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Account Executive
The Account Executive (AE) will be joining a growing sales team to help our VC-backed technology startup obtain new clients for our SaaS Close Management Accounting solution. We are looking for motivated individuals who are determined to succeed and are driven by team wins and individual commissions. Our solution is targeted at those responsible for the finance and accounting functions within organizations of all types and sizes. We call on folks with titles such as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Controller, Corporate Controller, VP -Finance, Accounting Manager, Accounting Supervisor, Senior Accountant, etc.
FloQast uses a 2-tier sales process which is conducted predominantly via phone, email and web conferencing. Marketing and a Business Development Team (BDR) generate leads, which are passed to the AE team to diagnose needs, conduct product demos, negotiate pricing and close new business.
Responsibilities Include:
Understand the competitive landscape, product value and customer needs so you can effectively position FloQast
Build relationships with key influencers and decision makers via outbound efforts (phone, email, and social media)
Maintain a robust new business pipeline through regular prospect follow-up and nurturing
Close new business deals
Perform product demos and follow up calls
Conduct pricing negotiations
Manage contract signature process
Meet or exceed revenue quota
Coordinate post-sale launch call between customer and FloQast implementation team
Document activities in sales force automation systems
Desired Qualities:
Minimum 2-5 years software sales experience, with track record of exceeding quota
Comfortable in a high-velocity sales environment
Competitive, ambitious and driven, with a self-starter attitude
Team player with a collaborative orientation
Organized and detail-oriented
Excellent verbal and written communications skills
Proficient with sales tools – e.g. Salesforce.com, Outreach.io, Zoom, join.me, etc.
Why join FloQast? www.floqast.com
FloQast is a fast growing, Los Angeles-based, early-stage company redefining how a critical business process (financial close) is performed. Our growth and success is fueled by a passion to define and dominate the Close Management Software market. We are the first company of our kind to focus specifically on the mid-market. Our prospects have been hungry for a solution like FloQast for years and the response to our solution has been overwhelmingly positive.
- We are fanatics about the success of our customers. Check us out on G2 Crowd
- We are equally fanatic about creating and maintaining a fabulous culture of support and success for all employees. Check out what people are saying on Glassdoor
- We have a proven sales process and methodology and provide outstanding training, support and sales tools
- We have recently made significant investments to implement a world-class set of sales and marketing productivity tools (SFDC, Outreach, Gong.io, Pardot)
- We are moving quickly and there is huge upside opportunity in terms of career growth
- FloQast offers competitive compensation (base plus commission), stock options, full benefits, and a positive and supportive work environment
- FloQast ranked on the 2019 Best Places to Work by LA Business Journal
- FloQast ranked on The SaaS 1000
FloQast, Inc is committed to operating fair and unbiased recruitment procedures allowing all applicants an equal opportunity for employment, free from discrimination on the basis of religion, race, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, color, ethnic or national origin, or any other classification as may be protected by applicable law. We aim to recruit the right people for the jobs we have to offer, and to assess applications on the basis of relevant skills, education, and experience. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives. We are an equal opportunity employer and strive to provide a professional and welcoming workplace for all employees.


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Even with 20+ years of IT experience, it can be difficult to balance keeping up-to-date with all of the latest software updates. As a general rule of thumb, I keep up to date with releases and updates because there are often bug fixes and security updates. Occasionally, there are major changes to the look and Read More
Today's helpful byte includes some useful tips for the iPhone. I'm a "power user" of my smartphone, and have taught a couple classes on making the most of your iPhone. And a couple of these are new – several are good reminders! Tip #10 is useful for people with chronic health conditions, serious allergies or Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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I was hooked after the first chapter (and also in tears). It is no secret that I am an emotional reader, but I don't think I have ever been sobbing so soon into a book. Each chapter introduces you to new characters and even jumps around in time and setting. It almost feels like you are starting a new book with the first few pages of each chapter. As the chapter continues though, the connections between characters and time become apparent.
The story is mainly set in Afghanistan and touches on the effects of the American invasion after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. The characters are extremely complex and make decisions throughout the book that were, at times, hard for me to understand emotionally. It definitely created a lot of conversation between Keith and I. We really fell in love with 'Abollah' and Pari. So much so, Pari is towards the top of our baby name list. Who knows, maybe our next child will be a girl!
It is a beautifully written book and I can't recommend it enough. Keep the tissues close by though.
What are you reading right now?
XO, Bev


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|Project by Ken90712
|posted 02-17-2013 01:18 AM
|2660 views
|2 times favorited
|26 comments
I admit it, I'm a woodworking junkie. I read all I can, watch every show and keep them on my DVR to watch over and over again. I watched this project being made on the show Woodsmith. I decided to give it a try, I did change the plans a bit and I don't normally make Boxes. I seem to be better a big projects for some reason.
I could have wiped the dust off before the pics man my eyes are getting bad!
First off, my hats off to you box makers; your talent is more appreciated as while making this I struggled a bit to get it perfect. The hinges drove me crazy, I thought I had them perfect, but NO!
I made this out of Wenge and Maple, Mappa Burl veneer and inlay banding. I like the Asian feel to this with the angled sides. I never really did any veneering so I figure I would give it a shot being I'm making Blondie a Bridal chest with alot of veneered panels.
I sprayed 5 coats with my Earlex 5500 with General Finish's Enduro Var Semi Gloss. Sanded with 2000 then buffed out with 3M's Finesse-it gel. I put red velvet in and I'm debating of making dividers doe it.
Thx for looking
-- Ken, "Everyday above ground is a good day!"
26 comments so far
#1 posted 02-17-2013 01:24 AM
Beautiful job Ken! I really like the burl wood and the banding….I hate hinges they are always crooked for me
-- Cosmicturner
#2 posted 02-17-2013 01:31 AM
Looks GREAT, Ken!
Looks like the hinges were too big & you had to make up for it… came out OK! Good save!
Did you make that inlay molding? Looks like some molding I made some time ago for some cribbage boards… I used Bob Simmon's tutorials for it… was fun… Your looks GREAT!
Nice box… I remember that show… Can you burn a DVD from your DVR?
Beautiful work!
-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/index.php
#3 posted 02-17-2013 01:57 AM
Good job ! I am also very interested in making their box , but haven't got around to it yet.
-- I'm absolutely positive that I couldn't be more uncertain!
#4 posted 02-17-2013 02:06 AM
Beautiful box! I think you did a great job with some amazing woods. Now you know why you never see metal hinges on any of my boxes. It's really frustrating to put that much time and effort into a box and then have the dang hinges malfunction!
-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm
#5 posted 02-17-2013 03:35 AM
-- Joel
#6 posted 02-17-2013 04:39 AM
I think it came out really nice Ken…Your choice of woods work well together.
#7 posted 02-17-2013 05:23 AM
Ken, I love the colors of wood you chose; they look beautiful.
Really nice box!
#8 posted 02-17-2013 06:20 AM
Nice job Ken. I tried this same box last summer, messed up the angle on the side so bad it ended up in the fireplace, ha, Looks really good, I really like your wood/colour choices
#9 posted 02-17-2013 06:29 AM
Man, my eyes are getting bad too … but I'm still able to see a gorgeous box under that layer of dust! Beautiful work Ken!!
-- Elaine in Duncan
#10 posted 02-17-2013 07:07 AM
Ken, good work. I like the banding and the veneer inset. Angled sides are tough. You really need to start with very thick sides and attaching the top and then cutting it off give you thicker sides for your hinges. Since you are a fan of tutorials may I suggest these two. Hinges Tops Wooden Venetian blinds make great dividers. Thanks for sharing. Keep boxing and keep sharing.
-- Big Al in IN
#11 posted 02-17-2013 01:13 PM
another fine chunk of wood put together by your hands. nice job.
#12 posted 02-17-2013 02:11 PM
Outstanding box with a lot of interesting details Ken.
-- Mike, an American living in Norway.
#13 posted 02-17-2013 04:15 PM
Thanks everyone, I'll look at those tutorials right now. I did use a router for the hinges but my alignment seemed to be off for some reason. There will be a round two with this project and I will improve the outcome or there will be a round 3…LOL
It called for a piano hinge but I thought this would dress it up silly me…..
-- Ken, "Everyday above ground is a good day!"
#14 posted 02-17-2013 04:17 PM
Very very nice, good job.
#15 posted 02-17-2013 05:08 PM
-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the Universe's finest custom rolling pins.
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Dear IDEC Committee Member Colleagues,
Please find attached the Call for Papers for the 37th Annual International Reading Association of Ireland (RAI) Conference. The 37th RAI Annual International Conference takes place in the Marino Institute of Education, Dublin from September 26th -28th 2013. This year's keynote speakers are Catherine Snow, Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education and Robert Dunbar, Children's book critic and Former Head of English in CICE.
We would be most grateful if you would circulate the Call for Papers to the members of your reading associations and to other colleagues or relevant institutions in your country.
Yours faithfully,
Brian Murphy and the RAI Executive Committee 2012-2013.
Dr Brian Murphy,
School of Education,
University College Cork,
Cork City,
Эстонское общество чтения нa


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Faulkner County: ExxonMobil's "Sacrifice Zone" for Tar Sands Pipelines, Fracking
Cross-Posted from DeSmogBlog
There are few better examples of a "sacrifice zone" for ExxonMobil and the fossil fuel industry at-large than Faulkner County, Arkansas and the counties surrounding it.
Six weeks have passed since a 22-foot gash in ExxonMobil's Pegasus tar sands Pipeline spilled over 500,000 gallons of heavy crude into the quaint neighborhood of Mayflower, AR, a township with a population of roughly 2,300 people. The air remains hazardous to breathe in, it emits a putrid stench, and the water in Lake Conway is still rife with tar sands crude.
These facts are well known.
Less known is the fact that Faulkner County – within which Mayflower sits – is a major "sacrifice zone" for ExxonMobil not only for its pipeline infrastructure, but also for the controversial hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") process. The Fayetteville Shale basin sits underneath Faulkner County.
ExxonMobil purchased XTO Energy for $41 billion in Dec. 2009 as a wholly-owned subsidiary. XTO owns 704,000 acres of land in 15 counties in Arkansas. Among them: Faulkner.
"Private Empire" ExxonMobil is now the defendant in a class action lawsuit filed by the citizens of Mayflower claiming damages caused in their community by the ruptured Pegasus Pipeline. ExxonMobil's XTO subsidiary was also the subject of a class action lawsuit concerning damages caused by fracking in May 2011 and another regarding fracking waste injection wells in Oct. 2012.
This isn't the naturalist novelist William Faulkner's Faulkner County, that's for certain.
A Fracking Class-Action Lawsuit
In May 2011, James and Mindy Tucker filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Among the defendants was XTO.
"This action is being brought against the Defendants for the creation of a noxious and harmful nuissance, contamination, trespass and diminution of property values that the Gas Wells have caused and continue to cause," explained the complaint. "This action seeks…injunctive relief in the form of monitoring of air quality, soil quality and water quality on Plaintiffs' property…[and] to have their property monitored for the harmful effects of the Gas Wells owned and operated by the Defendants."
Like many others, those living in the vicinity of the industry's fracking wells saw their drinking water become contaminated and lost forever for consumption purposes. The complaint says the Plaintiffs noticed their water began to smell like "cotton poison."
"After the water had acquired this smell, the Plaintiffs had to discontinue use of their water for normal household uses," reads the complaint.
A subsequent well water test revealed massive levels of alpha-Methylstyrene, a flammable and poisonous chemical and a known component found within fracking fluid.
"Each of these suits asks for establishment of a fund for monitoring environmental contamination, a medical monitoring fund, $1 million in compensatory damages, and $5 million in punitive damages," explains a press release from the law firm that brought the suit.
Epicenter of Fracking Wastewater Injection Earthquakes


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The National Institute of Design (NID) is undoubtedly the pioneer of design education
in India. For the last fifty years, NID has been instrumental in serving various sectors of
the Indian economy through tangible design interventions that also help to bring about improvements
in those sectors. This is an institute that has nurtured and helped evolve innovative
educational practices. NID is also committed to disseminating design education through
contemporary media such as the internet and ensure stronger social development.
The institute aims to foster economic development through design education and improve the
quality of peoples lives.
The first decade of this millennium has come to a close. This is the most appropriate
time for NID to bring to fruition the goals it has envisaged for the future of design education.
Towards this end, the existing curriculum will be reviewed and made more contextual and
research-oriented so as to impart sustainable and value-centric design education. Plans are
afoot to introduce postgraduate courses in Design Education, Universal Design, and Museum Design.
NID is making active and dedicated attempts to infuse a global perspective into design education.
For this, it is placing an increased focus on research in various areas of design, encouraging
industry participation for sponsored research, and carrying out documentation and ethnographic
studies on existing craft traditions. All of this will enrich educational programmes at the institute,
apart from propelling Indian design practices on to the global arena in a more prominent way.
Indeed, this is a special moment for the NID community; this year marks the conclusion of NIDs Golden Jubilee celebrations. It has been a wonderfully eventful year with the institute hosting a plethora of conferences, seminars, exhibitions, and film festivals of national and international statureall of which are a rightful acknowledgement of NIDs involvement in design education and design thinking in the Indian context.
This edition of Young Designers showcases the work of this years graduates, whose diploma projects reveal their unique approaches to design and societal concerns. I am indeed proud of these young designers and am confident that they will promote a culture of excellence in all their future endeavours.
I wish them all success.


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Many women who deal with infertility also have to deal with miscarriages during their journey to motherhood. If you're pregnant after dealing with a combination of fertility problems and at least one prior miscarriage, you're likely facing a variety of emotions, from guilt to worry to excitement. If You're Feeling Guilty... Although you've successfully gotten pregnant, you're likely also still mourning the loss of your previous pregnancies. Many women who've experienced miscarriages feel guilt during subsequent pregnancies.
A herniated disc in the neck can be extraordinarily painful, and can impede an individual's daily life and ability to enjoy activities. Long term herniated disc treatment may involve surgical repair or other therapies; however, these don't generally provide fast and effective pain relief. If you are experiencing neck pain due to a herniated disc, here are 3 fast, easy and drug free solutions that can help. 1. Chiropractic Treatment
It is not uncommon for a two year old to tell his or her parent "no" because they do not want to do something. One of the challenges of parenting a toddler is learning how to get them to listen and obey. Here are 3 things you can try to improve your child's obedience. Consistency First, consistency is really important. If you have a child who comes into your room in the middle of the night often to get into your bed and you do not want this to happen, then consistency is key.
During my first pregnancy, I spent a lot of time pushing pillows behind my back trying to find comfort. As the size of the baby grew, so did my discomfort. By the time she was born, I was more than ready to give birth. When I found out I was pregnant again, I was determined that I would not suffer through the same discomforts. I started researching ways to ease the symptoms of pregnancy, including back pain. I created this blog to help other expectant moms find remedies to deal with those symptoms that can be emotionally and physically draining.


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\*Please feel free to pass this newsletter to others. If you received this from a friend and would like to be on our list, please drop us a line at in
*Please feel free to pass this newsletter to others. If you received this from a friend and would like to be on our list, please drop us a line at email@example.com . Your feedback is really valuable to us.*
We are always going to be centered on PEOPLE and not primarily on technologies. So our newsletter is no exception. It is geared to making this community closer and more aware of all of its members (both the BUY side and the SELL side of the equation).
As usual there are a number of changes to report...
*Late Breaking News re India Canada Partnerships
Ryerson University is doing some great things with India
CASL came into effect on July 1, 2014. Its a legislative solution for a technological problem.
There's been a lot of turnover in the leadership of TTO offices lately. What will the new leaders do differently?
Who's Gone Where
Over the last six months we have become aware of the following changes in the technology transfer scene in Canada. There have been several changes in leadership positions. If you know of other personnel changes please contact us at email@example.com and we will include them in the next newsletter. Our aim is to increase awareness and connectivity within our Canadian TTO community. Thank you.
ArrowCan Partners Inc. would like to announce that the Ultra Deep Mining Network, Laurentian University, Sudbury ON is a client. We are excited to be part of such an ambitious and important BL-NCE for Canada. We would be happy to tell you about it when we meet.
Angus Livingstone has left the University Industry Liaison Office, University of British Columbia to become the Innovation Catalyst for University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC.
JP Heale is the interim Managing Director, University Industry Liaison Office,University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC.
Stuart Cullum is the Vice President Academic and Chief Operating Officer, Lethbridge College, Lethbridge AB.
Lorne MacGregor has left Lethbridge College to be Director, Applied Research and Commercialization, Lakeland College, Vermillion AB.
Joe Toth from Springboard West has become a private consultant, Regina SK.
Michael Leydon from Springboard West is an ITA at NRC-IRAP, Regina SK.
Divyesh Patel from Springboard West is a Technology Transfer Officer, Office of Research, Innovation and Partnership, University of Regina, Regina SK.
Lynda Dudley from Springboard West is an Office Manager, First Nations Power Authority of Saskatchewan, Regina SK.
Jim George from Springboard West is a Vice President at SREDA, Saskatoon SK.
Lisette Mascarenhas from Springboard West is Director, Research and Development, Saskatchewan Pulse Crop Development Board, Saskatoon SK.
Glen Schuler Managing Director, Industry Liaison Office, University of Saskatchewan has retired, Saskatoon SK.
Robert Parsons is acting Managing Director, Industry Liaison Office, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK.
Sandy Bresciani is Interim Patent Officer, Industry Liaison Office, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK.
Raj Nayak is Interim Start-Up Company Specialist, Industry Liaison Office, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK.
Glen Laba has left the Industry Liaison Office, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK to pursue other interests.
Doug Tastad Director, Innovation Place has retired, Saskatoon SK.
Riya Ganguly is Technology Manager, Technology Transfer Office, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB.
Neeraj Visen has left the Technology Transfer Office, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB to be Licensing Manager, North Dakota State University Research Foundation, Fargo ND USA.
Lisa Cechetto is the new Executive Director, WORLDiscoveries, Western, London ON.
Sally Gray has left the University Industry Partnerships, Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo ON to become Director, Office of Research, Innovation and Partnership, University of Regina, Regina SK.
Yaser Kerachian has left University Industry Partnerships, Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo ON to be Academic Program Director, Iranian Business School, Tehran Iran.
Tyler Whale Industry Liaison Officer, Catalyst Centre, University of Guelph will be the new President of Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, Guelph ON.
Elsie Quaite-Randall has left McMaster Industry Liaison Office, McMaster University, Hamilton ON to be Chief Technology Transfer Officer, Innovation and Partnership Office, Berkeley Lab, Berkeley CA USA.
Gay Yuyitung is acting Executive Director, McMaster Industry Liaison Office, McMaster University, Hamilton ON.
Terry Donaghue Director,Technology Transfer and Industrial Liaison, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute has retired and is CEO of Donaghue Consulting, Toronto ON.
Jim Banting is the President and CEO PARTEQinnovations, Queen's University, Kingston ON.
Luc Lalande is the Executive Director, Entrepreneurship Hub, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON.
Shelley King is the CEO, Three Oaks Innovation Inc., University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown PEI.
Gina Funicelli has left the Industry Liaison Office, Saint Mary's University Halifax NS to become Dean, Applied Research and Innovation, Lethbridge College, Lethbridge AB.
Tanya Moxley has left Industry Liaison Office, Saint Mary's University, Halifax NS to pursue other interests.
Kevin Buchan has left the Industry Liaison Office, Dalhousie University to be the Director, Office University and Community Engagement, Saint Mary's University, Halifax NS.
Marli MacNeil Executive Director, BioNova, Halifax NS has left to pursue other interests.
back to TOP...
Late Breaking News
"Report by India Education bureau, Mumbai: Zone Startups / India, a joint venture between Bombay Stock Exchange Institute and Toronto-based Ryerson Futures Inc., in collaboration with the Government of Ontario, Canada and IBM Global Entrepreneurship Program has announced the 2nd Edition of the Next BIG Idea Contest.
The competition seeks to discover India's 5 most innovative technology companies who are looking to leverage a presence in Ontario, Canada, as a vehicle to expand to North America. The winners will incubate their company for two weeks in the globally ranked #5 University Business Incubator in the world, the Digital Media Zone (DMZ) at Ryerson University, in Toronto, including flights and hotels." (Canada-India Business Council Daily News Brief, July 31, 2014)
Will CASL make a difference?
The new Canadian Anti Spam Legislation (CASL) took effect on July 1, 2014. The intent of the new law is quite clear and seems benign enough. Clearly it is designed to ease the onslaught of SPAM messages into our in-boxes every day. On the surface one would think: Who can argue with that?
I have three questions though that may initially seem a bit prosaic:
How will we actually measure whether SPAM is diminishing?
How will we judge the cost-to-benefit ratio of this legislation? Make no mistake there is a cost!
Are there other ways to achieve the same or better results?
The success of any legislation is usually measured by the amount of court action that results and eventually by the overall societal effect on our daily lives. So far, the amount of unwanted e-mail traffic has actually gone up as people scramble to obtain my consent to send me even more mail than before. Personally I find that annoying, and I apologize to each of you for having had to obtain your consent before sending this newsletter to you. But it may be just a short term effect that will settle down. It is far too early to tell whether there will be any court cases. Presumably when the first of these actually comes to the fore one can judge more appropriately what the effect of this law will be. My personal view is that it will not make much of a difference because the major offenders are not Canadian residents. Although the law applies to everyone who would send spam to a Canadian, the non-residents are going to be really hard to catch and prosecute. The Nigerian princes wanting large sums of money or those selling pills to enlarge certain parts of my anatomy are so swift to change their servers and to move from country to country that it will be virtually impossible to charge them in the first place let alone bring them to answer in a Canadian court of law. Then there are the innocent members of a university where someone breaks into their account and sends such messages to everyone on the server without the knowledge of the hacked individual. How will that be reduced? I'm sure all of us have got e-mails from ourselves selling something that we had no idea about. Who will be responsible for that? Isn't there a danger of the law being abused? Finally, spammers are also getting very sophisticated. It is not a static target by any means. Recently I got a lot of e-mails from ***@gmail.com. Creating a filter for that one was a real challenge. I found it very difficult to remove what I wanted to remove without removing all the gmails from anyone – legitimate or otherwise - for example.
With all of that complication there is always the question of cost-to-benefit ratio. No one seems to be concentrating on the costs of becoming compliant. We have had to spend weeks making lists and making sure that we have consent from everyone to whom we want to send this simple newsletter. The costs to small legitimate business is crippling. We have all heard about how the internet helps level the playing field for small businesses. We all know how important small and medium businesses are to our economy. What have we done to our small business competitive edge for Canadian businesses by enacting this law? Have we actually helped Canadian companies or given a competitive edge to other nations? Who will pay for the added costs to SMEs of doing business in this way in Canada?
Finally, I come to my last question. Is there a better way to achieve the same or better outcome? I believe that there already was such an avenue. There are a number of technological ways to reduce the spam that one gets in one's inbox. There are filters which enable one to automatically fine tune what one sees and what one does with the rest. There are external mail list filters that only allow those on your approved mailing list to send you e-mail. I have used BOXBE for example for some years and I find it great. Above all it is free. The advantage of such technological solutions is that as the spammers get more and more sophisticated so do the filter designers.
I believe that in enacting the CASL our Canadian government has actually inadvertently failed us by attempting to provide us with a legislative solution that is draconian and frozen in time to a technologically solvable problem while incurring a great competitive cost to all Canadians directly or indirectly in the process. Your own personal views are always welcome. Tell us how CASL has affected you.
"Who is Leading Technology Transfer in Canada?
The News section of this newsletter bears witness to the amount of change that seems to constantly plague the field of technology transfer and commercialization at universities across Canada. Looking back over past issues (archived on our website) this does not seem to be a one time phenomenon. Truth is that this is often just a job for most people – a stop along the way to some other 'real' career. Stagnation in the leadership has been blamed for this situation in the past. Recently it is the top positions at several institutions that have changed. In the last year alone we estimate that 20 TTO leadership positions at Canadian universities and colleges have changed. Though this is tragic in one way, it offers us an opportunity in Canada that I believe we should seize. It would appear that the old order is slowly but surely changing and yielding to new talent and new perspectives. What will that new direction be? Who will lead it? How will they shape the changes? How will they measure success? Forming answers to these questions is something in which we can all participate. Working in isolation it is difficult sometimes to conceive of ways to do our jobs differently. But we don't need to do that. Let's all participate in an ongoing national dialogue.
The time is ripe for each of us to step up to the plate and make some bold moves. Some are already doing that. The University of Ottawa and the University of Manitoba for example have already put out new models for sharing technologies with industry. Many others are trying similarly bold new things. It is too early to make definitive statements about the probability that these initiatives will catch on but the early indicators look promising and the mere fact that they and their institutions have chosen to make some bold inroads in novel directions is creditable. Its time not just to redecorate the rooms in a condemned building but to really build a new one.
We have to think of new ways to do our business and create new definitions of what success in our profession looks like. Royalty rates and contract terms that are now decades old and that speak to an era when pharmaceutical companies ruled the early technology landscape need to be rethought. No doubt the best indicator of future potential is past performance. I don't mean to suggest that we simply throw out the baby with the bathwater. Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. I am exploring ways to use the Freedom of Information mandate to extract real executed older contracts that were made by Canadian universities, hospitals and government agencies a decade ago to conceptually create the equivalent of Onecle.com – a database of all sorts of contracts in the US. It could give the smaller offices a source from which to draw some ideas as they craft new contracts with the new realities in mind. I am looking for collaborators in this endeavour. Please contact me if you would be interested.
In my opinion a more collaborative early engagement achieved via long cultivated relationships of trust and friendship with key industry players to find out what really keeps industry awake at night would be a path to pursue in the future. People not companies form the basis of this sort of relationship. When they move from one position to another the relationship moves as well. Will professionals in our TTOs one day be measured by the breadth and depth of their connection network and the longevity of their relationships with key players? Will the success of the office be measured by how much it is able to help researchers with the industrial relevance of their research and to be able to connect investigators to the right industry players for the validation of what they are saying? Will the success of the leaders be measured by lower turn over in the office? Are there ways we can all band together to offer bundled technologies from disparate institutions that form a proper IP fence for a particular product area to industry? The NCEs were supposed to do that but most of us would agree I think that this approach did not succeed in this particular dimension. Is there a structure that could help them in this area? Should we remain focused on North American markets for our technologies or should we embrace the new reality and look to markets in Asia and the Middle East? How can we do that without building ties to receptor communities there? What will those deals look like? Is Europe effectively dead to us now? Why not become a part of the technological solution they are seeking and in so doing build some great and lasting ties to key players there as we help them? What is the role we need to ascribe to technology transfer in the burgeoning area of Social Innovation? These and others are all questions I hope our new leadership in the Technology Transfer Community ponders as it ascends to its leadership place and charts our new directions. I am very excited about what the future holds for us.


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Student and Alumni Spotlights for the Biblical Ministries Program
Name: Sebastian Bjernegard
Major: Biblical Studies
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Fact: I am a huge Doctor Who fan.
I chose to come to Belhaven... I really wanted to learn for a good reason. I didn't want to go to a college that taught me so that I may be smarter, get a fun job or a lot of money. I wanted to go to a college that taught me things so that I may glorify God through it. Belhaven has taught me how to glorify God through what I have been taught.
One relationship that has meant a lot to me while attending Belhaven University... is with the RUF Campus Minister. He helped me so much during my first year at Belhaven. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be in the good spiritual condition I am right now. I thank God for him.
Because of my degree from Belhaven University... I will be able to not only do something that will support my living, but I will know how to live and the purpose behind it. I now know that the world's idea of living for one's own purpose is futile and that God's purpose for living, to love and enjoy both him and everyone around is the meaning of life.
One word to describe your experience at Belhaven: Radical
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Sebastian Bjenegard
Nathan Tardo


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|Click to access the file on Teachers Pay Teachers. Feedback appreciated.
Memorial Weekend Blog Hop
58 comments
I love Junie B. Jones books, the Froggy series and the Ready Freddy books. My firsties are enjoying the Stink books which are chapter books about Judy Moody's brother.ReplyDeleteReplies
I want to do more Magic Treehouse, Junie B, and Readdy Freddy for sure. I have 3/4 next year, so that would be perfect.Delete
I am in love, forever, with the Shredderman Series by Wendelin VanDrannenReplyDelete
The Meek Moose
The Meek Moose on TpTReplies
Totally unfamiliar with them, so I must check them out!!! Glad you dropped by.Delete
You have so many great unit/books studies. I love them!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks...trying to plan ahead for the summer to put out more. I've been slacking!!Delete
I'd love to see a unit for Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner!ReplyDeleteReplies
Definitely one I need to do. I've taught that book numerous times.Delete
Congrats on your milestones Carla! I love your freebie this weekend! Fabulous!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks! I'm getting ready to hop through now.Delete
Love Kate DiCamillo's books!ReplyDelete
Me too...Because of Winn Dixie is one I teach each year.Delete
Love the Junie B. Series and The Magic Tree House books!ReplyDeleteReplies
I was so sad when Barbara Parks died. Junie has helped my kids (at school) become readers, and I love MTH books too.Delete
Thank you so much for sharing this poetry collection (and the tips for using them)! I love using poetry in the classroom! At the beginning of the year I buy the cheap spiral notebooks when they are on sale. We just use those and the kids glue in poems. We read them together and then they keep the notebooks in their reading bag to use at read to self time (daily 5).ReplyDelete
Teacher Treasure HunterReplies
That is a fabulous suggestion, Melissa. I am stealing it!!Delete
Fav. Books? Using Franklin right now for character traits. Thanks for poems! Wendy 1stgradefireworks 1stgradefireworksReplyDeleteReplies
My oldest loved Franklin when he was little. Now he is almost 18. Time flies.Delete
I love Judy Moody books - especially Judy Moody Declares Independence - she visits Boston so it has references to the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's house,...ReplyDelete
Franklin, Froggy and books by Rosemary WellsReplyDelete
I will be teaching K/1 next year so am looking for appropriate books for these readers. HELP!ReplyDeleteReplies
Biscuit, Tiny, The Sam books by Mary LaBatt, Puppy Mudge, Real Kid Readers (love these), Green Light Readers, and some of the Ready Readers (some do not hold true to beginning reader needs). If this is your first year, you might find Reading A-Z helpful too. You can print/copy their leveled readers and project them on the Smartboard for modeling. I will email you more info. K/1 is a strength for me even though I've been working with 3-5 most recently.Delete
My students LOVE Jack and Annie! I use the Magic Tree House as a springboard for history units - For Ancient History I use Dinosaurs Before Dark, Mummies in the Morning, Hour of the Olympics, Days of the Dragon King, etc. When I have the American History rotation with the 1st to 3rd ese students, I use Civil War on Sunday, Revolutionary War on Wednesday - thanks for your products - everyone is fantastic!ReplyDelete
I would love to see anything Andrew Clements!ReplyDelete
Love these poems Carla! I'll be using them with my kiddoes this summer!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 24, 2014 at 10:58 AM
My students love Patricia Polacco and the Magic tree House Series.ReplyDelete
I must admit I'm an Eric Carle fan. I love the illustrations and the words. Love him! My kiddos do too. They might be slight intimidated lol but they love him.ReplyDeleteReplies
Debora-I have units for many of his books, but because the title and his name are trademarked, I have turned them into more themed units. You might look at my store to see if any are of interest. (Hermit Crab, Little Seed, Confused Chameleon, Grumpy Ladybug)Delete
Bud not buddy, number the stars. I think they're good read alouds for fourth grade, maybe by the end of the year.ReplyDeleteReplies
ah...great choices. Our fourth grade teachers do both each year.Delete
I love your poetry unit and the ideas you proposed. It's in my cart! I try to take the 20 picture book award nominees (or winners) each year and incorporate them when teaching strategies. Some of the 2014 titles are: Nelson Mandela, A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein, and The Year of Billy MillerReplyDeleteReplies
Excellent way to incorporate new books and authors. If you have a link to the list, I'd love it. :-)Delete
Thanks for the giveaway and the Freebie.ReplyDelete
Thanks for being so kind to us!!ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
I am thilled that I found your blog! I love reading as well! Thanks for the fantastic freeie. My kiddos love Henry and Mudge books, Frog and Toad stories, and the Magic Tree House series.ReplyDeleteReplies
Great recommendations! Love them too.Delete
Thank you!! How about Shirley Barber or The Brambly Hedge series. firstname.lastname@example.com
I need to look these up. I've never heard of them before.Delete
Congratulations! I love all the Julia Donaldson books!ReplyDeleteReplies
Another new author...thanks!Delete
My kiddos love Henry and Mudge, books by Jon Scieszka, Margie Pallantini, and anything else by Cynthia Rylant.ReplyDeleteReplies
Love these...My son loved Jon Scieszka's books in elementary.Delete
Thanks for all your great products. I would suggest a Leo Lionni author study or a Tommie DePaola author study. I have done both and would love your great resources for doing them again in the future.ReplyDeleteReplies
I actually have done both of them already.Delete
Many of my students love Henry and Mudge! Thank you!ReplyDelete
I love the book No Flying in the House!ReplyDeleteReplies
Looks like a really good one. I'm putting it on my list to buy and read this summer.Delete
Glad to have found your blog!ReplyDelete
Henry and Mudge books! My kids also like the Fly Guy books. Several of my kids started reading because of those.ReplyDelete
Reading Toward the Stars
Carla, I love your work. I learn so much from you!ReplyDelete
My second graders love Geronimo Stilton and Magic Tree House!ReplyDelete
You're welcome, Shawn.ReplyDelete
I love the Spanish version of I like me by Nancy Carlson!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 26, 2014 at 10:10 AM
I love the poems! Thank you! I like the idea of highlighting the punctuation as a way to also practice fluency. Sometimes they forget to breath in between sentences and with poems it is even more important to read with good phrasing and pauses. Poems lend themselves to this fluency practice so well! One of my favorite series is The Magic Tree House because of all the nonfiction qualities it has. Thanks again!ReplyDelete
Hands-On Happiness
Wow! Books I love.... Too Much Glue, any thing by Mo Willms, Magic Tree House, The 39 Clues, various fairy tales, folk tales. And so MANY MORE!ReplyDelete
I love the Louis Sachar series about Wayside School. They are great books to read to the class. My favorite book to read to my students is "Beware of Boys" by Tony BlundellReplyDelete
Three of my favourite books are "Charlotte's Web," "The One and Only Ivan," and "Wonder!!!" I would absolutely LOVE complementary units for these <3. Thank you for your incredible generosity and for considering me =). email@example.com
Thanks for visiting my blog today. I love to hear from my readers, so if something from my post speaks to you, please let me know. Feel free to share what has worked well for you or anything else on your mind.


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A body was pulled from the Patapsco River near Harbor Hospital Wednesday afternoon, fire officials confirmed.
Fire officials could not immediately provide details but said that a call was received around noon from the hospital reporting a body in the water. A fire rescue boat, an engine company and an EMS unit investigated and found a body near the hospital.
It was unclear if the body was related to reports Sunday that someone had jumped from the Hanover Street bridge.


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Email marketing automation software which allows you to maximize your profits per subscriber in any niche without EVER writing an email again!
This Video reveals the breakthrough in Email Marketing PROFIT technology: Turn $1 Into $44 From EVERY Email
Here are some FAQ to help you decide if Email Force will help you with your email marketing.
Q – What exactly is Email Force all about?
A – It's an automated solution to creating any type of email for any type of marketer.
Similar artificial intelligence tech has been used in softwares for creating sales copy, but never for email marketing. This combines a Q&A format to get the details of your product with PROVEN scripts from top email copywriters … then creates up to 75 completely customizable emails you can use to drive profits for any product.
Q – Do I need a list for it to work?
A – No .. . and yes. Yes because obviously you need people to promote to. No, because included in the package is a step-by-step SYSTEM for creating a list in any niche. So even if you're a beginner, the software bundle will work for you.
Q – Can technology REALLY create emails that convert into profits?
A – Yes, and actually better than most humans. The reason is this is a hybrid technology that combines the best of automation with the best email copywriters on the planet. The software determines all the details of your promotion, then matches it with subject lines, calls-to-action and content written by the top email copywriters out there.
Q – What about proof?
A – Email Force has been independently tested for over 6 months by marketers of all levels across a wide range of niches. You'll see their objective feedback on the page. Bottom line? The software exceeded ALL expectations in terms of speed, results and ease of use.
Q – Do I need any technical skills?
A – None. This is a cloud-based software you can access from anywhere, with training modules included right inside the dash. On top of that, the creators have put together a series of training webinars where they personally walk you through the software to get the best possible results.
Q – I'm kind of new and just starting to build a list. Will Email Force help me?
You bet! The software will help you convert more new leads into long-term customers in literally any niche. Plus the bonus training will help you build your list more effectively than ever … then you can use the software to maximize your profits per customer.
Q – What kinds of offers does Email Force create automated emails for?
Literally anything you can imagine. Whether you're promoting eCom products, affiliate offers, big ticket items or anything in-between, there are specific categories, sequences and emails built right into Email Force that get the job done.
Q – Are the messages Email Force creates unique to my products and services?
Absolutely! The software leads you through a series of questions to identify the key details of your specific offer. Then the "copy engine" takes over to create 100% unique messages for your products or services, using top converting subject lines, calls to action and body copy.
Q – Are there any limits on how many emails or sequences I can create?
None at all! As a charter member of Email Force, you'll have lifetime, unlimited access to create as many emails or entire sequences as you want.
Q – Will this work on my Mac?
You bet! Email Force is a completely cloud-based solution, so you can access it from any device with an internet connection. Use it from your desktop, phone or tablet – regardless of operating system.
Q – Are there any upgrade options?
A – Yes – 3 of them, and although none are needed to make Email Force work, certain users will appreciate the benefits:
Upgrade #1 – Template Club
You get 5 new email templates each month for 12 months, for a flat one-time fee (no membership cost). Each designed to maximize your conversions and keep you ahead of ANY changes in spam filters and buying triggers … so your messages continually drive the highest possible profits.
Upgrade #2 – DFY Niche Packs
This is a combined time-saver and profit booster. You get 7 niches with profiles completely filled out for you … meaning you can create emails in mere seconds for 7 of the most profitable online niches. Use these yourself, OR sell them to clients for passive profits.
Upgrade #3 – Email Agency
This is all about creating additional income streams for users that want to profit by using the software to market automated email marketing services. Complete, expert training on finding clients & closing deals, even if you've never done it before. 4-5 figures per month in passive income is more than possible.
So, hope this helps.
For complete details, visit the sales page here.
♡ Jacs


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Is 2011 The Year Of 3D?
In this Tunheim Tech Talk video, my colleague Pat Lilja & I discuss the state of 3D technology and whether or not 2011 will be the year 3D breaks into the mainstream. The video, of course, was shot with a 3D camera, so you'll need some 3D glasses and you'll need to adjust the settings on the video from the 3D menu in the video player to view it properly. Found at YouTube from TunheimPartners.
Similar Posts:
- Live Lifestreaming
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- Cascades by Flakjakt: First Music Video Using iPhone 4 Footage
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- Pat Lilja Reviews Android Honeycomb


text: There is a class variable in xml.dom.minidom.Document declared for the standalone value, and it is copied to the cloned node in the cloneNode method of the Document object, and there is an accessor '_get_standalone' to get the value, but otherwise it doesn't appear to be used at all in the minidom code. Chuck On 4/14/06, Stephen Briley <sdb1031 at gmail.com> wrote: > I'm trying to learn about Python and XML. I would like to be able to add > standalone="no" to my xml declaration when writing an xml file, but I am > unable to figure out how. So far, I have the following code: > > import xml.dom.minidom > doc2 = xml.dom.minidom.Document() > print doc2.toxml('iso-8859-1') > > Which produces the following XML declaration: > <?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?> > > However, my goal is to have the XML declaration look like the following: > <?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" standalone="no" ?> > > The following link mentions "standalone" as a Document class variable, but > I am unsure how to make this work or even if I am on the right track. > http://epydoc.sourceforge.net/stdlib/private/_xmlplus.dom.minidom.Document-class.html#encoding > > Any help would be greatly appreciated. > > Thanks. > _______________________________________________ > XML-SIG maillist - XML-SIG at python.org > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/xml-sig > > >


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Nestlé (the largest food company in the world) are rolling out QR Codes on packaging across their product portfolio, in both emerging and developed markets, in order to provide nutritional information for consumers. The news of Nestlé's new digital labelling scheme comes hot on the heels of McDonald's announcement that it would be using a QR Code to provide nutritional information on all carry-out bags worldwide.
This global initiative by Nestlé has started in the UK with a QR Code on multi-packs of two-finger Kit Kat chocolate bars (image below). Consumers who scan the QR code on a Nestlé product will, quote: "…be able to obtain additional information relating to how the product fits into a healthy lifestyle, including portion guidance, recipe ideas, and its role in a balanced diet. They will also be able to access facts about its impacts, such as how much water or energy is used in its entire life cycle". You can see what this means by visiting the mobile site for the new Kit Kat packaging here.
Click on the image below to zoom in and see the detail.


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Position Overview
The ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) is dedicated to contributing to The Australian National University's reputation for excellence in research and research-led education, bringing together expertise across a range of areas to reimagine the role of engineering and computing for future generations.
CECS is a diverse and exceptional community of students, educators, scholars and researchers who embrace the breadth of the computing and engineering professions. We want our people to engage in ground-breaking, cutting-edge research to solve "wicked problems" of the 21st century in collaboration with the best minds in the world from across a broad range of disciplines. Through modern, unique programmes we encourage our students to build a diverse, multidisciplinary skillset that will prepare our graduates to successful make their future mark in the world. At its core, we will equip our people to ask the right kind of questions from a people-centric, technological and scientific perspective.
We are looking for people who share our passion and who want to create something exceptional. Through this unique endeavour, ANU will nearly triple its capability in engineering and computer science over the next decade. In this very first call out for talent, we are looking for experts in:
The positions are available as either fixed term or continuing opportunities, dependent on the candidate's experience, capability and preference. Applications are invited from outstanding thinkers with a depth of expertise in one of these areas alongside the breadth of vision needed to reframe and solve the most important, complex problems of our age. You will be offered individualised attention and be part of a culture with a strong sense of community to discover and define your own pathways. You will enjoy building teams, capacity and will be a natural collaborator, setting new standards of excellence and inspiring future faculty and students.
We welcome and develop diversity of backgrounds, experiences and ideas and encourage applications from individuals who may have had non-traditional career paths, who may have taken a career break or who have achieved excellence in careers outside of academia.
For a confidential discussion about the Associate Professor / Professor of Robotics, please contact Lara Connolly, T: +61 2 8354 4025 E: email@example.com
ANU values diversity and inclusion and believes employment opportunities must not be limited by socio-economic background, race, religion or gender. The University actively encourages applications from women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and candidates from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, it is policy in the ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science to require selection panels to seek a gender balance when compiling shortlists of candidates for interview. For more information about staff equity at ANU, visit https://services.anu.edu.au/human-resources/respect-inclusion
The ANU provides attractive benefits and excellent support to maintain a healthy work/life balance and offers generous remuneration benefits, including four weeks paid vacation per year, assistance with relocation expenses and 17% employer contribution to superannuation. This also includes generous parental leave, the possibility of flexible and part time working arrangements, a parental and aged care support program, dual career hire programs, ANU school holiday programs, and childcare facilities on campus. For more information, please visit https://services.anu.edu.au/human-resources/
In order to apply for this role please make sure that you upload the following documents:
Professor of Robotics
For further information or to apply, please go to www.perrettlaver.com/candidates and quote reference number 3722-6.
Position Description & Selection Criteria
In your application, please refer to Polytechnicpositions.com


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The value of Bitcoin continued to plunge on Friday as trading resumed on Mt.Gox, the world's largest virtual currency exchange.
The currency fell to $75 before shooting up to $102 and then fell back down to $95 by 7 a.m. London time.
Bitcoin was valued at around $120 when trading was halted by Mt.Gox for about 12 hours on Thursday, following a substantial drop. The exchange told CNBC.com that increased demand had led to a slowdown with its systems, as well as sporadic distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) - which slow down the website, delay orders and panic sellers.
(Read More: Bitcoin Crash Spurs Race to Create New Exchanges)
"We are suffering from DDoS attacks on a daily basis, but the past few days they were more 'powerful' than the usual," Gonzague Gat-Bouchery, communications manager at Mt.Gox told CNBC.com.
"People are using zombie PCs or [a] hacked server to send a lot of traffic to our servers. And for that there is not many things that can be done," he added.
Bitcoin – dismissed by some as a ponzi scheme and hailed by others as the future of money – has fallen in recent days from the record high of $266 it reached on Wednesday.
(Read More: Bitcoin Bounces Back After Crashing Nearly 60%)
The digital currency is bought and sold on a peer-to-peer network independent of any central control. Users can send money directly from their computers to others across the world; coins can be used to buy real goods, swapped for cash on exchanges or used for speculation.
The currency has gained prominence amid the euro zone sovereign debt crisis as more people started to question the safety of keeping their cash in a bank. Bitcoins shot up in value in March when investors were alarmed at Cyprus' plans to impose losses on bank deposits.


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An explanation
Dear Boriswatch,
What's Up with Boriswatch? Has it ceased to be?
I note it is not being kept up to date. (sobs)
Hi Diana,
Dear Boriswatch,
What's Up with Boriswatch? Has it ceased to be?
I note it is not being kept up to date. (sobs)
Hi Diana,
Whoops… avid fan of the site Lainie pointed out that the "Subscribe by Email" section on the right hand site didn't work! Lord know how many (1? 2?) subscribers I've lost with that little snafu. All fixed now, thank goodness – subscribe away!
Dear Boriswatchers,
Boriswatch Towers got mildly tainted yesterday by the expenses scandal and wants to clear up a couple of points:
1. The site Boriswatch.com has never received funding by Boris Johnson or anyone connected with him. The site is wholly independent – but rather likes him. 😉
2. If people asked before publishing, they would get closer to the real story. The BBC asked; the Evening Standard didn't even try, and gave implications in this article that are wholly untrue. There's a lesson there that I'm sure doesn't need spelling out – or maybe the Standard just wanted to sell more papers.
I'd like to thank Tory Troll for actually taking the time to contact Boriswatch and actually publish the truth. His post this morning couldn't be fairer.
Onwards and upwards, Boriswatchers!
Best Wishes,
Boriswatch is nothing if not generous with the site's promotion to the masses. We've done a Boriswatch video, appeared on the BBC and Sky, enabled Boriscards to be sent around the web, set up a Boriswatch Facebook group, made t-shirts and thongs and generally said yes to everything. Well, not everything.
And now, dear readers, Boriswatch has today been broadcast on BBC London, who pitched the site against the recently started Boriswatch.co.uk, a site less about accountability – as it states – and more about getting Mayor Ken back. I came out of the dark-roomed interview blinded by the lights and thinking of all the things I should have said instead. There was a lot more to the interview, but I suppose my staunch defence of Mayor Boris will have to stay on the cutting room floor…
So, here it is:
Just a quick note to say that the Advertise page is now fixed, and ready and waiting to boost your traffic…
Boriswatch gets quite a few requests for information from students, who are often using Boris or Boriswatch as a muse for their essays and even dissertations. Here – with her permission – is a Boriswatch Q and A session with Helen Clark, a journalism student from University of Lincoln.
Q: When and why was Boriswatch started?
A: Boriswatch was started in 2003 when I saw Boris on Have I Got News For You and found him intensely funny. I looked on the internet, and found virtually nothing about him. So, seeing as I could build websites, I started Boriswatch. It was originally a subsection of my personal website, but gained its own web domain in early 2004.
Q: How good has the response been to it?
A: Immense. After about 3 weeks of posting, the visitors ramped up to around 300 a week. Now, the site pulls in over 2000 visitors a week, has two contributors, and has appeared on BBC News, Sky News and ITV. We've had articles published in FHM, BBC News and the official Back Boris site, as well as interest from smaller organisations. And – dare I mention it – there's even a Boriswatch-constructed Boris For Mayor song!
Q: Has Boris himself seen or commented about the website?
A: Boris has seen it and commented on it on ITV and the BBC as well as his personal website – and thanks to his wonderful team I have met up with him many times. There was even a Central News piece on Boriswatch itself, complete with a discussion with Boris on what he thinks of the site, Boriswatch t-shirts and the first mention of the legendary Boriswatch Thong. However, when the Boris team first approached me, their opening line was "Are you some sort of nutter?"
Q: Why do you think Boris appeals so much to the younger generation?
A: Well, firstly, he's funny. Some people don't like his privileged upbringing, but his personality and self-deprecation takes the edge off of the criticisms. Personality is a rare commodity in politics, and it's a breath of fresh air. Because he's funny, people listen to him. And because they listen to him, they realise that he speaks his mind, regardless of the political fallout, which is very rare in politics. And because people find he says what he thinks, they tend to agree with him! People can see that underneath the messy fair lies a very clever brain – I'll never forget when he forgot write a Telegraph column that was due to be published the next day. It was 12.30pm, and we were in a pub in Oxfordshire. He whipped out two paper napkins from behind the bar and started writing. That article, written on the spur of the moment, was in the paper the next day, almost completely unedited. I know many people that take days to achieve the same thing…
And let me tell you – I've met him many times, and his appearance and personality is no act. He is the same in private as he is in person – which can be seen as a good thing or a bad thing!
Q: Why do you think he has had the ability to weather problems which would have destroyed other politicians careers?
A: It's the Stephen Fry school of deprecation, I think. Most of the time, people actually agree with him. He speaks sense, and cheers people up. That's a very rare quality, and people warm to him so much that minor transgressions can be forgiven. People don't want to lose the one person that speaks sense and entertains them in politics. Yes, he gets things wrong – but when he does, he admits them, rather than cover it up like most public figures.
Q: What would you consider to be Boris' finest moment?
A: Ooooh, good one. Well, up until now, I would have to say becoming a minister in shadow government would have to be the top achievement so far. Boris has always wanted to focus on politics, and he would have been chuffed at that.
However, the greatest achievement is get to come – becoming Mayor of London!
Got a Boris photo you're aching to share with Boris fans? Video footage of BoJo? Something else? Help is at hand with a new widget we've added to the bottom of the sidebar. It enables you to send files into us simply and easily. Get sending!
We have few idle moments here at Boriswatch Towers. But we've managed to string a few of those idle moments together to produce a wonderful little ditty in favour of the Big Bozza! Here, Ladies and gentlefolk, is the world premiere of "Boris For Mayor" – The Song! Watch out for the guest pigeon…
UPDATE: Well, this IS going well. It's in the top 50 most downloaded political videos on Youtube this week, and it's been picked up by Sky's Adam Boulton, ConservativeHome and BackBoris! Here's some websites linking to the song:
ConservativeHome: Boris For Mayor – the unofficial theme tune
Sky's Adam Boulton: Name That Tune
BackBoris Newsletter: February 22nd 2008
Times CommentCentral: With a Video Like This, How Can Boris Lose?
An email has flooded in to Boriswatch Towers, asking why the site isn't covering every aspect of Boris's Mayoral viewpoints, policy decisions and so on.
Well, I gave it a go. In fact, I wrote several pieces that could have appeared on Boriswatch, listing all the happenings, occurances and occasions that had happened in the few days since the previous posting. But then it dawned on me that I was reinventing the wheel! There are full-time bloggers that are covering most of the announcements with stonking alacrity, so much so that my reference to them hours later seemed more of an afterthought.
Sure, Boriswatch will report and comment on the big Boris news of the moment. Hell, it's been a forfront of Boris news since the day it was conceived over a hot chocolate, late one frosty afternoon. It will still cover the quirky stories, it will still be a fine source of news on all things Boris. And T-Shirts, mugs and thongs! But with the Mayoral campaign just about to kick off, make sure you also browse the following fine sites for your political punditry:
So, a very happy New Year to all Boriswatch readers – and see you in 2008, Boris's Big Year!
A very merry Christmas to all Boriswatcher everywhere! We hope you have a wonderful time.
And if you still need to send Christmas cards, why not send a Boriscard?


text:
Bio 332 Biology of Plants Fall 2018 Schedule
Lectures: MWF 8:00-8:50 AM SB-331 Labs: M 2-4:50 PM SB-315
Ross Koning 860-933-2712 koning∂easternct⋅edu
Science 356 MWF 10A-12N
Hotlines: 860-465-4444 or 800-578-1449
|Lec/Lab Topic
|Wed‑Aug 29
Syllabus Review
Lecture Handouts
Pointers for Botany
|Fri-Aug 31
What is a plant?, What is Botany?
|Botany, Photosynthesis, Ethnobotany
|Mon-Sep 3
|Labor Day!
|Wed-Sep 5
|Taxonomy and Cladistics
Evolution of
Species Plantarum,
Botanical, and Cultivar Nomenclature
|Fri-Sep 7
|Why study plants?
Seed and Seedling Vocabulary
|Mon-Sep 10
|Seeds and Germination, Seed Germination
|Amplified Abstract, Seed Germination
|Mon-Sep 10
Quiz 1 Lab Setup, Magical Mystery Tour
Seeds and Germination Exercise: Hist
Root and Stem Homework Hist
Root Slides, Stem Slides, Ranunculus Stem Slide
|Wed-Sep 12
|Continue Seeds Germination
|Root, Stele
|Fri-Sep 14
Count Lettuce Seed Germination
Roots, Roots
|Root Vocabulary
|Mon-Sep 17
|Continue Roots
Stem Vocabulary
|Mon-Sep 17
Quiz 2 Finish Seed & Germination Exercise
Plant Morphology Exercise: Hist
Leaf Vocabulary
Photosynthesis Study Guide
|Wed-Sep 19
Finish Roots
|Secondary Growth, Dendrochronology, Pinus longaeva
|Fri-Sep 21
Stems, Stems
|Mon-Sep 24
Finish Stems
Cambium, Wood, Periderm, Bark
Comic Version
|Mon-Sep 24
Quiz 3 Due: Seed & Germination Exercise
Finish Plant Morphology (Pisum sativum page 6)
Root and Stem Anatomy Exercise Hist
Leaf Anatomy Homework Hist
Leaf Anatomy Slides
Cyanobacteria Homework Hist
Cyanobacteria Slides
|Wed-Sep 26
|Finish Wood, Periderm
|C-3 Reactions, C-4 Reactions
|Fri-Sep 28
Leaves, Leaves
|Mon-Oct 1
|Finish Leaves
|Mon-Oct 1
Quiz 4 Due: Plant Morphology Ex.
Due: Root and Stem Homework
Bring sunglasses to lab for:
Photosynthesis Exercise Hist
Life Cycle Wordsearch,
Practice Sheet,
and Taxonomy Vocabulary
|Wed-Oct 3
Photosynthesis/Light, Photosynthesis
|Fri-Oct 5
|Finish Light Reactions
|Life Cycle, Diplohaplontic
|Mon-Oct 8
|Chlorophyta, Archaeplastida
|Mon-Oct 8
Due: Root & Stem Anatomy Ex.
Quiz 5 Cladistics Exercise Hist
Chlorophyta Homework Hist
Chlorophyta & Zygnemophyceae Slides
|Wed-Oct 10
C-4 and CAM cycles
|Chlamydomonas, Oedognoium, Codium, Ulva
|Fri-Oct 12
Due: Leaf Anatomy Hmwk & PSN Ex.
Phylogeny Flowers, Phylogeny Flowers
|Bryophytes, Liverworts
|Mon-Oct 15
Blue-geen Algae, Cyanobacteria
|Leafy Liverworts
|Mon-Oct 15
Quiz 6 Flower Morphology Intro Hist
Observing Cyanobacteria
Bryophytes Homework Hist
Bryophyte Study Sheet
|Wed-Oct 17
A basic life history
Green Algae, Chlorophyta
|Moss, Bryopsida
|Fri-Oct 19
|Finish Chlorophyta
|Polytrichum, Physcomitrella
|Mon-Oct 22
|Liverworts, Marchantiophyta
|Mon-Oct 22
Due: Flower Introductory Exercise
Quiz 7 Observing Chlorophyte Algae
|Wed-Oct 24
Due: Cladistics Exercise
Mosses, Bryophyta
|Psilotum, Tmesipteris, Psilotales
|Fri-Oct 27
|Hornworts, Anthocerotophyta
|Lycophytes, Morphology, More
|Mon-Oct 29
|Fern Allies: Psilotum, Psilotopsida
|Equisetum, Equisetology, Giants!
|Mon-Oct 29
Due: Cyanobacteria Homework
Quiz 8 Moss Homework Clinic
Ferns and Allies Homework Hist
Ferns and Allies Slides
|Wed-Oct 31
Happy Halloween!
Due: Chlorophyta Homework
Fern Allies: Lycophytes, Lycopodiophyta
|Fri-Nov 2
|Fern Allies: Equisetum, Equisetopsida
|Selaginella, Isoetopsida, Isoetes
|Mon-Nov 5
|Fern Allies: Ferns, Pteridopsida
|Gymnosperms, Cycads, Pages, Ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba
|Mon-Nov 5
Due: Bryophytes Homework
(Mystery Plant Flower Observations)
Quiz 9 Psilotum, Lycophyte, Equisetum, Fern Observations
Selaginella, Cycads, Ginkgo Homework Hist
Selaginella Slides
Cycads and Ginkgo Slides
|Wed-Nov 7
Selaginella, Isoetopsida
|Seed Plants, Pinophyta
|Fri-Nov 9
|Cycads, Cycadophyta+Ginkgophyta
|Pine, Cones
|Mon-Nov 12
|Pine Life History, Pinophyta
|Gnetophytes, Gnetum, Ephedra, Welwitschia
|Mon-Nov 12
Due: Fern Allies Homework
Fern Anatomical Observations
Quiz 10 Fern and Ginkgo Campus Walk
Dress for Weather!
Pine Reproduction Homework Hist
Pine Reproduction Slides
|Wed-Nov 14
|Finish Pine Life History
|Anthophyta, Flower, Stamen, Pollen
|Fri-Nov 16
Course Evaluation
Gnetales, Gnetophyta
|Gynoecium, Ovule
|Mon-Nov 19
|Anthophyta: Male, Angiosperms
|Fruit Anatomy, Fruit
|Mon-Nov 19
Quiz 11 2 PM Sharp: Gymnosperm Campus Tour
Dress for the weather!
Angiosperm Reproduction Homework Hist
Angiosperm Reproduction Slides
|Wed-Nov 21
|Thanksgiving Break
|Fri-Nov 23
|Mon-Nov 26
|Anthophyta: Female
|Mon-Nov 26
Due: Selaginella, Cycads, Ginkgo Hwk
Quiz 12 Flowers Exercise Hist
|Wed-Nov 28
From Flower to Seed in Fruit
Floral Adaptations, Pollination
|Magnoliophyta, Flower Evolution
|Fri-Nov 30
Due: Pine Reproduction Homework
Finish Pollination
|Digital Flowers
|Mon-Dec 3
|Floral Evolution, APG IV
|APG, APG Systematics
|Mon-Dec 3
Due: Flowers Exercise
Quiz 13 Fruits Exercise Hist
Angiosperm Seeds Homework Hist
Angiosperm Seeds Slides
|Wed-Dec 5
Finish Plant Evolution
Do Old Exams Help You Study?
|Fri-Dec 7
|Finish up Last Lecture!
|Mon-Dec 10
Due: Angiosperm Reproduction Hwk
Due: Seeds Homework
Due: Fruits Exercise
8 AM- 10 AM Final Exam SB-331
|Fri-Dec 14
|Mystery Plant Report AND Greenhouse Prox Card Due 4 PM
This course satisfies one of the upper-level lab course requirements for organismal biology for the biology major. It is designed to provide you with comprehensive exposure to the subject of botany. You will learn about the structure, life history, and evolution of plants. Physiology and ecology will be kept to a minimum as ECSU offers comprehensive courses on these subjects and this course will prepare you well for taking those courses. This course will assist you in answering 30-50% of the questions on the GRE biology exam. The organisms featured in this course have spanned 3 billion years of the history of life on planet Earth. If you are a person who has over-specialized in zoology, ecology, or cellular and molecular biology, this course will expand your horizons significantly. As a study of producers, this course will examine those organisms so important because of their position at the energy and elemental intake portion of the energy pyramid and the food web! This course should bring you to a better appreciation of plants, upon which animals depend completely for our very survival.
Since this course focuses upon plant structures, life histories, and evolution, you are advised that the differences among the organisms known as plants are expressed most extensively and differentially in their reproductive structures, functions, and evolution. You are forewarned that this course necessarily has strong sexual content. If you are uncomfortable discussing, dissecting, and studying the sexual aspects of plants and their conspecifics, perhaps you should consider a different course for this semester.
There is no book required for this course. If your learning style requires a formal book to guide your studies, then here is a list of recommended botany books by on-line price for a new copy (observed in May 2018). Our campus bookstore will have copies of Kratz and Raven et al., perhaps both new and used, available for purchase.
The Botany for Dummies text has extremely informal style (extensive use of contractions, setting a bad writing example!). This is not equivalent to a formal, full-color, well-illustrated college-level majors text such as the rest of those listed above. On the other hand, there is much to be said for its price. There are some errors as might be expected in a first edition, but it is really quite a reasonable book for the price. It does omit the green algae, however.
To provide you with some reading sources beyond my own (see below), I provide some links to Wikipedia on the schedule. I know some faculty would be crying bloody murder, but frankly, I find Wiki articles to be fairly accurate, well documented, and not too badly organized. They do lack the cross-referenced illustrations of a textbook, but I am providing many of the illustrations in my links on the course schedule above. There are many botanical images that could be found in Google Image too! There are even botanical videos available at YouTube. Another interesting and useful biological resource is Wikispecies. Now that you know of on-line resources, you need to put them to your full advantage!
My lecture notes, PowerPoint slides, homework handouts, homework resources and lab exercise materials and all due dates are linked on the course schedule above for your study. I hope you appreciate the $aving$! You will receive one printed copy of homework and lab exercise worksheets. The links above allow you to download a copy for reprinting should you need a second copy. I recommend that you purchase a large three-ring binder for these and for your notes, with zipper pouch containing: Small Scissors, Metric Rule, Fine Forceps, Mechanical Pencil, Leads, Eraser, Colored Pencils, and a USB Flash Drive or other storage device for whatever computer you like to use. Because I abhor grading inky-messes, there is a 10% penalty for all laboratory papers and quizzes completed in ink; buy your pencil, keep it in your zipper pouch, and use it well.
Your course grade will be based on 1000 points divided between 200 points for weekly quizzes, 200 points for the graded homework assignments, 200 points for graded lab assignments (attendance may be counted here), 100 points for participation, 100 points for the term project, and 200 points for the comprehensive final exam.
A Quiz will be given at the beginning of each laboratory period. Quizzes will cover lectures, readings, and laboratory material from the previous portions of the course. Most quizzes will consist of a variety of question types; it is your responsibility to be prepared for all forms of questions (MC, TF, FI, Drawing, Essay). THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES! When the students who arrived to laboratory on time are finished with the quiz, all other quiz papers will be collected (finished or not). Do not be late to laboratory! If you miss one quiz it will be excused. Missing an additional quiz will not be excused and will put a 0 score to be calculated into your grade. If you have not missed one quiz all semester, then your lowest quiz score will be dropped from grading.
Homework and Laboratory Worksheets will be provided to you; if you lose yours, print a replacement from the website. The worksheets are due at the beginning of class on the announced due date posted on this course webpage. A paper turned in during or after that lecture will be scored as one-day late. Late papers will receive a penalty of 10% per day late; and after the first graded paper is returned to any one of your classmates, your late work is no longer acceptable and will be scored as a 0. You will need to make many sketches and write much about what you have learned during each part of the course to stay "up to date." These materials include on-line anatomy homework exercises that are just as important as any other part of the course!
The Term Project is to prepare a large paper (probably 30 pages or more including captioned sketches) on the comparative morphology, anatomy, development, growth, and reproduction of your personal mystery plant. Obviously the first few in-lab exercises will be your guides as to things to do, sketches to make, observations to record, graphs to print from Excel. Because nearly half of you have failed to meet the department's intermediate writing requirement (Bio 050), this first submission will be due when we start talking about life cycles...the date-specific is weather and growth-dependent...so it will be announced later with a due date of one week in the future. This is not much warning, so be sure you are keeping up on this work. The first submission is not expected to cover flowers and fruits. The second submission will be due near the end of the semester; this later paper will include the reproductive biology of your mystery plant. While identifying your plant is one part of this project, it is only an exceedingly minute part of it. The late penalty for worksheets described above applies to this term project report as well! If you have failed to meet the Bio 050 requirement, you may be assigned additional writing work to determine whether you have made the grade or not.
Because the work for the term project is performed largely outside of class time, you will be assigned a proximity card with a particular serial number on it. This card opens the door numbered Science 120, thus giving you access to the greenhouse and headhouse during hours when the building is open. Please do not provide access to other people...the software on the electronic lock records your uses so, if there are problems, they can be traced to you! Please keep your proximity card so you do not lose it; if you do lose yours, please notify me immediately so I can have the system reject your card until you find it. At the end of the term project I will be asking for return of the proximity card; if yours is not returned at or before the final exam, you will fail the course.
The Final Exam is a comprehensive examination of the entire course. Lecture, Homework, and Laboratory material will be integrated into this exam. The Exam will be short answer and short essay with sketches, etc. Questions are likely to be focused longitudinally through the course rather than horizontally through each group of plants (i.e. unlike the quizzes!). "Seeing the forest" will be more important than "knowing its trees" for this exam. It will be given during the final exam week on the day specifically assigned to our lecture or lab time. Please be sure to schedule your travel, work and other plans around this date and time!
I will do my level best to grade all student work as fairly and as objectively as I know to try. I am open to your suggestions about fairness. I am open to reconsidering any grading that you may feel was unfair within one week of a paper's return to you. I cannot address concerns that go unexpressed, so I invite you to my office hours to discuss every concern you may have in this course. Two students who compare grading on their separate papers and believe they have found an example of special treatment, should come in together to discuss it objectively. I will never take points away from any points awarded on a paper. However, it may be that two answers that seem to be "the same" are, in fact, different enough that one is correct and the other is wrong. It may only be the addition of a single word that makes a difference between a point and no point. It may be that the point was not awarded in one case because the word was not connected properly to a structure on a diagram, etc. There is also a chance that I failed to mark an incorrect answer wrong on one paper by accident; although I will not take away points awarded (even in error) on a paper, it is important to understand that I will not compound such a mistake on other papers. Please come in to discuss your concerns; I am happy to explain my grading to you and to make any adjustments as are correct and fair.
Participation in this laboratory course is essential and it will be assessed in lecture in several different ways: attendance, in-class activities, and plicker questions. Moreover, should your course grade come near a grading border, my sense of your participation in this course will be used as leverage into or barrier from the next-higher grade. Being on-time to all classes, having all materials needed for class, turning in assignments on time or early, being thorough in your laboratory work, being attentive in both lab and lecture classes, working efficiently and cooperatively with lab partners, asking pertinent questions, having answers to my questions in lectures, etc. are all good ways to impress me about your commitment to learning botany. If you are a person who procrastinates, who does only the minimum, who is tardy with papers, who complains about academic workloads, who watches lab partners doing the work, who sleeps in class, who can not or will not do simple math, or who answers cell phone calls or text-messaging in class...well...you will get exactly what you earn...and only what you earn.
A few students are under the mistaken impression that learning exercises are or should be initiated and completed, including all calculations and answering of thought questions, within the 3, 50-minute lectures and the 3-hour laboratory class period. I remind you that the university catalog and I are in agreement that, for the six hours of in-class time each week, you are also expected to spend at least twelve (**12**) hours each week on your own time completing course work! Failing to distinguish what to do during laboratory time vs homework time is one reason students often claim that the laboratory exercises in my courses are too long. It is important to identify and complete data collection in class and to avoid breaking out calculators or computers in laboratory time to do the homework thinking and homework calculations in class. It is also good practice to spend no laboratory time in social conversation...as much fun and as tempting as that activity may be.
Dress Code: This class will be consistent with departmental guidelines for laboratory and field courses. You are expected to wear closed shoes for all laboratory and field meetings. You are expected to wear long pants or jeans or will bring a labcoat to cover your shorts/dress/skirt/kilt. You will wear your slacks at your waist and will not be exposing the class to your undergarments. In laboratory, you will not wear shirts/blouses/sweaters/etc. with long flowing sleeves. You will not be allowed to wear a hat in lecture or laboratory, but if your hair is longer than your earlobes, you will be required to have your hair held back in a hair tie/elastic band/scrunchie, etc. for laboratory. For field excursions, all students must wear closed shoes, suitably warm clothing, and raingear, hats, or gloves as needed/desired. You are not allowed to eat or drink in the laboratory, but you are permitted to bring both food and beverage into the field. All associated trash must be taken from the field site by you and placed in proper receptacles.
The biology department and I expect you to monitor your university email address for important communications from the university, from the department, and from your biology instructors. In this course, the official syllabus is the on-line version as modified during the semester; you are expected to check the on-line syllabus frequently and regularly for changes, especially due dates for assignments.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Points allocated for data that you did not help to collect will be discounted completely. Attendance is critical to good performance, particularly in laboratory. Keeping up in reading the website, studying, etc. is important. If you lack time-management or study skills, ask me how to learn them.
If you have not yet met the BIO 050 intermediate writing requirement in biology (8 points or more from the core courses), it is your responsibility to notify me of this problem. I will respond by providing you with additional writing requirements in this course so that perhaps you can demonstrate that you are ready for Senior Seminar.
If you are a student with a disability and believe you need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to immediately contact the Office of AccessAbility Services. I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received a directive letter from that office.


text:
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|Essential Computer Concepts
|Windows Vista
|Exploring the Basics of Microsoft Windows Vista. Managing Your Files with Windows Vista
|Browser and E-mail Basics
|Getting Started with Microsoft Office 2007
|Word 2007
|Creating a Document
|Editing and Formatting a Document
|Creating a Multiple-Page Report
|Desktop Publishing and Mail Merge
|Excel 2007
|Getting Started with Excel
|Formatting a Workbook
|Working with Formulas and Functions
|Working with Charts and Graphics
|Integrating Word and Excel
|Access 2007
|Creating a Database
|Building a Database and Defining Table Relationships
|Maintaing and Querying a Database
|Creating Forms and Reports
|Integrating Word, Excel, and Access
|Powerpoint 2007
|Creating a Presentation
|Applying and Modifying Text and Graphic Objects
|Integrating Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint
|Creating Web Pages with Microsoft Office 2007
|Exploring the Basics of Microsoft Windows XP
|Managing Your Files with Windows XP
|Capstone Projects
|SAM Projects
|Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.


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August 2 has come and gone, but it would be a good idea to mark the day in our diaries for next year, for this is the day of the Portiuncula Indulgence, the indulgence granted to St Francis, who lived at the tiny church of Our Lady of the Angels, below Assisi, at a place called Portiuncula, or the 'Little Portion'.
It seems unquestionable to me that St Francis is the great spiritual giant of the Western Church. And yet, the more one contemplates him, the more he recedes from our clear vision. The Portiuncula is a case in point. It is a tiny chapel, now richly encased in decoration, and covered by the vast Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels. Next to it, also inside the basilica, lies the Chapel of the Transitus, where the saint died. Both these tiny chapels date to the time of Francis, and once stood in the open air, but now one has to perform the mental exercise of removing the accretions of history to get back to the original, if that were possible. So too with the Saint himself: the Francis we are often told about obscures the 'real' Francis, in that his story has been told and recrafted many times. One could at this point talk of the recurring controversies of Franciscan history, but there is not time and space enough for that. But reading the sources, all of which are collected in a useful single volume, particularly the First Life and the Second Life of Thomas of Celano, and the Legend of the Three Companions, certain things begin to emerge, and they are rather surprising.
The first is the social setting. Born in 1182, or thereabouts, Francis long predates the Renaissance. In fact he belongs to the time of the Provencal troubadours, which he loved greatly as a youth. He was born over 50 years before Cimabue, the first great Italian artist. Francis belongs not to the dark ages, but at least to the predawn twilight.
He came from a merchant family, and his mother was French. His real name was Giovanni, but he was nicknamed Francesco or 'Frenchie', which gives him an international feel. He travelled widely, including all the way to Egypt. Italians love him, but he transcends the bounds of Italy. At the same time he is popularly supposed to be the first poet to write in what is recognisable as Italian.
Francis was a mystic and an ecstatic, as Thomas of Celano makes clear. He spent hours alone, in the caves, praying, as a young man; his conversion came about rather more slowly and less dramatically than we might suppose, according to the Second Life. He received the stigmata in a cave too, a grim cleft in the rock on the desolate peak of Mount La Verna. he practiced the most rigorous austerities. According to archaeologists, his bones show signs of malnutrition.
The Portiuncula Indulgence is our way in sharing in the graces granted to the saint; it was originally only given to people who visited Portiuncula, but has now been extended to every parish church on earth. But, as one contemplates the Saint, one question arises. To what extent is our own Pope Francis a Franciscan Pope?
He certainly ticks the box of internationalism. Pope Francis is an Italian (by blood) who transcends the confines of Italy. His recent involvement in the case of the Orthodox Merriam Ibrahim is a case in point, as is his friendship with the Pentecostals and charismatics of various denominations. He is showing himself a leader of all Christians in his ministry. This represents a clever repositioning of the Papacy, just as St Francis's mission to Egypt represented a realignment of the Church of his own day. So, Saint and Pope share the same missionary and universalist orientation.
St Francis, born of the mercantile class, and rejecting the same class, foreshadows too the strong critique of capitalism that we have heard from this Pope. The Pope as we all know is a Pope 'for the poor', but what does that mean in practice? It means carrying on the critique of unbridled capitalism that goes back to Leo XIII, and which was so strongly upheld by Paul VI and John Paul II. St Francis too, at the dawn of capitalism, was an anti-capitalist radical, unless that is to project too much back into the story. St Francis is greatly admired by sections of the Italian left, and it is on the left of the Christian Democrat movement that we should locate the Pope. This places him in the centre of the political spectrum, something that those from places where Christian Democracy has not flourished, have difficulty understanding.
What perhaps we are not seeing from this Pope is the mystical and ecstatic characteristics of St Francis. A papacy that emphasised these elements of the Christian message would be truly interesting, nay, inspiring. If the Pope, this pope or any pope, were to retreat to a cave and have visions, that would alarm a great many people, I dare say. A pope with the stigmata even more so. These mystical and ecstatic element needs to be stressed, for it they are a constant in Western Christianity, particularly in Franciscans: one thinks of the great St Bonaventure, and also of Padre Pio, who perhaps represents the greatest flowering of mystical and ecstatic prayer in our own time. Padre Pio was of course famously otherworldly, whereas the Holy Father seems very down to earth, a typical Jesuit. Padre Pio did very little in his life, except pray and celebrate the sacraments, which tells us, I think, that this very little is a great deal. He was one of those saints who won many souls for God just by the way he celebrated Mass.
St Francis is patron saint of the environment and was the great lover of animals and nature (and this is a historic fact, given his undoubted authorship of the Canticle of the Sun, and not some romantic backward projection). Here too I do not really see a Franciscan streak in our present Pope, though that streak was clearly apparent in the cat-loving Benedict XVI who wrote some profound things about the theology of environmentalism.
Perhaps I am being too particular. St Francis is the most popular of Christian saints; Pope Francis the most popular of popes. Both communicate effortlessly. Perhaps that is resemblance enough.
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machine wash cold with like colors. do not bleach. lay flat to dry. cool iron if necessary or dry clean.
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we offer returns for up to 14 days from delivery. to obtain a pre-paid return label, contact customer care. if you prefer, you may also use a courier of your choice at your own expense.


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This year's Halloween in the U.S. can be counted on to be an improvement over last year's in at least one respect: it will be less political. Yards won't have spooky decor crowded by political signs, Halloween mask displays will have fewer political visages on the shelves, political cartoons will use Halloween themes or motifs less often, and jack o' lanterns won't sport the faces of political candidates. Although the novelty of all of that is briefly fun, I'm glad that it only happens every four years!
Here are images from last year's Halloween:
Image source for the above pic here.
Image source: Flickr account of cagedheat3
Image source: Flickr account of imakinby
Political cartoonist Lisa Benson's take on Halloween in the 2008 campaign:
Below, an editorial cartoon by Nick Anderson of the Houston Chronicle:
Coloradan political cartoonist Chuck Asay's take:
Found at The American Prospect was this sign of political costume fatigue, created by August Pollack as a print-out for the site's readers:
Masks of politicians become popular every 4 years:
Image source: Flickr account of theunabonger
If you MUST wear a mask of one of last year's candidates for Prez and Veep, but have no money, go to this post at Just a Memo and print one out--like this one:
This year, the only political mask to get much attention will be ones of the President, I imagine. One company, Bump in the Night, has combined a classic monster with the Chief Executive to create this:
Whether you are a supporter of our President or a critic, you have to admit that that mask is a cool sculpt!
Here's to Halloween of 2009. R.I.P. Halloween 2008.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Countdown Day 2: Halloween 2008
Posted by Max the drunken severed head at 3:38:00 AM
3 comments:
- Shawn Robare said...
Thank heavens. The only voting I want to do around this time of year is for the best Jack-o-lantern design...
- October 2, 2009 at 7:30:00 AM EST
- Allen's Brain said...
Cool! Maybe you should create/post Head/Brain campaign '08 masks.
- October 2, 2009 at 3:09:00 PM EST
- Max the drunken severed head said...
Shawn--thanks for the comment.
AB--What? And scare off all my blog's readers?
- October 2, 2009 at 7:11:00 PM EST
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Some gastroenterologists are discovering that up to one half of their heartburn patients don't get complete relief from the strongest acid reducing medications. Why?
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal (11/12/2012),some gastroenterologists are discovering that up to one half of their heartburn patients don't get complete relief from even the strongest acid reducing medications, or (PPI's) and most don't have any evidence of acid erosion when doctors examine their esophagus with an endoscope.
Why is that?
Because up to 70% of GERD patients actually have something dubbed "functional heartburn" or NERD, a new diagnosis that stands for Non Erosive Reflux Disease. That means reflux is still happening but it's not acid. In some cases it's bile, a digestive liquid from the liver. This is contrary to what patients are told by their doctor: That GERD is caused by too much stomach acid.
Here at the Digestion Relief Center, we have found many NERD patient suffer because of one or more of the following conditions causing their upset:
1. Irritated stomach lining damaged by stress or/and medications and inadequate digestive enzyme production. Most often taking aspirin and acid reflux will occur together.
2. Food allergies or hypersensitivities that cause protracted digestive problems.
3. Mechanical or structural weakness with the diaphragm, which can lead to a Hiatal Hernia.
In our clinic, we know that when we get to the cause, we get to the cure. We have helped hundreds of patients in the Chico and Redding California to get relief from NERD by using a 3-part treatment approach that gets to the cause(s): We nourish and restore the protective mucosal stomach lining, we improve your digestion, and we stimulate nerve pathways that lead to the upper stomach and throat to reduce spasms and reflux.
So don't be a Nerd about GERD. Call us at 530-899-8741 to find out how you can successfully overcome your heartburn today.
Dr. Patrick, DC, IHS
Thanks for reading. Our goal is to help as many people as possible. 44% of Americans have heartburn, the most common symptom of GERD, at least once a month and 7% have it daily. If you know someone who might benefit from this, please forward.
To read a patient success story with GERD, Click Here.
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Normally there is only one composer of the month, but this year in addition to our regular February composer Prokofiev, we will find some time to learn about John Williams, a very famous American composer who is (gasp) STILL ALIVE!! Williams began his career as a jazz musician and began composing for films in the 1970s. He is responsible for some of the most popular film music of the last 40 years including, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws, & Harry Potter just to name a few. He was also the conductor of the Boston Pops, and continues to do a series of concerts with the Pops every summer. Williams is also the composer of many Olympic themes. Learn more about John Williams at these links:
Watch Williams conduct the Boston Pops playing the main theme from Star Wars:
The 31 parts of the Star Wars Theme played on guitars:
Watch a short video on the composing and recording of the score for E.T.
A video of the Olympic Fanfare and Theme from the 1984 summer games in Los Angeles:
Summon the Heroes from the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta:
Watch a performance of Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter:
Listen to the theme for Jurassic Park:
Raiders March from the Indiana Jones movies:
The theme from Superman:
Havard A cappela tribute to John Williams: