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Android phones with HD screens are the latest rage nowadays in the tech world. The recently released Galaxy Nexus, HTC Rezound, and the LG Nitro HD all have screens of varying technology and size, they all have a whopping 720p HD screen resolution. While the Galaxy Nexus comes with a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED screen, the Rezound comes with a 4.3-inch LCD screen and the Nitro HD comes with a 4.5-inch AH-IPS LCD.
The HD Super AMOLED screen used on the Galaxy Nexus is one of the most popular screen technology in use today. However, the AH-IPS LCD used by LG on their Nitro handset is overall the best screen technology. In fact, it was (the screen) even awarded the best screen technology of 2011 over the various Super-AMOLED variants.
What makes the True HD IPS display on the Nitro so amazing is that unlike the PenTile HD Super AMOLED screen used on the Galaxy Nexus, the Nitro's screen has an RGB pixel arrangement which provides amazing color accuracy. The Nitro HD also bests the iPhone 4/4S Retina Display in terms of pixel count with a whopping pixel density of 329 pixels per inch. Another advantage of the AH-IPS LCD is that unlike AMOLED screens, it does not consume more power to display white content like websites with white backgrounds e.g. Facebook and Google Plus, which ultimately leads to a better battery life! No wonder that LG quotes that the Nitro has nearly 7 hours of talk time!
So if you own the next generation LG Nitro HD with a True HD IPS display, below are some apps which you must try so as to truly enjoy the beautiful screen on your handset :
5) Beautiful Widgets Beautiful Widgets is the most popular widget available in the Android Market. As its name suggests, the app contains a set of beautiful widgets for your Android phone's home screen. The app includes a beautiful set of widgets for clock, weather, and some toggles. The weather widget in particular looks gorgeous particularly on the HD screen of the Android phones. There are also some nice unlock animations which imitate the Sense 3.0 weather animation. In my opinion, Beautiful Widgets is the perfect app to make your iOS friends drool over your Android phone home screen.
Beautiful Widgets is also the first paid app in the Android Market to cross 1 Million+ downloads. Interested readers can purchase Beautiful Widgets from here.
4) Shadowgun Shadowgun is an F.P.S set in the future, where users need to play the role of John Slade, who is an infamous bounty hunter. The game has amazing console quality like graphics and also supports some dedicated USB Gamepads to make gaming easier. If you own an Android phone with a 720p HD screen resolution, Shadowgun will be the best game to make your friends and relatives go wow! over the game as well as the brilliant screen resolution of your phone.
If you are looking for some quality FPS shooting game for your Android handset, you MUST try out Shadowgun. The game is available for $4.99 in the Android Market.
3) Go Launcher Ex The Go developer team is pretty popular in the Android world, and is known for releasing some quality apps for free. Go Launcher Ex is one of them. While there are many other home screen replacement apps in the Android Market, none of them have as many features as Go Launcher, and neither are they updated regularly. Right from some wacky scrolling animations to some quality widgets to themes support, Go Launcher Ex has it all.
Go Launcher Ex is also perfect for all the new generation Android handsets with a 720p HD resolution display. Users can tweak Go Launcher Ex to increase the number of rows and columns on their home screen and take advantage of the extra screen estate offered by the HD screen on their phone. The best part is that Go Launcher Ex is free, which gives it a huge advantage over its paid competitors. Readers can download Go Launcher Ex from here.
2) Shine Runner Shine Runner comes from Vector Unit the developer of another beautiful game Riptide GP. Like Riptide GP, Shine Runner has some amazing water physics, eye popping visuals and much more. All the water effect in Shine Runner look absolutely stunning and real-life on an HD Android phone.
While the game is just a simple fanboat racing game, what makes it so much more fun is the totally destructible environment. Shine Runner can be purchased from the Android Market for $1.99.
1) Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation Modern Combat 3 was released just yesterday from Gameloft on the Android Market, and is one of the best FPS I have ever played on a mobile phone. The game has some stunning graphics and makes full use of the HD screen, the dual-core processor and the oodles of RAM found inside the current gen Android phones. The game has 13 single player campaigns, along with a multiplayer mode.
If you ever wanted to become a war hero, Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation will definitely fulfill that wish of yours! The game can be downloaded from the Android Market for $6.99. Gameloft has released some other popular HD games for Android handsets as well. The LG Nitro HD comes pre-installed with the Gameloft HD store for quick access to these HD games.
Note-: I was compensated and provided the LG Nitro HD Phone for this article, but all my opinions about the phone and apps are my own.
What makes LG Nitro's True HD IPS Display so amazing? 16:9 Aspect ratio for widescreen entertainment, sharper, crisper images, amazingly accurate colors and more. Exclusively available on AT&T's 4G LTE network. Find out more at www.NitrobyLG.com.


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If you ever find yourself confused and annoyed by teens, which you probably do if you've ever attended a movie, boy, are you gonna want to treat me to a piping hot Cracker Barrel dinner for this one.
If you ever find yourself confused and annoyed by teens, which you probably do if you've ever attended a movie, boy, are you gonna want to treat me to a piping hot Cracker Barrel dinner for this one. There is a new and very magical device that makes teens disappear, but no, it doesn't work by offering them not-lame places to go or not-ridiculous things to do -- it drives them slowly insane via a mysterious high-frequency repeating signal that only they can hear! (I know, it seems scientifically impossible that someone could invent a sound only teens can detect, but then again, they've already done it with Chris Brown and whenever somebody talks on "The Hills.") The device in question is called the Mosquito, and it is marketed by a company with the decidedly non-hip name of Compound Security, which I don't know much about, other than that I'll bet they have like zero MySpace friends. The Mosquito is a device that is attached to your building, wall, neighborhood or roller rink that emits a low (or possibly high, I sort of tuned out of audio-frequency week in home ec) frequency noise that most humans can't hear, but that drives young people slowly nuts, much like algebra or civic volunteering or the prospects of any of them ever having health care. Now let me preface this by saying I have no idea how this works, or if this works, and I'm a little skeptical of the science, although I highly enjoy the promotional advertising photo, which features two Young Troublemakers, both clad in black hoodies and one with a wisp of Avril Lavigne hair curled over her eye as if to say, "I can smoke here if I want to, Principal Jerkface," cowering underneath a scary-looking Orwell loudspeaker and putting their hands over their ears, like the rest of us do when they play their Lil' Wayne music or whatever. So, as people often do when they are adults and need cold, hard facts, let us turn to the marketing department at Compound Security, the company behind the Mosquito Kid Deterrent Device (real name), which posted the following at I-Swear-To-You-I'm-Not-Kidding Kidsbegone.com: "The Mosquito ultrasonic teenage deterrent is the solution to the eternal problem of unwanted gatherings of youths and teenagers in shopping malls and around shops. The presence of these teenagers discourages genuine shoppers and customers' from coming to your shop, affecting your turnover and profits." Wait, but what about the shops? The Kidsbegone.com Web site, which is forever waiting for its first digg, goes on to include this helpful testimonial from some extremely old shop owner named Robert Gough in England, who said about the device: "Either someone has come along and wiped them off the face of the Earth, or it's working." Ha! Genocide is always a good thing to bring up in ad copy, assuming, of course, you can't figure out some way to work in the racist jokes or anything about abortion. But the Mosquito isn't just for people who are looking to exterminate large groups of people from the planet: "Is your business suffering from anti social youths driving your customers away?" the site continues, getting a solid if unspectacular percentage of its grammar right. "Are you bothered by crowds of teenager's hanging around your street or business and making life unpleasant?" it continues again, fundamentally misconstruing the use of the apostrophe. No, the Mosquito is for anyone bothered by anything that can't solve the problem by themselves! Well, I think it's a fantastic idea, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that all crime and shadiness are perpetrated by teens, who must be muscled out of all areas in which they congregate and moved on to, well, anywhere, it kind of doesn't matter, as long as it's not here. (Incidentally, the news story I'm looking at regarding young punk teens offers a helpfully direct Google ad link to "Teen Bikini Girls," which is a much more effective way of keeping them off the streets). Jeff Vrabel can be reached at www.jeffvrabel.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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This two-day workshop will focus on how to use local resources – documents, artifacts, landscapes and the rich expertise in every town – to examine historical issues with a national focus. We will concentrate on the period just after the Revolution and the concerns and conflicts, hopes and fears, experiences and expectations of the people living in the Boston area at a time of uncertainty, fragility, and possibility. We will investigate such questions as: What was it like to live in a town that had been around for a long time in a country that was new? When the nation was first forming after the Revolution, what were people in our town/region worried about? How much did the geography, economy, culture, and social makeup of our region influence those concerns? How can we find out? What resources/pieces of evidence does our community have that relate to this time period and the people living in it? How can we best present this evidence and allow people of all ages to discover answers to some of these questions? How does our local focus add a crucial dimension to our understanding of a key period in American history?
The workshop is open to teachers, librarians, archivists, members of local historical societies, and all interested local history enthusiasts. Workshop faculty will include Jayne Gordon and Kathleen Barker of the MHS Department of Education and Public Programs, Freedom's Way Director of Education Maud Ayson, Historian Mary Fuhrer, MHS Teacher Fellow Timothy Castner, and Nancy Heywood, MHS Digital Projects Coordinator. Additional partners include the Freedom's Way National Heritage Area, Leominster Public Library, and the First Church of Lancaster. There is a $25 charge to cover lunches both days; program and material costs have been generously funded by the Saltonstall Foundation. Educators can earn 14 PDPs and 1 Graduate Credit (for an additional fee) from Framingham State University.
Additional two-day workshops will be held in Boston on July 15/16, at Coolidge Point in Manchester (North Shore) on August 13/14, and in Pittsfield (Berkshires) on November 8/9.
To Register: Please complete this registration form and send it with your payment to: Kathleen Barker, Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215.
For Additional Information: Contact the Education Department: 617-646-0557 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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3D StyleThis page contains 3D Style website templates.
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by TemplateMonster. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products or services from them after following a link from this website.
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The clothing line that lets you show your true colors without worry.
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Treatments for childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma
If a child has non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), the healthcare team will include specialists from different areas of medicine. All of these specialists will have experience treating children with NHL. They will work together to create a treatment plan just for the child. It will be based on your child's needs and may include a combination of different treatments.
When deciding which treatments to offer for childhood NHL, your child's healthcare team will consider the:
- type of NHL
- stage of the cancer
- location and size of the tumour
- child's age
- child's overall health
When planning treatment for children with Burkitt lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the healthcare team will also consider the risk group. The risk group is part of the staging for these cancers.
Children with childhood NHL often have complications that need to be treated right away. Children who have blocked airways or organs may need corticosteroid treatment before they start chemotherapy. Once children with NHL start treatment, they often develop tumour lysis syndrome, which must be treated immediately. Doctors try to prevent side effects of rapid tumour lysis by giving extra fluids and medicines to help keep the kidneys safe from the build-up of uric acid.
The following are treatment options for childhood NHL.
Chemotherapy is the main treatment for childhood NHL.
Surgery is usually only done to diagnose and stage childhood NHL. It is sometimes used to treat early-stage Burkitt lymphoma that starts in the stomach or small intestine. It may also be used in emergency situations, such as for treating a blocked intestine (called bowel obstruction) caused by a tumour in the abdomen.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is usually only used in emergency situations or to treat lymphoma that starts in or spreads to the brain and spinal cord (called the central nervous system, or CNS).
Stem cell transplant
A stem cell transplant may be used to treat childhood NHL that comes back after treatment (called recurrent, or relapsed, NHL).
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy may be used to treat some types of childhood NHL.
Follow-up care
Follow-up after treatment is an important part of cancer care. Your child will need to have regular follow-up visits, especially in the first 10 years after treatment has finished. These visits allow the healthcare team to monitor your child's progress and recovery from treatment. They will also watch for late side effects from treatment.
Clinical trials
Many children with cancer are treated in a clinical trial. Clinical trials look at new and better ways to prevent, find and treat cancer. Find out more about clinical trials.
Questions to ask about treatment
Find out more about treatment. To make the decisions that are right for your child, ask the healthcare team questions about treatment.
A group of side effects that include kidney, heart and liver damage caused by treatment that rapidly kills cancer cells, which release toxic substances into the blood when they die.
Now I know that I will help someone with cancer even after I'm gone. It's a footprint I want to leave behind me.
Together we can reduce the burden of cancer
Last year, we only had the resources available to fund 40% of high-priority research projects. Imagine the impact we could have if we were able to fund 100%.


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Links relacionados
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Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering
versão On-line ISSN 2309-8775
versão impressa ISSN 1021-2019
J. S. Afr. Inst. Civ. Eng. vol.53 no.2 Midrand Out. 2011
Clients' perspectives of professional ethics for civil engineers
H Abdul-Rahman; C Wang; M A Saimon
Many parties in the construction industry claim that codes of professional ethics can help mitigate the unethical conduct of civil engineers and improve the ethical level amongst construction players. However, the fact is, even though most organisations have their own codes of ethics, there still are many instances of unethical conduct in the construction industry. For this reason, this research attempted to study clients' perceptions of the impact on civil engineering works that codes of professional ethics have. Unethical conduct in the construction industry, such as fraud, bribery and collusive tendering, were addressed in 55 structured interviews. The interviews indicated the causes of the unethical conduct, as well as ways for mitigation. Finally, two models of disciplinary procedures to deal with unethical conduct were developed for the construction industry, particularly for civil engineers. One model is for nonserious unethical conduct such as "being late for work", "punching card on behalf of a friend", and "disappointing work performance", while the other model is for serious unethical conduct such as "fraud", "dishonesty", and "collusion with the other party".
Key words: professional ethics, code of ethics, clients'perceptions, disciplinary procedures, unethical conduct
Professional ethics is defined as a system of norms that controls both the morality and behaviour of professionals in their day-to-day practice. Professional ethics also ascribe moral responsibility not only to an individual, but to all professionals practising in a particular profession (Suen et al 2007; Bayles 1989; Wasserman et al 2000). Carey & Doherty (1968) stated that it automatically tied up with more practical concepts and expectations from the public, encompassing issues such as competence, responsibility and willingness to serve the public. The adoption of ethical principles and the enforcement of standards become matters of increasing importance to society as the number of professions and professionals increase and the work environment becomes more ethically sensitive, because the credibility of the entire profession is endangered when lapses of ethical behaviour occur. Brien (1998) feels that the problem faced by any professional community is how to regulate itself effectively to justify its autonomy, while ensuring that the clients of its members, and society as a whole, benefit from the profession's and the individual professional's actions, rather than becoming their victims.
Morton (2008) defined the construction industry as all those firms involved directly in the design and construction of building projects. The construction industry prides itself on being the provider and facilitator of global physical development through the provision of infrastructure, manpower development, resource employment, fixed capital formation and improvement of the GDP (Hillebrant 2000). Almost every profession has its codes of ethics to provide a framework for arriving at good ethical choices. Therefore, professional ethics is a system of norms to deal with both the morality and behaviour of professionals in their day-to-day practice, and to ascribe moral responsibility not only to an individual, but to all professionals practising in a particular profession. For the building and designing professions, the incalculable value of human life demands nothing less than the highest moral considerations from those who might risk it otherwise (Vee & Skitmore 2003; Chakley 1994; Hinman 1997).
The construction industry is a "perfect" environment for ethical dilemmas, with its low-price mentality, fierce competition, and paper-thin margins. Unethical behaviour is increasingly taking a toll on the reputation of the industry (Corvellec & Macheridis 2010; Jordan 2005). Surveys conducted by researchers in Australia (Vee & Skitmore 2003) and South Africa (Pearl et al 2005) identified several instances of unethical conduct and ethical dilemmas in the construction industry, such as corruption, negligence, is important for the project to be completed bribery, conflict of interest, bid-cutting, under-bidding, collusive tendering, cover pricing, frontloading, bid-shopping, and withdrawal of tender. It is evident that there are significant areas of concern pertaining to the ethical conduct of construction professionals.
Many efforts have been made to increase ethical standards and integrity among professionals in construction sectors worldwide. According to Pearl et al (2005), the regulatory professional acts relating to the built environment professional sector in South Africa were totally overhauled in the late 1990s, and a new suite of professional acts were promulgated in 2000 to enhance professionalism. Meanwhile, in America, the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) has updated its code of ethics to include a wider range of professional services, as well as professional services among construction players (CMAA 2006). A Standard of Professional Conduct to govern ethical practices in the American civil engineering profession was published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE 2008). Australia has its own codes of tendering to enhance fairness and transparency (Ray et al 1997). There are many parties involved in the construction industry, such as clients, architects, surveyors, civil engineers, and other kinds of engineers. Codes of ethics act as control systems which are used as guidelines by the members of those parties to be more disciplined and more ethical in their professions (Smyth et al 2010; Johari 2001).
Clients are the people or bodies who finance construction projects and who act as a major driving force within the construction sector (Cavil & Sohail 2008; Bologna et al 1996). Hillebrant (2000) states that clients are the initiators of the whole process in the construction industry, and can be categorised into public sector clients and private sector clients. In the private sector, there are two types of clients. The first type comprises clients who commission projects for their own purposes. The second type comprises developers who sell or rent their developed buildings to end users. Public sector clients, on the other hand, fall into three categories, namely: a) public authorities who are running commercial or industrial buildings, although they may be subsidised by the government; b) clients who provide the infrastructure, but are not paid by the users; and c) clients who provide facilities that are paid for by the users, but not on a commercial basis. As the client is the major steering force, the involvement of the client in every aspect of the construction process within the scope, cost and time allowed, and to the desired standard (Hillebrant 2000). The authors only partly agree with this statement, since it is debatable whether the client should be involved in all processes, as there are certainly some processes where the client should be excluded to avoid direct interference and conflict of interest, and hence possible undermining of the engineer's authority.
Structured interviews were conducted to obtain a consistent response from the interviewees. In the structured interview, questions were presented in the same order and with the same wording so that the interviewer could be in full control of the interview all the time. The researcher approached 55 developers from both the public and the private sectors for interviews. The interviewees consisted of 23 project managers (41,8%), 7 company directors (12,7%), and 25 executive managers (45,5%). In these structured interviews, four main issues regarding clients' perception of professional ethics in the construction industry were addressed, namely: the level of professional ethics in the Malaysian construction industry, interviewees' experiences with instances of unethical or illegal conduct in the construction industry, the causes of unethical or illegal conduct, and the ways to mitigate the occurrence of unethical or illegal conduct in the construction industry. This research limits its scope to the nation of Malaysia, but its findings could be utilised in other nations as a source of reference, for Malaysia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Impacts of codes of ethics in the construction industry
Table 1 ranks the advantages of a code of ethics. The top three advantages that emerge are "let professionals know when they are in breach of statement", "motivate and inspire practitioners", and "set out the ideals and responsibilities of the profession". Table 2 ranks the disadvantages of a code of ethics, where "what is the point of specifying responsibilities, given the limited regulatory function of a code" is ranked uppermost. This is probably because interviewees usually apply more than one code of ethics, including the code of ethics of the general organisation and the code of ethics of their professional bodies. Sometimes this causes a dilemma for professionals in that they are year in the construction sector worldwide unsure which code to follow. For instance, in some circumstances, conduct that could increase the organisation's profit is encouraged by the code of ethics of the general organisation, but is prohibited by the code of professional ethics. In this kind of dilemma, professionals have to be very watchful.
Unethical or illegal conduct in the Malaysian construction industry
Table 3 ranks the unethical conduct in the Malaysian construction industry, where "illegal award to contractor" and "bribery" are the two worst concerns, followed by "breaches of professional responsibility", "disclosure of confidential project baseline", "collusive tendering", "fraud", "negligence", and "dishonesty and unfair behaviour". According to clients' perception, "illegal award of contract" is very common, because the client is the party who offers the contracts. However, interestingly, all the interviewees preferred the word "unethical" rather than "illegal", because the latter represents a criminal activity. In the interviewees' opinion, a client has the right to award the contract to any contractor and it is not considered illegal, even though it is not the most qualified tender.
According to Table 3 "bribery" is ranked as the second worst concern. This is supported by three previous researches - Berawi et al (2008); Pearl et al (2005); and Yap (2006). During the interviews, many interviewees stated that "bribery" has become a culture in the construction industry. This statement is supported by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which reveals that corruption accounts for an estimated $340 billion each (Sohai & Cavill 2008). "Dishonesty and unfair behaviour" is ranked at the bottom in Malaysia, which is not in line with the study done by Vee and Skitmore (2003), where "dishonesty and unfair behaviour" is ranked at the top in the Australian construction industry. This is probably because the transparency level in the Australian construction industry is higher than that in Malaysia, as commented by interviewees.
Table 4 ranks the causes of unethical conduct in the Malaysian construction industry, where "insufficient ethical education in schools" is at the top, followed by "economic downturn", "insufficient ethical education from professional institution", "demand from authority", "lack of training to handle non-compliance", "fierce competition", and "insufficient legislative enforcement". Although most interviewees commented that people were normally shaped during their school years, they agreed that professional institutions (through ways such as monthly meetings, codes of ethics, and regular training) should continue educating professionals to act ethically. "Economic downturn" is also one of the major causes of unethical conduct. This is because, during an economic downturn, contractors are unprecedentedly competing to "grab" a contract.
Table 5 ranks the ways to mitigate unethical conduct in the construction industry. The highest ranking for this section is "making the unethical act a criminal activity" with a mean value of 1,93. The result is associated with a study by Mason (2008) where he stated that making an unethical act a criminal activity was one way to promote ethical improvement. Interviewees stated that the law and its enforcement are very important ways to solve the ethical problems in the industry. The Malaysian construction industry had introduced many laws and regulations, but the enforcement thereof was not well implemented. One interviewee suggested that the laws and regulations need to be reviewed and amended in order to suit the current situation, because some regulations established decades ago are no longer suitable. Another interviewee suggested that, in order to improve the ethical level, the penalties imposed should be stiffer than the existing ones. The suggestion is in line with the finding from the FMI (2004) where "stiffer penalties" is one solution for unethical conduct. The interviewee further suggested that the fine should be so high that the guilty person would hardly be able to afford it. "Code of ethics in the organisation" ranks right at the bottom, the reason being, according to interviewees, that codes of ethics were meaningless without enforcement by the government and professional bodies.
Models for disciplinary procedures
Two disciplinary procedure models, to deal with ethical problems in the construction industry, were developed by the authors, supported by the findings from the structured interviews. One model (Figure 1) is for nonserious unethical conduct such as "being late for work", "punching card on behalf of a friend", "disappointing work performance", and so on. Another model (Figure 2) is for serious unethical conduct such as "fraud", "dishonesty", and "collusion with another party", and so on.
In dealing with non-serious unethical conduct in the construction industry, as illustrated in Figure 1, the first step when an issue arises is to deal with it by means of a reprimand. At this stage, the employee is given opportunities to correct what he/ she has done wrong. The organisation also conducts counselling sessions for this employee. Managers, supervisors, and/or directors of the organisation should be given the right to reprimand the staff member. The staff member should be given a probation period to prove his/her improved handling of ethics. The probation period suggested by interviewees should be 30 days from the reprimand date.
The supervisor or manager should proceed to the next stage ("verbal warning") if the reprimanded staff member does not show sufficient improvement by the probation expiry date. At this stage the verbal warning shall be recorded in documents. As in the case of "reprimand", "verbal warning" allows a 30-day probation period. If "verbal warning" is not effective after 30 days, the director should organise a committee meeting to address the unethical issue. The committee consisting of three to six members should determine the best approach to address the situation without affecting the smooth running of the business. After the meeting, the committee should issue a "first written warning" to the unethical staff member, and the duration for the "first written warning" should be given. The suggested probation period for this stage is 15 days from receipt of the first written warning.
The next stage, "final written warning", will be activated if the "first written warning" is not effective. Once the final written warning has been signed by the committee, a period of 15 days is granted for appeal or explanation. After 15 days, the committee has two options - either to suspend the employee or to dismiss him/her from the organisation. It is suggested that the period of suspension should be three months. The severest action in the disciplinary procedure is the dismissal.
Figure 2 illustrates the model of disciplinary procedure in dealing with serious unethical conduct. When the ethics committee receives a complaint regarding serious unethical issues, a meeting will be organised by the committee to find solutions without "reprimand" and "verbal warning". In the meeting, the complainant has to prove that the staff member has violated the code of ethics. The complainant has to bring hard evidence or witnesses to convince the ethics committee. For fairness, an investigation committee should be organised to investigate the matter.
The members of the investigation committee should be from the human resources (HR) department and should comprise three to six persons. The investigation committee is given 30 days or longer to investigate the case, depending on its complexity. When the investigation stage is complete, the "hearing" session will be organised by the ethics committee. The "hearing" session should be attended by the complainant, the staff member being accused, and members of both the ethics committee and the investigation committee. Penalties are imposed on the accused staff member during the "hearing". The specific penalty depends on the seriousness of the unethical conduct, and could include: compound, reprimand, written warning, suspension, and dismissal. After the penalty has been imposed on the staff member, he/she is given an opportunity to appeal. The staff member has to submit the appeal to the ethics committee no later than 14 days after the decision had been made.
As for more serious unethical conduct, such as "bribery" and "sexual harassment", the matter has to be forwarded to the proper authority for investigation. For example, in Malaysia, a "bribery" case has to be taken to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for further action. This is because unethical conduct could lead to criminal / illegal activities. Such criminal / illegal activities should be reported directly to the police or to other equivalent authorities.
All the participants in the structured interview survey have their own codes of ethics in their organisations. The top three advantages of codes of ethics are "making professionals aware when they are in breach of statement", "motivate and inspire practitioner", and "set out the ideals and responsibility of the profession", while the top three remaining questions for codes of ethics are "what is the point of specifying responsibilities, given the limited regulatory function of a code", "whether the so-called standards are obligatory or merely an aspiration", and "whether such a code is desirable or feasible". The research probed clients' perceptions of professional ethics in the construction industry in terms of unethical conduct, causes of unethical conduct, and ways to mitigate the unethical conduct. The five worst forms of unethical conduct, as ranked by interviewees, are "illegal award to contractor", "bribery", "breach of professional responsibility", "disclosure of project confidential baseline", and "collusive tendering". The three worst causes of unethical conduct are "insufficient ethical education in schools", "economic downturn" and "insufficient ethical education from professional institution". The three most effective ways to mitigate unethical conduct in the construction industry are "make unethical conduct a criminal activity", "training and programmes on professional ethics", and "law, regulation and enforcement by the government". Supported by these findings, two models of disciplinary procedures to deal with ethical problems in the construction industry were developed. One model is for non-serious unethical conduct such as "being late for work", "punching card on behalf of a friend", and "disappointing work performance". The second model deals with serious unethical conduct such as "fraud", "dishonesty", and "collusion with the other party". Further studies based on the trial run of these two models are strongly recommended to ensure their improvement.
ASCE 2008. Ethics: Guidelines for Professional Conduct for Civil Engineers. American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA, US. [ Links ]
Bayles, M D 1989. Professional ethics, 2nd ed. Belmont, CA, USA: Wadsworth. [ Links ]
Berawi, M A, Abdul-Rahman, H, Berawi, A R & Wei, S K 2008. The perception of professional ethics in the construction industry. Proceedings, International Conference on Project Management (ICoPM), 18-20 November 2008, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pp 664-673. [ Links ]
Bologna, G J, Linquist, R J & Wells, J T 1996. Fraud and Commercial Crime. New York: Wiley. [ Links ]
Brien, A 1998. Professional ethics and the culture of trust. Journal of Business Studies, 17: 391-409. [ Links ]
Carey, J L & Doherty, W O 1968. Ethical Standards of the Accounting Profession. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, New York, US. [ Links ]
Cavil, S & Sohail, M 2008. Does construction affect construction? Proceedings, International Symposium on Construction in Developing Countries: Procurement, Ethics and Technology, 16-18 January 2008, Trinidad & Tobago. [ Links ]
Chalkley, R 1994. Professional conduct: A Handbook for chartered surveyors. London: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. [ Links ]
CMAA (Construction Management Association of America) 2006. CMAA updates codes. Construction Bulletin Norcross, 291(28): 6. [ Links ]
Corvellec, H & Macheridis, N 2010. The moral responsibility of project selectors. International Journal of Project Management, 28(3): 212-219. [ Links ]
FMI 2004. The 2004-2005 U.S. Construction Industry Training Report. Available at: http://www.fminet.com/global/articles/treport.pdf (accessed in September 2010). [ Links ]
Hillebrant, M P 2000. Economic theory and the construction industry, 3rd ed. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan. [ Links ]
Hinman, L M 1997. Ethics: A pluralistic approach to moral theory. Orlando, US: Harcourt Brace Jonanovich. [ Links ]
Johari, M J 2001. Professional ethics, 1st ed. Technical University of Malaysia. [ Links ]
Jordan, J 2005. Are we acting ethically? Texas Construction, 13(11): 65. [ Links ]
Mason, J 2008. Promoting ethical improvement in the construction industry: A single professional code. Proceedings, Construction and Building Research Conference of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, 4-5 September, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland. [ Links ]
Morton, R 2008. Construction UK: Introduction to the industry, 2nd ed. Oxford, UK: Blackwell. [ Links ]
Pearl, R, Bowen, P, Makanjee, N, Akintoye, A & Evans, K 2005. Professional ethics in the South African construction industry: A pilot study. Proceedings, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Conference, 4-8 July, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. [ Links ]
Ray, R S, Hornibrook, J, Skitmore, M & Fraser, A Z 1997. Ethics in tendering: A survey of Australian opinion and practice. Construction Management and Economics, 17: 139-153. [ Links ]
Smyth, H, Gustafsson, M & Ganskau, E 2010. The value of trust in project business. International Journal of Project Management, 28(2): 117-129. [ Links ]
Sohail, M & Cavill, S 2008. Accountability to prevent corruption in construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering & Management, 134(9): 729-738. [ Links ]
Suen, H, Cheung, S O & Mondejar, R 2007. Managing ethical behavior in construction organizations in Asia: How do the teachings of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism and globalization influence ethics management? International Journal of Project Management, 25(3): 257-265. [ Links ]
Vee, C & Skitmore, M 2003. Professional ethics in the construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 10(2): 117-127. [ Links ]
Wasserman, B, Sullivan, P & Palermo, G 2000. Ethics and the practice of architecture. New York: Wiley. [ Links ]
Yap, X W 2006. Do professional ethics affect construction quality? Unpublished Thesis, University of Malaya. [ Links ]
Contact details:
Faculty of the Built Environment University of Malaya Malaysia
E: email@example.com
Contact details:
Faculty of the Built Environment University of Malaya Malaysia
E: email@example.com
Contact details:
Faculty of the Built Environment University of Malaya Malaysia
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
|PROF DR HAMZAH ABDUL-RAHMAN is Professor of Construction Management in the Faculty of the Built Environment, University of Malaya, Malaysia. He is currently serving as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) of the University of Malaya. He had previously served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) ofthe University of Malaya. His research interests include construction innovation, project management, building energy efficiency, and industrialised building systems (IBS). He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Surveyors, United Kingdom (International).
|DR CHEN WANG Is a Senior Lecturer of Construction Innovation and Project Management in the Faculty of the Built Environment, University of Malaya. Previously he was a senior engineer of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). His research interests include sustainability in construction management, International BOT projects, mathematics modelling, and building integrated solar application. He is also a member of the Chinese Research Institute of Construction Management (CRIOCM), Hong Kong (International).
|MOHAMAD AZMI SAIMÓN Is a research fellow of Facility Management In the Faculty of the Built Environment, University of Malaya. His research Interests include facility management, engineering modelling, and total quality management.


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PPSS Group Launch World's Toughest Forced Entry Mitten
Knaresborough, U.K. - UK based PPSS Group have launched what they claim is the world's toughest forced entry mitten.
The 'ZEUS II' mitten are a further improved and version of the original ZEUS mitten, now also featuring a very high level of flame and heat protection.
According to Robert Kaiser, CEO of PPSS Group, their key objective was to create once again a piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) that is 'as good as it gets'.
World famous Nomex® is offering an excellent level of flame protection. Cut-Tex® PRO one of the toughest man made fabrics is responsible for the highest level of cut, tear and abrasion resistance. A unique type of polycarbonate is offering crucial protection from severe puncture wounds, following the 'crashing' of broken glass onto ones hands.
Performance Specifications:
- • EN 388:2003 Cut Resistance Level 5 (the highest level possible)
- • EN 388:2003 Puncture Resistance Level 4 (the highest possible)
- • EN 388:2003 Abrasion Resistance Level 4 (the highest possible)
- • EN 388:2003 Tear Resistance Level 4 (the highest possible)
- • EN 407 5.1 Burning Behaviour - Flame Resistance Level 4 (the highest level possible)
- • EN 407 5.3 Convective Heat - Heat Resistance Level 3 (forearm) and level 4 (palm of hand)
Carbon knuckle protection and polycarbonate sheets along the tops of all fingers, back of the hand and entire forearm area, are offering additional puncture protection (from fallen glass e.g. during forced entry operations)
Robert states: "Whatever type of equipment my firm has created so far, it has always been of outstanding quality and is always offering the highest possible level of protection possible".
"We believe that SWAT, correctional and law enforcement officers engaging with seriously hostile members of the public deserve to be equipped appropriately. These men and women must be issued with the very best protective equipment and clothing out there".
"Too many of these highly respected frontline professional still suffer from severe cut and puncture injuries following forced entry operations, often the result from broken glass, doors and windows. Many of these injuries can result in long term disabilities".
According to Bill Geraghty, President of PPSS Group's North America Operation, this type of PPE is exactly what has been requested by many of his customers within the North American homeland security sector.
If you have any further in reference to this product or any other type of body armour, please visit www.ppss-group.com email firstname.lastname@example.com or contact PPSS Group on +44 (0) 845 5193 953
For all U.S. or Canada based enquiries please visit www.ppss-northamerica.com email firstname.lastname@example.com or call 800-928-4802
PPSS Group is a UK based company, specialised in the design, development and manufacturing of high performance body armour. PPSS Group is also the company behind Cut-Tex® PRO, a ground-breaking and one of the world's strongest cut, tear, abrasion and bite resistant fabrics, now being used to manufacture protective clothing for police, military, emergency services, prisons, mental health care and private security firms all over the world.


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Board of Commissioners Meeting - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 10:00AM
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I had occasion to join a small but august group of about five Louisville-area sommeliers and in-the-business wine geeks last night to sample three recently arrived 2002 and 2003 Savennières from Nicolas Joly. We knew it would be infanticide, but Len Stevens, jovial host of L&N Wine Bar, needed them sampled to decide what to order, and he found no shortage of volunteers to help in this task. We assembled a few other interesting wines, and Chef Rick Adams (who's soon departing on his own venture) put together a memorable meal to match over the course of a long, sociable but wine-geeky evening.
As it turned out, the Jolys would prove interesting but disappointing, perhaps the victim of poor handling in shipment. But it was still a helluva dinner, with a dozen varied wines, all from France.
Aperitifs, my contributions, recent arrivals from Chambers Street.
Marc Ollivier 2005 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie ($9.99) - Chalk, seashells, fresh white fruit. Bone-dry, chalky, singing acidity. Importer: Louis/Dressner.
Pierre Luneau-Papin 2005 Clos des Allées Vieilles Vignes Muscadet Sèvre & Maine Sur Lie ($12.49) - A little more intense than the Pépière, limey, rocks. Mouth-watering acidity streamlines a surprisingly full body for Muscadet. Importer: Louis/Dressner.
With a seviche of diver scallops in a tart balsamic-accented white sauce over frisée, delicious but a little tangy for wine
Then came the three Jolys, all of which showed ... oddly. All came in the same shipment from Vintus LLC, an importer in Pleasantville, N.Y., and all three showed surprisingly aged golden coloration and rich, warm oxidative flavors. There was some speculation that the '03s were simply artifacts of a weird hot vintage, but it's hard to come up with any explanation but "cooked" for the dark, nutlike 2002. Anyone else have tasting notes on these three wines?
Nicolas Joly 2003 Le Clos Sacrés Savennières ($27 wholesale = $40 retail?) - Golden. Butterscotch, caramel, pears and apricots, luscious. Rich, complex, just a touch off-dry. 13.9% alcohol.
Nicolas Joly 2003 Clos de la Bergerie Savennières ($40 wholsale = $60 retail?) - Rich straw color. White fruit, lime, something high-toned. One taster says it's acetone. More lush in flavor than aroma, rich and full - creamy white fruit. 13.9% alcohol.
Nicolas Joly 2002 Clos de la Coulee de Serrant Savennières Coulee de Serrant ($60 wholesale = $90 retail?) - Slightly hazy amber. Pears, apricots, more than a whiff of nutlike oxidation. Dark, possibly maderized. Luscious fruit punches through, but something is wrong here. Cooked?
With fresh Hawaiian sea bass over wild mushrooms, topped with an intriguing prep of chewy strips of squid with a haunting flavor of bitter orange peel.
Domaine de Baumard 2002 Clos du Papillon Savennières - Now, this is what a young Savennières should be like! Clear straw color. Fresh, tart, clean white fruit, apples and pears, subtle honey and herbs. Opens up as it warms and airs, good body and structure. Years to go but very fine already. Importer: Ex Cellars, Solvang, Calif.
With dry-aged, prime-grade New York strip steaks crusted with black pepper and served medium rare, with a side dish of a creamy scalloped potatoes with goat cheese and shiitakes.
Marcel Deiss 2001 Burlenberg Bergheim ($40 wholesale = $60 retail?) - Not defined as Pinot Noir on the label, but it's bound to be ... first good one I've had, cool-climate Pinot, vegetal notes and a touch o' brett as grace notes to fresh cherries and tart acidity. Importer: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NY.
Mikaël Bouges 2005 Les Côts Hauts Touraine Côt ($12) - A Loire Malbec, known locally as Côt (pronounced "Coe"). Inky dark purple. Fruit-forward, grapey, no oak. Fat and soft, a crowd-pleaser, okay quaff, but I was expecting something more Loirish ... it's hard to imagine that we're describing a Loire red as "low in acid," but this one strikes me as Californicated. Importer: Vintner Select, Mason, Ohio.
That was the end of the scheduled reds, but then Len hauled out a few Chateauneufs that he wanted to have the geek group evaluate ...
Bousquet des Papes 2001 Chante Le Merle Chateauneuf du Pape - Dark garnet, earthy cherry-berry, rare beef. Plums, iron-rich minerality, fruit and meat. Importer: Wines of France Inc., Mountainside, N.J.; Alain Junguenet Selection.
Lucien et Andre Brunel 2003 Les Cailloux Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Inky blackish-purple. Chambord, liqueur, Porty. Warm and llquory, 14%. OTT '03. Importer: Robert Kacher, Washington, D.C.
Andre Brunel 2000 "Les Murets" Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Plums and black olives, lots of earthy brett. Maybe closing a little. Importer: Robert Kacher, Washington, D.C.
Finally, wrapping it up with a perfect, classically prepared créme brûlée:
Domaine Delatang 1997 Montlouis Reserve Moelleux - Clear amber. Honey and apricot, a whiff of wool. Gentle sweetness, good acidity. Importer: Vintner Select, Mason, Ohio.


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WNYMBA Membership
In an ongoing effort to improve and expand the mountain biking opportunities in New York, the Western New York Mountain Bicycling Association (WNYMBA) and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) have teamed up through IMBA's Chapter Program. WNYMBA's calendar is full with lots of riding and other events. Not to mention trail work events all over Western New York including Ellicottville, Golden Hill, Harris Hill, Sprague Brook, Hunters Creek, Allegany State Park. Working with local land managers to continually improve mountain biking opportunities in Western New York, WNYMBA is also opening up new mountain biking possibilites at Darien Lake State Park and Allegany State Park.
Help WNYMBA celebrate mountain biking by joining in events such as fests, campouts, and other group rides. Looking for some people to ride with? Come explore the local trails on a group ride, attend a club meeting, or join in one of the social events.
Join IMBA and WNYMBA to become part of the team of trail users working to improve the experience on trails close to home. Your support is critical in helping WNYMBA and IMBA work with local land managers, demonstrating that we will continue to build and maintain sustainable trails AND be responsible trail users. As a WNYMBA-IMBA member, you will receive special regional newsletters, invitations to monthly meetings, and many other social events throughout the year. Most importantly, you will be helping us develop future trail opportunities and improve our current local trails. Join today and ride with us tomorrow!
WNYMBA-IMBA membership is handled by IMBA through the chapter program. Please click the appropriate link below
To Join


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Keystone backers say pipeline would cut emissions
Backers of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline say the project would move oil now being moved by trucks and trains, which emit more pollution.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the gender of Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources and the North Dakota Industrial Commission Oil & Gas Division. Helms is male.
WASHINGTON — The Keystone XL pipeline is not only environmentally sound but would decrease emissions and save lives, proponents of the project said at a joint hearing before two House subcommittees Tuesday.
Completing the pipeline would take 300 to 500 trucks off the road each day, Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources and the North Dakota Industrial Commission Oil & Gas Division, told lawmakers.
Those trucks are now being used to transport 5,000-10,000 barrels of sour North Dakota crude every day to pipelines in Canada and to transport 35,000 barrels per day into North Dakota to access rail lines, she said at the joint hearing before the science, space, and technology subcommittees on energy and the environment.
If the northern part of Keystone is completed, the pipeline would transport up to 100,000 barrels per day of Bakken crude, Helms said.
Production from the Bakken oil formation is booming in North Dakota, but problems have arisen because of "major shortfalls in pipeline capacity," he said.
Completing the pipeline also would mean one-to-two fewer trains leaving the state each day, Helms told lawmakers.
He said trucks emit 2.9 times more greenhouse gas emissions than the pipeline, and trains emit 1.8 times more emissions.
Additionally, crashes involving tractor-trailers rose substantially in North Dakota between 2006 and 2011, Helms said.
"Approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is expected to reduce highway fatalities in North Dakota by three to six per year and injury crashes by 85 to 150 annually," he said.
His testimony came as lawmakers continued to pressure the Obama administration to approve the long-delayed pipeline project.
The State Department is in the midst of an extensive environmental review, after which the president is expected to make a final decision on the 1,179-mile line from Canada's oil sands region to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
That decision could come late this summer or early fall. Meanwhile, House and Senate lawmakers have introduced legislation to allow Congress to approve the project without the president's consent.
Brigham McCown, former acting administrator and deputy administrator of the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, told lawmakers that "based on the available information and plans for construction, the completed Keystone system would be the safest pipeline ever built in this country, if not in the entire world."
But Anthony Swift of the Natural Resources Defense Council told lawmakers that pipelines moving tar sands have the worst spill record, and pipelines carrying high-temperature tar sands are at greater risk of leaks.
He said leak detection systems don't work as well as they should and that tar sands spills are more damaging and difficult to clean up than other oil spills.
"Communities have a right to be concerned by the poor state of leak detection technology as they face industry proposals to move tar sands in new or aging pipelines, particularly ones that transverse sensitive water resources," he said.
Committee chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said the pipeline represents a "shovel ready" project that would create more than 40,000 jobs.
"The Keystone Pipeline creates jobs and enhances our energy independence with minimal impact to the environment," he said. "This project, which has been thoroughly evaluated, should be approved immediately."


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For most football fans watching the Super Bowl, the half-hour power outage that stopped the game amounted to little more than a weird inconvenience. But as America waited – or took to Twitter to pass the time – the issue of energy reliability was suddenly thrust into center stage. The question now is: Will it stay in the limelight?
The power outage that plunged America's most-watched television event into half light was caused by the failure of a relay. according to Entergy, the utility supplying power to the Superdome, which hosted Sunday's Super Bowl. The equipment was supposed to protect the stadium's electrical supply. It ended up causing an embarrassing delay.
With large outages happening more frequently and the impending retirement of more that 60 gigawatts of fossil-fueled electrical power by 2017, America's electrical grid will be under more stress. Areas of the United States will see their reserve margins of electrical power reduced. Texas, next door to Louisiana, will be hit particularly hard. The Super Bowl outage was not related to these shifts, but it could serve as a wake-up call.
"Ok folks - time to upgrade New Orleans' energy infrastructure maybe?" tweeted Andrew Holland, an energy security analyst and contributor to Consumer Energy Report, during the game.
"A watershed moment for an energy revolution?" asked Tom Kimbis, vice president of strategy and external affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association, on Twitter.
Bill McKibben, founder of environmentalist group 350.org, offered a dry proposal on Twitter: "Here's a weird idea. What if we played football outdoors? Under the sun?"
Five days after the power failure and an intensive investigation, Entergy took the blame. It said its relay, at the intersection between the company's incoming power line and the lines that feed the Superdome, failed unexpectedly. The utility had been busy in the run-up to the Super Bowl replacing and upgrading equipment e after officials had expressed concerns that the stadium might be subject to an outage similar to a power failure in San Francisco's Candlestick Park during a 2011 nationally televised football game.
The new system performed with no incidents during several high profile events in the Superdome, including January's Sugar Bowl, and was tested repeatedly and successfully in the run-up to the Super Bowl itself, according to Entergy. When it failed during the game, half the lights in the stadium went out, delaying the game for 34 minutes.
The interruption sparked a high-profile discussion about an issue that rarely gets much attention outside of weather-related events.
"It's possible that such an embarrassing episode during America's most iconic cultural event, in front of the whole world, will prompt the Congress to get serious about upgrading the U.S. grid and electrical transmission system," Paul Bledsoe, an independent consultant and former Clinton White House aide, wrote to Politico's Morning Energy.
Environmental regulation, low natural gas prices, and other forces will cause the retirement of some 71 gigawatts of fossil-fueled power capacity by 2022, more than 90 percent of it by 2017, according to forecasts by the not-for-profit North American Electric Reliability Corp. "Reserve margins are likely to be reduced, but to levels that are still above targets. However,retirements over the next three to four years may raise issues related to system stability and the need for transmission enhancements, which if not addressed could cause reliability concerns in some areas."
Texas' generation is in particularly bad shape, with reserve margins falling below recommended levels, the NERC says.
The grid may also become more stressed if powerful storms become more frequent. In 2002, US utilities reported 18 major outages, mostly storm-related, to the US Department of Energy. By 2007, that number had climbed to 49; by 2012, it was 87.


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Jennie Finch began playing softball as a kid, and her passion and talent for the sport carried her all the way to the U.S. National Team and, in 2004 and 2008, the women's U.S. Olympic team. A star pitcher, Finch led her fellow Olympians to win gold and silver medals.
In 2010, Finch announced her retirement from the game to focus on her family. Now, the 31-year-old mother of two has written a book, "Throw Like a Girl," in which she relates the lessons she learned playing softball and her desire to bring the world of sports to more young women.
What values did sports instill in you as a young girl and a teenager?
It helped me find confidence, not only on the field in seeing how hard work pays off, but also in knowing that ultimately, there is only so much in our control. You can control your attitude and your effort, but you can't always control the circumstances — only how you react to those circumstances.
It also gave me friendship and sisters, self-confidence in my body image and knowledge that my body is a machine and it can do so many amazing things. I discovered that I can be strong and healthy, that I can overcome my fears and my doubts through practice and determination.
Statistically speaking, it's mind-boggling how much sports influences young women's lives, from teen pregnancy rates to confidence issues to body image issues and self-esteem.
With all these benefits, why do you think there's still so much room for growth when it comes to including girls and women in sports?
So many young women are afraid to play sports because of their body image, so I think it's a matter of making it positive for them. We need to encourage young kids in general — males and females — not only to play competitive sports but to just be active and be fit and doing their best.
In your book, you write about your own struggles with body image as a girl. How did you get through that?
I was always bigger than everybody in my grade — there were only two guys that were taller than me in high school. I couldn't find flat enough shoes. And my shoulders were bigger than everybody else's. But in high school, through sports, that's where I fit in and found my identity and was able to embrace my body.
Still, I don't think I truly got over it until I was in college and I was around other tall women. It wasn't easy, and being a woman, I still battle it. But I think it comes down to just remembering what truly matters in life.
Do you incorporate sports into your fitness routine these days?
I don't have a set routine at this point — my cardio is often jumping on the trampoline with my 6-year-old or playing soccer. But I do try to be active with my kids and play with them, and to get to the gym as much as I can.
Last fall I ran the New York City Marathon, and I had a running group that was so inspiring. There were so many shapes and sizes and ages — I wish young kids could be exposed to that. It's not only one size or one shape that's athletic, there's physical activity for everybody.
How do you apply the lessons you learned through sports — like confidence and rolling with the punches and doing your best — to your life now?
I think it all comes down to your outlook. For instance, I'm getting back into commentating [for EPSN], so dealing with that and trying to live up to expectations and wanting to do so well, I just try to keep in mind that all I can be is the best I can be, and then I can go to sleep at night and rest well knowing I've done everything I can.
Being a mother has put more perspective in my life. To them, my only job is being their mom. At the end of the day I'm always a winner to them, and that has been a beautiful blessing.


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€ 65,-
Collective Action and Fundamental Freedoms in EuropeVerschijnt 18 juni 2010
Recent cases decided by the European Court of Justice have raised crucial issues regarding the scope for collective action in Europe. In this context, this collection of essays investigates treatment of the right to strike in seven Member States of the European Union: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Each national report examines how legal regulation seeks to address conflicting interests, namely ...Paperback
Fundamental Social Rights in Europe: Challenges and OpportunitiesVerschijnt 17 maart 2009
This volume offers a lawyer's view on the meaning of fundamental social rights in today's Europe. It is published on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the EWL and reflects the research efforts the members of the European Working Group on Labour Law have made in its 10 years of existence. Experts deal with the opportunities EU law is offering and how it is fitting into the social policy of the European Union, as well as with potential thr...Paperback€ 47,50


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• Have you renewed you Maine State Beekeepers Membership for the year?
• Check colony conditions. If honey reserves are low, feed candy or dry sugar.
• Colonies that consume feed should be monitored and fed as needed.
• Feed protein supplements (pollen substitute) for brood production to hives colonies that you are planning to split. Make sure they have sufficient honey stores, they will go through stores much more rapidly as they engage in brood rearing.
• If you are new to beekeeping, go ask questions at your local bee club meeting. If you know a thing or two, go to the same meeting and give words of wisdom to the "NewBees".
• Don't bludgeon yourself eternally if you find or suspect your bees to be dead; take a deep breath, read Tony's Feb/Mar 2011 Bee Line article, "When Disaster Strikes," determine the (possible) cause, and learn for next season.
This monthly post is adapted from "The Beekeepers Calendar, A Year In The Apiary-Central Maine" by Tony Jadczak, Maine State Apiarist, from a few years ago.


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Lawmakers Say U.S. Can Avert Fiscal Cliff
WASHINGTON—U.S. lawmakers said Sunday it isn't too late to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, though they acknowledged that time has all but run out for a comprehensive bargain on taxes and spending before year-end.
"I think there is unfortunately only going to be a small deal," Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.) said on CBS News' "Face the Nation."


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December, 2015: The BSC participated in "GOSS 2015" (Gulf Obesity Surgery Society) held in Riyad-Saudi Arabia on the 12th – 15th December, 2015.
GOSS was established less than 4 years back and with good support from local societies and surgeons from Gulf countries and Arab brothers and surgeons from all parts of the world trying to find the best method to defeat obesity and the only way to do that is by gathering and reviewing our strategies and different experiences in such fast growing field.
In his turn, Dr. Hayssam Fawal (BSC Medical Director) presented two lectures throughout the conference.
GOSS official website: : http://goss2015.com/
Professor Adnan Mofti and professor Abdullah Alduhayan honoring Dr. Fawal in GOSS 2015.


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CW Herald - Athens
Banks fails in quest for second title in as many weeks
Randy Banks' quest to win back-to-back titles has failed as he was beaten in straight sets by Slovakia's Andrej Konc in the final of the Status Athens Open.
The unseeded West CWLander was favourite to win the final after stringing nine wins together in the past fortnight, but never recovered from letting an early lead slip as Konc secured the title 7-5, 6-2.
Banks was a break ahead after moving to 3-2, but was broken back immediately from the Slovakian who went on to secure eleven of the next fifteen games en route to his first title of the year.
Elsewhere, fourth seed Michael De Kinsele claimed the title in Rome beating compatriot Marco Pellegrini two and two, while Randy Bruce made it two North American titles in as many weeks as he beat Hugh James 6-4, 6-3.
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About Science News
Science News offers readers a concise, current and comprehensive overview of the latest scientific research in all fields and applications of science and technology.
Science News is edited for an educated readership of professionals, scientists and other science enthusiasts. Written by a staff of experienced science journalists, it treats science as news, reporting accurately and placing findings in perspective. Science News and its writers have won many awards for their work; here's a list of many of them.
Published since 1922, the biweekly print publication reaches about 90,000 dedicated subscribers and is available via the Science News app on Android, Apple and Kindle Fire devices. Updated continuously online, the Science News website attracted over 12 million unique online viewers in 2016.
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Surgery-Minimally Invasive Gynecology Surgery
Surgery-Minimally Invasive Gynecology
Silver Cross Hospital and select physicians on staff have one of the few programs in the nation to be designated as a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology (COEMIG) by the AAGL, the leading association of minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons worldwide, and Surgical Review Corporation.
Achieving COEMIG designation places Silver Cross at the forefront of minimally invasive gynecologic surgical care. Women's services have grown more advanced and specialized and the accreditation demonstrates the Hospital and physicians' commitment to excellence and patient-centered care. Compared to traditional surgery, patients who undergo minimally invasive gynecologic surgery experience less pain, reduced blood loss, fewer complications, shorter hospital stays and a faster recovery, so they can return to normal activities sooner.
We offer expert specialized care for women who face surgical treatment for:
- Hysterectomies
- Uterine Fibroids
- Endometriosis
- Ovarian Cysts
- Prolapse
- and Other Gynecologic Conditions
Silver Cross also has three robots to perform gynecologic surgical procedures.
Physicians with COEMIG Designation
COEMIG-accredited centers comply with requirements designated by the AAGL's Standards Committee, and are subject to a comprehensive and thorough inspection by a review committee. Approved facilities must adhere to requirements including the following: an institutional commitment to excellence in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery; significant and ongoing surgical experience performing minimally invasive gynecologic procedures; an active Physician Program Director who is an obstetrician/gynecologist and; a full complement of consultative staff and services; a designated surgical team and support staff and continuous quality assessment. To verify compliance, an accredited facility is formally reevaluated every three years.


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Multiple times during last nights game, Klhoe Kardashian was shown texting on MSG Network. On this same morning that Olivia Munn has her messages and photo's leaked, I received an anonymous email. This email contained leaked text messages from one Klhoe Kardashian from last nights game. Enjoy:
- A conversation between Klhoe and her sister, Kim. I'm sure you've all heard of her.
Klhoe: LOL Kim… Lamar is SO bad
Kim: lol…. that sucks
Khloe: Ya. Who's that number 7 on the Knicks? He's pretty cute
Kim: Carmelo?
Khloe: Ya!! I should hook up with him…
Kim: Whatt?
Khloe: ?
Kim: Uh hellooooo. He's married to Lala Vazquez!
Khloe: Who?
Kim: Uh Lala!!!! My best friend.
Khloe: Is that the black girl who used to be on MTV?
Kim: Duhhhh
Khloe: Who cares! I have more money than her anyways.Kim: Good point. I'll make some calls.
- A conversation between Klhoe and her mother.
Khloe: OMG Mom. I just came up with the BEST idea Mom: What? Khloe: Lets hook Kim up with Jeremy Lin! She'd get such good ratings Mom: We already tried that Khloe: Whaaaat? We did? So is he going to be on the show? Mom: No he declined Khloe: IS HE LIKE… STUPID OR SOMETHING. We are the KARDASHIANS Mom: Yea I know. I offered 30 G's to get him to on the show but he said no Khloe: Well that sucks. I'm kind of upset now Mom: We'll go get Ice Cream later Khloe: Rocky Road!!!
- A conversation between Klhoe and Bill Walker
Klhoe: Hey Billyyyy Walker: Supppppp Klhoe: I'm at the Mavs game, Lamar is awful Walker: Nice. Who they playing? Khloe: Knicks Walker: Niceeeeee Khloe: Yea… I'm so bored Walker: Lol. You should hook me up with Kim. She hot Khloe: How much are you making this year? Walker: 916,000 Khloe: LOL. You are SO funny. Seriously, how much are you making? Walker: 916,000… Khloe: Seriously? Walker: Yea Khloe: Sorry Billyyyy, I don't think she'd go for you Walker: 😦 Khloe: Sorry pumpkinFollow @tarmosino


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Jannie Giles' career in the horse industry has featured success with a variety of breeds and disciplines, and that diversity has helped earn her a nomination as "Equestrian of the Year" for 2011 by the United States Equestrian Federation.
Giles, who operates Black Horse Manor in Pleasureville, is one of eight nominees for the USEF honor, which will be announced Saturday during the annual Pegasus Awards event at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza in Cincinnati.
Though Giles is primarily focused on Saddlebreds these days, her path to the USEF award came via a Friesian named Victor FC. In Victor FC's first year of competition, the 5-year-old won the International Friesian Show Horse Association National Champion Western Pleasure Open, National Champion Junior Western Pleasure, and World Champion Open Western Pleasure title.
The triumphs were attained in October at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va., and ultimately earned Giles the Barbara Worth Oakford Trophy, an annual award presented to an equestrian showing in a non-reining Western discipline.
"It is quite an honor, competing with equestrians from all disciplines all over the country," Giles said of the USEF nomination. "I am honored to be in their company.
"The best part is to be nominated for something that you love doing."
Giles' love for horses began as a child, showing Hackneys and Shetland ponies throughout the New England area in which she was raised.
She eventually became a student of the late Helen Crabtree in Simpsonville, who was regarded nationally as a top teacher of young riders, traveling to Kentucky during summer vacations and weekend trips.
"She was an amazing woman," Giles said. "She led the way for a lot of women to break into the horse industry. I wasn't one of her star pupils, but I learned a lot and respect her very much."
Giles and her husband, horse show organizer and announcer Peter Fenton, relocated to Pleasureville to open Black Horse Manor about six years ago. Giles has developed a reputation as an excellent judge of horse and rider combinations.
"She is very conscientious in how she fits horse and riders together," said Debbie Foley, the owner of Silver Brook Stables in Louisville, who is also a nominee for the USEF honor. "She just doesn't buy just any horse; she works hard at getting the correct horse for her rider."
Giles is the first Barbara Worth Oakford Trophy winner to use a Friesian, which makes her even more proud of Victor FC, whom she raised from the time he was a weanling.
"Friesians are not known for going Western," she said. "You would think more of a Quarter Horse or an Arabian. But the judges thought he was a perfect example of what a Friesian should look like Western.
"I have been planning this several years for Victor, and it is great to see plans come to fruition."
Giles also trained Victor FC's half-brother, Joshua, to be a national champion and once trained another Friesian, Robin ut de Warren, to six unbeaten seasons. She also owns another Friesian, Leo, who at 17 years old, is still a prominent show and trick horse.
In the Saddlebred realm, her most recent achievement of excellence was training CHSue-She to a World Championship in the Amateur Gentlemen's 3-Gaited class at 2011 Kentucky State Fair. CHSue-She also was reserve champion in the Amateur 3-Gaited Championship on the show's final night.
"We've had her for about a year," Giles said. "She loves it here."
However, Giles said that as grateful as she is to be in the running for the USEF award, pursuing such honors isn't her motivation for working hard.
"I would be doing this even if there weren't awards for it," she said.
Victor FC competed two other times in 2011, finishing second in March in an Open Western Pleasure class at the Indiana Spring Show in Cloverdale, Ind. He followed that up in April with the first victory of his career, taking an Opportunity Western Pleasure class at the J.D. Massey Horse Show in Clemson, S.C.
USEF 2011 Equestrian of the Year nominees
Danielle Barrasso, Chicopee, Mass., hunter pleasure, show hack, hunter hack, dressage hack, costume, side saddle, or Western dressage
Debbie Foley, Louisville, under saddle show breeds
Jannie Giles, Pleasureville, non-reining Western discipline
Steffen Peters, San Diego, Calif., dressage
Scott Stewart, Flemington, N.J., hunter
Steven Stiller, Elkhorn, Wis., halter or in-hand
Karen Waldron, Shawsville, Va., harness or driving performance
Chester Weber, Ocala, Fla., combined driving
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The Green Bay Packers, who started just three different quarterbacks from September of 1992 through October of 2013, will start their fourth different quarterback of this month on Thursday.
Matt Flynn has been officially named the starter for the Thanksgiving game at Detroit. Scott Tolzien will back Flynn up, and Aaron Rodgers will be inactive for the fourth consecutive game.
Flynn, who replaced an ineffective Tolzien on Sunday against the Vikings, has done all the work with the first-string offense this week. He's clearly the right choice against the Lions, especially considering that he had a phenomenal game the last time he played against the Lions, at the end of the 2011 season, when he shredded Detroit's secondary for 480 yards and six touchdowns.
If Flynn can play against the Lions this time the way he did last time, the Packers have a good chance of winning. And putting themselves in great position to be in contention for the NFC North title when Rodgers returns.