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Editor for this issue: Ann Dizdar <dizdartam2000.tamu.edu>
Final call for papers: three HIL conferences The Holland Institute of Generative Linguistics (HIL) will organize three conferences and workshops in the beginning of 1997 at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. HIL will then exist five years. Here are the final calls for papers for these conferences, viz. * The Third HIL Phonology Conference (9-11 January) * The Twelfth Comparative Germanic Syntax Workshop (9-11 January) * The OV/VO Workshop (7-8 January) HILP 3 Call for Papers On 9-11 January 1997, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will host the 3rd Holland Institute of Generative Linguistics Conference on Phonology, HILP 3. Abstracts should be submitted before July 1st 1996. The address of the selection committee is: Selection Committee HILP 3 Prof. Geert Booij Vrije Universiteit, vakgroep Taalkunde De Boelelaan 1105 1081 HV Amsterdam The Netherlands Please send 5 anonymous abstracts. Speakers whose abstract is selected will receive a (partial) reimbursement of their traveling costs. E-mail: booijgjet.let.vu.nl WWW: http://oasis.leidenuniv.nl/hil/confs/hilp3/hilp3.htm ============================================================================== ============================================================================== 12th COMPARATIVE GERMANIC SYNTAX WORKSHOP Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam/HIL 9-11 January 1997 ================================ On 9-11 January 1997, the 12th meeting of the Comparative Germanic Syntax Workshop will be held at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam/HIL. Abstracts are solicited for 40-minute presentations (followed by 15 minutes of discussion) which address topics in the syntax of the Germanic languages from a comparative point of view. To submit, send *five copies* of an abstract whose length should not exceed 2 pages (single-spaced; 12pt. font), including examples, diagrams and references. Please add a 3x5 card stating the title of your abstract, your name and affiliation (including E-mail address, fax and telephone number). Abstracts should be received at the address given below by 1 July 1996. (Submissions by E-mail or fax will be accepted; please make sure that, if you opt for this route, your abstract is properly decipherable.) Speakers will be partially reimbursed for their travel expenses. Address your queries and send your submissions to: CGSW 12 c/o Marcel den Dikken Holland Institute of Generative Linguistics Vakgroep Taalkunde (ATW) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1105 1081 HV Amsterdam The Netherlands Fax: +31 20 4446500 Phone: +31 20 4446482 E-mail: dikkenjet.let.vu.nl !! NOTE: from 13 June onwards, queries about this conference (but NOT submissions) should be addressed to Hans Broekhuis, e-mail: hans.broekhuislet.uva.nl WWW: http://oasis.leidenuniv.nl/hil/confs/cgsw12/cgsw.htm ============================================================================= ============================================================================= WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT On the typological differences between VO- and OV-languages: Minimalism and the Uniform Base Hypothesis Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam/HIL 7-8 January 1997 ================================ On 7-8 January 1997, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam/HIL will host a workshop specially focused on the typological differences between VO- and OV-languages and their formal account, against the background of recent theoretical developments in the minimalist framework (Chomsky 1993, 1995) and Kayne's (1994) antisymmetry thesis. The theme of the workshop is detailed in what follows. In the eighties, the distinction between VO-languages, on the one hand, and OV-languages, on the other, used to be generally accounted for by assuming a directionality parameter on government (Travis 1984): in VO-languages canonical government is to the right, so that the (nominal) complement of a verb must be on the right of the verb in order to get Case, whereas OV-languages set the canonical government directionality parameter to the left, so that the complement of the verb must be on the left in order to get Case. With the introduction of Checking Theory (Chomsky 1993), the postulation of a canonical direction of Case-assignment was rendered superfluous, and in fact unstatable; in all languages, checking the Case-feature of the nominal complement of the verb takes place in the specifier position of some functional projection (FP, commonly identified as AgrOP) above VP: by moving the object into SpecFP and moving V into F, as in (1), the verb and its complement enter into a Spec-Head relation and Case-checking can take place. (1) ... [FP .... F ... [VP ... V Object] ^\ ^\___________/ / \_________________/ In principle, this proposal makes it possible to assume that the distinction between VO- and OV-languages is only a "surface"-phenomenon, which is due to the level at which the pertinent movement operation takes place -- a difference which is expressible in terms of the strength of the N-features of F, such that in VO-languages, in contradistinction to OV-languages, the N-feature is weak and movement of NP is postponed to LF, and is consequently not reflected in the phonetic realization of the construction. The prospect of reducing directionality effects to the parametrized strength of the features of functional heads is interesting from the perspective of language acquisition (since it allows us to restrict parametrization to properties of the functional system; the directionality of government approach held no such promise). It also comports well with Kayne's (1994) independent argument that all languages have a specifier-head-complement order in the base, and that all apparent complement-head orders are transformationally derived by movement of the complement into some specifier position that c-commands the surface position of the head. Kayne's hypothesis has yielded a host of problems for the description of (especially) the OV-languages, not least because it followed from Kayne's proposal that movement is always leftward. Consequently, besides the fact that all proposals that relied on a government directionality parameter had to be recast in terms of movement, all accounts that involved rightward movement had to be reformulated as cases of leftward movement. Today witnesses a wide variety of proposals along these lines, typically taking the following form: if an element Y surfaces to the right of some element X in language La, whereas the order is reversed in language Lb, then either X takes an additional movement step in overt syntax in La that is lacking in Lb, or Y undergoes an overt-syntactic movement operation in Lb that is lacking in La. Proposals of this general type often reach a fair degree of observational and descriptive adequacy; their explanatory adequacy ultimately rests upon the identification of appropriate triggers for the postulated movement operations, triggers that (in the optimal case) are independently motivated. This workshop is NOT primarily interested in accounts aimed at showing that minimalist and antisymmetric approaches to the OV/VO distinction can be conceived and technically made to work. Rather, this workshop aims to investigate the systematic (typological) properties of VO- and OV-languages. For instance, predicative adjectives always follow the verb in VO-languages (see English (2a)), whereas they always precede the verb in the OV-languages (cf. Dutch (2b)). (2) a. that we painted the house green. b. dat we het huis groen schilderden. On a directionality parameter approach there are various ways to account for this. One proposal involves assuming that the accusative object and the resultative adjective form a Small Clause: since the object is assigned Case by the verb under government, the complete Small Clause must follow the verb if canonical government is to the right, whereas it has to precede it if canonical government is to the left. In the minimalist and antisymmetric framework, explanations of this sort are lost. For example, one could in principle imagine a(n unwanted) derivation of the type in (3) in which only the verb and the object move, but in which the adjectival predicate remains in situ. (3) ... [FP .... F ... [VP ... V [SC NP Predicate] ^\ ^\___________/ / \___________________/ Since movement of the object is triggered by some strong N-feature of the functional head F, descriptive generalizations such as "adjectival predicates precede the verb iff the accusative object precedes the verb" constitute a tough challenge for the new framework outlined above, since apparently the position of the resultative adjective must in some way be made sensitive to the strength of the N-feature of F (which is responsible for the obligatorily overt movement of the NP), which is not an easy task. That there is tight relationship between the position of the object with respect to the verb, on the one hand, and the position of other elements and the verb, on the other, is quite clear from the diachronic development of English. Old English can be characterized as an OV-language, and elements such as resultative adjectives, particles and stranded prepositions (generally) preceded the verb (in clause-final position). After the change from OV to VO, these elements henceforth occurred after the verb. And there are reasons to assume that these changes took place simultaneously. The need to arrive at a principled account of word order generalizations such as the one given above is evident from the fact that numerous generalizations of this sort can be formulated. Typological questions concerning the OV/VO dichotomy, or, more generally, the distinction between head-finality/initiality, arise not only in syntax. In morphology, it seems that languages treat derivation in an essentially uniform fashion (the head being final; see Williams' 1981 Righthand Head Rule), while difficult typological challenges are posed in the domain of compounding, which, as far as head placement is concerned, is cross-linguistically much more diverse. Consider for instance the word-order difference between the Romance and Germanic languages within deverbal compounds: French "ouvre-bonte" (V-N) vs. Dutch "blikopener"/English "can-opener" (N-V) (see Kayne 1994 for discussion). This difference does not strictly correlate with the OV/VO dichotomy in syntax (witness the fact that English behaves like Dutch, not like French), which raises the question whether the factors determining head placement in morphology are different from those that rule head placement in syntax. If the latter is a function of the strength of morphological features of functional heads, then how should the former be given formal shape? The answer to this question will depend to a significant extent on other important questions about morphology: (i) where morphological complexes are built, (ii) whether morphological structure (i.e. the internal structure of morphological complexes) features functional elements or not, and (iii) whether the internal structure of words (the lexicon) comes under the purview of the Linear Correspondence Axiom. In suprasegmental phonology, syllables are taken to consist of a structure (e.g. the classic [Onset [Nucleus Coda]] structure; see also Dependency Phonology) which parallels the Kayne type antisymmetric layout of syntactic structures: the head (Nucleus) precedes its dependent (Coda), and the constituent comprising the head and its dependent linearly follows the "specifier" (Onset). Metrical phonology has moreover witnessed a recent shift away from Hayes (1982) type foot typologies distinguishing iambic and trochaic patterns, towards a systematically trochaic (i.e. left-headed) foot inventory, in apparent harmony with the antisymmetric movement in syntactic theory. Meanwhile, at the higher level of prosodic structure it seems (cf. Nespor & Vogel 1982, 1986) that there is an OV/VO-distinction reflected in the relative prominence of the constituents that form a phonological phrase -- weak/strong in VO-languages vs. strong/weak in OV-languages. It is not clear how the observed prominence structure of the phonological phrase can be related to the strength of the N-features of functional heads. Nespor et al. (1995) argue that the prosodic structure of the phonological phrase is an essential aid in the child's task of finding out whether the language it is acquiring is of the OV or the VO type. This leads us into the realm of the acquisition of word-order related phenomena, both in the realm of L1 acquisition and in the domain of second language learning. With regard to the former, it is to be noted that children in the earliest stage of speech production consistently use the order of the verb and the object found in the adult language, as is evident from the Dutch and English examples in (4a) and (4b), respectively. (4) a. eat candy b. snoepjes eten Kayne's antisymmetry would lead us to say that the Dutch order is the result of overt-syntactic movement of the NP "snoepjes" into some higher SpecFP. One is then led to ask whether there is any other evidence that movement of this type takes place at this stage of language development. With regard to the latter, there is a protracted debate going on about the influence of the source language on the acquisition of word-order patterns in the object language. To take a specific example, it seems to be the case that in the acquisition of the word order of Dutch possessive DPs, Moroccan and Turkish learners follow different strategies, which suggests that the properties of the learner's mother tongue play a role in L2 acquisition of word order. How can this source language influence be accommodated in a minimalist and antisymmetric approach to syntactic structure? CALL FOR PAPERS - Abstracts are solicited for 40-minute presentations (followed by 15 minutes of discussion) which contribute to the empirical inventory and theoretical analysis of the systematically differential properties of VO- and OV-languages. - Contributions addressing this overall theme against the background of *all* areas of linguistic specialization (syntax, phonology, morphology, semantics, language acquisition etc.) are equally welcome. - Submissions that entirely confine themselves to showing that minimalist and antisymmetric approaches to the OV/VO distinction can be conceived and technically made to work will *not* be eligible for selection. - To submit, send *three copies* of an abstract whose length should not exceed 2 pages (single-spaced; 12pt. font), including examples, diagrams and references. Please add a 3x5 card stating the title of your abstract, your name and affiliation (including E-mail address, fax and telephone number). - Abstracts should be received at the address given below by 1 July 1996. (Submissions by E-mail or fax will be accepted; please make sure that, if you opt for this route, your abstract is properly decipherable.) Send your submissions to: Workshop OV/VO c/o Marcel den Dikken Holland Institute of Generative Linguistics Vakgroep Taalkunde (ATW) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1105 1081 HV Amsterdam The Netherlands Fax: +31 20 4446500 Phone: +31 20 4446482 E-mail: dikkenjet.let.vu.nl !! NOTE: from 13 June onwards, queries about this conference (but NOT submissions) should be addressed to Hans Broekhuis, e-mail: hans.broekhuislet.uva.nl WWW: http://oasis.leidenuniv.nl/hil/confs/ovvo/ovvo.htm ================================================================Mail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue


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Wavy Layered Chin length cut with side swept bangs
Definitely not boring as this style and colour both stand out. This cute, chic style is romantic and sexy. With a slight twist on the bangs, this look is simply incredible.The hair is cut to chin level. It is a layered cut.This model has a variation of colours. This is a tri-colour as there is a mix of blonde, red, and brown.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Future of Social Work in Aging: "Everything Old is New Again"
With the aging of the baby boom generation, the number of older adults in the US will increase substantially. Using a biopsychosocial framework, this article presents cutting-edge of older adulthood and considers emerging roles of social workers with older adults and their families. Research, education, and policy perspectives that will advance social work knowledge, skills and resources in aging are proposed. Social work as a profession is challenged to lead the way in making "everything old new again."
Future of aging; social work with older adults; geriatric social work
Full Text:PDF
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Indiana University School of Social Work
902 West New York Street
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, 46202
Voice: 317.274.6705
Indiana University - Quality Education. Lifetime Opportunities.
Last updated: November 20, 2007
Comments: email@example.com
Copyright 2007, The Trustees of Indiana University
Content ©2007 IUSSW


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Hunt 1283: CWMU Buck deer
Sharp Mountain
Season dates
9-1-2014 to 10-31-2014
- Nonresident permits: No
- Resident permits: 2
- Total permits: 2
The Wildlife Board establishes timeframes for hunting on CWMUs. Hunters should expect to hunt at least five days within these timeframes
Type: CWMU
Species: Buck deer
Weapon: Any legal weapon
Sharp Mountain
DescriptionThe Sharp Mountain Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit (CWMU) is about 5 km southeast from Porcupine Reservoir in south Cache County. Almost all of the CWMU is in Cache County, but a small section in the southeast is in Weber County. The CWMU's name sake, Sharp Mountain rises to 9100 feet. Porcupine Ridge in the north is 8500 feet and in the south higher elevations are around 8300 feet. Davenport Creek in the south ranges from 6000 feet to 7400 feet on the unit. In the north Porcupine Creek ranges from 7400 feet to 8800 feet on the unit, and in the, east La Plata Canyon ranges from 7000 feet to 7900 feet.
Much of the Sharp Mountain Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit is covered (32%) with Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe (62). This Sagebrush Steppe is not concentrated in just one area but is spread throughout the CWMU. Similarly, Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland (22) covers 29% of the CWMU and is spread throughout the unit too. Inter-Mountain West Aspen-Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland Complex (38) covers 7% of the unit, and Inter-Mountain Basins Mountain Mahogany Woodland and Shrubland (44) covers 5% of the unit. The Woodland Complex is spread throughout the unit, but the Mahogany Woodland and Shrubland is more concentrated in the southwest part of the unit.
One of the Green Canyon Cooperative Wildlife Mangement Unit (CWMU) nearest weather stations, LOGAN FARM (425194), is about 8.8 km northwest from the northwest edge of the CWMU. LOGAN FARM has thirty-nine (39) years of records, 1989 - 2008. During the FALL (September, October and November) the average precipitation is 4.28 inches, but it can be as high as 7.98 inches or as low as 0.96 inches. During the 91-day FALL period, 21 days will experience greater than or equal to 0.01 inch of precipitation, 12 days of greater than or equal to 0.10 inch, or 2 days of the greater than or equal to 0.50 inch of precipitation. There will also be 1 day of greater than or equal to 1.00 inch of precipitation. Snowfall during the FALL averages 5.3 inches but can be as high as 15.5 inches. FALL temperature at LOGAN FARM averages 47.0 degrees F. but can be as high as 94.0 degrees F. or as low as -16.0 degrees F. During the FALL, 47 days will be below freezing (32 degrees F.) and 1 day above 90 degrees F. This map is provided for general reference only and does not constitute a legal hunt boundary. The Division does not guarantee access to any private or public land. Hunt unit boundaries may include private property or other excluded areas.
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Hello and welcome to the Geology Department of St. Lawrence University. As the technician for Geology, my routine varies from day to day and season to season… During fair weather "field season" much of the department's time, mine included, is dedicated to time and work in the field. Geology uses this fair weather time of year to introduce new students to local geology of the North Country and Northeast, to include rocks and minerals, structure and history, and ancient landscapes. For the students who have decided that geology is their "thing", the field trips go far afield to many states and terrains and even islands and other continents. At this busy time you can find me in the background addressing vehicle and travel issues, having tools and supplies ready for the various course field trips and looking ahead to be ready for the labs and the materials needed for the work done in the lab. During the harsher weather of the school year most class and lab time shifts to inside work. At this time you can find me preparing mineral and rock samples, gathering maps and supplies for course work, and working with students and faculty using the tools and equipment of the science. Through it all I remain available and ready to aid students and faculty in their pursuits of geology. Following, please find an abbreviated list of how your technician spends his time.
Geology Technician Responsibilities Include:
- Laboratory preparations and assistance with special projects and field trips;
- Development and implementation of systems for cataloging check in/out of keys and equipment, re-storage, repair and preventive maintenance of lab, field, drafting and audio-visual equipment;
- Curatorial assistance and maintenance of teaching collections;
- Overseeing budgetary data, van maintenance and course load data;
- Stockroom supervision including ordering expendable lab supplies as needed;
- Maintaining safety devices, safety supply inventories, and ensuring compliance with OSHA and SLU regulations where applied to Brown Hall's Geology facilities;
- Development of skills that support the teaching and research activities of geology students and faculty to include the occasional lab instruction at the introductory level, SEM and X-ray Analysis Assistance;
- Responsibility for maintenance of departmental facilities and equipment (such as rock preparation lab and equipment, flume room, drafting room, and microscope labs).
In case you are curious as to how I got here, following is a brief description of skills used and work performed that I have enjoyed before my employment with St. Lawrence and occasionally continue to exercise these skills during the summer months during my time away from St. Lawrence University.
I began working in the environmental science field shortly after earning a MS degree in 1996, specializing in Geology. My experience includes field investigation and report writing, some geologic mapping, phase 1 and 2 environmental site investigation and environmental compliance inspections on Natural Gas Pipeline construction and restoration. Having been involved in numerous projects in numerous states and having worked with agency and company representatives along with their technical staff has allowed me valuable interpersonal and communications skills required to successfully work with others in satisfactorily completing the tasks at hand. Some of my responsibilities while working outside academia include coordinating my inspection and report preparation schedule during environmental inspections and consulting in compliance issues on natural gas pipeline construction and restoration projects. These experiences give me a solid background for addressing the many and various technician responsibilities needed for supporting the Geology Department's mission here at St. Lawrence University. Working in industry has also provided me with insights to convey to our students of what is out there and available for work in the field of geology.
What a person does while away from work says as much about that person as the work she/he does to make a living. Like many who live in the North Country, I take advantage of and enjoy the wondrous natural surroundings in this rural region of New York State. Living on a small farm with horses keeps my home life exciting, busy, and fulfilling. When not spending time with the horses and our dogs or doing the many chores that need doing around a small farm my partner, Shirley, and I enjoy working with and riding horses, hiking, canoeing, back country skiing, local travel, motorcycling, snowmobiling, and camping. The region also provides me excellent opportunity to enjoy the abundant wildlife in forest and field, streams and lakes while hunting and fishing in this beautiful region of the state.
It has been my pleasure to move back home to this region and provide aid and support to faculty and students of Geology here at St. Lawrence University. If the chance presents itself, do stop by and let's talk geology, woods, horses, bikes, or just the journey of life.
Yol bulson!


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Debates of Nov. 5th, 2003
House of Commons Hansard #151 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was police.
- Ellen Portch
- Member for LaSalle—Émard
- Broadband Service
- Hockey Canada Week
- The Environment
- Veterans Week
- Nursing
- Radio Nord Communications
- Blue Water Duty Free Shop
- Health Care
- Teachers Institute
- Softwood Lumber
- Jean-Baptiste Meilleur
- Judith Longpré and Shae Zukiwsky
- Monia Mazigh
- Toyota Training and Development Centre
- Foreign Affairs
- Equalization Payments
- Foreign Affairs
- Health
- Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
- Justice
- Veterans Affairs
- Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
- Canada-U.S. Border
- Health
- Agriculture
- BioChem Pharma
- The Economy
- Natural Resources
- The Economy
- Cinar
- Health
- The Environment
- Presence in Gallery
- Points of Order
- Message from the Senate
- Points of Order
- National Defence Act
- International Labour Organization
- Westbank First Nation Self-government Agreement
- Government Response to Petitions
- Interparliamentary Delegations
- Committees of the House
- Business of the House
- Criminal Code
- Radiocommunication Act
- Committees of the House
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Question No. 262
- Question No. 267
- Starred Questions
- *Question No. 259
- Motions for Papers
- Request for Emergency Debate
- Criminal Code
- Sex Offender Information Registration Act
- Criminal Code
2 p.m.
The Speaker
As is our practice on Wednesday we will now sing O Canada, and we will be led by the hon. member for Saint John.
Ellen Portch
Statements by Members
2 p.m.
Stan Keyes Hamilton West, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Hamilton and area political family lost a very special woman last night. Ellen Portch passed away in her sleep. She was 86, but we would not have known it. She led the life of a woman half her age.
Ellen was a Liberal. She was committed to the democratic process. She was always trying to help someone else. Municipally, provincially, federally, Ellen was an invaluable asset to any campaign.
In my four federal election campaigns she was the first at election headquarters and I was always greeted with the mandatory hug. Ellen was always there when I needed her. She worked hard. She had fun. I am privileged to have had her as a friend.
Outside of the political world, she associated herself with the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Arthritis Society.
The proud mother of two, grandmother of six, great-grandmother of fourteen, on behalf of all who knew and loved her, we send our deepest sympathies. We will miss her. We ask God to bless Ellen.
Member for LaSalle—Émard
Statements by Members
2:05 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Gurmant Grewal Surrey Central, BC
Mr. Speaker, the new Liberal leader has been promising everything to everyone. One day it is spending cuts and the next it is new programs. These add up to a $96.5 billion price tag.
If everyone wants to know what is in store from the new Liberal leader they need look no further than his record as finance minister when he wrote the cheques.
We have the HRDC billion dollar boondoggle, another billion for the gun registry, $100 million for executive jets, $40 million in federal sponsorships and $4 billion annually in corporate welfare and regional development. He devastated our military and cut $25 billion from health and education transfers.
The new Liberal leader raised or created taxes over 75 times. Canadians work harder for less money. Our competitiveness and net incomes have plummeted.
However he knows how to push the Prime Minister by staging a slow coup.
What we have is another tax and spend Liberal; a mirror image of the current occupant of 24 Sussex Drive. We are simply trading a 69 year old lawyer for a 65 year old lawyer.
Broadband Service
Statements by Members
2:05 p.m.
Gilbert Barrette Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, on October 24, in Rouyn-Noranda, I had the pleasure of announcing on behalf of the Minister of Industry financial assistance of $4.3 million for the broadband pilot program.
Broadband refers to high-capacity Internet connections that would bring service to unserved first nations, northern, rural and remote communities. It will greatly enhance health, education, and business communications throughout the entire Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.
With contributions from governments and the community, and the involvement and tenacity of partners, broadband service is attainable for a large number of communities and organizations in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, despite the distances and sparse population.
Hockey Canada Week
Statements by Members
2:05 p.m.
Nancy Karetak-Lindell Nunavut, NU
Mr. Speaker, Hockey Canada Week is November 8 to 15 when hockey will be promoted and celebrated at the national, provincial, territorial and local levels.
Hockey is at the heart of our Canadian identity, forging a link between Canadians from sea to sea to sea.
Nineteenth century explorer, Sir John Franklin, saw ice hockey played as early as October 1825 on Grey Goose Lake on the outskirts of Deline in the Northwest Territories.
A small aboriginal community of 700, Deline currently boasts several hockey teams.
In Canada there are over four million amateur hockey volunteers teaching our youth important values like team work, perseverance and courage.
Hockey helps build communities.
Hockey Canada delivers hockey development programs in Canada aiming for an ongoing supply of amazing hockey players for Canadians to cheer and be proud of.
I ask everyone to enjoy Canada Hockey Week.
The Environment
Statements by Members
2:05 p.m.
Judy Sgro York West, ON
Mr. Speaker, I wonder how many members know that most of our provinces are leading the way on the recovery and recycling of empty beverage containers. In fact, almost every province recovers at least 73% of containers, saving municipalities millions of dollars per year.
However, in Ontario, Manitoba and for some containers in Quebec, recovery is much lower. In my own province of Ontario it is estimated that one billion aluminum pop cans end up in a landfill site; a huge cost to consumers, manufacturers and the environment.
As we move toward our Kyoto commitment, throwing away so much embodied energy is a wasted opportunity.
All provinces should be following the example of British Columbia, Alberta and New Brunswick where a unique version of deposit return is funded in part by the consumer who can choose not to redeem the container and forfeit the deposit.
I encourage all provinces to implement a similar deposit return program so that we can have a harmonized system.
Veterans Week
Statements by Members
2:05 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Roy H. Bailey Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Mr. Speaker, Veterans Week is November 5 to 11 and I rise today to pay tribute to Canada's veterans who fought so valiantly to preserve our rights and freedoms.
However it is a sad day for me because not all of our war widows can rejoice in that their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their spouses are not recognized by the government before Remembrance Day of this year. Not all war widows will be included in the veterans independence program before November 11.
I would encourage all members of the House to keep up the good fight to ensure that all widows are included in the veterans independence program.
I also encourage all members of the House to participate in their local Remembrance Day ceremonies to honour those who have given so much for this country.
Statements by Members
November 5th, 2003 / 2:10 p.m.
André Harvey Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Mr. Speaker, CIDA and the Canadian Nurses Association recently signed a contribution agreement for the joint initiative of Canadian and South African nurses in the fight against AIDS, which aims to support, over the next five years, the development and implementation of a national nursing strategy to fight this scourge. Nurses are the first to care for AIDS patients at all levels.
CIDA is also funding another five year program to support nurses and strengthen their associations so that they can meet their numerous challenges.
Further to the partnership on international health, we have with us today members of this esteemed profession hailing from Latin America, Asia and Africa. It is my pleasure to bid them a warm welcome.
Radio Nord Communications
Statements by Members
2:10 p.m.
Monique Guay Laurentides, QC
Mr. Speaker, October 25 was a sad anniversary for the employees of Radio Nord Communications, who have been on strike for one year and have been watching strikebreakers steal their jobs.
As if that were not enough, the Liberal government refused to correct this injustice, voting against my anti-scab bill based on the progressive legislation Quebec has in this respect.
Members from Quebec, regardless of political affiliation, voted massively in favour of my bill, recognizing that such legislation is needed, especially as the former finance minister, who brought in strikebreakers at Voyageur and whose ships were the first to cross the picket lines at Cargill, is about to become the prime minister.
The result of this vote is one more illustration of the fact that it is impossible for Quebec to flourish within the current federal framework.
We understand the difficulties the workers at Radio Nord Communications are facing on a daily basis. That is why we are keeping up the fight for anti-scab legislation, both for them and with them.
Blue Water Duty Free Shop
Statements by Members
2:10 p.m.
Roger Gallaway Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Mr. Speaker, last week in Cannes, France, the Blue Water Duty Free Shop located at the Blue Water Bridge in Point Edward was named the worldwide duty free industry's retailer of the year.
Competing against duty free shops from Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and Hong Kong, this Canadian store was judged by the industry review panel to be the best in the world. The judging panel noted that this store turns "browsers into buyers", creating a facility which is a "must stop".
Operated by the Lee family of Point Edward, the Blue Water Duty Free Shop is the world leader for both airports and land border facilities.
Canadians often believe retailing was perfected outside our country. I am pleased to draw the attention of members of the House to a Canadian family who has created a centre of retailing excellence for duty free stores throughout the world.
Health Care
Statements by Members
2:10 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Keith Martin Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Mr. Speaker, we have a medical manpower crisis in Canada. As we age, our need for nurses, technicians and physicians will increase.
However, for physicians in training, although enrolment in medical schools has increased somewhat, the number of residency positions has not. This is disastrous as it will worsen the shortage of fully trained doctors, especially specialists; waste money in training students who cannot practice; and will lead our medical students to move to the United States to complete their training where they too often remain after finishing their training, contributing to the southern brain drain.
We urgently need more residency positions in Canada to ensure that we will have an adequate number of physicians in the future.
Compounding this crisis is the fact that as we age so too does our physician population. Unless this situation is remedied now, Canadians will be unable to get the medical care they need in the future, and in this, we all lose.
Teachers Institute
Statements by Members
2:10 p.m.
John Maloney Erie—Lincoln, ON
Mr. Speaker, today I welcome participants from the Teachers Institute on Canadian Parliamentary Democracy to Ottawa.
Launched in 1996 by our former speaker, Gib Parent, the Teachers Institute is a unique professional development opportunity for teachers of social studies and related subjects from grades 4 through 12 at CEGEP.
Each November the program brings approximately 70 teachers from across the country together for an intensive week on Parliament Hill. The program is based on the principle that in order to successfully convey the issues and intricacies of modern Parliament to their students, teachers need opportunities to develop and sustain a creative, critically engaging curriculum.
I hope that as a result of this week participants will gain an insider's view on the workings of government and the legislative process, the key players, their functions and activities. We also hope that this opportunity to connect with other educators will produce creative ideas and useful tools for teaching young Canadians about citizenship and parliamentary democracy.
I am particularly proud this year that my daughter, Megan, is among the participants.
Softwood Lumber
Statements by Members
2:15 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Bill Casey Cumberland—Colchester, NS
Mr. Speaker, the recent proposal by the U.S. lumber lobby is being turned down flatly by many members of the softwood lumber industry in Canada.
The Alberta Softwood Lumber Trade Council says there is no basis for continuing discussions. Atlantic Canada, sawmills in Ontario and the Canadian Lumber Remanufacturers Alliance are all against it.
Only after the minister has formal discussions with the entire industry should he continue with negotiations with a position that reflects all of Canada, not just one region or one province.
Yesterday the Minister for International Trade assured me that the Government of Canada would not move forward unless the Atlantic Canadian industry was comfortable with any proposal.
The current U.S. proposal eliminates the hard fought Atlantic Canadian exemption and does not acknowledge the plight of the lumber remanufacturers in Canada.
We will be holding the minister to his word that no agreement will go forward until there is a comfort level as promised.
Jean-Baptiste Meilleur
Statements by Members
2:15 p.m.
Benoît Sauvageau Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, Jean-Baptiste Meilleur is recognized as one the main founders of Quebec's public education system.
Founded in 1963, the Jean Baptiste Meilleur high school in Repentigny was among the first public composite high schools established as part of the educational reform. Both were precursors in their own way, in their own time.
Thousands of young people had the privilege of studying in this leading institution of our region. To mark this 40th anniversary, staff and students of this educational institution are invited to a big reunion.
Organized by a dynamic team led by Gilles Bélisle, himself an institution within the institution, this event is overseen by the new director, Jacques Ménard.
As the honorary president of this reunion, it is with pride and pleasure that I extend to all former students of the school an invitation to attend this great celebration on Sunday, November 9.
Judith Longpré and Shae Zukiwsky
Statements by Members
2:15 p.m.
Raymonde Folco Laval West, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today in the House to acknowledge the success of Longpré and Zukiwsky in figure skating.
This young couple, Judith Longpré of the Laval skating club, Les Lames d'Argent, and her partner, Shae Zukiwsky, achieved eighth place ranking in senior ice dance at the Nebelhorn Trophy competition in Oberstdorf, Germany, thisSeptember.
On behalf of all the people of Laval, I wish to congratulate Judith Longpré and Shae Zukiwsky on their superb performance in Germany. I am sure that we will be hearing about their skating successes for many years to come.


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Green Tea is a nutritional staple in Japan where it has been used for centuries. Green Tea contains beneficial flavonoids, which are natural phytochemicals that provide antioxidant support and health-enhancing properties.** Our "non-irradiated" Green Tea Extract contains naturally occurring EGCG.
Adults can take two capsules twice daily with meals. Capsules may be opened and prepared as a tea.No Artificial Color, Flavor or Sweetener, No Preservatives, No Sugar, No Starch, No Milk, No Lactose, No Soy, No Gluten, No Wheat, No Yeast, No Fish, Sodium Free.


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Low-Key Hideaway Green Practices
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Welcome to the Low-Key Hideaway
Bayfront Suites $125 per night
A friendly ADULT ONLY Motel, RV Campground and Tiki Bar situated in the little historic town of Cedar Key Florida. Make sure you bring your camera, binoculars, and appetite for nature when visiting our area. The Cedar Key's are home to some of the Best Birding along the Florida Coastline and Cedar Key is known around the world to have some of the best clams there are.
The Low-Key Hideaway is honored to be in the Top 10 List for Trip Advisors Top 25 Bargain Hotels in the United States! Not just Cedar Key, not just Florida, but the ENTIRE United States!!! We've also recently been named by Trip Advisor in their list of America's Top 10 Pet-Friendly Hotels.
Thanks to everyone who has stayed here and left us positive reviews on Trip Advisor for allowing us to receive these awards!
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Come visit with us in Cedar Key Florida where the weather is warm, the people are friendly and the pace of life is much slower and more laid back than it is anywhere else along the Gulf Coast. Use our grounds as that perfect place to kick back, forget the day to day stresses of the real world and enjoy your surroundings.
Come Stay at the Low-Key Hideaway Motel in Cedar Key and relax with some of the Best Sunsets Florida has to offer! The view off our dock overlooking the bay offers some of the best sunsets on the Island.
We're also known for our birding, the playful dolphin and the wildlife you're sure to see while visiting our small group of islands.
State and local sales tax will be added to all rates.


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Advanced Technological EducationThe National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program provides grants to improve and expand educational programs to prepare skilled technicians to work in the high-tech fields that drive the U.S. economy. The program is Congressionally mandated and focuses on undergraduate and secondary school education. AACC hosts an annual ATE project directors' conference and sponsors an ATE mentoring program for community colleges.
Diversity, Inclusion, and EquityAACC promotes increased access and success for the diverse community college population by securing increased federal and private support for colleges, and provides opportunities, resources, and information to improve student success, including persistence, retention, program completion, and transfer.
Health Professions Education CenterAACC's Health Professions Education Center (HPEC) focuses on supporting and broadening the community college role in the health professions workforce. HPEC represents community colleges in health professions policy-making efforts and provides support to AACC member colleges in their own efforts focused on health professions workforce at both the national and state levels.
International Programs & ServicesAACC's Office of International Programs and Services assists community colleges in promoting global awareness, responsibility, intercultural understanding, and engagement among students, faculty, staff, and decision makers. It also seeks to raise the recognition of the community college role in global education among key constituencies, nationally and internationally.
MentorLinksMentorLinks, developed with the support of the National Science Foundation, is designed for community colleges that could benefit from technical assistance and networking opportunities to improve undergraduate education that prepares technicians in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The Pathways ProjectAACC has undertaken, with generous funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a national project focused on building capacity for community colleges to design and implement structured academic and career pathways for all of their students.
Plus 50 InitiativeThe Plus 50 Initiative benchmarks and showcases the most current and innovative programs at community colleges to engage the 50+ learner. Through the initiative, community colleges create or expand campus programs to engage the 50+ population in learning, training or retraining programs, and volunteer, civic, or service activities.
The Sustainability Education and Economic Development (SEED) CenterAn initiative of the American Association of Community Colleges, the SEED Center aims to advance sustainability and green workforce development practices at community colleges by sharing innovative models and resources, and building the capacity of community college administrators, faculty, and staff to grow the green economy. The SEED Center was launched in the fall of 2010.
Trades in Focus Community College InitiativeTrades in Focus is a collaborative initiative between AACC and W.W. Grainger, Inc., a leading broad-line supplier of facilities-maintenance products. The program is designed to promote awareness about the importance of industrial-trade professions, to highlight the corresponding training and skills that community colleges offer, and to underscore the opportunities for good jobs that industrial skilled-trade programs provide. Trades in Focus, in tandem with Grainger's Tools for Tomorrow scholarship program, seek to provide students with greater access to technical education and skilled trades jobs.
Voluntary Framework of AccountabilityThe Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA) is the first national system of accountability specifically for community colleges and by community colleges. Leadership in the sector is defining the most appropriate metrics for gauging how well our institutions perform in serving a variety of students and purposes. The VFA will provide opportunities for colleges to benchmark their student progress and completion data against peers and to provide stakeholders with critical information on the colleges.
Workforce and Economic DevelopmentWorkforce and Economic Development brings together community colleges, offices of economic development, workforce boards, labor market entities, and other community organizations to improve the economic prosperity of business, workers, and communities. The Center provides technical assistance on collaborative practices, labor market analysis, and performance analysis in order to promote more integrated and interactive practices.


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WVU Athletic Director Oliver Luck's employment agreement amended
West Virginia University President Jim Clements today (Oct. 12) approved an amended employment agreement for Director of Athletics Oliver Luck, extending his employment from 2015 to 2017 and increasing his salary and incentives. The agreement takes effect Oct. 15.
"Oliver Luck is a true leader. He has brought stability, momentum and energy to his position. He is someone we want on our team for many more years to come," Clements said.
Clements said Luck has overseen several major capital projects, hired new head coaches and been involved in the best fund-raising year in Athletic Department history raising some $22.7 million this past year.
He is also one of the key reasons WVU is in a powerhouse academic and athletic conference, he added. In addition, overall department revenue has increased under Luck's leadership, and he has continued a master plan for facility upgrades with more projects in the works.
Under the agreement, Luck's annualized salary will be $550,000, with a maximum performance bonus capped at $150,000 per year. He will also receive retention incentives for fulfilling terms in the contract.
Luck is in the third year of his original five-year contract that began on June 9, 2010.
"I appreciate the confidence that President Clements has placed in me and the entire athletic department team," Luck said. "We will continue to work hard as we transition into the Big 12, and will strive to represent this University and this State with the pride and passion each deserves. This is my alma mater and I am thrilled to serve her."
Luck's amended employment agreement can be viewed by clicking here.
CONTACT: Michael Fragale, WVU Department of Athletics
304.293.2821; email@example.com
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.


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Your Dog, Your Life
The Scoop
Dog News, Politics
Bark-Out-Loud Humor
Doggie Style
Gear and Glam
Dog Breeds
Foods & Treats
Health & Care
Behavior & Training
Dog Grooming
Dog of the Day
Other pets in your family: BooBoo | Pebbles | Francis | Domino | Boo Jr. | Rebyl: RN,CGC,CTD | Nanook (In Memory) | Brandy (In Memory) | Kitty (In Memory) | Rukys (Ruck-us) | Rayvn
Copyright © I-5 Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
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When you are browsing your local animal shelter or rescue league for a new canine companion, you might notice a number of muscular, friendly and sometimes adorably goofy-looking dogs. These are pit bulls, and are unfortunately one of the most abused breeds of dog in the U.S. The name "pit bull' evokes fear in some people and confusion in others, but not all pit bulls are aggressive.
"Pit bull" is used to describe a number of breeds of dogs, including American Pit Bull terriers, Staffordshire Bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers. Although these dogs have a reputation as vicious fighting dogs, they can make sweet companions when raised well, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Understanding the past
Before you fall in love with one of these dogs, it is important you do your research. You should understand the pit bull's past and the way its genetic history and certain media coverage of bites or attacks has influenced laws you may need to follow. Like all breeds, the pit bull was bred for a specific job based on physical characteristics. The dogs' muscular bodies and strong jaws made them ideal for baiting in the early 18th century and dog fighting - a practice that is now illegal in America. Still, the ancestry of fighting makes them more easily encouraged to start a fight with another dog, and less likely to inhibit their bites. These are aspects of dog aggression that owners should be aware of, according to VCA Animal Hospitals.
Raising a good dog
Despite their past and their negative reputation perpetuated by reports of dog bites and attacks in the media, pit bulls can be delightful pets, so long as they are well-socialized and well-trained. That is why it is crucial that prospective pit bull owners prepare to devote plenty of time to obedience training and socialization.
While these are important aspects of raising puppies in general, pit bull puppies need a particularly high level of socialization and gentle, consistent training. Pit bull puppies should start meeting new people and animals when they are as young as 7 weeks old, and this process should continue through adulthood. Training also must be gentle, the ASPCA reports. Although pit bulls have a "tough" appearance, they are sensitive creatures that thrive on positive reinforcement, not harsh training techniques.
Being a responsible pit bull owner
Part of owning a pit bull is becoming an advocate for the breed. Owners should understand that on top of the general veterinary care necessary to keep their dog healthy, constant socialization is also important. Before adopting, owners should be aware of certain rules or laws in their areas. Some cities, apartment buildings or neighborhoods have specific rules and regulations to control pit bulls. It is also important that owners understand their opportunity to educate others about this breed and change its reputation for the better.


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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size ½ of recipe
Calories 379
Total Fat 15 g
Saturated Fat 4 g
Sodium 467 mg
Total Carbohydrate 30 g
Dietary Fiber 4.5 g
Protein 32 g
Ingredients and Preparation
Ingredients Measures
Reduced-fat sour cream ¼ cup
Avocado, mashed into a paste with a fork ¼
Salt 1/8 + 1/8 teaspoon
Chili powder 1 teaspoon
Cumin 1 teaspoon
Onion powder ½ teaspoon
White onion, cut into ½-inch strips ½
Red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch strips ½
Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into ¾-inch chunks 2
Canola oil 2 teaspoons
Cooking spray
Corn tortillas (6-inch) 4
Juice of ½ lime
Cilantro, chopped 2 tablespoons
- Mix together sour cream, avocado paste, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- Combine chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
- In a large plastic resealable bag, combine spice mixture, onion, bell pepper, and chicken. Toss well to coat.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and vegetable mixture, and sauté about 7-9 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Drizzle with lime juice.
- Meanwhile in a small skillet coated with cooking spray, heat tortillas about 30 seconds on each side, recoating pan with spray between tortillas.
- Arrange chicken mixture on tortillas and drizzle with avocado cream sauce.


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You try faithfully to read and study your Bible, yet you still wonder, How can I study the Bible so it really makes a difference in my life? Or, What's the best way to dig into the Word?
There's no more important skill you can cultivate than handling your Bible with understanding and accuracy. There's no greater joy than digging into and discovering biblical truth on your own. And there's no part of life that a deeper and wider grasp of God's Word doesn't touch.
In How to Study the Bible, John MacArthur takes you on a fascinating exploration of God's Word to reveal its glorious attributes.
July 1, 1979 Selected Scriptures 1379
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July 1, 1979 Selected Scriptures 1380
July 22, 1979 Selected Scriptures 1381
July 22, 1979 Selected Scriptures 1382
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Thursday, June 6, 2013
FAA Plans for Full ADS-B Ground Support in 2014
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the ground infrastructure for the nation's automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) will be ready for operations by next year.
(An ITT Exelis ADS-B Ground Station. Photo, courtesy of ITT Exelis.)
Huerta, speaking at the RTCA Symposium on Wednesday, said the entire United States will be covered by more than 700 ADS-B ground radio stations, built by ITT Exelis. Currently there are more than 500 ADS-B ground radio stations deployed in the U.S.
"Next year the entire U.S. will be covered by over 700 ground radio stations, and even more equipment equipped with ADS-B, as that happens, we'll be able to fully realize its benefits throughout the National Airspace System," said Huerta.
The FAA's top official also discussed the difficulties his agency faces in deploying ADS-B due to its budget uncertainties, largely a result of the recently implemented sequester.
"It would be easier to carry out our goals with a clear long-term fiscal solution--sequester, continuing resolutions year after year make it a little more challenging for the continuity of NextGen programs," said Huerta.
ITT Exelis is responsible for providing the ADS-B ground infrastructure for FAA. John Kefaliotis, vice president of Next Generation Air Transportation at ITT, provided an update on the company's progress with deploying the ground stations during a panel discussion of NextGen integrated operational capabilities.
"The ground infrastructure program is making very substantial progress," said Kefaliotis. "Ulitmately, ADS-B will be an enabler of modernized air traffic control procedures that will provide very significant increases in the efficiency and capacity of NAS terminal airspace."
Both commercial and private operators have been cautious to undergo ADS-B equipage as they wait for the government to provide the infrastructure necessary to support ADS-B. In 2010, former FAA Administrator Randy Babbit targeted 2013 for the full nationwide rollout of ADS-B ground stations.
However, there are current commercial and private aircraft that are equipped with ADS-B, allowing FAA to test functionality and show operators what benefits will result from their 2020 mandate for aircraft ADS-B Out equipage. For example, during an RTCA panel on near-term versus long-term NextGen implementation, Steven Dickson, senior vice president of flight operations at Delta Air Lines, said "aircraft equipage is becoming less of a problem."
Crucial to the government-industry collaboration necessary to ensure the nationwide rollout of ADS-B ground stations is achieved, and the 2020 mandate is met by airlines and operators, is the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC). The group holds meetings throughout the year to allow government and industry stakeholders to create funding, policy and procedure solutions that help to deploy all of the components of NextGen.
"When we first got started, there was the idea that NextGen is kind of a big-bang technology," said NBAA President and NAC committee member Ed Bolen. "Over the years its been understood, its not just about technology, its about policies, its about procedures, its about operations, and we're doing all of this to ensure that our system reduces its environmental footprint through more direct routing, we're doing it to increase safety through better situational awareness--and we're continuing to make progress on bringing that all together."
Related: Commercial Avionics News


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Adapted, with permission, from the Michigan Pharmacists Association'sPatient Education Program. Illustration reproduced, with permission, from theAtlas of Primary Eyecare Procedures, Appleton Lange, Norwalk, CT, 1997.
Your eyesight may be cloudy after using the ointment or gel
AHFS® Consumer Medication Information. © Copyright, The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc., 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland. All Rights Reserved. Duplication for commercial use must be authorized by ASHP.
Last Reviewed: September 1, 2010.
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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Australia GFS Surface Temperature/Wind +120 hour Chart
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- TWC 7-day
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About GFS
Global Forecast System. The operational numerical weather forecasting model run by NCEP. The GFS superceded the AVN and MRF models, on which it is largely based. Forecast data from the GFS is available out to 180 hours at full resolution and 16 days at a reduced resolution.
Weather News
Severe winds lash Mudgee, causing mass power outage, damage to cars and buildings
Residents have described chaotic scenes in the streets of Mudgee as the town was battered by damaging winds today.
Kimberley flooding: Warnings ignored as wild weather lashes WA's north
Authorities are growing frustrated with people continuing to drive across fast-moving creek crossings, as hundreds of millimetres of rain swells river catchments across WA's north.
What the UV rating really means for your skin
A national scientific agency says Queensland's UV index so far this summer is higher than in previous years.


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I don't know when the BB-bird came into my life, but it was early – a bright, yellow canary with an incredibly friendly demeanour. His name, pronounced "bee-bee", was related directly to my ability to say things around the age of 10 months. It entered my vocabulary about the same time as "mama", "dada", "bye-bye", "night-night", and "ford".
BB-bird had a cage, but using the cage was at the bird's discretion, not ours; the door was always open. BB sat on my crib, let me poke him with sticks, and even flew around outside during the summer months. But BB always returned and was an integral part of our family.
One day we returned from a short winter holiday and BB was suddenly very stand-offish. He wouldn't sing, wouldn't play with me, and was generally apathetic (I was about three at the time, but recognized apathy nonetheless). When spring came, I opened a window and the BB-bird flew away, never to be seen again.
A few years later, my mother confessed that the original BB-bird had died that winter weekend and she had discreetly replaced him with another bird without telling me. She said it was the only time she ever lied to me – and I believe her.
She learned a lesson and I learned a lesson – several, in fact. And now, 55 years later, the BB-bird still affects my decision-making process. Allow me to share some thoughts with you.
Lessons learned from the BB-bird
First, you can sugar-coat the truth, but you can never hide it. Truth always comes out. In my case, I was confused and upset that my friend the BB-bird no longer liked me. This was far more painful than learning the concept of death. I was genuinely relieved when my mom confessed the truth behind the BB-bird's sudden personality change.
Today, when clients leave us unexpectedly or old friends "go off the radar" in a calculated manner, I want to know why. I want an explanation – and hopefully I shouldn't have to ask.
This leads to my second epiphany…
There is a difference between "difficult" and "unpleasant" decisions. In truth, there are relatively few "difficult" decisions here in life – mostly, we procrastinate to avoid making the "unpleasant" decisions – or look for ways to avoid confrontation entirely (e.g. replacing a dead canary to avoid upsetting the baby).
Thanks to the BB-bird, I rarely hesitate when making unpleasant decisions. It's not that I'm cold-hearted, I just don't see the upside in prolonging pain. I also rip off band-aids really fast. And I always explain the reasons behind my decisions and subsequent actions.
Do you have a BB-bird in your life? You probably do. So, take a moment and see what lessons you learned.
Are CEOs out of touch with reality? I'd say a lot of you are. Although you CEOs don't have to go to extremes to improve things, most of you do need to do something, so listen up. If you don't want the long backstory, skip ahead to the last subhead.
About the title of this blogpost
Undercover Boss is the title of an American reality series. The premise is simple: an out-of-touch CEO puts on a disguise, takes a low-level job within his organization, and hears the truth about the company problems. After a week of play-acting, he goes back to his office and makes everything right again.
(By the way, I write "he" as I have yet to see a female CEO profiled. But I digress…)
Quick recap of the "Hooters" episode
For those of you who haven't seen the episode or read Ken's synopsis, the "star" of this particular show was CEO Coby Brooks of Hooters.
Hooters is a chain of restaurants featuring beer and chicken wings served by buxom young women in tight t-shirts and hot-pants. FYI: "Hooters" is a slang expression for breasts. In the United States, the cute Hooters owl-logo only misleads those who are certifiably clueless (you can see it on Coby's shirt in the photo below).
At the recent IA Summit in Denver, CO, the inimitable Jared Spool suggested that information architects could do their jobs better if they knew how to code. This provocative statement did indeed provoke a lot of comment. So in answer to Jared, and as a little bit of Friday fun from the team here at FatDUX Copenhagen, let me offer my own bit of code (as opposed to cipher).
Wendy was nervous about attending the 2011 IA Summit in Denver, Colorado. It was her first time at a major conference and she didn't know a soul. But as this is an informal, friendly conference, her fears were unfounded. In fact, lots of people came up to her during the opening cocktail hour on Thursday evening to chat. And Linda even brought her a drink. By the time she had talked with Dr. Sternberg and three other IA/UX professionals, she was feeling pretty confident.
From the following clues, can you name the first four people Wendy spoke with, the order in which they arrived, and the subjects of the various conversations?
1. One person, who operates a small west-coast studio, came up to Wendy to talk about service design. This person stepped up just before Andy, but after Ms. Smith.
2. Another person was particularly interested in personas and had many ideas to share with Wendy. This was after Prof. Jones had congratulated her on winning a FatDUX student sponsorship to the event.
3. Someone had just finished reading a post on the FatDUX blog about "Writing for the Web" and was all excited about content strategy. This was just after Wendy had spoken with Hansen, who was the next person to approach her after Lynn.
4. "I'm so jealous of your work," said Wendy to the person who came up to her and talked about wireframes. "Deliverables are simply SO exciting!" The wireframe expert was the person who showed up just before Jeff.
As a prize, FatDUX will be awarding a USD 50 gift certificate that can be redeemed at any participating…oh screw the formalities…Eric will give you fifty bucks cash to use any way you want. But you do have to show up in Denver to collect it!
So there you have it. Can you solve the puzzle? You've got all the information you need. Now show us that as an information professional you know how to handle information challenges!
Send your answers directly to Eric at er (at) fatdux (dot) com. First right anwer takes the prize.
Offer may be void in Southeastern Montana, parts of central Romania, and at 924 West End Avenue, NYC. Check local regulations before responding. Employees of FatDUX are not eligible for the cash prize, but if you show up at the Hyatt Regency bar in Denver, we won't disappoint you.
N.B. Thanks to Erik van den Berg from Zeist in the Netherlands, for encouraging this interesting philosophical exercise via Twitter and e-mail.
Over the years, I have noticed a strange pattern: when executives (site owners) are asked to comment on design layouts, they often say there is too much text and demand larger pictures/graphics – whether these are relevant or not. These executives are disappointed and frustrated with the design proposals they see. On the other hand, if you listen to users (during usability testing, for example), they complain that these same pictures/graphics are getting in their way. Like the executives, they also exhibit frustration, but in a diametrically different way – "Why are you making me scroll past this crap to get to the information I really need?"
My question was simple: was there a scientific reason for these dramatically different reactions to essentially the same designs? And I think the answer is "yes".I've included a few salient footnotes for those of you who are scientifically inclined.
Thesis in brief (1)
Why do two groups of people seem to consistently disagree regarding the "attractiveness" of a website design? Could it be that there was a physiological reason for these reactions? In short, was our brain playing tricks on us or misleading us? Were our development and presentation techniques actually encouraging inappropriate client reactions?
Early research
I have known about the functions of neurophysiological "reward chemicals" since my pre-med studies at Washington University in St. Louis 1972-1976. In late 2007, having spotted the curious reaction pattern described above, I started to do some more serious research, focusing on the limbic system (2) and the nature of reward chemicals (3).
I made the assumption that if the pattern I had identified was universal, voluntary intake of recreational reward chemicals (e.g. nicotine, caffine, cocaine, etc.) was probably not at the heart of these reactions. So I looked for chemical rewards produced by the body itself. Soon, my inquiry zeroed in on dopamine, a chemical messenger similar to adrenaline. (4)
Dopamine – friend or foe?
Dopaminergic neurons appear to code environmental stimuli rather than specific movements. (5) This, in layman's terms, means that pretty pictures stimulate dopamine release, which perhaps explains why executives favour graphics over blocks of text in dummy design layouts.
Although this reaction seems obvious (pictures are more attractive than text), it was reassuring to know that there was a scientific reason for this.
Task-solving activities
The second part of my question dealt with why test subjects so often reacted badly to eye-candy (i.e. gratuitous pictures/graphics).
There are various viewpoints as to the role of dopamine and the task-completion process. For example, Pennartz et al. (6) asked in 2009:
"Given the parallel organization of corticostriatal circuits, the question arises how coherent behavior, requiring integration of sensorimotor, cognitive, and motivational information, is achieved."
Perhaps part of the answer to this critical question can be found in Taizo Nakazato's research, published back in 2005 (7):
"During the task performance, dopamine concentration started to increase just after the cue, peaked near the time of the lever press, and returned to basal levels 1–2 s after the lever press."
By way of background, this study deals with rats pressing a lever to receive a food reward. In internet terms, I equate this behavior with humans pushing a button/clicking a link to receive an informational reward. In other words, task accomplishment produces a reward – in this case chemical.
Actually, though, it appears that the anticipation of task-completion triggers dopamine release (8). And it could be that executives about to see a proposed design for the first time may be anticipating the presence of pretty pictures.
Yet the essence of the problem seems to be that if something delays/hinders task completion, dopamine release actually causes post-action frustration. Dr. J.G. Fleischer describes this phenomenon quite succinctly: (9, 10)
"If the [subject] does not receive the reward when it expects to receive it, then there is a depression of dopamine release, which is consistent with the negative preduction error that would occur in that situation."
In other words, if something gets in the way of task completion, dopamine doesn't get where it's needed ("depression of dopamine release"). I suggest that perhaps the pretty pictures and eye-candy that were anticipated and appreciated during the presentation phase, are actually getting in the way of test subjects who expect a more relevant response to their query (i.e. clicking on a promising link). If we make people scroll to get to the stuff they want (and expect to receive), they experience dopamine depression.
That said, a more recent study by Wanat et al. (11), suggests that further research is needed:
"[The] enhancement of reward-evoked dopamine signaling was also observed in sessions in which the response requirement was fixed but the delay to reward delivery increased, yoked to corresponding trials in PR sessions. These findings suggest that delay, and not effort, was principally responsible for the increased reward-evoked dopamine release in PR sessions. Together, these data demonstrate that NAcc dopamine release to rewards and their predictors are dissociable and differentially regulated by the delays conferred under escalating costs."
In other words, the tougher it is to achieve a result, the greater the dopamine reward. This somewhat contradicts my thesis – and yet these findings also indicate that the response is situational. Hence, I feel certain that Wanat & Co. are actually looking at a different side of the problem, unrelated to task-based frustration, but that related to task-completion in a triumphal "I just made it to the summit of Mt. Everest" kind of manner.
Drawing on my network
In late 2009, my online research led me to my grade-school best-friend, Jon Kassel. (12) Jon is now Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois. Jon's speciality is addiction. Naturally, the effect of drugs on emotions represents a key part of his own research.
Jon and I chatted informally about the problem with which I was wrestling. And without putting too many words in Jon's mouth, it seems my thesis holds water – certainly from a cognitive point of view, and more and more from a clinical-psychology point of view, too. I hope that Jon and I can work on this in more detail sometime.
Please note: my conversations with Jon served merely as litmus tests and should not be construed as formal endorsement of my theories on the part of Dr. Kassel or the University of Illinois.
Community research
Of course, it could be that the pattern I thought I had detected was merely a fata morgana, Maybe my community wasn't seeing the same things I was. So in January 2010, I published a simple survey on SurveyMonkey, which I broadcast to the interactive-design community via social media and list serves. (13) All of my questions could be answered with a simple yes/no. Here they are, along with the results of the 144 people who responded within the first week:
1. Have you ever been at a client meeting where you or your company have presented detailed page mockups for a proposed website (a "comp" complete with graphics and "greeked" text)?
Note: This may or may not represent the culmination of a longer discovery/strategic/IA process, but exactly where this presentation occurs in the overall process is not particularly important in terms of this survey.
Yes: 97.9%
No: 2.1%
2. If you have been to a website design presentation meeting as described above, have you ever heard the client say, "Very pretty, but there's too much text. We need more/better/prettier graphics." (this is when clients start talking about including pictures of their pet cat.)
I see this mostly when senior officials have not participated in an earlier discovery/IA/wireframing process.
Yes: 70.5%
No: 29.5%
3. Having been present at the original design presentation, have you later observed (probably through a one-way mirror during a usability session) that respondents say "Don't make me scroll through the damned eye-candy to get to the substance. Get rid of the picture of that dumb cat!"
Yes: 58%
No: 42%
4. So in short, do you see any correlation between requests for more eye-candy during the layout approvals, and irritation with the same eye-candy during task-based usability testing?
Yes: 59.9%
No: 41.1%
About 62% of the respondents were from North America, 30% were from Europe, 8% were from the rest of the world.
Even though this is a primitive survey, the statistical results are significant; the pattern I hypothesised is recognized by others by a factor approaching 2 to 1.
Today, "dopamine" seems to have become "flavor of the month"
I first mentioned this research en passant in blogpost I published in January, 2009. (14) I talked about it again briefly at the IA Summit in Phoenix, AZ in April, 2010. Today, the subject seems to be finally taking hold – most recently at the IxDA's conference, Interactions 11, in Boulder, CO last week (February 2011). Here, Charles Hannon, presented the subject formally (e.g. as the main subject of a talk) for the first time in our community. (15) Although the subject has also been broached tangentially at EuroIA 2010 and elsewhere, I look forward to speaking with Prof. Hannon at some point; alas, I was not able to attend the Boulder conference.
A second empirical observation
When I first suspected that comprehensive design mock-ups might be creating problems, we tweaked the development/presentation process in my own company, FatDUX. Subsequently, we spent much more effort in guiding senior management through our decision-making process prior to showing actual color design mockups. Although we had always involved our clients in the earlier stages of the development process, we had never previously insisted on top-management participation.
My empirical observation is that if C-level administrators are made part of the comprehensive design process, there is less chance they will insist on bigger pictures or cuter kittens on the website. In situations where we have not been able to obtain face-time with senior officials, our designs are more often open to challenge. Only expensive rounds of usability testing have enabled us to reinstate the graphic-design best-practices we normally espouse.
Some background
Both of my parents were scientists and the value of the scientific method and controlled studies was something I learned in parallel with my ABCs. As a pre-med student at Washington University in St. Louis, I continued my scientific studies, although I did wind up in a so-called "unrelated field" (encouraged by my father, who helped me send my first e-mail back in 1982 (no typo) to his secretary at the University of Miami). I have since been involved in the creation and/or critique of over 1500 websites and online apps.
So in closing, I encourage you to do your own research to prove or disprove my contention. And if you'd like to share your own empirical observations and/or research, I hope you'll leave a comment here or write me directly at email@example.com.
Here, I use "thesis" in the literal Greek fashion: as an "intellectual proposition" (θέσις), not a "dissertation" (dissertātiō).
Twitter, plus the SIGIA list maintained by the American Society for Information Science and Technology, and the discussion list of the Interaction Design Association. The survey was published on 10 January 2010.
Great piece of kitchen kit!
So much for creating a good experience...
Cover of the Sandberg USB-hub instructions
What a delightful surprise! Very cute, indeed.
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text:
The doctor for the 76ers big man hasn't cleared him to play yet, but Bynum can start doing some low-impact exercise to be ready to play in early December
The Philadelphia 76ers continue to be cautious in projecting an on-court date for the return of Andrew Bynum, who has been out since mid-September because of a bone bruise in his right knee.
David W. Altchek of New York's Hospital for Special Surgery and Bynum's longtime personal doctor is the lead orthopedist for Bynum's knee. In his original diagnosis, Altchek said Bynum should not play for four weeks to allow the knee to heal. Altcheck re-evaluated Bynum's knee on October 22 and extended by an additional four weeks to November 19 the time for Bynum to refrain from playing.
Bynum had another MRI on Nov. 5, and Altcheck extended Andrew's return date for a second time by an additional three weeks. Altchek, did however, indicate Bynum could immediately resume low impact exercise for a period of two weeks, to be followed by three weeks of conditioning on an anti-gravity treadmill. If Bynum's knee responds during this five week regimen, he is expected to be able to resume normal basketball activity.
If the current prognosis holds unchanged, Bynum would be cleared to resume normal basketball activity by approximately Dec. 10. The team estimates that Bynum will need an additional 1-4 weeks thereafter for conditioning, training and practice before being able to resume game play with significant minutes.
"We know that Sixers fans are eager to see Andrew Bynum play and shine in a 76ers uniform," said Tony DiLeo, the 76ers General Manager. "We also know that no one is more eager to see Andrew play for the Sixers than Andrew himself. He fully realizes the key contribution he can make to the team. Hopefully, that day is coming soon."