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Lucky you! You are going on vacation! The tensions of work-related deadlines and the daily grind may fade away into sweet, vacation-fueled oblivion while you are gone, but your responsibilities to hearth and home cannot, no matter how long you are planning on being away. This is particularly true if you have enhanced your home environment with greenery.
While some plants are more high maintenance than others, most will require some level of tender loving care in your absence. Nothing takes the place of a trustworthy neighbor with a green thumb, but here are some easy, plant-saving tips that will keep your foliage fresh, lush and healthy, or at least not wilted and brown, until your key finds its way into your front door again.
Moisture is key
Simply put, plants need water to survive and remain healthy. While you need not be concerned with cacti or succulents during even a relatively long absence away from home, most other plants will need to have their moisture retained or replenished if you will be gone for more than a few days.
If you will be gone for only a week or less, it should be enough to give your plants a saturating drink prior to your departure. For longer amounts of time, there are a number of options you can consider that will keep your plants moist and thriving. These include installations of an automatically timed, drip watering system.
Drip watering systems range in price from around $20 to $100 but often last for years and can make taking care of your plants easier even when you're back at home. Make sure you get one designed for indoor use to avoid leaking or flooding. Another option is to add mulch or wood chips to your plants to help them hold onto moisture for a longer period of time.
Some people prefer to use a wicking stick hydrating system, particularly if they keep a large number of plants in one area. This cost-effective method simply requires a large container filled with water and a watering wick, which can be purchased at most plant nurseries. You can also utilize a wicking material, such as rope, yarn or cotton, instead of a stick. But if so, test them out first in order to determine how quickly they will transport moisture from the container into the plants.
A wick end is placed into the water in the very bottom of the container and the other end is inserted about 3-4 inches deep into the plant's soil. Multiple plants will require multiple wicks. An added benefit of this system comes from each plant's proximity to the others, as grouped greenery tends to maintain higher levels of moisture-releasing humidity into the air than single plants do.
Smaller plants can also be transported into the bathtub, watered and covered loosely with clear plastic.
Other important tips
Cool is best. Plants wilt more quickly in heat and direct sunlight than in a cooler environment. Move your plants into an area of your home that can be kept at around 60 degrees while you're away. Remember that cool is not the same thing as cold, so keep plants off of window sills that will be left cracked open during your absence, particularly if you will be travelling during the winter months.
Keep your plants out of direct sunlight. Of course, foliage needs sunlight to thrive and grow, but direct sunlight will dry plants out quickly, causing them to brown. Plants will experience less distress in an environment lit by indirect sunlight while you are out of town.
Know your plants. Tropical, subtropical or blooming plants may require additional maintenance during your absence. If you are concerned about the fate of your calatheas, heliconias or other special plants while you are away, look up each individual species in a plant encyclopedia in order to decide upon an appropriate survival plan. That way, you'll be greeted by beautiful, healthy plants upon your return back to real life.
Corey Whelan is a freelance writer in New York. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
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text:
Birmingham St. Martin's-in-the-Bull-Ring
Burials 3 January 1813 - 25 July 1842
This CD contains a searchable surname index, linked to images of the original registers.
Note that early index data on this CD is unique and is not available on Internet websites.
This CD is one of a collection of 10 CD's for Birmingham St. Martin's covering various Baptism, Marriage and Burial dates from 1554 to around 1929.
The whole collection can be purchased as 10 CD's or 1 DVD at a reduced price of £75, please see related products.
Data on this CD is in PDF format and is viewable on any PC using Adobe Acrobat Reader(supplied).
Also readable on a MAC or Linux systems with the appropriate version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Please contact us if you need any more information.
Birmingham St. Martin's Parish Registers - Burials 3 January 1813 - 25 July 1842 - Copies of original register images
- Brand: Midland Ancestors
- Product Code: DM09
- Availability: 2
- £10.00
Related Products
Tags: birmingham

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Doing you swimming drills in the pool is important, but nothing beats the outdoors, says Stoltz.
It's one of the biggest issues for triathletes and something of interest to anyone who loves open water – how to improve your technique. As everyone knows – and often dreads! – being disciplined about swimming drills is essential to improve your performance. But not everything can be learned in a pool, says Conrad Stoltz.
"Good open water swimming comes from lots of practice," says the multiple XTERRA champion.
"You have to learn different kinds of open water. Lakes are easy, but ocean swims have waves, currents and sand bars, and river swims are tricky because of currents."
He says there's no substitute for getting out there into the wild and just getting the feel of different water types.
Of course, when it comes to actual swimming race preparation, he says the trick is to swim as often as possible in a group. You should also ask yourself important tactical questions. "Where to position yourself at the start? How to pace yourself to start fast without blowing up? How to draft, where to postition yourself around the buoys?" he says.
"Building fitness in a pool with a swim squad is good," he adds, "but I try to spend as much time as possible swimming open water. There is no substitute for open water – plus it's usually more fun than staring at the black line!"
Conrad's top 3 tips:
- Swim outside in different conditions – lakes, rivers and the sea.
- Swim in a group and practise drafting.
- Plan your race tactics.


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Armella Cornelius
GRAETTINGER – Memorial services for Armella Cornelius, 91, of Estherville and formerly of Graettinger, will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, April 4, 2014, at United Methodist Church in Graettinger with Pastor Rick Johnson officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service Friday, April 4 at United Methodist Church in Graettinger. Interment will be at Armstrong Grove Cemetery in Armstrong.
She died Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at Good Samaritan Society in Estherville.
Armella Doris (Payne) Cornelius, the daughter of James and Carrie (Petersen) Cornelius, was born May 8, 1922, in Armstrong.
She attended rural Emmet County schools.
On Nov. 10, 1940. Armella was united in marriage to Cecil Lloyd Cornelius in Fenton. After their marriage the couple made their home in Fenton. During World War II Cecil served in the US Navy and Armella lived in Portsmouth, Va., during this time period. After Cecil's discharge from the service they moved back to Iowa and made their home in Graettinger for a number of years. She was employed at Shaver Manufacturing for 18 years as bookkeeper. She also worked for the Graettinger School District in the cafeteria. In 1995, they moved to Florence, Ariz., where they made their home. While living in Florence, Armella volunteered her time at a local hospital. Following Cecil's death, Armella made her home in Estherville. In her leisure time she enjoyed cooking, canning, doing craft work and sewing. Her greatest pleasure in life was spending time with her family. Lloyd died July 1, 2000.
She was a member of United Methodist Church in Graettinger, Graettinger American Legion Auxiliary and also the VFW Auxiliary in Estherville.
Left to cherish Armella's memory are her son, Leonard Cornelius, and his wife, Susan, of Washington, Utah; and granddaughter, Heather Cornelius.
Preceding Armella in death were her husband; son, Larry; her parents; step-father, Carl Odin; sisters, Alice Powers and Beverly Andrews and brothers, Virgil and Raymond. Online condolences may be sent to www.henryolsonfuneral.com


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September 27, 2010
Magical Monday - Be Inspired
My first image is called "Sweet Encounter". I think this is perfect for a little boy like my son who just loves bugs, spiders and anything creepy crawly! I colored it with my colored pencils and chalked my sky. I punched my leaves and added some inks to them and crumpled them all up to give them some leaf like looks. They look more awesome in real life. My sentiment cracks me up and is computer generated.
This image "Too Sweet to Spook" I colored also with my colored pencils and I did my background sky with all chalks as well. I dropped a wet leaf on the right side of the moon, but oh well. I love how this one turned out with the moon and shadows. I made several of those leaves and used them on this card as well. Added a few rhinestones and thought it was cute. The green around the edges is not part of the card. The image actually sticks up past the yellow which is the card base.
For this image "Autumn Solitude" I used color pencils as well. I love adding some pinks and purples to the fall colors so I thought I would switch this card up and add some of those lovely colors. I cut my image out and tore my dp from Dove of East to give it a more interesting look. I love how the black just pops in the background and the moon just looks awesome in the dark sky. I made this into an easel card and added all the flowers to add some interest, texture and color. I also added Stickles around both the edges of the color mats to add some sparkle.
Well, I really liked how all three of these cards turned out this evening and I wish I had more time to make some more, because I felt like my mojo was working well tonight, but my bed is calling and for once I am going to listen to it!
Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think I always love reading your lovins! If you like any of the images you see here you can head on over to Paper Cupcakes and check out all the images HERE.
Have a Sweet Day!
9 comments:
- Gloria Westerman said...
Al of these are awesome....and I love your sentiment "sugarbugs"....is funny....I love all you new images too....
- September 27, 2010 at 9:20 AM
- The Other Patti Sue said...
OMGosh Nina... you've really out done yourself! All of these are amazing! Each are works of art in their own right! Thanks for the great experience on your DT! I will continue to stalk you and Paper Cupcakes :0)
- September 27, 2010 at 6:52 PM
- Toni said...
I love all your cards. You are sooooo good. Love the way you did the fairy card, very different. Got to head over to your store and see the new dijis.
- September 27, 2010 at 7:45 PM
- Nilla said...
Great design on all and lovely images! Hugs Nilla
- September 27, 2010 at 11:08 PM
- CraftinGranny said...
Oh wow, you been one busy lady lately. Love the cards, the diversity of them, and the way you have colored them. Beautifully done Nina. "Hugs" Carol
- September 28, 2010 at 3:33 AM
- Patti P. said...
I love using my pencils to color, you have done an awesome job coloring all of these. I especially love the Too Cute to Spook image and the way your LO is on this card. Don't you wish we could keep that good mojo bottled and use it all the time! TFS
- September 28, 2010 at 10:18 AM
- Dru said...
They are all great Nina. Any little boy would love that spider, and I love what you've done with Autumn Solitude - her wings are gorgeous!
- September 29, 2010 at 12:02 AM
- byondbzr said...
These cards are awesome!!
(Thank you for stopping by my blog too!)
- October 2, 2010 at 1:00 PM
- Carolina Girl (Cely) said...
These are wonderful and I need lessons from you with working on backgrounds with copics....your colors are deep and rich and you have your own style. Thank you for sharing and the inspiration.
- October 3, 2010 at 2:56 PM


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Discover how the secrets of Personality Type can enliven your love life! Learn the real reason why your strong quiet type has trouble expressing his feelings. Or why your social butterfly is always flirting...or why the neatnik in your life just can't leave that dirty sock where it is . . . or why the hopeless romantic really is blinded by the stars in his eyes. Whether you're evaluating a new relationship or looking to strengthen the one you have, this savvy guide will provide fresh insight into the mysteries of love.
Barbara Barron-Tieger and Paul Tieger explain that it's not gender but personality type -- your natural tendency to be outgoing or quiet, methodical or whimsical -- that rules the way men and women relate. Drawing on twenty years of experience as well as groundbreaking new research, they explain everything you need to know about Personality Type, and offer an individualized approach to improving your love life. Once you've discovered which personality type describes you and your partner (or potential partner) best, you'll recognize your own behavior patterns, understand more about your partner's strengths and quirks, and learn.
Product recommendations
by Paul D. Tieger, Barbara Barron
by Paul D. Tieger, Barbara Barron, Kelly Tieger
by Plato
by James D. Barron
by Barbara Paul
by Paul Burke
by Barbara Ingersoll
by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
by Perri 6, Paul Richards
by Barbara De Angelis
by Paul Raffaele
by Zane Grey


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"The department of trade and industry together with the department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, has raised its objection with the French Embassy in South Africa as well as with the European Commission Delegation in Pretoria. These engagements will be further intensified to seek an acceptable resolution to the matter," the department said in a statement on Thursday.
The Business Day reported earlier this month that the "rooibos industry is fighting to protect its intellectual property after a French company applied to register a number of trademarks incorporating the terms 'South African Rooibos' and 'Rooibos' last year.
The report added if the company was successful "it would own the exclusive rights to the names of any rooibos products sold in France, a key market in the European Union, which is the biggest export market for rooibos".
In a response, Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies on Thursday said, "The [department] stands ready to defend South Africa's trade and intellectual property interests vigorously. However, the issues in this particular matter will require an urgent assessment of the legal options to strengthen protection of the Rooibos name in South Africa.
This is not the first time a foreign firm has attempted to capture the intellectual property associated with Rooibos. As in the 2005 case that took place in the United States, the [department] will support the local industry to protect our mutual trade and economic interests."
Staple in SA
"As all South Africans know, Rooibos tea is made from the leaves of a unique shrub, indigenous only to South Africa. In addition, a number of Rooibos products in South Africa are already protected by South Africa's domestic trademark legislation. The registration of such a trademark in France could have a significant negative impact on South Africa's exports of Rooibos products to France, and the [department] is co-operating with the local Rooibos industry to ensure that South Africa's trade interests are not unfairly compromised," the department said.
A staple tea in many homes in South Africa, the health benefits of rooibos, long part of South African cultural lore, are only beginning to be properly verified through rapidly growing scientific research, reported the Mail & Guardian last year.
The tea, which is closer to a herbal infusion known as a tisane, has been linked to the prevention of certain types of cancer as well as heart disease. It grows in hardy bushes amid the Cape's uniquely diverse fynbos floral kingdom.


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- discretisation of control problems (1) (remove)
We consider some portfolio optimisation problems where either the investor has a desire for an a priori specified consumption stream or/and follows a deterministic pay in scheme while also trying to maximize expected utility from final wealth. We derive explicit closed form solutions for continuous and discrete monetary streams. The mathematical method used is classical stochastic control theory.


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2,640.00 ₪
Our Victorian flower necklace is solid 14k gold.
1. Using a string, wrap the base of your finger with it.
2. Use a pen to mark the area on the strings where they meet.
3. Use a mm ruler to measure the string between the two marked areas.
4. Choose the closest measurement using this chart.
Weekly Inspirations


text:
Record-Breaking Thread
- Updated
I had one of my suppliers call and ask if I wanted to go golfing at Glen Abbey in July for their first annual customer appreciation day. Of course, I can't go since no one is allowed to take swag from a supplier here. *mad*1 Reply
That sucks, Al.1 Reply
Maybe it's an average of all the stuff, like number of friends, points, time on board...
If you click "Total Points" next to your points in your profile, it gives you a breakdown:
If you tell me that I can win valuable prizes, I might give a damn. Otherwise, pfffftt....
Likewise, to all of you who emailed me with interest in having your post counts transferred over... It's still in the works, but I have recalculated the numbers and they will be put into this system at some point.
I've clicked on that "Total Points" thing numerous times, and it doesn't explain to me why I'm above JIMM, who has more total points than I do.
But, apparently, the April points do fall in line.
Wow... Kyle has over 18,000 points, and almost that many for the month!1 Reply
Yes, it's sorted by month as of right now. We'll probably change it to total points moving forward.
Once your points are carried over from the old system (those of you who requested that) you'll be at the top of the list.
For example, PhantomLS1, with the post count conversion taken into account, you've got something like 145,000 points transferring over.1 Reply
Just offered a guy a job, now I just have to wait and sit back to see if he will accept.


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Hi, Smart People! Are you planning for applaying a new job? Well, a resume letter is the main important requirement that will support you to get your favorite job. Even, that resume will impact whether you will be accepted or not in those particular companies or offices. In many cases, this kind of requirement complicates most applicants because they don't know how to make it great. Fortunately, absagebewerbungen.co is here to help you reaching out your favorite job by creating a great resume letter. Get some simple examples of your awesome resume letter by staying tuned on this website!
Just so you know, Resume or some people calls it Curriculum Vitae (CV) is an official document that summaries your personal information, educational background, work experiences, skills, as well as the achievement information for a prospective employer. It becomes the main requirement that will show the essential information of those applicants. Somehow, this resume will be the important data for the HRD Teams to observe its applicants and decide whether they are the suitable candidate for a first step interview or even not.
According to the purposes of the resume, each applicant must pay attention with the language use, lenght, appearances, as well as the information that they want to share. For your information, it is important to set your resume as concise and short as possible in order to create a good impression in a quick glance. Also, you have to make sure that you share the informative data that will make the HRD Teams ineterst in you and skip some data that may not support your job. Well, Guys! Do you need to get more information about resume? So, the best idea is about to stay on absagebewerbungen.co and learn how to create your good resume. Best Luck!


text:
If you are installing SQL Server 2008 (or anything for that matter) and it won't let you continue for the following reason:
Rule "Performance counter registry hive consistency check" failed. The performance counter registry hive is corrupted.
Rule "Performance counter registry hive consistency check" failed. The performance counter registry hive is corrupted.
What does this mean?
This may mean that the value in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Perflib under Last Counter and the last number value in Counter under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Perflib\009 are not the same. The same also for Last Help and Help.
In this example, 4720 is the number in both Last Counter and the last counter value. However, in my case my HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Perflib\009 looks like this:
How Do You Solve this Problem?
This fix only applies if HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Perflib\009 has no values and you can not add any.
This fix only applies if HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Perflib\009 has no values and you can not add any.
009 is the English Locale ID. You may have this problem with another locale where you have no values and cannot add any either. The same fix will apply. I am trying to install on a virtual differencing disk that I have run NewSID against.
I found myself in the Microsoft Forums (see reference #5), but no one had figured out how to fix my particular problem. One person came close but wasn't quite there. So I started searching for how to fix my performance counter problem. Isn't it awesome that things that you don't really care about sometimes become issues with things you do?!
I found the solution and I wanted to share. I found that I had disabled performance counters and to have the Counter and Help registry values, I only needed to fix that and reload all of my counters.
Steps to Resolve Performance Counter Issues
1. Back up your registry.
2. Enable Performance Counters: Check the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Perflib to see if you have the key Disable Performance Counters and it is set to 1. If so set it to 0. This should now allow you to build your Counter and Help registry items following the rest of the instructions. (NOTE: You will not find this in any link I have referenced. This is the piece every set of instructions was missing.)
3. Then you may or may not need to rebuild your performance counters (see reference #1). Try to see your performance counters (step #4 below). If you can't see any or you just see numbers, you will need to rebuild your performance counters. If you have Windows 2003, you can run the command line and put in these two commands:
cd %systemroot%\system32
lodctr /R
cd %systemroot%\system32
lodctr /R
4. You know this has worked when you open your performance counters (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Performance) and try to add and actually see items for your computer:
5. Try your install again.
6. If that doesn't work, you need to perform an in-place upgrade of Windows (see reference #4). Then follow the instructions above to rebuild the performance counters. You will also need to re-install all service packs for Windows after you do this. The good news is that you don't lose your applications at all.
7. Once you have completed this, try to install the application you were originally trying to install. In my case this is the monolithic SQL Server 2008.
1. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300956 - How to manually rebuild Performance Counter Library values
2. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888017 - Expanding a file off of the installation disk.
3. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315083 - A SQL Server Desktop Engine 2000 installation fails when it tries to register Performance Monitor counters
4. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816579/ - How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows Server 2003
5. http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3231101&SiteID=17 - Re: How to resolve "Performance counter registry hive consistency check" failed?
Other References:
http://www.agileprogrammer.com/oneagilecoder/archive/2005/05/30/3502.aspx - If you see numbers instead of names
http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2004/08/13/214220.aspx - A fix that didn't work for me.
Other Notes
Also you realize that you need step 2 when you try to run the "lodctr /R" command and you get a bunch of errors in your event log with this one warning:
Event Type: Warning
Event Source: LoadPerf
Event ID: 3006
Unable to read the performance counter strings of the 009 language ID. The Win32 status returned by the call is the first DWORD in Data section.
Event Type: Warning
Event Source: LoadPerf
Event ID: 3006
Unable to read the performance counter strings of the 009 language ID. The Win32 status returned by the call is the first DWORD in Data section.
Print | posted on Sunday, August 10, 2008 5:21 PM |
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Copyright © Robz / Fervent Coder


text:
What equipment do I need?
Any wi-fi enabled laptop or pda will be able to connect. All intel Centrino based PCs and Apple Powerbooks will work. You may need to buy additional hardware for other devices.
How do I connect?
In most cases you just need to startup your computer and it will connect to the Loose Connection network automatically.
Loose Connection Hotspots are Free to use and you don't require a username or password.


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Apple 11-inch iPad Pro 256GB - Wi-Fi + Cellular (Late 2018)
Meet the new iPad Pro.
It's all new, all screen, and all powerful. Completely redesigned and packed with our most advanced technology, it will make you rethink what iPad is capable of.
And what a computer is capable of.
The new all-screen design means iPad Pro is a magical piece of glass that does everything you need, any way you hold it.
With new, intuitive gestures, getting around is simple. Just swipe up to go home
The new Liquid Retina display goes from edge to edge. True-to-life color and ProMotion technology make everything look gorgeous and feel responsive. You've got to see it-and touch it-to believe it.
Face ID comes to iPad. It's engineered for secure unlocking and works seamlessly whether you holt it portrait or landscape. It's the world's most secure facial authentication in a tablet. And in a computer.
Use Face ID to unlock your iPad Pro, log in to apps, and pay with a glance. It's one password you can't forget.
A12X Bionic is the smartest, most powerful chip we've ever made. It has the Neural Engine, which runs five trillion operations per second and enables advanced machine learning. Translation: It's faster than most PC laptops.
Put all that power to work by multitasking with just a few swipes. Work on a creative project, message with a friend, search the web for inspiration, and make a FaceTime call. All at the same time.
A12X Bionic delivers 2X faster graphics. Which makes iPad Pro the perfect machine for augmented reality and a great way to play immersive games. Reality just got really fun.
USB-C gives you a high-performance connection to accessories like an external display or camera. You can even charge your phone with it.
iPad Pro has two great cameras equipped with Smart HDR. A 12MP camera great for stunning photos, 4K video, document scanning and AR experiences. And a TrueDepth camera perfect for Portrait selfies, FaceTime, Animoji, and Memoji.
And just over half a kilo, it's more portable than ever. Connect on the go with fast Wi-Fi and 4G LTE Advanced. And with up to 19 hours of battery life.


text:
Brian Banks signs with Atlanta Falcons
Linebacker Brian Banks traveled a winding road to the NFL, but he's officially a member of the Atlanta Falcons after a torturous journey to reach the professional ranks.
Banks first confirmed the signing via Twitter on Wednesday.
Cleared in May 2012, Banks was wrongly jailed for five years but released when he was exonerated because the alleged assault victim that put him behind bars recanted 10 years after he was convicted.
Banks worked out for the Seahawks, Chiefs and Chargers last spring and participated in the San Francisco 49ers' rookie minicamp.
He's 6-2 1/2, 240 pounds, he's considered a middle linebacker in a 4-3 scheme.
Banks had been offered a scholarship by USC, but the rape conviction when he was in high school forced his incarceration. He then played one season of football at Long Beach City College after his release in 2007, but he was forced to wear a tracking device, which ended his football career until his conviction was overturned last month.


text:
Build Your Design & Manufacturing Business Across North America
Expand your sales lead pipeline with targeted, regional design & manufacturing events
UBM design & manufacturing events offer an enterprising environment, in high-performing manufacturing regions, to make new contacts, develop and deepen relationships, and showcase products, solutions, and services to industry professionals with purchasing intent.
Our events combine an array of attractions and networking functions with exceptional education programs to deliver a community experience that draws important decision makers you want to meet.
Want more information? Complete the form on the right to get more information.


text:
Clean Sport Message
The Golden Baton carries the message of Fair Play
The Golden Baton challenges its receiver to promote clean sport and to commit to its values. The holders of the baton constitute a proud and active chain of winners. The message of fair play is carried forward, and the baton carriers declare themselves publicly to be messengers for clean sport. The aim of this awareness-raising campaign is to get all the significant players in Finnish sports working toward achieving clean sport.
Golden Batons travel through the championship leagues, international sports events organised in Finland and sports colleges. The following events and organisations have accepted the challenge and joined the messengers of clean sport:
The Golden Baton for International Sports Events:
• The European Youth Olympic Festival 2009
• The Floorball World Championships 2010
• The World Synchronized Skating Championships 2011
• FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) 2011
• Airgun European Championships 2012
• World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships 2012
• Vantaa Cup 2012 - Olympic qualifying tournament 2012
• World University Wrestling Championships 2012
• 2013 Ice Hockey Women's U18 World Championships
• World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships 2013
• 2013 Ice Hockey World Championships
• World Orienteering Championships 2013
• European U23 Athletics Championships 2013
• 2014 Ice Hockey Men's U18 World Championships
• RX Finland - Rallycross World Championship event
• World Goalball Championships 2014
• IBU World Championships Biathlon 2015
• Classic Powerlifting World Championships 2015
• US World Championships 2015 - strongman/
woman World Championships
• 10th IFF Women's World Floorball Championships 2015
• The ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2017
• International Junior Shotgun Cup 2017
• Neste Rally Finland 2017, Finnish round of FIA
World Rally Championship
• World Junior Wrestling Championships 2017
• EuroBasket first round 2017
• Goalball European Championships 2017
• The IAAF World U20 Championships 2018
• European Para Youth Games 2019
• World Junior Championships in Athletics 2018
The Golden Baton for Sports Institutes, Academies and Colleges:
• Varala Sports Institute
• Kuortane Sports Institute
• Urhea (the sports academy of the Helsinki area)
• Sampo Sports High School
• Mäkelänrinne Sports High School
• Salpausselkä Sports High School
• Kuortane Sports High School
• Kastelli Sports High School
• Vöyri upper secondary school
• Kerttuli Sports High School
• Porin suomalaisen yhteislyseon lukio
The Golden Baton for Championship Leagues:
• the national ice hockey league 2010
• the women's national football league 2010
• the national volleyball league 2010-2011
• the national Finnish baseball league 2011
• the national Finnish floorball league 2011-2012


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About Me
- Russell Blackford
- Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. Author of FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND THE SECULAR STATE (2012), HUMANITY ENHANCED (2014), and THE MYSTERY OF MORAL AUTHORITY (2016).
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Sunday Supervillainy (early) - AvX #2
4 comments:
- Rocket Stegosaurus said...
I've given up on AvX. It's just inexcusably dumb. It's a real shame that it, Justice League, and Before Watchmen will be the top sellers this year. Ugh.
- 22 April, 2012 00:03
- Russell Blackford said...
Is there something in particular that you have in mind with the "inexcusably dumb" comment? Don't get me wrong - I can think of possibilities!
- 23 April, 2012 23:15
- Rocket Stegosaurus said...
Besides the premise and execution? (Hehe.) Magneto expressing reluctance at Cyke's plans, only to toss Colossus at the Helicarrier a panel later. Iron Man somehow having a "defeat physics" button in his armor. Thing, of all people, taking on Namor in his home turf. And John Romita Jr's art has been terrible, and he's penciling through issue five. Ugh.
- 24 April, 2012 00:09
- Russell Blackford said...
I was thinking more the way Captain America and Cyclops both acting out of character - both are being totally unreasonable in plot-driven ways. We seem to see a lot of this sort of thing these days ... as in Children's Crusade, Magneto seems to have taken on the role of the bee-nther/done-that villain who keeps telling the heroes that it's better to be more reasonable (though as you say, he sure is quick to get in a fight as soon as that's the call .. then again, to be fair, Magneto has always been shown as eager for a good fight - it's one of his endearing qualities as a villain).
One thing I disagree about, though, is Romita's art. I actually quite like it, cartoonish though it is. I guess this is a matter of taste.
- 25 April, 2012 09:25


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"Gotta Go Bags"
"Gotta Go Bags" are school emergency bags that are filled with supplies that school personnel may need to have or to take with them in an emergency.
A minimum of two bags should be kept in each building, each of which should be kept in a different location in the school should one of the locations not be accessible. It is a good idea to keep a bag at an outside location, such as an evacuation site.
There are two levels of "gotta go bags:" school level and district level. Each bag should be updated periodically and any necessary changes or replacements made.
The "Gotta Go Bags" form offers a check off list of basic items schools and districts may want to include in their bags.
Note: To view and print the Gotta Go Bag form, you must have Adobe's Acrobat® which you can download, without cost, directly from Adobe by clicking on Adobe's Acrobat®. If you are unable to download a PDF document, your may request the document by contacting your area Outreach Coordinator.


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Utah's Solutions to Medicaid Woes Have Been Stifled by Washington
February 28, 2012
By Governor Gary R. Herbert
As Published in the Deseret News 2/26/12
As 2014 looms and the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act threaten to become permanent, virtually every state is seeking a solution to an impending Medicaid-induced budget crisis. In Utah, Medicaid consumes 21.5 percent of our budget, nearly double what it was a decade ago, encroaching on critical education funding and elbowing out social service, transportation and corrections needs. For Medicaid to survive and state budgets to balance, states must both modernize Medicaid and bend the health care cost curve.
Utah set out to do just that, and our solution garnered the bipartisan, unanimous support of the 104-member Utah State Legislature, as well as stakeholders across the spectrum. But such broad-based support was inadequate for federal observers. Following a prolonged approval process, the proposal was squarely undercut last month by Washington, D.C., bureaucrats who prefer the failed federal status quo to a state-initiated solution.
The framework of Utah's solution was principle-based and outcome-driven. The principles included caring for our most vulnerable populations, protecting long-term program viability, promoting responsibility and preserving individual choice.
The desired outcome was simple: improve the way we deliver health care to the most vulnerable populations while protecting Medicaid's long-term viability. To achieve the outcome, Utah's proposal includes five innovative components:
1) Change financial incentives for doctors, rewarding quality instead of quantity.
2) Align Medicaid's growth rate with that of state general funds.
3) Offer a premium subsidy option to provide Medicaid clients access to a health plan offered through their employer or the Utah Health Exchange.
4) Modestly increase co-payments to curb over-utilization and encourage appropriate care.
5) Reward those who actively maintain or improve their health.
These are seemingly sound requests. But D.C. didn't get it. Staff at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — the agency from whom we need approval to enact our proposals — denied many key provisions, effectively gutting Utah's solution. What was baffling was the rationale, or lack thereof.
First, bureaucrats rejected our cost containment strategy, even though Oregon has used precisely the same approach since the 1990s, an approach reauthorized by both the Bush and Obama administrations. If one state has used a strategy that works for almost 20 years, why can't other states follow suit?
HHS also initially rejected our idea of incenting patients to get healthy or stay healthy. Once we pushed back, a higher level officer reviewed the situation and reversed course. While we appreciate their acknowledgement of their own flawed reasoning, it also illustrates the inconsistent and capricious nature of their review process.
Of course, this is not the first time Washington has demonstrated a stubborn and biased unwillingness to allow Utah to manage our Medicaid program. Last fall, after three full years of inaction, HHS rejected a separate proposal to allow Medicaid clients to choose a private individual policy that better meets their needs. In their denial letter, staff suggested they simply didn't believe Utah Medicaid recipients could make the right choice for their families.
In order to resolve this arbitrary denial of state solutions, I have scheduled a face-to-face meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on my next trip to Washington. On behalf of the people of Utah, my message will be clear: re-examine your agency's arbitrary and unsupportable position on our Medicaid proposals, and restore the role of states as true partners in what used to be a state-federal partnership.
The role of the federal government should not be to stifle and suppress state innovation and solutions to our Medicaid morass.
To the contrary, the federal government should look to the states — the true incubators of innovation and ideas — for solutions to the challenges besetting both Medicaid and state budgets. Who knows? We might have more than four or five good ideas to avert this crisis. (Please see above, Washington.)


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We've all experienced the scene. A family gathering, a group of friends, in a bar or a restaurant. All chatting. But not to each other. Instead, they sit hunched over their mobile phones, interacting with people far away and ignoring those by their side.
What drives this strange behavior? Recent studies in psychology have found many of us have a condition called Fear of Missing Out, or FoMO. It's described as 'a worry that friends and important others may be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.'
Such worries have always been around, and in earlier times probably accounted for our tendency to spy on the neighbors or gossip about colleagues at work. With the rise of social media, though, a couple of things changed.
First, we suddenly had access to a lot more information about our nearest and dearest. Today you rarely need to ask your friends about their vacations; chances are you will have seen their snaps on Instagram before they've even returned.
Second, you never knew when new information might come in. While water-cooler conversations can be predicted in advance, a Tweet or a Facebook update can arrive at any time.
The rapid-fire, unpredictable nature of updates is what gives social media much of its allure. But it feeds right into FoMO, as well.
"Social media has lowered the cost of admission for knowing about the things we could be doing," says Andrew Przybylski , research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute in the United Kingdom, and the leading authority on FoMO.
"It sets up an easier space for us to know we are not having the maximum experience."
But at least in the early days of social media you still had to be online to get your hit of other people's action. That meant being in front of a computer with an Internet connection.
Now, thanks to smartphones and other mobile devices, you can check on other peoples' activity all the time. And sometimes it's hard not to.
"Previously, if things were going on someone would have to call you or you would have to turn on the television," Przybylski says. "The way a lot of things are set up now is that they will intrude in the here and now to tell you things."We are in a space where people haven't quite learned yet how to regulate it. The affordance of getting all this great information comes with the cost of having to learn a new cognitive skill."
This sounds like pretty bad news for good old-fashioned face-to-face interactions. But Przybylski thinks that what is happening is actually a chance to master technology in order to lead more enriching and fulfilling lives.
If we can cut through social media's background noise, for example, we can use location-based mobile technology services to find friends and family nearby, giving us more opportunities to meet in person.
Whereas traditional social media use can exacerbate FoMO, mastering it in this way could help overcome the fear. If you lead a richer life you are less likely to feel you are missing out.
Ultimately, Przybylski believes, FoMO "is not a bad thing. It's a chance for someone to think: 'what are the things I am most afraid of missing?' And that leads to the question: 'What do I really want?'"
FoMO: The Brand Angle
If marketing is about getting people to buy new things then a fear of missing out should be a great thing for marketers, right? Not so, says Andrew Przybylski. For a start, FoMO itself is not really that enjoyable.
A study of college students revealed those with high levels of FoMO had more positive and more negative experiences of social media. "It was an ambivalent or mixed feeling," Przybylski says; not something brands would necessarily want to encourage.
At the same time, FoMO can be counterproductive to brand loyalty.
"If you want continued brand engagement, you don't want people to experience FoMO for every new model of BMW, because maybe they won't like their current BMW and they will sour on the idea," Przybylski points out.
That is perhaps why the companies that would appear to have the most to gain from FoMO, which are social media providers such as Facebook, have actually become quite adept at pruning the kinds of content they offer you.
"One of the cynical things that people say about Timeline is that it's a way of inserting ads," says Przybylski. "But one of the functions it has is to weight the importance of certain stories to you.
"The folks at Facebook have done a series of A/B tests that look at people's satisfaction with getting a 100 percent fire hose news feed versus a weighted one and they say people prefer the weighted one hands-down every time."
The contents or opinions in this feature are independent and may not necessarily represent the views of Cisco. They are offered in an effort to encourage continuing conversations on a broad range of innovative technology subjects. We welcome your comments and engagement.
We welcome the re-use, republication, and distribution of "The Network" content. Please credit us with the following information: Used with the permission of http://thenetwork.cisco.com/.


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Black-billed Magpie
Black-billed Magpies are in the family Covidae, which also includes the ravens, crows and jays. They are the birds that everyone loves to hate. It seems a contradiction that one of the most intelligent and beautiful of Montana birds has such a bad reputation. Magpies have a long history of conflict with humans and were extensively exterminated in the 1920s and 30s. However, magpie populations have increased, with problems occurring in localized areas where loose colonies have concentrated close to humans.
Since the most important items in their diet seem to be insects and small rodents, they are more beneficial than destructive to agriculture. Magpies have readily adapted to the presence of humans and have taken advantage of the new food sources.


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Welcome to Walls Insurance
At Walls Insurance, our main objective and philosophy is to be honest and fair in all our dealings, and to be truly interested in our customer's insurance needs. With over 65 years of service to the Binghamton, NY and surrounding areas, we will always put forth the extra effort in maintaining good customer service.
As an independent insurance agency, we represent carefully selected and reputable insurance companies. We know how to work efficiently with our companies, which means you receive the best coverage at the lowest price. Walls Insurance will help you manage and plan for all of your potential risks.
Our team works hard to build trusted relationships every customer. If you have a question about a claim, or if you simply want to check on your payment, you can call or come by our office anytime during our regular business hours.
We live here, we invest in our community, and we are dedicated to providing you with tailored insurance policies that fit your needs. Whether you're in need of homeowners, auto, life or renters insurance, we can help. Call us at 607-723-6359 or contact us to schedule a consultation today!


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2017 Dig in the Roman City of Sanisera (Menorca, Spain) only $750 (one session, 18 days)
Dig in the Roman City of Sanisera (Menorca – Balearic Islands – Spain)
1.General Information
In 2008 Sanisera Archaeology Institute for International Field Schools started its courses at the Roman city of Sanisera. During all these years many students have come from all over the world to study abroad to Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) in order to dig up the Roman remains located at this classical site on the Northern coast of the island.
The research is focused on the archaeological excavation of Sanisera and it studies what happened in this Roman port connected to the maritime traffic that sailed the Mediterranean during those times. As a result, we know that this is a very interesting archaeological site, with abundant findings of multiple objects that will help us to reconstruct its past.
The excavation at the Roman city of Sanisera provides all the archaeological documentation necessary for the student to acquire enough training and experience in all aspects surrounding an excavation of the Roman civilization from the II century B.C. to the VI A.D.
2. What you will learn
2.1. In the Fieldwork:
§ How to dig and which archaeological techniques are used.
§ Use and handling of the tools that are used during the excavation process.
§ Basic principles of stratigraphy.
§ Recording the data obtained during the excavation using the Harris Method.
§ Practice on the recognition of archaeological materials and Roman finds from the II century B.C. - VI A.D.
§ Basic procedures for sample collection.
2.2. In the Laboratory
§ Study and typological classification of archaeological objects of Roman archaeology: ceramics, numismatics, faunal remains, metals and glass.
§ Relative dating based on the classification of archaeological objects discovered in stratigraphic sequence.
2.3. Theory
§ History, archaeology, economy and culture of the Roman civilization.
§ Introduction to the History of the Sanisera Site.
§ Minorcan archaeology before the Roman conquest of the Balearic Islands.
3. Directed at
The training provided in this course and the experience you can acquire can strengthen you if you are thinking about archaeology in a professional level.
If you are contemplating for the first time to be a volunteer in an archaeology field school, this course could be right for you. This program accommodates participants with or without previous experience.
You can learn from the beginning excavation techniques and methodology. During the excavation you will find archaeological remains from the classical period including Roman pottery, amphorae, glass, etc. that you will learn how to identify in the laboratory.
The comprehensive experience that you will gain in this course will help you to decide if you want to pursue archaeology in university or as a profession.
Previous knowledge or experience in archaeology or computer systems is not required.
3. Field School life & language
The fieldwork focuses on Classical archaeology, and specifically on Roman archaeology.
On a normal working day at the Field School, students wake up in the morning and have breakfast at the students' residence before the staff members pick them up with the vans. Then we take a ride to the North of the island to get to the beautiful port of Sanitja, where the Roman city of Sanisera is located. Once there, students devote 4 hours to fieldwork, where they learn proper excavation techniques to improve their skills, while they dig in different buildings in an area of the city very close to the sea.
During fieldwork students recover the materials located in the rooms and other contexts, including tons of Roman ceramics such as amphorae and fine wares, glass wares, faunal remains and metal pieces such as adornments, tools and coins.
After fieldwork we go to the Field School center, where students have a sandwich break to get some energy back! Our center holds the laboratories, where students work with the Roman pottery found on site. The main aim is to wash, label, classify and prepare the materials' inventories. Also students are given lectures on Roman pottery typologies (both for amphorae and fine wares), History of the site, archaeological practice and methodology and Classical History in the Western Mediterranean.
Digging at the Roman city of Sanisera is a first-hand experience to get an insight on the Classical world in a Mediterranean island.
It runs 7 hours a day, and is divided between excavation, lab work, exercises, lectures and excursions. For every seven course days, there are two days off. The course is taught in English and Spanish.
4. Certificates
At the end of the Field Program, students will receive a certificate of participation stating the hours and activities of the course. Participants that perform exceedingly well in the course may receive a letter of recommendation from our organization upon request.
5. Sessions & Cost
6. Course fee includes
- Course tuition.
- Accommodation in the Student Residency in Ciutadella. Two to six people per room.
- Walking distance to the historic center, port and beaches.
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Accident insurance at the site.
- Daily transportation to/from the archaeological fieldwork.
- Excursions.
- Certificate of participation.
Airfare not included from the student home to/from Menorca (Spain).
7. Spaces available
The course is limited to 12 participants per session. Reservations are only effective when payment of the registration fee is received. If for any reason the course is cancelled, payment is returned according to the field school refund policy.
8. Information and reservations
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Web page: www.archaeology.institute
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From the Sky-Hi Daily News:
The Middle Park Land Trust recently accepted its 63rd conservation easement, protecting the 117-acre Blue Ridge Ranch located in the Williams Fork Valley. This conservation easement, like all easements, will protect the property's scenic and agricultural open space and its quality natural habitat in perpetuity.
Characterized by upland sagebrush, wetlands, riparian habitat, and aspen and conifer forests, Blue Ridge Ranch provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, birds, fish and insects. The easement provides a link between the habitat on the property and that on surrounding public and private lands, as well as connecting adjacent and nearby conservation properties that have already been protected in the Williams Fork Valley…
With the Blue Ridge Ranch Conservation Easement, the land trust now holds 63 easements on 6,954 acres.
More Colorado River Basin coverage here.


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Archdiocese of Aksum
The Holy Archdiocese of Aksum is a diocese under the jurisdiction of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church. Its territory includes Greek-speaking parishes located in nations of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somaliland, and Somalia.
The Archdiocese of Axum was established as an archdiocese by a Patriarchal and Synodal Decree.
Ruling Bishops
- Petros (Giakoumelos) 1972—Present
Further reading
- Christopher Haas. "Mountain Constantines: The Christianization of Aksum and Iberia." Journal of Late Antiquity, Volume 1, Number 1, Spring 2008. pp.101-126.
- (At the beginning of the fourth century, Ezana I of Aksum and Mirian III of Iberia espoused Christianity, much like their better-known contemporary, Constantine the Great. The religious choices made by the monarchs of these two mountain polities was but one stage in a prolonged process of Christianization within their respective kingdoms. This study utilizes a comparative approach in order to examine the remarkably similar dynamics of religious transformation taking place in these kingdoms between the fourth and late sixth centuries. The cultural choice made by these monarchs and their successors also factored into, and were influenced by, the fierce competition between Rome and Sassanian Persia for influence in these strategically important regions.)
Categories > Church History
Categories > Church History > Canon Law > Ecclesiology > Jurisdictions > Dioceses
Categories > Church History > Canon Law > Ecclesiology > Jurisdictions > Dioceses > Alexandria Patriarchate Dioceses
Categories > Places > Orthodoxy by country > Orthodoxy in Africa


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None of this, of course, comes as a surprise to right-wingers:
The bigger problem for Maduro and his allies is how to explain the government's failed public-safety record after 14 years in power. The government stopped publishing crime data 10 years ago, and it's easy to see why. Venezuela's homicide rate has grown fourfold during the past 15 years, with 79 homicides per 100,000 people last year, according to estimates by Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, a non-governmental institution that tries to piece together crime figures.
Such numbers make the socialist-led country the third most dangerous nation, after El Salvador and Honduras. By comparison, the 2012 homicide rate in the U.S., the world's bastion of capitalism, stood at 4.7 homicides per 100,000. And that was considered high among rich countries.
Venezuela's death count has even come close to that of Iraq (with a comparable population), where there happened to be a war. From 2003 through 2011, Venezuelan homicides were 124,000, or 76 percent of the body count in Iraq during that same period. That's a shocking toll for a nation in peace time.
Full post here.


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In addition to design, I do bodywork and massage therapy. That along with running, yoga, and tennis with my wife, helps balance out all the computer time. We are currently residing in Portland, OR so if you're local we can actually meet up. But this is the internet, so I keep in touch and work with people all over the world. How awesome is that!


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Recent Posts
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
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A View From Studio 3: Second-half storylines
Watch for Bucs to end drought, Wainwright, Cabrera, Davis to make history
On our fourth consecutive day without a meaningful Major League game, the troops are losing steam. In this intense heat wave, maintaining focus is an issue. So is keeping strength. Morale is starting to waver, and if this drought goes on any longer, mutiny is a real possibility. But based on our estimate, if we can sustain just another few hours, a reward awaits. By the time daylight breaks, we will be staring nose to nose at the unofficial second half to the 2013 season. The storylines are intriguing, but in this state of delirium, it's difficult to know what is real and what is imagined. Please advise.
-- MLB fan
MLB fan,
Hang on tight. Stay strong. Breathe. You're nearly out of the woods. The following storylines are real. Although in some cases, they are hard to fathom. Currently there are 14 teams either in first place or within five games of first place. That group does not include the Yankees, Angels, Phillies or Giants. But it does include the Pirates.
Pittsburgh is a force and a story to watch through the summer. You're not hallucinating. The Bucs haven't played in the postseason since 1992. George H.W. Bush was still in office. In 2013, they have the second-best record in the National League. While a playoff appearance is the desired goal, a winning season would be cause for celebration. The last time they enjoyed at least 82 wins was also in 1992. All the Pirates have to do is win 26 of their remaining 69 games to pop the cork on aged champagne.
A champagne celebration will not suffice if Miguel Cabrera wins back-to-back Triple Crowns. The Tigers will need to up the ante. In the history of the game, no player has won the award in consecutive years. Miggy has a real shot to rewrite the record books. While it seems imagined, Cabrera is having a much better season than he had in 2012. The Tigers star could set personal single-season highs in hits, runs, RBIs, homers, walks, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Cabrera's greatest competition figures to be Chris Davis. The Orioles slugger enters the second half with the most homers in the game, 37. It's not a mirage. And maybe not a total surprise. In his Minor League career, Davis was a prolific power hitter, averaging one homer every 15 or so at-bats. In his Major League career, that average was basically the same until 2013. This season, "Crush" is hitting one home run every every 9.2 at-bats. At this current pace, he'll hit 62 and become the first player since 2001 to smack 60 or more in a season.
While it may be tough during this difficult time, MLB fan, think a few weeks ahead to the Trade Deadline. The Phillies may hold the postseason key for a few different clubs. If the Phils decide to clean house, they could trade Cliff Lee and Chase Utley. Lee's already been moved three times in Deadline deals and could end up back in Texas. The Rangers' starting pitching has been ravaged by injuries. Ultey has spent his entire career in Philadelphia. If he's traded, Oakland could try to snag him. The A's need an upgrade at second base. If these moves come to fruition, we could watch Lee battle Utley in the American League playoffs.
Right now, the playoffs do not seem likely for the Nationals. That could change. But consider their situation. One game over .500 and five games back in the Wild Card standings. It was World Series or bust for this club in Davey Johnson's final year as manager. So far, it's been a bust. Many predicted 100 wins and a runaway division win. I can't recall anyone stating that the Nats' offense would struggle, but it has been anemic. Among the worst in the NL. The next three weeks will tell a lot about the Nats. They face the Dodgers, Pirates, Tigers, Phillies and Braves in 15 games in a 22-game span.
The Braves continue to lead the Nationals in the NL East despite the struggles of B.J. Upton. He hopes to avoid making history for the wrong reason. If his nightmare continues, Upton could finish the year with fewer than 100 hits and more than 200 strikeouts. That's happened only one time in the history of the game. Mark Reynolds was the first, in 2010 while playing for Arizona.
Finally, Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright is rewriting history. The right-hander has a legitimate shot to finish 2013 with more wins than walks allowed. He currently has 12 victories and only 15 walks. If Wainwright pulls this off, he'll be the first pitcher in the modern era to complete the feat in a non-shortened season. In 1994, Bret Saberhagen finished the strike-shortened season with 14 wins and 13 walks allowed.
Keep your eyes on the prize, MLB fan. Strap in and hydrate. The second half is almost here. Figures to be a wild ride. Get some rest. You'll need it.


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - New from Mexico! xD Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in New from Mexico! xD Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Making Friends View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message YessVJoined: 29 Oct 2010Posts: 4 Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 1:14 pm Post subject: New from Mexico! xD Hey guys!! My name is Yesenia, and I'm from Mexico. I'm an English student. I'm 15 years old... and I like movies, music, photography, books, blah blah :B I'd love to make friends here! I hope so. Have a nice day Back to top c14tamamiJoined: 21 Nov 2010Posts: 9 Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 5:30 pm Post subject: Hi Yesenia!! I'm from Japan. nice to meet you. I've been to Mexico for trip when I was 15 years old. I was staying Laredo, TX at that time as an exchange student. Where I stayed is very close to the border, so my host family took me to Mexico. I forgot the name of city i visited.lol Anyways when I cross the border, I was scaring because there were many securities with like fierce faces. lol I bought many stuffs in the town. What I liked the most is the candy with chili. I dont know what it calls. First time I ate it, tasted sweet n hot, tasted like very strange. But after eating a while, I could taste it good, yummy lol I wanna visit Mexico again. Back to top Thomas_USAJoined: 07 Dec 2011Posts: 7 Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 5:55 am Post subject: Hola Yesenia Hey there Yesenia! My name is Thomas and I live in the state of Tennessee in the US. My father is married to a woman from Honduras so English and Spanish is spoken in our house. Sorry, but my Spanish isn't that good ... But I'm learning and maybe you can help me. I'm 14 years old and I like playing video games, music, movies, my IPOD and cell phone, and chatting with my friends on the internet. I want to come visit Mexico today because it's so cold here today Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! I like snow for a few days but I prefer warmer weather. (Not to hot though! LOL ) Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Making Friends All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


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Greek premier promises recovery from 2014
Greece's economy will start to recover next year and by 2020 will reach pre-crisis, and probably higher, levels of prosperity after six years of deep recession, the prime minister said Saturday.
Antonis Samaras said most of the efforts to get the country out of the crisis have been completed and that revenue will exceed spending in 2013, excluding debt repayment.
"Greece has turned the corner ... After the end of the year, we will achieve a new lightening of the debt burden, which our creditors have committed to," Samaras said in a speech opening up the annual international trade fair in Thessaloniki, Greece's No. 2 city.
Samaras said his optimism was fueled by data that showed the economy shrank less than expected in the first half of 2013 and by what he termed a "record" rise in the number of tourists, which could add "more than 11 billion euros ($14.43 billion) directly, and 30 billion euros ($39.35 billion) indirectly, into the economy."
Despite the upbeat speech, there were still signs that a sense of normalcy is far from being restored. Authorities restricted access to the trade fair grounds to keep protesters a kilometer (more than a half-mile) away from there and another site where Samaras visited local businesspeople. Most of the city center has been cut off to traffic since Friday and nearly 4,500 police officers patrolled the area.
Samaras himself stayed in the city less than five hours, forgoing, for the second straight year, the traditional long news conference that every premier used to give on the day following the inauguration.
Thessaloniki police said an estimated 17,000 anti-austerity protesters took part in three separate demonstrations Saturday evening.
A rally called by the country's two largest unions ended peacefully; one by pro-communist unionists went by mostly without incident, although a few farmers drove a truck to one of the international fair gates and dumped large quantities of tomatoes and peaches in protest.
A third rally, by opponents of a Canadian-led gold mining project east of Thessaloniki and joined by anarchists, ended with minor scuffles with police when protesters started throwing rocks and bottles. Police responded with tear gas and detained an unknown number of protesters.
Opposition leader Alexis Tsipras, leader of the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) party marched with the mainstream union rally and called for early elections. He will also fulfill his more traditional role of opposition leader by officially visiting the trade fair next Saturday and giving a news conference the following day.
Samaras criticized the opposition Friday, accusing it of rejoicing in the country's problems and of rejecting any "reasonable" way out of the crisis. He hit out at both SYRIZA and the far right Golden Dawn party, saying the two extremes were voting the same way, against his coalition government, so that "they can fight it over Greece's ruins."
On the other hand, Samaras thanked his socialist coalition partner, and even the Democratic Left party, which left the coalition a couple of months ago, for helping pass austerity measures that staved off bankruptcy.
Samaras took an indirect swipe at his predecessor as conservative leader, Costas Karamanlis, whose government has been blamed for policies from 2004 to 2009 that helped derail the economy.
"We have achieved the biggest fiscal adjustment (cutting the budget deficit) in the world," he said, referring to the efforts of the socialist government, from 2009 to 2011, and two coalition governments hence.
"In 2009, we were paying 13 billion a year to service the debt and ... at that, pace, we would be paying 29 billion in 2013. Instead, we will be paying just 6.5 billion this year. Because we also achieved the biggest debt haircut ever, 145 billion euros, in 2012," Samaras said, referring to the agreement that allowed Greece to be forgiven that sum from private creditors.
"All this, without defaulting or leaving the euro ... Staying in the euro, has allowed Greece to be made an island of stability in the wider region," he said, referring to the situation in the Middle East and northern Africa. He added that Greece could enhance its international status by becoming, together with Cyprus and Israel, an "axis of stability in the region."
Greece's better-than-expected performance in lowering its deficit has already allowed it to cancel measures it had agreed to, such as an additional tax on companies and cuts in the wages, pensions and benefits to the armed forces and the police. It also means that "no new (austerity) measure, besides those we have already committed to" will be taken. He promised he would spend most of the 2013 budget surplus on helping the poorest and he added that, "as long as revenues are going well, you will see tax cuts. I am still committed to a 15 percent corporate tax as soon as the primary budget surpluses become regular."
Samaras promised to help bring in foreign investment, citing meetings with the heads of many large foreign companies he has had in recent weeks, including the CEOs of Philip Morris, IBM and Procter & Gamble. He also promised to combat bureaucracy, tax evasion and corruption and to enforce performance assessments of civil servants. He also promised greater security.
"We are slowly cleaning up the city centers that had been taken over by illegal immigrants," he said, referring to systematic sweeps and deportations of migrants without proper documentation by the police over the past year.
Costas Kantouris reported from Thessaloniki.


text:
Welcome to the XUL Accessibility Guidelines. By following these principles and practices, you will be able to write your XUL applications in such a way that all users, including those with physical, sensory, or communicative disabilities, with be able to use and enjoy them. Accessibility is not difficult, but does require a basic understanding of the different types of disabilities, commonly used assistive technologies, and special accessibility features built into the XUL languages. Most of all, accessibility requires a conscious effort on your part, and a desire to include everyone.
It is hoped that these guidelines will be sufficiently clear and detailed that everyone—even someone with no previous background in accessibility—can understand them. In addition, there is an active community of accessibility developers within the Mozilla Project that will be happy to help you with any concerns or questions you have in regards to making your XUL applications fully accessible.
There is also a XUL accessibility tool which can help test some of these guidelines, but please be aware that no tool can replace human judgement for accessibility, and understanding the guidelines is vital.
|Platform Features
|Mozilla Community
|Software Accessibility - Where Are We Today? Intro to accessibility, assistive technologies, and Mozilla resources.
Introduction to Web Accessibility. Overview of web accessibility from WebAIM.
Dive Into Accessibility. Downloadable book on web accessibility with tips and character sketches.
Assistive technology compatibility. List of popular assistive technologies and their respective compatibility levels with XUL.#accessibility. Accessibility channel for general discussion around Internet accessibility with logger. Useful at conferences.
|Apple Accessibility. Portal to Apple accessibility.
LARS (Linux Accessibility Resource Site). Portal for general Linux accessibility.Microsoft Accessibility. Portal for Microsoft accessibility.
|Accessibility - MDC. Accessibility hub on the Mozilla Developer Center.
mozilla.support.accessibility. Mozilla accessibility newsgroup.#accessibility. Accessibility channel on Mozilla's IRC server.
Keyboard access
Keyboard access is important to users who can't use a mouse. Many screen reader users and those with physical disabilities rely on the keyboard as their primary input tool. These users require easy, predictable, and well-documented keyboard control.
Tab order
Provide a logical tab order and ensure that users can navigate all content using a keyboard. By default, the tab order is determined by the order of the elements in the underlying code. It can also be set programmatically with the tabindex attribute if needed, but this should be done sparingly and thoroughly tested whenever it is used. The navigation order should be logical, generally left to right, top to bottom. Navigation order may vary depending on the nature of the application or the reading direction of the language.
Ensure that tab order is logical and all interactive elements can be accessed simply without the use of a mouse. You should be able to perform all functionality either directly in the application or through menu items or the context menu.
Provide alternative functionality for inaccessible operations. The column picker and column headers in XUL trees are not keyboard accessible, consistent with the standard tree behavior on most contemporary operating systems. It is therefore necessary to provide a keyboard accessible alternative for accessing this functionality.
The Firefox "Bookmarks Manager" provides an example of how to make trees more accessible. The bookmark manager allows users to sort bookmarks by a particular column of information and choose which columns to display. Because column headers and the column picker, in the upper right hand corner of the tree, can not receive focus, they are not operable with a keyboard. In the bookmark manager this functionality is available under the view menu which is accessible to a keyboard user.
By default, toolbar buttons cannot receive focus with a keyboard. The recommended way of fixing this is that all functionality associated with a toolbar be duplicated elsewhere in the application, such as in a menu item or context menu. In cases where duplication of functionality is not possible (such as a window without a menu bar), toolbar buttons can be made focusable by adding the special CSS rule -moz-user-focus: normal. (Firefox's "Print Preview" window uses this fallback technique.) This should only be used as a last resort, and it should be consistent throughout a window (that is either all toolbar buttons are tabbable or none of them are).
Keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are very useful to users needing keyboard access. There are many ways to provide keyboard shortcuts. They are well documented in the XUL Tutorial:Keyboard Shortcuts.
Careful attention should be taken when setting keyboard shortcuts. When creating an extension (for Firefox or another XUL application), make sure the keyboard shortcuts you assign do not interfere with those already defined by the base application. Refer to the following resources when setting keyboard shortcuts.
|Keyboard Shortcuts and Accesskeys
|Mozilla Keyboard Planning FAQ and Cross Reference. An excellent guide for determining unused key combinations and cross platform issues.
Mozilla Keyboard Shortcuts. A full list of keyboard shortcuts for the various Mozilla applications.Mozilla's accesskey FAQ. A short reference for using the accesskey attribute.
Context menus
The context menu is the small menu activated with a right mouse click on a content area or element (or with Shift + F10 or VK_APPS on Windows and Ctrl + Click or Ctrl + Space on a Mac). Use the oncontextmenu event handler or the context attribute to create context menus. Do not specifically code them to open on a click of the right mouse button. The oncontextmenu event and context attribute work with the correct platform-specific context menu triggers, including the keyboard button and appropriate mouse clicks.
Mouse dependent scripting
Functionality associated with mouse events such as onmouseover, onmousemove, and ondrag can only be activated with the use of the mouse. Provide keyboard-accessible alternative access points for this functionality. Consider using context menu items or other XUL elements along with keyboard shortcuts.
Ensure that scrolling is keyboard accessible. Many XUL elements can be set to scroll using CSS. Other elements, such as arrowscrollbox and listbox, are made to scroll automatically. As a general rule, elements set to scroll are inaccessible if the user cannot scroll to all the content using the keyboard. The arrowscrollbox, for example, is a non-focusable element and cannot be scrolled using a keyboard. A listbox, however, can receive focus so its contents can scroll. Almost any XUL element can be set to scroll by setting a style to "overflow: auto" or "overflow: scroll". This flexibility should be used carefully.
Maintaining focus
The user should typically control where the current focus is located. Avoid changing the focus automatically. However, disabling, hiding, or destroying the focus element (or any ancestor of the focus element) can cause a loss of focus. To prevent this, move the focus to the next element before disabling, hiding, or destroying the focus element.
The following example shows a JavaScript function that can be called before destroying an element to check for focus and move it if necessary.
function moveFocus(element) { if(element == document.commandDispatcher.focusedElement) { document.commandDispatcher.advanceFocus(); return true; } return false; }
Changing focus unexpectedly can confuse or disorient users. A common example of this occurrence in the US is with phone number form fields. US phone numbers are often displayed on the web in two main formats XXX-XXX-XXXX or (XXX) XXX-XXXX. To enforce this pattern some forms provide three form fields. The problem occurs when a developer decides to add functionality that jumps the user to the second form field once 3 digits have been entered into the first form field. This behavior is then repeated for the next form field. Users who are used to navigating form fields themselves often end up repeating the jump operation and thereby skipping ahead one form field.
Initial dialog focus
The initial focus in a XUL dialog (i.e., the focus when the dialog is first opened) should always be on a specific control, not on the dialog itself. In a tabbed dialog, focus should normally start on the first control in the selected tab. In all other dialogs, focus should just start on the first control (although it can be on any other control if there is a good reason for, just not on the dialog itself).
Testing keyboard access
To test keyboard accessibility, simply unplug or disable your mouse and attempt to use your application with only your keyboard. Verify that the tab order is logical. Make sure you have access to all functionality either directly or through alternative means such as menu items or context menus. Ensure that the user can read all content.
Assistive information
Users of assistive technologies often require additional markup to understand meanings and associations that may be intuitive to visual users. This additional markup is what is known as assistive information. Providing the additional information is easy, but is often forgotten because it yields little or no visual change.
Alternative text
Provide alternative text for meaningful images. Alternative text is not needed when an image serves a purely decorative function. Use the "alt" attribute to describe HTML images and use the "tooltiptext" attribute on XUL elements that use images (i.e. image elements, buttons with images). For toolbar buttons with images it is recommended to use both a text label in the label attribute and image alt text in the tooltiptext attribute. View the code examples below.
<image src="stop.png" tooltiptext="Stop" />    <toolbarbutton label="Stop" image="stop.png" tooltiptext="Stop loading the page" />
Provide unique titles to window container elements such as windows, wizards, and dialogs. Titles provide users the most basic information about the application. The title is often the first thing spoken by a screen reader when an application is opened or activated. Users can also refer back to the title to get a sense of where they are located. Titles are displayed in the top bar of an application. View code examples below.
<dialog id="print_dialog" title="Print" ...> <window id="mywindow" title="My Application" ...> <wizard id="reg_window" title="Register your software" ...>
Form labels
Labels are not automatically associated to form elements. Use the control attribute to bind a text label (from a label element) to a form element. Screen readers will then read aloud the label when entering a form field. For labels that may wrap to a second line, do not use the description element. Instead, use the text of a label enclosed in the label tags, and do not use the value attribute, as shown below for the Password field.
 <textbox id="login-username"/> Password: <textbox id="login-password" type="password"/>
Larger forms can be difficult to layout and structure. While there are many ways to visually structure forms, always provide a text label for every form element. Form elements should not be used to label other form elements.
When form elements are encapsulated in a groupbox with a caption, assistive technologies such as screen readers will read the caption along with the label to the form element. For example, under the privacy section of preferences there are three groupboxes captioned: History, Cookies, and Private Data. If the user were to tab to the "Exceptions..." button they would hear "cookies {pause} exceptions {pause} button." The next tab would read "cookies {pause} keep until {pause} they expire {pause} one of three {pause} combobox." If the screen reader only read the label, then the user would have to guess what the "exceptions" button or the "keep until" combobox was referring to.
Groupboxes are essential for radiogroups or groups of checkboxes with a similar theme (e.g. check all that apply). If you find nested groupboxes visually unappealing, use CSS to hide the border of the inner groupbox so that it can remain in the code to benefit users of assistive technologies.
Complex forms sometimes require a more advanced labeling system than is possible with the standard XUL attributes. For example, the first item in the privacy panel in the Firefox option dialog (discussed and shown above) is
[checkbox] Remember visited pages for the last [textbox] days. The difficulty here arises from the fact that the correct label for the checkbox ("Remember visited pages for the last x days.") includes three different pieces, the second of which is the current value entered into the textbox. The correct label for textbox is actually the same, but we don't want assistive technologies to read or show it twice. We need a way of specifying in the source that the checkbox, editbox, and nearby text labels are all part of a single entity, and that they essentially label each other.
To solve this problem, we use the aria-labelledby attribute on both controls (note the double L—ARIA uses UK-style spelling) to specify that the checkbox and the textbox are both labeled by the the entire group of components. Put into XUL, this looking something like the following.
<checkbox id="rememberHistoryDays" aria-labelledby="historyDaysPreLabel historyBox historyDaysPostLabel"> Remember visited pages for the last <textbox id="historyDays" aria-labelledby="historyDaysPreLabel historyBox historyDaysPostLabel"/> days.
The aria-labelledby attribute comes in handy for controls embedded within controls (usually embedded within a checkbox or a radio button). However, in all other cases using
 is enough.
Testing assistive information
Testing with a screen reader is in many ways the best test, because both the keyboard navigation and underlying semantics/structure of the UI can be tested at the same time. It is an excellent indicator regarding the accessibility of a user interface, but is by no means a complete test. Ultimately, for applications that must be completely accessible, it is best to have the application tested by a variety of end users with different software and assistive technology configurations.
If you don't have access to screen reader software (and don't know anyone who does), your best option is to throughly check the source code to make sure that all of the above guidelines have been met, and then ensure that end users have a way to provide you with feedback on the accessibility (and other aspects) of your application.
It is often said that "presentation is everything." While it is true that presentation is essential, documents should also be structured so that the user can invoke display preferences that may be necessary for accessibility. Presentation should also be flexible to window and font resizing. Cooperative applications adapt well to the user's environment.
System defaults
Maintain system defaults. Many users set their computers to use larger than normal fonts and/or specific color themes. By default, XUL menus, labels, and other widgets get their font, size, and color settings from the user settings specified in the operating system. Respect these defaults unless you have a specific and unavoidable reason to change them. If you must change them, use CSS to size elements relative to the default sizes (for example, use % or em rather than specific point or pixel sizes).
Color is an important tool. Different colors can give different meanings to objects and text. However, color alone is inadequate for conveying meaning or information to the user. Some users may override the default color scheme of your application. Color should only be used to enhance the meaning of an object or text after that meaning is also communicated another way.
Flexible sizing
One of the great things about XUL is that visual layout is easy to control. On the web, visual design is often contained to a specific size. With XUL you can allow elements to flex with the resizing of the application window. Use the flex attribute to provide this functionality.
Testing display
Verify that your application is functional and pleasant looking using user-defined font and color settings. Do this by changing system display settings to an accessible theme (such as the high-contrast theme on windows, available via Left-alt + Left-shift + Printscreen). Confirm that text is emphasized correctly and that color is not used as a sole means to convey meaning. Ensure that when windows are resized, the application adjusts gracefully.
Human computer interaction
As you use an application you expect a certain amount of control and feedback. Provide users with clear instruction and feedback, and allow users to correct errors. Some users with disabilities have difficulties with quick responses. Allow users adequate time to perform tasks.
Provide users with help documentation. Even simple applications should include a help document or manual for user reference. Describe keyboard shortcuts and any other accessibility considerations. Users should be able to reference a complete description of all major functionality of an application. Also provide details on how to use long or complex help documentation.
Provide accessible alerts for presenting important information to the user. Use scripting or the notificationbox element to flag alerts.
Avoid using audio or visual alerts alone to signal urgent events. Users who have audio turned down or off and users who are deaf or hard of hearing may not be able to recognize audio only alerts. Users with visual disabilities will not be able to observe alerts that are purely visual (unless such alerts are presented in functional text that is accessible to a screen reader).
Interactive elements
Avoid small targets, which are difficult to see and click on. Verify that the layout and contrast is sufficient to distinguish interactive elements one from another and from static portions of the application.
Error recovery
When the user causes an error in an application allow for graceful recovery. For example, if the user provides letters where numbers are required in a form, this should not break the application. The user should be alerted to the problem and allowed to fix the error.
Response time
When appropriate, alert the user to time limits and allow the user to adjust a time limit or request more time. One of the miracles of modern technology is that it allows people with even the most severe physical limitations to use computers. Some users use mouth sticks or movement detection devices such as eye tracking to type. This process can be slow. Other users need time to cognitively process what is happening in the application.
Testing human computer interaction
Ensure that help documentation is up to date. Verify that alerts are displayed through appropriate XUL elements. Ensure the user is informed of any user based errors and that instruction and opportunity for reperforming error causing actions is allowed. Ensure that users have control of response time.
Informative audio files such as podcasts can be made accessible by supplying a word-for-word transcript. Transcripts should identify the speakers and describe other relevant sounds such as laughing or singing. Transcripts can be time consuming to generate, but is the only way to make audio content accessible.
A video file can be made accessible by adding synchronized captions. Most media delivery formats provide a means for displaying captions. Video should also have descriptive transcripts. Usually captioning and transcribing go hand in hand, once you have one its easy to produce the other.
|WebAIM article: Web Captioning Overview
WebAIM resource: Captioning Resources
Animation, movement, and audio can all be distracting to some users with attention disorders. Provide a mechanism for turning media and movement on and off.
Flickering or flashing is not only just annoying to everyone, but at a rate more than 3 cycles per second it can cause a seizure in users with Photosensitive Epilepsy. If flickering or flashing is necessary then warn the user before it is displayed.
Testing media
Ensure that media alternatives are available in an accessible format.
Other issues
Custom widgets
Avoid re-creating functionality that already exists. Ensure that custom components are built with accessibility in mind. Use CSS system colors to ensure that new widgets interact well with other widgets and with user-defined colors and themes.
|Accessible Custom Widgets
|Accessible DHTML
Building accessible custom components in XUL
XUL accessibility checklist
Use the following checklist to quickly verify the accessibility of a new XUL application, or as a starting point for fixing accessibility problems in an existing one.
Keyboard access
|Tab order
|Logical tab order is provided.
|Tab order jumps around unexpectedly.
|Keyboard functionality is provided for inaccessible features such as the column picker or added features such as column sorting.
|Keyboard functionality is not provided for column picker and other features.
|Keyboard alternatives are provided for toolbarbutton functionality.
|Keyboard alternatives are not provided for toolbarbutton functionality.
|Keyboard shortcuts
|Keyboard shortcuts are present for important functionality
|Keyboard shortcuts are not provided.
|Context menus
|Context menus are triggered by the oncontextmenu event handler.
|Context menus are hard coded to a right mouse click or other specific trigger.
|Mouse dependent scripting
|All mouse operations have keyboard accessible equivalents.
|Operations exist that can only be performed with a mouse.
|All scrollable elements are controllable with the keyboard.
|Scrolling cannot be performed with a keyboard.
|Keyboard focus is maintained and does not move unexpectedly.
|Focus moves or is disabled unexpectedly.
Assistive information
|Alternative text
|Alternative text is provided for meaningful images.
|Alternative text is missing on meaningful images, or it is inappropriate for the function of an image.
|All windows, including dialogs and wizards, have a descriptive title.
|Windows lack a title or have a incorrect title.
|Form labels
|Every form element has an associated label and radiobuttons are encapsulated in a groupbox.
|Form elements are missing labels or the labels are not programmatically connected or radiobuttons are not contained in a groupbox.
|System defaults
|System settings are maintained.
|System settings are not maintained.
|Color alone is not used to convey meaning and sufficient contrast exists between font color and background color.
|Color alone is used to convey meaning, or font and background color do not provide sufficient contrast.
|Visual elements and containers resize gracefully.
|Visual elements and containers do not resize gracefully.
Human computer interaction
|Help documentation is provided including a description of keyboard shortcuts.
|Help documentation is not provided or is incomplete.
|Alerts are displayed using the alert scripting function or the notificationbox element.
|Alerts are conveyed visually or audibly, or use a method other than the alert scripting function or the notificationbox element.
|Interactive elements
|Interactive elements are sufficiently large and visible.
|Interactive elements are too small or not sufficiently contrasted from other parts of the application.
|Error recovery
|Alerts are presented when the user initiates an error. The user has the opportunity and instruction to fix the error.
|No error alerts exist, or inadequate instruction is provided.
|Response time
|User is informed of time limits and has control of response time when appropriate.
|User is not notified of time limits and/or has no control over response time when appropriate.
|Transcripts are provided for audio tracks.
|No transcript provided.
|Video is captioned and a transcript is provided.
|No captions and/or transcripts provided.
|User has control over animation and is warned about flashing content.
|No control over animation or warnings about flashing exist.
|Custom widgets
|Custom widgets provide accessible functionality.
|Custom widgets are inaccessible.
Further References
- The official W3C Accessibility Guidelines, soon to be released: 2.0 and Techniques for 2.0 which will supercede 1.0. These include language-neutral guidelines and also refer to techniques for XHTML, which is relevant for XUL, as HTML can also be included inside of XUL by use of the XHTML namespace.


text:
Shaw Yacht Design, based in Auckland, New Zealand specialises in the design and development of custom performance yachts, in collaboration with a diverse group of industry experts. The company undertakes a range of design and research projects, from champion sportsboat designs to larger custom race boats.
Designer Robert Shaw has an extensive background in boating and yacht racing, from dinghies and sportsboats to offshore keelboats and multihulls. This is complemented by a career dedicated to boat construction and design, including research and development.