text:
Pronunciation charts:
Phrases to Build Rapport
Pinyin is a simple and established method
to represent the tones and pronunciations of Chinese characters
using the Roman alphabet. Once you learn Pinyin, you will
know how to pronounce any word in Mandarin, the most commonly
spoken Chinese dialect. While Pinyin uses the same letters
as English, some letters have retained their English sounds,
but many letters have adopted different sounds.
Each Chinese character has only one syllable. Pinyin breaks
down each word into two parts, an initial and a final. The
initial represents the beginning of the word and uses a set
of 21 sounds. These letters can be compared to the way consonants
are used in English. There are a set of 37 sounds representing
the finals. Finals can be compared to the way vowels are used
in English. In total, these can combine to form roughly 420
In addition, words in Mandarin that have the same pronunciation
can have different meanings depending on what tone is used.
There are four tones in Mandarin, corresponding to the pitches
and changes in pitch one has to assume in pronouncing a word.
[or any other reworking of the second clause so that the pronoun
'it', which lack a matching antecedent, is eliminated.]
The absence of a tone also has meaning. The tones on this
website are represented with numbers.
These initials have the same pronunciation as in English
o M—as in "man"
o N—as in "no"
o L—as in "love"
o F—as in "for"
o S—as in "sew"
o Y—as in "yes"
o Z—like "ds" in "beds"
These initials have slight differences as noted below. If
the sound needs to be aspirated, one good way to tell if you
are pronouncing it right is to hold your palm a few inches
from your mouth and feel for the breath as you pronounce the
o P—as in "poor" (aspirated)
o K—as in "cool" (aspirated)
o T—as in "took" (aspirated)
o B—as in "boy" (not aspirated)
o D—as in "dove" (not aspirated)
o G—as in "good" (not aspirated)
o H—as in "hot" (not aspirated)
These initials are considered to be the more difficult sounds
to pronounce, with no real equivalent in English.
Zh—as in "jeweler", but
with teeth clenched and tongue up to the roof of the mouth
Ch—as in Zh above, but with a stronger puff of breath,
like in "chirps"
Sh—as in "shoe"
R—as in "run"
C—like the "ts" in "its",
but with a strong puff of breath
J—as in "joy"
Q—like the "chee" in "cheese"
X—like the "shee" in "sheep"
Finals resemble vowel combinations in English. There are
single finals and compound finals. There are six simple finals
represented by a blue link.
A—as in "father"
O—like the "o" in "or"
E—like the "u" in "ugly"
Ai—as in "by"
Ei—like the "ey" in "hey"
Ao—as in "ow"
Ou—like the "ow" in "low"
An—like the "ohn" of "John"
En—like "un" in "under"
Eng—like the "ung" of "lung"
Ong—like the "ung" of "jungle"
but with a "oo" sound
Er—like the "er" in "her"
I—like the "ee" in "feed"
U—like the "oo" "food"
Yu—like the "y" in "yup"
but with a slight "ee" sound
Tone Word with Tone Description of Tone Meaning of Word
1 Ma1 Word said flat and unchanging high tone Mother
2 Ma2 Word said in a rising tone To bother
3 Ma3 Word said first with a falling tone and then a rising
tone Horse
4 Ma4 Word said with a quick falling tone To scold
Neutral Ma5 Word said in a short manner and no emphasis Used
to indicate a question


text: Community, Multisite, WordPress News Follow WPMU DEV on Twitter For All the Latest Releases and Promotions! by Sarah Gooding December 10th, 2010 Leave a comment Sharing is caring Tweet Did you know that WPMU DEV has a Twitter account? Follow us (@wpmudev) for the very latest updates on plugin and theme releases as well as promotions! While you're at it, you may as well follow us on Facebook. From time to time we do some exciting giveaways, so make sure you're in the know! Tags Twitter Share this article with friends: Tweet

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Please login to get more out of this site
You are currently not logged in, do so now to add comments, like articles as well as photos, submit to competitions, translate articles and gain access to unlimited photo upload! If you are not registered yet, go here to find out more about Lomography and join now! If you just want a limited account for now you can use Twitter or Facebook. We would love to have you as a member here!
3 people like this photo
Liking photos helps us to present the best ones to you and others. 3 people like this photo. 3 people like this photo: mloesm, pinkpix, and mrmaart.
No comments yet, be the first
Where is this?
Nearby popular photos – see more
Nearby LomoLocations
Cube Houses in Rotterdam
Architecture rules volontarly broken make crazy cube houses in Rotterdam. The cube houses (o…
A lovely Lomowalk in Rotterdam
Here you can read the report of a LOMOday @ Rotterdam on the 7th of May. It was a lovely, su…
A Lovely Lomowalk in Rotterdam
Here you can read the report of a LOMO day at Rotterdam on the 7th of May. It was a lovely, …
Colourful Kitsch at the China Light Festival in Rotterdam
The Netherlands' second city has launched yet another new festival: the China Light Festival…


text:
User login
Product Pages
SilverLeaf Electronics, Inc.
2490 SW Ferry St.
For general business e-mail lori (at) simply-smarter.com.
Directions, Access is on 25th Street:
From Salem (Coming South via I-5): Google Map From Salem
From Eugene (Going North via I-5): Google Map From Eugene
Now you can use your PC computer to monitor your engine - with the VMSpc. VMSpc is an intelligent data translator that links your serial port to the engine diagnostic connector on your rig. Together with the special software, it allows you to read performance and diagnostic information right on your laptop computer. You get complete diagnostics, trip information, and a great graphing system that lets you display up to five parameters at once. You can even store the engine data to a file and load it into a spreadsheet.
But wait! There's more! VMSpc let's you program audible alarms based on any engine parameter. For example, you can set it to play any WAV file (grab a microphone and record your own!) when your road speed reaches a certain point. Have it played once, once a minute, or continuously.
And you can create a "Tank Minder", which provides a miles-to-empty calculation based on your tank size and fuel economy. VMSpc lets you enter correction factors to compensate for a poorly calibrated engine. You can even program gauges to read in metric, if you desire.
Professional engineers use VMSpc to test their vehicle designs. Now you can use the same tools to test your coach.
Feel free to download the VMSpc software - it's free. In fact, SilverLeaf Electronics is committed to provide the VMSpc software and all updates absolutely free on our web site. We welcome your input, and encourage you to tell us what you'd like to see in future versions of VMSpc.
-Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, or 8.
New! Wireless Versions for J1939
If you have a J1939-equipped engine, you may be able to connect with Bluetooth or Wifi. You can recognize a J1939 engine by the fact that it will use the black 9-pin connector, and the engine is 2004 or newer. (A few older engines also use J1939. Call for more information.)
The Bluetooth connection requires either a PC with built-in "Smart Ready" Bluetooth, or a "Bluetooth Smart Ready" Bluetooth adapter. Bluetooth has the advantage of being able to automatically reconnect each time you use it. The Wifi version requires a little more effort to reestablish the connection each time you use VMSpc. Both versions have plenty of range, no matter the size of your RV.


text:
Marin: Chicago style can spark either shame or pride
BY CAROL MARIN firstname.lastname@example.com September 5, 2012 8:20AM
Carol Marin
Related Stories
Updated: October 6, 2012 1:57PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — While Romney Republicans in Tampa hammered away at Barack Obama's politics as "Chicago-style" — code for Capone and cigar chomping ward bosses — Democrats at this convention couldn't wait to paint their own portrait of Chicago.
And style.
First lady Michelle Obama excelled on both counts. Her elegance and substance shone a light on Chicago Tuesday night that GOP disparagement couldn't dim. And as a woman of color before a rainbow of delegates, she stood in stark contrast to the overwhelmingly white Republican gathering a week earlier.
Gov. Pat Quinn was also on the podium. Love him or hate him, take him or leave him, Quinn has spent all of his political life way on the outsider edge of his party a squeaky wheel of populism, maddening a multitude of his fellow Democratic politicians.
That is not to say that this entire state isn't afflicted by pay-to-play to this very day. It is.
Rep. Mike Quigley, a super delegate here, represents the same 5th Congressional District on the North Side of Chicago that Democrats Dan Rostenkowski and Rod Blagojevich once did. The former went to federal prison. The latter is there now. So is former Republican Gov. George Ryan.
"In Illinois and in Chicago, corruption has worn both parties hats," said Quigley.
But the other, better, side of our politics walked on stage with two titanium prosthetic legs and one still-shattered arm.
Tammy Duckworth, former assistant secretary of Veteran's Affairs has never been a political hack or ghost payroller. She is a former Blackhawk helicopter pilot who served in the military and defended her country in Iraq. And is now running for Congress in the 8th Congressional District against incumbent Joe Walsh.
You can decide to vote for Walsh, not Duckworth.
But you can't say Duckworth hasn't brought honor to public service or to politics no matter how divided our politics may be.
If any of the prominent Chicago speakers at the Democratic convention could be viewed as a lightning rod or a thorn deep in the side of the GOP, it was Chicago mayor and former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
And yes, he is a master par excellence of the fine art of Chicago politics. He was the beneficiary of an army of political patronage workers in his first congressional bid. And the recipient of a Clinton administration patronage job on the board of Freddie Mac, a board that somehow didn't spot the contours of the impending mortgage meltdown.
But Rahm Emanuel in his relentless efforts as mayor to restore Chicago to a sound financial footing has demonstrated on a number of fronts that he is greater than the sum of his political parts.
So why do Mitt Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie keep on harping about Chicago-style ward politics?
"Because there's such a proud tradition of honest politics in New Jersey?" wondered Quigley dryly.
But "Chicago-style?"
The GOP should use the term to order its pizza.


text:
Aww, sad flower! Brit-pop bad girl Lily Allen's usual naughty, filter-less backtalk is nowhere to be found on the new B-side from February's It's Not Me, It's You. "Why is my phone full of so many numbers / And why doesn't anyone call? / Maybe they think I'm always too busy / Or maybe I've no friends at all," she sighs mournfully over plinking strings and sweeping orchestra swells. Listen below:
Tell me, Mixers, doesn't it sound like one of those forlorn little ditties that lonely animated Disney heroines sing to their only true friend, a tiny dormouse/hermit crab/bluebird, before the prince/sultan/beast-who-is-really-a-prince-or-a-sultan swoops in to the rescue? (Minus, perhaps, the reference to ingesting massive quantities of ecstasy?)
Do you like the more vulnerable Lily, showcased here and on certain softer bits of INMIY? Or do you prefer it when she sticks to the alpha-girl sauce, on numbers like "Never Gonna Happen" and "F— You"?
More on the Music Mix:
The Strokes' drummer's side project, Little Joy: An EW video exclusive
Amy Winehouse's 'comeback' gig: Trainwreck alert!
Even MORE heartbreaking songs: Moby weighs in!


text:
It's likely to happen that all kind of audiovisual devices will be more and more present in our living spaces, and so will internet. Here below the picture shows an ideal venue for fades.net
Please note: sound is driven by a Java applet, you need to enable the java features of your browser in order to run fades.net.
cc - 2010 Antonio Della Marina


text:
Sign in
Sign Up
lowest rate guarantee
San Jose St. Poblacion
Gov. M. Cuenco Avenue, Banilad
Camburong, Poblacion
Nivel Hills, Busay
313-A Osmena Blvd
Great reasons to book with Agoda
Over 550,000 hotels worldwide – more added every day
Trusted by over 17,500,000 satisfied customers
Best Price Guarantee
9 million+ hotel reviews by Agoda customers
With availability in over 57,000 cities worldwide
agoda special offers
including last minute offers(even same day!)free nightsfree upgrades!
Customer Support
12.05 Km.
position to ferry port, its the...
13.87 Km.
Well-maintained resort, serene,...
17.8 Km.
nice cool water in the swimming...
17.93 Km.
Large rooms, nice staff, good...
18.12 Km.
clean, good sized swimming pool,...
18.36 Km.
18.64 Km.
Close to water, free kayaks for...
18.88 Km.
Beautiful Views Clean and White...
18.92 Km.
Relaxed and nice housereef for...
18.94 Km.
1. Location 2. Staff are amazing...
18.96 Km.
House Reef in front of Hotel,...
19.58 Km.
Location, swiming pool, reasonable...
19.98 Km.
spacious family room, convenient...
20.22 Km.
Rooms are clean and comfortable....
20.25 Km.
nice staff, nice scene, sun and...
20.4 Km.
20.53 Km.
Hotel ok-ish, did not check...
1. Beach/Ocean Front location 2....
20.55 Km.
4.5 / 5
over 80,000 reviews
of users recommend us
Go To Top
All material herein © 2005 – 2014 Agoda Company Pte. Ltd., All Rights Reserved.
AGODA ® is a registered trademark of AGIP LLC, used under license by Agoda Company Pte. Ltd.
Agoda is part of


text:
the bump
You're almost there. Log in if you're a member or join now to connect to Facebook.
Request a new password
popular: ovulation calculator
Find your most fertile days and start TTC >>
moms love: pregnancy calendar
Count down to delivery with your calendar >>
moms love: your baby this week
Sign up to receive weekly updates on your baby >>
moms love: baby name finder
Search through 1000s of baby names >>
moms love: personalized tickers
Track TTC, pregnancy, or baby's age >>
moms love: pregnancy week by week
Let us guide you along week-by-week!)
powered by:
TTC since May 2006. After 3 failed Clomid cycles, 2 failed Injectibles/IUIs, 2 failed IVFs and 1 failed FET, we moved on to adoption!
Last ditch FET resulted in BFP, and identical twin girls!
DS1 we moved at 2 mo to a convertible because I just hated the bucket seat. I'm about to buy another convertible for DS2 because, again, I find the bucket seat annoying. I think it's just the one we have - I hate having to rethread straps an
anonsouthernbell:You can use a convertible from birth if you like. Most parents, myself included, enjoy the ease of por


text:
A series of explosions and gunfire have rocked the main city of Abidjan that supports Ivorian presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara, with protesters calling on his rival to step down. At least three soldiers were killed in the clashes.The fighting had continued in Abobo, residents and the military said on Wednesday, while African presidents met withOuattara on a trip aiming to end his violent post-election power struggle with incumbent Laurent Gbagbo.
The election that was meant to heal the wounds of a 2002-3 civil war and years of economic stagnation since, looks increasingly likely to reignite the conflict.A day earlier the delegation - the presidents of South Africa, Chad, Mauritania and Tanzania - met Gbagbo, who hasdefied international sanctions and pressure to yield to the results of a November 28 poll that showed he lost to Ouattara.'Everyone is terrified'The military that supports Gbagbo has crushed dissent in a series of bloody crackdowns, but military officials say theyhave been provoked because some Ouattara supporters are armed."Since this morning, there has been constant shooting between the military and the people here," said Sephora Konate, an Abobo market trader, who added that she heard explosions and machine gun fire.
Later in the night, the violence had calmed. "Everyone is terrified. Children are crying but there's nothing we can say to comfort them," said Konate.A commander at army headquarters who could not be named said three soldiers were confirmed killed in the clashes, but thought there were up to five dead. The military rarely gives civilian casualties, but previous clampdowns have left a trail of dead.More than 300 people have been killed since the poll and the turmoil has driven cocoa futures to their highest level in more than three decades. Cote d'Ivoire is the world's biggest cocoa producer, and a spokesman for Ouattara said he would extend the ban he hadordered on cocoa exports to March 15.
Zuma mobbedBefore Tuesday's meeting with Ouattara in the Golf Hotel, where he is besieged by Ivorian troops, South African President Jacob Zuma was mobbed by angry pro-Ouattara youths.Chanting "Zuma, Zuma, tell the truth", the protesters surrounded the car Zuma was travelling in and armed police had to intervene to push the youths back, South Africa's SABC radio news reported.Zuma is visiting the country as part of African Union efforts to solve the four-month-long political impasse in the country.
West Africa's regional body ECOWAS had said it would not come as planned due to threats by Gbagbo supporters, though James Victor Gbeho, the ECOWAS commission chief, later arrived. Such threats kept Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore from coming.A source close to the talks said the panel would make no public statement until everyone has left.At least six people trying to protest against Gbagbo were killed by the security forces on Monday, witnesses said.Ouattara's camp said the toll was double that, including three of his supporters killed by a rocket-propelled grenade.In a further sign that Gbagbo is digging in, and with February salaries due soon, his government said it would opentwo nationalised French banks later this week.Gbagbo's camp has earmarked the Ivorian branches of Societe Generale and BNP Paribas, two of many foreign banks to have suspended operations, for nationalisation."The government will take all measures necessary to put these banks back to work," Bernadin Yapi, Gbagbo's inspector general of finance, said. "This will show the whole world that the state can take its responsibilities."
Content on this website is for general information purposes only.
Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect
liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to
use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community
Rules & Guidelines and Terms and


text:
Alaina Clarke
Graduate Assistant
Michael Kurley
Graduate Assistant
Page last modified August 5, 2014
About Us
Richard M. & Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Location: L William Seidman Center, First Floor, Suite 1127
Phone: 616-331-7582
The Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI), in the Seidman College of Business, serves to champion and catalyze the vocation of entrepreneurship through development of talent and support for commercialization of new ideas. CEI focuses on the development of talent by providing fundamentals grounded in modern entrepreneurial practice, focused on the application of creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking crucial for new venture success. CEI focuses on support for commercialization by providing the essential hub where entrepreneurs with new ideas can connect to resources. This allows them to take their concept from paper to product or business, which benefits the community as a whole.
Through competitions, peer to peer networking opportunities with the student-lead Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO), entrepreneurial mentoring programs, access to capital, and connections to high-tech incubation facilities—CEI is dedicated to connecting startups and young businesses in West Michigan with the most ambitious, creative, adaptable students that GVSU has to offer.
J. Kevin McCurren
Executive Director
J. Kevin McCurren joined the Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation in May 2011 as the Executive Director. Kevin has over 25 years of combined corporate and entrepreneurial experience. As an entrepreneur he has been involved in the start-up of a medical management company, a dental laboratory company and several biomedical companies. As an investor, Kevin has been involved in several angel investment groups and recently served on the Executive Committee of the Venture Club of Louisville. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters Degree in Public Health and Health Services Management from the University of Missouri.
Affiliate Instructor and Staff Member
Tim Syfert teaches entrepreneurship and small business management, international business, and organizational strategy at Grand Valley State University to both undergraduate and graduate students. Tim has over 25 year's business experience in key strategic roles at Timex Watch Company, Haworth, Royal Consumer Business Products, Sherwin Williams, Roadway Express Trucking Company, and Johnson Controls. His work at these companies resulted in several domestic and international patents for many products that are currently in production around the world. As a designer and business consultant, Tim has helped inventors and start-up companies develop new products, expand product portfolios, and launch new business ventures. He is currently developing his own new venture blending alcohols for use in sangria. Tim has a bachelor's degree in business from Oklahoma State University, a master's in business administration in strategic planning from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lally School of Management and Technology, and a doctorate in organization development from Capella University.
Alaina Clarke
Graduate Assistant
Michael Kurley
Graduate Assistant
Page last modified August 5, 2014


text:
Be sure to subscribe to my blog to stay updated!
Featured Sci/Tech Author Profile
Latest Book Review
Featured Makeup Video
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
I have many years of experience as a science educator. While I teach upper level courses at a major university, I have
found myself at home explaining various science concepts to the general public, with an appeal in particular to young ladies.
this world of new media, which includes blogs, videos and all manner of social media, I've learned many, many things about
communicating science online. I'm always willing to learn more and that is why I attend Science Online each year, for a chance
to communicate with others who have a passion for sharing science and engineering in the venues unique to the online environment.
of my favorite people to discuss communicating science and engineering with is my colleague and friend here at UIUC, Bill Hammack, a professor of Chemical Engineering but more affectionately known to the general public as "The Engineer Guy". He makes some great videos (youtube channel). Have you seen any?
Click on this image to view "How a lead-acid battery works"
Bill has spent much of his career communicating the fascinating world of engineering on radio and more
recently has turned to creating videos. Faced with explaining to academicians WHY scientists and engineers should be communicating
to the general public and HOW they should be communicating in this new media realm, he took it upon himself to create a brief
pamphlet on this topic titled, "Why Engineers Need to Grow a Long Tail".
Over the course of the next few weeks, with Bill's approval, I will share his pamphlet with you in parts (you can read
the entire thing HERE). I believe that his analysis and encouragement to communicators is very important and worth consideration.
The wording
of his pamphlet is unchanged but some formatting has been shuffled so it is be readable in blog format.
The New Media Landscape and Its Effect on Science Journalism
IF YOU can fully answer the question "Why did Madonna
drop her record label and replace it with a concert promotion company?" you can skip ahead to the next chapter blog
post - you completely understand that we live in a new media world. If not, remove your records from the turntable, turn off
the VCR and give me a few minutes to share some facts and figures that will give you a way to think
about the revolution occurring in the media world.
Audience Numbers
recognized the need for such an overview when I mentioned to a colleague that I'd been on public radio's Marketplace the night
before, and thus had reached about six million people. He said "That's all?" The degree to which you express incredulity
at his answer might serve as a litmus test for reading this chapter about as well as any questions about Madonna's career.
A key aspect of my career has been the realization that engineers need to make mass media an integral - perhaps
the integral - part of our outreach. We have many great programs that work at the local level – mobile units like my
university's "physics van" which transports demonstrations to students - but what we really need is to dramatically
leverage our time. That calls for mass media. This requires, of course, understanding the current
environment so that we can see where to fit in. We should be able to figure out what size audience we can realistically aim
for and to anticipate audience trends. So, let's take a look at audience numbers in order to get a feeling for the media landscape
and our goals.
Fragmentation as measured by sitcom finale
I start with
the "big three" networks' evening national news programs.2 (Do you still watch this? I
stopped in 1984!) ABC, NBC and CBS have about six
to nine million viewers. That number alone isn't interesting, but over the last twenty-five years, network news has lost one
million viewers each year -- that's half their audience in the last twenty years.3 This fact reveals
an essential truth about the expansion of the television dial and the fragmentation of the audience.
developed a new statistic to illustrate this splintering of the dial, which I call "fragmentation as measured by sitcom
finale." Here are the relevant data:
Viewership for final episode
(1983) 106,000,0004
(1998) 76,300,0005
(2004) 51,100,0006
Since M*A*S*H, the final episodes
of very popular shows have lost about 25 million viewers each decade or so. Is Friends 50% "worse"than M*A*S*H?
No, it isn't that Friends is a lesser sitcom than M*A*S*H - I mean, neither of these is Charles in Charge - but rather the
dial has fragmented. We can see this fragmentation clearly if we study ratings for various news and information media - or
at least what passes for news and information today.
Listenership & viewership for today's news/information
programs (March 2008)
Rush Limbaugh (radio) 13,700,000
Morning Edition (NPR) 13,200,000
Evening Network News ~7,500,000
O'Reilly (Fox News) 3,070,000
Dobbs (CNN) 1,222,700
New York
Times 1,037,000
Hardball (MSNBC) 600,000
No doubt that by the time this is published some of shows listed might even be canceled, but the trends and
punchlines are clear:
• Television has large numbers in the aggregate, but it has completely fragmented;
often you are one of 100,000 or so watching a show on a cable network.
• Public radio has not fragmented
and has gone gangbusters - this is an educated, voting, active audience whom we don't want to lose.7
• Printed newspapers are on the decline. The top 20 papers have lost about 10% or so in circulation in
the last two years, and their circulation further drops every quarter. The printed newspaper lost its economic model when
Craigslist took over the classified ads. Online newspapers are doing better, but there is no economic model to make as much
revenue as the printed papers.8
• Engineering communicators need to look at
economic ways to get chunks of 100,000 listeners and, when it can be done, a million or more.
With these
numbers, I've put in perspective that reaching six million people with a commentary on Marketplace is pretty darn good! Still,
the numbers reveal a story of crisis for journalism.
The crisis in journalism
day brings more dire news for journalism: declining circulation of newspapers, dropping viewership of television news, and
fewer listeners for commercial
radio. Nowhere is the impact more profound than on science, technology, engineering,
and medical journalism. Ralph Cicerone, President of the National Academy of Sciences, clearly spelled out the crisis:
"[W]e are also seeing troubling signs that communicating science, engineering, and medicine to the
general public is getting harder. With recent downsizings at newspapers, magazines, and broadcast outlets, there are now fewer
full-time science writers and less space or time for serious, in-depth reporting."9
As print media retrenches, it often regards science journalism as a luxury. For example, in 2004 the Dallas
Morning News let go of their esteemed, well-recognized, award-winning science editor in the wake of a costly circulation scandal.10 A struggling San Francisco Chronicle laid off award-winning medical journalist Sabin Russell, who had
covered health policy and medical science for twenty- two years at the publication.11 The Houston
Chronicle laid off its aerospace reporter of twenty years. The venerable Boston Globe got rid of its Health/Science section,
moving health to the Arts & Lifestyle pages and relegating science to its Business columns. And in 2008, CNN
completely dismantled its science, space, and technology unit.12 According to Mooney and Kirshenbaum,
only one minute out of every 300 on cable news is devoted to science and technology, or one-third of 1 percent. These changes
are emblematic of a wider shift in viewer and reader habits that have affected the presentation of science on television.
The fracturing of science television programming
Likely every reader over
fifty recalls the great science shows of the 1970s: Carl Sagan's compelling Cosmos or Jacob Bronowski's majestic The Ascent
of Man. Yet today the rise of cable and satellite has fractured the television dial into thousands of small pieces, each of
which grabs a fraction of the audience of the past. The ratings for quality shows like PBS's NOVA
have seen over a 50% decrease - typically, a NOVA episode sees an audience of one and one-half to two million viewers.13 Other outlets for science programming, like the Discovery Channel, have fallen 30% in the last four years
- from 1.3 million in prime time to about one million today.14
In addition to a
declining audience, the fragmented dial has changed the quality and impact of television programing - impairing the ability
to offer rich, detailed, and thoughtful coverage of science, technology, and health. Because the television dial features
hundreds of channels, we have become a nation of "channel surfing" viewers. As a television producer once put
it to me, "We don't worry that people will tune away, we know they will, we worry about bringing them back." This
means that TV has become a land of sound bites and arresting visual images that may or may not have
meaning. Images are chosen first and foremost for their ability to return viewers to the channel, not to convey meaning. The
programmers of the Discovery Channel, for example, often make prime time represent a "theme" - recent examples
include "shark week" or a focus on "dirty jobs."15
now live in a world of niche audiences
Is there hope? No, not in the sense that large audiences
will ever be aggregated again. This issue is one that the journalism profession continues to struggle with, especially in
looking for an economic model. The implications for our liberal democracy may well be profound: media choice might well increase
inequality in political involvement and polarize elections.16 Yet this troubled media landscape does
offer an opportunity for the engineering profession.
In the age of monolithic audiences, which required
expensive tools - networks, costly cameras, sophisticated microphones - engineers found it hard to be heard. It was difficult
to get mentioned on the nightly news or to be featured in a television drama. Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman suggested development
of a "television pilot that would instead show researchers as skeptical, creative romantics."17
In the fragmented world of niche audiences, by using cheap digital tools and internet distribution, the engineering
profession can now target and reach the audience we want - audiences of perhaps the 100,000 I mentioned
above. The power of these niche audiences lies in their engagement with what they've read or watched.
users like to forward science & technology stories
Two University of Pennsylvania researchers
studied how internet users share information.18 Jonah Berger and
Katherine Milkman learned that people preferred to forward articles with positive themes, and they liked to send long articles
on intellectually challenging topics. "Science kept doing better than we expected," said Dr. Berger, a social
psychologist and a professor of marketing at Penn's Wharton School. He continued: We anticipated that
people would share articles with practical information about health or gadgets, and they did, but they also sent articles
about paleontology and cosmology. You'd see articles shooting up the list that were about the optics of deer vision.19
That, of course, is exactly the type of engagement that engineers want for their message.
To fulfill the potential of these niche audiences, though, we need to understand thoroughly how new media works and to understand
how young people use media differently than their parents.
The younger generation has replaced Descartes'
"I think, therefore I am" with "I have a webcam, therefore I am." No one under 25 uses e-mail any
more; it's all instant messaging. Facebook now dominates in every campus computer cluster. The 20-something set even uses
media communally: at parties, five or six people might gather around a laptop and share their favorite YouTube videos.
New media aren't just a different outlet, they fundamentally change how the media world works.
concert is now king
For example, in the music industry the change from records to tapes to CDs was what I will call "linear." In other words, the sales model remained the same with each
higher-resolution medium. The iPod, though, disrupted this chain. iTunes and the iPod have ended the age of the CD
- music now arrives piecemeal, song-by-song, making little money. In 2000, record companies sold $13.5 billion worth
of records. By 2008, this number had dropped to nearly half - $8 billion.20 In fact, the very popular
band Radiohead shocked the music industry by releasing their latest album for free. When they later released the CD
in stores, however, it was the top-selling album! This phenomenon is part of the new rules that I discuss in the next
chapter. The big payoff in music now lies in using the songs to bring fans in for large concerts. Madonna, for example, fired
her record company and signed up to be managed by a concert promotion group. She signed a $100 million dollar contract with
LiveNation, a company that specializes in concerts. The deal is simple: they give her $100 million, and she gives them records
and the rights to license and sell merchandise. Clearly, in this day and age, LiveNation isn't counting on making back its
money on record sales. Instead they hope to profit from ancillary streams, such as commercials that license the music, ticket
sales, t-shirts, etc. Nothing illustrates the financial power of concerts and the arrival of a new media age more than the
oldest rock band alive. In 1975, one could buy a concert ticket to see Mick Jagger strut for $8.50, which would be $34.00
in today's dollars. When the Stones toured in 2006, a ticket cost $100, a threefold increase in constant dollars.21
Small wonder the Fox network organized a concert tour for the cast of Glee. One way to increase profits from their
television show is to move their performers around the nation, instead of just broadcasting over the airwaves.
new media just a bunch of toys?
You're probably thinking that these new media are just toys, yet
every new medium starts as a toy. The first copyrighted motion picture in the U.S.
was The Sneeze by Thomas Edison. Second, we've been at these crossroads before, just with
different media.
In 1950, both television and 3D movies debuted. Many thought television to be a fad; some thought
3D movies were the wave of the future. That same holds true of the "new" media we have
today. We don't fully understand this new landscape: some things will be duds, some will be fads, and some will become permanent
parts of our culture. But if you think something like Facebook is a toy, keep this in mind: the New York Times and ABC
News collaborated on a project using Facebook to deliver election news, including sponsorship of a debate.
Facebook Generation
So, the expectation of the Facebook generation is that they will be able to
participate, create, and share multimedia. Science and engineering communicators need to participate in and even shape
those media, both of which require a deep understanding of how and why new media works.
Week: New Media Isn't Just Old Media Delivered in a Different Way
2 For those under fifty: Up until the mid-1990s the dominant source of information
for most Americans was the nightly network news on one of the only four networks ABC, NBC,
CBS, and PBS. These broadcasts got huge audiences and drove the news cycle.
The "king" of the news, if you will, was Walter Cronkite, who retired in 1981.
3 http://www.journalism.org/node/943,
State of the News Media 2008, Journalism.org.
4 AP David Bauer, February
4, 2008, story on The Super Bowl.
5 New York Times, March 16, 1998.
6 Multichannel News, August 14, 2006.
7 Some
facts about the demographics of the public radio audience: These listeners are intellectually curious and enjoy learning about
the world around them. They are 33% more likely than the general population to express an interest in theories and 32% more
likely to enjoy learning about art, culture, and history. This is an active audience. Over 70% voted in the most recent local,
state, or federal election. NPR listeners are 22% more likely to be involved in clubs and organizations than the general population.
NPR listeners are more than twice as likely to have addressed a public meeting, written to an elected official, or written
to an editor of a magazine or newspaper. Approximately 9.3% of the NPR audience is African-American.
8 Keep in mind the difference between circulation and readership. In this Internet age one can indeed have high
readership of a newspaper website but low ciruclation of the printed pape. The problem is turning readership into income.
9 Cicerone, Ralph, "Celebrating and Rethinking Science Communication,"
The National Academies InFocus, Fall 2006, vol. 6, No. 3.
10 Layton, Charles,
"The Dallas Mourning News," American Journalism Review, April/ May 2005.
11 Mooney,
Chris and Sheril Kirshenbaum, "Unpopular Science," The Nation, August 17, 2009.
12 Brainard,
Curtis, "CNN Cuts Entire Science, Tech Team," Columbia Journalism Review, December 4,
13 Private Communication, 2006.
14 Steinert-Threlkeld,
Tom, "Dirty Work," Multichannel News, August 14, 2006, vol. 27, #32, pp. 18-20.
15 As
of this writing, Discovery Channel prime time consists of these "dirty job" shows: Garbage Pit Technician, Skull
Cleaner, Geoduck Farmer, and Fuel Tank Cleaner. Multichannel News as cited above.
16 See,
for example, Prior, Makurs, Post-Broadcast Democracy: How Media Choice Increases Inequality in Political Involvement and Polarizes
Elections (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).
17 New York Times
Magazine, August 13, 1995, Section 6, page 16. Lederman worked with professional script writers, AAAS staffers,
and even got funding from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. He wanted to counter a growing anti-scientist
feeling by presenting scientists with the same allure as the lawyers and doctors on L.A. Law and ER. He called it, "Scientists
fall in love."
18 Berger, Jonah and Katherine L. Milkman, Social Transmission
and Viral Culture (unpublished research report, University of Pennsylvania, 2009).
19 Tierney,
John, "Will You Be E-Mailing This Column? It's Awesome," New York Times, February 9, 2010.
20 EconTalk, "Meyer on the Music Industry and the Internet," March 22, 2010.
21 On the Media, National Public Radio, October 23, 2009.
I'd LOVE to hear
about YOURfavorite science
teacheror a favorite science moment!
I'd LOVE to hear
about YOUR
favorite science
or a favorite science moment!
expert science video host, science writer, speaker,
and public outreach enthusiastBe sure to check me out at these social networking sites! Stay in touch with me through google +Science Talk About Joanne and This Site Science Books are a Girl's Best Friend! The Science of Beauty Gummi Bear Science Fun Science Videos Odd and Ends Whimsical Science Favorite Make-up Videos Outreach Favorite Book Reviews Kindnesses Contact/Book Copyright
2011. joannelovesscience. All rights reserved.Site redesigned by Jaime Carpenter
expert science video host, science writer, speaker,
and public outreach enthusiast
Be sure to check me out at these social networking sites!
Stay in touch with me through google +
Science Talk About Joanne and This Site Science Books are a Girl's Best Friend! The Science of Beauty Gummi Bear Science Fun Science Videos Odd and Ends Whimsical Science Favorite Make-up Videos Outreach Favorite Book Reviews Kindnesses Contact/Book
2011. joannelovesscience. All rights reserved.
Site redesigned by Jaime Carpenter


text:
all sports
- football
- cricket
- rugby league
- rugby union
- golf
- formula 1
- tennis
- cycling
- boxing
- horse racing
- darts
- snooker
- athletics
Gary Fraser has joined Scottish Premiership side Partick Thistle on a permanent deal.
Having made the move to the Reebok Stadium in the summer of 2013 from Hamilton Academical, the 19-year-old joined the Firhill outfit on loan in July and went on to make four appearances for Alan Archibald's side.
The teenager failed to make an appearance for the Trotters first-team during his 18 months at the club.
A Bolton statement said: "Bolton Wanderers would like to thank Gary for his contributions and wish him well for the future."


text:
Pacific Women's Hoops Welcomes Fresno State To Spanos Center Wednesday
The Pacific women's basketball team closes out a four-game home stand on Wednesday as Fresno State visits the Alex G. Spanos Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
The Tigers (5-0) are one of 31 undefeated teams in Division I, and off to the program's best start since 1980-81.
Pacific's hot start can be attributed to depth, balance and tenacious defense. The Tigers rank 22nd in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 32 percent shooting. The Tigers are also 14th in defending the three-point line (20 percent against).
The Tigers' starting five is each averaging over 8.2 points per game, and seven different players have scored in double-figures in a game this season.
"We're off to a good start and we're proud of our team for the way we've been playing," head coach Lynne Roberts said. "The effort and focus on improving is there. We're not playing perfect basketball, but actually, that's exciting; Every day this group comes to practice and wants to get better. And if we want to keep winning we have to keep getting better. We're not talking about what we've achieved, we're talking about how we can get better."
Pacific takes on a Fresno State squad which has opened the season at 2-1. Their lone loss comes to currently No. 1-ranked Stanford. The Bulldogs have made five straight NCAA Tournaments as the champions of the Western Athletic Conference, but have moved to the Mountain West Conference this season.
Wednesday is Women's Basketball Holiday Game Night; fans who bring a new toy to donate will receive a half price admission to the game.
Following the contest, the Tigers will have four consecutive road games, starting Dec. 3 at San Jose State.


text:
The Sony MEX-DV1000 and MEX-DV2000 are here !
Well it looks like these babies really exist ! For the first time in history, you can buy a car stereo that will play SACD!! We are thoroughly jazzed here at SACD Central.
The MEX-DV1000 and MEX-DV2000 are single disc players with the slot hidden behind the faceplate.
If you haven't heard about this it is time to come out from under your trusty rock and have a listen. Sony has introduced the first two of an expected three SACD capable car stereo head units.
The introductory level unit is the Sony Xplod MEX-DV1000 that we mentioned last year.
It is now available at Amazon in the UK.
Key Features MEX-DV1000 Headunit
* Front Aux-In
* S-MOSFET Power Output: 52W x 4
* DVD/VCD/SA-CD/CD/MP3/WMA playback
* Dolby Digital/DTS 2.0 Digital Out
* DSO (Dynamic Stage Organizer)
* EQ7 (7 Band Graphic Equalizer)
* CD Changer Control
* 24-Bit DAC
* Detachable Front Panel
* 18FM/12AM radio presets
* Output power 52w x 4
* Pre-outs 3 and 5.1 multi channel out
* 4 volt pre-out Yes
* Auxilary Input Yes Front
* Equalizer EQ7 – 7 band
* Bass/treble control Yes
* Crossover Filter High, Mid and Low Pass Filters
* MP3 Playback yes
* MD/CD changer control Yes and ipod controller(XA110IP) ready
* Tuner presets 18FM/12AM
* Tuner RDS (Radio Data System) No
* Wireless remote Yes included
* Rotary commander Yes optional
* Detachable face Yes
Now comes the Sony Xplod MEX-DV2000
List Price : $279.00
The DV2000 can play 5.1channel SACD, DTS5.1 discs, DVDs and also has Pro-Logic II. The 4 speaker outputs will give you only Front and Rear signals, so you'll need to hook-up at least another 4channel amplifier. You can bridge a couple of its channels to power the sub while using only one of the remaining channels to power the center speaker. Most car 4ch amps have independent gain controls for each pair of channels, so you can adjust the sub and center channel levels independently.
Key Features MEX-DV2000 Headunit
* Detachable Front Panel w/ Full Motion FL Display & Front Panel Aux In
* SAT Radio Ready, iPod® Control Ready
* 52W x 4 High Power
* 4-Volt L/C/R/RL/RR/Sub preouts w/ HPF/LPF
* Supplied Wireless Card Remote (RM-X161)
* Picture EQ
* Double Layer DVD+R/ RW/ SACD/ VCD/ CD/ CD-R/ CD-RW compatible
* MP3/WMA Playback
* MP3 ID3Tag Indication (Title/Album/Artist)
* Multi-Session (MP3/WMA)
* Burr-Brown 24-bit D/A Converter
* Pause Function
* UniLinkâ"¢ Control, CD Text
* Drive-S II
* SSIR-EXA Tuner, 18FM & 12AM presets
* BTM (Best Tuning Memory)
* 2 AV Outputs & 1 Mic Input, Karaoke Capability
* Tel/Nav Attenuation
* Optional Wired Rotary Remote (RM-X4S)
* 45 degree install
* CEA-2006 Power Compliant
In the summer, these two SACD Car Stereo products will be joined by the XAV-W1, a 2-DIN size model that will include a WVGA TFT Touch Screen Monitor.
HD World says that "SACDs In-Car application has been a long time coming – mainly due to the lack of suitable silicon for this demanding application. These new models are the product of a major development program within Sony and feature a new and radically different design of AV chassis called 'DRIVE-S II'. Also, the models feature state-of-the-art silicon chipsets developed specifically to meet the challenge of HD In-Car audio."
So far I have only seen the MEX-DV2000 available from Japan, but this means that these really and truly exist! They should be in local stores in the next few weeks.


text:
Pickles in India and Pakistan
|This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. (December 2011)
Achaar, also known as South Asian pickles or Indian subcontinent pickles, are made from certain individual varieties of vegetables and fruits that are chopped into small pieces and cooked in edible oils like sesame oil or brine with many different Indian spices like asafoetida, red chili powder, turmeric, fenugreek, and plenty of salt. Some regions also specialize in pickling meats and fish. Vegetables can also be combined in pickles to make mixed vegetable pickle. Some varieties of fruits and vegetables are small enough to be used whole.
The most common South Asian-style pickles are made from mango and lime. Others include cauliflower, carrot, radish, tomato, onion, pumpkin, palm heart, lotus stem, rose petals, ginger, Amla,[1] garlic, green or red chili peppers, kohlrabi, gunda (cordia), kerda, zimikand (purple yam), karonda, karela (bitter gourd), jackfruit, mushroom, eggplant, cucumber, turnip and lapsi.
Homemade pickles are prepared in the summer and kept in the sun while stored in porcelain or glass jars with airtight lids. The high concentrations of salt, oil, and spices act as preservatives. Many commercially produced pickles use preservatives like citric acid and sodium benzoate.
Even using the same main ingredients, South Asian pickles come in a wide variety of flavors due to differences in spices and process. A mango pickle from South India may taste very different from one made in North India. In the southern states, sesame oil is preferred, while mustard oil is preferred in northern states for making pickles.
The term for pickles in Hindi, Urdu, Assamese, and Bengali is pronounced as achār, and written in their respective scripts as अचार, اچار, আচাৰ, and আচার.
Health effects[edit]
Pickles produced in traditional method contain Lactobacillus, produced by fermentation in brine (salt and water). Pickles produced using vinegar do not contain Lactobacillus. Lactobacillus makes traditional pickles probiotic. Supermarket pickles which are not home-made are generally not fermented but preserved in vinegar, and thus don't have the probiotic, enzymatic value of home-made fermented pickles. Vinegar however can help lower blood sugar levels by reducing the breakdown of carbohydrates so the carbs are absorbed less and not all converted to sugar.
South Asian pickles are high in salt and preserved in oil or vinegar. Regular consumption of pickles can lead to high sodium levels in the body, which is not good for people with hypertension nor for calcium absorption. Pickle oils contain unsaturated fats, which should be consumed in moderation, or trans fats, which are bad for cardiovascular health.
The nutritional value of fruits and vegetables in pickles is low as the process of drying pickles in sunlight causes nutrient loss.
Regional variations[edit]
The Kannada, Tamil and Telugu words for pickles are respectively pronounced as uppinakaayi (ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ), oorugai (ஊறுகாய்) and Ooragaya / Pachadi (ఊరగాయ / పచ్చడి). In Tulu language, it is called uppad. The Malayalam word for pickles is pronounced as 'uppillittuthu'(അച്ചാര്), each type of pickle being given its own name, such as maanga acharu for mango pickle and ingi acharu for ginger pickle. The Marathi, Konkani and Gujarati words for pickles are respectively pronounced as lonache (लोणचे), and athāṇũ (અથાણું).
In South India, most vegetables are sun-dried with spices into a thokku or pickle, taking advantage of immensely hot and sunny days throughout the year, thus making pickles an everyday staple. The sun-drying naturally preserves the vegetable, along with the spices. Vegetables that may be sun-dried and pickled include amla (gooseberry), unripe mango, lime, lemon, citron, garlic, ginger, chillies, tomatoes, onions, gongura, combinations of these, and less commonly unripe black pepper (while it is still green on the vine), coriander, brinjal (eggplant), bitter gourd and any other vegetable in plentiful harvest. Commonly used spices include mustard, methi or the seeds of fenugreek, chilli powder, salt, asafoetida and turmeric. To prepare quickly however, vegetables may be cooked on stove top and additional preservatives like vinegar, sodium benzoate or citric acid may be used.
Tamil Nadu State has a typical mango pickle, maavadu, which is usually made early in the summer season when mangoes are barely an inch long. The preservation process uses castor oil giving the pickle its unique taste. Another pickle from Tamil Nadu is narthangai consisting of unripe citrons cut into spirals and stuffed with salt. Tamilians also sun-dry chillies stuffed with salted yogurt, making a dry condiment called mor molagai that is typically eaten with rice.
Tender whole mango pickle is a traditional pickle recipes of Karnataka. This is preserved entirely by dehydrating tender whole mango with salt and is very salty and sour. A special type of this is jeerige midi (ಜೀರಿಗೆ ಮಿಡಿ) prepared using special tender mango with a refreshing aroma.
South Indians also pickle a variety of fish or meen achar, which they have access to along the country's long coasts and rivers.
Unripe mangoes, lemon, green chilis, gunda (cordia) and kerda are commonly used as key ingredients in Gujarati cuisine. Varieties of pickled mango commonly found in Gujarati households include salted mango pickle made with groundnut oil and spiced with fenugreek seeds, and red chili powder; hot and sweet mango pickle made with groundnut oil and jaggery, fennel seeds, dry dates (kharek), mustard and red chili powder; and hot and sweet mango pickle made with sugar syrup, cumin and chili powder.
In South Africa, Indian pickles are called atchar, and are sometimes eaten with bread. The Burmese word for pickle is သနပ် (thanat). Mango pickle (သရက်သီးသနပ်) (thayet thi thanat) is commonly used as a condiment alongside curries and biryani in Burmese cuisine. In Mozambique, lemon and mango achar is widely eaten and is used on the side for many dishes. Brought over from the Indo-Portuguese cuisine it infused with the local dishes.
Pakistani pickles are prepared using a variety of vegetables, unripe mangoes, and spices in oil.[2]
Following is a partial list of Pakistani pickles:
- carrot achar
- cauliflower achar
- garlic achar
- green chilli achar
- Hyderabadi pickle
- lemon achar
- mango achar
- mixed vegetable achar
See also[edit]
- ^ Navya Malini (7 May 2012). "http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-07/recipes/31029970_1_berries-jaggery-pickle".
- ^ Hyderabadi Pickle: New Products (Mitchell's)
External links[edit]
- South Indian Veg. Pickles
- All kinds of Pickle Recipes
- Indian pickle recipes
- Indian prawns pickle recipe
- Traditional Indian Pickle Recipes
- Non-Veg Spicy Pickle Recipe


text:
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Why school taxes are about to go up (part one)
OK, so Education Minister Nancy Allan has vanhelsinged the tax incentive grant with a wooden stake through the heart.
What happens next?
Related Items
Pretty much inevitably, school divisions will either crank up their property taxes, or cut programs. Maybe a little of both, and probably also scrape the bottom of the barrel on what's left of their reserve funds.
Presumably, Premier Greg Selinger and Finance Minister Stan Struthers turned off some of the cash flow to public education that's been holding down property taxes.
For the past four years, the NDP has been encouraging and enticing school trustees to freeze their taxes, by offering them extra cash through TIG. The government pumped in $61.4 million of TIG this current school year, and $135 million over the past four years.
What each division received was based on a formula of what they spent over the previous four years. Like everything else in the education formula, it was convoluted, complex and confusing in the extreme. The eligibility and calculation rules seemed to change on a regular basis, there was catch upon catch upon catch, divisions didn't know from one year to the next what to expect they'd get from TIG, but last March, 33 of 37 divisions accepted TIG and froze their school taxes.
Short version, the expenditure increases in each of those 33 divisions were limited to the revenue from their share of the annual increase in operating grants, their chunk of TIG, and school taxes paid by properties new to the tax rolls, if any.
It's not just that taxes were frozen. Spending increases were effectively capped, and divisions struggled to maintain the status quo, with little if any wiggle room to make improvements. Feel free to email me with any improvements you've seen to your kids' quality of education in the past four years.
Let's all take out our copies of the FRAME (Financial Reporting and Accounting in Manitoba Education). If you left it at home, you can find it online here.
If you look at page 42, you'll see that as of the current school year, the province puts $1,291,828,552 into public education, which is about 65.2 per cent of the $1.96 billion system. That's the pot of money to which Allan added $25.5 million in operating grants, plus an additional $4 million to start phasing in over the next five years capping class size for kindergarten to Grade 3 at 20 kids.
The money for TIG was rolled into that enormous pot. Each year's allocation became part of the base operating grant from the province.
But wait, here's an interesting line in the budget. The education property tax credit is listed at an impressive $178,258,517 contribution to provincial funding of the public education system. Let's be charitable and call that disingenuous at best — that money reduces the bottom line of your property tax bill, bookkeepers put it in one pocket and take it out of the other, and not a single penny of it is spent on public education.
The real provincial contribution to operating the public school system is closer to 60 per cent than to 65.2.
Getting back to FRAME, the difference in spending this school year over last is $74.9 million, or 3.97 per cent. That's pretty typical of how much spending has increased in these recent tax-frozen years.
About 85 per cent of the entire budget is payroll, salaries and benefits for employees, the largest and highest-paid part of which is teachers. Any realistic discussion of cuts involves reducing payroll.
Sure, in that other 15 per cent, you could turn down the lights and heat in the schools overnight, you could continue to delay maintenance and repairs of aging schools until they're beyond saving, you could figure out ways to run the buses a kilometre or two less each day, you could have six kids share a computer terminal instead of four, and you could buy fewer books, if that's even possible.
You want to reduce spending, you cut jobs, pure and simple.
But wait — the province is capping class size in younger grades, it's keeping hundreds of potential dropouts in school until they graduate or reach 18, it's added compulsory phys-ed for grades 11 and 12, it's diagnosing more kids with special needs and mandating more support for those kids. All of those are good things, but all of them cost more money and require more people on the payroll, not fewer.
Two-thirds of the province's divisions already have labour peace with teachers through the summer of 2014, at two per cent a year, compared to a minimum of three per cent raises the past decade. That's a little savings, but there are still increments, some divisions got two per cent by offering better benefits, and as the paragraph above indicates, the system will need more teachers.
So school divisions are left with a gap of about $50 million in increased spending for 2012-2013, which, if there are no cuts, works out to a seven per cent or so increase in education property taxes.
None of which addresses the ongoing bizarre nature of running a public education system at a local level based on the assessed property values of residential and commercial properties within a school division.
Now that we're into our 13th year of NDP majorities, can anyone explain why, in a socialist workers' paradise, it's an equitable public education system when Seven Oaks School Division has the highest property taxes in the city, yet spends less per student than the other five city divisions which all have lower mill rates?
Fact Check
Have you found an error, or know of something we've missed in one of our stories?
Please use the form below and let us know.
Having problems with the form?Contact Us Directly
More Blogs
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.
- Back to Top
- Return to Blogs
More Blogs
(1 of 7 articles for this year)
Dan delivers on promise12/13/2014 2:00 PM 0
MY car door was dented in a parking lot. The person responsible left me a note with his cellphone number ...
Photo Store Gallery
Most Popular
- Delighted to be mobile at 8 a.m.
- World is a better place thanks to roadside kindness
- This year proved good journalism can change my life
- Winter driving: vision is everything
- Rob: best store manager in world
- 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA: compact SUV or larger sport wagon?
- Help with wayward cooler was very much appreciated
- Thanks a million for wallet's return
- We should shout out gratitude
- Grateful for help on Henderson Hwy.
- Delighted to be mobile at 8 a.m.
- This year proved good journalism can change my life
- World is a better place thanks to roadside kindness
- Winter driving: vision is everything
- Warm and fuzzy feeling not enough for this donor
- Rob: best store manager in world
- Thanks for the ride
- We should shout out gratitude
- Thanks a million for wallet's return
- Winnipeggers warm, friendly
- Gary Doer's exit and old wounds
- Not every driver is an idiot, but…
- Case dismissed: Manitoba Hydro's whistleblower
- Warm and fuzzy feeling not enough for this donor
- Somewhat bizarre correspondence
- All the no-news that's fit to print
- UPDATED: Liquor & Lotteries and the move downtown
- Today's news from the Babinsky bureau
- World is a better place thanks to roadside kindness
- Every once in a long while, I do something right
Ads by Google


text:
Does anyone have a copy of any of these documents?
Printable View
Does anyone have a copy of any of these documents?
pm me your email address and i'll forward anything i've got to you.
Here's a copy of what I was emailed.
It did come from the SBM who got it from schools portal.
I have heard the same.
I've just received an email with my 1st stage appeal date. Next Friday 9am Carlisle Town Hall, which is going to be a real struggle to get to but maybe that is their plan. Anyone else got a date yet?
we have a 3:30pm this wednesday (6th) at North Lakes hotel in Penrith, just found out about it this morning!
Does anybody have any information about this yet, i've heard a rumour that they may be putting it back again until September, can anyone confirm this?
The Lancashire one is not supposed to come into effect from Christmas now as they have realised September is not realistic. In between now and then they will be distributing some updated job descriptions.
Here in Yorkshire we've been told it's been put back til September... dunno if same applies in Lancs...
Lancashire Phase 2 Role profiles are now on the schools portal, and we're about to get mugged!
Can't see anything with my logon.Quote:
Lancashire Phase 2 Role profiles are now on the schools portal, and we're about to get mugged!
You have to be a miner to find it! Pick and Shovel ready, Right hand side Key Links module-Equal Pay review, Then left hand main menu-FAQ's, then role profiles, then there's a link to role profile templates, then there's a link to phase 2 Draft Role Profiles. Then take your pick.
I've been told this week that this has been put back to October now, aparantly headteachers have only just been given the profiles. That doesn't sound right to me as they have been on the portal for some time now. Anyone else heard anything about this new time scale.
Well if I am reading this right and the profile doesn't cover things like all the things I do, currently a Network Manager is down to be the old scale 6 to SO1


text:
Cheapest weekends to travel in 2012
Published On: Feb 08 2012 01:27:18 PM PST Updated On: Feb 08 2012 11:00:00 PM PST
Based on historical data, Yahoo! Travel has identified the weekends of 2012 that can be expected to have the lowest airfare. Read on to find out when you should take your next vacation.


text:
No Upfront Fee Commercial Loans
Due Diligence Review & Analysis
Free Real Estate Investor Resources
Commercial Loan Due Diligence Overview
Apply Online
Winston Rowe & Associates non investment advisory, consulting and initial due diligence review is a client driven process, it's important that you submit all of the required supporting document in a very timely manner.
Winston Rowe & Associates can not make a guarantee or promise of any kind that your proposed request for financing will be successful, because the final determination is made by the capital source(s).
Winston Rowe & Associates utilizes a best efforts approach, completely relaying on the clients and their representatives representation of the material facts of the proposed financing request.
Your transaction will never fund if you do not provide all of the requested (required) supporting documents and information in the correct format or misrepresent the material facts of the proposed transaction.
Prospective clients can obtain a sample list of supporting documents to review in the Home or Application Pages of this web site and in the email signature of email@example.com
Prospective Client's must request a transaction summary, from Winston Rowe & Associates that must be signed and submitted via email in a PDF format.
It's important to note that if you are a broker, consultant or intermediary submitting a transaction, that it includes the prospective clients contact information. Without it, Winston Rowe & Associates will not consider you as a client.
Upon reciept of the transaction summary, the ensuing steps are an overview of the non investment advisory, consulting and initial due diligence process.
Please note; private equity transactions require different engagement and due diligence procedures.
Step 1 Transaction Summary:
Upon receipt of the transaction summary questionnaire, the material facts as presented by the client will be reviewed by Winston Rowe & Associates.
If the proposed transaction, based on the information as provided within the Transaction Summary Questionnaire submitted by the client appears to meet Winston Rowe & Associates capital source(s) financing criteria, that may be availiable from time to time.
Step 2 Processing & Initial Due Diligence:
Winston Rowe & Associates will schedule a conference call with the client to review and verify the material facts as presented by the prospective client (client) and then provide to the prospective client a list of supporting documentation needed (required) to begin the initial due diligence review.
At this time, the client will be placed under contract (Letter of Interest) with Winston Rowe & Associates.
This Letter of Interest is not a commitment to fund your financing request.
This will enable Winston Rowe & Associates to proceed with ther non investment advisory, consulting and initial due diligence for the proposed transaction.
Please note; Winston Rowe & Associates utilizes a global approach for the initial due diligence.
This approach includes the review of all business and personal financial documents and credit.
When all of the required (requested) supporting documentation has been submitted to Winston Rowe & Associates, they will begin the non investment consulting, advisory and initial due diligence review to prepare the proposed financing request for the capital sources(s) underwriting at their sole descretion.
Please note; the proposed financing request Will Not be submitted to the capital source until all of the requested documentation has been provided.
The clock does not start until All of the supporting documents have been submitted, hence every day is day One of the initial due diligence.
At the sole discretion of Winston Rowe & Associates , if it is found that there is any material fact misrepresentation of the transaction by the client's representative or the client.
The transaction will be terminated at Winston Rowe & Associates sole discretion.
Step 3 Submissions To The Capital Source(s) For Underwriting:
Once Winston Rowe & Associates completes the initial due diligence of the proposed transaction it will be formally submitted at Winston Rowe & Associates sole descretion to the pre-determined capital source(s) for underwriting and potential funding.
During the pre-determined capital source(s) underwriting phase of the the proposed transaction, If it is found that there
is any material fact misrepresentation of the transaction by the
client's representative or the client.
The transaction will be terminated, without cause.
Winston Rowe & Associates may require additional supporting documentation.
Step 4 Commitment Documents, Reports & Loan Closing:
Upon completion of
underwriting the pre-determined capital sources will issue general terms
and conditions defined within a Letter of Interest or conditional commitment documents.
The client will be placed in direct contact with the capital source to finalize the transaction.
Once the proposed transaction has completed underwriting; property reports are then ordered.
These reports are paid for, prior to funding by the client which include; appraisals, surveys and studies. Report types vary according to real estate type.
When the necessary property reports are completed. The title work is ordered and a closing is scheduled.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming


text:
Video: Cher Lloyd – 'Want U Back'
Cher Lloyd prepares to invade the U.S. with her debut single "Want U Back." The former British "X Factor" contestant reshot the video for American audiences. In the sassy clip, a jealous Cher and her girlfriends play mean girls, crashing a diner and pulling pranks on her ex-boyfriend. After causing a scene and humiliating his new girl, the cops come to arrest Cher, but she doesn't seem to have any regrets.
"I am so excited about coming over to the States and working with L.A Reid," said the 18-year-old pop star, who will release her U.S. debut on Epic Records. "L.A is a musical genius and has been such a great supporter of me. Now I just cannot wait to get on that stage and for everyone to hear my music."
Watch Cher stir up some trouble below and check out the U.K. version featuring "X Factor" rapper Astro here.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
23 Comments
Leave a Reply
©Copyright 2014 Rap-Up.com. Rap-Up® is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.
A Member of Townsquare Music | Advertise


text:
I want to learn kung-fu but I have no idea of what kind I want to learn and what the differences are. I'm a little guy with very little muscle.
I'm also interested in learning ju jitsu, tae kwon do, and wu shu
Bafaquan (八法拳) - Eight Methods
Baguazhang (八卦掌; Pa Kua Chang) - Eight Trigrams Palm
Bajiquan (八極拳) - Eight Extremes Fist
Bak Mei (白眉拳) - White Eyebrow
Black Tiger Kung Fu (黑虎拳)
Chaquan (查拳) - Cha Fist
Changquan (長拳) - Long Fist
Chuo Jiao (戳腳) - Poking Feet
Chow Gar - a form of Southern Praying Mantis
Chi Hsuan Men - White Jade Fan
Choy Gar (蔡家) - also known as Rat Kung Fu
Choy Lee Fut (蔡李佛; C?ilǐf?)
Dachengquan (大成拳) - Great Achievement Boxing (Yiquan)
Ditangquan (地躺拳) - Ground-Prone Fist, Ground Tumbling Boxing
Do Pi Kung Fu (道派)
Dragon Kung Fu (Lung Ying) (龍形拳)
Duan Quan (短拳) - Short Range Boxing
Emeiquan (峨嵋拳)
Fanziquan (翻子拳) - Overturning Fist, Tumbling Boxing
Feng Shou - Hand of the Wind
Five Ancestors (五祖拳) - Wuzuquan or Ngo Cho Kun
Five Animals (五形)
Five Petal Plum Blossom Qigong
Fujian White Crane (白鶴拳)
Fu Jow Pai (虎爪派) - Tiger Claw System (also titled Black Tiger Kung Fu or Hark Fu Moon)
Fut Gar - Buddhist Palm
Gouquan (狗拳) - Dog Fist
Hong Cha
Hop Gar (俠家)
Houquan (猴拳) - Monkey Fist
Drunken Monkey (醉猴)
Hsing-i Ch'uan: see Xingyiquan (形意拳)
Huaquan (華拳) - China Fist
Hung Fut (洪佛) - Hung and Buddha style kung fu
Hung Gar (洪家拳; also known as Hung Ga or Hung Kuen) Shaolin Style and ancestor to many southern styles
I Liq Chuan (意力拳) - Mind-Body Art, founded by Chin Lik Keong of Malaysia
Jeet Kune Do (截拳道) - Way of The Intercepting Fist
Jing Wu Men (精武門) - Jing Wu, a famous school founded in Shanghai that teaches several different styles.
Jing Quan Do (精拳道) - a modern synthetic style
Jow-Ga Kung Fu (周家) - Jow family style
Kuntao - Way of the Fist
Kuen-Do (拳道) - Way of The Fist
Lau Gar (刘家) - Lau family style
Lai-Ga-Sau - A recently created separate branch based in the United Kingdom.
Lai Tung Pai- Shaolin Style that mixes long and short fist
Leopard Kung Fu (豹拳)
Li (Lee) Family (李家) - Li Family or Lee Family style
Liu Seong Kuntao (also Liu Seong Gung Fu, Liu Seong Chuan Fa) - A Chinese art with Indonesian influence, practiced primarily in the United States.
Liuhe Bafa (六合八法; Liu He Pa Fa, Lok Hup Ba Fa) - Six Harmonies, Eight Methods or Water Boxing
Luohan Quan (羅漢拳) Arhat Boxing, Law Horn Kuen
Mei Hua Quan (梅花拳 Plum Blossom Fist)
Mizongyi (迷蹤羅漢拳; M?zōngqu?n) - Lost Track Fist (also known as My Jong Law Horn)
Mok Gar (莫家拳) Mok family style
Nam Pai Chuan (南派拳)
Nan Quan (南拳) - Southern Fist
Northern Praying Mantis (北派螳螂拳)
Northern Shaolin (北少林) - Bak Siu Lum
Pai lum (白龍) - White Dragon, Pai Family Method, a modern style based on Kenpo with Chinese influences found mainly in the US and Canada.
Paochui (炮捶) - Cannon Fist, Sanhaung Paochui
Piguaquan (劈掛拳) - Chop-Hitch Fist, Axe-hitch boxing
Praying Mantis: see either Northern or Southern Praying Mantis.
Sanda (散打) or Sanshou (散手) - Free Fighting
San Soo (散手)
Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan (少林南派拳)
Shaolin Quan (少林拳)
Shen Lung Kung Fu (神龍功夫) - Modern variations of Southern style Chinese martial arts based in the United States.
Shuai Chiao (摔跤; Shuaijiao) - Chinese Wrestling
Shequan (蛇拳) - Snake Fist
Shou Shu
Southern Praying Mantis (南派螳螂拳)
Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳 T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Taijiquan) - Taiji Fist
Tantui (彈腿/譚腿) - Spring Leg style
Tibetan White Crane (白鶴派)
Tien Shan Pai (天山派)
Tongbeiquan (通背拳) - Through-the-Back Fist
Twelve Fists of Tamo
White Crane: see either Fujian White Crane or Tibetan White Crane
Wing Chun (詠春) - Forever Spring(永春)
Wing Tsun (詠春)
Wudangquan (武當拳)
Xingyiquan (形意拳; Hsing-i Ch'uan) - Form-Intent Fist
Yau Kung Mun (软功門) - Flexible-Power Style
Yingzhaoquan (鷹爪拳) - Eagle Claw Fist
Yuejiaquan (岳家槍) - Yue family Fist/Boxing
Yiquan (意拳; I Ch'uan) - Mind Boxing
Zhuan Shu Kuan - A modern composite style containing elements of Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai and Changquan. It is based in the United Kingdom.
Zi Ran Men (自然门) - Natural Boxing or "fist of nature"
Zui Quan (醉拳) - Drunken Fist
- 24/7 Customer Service 1-877-991-3411
- Contact Us
- Need Help?
- View Cart


text:
Definitions for ramified
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word ramified
Webster Dictionary
of Ramify
Find a translation for the ramified definition in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss these ramified definitions with the community:
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
"ramified." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2014. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/ramified>.


text:
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber Radio
Journals (Explicit)
Tender-aged YouTube pop sensation Justin Bieber is an inspiration to 15-year-olds the world over as his first single, "One Time," has gotten his face all over MTV and his music on the airwaves of the U.S. and his native country of Canada. Bieber instigated a bidding war between Justin Timberlake and Usher when YouTube clips of him performing Ne-Yo, Stevie Wonder, Timberlake and Usher covers made the rounds in 2006; Bieber was just 12. He eventually signed with Usher's label, Island Records, and moved from Ontario to Atlanta, Ga., where Usher acts as a consultant on the teenager's music. His debut album, My World, is slated for release in November 2009.


text:
Special Reports
In-depth feature stories and other projects from the Staten Island Advance
Photos, video: Your complete guide to Hurricane Sandy anniversary coverage
By Staten Island Advance
October 27, 2013, 6:08PM
Photos, video and links to our comprehensive coverage of the storm's one-year anniversary. Full story »
Photos: In Oakwood Beach, Pedro Correa lost more than a home
By Timothy Harrison | firstname.lastname@example.com
October 27, 2013, 12:43PM
"Oakwood Beach was a special place," he said. "I loved living there." Full story »
Photos, video: Puglia by the Sea owner watched the sea swallow his Staten Island restaurant
By Virginia N. Sherry | firstname.lastname@example.com
October 27, 2013, 9:31AM
Video cameras installed throughout the restaurant captured angry surf pounding the protective seawall above the sandy beach. Full story »
Photos, video: In wake of demolition, recalling the innocence of an Ocean Breeze childhood
By Brian J. Laline | email@example.com
October 27, 2013, 9:30AM
"The last house is being torn down in Ocean Breeze at 7 tomorrow morning" was Joe Herrnkind's urgent message. Full story »
In Sandy's wake, about 400 on Staten Island are still waiting to rebuild, return
By Stephanie Slepian | email@example.com
October 27, 2013, 7:30AM
As of last week, 24,000 city residents registered for NYC Build It Back, including 5,500 on the Island. Full story »
Only ghostly imprints where homes once stood on Staten Island's Kissam Avenue
By Tracey Porpora | firstname.lastname@example.com
October 27, 2013, 2:59AM
Nearly a dozen homes along Kissam were demolished by Hurricane Sandy. Only about half a dozen remain. Full story »
Video: Slowly, 2 buyout programs are under way for Staten Island Sandy victims
By Jillian Jorgensen | email@example.com
October 27, 2013, 2:40AM
Many homeowners who might be eligible — those with substantial damage — are awaiting further details on buyouts. Full story »
College of Staten Island's Fritz: We can't prevent storms, but we can learn from them (photos)
By Staten Island Advance
October 27, 2013, 2:25AM
We can only prevent future calamities by learning from the past, and using that knowledge to guide us in the future. Full story »
After Sandy, 12-year-old Staten Island girl reflects on 'one of the worst days of my life'
By Staten Island Advance
October 27, 2013, 2:09AM
People hope that tragedies like this won't happen. But when they do, you have to be ready. Full story »
Video, photos: Raising a home 11 feet in Staten Island's New Dorp Beach
By Virginia N. Sherry | email@example.com
October 27, 2013, 2:07AM
Mrs. Muench believes that her family's home will be the first one in the neighborhood to be legally raised. Full story »
Video: Staten Island homeowner feels let down by those who promised action
By Mark D. Stein | email@example.com
October 27, 2013, 2:05AM
"Zero since the president. It was all an act," said Donna Solli. Full story »
Photos: A positive outlook by owner of rebuilt Toto's restaurant on Staten Island
By Timothy Harrison | firstname.lastname@example.com
October 27, 2013, 2:04AM
Toto insists his story is nothing special: "You make up your mind and move forward -- with the support of people," he said. Full story »
Photos: When Sandy struck, 'I thought I was going to die that night' in Staten Island's Midland Beach
By Staten Island Advance
October 27, 2013, 2:03AM
Michele McComb won't soon forget the sight of a tremendous wave crashing over the boulevard -- or the feeling of doom she felt. Full story »
Tottenville's Bob Nolan took off after Sandy -- to pursue dream of becoming a pilot
By Staten Island Advance
October 27, 2013, 2:00AM
The high winds of Hurricane Sandy have given Bob Nolan wings. Full story »
Photos: On Staten Island's Yetman Avenue, a mix of recovery and struggle a year after Sandy
By Staten Island Advance
October 26, 2013, 9:30PM
Eileen Sexton knows how she'll be feeling on the anniversary of the storm — grateful. Full story »
Browse by month:
- 125th ANNIVERSARY
Celebrate the Advance's anniversary with a look back at the last 125 years


text:
The Dan Brown Code
Chapter 12
ON AN APRIL DAY IN 1993, Blythe Newlon and Dan Brown lay beneath the swaying palm trees of a Tahitian beach (Brown believes readers like to experience exotic locations). His music career wasn't taking off. On the beach, Brown picked up a copy of Sidney Sheldon's thriller The Doomsday Conspiracy and read it in one sitting. Putting the book down, he thought, I can do this.
Coupled with his minor success publishing 187 Men to Avoid—which Blythe had helped sell to a publishing company for $12,500—Brown figured he'd become a novelist. Life seems to be trying to tell you something, Blythe told him. And when Blythe told Brown something, he listened.
By that point, according to one fellow vacationer, Blythe was introducing herself as Brown's agent. They wed in 1997, and while promoting The Da Vinci Code Brown began one story by saying, "I remember telling my agent, or rather, telling my wife—that was a Freudian slip. Behind every great man…." He didn't finish the thought. But it was true that Blythe had put her support squarely behind him, announcing to friends in California that she was giving up her career and they were moving to New England so that Brown could focus on writing a novel.
Almost instantly, Brown unemotionally exchanged his music-industry contacts for people who could help him write books. "Dan is very, very compartmentalized," said Stan Planton, an Ohio librarian who would help him research his novels. Brown belonged to Mensa, and tapped its members for research help on his first novel, Digital Fortress. Jim Barrington, an Ohio attorney who met him through the organization, was struck by Brown's excitement about his new career. The more he distanced himself from his music-industry failure, the more charming and self-confident he became. "They say Bill Clinton has that quality, the ability to make you feel like you're the only person in the room," Barrington said. "Dan is like that."
The shy musician had disappeared. Ron Wallace, the mail-order music salesman, never heard from Brown after he moved back East. "At some point in his life," Wallace says, "he destroyed his past. It's sad—your past is who you are."
Chapter 13
THROUGH BLYTHE, BROWN learned that molding his persona was simply a matter of deciding what he wanted people to believe. He developed a flair for the sound bite. Just as he knew that exotic locations helped create an image, so, too, could dropping the names of famous people. Who can spend time in Hollywood without learning that? Storrs thought. Before Brown abandoned his music career, a local reporter asked him about his day job teaching at a private school in Beverly Hills. "Parent-teacher conferences at a place like Beverly Hills Prep can get pretty interesting," Brown was quoted as saying. "Try looking Rupert Murdoch or Michael Eisner in the eye and saying, 'Hey, your kid's a lazy bum and if he doesn't shape up, he's going to fail my course.' Now that's exciting!"
In 1998, when Brown published Digital Fortress, he had the foresight to develop a website, DanBrown.com, to go with it. According to the site, Brown had gotten the idea for Digital Fortress after the Secret Service "showed up and detained" an Exeter student who had sent an e-mail threatening President Clinton. The story helped Brown get some press, but it turns out that it didn't happen the way he told it—in fact, the Secret Service later told Vanity Fair's Seth Mnookin that they had never even visited Exeter.
Now Storrs wondered about that Beverly Hills Prep anecdote he'd read. He tracked down a former teacher, who whispered that the school had closed and that it wasn't the kind of place Brown's quote implied. Storrs wondered, Did any of Eisner's or Murdoch's kids even go there? Eisner's people wouldn't say; Murdoch's spokesperson had only a three-word answer: "They did not."
Chapter 14
IN MOMENTS OF HIGH DRAMA, THE minds of Dan Brown's characters tend to leap around a lot. It's a device that allows him to shoehorn some exposition into his action.
Storrs's mind leapt back to his visit to downtown Exeter. He had stopped by the town library, where he'd found a copy of the illustrated screenplay for The Da Vinci Code. In the foreword, Brown poked fun at his failed attempt to write the screenplay himself. "On the universal scale of humbling experiences, attempting to adapt this novel for the screen was on a par with attempting to learn golf," he wrote. "I'm a natural at neither, and I have since decided both are best left to the professionals."
On his computer, Storrs called up the website of the United States Golf Association, where players can go to record their scores. He entered Brown's name.
There was one exact match in New Hampshire.


text:
Two more RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE covers to close out the day
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 5:00pm
Why stop at two, huh?
On Friday, we slammed the week shut with the debut of the cover to BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #2, but there are a few more jaw-droppingly gorgeous "Batmen" waiting for some blog time, so why hold off on the Andy Kubert goodness?
So, before you head home, check out the amazing covers to #3 and #4. Enjoy.
Pirate Batman's pretty cool, huh?


text:
|This week
Caroline Smith - Store ManagerMeet the team »
Hundreds of exclusive Vision Express eyewear also available in store
For Lenstore customers
If you're a Lenstore customer, you are entitled to exclusive new offers available at this store. For further information about how to access your exclusive offers, visit our contact lens and eye care services page.
"This week I have been into your Romford store with my grandson for repair work to his glasses. We were served by Ray the store manager and the service, courtesy and professionalism of this man is" ... read more
Write a review for this store » Read more reviews for this store »
Vision Express is in the Liberty 2 building in the centre of Romford.
By Train:
The easiest way to get to Vision Express Romford is by Tube and the station is only an eight minute walk from the store.
When leaving the station, turn left and walk along South Street. Take a right onto Western Street and walk alongside the Liberty 1 building. At the roundabout, turn left. The entrance to the building will be on your left.
Vision Express is in the Liberty 2 building in the centre of Romford.
By Train:
The easiest way to get to Vision Express Romford is by Tube and the station is only an eight minute walk from the store.
When leaving the station, turn left and walk along South Street. Take a right onto Western Street and walk alongside the Liberty 1 building. At the roundabout, turn left. The entrance to the building will be on your left.
Our best varifocal design, the Variview Individual, are personalised, unique lenses created to suit your vision needs exclusively.read more »
Do you wear multifocals and think you can't wear contacts? Well think again. It's amazing how many people rule themselves out of wearing contact lenses because they don't think they have a suitable prescription. Technological advances in contact lenses are amongst the fastest moving in optics so it's a rare occurrence when we can't find the perfect lens to suit any eye - even those that require varifocals!
read more »
It's now easy to reserve that perfect pair of glasses from the hundreds of frames and sunglasses in our online catalogue. In your own time leisurely browse from the comfort of your own home, avoiding a quick or rash decision that could leave you with a pair of glasses you're not completely happy with.
read more »
Get all of the benefits of your indoor prescription lenses when you need them outdoors. Oakley HDO® prescription sunglasses combine your prescription with protection from the sun, in a wide range of stylish frames.read more »
The ideal contact lenses to suit your everyday needs. Be prepared for a new lease of life with contact lenses – where confidence and freedom come as standard. Whether playing sport or going out for the evening, you'll never have to worry about damaging or losing your glasses again. You can also wear the latest fashion in designer sunglasses too!read more »
Transitions adaptive lenses protect your eyes; blocking 100% of harmful UV rays, 100% of the time.read more »
See without being dazzled with polarised lenses
All sunglasses are designed to reduce brightness, but glare from the sun can still cause eye strain, squinting or even temporary blindness - which can be particularly hazardous whilst driving.read more »
Glasses breakage protection - For some people being without their glasses can amount to losing their sight, so we appreciate how important it is to get a replacement pair quickly. The Grand Advantage card was created with this in mind, as well as to give you and your family some extra benefits.read more »
This week I have been into your Romford store with my grandson for repair work to his glasses. We were served by Ray the store manager and the service, courtesy and professionalism of this man is excellent and quite a refreshing change from the slack approach recieved in a lot of stores these days.
I cannot praise Ray highly enough and his attitude and enthusiasm should be held as an example to all staff members.
Please extend my views to Ray and long may Vision Express continue to perform at this level.
Melissa Lim was an absolute star from start to finish !
Totally put my son at ease, professional and knowledgeable but with a lovely personal manner. Cannot fault the service at all. Great staff all round never pushy to sell and always listen to what you are looking for.
Hi, I would like to say how nice we are met by all staff at your Romford store, so a big thank you to Arti and Merlisa, for how they treated me, thank you all.
I was served by a woman who I believe was called Janet, she approached me and offered to help me find a pair of glasses. She was patient, polite and really helpful. Thank you for making it an enjoyable experience as opposed to a headache!
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am emailing because I am so delighted and impressed with the care I received on 16/11/13 at Vision Express in The Mercury Shopping Mall, Romford. I had only ever had one quick eye test before so I was not certain what to expect at Vision Express although I had heard from friends that Vision Express had given them the best eye tests they'd ever had.
I phoned the store and I was given an appointment within a week of phoning. I then had an extremely thorough and efficient eye assessment from Melissa Lim during which every step of the test was explained. I was made to feel comfortable even during the 'air puff' test in which I kept flinching but I was never made to feel like a nuisance. Melissa was very honest with me about how mild my sight loss was (only +0.25) and did not put any pressure on me to have glasses. Despite this, I chose to have glasses and at this point the assistant store manager took over (I don't remember his name unfortunately).
All of the types of glasses and deals were explained to me but at the same time I was not made to feel obligated to buy anything at all. I spent about an hour looking at glasses trying to decide which pair I wanted and a student optometrist called Aamir came up to me and helped me to choose when it became obvious I couldn't decide. Aamir was friendly and professional and did not make me feel that I was being at all unreasonable by being so fussy (even though I was!). After kind but truthful advice on which pairs suited me, I chose some fabulous glasses and I can't wait to get them! Everybody in the store made me feel welcome and I had a truly enjoyable and pleasurable morning at Vision Express. The staff at the Romford branch deserve to be commended!
Thank you very much,
Good customer Service
Credit where credit is due
I was privileged to be served last Saturday afternoon by Sian, at the Romford Branch, located in the Liberty Shopping Centre.
Sian was an asset to the store with her patience, genuine care and dedication in supporting my elderly mum through the process of selecting new spectacle frames and patiently reminding her of each stage of the process having not been due for a full eye test and benefits of each option made available as a result and tirelessly patient whilst mum chose the glasses she actually wanted and enjoyed wearing.
Thank you Sian for your excellent customer service.
I've worn glasses all my life and stupidly, for the first time, went to an online discount glasses style company for my glasses last year. Normally my glasses last me 4-5+yrs but I've had to change after 12 months due to the poor quality!!
Vision Express Romford, in particular manager Sean, spent a considerable amount of time helping me get back on track with some brilliant glasses with enthusiasm and a friendly attitude. I never once felt rushed, pressured to buy or that he had somewhere else to be. I was made to feel that I was the only customer in the shop, even though they were busy. An experience becoming more and more rare in today's world.
I could not recommend Sean and his team any higher. Fantastic service. 10/10
Store Manager