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Unified Communications Virtualization Sizing Guidelines
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This article provides specifics and examples to aid in sizing Unified Communications applications for the UCS B-series and C-series servers.
Application Co-residency Support Policy
Cisco UC virtualization only supports application co-residency under the specific conditions described below and as clarified in TAC Technote Document ID: 113520..
This policy only covers the rules for physical/virtual hardware sizing, co-resident application mix and maximum VM count per physical server. All other UC virtualization rules still apply (e.g supported VMware vSphere ESXi versions or hardware options). Co-residency rules apply equally to all hardware options:
|UC app VM performance is only guaranteed when installed on a UC on UCS Tested Reference Configuration, and only if all other conditions in this policy are followed.
"Application co-residency" in this UC support policy is defined as VMs sharing the same physical server and the same virtualization software host:
- E.g. VMs running on the same VMware vSphere ESXi host on the same physical rack-mount server, such as Cisco UCS C-Series.
- E.g. VMs running on the same VMware vSphere ESXi host on the same physical blade server in the same blade server chassis, such as Cisco UCS B-Series.
- "Co-resident application mix" in this UC support policy refers to the set of VMs sharing a physical server and a virtualization software host.
- VMs running on different virtualization hosts and different physical servers are not co-resident.
- E.g. VMs running on two different Cisco UCS C-Series rack-mount servers are not co-resident.
- E.g. VMs running on two different Cisco UCS B-Series blade servers in the same UCS 5100 blade server chassis are not co-resident.
Virtual Machines (VMs) are categorized as follows for purposes of this UC support policy:
- Cisco UC app VMs (or simply UC app VMs): a VM for one of the Cisco UC apps at Unified Communications Virtualization Supported Applications.
- Cisco non-UC app VMs (or simply non-UC VMs): a VM for a Cisco application not listed at Unified Communications Virtualization Supported Applications, such as the VM for Cisco Nexus 1000V's VSM.
- 3rd-party application VMs (or simply 3rd-party app VMs): a VM for a non-Cisco, application, such as VMware vCenter, 3rd-party Cisco Technology Developer Program applications, non-Cisco-provided TFTP/SFTP/DNS/DHCP servers, Directories, Groupware, File/print, CRM, customer home-grown applications, etc.
|Cisco does not support non-UC or 3rd-party applications VMs running on "Cisco UC Virtualization Hypervisor" or "Cisco UC Virtualization Foundation" (as described at Unified Communications VMware Requirements). If you want to deploy non-U / 3rd-party applications, you must deploy on VMware vSphere Standard, Advanced, Enterprise or Enterprise Plus Edition.
Each Cisco UC app supports one of the following four types of co-residency:
- None: Co-residency is not supported. The UC app only supports a single instance of itself in a single VM on the virtualization host / physical server. No co-residency with ANY other VM is allowed, whether Cisco UC app VM, Cisco non-UC VM, or 3rd-party application VM.
- Limited: The co-resident application mix is restricted to specified VM combinations only. Click on the "Limited" entry in the tables below to see which VM combinations are allowed. Co-residency with any VMs outside these combinations - including other Cisco VMs - is not supported (these applications must be placed on a separate physical server). The deployment must also follow the General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing listed below.
- UC with UC only: The co-resident application mix is restricted to VMs for UC apps listed at Unified Communications Virtualization Supported Applications. Co-residency with Cisco non-UC VMs and/or 3rd-party application VMs is not supported; those VMs must be placed on a separate physical server. The deployment must also follow the General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing rules below.
- Full: The co-resident application mix may contain UC app VMs with Cisco non-UC VMs with 3rd-party application VMs. The deployment must follow the General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing rules below. The deployment must also follow the Special Rules for non-UC and 3rd-party Co-residency below.
General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing
See the tables after the rules for the co-residency policy of each UC app.
|Remember that virtualization and co-residency support varies by UC app version, so don't forget to double-check inter-UC-app version compatibility, see Cisco Unified Communications System Documentation.
- "Matching" Support Policies
All co-resident applications must "match" in the following areas:
- Same "server" support for compute/network/storage hardware (see Unified Communications Virtualization Supported Applications)
- E.g. if you want to host co-resident apps on UCS C260 M2 TRC#1, all co-resident apps must have a hardware support policy that permits this.
- E.g. if you want to deploy instead as UC on UCS Specs-based with a diskless UCS C260 M2 and a SAN/NAS storage array, all co-resident apps must support this.
- You must pick a hardware option that all the co-resident apps can support. For example, some UC apps do not support Specification-Based Hardware Support | Specs-based for UC on UCS or HP/IBM]], some UC apps do not support certain Tested Reference Configurations such as UC on UCS C200 M2 TRC#1 (as opposed to UC on UCS C200 M2 specs-based).
- Same support for virtualization software product and version.
- E.g. one app supports vSphere 5.0, the other app only supports vSphere 4.1. vSphere 5.0 may not be used for this co-resident application mix.
- All apps must support a co-residency policy that permits the desired co-resident application mix.
- E.g. one app has a "Full" policy, another app has "UC with UC" policy. Co-resident non-UC or 3rd-party app VMs are not allowed.
- E.g. one app has a "UC with UC" policy, another app has "Limited" policy. Even though all apps will be UC, the desired combination may not be allowed by the "Limited" app.
- E.g. one app has "None" policy. No other apps can be co-resident with this app regardless of their policies.
- If support policies of a given co-resident app mix do not match, then the "least common denominator" is required.
- Virtual Machine Templates
All UC applications must use a supported virtual machine OVA template from Unified Communications Virtualization Downloads (including OVA/OVF Templates).
- No Hardware Oversubscription
All VMs require a one to one mapping between virtual hardware and physical hardware. See specifics below.
- Must map 1 VM vCPU core to 1 physical CPU core.
- For example, if you have a host with 12 total physical cores, then you can deploy any combination of virtual machines where the total number of vCPU on those virtual machines adds up to 12.
- The requirement is based on physical cores, not logical cores. If the physical CPU supports hyper-threading, this should be enabled, but for purposes of UC sizing the max number of vCPU cores is still limited to the number of physical cores.
- Cisco Unity VMs also require VMware CPU Affinity.
- If there is at least one live Unity Connection VM on the physical server, then one CPU core per physical server must be left unused (it is actually being used by ESXi scheduler).
- For example, if you have a host with 12 total physical cores and one or more of the VMs on that host will be Unity Connection, then you can deploy any combination of virtual machines where the total number of vCPU on those virtual machines adds up to 11, with the 12th core left unused. This is regardless of how many Unity Connection VMs are on that host.
- CPU reservations on the VMs are not required. Use of CPU reservations in lieu of one-to-one CPU core mappings is not supported.
- Even if some of the virtual machines have a reservation, the above one-to-one vCPU to physical core rule still applies – it overrides the reservation.
- For example, if you have a host with a total of 4 physical cores, and you want to run the CUCM 2500 user OVA (which has 800 MHz reservation and requires 1 vCPU) along with other virtual machines, you still must deploy the VMs with a one to one mapping of vCPU to physical core. If you do not follow this rule, your deployment is unsupported.
- Memory/RAM
- Must map 1 GB of VM vRAM to 1 GB of physical RAM. Memory oversubscription is not supported for Cisco UC VMs.
- The sum of virtual machines' vRAM may not exceed the total physical memory on the physical server.
- Additional 2 GB of physical RAM must be provisioned for VMware ESXi itself (this is to cover ESXi overhead to run VMs; for more details see "Understanding Memory Overhead" on vmware.com).
- Storage
The following apply to supported DAS, SAN and NAS storage
- Must map 1 GB of VM vDisk to 1 GB of physical storage.
- Storage thin provisioning is not supported (whether at VM layer or storage array layer).
- Any other form of storage oversubscription is not supported.
- The sum of virtual machines' vDisks may not exceed the physical disk space of the physical server's logical volume capacity (i.e. capacity net of overhead for the VM itself, VMFS in vSphere and physical RAID configuration).
- Cisco recommends 10% buffer on top of vDisk values to handle overhead within the VM (such as swap files which are the size of the VM's vRAM). See Shared Storage Considerations for more details.
- The DAS, NAS or SAN storage solution must also supply enough performance to handle the total load of the VMs.
- Must provide enough IOPS to handle sum of the VMs.
- Kernel command latency must not exceed 2-3 milliseconds.
- Physical device command latency must not exceed 15-20 milliseconds.
- See Shared Storage Considerations and Storage Performance Requirements for more details.
- If the above capacity or performance requirements are not met, the storage system is overloaded and must be "fixed" by either moving virtual machines to alternate storage, or improving storage hardware.
- Network/LAN
- The aggregate networking load of the co-resident virtual machines must be met with the physical networking interface(s) on the host.
- See the UC application design guides (http://www.cisco.com/go/srnd) to size network utilization by UC app VMs. In general, most UC app VMs will not saturate a 1GbE link. Deployments leveraging non-FC-storage (iSCSI, NFS or Unified Fabric/FCoE including UCS B-Series FEX) must account for network traffic from both VM LAN access and VM storage access.
- For other network hardware best practices, see QoS Design Considerations for Virtual UC with UCS.
- If the above capacity or performance requirements are not met, the networking hardware is congested and must be "fixed" by either moving virtual machines to a host with different network access, or provisioning more physical network interfaces.
- Maximum VM Count per Physical Server
- For hardware other than UCS C200 M2 TRC#1, you may mix and match Cisco UC app VM size and quantity as long as you follow all of the sizing rules described above. The maximum number of virtual machines per physical server that can be supported depends on several factors:
- "Capacity" of physical server hardware vs. the quantity and resource usage of VM OVA templates.
- E.g. using the above physical/virtual sizing rules for CPU, a physical server with 8 total physical cores can only host 4 of the "CUCM 7.5K user OVAs" since those are 2 vCPU each. If the physical server instead had 20 total physical cores, it could host 10 of these VMs (assuming memory, network and storage hardware are also sufficient using the UC sizing rules immediately below).
- All UC on UCS Tested Reference Configurations are sized for co-residency except for UCS C210 M1 Tested Reference Configuration #1 (which is only sized to host a single CUCM VM of 7500 user capacity). Note UCS C200 M2 Tested Reference Configuration #1 has special restrictions on choice of UC VM, and its allowed VMs are at lower capacity per VM than for other Tested Reference Configurations.
- UC on UCS Specs-based and HP/IBM Specs-based deployments allow hardware options that may support a higher or lower max VM count than a UC on UCS Tested Reference Configuration. E.g. UCS C210 M2 TRC#1 is a dual-4-core CPU, but UCS C210 M2 specs-based could be configured with dual-6-core (for possibly more VMs) or a single 4-core (for possibly a single VM).
- Note the max VM count may also be further restricted by UC apps that only support "Limited" co-residency as described in the tables after the rules.
- Special Requirements for UCS C200 M2 TRC#1 Hardware
|This section is only for UC on UCS C200 M2 Tested Reference Configuration #1 which uses Intel E5506 / 2.13 GHz CPU. UCS C200 M2 configured with a faster CPU (via Specification-Based Hardware Support) does not need to follow the rules in this section.
- For UCS C200 M2 TRC #1, there are additional TRC-specific restrictions since it uses a slower CPU than other TRCs or specs-based (i.e. E5506 / 2.13 GHz instead of CPU with 2.53 GHz speed or higher). A C200 M2 configured with a different CPU allowed by UC on UCS Specs-based does not have these TRC-specific restrictions. Follow these rules for UCS C200M2 TRC#1 with E5506 / 2.13 GHz CPU:
- The only supported virtual machine OVA templates are:
- CUCM - Unified Communications Manager 1000 users
- CER - Emergency Responder 12,000 users
- CUC or UCxn - Unity Connection 500 users, 1000 users and 5000 users
- CUP - Unified Presence 1000 users
- CUCCX - Unified Contact Center Express 100 agents
- CUxAC - Unified Department, Business and Enterprise Attendant Consoles
- Other unlisted OVA templates are not supported on C200 M2 TRC #1.
- Otherwise at this time the following co-residency scenarios are supported:
- Any combination allowed by Unified Communications Manager Business Edition 6000.
- Any other combination provided you follow the General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing, and only use the above OVA templates supported for UCS C200 M2 TRC#1.
- The only supported virtual machine OVA templates are:
Special Rules for non-UC and 3rd-party Co-residency
See the tables after these rules for the co-residency policy of each Cisco UC app.
Non-UC VMs and 3rd-party app VMs that will be co-resident with Cisco UC app VMs are required to align with all of the following:
- TAC Technote Document ID: 113520. For other details on co-resident application performance troubleshooting, see Troubleshooting and Performance Monitoring Virtualized Environments.
- General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing
- All of the special rules below.
- "Matching" Support Policies
- All co-resident VMs must follow the "Matching" Support Polices rule in General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing. www.cisco.com/go/uc-virtualized does not describe policies for Cisco non-UC apps or 3rd-party apps
- Virtual Machine Templates
- Cisco non-UC VMs and 3rd-party app VMs own definition of their supported VM OVA templates (or specs for one to be created), similar to what Cisco UC app VMs require in General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing. http://www.cisco.com/go/uc-virtualized does not describe VM templates for Cisco non-UC apps or 3rd-party apps.
- All co-resident VMs - including non-UC VMs and 3rd-party app VMs - must follow the No Hardware Oversubscription rules for CPU in General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing.
- Memory/RAM
- To enforce "no memory oversubscription", each co-resident VM - whether UC, non-UC or 3rd-party - must have a reservation for vRAM that includes all the vRAM of the virtual machine. For example, if you have a virtual machine that is configured with 4GB of vRAM, then that virtual machine must also have a reservation of 4 GB of vRAM.
- Otherwise all co-resident VMs - including non-UC VMs and 3rd-party app VMs - must follow the No Hardware Oversubscription rules for Memory/RAM in General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing. The 2 GB for VMware vSphere is in addition to the sum of the vRAM reservations for the VMs.
- Storage
- Non-UC VMs and 3rd-party app VMs must define their storage capacity requirements (ideally in an OVA template) and storage performance requirements. These requirements are not captured at http://www.cisco.com/go/uc-virtualized.
- All co-resident VMs - including non-UC VMs and 3rd-party app VMs - must follow the No Hardware Oversubscription rules for Storage in General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing, including provisioning sufficient disk space, IOPS and low latency to handle the total VM load.
- If DAS storage is to be used with non-UC / 3rd-party app VMs, it is highly recommended that pre-deployment testing be conducted, where all VMs are pushed to their highest level of IOPS generation. This is due to DAS environments being more capacity/performance-constrained in general, more dependent on adapter caches in RAID controllers, and Cisco DAS testing only done for UC apps on UCS Tested Reference Configurations.
- Network/LAN
- Non-UC VMs and 3rd-party app VMs must define the network capacity/performance requirements of their VM OVA templates. These requirements are not captured at http://www.cisco.com/go/uc-virtualized.
- All co-resident VMs - including non-UC VMs and 3rd-party app VMs - must follow the No Hardware Oversubscription rules for Network/LAN in General Rules for Co-residency and Physical/Virtual Hardware Sizing, including provisioning sufficient physical interfaces.
Table of Co-residency Support Policy by Cisco UC Application
Call Processing and System Management Applications
|UC Application
|Co-residency Support
|Unified Communications Manager (1)
|Unified Communications Manager Business Edition 6000
|Cisco Emergency Responder
|UC with UC only
|Session Manager Edition
|Intercompany Media Engine
|Unified Attendant Consoles
|UC with UC only
|UC Management Suite (OM, SM, SSM, PM)
(1) Applicable for publishers, subscribers, standalone TFTP and standalone multicast MOH nodes.
Messaging and Presence Applications
|UC Application
|Co-residency Support
|Cisco Unity Connection
|Cisco Unity
| Full
|Cisco Unified Presence
Contact Center Applications
|UC Application
|Co-residency Support
| Unified Contact Center Express / IP IVR
|Cisco Unified Workforce Optimization (WFO) components (WFM, QM, AQM, CR, etc.)
| Unified Contact Center Enterprise components and deployment models
| Unified Intelligence Center
|Unified Contact Center Management Portal
|UC with UC only
| Unified Customer Voice Portal (all components)
|Cisco MediaSense
|Not supported
|Cisco SocialMiner
|UC with UC only
|Cisco Finesse
|UC with UC only
|Cisco Unified Email Interaction Manager and Web Interaction Manager
|UC with UC only
Redundancy and Failover Considerations
Application-layer considerations (such as Unified CM Cluster over WAN or Unified CCE Remote Redundancy) are the same for virtualized (UC on UCS) or non-virtualized (MCS 7800) deployments.
However, since there is no longer a 1:1 relationship between hardware and application instances, "placement logic" must be taken into account to minimize the impact of hardware unavailability or unreachability:
- Avoid placing a primary VM and a backup VM on the same server, chassis or site
- For failover groups, avoid placing all actives on the same server, chassis or site
- Avoid placing all VMs of the same role on the same server, chassis or site
See QoS Design Considerations for Virtual UC with UCS and Shared Storage Considerations.
Sizing Examples
This section shows a sample system configuration based on following the High-level Checklist for Design and Implementation for the following set of customer requirements:
- General Requirements
- Three sites - Headquarters (HQ) and two Branches (A and B)
- CUCM and Applications located at each site
- Up to 30,000 lines per sites
- 100+ sites
- Transparent use of PSTN if IP WAN unavailable
- Headquarters (HQ) Requirements
- 12K Phones, use Cisco TFTP server
- 10K Messaging users
- 10K users equipped with Cisco Unified Personal Communicator (CUPC)
- Contact Center with 240 agents and 10 supervisors
- Branch A Requirements
- 2K Phones, use Cisco TFTP server
- 2K Messaging users
- 2K users equipped with Cisco Unified Personal Communicator (CUPC)
- Contact Center with 145 agents and 5 supervisors
- Branch B Requirements
- 500 Phones, use Cisco TFTP server
- 500 Messaging users
- 500 users equipped with Cisco Unified Personal Communicator (CUPC)
- Contact Center with 45 agents and 5 supervisors
After going through the design process, the following servers were selected to host the virtualized UC applications:
- Six Cisco UCS B200 Blade Servers for HQ (running in a UCS 5100 Chassis connected to UCS 6100 Fabric Interconnect Switches), using TRC#1 (UCS-B200M2-VCS1).
- Three Cisco UCS C210 General-Purpose Rack-Mount Servers for Branch A, using TRC#1 (UCS-C210M2-VCD2)
- Two Cisco UCS C200 General-Purpose Rack-Mount Servers for Branch B, using TRC#1 UCS-C200M2-VCD2)
- Note this example does not include non-UC applications (such as Cisco Nexus 1000V or Cisco Network Registrar) or 3rd-party applications such as customer-provided DNS / DHCP / TFTP servers, directories, email, groupware or other business applications. These applications need to run on separate physical servers and are not allowed to be co-resident with UC at this time. See the Co-residency section on this page for more details.
See below for details on the server layout and application/VM placement at each site. Note that Branch B is using UCS C200 M2 TRC #1 so has restrictions on which VM OVAs were able to be used.
HQ server detail:
Branch A server detail:
Branch B server detail:
Sizing and Ordering Tools
The suite of tools listed below can assist you with the sizing, configuring and quoting of Cisco Unified Communications solutions on the Unified Computing System.
Cisco Solution Expert
Cisco Solution Expert assists Cisco field and Cisco Unified Communications specialized channel partners in designing and quoting UC on UCS solutions using the Cisco Unified Workspace Licensing or the traditional design model. Solution Expert delivers a Bill of Materials for the Unified Communications software and the UCS B-series Blade Servers and VMWare ordered as Collaboration SKUS.
Netformx DesignXpert
Netformx DesignXpert is a third party application used to design and quote the Cisco Unified Computing System B-series. DesignXpert has two advisor modules that can be used to quote a Unified Communications solution with the Unified Computing System:
- UC Advisor – a designing and quoting solution used to quote Unified Communications software. The UCS B-series Blade Servers and VMWare ordered as Collaboration SKUs can be quoted when ordering separate from the Unified Computing System. Other UCS B-series components must be configured via UCS Advisor below.
- UCS Advisor - a design and quoting solution for all UCS B-series components including Blade Servers ordered as Collaboration or Data Center SKUs, UCS 5100 Blade Server Chassis, UCS 2100 Fabric Extender and UCS 6100 Fabric Interconnect Switch.
Cisco Unified Communications Sizing Tool
Cisco Unified Communications Sizing Tool delivers hardware sizing for complex Enterprise Unified Communications solutions, including Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise. The Sizing Tool delivers the virtual machine requirements for Unified Communications applications on the Unified Computing System platform.
Cisco Configuration Tool
Cisco Configuration Tool (need link here) is part of the suite of Internet Commerce Tools for managing online ordering of Cisco products. It enables you to configure products and view lead times and prices for each selection. The Cisco Configuration Tool, also known as the Dynamic Configuration Tool, is used to configure the Unified Communications products and the B series SKU and VMWare ordered as Collaboration SKUs.
Ordering Guides
Ordering Guides for Unified Communications System 8.x releases are available for Cisco sales, partners, and customers.
|Back to: Unified Communications in a Virtualized Environment


text:
The Butler County commissioners have hired a financial adviser; two of the three commissioners want to construct a new office building.
But the county shouldn't spend money that it doesn't have.
The commissioners want to borrow millions of dollars to build the office building, but no money apparently is set aside for the project. Who balances the commissioners' budgets at home?
Do the commissioners just sit around trying to think of ways to spend the taxpayers' money?
The commissioners should listen to the people. It's county residents who pay the commissioners' salaries.
One of the commissioners plans to retire. Maybe he'll be able to stay on and be a part-time adviser.
I suggest cutting costs, not increasing them. If the county has so many workers that another building is needed, perhaps the commissioners should reduce the workforce or find a way to cut daily operating expenses.
But if additional workers are in fact needed, then the county should hire people who have lost their jobs and benefits.
Finally, the commissioners feel they've given county property owners a break by increasing the millage rate for 2013 by one mill rather than two. A break? Really?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
After a two-month process, Middletown mayor and council unanimously approved legislation that would put certain limitations on mobile vendors in town.
After a two-month process, Middletown mayor and council unanimously approved legislation that would put certain limitations on mobile vendors in town.
The only question raised during Monday night's monthly council meeting came from Councilman Jim Reynolds, who asked if the same rules in the ordinance would apply to ice cream trucks.
"There's nothing to stop ice cream trucks from parking in front of Brusters," he said.
Reynolds and Mayor Ken Branner agreed that they would address this issue down the road if it becomes a problem to local ice cream businesses or concession stands at the Silver Lake Park.
The mobile vendor ordinance was introduced to council last month after being drafted and presented during a public forum in October.
Keith Young, who owns Young's BBQ in Middletown, said that mobile food vendors are unfair competition for small restaurants.
In Dec. 2011, mayor and council approved Clint Johnson's request to operate a BBQ food trailer on the corner of Wood and West Main Streets in town, which Young claimed has taken about 20 percent of his business.
Johnson usually only operates in Middletown once a week and owns a shop in Smyrna.
Young originally addressed council with these concerns in January.
The ordinance, which only amends the town's zoning code, requires mobile vendors operating within town limits to go before the town and request a conditional use permit – after receiving written permission of the property owner who's land they would be setting up shop on.
The new rules apply to any type of vendor, whether they are selling food, clothing or jewelry.
The law does not limit the number of mobile vendors or prevent any from operating in town, and it will also not revoke any permits that have already been granted.


text:
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The circular contrail sighted over Durango early Friday afternoon was created by a military plane, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday.
In answer to a request for information, the FAA office for the Northwest Mountain Region in Renton, Wash., said by email that the plane was 15 miles west of Durango. The pilot made a 360-degree turn at 1:09 p.m.
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Difference between revisions of "Himeji"
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Himeji (姫路; [8]) is a small city at the western edge of the Kansai region of Japan with Japan's finest castle. At one point in the late 1500's, it was the biggest castle in all of Asia.
The city has been featured in a series of Japanese and foreign films due to its picturesque old-Japan look. The information office at the JR station has props from some of these films including, for example, props from the film Last Samurai.
Get in
By plane
Himeji does not have its own airport. The nearest international airport is Kansai International Airport; buses run eight times a day to Himeji station (about 2 1/4 hours, ¥3200 for a one way ticket).
The nearest domestic airports are in Kobe and Osaka. By train from Kobe Airport, take the Port Liner to Sannomiya and connect to the shin-kaisoku train service to Himeji (about one hour with good connection, ¥1270), or take a bus straight to Himeji station (1 1/4 hours, ¥1300, six per day). From Osaka's Itami Airport, there are direct buses every hour or so to Himeji station (1 hour 20 minutes, ¥2100).
By train
Himeji is along the Sanyo shinkansen line (山陽新幹線) from Osaka and Kobe to Okayama and Hiroshima. The Hikari Rail Star offers frequent service to Himeji within the Sanyo region, as do the all-stopping Kodama trains. As the station is raised it is possible to see Himeji Castle from a passing train.
From Tokyo, one Nozomi train per hour runs through to Himeji, covering the journey in just over three hours (¥15710). If you have a Japan Rail Pass, there is also one Hikari train departing each hour, running through to Himeji, which you can take at no charge. Due to additional stops, the Hikari takes 3 hours and 40 minutes to reach Himeji from Tokyo.
An inexpensive method of reaching Himeji from within the Kansai region is to take one of the frequent Shinkaisoku (新快速 - Special Rapid) commuter trains on the JR Kobe line (JR 神戸線) that begins in Osaka, which charges only the price of a local train. The ride takes 38 minutes from Kobe's Sannomiya station (¥950) or 57 minutes from Osaka (¥1450).
It is possible to travel from Osaka to Himeji using direct trains over the private Hanshin and Sanyo Railways but as this takes longer than JR (one and a half hours, ¥1250) it is only really worthwhile for holders of the 3 day or 5 day pass for Kansai's private railway system.
From Kyoto, the Hikari shinkansen whisks travellers to Himeji in just under an hour. This trip can be taken without charge by Japan Rail Pass holders.
By bus
Shinki Bus runs an overnight service from Tokyo (Shinjuku and Shibuya) to Himeji at a cost of ¥9450 one way and ¥17010 round trip. As of October 2009, the bus leaves the Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal at 22:30 and arrives at the Himeji Bus Terminal at 8:00, with the return leaving Himeji at 21:30 and getting to Shinjuku at 7:00.
Get around
On foot
To see the castle, as well as many of the other sites, it's only a 10-15 minute walk down Otemae-dōri from the station. Along the way, you'll also pass shopping centers and souvenir shops.
By bus
The Sightseeing Loop Bus is a cheap and convenient alternative that makes a loop around the cultural area, with stops near the castle, garden, and museums. It only costs ¥100 to ride, regardless of where you get off. It only takes 5 minutes to get to the castle.
The Loop Bus only covers the area around the castle, so for those wanting to visit sites beyond this area, such as Engyoji, you will need to take the city bus.
Himeji Castle is particularly striking (and crowded) in cherry blossom season in April, when all the trees planted in and around the castle burst into white splendor.
Most people visit only the Castle and the area between the castle and the station. However, the area around the castle is a great place for a refreshing walk or a picnic. For families in particular, the park behind Himeji castle offers a decent play structure and ample space to sit down and have a picnic in the shadow of Japan's most famous castle.
Himeji has a number of matsuri (festivals) throughout the year.
Himeji isn't particularly famous for crafts or goods. Wind chimes made of iron tongs and white leather accessories are popular higher-end Himeji souvenirs, and they can be bought in many of the department stores or along the Miyuki dori shopping arcade. There are also numerous shops along the route to the castle selling a variety of Himeji Castle and other assorted souvenirs. Additionally, the streets in the area surrounding Himeji Station are filled with shopping arcades (particularly Miyuki dori) and the usual department stores (there are several lining the way to the Castle, including Sanyo, Forus, and Yamatoyashiki.)
Additionally, for those who prefer the finer smokeables, there is a tobacco shop just off of Miyuki dori (turn right at the Fujifilm corner shop) on the right hand side just past the Softbank store that, in an unusual move for Japanese tobacconists, sells a variety of cigars. Not the top quality Cubans, mind you, but decent enough (and rare-in-Japan) "hamaki" (cigars).
As you exit the station facing the castle (North), the main shopping street (Miyuki dori) will be on your right and the main entertainment area on your left. Both areas have some fine restaurants. Himeji has a full selection of foods, from fast food (Western and Japanese) to gourmet dining. For breakfast there are countless coffee shops, including a Starbucks that has small waffles.
Vegetarians in Himeji would do well to visit either Baobab or Everest. Baobab is a pan-Asian restaurant with an English menu for lunch and dinner, located just east of SMBC bank on Miyuki-dori, the main shopping arcade. Everest is a Nepalese (and Indian) restaurant just West of Himeji Station. Everest also has an English menu and the owner and chef also speaks English fluently.
There is a 24 hour McDonald's on the east side of Himeji JR station, for those of you who fancy something quick, simple and recognizable.
Himeji has two main bars that cater to foreigners. These bars tend to be frequented mostly by foreigners living in the city.
Most people visit Himeji as a day/half day trip. Like most Japanese cities, there are a number of inexpensive business hotels clustered around the station. For example:
There is one budget guesthouse that recently opened downtown:
Get out


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Doug Berky, a physical theater performer using comedy, mime, masks, juggling and storytelling, will be the featured entertainer for the Celebration of the Young Child at 10 a.m. Friday, April 19, at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge.
Doug Berky, a physical theater performer using comedy, mime, masks, juggling and storytelling, will be the featured entertainer for the Celebration of the Young Child at 10 a.m. Friday, April 19, at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge.
Young children and their families are invited to join in the celebration from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A puppet show on safety, make-and-take crafts, a kids' movement class, more puppets and storytelling, a book fair and health and nutrition activities will take place throughout the celebration.
The Children's Museum exhibits will all be open to visitors during the celebration. Admission to the museum and celebration is $5, with scholarships available upon request.
Berky creates beautiful handmade masks that he incorporates into his performances. His performances reflect styles of commedia dell'arte, vaudeville, mask and mime theater. He says he has been influenced by such performers as Charlie Chaplin, Carol Burnette and Marcel Marceau.
He has been described as a rare performer with the ability to capture the attention of everyone in an audience as soon as he opens his mouth. Berky has designed and constructed theatrical masks for high school, college, and professional productions, theater schools, theater companies, and individual performers on stage and television since the early 1980s.
The performing artist has appeared in the award-winning NBC children's television series, "See-Saw," in Portland, Maine, and in four television specials for Swedish National Television. He has performed and taught throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe in schools, colleges and festivals.
Berky has been the featured performer at events as diverse as The Eugene O'Neill Theater Cabaret Symposium and a national gathering of the National Council of Churches. Doug has performed and taught as Artist-In-Residence at numerous schools and colleges including schools for the deaf, The Commedia School in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Furman University in Greenville, S.C.
He began his professional training at Dell'Arte School of Mime and Comedy in Blue Lake, Calif. He toured for eight years with established companies such as The Montanaro Mime Theatre in Maine, The Two Penny Circus in Vermont, and Sunshine Too, the touring theatre of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, N.Y.
Sponsors of the Celebration include the Pilot Club of Oak Ridge, Anderson County Health Department, Knoxville Area Model Railroaders, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge and Covenant Health, National Fitness Center, Smokies Baseball, and East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
The Celebration of the Young Child is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
As part of a special Week of the Young Child celebrated in April across the country, the Children's Museum is honoring young children and all those who make a difference in children's lives with its special celebration. The Week of the Young Child, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young, is April 14 to 20. The week, with the theme "Early Years Are Learning Years," provides an opportunity for early childhood programs across the country to hold activities to bring awareness to the needs of young children.
For more information call Carroll Welch at the Children's Museum, (865) 482-1074, extension 105. Also, see the Children's Museum website, www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.


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Gov. Jay Inslee raises money for possible White House bid
| Portions are © Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed.
KLEW CBS 3 is Lewiston, Idaho's news leader, providing coverage of local and national stories, weather, sports and local events in Lewiston and surrounding towns and communities, including Genesee, Moscow, Lapwai, Spalding, Culdesac, Juliaetta and Troy, Idaho and Clarkston, Uniontown, Colton, Pullman, Asotin and Anatone, Washington.


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This is the 17th challenge in a weekly series from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy and history, suggested by Amy Coffin, that invite genealogists to record memories and insights about their own lives for future descendants. Week 17 – Pets.
The very first pet we had was a budgie called Dinky. We got him in about 1954 and for some reason my parents bought him from Clitheroe in Lancashire and had to take him back to Yorkshire where we lived. He was a really good talker but I don't recall him having a Lancastrian accent – thank goodness.
My dad used to tell the story about eating his breakfast and Dinky walking across his plate and through his fried eggs. Hmm – not sure i'd be too keen myself.
Dinky went to live with my grandparents when my brother was born in 1958.
I mentioned in week 4 of this series that we lived in a pub for about 18 months when I was about 4 years old. It seems that most publicans have to own a dog – often a big one. My dad was no exception.
We had a German Shepherd called Rinty – named after Rin-Tin-Tin from the movies. I have some vague memories of Rinty – or perhaps they are stories told to me by my parents. After all it is fifty four years ago.
I guess that one of the reasons my parents got Rinty was for security and protection against unruly customers. He was also apparently a good guard dog especially when assigned to look after me! We had a large enclosed yard at the back of the pub and that is where I used to play.
I know from stories told to me that Rinty would often be out in the yard with me. One such tale is of me shouting for help and when my parents came out they saw me running on the spot with Rinty just sitting there firmly gripping the seat of my pants in his mouth.
Anyway, when we left the pub we moved to a much smaller house and my parents decided not to keep Rinty. My dad said that he went to train as a police dog but I was never too sure about that!
My sister had a rabbit called Snowy – I think he was white. I don't recall much about Snowy apart from he came to a very sad end. He was found dead on the back lawn after being attacked by another animal – presumably a dog.
We also had a goldfish called Tinkerbell whose party trick was leaping out of the bowl and flopping around on the floor.
Jayne and I have had three Persian cats over the past seventeen years – Horlicks, Willow and Wellington. They gave us so much pleasure and fun but sadly they are no longer with us.
Wellington passed away on 24 March this year – here's his obituary on one of my other blogs.
I think we are going to be pet free for a while.


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Schools have been open for a couple of weeks across much of Florida, but not all of the students know who their teachers are yet. There's typically a lot of teacher turnover during the summer break, and schools can't always get vacant teaching positions filled by the time school starts.
At DeSoto County High School in southern Florida, math tutor Ronnie Padilla is filling in as the French teacher. There's only one problem: He doesn't speak any French. Across from his classroom, Alma Cendejas — the school's front-desk receptionist — is filling in as the Spanish teacher until the school can find one.
Principals across Florida say the summer break just isn't enough time to fill every open teaching position. Miami-Dade County Schools, for example, started about 100 teachers short. School officials say that's not unusual for large school districts with tens of thousands of teachers — Miami-Dade has 22,000.
Still, the vacancies mean that thousands of students are starting the school year without permanent teachers. In a school year that is only 180 days long and filled with high-stakes tests, these students are getting a late start.
Doug Peden, executive director of the American Association for Employment in Education, says it's an age-old problem, and one not limited to Florida.
"In every state, school districts — they hire late," Peden says. "And we know those classes can stay empty for a long time."
Teachers Resign At The End Of Summer
One reason some schools find themselves in this bind is because teachers sometimes wait until the very end of summer to notify schools they won't be coming back.
That's partly due to a misconception: Some teachers think they won't get their health insurance over the summer if they quit in June, even though they do. To address the problem, one district changed its contract to reflect that the end date for employment was Sept. 1, rather than the last day of school.
In Broward County — the nation's sixth-largest school district — more than 500 teachers resigned just two weeks before the start of the school year.
"It's very difficult for any district to meet that challenge," says Gracie Diaz, chief human resources officer for Broward schools. "I think we all want to have every teacher by the first day of school."
Diaz says lots of people apply — just not in the fields they're looking for. The district held a last-minute teacher job fair, hoping to fill all the vacancies. Some 800 candidates showed up, but only seven of those candidates taught math or science.
'You Learn It'
At DeSoto High last year, students went without a teacher certified in physics or chemistry for three months. Substitute teacher Sue Knight filled in for those classes. As a sub, Knight says you just "wing it."
"If it's a subject that you don't know, then you take the book home every night and you do homework," says Knight. "And you learn it."
The entire science department helped out by creating lesson plans for Knight. The school principal even brought in a retired physics teacher to help out in the classroom.
"It's very difficult, and we don't like putting students in those positions at all," Principal Shannon Fusco says. "But when we're unable to find someone with the certification, or even the ability, we do the best that we can, and we all pitch in."
'Not Good For Anybody'
Jeremy Glazer, a former teacher in Miami and Philadelphia, believes waiting until the final days of summer break to notify schools can have a negative effect on students.
But he also says volatile staffing situations cut both ways: Teachers often don't know what their role will be at a school — or if they'll even have a role — until just before classes begin.
Not only do many teachers not get to choose which subjects they're teaching, they also don't get much time to prepare if they find out weeks before the start of the school year. StateImpact Florida recently interviewed a first-year teacher who had just over a week to prepare his curriculum for the year.
"And that's not good for anybody," Glazer says. "It's not good for morale, it's not good for the teacher, it's not good for the students. It's just not a smart way to do things."
This story is part of the StateImpact Florida project. StateImpact is a collaboration between NPR and member stations examining the effect of state policy on people's lives.
Some other news, as students have gone back to school in recent days, many have arrived in classrooms lacking what seems like a pretty basic requirement - a teacher. Education officials say the summer months just are not enough time for them to fill every open position. As Sarah Gonzalez of member station WLRN tells us, schools in Florida still have hundreds of vacancies.
SARAH GONZALEZ, BYLINE: It's Spanish class at DeSoto County High School in South Florida, so I speak to students in Spanish.
(Foreign language spoken)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yep.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #2: Some of us do.
GONZALEZ: At least some of the understand me - but their teacher, Sue Knight, shoots me a confused look.
Ms. Sue, do you understand what I just said?
SUE KNIGHT: Not a word. I don't know any. Hola.
GONZALEZ: The school doesn't have a Spanish teacher yet, so Ms. Sue - as the students call her - is filling in until the principal can find one. Across the hall, the school's math tutor has become a French teacher. Ronnie Padilla doesn't speak any French and he's feeling the pressure.
RON PADILLA: I want to make things right. And I think everything will turn out right.
GONZALEZ: The school had to refill 35 teacher positions this year, half of the teaching staff. Principal Shannon Fusco took all summer to do that and still came up three positions short.
SHANNON FUSCO: It's very difficult and we don't like putting students in those positions at all. But when we're unable to find someone with the certification, or even the ability, we do the best that we can and we all pitch in and help out as much as we can.
GONZALEZ: Now, is just not offering the classes an option for you? If you don't have a physics teacher, can you just say, well, we're not going to offer physics this semester or this year?
FUSCO: It can be, and there have been times that we have made a decision to change. But I didn't want to go backwards.
GONZALEZ: Part of the problem is that teachers wait until the very end of summer to notify schools they won't be coming back. There's partly due to a misconception. Some teachers think they won't get their health insurance over the summer if they quite in June. In Broward County, the nation's sixth largest school district, more than 500 teachers resigned just two weeks before the start of the school year.
Doug Peden, with the American Association for Employment in Education, says it's an age-old problem.
DOUG PEDEN: In every state, school districts, they hire late, and classes could stay empty for a long time.
GONZALEZ: Peden tracks teacher supply and demand. He says some states have attempted to hold teachers accountable, taking away teaching certificates if they wait too late to tell schools they're resigning. But when districts are dealing with tens of thousands of teacher, he says there will always be movement. There isn't a teacher shortage, they're just not all in the right places.
PEDEN: Wyoming, they only have one state university that produces teachers. Then you have some place like Michigan where they're producing way too many. So it's the typical problem. People aren't as mobile as we'd like to think.
GONZALEZ: And they don't all teach the subject that are high in demand. Gracie Diaz is in charge of hiring teachers in Broward. She says lots of people apply -just not in the fields they're looking for.
GRACIE DIAZ: Mathematics, science, speech and language pathology, some of the special ed areas - those are where we're seeing the need, especially science this year and in physics and chemistry. It's been a challenge.
GONZALEZ: The district held a last minute teacher job fair hoping to fill all the vacancies. More than 800 candidates showed up, seven taught math and science.
ALMA CENDEJAS: I'm not sure when she will be here. But for the time being, I'm here with you guys. Yay.
GONZALEZ: Back at DeSoto High, freshman Sergio Valencia is already getting attached to his temporary Spanish teacher, Alma Cendejas, who happens to be the school's receptionist.
SERGIO VALENCIA: She seems like another teacher I had in the middle school and I absolutely loved her. And I'd really like to have another class with her if she's not in the office.
GONZALEZ: He's hoping he doesn't get a new teacher soon and that may be end up happening. The longer you get into the school year, the more difficult it becomes for principals to find replacements. Two more teachers have already resigned from DeSoto High since the start of the year.
For NPR news, I'm Sarah Gonzalez, in Miami.
INSKEEP: Hey, that story is part of NPR's StateImpact Florida project. The StateImpact projects across the country examine the effect of state policy on American lives.
INSKEEP: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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And a very special thanks to Baleboosteh (...a day in the life...), who spent hours reworking the images to make the HTML version a worth commemoration of the loss of our murdered brothers and sisters.
Please take a few minutes...
To know and remember the ones...
Our beautiful children and youth...
Who were slain by the Arab terrorists...
In October 2000, the Palestinian Arabs in Israel started a new war of terror against the Israeli nations. Terror attacks against Israeli civilians occured in every possible place in Israel.
Israel's War Against Terror
The Mideast Archive
Koby Shayo
IsraeliChikdren at walla do co dot il
Technorati Tag: Israel.


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Attempting communication. Tips?
Posted 18 October 2010 - 11:10 AM
As I posted previously I've had some experiences that I believe show that I am sensitive to spirits. This weekend I've decided to try my hand at communicating with a presence I have felt that I personally believe is either attached to me, my boyfriend or our house. I've felt it especially in our bathroom (which, on a side note, makes showering really awkward sometimes). It also tends to be in our bedroom, which is adjacent to the bathroom.
I don't get the sense that this is anything harmful, but I did want to ask for opinions/tips on what to add to my attempt at communication.
This is my plan (essentially):
- Using the bedroom (the closet is mirrored on the outside)
- Envisioning a "bubble" to protect me (I've been practicing for the past week and a half)
- I plan to outline questions as to not invite anyone/anything that is unwanted
-In case I don't see/hear any answers I plan to have my tape recorder going. It's a basic tape recorder that I purchased for class lectures. It will run for 90 minutes.
- When asking questions I plan to pause for a full minute between to allow for answers
- I plan to turn the lights off and burn candles instead.
-I intend to do this at night, partly because my skeptic boyfriend will likely be busy with playing Civilization 5
If any of you have suggestions as far as improving the safety of this attempt please do share. I'm particularly interested in any way to denounce evil. I am not a follower of any particular faith, but more spiritualist and I'm kind of confused on what I should call on to help keep any evil away. Would saying "Any malicious spirits or entities with bad intent are not welcome in this house" be sufficient?
I look forward to any tips. And if I am successful I'll be sure to share the experience
Posted 20 October 2010 - 08:27 AM
When a psychic channels spirits they feel the answers and get pictures of things in their head and even smells and tastes. They are snippets and takes some experience to pick them up. You might want to calm yourself, do a little meditation or just rest before hand to quiet your mind so if you have any ability you can pick up something that way too. Most people do have ability it's just accessing it.
Good Luck and keep us informed.
Posted 20 October 2010 - 11:22 AM
Yep, it will work, most times. It would be better if you had some faith in God and used his name but as long as you don't get a full blown demon, your ok. Full blown demons are rare, angery spirits are often confused with them. You should be fine.
When a psychic channels spirits they feel the answers and get pictures of things in their head and even smells and tastes. They are snippets and takes some experience to pick them up. You might want to calm yourself, do a little meditation or just rest before hand to quiet your mind so if you have any ability you can pick up something that way too. Most people do have ability it's just accessing it.
Good Luck and keep us informed.
Thanks Gracie! I appreciate the input :-) I've been working on clearing my mind for the past two weeks. It's hard because usually I'm so "in my head" with all kinds of things. But it's actually been a good experience for me. It's helped me de-stress a lot in addition to prepping me for communication.
And yeah, I'm pretty sure that this spirit is kind. I felt it when I was showering the other night, which is one thing I want to get it to stop doing. I don't mind it when it hangs around when I'm doing my hair or make-up but other than that I like my privacy :-P
I was just wondering one more thing. Any word on whether I should keep doors open or closed? The bedroom is attached to the bathroom so I was planning on keeping that door open but closing the other two. Is this something I should avoid doing?
Thanks again to Gracie and anyone else willing to share tips or advice :-)
Posted 20 October 2010 - 11:45 AM
One thing, if you don't want company in the shower and you feel someone there, just tell them that it your private time and they are not to go in there when you are. If it keeps happening after that then it's not as kind as you thought.
Posted 20 October 2010 - 07:20 PM
It may just be a previous owner/renter but I agree be firm, if the haunt's hanging out in the bathroom/shower with you tell him/her to go away
Posted 22 October 2010 - 10:18 AM
And yesterday I actually did try to tell it to go away and it did leave until I was getting my hair ready. It was then that it hung around again. I think it got the message that I like my privacy in there during certain morning/nightly rituals.
I still want to try to figure out why it's here. I have the tape recorder all ready. Thanks for the tip on the time Oiche. Upon reflection I don't really have that much to ask :-P
Thanks again! I should be conducting the first attempt tomorrow. Very excited to see what I can find :-)
Posted 22 October 2010 - 11:40 AM
Posted 24 October 2010 - 09:21 AM
But I learned what works and what doesn't for next time. For one, my boyfriend can't be home. The cat fell off his lap and clawed him in the middle of one of my pauses for answers and he screamed out. The funny part was that it was when I asked if there was anything the spirit had liked in life XD Maybe schraudenfreude? Nonetheless it scared the tar out of me.
I think my biggest problem was nervousness. The feeling I get when it's around is usually when I'm completely relaxed. Maybe it sensed I was scared and didn't feel comfortable being associated with fear? I don't know, now I'm just assuming.
Anyway, I thought I'd let you ladies know that the first attempt was uneventful. When I try it again if something does happen or come through on my recorder I will let you know. Thanks for all your tips. They were very helpful :-)
Posted 24 October 2010 - 11:30 AM
Posted 24 October 2010 - 04:17 PM
Posted 25 October 2010 - 12:43 AM
Posted 25 October 2010 - 05:56 PM
It's a very simple way to communicate.
Posted 26 October 2010 - 10:06 AM
Posted 26 October 2010 - 06:07 PM
I worked with a team that used to employ this method, and I saw on my video that several people were the cause for the knocks or raps that were asked for - all inadvertently - and I never saw a reason to continue with that method at all.
Another suggestion I have is the rapping method: asking a question and listening for the answering raps. Ask yes or no questions, and be sure to tell the spirit that 1 rap is for "yes" and 2 raps are for "no".
It's a very simple way to communicate.
Good luck with your experiment. Let us know how it goes.
Posted 26 October 2010 - 09:09 PM
You say that you do not lean toward any one faith, but Sunday is Halloween when many believe the veil between this world and the spirit world is at its thinest. Halloween has always offered an open door of communication between Earth and the Spirit world. It is believed the wolds of the living and the dead become transparent, so the two realms could see each other.
The souldscape travelers make a point of getting back by November 3. Many believe the veil continues to be at its thinnest the night before All Hallows (10/31), the feast of All Saints (11/1) and All Souls Day (11/2).
In my faith we use this time to commucnicate with those you have passed before us, those that are in need and those that have no one else. Sometimes they don't know they have passed on, sometimes they are stuck and don't know how to continue, but I degress.
I'm just mentioning this because this might be an easier time to communicate. Please do not get discouraged if you do not. Redhead had a point that spirits are not performers and they do not appear simply because we want them to. Also practice, practice, practice. Ground yourself, Focus. Do not let your boyfriend interrupt (or even be there). Make sure it is quite and dark. Try lighting a candle behind you when looking into the mirror. Clear your mind.
I started this by just wanting to say Please be Respectfull. It looks like I started babbeling a tad. I wish you well.
Happy Halloween
So sorry but if you don't get anywhere 10/31-11/2 you can try again on Sunday 11/7. Some believe this is the true Samhain (Halloween) when the Sun reaches exactly 15 degrees Scorpio.
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This was going to be a humorous column, as I made a recent trip back up Jeter Mountain to see my buddy Zeke. It's always fun up on Jeter Mountain. This time, Zeke's brother and neighbor Jebediah was there.
"He thinks he can travel through time," Zeke whispered to me once, as Jeb was speaking on the theory of evolution.
"I can," said Jeb, who overheard his brother. "Ever since I got glaucoma I can sit on my porch on my old rocking chair …" Here he paused to take some medicine for his condition. He struck a match, lit his pipe, inhaled deeply, coughed a little, held his breath, then exhaled the funny-smelling smoke.
Zeke took a snort of his jug in disgust.
"… And travel back and forth in time. Why, the things I could tell you …"
Jeb has regaled me with many tales of the past and future, tales I will relate later. But this column is an appeal for help. I need assistance with a project that is just too large to take on without the help of, eventually, millions of people.
Four years ago, I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail with my son, Tiberius. It was a coming-of-age trip for the 12-year-old boy (a coming-of-old-age trip for his father). As I watched him stomp up the mountain one morning, angry because "stupid dad" wouldn't let him sleep in, I got to wondering what kind of world he would inherit. A look at any newspaper or watching the news quickly shows how the world is screwed up in so many places and so many ways.
Hiking is conducive to thought, even for me, so I kept on thinking.
Yes, the world is screwed up in so many ways, but so many of the problems on our little blue dot are caused by our differences. And if you think about it, no matter a person's religion, or lack thereof; no matter a person's nationality, skin color or politics, these differences are nothing compared to what we have in common: We are human. We should have something to celebrate that fact, that commonality of being human. Why don't we?
That night I drew a template for a human flag, or Flag of Humanity. I can do some things well and some things poorly. Drawing falls into the latter category. My crude drawing was meant to represent an adult human passing the Earth to a child.
On my return to civilization, I took my stick-figure drawing to Design 1, a design team in Asheville, and four years later, with the help and advice of many others, the flag was finished. The final product is two sets of hands, child and adult, in silhouette to represent all the skin colors of people on Earth. The adult is handing the Earth to the child, who is reaching for it.
I ordered five flags made, and on my annual return trip to Canada where I work my summers as a commercial fisherman, I stopped in New York City and flew the flag in front of the United Nations building. Other than the flag representing the United Nations itself, the Flag of Humanity was the only flag flying that day.
The Flag of Humanity is unique in the world of flags. Every other flag on Earth represents, or celebrates, a difference: I am American, Canadian, Yugoslavian. I am a Rotarian, a Mason. I am from Henderson County. The Flag of Humanity represents all those things and more. It represents all of us, and so can be flown by every single person on Earth, no matter where, or what, or who they are.
I envision a world where children in one country can look at this flag flying over their nation, their town, their school, and know that other children in other countries, though they may have a different culture, language, religion and skin color, are looking at the same flag, celebrating the commonality of being human.
I made a small video about the flag. Search Youtube for The Flag of Humanity and you'll see my ugly mug. (Note: Two months after I posted it, four years after conception, someone else posted his own version of such a flag.)
I need help in promoting the Flag of Humanity. We can do it. In fact, I know we will. Jeb told me.
"It'll be all over the place, Bruce, don't worry about that. I've seen it flying over the pyramids of Egypt, the Eiffel Tower, Baghdad and the White House. It'll happen ... but you might not live to see it."
Jeb said that in the future, the raising of a flag to celebrate being human will become commonplace at everything from sporting events to international peace conferences. And he said it began in Hendersonville and spread out into the world.
I'll be one of the authors at the Blue Ridge Book Fest next weekend. Anyone interested in helping with the Human Flag project can find me there. I'll be the one with a big flag.
Oh … and books. I'll be selling books.
Bruce Benson is a Canadian writer and journalist who makes Hendersonville his home. Reach him at bensonusa@ hotmail.com.
Let's celebrate our humanity worldwide
This was going to be a humorous column, as I made a recent trip back up Jeter Mountain to see my buddy Zeke. It's always fun up on Jeter Mountain. This time, Zeke's brother and neighbor Jebediah was there.


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The first 56 of the 85 Federalist Papers are concerned with the need for a strong central government. In Paper 56, John Madison points out the dangers when the several states are allowed to dominate the national government: "... (A) great proportion of the errors committed by the state legislatures proceeds from the disposition of the members to sacrifice the comprehensive and permanent interest of the state to the particular and separate views of the counties or districts in which they reside."
Similarly, "Measures will too often be decided, ... not on the national prosperity and happiness, but on the prejudices, interests, and pursuits of the governments and people of the individual states."
Madison faults the members of the Continental Congress for acting more like "partisans of their respective states than as impartial guardians of a common interest ...."
Madison locates the citizens' right to keep and bear arms within the structure of state militias, presaging the opinions of prominent legal minds. The 1930s Supreme Court outlawed the use of machine guns by civilians, based on their opinion that the Second Amendment was not an absolute right. Robert Bork, an ultra-conservative legal scholar, argued that the Second Amendment "guarantees militias to the states, not guns to individuals." Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia agrees that the Second Amendment is not an absolute right.
Article I, Section 8, Numbers 15 and 16 of the Constitution confirms the restrictive nature of the Second Amendment by giving Congress the power of "calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions," and providing "for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia, and for governing such a part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states, respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress."
The militias of Madison's day, and as cited in the Second Amendment, are obsolete, having been replaced by our National Guard. Citizens stockpiling weapons, and para-military groups, are outside the protection of the Second Amendment.
Denton May


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Some of us need a little encouragement to exercise but in this week's new film Muriel is certain to persuade you that keeping fit can be a whole lot of fun!
Join Muriel at the exercise studio where she goes through an energetic routine with an exercise ball - naked of course!
And who better to go through this bouncy routine than Muriel? With her ample breasts and gorgeous curves this is one work-out you aren't going to forget in a hurry!
So head down to the Hegre gym where Muriel is all set to get your pulse racing!
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have placed infielder Chris Getz on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left knee.
The move was announced Thursday but is retroactive to Sunday. Getz is hitting .209 with one home run and 14 RBIs this season.
Putting Getz on the DL allowed the Royals to make room on the roster for outfielder Justin Maxwell, who was acquired from the Houston Astros in a deadline deal Wednesday. Maxwell hit .241 with two homers and nine RBIs for the Astros.
Manager Ned Yost is wasting little time getting him in the mix. Maxwell started in right field in the series finale against Minnesota on Thursday afternoon.
Chiefs sign CB McIlwain, OT Tepper for camp
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have signed cornerback Kamaal McIlwain and offensive tackle Mike Tepper to provide some depth during training camp.
McIlwain entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Falcons in 2011. He spent his rookie year on the Saints' practice squad before being released last year, and then signed with the Panthers, where he spent time on their practice squad.
The Chiefs are mostly set in the defensive backfield, though they did lose rookie safety Sanders Commings to a broken collarbone on the first day of camp.
The 6-foot-6, 354-pound Tepper has bounced through Dallas and Indianapolis, where he played in six games and made four starts last season.
St. Louis-area native brings Stanley Cup home
ST. PETERS, Mo. (AP) — The Stanley Cup has finally made it to the St. Louis area.
The St. Louis Blues have been around for more than four decades and never won the National Hockey League title. This past season, their rivals did, the Chicago Blackhawks.
St. Charles, Mo., native Brandon Bollig is part of that Stanley Cup-winning team. On Wednesday, he brought the trophy home. It was on display for a couple of hours at the Rec-Plex recreation center in St. Peters.
It's a tradition for players on the winning team to take turns sharing time with the Stanley Cup.


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4:30 am
Wild Kratts "Elephant in the Room" The brothers come across a lone baby elephant and bring him back to the Tortuga HQ for safety until they can find his mom. But they learn how mischievous baby elephants can be and get more than they bargained for when it almost destroys the Tortuga! As they rush to get the baby elephant home, the WildKratts team realizes that animals have different structures that serve various functions in growth and survival. And an elephant's trunk is like the multipurpose tool of "creature features" with hundreds of uses, including: showering, blasting water, grabbing, lifting, communicating, "hearing", pushing and pulling. D
5:00 am
Nick Stellino Cooking with Friends "Andy's Pork Tenderloin" Nick is in the kitchen with Chef Andy Husbands of Tremont 647 in Boston cooking up Andy's 1st Place BBQ Glaze with Pork Tenderloin. Afterward, Nick shares the secret for Prosciutto Chips and makes Radicchio Romaine and Arugula salad with Gorgonzola Dressing. D
5:30 am
Sara's Weeknight Meals "Dinner for Two" Shopping and cooking for two has its own challenges, but Sara has tips and tricks to make these intimate dinners both easy and romantic. Chicken Saltimbocca with Artichoke Sauce is so elegant yet so easy - thin strips of chicken, sage and prosciutto enveloped in a creamy Marsala-based artichoke sauce. Eggs Baked in Red Wine is a cozy, classic French recipe, perfect for dinner by the fireplace. D
6:00 am
Wild Photo Adventures "Florida Everglades, Part 1" Host and professional wildlife photographer Doug Gardner and nature photographer Jason Hahn wade through mystical swamps and mangrove tunnels in the Florida Everglades in search of beautiful subjects to photograph. D
6:30 am
Pedal America "Women of Red Rock - Sedona, Arizona" It took 230 million years for Sedona, Arizona to surface from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, but its receding waters left behind a spectacular field of red rock vortexes that many claim heal and cleanse the body. Ira David pedals his road and mountain bike through the Bellrock Pathway and Mystic Trail to learn why women who visit Sedona choose never to leave and the role the vortexes and cycling have played in their newly-found lifestyles. Learn about gear and apparel unique to women who bike. D
7:00 am
Ask This Old House "Installing a Manual Transfer Switch; Fixing a Clogged Sewer Line" Host Kevin O'Connor and electrician Scott Caron travel to Annapolis, Maryland, to install a manual transfer switch for a portable generator. Then Kevin, along with general contractor Tom Silva, landscape contractor Roger Cook and plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, asks, "What is it?" Afterward, Richard heads to Dallas to fix a sewer line that is clogged with tree roots. D
7:30 am
Rough Cut - Woodworking with Tommy Mac "Turned Floor Lamp" NULL
8:00 am
GardenSMART Learn how many of the principles in fashionable eco-friendly subdivisions can apply in your yard. Tune in as GardenSMART visits with experts who show how easy eco-friendly can be. D
8:30 am
Katie Brown Workshop "Vegetable Medley" Learn to cook, grow, display and love vegetables with exciting projects and delicious recipes. In the Kitchen: Creamy Cauliflower Soup, Colorful Chopped Root Salad and Quick Vegetable Roll-Ups. Projects: Sculptural vegetable centerpiece. D
9:00 am
It's Sew Easy "Couture Details" Elevate your sewing to couture level with simple details. Though we are proud to show off our hand made garments - sometimes we don't want them to scream "I made this" because they look less than professional. That's when details are so important. D
9:30 am
Donna Dewberry Show "Great Little Gifts" Donna shares dozens of little gift ideas that make for big fun. From easy borders on frames and small boxes to wearable art projects. D
10:00 am
New Scandinavian Cooking With Tina Nordstrom "Vestkysten: Deep Dining" Tina participates in a regatta and dives into the North Sea in search of oysters. She later serves oysters, crayfish, lobsters and mackerel to local sailors.G
10:30 am
Taste This! "Taking You Down to Chinatown" In order to shop for fresh, authentic products, Chef Joe tours both the markets and restaurants of Chinatown in New York City. After he shops for his staple ingredients, Chef Joe will prepare a Fresh Crab Salad and Pasta with Crabs for his main course!. D
11:00 am
Habitable Planet, The "Many Planets, One Earth" The early Earth was a much different planet than the one we know today. Ancient rocks provide evidence of the emergence of oxygen in the atmosphere and of a frozen Snowball Earth. Scientists Paul Hoffman and Andrew Knoll look at these clues to help explain the rise of complex animal life. D
11:30 am
Habitable Planet, The "Atmosphere" The atmosphere is what makes the Earth habitable. Heat-trapping gases allow ecosystems to flourish. While the NOAA Global Monitoring Project documents the fluctuations in greenhouse gases worldwide, MIT's Kerry Emanuel looks at the role of hurricanes in regulating global climate.G
12:00 pm
French In Action "All Manners of Transportation V" Mireille has borrowed a car from her uncle to visit her friend in Provins. When it won't start, the garage loans her a real lemon, and she has every mishap imaginable.G
12:30 pm
French In Action "Residences I" Mireille's parents have invited Robert for dinner. He finds their apartment with a little help from someone who turns out to be a TV weatherman.G
1:00 pm
Unfinished Nation "Battle City" South needs support of England and France to win war; North needs to maintain status quo. North needs to win militarily; South needs to avoid defeat. Most of American West removed from fighting. Lee appointed commander of Army of Virginia; takes war into Northern territory. Union forces have parade of generals. Battles extremely costly to both sides; Lincoln uses near victory at Antietam to issue Emancipation Proclamation. Both sides resort to draft.G
1:30 pm
Unfinished Nation "Final Stages" 1863 pivotal year in determining outcome of war. Decisive battles at Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Chattanooga. Ulysses S. Grant named Commander of Western Theater for Union after victory at Vicksburg. Material superiority of North begins to make a difference. South devastated by Sherman's march through Georgia. Grant and Meade pursue Lee in Virginia in 1864. Vastly outnumbered, Lee holds on behind fortifications at Petersburg; finally surrenders to Lee at Appomattox Courthouse in April of 1865. In military terms, long war is over.G
2:00 pm
Biography of America, A "FDR and the Depression" Professor Brinkley continues his story of twentieth century presidents with a profile of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Brinkley paints a picture of America during the Depression and chronicles some of Roosevelt's programmatic and personal efforts to help the country through its worst economic crisis. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt is at FDR's side and, in many respects, ahead of him as the decade unfolds. D
2:30 pm
Biography of America, A "World War II" America is enveloped in total war, from mobilization on the home front to a scorching air war in Europe. Professor Miller's view of World War II is a personal essay on the morality of total war, and its effects on those who fought, died, and survived it, including members of his own family. D
3:00 pm
SciGirls "Turtle Mania" SciGirl Annie and her friends make a local wetland more attractive to turtles. D
3:30 pm
Biz Kid$ "Crash Course On Starting A Business" So you've got an idea - now what? Check out this quick, but comprehensive course on business basics. You'll learn how to refine your ideas, make a business plan, identify funding sources, find a market, and of course, sell your service or product. Find out how two teen girls developed a $2 million business out of magnetic bottle caps. D
4:00 pm
The Electric Company "The Unmuffins" Something funny is going on. The Pranksters are being very helpful and The Electric Company is being awfully unfriendly. Will Jessica be able to fix things so everyone is back to normal?. D
4:30 pm
Cyberchase "Model Behavior" The kids use models to stop Hacker from cracking open the glass Skywall using a Witch's voice.G
5:00 pm
Lidia's Italy In America "Kansas City: Italian American Steak In Kansas City" NULL
5:30 pm
Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen "Fancy Chicken" Bridget shows Chris how to make the best Chicken Cordon Bleu. Next, Erin demonstrates how to cut a whole chicken. Then, Jack challenges Chris to a tasting of Black Forest deli ham. D
6:00 pm
Barbecue University with Steven Raichlen "The Best of the Breast" Raichlen demonstrates how to keep white meat juicy when grilling and barbecuing. Dishes include tarragon chicken paillards and maple-smoked turkey.G
6:30 pm
Clodagh's Irish Food Trails "The Midlands - Athlone and Mullingar" NULL
7:00 pm
Ask This Old House "Installing a Manual Transfer Switch; Fixing a Clogged Sewer Line" Host Kevin O'Connor and electrician Scott Caron travel to Annapolis, Maryland, to install a manual transfer switch for a portable generator. Then Kevin, along with general contractor Tom Silva, landscape contractor Roger Cook and plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, asks, "What is it?" Afterward, Richard heads to Dallas to fix a sewer line that is clogged with tree roots. D
7:30 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "Croatia: Adriatic Delights" Rick explores the fabled Dalmatian Coast from dramatic Dubrovnik to crusty Adriatic island ports. Heading inland, he hikes through Plitvice Lakes National Park and enjoys the thriving capital city of Zagreb.G
8:00 pm
Grand View "Olympic National Park" At Olympic National Park Baumann brings his audience to the northern tip of Washington and to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Olympic National Park features glacier-capped mountains, magnificent stands of old-growth trees, and temperate rain forest. Interviews include Native American elder, Edward E Claplandho, who brings the past alive with stories of American Indian culture and the history of his people in the lush environment; and finally National Park rangers, Jon Preston and Michael Gurling, discuss the geologic and botanical phenomena of this beautiful region. D
8:30 pm
Lidia's Italy In America "Kansas City: Italian American Steak In Kansas City" NULL
9:00 pm
Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen "Fancy Chicken" Bridget shows Chris how to make the best Chicken Cordon Bleu. Next, Erin demonstrates how to cut a whole chicken. Then, Jack challenges Chris to a tasting of Black Forest deli ham. D
9:30 pm
Great American Seafood Cook--Off II Fires blazed and seafood sizzled as New Orleans hosted the sixth annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off in July 2009. During the Iron Chef-style competition, chefs representing 15 states, including coastal Mississippi, Maine and California, as well as Illinois, West Virginia, Kentucky and Idaho, created dishes using seafood from their home state or from local sustainable fisheries. THE GREAT AMERICAN SEAFOOD COOK-OFF contains highlights from this one-day event. D
10:00 pm
Taste of Louisiana with Chef John Folse & Co.: Our Food Heritage "Los Islenos" Hurricane Katrina focused attention on Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish, home of the resilient, proud and hopeful Islenos descendants. Dorothy Benge introduces us to these wonderful people and the unique heritage of these Canary Islanders. D
10:30 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "Croatia: Adriatic Delights" Rick explores the fabled Dalmatian Coast from dramatic Dubrovnik to crusty Adriatic island ports. Heading inland, he hikes through Plitvice Lakes National Park and enjoys the thriving capital city of Zagreb.G
11:00 pm
Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish "Vista Al Mar (A View of the Sea)" This episode covers words for rooms in a home, words used when shopping for an apartment, and the Puerto Rican community in New York City.G
11:30 pm
Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish "El Don Juan (The Don Juan)" In this episode, there is no new vocabulary. Angela's boyfriend Jorge makes a verbal pass at Raquel.G


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You often hear people talk about how much time blogging takes--I figure I spend as much time at my keyboard as I would with a part-time job. Writing posts, answering emails, coming up with new ideas, promoting products, getting sponsors, staying alive in the community, not to mention reading the blogs I love, it all takes precious time. So how do you become more efficient at it? Here are five tips that have helped me and the great thing is they don't just apply to blogging, they'll streamline any occupation.
1. Know when you're most productive and utilize it. If you know that you're perkiest or most creative at 5 in the morning then get up and get it done then. If you get a burst of energy at ten o' clock, get that ironing done while you're watching the news. Everyone is different but try to work as much as possible with your own rhythms and you'll go faster.
Me? I'm most creative early in the morning so I try (notice I said try) to get up early and blog each morning. That doesn't mean you should call me, I don't talk until 7:30am. Until then only the fingers work. I have friends who like to get up early before their kids get up because that's the only time they can work uninterrupted and get their house in order--before it gets disordered again of course.
2. Do similar tasks around the same time. Because I follow a posting schedule (recipes on Sunday, giveaways on Saturday, lists on Thursday . . . ) I like to write similar posts at the same time rather than switching from topic to topic back and forth. It keeps me focused.
This works with other activities too, for example Friday is my cleaning day when I give the whole house a scrub down: mopping, dusting, changing sheets, watering plants, etc. I know that each Friday morning I'll spend the first half of the day getting the house clean and doing it all at once makes me feel productive rather than picking at it over the course of the week. This also means that for at least one day a week my house is really clean--even if it gets undone the next day--and likewise I like looking at my month and seeing that I already have all my recipe posts written and ready to go. Makes me feel like I'm on top of the situation.
3. Take care of things as they come--don't let things build up. Stay on top of answering those emails, don't let them languish in your inbox until suddenly you have 170 and no apparent means of survival. If you check in a couple times a day and do a quick sweeping you won't get overwhelmed.
Likewise, don't let household tasks linger. Take care of that stack of mail every time you collect it from the mailbox, fold the laundry when the dryer stops rather than letting clothes sit and wrinkle, rinse the dishes and stick them directly into the dishwasher rather than letting it harden in the sink. Skip that middle step of setting something somewhere to await further procrastination and it will save enormous amounts of time.
4. Back up things regularly. Have a time every week when you back up your posts in Word documents or on an external hard drive--or both. Each Monday morning I update the template and generally do blog housekeeping then.
I have other schedules I follow for some of my household tasks, there is a time each month when I pay bills, a time each year I update scrapbooks, clean out our file cabinet and clean out the kids' closets. There's a time each week for my shopping, my washing, my ironing. Just knowing what's coming up gets me more in the mood to do it when the time comes and keeps me from worrying when I will find time to do the chore because I know when I'll do it--I'll do it at the time I've appointed just like I have before.
5. Always keep a pen and paper handy. This doesn't actually have to be a real pen and paper, I often use my handheld organizer instead but the point is to have a way to record your thoughts, ideas and tasks quickly when they strike.
I have paper and pen at my bedside, in my purse, by the telephone, in the car, in my computer table, everywhere and I use them regularly. I'll jot down funny things the kids say, things I'd like to post about, something interesting I learned or saw, whatever it is that I think I might be able to write about.
Of course this works for all other tasks as well. I keep running lists of things I'll need at the store when I go on Thursday, things I need to take care of during the day and then cross them off as they're completed. Whenever you can cross something off your To Do list it feels good. After two months of having "Fix girls' bedroom curtain" on my chore list I finally crossed it off this week and I wanted to dance it felt so good.
Do you have any processes that make you more efficient? Either in blogging or in other areas?
Have you got your post submitted for the Write-Away Contest? "Things that scare me" is the topic and I'd love to hear what's got you shivering.
Technorati tags: blogging, tips, momblogs, organization


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Find the Meaning of Despair through Word Forms
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Academic Resources
Academic Advising
The Office of Academic Advising counsels undergraduate students who have not yet declared a major. To contact the office, call (626) 815-3886. Students with majors are advised within the department that houses their particular major. For more information, contact your academic department.
Graduate students receive academic advising from their specific program advisor. For more information, contact your academic department.
University Bookstore
The University Bookstore offers a wide range of merchandise and services. To learn more about how the bookstore can serve you, visit the bookstore website or call (626) 815-5044.
The Learning Enrichment Center
The Learning Enrichment Center (LEC) provides support to APU students through a variety of services and programs designed to promote academic success. Services include individualized and group tutoring; the Supplemental Instruction (SI) Program; student disability accommodations; the College Level Examination Program (CLEP); examination proctoring services; freshman testing in reading, math, and writing; and individualized study strategies to support students in their academic endeavors toward excellence.
Azusa Pacific University's libraries include the William V. Marshburn Memorial Library, the Hugh and Hazel Darling Library, James L. Stamps Theological Library, and regional campus libraries. A unified catalog identifies 215,000 books, 1,900 print serial titles and media, and provides access to more than 57 million through interlibrary loan. Students may use APU ID card to check out materials or remotely access electronic resources and online databases with their APU NetID.
For more information, visit the University Libraries website or call (626) 815-6000, Ext. 5066 (Darling), Ext. 3847 (Marshburn), or Ext. 5613 (Stamps).
The Math and Physics Center
The Math and Physics Center (Segerstrom Science Center, Room 170) provides additional opportunities for APU students who need assistance at all levels of mathematics and physics. Student tutors (mostly APU mathematics majors) are on site for walk-in tutoring from 2-7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, throughout each semester.
The Writing Center
Believing that clear communication builds community and demonstrates responsible stewardship of intellect, the Writing Center helps writers strengthen their abilities by learning the skills and concepts of strong writing in their respective disciplines.
To this end, the Writing Center staff:
- Treats all writers with dignity and respect.
- Teaches skills rather than simply corrects or fixes writing errors.
- Supports the faculty's pedagogical objectives.
- Equips and trains in current methods and theories of writing instruction.
- Offers creative and individualized writing support for varying disciplines, genres, and objectives.
- Develops multilevel resources for writers, reference, print resources, workshops, and personal service.
- Provides collaborative and interactive services to foster an ever-growing community of critical thinkers and writers.
Note: This information is current for the 2018-19 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change. Please refer to the current Academic Catalog for more information.