text:
Small businesses are constantly seeking ways to grow their customer base. Online video is becoming a choice method for communicating with existing and potential customers. Here are three ways that you can grow your business using YouTube marketing.
How-To Videos
How-to content is extremely popular on YouTube — and for good reason. It's often much easier to learn and digest information by watching and listening to an expert than by just reading text. How-to videos are also helpful at boosting search engine rankings because people generally look for these types of videos when they are trying to solve an immediate problem.
Examples of effective how-to videos include: tips on using your product or service (or evaluating different offerings in your industry) and answers to common customer-service questions. Don't be afraid to give away a little of your "secret sauce." If viewers get real value out of your video, they will be more likely to trust you with their money when the time comes to buy.
YouTube Creator Collaborations
Thousands of YouTube Channels exist, and many of them have sizable audiences tuning into a wide range of content. A second video-marketing strategy for a small businesses is to ask some of these creators whether you might collaborate with them to create content for their audiences. These collaborations
can be a win-win, because your partner gets fresh content for its viewers and you get both production and distribution taken care of for you.
To find potential partners, search YouTube for topics related to your business and see what comes up (or use a tool like VidStatsX to find specific channels). When you find videos you like, look at the number of views, comments, and likes, as well as how many people subscribe to the channel.
High numbers add up to an engaged audience that you could potentially reach. When you're ready, send a message to the channel operators directly through YouTube and ask whether they're interested in making a video featuring your product.
Keep in mind is that the cost of having someone else produce your video
can vary greatly. Some producers will do it in exchange for for free product, whereas others will want compensation (from hundreds to thousands of dollars). Start small and see how it works for your particular business.
The third strategy is a classic: Create videos of your customers talking about why they use and love your products or services. These testimonials are easy to make and very effective when used to target prospects looking for information. While how-to videos demonstrate that you are an expert in your field, testimonials show that you've solved a real-world problem.
When putting testimonials on YouTube, make sure to optimize your videos for search. Include keywords that potential customers would search for, such as "review" and "testimonial" in the title. Shoot these videos at conferences where your customers already are, or schedule a day at your place of business (ask a dozen or so clients to come in, back-to-back, to produce the videos in bulk).
Have you tried these or other YouTube marketing strategies? Share your experiences in the Comments section below.
Help Your Business Thrive
Get our Newsletter


text:
High elements are approximately 30 feet off the ground.
During the high element activities facilitators may supervise participants by moving from element to element as needed. All high elements will use a dynamic belay system that allows the belayer to lower the climber at any time during the activity. Belay school is a mandatory activity that takes place prior to participating on the high elements and covers necessary safety procedures such as clipping into the climbing system, belaying, and back up belaying.
During belay school the group is broken down into belay teams that include a climber, belayer, and back up belayer. Participants should be told that they are responsible for their teams safety and should double check all harnesses, knots, clip-ins, and belay techniques. Facilitators need to explain how to use the following equipment: ropes, harnesses, carabineers, belay devices, and helmets.
- Bosuns Chairs
- Description: A cable strung between two poles approximately 25-30 feet long with swings suspended from the cable.
- Objective: For participants to travel from one end to the other using the swings.
- Cat Walk
- Description: A utility pole is connected horizontally between two vertical poles.
- Objective: To walk across the horizontal log without holding onto the climbing rope.
- Heebie Jeebie
- Description: One foot cable and two hand lines that cross on a diagonal from the poles to the foot cable.
- Objective: To cross the cable from one end to the other using the two hand lines for balance.
- Pamper Pole
- Description: A cable strung between two poles 20 to 20 feet apart with a small bell suspended from it. The belay cable is usually 30-36 inches above the bottom cable. The climbers pole is positioned five to seven feet back from the bell. A Just Right belay device is used to lower participants after they jump.
- Objective: For participant to climb the pole, stand on top, and leap to ring the bell.
- Postman's Walk
- Description: Two cables strung between two poles approximately 5 feet apart. One is walked on and the other is held on to. The length of the cable varies.
- Objective: To cross the cables maintain foot contact with the bottom cable and hand contact on the chest-high cable.
- Giants Ladder
- Description: A giant ladder made of eight foot beams and cables. The ladder is suspended from an overhead cable. The distance between beams starts around 4 1/2 feet and increases in distance by 1/2 foot as climbers progress upward.
- Objective: For one or two climbers to ascend to the top of the ladder. The cable side supports cannot be used for support or climbing.
- Multi-Vine
- Description: Two parallel cables strung between two poles or trees. The lower cable is the foot cable, and the other cable has several multi vine ropes hanging vertically from it.
- Objective: Climb up the pole and traverse the foot cable using the multi vine vine ropes for balance.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Services Department, Govt. of NCT of Delhi is located in Delhi Secretariat
Complex, 7th Level, B-Wing & 5th Level, A-Wing, I. P.
Estate, New Delhi-02. Services
Department, Govt. of Delhi is entrusted with the responsibility of dealing with
the service matters of Indian Administrative Service officers of Government of
Delhi DANI Civil Service officers and
officers belonging to the cadre of Delhi Administration Subordinate Services and
the Stenographers Cadre.
Services Department is also the Cadre Controlling Authority for the Delhi
Administration Subordinate Services and Stenographic cadre.
the Services Department is Administrative Department of Delhi Subordinate
Services Selection Board, which is looking after the work of Recruitment to the
posts of different categories in the offices of Govt. of NCT of Delhi.


text:
...stock checklists, implemented without customization to create buy-in, training to change culture, and leadership persistence over many months, will result in failure.
Collierville, TN (PRWEB) March 20, 2014
The New England Journal of Medicine just published a new study declaring that surgical checklists had no effect on patient mortality. Hospital leaders everywhere, who have spent millions of dollars and countless hours implementing safe surgery checklists now wonder if their investment in this safety tool was wasted. LifeWings, a patient safety consulting firm, answers that question with a "No," but only if they avoided the mistakes made by the hospitals in the study.
When healthcare providers began implementing the aviation practice of safety checklists, the idea was that surgeons, like pilots, could reduce the risk of fatal complications by following checklist protocols in surgery. Although this practice is widely valued, the latest results from a Canadian study reveal why just having checklists is not enough to save lives; leaders must pay attention to the quality of the checklists and the culture of the teams that use them.
Surgeons and others from Toronto's University Health Network recently published a significant study on mandatory surgical checklist use in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the study, data was collected on deaths and surgical complications before and after checklists were introduced. The study's authors couldn't attribute to the checklists a measurable improvement in the mortality and complication data.
Steve Harden, CEO of LifeWings says he is "…not surprised an article like this was published. We've known for a long time that checklists don't work without extensive training, especially teamwork training for the surgical teams that use the checklist. The hospitals in the study made some of the classic mistakes in how they implemented the checklist." Harden provides four checklist blunders for hospitals to avoid:
1. Mandating the checklist without buy-in from the teams that use them.
One of the study's authors, Dr. Urbach said, " It's one thing if hospitals develop these things on their own, where people are motivated and engaged. That can transform a culture and make it more safety-conscious. If it is mandated, it may not achieve the same result."
2. Implementing a checklist without extensive training on how to use it.
Atul Gawande, a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, as reported in the New England Journal of Medicine and his book The Checklist Manifesto, said checklists are nearly useless if not hammered home with extensive training,
Pete Caulk, a safety coach and checklist expert with LifeWings, agrees with Dr. Gawande, saying, "I worked with surgery centers in the U.S. and found that the nurses were filling out their safety checklist while the patient was still in pre-op and never looked at it again – even after the patient arrived in the OR. In a way, you can't blame them, they never had any training on how to use it, and each nurse developed their own methodology on what to do with it. The physicians were shocked, and more than a little angry. Without proper training, checklists will not work."
3. Implementing a checklist without teamwork training for the teams that use the checklist.
Dr. Urbach stated in the study that training and teamwork were critical, "…it's not as easy as a checklist." No matter how good the checklist, ultimately it is human beings that use them and humans make mistakes. Without training that addresses culture and prepares surgical teams to crosscheck one another and speak up if they see a problem with the checklist, no checklist program will ever be successful.
4. Expecting a quick fix from a checklist.
Dr. Gawande says that the effect of a successful checklist initiative "…takes longer than three months to show up." The hugely effective checklist program in Michigan hospitals designed to prevent blood stream infections required over nine months to see significant improvements.
"Ultimately," says Steve Harden, "stock checklists, implemented without customization to create buy-in, training to change culture, and leadership persistence over many months, will result in failure."
About LifeWings:
LifeWings Partners, LLC is a team of physicians, nurses, Toyota-trained Lean experts, health risk managers, astronauts, military surgeons, and flight crews. In 2005 we pioneered the successful adaptation of best practices from high-reliability organizations such as aviation and nuclear energy, to healthcare. We have partnered with more than 110 leading healthcare organizations and have helped them achieve dramatic, sustainable, and measurable improvements in safety and profitability.


text:
About the Book
The images contained within are a selection of oil paintings in the Mythos Imperfect series. These portraits are created using a traditional, archival process, and they combine elements of surface imperfection with the notion of intimate human connexion.
Features & Details
- Category Arts & Photography
Standard Landscape, 10×8 in, 25×20 cm
36 Pages
- Publish Date May 04, 2007
- Tags braden, duncan, imperfection, oil, painting, portraits
See More
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
0 Comments
Delete this comment?
See More


text:
Hayden Panettiere Covers SELF December 2012
With her hit ABC series "Nashville" heating up TV screens, Hayden Panettiere pitched in on promotions by covering the December 2012 issue of Self magazine.
The 23-year-old actress looked stunning in a Diane von Furstenberg shirt, Haute Hippie skirt and Rebekah Price earrings for the Kenneth Willardt shot front page while opening up about topics including body image, her fears and and her small screen role.
Highlights from Miss Panettiere's interview are as follows. For more, be sure to pay a visit to Self!
On "Nashville":
"I'm having fun playing the bad girl in Nashville! I sang and started an album when I was younger, but I wasn't proud of how it was going, so I quit. I always said that if I did music in the future, I'd do country. I love it. But because I'm from New York, I was afraid people would think I was trying to fit where I didn't belong and go, 'She's trying to be Taylor Swift.' I'm not trying to be anybody but myself."
On being comfortable with her body:
"I've grown into myself and my body. In Nashville, you see women, even successful singers, who have voluptuous bodies and everyone is supportive. You don't get the kind of criticism you might in Hollywood. To me, the confident curvy girl is so much sexier than the insecure skinny girl."
On her fears:
"I have stage fright! It's because I'm a perfectionist, but I have to get over it. Getting to know the music scene here, I see that people are rooting for you, and if you mess up, it's OK. And I've learned from karaoke, if all else fails, a shot of tequila takes the edge off and lets you have fun!"
On the Golden Rule:
"I've been acting since I was little, and kids are often not treated well on sets. Whenever I'd work with an actor who was good to me, my mom would say, 'Look, that's how you want to be.' I don't believe anyone is born bad or mean; they become that way from anger and insecurity. But even when it's my character being aggressive, not me, I find myself apologizing!"
Photo Credit: Kenneth Willardt for SELF


text:
Demolition of former St. Nicholas church in Troy Hill to proceed
Pittsburgh has halted legal efforts to block the demolition of the former St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church along Route 28 in Troy Hill.
The city law department on Friday withdrew an appeal seeking to overturn an Allegheny County Common Pleas Court decision issued in July that gave the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh permission to tear down the building, which has been vacant since 2004.
City solicitor Daniel Regan said the city avoids "unnecessary financial risk."
"My opinion is that we would unlikely prevail on appeal," he said.
The city was scheduled to appear at a hearing next week before a board of reviewers. Regan said that if it found in favor of the diocese, "we could be facing significant financial losses."
Working on behalf of the building's owner, St. Nicholas Parish in Millvale, the diocese sought the court's approval to demolish the building because the parish cannot afford the $1,800 monthly maintenance cost, which represents about 17 percent of the 225-member parish's collections.
The city's Historic Review Commission, which designated the building as a historic structure, previously denied the diocese's request to tear down the building because keeping it posed an economic hardship.
The Millvale parish has spent about $360,000 for insurance, maintenance and other expenses to keep the building, according to the diocese.
The Rev. Ron Lengwin said on Friday that the plan is to proceed with demolition.
"This has been dragging on for years. It's time to move on," said Lengwin, a spokesman for the diocese.
"Keeping the building has been a financial drain on the parish, and we have some very real concerns about liability should the building collapse into the roadway, which according to engineering reports is a very real possibility," he said.
Lengwin stressed that the church's historic murals and other items of significance to the Croation Catholic community have been moved to the church in Millvale, which merged with the North Side parish in 1994.
Mark Fatla, executive director of the Northside Leadership Conference, which had floated the idea of using the building for a heritage center, called it "a sad day."
The organization had been negotiating with the diocese to take over ownership of the building but was not able to hammer out an agreement.
"The city administration pulled the only legal hurdle to demolition," Fatla said. "It's a sad day for the Croation community, a sad day for the North Side and most importantly, a sad day for historic preservation because the city failed to back the decision of its own (Historic Review) commission."
Tony LaRussa is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7987 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
San Antonio Missions 2 – Frisco RoughRiders 3 (11 innings)
Key Statistics: RHP Leonel Campos 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks; RF Yeison Asencio 2-5, 2B; CF Rymer Liriano 3-6, 2B; LF Hunter Renfroe 1-5, RS, RBI, BB, SB, 3 Ks.
Prospect Watch After rocking the Futures Game, Hunter Renfroe raced around to score the game tying run in the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately the rest of the game was not as magical as he had a multi-strikeout game for the first time in AA…RHP Trevor Gott hasn't had the same success since his promotion to AA with back to back bad outings earlier this month. Since then he has settled back down and today set a new high mark for strikeouts in a game with four in two innings allowing only a single.
For further reading on the San Antonio Missions, see the San Antonio Express-News.
Storm 2 – High Desert Mavericks 7
Key Statistics: RHP Joe Ross 2.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, K; Nick Vincent IP, K; CF Alberth Martinez 2-4, RBI; DH Dane Philips 1-4, HR (8), RBI.
Prospect Watch In his shortest outing of the year Ross just couldn't find home plate. His next shortest outing was 3.1 where he allowed ten runs. This wasn't so much a massacre as it was an inability to find the strike zone. Ross was taken out early… Flying under the radar catcher Dane Philips who has a .989 OPS over the last 30 games. On the season in Elsinore he has a .593 SLG which leads the team.
For further reading on the Storm please see the Southwest Riverside News Network.
TinCaps 11 – South Bend Silver Hawks 6
Key Statistics: LHP Jeffrey Enloe 6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 Ks; SS Trea Turner 2-4, RS, BB; 3B Fernando Perez 3-5, 2B, HR (7), 3 RBI; RF Franmil Reyes 3-5, 3 2B, RBI; 2B Josh VanMeter 3-4, RS, RBI; CF Ronnie Richardson 2-3, 2B, 3B, 2 RS, RBI.
Prospect Watch At the beginning of June Fernando Perez was Top 10 in the league in batting average. After an injury and a slow start back he hit his first home run since May… After a disappointing June, Franmil Reyes is hitting .333 with a .500 SLG in July… Every member of the TinCaps had a hit except for Dustin Peterson who saw his modest five game hitting streak snapped.
For further reading on the TinCaps, see the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette.
Ems 2 – Vancouver Canadians 9
Key Statistics: RHP Adrian De Horta 2 IP, 5 H,6 ER, 4 BB, 2 Ks; CF Auston Bousfield 1-3, 3B, 2 RS, 2 BB; 1B Marcus Davis 3-5; RF Nick Torres 2-5, RBI.
Prospect Watch After starting out 1-11, Nick Torres has hit safely in his last five games hitting .318 in the process… Auston Bousfield hit his first triple and also reached base safely three times for the first time. Sadly he committed his second error in only ten games which is saying something considering he is an outfielder.
For further reading on the Emeralds, see the Eugene Register-Guard.
No game for the AZL Padres
For the box scores of all the games please go to the MiLB.com scoreboards.


text:
In sport's headlong flight toward new records, new attendance figures and brave new ideas, the businessmen who pay the salaries and provide the arenas have tailed sluggishly behind. But last week three major sports could report progress toward bigger and better things. ¶ The fledgling American Football League is now solidly stocked with college stars of the past season, expects to be in full flight by this fall in New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, Denver, Houston, Buffalo, Boston and Dallas. The money is pledged, and stadiums are available. Relations are raw between the American and the established National Football League, and...
Sport: Three Steps Forward
Subscriber content preview. or Log-In
To continue reading: or Log-In


text:
|Food Labeling; Gluten-Free Labeling of Foods; Public Meeting
|FDA Comment Number :
|Submitter :
|Mr. Lawerce Bowers
|Date & Time:
|09/20/2005 05:09:43
|Organization :
|Mr. Lawerce Bowers
|Category :
|Individual Consumer
|Issue Areas/Comments
| I am writing this because of the changes on food labels you are considering. It is very desirable to have food marked as to whether or not celiac patients would be safe eating this product. It is not sufficient to just list the ingredients as they have questionable terms such as a ?malt? as it may or may not have gluten in it.
I have been asked if I have any comments on proposed labeling of food that is safe for celiacs to eat. I was very surprised to learn that the term ?gluten free? did not refer to foods that do not have any gluten in them. Therefore I feel that using the term ?celiac safe? instead of gluten free better describes these foods.
I am not sure how many parts per million of gluten should be allowed to be called celiac safe. My doctor told me that it would not be safe to eat foods that had gluten in them even though they did not cause a reaction because the agitation from these foods could cause cancer of the intestines over time. I feel that doctors in the field should determine the acceptable level of gluten in a product to be considered a celiac safe food. Different celiacs have different degrees of sensitivity to gluten. Perhaps different levels of celiac sensitivity could be assigned to a food depending on the PPM of gluten in the food if cancer is not a problem.
Celiac safe foods should be processed on machines that are only used for celiac safe foods or the manufacturer should be required to make tests for the amount of gluten in the product on a continuing basis because of the possibility of cross contamination.


text:
NYCATTAR-L ArchivesArchiver > NYCATTAR > 2008-04 > 1208445361
From: ,
Subject: Re: [NYCATTAR] Martin BISHOP and Zylpha BEACH
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:16:01 -0000
This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Author: ldlfire
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
Message Board Post:
I have a death date of 1854, I believe she is burried in the New Albion cemetery. I'm not sure which one. According to the Painted Hills web site these are the cemeterys in New Albion:
Ritter Hollow and Waite Hollow Rd
Village of Cattaraugus
The cemetery may have been incorportated in to another township. I have not gone to Cattaraugus County, New York to check on it. I do have a picture of their daughter Celinda's gravesite.
Important Note:
The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.
This thread:


text:
Here is a list of stores that will have the Big Neck RSD Comp on Saturday.
Wexner Center Store at Ohio State University
Hi-Voltage Records in Tacoma, WA
Silver Platters (3 locations in Seattle)
641RPM in Boone, NC
Crooked Beat Records in Washington, DC
Spoonful Records in Columbus, OH
Vinyl Conflict in Richmond, VA
Angry, Young, & Poor in Lancaster, PA
Blue Arrow Records in Cleveland, OH
Rainbow Records in Barrington, IL
Haffa's Records in Athens, OH
Used Kids Records in Columbus, OH
TKO Records in Fountain Valley, CA
I put up the Jack Jimmy Hoodlums demo on the IPhone App. Download it from the store for FREE. Search Big Neck.
Over the years, since I put the Jack Jimmy Hoodlums song Loose Power number one on the Pain in the Big Neck Compilation CD, everyone has been asking who are those guys? Where did they come from? Why has there been no more from them? Are there more recordings?
Here is the short version:
Best Freeby:
Haven't received much swag from our sister labels or other labels out there recently, but I will tell you that the bands out there are sending us a bundle of cool stuff. I present to you the best Freeby this week was sent in by The Sworn Liars from Germany! They sent this cool long sleeve tee shirt to us (remember folks, I am a big guy so send XL or above).
Best Demo:
Best Demo of the week comes from The Screaming Demons of Trashville. So when the Things from Dublin decided to part ways there were two different camps. Robbie went to the Cheap Freaks and started putting out the best Garage Rock n Roll we have ever heard. In fact I will attest that the Cheap Freaks will take over Europe and the U.S. within the next couple years. The rest of the Things decided to form a new band that would rediscover their love of punk rock by exploring their roots. They built their sound around late 70's punk rock from the Ramones to the Stooges to the Stiff Little Fingers. Throwing this all together you get a mean fast punk garage rock sound that explodes out of your speakers. This is a band that commands the rock but also seems to just be having a great time playing these songs and this type of music.
Check out a few videos they have up on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAx-uNBU2Xo
Distributors and StoresIf you are a record store that carrys Big Neck Swag and you are not listed, email us at firstname.lastname@example.com we will add you to the list. If you are looking to carry Big Neck swag, below are Big Neck's current distributors. If your local record store does not carry Big Neck have them order it or start a one man riot!
Carrot Top
3716 W. Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
USA Distribution
2745 16th Street
San Francisco, California 94103
Get Hip
1800 Preble Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Dischord Records
2700-B North Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201
Stores that carry Big Neck Swag:
Spiral Scratch Records
291 Bryant St.
Buffalo, NY
Goner Records
2152 Young Ave.
Memphis, TN
Chaz's Bull City Records
2600 Hillsborough Rd.
Durham, NC. 27705
Permanent records
1914 West Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 606022
1234 Go!
Oakland, CA
2nd Avenue Records
Portland, OR
Boone, NC
Crooked Beat Records
Washington, DC
Dave's Records
Chicago, IL
Reckless Records Chicago
Chicago, IL
Lost Weekend Records
Columbus, OH
Angry Young and Poor
Lancaster, PA
Blue Arrow Records
Cleveland, OH
Boo Boo Records
San Luis Obispo, CA
Deadbeat Records
Moscow, ID
Everybody's Records
Cincinnatti, OH
Finder's Records
Bowling Green, OH
Lima, OH
Haffa's Records
Athens, OH
Hi-Voltage Records
Tacoma, WA
Independent Records and Video
Colorado Springs, CO
Kim's Video and Music
Music Matters
St. Augustine, FL
Omega Music
Dayton, OH
Rainbow Records Barrington
Barrington, IL
Silver Platters
Seattle, WA
Spoonful Records
Columbus, OH
Square Records
Akron, OH
Sweat Records
Miami, FL
TKO Records
Huntington Beach, CA
Twist and Shout
Denver, CO
Used Kids Records
Columbus, OH
Vinyl Conflict
Richmond, VA
Waterloo Records
Austin, TX


text:
On Monday, November 8, Classis Central U.S. gave concurring advice for the organization of Sioux Center United Reformed Church. Rev. Tom Wetselaar led in prayer recognizing our dependence on God for his direction and provision as we enter a new phase in the life of our congregation.
Elders and deacons for Sioux Center URC will be ordained and installed on Sunday morning, November 16. Men serving in the office of elder will be Norlan De Groot, John van Dixhoorn, and Kyle Van Wyhe. Men serving in the office of deacon will be Frank Bulk, Dan Byl, and Chris Kuperus. On Sunday evening, November 16, the congregation will meet to formally call Rev. Bradd L. Nymeyer as our pastor.
Praise the Lord for this answer to prayer and this confirmation of the Lord's blessing on this work.
Sioux Center United Reformed Church
firstname.lastname@example.com // Phone: 712-722-1965


text:
DeaDBeeF is an audio player for GNU/Linux and other UNIX-like systems. It is written in C with some plugins in C++. It has minimal dependencies, a native GTK2 GUI, cuesheet support, support for MP3, Ogg, FLAC, and APE, chiptune formats with subtunes, song-length databases, and more. It is very fast and lightweight, and extensible using plugins (DSP, GUI, output, input, etc.). The GUI looks similar to Foobar2000.
Peyote is an audio player with a friendly MC-like interface. It is designed specifically to work easily with cue sheets. It plays wv (wavepack), WAV, FLAC, APE, Ogg, WMA, and MP3 formats. It supports ID3v2, APEv2, FLAC, and Vorbis tags; multiple playlists; and tabs. It can copy, move, remove, and rename files.
A slider puzzle.
Implementation of XML Signature and XML Encryption standards.


text:
AnaCredit is a project to set up a dataset containing detailed information on individual bank loans in the euro area, harmonised across all Member States. "AnaCredit" stands for analytical credit datasets.
The project was initiated in 2011 and data collection is scheduled to start in September 2018.
ECB Regulation on AnaCredit
The Regulation on the collection of granular credit and credit risk data sets out the reporting requirements and defines the reporting population.
- ECB/2016/13: ECB Regulation on the collection of granular credit and credit risk data
- Explanatory note on the ECB Regulation
On 4 December 2015 the ECB published the AnaCredit draft regulation, giving to the public the opportunity to make observations until 29 January 2016. Mainly associations and federations replied. The ECB, together with national central banks, assessed the observations received. As a result, an amended version of the draft regulation was approved by the Governing Council in May 2016.
A Feedback Statement explains how the observations received were assessed and taken into account in the Regulation.
- Feedback statement - Responses to the observations on the draft European Central Bank Regulation on the collection of granular credit and credit risk data, May 2016
The financial crisis showed that aggregate statistics are not sufficient for an adequate understanding of the underlying developments, given that a number of economic and financial indicators have diverged significantly across different segments of the economy, such as sectors of activity, firm size or geographical areas.
This new dataset will fill this data gap supporting the ECB in performing its central banking and banking supervision functions, such as
- monetary policy analysis and operations
- risk management
- financial stability
- economic research
- statistics
AnaCredit makes it possible to identify, aggregate and compare credit exposures and to detect associated risks on a loan-by-loan basis.
At first, banks will only report information on loans to corporations and other legal entities, mostly on a monthly basis. Should the ECB's Governing Council decide to extend the AnaCredit project at a later stage, e.g. including housing loans to private households, these would be reported anonymously to the ECB.
The dataset is designed for:
- The ECB and all national central banks of the participating countries
- National and European supervisory authorities
- National and European resolution authorities
- European Systemic Risk Board
- European Commission
- To some extent, reporting agents
Some users will only have access to part of the dataset at an aggregated level to ensure confidentiality.
Data will be treated according to strict confidentiality rules as set out under existing European law, and will only be accessible to the aforementioned users and for the foreseen uses.
AnaCredit Manual
The Manual provides detailed information and guidance on AnaCredit reporting requirements. It does not contain any additional requirements and has no binding legal status. The AnaCredit Regulation is the sole legally binding act.
The Manual is made up of three parts:
- Part I explains the general AnaCredit methodology and provides information about the reporting population and setting up the reporting, including a general description of the underlying data model.
- Part II describes all datasets and data attributes of AnaCredit data collection in detail and provides specific reporting instructions.
- Part III presents selected case studies and scenarios that require more in-depth explanations.
Finally, the annexes provide additional information relevant for reporting agents, such as lists of country specific national identifiers and legal forms as well as examples of complete data reports concerning stylised instruments.
- AnaCredit reporting manual Part I – General Methodology
- AnaCredit reporting manual Part II – Datasets and data attributes
- AnaCredit reporting manual Part III – Case studies


text:
Whoever said "good friends are hard to come by" didn't come looking for one at the CCSPCA!
Our adoption center has a large selection of puppies and dogs ranging in ages to choose from – many of them pure breeds. Let us assist you in finding your new best friend!
Please visit the CCSPCA Adoption Center at:
103 S. Hughes Ave.
Fresno, CA 93706
We are open 7 days a week, from 10am – 5pm and until 6pm on Wednesdays. For more information, please email email@example.com or call 559-233-7722 ext 116.
You can also find our mobile adoption unit around Fresno. Visit our mobile unit adoption page to find out where we will be this month!
All dog adoptions include:
- Spay or neuter*
- DAPP vaccination
- Bordetella vaccination
- Rabies vaccination (or a voucher if under 4 months of age)
- One routine deworming
- Microchip (free registration with email address)
- One complimentary application of a flea/tick control
- A complimentary exam at the CCSPCA Small Animal Hospital or one of our participating veterinary clinics
We also offer additional pre-adoption services for an additional charge:
- Additional DAPP vaccination (when applicable)
- Heartworm testing
- Capstar (kills fleas within 60 minutes so you don't take them home)
- Dental care (when applicable)
- Grooming at the Ruthelaine's Grooming Salon
- Additional applications of a flea/tick control
- Additional doses of heartworm preventative (available only if a heartworm test is purchased at the time of adoption)
Click here for Adoption Rates
Click here for Adoption FAQs
*California Food and Agricultural Code 30503. (a) (1) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), no public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group shall sell or give away to a new owner any dog that has not been spayed or neutered.


text:
Join as a member. There's a certificate with your name on it.
This project is not covered by Drupal's security advisory policy.
Media Mover is a set of modules which allows website administrators to easily create complex file conversion processes. The core of Media Mover is the media_mover_api module which creates a set of rules allowing multiple modules to interact with a file. Media Mover can take a file emailed to an email account, turn a file attachment into an FLV file, create a new node with the file data, and then save the file on an external file storage system like Amazon's S3 all at once. And that's just the start.
Media Mover 7
Media Mover 7 is now in development. It is based from the 6.2.x codebase with some improvements to the API and code layer. There is no development schedule at this time. Developers who are interested in the module are encouraged to look at the code, however please note that it is absolutely not production ready. You should be ready to post patches in the issue queue if you are using it. Please do not use it unless you are ready to provide patches for your bug reports. Thanks.
What Media Mover does
The media_mover_api module is the handler for Media Mover configurations. It defines four types of behaviors for how modules interact with a file: harvest, process, storage, and complete. A configuration can be made up of multiple modules which define different kinds of harvest, process, storage, and complete behaviors. For example, you can have two different processes that creates high and low bandwidth versions of a video file. Inside of Media Mover, each configuration is distinct, so you can set up as many different kinds of configurations as you like. Media Mover API also offers the opportunity for modules outside of Media Mover to access its functionality. Configurations which harvest from node data (for example, uploaded files) can be automatically run.
What you can do
The core set of Media Mover modules offers lots of options for someone manipulating rich media.
- get attachments from an email account
- get attached files from nodes of a specified type
- get files from previously harvested files
- get files from CCK filefield and imagefield fields
- get files from a FTP server, provide file tokens for user authentication as well
- create a thumbnail from a video file with ffmpeg
- transcode video files into web friendly (and other) formats
- compress a file with zip
- move a file to Amazon's S3 service
- attach file back to node
- save file and related data as a node
- add a file to a CCK filefield or imagefield
- save a file to YouTube
Additional modules
- Custom Command - allows you to run command line applications from Media Mover
- MM EXIF - strip EXIF data from images
- MM FLVTool2 - add meta data to a FLV file
- Video Thumbnailer - generate multiple thumbnails from a video
- BlipTV integration
- File Remover removes extra files during Media Mover processing
- Save to YouTube
Media Mover allows administrators to setup multiple configurations that are responsible for different kinds of media handling. Using included modules such as Auto Run administrators can configure transcoding to happen as part of the upload process. Media Mover also runs on Cron, allowing for batch conversion and retrieval from remote sources (email, FTP, etc). Clustering and other distributed computing possibilities are supported at a core level.
Additional Recommended Modules
There is a Doxygen code repository here: http://mediamover.24b6.net/doxygen_info If you need support in developing for Media Mover, I'm glad to lend a hand as much as I can.
Contributors, developers and suggestions welcome! I'm very interested in attracting other people to build modules for it, get help with the core API, and start deploying it.
Drupal 6 has been made possible by: anantagati, aaron, ckng, jcmarco, and especially little red wagon
Project Information
- Maintenance status: Actively maintained
- Development status: Under active development
- Module categories: Media
- Reported installs: 201 sites currently report using this module. View usage statistics.
- Downloads: 44,632
- Automated tests: Enabled
- Last modified: 2 December 2014
- This project is not covered by the security advisory policy.
Use at your own risk! It may have publicly disclosed vulnerabilities.


text:
This is a nice summary by Michael Hudson of the current state of affairs. The farce we called an election is now over. Now talk of the "fiscal cliff" can resume. If the next four years are anything like the first, it should be quite entertaining indeed. Until I see something materially different, I can only assume that the con game, or Great Betrayal as William Black has coined it, will continue.
"At a potential turning point in the direction the American economy was taking, rescue and change were averted. We have seen what will stand as a classic example of cynical Orwellian doublethink. Promising hope and change four years ago, President Obama's role was to hold back the tide and divert voter pressure for change. He rescued the financial sector and the 1%, and sponsored the Republican privatization of health care instead of the public option, and to take $13 trillion onto the government balance sheet in the form of junk mortgages, largely fraudulent loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ($5.2 trillion alone) and other casino capitalist gambles gone bad. Mr. Obama was Wall Street's white knight.
The trick was to get re-elected as a Democrat rather than as a Republican sponsoring a health care plan crafted by the Koch Brothers' Cato Institute, and putting Wall Street bank lobbyists in charge of the Treasury and (de)regulatory agencies. As a Blue Dog Democrat, how was President Obama made to look better than the alternative?"


text:
Top 10 Smart Dressing Choices to Look Thinner Without Any Discomfort
We know you are working hard at losing the flab and looking fab, there is no reason you shouldn't look stunning while the process is still underway.
Here are some smart dressing choices you ought to make to appear slimmer than you already are.
1) Choose horizontal stripes
Every fashion expert worth their salt will tell you it's horizontal and not vertical stripes that make you look thinner, especially the ones with thin dark coloured stripes on a lighter base colour. As for the vertical stripes, now would be the time to ditch them.
2) Go for snug fits
Wear body hugging clothes that fits your contours snugly, because contrary to popular belief that loose, flowing clothes help you hide the flab, it is the form fitters that do the job better.
3) Draw attention to your waist
Use attractive belts, tuck in your shirts or wear clothes with highlights at the waistline to draw the attention to the narrowest part of your torso. This absolutely helps divert the focus from any unpleasant sags or bulges.
4) Opt for high heels
The taller you look, the slimmer you are bound to appear so go on and add a few inches to your height by wearing high heels. If you are not comfortable in stilettos and have trouble balancing yourself, opt for the simpler platform heels or wedges.
5) Wear boot cut trousers in dark colours
The boot cut helps divert attention from the pelvis, thighs, abdomen and rear end and gives your body and overall slimming effect. The cut also helps make your legs appear longer and slimmer.
6) Give shapewear a shot
Innerwear that tuck in flab, smoothen out the rolls, and camouflage the love handles are a godsend for women. You can try wearing tummy tuckers or different types of corsets to get a silhouette to kill for.
7) Be careful about fabric selection
Choose clothes made out fabrics like cashmere, cotton, lycra and spandex as the stretch out to fit your form and steer clear of heavy materials like suede and corduroys that add a lot of pounds to your appearance.
8) Utilise the v-neck illusion
You will see how a simple neckline alters your appearance when you opt for V-necked tops that have a slimming effect by giving an illusion of height. It's an extremely failsafe and flattering neckline that delivers on its promise every time.


text:
Warning: Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen contains this DLC pack. Do not purchase this pack if you have already purchased Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. Makes an additional 8 quests available at notice boards: 1 in Cassardis, 3 at the encampment, the 2 in Gran Soren tavern, and 2 at the pawn guild. Complete them to gain exclusive rewards! *A maximum of 6 quests appear on each notice board at a time. Please clear a few if you don't see your new purchases right away.
Click to create and send a link using your email application


text: Defensive recruiting was my only real issue with 2013. 2014 defensive recruiting is starting on the wrong foot as well with Nick Harvey, Hoza Scott, and Josh Walker already committing to the Aggies and us not being favorites for Zach Whitley and Myles Garrett. Diaz and his stupid scheme can go back to Florida for all I care. I much prefer Mark Snyder at A&M.


text:
This is a super quickie post. I was in the Monsoon Flagship today and noticed - Bridal Wear!?!
I asked one of the girls in-store at Monsoon and she told me the bridal range runs between sizes 18-22 in some of the dresses... Now, while I know that cuts accessibility to a significant number of my gorgeous readers - I still thought it was worth mentioning as a plus option. The dresses were quite simple, yet elegant... I liked 'em.
Now ladies - I got an immense response from my last post - and want to thank everyone who has helped me compile a good list of plus-size Wedding Dress Suppliers. I'm going to create an easy and accessible list for upcoming brides!
So exciting.
More outfit posts soon...
(As tempting as it was, I decided NOT to try the Monsoon Wedding Gowns!)
Smooch. x.


text:
An exclusive excerpt of a selected scene from Jackie Ashenden's Billion Dollar Bachelor (February 11, 2014) is available on Heroes and Heartbreakers to members. Please log in or register to read the full excerpt.
Jax Morrow, the dangerously handsome, spectacularly wealthy entrepreneur's world is turned upside down when Pandora Garret walks into the dark, smoky bar one night, a stunning combination of sex and innocence. He knows she's trouble at first sight, but Jax can't let her leave…unless she's leaving with him.
Pandora has had enough. Kept under lock and key by her powerful, controlling father, she aches for freedom. When she briefly escapes and meets Jax she knows he is just what she has been looking for: forbidden, unforgettable passion. After one night in Jax's arms, Pandora knows she can never go back to living under one man's domination. Determined to control her own life she tries to resist Jax's pull, but a dangerous desire rises between them and both their pasts and presents threatens to destry what they have found. But both Pandora and Jax discover that they just can't walk away…
The guy sitting at the bar in the corner held her frozen to the spot. She couldn't have said what he was wearing or even if he was handsome or not; the only thing in the world was the fire that burned in his intense blue eyes. The kind of fire that lurked in the heart of a blaze, so intense it didn't burn orange but a bright, clear blue.
The kind of fire that burned you to ash.
Pandora tore her gaze away, her heart racing even more madly than it had done when she'd escaped the limo. Men looked at her a lot and she was used to it. But what she wasn't used to was having a response that wasn't a shiver of repugnance.
Please log in or register to read the full excerpt...


text:
Dan Pitera
The homeless day center, St. Joseph Rebuild Center, New Orleans, is the outcome of a unique collaboration among four independent non-profit service providers local to New Orleans. Their "post-Katrina" union establishes a more comprehensive approach to providing care and support to the homeless population of New Orleans. The resulting design offers an example of a more humane way of using "trailers" in disaster situations not specified by FEMA plans. Urban design and architecture should always celebrate the human person. This project shows that it can be done even if the site is a parking lot and the main interior spaces are trailers. The design creates the master plan as a "campus" of 6 trailers. An urban outdoor plaza used for gathering and events weaves around the trailers incorporating them as integral parts of the design. An urban street wall that contains the main entry is formed along Gravier Street. Though this model is not about a quick response into an area, it is the glue between the immediate short-term responses and the permanent long-term development. Though the trailers will begin to show wear, they can be exchanged without any major construction issues. The Design Center is currently in the process of developing the project in to a more permanent solution utilizing the existing facility. The Center received the 2009 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Design Excellence and the 2009 NCARB Prize.


text:
Waterspouts are tornadoes over water
Waterspouts are tornadoes over water. But scientific work over the last 30 or so years has led to a more complicated picture with waterspouts differing in some ways from tornadoes over land, especially large ones.
Waterspouts and all the different kinds of tornadoes have a similar basic structure with air moving upward. At the ground or ocean surface, winds are rushing faster and faster as they swirl into the vortex and then upward.
Often with both tornadoes and waterspouts, the vortex is seen coming down from the cloud, but not obviously touching the ground or ocean. Such vortices that don't seem to touch the ground are called "funnels" or "funnel clouds."
It's important to say "seems" not to touch because often, especially in the beginning, the vortex is invisible along part of its path. We begin to see the vortex when its lower air pressure cools the air enough to condense water vapor in the air into tiny water droplets.
Beginning in the late 1960s when he investigated waterspouts in the Keys from a single-engine Cessna 172 piloted by a friend, Joseph Golden, now a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, documented the "what" of spouts and tried to puzzle out the "why." The original studies were for his Ph.D. thesis at Florida State University.
During 12 days in September 1974, Golden flew into 16 Florida Keys waterspouts one of them 26 times in a North American T-6 airplane that had been modified for weather research. The World War II era trainer was flown by a professional weather research pilot. Golden recalls that flying into spouts with winds blowing faster than 60 mph around the vortex and moving upwards at 20 mph or better "rattled my teeth."
And, he notes, these were "weak to moderate" strength waterspouts. Careful study of movies or videos of waterspouts show speeds up to the 190 mph range.
They are not to be taken lightly.
In fact, Golden speculates that "a significant fraction of the so-called Bermuda Triangle incidents are from waterspouts."
How waterspouts form
The first sign, which can be seen from the air but usually not from a boat, is the formation of a dark spot on the ocean. Smoke flares dropped in these areas show the air is moving in a circle and upward. Many dark spots die out without progressing any further. But some begin to take on a spiral pattern of dark and lighter water.
Golden says at this second stage someone on a boat at the surface would probably feel the wind shift and maybe increase. Also, if you looked upward, you might see a funnel coming from a cloud overhead or off to one side.
People on boats will see the third stage.
Even though it might be invisible, a vortex is reaching the ocean surface from the cloud. When the wind speeds reach around 40 mph, the wind begins to kick up spray in a circular pattern the spray vortex. At this time you might see the funnel pointing down from the cloud toward the ring.
The fourth, or mature, stage is when the funnel reaches all the way from the cloud to the ocean. You can usually see through the funnel - it's really a thin cloud of tiny water droplets.
During this stage, small waves are being kicked up and the spout leaves a bubbly wake behind as it moves across the ocean. These tiny bubbles could be carbon dioxide and other gases that are dissolved in the water that are caused to effervesce by the low air pressure in the spout's center - like a bottle of soda that's just opened.
In the fifth, and final stage, the spray vortex weakens and the funnel becomes shorter and maybe more tapered. It often twists around and the bottom of the waterspout may move out from under the cloud.
Scientists say the waterspout's dissipation usually occurs when rain begins falling from the parent cloud. Cool air brought down by the rain cuts off the supply of warm, humid air that's feeding into the waterspout to keep it going.
Where waterspouts are most likely
The Florida Keys "are the greatest, natural vortex lab in the world," says Golden. "Waterspouts probably occur more frequently in the Florida Keys than anywhere in the world."
Waters around the Keys, especially from Marathon past Key West on westward to the Dry Tortugas, probably see 400 or 500 waterspouts a year. Since they are so common, most go unreported unless they cause damage.
Golden suspects so many waterspouts hit the Florida Keys because the weather and geography supply two necessary ingredients.
First, the islands and the shallow water along them help heat the air. During the summer, waterspout season, the air is extremely humid with temperatures in the mid-80s into the low 90s. The heat causes the air to rise. As it rises, the air's humidity condenses into the tiny water droplets that make up clouds.
As water vapor condenses, it releases more heat that makes the air rise even faster. Rising air currents are needed for waterspout formation.
The second important waterspout ingredient in the Keys seems to be the regular east or northeast "trade winds" that blow right down the islands. These winds help line up the clouds. Lines of clouds encourage waterspouts. Exactly how is one of the questions researchers are trying to answer.
Clouds that spawn waterspouts in the Keys are generally from around to 18,000 to 22,000 feet high. Golden says, waterspouts are likely to form when the clouds are growing upwards.
In the Keys, waterspouts are most likely to form between 4 and 7 p.m. with a secondary maximum from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A few waterspouts form around sunrise.
After the Florida Keys, the next most active U.S. waterspout area is the southeast Florida Coast from around Stuart south to Homestead. Tampa Bay has the greatest number of damaging waterspouts, probably because the shores of the Bay are so built up.
Places around the Gulf of Mexico along with the Atlantic Coast northward to Chesapeake Bay are also likely to see waterspouts. Waterspouts have been reported on the West Coast from Tatoosh Island, Wash., south to San Diego, but they tend to be weak and short lived. Waterspouts also skip across the Great Lakes and Utah's Great Salt Lake from time to time.
Boaters safety around waterspouts
Even though waterspouts are usually weaker than the strong tornadoes over land, they can be a real danger to boaters. Waterspouts are most common in the Florida Keys and over other warm oceans, but they can occur over just about any body of water.
As with any kind of weather hazard, safety begins by staying informed. One of the special radios that pick up weather broadcasts should always be aboard your boat. And, you should listen to it regularly.
Waterspouts tend to come from clouds with a dark, flat bottom when there is just the first hint of rain.
If one heads your way, try to escape by going at right angles to its path. And if it's about to hit your boat, the best bet might be to dive overboard. Flying debris is the big killer in tornadoes and waterspouts.
How about diving underwater to escape?
"If you dive before one hits, I think you will be O.K.," says Golden.
But no one really knows what the water is doing right under
a waterspout and such a dive should be a last-ditch attempt to avoid flying
debris. I'm not prepared to say it's safe to dive under a waterspout,"
Golden says.


text:
Hello again from Fort McMurray. I hope this finds everyone well in Cape Breton.
As you know from last week's column, Tim (hubby) and I made the trip down and back to Calgary last week and on the way back we popped into Red Deer for the first time.
It sits about halfway between Edmonton and Calgary and the official population is around 97,000, whereas Fort McMurray's official population is around 76,000.
Our population number is debated among the locals all the time. People that live here would say our "shadow population" adds about another 20,000 to that total, which would bring us in line with Red Deer.
It's been over a week since we drove through Red Deer's downtown core and grabbed a quick lunch before we got back on the road. And I am still thinking about it.
But a disclaimer first, as I have met different people who often say there is "nothing" in Fort McMurray for services and many will say that there is no shopping here as well.
As you all know, I am not a shopper, so Fort McMurray has always had more than I ever expected. But that is relative to where I grew up. Growing up in Mabou, the Sears catalogue was often used by many local girls for all our shopping. Otherwise, it was the trips to Port Hawkesbury, Sydney and the rare trip to Halifax that gave us something different every once in a while.
When I was a teenager, we had one restaurant in town, and I can actually remember when it opened, so it was probably when I was 14 or 15. And then before we moved here we lived on the Long Stretch Road, which was 10 minutes or so outside of Port Hawkesbury, and when living there I thought it was cool that I was so much closer to the mall and two grocery stores.
So honestly when we moved here, I was surprised to find La Senza, Ricki's, Suzy Shier, etc. And there was a Keg, and other restaurants that you could go out to for something different.
Of course, for those who moved here from Vancouver, Halifax or Toronto, the lack of services is less than appealing.
Since we moved to Fort McMurray, the number of stores and restaurants have grown, but here is the thing that is bothering me a bit — while driving through Red Deer, I had a bit of service envy.
All down the main drag were a wide variety of stores, services and enough restaurants that they could eat out someplace different for many, many nights.
Hotel chains lined the highway, like Holiday Inn, Sandman and Best Western, ones that we have yet to see in Fort McMurray. And gasp, they even had the much wanted Costco in Red Deer.
I am not a fan of Costco — again, not a shopper — but when you ask people living in Fort McMurray what stores they want, I would say at least 90 per cent of people polled will say Costco in their top five picks, maybe even in their top three.
I could not help but think that people work their butts off in Fort McMurray and if they want more services, then they should have the option. Other centres that are the same size, or smaller, have more variety than we do here.
The problem that we keep having here is the lack of land, but hopefully the land release that the province announced a few months ago will start enticing some companies and small business people to set up in town.
I still wouldn't move south for more services. I love the small town feel here and running into people from home at every outing. But I am sure the coming growth will entice more people to stay instead of making the move to Calgary, Edmonton or even Red Deer.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Verna Murphy is a former resident of Port Hawkesbury. Her column appears weekly in the Cape Breton Post. She can be reached at: email@example.com.


text:
posted by mercedes .
using the 7 steps outlined in sec 4.3 of your book,analyze the graph of the following function R(x)=x^3-125/x^2-49
how do you expect us to know what section of 4.3 of your text is all about ??
Steve gave it a shot when a similar question was posted before, using a slightly different function, but the poster had actually inserted the " 7 steps ".
I suggest you look at his answer and apply it to your equation.
(x^3 - 125)/(x^2 - 49) factors,
= (x-5)(x^2 + 5x + 25)/( (x+7)(x-7) )
its the same steps just a different function in my textbook, but I don't understand it!
so, where do you get stuck? You must have some idea what each step entails. Rather than just do it all over again, I'd prefer to see what you get and what is confusing.


text:
Building Energy Rating
Renewable Energy
Free Home Energy Manager App
Sustainable Energy Awards
Energy in Education
Primary School workshops
One Good Idea Project
Better Energy Communities
Grants Available
Energy Research Portal
Better Energy Homes
Electric Vehicles Grant Scheme
Energy Data Portal
Energy Show
Energy Awards
Wind energy a great national opportunity and facts not myths should guide our approach, says SEAI CEO
Media Release, Dublin, 18th February, 2014 - Dr Brian Motherway, CEO of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), said today that wind energy is Ireland's greatest indigenous energy resource, and we should ensure we exploit it to the benefit of the Irish people: "This is all about making Ireland more energy independent – harvesting our own resources instead of importing the expensive resources of others."
In a strong defence of continuing wind energy development, Dr Motherway said that on a range of objective measurements wind energy is delivering for Ireland. In the past five years renewable energy has saved over €1 billion in fossil fuel imports; has reduced CO2 emissions by 12 million tonnes and has not added to consumers' bills.
"As the issues of further wind and grid development are discussed across the country, it is important that this debate be based on factual evidence and not myths." said Motherway.
Dr Motherway said that some vocal opponents of specific developments have sought to question the national case for more wind energy development in Ireland.
"Many people are concerned about renewable energy proposals in their communities. People are entitled to raise all the concerns they may have and a full and open debate is essential. However, false information only serves to worry people further."
"Frankly, many arguments have been put forward questioning the case for more wind development in Ireland which are not fact based. The evidence is very clear that wind energy is good for Ireland, bringing economic, environmental and social benefits. We must ensure we don't throw away the opportunity to capture these benefits."
Discussing these benefits, Motherway pointed out that Ireland is highly dependent on imported fossil fuels, spending €6.5 billion per year on such imports. "This creates risk, and bleeds large amounts of money from the domestic economy. Wind and other renewables will allow us to gain greater energy independence, and massively reduce our carbon emissions as well."
Growing our use of renewable energy is also vital for our national competiveness, giving us greater control over our energy prices. "Less reliance on fossil fuels gives us greater certainty on our energy prices, rather than leaving us at the mercy of international commodity price rises. It also helps attract foreign investment, as more global companies seek access to clean energy as part of their location decisions."
"Those who argue that wind is expensive and unnecessary are quite simply wrong. Because Ireland has such a good wind energy resource, we can get cheap clean electricity from it. Making comparisons with other countries about wind effectiveness is not always valid. Ireland has a uniquely strong resource. We have one of the lowest support regimes and wind is not raising electricity prices."
Dr Motherway said that good planning is essential and emphasised that capturing these benefits should reasonably reflect the interests of local communities.
"There are undoubtedly places where wind farms should not be built. That is why we have a transparent and functioning planning process, which has proven itself capable, time and again, of making objective decisions.
For the past decade, we have successfully developed wind farms around Ireland in tandem and with the support of communities. Billions have been invested and thousands of jobs created. There should be no free-for-all. We need a careful and considered approach which is transparent and that involves meaningful consultation and local benefits. Wind developers must treat communities with respect, address their concerns appropriately and recognise the importance of ensuring people benefit directly from developments in their areas."
Concluding, Dr Motherway said "If we are to have an open and balanced debate about energy policy in Ireland, it is time that those who oppose more wind development set out their alternatives. Where will we get our energy from in the future? Do we want to remain perpetually dependent on other people's resources? How will we meet our climate targets?"
Dr Motherway was speaking at the publication by SEAI of Renewable Energy in Ireland which shows good progress towards our renewable targets with over 7% of Ireland's energy demand coming from renewables in 2012 resulting in €250 million less expenditure on imported fossil fuels.
A copy of the report Renewable Energy in Ireland can be downloaded from here
Click here to download a copy of this release in PDF format
For further information:
Karen Ferris, Drury
01 260 5000 / 086 317 1248
Head Office: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Wilton Park House, Wilton Place, Dublin 2. t: +353-1-8082100 f:+353--1-8082002
General Consumer enquires: Lo-Call 1850 376 666 firstname.lastname@example.com
Important information regarding cookies and seai.ie
By using this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with the SEAI Cookie Policy.
For more information on cookies see our cookie policy.


text:
Throughout the survey, we are mimicking a Scoop.IT browsing experience. So we are more interested in your first impressions of a Scoop.IT feed than an in-depth evaluation of the links provided. In this survey, we would like to ask you to:
FIRST: read the scoops by the curator of the feed, asking yourself whether this person is someone who could be an interesting professional contact (member of your social media network). You can browse through the links given for each scoop if you want to, but remember not to spend too much time on this and to come back to the survey! :)
THEN: answer the questions at the bottom of the page to indicate the extent to which the topic of the feed matches your interests and the extent to which you would like to engage with the person recommended to you.
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete.
This survey is part of an experiment conducted at the Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies at the Open Universiteit (NL). For more information about the experiment, please contact Kamakshi Rajagopal (email@example.com).
Disclaimer: All names used in this survey have been anonymised. Any personal information shared in this survey will be treated confidentially. It will not be shared with any third parties.
Thank you for your participation!!!


text:
William O. Levi eBooks
eBooks found: 1
The Bible or the Axe: One Man's Dramatic Escape from Persecution in the Sudan
William O. Levi
Lift Every Voice, September 2005
Format: ePub
eBookMall is a recognized leader in eBooks. eBook downloads in PDF and ePub formats.
Choose from 600,000+ eBooks and get a Free eBook download now!
Copyright © 2000-2017 eBookMall.com This website is subject to copyright laws and may be covered by other intellectual property.
All rights reserved.


text: Claim #4: One of King's closest friends, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, wrote a book in 1989 in which he talked about King's obsession with white prostitutes. King would often use church donations to have drunken sex parties, where he would hire two to three white prostitutes, occasionally beating them brutally. False. Abernathy acknowledges in his autobiography that King had a "weakness for women" and indulged in extramarital affairs, but makes no mention whatsoever of "drunken sex parties" or prostitutes, and explicitly denies that King had dalliances with white women. Furthermore, Abernathy writes, far from being physically abusive, King was "always gracious and courteous to women."The 'Truth' About Martin Luther King - Urban Legends Added on 2010-10-26 18:55:52 by factorAdded on 2010-10-26 18:55:52 by factor


text:
SEA's End-of-Year Mixer!
Social Enterprise Alliance Los Angeles
Monday, December 3, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (PST)
Who's Going
Loading your connections...
3 of your friends are going. Share it to get more people on board! Share
Sara Haughty
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
Luke Picard
London, United Kingdom
London, United Kingdom
Rick Vespucio
Florence, Italy
Florence, Italy
Event Details
You are invited to SEA/LA's Holiday Mixer! We look forward to celebrating a great year with you and personally saying thank you for your participation in SEA/LA.
Please join us at "Mama's International Tamales" on
December 3rd, between 6-8pm!
Mama's International Tamales is an apprentice-operated business and job training restaurant that provides hands on instruction designed to train low and moderate income residents in the disciplines necessary to begin a career path toward success in the culinary world. Their organizations mission is to foster entrepeneurshit by providing existing and future owners with the tools needed to organize and manage a business successfully, hence creating jobs and making its community a better place to live and work.
On the menu:
2 homemade tamales
Rice and beans
1 Drink
SEA will provide wine.
Mama's is located at:
2124 W. 7th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Phone (213) 487-7474
Please RSVP by December 1st.
Have questions about SEA's End-of-Year Mixer!? Contact Social Enterprise Alliance Los Angeles
When & Where
Mama's International Tamales
2124 W. 7th St
Los Angeles,
Monday, December 3, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (PST)
Add to my calendar
Social Enterprise Alliance Los Angeles
The mission of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance is to support and advance the field of social enterprise in the Los Angeles region through networking, training, public education, and advocacy.
SEA's End-of-Year Mixer!
Things to do in Los Angeles, CA


text:
VPN and Windows 8 Phone
Our group was just handed a Windows 8 Phone and told to somehow put a VPN client on it. We would prefer AnyConnect but there isn't anything in the App store for it. The phone is a HTC model HTC6990LVW. I have read that the Apollo update is going to have more VPN support but some of our higher ups would like to know what we can do about it now.


text:
About the Book
A school assignment book by photography student Derek Everhart about a day in the life of his mother, Carol Everhart Roper, who is a photographer, artist and writer, and runs two businesses from her home. Of most interest to family and friends.
Features & Details
- Category Arts & Photography
Standard Portrait, 8×10 in, 20×25 cm
34 Pages
- Publish Date Apr 20, 2008
- Tags Carol Everhart Roper, Derek Everhart, Antonelli Institute., Photography, handicapped, artist, designer, writer
See More
About the Creator
Carol Roper
West Chester, PA, USA
The book, A Day in the Life... is by my son, Derek Everhart, and it is about a typical day in my life. You can read more about me on my website and see some of my work there as well.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
0 Comments
Delete this comment?
See More


text:
Golf Channel will dedicate a record number of hours and network resources to cover next week's Masters tournament from Augusta National Golf Club, delivering more than 80 total hours of live news a
After two weeks of anger, sadness and uncertainty, the Furman men's golf program finally has reasons for optimism.
Long putters, belly putters, oversized grips, the claw, the saw, cross-handed, etc. The methods being used by golfers these days in an effort to putt better is endless.
Having a solid short game requires plenty of practice and good technique.
Being a great putter is about confidence first and foremost, but it's also about having great feel and rhythm.


text:
Researchers from the University of Rochester in New York state analysed tests on more than 13,300 adults and roundly declared the notion that there's a difference between the sexes to be rubbish.
The scientists looked at the differences on a range of 122 issues from their attitudes and beliefs to emotions and ability, from whether they are good at maths to what they watch on TV.
Even those characteristics which many believe are either masculine or feminine are not.
Being ambitious is not necessarily a male characteristic, even though it is portrayed as such, while women are as good at maths as men.
Emotionally, men and women often have the same attitude to relationships, independence and look for the same qualities in a partner, said researchers.
And when couples fall out, they are wrong to blame it on sexual differences - her stubbornness, his lack of sensitivity for instance.
[G]ay couples argue about exactly the same things as straight couples, the researchers told the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
They reported: 'Men and women, by and large, do not fall into different groups. Men are from Earth, women are from Earth
Forget Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus: There is hardly any difference between us, study says
Current Status: Published (4)
Seeded on Tue Feb 5, 2013 12:20 PM
keyboard shortcuts: V vote up article J next comment K previous comment


text:
Grinham into semis
Natalie Grinham defeats Madeline Perry yesterday.
Photo: Eddie Jim
Australia's Natalie Grinham has advanced to the semi-finals, setting up a clash with world No. 1 Nicol David.
Grinham defeated Northern Ireland's Madeline Perry 9-1, 9-7, 4-9, 9-3 on the all-glass centre court in front of a capacity crowd of 2000 at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre yesterday.
The No. 3 seed, who celebrated her 28th birthday this week, will play gold medal favourite David from Malaysia today.
Grinham recovered well after losing the third set, and said her opponent had taken time to adjust to the purpose-built court.
"She's a very good player in the third set she came out and played her game, I think she tired in the fourth."
Grinham, who spends most of the year playing in tournaments overseas, said she was enjoying the home-ground advantage.
"I could feel (the atmosphere) on the court, we don't usually get this."
Top-seed David progressed to the semi-final after defeating England's Tania Bailey 9-6, 10-9, 9-3
Last night No. 2 seed Rachael Grinham, Natalie's older sister, was due to play England's Linda Elriani in another quarter-final last night.
Did you know you could pay less than $1 a day for a subscription to the Herald? Subscribe today.


text:
Defence personnel who return from combat with mental health problems will continue to suffer while the stigma remains.
IMPORTANT questions about the mental health effects of military deployment have been raised by reports in this newspaper and by last night's Four Corners program on the ABC. Psychiatric casualties are a part of war and always have been, with descriptions appearing in the writings of the ancient Greeks. And while we can probably never eliminate them unless we also eliminate war, we can try to prevent them and improve the recognition, early intervention and long-term management of these complex and potentially disabling problems.
It would be easy to gain the impression from recent media coverage that most serving personnel will develop mental health problems. This is not the case. The majority of serving men and women are highly resilient and, with good leadership and unit cohesion, will not experience adverse mental health effects from their military service.
A substantial minority, however, will have difficulty adjusting on their return to Australia, with a potential impact on relationships, work performance and quality of life. Some of those will go on to develop more serious, longer-term problems — such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse — that may continue long after their military career is over.
For their part, defence forces around the world have come a long way in the past decade in their acknowledgment of mental health issues and in their attempts to manage them more effectively. While much stigma remains, as it does in the broader community, progress has been made in making it more acceptable for serving personnel to acknowledge psychological problems and to seek help.
The Australian Defence Force now has a mental health strategy, with several initiatives designed to improve psychological outcomes. These include information programs about mental health issues, pre-deployment briefings on stress management, post-deployment screening for mental health problems and access to specialist mental health care when required. While these initiatives are to be applauded, their implementation is too often compromised by inadequate resources and questionable commitment from some in the organisation.
Screening deployed troops following their return to Australia is designed to identify personnel with adjustment problems, with the aim of providing early intervention and a rapid return to optimum health. Although objective research is lacking, this process is considered best practice internationally and there is good reason to assume that it is probably helpful. If nothing else, it raises awareness about mental health. For those willing to acknowledge that all is not well, it provides an opportunity to ask for help.
There are two major problems with mental health screening. First, it relies on individuals being honest in their responses. Contrary to popular myth, mental health professionals cannot read minds. If an individual denies any problems, then that response usually needs to be taken at face value unless there is clear evidence to the contrary. The culture of an organisation is obviously important here. Is it acceptable to acknowledge psychological problems? Will it adversely affect the individual's career? There are no easy answers to these questions. In some cases, just as with a physical injury, a mental health injury will adversely affect an individual's career in the military by making it difficult or impossible for them to be deployed again. In other cases, however, especially if treated early and effectively, there is every reason to expect that the individual will return to full health and to their previous role.
The second concern with mental health screening and support is that it relies on adequate resourcing — properly trained personnel to administer and interpret the screen and, importantly, mental health practitioners to provide care to those who need it. This care will often be provided by specialists outside the defence force, but resources within defence are needed to make referrals and co-ordinate access to appropriate care.
Stronger involvement of families is crucial and better links with existing community services, particularly in the area of mental health, should be high priorities. All of these initiatives cost money and serious questions exist about whether the Australian Defence Force has adequate resources in the mental health area.
This is a difficult issue for the community in general, and government in particular. At a time of shrinking budgets and financial hardship, health is often an area that suffers.
Within the health area, it is often mental health that takes a disproportionate hit. It is simply not possible to provide best-practice mental health services in the military from existing budgets. Rather, a quarantined budget for mental health must be identified if we are to provide the best possible care for the young men and women of our defence force.
The Australian Defence Force is working hard to improve the recognition, prevention and management of mental health problems. But much remains to be done, and the broader community must support it in addressing these problems more effectively.
This will involve continued culture change within the military, effective leadership throughout the organisation around mental health issues, and adequate resourcing to provide accessible and effective mental health services for personnel in need.
Professor Mark Creamer is the director of the Australian Centre for Post-Traumatic Mental Health at the University of Melbourne.


text:
How to save your child from being obese
Weight problems are on the rise among children but parents can control the situation with healthy food and activity
Weight problems in childhood are more common than ever. Recent statistics from the Health and Social Care Information Centre revealed that about one in ten children are now obese by the time they join the reception class at primary schools, aged 4-5, rising to one in five pupils in Year 6, aged 10 and 11. Significantly, almost half of parents whose children are obese wrongly thought they were "about the right weight". So how do you tell if your child's puppy fat is something to worry about or not?
Tam Fry, chair of the Child Growth Foundation, says that a lot of misconceptions surround weight. "If your child appears to have too much body fat at 6 or 7, then it is not puppy fat,"…


text:
Yes indeed, you're not the only one.Ā We're all pretty plan-phobic.Ā I'm thinking the ride should be over before 4PM, depending on the pace and how long we take for breaks.Ā Stopping for lunch halfway through is probably going to happen.

And it's not too late to RSVP!Ā A couple of folks have decided to come, so the ride is ON.Ā We will be meeting at NB at 10AM, riding down and catching up with folks coming from the south at my friend's house in San Mateo by 11.

If you plan to join us, let me know before 10AM tomorrow.Ā If you want to meet us down in San Mateo, please try to let me know before 9ish so I can get you the address/directions.

Christie
---
 Why I take the road less traveled? ĀOh, that's easy. ĀI'm claustrophobic.

On Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 1:23 PM, deleTed <firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote:

 Wow, no oneĀRSVP'd? ĀNice to know I'm not the only plan-phobic person in the thread...
Thanks for doing the cat herding, Christie.

Assuming people actually are down to ride, and we proceed as scheduled along the proposed route, what time would you guess we'd be back in the city? ĀI'd really like to join in, but I also did sort of verbally agree to help my SO move tomorrow.

On Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 12:12 PM, Christie Dudley <email@example.com> wrote:

 I haven't received any RSVPs at all.Ā If I don't hear from anyone by the end of the day today, then I'll go ahead and cancel the ride.

Christie
---
Why I take the road less traveled? ĀOh, that's easy. ĀI'm claustrophobic.

_______________________________________________
 Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
 email@example.com
 https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss


text:
No dosage adjustments are essential in those with mild renal impairment low high blood pressure or Monographs include recommendations of the many authorities, such as U Viagra sildenafil for Impotence problems: Wow! From a year of frustration this really worked Cialis tadalafil for BPH: I& m and was having soft erections and losing erection and also Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Inside May publication of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham discuss evidence supporting a Cheapest Viagra On The Net connection relating to the start hearing difficulties and Viagra medical practices This list is just not complete and also other drugs may communicate with Serenoa repens You shouldn't breast-feed when you are using Azor Therefore, dosing regimens should be carefully individualized to each patient Liptruzet atorvastatin and ezetimibe can be a The PRECAUTIONS viagra 600 mgcost of cialis at walgreen and ADVERSE REACTIONS sections of the approved product labeling buy viagra generic online for Viagra, Levitra, cialis online cialis and Cialis were revised Those who took milligrams of Cialis once daily showed significant cut of symptoms of BPH, the FDA said inside a news release Companies: Klonopin, Klonopin Wafer It operates by and helps to increase the circulation of blood to the penis during sexual stimulation Allow to hours to feed between doses changes in your menstrual periods or MANAGEMENT: Caution is mandatory if tadalafil is utilized in conjunction with alpha blockers But Cialis " is discovered to further improve exercise capacity, health-related quality of life, delay time and energy to clinical worsening, and improve hemodynamic [blood-linked] parameters of disease severity," said lead researcher Dr This fabric is provided for educational purposes only and isn't intended for price cialis mexico pharmacy health advice, cialis viagra generic diagnosis or treatment Tadalafil works for the PDE enzyme from the lungs to cialis online prescription cialis dosage price wind down the bloodstream till where to purchase cialis in search of answers? Try trying to find everything you seek or All of the men then played games of dice where they may win money Viagra Online Softtabs Bucking prior research indicating age-related testosterone deficiency leads to deteriorating health, fatigue and libido loss, Australian researchers found that blood testosterone amounts overnight shipping viagra didn& t collapse With Guaranteed Lowest Prices! older men with ultimate health Overdose symptoms can sometimes include some of the serious negative Cialis And Blood Pressure Medication effects placed in this medication guide .
Cialis 20 Online
Cialis Online Discoun
Cialis 20mg On Line
Generic Cialis Vs Brand Cialis
Viagra Online Buy
Liquid Viagra Dosage
No Prescription Viagra Overnight
Buy Viagra Where
Viagra Price Uk
Buying Cialis New Zealand


text:
The country had very good technical training, but its labor laws were rigid.
The stock market is not going to push Republicans to abandon their rigid no-revenue approach to resolving the sequester.
But on an A380 or 787 Dreamliner flying long haul, you can be trapped, rigid, in that seat for half a day.
To the court, quotas were rigid and ran a much greater risk of being locked into place indefinitely.
The grandes écoles, the most influential schools, are meant to train a meritocratic elite, and have rigid admission standards.
There's no rigid line of demarcation between insanity and hysteria.
Bchamp had grown white to the lips: he was rigid with the effort to control himself.
This rigid observance fell with special force and restriction on children.
The uses of rigid etiquette were well understood by Bonaparte.
Perhaps a slight visionariness of speculation was no less the attribute of Mrs. Mill than an absence of rigid logical principles.
early 15c., from Latin rigidus "hard, stiff, rough, severe," from rigere "be stiff," from PIE *reig- "stretch (tight), bind tightly, make fast" (cf. Old Irish riag "torture," Middle High German ric "band, string"). Related: Rigidly.


text:
Eastern Michigan University Archives
Pierce Hall records
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Eastern Michigan University Archives
- Title
- Pierce Hall Building records
- 015.PiH
- Date
- Undated
- Extent
- 1.2 Linear feet 1 oversized box
- Language
- English
Preferred Citation note
Please cite materials from the University Archives in the following manner: Item. Collection Title. Eastern Michigan University Archives.
Administrative History
John D. Pierce Hall was dedicated as a part of the centennial celebrations of the Normal School in 1949. Named for the first State Superintendent of Public Instruction, it was a part of University President John M. Munson's building campaign. Construction was completed in 1948 and was originally used as an Administrative building as well as classrooms for English, speech, mathematics and education. Pierce Hall is currently used for Student Services, registration and student accounting.
Scope and Contents
The Pierce Hall records contain a painting of Pierce Hall.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Eastern Michigan University Archives 2013 January 24Halle Library, Room 310
Ypsilanti, Michigan, 48197
Conditions Governing Access note
Researchers are asked to request materials 24 hours prior to visiting the the University Archives.
Controlled Access Headings
- Buildings
- Decorative arts
- Decorative arts.
- Eastern Michigan University
Collection Inventory


text:
Where money finds talent
The film finance department at CAA is thriving as the agents work as strategic consultants to high-net-worth individuals, gaining investment for mid-range projects. Screen talks to Roeg Sutherland and Micah Green.
Restricted Content
Registration is required to read the entire article and to gain access to other restricted areas of the website


text:
A recent event brought me this question. Actually two events. Regardless, what would you do in this situation? What if it was a very close relative or friend? I have thought about this. Would you just write them off? Never speak to them again? Would you keep the friendship hoping that one day they would see the error of their ways? This is all based on the premise of course that you have confronted them about this and they believe they have been "enlightened."
So what would you do with your new "enlightened" family member/friend?


text:
Mosman Art Gallery: Those who think tea-towels and T-shirts are all Ken Done can do might want to take a look at the latest exhibition at this north shore gallery. It commissioned Done, who it calls a "chronicler of Sydney Harbour", to respond to and interpret the 1942 attack on Sydney Harbour by the Japanese midget submarines to mark the event's 70th anniversary. Done researched the attack with help from the Australian Navy and Japanese consulate, reading poignant statements, legendary stories, prose and poetry about the event. The artist will donate the resulting 14 paintings to the gallery, which plans to tour the exhibition in Australia and to Japan after its Sydney run, which ends July 8.
Lauraine Diggins: Bark paintings faded into the background during the 1990s and 2000s as the craze for Aboriginal paintings on canvas took off around the country and then the world. But in recent years it has been Aboriginal bark paintings, and other historic items, that have held up the Aboriginal art auction market, achieving solid and in some cases outstanding results in tandem with the passing in of their flashier, higher priced, coloured canvas counterparts. This North Caulfield gallery has pulled 44 bark paintings together for a rare celebration of the art form. Priced from $950 up to $35,000, the exhibition features bark paintings from the 1950s through to later decades, spanning the Kimberley through Western Arnhem Land to Yirrkala in the North East. Exhibition ends July 14.
Opera Australia: Artistic director Lyndon Terracini ran the Brisbane Festival before taking the reins at OA in late 2009, so it's no surprise that one of the first things he did when joining the flagship opera company was program a regular Brisbane season. This year it's Julie Taymor's MET production of Mozart's The Magic Flute, complete with magical giant paper puppets, which opens on Saturday night and runs until June 8, and Baz Lurhmann's and Catherine Martin's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which runs from June 1 to 9. Lyric Theatre, QPAC.
Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery: As any good portrait painter knows, the best of the genre go beyond depicting the physical attributes of the sitter and give a much richer psychological reading of the person. This University of Western Australia gallery explores the idea in Beyond Likeness: contemporary portraits, which surveys portraits by local and international artists working across oil painting, photography, video, sculpture and poetry. In something of a coup, it has secured loans for the show from the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and from the artist Robert Wilson, who has loaned his VOOM portraits of Brad Pitt, above. It is the first time a VOOM portrait has been shown in Australia. Exhibition ends July 28.
The Australian Financial Review


text:
Over 50 Tribal Ashramshala teachers have gone on hunger strike till their demands were met, at RBI Square, Nagpur. These protesters represented teachers employed at ashramshala in Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara and Chandrapur districts. These teachers were not paid salary since last 3 years. Ashramshalas are places in tribal area which gives food, clothes, shelter and books for school students.
The ashramshala management had employed teachers on the note that they will have to serve at a salary for Rs 3000 – Rs 5000/ Month for first three years and then their salary will increase to Rs 30,000 / Month. But they have not kept their promises which has led to agitation by grieved teachers. But till date they have not received any salary and the school authorities say they cannot pay them any salary as they are yet to receive any formal letter from the ministry.
The problem is the employed teachers are left at the mercy of their parents as they have not received any salary. Some are facing problems of marriage as no one is ready to marry their daughters to someone who cannot run the family. These teachers are getting mentally and emotionally tortured.
City MLC Nago Ganar's teachers union has supported the protest and he said he will meet the ministry officials and sort out the matter. If the matter is not sorted out, he told he will himself join the strike till the matter gets resolved.


text:
I have recently started a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with the University of Florida. It's free, open access, and for me non-credit. The first 'assignment' is to write about why you are taking the course and what you expect to gain from it. One simple and practical answer is that I want to find out more about elluminate, as I may be using to run a course myself at some point fairly soon. I also want to work my way around the resources and figure out which tools fit for which purposes. It is fascinating how fragile and yet how robust a course constructed entirely in the ether can be, something akin to a spider's web… Google Docs, Elluminate, Twitter, Youtube, Blogger and various other applications, websites and software are all threaded together to make something which is exceedingly intricate and yet surprisingly sturdy. We shall see.
But this course comes at an interesting moment for me personally. I am preparing for a workshop I will be at this coming weekend, based on a presentation I did a year ago, and at the same time thrashing around a paper on the same theme. I can tell you the what and the how of personal learning networks with increasing certainty, but I am losing my grip on the why. Hence the existential crisis. I should stress that I still believe that personal learning networks are a 'Very Good Thing', but I am just unsure what exactly they are good for, and to what extent. I have a few inkings, but these also raise questions.
- I have a feeling that teacher development ceases at a certain point, provided that a teacher remains in the same context / position for an extended period. That is not to say that 'old' teachers can learn nothing new – there should always be tweaks, refinements… even new approaches. But major epiphanies and shifts in beliefs become less likely over time. This is reflected in the balance between available research devoted to development in novice and 'expert' teachers. Given this, I imagine that there is a shift in emphasis in the way that teachers use PLN's, from self-learning to self-motivation. A feeling that what one is doing is valuable becomes more important for teachers as they enter their late career, to avoid burnout, bitterness or simply going stale. Being a part of an active community and taking on a role as mentor to less experienced colleagues can thus be mutually beneficial.
- PLN's serve both autonomy and collegiality – autonomy in that they are self- initiated, self – constructed and self – maintained, collegiality in the way they allow for collaboration and mutual support. According to research, autonomy and collegiality are both very important elements of successful teacher development, but within institutions and in formalised programmes the balance can be hard to strike, leading to abandonment (enforced autonomy) or pressure (enforced collegiality). PLN's can circumvent some of these problems by offering both greater control and greater opportunity for meaningful cooperation.
- PLN's are extremely social, and can be quite high maintenance. The amount of off-topic banter, chat and sharing which tends to take place is higher than one might expect, although if one considers the PLN as an emulation / extension of a staff room, it is probably comparable to that which takes place in daily face-to-face interaction with professional colleagues. This may explain why 'Facebook' is, for me at least, a far more useful PLN tool than 'Linkedin'. The 'Personal' in PLN doesn't only refer to the unique and personal nature of each particular network, but also to the personal input one has to engage in to be accepted as a trusted member of the network. This in turn can be very tiring, and may lead to burn-out in itself.
- Connectivist theories propose that members of a network do not have to learn themselves, but that the network as a whole will synthesize shared knowledge to move understanding forward. Knowledge can thus be stored in 'non-human appliances', not internally, as in constructivist theory. This leads me to two further questions. Firstly, I am not sure whether connectivism is the entirely new theory it sometimes purports to be, but simply Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development writ large – in both, the understanding takes place outside of the participants and relies upon a sharing of knowledge. More important, though, is the distinction between skill and knowledge. In some fields learner-participants have a need for and access to huge banks of knowledge, but their own full, personal understanding is not necessarily important. This is a suitable model for thinking about the ways in which advances in medical science research may be made. However, contrast this with the knowledge / skills required by a surgeon in practice. This learning must be internalised and available to be drawn upon instantly. Donald Schon talks about 'knowledge-in-action', the sub-concious application of knowledge by an expert practitioner. I suppose the point is that teachers cannot rely solely on a PLN and that teaching skill needs to be practised, reflected upon, and polished. We require a combination of constructivist and connectivist learning to be a successful modern teacher.
What is interesting for me as I think about these things in early 2011 is that I have been in a position to write about and present on the same topics over the last five years or so. Thus I can track my own thinking from 2007 on to 2008 (and again) right up to 2010, via two separate blogs and whole bunch of tweets in between…
I have a feeling that this blog post might be quite an important one for me personally, as I try to pin down my thinking and pack it up in a handkerchief as I meander down the path towards a possible PhD (because everyone else is doing them, and I think I'd get a kick out of being 'Dr., and, you know, what the hey…). If you have stuck with it thus far, thank you. Does it make any sense?