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NEW: For a prettier blog interface, see the Wordpress version!
Priorities - A: high, B: medium, C: low; Status - _: unfinished, X: finished, C: cancelled, P: pending, o: in progress, >: delegated. Covey quadrants - Q1 & Q3: urgent, Q1 & Q2: important
|Call ISO (CS21A.Syllabus)
|Install the JRE
1. Lesson plan --- education
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
- describe CS21A and list its objectives
- understand and agree to classroom policies and grading schemes
- appreciate and practice algorithmic thinking
- Introduce myself and welcome the class. - Discuss CS21A description and objectives, misconceptions about computing. Give them the URL for the course website. - Discuss class policies and grading schemes. - Discuss algorithmic thinking and everyday processes.
- Spaghetti
- Searching
- Sorting - Do a demonstration of algorithms.
- Searching
- Ask five students to line up in front.
- Ask the class how they would find out who is the youngest among the five.
- Walk through the algorithm.
- Sorting
- Ask the class how they would arrange the students in alphabetical order according to last name and then first name.
- Walk through the algorithm.
- Formalize both algorithms. - Define computer science as the study of algorithms. Define 'algorithm'.
- a list of instructions for accomplishing some task; a well-defined procedure for solving a problem (wikipedia)
- Algorithms and computers: how to take advantage of the computer's strengths
- computer: fast, but stupid
- human: smart, but slow
- sometimes we need to use different ways - Strategy
- computer: fast, but stupid
- Define input and output
- Break down problem into subproblems until it seems manageable.
- Come up with test cases by solving the problems by hand. This will often give you insights.
- For each unsolved problem
- Think of how to solve it.
- Express your solution in plain language.
- Refine your solution and make it more precise.
- Test your solution to see if it seems to work. If it passes the tests, then move on to the next problem. - Applying the strategy
- adding two numbers - More exercises
- Subtraction
- Division
- Square root
- Anagrams
- Palindromes - Summarize - Reminders
- distribute getting-to-know-you questionnaire.
- seat plan will be prepared tomorrow (Apr 24, 2003)
- keep your eyes open for other algorithms!
Evaluation and follow-up
- Give a short algorithmic problem as a 5 point quiz during the next class session.
- 0.5: identifying input
- 0.5: identifying output
- 1: giving a test case.
- 3: describing the algorithm
2. Teaching was so much fun! --- education : 10:36
The spaghetti exercise was a big success, as it underscored real-life application of algorithmic thinking. Adding two numbers took a fair amount of time, but was somewhat effective. Note: tomorrow, assign a beadle, prepare a seat plan, prepare history notes, prepare questions about piracy, DRM, reliability, industry/academe... =)
3. Scrabble : 10:38
Where is Sir Olpoc?
4. Up the Down Staircase --- education : 14:52
Apparently, Sir Olpoc also loves this book. =) I figured as much by the "Yo, teach!" quote on his website, but still...
5. ARGH! Left my power cord! : 19:42
Silly me. Well, I guess that means I'll be working on the CS21A breakdown on the Mac and I'll be sleeping early tonight. I guess I should make the most use of it, then. Since my CS21 curriculum review notes are on the web (they are, aren't they?), all I have to do is move the cs21a and cs21b into my public web hierarchy.
I'd love to hear about any questions, comments, suggestions or links that you might have. Your comments will not be posted on this website immediately, but will be e-mailed to me first. You can use this form to get in touch with me, or e-mail me at [email protected] .


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Fletcher man charged with animal cruelty
Published: Monday, August 4, 2014 at 6:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, August 4, 2014 at 6:33 p.m.
A Fletcher man was charged with felony cruelty to animals Saturday after officers learned he may have shot and killed a dog on Ambrosia Lane.
Officers with the Fletcher Police Department were dispatched to Ambrosia Lane for an "anonymous complaint of a canine being shot" at 9:59 p.m. Friday. When officers arrived, however, several people at the scene denied any knowledge of shots being fired or any animal being injured or killed, according to a news release from Fletcher Police on Monday.
Witnesses changed their tune on Saturday.
"Officers responded again to the same area on Saturday afternoon and determined that a canine had been shot the previous night. Several of the same persons on Saturday admitted to having knowledge of the canine being shot, even though these persons told officers the previous evening they knew nothing about the incident," according to the release.
After completing numerous interviews and collecting evidence, police arrested Ricky Weldon Baldwin, 40, of 147 Ambrosia Lane. Baldwin was given a $3,000 secured bond by a magistrate and has since been released from custody.
The Henderson County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.

subset: commoncrawl


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rogerfederer.com - Roger survives massive |scare
Navigation with Access Keys
- [Alt + 0] - Startseite
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Roger survives massive |scare
Roger defeated France's Julien Benneteau in a thrilling match 4-6, 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-6(6) and 6-1 today and thus making his way into the second week at Wimbledon.
After dropping the opening set, Roger was not able to make use of three set points in set number two, eventually losing the tie-break clearly. But he then started to find his way into the match a lot better, taking the third set with ease. The fourth set, again, went into a tiebreaker, where our champ won the first point. Both players traded points from there until they reached 6-6 for Benneteau to then hit a return long - and Roger finally closing out the set.
Benneteau seemed too exhausted in the final set, receiving treatment on his legs twice. Roger, on the other hand, showed some more terrific tennis to continue his journey for a seventh Wimbledon title.


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Charlie Foxtrot wrote: After all, the TSA said the machines don't save the images so there's no risk of them getting out. Only they were lying:
So if you don't want your child's naked image to end up in a Florida courthouse you have to let a stranger fondle your child. No one under the age of 12 is going to be submitted to this, but a 13-year-old is still very much a kid.
Maybe that doesn't bother you, because maybe you don't have children. And, after all, as you said no woman will be licking her lips before she fondles you. But the men might be while they're watching:
Last of all, these things don't work:
IAmNiki wrote: 1. I don't consider it being groped. I consider it being patted down. If someone were to get sexual with their method of touching, then sure, that's being groped. But I'm not under the impression that being touched in certain areas automatically constitutes as being groped.
2. I don't have kids, so I can't say with any real conviction how I would react to having a TSA agent patting down my kid and feeling in private areas. However, I did watch the video of the little girl being 'molested' by the TSA agent. Sure, the person probably didn't know how to 'communicate' to the kid what they were doing and why, but she also was already in a cranky mood because she had her toy taken away from her moments beforehand, and most kids don't like random strangers touching them anyways. Do I think a child should be forced to endure a pat-down while she screams "don't touch me" and tries to wiggle away? On one hand you are directly violating consent. On the other hand, I think it's an inflammatory stretch to be calling it "molestation."
Raoul DeGroot wrote: During a rush hour, that's a hard thing to take the time out for and the onus should also fall on the parent to think the process out.
Kids are unpredictable! It looked like the screener took the risk of just trying to power through and get it over with as fast as possible and that didn't pan out.
Part of the problem is that the parent is in charge of acting as the child's representative and they didn't suggest a more slow paced or private screening. They wanted to power through as well.
Raoul DeGroot wrote:
The xray scanner can't store images unless-
A. some insanely motivated TSA peon hacks the system
B. the xray technician in collusion with a TSA head supervisor decide to activate that function, so they can see some ass and titty at the risk of federal jailtime.
Charlie Foxtrot wrote: Raoul DeGroot wrote:
The xray scanner can't store images unless-
A. some insanely motivated TSA peon hacks the system
B. the xray technician in collusion with a TSA head supervisor decide to activate that function, so they can see some ass and titty at the risk of federal jailtime.
Where's this information coming from?
Raoul DeGroot wrote: Did you read the article? Because besides being a different agency, it's not even the same machine.
Charlie Foxtrot wrote: Has a terrorist ever been known to board a plane with their child?


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Too many passwords to keep in your mind? Here is a great solution! Cross-platform and portable!
May 142012
Credit cards, SIM cards, social networking sites and forums are just some of the many services that can give us trouble. That's right … Each of these, now, requires passwords and codes that you must keep secrets. I can not remember everything for sure! The only solutions are the ones that we all know. Use a general password? too risky! An intuitive and memorable password? Unfortunately also too risky! Also writing them all in some paper is not a good idea … In fact, in addition to being found by others it could even be missed by us! So … what a beautiful mess!
Continue reading »


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Definition of high-rise in English:
1(Of a building) having many stories: office towers and high-rise apartments
More example sentences
- We hopped into my car, and she directed me downtown to the Belvedere, an old high-rise office building that had been converted into cheap apartments.
- Instead of cosy, low-rent substitute houses in old neighbourhoods, there were high-rise apartment buildings.
- In contrast to the rest of the country, hotels, offices, villas and high-rise apartment buildings are going up at a frenzied pace.
1.1Taller or set higher than normal: high-rise handlebars
More example sentences
- This aluminum city slicker has eight speeds, and a shorter stem and high-rise handlebars to ensure a comfortable, upright position.
- Generally, high-rise pants suit taller men, while low-rise trousers are more flattering for shorter men.
A building with many stories.
Example sentences
- The wide view outside displays Shanghai's historical buildings and modern high-rises.
- The understated, brick exterior now stands out amongst the bland residential high-rises that have sprouted in the River North area in recent years.
- Luxury high-rises are especially prone to noise problems.
For editors and proofreaders
Syllabification: high-rise
Definition of high-rise in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
= trending


text:
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text:
Sarasota Ballet conservatory grooms ballet's next generation
Published: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:14 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:14 a.m.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text: I have had problems getting my media library to update with all my media but seems to be fine now. Seems that the media library does not display thumbnails even though they are there. I have 4 drives with movies so the media library puts all 4 in alphabetical order but no thumbs. Doing something wrong?


text:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on CafePress-Custom T-Shirts, Unique Gifts, Posters and more. at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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If you want ordinary Merry Christmas text, this is the design. The font is rounded and the Merry Christmas text is 3D. This plain text is still festive and works on many items for the holidays. Christmas Women's Tank Top Sporty and sexy, wear our women's tank top to beat the summer heat or workout in cool comfort. Our tank top is made of 100% combed ring spun cotton, and cut for a close, fashionable fit. Neck and armhole are carefully shaped to conceal a bra.6.1 o. Price: $24.00
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text:
So I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to... well... everything, I guess!
And I was having a hard time deciding what item to first buy for my sister's to-be baby.
There is so much stuff out there. And I didn't want it be generic or predictable.
I wanted to just let it jump out at scream at me.
So when I saw this little cutie at Ikea, I knew it was just meant to be...
{ a cute little broccoli! }
Those who know my twin well know that she used to HATE vegetables (and that's putting it lightly). So I thought I would do the right thing and ensure her baby learns to love the greens at an early age.
Sir Broccoli rode around in my new basket in the cart until we checked out. He looked pretty comfy!
Unfortunately my sister has been completely put off by lettuce since her pregnancy began. So if her food aversions during pregnancy are any indicator of things to come, things aren't looking good for Sir Broccoli here...
Fingers crossed it'll help!


text:
Data from over 300 pension funds found listed equity REITs to be the top-performing asset class overall, with significantly lower fees than other real and alternative assets.
CEO Joel Marcus says occupancy, demand and development at record levels.
Interest rate concerns play major role in shaping market sentiment, analysts say.
Cousins CEO Larry Gellerstedt III sees increased role for development.
Consultation seeking your views on proposed changes to the FTSE NAREIT US Real Estate Index Series.
Industrial REITs continue to expand around the world.
Investors report widespread optimism about direction of real estate market.
Combined portfolio will span high-end, middle-market and lifestyle centers.
DLA Piper survey highlights abundant capital availability, low interest rates.
Several U.S. REITs recognized as sector leaders.


text:
Grand Caillou Middle breaks ground on new school
Published: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 6:34 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 6:34 p.m.
Melanie Fabre stood in a cold, muddy field along Grand Caillou Road Tuesday and saw promise.
Fabre has taught at Grand Caillou Middle School for 25 years. She grew up five houses down from the school. She sent her son there.
So Fabre knows as well as anyone how important the building that will soon stand in that field will be.
The current Grand Caillou Middle School building has flooded seven times in recent memory. In her son's middle school career alone, the school flooded twice.
"He lost his grandfather, his home and his school all in one day. And he's not the only one like that," Fabre said. "When hurricane season comes, their stomachs start churning, because they know how easily everything can just get washed out."
That's why Fabre cares so much about the field, which sits just south of Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center and Ellender High School in Terrebonne Parish.
Water-weary residents of the school community hope the new Grand Caillou Middle School will finally put them out of the floods' reach.
School Board officials gathered at the site Tuesday to break ground on the new building. It was a moment that's been a long time in the making for School Board member Roger DeHart, who said he's been pushing to find land and money for the new school for more than a decade.
"The students at this school deserve better than what they've got," he said. "Every time we get a major hurricane, that school floods, and all those kids' learning just gets completely disrupted."
The effort has faced some hurdles. Near the very end of the process, the building's cost jumped to $15.7 million from an original budget of $12 million.
But DeHart said he's happy with the price in the end. The school system is paying for the school with special interest-free bonds, and the Walter Land Co. donated the property on which it will sit.
"Building a new school is a rare event. It's a very big deal," DeHart said. "We're building something that will last for generations."
Merlin Lirette, the architect who designed the building, said the school will be built as flood-proof as possible.
The almost 58,000-square-foot building will sit behind the parish's new Thompson Road levee expansion, which should make it less vulnerable to storm surge.
It will stand 10 feet above sea level and be two stories tall, with all the classrooms, computer labs and other vital academic areas a floor off the ground. It will be made of materials that are easy to maintain and clean, so the process of recovering from any storms that cause flooding will be much easier.
Lirette said Thibodaux-based Thompson Construction Co., which is also building the freshman expansion at H.L. Bourgeois High School, will finish the building by the fall of 2014.
That can't come soon enough for Fabre.
"The kids and the teachers and the parents just can't wait," she said. "We've been waiting so long for this school, and we're going to be so, so proud when we finally have it."
Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at email@example.com.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text:
FREMONT -- Tesla Motors shut down its production line Monday as part of a long-scheduled plan to retool the factory to increase production of the Model S sedan and prepare for the introduction of the Model X crossover SUV.
"We'll be back at regular production Aug. 4," Simon Sproule, Tesla's vice president of communications, said in an interview. "We'll be down for 128 hours of regularly scheduled production time."
The new production line, which will cost roughly $100 million, is on the ground floor of the factory off Interstate 880 and will be used for both the Model S and forthcoming Model X.
"It improves the overall flow for the plant," Sproule said. "We're installing new lines, reconfiguring the plant and making more use of the available space in Fremont."
Sproule affirmed the guidance Tesla has given to investors, saying the Palo Alto electric car manufacturer remains on track to produce and deliver 35,000 Model S sedans this year and should reach a run rate of 1,000 cars a week by the end of the year. The company is also expanding its powertrain and battery pack assembly areas on the Fremont factory's third floor.
Tesla purchased the Fremont plant in 2010 and began Model S production in 2012. It describes the upcoming Model X as blending "the best of an SUV with the benefits of a minivan, as only an electric car can."
Tesla's Fremont workforce, which includes more than 3,500 employees, will be largely unaffected by the stoppage and workers will still earn their paychecks.
"Employees can come to work as normal and do training and maintenance, or they can take paid time off," Sproule said.
In a May earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told analysts that the factory was likely to be idled sometime this summer to enable a substantial increase in production capacity.
Tesla is also in the process of evaluating possible locations for its "Gigafactory" for battery production. The company has said it is studying sites in five southwestern states: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. California has long been considered a long-shot for the massive, 10 million-square-foot facility, which will cost as much as $5 billion and is expected to employ 6,500 people. But state officials are eager to land the Gigafactory for the Golden State.
State Sens. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and Ted Gaines, R-Rocklin, have introduced legislation to entice Tesla to build the Gigafactory in California. The bill is on hold until the Legislature returns from summer recess.
Tesla plans to report earnings for its second quarter, which ended June 30, after the closing bell on July 31.
Contact Dana Hull at 408-920-2706. Follow her at Twitter.com/danahull.


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"We like the rewards and certificates; our children work very hard to receive these! The reports are also brilliant in keeping us informed of the levels our children have reached and where they need extra help."
Parent, Coolah, NSW, Australia
"I love the Awards thing — how you get to win prizes — because it's fun and it makes me want to get up from 5:00AM in the morning to do IXL. And I love the setting of it, it feels very comfortable and I understand when I get a question wrong."
Year 5 student, Sydney, NSW, Australia
"IXL has helped me heaps in all my learning, I am having fun while learning new things and earning rewards for it. I love feeling that warm glow when I get a new reward. Thanks IXL!!!!"
Grade 6 student, Adelaide, SA, Australia
"Half way through the school year, we could tell our daughter wasn't mastering the math skills she needed. After just three weeks, her comprehension and confidence are definitely growing. I would recommend IXL to any parent who is concerned about their child's progress."
Parent, Plano, Texas, U.S.A.
"My six-year-old son is very bright in reading, writing, and other areas and is easily reading at a 2nd grade level if not above. The one area he struggles in is math. But with IXL, I can see some improvement in his math skills already. I like the fact that he can access it from home and practice it. I also like the fact that I can check on his progress. This is an invaluable tool that I can use to help further his education. Thank you, IXL, and thank you, Kenden Elementary, for providing this program for my son."
Parent, Lansing, Michigan, U.S.A.
"IXL is incredible. I am the youngest in my class, and my best subject is math. However, I never liked math until I started IXL. Because of IXL I am the best in my class and my sister also does advanced math with IXL."
8th grade student, Sammamish, Washington, U.S.A.
"IXL has made it possible for me to teach my high school children math. Because it is aligned with the common core, I know that they are covering all the topics they should be learning. And when they get 100 smart score points on each topic, I am sure they are learning and have no gaps in their learning."
Homeschooling parent, Stone Mountain, Georgia, U.S.A.
"IXL has affected my performance in school dramatically. I'm doing work faster, and I have a better understanding of the subject."
High school student, Marine City, Michigan, U.S.A.
"I love IXL. It makes me feel so smart. I feel like I am always in control of what I am learning and that if at any time I need help I can get it. I have not felt this way about any learning site in my life."
Student, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
"The sheer volume of topics is IXL's best feature, as workbooks don't cover such a variety of topics."
Parent of a preschooler, Aptos, California, U.S.A.
"I love how the awards section gives you an award, because then you can actually feel proud about completing an activity! I also love that the questions go from easy to hard! It is fun learning in IXL, and when my mom says to do some studying, I go directly to IXL!"
5th grade student, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
"IXL has helped me a vast amount because it took my grades from C's and D's to B's, and I'm working on getting them to A's. I was pretty sure my teacher was going to ask me to drop down from algebra and go to accelerated math, but I got help from IXL before that happened."
7th grade student, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
"This program takes the frustration out of math because it allows the student to practice at his/her own pace and stay focused. It's okay if you mark one wrong because another one will be waiting. This is a great tool to have."
Parent of a 4th grader, California, U.S.A.
"I am a 6th grader who absolutely despised math. I would try and fail and fail. But IXL has helped me tremendously."
Student, Bradford, Tennessee, U.S.A.
"IXL really boosted my junior high daughter's confidence in math – so much so that I asked my school if I could get a subscription for my math classes."
Special education teacher, Morris, Illinois, U.S.A.
"I am a parent and also an elementary school teacher with a remedial education background. Thanks to your excellent website, my daughter and I have been able to work together reviewing and consolidating her math skills. She has worked consistently and frequently with IXL for almost a year now and I am happy to say that she has a clearer understanding of mathematical concepts. Your website has been a lifesaver! Math is no longer seen as a scary and negative subject."
Parent, Canada
"IXL has been tremendously beneficial in terms of helping me to differentiate in my own classroom, and it has given my daughter a chance to get ahead at home. My students love the layout and how they can see themselves progressing, as does my daughter who is eager to learn as much as she can so that she can qualify and enroll in special classes such as computer science, robotics, and aerospace studies."
Teacher and parent of a 6th grader, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.
"This program has allowed our family to really take math on with full force. The kids ask to 'play it.' It has been a amazing addition to their schooling needs. They have moved up almost a grade level in their math and are retaining all the information. Thank you."
Homeschooler, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada
"I have one daughter in First Class, and we love IXL. And as a result she is quite good at maths."
Parent, Dublin, Ireland
"IXL has helped me a lot! After one year I've learned more than I thought I ever would. Thank you so much!"
Grade 6 student, Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada
"I really like your website because the 'skills' you can master are so precise. You can become an expert at anything! It is also very close to what they teach at school, so when I have a test, instead of studying with pen and paper, I go on IXL. And because it is on the computer, I am convinced it is funner! It is slightly above the level of what they teach at school, so I feel ahead. All in all, I love your website!"
Student, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
"It has made a huge improvement to my son's learning in the 2 months of using IXL. His confidence has improved across the board and he is moving up in his class. I find it really easy to get him to do his maths every night as he finds it fun with IXL."
Parent, Auckland, New Zealand
"My favourite feature of IXL is that if you get a question wrong IXL will tell you how to solve it and what you did wrong. Another thing I really enjoy is that IXL provides awards and progress reports showing how you do over time...they make the student feel like they are actually studying and not wasting time."
Student, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
"My son has come in 2nd in his school because of practicing maths in IXL."
Yasmin, parent, Karachi, Pakistan
"I get kids of all ages, but the one thing they have in common is a lack of parental interest in their education. This program has helped them build skills and gain confidence in a way they never have before. It really helps turn them around. It takes the hardest subject and helps them excel."
Tobi, foster parent, Avon, Indiana, U.S.A.
"Getting to the basics and working up from there in small steps and not leaps — I find IXL supports this very well.... I saw a vast improvement in my older child's fraction answering."
Sharon B., Torbay, New Zealand
"Your website is great. A friend whose child also has learning disabilities let me know about your site and I have been passing it on ever since. Your website has shown my daughter that she can do maths — where school was making her feel she couldn't."
Parent, Wellington, New Zealand
"I love this site! My kids were actually fighting to get on it. My daughter hated math... now I have to ask her to stop using IXL and go to bed. That has never happened before."
Parent, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
"My son struggled with math last year in second grade and scored "Below Basic" on California's STAR test. His overall math performance was in the 28th percentile. We found IXL online, and this year, he is in the 92nd percentile in math. He enjoys going to school, he loves doing his homework, and overall I think he is just a happier, more confident kid."
Vanessa Y., parent, Hayward, California, U.S.A.
"THANK YOU for your authenticity! The technical support that you provide is excellent and this program is outstanding! You are to be commended for your efforts and dedication to elementary and early childhood education. You have me as a customer for the next 6 years — since I have 4 kids all under 10 who are working on your site now!"
Parent, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
"As a parent, I love IXL. My son thinks it is another computer game. He loves the game board, with the stars and awards. What an incentive for the kids to look forward to! My preschooler is so excited to fill in all the award spots. It is just awesome."
Parent, Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A.
"I like the site's user-friendliness, even for children, the use of full color which makes it more engaging and fun, the quick responses the children get when they submit their answers, and the rewards (medals, etc.). My pre-K boy and first grade girl see IXL as fun and games, so they're motivated to do it."
Clinical psychologist, New Jersey, U.S.A.
"My son has gone from a low D at the end of the 2nd quarter to a low B this quarter. There is still room for him to improve, but he sees the results, and he can see the extra work and time he spends on IXL has had a positive impact on his grade. His overall attitude towards math has also improved, and he no longer is discouraged at his ability to understand and solve the problems in class."
Parent, Sahuarita, Arizona, U.S.A.
"This program is awesome. I have three young children enrolled and they fight over who gets to use the computer to work on their math."
Karen S., parent, South Carolina, U.S.A.
"I have found my performance so much better thanks to IXL. Any skill we are working on in school I am always on top of them from my practise with IXL."
Student, Leinster, Ireland
"My daughter loves the awards and is very keen to see what she has obtained after her hard work!"
Angela D., parent, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK
"IXL is great and amazing! When I go to school I get the answers right away. But not fractions because I'm not there yet."
Grade 2 student, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"My children love the awards boards, and the fact that they can change their account icons to a favorite award. Believe it or not, this is very motivating for them."
Amber G., homeschooling parent, Maryville, Missouri, U.S.A.
"My girls have utilized your site since 2nd grade to excel at math. They are in advanced classes and receive A's in math, thanks to your site."
Parent, Annandale, Virginia, U.S.A.
"IXL has helped me because our workbook that we do in class isn't as hard as this (not that this is very hard but it just makes me think about the answer more)."
Student, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"I like the fact that the national curriculum topics are so well broken down into individual learning components."
Sarah B., parent, Maidstone, Kent, UK
"I am a parent of two children ages 10 and 6. I felt my children needed some incentive, and IXL has been a great help in keeping them up to date and enthusiastic about math. My favorite features are the times tests and the explanations when the answers are incorrect. Now my kids feel much more confident and find math fun!!"
Parent, Puerto Rico
"My 7-year-old daughter LOVES IXL! She's in a Montessori school, so I wasn't sure how to assess if she was at grade level. She's having fun and I can see she's easily doing grade level appropriate skills."
Parent, Mountain View, California, U.S.A.
"I am a grandmother homeschooling a 13-year-old with learning disabilities. She is at grade 1-2. I am so pleased with the whole site! The exercises are stimulating, never boring, and my granddaughter loves to do them and earn the awards — even if it takes her a lot of repetition, she'll keep trying until she gets one. I love that there are SO many activities and grades all in one program."
Grandmother and homeschooler, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
"I think IXL is the best educational maths site for my kids. It's excellent in the way it gives the parent feedback. Also, congrats for one of the simplest and most interesting sites for maths."
Peter W., parent, Lymington, Hampshire, UK
"I just wanted to compliment you all on such a great math program. My oldest child LOVES IXL. I've pulled her out of school to homeschool her, and the IXL reports have been invaluable! It makes it so easy for me to add her grades to my grading spreadsheet and to see her improvement. I love that you provide that information — it really makes a difference for a new homeschooler!"
Janeen B., teacher, parent, and homeschooler, Wiley, Colorado, U.S.A.
"I realy love IXL. I am 6 years old. I am learning alot. I think you are a great company."
Student, London, UK
"Thank you for making this product. My daughter is in grade 5 and at the beginning of the year had difficulty with multiplication. We were concerned. I found your product online and immediately purchased it. The best $79 I have spent in a long time. She is now doing incredibly well in multiplication. On her last two tests she scored 39/40 and 40/40. We are so proud of her."
Parent, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
"I am using IXL to assist my son to review his grade 8 work in order to be better prepared to enter grade 9 in September. I like a number of things about IXL. The most important feature that IXL has is the fact that it sends students back to a certain point until they master the subject. This encourages students to be persistent and learn from their mistakes."
Parent, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
"My kids have become much better at maths. Thank you for such a great site."
Parent, London, UK
"I have become a much stronger math student, thanks to IXL. In fact, I have become the best student in math in my grade."
7th grade student, Texas, U.S.A.
"The cumulative rewards are great. The kids just want to get more pictures or medals, etc. It is so simple, but it hooks them!"
Parent, Seaton, Devon, UK
"IXL has improved my grades from a B+ to an A+. I love this website and would recommend it to anyone!"
6th grade student, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
"With IXL, my child's performance has improved remarkably."
Parent, Durban, South Africa
"My favorite features about IXL are the awards. This is my favorite because as you keep progressing then you get new achievements and pictures representing what you have accomplished. IXL has been really helpful because now I can practice things that I have learned. This has improved my grades in school a lot."
8th grade student, Redmond, Washington, U.S.A.
"I love that my son and his classmates want to spend time practicing math!"
Jonathan K., parent, East Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A.
"IXL is awesome to me. I am obsessed with the fact that we can have pictures as our little character, and we earn them when we do math. I think that's very encouraging for me."
6th grade student, Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
"Excellent product you have. I've referred many people."
Parent, Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A.
"I love IXL soooo much. I love the prizes, because they motivate me to practice more."
7th grade student, Dorado, Puerto Rico
"Thanks to IXL, the kids catch on in minutes – versus when Mom would try to work through it with them with lots of frustration."
Carrie E., parent, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
"I can see that my daughter, who uses IXL, has mastered simple addition already, while her school has just started on this topic. This boosts her confidence in school. Also, she can focus on newer stuff."
Vidhya M., parent, Bangalore, India
"I was starting to do badly in Math, and I went on your site and did about an hour's worth of lessons each day and started to realize that I was really improving. From an 80% I went to a 100%!"
7th grade student, U.S.A.
"My daughter's math grade has improved from a B to a high A. Thank you!!!"
Parent of a 3rd grader, Hendersonville, North Carolina, U.S.A.
"I used to get A's in math, but when I started to do IXL my A's turned into A+'s."
4th grade student, Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.A.
"I'm a grandmother with a grandchild in kindergarten. We enjoy working together on IXL after we get done with her homework. All the practice skills and awards are fun. Thank you!"
Grandparent, Waimanalo, Hawaii, U.S.A.
"My favorite features are the practice questions and the system of rewards. My kids are really interested in them, and the user interface is really good compared to other sites. I can see that my son is showing good progress at good rate."
Shamaila T., parent, Karachi, Pakistan
"My coworker was asking me questions about her daughter's math homework. She knows I have a teaching degree so she thought I would know how. I did not know the new terminology. So I plugged in the stem and leaf question and your site came up and we were both surprised. It not only explained the way to work the problems but gave great practice problems. She has 3 children and now they all use it."
Grandmother, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
"I was skeptical of IXL, only from the negativity of other websites claiming to be fun, yet teach children math at the same time. I figured IXL was just like the other websites. I was wrong!!! I would, and already have recommended IXL to other parents whose children are struggling in math as well. I have already told my friend, who is also an elementary teacher how wonderful IXL is. I cannot stress enough how IXL is boosting my son's confidence, self esteem, and math grade! I NEVER thought I'd see the day when I tell my son that it's time to do some extra studying, without him getting upset and negative. He is eager to work on IXL and when he has completed his extra studying and can log off of IXL, he chooses not to. He will continue to work on IXL at his own free will. THANK YOU, IXL!!"
Parent, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.
"My son has learning difficulties - dispraxia, dyslexia and ADD are the main concerns. I supplement what he is learning at school in order to keep him abreast with the class, and it can be a challenge for our relationship. Using IXL has improved our relationship as he likes IXL so much more than any of the other programs (flash cards, worksheets) that we were using before. I am extremely grateful. I can sit beside him and instead of being the mean mummy who is throwing tough questions at him, I can be encouraging him on towards 100."
Parent, Hong Kong
"Ixl.com has been an amazing tool to help my son get caught up with the curriculum he needs for his grade level after he fell behind in his math."
Parent, Bradford, Ontario, Canada
"We've just begun, but I can see confidence building already after less than 1 hour on IXL!"
Parent, Indiana, U.S.A.
"My kids are rocking in math. I LOVE IXL!!"
Parent, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
"I believe this program has made our daughter a stronger math student and has given her the ability and desire to want to be challenged and successful in math. In school, third grade word problems with the hidden concept of 'solve for X' was her most challenging concept. But getting extra word problems from the IXL program really helped."
Parent, Corona, California, U.S.A.
"I love IXL. It really helps me focus on my learning in math. I feel like my education has come a long way since before I knew about IXL."
Student, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
"My daughter would never have spent an hour and a half going through 66 practice problems in her math textbook. IXL makes that happen by giving her immediate rewards and pacing her so she can master the skills."
Parent of a 6th grader, Orting, Washington, U.S.A.
"I was struggling in math and IXL helped! I just got a B+ on my last math test!"
5th grade student, Huntington Beach, California, U.S.A.
"I have a 21-year-old daughter with a learning disability and I'm always checking for educational games on the internet. IXL came up today and I checked out some of the exercises and I'm thrilled! It's got what I've been looking for for years: repetition at the same level of difficulty until mastery is achieved. There are many sites with interesting games, but until now I had never found one site that brought the 'practice makes it perfect' advantage to life."
Parent, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
"The combination of the automation, the awards/certificates, the stats, and the level of the actual questions JUST WORKS!"
Parent, Longwood, Florida, U.S.A.
"IXL's really been helping me with my math. I've been getting better grades and understanding the stuff too. Thank you for this program!"
8th grade student, Falling Waters, West Virginia, U.S.A.
"We love IXL. It has helped my two boys tremendously in advancing their math skills. Most importantly, they enjoy learning math through IXL."
Parent of a 4th grader, Leonia, New Jersey, U.S.A.
"I am student and I'm in fifth grade and I loooooove IXL. It really helps in my life, and I can totally see a difference!"
Student, Auburn, Washington, U.S.A.
"Your explanations are very helpful and are age appropriate. They allow for a real sense of independence when working through the problems."
Parent, Littleton, Colorado, U.S.A.
"I really like IXL and I like that it makes you better at math. The awards make you feel like you have done something special."
Student, Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.A.
"I am a parent of two children using your program. I have been looking for a math program for years and this is the best one I have found so far."
Parent, Durango, Colorado, U.S.A.
"I really think this website is helpful for kids learning. Their heads are going to explode in knowledge!"
5th grade student, Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A.
"My son loves this site. He is 2 1/2 and loves the pre-K level things, and this site is keeping him excited to learn."
Parent, Williston, Florida, U.S.A.
"Oh, I love this site! It's my favorite math site, because it's interactive! I can try the problems out myself, so I know I understand them!"
8th grade student, Calhoun, Tennessee, U.S.A.
"I stumbled across this site and absolutely love it. It has helped my kids stay ahead of the learning curve, and most of the time they already know what the teacher is going over in class."
Parent, Valley Stream, New York, U.S.A.
"IXL has lots of great pictures that my daughter loves. The rewards are lovely, and she can't wait to see what picture she is going to get as a reward."
Parent, Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.A.
"Sometimes I forget about the time and do IXL for hours. My grades have improved a lot. It really feels good to get good grades."
7th grade student, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
"I'm a retired elementary teacher. I help my grandchildren by providing access to your wonderful program. The format is so neat, organized and attractive. I love the layout, and that students are encouraged to think and not guess. I like that IXL shows them what they should have answered with quick, to-the-point explanations. GREAT PROGRAM!!"
Alma H., Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
"Two of my four kids are old enough to use IXL, and they love it! They seem to understand concepts other kids their age may not understand."
Parent, Lenexa, Kansas, U.S.A.
"I'm improving at an amazing rate. In CIE [University of Cambridge International Examinations], We have to do checkpoints at 8th grade. The marking scheme is 1-6 with 6 being the highest grade. I got 6 in math BECAUSE OF IXL!!!"
Grade nine student, Hyderabad, India
"My granddaughter loves to go to the computer each evening "to do her math.""
Grandparent, Fort Myers, Florida, U.S.A.
"IXL has been helping me with my child's math needs for three years now. Her grades have definitely improved — in fact, so much that I have recommended it to a lot of people."
Parent of a 5th grader, Deming, New Mexico, U.S.A.
"IXL has helped me improve my grades and will most likely help me again this year. I am so grateful for IXL!"
6th grade student, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
"This site is WONDERFUL...it has helped me reacquire the knowledge I need to help my grandsons in math. Oh my goodness, what an A+ site. Thank you!!!"
Ellen S., Hamptom, Virginia, U.S.A.
"I really love this site and math, too. IXL made math an awesome subject rather than boring. Through IXL my grades went higher and higher. I think everyone has to check out this cool website."
Student, Salmiya, Kuwait
"I love the reports that get sent to me via email, and the ability to see what grade level the kids were working at. I also like that one membership covers everything, and not per program or per grade level, so my kids are free to advance, if needed."
Parent, Lakeville, Minnesota, U.S.A.
"We would like to thank you for your work, IXL is the best math related webpage for kids we have found on the internet! Our daughter, is only 4 years old, but likes math very much and enjoys working on IXL every day (she has done almost 13,000 questions since starting 8 months ago). She is now mostly doing first and second grade skills, but can do also some of the higher skills tasks. Thanks to your webpage, she has done an enormous progress in the past few months."
Parent, Slovakia
"I love: (1) The parent pages - being able to see my son's progress, trouble spots, time spent, problems he's done, etc. I feel that I am able to gain insight into how and what he's doing in math! (2) The game board concept! Today he got so excited because he got a guitar! I LOVED IT! THANK YOU! (3) I also LOVE the variety of math problems you have here. There are easy AND challenging problems, and it's great for him to have both!"
Parent of a 3rd grader, Plainville, Connecticut, U.S.A.
"First of all, THANKS! My 1st & 3rd grade boys love IXL, especially the awards and the award game board."
Parent and homeschooler, Farmers Branch, Texas, U.S.A.
"My children (grades PK and 1) are really embracing using the site for extended periods of time without any pushing from me. I will certainly spread the word for this site. I LOVE it!"
Parent, Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.A.
"I am a soon to be sixth grader in a few months. I love IXL because it is helping me a lot. I did not know my multiplication as good as i was supposed to. I knew my 1's, 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, 6's, 10's, 11's, and 12's a bit. But not really. So IXL really helped me, not only with multiplication but to review things from previous grade to help me for the future coming ahead. Thanks a lot for all of this."
Student, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
"I home school my 8 year old son. We recently signed up for IXL and LOVE IT! My son is doing great with math and your site is so user friendly."
Parent, Millbrook, New York, U.S.A.
"I love that you can do so many different lessons. It's amazing! I also like that you can challenge yourself and do a higher grade level. Most of all I love that you can earn online virtual prizes and that you can change the character on top. I love IXL more than any other boring learning website."
4th grade student, Temecula, California, U.S.A.
"I really like how the score increase/decrease is dependent on the current score. It quickly goes up to give kids some confidence. But it requires a lot right in a row without mistakes to get to mastery."
Mike J., parent, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
"I have used IXL this summer for summer math. I am working on math in the grade I am going into, 7th grade, and I think it has already helped me a lot with things I would have struggled with during the school year."
Student, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
"IXL is engaging for my preschoolers! The colors, the interactive features with the prizes...my kids love math now!"
Parent, Woodinville, Washington, U.S.A.
"IXL helps my children so much. It gives them the opportunity to actually practice the skills that are taught in school. Many times at school the teacher can only stay on a lesson for so long but IXL allows the children to practice on a skill as long as they need to."
Parent, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.A.
"My favorite feature is definitely the game board. Though I am an older kid I find it very fun and I look forward to getting all the stars and "mastering" the skills. I often go back to the 8th grade skills to go through things I hadn't fully learned, and I am positive I get them now."
9th grade student, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.A.
"IXL has really helped my daughter a lot and made her love to solve problems."
Parent of a 4-year-old, Edison, New Jersey, U.S.A.
"I am a student and I used to be weak at maths but after using IXL I am now getting good in maths and starting liking it too. Thanks IXL!"
Student, Islamabad, Pakistan
"I was looking for math websites online when I came across IXL. I have 6 and 8 year old grandsons. I noticed when they started in their current grade level, they were struggling and getting frustrated, so I set them both back a grade. The older has almost completed the first grade lessons. He is just happier, and more confident; he said that his teacher told him "You're good at math". He also said that there is only one boy in his class that is better at math than him. I cannot stress enough how IXL has boosted their knowledge of math with very little work on their part. It is by far the best money that I have spent on anything; you have a loyal customer for at least the next 10 years. Thanks again, you make my job as a grandparent so much easier."
Grandparent, Sapulpa, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
"This website has bumped my grade level from an 85% to a 95% in Math."
Student, Burr Ridge, Illinois, U.S.A.
"The overall concept and execution are top-notch! I am extremely pleased with your entire site, and and am very much looking forward to your new, advanced content. The newest Algebra sections are fantastic!"
Parent, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
"Oh my goodness, she got perfect in math! Every quiz! Thanks to IXL, every time they have an assignment, she always gets A+!"
Parent of a 7th grader, Philippines
"I'm a mom that was looking for a fun interactive website for my kids to practice math. I came across IXL and it's the best discovery I've made so far."
Alexandra M., parent, Newark, California, U.S.A.
"I love this site and so does my son - he actually asks for us to do math practice!"
Parent, Chennai, India
"We really enjoy the site, and the virtual prizes are a hit. My son has gained more confidence, and his skills are improving. His teacher is also very impressed."
Parent, Naperville, Illinois, U.S.A.
"Thank you for your amazing work. I'm a mom and a teacher for children with special needs. I have a son with Down syndrome and I love your site. You help me to be a better mom & teacher."
Parent, Tehran, Iran
"I like that I can play too! There is no interference with his scores when I play as a parent. I like that a lesson/quiz changes it up in the middle a few times....my boy can't get comfortable with just blindly adding answers."
Parent, Surprise, Arizona, U.S.A.
"I am a mum and my son has made excellent progress through your web site. It is really a good web site where parents can learn as well."
Sidra M., parent, Hayes, UK
"With IXL, my son's confidence has improved since he has a lot of practice. He now seems to be conceptualizing more than guessing."
Parent of a 5th grader, Edison, New Jersey, U.S.A.
"Since I homeschool, I'm always looking for a variety of subjects that appeal to specific grade levels. Math is of a particular concern. With IXL, I like that I can look at my state's educational standards by grade level, and I LOVE that I can compare it to other states! I can hold my own classroom to the highest levels of standards this way."
Meshele T., parent, Raymond, Mississippi, U.S.A.
"I am a mom who is trying to help my daughter (grade 5) study math and searched Google for math exercises in English because I couldn't find any in Portuguese. This site came up and my daughter loves it. She learns English in school here and understood all the questions and was getting the answers! Math is not her favourite subject, so I was so happy that she was enjoying these exercises."
Parent, Bombarral, Portugal
"I tutor my son at home using IXL. I am seeing a great improvement in his attitude and confidence level."
Disha K., parent, Moreno Valley, California, U.S.A.
"My five year old girl loves to practice her math skills using IXL. She loves the colors and graphics!"
Perla G., parent, Monterrey, Mexico
"Keep up the good work and thank you for an excellent product. I would highly recommend IXL. My husband and I love getting the reports, and the fact that my son can work on it on his own is very good. It lets him be independent."
Parent of a four-year-old, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
"The material in this website is really good. The rigorous exercises give kids more hands-on experience and plenty of practice. Also, the price is very affordable and very reasonable. Keep it up!"
D. Anand, parent, Frisco, Texas, U.S.A.
"This is a wonderful site. I always spend a lot of time trying to help my kids at school and after I found this site, everything became easier. The kids love studying, they have motivation, and they are learning every day."
Maite L., parent, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
"My 5th grader has been struggling this year, and this program is helping improve his grades. When he gets stuck, we simply go into 4th grade level and review some of the basics. One click and we're back to 5th grade with greater confidence!"
Parent, Shelby Township, Michigan, U.S.A.
"I am a home schooling mother of three little girls. My oldest is 5 and is a kindergartener. She enjoys math very much and is working at a much faster pace at it than others her age. My middle one is 4 and a pre-schooler. This website has been much help to her as she begins to learn her basics. And my youngest is only 2 but learning so much from her older sisters. I am very fond of your website."
Parent, Azusa, California, U.S.A.
"This program is so helpful and amazing that I have repeatedly thought and said this was the best site I've ever purchased a membership for."
Theresa T., parent, Glendale, California, U.S.A.
"My favorite feature of IXL is not a physical feature of the site itself but rather the confidence it has given my five year old in his abilities. Each time he finishes a task and wins as he calls it a mini trophy, he gets very excited. He has never had a long attention span but in one day of review my child answered over 240 questions. I was amazed as he never sits still but for this software he did. It was really amazing watching him enjoy math."
Parent, Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.A.
"I was hoping IXL would make learning less hard and more fun — and that I would see my kids get higher grades by themselves, not by me pushing them. IXL has already helped with this, so thanks, IXL. I feel proud of my kids."
Parent, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
"IXL has helped cultivate my daughter's love of math and put her three grade levels ahead."
Parent of a 7th grader, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.
"Thanks to IXL, my son is now in the advanced math class. This program also helped him prepare for the math section of the ISEE. He enjoys working on problems and practicing math on this program."
Parent, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
"I really like IXL. My kids are learning more maths from this site and now they are excellent in maths. This site helps my kids in so many ways. They learn more and more."
Fazlina H., parent, Kandy, Sri Lanka
"I found out about IXL from my mom when she made me do it. Although I hate to say it, IXL has actually helped me get better grades."
Grade 5 student, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
"I love everything about this site. My son's grades are improving every day."
Natasha A., parent, Levittown, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
"We just started, but my daughter loves sitting down and working through the exercises. I know that if she keeps this up she'll always excel in math and enjoy it!"
Elizabeth C., parent and math teacher, Gilbert, Arizona, U.S.A.
"My old 3rd grade teacher said that her child loved IXL and told me I should try it, so my mom signed me up and I love it!"
4th grade student, Oviedo, Florida, U.S.A.
"IXL is a great program; I love the reporting features that allow parents/students to check progress."
Parent, Cordova, Tennessee, U.S.A.
"I am a parent of two boys ages 3 1/2 and 8 1/2. My oldest has always loved math, and IXL has been a fun tool for him to use. He is also able to maintain what he has learned during the school year. My youngest son just thinks it's a blast and has learned some good skills to prepare him for pre-school and kindergarten. As a parent it is refreshing to have such a website that is fun for the kids, and they look forward to using it every day. It certainly takes the battle out of it. The fact that they view it like a game is what makes it so engaging and motivating. They can't wait to get all the questions answered to see what piece of the game board gets revealed. My youngest is trying to get his entire game board complete before his brother does."
Parent, Farmington, Minnesota, U.S.A.
"I LOVE IXL!!! At first my grades were really low and then I won a medal for getting 99th percentile in the MAPS test. I also won certificates for SUPER IXL STUDENT almost every month. At first I didn't like math but now I LOVE it. My mom convinced our teachers to get the subscription for the whole school and they did."
4th grade student, Inner Grove Heights, Minnesota, U.S.A.
"We truly love this website. Our daughter jumped right into it. Math being her weakest subject, now she seems like she cannot wait to get on and study."
Parent of a 3rd grader, Inverness, Florida, U.S.A.
"My boy is crazy about IXL. He's only 4 years old, and he's already answered over 5,000 questions in the first 6 weeks. My favorite quote: "Daddy -- If I eat all my vegetables, can I study math?" No longer very interested in TV."
Parent, Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.A.
"My son has autism, so he needs things explained in a more visual way. In this regard, IXL has been really helpful. Parents of special needs children are always looking for resources and easy ways to teach children. IXL is not only easy, it reduces children's frustration. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for creating this math website."
Parent, Cheshire, UK
"IXL is reminding my son that learning can be fun. It has been an invaluable tool to show me what he knows, what we do not need to review and what I can reasonably expect him to be able to do. Thank you for your educational and fun website."
Parent, Ireland
"Over the summer my daughter completed 35% of IXL's 4th grade curriculum before she even started 4th grade! She loves math and IXL and enjoys playing with IXL for fun. My son struggles with math. While he isn't in any advanced math classes yet, he is getting mostly A's in general math so far. It has really built his confidence. And the ease at which he can step down a grade to review really hard concepts has been very beneficial."
Parent, Shelby Township, Michigan, U.S.A.
"I love cats and I also love IXL because it's the awesomest website ever. I think that it has improved and helped me tremendously."
5th grade student, Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A.
"IXL really helps my son improve his math skills. We like that there are a lot of creative, challenging questions."
Parent, San Jose, California, U.S.A.
"With IXL I think I'm getting better at doing math every day and night. I love it and I'm getting better and better."
Student, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.A.
"My kiddo has always been better at Language Arts than Math, so since she was taking the STAR test in CA last school year, I thought I'd try IXL. Her math scores ended up higher than her language arts scores."
Parent of a 2nd grader, Marina, California, U.S.A.
"Knowing the boys were behind in certain areas, I was able to go back two grade levels with IXL and start working from that point in their problem areas. The boys love the "ribbons" and the "reward chart." I like how they always get a "100" in the end AND that the explanations are there to help when the answer is not correct. I can tell that both boys are now feeling more confident about returning to school and facing "math." Their understanding in their problem areas has greatly increased. I am so amazed and thankful that this site exists. It has been a God-send to me and my grandsons. As a former teacher, I recognize all the work that went into this site and praise you for how comprehensive it is!"
Grandparent and retired teacher, Shoreline, Washington, U.S.A.
"I am a mother of two sons. My older one is 6 1/2 and the younger one is 4 1/2. My older one started IXL in March of 2011 and within 5 months, he has attempted 5800 problems and he enjoys IXL very much. My younger one watched his brother doing IXL, and they are now doing IXL side by side on two computers. My younger one completed all pre-K skills, and he is now doing kindergarten problems. Amazingly he has completed 3400 problems in 4 months. They use Windows PCs as well as the iPad I rewarded my older son as his reward for doing so well. We have used several online education programs but IXL is the best."
Parent, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
"We really enjoy this site. My younger son who is a visual/spatial learner especially enjoys it. It makes math more interactive and gives the numbers meaning rather than being just abstract symbols on a page."
Parent, Marshfield, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
"My children have done very well on the standardized tests — in part because of the practice they get here. The exercises are fun, and the gratification instant when the child masters a new skill."
Tawn E., parent, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.
"I love everything about IXL. It's a well thought-out program that is hard to beat. I have learning-challenged children that do better with the computer versus pencil and paper, so this is fun for them. The explanation is right there for any wrong answer, and it plain and simple reinforces math concepts. Oh, a big plus is that it is affordable."
Parent, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
"I am a student in seventh grade and I needed help in math so my dad told me to go to IXL and I tried it and I loved it. I knew this website would help me after my first couple lessons. The fun part is trying to reach my goal to see what new award I will achieve."
Student, Moreno Valley, California, U.S.A.
"They have improved tremendously and gained a lot of confidence. IXL has become a morning ritual in our household."
Lavanya V., parent, Sugar Hill, Georgia, U.S.A.
"This is the second year my daughter's been using IXL. Her confidence and her skills have improved tremendously. If there's a problem and she doesn't understand she can continue practicing until she gets it."
Carol M., parent, Hilo, Hawaii, U.S.A.
"I am completely loving every bit of this site. I love the certificates my granddaughter earns, the weekly report showing her progress, etc., etc. By the way, she loves it as well."
Margaret N., grandparent and homeschooler, Colona, Illinois, U.S.A.
"I am a student and I like IXL so much. I started April 11. By the way, I like the pie chart that shows how long you have been doing math. Me and my brother compete to see who can get the most excellents. I think IXL is a great idea and is a great website. Thank you!"
Student, Newport News, Virginia, U.S.A.
"Since my daughter started using IXL, she has been able to better understand the concepts taught in school. She has also become more patient and more careful while working out her problems."
Priya, parent, Bangalore, India
"Your site is very nice. My daughter wakes up with IXL in the morning and comes back from school to master more skills. As she can hear the problems, she is also picking up English, in addition to the math skills."
Parent, Tokorozawa, Japan
"I love the reward system and the fact that when they give a wrong answer the system deducts marks. It is frustrating for my son, but he learns to make sure that he gives the correct answer. He understands the maths much better and enjoys doing his homework."
Wilna de Kock, parent, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa


text:
Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are two closely related tickborne diseases, caused by different germs. Although both diseases concentrate east of the Rocky Mountains, they usually occur in different areas. Ehrlichiosis, or human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME), is found mainly in the mid-Atlantic, southeastern, and south central states. Anaplasmosis (formerly called human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, or HGE) occurs more often in the Northeast and upper Midwest.
Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are emerging infectious diseases in the United States and other countries. (Emerging infectious diseases are diseases first described by researchers within the last two decades.) In 2010, 1,761 cases of anaplasmosis and 740 cases of ehrlichiosis were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Very few cases of ehrlichiosis and no cases of anaplasmosis were reported from states west of the Continental Divide. Ticks carrying the anaplasmosis bacterium have been collected, however, along the West Coast and in some southwestern states.
Ehrlichiosis is caused by some types of bacteria called Ehrlichia. Anaplasmosis is caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum.
Both ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. The most important carriers of anaplasmosis in the United States are the western blacklegged tick and the deer tick, both of which also transmit Lyme disease. Human monocytic ehrlichiosis, or HME, is transmitted by the lone star tick and possibly other species.
Symptoms usually begin at least five days after you are bitten by an infected tick and can include
You might also have a rash.
You might not have symptoms, or your symptoms might be so mild that you hardly notice them.
If you have been bitten by a tick or have been in a tick-infested area and you have any of the symptoms typical of these infections—even mild ones—you should contact your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider will use this information along with laboratory tests to find out whether you have ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis or perhaps some other tickborne infection.
If you have ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis, your healthcare provider will give you an antibiotic such as doxycycline to treat the disease. With treatment, most people fully recover.
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To help prevent ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis, you should avoid walking in areas of tall grass, brush, or anywhere there may be ticks. If you do go into these areas, be sure to do the following:
Generally, a tick needs to be attached to your body for an extended period of time before it can infect you. You should remove it with fine-tipped tweezers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on how to prevent tick bites and to remove ticks.
Ehrlichiosis can become a severe, life-threatening illness, especially if left untreated. It can damage many organ systems, especially the lungs and kidneys. Other complications can include seizures and coma.
Possible complications of anaplasmosis include sepsis (infection in blood or tissues). Anaplasmosis also can damage organ systems including the lungs, heart, kidneys, and nerves. The disease is noted for being more severe among individuals with compromised immune systems.
NIAID supports research on ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis as well as other tickborne diseases. Research ranges from studying the basic biology of the microbes that cause these diseases to developing vaccines and better ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent the diseases.
Two years after anaplasmosis was first described in people, researchers supported by NIAID identified the bacterium that causes the disease. NIAID-supported researchers helped complete the genome sequences of both Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis. This information should facilitate efforts to develop preventive vaccines as well as new and improved diagnostics and treatments.
Last Updated March 02, 2016


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Justin Fay face-planted in a snowbank at the Mohawk and Crystal Lakes trailhead south of Breckenridge. He slipped while trying to figure out his alpine touring ski setup and fell, giggling, into the pile of snow. His vacation tutor, Carla Cammarata, walked back to the car with a smile, leaving Fay to learn the equipment after some instruction. Fay was getting ready for a one-on-one outing with Colorado Avalanche Information Center forecaster Scott Toepfer, in which they'd spend the morning hiking into the quiet backcountry and learning some snowpack science and the skills behind safe backcountry travel. Fay, his parents, and Cammarata were all along for the tour.Toepfer volunteered for the outing because he'll do anything to get outdoors. But he's also passionate about passing his knowledge on to children, like 10-year-old Fay. "I believe it's really important when you live in mountain communities to teach kids about avalanches," Toepfer said. "In the midwest, you'd teach them about tornadoes. In California, you'd teach them about earthquakes and tidal waves." Although Fay isn't a mountain kid. He comes to Breckenridge for six weeks each winter from Naperville, Ill., near Chicago. Because he's still in school, his parents hire Cammarata, owner of Sage Tutoring, to be his teacher while he's away. This year, Cammarata was tasked with doing a unit on weather. As she brainstormed how to make the lesson meaningful for Fay, she decided she wanted to explore, in a hands-on way, how weather can affect natural disaster. She tracked down some experts in the field and was surprised to find them more than willing to take some time to teach Fay one-on-one. In addition to Toepfer, who also took Fay to his Boulder National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association office, local backcountry guide and avalanche instructor David Dellamora studied weather and temperature transitions with Fay. "It was great to see how enthusiastic Scott and David were," Cammarata said.
Fay took particular interest in getting out into the forest during winter. "It was a really good way to get out of reality (at Francie's Cabin)," he said. "There's no ski lifts, there's no other people except the people in the cabin and the mountain." Intrigued, he spoke of the only electricity being lights, powered by solar panels, and the only entertainment being your fellow companions, some games and a few decks of cards. "It was so peaceful out there," Fay said. "I met some people up there and they were playing a really fun game." Adding the avalanche component to the mix was also helpful, said Fay, who's planning to take his new knowledge and continue to learn how to take advantage of the serenity he found "way on the left side of the Breckenridge ski map, off the map actually." Toepfer pointed out avalanche paths as they climbed 3,000 feet in roughly 2 miles. Fay said he noticed that, generally, the top of the path was wider than the bottom, where it would narrow down as the speed slowed. "An avalanche can pull 343-year-old trees out of the ground," Fay said, tapping into knowledge he gleaned from his day with Dellamora. He also spouted off some facts he learned from Toepfer, like the basic natural environment items needed to create an avalanche. The acronymn is SSLAB, he said. There's slope - whether it's a 30-degree angle or higher. There's slab - whether there's packed snow on top of a weaker layer. There's the lousy layer - the faceted snow between layers. And there's the base layer, which is often lousy in Colorado. Fay also learned some avalanche triggers, such as weather and wind, wildlife and human travel. With Dellamora, he studied how temperatures change drastically according to elevation. They measured the temperature at Keystone, at Arapahoe Basin and at the Loveland Pass summit. During their ascent, they chatted about what can happen in an avalanche: death from aspiration (breathing the same breath), tearing your ACL, hitting a tree, and more. They also chatted about how a cloud's shape can indicate winds that may affect avalanche danger. "I didn't expect to do all this stuff for the weather program," Fay said. "I learned a lot about avalanches. It was really nice to learn instead of just condensation. I got to learn about something I liked, like snow."
Toepfer said he picked up on Fay's love of snow quickly. "It was a chance for me to work with a kid who's really into the snow, seems pretty sharp and is interested in ski mountaineering," he said. "It was a good opportunity to work with him to see what he liked and enjoyed and is intrigued by." He said he can take some of those lessons back to the elementary and middle school classrooms in mountain communities across the state, where the Colorado Avalanche Information Center has a presence. For instance, the fifth and seventh grade classes in Summit School District give representatives of the agency a chance to talk about what makes an avalanche forecaster (education, writing skills and the desire to be outside). They bring in local ski patrol to talk about the difference between a ski area boundary and trail closure, and then tie in some pieces about the snowpack, weather and terrain - and how they can come together to create an avalanche situation. Toepfer said students are also exposed to rescue gear and how it can help in an avalanche situation. "We're lucky this program in Summit County started so long ago," he said, referring to the efforts of his former colleague, Nick Logan's, to get it in place several decades ago."I can't think of much more important to teach kids in Summit County in our school system," Toepfer said. "It's even more relevant this year than in years past with the incidents." He said it ties in because children hear avalanche bombs echoing off mountainsides throughout winter, but they often have no exposure to what's actually happening out there. "It's interesting to them because it's a cool thing that happens in their backyard," Toepfer said, adding that he's keen to get some knowledge into kids' minds because of peer pressure.


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Sawatch Range > Missouri Mountain > Climber's Log
Missouri Mountain Climber's Log
[ Sign the Climber's Log ]
|From Clohesy Lake TH
Date Climbed: Jul 2, 2007
|Started up at 5:10AM and reached the summit at 8:10 occupied by "Dave" and his two dogs, very good weather with fine views of many peaks all around. Stayed about 20 mins then back down to the car by 10:56AM, not a soul on this trail today. My 28th 14'er.....sweet!
|Posted Jul 8, 2007 9:55 am
|Northwest Ridge
Date Climbed: Jun 30, 2007
|Another beautiful day in the Sawatch. The gulch was beautiful and was a great hike!
|Posted Jul 1, 2007 8:50 pm
|Scott Rogers
|Backside Climb
|Ascended on my way over from Harvard back in the day.
|Posted Jun 25, 2007 8:24 pm
|Northwest Ridge
Date Climbed: May 26, 2007
|Climbed in the snow with fellow SPers Robert LeClair and Alan Arnette. Very challenging after a heavy winter that seems to not want to quit. My 20th 14er with 34 to go!
|Posted May 27, 2007 3:37 pm
|Sarah Simon
|Really don't remember the route
Date Climbed: Jun 14, 2003
|Hiked this mountain with a nice group of women. Enjoyed the views, plenty of late-season snow, and some grizzled-old mountain man and his dog on the summit.
|Posted May 9, 2007 6:09 pm
|last Sawatch 14er
Date Climbed: Sep 3, 2000
|Certainly more interesting than Oxford or Belford
|Posted Dec 17, 2006 4:58 pm
|MO Gulch, NW ridge
Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2001
|Went back to re-climb Oxford and Belford with my wife and daughter. (I had first climbed them back in September of 1976.) Basically on the spur of the moment, after climbing up to a campsite in Missouri Gulch, we all decided to try an afternoon climb of Missouri. We made it, in beautiful late summer sunshine, summitting about 5 pm. The ridge is fantastic. My daughter's first 14er, my wife's 4th, and my 14th.
|Posted Dec 13, 2006 7:35 pm
|Missouri Gulch
Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2006
|A really pretty hike. In the trees is a bit grueling, but isn't every Sawatch in treeline? The ridge traverse is fantastic. I really like the rock on the top with the geological survey marker on it. Something satisfying about sitting right on it to eat lunch.
|Posted Aug 16, 2006 6:54 pm
|Best day out
Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2006
|Was a great day climbing. Summited late due to a late start. had a really fun trip up the west ridge
|Posted Aug 16, 2006 4:41 pm
|The big threesome
Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2006
|Hiked Missouri's west ridge, not to bad once you get into the actual gulch. The swithcbacks were a little tough, but once we made it to the base of Missouri it wasn't to bad. We also did Belford and Oxford on the same day. Lots of miles and elevation, we started at 3:40am and finished around 2pm, so you definately want to get an early start to hit all three summits.
|Posted Aug 14, 2006 10:15 pm
|Up Missouri Gulch
Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2006
|Just followed the standard route all the way to the top.
|Posted Aug 12, 2006 7:17 pm
|Missouri Gulch/Missouri Mountain Trail
Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2006
|I got started around 7 AM and reached the summit around 10:45. The weather was pretty crummy: mostly cloudy and rainy on the way back. For most of the day the mountain was shrouded in fog...and in mystery, but fortunately the Missouri Mountain Trail is well constructed any easy to follow all the way to the top. As if on cue, the fog lifted somewhat once I reached the summit, so we had a decent view of the surrounding mountains. There were a few marmots running around in the upper reaches of Missouri Gulch. Missouri doesn't seem as difficult as the Belford/Oxford combo that I did almost a year ago.
|Posted Aug 6, 2006 7:56 pm
Date Climbed: Jul 21, 2006
|Pulled off a triple or quad?. Missouri to Belford to Oxford to Belford. Over 7,000 vertical in a day!
|Posted Jul 27, 2006 1:50 am
|nice Views
|Nice views
|Posted Jul 26, 2006 8:04 pm
|Missouri Gulch TH, Ascend NW Ridge
Date Climbed: Jul 23, 2003
|Nice trail and good switchbacks. The weather turned threatening so no dawdling.
|Posted Jul 24, 2006 10:33 pm
|Standard Route
Date Climbed: Jul 16, 2006
|The start of a long day. Followed Missouri with Iowa, Emerald, Oxford, and finished with Belford.
|Posted Jul 17, 2006 3:18 am
|Missouri Gulch
Date Climbed: May 28, 2006
|Windy? Don't go up to the ridge too soon like I did! I spent a long time up there; brrr. The wind blew me flat twice and blew my pack off the ridge and down the C Couloir. Fortunately I had already made plans to glissade down; my pursuit was successful.
|Posted Jun 26, 2006 3:19 am
|C Couloir
Date Climbed: Jun 3, 2006
|Sweet snow climb. Even sweeter glissade back down the NW ridge route.
|Posted Jun 20, 2006 7:05 pm
|Michael Hoyt
|Missouri Gulch TH, Ascend NW Ridge
Date Climbed: Jul 23, 2003
|Four days after our Belford-Oxford hike, we knocked off Missouri. But this time the weather took a turn for the worse and forced us to beat-feet on the descent to stay out of trouble.
|Posted Jun 19, 2006 12:05 am
|Ryan Kowalski
|Long Day!
Date Climbed: Sep 21, 2002
|Climbed Missouri, Iowa, Emerald, Belford, and Oxford. Quite an exhausting day, but some great terrain (except Oxford).
|Posted May 20, 2006 3:12 am


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AfriNIC-2 Meeting Minutes
AfriNIC held its second public policy and member meeting from 26-27th April 2005 at Telecomunicacoes de Mocambique (TDM) Conference and Training Centre, Maputo - Mozambique . More than 100 participants from around the world attended the meeting. They included AfriNIC members and Board of Directors, representatives from ICANN, LACNIC, APNIC, RIPE NCC, NSRC, ARIN, ISOC, AfNOG, officials from governments and African Network Operators at large.
This meeting followed the official recognition of AfriNIC (by the ICANN) as the fifth Regional Internet Registry serving Africa and the Indian Ocean regions two weeks before - a momentous event that would change the future of the internet on the African continent.
The meeting started on 26/4/2005 Tuesday morning at 09:30 with a speech from the Minister of Telecommunications in Mozambique, preceded by a word of welcome delivered by the chairman of the AfriNIC Board of Directors, Mr. Pierre Dandjinou.
- ----------
Major highlights of the AfriNIC-2 meeting included:
o AfriNIC signing an MoU to become a full member of the NRO,
o Official transfer of documents from RIPE NCC, ARIN and APNIC to AfriNIC,
o Update/Report from AfriNIC,
o Updates from the NRO and the other RIRs,
o Election of representatives to the NRO NC (Number Resource Organisation
Number Council (who also become ASO AC members),
o Discussion on some proposed policies from the Policy Working Group,
o Election to fill vacant seats at the AfriNIC Board of Directors,
o Adoption of 2005 fee schedule.
o Adoption of 2005 Budget
The AfriNIC Board Chair, Mr. Pierre Dandjinou, welcomed everybody to the second AfriNIC public policy meeting, and invited the Mozambique Minister of Telecommunications, HE Prof. Dr. Venancio Massingue to inaugurate the official opening of the meeting. The minister was grateful to his fellow internet pioneers in Africa (like Dr. Nii Quaynor and Alan Barett), the Chairman of the AfriNIC Board, Mr. Pierre Dandjinou, the AfriNIC CEO, Mr. Adiel Akplogan and other people for having worked hard to make AfriNIC a reality for Africa.
AfriNIC becomes a member of the NRO:
------- ------------------------------------
At this meeting, AfriNIC became an official member of the NRO by signing a joinder to the NRO Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). AfriNIC became a welcomed and celebrated addition to the NRO, which now includes all five RIRs (ARIN, RIPE NCC, LACNIC, APNIC and the new AfriNIC).
The AfriNIC CEO, Mr. Adiel Akplogan, presented gifts to various members of the other Regional Internet Registries who dedicated time and resources during the transition time to make AfriNIC a success. A beautiful painting was also received from LACNIC to AfriNIC. A special gift was presented to Richard Jimmerson from ARIN, for his valuable efforts of inter-RIR co-ordination during AfriNIC's set up and transition.
Various items for the day:
-- --------------------------
Presentations items for the rest of the day included updates from ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC and LACNIC (given by the respective CEOs all present in Maputo), the ASO and NRO reports (given by one of the AfriNIC Region ASO Observers, Mr. Alain P. Aina), talks about implementation of IPv6 and reverse delegation, a tutorial about how to request IP resources in the AfriNIC region and a presentation from the AfriNIC Board Chairman about the relationship between AfriNIC and the international internet community.
A particularly interesting presentation was from Jordi Palet Martinez from the European Ipv6 Task Force, also co-Chair of the "IPv6 Forum, Education and Promotion Working Group". The presentation was: "IPv6 is an innovation opportunity". He gave a live demonstration of Ipv6 at work - remote-controlling various devices at his home from Africa , and signaling/monitoring his dogs at home.
Elections of representatives to the NRO - Number Council (NC)
------- --------------------------------------------------------------
Under the terms of the MoU signed between the ICANN and the RIRs in October 2004, the NRO Number Council now performs the role of the Address Supporting Organization - Address Council (ASO AC). Members of the NRO NC then also become the ASO AC members. According to the NRO MoU, the NC must be composed of two members selected by the regional policy forum of each of the RIRs and one must be appointed by the board of each RIR.
Since AfriNIC is now a fully accredited Regional Internet Registry, three representatives had to be elected at the AfriNIC-2 meeting.
These representatives will represent the AfriNIC region internet community at the NRO Number
Council (NC).
An election was held in the afternoon of 26/04/2005. Eligible voters were people residing and working in the AfriNIC service region. The vote count gave:
Sylvia Geha Kezengwa: 27 votes
Yaovi Atohoun: 16 votes
Jean Robert Hountomey: 33 votes
Ali Drissa Badiel: 23 votes
Wycliffe Ochieng: 5 votes
Out of the 5 nominees, the following were declared elected:
- Jean Robert Hountomey 04/2005 - 12/2008
- Sylvia Geha Kezengwa 04/2005 - 12/2007
Alan Barrett was appointed by the AfriNIC board to serve for a 1 year mandate (04/2005-12/2006)
The day was wound-up with a glamorous social event at Hotel Cardosos in the centre of Maputo .
The second day was dedicated to policy discussions and the member Annual General Meeting (AGM). A formal document transfer from ARIN, RIPE NCC and APNIC to AfriNIC was also conducted.
Key issues of the day:
- Official transfer of member documents/data from other RIRs to AfriNIC.
- IPv6 global allocation policy: The NRO perspective
- discussion of various policy documents that were proposed on the policy working group,
- presentation and adoption of the 2005 budget,
- presentation and adoption of amendments to the fee schedule,
- renewal of the vacant seats in the AfriNIC board,
- presentation of current stats from AfriNIC RS department,
- how AfriNIC/AfNOG should co-operate, and
- the possibility of setting up an IPv6 task force in our community.
Other various presentations were made, including the Policy Development Process in the AfriNIC service region and the NRO perspective about the IPv6 global allocation policy.
Official transfer of authority from ARIN/RIPE NCC/APNIC to AfriNIC
On the morning of 27/4/2005 at AfriNIC-2, the RIRs - APNIC, ARIN, and the RIPE NCC signed letters transferring to AfriNIC formal authority for the parts of the region they had previously served, including all registration and accounting documentation and DNS administration. This now completed the transfer of all custodial and registry processes for the entire AfriNIC service region.
IPv6 global allocation policy: The NRO perspective
----- --------------------------------------------------
This was presented by Ray Plzak, President and CEO of ARIN (The American Registry for Internet Numbers). ARIN is the Regional Internet Registry serving North America ( Canada and the USA ). This is a cordinated proposal from the 5 RIRs (ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC and AfriNIC), under the umbrella of the NRO, to IANA (The Internet Assigned Numbers' Authority). It addresses the procedure that IANA should consider while making IPv6
allocations to the RIRs. The policy proposal suggests a minimum allocation of /12 from IANA to RIR if 50% or greater of the current v6 allocation has been utilised, or the available ipv6 space cannot cater for the RIR's 9 (nine) month requirements. The policy also suggests that IANA should allocate a /12 of IPv6 to a new RIR irrespective of utilisation or any space transferred from other RIRs.
Policy Proposals:
--- ----------------
Some new policies and a few amendments to current policy were proposed 2 weeks before the AfriNIC-2 meeting. According to the current AfriNIC policy development process, at least 30 days of discussion are needed on the policy working group mailing list prior to face-to-face discussion and consequent consensus at the public policy meeting. These policies are:
Policy for IPv4 End-Users:
Minimum Assignment: /24
Criteria: - show existing utilisation of /25 from upstream
- Or, justify immediate need of 50% of total requested.
Additional space:
- 25% immediate utilisation,and
- 50% utilisation in 1 year.
IXPs, Root Server or ccTLD Operators:
- Assignment no greater than /24.
- At least 2 peer ISPs in an IXP
Temporary IP assignemnts in the AfriNIC region
- The activity requiring temporary IP resources should be publicly documented and available, preferably on a website.
- The IP resources must be returned to AfriNIC after the experiment.
- Resources are assigned on a lease basis for a period of one month.
- The assignment can be renewed after providing the necessary information .
- The size of the assigned IP resource will be determined from the plan submitted by the requesting entity.
Change in Policy for AS Number Assignments:
Major change:
- An entity requesting an AS number from AfriNIC must be an AfriNIC member in good standing.
- LIRs cannot assign AS numbers to other organisations, other than their own network infrastructure.
Summary of discussion about the above policy proposals:
o The AS number proposal did not get much discussion.
o Temporary Assignments and Experiments:
- Some concerns about a 1 month return period being too short.
- One member mentioned that some temporary allocations tend to get 'tainted' by some carriers (due to frequent withdrawing and injecting of the prefix into the global routing table) - though others said this is never the case.
- A need for these allocations to come from a single large reserved block.
- Suggestion that AfriNIC asks the requestor for their routing decisions/plans, and base the approval from that.
- Issues about the costs involved were also raised - whether this is prefix-size based or a general similar fee irrespective of allocation size.
o IPv4 End-User Assignments:
- Concerns about the /24 minimum not being a good thing given the rapid growth of the routing table.
- Several people were not concerned about the routing table growth, as such prefixes are usually not numerous.
- Questions about what happens to end-user PI requests between now and the next member meeting, when the policy will be discussed and approved/rejected by the members.
- The AfriNIC CEO advised that AfriNIC will enforce the policy from the respective former RIR of the member, until this policy is adopted by AfriNIC.
During the policy discussions, some members raised the issue about the need for a policy to recover unused resources in the AfriNIC region. This issue will be addressed by the policy
working group.
Co-operation between AfriNIC and AfNOG:
AfNOG (The African Network Operators Group) has been conducting workshops and meetings once a year for 5 years now. It is also not unusual that most people attending the AfNOG workshops and meetings are the same people attending the AfriNIC meetings - since they usually represent network operators, who are usually AfriNIC members. Discussions were held to find a suitable way of having AfNOG and AfriNIC work together at these meetings. Experiences from the NANOG/ARIN and APRICOT/APNIC relationship were shared with the meeting. No major decisions were taken at the meeting, but it was advised that an MoU be signed between AfriNIC and AfNOG to partake joint organisation of the meetings, infrastructure, connectivity setup and other logistical requirements.
Possibility of setting up an IPv6 task force in our community
A brief discussion was held about the possibility of setting up an IPv6 Task Force in the African community. Many ideas were shared during this time. The major point of discussion was that a task-force may have some legal and procedural/formal implications that may not work well for the African community at this time. It was later decided that mailing lists be setup instead, and whoever is interested can join the forum. These mailing lists will be hosted at AfriNIC. The naming has not yet been decided - more about this will follow on the AfriNIC-discuss mailing list.
Budget for 2006/2007:
AfriNIC's budget for the year 2006/2007 was presented to and consequently adopted by the members during the AGM. The voted budget has 491,000 USD as income, 360,908 as OPEX and 66400 of CAPEX.
Fees Schedule:
Some amendments were made by the AfriNIC Board of Directors to the fees schedule as follows:
o Decrease the membership-only (associate member (without any allocated resources) fee from 400 USD to 100 USD
o Increase in fees for Medium, Large and Extra Large membership categories as follows:
- Medium becomes 6,500 USD from 5,000 USD
- Large becomes 13,000 USD from 7,000 USD
- Extra Large becomes 20,000 USD from 15,000 USD
The AGM unanimously approved these figures.
Board Election - Renewal of Seats 5 and 6:
Seats 5 and 6 (for the Central Africa and Indian Ocean Region respectively) had fallen vacant. For each seat, a primary and alternate member is selected according to the AfriNIC by-laws. The members were therefore required to elect persons to fill these seats. An election was conducted which ended as follows:
Central (Seat 5):
Didier Kasole CD Primary
Gaetan Bouraga GA Alternate
Indian Ocean (Seat 6):
Viv Padayatchy MU Primary
Kenny Yiptong MU Alternate
Congratulations, especially to Gaetan Bouraga, who was the only new person on board !
AfriNIC conducted training sessions for members/LIRs and other interested parties. The major objective was to train ISP staff on how to interact with the AfriNIC whois database, and how to request internet resources from AfriNIC. Two sessions - English and French, were held at TDM, on Saturday 23rd April 2005 for the whole day. Each session had about 25 people. The next training event will be held in South Africa, and the venue and date
will be confirmed later.
The third AfriNIC public policy meeting will be held in Cairo, Egypt from 22nd-24th November 2005. Registration details and agenda will be online soon.
The meeting was closed at 14:30 by the AfriNIC Board Chair and the CEO.
AfriNIC would like to express its full gratitude to:
o HE Prof. Dr. Venancio Massingue
o MICTI
o TV CABO Mozambique
o AfNOG secretariat
o ISOC
o Afilias
o NSRC
For their contribution and support to make this meeting a success. See you all at AfriNIC-III in Cairo!!


text:
Leah Remini says she left the Church of Scientology last year because of her 9-year-old daughter.
The 43-year-old actress told Buzzfeed, "I don't want to be known as this bitter, ex-Scientologist," Remini says. "I'm not trying to bash anybody and I'm not trying to be controversial. I just want people to know the truth."
OK ... so is Tom Cruise gay or not?
Just kidding.
The former "King of Queens" star said "dozens of influencing factors" prompted her departure in July, though the main reason was that her daughter Sofia was approaching the age when auditing -- which reportedly involves a series of probing questions -- was required for acclimation into the church.
"In my house, it's family first, but I was spending most of my time at the church," Remini said. "So, I was saying 'family first,' but I wasn't showing that. I didn't like the message that sent my daughter."
Remini said she tried speaking to fellow Scientologists about making some changes, but "they only cared that their lives would be disrupted if they stood with me. They didn't care about doing the right thing."
"We had a chance to make a change from within, but they didn't want to," said Remini. "That showed me they didn't actually care, which went against everything I thought we stood for."
Remini said she grew up resenting her mother for spending more time at the church than at home. However, Remini said her mother came to her defense after she left the church. "The fact my mother stood by me after all her years in the Church totally took away any resentment I may have been harboring. When it mattered the most, my mother was there for me. It was the moment that erased all those days she wasn't there. That moment proved to me she was with me. 'Ride or Die.'"
Remini said she lost friends after renouncing Scientology. "In the Church, you're taught that everybody is lost," she said. "They say they're loving, caring, nonjudgmental people, but secretly, they were judging the world for not believing what they believed. To me, that is not a spiritual person. That's a judgmental person and that is the person that I was. I was a hypocrite, and the worst thing you can be in this world is a hypocrite."
She reached out to friend Jennifer Lopez, who suggested Remini listen to daily affirmation tapes.
"Jennifer made special rings for all the women in her life that say, 'I Love Me,' and I've really come to realize you have to love yourself before you can expect someone else to," Remini told Buzzfeed. "You have to learn to believe you deserve love. And I'm getting there. I'm starting to believe it."
Contact Tony Hicks at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks or Twitter.com/insertfoot.


text:
Sorry to break an old post open, but I wanted to wait for some time to see whether taconaut was right:
taconaut wrote: ... I'd like avoiding to add a plugin system for thumbnails to the current code, as it will become obsolete in the not too distant future (we're talking months and not years anymore).
He wrote this almost 8 months ago and nothing has changed for thumbnails, so I guess he may have been wrong. Although I do think he has a point so I'm hoping to open the discussion a bit. I've been using my plugin for quite some time now and for me it works like a charm. The way it is implemented could be better though. For one, PMS should offer a way ta have a plugin handle thubmnail creation.
I think of a general class that has methods to create the thubnail as PMS does now in DLNAMediaInfo.parse, so it would contain at least getThumb (which returns the final thumb), getMPlayerThumb (to get the thumb via mplayer) and getFmpegThumb (guess). The latter two can be called within getThumb (which would be the default). In a plugin, this could be overwritten so that either a completely differrent thumbnail can be created, or, as in my case, the default thumbnail can be altered, so that it can have an overlay for example.
Let me know what you guys think. I would really like to be able to release a plugin that is ready to go, without people having to dive into the code.
If you know one of the developers of PMS, please point them towards this post, I would really value their input.