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Other Sports of Tuesday, 26 February 2013
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Two Ghanaian Swimming Officials would officiate in this year's Federation International de Nation (FINA) World Junior Championships to be held in Dubai.
The two are the current technical directors of the Ghana Swimming Association, Kwame Kpodoh and Helena Williams.
They become the first in the history of the country to officiate at a world swimming event.
Kwame Kpodoh who doubles as a member of the technical swimming committee of the Africa swimming federation last officiated in the Africa junior championship zone 2 held in Akure Nigeria last year.
Helena Williams, a lecturer at the University of Ghana and staunch member of the Ghana Swimming federation has been instrumental in organizing most swimming competitions in the country and on the continent.
The duo came through a rather rigorous selection procedure by the Switzerland based Swimming Body unscathed with Kwame Kpodoh shared his excitement with Joy Sports.
"For now am very delighted, I was not expecting it but I think it is good news for Ghana swimming. It is the first time we are having officials at a major world event. I think I was lucky because I was chosen from over three hundred officials," he said.
Helena Williams could not hide her joy either when JOY Sports caught up with her.
"It's the highest place I can be in my career. I am so excited and I think the country should be proud that we are representing them at such a level, I'm honored and grateful," she said.
The 15th edition of the World Junior Swimming Championship would be staged in Dubai from the August 26 to 31.


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dazeychic :: SO VERY HAPPY
Going through a transition? Need something to make you smile? I did, and I bought this and put it up in my baby girl's room. And it does make me smile when I see it. The artist shipped it out very quick, and enclosed a cute little paper doll that my other daughter found amusing and entertaining.

subset: commoncrawl


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"IT'S devastating. He was my life." Those were the words used by the widow of an inspirational police officer who died suddenly last week.
The family of 41-year-old PC Duncan Jones described him as a gentle giant who combined compassion and strength and helped to touch the lives of all those who met him.
Tributes to PC Jones, who died after being taken ill while teaching a class at Worcester Judo Club last Wednesday were led by his widow, Sarah.
Speaking at Worcester police station, she said her husband, who was Worcester born and bred, had dreamed of being a police officer since he was a boy and proved to be a natural in the job.
He worked as a constable for the last eight years and won two commendations.
Mrs Jones of Ronkswood, Worcester, said: "It is devastating. He was my life. He was dependable and reliable and he gave the best hugs that you could have. He made me feel safe and secure. He was a cuddly bear but if he needed to be forceful he could be forceful. He was a very soft person underneath. He loved to be the centre of attention. He would always do something for someone else. It is hard to put into words. Whatever I say isn't going to be enough to describe him."
He had deep roots in the city, attending Cherry Orchard and later Nunnery Wood High School before attending Worcester Sixth Form College. He also played as a centre back for Worcester Football Club on the first team and reserves.
PC Jones had worked at Tesco in St Peter's, Worcester, where he met his wife, marrying her in the city in 1997. He later worked at Morganite Crucible before redundancy gave him the chance to fulfil a dream and become a police officer.
He had an older brother Philip and three children - Jamie, 27, Beth, 15 and Daniel, 23. Daniel said the family realised how much work he had put into the judo club and how huge an operation it really was. Jamie described him as 'a selfless man' and 'a fantastic role model'. PC Jones' mother, Jenny Jones, said he was her 'rock', a wonderful son and her world.
PC Matthew Caesar said of his colleague: "He was an inspiration. He took me under his wing, not as a parent but as a mate, a colleague and and a peer. He was a big softy but he had the capability of wrapping someone up. He had compassion. He was caring." PC Caesar said PC Jones tended to be first in to work and last to leave and would always give up his own time for others and always gave 100 per cent in whatever he did.
He said: "He was one of a kind. He would put everyone before himself. He was life-changing, he was inspirational and he was loyal." At 6fft 2ins and between 15 and 16 stone he had the capacity to deal with trouble and protect colleagues and the public but would much rather communicate with them. He was awarded two commendations - one for pulling a man out of the river Severn at Worcester and another for his role in a difficult arrest. PC Jones had taken part in judo since the age of five and became a third degree black belt. He was National Police Judo Champion in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and represented the police on the European and world stage. He even appeared on TV show "You Bet!" performing 60 throws in 60 seconds but was perhaps best known for his work teaching the sport to disadvantaged youngsters, earning him the a Quality People Award.
The cause of his death remains inconclusive according to a post-mortem report. Many officers have already left tributes in a book of condolence at Worcester Police Station in Castle Street, He will receive a a full police funeral at St George's Church, St George's Square, Barbourne, Worcester on Friday, August 1 at noon followed by a private family committal at Worcester Crematorium and a wake at Sixways.


text: News Article Defending A Bold Business Deal Lee Gomes Published June 4, 2010 in Forbes The Passport from Lifesize Communications, a division of Logitech, attempts to find a happy medium between two extremes. In doing so, they've hit the sweet spot where many educational environments need a product such as this to land. See the Report


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Lizard Painting on Canvas
A little lizard on a little canvas! Handpainted in lovely bright cheeky colours! Cheer up any space on your walls - give him as an unusual gift for a little boy's room! Canvas measure 13cm x 18cm x 1.5cm Strangely I paint using emulsion! The painting extends round the sides. The painting is a one-off, an original, and is signed and dated on the reverse. The copyright of this image belongs to me, Anna Hull, the artist, copiers of this image will meet an unpleasant fate. BEWARE


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The 2012 State of the University Address: Balances
I want to talk with you today about balances.
Not only the balances on the books, or in our labs, but also about the balances we strike for this University as we move forward in a challenging time.
About public support balancing the tuition support provided by students and families. About training for a job balancing being educated for a life of learning. About balancing our research mission and our educational goals. About balancing our rich heritage and tradition with a need to respond in new ways to global challenges. About balancing the future we desire with the needs of paying for it now. About balancing our commitment to Minnesota with our responsibility to the world.
And perhaps most importantly, about the balance of risk and reward.
I chose this theme after eight months of crossing this state and our campuses, and after meeting and listening to hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Of course, chief among those stakeholders I've met, listened to, and learned from the most are you: our exceptional faculty, our tireless staff, and our inspiring students of this great University.
One of my favorite regular outings each week is to visit a department on our Twin Cities campus and to see all the great work being done from the labs of the Academic Health Center to the design studios in St. Paul. Each one of those visits informs me about the enormous impact we have on students, and on the public.
Another of my favorite events is a lunch I have nearly every week with a different group of faculty. The depth and breadth of what you do is astonishing, and I am proud to be your colleague.
Since last July, some of my most exhilarating days have been on visits to our statewide campuses, coming to understand the special and distinct work conducted there.
I've seen and heard of the life-changing research you do, the energizing teaching you offer, and I've come to know the spectacular promise of our students. They are why we are here.
Wherever I go, I tell stories about our dance and physics students, our Ag and Ph.D. students, stories that confirm how great an institution of higher education we are all together.
Now, of course, the pushes and pulls on our great institution are many. But I have found that most Minnesotans love their university and they want it to do well.
Still, our role as a public, land-grant research university is not clear to many. Many do support our drive to excellence, but not if it means that their student can't get into the U. Many value what we provide to our rural towns and agricultural economy in greater Minnesota, but feel we should do more. Many understand that higher education is the broadest and best-paved road we have to a prosperous life, but, frankly, aren't sure we are a good value.
Those and other balances reflect where we are today. They are the consequences of past decisions. But to me, they represent also the initial conditions on which we will build our future.
What we do from now on is, mostly, up to us.
Board of Regents Chair Cohen, Regents Beeson, Brod, Hung, McMillan, Ramirez, and Simmons: Thank you all for honoring me with your presence. Senator Wiger, Director Pogemiller, Mayor Coleman—my mayor, Mayor Brede: Thank you for being here and for your commitment to higher education and this University. To those of you listening and watching in Crookston, Duluth, Morris, Rochester, and online: Thank you all for joining me today .
I want to first acknowledge and officially welcome new members of my team. We recruited Provost Karen Hanson from another Big Ten institution. She is a philosopher who balances the natural leanings of a chemical engineer. We have a new chief information officer, Scott Studham; a new government relations leader, Jason Rohloff; and a new chief communications officer, Diana Harvey.
By my first anniversary, I expect we also will have new leadership for our Crookston campus, for our Office of Equity and Diversity, for University Services, for the Carlson School and the School of Dentistry, and for intercollegiate athletics on the Twin Cities campus.
As an aside, as you know, Gopher athletics is certainly in the news. And let me just say: I am committed to its competitive success and sure of its value to the state. That success, as in all we do, must be balanced with integrity.
All of this new blood means the balance of having to say good-bye to friends, coworkers and leaders. Please join me in thanking Chancellor Chuck Casey, Joel Maturi, Kathleen O'Brien, Donna Peterson, and Tom Sullivan for their combined 97 years of service.
I frequently say that my goal for our University is for us to be in the conversation about the great American public universities—such as Berkeley and Michigan, Virginia and UCLA. We are fortunate that in many areas our achievements far exceed our reputation—perhaps a reflection of Minnesotans' reluctance to brag.
I like to tell people that if Texans lived here, this would be known as the land of 30,000 lakes! We're the only state in the nation that rounds down!
But, thankfully, we are Minnesota, where our statewide campuses offer tremendous opportunities for liberal education, sustainability studies, new ways of learning in the health sciences, and innovations in e- and distance learning. This is where our campuses address critical issues facing the state, such as the future of our mining industry and the health of our great lakes.
But advancing what we do on all of our campuses, and changing how we are known, require us to focus our resources and develop new ways of teaching and learning, new avenues of research, and new kinds of public engagement.
And I do want to emphasize: new ways!
Let me describe some of these new directions by reminding you of one of the first things I did as president. Last summer, following the government shutdown and special session, the University received an additional $25 million, and I had to decide how to allocate it. That money went largely into four areas.
First, we allocated $4.1 million for undergraduate aid to reduce tuition for in-state students this semester, and we reduced the planned tuition increase for fall 2012 from 5 percent to 3.5 percent for Minnesota resident undergraduates. That rate of increase is the lowest increase this century and the second lowest dollar amount.
Second, we allocated funds to critical needs in the current year, primarily to offset large cuts to medical education funding, and to hire additional faculty.
Third, we reserved some funds in case our economic situation worsened in fiscal year 2013.
And fourth, we allocated funds to support 150 doctoral dissertation fellowships per year for three years, a 40 percent increase over previous years. These fellowships are competitively awarded to allow our best students to finish their graduate work in a timely way.
What does such a fellowship do? Let me give you just one example. A fellowship allowed Candance Doerr-Stevens, a Ph.D. student in our College of Education and Human Development, to devote herself full-time to an innovative project analyzing how high school students use digital media to learn. If not for her $22,500 fellowship—and the tuition and health care benefits we provide our graduate students—Candance, a mother of two, would have needed another year to complete her dissertation.
She says the fellowship allowed her to be "in the trenches" with teachers and students. It allowed her, she said, "to walk through an intellectual garden," unencumbered with other responsibilities.
Fellowships are a critical and effective way we invest in the next generation of scholars, teachers, and citizens who will mold the future. Candance, as a representative of the value of doctoral research at the University of Minnesota, please rise so we can acknowledge your important work.
And her children are three- and six-year-olds, which is an additional degree of difficulty!
Now, many people think the best way to understand where an institution is headed is to look at the strategic plan. I say: Look at the budget.
If you look at those budget decisions from last summer, you will see my goals for the institution clearly reflected: holding the line on tuition increases to keep the University affordable, rebuilding our excellent faculty, investing in bold scholarship, and maintaining a prudent budget structure.
I think that's a pretty robust framework. Our budget for fiscal year 2013 is still taking shape, but there are some noteworthy features that are a window to my priorities. This is an outline of what I will recommend to the Board of Regents in May.
First, the increase in the cost pools is zero percent. Zero. Our budget is built using the idea of cost pools, which pay for services and administration. And, except for salary raises and student aid, in my budget the increase in the cost pools for fiscal year 2013 is zero. I pledged to hold the line on administrative costs, and this budget does that.
Second, we have budgeted a 2.5 percent compensation increase for all employees. This follows three years of salary freezes or modest increase and furloughs, and an increased burden of health care costs. This rewards all of you who have carried us through some very difficult budgets.
To our staff and faculty: Thank you very much for your hard work and your sacrifices. Thank you for understanding the effects state cutbacks have had on our operations. Thank you.
And third, in our 2013 budget plan, there is a pool of about $21 million for academic investments. This substantial pool of money will be awarded competitively through the annual compact budget process. I encourage your best ideas—and those of your deans and chancellors—to compete for those dollars.
I believe this budget positions us well to move forward in exciting and productive ways, and reflects a prudent balance. To be clear: The state budget continues to be strained and this may affect our support in the future. But we cannot afford to put our aspirations on hold indefinitely. We will move forward, making responsible hires and rewarding our people now.
I'd like to turn now to tuition and student and family debt—critical issues that are directly tied to state support. Simply put, as the State of Minnesota's investment in the University has declined, our need for tuition dollars to replace part of that state support has increased.
We are working every day to tell our story. I have testified six times at the Capitol in the past month. I have met face-to-face with nearly 100 of our 201 state legislators. We are activating our 21,000-person-strong grassroots network.
But the fantasy that the University could somehow advance its mission and hold the line on tuition as state support dwindles is just that: a fantasy.
For students and families of limited means, tuition increases can drive a painful increase in student debt. About a third of our undergraduate students graduate debt-free. But the average debt of the other two-thirds of our undergraduates system-wide exceeds $27,000.
If you graduate and quickly get a job earning, say, $50,000, that debt level of $300 a month may be manageable. But it can be a real challenge under many other circumstances. For instance, if your debt causes you to drop out, or extends your time to graduate, or if you simply can't find a job after graduation, those are serious challenges.
With his State of the Union address, President Obama started a national conversation. It is very important to remember all of what he said and I quote: "We can't just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we'll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down."
We will do our part—but remember those words: "States also need to do their part." My hope is that the State of Minnesota will engage us in the important work we do at a level that minimizes or eliminates tuition increases. But it is not enough to work for—or simply hope—that the state will invest in its future with us. We must chart our own future. We must reduce costs, eliminate course and program duplication, improve learning outcomes, and be efficient and effective in all that we do.
We must achieve excellence in our operations.
Operational Excellence isn't a buzzword, or a project, or an initiative. Think of it as a long-term commitment to work smarter, reduce costs, enhance services, and generate new sources of revenue. It, too, is about balancing competing interests and goals. It is about innovation and operating differently, not simply about cutting costs. It is about fundamentally changing the culture of this University, and how we manage change.
Culture change is not easy, and it is not fast. But we absolutely have to move to a more nimble and responsive way of doing our administrative work, and we have to do it at a lower cost. It is about increasing our effectiveness even as we become more efficient.
When I started—Oh, those long eight months ago!—I committed myself to reimagining how we operate and function. A group of senior leaders has been meeting since September. We've added a staff work group to help drive innovation and change. In December, a first round of listening sessions was held with diverse faculty and staff from across the institution.
Four main themes emerged. First, we are too risk averse and too regulatory, more mired in saying "no" than in finding ways to say "yes." Second, we can do more to unleash entrepreneurialism and innovation. Third, we can improve our change management and problem-solving skills. And lastly, consultation is important, but we can overdo it.
I've charged each senior leader to implement a risk recalibration initiative in their respective area. This work is aimed squarely at addressing the University's risk-averse culture by eliminating unnecessary or redundant policies and procedures.
In the Office of the Vice President for Research, this work has already streamlined procedures in areas ranging from technology transfer to grant administration to compliance. One example: our first-in-the-nation Minnesota Innovation Partnerships, or MN-IP. It will more swiftly and thoughtfully move our University discoveries and intellectual property from our laboratories to the marketplace by cutting out unnecessary negotiations.
There are a myriad of other changes that we will introduce as quickly as possible with the goal of reducing workloads and getting bureaucracy out of the way. We have to do this because we need to eliminate ESP in our organization. ESP stands for "Extremely Stupid Procedures." We have them. We need to eliminate them. We need to work harder. We need to work smarter.
Here is one example of a change that makes sense. When we purchase equipment, our policy has been to capitalize anything valued at $2,500 or more. When you capitalize equipment you do get the financial value of depreciation, but it also means you have to track and inventory that piece of equipment.
Right now, we track 69,000 items per year.
So, with the leadership of our operational excellence team, we have decided to increase the equipment capitalization threshold from $2,500 to $5,000, consistent with peer institutions. This will reduce the number of items we "count" by 31 percent. That means more than 20,000 things will no longer have to be inventoried and tracked. Hundreds and hundreds of people hours can be reallocated to higher and better uses. That's one good example, and a good balance of risk and reward.
We've begun another important activity that may affect many of you. It concerns academic centers and institutes. I was surprised to find out—and you may be surprised, too—that we have 265 academic centers and institutes, and they have budgets totaling more than $200 million annually.
I have directed all of our deans to look at and examine the mission centrality, value, and scope of each of these centers and institutes. Administrative centers will also be examined. We may find that some, and maybe even most, remain valuable and relevant, but I'm willing to bet others are not.
Excellence also means aligning our strategies with economic realities. That is another component of balancing change. For example, given the uncertain economic environment for residential development, the UMore Park LLC board decided that we are going to focus in the near term on economic development activities that will add value to the property. While we remain committed to the long-term goals, we will use this time to further develop a plan to mitigate the impacts of gravel mining and other development activities on faculty who use UMore space for their research.
It is important to note that everyone has a role in identifying and implementing new ways to work smarter, reduce costs, enhance services, and generate revenues. Local solutions are as important as system-wide initiatives, and we must get better at scaling those that work.
I want to re-envision the fundamental role of administration from one of enforcer to one of partner and facilitator, so that we can help units across the institution rethink how they work, what they do, and how we solve shared problems. Together.
Let me now turn to new initiatives. I'll start with our educational mission. I am asking today for faculty, staff, and governance to engage with me in two ways. First, I want all of our campuses to be leaders, in the state and nationally, in using technology to improve teaching and learning.
Our colleagues in Rochester and Crookston may have a head start, but I am establishing a process to request proposals from faculty on all of our campuses for innovative educational initiatives that will advance teaching and learning. I want our best thoughts about how to use modern tools to enable student success, and I want to pilot those ideas, adopt what works and spread it across our campuses. I would like to see a special focus on electronic textbooks as a way to reduce costs to students. I have asked senior vice presidents Karen Hanson and Robert Jones to lead this effort.
Second, I will engage with you to define and bring to life a remarkably revised academic calendar. Specifically, building on the report from the 2011 Summer Semester Committee, I'd like to take a serious and rigorous look at moving to a year-round academic calendar. This would include three 14- or 15-week periods that—with sincere apologies to our English faculty—I am going to call semesters, even though there are three.
Now, I have learned that in Minnesota there are two immovable calendar events—the religious holidays in December and the secular 10-day celebration that is the Minnesota State Fair. Working around them, I do believe a full, three-semester calendar could be crafted, and it offers great opportunities for both students and faculty. My vision for a year-round calendar would also incorporate an extended winter session in January.
There are significant advantages to doing our best to make this work. First, it would give more students a real chance at graduating in less than four years. On such a calendar, a full-time, year-round student could earn 120 credits in less than three years.
Second, a longer winter session would give students more opportunity to study abroad, have meaningful internship or service and learning opportunities, or complete honors or other significant senior projects.
Third, and very importantly, a year-round schedule increases use of our laboratory and classroom space. Using our facilities year round reduces bottlenecks and can reduce our long-term need, and cost, for new facilities. Finally, three full semesters would increase tuition revenues annually, allowing us to hire more faculty.
Faculty would still teach two semesters a year, but could have flexibility to arrange them so that two consecutive semesters could be devoted to research. Alternatively, "B," or nine-month faculty, might choose to teach three semesters from time to time for additional compensation.
Of course, there are big challenges, chief among them here—managing financial aid for students. There are also valuable programs on our campuses in the summer that would have to be accommodated. And, we'd need a transition time to move to the new model.
But all in all, in the balance, I think the benefits could outweigh the challenges, and this is an idea well worth driving forward. We'll start this conversation on the Twin Cities campus, with other campuses having the option to join as they wish.
Let's turn now to our research mission. Remember, we are the state's only public research university. I have three initiatives to move forward.
The first is consistent with my hope that this institution and its faculty will become more entrepreneurial in every sense of the word. To enable faculty to develop and learn outside the academy, we are advancing through governance a process for tenured and tenure-track faculty to take what we're calling an "entrepreneurial leave." The leave, at zero percent salary but with full benefits, will allow faculty to work full-time with industry, start-ups, or NGOs to develop ideas or products in the marketplace.
Basically, if you have a commercial, artistic, or creative idea you'd like to explore, we will hold your place here. On its surface this looks like an opportunity mainly for those in medicine, science, or engineering. But, in fact, it offers an opportunity for every faculty member who wants to engage the commercial or non-profit sectors.
Second, to support and enable our researchers to succeed in a highly competitive environment, we need to develop and maintain a leading-edge research infrastructure, including our libraries. To accomplish this I am establishing a formal, recurring, research infrastructure funding pool. While our planning for capital building projects is robust—we engage stakeholders system-wide to develop our six-year capital improvement plan—we do not have a similar structure for our research infrastructure. We need it. I am asking the vice president for research to develop a collaborative process for regularly assessing and identifying high-priority research investment needs, and I am asking the chief financial officer to establish a reliable budget line in the University's annual budget. We must budget at a level that ensures appropriate investment supporting research across all disciplines at the University.
Finally, let me address our Academic Health Center (AHC). We are confident that our partnership with Fairview will deepen and that we, together, will bring additional revenues to the AHC. The external review I announced in January is being staffed and will take place as soon as possible within the constraints of the reviewers' schedules. A great Academic Health Center is central to the strength and global reputation of our University.
The third part of our mission is outreach and engagement. By this time you have probably heard my commitment to partner with key stakeholders to reduce the achievement gap in Minnesota—that is, those gaps in school performance between students of color and white students, and between low-income students and their middle- and upper-income classmates. To remain competitive economically and socially, Minnesota must find ways to improve the academic and life-course accomplishments of all of our citizens.
This is not a simple task, and not a task that any single social institution—families, schools, our business community, non-profits, or government—can do alone. But, driven by our three-part mission of teaching, research, and community engagement, bringing research and expertise to bear on significantly reducing the achievement gap is an important responsibility for this University. After all, we are the state's most powerful engine of discovery and innovation, and the best choice as the state's chief convener on such pressing issues.
I plan to devote my time to help lead this effort, and this spring I will host a "mini summit" to bring together our faculty experts to ensure that their efforts across all of our communities and campuses are coordinated. We at the U must continue to strengthen the diverse human capital across our state.
Before closing, let me discuss with you a pressing issue that must concern us all. That is the need to balance training for a job with being educated for life. The strength of American higher education—which is still the envy of the world—is its core of the liberal arts.
When I go to the Legislature or an Ag leaders' breakfast or a Rotary club luncheon, I always talk about our role as the state's only public research university. I talk about our deep and wide economic impact. But employers continually and loudly tell me that many of those jobs demand the skills of the liberal arts and humanities: writing, communicating, critical thinking and analysis, working in teams, wrestling with and solving problems.
This University is about much more than training a workforce for today—although we do a very good job at that. It is about creating the ideas and innovations, the thinkers and leaders, and the economy and culture that will ensure our success for tomorrow—and for the day after, and the day after that.
Let me close by taking you back 150 years, back to 1862. We were in the midst of the Civil War. It was also the year that 38 Indian men were wrongly hanged in Minnesota—a stain on our state's history.
Amid those dark times, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act. Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont authored the act promoting agricultural research, the mechanical arts, and access to higher education for all. We will be celebrating the sesquicentennial of the Act all year through our Land Grant 150 series of programs. I would encourage you to take part in these events.
We have here today someone who can really and truly relate to the Morrill Act. He is a graduate of UMD and is now a master's student in our College of Design on the Twin Cities campus. His name is Prescott Morrill and—believe it or not—he is the great grandnephew of Senator Morrill. Prescott, please rise so we can applaud you and your forward-looking uncle.
So, with this special and direct connection, we move forward toward the next 150 years of our land-grant mission, balancing the prosperity of this state with the economy of the flat and hyper-connected world in which we live. We move forward in a world where human suffering and hunger are far too common, where the rule of law is lacking, and where intolerance and prejudice still thrive. We move forward as one of the few institutions in the world with the scope, span of skills, and talent needed to tackle those daunting problems.
From public health to agriculture, from engineering to law, from philosophy to medicine, our great University has the ability to attack and solve the challenges facing Minnesota, the nation, and the world. That should be our calling for the future.
In that future I see no other side to consider. In that case, there is no counterbalance to our calling. As an efficient, effective, and engaged institution, this University will continue to change the world.


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Submitted by Caroline on
24 January 2012
EVAW Coalition media information:
Sarah Green / Holly Dustin
Follow us on Twitter: @EVAWhd
Equality Now media information:
Jacqui Hunt: email@example.com
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @equalitynow
Object media information:
Anna Van Heeswijk
Eaves media information:
Heather Harvey
Call for Penalties for Prejudicial and Inaccurate Reporting
London, England--Four leading women's organisations gave oral evidence at the Leveson Inquiry today (24 January) and said that Lord Leveson should make strong recommendations on the way the media reports on and portrays women.
Representatives of Eaves Housing, the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Equality Now and Object (who made a joint submission to the Inquiry with the Turn Your Back on Page 3 Campaign) (1), referred to many examples of newspaper reports which are inaccurate, prejudicial and misleading regarding women's experiences of violence, and which portray women in a sexualised and objectified way. They argued that the cumulative effect is harmful to women's equality.
The spokespeople then called on the Inquiry to include in its recommendations:
- That the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) is replaced by a stronger body which will hear complaints from groups as well as individuals; which has powers to investigate on its own authority as well as acting on complaints; which is independent of the press and has representatives of equality groups on it; of which membership is compulsory; and which can impose strong sanctions when complaints are upheld, including perhaps fines.
- This new body should carry out ongoing monitoring of patterns of discrimination.
- Journalists should receive training on the myths and realities about violence against women and how to treat victims.
- That a new code of practice is developed for the way 'case studies' are dealt with by the media.
- Regulation of printed materials should be consistent with other forms of media regulation so that if sexually objectifying material would not pass pre-watershed restrictions on the television it should not be printed in unrestricted newspapers.
- Schools should be required to tackle gender inequality and gender stereotypes and deliver media literacy classes.
The four women's organisations were called to give oral evidence after making written submissions to the Inquiry in December (2). These submissions highlighted the failure to report accurately on crimes of violence against women; news reporting on such stories which upholds myths about sexual violence, prostitution and crimes against ethnic minority women; news reporting which implicitly blames women for violence committed against them; the normalisation of images and stories which sexualise and objectify women in every edition of particular newspapers; the absence from much of the media of the diversity of women's lives and experiences; and the UK government's responsibility to ensure the media does not discriminate against women.
Heather Harvey of Eaves Housing said:
"These are not matters of taste and decency. Poor reporting on all forms of violence against women, but particularly on rape and sexual violence, has an impact on individual women and indeed all those involved in the judicial process from reporting a crime to obtaining a conviction. It can deter victims from reporting crimes and give a message to perpetrators that you are likely to get away with it.
"Violence against women is not inevitable – it has a cause and it has consequences, it can be prevented or reduced – we want to see media coverage that examines it as a phenomenon for which society has responsibility and which we can do something about rather than as a series of tragic incidents. The media is capable of bringing forensic, challenging and innovative analysis and insight to bear when it wants to – it would be a benefit to us all and particularly to women if they did so in these cases."
End Violence Against Women Coalition Chair Marai Larasi said:
"Reporting on violence against women is routinely inaccurate, prejudicial and victim-blaming – like the headline 'orgy in the park' used to describe a gang rape. This can re-traumatise victims, and sends a message to the wider community about which crimes are and are not considered serious.
"In contrast, accurate reporting which gives context and is fair to survivors can actually be empowering and is part of the shift in wider attitudes which is desperately needed."
Jacqui Hunt of Equality Now said:
"Equality Now wholeheartedly supports a free press. Good journalism strives for balance and diversity, yet women are rarely represented as leaders, experts or decision-makers, rather they are frequently objectified, stereotyped, trivialised and demeaned. The long-term corrosive effect of this type of reporting contributes to an environment of less freedom for women including to get justice against violence, to hold political office, to develop healthy body images. Eliminating gender stereotypes and promoting a more comprehensive portrayal of women would be a significant contribution the media could make to address these problems."
Anna Van Heeswijk of Object said:
"If we are serious about wanting a socially responsible press, recommendations must address the persistent portrayal of women as sex objects in the UK Page 3 tabloids.
"Page 3 tabloids contribute to a culture that reduces women to sex objects. The one-dimensional and stereotyped portrayal of women as sexualised body parts is harmful and it is completely preventable. The solution is simple. Page 3 images which are already banned from the workplace and are restricted on television before the 9pm watershed should not be displayed in mainstream newspapers which are sold at child's eye level with no age-restriction. This would allow for greater consistency in media regulation, it would help keep harmful materials out of the mainstream and away from children who are shaping their identities and developing their sense of the world, and it would constitute a crucial step forward in stemming the sexual objectification of women."
Francine Hoenderkamp of the Turn Your Back on Page 3 Campaign said:
"The acceptance and normalisation of the sexual objectification of women and girls that pervades The Sun, The Daily Star and The Sport directly contributes to our unequal status in society. It limits our choices, stalls our progress and violates our human rights."
The four women's organisations plan to make their concerns known directly to the government by writing and enclosing their submissions to the Leveson Inquiry soon.
The organisations concluded:
"This inquiry is about establishing the public interest in having a free press governed by some basic ethical standards. This question must include specific consideration what is in women's interest."
Notes to editors:
1. The End Violence Against Women Coalition is the UK's largest coalition of organisations working to eradicate violence against women and girls; members include Rape Crisis England and Wales, Refuge, Women's Aid, The Women's Institute, Amnesty International UK and the TUC.
2. Equality Now is an international human rights organisation working to promote and protect the rights of women and girls around the world. With over 35,000 individual and organisational members in 160 countries we partner with local and grassroots groups to document discrimination and violence against women and mobilise international action to stop these abuses.
3. Object is an award-winning human rights organisation which campaigns against the sexual objectification of women in the media and popular culture.
4. Eaves is a London-based charity that provides high quality housing and support to vulnerable women. We also carry out research, advocacy and campaigning to prevent all forms of violence against women.
5. The four organisations' separate written submissions to the Leveson Inquiry discussed the failure to report accurately on crimes of violence against women; news reporting on such stories which upholds myths about sexual violence, prostitution and crimes against ethnic minority women; news reporting which implicitly blames women for violence committed against them; the normalisation of images and stories which sexualise and objectify women in every edition of particular newspapers; and the UK government's responsibility to ensure the media does not discriminate against women. All are available on the organisations' websites or on request by calling the numbers above.


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This fudge is no fuss to make at all! No need for candy thermometers or special ingredients. Make several batches for easy and inexpensive gift giving!
In large microwave-safe bowl, place butter and peanut butter. Microwave on HIGH 1½ minutes or until mixture begins to bubble; stir. Microwave on HIGH 1½ additional minutes. Stir in vanilla (mixture will bubble up). Stir in sugar; stir until thick and well blended. Spoon mixture evenly into pan sprayed with vegetable pan spray or cookie cutter; smooth surface. If desired, sprinkle peanuts over top; gently press into surface of candy. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until set.
Makes about 2 pounds candy.


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It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Amazing! Sign our contributors' agreement and then join us on GitHub.
can someone also please inform us how this remote script is reporting statistics, what information is being shared, and with whom
however, I'd like to know why you are calling a remote script file at all.When we released 2.0.17 we:
Since Vanilla was released in 2005, we've held strongly to the principles of open source, giving community managers the most customizable, pluggable, simple community-building software ever created for free. This has been incredibly rewarding for us on a personal level as we've seen Vanilla used on some of the biggest websites in the world. However, we never recorded any information about exactly how many people were using it, and because the installations were so white-labeled and customized, people (including us!) often didn't even know that Vanilla was the product they were using.In addition to these facts, lets see
For this reason and many others, it is vitally important to the life of this project that we accurately measure the effectiveness and reach of Vanilla. Without this information, it will be impossible for us to continue to develop this fantastic free software.


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Food Safety
How safe is the American food supply? Probably the safest in the world. But, even so, if food isn't handled correctly and becomes contaminated by disease-causing organisms, it can still make you sick. Read on to learn what you can do to ensure the food you consume is safe.
Seasonal Factors
At a barbecue, hamburgers are often brought out to the grill on a platter. If the platter is used again to bring the cooked food to the table, without being washed in between, the cooked hamburgers served on that platter may become contaminated.
Some foodborne illnesses have been traced to the lettuce and cheese on a burger. The cheese on a cheeseburger can become contaminated if it's brought to the grill on the same platter as the raw hamburger. Although the cheese cooks on top of the hamburger, it isn't fully cooked.
If lettuce and cheese are stored under hamburger, the meat can drip on the lettuce and the cheese. It's important to store food properly. Make sure that all meat, poultry, and seafood is in containers or sealed plastic bags in the refrigerator. If you won't be using the foods within a few days, put them in the freezer instead.
Shopping and Storing Food
Safe handling of food starts in the grocery store. In your shopping cart, separate the meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from the rest of the fresh food. When you get to the checkout, it's best to bag these items by themselves in plastic bags so that any juices don't drip on other foods.
Once food has been purchased, it should be stored as quickly as possible. Don't let perishables sit in the trunk of your car. Ideally, 2 hours is the time allotted between buying food at your grocery store to properly storing it in the refrigerator or freezer. Bacteria generally don't grow well under refrigeration, and in some cases, bacterial growth is severely delayed. Keep eggs in their original containers and store them in the main part of the refrigerator, not the door. If you don't plan on eating leftover food within a few hours, then refrigerate it.
Frozen foods should be thawed either in the refrigerator, in a leak-proof bag in cold water, or in the microwave. Thawing frozen foods on top of the counter allows the frozen surface to thaw long before the core. This provides a nice, warm, moist environment that enhances bacterial growth.
Know when it's time to throw foods out. You can't always tell if foods are past their prime by looking at them. For more information on storage times for food in the refrigerator and the freezer, check out this page from FoodSafety.gov: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html.
Hands should be washed in hot, soapy water for before and after food preparation. Wash hands for at least 20 seconds—about the amount of time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice through.
Handwashing is an important factor in food contamination. It can prevent cross-contamination between different foods or kitchen utensils.
Bacteria is present in the intestinal tract of most people and is easily transferable, especially when personal hygiene is not emphasized. If you use the bathroom without washing your hands afterwards, you can contaminate other things you touch.
Towels used for drying the hands should also be clean, to prevent recontaminating the hands. Paper towels or air drying work well.
Clean Is Key
Kitchen surfaces and tools like counter tops, utensils, and cutting boards can spread bacteria. Use paper towels or clean dishcloths to wipe surfaces often. Utensils, cutting boards, and other cooking tools should be washed in hot, soapy water.
Always wash fruits and vegetables. Rinse them under running tap water. For leafy vegetables, remove and throw out the outermost leaves. Since bacteria grows well on the cut surface of fruits and vegetables, do not contaminate these foods when slicing them. And avoid leaving cut produce out for many hours.
Washing meat, poultry, and eggs is not recommended because it can cause contaminating juices to splash onto other surfaces.
Keep Cool
Using a special refrigeration thermometer, check the temperature of your refrigerator at least once a week. The freezer should be at 0°F (-18ºC) and the refrigerator itself should be below 40°F (4ºC). In addition, the thermometers should be checked periodically for accuracy.
Food safety truly does begin at home. So practice good food safety handling practices to enjoy your meal!
- Michael Woods, MD
- Reviewed: 03/2016
- Updated: 05/06/2014
Please note, not all procedures included in this resource library are available at Henry Ford Allegiance Health or performed by Henry Ford Allegiance Health physicians.
All EBSCO Publishing proprietary, consumer health and medical information found on this site is accredited by URAC. URAC's Health Web Site Accreditation Program requires compliance with 53 rigorous standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audits. To send comments or feedback to our Editorial Team regarding the content please email us at email@example.com.
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Bridgwater Mens I 5, Taunton Vale II 3
BRIDGWATER kept their promotion push on track with a 5-3 victory over local rivals Taunton Vale on Saturday.
Andy Taylor bagged a superb hat-trick, while Carwyn Jenkins and Matt Slocombe added the rest to complete a hard-fought victory for Bridgwater.
It was Taunton Vale who had the first sight at goal and took a surprise lead with a short corner routine finding the back of the net.
The goal acted as a catalyst for Bridgwater who increased the pace and intensity of the match, producing three excellent goals to turn the match on its head.
The first was calmly taken by Andy Taylor when played through by Nick Bennett.
The second a rare goal for Carwyn Jenkins, following a mazy run from Tim Bennett into the Vale D, which found Jenkins on the penalty spot who finished like a 20-goal-a-season striker.
The third goal followed soon after, built from the back and finished by Andy Taylor at the back post.
Winning the ball back in defence, Scott Upham played the ball forward for a neat exchange between Joe Sibley and Jenkins to find Liam Pigden on the left wing.
He played a good 1-2 with Martin James and crossed for the unmarked Taylor for 3-1.
Vale did find a second goal though a quickly taken long corner which caught the Bridgwater backline off guard and a good finish was applied.
Sitting slightly deeper Bridgwater used their pace on the counter to good effect, adding two further goals before half time.
On a hat-trick, Taylor scored a spectacular reverse lob and Matt Slocombe scored from a short corner 'drag flick'/'pass'.
Going into the second half 5-2 up, Bridgwater were happy with their position in the game and started well, creating a couple opportunities on the counter.
Tim Bennett and Sibley went close before tired bodies and some questionable decisions against both sides caused the game to become scrappy.
In this period, Taunton Vale got a third goal, but created very little extra to trouble Bridgwater keeper Pete Saunders.
Next week Bridgwater host promotion rivals Ashmoor.
Bridgwater Mens II 6, Minehead II 1
BRIDGWATER II continued their push for promotion with a 6-1 thrashing of Minehead on Saturday.
Chris Cullum (2), Paul Tilley, Harry Stephenson, Tom Willis and Tim Sullivan netted for the hosts, who cruised to On a rare sunny and warm afternoon in Bridgwater, skipper Lee Chorley must have put something into the team's drinking water as Bridgwater started fast and hard which caught Minehead by surprise.
The first attack led to a goal when a short corner flicked by Paul Tilley found its way to Chris Cullum who expertly scooped the ball into the roof of the net.
Cullum added his second from close range minutes later, before Willis powered home with venom.
Morrish took advantage of a moment of confusion in the Minehead defence as he drove a free hit from just outside of the 'D' for Tilley to deflect the ball to rocket past the keeper, and go in off the post.
Minehead started to get a small foothold in the game getting a well worked and determined goal of their own which did create a little panic as they had a good spell of possession.
But it was Bridgwater who scored the next goal from Harry Stephenson, who having just injected the short corner, controlled his baseball-like swing to convert a deflected ball into the net.
With minutes left Minehead made a critical error allowing Sullivan to sneak through the defence and finish for number six.
Bridgwater Mens III 6, North Devon II 1
BRIDGWATER cruised to a 6-1 victory over North Devon on Saturday, thanks to a brace from Steve Turvey.
Phil Morrish, Dan Pigden, Ben Lewis and Sean Hedaux were also on the score sheet in a convincing win.
Bridgwater started the better team and went ahead early in the game.
The goal came from a short corner where Rich Payne stopped and pushed the back to injector Phil Morrish, who scored from an acute angle.
A fast break led to the second goal when Will Pope found Rich Payne who laid the ball through to Dan Pigden to slot in under the keeper for 2-0.
North Devon got a goal back but Bridgwater then scored two more goals in quick succession when a Rich Payne shot rebounded for Ben Lewis to hit in and Steve Turvey got his first goal of the game tapping in after good work from Payne.
Bridgwater then got their fifth goal through Sean Hedeaux - and last goal came when Payne on another run, beat the defence, committed the keeper and laid the ball off for Steve Turvey to tap into an empty goal for 6-1.
Bridgwater Mens IV 3, OPM III 1
BRIDGWATER'S fourth team rode their luck to beat OPM and maintain their position at the top of the table.
Against a team second from bottom, Bridgwater could have reasonably expected a comfortable win and started off positively forcing the OPM defence into a number of early clearances.
did manage to open the scoring shortly before half time as Dan Batten's cross-shot was deflected into the OPM goal by one of their defenders.
Bridgwater started strongly at the start of the second half, but failed to take advantage of their opportunities before eventually Steve Pigden diverted Marcus Blyth's cross into the OPM goal.
OPM's persistence was finally rewarded as they pulled a goal back from a penalty flick.
With Bridgwater now hanging on, OPM came close to pulling level on a number of occasions, forcing Hutter into a number of fine saves, however, it was Bridgwater who scored next as Mike Davidge combined with Pigden who scored his second and Bridgwater's third.
Bridgwater now face a difficult away fixture against the league's form team Chard.


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Welcome to Biltmore Hotel & Suites - A leading choice of hotels in Santa Clara
Santa Clara Hotel - Biltmore Hotel
Delight in a welcoming array of luxurious comforts from the Biltmore Hotel and Suites, Santa Clara, California in the heart of Silicon Valley. Featuring superior accommodations and executive-style amenities, our Santa Clara, California hotel is located just minutes from leading downtown San Jose businesses, in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara Convention Center and California's Great America. The perfect address for business and pleasure, we invite to enjoy our signature style of unsurpassed luxury and value.
Santa Clara Hotel Amenities
Our hotel in Santa Clara delivers five-star service, modern amenities and a warm California ambiance. From the comfort of our Santa Clara hotel,enjoy high-speed wireless internet access and parking, heated outdoor pool and spa, fine dining, fitness center, business center, extensive meeting and wedding facilities and beautifully landscaped garden surroundings. We offer complimentary transportation to and from the San Jose International Airport only, on availability basis only. Stay connected with our hotel and meeting spaces' new, upgraded 150Mbps Wireless Internet!
Santa Clara Convention Center Hotel
Located in Santa Clara, California, our hotel is just minutes from Silicon Valley businesses, Santa Clara University, world-class shopping, wineries, golf courses, museums, universities, and exciting attractions, such as California's Great America, Winchester Mystery House, Shoreline Amphitheatre, San Jose International Airport and the Santa Clara Convention Center.Santa Clara Convention Calendar
Levi's® Stadium Events
Levi's® Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, is located at 4900 Marie P. DeBartolo Way Santa Clara, California, and only 2.5 miles from the Biltmore Hotel.
Events list:
Silicon Valley California Green Hotel Accommodations
Come home to executive-style accommodations appointed with designer furnishings, luxury amenities and entertainment extras that will ensure you enjoy a memorable and comfort-filled stay in the Santa Clara/Silicon Valley area. We are pleased to welcome your pets as guests in our pet-designated rooms, and proud to say The Biltmore Hotel & Suites is taking steps to lessen its environmental impact. We currently purchase green power in amounts that reach the EPA's requirements, and are proud to call ourselves an EPA Green Power Partner. Green power is electricity generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, low-impact biomass, and low-impact hydro resources.
Santa Clara Hotel Relaxation
After business meetings or sightseeing, relax in our outdoor heated pool and soothing spa nestled in a peaceful garden setting. Savor our California inspired cuisine and casual dining at Montague's Cafè, or relax at Hops Bar & Grill.
Silicon Valley Hotel Meetings & Weddings
Our grand ballroom, Atrium and gardens offer more than 12,000 sq. ft. of elegant space for personal and professional occasions. Enjoy our flexible meeting and event facilities for unforgettable business events and social affairs of up to 800 guests.


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Inside Apple: How America's Most Admired–and Secretive–Company Really Works
Inside Apple: How America's Most Admired–and Secretive–Company Really Works
INSIDE APPLE reveals the secret systems, tactics and leadership strategies that allowed Steve Jobs and his company to churn out hit after hit and inspire a cult-like following for its products.
If Apple is Silicon Valley's answer to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, then author Adam Lashinsky provides readers with a golden ticket to step inside. In this primer on leadership and innovation, the author will introduce readers to concepts like the "DRI" (Apple's practice of assigning a Directly Responsible Individual to every task) and the Top 100 (an annual ritual in which 100 up-and-coming executives are tapped a la Skull & Bones for a secret retreat with company founder Steve Jobs).
Based on numerous interviews, the book
List Price: $ 12.99
Price: $ 12.99
Find More Apple Products


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GOVERNMENT inspectors have given Blackburn's Muslim Olive Primary school a clean bill of health after an undercover TV documentary accused staff of preventing clapping and music in class.
In a report published today, regulator Ofsted said: "British values are promoted well and planning is clearly translated into practice."
Film of staff members at the Tauheedul Trust telling an undercover reporter they believed clapping and music were discouraged at the Bicknell Street primary formed a key part in a Channel Four 'Dispatches' programme questioning the role of faith schools in Britain.
They are addressed by the emergency no-notice Ofsted report into the school ordered by the Department for Education.
It highlights, 'spontaneous applause from a year two class after two pupils acted out a scene from Pinocchio'.
The report also said: "Plans show frequent reference to the use of music, television, video and technology to bring pupils learning to life."
Blackburn with Darwen council schools boss Dave Harling and Pendle Tory MP Andrew Stephenson said that the allegations of repression of clapping and music in the documentary had concerned them but the Ofsted inspection had put their minds at rest.
Blackburn MP Jack Straw welcomed the report, and those from two similar inspections of Tauheedul girls and boys high schools.
He said the Dispatches allegations about the Olive were 'wafer thin and rebutted comprehensively by Tauheedul Trust'.
Mr Straw added: "I don't approve of children being told not to clap or to an absence of music.
"The Ofsted report documents that inspectors saw children clapping and there's lots of music in the school."
The programme 'Faith Schools Undercover: No Clapping in Class' included secret footage of undercover reported 'Rehana' asking teaching assistants and teachers in the Olive staff room what was appropriate for Islamic education.
In a piece of footage of a counting exercise it appears one pupil claps and is told off by a member of staff.
Asking about a lack of applause and music in the school, she filmed staff saying they had heard people say that clapping was 'a form of entertainment for Satan' and music in school was discouraged as non-Muslim.
The programme revealed trust schools hosted lectures by three extremist preachers, including Mufti Ismail Menk banned from six UK universities for preaching same-sex acts were 'filthy'.
The documentary about faith schools followed the 'Trojan Horse' controversy over alleged attempts to radicalise Muslim schools in Birmingham.
The Ofsted reports into the three schools all highlighted their commitment to the government and Blackburn with Darwen Council's 'Prevent' strategy to stop Muslim young people being radicalised into violent extremism.
The Olive school report said: "Pupils study a wide range of subjects including religious education, life skills and citizenship.
"Themes connected to the curriculum such as Christian baptism and 'Good to be different' are introduced."
The only priority for improvement was collating information about behaviour to look for 'patterns occurring'.
The report into Tauheedul Islam Girls High School said: "Students are prepared exceptionally well for the next stage of their education and for adult life in Britain".
The boys school inspection concluded: "Students are very well prepared to take their place in modern British society and embrace British values."
Both schools were praised for their current vetting procedures on the suitability of outside speakers and had no recommendations for improvement from the Ofsted inspectors.
Coun Harling said: "The documentary raised questions, especially about clapping and music. Those questions are answered in the Ofsted report."
Mr Stephenson said: "I think the Ofsted inspections answer most of the questions but I am concerned about the footage regarding clapping and music. This is an issue the school governors need to monitor."
A Tauheedul Trust statement said: "Ofsted's letters – which were compiled after forensic, no notice inspections across all of our family of schools triggered in response to Dispatches allegations - demonstrate that the regulator has no concerns whatsoever about any policy or practice at Tauheedul.
"They note and endorse the way children are prepared 'exceptionally well for the next stage of their education and for adult life in Britain'."


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SAINT LEO, Fla. - The No. 7 Saint Leo University women's tennis season came to an end in the NCAA South Region 2 Championship as the Lions fell to ninth-ranked University of West Florida 5-0 from the Saint Leo Tennis Center on Tuesday afternoon. The visiting Argonauts advance to the National Championships in Surprise, Ariz. while the Lions end their season 18-6 and finish in the Region's final.
West Florida (21-6) dominated through doubles Nos. 1 and 3, but at No. 2 Emily Singleton and Laura Kemkes rallied from 7-4 down to take an 8-7 lead. The UWF sister tandem of Luiza Sonnervig and Mariana Sonnervig refocused to send the final doubles matchup into a seven-point tiebreak. Falling behind early, the Lions duo could not manage another rally in the tiebreak and West Florida took a 3-0 lead into singles play.
Trying to hold off the nation's ninth-ranked team from winning two flights in singles proved to be too much as Nos. 1 and 2 singles earned the wins to seal the match. Despite the 5-0 final, the Lions held the advantage in at least three of the remaining flights.
Despite the loss, Saint Leo finishes with another NCAA Tournament trip under their collective belt while the Lions look to finish in the top 10 in the ITA standings after the year has concluded. The Lions also hosted their first regional in the program's history.
For more information on the nationally ranked women's tennis team in the offseason be sure to 'like' the Lions on Facebook and 'follow' Saint Leo on Twitter.
#9 West Florida 5, #7 Saint Leo 0
04/30/13 at Saint Leo, Fla. (Saint Leo Tennis Center)
|Singles competition
|1. Monika Kochanova (UWF) def. Coralie Pesenti (SLW) 6-0, 6-0
|2. Luiza Sonnervig (UWF) def. Pauline Helgesson (SLW) 6-4, 6-1
|3. Adrianna Daszkiewicz (SLW) vs. Nina Bubelova (UWF) 6-1, 2-6, unfinished
|4. Maria Benkirane (SLW) vs. Mariana Sonnervig (UWF) 6-1, 2-6, unfinished
|5. Emily Singleton (SLW) vs. Giovana Patitucci (UWF) 6-2, 5-4, unfinished
|6. Phoebe Di Leo (SLW) vs. Fernanda Amaral (UWF) 4-6, 2-5, unfinished
|Doubles competition
|1. Monika Kochanova/Giovana Patitucci (UWF) def. Maria Benkirane/Pauline Helgesson (SLW) 8-3
|2. Luiza Sonnervig/Mariana Sonnervig (UWF) def. Emily Singleton/Laura Kemkes (SLW) 9-8 (7-4)
|3. Nina Bubelova/Fernanda Amaral (UWF) def. Coralie Pesenti/Adrianna Daszkiewicz (SLW) 8-2
|Match Notes
|West Florida 20-6; National ranking #9; Regional ranking #5
|Saint Leo 18-5; National ranking #7; Regional ranking #2
|Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,2)
|NCAA South Region 2 Championship Match


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In today's dead-tree edition of the FT, we report on a draft of a stinging report the European Commission will issue Wednesday which could send shock waves through the US tech industry: unless the Obama administration changes the way it handles online data of European citizens, American companies like Google and Facebook will have to find another way to do business in the EU.
Given the importance of the Commission's review of the 13-year-old "safe harbour" agreement with the US – which allows American firms to operate in Europe under US privacy rules because of an assumption that Washington treats the data similarly to European governments – and the fact we got our hands on it before its official release, we thought Brussels Blog readers might be interested in a bit more detail about the Commission's findings. Read more


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The funeral for 20-year-old aspiring journalist Tayla Woodard, who died after collapsing at her boyfriend's house in Worcester Park, has been held in her home town.
An estimated 200 people packed into Egloshayle Parish Church in Wadebridge, Cornwall, on Saturday to say goodbye to the Bournemouth University student.
In accordance with the family's wishes, many mourners eschewed traditional black clothing in favour for bright colours, as a celebration of Miss Woodard's life.
David Bray, from funeral directors RJ Bray and Sons, said: "It was very well attended, and there were a number of tributes from family and friends.
"There were quite a few people in bright clothing, as well as others in more traditional black.
"She was very much loved."
Sunday People showbiz editor Katie Hind was among the mourners, later tweeting a picture of the order of service with the message: "Today I said goodbye to @TaylaMaeW.
"She was a budding journalist I was proud to mentor. She would have been the best".
TOWIE star Maria Fowler replied to the tweet, adding her sympathies.
She said: "that is very very sad. I met her with you before. My condolences".
Miss Woodard died on Sunday, March 9, hours after being taken ill at the home of her boyfriend Alex Rickett in Tamesis Gardens, Worcester Park.
She and Mr Rickett had been in Brixton on Saturday evening, according to her hometown newspaper the Cornish Guardian.
After returning, she collapsed at about 5am. She died in hospital at 6.22am that same day.
Mr Rickett, 21, was also taken to hospital as a precaution but was later discharged.
The cause of Miss Woodard's death is still unexplained, although Metropolitan Police have confirmed it is being treated as non-suspicious.
Kingston Police are still investigating.
A police spokesman said: "Tayla's unexplained death continues to be investigated by Kingston CID.
"A post mortem has taken place and further tests are being conducted.
"At this stage a cause of death has not been established.
"An inquest has been opened and adjourned."


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Operation Weapon-EctomyLanguage brain teasers are those that involve the English language. You need to think about and manipulate words and letters.
Six words have had their weapons removed. The weapons have been placed into Group A. The remaining letters of each word have been placed into Group B. Your task is to reconstitute the words by merging each weapon with the proper set of letters. Other than merging the two groups together, there is no rearranging of the letters. Example: sand + pne = spanned (SpANneD).
Group A: bomb, gun, mace, rifle, saber, spear
Group B: ainale, ltto, niur, tiliz, toiat, urntual
Answerbomb + ainale = abominable (aBOMinaBle)
gun + ltto = glutton (GlUttoN)
mace + niur = manicure (MAniCurE)
rifle + toiat = trifoliate (tRIFoLiatE)
saber + tiliz = stabilizer (StABilizER)
spear + urntual = supernatural (SuPErnAtuRal)
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Back to Top


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The St. Johns River Ferry has carried passengers from Mayport to St. George Island and back since 1894.
The ship is now under control of new operators.
The Jacksonville Port Authority handed control over to the St. Johns River Ferry Commission on Sunday night at a ceremony in Mayport.
The final crossing under JaxPort's control carried dozens of ferry supporters who used a grassroots effort to keep the ship afloat.
"It would have been a significant ride for people to come in from (Interstates) 95 and 295, then go all the way out. And they probably would have bypassed all of Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Ponte Vedra. It's significant in economic development and jobs," said Elaine Brown, a member of the St. Johns River Ferry Commission.
JaxPort decided earlier in the year it can no longer afford to operate the ferry and is turning over its operation to a nonprofit St. Johns River Ferry Commission on Oct. 1. JaxPort and the city of Jacksonville have each pledged $200,000 to the commission, but that is not enough money to run the ferry for the year.
The ferry will continue to operate on its normal schedule.
Riders will see an increase in fares. Cars will now pay $6 and motorcycles will pay $5. Frequent riders who purchase tickets by getting coupon books good for 20 crossings would pay $80, up from $60.
Copyright 2012 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Crime writer Patricia Cornwell has won nearly $US51 million ($49.8 million) in a lawsuit against her former financial management company and a former principal in the firm.
The author best known for her series of novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta claimed that New York firm Anchin, Block & Anchin was negligent in handling her finances and cost her millions in losses or unaccounted revenue.
Lawyers for the firm and former principal Evan Snapper said there was no money missing from Cornwell's accounts. They blamed losses on the economic downturn and what they called Cornwell's extravagant spending.
Cornwell said she discovered in 2009 that her net worth was under $13 million, despite having eight-figure earnings in each of the previous four years.
She said the firm caused her to miss a book deadline for the first time in her career when it failed to find her a suitable place to write after renovation work on her house went on much longer than expected.
Damages at 50.9 million in our suit against Anchin. #justice— Patricia Cornwell (@1pcornwell) February 19, 2013
''This was very destabilising. I really lost my ability to focus and concentrate. I did not know what the book was about anymore,'' Cornwell said.
The lawsuit said the missed deadline caused Cornwell to lose one year's income of about $15 million in non-recoverable advances and commission.
Cornwell's relationship with Anchin began in 2004 when the firm agreed to manage all her money and the assets of her company, Cornwell Entertainment.
Cornwell said she was thrilled with verdict.
''God bless justice,'' she said. ''It's a huge relief and it's been a huge ordeal.''


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Jones, O's jump on ex-teammate Hammel, drub A's
Outfielder hits three-run homer, ties career high with five RBIs
OAKLAND -- The Orioles did not treat former teammate Jason Hammel too kindly on Saturday, chasing him after two-plus innings en route to a bounce-back, 8-4 victory at the Coliseum.
Baltimore tagged Hammel for four first-inning runs and five in total, evening the three-game series with the A's on the heels of a stunning walk-off loss on Friday.
"It's tough, it's frustrating, last night," said Adam Jones. "But we got another day. Live to fight another day. The beauty of baseball."
Jones seized the day more than anyone. He smacked a three-run homer in the first and tied a career high with five RBIs. Jones had done that just once before -- on July 28, 2008, against the Yankees. He also stole two bases, making him the first player in franchise history to record five RBIs and multiple steals in the same game.
Baltimore finished with 13 hits, nine of which came from the top three batters in the lineup: Nick Markakis, Steve Pearce and Jones. Markakis went 4-for-5 with four singles in his third four-hit effort of the year, while Pearce went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
J.J. Hardy added a homer of his own in the first, and Hammel departed with no outs in the third and five runs to his name.
"We were just fortunate what mistakes he made," said O's manager Buck Showalter. "He's one of those guys you've got to get something early off of."
"Playing behind him for two years, I think we had a solid scouting report on him and what he's done," said Jones. "That was only last year we had him. It's not like he's a couple years removed. We had a plan just to get some strikes. He fell behind and threw us some good pitches, and we didn't miss 'em."
The O's added a run in the third and two more in the fourth on Jones' single. They led 7-1 after the top of the fourth, and southpaw Wei-Yin Chen and the Baltimore bullpen staved off Oakland's mid-game push.
"It was big to get the early lead, Jonesy big home run and kind of add [from there]," said catcher Nick Hundley. "It was nice to show that resiliency."
Chen allowed three runs in five innings and threw 86 pitches -- his fifth straight outing of fewer than 100 pitches -- before Showalter called on Brad Brach, Darren O'Day and Zach Britton to finish the job.
"I think I had the ability to go for six or maybe seven innings, so I did feel a little upset to be taken out of the game after the fifth inning," Chen said through an interpreter. "But Buck has his plan, and it's not the players' place to think about it."
The Orioles' outfield defense was strong behind Chen, including several long runs by Pearce and an excellent catch by Markakis to end the fifth.
"I thought it was terrific," Hundley said. "Pearcey looked like he was playing half the field running both sides, Nick going down the line on [Craig] Gentry was a big play with two outs in another RBI situation. Outfield defense was key."
The A's chipped away with runs in the third, fourth and sixth, but the O's made sure to avoid a repeat of the previous night's stunning comeback.
Oakland had two runners on with two outs in the ninth, but Britton came on and redeemed himself after Friday's walk-off loss, fanning Nick Punto for the final out.
"I thought he did a little better last night than he did tonight," said Showalter. "But he's having a great year."
Chris Davis put icing on the cake with a solo shot in the ninth, and Baltimore's three home runs raised its season total to 119, surpassing the Blue Jays for the most in the Majors.
"One through six, they can do a lot of damage, hit a lot of homers and score a lot of runs," said A's manager Bob Melvin. "That's where we had the most trouble tonight."
The O's returned to a season-best 10 games over .500 heading into Sunday's rubber match.
"You like to show them what they're missing," Hammel said, "but they got the best of me tonight."
Aaron Leibowitz is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: STOPPED Welcome to NSCash.com v4 - The Evolution affilaite area login » NSCash Homemade Cash Combat Bucks SoloDollars VOD return to main sites list program features faq contact Start promoting NSCash & our entire family today You only need one affiliate account to promote all of the sites under NSCash and each of our sister programs. Fill out your details below and you'll be approved within 24 hours. We've been working diligently on our new system to seamlessly integrate all of these great programs together for you. Register now and take advantage of one of the fastest growing programs around! NScash.com is now on NATS, Click here to signup at our new site. NSCash - Homemade Cash - Combat Bucks - SoloDollars - VOD mainpage : sites : program : features : faq : terms : contact : lost password All content, images & intellectual properties © Copyright 2008 NSCash.com. All Rights Reserved.


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Children stepped back into Shakespeare's London in a lesson on bringing his plays to life.
Year 4 pupils from The Wroxham School, in Wroxham Gardens, Potters Bar, learnt about the tumultuous politics of the Elizabethan and Jacobean era.
They were told how to look into the language to bring life to speeches from plays such as The Tempest, Macbeth, Hamlet and Twelfth Night.
It was as part of a workshop held by former teacher Jerome Monahan.
Teacher Steve Davy said: "It was an extension of the work they have done on the Tudors. And through it the children found out a great deal about Shakespeare's London.
"It would be easy to think his plays and language might be a bit intimidating for this age group, but if not made entertaining and engaging."
The workshop began with a crash course in aspects of the Elizabethan age, including some of the iconography in the paintings of the Queen.
The eight and nine-year-old's were also surprised to discover how Shakespeare's status in England as one of the greatest playwrights did not come easily.
Eight-year-old Amy, said: "I liked learning the Shakespeare words and how to put an action with what you are saying."
Mr Monahan said: "The priority of the day was giving the children as many chances as possible to get their tongues around Shakespeare's language and make it come alive - exploring the images it contains and the very different feelings it can generate."


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Yale University
Teaching and research at Yale University are organized through the schools, departments, and programs.
The undergraduate school, Yale College, is the heart of the University. More than 2,000 undergraduate courses in the liberal arts and sciences are offered each year by over sixty-five departments and programs, forming a curriculum of remarkable breadth and depth. The faculty is dedicated to undergraduate teaching, and many of Yale's most distinguished professors teach introductory-level courses.


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Pork chop calzones were featured on a Primal Grill episode this season and after looking it up online I learned that the recipe can also be found on page 134 of "How To Grill".
I picked up some butterflied loin chops and brined them for about 4 hours in salt water.
The Jones Farm smoked ham came from the packaged meat case and the Bel Gioso provolone and Scott Petersen pepperoni came from the deli counter.
Stuffed and ready to go. Because the chops had been brined I didn't season them with any additional salt but I did use fresh pepper.
Nicely cooked, complete with the HCOGM.
A cross-section showing the different layers, and one that's been deconstructed a little bit.
The brining really helped keep the pork moist and the cheese, pepperoni, smoked ham, and herbs really kicked up the flavor. Originally I had wanted to use fattier chops but in hindsight that might've been a little overkill because the pepperoni rendered a fair amount of fat as it cooked.


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Bipartisan Senate duo pitch US fuels tax hike
WASHINGTON — With few short-term solutions available to solve the nation's highway funding crisis, some in Congress are willing to back raising and indexing the federal fuels tax to inflation despite the political risks.
Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., today pitched a plan to raise the fuels taxes over the next two years by six cents each year and then index the taxes to the Consumer Price Index. But even its backers doubt whether the bill will be passed by the end of month in order to save the Highway Trust Fund, the main engine of highway funding, from becoming insolvent as early as next month.
"This proposal provides the kind of long-term funding solutions that virtually every independent, bipartisan commission has said are needed to repair and upgrade our aging transportation network," Associated General Contractors of America CEO Stephen Sandherr said in a statement. "As important, by finding the courage to cross aisles and tackle difficult funding questions, the Senators are demonstrating the legislative process at its finest."
With little hope of saving the HTF through reform, Congress will likely inject money from the general fund into the trust fund to maintain federal spending for highways, roads and bridges. But the inability of Congress to plug a gap between what it wants to spend and what is collected through federal fuels taxes has already done damage. Many states have pulled back on long-term infrastructure projects because of funding uncertainty, meaning shippers and transportation providers can expect to grapple with increased highway congestion.
Congress needs to find about $100 billion to maintain surface transportation funding over the next decade. That level of spending would at best maintain the current system, not provide additional capacity needed to handle expected freight growth.
Recent proposals to shore up the HTF include taxing oil companies by the barrel or using savings found by cutting U.S. Postal Service delivery on Saturday. But those ideas face stiff opposition and are unlikely to come to fruition in the coming months — if ever.
Transportation proponents, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have steadily urged Congress and the Obama administration to take the most straight-forward and proven approach: raising fuels taxes. But even though the fuels taxes — an 8.4-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax and 24.4-cents-per-gallon diesel tax — haven't increased since 1993, Obama and most in Congress balk at the idea.
Some members of Congress have candidly said seeking a fuels tax increase is politically infeasible and downright risky when reelection challenges are near, a case for some facing midterm elections in early November. But there are also more signs that the general public isn't as averse to paying more at the pump as legislators say they are. A recent AAA poll, for example, found that 51 percent of roughly 2,000 people surveyed would be willing to fork over more dollars for gas if roads and highways were improved as a result. And the editorial board of the USA Today, one of the most read newspapers in the nation, yesterday backed raising the fuels tax.
Congress tends to move slowly, particularly when hard decisions are involved, but the recent pitch suggests members are realizing they don't have any other option in the short term than to back a tax hike.
Contact Mark Szakonyi at email@example.com and follow him on Twitter: @szakonyi_joc.


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Q: Chef, My husband likes New York strip and my brother is a rib eye fan. Can you give some insight on what the best steaks to grill are?
A: Well, we just completed an extensive study on steak for our restaurants and after tasting more than 40 steaks and visiting cattle ranchers all over the country, I think we have found the perfect steak. We partnered with Aurora Beef in Illinois, and they are allowing us the select from the top one-third of their stock.
When shopping at your local butcher, you will need to look closely at the marbling of the meat. In general, the better the marbling, the better the steak will be. As for the maturity of the animal, the younger the animal, the whiter the fat is in the steak. If the fat looks yellowish, it is probably because the animal is older.
While most people go for the filet, I think the rib eye is the best. The strip, porterhouse and T-bones are good, but nothing beats a bone-in rib eye. The balance of marbling and meat is unsurpassed. If you can get them bone-in, then you are in Steak Heaven! The recipe below is simple. If you have a great steak you do not need much else. All you need is just enough salt and pepper to bring out the natural flavor of the beef.
Ingredients (Dinner for Two):
2 20 oz. rib eye steaks, ¾-inch to 1-inch thick
4 T coarse sea salt
2 T fresh ground black pepper
Nutrition Facts:
59 calories per ounce
3g fat per ounce
6.5g protein per ounce
Pull your steak out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature at least an hour before grilling.
Fire up your grill nice and hot! If you do not have a wood-burning grill, pick up some hickory or cherry wood chips and soak them in water for about an hour before grilling. Place them right on the grill, leaving room for the steaks.
Rub the salt and pepper into the meat, making sure to put a good, even coat on both sides. Most people under-season their steak. Do not be shy!
Place the steaks on the grill at a 45 degree angle on a 2 o'clock to 8 o'clock line. Pull the lid down and allow the smoke to build up from the chips. When the grill marks begin to set in on the sides of the steak (2 to 3 minutes), turn the steaks to the opposite angle at 10 o'clock to 4 o'clock. Continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Repeat the process on the other side of the steak. At this point, depending on how hot your grill is, you should be at a perfect rare steak. Doneness of steaks will be determined by how hot the grill is and by how thick the steaks are. A great steak should always be thick and rare. When eating, it should melt like butter in your mouth.
If you like your steak a little more done, add an additional 1 to 2 minutes to each set of grill marks. This should have you just about at a medium. But before you cook your steaks to this temperature, try eating it rare first. Please!
Chef John Johnson is River City Casino executive chef. Do you have a recipe request for Chef John? Email him at email@example.com.


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Explore the SiteCatalyst interface, Part 1
Show: Learn Digital Marketing
Take a tour of the Adobe Online Marketing Suite interface. Learn how to access the invididual products that make up the suite. In particular, see how to access the various SiteCatalyst tools. Use the Favorites menu for easy access to the SiteCatalyst tools that you use most often.


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Showing 1 through 1 of 1 results
|Funny Stories
|Nury Vittachi Siddhartha Sarma Kuzhali Manickavel Harsha Dandapani Anushka Ravishankar Kaushik Viswanath Vivek Tandon Indrajit Hazra
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Select your format based upon: 1) how you want to read your book, and 2) compatibility with your reading tool. To learn more about using Bookshare with your device, visit the Help Center.
Here is an overview of the specialized formats that Bookshare offers its members with links that go to the Help Center for more information.
- Bookshare Web Reader - A customized reading tool for Bookshare members offering all the features of DAISY with a single click of the "Read Now" link.
- DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) - A digital book file format. DAISY books from Bookshare are DAISY 3.0 text files that work with just about every type of access technology that reads text. Books that contain images will have the download option of 'DAISY Text with Images'.
- BRF (Braille Refreshable Format) - Digital Braille for use with refreshable Braille devices and Braille embossers.
- MP3 (MPEG audio layer 3) - Provides audio only with no text. These books are created with a text-to-speech engine and spoken by Kendra, a high quality synthetic voice from Ivona. Any device that supports MP3 playback is compatible.
- DAISY Audio - Similar to the DAISY option above; however, this option uses MP3 files created with our text-to-speech engine that utilizes Ivonas Kendra voice. This format will work with Daisy Audio compatible players such as Victor Reader Stream and Read2Go.


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This week's Picture of the Week was taken earlier this month by Dorothy Pickersgill, of Hawksworth. It shows two young lambs feeding from their mother. The scene is on Odda Hill, with Guiseley in the background.
- If you would like to have a photograph you have taken featured as a 'Picture of the Week' please e-mail the editor at george.hinton@ gazetteandobserver.co.uk.


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Alchemy Gothic Immortal Kist Poison Ring
Great Halloween bling. Has a secret compartment. From the site: Alchemy was founded in 1977 in England, and has been designing and making its own diverse collections of English Pewter products ever since. All of the jewelry is made in England and still not widely available here in the U.S. They use only the FINEST Quality pewter and each piece is full of intricate details and crafted from thick cuts of pewter. The Alchemy of England Stamping is also on each piece as well as the 'Fine Pewter' Stamping.


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Majirel, the legendary professional hair colour that covers up to 100% of grey hair whilst caring for the hair fibre is now introducing an innovative and creative palette. French Browns by Majirel provide 8 new shades with a natural triple reflect for polished brunettes that provide subtle yet visible shades for a modern French girl look.
With the perfect blend of cool and warm reflects to match and compliment all skin tones, these shades are personalised colour for brunettes only! Majirel offers a rich, permanent hair dye formula which helps strengthen and re–inforce the hair fibre and provides perfect coverage of grey hair. Enriched with active ingredients Incell and Ionène G. These permanent colour shades offer long lasting rich, deep, intense colour.


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Celebrating 40 Years of Excellence in Distance Education!
The year was 1973 – the Vietnam War ended, the Watergate hearings began and a small women's college in the Midwest challenged the traditional path of higher education. SMWC, the second college in the nation to offer a distance program, will honor this 40-year milestone with events, publications and celebrations throughout 2013.
"Our approach to distance education is truly one-of-kind," SMWC President Dottie King said. "We aren't a degree mill; we support our distance students academically, emotionally and mentally. We're pioneers in distance education and we are determined to stay on the front end."
This success comes from having a brick and mortar institution to add credibility to the distance program. The same professors who teach in the campus program also teach the distance courses. "We place a large emphasis on mirroring what we do on campus in our distance program," King said. "Our success comes from a blend of cutting-edge technology and meaningful faculty interaction. We're high tech and high touch."
Read the full article: SMWC celebrates 40 years of distance education with yearlong celebrations in 2013
Celebrate Woods Online! Share your stories about your Woods Online experience.


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After decades of working in IT, you learn to be exceedingly wary. Always be prepared for anything. Always test and verify the work. And never take it for granted that other individuals have the same work ethic as you do, even if they're the boss.
Several years ago, our team was tasked with completely rewiring a newly acquired property next to one of the company's remote offices. The location was hours away from our headquarters, but thankfully the time factor to complete the work was reasonable. Our boss set up a schedule: Every week, a team of two or more would depart for the location and spend a few days running wire and making connections. The work would be completed in stages and over the course of several weeks.
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The first week was spent running Cat5 and phone lines into the cubicles and verifying the connections. Because of the distance between the buildings, we opted to use fiber cable, so the second week was dedicated to connecting the two buildings and making sure all was protected from outside hazards.
During week three of renovations, my boss and another tech were preparing to go to the location to install ends on the fiber and put them into a rack-mount fiber optic patch panel. This cable was especially sturdy, as it had a weather-resistant sheath over the normal insulation. It wouldn't be an easy task, but not as tough as it was in the past, when a fiber connection had required carefully stripping the cable to the glass wire carrying the signal. We'd also needed to meticulously polish the ends of each fiber with three grades of extremely fine sandpaper to assure no cracks or blemishes would impair the signal. Each connection had taken about an hour to complete.
Connections made quicker
Thanks to technological advances and increased deployment of fiber, the time to make a connection had been drastically reduced, for which I was grateful. For instance, a cleaver tool was available that almost consistently produced a perfect cut that required no polishing. Verifying the connection was much easier; after the ends were installed, one end of the run was connected to a handheld microscope while someone at the other end shined an indirect light into the fiber. The light was transmitted to the microscope, and any blemishes or cracks would be evident. If any existed, the connection end would be severed and a new one reinstalled.
For this project, the cable contained six fibers, of which we would technically need only two with ends: one to transmit, and one to receive. I'd learned the hard way over the years that even with all the advances, problems still arose and it was always a good idea to have a backup plan. I'd also noticed that my boss, who was 30 years younger, was not very careful about details. I advised him and the other tech to install ends on a second pair of wires as a precaution in case something went wrong with the first ones; my boss agreed it was a good idea.


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THE new headteacher of Colchester's largest secondary school has vowed to elevate its Ofsted rating to "outstanding".
Catherine Hutley, 34, beat 20 competitors to become Philip Morant's £100,000 head of school.
Miss Hutley, currently deputy headteacher at the Colne Community School and College, Brightlingsea, has spent the last nine months working two days a week at Philip Morant, to help drive up standards.
The 1,600-pupil school was told by inspectors last year it "required improvement".
Miss Hutley, 34, said: "It is a fresh start, which is exactly what this school needs, but it is not an unknown teacher coming into a blank canvas.
"I have had nine months' induction, which gives us the footing to move incredibly quickly to Outstanding."
Miss Hutley said she wanted the school given the top rating – two grades higher than its current one – by 2018 at the latest.
Miss Hutley also admitted tackling bullying would be a "huge priority" when she starts the job this September.
See Thursday's Gazette


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My latest burger I call "The Christine." The idea was to build one more in the style of a restaurant or diner version, rather than a fast food. So I went with a few extra touches like bigger rolls and such. I actually made two versions. Both were made with 1/2 lb of 80/20 ground chuck. The first one was a single patty, and the second one was divided into a double quarter pounder. So it was kind of an experiment to see which approach I preferred. Oh yeah, the single patty one I chargrilled, and the double patty I indirect grilled. Turned out I much preferred the double pattied, indirect burger, as it was dripping all over the place.
I'll introduce the toppings. You can see I've got green leaf lettuce, sliced pickles, beefsteak tomatoes, onion, and deluxe American cheese.
I also brushed the buns with bacon drippings before toasting them (oh yummy!). That's Thousand Island dressing you see that I used for my "secret sauce."
Here comes the first burger pics:
And here's the second one, a real D.o.d.g.e. burger (Drips oil, drops grease everywhere).


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The Hidden Valley Discovery Park provides fantastic fun for all the family with a variety of attractions including the forbidden mansion, maze and hobbit hole. Launceston is less than an hour''s drive to the fabulous Eden Project and also within reach of beaches on both the north and south coasts of Cornwall.
If all that and more is enough to tempt you search for Launceston holiday cottages to find your perfect holiday accommodation.
Looking for something with a little more?Cotages with Hot tubs Cottages part of our Luxury collection Something with a swimming pool A place near the Coast
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