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Like people say: no pain, no gain. That quote refer not only to guys training in the gym but to many more cases. A lot of common achievement we gain with bigger or lesser involvement. Sometimes it is only needful that we appear in right area in good time, but from time to time we have to work hard for many months. One of mentioned hard-work cases is language abilities. Our first language is (in Poland) naturally Polish. We gain it few years. Firstly from our elders, who teach us first simple sentences, good spelling. Later we start to read and write in main language and parents sends us to college. In this institution we frequent polish lessons for less or more eleven years. Badly – few polish kids even after that fundamental education still cannot avail their native language properly. So when things similar like that might be difficult for locals is truly possible that stranges especially. For that people state governments and associations in big capitols organize language courses (ang. polish language courses warsaw) (site po-polsku.eu). For example about some polish courses Warsaw informed in websites, posters, TV and another media. Likely in other cities. An curious example are language meetups, when persons from different places meet in local polish coffee shops and try to learn Polish from typical locals. Maybe it is for that people something like polish courses Warsaw can however offer more. Multicultural society help to absorb mentality outsiders in Poland. In another towns we could distinguish many more. Another issues are benefits. When you learn main language you can apply for better job. In many situations firms are looking for employers with two or more languages. First demand is obviously that local one (in Poland – Polish) and second – foreign one. You had best only look after right job offer. Different issue is that you can make new friendships on that courses. Locals in new place can help with a lot of things. That lessons are so good for new people in city and peoplesomeone who want to improve their abilities.

@schmidtydrums Lays Down A Starr Quality Groove You can tell a lot about the aspirations of a musician from where they draw inspiration. Drummer, Jason Schmidt (henceforth referred to as Schmidty), was following two of the best by the time he was six years old. Stylistically, Ringo Starr and John “Bonzo” Bonham have zero in common. Turn each of them loose on a solo, in a clutch situation, and they’ll define who they are as drummers. According to Paul McCartney, no one hates drum solos more than Ringo, but he nailed the transition solo they begged him for between “Carry That Weight” and “The End.” Where Ringo begrudgingly gave them a few seconds, Bonham would often fill 30 minutes when he played “Moby Dick” live. The rest of the band would exit the stage and leave him to it. His playing was often so ferocious that he would break his drumsticks and throw them into the audience, continuing the solo with his bare hands. Drawing blood from the effort was signature “Bonzo.” Both had a style that suited their respective gigs, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin – obscure little bands of their time. Fast forward to the style of schmidtydrums. Schmidty is a student of music and all things drum related. His intense passion for the instrument he loves and constant study of precision and style have morphed into his unique style of play. Watch closely. You just may see Ringo sitting on one shoulder and “Bonzo” on the other, happily coexisting, at least for 90 minutes. So, how did he get there? “It’s Been a Hard Day’s Night”…… For Schmidty, his passion started early. Growing up on Long Island, NY, he saw a rebroadcast of The Beatles first performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Seeing Ringo Starr playing drums changed his life. From the television to the kitchen, he started banging on pots and pans and anything that would make a sound. When his parents bought him a toy drum kit at the age of three, he was hooked. Watching the older kids in his neighborhood, he said he heard Zeppelin by the time he was six and knew it was amazing. In just three years, he had the spark of Ringo and the fire of Bonham. Ringo was his visual while Bonham was the sound he heard in his head. He was driven to play, and wanted to learn how to turn the noise he’d been making into percussion. His first semi-formal instruction came from his elementary school band director, Lou Goldman. It was the first level of the solid foundation he was building, learning the basics and how to play well with others. Lou would be the encouraging link to the next step in his music education. Making the jump to middle school, three things happened that would put pressure on an already expanding passion. Learning is something Schmidty takes seriously. If he was going to become a competent drummer, he needed the equipment and the knowledge to further his intentions. He joined the school band, and at age 12, got his first real drum kit. It was a Pearl World Series and it would become the Mothership where he honed his abilities. He still has it. Shortly after this acquisition, he started formal drum lessons under Napoleon Revels-Bey in New York. Under his new teacher, he grew to understand music and technique and the power of practice. Inspired by his first mentor, Schmidty would develop a love of teaching as his own skills matured. Adding to this experience, he sat in on band rehearsals in his neighborhood and watched the older guys play. There was no saturation limit on what he absorbed musically during that time. “When the Levee Breaks,” everything in its path is consumed. Moving to Maine for high school, he found new inspiration in band director, Jeffrey Priest. Old Town High School became Schmidty’s proving ground for performance training. He played in the jazz band, concert band, and marching band there. Outside the school environment, he broke new musical ground playing with a bevy of bands ranging from rock to jazz. All of this added another layer to his rock solid foundation in music and bolstered his decision to pursue professional drumming. After high school, North Carolina would become home base for Schmidty‘s budding music career. Immersing himself in the music scene in Raleigh, he multi-tasked a number of opportunities that gave him a chance to grow his road legs, begin teaching, and continue his own education. Beginning in 1993, he started teaching private lessons and toured with a number of different rock and funk bands. Gaining some attention, he was featured in the 1996 March issue of Modern Drummer in Pro-Mark Sticks’ “Salute to the Not Yet Famous Drummers.” His dedication to the instrument and tireless pursuit of improvement made him someone even MD had their eye on. In 1997, he added another educational element to his music studies, attending Berklee College of Music in the summers between ’97 and ’99. During the school year, he was touring and teaching private lessons. During the summer, he went to classes at Berklee and toured with bands. In 1998, he was added to the faculty at the Raleigh Conservatory of Music. Never one to stop learning, he continued to take lessons outside of his Berklee studies from the likes of Rick Latham, Jim Chapin, Trichy Sankaran, and many others. He says he wanted to soak in as much music and different drummers as he could. Based on his work load during this time, he needed “Eight Days a Week.” (*photo courtesy of Rachel Norris) Heading into the 21st century, Schmidty was working hard to build his music career among the professional ranks. He’d started doing studio sessions in addition to touring and teaching private lessons as part of a business he started called JC Drumworks. He hired three other teachers, and together they taught 80 students per week. 2112 Percussion was a big part of his music scene in Raleigh. As the longest running drum shop in North Carolina, established in 1986, he says he grew up with this store. He went from being a customer to a staff instructor there up until the time he moved to Nashville. It’s a family-owned store that has bred some amazing talent from the area – Jason Michael Carroll, Kellie Pickler, and a little-known country singer named Eric Church. In 2001, one of those three locals would change the course of his music career in a move he never saw himself making. Having consistently toured with rock and funk bands dating back to his teen years, when someone suggested he audition for country artist, Jason Michael Carroll, he responded by telling them “What Is and What Should Never Be.” “Country? Are you kidding?” Overcoming his “Dazed and Confused” reaction, he auditioned and got the gig. He ended up playing with him for six years, and it was the catalyst that pointed his career aspirations in the direction of Nashville. (*photo courtesy of Lovin’ Lyrics Photography) Schmidty says he got his inspiration and drive from the time he spent in Raleigh. It would serve him well in Music City. He moved to Nashville in 2006, got an apartment with friends, and rarely saw it. He connected with the drum community in town and says they are still an inspiration. Over the next four years, he played with a number of artists including Phil Vaught and Rick Monroe. These gigs took him all over the U.S. and Europe. In 2009, he played on Krista Marie‘s video for “Drive It Like I Stole It,” which became the the theme song for ESPN/NHRA. Little did he know when he played on that video that he would soon be trading that hot rod song for something that might make you wanna roll your windows down and “Cruise.” When Schmidty joined a band called Florida Georgia Line in late 2010, they were not the superstar duo they are today. Then, they were made up of Tyler Hubbard (vocals), Brian Kelley (vocals and guitar), Brian Bonds (guitar), and Tom Beaupre (bass). Schmidty took over on drums. There was no record deal, and how they rolled was in a crowded SUV with six guys in it. One of the tours they participated in was called The Best Damn Country Tour with Chase Rice and Brian Davis. They used one band for all three acts, and the order they played in depended on the city and who had the largest fan base there. Schmidty said they toured like a rock band, incessantly. They were gone all the time, only home maybe 30 hours, just long enough to do laundry. It was touring in the trenches, long before “Dirt” was a good thing. When Here’s To The Good Times was released in late 2012, they did the radio tour as a full band. “Cruise” was the first track on the album and had been released previously as a single in August of that year. Schmidty played on the video for the song. He got to experience the rise of “Cruise” and the launch of a duo that was about to blow up with the release of their full-length album. Brian Davis is from North Carolina, and Schmidty had met him back in 2004 when he was living there. At one point, Brian had encouraged him to move to Nashville. When he was with FGL, he met up with Brian again when they toured together. In 2013, he was offered the position of being Brian’s drummer and musical director. Weighing his options, he took the gig. That year, Brian opened for Brantley Gilbert on the Hell on Wheels Tour. 2014 saw Schmidty diversify his professional music portfolio, subbing with other artists when he was on break from touring with Brian. They were still opening some dates for Brantley Gilbert and headlining their own shows. At the beginning of the year, when Lindsay Ell’s drummer, Mark Poiesz, was tapped to play with Tyler Farr, Schmidty replaced him on that gig. He joined her at Stagecoach, on a two and a half week run in Europe, and at CMA Fest. When Jon Pardi was in need of a drummer to sub in for a month to play his album release shows last year, Schmidty sat in with his band, The All Nighters. He also subbed with Miss Willie Brown on a tour with Frankie Ballard and Jon Pardi on a west coast run. Rounding out his efforts for the year, he started Banged Oddities Productions, offering a multitude of production options out of his home studio. In 2015, Schmidty finds himself focused on his current path. He’s the drummer for rising country star, Lindsay Ell, and he’s on tour with Brian Davis, headlining 90 minute shows. He does lessons via skype and is working on putting together some clinics on the road. Schmidty takes the responsibility of teaching very seriously. He sees his role as not only teaching skills, but being in charge of their inspiration, and if you’re not fully committed to that, he doesn’t believe you should take the job. To be a good teacher, you first have to be a good student. Schmidty finds lessons in everyday living, some musical, some otherwise. His attitude is that every day is another day to make music, and he tries to be creative each day. His goal is to challenge himself and try to improve every day. He’s been like that from the beginning, when he used to play to records with headphones on in his bedroom, getting lost for hours learning to play drum parts. When he was in high school, he learned to play bass and piano in addition to drums. He said he gigged out as a bass player when he lived in North Carolina just to see what the other side of the rhythm section was about. When touring, he said he loves festival season because he gets to hang out and watch several different drummers. If there’s an opportunity to learn and absorb music, Schmidty will take it at each show. I got the chance to see Schmidty play live with Brian Davis at a bar in West Virginia. It certainly wasn’t Stagecoach, nor CMA Fest, but he took the performance as seriously as if it were. There is a method and a routine to his preparation, regardless of the setting or the size of the audience. I’d heard very little of Brian Davis’ music prior to this, and I had no idea what Schmidty’s style of play would be. However, we’d done the phone interview so I knew who his influences were. He has every bit of the relaxed style of Ringo, poised and confident. It’s almost as if the song is waiting for HIM to tell IT what to do. He controls the beat with such ease that you know it has to be harder than he’s making it look. As Paul said about Ringo, “you could turn your back on him and never have to worry.” I sensed the same confidence from Brian Davis and the rest of the band. With Schmidty in the driver’s seat, it’s all good. When the music called for a more forceful interpretation, enter Bonham. The passionate musician that Schmidty is runneth over when the time was right. I could see it in his eyes when he was about to strike, before the drum knew what a beating it was about to take. As if someone had suggested starting a “Revolution” and Schmidty picked up Bonham’s sticks and started the damn thing himself. When Brian introduced his solo and stepped aside, I thought surely “Bonzo” would surface. Schmidty had told me that his drum solo is evolving. He pulls from the vibe in the room and what inspires him at the time. His intent is to lay down a groove, which he defined as a “warm blanket.” He said every drummer approaches it differently, and how you play it is your stamp. Not caring to play to the two drummers who might be in the room, he focuses on making a connection with the audience and playing something that will move them. His particular stamp that evening was “Let It Be” meets “Whole Lotta Love.” Like a locomotive coming at you, with Ringo in the driver’s seat and Bonham with his foot on the gas. The whistle was blowing, but eventually, you knew you were going to be run over by that train. Somewhere, Bonham was most pleased by this, as was the audience! In the middle of the set, Schmidty would have the chance to get his groove on. Brian and Schmidty performed three acoustic songs with just a guitar and a box kit. With relaxed shoulders and an easy smile on his face, he looked like there was no place he’d rather be. He never lost eye contact with the audience, nor did he stop smiling. He was totally in his element and you were happy to be there with him. When your heartbeat is a backbeat, laying down the perfect groove must come naturally. It was a relaxed effort that would have satisfied even Ringo. (*photo courtesy of Byran Roberts) Schmidty was born to be a musician. He talks about music with the same passion that he plays with. His music collection is extensive and all over the map. Admittedly, his drum video collection is ridiculous. He will tell you that he is a product of life – the teachers he’s had, players he’s been influenced by and played with, what he listens to, and the people who have encouraged and inspired him to play music. As the song says that was written for and sung by Ringo Starr, I get by “With a Little Help from My Friends.” His elementary band director, Lou Goldman, told him something that he says has served him well in his professional career. “If you can collectively do something, you can do anything.” In concert band, you’re playing with maybe 100 people, building a sound. This will turn you into a team player, which factors enormously into touring and how well you can get along with people on a bus. How you groove with people may be as important as that killer drum solo. In that same light, Schmidty believes that music is for everybody, and we should listen more and critique less. He said that every style of music has gone through changes and country is no different. Music must evolve to be healthy. So long as we’re free to change the station, or hit skip, he really doesn’t see what the fuss is all about. @schmidtydrums is the nexus where Ringo’s relaxed, yet precise style meets Bonham’s passionate force. Outside of music, those styles may not mesh, but Schmidty has developed a unique style that is forceful groove with a polished touch. Starr quality with the power to break a stick once in awhile. When he crosses the sticks above his head to begin the drum solo, there’s a slight hesitation, with perhaps a nod to Ringo on his right and Bonham on his left. Stylistically, it says to each, “Come Together,” right now…..over me.

The Polynesian sculpture of the antique god A’a was analyzed last year and found to be 5 centuries old at most.. The antique wooden statue is held by the British Museum, London, England. According to the latter : “In 1821, islanders from Rurutu – one of the Austral Islands in French Polynesia – sailed to Ra’iatea in the Society Islands to give A’a to the … Continue reading Pre-european Polynesian wood artefact could be 5 centuries old! All around the world, the Environnement is getting increasing legal recognition and support. And this year things have started moving at a much higher pace, especially around the Pacific Ocean. July 2017 Oregon, USA – The Siletz River rallies the fight Last battle to date: a few weeks ago, a river of Oregon finishing its course in the Pacific Ocean, the Siletz River “filed to … Continue reading Nature is silently getting its legal rights back! Better late than ever, the ancient Polynesian roofless temple or “marae” of Tapuatea has eventually been integrated to the list of the World Heritage Sites in Oceania today. Since the inscription of Easter Island and its giant statues in 1995, the region hasn’t succeeded in obtaining much of the focus of UNESCO until these last years, more precisely since The Pacific 2009 Programme (2000-2009). According … Continue reading The world recognizes Polynesian cultural heritage & it was damn time! Undoubtedly, life is really easy going in Tahiti, French Polynesia. As the old native saying goes “haere maru, haere papu”, which means “slowly but surely”. You will get a glimpse of this specially relaxed Pacifican way of life with the slideshow below… [codepeople-post-map] Continue reading In Tahiti, life’s really a beach! A series of scientific studies on Lake Rotomahana, in Aotearoa (NZ), since 2011, have found evidence of remains of the legendary Pink and White Terraces, a natural wonder which was well know by locals and visited by adventurers from all around the world until 1886. Poetically named Te Otukapuarangi in Māori, which means “The fountain of the clouded sky”, it was renowned worldwide. It consisted of … Continue reading New Zealand’s lost 8th World Wonder spotted! A glimpse of the Pacifican lifestyle, first time gliding, for the author, Taema, over the beautiful landscapes of Tahiti ! It was my first paragliding experience. It was in Punaauia, Tahiti, French Polynesia. It was a beautiful morning. I had just received this paragliding session as a gift from my sister the evening before. She did it on purpose so I wouldn’t have too much … Continue reading Flying high over Tahitian lagoon The great Polynesian canoe race, Hawaiki Nui Va’a, is coming back at the end of the year. Born in 1992, from the dream of Edouard Maamaatuaiahutapu and his friends, this International Sporting Event was inspired to its creators by the natural majesty of the islands where they lived and by the traditions of their ancestors. This last idea is clearly illustrated by the name of the race, … Continue reading Hawaiki Nui Va’a International race back in november In ancient times, Polynesians sacrificed defeated warriors on his sacred grounds. Oro, the mythical god of war has the mana, even nowadays, to conquer the UN… at least the UNESCO committee. Better late than ever, The United Nations will soon have the occasion to fix one of its major oversight in Oceania. The center of ancient Polynesian civilisation, Marae Taputapuatea, dedicated to Oro, is on … Continue reading The Polynesian god of war conquers the UN NZ funds Tonga infrastructures NZ prime minister Bill English declared recently in a press conference that his country would be funding US$10 million in a submarine cable between Tonga and Polynesia. The goal is to help to connect Aitutaki and Rarotonga, the main touristic islands, to the rest of the world, with enhanced speed and at lower prices. He mentioned another funding agreement signed with … Continue reading Pacific lands tighten up their links

Let’s get right into it. Below is a contrast of the FDA food guide pyramid versus the pyramid you should pay attention to instead. This pyramid ranks the nutrition factors in order of most impactful at the bottom, to least impactful at the top. Keep in mind that this pyramid is the BIBLE when it comes to achieving your physique and performance goals, and it is applicable to both men and women, young and old, recreational gym-goer and elite athletes. Simply put, the factors at the bottom matter — A LOT. The biggest factor that will determine weight gain or loss is energy balance (calories in vs. calories out). If you eat more than your body needs, you gain weight. If you eat less than your body needs, you lose weight. It’s the law of thermodynamics. Once you have that in place, then we look at what the macronutrient composition of your food should be so that you look, feel, and perform YOUR best. This depends on the sport you play, your body type, current rate of metabolism, among others. These two factors alone will be responsible for 40% of your results. Get them right before worrying about quality, when to eat and how often, and supplementation. At the very top we have supplements. A lot of people place prime importance on supplements and we have Marketing to blame for that. Supplements are just that – a supplement to everything else you’re currently doing. If you’re eating too much (or far too little) and just winging your macronutrient ratios, the only thing supplements will be good for is burning a hole in your wallet. They are unnecessarily expensive and hardly effective in the long run. So, we clarified some common nutrition myths and looked at what your nutritional prioritization will be going forward. If there is anything to take away from these articles that will help you achieve YOUR perfect body, it is these three rules: - Food is not “good” or “bad”. There is no such thing as bad food, only bad diets. A doughnut eaten once a week for enjoyment and sanity can be part of a GOOD diet. However, a doughnut binge once a week can be part of a bad diet. Besides taste, food (whether a doughnut or brown rice) is a tool to help you achieve your fitness and health goals. It is how you use it that matters most. - Context is King. Question everything you read in the news and internet. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Billions of marketing dollars are pumped into the food and supplement industry to create perception of health. If a box has “heart healthy” slapped on it, what exactly in the food makes your heart healthy? If it says “low-fat” there’s probably more sugar to compensate fo rthe lack of taste. If it says “gluten free” it is probably loaded with added fats. - Sustainability is key to permanent fat loss. Don’t fall victim to quick fixes. I encourage clients to eat chocolate if it curbs cravings and helps them adhere to overall plan and maintain consistency 80% of the time. 90% of North Americans can successfully lose weight, but they can’t keep it off. What’s missing here? The next time you embark on a diet or follow a meal plan, ask yourself this: “do I see myself eating this way for the rest of my life?” If there is a bit of hesitation, it’s time to find a more flexible solution. If you need guidance in this area, I am happy to offer some suggestions.

Although finally accepting that you are transgender may happen at any time in your life, it is the nature of being transgender that we are seemingly divided into two pools. The first pool consists of the young ones who can for the first time in history make plans for transition before puberty. Guided by loving parents and accepting physicians, transgender youth now have the options to take puberty blockers and to take hormone therapy from a very early age. The benefits of such a path are manifold – not only will most of their bodies develop in-line with their mental gender, but they will have been spared much of the trials of progressing through their years fighting gender dysphoria every step of the way. But what about the rest of us, most of whom only start to realize with a grim certainty that we will transition, we must transition – but at a slower pace? Being a transwoman in my 40’s I feel this acutely, as do all of my sisters and brothers who are well past their youth. It’s very easy to think wistfully to what was and what will never be, and to mourn the untold losses resulting from maturing in the wrong body. For some the joy of transition and being themselves is overshadowed by their biological clock. They feel as if they are caught in a ticking trap, fearful of growing too old for SRS and knowing they will never again be a youth with clear-skinned smile and lightness of being. This can lead to jealousy and resentment towards the young ones, and what I want to discuss is why that is unwarranted. Think on these things We who have been forced to walk in another gender for much of our lives have gained a unique insight into the human condition. We have experienced the innermost details of the other side of life, and we have gained incredible richness from it. Having now accepted and transitioning into your correct gender, or having already transitioned, you now carry with you a knowledge and insight which very few human beings ever will. If you are a woman now, you may carry with you the feeling of being intimately in the company of men. You have seen their bullying and bragging, their contemplative sides, their soft sides on occasion. You may know what it feels like to have a group of close male friends. Late-night talks over beers. The feeling of having male strength and testosterone. The feeling of being automatically privileged – and of having to extend privilege by social convention. Most likely no one ever held a door or a chair for you, but you likely did it for women a hundred times. You know what it’s like to dress like a man, walk like a man, talk like a man. Even if you believe you were always “effeminate,” “an outsider,” and “never felt male,” you cannot but help having male culture and male life washed over you through most of your prior life. Wait, you say you hated your old gender and life? I understand – believe me, this is one of your sisters talking to you. You can continue to hate the prison you were locked in, it’s OK. But haven’t you also gained a richness of experience and being? Will you not be able to empathize more with your old gender? If you have children of both genders, you now start to see how both of them really feel. You will be able to appreciate co-workers, friends, people on the street better, for you know now what it’s like for men and women. Oh I do not delude myself for a second that I grew up with a “female experience.” I will never know what my first period felt like, nor what it’s like to have a close circle of girlfriends as a teenager. I will not know the quiet desperation of waiting for a boy I have a crush on to ask me to the prom. I will not have had parents who treated me like a girl. Nonetheless, as an adult woman and living the life of such, I have experienced much of what genetic women experience. The small social privileges and the greater business disadvantages. Not only have I faced sexual discrimination, I know what men are saying behind my back. When a chair is held for me, I know what is going through the head of the man helping me into my seat. When I’m at a bar or a party I can recognize instantly the signs of a man who is interested in me, because I know what it feels like to be interested in a woman. And when it comes down to it, one could choose to spend their lives yearning for that which is impossible – a second chance. Or, one could try to focus on how their past gender has created a greater depth and breadth of experience. We who walk through this life as transgender do not have to drag our past behind us through the mud – rather, we can wear it, underneath and hidden, and soak in the richness. And do so with pride! Because you who read this right now are a survivor. You, my sister or brother, have survived something which is so destructive with its morbidity and mortality that it can very aptly be compared to cancer. Take ownership of your past, make your past what YOU want it to be – an experience which you carry with you and which makes you a greater spiritual being.

Since President Obama established the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in August 2012, more than 400,000 young people have received DACA benefits. For many, DACA brought welcome relief to the constant stress, anxiety and fear that often came with a life without papers. VoiceWaves interviewed four “DACAmented” youth to explore the many different ways DACA has changed the way they live their lives and the hopes they have for a better future. Ana Roman spent a late November weekend driving from her Long Beach home 45 miles east to Claremont for a conference for immigrant youth. That long trek was huge for Roman. Before she was approved for DACA, she had to undergo two impoundments of her car, for driving without a license. Life before DACA was tough. Roman was denied and fired from multiple jobs for using false identification. To better her life, Roman decided to take a risk: to drive without a license to get to and from work and school. Then things took a costly turn. Roman’s car was impounded. Twice. Car impoundments can end up costing undocumented immigrants hundreds of dollars, and sometimes even losing the car itself. For Roman, her experience with impoundments led her to determine that she would never own another vehicle for six years. But now, Roman can rest assured that an impoundment won’t happen again—at least in the next two years—because DACA now affords her a driver’s license. “It gives me the freedom to go anywhere I want… I don’t have to think about it twice,” Roman said. Roman has lived in Long Beach since she and her mother came to the U.S. from Mexico City when she was 8 years old. Today, Roman advocates for other immigrant youth and calls on organizers to challenge themselves to push the immigrant rights movement further. “Now we’re secure to go out. It’s time to speak up for our parents and families,” Roman said. Roman’s dream career is to teach social justice law as a professor. “Before DACA, I wasn’t so sure about what I was going to do with my degree,” she said. “That was pretty depressing at times.” But now, she finally has a valid social security number so she will be able to put her degree to work. “It’s nine numbers that give me freedom to give back, to do as much as I can to my fullest potential. That’s the best thing I’ve got from DACA,” said Roman. Attended Wilson and Reid High Schools Garcia always considered herself a nervous person. As an undocumented person living in the U.S., Garcia made a living babysitting and with help from her husband. Garcia recalled the panic she felt in situations where she thought her status might be discovered, such as in a job interview. “I feel like I can’t breathe, I start sweating, my cheeks get hot, my head hurts,” she said. The same panic arose when police neared her. “Are they going to ask me for my papers?” she wondered. “They usually knock on my door all the time because of problems from my neighbor… With the police, it can be intimidating.” In 1991, Garcia’s mother brought her to the states from Michoacan, Mexico when she was 8 years old, along with her younger brother. As they crossed the desert, someone yelled out “La migra (the police)!” and the group scattered. Her mother grabbed her in haste, while an accompanying stranger grabbed her brother and went in another direction. “We got separated and we didn’t know if we were going to see each other again,” said Garcia, who later reunited with her brother in the U.S. But now that Garcia has DACA status she enjoys a long-awaited peace of mind. “I have nothing to hide. It makes me feel more comfortable, more secure,” she said. Garcia has used her status to apply to other jobs to help her husband with finances. But she doesn’t have any references to give potential employers because her babysitting jobs were all “under the table.” “I didn’t get paid by checks,” she said. “I have nothing since I’ve been in this bubble.” While seventy-five percent of DACA applicants are from Mexico, a number of young immigrants from other nations also sought relief through DACA. Safir Wazed, an engineering student at CSULB, was born in Bogra, Bangladesh. He came with his parents to Long Beach when he was 7 years old, and soon after he arrived, he found himself caught in the middle of a messy immigration case. “I’m the most unusual DACA person you will meet,” he said. Wazed came to the US because his father sought better opportunities for his family. Wazed’s father had been an entrepreneur in the nation’s capital, Dhaka. But after living and working in what he called a “corrupt business culture,” he decided he had had enough. “My dad wanted a fresh start,” said Wazed. Wazed was trying to restart his life as an engineer when he found out he had lost their immigration case. His work permit and license were revoked and was no longer able to put his engineering skills to use. He struggled to go between school and his job as a tutor. Two years passed without any sign of hope. But then DACA came. With his new status, Wazed now has the support he needs to move his life forward. “Now I can get around. Now I can get a job,” said Wazed. But DACA comes short of propelling Wazed’s dreams completely. “It’s only one step and not the finish line because I can’t work for the defense companies,” he said. “I worked my ass off. I want the big bone.” Some of these big bones are Boeing, NASA, and Northrup Grumman. As Wazed prepared to intern for these goliath companies, he read their application: “It says U.S. citizenship required… back to square one,” he said. DACA beneficiaries must reapply for program eligibility every two years. But Wazed does not exactly have a backup plan in case DACA were to end. For now, he is hoping to utilize DACA to demonstrate his skills to various employers. He is hopeful they might sponsor his residency. “It’s something I avoid thinking about,” said Wazed, who has seen his privileges revoked before. “It’s just stressful if you think about any of this.” Health Coach for Nonprofit Studied Film and Electronic Media & Sociology at CSULB Seven years is how long “Diaz” worked in retail with someone else’s social security number to payoff tuition at CSULB. He now has a valid work permit and has been working for a nonprofit since he got DACAmented last year. Originally from Irapuato, Guanajuato, Diaz and his family came to the U.S. when he was 3. His parents wanted him to be raised with the education standards here in the states. After graduating from CSULB with a degree in Film and minor in Sociology, Diaz was granted DACA status. “It seems like everything is different. My whole identity has shifted,” he said. Diaz now works as a health coach in the Bay Area, assisting area low-income and undocumented patients with chronic illness. “I’m helping them get on track,” he said. The success of his big move, he said, is thanks to DACA. “Being able to drive is a complete godsend,” said Diaz, who has had his car impounded multiple times. “I looked more at my rearview mirror more than the front of the road whenever I drove, all the time just looking for cops,” he said. That’s in contrast to life today with DACA status, working for a nonprofit, and driving with a license. “I couldn’t tell you the euphoria,” he said. “Just to be able to say ‘Here officer, here’s my license or here’s my social security number to apply,’ that changes everything,” he said. Now Diaz is looking to pursue his ideal career goal, to start a community nonprofit to empower youth of color. This of course depends on whether DACA stays intact. “I want to use my experience with film and passion with film to do that and get kids interested in their own sense of wonder,” he said. Despite the new privileges and the new hope for his career dream, there are still things that keep Diaz up at night. Now he laments not being able to seize chances to build his career as his peers did in college. “Getting DACA felt like I was time-travelling to being 17 again,” he explained. “I missed out on all that. I couldn’t do so many different things because I was undocumented, because I couldn’t legally do it…I have a lot of catching up to do.”

Checking the Numbers Over the last several decades, with the platoon effect becoming more widely understood and exploitable, a flood of pitchers with otherwise weak skills in the broad strokes have found employment in the major leagues. No aspect of the sport has undergone as thoroughgoing a transformation as bullpen usage, and while the idea of a structured relief corps may in fact be inefficient in terms of roster management, it has certainly paved the way for the rise to prominence of a number specialist relievers. Those referred to as LOOGYs-courtesy of John Sickels, who coined the catch-all term for Lefty One-Out GuYs-comprise the vast majority of this new group, entering into the latter stages of a game to try to face a same-handed hitter or two. Pitchers assigned to the role generally dominate lefty batters; approximately three-quarters of the pitches that a batter will see over the course of a season are thrown by right-handers, and a pitch delivered from a southpaw to a left-handed batter can be thrown from a more deceptive angle, altering the perception of the hitter. Since these specialists meet and greet so few batters per appearance, evaluating their performances can be very tricky. As is, the stats for relief pitchers tend to be unreliable as stable summations of skill due to smaller innings totals; this only gets worse with LOOGYs, who accrue even less playing time. It's very common to see a specialist experience a large disconnect in his appearances and his innings pitched totals, logging, for example, only 40 Unfortunately, such research proves to be meaningless because of its lack of context, which is key in any study or evaluation, but is often ignored as confirmation biases reign supreme and proper evidence which contradicts a previously determined point may be dismissed. The single-season home-run record of 73, set by Barry Bonds in 2001, becomes significant only when compared to all other seasonal totals. Without knowing about previous records, or the context in which the figure matters, his home-run total becomes nothing more than an ambiguous data point. The stats-related misstep of leaving context by the wayside occurs far too frequently, and can happen even more when evaluating LOOGYs. To begin rectifying this issue, we must first define specialist relievers for the purpose of our database classification. One of the tables in my database contains a row for every game from each pitcher-season. I queried this table to count the number of times that a pitcher faced a maximum of three hitters in an appearance, and the number of total games for each season. Simple division, with the specialist count as the numerator, provided the percentage of total appearances in which a pitcher, well... specialized. Anyone with a specialist percentage south of fifty percent was removed, so for the sake of this study, a pitcher is considered to be a specialist if he saw three or fewer hitters in at least half of his appearances. The cutoff point can be debated, but it's far from arbitrary, as certain pitchers may not serve in the role all season long, while others may take on two jobs during the season, simultaneously serving as mop-up men. Since the goal here involves evaluating LOOGYs and placing their numbers in the proper context, all right-handed pitchers were also removed from the table. Before delving deeper into the data, here is a breakdown of the specialist percentages relative to all games pitched, be they starts or relief appearances, going back to 1955: Span SpecGP Spec% 1955-59 3,811 13.5 1960-64 5,656 15.1 1965-69 6,922 16.0 1970-74 7,450 15.7 1975-79 7,066 14.2 1980-84 7,881 15.3 1985-89 10,072 17.1 1990-94 12,946 22.4 1995-99 19,860 25.0 2000-04 23,568 26.6 2005-08 21,750 28.9 Here is a graph displaying the trend over time. Note that specialists appeared in their lowest percentage (in the Retrosheet Era) from 1955-59, but they also experienced a drop-off from 1975-79, before seeing their opportunities increase in each subsequent span. The biggest jump occurred right around the time that Nirvana and Pearl Jam burst onto the scene in the early '90s. Percentage increases in this area are still being observed, making it clear that managers have bought into the LOOGY strategy. How did these pitchers fare against same-handed hitters? Once the lefties meeting the specialist-percentage benchmark were pooled together, a separate table was created that consisted of their results against each lefty batter faced during their specialized seasons. This is important to keep in mind, in that specific pitcher-seasons are of interest here, not their entire careers. The reasoning for breaking each pitcher-season down by hitter will make more sense presently, but the idea deals specifically with context-based evaluations, primarily since LOOGYs should not be compared to themselves or evaluated using our own uninformed theories. Rather, these specialists must be compared to the rest of the league. Take, for instance, former Giants reliever Jack Taschner, who now earns his keep as a member of the Phillies' bullpen. When the defending champs acquired his services to replace the suspended J.C. Romero, some Phillies fans, myself included, questioned the validity of the move given that lefties hit .279/.339/.394 against the southpaw last season. His Raw EqA (REqA), sans stolen-base components, hovered around the .765 mark against same-handed hitters. Without context, these numbers lack meaning, and they tend to become skewed when personal biases or ideas are factored into the mix. Since a .279/.339/.394 line doesn't exactly imply dominance, some felt that the Phillies should have looked elsewhere. What really needed to be asked was how Taschner's line compared to the rest of the league, making the methodology here quite clear: take all of the batters faced by a specialist in a particular season, and calculate the numbers for non-specialist pitchers against the very same batters. This sort of matched-pair analysis aids in placing specialist performance in the proper context. If a specialist allowed lefties to hit .270/.335/.440, but those same hitters boasted a collective .300/.380/.520 line against all non-specialists, then the LOOGY essentially accomplished his goal by being more effective than the league as a whole. His numbers against may lack sizzling dominance, but they indicate a solid performance that would not necessarily be understood by merely eyeing a seasonal-splits page. The following table shows the slash lines and non-SB Raw EqA for LOOGYs against same-handed hitters, from 1999-2008: Specialists Year PA Avg/ OBP/ SLG REqA 1999 2307 .237/.322/.373 .723 2000 1684 .225/.306/.358 .698 2001 2756 .238/.306/.380 .711 2002 2892 .220/.292/.353 .672 2003 2729 .234/.301/.353 .679 2004 2388 .241/.312/.381 .718 2005 2939 .233/.304/.361 .691 2006 2833 .235/.307/.371 .703 2007 3437 .233/.307/.336 .675 2008 3162 .215/.285/.333 .648 And here is the data for all non-specialists against those same left-handed hitters, separated by pitcher-handedness: Non-Specialist LHPs Year PA Avg/ OBP/ SLG REqA 1999 9616 .266/.340/.417 .775 2000 10360 .268/.341/.418 .777 2001 10622 .266/.336/.422 .775 2002 11837 .252/.322/.403 .743 2003 13029 .255/.320/.395 .734 2004 13022 .259/.327/.405 .752 2005 12470 .254/.318/.387 .726 2006 12096 .252/.320/.401 .739 2007 13086 .253/.321/.392 .734 2008 14719 .250/.315/.387 .722 Non-Specialist RHPs Year PA Avg/ OBP/ SLG REqA 1999 44395 .285/.353/.468 .834 2000 46289 .280/.351/.469 .834 2001 45093 .276/.340/.463 .817 2002 45460 .276/.342/.452 .810 2003 42180 .277/.341/.454 .810 2004 43488 .276/.342/.458 .815 2005 42942 .275/.336/.446 .797 2006 40425 .282/.344/.465 .824 2007 41610 .276/.339/.452 .807 2008 45397 .272/.336/.444 .796 Perhaps this data may be easier to interpret in graphic form: Non-specialist southpaws clearly performed better against same-handed hitters than their right-handed counterparts, relative to the same batters faced by specialists. This makes sense, and is confirmed by the very basis of the platoon effect. A lefty specialist should not be considered successful in a given season for performing better against a group of hitters than a non-specialist righty, or for falling in line with non-specialist lefties. They will only be considered dominant against same-handed hitters when their numbers prove to be better than those of non-specialist southpaws. Getting back to Taschner, we now have some context when referring to his .279/.339/.394 line, since the non-specialist lefties allowed .250/.315/.387 against the same hitters that he faced. Taschner's REqA of ˜.765 was actually much worse than the .722 posted by the non-specialist lefties, confirming the opinions gathered at the time of the trade, but arriving at the conclusion in a more statistically accurate manner. On the whole, LOOGYs bested non-specialist lefties in each of the ten seasons of interest here: Non-Special LOOGY Year LHP REqA REqA Diff 1999 .775 .723 .052 2000 .777 .698 .079 2001 .775 .711 .064 2002 .743 .672 .071 2003 .734 .679 .055 2004 .752 .718 .034 2005 .726 .691 .035 2006 .739 .703 .036 2007 .734 .675 .059 2008 .722 .648 .074 The 2004-06 seasons are intriguing, as the differences in REqA dropped significantly. In 2004, LOOGYs posted their second-highest REqA; however, in 2005-06, the non-specialists simply performed much better against the very same hitters. Who were some of the best in this span? Some of the worst? Here are the top five and bottom five LOOGY seasons from 1999-2008: Best Year Avg/ OBP/ SLG REqA J.C. Romero 2008 .102/.189/.193 .392 Damaso Marte 2007 .094/.227/.125 .407 Mike Myers 2000 .120/.198/.207 .431 Arthur Rhodes 2002 .158/.177/.242 .436 Mike Myers 2005 .158/.198/.211 .436 Worst Year Avg/ OBP/ SLG REqA Jim Poole 2000 .448/.438/.897 1.328 John Rocker 2002 .364/.488/.758 1.190 Matt Perisho 2005 .346/.500/.615 1.092 Troy Brohawn 2001 .386/.476/.600 1.055 Scott Forster 2000 .289/.448/.622 1.042 Structured bullpens and specialist relievers aren't going anywhere, not unless Nolan Ryan magically clones himself and manages to both infiltrate and take over the remaining 29 franchises (and yes, I have already begun work on the screenplay for this film, hoping that Kurtwood Smith will play the lead role). With all of this in mind, I must again stress the importance of context. Whether you're evaluating home/road splits, platoon splits, monthly splits, or any other split, comparing a player to himself is an inaccurate route to take even if, in the end, the correct route confirms the predetermined opinion. When a team acquires a specialist, don't automatically form an opinion based on his career splits against a certain-handed batter without first finding out how those numbers compare to the rest of the league. As the data here indicates, some LOOGYs look worse than they actually are when lacking context, and some can actually look better when the numbers of non-specialist lefties are ignored. Regardless, the message is clear: context is key, and should be incorporated into the statistical repertoires of every interested fan and every analysis involving splits.

A list of important design tips from Sign Dynamics for creating clean, eye-popping, highly visible sign graphics. Signs are one of the most efficient and effective means of communication. Signs help people find you; they reach people who are passing by your establishment; they present an image of your business. In short, signs tell people who you are and what you are selling. A sign is the most direct form of visual communication available. SIGN DYNAMICS REQUIREMENTS FOR A PROPER SIGN: - A sign must be noticeable. - A sign should have a clean and simple, but brief message. - A sign must be readable. Review the letter visibility chart below for more details. - Maximum Distance in color would be RED or BLACK on WHITE Background, 5,280′ equals 1 mile. (For maximum Impact) Maximum Distance in color would be RED or BLACK on WHITE Background, 5,280′ equals 1 mile. - A sign must be legible, well designed and easy to read. Pantone Matching System (PMS) - A sign should use contrasting color combinations. - Lettering Tips Use simple block fonts when creating signs that need to be readable from a distance. A more stylish font may be harder to read and required to be set at a larger size. You should never set a script or cursive font in all capitals, the results will be very hard to read. - A sign should use no more than two different fonts. There are over 3,000 fonts available, but only a handful are usually used over and over in the sign business. Use a size and boldness to create diversity and interest. The most popular fonts utilized for sign designs are:

Why do I need a nondestructive examination? Nondestructive Examination (NDE) is a process whereby expertly trained technicians evaluate, examine, and report on any imperfections or defects relating to resource extraction frameworks, building structures, pipelines, and equipment non-invasively. This process takes many different forms, and requires proper execution with technology that can find areas of weakness before they become problems or failures. At 20/20 NDT, our mission is to provide our clients with peace of mind through digital reports that contain all the imperative information you need to address and correct any issues that could impact your components and equipment. Even a minor leak in a pipeline can result in massive losses for the business, so finding these weak points or areas of concern allows you to focus on the important aspects of oil and gas field management and oversight. For other industries, NDE will provide a gauge on the wear of your equipment, ensuring your knowledge of when and where failure is likely, as well as your compliance with safety regulations and standards. The technology employed at 20/20 NDT allows for nondestructive examinations of a range of equipment. Find corrosion, weak fabrication welds, erosion, thinning pipe walls, or other potential risks to your operation. The day after inspection, you will receive a report that clearly identifies progress-halting production issues before they could derail a project or operation. The report will reveal more detailed information about the nature of a defect, such as its size, shape, orientation, and location, providing you the opportunity to correct any problems that have gone unnoticed. What is nondestructive examination? It is a way to examine mission critical equipment and structures that play a key role in the daily operations of resource extraction business and industries without damaging or effecting the equipment or structures being analyzed. In order to perform nondestructive examinations, 20/20 NDT uses a combination of x-ray radiation inspection, acoustic analysis, magnetic particle testing, and dye penetration tests. By combining these options together, we are able to provide an easy to understand report with the exact state of your framework and structures, keeping productivity up and costly repairs down. Preventative maintenance will resolve any potential issues the report uncovers, protecting your equipment longer, and keeping the operation ongoing. Pipeline leaks are costly and can result in major losses of product or expensive cleanup procedures. Having your equipment inspected with nondestructive testing techniques will ensure the integrity of structures, pipelines, infrastructure, and other equipment that cannot afford defects. Stay ahead of the problems, and know the current state of all involved components that bear the weight of your industry. Highly-trained professionals will make use of the appropriate equipment to test and examine your assets, providing an essential report for the upkeep and maintenance of your operation.

A teaching method comprises the principles and methods used by teachers to enable student learning. These strategies are determined partly on subject matter to be taught and partly by the nature of the learner. For a particular teaching method to be appropriate and efficient it has to be in relation with the characteristic of the learner and the type of learning it is supposed to bring about. Suggestions are there to design and selection of teaching methods must take into account not only the nature of the subject matter but also how students learn. In today’s school the trend is that it encourages a lot of creativity. It is a known fact that human advancement comes through reasoning. This reasoning and original thought enhances creativity. The approaches for teaching can be broadly classified into teacher centered and student centered. In Teacher-Centered Approach to Learning, Teachers are the main authority figure in this model. Students are viewed as “empty vessels” whose primary role is to passively receive information (via lectures and direct instruction) with an end goal of testing and assessment. It is the primary role of teachers to pass knowledge and information onto their students. In this model, teaching and assessment are viewed as two separate entities. Student learning is measured through objectively scored tests and assessments. In Student-Centered Approach to Learning, while teachers are an authority figure in this model, teachers and students play an equally active role in the learning process. The teacher’s primary role is to coach and facilitate student learning and overall comprehension of material. Student learning is measured through both formal and informal forms of assessment, including group projects, student portfolios, and class participation. Teaching and assessments are connected; student learning is continuously measured during teacher instruction. Commonly used teaching methods may include class participation, demonstration, recitation, memorization, or combinations of these. Howard Gardner identified a wide range of modalities in his Multiple Intelligences theories. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Keirsey Temperament Sorter, based on the works of Jung, focus on understanding how people's personality affects the way they interact personally, and how this affects the way individuals respond to each other within the learning environment. The lecture method is just one of several teaching methods, though in schools it’s usually considered the primary one. The lecture method is convenient for the institution and cost-efficient, especially with larger classroom sizes. This is why lecturing is the standard for most college courses, when there can be several hundred students in the classroom at once; lecturing lets professors address the most people at once, in the most general manner, while still conveying the information that he or she feels is most important, according to the lesson plan. While the lecture method gives the instructor or teacher chances to expose students to unpublished or not readily available material, the students plays a passive role which may hinder learning. While this method facilitates large-class communication, the lecturer must make constant and conscious effort to become aware of student problems and engage the students to give verbal feedback. It can be used to arouse interest in a subject provided the instructor has effective writing and speaking skills. Demonstrating is the process of teaching through examples or experiments. For example, a science teacher may teach an idea by performing an experiment for students. A demonstration may be used to prove a fact through a combination of visual evidence and associated reasoning. Demonstrations are similar to written storytelling and examples in that they allow students to personally relate to the presented information. Memorization of a list of facts is a detached and impersonal experience, whereas the same information, conveyed through demonstration, becomes personally relatable. Demonstrations help to raise student interest and reinforce memory retention because they provide connections between facts and real-world applications of those facts. Lectures, on the other hand, are often geared more towards factual presentation than connective learning. Collaboration allows students to actively participate in the learning process by talking with each other and listening to others opinions. Collaboration establishes a personal connection between students and the topic of study and it helps students think in a less personally biased way. Group projects and discussions are examples of this teaching method. Teachers may employ collaboration to assess student's abilities to work as a team, leadership skills, or presentation abilities. Collaborative discussions can take a variety of forms, such as fishbowl discussions. After some preparation and with clearly defined roles, a discussion may constitute most of a lesson, with the teacher only giving short feedback at the end or in the following lesson. The most common type of collaborative method of teaching in a class is classroom discussion. It is the also a democratic way of handling a class, where each student is given equal opportunity to interact and put forth their views. A discussion taking place in a classroom can be either facilitated by a teacher or by a student. A discussion could also follow a presentation or a demonstration. Class discussions can enhance student understanding, add context to academic content, broaden student perspectives, highlight opposing viewpoints, reinforce knowledge, build confidence, and support community in learning. The opportunities for meaningful and engaging in-class discussion may vary widely, depending on the subject matter and format of the course. Motivations for holding planned classroom discussion, however, remain consistent. An effective classroom discussion can be achieved by probing more questions among the students, paraphrasing the information received, using questions to develop critical thinking with questions like "Can we take this one step further?;" "What solutions do you think might solve this problem?;" "How does this relate to what we have learned about..?;" "What are the differences between ... ?;" "How does this relate to your own experience?;" "What do you think causes .... ?;" "What are the implications of .... ?" It is clear from “the impact of teaching strategies on learning strategies in first-year higher education cannot be overlooked nor over interpreted, due to the importance of students' personality and academic motivation which also partly explain why students learn the way they do” that Donche agrees with the previous points made in the above headings but he also believes that student's personalities contribute to their learning style. The term “debriefing” refers to conversational sessions that revolve around the sharing and examining of information after a specific event has taken place. Depending on the situation, debriefing can serve a variety of purposes. It takes into consideration the experiences and facilitates reflection and feedback. Debriefing may involve feedback to the students or among the students, but this is not the intent. The intent is to allow the students to "thaw" and to judge their experience and progress toward change or transformation. The intent is to help them come to terms with their experience. This process involves a cognizance of cycle that students may have to be guided to completely debrief. Teachers should not be overly critical of relapses in behaviour. Once the experience is completely integrated, the students will exit this cycle and get on with the next. Classroom Action Research Classroom Action Research is a method of finding out what works best in your own classroom so that you can improve student learning. We know a great deal about good teaching in general (e.g. McKeachie, 1999; Chickering and Gamson, 1987; Weimer, 1996), but every teaching situation is unique in terms of content, level, student skills and learning styles, teacher skills and teaching styles, and many other factors. To maximize student learning, a teacher must find out what works best in a particular situation. Each teaching and research method, model and family is essential to the practice of technology studies. Teachers have their strengths and weaknesses, and adopt particular models to complement strengths and contradict weaknesses. Here, the teacher is well aware of the type of knowledge to be constructed. At other times, teachers equip their students with a research method to challenge them to construct new meanings and knowledge. In schools, the research methods are simplified, allowing the students to access the methods at their own levels. Evolution of teaching methods About 3000 BC, with the advent of writing, education became more conscious or self-reflecting, with specialized occupations such as scribe and astronomer requiring particular skills and knowledge. Philosophy in ancient Greece led to questions of educational method entering national discourse. In his literary work The Republic, Plato described a system of instruction that he felt would lead to an ideal state. In his dialogues, Plato described the Socratic method, a form of inquiry and debate intended to stimulate critical thinking and illuminate ideas. Comenius, in Bohemia, wanted all children to learn. In his The World in Pictures, he created an illustrated textbook of things children would be familiar with in everyday life and used it to teach children. Rabelais described how the student Gargantua learned about the world, and what is in it. Much later, Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his Emile, presented methodology to teach children the elements of science and other subjects. During Napoleonic warfare, the teaching methodology of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi of Switzerland enabled refugee children, of a class believed to be unteachable[by whom?], to learn. He described this in his account of an educational experiment at Stanz. 19th century - compulsory education The Prussian education system was a system of mandatory education dating to the early 19th century. Parts of the Prussian education system have served as models for the education systems in a number of other countries, including Japan and the United States. The Prussian model required classroom management skills to be incorporated into the teaching process. Newer teaching methods may incorporate television, radio, internet, multi media, and other modern devices. Some educators[who?] believe that the use of technology, while facilitating learning to some degree, is not a substitute for educational methods that encourage critical thinking and a desire to learn. Inquiry learning is another modern teaching method. A popular teaching method that is being used by a vast majority of teachers is hands on activities. Hands-on activities are activities that require movement, talking, and listening, it activates multiple areas of the brain. "The more parts of your brain you use, the more likely you are to retain information," says Judy Dodge, author of 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom (Scholastic, 2009). - Active learning - Business game - Case method - Design-based learning - Educational psychology - Educational philosophy - Effective schools - Example Choice - Experiential learning - Lesson plan - Passive learning - Phenomenon-based learning

“Pay a TV licence to watch the telly?!” – For old folk, the answer to that question is obvious, but ask a teenager or a young student today, someone who primarily watches TV (or even just YouTube) on his phone, and he won’t understand this weird need to pay for the privilege. As Cord Cutters, TV licensing raises some interesting questions. We’re looking to ditch the cable bill, and only watch the specific things we want to watch, on demand. Will that clash with a TV licence? The TV licence is a tax used to fund the BBC. It is collected by the BBC (mainly through outsourced companies), and there are penalties of up to £1,000 if you fail to pay. In the past, cord cutters who never watched live TV were exempt – but due to a recent change in the law, people who only watch BBC iPlayer also have to pay. Who Needs To Pay A TV Licence – And How Do I Pay? There are two main questions to ask yourself, when you’re determining whether you need to pay the licence fee or not: - Are you watching ANY live TV on ANY device? - Are you watching BBC iPlayer on ANY device? If the answer is YES either one of those, then in most cases, yes, you need to pay a TV licence. Do note that the LIVE TV part refers to ANY live TV, not just the BBC channels. itv, Channel 4, Channel 5… anything that is being broadcast right now, in real time, falls into that category. Also note that RECORDING live TV also falls into this category. I’m assuming none of you are still using VCRs, but many Smart TVs, Freeview recorders, streamers, and TiVo-like boxes come with the option to record live TV. So if you record something live and then watch that content later – you still need a TV licence. However, this does NOT include watching programmes on catch-up apps and websites, such as the itv Hub, 4 On Demand, etc’ – if you only watch their programmes on these catch-up services (or as box-sets), you do not need a TV licence. But wait! There’s the iPlayer thing… The second question, relating to BBC iPlayer, is a new addition to the TV Licensing rules that came into effect on September, 2016. Up until then, there was an iPlayer “loophole”, where watching BBC programmes via iPlayer (the app, or directly on the website), did NOT require a licence. Well, that has changed – now, any type of watching you do with iPlayer, DOES require a TV licence – whether you stream it, or download from iPlayer for later viewing. (To add some confusion to the mix, if you buy programmes on the online BBC store, you do NOT need a TV licence. The new rules only apply to iPlayer, and, of course, Live TV). How to Pay: The easiest way to pay the TV licence fee, is via the TV Licensing website, where you can set up a direct debit and other forms of payment. You can also pay via the TV Licence Phone Number: 0300 790 0368 for Direct Debit customers, or 0300 555 0286 for Payment Card customers. Basically, if you answered the two earlier questions with a NO, then you most likely don’t need to pay. So if you… - Watch Netflix / Amazon Prime Instant Video - Watch NOW TV (note, however, that NOW TV also has a LIVE channels feature – which WILL require a TV licence) - Watch DVD/Blu-Ray content - Watch YouTube In all these cases, you would NOT need a TV licence. In addition, people over the age of 75, are also exempt from a TV licence. And if you or someone you live with is blind or severely sight-impaired, you only pay %50 of the TV licence. The bottom line for cord cutters: If you ditch cable TV and base your viewing around Netflix, Amazon, etc’, then just make sure you NEVER watch anything on iPlayer, AND never watch anything on Freeview/Freesat (or via some of the Live TV apps such as “TV Player”), and then you can avoid the licence fee. Giving Notification: If indeed you don’t need to pay the TV licence fee, you should notify “TV Licensing”, the body charged with collecting the money. You’re not REQUIRED to notify them, but if you do, they’re supposed to stop sending you angry letters urging you to pay. How Will The BBC Know If I’m Watching Live TV And iPlayer? This is one of the most controversial issues around TV licences, and the BBC usually remain intentionally obscure about the detection methods, as to noא reveal their hand to would-be TV licence evaders. There are, however, some things we do know. First, if they suspect you need to pay a TV Licence but you’re not paying, they might send enquiry officers to visit your house. You’re not required by law to let them in, but if you don’t they might come back with a search warrant. In addition, over the years TV Licensing have claimed to have sophisticated “detection” equipment, such as vans and handheld devices that, when in proximity to your house, can supposedly detect that you’re watching live TV. When it comes to the new iPlayer rules, things get even more complicated. According to a report by The Telegraph last year, TV Licensing were supposedly using “spy vans” that could “sniff” your WiFi data, and detect patterns connected with iPlayer, hence confirming that you’re watching it. These alleged “spy vans” were understandably the cause of an outrage, with people fearing an invasion of privacy. The BBC were quick to issue a statement, claiming that the information about these detection techniques is “inaccurate”: “It is wrong to suggest that our technology involves capturing data from private WiFi networks” Statement in response to reports about TV Licensing and watching BBC iPlayer pic.twitter.com/zgpXPTeGun — BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) August 7, 2016 Journalist and blogger Adam Banks, however, suggests in a lengthy post that these so-called “detection vans” are mostly smoke and mirrors, aimed at scaring the public into THINKING that the BBC has these magical detection technologies. “The BBC’s wall of silence was accidentally breached in 2015, when it released a performance report that recorded just 116 detection requests across the UK in the whole preceding year. If detection vans really had been ‘fanning out’ across the country, they’d been driving around either conducting large-scale illegal surveillance operations or doing absolutely nothing except at those 116 addresses – assuming all 116 requests were approved by the relevant senior BBC officials.” Still, if you need to pay a TV Licence, you should – and it doesn’t matter how good the detection techniques are (or aren’t). It’s the law, and 200,000 people were prosecuted in a year for allegedly evading the TV licence – why risk criminal prosecution and a hefty fine? Can I watch iPlayer abroad? Theoretically speaking, your licence covers you abroad as well. In practice, iPlayer cannot be used for streaming outside the UK at this point. You can, however, use it to download programmes to your smartphone or computer, and you’re then able to watch them anywhere – within 30 days. What if I move in with someone who already has a licence? If you’re moving in with either your spouse, partner or family member, or any type of joint tenancy or joint mortgage holder, then one licence is enough for the both of you. If you already had a TV licence in your previous address, you can cancel it – and ask for a refund over your remaining months. I’m a student - do I need a TV licence? In general, yes. However, according to the TV Licensing website, if your parents already have a TV licence, you don’t have to pay, as long as you – “Only ever use devices that are powered solely by their own internal batteries, and aren’t plugged into an aerial or the mains.” That means you can watch iPlayer or live TV on your smartphone or tablet, as long as it’s not connected to the socket while you’re watching. If, however, you’re watching on a telly, or on a plugged-in desktop computer – you will need your own licence. Read more information about students on the TV Licensing website. I watch live TV from other countries. Surely, I don’t need a TV licence for that? Sorry, but you do. Even if you’re watching live TV from a different continent, via the internet or a satellite, the law refers to ANY “live” TV – it doesn’t matter where the feed is coming from. So as strange as that sounds, you would need a licence even if you watch live foreign TV. Does my licence cover watching TV outside? Yes, you can watch iPlayer or live TV on your smartphone or tablet, anywhere, as long as it’s not connected to the mains or an aerial. That means you can watch on the tube, and you can take your laptop with you to that holiday cabin and watch – as long as you don’t PLUG IT IN while watching. I bought live Pay Per View content, do I need a licence for that? In some cases – yes. If you buy/rent a movie off a watch-on-demand VOD service (like the Amazon Store), then no. But if you’re buying the right to watch a movie or a sporting event as it’s being broadcast LIVE, then in effect you’re watching live TV, even though you’ve paid for it separately. So you would need a TV licence as well. I’m moving and my address will change. Do I need to notify anyone? Your TV licence can move with you, but you have to update your details on the TV Licensing website.

In many cases these swales are dry except for when a significant rain occurs. |Willows at the bottom. Brome grass up the side. One indicative of standing water, the other of drought stress.| |Typically, swales are fenced because they are steep sided and constitute an "attractive nuisance".| |This is a photo looking diagonally across the bottom of a swale. The bottom of this one is normally dry.| |This one has a wet bottom.| |From May Theilgaard Watts, Reading the Landscape of America. Changes in moisture retention and the thinning surface duff causes a change in the climax community as one approaches the lip of a canyon.| The east-facing slopes will be sheltered from the direct wind and will be kissed by the gentle morning sun. They will have plant communities reminiscent of places 400 miles to the East. So it is with swales: An opportunity to create four unique ecosystems that are disjunct communities that encompass +/- 400 miles in any direction....all within a few hundred yards of each other. But that is not all Depending on the bottom, it may be a great way to create islands of genetic diversity of less common floodplain plants.

The Fundamental Attribution Error is a concept derived from the field of social psychology. We are all guilty for committing this error. As an example, try to think of a time that someone cut you off in traffic, or didn’t use their signal, or pulled out in front of you. Or maybe that time the wait staff at your favorite restaurant wasn’t quite nice. You were probably angry, frustrated and would have loved the opportunity to give that driver or waiter a piece of your mind. The fundamental attribution error has to do with the fact that people tend to overly attribute behaviors to someone else’s traits and attitudes. That person that cut you off in traffic – they’re a terrible driver and should have their license revoked. That waitress that was miserable – she should be fired, someone who doesn’t like interacting with people shouldn’t have a service job! These very common thoughts are what the fundamental attribution error is all about – and that’s where the error itself lies – many of these people may just be having a bad day, or maybe they forgot to put on their turn signal because they had a long day at work, or maybe they cut you off in traffic simply because they didn’t see you. An example of empirical data supporting the Fundamental Attribution Error comes from research using speeches. Each speech was either in support of or against Fidel Castro and his regime, and student raters were told that the writer of the speech either chose their position, or were given a position to defend. You have to remember that it was the early '70s, so the U.S.’s disdain for Cuba was at an all-time high. When participants were told that the speech writer chose the topic, they would rate the speech writer as pro-Castro if the speech supported Castro, and as anti-Castro if the speech was against the dictator. When participants were instead told that the speech writer had no choice on their position, everyone, regardless of the speech writer’s position, was rated neutrally. This demonstrates how context can influence our assignment of dispositions to other individuals. So next time you get cut off in traffic or have crabby wait staff be sure that you remember the Fundamental Attribution Error. Chances are they were just having a bad day.

I am a historian of science and a PhD student in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University College London. I studied History and Philosophy as an undergraduate at North Carolina State University, and studied History and Philosophy of Science as a graduate student at Florida State University. I am trained in Paleontology through education and experience and worked as the Paleontology Technician for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. For my PhD project, I am writing a history of ancient DNA research. Ancient DNA research - the search for genetic material in ancient and extinct organisms - is a contemporary, interdisciplinary, and controversial set of technological and scientific practices. It emerged from the interface of paleontology, archeology, and molecular biology in the 1980s. For this work, my research question is: "How has ancient DNA research evolved from an emergent into an established technological and scientific practice?" To answer this question, my research method is oral history through interviews with ancient DNA and related researchers. I use scientists' stories to help write my story of the history of ancient DNA research.

Magpies have lived in close association with humans for centuries. They are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and are a common bird of tales and superstitions. How to Identify Magpies Magpies are members of the corvid family, which also includes ravens, crows and jays. It is easy to identify magpies from other birds by their size and striking black and white color pattern. They have unusually long tails (at least half of their body length) and short, rounded wings. The feathers of the tail and wings are iridescent, reflecting a bronzy-green to purple. They have white bellies and shoulder patches and their wings flash white in flight. Like other corvids, they are very vocal, even boisterous. Typical calls include a whining " maag " and a series of loud, harsh "chuck" notes. Where magpies are not harassed, they can be extremely bold. If hunted or harassed, though, they become elusive and secretive. Two distinct species are found in North America, the black-billed and yellow-billed magpies. It is easy to identify magpies by bill color, as their names imply, and by geographic location. Black-billed magpies average 19 inches (47 cm) in length and 1/2 pound (225 g) in weight. They have black beaks and no eye patches. Yellow-billed magpies are somewhat smaller (17 inches [42 cm]) and weigh slightly less than 1/2 pound (225 g). Their bills and bare skin patches behind their eyes are bright yellow. Magpie Range and Habitat Magpies are found in western North America. Ranges of the two species do not overlap. Black-billed magpies are found from coastal and central Alaska to Saskatchewan, south to Texas, and west to central California, east of the Sierra-Cascade range. They migrate in winter to lower elevations, and in northern parts of their range, south to areas within their breeding range. Occasionally they wander to areas further east and south of their normal range. Yellow-billed magpies are residents of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys of central California and range south to Santa Barbara County. They do not wander outside of their normal range as often as black-billed magpies, but they have been found in extreme northern California. Magpies are associated with the dry, cool climatic regions of North America. They are typically found close to water in relatively open areas with scattered trees and thickets. The black-billed magpie inhabits foothills, ranch and farm shelterbelts, sagebrush, streamside thickets, parks, and in Alaska, coastal areas. The yellow-billed magpie inhabits farmlands, stream groves and areas with scattered oaks or tall trees. Magpies, like other corvids , are intelligent birds. They learn quickly and seem to sense danger. They are boisterous and curious, but shy and secretive in the presence of danger. They mimic calls of other birds and can learn to imitate some human words. They have readily adapted to the presence of humans and have taken advantage of new food sources provided. Magpies are gregarious and form loose flocks throughout the year. Pairs stay together yearlong, but mates are replaced rapidly if one is lost. Nest building typically begins in early March for black-billed magpies and earlier for yellow-billed magpies. Black-billed magpies build large nests, sometimes 48 inches (125 cm) high by 40 inches (100 cm) wide, made of sticks in low bushes or in trees usually within 25 feet (7.5 m) from the ground. The nest chamber is a cup lined with grass and mud, and normally enclosed by a canopy of sticks. Two entrances are common. Yellow-billed magpies build similar nests, but theirs often resemble mistletoe clumps, which are common in trees where they nest. Magpie nests are usually found in small colonies. Magpies nest once a year, but will re-nest if their first attempt fails. Other species of birds and mammals often use magpie nests after they have been abandoned. Black-billed magpies lay 6 to 9 eggs, whereas yellow-billed magpies lay 5 to 8. Incubation normally starts in April, except further north where it may begin as late as mid-June. The incubation period is 16 to 18 days and young are able to fly 3 to 4 weeks after hatching. Magpies are not swift fliers. They elude predators and danger by flitting in and out of trees or diving into heavy cover. They usually stay near cover, but often forage in open areas on the ground. Like other corvids, magpies walk with a strut and hop quickly when rushed. How to Identify Magpie Damage Magpies cause a variety of problems, especially where their numbers are high. Most problems occur in localized areas where loose colonies have concentrated in close proximity to humans. Magpies can cause substantial damage locally to crops such as almonds, cherries, corn, walnuts, melons, grapes, peaches, wheat, figs and milo . Their damage is greatest in areas where insects and wild mast are relatively unavailable. Magpies are often found near livestock where they feed on dung-and carrion-associated insects. They also forage for ticks and other insects on the backs of domestic animals. Perhaps the most notorious magpie behavior is the picking of open wounds and scabs on the backs of livestock. If they find an open wound, such as that from a new brand, they may pick at it until they create a much larger wound. The wound may eventually become infected and, in some instances, may kill the animal. Magpies, like ravens, may peck the eyes out of newborn or sick livestock. Magpies rob wild bird and poultry nests of eggs and hatchlings. Typically, that does not affect wild bird populations except in local areas where limited habitat makes nests easy to find. They can be very destructive to poultry, however, especially during the nesting season when magpie parents are gathering food for their young. Magpie roosts can be a nuisance because of excessive noise and the odor associated with droppings. During winter, magpies may congregate in loose colonies and form nightly roosts of hundreds after they have migrated southward and to lower elevations. They typically roost in dense thickets or trees. Magpie Legal Status Magpies are protected as migratory non-game birds under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Under the Federal Codes of Regulation (CFR 50, 21.43) it is stated, however, that "a Federal permit shall not be required to control . . . magpies, when found committing or about to commit depredations upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in such numbers as to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance. . . ." Most state or local regulations are similar, but consult authorities before taking any magpies. If you think you have a magpie problem it is best to contact your local Animal Removal Pros magpie removal specialist to determine the proper and legal method to get rid of magpies. Our experts are trained to identify magpie problems and magpie damage. Animal Removal Pros professionals can affectively get rid of magpies through magpie removal services such as magpie trapping. Magpie Damage Prevention and Control Methods Keep young poultry, poultry nests, and vulnerable livestock in covered fenced pens. Netting can be used to protect small areas and valuable crops. MAGPIE HABITAT MODIFICATION Remove nests of offending magpies that are raiding poultry farms. Remove low brush and roost trees in areas where damage is excessive. A frightening program using pyrotechnics, scarecrows, and propane cannons in conjunction with human presence is effective for magpies in most damage situations, especially for roosts and crops. None are registered. None are registered. Modified Australian crow and circular-funnel traps can be used to help protect heavily damaged crops from a large local population. Proper care of traps and decoy birds is necessary. Use No. 0 and 1 padded-jaw pole traps to take a few offending individuals. Check local, state, and federal laws before trapping.

Should I Buy or Rent? Have you ever asked yourself the question “is it better to buy or rent?” when it comes to finding a place to live? If you read my last post, “Is Buying a Home a Good Investment?” you found that a home is not always a good investment if you’re looking for an investment-like return on your money. In some cases you can make a decent return over 30 years, but in many other cases, the appreciation of the home just doesn’t keep up with all of the expenses such as mortgage interest, maintenance, property taxes, and insurance, actually resulting in a negative return on your housing investment. But we’ve always been told that buying a house is a good investment, and that renting is just throwing money away. So when it comes to the question of “should I buy or rent?" what should you do? Buy or Rent, What Should You Do? The best way to find out whether buying or renting is better is to compare the numbers. First, we’ll look at the numbers from my last post and find that if you bought a $200,000 house with a 30 year mortgage at a historically average 6% rate, and spent $125/month on maintenance, $125/month in property taxes, and $45/month for insurance, at the end of 30 years you have spent $519,876. SEE ALSO: Why Buy a Home? However, at a rate of appreciation of 3% over 30 years, your house would only be worth $491,368. That means that over a 30 year period, you lost $28,508, or about $950 per year on your investment. That doesn’t sound so hot. What About Renting Instead of Buying? Now let’s take a look at the numbers when it comes to renting. First, there’s good news here. When you rent you don’t have maintenance costs, you don’t pay property taxes, you don’t pay interest on a mortgage, and renter’s insurance is a pittance compared to homeowner’s. Sounds pretty good so far! In order to run the numbers on renting we will first have to make some assumptions. Let’s assume that today you pay $500/month rent, which is a low estimate for many areas. Of course, over time, rent increases, so we’ll assume that at the end of 30 years you will be paying $1,500/month in rent. Over that 30 years the result is that you have paid an average of $1,000/month in rent during that time. So over a 30 year time period (360 months) you’ve spent a total of $360,000 in rent ($1,000 x 360 months). Add in renters insurance at $15/month for 360 months and you get $5,400. That comes to $365,400 spent on rent and insurance over 30 years. Not too shabby! That’s $154,476 LESS than you would have spent on owning a house. SEE ALSO: How to Buy a House Looks like you saved a lot of money! That means on a monthly basis you would have spent $429/month less than if you had bought a house. That’s something to think about. Buy vs. Rent During Retirement SEE ALSO: Money Can’t Buy You Economic Prosperity But now let’s look at what you have at the end of 30 years. If you’re a renter, yes, you spent over $154,000 less over the years, but you have absolutely nothing to show for it. You also still have a rent payment to meet every month and the rent will certainly not be going down. If you continue renting into your old age, in 25 years you will spend another $450,000 on rent ($1,500 x 300 months) at a time in your life when income is usually very limited, and that number assumes the rent never goes up over that 25 years, so that number is actually very low. However, when you own a home instead of rent, at the end of 30 years you have no more house payment to pay and you have a physical asset worth $491,368 that will still continue to appreciate over time. You will still have expenses to pay such as property taxes, maintenance, and insurance, but they are much less than rent and will actually be offset by the appreciation of the value of the house. Equity is the Key I won’t bombard you with any more numbers, but I think it’s obvious that owning a home instead of renting is better in the long run because you’re building equity as long as you own the home, and you set yourself up for a financial future that can be much easier to cope with in your old age because you own an asset that’s still appreciating, instead of owing monthly rent payments that will only continue to rise. To conclude, it’s obvious that the housing market has been terrible over the last few years, and a few uninformed people may try to convince you to be a perpetual renter because homeownership is too “risky.” But when it comes down to it, long term homeownership is far less risky than renting ever will be.

Austin, TX (PRWEB) April 01, 2014 If you see a Capital Metro bus with “Million Mile Month®” on the side, watch Mayor Lee Leffingwell's endorsement on YouTube (), or catch a glimpse of the crowd gathering at City Hall Plaza to kick off the program on April 1, know this: April is Million Mile Month; get registered and get moving (). “Million Mile Month is all about showing kids that physical activity is good, it’s fun and you can do it your whole life,” said Dr. Steven Kelder, Ph.D., University of Texas School of Public Health and co-director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living. Million Mile Month is a 30-day challenge to all Texans to collectively walk, run, swim, and cycle 1,000,000 miles in support of children’s health and wellness. The program encourages people to exercise -- individually, or as part of a team or race (like the upcoming Capital 10K, CapKids or Fightin' Aggie Mud Run) -- log the time or miles and track their progress. By doing this regularly over the course of the month, participants will be on their way to forming lifelong fitness habits. Need a little extra motivation? Register as part of a group (business, team, school, organization) and foster some friendly competition. Compete for prizes, such as a stand-up paddle board package from SUPATX or a week at Camp Cho-Yeh, (over $900 values) and help the community reach MILEstones (100,000; 200,000 miles, etc.). The point is to have fun and get fit. Interested? Walk, cycle or run to the Million Mile Month kick off. It's free and open to the public: When: Tues., April 1, at 10 a.m. Where: Austin City Hall Plaza, 301 West 2nd St. Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole Paul Carrozza, fitness visionary Rip Esselstyn, author of the Engine 2 Diet and My Beef With Meat Dave Bresemann, senior vice president, Silicon Labs More Million Mile Month events are happening around the state: - March 27 – (Austin) Million Mile Month proclamation read by Mayor Lee Leffingwell - March 29 - (Houston) Mayor Annise Parker announced the program - April 4 - National Walk to Work Day - April 5 - Dove Springs Health Fair (Mendez Middle School, Austin) features on-site Million Mile Month signups, appearances by Speaker and Author Anne Fish, Council Members Mike Martinez and Laura Morrison, personal health screenings, a bicycle rodeo, cooking, golf and soccer demonstrations. Sponsored by the Austin Public Library and the Austin Independent School District, the event is free and open to the public. - April 7-13 National Health Week – Million Mile Month Partner HomeAway promotes the program to its employees as part of National Health Week - April 13-15 – The Texas Assoc. of Student Councils Annual Conference (Arlington) features on-site signups to Million Mile Month

Four solar panels on the roof of Davies Center reduce water heating costs by using the sun. The panels were designed and built in Waunakee, using solar thermal collectors manufactured in Starbuck, Minnesota. The sun heats a transfer solution of distilled water and propylene glycol, an organic compound that keeps it from freezing. As the solution absorbs sunlight and is heated, it moves through the panels and is pumped through a heat exchanger. The heat is transferred to water stored in holding tanks, manufactured in Milwaukee. This system provides hot water year round, saving Davies Center money and creating a zero-pollution source of hot water. In other campus buildings, water is heated using steam coming from the coal and natural gas boilers on upper campus. Wind is a renewable, nonpolluting resource, and wind energy is part of the sustainability plan of Davies Center. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire buys certified renewable energy credits through Xcel Energy’s Windsource® program. UW-Eau Claire students pay for the energy credits through a student segregated fee collected for the specific purpose of reducing the university’s negative impact on the environment. The Student Office of Sustainability, a commission of the Student Senate, allocates funding for projects that make UW-Eau Claire a more sustainable campus. All of Davies Center’s electricity comes from wind power by way of green power purchases that help fund the building of wind farms, primarily in southwestern Minnesota.

Ophthalmic Medical Practitioners What are OMPs? OMPs are ophthalmologists who undertake NHS sight tests under the General Ophthalmic Services contract. The National Health Service (Performers Lists) Amendment and Transitional Provisions Regulations 2008 state that an OMP is “a registered medical practitioner” who has undertaken postgraduate training in ophthalmology. Applications to join the central list of OMPs must be reviewed and approved by the Ophthalmic Qualifications Committee following which the OMP may apply to join the ophthalmic performers’ list. The responsibilities of OMPs in conducting NHS sight tests are the same as those of optometrists and both have an important role in the primary detection of eye disease. In the course of sight testing, symptoms and signs of eye disease may become evident and the OMP has the additional role of taking a history, conducting an ophthalmic examination as appropriate, and referring patients for further investigation and treatment where indicated. Some OMPs also work in the Hospital Eye Service or as General Practitioners or in other health care settings. Do OMPs need a Licence to Practise? The GMC issued licences to practice to all doctors on their register in November 2009. Previous references to “registration” with the GMC should now be taken as implying “registration with a licence to practise”. OMPs are therefore required to maintain a licence to practise and to undergo revalidation. The Medical Defence Union has advised the College that it would expect OMPs to be registered with a licence to practise to offer indemnity for their work. How are OMPs connected to a designated body for revalidation? The Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) Regulations 2012 did not provide for a prescribed connection between doctors on an optical performers’ list and a designated body (for instance if they were also employed by a NHS Trust), while other were not. However, the Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 came into force on 1st April 2013, and these regulations connect doctors on an optical performers’ list (ie OMPs) to NHS England (previously known as the NHS Commissioning Board ) and their Responsible Officer will usually be based in the Area Team in the area in which the OMP practises. The GMC’s website gives guidance to help doctors identify their designated body (). OMPs who have not yet made a connection are advised to approach their local Area Team in the first instance . OMPs who have previously made a connection to a NHS trust should be aware that the prescribed connection to NHS England takes precedence over the connection to their NHS employer, and their Responsible Officer will therefore change as a result of the new regulations, even if their OMP work makes up only a small proportion of their working week. OMPs in this situation are advised to discuss this with their current Responsible Officer.

Based on the premise that children are active agents who influence their parents’ media use, this study investigated child–parent digital media guidance. Children often introduce new media into the family and influence parents’ media adoption and use. This study also investigated whether this child–parent digital media guidance is associated with media conflicts in the family. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 187 parent–child dyads in Flanders, Belgium. Paired samples t-tests and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. The results showed that both children and parents reported that children guide their parents how to use digital media, especially for newer media forms such as smartphones, tablets, and apps. Families where there was more child–parent digital media guidance reported more conflicts about media. These relationships were comparable in the parent and child reports.

The central concept of the Dramatica theory of narrative structure is the existence of a Story Mind – essentially the notion that every story has its own psychology and its own personality, as if the story itself were a character in its own right. So it the Story Mind a radical idea, or a valuable new way of thinking about stories and how to structure them? To answer this question, let us look into the nature of communication between an author and an audience, specifically into the telling of tales, the weaving of stories and the differences between the two. When an author tells a tale, he describes a series of events that both makes sense and feels right. As long as there are no breaks in the logic and no mis-steps in the emotional progression, the structure of the tale is sound. Now, from a structural standpoint, it really doesn’t matter what the tale is about, who the characters are, or how it turns out. The tale is just a truthful or fictional journey that starts in one situation, travels a straight or twisting path, and ends in another situation. The meaning of a tale amounts to a statement that if you start from “here,” and take “this” path, you’ll end up “here.” The message of a tale is that a particular path is a good or bad one, depending on whether the ending point is better or worse than the point of departure. This structure is easily seen in the vast majority of familiar fairy “tales.” Tales have been used since the first storytellers practiced their craft. In fact, many of the best selling novels and most popular motion pictures of our own time are simple tales, expertly told. In a structural sense, tales have power in that they can encourage or discourage audience members from taking particular actions in real life. The drawback of a tale is that it speaks only in regard to that specific path. But in fact, there are many paths that might be taken from a given point of departure. Suppose an author wants to address those as well, to cover all the alternatives. What if the author wants to say that rather than being just a good or bad path, a particular course of action the best or worst path of all that might have been taken? Now the author is no longer making a simple statement, but a “blanket” statement. Such a blanket statement provides no “proof” that the path in question is the best or worst, it simply says so. Of course, an audience is not likely to be moved to accept such a bold claim, regardless of how well the tale is told. In the early days of storytelling, an author related the tale to his audience in person. Should he aspire to wield more power over his audience and elevate his tale to become a blanket statement, the audience would no doubt cry, “Foul!” and demand that he prove it. Someone in the audience might bring up an alternative path that hadn’t been included in the tale. The author might then counter that rebuttal to his blanket statement by describing how the path proposed by the audience was either not as good or better (depending on his desired message) than the path he did include. One by one, he could disperse any challenges to his tale until he either exhausted the opposition or was overcome by an alternative he couldn’t dismiss. But as soon as stories began to be recorded in media such as song ballads, epic poems, novels, stage plays, screenplays, teleplays, and so on, the author was no longer present to defend his blanket statements. As a result, some authors opted to stick with simple tales of good and bad, but others pushed the blanket statement tale forward until the art form evolved into the “story.” A story is a much more sophisticated form of communication than a tale, and is in fact a revolutionary leap forward in the ability of an author to make a point. Simply put, when creating a story, and author starts with a tale of good or bad, expands it to a blanket statement of best or worst, and then includes all the reasonable alternatives to the path he is promoting to preclude any counters to his message. In other words, while a tale is a statement, a story becomes an argument. Now this puts a huge burden of proof on an author. Not only does he have to make his own point, but he has to prove (within reason) that all opposing points are less valid. Of course, this requires than an author anticipate any objections an audience might raise to his blanket statement. To do this, he must look at the situation described in his story and examine it from every angle anyone might happen to take in regard to that issue. By incorporating all reasonable (and valid emotional) points of view regarding the story’s message in the structure of the story itself, the author has not only defended his argument, but has also included all the points of view the human mind would normally take in examining that central issue. In effect, the structure of the story now represents the whole range of considerations a person would make if fully exploring that issue. In essence, the structure of the story as a whole now represents a map of the mind’s problem solving processes, and (without any intent on the part of the author) has become a Story Mind. And so, the Story Mind concept is not really all that radical. It is simply a short hand way of describing that all sides of a story must be explored to satisfy an audience. And, and if this is done, the structure of the story takes on the nature of a single character.

Shaving Snow - 705 words *HTML**FONT SIZE=3 PTSIZE=10* Often, two different stories have very much in common. Two authors with completely *BR* different styles often write very similar stories. Tobias Wolffs Powder and Leslie Norris *BR* Shaving have many similarities. They are comparable in their themes, plot and relationships.*BR* The best example of a theme that "Shaving" and "Powder" share, is that change is necessary *BR* for a more mature and happy life. In Shaving," Barry has a rite of passage that is forced upon him. *BR* Due to his dad's failing health, Barry has to shave him because he is too weak to do it himself. This rite *BR* of passage makes Barry a mature individual because not only does he learn to ... George Washington Carver - 1,224 words George Washington Carver was born into slavery January of 1860 on the Moses Carver plantation in Diamond Grove, Missouri. He spent the first year of his life, the brutal days of border war, between Missouri and neighboring Kansas. George was a very sickly child with a whooping cough, which later lead to his speech impediment, and he was tiny and puny. Georges father, James Carver, died in a wood hauling accident when he was bringing wood to his masters house one day. George was sick a great deal during his early years. In 1861, when George was one year old, raiders kidnapped him and his mother with horses from their home in Missouri. Moses Carver, Marys master, heard that a bushwhacker named ... Free research essays on topics related to: carver, george washington, washington carver, iowa state university, formal education Documentary Review - 618 words The documentary I watched is about Thaipusam festival. I watched it on National Geographic Channel and was amazed to discover the meaning, the process and the traditions and practices of Thaipusam. It was interesting to watch the procession yet at the same time learn more about it in detail. Every January/February, depending upon the lunar month - on a full-moon day in the Tamil month of Thai, the Hindus will celebrate Thaipusam in honour of their Hindu God, Lord Subramaniam (sometimes referred to as Lord Murugan) who is a son of the Hindu God Shiva. He is believed to represent virtue, youth and power. As mentioned in the documentary, Thaipusam is celebrated in Singapore and also in Malaysia ... Free research essays on topics related to: documentary, kuala lumpur, good and evil, national geographic, spot Draculas Strengths Vs Weaknesses - 1,288 words 1. Speaks of history as if he was there 2. Legend in the story states that "un-dead" will go on for eternity 3. Dracula himself states "Time is on my side." B. Blood gives him strength and restored vitality 1. Dracula looks younger after consuming blood 2. Renfield explains what Dracula is doing to Mina C. Ability to heal injuries much faster that normal men 1. Throws himself through a window and emerges unhurt 2. This explains the difficulty involved with killing a vampire 1. Harker describes handshake as an "iron grip" 2. Seward's journal shows that Renfield exhibits great physical strength 3. Bars of a wolf's cage are found bent, probably Dracula 4. It is found that Dracula can actually h ... Free research essays on topics related to: bram stoker's dracula, weaknesses, main character, bram stoker, sustenance Dracule - 1,724 words Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Evil often triumphs, but never conquers. The two quotations from above explain that evil never conquers because good always overcomes it. A good example of this is the book Dracula by Bram Stoker because the author expresses the nature of good vs. evil. Dracula wants to come to London because he wants to turn everyone into vampires. The basic background of the book Dracula is when Jonathan Harker, a realtor who is sent to Transylvania to complete a transaction with Dracula so he can come to England. What Harker does not know is that Dracula has a plan for world domination. Well, while Harker is on a train to Transylvania he enters the eas ... Free research essays on topics related to: bram stoker, heart attack, count dracula, adventure, cont The Aztecs - 2,390 words Towards the middle of the continent near the Pacific ocean at an elevation of almost seven thousand five hundred feet is the Valley of Mexico. The Valley is surrounded by towering rocks which seem to have been placed there for the sole purpose of protecting the land. The land itself that at one time was full of greenery and trees is now somewhat bare and, in some places, white with salt from the draining of waters. Five lakes are spread over the Valley, which occupy about one tenth of its surface (Bray 1968). On the opposite shore of the largest of these lakes stood the ancient city of Tenochtitlan. This land can be seen in Fig 1. Aztlan was an island city in the middle of a lake, surrounded ... An Unusual Wedding Ceremony - 767 words Ever been to an unusual wedding ceremony? Perhaps not, because very rarely have we been invited to a wedding ceremony that is other than a formal and a well-mannered event. Our familiarization with the wedding ceremony, however, is in sharp contrast with the traditional marriage ceremony of the Momna community, a minority group in eastern Pakistan from where I come. In this community, the marriage ceremony lasts for two days, with rituals that are not only unique, but extremely amusing, interesting, and sometimes not very serious. The first part of the ceremony, called pithi, is perhaps the most humorous of all. The bridegroom is lead by his mother from his room to a chair in the living room ... Duddy Kravitz - 504 words The novel is based in Montreal, Canada of the early twentieth century, where teachers believed in strapping and immigrants travelling to Canada to start a new life. Duddy Kravitz, a student of Fletcher Field High in the class of Mr. Macpherson, one of the few teachers who are against strapping. Many students took advantage of him, and even gambled with Jerry Dingleman to win tickets, which were given by Mr. Macpherson to good students. Duddy is a boy, who always wants to be someone he is not. His constant shaving to earn a beard and his actions shows he wants to be an adult. His grandfather, Simcha has told him that by achieving lands will make him successful. Giving the statement, "a man wi ... Free research essays on topics related to: duddy, duddy kravitz, kravitz, middle class, canadian culture Rastafarianism - 1,429 words Rastafarianism, better known as Rastafari or simply Rasta, is a religion that was developed in Jamaica during the early 20th century. It is commonly characterized by dread locks, marijuana (ganja), reggae music and a strong belief in Haile Selassie. For the most part, the beliefs of Rastafari are loose. There is no code that Rastas live by, or even a specific bible that Rastas read. There are some semi-organized sects of Rastafari namely; The Twelve Tribes of Israel, The Nyahbinghi Order. The Twelve Tribes of Israel have endured a lot of criticism, and non acceptance by some Rastas because of their rejection of Haile Selassie as the living God, and their acceptance of many Christian beliefs. ... Free research essays on topics related to: rastafarianism, queen of sheba, haile selassie, book store, culturally Ethan Frome - 1,061 words Ethan Frome Project: #3 Psychological Analysis Narrator: The narrator of the story is a simple man who tries to take on an almost futile task. This is an almost futile task because the townspeople such as Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum do not like to talk about Frome. The townspeople do not avoid the subject of Frome due to disapproval, but rather a sense of such extreme sadness that it is difficult to speak about. This task is to find out about Ethan Frome's past. More specifically the narrator wants to discover what events led up to Frome's tragic present condition. "All the dwellers in Starkfield, as in more notable communities, had troubles enough of their own to make them comparatively indiff ... Free research essays on topics related to: ethan, ethan frome, frome, psychological analysis, tragic hero The Sound Of Silence - 1,050 words I have attended to many deaths in my short career as a nurse. I guess that is the hardest part of geriatric nursing. I remember one man in particular, Joe*. He was a veteran of World War II, and a retired mechanic. He was nearly 90 when I met him. His beloved wife of 45 years, Sara, had died only months earlier. He was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In this disease, the lungs lose their elasticity and begin to fill up with fluid. Eventually, a person will literally drown in his or her own secretions. It is slow and sometimes very painful for a Taking report from the off-going nurse, I was not surprised to hear that Joe was taking a turn for the worse. The physic ... Free research essays on topics related to: silence, blood pressure, vital signs, chronic obstructive, hung Marxism View On Bram Stokers Dracula - 1,122 words Bram Stoker's novel Dracula is a mystifying horror story that occurred sometime in the late nineteenth century, where a young English lawyer takes an excursion to Count Dracula located in Transylvania, in hopes of finalizing a real estate transfer. The novel portrays a gross representation of Anti-Christian values and beliefs, through one of its characters. Dracula one of the main characters in the novel is used to take on the characteristics of the Anti-Christ. Stoker uses many beliefs from the Christian religion to refer to, in order to display numerous amounts of Anti-Christian values and perversions, superstitious beliefs of the protection towards evil, and to compare and contrast the po ... Skin Cancer - 1,098 words This paper is on skin cancer. Within this paper skin cancer will be defined as well as the types of skin cancer and also ways to prevent it and cure it. Skin cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the outer layers of your skin, your skin protects your body against heat, light, infection, and injury and it also stores water, fat, and vitamin D. The skin has two main layers and several kinds of cells. The top layer of skin is called the epidermis. It contains three kinds of cells: flat, scaly cells on the surface called squamous cells; round cells called basal cells; and cells called melanocytes, which give your skin its color. There are several types of cancer that ... College Notebook - 2,612 words ... suburb of Tokyo. Still, that stability is showing signs of erosion. One area of deep concern is crime. The number of people between the ages of 14 and 19 arrested in Japan ratcheted up 14 percent in 1997, and rose an additional 3 percent in 1998. Unrest is also growing in Japan's schools. "School-refusers" like Kinichi -- young people who miss 30 days or more of class, or don't go at all -- are on the rise, though they still only account for 2 percent of youngsters. School is mandatory through elementary and junior high, but authorities don't lean too heavily on those who don't attend. "If you talk to these kids, you realize they've totally lost confidence in themselves," said Hiroyuki ... Free research essays on topics related to: boston college, city college, college sports, notebook, men and women Hazing Is It A Rite - 609 words For centuries, hazing has occurred in all societies as a rite of passage. It dates all the way back to the ancient Native Americans as they went so far as to pierce the sternum of warriors with a bone and hang them from it. These days, it continues as our military makes hazing its own. But one question needs to be asked in these modern times; is hazing being carried out too far in our military schools? Yes, it is indeed. This ritualistic hazing begins in military schools such as VMI or West Point and carries all the way into the armed forces themselves. This, as a result, is why hazing in military schools must be stopped all together at whatever means necessary. Although many officers at the ... Free research essays on topics related to: hazing, rite, armed forces, native americans, monitor Child Labor In The Philippines - 2,013 words A Study of Child Labor in the Philippines THESIS STATEMENT: Exploitation of child workers continues in the Philippines due to the inefficiency of the policies promulgated by the government to eradicate child labor. For all children who are deprived of their rights. But even we have a responsibility too. Because while nobody is angered by their conditions or realizes the waste of a future that is being slowly squandered, they will remain in this world and they will cease to be children All people were born with rights. Children are people too; so, children also have rights. These rights are violated through child labor. Child labor is defined as, the employment of a child in a business or ind ... Free research essays on topics related to: child labor, department of labor, division of labor, international labor, labor, labor organization, philippines Cheaper By The Dozen - 1,705 words Cheaper by the Dozen, based on a real-life story of the Gilbreth family, is a fantastic book. This hilarious comedy about a family with a dozen children kept me in stitches until the end! This family, run like a well oiled machine, took me on Sunday rides through the country, battles in the family court, summers at the sea, Fathers theories on motion study, and the economic removal of the whole families tonsils. I loved it! I find it truly amazing. Not only did the family boast twelve children, but they all learned to speak foreign languages, touch typing, mental arithmetic, and even Morse Code- all because their father worked out dozens of ingenious ways to motivate them- although often it ... Free research essays on topics related to: cheaper, dozen, time management, industrial revolution, comedy Hemingway: Writer Or Dreamer? - 4,028 words ... he Sun Also Rises. Toward the last I was sprinting, like in a bicycle race, and I did not want to lose my speed making love or anything else and so had my wife go on a trip with two friends of hers down to the Loire. Then I finished and was hollow and lonely and needed a girl very badly. So I was in bed with a no good girl when my wife came home and had to get the girl out onto the roof of the saw mill (to cut lumber for picture frames) and change the sheets and come down to open the door of the court (Meyers 189- 190). This account was later rebuked by Hemingways publisher and also by the author himself. But if this quote is still taken seriously, then one can understand Hemingways imag ... Sobibor - 1,306 words There is one period in time that stands out to most of the world. From 1938-1945 when Hitler and the Nazi Regime killed many Jews, Jehovah Witnesses, Homosexuals, Anti-Germans, Musicians and many more. A major death camp in Poland at the time was Sobibor. The Nazi death camp, Sobibor, was the scene of a horrific massacre, killing people of different cultures and religions. Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, bringing an end to German democracy. Guided by racist and authoritarian ideas, the Nazis abolished basic freedoms and sought to create a "Volk" community. In theory, a "Volk" community united all social classes and regions of Germany behind Hitler. In re ...

The BUENO Center for Multicultural Education BUENO Center for Multicultural Education UCB 247, School of Education Boulder, CO 80309-0249 Through a comprehensive range of research, training, and service projects, the BUENO Center promotes quality education with an emphasis on cultural pluralism. The Center is deeply committed to facilitating equal educational opportunities for cultural and language minority students. Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) 4646 40th Street, NW Washington DC 20016-1859 CAL carries out a wide range of activities to accomplish its mission of improving communication through better understanding of language and culture, which includes promoting and improving the teaching and learning of languages, identifying and solving problems related to language and culture, and serving as a resource for information and conducting research. Center for Equity and Excellence in Education (CEEE) The George Washington University 1555 Wilson Blvd. Suite 515 Arlington, VA 22209-2004 GW-CEEE provides evidence-based technical assistance and professional development and conducts research and evaluation studies for state education agencies, local education agencies, and various offices of the U.S. Department of Education to facilitate education reform and school improvement initiatives. Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE) Graduate School of Education University of California 1640 Tolman Hall Berkeley, CA 94720 CREDE is focused on improving the education of students whose ability to reach their potential is challenged by language or cultural barriers, race, geographic location, or practices in the classroom. ¡Colorín Colorado! WETA Colorín Colorado 3939 Campbell Ave. Arlington, VA 22206 Colorín Colorado is a free web-based service, funded by the American Federation of Teachers, with additional support from federal education sources and private foundations, that provides information, activities, and advice for educators and Spanish-speaking families of English learners (ELs). National Center on Response to Intervention (RTI) American Institutes for Research 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW Washington, DC 20007-3835 The Center’s mission is to provide technical assistance to states and districts and to build the capacity of states to assist districts in implementing proven models for RTI and Early Intervention Services. Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) 1400 16th Street, NW Suite 510 Washington, DC 20036 The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a group of states working together to develop a set of high-quality, computer-based assessments that measure whether students are on track to be successful in college and their careers.The PARCC assessments will be ready for states to administer during the 2014-15 school year. Rethinking Schools 1001 E. Keefe Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53212 Rethinking Schools addresses equity issues in public schools, assisting teachers, administrators, and parents in reformation efforts. Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium (SBAC) Old Capitol Building PO Box 47200 600 Washington St., SE Olympia, WA 98504-7200 SBAC is a collection of 31 states that have been working collaboratively since December 2009 to develop a student assessment system aligned to a common core of academic content standards to apply for a Race-to-the-Top Assessment grant. Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) 1628 16th Street, NW 3rd Floor Washington, DC 20009-3099 SEARAC is a national organization that advances the interests of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans by empowering communities through advocacy, leadership development, and capacity building to create a socially just and equitable society. World Class Instruction and Design Assessment (WIDA) Project Wisconsin Center for Educational Research (WCER) University of Wisconsin-Madison 1025 W. Johnson Street, MD #23 Madison, WI 53706 WIDA advances academic language development and academic achievement for linguistically diverse students through high quality standards, assessments, research, and professional development for educators. National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA)

Solving "cold case" homicides relies more on the emergence of new witnesses, a study suggests, than on the DNA analyses and other forensic techniques celebrated in crime dramas. Cold cases are typically ones unsolved after a year or more of investigation. For homicides, their numbers have increased to almost 200,000 such cases nationwide, according to the Center for the Resolution of Unresolved Crime (CRUC) in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The enormous backlog reflects the decline in convictions in recent decades, with 63 percent of murders solved in 2014, compared with 91 percent in 1965, a change attributed to rising drug gang violence. Such crimes are particularly difficult to prosecute because many witnesses, out of fear or gang allegiance, are unwilling to name names at the time of the murder. That means roughly 6,000 murders go unsolved every year. In response, police departments have expanded cold case investigative teams, spurred by the promise of new forensic technologies, particularly DNA analysis. (See also: "Real-Life CSI.") But in a new Journal of Forensic Sciences report, researchers take a first systematic look at such cases and conclude that old-fashioned police work and fresh witnesses look like the keys to solving cold case murders. "Unless you have a good reason, particularly [evidence from] new witnesses, there is little reason to reopen a cold case," says study leader Robert Davis of the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington, D.C. "Cold case investigations are largely an exercise in making people feel good without new information." Cold case squads might prioritize cases with higher odds of leading to a conviction in their review of old cases, he suggests, rather than working through the files chronologically. Cold Hard Data In the study, the team looked at the factors linked to successful convictions in 189 cold case investigations from the files of the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department. The homicides dated back to the 1970s, but most had occurred in the past two decades. Of those reopened cold cases, 24 percent ended in convictions and 24 percent were cleared by "exceptional" means, instances in which the culprit was already dead, in prison, or had gone missing. The rest remained unsolved. What made for a cold case conviction? New witnesses helped resolve 63 percent of the cleared cases, the survey found. Often an ex-girlfriend or ex-friend of a murderer came forward years after a crime. DNA matches figured in only 3 percent of the cleared cases. "The worst reason to reopen a case was because of family pressure, if you want a conviction," Davis says. Other factors make cold case convictions more likely. Study leader Davis suggests that gang-based crimes can in time be solved when gang members are arrested and feel motivated to testify against a rival gang. Another decisive factor in solving a cold case is the identification of a prime suspect within the first 72 hours of the investigation. Research suggests there is a sharp drop-off in cases being solved after that time. "I think there is a lot of good information here, and we do need a more rational approach to criminal investigations," says criminologist James Adcock of the CRUC, who was not on the study team. "But at the same time, there is a wider issue of not enough resources being given to do these investigations in the first place," Adcock adds. "We have a lot of resources being poured into finding DNA hits for crimes, which doesn't leave investigators with the time they need to do more thorough investigations." In other words, he suggests that cold case investigators might turn up those ex-girlfriends or ex-friends of killers if they had more time to pursue them. Another outside crime researcher, Michael White of Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice in Phoenix, cautioned that the survey results can be said to apply only to Washington, D.C.'s police department, although the results are in line with previous findings. "Clearly, this is a good starting point, but much more work needs to be done," White says. Funded by the U.S. Justice Department's National Institute of Justice, the report adds to existing evidence that old-fashioned investigative work, rather than the latest forensic technologies, matters the most in homicide cases, Davis says. "Most of these people [78 percent] were shooting victims," he says. "That doesn't leave a lot of DNA" from the murderer. Delays in receiving DNA results often lead detectives to discount DNA's impact in solving murders, he adds. That is a concern, Davis says, because some prosecutors and police officials have worried about a CSI effect (named after the popular police-drama television series) that may affect murder trials. Jurors may have come to expect complex forensic techniques to solve cases, instead of the often messy real-life details of investigations that center on interviews with witnesses. "If anyone ever wanted to do a show about a real-life homicide investigation, I can guarantee it would be a lot less exciting and conclusive than a TV show," says Davis.

If there is anything African journalists have learned from their American compatriots, it’s the role of a free press in fostering the growth of Africa’s fledgling democracies. Through its diplomatic missions in most countries—yes, most, because in a few cases dictators are still left to run amok on the continent—Americans vigorously and unflinchingly support democracy, rule of law and freedom of the press. For African journalists, attempts to muzzle and silence them are well documented and not uncommon, although it should be said there are countries that embody free press on the continent. But they, too, are not without their own problems. There are cases of some African governments maintaining and passing new repressive laws that put a block in the path of media freedom. In numerous instances, journalists are harassed, threatened, arrested and forced into exile. Eritrea and Sudan are labelled the most notorious in Africa when it comes to harassing journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. For airing interviews with opposition leaders, radio stations have faced closure. African governments also employ other subtle ways of muzzling the press, such as deliberately refusing to liberalize the airwaves by withholding or overly scrutinizing the issuance of radio, television or newspaper licenses. It is in instances like these that, on top of their own efforts, the press on the African continent look to the West for support. But recent events surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump and his treatment of journalists have cast a very long shadow of doubt. His branding of the news as “fake” and the conduct of some of his press conferences have led some, including political scientists, to draw parallels between his behavior and that of African politicians. One would have never imagined, for instance, that the press secretary of a U.S. president would convene a press conference just to “correct” reports that there were fewer people at Trump’s inauguration than at the inauguration of his predecessor. Of course, that is something an African president would be concerned about—the size of the crowd at his rally. Some even go to the extent of ferrying people to political gatherings to make it look like they have a following. “For a student of African politics like myself, President Trump’s attempts to malign the media sound very familiar,” notes Malawian political scientist Boniface Dulani. “It is something that seems to come straight from the handbook of dictatorship, written and refined by the many dictators on our much beloved continent who do not want their decisions to be challenged. Attacking the media, as Trump has been doing, is a strategy that seeks to project power for leaders who are unsure of their grip on the very power in the first place.” As they say, familiarity breeds contempt. African journalists, who are all too familiar with this kind of rhetoric, fear for a profession that already is under constant attack by those in positions of power on the continent. Journalists on the continent have observed familiar scenes of reporters in the U.S. being barred from attending press conferences or being invited but not being given the opportunity to ask questions. Of course, African scenes border more on the extreme. Take Malawi, where I am from, as an example. To start with, press briefings are rare (surprisingly similar to what happens in Israel). There tends to be war-like relations between the press and statehouse. In general, the president decides when he wants to address the press. There is usually no fixed schedule, although you may expect a press conference when the president is departing or arriving from an international trip. The situation sharply changes when it’s an international media powerhouse, such as CNN or the BBC. Oh! African leaders will jump at such opportunities. There is a feeling among African journalists that their governments tend to spring less into action when local journalists have carried out an investigation than when it’s the international media. For journalists like Teresa Temweka Ndanga, director of news at a top private radio station in Malawi, her reaction to events in the U.S. is tinged with fear for the future of press freedom on the continent. In her native Malawi, the tale of journalists from private media companies being sidelined at press conferences in favor of “public,” government-owned or government-leaning media outlets is all too familiar. More often, when press conference are held, only designated reporters are expected to ask questions. For the designated reporters, who, like me, work for state broadcasters and other government agencies, the expectation is that you will ask a dumb question, such as. “Mr. President, how was your successful trip to country so-and-so.” On the flip side, journalists like Ndanga have at times to take matters into their own hands. “My team and I were allowed to attend a briefing by President Peter Mutharika, but none [of the three of us] was given the opportunity to pose any questions. I only got to ask when I just grabbed a mic and justified the need for me to be given the opportunity, since none of those who had asked were women.” The point is, your ability to get onto the dance floor is more a result of your tactics. At another of President Mutharika’s briefings, Ndanga recollects that while she was given the opportunity to ask questions, party supporters present were booing and murmuring, creating an intimidating environment. “I’m very surprised because I thought it’s only in Malawi and Africa where press briefings become mini-rallies with party supporters clapping hands and cheering or a leader attacking a journalist bluntly for the question they asked or being accused of being opposition,” says Agnes Mizere, a Malawian reporter who has been a journalist for over 20 years. What has helped journalists on the continent survive the constant badgering is to issue press statements condemning such actions, writing statehouses and uniting as one force. “Trump will be trying to play the divide and rule game and, if not careful, there will be some media houses that will be turned into praise entities and others into enemies of the administration,” says Ndanga. “Trump may praise and like Fox News and hate CNN, but Fox should never be fooled into getting comfortable with the administration to the point of failing to critically analyze Trump’s decisions and actions. An attack on CNN should signal that the president could at one time turn against another media house. They therefore need to resist the media attacks as a block.” Still, many journalists fear the effect Trump’s actions are likely to have on African despots with regard to their treatment of the media. “Trump’s media attacks can only serve to embolden African dictators to similarly clamp down on the independent media, which often sheds light on government shady dealings and corrupt behavior by elected officials,” observes Dulani. “The job of free media advocates has just become harder as the U.S. is slowly but surely losing its moral position as the leader of the free world, giving dictators across the world free rein to ignore media rights and liberties that took years to gain.” For journalists, the fear is the thought of having nowhere to run. “Mr. Trump has intensified his campaign to discredit the media,” Dulani worries. “As a journalist residing and working in Africa, this is a worrying trend, especially as our leaders oftentimes act as Trump is doing today. They, however, tone down a bit when diplomatic representation from such countries as the U.S. cautions them. Now it will become difficult.” In the midst of all this uncertainty, African journalists can find solace in the fact that ordinary Africans from 36 out of the continent’s 54 countries who have had it with corrupt leaders overwhelmingly (69 percent) want the media to investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption, according to a 2016 Afrobarometer study. The hope is that U.S. audiences still value the role of journalists in keeping those in power in check.

Katie asked her about the progress on the horse ranch. Progress is being made. It has been justly observed by many that this continuous cyclical movement entirely excludes the progress of humanity towards a better future. Instead of science proceeding at the slow speed of time, the only limit on its progress will be processor speed—and those two speeds hardly can be compared. It indicates better than any water hereabouts the absolute progress of the season, being least affected by transient changes of temperature. Rather, it is an acknowledgement of progress made. Later that evening, while Dean and his stepfather were filling their faces with apple pie and ice cream and feeling sorry for themselves about their lack of progress in finding Byrne, a young man strolled up to them with a smile on his face. If the answers to those questions are affirmative, then making assumptions about increasing rates of technological progress is very reasonable. I could not read her lips easily; so my progress was much slower than in German. The car abruptly halted its progress, slinging Lisa against the steering wheel with bone jarring force. Thompson proved a worthy successor to Whewell; the twenty years of his mastership were years of progress, and he himself took an active part in the abolition of tests and the reform of university studies and of the college statutes. I did not care especially for "The Pilgrim's Progress," which I think I did not finish, or for the "Fables." The progress of the war was eagerly followed, and only the reports most flattering to our army were circulated. He was delighted at the unexpected rapidity of his pupil's progress, but could not abandon the edifice of argument he had laboriously constructed. Most of the people at that time paid no attention to the general progress of events but were guided only by their private interests, and they were the very people whose activities at that period were most useful. They were making some progress, but she should desire him. At the university he made rapid progress, especially in jurisprudence, though preferring the study of history, literature, juridical science and philosophy. It has been replied that these cycles are similar without being identical, and that, if one might differ from another, the idea of progress was not necessarily excluded by the law of cycles. The march upon Naples became a triumphal progress, which the wiles of Francesco II. On his return to the capital Peter, in order to see what progress his son had made in mechanics and mathematics, asked him to draw something of a technical nature for his inspection. In 1494 he was again in the Netherlands, where he led an expedition against the rebels of Gelderland, assisted Perkin Warbeck to make a descent upon England, and formally handed over the government of the Low Countries to Philip. His attention was next turned to Italy, and, alarmed at the progress of Charles VIII. I want to spend some time talking about civilization, but first I want to recount the progress that we have made through civilization. It is consistent with all we know of the past, which is progress and prosperity. Whether the preservation of my father's house in Moscow, or the glory of the Russian arms, or the prosperity of the Petersburg and other universities, or the freedom of Poland or the greatness of Russia, or the balance of power in Europe, or a certain kind of European culture called "progress" appear to me to be good or bad, I must admit that besides these things the action of every historic character has other more general purposes inaccessible to me. In history we find a very similar progress of conviction concerning the part played by free will in the general affairs of humanity. "They keep close tabs on scores of open cases and use freedom of information statutes to monitor progress," she told me. It was possible that Alex was making no progress with her because she actually didn't want what she was asking for. Mother slept constantly, Cynthia said, but according to the doctor, her progress was "as expected." Three of the dogs ignored the feast, intent on her progress toward the barn. By the time he left the office for the ten-minute walk across the square to the courthouse, he felt comfortable with the progress of the case. See James Mackintosh, Dissertation on the Progress of Ethical Philosophy (Edinburgh, 1832); and specially Sir Leslie Stephen, English Thought in the 18th Century, iii. Hastings resolved to make a progress up country in order to arrange the affairs of both provinces, and bring back all the treasure that could be squeezed out of its holders by his personal intervention. But it is more likely, as suggested by Richard Chandler (Life of Waynflete, 1811), that it was some Yorkist attack on him in progress in the papal court, to meet which he appointed next day 19 proctors to act for him. Having once derived this conception from Roman history, he was easily and indeed necessarily carried on to the next - that the positive law of all nations, throughout history, is a continual advance, keeping pace with the progress of civilization, towards the philosophic and natural law founded on 'the principles of human nature and human reason. The most usual generalizations adopted by almost all the historians are: freedom, equality, enlightenment, progress, civilization, and culture. Our ability to process data, move information, and make things small will progress to a point where they will not be gating factors ever again. Do I need to prove we have an explosion of technological progress dwarfing the wildest dreams of any age? Science's progress over the past few hundred years has been determined mainly by the relatively slow speed at which we were able to collect data. The chapter on civilization describes humanity's progress through the years and the importance of it. We are heading toward that, which makes progress ever more certain.

Sticking to a nutritious diet doesn’t just mean eating the right foods, but drinking them as well. Juicing is a great way to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs. The best way to get started is by looking at some tips and advice that will help you get going with confidence. Juice your softer fruits first and then send down your harder items. The hard textured fruit will do the job of cleaning the fruit that was left behind by the softer items. This means more juice for you and less clean up as well. Follow that trick and you’ll usually get the maximum amount of juice in your glass, not left in the juicer. When preparing for a juice diet, make sure to stock a LOT of fresh fruits and vegetables! On average, it takes 4.4 pounds of raw fruits and vegetables to make just a single quart of juice, so you’ll need lots. Also make sure to get a large variety of ingredients so that you don’t get bored with the same old juice. Keep all the tools you use in juicing, like your cutting board, knives, measuring cups, juicer, etc. together in their own place so you always know where they are. The one reason you won’t continue juicing is because you’re not keeping your things organized, leaving you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. You should juice your vegetables if you are not the greatest of cooks. Juicing vegetables will allow you to get the nutrients from them without having to do any extensive preparation. Juicing is a simple, quick, and efficient way to get all of the valuable nutrients that vegetables have to offer without going through the hassle of actually cooking them. When juicing leafy vegetables like spinach, ball the leaves together. If you form your vegetable leafs into a ball, like crumpled paper for instance, you will give a more solid mass for the juicer to work with. This will prevent small pieces of leaves from showing up in your juice and affecting the consistency. Adding spirulina and chlorella while juicing will give you ample amounts of vitamin B. Chlorella and spirulina are algae having an extremely high vitamin B composition. Add these two algae in powder or tablet form to the juicer and give yourself a great vitamin B dose. Many typical fruits and vegetables do not naturally contain vitamin B so this step is important. When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is that you want to do your homework when it comes to buying a juicer. This is important to make sure that you are getting a quality product that will last you for a long time and suit all of your juicing needs. If you’re feeling bloated or retaining water, put the right ingredients into your juice to help flush you out! Celery, cranberry, cucumber, and watermelon are all recommended to help your system let the water go, and they also hold many nutrients, vitamins, and other healthy benefits that are vital to good health. When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is to make sure that you have space set aside in your kitchen for your juicing machine and for the preparation of your ingredients. This is important so that you are efficient and so that you are motivated to make juice as often as possible. Having to clean clutter out of the way would just be a deterrent. Juicing is a great way to impact your health and find new ways to enjoy your fruits and vegetables. Now that you have gotten some helpful ideas you are on your way to making a great start. Learn as much as you can and reap the rewards of a healthier diet through juicing.

When I am Queen of the World and Chief Calendar-Maker, I will designate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a Saint— for his commitment to, and promotion of, nonviolence. (In the Protestant tradition, all faithful believers are lowercase-s saints.) In re-reading King’s “I have a Dream” speech recently, I was struck by how he draws upon Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to revision the words of our favored president. His speech was given at the Lincoln Memorial upon the hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. In patterning his words upon Lincoln’s, King claims legitimacy with the author of the Emancipation Proclamation and positions himself as “heir” to Lincoln. By echoing the words of Lincoln, he subtly appeals to Lincoln’s authority. Lincoln challenged his audience to dedicate themselves to the “unfinished work” for which the soldiers fought and commit to “a new birth of freedom.” King challenges us to act now: “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” King’s words remain equally true today. four score and seven years ago now we are engaged in a great civil war we have come to dedicate a portion of that field but in a larger sense we cannot dedicate. . . this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom King-“I have a Dream” five score years ago one hundred years later the Negro still is not free we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital if America is to be a great nation, this [justice] must become true. Shakespeare, the Declaration of Independence, the Holy Bible: echoes of all our revered texts are revealed throughout King’s speech. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was like the prophet Isaiah, a voice crying out in the wilderness, calling for racial equality and justice. In the truest traditional of the saint, his is the exemplary life which inspires each of us to do better. “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” —Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Looking for a photography subject that was not constantly moving like birds, I went to the East Point Lighthouse in Heislerville, NJ on the Delaware Bay near the mouth of the Maurice River. Built in 1849, it is the second oldest lighthouse in the state. It was partially destroyed by fire in 1971, restored in 1979, and reactivated in 1980. After Superstorm Sandy there has been some concern that the lighthouse may not survive the forces of nature unless something is done to reinforce the land surrounding it. The following scenes of the beach around the lighthouse show how close the ocean is and how easy it would be for another major storm to bring down the lighthouse.

What’s Your Pick: Boston or Philadelphia? While the distance between of Boston and Philadelphia are located about a three-hour drive or six-hour Amtrak trek apart, these major cities have one big thing in common. They’re sources of history. And the modern day scene in these respective cities is thriving too. Here’s what to see in each state. History Is Happening! Boston has many trails and locations connecting you to key figures linked to Beantown or in particular the start of the American Revolution. Walk along the Freedom Trail, a self-guided, 2.5-route that will bring you past 16 historic sites. Pass by Boston Common, also known as America’s oldest park; The Paul Revere House – where the famous nightrider lived during the time of his legendary ride, to its end point, The Bunker Hill Monument, honoring soldiers in one of the earliest battles in the American Revolutionary War. The African American Trail will bring to you stops such as the Robert Gould Shaw and the 54 th Regiment Memorial, which commemorates the regiment that was made famous in the film, “Glory.” In comparison, Philadelphia clearly has a stronghold on U.S. history – for starters, the Liberty Bell at the Liberty Bell Center. In April 2017, the Museum of the American Revolution opened its doors, to tell the story of why our nation went to being a British colony to a new country in a different light. It goes beyond the usual key players by highlighting other figures such as freed and enslaved blacks, native peoples, and women. Then there’s Independence Hall, where our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and later on delegates would work on our Constitution. Also, did you know that the first “White House” – as in one before the famous home in D.C. – was in Philadelphia. Called The President’s House, this venue is now an open-air museum where the first Executive Mansion in which Presidents Washington and John Adams stayed. Being Artsy and Scientific The arts and sciences have their place in Boston and Philly. In Boston, you can spend a whole day at the Museum of Fine Arts. Its three levels house everything from Egyptian artifacts to Contemporary American art, with pieces from every corner of the globe. A short walk away, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum reflects the look of a Venetian palace with a beautiful courtyard along with a collection owned by its namesake, a major collector and philanthropist. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum honors the legacy of our country’s 35th Commander in Chief. The Mary Baker Eddy Library contains the Mapparium, a three-story, stained glass globe that can be walked through, and the Museum of Science will teach you a thing or two with planetarium shows and live exhibits and experiences like its butterfly garden. Philly can boast having the oldest museum in the country – the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. It’s got some other fine ones too. Climbing up “The Rocky Steps” to the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art feels like a workout, but you’ll encounter the statue of Philly icon, Rocky Balboa. Inside the museum, discover artistic and architectural finds from all over the world, with an over 240,000-piece collection! The Rodin Museum has the most pieces by this sculptor outside of Paris and Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens is a fun folk art/gallery space that’s covered in mosaics. If seeking science, The Franklin Institute is an educationally entertaining museum and research center with an IMAX theater and planetarium, while the Mütter Museum focuses on medical abnormalities with displays that might make you a bit squeamish. Getting hungry? Both Boston and Philly can fill you up at markets or in eateries. An indoor enclave, Boston Public Market sells New England sourced bounty from farmers, fishers, and food product vendors, or features demos and classes at The Kitchen, the market’s programming center. Inside this historic meeting hall, Faneuil Hall Marketplace is now more a mall setup with food stands and restaurants offering staples like pizza, ice cream and chowda. On Fridays and Saturdays, the outdoor Haymarket at Congress and Hanover streets sells fruits and veggies. Boston’s North End is its Little Italy, with pizzerias, cafes and ristorantes such as Giacomo’s Restaurant. As for other restaurants, a hot seafood spot is Neptune Oyster, being well-noted for its raw bar and lobster rolls, or Atlantic Fish Company, a Boston surf and turf institution. As one of Philly’s major culinary attractions, the Reading Terminal Market is an interior food hall with a cornucopia of Amish specialties, seafood and produce stands, cookware stores, and bakeries and restaurants. Of course, you have to try a Philly cheesesteak, but note there are more places to choose from than the noted rivalry between Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks. McNally’s puts theirs on a Kaiser roll, and Jimmy Fallon was seen digging Dalessandro’s Steaks. Have a hoagie at shops ranging from a tofu type at Fu Wah to the hearty stuffed at Cosmi’s Deli. Explore Chinatown and perhaps go for a late night meal at David’s Mai Lai Wah for their noodles and dumplings.

Your Own Health and Fitness – September 12, 2017 Daniel DeBaun, author of Radiation Nation: The Fallout of Modern Technology and former executive at Bell Labs, discusses the health risks of wireless and electronic technologies and how to reduce those risks. Stuff your Doctor Should Know with Healthy Gut Girl – Catalina Martone – August 31, 2017 Healthy Gut Girl grills the expert on EMF radiation, Co-Author of the shocking & helpful book “Radiation Nation.” The Power Hour – Radiation Nation: EMF Radiation Safety – August 22, 2017 Author Daniel T. DeBaun joins to discuss the dangers of EMF radiation. Daniel is an internationally recognized and influential expert in in EMF radiation. Daniel’s concern regarding the health impact of EMF emissions grew from over thirty years of engineering experience in the telecommunication industry, where he held a variety of leadership and executive positions at SAIC, Telcordia, AT&T, and Bell Labs. Live to 100 with Wendy Myers – August 21, 2017 Daniel DeBaun talks with Wendy Myers about how EMF (Electromagnetic Field) radiation threatens your health and what you can do to protect your family. What You’ll Learn: – The health issues caused by EMF exposure – Why women and children are more sensitive to EMF – Tips to protect your body from EMF radiation – The treat of the upcoming 5G cellular network – Daniel’s incredible line of EMF protection products Wellness for Life with Dr. Susanne Bennett – August 18, 2017 “What is the Health Cost of Modern Electronic Conveniences?” It’s wonderful to have the conveniences of cell phones, tablets, laptops and WiFi. However, the Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) emitted from these devices aren’t good for your health. Listen as DefenderShield founder and engineer Daniel DeBaun joins Dr. Susanne Bennett to share the details on EMF radiation. Intelligent Medicine with Dr. Michael Hoffman – August 15, 2017 “How to Protect Yourself from Electromagnetic Radiation” Daniel DeBaun, a veteran electronics engineer and pioneer in electrical emissions safety, highlights the hazards of ubiquitous electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Our devices can heat our skin and internal organs, disrupt electrical transmission in the brain and heart, and create cellular oxidative damage. This can lead to such maladies as headaches, ADHD, dementia, lowered fertility, miscarriages, and cancer. Documentation exists for these hazards, but the powerful telecommunications industry has suppressed it. What simple precautions can be undertaken to mitigate EMF risks? Not Just Paleo Podcast – July 21, 2017 “EMF and Miscarriages, Cancer, Melatonin Levels” One Radio Network – June 23, 2017 “The Health Risks of Mobile Technology” According to former telecommunications industry executive Daniel T. DeBaun, the constant and ever-increasing exposure to Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) radiation emitted by cell phones, tablets, laptops, WiFi and smart meters is one of the most critical health issues facing Western civilization today. What Women Must Know with Sherrill Sellman – 5/11/17 We live in a wireless world. What exactly are the consequences to our health from our love affair with all things wireless? Beauty Inside Out podcast with Kimberly Snyder – 5/1/17 “EMF Radiation Secrets with Daniel & Ryan DeBaun” Listen in as the DeBaun’s discuss their new book, “Radiation Nation” They explain what Electromagnetic Radiation (EMF) is, where it comes from, how we’re affected by it, and simple measures to protect us and our families. Zestology with Tony Wrighton – 4/4/17 “EMF Dangers – Here’s Why You Should Never Carry Your Phone in Your Pocket” Learn why we need to worry about EMFs, the long-term impacts, the increasing long-term chronic and degenerative diseases. and how mobile phones affect fertility, Healthy Moms Podcast with Wellness Mama – 3/27/17 “The Truth About EMFs, WiFi, and Radiation (+ How to Avoid Them!)” In this episode, learn how cell phone, WiFi, and other wireless technology works. The relationship between your microwave, an X-ray, and your cell phone. The impact of EMF radiation on our bodies’ cells, whether wired connections (ethernet) are safer than wireless, smart meters: do they represent a risk? Why avoiding cell phone and WiFi use in a car or plane is a good idea. A safe distance to live from a cell tower. How an EMF shield works. Ben Greenfield Fitness with Ben Greenfield – 12/10/16 “How To Defend Yourself Against Cell Phone Radiation (& Keep Your Laptop From Frying Your Body.)” Ben Greenfield talks about EMF radiation safety and protection with DefenderShield founder Daniel T. DeBaun. Bulletproof Radio with Dave Asprey – 6/3/16 “Keeping Your Lady & Man Parts Safe… From EMF” Bulletproof CEO Dave Asprey and DefenderShield’s Daniel DeBaun discuss EMF emissions, safety, fallacies and more on the Bulletproof Radio Podcast.

Ezra and Nehemiah are books in the older part of the Bible. They are the last two books in the story of the Jews. Their people had lived as prisoners in Babylon city during 70 years. The books tell us how the people of Israel (Jews or Israelites) returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them to Babylon as prisoners. But Persia won a fight with Babylon. Then the king of Persia decided to send Nebuchadnezzar’s prisoners back to their own countries. Cyrus, the king, asked the Jews to build God’s temple in Jerusalem. Ezra was a priest who knew God’s book. And he knew the rules that it contained. He taught the people how to give pleasure to God. Then God would give a good life to them in their own country. Cyrus helps the Jews to return to Jerusalem from Babylon 1 Cyrus, king of Persia had just begun to rule Babylon. He decided to make a new law. Men wrote it down. And he sent out men with the news. He sent them to all the people that he ruled. God had caused him to do this. God had said to Jeremiah years before that he would send the Israelites home (Jeremiah 29:10). 2 This is what Cyrus, the king of Persia said: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me power over all the kingdoms on the earth. He has said that I must build a temple for him at Jerusalem. That is the biggest city in Judah. 3 Any of Israel’s people who live in my land can return to Jerusalem. They must build a temple there for the Lord, the God of Israel. He is the God of Jerusalem. I hope that he will be with those people. 4 Many Israelites are living here now. The people who live near to them must give silver and gold to them. And they must give animals and other things to the Israelites for offerings to their God. They will take these gifts to him in Jerusalem’s temple.’ 5 Then the leaders of Judah and Benjamin’s families and the priests and the Levites prepared to go to Jerusalem. God had said that they must build the Lord’s house there. And he had caused them to want to do this. 6 All the people who lived near them gave them animals, gold, silver and other things for offerings. They also gave them many valuable gifts. 7 Then King Cyrus remembered the things that Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from the temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 1:1-2). Nebuchadnezzar had put them in his god’s house. 8 Mithredath kept Cyrus’s valuable things safe. So Cyrus asked him to fetch the things that belonged to Jerusalem’s temple. Then Mithredath gave them to Sheshbazzar, an important leader from Judah. 9 They counted the things and they made a list. 30 gold plates 1000 silver plates 29 silver pots 10 30 gold deep dishes 410 silver deep dishes, all the same as each other 1000 other things. 11 All the things made from gold and silver were 5400 things. Sheshbazzar took them all with him when he came back with the Israelites to Jerusalem.Chapter 2 The list of the people who returned 1 These are the people who returned to Jerusalem and Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon had brought them to live as slaves in Babylon. Each person returned to his own town. 2 They went together with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah. This is the list of the men among Israel’s people: 3 2172 descendants of Parosh. 4 372 of Shephatiah. 5 775 of Arah. 6 2812 of Pahath Moab (descendant of Jeshua and Joab). 7 1254 of Elam. 8 945 of Zattu. 9 760 of Zaccai. 10 642 of Bani. 11 623 of Bebai. 12 1222 of Azgad. 13 666 of Adonikam. 14 2056 of Bigvai. 15 454 of Adin. 16 98 of Ater (descendant of Hezekiah). 17 323 of Bezai. 18 112 of Jorah. 19 223 of Hashum. 20 95 of Gibbar. 21 123 men from Bethlehem. 22 56 of Netophah. 23 128 of Anathoth. 24 42 of Azmaveth. 25 743 of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth. 26 621 of Ramah and Geba. 27 122 of Michmash. 28 223 of Bethel and Ai. 29 52 of Nebo. 30 156 of Magbish. 31 1254 of the other Elam. 32 320 of Harim. 33 725 of Lod, Hadid and Ono. 34 345 of Jericho. 35 3630 of Senaah. 36 The priests, 973 descendants of Jedaiah (by Jeshua’s family). 37 1052 of Immer. 38 1247 of Pashhur. 39 1017 of Harim. 40 The Levites, 74 descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (by Hodaviah’s family). 41 The singers, 128 descendants of Asaph. 42 The men who watch the temple gates, 139 descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai. 43 The temple servants, the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, 44 Keros, Siaha, Padon, 45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, 46 Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, 47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, 48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, 49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai, 50 Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim, 51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, 52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, 53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah, 54 Neziah and Hatipha. 55 The descendants of Solomon’s servants, the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, 56 Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, 57 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami. 58 392 temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants. 59 Some families came from other towns. The towns were Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon and Immer. But these families could not show that they were really Israelites. They may not have been descendants of Israel (Jacob). 60 They included 652 descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda. 61 And they included families of the priests. These were descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai. This Barzillai had married one of Barzillai’s daughters and he took Barzillai’s name. These daughters had lived in Gilead. 62 All these looked to see if their names were written as priests. But they did not find anything. So the leaders did not let them work as priests. 63 They were not clean enough to eat the priests’ special food. They must wait until the most important priest could decide. He could use the Urim and Thummim to decide the right thing to do. 64 All together, 42 360 people returned to Jerusalem. 65 And they took with them 7337 men and women servants and 200 men and women 66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules (animals), 67 435 camels (animals) and 6720 donkeys (animals). Nobody knows what the Urim and Thummim were. We think that the priest used them. He used them to find out what God wanted. We do not know how the priest used them to do that. Horses, mules, camels and donkeys are all big animals that can carry people and heavy bags on their backs. 68 The most important men in some families came to the Lord’s house in Jerusalem. Some of them gave gifts to build it where it had been before. 69 They gave money to build the temple. Rich men gave more and poor men gave less. Together they gave about 500 kilos (half a ton) of gold and nearly 3000 kilos (3 tons) of silver. And they gave 100 special sets of clothes for the priests. 70 The priests, Levites, and some people went to live in or near Jerusalem. The singers, temple servants and workers lived in towns near them. The other Israelites went to live where their ancestors had lived.Chapter 3 met together in Jerusalem. It was the 7th month. 2 The priests began to build the altar of the God of Israel. They were priests that included Jeshua, Jozadak’s son and Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son. They were building it to burn sacrifices. This is what Moses, the man of God, wrote in his law. 3 They were afraid of the other people who lived round them. But they built the altar on a flat foundation of stones. On it they burnt sacrifices to the Lord. They did this in the morning and in the evening. 4 Then they had the feast called the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’ to thank God. He had kept them safe when they left Egypt. And he kept them safe while they crossed the dry land. Nobody lived in that dry land. They lived in huts made out of leaves. And they made sacrifices. Moses had told them how to do this in the law. 5 They burnt sacrifices every day and at the New Moon and at all the times written in the law. Some people brought gifts to offer and to thank the Lord. They wanted to thank him for all the good things that he had done for them. 6 They began to offer burnt sacrifices on the first day of the 7th month. That was before they had started to build the temple. God’s people build the temple again 7 The leaders gave money to men who could work with stone and wood. They sent food and drink and oil to the people in Tyre and Sidon. This was to pay for beams of wood from a tree called cedar. They would bring the wood on the sea. It would come from Lebanon’s country to Joppa. Cyrus, king of Persia, had asked Lebanon’s people to do this. 8 The Israelites began the work two years after they returned from Babylon, in the 2nd month. Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son, and Jeshua, Jozadak’s son began the work. After this, all the priests and the Levites who worked with them in Jerusalem joined them. Levites who were 20 years old, or older, told the people how to build the Lord’s house. 9 These are their names: Jeshua and his sons and brothers. Kadmiel and his sons. (They were descendants of Hodaviah.) Henadad’s sons and their sons and brothers. All of them were Levites. 10 The men who were building the temple finished the foundations. Then the priests put on their special clothes and they made a noise with their trumpets. The Levites (sons of Asaph) took cymbals and they stood to praise the Lord. Israel’s king, David had told them how to do this many years before. 11 They thanked and praised the Lord. They sang, ‘He is good. His love for Israel will be for all time.’ And all the people shouted. ‘Praise the Lord’, they said, ‘because we have finished building the first part of the Lord’s house!’ Cymbals are two pieces of metal that people hit together to make a loud noise. A trumpet is a metal pipe with a wide end. Somebody blows through this metal thing to make loud music. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and leaders wept. They were sad because they had seen the earlier temple. And they remembered it. Many other people shouted because they were happy. 13 Enemies do not want the work to continue 1 The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the Jews had begun to build. They were building the temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 Then the enemies went to speak to Zerubbabel and to the family leaders. ‘Let us help you to build’, they said. ‘We want to worship your God. We have lived in this country since Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us here. All this time we have made sacrifices to your God.’ 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and Israel’s family heads said, ‘No. You cannot help us to build the temple to our God. We alone must build it. That is what Cyrus, king of Persia, asked us to do.’ 4 Then the people round them tried to make the Israelites afraid. They did not want Judah’s people to continue building. 5 They paid men to work against them and to say bad things about the building. They did this all the time that Cyrus was king of Persia. They went on until Darius became king. 6 They wrote to Xerxes when he became king. They said that the people of Judah and Jerusalem were doing a wrong thing. 7 Later, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and their friends wrote a letter to Artaxerxes, king of Persia. They wrote in the Aramaic language. 8 Rehum, the most important officer and Shimshai wrote this letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes. This is what it said. other side of the River Euphrates. The kings of Assyria moved prisoners that they had taken a long way from their homes. Foreign people had come to live in Samaria, part of Israel’s country. They did not want the Israelites to take back their land. 11 This is the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes: To King Artaxerxes, from your servants in the land across the Euphrates. 12 The king should know what the Jews here are doing. You sent them here. They are building Jerusalem’s city again. It was a bad city whose people did not obey its rulers. They are building the walls and they are beginning to start other buildings. 13 And you should know this. If they build this city and its walls, they will not pay any more money to you. They will take away some of your people’s money. 14 We are your servants. We do not want you to lose honour. So we have sent this letter to you. 15 If you look in letters to kings before you, you will find much about this city. Jerusalem’s people always did what they chose. And the letters will show you that. For many years Jerusalem’s people did not obey those with authority. They did not listen to the kings or their officers. That is why the soldiers from Babylon destroyed the city. 16 We are telling the king that nobody should let these people build up this city and its walls. If they do, you will have no authority on this side of the Euphrates. 17 This is the king’s reply: ‘To Rehum my officer, Shimshai his helper and all their friends in Samaria and across the River Euphrates. I thank you for your news. 18 They have translated the letter that you sent into my language. Then they read it to me. 19 I caused them to look in the old letters and they told us about Jerusalem’s people. They have always caused trouble to their rulers. They never obeyed their rulers. 20 In past days the kings of Jerusalem were powerful. They ruled all the land on their side of the Euphrates. The people there gave money and other things to them because their kings had authority. 21 Now you must cause them to stop their work. They must not build the city again until I let them. 22 You must be careful to do this. We cannot let them make my authority smaller.’ 24 So the people did no work on God’s house in Jerusalem. The work stopped until Darius, Persia’s king, had ruled over them for more than one year.Chapter 5 Tattenai writes to Darius 1 Haggai and Zechariah, Iddo’s descendant, gave us messages from God. They obeyed the God of Israel. They were prophets. They told God’s message to the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea. 2 Then Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son, and Jeshua, Jozadak’s son, started again to build the temple in Jerusalem. And the prophets worked with them, to help them. 3 At that time Tattenai was the king’s ruler of all the land across the River Euphrates. He and Shethar-Bozenai and their friends went to ask them what they were doing. They said, ‘Who gave you the authority to start building this temple again?’ 4 And they asked, ‘What are the names of the men who are building this place?’ 5 But God was watching over the Jews’ leaders, and nobody stopped them building then. They waited until they could send a letter to King Darius. They waited for him to reply. 6 The ruler Tattenai, Shethar-Bozenai and their friends wrote to King Darius. 7 This is what they said: We hope that you, King Darius, are well and happy. 8 We went to Judah to visit the temple of the great God. The king should know that the people are building it. They are using big stones and beams of wood to build the walls. They are working hard and the temple is growing fast. Their leaders showed them how to build it. 9 We spoke to them and we asked, ‘Who gave authority to you to do this and to build up this temple again?’ 10 We also asked them their names. Then we could give the names of their leaders to you. 11 This is the answer that they gave to us: ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. A great king of Israel built this temple and finished it many years ago. We are building it again. 12 But our ancestors made the God of heaven angry. So he let Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king, fight with them. And Nebuchadnezzar destroyed this temple. Then he took many of our people to Babylon. house of our God again. He said this in the first year that he was king. 14 And he even gave us the gold and silver things from the Jerusalem temple. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them out of Jerusalem’s temple and he put them in the temple in Babylon. Then King Cyrus gave the valuable things to Sheshbazzar. He had given authority to this man over Jerusalem and the places round it. 15 He said to Sheshbazzar, “Take these things and put them in the temple in Jerusalem. And build again the house of God where it used to be.” 16 So this Sheshbazzar came and he built the foundations of God’s house in Jerusalem. Since then we have continued to build it, but we have not finished it yet.’ 17 If the king should choose, he may look in the letters in his store. It is there in Babylon. King Cyrus did say that we must build up God’s temple in Jerusalem. And you will see that in the letters. After this, the king will decide what is right. That is what we hope. We must know whether the king will let us finish this work.Chapter 6 Darius asks the Jews to go on building the temple 1 King Darius asked his servants to look in his Babylon store. That was where he kept all his valuable things. 2 They found a scroll in a strong building in Ecbatana. This was in Media, a part of Babylon. The words on the scroll were about the temple of God in Jerusalem. This is a copy of those words. 3 King Cyrus told the Jews how to build their temple in Jerusalem. It was the first year that he ruled in Babylon. He said: “They must build their temple as a place to sacrifice to their God. They must make it 30 metres (90 feet) wide and 30 metres high. They must build it on a foundation. 4 On this they must build a wall from big stones, 3 stones high. On this they must build a wall made out of wood. Money from my store will pay for it. 5 And we will give their silver and gold things back to them. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them from the old temple in Jerusalem. And he brought them to Babylon. They must return them to their places. They must put them in the new temple in Jerusalem. They must put them in their God’s house.” 6 So you, Tattenai, ruler of the land across the Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and your officers must stay away from them. 7 You must not stop them from building God’s temple. The leaders and those Jews with authority must continue to build this house of God. They must build it in its proper place. 8 Now I will tell you what you must do for these leaders. You must pay for everything that they need with the king’s money. This money is from the people who live across the Euphrates. Then the work will not stop. 9 Be sure to give each day to the priests the things that they need for sacrifices to the God of heaven. Give them young male cows and young and old male sheep. Give them grain, salt, wine and oil when the priests ask for them. 10 Then their sacrifices will give pleasure to the God of heaven. They can then pray for good things for the king and his sons. 11 Nobody can change any of these rules that I have given to you. If anyone does not obey, men must pull a beam out of his house. They must lift him and push the beam through his body. They must destroy his house because he has not obeyed me. 12 God, has caused his name to live in his temple. He will cause enemies to kill any king or people who change my words. He will be very much against any king or people who try to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made this law. You must be sure to obey it.’ They finish the temple 13 Tattenai, ruler of the land across the Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai and their friends heard this law. Then they were all very careful to obey King Darius. 14 So the leaders of the Jews continued to build the temple. They listened to what Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, Iddo’s descendant were teaching them. They finished building the temple. They built it as the God of Israel had told them. They obeyed the rules of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. 15 They finished building it on the 3rd day of the month Adar. King Darius had then been king for 6 years. 16 Then the Israelites had a feast. That included the priests, Levites and the other people. Everyone who had come from Babylon dedicated the temple to God. They were very happy. 17 At this time they offered 100 male cows, 200 male sheep and 400 young male sheep to the Lord. Then they sacrificed 12 male goats because of the sin of all Israel. Each of the 12 large families of Israel gave a goat. 18 They caused the groups of priests and Levites to do their work in the proper way. They did it for God in Jerusalem. Moses had written in his book how to do this. 19 On the 14th day of the first month, the people had another party. This was the Passover feast. 20 The priests and Levites made themselves clean for their special work. The Levites killed the Passover lambs (young sheep) for the people, the priests and for themselves. 21 So all the people who had returned from Babylon ate the feast. Other Israelites there had stopped doing the bad things that nations round them did. They made themselves clean. That was because they wanted to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. So they ate the feast. 22 And they all remembered the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This feast was 7 days long. The Lord had made them very happy because the king of Assyria had changed his ideas. Now he was helping them to build their God’s house. The Passover feast was to help the Israelites. They needed to remember God. He had saved them from being slaves in Egypt. God had sent an angel to kill all the oldest sons of the people in Egypt. But he told the Israelites to put the blood of a young sheep round their doors. They had to stay inside their houses. The angel passed over the blood and did not kill their sons. Then the people in Egypt sent the Israelites out of Egypt. (See Numbers 28:16-25; Exodus 12:14-20.) Ezra comes to Jerusalem 1 After these things, Ezra came up from Babylon while Artaxerxes was king of Persia. This is the list of Ezra’s ancestors. He was the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah. 2 Hilkiah was the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub. 3 Ahitub was the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth. 4 Meraioth was the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki. 5 Bukki was the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar. And Eleazar was a son of Aaron, the most important priest. 6 This Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher who knew the law of Moses. The Lord, the God of Israel had given that law to Moses. The king had given to Ezra everything that he asked for. That happened because the Lord God had caused the king to do this. 7 Some other Israelites also came up to Jerusalem. They came in the 7th year that Artaxerxes was king. They included priests, Levites, singers, temple servants and men who watched the gates. 8 Ezra came to Jerusalem in the 5th month of Artaxerxes’ 7th year. 9 He left Babylon on the first day of the first month. And he came to Jerusalem on the first day of the 5th month. God had made his journey easy. 10 He did this because Ezra had studied God’s law carefully. Ezra always obeyed its rules and he taught them to the Israelites. Artaxerxes’ letter to Ezra 11 This is a copy of the letter that Artaxerxes had given to Ezra, the priest and teacher. Ezra knew well all the Lord’s rules and laws for Israel. 12 From Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a teacher of the God of heaven’s law. I hope that you are well. 13 Many Israelites live in my kingdom. Some may want to go with you to Jerusalem. I have decided that they can go. That rule includes priests and Levites with any who want to go. 14 The king and his 7 important officers are sending you there. You must ask whether the people in Judah and Jerusalem are obeying their God’s law. You have this law in your hands. 15 And I and my officers have given gold and silver as a free gift to you. You must take them with you. They are for the God of Israel, whose house is in Jerusalem. 16 And take the gold and silver that other people in Babylon give to you. And take too, the gifts that the people and priests have given for their God’s temple in Jerusalem. 17 You must buy male cows and old and young male sheep with this money. Also buy drink and grain to offer to your God. Sacrifice them on the altar of Jerusalem’s temple. 18 You and all the other Jews can then use the rest of the silver and gold as you want to. You can do anything that your God wants you to do. 19 You must take all the things that you use for worship with you. Give them to Jerusalem’s God. 20 Perhaps you may need other things for worship in your God’s temple. You can take these from my rich stores. 21 This is what I, King Artaxerxes, will do. I will speak to the rulers of the countries across the River Euphrates. They must help you. Their men keep my money. They must give Ezra anything that he asks for. He is a priest who teaches the law of the God of heaven. They must do that very carefully. 22 You should not give more than this to him: 3400 kilos (3.3 tons) of silver 22 000 litres (5800 US gallons) of grain 2200 litres (580 US gallons) of wine 2200 litres of oil all the salt that he wants. 23 Be careful to give to Ezra everything that the God of heaven wants for his temple. I do not want the God of heaven to be angry with me or with my sons. 24 You must not take money for any purpose from men who work in this house of God. You have no authority to do this. These men include priests, Levites, singers, servants and those who watch the gate. 25 Your God has helped you to understand things, Ezra. He will show to you which men to choose. They will judge the people. You must choose men to judge small problems in the land across the Euphrates. And other men must judge the bigger problems. All the people must obey the laws of your God. If the people do not know these laws, you must teach them. 26 You must punish the people who do not obey the laws of your God and the king’s laws. You may send them away or you may kill them. You may send them out of the country or put them in a prison. Or you may take away some of their things. 27 This is how the king wants to give honour to the Lord’s house in Jerusalem. The Lord, the God of our people, has caused him to think like this. We praise God’s name! 28 And God has been kind to me in front of the king and his powerful friends and officers. The Lord held me so strongly that I became brave. I could ask the leaders of Israel to go up with me.Chapter 8 The family leaders who went back with Ezra to Jerusalem 1 These are the leaders and other men in their families who came with me from Babylon. We came during the time that Artaxerxes was king. 2 Gershom, Phinehas’s descendant. Daniel, Ithamar’s descendant. 3 Hattush, Shecaniah’s son, David’s descendant. Zechariah, Parosh’s descendant and 150 men. 4 Elihoenai, Zerahiah’s son, and 200 men, Pahath-Moab’s descendants. 5 Shecaniah, Jahaziel’s son, with 300 men, Zattu’s descendants. 6 Ebed, Jonathan’s son with 50 men, Adin’s descendants. 7 Jeshaiah, Athaliah’s son, with 70 men, Elam’s descendants. 8 Zebadiah, Michael’s son, with 80 men, Shephatiah’s descendants. 9 Obadiah, Jehiel’s son, with 218 men, Joab’s descendants. 10 Shelomith, Josiphiah’s son with 160 men, Bani’s descendants. 11 Zechariah, Bebai’s son, with 28 men, Bebai’s descendants. 12 Johanan, Hakkatan’s son, with 110 men, Azgad’s descendants. 13 Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, Adonikam’s descendants with 60 men who came later. 14 Uthai and Zaccur with 70 men, Bigvai’s descendants. The return to Jerusalem 15 I caused all the people to come together at the river that goes to Ahava. We stayed there during 3 days. I looked at the people and priests, but I did not see any Levites. 16 So I asked them to send Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah and Elnathan. And I asked for Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam. They were all leaders. I also asked for Joiarib and Elnathan. They were men who had learnt much. 17 And I sent them all to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. Iddo and his family were servants in the temple. But they were living there in Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo. They must ask him to bring people to work in the house of our God. 18 This was what God wanted. So they brought Sherebiah to us. He was a man who could do the work well. He was from Mahli’s family. Levi was a son of Israel, and Mahli was Levi’s son. Sherebiah came with his sons and brothers. Together they were 18 men. 19 Hashabiah came and Jeshaiah, a descendant of Merari came too, with his brothers and the brothers’ sons. They were 20 men together. 20 They also brought 220 temple servants. These were people that David had said should help the Levites. We had made a list of their names. 21 We were all by the River Ahava. I said that the people should not eat any food. This was to show God that we needed his help. Then we asked him to keep us safe on the journey with our children and all our things. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers who walked. And I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers who rode on horses. They could have kept us safe from our enemies. But we had spoken to the king. We had said, ‘Our God is good. He keeps safe those who obey him. But he is very angry with those who turn away from him. And he works against them.’ 23 So we ate no food and we prayed to our God about this. And he listened to us. 24 I chose 12 of the most important priests. I put them with Sherebiah, Hashabiah and 10 of their brothers. 25 I weighed in front of them many valuable things. These things included the silver and gold offerings and other things that people had given to us. The king, his friends and officers and all the Israelites had given us these. They gave them for the house of our God. 26 I weighed about 20 000 kilos (20 tons) of silver and about 3500 kilos (3.5 tons) of things made from silver. And I weighed 3500 kilos of gold and 27 20 deep dishes of gold that weighed about 8.5 kilos (19 pounds). I also I gave to them 2 beautiful things that someone had made from metal. But those things were as valuable as gold. 28 Then I spoke to them. I said, ‘You people and these things all belong to the Lord. The silver and gold are offerings to the Lord, the God of your fathers. 29 You must be careful to keep them safe until you reach Jerusalem. There in the rooms in the Lord’s house you must weigh them. You must do this in front of the leaders of the priests, Levites and other Israelite families.’ 30 Then they gave the silver, gold and valuable things to the priests and Levites. They would take them to the temple in Jerusalem. 31 We left the River Ahava on the 12th day of the first month. We left to go to Jerusalem. Our God kept us safe on the journey. No enemies robbed us or hurt us. 32 So we arrived in Jerusalem. And we rested there during 3 days. 33 We went into God’s house on the 4th day. Then we weighed out the silver, gold and holy things there. We gave them to Meremoth, Uriah the priest’s son. Phinehas’s son, Eleazar was with him. The Levites Jozabad, Jeshua’s son and Noadiah, Binnui’s son, were also there. 34 They weighed and counted everything. They wrote it all in a list. 35 All the people who had returned from Babylon offered sacrifices to the God of Israel. They burnt 12 male cows for all Israel, 96 male sheep and 77 lambs (young male sheep). Then they sacrificed 12 male goats for a sin offering. They burnt all these animals as an offering to the Lord. 36 They also gave the king’s letters to his officers. And they gave them to those who ruled the land across the Euphrates. Then those in 13 You have punished us because we did these wrong things. But your punishment, our God, was not as great as our sins. You have brought some of us back to Judah. 14 We do not want to marry people who do those very bad things. We must obey you, or you will be angry with us. You might kill all of us, and none of us would still be here. 15 You do only what is good, Lord God of Israel. Only a few of us are still here. We come to you. We are sorry and ashamed of the wrong things that we have done. Not one person among us is clean enough to stand in front of you.’ Verse 11 Clean means clean inside a person. A clean person does only things that are good. And that person thinks only good thoughts. The people tell God that they are sorry 1 A big crowd of Israelite men, women and children came round Ezra. He was praying and crying. And he was saying ‘Sorry’ to God. He threw himself down in front of the house of God. And the people were crying very much. 2 Then Shecaniah spoke to him. He was Jehiel’s son, a descendant of Elam. Shecaniah said, ‘We have not been faithful to our God. We have married foreign women from the countries round us. But we want to make things right with God. 3 We will make a promise to him. We will send away these women and their children. This is what you, Ezra, are telling us to do. And the people who want to obey God’s law want it, too. We must obey the law. 4 Get up! Now you must help us to do what is right. We will help you, so you must not be afraid.’ 5 So Ezra got up. He caused the leaders of the priests, Levites and all Israel to promise to do as they had said. And they made their strong promise to God. 6 And Ezra went from the front of God’s house to Jehohanan’s room. Jehohanan was Eliashib’s son. Ezra was still very sad because the people had not been faithful to the Lord. So he did not eat any food while he was there. And he did not drink any water while he was there. 7 They wrote a message and they sent it to all the people in Judah and Jerusalem. It said that they must all come to Jerusalem. 8 If they did not arrive in 3 days, they would lose everything. The leaders and officers had decided to say this. And they would push out anyone who did not obey the message. They would send them out of Israel. 9 All the men from Judah and Benjamin reached Jerusalem in 3 days. All the people sat in front of God’s house on the 20th day of the 9th month. They were very sad because they had made God angry. And the rain was bad. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up. He said, ‘You have not been faithful to your God. You have married foreign wives. You have done this and so many other sins. 11 Now you must tell the Lord that you are sorry. He is the God of your fathers and grandfathers. You must do the things that he wants. You must make yourselves separate from the people who live in the countries round you. You must make yourselves separate from your foreign wives.’ 12 All the people spoke with a loud voice. ‘You are right’, they said. ‘We must do as you say. 13 But we are many people and we cannot stand in the rain. And we shall need more than two days to do this thing. Many of us have sinned like that. 14 Our officers should do this for us. In every town they must make a special time for men to visit the leaders and the judges. Then everyone who has a foreign wife can go to them. God was very angry, but then he will not be angry any longer.’ 15 Only 4 men did not agree with this. They were Jonathan, Asahel’s son, Jahzeiah, Tikvah’s son, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite. 16 So the Jews from Babylon did as the people had said. Ezra the priest chose family leaders for each big family. He wrote down their names. They sat down to decide which men had to send away their wives. They started on the first day of the 10th month. 17 And they finished on the first day of the first month. 34 The descendants of Bani: 43 The descendants of Nebo: 44 All these men had married foreign women, and some had children by these wives. - table of stone or metal on which they burned gifts to God (sacrifices). - people years ago that your parents came from. - servant from God that brings his messages. - two pieces of metal that people hit together to make a loud noise. - to do good things and to think good thoughts; when something is right to use because God is happy about it. - to put on one side for one person to use in a - a child, grandchild, and so on; a person in your family who was born after you. - not to move from a person or thing that you believe to be true. - a time to eat and to drink good things. - the strong part of a building’s wall that is in the ground. - seed of a grass plant that you can eat; or you can make it into bread. - God’s home. - all good with nothing bad in it; separate from sin. - when you say that somebody is great and good. - Jacob’s descendants; people from the great family of Israel. - another name for an Israelite. - person with authority to decide what is good or - a country that a king rules. - the rules that God or rulers make. - descendant of Levi, one of Jacob’s sons. They had to do special work in the temple but they were not all priests. - a master who rules; a special name that the Jews used for God. God is Lord of everybody. - people who live together in the same country. - to give something to someone, usually God. - a gift to please God. - Passover feast - a holy meal to remember how God saved the Jews from Egypt where they were slaves. - to say how good and great someone is; or the words that we use when we tell someone that. - a special Levite who is a servant of God in his temple; a descendant of Aaron. - a person that the enemy has caught and kept in - a person who hears God’s words, and tells them to other people. - to hurt someone because they have done wrong things. - what you do to punish someone. - to give something valuable to God; or something valuable that people gave to God. - a very long piece of leather skin to write on. - valuable metal, like gold. - when we do not obey God’s rules. - building where people meet to worship their god. - a metal pipe with a wide end; somebody blows through this metal thing to make loud music. - Urim and Thummim - two Hebrew words. Nobody knows what the Urim and Thummim were. We think that the priest used them. He used them to find out what God wanted. We do not know how the priest used them to do that. - a drink that contains alcohol. - to give thanks to God; to show God that we love him very much; to tell God that he is very great; to praise God more than we praise anyone else.

Over the past year, news headlines have suggested that Type 2 diabetes and obesity can be safely "cured" by bariatric surgery. Patients who undergo this surgery, which bypasses part or all of the stomach, typically lose weight rapidly and may no longer need diabetes medication when they leave the hospital. Surgery, however, has its own risks, including a significant number of complications that require re-hospitalization. In addition, follow-up studies demonstrate that many patients regain weight and have a re-emergence of their diabetes. Although we do not fully understand why blood sugars normalize so rapidly after bariatric surgery, a study presented at the 2012 Obesity Society International compared low-calorie dieting to surgery. The study found equivalent effects on insulin and blood sugar levels, suggesting that a dramatic drop in calorie intake is the initial key. The focus of diabetes therapy is prevention: Avoid or minimize the impact of damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves and blood vessels. The usual therapeutic approach is to control blood sugars as much as is safely possible. This usually requires multiple medications and weight gain is a common side effect. However, most people with Type 2 diabetes are already obese, and further weight gain as a result of well-intentioned therapy can increase psychological and physical distress. Weight gain means higher medication dosages and longer medication lists.

According to Noam Wasserman, author of The Founder’s Dilemmas, a whopping 65 % of new businesses fail due to conflict among co-founders. One way to avoid this fate is, of course, to choose the right business partner. Another way is to have a strong business partnership agreement, which is what this article covers. Why Should I Even Bother With a Business Partnership Agreement? Running a business which has multiple owners without a business partnership agreement is kind of like driving a car without insurance. There’s nothing to protect you if something goes wrong. That gets at the main purpose that a business partnership agreement serves: - Dispute resolution: Every relationship has disagreements, and this is especially true in business relationships where lots of financial, legal, and business decisions have to be made. A carefully crafted business partnership agreement allows you to outline how disputes are going to be handled ahead of time instead of in the heat of the moment. This prevents the friction and expenses associated with legal action. A business partnership agreement can also do the following: - Dispute prevention. By forcing you to have an honest conversation about how you want to run the business with your partner, disputes that may have otherwise occurred may not occur at all. - Clarify business structure: The process of putting together a business partnership agreement forces everyone to think about and get on the same page about how the business is going to be structured and run from the beginning. This allows decisions to be made efficiently and profits to be divided fairly. - Enable business transition: Should there come a time when one or more of the partners wants to exit the business, wants a partner to exit, passes away, or becomes disabled, there need to be provisions specifying what will happen to the business. Keep in mind that there are different kinds of partnerships: general partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and (in some states) limited liability limited partnerships. Learn more about how to choose a business structure in this guide. No matter which type of partnership you are creating, you should have a partnership agreement. - Are partners expected to work set hours? - Does one partner plan on working more or less than the other partners? If so, you may want to adjust division of ownership and profits accordingly (see compensation section below). - How much vacation is allowed? - Will this be a full time role for each partner or are partners allowed to conduct other types of businesses outside of the partnership? If partners are given more flexibility, there should be a provision specifying that other ventures cannot compete with the business. Next, you want to determine what each partner is bringing to the business in terms of cash investment, physical property (equipment, office space etc), and intellectual/other types of property (software code, client lists etc.) Once you have listed everything out, you should outline how that property will be owned and used. Here are some examples: - Personal Property Example: You are starting a landscaping business and one of the partners contributes a lawnmower. Does that mower become the property of the business? - Client List Example: You are starting brokerage firm and one of the partners brings clients with them from a previous job. Does 100 % of the revenue from those clients flow into the business? - Intellectual Property Example: You and your partners launch an online business, and one partner contributes software code. Is that code now owned by the business? Can other partners modify it? Now that you have decided on responsibilities, workload, and which partners are contributing what to the business, you can come to an agreement on how ownership is going to be shared in the business. A 50/50 ownership, as Dan Shapiro explains further in this post, is not always the way to go. If a partner is doing any of the following, that typically merits their getting a larger ownership share in the business: - One partner has contributed to a significantly larger amount of property to the business. - The partner thought of the original business concept and/or developed a beta product, secured a patent, or completed another critical first step. - Working full time while other partners are working part time. - The partner has successfully raised venture capital funding. Compensation/Distributions of Profits and Losses Partners are not paid salaries. They receive distributions from the profits of the business. If there are no profits, says Michael Boutros, a lawyer and partner at Krevolin & Horst, LLC, then there are generally no distributions. An exception to this is something called “guaranteed payments,” which is compensation that’s paid and guaranteed to a partner without regard to the profits and losses of a partnership. This is like a taking a salary. The IRS has certain rules and restrictions regarding the payment and treatment of guaranteed payments, say Boutros, so small business owners should consult with a lawyer and tax professional. This section should answer the following questions: - Do you plan on reinvesting profits back into the business? - At what point do you plan on taking out profits and distributing them to the partners? - How and when will profits and losses be divided up amongst the owners? Often, it’s based on contributions and ownership. For example, someone who contributes 60 % of the property to a business will typically own 60 % of the business and receive 60 % of the profits/losses. However, the setup may be different for your business if, for instance, one partner works a lot more than others or has more responsibilities. - Will you offer guaranteed payments? If so, to whom, when, and how much? Being able to discuss and come to an agreement on differences of opinion is a must for any business to move forward and grow. Most of the time, collaboration on day to day issues happens seamlessly. However, disputes are inevitable, and when the contested issues affect the future of the business, the agreement should lay out a method for resolution. One common mistake small businesses make, says Boutros, is to give each owner an equal say in the business without including a tie breaker. Boutros explains, “When two 50-50 partners inevitably develop diverging views on a major company decision–whether to purchase a new building, or to invest in a new international division–the company reaches an impasse that impedes its long-term viability.” Here are some better ways to handle partner disputes: - The CEO has the final say. - One partner has the final say on a particular part of the business. For example, on hiring and firing disputes, it may be the CEO; for product development disputes, the partner who is in charge of product may have the final say. - Vote based on ownership. For instance, someone owning 60 % of the business would have more of a say than someone owning 40 % of the business. - Majority vote for businesses with an odd number of partners. - Partners agree to use an outside mentor to resolve disputes. - Partners agree to use an outside advisory board. Other more formal options are: - Mediation – Working with a professional mediator can help partners come to an agreement on issues that they were not able to resolve alone. For more on this option, see this article. - Arbitration – If you are not able to come to an agreement through mediation then arbitration, which binds the partners to the decision made by the arbitrator, is the next option before going to court. For more on this option, see this article. - Litigation – If things become too contentious and the business is not able to move forward, you can sue your business partner. This is usually a long and expensive process however, and one that will probably sour your relationship with the partner forever. This section should answer the following questions: - Contracts: Does each partner have the authority to sign contracts on behalf of the business? If so, those contracts will bind all partners. - Debt: Is the business going to have a credit card, credit line, a loan? Keep in mind here that, depending on the business structure that you choose, each partner may be personally liable for this. - Spending: Does a partner have the ability to make purchases without consulting the other partners? Generally, there is a limit that is set in the agreement above which point the partner must obtain permission from the other partners. What happens if a partner dies or becomes unable to participate at the same level because of a disability? Most business owners probably do not want their deceased partner’s heirs to be their new business partners. To prevent these types of issues a buy sell agreement will be included in most business partnership agreements. A buy sell agreement allows remaining partners to buy out the partner who is disabled or who passed away. Buy sell agreements also usually cover partner divorces to prevent a divorcee’s ex-spouse from becoming a business partner. You should also look into key person insurance (aka key man insurance). This type of insurance enables the business to survive the loss of a key person. The insurance company will pay out a benefit to the business in case an owner or key executive passes away or becomes disabled. Answer the following questions: - Voluntary Exit: What happens if a partner wants to leave the partnership and pursue other interests? This is usually covered by a buy sell agreement. - Involuntary Exit: Under what circumstances can a partner be forced to leave the business? What is the process for deciding on bringing in a new partner? Majority vote? Some other method? Here is a great article on the topic from attorney Matt Dickstein. Selling the Business Under what circumstances can the business be sold? This likely goes back to the buy sell agreement. Creating a business partnership agreement is a necessity for a small business with multiple owners. The agreement will cover the good times and bad times in your business. It covers how the business will be managed, how profits will be divided, and how disputes will be resolved. With a good partnership agreement under your belt, you can focus on running and growing your business!

To be honest, I didn't give it much thought until I read the following comment someone (not my FB friend) had posted in agreement: Commenter: They don't say it in alot of places and its [expletive] if you don't like it go the [expletive] back to your own country. Alot of men and women lay their lives down each and everyday so that cry babies can whine about reciting the pledge of allegiance Typically I'd shy away from discussing this type of thing on my blog, but I feel like a day that celebrates American Independence sort of calls for it. Wikipedia summarizes several aspects of controversy surrounding the pledge. They include: 1) That the promise of freedom to dissent means that people should not be required to give an oath of allegiance (as does the right of people to not speak in public). 2) That those likely to recite the pledge on a daily basis - kids in school - are too young to really understand what that oath means. 3) Objections to the constitutionality of including the phrase "Under God." Let's start with an extremely streamlined summary of the recent controversy over the last two - schools and "Under God". Feel free to clarify my omissions and/or imply my ignorance in the comments below. Also (because, sadly, I feel this might be necessary), please keep in mind that if you think you know my personal opinion(s) on God and/or religion from reading this blog post, you are most likely wrong. Since the 1960s, the courts have been dealing with challenges to the constitutionality of prayer in public schools. A case filed in 2000, Newdow v. United States Congress, Elk Grove Unified School District, et al., raised objections that, for instances where the Pledge was recited in public schools, led by teachers, the clause "under God" was an endorsement by the state of religion, and thereby violated the first amendment. To review, the first amendment guarantees freedom to exercise religion, and prohibits laws that impinge on the establishment of religious beliefs. Congress is also prohibited from making laws that can lead to the establishment of a national religion - the "establishment clause." In 2004, the decision of the case (which was that requiring students to recite the pledge was unconstitutional) was struck down on the basis of standing. The next incarnation of the case - Newdow v. Carey - eventually resulted in a decision in which the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of pledge recitation in public schools. Before I get to my thoughts on the FB commenter (or rather, the mentality behind the comment), let's look more closely at the controversial words - "under God." The Pledge of Allegiance was composed in 1892 by a man named Francis Bellamy, and adopted as the national pledge in 1942. The words "under God" were officially added to the original pledge twelve years later, in 1954 - although unofficial use of them began earlier. This addition was allegedly drawn from the Gettysburg address, although some question exists as to whether or not Lincoln used the phrase in his famous speech. Different versions appeared in different manuscripts after the speech. Version 1: " Version 2: "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Others have challenged the actual meaning, suggesting that in the context of the time, Lincoln's "Under God" would more accurately mean "God willing" and not a declaration that the nation follows God. At the time of the "Under God" addition to the pledge, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, made these comments: "From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty. To anyone who truly loves America, nothing could be more inspiring than to contemplate this rededication of our youth, on each school morning, to our country's true meaning. Especially is this meaningful as we regard today's world. Over the globe, mankind has been cruelly torn by violence and brutality and, by the millions, deadened in mind and soul by a materialistic philosophy of life. Man everywhere is appalled by the prospect of atomic war. In this somber setting, this law and its effects today have profound meaning. In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war." (Source) Reading the above excerpt actually gave me a lot of food for thought. Seriously, I had no idea about the history of the pledge, although I remembered the court case(s). The context of the change as stated in Eisenhower's adderss has me thinking about the reasons why the pledge might have been made official - not in the terms of is it "good" or "bad". Now, on to the comment. Some critical questions: Just because we've done something the same way for a long time, does that mean we shouldn't question it? (hint: bad news for any movement that has ever challenged the status quo.) Is it a legitimate attitude that questioning a Pledge of Allegiance - or the willingness to say "Under God" - makes someone a coward or anti-American or anti-troops? More bluntly, which was what caught my attention to begin with: Is there a place for people who are not comfortable with "under God" - either because they are atheist, agnostic, deist, or ascribe to a religion that is not compatible with the phrase - in America? Most people would say something generic like "I don't care what religion so-and-so is" - but consider the ongoing discussion over whether President Obama is "really a Christian." We can't have it both ways. We can't be the "melting pot" but tell the Gruyère that it has to sit this one out because it's asking uncomfortable questions. It's easy to dismiss dust-ups like this as a matter of political correctness - the "fear of offending" noted by the commenter. However, when those seemingly PC-issues crop up, it's equally important to understand why and look for clues as to what that issue reflects of our psyche as a nation, and as individuals. The assurance of 'freedom of religion' in the first amendment means nothing if it's a thin veneer covering up an "us or them," "fall in or get out" sort of mentality. There are plenty of arguments for whether America was founded as either a secular nation, or a Christian one, and those for both sides carry flaws. The truth is that the Founding Fathers were white, Christian (although some may have technically been deists), and many owned slaves. In a modern age where the founding of America is idealized and politicians carelessly rewrite history to suit their rhetoric, we have to remember that, for all they accomplished, the Founding Fathers faced their own limitations - limitations of their time and their life experience - that are not necessarily applicable to the America that exists 235 years later. Nor SHOULD those standards be applicable. Relying on the literal words of documents from that time restricts the nation to the past, rather than conferring independence in the future - for those who wish to live "under God," and for those who don't.

The Lesson of Mr. Ploenges Farm I grew up in the country close to the Indianapolis Indiana area. In late 1983, when I moved from St. Louis back to Indianapolis, I was looking forward to meeting old friends and searching for Indian artifact in my home state. Little did I realize that many of my best finds would actually be found within a few miles of where I grew up. Through the winter of 1983 and the spring of 1984 I traveled throughout the central Indiana area, sometimes driving for an hour or more to search for fields to hunt. Finally, after limited success in my wandering, I stumbled across a suitable field. I grew up during the 1960s outside of a small town called Cumberland, which has since been engulfed by the urban sprawl of Indianapolis. Cumberland, until the growth boom, was a small town with many German farm families in the surrounding area. As most small boys living in the country, we played in many of the farm fields both while crops were planted and after harvest. Our families next-door neighbor was an elderly farmer of German decent, Anton 'Andy' Ploenges, who was born on his families farm land in a log cabin in 1883. He farmed the land until he died in 1980. When I was old enough I took over the job of cutting Mr. Ploenges lawn from my older brother Greg. Mr. Ploenges was in his early eighties then and like some small children, I was somewhat frightened of him. He was still active, butchering cows and hogs, or working on his roof. Even then, Mr. Ploenges was a sturdy man over six feet tall but the years of farming had taken their toll. Missing a few fingers, and scaring from sun cancer on the side of his neck and face, made me leery of staying close to him for very long. My good friend Mike Hampton's family lived in the Ploenges' hired hands house which sat across the road from the main farm house. During one of our country hikes together in later years, Mike gave me a slate full groove ax found by Mr. Ploenges many years ago. After Andy Ploenges passed away in the mid 1980's another farmer who lives further up the road purchased the Ploenges farm land. While visiting him prior to searching for Indian relics, his wife mentioned during a conversation that Mr. Ploenges had a passion for history and especially for the history of the Indians who once roamed this area. This was confirmed by Mike's mother Liz one evening while visiting her for dinner. In the spring of 1984 my girlfriend, Theresa, and I were driving out by Cumberland Indiana looking for a location to hunt arrowheads or search for old bottles. As we drove down the county line road I remembered that there had been an old barn on the farm which burned to the ground back in the early 1960s. Where the road was once a dusty gravel road, a nicely paved road now stretched. Where the barn once stood, now there was a cultivated field with only a few large trees remaining by the road. We thought there might be an old bottle or two around the site. Possibly something worth looking for since not too many people in the area then remembered the barn. Both of us were skeptical of finding anything yet I pulled the car off of the road by a large tree and we got out to look around. We stood there talking for a moment before I started into the field. On my first step into the field, with one foot still on the road pavement, and the other planted in the moist dirt, I paused to ask Theresa why she was hanging back. I looked back at her to see her leaning against the car looking at me while she buttoned her coat. Without saying a word I looked down by my right foot to the ground and saw a large corner notched point protruding from the earth. At less than two feet from the road side, the point was lying flat in the dirt over eighty percent exposed. Only the extreme tip of the point was covered with soil. I could not believe it. Here I had come to this spot to hunt for bottles, and after driving all over mid Indiana, I find my largest point yet within site of my boyhood home. I pointed to the point and called Theresa over to look at it before I lifted it from the ground. As I held it in my hand, I immediately recognized it a Godar type point. The material is Indiana Hornstone, or Harrison County flint and is semi glossy. Harrison County flint ranges in hue from a dark blue to black. The cross section is flattened and has been re-sharpened from both sides. The relic is totally complete without any damage. The Godar is an Late Archaic relic dating between 4500 - 3500 B.P. typically found in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, southern Wisconsin and Arkansas. Examples typically range in size from 76 mm to 140 mm in length, are narrow to wide side-notched with parallel sided blade edges when unsharpened.. The type also has straight to rounded side notched base which may or may not be ground. The basal ears are generally rounded to square. The type was named by Gregory Perino in 1963 for points he recovered from west central Illinois. I have found many other points in the same field and fields in close proximity. My brother Doug found a very nice fully polished slate celt within twenty feet of where I found the Godar a year later. Three nice Lost Lake points, all made of Harrison County Flint, have been found in the area by myself since finding Finding such nice artifacts so close to where I lived for so long just boggles my mind. I think back upon all the years I roamed the area, including Ploenges field, I wish I had started hunting when I lived there and was so much younger. I can look back through all those years, and I can still see my old home from the spot where I now find so many wonderful Indian artifacts now.

The Carnival, The City and The Sea: Haitian Art from the Perry Smith Collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art December 11, 2015 – March 20, 2016 The art of Haiti has a rhythmic, syncopated imagery that is informed by both the traditions of Carnival and Vodun. The exhibition, The Carnival, the City and the Sea looks at the collection of Perry Smith, who acquired over 80 works of art during his time as a Christian missionary to Haiti. Housed in the collection archives of the New Orleans Museum of Art, the collection has been exhibited only once. A connoisseur of Haitian art, Smith collected some of the most notable of the tradition, including first generation artists, Toussaint Auguste and Philome Obin. In the collection are also artists from the school of Obin such as Etienne Chavannes and Antoine, Seneque, and Telemaque Obin, as well as works of world- renowned Haitian artists such as Wilson Bigaud, Rigaud Benoit, and Gerard Valcin. The Carnival, the City and the Sea looks at three rhythms in Haitian life. Rara, as part of the Haitian Carnival is an annual festival that takes place over the Catholic Lent Season with many parades during the Easter week. The costumes and flags (drapos) displayed during Rara are elegantly adorned glistening beaded vests and banners, many eluding to the Haitian Loas or deities of Vodun. The bustling cities of Haiti provide the inspiration for the part of the exhibition entitled “The City,” which has become a place of commerce, a site for performance and a virtual crossroads of class, culture and Haitian hybridity. The last section of the exhibition is entitled “The Sea” and features works that look at the whimsical and intrinsic spiritual culture of Vodun in Haiti. Haitian Vodun is inextricably involved with the sea and all of its interconnected bodies of water as well as with the “bois” or Haitian jungle or forest. Within these elements, as with the mountains and the sky, the Loa, or Haitian deities are found. But it is the sea which is the starting point, the clear viscous line that separates the living and the dead. The sea was the site of the middle passage and holds the bodies of the African ancestors that did not make it through that voyage alive. The sea is also the realm of many important Loa and therefore it becomes a primordial and diasporic liminal site, haunted and ghostly, life-giving and affirming. Imagined interactions between these three systems, and the unpredictable outcomes of such encounters, provide a point-of- departure for this amazing collection of Haitian Art. The exhibition encompasses a chronological look at the traditional Haitian school as well as touching upon the three vital elements within Haitian culture. Exhibited here are paintings, metalwork and papier-mache sculptures as well as elaborately painted screens and marvelous architectural cubes of breathtaking flora and fantastic cities. All of these works function as hybrids, borrowing freely from a wide range of existing patterns that exist within the magical and yet deeply scarred landscape of Haiti. Vibrant colors of dragonfruit pinks, melon greens and sparkling teals are the choices for the wall colors and serve as a way to seduce the viewer with an invitation to embrace the playfulness and joyous spirituality of the Haitian experience. Beauty and whimsy become catalysts for creative energies in a world that explodes, disintegrates, and morphs into new forms on a daily basis. The exhibition is ultimately about the artistic possibilities that are a result of Haiti’s relationship with a landscape and a history that is increasingly complex and multi-layered.

For those who have been reading my blog, you already know that I’m deeply proud of my Armenian heritage. But if you’re new to Book Club Babe, today is the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a horrific tragedy in which over 1.5 million Armenians were massacred by the Ottoman Turks during World War I. I won’t go into too much detail of the historical event, since I’ve already done so in last year’s post, but I encourage you to educate yourself on the genocide, given that Turkey, the United States, and many other countries still fail to recognize it as such. But this year, I didn’t want to dwell on my ongoing frustration with the American government valuing military alliances over human rights. Instead, I wanted to share some fun facts on Armenians and their culture. It’s a shame that most of the world has never even heard of this country, met any of its amazing people, or eaten any of its delicious food! 10 Fun Facts about Armenia 1. Armenia is a tiny country, only about 11,500 square miles. That’s smaller than the state of Maryland! 2. Written records of the Armenian language date back to the 5th century CE. It has since evolved to have 38 letters, much to the dismay of Armenian-language learners. 3. And despite its tiny geographical size, two Armenian dialects exist: Eastern and Western. Some differences are seen in a swapping of letters, from b to p and k to g (For example, you say “hello” as “barev” in Eastern and “parev” in Western). 4. Armenians call their country “Hayastan,” which has led to the modern members of the diaspora to refer to themselves as “Hyes.” So if you see a bumper sticker declaring “Hye Pride”–no, it’s not a misspelled proclamation of drug abuse! 5. On the flip side, anyone who is not a “Hye” is called an “odar,” an outsider. 6. The national currency is the Armenian Dram. The rate as of today is $1 USD = $416 AMD. 7. Armenia officially achieved independence in 1991, after thousands of years of being controlled by “Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Persians, Ottoman Turks, and Russians.” 8. The Armenian Genocide is a reminder of how different the country is compared to its neighbors. Labeled as everything from Eastern European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern, it’s difficult to explain its geograpical uniqueness. But to this day, it remains predominantly Christian, despite horrendous efforts to change that through ethnic cleansing. 9. The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world’s oldest national church and observes Christmas on January 6th to coincide with the Epiphany. The Roman Catholic Church also observed this date until the 4th century CE when it allegedly changed the date to December 25th to undermine pagan winter solstice celebrations like Saturnalia. 10. There are some fabulous famous people of Armenian descent. The easiest way to tell is to spot surnames that end in “-ian” or “-yan,” which means “issued from-” So “Petrosian” is the Armenian version of “Peterson.” Here’s a list of celebrities of Armenian heritage: - Andre Agassi, tennis player - Ross Bagdasarian, creator of “Alvin and the Chipmunks” - Cher (Cherylin Sarkissian), singer/actress - System of a Down, rock band - Dita von Teese, burlesque artist - Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc. (adopted by Armenian woman, Clara Hagopian, who taught him the language) - Princess Diana (ok, she’s only 1/64th Armenian, but once a Hye, always a Hye!) So there’s plenty of other famous Armenians besides the Kardashians! (Thank goodness!) Anyways, I hope that you learned a lot about my culture. Please share these fun facts with everyone you meet today to honor Armenian Genocide Memorial Day!

In China today, poverty refers mainly to the rural poor as decades of economic growth has largely eradicated urban poverty. The dramatic progress in reducing poverty over the past three decades in China is well known. According to the World Bank, more than 500 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty as China’s poverty rate fell from 88 percent in 1981 to 6.5 percent in 2012, as measured by the percentage of people living on the equivalent of US$1.90 or less per day in 2011 purchasing price parity terms. Since the start of far-reaching economic reforms in the late 1970s, growth has fueled a remarkable increase in per capita income helping to lift more people out of poverty than anywhere else in the world: its per capita income has increased fivefold between 1990 and 2000, from $200 to $1,000. Between 2000 and 2010, per capita income also rose by the same rate, from $1,000 to $5,000, moving China into the ranks of middle-income countries. Between 1990 and 2005, China’s progress accounted for more than three-quarters of global poverty reduction and a big factor in why the world reached the UN millennium development goal of halving extreme poverty. This incredible success was delivered by a combination of a rapidly expanding labour market, driven by a protracted period of economic growth, and a series of government transfers such as an urban subsidy, and the introduction of a rural pension. Independent studies by Gallup indicate the poverty rate in China fell from 26% in 2007 to 7% by 2012, although World Bank extrapolations suggest that the percentage of the population living below the international poverty line continued to fall to 4.1 percent in 2014. At the same time, however, income disparities have increased. The growing income inequality is illustrated most clearly by the differences in living standards between the urban, coastal areas and the rural, inland regions. There have also been increases in the inequality of health and education outcomes, and increased attention to unequal outcomes for ethnic minorities. To alleviate the situation, the Chinese government shifted its policy in recent years to encourage urban migration, fund education, health, and transportation infastructure for poor areas and poor households. In addition the government is attempting to rebalance the economy away from investment and exports toward domestic consumption and public services, to help reduce social disparities. Relocation of the poor from poverty stricken regions to more developed urban areas is also being implemented as part of the holistic plan to tackle rural poverty. Since Deng Xiaoping began instituting market reforms in the late 1970s, China has been among the most rapidly growing economies in the world, regularly exceeding 10 percent GDP growth annually. This growth has led to a substantial increase in real living standards and a marked decline in poverty. Between 1981 and 2008, the proportion of China's population living on less than $1.25/day is estimated to have fallen from 85% to 13.1%, meaning that roughly 600 million people were taken out of poverty. At the same time, this rapid change has brought with it different kinds of stresses. China faces serious natural resource scarcity and environmental degradation. It has also seen growing disparities as people in different parts of the country and with different characteristics have benefited from the growth at different rates. Starting from the pre-reform situation, some increase in income inequality was inevitable, as favored coastal urban locations benefited first from the opening policy, and as the small stock of educated people found new opportunities. However, particular features of Chinese policy may have exacerbated rather than mitigated growing disparities. The household registration (hukou) system kept rural-urban migration below what it otherwise would have been, and contributed to the development of one of the largest rural-urban income divides in the world. Weak tenure over rural land also limited the ability of peasants to benefit from their primary asset. Aside from income inequality, there has also been an increase in inequality of educational outcomes and health status, partly the result of China’s uniquely decentralized fiscal system, in which local government has been primarily responsible for funding basic health and education. Poor localities have not been able to fund these services, and poor households have not been able to afford the high private cost of basic education and healthcare. The large trade surplus that has emerged in China has exacerbated the inequalities, and makes them harder to address. The trade surplus stimulates the urban manufacturing sector, which is already relatively well off. It limits the government’s scope to increase funding for public services such as rural health and education. The government has been trying to rebalance China’s production away from investment and exports towards domestic consumption and services, to improve the country’s long-term macroeconomic health and the situation of the relatively poor in China. Recent government measures to reduce disparities including relaxation of the hukou system, abolition of the agricultural tax, and increased central transfers to fund health and education in rural areas. China has maintained a high growth rate for more than 30 years since the beginning of economic reform in 1978, and this sustained growth has generated a huge increase in average living standards. 25 years ago, China had many characteristics in common with the rest of developing Asia: large population, low per capita income, and resource scarcity on a per capita basis. But in the 15 years from 1990–2005, China averaged per capita growth of 8.7% The whole reform program is often referred to in brief as the "open door policy". This highlights that a key component of Chinese reform has been trade liberalization and opening up to foreign direct investment, but not opening the capital account more generally to portfolio flows. China improved its human capital, opened up to foreign trade and investment, and created a better investment climate for the private sector. After joining the WTO China’s average tariffs have dropped below 100%, and to around 5% for manufactured imports. It initially welcomed foreign investment into "special economic zones". Some of these zones were very large, amounting to urban areas of 20 million people or more. The positive impact of foreign investment in these locations led to a more general opening up of the economy to foreign investment, with the result that China became the largest recipient of direct investment flows in the 1990s. The opening up measures have been accompanied by improvements in the investment climate. Particularly in the coastal areas, cities have developed their investment climates. In these cities, the private sector accounts for 90% or more of manufacturing assets and production. Out 2005, average pretax rate of return for domestic private firms was the same as that for foreign-invested firms. Local governments in coastal cities have lowered loss of output due to unreliable power supply to 1.0% and customs clearance time for imports has been lowered in Chinese cities to 3.3 days. China’s sustained growth fueled historically unprecedented poverty reduction. The World Bank uses a poverty line based on household real consumption (including consumption of own-produced crops and other goods), set at $1 per day measured at Purchasing Power Parity. In most low-income countries this amount is sufficient to guarantee each person about 1000 calories of nutrition per day, plus other basic necessities. In 2007, this line corresponds to about 2,836 RMB per year. Based on household surveys, the poverty rate in China in 1981 was 63% of the population. This rate declined to 10% in 2004, indicating that about 500 million people have climbed out of poverty during this period. This poverty reduction has occurred in waves. The shift to the household responsibility system propelled a large increase in agricultural output, and poverty was cut in half over the short period from 1981 to 1987. From 1987 to 1993 poverty reduction stagnated, then resumed again. From 1996 to 2001 there was once more relatively little poverty reduction. Since China joined the WTO in 2001, however, poverty reduction resumed at a very rapid rate, and poverty was cut by a third in just three years. Taken from the Asian Development Bank, there was an estimated average annual growth rate of 0.5% in China between 2010-2015. This brought the Chinese population to 1.37 billion in 2015. It is important to note that 7.2% of the Chinese population live below the national poverty line. China’s growth has been so rapid that virtually every household has benefited significantly, fueling the steep drop in poverty. However, different people have benefited to very different extents, so that inequality has risen during the reform period. This is true for inequality in household income or consumption, as well as for inequality in important social outcomes such as health status or educational attainment. Concerning household consumption, the Gini measure of inequality increased from 0.31 at the beginning of reform to 0.45 in 2004. To some extent this rise in inequality is the natural result of the market forces that have generated the strong growth; but to some extent it is "artificial" in the sense that various government policies exacerbate the tendencies toward higher inequality, rather than mitigate them. Changes to some policies could halt or even reverse the increasing inequality. (See List of countries by income equality.) The Nobel Prize-winning economist Sir Arthur Lewis noted that "development must be inegalitarian because it does not start in every part of the economy at the same time" in 1954. China classically manifests two of the characteristics of development that Lewis had in mind: rising return to education and rural-urban migration. As an underdeveloped country, China began its reform with relatively few highly educated people, and with a small minority of the population (20%) living in cities, where labor productivity was about twice the level as in the countryside. In pre-reform China there was very little return to education manifested in salaries. Cab drivers and college professors had similar incomes. Economic reform has created a labor market in which people can search for higher pay, and one result of this is that salaries for educated people have gone up dramatically. In the short period between 1988 and 2003, the wage returns to one additional year of schooling increased from 4% to 11%. This development initially leads to higher overall inequality, because the initial stock of educated people is small and they are concentrated at the high end of the income distribution. But if there is reasonably good access to education, then over time a greater and greater share of the population will become educated, and that will ultimately tend to reduce inequality. The large productivity and wage gap between cities and countryside also drives a high rate of rural-urban migration. Lewis pointed out that, starting from a situation of 80% rural, the initial shift of some from low-productivity agriculture to high productivity urban employment is disequalizing. If the flow continues until the population is more than 50% urban, however, further migration is equalizing. This pattern is very evident in the history of the U.S., with inequality rising during the rapid industrialization period from 1870–1920, and then declining thereafter. So, the same market forces that have produced the rapid growth in China predictably led to higher inequality. But it is important to note that in China there are a number of government policies that exacerbate this tendency toward higher inequality and restrict some of the potential mechanisms that would normally lead to an eventual decline in inequality. Much of the increase in inequality in China can also be attributed by the widening rural-urban divide, particularly the differentials in rural-urban income. A household survey conducted in 1995 showed that the rural-urban income gap accounted for 35% of the overall inequality in China. In 2009, according to the China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the urban per capita annual income at US$2525 was approximately three times that of the rural per capita annual income. This was the widest income gap recorded since 1978. Urban-biased economic policies adopted by the government contribute to the income disparities. This is also known as the ‘artificial’ result of the rural-urban divide. In terms of the share of investments allotted by the state, urban areas had a larger proportion when compared with rural areas. In the period 1986-1992, investments to urban state-owned enterprises (SOE) accounted for more than 25% of the total government budget. On the other hand, less than 10% of the government budget was allocated to investments in the rural economy in the same period by the state despite the fact that about 73-76% of the total population lived in the rural areas. However, the burden of the inflation caused by the fiscal expansion, which at that time was at a level of approximately 8.5%, was shared by all including the rural population. Such biased allocation of government finances to the urban sector meant that the wages earned by urban workers also include these government fiscal transfers. This is not forgetting the relatively higher proportions of credit loans the government also provided to the urban SOEs in the same period. Meanwhile, the wages earned by the rural workers came mainly from growth in output only. These urban-biased policies reflect the importance of the urban minority to the government relative to the rural majority. In the period when reforms in urban areas were introduced, the real wages earned by urban workers rose inexorably. Restrictions to rural-urban migration protected the urban workers from competition from the rural workers which therefore also contributed to rural-urban disparities. According to a report by the World Bank published in 2009, 99% of the poor in China come from rural areas if migrant workers in cities are included in the rural population figures. Excluding migrant workers from the rural population figures indicates that 90% of poverty in China is still rural. Inequality in China does not however only occur between rural and urban areas. There exist inequalities within rural areas, and within urban areas themselves. In some rural areas, incomes are comparable to that of urban incomes while in others, income remains low as development is limited. Rural-urban inequalities also do not only refer to income differentials but include inequalities in areas such as education and health care. The structural reforms of China’s economy have brought about a widening of the income gap and rising unemployment in the urban cities. The increasing challenge for the Chinese government and social organizations is to address and solve poverty issues in urban areas where the people are increasingly being economically and socially marginalized. According to the official estimates, 12 million people were considered as urban poor in 1993, i.e. 3.6 per cent of the total urban population, but by 2006 the figure had jumped to more than 22 million, i.e. 4.1 per cent of the total urban population and these figures are estimated to grow if the government fails to institute any effective measures to circumvent this escalating problem. China’s “floating population” has since helped spur rapid development in the country because of the cheap and plentiful labor they can offer. On the flip side, many people who came from the rural areas are not able to find jobs in the cities. This surplus of rural laborers and mass internal migration will no doubt pose a major threat to the country’s political stability and economic growth. Their inabilities to find jobs compounded by the rising costs of living in the cities have made many people fall below the poverty line. There are also large numbers of unemployed and laid-off workers from state-owned enterprises (SOEs). These enterprises have since failed to compete efficiently with the private and foreign-funded companies when China’s open-door policy was introduced. In the years 1995 to 2000, the state sector lost 31 million jobs, which amounted to 28 per cent of the jobs in the sector. The non-state sector has been creating new jobs but not in sufficient numbers to offset job losses from the state sector. SOEs’ roles were more than employers, they are also responsible in the provision of welfare benefits, like retirement pensions, incentives for medical care, housing and direct subsidies and the like to its employees, as such these burdens greatly increased production costs. In 1992, SOE expenses on insurance and welfare took up 35% of the total wages. Therefore, many people not only lost their jobs but also, the social benefits and security that they were once so reliant on. The adverse consequences arising from the market reforms are evidently seen as a socially destabilizing factor. Lastly, the government provided little or no social benefit for the urban poor who needed the most attention. Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MLSS) was the last line of defense against urban poverty in the provision of social insurance and the living allowance for laid-off employees. However, its effectiveness was limited in scope in which less than a quarter of the eligible urban poor actually receiving assistance. The Minimum living Standard Scheme was first implemented in Shanghai in 1993 to help supplement the income of the urban poor. It is a last resort program that is meant to help those that don’t qualify for other forms of government aid. The Minimum Living Standard Scheme set regional poverty lines and gave recipients a sum of money. The amount of money received by each recipient was the difference in their income and the poverty line. The Scheme has grown rapidly and has since been adopted by over 580 cities and 1120 counties. Education is a prerequisite for the development of human capital which in turn is an important factor in a country’s overall development. Apart from the increasing income inequality, the education sector has long suffered from problems such as funding shortages and unequal allocation of education resources, adding to the disparity between China’s urban and rural life; this was exacerbated by the two track system of government’s approach to education. The first track is government -supported primary education in urban areas and the second is family -supported primary education in the rural areas. Rural education has been marginalized by the focus on immediate economic development and the fact that urban education enjoys more attention and investment by the central government. This lack of public funding meant that children of rural families were forced to drop out of school, thus losing the opportunity to further their studies and following the paths of their parents to become low skilled workers with few chances of advancements. This leads to a vicious cycle of poverty. Because of limited educational resources, urban schools were supported by the government while village schools were provided for by the local communities where educational opportunities were possibly constrained depending on local conditions. Thus, there still exist a huge gap in teacher preparation and quality of facilities between rural and urban areas. The two track system was then abolished in 1986 & 1992, to be replaced by the Compulsory Education Law and the Rule for the Implementation of the Compulsory Education Law respectively. Despite the emphasis of China’s education reform on providing quality and holistic education, the rural schools still lack the capacity to implement such reforms vis-à-vis their urban counterparts. The rural areas lack the educational resources of the urban areas and the rural areas are considered to be falling below the educational benchmark set in the cities. Teachers are more attracted to urban sectors with higher pay and a slew of benefits. In addition, rural villages have a difficult time finding quality teachers because of the relatively poorer standard of living in villages. As a result, some rural teachers are not qualified as they received college degrees from continuing-education programs, which is not the best type of further education one could receive. As a result, rural students often find themselves neither competitive enough to gain admissions to colleges nor employable for most occupations. Rural residents are increasingly being marginalised in higher education, closing off their best opportunities for advancement. This is especially prominent in Tsinghua and Peking University where the percentage of rural population studying in the two universities have shrunk to 17.6 percent in 2000 and 16.3 percent in 1999, down from 50 to 60 percent in the 1950s. These numbers are the most recent reliable data that has been published and experts agree that the number might be as low as 1 percent in 2010. Pre-reform China had a system that severely restricted people’s mobility, and that system has only slowly been reformed over the past 25 years. Each person has a registration (hukou) in either a rural area or an urban area, and cannot change the hukou without the permission of the receiving jurisdiction. In practice cities usually give registration to skilled people who have offers of employment, but have generally been reluctant to provide registration to migrants from the countryside. Nevertheless, these migrants are needed for economic development, and large numbers have in fact migrated. Many of these fall into the category of "floating population". There are nearly 200 million rural residents who spend at least six months of the year working in urban areas. Many of these people have for all practical purposes moved to a city, but they do not have official registration. Beyond the floating population, there are tens of millions of people who have left rural areas and obtained urban hukous. So, there is significant rural-urban migration in China, but it seems likely that the hukou system has resulted in less migration than otherwise would have occurred. There are several pieces of evidence to support this view. First, the gap in per capita income between rural and urban areas widened during the reform period, reaching a ratio of three to one. Three to one is a very high gap by international standards. Second, manufacturing wages have risen sharply in recent years, at double-digit rates, so that China now has considerably higher wages than much of the rest of developing Asia (India, Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh). This rise is good for the incumbent workers, but they are relatively high up in China’s income distribution, so that the wage increases raise inequality. It is hard to imagine that manufacturing wages would have risen so rapidly if there had not been such controls on labor migration. Third, recent studies focusing on migrants have shown that it is difficult for them to bring their families to the city, put their children in school, and obtain healthcare. So, the growth of the urban population must have been slowed down by these restrictions. Though, it should be noted that China’s urbanization so far has been a relatively orderly process. One does not see in China the kinds of slums and extreme poverty that exist in cities throughout Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Nevertheless, urbanization goes on: the urban share of China’s population has risen from 20% to 40% during the course of economic reform. But at the same time the hukou system has slowed and distorted urbanization, without preventing it. The system has likely contributed to inequality by limiting the opportunities of the relatively poor rural population to move to better-paying employment. Just as Chinese citizens are either registered as urban or rural under the Hukou system, land in China is zoned as either rural or urban. Under Chinese property law, there is no privately held land. Urban land is owned by the state, which grants land rights for a set number of years. Reforms in the late 1980s and 1990s allowed for transactions in urban land, enabling citizens to sell their land and buildings, or mortgage them to borrow, while still retaining state ownership. Rural, or “collectively owned land”, is leased by the state for periods of 30 years, and is theoretically reserved for agricultural purposes, housing and services for farmers. Peasants have long-term tenure as long as they sow the land, but they cannot mortgage or sell the use rights. The biggest distortion, however, concerns moving land from rural to urban use. China is a densely populated, water-scarce country whose comparative advantage lies more in manufacturing and services than in agriculture. The fact that many peasants cannot earn a decent living as farmers is a signal that their labor is more useful in urban employment, hence the hundreds of millions of people who have migrated. But, at the same time, it is efficient to allocate some of the land out of agriculture for urban use. In China, that conversion is handled administratively, requiring central approval. Farmers are compensated based on the agricultural value of the land. But the reason to convert land – especially in the fringes around cities – is that the commercial value of the land for urban use is higher than its value for agriculture. So, even if China’s laws on land are followed scrupulously, the conversion does not generate a high income for the peasants. There are cases in which the conversion is done transparently, the use rights over the land auctioned, and the revenue collected put into the public budget to finance public goods. But still the peasants get relatively poor recompense. One government study found that 62% of displaced peasants were worse off after land conversion. Secure land tenure is recognized as a powerful tool to reduce poverty, and the central government has begun guaranteeing all farmers 30-year land rights, strictly limiting expropriations, documenting and publicizing farmers’ rights, and requiring sufficient compensation when farmers’ lands are expropriated. A 2010 survey of 17 provinces by Landesa found improved documentation of farmer’s land rights, but much room for improvement: 63% of farming families have been issued land-rights certificates and 53% have land-rights contracts, but only 44% have been issued both documents (as is required by law) and 29% have no document at all; farmers who have been issued these documents are far more likely to make long-term investments in their land and are financially benefiting from those investments. There have been reports of cases where peasants complain and demonstrate because the conversions have not been done in a transparent way, and there have been accusations of corruption of local officials. The government has published statistics on violent protests involving more than 100 people, and that number grew steadily up to 84,000 in 2005, before dropping a reported 20% in 2006. Up until 2006, the way in which agricultural land was being converted to urban land probably contributed unnecessarily to increasing inequality. It has been noted that compared to other developing countries, virtually all peasants in China have land. If that asset could be used either as collateral for borrowing, or could be sold to provide some capital before migrants moved to the city, then it would have been helping those who were in the poorer part of the income distribution. The administrative, rather than market-based, conversion of land essentially reduced the value of the main asset held by the poor. Market reform has dramatically increased the return to education, as it indicates that there are good opportunities for skilled people and as it creates a powerful incentive for families to increase the education of their children. However, there needs to be strong public support for education and reasonably fair access to the education system. Otherwise, inequality can become self-perpetuating: if only high-income people can educate their children, then that group remains a privileged, high-income group permanently. China is at some risk of falling into this trap, because it has developed a highly decentralized fiscal system in which local governments rely primarily on local tax collection to provide basic services such as primary education and primary health care. China in fact has one of the most decentralized fiscal systems in the world. China is much more decentralized than OECD countries and middle-income countries, particularly on the spending side. More than half of all expenditure takes place at the sub-provincial level. In part, the sheer size of the country explains this degree of decentralization, but the structure of government and some unusual expenditure assignments also give rise to this pattern of spending. Functions such as social security, justice, and even the production of national statistics are largely decentralized in China, whereas they are central functions in most other countries. Fiscal disparities among subnational governments are larger in China than in most OECD countries. These disparities have emerged alongside a growing disparity in economic strength among the provinces. From 1990 to 2003, the ratio of per capita GDP of the richest to poorest province grew from 7.3 to 13. In China, the richest province has more than 8 times the per capita public spending than the poorest province. In the US, the poorest state has about 65 percent of the revenues of the average state, and in Germany, any state falling below 95 percent of the average level gets subsidized through the "Finanzausgleich" (and any receiving more than 110 percent gets taxed). In Brazil, the richest state has 2.3 times the revenues per capita of the poorest state. Inequalities in spending are even larger at the sub-provincial level. The richest county, the level that is most important for service delivery, has about 48 times the level of per capita spending of the poorest county. These disparities in aggregate spending levels also show up in functional categories such as health and education where variation among counties and among provinces is large. These differences in public spending translate into differences in social outcomes. Up through 1990, there were only modest differences across provinces in infant survival rate, but by 2000 there had emerged a very sharp difference, closely related to the province’s per capita GDP. So too with the high-school enrollment rate: there used to be small differences across provinces. By 2003, high-school enrollment was nearing 100% in the wealthier provinces while still less than 40% in poor provinces. There is some redistribution within China’s fiscal system, but not enough. Poor areas have very little tax collection and hence cannot fund decent basic education and health care. Some of their population will relocate over time. But for reasons of both national efficiency and equity, it would make sense for the state to ensure that everyone has good basic education and health care, so that when people move they come with a solid foundation of human capital. China’s highly decentralized fiscal system results in local government in many locations not having adequate resources to fund basic social services. As a consequence, households are left to fend for themselves to a remarkable extent. The average hospital visit in China is paid 60% out-of-pocket by the patient, compared to 25% in Mexico, 10% in Turkey, and lower amounts in most developed countries. Poor households either forego treatment or face devastating financial consequences. In the 2003 National Health Survey, 30% of poor households identified a large health care expenditure as the reason that they were in poverty. The situation in education is similar. In a survey of 3037 villages in 2004, average primary school fees were 260 yuan and average middle-school fees, 442 yuan. A family living right at the dollar-a-day poverty line would have about 900 yuan total resources for a child for a year; sending a child to middle-school would take half of that. Not surprisingly, then, enrollment rates are relatively low in poor areas and for poor families.

It is estimated that within the first 6 months of the First World War, more than 1.3 million prisoners were held in Europe. An estimated 192,000 British and Commonwealth captives were held. There are few sources relating to their experiences and records, and those that do survive are incomplete and complicated. The Surrey Comet in August 1918 reported the death of a British Prisoner of War, Private Charles Arthur Mole. His parents, who lived at York Road, were told of his death via the Geneva Red Cross. A letter, written by a German soldier, told of how Private Mole was found on the battlefield and his wounds dressed before being moved to a field hospital. Charles Mole attended the Teddington Council School and had been awarded a four year scholarship at Hampton Grammar School. He served with the 17th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. Information compiled thanks to Richmond upon Thames Local Studies Library and Archive.

Adding Fractions With Unlike Denominators In this addition worksheet, students find the sums of 10 fraction problems. They find common denominators as need and enter the answers as mixed numbers. They enter and submit the answers online or print the page for use. Initial Fraction Ideas Lesson 20: Overview Whether you're measuring the ingredients for a recipe or splitting pizza between some friends, fractions are everywhere. Teach young mathematicians how to add fractions in order to solve real-world problems with this elementary math lesson. 3rd - 6th Math CCSS: Adaptable Fraction Equivalence, Ordering, and Operations Need a unit to teach fractions to fourth graders? Look no further than this well-developed and thorough set of lessons that takes teachers through all steps of planning, implementing, and assessing their lessons. Divided into eight... 3rd - 5th Math CCSS: Designed Fraction X - Adding Unlike Denominators Adding fractions with unlike denominators is a difficult process to master. This fine presentation does a terrific job of leading young math whizzes through the steps necessary to perform this calculation. The slides have clear graphics,... Add Fractions With Unlike Denominators Using Fraction Bars Fraction bars are the manipulative of choice in the first of five videos aimed at teaching learners to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. The video goes step by step through the problems to guide young minds toward the... 7 mins 4th - 6th Math CCSS: Designed

Sigurwana is a haven for beautiful indigenous trees. One of these beautifully big trees are known as a Kiaat (in Afrikaans) or a Wild Teak (in English) (Pterocarpus angolensis – derived from Greek “Pterocarpus” meaning winged fruit and “angolensis” meaning from Angola. ) It is a protected tree in South Africa. The brown heartwood is resistant to borer and termite. It’s durable and has a pleasing spicy fragrance. The wood polishes well and is well known in tropical Africa as Mukwa when used to make good quality furniture that has an attractive light brownish-yellow colour. It can also be used for curios, and implements.The colour of the sapwood is a result of the remarkable, dark red sap of the plant which is pointed out in the picture and an alternative name of Bloodwood rises from this. This wood also produces a rich, resonant sound and can be made into many different musical instruments. It is valued for several medicinal uses. It has been recorded to treat ringworm, eye problems, blackwater fever, stabbing pains, malaria, and to increase the supply of breast milk. The resemblance of the sap to blood has led to the belief in supposed magical healing powers concerning the blood. It is a deciduous tree usually growing to 16 m tall, with dark brown bark and a high, wide-crowned canopy of shiny compound leaves. In favoured wetter locations the trees are typically about 18–19 m tall. The leaves appear at the time of the flowers or shortly afterwards. The pod is 2–3 cm diameter, surrounded by a circular wing 8–12 cm diameter, reminiscent of a brown fried egg, and containing a single seed. This brown papery and spiky seed pod stays on long after the leaves have fallen. The Kiaat is fed upon by many animals that include the charaxes butterfly in larval state, squirrels, baboons and monkeys that feed on the seed pods.

Auto racing requires heightened awareness. The exhilarating speed pushes the issue of reaction time. Stationary objects become a blur when passed at high speeds. The world inside the cockpit of the car becomes very small. There may be trouble around the next bend and your senses need to pick up on it. Tragic on-track incidents have again brought the need for safety to the forefront. In the minds of many, the idea of driver protection means better fire-retardant apparel, better seats and restraints, and helmets. There is a clear need for all that, but there is also a need to look at what’s being done to prevent the accidents. Some accidents are avoidable when there is proper warning. Drivers need to be alerted at the first possible instant. The instinct then kicks in to allow the driver to control his or her situation. More information means a greater likelihood of avoiding a crash. The better-known systems of alerting drivers involve the senses of hearing and sight. One system utilizes a tone to alert the driver of an on-track incident. A second system calls for the activation of a cockpit-mounted warning light. The purpose of this article is to educate, not endorse. Each system has its merits, and its use can be best determined by the user. The Visual Side Firsthand experience played a role in the development of the Race Safe System built by Rick Martell in Brewerton, New York. “I ran dirt Modifieds in the ’70s and ’80s and was piled up in an accident under caution,” Martell says. “We knew something like this didn’t have to happen. My brother is electronically inclined, so we starting working on a system. We finally got what we were wanting after two or three years of experimenting.” The Race Safe System utilizes a cockpit-mounted amber light. There is also a green light indicating power (early systems had a red light for the times the track conditions were red-flagged, but that is no longer used). Installation is simple and can be completed in minutes. Some drilling will be necessary to mount the system, which comes fully charged. After developing the system, Martell approached Glenn Donnelly of DIRT Motorsports about utilizing the system. The forward-thinking Donnelly put the system to use in those cars. The series now utilizes warning systems of the individual tracks for its tours. For the 2003 season, the ARCA RE/MAX Series has made the Race Safe System mandatory for all competitors. Bruce Silver of Racing Electronics was contacted by the sanction to find a warning system. “I’ve been familiar with Race Safe for about 15 years because of the DIRT Modifieds,” Silver says. “We’re the official communication service of ARCA, so they asked for information or advice. We’re there at the races, so we’ll help provide the service.” “We had to create a market because it wasn’t there,” Martell says of the start. “A lot of people said we didn’t need it. I’ve seen tapes of people getting hurt or getting killed because of accidents under caution. We did need it.” Much of the attention has been directed at the individual tracks, and facilities using the system read like a “Who’s Who” of short track racing. Some tracks make it mandatory, while others are only willing to suggest drivers make the commitment. The cost of the individual system has been kept low despite the fact they are not mass produced. Racers can expect to pay $399 for a unit. “It works best when everyone has it,” Martell says. “If your light comes on, you may be reluctant to back off for fear the guy behind doesn’t have a light and may plow into you. The systems are guaranteed for a year. In some of these cars, you’re going to spend $1,000 or $1,500 fixing crash damage that you might have been able to avoid with the system.” Martell holds patents on the system, which has led to legal battles, including an ongoing suit with a corporate rival. The chips are programmable to flash or remain steady, set to the desires of the safety coordinator. The current ARCA system flashes for five seconds, remains lit for 20 seconds, and then is turned off. The newest lights use a display of 13 LED segments that are four times as bright as before while taking little draw from the battery. Martell has heard the criticism of stray signals and inadvertent triggering of the light. “You can’t get a fault trigger. The light won’t come on unless we trigger it. I’ve had people tell me they could trigger our system, but nobody has been able to do it because they can’t. Our transmitter is the only way to turn it on.” The transmitter in race control can also activate lights in the pace car, safety vehicles, or portable beacons to supplement the track’s caution lights. Martell offers a program to provide the tracks with the transmitter at no charge. Martell is an auditory specialist by trade, but chose to go with a light rather than a sound to alert drivers. “It can be too noisy in a race car,” he says. “Sometimes it’s so loud the driver can’t hear the radio-and he may also have someone talking in his ear, like a spotter. When I was driving, I could never hear when under acceleration.” Even though Racing Electronics specializes in verbal communication equipment, they understand the ambient noise factor. “We’ve had to develop special headsets to help the drivers hear inside the cars,” Silver says.”The ambient noise can be a factor in a driver’s performance.” The Audible Side David Skeen developed the idea of an audible driver-safety system while working with the Invader Super Vee team in the late ’80s. This car had a system that allowed engineers to monitor gauges through the use of audible tones. During the running of an open-wheel race in 1991, Skeen witnessed a driver going completely around the course to become involved in an accident that had happened just behind him on the previous lap. It gave him the idea that a driver warning system was needed. The Audible Alert System, marketed through Invader Technologies of Morrison, Colorado, was developed and patented, with extensive testing done at Colorado National Speedway. “We wanted to make sure this system was going to work,” Skeen says. “There have been plenty of accidents that could have been avoided and lives could have been saved. We wanted to get a system that had value to a driver sitting in a race car, because that’s the life that can be protected. It’s something that should have been out 20 years ago.” Efforts are underway with sanctions and racetracks to implement the Audible Alert system. The system was also tested by the PPI Motorsports Winston Cup team of Cal Wells III. “Ricky (Craven, PPI driver) thought it had potential, and everyone that Audible Alert has come into contact with has liked it,” says PPI Motorsports General Manager Jeff Huber. “I sincerely believe that NASCAR is taking a good look at it.” PPI conducted a private test of the system at Homestead-Miami Speedway during a General Motors testing session. Using the latest wireless technology, small receivers are placed in each car, which alert the drivers of hazardous track conditions. The system can also be used to signal a return to green flag racing, which can improve restarts. “It’s like having the same spotter for every driver on the track,” Skeen says. “Unlike radios, all of the drivers receive the same benefit without any opportunity for abuse or advantage. “The spotter is following the driver during competition. It is the job of the spotter to keep an eye on the car and he is not always going to be as easily aware of what’s going where his driver isn’t. We can wire the spotter to cover the back end of the driver. When the spotter hears the tone, he can look forward for the situation. We can also develop a separate tone for fire.” Skeen says the system is designed to eliminate the secondary accident. Tracks purchase the transmitters, which are activated by a track official. The responsibility for the receivers rests with the competitor, though some tracks may want to lease them to their drivers. Skeen sees advantages to utilizing the ears more than the eyes. “You notice a tone quicker than you will a light,” he says. “We use low-band CB frequency to get the tone broadcast.” The company adds that warning lights continue some of the risks already contributing to the problems. Drivers may be focused on racing action and not notice the yellow lights or flags of the track. Lights can be burned out or insignificantly placed around the track. The Audible Alert System is compatible with radios, eliminating an “either/or” situation, making it possible to absorb a double layer of safety. It will also work in places where radio communication between driver and crew is not allowed. No idea that utilizes the infallible human will be perfect. While there may be some imperfections (depending upon interpretation), the clear and present danger is lack of action. High profile accidents lead to a heightening of awareness as to a need for improvement. These two products offer an opportunity to take that step before the next accident leads to financial or human loss. All parties agree. This is not a “dollars and cents” issue, but an issue that transcends that. It’s an issue of saving lives. Doing nothing results in nothing. Installation of a driver alert system can make a difference.

As mothers in the West, we enter a fractured cultural worldview which insists that our raising children is the most important and valuable work yet simultaneously punishes us for the time we take for this work with decreases in income, time we cannot claim towards a career path, and a general opinion that women who spend part or all of their time at home with children are lazy and somehow taking advantage of others who are doing “real-world” work. Despite the general consensus that children are our most valuable commodity, those who spend time developing this commodity are looked at as outside meaningful work. As Ann Crittenden indicates, the societal “reward for such vital work should not be professional marginalization, a loss of status, and an increased risk of poverty.” However, in the decade since she wrote The Price of Motherhood, not much has changed in how mothers are treated in the workplace and domestic sphere. We are taught in subtle and not so subtle ways that “the only ‘good’ mother is the self-sacrificing, saintly figure who performs the moral, caring work of society at the expense of her own equality and aspirations” yet to be a “good mother” leaves us outside of society, a failure in achieving our potential as a human. I don’t see how this suicide of creative and individual identity can be “good” for the mother as well as her children exposed to her example. One of the ways mothers combat this fracture worldview is to put the domestic sphere into business value terms: “I am the CEO of the Smith household,” or “I am a full-time mom.” In placing our mothering working in business terms, we admit to an underlying apology for our women’s work. The implied message is that full-time mom can’t hack it in a “real-world” workplace; thus she must remain in the domestic sphere and pretend that it has the same value as the workplace. Crittenden claims that despite some success “after fighting hard to win respect in the workplace, women ha[ve] yet to win respect for their work at home.” However, these statements also contain a subtle accusation: the only alternative to a full-time mom is a part-time mom; and if a mother chooses to work outside the home, then in no way can she be a full-time mother or a good manager of her domestic sphere. As far as I know, every mom with full custody of her children is a full-time mom. The part-time option doesn’t exist. We’ve worked so hard to get women out of the domestic sphere that it is no longer a place that we can view as something valuable even though once a woman becomes a mother the domestic sphere fully becomes a space where she does some of her most important work. This fractured worldview poses a particular problem for mothers, both those who fully immerse in the domestic sphere and those who also participate in the workplace. We need to find a way that forms an identity of self that encompasses our work as mothers as well as our work as creative individuals. The art of Arzu Ozkal and Nanette Yannuzzi investigates this identity and how mothers are valued and create value. We cannot let our identities become subsumed in a fractured system of patriarchal desires: we must claim our women’s work.

This PDF includes a picture of a peppermint candy where students will complete a place value skill in each section of the peppermint. Skills covered: 10 more, 10 less, 1 more, 1 less, tens & ones. and a base ten block picture for their number. The teacher will need to assign a number to each student in order for them to complete the activity. This activity can be done as a whole group review or an individual task and differentiated to meet the ability of the individual student. I assign each student a number based on their place value knowledge and use the finished product on a bulletin board display.

Adi Cakobau School in Fiji was founded in 1948 by the Fijian government as a boarding school to provide a "refined" intermediate education for Fijian girls of rank. It was named for King Cakobau's great-grand daughter. It became a full fledged secondary school in 1954. Its English language curriculum included traditional academic subjects, traditional dance, music and crafts. Since a goal was to provide wives for leaders of the nation, the curriculum included "chiefly protocol." The school moved to its present location in Sawani, Viti Levu in 1956. It is located at Ro Camaisala Road, next to Sawani Village, in the province of Naitasiri. The counterpart school for boys is Queen Victoria School (Fiji). Most of the Fijian elite by 2001 had been students at one of these schools. Adi Cakobau School won the Coca Cola Lite Games for the unprecedented ninth time in a row in May, 2009. The first principal in 1948 was Frances Lillian Charlton. The first Fijian principal was Taufa Vakatale. She was a pioneer girl at Adi Cakobau School, and was later Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji. The Acting Principal as of September 2009 was Laisa Mavoa. Vocal music by the choir of the school was recorded in the 1950's and is in the collection of the British Library. The school entertained Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip in December 1953. The choir toured New Zealand in 1961-62, and Australia in 1973-74. The choir's performance of the traditional Fijian farewell song, Isa Lei, was included on "The secret museum of mankind, Vol. 1. Ethnic music classics:1925-1948. and was included in the soundtrack of the motion picture Open Water (film). - Taufa Vakatale Fiji Chief Education Officer, Secretary for Education, Deputy Prime Minister - Kuini Speed Head girl, 1968. Fijian chief. Fijian Deputy Prime Minister, 1999 and 2000. - Jiko Luveni Dentist, Project Manager for reproductive health, United Nations Population Fund, Fiji Minister of Health, 2008.

Maybe you’ve seen one of the nature program specials that show orca whales literally beaching themselves in order to feast on seals. It’s pretty freaking cool. Well, at least it looks that way on television. Though we recently visited Peninsula Valdes, where this survival of the fittest feat plays out, we didn’t see it. First of all, it’s not the right season. And second of all, you have to have the patience of a saint…or a Planet Earth videographer…to actually witness it as it doesn’t happen all that often. But before you feel too sad for us (sob, sob, I know), let me just show you a few photos of what we did see on our day on Peninsula Valdes. While on a large zodiac boat, we had a close encounter with two southern right whales, a mother and her baby. These majestic animals, which come to Peninsula Valdes to breed and give birth, were in their very last days in the area, as they are setting off any day now for the feeding grounds of Antarctica. These two whales hung out with our boat for nearly an hour, gradually getting closer and closer until they were practically right beside us. At 16 meters, the mother whale was larger than our boat. The baby, drinking 200 liters of milk each day, was well on its way to catching up. Though I’ve seen whales in the wild before, this was the closest I’d ever been, and I couldn’t help but ooh and aah every time they surfaced, which was approximately every 2-3 minutes. While whale watching, we also saw a large colony of sea lions, who all seemed to prefer this one rock, though there were others nearby. We also spotted four bottlenose dolphins, which were hanging out with the whales. The day involved a lot of driving on really bad roads as we hit wildlife hangout after wildlife hangout. Luckily the driving was made less boring by several wildlife spottings along the way, including a fox, some crazy rabbit thing, guanacos, and this father rhea and his baby. Actually, there were about 14 other babies with him. Apparently male rheas care for their offspring instead of the mothers, and not only do they care for their own, they also actively try to acquire others to care for by fighting other fathers and then stealing their chicks. Weird, huh? The elephant seals proved a bit of a disappointment, as we didn’t see any with extremely prominent noses. We also didn’t see them do much. A few sets of them were fighting (or maybe just hugging), a couple were trying to bully others into fighting, but most were just laying there, looking awfully close to dead. The penguins, however, didn’t disappoint. They completely amused us as they wandered around, looked at us bewilderdly, gathered together in little groups, and seemingly attempted to fly. We were also enamored by the little chicks that had already emerged and curious about the eggs not yet hatched. I just don’t think it’s possible to be around penguins and not smile (or for that matter, hold your nose, because phew for being so cute they sure do smell something awful). So, sure, we didn’t see an orca attack, but we did get to see a lot of cool animals. Not a bad day, I’d say.

Storing more and more in an ever-smaller space – what sounds impossible is in fact just part of the daily routine in information technology, where for decades, increasing amounts of data have been successfully stored on media with ever higher densities. Source: Forschungszentrum Jülich Atomic resolution electron microscopic image, with a boundary marked horizontally in cyan. The coloured circles illustrate the constituent parts of the crystal; lead (yellow), zirconium (green) and oxygen (red). The arrows show the polarization, which is neutralized outside the boundaries. The white bar indicates a length of one nanometer. Source: Forschungszentrum Jülich An international team, including researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich, has now discovered a physical phenomenon that could prove suitable for use in further data aggregation. They found that domain walls, which separate areas in certain crystalline materials, display a polarization, potentially allowing information to be stored in the tiniest of spaces, thus saving energy. The results of this study have been published in the latest edition of the journal Nature Communications (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4031). Scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland, and Xi'an Jiaotong University in China, have investigated so-called antiferroelectric crystals with the help of the most advanced electron microscopes and computer simulations. These materials possess no electrical polarization and for this reason, seemed up until recently to be of no interest for such applications. The researchers have now discovered that certain areas within these materials do indeed exhibit ferroelectric polar properties. Ferroelectricity is generated when displacements of positive and negative ions result in the formation of electrical dipoles. The magnitude and orientation of these dipoles, also known as polarization, can be altered using an external electric field and is able to maintain itself without any additional current until it is overwritten. Ferroelectric materials are for this reason already used, for example, to store data on train tickets. The ferroelectric areas that the researchers have discovered are only around two nanometers thick and could therefore one day be used to store data in a tenth of the space that magnetic materials use. They form the boundaries between identically-structured areas of the otherwise antiferroelectric materials. "We can imagine these materials as being like three-dimensional patchwork objects made from regularly-arranged building blocks, which are the domains", explains Dr. Xiankui Wei, visiting scientist at the Peter Grünberg Institute and the Ernst Ruska-Centre, and post-doctoral researcher at EPFL. "Within each individual building block, the polarization is absent due to cancellation of oppositely arranged electric dipoles in the basic structure unit. However, the boundaries or 'walls' between domains are polar." Investigations using atomic resolution electron microscopy, with the help of a technique developed at Forschungszentrum Jülich showed that each wall is uniformly polarized. To change the polarization and write the data, the only requirement is a voltage pulse, as the polarization is then stored until overwritten. As no current is necessary, this uses less energy than magnetic data storage does. "What is especially exciting in terms of applications is the special arrangement of the walls", reports Prof. Nava Setter of EPFL; under the microscope it is possible to see at relatively low magnification, that the domains are separated from each other by long, parallel walls. The position of the strain-free walls is variable – upon application of an inhomogeneous electric field, they move either closer together or further apart. The researchers intend to investigate these phenomena in more detail, as the ability to accurately control the mobility and density of the walls are important requirements in terms of technical applications. Our brains house extremely complex neuronal circuits, whose detailed structures are still largely unknown. This is especially true for the so-called cerebral cortex of mammals, where among other things vision, thoughts or spatial orientation are being computed. Here the rules by which nerve cells are connected to each other are only partly understood. A team of scientists around Moritz Helmstaedter at the Frankfiurt Max Planck Institute for Brain Research and Helene Schmidt (Humboldt University in Berlin) have now discovered a surprisingly precise nerve cell connectivity pattern in the part of the cerebral cortex that is responsible for orienting the individual animal or human in space. The researchers report online in Nature (Schmidt et al., 2017. Axonal synapse sorting in medial entorhinal cortex, DOI: 10.1038/nature24005) that synapses in... Whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators are used to make tiny micro-lasers, sensors, switches, routers and other devices. These tiny structures rely on a... Using ultrafast flashes of laser and x-ray radiation, scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Garching, Germany) took snapshots of the briefest electron motion inside a solid material to date. The electron motion lasted only 750 billionths of the billionth of a second before it fainted, setting a new record of human capability to capture ultrafast processes inside solids! When x-rays shine onto solid materials or large molecules, an electron is pushed away from its original place near the nucleus of the atom, leaving a hole...

Babies are creatures of habit — and that's good. While predictability can be a death knell for some relationships (dinner and a movie again?), knowing what and when something will happen actually helps forge those priceless parent-child bonds while making life easier all around. “Babies develop a sense of safety and trust when they have good, solid routines,” says Karen Ruskin, author of The 9 Key Techniques for Raising Respectful Children Who Make Responsible Choices. “It helps them thrive.” Those feelings of love and security will stick with your child for years. Even if you take a “go with the flow” approach to your day, establishing a rhythm to the daily activities of eating, sleeping and even bathing can go a long way toward creating a calmer household for everyone (even Fido!). Satisfaction is Served Your baby will be happier and more relaxed if he learns early on that when he's hungry, you feed him. And if you're breastfeeding, your milk supply will be more consistent if you stick to a regular routine. “It's supply and demand,” says Colette M. Acker, executive director at the Breastfeeding Resource Center in Abington, Pennsylvania. “If the baby takes milk out, the body will replenish it.” When baby is ready for solids, include him in the family meal. A recent study in Pediatrics says kids who regularly sit down with their parents at mealtimes are less likely to be overweight and more likely to eat a diet rich in nutrients. There's no reason to wait, says child nutrition expert Jill Castle R.D., owner of Pediatric Nutrition of Green Hills in Nashville, Tennessee. “Pull up her highchair, and give her a spot at the table as soon as you begin spoon feeding,” she says. “A lot of learning goes on at family meals.” Your Best Bet As soon as your baby shows signs of hunger (rooting, fussing), sit in a cozy spot with a nursing pillow (great for bottle feeding too) and soft music playing. “If your baby is easily distracted when nursing, you might try going into a quiet room with the lights low,” says Jim Sears M.D., co-author of The Baby Book. “The baby can predict, ‘Oh, we're moving to a dim room — it's time to eat now.’” When nursing or bottle feeding, watch for baby's cues he's full, such as nibbling rather than long, drawn-out sucking or looking super relaxed, says Christine Wood M.D., a pediatrician in Encinitas, California. “Honor these cues during infancy to help baby learn self-regulation,” Dr. Wood says. Down the road, “this could help prevent obesity.” Don't freak out if your baby doesn't eat every three hours. “A routine isn't the same as a schedule,” says Dr. Sears. “You want to strive for consistency, for a pattern in what you do rather than stick to a rigid timetable.” It's OK to free yourself from the rigidity of feedings every day at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., but follow the same patterns at each feeding so baby knows what comes next. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding on demand, especially during the first few weeks of baby's life when you're establishing your milk supply. The ABCs of Zzz Getting baby to bed is probably the most important routine of the day. You'll have a more consistent sleeper and happier household if you stick with the same routine night after night. Babies love predicability! Your Best Bet Between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. tends to be a drowsy time for babies, when they're most likely to go down for a good night's sleep, says Dr. Sears, adding that if you let your baby become overtired, you may have a tougher time getting her to bed. Watch for signs she's getting sleepy, such as rubbing her eyes and becoming cranky. An hour or so before bedtime, start the routine — it could include a bath, a lullaby, dim lights, snuggling and reading. “Make sure you read something calm in a soothing voice,” says Dr. Sears. “This isn't the time to do your wild and crazy Dr. Seuss reading.” It doesn't matter what you do as long as you follow the same sleep-lulling steps most nights. Don't freak out if your baby falls asleep nursing during the early months; it's common and there's no harm done. However, between 2 and 6 months old, he should no longer fall asleep with breast or bottle in his mouth. “This trains him to want stimulation to go back to sleep when he wakes during the night,” says Dr. Wood, who stresses the importance of forming good sleep habits early. “I advise parents to put babies down when they are semi-awake so they can learn to fall asleep on their own.” Fun in the Tub The bathtime routine can be a refreshing wake-up or a prelude to a good night's sleep, depending on if he finds a bath stimulating or relaxing. It's not just about how it makes him feel; it's also a great time to bond. Your Best Bet Baby's temperament and your schedule will determine the best time of day for a bath. Keep that time more or less consistent, and bathe your baby when you aren't rushed; handling a wet, wiggly infant can be stressful to new parents. Have tub, shampoo, body wash, lotion, towel and diaper arranged before you even undress him. “Don't just plop the baby in the water,” says Ruskin. “Gently take off his clothes, and talk in a soothing voice while you're bathing him.” And since eye contact and touch are key to bonding, bathing serves double duty — a great activity for dads. Don't freak out if your baby doesn't love the bath right away. Getting undressed and wet can feel cold and uncomfortable to babies. If he really seems upset by the tub, stick with a warm sponge bath for a few weeks. Keep in mind that babies, and especially newborns, do not need to be bathed every day, says the AAP. Every other day is plenty.

LA JOLLA—Silvana Konermann, a research associate in the lab of Helmsley-Salk Fellow Patrick Hsu, was chosen as one of 15 inaugural Howard Hughes Medical Institute Hanna H. Gray Fellows. Each fellow will receive up to $1.4 million in funding over eight years. LA JOLLA—Is it better to do a task quickly and make mistakes, or to do it slowly but perfectly? When it comes to deciding how to fix breaks in DNA, cells face the same choice between two major repair pathways. The decision matters, because the wrong choice could cause even more DNA damage and lead to cancer. LA JOLLA—Salk Institute scientists have discovered that an interaction between two key proteins helps regulate and maintain the cells that produce neurons. The work, published in Cell Stem Cell on September 14, 2017, offers insight into why an imbalance between these precursor cells and neurons might contribute to mental illness or age-related brain disease. LA JOLLA—Salk Institute President Elizabeth Blackburn—the Institute’s first female president and one of only 12 women to have won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine—is among 46 honorees featured in FIRSTS, a new TIME multimedia project celebrating “women who broke ground in their fields” and “played pioneers in history,” the Salk Institute announced today. LA JOLLA—Salk Associate Professor Tatyana Sharpee has been awarded a grant of approximately $950,000 over 4 years by the National Science Foundation to study how the brain processes complex sounds. This grant is part of a multi-national project together with groups in France and Israel. LA JOLLA—It may seem paradoxical, but studying what goes wrong in rare diseases can provide useful insights into normal health. Researchers probing the premature aging disorder Hutchinson-Gilford progeria have uncovered an errant protein process in the disease that could help healthy people as well as progeria sufferers live longer. LA JOLLA—As part of the National Science Foundation’s funding for new multidisciplinary approaches to neuroscience, Salk Professor Terrence Sejnowski together with the California Institute of Technology will receive over $1 million over 3 years to pursue advanced modeling of the brain. LA JOLLA—Scientists have, for the first time, corrected a disease-causing mutation in early stage human embryos with gene editing. The technique, which uses the CRISPR-Cas9 system, corrected the mutation for a heart condition at the earliest stage of embryonic development so that the defect would not be passed on to future generations. LA JOLLA—Two Salk neuroscience labs are part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) effort to better understand the brain. Salk Professors Terrence Sejnowski and Ed Callaway are each collaborators in multi-institute projects awarded over $9 million apiece. LA JOLLA—Salk Professor Reuben Shaw has received the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Outstanding Investigator Award (OIA), which encourages cancer research with breakthrough potential. Shaw, a member of Salk’s Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory and holder of the William R. Brody Chair, will receive $4.2 million in direct funding over the next seven years to further his work. The award is granted, according to the NCI website, to innovative cancer researchers with outstanding records of productivity to allow them to take greater risks and be more adventurous in their research. LA JOLLA—Stretched out, the DNA from all the cells in our body would reach Pluto. So how does each tiny cell pack a two-meter length of DNA into its nucleus, which is just one-thousandth of a millimeter across? LA JOLLA—Salk scientists have found further evidence that a natural compound in strawberries reduces cognitive deficits and inflammation associated with aging in mice. The work, which appeared in the Journals of Gerontology Series A in June 2017, builds on the team’s previous research into the antioxidant fisetin, finding it could help treat age-related mental decline and conditions like Alzheimer’s or stroke. LA JOLLA—Plants and brains are more alike than you might think: Salk scientists discovered that the mathematical rules governing how plants grow are similar to how brain cells sprout connections. The new work, published in Current Biology on July 6, 2017, and based on data from 3D laser scanning of plants, suggests there may be universal rules of logic governing branching growth across many biological systems. LA JOLLA—The conventional way of placing protein samples under an electron microscope during cryo-EM experiments may fall flat when it comes to getting the best picture of a protein’s structure. In some cases, tilting a sheet of frozen proteins—by anywhere from 10 to 50 degrees—as it lies under the microscope, gives higher quality data and could lead to a better understanding of a variety of diseases, according to new research led by Salk scientist Dmitry Lyumkis. LA JOLLA-The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced today that after four years, conservation efforts are complete for one of the key architectural elements at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California—its teak window walls. The site, completed in 1965 and designed by famed architect Louis I. Kahn, is widely considered to be a masterpiece of modern architecture. It is also home to globally renowned scientists making breakthroughs in areas of cancer, neuroscience, metabolism, plant science, genetics, and more. LA JOLLA—The Institute announces today the launch of the Architecture Conservation Program, designed to address ongoing preservation of the nearly 60-year-old Modernist structure considered to be a masterwork of American architect Louis Kahn. LA JOLLA—Salk scientists have developed a new high-throughput technique to determine which proteins in a cell interact with each other. Mapping this network of interactions, or “interactome,” has been slow going in the past because the number of interactions that could be tested at once was limited. The new approach, published June 26 in Nature Methods, lets researchers test millions of relationships between thousands of proteins in a single experiment.

Ever got hurt in the funny bone? Can the sensation be termed funny? Of course Not! When the funny bone is hit, restraining from cursing is seen as the biggest challenge. Detailed list of the bones in the body finds no mention of funny bone in the list. The term funny used in the funny bone is used to describe the tingling sensation felt when hit on the inside of the elbow at the centre with a hammer. Odd feeling or a feeling of discomfort is a better term than funny. Basic understanding about a funny bone reveals that a Funny bone is not a bone but the area of the exposed ulnar nerve in the elbow. Ulnar nerve is the largest unprotected nerve of the body that runs along the inner part of the hand towards the brain. Ulnar nerve lets the brain know about the feelings in the fourth and fifth fingers. Ulnar nerve is one of the main nerves in the hand that controls certain movements of the hand. This nerve connects the little finger to the brain. This nerve cannot be classified as a sensory nerve. Humerus is a part of the arm covers the elbow and the shoulder. Ulna is the bone that runs from elbow to the little finger. Funny bone is a highly sensitive area at the back of the elbow, where the ulnar nerve passes close to the surface of the skin in groove between the humerus and the ulna. Nerves are protected by bones, muscles and ligaments to protect from small hits. Ulnar nerve on the other hand, is covered by skin and a few fat cells. Protection of ulnar nerve is not strong to buffer it against small hits resulting in pain. A hit on the elbow is medically a hit on the ulnar nerve against the humerus that sends a tingling sensation as a shock to the last two fingers of the hand. Tingling sensation is a painful electrical impulse experienced as a result of the hit. Painful electrical impulse can be moderate to severe depending on the sensitivity of the person. Severe pain prolongs for days resulting in surgery in rare cases. It is obvious that the term funny bone is a misnomer. It is possible that the involvement of humerus bone got misinterpreted as humorous and subsequently became funny bone. Funny bone has found its place in the language too. Jokes are often related to the usage ‘tickled the funny bone’. Nevertheless when funny bone is hit it never ‘tickles the funny bone’.

A few questions: When consumers find out this was a hoax, does this create distrust? Does tapping into market memes demonstrate being in tune with your market? Would it have only worked in a country where a large portion are not religious? Whether sacrilegious or brilliant marketing, perhaps it can only work in the Netherlands –it would have never worked in the US, You be the judge, I look forward to hearing your comments. (link via Donald Lim, who shared this at the IMMAP workshop) Recently, I attended a corporate event that showcased products related to an industry. Press, media, bloggers, and influencers were invited to attend, and meet a variety of vendors and see products. Featured were members of the company’s advocacy program, (a group of preferred clients), and were given products to demo. Some members of the this advocacy program are bloggers, in particular one with a journalistic background, who’s credibility came into question. While the event continued on, a not-impressed attendee (who claimed to be a journalist) started to make comments that some of the members of the advocacy program were not authentic and went so far as to say quite loudly during the presentation they were “shills” from the back of the room. [Brands, which are often untrusted, must develop advocacy programs to influence their market. Despite good intentions, several risks could result in mistrust and even backlash from those they seek to impress] Let’s break it down, as these same events are likely going to happen to your advocacy program at events and echo online. Opportunities: Advocacy Programs Foster A Low-Cost Trusted Voice Companies aren’t trusted, brands aren’t trusted, and nor are your executives. People trust each other, and now they have the tools to communicate with each other using social technologies and mobile with or without brands involved. As a result, trust has shifted to the participants. Many brands, knowing their credibility has diminished, rely on advocacy programs where trusted members of the community are given a platform and encouraged to speak. Take for example the B2B Microsoft MVP program (I was formerly briefed) selects the most helpful professionals in their space, and anoint their most knowledgeable customers in public, and use the program as a way to get product and program feedback. They MVPs aren’t directly paid, but may have travel and expenses covered to speak at a variety of industry events. Another example is consumer facing WalMart’s Mom and Dad blogger program (also briefed) where influencers that fit their ideal market are given a place to blog on the corporate website. They have very few limitations and often talk about the competition. These programs provide brands with a: trusted set of market influencers, a lower-cost program compared to traditional marketing efforts, and a platform to engage in dialog with their most knowledgeable market. Risks: Incorrectly Implemented, Advocacy Programs Will Cause Brand Backlash Innovation always requires risk, and many corporate cultures aren’t yet ready to yield control to the market. As a result, they apply command and control tactics to a group that could ultimately shoot them in the foot. Example? The “Target Rounders” program (I’ve not been briefed) encouraged customers to advocate the brand on public social networks, but unfortunately encouraged them to do so without transparency. The email sent from corporate to the members suggesting they advocate without disclosing their ties was quickly put on blogs –detracting from the whole movement. Also, companies not ready to take the bad with the good may not know what to do with the negative feedback, and may push back resulting in the program to crumble. Lastly, the members of the advocacy program themselves may be subjected to scrutiny from the community, they need to ensure they are inline with their own editorial guidelines. Checklist: Develop a Successful Advocacy Program Don’t build your relationships on a whim, have a plan, and build off the learnings of others. This checklist is the start of your program plan, share it with your internal teams before getting started. Get Internal Teams Prepared First. You can’t love your customers ’till you first love yourself. Companies that aren’t ready for the new world should tread lightly. Marketing, executives, legal, and the rest of the company need to be prepared for a new site of spokespersons to step forward in an unconventional way. Getting ready for the raw discussions that are already happening in your marketplace closer to your doors requires virtue, patience, and an open mind. Find Credible Advocates. This is not a shill program. Getting individuals that are already experts in your market to learn more about your company and talk about it in an open way requires a filter. Likely they have respected blogs, or thousands of followers on Twitter, or frequently attend and speak at industry events. Ensure The Advocacy Program Is Above Board. Make sure disclosure is loud and clear. Find advocates that are already vocal, maybe have sung your praises in public, and may already be a raving fan. Recognize them in public (online and off) give them a badge (maybe for blog, or even at events) that signify their distinction. Develop a policy, and enforce that any public mentions should require disclosure, involve your legal team. Ensure It Matches Up With Their Agenda. Advocates need to feel comfortable this is a topic or association they like. If they are not comfortable with this program they risk ruining their own credibility which will damage your own associations. Make sure they can say whatever they want to –but always give them the right to discuss it with the brand first as a right of first refusal. Never limit their access or privileges based upon what they do or don’t say. Incentivize Them With Special Access –But Don’t Pay Them. I’m a firm believer that your most passionate customers want to be recognized as experts, so thanking them, saluting them, and giving them access to information or events is key. Letting them demo products before others and providing an honest review is commonly done. Hand Over The Microphone –Give Them The Platform. This isn’t about you, it’s about them. The market doesn’t trust your brand, so let them have the platform to speak. Recognize them on your public website, develop a way to indicate that they’re the most trusted members in your online communities, and allow them to tell others. Intake Negative Feedback –But Be Actionable. You’ve now asked for open dialog for them to discuss with their community, but be prepared to intake their experience and thoughts with your marketing and more importantly: product and development teams. This can’t be just lip-service by corporate communications, but their input must be acknowledged, and then reported back to them it was taken into account. Use this as a way to reduce innovation costs –but ensure product teams correctly know how to develop these relationships. Provide Them With Communication Tools. Give them the opportunity to talk with each other. Develop an online community or email distribution list, just for them to participate in and talk with each other. Additionally, give them a platform on your corporate website or within your communities to vocalize. For those with advanced communities, give them higher level abilities than other members such as ability to moderate, add unique media, or personalize their experience. Define Success Based On Influence And Reduced Cost. This is an influence program, much like media, press, or analyst relations. Measure based on influence by looking at KPIs around number of touch points, impact (anecdotal and through surveys). Also, measure how much and how useful the feedback to product and development teams was taken used –divide by traditional ways of getting similar feedback. Measure cost savings: offset the measurement with the denominator of lower costs of a WOM program to develop a measurement based on value. Advocacy programs are a mainstay of today and future marketing programs –yet to be successful companies must have the mindset of being enablers –not controllers. Left: Several Press, Analysts, and Bloggers met with executives from Cisco and Warner using Telepresence from NY, SF, to San Jose. Cisco’s Eos (their community platform for media brands) landed an enterprise wide deal with Warner Music. Attendees included John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, Dan Scheinman who heads Eos, and Edgar Bronfman, CEO of Warner music and Michale Nash of Warner. Rather than focus on the details of the deal (you can read WSJ, Reuters, and GigaOm), I’m going to discuss what it means to the industry at large. [Media companies will adopt social technologies to respond to the Groundswell in social networks –yet to be successful, the change isn’t about technology –but instead, their business model] Media companies know that they’re not the only voices in the auditorium –the audience now talks back. They create media, content, and share it directly with each other on social sites —now brands, like Warner seek to embrace them closer. Rather than allow this inevitable social interaction on social networks like MySpace, they want to take it back by launching their own social features. Although EOS was announced earlier this year (read my take), this is their first major client, hence the fanfare. What’s taken EOS so long to clinch a large deal? Their hefty enterprise system is designed for media brands to cascade across multiple properties –not one-off installations. Community platform players that also compete in the media space like Kickapps and Pluck (and to some degree Ning) have self-serve features, are modular, and even have credit card payment systems so individual brand managers can get started –bypassing IT. Impacts to Community Platforms, and CMS Vendors Incumbent community platform players (learn more about this crowded space) like Kickapps (who power artists U2, Madonna and Food2), Pluck (who powers USAToday/Gannet, The Guardian, and the NFL), and incumbent CMS systems like Vignette, Documentum, Interwoven need to demonstrate they’ve enterprise viability by proving their systems to brands that can scale across multiple entertainment properties at media conglomerates. Warner is an ‘end to end Cisco customer’ so the aforementioned vendors should immediately reach out to their customers with a large Cisco footprint in the datacenter. Impacts to Social Networks: MySpace, Bebo, Facebook As media companies develop their own communities this takes some power away from social networks like MySpace, Bebo, and Facebook. Fortunately, not all fans will interact with artist created communities –so they will need to quickly distinguish how their community base is different (perhaps in a different part of the marketing funnel) –but still valuable. What It Means: Opportunities –and Challenges for Media Brands Consider this the first day in which Chief Media Officers recognize that social is a key component to fostering a brand amongst an audience that wants –and will talk back. Expect other media conglomerates to start this evaluation process. Rather than punt the community to MySpace and Bebo to monetize, media companies can now aggregate the data from the community to quickly identify trends, memes, and hits and wins from the community. Artists can foster a tighter relationship with fans as the communication goes both ways. Media companies need to develop a strategy beyond technologies that encompasses dealing with process, roles, and allowing for the voices of the customer –not just the media brands. Remember my 80/20 rule about communities, only 20% is about technology, the majority is strategy. Lastly, media companies will need to reformat their business model, as the people formerly known as the audience now join artists on stage. Given how media companies have responded to this movement with a clamping and silencing motion –this is a big change for their culture. Media Companies Under Extreme Change as Fans Join the Stage –Changing Biz Model Summing things up, media brands that recognize the party is happening without them on MySpace, Bebo and Facebook will build branded communities for fans and artists closer to the corporate domain. This means the structure of the business will need to change, not just to allow fans to participate on the ‘online stage’ but to also develop new ways of monetizing through premium products, cross sales, and lean on efficient word of mouth marketing. I’m on a Twitter hiatus and am not tweeting for a while, instead, I’m focusing on what Forrester calls energizing, what others may refer to as “word of mouth’. So instead, I’m going to conduct experiments to help my clients understand how to best use social tools to allow content to spread for person to person. While social media ‘chicklets’ already exist that make it easy to make blog posts diggable, tagged on delicious, or emailed to others, we’ve often forgotten to recognize one of the most powerful behaviors: the retweet. As a result, every single one of my future blog posts will have easy-to-use, copy and paste content that is designed to be rapidly tweeted to your followers –or until a technology emerges that makes it easier. I’m not going to tweet this post, but want you to spread it to your twitter followers by copying and pasting this code into twitter and share with others How Bloggers Should Inspire Retweets What are you waiting for? copy the above sentence, put it into the twitter form bar and share it! Let’s spread the word how bloggers can easily benefit from viral sharing by making it easy for blog posts to be retweeted. Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that take off, so I’ll write a wrap up post measuring the impacts of this experiment. (Update: The findings are now live, see the data after 24 hours) So How Bloggers Should Inspire Retweets? Make it easy for their readers to tweet it, by creating simple copy and a shortened URL and include it at the bottom of each blog post. Thanks for tweeting, and retweeting this. The economy is sinking, consumers, bloggers, well everyone, can use extra cash in the hand. Pay Per Post did not require disclosure, Izea requires up front disclosure –this is ethical. It’s doubly attractive as each of the bloggers can hold a contest, offering additional prizes to their readers, this spread like wildfire in Twitter –reaching a large audience. I learned from Ted that the bloggers that would participate would receive traffic, as the advertising network within Izea would point to the blogs that are sponsored. Click through rates will be far higher than banner ads, Ted shared me some numbers, and if he’s right, they are significantly higher. This makes sense as the source is higher trusted than an ad. It’s inexpensive for the brand, while I hear of many soical media campaigns for Fortune companies being 50-100k, the payout to bloggers and community is a mere 5k, although I’m sure there’s many service fees going to the marketing team at Izea. But what are the risks? With every benefit comes a risk to each party, and this one is no different. Risks to bloggers and their communities Bloggers will simply have to ensure that they are delivering trusted content to their audience (transparent), and it’s relevant to their current topics (authentic). If readers are going to a tech blog, and expecting tech content, they may be surprised if the content shifts to a different medium –like consumer goods. Ted explained that the bloggers will choose the content they will write about, so in theory, this will work. The good thing about the blogosphere is that it self corrects, the community members will let the blogger know what they do and don’t like –it happens every day. Update: Julio Fernandez notices that the tweets are generating spam, and takes a screenshot. Risks to Izea The other risk is the inventory may not be sustainable (long term). What’s the inventory? The bloggers. Izea will need to ensure that the blog posts are spread out so the sponsored posts. If bloggers continue to do sponsored only posts, they do run the risk of losing editorial trust from their community, and then losing audience. As Izea gains popularity, expect the demand to increase for these campaigns. Risks to Brands For brands, they should realize that this is not the only way to reach customers, many brands are reaching customers in social networks, building online communities, and using corporate blogs. Brands shouldn’t put all their resources into sponsored blog posts. Getting bloggers paid is good, word of mouth for brands is also good, as the prizes and content spread to the readers of the blog they win too. The only risk is if the editorial becomes trusted, but we should expect bloggers to self-police themselves. Two years ago, I never imagined that I would write a positive post for anything coming out of Pay Per Post, but I think this model is getting refined. 60% trust consumer product ratings and reviews: I find both logical but we’ve some ways to go. Right now, we’re leaning on reviews from individuals that may not be in our trust circle. So as the social graph and eCommerce engines start to tie, we’ll soon have access to reviews of products from our direct network of folks we really know. Razorfish has eloquently helped to visualize this concept with this presentation. 50%: Say they trust portals/search engines: In Google We Trust, is that Charlene Li frequently used to tell me, and it still holds true. When you look closely, the search engine results in Google are really social recommendations. How so? The Google algorithm (while I’m over simplifying) puts a great deal of weight on how humans organize, link, and create content. So in summary, when you look closely, people trust each other. If you’re not up to date on Forrester’s POST methodology, now is the time to learn, I ensure each of my clients knows it on my daily inquiry calls. For the most part, this methodology is available in public and has been published on blogs and in slideshare, what’s key is that we understand the common framework of terms, particularly the five objectives: listening, talking, energizing, supporting, and embracing As Josh alluded to in his comments, it’s time to focus on energizing (word of mouth), and maybe supporting (customers helping each other) –rather than talking (brands telling consumers)

Get out a pen to jot down your answer. Got one? Great. Now please, stand up, arms relaxed at your sides. From here, lift one of your arms straight out to the front, palm down, up 90 degrees (that’s straight out from your shoulder). The pop quiz question: what was the first muscle to engage in that movement? You don’t need to know technical anatomical language for your answer to count, as in, you could say “the front of the neck.” And I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the brain, but an actual, tangible, everyday muscle (even though yes, it’s a conscious movement so there’s neural activity). Probably some muscle in the front of the shoulder, right? That was my guess when I took this quiz. Or, if you were super savvy and had a sense of where this was headed, maybe you answered some part of your abdominal core, like the deep transversus abdominis. The answer: the soleus, one of the deep muscles in your calf that connects to your Achilles tendon. The reason: to begin the process of lifting your arm out front, and thus moving your center of weight more forward, your unimaginably intelligent body begins with an ever-so-slight movement of plantar flexion, or the ball of your foot pressing into the earth (or, if you’re driving a car, on the gas pedal). Another visual that might help if you’re still feeling confused: recognize that the plantar flexion, if left unchecked, would push everything above your feet backwards. And that’s where your arm moving forward comes in as a sort of balance, so only your arm actually moves. Can you feel it happening? (I can’t, but kudos if you can!) Amazing, no? Imagine the implications. It seems so obvious to think raising an arm happens at the joint right next to the arm, which is does, but that’s not the whole story, or even the first part of the story. Now, pass your papers to the front of the class …

I admit it. Caleb and Jake live pretty sheltered lives. They don’t read the news on the internet. They don’t pay much attention to current events. They are not familiar with world politics. They wouldn’t be able to tell you anything about the US Presidential Elections – or even the political goings-on in our part of the world with Jacob Zuma or Robert Mugabe or…..much of anything. Jake and Caleb may hear us talking about different issues – but they don’t tune in and take notice. Caleb may ask a question or two – but not Jake. If the topic at hand doesn’t affect him and the little world of his making, Jake isn’t interested. However, their awareness of the goings-on-in-the-world-and-what-has-happened-in-the-past have begun to expand. We can thank their history books for this change in their worldview. Now that Caleb and Jake have begun grade 7 school work this year, they have been introduced to a lot more historical content. Since they have to learn about it – the current and past events of world history – have begun to challenge their understanding of the depravity of man. What do I mean? For the past three weeks, the boys have been reading about Native American History, Slavery in the United States, Immigration to the United States in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century, Japanese Interment during World War II, and the plight of the Boat People after the Vietnam War. This information has been a lot to swallow! In fact, how can anyone digest it after reading about so much cruelty and hardship? As the boys read what happened in each of these summarized events, they honestly have been horrified. Caleb asked, “Mom, why did they do that?” in response to how the US Army enforced the removal of Native Americans from their tribal lands. Jake declared, “I don’t want to read about that.” when we read how African American children were forcefully separated from their parents during the slave trade. Both Jake and Caleb were devastated when they read how Vietnamese Boat People drowned in their attempt to seek a better way of life after the end of the Vietnam War because their overcrowded boats were unseaworthy. As we have read and discussed these events, Jake and Caleb are learning that there are desires and motives within the heart of man that both limit and diminish our capacity to love. Isn’t that an awful thing to learn? There are desires and motives within the heart of man that both limit and diminish our capacity to love. You may wonder and be critical of our parenting of Caleb and Jake in that they are only now grasping such things at their ages of 13 and 14. Yet, one of the realities of raising our autistic children is that Jake and Caleb are both younger in heart, comprehension, and action than their peers. They haven’t been ready for this heart-piercing information. In addition, John and I have been determined to raise all of our children with the value that all people are loved and cherished by God. Loving others is one of our family values. We are committed to this value with every breath of our being. We have raised Micah, Jake and Caleb to love others – no matter who they are, where they come from, or what they believe. We stake our values on the Word of God. In a recent reading for my ongoing Saint word study, our family value of loving others is emphasized by Paul as he addressed the Thessalonian Church: May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones (saints). New International Standard, 1Thessalonians 3: 12-13 The love that Paul describes and the love we strive to build into and ask Micah, Jake and Caleb to express is an agape love. An agape love is a brotherly love, a contented love, a welcoming love and a secure love. An agape love offers good will. It invites both care and affection. Not only that, this love is one that increases and overflows as it is shared and enjoyed! Imagine a love that is of such superior quality that the more this welcoming and God-honoring love is shared – it abounds and continues to grow! Who wouldn’t want that kind of love? Who wouldn’t want to share that kind of love? How is it even possible? The answer is found in Jesus Christ. Christ our Lord makes our love increase and overflow for each other… and for everyone else! This is the kind of love that John and I are asking our Lord and Savior to instill in the hearts of our children. We do not want anything to limit or diminish their capacity to love. We are praying for just the opposite! We desire that as they abide in Christ, their love for others and for everyone else, would abound! Yes, all three of our sons are becoming more and more aware of the depravity of man – his corrupted motives, his selfish ways, his discriminatory viewpoints, his evil intents, his harsh and insensitive actions, and his lack of love. But that doesn’t mean that our children must go this way. We are sheltering all of our children in the boundless love of God so that they too may offer this amazing and excellent love to others through the power of Jesus Christ today, tomorrow and into their future. History has shown Jake and Caleb that man is capable of great cruelty to attain power, wealth, status, and other selfish gains. This truth has horrified them – as it should. Jesus Christ shows Micah, Jake and Caleb that through Christ we are capable of great love for those they know and for everyone else – bestowing honor, blessing, care, affection, and goodwill. As Micah, Jake and Caleb lean into the destiny that is theirs in Christ, they have the power and potential to impact their sphere of influence with this abounding, all-encompassing, and infinite love. Our world and everyone else needs this kind of welcoming and affirming love, doesn’t it? Jake and Caleb certainly think so! Micah does! We all do!

The available amount of fossil fuels is limited and their combustion in vehicle motors increases atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. The generation of fuels from biomass as an alternative is on the rise. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Johannes A. Lercher and his team at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have now introduced a new catalytic process that allows the effective conversion of biopetroleum from microalgae into diesel fuels. Plant oils from sources such as soybean and rapeseed are promising starting materials for the production of biofuels. Microalgae are an interesting alternative to these conventional oil-containing crops. Microalgae are individual cells or short chains of cells from algae freely moving through water. They occur in nearly any pool of water and can readily be cultivated. "They have a number of advantages over oil-containing agricultural products," explains Lercher. "They grow significantly faster than land-based biomass, have a high triglyceride content, and, unlike the terrestrial cultivation of oilseed plants, their use for fuel production does not compete with food production." Previously known methods for refining oil from microalgae suffer from various disadvantages. The resulting fuel either has too high an oxygen content and poor flow at low temperatures, or a sulfur-containing catalyst may contaminate the product. However, other catalysts are still not efficient enough. The Munich scientists now propose a new process, for which they have developed a novel catalyst: nickel on a porous support made of zeolite HBeta. They have used this to achieve the conversion of raw, untreated algae oil under mild conditions (260 °C, 40 bar hydrogen pressure). Says Lercher: "The products are diesel-range saturated hydrocarbons that are suitable for use as high-grade fuels for vehicles." The oil produced by the microalgae is mainly composed of neutral lipids, such as mono-, di-, and triglycerides with unsaturated C18 fatty acids as the primary component (88 %). After an eight-hour reaction, the researchers obtain 78 % liquid alkanes with octadecane (C18) as the primary component. The main gas-phase side products are propane and methane. Analysis of the reaction mechanism shows that this is a cascade reaction. First the double bonds of the unsaturated fatty acid chains of the triglycerides are saturated by hydrogen. Then, the now saturated fatty acids take up hydrogen and are split from their glycerin component, which reacts to form propane. In the final step, the acid groups in the fatty acids are reduced stepwise to the corresponding alkane.

Traditional investment performance benchmarks, like the Sharpe Ratio, approximate the returns distribution with mean and standard deviation. This, however, assumes the distribution is normal. Many modern investments vehicles, like hedge funds, display fat tails, and skew and kurtosis in the returns distribution. Hence, they cannot be adequately benchmarked with traditional approaches. One solution, proposed by Shadwick and Keating in 2002 is the Omega Ratio. This divides the returns distribution into two halves – the area below a target return, and the above a target return. The Omega Ratio is simply the former divided by the latter. A higher value is better. For a set of discrete returns, the Omega Ratio is given by where L is a target return and R is a vector of returns. This application finds the asset weights that maximize the Omega Ratio of a portfolio of ten investments, given their simulated monthly returns and a target return. This is a non-convex problem, and requires global optimizers for a rigorous solution. However, a transformation of the variables (only valid for Omega Ratios of over 1) converts the optimization into a linear program. This application implements both approaches, the former using Maple's Global Optimization Toolbox, and the latter using Maple's linear programming features. For the data set provided in this application, both approaches give comparable results.

Headache Healing cocktail Cooling thermal nature; sweet flavor; builds the blood and stops bleeding- is a specific remedy for nosebleed; diuretic; laxative; moistens dryness of the body, quenches thirst, and is particularly useful in the treatment of diabetic dryness and thirst. Its cooling nature cleanses the blood of toxins that cause skin disease and discharges marked by redness and inflammation. According to Chinese dietary theory, spinach has a "sliding" nature, which facilitates internal body movements such as bowel action and urination, and thus is a treatment for constipation and urinary difficulty. The rich iron and chlorophyll content of spinach builds blood. [ts sulfur content helps relieve herpes irritations. It also has abundant vitamin A, which makes it valuable in the treatment of night blindness. The usefulness of the exceptional store of calcium in spinach tends (0 be neutralized by its oxalic acid content. Cautions: People who tend to get kidney stones should eat spinach sparingly. Because of its sliding nature, spinach is not for those with loose stools, urinary incontinence, or involuntary seminal emission. Spinach is store house for many phyto-nutrients that have health promotional and disease prevention properties. Very low in calories and fats (100 g of raw leaves provide just 23 cal). It contains good amount of soluble dietary fiber; no wonder greeny spinach is one of the vegetable source recommended in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs! Fresh 100 g of spinach contains about 25% of daily intake of iron; one of the richest among green leafy vegetables. Iron is an important trace element required by the body for red blood cell production and as a co-factor for oxidation-reduction enzymes cytochrome-oxidases during the cellular metabolism. Fresh leaves are rich source of several vital anti-oxidant vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin C; and flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin and beta-carotene. Together these compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a healing role in aging and various disease processes. Zea-xanthin, an important dietary carotenoid, is selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions; thus helps protect from "age related macular disease" (ARMD), especially in the elderly. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. Consumption of natural vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin A and flavonoids helps body protect from lung and oral cavity cancers. 100 g of Spinach provides 402% of daily vitamin-K requirements. Vitamin K plays vital role in strengthening bone mass by promoting osteotrophic (bone building) activity in the bone. It also has established role in patients with Alzheimer's disease by limiting neuronal damage in the brain. This greeny leafy vegetable also contain good amounts of many B-complex vitamins like vitamin- B6(pyridoxine), thiamin (vitamin B-1), riboflavin, folates and niacin. Folates help prevent neural tube defects in the offspring. 100 g of farm fresh spinach has 47% of daily recommended levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen free radicals. The leaves also contain good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, magnesium, copper and zinc. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese and copper are used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzymesuperoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Zinc is a co-factor in many enzymes that regulate growth and development, sperm generation, digestion and nucleic acid synthesis.

Outback Skiing and Boarding Skiing and boarding in the outback, in national parks, or on terrain just outside of resort boundaries is a common sport with adventure seekers. However, it is also a dangerous sport as well. Outback enthusiasts are encouraged to check the batteries and operational function of their Beacon and GPS devices before they enter out of bounds into unpatrolled, outback terrain. Never go into the outback without these devices. Never go alone,always go with a buddy… Jackson Hole, Wyoming has The Avalanche Center for Teton National Park forecasting avalanche danger on a daily basis, and may be reached by phone…Check to see if there is such a service in your area… Snow slides are easily triggered as new snow rests on weak or slick or wind packed snow surfaces underneath. When they are triggered, it is sometimes unclear which way they will slide or break, and slough off below. Skiers and boarders are often taken down with the slide and pushed into the trees causing injury and death…Especially in foggy or windy conditions, blowing snow and white out conditions, outback sporting is dangerous, disorientation can occur. Skiers and boarders are also pushed towards the trees in such conditions, and can get caught inside the tree well. A tree well consists of deep snow, it is soft, and if one is walking without snowshoes, a snowboard or skiis, one can actually fall into the snow, covering the body, or even part of the torso, causing suffocation and death…When in the trees, keep your skiis, snowshoes or snowboard on your feet. If you are thinking of walking around without equipment you are heavier than the snow beneath you, especially at higher elevations. Falling into a hole you may not be able to get out of is a recipe for disaster….Avoid Tree Wells, and trees if and when possible…Keep your equipment on your feet..Don’t over estimate your skill level…..

The opportunity: Mindfulness can help you to improve focus, reduce stress, and stay connected and engaged at home and on the job. The solution: Use these mindfulness tips and resources to help you be fully present and aware without being overly reactive and overwhelmed. Let's start with a definition. There are dozens of definitions of mindfulness out there today. The one I'm working with right now goes like this: On top of all of this, we have a running commentary in our brains from that little voice that is always giving us opinions and offering advice on any and every thing that we experience. Some of us (like me) have entire committees giving us their input, whether we ask for it or not. It's a wonder we're not all completely insane! to sit quietly in a room alone." - Blaise Pascal • lower stress • reduce anxiety • lower blood pressure • reduce chronic pain • improve mental clarity • increase emotional awareness • increase engagement in activities • form deeper connections with others FORMAL MINDFULNESS - MINDFULNESS MEDITATION (10 to 20 mintues daily) *You can also follow along with the guided "Mindfulness of the Breath" meditation below. 1.) Set a timer for 10-20 minutes. Find a place that is relatively free from distractions. Sit comfortably in an upright chair or on the floor. Make sure that your back is straight and that your spine and neck are supported. You should be alert but not rigid. Give yourself permission to be here now. You can close your eyes or keep them opened and softly focused. 2.) Take several deep breaths in and out. On the in breath, you may want to quietly say in the back of your mind, "peace." On the out breath, you can say "stress." Continue breathing in "peace" and breathing out "stress" until you feel that you are mostly present and centered. Give your attention to this meditation session in a way that is genuinely interested and accepting of whatever happens. 3.) Begin to breathe normally. Pay attention to where you feel the breath as you breathe in and out. Do you feel it at the tip of the nose? The back of the throat? The chest or abdomen? Also, notice the temperature of the air as you breathe in and out. When is it warm? When is it cool? Wherever you notice the breath most strongly, keep your attention there as you continue to breathe normally. 4.) The mind will wander. This is normal. To help your mind stay focused, you can softly say in the back of your mind, "breathing in" and "breathing out." Each time your attention wanders, simply return to the breath by using these words along with noticing where you feel the breath most. 5.) Continue breathing normally and keep coming back to the breath when your mind wanders. We all get lost in our thoughts and stories during meditation. The important point is that you keep coming back to the breath. Every time you return to the breath is actually a moment of mindfulness. Avoid criticizing yourself or trying too hard to figure this all out. Practice makes progress. 6.) When your timer goes off, return your attention to the space where you are seated. Take one or two deep breaths and then go about the rest of your day, bringing a little more mindfulness into everything you do. You may want to journal about your experiences following your meditation sessions to deepen your practice and to review your progress over time. Along with meditation, it's important to practice mindfulness as a part of our daily tasks and routines. Try one or two of these informal mindfulness practices per week and as often as possible each day. Simply keep your attention on the task itself, and when your mind wanders, bring your attention back to the task. • brushing your teeth • taking a shower • eating a meal • opening doors • composing an email • answering a phone call • checking social media • stopping in traffic

Average broadband speeds in Scotland should be ramped to at least 40Mbps by 2015 using public money, a report from the Scottish Government has proposed. Scotland’s Digital Future - Infrastructure Action Plan sets out the ambition that 85-95 percent of the country’s consumers and businesses should be able to access this level of performance three years from now, with many able to receive up to 80Mbps. By 2020 the country should be in a position to offer the population “world class” broadband, the report said, the definition of which will depend on the development of broadband technologies globally but can be interpreted as meaning speeds well in excess of 100Mbps. The Scottish Government proposes will set up a Digital Programme Office which will feed in public funds from a variety of sources, including £68.8 million from the UK Government’s Broadband delivery UK (BDUK) fund, £40 million set aside by local authorities, and £25.5 million of EU money. The Scottish Government would top this up with £79.5 million from its own coffers, giving a total fund of £143.8 million. The report underlines the view that the current model of private sector broadband deployment can’t deliver high-speed access widely enough across a country with the physical footprint of England but only a tenth of its population. Average broadband speeds in Scotland are much the same as for the UK as a whole, around 7Mbit/s but getting that to stage one FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) level, 40 Mbps, will be no easy task taking into account the rural nature of Scotland. Most of the country's population live in the central belt and up the east coast to Aberdeen, confirmed by the report's identified hotspots for decent broadband speeds (defined as being at least 24Mbps), which show up as dots of black. The vast expanse of gray covering the rest of Scotland looks more intimidating. “Our relationship with the private sector will also be based on a fair and equitable partnership, ensuring everyone gets a fair return on their investment and ensuring we get value for every pound of public money invested,” said the report. Decoded, that means that carriers such as BT will also have to stump up to spread those black dots further afield. The pay-off for pumped-up broadband will be an explosion in the economics of cloud computing, long-distance collaboration, remote access, and an expansion in businesses that sell sophisticated online content, the report said. As to mobile access, the report also argues that Scotland should get money from the UK Government’s £150 million ‘not spot’ fund to patch holes in the country’s relatively poor rural mobile infrastructure. The Scottish Government will produce a procurement plan by March 2012 with the first contracts awarded in the first half of 2012.

Judge Pongdej Vanitkijtihul of the Supreme Court Office explained that an environmental court is needed in the country for several reasons. For one thing, environmental pollution brings damages to natural resources which are the property of everyone. true to say that only people in the area of the Mae Moh power plants are affected by their emissions. Actually, the public in general is also affected." "Sometimes, the repercussions (from environmental damage) don't show right away. Sometimes it takes two or five years, or more," he said. court case also requires input from experts in various scientific fields, he said. This is especially true because the burden of proof is on the affected people's shoulders. They should be able to call on the technical knowledge of others. Pongdej said that actually there is a mechanism currently in place for people to receive a trial before a special legal panel affiliated with the Supreme Court and presided over by a judge who has expertise in environmental matters. The process is cumbersome, however; first the plaintiff would have to go through the Administrative Court, and then through an appellate court, and has never been employed. Pongdej envisions a future in which access to the special panel will be granted whenever it is warranted. He also said that in the near future the members of the jury may need to visit the sites of alleged environmental damage.

Pronia is a lovely suburb, but with a totally different atmosphere than the elegant Old Town of Nafplio. No tourists, just Greeks happily living their everyday life. The main street through Pronia, 25. Martiou (top photos), is a lively place, with shops, small cafes, taverns and homes. The back streets are quieter, and although some apartment buildings have replaced quite a few of the original homes here, there are still many small, old houses to stroll between. Pronia is a lovely spot to visit, and a nice contrast to the Old Town. A typical, down to earth, Greek area! People have lived in Pronia for thousands of years, but this was a sparsely populated area before the 1800s. After Nafplio’s liberation from the Turks in 1822, a lot of people from Crete came here to enjoy that freedom. It was impossible to find homes for them all in the Old Town, and President Kapodistrias decided in 1828 that small houses should be built and given to them in Pronia. Actually, the name Pronia derives from a Greek word, pronoo, that means providing - in this case provide housing. Carved into a rock in Pronia is a huge, sleeping lion. Maybe not what one would expect to see in Greece, but the story is as follows: When King Otto arrived in Nafplio in 1833, he brought with him several troops from Bavaria, and many of the men died of typhus during an epidemicity. Otto's father, Ludwig of Bavaria, asked the German sculptor Christian Siegel to create the lion as a memory of the dead soldiers, in 1841. (Street: Michalis Iatrou) AGII PANTES AND THE TOMBSTONE STAIRS The small church Agii Pantes is also to be found in Pronia, not far from the Bavarian lion. During the Turkish invasion (from 1715), this church was for a long period the only place in Nafplio that was allowed to give Christian sermons. Old gravestones are laid as a floor in Agii Pantes, and are also used to cover the stairs leading up to the church. Agii Pantes is usually closed, but you can still see how it is partly built into the hill behind, and in front of the church you’ll have a nice view of Nafplio and the bay. (Street: Agii Pantes) The town's cemetery was once here, but it has since been moved some hundred meters to the north, and is worth visiting because of the beautiful tomb monuments. Real Greek life and a German lion Left: Pronia still has a few of the small houses Kapodistrias let build for the refugees from Crete. Right: Cheese shop in 25. Martiou street.

verb (used with object), Ice Hockey. to strike (an opponent) at shoulder level or above with a hockey stick. noun, Ice Hockey. a hockey stick held above shoulder level, which is against regulations. [hahy-stik-ing] /ˈhaɪˈstɪk ɪŋ/ Ice Hockey. 1. the act of holding the blade of the stick above shoulder level, usually resulting in a penalty. [hahy-stik] /ˈhaɪˌstɪk/ verb (used with object), Ice Hockey. 1. to strike (an opponent) at shoulder level or above with a hockey stick. [hahy-struhng] /ˈhaɪˈstrʌŋ/ adjective 1. at great tension; highly excitable or nervous; edgy: high-strung nerves; a high-strung person. adj. also high strung, 1848 in the figurative sense, from high (adj.) + strung. Originally a musical term, with reference to stringed instruments, where it is attested from 1748. noun 1. the most up-to-date, elegant, or exclusive fashion, especially in clothing. [hahyt] /haɪt/ adjective 1. Archaic. called or named: Childe Harold was he hight. [hahyt] /haɪt/ noun 1. . [hahyt] /haɪt/ noun 1. extent or distance upward: The balloon stopped rising at a height of 500 feet. 2. distance upward from a given level to a fixed point: the height from the ground to the first […]

Definitions of thoracic a. - Of or pertaining to the thorax, or chest. n. - One of a group of fishes having the ventral fins placed beneath the thorax or beneath the pectorial fins. The word "thoracic" uses 8 letters: A C C H I O R T. Direct anagrams of thoracic: Words formed by adding one letter before or after thoracic (in bold), or to acchiort in any order: m - chromatic s - trochaics Words within thoracic not shown as it has more than seven letters.

A week ago it was Planned Parenthood in Colorado. Yesterday it was San Bernardino. We’ve officially had more shootings than we’ve had days in the year, essentially equating to multiple shootings per day. It seems to be an endless cycle: media coverage, people propose solutions, victims are in everyone’s “thoughts and prayers” and then it ceases..until another mass shooting catches CNN’s attention. And in between that time, Twitter explodes, people post those viral Facebook posts, and Congress passes nothing. Most of them concern gun control laws, many offering condolences, a few criticize media coverage. Policy solutions are proposed by celebrities: stricter gun control laws, background checks, the usual. And mental health inevitably enters the conversation. Donald Trump deemed the Planned Parenthood shooter a “maniac”. Paul Ryan suggested improving the mental health system to address the recent “tragedies” Legislation is proposed to encourage mental-illness based background checks , just like Amy Shumer did this summer. In their defense, it’s a convenient excuse—why else would people want to kill each other? Yet according to multiple studies 1, 2, 3, mental illnesses (ranging from schizophrenia to depression) were insignificant factors in determining propensity toward violence. On the other hand, other co-variants such as race and gender play a more crucial role in establishing a causal association with violence. Yet few speak up about how mental health is scapegoated as a cause of violence. The worst part of this whole ordeal? No, it’s not the fact that a therapy visit could ruin your rights to buy a gun. Stereotypes such as these are precisely the reason why a mental health stigma exists. This is why teenagers are afraid to go to their school counselors, this is why despite resources, getting treatment is a convoluted mess. The fear of being perceived as “violent”, the fear of eventually losing employment or other rights due to a psychiatrist record on your health record (a HIPAA violation). So how do we shift this? Simple steps include not coining the perpetrator in acts of violence as “crazy” or “depressed.” Our mental health services do not cause shootings—those are results of our culture. Also be mindful that mental illness is not synonymous with depression or PTSD (you wouldn’t use the phrase “physical illness” to describe both cancer and diabetes would you?). Lastly, make mental health an open topic of discussion. The more often these conversations happen, the easier it is to pave the way for chance. But also acknowledge hate crimes as hate crimes. A culture that perpetuates entitlement over women causes a shooting near a UC. A culture that mischaracterizes a non-profit as “selling body parts” results in a shooting. Not a mental illness.

As ingredients drift further from their natural state—packaged in boxes, cans and plastic—a fresh food movement is on the rise, and its focus is not just vegetables. Dock to Dish, a new community supported fishery based in Montauk, is attempting not only to supply its members with fresh-off-the-dock seafood but to reestablish the bond between fishermen and the people they feed.The program kick-started Memorial Day weekend with 60 members, who received fresh fish until June 29. Subscribers essentially buy a share in the catch and get a delivery of a certain size each weekend. After its initial success, the CSF began its second season of the summer on July 5, still more than 60 individual members strong. One major difference? Nick & Toni’s restaurant in East Hampton also hopped aboard. Joe Realmuto, executive chef of Nick & Toni’s, who also manages the kitchens at Rowdy Hall in East Hampton and La Fondita in Amagansett, Townline BBQ in Wainscott, and Nick & Toni’s Cafe in Manhattan, said just three weeks in that the program is “spectacular.” Dock to Dish founder Sean Barrett keeps Mr. Realmuto in the loop each week about what fish his corps of 30 fishermen are catching so that when the time comes to prepare the menu, Mr. Realmuto can plan accordingly. “Every Friday, he texts us, and Dock to Dish delivers on Saturday,” Mr. Realmuto said. “On Sunday, after he fills his CSF membership deliveries, if he’s got extra fish, we take whatever he has left over. La Fondita and Rowdy Hall reap the benefits” after members, including Nick & Toni’s, have gotten their orders, he said. The real “beauty” of the program is the variety of fish that is harvested for members, according to Mr. Realmuto. While it depends on what fishermen are able to catch, Dock to Dish members are privy to a wide array of fish: black bass, blowfish, bluefish, haddock, hake, monkfish, pollack, porgy, skate, swordfish, tuna, mahi-mahi and many others. Mr. Barrett said Dock to Dish’s effort to get the fish from the dock to the kitchen in virtually no time flat is something he is proud of. “Two weeks back, Joe had big, beautiful, rod-and-reel-caught striped bass that were landed in Montauk, then scaled, cleaned, dressed and packed in slurry ice and delivered to his kitchen in about 110 minutes,” Mr. Barrett said. “Local seafood does not get any fresher than that.” The Dock to Dish fish are put on the specials menu at Nick & Toni’s. Waiters explain to their patrons what fish was caught that day and, if asked, more about Dock to Dish itself. Mr. Realmuto said the 65 orders of striped bass that were delivered last Saturday were gone by 9 p.m. that night. “It’s nice, because we’re really getting the message out.” For nearly 25 years, Nick & Toni’s has had its own garden outside, where fresh ingredients are picked and selected for each dish. Mr. Realmuto helped start the Seedlings Project with Project MOST, an after-school program, at the Springs School in 2010. The greenhouse and garden classroom teaches children about “slow food” and the importance of farming and buying local produce. According to Mr. Barrett, Mr. Realmuto and his team gave a “big, strong hug” to the Dock to Dish program. “Joe speaks the ‘language of fresh’ fluently, and has a sincere reverence for wholesome, locally sourced ingredient that is humbling,” Mr. Barrett said. “He wants to know what kind of fish we are catching, what tackle and equipment we are using and what the conditions are like out there.” Mr. Barrett, a fisherman who has frequented the waters off Montauk for more than 30 years, said there’s no fish like this at any supermarket. “When seafood is fresh out of the water it has special properties that it loses after spending time on land,” he said. “I always wanted to open the door for other people to experience what we [as fishermen] enjoyed all the time.” He said he was convinced to bring the concept home when visiting the little Spanish coastal town of San Sebastian, where fishermen arrived at the docks in their skiffs in the early evening to deliver their bounty. “They unloaded their haul, sardines and mackerel, and marched them right up to the restaurants in wicker baskets,” he recalled. “Moments later, the camareros [servers] came around offering that same fish, minimally prepared, to the guests. The fish went from dock to dish in under 20 minutes.” In the fall of 2012, feeling inspired by Scott Chaskey, director of Quail Hill Farm, a community supported farm in Amagansett, Mr. Barrett decided to “carbon-copy” the CSA concept and apply the model to the sea. He has gained support from a number of organizations, including the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, Amber Waves Farm, Trace & Trust, Brewsters Seafood, the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance and the New York Sea Grant. Jeremy Samuelson, the executive director of CCOM, said his group teamed up with Dock to Dish in the fall to design the business model and kick-start the pilot program. “We help identify resources and then help look into what types of fish the CSF is serving, how the fish are caught and what the supply chain looks like and ultimately get them to the members,” he said. Mr. Barrett said the goal is a simple one. “What we have seen is that there is this revival of a long-lost bond of trust and respect, which quickly forms on both sides of the member-fisherman equation,” he said. “Keep it simple—know your fisherman.” On Saturday, Dock to Dish will host its first event with a reading and book signing with Paul Greenberg, author of “Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food,” at Canio’s Books in Sag Harbor at 5 p.m. For more information about Dock to Dish, visit docktodish.com, or call (917) 853-8559.

1 developing critical thinking skills in the abe classroom denise reddington nh bureau of adult education 2012 mini-grant. Sharpen your child’s critical thinking and logical reasoning skills with our and deductive reasoning skills in kids by introducing them to these exercises. Medical-surgical nursing: critical thinking in for courses in medical surgical nursing students and instructors alike critical thinking exercises and. Critical thinking exercises medical surgical unit best hq phil critical guarantee of us at high school students critical thinking means to critical.

In this collection of essays, articles and sketches, A P Herbert reveals a world that is long-since past. Through his preoccupations and criticisms, opinions and hopes we are introduced to the thoughts and ways of an English gentleman in 1930s London. And as we read, we become increasingly aware of how much things have changed indeed often for the better but perhaps there is also a strange sense of nostalgia, a feeling of something having been lost forever. Author biography:A.P. Herbert Sir Alan Patrick Herbert was born in 1890 and educated at Winchester and Oxford. Having achieved a first in Jurisprudence, he then joined the Royal Navy and served both at Gallipoli and in France during the First World War. He was called to the Bar in 1918, but never practised, having established himself at a young age as a lauded writer of verses. Later, he went on to become Member of Parliament for Oxford University from 1935 to 1950. Throughout his life A.P. Herbert was a prolific writer, delighting his many readers with his witty observations and social satires in the columns of Punch. He often used his column in aid of causes, and was a tireless campaigner for reform, especially of the then divorce laws, the denouncing of injustice, and also as a dedicated conserver of the River Thames. He conducted a long standing campaign against jargon and officialese. However, this was always done utilising his characteristic wry humour and a great sense of fun. He created a host of colourful characters notably Topsy, Albert Haddock and Mr Honeybubble and wrote novels, poems, musicals, essays, sketches and articles. By the time of his death in 1971, Herbert had gained a considerable following and was highly regarded in literary circles. J.M. Barrie, Hilaire Belloc, Rudyard Kipling and John Galsworthy all delighted in his work, and H.G. Wells once applauded him stating: You are the greatest of great men. You can raise delightful laughter and that is the only sort of writing that has real power over people like me.

The Grain Lab will be a collaborative initiative between farmers, millers, bakers, brewers, chefs and researchers. The vision is to work along the supply chain and across food and farming networks to make innovative, diverse, nutritious and avoursome grains available to all. The Grain Lab is inspired by the pioneering work of the Bread Lab in the US which started within Washington State University and now conducts research on thousands of lines of cereals. Working with farmers they are identifying those that work well for growers and food processors from millers to bakers and maltsters to brewers. What is the background to plant breeding? The second half of the 20th Century saw the greatest increases in yi elds in the 10,000 year history of agriculture, with muchof the yield increase due to cultivation methods and plant breeding. Modern commercial plant breeding is aimed at producing high yielding varieties that will perform well when grown in high input production systems. The focus for cereal plants is therefore on short straw and dense ears. With high yield as the primary focus next on the list of concern for seed breeders are a plant’s resistance to disease, it’s straw strength and grain weight and grain quality which will be according to suitability for either mainstream baking or for animal feed. Wheat quality, as de ned as suitability for roller milling and baking well-risen sandwich loaves, has undergone huge amounts of development over the last few decades. A series of quality varieties including Yeoman, Holdfast, Maris Widgeon, Avalon and Hereward bred at PBI in Cambridge, together with the Chorleywood Bread Process allowed UK grown wheat to replace imported hard red wheats in the nation’s white sliced loaf. Similar advances in yield and quality have been achieved in barley, underpinning a successful UK brewing and distilling industry. So why is there a need for a Grain Lab? The commercial plant breeding companies that replaced the public PBI must earn their income by breeding for the largest markets, meaning that niche and speciality uses of grains are often left behind. There is growing interest from the public in food with provenance, heritage, health and avour, and a growing number of artisan bakers, microbreweries, distillers and food companies to cater to this demand. At the same time more farmers are looking to move away from commodity varieties and ways to add value, while some farmers using organic and no-till systems are finding that the available varieties don’t always fulfil their needs. In contrast to commercial varieties, bred to thrive under the application of articial fertiliser and deep inversion tillage, varieties bred for farm businesses engaged in the system approach of organic farming and those using some agroecological methods need to have a potential to better pull nutrient from the soil and better ability to develop healthy relationships with soil fauna such as mycorrhizal fungi. Today farming and food processing techniques are undergoing close scrutiny by researchers, farmers and other food businesses. And now more shoppers are better informed and have a greater variety of shopping channels to choose from than at any time since the rise of the national multiple retail grocery outlets. Where will we be in years to come? The aim of Grain Lab is not to compete with commodity wheat and barley, but to champion those plant varieties that better enable farmers who are engaging in low-input farming to produce high quality crops and to add value to those crops both in ecological and economic terms. Grain Lab will protect the development and use of ancient grains such as einkorn, emmer, spelt, and naked barley; landrace wheat varieties such as Red Lammas; and will develop new varieties and populations bred more suited to modern food and farming where low input agronomy is the practice and nutrition and avour are vital elements to all in the food supply network. An example of a project that could fall under the Grain Lab umbrella is the successful reintroduction of naked barley into the UK, now being grown and processed in this country for the rst time since the Bronze Age. Another early stage project is the crossing of modern UK wheat with Tsiteli Doli, a Georgian landrace with a renown avour but which is not well adapted to grow in the UK climate. The vision is for farmers to be able to market grain from their own strains of wheat and barley into short, integrated supply chains where the avour and provenance of the grain is celebrated and rewarded. What some are saying is a call for recognition of a British regional terroir. By looking to help build new models and to foster closer collaboration among food and farming professionals Grain Lab is looking to foster innovation in food production that can lead to greater economic stability for food producers while also aiming to protect the natural capital involved in producing food. The next step will involve communities, organisations and individuals, and through food processors such as bakers, people can come together to share food and to share knowledge of food production, food preparation and food enjoyment.

In geological terms, Sweden forms part of the Fennoscandian (or Baltic) Shield, which also includes Norway, Finland and the northwestern part of Russia. The oldest rocks of the Fennoscandian Shield are found in the northeast, in the Kola peninsula, Karelia and northeastern Finland. These are Archean rocks, mainly gneisses and greenstone belts, c. 2500-3100 Ma (million years) old. Within this area, there are also some Paleoproterozoic cover rocks (Karelian rocks), c. 1900-2500 Ma old, and the c. 1900 Ma old collisional Lapland granulite belt (not shown on the map). Some Archean rocks are also found in northernmost Sweden (Norrbotten county), and Archean crust probably underlies much of that area. Most of northern and central Sweden, however, belongs to the Svecofennian province, together with the southwestern part of Finland. Here, the bedrock formed 1750-1900 Ma ago, during the Svecofennian (also known as Svecokarelian) orogeny. This bedrock includes both metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks and several generations of granitoids, and hosts important ore deposits of the Bergslagen (iron and sulfide ores), Skellefte (sulfides) and Norrbotten (iron and sulfide ores) districts. This area also contains some younger (c. 1500-1650 Ma) Rapakivi granites as well as Jotnian (c. 1200-1500 Ma) sandstones (not shown on the map). The Transscandinanavian igneous belt (TIB) consists of largely undeformed granitoids and associated porphyries formed in at least three different episodes between c. 1850 and 1650 Ma ago. It stretches from Småland in southern Sweden through Värmland and western Dalarna (where it is partly covered by Jotnian sandstone) and then continues under much of the Caledonian mountain chain up to northern Scandinavia. Southwest of the TIB follows the Southwestern gneiss province (also known as the Sveconorwegian province), which has a long and complex evolution ranging from c. 1700 to 900 Ma ago. Much of the bedrock originally formed in the Gothian orogeny 1650-1500 Ma ago, but was later intruded by several generations of granitoids, the youngest in Sweden being the 920 Ma old Bohus granite, and was metamorphosed and deformed again during the Sveconorwegian orogeny c. 1100-900 Ma ago. The Southwestern gneiss province is divided into several north-south-trending segments by Sveconorwe-gian deformation zones. In western Norway, these gneisses were again deformed during the Caledonian orogeny c. 400 Ma ago (diagonally ruled area on map). The Scandinavian Caledonides, which stretch through most of Norway and include adjacent parts of Sweden, are made up of late Proterozoic to Silurian metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks, deposited in the Iapetus Ocean (the predecessor of the present-day Atlantic Ocean) c. 700 to 400 Ma ago. Together with slices of older basement, these rocks were thrust several hundred kilometers eastwards over the edge of the Fennoscandian Shield in several large thrust sheets known as nappes, when North America and Greenland collided with Scandinavia during the Caledonian orogeny c. 400 Ma ago. Areas of Caledonian deformation, which also include the Precambrian gneisses of western Norway, have been shown by diagonal ruling on the map. Remains of Cambro-Silurian sedimentary cover (c. 540-420 Ma old sandstones, shales and limestones) are found in some areas in southern Sweden, while Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments (younger than 250 Ma) are found in southernmost Sweden (Skåne) and in Denmark. Similar Phanerozoic rocks also cover the Baltic republics, Poland and northern Germany. The magmatic rocks of the Permian (c. 250 Ma) Oslo Graben formed in a failed rift system that continues into the Skagerrak and the North Sea.

Behavioral epigenetic expressions. I’m sure you’re thinking, epige-what? Just under 25 years ago, two scientists begin to realize the impact that certain events can have on specific races/ethnicities in each generation. Moshe Szyf and Michael Meaney, both of McGill University in Canada, began to realize the idea that events like the Holocaust, atomic bombings in Japan, the Vietnam War, and many other critical events of the 20th century could impact the next generation literally in terms of DNA. While obviously these events had effects in the lives of each affected group in terms of socio-economic and political factors, Szyf and Meaney started to develop the idea that it could literally change the .1% of DNA that can be altered. To put behavioral epigenetics in simpler terms of nature vs. nurture, it is basically the idea that the nurturing affects the nature, rather than vice versa. According to the Oxford Journals, most of the research in the field focuses on early development of organisms. “Behavioral epigenetics refers to the study of how signals from the environment trigger molecular biological changes that modify what goes on in brain cells.” (Powledge, 2011). The hardest part of conducting research in a field as big as epigenetics is navigating the human genome. The regulation of the structure of the genome is three-dimensional of course, adding an extra layer of difficulty as to mapping out where the discrepancies are inside the DNA itself. Regulating the physical structure and the chemical adjustments that are made, they are the two most frequently utilized processes. The most important development in epigenetics began with discovering where the changes came from with the parents (Oxford). According to Oxford, the foundation for how epigenetics would be connected to parents and their children began with Meaney studying rats and how their parents could pass down responses to stress for their children. The journal cites that the scientists were able to study the brains of the rats, and following this discovery, continued to develop their ideas, eventually coming upon the process of imprinting as they discovered how different animals can become hybrids of one another through genomic imprinting. As for the future of epigenetics? Well, the hurdles to having meaningful research in the subject are numerous, according to the author, Powledge. But as far as cell biology goes, this could very well be the next big thing in the field, especially if hybrid traits continue to unravel with humans. While epigenetics still has a ways to go, it is heading in the right direction.

Due to our Seismic Zone 4 designation, per the California Building Code, all storage rack over 8 feet in height (or less depending on the municipality) must be engineering and permitted. As part of our preliminary design, we consult a Seismic Engineer who is a type of engineer that searches/researches ways to make structures, such as pallet racking, conveyors and other warehouse structures resistant to earthquake damage. Seismic engineers have specific guidelines that they follow when setting up material handling equipment into a commercial warehouse facility. They perform a preliminary engineering analysis to determine the design feasibility and specific components required. When we prepare permit drawings we include the final structural calculations and component detail drawings prepared by the seismic engineer.

With Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups aged 65 and over set to treble in the next 25 years, a PHE-commissioned report highlights the growing need to make end of life care more accessible and appropriate. A report, Palliative and End of Life Care for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities in the UK, commissioned by Marie Curie Cancer Care and Public Health England from the Cicely Saunders Institute at King’s College London, published today, highlights that the end of life care needs of BAME communities are varied, growing, and despite examples of good practice, overall not adequately met. In England and Wales it is predicted that by 2026 there will be over 1.3 million people from BAME groups aged 65 and over, compared to just over half a million in 2001. By 2026 almost half a million will be aged 70 and over. With this ageing population, there is an urgent need to address reasons for low levels of use of palliative and end of life care services by BAME communities. A systematic review found that lack of knowledge about services, misunderstandings and mistrust (due to previous experiences of discrimination), and a lack of cultural sensitivity on the part of service providers are identified as some of the reasons for low uptake of end of life care by BAME communities. The report authors say these issues can in part be addressed by improving communication with the patient and their family. The report recommends that service providers and commissioners recognise the growing need for improved end of life care for BAME communities and that they learn from examples of best practice, some of which are highlighted in the report. While the report acknowledges that better training is needed for health and social care professionals to enable them to provide appropriate care to BAME groups, it also notes the importance of avoiding assumptions and stereotypes and listening to patients and their families about their needs and preferences at the end of life. Professor Julia Verne, Clinical Lead for Public Health England’s National End of Life Care Intelligence Network said: This report shows that there are examples of excellent practice both in the UK and internationally. We need to learn from these to ensure that end of life care is both equitable and accessible to all. This can mean addressing practical issues, such as providing adequate translation services where these are needed, and understanding how quality of care varies from one area to another. For example, the report shows that examples of best practice are localised in areas with more ethnic diversity. We need to ensure that learning from these areas is shared across the UK. Above all, we need to listen to what BAME communities need and remember that every individual is different.

It’s a known fact that live chat customer support is slowly becoming a vital part of all business organizations that have a website and wants to make a mark with it. With this tool, businesses are able to achieve desired results. This innovation has completely changed things when it comes to how businesses approach their customer support and services online nowadays. There are various statistics and research that prove that live chat support improves customer retention and helps you turn interested customers into buyers. However, things have changed a lot in the past decade since everyone decided to go online. Live chat has helped and continue to support the needs of varied industries. One such domain is education vertical which has progressed a lot in regard to improving their online presence and providing valuable information to their students using live chat. In this article, we will discuss how live chat has benefited the education industry. Educational organizations are able to provide an interactive experience When students, parents or potential learners visit a website it’s possible for them to lose interest very quickly, this is because modern people use the web on a daily basis and they simply want something that catches their attention. On top of that, the majority of educational websites have similar functions and options, and this might confuse students. A live chat tool can help students find help and get specific answers to various questions and queries they might be having. If those questions are answered in a timely fashion and those potential learners are satisfied with them, the chances of them enrolling in some programs or courses will be much higher. By implementing a live chat software tool within your educational software, it starts to look more lively and offers more opportunities for interaction. When students have the chance to discuss important things with an official representative online, they will be able to learn a lot about your organization your courses and even find out information related to signing up. How enrollment is affected by this relationship Research states the number of online students that take various courses or other learning lessons has grown to around 6 million in the US. When you help your potential students solve their problem through live chat, they will feel encouraged and more open towards enrolling. This is not only the case with potential students. Even the existing students can rely on live chat to get the help they need. In this age of globalization, there are many Universities and colleges that offer online courses, and a live chat software can serve as a central information hub where all students, no matter where they are from, can find important information and data. When potential students are looking for an online course, they cannot travel half the way around the world just to get some information about that course and the educational organization that’s providing it. Instead, people need to find out important information online and see if it matches, supports their needs. In these situations, a web live chat software is ideal and it can greatly improve the level of enrollment. Live chat helps people keep in touch with the experts With live chat software, educational organizations are able to develop whole separate communication channels. If a potential student visits your website, they will be interested to know about things – what subjects there are in a certain course, payment, college history etc. This information can be delivered by a customer support representative. However, when a math student visits your site looking for answers, you can redirect them to a qualified math professor that can help them fix specific problems. Creating a similar chain of communication channels will ensure that the right information is delivered by the right people. On top of that, there are group live chat sessions where a whole class, or a group attending a course can talk to a teacher for a consultation. If a person went to a college in person, they would have to go around and look for the right teacher. In this case, the organization finds an expert to help resolve a certain issue, and the time needed for someone to respond and give valuable answers is much shorter. Both sides get the information they need When a student or a potential one asks important questions during a live chat communication, both sides can benefit from this. Not only can educational organizations provide help to these people in a timely and accurate way, but they can also learn from the people who have queries and questions. Educational organizations can see what interests people the most, what the most common questions are and how to deliver the knowledge that people need. Through regular communication with students and potential ones, universities can improve their experience and support. They develop new methods for giving people an excellent learning or training experience that will help them maintain their competitiveness Given the fact that there are more and more online education options, it’s important for an organization to offer a different approach and improve their service. Serving the needs of students is now more important than ever, and that’s why so many educational organizations use live chat support.

Altitude Diving: Understanding the Tables When most people think of altitude diving they picture diving in the crystal clear waters of glacial-fed alpine lakes. While those types of dives will certainly etch their scenic beauty in your mind forever, they are not the only possibility for altitude diving. PADI defines altitude diving as any dive at an elevation above 1,000 feet. While that is much higher than sea level, it's also much lower than most alpine lakes. In fact, all of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho—except for the region around Lewiston—has an elevation above 1,000 feet, meaning that essentially all diving in those states is considered an altitude dive! Although many of the large lakes in the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia (Harrison Lake, Chehalis Lake, Stave Lake, and Pitt Lake) are at an altitude below 1,000 feet, and Crescent Lake in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington is also below 1,000 feet, most of the larger lakes in the Northwest [NOTE 1] are at elevations greater than 1,000 feet and are therefore considered to be at altitude for dive-planning purposes. The chapter on altitude diving in the PADI Adventures in Diving manual (as well as the instructor outline for the Altitude Diving Specialty course) contains tables [NOTE 2] that you use to convert your dives at altitude to equivalent dives in the ocean. This Theoretical Ocean Depth (TOD) enables you to use standard dive tables, such as the Recreational Dive Planner (RDP), to correctly plan your altitude dives. These altitude-conversion tables are correct in principle, but they are based on the assumption that you are diving in sea water at altitude, whereas altitude diving is done exclusively in fresh water [NOTE 3]. Fortunately, beginning-level dive courses explain that an additional 1 atmosphere of pressure is exerted for every 33 feet of sea water (fsw) or 34 feet of fresh water (ffw). This makes it straightforward to apply a correction to the altitude diving tables: multiply the Theoretical Depth at Various Altitudes by 33/34, and multiply the Safety/Emergency Decompression Stop Depth by 34/33. The corrected tables are listed below [NOTE 4]. Here's a quick calculator to determine your Theoretical Ocean Depth: These updated tables are primarily useful for planning dives at altitude. Bathymetric maps exist for many alpine lakes; these illustrate the depth profiles of the lakes, and often contain other information such as bottom composition. These maps are ideal for dive planning, and all of the depth information given on them is in feet (or meters) of fresh water. Therefore, you would want to use the new altitude dive tables provided here when planning a dive using those maps. When actually diving, it is important to understand how your depth gauge functions in fresh water at altitude. For example, mechanical depth gauges that use a bourdon tube will read shallower than actual depth, while mechanical depth gauges that use a capillary tube will read deeper than actual depth; some of these can be recalibrated before the dive to correctly read depth in feet (or meters) of sea water. Likewise, some electronic depth gauges are calibrated to read depth only in feet (or meters) of sea water. In these cases, you should use the older altitude tables because the new tables assume that you can accurately measure your depth in fresh water. However, most recent dive computers can be set to read depth in fresh water; some even convert automatically when used above a certain altitude (usually 1,000 – 2,000 feet above sea level). It is for these dive computers—where depth in fresh water is accurately measured—that the new altitude tables should always be used. Where do these table numbers come from? They are based on two ideas: 1) that we can correctly determine the atmospheric pressure at any given altitude based upon a mathematical model, and 2) that decompression models are based on pressure ratios, rather than on absolute pressures. The first idea is that we can correctly determine the atmospheric pressure at any given altitude based upon a mathematical model. Such a model exists and it is called the barometric formula. The Wikipedia entry for the barometric formula gives a detailed discussion. Since all diving occurs in the troposphere (the first layer of atmosphere), the barometric formula reduces to the following equation: For a given altitude A, the atmospheric pressure Pa (in atm) at that altitude is This formula correctly reproduces the values in the standard table of atmospheric pressure as a function of altitude that is provided in the NOAA Diving Manual (1991 Edition, page 10-27). The second idea to get the numbers in the altitude tables is that decompression models are based on pressure ratios, rather than on absolute pressures. In determining how your body rids itself of excess nitrogen gas, decompression models rely upon the ratios of the pressures you experience at depth to the atmospheric pressure you experience after the dive. The key to not forming nitrogen bubbles in your body (and thereby avoiding decompression sickness) is to keep those pressure ratios within tolerable limits. The purpose of dive tables is to provide guidance about staying within those limits. Let's consider a familiar example to illustrate the importance of pressure ratios in preventing bubble formation: a can of soda. You could take a can of soda into a recompression chamber and increase the pressure in the chamber to the point where when you opened the can the soda would be flat because the surrounding air pressure would be great enough to prevent the bubbles from forming. Likewise, when you open a can of soda during an airplane flight, it is likely to fizz more than if you had opened it on the ground because the airplane cabin is at a reduced pressure. How much the soda fizzes does not depend on just the internal pressure of the unopened can, nor on the external air pressure, but it instead depends on the pressure ratio between the pressure in the unopened can and the pressure of the surrounding air when you open it. That’s also why an opened can of soda eventually goes flat—the internal gas pressure of the carbon dioxide in the soda slowly equalizes with the external gas pressure in the atmosphere, at which point no more bubbles form in the soda. Dive tables such as the RDP are based upon the maximum depth divers reach during their dives. To be conservative, the tables assume that divers drop immediately to their maximum depth and stay at that depth for the duration of their dive. Essentially, it is the ratio of the pressure at this maximum depth with the pressure of the atmosphere at the surface that the dive tables’ decompression model uses. By keeping that pressure ratio within tolerable limits, it is assumed that the divers can safely off-gas at the surface after being at that maximum depth. This pressure ratio can be expressed as Dive tables are based on the assumption that people are diving in the oceans, where the surface pressure is 1 atm and the pressure at maximum depth is the surface pressure (1 atm) plus an additional 1 atm for every 33 feet of depth in sea water. So, for ocean diving, Therefore, for an ocean dive, At altitude, though, the surface pressure is the pressure at altitude and is given by the formula for Pa that was discussed previously. In addition, the diving is in fresh water, so the pressure at maximum depth is the surface pressure (which will be less than 1 atm) plus an additional 1 atm for every 34 feet of depth in fresh water. Therefore, for altitude diving, For altitude diving, then, The pressure ratio R is what must be kept within tolerable limits, according to the decompression models. The R from ocean diving is the same as the R from altitude diving, as far as the decompression models are concerned. However, dive tables are not tabulated in terms of R; rather they are based upon the maximum depth of a dive in the ocean (Do). So, given a maximum depth of a dive at altitude (Da), we can calculate its value of R, equate that to the R of an ocean dive, and then find the equivalent depth of a dive in the ocean (Do). This Do is the Theoretical Ocean Depth (TOD), and with it we can use the dive tables that are based upon diving in the ocean, such as the RDP. Equating the values of R, we find that The PADI table of Theoretical Depth at Various Altitudes simply omits the conversion factor of feet fresh water to feet sea water, which is why the numbers in it should be multiplied by (33/34) to be completely correct. Likewise, we know that a safety stop should be performed at a depth of 15 fsw when diving in the ocean. To determine the equivalent depth at which to do a safety stop at altitude, rearrange the equation to solve for Da, while putting Do = 15 fsw. This gives Again, the PADI table of Safety/Emergency Decompression Stop Depth simply omits the conversion factor of feet sea water to feet fresh water, which the numbers in it should be multiplied by (34/33) to be completely correct. I hope this discussion has taken some of the voodoo out of altitude diving and has helped explain where the numbers in the various altitude tables come from. By better understanding the theory behind altitude diving you can make better-informed decisions and be a safer diver. NOTE 3: Any saltwater lakes at altitude would likely have different salt concentrations than sea water. Consider, for example, the Great Salt Lake, which has such a high salinity that most sea life cannot survive in it. The salt concentration in the water directly affects the density of the water, and the density of the water directly affects the pressure experienced at depth. So, for example, if you dove in water that had the salinity of the Great Salt Lake, you would experience an additional one atmosphere of pressure at a depth that was shallower than the 33 feet where you would experience that pressure in sea water. The consequence of all this is that you cannot directly convert to a Theoretical Ocean Depth if you are diving in salt water at altitude because the salinity of the saltwater lake will not be the same as the salinity of sea water. However, see also NOTE 5. NOTE 4: Rather than rely on the depths of fresh water versus sea water, it is best to obtain the conversion factor by going directly to the source of its cause: the different densities of fresh water and sea water. The density of fresh water is 1.000 kg per liter, and the density of sea water is 1.027 kg per liter. This gives a sea water to fresh water conversion of 1.027 / 1.000 = 1.027, and a fresh water to sea water conversion of 1.000 / 1.027 = 0.9737. The text will continue to use fsw and ffw for the conversions to simplify the understanding of the discussion, but the tables are based on the more-exact densities discussed in this note. NOTE 5: Based upon the information in NOTE 4, we can estimate a TOD for the Great Salt Lake, which is at an altitude of 4,200 feet above sea level. First, the Great Salt Lake is effectively divided in two by a railroad that significantly inhibits mixing between the north and south portions. The salinity of the north portion is about 28%, while the salinity of the south portion is about 14%. (For comparison, the salinity of the ocean is 3.5%.) Working with a water temperature of 20°C (68°F), this gives densities of 1.23 kg per liter for the north portion, and 1.11 kg per liter for the south portion. These densities lead to Great Salt Lake-to-sea water conversion factors of 1.23 / 1.027 = 1.20 and 1.11 / 1.027 = 1.08 for the north and south portions, respectively. By using these conversions instead of the (33 fsw / 34 ffw) conversion in the TOD formula, we find the TOD for diving to a depth d in the Great Salt Lake to be, approximately,

Legendary guitarist Joe Satriani was recently interviewed by Bucketlist Music Reviews. You can now listen to the chat below. Asked if he thinks guitar and instruments in general are in danger of going extinct due to the way people consume and create music nowadays, Satriani said: “There’s two things that are happening that seem to be opposed to each other, but not really — they’re just sort of side by side. One is, of course, that popular music will always change channels — always has. If you go back a hundred years, it’s just as crazy — people like piano players, then they don’t; they want trumpet players, then they don’t; then they want singers, and then they don’t. And so rock music is here mainly because it replaced something else. So it’s always been traumatic. “I think one of the things that came along that seemed to be like a dark cloud but turned out to have this huge silver lining was the Internet,” he continued. “We still haven’t worked out the dark part of it, which is how to get musicians compensated; we’re still getting less than a penny for our music that gets streamed — it’s just killing the economy of the musicians. But, on the other hand, it has given every musician a democratic chance of having a worldwide audience instantly. I mean, like, instantly! If I release ‘What Happens Next’ at midnight on a Monday, by 12:01 all around the world, it’s available to be listened to by any age group that has access to a computer or a cellphone. That is so amazing for a musician, to think that they can spread their art around so completely and so fast. So that’s really helped my touring life and it increased my real audience. “Think of this way: we know of plenty of bands that have had hit singles, and then it killed their career,” he added. “It’s a weird thing that can happen with the world of pop radio and television. The Internet, however, can creating lasting — like, lifelong — fans, who don’t care about hit singles; they really do care about your music on a more realistic level. And they know where you are, and they know that eventually you’ll come around to where they are. And, to me, it’s a more natural, dependable outlook for a musician — to think that for the next two years, I can make my way around the world. I’ll get to Montreal, I’ll get to Mumbai, I’ll get to Paris, and I’ll get to Dallas, Texas. And then I’ll work on another [album], and then when I release it, everybody in every one of those cities will have the same chance of getting it. That, to me, is so groundbreaking for a musician.” Satriani also talked about the importance of making full-length albums, especially for younger artists who are still finding their audience. “No matter how many times you read about bands, or artists, just releasing singles instead of albums, that’s only for a few people that we see, like, on TV all the time, or they’re trending on Twitter or something like that. But for real careers, albums are still where it’s at — you still need to create a body of work, be respected by your fans and maintain that connection to have a long career. “Here’s the problem: let’s say you and I have a band, right?” he continued. “And we record two songs that we think are really great. And we release the songs and then everybody wants us to come and play. What the fuck are we gonna play if we only have two songs? And how bad are we gonna look, how stupid are we gonna look in front of these people? They’ll come to see us once and go, ‘These guys are a joke. They’ve got two songs.’ So it doesn’t really work when you really go deep into imagining the future. It’s just that it’s something that people are talking about now ’cause it’s fun to talk about. “Look at a band like GRETA VAN FLEET, a young new rock band,” he added. “They’ve got a tidal wave of trends working against them, because there are not two hundred rock stations anymore; there’s, like, four or something. It’s a hip-hop world, you know. And so the only chance they have of surviving is if they write ten good songs and they put out a record every year or every two years and they go and they play those songs over and over again and meet their fans around the world. And it’ll be clubs and then it’ll be small theaters, maybe, but if they don’t do it, they’ll be here and they’ll be gone. The pop world will use them, chew them, spit ’em out. [Laughs] And it’s very expensive — the pop production. I mean, a label can’t survive unless it has catalogue artists. If there weren’t bands like THE EAGLES or METALLICA in any genre — country artists, jazz artists — that really continually sell and bring in revenue after the initial investment, just business-wise, it’s a losing proposition for them. And I can say from experience, because I’m still touring around the world and releasing records on Sony, that you need to release albums.”

This time i'm going to share the thought of carl rogers with you only did bad things because of a poor self-concept or other external factors then we get a fully-functioning person: someone with a continuous openness to. He listed the characteristics of a fully functioning person or self-concept but allowing personality and self-concept to. 46 quotes from on becoming a person: a therapist's view of psychotherapy: ' the curious it means launching oneself fully into the stream of life “if i let myself really understand another person, i might be changed by that understanding. Rogers, carl r the potential of the human individual the capacity for becoming fully functioning in the conception of man ed arthur burton (1961 . Rogers was the first person to record and publish complete cases of empathic understanding: to try to take in and accept a client's perceptions and to be fully functioning is not a finished state, but a direction we can be moving in. Let us now do some research about carl rogers 1952 or 1953 i wrotea paper entitled 'the concept of the fully functioning person. Overall, results suggest that the fully functioning person is high in life links between positive psychology and the person-centered theory of carl rogers stages of faith: the psychology of human development and the quest for meaning. Carl rogers was instrumental in the development of non-directive psychotherapy , which psychological adjustment exists when the concept of the self is such that all the sensory and he listed characteristics of a fully functioning person. Carl ransom rogers - famous in humanist psychology and councelling education incorporate his ideas and claim to be person-centred or student- centred optimal adjustment of the fully functioning person: in rogers' view, he may be. Carl rogers described the fully functioning person as the ideal personality potential – a concept that is often referred to as self-actualization. He listed the characteristics of a fully functioning person (rogers 1961): moment fully – not distorting the moment to fit personality or self concept but allowing. The concept of the fully functioning person carl r rogers, phd university of wisconsin introduction i wrote this paper on one of our . Carl rogers is best-known for his non-directive approach to treatment called client-centered therapy developing the notion of the fully functioning person. Self actualisation a concept derived from the humanistic tradition rogers created the term of the 'fully functioning person' to describe. What may be of interest is that carl rogers is ranked number 6 traditionally that relationship was defined by the theories of freud and it is the purpose of each person to seek congruence (balance) in three areas of in his studies rogers found that there are commonalities among those people who are fully functional. The concept of the fully functioning person carl r rogers theoretical model of the person who emerges from therapy—a person functioning freely in all the. Positive potentialities of a fully functioning person (seeman, 2008, p 33) graduate education in minnesota, he wrote a letter to carl rogers at the university of taft's (1933) historic essay about the concept of time in therapy taft's essay. The late carl rogers, founder of the humanistic psychology movement, revolutionized psychotherapy with his concept of client-centered therapy his influence has a therapists view of the good life the fully functioning person 183. Carl rogers is often credited with being one of the most influential genuineness - rogers taught that the therapist must be completely genuine with the client comes to self-actualization, the more fulfilled and happier that person becomes × the role of social networks and support in abnormal functioning5:13. Definition of rogers, carl ransom – our online dictionary has rogers, carl for rogers, a person whose self-actualization tendency is fully functioning is a. Cr rogerson becoming a person houghton-mifflin, boston (1961) rogers, 1963 cr rogersthe concept of the fully functioning person psychotherapy:.Download

Understanding Real Estate Terminology No Real Estate Bubble Bust Yet The Nation's hot real estate housing market bubble is not bursting, but is experiencing a flattening effect after three strong years of appreciation, according to a survey of real estate markets throughout America. "Everybody can't be Donald... Purchasing a home can be a complicated and confusing process, especially for first-time buyers. Throughout the process, first-time home buyers will encounter a variety of unfamiliar real state terms. There are several key terms associates with purchasing real estate that are helpful to learn. For example, many buyers confuse the terms broker and salesperson. A broker is a properly licensed individual, or corporation, who serves as a special agent in the purchase and sale of real estate, a salesperson is an individual employed or associated by written agreement by the broker as an independent contractor. The salesperson facilitates the purchase or sale of real estate. Once you decide to purchase, a salesperson will prepare a sales contract to present to the seller along with your earnest money deposit. The sales contract is the document through which the seller agrees to give possession and title of property to the buyer upon full payment of the purchase price and performance of agreed-upon conditions. The earnest money is a buyer’s partial payment, as a show of good faith, to make the contract binding. Often, the earnest money is held in an escrow account. Escrow is the process by which money is held by a disinterested party until the terms of the escrow instructions are fulfilled. After the buyer and seller have signed the contract, the buyer must obtain a Pop Goes The "Real Estate Bubble" Myth! If you turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or even surf the internet, you'll notice that there is a lot of people talking about the "Real Estate Bubble", and asking the question, "when is it going to burst?" They (these so-called experts) have been... mortgage note by presenting the contract to a mortgage lender. The note is the buyer’s promise to pay the purchase price of the real estate in addition to a stated interest rate over a specified period of time. A mortgage lender places a lien on the property, or mortgage, and this secures the mortgage note. The buyer pays interest money to the lender exchange for the use of money borrowed. Interest is usually referred to as APR or annual percentage rate. Interest is paid on the principle, the capital sum the buyer owes. Interest payments may be disguised in the form of points. Points are an up-front cost which may be paid by either the buyer or seller or both in conventional loans. In general, there are two types of conventional loans that a buyer can obtain. A fixed rate loan has the same rate of interest for the life of the loan, usually 14 to 30 years. An adjustable rate loan or adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) provides a discounted initial rate, which changes after a set period of time. The rate can’t exceed the interest rate cap or ceiling allowed on such loans for any one adjustment period. Some ARMs have a lifetime cap on interest. The buyer makes the loan and interest payments to the lender through amortization, the systematic payment and retirement of debt over a set period of time. Once the contract has been signed and a mortgage note obtained, the buyer and seller Real Estate Tax Incentives Real Estate Tax Incentives By Neda Dabestani-Ryba Prudential Carruthers REALTORS Lower Your Taxes Tax incentives for real estate investors can often make the difference in your tax rates. Deductions for rental property can often be used to... must legally close the real estate transaction. The closing is a meeting where the buyer, seller and their attorneys review, sign and exchange the final documents. At the closing, the buyer receives the appraisal report, an estimate of the property’s value with the appraiser’s signature, certification and sporting documents. The buyer also receives the title and the deed. The title shows evidence of the buyer’s ownership of the property while the deed legally transfers the title from the seller to the buyer. The final document the buyer receives at closing is a title insurance policy, insurance against the loss of the title if it’s found to be imperfect. Buyers should plan on at least four to twelve weeks for a typical real estate transaction. The process is difficult and at times, intimidating. A general understanding of real estate terminology and chronology of the transaction, however, will help any real estate novice to confidently buy his or her first home.

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