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Beware of Mr Baker
You have been warned. Beware of Mr. Baker is the name of the new documentary – in theatres today in America. Here's the trailer.
It looks at the life of Ginger Baker, one of my drumming heroes. I wrote about Ginger Baker a while ago – based on reading his autobiography. As I said in that post, the book was not great but it did its job in sending me back to the music, to Cream and Blind Faith, to the jazz albums in the 1990s and the collaborations with Fela Kuti and his work with other bands and artists before all of that. There's a star turn from Baker, totally incongruous on PiL's "Album". An album I've fallen back in love with recently.
I love Ginger Baker's playing. He might not be the best player. But he's unmistakable. And that made him the best for me growing up. My ears were tuned to him; you could spot him in any lineup of drum fills; always easy to tell his kind of explosion.
And as a learner-drummer it was fun thinking you'd made it somewhere – actually got somewhere – when you learned a Ginger Baker groove or lick. Those rolling tom fills across songs like Sunshine of Your Love, Tales of Brave Ulysses and White Room – the power he put into that band, the way he propelled those songs...there was only (ever) one Ginger Baker. But it wasn't actually all that hard to cop along to. And that was pretty cool. A nice progression from playing along to Beatles and AC/DC...
You wouldn't ever get it quite like him. But you'd get close enough to taste that sweetness that is inspiration. Coming of course from perspiration.
Cream was it for me. For the longest time. I wanted to be in a Cream covers band. I wanted to play in that style.
I wore out copies of VHS tapes; I bought the albums and compilations across tape, CD and vinyl. I obsessed over Ginger Baker; so sure that his trio jazz album with Bill Frizzell and Charlie Haden (the dazzling, beguiling, beautiful, haunting, weird and wonderful Going Back Home) deserved a wider audience. You move on from that; realise that such albums are special for a reason – they're special because not everyone knows about them and likes them. They're nice to keep for yourself; if someone does want to get on board it's a case of the more the merrier in a sense, sure, but part of the magic is in the discovery. And you need a reason to want to discover.
Ginger Baker's playing gave me that.
I could name dozens of "better" players. None of them could play like him.
Ginger Baker liberated the drums; he freed them – in a rock/blues-rock context – from rigid timekeeping and boring patterns. He showed they could flow. His tip-the-boat style informs my own poor attempts at playing the drums – still. But more than that it informs so much of my listening.
He disappeared from rock music to follow his own journey of discovery – a journey that had him discovering "world music" long before it was the cool thing to do.
And as the poet and Cream lyricist Pete Brown implies in the trailer for this film, he was horrible to people – including himself.
A heroin addict, a drunk, a womaniser, a borderline sex-addict, gambler, thug, owner (barely) of a chaotic personality, of an impossible-to-tame spirit, Ginger Baker is a broken man. And a broke man.
I love Ginger Baker's playing so much. I don't think I like him as a human being. That makes him all the more fascinating. It makes his playing all the more fascinating. It informs his playing.
The best characters are the ones that are flawed, often brutally so.
I haven't been this excited about seeing a film in years. Absolutely years. This is my new Quentin Tarantino film. This is my Star Wars prequel. This is my Lord of the Rings trilogy. My Hobbit. This is my next Devil and Daniel Johnston.
Watch the trailer. Amazing. And please, watch this heartbreaking, devastating, grim Q &A from one of the festival screenings; it features Ginger and the film's director. I was gobsmacked by that clip. I watched it twice, back to back. Then back to the trailer.
It is Ginger Baker's fault that he is where he is – broke, busted, appearing in a documentary because of the promise of some coin. That's my opinion at this point anyway. And I think we're in for a real treat – sadness and joy – in watching parts of his life on the screen.
But, what do you think? Will you heed the warning? Are you aware of Mr Baker – in order to beware of him?
What do you think of Mr Baker the person? And what do you think of Mr Baker the player? And what do you think about this film Beware of Mr Baker? Is it a must-see film for you?
And if – for whatever reason – you have a copy of this movie either share it with me, or don't tell me that you have it.
You can keep up with Blog on the Tracks on Facebook and follow on Twitter.
You can also check out Off the Tracks for The Vinyl Countdown, reviews and other posts.


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RUTLAND — Christ the King School has received a grant from McDonald's affiliated charities to equip another classroom with an interactive whiteboard (IWB) as part of the 21st Century Learning Initiative that continues to be undertaken by Rutland Catholic Schools. The grant was made possible by generous donations from the local McDonald's franchise (Cough Inc., Charles Coughlin, owner) and Corporate Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Over the past year, CKS and Mount Saint Joseph Academy have implemented numerous science and technology upgrades, thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents and friends. The Rutland Catholic Schools Development Committee continues to receive donations for these initiatives, with the goal of making the CKS and MSJ facilities second-to-none. The Committee sought this grant on behalf of the Christ the King School campus.
"I was very excited to hear that we had been awarded the McDonald's grant this October," said CKS Principal Carol Wincowski. "Throughout the past several months we have been able to actualize six interactive whiteboards at CKS. With the grant money we will be able to put one more interactive whiteboard in place in the next 30 days!"
An interactive whiteboard is a large display that uses a computer and a projector to project the computer's desktop onto the board's surface on the wall where users can control the computer using their fingers or pens.
"This grant puts us that much closer to our goal of an interactive whiteboard in every classroom!" Mrs. Wincowski said. "We are grateful to McDonald's for their support."
Rutland Catholic Schools include Christ the King School and Mount Saint Joseph Academy, which are private, Catholic schools located in Rutland, Vermont. Rutland Catholic Schools has provided a tradition of academic excellence in the Rutland region for well over a century. MSJ was founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph in 1882 and CKS followed in 1886. For more information, visitwww.rutlandcatholicschools.org.
Bulletins Archive >

subset: commoncrawl


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Some of them lost it all before winding up in front of Solano County Superior Court Judge Wendy G. Getty, out of second chances but given a choice to serve a lengthy jail sentence or complete a rigorous program focused on drug treatment.
On Monday, six individuals appeared in Getty's packed courtroom having opted for treatment, only this time they weren't surrounded by fellow defendants, but family members, friends, case managers and attorneys. It was a day of triumph, as they had successfully completed drug court, a one-to-two year process of inpatient and outpatient treatment, testing, meetings and any additional orders the court may have imposed on them to ensure they stayed clean and sober.
"This is the largest graduation we've had," said Rich Roesler, a drug court case manager.
Drug courts are a collaborative court in which participants who are non-violent offenders seek treatment and rehabilitation to change their lifestyle. Participants are judicially monitored as they participate in treatment and recovery.
As an incentive for completing the program, the court may terminate probation early or reduce a felony to a misdemeanor charge or set aside the finding of guilt.
Tears of joy were shed not just from some of the graduates, but from those in the audience, including probation officers, case managers and even attorneys who have been handling the cases from start to finish. Each graduate shared something about their battle with substance abuse, whether it be methamphetamine or alcohol, while battling feelings of abandonment or dealing with homelessness.
"Now you have all of the tools to be successful," Deputy District Attorney Janice Williams told the graduates.
"Things are going to get rough but you have everything. Just keep moving forward," she added.
For some of the graduates, the celebration also marked reunification with their children and the welcoming back into family members' lives after losing relationships due to addiction.
"It's a miracle I'm even standing here today," said Rachel Dixon, a drug court graduate of San Francisco.
Dixon said she fell in love with drug court and is now working on obtaining her G.E.D., with a goal of going to college to become a nurse, or drug counselor.
"It's my life line, I know it's my last chance," she said.
According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, 75 percent of drug court graduates remain arrest-free at least two years after leaving the program. Statistics show that drug courts significantly reduce crime as much as 45 percent-more than any other sentencing option.
Nationwide, for every $1 invested in drug court, taxpayers save as much as $3.36 in avoided criminal justice costs alone. In 2013, Solano County was recognized for its Adult Drug Court when it received two separate grants to expand, totaling $490,059.
Drug courts are also effective in restoring families.
Parents in drug courts are twice as likely to go to treatment and complete it. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the first drug court founded in the United States. Now there are approximately 3,000 drug courts nationwide.
Additional graduates include: Alyahe Ali-McCall, David Barthelmess, Elizabeth Busse, Alicia Cabrera and Rikki Johnson.
In addition to giving each graduate their graduation chip, Getty also gave each graduate a bag of small stones, with words such as change, faith and courage written on them.
"It takes a lot of courage to make the changes you have," Getty said.


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Building A - Small Home with Loft
|The Neighborhood
The landlord is a retired merchant named Bacchus Crane. He is a rotund, red-faced man, who cares little about what happens at the house as long as it doesn't burn down and the rent is paid on time.
The house is not in very good shape. The wood shingles on the roof need replacing, so it leaks when it rains. The plaster on the exterior requires patching and the whole place could use some paint. It also looks as if the front and back doors have been kicked in a few times, judging by the numerous repairs.
The previous occupant was a rather sleazy individual. The man, Shamus Kole, was a seller of White. White is a sticky, tar-like substance that is smoked, usually in a pipe. It is a debilitating narcotic that causes its user to lapse into a languid state where time slows to a crawl. White is not addictive, but its users tend to be overly fond of the effect it has on them.
|Building A
Encounter at the House
One afternoon, there will be a pounding on the front door. As the character moves to answer the door, he will also hear the back door being rattled. If the character answers the front door, a stern-faced woman with black hair tied into two braids will be on the doorstep. Her name is Nicole and she wears a scowl as her hands rest on her hips, quite close to the grips of her short sword and dagger.
|Dan Smith illustration
"Who are you and where's Shamus?" she'll spit.
Near her, just a few steps away, is an ugly tough named Recks. His nose looks as if it's been flattened one too many times and he's missing a few teeth. Tucked under his left armpit is a pair of brass knuckles, which he is wearing on his right hand. He seems like the kind of man who is very comfortable with violence.
At the back door is an overweight, slovenly man in a stained tunic. His name is Roger and he loves to smoke White and drift away into a haze of food and sleep. Despite his numerous bad habits, Roger is a skilled rogue. Of the three scoundrels present, he actually quite likable and doesn't like violence.
These three lovelies are members of the Thieves Guild. In Baldur's Gate the Guild of Thieves is divided into numerous, small cadres, crews and gangs. This particular group is known as Hargor's Men, so named for their leader, Hargor Durn. Nicole, Recks and Roger are at the PC's doorstep because they want to know where Shamus went. They are still determined to bring him into the fold, forcibly if need be.
This encounter is important since the PCs will no doubt have frequent dealings with Hargor's Men if they remain in the neighborhood. The two groups will have to learn to coexist. If the PCs are uncomfortable about living in close proximity to thugs and cut purses, they will have to accept that Baldur's Gate is a rough city. Rogues - and worse - are everywhere.
Stat blocks for the three callers can be found below.
|Nicole, Female Human, Fighter 2; Armor Class: 9 (Dex bonus), Hit Dice: 2d10, Hit Points: 11, THAC0: 19 (18 with short sword), No. of Attacks: 3/2 (short sword) or 1 (dagger), Damage: 1d6+1 (shortsword) or 1d4 (dagger), Alignment: Lawful Evil, Move: 12
Strength: 10, Dexterity: 15, Constitution: 12, Intelligence: 10, Wisdom: 10, Charisma: 13
Saving Throws: Parlayzation, Poison, Death Magic: 14, Rod, Staff, Wand: 16, Petrification or Polymorph: 15, Breath Weapons: 17, Spell 17
Equipment: Short sword, dagger, 5 gp
|Recks, Male Human, Fighter 3; Armor Class: 9 (Dex bonus), Hit Dice: 3d8, Hit Points: 21, THAC0: 16 (brass knuckles) or 17 (dagger), No. of Attacks: 3/2 (brass knuckles) or 1 (dagger), Damage: 1d3+3 (brass knuckles) or 1d4+1 (dagger), Alignment: Neutral Evil, Move: 12
Strength: 17 (+1 to hit/damage), Dexterity: 12, Constitution: 16 (+2 hit points), Intelligence: 8, Wisdom: 9, Charisma: 9
Saving Throws: Parlayzation, Poison, Death Magic: 13, Rod, Staff, Wand: 15, Petrification or Polymorph: 14, Breath Weapons: 16, Spell 16
Equipment: Brass Knuckles, dagger, 3 gp
Note: See pp. 97-98 in the Player's Handbook for details on unarmed combat, Recks' preferred fighting style.
|Roger, Male Human, Thief 3; Armor Class: 9 (Dex bonus), Hit Dice: 3d6, Hit Points: 10, THAC0: 19, No. of Attacks: 1, Damage: 1d4 (dagger), Alignment: Neutral, Move: 12
Strength: 10, Dexterity: 15, Constitution: 11, Intelligence: 12, Wisdom: 9, Charisma: 9
Thief Skills: Pick Pockets: 20%, Open Locks: 65%, Find/Remove Traps: 35%, Move Silently: 35%, Hide in Shadows: 25%, Detect Noise: 30%, Climb Walls: 70%, Read Languages: 0%
Saving Throws: Parlayzation, Poison, Death Magic: 13, Rod, Staff, Wand: 14, Petrification or Polymorph: 12, Breath Weapons: 16, Spell 15
Equipment: Thieves tools, dagger, 8 gp, 3 doses of White, pipe
Notes: His backstab damage multiplier is x2.
Further Developments at the House
One day while the character is relaxing, he will hear the doorknob on the back door being rattled. Attempting to force his way in is Shamus, the former occupant of the home. He is a thin, pale fellow who appears to be very stressed. He's rather panicked as he begins to speak rapidly.
"Uh, hello. I'm Shamus and I used to live here and I need to come in because I left something behind. It's really important and I don't have a lot of time, so please let me in so I can get what I need and leave, okay?"
Shamus is hoping to retrieve his 75 gp. If he is denied access or if the PC has already discovered the coins, yet refuses to turn them over, Shamus will make a veiled threat about coming back later with some friends. He does not wish to spend a lot of time at the house as he is afraid that some of Hargor's Men might spot him.
|Shamus, Male Human, Lvl 0; Armor Class: 10, Hit Dice: 1d6, Hit Points: 3, THAC0: 20, No. of Attacks: 1, Damage: 1d2 (fist), Alignment: Neutral, Move: 12
Strength: 10, Dexterity: 11, Constitution: 10, Intelligence: 9, Wisdom: 9, Charisma: 9
Saving Throws: Paralyzation, Poison, Death Magic: 16, Rod, Staff, Wand: 18, Petrification or Polymorph: 17, Breath Weapons: 20, Spell 19
Equipment: 1 gp, 2 doses of White, pipe
Finally, where is the cellar? Most houses in Baldur's Gate have cellars, so the PC who lives here might wonder where it is. A character with the Carpentry nonweapon proficiency will notice that the floorboards in the pantry appear to be newer and of different wood that the flooring around it.
Further investigation will reveal that there used to be a trapdoor in the spot. Perhaps it was once the access point for the cellar? If so, why was it covered? What could be down there that would prompt the house's owner, Bacchus Crane, to have it concealed?


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Nominated By Senator Marty Golden, Tony Wu, Assistant Principal Of Ps 105, Appointed To The Commission On Increasing Diversity In The State Government Workforce
Brooklyn- Upon the recommendation of Senator Marty Golden, Mr. Tony Wu, assistant
principal of Brooklyn's Public School 105, was appointed by Senator Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno as a member of the Commission on Increasing Diversity in the State Government Workforce.
"Tony is an outstanding educator, who understands the needs of new immigrants. We expect that his appointment will help bring more diversity to the state work force and will raise important issues that will help us to grow the economy of New York State. We must provide the very best of opportunities for all to live, to work and to raise a family here in our community and here in New York. This appointment will be a successful part of reaching our goal," said Senator Marty Golden.
Mr. Wu came to New York in 1991 from Canton, China. He majored in education
and educational administration. In the 15 years of service in the New York City Public School System, he has been appointed to different positions, which include: Intervention Specialist of the Office of English Language Learners, Department of Education, for Region 8; Title VII Staff Developer, District 20; and teacher of the Bilingual Gifted Program at PS 105.
Mr. Wu is very supportive of the new immigrant students and their parents. He supervises the bilingual and ESL programs designed to address the needs of English Language Learners. He wrote and was awarded 4 state grants and 3 city grants to develop various after-school and Saturday programs for English Language Learners. Together with Ms. Castronovo, the principal, and Mrs. Lee, the other Assistant Principal, he has developed many activities to provide the community with cultural celebrations and social services, enhancing the mutual understanding of different ethnic groups.


text:
AAXA Technologies P300 Pocket Size Pico Projector - 1280 x 800, WXGA, 2,000:1, HDMI ARM Processor, 400 lumens, HDMI, USB, VGA In, MicroSD, 25 Watts, Black, White Color - KP60001Item#: YYW1-KP60001 | Model#: KP60001
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A Word from our Sponsors
Gary Kidd
The service industry is very much a people business where success is achieved through collaboration; the creation of a diverse set of innovative ideas at all levels will allow ISS to continue to lead in the competitive facility services sector. We are proud to be sponsoring WearetheCity Rising Stars Awards.
Gary Kidd, Chief Operating Officer, ISS Facility Services
James Warren
Organisations like WeAreTheCity raising the profile of the female talent pipeline, and the subject of diversity in general, are making significant strides forward in breaking down some of the pre-historic barriers that unfortunately in places still exist; and in doing so are mirroring a message that we believe to be incredibly important about the celebration of talent and ability regardless of its form. We therefore are hugely proud to continue to partner with WATC again for the Rising Star Awards in 2016.
James Warren, Managing Director, Twenty Recruitment Group
Pauline Miller
Lloyd's is delighted to sponsor the Insurance category for the WeAreTheCity Awards. Recognising emerging female talent is critical to building a pipeline of top performers for our sector. Insurance needs a more diverse talent pool. Encouraging women to step forward and progress their careers is essential and Lloyd's is delighted to be part of such a great initiative
Pauline Miller, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Lloyd's
Helena Morrissey
Newton Investment Management is excited to again sponsor the Rising Star Investment Management Award and support WeAreTheCity. We know why gender equality and broader diversity should be an integral part of business strategy. We need to sustain our diversity commitment at all job levels within companies, developing both future and current talented leaders and celebrating their successes.
Helena Morrissey, CEO, Newton Investment Management Ltd.
Tamara Box
We are delighted to once again celebrate the Lynne Freeman Rising Stars in Law, those talented and dedicated young women who are destined for leadership positions in our industry. Just as their role models have inspired them, they too will inspire more rising stars through their enthusiasm, creativity, and commitment to being the best of the best.
Tamara Box, Global Chair - Financial Industry Group, Reed Smith
Erika Irish Brown
We are delighted to join WeAreTheCity in celebrating top emerging female talent for a second year. At Bloomberg, we know that fostering a diverse and inclusive culture isn't just "the right thing to do², it¹s critical to attracting and retaining top talent and the wide range of ideas and perspectives – that we need to grow as a company. This year, we are proud to support the Media & Journalism award category, recognising the achievements and contributions of female media professionals on the rise.
Erika Irish Brown, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Bloomberg
Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder
Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder
Alison Baker
Attitudes continue to evolve and, for this generation of ambitious young women, they not only expect to work but to build successful, senior level careers in whatever sector they choose. Within the oil and gas sector, and the energy industry more broadly, tackling gender diversity and building and retaining a strong pipeline of talent can deliver a multitude of benefits. Initiatives such as our Igniting Change campaign with POWERful Women and WeAreTheCity's Rising Stars awards recognise the fantastic achievements made by women at differing stages of their careers.
Alison Baker, Head of UK Oil & Gas, PwC
Mark McLane
We are delighted to be the lead sponsor of the Rising Star Awards which recognises the achievements of talented women on their way to the top; the contributions they make to their organisations and society in general.
David Bryant
Socitm Advisory are delighted to be undertaking sponsorship of WeAreTheCity's Rising Star Award for the Public Sector! We are passionate about celebrating talent at all levels, and the ability to publicly recognise and celebrate our female colleagues within the public sector – who often do not receive this sort of opportunity compared to staff of large private sector corporations – is hugely exciting!
Socitm Advisory prides itself on identifying and nurturing the best talent and incorporating this into our advisory services for local authorities. To have the opportunity to highlight deserving individuals is one of the best ways for our colleagues to praise and retain valuable staff members below management level.Why not find out more about our recently relaunched Advisory service and brand new website?
David Bryant, Socitm Commerical Director
Nicky Morgan
These awards are an incredible celebration of the great achievements women are making in business. We have more women on FTSE boards than ever before, the lowest gender pay gap on record and we've been rated the best place in Europe for women to start a business. I am proud of how we've come but we must now build on that momentum so we achieve true gender equality.
Steve Newton
Worldpay is delighted to sponsor the Sales award for WeAreTheCity. We are competing in a fast moving and rapidly developing industry, where to be able to successfully differentiate we need to continually invest in our technology and our people. Our success has been founded on a team with a diverse mix of backgrounds, talents and expertise. We are committed to developing and investing in the accomplished female talent we have in our global sales organisation and across the business – and are pleased to be working WeAreThe City to support this across the industry.
Steve Newton, SVP Relationship Management, Worldpay
Celia Larkin
Developing a diverse and creative work force in an ever changing business landscape is essential. We are delighted to be supporting the banking category with the aim of promoting the industry to female talent, whilst also raising awareness of the wider diversity programme in financial services and beyond.
Celia Larkin, Senior Relationship Manager and Chair of Societe Generale's UK Women's Network
Philip Lochner
We are extremely pleased to support WeAreTheCity's Rising Star Sports Award. Billy Jean King once said, "When they take surveys of Women in business, of the fortune 500, the successful women, 80% of them, say they were in sports as a young woman". Today sport and exercise is at the heart of all of our personal goals of self-improvement as we strive to become our very best performing selves. In the cycling world this quest for excellence is best epitomised in our high expectations of Team GB's Laura Trott and Emily Nelson
Philip Lochner, CEO, Pedalsure
Frances Milner
There are so many talented women in the charity sector, at every stage in their career, but it¹s not often that we get the chance to particularly acknowledge and reward those below management level. That is why Cancer Research UK¹s Women of Influence campaign is delighted to be supporting the ³Rising Stars in Charity² category our female role models of today are sponsoring the female role models of the future.
Frances Milner, Executive Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships, Cancer Research UK
Gerard Hester
We believe a diverse workforce is a more productive one it provides a real competitive advantage when individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives, approaches and capabilities come together to achieve a shared goal. We strive for a creative and innovative working environment, to achieve this we must have a diverse and inclusive workforce. Now in our fourth year of partnership with WeAreTheCity, we proudly sponsor this award and hope that the winning individuals continue to inspire a new generation of female technologists.
Gerard Hester, MD, Global Technology, Morgan Stanley
Tracey Bowen-Lowe
EY is delighted to sponsor the Rising Stars in Consulting category for WeAreTheCity's Top 100 Rising Star Awards again in 2016. Building and supporting a strong pipeline of female talent is a key focus for us and we believe showcasing best practice and highlighting role models across our industry is a critical element. These efforts align to our goal of creating a better working world, where the best and brightest talent from all backgrounds are provided with the right opportunities to help them reach their full potential.
Tracey Bowen-Lowe, Partner, EY
Catherine Brien
Inclusion and diversity are at the heart of our firm¹s core values, making us stronger and better able to help our clients, the industries in which we work, and the communities we live in. Our own ³Inspiring Leaders² programme matches our most senior leaders with high potential minority groups to sponsor, develop, and champion them. We are delighted to be sponsoring the Rising Star Champions category.
Catherine Brien, Partner, Oliver Wyman
Nick Newman
PA Consulting Group has a long and proud connection with women in defence; our very first assignment over 70 years ago was to help women factory workers increase productivity in support of the war effort. We are delighted to sponsor the Defence category for the WeAreTheCity Top 50 Rising Star Awards. The UK's defence community is determined to improve its diversity, so recognising and celebrating women's talent makes a great contribution to achieving that goal.
Nick Newman, member of PA's Management Group, PA Consulting Group
Katherine Conway
Aon is very proud to be sponsoring the Diversity category in the WeAreTheCity's Top 50 Rising Stars Awards. We work diligently to create an inclusive culture to attract, develop and retain diverse talent and it is essential to our role as a global organisation that we respect the diversity of human expression. Aon prides itself on fostering a work environment where opportunity and success are defined by one's character and ambition not race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or citizenship.
Katherine Conway, Head of Diversity & Inclusion and Community Affairs, Aon Services Group
Victoria Darragh
On behalf of EPAA, we are absolutely delighted and honoured to be involved as a sponsor for the The Rising Star Awards 2016! For a profession that historically isn¹t even considered a profession by many, this signifies a step closer to our aim of being considered an integral part of a business/organisation and worthy of standing amongst the fellow female pipeline.
Victoria Darragh, Chief Executive, Executive & Personal Assistants Association
Arnold Longboy
Since its founding, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business has always believed in empowering rising talent through knowledge and education. Here at our London campus we are excited to sponsor the 2016 Rising Stars in Education and Academia category. We look forward to recognizing the accomplishments of the nominees and how they will shape the future for women in this sector.
Arnold Longboy, Managing Director Executive Education, EMEA & APAX, University of Chicago Booth School of Business


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Satellite Providers To Carry UPNBy Caillan
December 30, 2001 - 12:14 PM
Satellite television providers will broadcast UPN programming from January 1 following a recent court ruling prohibiting them to pick and choose which local channels they will carry.
DirecTV and EchoStar's Dish Network will pick up UPN and WB affiliates in more than 40 markets, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The markets include key areas such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Under the 1999 Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act, providers were obliged to carry all public television stations if they carried any at all. However, the satellite companies neglected to follow this and instead chose which channels they would offer customers. A decision in the Federal Court last month ordered the providers to comply with the 1999 ruling from January 1 next year.
"It further levels the playing field for this emerging network," said UPN executive vice-president of affiliate relations Steve Carlston.
The news comes in the wake of several deals between UPN and cable companies in markets such as Cincinnati designed to strengthen the network's distribution.
Subscribers who wish to receive Enterprise and other UPN programming will have to pay an extra $6 a month to recieve the local channels.
Further information can be found in this Hollywood Reporter article.
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Donkey rides, a coconut shy, go-karting and other fun activities drew crowds in to Worden Park on Sunday.
The Family Fun Day and Spring Fair, organised by the Long-Shaw Kids' Fund, based in Leyland, was held to raise funds for children with disabilities to have fun days out during respite.
Trustee Donna Nicholson said: "This was our third Fun Day at the park, and the money raised will go towards activities like indoor sky-diving, skiing, canoeing, art workshops, boat trips, and visiting places like the Sea Life Centre."


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BECOMING DR. RUTH to Mark 50th Performance with Book Signing & Talkback, 11/27
In celebration of the 50th off-Broadway performance of Becoming Dr. Ruth, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer will host a special book signing session and talkback at off-Broadway's Westside Theatre (407 W. 43rd Street), on Wednesday, November 27.
Following the November 27 2:00PM performance (3:45 - 4:30PM) and prior to the 7:00PM performance (5:30 - 6:15PM), America's favorite sex therapist, Dr. Ruth, will sign copies of her bestselling books Sex for Dummies and Musically Speaking. In addition, playwright Mark St. Germain will join Dr. Ruth to sign copies of the Becoming Dr. Ruth script, with a special appearance by star Debra Jo Rupp. The book signing will be open to ticketholders for the Wednesday, November 27 matinee and evening performances only.
The day's festivities will continue with a talkback following the 7:00PM performance on Wednesday, November 27. Audience members will be invited to stay in their seats to hear Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, Mark St. Germain and Debra Jo Rupp discuss the play, and ask their own questions.
Becoming Dr. Ruth also announces the new "Eight Days of Chanukah" special ticket package. Two free tickets will be given with the purchase of six tickets to Becoming Dr. Ruth for any performance through January 12, 2014. This package is available exclusively through Heather Levine at (954) 309-4815 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Everyone knows Dr. Ruth Westheimer from her career as a pioneering radio and television sex therapist. Few, however, know the incredible journey that preceded it. From fleeing the Nazis in the Kindertransport and joining the Haganah in Jerusalem as a scout and sniper, to her struggles to succeed as a single mother coming to America, Becoming Dr. Ruth is filled with the humor, honesty and life-affirming spirit of Karola Ruth Siegel, the girl who became "Dr. Ruth", America's most famous sex therapist.
As previously announced, Dr. Ruth will also host talkbacks following the 7:00PM performance on December 18th.
Tickets are available by calling 212-239-6200, TeleCharge online and at The Westside Theatre box office (407 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036). Box office hours are 12PM-6PM, Tuesday - Sunday. For information on group tickets please contact:
Group Sales Box Office /Broadway.com/Groups, 1-800 BROADWAY x2, www.Broadway.com.
Photo by Carol Rosegg


text:
Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totalled 435 million units in the second quarter of 2013, an increase of 3.6 per cent from the same period last year, according to Gartner, a US-based IT research and advisory company.Smartphone [2] sales to end users reached 225 million units, up 46.5 per cent from the second quarter of 2012.Sales of feature phones to end users totaled 210 million units and declined 21 per cent year-over-year."Smartphones accounted for 51.8 per cent of mobile phone sales in the second quarter of 2013, resulting in smartphone sales surpassing feature phone sales [3]for the first time," said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner.Asia/Pacific, Latin America and Eastern Europe exhibited the highest smartphone growth rates [4]of 74.1 per cent, 55.7 per cent and 31.6 per cent respectively.Samsung [5]maintained the No. 1 position in the global smartphone market, as its share of smartphone sales reached 31.7 per cent, up from 29.7 percent in the second quarter of 2012, while Apple's sales reached 32 million units in the second quarter of 2013, up 10.2 per cent from a year ago.In the smartphone operating system market, Microsoft overtook BlackBerry for the first time, taking the No. 3 spot with 3.3 per cent market share in the second quarter of 2013.Android continued to increase its lead, garnering 79 per cent of the market in the second quarter.Samsung's sales to end users grew 19 per cent in the second quarter of 2013."We see demand in the premium smartphone market come mainly from the lower end of this segment in the $400-and-below ASP mark. It will be critical for Samsung to step up its game in the mid-tier and also be more aggressive in emerging markets. Innovation cannot be limited to the high end," said Gupta.Slowing demand of feature phone sales across many markets worldwide, and fierce competition in the smartphone segment, affected Nokia's mobile phone sales in the second quarter of 2013. Its mobile phone sales totalled 61 million units, down from 83 million units a year ago.Nokia's Lumia sales grew 112.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2013, with the expanded portfolio which includes Lumia 520 and Lumia 720."With the recent announcement of the Lumia 1020, Nokia has built a wide portfolio of devices [6] at multiple price points, which should boost Lumia sales in the second half of 2013," said Gupta."However, Nokia is facing tough competition from Android devices, especially from regional and Chinese manufacturers which are more aggressive in terms of price points."While sales continued to grow, Apple faced a significant drop in the ASP of its smartphones. Despite the iPhone 5 being the most popular model, its ASP declined to the lowest figure registered by Apple since the iPhone's launch in 2007. "While Apple's ASP demonstrates the need for a new flagship model, it is risky for Apple to introduce a new lower-priced model too," said Gupta."Although the possible new lower-priced device may be priced similarly to the iPhone 4 at $300 to $400, the potential for cannibalisation will be much greater than what is seen today with the iPhone 4. Despite being seen as the less expensive sibling of the flagship product, it would represent a new device with the hype of the marketing associated with it."Lenovo's mobile phone sales grew 60.6 per cent to reach 11 million units in the second quarter of 2013. Its smartphone sales grew 144 per cent year-over-year and helped it rise to the No. 4 spot in the worldwide smartphone market for the first time. -
[1] http://www.syndigate.info
[2] http://www.albawaba.com/business/hotels-booking-smartphones-490578
[3] http://www.albawaba.com/business/smartphone-sales-462205
[4] http://www.albawaba.com/business/smart-phones-elastic-job-426302
[5] http://www.albawaba.com/business/pr/samsung-london-smartphone-technology-436487
[6] http://www.albawaba.com/nokia-strengthens-smartphone-portfolio-nokia-e6-touch-and-type-–-renewed-user-experience-383426
[7] http://www.tradearabia.com/


text: Ugly WVU stats, Huntington Prep and delivering GEISA trophies By Mitch Vingle October 29, 2013 Story Share CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- While waiting for the final word on WVU athletic director Oliver Luck and his possible move to Texas: As West Virginia University's football team falls deeper and deeper into a hole, we've outlined reasons. We've made commentaries. Now it's time to put forth some facts.WVU's team has a losing record because it's simply not very good at anything.Seriously.OK, so maybe a couple things. The Mountaineers are No. 8 nationally in net punting. They are No. 26 in punt return defense.Otherwise, the numbers across the board are beyond ugly.To wit:Passing offense - A team with a coach known for its "Air Raid" moniker is ranked No. 56 in passing offense and No. 100 in pass efficiency. If quarterback Clint Trickett had the stats to qualify for an NCAA ranking, he'd be No. 73 in passing yards and No. 107 in passing efficiency. The best efficiency ranking for a WVU QB belongs to injured Ford Childress, who would rank No. 93.Run offense - WVU is averaging 146.4 rushing yards a game. That ranks 89th nationally. Charles Sims, rated before the season at the No. 2 NFL running back prospect, is averaging 75 yards, which is 64th best. Thinkin' that's not what Chaz had in mind when he transferred from Houston.Total and scoring offense - The Mountaineers are No. 78 in total offense, averaging 395.1 yards. They are tied for 94th in scoring offense, averaging 22.9 points. Among the teams they are tied with there is Air Force.Pass defense - WVU is allowing an average of 261.4 passing yards, which ranks No. 100 among 123 teams. It is No. 99 in pass efficiency defense. Run defense - WVU is allowing an average of 191.1 rushing yards, which is 91st nationally.Total and scoring defense - The Mountaineers are No. 102 in total defense, allowing an average of 452.5 yards. They rest a spot lower than Kansas there. In scoring defense, they are No. 85 and are sandwiched in the NCAA stat by Vanderbilt and Tulsa. They are allowing an average of 30.4 points.Special teams - Aside from the aforementioned categories, WVU is No. 104 in punt returns, No. 102 in kickoff returns and No. 89 in kickoff return defense.Debate what you will, but those are the cold, hard facts.Each Monday evening I host a show at Bobby's Bar and Grill in Cross Lanes. It's an unplugged deal with no radio, but features neat sports guests. This past Monday, Huntington Prep hoops coach Rob Fulford made an appearance and spoke of the upcoming season.Fulford said although his team lost Andrew Wiggins, last season's No. 1 recruit, to Kansas, he expects a better team across the board in 2013-14. Now known as a national power, the prep school has six players ranked among the nation's top 50 in their class. Fulford is expecting his team to be among the top five in the USA Today national preseason poll. Two other nuggets:First, the program has become more closely associated with St. Joseph Catholic School, which the players attend during the day. The program is now officially named Huntington St. Joseph Prep. The team name has also been changed from the Express to the Irish.Second, Fulford's team will be making an appearance in Charleston this coming February, playing Riverside Christian Academy of North Carolina at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 19 as part of the Civic Center's Shootout At The Big House tournament.While on the topic of the Shootout, organizer and George Washington High coach Rick Greene said there will more to love this season."It's turned into a two-day event," Greene said.Among the other teams expected in the tournament are Woodrow Wilson, Morgantown and South Charleston. It will run Feb. 18-19.While on the subject of Civic Center events, John Robertson of the arena said the men's and women's hoops teams of Marshall and WVU will meet on the same date, Dec. 14, this year.Also, while the Mountaineer men's team will play a second game - Dec. 29 against William & Mary - at the Civic Center, MU will not.I recently delivered the Gazette Excellence in Sports Award trophies and plaques to George Washington, Bridgeport and Charleston Catholic high schools for last school year's performances. (The awards are for the most successful all-around athletic programs.) Delivering them is always a kick. In case you haven't seen our GEISA traveling trophies, understand they are large. Each year the new classification winner's school name is inscribed. The school receives a plaque to keep, but the trophy moves on the following year to the next winner."It's like the Stanley Cup," said BHS athletic director Matt DeMotto.Indeed it is.Of course, schools do win the award consecutively. GW has won in Class AAA for four straight years. Charleston Catholic has won in Class A for five."We felt naked here without the trophy," said Catholic AD Bill Gillispie. "I told our golf team we needed to win [the Class A] states to get our GEISA points."Win the Irish did. And finally . . .A shout out to the 7-8-year-old St. Albans No. 3 coach-pitch softball team. According to a reader, the No. 3 team finished the season 23-0 and has now won 35 straight.Way to go, girls.Reach Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827, firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him at twitter.com/MitchVingle. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 Facebook founder visits Charleston restaurant 2 Innerviews: Dual-identity surgeon riding high in horse racing world 3 Rod Run and Doo Wop brings classic cars, music to Boulevard for 12th year 4 New company planning $73M synthetic fuel plant in Greenbrier County 5 Gazette editorial: Capito has second chance to do the right thing Bluefield takes No. 1 spot in AA prep ratings Previous Story WVU 3rd-down defense decimated by injuries Next Story


text:
Look No Further
Every so often, I get asked to DJ parties in the neighborhood--not because I'm the guy with the best taste, but because I've got the biggest CD collection in a 20-block radius (on rare occasion, size does matter). At first I gladly accepted the invitations for two reasons: It meant I could lord my exceptional, rarefied musical taste over a gathering of people content to hear "Play That Funky Music" or the latest Sean Paul CD all night, and being stuck behind the decks and mixing boards all night would save me from an evening of drunken small talk. Ah, to be a DJ--the dance-floor dictator, safe from the mewling masses behind Philips headphones and stacks of tracks waiting for their turn to turn this mother out. I had mad visions of introducing the suburbs to all manner of imported exotica, downloaded ephemera and underground riches. Good Lord, it would be Ibiza in the 214, an orgiastic git-down in the land of the middle-class hoedown.
Yeah, unh-hunh. Not exactly.
As it turns out, most people do not want to hear their Salt-N-Pepa seasoned with Iggy Pop, their Madonna loaded into the Sex Pistols, their Britney Spears backstabbed by the O'Jays. They do not want their familiar fucked with, their expectations rendered unexpected, their memories remixed by some sneering British DJ with an 80-gig hard drive and editing software that allows him to turn a song inside out and backward-front and then upload it for mass consumption by anxious fetishists for whom the familiar is just not enough. You've not been properly told off till a former beauty queen comes up to you halfway through this awesome Public Enemy-Herb Alpert mash-up and tells you to "play something good, like Shaggy, or let someone else do the DJ'ing." So, after several attempts at being Cool Guy in the neighborhood, I've retired the wheels of steel and taken to social drinking again. My first book will be called How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Justin Timberlake.
So I'm left only with this space to show off the cool shit of 2003--the downloads on the down-low and the imports worth the exorbitant price of shipping and handling (and playing, go figure). Turns out that despite the wealth of primo rockpopasoulhop (and Steely Dan) in the bins this past annum, you could actually fill an entire year with keepers by avoiding the domestics. Much as I love Fountains of Wayne's Welcome Interstate Managers, which may be the best Weezer record of the year, the best thing I heard the band do in 2003 was a charmingly straight and sincere cover of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's 1964 "Trains and Boats and Planes," available on the "Stacy's Mom" British CD single--which also comes with the Oasis-y "Elevator Up," originally on the Japanese release of Welcome.
Upcoming Events
King Crimson
TicketsSat., Oct. 21, 8:00pm
Gene Watson and Moe Bandy
TicketsSun., Oct. 22, 3:00pm
Thievery Corporation
TicketsSun., Oct. 22, 7:00pm
Marc Anthony
TicketsSun., Oct. 22, 8:00pm
Evanescence: Synthesis Live With Orchestra
TicketsSun., Oct. 22, 8:00pm
Best import single(s) of the year goes, hands down and then up in surrender, to "Rock 'n' Roll Lies" and "Rip It Up," both from Razor Light--who, says the new British GQ, is destined to be the next White Stripes. I don't think that was supposed to be literal--the next Strokes or Vines or OK Go or Knack, maybe--but if we're talking about potential to be huge, absolutely. The first time through, "Rock 'n' Roll Lies" was decent enough--power-pop catchy and full of more riffs than a Friar's Club luncheon. But it's one of those songs that you want to hear again, then hear it again louder and louder till the guy two cars behind you in traffic can sing along with the chorus, which somehow manages to sound like "Rock and Roll Eyes," which seems to fit the '80s vibe. The "R'n'R" single contains two tracks even better than the title song, and the "Rip It Up" single tops them all. The band's been together less than a year; not many newborns can walk, much less run all the way to the bank. Razor Light's gonna be big in 2004. You read it here first. Or maybe second.
Album of the year honors go to another Brit import: Athlete's Vehicles & Animals, which ranks among the most celebrated albums of the year overseas--it was up for a coveted Mercury Prize--yet has no American distribution, and the band's received next to no coverage in the American rock press. You will not find a more glorious pop compendium this or any other year; every song contains that rare, inexplicable, unexplainable bit of magic that turns a good album into a great one that never gets old no matter how many times you listen to it (several, every single day). It makes you smile and even makes you cry; the title song, seemingly about a little boy who's withdrawn into his own world for reasons never quite revealed, rivals Badly Drawn Boy's "A Minor Incident" for sheer weep value. The band began not long ago wanting to sound like Oasis, then realized Flaming Lips and Grandaddy were preferable influences and now sounds nothing like any of them. Rather, it reminds you of music made for a British TV show made in the '60s but set in the '90s--the sound of the future made in the distant past.
Athlete is such a British darling it has three different songs on three different made-in-the-U.K. compilations, among them the Q magazine Best of 03 disc and the Panasonic Mercury Music Prize collection--both of which suggest there's a wealth of primo pop across the Atlantic to which we're being woefully deprived. Consider this: Most of the best albums of 2003 in the U.K. won't even be released here till 2004, among them discs from dizzying rapper Dizzee Rascal, prog-popsters Muse, moody Elbow, velvety John Cale, prefab sprout Paddy McAloon and a surprisingly awesome Starsailor, whose debut was so awful I wouldn't even give it to former pageant queens with bad attitudes.
And God knows she'd hate the best of the boots downloaded off the Web, from such still-hanging-in-there sites as www.ultra396.co.uk, www.gohomeproductions.co.uk and the assorted few that still believe in the power of the cut-and-paste. The fervor of 2001 has waned, and the flood of mash-ups has been rendered a comparative trickle--though that hasn't stopped true believers at Get Yer Bootleg On (http://gybo.proboards4.com/index.cgi) from competing in regular cutting contests, ahem. The best of the year's boots is, easily, one resulting from the Slow and Beautiful Challenge: the music from Soundgarden's "Like Suicide" and the vocals from Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" combined to make something seething and delirious and wholly unexpected, a moody metal masterpiece from a woman who probably doesn't give a folk.
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text:
Hi ALL,
displaying non-English letters on a website needs additional coding, and I need your assistance to display HUNGARIAN (ő, ü, ö, etc...) letters correctly on a website. Now, when displaying the characters with their ASCII code (i.e. é for 'é'), that is OK! But I have some recordds in a MySql database as well (guestbook entries, blog posts...) and they look weird in the browser (like hieroglyphs....). Can someone tell me how can I escape (if that's the correct method) those characters to display correctly??? I hope I was clear enough with describing the issue...
Thank you advanced!
Hi ALL!
In the meantime I found the solution to my problem :in the HTML header instead of
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
I changed the charset to utf-8 :
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
which solved the problem!
yup i was going to write that :D:D
any way ,may be some point of time you will think of generating pdf for same...or use gd libaries to generate image from those text....if you succeed,please pm me as well ...:)i have not succeed in that atleast....:)
They do support but still broken word problem ...not rendered correctly in generated pdf or image....


text:
Daily Kos
Republican Rep. Paul Ryan is walking back his recent claim that U.S. military leaders are liars:
"I really misspoke," Ryan said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I didn't mean to make that kind of an impression. So, I was clumsy in how I was describing the point I was trying to make." […]"What I was attempting to say is, President Obama put out his budget number for the Pentagon first, $500 billion cut, and then they began the strategy review to conform the budget to meet that number," Ryan said. "We think it should have been the other way around."
So, how did he so clumsily put it the first time?
We don't think the generals are giving us their true advice. We don't think the generals believe that their budget is really the right budget. I believe that the president's budget by virtue of the fact that when he released his budget number of about $500 billion, the number was announced at the same time they announced the beginning of their strategy review of the Pentagon's budget. So what we get from the Pentagon is more of a budget driven strategy, not a strategy driven budget.
Huh. So what Ryan really meant to say was the same thing … except the part where he called U.S. Generals a bunch of liars. Except of course he's still calling them liars:
Gen. Dempsey, the military's top officer, took sharp exception to the chairman's comments. […]"My response is: I stand by my testimony. This was very much a strategy-driven process to which we mapped the budget."
Try again, Mr. Ryan.
Related articles
- Paul Ryan Admits He 'Misspoke' When He Said Military Leaders Did Not Support Obama's Pentagon Budget (mediaite.com)
- Paul Ryan: "I Misspoke" (alan.com)
- Rep. Ryan: 'I Really Misspoke' When I Said The Generals Were Lying (thinkprogress.org)
- Paul Ryan: "I really misspoke." (althouse.blogspot.com)
- Rep. Ryan says he 'totally misspoke' in criticism of military testimony – Fox News (foxnews.com)
- Paul Ryan calls Pentagon Generals liars (warmsouthernbreeze.wordpress.com)
- Rep. Ryan apologizes for comment about general (security.blogs.cnn.com)


text: We're just a few weeks away from the first caucuses and primaries, so presidential election season is in full swing. As a voter, you may be keenly interested in the election process. But as an investor, should you be concerned? If you take a look back, you might be somewhat encouraged over the prospects of the financial markets this year. In the last 12 presidential election years, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has been up nine times and down just three. So, election years must be good for the financial markets, right? Not necessarily. In every year, the markets are influenced by a variety of factors: interest rates, inflation, corporate profits, geopolitical events, economic growth, even the weather. And it's safe to say that 2016 will be no different. At this early stage of the year, one could say that some of these factors, such as continued low interest rates and a reasonably strong economy, might bode well for investors. But there's a lot of 2016 ahead of us – and it's notoriously difficult for anybody, even so-called experts, to accurately predict the market's performance over a relatively short time, such as a year. Still, the market's history of pretty good results in presidential election years may not be entirely random. For one thing, the White House is never the only office being contested; elections are also held for every congressional district and many seats in the Senate. Consequently, during these election years, campaigning often takes precedence over legislating. This legislative inactivity tends to be welcomed by the financial markets, which generally dislike surprises, big changes and new directions. However, you can't really count on past trends to provide a certain roadmap for the year ahead, in terms of the performance of the financial markets. As mentioned above, many factors influence this performance, and at this early stage in the year, we just can't predict which of these factors will take precedence. So, instead of worrying about things you can't control, focus on those that you can. For starters, review your investment mix. Does it still properly reflect your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon? Over time, even if you haven't made many changes to your portfolio, it can become "unbalanced." For example, if you own some stocks that have increased greatly in value over the years, these stocks may now be taking up a larger percentage of your holdings than you had intended, bringing with them a higher degree of risk. Consequently, you might want to consider selling off some of these stocks and using the proceeds to fill in other gaps in your portfolio. On the other hand, if you think your mix of investments is not providing you with the returns you need to help make progress toward your long-term objectives, you may need to add some vehicles that can provide you with more growth potential. After all, it's 2016 now, so whatever your age, you are another year closer to retirement. Will this year look like past presidential election years, as far as good returns from the stock market? No one can say for sure. But if you "vote" for smart investment moves, you won't be sorry. *This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.* *Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax or legal advice. You should consult your attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.* [image: Inline image 2] Mick Pryor, 606 W Main St in Riverton, (307) 856-6116 John P Shade, 824 W Main St in Lander, (307) 335-7722 Rodney Schurg, 175 S Fifth St in Lander, (307) 332-3800 To review what this may mean to you, reach out to Mick Pryor in Riverton, Rodney Schrug in Lander or John Shade in Lander for a no-risk/no-obligation discussion about how Edward Jones can help you achieve your financial goals. [image: Inline image 1] *Feature Image: Image by Theresa Thompson via flickr / (CC BY 2.0)* #county10 #news #sponsored #edwardjonesriverton


text:
Qatari shipment firms demand fair competition
Several marine shipment companies and agencies operating in the Qatar have recently voiced demands that authorities put an end to the monopolistic practices of the Qatari Navigation Company, claiming that the firm unfairly controls all cargo loading and unloading operations.
The companies added that the 30-year government contract awarded to the Qatari Navigation Company, has remained unchanged despite a cabinet decision five years ago to open the sector to fair commercial competition, reported Al-Sharq daily.
Established in 1958 as the first national company, Qatar Navigation was granted a 20-year concession by the state to undertake the work of shipping agencies and coastal sea transport in Qatar. This concession was subsequently extended. ― (MENA Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)


text:
the room was clean, and all the facilities worked as they should. cleaning service was thorough.pots and pans were not in the room on my arrival, however once the issue was raised, they were delivered to my room on the same day.Overall a good experience.Thank you
Clarendon Old Compton Street
Experience Soho and enjoy the convenience of a central base, surrounded by great restaurants and bars. Close to Shaftesbury Avenue you have the West End and the buzz of town to keep you occupied.


text:
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|June 22, 2012, 12:46 AM
Junior Member
Join Date: June 22, 2012
Posts: 3
anyone have any problem where their shotgun goes off without pulling the trigger?
Hi guys, i got a new home defense shotgun, and my grandfather was telling me about a shotgun that he had, and he told me that it would dry fire on its own (if the hammer was cocked obviously) without him having to pull the trigger. is this possible? should i keep a loaded home defense shotgun in my house for protection or could it really be dangerous? thanks in advance.
|June 22, 2012, 01:02 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 23, 2012
Location: Texas ... north of houston, east of el paso
Posts: 214
i never heard of one doing that but then again every one i know that deal with guns keep them clean and in good working order!
i do how ever have some friends that keep thier shotguns loaded with the chamber clear because the sound of racking the gun is scary.
|June 22, 2012, 01:28 AM
Junior member
Join Date: June 23, 2009
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 2,149
What your GF said is possible if a sear slips, which is one reason many elect not to keep a round in the chamber.
|June 22, 2012, 01:49 AM
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Join Date: November 30, 2010
Posts: 3,459
|June 22, 2012, 01:54 AM
Junior member
Join Date: April 23, 2012
Posts: 113
Also in riots. The sound of chambering a pump shotgun quiets people down. Its a noise saying "I'm ready to shoot now". Some police and swat still use it for the intimidation factor of the sound.
|June 22, 2012, 05:49 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 11, 2012
Location: Williamsburg, Va.
Posts: 1,286
Of course if you have a really badass intruder with a semi rifle he now knows just which room to riddle with bullets. The last thing any intruder in my locale is ever going to hear is the very slight click of the safety going off. That's if I have the shotgun. If I have the revolver he won't hear anything before he feels it.
|June 22, 2012, 08:16 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: August 23, 2008
Location: SoCal
Posts: 6,442
I've not experienced any guns spontaneously firing, there's always been an action involved:
• I had a .22 pistol that would fire when you took off the safety -- the LGS owner had hacked a trigger job -- a new part, and it was as good as new.
• I know shooters who've have had troubled guns that would fire when you closed the action -- they got them fixed.
• My buddy has an AR that is prone to doubling -- he wanted to see if a plastic lower was a good deal -- it wasn't.
I've no knowledge of a loaded gun, that was just sitting in a closet, go off on its own; but, that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. Remember the basic rule of gun safety, always keep a loaded gun pointed in a safe direction. If you're going to keep a loaded shotgun, perhaps you'll want it pointed at the roof (or floor) and not the wall.
Personally, I avoid the problem by not using a loaded shotgun as my HD gun. My shotguns are stowed broken-down in their cases. My HD choice is a handgun kept with the hammer down. YMMV.
Last edited by zippy13; June 22, 2012 at 08:40 AM. Reason: typo (I'm a proficient typoer)
|June 22, 2012, 08:28 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 20, 2007
Location: Starkville, MS
Posts: 6,531
Bonzeye, as previously hinted to - the only reason for a gun firing without the trigger being pulled is if there is a defective part. A "healthy" gun will not fire on its own.
|June 22, 2012, 08:59 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: August 10, 2002
Posts: 2,050
Sure it hasn't been outfitted with a "release trigger".......they're used by many competitive trap shooters.
|June 22, 2012, 11:27 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 23, 2005
Posts: 12,870
There have been occasions ...where the act of "clicking the safety latch or button off" has caused a shotgun to fire... and to me, its an indication of possibly worn or dirty parts or someone monkeying with the gun that didn't know what they were doing...but I understand it has happened. I often wonder - when I read these reports ....if it wasn't shooter error as well ...where the shooter had their finger on the trigger as well and didn't realize it / had big thick gloves on or whatever....
and there were reported cases in the last year or so ...on some Remington shotguns, with the safety still engaged, if the butt were thumped on the ground - not even too hard - that the shotguns was firing. Now in most of the cases reported ...poor handling practices were the real issue here... hand over the muzzle, loaded gun...shooter set it butt down firmly on the ground and it went off.../ tossing a loaded shotgun into a boat (safety was on ) and it went off....stuff like that.... / maybe it was a design flaw - maybe something was worn or dirty - but it was definitely a foolish mistake - and poor gun handling practices.
Of course we all want to practice safe handling procedures....if the gun is loaded ( make sure the muzzle is pointed downrange / or up in the air ) ....and if it were to malfunction ...then if it goes off....noone will be hurt. But every year a lot of guys get hurt loading or unloading weapons in the field, crossing fence lines, etc ...and some claim its a design flaw or a safety button failure ...but in my book they were all stupid - and avoidable accidents if proper gun handling was observed.
I wouldn't keep a round chambered in a home defense gun anyway ...shotgun or handgun for that matter...loaded, in terms of rounds in the mag yes.
Last edited by BigJimP; June 22, 2012 at 01:22 PM.
|June 22, 2012, 06:17 PM
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I have a snap-cap in the chamber and "fired" it. Now, I need to pump the gun to load it from the mag tube to shoot, and there's one less live round on board the arm, but, on the other hand, it is abaout as safe as possible and the safety switch itself is never, ever, engaged.
|June 22, 2012, 09:06 PM
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On many of the older pumps if you kept the trigger depressed as you were working the action the gun would fire as soon as the next round was chambered and the bolt closed. They were designed this way on purpose. I had more than one old timer tell me that a pump was unsafe and they would not own one because of this. They did not realise that none of the modern guns would do this. This may have been what he was refering to.
If a gun has worn parts it could fire. I know of one case where an old worn out single shot was kept loaded under a bed that fired on its own during the night under the bed. When checked by a gunsmith it was discovered that there was so little metal between the sear and trigger that they suspected that on the cold winter night the metal contracted enough to let the gun fire.
|June 22, 2012, 10:42 PM
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|June 22, 2012, 11:08 PM
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Of course if you have a really badass intruder with a semi rifle he now knows just which room to riddle with bullets. The last thing any intruder in my locale is ever going to hear is the very slight click of the safety going off. That's if I have the shotgun. If I have the revolver he won't hear anything before he feels it.
Hi, I'm new to this forum. I appreciate all of the insight and wisdom. I am curious about this comment because it makes a lot of sense to me. That goes for having a handgun without a round already chambered and on safety - do you want to make all this noise in that moment of chambering a round? I know least about shotguns, although I've fired a few, I was wondering about the AR-15 vs. the shotgun for home defense, aside from handgun. My brother loves shotguns and the sound of pumping it worked in his favor once scarring an intruder away at night. But I find the points above valid because it brings in another set of variables entirely. Do you want to be telegraphic? In martial arts it's like chambering a punch - pulling back, winding up, then moving forward. (What not to do.) The eye follows this obviously even for a fraction of a second, and (the receiver) is processing this information. So, with firearms, with intruders in the dark let's say (which is why some have a shotgun around) how important is revealing or not revealing - your coordinates by means of sound? If I'm not in law enforcement, I imagine the response to that would be, it depends how sophisticated the intruder.
|June 22, 2012, 11:17 PM
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That goes for having a handgun without a round already chambered and on safety - do you want to make all this noise in that moment of chambering a round?
Let me attempt this again in English! I always thought if you have a semi-auto handgun at home for home defense, that it would make sense for it to be loaded with safety on, so that if you're half asleep God forbid and have a second to think you don't have to chamber a round...and for a woman it takes a little more effort. I would not feel comfortable having a shotgun with just the safety on, because I'm not familiar with them. So I would, if the need ever arose, have to telegraph my whereabouts and hope I'm dealing with a dumb -CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED-. This is another reason I may go with an AR-15 (plus they're fun) but I'd love to hear any opinions at all either way...one or the other. Thank you
|June 22, 2012, 11:42 PM
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|June 23, 2012, 02:36 AM
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Those who think the sound of a shotgun being racked is going to scare someone high on alcohol or drugs [an ever increasing problem] is living in a dream world !!
Many pump and auto shotguns are designed such that the safety just blocks the trigger. If there are worn hammers and sears the gun can easily fire despite the blocked trigger if the gun is bumped ! The old Winchester M97 is a good example . Many old and worn ones are out there and the problem has been known for many years.
And Watson , bring your revolver !
|June 23, 2012, 12:06 PM
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Why can I not quote posts in my reply??
|June 23, 2012, 01:49 PM
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Have a look in Forum Support, there's a sticky "How do I quote from a post?"
|June 24, 2012, 12:15 PM
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I just have a Stevens 612 that doubled (full auto SxS gun). It started doing it once in a while then it did it all of the tiem after about 300 rounds had gone through it. What was odd was that the 2nd firing pin was still cocked even though both barrels had fired in rapid succession.
I didn't try it but I assume that if I'd dropped it while it was loaded that it might have gone off.
I shipped 'er back to Savage and got a 512 returned to me. I'm not complaining, the 512 is a better gun and safer.
|June 24, 2012, 06:40 PM
Join Date: May 15, 2012
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I have heard of it
It has never happened to me, but I have heard stories.
If the gun is cleaned, oiled and it good working order it will never happen.
Also the safety should be on, to prevent this, still never rely on on guns safety.
99.9 % of these that fire without the trigger being pulled are human error.
But of course they always blame the gun not themselves.
|June 24, 2012, 08:29 PM
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|June 24, 2012, 08:35 PM
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|June 24, 2012, 08:41 PM
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|June 24, 2012, 09:13 PM
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I'd prefer yelling "Attention to orders. Fix -- bayonets. Ahhh..."
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Below is a copy of the complaint I sent in on Monday, August 22nd, 2011 to the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Business services, along with the CRTC's Telecom Complaints Commission, on behalf of the Canadian Gamers Organization. This tests the current complaint system and throttling practises against consumer law, and notifies each of these jurisdictions of significant problems with enforcement and procedure within the CRTC on consumers complaints. Hopefully some change will come out of this.
You can view and download the original PDF file here.
Here's the web version of this complaint:
To Whom It May Concern,
an administrator of The Canadian Gamers Organization. We've recently
launched this organization to help advocate on behalf of consumers
rights as it relates to games and gaming products which includes the use
of Broadband Internet Services. I'd consider myself to be a consumer
advocate. I'm also a Systems Analyst by profession. I'm currently
writing to you on behalf of the Canadian Gamers Organization.
The reason for our correspondence to you is concern that we believe Rogers Communications may have violated the Ontario Consumer Protection Act, by not fully disclosing the use, limitations and affects of its use of Internet Traffic Management Programs (ITMP) on Rogers Internet Services. We also believe that the CRTCs current regulatory policy in ensuring full disclosure of the use of ITMPs does not conform to the Ontario Consumer Protection Act, nor is the Commission actively ensuring compliance with the act under these policies. We also believe that consumers are being treated unfairly by Rogers Communications and the CRTC, by actively requiring consumers to have a high level of technical expertise in order to test conditions of compliance of CRTC regulatory policy, and applicable laws.
This complaint has been sent to the Consumer Protection Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Business Services, and the Telecom Complaints Commission for follow up according to their respected jurisdictions.
We believe Rogers Communications has violated the below sections of the Ontario Consumer Protection Act:
32. For the purpose of subsection 38 (1) of the Act, the information that the supplier shall disclose to the consumer before the consumer enters into an internet agreement is:
3. A fair and accurate description of the goods and services proposed to be supplied to the consumer, including the technical requirements, if any, related to the use of the goods or services.
35. (1) For the purpose of section 42 of the Act, a direct agreement shall be signed by the consumer and the supplier and shall set out the following information:
6. A fair and accurate description of the goods and services to be supplied to the consumer, including the technical requirements, if any, related to the use of the goods or services.
Rogers Communications employs the use of Internet Traffic Management Programs, to help curb network congestion. The specific type of program used is called deep packet inspection (DPI). The CRTC in 2009 has allowed this practise, but with minimal disclosure to Canadian Consumers on what is or is not affected by ITMP, along with an extremely high and technical evidentiary threshold placed on the consumer by the CRTC in order to launch regulatory complaint procedures on what is or is not affected by ITMP, and whether or not the ISPs are following through with regulatory policy. This situation has effectively turned the consumer into technical testers for ITMP bugs, and may be creating an environment where many problems with this technology are not being resolved, due to an expert level of technical expertise needed to report such problems to the CRTC and Rogers.
It's important to note that Rogers started implementing the use of ITMP in 2007. The CRTC recommended under its policy CRTC 2009-657 that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) be transparent in the use of ITMP's, however to date Rogers has only a small section on what ITMP is affecting on their service and only lists Peer 2 Peer (P2P) file sharing, without listing other limitations of the use that ITMP have presented, and are known to present. Several complaints on compliance regarding CRTC regulatory policy CRTC 2009-657 have been handed to the CRTC by consumers, in which the CRTC has refused to act on due to lack of evidence, or simply asking the ISP's to update their disclosures on a case by case basis, rather than ensuring ISPs do the appropriate testing to ensure full disclosure of the limitations of ITMP and what specifically is or isn't affected by the use of ITMP thereby ensuring compliance with Ontario Consumer Protection laws and CRTC regulatory policies. We feel the failure of the CRTC to order full disclosure on what ITMP may be affecting may not be fully in line with the Ontario Consumer Protections Act that ensures fair disclosure of services under consumer agreements, and contracts.
We are concerned that by not providing full disclosure of applications and systems affected by ITMP may also be inhibiting consumer choice, and leaving the consumer to deal with an extremely time consuming and frustrating effort to get Rogers service matters resolved, and/or for the consumer take other actions which include cancelling of the service or contract and moving to another Internet provider. Without full and complete disclosure and accurate testing of what applications and systems are or are not affected by ITMP by the Internet Provider, application and system developers have can have an extremely hard time troubleshooting application and system errors, thus non-disclosure of this information may in fact be affecting business to consumer services and communications outside of the Rogers technical support desk. Even when developer troubleshooting occurs with the consumer, and the developers' only option to service their customers is to connect with the Internet Provider for further technical support, Rogers has displayed unwillingness or are unable to effectively troubleshoot ITMP related issues unless threatened by a regulatory public hearing on the matter.
It took several attempts by one of our members to get the CRTC to look into information she sent in regarding the possibility of ITMP affecting the World of Warcraft game. The CRTC complaint came after several months of Rogers refusing to look into the issue, and Rogers employees ignoring multiple attempts from employees working for Blizzard (creators of World of Warcraft) to contact Rogers to assist them in fixing the problem. On July 13th, 2011 Rogers submitted information in confidence to the CRTC that they actively tested and fixed the problems with the World of Warcraft game, on July 29th 2011. In the July 29th letter, the CRTC ordered that Rogers provide some testing information on public record by August 8th, 2011. On August 8th, Rogers responded to the commission's request that the World of Warcraft testing data be publically released .
In Rogers' conclusion to these tests, Rogers admitted that the software used for traffic management has a serious flaw, and "misclassified" the game as Peer to Peer Traffic. Rogers stated:
"Running P2P as the same time as the game has the potential to impact the game in any scenario, even if traffic management works perfectly, however Rogers acknowledges the misclassification is a bug with the technology"
We believe the affects of ITMP are a lot more widespread than with the PC version of World of Warcraft, and extend to other games, gaming systems, and non related gaming applications, and could impact internet services even when P2P applications are not running, due to the ITMP bug actively misclassifying non-P2P applications. The extent to which this bug is currently affecting Rogers' services is unclear and unknown since Rogers failed to disclose this information to the public or its customers. It is also unclear whether Rogers has implemented wide spread testing on this software to see exactly how their offered services have been affected by this bug, and their use of ITMP.
Rogers' solution to the misclassification of WoW (World of Warcraft) submitted to the CRTC:
"The fastest way to fix this problem was to use "whitelisting". Using this method, traffic to the WoW servers is completely excluded from Rogers' Traffic Management Program. The traffic completely bi-passes the classification mechanism and as such, no policy is applied. Rogers obtained a list of WoW servers from and has fully deployed "whitelisting" across the Rogers network, thereby fixing the problem"
It is our view that Rogers should also be providing to its customers a list of "whitelisted" applications in order to comply with the Ontario Consumer Protection act and CRTC Policy.
It is important to note that Rogers Communications enlisted the help of MIT and Cisco Systems in troubleshooting the World of Warcraft complaint. The consumer cannot be expected to know exactly what's affected or not affected by the ITMP systems, when it's clear the technical knowledge needed to do this far outweighs the troubleshooting skills of Rogers in house technical support, let alone any advanced knowledge of Rogers internal networking infrastructure the consumer doesn't have. Both the CRTC and Rogers shouldn't be dealing with this type of problem on a case by case basis. Active testing and monitoring of ITMP systems along with full disclosure of how the service is affected should be needed in order to ensure full compliance the Ontario Consumer Protection Act, and CRTC regulatory policy in our interpretation of both.
We believe that in order to provide compliance with Ontario Consumer Laws, that Rogers start actively testing their systems and disclose to its consumers exactly how service with Rogers Internet is affected by ITMP use and to ensure that consumers have the proper information to make the appropriate choices in services.
In 2008 I submitted comments on the limitations of the use of ITMP to a CRTC hearing that was looking at whether or not ITMP was needed on smaller internet providers that lease their lines from Bell. Those comments were later referenced in one of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers responses to this hearing echoing similar concerns (paragraphs 63 - 69). The Rogers World of Warcraft testing data released to the public now validates those concerns; thus we believe that by not disclosing the limitations of ITMP's, Rogers has affectively been in violation of the Ontario Consumer Protection Act since 2007, when Rogers first implied ITMP on its networks.
I have also contacted the CRTC personally asking them to update their regulatory policy to ensure compliance by ISPs with several recommendations , and as of this date, that complaint remains unanswered.
We believe that the next step in ensuring fair and balanced resolution to a broken complaints system with respect to ITMP's may lie in existing consumer, and contact laws in which the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Business Services has legal jurisdiction and the authority to act on. We believe The Telecom Complaints Commission has jurisdiction under CRTC regulations, which should (and are not) conforming to Internet and Direct agreement disclosure laws In Ontario.
The overall goal of this complaint is:
1) To ensure Rogers compliance with existing Ontario Consumer laws and CRTC telecom regulations
2) To ensure that consumers are not abused unfairly by asking them to test and report on the highly technical use of ITMP systems or software, in order to ensure Rogers compliance with CRTC regulations or relative law.
3) To ensure complete disclosure of services offered to Canadian and Ontario Consumers by Rogers.
4) To ensure the CRTC is not acting in conflict of interest, and remains independent when drafting and upholding policy and regulations specific to CRTC 2009-657.
5) To restore consumer confidence
To reach these goals cooperation is needed on all fronts and all jurisdictions. We believe that this cooperation will be essential and directly linked to consumer confidence within the current regulatory and legislative regime. If cooperation is not offered on all fronts, it will greatly impact the volume of complaints needed to ensure compliance with applicable laws, and regulations thus making transparency, and accountability unenforceable under the current system on the issue of ITMPs, corporate disclosure practises, and issues discussed under regulatory policy CRTC 2009-657.
We hope that we can count on you to further investigate this complaint, ensure Rogers compliance with disclosure of its ITMP practises, and to ensure that consumers are not being treated unfairly.
Warm Regards,
Jason Koblovsky
(Canadian Gamers Organization)


text:
I recently return-ed to teaching after being away for some time raising my family and working in business. Either the kids have changed or I have. Many of them seem to have an "attitude"-- even some of my best students. It seems as though I'm the only one working hard in my classroom. Am I imagining things? What is going on here?
It has been more than 10 years since I was in a school setting all day every day, so the observations I'm going to share with you come from others rather than from my own personal observations.
As my husband and I travel the country doing workshops for teachers and principals about raising achievement, they share their frustrations regarding their students' lack of effort, respect and responsibility. Until recently I had not been able to put my finger on where these "attitudes" were coming from. It was easy to blame it on working parents, ineffective teachers, poverty, or lowered school standards.
But, then I encountered an article in the summer issue of the American Educator magazine. The article is titled "Bad Attitude: Confronting the Views that Hinder Students' Learning." It ought to be required reading for every teacher, principal, and parent.
The author, Vincent Ryan Ruggiero, is a university professor whose research and writings focus on changing students' bad attitudes. He has some excellent ideas that could be implemented both at home and in schools. You can access the article for yourself at the website of the American Federation of Teachers and download in a Portable Document Format at (http://www.aft.org/publications/american_educator/summer2000/index.html).
For those who prefer a shorter version, here is my summary of the article.
Professor Ruggiero's views immediately resonated with my sense of what is happening in families and classrooms. The essence of his hypothesis is captured in this quotation. He says, "Good and bad character are now known as 'personality differences.' Rights have replaced responsibilities… A revolution has taken place in the vocabulary of self. Words that imply responsibility or accountability -- self-criticism, self-denial, self-discipline, self-control, self-effacement, self-mastery, self-reproach, and self-sacrifice are no longer in fashion. The language most in favor is that which exalts the self -- self-expression, self-assertion, self-indulgence, self realization, self-approval, self-acceptance, self-love, and the ubiquitous self-esteem."
Kids are coming to school believing that it is the teacher's job to entertain them. Unfortunately, many teachers have bought into this idea as well, and instead of working to change the attitudes of their students, they have decided to turn their classrooms into Sesame Street and Discovery Zone.
If these attitudes, or any variations of them, sound painfully familiar to you, perhaps reading Ruggiero's article or his book, "Changing Attitudes: A Strategy for Motivating Students to Learn" (Allyn and Bacon, 1998) will give you some ammunition to fight.
Where have these attitudes come from and what can parents and teachers do about them? Ruggiero suggests that mass culture -- entertainment, books, newspapers, magazines, music, radio, television, and the advertising industry are the culprits in this widespread brainwashing.
If you don't have cable TV, don't get it. If you still don't let your children attend R-rated movies before they go off to college, hold your ground. If your children are part of an excellent youth group at church and/or a sports or extracurricular activity at school led by an individual who believes in discipline, responsibility, right and wrong, hard work, and respect, count yourself and your children most fortunate.
Here's what we're up against in our homes and our schools as we battle what mass culture is popularizing. Ruggiero explains. "In opposition to active living, mass culture promotes a spectator mentality and desire to be entertained." I heard a young mother explain why she turns on the TV the minute her children came home from school. "They really need to relax and just veg out. School is so demanding." Whatever happened to playing, pretending, imagining, painting, building, or reading? Don't kids do chores anymore like setting the table for dinner or picking up their rooms?
"In opposition to a moral standard, mass culture extols doing whatever feels good." This pervasive attitude makes it essential that parents stop defending their children when they break the rules or the law. Stop trying to get them out of serving their detentions or their suspensions when they do destructive and dangerous things.
This kind of attitude makes it imperative that school faculties band together as one to create a culture and climate in their school that sends the same message to all students and parents: "We believe that all students can and must learn. We expect all students to put forth as much effort to learn as we expend effort to teach."
Shortly after the Columbine tragedy, the Colorado State Board of Education met to discus the horrendous happening. They issued the following statement which should serve as a wakeup call to all of us. "While our schools are at once the mold and the mirror of the democratic society they serve, they are not democracies themselves. Schools are founded and controlled by adults for the benefit of children.
"The adults accountable for running schools must have the courage, ability, and authority to establish and maintain a safe and orderly environment maximally consonant with the purposes of schooling, i.e. the fullest possible achievement for every single child."
All of us need to wake up and start confronting fallacious thinking, destructive attitudes, and debilitating values in our students and children for what they are. Ruggerio summarized it this way: "The sharper and more complete one's awareness of a phenomenon, the more fully it can be understood and evaluated."
Elaine is a former teacher, librarian, principal, and district administrator. She has an Ed.D. in educational administration and is the author of more than two dozen books for parents and educators. You can visit her web site at http://www.elainemcewan.com.