text:
CSF Report
About the Fellowship | Current Fellow | Hall of Fame | Reports
Final Report: 2002–2003 Congressional Science Fellow
by Rafael Sagarin, 2002-2003 GSA Congressional Science Fellow
Reprinted from GSA Today, v. 14, no. 3 (March 2004)
My fellowship year was spent in the office of Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis, representing the 32nd district of California. Congresswoman Solis is a second-term Democrat with political views that put her at the far left of the current congressional spectrum. While previous fellows have chosen to work in more powerful and more politically moderate offices, such as that of Senator Joe Lieberman, my choice to work in this untested office was made for a number of reasons, and I am happy to recommend this office to future fellows. Some background on the congresswoman will help justify my position.
Congresswoman Solis is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who raised her in the district she now represents. The 32nd district is largely made up of low-income Hispanic and Asian recent immigrants. The congresswoman served in the California Legislature for 8 years before she was encouraged to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives against an incumbent Democrat in her district. She won both her general elections by a wide margin. As a Latina with strong loyalty to the Democratic Party and strong support of unions and recent immigrants, Congresswoman Solis is being watched closely by Democratic Party leadership. This was most clearly illustrated by her selection to serve on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee at the beginning of her second term, an almost unprecedented achievement. Moreover, on that committee, she was entrusted to serve as the ranking member (highest ranking member from the Democratic Party) of the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials.
What do all these political considerations have to do with earth sciences? As it turns out, quite a bit. As is often the case in areas of poverty, Congresswoman Solis' district is marked by some of the worst environmental degradation in the country, including poor air quality, lack of open space, and groundwater that is characterized as a Superfund site due to industrial contamination. Looming environmental problems in the district include heavy perchlorate contamination related to rocket fuel production, contamination from the gasoline additive MTBE, and failure to comply with Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) limits set by the Clean Water Act. In this regard, Congresswoman Solis' rise to the ranks of the Energy and Commerce Committee is extremely important. Her subcommittee has jurisdiction over Superfund issues, leaking underground storage tanks, and the Clean Drinking Water Act.
During the year I spent with Congresswoman Solis, we worked on trying to provide more money for cleanup of MTBE and developing new regulations to prevent future spills. This money has been tied to passage of the comprehensive energy bill, which is still stalled in Congress as of this writing. Some of our modest proposals, such as requiring installation of secondary containment for underground storage tanks at the time when they are replaced, were stalled by objections from private interests, such as representatives of the convenience store operators. On the issue of perchlorate, we were also frustrated by attempts to exempt the military-by far the largest producer of perchlorate waste-from federal environmental laws.
Our one success on the environmental front was seeing the passage of Congresswoman Solis' San Gabriel River Watershed Study Act. This act would require the Secretary of Interior to study the San Gabriel River Watershed for inclusion in the federal system of National Parks, scenic trails, historic sites, recreation areas or other designation. Although a modest step, the congresswoman was very excited about passage of this law because her district has less than one-half acre of open space for every 1,000 people, making it one of the most urbanized areas of the country.
Even on issues where the congresswoman did not have a leadership role, such as global climate change, her interest in maintaining a strong environmental record and being informed on environmental issues gave me the opportunity to keep close watch on developments. During my year in Washington, no firm commitments to reduce greenhouse gases were proposed by the White House. However, a major climate change science initiative known as the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) was introduced for discussion at a conference attended by thousands of scientists from across the spectrum of the earth sciences. The initiative was also reviewed by the National Academies, whose initial report echoed the concerns of many scientists I conferred with: that the initiative lacked clear goals or timetables, left out vital areas of research, and most important, was severely under-funded. Although the funding issue will be ongoing, a revision of the CCSP that begins to address the criticisms was recently released.
At the same time, meaningful progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions was stalled and in many cases, reversed. Efforts to mandate increases in Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards for light trucks and cars were repeatedly defeated while tax breaks for the largest sport utility vehicles were increased to $100,000. I was especially disappointed that the Environmental Protection Agency's draft report on the state of the environment completely left out global climate change (despite including other global issues such as ozone depletion) under pressure from the White House.
As a congressional science fellow, I had the unique opportunity to witness these events near the source. I sat on committee hearings and in behind-closed-doors negotiations, and I directly questioned representatives from executive agencies on matters related to regulations, policy proposals, and budgets. I learned that science rarely carries the day in policy decisions. I saw that well-researched, empirically derived figures, such as the rate of spread of an MTBE plume or the extent of perchlorate contamination in western groundwater, mean little when put up against the lobbying power of industry groups or political pressure from party leaders. This could leave a scientist in a cynical state, but I see it as justification to continue sending scientists to work on the Hill and serve as policy advisors. I believe that relative to other professions, scientists have barely made inroads into the political process. Although a number of professional societies support congressional science fellows, there are still far more congressional offices that do not have a scientist on staff than those that do.
I felt that in this regard, working for a new congresswoman was especially important, as it made her comfortable with the idea of having a scientist on staff. If there is a change in party control, she will have the most power of any congressperson when it comes to issues of vital concern to earth scientists. I trust that she will turn to a scientist and consider their advice carefully when she is forced to make a decision between data and politics.
This manuscript is submitted for publication by Raphael Sagarin, 2002-2003 GSA-U.S. Geological Survey Congressional Science Fellow, with the understanding that the U.S. government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental use. The one-year fellowship is supported by GSA and by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior, under Assistance Award No. 02HQGR0141. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the author and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. government.


text:
"It depends where you are in the Bay Area. If on high ground with dry soil there isn't much effect. But in my old house in Alameda where water came up out of the ground when it rained and the soil surface was permanently wet then the…"
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Field Trip Activities
Provide your students and chaperones with the following helpful guides, developed by the Zoo's education specialists.
These guides offer students a template for discussing and recording their observations throughout their visit, and empower your chaperones with tips on how to guide students as they explore.
Zoo Preview!
Give your students a Zoo Preview to get them ready for their zoo adventure! Students will enjoy this sneak peek at Zoo animals.
Browse our animal fact sheets.
Try out our chaperone-led Field Trip Investigation activities for Kindergarten through 5th grade. These guides were developed to help chaperones encourage their students to practice observation skills as they venture throughout the Zoo.
1st & 2nd Grades
3rd & 4th Grades
5th Grade
Classrooms Connection suggestions are also included to help teachers prepare students for their Zoo field trip.
The following Field Discovery Guides were developed to support our Discovery Programs but can be used even if your students do not participate in a formal program offering at the Zoo.
Field Guides (K-2nd grade)
Arctic Tundra Animals
Asian Forest Animals
Marine Mammals
Ocean Invertebrates
Arctic Tundra
Asian Forest
Marine Mammals
Puget Sound
Red Wolves
Field Guides (6th-12th grade)
Red Wolves
Zoos: Working for the World's Wildlife
Zoological Careers


text:
Since January, Rodriguez has been the top boss at the Bee County Jail. And she's the first woman to ever hold the jail administrator's job here.
"Everybody (the inmates) thinks I'm such a mean person," Rodriguez said last week.
Sheriff Carlos Carrizales Jr. explained it better. "She's like a Marine Corps drill instructor," he said with a grin.
Rodriguez started handling county jail inmates almost a quarter century ago.
"I got hired on Oct. 16, 1988, as a jailer," Rodriguez said. "I started at the old jail. I worked the night shift."
In 1990, when the current jail and sheriff's office building was completed, Rodriguez moved to the new facility with the rest of the jail staff.
Rodriguez said the secret to her success is that she never compromises with the inmates. There are rules to follow, and she makes sure everyone walks the straight and narrow.
"They know with me they aren't going to get away with anything," Rodriguez said.
The administrator has never been a stranger to most of the inmates in the cells she supervises.
She is the daughter of Salvador and Eloisa Barrientes Sr. She was born in Beeville and grew up here, graduating from A.C. Jones High School in 1988.
Her mother died when Rodriguez was a child, and she was raised by her Aunt Lillie.
Carrizales said when he first took over as sheriff in January 2005, he asked Rodriguez if she was ready to take charge of the jail.
She declined the offer. But the next opportunity was just as good for the sheriff. Seasoned Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer Mike Page offered to take the position.
But in December, Page opted to return to the state prison system to put in the two years he would need to qualify for state health insurance coverage in his retirement.
Again, Carrizales went to Rodriguez and asked her to take the job. She did.
"She's the ultimate professional," the sheriff said. Since she took over, the jail has passed two unannounced inspections. One was federal, by the U.S. Marshals Service, and one was by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. The jail passed both.
"When the jail inspectors come in and give their final reports, they always mention Chach," Carrizales said. "They always want to take her to another jail where they're having problems."
Rodriguez has 33 jailers on staff to oversee 95 male and eight female inmates. Only 10 or 11 of the jailers are full-time employees, Rodriguez said. That makes it hard for the jail to keep employees.
"They get their training here," the sheriff said. Then they find better jobs elsewhere and leave.
Meanwhile, working in a county jail can be exciting at times. Rodriguez said the fights in the cells are the most serious threat to the jail staff.
The administrator said "going into a cell not knowing what's going to happen" is the scariest part of her job. "When there's a fight, you've got to go in there and stop it."
Surviving the dangers has its rewards, but it takes a while to earn them.
Rodriguez made sergeant in 2002. But the next promotion came more quickly, in 2005, when she made lieutenant.
Carrizales and his chief deputy, Alden Southmayd, said they have the utmost faith in Rodriguez's ability.
"I think she's doing a fine job," Carrizales said.
But Rodriguez refuses to take all the credit for the successes the jail has seen recently.
She thanked her entire staff, but she said she especially appreciates the job her lieutenant, Robert Bozant, and her sergeant, Margie Diaz, are doing there.
After all the years on the job, the entire crew at the Bee County Jail, including both the deputies and jailers, are an important part of her life.
"The sheriff's office is like my second family," Rodriguez said.
Gary Kent is a reporter at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 120, or at email@example.com.


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The Start Stronger, Live Longer Symposium was held over two days in June 2010, Perth Western Australia. The primary objective of the symposium was to provide Aboriginal Health Workers and others with an opportunity to learn from and connect with experts in a range of Aboriginal health related areas.
Additional related objectives included;
The majority of participants considered the information presented would be very useful to their work and afforded a unique learning experience. The symposium proved to be a useful professional development and capacity building opportunity for Aboriginal Health Workers.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract


text:
Previously in this series:
In the last few articles, we've learned how to view and manage running processes. Today, I'd like to take a look at how all those processes actually get started.
A lot of neat stuff happens when you boot up your computer into FreeBSD. I won't cover all the details here, as the FreeBSD handbook does an excellent job of explaining the bootup process. When you boot your computer, you have probably noticed that the kernel does a hardware probe and prints its results to your terminal. Once this probe is finished, the kernel starts two processes: process 0 (swapper) and process 1 (init).The daemon responsible for process control initialization is
init; without it, no other processes would be able to start. At boot time,
init has two important jobs to do: First, it launches the startup scripts controlled by
rc, then it initializes the terminals so they will be available for logins by users. Let's pick apart these functions, starting with
whatis rc
rc(8) - command scripts for auto-reboot and daemon startup
These scripts actually live in
/etc/rc; normally, the configuration files found in
/etc have a corresponding entry in section 5 of the manual so you can find out how to correctly make changes to the configuration file. However, if you type:
man 5 rc
you'll receive this message:
No entry for rc in section 5 of the manual
It seems a bit odd that a configuration file would be in section 8 of the manual, as this section contains system maintenance and operation commands, which are usually daemons. Let's take a closer look at this file to see what is going on here:
more /etc/rc
# System startup script run by init on autoboot # or after single-user. # Output and error are redirected to console by init, # and the console is the controlling terminal. # Note that almost all of the user-configurable behavior # is no longer in # this file, but rather in /etc/defaults/rc.conf. # Please check that file first before contemplating any changes # here. If you do need to change this file for some reason, we # would like to know about it.
OK, that's pretty clear; looks like we're not supposed to muck about with this file ourselves. There must be some pretty important stuff in here necessary for the proper bootup of our system. Let's skip through the file and look at some of its highlights to find out what actually is happening during this portion of startup. Note that
init is recording all output and error messages to the terminal when the
rc script is actually processed during bootup. (I'll tab in my comments; lines starting at the left are from the file
One of the first things
rc does is set a path variable so it can find the executables on your FreeBSD system:
It then looks for the /etc/defaults/rc.conf and /etc/rc.conf files:
# If there is a global system configuration file, suck it in.
if [ -f /etc/defaults/rc.conf ]; then
. /etc/defaults/rc.conf
elif [ -f /etc/rc.conf ]; then
. /etc/rc.conf
It then does a file system consistency check. If you've ever improperly shut down your FreeBSD system, you'll notice that it will complain at this point in the bootup process.
echo Automatic boot in progress...
fsck -p
Assuming that
fsckdid not encounter any problems, it will now mount your filesystems:
# Mount everything except nfs filesystems.
mount -a -t nonfs
Before any other daemons can be started, your CMOS clock must be adjusted so it will be understood by the kernel clock:
adjkerntz -i
The var directory is then cleaned up, and the boot messages are written to dmesg.boot:
clean_var() {
if [ ! -f /var/run/clean_var ]; then
rm -rf /var/run/*
find /var/spool/lock ! -type d -delete
rm -rf /var/spool/uucp/.Temp/*
# Keep a copy of the boot messages around
dmesg >/var/run/dmesg.boot
rcwill read the following files:
Then it will reset the terminal permissions:
# Whack the pty perms back into shape.
chflags 0 /dev/tty[pqrsPQRS]*
chmod 666 /dev/tty[pqrsPQRS]*
chown root:wheel /dev/tty[pqrsPQRS]*
and clean up its mess and clear
# Clean up left-over files
# Clearing /tmp at boot-time seems to have a long tradition. It doesn't
# help in any way for long-living systems, and it might accidentally
# clobber files you would rather like to have preserved after a crash
# (if not using mfs /tmp anyway).
# See also the example of another cleanup policy in /etc/periodic/daily.
# Remove X lock files, since they will prevent you from restarting X11
# after a system crash.
rcis ready to start up some daemons, starting with
# Start system logging and name service. Named needs to start before syslogd
# if you don't have a /etc/resolv.conf.
sshd, and
# Now start up miscellaneous daemons that don't belong anywhere else
rcwill update
motd(message of the day) and print out "uname -m," which displays your type of architecture to the screen.
(end of
Once we've reached the end of
rc's job is finished. Let's recap what happened here:
init called the
rc script which read several global and local configuration files in order to properly mount the filesystems and create an environment where the system daemons could be started. Your operating system is now up and running, but at this point, there is no environment where a user can actually interact with that operating system. This is where
init's second important function kicks in.
The configuration file
/etc/ttys will be read to determine which terminals need to be initialized. Unlike
/etc/rc, this file is often edited by the superuser to ensure that the desired terminals will be initialized by
In order to understand this file, we must realize that there are three types of terminals on your FreeBSD system. Virtual terminals start with "ttyv" followed by a number or letter; these are the terminals available for users physically seated at the FreeBSD computer. By default, the first of these virtual terminals, or "ttyv0," represents the console. Serial or dial-up terminals start with "ttyd" followed by a number; these terminals are available for users accessing your FreeBSD system remotely, using a modem. The last type of terminal is a pseudo or network terminal; these start with "ttyp" followed by a number or a letter and are used to access your FreeBSD computer over a network connection.
If we look at this file using
more /etc/ttys
we'll see that this file has been divided into three sections, with a section for each of the three types of terminals. Each section also has four columns, which I've summarized in the following chart:
Column Name
What it Represents
The name of the terminal device.
The program to start running on the terminal, which is typically
For virtual consoles, the correct type is cons25. Other common values include network on pseudo-terminals, dialup for incoming modem ports, and unknown when the terminal type a user will try to connect with cannot be predetermined.
Must be on or off. If on, init will run the program specified in the getty column. If the word "secure" appears, this tty allows root login; to prevent root logins, use the word "insecure."
Let's start deciphering this file by looking at the virtual terminal section; note that it starts by setting up the console:
# If console is marked "insecure", then init will ask
# for the root password when going to single-user mode.
console none unknown off secure
If the
fsck command runs into problems during bootup,
init will put your FreeBSD system into single-user mode so the root user can fix the problem. If you set the console at
insecure instead of the default
init will require the root password before you can continue.
ttyv0 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" cons25 on secure
# Virtual terminals
ttyv1 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" cons25 on secure
ttyv2 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" cons25 on secure
ttyv3 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" cons25 on secure
ttyv4 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" cons25 on secure
ttyv5 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" cons25 on secure
ttyv6 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" cons25 on secure
ttyv7 "/usr/libexec/getty Pc" cons25 on secure
ttyv8 "/usr/X11R6/bin/xdm -nodaemon" xterm off secure
You'll note that on my FreeBSD system I have eight virtual terminals in addition to the console; I can access each by pressing ALT and one of the function keys. For example, ALT F1 accesses the console, ALT F2 accesses ttyv1, ALT F3 accesses ttyv2, etc. If I start an X session, it can be accessed by using ALT F8. If I were to change the word
off to
on at ttyv8, I would receive an X terminal instead of the console at boot time. I could still use my ALT function keys to access the other terminals. All of my virtual terminals are marked as "secure," meaning they will accept root logins. How many virtual terminals you have depends on your version of FreeBSD; if you wish to create more virtual terminals, you should read What is a virtual console and how do I make more?.
Now let's move on down to the dial-up terminals:
You'll notice that I have four available dial-up terminals, but they are all turned off. If I wanted users to access my FreeBSD computer using a modem, I'd have to turn at least one of these terminals on. I would also have to decide if I wanted these users to be able to log in as root; if not, I would change the word
# Serial terminals
# The 'dialup' keyword identifies dialin lines to login, fingerd etc.
ttyd0 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" dialup off secure
ttyd1 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" dialup off secure
ttyd2 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" dialup off secure
ttyd3 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" dialup off secure
secure to
insecure. You'll note that the
getty column includes the number
9600, which represents a data transfer rate of 9600 bps. Since most modern modems are capable of higher rates, I would also probably change that number to 57600. And finally, I would read the section of the FreeBSD handbook that covers the dial-in service.
The last section in
/etc/ttys is the network or pseudo terminal section. You'll note that there are a lot of these, 255 to be precise, that range from:
# Pseudo terminals
ttyp0 none network
ttySv none network
and that none of them have been enabled by default.
If you ever become the superuser in order to make changes to
/etc/ttys, you will have to remember to send a HUP signal to
init so that it will use your changes. To do this, type:
kill -1 1
-1 is signal 1 (
HUP) and
1 is process 1 (
Now, what is this
getty program that keeps being mentioned in
/etc/ttys? The description in
man 8 getty states it well:
The getty program is called by init(8) to open and initialize the tty line, read a login name, and invoke login(1).
init reads
/etc/ttys and starts a
getty process on every terminal you've told it to in that configuration file. Monitoring that terminal to see if anyone tries to log in is
getty's job. If someone does,
getty will start the
login program to verify that user's login name and password. If those check out,
login will start up that user's login shell and place the user in their home directory. Once the user has a shell, or command interpreter, they now have a way of interacting with the operating system. It is now up to the shell to interpret a user's input and ensure that any necessary processes are started.
When a user logs out of their login shell,
init is called in to start another
getty process which will patiently monitor the terminal for another login attempt.
Let's tie together this whole process by looking at the output of the
ps command on a freshly booted, default install of FreeBSD 4.1. I'll use the
-ax switches to include the system daemons:
ps -ax
0 ?? DLs 0:00.01 (swapper)
1 ?? ILs 0:00.16 /sbin/init --
2 ?? DL 0:00.02 (pagedaemon)
3 ?? DL 0:00.00 (vmdaemon)
4 ?? DL 0:00.02 (bufdaemon)
5 ?? DL 0:01.02 (syncer)
1056 ?? Is 0:00.00 adjkerntz -i
1187 ?? Ss 0:00.08 syslogd -s
1206 ?? Is 0:00.05 inetd -wW
1208 ?? Is 0:00.11 cron
1622 ?? Ss 0:00.02 sendmail: accepting connections on port 25 (sendmail)
1621 v0 Ss 0:00.12 -csh (csh)
1701 v0 R+ 0:00.00 ps -ax
1699 v1 Is+ 0:00.01 /usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv1
1619 v2 Is+ 0:00.01 /usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv2
1618 v3 Is+ 0:00.01 /usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv3
1617 v4 Is+ 0:00.01 /usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv4
1616 v5 Is+ 0:00.01 /usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv5
1615 v6 Is+ 0:00.01 /usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv6
1614 v7 Is+ 0:00.01 /usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv7
You should now be able to recognize most of these processes:
swapper has a PID of 0 and
init has a PID of 1. The
cron, and
sendmail processes were all successfully started by
rc. I needed to run the
ps command from a shell; in my case, it was from the c shell running on ttyv0.
Getty processes are waiting for logins on virtual terminals 1-7. There is no
getty process running on virtual terminal 8 as this terminal was marked "off" in
We've gone pretty deep into FreeBSD in this last set of articles. Next week, let's take a break from the heavy stuff and play with another utility from the
ports collection.
Dru Lavigne is a network and systems administrator, IT instructor, author and international speaker. She has over a decade of experience administering and teaching Netware, Microsoft, Cisco, Checkpoint, SCO, Solaris, Linux, and BSD systems. A prolific author, she pens the popular FreeBSD Basics column for O'Reilly and is author of BSD Hacks and The Best of FreeBSD Basics.
Read more FreeBSD Basics columns.
Discuss this article in the Operating Systems Forum.
Return to the BSD DevCenter.
Copyright © 2017 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


text: Snapshots: TED Talks, supporting intersex youth, trans representation in journalism, and more Wonder what we're up to at GLAAD? Be sure to check out GLAAD's Blog each week for updates about our latest work to build support for LGBT equality through news, entertainment, and online media. Issues: News, Spanish-Language and Latino, Sports, Transgender


text:
Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize
I don't want to write about A-Rod but how can I not? I mean, the man is just a never-ending fount of ridiculousness. Divorce my wife? Why not? Try on some steroids for size? Don't mind if I do. Pay for sex and then date the stable's boss? Done and done. It's just too easy. Like shooting a barrel. Not the fish inside the barrel. Just the barrel.
That's done. No one wants to see pictures of A-Rod making out with himself. We don't want to hear about his slum-lord tendencies. No, it's time for us to officially move on. And this time I really mean it. Kind of. I mean, if it turns out that he's operating some sort of kidnapping ring that sells poor Bronx children into slavery overseas, we're going to have to talk about it. In fact, if (when?) that happens, just remember that you heard it here first.
But, with the baseball season mere days away and Jeff giddily dancing around his apartment like it's Christmas morning, we need to focus. Focus on the drama ahead of us. On the potential dogfights in the different divisions. On figuring out who this year's sleeper team is going to be. There's so much good in baseball that it just doesn't make sense to focus on the bad.
However, as we get ready to head into a new season, it doesn't hurt to remember that some things never go out of season. That's why although St. Patrick's Day was last week, I'm going to leave you with this. Please, don't thank me. I'm just doing my job.
-Photo from Details via DailyStab
-Video from a random Facebook friend
17 Comments
The craziest thing to me is that ARod managed to skate by with a squeaky clean image until so recently. The stories aren't as amazing to me as the fact that they flew under the radar for so long.
BTW- just created my Indians blog yesterday. Feel free to check it out if you ever want to read up on the Tribe.
Great – I had barely recovered from seeing that Picture of A-Rod on Scott's blog! Next time – muppets first!
You guys never fail to amuse me. I love love love that video. The Muppets win at life. More Muppets, less A-Rod!!!
A-Rod is dumb. lol He's a fool for taking that pic. I'm going to go home and take that pic and post it on my blog. lol
~ King of Cali
S Jeff giddily dances around his apartment every Christmas? What disturbing image.
Allen- I'm with Russell on that image. Also, you never cease to amaze me with the YouTube videos that you find.
I always dance around my apartment when Jesus is part of the conversation. Who doesn't? I bet Alex-Don't-Call-Me-A-Rod-Anymore-Rodriguez does too… though I must admit I draw the line at making out with myself on a mirror.
Did you hear that Arod roofied a cheerleader and killed her in her sleep. Also the Tajada thing is funny. Aparently you shouldn't lie to liers. Congress should have more importnt things ro do than medling in baseball. Perhaps they should investivgate HgH use in competitive beer pong.
I'm with Russell and Emily on the image. Jeff dancing giddily anywhere is disturbing.
Why is the image of me dancing turning people away? My mother says I'm a very good dancer… she even compared my abilities to Usher, MJ and James Brown.
Thanks Jeff I now not only have an image of you dancing like Usher but also of you making out with yourself in a mirror.
That video is awesome Allen. Where do you find this stuff?
Ok, the A-Rod photo totally creeped me out. So thanks for the Muppets – I needed a good laugh :O) Beaker is awesome!
Where does he find those vids? He does nothing but watch youtube all day long. Some fun times, Al's havin', eh?
Isn't that the University of Miami face-to-face drill where you curse yourself out and see if you get upset? Or was that the University of Miami mugshot close up check to make sure you look mean enough in the camera.
Sorry A-Rod, but thug life will never be for you. Got it playa!
Rays Renegade
Lol, good stuff. I didn't think Alex would still be in the headlines, but the guy somehow always manages to find a way. It must be an odd talent of his. Though it may be nice to not hear his name every day, what would the press do without him?
– V [ http://flairforthedramatic.mlblogs.com ]
I'm with Russell, Emily, Jane, Chicago vice and decent Americans everywhere, uniformly disturbed at the image of Jeff dancing giddily.
Trust me, it's not pretty. I've never been there but I've sen video.


text:
What celebrity DJ is facing some possible backlash when he accidentally revealed to a magazine that he's a Scientologist? At least one of the major music fests are considering dropping him from the lineup.
I believe in freedom of religion, but Scientology is a cult!!ReplyCancel
((fist bump with Ollie for posting first))ReplyCancel
Why would anyone belong to something they are ashamed to speak about?!ReplyCancel
Music festival promoters have scruples now?
That's a first.
@Danielle- My guess is Scientology, amid the recent bad publicity, has asked their followers to not be so public about their beliefs. But to continue to quietly recruit new members.ReplyCancel
I agree that Scientology is weird and cultish. I disagree with shunning Scientologists just because they're Scientologists. This, too, is cultish. And childish, insecure, and pathetic. Judge the individual by his or her accomplishments and words. How difficult is that?ReplyCancel
As long as Scrillex doesn't have servants with billion year contracts working at his house and he doesn't shove his Scientology on anyone else, I don't think it is fair to ban people. Did anyone ban Michael Jackson in his Jehovah witness phase. They are a cult/sect and more annoying on a day to day basis IMO. Luckily they don't bother my house but one day I need to ask if you claim only 144,000 people are getting to heaven, why are you trying to recruit – I'm playing the odds I ain't going to be one of the chosen few.ReplyCancel
As long as he keeps his religeous opinions to himself, who cares?ReplyCancel
I don't like him—but he is a musician not a "celebrity DJ"–is that not what a Paris Hilton or Samantha Ronson type is?ReplyCancel
Are there any benefits to joing scientology if you're a normal person?ReplyCancel
discrimination is discriminationReplyCancel
He is just making music, not making new slaves to the cult.
If this is a religion (not sure), freedom of religion is a must (at least while they don't decapitate people following orders of the leader). If this is a cult, usually the cultists (?) are the most damaged by being part of it, therefore he is not to be punished more.ReplyCancel
I'm thinking it's more of a bad publicity thing. Some people might not go for fear of supporting Scientology with their money. I also think Scientology wants their members to keep in on the low right now to avoid backlash and keep the Smith family money coming in.ReplyCancel


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As some of you might know, I'm taking my family back home to Perú in a couple of weeks. I am ecstatic. Looking forward to eating tons of ceviche and helado de lucuma while hanging out with all the people I love so dearly. My family has yet to meet my son, Santiago, and I get to spend my birthday over there — something I haven't done since I was a child. But one of the things I'm looking forwardRead More ...
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Writeblocked Blog
Resources for learning python for forensics
This is just a small collection of the resources that are
available if you are interested in learning python. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list of everything available, just enough to get you started. They are not listed in any particular order although I may have saved the best till last ;-)
• http://www.codeskulptor.org/#examples-tips6.py
Free Online Classes• https://class.coursera.org/interactivepython-2012-001/lecture/index
• https://developers.google.com/edu/python/utilities
• Google Python classes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKTZoB2Vjuk
• http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/nde/papers/teachpy3.html
• http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/python
Books (free online)How to think like a computer scientist: http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkCSpy/html/index.html
Learn Python the Hard Way: http://learnpythonthehardway.org/
Invent with Python: http://inventwithpython.com/
Hacking secret ciphers with Python (from Invent with Python) http://inventwithpython.com/blog/2013/04/15/hacking-secret-ciphers-with-python-released/
Books (not free but worthwhile getting)T.J OConnor Violent Python: http://www.amazon.com/Violent-Python-Cookbook-Penetration-Engineers/dp/1597499579/
Justin Seitz Gray Hat Python: Python Programming for Hackers and Reverse Engineers http://www.amazon.com/Gray-Hat-Python-Programming-Engineers/dp/1593271921/
John Zelle Python Programming: An introduction to computer science 2nd ed http://www.amazon.com/Python-Programming-Introduction-Computer-Science/dp/1590282418/
Official Documentationhttp://docs.python.org/3/library/
Forensics & PythonWilli's modules: http://williballenthin.com/
The volatility project: http://code.google.com/p/volatility/
Joachim Metz's libraries: http://code.google.com/p/libyal/ (not all of these are python, but many have python bindings and some are python!)
Dave Nides blog (author of 4n6time); http://davnads.blogspot.com/
Plaso (backend engine for log2timeline): http://code.google.com/p/plaso/
T.J OConnor's SANS paper Grow Your Own Forensic Tools: A Taxonomy of Python Libraries Helpful for Forensic Analysis http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/incident/grow-forensic-tools-taxonomy-python-libraries-helpful-forensic-analysis_33453
<shameless plug> the course I teach at Champlain College Scripting for Digital Forensics http://www.champlain.edu/computer-forensics/masters-digital-forensics-science/curriculum
and of course the list would not be complete without a cheat sheet
Filegen - file generator for tool testing
One of my students is currently researching data recovery on solid state drives. Part of the testing requires that he create a large number of files with known and easily identifiable content. There are many ways of doing this and it is something I have done many times before. However every time have meant to write a script to do the work. This time round I figured I would write something to solve the program once and for all.
In this case the objective was to be able to determine the amount of recoverable data after a collection of files had been wiped. So we needed:
So I wrote filegen.py to generate the files we needed. It is a pretty simple program, in fact processing the options takes more code than generating the files but is simple to use and makes generating test files easy.
In order to address the unique filename requirement the user is able to pass a base filename that will then have a number appended to it. The file is then filled with a repeating pattern of the filename plus the size of the file (in bytes). When the string does not fit the desired file size the end of the file is padded with zeros. This way a keyword search can be used to identify how much of any given file is recoverable. Given the file size it is a simple matter to determine how many times the pattern repeats in the file.
The options are:
One surprising outcome of the research was that in some cases more file content was recoverable than should have been written to the disk, but that is a story for another time.
The program is available as python code or a windows binary.
February and March recordings posted
Live Challenge
Updated filesystem cheat sheets
NTFS Of course I still have to make them for HFS and ext but I will get there one day.
If you have any suggestions for improvements please let me know.
4096 byte sector drives, NTFS and forensic tools
However I had not really thought about all this from a forensic perspective until Adam posted a MFT carver and started asking questions on the win4n6 mailing list about 4k sectors and their impact on the MFT. I checked the large drive on my system (which is using 1TB WD caviar blacks) and sure enough I had 4k sectors. I then checked the MFT and found it was using 4k File Record Segments.
My theory at the time was that the file record segment would match the sector size if the sector was 1024 or over. This was sort of confirmed by Troy, one of the other win4n6 folk. Troy also pointed out that Microsoft have reported that they are not yet supporting 4k sectors, as mentioned in this blog post from the Microsoft storage team.
This of course got my interest up, as I had a drive clearly reporting 4k sectors, as did Adam. Upon rebooting my system I realized/remembered that I was in fact using a Highpoint Rocket RAID,not connecting directly to the drive (why I did not notice this in windows I don't know). So I copied everything off the RAID, wiped the three 1TB drives and then configured a new RAID, at which point I found that the controller will let you set the sector size from 512, 1024, 2048, 3072 or 4096 bytes (hows that for cool?). I then created a 2TB RAID using 4k sectors. This was then formatted as NTFS on this was on Windows 7 pro SP1. I confirmed once again that the MFT file record segments were 4k in size. By default it still used a 4k cluster size, so there goes file slack space! The picture below shows the BPB of the partition. The key values are Bytes/Sector (0x0100 or 4096), sectors per cluster (1) and Clusters per file record segment (1).
Now the interesting part, what tools can handle a disk using 4k sectors?
x-ways 16.1 SR-3 has no problem
FTK imager 18.104.22.1684 will mount the drive or image, but does not recognize any file system.*
Encase 6.19.4 & 6.16.2 crash when it starts processing the MFT, apparently encase 7 works*
SIFT 2.13 will mount it and show/access files correctly, although mmls appears to be hard coded to report 512 sectors, so the offsets it provides for the start of the partition are wrong.
analyzeMFT 1.7 does not support it. Adam pointed out the following comment in the code:
I have not had the time to test anything else, so I figured I would put the test image out there for everyone to play with. If you have the time please download the test image, try it out in your favourite tools and post your results in the comments. You can download it here: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxubffSxLhRkU21ybXNsQ1pNTk0. Since the RAID were pretty much all 0x00 once acquired it compresses down to 2GB.
More Articles...


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Peggy Moran knows the exact moment that altered her life. In 2008, her college-aged daughter was hospitalized with a pulmonary embolism. Her daughter pulled through but Moran's life was forever changed. A business owner and author, she decided to resume her education. A little more than two years later, Moran was awarded a highly competitive Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. She began at North Central in January and is pursuing a degree in interactive media studies with a minor in anthropology.
"I decided I'd channel my nervous energy into something productive," she says. "I wanted to take a college course in anatomy and physiology to better understand my daughter's condition."
A mother of three and successful business owner, Moran had never finished high school so she first had to earn her GED. She studied four terms at College of DuPage, which nominated Moran for a Rotary scholarship. That led to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation award of up to $30,000 per year to complete her degree. North Central had what she wanted and was close to her Lemont, IL, home, she says.
"Peggy is an incredibly motivated and enthusiastic student," says Stephen Macek, associate professor of speech communication. "She brings a wealth of real-world experience as an author and business owner to the classes she takes."
An animal lover, as a teen she started a business called Peggy Moran's Dog Improvement. She expanded to include consulting work with animal shelters and lecturing to school groups. She trained therapy dogs, wrote for Dog World Magazine and developed a reputation as an expert. "My life experiences and self-education prepared me to desire a formal education," she says. "All I had to do was seek it."


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About the Author: Eric F. Green serves as Principal Officer at the American Consulate in Adana, Turkey.
Since his election, President Obama has stressed his desire to put America's relationship with the Muslim world on a new footing. Yesterday in Ankara, he pledged to seek a new relationship based on mutual interest and respect. Today the President showed his respect by visiting one of Islam's most celebrated sites, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque) in the heart of Istanbul's old city, accompanied by Prime Minister Erdogan who as former mayor and son of Istanbul had offered to escort the president and share his vast knowledge of his beautiful hometown.
After removing his shoes at the main entrance, President Obama entered the mosque with Istanbul's mufti and the mosque's imam. While these leaders had guided numerous VIP visitors over the years, this visit was clearly different. The imam, looking resplendent in black robes and white skull-cap, was positively glowing as he showed the president the mosque's treasures, such as the 20,000 hand-painted tiles, exquisite samples of classic Islamic design – including 50 distinct depictions of tulips, an enduring symbol of Istanbul.
Serving for the past two years at the U.S. Consulate in Adana, in religiously conservative southeastern Turkey, I have lived the encounter between America and Islam first hand. To my frustration, many local media constructed an image of a non-existent "war." As Obama's candidacy progressed, the mood changed. I recall a conversation with a business contact who said, "If America elects someone with my name, Hussein, my view of America and of democracy will change completely." This conversation was hardly unusual. Turks of all ages and backgrounds have told us how they trust President Obama and wish him well.
Back at the mosque, President Obama lingered. He gazed upward at the central dome, which towers 43 meters high and is supported by four massive pillars known as the elephant's feet. After stepping out of the front door, putting on his shoes and strolling back through the courtyard, the President looked back once more at the mosque's majestic exterior, a series of domes rising gently like a small mountain. As the motorcade pulled away, I was happy that President Obama's visit to the mosque so perfectly reflected his foreign policy by conveying respect and a desire for mutual understanding.


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Ph.D. program in French Studies at Brown University
M.A. and Ph.D. programs in French and Francophone Studies at the Department of Romance Languages at the University of Georgia
Graduate Studies in French at the University of South Carolina
Graduate Studies in French at the University of Virginia
French majors enrolled at the College of Saint Benedict are eligible to apply for the Dr. & Mrs. Joseph B. Gaida & Family Scholarship for French. Recipients are chosen on the basis of scholarship, strength of academic purpose, and financial need. Amounts ranging from $2000 to $2400 are divided among scholarship recipients every year.
Follow this link for more information on the Gaida Scholarship for French .
Congratulations to the following CSB French majors: Kaitlin Heidelberger '17, and Margaret Anderson '17, recipients of the 2016-2017 Dr. & Mrs. Joseph B. Gaida Family Scholarship for French. The scholarship is awarded every spring on the basis of scholarship, strength of academic purpose, and financial need, and is open to all French majors enrolled at the College of Saint Benedict who will be juniors or seniors in the Fall semester of a given year.
Each year the French faculty work with student language tutors and TAs, the French Cultural Events assistant, and office assistants through student employment; these positions might include tutoring, assistance with class materials and cultural events, researching films for the French Film Series,and other research as needed by individual faculty members.
CSB/SJU French students have had success finding opportunities to apply their French linguistic and cultural skills after graduation. Alumni and alumnae of the French program include French teachers, translators, professors, researchers, and employees in international business.
The French government teaching assistant program is of special interest: Students who will have graduated by next summer and who have working knowledge of French can apply for one of over 500 positions available. Modest stipend paid. No charge to apply or participate. Note that the application forms are entirely in French and very extensive! While the materials specify eligibility as limited to French majors, many of our students who were accepted in past years were not French majors but had a working knowledge of French.


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December 23, 2003
Alert #04-527
The following product safety recall was conducted voluntarily by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. Consumers should stop using the product immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: John Deere 4000 Ten Series Compact Utility Tractors
Units: 1,700
Manufacturer: Deere & Company of Moline, Ill.
Hazard and Product Description: An internal failure may occur within the Hydrostatic Transmission preventing the transmission from returning to neutral after the pedals are released. This can allow unexpected movement or cause the tractor to continue moving, creating a possible risk of injury to the operator or a bystander. The following model and serial numbers can be found on the serial number plate on the tractor frame:
Incidents/Injuries: John Deere is aware of several failures of the transmission with no reported injuries.
Sold At: Authorized John Deere dealers nationwide and in Canada from April 2001 to August 2003 for between $18,000 and $27,000.
Manufactured In: U.S.A.
Remedy: Consumers should stop using their tractors immediately and contact a John Deere dealer for a free repair.
Consumer Contact: For more information, contact John Deere's Customer Communications Center on (800) 537-8233, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am until 6:00 pm (Eastern Time), Saturday, 9:00 am until 3:00 pm, or at the John Deere web site at www.johndeere.com
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of
thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the
nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or
mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to help ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household
chemicals -– contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at
301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @USCPSC or by subscribing
to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.
Times: 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime
Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products.
Please use the below phone number for all media requests.
Phone: (301) 504-7908
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View CPSC contacts for specific areas of expertise
We are still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product.
Report a Product on SaferProducts.gov
The link you selected is for a destination outside of the Federal Government. CPSC does not control this external site or its privacy policy and cannot attest to the accuracy of the information it contains. You may wish to review the privacy policy of the external site as its information collection practices may differ from ours. Linking to this external site does not constitute an endorsement of the site or the information it contains by CPSC or any of its employees.
Click Ok if you wish to continue to the website; otherwise, click Cancel to return to our site.


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That's as much for fund-raising purposes and political posturing as anything.
Coming as no surprise to regular readers, we applaud the ruling in that it opens the door for Texas' Voter ID law, which is long overdue. Voter fraud has been all too real for all too long here in South Texas.
As Bee County's former State Rep. Jose Aliseda noted when he helped sponsor the bill two years ago, "I believe it is very important that we pass this legislation. I heard testimony from election officials who confirmed they had seen cases of voter impersonation in past elections, but were powerless to stop it. We also discovered that there are 12 counties in Texas where there are more registered voters than citizens over 18 eligible to vote.
"Along with my own experience of investigating and prosecuting voter fraud, I believe this is a good bill for Texas, will help to protect the integrity of every vote and, perhaps more importantly, help our citizens have more trust in our electoral outcomes."
To answer charges that some voters cannot afford a photo identification card, the law provides for free voter identification cards provided by the Department of Public Safety, which is already preparing to accept applications.
The IDs will be available to voters who do not yet have a viable form of ID, such as a driver's license, a concealed handgun license, a passport or military ID. Applicants must show proof of citizenship at a DPS driver's license office to receive one.
In an age when an ID is required to cash a check, board a flight, or even enter many federal buildings, it's silly that we've looked blindly askance when transacting our most precious of freedoms.
We don't want to keep anyone who's legal to vote from doing so. We just want everyone to have the same, single vote to which we all are entitled. No more. No less.


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I wont lol
everything has a price...and when it becomes unaffordable...you simply dont attend.
dont take away the sport of the people for the people.
because once lost they never come back.
policy at fev should be.....
becareful who you rob on the way up...
because their the ones to fill your buckets
on the way down
I just hope for your sake coolie that your partnered club doesn't start telling your BOD what to do because if they do im sure you will be paying 17 quid to watch the rams in future.Success costs coolie but if Fev charge 30 quid I would pay it so my club can get better etc.
Edited by thundergaz, 30 January 2013 - 01:35 PM.


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Members of New Hope Ministries are speaking up after their church is accused of underpaying to use public school facilities.
Out of five churches being sued, three are New Hope ministries: New Hope Oahu, Hawaii Kai, and Kapolei.
"Have no fear, to think that someone out there is against New Hope. New Hope stands in the right way. We know that when we try to seek God more in our life the temptation is always there against us. I know we are going to win the victory," said Dmercy Barcelona, a member of the church.
The lawsuit claims the churches filed false statements, under-representing their use of state facilities. New Hope used Farrington High School's auditorium for its weekend services before moving to its Sand Island location after the auditorium's roof caved in last fall. The lawsuit accuses the churches of not paying $5.6 million to the state.
"We've volunteered a number of times at Farrington after-school activities and things to beautify the school so in a way we feel like we are giving back to the community," said New Hope member Joe Keller.
"I hope it's not true. I hope it can be proven that they have been doing what they say they are going to do," said member Talita Stevao.
In a statement, New Hope pastor Wayne Cordeiro said, "... Our churches have always honored all agreements made with the Department of Education and its authorized agents for the use of public school facilities."
The other two churches being sued are Calvery Chapel Oahu, which rents Kaimuki High School, and One Love Ministries, which rents Mililani High School.
Members of New Hope speak up about lawsuit against the church
Members of New Hope Ministries are speaking up after their church is accused of underpaying to use public school facilities.
Copyright 2013 by KITV All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
The Bendectin Controversy Redux?
When I read that a new study had shown that antihistamines were harmful for patients with morning sickness, I cringed and thought "Here we go again."
Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a serious complication of pregnancy. Simple morning sickness is more common and less serious. When I started out in medicine, we routinely treated morning sickness with Bendectin. It was a safe and effective remedy, a combination of the antihistamine doxylamine and a B vitamin, pyridoxine. Unfortunately the manufacturer, Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals, was bombarded with numerous lawsuits claiming that Bendectin caused birth defects. There was a clear scientific consensus that the evidence did not show that Bendectin caused birth defects and there was plentiful evidence of its safety. The lawyers prevailed over the science, and in 1983, Dow voluntarily took Bendectin off the market to avoid further litigation expenses. After the drug's withdrawal, the rate of birth defects did not decrease, but the rate of hospitalization for hyperemesis gravidarum doubled. (more…)


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Springfield – Metamora Elementary School science teacher Jo Crow says that she "does not carry over well in the written word – I am more like an experience than an essay."
Yet the words about her inspirational commitment and amazing dedication to teaching paint such a vibrant picture that being a student in Jo Crow's class must be an unbelievable experience.
That is why Crow, a 19-year veteran teacher who came to the profession later in life, is the 2000-2001 Illinois Teacher of the Year. She was picked from among 10 outstanding finalists for the Illinois State Board of Education's Those Who Excel awards program. Crow and about 280 other excellent educators, school staff, parents and community volunteers were honored October 14th as part of the 27th-annual event.
The Teacher of the Year will spend the second semester of the 2000-2001 school year speaking statewide at teacher workshops, educational conferences and civic and community meetings. The Teacher of the Year will also receive a lifetime tuition waiver to state universities and a one-year paid leave to pursue graduate work.
The winner also represents Illinois at the NASA Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama and in the National Teacher of the Year program sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers and Scholastic, Inc.
"Teachers like Jo Crow are the reason I am proud to be in education," said State Superintendent of Education Glenn W. McGee. "Rarely do you see such a combination of vision, dedication, enthusiasm and genuine love for children," he said.
Although she came to the teaching profession via an indirect route, teaching has really been Crow's lifelong love. "As far back as I can remember, I have been teaching. Once something had been learned, I had to pass it along to someone else whether they seemed willing or not," Crow said.
Ironically, Crow sidestepped the possibility of teaching while still in high school, claiming she didn't at that time have enough patience. But in college, she served as an undergraduate and graduate teaching assistant with college freshmen. She also started what would be years of teaching Bible school at church.
Professionally, she started as a chemistry lab technician at the University of Nebraska Medical School, and then at the Veterans Administration Hospital, both in Omaha. She later worked with separating lysine from corn at the USDA Agriculture Lab and coauthored two professional papers.
Motherhood ensued in 1969 and – not uncoincidentally, Crow said – she found the patience she had lacked to be a teacher. Following about six years of volunteering as a classroom assistant in her kids' school in Metamora, Crow returned to school and earned her teaching certification in 1981.
"She not only teaches, but also lives with a commitment to helping us see the world as a wondrous learning experience to be investigated, not destroyed," wrote Frank Rink, her superintendent in his nomination of Crow for the Those Who Excel award.
Crow has been a fearless innovator, Rink wrote, unafraid to try new learning strategies and teaching environments – whatever it took to get and foster her students' interest in science and enhance their achievement.
"She is truly passionate about the power and possibilities of science," Rink wrote. "But more importantly, she is dedicated to the concept that all students can and will succeed with science."
To that end, Crow has created and sponsored a long list of science-related clubs and activities for her students, including a Young Astronauts Club, Astronomy Club, Science Club, Photography Club, Rocket Club, Beam Me Up, Scotty Study Sessions, Science Fairs and week-long Outdoor Education Units.
She worked briefly at the grade school level before taking her current assignment teaching science to 7th and 8th graders when the position opened in summer 1981. "My field, and back to my first love – teaching something new to someone else," Crow said.
A raft of teaching honors have decorated her teaching tenure, including Teacher of the Year awards from Sigma Chi in 1998, the Woodford County Conservation Association (1999) and the Illinois Groundwater Committee (1999.)


text:
|NOTE: This product is no longer being sold and might not be supported. View the End-of-Life Notice to learn:
Cost-Effective CPE for Managed Service Provider Services for Small Businesses
The Cisco IAD880 Series Integrated Access Devices are fixed configuration customer premises equipment (CPE) for providers of managed voice and data services to small offices. They offer:
- Cost-effective platforms for providing interconnect solutions to accelerate the migration from time-division multiplexing (TDM) to voice over IP (VoIP)
- Secure concurrent services, including firewall, content filtering, VPNs, and WLANs, at broadband speeds
- Fixed-configuration platforms with voice ports, WAN uplinks, embedded encryption acceleration, voice digital-signal-processor (DSP) slots on the motherboard, and intrusion prevention system (IPS) and IP Security (IPsec) features
- A desktop form factor for space-saving deployment
- An autoinstallation mechanism designed for faster service turn-up, configuration, and remote updates
Additional Resources
Compare Models
Learn about the similarities and differences of the models within this product series.
Data Sheets and Literature
Learn about the similarities and differences of the models within this product series.
Data Sheets and Literature


text:
- duration:
- One-year course with 3 terms, 10 weeks per term, 2 hours per week
SOAS Language Centre
Nepali Beginners Course
2017 Entry requirements
Featured events
- Overview
- Syllabus
- Materials
- Fees and funding
- Apply
Mode of Attendance: Part-time
The aim of the course is to provide a thorough introduction to contemporary Nepali. By the end of the course, students will have covered basic grammatical constructions and acquired an essential working vocabulary allowing them to communicate within a limited range of situations in which learners are likely to find themselves. The language is presented together with the cultural context in which it is used so that learners are able to appreciate such things as appropriateness and linguistic etiquette when interaction takes place in the target language.
The course is taught in English and Nepali with coverage of the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, and a balance between communicative activities, structure practice and grammar. Class size is normally limited to fifteen to allow intensive practice.
- Nepali Beginners 1 (pdf)
- Nepali Beginners 2 (pdf)
- Nepali Beginners 3 (pdf)
Course materials, if not supplied, are not included in the fee but can be purchased from SOAS bookshop email@example.com. Please see under the syllabus tab for course content and materials.
Fees and funding
Course fees quoted are per term of 10 weeks.
For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section
Language Centre How To Apply
You can view our short course timetables here.
You can enrol:
- online via our online store
- in person by filling out a form in the Language Centre
- by post by sending an Application Form (pdf; 107kb) to our office address
- Please read our Terms and Conditions before applying for a course
- We cannot accept cash payments under any circumstances
Not a complete beginner?
If you are not a complete beginner, you will need to complete an assessment for course placement, allowing us to decide which course is right for you.
To apply for an assessment please complete our and send to the relevant email inbox where a Course Officer will contact you for scheduling.
Course Fees and Discounted Rates
An overview of our Short Course Fees and Discounted Rates.
If you are eligible for a discount, you will not be able to complete your transaction on the Online Store. You will need to bring a paper Application Form (pdf; 107kb) , including your Staff/Student card for us to make a copy of, after which we can process your application at the discounted rate.
Returning students
If you are a returning student, you will have received a letter informing you of the procedures for rejoining prior to the start of the registration period. You can pay using any method indicated above. Returning students, if they are continuing onto the course indicated as the progression course, do not need to be assessed.


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Home and Lighting Accessories
Home Lighting and Accessories
Adding our wide variety of home accessories and accents to your space is the best way to enhance the true beauty of your home. Home accessories and decor accentuate the areas of your space that often go unnoticed; ceiling medallions turn attractive fixtures into a piece of architectural excellence that are fitting for both large and small chandeliers. Additionally, you will want to view our collection of home decor accessories, which features goods you can use in your home such as bookends, clocks, furniture and wall art and décor. Whether it's a simple table accent you are looking for or a nice mirror to hang in your hallways, bedroom or bathroom, our line of home accessories won't disappoint; our site offers the very best in designer décor and we make shopping online easy. These home accessories not only look beautiful, they will significantly increase the beauty and sophistication of your home.


text:
"G'day to all the good folk at Catholic Answers. Words cannot express the invaluable service you provide to the world. Your faith tracts are fantastic and should be a must-read. Catholics need to be equipped with the history and the truth."
Subscribe to Catholic Answers Magazine
"When He asserts and says: This is My Blood, who shall ever hesitate and say it is not His Blood?"


text:
Offer hardworking families a chance to take their first step out of poverty. Learn more.
Support World CouncilWith Amazon Smiles!
the world's leading advocate, platform for knowledge exchange and
development agency for credit unions, World Council collects credit union best
practices from around the world and makes them available to regulators,
policymakers, second-tier credit union organizations and individual
credit unions in developing countries.
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areas of focus are: operations, governance, legislation/regulation, PEARLS monitoring system and information
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Shrub's Place
Shrub started off great with a win in the trucks at Phoenix...then even better with the DOMINATION of the Nationwide race there!
Now..he goes for the tri-fecta!!! GO SHRUB!!!!!
Whatever goes... remember, this is a family forum
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One of the most common otherworldly creatures in Islam are the Djinn (aka Jinn aka Genies). These are more than the magical people who live in lamps according to Dinseyifed Americanization of Arab tales. These are beings created out of smokeless fire (as compared to clay/mud for humans and light for angels). According to the Qu'ran's Surat al-Jinn, Djinn are creatures which have free will. While in Islam, Satan is a Djinn, Djinn can be hostile, neutral, or even friendly.
From reading parts of the Qu'ran, Hadiths (stories of Mohammad), Islamic fairy tales, and books on Islam I knew that Djinn are suppose to live in another dimension. However, it was not until my recent conversation with a Kuchi Pashtun tribal elder that I realized how strong belief in Djinn were and where Djinn fit in our world.
Below is a recalling of my conversation I had with an elder through a Pashtun interpreter.
Me: Let's go take a walk up those hills and survey the area.
Elder: We cannot go there.
Me: Why not?
Elder: Because the Djinn live there.
Me: The fire beings?
Elder: Yes! The smokeless fire spirits. You, a Christian, know and believe of the Djinn?
Me: I have read about them. As a Catholic my faith is open to the possibility of other creatures. How do you know the Djinn live there?
Elder: They use to live where our tribe settled (over a hundred years ago) and built the village.
Me: So why did the Djinn move?
Elder: There were too many encounters between people and Djinn.
Me: I thought the Djinn live in another dimension (this took the interpreter a minute or two to convey)
Elder: They do. But our worlds are so close together that it is possible for cross over.
Me: Were there any bad incidents?
Elder: Most Djinn were kind or neutral to us. Some were mean though. Many Djinn left because they were afraid of our ancestors because our ancestors were all warriors. Others left because we would accidently step on their children.
Me: Stepping on smokeless fire babies is not good for Kuchi-Djinn relations.
Elder: Yes, yes. Very true.
Me: So do the Djinn leave you people alone?
Elder: Most do. We consider them our neighbors and friends. Some are mean, just like how some people are mean, but we respect them and they respect us.
Me: So you never go to the Djinn place?
Elder: No. When a baby is born we take some gold, bones, and some of the child's hair if possible and put it in a bag. We take the bag and leave it on the Djinn's hills.
Me: Why?
Elder: So they can celebrate the child's birth with us. The gold is a gift, we give them the child's hair so they can see part of the child, and bones because in the Hadiths the Prophet Mohammad once visited a tribe of Djinn and brought them a bag of bones. When the Prophet's followers asked why he had a bag of bones the Prophet replied, "Because Djinn eat bones."
Me: Sounds like you have some good neighbors. So why can't we go up the hill together? Would not the Djinn think I am your friend because I am with you?
Elder: The Djinn do not travel much. They may think you are Soviet or British. I do not want to put you at risk, my friend.
Me: Thank you. I tend to prefer distance between me and other worldly beings anyways.


text:
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#153492 - 01/09/06 10:33 AM sept, septon
Registered: 07/28/05
Posts: 270
Loc: Israel
I'm reading George R.R Martin's "A Game of Thrones"...
("Tully" is a lineage in this context, "godswood" is a garden)
"Catelyn had been anointed with the seven oils and named in the rainbow of light that filled the sept of Riverrun. She was of the Faith, like her father and grandfather and his father before him. Her gods had names, and their faces were as familiar as the faces of her parents. Worship was a septon with a censer, the smell of incense, a seven-sided crystal alive with light, voices raised in song. The Tullys kept a godswood, as all the great houses did, but it was only a place to walk or read or lie in the sun. Worship was for the sept.
For her sake, Ned had built a small sept where she might sing to the seven faces of god..."
My dictionary translate "sept" as "tribe, clan (in ancient Ireland)"... does it make any sense in this context? I can't find a definition for "septon". Of course, these two words may have a particular definition in the novel, but if so, shouldn't these words be capitalized, or have any prior references? I see neither.
#153493 - 01/09/06 11:11 AM Re: sept, septon
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 04/03/00
Posts: 10538
Loc: this too shall pass
I'd think that this is argot of Martin's creation. try searching for "sept septon riverrun"
#153494 - 01/09/06 11:14 AM Re: sept, septon
Registered: 10/24/05
Posts: 557
Loc: Dallas, TX
The mainstream religion in the book involves seven gods/seven faces of god so their temples tend to be seven-sided thus septs - septem Latin for 7. Depending on which dictionary you use, sept is either from L. septum/saeptum - an enclosure, or a formation of sect both echo nicely with the intended meaning. A septon is a person who presides over a sept.
You'll find frequently in science fiction and fantasy that that they don't explain or point out the "non-standard" words as this tends to break the world-building aspect. In this case, there is no relationship between this world and ours, so it would be odd for a character to mention churches or Catholic priests when there are no such things and everyone in that world would be expected to know what they are.
#153495 - 01/10/06 08:50 AM Re: sept, septon
old hand
Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 1027
Loc: Switzerland
After reading your post I looked up the book at Amazon.com, and found there is even a discussion forum devoted to it! This might help you on, maybe.
#153496 - 01/10/06 09:23 AM Re: sept, septon
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 10/17/00
Posts: 5400
Loc: rego park
the pen is a mightier sceptor than the sword.. pehaps a sept is a variation of sceptor? it is a place/representation of the true authority? intentions spelled to play into the notion of seven (sept)?_________________________
my other obsession
#153497 - 01/10/06 01:36 PM Re: sept, septon
old hand
Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 1027
Loc: Switzerland
The allusion to the number seven seems evident from the given context. "Sceptre" seems several steps more remote. At least two other roots come to mind: septic (putrefying) from the greek, and septum (membrane) from the latin. In the religious context, the association with "sexton" also apperas intentional.
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Brooke Mabbitt '04 Keane has parlayed her love for dogs and her copywriting background into "Naperville Dog," a new magazine geared toward dog owners. She's editor, designer and ad salesperson. Keane plans to have a "cover dog profile" for each issue, with the first cover dog being her own Siberian husky named Zeus. The centerfold feature of the magazine is called Dogs About Town and features photos of Naperville dogs. Readers may contribute pictures of their dogs to the magazine for possible publication, and she welcomes freelance article submissions on appropriate topics. Visit NapervilleDog.com for information on how to submit photos and information for the cover dog and the Dogs About Town feature.
North Central Now Fall 2011


text:
Ben Cayetano, a candidates for Honolulu mayor and former two-term Democratic governor, filed a libel suit Monday against a trade group that hopes to sway next month's election where rail transit has become the central issue.
The lawsuit was filed in Honolulu Circuit Court against Pacific Resource Partnership, PRP's board of trustees, PRP executive director John White and Hookea Communications, the public relations firm helping to organize the media blitz against Cayetano.
"This lawsuit is about big money for big lies," said Jim Bickerton, one of Cayetano's attorneys. "If they can do it to him, they can do it to anybody."
The lawsuit alleges PRP knowingly spread falsehoods about Cayetano through television and radio ads, as well as flyers and push polls. Since May, PRP has spent more than $1 million in a media campaign that accuses Cayetano of accepting illegal campaign contributions, rewarding donors with non-bid government contracts and keeping donations for personal gain during his time as governor.
"He's been called a crook, a thief (and) for six months he hasn't done anything but try to take the high road," said Michael Green, another of Cayetano's attorneys. "When you don't answer stuff like this, people start to think maybe it's true."
PRP and Hookea Communications declined comment until both parties can review the complaint.
Cayetano told reporters the PRP ad blitz has taken a toll on him and his family.
"I've been frustrated (and) I feel humiliated," said Cayetano. "There are times when I feel very, very bad for my family because my wife and my kids really are hurt by these (ads)."
Although proving libel against a public figure is a tough hurdle, Cayetano's attorneys believe they have all the ammunition they need. They point to the PRP ads themsevles, as well as statements by former public officials who say Cayetano did nothing wrong.
"Everyone who looks at these ads and hears them understands that they're intended to say that Ben Cayetano is corrupt, that he's a crook (and) that he broke the law," said Bickerton. "That was what they intended, and that they know is not true."
In July, Bob Watada, the former executive director of the Campaign Spending Commission held a joint news conference with Cayetano exonerating the former governor of knowingly accepting illegal donations.
"He did nothing illegal," said Watada. "We would not have closed his account if there were any outstanding liabilities."
Cayetano believes the PRP campaign kept him from capturing the Aug. 11 primary, where he finished 6 points shy of capturing more than 50 percent of the vote.
According to a post-primary poll conducted by Cayetano's campaign, 5 percent of respondents had a more negative view of the governor because of the PRP ads.
"That 5 percent was important back then, but that was their strategy, said Cayetano, "To take me into the general election."
Cayetano's lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages. Bickerton said such complaints often take a year or more to resolve.
Cayetano faces Kirk Caldwell Nov. 6, the pro-rail former managing director who has been endorsed by PRP.


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It is nearly the end of the line for Hawaii's Rail transit oriented development.
On Tuesday evening, residents got a look at what the future might be like for the final stop of Oahu's rail project and the surrounding Kakaako area.
Then dozens got a chance to vote on various version of projects they'd like to see around the last stop of the rail project, in what is known as transit oriented development.
"When you talk about transit oriented development, you're really talking about creating urban villages. There people can walk and travel outside of a car or bus," said Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell.
Some of the plans called for more extensive building right around the rail stop, others spread that development around Kakaako, or changed the mix of residential housing and commercial space. The varied versions came from resident's ideas from the first community meeting, and the latest feedback will make future plans come to life.
"We're taking all those ideas of what could happen and making them real in a variety of scenarios, and feature different alternatives," said Transit Oriented Development Administrator Terry Ware.
One thing is sure, on all the plans there is a lot of development planned for the end of the rail line,
"We have limited land, so we have to utilize it to the best of our ability," said part-time Hawaii resident Lurene Rivera.
Some like Rivera, were not in favor of crowding many more high-rises into Kakaako.
"There needs to be development, but I don't want it to be so extensive that we don't see Diamond Head," added Rivera.
Some voted in favor of streetscape concepts that called for more bike ways or pedestrian areas, while the mayor gave his vote of confidence to the company chosen to build Hawaii's rail cars.
This comes after the CEO of Ansaldo Honolulu's parent company was arrested on corruption charges last week.
"I feel confident that they are going to be able to build the cars and the system we want to be built. It's never good when someone is involved in a scandal, but the subsidiary doing our project is sound and viable," said Caldwell.
The city wants to hear ideas from residents over future plans for the final rail stop. Those interested can check out the various versions of transit oriented development online at www.honoluludpp.org. Then residents are asked to contact the city by almost any means, from good old-fashioned letters, to Facebook messages, tweets or emails.
The final transit-oriented development meeting will be held this summer.


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Obama and IsraelMarch 18,2013Since the end of World War II in 1945, to one degree or another and on a far more regional scale, other conflicts have kept the globe in a constant state of political and military instability, fueling the fear that a dreaded third world war one fought with nuclear weapons may be just around the corner.
Some of these conflicts have been settled after much bloodletting. Most prominently, the fighting has ended, for the time being at least, in Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and, closer to home, Northern Ireland and Cuba. Right now theres the civil war in Syria and hugely dangerous unrest in Egypt, Nigeria and other parts of Africa, not to mention the other regionwide tensions in the Middle East and even Latin America.
But since the mid-40s, theres been one constant, a conflict that periodically erupts into open warfare but that even in peace appears destined to defy any solution. That, of course, is the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors, some of whom were displaced by the creation of Israel.
Since World War II, the United States has emerged as the worlds wealthiest, most powerful and most influential nation, a fact that has thrust Washington squarely into the middle of the seemingly intractable Israeli-Arab situation. Its not a comfortable place to be.
It is probably unrealistic to expect that President Barack Obamas visit to Israel this week might lead to a solution to such a long-standing situation, but if Obama werent to make the effort, the problems might only worsen.
And yet, writing in Sundays Washington Post, Aaron David Miller, vice president and distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, sounded a note of optimism about the pending trip: One presidential visit wont forge a reconciliation but increasing pressures to manage the Iranian nuclear issue, the peace process and (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahus need to remain relevant in his new government just might.
So the timing is encouraging. Both sides want Iran to be prevented from developing nuclear weapons, and Netanyahus domestic political needs could encourage him to show skeptics that he and Obama can work smoothly together.
This odd couples ties are the most tenuous weve seen between the White House and Jerusalem, wrote Miller, who served as a Middle East analyst, adviser and negotiator for Republican and Democratic secretaries of state from 1980 to 2003 and therefore has a greater knowledge of the situation than most.
From the beginning, the Obama administration has prompted a batten-down-the-hatches mentality in Netanyahus circle much the same way tough anti-settlement talk from President George H.W. Bush and Secretary of State James Baker worried Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, he added.
Miller told how Netanyahu embarrassed Vice President Joe Biden by announcing a new housing project in East Jerusalem while Biden was on an official visit to Israel in 2010. (Because of Obamas visit, the Israeli government postponed action on several East Jerusalem housing projects that can only heighten tensions with Palestinians.)
Later, on a visit to Washington, Netanyahu appeared to lecture Obama and made it clear he hoped Mitt Romney would be elected president. And Obamas famous 2009 speech in Cairo, so widely applauded in the Arab world, was taken by many Israelis as a signal he would be unsympathetic to Netanyahus aggressive agenda.
This presidential trip may be saddled with more complexities than usual, but both sides must put aside their differences and pursue a shared goal, peace between Israel and its neighbors. The world is weary of this enduring threat to global stability.MORE IN CommentarySure, you can buy your uncle a necktie that he wont wear, or your niece an Amazon certificate... Full StoryA lot of serious long-term national issues simply werent addressed in the recent national election. Full StoryI have written on the anomaly of the separation of the private and public sectors in our society,... Full Story
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Mandated reporting law needs clarityApril 13,2014
As many know, criminal charges were brought against two school administrators a colleague and me last summer. The charges stemmed from an alleged violation of 33 V.S.A. § 4913, Vermonts often-called mandated reporter law. Nearly a year after these proceedings were first initiated, both cases have now been dismissed, but the history and experience exposes a need to address, reform and clarify this law and its administration.
Reports and investigations into potential child abuse and neglect are of greatest importance. However, this episode uncovered several systemic flaws with current practices. It is critical that we address these flaws in order to keep kids safe to the best of our ability and ensure consistent response. I am hopeful that the parties and agencies involved will examine existing legislation with a critical lens and make adjustments to help educators and others in this important work.
I suspect that many professionals designated as mandated reporters would appreciate it if the Vermont Legislature examined 33 V.S.A. § 4913 with the intent of removing the ambiguity contained in this law. I suggest that a definition of reasonable cause to believe would be helpful guidance for us all. Many other states have included such clarification in their statutes regarding mandated reporting. A degree of discretionary judgment is now built into the language of the statute, and yet a school administrator can find herself or himself defending this statute-guided discretion in a criminal court this is so, even in cases where there was full disclosure to every interested party as to the allegation and the investigation conducted.
Courts and attorneys in Vermont have declared that this statute is not clearly understood numerous times. I urge the Legislature to remove the ambiguity so that Vermonts mandated reporters clearly understand our duty and can fulfill it accurately and consistently.
The law enforcement investigation into this matter contained numerous oversights and inconsistencies. The handling of this matter violated Vermont State Police policies, the Vermont Rules of Criminal Procedure (specifically V.R.Cr.P. #3), and Vermont law (specifically 20 V.S.A. § 2061). Vermonters deserve law enforcement practices that are accurate, thorough, compliant with regulations, and based in integrity. The initial press release on this matter contained inaccurate information as did subsequent media interviews with law enforcement officers. The fundamental premise of our judicial system and our civil liberties rely on appropriate and lawful policing, and Vermonters should settle for nothing less.
The Vermont State Police and prosecutors office spent nearly a year and untold amounts of resources and taxpayer money pursuing this case. It should also be noted that these charges of failing to report were pursued despite the fact that no child abuse or neglect was ever substantiated in this case by any of the several agencies involved in investigating it.
Vermonters should insist that our limited resources are better utilized in other ways related to public safety. Again, there is nothing more important than child safety, education, and protection, but this case clearly demonstrates that funds that are scarce and unfortunately not available in many clearly important instances (i.e., early intervention, counseling, art, music, all of which are suffering and being routinely slashed from school budgets) are being used to literally no remedial end.
While I respect our branches of government and their decision-making authority, I do not respect or appreciate how schools have to scrape by for hot-lunch programs, while untold piles of money can be used to pursue a baseless and high-profile case.
A large amount of inaccurate or incomplete information was published by various media outlets across Vermont. Additionally, several agencies openly published the name of the teacher involved in the allegation despite the fact that this teacher was cleared of any misconduct and never faced charges of any kind. There were volumes written about the accusations and allegations and a brief paragraph covering the ultimate outcome.
Contemporary journalism seems to have given up on the idea of due process in favor of drama and uninformed judgments regardless of whose expense the headlines come at. Vermonters deserve complete, factual, and balanced reporting.
To be clear, I take my responsibilities as an educator, mandated reporter, and adult who is responsible for the safety and well-being of students very seriously. It is always on the forefront of my mind. I raise these issues in hopes that it will lead to more clarity for mandated reporters, better use of our precious limited resources, and improved coordination between agencies of education, child protection, and law enforcement. The educators whom I know do everything in their power to protect and serve children. It is time to give mandated reporters better tools to do this important work with clarity, confidence, and recognition of good faith.
An opportunity exists to examine these issues and make improvements to our current systems. Lets take advantage of this chance to work together to build a better and stronger Vermont.
Noah Noyes is a school administrator in Danville. He is also vice chairman of the School Board of Hyde Park.MORE IN PerspectiveAlong with many Vermonters, immigrant farm workers in the Green Mountain State watched with... Full StoryVermonters have waited patiently for almost nine months now an exceedingly long period of time,... Full StoryBricks. The wall was full of bricks. Full Story
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text:
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/216395
- Title
- A generic QoS framework for cloud workflow systems
- Author(s)
- Liu, Xiao; Yang, Yun; Yuan, Dong; Zhang, Gaofeng; Li, Wenhao; Cao, Dahai
- Abstract
- Due to the dynamic nature of cloud computing, how to achieve satisfactory QoS (Quality of Service) in cloud workflow systems becomes a challenge. Meanwhile, since QoS requirements have many dimensions, a unified system design for different QoS management components is required to reduce the system complexity and software development cost. Therefore, this paper proposes a generic QoS framework for cloud workflow systems. Covering the major stages of a workflow lifecycle, the framework consists of four components, viz. QoS requirement specification, QoS-aware service selection, QoS consistency monitoring and QoS violation handling. While there are many QoS dimensions, this paper illustrates a concrete performance framework as a case study and briefly touches others. We also demonstrate the system implementation and evaluate the effectiveness of the performance framework in our cloud workflow system.
- Publication type
- Conference paper
- Research centre
- Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies
- Source
- Proceedings of the 9th IEEE International Conference on Dependable, Autonomic and Secure Computing (DASC 2011), including the 9th International Conference on Pervasive Intelligence and Computing (PICom 2011), the 9th International Symposium on Embedded Computing (EmbeddedCom 2011), the 1st International Conference on Cloud and Green Computing (CGC 2011) and the 1st International Conference on Social Computing and its Applications (SCA 2011), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 12-14 December 2011 / Jinjun Chen, Wanchun Dou, Jianxun Liu, Laurence T. Yang and Jianhua Ma (eds.), pp. 713-720
- Publication year
- 2011
- Keyword(s)
- Cloud computing; Quality of service; Software framework; Workflow system
- Publisher
- 9781467300063, 1467300063
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2011 IEEE.
- Research Projects
- Peer reviewed


text:
"For many years KCISD residents have been asking for improvements to the stadium facility that houses our restrooms and concession stand," said Superintendent Jeanette Winn after the meeting. "We have been working with architects to design a simple, yet functional facility that will best meet our needs."
The plans call for greater and more expansive restroom and concession facilities in order to give more efficiency and capacity during athletic events held at the stadium.
Jason A. Young from the Corpus Christi-based architect firm LaMarr Womack and Associates, LP was at the meeting to gather ideas and input from the school board. Trustees reviewed drawings and diagrams of basic plans and relayed ideas and offered suggestions to Young regarding issues such as location, storage spacing, ventilation, entrances and exits, among others.
The board approved the basic design and plan, and will add to the plans as more ideas are discussed and agreed upon.
Superintendent Winn says the project is now being put out for bids, and the board will consider those bids in either November or December. Once a bid is awarded, at that time district officials will be able to give many more details about the project, including a final design and a start and completion date.
Also at the meeting, Trini Gamez was sworn in as a trustee to replace resigned trustee Russell Swize.
Gamez had previously served on the KCISD board for 21 years. Because it is not legal for a trustee to be a member of a board when a close relative is being hired, Gamez resigned from the board in July, enabling the board to legally hire his son and daughter-in-law as part of new teaching staff.
Regarding Gamez' return to the board, the law allows him to be considered for appointment as long as his relative(s) who are employed with KCISD have been employed with the district for at least 30 continual days, according to Winn.
Both his son and daughter-in-law officially began employment on August 1, 2012 when their contracts were formalized. The swearing in of Gamez came 68 days after his son and daughter-in-law became employees.
In other matters, trustees:
•Heard and approved the 2011-2012 district audit report given by Cameron Gulley, CPA. The district received a "very clean and very good" audit, according to Gulley.
•Heard a report from KCISD business manager Wayne Block regarding the district's 2010-2011 annual financial report from the Texas Education Agency's Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST). The financial accountability rating was for the period of Sept. 1, 2010 through Aug. 31, 2011. FCISD scored a perfect 70 out of 70, and was given a "superior achievement" rating.