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Pasta: A Network-level Architecture Design for Generating Synthetic Data Products in the LTER Network
Pasta: A Network-level Architecture Design for Generating Synthetic Data Products in the LTER Network
- Mark Servilla, James Brunt, Inigo San Gil, and Duane Costa (LNO)
1 Introduction
The original call for LTER proposals in 1980 specifically addressed a the need for comparative analysis of long-term ecological research at sites that represent major biotic regions of North America. Although comparative analysis is performed today, the process by which it happens is cumbersome and often ad-hoc. With the exception of ClimDB and HyrdoDB1 [1,4], synthetic data sets are generated and managed by individual or small groups of investigators, along with their respective information managers, who provide some level of data quality and integrity. A consistent framework for synthesis across all 26 research sites is, however, non-existent.
In early 2005, Dr. Debra Peters of the Jornada LTER proposed the development of the "Trends" project [7] - "a large synthesis effort focused on improving the accessibility and use of long-term data." A major effort of the developing Trends project is to collect and integrate time-series data into a format that is consistent between the different data providers to facilitate synthesis. This process generally begins with a data request to individual researchers or information managers at the site. Data are generally returned as Excel spreadsheets or comma delimited text files, often without supporting metadata or information about their origin. This data is then transformed to a synthetic product through a number of processes, which may include converting site-specific units to standard units, performing quality checks and assurance, and mapping the site-specific format to a Trends standard format. Paramount to this process is the creation of metadata that describes every synthetic data product. Each step is time consuming and has the potential for error due to the repetitive human interaction during data manipulation.
Missing from the original project goals, however, is the ability to add into the synthesis process new time-series data collected from ongoing experiments. The LTER Information Management Executive Committee and Network Information System Advisory Committee recognized this deficiency and recommended the development of a prototype system to automate the synthesis process, and more specifically, to automate the integration of new time-series data. The following paper proposes both an architecture for generating synthetic data products within the LTER Network, as well as describes a prototype implementation as applied to the Trends project. This architecture is known by the moniker "Pasta"2, and is being developed by the Network Information System group at the LTER Network Office.
2 Background
Each LTER site independently collects, documents, and archives their data for analysis and publication. In most cases, these data are made available for community scrutiny and further analysis after 2 years from the date of collection. Today, almost all data collected are documented by using the Ecological Metadata Language (EML), an XML-based data structure for describing scientific data that can be validated by using a community published XML schema. These EML documents are then uploaded into the LTER's data catalog, Metacat [2,5], a schema-independent XML database that is optimized for storing, searching, and retrieving EML documents3. The LTER Metacat contains just over 25,000 EML documents as of October 2006.
Although not required, LTER sites are recommended [8] to follow a strict document naming-convention for their EML that is comprised of a document scope, a unique identifier, and a revision number, joined together to form the string SCOPE.ID.REVISION. This name is referred to as the Document ID and provides a unique reference to the EML document within the Metacat database. The document scope is a string value that is the concatenation of the site's three letter acronym to the end of the broader domain identifier of "knb-lter", thus forming a complete scope hierarchy (e.g., knb-lter-sev is the scope associated with EML documents from the Sevilleta LTER, which is part of the LTER Network and part of the informatics research funded through the Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB)4). Both the identifier and the revision number are integer values. The identifier need only be unique to the site, while the revision number marks the version of the EML document being reviewed. A higher revision number is added to the Document ID if a change or modification occurs to either the data, the metadata, or both as documented in the EML. This number must be mathematically ordinal for all documents using the same scope and identifier.
To simplify and automate the upload process of EML documents to the Metacat, the Harvester application was developed as part of the KNB project. The Metacat Harvester allows individuals to register http accessible EML documents into a database table, along with the frequency of which the set of documents should be checked for updates. If the version of the EML document found at the site is more recent then the version found in the Metacat database, it is automatically copied from the site and inserted into the Metacat database. To date, the LTER Metacat Harvester application automatically checks for updates of more than 5,000 EML documents from 23 sites.
Both EML and Metacat are fundamental components of the Pasta architecture, providing a metadata standard capable of fully describing synthetic data products and a database system optimized for storing and retrieving such metadata.
3 Architecture
The Pasta architecture is based on a hybrid data warehouse model, which collects and organizes distributed data into an integrated data store. The following section illustrates the Pasta architecture through a dissection of its work-flow process, from the data source at the site to the end storefront where "synthetic" data products are made available to the community. The work-flow allows us to partition the architecture into individual modules that can be succinctly described performing their unique task. In fact, each module is designed to be independent of the others, and can be replaced with a new module that provides the same functionality without impacting the entire system.
For clarity, we define data that is extracted from the site as "source" data. The physical structure of how source data is represented at the site, as defined in the site EML document, is the "local" schema. The local schema is replicated in the Source Database. Data that is produced by transforming source data is defined as "synthetic" data. The physical structure used to store synthetic data is the "global" schema. The global schema makes up the framework of the Synthetic Database.
3.1 The Work-flow
The Pasta work-flow can be characterized by dividing the architecture (Figure 1) into six separate steps, each of which can operate independent of one another, but as a whole perform the goal of automated data synthesis. The process begins at the individual research site and ends at the storefront that exposes the synthetic data to the community.
The work-flow steps are:
- Site data collection, quality checking, and EML metadata generation.
- Harvesting new or revised site EML by the Metacat Harvester and inserting into the Metacat.
- Recognizing new or revised EML documents that are specifically registered as part of the synthesis process. These EML documents are then parsed into their entity and attribute objects, which are then used to create a new database table in the Source Database. Finally, the data is extracted from the site and loaded into the new table.
- The source data are then transformed from their local schema (captured by the Source Database table) and into the global schema as a new data product in the Synthetic Database.
- The synthetic data product is documented with new or revised metadata, which is then inserted into the Metacat database as an EML document.
- The synthetic data product is then made available for the consumer through a warehouse storefront, either a web-browser or web services interface, which accesses the Synthetic Database.
Figure 1: Major components of the Pasta architecture.
3.2 Steps 1-2: Site Data Management and EML Harvesting
Although steps 1 and 2 of the above work-flow are not technically part of the Pasta architecture, they are significant modules, and their absence would prohibit the execution of the complete work-flow. For this reason, they are described as pseudo-modules of the architecture.
As described earlier, LTER sites document all aspects of their data by expressing their metadata content in the Ecological Metadata Language. A revised version of the EML document is created if, for example, new data is collected and added to the package (as with time-series data), data was modified to correct for errors, or if any metadata content has changed (e.g., the collection end-date or contact information has been revised). Changes to the EML revision number in the Document ID will cause the Metacat Harvester to copy the EML document from the site and insert it into the Metacat database. Older versions of the same document are deprecated from the active system, but are never deleted completely. Such deprecated versions become an integral part of the overall package provenance. This process, represented in Figure 2, is ongoing within the LTER Network and operates independent of the Pasta architecture.
Figure 2: Work-flow steps 1 and 2 corresponding to architecture components for Site Data Management and EML Harvesting.
3.3 Step 3: Extraction and Loading
The third work-flow step includes the Dataset Registry, EML Parser, and Loader components (Figure 3) of the Pasta architecture. This module is responsible for identifying, parsing, and loading site data into the Source Database.
Figure 3: Work-flow step 3 corresponding to architecture components for identifying, parsing, and loading site data into the Source Database (1 ?) .
3.3.1 Dataset Registry
The Dataset Registry is used to register source data that are used during the synthesis process. Technically, it is the EML Document ID that is recorded in the registry, along with information relating source data to synthetic data. Specifically, the registry identifies what source data are used to create a synthetic product and the appropriate routine that performs the transformation. The current implementation of the Dataset Registry uses PostgreSQL as its relational database.
3.3.2 EML Parser
The EML Parser is a Java-based library that reads and parses EML documents that are specified in the Dataset Registry. There are two critical functions of the EML Parser:
- To create a new table in the Source Database representing the local schema defined in the EML document
- To open a connection to the site's data store and copy the referenced data into the new table.
The development of this library is a collaboration between the LTER Network Office and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. The library, when complete, will become part of the Ecological Metadata Language software distribution.
3.3.3 Loader
The third component of this module, also a Java application, is the EML Loader. The Loader acts as the controller process between the Parser and Dataset Registry. Its primary responsibility is to read the Dataset Registry and compare the revision number of EML documents in the registry to those in Metacat. If the revision number in Metacat is greater than the one found in the registry, the Loader will assert a new extraction and loading sequence by calling the appropriate functions in the Parser. In this prototype, the Loader is also responsible for invoking specific transformation routines of the Transformation Engine and calling the EML Factory to generate a new EML document for the synthetic data. These two steps occur immediately after loading new data into the Source Database and are only necessary to continue the work-flow; they are not critical to the successful operation of this module. This module is still under extensive development and testing.
3.4 Step 4: Transformation
Transformation is the fourth step of the work-flow and defines the "Data Integration and Transformation" module (Figure 4) of the architecture. This module performs the mapping of data from the local schema, as represented in the Source Database, to the global schema through the use of a Transformation Engine - a collection of programs that perform the mapping operation (labeled as f(x) in Figure 4). We assume that individual transformation routines are a priori aware of both schemas, including input and output data types, and their semantic meaning, thereby eliminating the need for more advanced knowledge-based reasoning algorithms.
Figure 4: Work-flow step 4 captures the transformation of the local schema in the Source Database (1 ?) to the global schema in the Synthetic Database (2 ?) through use a Transformation Engine (f(x)).
3.4.1 The Global Schema and Synthetic Database
For the Trends prototype, we have constrained our working data model to point-location time-series data, such as climate observation data (e.g., a fixed sensor at a known geographic latitude and longitude that collects temperature values every 30 minutes). Such data is common within ecological observatories and provides a simple model to design and evaluate the architecture. As such, the global schema data table consists of only two important attributes - the observation time stamp and the value being recorded5.
Mapping from the local schema to the global schema consists of three basic steps. First, tables that are composed of multiple attributes are separated into individual tables containing only the time stamp of the observation and the observation value of interest. This step is illustrated in Figure 4 where a local schema table describing weather data from the McMurdo LTER is separated into product specific tables of the global schema. Second, observation values are converted to the appropriate standard unit. This step may include data type conversion (e.g., integer to float) or an actual conversion from a non-standard unit (e.g., Fahrenheit) to a standard unit (e.g., Celsius). Third, the time stamp and observation value are scaled to comply with the time-scale defined for the synthetic data product (e.g., hourly to daily or monthly). Further processing, such as combining two or more source data into an aggregate product, may take place at this point.
It is important to note that execution of the Transformation Engine for synthesis of new or revised data results in a new data table being created in the Synthetic Database. For these tables, we follow the same document naming convention used for EML - that is, SCOPE.ID.REVISION. To manage the synthetic data tables, the global schema uses two additional support tables - the "product" table and "revision" table (Figure 5). The "product" table contains scope and identifier information for the synthetic products and the "revision" table records the lineage of product revisions. With these two support tables, any synthetic data product may be identified and accessed, including those that have since been deprecated by a new revision. For the Trends project, the table name scope is knb-eco-trends"6.
Additional tables may be added to the global schema to support ancillary functions of the system, including to provide content for the EML metadata documents. The Trends prototype has tables to hold information about the station location (where data is being collected) and biotic relationships between individual synthetic products, neither of which are critical to the operation of the system.
Figure 5: Global schema entity relationship between synthetic data product tables and support tables.
3.4.2 Transformation Engine
The Transformation Engine is simply the software code that performs the mapping between data in the local schema to data in the global schema (i.e., the synthesis process). It is noteworthy that transformation routines have the flexibility of being written in any programming language that support reading and writing relational database tables.7 In fact, individual routines can be written in different languages. Our current implementation utilizes the "R" environment for statistical computing, and has only been tested in a few examples. In this case, individual R programs are invoked from standard shell scripts that are referenced from the Dataset Registry. The R language provides database support, including ODBC and SQL operations, both of which work well with the PostgreSQL RDBMS version that we use for the Source and Synthetic Database.
3.5 Step 5: EML Factory
The EML Factory module (Figure 6) of work-flow step 5 supports the metadata documentation process for all synthetic data products. Planned as a Java-based application, the following section describes how the EML Factory is envisioned to operate.
The EML Factory would be invoked as a side-effect of creating a new synthetic data product. The current design uses the EML Loader component as the calling process. An alternative is to have a database trigger invoke the EML Factory module, but this capability is not available in all relational database applications. Yet, another possibility is to have each transformation routine execute the EML Factory directly after completing its processing.
Content for metadata is divided among four physical entities:
- Plain text files storing static content that changes infrequently, such as project management information or the LTER Data Access Agreement
- Database tables of the global schema storing dynamic content that is directly associated with the synthetic data product, including date ranges, data statistics, and online access information
- Programming code that is used to create the synthetic data product
- The EML metadata of the source data product
Figure 6: EML Factory module of work-flow step 5.
The EML Factory would use a predefined XML schema template to generate the EML document fields. It would then use metadata content from the four entities described above to complete the EML document. Static metadata from the plain text files and the dynamic metadata from the database would be placed in the canonical fields defined for such data in the EML specification. These fields include those found in the "resource" group and the "dataSet/dataTable" subtree of EML. Both the programming code for the transformation routine and metadata content from the source data EML document would be stored in fields of the "methods" subtree (Figure 7). Specifically, a "methodStep" element would be used to capture both types of metadata. In the case of the source data's EML, minimal content must be copied directly from the original document to the required fields of the "resource" group within the "methodStep/dataSource" element, but the remainder (which, in most cases, is the complex metadata) can simply be referenced by placing the appropriate Metacat URL for the EML document in the "online" element of the same "resource" group. The final EML document would then be inserted into the Metacat for access through either the Storefront or the standard Metacat interfaces.
Figure 7: The "methods" subtree of EML 2.0.1 as viewed in XMLSpy 2005.
3.6 Step 6: Storefront
The final step of the work-flow is the "Storefront". The Storefront module of the architecture defines the community access point to the Synthetic Database and its content. The core table structure of the Synthetic Database, including the product, revision, and data tables, forms the primary scope of interaction to the synthetic data. Ancillary tables may be accessed to develop a well rounded human-interface that provides a variety of query tools to interact with both the data and the metadata stored in the Synthetic Database and in the Metacat as EML.
The current interface of the Trends prototype consists of a website that connects to the Synthetic Database for data access and the Metacat for displaying the corresponding EML document in its native XML format. The website provides a basic query interface that allows the user to select one or more of the synthetic data products for viewing. Once selected, the website displays a brief summary of metadata, along with a dynamically generated plot of the data (Figure 8). The metadata includes links that lead to site information, a data download page to directly access the synthetic data, and a product lineage list that displays all revisions of the selected product.
Figure 8: Example screen shot of work-flow step 6, a synthetic data product with plot.
The website utilizes the PHP server-side scripting module for the Apache web server to provide programmable logic (i.e., database connectivity and program execution control) to the overall web site. The plotting application, which is an add-on PHP library called "JpGraph", is tightly-coupled to the web server. We also explored the use of more loosely-coupled packages that reside outside of the web server scope - specifically, we tested the efficacy of calling an "R" script from PHP to generate the plots. Although this approach seemed to work reasonably well, due to time constraints, we opted for using the JpGraph library for the prototype.
Our plans include the development of a web-service interface over Simple Object Access Protocol for direct access to synthetic data and metadata. This aspect of the project is still under early development.
4 Discussion
Although the Pasta architecture is still in the design and prototype phase, its current blue-print provides a solid foundation for meeting the goal of generating Network-level synthetic data products. Its overall design incorporates a number of salient features, including
- The use of data warehousing strategies for data integration and archiving
- Providing support for tracking data lineages and provenance
- A design that easily integrates new replacement modules with little or no impact on other components of the system
- A simple and compact global schema that leverages already proven informatics tools used within the LTER Network and broader community
4.1 A Data Warehouse Approach
Data warehouses are focused around a centralized store of information that conforms to a physical global schema [6,10]. Data from outside of this store must be mapped from their local schema to the global schema through a transformation process. It is common within a data warehouse to use the phrase "extraction, transformation, and loading", or by its acronym ETL, to describe the process in which data external to the central store is "extracted" from the source location, "transformed" to the global schema, and "loaded" into the final store database8.
Another common approach to the integration of external data is to provide a virtual interface, or view, that "federates" each site's data store to appear as if a single store is being accessed [3,9]. Data warehouses differ from federated systems by enforcing the mapping of external data to the global schema by loading and transforming the data before being accessed by the consumer. In this case, the transformed data reside in a store that is within the domain of the warehouse. A federated system, in contrast, relies on dynamic mapping of the external data to a more loosely-coupled "mediated" schema through a common software interface, such as a web application.
Issues of data quality, including persistence and freshness, often arise between the two approaches. Data warehouses tend to promote persistence of data by acting as an archive, while federated systems are characterized by providing the most up-to-date data available to the consumer. From our perspective, the data warehouse model is more aligned with a science-based synthesis environment where reproducibility and open access to all data are critical. Our vision here is that any site data loaded into the Source Database will be permanently archived (although, data that is never or rarely used would be moved to near-line or off-line backup media), thus making it always available to the synthesis process, and ultimately the consumer. A federated system cannot meet this level of service since it operates outside of a site's functional realm and cannot guarantee data availability (e.g., one or more sites may be unavailable). The North Inlet LTER site, no longer participating in the LTER Network program, is one example of a site whose data is no longer available for synthesis9.
The most up-to-date data, on the other hand, is best served by a federated system. The Pasta architecture achieves reasonable "freshness" by utilizing the revision concept of the EML to proxy a site-based release schedule. In this instance, the latency of freshness may be quantified by summing the time between EML revisions at the site and the frequency of the Harvester schedule.
4.2 Data Lineage and Provenance
In this context, we define data lineage as the linear progression of a specific data product over time, as in a sequence of revisions that are generated by adding new time-series data to a product line. It is assumed that each revision is preserved as a discrete "snap-shot" in time, thereby having a fixed start and end date. Similar to lineage, we define data provenance as the origin or history of a specific revision. In other words, provenance records the series of steps that generate a data product, such as the transformation process that produces synthetic data, including the origin of the source data. We can illustrate these two concepts as a matrix (Figure 9) that shows lineage as a progression in time from t=0 to t=n and provenance as a product changes through transformations from S to Sm, with D as the final synthetic data product. We call this the "Heritage Matrix". Both lineage and provenance are crucial for scientific data integrity and reproducibility. Lineage provides the ability to work with data from a previous state in time, while provenance allows that data to be reproduced from its origin.
Figure 9: The Heritage Matrix showing both lineage and provenance as progression in time and product change, respectively.
The Pasta architecture supports both lineage and provenance. Lineage is simply the by-product of keeping each data table that is created for every new revision of a synthetic data product. The lineage list can be seen in the Trends prototype when viewing "product details". Since revisions are never deleted, a user will always be able to access an earlier data product. This is especially important if overlapping data values change from one revision to the next.
Provenance information is recorded in the EML document for the synthetic data product. There are two parts of the provenance record as described earlier:
- The software code of the transformation routine that is used to produce the synthetic data
- The content of the source data EML document, including the reference URL of the specific document located in the Metacat
4.3 Module In, Module Out
The overall design of the Pasta architecture is defined by separate and autonomous modules that can operate independent of one another (as opposed to a single monolithic system that tightly-couples each process). This provides a great advantage in the development and testing of the modules since individual modules can be built in parallel. Front-end test cases can be easily developed for specific modules so that they may be demonstrated for functionality and user acceptance without relying on those modules that are part of the early work-flow steps. An example from the Trends prototype is the development of the Storefront module, which was designed, implemented, and demonstrated using a manually generated testbed Synthetic Database for data access. Because the global schema will remain consistent between work-flow steps, we presume with confidence that the Storefront will operate continuously and unknowingly when the full system is put into place.
This modular approach also has the benefit of simplifying new module integration into the future. As new techniques for data integration and synthesis become available, individual modules can be replaced without concern for the other components of the system.
The opposite is also true. Individual modules can be taken out of the Pasta architecture and used else where in the ecoinformatics community. An example of this is the EML Parser library, which will become integral to both the Pasta architecture and to Metacat when it is complete.
4.4 Extensible Global Schema
The global schema of the Pasta architecture is unique due to its compact nature - the core schema requires only a single data table structure (although, many actual data tables) and two support tables. This compact nature is possible because much of the content that most systems would require to store separately is already embedded in the EML documents. As a result, the global schema is quite portable from one database management system to another, and allows more superficial schemas to be constructed around it, thereby extending the overall functionality of the Synthetic Database. The current Trends prototype uses PostgreSQL and provides minimal content beyond the core global schema. We plan to move this instance of the global schema to the MySQL database system and augment the content with additional metadata for the completed Trends project, thus enabling a more comprehensive query environment.
5 Conclusion
The Pasta architecture described above is part of an evolving suite of technology being investigated to address the challenges of Network-level synthesis. This architecture is only in its early stage of development, but promises to meet some long-standing goals of the ecoinformatics community - namely, an automated process to access site data and produce a synthetic data product that is available to the community.
The design and prototype development of the Pasta architecture provides only the foundation for automating synthesis at the LTER Network. Already, there are visions to expand the current architecture to take advantage of the work being performed by community-based information technology, like the informatics research taking place at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, and the super computing centers, including the National Center for Supercomupting Applications and the San Diego Supercomputer Center.
6 Acknowledgments
The Network Information System group at the LTER Network Office would like to thank the LTER Network Information System Advisory Committee, and especially Wade Sheldon and Don Henshaw, for motivation and direction on this project. We sincerely appreciate our collaboration with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, including the insight provided from Mathew Jones, Mark Schildhauer, and Jing Tao. A sincere appreciation goes to the Trends project team and the editorial committee, with special thanks to Debra Peters, Christine Laney, and Ken Ramsey. Work completed on the Pasta architecture is funded by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement #DEB-0236154.
[1]Baker, K., B. Benson, D. Henshaw, D. Blodgett, J.H. Porter, and S.G. Stafford. 2000. "Evolution of a Multisite Network Information System: The LTER Information Management Paradigm", Bioscience, vol. 50, no. 11, pp. 963-978.
[2]Berkley, C., M. Jones, J. Bojilova, and D. Higgins. 2001. "Metacat: A Schema-Independent XML Database System", 13th Intl. Conf. on Scientific and Statistical Database Management, p. 171.
[3]Halevy, A.Y. 2001. "Answering queries using views: A survey", The VLDB Journal, pp. 270-294.
[4]Henshaw, D.L., M. Stubbs, B. Benson, K. Baker, D. Blodgett, and J.H. Porter. "Climate Database Project: A Strategy for Improving Information Access Across Research Sites", presented 9 August 1997, workshop on Data and Information Management in the Ecological Sciences: A Resource Guide, Albuquerque, NM.
[5]Jones, M.B., C. Berkley, J. Bojilova, M. Schildhauer. 2001. "Managing scientific metadata", IEEE Internet Computing, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 59-68.
[6]Lenzerini, M. 2002. "Data Integration: A Theoretical Perspective", PODS 2002, pp. 243-246.
[7]Peters, D. and C. Laney. 2006. "Trends in Long-Term Ecological Research Project", Jornada Trails, Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research Program, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 2.
[8]Sheldon, W., J. Brunt, D. Costa, C. Gries, J. McGann M. O'Brien, K. Ramsey, and M. Servilla. 2004. "EML Best Practices for LTER Sites", working document, LTER Network Office, 21 p.
[9]Ullman. J.D. 1997. "Information Integration Using Logical Views", ICDT 1997, pp. 19-40.
[10]Ziegler, P. and K.R. Dittrich. 2004. "Three Decades of Data Integration - All Problems Solved?", WCC 2004, pp. 3-12.
1Both ClimbDB and HydroDB are Network-wide synthetic data products for site climate and hydrological data.
2The name "Pasta" originates from a passing comment made regarding the original project title, "Phase II". The comment, "Phase II is about as informative as Spaghetti and Linguini", resulted in a more tangible noun, "pasta", but without any more meaning. It has since been accepted as our internal architecture moniker.
3Refer to http://www.ecoinformatics.org for more information on the EML specification and Metacat.
4Funded by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DEB99-80154.
5There are, of course, additional attributes allocated for data table management.
6This scope string is only a place-holder for testing purposes.
7In the current prototype, however, they must also be callable by the EML Loader component.
8The Pasta architecture actually performs extraction, loading, transformation, and the final loading.
9The North Inlet LTER data is currently archived at the LTER Network Office.


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Add Jim Flaherty to the list of activist shareholders who are attempting to exert influence over corporate suites across North America.
The Finance Minister, on behalf of the government and taxpayers, is seeking control over the hiring practices of the Crown corporations that operate at arm's length from politicians.
Bill C-60, the omnibus legislation that implements the provisions of Mr. Flaherty's latest budget, includes language (Part III, Division 17) that would give cabinet an effective veto over salary decisions of Crown corporations, including the Bank of Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
"All of them are accountable to the taxpayers of Canada," Mr. Flaherty told the House of Commons finance committee last week. "This makes entirely good sense to me."
It makes less sense to the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, which worries the proposal compromises the CBC's journalistic independence. And it makes less than entirely good sense to Peggy Nash, the Toronto member of Parliament and New Democratic finance critic, who asked the finance committee to study the measure. (Her motion was rejected.)
Bill C-60 would, among other things, permit cabinet to order a Crown corporation to seek Treasury Board approval to hire non-union employees. And then, the Treasury Board "may impose any requirement on the Crown corporation with respect to the terms and conditions of employment of those employees."
Ms. Nash is wary of the effect that provision could have on the Bank of Canada's ability to go about its business without the worry of having to placate politicians. While the central bank is treated as a special case in many of the government's administrative standards, Bill C-60 states explicitly that the hiring provisions would apply to the Crown corporation.
"There is a distinction between independence in some areas and accountability," Mr. Flaherty said when Ms. Nash raised her concerns about the operational independence of the central bank and other institutions at last week's committee meeting. "They can't just go do what they want with taxpayers' money."
The Harper government already is facing questions from some economists about its respect for central bank independence. It chose Stephen Poloz as the next Bank of Canada governor despite overwhelming external support for Tiff Macklem, the central bank's senior deputy governor. Yet it did so without offering a convincing explanation for shunning the prohibitive favourite, opening the door to suggestions that the appointment was political, especially since Mr. Flaherty took an unusually public role in the selection process. ("The first time he does something people don't like, they are going to ask if he's doing it because the minister wants him to," said David Laidler, a professor emeritus at the University of Western Ontario and a former adviser at the Bank of Canada.)
Some will conclude that Ms. Nash is trying to exaggerate these concerns for her own political gain. After all, what is objectionable about institutions that do the people's work while being answerable to the people's representatives in Parliament?
At first glance, there is nothing wrong with it. But take a second look, and it becomes less clear that this issue is as clear-cut as Mr. Flaherty suggests.
The Bank of Canada's mission, as set out with the government, is to keep inflation advancing at an annual rate of 2 per cent. Independence is fundamental to the way inflation targeting works. Executives and investors will base their decisions on a 2 per cent rate of inflation if they are confident technocrats will be guided by nothing else. The closer politicians get to the day-to-day operations of the central bank, the less the public can be sure monetary policy will be set without consideration of the election cycle.
No one thinks central banks should operate as free agents. In the case of the Bank of Canada, the government sets the direction of monetary policy by appointing the governor and signing off on the central bank's policy mandate. The institution is supervised by a board of directors made up of government appointees.
Does adding veto over hiring decisions change anything? That's what Ms. Nash wanted the finance committee to think through. And for good reason: It's not difficult to invent a scenario under which Bill C-60 could be used to interfere with the Bank of Canada's conduct of monetary policy.
Say the governor wanted to hire a talented banker who worked at an investment bank that had become the focus of public vitriol for its role in a global financial crisis. Would Cabinet interfere with the appointment if there were a public outcry? Or to prevent one?
It is impossible to rule out the possibility. Yet such a scenario hardly is far-fetched. Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney hired Tim Hodgson, the former head of Goldman Sachs's Canadian operations, as a special adviser in 2010. Would Mr. Carney have thought twice if he knew his internal appointments risked political censure? Again, there's reason to wonder. And suddenly, we're on a slippery slope: a simple "accountability" measure risks hurting the central bank's reputation as an independent actor.
Perhaps there are good reasons for the government to shorten the tether of the Bank of Canada and other Crowns. However, the government has yet to explain why it's necessary. Are the boards of directors of those institutions ineffective? Is payroll growth at Crown corporations out of control? Is cronyism rampant?
Or does the Prime Minister simply want to exert more influence over the quasi-independent arms of government?
Bill C-60 raises all these questions and more. Mr. Flaherty is a believer in accountability. He shouldn't mind answering them.

subset: commoncrawl


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Rotary knobs feature built-in pointer
Post a comment
Anaheim, Calif. - Selco Products has introduced a new Soft Touch Bullet Knob series that feature a built-in pointer in two- and three-color designs. Offering a range of color combinations for a variety of control panel aesthetics and functions, these knobs are suited for audio and broadcast equipment, lighting, communications, industrial and test equipment, or other panel applications requiring color-coded knob control.
The new rotary knobs are manufactured using a two-shot molding process that integrates the pointer as an integral part of the knob body. This method provides color-coding flexibility and cost-effective pricing by eliminating the need for additional assembly time and related costs, said the company.
The Soft Touch Bullet Knob is available in a thermoplastic elastomer material that provides a rubberized, soft-touch feel, or a polypropylene material for a hard-finish feel. Both styles are available with a standard black knob body with additional colors by special order. Pointers are available in a variety of colors.
Available in an outside diameter of 11.6 mm, knob configurations include 6 mm for spline shafts and 6 mm x 4.5 mm for industry standard "D" shafts. Special markings such as letters, numbers, symbols or logos may be printed on the knob.
The knobs are priced from $0.43 each in quantities of 1,000. Delivery is four to five weeks.
Call (800) 229-2332


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Named "Best New Powerboat" at the 2007 Newport International Boat Show, the Hunt 26cc is built on the legendary Deep-V hull design originated by renowned naval architects C. Raymond Hunt Associates. Numerous published sea trials attest to this boat's remarkable comfort, dry ride, easy seakeeping, and roughwater performance. She was specifically designed and engineered to handle the three different types of propulsion - a feature no other center console boat currently offers. Her center console features 6 foot headroom with a shower, sink and head. Sport fishing features include a circulating baitwell, ample rod storage and optional, lockable fly rod storage. Like all Hunts, she can be personalized to make her uniquely yours.
Solid E-glass bottom laminate.
Foam-cored topsides.
Vinylester osmosis barrier.
Foam-cored E-glass stringers and bulkheads.
Painted bilge.
Custom louvered vents painted to match hull.
Extruded vinyl sheer guard.
Molded interior liner.
White gel coat hull.
Single boot stripe in choice of color.
Deck: E-glass fabric with foam-cored laminate and molded non-skid pattern.
Swim platform: red laminate & molded non-skid pattern.
Anchor locker: Molded into foredeck with hinged hatch.
Forward rail: Custom handrail.
Chocks: (2) S.S. bow chocks.
Cleats: (4) S.S. 8" hollow base cleats & (1) 10" bow cleat.
Ensign: Custom teak staff (varnished) with US flag & S.S. socket.
Burgee: Varnished teak burgee staff on bow with Hunt Burgee.
Lights: LED USCG approved running lights.
Fender pad eyes: (4) Wichard pad eyes (2) port and (2) starboard.
Fills: S.S water, fuel and waste.
Rod holders:(4) S.S..
Stern eyes: (2) S.S.
Drink holders: (8) - (2) forward console, (2) aft console, (2) on engine box & (2) horseshoe settee fwd.
Foam: High density foam core in way of high load hardware.
Windshield: Custom & contoured.
Seating: Seat with cushion forward, and insulated 24-gal. fish well.
Head: Lockable standup with fresh water sink, electric saltwater head with Y-valve and holding tank, storage, 6' headroom.
Helm: Fiberglass control console with varnished teak shelf, handholds & trim; custom wood steering wheel; custom teak engine-instrument cluster and S.S. drink holder with stamoid cover.
Compass: Ritchie (calibration included).
Electrical outlet: (1) 12V outlet at helm.
Footrest: Built-in.
Switch panel: Circuit-breaker switch panel.
Gauges: Custom.
Ventilation: Portlight in console.
Aft-facing engine-box seat with stainless steel handrails.
Covers: Stamoid covers for engine box with helm and companion seat, helm console, bow horseshoe seating and stern seat.
Cushions: Hand stitched, Majilite with choice of contrasting piping.
Drainage: Self-bailing cockpit, with guttered hatches.
Water: Freshwater shower and sink on transom.
Rod storage: (2) under-gunwale rod racks and lockable rod locker in stbd bow seat.
Lighting: (2) LED courtesy bridge deck lights, and LED strip lighting under coaming in cockpit.
Transom door: Stbd side.
Live well: In transom 21-gal.
Cooler: Insulated 24-qt, forward of console, under seat with overboard drainage.
Fishbox: Insulated 32-gal. in port bow locker.
Propellers: (2) counter-rotating, S.S. 3-bladed props.
Steering: Hydraulic.
Sound reduction: Composite sound-reduction insulation.
Cooling: Raw-water, sea strainer, seacock with thru-hull intake.
Fuel: (2) 50-gallon tanks.
Water: (1) 15-gallon tank.
Waste: (1) 9-gallon tank.
Bilge pumps: (1) 1,100 GPH aft (automatic) and (1) 2000 GPH forward (automatic), high-water bilge alarm.
Batteries: (2) 12-volt marine grade AGM, 10-amp battery charger and in-console rotary switch.
VHF radio : ICOM M412 DSC.
Electrical outlet: (1) 12-volt outlet at helm.
Horn: AFI flush-mount 12-volt air horn.


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On July 18, Al-Azhar representatives in the Constituent Assembly, which is tasked with drafting the constitution, proposed to add a new constitutional article that prohibits affronts to God, the prophets, the mothers of the believers and the Righteous Caliphs. The Salafist movement said that the article will stem the Shiite tide in Egypt and enable laws that will prevent Shiites from practicing their faith.
Dr. Yunus Makhyoun, a member of the Higher Committee for the Salafist al-Nour Party, said that the article proposed by Al-Azhar will stem the Shiite tide and will block attempts to build Hussainias [Shiite places of worship] in Egypt. He said that the Shiite presence has become a threat that requires a constitutional article to confront it. Makhyoun told Al-Masry al-Youm that the constitutional article would prevent the production and broadcast of TV shows that deal with the prophets' lives, the Righteous Caliphs and the mothers of the believers.
Makhyoun said that all political forces and church representatives have agreed to Al-Azhar's proposal, which would punish any writer who disrespects any of the prophets.
In contrast, the leading Shiite cleric Mahmoud Hamid said that Shiites do not object to Al-Azhar's proposal and that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Ali Khamenei, issued a religious edict prohibiting insults against the Sahaba [the Prophet Muhammad's companions]. He added that there are concerns that the constitutional proposal will be used as a weapon against the Shiites, to impose restrictions on them by the Salafists, or to accuse any Shiite of insulting the Sahaba or Aisha [one of Prophet Muhammad's wives]. He called on Al-Azhar's Grand Imam to impose legal controls on the proposed article. He added that he considers the article as a way to court the Salafists, especially in light of the instability in the country. Hamid said that Shiite Hussainias are places where Shiite events are held and are not used to insult anyone, such as the Sahaba or the mothers of the believers. Hamid added that Hussainias are of course not mosques, as some Salafists are trying to tell the general Muslim population.
With regard to the "Shiite tide," Hamid said that the Shiites are Muslims and that the Salafists should have instead added articles to prevent proselytizing in Egypt, Africa and Islamic countries, where there are attempts to sow strife and division among the Muslim community.
Al-Azhar's delegate Sheikh abd al-Tawab abd al-Hakim Qutb welcomed the constitutional article proposed by Al-Azhar's Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb. The proposed article states that God, the prophets, the mothers of the believers and the Righteous Caliphs should not be insulted or depicted in television dramas because that would be an explicit violation of Islam's provisions.
Sheikh Abdel Tawab told Al-Masry al-Youm that it is unacceptable for some ungodly actor or actress, who drinks or has a negative reputation, to play the character of Omar ibn al-Khattab or one of the mothers of the believers. He said, "We will confront the Shiite tide — which harms God, his messenger and the noble Sahaba — no matter the sacrifices. Their treatment by the Jews is better than by the Shiites."


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Here at Review Centre we work hard to make sure we are the best place on the internet for honest, unbiased consumer reviews - we are grateful for your help in keeping us that way!
Written on: 24/03/2014
staff dont care about customers whatsoever they just stand around chatting amongst themselves. And the products are of poor quality so I dont know what those high prices are about.


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Guillaume Sayer
Pierre Guillaume Sayer (c. 1801 – August 7, 1868) was a Métis fur trader whose trial was a turning point in the ending of the Hudson's Bay Company's (HBC) monopoly of the fur trade in North America.
Pierre Guillaume's birth year varies between 1779 and 1807 in the original sources. However, family tradition, the oldest Manitoba censuses and the HBCo servant's list of 1828 favor a date of birth around 1801 to 1803. With this date he would be in his early twenties and his wife, Josephte, about sixteen when their eldest son, Edouard, was born May 17, 1823. According to her baptismal records at St. Francois Xavier, Manitoba, Josephte was born in about 1807.[1]
Sayer enlisted as a voyageur with the McTavish, McGillivray & Company on April 7, 1818. His inscription was registered by the notary public J.-G. Beek at Ste Anne, Bout de l'Isle at the western end of the Island of Montreal. He was hired to work in the areas controlled by the North West Company. The contract is preserved in the Archives Nationales du Quebec.
According to the Hudson Bay Archives, Pierre Guillaume worked for the North West Company at Cumberland House from 1818 to 1821, the year of the union of the North West and Hudson Bay Companies. From 1828-1829, he worked for the Hudson Bay Company as a Bowsman at Fort Pelly in the Swan River District and then stayed on as a Steersman from 1829-1832. In 1832, he was freed from his service in the Hudson Bay Company and moved to Grantown near the Red River Settlement.
When he enlisted with the Hudson Bay Company in 1828, he stated that he was 27 years old. This is shown on the HBCo Servants list of 1828 and gives him 1801 as the year of his birth.
On March 2, 1835, according to the St. Francois Xavier Catholic Church marriage records: Guillaume Sayer, son of John Sayer and an Ojibwe woman named Marguerite, married Josephte Frobisher, age about 28 years according to her baptismal record of the same day, the daughter of Alexander Frobisher and Marguerite, a Cree woman.
Sayer had been trading to Norman Kittson in Pembina, North Dakota, who was in direct competition to the HBC. Sayer was accused of illegal trading of furs and was brought to trial in Upper Fort Garry on May 17, 1849 by the Court of Assiniboia. He was backed by Métis leader Louis Riel Sr.. During the trial, a crowd of armed Métis men gathered outside the courtroom, ready to support their Métis brother peacefully or by force if necessary. They demanded that Sayer be tried by a jury of his own choosing and that he be allowed to take fellow Métis into the court with him. Although being allowed to select a jury of his own, he was still found guilt by them. Judge Adam Thom, under immense pressure from the overwhelming number of armed Métis, levied no fine or punishment. With the cry, "Le commerce est libre! Le commerce est libre!" ("Free Trade! Free Trade!"), the HBC could no longer use the courts to enforce their monopoly on the settlers of Red River. In 1870 the trade monopoly was abolished and trade in the region was opened to any entrepreneur. The company relinquished its ownership of Rupert's Land under the Rupert's Land Act 1868 enacted by the Parliament of the newly formed Dominion of Canada.
According to the church records at St. Laurent, Manitoba, Pierre Guillaume died August 7, 1868 and was buried at St. Laurent the next day, August 8, 1868, at the age of 75 years. Father Laurent Simonet OMI, who started the Mission and became the first parish priest in 1864, officiated. The witnesses were Baptiste Lavallée and Pierre Chartrand.
- ^ The various dates are found as follows:
- 1779 - appears in the Manitoba census of 1834 and in the update of 1835. However, this seems to be a copyist error as the name above his is missing its date and this is given to Pierre instead. This error is corrected in the formal census of 1835.
- 1793 - is the date given in the registry of his death and burial at St. Laurent, Manitoba.
- 1796 - is given on the census of 1849, the year that he was tried in court.
- 1801 - appears on the HBCo Servants List of 1828 in the HBCo archives.
- 1803 - is found on the censuses of 1833 and 1838. Pierre's grandson, Alexander Henry Sayer, also stated that his grandfather was about 14 years old when he enlisted as a voyager in 1818.
- 1807 - comes from the censuses in 1835 and 1843.


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Sunlight Coupon
There is a new Sunlight Coupon available. The coupon is for $1.00 off any (1) Sunlight Dish Item.
Print: Sunlight Dish Coupon
Some Dollar Tree Stores sell Sunlight Dish Soap, so FREE after this new coupon. You can also score a great deal on Sunlight Dish Soap at Foodtown and ShopRite right now! Walmart might sell this dish soap as well.
Here are your deals:
If you're a Coupons.com Savings Club Member, you can use the new $1.25/1 Sunlight Dish Item Coupon for an even better deal!
Don't have these stores in your area? Check the Grocery Price Comparison Tool to find the best deals on this product at your local stores.
Get exclusive coupons and earn rewards from your favorite Kellogg's® brands.


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Don't miss out on a lower price on this hotel
Get an overview of this hotelWaterfront resort with a lazy river
Popular property highlights
Located in Koh Tao, this beachfront resort is on the boardwalk and within 1 mi (2 km) of Sairee Plaza, Ko Nang Yuan, and Koh Tao Post Office. Laem Thian and Chalok Viewpoint are also within 2 mi (3 km).
Resort Features
At Sairee Hut Dive Resort, relax by an outdoor pool or hit the beach where you can enjoy scuba diving.
Room Amenities
All rooms are individually furnished and offer free WiFi and free bottled water. For a bit of entertainment, flat-screen TVs come with cable channels, and guests will also find refrigerators and ceiling fans.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new window
Sairee Hut Dive Resort
Renovations & Closures
- Dining venue
- Guestrooms
- Outdoor pool
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
In addition to an outdoor pool, Sairee Hut Dive Resort provides a lazy river and a children's pool. The resort offers a restaurant. Guests can unwind with a drink at one of the resort's bars, which include a beach bar and a poolside bar. Public areas are equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access.
This beach resort also offers tour/ticket assistance, barbecue grills, and a garden. Onsite self parking is complimentary.
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Barbecue grill(s)
- Lazy river
- Beach bar
- Free ferry terminal shuttle
- Free long-term parking
- Luggage storage
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Poolside bar
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Restaurant
- Total number of rooms - 46
- Free pool cabanas
- Beach sun loungers
- Free self parking
- Pool sun loungers
- Free WiFi
- Wedding services
- Outdoor pool
- Garden
- Children's pool
Family Friendly Amenities
- Outdoor pool
- Children's pool
- Lazy river
- Free Wi-Fi
- Refrigerator
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free long-term parking, Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Individually furnished
- Daily housekeeping
- Free bottled water
- Cable TV service
- Ceiling fan
- In-room safe
- Air conditioning
- Refrigerator
- Flat-panel TV
- Free WiFi
- Free toiletries
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Rollaway/extra beds (surcharge)
Where to Eat
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 7:30 AM and 11 AM.
Sairee Beach Restaurant - This beachfront restaurant serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. A children's menu is available. Open daily.
Nearby Things to Do
An outdoor pool and a children's pool are on site. Other recreational amenities include a lazy river.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Ecotours nearby
- Boat tours nearby
- Snorkeling nearby
- Scuba diving on site
- Kayaking nearby
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 7:30 AM
Check-in time ends at 8 PM
Minimum check-in age is 15
Special check-in instructions:
Check-out time is 10 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! One child 7 years old or younger stays free when using existing bedding.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available for THB 500 per day.
- Free cribs (infant beds)!
- No pets or service animals allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
- The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation.
- Cash deposit: THB 1000 per stay
- New Year's Eve gala dinner fee
Optional extras
- Rollaway bed fee: THB 500 per day
- Onsite credit card charges are subject to a surcharge
Hotel Name
- Sairee Hut
- Sairee Hut Dive
- Sairee Hut Dive Koh Tao
- Sairee Hut Dive Resort
- Sairee Hut Dive Resort Koh Tao
- Sairee Hut Resort
- Sairee Resort
We should mention
This property offers transfers from the ferry terminal. Guests must contact the property with arrival details 72 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. A fee for a mandatory New Year's Eve gala dinner is included in the total price displayed for stays on 31 December. One child 7 years old or younger stays free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property.


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Sean Combs
Review for Cambodian Children's Fund, Santa Monica, CA, USA
I have been fortunate to be a sponsor and volunteer with CCF since the early days. Scott Neeson's managerial talents, foresight and caring, have created a platform that is helping the people of Phnom Phen build a sustainable life that is breaking the shackles of poor health, malnutrition, poverty, domestic violence and hopelessness. What makes CCF unique is that the creation of a positive feedback loop in the communities it serves. Rather than just provide free food or medical care, CCF manages to identify the root source of the problems in the community, and build a method for the people in that community to learn how to take care of themselves. I remember when CCF first started, and the leadership team - then as now, nearly 100% Khmer - started taking a census of the community. This analytical approach to identify the core issues - beyond the obvious life-threatening challenges - that were causing the breakdown in the social structure, had not been done before in Cambodia. From there, CCF started mapping out the architecture for social programs. legal strategy, fund-raising strategy and execution plan that would transform a truly awful situation, into a community that could survive, and even thrive. While it's wonderful to sponsor children at CCF - and I have been sponsoring two - the beautiful and amazing Srey Lin and Khum Ratha for nearly 7 years now - it is the infrastructure of social programs and excellent management that makes CCF the success it is. For many people who get introduced to CCF, sometimes they get a little confused - there seem to be so many programs going on at once. It's the inter-connect "projects" that seems to be the reason why CCF works. How else can building a bakery, a child day care, and the first "Country Club" in the dumps of Phnom Phen - seemingly unrelated activities - transform a community from hopelessness to hopeful, create job growth, deliver and enforce properly use mosquito netting, medical services, transportation, food and education while providing sustainable nutrition, drastically reducing domestic abuse, and infant mortality. CCF, and Scott Neeson, is a model of how people in absolutely hopelessness and elevate themselves into a sustainable, positive life, when people with pure intention, and strong managerial and analytical skills, and caring donors, work together. Being involved with CCF is the one thing that I am most proud of in my life. Seeing my two girls go from living in the trash dump, to preparing for university and supporting their families, has been amazing. Involvement with CCF has transformed me as a person and it has been wonderful to see what Scott's vision, and the people of Phnom Phen, have accomplished in such a relatively short time. CCF is a case study in how to build and operate a highly effective charity, the by-product of which has been the complete transformation of a shattered society into a caring and sustainable community.
More Feedback
Would you volunteer for this group again?
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?


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Already have your first degree, but still thirsty for knowledge? Working full-time but realise that there are fields within science you'd like to explore further? One way to meet your personal goals is to enroll in a distance education program at an open university. But the Internet age has led to another attractive option, especially for those who love computers: electronic, or E-learning. While the idea of distance education is long established, in Germany as well as in other countries, new multimedia tools have created new opportunities for those who wish to acquire further qualifications.
Recognizing this trend, the Bund-Länder Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion ( BLK) launched Germany's first comprehensive Web site on E-learning opportunities in July 2000. This Web site, available in both German ( www.studieren-im-netz.de) and English ( http://www.e-studying-in-germany.de), offers an overview of all online courses and programs currently offered by Germany's institutions of higher education. Using a search engine, users can browse the 1500-plus courses and programs listed in the database.
So what can you study? Most choice is available for courses in computer engineering and mathematics. Natural sciences are second, followed closely by engineering. The offers range from online seminars and internet lectures to Net-based teaching and learning systems, tutorials and exercises in the virtual laboratory, right through to full multimedia courses of study, which you can complete and graduate from via the Internet. In the natural sciences, courses range from volcanology to 'physics for medical students'. To ensure that users always find the latest information, universities can continuously update their offers themselves and therefore have the responsibility for accuracy.
Besides serving interested scientists (or scientists-to-be), studieren-im-netz.de can also be regarded as a helpful tool for German universities and research institutions: "From now on, online offers from German universities are more easily accessible for an international audience", said German research minister Edelgard Bulmahn at the launch of the site. "German universities should use www.e-studying-in-germany.de as a marketing instrument in order to present their online offers to the international education market." Since users from roughly 50 different countries have visited the site frequently during its first year, it seems to be successful in meeting this goal.
Will E-learning lead to a revolution in higher education? It seems unlikely. So far only a handful of full programs have been established in Germany, and most courses offered can really only be regarded as supplementary to existing programs where students have to physically show up. Especially in the natural sciences, E-learning faces more complicated challenges than disciplines like social sciences: physical presence in a lab with on hands-experience can hardly be replaced by online courses with videoconferences from a remote laboratory. In a recent survey, students said that they also prefer personal contact with lecturers over studying at home.
Those in university administration who think that offering online programs will be a cheap alternative to regular programs have also been proved wrong. The Wissenschaftsrat, Germany's scientific advisory council, estimated the costs of linking all German universities to a single network at DM 1.5 billion to 3 billion. Other studies estimate the annual costs for a high-quality, fully online program at DM 3 million to 10 million. Also, students are highly critical about the quality of online seminars.
So E-learning may not be a panacea for over-stretched university finances, but it certainly has potential for adding value to more conventional study programs. The University of Tübingen is currently running a project called Bioinform@tik, the goal of which is to include multimedia elements in its new bioinformatics program, where they are technically feasible and can also guarantee a high level of quality in teaching. The project will last for 2 1/2 years and will be evaluated during its running time. Other universities have also started to establish joint virtual campuses with online offers.
Overall, studieren-im-netz.de provides a helpful tool for those who wish to extend their qualifications to other fields or disciplines, or those who would like to study alongside their full-time job. The full-time virtual student, on the other hand, still seems to be an idealised vision, rather than reality, for the time being.
Further links:


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Beautiful Streak-Free Bench Tops
Streak-free bench tops in 4 easy steps:
Kitchen bench tops and stone can get dirty very quickly but here's how you can keep them looking shiny and clean.
1. Start by cleaning them with a little warm soapy water and drying them off completely.
2. Spray your desired surface cleaner directly onto the Kithcen Shine Microfibre Sponge Cloth (not the bench tops) and spread a thin coat all over the entire bench top.
3. Use a dry All-Purpose Microfiber Cloth to wipe of and surface cleaner residue.
4. Wipe over again to polish to a beautiful streak-free and dry shine.
It's super easy and cost effective but most importantly, it works! This thorough clean will make bench tops makes daily maintenance a breeze.
Tip *: To remove heavier scuffs, use the One-Wash Dish Cloth to cut though grease and grime without scratching your bench top.
Posted In:
- Kitchen


text: It's easy to just say dot com is king. *But the reality is that there is money in many of the other tlds. *It may not be as safe as dot com but with risk comes reward. *But there are a few types of domains that I won't touch right now. *Not because it's impossible to make money with them. I won't touch them because I can find much better risk reward elsewhere. 1. Hyphen keywords. Google targeted/reduced the value of exact match domains back in September. *According to website owners (read comments in above article) some of the worst … FULL ARTICLE »


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Help us to be there for older people in Wales
Sign-up for our monthly e-newsletter called The loop / Y ddolen
Sign-up today
Our new vision
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Author: Age Cymru
Published on 20 October 2011 01:00 PM
Demonstrators will be marching through Cardiff city centre on Saturday 22 October to protest against UK Government plans to cut disability benefits.
The event is being organised by the Hardest Hit Cymru campaign - which Age Cymru is supporting, as part of a series of UK-wide demonstrations taking place that day against the Welfare Reform Bill.
Rhian Davies, co-Chair of the Hardest Hit Cymru campaign says:
"The Welfare Reform Bill will cost disabled people in Wales an estimated £450 million* over four years.
"Although the Bill hasn't been passed yet, it is already casting a shadow of fear over communities across Wales.
"Cuts to essential benefits such as Disability Living Allowance and Employment & Support Allowance will hit disabled people, those with long-term health conditions and their families hard.
"This is why the Hardest Hit Cymru is organising this rally to send a clear message to the UK Government to stop these cuts".
Organisers are expecting up to 5,000 people from across Wales at the event on Saturday 22 October, which begins with a rally outside Cardiff City Hall at 12.30.
Marchers will then proceed into Cardiff city centre along the Hayes and back up through High Street.
Sarah Rochira, the Hardest Hit Cymru's co-Chair says:"Wales has the highest proportion of disabled people in the UK, with more than one in five of the working age population living with a disability, so as a nation we really are at risk of being hardest hit by these cuts.
"As well as the impact on individuals, society as a whole benefits when disabled people are able to live full and independent lives.
"Cutting the benefits and services that enable people to do so will disadvantage Wales economically, socially and culturally.
"I'm delighted that politicians of all political persuasions will be attending the demonstration and will be looking for their commitment that they will do all they can to ensure we are not hardest hit by these cuts."
"The Welfare Reform Bill is currently at Committee stage in the House of Lords, but we can still stop it becoming law.
"Please come along and show your support for disabled people and their families who will be amongst the 'hardest hit' by government benefit changes by joining the rally on 22 October.
"You can also support our campaign today by writing to your Assembly Member or Member of Parliament or join our online protest at www.thehardesthit.org.uk."
The Hardest Hit Cymru campaign brings together leading Welsh organisations including Action on Hearing Loss; Age Cymru; All Wales People First; Cymorth Cymru; Disability Arts Cymru; Disability Wales; Leonard Cheshire Disability; Mencap Cymru; MS Society Cymru; RNIB Cymru; Scope Cymru;The Stroke Association - Wales; Wales Council for the Blind;
The Hardest Hit Cymru rally is the main rally in Wales, but there will be similar events in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and in cities across England.
Writer, actor, and funnyman Boyd Clack will be among the addressing the Hardest Hit Cymru rally at Cardiff City Hall on 22 October.
Visit www.hardesthit.org.uk or www.facebook.com/thehardesthit for more information on times and locations.
For more information:
Call Age Cymru Advice:
08000 223 444


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02-16-2012 12:44
Depending on what kind of book you have, there will be many little details to adjust when converting to a print book. For example, you might want to add a table of contents if you do not have one. You might want to add headers, not just headings.
Redo the formatting in Word. It will only take a little while and you will have an impeccable print book.
02-16-2012 01:18 - edited 02-16-2012 03:27
02-16-2012 03:14
02-16-2012 05:26 - edited 02-16-2012 05:27
Or better yet ask Ken and Kevin. Two champs in all matters.
02-16-2012 08:51


text:
Toki, Tara, and To - When to say When
10 MINUTE LESSON RULES: 1. read each example outloud several times. 2. Pay close attention to the notes.
This lesson will look at how to say 'when' in Japanese. In English 'when' can mean a few things. Consider these examples:
- When do you go to bed? (when = what time?)
- Tell me when you finish. (when = at that time)
- When suddenly... (when = and then)
- When I go to the market... (when = whenever, the time)
- When I was young... (when = that time)
Here we will look at 3 words that convey these meanings in Japanese - とき toki たら tara と to
|A Prelude...
とき toki - at the time when...
EXAMPLES: Please repeat several times:
NOTE: You only use の no with nouns
- Keep this in mind and move on!
たら tara - if, when, after
EXAMPLES: Please repeat several times:
NOTE: たら tara can mean both if (don't know if it will occur) and when (expecting it to occur but don't know when)
NOTE: FORM: Stick ra to the simple past of a verb: 食べた(ら)tabeta (ra) 終わった(ら)owatta (ra) This form is the same for both future and past tenses! It is only by the second verb that we know if it is past or future.
NOTE: Using たら tara in the past tense always indicates a chance happening and not something planned or expected. ex. "When I went to school, I happened to meet the teacher."
- Keep this in mind and move on!
Don't worry TOO much about memorizing long complicated lists and rules. Just try to get a FEEL for how the sentences work.
Take a breather... You are almost there!
と to - if, when
EXAMPLES: Please repeat several times:
gojira ga kuru to minasan nigemasu.
|When Godzilla comes, everyone RUNS AWAY!
terebi wo miru to nemuku narimasu.
|When I watch TV, I become sleepy.
nihon ni kuru to nihon no bunka wo suki ni narimashita.
|When I came to Japan, I became interested in Japanese culture.
NOTE: と to is only used with non-past verbs. (ex. X = mita to ; O = miru to) To make the past simply change the form of the second verb.
NOTE: と to has many uses in Japanese - and, with, quotation marker...
NOTE: Think of と to as being a plus (+) and equal sign (=) because what comes before と to causes what comes after
とき toki
[nouns] + no + toki
[past tense verb] + toki
[non-past tense verb] + toki - Is connected to the PAST FORM for past clauses and NON-PAST FORM for non-past clauses
たら tara
[past tense verb] + tara - ALWAYS connected to the PAST FORM
と to
[non-past tense verb] + to - ALWAYS connected to NON-PAST FORM
It works
At first, I only used toki, but thanks to this lesson I have a firmer grasp on the subject. Im grateful for this site, and hope to see more lessons like this one (hopefully with videos ^_^)
""""***!!!^_^ LaterZ!!!***"""
i must study hard this lesson...
MY! I'm not sure I get well
MY! I'm not sure I get well this lessons o o...