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This epServices glossary exclusively serves as reference providing definitions of technical terms for our customers who deal with Eppendorf service topics to ensure smooth communication.
This epServices glossary exclusively serves as reference providing definitions of technical terms for our customers who deal with Eppendorf service topics to ensure smooth communication.
Accreditation - Official certification issued by an independent third party stating that an organization/lab works according to recognized standards and meets defined specifications.
Accuracy - Measure used in statistics indicating the degree of closeness of an average value calculated from a large set of data to a recognized reference value. If the average value calculated from many measurements is close to the corresponding true value, the accuracy is high. However, nothing is revealed on the variance of the individual values.
Adjustment - Adjustment refers to the process of setting or comparing a tool based on a standard of known accuracy. Adjusting means changing a measuring tool in a permanent way. Tools are adjusted to avoid, to the largest possible extent, errors of measurement and errors in order not to exceed maximum permissible errors.
AMWHV - German Ordinance on the Manufacture of Medicinal Products and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients. This ordinance represents the most important legal stipulations governing the handling of medicinal products and their active ingredients during production.
Analysis - Systematic examination separating the object to be examined in its constituent elements for examination and evaluation. The relations and interactions between the elements are considered in particular.
Audit - Systematic, independent and documented process performed by external bodies to determine to the extent to which defined requirements and specific criteria are fulfilled. Auditing is performed to assess whether an organization complies with defined values or targets.
Calibration - Process of checking a device to determine if and to what extent the measurement values delivered by this device deviate from a previously specified reference value (the so-called "Normal"). The measured deviation is documented and calculated and a certificate is issued to complete the process. The settings of the device are not changed; this is part of the adjustment process.
Calibration range - The range between the lowest and the highest measured value. The calibration is invalid outside of the calibration range.
Certification - Process carried out to establish that a product, process or service meets the specified requirements.
Check - Assessment or inspection
Compliance - The fact that an existing situation complies with rules and standards.
Consistency - Degree of uniformity, standardization and consistency of documents, parts of a system, a component or a result.
DIN - Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute for Standardization). Independent institute defining and adopting internationally applicable rules and standards, e.g., for quality assurance.
DQ (Design Qualification) - Documented verification stating that the planned design of a product/equipment is suitable for the corresponding intended use and the working environment.
Evaluation - Systematic analysis or assessment of projects, processes and functional units (e.g., of devices)
FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) - Test of a product/ equipment usually performed at the manufacturer's premises usually involving the ordering party and the contractor.
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) - Federal agency of the United States for the supervision of food and drug safety. It issues laws and regulations such as GLP and GMP setting out specifications, e.g., for the manufacturing of drugs.
Function test - Final test ensuring that a product/equipment works as intended.
GAMP (Good Automated Manufacturing Practice) - Set of guidelines for the validation of computerized systems in the pharmaceutical industry.
GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) - GLP refers to an internationally applicable quality assurance system concerned with the organizational process and conditions under which non-clinical
health and environmental safety studies are planned, performed, monitored, recorded, archived and reported.
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) - The GMP describes guidelines valid throughout Europe required to specify a quality standard for the production of pharmaceutical products and, in addition, to specify their quality. In some countries outside the EU, local GMP legislation also describes requirements regarding medical and IVD products. GMP aims at protecting the health of consumers, i.e. to provide consumer and patient protection.
Guideline - The term as several meanings. There are technical guidelines issued by an organization and specifying a scope of action. Furthermore, legal guidelines are adopted by officially and legally authorized bodies. In both cases guidelines have a certain scope of application. Infringements can be subject to sanctions depending on the respective application, e.g., under labor law.
GxP - Abbreviation for good practice rules; the "G" referring to "good" and the "P" referring to "practice". The "x" stands for the respective abbreviation of the specific area of application. It applies to pharmaceutical products from regulated environments in the fields of production, inspection, storage and distribution and, outside the EU, also to medical and IVD products.
Inspection - Inspection is the process of examining a device. The actual state of the device is determined and documented in writing. This includes checking the function of the overall equipment as well as of its parts, settings and values. The aim is to determine the proper and safe state of the device and whether it functions as intended.
Installation - Process of installing individual parts to build the assembled equipment, or loading of a computer program on the PC.
IQ (Installation Qualification) - Refers to the documented verification stating that facilities, systems and equipment, such as installed or modified, comply with the approved design and the manufacturer's recommendations.
ISO - International Organization for Standardization
ISO 9001 - ISO 9001 specifies minimum requirements for a quality management system to be implemented by companies in order to meet customer requirements as well as requirements with regard to the quality of products and services.
ISO/IEC 17025 - This standard is the international reference for testing and calibration laboratories with or without accreditation. ISO/IEC 17025 is composed of two main clauses: "Management Requirements" and "Technical Requirements". Management requirements are related to the operation and effectiveness of the quality management system within the laboratory and has similar requirements to ISO 9001. Technical requirements address the competence of the staff, testing methodology, devices and quality as well as the creation of test reports and calibration certificates.
Maintenance - Process of maintaining technical systems, assemblies, devices and equipment in good working order, or of restoring good working order after a failure.
Mean time between failures - Measure of reliability that indicates the expected mean time until a failure might occur.
Mean time to repair - Measure of reliability of a repairable device indicating the mean time between repairs.
Measurement - Actions performed to determine the value of a measured variable in relation to a standard unit.
Metrology - The science of measurement.
MQ (Maintenance Qualification) - Refers to all cleaning, maintenance and repair measures required for a device. These measures are documented in writing in a service log.
Official verification - Legally required inspection of measuring devices according to applicable verification standards. This includes measuring devices used, e.g., in the areas of consumer, environmental and occupational health protection as well as medical devices. Official verification is performed by the responsible verification authority.
The inspection is performed to determine whether a measuring device meets the verification standards, i.e. whether it complies with the applicable requirements. The stamp granted after the inspection states that the measuring device complied with these requirements at the time of the inspection and is expected to work "correctly" during the period following the verification provided that it is used in accordance with the operating manual.
Operating hour - Technical unit of time for measuring the active operating time and for indicating the life cycle of various technical equipment, machines and systems. For example, operating hours indicate in hours the period of time technical equipment may be operated between two services without risking any serious damage such as failure of components, assemblies or subsystems due to wear and tear.
OQ (Operational Qualification) - Documented verification that the facilities, devices and equipment, such as installed or modified, operate as intended throughout their specified operating range.
Outer inspection/visual inspection - Visual inspection is the process of visually inspecting a device/equipment for visual flaws and faults. Usually, devices that have already been put into operation are inspected visually. A distinction is made between direct visual inspection with or without auxiliary equipment and indirect visual inspection.
Performance - Installed or maximum possible performance (characteristics of a device or equipment; also referred to as nominal power)
PQ (Performance Qualification) - Documented verification that systems and equipment perform effectively and reproducibly based on the approved process method and product specification. Critical device parameters are checked using suitable test methods. These methods are documented in test specifications.
PT (Performance Test) - Physical test covering a broad range of technical and functional assessments that does not specify a material, product or system based on detailed material or component specifications but rather based on the final performance characteristics that can be measured. The method used can be both quantitative or qualitative.
Qualification - The qualification serves to check devices/equipment in order to ensure that they operate properly and deliver the expected results. It encompasses several process steps: design qualification (DQ), installation qualification (DQ), operational qualification (OQ) and performance qualification (PQ).
It is verified and documented that the checked devices/equipment were properly installed, function correctly and produce the expected results. The qualification is part of the validation, however, the individual steps of the qualification process do not correspond to process validation.
Reliability - Ability of a system or component to perform its required functions under specified conditions.
Repair - Process of restoring good working order of a unit, including renewal/exchange.
Re-qualification - Process of qualifying a device/equipment again that has already undergone qualification before.
Retrospective qualification - This qualification is performed after, e.g., expanding the functionality of a device/equipment.
Re-validation - Process of repeating the process validation to ensure that changes made to a process or equipment subject to specific change control management procedures do not affect the properties of the process or the results.
Rule - A rule is a regulation that should be abided by. In particular, rules are instructions on how to perform operations under certain conditions to achieve a specified result.
Robustness - The ability of a system to resist change without adapting its initial stable configuration. In most cases it is useful to indicate what the system is resistant to (e.g., resistant to changes of the ambient temperature).
Safety - The condition of being free from unjustifiable risks or of being considered free of dangers. With this definition, safety refers both to individuals and other beings but also to real inanimate objects or systems as well as abstract objects.
SAT - (Site Acceptance Test) Acceptance test/acceptance at the customer's premises, usually after the FAT (factory acceptance test) has taken place.
Service - Measures involving actions such at adjusting, cleaning, changing and overhauling equipment to retain it in the specified state, carried out in compliance with technical regulations or the manufacturer's instructions. Not to be confused with maintenance. Service is – like repair and inspection – part of maintenance.
Software update - Process of updating the software or other data.
Software upgrade - Process of changing a product to a higher configuration or version.
SOP (Standard operating procedure) - Written and approved work instructions on how to carry out routine operations, including checking and documenting results. It serves to help staff carry out their tasks properly.
Spare parts - Parts that are used to replace defective or worn parts of a complex product. Spare parts are required to replace, e.g., movable parts that are subject to wear and tear during normal operation, or to replace parts that get damaged or destroyed or become unusable due to improper handling or improper use.
Specification - A document describing comprehensively, precisely and in a verifiable way
the requirements, the design, behavior or other properties of a product, system, component or service and, often, also the recommended procedures to determine if these requirements are met.
Standard procedure - A more or less uniform/standardized and recognized way of doing something. Standardization of products, procedures or methods, used especially in the technical field. Standard procedures are recommendatory in nature. (Notice: The English term "standard" corresponds to the German term "Norm".)
Test - A procedure intended to establish whether a thing, a person or a hypothesis delivers the expected results. In the technical field, tests are often understood as verifications, i.e. it is established whether the test object works as expected under preferably realistic conditions. A test is different from an experiment considering that before a test is carried out, there is an expected result that is to be supported or refuted. The outcome of an experiment is open or can only be assumed.
Test Report - Document that describes the performance of a test and records data obtained from the test carried out on a system or a system component.
Test specifications - Specified methods (usually documented in a normative document) for the implementation of a test.
Validation - Validation is a documented procedure and refers to the collection and evaluation of data over the whole process design phase up to commercial production. Validation is intended to ensure that a device/equipment delivers consistent results meeting pre-defined criteria.
Verification - Measured confirmation obtained by a test or substantiation showing that the requirements with regard to quality are met by the performance under real conditions.
Wear - Refers to the gradual removal of material from a solid surface by some kind of mechanical action, i.e. caused by contact or the relative movement between that surface and a solid, liquid or gaseous object. In other terms, the loss of material (removal of a portion of the surface) of an object by abrasion, rolling movements, impacts, scratching or chemical and thermal strain. Wear that cannot be avoided is limited to assemblies that can be easily replaced and that are subsumed under the term wear parts.


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Following NRA spokesman Wayne LaPierre's call for placing trained armed guards in each of the nation's public schools, gun control advocates went on the attack and refused to give the idea any meaningful consideration. We thought it might help to review the timeline of the shootings on 14 December 2012 to see if it might be a good idea.Time Event 9:30:00 AM: Classes begin at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. 9:35:53 AM: First known dispatch call - 911 Dispatch: "Sandy Hook School, Caller's indicated she thinks someone is shooting in the building." 9:36:15 AM: Shooting continues - Dispatch: "The individual I have on the phone is continuing to hear what he believes to be gun shots." 9:38:10 AM: Pause in shooting - "The shooting appears to have stopped. The school is in lock down." 9:38:50 AM: Police call for SWAT team - "We'll stage up the SWAT and go from there." 9:40:30 AM: Reports of shots fired - "Shooter's apparently still shooting in office area. Dickerson Drive." 9:40:55 AM: Connecticut State Police receive call and begin sending emergency units from western part of the state - "Troop 8 personnel, take Exit 10, left on 34, turn on Riverside Drive. Make sure you have your vests on." 9:43:45 AM: Female confirmed shot - Dispatch: "We have one female in Room 1 who has gunshot wound to the foot." ~9:45 AM: First responders/SWAT team arrive - begin an "active shooter search, checking every door, crack and crevice." 9:46:20 AM: Another report of person shot - Dispatch: "We've got an injured person in Room 9 with numerous gunshot wounds." 9:49:05 AM: Shooting finally stops approximately around 9:46 AM - "Negative on description. Shots were fired about three minutes ago." 9:53:25 AM: Suspect reported down - "Newtown's reporting one suspect down. The Building has now been cleared." 9:55:25 AM: Weapons report - "Be advised, we have multiple weapons. One rifle and a shotgun." 9:57:25 AM: Police notice to officers responding to call in plain clothes - "Any plain clothes responding, make sure you have you raid gear on, your raid gear on." 10:00:15 AM: Police complete search for any other potential suspects - "Ask the custodian, get a team up on the roof and clear the roof."
As best as we can tell from the timeline of the event, it took roughly 11 minutes for the first responders and police SWAT team to arrive at the school after the event began, after traveling the 2.3 miles to reach the school from the Newtown police station - a trip that in ordinary conditions would take approximately 7 minutes, not counting the time needed to get prepared to deal with the event. Their arrival precipitated the end of the event, as the suspect, Ryan Lanza, committed suicide shortly after realizing that armed police had arrived and were closing in on him.
During those eleven minutes before the police arrived and finally closed in on his position, Lanza was completely unopposed by any armed individual, using the time to fire over a hundred rounds to kill 26 people - 6 adults and 20 children.
Would placing trained armed guards or police officers in the nation's public schools then really be so unreasonable? Shouldn't public officials have a special obligation to ensure the safety of our children when they are compelled to be placed in their care? Can there possibly be a good reason why the pro-gun control Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence's extensive 41 page-long list of all on and off-school campus shooting incidents since 31 January 1997 contains just one mention of any kind of security guard (for a 22-year old student offender, Law Thien Huynh, who first argued with, then killed security guard training class instructor Roberto Herrera, who had negatively criticized Huynh on previous occasions)?
Or is it good enough for public officials to place that kind of protection some eleven minutes and 2.3 miles away from the children in their care?
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subset: commoncrawl


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SpearoTek Distribution
As the United States' leading wholesale distribution company for the most innovative spearfishing and freediving equipment from around the world, SpearoTek, Inc. is committed to negotiating ground-breaking partnerships with leading manufacturers world-wide. If the equipment SpearoTek, Inc. seeks to bring to market does not exist, then the company is set-up to manufacture it in-house. As such, SpearoTek, Inc. offers U.S. dealers a wide range of equipment previously unavailable to them and enables spearos across the country to experience the most reliable and up-to-date gear from anywhere in the world, including SpearoTek's own manufacturing facility. Through extensive research, development and testing, SpearoTek, Inc. is first when it comes to distributing cutting-edge spearfishing technology to U.S. markets. SpearoTek—bringing the best of the world to your local dive shop.


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Feb 10, 2014
From staff reports
Ohio University Parking Services recently revised their guest parking permit request process. The new online system is intended to be more convenient for both the OHIO employee requesting the permit and the guest receiving it. This video takes you through the steps of requesting a guest parking permit through the new system. For any additional questions, visit http://www.facilities.ohiou.edu/parking.


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When you hit the road for the first time there are a lot of things that are going to turn around and hit you back. Having a little preparation to deal with these things and some inspiration to keep you going is important.
Here's what I read before hitting the road.
1. Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Longterm World Travel
Rolf Potts is an amazing writer who has traveled all across the globe. He writes regularly at Vagablogging.net and has been featured in magazines like National Geographic Traveler, Outside, the New York Times Magazine and many more.
Vagabonding covers the basics of life on the road from before you even start. How to prepare for your trip, how to decide where to go, how to decide what to do when you get there, and much more. It's less about specifics and more about learning how we want to travel in our own way.
This is one book that has stayed with me every step of my trip.
Buy it on Amazon.com before you get out there.
2. On the Road
Jack Kerouac was the American vagabond of the mid-20th century. Screaming across the country in cars from coast-to-coast, exploring cities and delving deep into life on the road as a spiritual experience, Kerouac has been the inspiration for many who roadtrip or travel.
Reading On the Road for the first time gives you a feel for the density of experience that vagabonding will provide. When you are out there on the road and hit a few bumps it is doubtfully as troublesome as the adventures that Kerouac went through.
I read this when I was in high school and have since read it over and over again. When you need a hit to jump start your passion again, this is one for me and hopefully you.
Buy it on Amazon.com and feel the rush.
3. A Walk in The Woods: Rediscovering America on The Appalachian Trail
Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors hands down. His wit and the lightness with which he describes adversities he faces takes the wind out of that daunting first step.
When you set out to hike the Appalachian trail you are making a statement to yourself.
When you set out to vagabond across the country or the world you are making a statement to yourself.
It's not about being a nonconformist or breaking from the mold necessarily, it is a personal pilgrimage to find out who you are and what you are made of. Bill Bryson gives us an insight into what makes him him.
Buy it on Amazon.com and take a hike.
4. The Four Hour Workweek
If Rolf Potts is the travel writer of the age, Timothy Ferriss is the entrepreneur who can show you how make the time to travel. This was the first book that really turned me onto traveling in a manner that made sense to me.
The Four Hour Workweek has a number of tools on how to divorce yourself from the incessant streams of information that we are bombarded with, create a business that will help fund your traveling, and a great deal more.
The title was purposefully chosen to create a bit of controversy, and yes it sounds a bit like a scam, but the ideas behind it are powerful and the motivation it gave me (one of the best slackers) to really work at redesigning my life is impressive.
Buy it on Amazon.com and see how many hours you want to put.
5. Your suggestions
What would a list be at only four? The fifth book is up to you, what else would you suggest to read before traveling?


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How efficient is your metabolic engine? Take the following quiz to find out.
In the appropriate box, place a check for each positive answer. Then use the scoring key to identify which care plan you should use.
You should take this quiz before you start the program and once again after you have completed The UltraMetabolism Solution. In both cases, total your quiz score and record it in the scoring record. After you have completed the program, note the improvement you have made in the scoring record as well.[quiz id=28]


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Roll up MOLLE Pouch Large
Availability: In stockThe LensCoat Roll-Up MOLLE Pouch makes a versatile companion while out in the field. With two attachment options, belt mounted or MOLLE webbing/straps, its compact roll-design makes for quick and easy use. The drawstring closure with cord lock along with the heavy-duty water-resistant Cordura and water-resistant nylon lining provide a secure storage for your lens and other accessories. Perfect for use with the LensCoat Xpandable Long Lens Bag.
Available in Black, Digital Camo, Forest Green Camo, Realtree Max4 and Realtree AP Snow.
Outer dimension 8 3/4" x 5 5/8"Ø
Inner Dimension 8 1/2" x 5 3/8"Ø
Quick Find
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Bartow County Probate Records
Bartow County was formed in 1832 from the original Cherokee County. It was first called Cass County. The county seat is Cartersville.
Genealogy Records Available to Members of Georgia Pioneers
Digital Images of Bartow County Wills 1836-1856
- Index to 1869 to 1876
- Index to 1874 to 1882
Testators: Adair, Samuel;Alexander, Thomas;Bailey, Joshua;Baker, Charles;Bowman, Vincent;Brogden, Wiley;Carpenter, Thomas;Chandler, Abraham;Durham, William;Ellis, Standford;Furr, James;Gordon, William;Gray, William;Guyton, John;Harber, John;Hardin, John;Hardin, John, Sr.; Hargrove, Zachariah;Harris, Thomas;Harrison, Benoni;Hawks, Chester;Hipps, Joseph;Hood, Caleb;Jackson, James;Jackson, Mark;Johnson, Mark;Kerr, Lucy;Lackey, Robert;Lewis, John; Lyon, Nathaniel;McAdams, Thomas;McBrayer, Martin;McReynolds, Ferdinand;Millican, John; Moore, Gabriel;Murphey, Roger;Oglesby, Lindsay;Pinson, Charles;Reynolds, Benjamin;Robinson, Mary (deed);Russell, George;Smith, John;Smith, Nancy;Smith, Thomas Spencer, Levi;Spriggs, Gilead;Stallings, James;Steelman, William;Stevens, Thomas;Stidham, Martin;Stovall, James;Stovall, William;Talbert, James;Underwood, George;Upshaw, James;Upshaw, John;Wallraven, John;Williams, Margaret
Indexes to Probate Records
Miscellaneous Records
- Will Book A (1836-1885)
- Will Book B (1885-1922)
- Inventories, Appraisements, Distributions, Sale Bills, Vol. A (1853-1866)
- Inventories, Appraisements, Distributions, Sale Bills, Vol. B (1866-1895)
- Annual Returns, Guardians, Executors, Administrators, Book H (1853-1856
- Annual Returns, Guardians, Executors, Administrators, Book I (1856-1862(
- Annual Returns, Guardians, Executors, Administrators, Book K (1860-1863)
Index to Bartow County Annual Returns, Guardians, Executors, Administrators, Book M (1867-1870)
- Inventories, Appraisements, Distributions,Sale Bills, Vol. A (1853-1866)
- Homesteads (1874-1885)
Grisham, Joseph (LWT)
|See how Easy it is to Read old Wills and Estates on Georgia Pioneers
Become a Member of Georgia Pioneers
Follow this blog by Email


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Our seven-piece make up brush set is handcrafted in the same quality as our Ultimate Makeup Brush Set and is perfect for use at home or traveling. The brushes come protected in a black purse with an extra zip pocket for all your essentials. All brushes are made from the highest quality synthetic hair/bristles. Black ferrule with silver wooden handle.
Set Contains:


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Western Illinois University is dedicated to
the discovery and communication of
knowledge. The University can best
function and accomplish its objectives in an
atmosphere where high ethical standards
prevail. For this reason, and to insure that
the academic work of all students will be fairly evaluated, the University strongly condemns academic dishonesty. The most prevalent forms of academic dishonesty are cheating and plagiarism. Dishonesty of any kind with respect to examinations, course assignments, alteration of records, or illegal possession of examinations is considered cheating. It is the responsibility of the student to not only abstain from cheating, but also to avoid making it possible for others to cheat. Any student who knowingly helps another student cheat is as guilty of cheating as the student he or she assists.
Submission of someone else's work as your own constitutes plagiarism. Academic honesty requires that ideas or materials taken from another course for use as a course paper or project be fully acknowledged. Plagiarism is a very serious offense in whatever form it may appear, be it submission of an entire article falsely represented as the student's own, the inclusion within a piece of the student's writing of an idea for which the student does not provide sufficient documentation, or the inclusion of a documented idea not sufficiently assimilated into the student's language and style.
Please refer to the complete policy online
at www.wiu.edu/policies/ for information
on penalties for academic dishonesty and the University's appeal procedure for
students charged with academic dishonesty.
Academic Requirements and Satisfactory Progress
The passing grades in graduate courses are
A, B, C, and S (satisfactory). Courses with
the grades of D, F, U (unsatisfactory), I (incomplete), W (withdrawal), X (audit), or XU (unsatisfactory audit) cannot be used to satisfy any of the requirements of a graduate degree. Students may not enroll in graduate courses on a pass/fail basis. Grade points are determined by equating the grade for each semester hour as follows: A with 4, B with 3, C with 2, D with 1, and F with 0. The average is computed by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of graduate credits attempted. Hours for grades of S and U are not considered in calculating a GPA. (Grades of S and U are only awarded in a limited number of courses; courses for which S and U grades apply are noted in departmental course offerings.) An audited course may not be repeated for credit. Courses taken for undergraduate credit may not be repeated for graduate credit.
Admission to candidacy for a degree and the awarding of such a degree depends upon the maintenance of a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) or higher in all graduate work attempted. No substitutions may be made on the degree plan for courses in which the student earns grades below B. No course for which a student has received a grade of C or better may be repeated for credit unless the course is more than six years old. No course for which a student has received a grade of D or less may be used to satisfy degree requirements.
A course may not be used to satisfy the requirements of more than one degree.
A graduate degree will not be awarded to a
student who earns grades of C, D, F or U in
more than six semester hours of graduatelevel
work in a program requiring 30 to 46
semester hours, or more than nine semester
hours of such work in a program which
requires 47 or more hours. With the
approval of the departmental graduate
committee, courses which are outdated, that is, are more than six years old, will not be counted against the maximum allowable hours of grades of C or lower once an
extension of time has been granted.
Admission to Candidacy and Degree Plans
Admission to candidacy in a doctoral program occurs when a student has completed all of the requirements for the degree up to and including qualifying assessment; the student is said to be a candidate for the doctoral degree at this time.
After at least nine semester hours of
graduate work at the University have been
completed and before the completion of 15
semester hours, the student must file the
Graduate Degree Plan. Graduate Degree Plans can be obtained from the School of Graduate Studies or online at www.wiu.edu/grad/forms/dp.pdf. The completed degree plan should be filed with the chair of the departmental graduate committee who will then forward the document for approval to the School of Graduate Studies.
Once a student's Graduate Degree Plan has
been approved by the graduate school,
changes in the degree program can only be made by petition. Petition forms may be obtained in the School of Graduate Studies or online at www.wiu.edu/grad/forms/petition.pdf and, upon completion, they are submitted to that office. A student who re-enters the University after an absence of three or more years, excluding summer sessions, must re-submit his or her Graduate Degree Plan based on the current catalog unless permission is obtained from the dean of the college in which he or she is enrolled and the School of Graduate Studies to use the original Graduate Degree Plan.
Master's and Specialist
After at least nine semester hours of
graduate work at the University have been
completed and before the completion of 15 semester hours, the student must apply for
candidacy for the graduate degree. Application forms, titled Graduate Degree Plan, can be obtained from the School of Graduate Studies or online at www.wiu.edu/grad/forms/dp.pdf. The completed Graduate Degree Plan should be filed with the chair of the departmental graduate committee who will then forward the application for approval to the School of
Graduate Studies. All academic deficiencies must be removed before the student is
admitted to candidacy and the student must have at least a 3.0 grade point average on
all graduate coursework. Approval of the degree plan signifies admission to degree
In determining the student's qualifications for candidacy, the graduate school may take into consideration the student's graduate and undergraduate record and the rating on the Graduate Record Examination or other standardized tests. After weighing all relevant factors, the graduate school may: (a) approve the application, (b) defer action until certain specified requirements are met, or (c) refuse the applicant's request.
Once a student's Graduate
Degree Plan has been approved by the graduate school,
changes in this degree program can only be made by petition. Petition forms may be obtained in the School of Graduate Studies or online at www.wiu.edu/grad/forms/petition.pdf and, upon completion, they are submitted to that office. A student who re-enters the University after an absence of three or more years, excluding summer sessions, must re-submit his or her Graduate Degree Plan based on the current catalog unless permission is obtained from the dean of the college in which he or she is enrolled and the School of Graduate Studies to use the original Graduate Degree Plan.
Application for Graduation and Commencement
Candidates for graduation must complete
the Application for Graduation form and
submit it to the School of Graduate Studies at least eight weeks before the end of the student's final term. The form is available from the School of Graduate Studies or online at www.wiu.edu/grad/forms/clear.pdf. Degrees are conferred in December, May, and August. Commencement ceremonies are held in May and December. Students wishing to attend commencement must indicate this on the application for graduation. All students completing graduation requirements will be issued a diploma.
A student who re-enters the University after
an absence of three or more years,
excluding summer sessions, must meet the requirements of the current catalog unless
he or she receives written approval from the dean of the college in which he or she
is enrolled to continue under an earlier catalog. This written permission must be filed in the Office of Graduate Studies prior to the submission of a Graduate Degree Plan.
When an error has been made in computing the student's final grade, the reported grade may be changed by the instructor. The student may initiate the procedure for the change by contacting the instructor. The change should be reported to the School of Graduate Studies no later than the end of the third week of the next semester. The form for requesting a change of grade can be obtained from the department chair. The department chair and academic dean countersign the form for information purposes only and forward it to the School of Graduate Studies. After the change of grade has been approved by the School of Graduate Studies, copies will be sent to the Office of the Registrar.
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites
Prerequisite: a course that must be completed prior to enrollment in a particular course. Prerequisite may also refer to acceptable class standing, prior academic standing, permission of instructor, departmentally determined competencies, or other departmental requirements.
Corequisite: a course that must be taken simultaneously with another course.
Note: It is the responsibility of the student
to comply with the prerequisites/
corequisites as stated in the University catalog and course syllabus for all courses
he/she plans to take. Instructors may withdraw a student who does not meet
course prerequisites/corequisites at any time from course registration through the
100 percent refund/credit period by sending the student written notification (e-mail or letter) with a copy to the Registrar. The written notification must include the reason
why the student is being withdrawn from the course and must allow the student five
working days to respond to the instructor to determine if the prerequisites/
corequisites have been or will be satisfied. After the five working days, unless
otherwise notified by the instructor, the Registrar will drop the course from the student's schedule and send an updated schedule confirmation. Effective Spring 2008, departments will have an opportunity to designate specific course sections as having enforced prerequisites. During registration, these courses will be identified on STARS and students who do not meet the requirements will be deleted prior to the first day of class.
Courses and Credit Requirements
Courses numbered 500 and above are graduate courses. Only those advanced undergraduate courses on the 400-level listed in this catalog may be taken for graduate credit. In order for graduate credit to be earned for these 400-level courses, work in addition to that which is done for undergraduate credit must be completed. No more than one-half of the semester hours counted for the graduate degree may be earned in courses below the 500 level.
Specific credit requirements for the completion of degrees are listed under each graduate program description. Hours earned in courses taken to satisfy deficiencies in the undergraduate program are not counted toward the total degree requirements.
Following each course title in the ensuing pages, the number in parentheses represents the credit allotment for the course in terms of semester hours.
Western Illinois University offers students and faculty the opportunity to explore experiments in learning which lie outside the existing traditional curriculum structure. Faculty may propose new and innovative courses (475G/675) for presentation to students on a trial basis with a minimum of the regular approval procedure, thereby permitting an experimental period for refinement before the course is proposed through regular channels for approval. The appropriate department chairperson should be contacted for additional information about experimental courses. Course content taken under experimental course numbers (475G/675) may not be repeated. No more than six semester hours of credit earned in a combination of 475G and 675 may be used in any graduate degree program.
Overseas Study 679 is a course available to
all departments which facilitates the
registration and tracking of students who enroll for study outside the U.S. Prerequisites for this course are approval of the study abroad coordinator and the department chairperson. No more than six semester hours of Overseas Study 679 may be applied to a graduate degree.
Only doctoral students are eligible to enroll in courses numbered 700 and above.
A transcript of a student's record received
by WIU from another university or college
is not forwarded to a third institution. The student should request another transcript from the original institution.
Admission test scores for the GRE or GMAT are not forwarded to another university. The student should request test scores directly from Educational Testing Service.
Each candidate for a graduate degree may
be required to take a final oral and/or
written examination. It may be required by the department or departments involved (see the relevant departmental section), or by the Graduate Council in special cases.
If the examining committee decides that the student has failed to pass the written and/or oral examination, it makes one of three possible decisions: (a) the candidate should not receive the graduate degree, (b) the candidate should be required to take additional courses before appearing for re-examination, or (c) the candidate should be re-examined after an interval of at least three months.
Full-time/Part-time Enrollment
Full-time enrollment is nine semester hours
of credit during any regular semester (fall
or spring) or six semester hours of credit during the summer term. The maximum load for a graduate student during any regular semester (fall or spring) is 15 semester hours or nine semester hours during the summer term. Exceptions may be permitted by the School of Graduate Studies.
The purpose of the grade appeal policy is
to ensure that grades represent a fair and
consistent evaluation of student performance.
A graduate student who believes he/she
was unjustly evaluated in a course must
submit a written request for a grade appeal no later than the end of the third week of the semester following the term in which the student received the grade in question.
The grade appeal process can be found in
the academic departmental office, the
School of Graduate Studies, or online at:www.wiu.edu/policies/gradeapp.php.
Graduate Committees–Departmental
Each department offering graduate work as
a field of specialization has a graduate
committee. Shortly after the student has been admitted to the School of Graduate Studies, and prior to his or her first registration, the student must consult the chair of his or her graduate committee or assigned academic advisor. Graduate committees have general supervision over the work of their department's degree students. Until the departmental graduate committee assigns the student to an adviser, the committee assumes responsibility for the student's general orientation and program of study.
Graduating Seniors Taking Graduate Courses for Graduate Credit
A senior may apply for admission to the
School of Graduate Studies and receive
graduate credit for graduate courses in which he or she enrolls if:
1. The enrollment does not exceed a maximum of nine semester hours.
2. The student fulfills prerequisites for the course.
3. The student applies to take the course for graduate credit through the Office of the Registrar, Sherman 110. A form must be completed by the student requiring the signatures of the designated authorities in the offices of the registrar and graduate studies. The application must be filed in the Office of the Registrar prior to enrolling in the course.
4. The student files a graduation application in the Office of the Registrar prior to enrolling in graduate-level courses for graduate credit.
5. The student has a grade point average of 3.0 or better if a first-semester senior and meets admission requirements to graduate school if a second-semester senior.
International students must also obtain approval from the director of international student admissions. Permission forms are available in the Office of the Registrar.
Graduate Courses for Undergraduate Credit
Graduate course offerings may be taken for undergraduate credit as long as:
1. The student has attained senior standing as an undergraduate student at Western and is in good academic standing at the University.
2. The student has applied to take the course for undergraduate credit through the Office of the Registrar, Sherman 110, prior to enrolling in the course. A form must be completed by the student requiring the signatures of the adviser and the registrar.
3. The student has fulfilled prerequisites for the course.
No more than nine semester hours of graduate-level courses (numbered 500 or above) may be taken for undergraduate credit.
Graduate courses taken for undergraduate
credit may not be used as part of a future
graduate program.
Illinois state law and University policy
require all newly enrolled students born
after December 31, 1956, to provide written evidence, signed by a healthcare provider, of current immune status with respect to certain communicable diseases. Currently, the diseases to which all students must show immunity are measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and mumps. Students attending classes both in Macomb and the Quad Cities must comply with this policy.
A temporary grade of "I" (incomplete)
indicates that the student has been unable
to complete coursework due to circumstances beyond his or her control. A request for an incomplete grade at the graduate level may be approved at the discretion of the faculty member. Students failing to complete incomplete grades within one year will receive a default grade, if assigned by the faculty member, or a grade of "F" if no default grade was submitted. Faculty members may approve an extension of time for the incomplete. Completion of a graduate degree will not be allowed with incomplete grades posted Fall 2006 or after on the transcript.
Notification to Students on Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
Western Illinois University, in full compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, shall make educational records available to students upon request. Likewise, in accordance with the law, individually identifiable educational records will not be released to other than authorized individuals without written consent of the student. Students have the right to file complaints with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Office concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the act.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act affords students certain rights with
respect to their education records. These rights include:
1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, collection agent, or other service provider such as the National Student Clearinghouse or Credentials, Inc.); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the University may disclose education records without consent to another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements by FERPA.
Western Illinois University considers the following items to be directory information, and, as such, may release them to any or all inquirers in such forms as news releases, directories, or computer address lists: the student's name; school and home address; telephone number; major field of study; dates of attendance; full- or part-time status; degrees and awards received; honors received (including dean's list); most recent previous educational agency or institution attended; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; and, for members of athletic teams, weight and height. Students who do not wish this information to be released may prevent such release by sending a written request to the Office of the Registrar, Sherman Hall 110.
Oral English Proficiency Appeal
Students who have complaints concerning
the oral English proficiency of faculty
providing classroom instruction should contact the department chair or the immediate supervisor of the appropriate faculty member. The complaint should be as specific as possible and should include a written summary.
All complaints shall be investigated by the
department chair including, but not limited
to, classroom visitation. If the department chair finds the faculty member's oral English proficiency is satisfactory, he/she will notify the student.
Students may appeal the department chair's satisfactory evaluation of oral English proficiency to the appropriate dean who shall investigate the complaint. If the dean finds the faculty member's oral English proficiency is satisfactory, the dean will so notify the student. In the event of such a finding, the decision of the dean will be final.
If the department chair or dean finds the
faculty member's oral English proficiency is
unsatisfactory, a recommendation will be submitted to the academic vice president for consideration. The academic vice president will notify the student and the faculty member of his/her decision. At all levels of this procedure, the student's identity will remain confidential.
Courses may not be repeated for credit
unless the catalog course description
specifies that the course is repeatable. This is not to be confused with retaking a previously passed course.
Any research that involves human subjects,
whether funded or not, that is undertaken
by WIU faculty, academic staff or student or supported by Western Illinois University, must be reviewed by the WIU Institutional Review Board (IRB). Prior to collecting any
data from human subjects for research purposes or soliciting subjects for a research study, approval must be granted by the IRB.
A research protocol MUST be reviewed by
the IRB under these guidelines if it meets
the following criteria: 1) it involves human beings as subjects (this includes surveys and interviews); 2) it is research as defined by University guidelines; and 3) the intention to publish or disseminate results OR the POSSIBILITY of publishing or disseminating results exists. If a project meets these criteria, the protocol must be reviewed and receive an exemption or approval through the expedited or full board review process. Additional information can be found at www.wiu.edu/sponsoredprojects/policies.
To be considered a resident, an adult
student must have been a bona fide
resident of Illinois for a period of at least six consecutive months immediately preceding the beginning of any term for which the individual registers at the University. The student must continue to maintain a bona fide residence in Illinois. University housing is considered a bona fide residence.
Full-time graduate students at the main campus in Macomb who are residents of Clark, Lewis, Lincoln, Marion, Pike, and Ralls counties in Missouri or Clinton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jackson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, and Scott counties in Iowa are considered in-state students for one year for tuition purposes. Such students must meet residency requirements to qualify for in-state tuition after the first year if enrollment exceeds eight hours per semester.
Students enrolled at the Quad Cities
campus are exempt from paying out-ofstate
This policy is reviewed annually and is subject to change without notice.
A student may repeat any credit course in
which a failing grade (F) was received.
Both the failing grade and the grade earned by repeating the course will appear on the
transcript and will be used to calculate the student's grade point average.
If a student decides that his/her mastery of a previously passed course will be improved by retaking the course, he or she may do so subject to the following conditions:
1. All grades received for each course retaken will appear separately on the transcript in addition to the original grade.
2. No honor points or credit toward graduation may be received for retaking a previously passed course.
3. Tuition and fees must be paid for all courses retaken.
4. The student must properly register to retake a course during registration or preregistration.
Previously passed courses are those for
which any of the following grades have
been received: A, B, C, D, or S. If a course graded S is retaken, the second grade
(assuming successful completion) will also be an S since only S and U grades can be given for such courses. For all other previously passed courses, the grade on the transcript will reflect what the student has achieved by taking the course a second
Graduate students have the right to appeal
the implementation of any University
regulation which relates to admission, academic standards, assistantships, or graduation by submitting a formal written appeal to the Graduate Council. Such appeals must be based upon the existence of unusual or extenuating circumstances which have prevented the student from achieving the normal University standard, and evidence of these unusual or extenuating circumstances must be presented with the appeal. Such appeals must be submitted to the Graduate School. The appeal process can be found at www.wiu.edu/grad/manuals/studentappeal.php.
Students are responsible for knowing
degree requirements and enrolling in
courses that will enable them to complete their degree programs. It is also their responsibility to know the University regulations for the standard of work required to continue in the graduate school. Degree requirements are presented in this publication. Additional details about requirements and procedures are available from the School of Graduate Studies or at www.wiu.edu/grad.
Thesis/Dissertation Preparation
Guidelines for thesis/dissertation preparation can be found online at: www.wiu.edu/grad/resources/thesis.php.
Time to Complete Degree/Revalidation of Courses
The work required for a graduate degree
must be completed within six consecutive
calendar years for master's and specialist students and eight consecutive calendar
years for doctoral students, including transfer courses. Students may petition the Graduate Council for an extension of time for outdated courses. Evidence must show
that such courses have been revalidated by examination or some other means as determined by the department. Transfer courses must be revalidated by instructors from the credit-granting institution. Graduate courses with grades of C or lower may not be revalidated. With the approval of the departmental graduate committee, courses which are outdated (more than six years old for master's and specialist degrees or more than eight years old for doctoral degrees) will not be included in the calculation of grade point average once an extension of time has been granted.
Transfer credits are approved by the School
of Graduate Studies or the Graduate
Council only after the degree plan has been approved. Petitions for transfer of graduate credit must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, and official transcripts recording the transfer courses must be sent directly from the registrar of that institution to the School of Graduate Studies. No course credit may be transferred unless the grade received was at least a B.
If approved by his or her department, a
student may transfer a maximum of six
semester hours of approved graduate credit from an accredited institution in a 30-hour degree program or nine semester hours in a degree program requiring 32 or more semester hours. Students may petition to the Graduate Council, with the approval of the adviser and the departmental graduate committee, for additional hours to be accepted from other accredited institutions.
Courses with a variable credit designation,
(e.g., Music 599, Seminar in Music [1–3,
repeatable to 6]), may be taken for a different number of credit hours. Students should consult the course instructor or the department offering the course to determine the number of semester hours for which they may register. A variable credit course cannot be taken again unless it is clearly designated as repeatable.
A symbol of "W" on a student transcript
indicates official withdrawal from a course.
A student may withdraw from a course or totally withdraw from the University during the first ten weeks of a semester. After the first ten weeks, a graduate student may not drop individual courses or withdraw from the University unless approved by the Graduate Council. For academic courses of an irregular length, the withdrawal date shall be 0.6 of the length of the course. If a student has been found guilty of academic dishonesty and the penalty of F (Fail) is assessed, a W cannot be granted. Once final examinations have begun, a student may not withdraw from that term except for exceptional and documented reasons.


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About the Faculty
The Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) at Brno University of Technology was established on 1st January 2002. It was developed from the former Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Brno University of Technology. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering was established in 1964 and has had a long tradition in teaching computer science and informatics in the framework of the former Faculty of Electrical Engineering, later called Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (FEECS).
At present, the Faculty of Information Technology offers a three-year Bachelor degree programme Information Technology (Bc.), a two-year follow-up Master degree programme Information Technology (Ing.), and Ph.D. degree programme in the scientific branch Information Technology. These degree programmes respect the principles of the Bologna Declaration for the development of tertiary education in Europe. The structure of all degree programmes is fully compatible with the European space for higher education and European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).
The second-level students and postgraduate doctoral students are involved in research projects, which form an important part of the Faculty activities. A considerable part of teaching and research activities is centralized in the Computer Centre. Apart from the scheduled laboratory work, students work individually on their own semester, year or diploma projects. Laboratories equipped with personal computers are at their disposal as well as the laboratory with workstations. All the computers are interconnected in the local network, which is connected to the Internet.
Other links


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Girlfriend Omarosa calls his recover "arduous" after the actor's heart attack July 13
Nearly a month after suffering a heart attack, Michael Clarke Duncan has just left intensive care but remains in the hospital.
"His family are firm believers in the power of prayer and have asked that you keep him in yours during this time," his rep says in a statement.
The actor, 54, best known for playing John Coffey in the 1999 Tom Hanks hit The Green Mile, suffered the myocardial infarction on July 13.
He reportedly was found by his girlfriend, The Apprentice contestant Omarosa Stallworth, 38, who performed CPR and revived him.
"Everyday GOD continues to smile upon my luv Michael Clarke Duncan on this arduous road to recovery," she recently Tweeted. "God is with us every step of the way!!"


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Tuesday, 18 December 2007
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The official blog for Team 14, Fendalton School, New Zealand. This blog reflects our learning and is therefore a process in the making. You will also find links to our Learning Portfolios and News. Please enjoy it and participate if you like.
Posted by sporte at 2:08:00 pm
Labels: elise, Reflection


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Over the course of the 340-ton megalith's journey to LACMA to become a part of Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass, we have been blown away by how many people have come out to visit the transporter, or have been following from afar via Unframed, Twitter, Facebook, or the Levitated Mass website. [For continuing updates on the transport of the boulder for Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass, click here.] Everyone we've met has been fascinated by the details of the transport and incredibly excited about the finished artwork. Best of all, so many of the people we've met so far have either not been to LACMA before, or haven't visited in many years—and now they want to come.
If you have been following the journey of the megalith, you've no doubt contemplated the sheer size of the boulder as it makes its way through twenty-two cities and four counties to LACMA. But Levitated Mass is not the only monumental artwork on LACMA's campus. If you're a resident of Los Angeles or have traveled down the Miracle Mile, chances are you've seen Urban Light, the colossal sculpture consisting of 202 vintage street lamps that sits just off of Wilshire Boulevard, lighting up the night sky. Created by artist Chris Burden, Urban Light has become an iconic landmark—not only on LACMA's campus but in Los Angeles and Southern California as well.
Chris Burden is also the artist behind Metropolis II, which had its LACMA debut just two months ago. Burden's vision of a futuristic Los Angeles, Metropolis II is a frenetic kinetic sculpture that features 1,100 miniature cars zipping through a dense, complex city at 240 scale miles per hour. Metropolis II towers nine feet in the air and is spread across more than five hundred square feet—inspiring awe in visitors young and old alike.
Metropolis II shares the first level of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum with another jaw-dropping artwork: Richard Serra's Band, an elegant, curved ribbon of a sculpture whose sheer mass (it's made of steel, after all) is disguised by the ease and fluidity of its presence in the gallery.
Moving Richard Serra's work is no small feat, as a typical piece weighs about twenty tons (though the megalith of Levitated Mass is proving to be the new heavyweight on campus). We documented the tremendous effort of LACMA's crew to deinstall another Serra sculpture, Sequence, last summer.
Finally, the Ahmanson Building atrium is home to Tony Smith's Smoke, a towering aluminum lattice that stands twenty-four feet high and spans forty-eight feet across. Smoke consists of forty-five octahedrons, eight-sided geometric shapes that resemble crystals. The artwork was originally constructed by Smith in 1967 for a temporary exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. At the time it garnered the cover of Time magazine with the headline "Art Outgrows the Museum."
Since then it had not been on view again until 2008, when Smoke was erected piece by piece at LACMA. We captured the entire process in a time-lapse video.
Preparing to welcome Levitated Mass into the ranks of monumental sculpture at LACMA has inspired us to reflect on the other truly massive works of art that already call LACMA home—all of which have been added to LACMA's collection in just the last four years.
Jenny Miyasaki


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GUESS WHAT?! I'm shouting from the rooftops with excitement today! My friend Lynlee Beckett just launched her first book!!!! I'm so proud of her and her accomplishments. She's a cupcake topper rockstar, and this book is the bible for recreating these cuties yourself! Sweet & Unique Cupcake Toppers contains 80 tutorials to help take your cupcakes to the next level with exceptional and creative fondant decorations! AND ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN A COPY!! Details at the bottom of the post…
- Over 80 step-by-step written tutorials with accompanying photographs for fun and festive fondant cupcake toppers.
- Detailed instructions to cater to varying difficulty levels, allowing you to simplify or modify accordingly to your skill and expertise level.
- Suggestions for pairing topper designs with different themes in the book.
- Tips and tricks for working with fondant, as well as descriptions of tools and materials and their uses.
- Ideas to enhance your displays and to package your fondant toppers.
Take a look at some sneak peeks from the pages of Sweet & Unique Cupcake Toppers …
So if you're a DIY'er and want to try your hand at fondant toppers (such a cute way to jazz up plain cupcakes) then definitely add this book to your collection!
Lynlee will be traveling to several U.S. cities for book signing events, along with some fellow sweet authors! Visit Lynlee's website for the most up-to-date book tour information. You can also follow Lynlee here on her website, Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram!
Enter to win a copy of Sweet & Unique Cupcake Toppers below…(and also find the book at B&N stores too)!


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LONDON, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Research firm Markit Economics said Monday Britain's service sector expanded in July at its fastest pace in more than 6 1/2 years.
The headline index, marking growth in the sector with figures above 50, rose from 56.9 in June to 60.2, the highest level since December 2006.
The index rounds out complimentary indexes for manufacturing and construction, Markit senior economist Paul Smith said.
"Strong Services PMI data for July follows on from equally positive numbers from sister construction and manufacturing surveys," Smith said.
Smith said the recovery was becoming "increasingly broad-based."
"This is the clearest sign yet that the U.K. economy ... has the momentum to deliver continued growth," Markit Chief Economist David Noble said.


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This book is both harrowing and inspiring – but sometimes, perhaps, you have to go through harrowing to get to inspiring. Gabor Maté is a doctor who runs a health clinic in the old Portland Hotel, a living facility mostly for drug addicts in Vancouver, B.C.'s Downtown Eastside, a drug-ridden slum.
Most of his patients are addicts of one or more injectable drugs, and in this book he tells many of their sometimes disturbing stories with objectivity and compassion, suffused with an empathy derived from recognizing in himself certain addictive behaviors (fortunately, not involving drugs), His decade of work and his own studies have brought him closer than most authors I have found to understanding the deep causes of addiction – and to a deep, informed anger at the "war on drugs," which makes every problem associated with drug addiction worse rather than better.
The stories illustrate the powerful hold that addictive drugs have over some people. "You've got this miserable, swollen, ulcerated leg and foot – red hot and painful," he tells one patient in his 40s. "You have to drag yourself to the emergency every day for antibiotics. You have HIV. And you won't give up injecting speed. What do you suppose is behind that for you?" The patient simply answers that he doesn't know and then elaborates – "why should you put something into your body that in five minutes makes you drool, look gooey, you know, distort your brainwave patterns to the point where you can't think reasonably, inhibits your speech pattern – and then want to do it again."
Why? Why? Dr. Maté integrates his experiences with the scientific literature and provides a substantial contribution to our knowledge of addiction that is deeply informed yet accessible to the intelligent layperson.
His conversations with patients reveal that almost all either suffered abuse – like being sexually abused by a stepfather persistently from ages 1 to 4 and thereafter by other relatives – or trauma in childhood. That insight leads him into studies of brain development. Human brains are far from fully developed at birth, and abuse, trauma and deprivation interfere with normal brain development that leave voids in various brain functions that various drugs can fill, if only momentarily.
Some people believe that a proclivity toward addiction is genetic in origin, but while he acknowledges the possibility, Dr. Maté's studies in the literature and observations of his patients lead him to believe that childhood experiences – or lack of the experience of being cared for, cared about, loved, hugged, having a connection to a community of caring people – is much more significant. Children thus abused or deprived have their brain patterns altered; fewer dopamines, which create the sense of pleasure, flow.
Drugs like alcohol, cocaine, heroin, crystal meth and others release dopamines, but the relief is temporary and leaves a deeper sense of yearning, both physiological and psychological. "Addictions, even as they resemble normal human yearnings, are more about desire than attainment," he writes. "In the addicted mode, the emotional charge is in the pursuit and the acquisition of the desired object, not in the possession and enjoyment of it. The greatest pleasure is in the momentary satisfaction of yearning." But then satisfaction disappears, the yearning becomes more intense, the cycle begins again, and the addict hustles, steals, lies, cheats, deals, or prostitutes herself to get the next fix.
Although Dr. Maté's concluding chapters include strategies built around what he calls compassionate curiosity about oneself – detaching one's mind from the turmoil in the brain and seeking to understand it without the shame, guilt and self-loathing that so often accompany addiction – he acknowledges that breaking these patterns is difficult, and many addicts will not escape, especially if the environments that reinforce addictive behaviors do not change. The least-harmful course for many is medically supervised availability of methadone or even the drug to which they became addicted.
Given the complex nature of addiction and the powerful hold certain drugs have – Just Say No just doesn't work – Dr. Maté sees the War on Drugs as making almost every aspect of tragic circumstances worse, imposing punishment and cruelty on people who are treated as villains when they are really victims.
This is a wise and compassionate book. I wish all drug warriors would read it.


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Finally, time for Playstation 3 owners to get some early, free time with an upcoming shooter.
Sony plans to release a free demo of Killzone 3's Icy Incursion level, which takes place about halfway through the game, next month. Playstation Plus members get the demo on Feb. 8, while everyone else gets it on Feb. 15.
The free demo will come in both 3D and 2D flavors, with separate Playstation Store downloads for each. Both demos will also be Playstation Move enabled, so you can give it a try yourself and see if you agree with my take on playing Killzone 3 with motion controls.
Of course you can play the demo the good old fashioned twin thumbstick way as well.
In the meantime go check out the Playstation Blog's full run down of the weapons coming to the game.
And don't forget about the multiplayer demo hitting on Feb. 2 for the game.
Killzone 3 – Single Player Demo Coming in February [Playstation Blog]


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The phrase "fiscal cliff" has been used to describe the unique combination of financial realities scheduled to take effect in 2013: expiring tax breaks, the imposition of new taxes on high-income individuals, and automatic deficit-reduction spending cuts.
Continue Reading Below
Expiring tax breaks
Lower federal income tax rates, part of the tax landscape for more than ten years, are set to expire at the end of 2012. We'll go from six federal tax brackets (10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, and 35%) to five (15%, 28%, 31%, 36%, and 39.6%). The maximum rate that applies to long-term capital gains will generally increase from 15% to 20%. While the current lower long-term capital gain rates now apply to qualifying dividends, starting in 2013, dividends will be taxed as ordinary income.
The temporary 2% reduction in the Social Security portion of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) payroll tax, in place for the last two years, also expires at the end of 2012, as do temporary breaks relating to the federal estate and gift tax.
Several other significant breaks go away in 2013 as well. Itemized deductions and dependency exemptions will once again be phased out for individuals with high adjusted gross incomes (AGIs); the earned income tax credit, the child tax credit, and the American Opportunity (Hope) tax credit all revert to old, lower limits and less generous rules; and individuals will no longer be able to deduct student loan interest after the first 60 months of repayment.
Lower alternative minimum tax (AMT) exemption amounts (the AMT-related provisions actually expired at the end of 2011) mean that there will be a dramatic increase in the number of individuals subject to AMT when they file their 2012 federal income tax returns in 2013.
New taxes
Beginning in 2013, the hospital insurance (HI) portion of the payroll tax—commonly referred to as the Medicare portion—increases by 0.9% for individuals with wages exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing a joint federal income tax return and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately).
Also beginning in 2013, a new 3.8% Medicare contribution tax is imposed on the unearned income of high-income individuals. This 3.8% contribution tax applies to some or all of the net investment income of individuals with modified adjusted gross income that exceeds $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing a joint federal income tax return and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately).
Mandatory spending cuts
The failure of the deficit reduction super-committee to reach agreement in November 2011 automatically triggered $1.2 trillion in broad-based spending cuts over a multiyear period beginning in 2013 (the official term for this is "automatic sequestration"). The automatic cuts are to be split evenly between defense spending and non-defense spending. Although Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits are exempt, and cuts to Medicare provider payments cannot be more than 2%, most discretionary programs including education, transportation, and energy programs will be subject to the automatic cuts.
Understanding the "cliff"
Many fear that the combination of tax increases and spending cuts will have severe negative economic consequences. According to a report issued by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (Economic Effects of Reducing the Fiscal Restraint That Is Scheduled to Occur in 2013, May 2012), taken as a whole, the tax increases and spending reductions will reduce the federal budget deficit by 5.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) between calendar years 2012 and 2013. The Congressional Budget Office projects that under these fiscal conditions, the economy would contract during the first half of 2013 (i.e., we would likely experience a recession).
Reid Limpert is the President of JRL Financial Group in Raleigh, North Carolina. To learn how Reid can help you build a new financial strategy for a successful future, call his office at 919-576-0609 or email him at firstname.lastname@example.com. Learn more about JRL Financial Group at their website: http://www.jrlfinancialgroup.com.
This information is prepared by Forefield, Inc, Copyright 2010. Advisory Services Offered Through Spark Asset Management Group, LLC a NC registered RIA. There is no relationship between JRL Financial Group and Spark Asset Management Group, LLC.