text:
Wood Flooring
Wood Flooring
Wood is the flooring of choice for most people. Why is it so? It gives the room a rich, elegant and exotic feel. When combined with the right furnishing and plenty of light, there is nothing that can beat the classiness of a wood floor. You want sophisticated elegance and the classiness but not the price tag that comes with it? Not to worry. Engineered and reclaimed wood are viable cheap wood flooring options.
Engineered Wood Flooring
Engineered wood is a blend of hardwood and plywood. It feels like hardwood. It is really a very fine layer or veneer of wood over a substrate of plywood. Engineered wood flooring is less than an inch thick. Installing it over an existing floor does not increase floor height drastically. It saves you the trouble of having to remove the existing floor. This is a good option if you are looking for cheap wood flooring. Most of this kind of cheap wood flooring is installed using the floating method. This means that it is not secured to the substrate below, but merely fitted like puzzles or joined to each other with adhesive. This permits the wood floor to shift with humidity. Installing the cheap wood flooring, a few millimetres away from the wall will ensure this.
Reclaimed Wood Flooring
A reclaimed wood floor is similar to an antique so, it is going to cost you. If you are looking for cheap wood flooring, this is not for you. If, however, it is character you want, a reclaimed wood floor is just the thing for you. As the name implies, reclaimed wood comes from all kinds of sources – an old barn, salvaged logs that sank before reaching the mill a long time ago, wine casks etc. If you are interested in your floors' past, chances are you can get the information. Won't it be amusing to talk to your guests about the history of your wood floor? Whether it is reclaimed or engineered wood you want for your floor, make sure they are hypoallergenic – i.e. they have the least allergy causing components.
There is a wide range of cheap wood flooring designs and styles available in the market. Prior to making a choice, there are several factors that need to be considered. This includes the shape of the room, the area of flooring, type of subfloor, and your choice of pre-finished or unfinished flooring. It would be prudent to compare prices of cheap wooden floors so that you end up with the best deal. There are many websites that offer comprehensive information on cheap wood floors. From old fashioned red and white oak and birch to exotic hardwoods like teak and mahogany, you have an incredible choice of hardwood flooring. Unless you are fairly skilled, it would be prudent to hire a contractor that specializes in hardwood floor installation. This is definitely a much better option than getting it wrong. Before you do hire a professional check out a few contractors in your area and have them give you an estimate after a thorough inspection of your home.


text: SEA FIGHTER NEVADA READY FOR HER TEST - America's Newest Warship Here from the Fore River, Mass., Yards. HAS ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS First of Dreadnoughts to Burn Oil - - Has French Gun-Turret Arrangement. - View Article - NYTimes.com Your browser does not support iframes. Please use this link to view your article: view article.

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[quote:Anonymous Coward 27112745:MV8yMDEzOTI1XzM0MjkxNzg4XzdGMzg0RjAz] This next excerpt goes out to KathyKarlos. It's from the book Prey by Michael Crichton: SCIENTISTS SEE A BAN ON RESEARCH The current American administration has said that embryonic stem cells can be taken from existing research lines, but not from new embryos. Scientists regard existing lines as inadequate, and thus view the ruling a de facto ban on research. That's why they are going to private centers to carry out their research, without federal grants. But in the end, the real problem isn't simply a lack of stem cells. It's the fact that in order to produce therapeutic effects, scientists need each person to have his or her own pluripotent stem cells. This would allow us to regrow an organ, or to repair damage from injury or disease, or to undo paralysis. This represents the great dream. No one is able to perform these therapeutic miracles now. No one even has an inkling how it might be done. But it requires the cells. Now, for newborns, you can collect umbilical cord blood and freeze it, and people are doing that with their newborns. But what about adults? Where will we get pluripotent stem cells? That's the big question. TOWARD THE THERAPEUTIC DREAM All we adults have left is adult stem cells, which can make only one kind of tissue. But what if there were a way to convert adult stem cells back into embryonic stem cells? Such a procedure would enable every adult to have a ready source of his or her own embryonic stem cells. That would make the therapeutic dream possible. Well, it turns out that you can reverse adult stem cells, but only if you insert them into an egg. Something within the egg unwinds the differentiation and converts the adult stem cell back into an embryonic stem cell. This is good news, but it is vastly more difficult to do with human cells. And if the method could be made to work in human beings, it would require an enormous supply of human egg cells. That makes the procedure controversial again. So scientists are looking for other ways to make adult cells pluripotent. It is a worldwide effort. A researcher in Shanghai has been injecting human stem cells into chicken eggs, with mixed results—while others cluck in disapproval. It's not clear now whether such procedures will work. It's equally unclear whether the stem cell dream—transplants without rejection, spinal cord injuries repaired, and so on—will come true. Advocates have made dishonest claims, and media speculation has been fantastical for years. People with serious illnesses have been led to believe a cure is just around the corner. Sadly, this is not true. Working therapeutic approaches lie many years in the future, perhaps decades. Many thoughtful scientists have said, in private, that we won't know whether stem cell therapy will work until 2050. They point out that it took forty years from the time Watson and Crick decoded the gene until human gene therapy began. A SCANDAL SHOCKS THE WORLD It was in the context of feverish hope and hype that Korean biochemist Hwang Woo-Suk announced in 2004 that he had successfully created a human embryonic stem cell from an adult cell by somatic nuclear transfer—injection into a human egg. Hwang was a famous workaholic, spending eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, in the lab. Hwang's exciting report was published in March 2005 inScience magazine. Researchers from around the world flocked to Korea. Human stem cell treatment seemed suddenly on the verge of reality. Hwang was a hero in Korea, and appointed to head a new World Stem Cell Hub, financed by the Korean government. But in November 2005, an American collaborator in Pittsburgh announced that he was ending his association with Hwang. And then one of Hwang's co-workers revealed that Hwang had obtained eggs illegally, from women who worked in his lab. By December 2005, Seoul National University announced that Hwang's cell lines were a fabrication, as were his papers in Science. Science retracted the papers. Hwang now faces criminal charges. There the matter stands. PERILS OF MEDIA HYPE What lessons can be drawn from this?; asked Professor McKeown. ;First, in a media-saturated world, persistent hype lends unwarranted credulity to the wildest claims. For years the media have touted stem cell research as the coming miracle. So when somebody announced that the miracle had arrived, he was believed. Does that imply there is a danger in media hype? You bet. Because not only does it raise cruel hopes among the ill, it affects scientists, too. They start to believe the miracle is around the corner—even though they should know better. What can we do about media hype? It would stop in a week, if scientific institutions wanted that. They don't. They love the hype. They know it brings grants. So that won't change. Yale, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins promote hype just as much as Exxon or Ford. So do individual researchers at those institutions. And increasingly, researchers and universities are all commercially motivated, just like corporations. So whenever you hear a scientist claim that his statements have been exaggerated, or taken out of context, just ask him if he has written a letter of protest to the editor. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, he hasn't. Next lesson: Peer review. All of Hwang's papers in Science were peer-reviewed. If we ever needed evidence that peer review is an empty ritual, this episode provides it. Hwang made extraordinary claims. He did not provide extraordinary evidence. Many studies have shown that peer review does not improve the quality of scientific papers. Scientists themselves know it doesn't work. Yet the public still regards it as a sign of quality, and says, This paper was peer-reviewed,' or ;This paper was not peer-reviewed,' as if that meant something. It doesn't. Next, the journals themselves. Where was the firm hand of the editor of Science ? Remember that the journal Science is a big enterprise—115 people work on that magazine. Yet gross fraud, including photographs altered with Adobe Photoshop, were not detected. And Photoshop is widely known as a major tool of scientific fraud. Yet the magazine had no way to detect it. Not thatScience is unique in being fooled. Fraudulent research has been published in theNew ABC England Journal of Medicine, where authors withheld critical information about Vioxx heart attacks; in theLancet, where a report about drugs and oral cancer was entirely fabricated—in that one, 250 people in the patient database had the same birth date! That might have been a clue. Medical fraud is more than a scandal, it's a public health threat. Yet it continues. THE COST OF FRAUD The cost of such fraud is enormous,; McKeown said, estimated at thirty billion dollars annually, probably three times that. Fraud in science is not rare, and it's not limited to fringe players. The most respected researchers and institutions have been caught with faked data. Even Francis Collins, the head of NIH's Human Genome Project, was listed as co-author on five faked papers that had to be withdrawn. ;The ultimate lesson is that science isn't special—at least not anymore. Maybe back when Einstein talked to Niels Bohr, and there were only a few dozen important workers in every field. But there are now three million researchers in America. It's no longer a calling, it's a career. [b]Science is as corruptible a human activity as any other. Its practitioners aren't saints, they're human beings, and they do what human beings do—lie, cheat, steal from one another, sue, hide data, fake data, overstate their own importance, and denigrate opposing views unfairly. That's human nature. It isn't going to change.[/b] [/quote]
Original Message
In our EU, the usual nearer and stronger EM forces of the sun keep us oriented--usually.
However as we approach galactic center, the forces there are so strong that we tilt even moreso sometimes (given whatever conditions we pass through at any given time), giving that mushroom smoking Cat like grin to the moon we witness, sometimes, even out of season.
Not to mention the polar disarray the sun is also going through not only with its own solar cycles (of which are bad enough), but--again--approaching galactic center.
These are signs of our impending pole shift.
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|CD burner that Just Works
|Florin Andrei
|Wed, 22 Dec 2004 10:34:59 -0800
Well, K3B is nice and all, but it's a KDE application. While there's nothing wrong with KDE per se, if you're using Gnome there's a noticeable delay before starting any KDE application, while all those components get initialized and so on. Plus, while most applications work flawlessly in their native environment, there are all kinds of strange bugs that get uncovered when using them in other environments (this goes for both KDE and Gnome apps). In fact, K3B is the only KDE application that must be used on a Gnome desktop currently. All other basic tasks can be accomplished by native applications (or by apps that are merely GTK-based, not full Gnome apps, which is fine). So... how about including Graveman in Fedora? http://scresto.site.voila.fr/gravemanuk.html - It Just Works. - It has a no-nonsense interface that, to me at least, seems much better than any other CD burner for Linux. In fact, i think this is The CD- Burner GUI Metaphor that everyone should look at and learn from. Really. Any "dummy user" could use it, while it does not step on advanced users' toes. - It's GTK-based. Please? -- Florin Andrei http://florin.myip.org/ -- fedora-devel-list mailing list [email protected] http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-devel-list
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I have also placed upon my canvass [Crystal Stone]; her countenance is rather pleasing, which is an uncommon thing amongst the Blackfeet her dress is made of skins, and being the youngest of a bevy of six or eight, and the last one taken under his [the chief's] guardianship, was smiled upon with great satisfaction (Letters and Notes, vol. 1, p. 30, pl. 13).
Painted at Fort Union in 1832. Crystal Stone also appears, full length, in cartoon 39, with her husband.
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Injustice: Gods Among Us
You're browsing the GameFAQs Message Boards as a guest. Sign Up for free (or Log In if you already have an account) to be able to post messages, change how messages are displayed, and view media in posts.
- Boards
- Injustice: Gods Among Us
- Who Deserves It Most? (DLC Characters)
(Notice how NRS actually announced who the FINAL character is?.. Where was Zatanna's annoucement? More DLCs are on the way...)
Anyway, with no biased remarks... ALL FAIRNESS, I'm gonna compare top most requested DLC characters. POSITIVES & NEGATIVES
- RED HOOD (Vigilante--Looks better on Hero Side):
Pros - Skilled combatant with blades and guns. Multiple ninja-like gadgets (shurikens, daggers, smoke pellets, explosive pellets). History with multiple Batman characters for interesting Clash Dialogues.
Cons - Skills, and accessories very similar to Deathstroke and Batman (Duplicates) . Already too many Batman characters. Lacks diversity in roster.
- POISON IVY (Villain):
Pros - Unique abilities to control plant life for multiple purposes. Can use toxins to poison or mind-control victims. Unique history with multiple Batman characters for interesting Clash Dialogues. Adds another female to roster for gender diversity.
Cons - No actual combat skills, relies solely on her powers over plant life. Too many Batman characters.
- STATIC (Hero):
Pros - Different electric abilities bring a little more variety to the roster. Hover disc could be a unique character TRAIT to the roster. Increases racial diversity.
Cons - Characters with electric abilities already on roster, lacks diversity.
- POWER GIRL (Hero):
Pros - Increases gender diversity.
Cons - Powers too similar to Superman, will greatly lack power diversity.
- BLACK MANTA (Villain):
Pros - Increases racial diversity. Excellent combatant. Different array of gadgets and abilities than some other characters in roster, slightly increases power diversity. Commands a legion of soldiers. Would be Aquaman's only personal nemesis. Interesting possible Clash Dialogues with Aquaman.
Cons - ???
- BRAINIAC (Villain):
Pros - Unique telekinetic and telepathic abilities unlike most other characters on the roster, increases power diversity. Unique ability to control technology. Can create and manipulate nanotechnology and multiple advanced gadgets. Can duplicate himself to trick the opponent during combat. Unique possible Clash Dialogues with Superman. Maybe even Zod.
Cons - Some similar abilities to Superman, slightly lacks power diversity. May be too many Superman characters.
- ATROCITUS (Villain):
Pros - Brutal combatant. Increases species/ Lantern diversity. Acid-spewing abilities increase power diversity on roster. Unique possible Clash Dialogue with Green Lantern and Sinestro.
Cons - Red Power Ring unable to form constructs. (Move list may not be too interesting)
I tried to be fair. If this were an official vote, I'd say Black Manta wins by default! LoL
Of course, knowing this species, someone here has to disagree with that. But seriously! I really couldn't think of a negative for Black Manta. Someone give me some...
Buttscratcher! Get ya Buttscratcher here!
Chain_Strike 3 years ago#2
So.....more supes, GL and AM? That's where this is headed....*looks at Zat and MMH* yup.....hyped to hell...but to the community...falls flat.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxyjpeMrnZ1qcq2vho1_500.gif http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxyjpeMrnZ1qcq2vho2_500.gif The Juri Step. See it, love it.
Ace_of_Spades90 3 years ago#3
Well said, man. And I think Black Manta would be a great addition. It would be nice to finally have someone from the Aquaman universe :p
I really want Poison Ivy, too. I know there's too much Batman characters, but her being plant based is something different, and different is always good.
Define what you mean by "Deserves to be in more"
People always use that word when talking about DLC, and it has never made any sense to me.
I don't really like the idea of Red Hood at all as a DLC, from what little I know of him, but that is from purely a gameplay experience point of view, not because someone else "deserves" that slot more then he does.
Are we going by mainstream presence? Or is it by comic appearances? Or is it by character popularity? Or is it by how well a character is written? (Which is subjective BTW, so I don't even know how that would work)
Explain this to me, cause it just don't make sense to me.
Victory does not just mean that I must succeed, but that others must fail
TC9834 posted...
Define what you mean by "Deserves to be in more"
So... Basically, I mean who deserves it as far as awesome gameplay and diversity from characters already in the game. I honestly don't think Red Hood should be in the game AT ALL either!
But as I said, I tried to say this from a non-biased view, and be fair.
Other people who talk about who deserves to be DLC have invalid reasons. Like; Red Hood is just awesome, or he had a movie. Or Power Girl has big boobs.
I tried to be more sophisticated with my reasons. And I did my research. This is as fair as it's gonna get.
And I seriously can't think of anything negative for Black Manta :D
Buttscratcher! Get ya Buttscratcher here!
ConradimusPrime 3 years ago#6
I'd say almost that entire list does not deserve it
Ace_of_Spades90 posted...
Well said, man. And I think Black Manta would be a great addition. It would be nice to finally have someone from the Aquaman universe :p
Black Manta and Poison Ivy are my most wanted also!
Think about it: Male & Female to the roster. Both awesome villains. Both cool characters in general, with their abilities and stuff. Apparently Black Manta has a little super strength also. I see him more as a gadget character tho. But as long as he's in the game, it doesn't matter :D
And thanks
Buttscratcher! Get ya Buttscratcher here!
ConradimusPrime posted...
I'd say almost that entire list does not deserve it
Then who does?
I couldn't even find anything negative for Black Manta :o
Buttscratcher! Get ya Buttscratcher here!
JAD2020 posted...
TC9834 posted...Define what you mean by "Deserves to be in more"
I think what you are trying to say is that these character would be "More interesting" then Red Hood, which I 100% agree, but I don't think they "deserve" the slot more then any other. I agree with the word(s) "More interesting" but not with the word "Deserves" like these characters are somehow "Entitled" that DLC slot.
The only reason why this bothers me is because lots of people seem to slap on that word to characters they WANT in, as if that they are somehow entitled to their personal choices being put in.
Victory does not just mean that I must succeed, but that others must fail
TC9834 posted...
JAD2020 posted...TC9834 posted...Define what you mean by "Deserves to be in more"
But that's exactly why I started this topic... To be more fair, than all these biased people on boards.
In all fairness, whoever has the least negatives up there deserves the spot. And Black Manta has none that I can think of.
And I'll admit, I do want Black Manta for DLC. But if anyone else had less negatives than Black Manta, I'd have to say they deserve the spot instead.
Buttscratcher! Get ya Buttscratcher here!
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Wiersbe Bible Studies Numbers Paperback
Living a Life That Counts for God
by Warren W Wiersbe;
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A Bird's Eye View
Featuring insights from Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe's Be Counted commentary, this eight-week study includes questions + insight
Price and PurchaseOffer price: £3.99 Go to Basket
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Wiersbe Bible Studies Numbers
Full Product Description
The Wiersbe Bible Study Series delivers practical, in-depth guides to selected books of the Bible. Featuring insights from Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe's Be Counted commentary, this eight-week study includes, engaging questions and practical applications that will help you connect God's Word with your life.
Wiersbe Bible Studies Numbers by Warren W Wiersbe was published by David C Cook in February 2014 and is our 36855th best seller. The ISBN for Wiersbe Bible Studies Numbers is 9781434706935.
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Colossians Pb
Details for Wiersbe Bible Studies Numbers
|Page last updated
|15th June 2017
|Author / Artist
|Warren W Wiersbe
|Book Format
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|David C Cook (February 2014)
|Number of Pages
|15 mm
|208 mm
|137 mm
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text:
Food Recovery Network has teamed up Feeding South Florida to host a Thanksgiving Food Drive next week on campus!
Learn more
Learn about UM Dining Sustainability initiatives and tracking record.
For local food lovers and gardeners at UM:
Help get the word out about the UM CommUnity Garden Club new project at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry.
To learn how you can get involved and help growing more local delicious produces,
Visit CommUnity Garden on Facebook
Check this video
Green Catering at UM with InStyle:
InStyle catering can develop and adjust any menu offering to suit your eco-friendly wishes. We offer Wild Salmon, Free range chicken and our produce are all locally grown are just a few sustainable options possible.
We can help build a menu utilizing all our local resources. In addition we can also help reduce the waste generated at your event by using:
- Real China vs. paper/plastic (additional fees apply)
- Bamboo Service ware (additional fees apply)
- Corn based utensils (additional fees apply)
- Recycled or compostable paper goods (additional fees)
- Serving Bulk vs. PC's
- Bulk water vs. Bottled Water
Green your next event, apply to the Green Event Certification program
Learn more
UM DINING is partnering with MIAMI RESCUE MISSION to serve food to the homeless and the needy.
Last year alone, our Dining Halls, our Food Court and Catering services gave 3.5 tons of food to this great organization, the equivalent of 5000 ready to eat meals.
The Miami Rescue Mission Campus has served the homeless and needy since 1922. The administration offices, Center for Men, Center for Women and Children, Jeffrey A. Tew Education Center, Community Activity Center-which provides out of school and summer programs for children, Food Warehouse, Health Clinic, and Thrift Stores are located in a three block area off NW 1st Ave. and NW 20th Street. Learn more
Nutrition Week 2015 - March 30 to April 3
presented by UM Student Health Services, P&A. Herbert Wellness Center, UM Dining, with the participation of Green U
Solar Power Smoothie on the Rock on Thursday 12 pm to 2 pm.
Full Schedule: Learn More
Healthy Organic, Local, Ethical, Seasonal, Fulfilling Food at UM…
Learn more about our Dining Hall's menu sustainability efforts, click here
Every Wednesday from 9 am to 2 pm in the Walkway from UC to Richter Library
Come visit and buy from vendors selling fresh fruit and vegetables, kettle corn, cheeses, and MORE!
NOW AVAILABLE on the Medical Campus:
Vegetarian and Vegan options on campus, here
A flexitarian is someone who actively incorporates meatless meals into his/her diet but isn't necessarily a vegetarian. Our new "Be a Flexitarian" initiative takes steps toward providing healthy meals to our customers while building sustainable communities by offering meat-free meals for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. By making a slight change in our diets and simply eating one meat-free meal a week, we can make an impact on both our health and the environment. How easy is that! Look for the Flexitarian signage in both resident dining facilities and the Hurricane Food Court!
Our 3 hospitals on the Medical campus are serving meals that follow some important sustainability principles:
- Use of local farmers and fair trade practices as much as possible
- Reduce the use of antibiotics in chicken, turkey and pork
- Commit to healthier oceans with sustainable seafood purchasing policies
- Support sustainable agriculture and healthy rural economies
- Promote farm animal welfare with the use of cage-free shell eggs, the elimination of artificial rBGH from milk and yogurt products, and the phase-out of gestation crates for sows.
If you want to learn more about those practices, visit our partner's website
UM Celebrates Healthier Campus Initiative's
Monday, September 21 begins the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA)'s Healthier Campus Initiative #HealthyCampus Week, and the Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center is teaming up with UM Dining, University Communications and other campus departments to highlight and promote UM's health and wellness initiatives. Throughout the week, UM departments will join the #HealthyCampus national conversation on social media to highlight actions taken within the past year to foster and cultivate a healthier UM campus. Learn more
If you are a student, visit our Health and Wellness section of Student Life
Learn abour our Tobacco Free Campus Initiative
For Staff and Faculty, please visit our Well'Canes page
In April, don't miss our Week of Well-Being
University of Miami HR Benefits invites you to celebrate the WEEK of WELL-BEING 2015
The University of Miami's Week of Well-Being features five days of events and activities aimed at transforming the lives of faculty, staff, and students through wellness.
Check the Full Schedule of activities on the 3 campuses
Green U and Earth Learning are proud to partner with HR Benefit to bring you this new workshop:


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The Encoder welcomes any submissions for publication. The intent of this page is to describe the procedure and introduce some guidelines for you to follow when you write your article. You will find it is easy to do, and very rewarding.
The article should be related to robotics, machine control, microcontrollers, sensors, engineering, or otherwise of interest to the SRS membership. If you are unsure about suitability of your idea, send the editor mail with a brief description of the subject (or the complete text if you already have it). We aren't picky, but we would prefer that it is applicable to the group.
Since this is an online publication, hyperlinks and pictures are appreciated. The length of the article isn't a big issue, but pictures should be usable on a computer screen. Size wise, that means less than 480x300 pixels. We can do a thumbnail image if you need. See the section on picture submissions.
This is the easy part. Plain old ASCII text works just fine. Single spaced is preferred, no additional formatting. The editor will take care of formatting the text. Electronic media is preferred, though I do have a scanner if you have something pre-printed.
If you are capable and willing to generate HTML, that would be great. It would be appreciated if you could follow the format of the existing pages in the latest issue. This keeps the appearance of the Encoder uniform. If you have special needs, contact the editor.
Pictures and Diagrams are an important feature for any publication. Online publications have certain needs. A good rule of thumb is that there are two preferred formats for pictures. The best format for photographic pictures is the JPEG format, or .JPG files. The compression offered in a JPEG file is outstanding and most browsers worth owning support this format by default. Other art is commonly put in the .GIF format. (GIF 89a is the current spec). Again, browsers support these.
There are several programs around that support outputting these formats. Most newer (ie post 1994 era) graphics software packages will handle these formats. There are, of course, many other formats that pictures are saved in. I have the ability to convert many of them. If you are unable to generate GIF or JPG files, I can accept files in the following formats:
I can also scan paper diagrams or pictures up to 8.5"x11" if you have hand drawings or other pictures. If you have some other format, you should contact me via email first.
Pictures on the WEB make the material interesting to read. Too many big pictures make it slow to download. There is a happy balance between pictures and time. Plan on your pictures being no bigger than about 480x300. 320x280 is a great size to shoot for. If you have a picture that needs to be bigger, we can generate a thumbnail picture (say a 180x120 version) that is a link to the full sized picture.
Keep that in mind when doing your drawings. I normally scan hand drawings at about 100dpi. This means that each inch of your drawing requires around 100 pixels. A 3.2" drawing is 320 pixels wide. It should be legible at that size. I can vary the DPI, but this is a good rule of thumb to start with. I can resize images as needed.
Somewhere in your text, you should make it obvious which picture is inserted near the text. You can do this by placing a marking in the text, such as "[EDITOR: FIGURE1.GIF GOES HERE] ".
The preferred method is sending it via email to with pictures attached. Each attached picture should be named in such a way that I can easily figure out where your picture belongs.
The second method for transfer is to send me a diskette. I can accept 3.5" HD DOS diskettes, or 5.25" DOS diskettes. I do not have the ability to read MAC files.
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R&D Systems Human VEGF 165 Recombinant Protein
For use in cell or tissue culture applications.
Manufacturer: R&D Systems 293VE001MG/CF
SpecificationsDescription & Specifications
- Source: Spodoptera frugiperda, Sf 21 (baculovirus)-derived, Ala27-Arg191
- Purity: 97%, by SDS-PAGE with silver staining.
- Molecular Weight: 19.2 kDa (monomer)
- Formulation: Lyophilized from a 0.2µm filtered solution in Acetonitrile and TFA with trehalose.
- Entrez Gene ID: 7422
- Regulatory Status: RUO
|Lyophilized from a 0.2μm filtered solution in Acetonitrile and TFA with trehalose.
|19.2 kDa (monomer)
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Florida Wage Garnishment Laws
Florida wage garnishment is a remedy available to creditors: it is a mechanism by which creditors can collect from debtors who do not otherwise pay them. In wage garnishment, a creditor has part of the debtor's wages or salary sent to the creditor to satisfy the debt. It is a powerful remedy in most states, but less so in Florida, due to a unique exemption that protects all income—from any source, in any amount—of the head of a household from garnishment.
Even apart from Florida's head of household exemptions, note that creditors cannot garnish whenever they want—they need to first sue the debtor on the debt and obtain a court judgment in their favor. The judgment establishes the creditor's legal right to the money. (There are a few very limited exceptions, where a win in court in not necessary as a condition precedent to a garnishment, such as garnishment by the IRS.)
Note also that while any money owed as a result of a credit card, promissory note, contractual obligation, etc. is obviously a "debt" for garnishment purposes, so is any money owed as a result of someone's successful lawsuit for damages or injuries arising from an automobile accident, bad home construction, medical malpractice—for garnishment purposes, a "debt" is any sum of money owed due to a legal determination, such as a court judgment. Similarly, while wages and salary are commonly garnished, any money owned by or due to a debtor, which is in a third parties' control, can be garnished.
Florida Garnishment Exemptions and Non-Exemptions
Not all types of income may be garnished—in every state, several (or many) kinds of non-wage, non-salary income are exempt from being garnished. (The fact that money earned by the sweat of someone's brow is never exempt is actually fairly odd when you think about it—does that mean that as a society, we value money earned by honest labor the least?)
- Social Security: in all states, under federal law, Social Security is largely (though not entirely) exempt from garnishment: it can usually only be garnished for child support, alimony, and federal taxes. Florida goes further than the federal requirements, and makes Social Security entirely exempt from garnishment.
- Pensions: not only does Florida protect state worker, as well as teacher, police, and firefighter pensions (like many states), but it also protects any retirement benefits.
- Public benefits or assistance: workers' compensation; unemployment benefits; crime victim compensation; and veteran's benefits. One caveat: for many of these benefits, while garnishment from most creditors (including, for example, credit card issuers) is restricted, garnishment is allowed for child support and/or alimony.
- Insurance and annuities: disability benefits, annuity contract proceeds, and death benefits.
Florida, as can be seen from the above, protects many forms of income, especially retirement income, from garnishment.
In addition, Florida has a very far reaching, very powerful, and unique protection available to the "head of a household"—someone who provides 50% (or more) of the income for at least one dependent. In Florida, the income of the head of a household may not be garnished. (Technically, the first $500 per week of income is absolutely protected; anything over that may be garnished IF the head of the household agrees in writing to garnishment—but how likely is that?)
Florida Maximum Threshold
Subject to the head of household exemption, Florida follows federal law in terms of the maximum amount garnished. Under federal law, the lesser of the following may be garnished:
- 25% of disposable income (total, not per garnishment). For garnishment purposes, disposable income is all the income left after legally required paycheck deductions, such as FICA. No other expenses or deductions are considered—not even the costs of food, shelter, and medical care.
- The amount by which the debtor's weekly income exceeds 30 times the minimum wage
Be aware that the 25% rule is for most debts. A very few debts, such as tax obligations or child support, allow much more of the debtor's income to be garnished.
Florida Statute of Limitations
First, a creditor needs to successfully sue, which means the creditor needs to bring a lawsuit within the statute of limitations (time to sue) for the underlying debt. For the main consumer debts, the limitation periods are:
- Open accounts (credit cards) or oral/verbal contracts: 4 years
- Written contracts: 5 years
Second, after suing and obtaining a judgment, the creditor must look to enforce it, such as by garnishment. A creditor has only 5 years to act if it is a "foreign" judgment (one from a non-Florida court), but 20 years(!) to act on a Florida judgment. That means a creditor can afford to wait until an unemployed or underemployed debtor gets back on his or her feet before looking to garnish wages.
Writ of Garnishment in Florida
Before ever the creditor tries to garnish the debtor's wages the debtor has already had his or her day in court and opportunity to defend him- or herself.
After the judgment has been obtained, the debtor has little involvement in garnishment. The creditor takes the judgment back to court for enforcement. It applies in writing to the court, stating that money is due it pursuant to the judgment; that debtor has not paid and garnishment is believed to be necessary; and that a the "garnishee" is believed to have money available and either belonging to or owed to the debtor (such as debtor's salary or wages), which can be used to satisfy the debt.
Unless there is some either factual inaccuracy or some change in circumstances (e.g. the debtor no longer works for the garnishee; though note that companies may not fire employees just because there is a garnishment against them), the garnishee will almost always be ordered to turn over part of the debtor's income for the creditor's benefit. More on Stopping Wage Garnishment in Florida.
Getting Legal Help
When threatened with garnishment, it's a good idea to seek legal help. There are ways in which to attack a garnishment, such as by challenging the judgment on which it is based. If the judgment had been fully litigated, there is usually little that can be done to challenge it on its "merits"—e.g. to challenge whether it is a valid debt or whether debtor owes the creditor money.
However, if the judgment was rendered improperly, such as by "default" when the debtor never actually received notice of being sued, there may be grounds to have it set aside. Similarly, it may be possible to attack the underlying debt as too old if it had not been litigated in time (based on the statute of limitations).
It may be possible to attack the garnishment itself as too old, but Florida's long statute of limitations for enforcing Florida judgments makes this difficult.
Another possibility is to show that the calculation of the debtor's disposable income is too high, and therefore that the amount garnished has to be reduced. Showing that much of debtor's income comes from exempt sources is a key part of this. Since Florida is at least as generous—if not more—than most other states in regards to exempt types of income, it is a good idea to look into this.
If the debtor has garnishments against him or her for other obligations, such as child support, it might be possible to show that the debtor is already paying as much in total as they could be required.
Finally—and most importantly!—don't forget the head of household exemption. This can protect ALL of a debtor's income from garnishment.
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It's always nice to find free icon packs being shared by generous designers, but let's face it, many of them contain so few icons they can't really be used in any real world projects. For today's roundup post I've scoured the web for the biggest free collections of icons, all containing over 100 designs each. These packs have plenty of images to choose from to represent the various actions in your UI designs.
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Susan S. VanBeuge, NP
Continuing Education Offering: The goal of this article is to educate nurse practitioners about colorectal cancer. Nurse practitioners may obtain 2 contact hours by reading this article and earning a passing score on the test that follows. For immediate test results, take the quiz online at www.advanceweb.com/NP. The author has completed a disclosure statement and stated no real or perceived conflicts of interest.
How to Obtain Contact Hours by Reading This Article
Instructions: Nurse practitioners may receive 2 contact hours by reading the article noted below and earning a passing score on the accompanying quiz. To obtain contact hours:
1. Read the article "Colorectal Cancer. Risk, Screening and Referral," carefully noting the tables and other illustrative materials provided to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the content.
2. Read each question, and record your answers on the registration form provided.
3. Fill out the evaluation portion completely. You will not receive CE credit if this section is not completed.
4. Type or print your full name and address in the space provided on the registration form.
5. Forward the completed registration form with your check or money order for $10.00 payable to Merion Publications, or provide your credit card information. Quizzes are accepted up to 24 months from publication.
Continuing Education Credit: Merion Publications Inc. is approved as a provider of continuing education in nursing (Provider #008-0-07) by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, which is accredited as an approver of continuing education in nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Accreditation, the California Board of Registered Nursing (Provider #CEP 13230) and the Florida Board of Nursing (Provider #CEP 3298). California and Florida participants must retain certificates for 4 years.
You will be advised of your score within 30 to 60 days. A score of 70% or above is passing grade. A certificate will be awarded to participants who pass. Participants who score less than 70% can retest one time for no additional charge. No refunds.
Objectives: The purpose of this article is to educate nurse practitioners about colorectal cancer. After reading this article, the nurse practitioner should be able to:
• identify the most common type of colorectal cancer
• state the ethnic groups at highest risk for colorectal cancer, as well as incidence by gender
• explain how to stratify patients into risk categories
• discuss types of screening methods, prevention and when to refer patients to a specialist.
Directions: On the registration form, check the box next to the best answer.
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and it accounts for approximately 10% of all new cancer diagnoses.1More than 146,000 new cases were diagnosed this year, and an estimated 49,920 deaths occurred as a result of the disease.1
Colorectal cancer occurs in the large intestine and rectum. Most colorectal cancer is adenocarcinoma. Two other common types of adenocarcinoma are mucinous or colloid carcinoma and signet ring cell carcinoma. Less common are squamous cell, adenosquamous and small cell carcinoma. The natural progression of colorectal cancer starts with epithelial dysplasia and is followed by adenomatous polyp, which eventually progresses to adenocarcinoma.2,3
Colorectal cancer does not disproportionately affect a particular gender or ethnic group. Risk for this type of cancer stratifies both sexes and all races. However, race plays an important role in risk.4In both men and women, blacks experience the highest incidence of colorectal cancer by race (Table 1).4
Colorectal cancer risk among men is 6% (1 in 17). Among women, the risk is 5.5% (1 in 18). The risk of death from colorectal cancer among men is 2.29% (1 in 44), and the risk among women is 2.13% (1 in 47).5The incidence of colorectal cancer has decreased steadily over the last 2 decades. This is believed to be a result of increased screening, better awareness and improved removal of precancerous polyps.1Awareness campaigns by public figures have helped increase colorectal cancer screening. After TV news anchor Katie Couric, whose husband died from colorectal cancer, underwent a colonoscopy on live television in March 2000, researchers documented a significant increase in screening.6
Stratifying Risk and Screening
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) published comprehensive guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer in 2004. This document establishes a basic guide for stratifying patients according to risk.7Risk stratification begins with a complete physical examination and history. Include questions about weight loss, anemia and changes in bowel habits. The personal medical history must determine smoking status and history, plus history of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or cancer.8For the family history, ask about colorectal cancer, adenoma, and genetic syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). The answers to these questions determine stratification into risk groups (Table 2).
Average-risk patients who are older than 50 and present without symptoms or personal or family history of colorectal cancer should be offered screening. Several modalities are available to screen for colorectal cancer. The American College of Gastroenterologists recommends colonoscopy as the primary screening tool, but other organizations are not as specific.9Clinical guidelines based on a systematic review of data from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force provide plentiful information on colorectal cancer screening choices.10Screening tests for colorectal cancer include fecal tests, fecal guiac, fecal DNA, computed tomography (CT) colonography (virtual colonoscopy), flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy.11-14
Patients considered at increased risk should begin screening colonoscopy by age 40. Patients who have a personal history of adenomas fall into two categories and screening is recommended as follows:
• adenoma less than 1 cm and fewer than one or two polyps, colonoscopy every 5 years
• adenoma greater than 1 cm and more than three adenomas, colonoscopy every 3 years.
Patients with a personal history of colorectal cancer should have colonoscopy annually. If the results are clear, it is appropriate to schedule colonoscopy every 3 to 5 years as long as results are normal.7,8
Patients at high risk include people with inflammatory bowel disease or genetic syndromes linked with colorectal cancer risk. These genetic syndromes include FAP, HNPCC, Lynch syndrome, Muir-Torre syndrome and Turcot syndrome. Genetic syndromes account for 1% to 3% of all colon cancers in the United States.15
Patients who are identified as high risk should be referred to gastrointestinal specialists for close observation and surveillance. For patients with HNPCC, screening often begins between the ages of 20 and 25. For patients with FAP, screening may begin as early as age 12.15
Types of Screening Methods
Within the gastroenterology community, screening choice is a subject of debate. The AGA has taken the position that many tests can effectively screen for colorectal cancer.7That said, use screening tests that best meet each patient's needs (Table 3).
This section provides a brief review of available screening tests - enough to make appropriate decisions according to evidence-based practice and the needs of individual patients. Screen all patients for colorectal cancer on an ongoing basis.
Fecal testing for colorectal cancer screening encompasses three types: traditional fecal occult blood test (FOBT), fecal immunochemical and DNA fecal markers. In hemoccult testing, the patient uses a collection kit to perform testing on three stool samples. Dietary restrictions are in place at the time of testing. The patient mails the completed cards or submits them to a local lab for analysis of hemoccult blood.10FOBT has a high false-positive rate, but it is used on a widespread basis to screen for colorectal cancer in primary care settings. Detection rates range from 25% to 90%.1sup>2
Positive results on FOBT are reported as 2% to 9% in the general population, with approximately 5% of these patients having colorectal cancer. But 30% of these patients may have precursor adenomas or precancerous tissues detected with follow-up of the positive FOBT.11,12In one study, patients who demonstrated a positive FOBT and underwent further testing with full colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy were diagnosed with less serious conditions or had normal findings.11This type of testing is common in primary care and is effective if used correctly. FOBT is considered a highly accurate marker of colorectal cancer presence.11,12Patients who have a positive FOBT are automatically referred for colonoscopy.
Immunochemical fecal testing requires two stool samples and does not impose dietary restrictions. Four types of immunochemical fecal testing are available, and three are approved for use in the United States. Positive test results require full colonoscopy.7,10
DNA fecal testing identifies any of 21 DNA markers in a stool sample. Fecal samples are analyzed similarly to traditional FOBT. In a 2004 study, FOBT and DNA fecal testing were compared in average-risk patients older than 50.13DNA testing was superior to traditional FOBT in detecting high-grade dysplasia and advanced neoplasia. Findings were subsequently confirmed with traditional colonoscopy.13Virtual or CT colonography has gained more acceptance as a colon cancer screening test. CT colonography is essentially an x-ray of the colon. Patients must do a complete bowel preparation (evacuation) for this test, which is performed only at a radiology center. The procedure takes approximately 15 to 25 minutes and requires the patient to lie flat and change positions on the table at various times during the procedure. A disadvantage of this procedure is that traditional colonoscopy must be initiated if polyps or other pathology are noted. Another disadvantage is that smaller, flat lesions and polyps less than 6 mm are often missed on this type of study.9,14
Flexible sigmoidoscopy examines the descending colon. The AGA recommends combining flexible sigmoidoscopy with FOBT for screening. Flexible sigmoidoscopy can be performed after a simple bowel preparation (enema) and can be done in the office with little or no sedation. FOBT must be completed prior to the procedure, because positive results would prompt a full colonoscopy rather than flexible sigmoidoscopy.9
Colonoscopy is commonly used as a screening tool for colorectal cancer. The AGA recommends offering screening every 10 years to patients 50 and older. This method of screening provides full evaluation of the entire colon as well as the ability to remove polyps and take biopsies of identified flat lesions or suspicious areas.9 nesthesia is required, which presents some risk to patients. The procedure also requires complete bowel preparation. Visualization of the entire colon can be hampered by poor bowel preparation and navigation of the colon itself. However, colonoscopy is the preferred method for screening of patients who are good candidates for it, and it is required for patients who are at risk or who have had positive screening results on lesser tests such as FOBT.9
Prevention of colorectal cancer begins early in adult life. Three approaches are effective: lifestyle modifications, early detection and screening, and chemoprevention (Table 4).7.9.16
Specialist Referral
Patients should be referred to GI specialists in particular circumstances, including the following:
• risk stratification results
• positive screening test results
• age older than 50
• presence of identified genetic family history patterns.
In addition, any patient who presents with GI bleeding, positive FOBT, hematochezia, iron deficiency anemia, unexplained weight loss, or melena with a negative esophogastroduodenectomy should be referred to a GI specialist for colonoscopy without delay. Regardless of age, patients who are stratified at high risk require automatic referral to a GI specialist for regular monitoring.7,9,10
Putting It Into Practice
Numerous tools are available to assist in improved diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The American Cancer Society provides a free tool at www.cancer.gov/colorectalcancerrisk. The tool was updated this year to be more inclusive of various races.17This user-friendly assessment tool helps determine risk and can be used as a teaching method for reducing risk.
As with any screening, options must be presented in a way that will meet individual needs. Risk stratification should be made through careful and thorough history taking and physical examination at regular intervals. Screening can only be effective if it takes place, regardless of the modality used. Open communication about risks and benefits is the most useful strategy.
1. Cancer Facts and Figures 2009. American Cancer Society. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/500809web.pdf. Accessed Aug. 27, 2009.
2. National Cancer Institute. Colon and Rectal Cancer. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/colon-and-rectal. Accessed Aug. 27, 2009.
3. Jennings-Dozier K, Mahon SM. Cancer Prevention, Detection, and Control: A Nursing Perspective. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Oncology Nursing Society; 2002.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Cancer Statistics. Available at: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/Table.aspx?Group=TableAll&Year=2005&Display=n. Accessed Aug. 27, 2009.
5. Lifetime probability of developing or dying from cancer. National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Database. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_Lifetime_Probability_of_Developing_or_Dying_From_Cancer.asp?sitearea=&level. Accessed Aug. 27, 2009.
6. Cram P, et al. The impact of a celebrity promotional campaign on the use of colon cancer screening: the Katie Couric effect. Arch Int Med. 2003;163(13):1601-1605.
7. Burt RW, et al, eds. Preventing Colorectal Cancer: A Clinician's Guide. Bethesda, Md.: American Gastroenterological Association; 2004.
8. CRICO/RMF Colorectal cancer screening algorithm. Available at: http://www.rmf.harvard.edu/files/documents/RMFCRC.pdf. Accessed Aug. 27, 2009.
9. Rex DK, et al. American College of Gastroenterology Guidelines for Colorectal Cancer Screening 2008. Amer J Gastroenterol. 2009;104:739-750.
10. Whitlock EP, et al. Screening for colorectal cancer: a targeted updated systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149(9):638-658.
11. Jimbo M, et al. Effectiveness of complete diagnostic examination in clinical practice settings. Cancer Detect Prev. 2006;30(6):545-551.
12. Schoen RE. The case for population-based screening for colorectal cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2002;2(1):65-70.
13. Imperial TF, et al. Fecal DNA versus fecal occult blood for colorectal cancer screening in an average-risk population. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(26):2704-2714.
14. Nelson NJ. Virtual colonoscopy accepted as primary colon cancer screening test. J Natl Cancer Instit. 2008;100(21):1492-1499.
15. Halbert CH, et al. Colon cancer screening practices following genetic testing for hereditary nonpolypsis colon cancer (HNPCC) mutations. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164(17):1881-1887.
16. Boursi B, Arger N. Current and future strategies in colon cancer prevention and the emerging role of chemoprevention. Curr Pharm Des. 2007;13(22):2274-2282.
17. Colon cancer risk assessment tool. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/colorectalcancerrisk./ Accessed Aug. 27, 2009.
18. American Cancer Society. Detailed Guide: Colon and Rectum Cancer. Can Colorectal Polyps and Cancer be Found Early? Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_Can_colon_and_rectum_cancer_be_found_early.asp. Accessed Aug. 27, 2009.
Susan VanBeuge is a family nurse practitioner who is on faculty at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. She practices part time in an endocrinology practice and is pursuing a doctorate in nursing practice at the University of Utah.
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How to keep score
A guide for students to understanding scaling and ENTER scores.
The VCE was developed, and is managed, by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) through Victorian secondary schools. The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) administers the tertiary application and selection process and ensures that course selection officers are given all the necessary information to select applicants.
As part of the statement of results sent to you from the VCAA, a study score between 0 and 50 is issued for each study completed (where both work requirements and assessment tasks have been completed). A study score provides an indication of your performance in each study but does not provide an indication of your overall performance compared with all students across all studies.
To assist tertiary institutions and provide an overall measure of the performance of all students across all studies, VTAC scales the study scores (to produce ENTER subject scores) and calculates the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER).
Scaling is done annually. It adjusts study scores based on the overall VCE performance of all students taking that study in that year. Using the ENTER guarantees that all studies are treated equally and provides a common rank for tertiary selection across Australia.
The following explanation will assist you in understanding how your ENTER has been calculated. For a detailed explanation of the scaling and ENTER calculation process, please refer to the publications The ABC of Scaling and ENTER into Tertiary Study available at www.vtac.edu.au and follow the Publications and Statistics link.
Tertiary selection
The ENTER is developed as one tool for the purposes of tertiary selection only. It is not a reflection of your performance in individual studies but of your overall performance in all of your studies compared with all other VCE students.
Applicants for tertiary courses are sorted so that the best-performing students can be selected. In a typical year, approximately 85 per cent of all university courses use the ENTER as the sole method of selection. The other courses may use the ENTER and one or more criteria (including interviews, folio, additional forms).
Many people believe that being awarded the VCE and "getting a good ENTER" is enough to ensure tertiary selection, however before being considered for a course you must also satisfy institutional requirements and course requirements such as VCE prerequisites or "extra requirements", both of which are listed under course entries in the VTAC guide.
Why are VCE results scaled?
VCE results are scaled because individual study scores are not an absolute measurement of overall performance.
On behalf of tertiary institutions, VTAC combines study scores to form an aggregate, which is then converted into a rank called the "ENTER".
Before study scores can be fairly added together they have to be compared and adjusted. This is because students take different combinations of VCE studies and VTAC can only legitimately add study scores if the strength of competition in each study is about the same. Scaling overcomes this difficulty and ensures that each study contributes equally to the ENTER (that is an ENTER subject score of 25 in English is equivalent to an ENTER subject score of 25 in psychology.)
You can see your performance within each study and how you rank for tertiary selection compared with others.
How is scaling carried out?
Study scores are adjusted (and the strength of competition in a study is judged) by looking at the total performance of students taking that study. This comparison is carried out for each VCE study and VCE VET program for which there is a study score. There are no predetermined outcomes, and in the first instance, all studies, including mathematics and Languages Other Than English (LOTE), are treated identically.
What is the difference between a VCE study score and ENTER subject score?
VCAA normalises study scores using the performance of students within each study. VTAC adjusts study scores by comparing performance across all studies. Once scaled, these scores are called ENTER subject scores. If you do well overall across your studies, it will be reflected in your ENTER.
Mathematics and LOTE
VCE mathematics studies are designed to cater for students of differing abilities and interests. Specialist mathematics is the most difficult, followed by mathematical methods and then further mathematics.
To ensure that students undertaking more difficult mathematics studies are not disadvantaged, mathematical methods is compared to further mathematics and adjusted up as necessary (scores in mathematical methods (CAS) are adjusted to be consistent with those in mathematical methods). Specialist mathematics is compared to mathematical methods and adjusted up as necessary.
Languages Other Than English (LOTEs)
As a result of government policy to encourage the study of LOTEs, the mean of each LOTE is adjusted up by adding five to the ENTER subject score mean. This does not imply that all LOTE students receive an increase of five ENTER points. For each LOTE the scaled mean equals "normal" scaled mean plus five. In general all students of a LOTE receive an adjustment, but it is not a uniform adjustment. For example, a student achieving a perfect study score of 50 is guaranteed an ENTER subject score of 50, with the maximum ENTER subject score only going above 50 when the scaled mean plus twice the scaled standard deviation exceeds 50.
What happens as a result of scaling?
Some scores in some studies are adjusted up, some down, and some remain about the same - this is a reflection of the overall strength of the group taking each study. Studies are scaled up when the overall performance is high and scaled down when the performance is low. If competition is high within a study - you can expect to receive a lower VCAA study score - scaling by VTAC ensures this is adjusted up. If competition is low within a study - you can expect to receive a higher VCAA study score - scaling by VTAC ensures this is adjusted down.
Across all studies, your ENTER subject scores can therefore be expected to be more uniform than your VCAA study scores.
Calculating the ENTER
The rank order developed by VTAC using VCE results is based on a total of ENTER subject scores. The aggregate is developed by adding:
The Primary Four: The ENTER subject score in English, ESL, Literature or English Language; plus the next best three permissible ENTER subject scores (maximum of two VET ENTER subject scores); plus
The increment(s): Ten per cent of any fifth and/or sixth permissible ENTER subject score that is available.
Candidates are ranked in order of these aggregates. Ranking is undertaken among the relevant age group, using a process approved by state and federal ministers of education (rather than being restricted to successful VCE candidates). In Victoria, this ranking is referred to as the ENTER. The ENTER is an overall percentage ranking (calculated in steps of 0.05) reflecting comparative performance across a relevant age group in a given year. The highest rank is 99.95, the next-highest 99.90, and so on. The lowest automatically reported rank is 30.00, with ranks below 30.00 being reported as "less than 30". In calculating the ENTER, a number of factors are taken into account. These factors are considered when the initial aggregate (total) is developed and take the form of additional studies and forbidden combinations.
How does an aggregate become an ENTER?
Until 2004, the highest percentage rank was 99.95 and the lowest was 0.00. There were 2000 ranks used between 99.95 and 0.00, in steps of 0.05. About 20 students were allocated each rank (fairly evenly) from top to bottom. The top 20 (approximately) students with the highest aggregates (usually above 210) were allocated a percentage rank of 99.95, the next 20 with aggregates slightly lower, were allocated 99.90, and so on.
From 2005, the percentage ranks that sit behind the ENTER will no longer be in steps of 0.05. However, the ENTER will still be in steps of 0.05. This change will minimise the bunching of students on any one particular rank.
An aggregate is created for every current VCE student who has sufficient studies in the appropriate combinations. Each year there are about 40,000 students who are eligible and receive an ENTER. Once the aggregate has been determined, it is converted into a percentage rank.
Example: An aggregate of 144.40 in 2003 was assigned a percentage rank of 71.55. In order to compare the ranks across years and states, the percentage rank is converted to an ENTER (rank within the whole age group - not just those students who stayed at school to complete the VCE). The conversion is based on a methodology approved by both state and federal ministers for education.
The percentage rank of 71.55 was converted to an ENTER of 79.75.
Remember, there is no pass or fail ENTER. Every VCE student who receives an ENTER has successfully completed the VCE. An ENTER of 50 is not the pass rank, nor is it the average rank. An ENTER of 50 means you have performed better than 50 per cent of the state group.
Debunking the myths
For whatever reason, there are many stories surrounding the scaling of VCE studies. With students about to receive their ENTER, now is an ideal time to look at the facts.
· If you do studies that are scaled up you will automatically get a good ENTER; or
· If you do studies that are scaled down you will get a poor ENTER.
The following two examples demonstrate why this is not so: Sarah has chosen a study that has been traditionally scaled up - Sarah received a VCE study score of 10, which is scaled up to 15. Kris has chosen a study that he is good at. Kris received a VCE study score of 30, it was scaled down to 27.
· The GAT is not and has never been used in scaling or any part of the VTAC selection process for VCE students.
· The study score provided to you by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) reflects your relative position against other students doing that study.
In order to assist selection, institutions require an overall measure of the performance of students undertaking the VCE. Scaling facilitates this process by comparing the performance of students across all of their studies.
· Scaling takes into account any variation in the strength of competition within each study compared with the overall performance of that group of students across all of their studies.
· Mathematics is the only curriculum area of the VCE designed to cater for students of differing abilities and interests. Specialist mathematics is the most difficult, followed by mathematical methods and further mathematics.
To negate any disadvantage, a further adjustment is made to the mean of each mathematics study. This ensures that students take the level of mathematics they will most benefit from without providing a disadvantage to those taking the more difficult studies.
· An additional five points is added to the mean of a Language Other Than English (LOTE). The bonus was implemented as a direct result of a State Government request and does not mean five additional ENTER points. Instead the five is added to the mean and included in the ENTER subject score and is part of the scaling process.
· The perception of some subjects being "soft" has been promulgated by a lack of understanding of the principles of scaling and not by those that developed it.
There are no tricks or easy options. If you do well overall across your studies it will be reflected in your ENTER, irrespective of whether the VCE study score has been scaled up or down.
· There is no pass or fail ENTER. Every VCE student who receives an ENTER has completed the VCE. An ENTER of 50 is not the pass rank, nor the average. An ENTER of 50 means you have performed better than 50 per cent of the state group.
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Property advisory firm
$1.6 billion property empire.
Announcing the withdrawal yesterday, Landmark White said it was "open to further discussion" with Orchard's board "once the support of their financiers is clearer".
Chief executive Brad Piltz said Landmark had not been able to meet with Orchard's bankers to determine their attitude to their proposed deal.
Without bank support – including the lenders' continued backing following any change of control – Landmark's bid could be scuppered.
Orchard's new board took over in April after shareholders turned against former chairman Charles Macek and his co-directors.
The new board is hoping to confirm within days that it has completed the final details of a two-year extension of its facilities with its main lenders, National Australia Bank and Bank of Scotland International.
Even so, Mr Piltz said Orchard would still need to raise fresh equity, either from existing investors or a third party.
"Orchard won't survive without capital raising," he said. "It is unlikely they will be able to raise capital through their existing platform.
Without that, Mr Piltz said, Orchard may be forced into a "slow sell down of its assets".
"We have a plan for unit holders as well as shareholders but we need to be able to engage with the banks. We are reviewing our options."
Orchard shareholders rejected a merger proposal from private equity player Barwon Investment Partners, despite support from the board. The Landmark White deal values Orchard at $8 million.
The Australian Financial Review


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I am not embarrassed to talk about the presence of these things that need fixing or adjusting, mostly because I have a comfort level with the humble nature of our mom-and-pop therapy shop. The families that come to us seem to understand that, I think, because sharing stories about the tribulations of trying to get things done probably resonates with the busy and complicated lives that they are also leading.
The only problem is that I am not a janitor, or even a poor excuse for one. That means that only sometimes I get things right. So I cheered as I won a battle against the broken copier, looked proudly on my successful taming of the broken heating vent - but then I met my match.
I could not repair the broken lighting ballast in the evaluation room.
At first I thought it was just a matter of changing the long fluorescent tubes. That didn't work. Then I thought that perhaps the fuse was tripped down in the basement. That wasn't it. I jiggled things. I poked at things. I avoided electrocuting myself, but I was defeated.
So I did what any good janitor would do: I got another light on a temporary basis until someone who knew what they were doing could intervene.
It looked like a fun option, but I had no idea what a 'hit' it would become. Every child that enters that now (slightly dark) room falls in love with that stupid lamp and they all ask the same thing with a sense of wonderment: "Who brought that lamp here?"
The lamp is taking on mythical qualities. The kids just stare at it in awe. My favorite response came from a little four year old - and there is no way I can capture the cute-ness in written form, but just imagine the most beautiful child in the world staring up at you from knee-height saying from the bottom of their heart, "Oh Dr. Chris. I love your lamp!"
Because I am teaching part time my staff keeps in contact with me via text or email or phone throughout the day when I am at the college. Now the lamp is being incorporated into handwriting practice. I got this letter today:
So the janitor at ABC Therapeutics wants to make a recommendation to all aspiring pediatric private practice owners...
And then tell the janitor not to bother fixing the broken fluorescent lights.
It will make you the most revered occupational therapist in the entire practice.


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The spine of the Appalachian Mountains is being obliterated to gouge out the seams of black coal.
She grew up in Carrollton, a small town in at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in west Georgia.
They were beginning to enter the Appalachian Mountains, and more of natural beauty promised to be visible.
Appalachee Bay and the Appalachian Mountains derive their names from this tribe.
Soils of this kind, which are usually rich, are common in many limestone valleys of the Appalachian Mountains.
All along the Appalachian Mountains the iron has been gathered in beds which are being mined.
And for this you would lose the passing of the Appalachian Mountains!
The Appalachian Mountains should be the western limits of the new nation.
Emigrants from the Eastern states poured over the Appalachian Mountains.
The floods of spring have become worse in late years, because of the destruction of the forest cover in the Appalachian Mountains.
Mountain chain in the eastern United States, extending from the valley of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, to the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama.
Note: Location of the Appalachian Trail, the world's longest continuous hiking path. It extends over two thousand miles from Maine to Georgia.
Note: Historically, the Appalachian Mountains were a barrier to early western expansion. In the early 1840s, railroads began to transport settlers across the mountains, permitting access to the frontier.


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We have a variety of costumes in both design and color for both guys and girls. We have three complete sets (12 costumes each). However, we can rent out individual costumes or any other number that is requested as well. The jewelry and other accessories that usually come along with costumes (except any and all props) is optional. You may request them, but this may change the cost. In general, our rates are flexible and usually depend on the number and style of costumes requested (some costumes have been used more often others).
Please keep in mind that we rent out costumes only to groups and teams in and around the Greater Boston Area.
» If you are interested, please contact us with details of your rental request and we will get back to you.


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battle of the rap/hip-hop acts on the scene since 2000 FINALS
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Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch Review
With the Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch you've got one of the companies most solid deliveries of an Ultrabook-level computer upgraded with Windows 8 and a full 10-point touch display. With this notebook you're going to be working with 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 processor power under the hood, a lovely 13.3 LED HD screen, and a market cost well under a thousand bucks. Sound like a value proposition you'll want to add to your already burgeoning Samsung device collection?


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Overview (3)
|Date of Birth
|16 October 1881, England, UK
|Date of Death
|4 December 1967, Los Angeles, California, USA
|Birth Name
|Sarah Ann Padden
Mini Bio (1)
Sarah Padden was born on October 16, 1881 in England as Sarah Ann Padden. She was an actress, known for Anna Karenina (1935), Hangmen Also Die! (1943) and The Mad Monster (1942). She died on December 4, 1967 in Los Angeles, California, USA.


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Indomethacin, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID), usually provides rapid relief from the symptoms of hemicrania continua. Other NSAIDs, including ibuprofen, celecoxib, and naproxen, can provide some relief from the symptoms. Amitriptyline and other tricyclic antidepressants are effective in some patients.
This answer is based on source information from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.


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Local Tourism Industry Urges: Use Your Vacation Days!
The San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau is marking National Travel and Tourism Week by urging people in San Antonio to use their vacation days.
A proclamation issued by Mayor Castro last night declares next week to be the Salute to Tourism week across the city. 30 million visitors came to San Antonio in 2013, a $12 billion boost to the local economy. Tourism and other hospitality-related enterprises employ 112,000 people in Bexar County.
Richard Oliver of the CVB says the message they want to get out is, most people don't utilize the vacation days they have coming. The average San Antonio worker left 3.2 days of vacation unused last year, and more than 40% of us finished 2013 with unused vacation time.
"If employees would just that one day of earned leave that they left on the table last year, the economy would improve to the tune of $73 billion," Oliver said.
Oliver said the improvement to the mental and physical health of the employees, and to the financial health of this tourism-heavy city would benefit greatly from what the U.S. Travel Association calls the 'Day-Off Dividend.'
"I take a day off, I go down to the Riverwalk, I eat, a tip a cabbie, I go to a restaurant," Oliver said.
Several events are scheduled across the city to mark Travel and Tourism week. Many attractions are offering discounts.


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Here's how far the information technology revolution has gone in eclipsing the auto industry: Toyota just unveiled a futuristic concept car made to look like a giant smartphone.
It's the kind of wacky stuff for which the Tokyo Motor Show, which begins this week, has become known.
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda unveiled the strange little car, the Fun-Vii, which he called "a smartphone on four wheels" at Monday's preview of what Toyota is displaying at the show, the Associated Press reports.
The car is loaded with high-tech features. For instance, it allows drivers to contact their dealers at the touch of a button. You can also change the car's color.
"A car must appeal to our emotions," Toyoda said, using the Japanese term "waku waku doki doki," referring to a heart aflutter with anticipation.
Toyota is also showing an electric vehicle, set for launch in Japan next year, and a tiny version of the hit Prius gas-electric hybrid at the show. We expect that is the Prius c, the small version of the Prius due in the U.S.
Chris Woodyard is an auto writer for USA TODAY who covers all aspects of motoring. He revels in the exhaust note of a Maserati and the sharp creases of a Cadillac CTS. Chris strives to live a Porsche life on a Scion budget. More about Chris


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Your correspondent Martin Togneri appears to concede that Starbucks, Amazon et al are cooking the books in order to make it appear that they are not profitable (Letters, 4 December), but he draws a smokescreen over the main issue.
The executives of these companies are bound by their duty to the shareholders, he tells us, not to pay more tax than they have to.
Indeed every pound paid to the tax man is a pound not available to increase the wages of the warehouse staff. How touching. Mr Togneri does not need to spring to the defence of this pathological sector of society. What is actually meant by "maximising returns while obeying the laws" is in practice "making sure the books are cooked so comprehensively that it confounds public scrutiny".
Cheating the tax man is not a public duty; it is cheating the community: you, me, our children. Large multinationals allocate huge sums to finding ever more sophisticated methods of tax avoidance using accounting specialists with far greater resources than the tax authorities in any one country and the Chancellor has only now woken up to the need to increase HMRC's firepower.
I find it quite shocking how passive we have become that we neglect the really able members of society: our scientists, engineers and craftsmen. We devalue the people who keep health and education and social services going and yet we are supposed to quail at the prospect of some greedy tax consultant threatening to go and live elsewhere if we lift the lid on what he is really doing.
A recent report by the High Pay Centre points out that the pay of the chief executives of UK FTSE 100 companies, now 185 times the average wage, has more than quadrupled from an average of £1 million in 1998 to £4.8m in 2011.
How lucky we are that they still live among us for they pay tax on every penny, are not thinking of emigrating or offshoring and are kind to dogs.
Ian Taylor
Manse Road
Understandably, there is deep public outrage and concern at recent revelations that multinational companies doing successful business in the UK are using tax avoidance measures to pay virtually no corporation tax year after year.
This is an immoral position at any time, let alone at a time when swingeing cuts to public services are under way.
However, a few points need to be clearly understood if we are to make headway on this problem.
Firstly, while Google, Starbucks and Amazon have been "named and shamed", this is not a matter of "a few bad apples". Last year a study of the FTSE 100 companies revealed that only two out of a hundred paid full taxes in the UK.
Secondly, these companies and their mouthpieces will use the defence of international tax treaties that say profits cannot be taxed twice to continue to justify their behaviour.
Thirdly, fake moral outrage and a few more tax inspectors provided by George Osborne and Danny Alexander can, as intended, only have a minimal effect on this corporate national disgrace.
Clear legislation is required to tackle this problem once and for all, and I would suggest three measures that are needed to deal with it comprehensively.
Firstly, there should be an annual public report prepared by HMRC, backed by statute, on every company trading in the UK with revenues of £10 million or more, detailing turnover, revenue, profits and tax paid to the Exchequer.
This would keep a permanent searchlight trained on the social fiscal responsibility of corporations on a yearly basis.
Secondly, a new and progressive tax should be levied on corporations based on revenue. The justification for such a tax is clear – corporations are legal entities that benefit from our infrastructure; roads, education, health etc and should pay a contribution towards that. We could even call it the corporate community charge.
Corporation tax paid on profits would be offset against this charge, to a maximum level of zero charge.
This would ensure that, either through honestly declaring their profits as taxable, or claiming to make no profits on substantial UK revenues, these corporations would, as legal entities, make a significant contribution to the public weal from which they benefit.
Corporation community charges would be set with this aim in mind.
Finally, a wholesale cultural rethink and a corresponding revolution in company and corporate law are needed.
Central to any such new legislation should be the principle that the fiduciary duty of directors and executives to shareholders only becomes active once the corporation's socio-economic duties to the wider society in which it is embedded are met.
The parameters of such socio-economic duties should be spelled out clearly in legislative form after a wide ranging public consultation.
Steve Arnott
Hilton Court


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"Thank you so much for coming out this morning. I don't know if you see any of the faces that walk by, but every single one lights up when they hear your music. You can see a sense of joy and calm wash over their entire being as soon as they see you. Word spreads and they tell others they must go see you as well. It's simply beautiful. "Thank you for truly making a difference in the lives of our staff and patients."Thank you for truly making a difference in the lives of our staff and patients." This excerpt was taken from an email sent from one of the volunteer coordinators at Texas Children's Hospital and was received by Rose van der Werff, the string ensemble coordinator for the Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program at The Shepherd School of Music. Every two weeks Rose and three graduate students reach out with their music to the Houston community. They perform at Texas Children's Hospital, at retirement homes, and in local schools, all part of an ongoing outreach that is a part of the Preparatory Program's agenda.
At the Texas Children's Hospital, as a string quartet, they perform in the foyer where the children wait for appointments, and where the doctors and staff come and go. At one performance, seeing from the sign that the group was from Rice, a parent brought his son down from the ward, still attached to his intravenous drip to listen to the music. He was hoping to come and study at the Shepherd School one day.
At the Holly Hall Retirement Community the group performed the usual classics along with arrangements from the forties and fifties. A thank-you note after one of these performances says, "The residents LOVED having you play. Music is therapeutic at all levels but especially to this population." and "The residents loved it and are still talking about it."
Visits to the schools are more interactive and include demonstrating how to hold a bow properly, along with the various sounds of the instruments at the British School, and helping with the school orchestra at Lamar High School. The group also conducts sectional rehearsals, or leads in discussions about music. In addition to the aforementioned outreach activities the graduate students serve as coaches for the eleven string ensemble groups formed with students from the Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program. These children's groups meet for weekly rehearsals during the fall and spring semesters and conclude each semester with a chamber music recital organized by the graduate-student coaches. The children, who participate, range in age from six through eighteen.
Rose van der Werff supervises the coaches and students and keeps this arm of the Preparatory Program running smoothly. The student coaches all are recipients of scholarships from the Brown Foundation.


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Greg Oppedisano
Exhausted from their excursions in the dungeons den of the Ghost Dogs our heroes find themselves enjoying some well-earned rest at the Burnt Ember Inn. A visit from an old "friend" quickly turns into a ambush by a deadly band of ancient assassins, intent on recovering the mythic Key of Troodon… will our heroes survive the Attack of the Trigga Noir? Each Sidetrek Adventure Weekly episode throws characters into an action-packed encounter designed to electrify your game. Drop any Sidetrek Adventure Weekly directly into your adventure as a stand-alone combat.
"Life is a meaningless torture only made bearable when enjoying the misery of others. If you are too blind or weak to accept this... Dear brother... My king... We will use your own suffering to prove it." - Salena Valanas on the eve of civil war
Trapped behind collapsed ceilings our heroes traverse cramped tunnels hoping to find a way out of the Ghost Dogs den. Emerging through a trap door our intrepid adventurers find themselves in the remains of a crumbling lighthouse, standing on a tall cliff, meekly shining a dim light into the rough sea. Perhaps within the crumbling remains lies Enlightenment at the Dim Spire! Each Sidetrek Adventure Weekly episode throws characters into an action-packed encounter designed to electrify your game. Drop any Sidetrek Adventure Weekly directly into your adventure as a stand-alone combat.
Hot on the heels of Nyaiss, Vav and Marrowgnasher our heroes find themselves facing a determined group of orc demolition "cleaners" tasked with collapsing the Ghost Dog's Den and sealing off any pursuit. All is not well in the abandoned dog's den however as the adventurers and the cleaners find the walls riddled with slime covered holes. Something has driven off the Ghost Dogs will our heroes survive the Bloody Dog's Den? Each Sidetrek Adventure Weekly episode throws characters into an action-packed encounter designed to electrify your game.
Systems-Neutral Tools for Every Game Master
The chase is on as the heroes follow the villains from a hidden dock below a ruined warehouse. Flooded tunnels connecting the sewers to the hideout of one of the city's violent gangs hide many secrets. Braving the dark unknown, the heroes begin to follow The Blood Stained Trail.
When a clan of masked monks ambushes an illicit exchange in a dilapidated dockside warehouse, their onslaught hurls the heroes into a chaotic, explosion-rent fracas. Thrust into one fast-paced, deadly clash after another, they slowly piece together the truth: apocalypse threatens, and only they can stop it!
A gentle keen is the first sound you hear as this plaintive creature steps from the shadows and slides towards you. Exuding melancholy from its expressively sorrowful eyes, its call causes your heart to wrench with ageless pain. Dressed in the tattered remains of clothing from its past life, the rags cling to the rot twisted flesh on its deteriorating frame. Your nostrils are assailed by an earthy scent that hints of the recently left grave.
This special tournament module was used for the Third Annual Dungeon Crawl Classics Open Tournament at Gen Con Indy 2006. It includes the official tournament scoring system, pregenerated characters, and illustrated player handouts. The adventurers seek the ruined palace occasionally glimpsed deep within the forbidding Achsfel Wastes. Within, they discover evidence of the palace's builders, the tortoise-like falsoom, and begin to piece together why it was built.
In the wintery peaks of the Ironstorm Mountain, greed and old evils have fought for domination.


text: December is sweet — seriously sweet! With all of the holiday cakes, cookies, and cake pops that show up throughout the season, it's no surprise we're on a bit of a sugar high this month. Rather than simply eat the goodies, this is a perfect opportunity to bring the kids into the kitchen and have them help create the tasty treats. With holiday baking in mind, we've rounded up six of our favorite kid-friendly kitchen finds so everyone can have fun whipping up sweets this month.