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Renting a house has its perks. If an appliance dies, it's your landlord's responsibility, not yours. One of the downsides of renting a house, though, is that your landlord can sell it. If your landlord sells your rental, you may not be able to continue to rent the property once your lease ends. If this is the case, the new landlord is required to give you sufficient notice.
Tenant Notice
Rules regarding giving tenants notice to vacate a rental property vary from state to state. The new landlord is required to honor your current lease, and if the landlord doesn't want to renew your lease, you must be given sufficient notice -- typically 90 days. If you don't have a lease in place, the amount of notice required falls under local law. Typically, the longer you've been a tenant, the more notice your new landlord is required to give you before requiring you to move. If you have a lease in place, the only reason a landlord can evict you before the end of your lease is due to cause. For example, not paying your rent can lead to eviction.
Foreclosure Rights
The 2009 Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act provides additional rights and protections if the home you're renting has gone through foreclosure. In most cases, you must be allowed to finish out your lease, and if you don't have a lease, you must be given at least 90 days notice if the new property owner wants you to move out. If the new owner wants to personally occupy the home you're renting, you can be asked to leave, but with a minimum of 90 days notice. These protections also apply to tenants using housing vouchers, also known as Section 8. If you're offered cash to move out quickly, you can take it if you choose to, but you are in no way obligated to move any sooner than the end of your lease or, if you don't have a lease, with at least 90 days notice.
Continuing to Rent
If your new landlord offers to renew your lease, review the new lease carefully. In most states, if the previous owner didn't return your security deposit, the new owner can't ask for an additional deposit. If the previous owner returned your security deposit to you, the new owner can't ask for a higher security deposit. The new owner or landlord can raise your rent, although the amount of your rent increase may be controlled by the city in which you live.
If you're being evicted because your landlord was foreclosed upon, you may want to consider suing your landlord, even if he gave you proper notice. You can sue for moving and apartment-search costs, application fees and any increases in the cost of your new rent. There is no guarantee you will win the suit, of course, and you should consult a lawyer before filing a lawsuit. If you can't afford an attorney, contact your local legal aid office for assistance.
Related Searches
- Colorado State University Extention: Renting: Evictions and Landlord Liens
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The missing piece at the Wegman hearing
It's not often that blogs come up in congressional hearings, but RealClimate was mentioned yesterday in the Energy and Commerce hearings on the 'Hockey Stick' affair. Of course, it was only to accuse us of being part of tight-knit social network of climate scientists, but still, the public recognition is nice.
There is much that could be said about the hearings (and no doubt will be) and many of the participants (Tom Karl, Tom Crowley, Hans von Storch, Gerry North) did a good job in articulating the big picture on climate change independently of the 'hockey stick' study as we've highlighted before. But it seems to us that there was a missing element in the discussions. That element was the direct implication of the critique that was the principal focus of Wegman's testimony and that was mentioned periodically throughout the day.
Wegman had been tasked solely to evaluate whether the McIntyre and McKitrick (2005) (MM05) criticism of Mann, Bradley and Hughes (1998) (MBH) had statistical merit. That is, was their narrow point on the impacts of centering on the first principal component (PC) correct? He was pointedly not asked whether it made any difference to the final MBH reconstruction and so he did not attempt to evaluate that. Since no one has ever disputed MM05's arithmetic (only their inferences), he along with the everyone else found that, yes, centering conventions make a difference to the first PC. This was acknowledged way back when and so should not come as a surprise. From this, Wegman concluded that more statisticians should be consulted in paleo-climate work. Actually, on this point most people would agree – both fields benefit from examining the different kinds of problems that arise in climate data than in standard statistical problems and coming up with novel solutions, and like most good ideas it has already been thought of. For instance, NCAR has run a program on statistical climatology for years and the head of that program (Doug Nychka) was directly consulted for the Wahl and Ammann (2006) paper for instance.
But, and this is where the missing piece comes in, no-one (with sole and impressive exception of Hans von Storch during the Q&A) went on to mention what the effect of the PC centering changes would have had on the final reconstruction – that is, after all the N. American PCs had been put in with the other data and used to make the hemispheric mean temperature estimate. Beacuse, let's face it, it was the final reconstruction that got everyone's attention.Von Storch got it absolutely right – it would make no practical difference at all.
This is what MBH would have looked like using centered PC analysis:
Red is the original MBH emulation and green is the calculation using centered PC analysis (and additionally removing one of the less well replicated tree ring series). (Calculations are from Wahl and Amman (2006), after their fig. 5d). Pretty much the same variability and the same 'hockey stick'. We'd be very surprised if anyone thought that this would have made any difference to either the conclusions or the subsequent use of the MBH results.
In fact, it's even more simple, Throw out that PC analysis step completely, what do you get?
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subset: commoncrawl


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Auckland's urban form and mobility has been based on the private car. In the past a high percentage of public transport users indicated they rode the bus because they had few alternatives. This is changing.
NZ Bus recognized what was needed was marked improvements to both the reliability, quantity, and quality of services, and a change in public perception.
Metrolink encompasses multiple journeys made by multiple people to multiple destinations.
The blue and silver buses with their ripple motif are designed to reflect Auckland's strong links to the sea, and suggest the connections between people and places, city and suburbs, connecting and overlapping.Find out more...
The new LINK services were launched by Auckland Super City Mayor Len Brown in August 2011. The new Green, Amber and Red environmentally friendly buses have made getting around Auckland City much easier and simpler.Find out more...
North Star
Whether you are a daily commuter, a student or an occasional shopper, North Star is the most convenient way to travel around the North Shore and Hibiscus Coast.
Accessing Auckland city has also become quick and easy as all our buses use the Northern Busway.
The use of the Hibiscus flower on the distinctive yellow and bright blue buses instantly captures the freedom of the North Shore lifestyle, the vitality of its residents and the pride the region has in its warmer climate and magnificent beaches.Find out more...
Our bright green and silver buses serve the Waitakere community. GO WEST's pride in servicing the 'eco' city is emphasised through the brand's core green colour palette. The colours not only reinforce the beauty of the surrounding ranges, but also the vibrant wildlife.
The buses are designed to promote the destinations of Waitakere City and to capture the passion and inspiration that fuels West Auckland.Find out more...


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Don't Be That Person – Sensitive (Bad Word)
Originally posted 2015-08-12 11:24:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
"Lighten up Francis…" – Sgt. Hulka
**Note: There will be words in here that might offend you. If anything I write here "hits home", it's probably because it is you. If you get easily offended, I suggest going to this site right now, because if you come to me crying about something in here, I'm going to publicly mock you about it. Those are the rules.
Still here?
Okay, then let's go.
Notice this isn't titled "Don't Be That Guy"?
That's right, I didn't want to offend anyone out there who things that "guy" is a sexist term.
Notice how I censored myself into putting (Bad word) in the title instead of what I wanted to write (Asshole) because I didn't want to offend someone by calling them a body part they all have?
The reason I write this is that someone actually told me right before we were to speak in front of 75 executives on "The 10 Commandments of Networking" that "Guy" was an offensive term and that we should re-think our phrasing.
My response: "Really? Yea…no…"
And here we are. I then reflected back and looked around and noticed that more people are whining everyday (and getting attention) because something "offends" them. People get "up in arms" because of a word. Letters in succession. Really? That's all it takes these days? You are so insecure with yourself that one word just ruins your day? Really? Everything has to be catered to you? And if it doesn't, then no one can have fun? Is this where we are in society these days?
So let's start with some of my favorites, shall we?
*Halloween – Don't laugh, but last year, I was elected as the President of the Auburn Elementary PTO. This pretty much enlightened me into the world of "Uptight suburbanite housewife" with more time on her hands than she knows what to do with.
At the inaugural meeting, I bring up the idea of having a "Halloween Dance" so the kids can dress up, thinking it will be a lot of fun for them. Silly me.
Mom #1: "Well, I am very religious and I do not allow my children to practice this Pagan ritual."
Me: "Ok, you don't have to go."
Mom #2: "Well, we are atheists and we do not want to celebrate anything to do with Halloween because it originated as "All Souls Day" and we don't believe in souls…"
Me: "Ok, you don't have to go either…"
Again, something that was supposed to be "fun" for children has turned into a "Who is offended more?" battle between housewives. Really? No wonder why the kids of the world are so uptight.
So now the Principal is in a conundrum, does she call it a "Halloween Dance" and piss off 2 parents and hold her ground, or does she call it a "Fall Family Dance" and piss off no one, but neuter the event. (Guess which won?)
If these people just took life as it is instead of always trying to put a round peg into a square hole, they might actually enjoy themselves, go figure. (Oh, and for the record, get over yourselves).
*Beaners – This is my favorite local story. A coffee chain decides to call it's store "Beaners" after coffee beans. Well, they learned from a Latino defamation league (or something) that "Beaner" is a disparaging word toward Mexicans, they caved, and changed the name to Biggby.
This brings me to something I have been thinking about for years, and we've talked about before – The Cracker Barrel Conundrum. Something I must do. I think we are ready for the press releases denouncing that the restaurant chain "Cracker Barrel" is offensive to white people. It has to be done.
(See how ridiculous it looks now?)
*Ohio University – What a giant group of whiny attention whores. They are against dressing up in anything culturally motivated (Mexican guy, hood rat, white trash, etc.). I mean, I am 100% German, and if I see some dude in Lederhosen or some hot chick in a St. Pauli dress, I mean, I'm gonna be like so offended and stuff!
I am going to warn you right now girls, don't you dare wear something like this, or I'm going to write a press release on how offended I am!
*Terry Foster – I just read a blog from Terry Foster (from 97.1FM) who I listen to everyday and like very much as a sports analyst. Well, he goes on about how white people call him the n-word and black people call him "Uncle Tom", etc. for dating a Caucasian woman, basically saying racism comes from all sides. While I think I understand where Terry is coming from, I completely don't understand why it bothers him what strangers say.
Let's break this down. I am 100% German. You can call me a nazi, you can call me a kraut, a square head, you can call me fat, you can call me a honkey, cracker…hell, you can call me just about anything you want…does it bother me? God no. I know who I am and if calling me a name makes you feel better about yourself, well, then you have bigger problems than I thought…
It's 3rd grade all over again. Once someone knows your weakness, they will exploit it for their own psychological gain. Nothing more, nothing less. If I know that calling you "Skippy" turns you into an enraged psycho, guess what I am going to call you for the rest of your life? It's human nature.
So what can we say anymore? Indians don't like being called Indians. Polish people don't like Pollocks. Dwarfs don't like to be called midgets. Italians don't like wop. Jewish people don't like to be called jew. But at the end of the day, why does anyone care about a word a stranger says?
*Muslims offended that there are crosses at a Catholic University – This is what sparked it all. Right here. Honest to God, this is the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back (do I have to apologize to anyone with a camel for that? what about hunchbacks? can I still even say "hunchback"?) and forced me to write this.
And I repeat:
Muslims claim that a Catholic University violated their human rights because there are crosses everywhere.
I don't even know where to start on this one. It mocks itself rather nicely.
*Swear words – This one makes no sense to me. Never has, never will. Society has deemed certain words to be bad, but if you change a letter, it's now OK.
Why can we say poop, but not shit?
Butthole, but not asshole?
Ass is OK if we are reading the bible, but not if you call someone an ass.
Gay is OK if you are singing the Flintstones song, but not if you are referring to a bad TV show.
You can say freakin', but not fucking.
You can say bizatch, but not bitch.
Who makes this rule anyway? Why do we feel the need to follow these rules? Because some uptight suburbanite housewife feels the need to run her mouth because she has nothing else going on in her life besides General Hospital? Honest to God…
With that I will say it one last time…
…and Don't Be That Person.
Until next time…
Make sure you check out our other Don't Be That Guy entries…
with that you dear fat, nazi, kraut guy, you've earned yourself an honorary position from this "little people," dwarf talent working midget in the midget petting zoo hall of fame!
great piece! and happy to know you big "guy!"
Bob: This was "freakin'" hilarious. BE-ATCH that I am, I loved it!!!
(But you forgot to tell us….what DID you dress up as when you – proudly – went to the Family Fall Dance? Possibly someone from the Spanish Inquisition? LOL).
Hugs to you…don't change a thing; and especially don't give a ratz ass (is that acceptable?) what strangers think.
God I hate political correctness. That and whiney-ass people that insist on suing someone to cover their own embarrasment for doing something stupid – ie: 'slip and fall', hot coffee in your lap, etc. Darwin was right; stupid people *should* die.
Several years ago I got into a debate with my daughters about the word "guy". I referred to them as "you guys" and they objected. I carefully researched the word in several sources including the Oxford English Dictionary. Nowhere does it say that "guy" is gender specific. The correct definition is more or less "a person of grotesque appearance" after Guy Fawkes. Not a flattering term, but it is not sexist.
I am still laughing. You can't say anything anymore without "offending" somebody. It's ridiculous. Love this blog.
Thanks guys. Apparently, I now offended a bunch of people by questioning them being offended by something mundane (I think my head is going to explode).


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Family of 6 displaced after DHS apartment fire
Blaze started around 10AM at 66550 Ironwood Drive
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. - Firefighters have contained a structure fire in Desert Hot Springs. The two-story blaze was reported around 10 a.m. Thursday.
According to Cal Fire, it started on the patio of an apartment on the second floor of the complex, located at 66550 Ironwood Drive, and quickly spread to the attic.
Fire officials said four kids under the age of five and their parents were home at the time of the fire. The father was in the shower and the mom was washing dishes.
Sprinklers at the apartment triggered quickly as the children's mother rounded up the kids to get them to safety. The father had to flee the apartment wearing only a towel.
The family was obviously shaken up but nobody was hurt.
17 firefighters responded to the blaze and had the flames extinguished by 10:25 a.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The family of six has been displaced, the American Red Cross has been called to assist them, according to the Incident Commander.


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Country Cottage Natural Oak and Painted 3+2 Drawer Chest
View more details...
Effortlessly stylish and immensely practical, this Country Cottage Natural Oak and Painted 3+2 Chest of Drawers offers an elegant way to make the most of your space. Each drawer is crafted using traditional dovetail joints.
Now: £398.94
Dimensions: (W) 98cm x (H) 98cm x (D) 43cmFree delivery 14-21 Days or Express delivery within 7 days


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Jason Riker Shoots Fashion for Donald Deal
May 1, 2013
Chicago-based advertising and editorial fashion, beauty, lifestyle and portrait photographer Jason Riker shot the Fall/Winter 2013 collection for fashion designer Donald Deal, now appearing on Deal's site.
Riker also worked on the project "Our City, Ourselves Youth Voices for Tolerance" by A Red Orchid Theatre in association with NOW Is The Time. It is a citywide initiative inspiring Chicago's young people to make positive change in their communities and stop youth violence and intolerance. See more about the project and the neighborhoods on Riker's site.
Our Cities Ourselves Youth Voice for Tolerance./ © Jason Riker


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Framing a Basement
We recently built our house and I am looking at finishing the basement. To my surprise the builder insulated the basement walls (using yellow insulation and a piece of plastic to hold it into place). The exterior of the basement was sealed prior to being back filled so I don't think moister is going to be an issue. Is it possible to frame over this plastic/insulation which would save me money in purchasing insulation? My final plan for the basement is a pub/bar. Thanks
As in Photo 3? http://www.buildingscience.com/docum...ts?full_view=1
Where are you located- closest large city...
PS. Welcome to the forums!
Pretty standard in a bunch of places to use poly skrim insulation.
+1 from GBR. Gotta know where you are located to talk recommendations.
I'm located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And its just like the picture #3 posted.
The builder uses that type of insulation to meet energy code to close the sale. Read the link given and realize foam board is the safest way without moisture problems. Pull the plastic off and add the FG to the attic...
Thanks for the help!! I'll be posting pictures of my progress in the basement. We move in on the 17th. would love to have it completed in a few months.
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smokinghot smokinghot is offline
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About Me
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- //Home
- //Music
- //Blogs
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As Mobb Deep, Prodigy and Havoc can claim two nearly unrivaled classics in The Infamous and Hell on Earth. Sidetracked in recent years by Jay-Z beefs, the G-Unit imbroglio, and Prodigy's incarceration, the duo's future is unclear.
Prodigy's solo work, most notably on Return of the Mac, has expanded on his early promise as a grim lyricist with a unique perspective. Havoc has always been prolific with production but not as successful a rapper as his counterpart. So Hidden Files follows much in the same manner as his solo debut Kush. Neither album will be remembered for its lyrical content or flow, but Havoc's terse, foreboding sonic atmospheres cannot be denied.
The first half of the album aims for a hodgepodge of modern production styles, with nods to boom bap, reheated G-funk and the cinematic pomp of Young Jeezy. The exception is rock bid "Watch Me (ft Ricky Blaze)", which is a simple curiosity but packs more of a punch than rock forays by Diddy or Lil Wayne. But Hidden Files really hits its stride with a four-song arc that includes "The Hustler", "The Millennium", "Walk Wit Me", and "On a Mission (ft Prodigy)". These songs hint at the dark soundscapes and cold, specific street narratives that were the signatures of Mobb Deep.
So not every track here is a keeper, but Hidden Files is worth checking out as it makes use of the lean, menacing qualities that form the bedrock of Mobb Deep's classic output. This set is a serviceable stopgap that will hold listeners over until Havoc and Prodigy once again combine their strengths on an LP.
"The Millennium"
"Walk Wit Me"
Fly By Midnight "2U" (David Guetta cover) (premiere) // Music
A Valley Son "Leaving Is Easy" (audio) (premiere) // Music
Foo Fighters "Run" (Singles Going Steady) // Music
Childish Gambino "Centipede" (Singles Going Steady) // Music
The Moving Pixels Podcast Discusses 'Tales from the Borderlands Episode 2'
// Moving Pixels
"Our foray into the adventure-game-style version of the Borderlands continues.READ the article


text:
Demotion from salary to hourly
I am the owner of a restaurant. With the economic situation that we are in, I need to decrease my payroll. One way that I can do this is to change my salary employees to hourly. However, there are at least 3 employees that I still need to keep on salary. Do I need to have just cause to change the employees to hourly or do I just need to make them aware it is going to be done and give them a short notice of 2 weeks?
Thank you,
Before we address your question, there are a few issues you may want to consider. First of all, a change from salaried to hourly is not necessarily a demotion…it is just a different way of processing payroll. Demotion usually implies a reduction in responsibilities and status. But you do not make any mention of changing these employees duties. Suppose you have a head waitress who is salaried and typically works 32 hours per week. You can certainly leave her hours and responsibilities the same, and simply pay her on an hourly basis rather than as a salaried employee.
Another tactic would be to increase the responsibilities — and hours — of the salaried workers. You could require that the head waitress pick up two additional shifts as waitress each week. This would save payroll because you would be paying hourly employees less.
You say that you have 3 employees you need to leave on salary — presumably because they are working more than 40 hours per week. This may be a wise move — it is unusual for a restaurant to have more than 3 salaried employees. If some employees on salary are working many hours per week, and others are working less than 40 hours per week, that is unfair and possibly poor business management. (It is very common in the restaurant industry for salaried employees to work 50 or more hours per week.)
To answer your question, you do not need any reason to change these employees from salaried to hourly. Saving payroll and restructuring your business to save money are good reasons for this change. The best practice in HR would be to give these employees two full weeks notice. You can reduce their rate of pay at the same time, if you like. Be aware that if the salaried employees decide to quit rather than accept the new working conditions, they may be eligible for unemployment.
Tags: demote, demotion, employee, exempt, hourly, overtime, reduce, restaurant, salary
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8 Responses to "Demotion from salary to hourly"
Michelle Says:
Thank you so much for your time! This was very helpful.
Caitlin Says:
Hi Michelle!
You are very, very welcome. We are always here to help. Thanks for reading the blogs!~ Caitlin
jean Says:
My company is planning on changing salaried employees to hourly, from bi-monthly to bi-weekly. They are going to hold back 2 weeks pay. Do they have to give notice? The financial fallout for most of us will be catastrophic since we will only get 1 paycheck that month. Is there a way around this withholding? The company is a large corporation and this is a government contract.
Thank you,
Caitlin Says:
Hi jean! This is entirely lawful, and yes the employer should give workers notice that their payroll cycle will change.
The phrase "hold back 2 weeks pay" is deceptive. Employers don't really "hold back" anything. They simply pay workers (for example) on the 28th for the payroll period that ended on the 14th. Most companies have the same payroll cycle for exempt and non-exempt employees, so there would be no change.
If the company really was paying exempt employees on the 28th for the payroll period ending on the 28th, then the employee would have been paid for 2 weeks on the day he or she began work (or shortly thereafter.) An exempt employee who started on the 27 would receive two weeks pay on the 28th. In that case, the exempt employees would already have been paid their salary in advance. HTH, and thanks for reading the blogs!~ Caitlin
jean Says:
currently I get paid on the 15 and the last day of the month. I am not sure what the bi-weekly Friday date is. The company I work for was purchased by another company and would like us on their pay schedule.
My last salaried paycheck we be through the last day of august. There would be no further compensation until Approx 25 Sept. I would not be paid on the 11 Sept. that would be the 2 week waiting period.
Thank you
Caitlin Says:
Hi jean! Okay, that makes sense. Yes, this is entirely lawful and yes, the employer should let the affected employees know their payroll cycle will change. Some states have a law that non-exempt employees must be paid at least twice per month, but even in those states this type of adjustment is permitted. HTH, and thanks for reading the blogs!~ Caitlin
jean Says:
I still do not get this, I have read they can only keep 7 days. I will have worked 4 weeks before getting paid for just 2 weeks of that. It does not make sense to me. With electronic payroll and each week having to be approved. There are no such laws in the state of Idaho to reference.
I remember when I was younger they would hold back one weeks pay due to paper processing. 2 weeks seems excessive. My job requires a secret clearance what happens to that when I can't pay all my bills.
thanks for the info, this just does not seem right.
Caitlin Says:
Hi jean! Again, the employer doesn't "keep" anything. It simply takes them 7 to 14 days to process payroll. So if the payroll week ends on Sept. 14, employees may not receive checks until Sept. 21. You are correct that with computerized payroll, it could be done quicker…but there is no law that it must be.
It might help if you ask when the payroll period ends and when checks for that period are received.
In every state, it is legal to pay hourly workers every two weeks. Sorry we don't have better news for you. ~ Caitlin
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text:
JR & I were talking, and we decided it was time to arrange another Dogfish Head cruise/meet.
Here is a link to the thread for the first meet:
First Dogfish Head Meet
ClubWRX Tri-State is going to Dogfish Head! AGAIN!
When: October 11th, 2008
Meeting place: Christiana Mall, Newark, DE
Time: 11:30 AM meet - 12:00 noon departure
Route: We will be travelling across Delaware on Rt 1- Caravan-Style. Expect 5-10 mph over posted limit depending on traffic and conditions.
Goal: Dogfish Head Brewing and Eats
I expect to arrive at DFH around 2:00pm. Anyone coming locally or from points south is more than welcome to meet us at the restaurant.
Who's with me? Post em up!
1. devilfluff (+female companion)
2. wrx wagone
3. mbs627 (+female companion)
4. crazy cracker (+2 female companions)
6. csm
7. Slayer X (+female companion )


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To test or not to test, what's the benefit?
Had I been asked the question above, I believe my answer would be sort of evasive. I'm not particularly in favour of using tests as the only way to assess learning, but I also have a hard time believing tests are all bad. What I believe in, though, is that there are well-written tests and poorly made tests – and I also believe that fewer and fewer people have actually learned how to write a test. Much on the contrary, it seems we, educators, are all onboard with the view that tests do very little to help learners go beyond the remembering stage of learning. What I get from most talks about tests is that we equate tests with standardised testing, and that as fewer teachers are brave enough to say that tests may be useful, we are witnessing a time in which tests are getting simpler and simpler to score, and, consequently, demanding more memorisation skills than learning from students.
However, as William Shakespeare said, "There is a tide in the affairs of men…", and we have to take advantage of things as they happen, so I decided to take advantage of a recommended article by one of the members of my PLN I grew to admire due to her insights and always amazingly packed with important information yet straight to the point comments and blog posts, @ssuzip. And even though Susi hasn't made clear what her opinion is regarding this matter, I'm going to put myself out in the open and grant any kind of criticism that may come so I can maybe change my mind on the topic, or at least have better arguments the next time I write or talk about it.
The article was published on The New York Times on January 20th, and it's title is To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test. As you've got it by now, it is in favour of testing as a learning tool. What comes to mind is that most of our parents and grandparents were educated in a system that praised tests. Furthermore, and I don't think this is only nostalgia, standards were higher in terms of actually learning what you were supposed to learn. There weren't things such as ADHD, as Sir Ken Robinson pointed out well here, and the whole concept of an affective side to education wasn't really that big a deal. Nowadays, with the decline of another very important institution – family – schools have to bend over backwards to try to cater for both the cognitive and affective growth. On the one hand, this has helped us see there are numerous benefits in taking the learner as a whole human being. On the other hand, well, it may at times drive us away from our main goal of teaching and making sure our students achieve what they can fully achieve. Now, if all teachers were just as the ones who are likely to actually read this blog, I'd be completely off my rocker to say such a thing. Nevertheless, no matter how hard our PLN is, we're still far from being the majority.
Unfortunately, there are many teachers who claim to be against tests without having ever read anything from, say, Alfie Kohn to back them up. I myself can't say I'm familiar with his work, but most people whose blogs I visit and who are firm in their opinion of abandoning tests tend to consistently citing Kohn. The problem is not saying tests are good or bad – the problem is not being able to reason on your own whether they are good or bad. Coming back to the article and my beliefs towards testing, I must say I saw myself arguing with the text many times while reading it. For instance,
"I think that learning is all about retrieving, all about reconstructing our knowledge," said the lead author, Jeffrey Karpicke, an assistant professor of psychology at Purdue University. "I think that we're tapping into something fundamental about how the mind works when we talk about retrieval."
The very first thing to think about there regards the concept of learning. Had Mr. Karpicke stopped at retrieving, I'd probably stop reading the article right there. However, I agree with his view of learning as the ability to using what we've already seen and being able to adapt and make effective use of such memory. Shall we compare it to Bloom's taxonomy of learning domains and focus on the cognitive domain? We need to remember what we have learned, but this has got to come into being with some sort of purpose, which will lead us to the following step – making use of what we've just remembered. In this regard, the very first thing (and, unfortunately, the only thing in some cases) tests do is make us retrieve information. Moving on with the article, we find out that students who are going to be tested have the feeling they don't know as much as they should. In comparison, those students who are allowed to create diagrams and concept maps for the sake of learning, but who know they are not going to be tested, have the feeling they know pretty much everything they need to know. It turned out in research that the result was exactly the opposite when students were asked to remember the subject one week later.
Why retrieval testing helps is still unknown. Perhaps it is because by remembering information we are organizing it and creating cues and connections that our brains later recognize.
However, in order for such things to take place, we've got to be able to write good tests. It can't all be about rote learning and memorising passages. Tests can be used in education; let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. I guess the very first thing is keeping an open mind. As Howard Gardner, and education professor at Harvard said,
the results "throw down the gauntlet to those progressive educators, myself included. Educators who embrace seemingly more active approaches, like concept mapping," he continued, "are challenged to devise outcome measures that can demonstrate the superiority of such constructivist approaches."
The final word on testing in education, in my humble opinion, is yet to be said. I am, however, not in favour of abandoning tests altogether. I don't think tests should be the only source of assessment in the classroom, either. My final quote from the article comes from Dr. Marcia Linn, "Some tests are just not learning opportunities. We need a different kind of testing than we currently have." I guess she's just touched the crux of the matter. As a teacher, I have to say that I had to learn about writing tests on my own, and I did take the time to read about it and look for data on the matter. This is not what most people who started teaching with me have done, though. It seems to be a big gamble and, in this hit-or-miss game of ours, more misses are made than hits, which only proves to strengthen the view that tests aren't beneficial for learning. Add to that the fact that tests have become a million dollar business, and you'll see that most people who advocate for tests aren't exactly worried about learning. This, obviously, make them an easy prey for educators who, once again, see others not only making money out of something they consider serious – children's learning – but also see those people doing things that make us, educators, look bad. We want to help children learn, testing companies want to make children take as many tests as possible so they can profit from them.
As my final words, I add that I agree with Penny Ur when she says that tests are one of the many sources of extrinsic motivation that teachers have control over in class. Just as anything, it can't be overused. If tests are well-written, they can certainly help in the learning process. To what extent? This seems to be uncertain at the moment, but if we don't keep an open mind, we might end up doing more harm than good by abandoning tests just because we want to follow the trend.
Teaching for the test – based on a true story
There is a school in Brasília that seems to be interested in approaching learning from a more 'humanistic' and 'holistic' perspective than what the current Brazilian educational system forces other schools to do so. They are concerned about arts, sports, music and creative thinking (as far as I'm concerned) than the other 99% of schools are. It's almost as if Sir Ken Robinson's idea of how schools should be like had come to life.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if all schools could actually teach for life instead of teach for the test? I mean, it seems to me that it's common knowledge among most educators that standardized tests don't deliver what they claim to deliver – if you do well on the test, it means you have learned the subject. (You can read a lot of great posts on that here and here, to cite just a few people who will lead you to many others)
And my answer to that question is, yes, it would be wonderful. But I recently heard a story from a student from the school I mentioned in the first paragraph above. She had been studying in that school for quite a while and was really happy with her routine. It all changed on her second to last year of high school. As kids grow older, so do their social circles (hopefully), and no longer did this particular student live with people from her school circle. To make matters worse, she had already learned of the standardised test all Brazilian learners are submitted to and which defines whether you're going to college or not.
Reality hit hard on this student when she had a chance to compare her "knowledge" on physics, for instance, against her friends' who were also going to compete against her for a place at university. It suddenly hit her that, if she was to succeed, she'd have to change schools and go where they actually abide by the system – they teach for the test. And so she did. Needless to say, she's feeling miserable, but one's got to do what one's got to do, right?
The aim of this story is to pose a question: how can teachers be responsible for changing the system when there are no teachers in charge of thinking education? I mean, even though we may want to change the way our students learn and value their personal characteristics, we seem to be in a catch-22 situation. What I mean is, education is, ultimately, between the teacher and the learner. However, these two elements are under pressure from many different angles: schools policies, state regulations, ministry of education, and society as a whole. If teachers start this change, students will fail the big test they are forced to take in order to have better chances in life. If teachers choose not to do anything to change this situation, they'll end up frustrated as they know what they're doing doesn't really help much in real life.
I'm of the opinion that we should re-think schools, and education in general. But when we're in such a sad situation as this, I think the easy way out is a top-down change. If the ministry of education don't change the rules for university entrance, parents will insist on enrolling their kids on schools which are well-known for their high "pass" percentages. If schools and their teachers fight the system, no matters what parents say, they'll end up with no students – all parents want to give their kids a good chance to succeed, and if by that they need to go to a good university, they'll take their kids to the schools that'll better prepare their kids to get to such universities.
The situation is even worse when you learn that state schools are left to their own devices by the government and no matter how hard principals and teachers try, they can only do as much. Besides, if the salary is significantly less than what private schools pay, there isn't much to keep good teachers in state schools.
To sum it up, it seems that our little friend will have to put up with the fact that, in order to go to university, she'll have to be taught for the test – reality check. It doesn't seem to matter that the kind of education she was getting before was preparing her better for life. In order to be able to "get a life", she needs to pass the test.
How would we solve this if change doesn't come from the top? I mean, teachers can and should do their share – pressure the government for change. But if things remain the same, the good teachers, the ones who care about teaching for life, will actually be putting their kids at a disadvantageous position. And this will be true as long as the yardstick we measure our kids against is a test.
* I first learned about Sir Ken Robinson's video here – another nice blog!
* Read the complete comic strip here. A lot of fun stuff for those who like reading about grad school.
On Assessment – part 2
The first post of this series has led to a response by Gregory Thompson (whom I also 'met' through Twitter on #edchat). I've read it and enjoyed all the points he made regarding what I wrote on the first post. I feel like replying to it. I believe the conversation will evolve if I continue with the series as I originally intended to, adding a couple of things his post made me think about.
I finished the post by mentioning rater-reliability. If you remember the scenario that I depicted, you'll have to bear with me that it's not possible for anyone to do what is expected of teachers in that condition. It's not about giving up, or abandoning principles because it's all a lost battle. Teachers are teachers because they believe they can make a difference. Teachers have been students and know students look up to their teachers. Good teachers know a lot is at stake when they walk into a classroom and this is why they do not give up.
Reliability is how we can assess whether a test is 'consistent and dependable' (Brown). Thus, a test is reliable when the results are similar if you give the test on two different occasions to the same student. However, there are some factors that come into play and may affect reliability of a test. In the scenario I mentioned, I believe the most influential factor are the mental and physical conditions of the teacher, i.e. rater-reliability. Ask anyone to read and analyse 50 texts on the same topic and provide feedback for each one of them. This is feasible, OK. However, tell this person that he or she will have 4 hours to do that. Even if the first texts are carefully corrected, some issues, such as fatigue, will heavily influence the results of the tests and the feedback given. When I mentioned I can't blame teachers who have to assess 800 students for not doing it using an alternative to tests, this is what I meant. It's not the teacher's fault, it's just not possible because of the way these schools, inserted in these educational systems, are organised.
Rater-reliability is not the only issue that may affect the results of a test. Student-related reliability also has to be taken into account, and so does test-administration reliability. However, I guess the second most important reliability issue is test-reliability. Tests which are too long, timed or with ambiguous items are likely to be unreliable. As we've discussed on #edchat, and as we can easily see daily, it's not uncommon for students who know everything they should know to perform poorly on a test. This is why tests must be constantly revised and re-written. It is possible for teachers to design good tests (I'm not talking about assessment just yet) as long as they take enough time to prepare, grade, and then evaluate their own tests and each item individually. It's hard work, but that is teaching.
Overall, standardised tests tend to score high on practicality and reliability, but they score low on authenticity (remember I'm an English Language teacher when you read the term "authenticity") and washback. The point is not that we should make sure assessment is not reduced to testing. However, we've got to understand the context each one of us is inserted in order to come up with alternatives that truly work. Asking someone who teaches more than 500 students to analyse each student's progress, provide effective and meaningful feedback and still be able to teach properly is just insane. It's the same as saying to a CEO of a company that he should have teams as large as 500 people with only one supervisor per team. If you can keep track of 500 people and make sure you're not lacking in rigour, please let me know how you do it.
Saying that we should change the way we assess our learners is a bit like preaching to the choir. The true challenge is to provide effective alternatives that can be implemented. This means we should understand the context in which we are inserted before we say something is right or wrong. We can't simply point fingers at people because of their way of doing things until we've been in their shoes.
Assessment needs change? Yes. Assessment needs to be seen as not only testing. Assessment is broader than testing. However, teaching is more than assessing. Of all roles teachers play, the role of the assessor is just one of them. If we lose track of what our reality is, we might be tempted to see things from a simplistic point of view. What is true for A may not be true for B, and the only way we can help is by listening and understanding the seriousness of the situation, getting the big picture, prior to making suggestions.
The ultimate purpose of assessment is to enable for ongoing progress. This is the one thing we can't forget when discussing assessment. And this can be accomplished through both formative and summative assessment. A reflective piece of writing which is marked only with "excellent" or "very good" will be just as useless as a end of unit test that just has an "A" or a "10" on it. It's not exactly about changing it immediately, but learning how to make use of the tools we have at hand now more effectively. Once this is done, a change will take place smoothly.
Back to you!
On Assessment – part 1
Yesterday evening the discussion on #edchat was about assessment. As usual, a stream of thought-provoking tweets and a lively discussion took place. I had been thinking about writing a post on assessment and my thoughts on the matter, so I feel now is a good time to do it.
As I see it, there are certain principles which should be taken into account when we discuss assessment, and I borrow these from Brown (Language Assessment – Principles and Classroom Practices) and some other readings.
To begin with, assessment is part of teaching, just as tests are part of assessment. This means that there is the group TEACHING, the subgroup assessment, and, inside assessment, the subgroup of testing. Teaching is more than assessing, just as assessing is more than simply testing. I guess the first problem lies there. Many teachers tend to merely equate assessing with testing. I'm going to start this series talking about testing.
Tests are usually standardised and tend to measure discrete points of what has been taught. They're tools teachers have to gauge how much students have learned. Tests are summative instead of formative, i.e. they aim at measuring and summarise what has been taught through a period of time, and usually come at the end of a unit or a course. Tests, just as any kind of assessment, may be good or bad, they aren't necessarily the bad guys of education. The way most teachers have been treating tests is the main problem, I guess.
If we think about the principles Brown mentions in his book (practicality, authenticity, reliability, validity, and washback), standardised tests are high on practicality by nature. This means they're usually easy to administer and grade. There's nothing wrong with this aspect of standardised tests per se. However, any kind of assessment should provide learners with meaningful and effective feedback. Learners should be able to use their tests results to find out how to improve and what they need to work on. Unfortunately, most teachers don't do anything else but giving students a grade, be it a number or a letter. Students need guidance to find out what they need to study. Now, it's not that most teachers don't want to give students useful feedback, but, depending on the context, it's simply impossible.
There are classrooms around the world with 50 students, and some teachers have to teach 16 or 18 groups. This means some teachers have more than 800 students. Not only do these teachers have to plan their lessons, but they also need to design and grade all these tests, and they usually are forced to have reports on students' progress every other month. Now if teachers have 16 to 18 groups of 50 minutes each, they're in the classroom around 30 hours a week. Add to that all the time it takes to assess students outside class, planning lessons, and being an educator in the core meaning of the word (worrying about each student and his or her learning, and empowering your learners), then you tell me how such an educator would be able to radically change his way of assessing students, going from summative to formative, using portfolios (for instance) instead of standardised tests, or tests made by the teacher him or herself. This means keeping track of 800+ students' writing. I can't blame teachers for not doing that. Besides, if a teacher has to assess that many students, there's the serious risk of rater-reliability issues. But this is something for another post.
Your turn.


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TabPilot is an android Tablet Manager that allows teachers to lock down a whole group of tablets by choosing the specific apps that students may access during class. Students are locked out of everything else. Each teacher in the school can have their own configuration that they apply to the tablet group before use in their class. The system also functions as an app distribution system with the ability to remotely install or remove apps from a group of devices wirelessly. The cloud-based system is managed through any standard web browser.http://youtu.be/pbh1_VkvUUg
TabPilot 1.0 introduces a few features that were not found in beta, including the ability to track versions of each app and determine which tablets have out of date apps. The system can then be used to push updated versions to the tablets wirelessly. Administrators now have the ability to hide certain apps, such as system apps, from teacher views, as well as the ability to get a quick inventory of all apps on any specific device, or find a list of all devices with a specific app to check for license compliance.
TabPilot runs on a variety of Android-based tablets, including a low-cost TabPilot-branded device. The company offers loaner devices to school technology departments to use for evaluation purposes.
More information can be found on the company web site at www.TabPilot.com.


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Driveshaft angle
I have a '47 Ford open drive rear-end and a C-4 trans. The trans is pointing down at 2 degrees and the rear is up at 2 degrees BUT the driveshaft is at 8 degrees upward! Because of the old Ford rear. Will I have trouble wearing out U joints with this set-up??
Not sure if I understand what you are saying.
The theory is that the angle at each "U" joint should be the same.........So, if the angle from the trans to the driveshaft is 2* and the angle from the driveshaft to the rear is 2*, then you should be fine.
If you are saying that the rear end is facing dowm at the pinion and the trans is facing down at the back.....and the driveshaft is going upwards from the front to back........you are not OK...............although, you may not have a problem.
driveshaft angle
I have it phased right--Trans at 2 degrees down and rear at 2 degrees up. The shaft is only 10-3/4" long .Yes the rear pinion IS pointing UP but because of the '47 Ford pinion location (high on the rear end) that is why it is 8 degrees UP to the rear.??
I am not sure that the angle of the tranny or diff is all that important
What is important is the angle from trans to shaft and shaft to pinion.
These two angles need to be very close
I think I read somewhere that about 6* is the MAX working angle for a long wearing joint-----and probably about 1* min (the joints need to work some)
I think I am having propshaft issues myself---seems all the information I get on driveshaft angles only apply to one piece shafts. My 59 Elky is a 2-piece.
Adding about 10" to tranny length with the TKO really screwed up my angles.
I'm getting a shudder at about 60----very slight, but there.
If anyone can locate info and extremes on a 2-piece---I'd appreciate it.
Bryan......Have you checked your support bearing. That is usually where these problems are on these cars. It is just a rubber mounted bearing in a flimsy sheet metal bracket. My 62 was diung similar things.....replaced the support bearing and all new "U" joints and it went away.........Im sure it was the support bearing though.
The car only has 1200 miles on it now.
About 3-4 weeks ago I had removed the shaft for re-balancing,
at that time I found that the NEW bearing and rubber had pulled from the carrier. That would explain that "clunkclunkclunkclunk" on launch, but it did not have the (i dunno--shudder, buzz, vibration, harmonics :confused: ) any worse then, than it does now, (rebalance-new bearings).
Could very well be the differential---that is the only component that has not been replaced with a new one. It has some tall gearing as it came from a 6/pg car. I'm just saving to get another diff. rebuilt with a posi, hoping I can get 3:36 or 3:08 gears----454 need MPG
I think the reason the bearing pulled out was that during assembly of the frame, there was no weight on the suspension (body off--frame replaced). As the body was installed and the rest of the weight adding installs, the driveshaft pulls away from the tranny close to 1-1/2" .
And as GM engineers had a great brain fart, they did not include a slip yoke AFTER the carrier, where common sense and most normal people would have put one. Have no idea why they put a slip on the front shaft, does not go up or down, and really shouldn't have to go in and out.
Purchasing a rear shaft with a slip yoke is on my agenda.
Hijack alert :spank: :spank: :spank: sorry
PS---Poncho----I would be a lot better off if I had found this little community about 2 years ago---not AFTER I registered the car last June :rolleyes:
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Tangy Reuben Bake RecipeRead Reviews Be the first to add a review
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My husband's background is Czech, so just about everyone in the family loves sauerkraut especially in this casserole. When I want a bit more zip, I add a third cup of sliced green pepper. My daughter won a purple ribbon at the state fair with this recipe.—Jewell Kronaizl, Vermillion, South Dakota
Recommended: March Madness Party Appetizers
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced and cooked
- 1/2 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, thinly sliced
- 1 can (8 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Transfer to a greased 8-in. square baking dish.
- Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings.
Originally published as Tangy Reuben Bake in Casserole Cookbook 2001, p100
Reviews for Tangy Reuben Bake
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Ask Health Experts and Get Answers to Your Health Question ASAP
Not sure how long its been there. only found it 2 days ago. its hard and it doesnt move from the spot its in.
When i had blood tests in september the results from my doctor said my thyroid gland was at a normal level, not sure if it is the same as the parathyroid gland,
what would happen if an overactive parathyroid went untreated and what are the treatments for it


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These are the first images of a life-size bronze statue of the late singer Amy Winehouse set to be installed at a music venue close to her London home in tribute to her short life.
The designs show her clad in a trademark retro-style dress, with her hair in a beehive and decorated with a rose.
It is hoped that the Amy Winehouse Memorial Statue will be placed in the Roundhouse later this year.
The Chalk Farm Road venue is about a mile from the Camden Square home where she died in 2011 after a long battle with drink and drugs. The six-time Grammy winner and Back to Black singer died of alcohol poisoning.
The project is backed by her father Mitch, who told of his annoyance that some people oppose it on the grounds she was not a good role model because of her substance abuse.
"The reason why there will hopefully be a statue of her at the Roundhouse is everyone loved Amy," he said. "She was a strong girl who had weaknesses. Even the strongest people have them."
He went on: "Amy was a wonderful person, who did a lot for Camden and for kids. She was one of the greatest singers the world has ever known so why shouldn't we put a statue up?"
It is planned to install the work, by sculptor Scott Eaton, on a first-floor terrace overlooking the road so it is visible both to people inside and outside the building.
The singer gave her final performance at the venue three days before she died. The Amy Winehouse Foundation has since contributed to the Roundhouse Trust, which helps young people to get involved in music.
The trust's operations head James Heaton said: "The artwork aims to capture Amy's vitality and music by faithfully rendering her beauty and iconic sense of style."
He said it would also "alleviate the pressure" on Camden Square, where her fans at present regularly congregate. Camden council will decide this year whether to allow the memorial — but deputy mayor Jonathan Simpson said it had his "absolute support".
Commentary: There's already a tribute - Back to Black
Ben Luke Contemporary Art Critic
Scott Eaton's statue of Amy Winehouse presents an idealised image. In its maquette form, it has an unerring smoothness that seems at odds with the idea of representing a real person. Although it's a convincing likeness, with Winehouse's trademark beehive, her long mane of hair and her characteristic bone structure, it has the empty sheen of an action figure.
This might be because Eaton uses 3D printing and computer graphics alongside time-honoured sculptural traditions. In this form at least, the immaculate coldness of his technology seems apparent.
But it's not just a technological problem. The fact is that creating a moving tribute to an individual is fiendishly difficult. The best sculptures capture their subject's weight, warmth and presence, yet few of the thousands of statues across London achieve this and that's why so many remain utterly ignorable.
The hope that it will draw people away from Camden Square may be forlorn. Winehouse's untimely demise is now part of her story, and the fans' pilgrimages to the square reflect their fascination with her not just as a singer but as a tragic icon. As Andy Warhol understood when he painted Marilyn Monroe after her overdose, death adds to a star's aura. I doubt an airbrushed sculpture on a terrace outside a music venue will fulfil the fans' desire to acknowledge Winehouse's sad fate.
The planning application speaks of capturing "the vitality of Amy" and yet the maquette is so lacking in spirit. The real memorial to Winehouse, where her true spirit and vitality can be found, already exists — it's called Back To Black. Do we need a lifeless bronze to commemorate her?
- More about:
- Amy Winehouse
- Camden
- Sculpture


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Frederiction, New Brunswick , Canada - Dog-Friendly Listings
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Frederiction - as dog-friendly as they come! This city guide will show you all the best (and worst) places for your pets. Don't forget to add your reviews for the businesses in this ultimate resource.
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Heath Ledger gets posthumous film award
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The late Australian actor Heath Ledger was awarded one of his country's most prestigious film awards on Saturday for his final role as The Joker in the Batman movie "The Dark Knight."
Ledger, 28, who died of an accidental overdose of painkillers and other medicines in his New York apartment 11 months ago, was posthumously awarded the AFI (Australian Film Institute) international award for best actor.
Guests at a packed awards ceremony in Melbourne's Princess Theater rose to their feet clapping, but with some in tears, to pay tribute to the actor who was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a taciturn gay cowboy in 2005's "Brokeback Mountain".
"It has been without a doubt the most difficult year, losing such a loved family member," said his sister Kate, fighting back tears as she accepted the award alongside Ledger's parents.
"We are so proud of him and humbly accept this award on behalf of his beautiful daughter (Matilda) who we will cherish forever."
The AFI, celebrating its 50th-annual award ceremony, paid tribute to Ledger, describing him as "ground-breaking actor trapped in the body of a leading man".
"He was the untamed spirit many of us wish we could be. May the legend live on," an AFI tribute said.
Cate Blanchett won the equivalent award for women for her role in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."
A drama about a teenage boy learning to live with an autistic brother won the night's top award for best film. Continued...


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Alain Mabanckou
Outlandish, surreal and enjoyable, Mabanckou brings his unique sense of humour to magic realism
Praise for Broken Glass:A dizzying combination of erudition, bawdy humour and linguistic effervescence
Broken Glass is a comic romp that releases Mabanckou's sense of humour. Although its cultural and intertextual musings could fuel innumerable doctorates, the real meat of Broken Glass is its comic brio, and Mabanckou's jokes work the whole spectrum of humour
Deserves the acclaim heaped upon it... a thought-provoking glimpse into a stricken country
Broken Glass proves to be an obsessive, slyly playful raconteur... the prose runs wild to weave endless sentences, their rhythm and pace attuned to the narrator's rhetorical extravagances... With his sourly comic recollections, Broken Glass makes a fine companion
An incredibly funny novel, often rueful, on the edge of tragedy and imbued with the spirit of the French classics. There's a tremendous spirit, irreverence and humour in this book
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The Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus are the most common pathogens in hospital-acquired infections. The costs related to infections caused by these strains in the hospital setting are enormous and represent a major healthcare burden. Furthermore, the more recent combination of extraordinary virulence and multiple antibiotic resistance in community-acquired methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus (CA-MRSA) poses an additional severe threat to public health.
S. aureus may cause a multitude of serious infections, including toxic shock and scalded skin syndromes, endocarditis, and pneumonia, to name but a few. In contrast, infections with S. epidermidis are usually chronic and less severe. The most important type of disease caused by S. epidermidis is the colonization and infection of indwelling medical devices.
The outcome of infections with S. epidermidis and S. aureus is closely linked to their interaction with human host defenses. Thus, mechanisms of immune evasion such as the formation of biofilms represent significant virulence determinants in chronic infections with staphylococci.
Credit: Michael Otto, Ph.D.
More about Michael Otto, Ph.D. and his work. (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/labsandresources/labs/aboutlabs/lhbp/pathogenmoleculargeneticssection/Pages/otto.aspx)
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What do dozens of countries around the world have in common? For starters, they often have complex transfer pricing regulations related to inter-company financial transactions and loans. But that's where the similarity ends. Because every country's individual rules vary - a lot - tax professionals need to know and understand each applicable rule. Gathering such information is a daunting task, to be sure, but PwC's Navigating the complexity – findings from a financial transactions transfer pricing global survey helps simplify the process.
This book compiles global survey findings about the transfer pricing environment in over 40 countries, giving tax professionals a convenient reference to a complex subject matter. From arm's length principles and guarantee fees, to thin capitalisation and cash pool rules, this global study guides tax professionals so they can successfully navigate these complex laws and assure stakeholder compliance.
This book has been updated with information correct as of 1 January 2014 for the following countries: Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.


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Marist students attend alumni networking event
This past Monday February 11, Communication students had the opportunity to network with Marist alumni in NYC. The event was hosted by the Communication Internship Department at the offices of Taylor, a marketing communications company, which is located in the Empire State Building.
"I thought this event was the best one yet (we've run three in NYC) in terms of energy, engagement and participation. The students were very active and the alumni never took a break - a sign that things were humming and everyone was engaged," Prof. Gerry McNulty, Director of Communication & Media Arts Internships, said.
The turnout for the event was 34 students and 13 alumni.
The alumni sat at tables designated by industry (TV, Sports Comm, PR, and Advertising) and the students had the opportunity to mingle with them. The event was structured so that every 15 minutes or so students would switch tables to get in as much networking as possible.
McNulty and Deborah Porter, the internship coordinators, began planning this networking event immediately after last year's event.
"We review the exit surveys done by students and collect comments from the alumni guest speakers. We distill that into two or three key suggestions for improving the next year's event," McNulty said.
The Communication Advisory Board came to campus over the summer and discussed plans for the event with McNulty and Porter.
"Fast forward to November, when we picked up on making arrangements for the bus, caterer and began drawing up a list of potential guest speakers. The Advisory Board gets the first invitation to participate, and then we send invitations in December to additional alums. By late January everything was in place," McNulty said.
The bus arriving to the city full of students was a little late, due to fog and city traffic, but besides that, McNulty said he thought the event went very well.
"The networking event was perfect because it was a great way to meet very accomplished professionals, while still staying in the comfort of our wonderful Marist family," Kelsey Odom, a senior Journalism major, said.
Odom's advice for younger students is to attend these networking events, and to be yourself.
"All of those people we met were in our position once too and there's no sense in trying to act like you have all the answers. This event was to our benefit, so use it to the fullest advantage and ask any and all questions," Odom said.
One of the alums, Kristen Spirko, '09, is an Account Executive at Taylor and is currently enrolled in the Marist Integrated Marketing Communications Graduate Program (expected to graduate summer 2014).
Spriko was pleased with the turnout of the event and how prepared the students were.
"I'm always impressed by Marist students, and this was no exception. Students came prepared with printed resumes and business cards, and most importantly, lots of questions. You could really appreciate the strength of the internship program at Marist in speaking with these students, who were eager, professional and enthusiastic about the opportunity," Spirko said.
Spirko said that networking is so important in communications fields, especially for college graduates.
Marist has a really unique alumni network that is so important to tap into. It is great that Marist is guiding student in making these connections, and it is the responsibility of those in attendance to follow-up with alumni to build the relationship further," Spirko said.
After collecting anonymous surveys from the participating students, McNulty said that most of them found the event to be very helpful.
"We received a grumble or two about the late bus, but most alumni said they thought the students were serious and well-prepared. Most students said they connected directly with specific alum and plan to stay in touch - and that's what we want," McNulty said.
Networking events like this one will occur annually.
Personally, I find networking events the perfect opportunity to introduce myself face-to-face with alumni who I admire. I keep in touch with all connections because you never know when one might think of you when a position opens, or who else they can introduce you to.
When asked what is your advice that you gave to students at the event, Spriko said:
1. Create your elevator pitch: Be able to market yourself in 30-seconds or less. Sometimes that's all the time you'll have.
2. Create professional profile to bring on informational interviews. The top half should be an abbreviated resume, and the bottom half should be a list of companies/agencies you are interested in working for. Present that, along with your full resume, at informational interviews to give networker a better idea of the industries you're interested in and prompt him/her to bridge introductions to additional professionals. I learned this tip from Marist alum, Stan Phelps, and it works like a charm!
3. Use LinkedIn. If you see a job post online that you're interested in, check if you have any LinkedIn connections. Changes are you will, and you can then ask your closest connection to do a formal introduction. This opens up the opportunity to submit your resume through a current employee, which is likely to get much more attention that one sent along with a hundred others online.
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Five (5) good reasons to hire a bookkeeper:
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- 3) I do not know when my HST return is due,
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- 5) I received a letter from the CRA, why?


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After winning the heart of the nation in this year's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of here, David Haye has now set his sights on becoming the next Vinnie Jones, by planning to conquer America!
The former World Boxing Association heavyweight champ has even decided to go back to school in the New Year in order to take acting classes so that he has a better chance of getting big parts when he makes the move, the Sun newspaper reports!
After his stint in the jungle, in which he came a respectable third, we know that David isn't the type to do anything by half, and this new project is no exception.
Speaking to the publication, he explained: "I've always said within five years I want to be a well- established actor. You always have to have a plan. If you don't have a plan, where are you gonna go?
"Five years is a long time, but you have to put your foot down.
"I'm going to be starting acting lessons soon, in 2013. I'll put my heart and soul into becoming the best actor I can be, like I did with boxing.
"You can't expect not to train then become world champion, just like you can't expect not to train as an actor and become a great actor."
David, who kept us all glued to our telly-boxes with his naked shower scenes in the jungle, admitted that he has even been sent scripts, but none that have appealed to him so far:
"I've already talked to a few big movie producers. I don't want to say too much about it but I have had a few offers to do different things. Nothing has been right for me yet."
On the subject of previous sportsman-turned-actor's, he commented:
"The Rock did it, even Jason Statham — he used to be a diver — so he comes from sport as well and they're all brilliant actors. Particularly The Rock.
"What these guys are doing is transcending from one sport to another or one field to another.
"I'd love that challenge — to be the best in one field then try to go and do the same in another field."
Whatever film he does end up accepting, there will be a far few female fans going along to watch it, of that you can be sure – David may well be the action film compromise husbands across the country have been waiting for!
Watch David's I'm A Celeb exit interview in the clip below:


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Hey guys, I took my pooch into the vet yesterday for a little kennel cough that he got at the dog park. While i was there i asked for an estimate to get his hips and elbows OFA ed. So they give me this estimate of $560-$620. I thought that this was a little high, but i realize that the vet i go to is always a little higher than other places, but i don't care, i like the care and advice that i get from them.
So last night at my skeet league shoot, I asked some friends of mine who train and breed, where they get there OFA tests done. They gave me a name of a vet. I called them this morning and got a quote over the phone. $208, and i will talk to the on site OFA certified x ray tech the very same day and get the results.
Now this other vet clinic is a 1.5 hr drive one way. so it is out of the way. but it will be well worth it. If it was a hundred dollar difference i wouldn't probably drive that far.
So now i wonder how much i am getting ripped off from my vet. :pissed: We take 3 cats and a dog in there and i am thinking of getting another dog. If i give them an extra $50 or $100 a frikin animal I would be getting hosed. :pissed:
So i will start to look around a little bit. Just wanted to share. I think some people wouldn't get their dogs hips tested if the cost was that much money, and instead just go ahead and bread there dog without the OFA.


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Honda CRX Problems
RepairPal has identified the most common problems with the Honda CRX based on complaints from actual vehicle owners. We'll tell you what the problem is and what it'll take to fix it.
The camshaft seal, located at the end of the cylinder head, has a reputation for failure on the 1990-1991 Honda CRX.
This seal wraps around the camshaft to prevent engine oil from leaking where the camshaft exits the cylinder head.
Replacing the leaky seal requires timing belt removal, so timing belt and water pump may be recommended if your vehicle is near the service interval.
The Honda CRX 1.5L and 1.6L commonly have radiator leaks after many years of normal operation. The leak starts small, but may cause:
The coolant leaking can have a severe effect on your vehicle if left in disrepair. If the radiator is diagnosed as the leaky part, it will need to be replaced, or resealed if that is an option.
Note: coolant is toxic to animals, but tastes sweet. Any coolant spills should be cleaned to protect animals and children.
The 1990-1991 Honda Civic CRX has a known issue with ignition distributor shaft bearing failure, which causes:
The ignition system uses the distributor to send high voltage electricity to the spark plugs at the right time. It accomplishes this timing mechanically by a shaft, which connects the crankshaft and ignition distributor, so they spin at the same rate. That shaft, part of the distributor, rests in a bearing inside the distributor.This bearing, the distributor shaft bearing, is known for failing, and allowing the shaft to move slightly.
As the bearing fails, it allows the shaft to move away from the shaft seal, and oil pours into the distributor cap, causing misfires.
The play in the shaft can also cause contact with the crankshaft position sensor, causing a no start problem.
Total bearing failure will be most evident from the grinding noise that changes with engine speed, and oil in the ignition distributor cap.
If the bearing is making noise, driving or running the vehicle can result in catastrophic engine failure.
To correct this issue, the ignition distributor and shaft must be replaced. Any damage to the crankshaft position sensor will necessitate replacement as well.
The 1990-1991 Honda CRX has a known issue with engine oil leaking from the ignition distributor shaft seal.
Leakage from the shaft seal coats the electrical components of the distributor with engine oil causing:
Cleaning the distributor cap and rotor can help or resolve driveability issues temporarily, but the mentioned issues will return shortly.
Once this issue is diagnosed, the ignition distributor shaft seal must be replaced, and the distributor shaft bearing must be inspected.
The front brake rotors can warp and cause a vibration when braking. The rotors will need to be machined or in cases where they are worn to thin, replaced to correct this issue.
Plugged moon roof drains can cause a water leak inside the car, usually over the head of the driver or passengers head when turning a corner. Cleaning the drains will fix this problem.
An oil leak at the spark plug area (spark plug tubes) can be caused by a failing valve cover sealing rubber and/or camshaft holder o-ring. The sealing rubber and o-ring will need to be replaced to address this issue.


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Had really great skin before the peel which I got compliments on all the time. Decided to treat myself to a peel because I'm turning 40 soon and had a baby last year. Well, had a HORRIBLE reaction to this peel. 7 days after developed dermatitus and had an itchy rash all over my face. I wanted to rip my face off it was so bad. I've since spent hundreds of dollars at dermatologist to help me clear up the bright red blotches and breakouts all over my face. Yep, this peel gave me acne. I've done all sorts of glycolic peels, microdermabrasion, etc with excellent results. Not this one. Still recovering and depressed about the whole thing. It was administered by a well known plastic surgeon - I didn't do it myself. It was a TCA 30%. If you want to take the chance then good luck! I wish I'd never, ever messed with it! So mad!
Is It Worth It? NO! NO!! NO!!! - Los Angeles, CA
Had really great skin before the peel which I got...
Picture added below.
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- 5 Rocket Stocks for Gluttonous Turkey Day Gains
- Time to Sell These 5 'Toxic' Stocks
- 5 Earnings Short-Squeeze Plays
- 5 Must-See Charts
- 5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying
5 Rocket Stocks to Buy for August - 32365 views
BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- It looks like the biggest black cloud over investors' heads could be about to blow away.
Congress is a few hours away from voting to resolve the debt crisis situation, a looming problem that's been the single biggest deterrent to buying pressures on Wall Street for the last several weeks. This morning, stocks are kicking off the week on a strong note for a change. It's a welcome move given the 3.92% slide that the S&P 500 took in the last week.
As earnings continue to best analyst expectations this quarter, August may be a distinctly bullish month for investors. To take full advantage, we're turning to a new set of Rocket Stock plays.
For the uninitiated, Rocket Stocks are our list of companies with short-term gain catalysts and longer-term growth potential. To find them, I run a quantitative screen that seeks out stocks with a combination of analyst upgrades and positive earnings surprises.
More From Stockpickr
It's a strategy that's been working out pretty well. In the last 114 weeks, Rocket Stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 by a very material 79.9%.
With that, here's a look at this week's Rocket Stocks.
Despite numerous false starts for the market in 2011, fast food giant McDonald's (MCD) is still having a solid year for shareholders. The company's stock is up 12.7% since the first trading day of January, vs. less than 3% gains from the S&P 500. With another quarter of strong sales ringing in at the end of July, now looks like a solid time to pick up shares of this stock.
McDonald's was a shining star during the recession because its low price and innovative, higher-end offerings made the firm a viable substitute for more expensive dining options as consumer purse strings tightened. And while most food companies have been sacrificing margins amid rising food costs, McDonald's wasn't one of them. In fact, the company managed to dramatically expand its profitability in the last few years, bringing its net margins consistently above 20%.
>>Get an edge on the market with TheStreet's FREE financial analysis and stock market newsletters.
As the world's largest restaurant chain, McDonald's has scale and efficiency advantages that can't be matched by smaller competitors. Because four-fifths of the firm's restaurants are owned by franchisees, the company is able to generate consistent franchise and rent revenues that aren't beholden to economic conditions, and can flow almost straight to McDonald's bottom line.
A nearly 3% dividend yield makes McDonald's even more attractive right now. The stock is one of the Dividend Aristocrats, having raised its dividend every year for at least 25 years.
McDonald's is also one of TheStreet Ratings' top-rated restaurant and hotel stocks.
Analyst sentiment has also been on the upswing for shares of health insurer Cigna (CI) in recent months. The company provides health coverage to around 11 million members, in addition to a more mainline insurance business. While the mainline business does add some complexity that peers don't have, it also helps protect Cigna's income statement from the potential effects of health-care-related legislation.
As one of the nation's largest insurers, Cigna's financial exposure to health care reform measures was largely mitigated by its reliance on large corporations as customers rather than small business members. Because Cigna only acts as an administrator on those plans, the firm is able to collect a fee in exchange for its expertise -- without the added balance sheet risks of insuring those corporations' employees.
In the health insurance business, size isn't only important for customers; it's also crucial for insurers. After all, Cigna's size has a big impact on its ability to negotiate with health care providers, who provide their services at a preset rate to Cigna members. Even though Cigna is on the smaller end of the large insurers, the firm certainly has the scale to negotiate rates effectively. Investors should watch for Cigna's earnings on Aug. 4.
Cigna, one of TheStreet Ratings' top-rated health care provider stocks, showed up on a May list of 6 Stocks on Pace to Double This Year.
Apollo Group
Apollo Group (APOL) is the education firm behind the University of Phoenix, one of the largest for-profit schools in the world with around 350,000 enrolled students worldwide. The firm's target demographic is the working adult, a group that's currently underserved by traditional university infrastructure. As a result, Apollo has been able to generate double-digit growth rates in recent years.
Surprising though it may seem, the recession actually provided Apollo with another tailwind as recently unemployed people looked to expand their marketable skills by pursuing a degree. Cheap government funding for education was one of the biggest reasons why the firm was able to drive so many students in the door.
But that may not last long. Significant regulatory pressures are starting to be levied on the for-profit education business, piling on rules that could dramatically reduce the amount of grant funding available to students at a number of these schools. That said, Apollo is probably best positioned to ride out the change right now, and could actually benefit as less legitimate competitors close up shop.
We're betting on shares this week.
Apollo, one of the top holdings of Lee Ainslie's Maverick Capital, shows up on a recent list of 3 Stocks for High Unemployment.
W.W. Grainger
It's been a reasonably strong year so far for maintenance product supplier W.W. Grainger (GWW). Shares of the $10.4 billion firm have rallied more than 7% in 2011 despite the tepid performance being wrung out of the broad market. As economic production continues to move out of synch with the stock market, Grainger should also fare well in the latter half of the year.
With offerings that range from tools to safety gear, Grainger is one of the biggest suppliers of industrial maintenance products in the country. Even so, competition is stiff in this fragmented business, and competitors such as Fastenal (FAST) are similarly appealing to investors. To counter that, Grainger has been working on increasing the number of SKUs in its catalog and widening its reach through direct mail, retail stores and its Web site.
Because Grainger is able to handle the massive logistical challenges of keeping a massive product inventory ready to deliver at a moment's notice, customers are able to rely on the firm to keep them stocked on short notice. That reliance means increased customer stickiness as less direct peers can't compete with Grainger's efficiency or selection. While the maintenance product business is cyclical, Grainger is suited to do well right now.
Grainger, another of the Dividend Aristocrats, is one of TheStreet Ratings' top-rated supplier and distributor stocks.
Oil service giant Halliburton (HAL) has been reaping the benefits of high oil prices this year. High oil means that a greater number of oil wells suddenly become economically viable, which drives demand for oil servicers such as Halliburton. With oil hovering around the triple-digit mark for much of the year, the entire industry is seeing increased profitability.
Because Halliburton has positioned itself as an integrated oil service company, it's been able to expand the amount of work it does for any individual project -- and muscle out less-inventive peers in the process. While integrated oil servicing is working incredibly well for Halliburton domestically, there's still room for the company to grow abroad. That's where investors should set their sights right now.
We're betting on shares as analyst sentiment increases for shares.
Halliburton shows up on recent lists of S&P Stocks Set to Climb and 8 Top-Rated Stocks to Buy.
To see all of this week's sentiment plays in action, check out the Rocket Stocks portfolio at Stockpickr.
-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.
>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts
>>7 Dividend Stocks Shoveling Cash to Shareholders
>>5 Big Stocks to Trade for Gains
Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.
Jonas Elmerraji, based out of Baltimore, is the editor and portfolio manager of the Rhino Stock Report, a free investment advisory that returned 15% in 2008. He is a contributor to numerous financial outlets, including Forbes and Investopedia, and has been featured in Investor's Business Daily, in Consumer's Digest and on MSNBC.com.


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A Dog's One Ear Up One Ear Down
It's adorable I know that, but I wonder why?
I know there are some dog experts out there. Do you know why my little Taffy has this craziness. The weirdest thing, too is the fact that there's hardly any hair on the ear that just stays up and doesn't move. It's a part of her personality and I love it. But I hope it doesn't hurt her. I do notice when she gets angry the ear goes down, but then pops right back up. Just a little "why" moment?
Do cats have this one ear up one ear down..or is it just in dogs? Do you know why?