at the 2015 U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference session "Engaging Parents in their Children's STEM Education" in San Diego on Monday shared strategies their ... Hassan Re-Establishes STEM Education Task Force “Modernizing how we educate our students in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math is critical to helping them develop the skills needed for good jobs in the innovation economy,” Governor Hassan said. “This diverse group of ... Gov. Hassan reestablishes STEM education task force Dr. James J Hirstein Professor of Mathematics The University of Montana
Sen. John Sununu announced on Friday long-awaited Internet phone legislation that would effectively eliminate state and local authorities' ability to tax and regulate broadband phone calls. The bill, which is expected to draw fire from state governments, says all authority over regulating VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services is "reserved solely to the federal government." The measure, VoIP Regulatory Freedom Act, also imposes some curbs on the Federal Communications Commission's ability to extend to VoIP much of the thick quilt of rules and requirements that govern the traditional phone network. For instance, it bans imposing certain "access charge" taxes, but does require the FCC to levy VoIP universal service fees that will be redirected to provided discounted analog phone service to low-income and rural Americans. VoIP "is at a critical stage in its development, but its potential to serve consumers, business, and society is enormous," Sununu, R-N.H., said Friday. "Unfortunately, some interests would like to impose an outdated and stifling regulatory framework on this service, rather than allow VoIP to continue to expand freely." A backlash from states is expected, according to Mike Hurst, legislative director for Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., who introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives on Monday. "Of course they are going to be pissed," Hurst said. Two representatives of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) did not return calls for comment. NARUC has battled earlier attempts to limit state authority over the broadband phone industry. The legislation is another attempt by federal policymakers to claim lone responsibility for regulating VoIP calls. The FCC wants a light hand to foster the young industry, while states and cities fear that as more calls make their way onto the unregulated Internet, they'll have less taxes to collect to support 911 and other public services. Federal regulators began proceedings weeks ago to answer many of the same questions posed in the congressional legislation. Sununu's proposal also addresses the controversial issue of VoIP wiretapping, saying that VoIP companies that provide links to the existing telephone network--a category that would include Vonage, for instance--must provide some "access to necessary information to law enforcement agencies." But the access requirement, a key concern of the FBI, would not apply to instant messaging applications or peer-to-peer services like Skype. CNet News
Asia-Pacific Human Development Report 200308 May 2003 HIV / AIDS The Regional Human Development Report on “HIV/AIDS and Human Development in South Asia 2003” is the first report prepared under the aegis of UNDP’s Asia Pacific Regional Initiative on Human Development Reports (HDRC) and the Regional Programme on HIV and Development (REACH Beyond Borders). This Report builds upon an extensive corpus of research on human development in South Asia, pioneered by the late Dr Mahbub-ul-Haq and strengthened by successive national and sub-national HDRs. The challenge of HIV in South Asia has been examined in several documents prepared by UN organizations, national Governments, research institutions, NGOs, activists working with HIV programmes and positive people’s networks.
EMO, Ontario, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources said agents were unable to remove a snare from around the neck of a bear. The ministry said the bear was reported near the town of Emo and agents attempted to tranquilize the animal, but the bear's weight and the large number of bears in the area made the job hazardous, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday. "It was a really hazardous thing for our conservation officers and technicians to be attempting to try to trap or chemically immobilize a bear when there are, you know, another 40 bears wandering around," MNR spokeswoman Jolanta Kowalski said. "We do know that the bear can still open its mouth, and it can eat," she said. "But, we are not going to put the safety of our staff at risk in a situation like that again." The spokeswoman said Michael Scheibler, the resident who reported the bear had a snare digging into the flesh of its neck, has a habit of feeding the local bears, contributing to the ensnared bear's weight.
CARACAS, Venezuela, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Cancer-stricken Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was sent home to die after doctors in Cuba could do nothing more for him, Spain's ABC newspaper reported. The 58-year-old leader -- who returned to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, at 2:30 a.m. Monday and was rushed to a downtown military hospital after being treated in Havana for complications following Dec. 11 cancer surgery -- is now receiving palliative care after doctors determined no viable cancer treatment would improve his health, the newspaper said, citing sources in contact with Chavez's medical team. Palliative care focuses on relieving and preventing a patient's suffering. ABC is widely considered a newspaper of record in Spain. The sources told the newspaper Chavez's cancer was terminal and there were no plans to bring him back to Cuba for further treatments. A few Cuban and Russian medical specialists flew with Chavez to Caracas, while a number of specialists already left the medical team, ABC reported. Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro said late Monday Chavez was receiving "complementary treatments for the base disease" at the heavily guarded Dr. Carlos Arvelo Military Hospital. Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Friday the Venezuelan leader was breathing through a tracheal tube but said Chavez's "intellectual functions" were intact and he was "in close communication with his government team." Villegas made his comments when Caracas televised photographs of Chavez recuperating in Cuba with two of his daughters at his side. The photos showed Chavez reading Thursday's edition of Cuba's state newspaper, Granma. By contrast, Chavez's populist government did not release photos or video images of the president's pre-dawn arrival. Nor has it said what type of cancer Chavez has had or what his prognosis is. Chavez has had four operations for cancer since June 2011. Fireworks were set off in parts of Caracas Monday as loyal "Chavistas" celebrated after Information Minister Ernesto Villegas called for the country to rejoice. "El Comandante is here. He's back. He's back. He's back," Villegas almost sang on state TV. Chavez's Twitter account, silent since shortly after he was re-elected to another six-year term Oct. 7, was suddenly active again starting at 3:42 a.m. "We have arrived again in Venezuela," said the first of three posts attributed to Chavez after he landed. "Thank you, my God!! Thank you, beloved people!! We will continue treatment here." Fidel Castro, the retired Cuban leader, issued a statement wishing Chavez well on his return, saying Chavez had "learned much about life" through his illness. Maduro and government ministers participated in a mass of thanksgiving Monday night for Chavez's health, Venezuelan newspaper El Mundo reported. Chavez, who declared himself fully recovered from his unspecified cancer July 9, 2012, flew to Havana Dec. 10 for additional cancer surgery. He later developed a severe pulmonary infection that has resulted in breathing difficulties, or a "respiratory insufficiency," the government said Jan. 3. Chavez stirred further uncertainty when he failed to return to Venezuela for his inauguration Jan. 10. His allies insisted he was firmly in control and declared he could take as much time as he needed to recover. The Supreme Court, which in 14 years of Chavez rule never issued a decision against the government, said the president could be inaugurated whenever he returned. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles -- the governor of Miranda, one of the country's most populous states, which includes part of Caracas -- welcomed Chavez back but said in Twitter he hoped Chavez's return would bring "common sense" back to his government and attention to Venezuelans' daily problems. If Chavez dies or steps down, the Constitution requires elections within 30 days. Before leaving for Cuba, Chavez asked Venezuelans to rally behind Maduro, 50, a former bus driver, if new elections are held.
Creating a healthy community at the U. Members of the University community will be encouraged in February to join together to improve their level of physical activity as part of the Michigan Healthy Community Initiative (MHCI). An eight-week physical fitness program dubbed Active U! will offer incentives for units to take one another on in a friendly competition in which ultimately everyone will be a winner, says Laurita Thomas, associate vice president for human resources. "Our goal is to foster a healthier workplace by encouraging employees to start down a road to even better fitness," Thomas says. "In addition to the short-term goal of improving health during the challenge, our hope is that people across the University will build healthy habits that continue long after the competition is over." The challenge is the first of what is expected to be a number of programs to result from the broader presidential initiative on health. In her 2004 University address, President Mary Sue Coleman announced that U-M, with its outstanding research community and top-rated health care facility, is poised to be a leader in promoting health and well being in the University community and beyond. To that end, Coleman established the MHCI, an ambitious collaborative effort to fashion a prototype program that will promote health, improve health care delivery and define optimal insurance coverage for individuals and families. "With our top-ranked hospital, health care providers and insurance company, and some of the nation's leading health policy experts on our faculty, the University of Michigan is uniquely qualified to use its intellectual resources to help the nation address the growing health-care crisis," Coleman says. "The benefits of such an initiative can be far reaching, including improved quality of life for our employees and their families, reduced health care costs and disability, improved retention of faculty and staff, and more." Three priority areas will be addressed this year: leadership and community engagement, the Active U! physical activity for life program, and enhanced ergonomics activities. Leadership and community engagement efforts will include management education and training, enhanced Web site resource information, a faculty and staff interest survey to be used in future program planning, and the identification of wellness ambassadors at the work unit level to assist with communication and participation. The first initiative to roll out will be Active U!, a program designed to encourage physical activity for life through a fun, incentive program. "The Active U! challenge for the entire campus is modeled after a successful event held last year in the U-M Health System (UMHS), as well as other state and national models," says LaVaughn Palma-Davis, senior director of University health and well-being initiatives. Palma-Davis was asked to take on this new campus-wide role because of her experience as the administrative director for the UMHS Occupational Health and Health Promotion Services. The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services recently recognized one of these services, MFit, with a national Innovation in Prevention Award. Last year, more than 2,000 UMHS employees on some 156 teams accumulated 3.5 million exercise minutes and generated more than $10,000 for charity in an The Active U! program to begin in February will include a wide variety of physical activities. Individuals and teams will earn points, which eventually could result in teams, schools and colleges winning larger awards and being able to choose a favorite charity to receive a cash donation. "Our interest is to create a healthy workplace culture which helps individuals build physical activity into their daily lives," Palma-Davis says. A Web site will allow participants to log their personal goals and keep track of physical activity, as well as weight, body mass index and other measures of fitness success. The site also will offer health information and will point to various resources on campus available to help with healthy eating, exercise, tobacco cessation and other services to enhance overall well being. Weekly e-mails to participants of the Active U! challenge will provide motivation, education on various health topics and information on other programs. Group walks both in and out of doors also will be organized, and staff will be available to consult with participants who have questions or concerns. For more information on MHCI and Active U! program, go to: http://www.Mhealthy.umich.edu. In January, those interested in signing up for the physical challenge will be able to do so on the site. The Record also will provide updates on enrollment and other Active U! information. Why become an ActiveU!? • The Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) reports that as average daily miles traveled on foot go up, the percentage that people are overweight goes down. The STPPa nationwide coalition promoting safer communities and smarter transportation choices to benefit the economy, environment and public healthfound that an increase of only 1/4 mile on average during the day makes a difference in weight reduction. • Heavy smokers (more than 15 cigarettes per day) can reduce their risk of lung cancer if they decrease smoking by 50 percent, according to a study in the Sept. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. • Consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables is associated with lower risks for numerous chronic diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. • In a 2001 study, parents and children who were encouraged to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption had significantly greater decreases in weight than those encouraged to decrease their intake of high-fat and high-sugar foods. • Steelcase Inc., a furniture maker considered one of the 100 best places to work by Fortune Magazine, experienced significant declines in on-the-job injuryas much as 50 percent in one departmentonly three months after beginning an ergonomics program that involved 20 minutes of stretching to help employees warm up before starting repetitive work. Bob Page, manager of employee wellness, reported in a 1998 Business & Health magazine article that "workers told (management) their muscles ached less, they felt better physically and they were sleeping better at night" as a result of the program.
When leaving a chair, you can say "I call seatback" and no one else in the room can take the seat away from you. Similar to saying, "I call shotgun" when approaching a car. No way, you can't sit there, I called seatback!" by Jamie Kozma March 11, 2006 3 more definitions Anouncing that you are reserving your seat when you getting up to get something. Jason you dumbass,I'm getting a drink. Seat back. by Jason you dumbass November 20, 2005 when leaving a seat calling seatbacks before someone else sits in it gets you your seat back upon returning. If you sit somewhere else, or go outside than seatbacks is nullified. Get up out my seat, I called seatbacks 'fo you sat down by lesteveman September 05, 2006 The action of accidentally leaving something behind on an airplane, most notably in the seatback storage area in front on you. I was reading a great article in Wired, but I seatbacked it on the flight back from Kona. by johntex December 08, 2004
Kanybek Imankulov, a father of four, owns 45 hectares of non-irrigable land in Luxembourg village in northern Kyrgyzstan. A farmer since 1995, Imankulov grew mostly field crop -alfalfa, cereals, and corn-but had unimpressive results. Though average crop yields should have been around 4 metric tons per hectare, he only produced around half that. "I would spend weeks searching for available equipment and never managed to plant the crops on time," he said. In 2009, Imankulov started participating in a USAID project that promotes no-till technology, a way of growing crops with less soil disturbance. No-till farming requires specialized seeding equipment designed to plant seeds into crop residues and soil. Through the project, jointly implemented with Eurasia Group KG through a Global Development Alliance partnership, Imankulov was trained on how to use the no-till machinery and received improved seeds at a subsidized price. The benefits are myriad. No-till technology has been proven to reduce land erosion and decrease farmers' expenditures on fuel, planting, and other field operations, while also increasing crop productivity, enhancing soil quality, reducing the use of fertilizers, and increasing water infiltration into the soil. Because of this, farmers are embracing this technology quickly. In 2009, no-till technology was applied on just 20 hectares of farm land. A year later, approximately 4,750 hectares throughout the Kyrgyz Republic were planted using these modern techniques. Analysis at the farm level indicates that the technology is cost-effective and a useful tool for restoring soil fertility. This year, Imankulov received a yield of 3.5 metric tons of wheat per hectare, an increase of around 50 percent over previous yields. "I was impressed with the high quality of the seeds I received. I was surprised that my production costs were reduced this year, and yet I managed to earn more," he said. "Thanks to this project I am becoming a progressive farmer who uses the best agricultural machinery and learns farm management from the best agronomists in the country. I am motivated to learn and apply new technologies because I see that they make a real difference in my life and the life of my family." Last updated: May 19, 2015
Convert Your Car TODAY to Run on Water and gas to save over 40% on fuel costs! Would you like to find out how to run your vehicle on water and stop wasting money on gas? This do-it-yourself conversion guide is very affordable (under $150) and EASY with step-by-step instructions. The conversion WILL NOT void your warranty because it is 100% reversible! It's easy to install and remove. Create your own water hybrid for under $150! Did you know that you can convert your car to a water-burning car? You can run your car on water, supplemental to gasoline, to increase your car's fuel efficiency and reduce your fuel costs significantly. Works on gas or diesel powered cars, vans, trucks, and SUVs. (Not tested on hybrids) Your car will become at least 40% more fuel efficient and produce cleaner emissions. Convert your car for the lowest price. Similar conversion kits cost up to $600 and up! Works with plain tap water. No need for distilled water or special water additives! We've simplified the process. The steps are easy, and the materials are affordable. Run Your Car With Water
Dollars and Sense How One Company Stopped Throwing Argon Out the Window by Tara Taffera When Northeast Building Products (NBP) found out in 2010 that the company was losing 10 to 15 percent argon out of every cylinder, company officials were determined to do something about it. Management researched options and eventually reduced its argon loss down to a minimal amount. The company first discovered the problem as it began preparing for the arrival of a new machine and, in the process, discovered some inefficiencies in its current methods. It found that the problem lies in the .333-cubit foot argon cylinders. Eric Gerstenbacher, NBP vice president of operations, says these were easy enough to move around the plant and then hook up to the argon gas fill machine (both a traditional machine as well as the Sashlite system). The cylinder would then feed the probes into the gas units. But Gerstenbacher says there were two problems: argon waste and lost production time of approximately 15 to 20 minutes every cylinder change. The company had, at that time, three argon gas fill stations. “We wanted something to be there all the time, additionally, we knew we weren’t getting all the argon out of the cylinder.” NBP vice president of operations “We wanted something to be there all the time,” he says. “Additionally, we knew we weren’t getting all the argon out of the cylinder.” Northeast turned to its current supplier, JF Martin Inc., of Philadelphia for suggestions. The company was instrumental in helping Northeast find an alternate supplier that could meet its growing needs. “We still buy propane with them but not argon,” says Gerstenbacher. “They were nice enough to turn us on to other companies.” That other company was Matheson Valley, which suggested Northeast switch to a 1,000-liter bulk tank that can remain stationery. While the company knew it had to look into this more economical option, the process was sped up, according to Gerstenbacher, due to the impending arrival of a high-speed Bystronic line in 2010. “We wanted to reap the rewards of the new line,” says Gerstenbacher, “so the machine’s imminent arrival kicked this project into high gear.” With the installation of the larger tanks, the company saves the time spent in moving the tanks around the plant floor—and has cut its argon loss to a minimum. Also, NBP no longer has to stop production to refill the tanks, thus getting the maximum benefit from its new machine, which also translates into a high rate of labor savings. NBP also now purchases argon in bulk, which offers a reduction in price. “They have a truck that comes in and fills it,” says Gerstenbacher, who adds that the company doesn’t even have to pick up the phone or place an order. “It is wired to our system so when the argon runs low Matheson Valley gets an email and comes out automatically to refill it.” The window manufacturer does have a backup system in place, but Gerstenbacher says that in the one year of operation with the new system there “have been absolutely no issues.” “You have to put some money out initially,” says Gerstenbacher. “But you definitely reap the rewards.” It Pays to Change Tank pad $4,000 Run plumbing for the argon $11,000 Material savings Approximately 40 percent Annual labor savings $2,000 for each argon gas fill machine Gerstenbacher notes that these are conservative numbers and likely even greater savings have been realized. © Copyright 2011 Key Communications Inc. All rights reserved. No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission.
Hello, I love english but I am not a native english speaker. So, it will be always difficult for me. I needed some clarifications. For an example, if someone tells me that I am very grateful for your help, You have been amazing. I normally say it's my pleasure. I am glad that I could help. What else can i say to leave an impact? Sometimes, people tell me that i am not a computer literate or technology friendly, I am new to this. I normally say I understand. What else I could say to address their point? Something like they should feel it's common problem and nothing to be sorry. Sometimes, people tell me that I was confused. I say, I can understand the confusion. Is it correct English? What else could have been used? 1. Can you provide me some statements for best wishes like, I wish you best, have a good one, I hope you won't face this problem in future. 2. For empathy, like I know what you have gone through, I understand your problem, I wish I could do something to help you. 3. If I provide some steps what different statements can I use? Like, you can follow above steps. Above are the steps, let me walk you through the steps.
would you like to tell me that what's the meaning of "act out of concern for somebody"? It means to do something for someone because you care about them. For example, "Max pushed Sam out of the way of a falling piano, and Sam landed hard on the ground, scraping her knee. Max didn't mean to hurt Sam. He was acting out of concern for Sam's well-being.
- V3 Apps This is the software publisher’s description. As far back as 1999, a group of visionary LEGO product developers and engineers started thinking about letting people design their own LEGO products. They imagined people of all ages, anywhere in the world, being able create any design they could dream up – using an intuitive, free tool for digital design. The first milestone was achieved in July 2003, when version 1.0 of LEGO Digital Designer was released. In February 2004, an online 3D Gallery went live, allowing designers to share their ideas via the Internet. By 2005, thousands of LEGO Factory enthusiasts were designing, sharing and ordering their own custom models – and the one-millionth copy of LEGO Digital Designer was downloaded on 25 September that year. LEGO Digital Designer is quite simply the best virtual building system out there – with its “Click-Stick” method of 3D modelling winning praise from children, parents, teachers and design enthusiasts everywhere. And, as the virtual design platform behind a growing number of LEGO products, LEGO Digital Designer is here to stay. A host of improvements and new features are already in development, including an improved user interface, new connectivity, more life-like building, Technic compatibility and improved train building and animation. So stay tuned – with LEGO Digital Designer, the future is yours. Note that this is the Windows download and is Windows only. An Intel Mac OS X version is available from the LEGO Digital Designer download page.
Preserving and Enjoying Boston's Franklin Park Franklin Park—the jewel of Boston’s Emerald Necklace—has a storied past. Spanning over 120 years and 500 acres, this historic landmark was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 1880s. It is the place where the Duke Ellington orchestra’s latest tunes rang out at the Elma Lewis Playhouse in the Park, one of the first places where golf was played in the US and the site of a zoo exhibit that dates back to 1912. Elma Lewis and Duke Ellington Elma Lewis along with Richard Heath were two founders of Franklin Park Coalition (FPC)—a small group of staff and concerned neighbors—tasked with advocating for and maintaining this beautiful park. FPC was founded in 1974 to expand community participation in park stewardship, a mammoth task since the park is the city’s largest green space and it contains the largest historic forest in Boston. Located in the heart of Boston’s communities of color, the park has many diverse park users. FPC bridges the differences of age race, ethnicity and class, by bringing the surrounding community together for action as park advocates and stewards. Through a woodlands restoration campaign, FPC has worked to restore the woodlands for the present and future generations to enjoy. This goal remains true to Olmsted’s intent of creating a typical New England forest that provides respite from the crowded, noisy, and gritty urban environment. A breathtaking 65 contiguous acre woodlands known as the Wilderness is the result of his efforts. Wilderness picnic area Getting people into the park is critical to making it a vibrant and well cared for place. A range of events such as the Birds & Bards Festival, Weeds as Feed foraging walks, performances held at the Elma Lewis Playhouse in the Park and other seasonal festivals keep the park busy all year long. On May 14th, FPC held the Bike and Kite Festival to celebrate spring’s arrival, drawing about 1,000 families to the park. Children were able to get free kites and borrow bikes at the park and run and play with their friends and loved ones. Elma Lewis Playhouse in the Park In its heyday, the Kite festival drew as many as 30,000 people for kite-flying, face-painting, pony rides, and live music, according to published reports. Kite Festival founder, Boston quilt-maker and visual artist Clara Wainwright, went on to found Boston’s First Night celebration seven years later. Kite Festival in the 1980s Over the summer, FPC holds its signature performance series: Elma Lewis Playhouse in the Park. Each Tuesday in July, young families and summercamps can bring children to daytime concerts and later bring their friends to the evening concerts at 6:00pm. Dancing under the stars while singing your favorite tunes is allowed. Joining in to tap your feet and nod your head to jazz, funk and world music is a must. This August, Playhouse will feature selected short films from the Boston Latino International Film Festival. Another cultural offering is coming up on June 11th from 10am-12pm. That is the date of the final park history tour in a series of three led by historian Julie Arrison and supported by a grant from Mass Humanities. The tour focuses on the early history of Franklin Park Zoo, the ruins of the Overlook Shelter, and the Wilderness. Julie became involved with FPC through a volunteer day. She was so intrigued by the old Bear Dens cages, a former zoo-exhibit, it became the subject of her graduate thesis and the impetus for two books about the park. She now generously volunteers her time to inform the public about the history of Franklin Park. History Tour of Zoo-Chester French statues Frieze on the Old Bear Dens In addition to arts and culture offerings, the park is truly a fitness destination. It’s the perfect place to cross country ski, bike, hike or run. There’s a premier cross country course and a two-mile walking loop for people to enjoy. Thousands of walkers take advantage of this urban resource during warm months from early morning to late evening. Walkers on the Loop Path From gathering with friends for a barbeque—the only park in Boston where you can—to enjoying the spectacular view from Schoolmaster Hill, Franklin Park is a space for everyone to take pleasure in. With three playgrounds, four tennis courts, a well-tended municipal golf course, basketball courts and baseball fields, there is certainly something for everyone because, after all, this park belongs to everyone.
Valuation in your industry: ValuAdder gives you the valuation multiples for 425 types of private businesses. What are valuation multiples? Each valuation multiple is based on in‑depth analysis of recent business sales by industry. To determine your business value: - Select your business type from the list. - Enter your business financial parameters such as revenue, cash flow, inventory, and assets. - ValuAdder immediately calculates the business value range, average and median values.
Purchased from Carlo Campi in 1894 for £16 19s 8d Recumbent effigy of a woman Unidentified Lombard sculptor Late 14th century Castello Sforzesco, Milan, Italy This slab once formed the lid of a tomb and comes from the Convent of the Clares in Pavia. It entered the Brera Museum in 1834, and thence passed to the Castello Sforzesco. Because the deceased woman is dressed as a Clare and because the effigy can be dated stylistically to the late 14th century, an identification with the mother of Gian Galleazzo Visconti, Bianca of Savoy (d. 1387) who founded the convent of the Clares in Pavia has been suggested.
In Swim Speed Workouts, 4-time Olympian, gold medalist, and triathlon world champion Sheila Taormina provides the essential swimming instruction, workouts, drills, and training plan to build all-new levels of freestyle swimming speed. Swim Speed Workouts applies the principles of Taormina’s influential swim technique book Swim Speed Secrets so swimmers and triathletes can get in the pool and get fast. Drawing from her 30-year racing and coaching career, Taormina’s Swim Speed program is carefully designed to build freestyle swimming speed one crucial step at a time. Over 16 weeks, swimmers and triathletes will swim high-impact workouts to build the critical elements of the world’s fastest swimming technique. Each waterproof workout card incorporates the Olympic swimming drills, kick sets, and drylands that develop speed in the world’s fastest swimmers. Swimmers will refine their freestyle with the most effective hand entry, high-elbow catch, underwater pull, stroke finish, core drive, and propulsive kick. Swim Speed Workouts unlocks the secrets to swimming performance, building up swimmers and triathletes to breakthrough swim speed. Try the first two weeks of Swim Speed Workouts and watch swimming drill videos at swimspeedsecrets.com. Swim Speed Workouts for Swimmers and Triathletes 5″ x 7″, 92 pp., $29.95, 9781937715014 Includes 75 waterproof workout and drill cards, waterproof instruction booklet, and carrying case. Full-color interior and photographs.
For unusual landscapes, visit Mono Lake in California, Pyramid Lake in Nevada, and Soda Lake in Wyoming. The mysterious fingers of stone poking from the blue water of California's Mono Lake have a scientific explanation—they're limestone deposits called tufa left by calcium-rich springs that bubbled up into the alkaline lake water. But to visitors, the blend of colors and textures can seem more mystical than geological. Recognizing the fragile beauty of the area 13 miles east of Yosemite, the state established the Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve in 1982. Twenty-five years later, the reserve still amazes visitors. You can join a guided tour, offered at 1 p.m. daily in September and on weekends in October. (760) 647-6331, www.parks.ca.gov . Can't get there? Here's another A tufa tower the size and shape of an Egyptian pyramid rises from the blue waters of PYRAMID LAKE, 36 miles northeast of Reno. The warm lake is a great place to go for a swim on a balmy autumn day. (775) 476-1155, www.plpt.nsn.us . Photography by by Mark Newman/Lonely Planet Images This article was first published in September 2007. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.
1947 John Atherton Saturday Eve Post Duluth Zenith City Vintage Antique Poster PRINTED BY: Saturday Eve Post, signed "Litho in USA. 6-14-47" AGE: Dated 1947 ARTIST: John Atherton, well known graphic designer, poster artist, illustrator CONDITION: A, Freshly Linen mounted, lithograph, beautiful! SIZE: 22 x 28 inches The Saturday Evening Post is a American magazine, started in 1897 and still in existence. It was monumental in its use of American illustrators on the famous covers, and exposing these designers and art to the American public, from Norman Rockwell, to John Falter, to JC Leyendecker to NC Wyeth and many more. This poster is by well known artist John Carlton Atherton (1900-1952), an American illustrator and commercial artist. He was born in Brainard, Minnesota in 1900. In 1920 he relocated to San Francisco and attented College of The Pacific as well as The California School of Fine Arts (now known as The San Francisco Art Institute.) He worked with General Motors, Shell Oil, Container Corporation of America and Dole. The image is a stunning look at the famous Duluth, MN Aerial Lift bridge, with a large ore barge ship underneath. The blue sky and clouds are stunning and the colors very vibrant. A great moment in time at Zenith City. This image is named "Ore Barge" by the Saturday Evening post. An inset square on top reveals the content of the magazine, "Admiral Halsey Tells His Story." We only have this one, although we are excited to present other Saturday Evening Post Posters as well. Freshly linen backed, beautiful and ready for framing. Amazing art. SIZE: 22 x 27.5 inches You'll deal directly with gallery owner Debra in your purchase: USPS Priority Shipping is FREE in US, Reduced rate for International USPS Priority shipping. We have a 100% approval policy. We want you to be happy with your poster purchase. A signed COA (Certificate of Authenticity) is included with each poster purchase. Debra has been selling original vintage antique posters on the web since 1995. We do not sell reproductions, only authentic antique posters.
Identification of a new cell line permissive to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection and replication which is phenotypically distinct from MARC-145 cell line 1 Groupe de recherche sur les maladies infectieuses du porc (GREMIP), Centre de recherche en infectiologie porcine (CRIP), Faculté de médecine vétérinaire Université de Montréal, 3200 rue Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, J2S 7C6, Québec, Canada 2 Groupe de Recherche en Pharmacologie Animale du Québec (GREPAQ), Faculté de médecine vétérinaire Université de Montréal, 3200 rue Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, J2S 7C6, Canada Virology Journal 2012, 9:267 doi:10.1186/1743-422X-9-267Published: 13 November 2012 Airborne transmitted pathogens, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), need to interact with host cells of the respiratory tract in order to be able to enter and disseminate in the host organism. Pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM) and MA104 derived monkey kidney MARC-145 cells are known to be permissive to PRRSV infection and replication and are the most studied cells in the literature. More recently, new cell lines developed to study PRRSV have been genetically modified to make them permissive to the virus. The SJPL cell line origin was initially reported to be epithelial cells of the respiratory tract of swine. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine if SJPL cells could support PRRSV infection and replication in vitro. The SJPL cell growth was significantly slower than MARC-145 cell growth. The SJPL cells were found to express the CD151 protein but not the CD163 and neither the sialoadhesin PRRSV receptors. During the course of the present study, the SJPL cells have been reported to be of monkey origin. Nevertheless, SJPL cells were found to be permissive to PRRSV infection and replication even if the development of the cytopathic effect was delayed compared to PRRSV-infected MARC-145 cells. Following PRRSV replication, the amount of infectious viral particles produced in SJPL and MARC-145 infected cells was similar. The SJPL cells allowed the replication of several PRRSV North American strains and were almost efficient as MARC-145 cells for virus isolation. Interestingly, PRRSV is 8 to 16 times more sensitive to IFNα antiviral effect in SJPL cell in comparison to that in MARC-145 cells. PRRSV induced an increase in IFNβ mRNA and no up regulation of IFNα mRNA in both infected cell types. In addition, PRRSV induced an up regulation of IFNγ and TNF-α mRNAs only in infected MARC-145 cells. In conclusion, the SJPL cells are permissive to PRRSV. In addition, they are phenotypically different from MARC-145 cells and are an additional tool that could be used to study PRRSV pathogenesis mechanisms in vitro.
Businesses or any employers who either have staff or customers with a vision impairment will find these resources useful. It includes tips on how to produce information in suitable formats or the best way to engage with your staff or customers. There are many causes of vision impairment and peoples' experiences can vary greatly. Vision Australia can help you individualise your support, as required. On this page Working with people with vision loss This booklet has been developed as a guide for working with people who are blind or have low vision at home, at work and in care facilities. Customer Service Program To improve customer service to people who are blind or vision impaired, we have developed learning and training resources for trainers. This includes a fact sheet, trainer's manual and a PowerPoint presentation. The fact sheet on customer service is based on assistance using the 3 A's: Approach, Ask and Assist. Trainer's Manual on customer service provides trainers with background information about vision impairment, activities and an assessment task. The powerpoint presentation and text version provides information on assistance with the three A approach and activities for describing and guiding. To view trainers notes in powerpoint go to toolbar, edit, edit slides. Other useful links Visit other parts of our website to:
Former U.S. President George W. Bush has wrapped up a weeklong tour of Africa aimed at promoting cervical cancer detection and empowering women to make "positive change in their lives." Bush and his wife, Laura, announced a $3 million initiative in Botswana that expands an existing program aimed at combating cervical and breast cancer. Photos provided by the George W. Bush Presidential Center also showed the former first couple meeting with Peace Corps workers in a village just outside of Botswana's capital, Gaborone. Experts say cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in Botswana, and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in the country. The Bushes spent much of the week in Kabwe, Zambia, where they helped renovate a clinic to diagnose and treat women with cervical cancer. Additional photos showed the former president -- who celebrated his 66th birthday on Friday -- in work clothes, a paint roller in hand. During his presidency, Bush launched an AIDS initiative that initially funded $15 billion worth of anti-retroviral drugs and treatment to extend the lives of millions of Africans with HIV and AIDS. His post-presidency humanitarian work on the continent has drawn widespread praise in sub-Saharan Africa,where an estimated 23 million people live with the HIV virus that causes AIDS.
With the fighting continuing to rage in Libya, top diplomats from the world's leading industrialized nations gathered in Paris on Monday to discuss how to respond and whether to impose a no-fly zone in an effort to ground Libyan war planes. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined foreign ministers from Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Britain, Canada and Japan - the so-called Group of Eight - to seek a consensus. France and Britain are leading calls for a no-fly zone and have gone to the U.N. Security Council to get its endorsement. Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, says "fundamental questions need to be answered" before the imposition of a no-fly zone. But he did not rule out the possibility that Russia would eventually endorse the measure. China, which has veto power in the Security Council, opposes a no-fly zone. But on Saturday the 22-nation Arab League asked the U.N. Security Council to authorize a no-fly zone. While in Paris, Clinton is due to hold talks with representatives of the Libyan opposition's National Council. The French government has taken the lead in recognizing the council as Libya's legitimate government. The head of the council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, told The Financial Times newspaper that countries which fail to support the Libyan uprising will be denied the country's oil if Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is deposed.
We are Relying on One Another - 1 Artículo Young people serve as consumers, employees, and future leaders of businesses worldwide. In turn, businesses have a responsibility to respect children’s rights as well as their futures. Since 2007, shifts in the global economy have resulted in an increase in the number of young people out of work by 3.5 million individuals. Just over one year ago at the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, global business leaders called for a major campaign to increase youth apprenticeship opportunities. Further collaboration between young people, businesses and governments must take place if we are to address our current global challenges and ensure economic stability for all. College students in Central New York are addressing these challenges head-on through Social Business Consulting, a student-run organization that provides pro-bono consulting services for social entrepreneurs globally. Students are currently working with organizations on improving social services in Southeast Asia and on supporting community development in Indonesia, among other projects. One project, in particular, is focused on expanding training programs for unemployed youth in India through EduBridge India. As a student at Cornell University the previous four years and as a member of Social Business Consulting, I collaborated with organizations addressing youth employment in East Africa and North America. These collaborations, simultaneously, enabled me to engage in hands-on job training. Such relationships were mutually beneficial, as students walked away with new skills and the partnering organizations acquired additional resources. Though Social Business Consulting is but one organization, it is a larger statement on the fruits of collaboration. Challenges pertaining to the economy or the environment require sustained solutions. The leadership behind these solutions will come from our generation. Businesses must not only support apprenticeship programs, but they must also engage more directly with young people in an effort to form a comprehensive response to the economic times and ensure future progress for both business and young people, alike. After all, we are relying on one another. Chris "Kit" Dobyns, 24, United States (student at the University of Oxford) Elder, Sara, Steven Kapsos, and Theo Sparreboom. Global Employment Trends for Youth 2013: A Generation at Risk. Geneva: International Labour Office, 2013. (http://www.ilo.org/global/research/global-reports/global-employment-trends/youth/2013/lang--en/index.htm) B20 Task Force on Employment. B20 Task Force Recommendations: Concrete Actions for Los Cabos. Los Cabos, Mexico (G20 Summit). 2012. (b20.org/documentos/B20-Task-Force-Recommendations.pdf)
Docphin Current Awareness Portal Docphin is a free online portal that connects to our institutional journal subscriptions to the most popular medical journals. Registration requires selecting a specialty which then gives you 5-10 of the most used journals in that specialty, but you can always search for specific ones and add/delete what you want. It also includes news sources like the NYTimes Health section and Time Select Wake Forest University when you register and it "knows" our proxy prefix and will prompt for credentials when off-campus. Scroll through titles and it pre-loads the abstract, and when you click "View This Article", it will take you straight to the article or to the Pubmed record and give you all our LinkOut options from there. There are apps for iPhone/iPad and Android devices, and integration with Evernote is built-in. You can also use from any browser, which may be easier for setting up your preferences. - Landmark Articles - the practice-changing ones, just a couple per year in selected specialties - Medstream - health news from popular media like CNN, Forbes, NPR, NYT, etc - Saved Articles - will bookmark articles to read later - Alerts - set up by title keyword or author We've added it to our Mobile page, but Docphin can be useful to keep up on the literature even if you don't use tablet or smartphone. If you encounter any problems or have questions, please contact Julie James email@example.com
WAKE FOREST — It's back-to-school time for traditional-calendar schools, and that means it is a good time to evaluate one of the more common sources of school-related injured — backpacks. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there are more than 7,300 backpack-related injuries per year. Children routinely carry more than the recommended weight in school backpacks and, compounding the problem, also carry their bags incorrectly. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical agencies recommend that a child's backpack should weigh no more than 10 to 20 percent of the child's body weight. However, this figure should be adjusted based on a child's fitness level and strength. That means that the average 7 year old second grader who weighs between 55 and 60 pounds should be carrying no more than 11 to 12 pounds in his or her backpack. A backpack that is too heavy may cause: •red marks on the shoulders or back from the straps •tingling or numbness in the arms and back •changes in posture when wearing the backpack, and •pain anywhere in the back. To compound these problems, which also may include nerve damage resulting from pressure on nerves in the shoulders, children should lighten their loads and carry backpacks correctly. The following tips are some additional ways youngsters can prevent backpack-related injuries: •Carry only necessary items. Children should only carry what is required for that particular school day in their backpacks. If teachers routinely have students carry home many heavy books, parents can consult with the teachers to see if there are other options. •Distribute weight evenly. Items in the backpack should be spread out to distribute the weight across the entire back. Heavier items should be at the bottom of the pack. •Use both straps. Using only one strap shifts the backpack weight to one side, causing the back and shoulders to strain. Many orthopedists have reported treating children with back or shoulder pain as the result of carrying backpacks incorrectly. •Choose the correct backpack size. The size of the backpack should match the scale of the child and should rest evenly in the middle of the child's back. •Lift safely. Children should lift their backpacks by bending their knees and lifting to protect their backs. There are some safety features parents can look for when purchasing backpacks. A padded back reduces pressure on the muscles and can be more comfortable, while compression straps make the backpack more sturdy. Additionally, reflective material on the backpack can make the child more visible to motorists.
Q: Recently I read an article about using peppermint spray for bugs on flowering plants. Have you ever heard of this? A: Indeed there are several plant oils being sold as insecticides. Clove oil, peppermint oil, lemon oil and corn oil are all ingredients in “organic” insecticides. Oils can be somewhat effective but, like any chemical, they can be harmful if you are exposed to too much. I once got a blinding headache from citrus oil that spilled on my clothing so that I smelled the fumes for an hour. Read and follow label directions for these products. Do not attempt home-made concoctions using drugstore oils. Tags For This Article: insects
Through spiritual progress instincts become sentiments which are more or less elevated. Love, being the finest sentiment that exists, summarizes the complete doctrine of Jesus. At the starting point Man only had instincts; after some advancement and the onset of corruption, he has sensations; but when he becomes instructed and more purified he has sentiments. The most delicate apex of sentiment is love, not the vulgar sense of the word, but that inner sun which condenses and reconciles all aspirations and superhuman revelations at its ardent focal point. The law of love substitutes the selfishness of man with the harmonizing of all beings in brotherly love, thereby extinguishing social miseries. Blessed is the one who, having surpassed the state of being human, loves with an ample love all suffering fellow beings. Blessed are those who love because they know not the miseries of either body or soul. Their step is light and they live as if transported outside of themselves. When Jesus pronounced that divine word: 'love', it made the people tremble and the martyrs, inebriated with hope, descended into the amphitheatres. In its turn, Spiritism has come to pronounce the second word in the divine alphabet. Pay attention, because this word 'reincarnation', lifts up the tombstones from the empty graves, and triumphant over death, reveals to astonished people its intellectual patrimony. But it is not to this that Man is conducted, but rather to the conquest of his own being, already elevated and transfigured. Blood has redeemed the Spirit and today the Spirit has to liberate the Man from matter. I have already said that in mankind's beginning he had nothing but instincts. Therefore those in whom instincts predominate are still nearer the starting point than their goal. In order to advance towards this goal, each one must conquer their instincts to the benefit of their sentiments; that is to say, these can be perfected by suffocating all material tendencies. Instincts are the germination and the embryos of sentiments; they bring progress with them, just as the acorn contains within itself the oak tree; the less advanced creatures are those who, after emerging little by little from their chrysalises, continue to maintain themselves slaves to their instincts. The Spirit needs to be cultivated as you would a pasture. All the riches of the future depend on the present labour employed, which will earn much more than earthly goods, for it will offer glorious elevation. So, having understood the law of love which joins all creatures, you will seek to find within it the most sweet delights of the soul which are the preludes to celestial happiness. - LAZARUS (Paris, 1862). \| English \| Español \| Français \| International \| Brazil \| Doctrine \| Gospel \| Dissemination \| Esperanto \| Links \|
\|Calligraphy Lessons On-line - detailed online instruction on the Roman Broad Pen style of calligraphy, complete with a generous amount of supporting illustrations and animations\| 03-November-2002 - 12:47:45\| I thought your site was helpful, I am just looking for a little more than what you offer. Thank you for helping. Russ 15-November-2002 - 17:38:12 Good teaching format,but could be a little tough to practic at home. Lora 05-March-2003 - 00:26:51 Your site is great. I'm a beginner and needed to see some movement of the pen/nib. It would be great to see more fonts, but this answered a lot of questions. Many of the books I am coming across are a not easy to follow as a beginner. Thank you for all of your hard work. Lora , Phoenix, Arizona Jocelyn 20-June-2003 - 12:57:55 Your site is wonderful but this is a copy of another site that I know and I was looking for more than they offer. Your site was no help to this but thanks for trying. TciTci 13-July-2004 - 13:01:52 You're site was very nice, but not quite what I was looking for. Does anyone know any sites that have flourish lessons and examples? Cindy 23-July-2004 - 03:10:34 I have seen many other sites that offer the same thing as this one, still not quite what I am looking for. There don't seem to be too many good instructional sites out there and what ever there is available doesn't offer enough variations. Does anyone out there know where there is a site that offers instructions and guides on the carolingian miniscules? Thanx aaron 13-September-2004 - 20:23:12 nice to actually find some free lessons that are actually of some use to someone trying to learn some of the fundamentals of calligraphy. Gloria Pavlides 14-September-2004 - 14:37:08 I am so glad I found this site, I have been practicing calligraphy on my own and hope to do something with it one day. Your lesson was very good and I learned a couple of things. Thanks Jocelyne 20-October-2004 - 11:26:55 Will help make a dream come true! Jill Pike 09-December-2005 - 10:27:43 This site is unbelievably useful! I work for a church and am learning calligraphy to use for their certificates. This information makes my job SO much easier. senthilkumaran 09-September-10 - 04:47:02 i want to leran calligraphy Tish 23-September-11 - 09:39:36 I actually found this more enetrtiainng than James Joyce. Add a Follow-up Comment Return to Crafts_and_Hobbies/Calligraphy [ Home \| Link to Us \| Random Link \| Educational Toys \| 99Malls \| Contact Us ]
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? If you’ve ever walked down 14th Street NW, you know the Frontiers condominiums at S Street. Set apart from the graceful townhomes that line the surrounding streets, Frontiers is made up of squat rowhouses with featureless brick façades and narrow windows. The condominiums look like public housing units—and they are, built in 1977 by the National Capital Housing Authority. Residents were placed there by lottery—a lucky draw for those who had lived in more depressed neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. In the late 1990s, then-tenants were able to buy their units for between $100,000 and $150,000 each. The neighborhood looks different now. Luxury condos and apartments are under construction from downtown to U Street NW, with a new restaurant opening every month. Frontiers is now one of the last refuges of poorer, mostly black residents who could never have bought in at 2012 prices. Shirley Jones has lived on the corner of 14th and S streets for two decades. She retired from her job at D.C. General Hospital a few years ago, and now has to raise her voice over the din of drinkers on the patio across the street—but she likes the change. “Lord, I just set out here, looking at the people all dressed up,” Jones says, smiling into the balmy Saturday evening. “This street be just like a little Georgetown. Very nice.” Nice enough that the humble Frontiers looks increasingly tempting to developers seeking new construction sites. Since last summer, several have called up the condo association, figuring they could buy people out, knock down their houses, erect new buildings, and make a killing when yuppies moved in. A year and three offers later, Frontiers isn’t going anywhere. Jones says she would’ve made $750,000 on the last proposal, which she wanted to take. But a few of her neighbors weren’t interested in selling and tanked the deal for everybody. “What I heard is, most of ’em wanted more money. Nobody’s stupid. Everybody knows it’s an up-and-coming area,” Jones says. The developers seemed nice, she added. “But can you trust ’em? This is what people are afraid of. I think most people are afraid of being taken.” For most housing projects in fast-gentrifying areas, redevelopment is simply a matter of time. But because of the particular circumstances of Frontiers’ formation, it may never happen at all. * * * Josh Olson, the director of acquisitions at Monument Realty, knew Frontiers was going to be tough when he unearthed the condo association’s bylaws. Along with the 14th Street homes, it also covers three smaller clusters of identical houses over on 11th Street. Redeveloping any one of the parcels would require unanimous consent from the owners of all 54 units—so just one person could doom any deal. Still, the land is so valuable that Olson figured it was worth a try. Last June, he called the owners together in a meeting room at the posh Washington Plaza hotel, providing munchies and an open bar. He described Monument’s offer: Between $681,000 and $810,000 per house, depending on location and whether the developers got all the zoning changes they wanted. Almost immediately, some owners started demanding more money. “We’re living on a gold mine!” one guy protested. “You can live on the gold mine for the rest of your life!” replied Olson, whose patience started to erode after several minutes of audience chaos. “You’re not going to get gold out of the gold mine unless you sell!” Monument asked people to turn in cards indicating whether they were interested. But the firm ultimately didn’t submit a formal offer, giving up late last year. That didn’t discourage Lakritz Adler, a smaller outfit that specializes in complicated deals. The company convened an initial meeting in late August at equally swank Donovan House. Seeking to win over undecided residents, principal Josh Adler detailed staffer Clinton Canady to meet with each owner individually. As the proposal firmed up in December, the firm even threw the owners a party at Ben’s Next Door on U Street. The entertainment was somewhat unlikely: An appearance by Adler’s college a capella group, the world-renowned Yale University Whiffenpoofs. “We’re literally doing community organizing work,” says Adler. “But we’re doing it from the outside, which is tough.” No wonder: It’s a lot easier to organize people to stay in their homes than to leave them. Adler’s bid started out simple, but soon got more complicated. Some owners insisted they should be paid more for having more bedrooms or having recently renovated their homes. Offers topped out at almost $1 million. Adler argues that even the lower amounts would be much better than owners could get selling their homes individually. The payday could have allowed residents to buy someplace else and have a nest egg left over. “For a lot of the owners, this would be a life-changing event. If you own a home with no mortgage, and have half a million in the bank, a sensible person would never be worried about money again,” Adler says. “If this works out, these people are making out like bandits. They are cashing in. They are getting a crazy great deal.” The condo’s board, however, wasn’t so sure. When they presented Lakritz Adler’s offer to residents in December, they emphasized all the caveats: The buyout money wouldn’t come until years down the road, for example, and homeowners would get nothing if the developer had to back out. Adler says next to nobody tried hard to advocate for the deal. Adding to the confused atmosphere, some people in the majority-black association suspected that the developer was colluding with the association’s president, a white man named David Levey. A speechwriter, Levey bought his unit for $425,000 in 2010 and completely renovated it. “They just took an unfair approach to him and whoever was white on the board,” says Dale Young, an African-American who owns a unit on 11th Street and wanted to take the deal. “They said things like, he was in it to take peoples’ property.” (Levey actually offered to buy Young’s house, and said he’d buy others if given the opportunity.) In March, Lakritz Adler’s proposal sputtered, too. (Adler still holds out hope that the association might reconsider.) Levey thinks more developers will come courting, and says they’ll consider each offer carefully. But Adler points out that the deal will just keep getting more difficult as the units turn over at market prices—the last house on the west side sold for $550,000—and the new owners have less to gain by selling to a developer who can offer more because of the land’s potential. Still, the idea was probably doomed from the start. Homeowners aren’t just motivated by economics: Many simply don’t want to leave, for any amount of money that a developer could rationally offer, because their home matters more than cash. Take Lenna Burke, who retired last year from her job as a secretary for the National Park Service. Her children are grown and live in Maryland, but she’s been living in her house on N Street for 20 years, and doesn’t plan on moving—on Mother’s Day, her whole family came back to visit. “These people are trying to force us out of here. That’s just my opinion,” she says. “If it can be convenient for everybody else, why can’t it be convenient for me?” Photo by Darrow Montgomery Got a real-estate tip? Send suggestions to firstname.lastname@example.org. Or call (202) 650-6928.
on Clinton Claims By Juliet Eilperin and Peter Baker House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) accused President Clinton yesterday of taking "indecent liberties with the concept of executive privilege" and announced that he will introduce legislation next week intended to impose new limits on the presidential power. In a strongly worded floor speech intended to draw attention away from internal Republican squabbling to Clinton's legal troubles, DeLay accused the president of seeking to cover up the truth by invoking executive privilege in the Monica S. Lewinsky investigation and mocked House Democrats for their silence on the issue. "The president does not have the divine right of a king," DeLay said, echoing a line used recently by House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). "He must follow the law, even if it may sometimes be uncomfortable for him." The White House responded with a terse retort. "He's lucky the speech-and-debate clause [of the Constitution] protects absurdity," said White House spokesman James Kennedy. DeLay's proposed legislation would require the president to notify Congress when he asserts the privilege and would bar Secret Service agents from claiming any privilege to avoid testifying in "criminal proceedings involving the president's conduct." While Clinton has never directly acknowledged invoking executive privilege to shield top aides, a federal judge dismissed his claim in a sealed ruling this week. The president's lawyers are preparing to appeal that decision in a case that could make it to the Supreme Court. The judge has not yet ruled on a separate assertion by the Justice Department that there is a "protective" privilege restricting prosecutors' ability to question Secret Service personnel. The latest Republican attack reflected the GOP leadership's desire to change the subject after a week of highly charged debate over its own investigation of the White House, led by Government Reform and Oversight Committee Chairman Dan Burton (R-Ind.). DeLay's staff consulted with aides to both Gingrich and House Majority Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.) before the whip delivered his remarks on the floor. DeLay's harsh attack yesterday was the latest in a string for the senior Republican, who has been the most outspoken member of the House leadership about Clinton's troubles. In previous public comments, DeLay has called Clinton a "sexual predator" and mocked White House advisers for providing the public with "the spin, the whole spin and nothing but the spin." At the federal courthouse not far from the Capitol, presidential secretary Betty Currie appeared for the second straight day before the grand jury investigating whether Clinton lied under oath in the Paula Jones case when he denied having a sexual relationship with Lewinsky and suborned perjury by urging her to do the same. Currie, an important witness because of her friendship with Lewinsky and her involvement in the job search initiated on behalf of the former White House intern, spent the morning answering questions. She will be called back next week, according to her attorney, Lawrence H. Wechsler. "She would rather be somewhere else, I can tell you that," he said. In the afternoon, the grand jury heard testimony from White House steward Glen A. Maes, who first appeared last month. Maes and other stewards often work at a pantry adjoining the Oval Office, giving them a unique vantage point to witness Clinton's activities. In addition to his official duties serving the president and his guests in the Oval Office, Maes is often seen at the White House helping to take care of Clinton's dog, Buddy. While his deputies continued taking testimony, independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr fired back at Clinton in a side skirmish over media leaks. On Wednesday, Clinton's private attorney, David E. Kendall, asked the federal court to hold Starr's office in contempt for illegally disclosing the executive privilege decision to reporters, citing a Fox News report attributing its information to prosecutors. Fox has since retracted that, saying Starr's office was not the source. Deputy independent counsel Jackie M. Bennett Jr. yesterday sent a letter charging that Kendall was aware Starr's office did not leak the ruling and demanding that Kendall's motion be withdrawn by noon today. If it is not, Bennett threatened to seek sanctions against those who filed the motion, including several attorneys on the Clinton defense team and the White House aides they represent. Kendall responded later that he still wants a hearing to explore the Fox report and noted that he questioned other leaks as well. "The request to withdraw the motion is ridiculous," he said in an interview. In yesterday's speech on executive privilege, DeLay emphasized the identical two points Gingrich has made in recent days. "No man is above the law," he said, "and the American people have the right to know the truth." Later, he asked, "Why would you claim executive privilege if you want to tell the truth?" At one point the whip, standing in the nearly empty chamber after the House had finished its business for the week, challenged his Democratic colleagues, saying that if they "think the president's use of executive privilege is proper, then I urge them to speak up." "Speak up! Speak up!" he urged, waiting a moment as he cocked his ear for a response. "Silence. Silence." Staff writer Susan Schmidt and staff researcher Ben White contributed to this report. © Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
Binghamton, NY (WBNG Binghamton) Retired MacArthur school staff member Barbara Fox is religious about her flu shot. She gets it every year. "To stay healthy and not get the flu. I have asthma, and it could be dangerous if I get the flu," Fox said. Fox said she hasn't gotten sick once since she started getting the flu shot more than 15 years ago. "I had pneumonia twice in my lifetime," she said, "And I haven't had anything since they started the flu shots." Each year, the United States develops a vaccine against different strains of the virus. Thomas Giovinazzo, a pharmacist, said the flu shot can be given to almost anyone except those with allergies to the vaccine. "The CDC recommends everybody get a flu shot, whether your 6 months old or older," Giovinazzo said. "So I would recommend every individual to get a flu vaccine if you're 6 months or older." He said now is the best time to get the shot. "The best time to get your flu shot would be in the fall, maybe late September or October, because you produce the most amount of antibodies 12 weeks after you receive the vaccine," Giovinazzo said. For the first time, some flu shots are offering protection for up to four strains of the virus, instead of the normal three. But Giovinazzo said even if you contract a different strand, you have some protection. "The flu shot is fairly reliable," he said, "Because even if they don't get the exact strand, the strand they do pick is likely to give you some kind of effect because of the way the viruses are." And with the shot available at almost every pharmacy, people like Fox say it's one of the easiest things you can do to keep the flu at bay. "There's so many places you can stop in and get it," Fox said. "You don't have to wait." The CDC reports there will be at least 135 million doses of this year's flu shot available. Half of those doses have already been distributed to pharmacies, doctor's offices and hospitals.
Every hour, Albertans are injured on the job. The Workers' Compensation Board - Alberta is a not-for-profit organization that helps injured workers return to work as quickly and as safely as possible, while providing financial compensation for wages lost due to their workplace injury. Protection is provided for you and your employer regardless of who caused the work injury. The workers' compensation system is funded through the payment of premiums by employers with coverage. Most employers and workers are covered by WCB-Alberta; however, some industries are not required to have this coverage. If you are unsure whether you have WCB-Alberta coverage, ask your employer. There are no citizenship or age boundaries - if you are a worker in Alberta working in an industry under the Workers' Compensation Act, you are protected by WCB-Alberta. WCB-Alberta provides the only insurance that offers protection from lawsuit for you, your employers and other parties covered by WCB-Alberta. Year Maximum Insurable Earnings 2015 $95,300 2014 $92,300 See Board Orders on the Maximum Insurable Earnings (MIE)
Summer Job Pays Off For Two WCC Students Last summer it was all about the work for two talented WCC welders. Brandon Woodman and Alex Pazkowski, students in the WCC welding program, were hired by Triune Manufacturing Company in Madison Heights, Mich., to help fabricate an educational experience on wheels. The American Welding Society Foundation had commissioned MRA experiential tours & equipment, a Triune affiliate, to create a custom demonstration trailer to build awareness for the industry and encourage the next generation of welders. In fact, the name of the trailer is “Explore Career Opportunities In Welding.” Executives at AWS thought the perfect way to drive that point home was to include welding students in the process. “As soon as they started talking about using WCC students, I thought of these two guys,” said Glenn Kay II, who teaches welding for WCC. “They work part time in our department as lab techs and they’ve been really great students. They both competed in the SkillsUSA competition and did really well. I knew they were great candidates for this build and great representatives for WCC and our program.” MRA spent months putting together the logistics. Lincoln Electric stepped in to donate five virtual reality welding simulators. Total fabrication, including the demonstration equipment and built-ins to showcase it, put the final cost close to $1 million. “We were in Madison Heights pretty much the whole summer until the Fall Semester started,” said Pazkowski. “We built the trailer from the frame up. At the beginning they had us cutting miles and miles of metal, actually all the metal for the entire trailer. Just when you thought you were done, another truckload would pull up.” “With a little bit of help, I was able to build the entire floor of the expandable part of the trailer,” said Woodman, who with Pazkowski also worked on the steel frame for the walls. “I’d say we probably did about 90 percent of the welding on it. “The truck goes all over the country to different events. It was at the Fabtech show in Chicago last fall. We actually got to go to the show and help them out with the trailer’s unveiling.” During the unveiling, MRA presented them each with a $500 scholarship on behalf of Truine Manufacturing. “I guess it was their way of saying thanks for helping,” said Kay. “They’ve been a really great company to work with. “In fact, they want to employ our students and opened up the door for these two guys with an offer of a full-time job for both of them. They’re right in the middle of their school so they are definitely considering it when they finish. MRA really likes what we do here at WCC, and they want more of our students.” The five virtual reality welding machines in the trailer are a hit. “People love to try out the virtual welders,” said Woodman. “It’s cool to see people do it. It really gets them interested in welding.” The trailer is visiting state fairs, air shows, racing events, and trade shows across the country this year. “They have a time-lapse video of the trailer being fabricated along with Brandon and Alex working on it, which plays the whole time throughout the shows,” said Kay. “The screen features all kinds of things, including the history of welding. They also have a helmet from Chip Foose on display. Chip’s big in auto fabrication. The whole thing’s really done well.” “It felt pretty awesome to be part of something so big—to help build a trailer that’s going to travel all over the country,” said Woodman. “It was a chance of a lifetime.” “Everywhere that thing goes, our names go with it,” said Pazkowski. “It’s nice to know that we’ll be known for our work this way.”
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) - Same-sex couples are expected to line up at a number of city and town offices on December 29th when gay marriage becomes legal in Maine. In the meantime, questions about marriage rights and other issues are pouring into advocacy groups. Equality Maine, the Maine Women's Lobby and the Gay and Lesbian Advocates & Defenders sponsored a webinar in Portland today. An attorney from GLAD fielded a number of questions from folks who are planning to get a marriage license. Same-sex couples want to know what will be required for getting a marriage license, how to file tax returns and access a spouse's insurance benefits. One of the most common questions --- if a couple is already legally married in another state, do they have to get married in Maine? 'There are people like myself who are legally married in another state and my marriage is void in Maine. But as of the 29th at midnight I will be a spouse like other spouses, people were confused if I married in Canada or elsewhere do I have to remarry? The answer is no you are married,' said Mary Bonauto, an attorney with GLAD. If you would like more information on which city and town offices will accepting marriage license applications, you can go to www.equalitymaine.org. If you would like questions or need attorney referrals, you can contact GLAD's Legal InfoLine at 1-800-455-4523 or go to www.glad.org/rights/infoline-contact
Beef slaughter plant in Aberdeen, S.D., has wasterwater problems ABERDEEN, S.D. — City officials in Aberdeen have notified a long-delayed beef processing plant that is trying to get up to speed that it is violating its wastewater permit. The Northern Beef Packers plant allegedly has failed to monitor pollutants and properly operate its treatment lagoons. It also does not have a certified wastewater supervisor on staff. City Attorney Adam Altman says that the violations are not acceptable. Plant officials declined comment. The plant won't be fined but has been given 10 days to start fixing the problems. The $109 million plant eventually aims to process 1,500 cattle per day from the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. It has been ramping up toward full production after years of delays due to problems including financial issues, flooding and lawsuits.
The Haunted Embassy The strange and delightful story of Achmed Alkaissy, the last remaining employee of Iraq's American embassy. 11:00 PM, Nov 23, 2003 • By ERIC PFEIFFER DURING THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, D.C., could have blended in more easily on the streets of Baghdad than in the nation's capital. Beneath its front door stacks of old newspapers piled on top of each other in deteriorating layers that ended in a pile of gray mush. The sign outside advertising "Iraq Interests Section" had begun to rust over. Weeds ran rampant over its grounds and the building was without power. The phrase, "The name of this chamber is Peace" once inscribed upon the second floor fireplace had faded beyond recognition. As U.S. forces began the liberation of Iraq, the embassy was abandoned and all but one of its employees deported. The man left behind is Achmed Alkaissy, a U.S. citizen since 1986 and assistant to the former Iraqi ambassador. A 41-year-old with a background in economics, Alkaissy speaks with ease about the affairs of the two countries he has called home. He is a man of seemingly divided loyalties: Dual citizenship, son of a Shiite mother and Sunni father, supportive of Iraq's liberation but skeptical of its implementation. Having served in the embassy since the mid-'80s, he has seen his career and Iraq's U.S. representation threatened during the 1991 Gulf War and then again with this year's overthrow of Saddam Hussein. He has outlasted both. ARRIVING AT THE EMBASSY I found him emerging from a side entrance with two State Department employees in tow. They had arrived with five maintenance workers who were beginning to clean the grounds as Alkaissy and the State employees discussed getting the embassy re-opened for business. Alkaissy led me inside the building, which was still without power. We navigated through the darkness up a short flight of stairs that led into the ballroom. Rays of light seeped in through its dust-covered windows partially illuminating the surroundings. Two small couches had been pulled in to the middle of the room. He sat down on one and I took the other. Dressed in a blue T-shirt, black jeans, and an Oakland Raiders cap, Alkaissy set a pack of Dunhill cigarettes on the coffee table separating the couches and began smoking immediately. For the last seven months he's been the sole contact for 300,000 Iraqi citizens living in the United States, attempting to manage the embassy's affairs from the confines of his Alexandria home. "I couldn't do anything," he says. "I didn't have authorization from the State Department. The Iraqi community wants passports. These people have visas that need to be renewed and I can't help them. They can't return to their families and they can't establish themselves here. They are stuck." State has arranged for three Iraqi diplomats to serve in the embassy when it re-opens. Two of the diplomats will come from Iraqi embassies in Algeria and Vietnam, the third will be from Baghdad. Alkaissy has brokered an agreement with the Algerian government to sponsor Iraq's embassy until its assets are no longer frozen. He was visited in late August by Ahmad Chalabi, then serving as president of the Iraqi governing council. "Chalabi is a very nice gentleman. He's very open-minded," Alkaissy explains. "He understood our needs. One of his objectives is to rush to open the place. He promised he would do something and I'm sure he is doing it." During his visit, Chalabi and Alkaissi took down the portraits of Saddam Hussein which had lined the embassy's walls. The portraits remained in the ballroom, stacked face down, as we sat and talked. The largest, standing more than four feet tall, leaned against a wall, looking out over the room's expanse. Alkaissi laughed, "This is one of the newer ones. They'll probably want it for a museum somewhere." Behind the portraits sits the embassy library which hosts a grand, oak bookshelf over 10-feet wide and containing hundreds of books inscribed in Arabic behind a glass case. Every volume is Baath party literature. "I'm tired of all this." He says. "No one ever read these." Still, the ghosts of Saddam lurk everywhere. A clock stopped at 11:27 p.m. hangs over the ballroom doorway, marking the time Achmed and his colleagues closed down the embassy. HAVING LIVED IN AMERICA for two decades enjoying its freedoms and culture, Alkaissy is upset by the media's coverage of his native country's transition from oppression to liberty. "Democracy is not going to the 7-Eleven and buying a Coke and chips. Democracy needs to have a process. People there elaborate on democracy in a different way than we do here in America." He becomes agitated as we discuss critics of U.S. foreign policy, who insist Iraq is stable enough for sovereignty. "Even in America, the full democratic process was being understood in the late '60s. We're talking over 200 years. Now in Iraq, we're looking at a couple of months. It cannot be given like this. It has to be step by step."
\|\|Savage, James. Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England \|\|Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, United States Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, United States Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States \|\|1620 - 1756 \|\|MULLIGAN, MULLEGIN or MULLEKIN - MUMFORD \|Volume 3, Page 253 had Robert, b. 9 Dec. 1688; John, 26 July 1690; Mary, 26 Sept. 1692; and others. One Robert, prob. the f. d. there 11 June 1741, and ano. Robert, perhaps his s. d. 19 June 1756. MULLERY, JOHN, Boston, by w. Abigail had Elizabeth b. 16 Nov. 1672; John, 28 Jan. 1674; Ann, 26 Aug. 1677; Abigail, 8 Jan. 1681, Susanna, 3 Apr. 1684; :Robert, 17 Nov. 1686; and Joseph, 16 May 1688; beside Sarah, bapt. B Jan. 1690; and Benjamin, 29 Nov. 1691. MULLINER, THOMAS, New Haven 1640, was a gr. purchas. of Branford, by its Ind. name of Totoket, in that yr. had div. of lds. there in 1646 and 8. THOMAS, New Haven, prob. s. of the preced. sold out his lds. at Bradford 1651, by w. Martha had Martha, b. 4 July 1656; and Elizabeth 10 June 1658, rem. a. 1658 to West Chester, and there was liv. in 1691 with w. Martha. MULLINS or MOLINES, WILLIAM, Plymouth, came in the Mayflower 1620, with w. two ch. Joseph and Priscilla, and a serv. Robert Carter; but the w. d. a few days bef. or aft. him, who d. 21 Feb. 1621; and the s. and serv. d. the same season; but his d. Priscilla m. John Alden, and had eleven ch. WILLIAM, Duxbury 1642, may have been s. of the preced. left by his f. in Eng. or Holland, and aft. came to join the surviv. friends. He had lds. in Middleborough. Good est. as well as charact. is told of the pilgrim. WILLIAM, Boston, m. 7 May 1656, Ann, wid. of Thomas Bell. MUMFORD, EDMUND, Boston, m. Elizabeth wid. of Joshua Carwithy of the same, a. 1663; but I kn. no more. PELEG, Kingstown, s. of Thomas the first, had two ws. it is said, Mary, d. of Ephraim Bull, and Mary, perhaps d. of the sec. John Coggeshall, yet there is some uncertain. a this, for his s. Peleg is also said to have m. that d. of Ephraim Bull. In the will of the f. however, pro. 1741, are nam. his ch. Peleg; Mary Hanson; Sarah Barber; Elizabeth Foster; and Hannah Hopkins; beside gr.ch. Samuel, Peleg, Thomas, Abigail, and Content. His kinsman, William Mumford, was made excor. STEPHEN, Newport, came from London 1664, and was the first preach. of the sect of seventh day Bapt. wh. prevails in a part of the State. I presume he had descend. THOMAS, Newport, had Thomas, b. 1656; Peleg, 1659; George; and Abigail, wh. m. 1 May 1682, Daniel Fish. Yet he does not appear a constant resid. at N. tho. he join. with Brenton, John Hull, and others in purch. and settlem. of Pettaquamscuck. Possib. the name is the same Mountfort. The name of his w. is not kn. nor the time of his d. but it was bef. 1692. THOMAS, prob. of Kingstown, eldest s. of the preced. by w. Abigail (whose surname is not told), had Thomas, b. 1 Apr. 1687; George, 15 July 1689; Joseph, 17 Sept. 1691; William, 18 Feb. 1694; Benjamin, 10 Apr. 1696; and Richard, 6 Sept. Categories: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States \| Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States \| New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, United States \| Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, United States \| Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Josh Stephens, Oconee County zoning administrator, announced last week that county staff is at work on a map delineating communication cell towers across the county. The members of the Oconee Board of Zoning Appeals are likely to find the map helpful as they go about deciding if future towers are warranted and where they should go. The county’s zoning laws require the board of appeals to treat all communication towers as special exceptions. One such exception was made last week for a 180-foot tower to be built near Westminster by SCANA Communications for its client Verizon. Stephens advised the board to prepare to gather January 28 to hear another cell tower application. An attorney representing the application heard last week told the board that the exploding use of smart phones is driving the need for more towers at lower heights.
Autonomous Investigations of Baleen Whale Ecology Mark Baumgartner, WHOI Biology Dept Dave Fratantoni, WHOI Physical Oceanography Dept Awarded: February 2006 The primary objective of our study will be to determine the biological and physical processes that govern North Atlantic right whale distribution in the Great South Channel. We will conduct a pilot study on the NOAA Ship Albatross IV during April and May 2005 to examine right whale ecology on three spatial scales: hundreds of meters, kilometers, and tens of kilometers using existing and new observing systems, including the WHOI gliders. We will conduct an exploratory analysis of the data to develop hypotheses about the physical and biological mechanisms that aggregating the right whales prey, the copepod Calanus finmarchicus. We will then refine our sampling strategy so that we can test these new hypotheses in subsequent field seasons. We plan to leverage the success of this pilot study to obtain funding for a 3-year field effort. Last updated: October 24, 2008
Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray Poaceae (Grass Family) Synonym(s): Agrostis cryptandra, Sporobolus cryptandrus ssp. fuscicola, Sporobolus cryptandrus var. fuscicola, Sporobolus cryptandrus var. occidentalis USDA Symbol: spcr Sand dropseed is a 1-3 ft., perennial bunchgrass, usually in rather small clumps. The large, terminal, open seedheads have long, spreading or sometimes reflexed branches. From the Image Gallery Plant CharacteristicsDuration: Perennial Fruit Type: Achene , Caryopsis Size Class: 3-6 ft. Bloom InformationBloom Color: Yellow Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov DistributionUSA: AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY Canada: MB , ON Native Distribution: Coastal New England; Que. to WA, s. to NC, LA, n. Mex. & e. of the Cascades to s. CA Native Habitat: Roadsides, Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannahs Growing ConditionsWater Use: Low Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade Soil Moisture: Dry CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium Soil Description: Sandy soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Desturbed Conditions Comments: Sand dropseed adapts to most soils but thrives on sandy sites. It is considered an invader on Midwest rangeland where grazing animals prefer it less than other grasses. It establishes easily and is widely used for controlling erosion on a variety of sites. Value to Beneficial InsectsProvides Nesting Materials/Structure for Native Bees This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. PropagationDescription: Sow seed. Seed Collection: Not Available Commercially Avail: yes Find Seed or Plants Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center. Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network. View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network. National Wetland Indicator Status From the National Suppliers DirectoryAccording to the inventory provided by Associate Suppliers, this plant is available at the following locations: Ohio Prairie Nursery - Hiram, OH From the National Organizations DirectoryAccording to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations: Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX North American Native Plant Society - Etobicoke, ON Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR BibliographyBibref 946 - Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, Sally Bibref 291 - Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender Search More Titles in Bibliography Additional resourcesUSDA: Find Sporobolus cryptandrus in USDA Plants FNA: Find Sporobolus cryptandrus in the Flora of North America (if available) Google: Search Google for Sporobolus cryptandrus MetadataRecord Modified: 2012-10-25 Research By: TWC Staff
Child of God. Husband. Father. Son. Brother. American. Constitutional Conservative. Scientist. Martial Artist. Professor. Programmer. Musician. Gamer. Ubergeek. Writer. Instrument Designer. Systems Thinker. Roboticist. Algorithm Developer. Explorer. Comedian. Fanboy. Conversationalist. Philosopher. Trekkie. Jedi. Serial Innovator. ENTP. Left-handed. Right-sided. Blissfully Happy. Defender of Freedom. Unshakably Loyal. Evangelist. Ranger. Scouting the Adjacent Possible. Summary \| I'm not sure what I want to be when I get big. If you are into Astrology, Global Warming, or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, I am an archetypal ENTP. Using their primary function-attitude of extroverted intuition, ENTPs are quick to see complex interrelationships between people, things, and ideas. These interrelationships are analyzed in profound detail through the ENTP's auxiliary function, introverted thinking. The result is an in-depth understanding of the way things and relationships work, and how they can be improved. In Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson advances the notion that innovative thinking is a slow and gradual process based on the concept of the "slow hunch" rather than an instant moment of inspiration. He postulates on the concept of the "adjacent possible" which enables the thinker to develop uncharted insights into unexplored areas. I often view myself as a Ranger, exploring the adjacent possible for new concepts and relationships, and sharing those discoveries and observations through my teaching, writing, and social media. I also aspire to be a Serial Innovator. Abbie Griffin, Raymond L. Price, and Bruce A. Vojak describe Serial Innovators as those that gather information from a number of perspectives and then integrate across those multiple domains to understand completely. In their form of discovering, the real challenge is to view the problem from multiple perspectives, or domains. They think from the technical, customer, market, and competitive perspectives, melding information from each into an overall, holistic understanding of the problem and the various contexts in which it resides. Problems are viewed as more than technical or engineering challenges--they are multifaceted systems. Folks have said that I have Specialties in Measurement, Diagnostic Development, LabVIEW, Systems Thinking, Algorithmic Intelligence, Laboratory Informatics, Information & Knowledge Management (IKM), Data Acquisition and Data Analysis.
The Green Revolution in China In March 2006, 10,000 farmers surrounded the Deqin County government office in Sichuan Province to protest plans to build a dam on the Tiger Leaping Gorge—a dam that would inundate rich farmland and displace thousands of villagers. The tense two-day standoff ended without violence and the dam plans were canceled. Speakers at this April 30th CEF meeting heralded this case as a sign of the growing power of civil society organizations, journalists, and citizens to demand more accountability in dam building and pollution control. China’s Environmental Challenges Professor Judith Shapiro from American University presented a macro view of how environmental civil society organizations (CSOs) utilize an array of tools to achieve their objectives, some of which were not readily available in the past. Besides public demonstrations, which are often organized as “taking a walk” to avoid censorship by internet filters, her anecdote-rich presentation described how CSOs, journalists, and citizens have used public interest lawsuits, undercover investigations, supply chain, naming and shaming, symbolic demonstrations, and information dissemination to pressure companies and governments to change policies, block infrastructure projects and halt pollution. Early environmental groups were often clubs organized in schools under the auspices of the Communist Youth League. In the 1990s, historian Liang Congjie spearheaded the environmental movement in China when he registered the country’s first nongovernmental organization Friends of Nature. He took a conservative approach to engage citizens in environmental protection, initially organizing groups to pick up trash and recycle batteries. He went on to play a pivotal role in the campaign to save the Tibetan antelope, which, according to Shapiro, is the first national campaign that brought civil society groups and citizens from around the country together for a green cause. This case highlighted that there was political space for citizens to organize around environmental issues. More recently, Chinese environmental activist, Ma Jun, pioneered a hard-hitting information politics strategy by creating and disseminating a map of water pollution hot spots via the Internet. CSOs such as Greenpeace have amped up the use of naming and shaming campaigns, placing a greater emphasis on supply chain analysis, keeping corporations accountable for their environmental track record at all points of production. An example is the Detox ZARA campaign which Greenpeace used to raise consumer awareness of the toxic chemicals produced in the process of manufacturing clothes. Professor Shapiro concluded by discussing the special role for journalists, embedded deep within Chinese culture. She pointed to the oft-cited idea that “the emperor is high but the emperor is benevolent,” and that “if the emperor could just hear (the complaint), he would fix it.” Shapiro stated that the Chinese tradition is to find a person of influence to take on your case, rather than going to the court for legal redress. So if a citizen who has a grievance on some pollution issue is unable to access the courts, local government or Communist Party for redress, then he or she may go try to contact a journalist such as Liu Jianqiang to raise their problem. She argued that Chinese journalists often end up taking on a sense of obligation to address wrongs. Defending Tiger Leaping Gorge Beijing Editor of chinadialogue, Liu Jianqiang, focused on the environmental activism opposing dam construction at Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is recognized as “one of the most important victories for China’s environmental movement over the past ten years.” In the summer of 2004, news trickled down that there were plans by a Chinese hydropower company to build eight dams on the Jinsha River, which would demolish the spectacular canyon of Tiger Leaping Gorge. A villager from the would-be affected region, Xiao Liangzhong, brought the issue to the attention of Southern Weekly where Liu Jianqiang was then working. The article Liu wrote with another journalist on the dam eventually reached the eyes of former Premier Wen Jiabao, who asked the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to investigate. Evidently NDRC had no knowledge of the dam plans. Xiao Liangzhong introduced a community leader, Ge Quanxiao, to a workshop where information on dam building and the deleterious effects on the surrounding environment was discussed. Ge brought the information back to the local community, which began to voice its opposition to the dam building. The hydropower corporation and local government suddenly face a situation that they had never before. News media across the country focused on the narrative of the Tiger Leaping Gorge dam. Civil society organizations became increasingly involved and disseminated information to citizens in the region about the danger of resettlement. Village leaders emerged, pledging to defend people’s rights. A major turning point in the level of activism was the sudden death of Xiao Liangzhong. Known as the “son of the Jinsha River,” Xiao’s death spurred the local residents to work together for the subsequent two years to protect their home from the dam project. Still, the local government and hydropower companies kept up the pressure to proceed with the dam project. In March 2006, more than 10,000 farmers gathered to protect the dam plans, culminating in a standoff at the local government building that became known as the “March 21 incident”. A government official, who wished to resolve the dispute peacefully, tipped off local citizens that they had to leave or else “something very bad would happen.” The citizens eventually left and the local government decided not to build the dam unless it had agreement from the local people. From Liu’s perspective, a successful environmental campaign in China requires three factors: - Involvement of NGOs - Press coverage - Attention of top government officials These three factors were also present in the successful opposition of dam building along the Nu River in Southwest China in 2005. But, according to Liu, what made Tiger Leaping Gorge a standout case was three additional factors: - A leader who grew up in the village with a sense of sacrifice and fighting spirit: Xiao Liangzhong - Local leaders such as Ge Quanxiao who helped to organize and mobilize the local community as well as disseminate information - March 21 incident, which demonstrated the determination and force of local opposition Liu concluded by saying that Tiger Leaping Gorge was “the most successful environmental movement in China” and thanks to it, one can still view the beautiful canyon. But, as a word of caution, he also noted that hydropower companies will not give up easily because of the financial gain and relative ease of dam building in China.
A new court order leaves a shadowy group calling itself "The Tea Party" off Michigan's November ballot. The Michigan Supreme Court said in an order Friday it won't take up an appeal of a lower court ruling that left "The Tea Party" off the ballot. Republicans and tea party activists consider "The Tea Party" a Democrat-supported fake aimed at siphoning away votes from conservative candidates. The effort has connections to a former Oakland County Democratic official. The Michigan Court of Appeals earlier this week ruled "The Tea Party" could not be on the ballot because of an irregularity on its petitions circulated to make the ballot. The word "the" was not in 24-point bold face type on its petitions as the appeals court said is required by law.
Still a pup, Miss Louisa Belle is a bloodhound with a mission--she's been trained to detect TCA in the winery and she's now learning to zero in on powdery mildew. - It is said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but Cliff Lede winemaker Michelle Edwards has taught her bloodhound to sniff out TCA. - Edwards' hound, Miss Louisa Belle, inspects small batches of corks when they arrive at the winery. - Bloodhounds are an ideal breed for TCA-sniffing duty, thanks to their powerful sense of smell and focused personalities. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But you can teach a new dog, which happens to boast a keen sense of smell, to detect 2, 4, 6-trichloroanisole (TCA), the nefariously odiferous compound responsible for tainting thousands of cork-sealed wines each year. Michelle Edwards has done just that. The winemaker at Napa's Cliff Lede Vineyards has given Miss Louisa Belle, her 83-pound, 2-year-old bloodhound with a "hyper" personality, a new purpose: sparing the Stags Leap vintner the preventable loss of small-production bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, Claret and Sauvignon Blanc that can retail for up to $120. "I was looking for something to feed her curiosity," Edwards said. "She's very stubborn. If you don't give her something to focus on, she can be very frustrating." Edwards and her fiancé Daniel Fischl, an agricultural scientist and viticulturist who works for David Abreu Vineyard Management, already owned Lord Wensleydale Francis Wigglesworth, a male English bulldog and Truffles, a female French bulldog, when they adopted this daughter of a search-and-rescue dog from a breeder in Sebastopol, Calif. Edwards began training the hound for her new job when the dog was about a year old. Over the course of several months, she treated corks with synthetic TCA and hid them in the yard of the Napa home she shares with Fischl. With the simple command, "Taint cork!" or "Inspect!" the bloodhound would spring into action, checking behind bushes and inside latticework, often chewing on the cork when she found it. On a recent afternoon at the winery, Miss Louisa Belle strutted her stuff. She loped around the winery on her leggy frame, flews and dewlaps flying, snout sniffing. When called to attention, she identified which of the corks Edwards held in her hand was tainted by touching it with her wet nose, for which she was rewarded with a shred of pita bread. In the caves, she honed in on a tainted cork placed between barrels, and when not being tested on her intimacy with TCA, she happily gnawed on an old bung. While Miss Louisa Belle's olfactory achievements may not be scaleable for a winery whose production exceeds 150,000 bottles, Edwards plans to use her for cork trials before deciding which lots to purchase, and may bring her into the winery when it receives new cooperage. "At this point in time I am committed to making her our cork QC partner 100% of the time in all of the lots we will be sampling," Edwards said. "If her findings are accurate and supported by lab analyses, olfactory detection (by) my winemaking staff, etc., she may find herself on the payroll." "I'm not surprised at all that Miss Louisa Belle is being used in this way," said Susan Hamil Lacroix, a Laguna Beach-based bloodhound breeder with 12 hounds of her own, who also serves as an American Kennel Club judge. "Bloodhounds have well-developed olfactory abilities, and a very focused and intense personality," according to Hamil Lacroix. "They can sniff out things that other dogs would give up on (including) dead bodies encased in concrete for years. They're really only limited by (humans') ability to understand them." Long associated with royalty, bloodhounds trace their noble origins to seventh or eighth century France, where they are said to have been bred by the monk St. Hubert, patron saint of hunters, to track wild game. Today, bloodhounds are used by police in cold trail crime scene and missing person investigations, and the FBI maintains an elite pack that flies around the country whenever duty calls. Outside of the winery, Miss Louisa Belle lives a dog's life. She visits the groomer once a week for a shampoo, tooth-brushing and pedicure; supplements her dog diet with frequent snacks of oil-popped popcorn and lamb, and possesses a strong proclivity for destroying shoes and lingerie--particularly in harvest season. Typically she begins her day with a 6 a.m. outing to the dog park, where she can often be seen showing off her skills as a high-jumping Frisbee catcher. Edwards' resourceful re-purposing of her canine from pet to employee is just one of the innovations she has made since arriving at Cliff Lede in 2004. After a research trip with Cliff Lede and his wife to Bordeaux in the fall of 2004, Edwards returned to Napa and began working on a plan not only to incorporate the new truncated fermentation tanks she had seen in France, but also to design the entire winery--with the help of Lede and architect Howard Backen. "For someone who hasn't spent 25 years in the business, she did an incredible job," said Lede, owner of the winery. "Innovation is one of her strongest attributes." As for Miss Louisa Belle, responding to the command "Taint cork!" is not her only talent. Edwards' fiancé Fischl is currently training the dog to detect powdery mildew, although he says he has not yet developed an effectively succinct command. "She's really good at covering vineyard rows quickly; she goes under and crisscrosses, unlike humans, (who) don't like to cross among them," Fischl said. When he taps the canes with his hand, he said, "she checks the exact spot." Spotting spider web-like powdery mildew? A noble purpose, indeed.(Based in New York, Suzanne Gannon writes about travel, culture, food and wine. She spent several years in the wine business. Her work has appeared in Town & Country, Art & Antiques, Executive Traveler and Via, among others. Reach her through email@example.com.)
March is a very important month for me for a few reasons. First, March is kidney health month. This is the month dedicated to promoting kidney awareness — knowing how to keep your kidneys healthy and preventing kidney disease. You are likely to see ads all over the city, including large signs on the sides of our transit buses. Businesses also take part in this awareness initiative. One company that does this faithfully and has taken part for a number of years is Wendy’s Restaurants. All through March, when you make a one-dollar donation, you will get a chili cup tag. You can put your name on it or the name of someone you love (maybe someone who is in need of a kidney) and it will be displayed on the wall inside the restaurant. All donations go to The Kidney Foundation of Canada, which helps raise funds and awareness, as well as helping those who suffer from the effects from kidney disease. Every year my daughters and I can’t wait for March to arrive so we can drive by Wendy’s Restaurants and see the big sign that reads "March is kidney health month". We make sure to visit the restaurant as many times as we can during the month to make our donations. My family gives a big "thank-you" to Wendy’s for thinking of all the people, like myself, who need the support of The Kidney Foundation. We appreciate that a huge restaurant chain takes part in such an important event every year. March 14 was World Kidney Day — a special day devoted to promoting kidney health. Wendy’s Restaurants also participated in this event, donating 100% of the proceed from its chili sales to The Kidney Foundation. March also marks the anniversary (although not one that I celebrate) of the month I began dialysis. This year will be 16 years ago since I started and I hope it will be the last. I am hoping to end this event in my life and finally receive a kidney transplant. Please try to get out to a Wendy’s and give a much-appreciated donation. Your contribution is bigger than you realize. And take good care of those kidneys! Jennifer Laferriere is a community correspondent for Garden City.
The most loveable ghost ever has to be Slimer, mostly because I don’t buy Casper’s overdone friendliness shtick for a second. In Ghostbusters, Slimer introduces himself to Bill Murray with a hug, leaving him with a coating of ectoplasm. Few people realize that this harmless gesture is how ghosts show affection. Bill was all bent out of shape about the whole thing, but it could have been much worse for him. He could have tangled with a real-life slimer: the hagfish, a bizarre, eel-like critter that asphyxiates the fish and sharks foolish enough to attack it by clogging up their gills with massive releases of goo. But this is no simple snot. It’s a deceptively complex substance that could one day gift us the supermaterial of our dreams. The hagfish cruises around deep ocean bottoms, feeding primarily on polychaete worms–save for the ferocious 10-foot bobbit worm, which luckily for the hagfish inhabits shallow waters. Every so often, though, it takes part in one of the sea floor’s most remarkable happenings: the arrival of a whale carcass (an event known epically as a whale fall). Whale hides are quite tough, and the hagfish has nowhere near the bite force of a shark. But hagfish have been around for at least 300 million years, and they didn’t spend all that time not developing sweet adaptations for scavenging in the deep. When they are lucky enough to come upon a whale fall, they “grab onto it with their teeth, which are sort of like a circular set of saw blades,” said Carol Bucking, a biologist at Toronto’s York University. “And they use this to latch on to the skin, and then they twist their body to bore a hole into the carcass. Then they live inside the carcass and they essentially eat it from the inside out.” If they’re having trouble ripping off flesh, they can actually tie themselves in knots, then use that as leverage to excavate meat. Hagfish are afforded such flexibility because while they have a partial skull, they have no spine to speak of (accordingly, scientists have a hell of a time classifying this ancient species). And though they may look weak and squishy, hagfish are actually burly gnawing machines. “If you try to pick one up and hold onto it,” said Bucking, “it’s essentially like holding onto a boa constrictor. It’s almost impossible to sort of dictate what it does, because it’s a very strong, enormous, nightmare of a creature.” Once the hagfish has muscled its way inside a carcass, simply swallowing its food is not enough: They’ve actually evolved a way to pull nourishment through their skin, utilizing the same kind of nutrient “transporters,” as they’re known, that you would find in your guts. So, really, they’re an inside-out intestine with another intestine inside, like Russian nesting dolls of the deep. And as the decaying whale’s proteins break down into amino acids, the hagfish happily soaks them right up into its bloodstream. But first the hagfish has to find its quarry in the total blackness of the deep. For that, they rely not on their rudimentary eyespots, which are almost totally worthless, but on their extremely keen sense of smell, sniffing out the slightest of odors with the barbels around their mouths. Indeed, their forebrain, which processes smells, is highly enlarged to handle all of this information. Without any real eyesight, though, and with its face buried in rotting whale, the hagfish is an easy target for predators. But if you take a bite out of this critter, you do so at your own peril. For the hagfish makes the world’s most disgusting, most dangerous Jell-O–except for the apricot kind. Seriously, who buys the apricot kind? Slime and Punishment Up and down the length of the hagfish’s body are some 150 separate slime glands. When a predator like a shark bites down on a hagfish, the tiny glands near the attacker’s strike instantaneously eject the goo. As soon as this hits water, it balloons into a huge gelatinous cloud, which biologist Douglas Fudge of Ontario’s University of Guelph reckons acts to clog up the attacker’s gills. He’s fairly confident of this because he, well, did some experiments with disembodied fish heads. Fudge first measured water flow over the gills in a normal state, then applied hagfish slime. “If this stuff evolved to clog up gills,” he said, “then you’d expect it to really reduce the flow over the gills, and that’s exactly what it did. It increased the resistance of the gills by something like 200-fold.” While no one has yet been able to pursue a predator choking on a mouthful of hagfish slime to see if it indeed suffocated to death–quite understandably, they tend to rapidly retreat, as demonstrated somewhat hilariously in the video above–Fudge thinks that if the victim isn’t able to somehow dislodge the goo from its gills, it will perish. How, then, does the hagfish keep from suffocating itself? They have “beautiful, almost balloon-shaped gills, and so that really restricts anything getting into them,” said Bucking. The hagfish pumps water through a series of small holes into pouches, where “there’s all these channels and chambers that spread the water out and put it in contact with blood so they can exchange oxygen.” It can also clear the slime off its body with the same technique it uses to feed, tying itself in a knot and passing itself through it. Those are no ordinary gills, because this is no ordinary snot. Inside each slime gland are two kinds of cells. One produces a whole lot of mucus. The other–the really interesting one for materials scientists–produces entirely remarkable threads. These are 6 inches long, intricately coiled into a single cell that’s just four-thousandths of an inch long. That, quite frankly, is insane. As a loose metaphor, it’s like packing 10,000 years’ worth of clothes into one suitcase that you’ll then, uh, break open and throw at something that’s attacking you. When the slime glands are emptied, the fibers (25,000 in just four cups of goo) mix with the mucus and unravel in a fraction of a second. “What we think is going on is that there’s a glue that we haven’t yet identified, but we have good evidence for, that holds the fiber bundles together, and it’s a seawater-soluble glue,” said Fudge. When the glue dissolves, the fibers release like springs, providing the energy to greatly inflate the cloud. The fibers further unravel and expand the mucus as the hagfish thrashes about in the predator’s jaws. “The threads themselves, when they unravel from the cells, are actually quite soft and rubbery,” added Fudge. “But they’re designed in such a way that when they get stretched, they basically transform into something a lot stiffer and a lot stronger and a lot tougher. And if you dry those fibers out, they’re actually not different from spider dragline silk.” This is why scientists are gaga over hagfish threads. Currently, our strongest synthetic fibers, such as Kevlar, are derived from petroleum, which we’ll of course run out of one of these days. Hagfish threads are 70 percent as strong as the famously tough spider silk, but that’s still very, very strong. And hagfish produce a ton of these things for scientists to study in the hope of one day making protein fibers that mimic their powers. Perhaps sometime soon the hagfish will have spread its slime all over the world, in products ranging from armor to upholstery to clothing. I guess it would be true, then, that Bill Murray wore slime long before it was cool, proving beyond a doubt that he has indeed received total consciousness. So he’s got that going for him, which is nice.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.
Learn something new every day More Info... by email A hairdressing trainee assists certified hair stylists in various duties relating to hair care, grooming and styling. In addition to these duties, a stylist trainee may also be required to keep a salon neat and tidy, schedule appointments and answer product questions or even sell beauty products to customers. A hairdressing trainee may also be required to attend formal classroom training while gaining hands-on experience. Hairdressing trainee positions are typically sought by individuals hoping to engage in a long-term hairdressing career. Often, these individuals intend to undergo formal hairdressing training and eventually become licensed or certified as a hairstylist. In many instances, previous enrollment in a cosmetologist program is necessary to simultaneously work as a hairdressing trainee. Many such positions are even gained through trainee job placement provided by a formal course or program. Individuals working as a hairdressing trainee are typically expected to support full-fledged stylists in serving clients. Such includes scheduling appointments, greeting clients, providing refreshments and making sure that clients have a quality salon experience. A hairdressing trainee may also be required to shampoo and blow-dry a client’s hair, prepare clients for individualized treatments and clean common areas. Some salons sell their own styling products or promote and sell other haircare products to clients. When this is the case, a hairdressing trainee is often expected to know the finer selling points of a product and be available to inform clients about them or answer questions about products, as needed. Some trainees may also recommend certain styling products to clients. While many trainees are not yet licensed to work as individual stylists, some are recently licensed, but may be required to gain trainee experience before being allowed to work in a salon. Qualified trainees may be able to cut a client's hair or enhance a style with color, as well as perform other styling functions. Usually, such is done under the supervision of a more experienced stylist in an effort to assure that procedures are correctly performed and that the stylist trainee and client are comfortable with a trainee’s work. Most people pursue hairdressing trainee positions as a method of career advancement. With careful research and career planning it is often understood that actual experience working in a salon is helpful to eventually become a good stylist. Working as a trainee can help give future stylists confidence and prepare them for working with different hair types and styles, as well as various salon requests. One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!
QPR training prepares you to know what to do if you suspect someone is contemplating suicide. Just as knowing CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) allows you to prevent a death by heart attack, knowing QPR allows you to prevent a death by suicide. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer. By completing QPR training you will know how to question someone to ascertain if she or he is contemplating suicide. You will know how to persuade her or him to not commit suicide and to seek help. You will know how to refer this person to professionals that can begin treatment. QPR training was designed and then shared nationwide by Paul Quinnett, Ph.D. The goal of QPR is to train as many people as possible in the warning signs of suicide and the most effective steps to take to prevent a suicide. The staff at the WKU Counseling and Testing Center are certified to provide QPR training to faculty, staff, and students as well as the surrounding community. We have made presentations to departments, offices, classrooms, and student organizations. The QPR training usually takes an hour to an hour and a half. Upon completion of QPR training, all participants receive a summary brochure and are registered with the QPR organization. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college aged students. It is also one of the most preventable causes of death. But even today we see so much shame and anxiety about suicide; the stigma is still powerful and suicidal people are often reluctant to ask for help. Most people who attempt suicide do NOT want to be dead. They just want their lives to change but do not know how to get help or they are ashamed to ask for help. QPR training helps you understand suicide so that it is less frightening; you can feel more comfortable knowing things to do that will discourage a person from attempting suicide. If you want to know more about QPR training, or if you would like to participate in QPR training, give us a call at the WKU Counseling and Testing Center (745-3159) or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org . QPR training is free, it takes about an hour and a half to complete, and it can help save lives. Complaints of sexual misconduct/assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking harassment download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Note: documents in Excel format (XLS) require Microsoft Viewer, Note: documents in Word format (DOC) require Microsoft Viewer, Note: documents in Powerpoint format (PPT) require Microsoft Viewer, Note: documents in Quicktime Movie format [MOV] require Apple Quicktime,
Andy Lanset appears in the following: Friday, June 01, 2012 From 1940 to 1942 Ralph Berton hosted WNYC's daily foray into jazz called Metropolitan Review, dedicated to "the finest in recorded hot jazz." The program was radio's first serious jazz music show on the air. Friday, May 04, 2012 Walter James Miller (1918-2010) was Professor Emeritus at New York University and host of WNYC’s Reader’s Almanac (1970-1985) and WNYC-TV’s Book World (1968-1970). He conducted early interviews with writers such as Nadine Gordimer, Erica Jong, Kurt Vonnegut, Dorothy Gallagher and Jerzy Kosinski. Friday, March 16, 2012 Friday, February 24, 2012 Al Arkus started at WNYC by producing, directing and reading newscasts. He also directed and announced for Edward Tatnall Canby, David Randolph and Oscar Brand. Children’s programming became one of his favorite genres: he wrote, produced and narrated The Music Maestro, a weekly educational music program, and appeared regularly on The Children’s Story Fair, a show with a cast of 'kids' wandering on a magic midway to adventures in an opera house, a record room, a side show, a concert hall and similar locations. Al also wrote, directed and produced Here's Heidy, a children's program with storyteller Heidy Mayer that moved to WOR in 1949. Friday, February 10, 2012 On January 3, 1934, Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia swore into office Seymour N. Siegel as WNYC's Assistant Program Director. Immediately after Siegel affirmed his commitment to the people of the City of New York, the mayor promptly ordered him to "go across the street and close down the joint." The "joint" was WNYC. One of La Guardia's campaign promises was to close the station and just a few days earlier he had released his cost-cutting program of ten major reforms. Number nine on the list was "abolition of the municipal broadcasting station, WNYC." But after carefully surveying the situation Siegel determined there wasn't anything a little good management and TLC couldn't fix. A panel of experts was convened, a thorough study was done and recommendations were made and implemented. Because of Sy Siegel, WNYC became a political asset for the mayor and a ground-breaking public broadcaster. Friday, January 20, 2012 Friday, December 30, 2011 On December 30, 1924, The New York Times radio listings* for WNYC included a remote broadcast from the Newspaper Club of New York. It was a children's Christmas party for the sons and daughters of newspaper men. The entertainment line-up included Marilyn Miller, the Duncan Sisters, The Singer Midgets, George Haas and his singing canaries, Betty Bronson, Toto, Bob Miller, Gedney and Magee, Winifred Toomey, Rachel Mastrota, Richard B. Gilbert, Sam Wooding's Orchestra and Teddy, the baby elephant. Who were they? Let's find out. Friday, December 23, 2011 Keeping Fit was a regular series of health and exercise talks by Joe Ruddy on WNYC in 1926. Friday, December 16, 2011 Thornton Fisher (1888-1975) began his broadcasting career in 1923 at AT&T's WEAF in New York as one of radio's earliest sports commentators. He switched to WNYC the following year, not long after the municipal station began broadcasting. The Evening Leader of Corning, New York praised Fisher's Tuesday and Thursday evening program, Sports Analysis, and said, "he is one of the keenest sports writers and cartoonists in the world of journalism. His love for all sports, coupled with his sparkling wit and understanding of every phase of every game, have created an immortal place for him as chronicler of the progress of sports." Friday, December 09, 2011 On December 9, 1926, the Locust Sisters sang popular tunes in our studio. The Locust Sisters were a singing quartet with a fifth sister, Mathilda, on the piano. Known as the "miracle makers of harmony," they were featured as missionaries in the 1927 Vincent Youmans Broadway musical Hit the Deck. Reviewing the performance in The New York Times, Brook Atkinson wrote, "the thin harmonies of the four Locust Sisters, admirably introduced, are artless and delightful." They also appeared in a five-minute movie short in 1928, the first of their two appearances for MGM Metro Movietone Revue. The sisters also briefly recorded for Columbia Records. Watch and listen to them in their 1930 MGM short at: LOCUST SISTERS. Friday, November 04, 2011 Contrary to prevailing belief, the Jewish Daily Forward's first radio program was not on WEVD (a leader in Jewish and Yiddish radio programming in the 1930s and 40s), but on WNYC! The Yiddish newspaper marked the May 21, 1926 broadcast nine days later by printing the photos on the left with the following caption: "The First Forward Radio Concert --Isa Kremer, the world famous balladiste, who was the featured soloist of the Forward radio hour May 21, from WNYC. (Left) The famous Stringwood Ensemble, which rendered a program of classical music."* Friday, October 28, 2011 Theodor Adorno was a key figure in the German refugee-led Institute for Social Research when it resettled at Columbia University before the U.S. entry into World War II. At Columbia he was also associated with the Office of Radio Research and headed up the Music Division of what became known as the Princeton Radio Project (1937-1941), studying the effects of mass media on society. Beginning in late April, 1940 he presented a new series of music programs on WNYC. The announcer introduced them this way: Friday, September 09, 2011 A transcript from our September, 11, 2001 airchecks. Friday, September 02, 2011 Friday, September 02, 2011 In this 1965 Overseas Press Club Luncheon, Hallie Burnett, novelist and publisher, describes her experience in Berlin in August, 1961. On assignment for Reader’s Digest, Burnett was charged with reporting on the conditions of the East German refugees, who were “coming over at that time at about 2,000 a night.” Amidst a quiet week, she describes the night of August 13 when the foundations for the Berlin wall were laid. She describes standing among Berliners at the Brandenburg Gate, who were so shocked they had not yet found their voices to protest. Friday, August 19, 2011 It's always exciting when we turn up an important long lost recording. In this case, the unlabeled flip side of one of Mayor La Guardia's talks had half-a-show that's not been heard for 67 years. Hailing from February 14th, 1944, we hear two friends get together to share some music with each other and WNYC's listeners. And what better venue than the station's annual American Music Festival, eleven days of studio performances and concerts around the city dedicated to home-grown music and talent? Talent indeed. Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Leadbelly, a renowned folksinger and bluesman, performed with pioneering folklorist Alan Lomax.
This past week was a reminder of how the educational landscape can go from momentous to tragic in a heartbeat. From a high school shooting outside Portland, Oregon to a California ruling that upended teacher tenure laws ... both are symptoms of the difficult challenges public education faces in the U.S. And there are so, so many more. I've been on assignment the last few days for a story about a project named "Call Me Mister." Run out of Clemson University in South Carolina, for nearly 15 years now it's been recruiting and placing black male teachers in elementary schools. They're responding to the simple fact that there aren't enough black men in the teaching profession. According to the folks who run the program, fewer than one percent of elementary school teachers in South Carolina are African-American males. The national figures aren't much better. Only two percent of the 4.8 million classroom teachers are black men, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Even in majority black districts, classroom teachers are predominantly white, and female. The founders of "Call Me Mister" have shown that African-American boys respond to black male teachers and bond with them in special and profound ways. And from that bond, they believe, academic success will follow. It's a story about hope and the potential of children raised in poverty and men who understand these children because they can look at these boys and say, "There, but for the grace of God go I." But as I made my way from one interview to another, listening to the heart-breaking news from Portland Oregon on my car radio along the long stretches of Interstate 85, from rural South Carolina to suburban Atlanta, my reporting about the dearth of black male teachers somehow felt inconsequential. The news from Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon, after all, was about death and shattered lives ... about yet another angry, armed, unstable boy who took one life, as well as his own. Why? We're left once again with the pain and the continuing debate about guns and the mental health crisis that appears to be part of a larger crisis: anger and hopelessness among the young. And yet, sadly, that's what makes the tragedy at Reynolds High School relevant to my story assignment. Good teachers know all too well they have the power to alter the course of children's lives. "Call Me Mister" aims to prepare teachers for that. "The stakes are incredibly high," said Roy Jones, one of the program's founders, "because this is about rescuing children who otherwise will face incarceration, rather than college." Do you want to know what the young black men in this program talk about when they talk about instilling hope in children? They talk about taking the time to embrace even the most troubled child and saying, " 'I'm there for you, because I care, even when nobody else does.' " Twenty-seven year old Michael Barron, a fifth-grade teacher and a graduate of the program, says his role as a mentor goes well beyond the classroom. He says he's made a lifetime commitment to the redemption of young black men like him who too often are viewed as "irresponsible" or disinterested in the well being of their communities. Inside the classroom, they don't wear their hearts on their sleeves. The program immerses them in pedagogically sound practices. There are workshops run by veteran black male teachers on classroom management and strategies to deal with boys who can disrupt an entire classroom and frustrate even the best teachers. But in the conversations I had with these men one common thread emerged: The way they use their own life stories to build a circle of trust. They share their stories about growing up in poverty and in some cases, fatherless. They say that sends a powerful message to a child: "If I made it, so can you." These teachers I met in South Carolina and Georgia reminded me that all the metal detectors and surveillance cameras in the world may not be able to stop an angry, hopeless boy from turning to violence. But there are proven ways to stop a little boy from feeling angry and hopeless.
EPA Proposed Global Warming Rule Would Protect Polluters by Locking in Loopholes EPA recently proposed a new rule, known in beltway policy wonk circles as the “Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule” (Proposed Rule (PDF) purportedly to regulate major green house gas polluters, like coal power plants, refineries, and cement manufacturing. The EPA proposal is opposed by industry, supported by national environmental groups, and has won media praise. But instead of tough new regulations needed to steeply reduce current emissions, the rule actually would lock EPA into huge loopholes that protect existing polluters from regulation and pollution emission fees. The loopholes were created by Congress, acting at the behest of polluters, in the 1970 Clean Air Act. The Act grandfathered existing coal power plants from strict new pollution control technology requirements. They apply only to new sources or major modifications that significantly increase emissions at existing sources. see: THE CLEAN AIR ACT LOOPHOLE The Clinton Administration EPA tried to limit the damage caused by this loophole under the so called “New Source Review” enforcement program. EPA has tried to enforce NSR requirements on maintenance and upgrades at aging power plants that would create “significant” new emissions. But this EPA enforcement program has severe inherent weaknesses. It has spawned litigation and was abandoned by the Bush Administration. Eric Schaeffer, head of EPA air enforcement then resigned in protest. While NSR enforcement has been extremely controversial, there is almost a consensus among environmental groups, industry, and the legal community that the NSR enforcement program as it is applied to existing sources is – at best – troubling and ineffective.There are more effective regulatory approaches to directly impose more stringent emission reduction requirements on existing sources. But virtually everyone agrees that the original 1970 grandfathering loophole for existing coal power plants was a huge mistake and, if we could do it all over again, would not be repeated. So, 39 years later, why is EPA taking the initiative to replicate this massive historical mistake in their new green house gas regulations at hundreds of existing dirty coal power plants? According to EPA’s own rule summary: Under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) portion of NSR – which is a permit program designed to minimize emissions from new sources and existing sources making major modifications – EPA is proposing a: - Major stationary source threshold of 25,000 tpy CO2e. This threshold level would be used to determine if a new facility or a major modification at an existing facility would trigger PSD permitting requirements. - Significance level between 10,000 and 25,000 tpy CO2e. Existing major sources making modifications that result in an increase of emissions above the significance level would be required to obtain a PSD permit. EPA is requesting comment on a range of values in this proposal, with the intent of selecting a single value for the GHG significance level. One other current regulatory means to effectively close this loophole is via the so called Title V Operating Permit program. Under that program, major pollution sources are required to install the “best available control technology” or BACT to control pollution emissions. While EPA is silent about NSR loopholes and lack of enforceability, in the fine print at the end, EPA does openly acknowledges the lack of any substance to the program created under the proposal: Although EPA has not yet identified specific source categories, the Agency plans to develop sector- and source-specific guidance that would help permitting authorities and affected sources better understand GHG emissions for the selected source categories, methods for estimating those emissions, control strategies for GHG emissions, and available GHG measurement and monitoring techniques. …. It is important to remember that a title V permit does not add new requirements for pollution control itself, but rather collects all of a facility’s applicable requirements under the CAA in one permit. Therefore, the compliance benefits above are less when title V permits contains few or no CAA applicable requirements. EPA’s proposed Title V approach can not work because: 1. there are no national ambient air quality standards for GHGs that can be enforced during the Title V permit review process; 2. there is no BACT for GHG to be imposed in Title V permits. This virtually guarantees that existing sources will continue to emit GHG at current levels; 3. EPA’s proposed approach relies on EPA guidance and even delays the development of such guidance for at least 6 years; 4. EPA’s proposal failed to use market forces to reduce emissions via imposition of stiff pollution emissions fees. When polluters are forced to pay, emission fees have been shown to dramatically reduce emissions of other pollutants; 5. contrary to the 1990 “cap and trade” acid rain program approach that has worked to cost effectively reduce emissions of SOX from coal power plants, EPA does not propose mandatory, source specific, emissions reductions and an enforceable timetable to meet those emission reductions. The EPA proposal seems to anticipate the “market based” approach of current legislation pending before Congress (Waxman-Markey) – which is supported by EPA Administrator Jackson and President Obama. The Waxman-Markey bill would repeal EPA’s existing authority to regulate GHG emissions, while the EPA rule proposal would surrender regulatory authority even BEFORE a market based program is authorized by Congress. At a minimum, EPA regulatory authority is required to back stop a market based cap and trade program, such that EPA can step in when that program fails. Regulatory authority also can provide the leverage – or incentives – for polluters to participate in a market program. The US Climate Network, a coalition of national environmental groups, has recognized the problem, especially at dirty old coal power plants that emit about 1/3 of US GHG pollution: … the climate bill should preserve Clean Air Act authorities or create equivalent provisions to control global warming pollution from coal plants. Right now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the tools to help clean up our electric sector in time to meet the ACES’ mid-term reduction goals. But the ACES strips EPA of its Clean Air Act authority to set basic performance standards and require emissions reductions that are currently achievable. The bill does not require our existing fleet of dirty coal plants to meet reasonable emissions standards. With the benefit of low carbon costs and offsets, these coal plants will be able to keep on running, even ramping up carbon dioxide emissions, for the foreseeable future. As a result, we will depend on the same fleet for nearly half of our power in 2030.Â At that point, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the steep emissions cuts we must have to avoid the worst expected effects of global warming. (see: The only reason I can discern to explain all these loopholes is a covert attempt by EPA to protect the polluters, while creating the misleading public impression that they are being stringently regulated. The proposal could have been written by the coal industry to guarantee continued operation at status quo levels. This proposed rule is a major strategic mistake. It would lock in regulations that would shield major polluters from enforcement of new regulations mandating emissions reductions. The comment period expires on December 28, 2009. HOW TO COMMENT - EPA will accept comment on the proposal for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. Comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0517, may be submitted by one of the following methods: - www.regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. - E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to email@example.com. - Fax: Fax your comments to:Â (202) 566-9744. - Mail: Send your comments to: EPA Docket Center, EPA West (Air Docket), Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0517, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460. - Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver your comments to: .S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West (Air Docket), 1301 Constitution Avenue, Northwest, Room 3334, Washington, DC 20004, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0517.Â Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docketâ€™s normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information I urge folks to comment and ask EPA to withdraw this proposal. Contact your Congressional representative as well. And ask those beltway environmental groups why on earth they support this tragic failure that repeats mistakes of the past.
Woodcraft Magazine covers the Projects, Techniques, and Products of woodworking like no one else! Each issue is packed with stories from our expert project designers, builders, writers and consultants to help you work wood successfully and add to your woodworking skills and knowledge. Besides Projects, Techniques and Projects, you’ll visit a unique woodshop, collect new shop tips and patterns, and learn more about the wood used to build an issue project. Build this traditional wardrobe for your dressier threads. Made from solid cherry and poplar, this handsome piece features four drawers, fixed and adjustable shelves, and a closet bar. Use patterns, scrap cherry, and store-bought wheels to construct this Waddling Walrus. Then, with a little push, watch it come to life, raising its toothy head and rocking to and fro. If you built the Arts and Crafts-inspired Morris chair in the Oct/Nov 2013 issue of Woodcraft Magazine, you’ll want to make this elegant ottoman. Fashion it to go with other chairs by simply changing the upholstery. Make breakfast better and safer with this bagel slicer. Use it with a bread knife for quickly cutting bagels into neat equal halves. Brighten your favorite workspace to meet all of your measuring, marking, machining, and finishing needs with this hands-on guide. See how to calculate lighting an outfit our shop with the proper fixtures and bulbs. Add utility to your shop by knocking together one or more of these work piece wranglers. They include shooting boards, chopping and cutoff hooks, holders, and stops all made from scrap! Discover the regimen used by West Virginia craftsman Jim Probst for edge-joining large flat panels used for tabletops, casework, and shelves. Play it safe when trimming mini-sized parts on major power tools with the strategies shown here. Learn the best ways to rip and crosscut short lengths and multiples
Innovative Partnership Brings State-of-the-Art Health Care to Lesotho October 24, 2011 - A new hospital in Maseru is providing improved health care services to Lesotho’s citizens - The hospital and its three filter clinics are part of an innovative public-private partnership - About one-quarter of Lesotho’s population, particularly women and children, stand to benefit Lesotho is a small country with huge development challenges. Its people face the triple threat of high food prices, poverty and HIV/AIDS. Despite average GDP growth of four percent before the recent global economic crisis, more than half the country’s population lives below the national poverty line, according to the latest World Development Indicators. In 2000, the Government of Lesotho determined to narrow the gap between strong economic growth and weakening human development. It set out on a path to increase access to, and provide quality delivery of, essential health services. “The government had been investing a lot of resources into infrastructure, but seeing few outcomes,” “They decided the focus should be on performance-based management rather than infrastructure alone.” On Friday, after more than a decade of health service reforms, infrastructure improvement and human resource capacity building, the government realized part of its goal with the opening of the state-of-the-art, 425-bed, Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital in Maseru. Lesotho’s King His Majesty Letsie III inaugurated the new hospital, which is expected to bring improved health services to about one quarter of the country’s population. The public hospital features eight operating rooms, a maternity wing including 40-bed nursery, a 10-bed adult Intensive Care Unit, an opthomology unit, two Lamina flow theaters for joint replacement surgery and, most importantly, a well-trained, privately-managed cadre of health care professionals. “There will be a large focus on training at this new facility because of the more modern technology, but also because of the role that this hospital will play in the larger health care infrastructure within Lesotho,” said Karen Prins, Operations Director for the new hospital. According to Prins, the new hospital and the reforms that have led to its construction, staffing and operations could change the face of health care for Lesotho’s citizens. “This is a really ambitious project and sets the scene for many developing countries to follow suit,” she said. Partnering for results The new hospital is part of a wider health care network that has been developed with technical assistance from the World Bank Group, including a $6.25 million grant from the Global Partnership for Output-based Aid and lead transaction advice from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). At its foundation is an 18-year, public private partnership between the government and the Tsepong consortium, led by South African health care investment holding company NETCARE. Under the partnership, the government contracted Tsepong to build, manage and operate the new public hospital without increasing costs to patients. “In the normal [public private partnership] the private sector brings the resources to build and operate, and in a number of years they will hand over to the government,” said Timothy Thahane, Lesotho’s Minister of Finance and of Development Planning. But, in this instance, a group of investors came together, lent to the government who then commissioned the private sector to build, manage and operate. “We will have a referral hospital with the best technology and the best care in the world,” Thahane said. “It will be accessible to every Basotho.” The project is expected to provide services to 20,000 inpatients and 310,000 outpatients each year. In addition to the new hospital facility, Lesotho’s improved health network includes three filter clinics distributed across Maseru that provide primary health care services to local residents. The clinics began operating under Tsepong in May 2010 and see between 300 and 500 patients per day. They open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, and on Saturday mornings to cater to patients on compliance drugs. About 47 staff per clinic service patients and each clinic features 24-hour, seven-day maternity services. “We do on average about 30-50 deliveries per month at each facility,” said Clinic Manager Dr. Prithi Prithivaraj. “Since opening, we’re at 1000 births and no deaths.” According to Prithivaraj, 75 percent of the clinics’ staff is locally hired, a stipulation of Lesotho’s Employment Equity law, and both doctors and nurses receive regular training in South Africa and in Lesotho. “I have been a nurse for 19 years. I have worked in government hospitals and clinics for 17 years,” said Sister Nzama, a Registered Nurse and Unit Manager at the Mabote Clinic. “The care that I was rendering there, I was doing all I could, with what I had. I wanted to help every patient, but in most of the cases we would have to refer patients, because of lack of equipment.” According to Nzama, providing care at the new clinic is different. “Almost every room has equipment that is needed in that room,” she said. “I don’t shift from one room to another asking for something to use. So really here I do my work quicker. It is really easy to help patients.” Nzama trains junior staff at the clinic, but also receives training. “Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS, we go out to get trainings on that,” she said. “We go out to get trainings on HIV/TB co-infection, so that we know how to manage our patients well. In these clinics, nurses are the ones who see TB/HIV patients, so we need to be well trained so that we can take care of them properly.” Modernizing the health care environment At the heart of the government’s plan to improve health services are the country’s human resources, its people. Before the new hospital opening, patients received care at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, a 325-bed facility built in 1957. Outdated equipment and a crumbling infrastructure regularly forced health care providers to send patients for treatment to Bloemfontein in South Africa. “I went [to Queen Elizabeth] for my baby’s birth,” said Mataoe Marathabile, a patient who visited the Likotsi clinic, one of the new filter clinics, in July. “The toilets were dirty, there was no hot water for a bath… and the babies were five on one bed, newborn babies together on one bed.” Marathabile transferred to Likotsi where she and her daughter Rethabile, now nine months old, receive post-natal care. Relebohile Ntsne lives near the Maseru private hospital but spends four rand to take a taxi to the new Likotsi clinic. “This clinic is free but we get everything we need because the doctors are good, the nurses are good,” she said. Ntsne tells the story of her sister who visited the Queen Elizabeth II hospital and was placed on a mattress on the floor under another patient’s bed because no other beds were free. Her mother told she and her sister about the new clinic and the family has been coming here ever since. “The first time I came here, I was treated very nicely,” she said. “It didn’t take me long to get treatment and it’s much better compared to the other clinics.” The plan is for Likotsi clinic and its counterparts, Qoaling and Mabote, to filter patients to the new Queen ‘Mamohato referral facility. “The whole vision behind this is a quality health care outcome,” said Dr. Prithivaraj. “It’s a comprehensive approach built on efficiency and effectiveness, procedures and protocols.” - Development Partners Support the Creation of Global Financing Facility to Advance Women’s and Children’s Health - 73 Countries and Over 1,000 Businesses Speak Out in Support of a Price on Carbon - World Bank Group to Nearly Double Funding in Ebola Crisis to $400 Million - International Food Prices Hit Four-Year Low - Speech by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim at Howard University: “Boosting Shared Prosperity”
The Indian Ocean Observing System -- IOOS -- is an international project to build a sensor network across the Indian Ocean in order to monitor ocean and atmospheric conditions. Started in 2000, nine deep ocean moorings are already in place (three each from Japan, the United States, and India), with more planned, including a cooperative venture between Australia and China, along with the integration of existing ocean monitoring systems. The Indian Ocean Panel, which is coordinating the system's development, is a joint effort of CLIVAR (the Climate Variability and Predictability project) and GOOS (the Global Ocean Observing System project). While the December tsunami heightened the awareness of the need for greater ocean monitoring in the region, the need for more information about changes to the environment has been growing for some time. Dr [Gary] Meyers [of Australia's CSIRO] said the recent discovery of El Nino-like phenomena in the Indian Ocean - strong two-way interactions between ocean and atmosphere - has highlighted the importance of regional data collection to understand and predict seasonal and longer-term climate variability over all the surrounding continents. Among these are - [...] "Elements of a basin-wide observing network are already in place and generating valuable ocean data. Through satellites, US and Japanese scientists are obtaining information from some of the moorings within 24 hours of recordings, and making the data available to climate modelling and prediction centres around the world. - the Indian Ocean Dipole, a fluctuation of surface temperature and currents that brings drought to Indonesia and heavy rain to semiarid regions of Africa. The Dipole is simultaneously related to deficit of rainfall as far away as southeastern Australia. - the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO)- a weather pattern that evolves for as long as four weeks and that interacts strongly with the surface layer of the ocean. It originates over the Indian Ocean and impacts on Asian and Australian rainfalls, west coast U.S. weather, tropical Atlantic hurricane formation, and occasionally affects the evolution of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). - the Indian Ocean has warmed rapidly in the last 30 years and its effects have been tracked to the North Atlantic Oscillation and Sahel rainfall. But scientists do not yet know how it has affected Australian climate. "Our intention is to build on this foundation and expand it to improve our understanding of temperature structure and currents across the North and South Indian Oceans," he said. The graphic above is from the February 2005 IOOS draft system plan (PDF), showing both deep ocean moorings and integrated monitor networks. The second Indian Ocean Panel international meeting (PDF) concluded on Friday, with a focus on the relationship between the Indian Ocean El Nino-like effect and periodic regional droughts. Fascinating story! I will be referencing your blog from mine now and then, as it is so well done and brings important and interesting ideas.
We noted way back in September of 2004 that Toyota had reached an agreement with Chinese automaker FAW to begin manufacturing the Prius in China by late 2005. Well, it's about as late in 2005 as you can get, and finally we have word that production is now underway. This is the first Prius plant outside of Japan, and the auto is being built for local purchase. The Toyota-FAW joint venture plans to sell only about 3,000 Priuses in China in all of 2006; this low figure is less surprising when one learns that the price will be "between 288,000 yuan and 302,000 yuan ($35,680-$37,410), compared with around $22,000 in Japan and North America." Labor is cheaper, shipping is cheaper (produced locally) so why are the cars 60+% more expensive? Because of the market! It's not a secret that people pay much more to get a similar car in China, and often with an inferior quality.
A Brief History of Adventure Travel Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 02.04.06 \| 2:17 PM ET Yahoo! adventure guru Richard Bangs covers the history of adventure travel in just 874 words today in a New York Times piece. I’ll summarize in 86 words: First adventure travelers were merchants on expedition. Many accidental discoveries. Ericson, North America. Columbus, the Caribbean. Modern adventure travel began 35 years ago. Treks in the Nepalese Himalayas. Maoist revolutionaries emerge. Adventurers go to Bhutan. In the ‘70s, Afghanistan, Algeria and New Guinea. In the ‘80s, the Nile, Mount Ararat and Bali. Religious-based terrorism drives out adventurers. In the ‘90s, the Alps. Euro rises. Everyone goes to Thailand. Tsunami hits. Libya, Mozambique, Nicaragua and Panama become popular. For now. When in doubt, there’s always Costa Rica.
There's a coffeemaker on Howard Phillips's desk-not just a cup, not a carafe, but a Mr. Coffee with a full pot. Running for president on a little-known third-party ticket means late nights and early mornings, he says. "To achieve victory, first you must seek it"-one slogan of his party slips easily from his lips. So do the numbers that offer a glimmer of hope: The U.S. Taxpayers Party has ballot access in 40 states, reaching more than 80 percent of the nation's electorate. From his office in Fairfax, Va., Mr. Phillips talks about the political house he's building for conservatives and Christians. Four years ago, Mr. Phillips founded the U.S. Taxpayers Party. This former Nixon White House official became disenchanted with the GOP and decided that voting for the lesser of two evils was still voting for evil. "I don't think the Republican Party truly represents anything I believe," Mr. Phillips told WORLD. "Bob Dole voted for the Brady Bill, he voted for FACE [Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances], he gave us NAFTA, he supported assignment of U.S. military personnel to United Nations command. He consistently votes more money for Planned Parenthood and Goals 2000." Mr. Phillips compares the present-day Republican Party to the 19th-century Whigs. "The Whig party died because it was unable to face the overarching moral issue of the day, which was slavery," he says. "Just as the Republicans are unable to face the issue of abortion. I believe we're facing a period in history when we're going to see the Republican Party go to the elephant graveyard. It has lost its moral course." Instead it has made do with an "anti-liberal majority," he says, rejecting both "biblical and constitutional standards of governing." Enter the U.S. Taxpayers Party, a group that tried to attract Pat Buchanan to its ticket and hope to attract Alan Keyes to its ranks in coming months. It proposes to end direct taxation, abolish the IRS, return the government to its strictest constitutional limits, and "restore American jurisprudence to its biblical presuppositions." This new party will be the natural home of Christian conservatives, Mr. Phillips contends, but the party's support of higher trade tariffs and less immigration could turn off some. "Our biggest problem is that most of them are unaware of our existence," he says. "Ralph Reed declined to allow us to even be introduced at the recent Christian Coalition meeting. But when people hear our message, they respond." Mr. Phillips, a Christian convert from Judaism, admits that most people remain concerned that a vote for a third-party ticket would be a wasted ballot card. "Not a single vote for us will be wasted," he responds. "If you vote for Dole, and he loses, then that will be a wasted vote. Even if he wins, I think you'll find that the conservative shift you're hoping for just isn't going to happen. But every vote for the U.S. Taxpayers Party will send a message to the political establishment." Still, sending a message isn't the ultimate goal of the party, he adds. "We're not doing this for an exercise, or to make a point, or to change the Democratic or Republican Parties. We're doing this to elect a government." In fact, there are some 60 USTP candidates on U.S. House, Senate, and state ballots, according to spokesman Dan Giroux. "In 1992, we garnered something like 40,000 votes," said Mr. Giroux. "We expect as many as 1 million this year, and that would be a breakthrough." Howard Phillips, 51, worked in the Nixon administration, but after Watergate he concluded that conservatives were wrong to give their loyalty to a party instead of principles. So he started the Conservative Caucus and focused on issues such as the Panama Canal treaties, the Carter-Brezhnev treaties, and the Strategic Defense Initiative. In 1988 he backed the Libertarian candidate for president, pro-life pediatrician Ron Paul. Mr. Phillips is married and has six children and six grandchildren. His oldest son, Doug (named for Gen. Douglas MacArthur) is now a lawyer with the Home School Legal Defense Association. His youngest son, age 10, is being homeschooled by Mr. Phillips and his wife, Peggy. Mr. Phillips is joined on the USTP ticket by constitutional scholar Herb Titus, the founding dean of Regent University law school.
I would have to say that writing was always my personal vision and I felt it as my purpose since the age of 5. However, my vision for my community/the world would be – ‘taking action’. I’ve had the problem of having too much interests and people around me sometimes used to say that my curiosity will kill me one day. But, I can’t do any different and even more I like having so many interests. Passiveness and empathy are the reasons that things are why they are and if someone never takes the initiative they will always stay like that. I like to go on readings, theatre shows, watch films, attend workshops, lead projects etc. etc. Lot of the time I have to make priorities with everything I do and organize my time which often means sacrificing something at the expense of something else. Therefore, after reading The Five Most Common Ways a Woman Loses Her Innate Female Wisdom, I felt sincerely inspired, probably like so many others, and I would try to make my long-lasting determination come into being with all the ways shown in the methodology. I related to the first part of the shown model - Shifting from Pathology to Vision, since people tend to use this often. I have detected this as a problem of my community; people just focus on what is wrong blaming things, institutions, mentality and so, without actually thinking about possible opportunities to make a change or finding potential solutions! I want to be among those who will actually do something about the problems my community is facing. Every community has its own general and specific problems, challenges and barriers and I can not easily say that I want to work on one specific problem, since my general interest is focused on human rights. I have been involved in various youth activities and I felt each one of them as satisfying and causing a difference in one or another age, social or ethnic group. In one of the NGOs I am involved (Volunteers Centre Skopje) I am just about to write a project for the Youth in Action Program of the European Commission and my idea is to organize a training about women’s rights, involving young people from 7 developing countries. Also, today I started leading a book club within the same organization and this is something I wanted to start for quite some time. The readership at the moment here is mainly focused on very commercial books or popular psychology and I would like to find interesting ways to educate the young adolescents about literary classics that offer important life messages. Another thing I want to concentrate on is homosexual rights in my country (since they have nearly none) and work on this issue. The organization that once existed fell apart a few years ago and there is another one working anonymously, but they are mostly concentrated on helping HIV and AIDS sufferers through help lines and medical centers and slowly waiting for the right moment to come to start doing something about the actual homosexual group in the country. People are afraid. People hide. People undermine themselves. This should be changed; the path is difficult, but not impossible. Being involved in World Pulse and Pulse Wire puts me on the road to fulfillment. The passion it awakens in me is the passion I want to continue cherishing in all my further actions and activities, be it writing, mentoring or helping and raising awareness. All the stories I read here have touched my heart and this is a lifetime experience, since the chance to hear a personal story or about the problems in the other part of the world, stories and problems never mentioned in the mass media, has been “science fiction” until recently. Jensine had her vision and she brought World Pulse into being! Cheers! If she could do it by herself, with this platform and connection we should be able to do it even more easily! As a Voices of Our Future Correspondent I would have the chance to crystallize my vision furthermore and continue raising my voice and speaking out for all the problems in my community. Take action! This post was submitted in response to Voices of Our Future Application: Your Vision.

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