text:
Example School Visit Poems
Here are some poems written by junior school children during a couple of Andrea's poetry workshops
The first section contains poems of a specific stle called Kennings written by children aged 9-11 at CS School, Herts. At the end of this section there is group poem written by 7-9 year olds in Year 3 & 4. It's a great poem, and the noise they all made shouting out their ideas almost blew the roof off - which is exactly how good poetry should be written!
Following on from this is a group of poems written by 8 year olds at High Beeches School, Harpenden, Herts.
Mothers by Talia S.
Cross shouter,
Mad stresser,
Annoying moaner,
Constant chatterer,
Money spender,
Weird dresser,
Hard worker,
Kind carer,
Homework helper,
Snug hugger.
Who? by Andrew B. and Jack P.
Hat trick hero,
Never zero,
Goalies nightmare,
Goal scorer,
Goal gleaner,
World cup dreamer,
Ball screamer,
Born leader,
Bench hater,
Fast runner,
Ball swinger,
Golden footer,
The one and only,
Who? By Nicky G., Charlie C. and Nathan S.
Homework giver,
Toy taker,
Good singer,
Bad marker,
Time waster,
Strict monster,
Fun snatcher,
Spell checker,
Point awarder,
Rule checker,
Test giver,
Treat taker
Who? By Liane S. and Colby P.
Fierce fighter,
Nail biter,
Gum chewer,
Fast racer,
Girl chaser,
Loud shouter,
Football player,
Nose picker,
Sweaty pits,
Keeper of all nits!
The Snake by Ashton S. and Sarah A.
Slimy slitherer,
Poison giver,
Flesh ripper,
Blood sipper,
Bone cruncher,
Meat muncher,
Finger clipper,
Tail whipper,
Kid napper,
Fierce grabber,
Whole swallower,
Trail follower,
Quick snapper,
Flea catcher,
Sips the river,
Makes you shiver.
Teachers by David W.
Playtime takers,
Funtime breakers,
Homework markers,
Breaktime stoppers,
Bell ringers,
Hometime haters,
Work setters,
Loud shouters.
The Rollercoaster by Ellie S. and Sophie J.
Vomit maker,
Brain shaker,
Head whizzer,
Tummy fizzer,
Eye swirler,
Hair twirler,
Sick machine,
Makes you green.
Turning corners,
Crazy shaking,
Back breaking,
Spine cracking,
Breath taking,
Nearly there, watch out for the scare!
Faster, faster,
Brain blaster,
Broken backs on fierce-some tracks!
Last of all,
The scary fall!
Greedy Guts by Zoe R-D, Leah S. and Sasha K
Starving hater,
Cheese grater,
Chocolate hogger,
Candy scoffer,
Crisp cruncher,
Biscuit muncher,
Lollypop licker,
Over fed sicker.
Ice cream slurper,
Dessert wanter,
Food grabber,
Belly slapper,
Gum chewer,
Meat eater,
Food reserver,
Extraordinary eater!
Jelly Fish by Sophie S. and Katie S.
Kid stinger,
Plaster bringer,
Pink bouncer,
Sea flouncer,
Ocean eater,
Fish beater,
Body yummy,
Big tummy!
Thin ball,
Big or small,
Wolf by Clara F.
Fast runner,
Snow lover,
Hungry eater,
Meat grabber,
Good smeller,
Cub maker,
Soft licker,
Hard biter!
Groan-Ups by Ricky F., Lee S. and Adam R.
Veggie lovers,
Play time breakers,
Sweet killers,
Dream snatchers,
Care takers,
Big buyers,
Stress keepers,
Morning wakers,
Fun spoilers,
Chocolate snatchers,
Money givers!
Dog by Daniel B.
Bone eater,
Loud barker,
Fast runner,
Sock chewer,
Ball player,
Car chaser,
Silky squeaker,
Fur stroker.
Boys by Zoe P., Amy J., Daniella C. and Jordanna Z.
Girl lovers,
Weird brothers,
Huge eaters,
Smelly feeters,
Football crazy,
Always lazy,
Showy off-y,
Kinda bossy,
Hair gel,
Bad smell,
Big tell tail,
Dont do well,
Bad fashion,
No passion,
On a mission,
Raid the kitchen,
Want a kiss,
Think Ill miss!
Out of power,
Thick as flour,
They are about, believe me,
Family by Natalie, Dana and Maital.
Fat mother,
Crazy brother,
Ugly sister,
Screaming father,
Crying baby,
Shouting granny,
Angry auntie,
Horrid cousin,
Terrible uncle,
Glad my family is so normal!
Sister by Josh and Omri
Horrid and mean,
Shouting machine,
Trouble creator,
Excellent faker,
Good liar,
Careless denier,
Toy destroyer,
Evil annoyer,
Name caller,
Destruction ruler,
Food thrower,
Breaking borrower.
Homework by Elad and Max
Weekend stealer,
Brain ruiner,
Depression starter,
T.V. taker,
Argument starter,
Daylight blocker,
Brain killer,
Playstation grabber,
Knowledge increaser,
Game Boy murderer,
Sleep taker,
Spelling helper,
Grades raiser,
Family breaker!
The Magic Box by Years 3 & 4
Inside the magic box is a secret,
It might be .
A headless genie playing footie for Arsenal,
A wooden-legged dragon riding on a dragonfly,
A midget, baby ghost reading the Torah,
A short-sighted train playing darts in the pub,
A red, hot, burning Planet Earth sumo wrestling with Mars.
Whatever it is, well never know.....
The secret is locked up inside.
High Beeches Primary School's selection for World Book Day
is all about families:
Anthony's Family
Dad - strong, boastful, washing the car furiously.
Mum - peaceful, caring, hoovering loudly.
My brother - silly, annoying, playing with toys furiously.
Joe's Friends
James - groovy, small.
Dad - cool, loving, playing on the coimputer cheerfully.
Mum - caring, loving, washing up angrily.
Ted - fluffy, beany, lying down frozen.
David's Friends
Dad - large, strong, cooking cheerfully.
Charles - friendly, caring, playing happily.
Grandma - happy, calm, getting into her car calmly.
Me - friendly, tall, playing nicely.
Stephen's Family
Mum - fun loving, typing speedily.
Dad - caring, stressful, driving crazily.
Willow's Friends
Mum - loving, caring, perfect in every way.
Dad - short, fun working quickly.
Honi - groovy, energetic, running crazily.
Harriet - fun, pretty, dancing intently.
Gemma's Friends
Uncle Rob - jolly, caring, teaching angrily.
Laura - happy, tall, reading furiously.
Dad - energetic, calm, teaching sleepily.
Willow - caring, groovy, dancing crazily.
Emily - friendly, happy, reading cheerfully.
Louise - groovy, mad, painting carefully.
Hannah's Friends
Abi - funky, friendly, partying crazily.
Ollie - crazy, funny, joking cheerfully.
Emily's friends
Mum - loving, caring, working hard.
Yasmin - friendly, cheerful, playing happily.
Auntie Cathy - calm, happy, teaching sleepily.
Jason - wild, small, painting messily.
Ellen - lovely, cute, crawling energetically.
Jack - loud, energetic, fighting noisily.
Dad - strong, tall, riding motorbike quickly.
Autumn's Friends
Sophie - calm, friendly, running happily,
Willow - friendly, caring, walking quickly.
Lucy - tall, calm, painting slowly.
Mum - loving, calm, washing up quickly.
Hannah - small friendly, walking cheerfully.
Alan - small happy, running crazily.
Lauren - small, calm, dancing furiously.
Dad - loving, strong, driving furiously.
Gemma - happy, calm, running noisily.
Charlie's friends
Gran - lovely, giving, choosing her lottery numbers thoughtfully.
My cousin - tall, clever, studying carefully.
James - tiny, thoughtful, washing his dog steadily.
Year 4, High Beeches Primary School,
Harpenden, Hertfordshire UK
All these poems are copyright and can't be used without permission.
If you wish to use (or publish) one of these poems, please email me via the form on the Contact Andrea.


text:
WASHINGTON, October 18, 2016 (Buziness Africa) -- The African Development Bank estimates show that 21 African countries are expected to grow above 5% in 2016. And an additional 19 countries are projected to grow at between 3% and 5%. Africa is not falling apart. African economies are resilient! Africa is still the second fastest growing destination in terms of foreign direct investments, second only to the Asia-Pacific region.
By Akinwumi Adesina*
ABUJA, Nigeria, October 10, 2016 (AfDB) -- African economies have shown impressive economic growth rates over the past ten years, averaging over 5 percent. This growth is largely attributed to macroeconomic stability, improved business and investment environment, better economic governance and political stability. The growth has, however, been driven by export of primary commodities. The strength of the economic growth in Africa - the commodity price boom - also happens to be the weakness of African economies.
By Amy Copley and Amadou Sy
WASHINGTON, DC, Sept. 16, 2016 (Brookings Institution) — Two years after the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and Business Forum brought together U.S. and African CEOs in addition to heads of state and government, the U.S. will convene a second U.S.-Africa Business Forum on September 21, 2016 in New York City.
By Kester Kenn Klomegah*
MOSCOW, Sept. 05, 2016 (Buziness Africa) -- Lack of credit support and investment guarantees from the Russian government and financial institutions have been cited as the major impediments for Russian companies willing to invest in the African continent. These setbacks have culminated in the world's biggest country by size lagging behind such economic powerhouses as the United States and China in expanding a footprint in Africa.
By Calvin Hui
SINGAPORE, August 30, 2016 (Channel NewsAsia) -- Trade relations between Singapore and Africa are set to deepen, with several agreements signed on Wednesday (Aug 24) at the fourth edition of the Africa Singapore Business Forum.
These include the signing of the Avoidance of Double Taxation (DTA) with Ethiopia, a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with Mozambique and an Air Services Agreement (ASA) with Nigeria.
By Elizabeth Sidiropoulos and Neuma Grobbelaar*
SOUTH AFRICA, August 28, 2016 (SAIIA) -- When the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) was launched in 1993 by Japan in co-operation with the World Bank, the United Nations and the UN Development Programme, it was the first such initiative of one country seeking to deepen its partnership with Africa.
Copyright 2009 - 2020

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Büchi has a renowned long standing reputation in designing and manufacturing reliable reactor systems and pilot plants. Proven with daily use for R&D and production in many chemical and pharmaceutical companies worldwide, we can ensure the best performance and results.
We are proud to serve leading companies from a variety of fields for more than 60 years with our outstanding products and services.
Clientes / Referências
Büchi has a renowned long standing reputation in designing and manufacturing reliable reactor systems and pilot plants. Proven with daily use for R&D and production in many chemical and pharmaceutical companies worldwide, we can ensure the best performance and results.
Field of industry
- Pharmaceuticals/ APIs
- Fine chemicals/ Speciality chemicals
- Basic chemicals (organic, inorganic)
- Agrochemicals
- Flavors & Fragrances
- Pigments & Dyes
- Detergents & Tensides
- Coatings, Paints & Adhesives
- Polymers
- Petrochemicals
- Catalysts
- Oil & Gas, Mining
- Material Science
- Chemical Research
"The Büchi Customized Versoclave met our specific reaction conditions for our polymer processing research. We will be using the equipment to scale-up our reaction from a few grams to kilograms. The system will be used to perform hydrogenations and melt processing of polymers. The installed reactor is best suit for our reactions because of it pressure rating, volume, max temperature rating, and the integration of a high torque stirrer which is needed to process the polymer. The equipment came assembled and the only installation required was to configure electrical connections. All doubts and inquiries were resolved through email. We are satisfied with the service provided by Büchi and with the customized approach they took to make a reactor best suited for our application."
Ajinkya Deshmukh, PhD Candidate, University of Connecticut
"Büchi has a long history of providing high quality solutions for pharmaceutical applications. The proposed reactor was competitively priced and met our technical specifications. For Novan, the materials of construction (Hastelloy®), minimalization of dead volumes, pressure / temperature ratings, and vessel capacity were the most critical requirements. Advantages of Büchi include responsiveness of the local distribution partner, transparency during the equipment build in Europe, and effective installation/trouble shooting. Novan is very satisfied with the Büchi high pressure reactor and, in fact, we ordered a second unit during Q2 2017."
Jeff Hunter, EVP and Chief Business Officer, Novan Inc.
"The most important requirement for us was the ability to produce scale-up experiments (kg quantities) of monomers, polymers, and other small organic molecules via different reaction conditions. Buchi was able to provide a flexible system compatible with both solution-based and melt-polymerization based methods. Distillation capability and the ability to stir viscous polymer solutions/melts is critical for our process. Büchi was able to custom design a Hastelloy reactor to fulfill all of the above requirements as well as minimizing the footprint of the system in our walk-in fume hood. Very few manufacturers were able to provide this type of solution."
Theo Dingemans, Professor, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"The high level of reliability, multi-functionality and chemical resistance of the Büchi equipment allows us to produce high value materials and intermediates. For us, this versatility has been a convincing argument for buying Büchi equipment for over 30 years."
"Büchi equipment is characterised by flexibility, long life and high quality. That's why Büchi AG has been our first choice ever since the company began bulk production in 1982."
Beat Sax, Vice President Production, Bachem
Büchi was an excellent partner in this project. We had very specific requirements for the system with regard to space, the location and configuration. Based on many years of experience, Büchi bought the highest quality components such as heating and cooling units, pumps and frequency converters from various suppliers. Thanks to a very close cooperation between Büchi and Theravance, we managed to fulfil and even exceed expectations. We created exactly the system that we required."
Vijay Sabesan, Director Process Research and Development, Theravance
"The great advantage when planning the system was that Büchi provided everything from a single source. The merging of the two systems went smoothly and as a sole supplier responsible for the glass process equipment, the autoclave and the complete control, the potential for error was kept low while the quality was kept at a high level."
Dr. Hans-Günter Striegel, Laboratory Head, Teva ratiopharm
"We were highly satisfied with the professional services of Büchi, the very detailed documentation and description of the equipment through all phases of the project. Büchi will be definitely considered as the partner for future projects."
Dr. Branislav Dugovic, Chief Technology Officer, Synthena AG
"Büchi equipment is constructed logically; it is easy to clean and very reliable. At Senn Chemicals, we appreciate Büchi's competent staff and efficient service above all."
Christian Spühler, Head of Technical Department, Senn Chemicals
Read more about Büchi equipment, customer interviews and applications.


text:
If loving this bean cookbook is wrong …
I don't want to be right.
UPDATE: You can WIN a copy of "Bean by Bean: A Cookbook" from American Public Media's radio show, "The Splendid Table."
I hate preachy cookbooks. If I wanted to be told what to eat, I'd go back 40 years in time and live with my parents. Even some of the gorgeous back-to-the-land, know-your-photogenic-farmer I-raised-this-goat-by-hand cookbooks out this year can strike a note of religious righteousness.
I don't want a sermon. I just want some great food to keep me company when I break from my garden chores this weekend: cutting ornamental grass, tidying perennials, pruning roses, organizing my seeds …
Which is what makes Crescent Dragonwagon's "Bean by Bean: A Cookbook" so addictive.
Even if Dragonwagon's name wasn't already whimsical (a press release explains: 16-year-old hippie changes her name in the '60s, then once she launches a writing career, kind of gets stuck with it) the book is damn fun.
It's got dessert. Lime Tofu Mousse Custard. Red Bean Ice Cream. Rose of Persia Cake. Matcha Meringues.
It's got trivia. No, it's got loads of trivia. The Roman poet Marcus Valerius Martialis (41-102 A.D) wrote "If pale beans bubble for you in an earthenware pot / You can oft decline the dinners of sumptuous hosts."
It's got encyclopedic reach. It taps legume wisdom from Syria, from Japan, from Tennessee. For U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup, it lists six different variations, including one from Argentina and one from a pharmacist friend from Eureka Springs, Mo. In addition to dessert, there are chapters on bean purees, soups, salads, stews, casseroles, sautés, bean-and-grain combos. There are charts. There's a four-page section on de-gassifying tucked in. Did you know you can freeze home-cooked beans for up to six months? That right there eliminates my excuse for all the containers of home-cooked beans that I didn't have time to make into hummus.
More than anything else, the book has an irrepressible spirit of celebration. Dragonwagon writes in the introduction to a chapter on stews and curries, "The lines of categorization do blur: Some bean-based soups in this book might pass as stews, as could many chilis. But rather than fuss over nomenclature, let's lean in toward the steamy kitchen." Dragonwagon gradually became a vegetarian, but she doesn't preach. The book's mission is fun and flavor, and she gives the ham hock and bacon slab a place of honor.
Enough verbiage. I'm going to go roast a batch of Gotcha Hotcha Sweet-Smoky Cocktail Peanuts. (What, you think she'd forget the humble peanut?)
Gotcha Hotcha Sweet-Smoky Cocktail Peanuts(adapted from "Bean by Bean: A Cookbook" by Crescent Dragonwagon, Workman Publishing). Makes about 2.5 cups.
Vegetable oil cooking spray (optional)
1 cup white or turbinado sugar
2 teaspoons red chile powder (not chili powder; you want just the dried, red ground chiles)
1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne
2 tablespoons smoked sweet Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons seasame seeds
1 pound dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
Fine sea salt to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Spray a large, heavy, nonreactive sauté pan with oil. (If you have a heavy nonstick pan, omit the oil.)
3. Add 1 cup water and the sugar to the pan and bring it to a boil. Continue to boil, giving it a whisk or two, until the sugar has dissolved, making a clear, hot syrup, about 1 minute. Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the salt.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until the syrup is much thickened (there should be very little liquid left), 8 to 10 minutes. Toward the end, pay close attention; you want to prevent the peanut mixture from sticking or burning (you may need to turn the heat down slightly).
5. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper or spray it generously with cooking spray.
6. Transfer the peanut mixture onto the baking sheet, spreading it out evenly. Bake, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the peanuts have deepened in color and there's no sign of liquid, 15 to 20 minutes. (If you blow on a peanut and the syrup turns into a crisp, caramelized coat, you're there). Remove the pan; let the nuts cool slightly, then break up any clumps and salt the nuts. Let cool completely; pack in airtight container and keep for a week to 10 days.


text:
FICPAYou Are Here:
Quick CPE Search
Should I Always Safely Eject USB Devices?
Share Printer Friendly
Text Size: A A A A
Whenever you plug in a USB storage device, Windows will usually give you a prompt about whether or not it is safe to eject it. So what's the deal with this anyway? You'd think with how common of an issue it is that there would be more information on it from the Windows interface, right?
If you're wondering what this even is, check out the system tray the next time you plug in a thumb drive or other USB storage device. A little USB icon with a green checkmark will pop up. This is the same icon that you can click to safely eject a device before you physically remove it from the computer.
What Windows Says About It
If you yank a USB drive out without safely ejecting it first Windows doesn't pop up a warning message like OS X. Instead, it just unplugs — and that's that. Or is it? If you open up the Device Manager and view the properties of the USB Disk Drive you have plugged in you can see why Windows doesn't seem to care if you unplug early.
Windows has two policies. The default is to automatically disable write caching for devices that it sees as temporary or removable. Under this policy, Windows states that you can always disconnect the device safely without using the Eject option. That isn't accurate, but we'll get to that in a minute. The second profile is called "Better performance" and it keeps write caching enabled for the connected device. Interestingly, on a Linux or Mac computer this second policy would be the default as they always leave write caching turned on. To understand what all of this means you need to first understand what write caching is.
What is Write Caching?
Write caching is the default method used for storing data on hard disks, and if enabled it can be used for removable drives as shown in the screenshot above. When you copy files over to a disk, Windows doesn't transfer the data directly to it. Instead, some of the data is temporarily saved to the computers highly-volatile memory cache, or buffer. This is done because the data transfer to the USB is slower, even with modern USB technology. The downside is that the buffer where the data is being stored is erased when power is removed, or when the destination is removed. Such can happen when you unplug the USB device before the cache is completely written to it. Using the Eject command forces the OS to write all remaining data to the USB stick and sever the connection on a software level, so no data is lost.
Data Can Always Be Lost, Even with Write Caching Disabled
Generally, the default profile in Windows works for most people. But even though Windows says that data is safe with write caching disabled, it isn't always. If you pull the USB drive out during a data transfer, data loss and corruption can occur. If you're running a portable app from the USB drive, or using an application on the computer that saves data to the USB drive you can also lose data. There have even been cases where users have had corrupted data just by using a USB stick for ReadyBoost and pulling it out without ejecting.
Write Caching Offers Better Performance with Slightly More Risk
Write caching can offer better performance for your system because it prevents transfers to storage devices from hogging all of the I/O bandwidth. The downside is that data is more likely to be caught in the cache and corrupted or lost if the device is unplugged without safely ejecting it first. The Eject function saves data from being deleted by using a cache flushing system embedded in Windows. Cache Flushing forces all of the data in the cache to immediately write to the device and then clear itself out. Once Windows says that the device is safe to remove, that is how you know the cache has finished flushing.
With all of that said, it's best to always safely Eject hardware before you physically unplug it from the computer. Also remember that while Windows may have a "feature" that disables write caching, Linux and Mac keep it enabled by default, so be extra careful when using a thumb drive with those operating systems.
This Tech Tip is brought to you by the Business and Technology Section ... IT solutions for today's CPAs. For more information and to view an archive of previous Tech Tips, please visit us here.
Do you have specific topics you would like to see covered in Tech Tips? Email any suggestions to email@example.com.


text:
The 2011 Nissan Leaf is nothing less than miraculous. After decades of waiting fruitlessly for commercialization of various science fiction inventions like the jetpack, the flying car and the robot maid, Nissan has finally delivered a regular, normal everyday car that runs on battery power.
Yes, electric cars have existed almost since Gottlieb Daimler built the first car and there have always been various limited-production, astronomically expensive electric playthings, but the Leaf is the first modern mass-produced fully capable car that eschews internal combustion.
With a $35,430 as-tested price, the Leaf is not inexpensive, but neither is it prohibitively priced, especially with the $7,500 federal tax credit helping whittle a chunk off the bill. Even more attractive is Nissan's $350 a month lease, which should make the car accessible to many mainstream drivers.
U.S. & World
Of course limited driving range has been the primary obstacle to widespread electric car adoption and the Leaf lacks the range of gas-powered cars. But for many drivers its range is enough to do most of the jobs cars need to do. Suburban multi-car households can use their second car for family trips, and urban singles might decide to fly or take the train for interstate travel, but for everyday use, the Leaf really is a suitable vehicle.
However, there is some debate on the Leaf's actual driving range. The EPA says it's 73 miles, based on its testing regime. My real-world driving stretched that to 80 miles in suburban driving with 55-65 degree temperatures.
Nissan says that slogging through 15 mph traffic in 14-degree weather with the headlights burning produces a range of 62 miles, while cruising at 38 mph in perfect 68 degree whether lets the car go 138 miles.
It is good to know that the worst-case scenario range is 62 miles because that's still a reasonable range for most round-trip commutes. The claimed 138 mile range is a bit more dubious, and of course even if it's true, it's pretty useless because it would be unusual for anyone to cruise willingly at 38 mph for 138 miles.
The computer in the Leaf I tested projected a range of just 90 miles even when the battery was fully charged, and after 70 miles it told me said I had just ten miles left. The range prediction drops precipitously in the first few miles of driving, but then stabilizes after five or ten miles. (Nissan spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said the company is working to fine-tune the software to address this.)
Software glitches aside, the Leaf drives like a regular economy car on the road and offers all the expected amenities, so once the driver has gained confidence that it will not strand him significantly short of the projected battery range, it's easy to use the car for daily commuting, errands and the endless soccer-mom chauffeuring that consumes so much time (and gas) in the lives of many drivers.
Space for five occupants — compared to the four-seats in the Chevrolet Volt — makes the Leaf a stronger candidate for carpool duty. It's this suitability for everyday use that makes the Leaf miraculous.
The car's limited range is manageable because the driver is kept continuously informed of the battery's state of charge, the predicted remaining driving range and the estimated length of time needed to recharge the battery. This lets drivers calculate whether they can use the car for another trip, say at lunchtime, after an additional few hours of charging at work in the morning, or, more significantly, when the car will be ready to return from a drive at the end of its maximum driving range.
The Leaf's battery pack is necessarily large, which means that it takes a long time to charge it using a plain old 110-volt wall outlet. Nissan says that it takes 20 hours to fully recharge a totally depleted battery using a 110-volt outlet, although the computer onboard the Leaf I tested showed 22 hours to charge with 15 miles of range remaining.
The 110-volt charger might trickle a few electrons into the battery during the course of the day as an insurance policy while parked at work, but for effective overnight charging the 220-volt outlet is a must.
When the car reaches about 15 miles of range a blue button on the steering wheel reveals a map of nearby charging stations on the standard navigation system.
Unfortunately, there aren't any quick-charging stations in the Washington, D.C., area where I tested the car. But these stations are common in some of the West Coast cities where Nissan will sell the car initially. In fact, there are more charging stations than gas stations in San Diego and Seattle, according to Nissan.
They offer 440-volt quick charges that can bring the Leaf's battery to an 80 percent charge in less than half an hour. Yeah, that's longer than filling a gas tank, but the average Quickie Mart visit is 23 minutes, Nissan says, so a few minutes browsing the nutritious snacks, quality sunglasses and selection of classic rock music on cassette tapes should just about do it.
But will driving an electric car really save you money? The EPA says that the annual electric cost to power the Leaf for 15,000 miles is $561, which is about one-third the annual cost of gassing up the company's Versa subcompact, which is similar in size.
As for the car itself, the Leaf is an unremarkable economy car. The numb, over-assisted electric power steering contributes to a synthesized, artificial driving experience reminiscent of a driving simulator, and the budget suspension parts and fuel-economy tires leave the handling wanting.
But the ride is excellent for such a small car, which benefits from its "road-hugging weight" courtesy of the internal battery pack. At highway speed the electric motor emits a distant high-pitched whine that drivers of a certain age will clearly recognize as the sound of a phaser set on overload. Thankfully it never blows.
It's also pleasing to see the Leaf features upholstery made from recycled materials, such as seats made from PVC bottles. What's less pleasing is the Leaf's interior, which actually looks like it's made from recycled materials.
In fact, Nissan was deluged in hate mail after a false Internet rumor said the company was planning to offer leather seats in the Leaf. Apparently, this prospect offended the "Guardians Of All That Is Good," who threatened dire consequences if recycled bottles were not the sole Leaf seating surface.
For consumers who are on board with the electric drive thing — but who don't want to turn their car seat over to read what recycling number is stamped on the bottom — Nissan has already said that there will be an Infiniti luxury car that uses the Leaf's drivetrain in the near future. And I imagine it will have leather seats.
For now, however, my only real disappointment with the Leaf came when I discovered that having an electric car does not mean never driving to a gas station.
The kids are getting Hess Corporation's annual toy truck for Christmas again this year, and Hess gas stations are the only places to buy them, so I drove Nissan's electric car to a gas station to get it.


text:
High RF power output
The TH-255A provides 5.5watts of power for wide coverage, with a choice of High/Low output.
Large speaker
The large diameter speaker outputs up to 400 mW, which helps to allow clear reception even in noisy workplaces.
Long battery life
Another welcome feature is 8-hour* continuous operation with the optional high capacity Ni-MH battery PB-43N.
*Battery Life (5-5-90 duty cycle)
High-visibility backlit LCD
Backlighting, larger characters, and a battery level indicator all contribute to exceptional ease of use. Easy and simple to operate for both beginners and experienced users.
Rugged construction
The TH-255A meets or exceeds the stringent IP54 dust and splash water standards as well as the MIL-STD 810 C, D, E & F environmental standards in 9 categories – including rain, IP54 humidity and shock.
Other features
- Multiple Scan Functions
- CTCSS (42 subtone frequencies), DCS (104 codes)
- Busy Channel Lock Out, Memory Channel Lock Out
- Memory Shift, Beat Shift
- Channel Display Mode
- Split Channel
- Automatic Simplex Checker (ASC)
- VFO Reset, Full Reset – Beep On/Off
- High-capacity Ni-MH battery (Optional)
- Reverse
- Auto Power Off
- Time-out Timer
- Alphanumeric Channel Name
- Battery Save
Comments are closed.


text:
No matter which new 2017-2018 Chevrolet, GMC or Buick model you're interested in, Ramey Chevrolet Princeton is here to help you get behind the wheel. Feel free to have a look at our online inventory below, which is updated as new additions roll into our showroom. See one you like? Contact us to set up a test drive at our conveniently located Princeton, West Virginia showroom.
And that's quite a bit, in case you were wondering. Our Chevrolet, GMC, Buick experts specialize in everything from tailor-made financing solutions to auto repair and maintenance services. If you're interested in seeing what else we have to offer, swing by our showroom today.


text:
Celestial Semiconductor Licenses ARM Processor To Meet Strong Demand For Next-Generation TV Standards
ARM technologies will enable designers to speed development of AVS-based chipsets for next-generation HDTV, DTV and STB offerings
BEIJING, CHINA AND CAMBRIDGE, UK - Apr. 25, 2005 - Celestial Semiconductor (Celestial), a fast growing company focusing on delivering solutions for the Chinese AVS standard, and ARM [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMHY)] today announced that Celestial has licensed a full range of ARM® technologies for its system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for televisions: the ARM926EJ-STM processor, the Embedded Trace Macrocell™ (ETM9™) on-chip debug peripheral and the ARM® PrimeCell® Smart Card Interface (PL131). Combined, these technologies will enable Celestial to easily and cost-efficiently develop next-generation ARM Powered® codec chipsets and media processors for the high growth home applications such as HDTV, DTV and STB, including the support of the Audio Video Coding Standard Working Group of China (AVS) standard.
"As ARM is the most widely-used architecture, the ARM926EJ-S processor - with its strong Java performance and multimedia signal processing - is ideal for our codec chipset and media processor design," said Mr. Daniel Fu, founder and CTO of Celestial. "This agreement will help us significantly reduce our time-to-market in delivery of standard-compliant SoCs for applications such as HDTV, DTV and STB, enabling us to meet the strong consumer demand for these applications."
"Meeting the strong demand for SoC standards to serve the HDTV, DTV and STB markets is a tremendous challenge for consumer electronics designers," said Dr. Jun Tan, president of ARM China. "Through the ARM Foundry Program, we are able to provide Celestial with industry-leading technology and an unmatched level of resources through our ARM Connected Community, enabling the rapid development of AV codec chipsets to deliver a much richer television experience for consumers."
About Celestial
Celestial Semiconductor Inc. (Celestial) was founded by a group of leading pioneers in the world-wide semiconductor industry, which combines top technical and business expertise in all major parts of the industry. Leveraging on its top level in-house expertise in digital video/audio signal processing, network/communication, analog/mixed signal, RF and other design fields, the company offers advantageous design solutions to its customers. Celestial has established R&D centers in both Beijing, China and Silicon Valley, USA. More information on Celestial is available at http://www.celestialsemi.com.cn.
About ARM
ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM's comprehensive product offering includes 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines, 3D processors, digital libraries, embedded memories, peripherals, software and development tools, as well as analog functions and high-speed connectivity products. Combined with the company's broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.
About AVS
Audio Video Coding Standard Working Group of China (AVS) was approved and established by the Science and Technology Department of Ministry of Information Industry in June 2002. More information on AVS is available at http://www.avs.org.cn.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Celestial's plans to use ARM's technologies to help develop next-generation codec chipsets and media processors for HDTV, DTV and STB applications. These statements are subject to various risk factors including, without limitation, technical or other difficulties in the introduction, release and use of the Celestial products incorporating ARM technology, market acceptance of such Celestial products, and risks and uncertainties attendant to any new product offering. More information about potential factors that could affect ARM's business and financial results is included in ARM's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 including (without limitation) under the captions, "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's website atwww.sec.gov."
ARM, ARM Powered, PrimeCell and Jazelle are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. ARM926EJ-S, Embedded Trace Macrocell and ETM9 are trademark of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM INC.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium N.V.; AXYS Design Automation Inc.; AXYS GmbH; ARM Embedded Solutions Pvt. Ltd.; and ARM Physical IP, Inc.
Search Silicon IP
Arm Ltd Hot IP
Related News
- Actions Semiconductor Licenses ARM Cortex-A50 Processor Family to Target 64-bit Tablet Market
- Dialog Semiconductor Licenses ARM Processor for Next-Generation 42V Automotive Battery Sensing Products
- Nordic Semiconductor unveils world's first dual Arm Cortex-M33 processor wireless SoC for the most demanding low power IoT applications
- Vidatronic Licenses Power Management Unit and Analog IP to Leading Semiconductor IP Company, Arm
- GOWIN Semiconductor Joins Arm DesignStart Offering Free Arm Cortex-M Processors for its FPGA Product Families
Breaking News
- BrainChip Announces Wafer Fabrication of the Akida System-on-Chip
- Welcome to the Third Era of 32/64-bit Embedded CPUs
- Flex Logix Announces nnMAX IP Delivers Higher-Throughput/$ and Higher Throughput/Watt for Key DSP Functions
- Synopsys Introduces New 64-bit ARC Processor IP Delivering Up to 3x Performance Increase for High-End Embedded Applications
- Imagination Tech's Fate Hangs as Chinese Investors Assert Rights
Most Popular
- Synopsys Introduces New 64-bit ARC Processor IP Delivering Up to 3x Performance Increase for High-End Embedded Applications
- eInfochips to Exhibit and Present at Design & Reuse IP-SoC Silicon Valley 2020
- Intel shines amidst the carnage of the 2019 semiconductor market
- BrainChip Announces Wafer Fabrication of the Akida System-on-Chip
- Welcome to the Third Era of 32/64-bit Embedded CPUs
|E-mail This Article
|Printer-Friendly Page


text:
Day In Review: March 22, 2008Posted by nvr1983 on March 22nd, 2008
The story of the day was UCLA surviving an upset bid by Texas A&M. We (like a lot of other analysts) thought that UCLA had a clear path to San Antonio. With the 2 (Duke) & 4 (UConn) seeds in the West going down in the past 24 hours, things looked pretty easy for the Bruins. Instead, Texas A&M opened up a 10 pt lead in the 2nd half. After falling behind 36-26, Ben Howland rode Kevin Love and Darren Collison back to a tie at 45 with 2:53 left. The final 2 minutes were filled with both teams hitting big baskets. The game appeared to be sealed with 9.5 seconds left when Darren Collison hit a shot that was eerily reminiscent of Tyus Edney's shot against Missouri in 1995. However, the Aggies had one last shot, but their attempt was "blocked" and Russell Westbrook finished the scoring with an emphatic slam that appeared to be after the buzzer. They often say that championship teams usually end up winning tight games like this that they probably shouldn't win. UCLA's offense didn't show up today with the exception of Collison and Love, but Howland's defense came through (especially Love's 7 blocks). If the Bruins end up winning a championship, they (along with their fans) will point to this game as that game.
Pittsburgh, another trendy pick to make it deep into the tournament (Knight picked them to win the championship), was unable to make it past a big performance by Drew Neitzel's 21 and freshman Kalin Lucas's 19 that led the Michigan State Spartans to a 65-54 victory that was closer than the final score makes it appear. In the end, Pittsburgh's awful 3 pt shooting (2/18) cost them a shot at the victory. Perhaps their legs finally gave out after a run through the Big East tournament.
In the other big upset, everybody's most hated team (unless they're your favorite team) Duke fell to West Virginia, 73-67. Going into the tournament, everybody knew Duke's weakness–they rely on their outside shooting. When the outside shot isn't falling, they're screwed. Today it wasn't falling, and today they're heading back to Durham. The Blue Devils went 5/22 from 3 pt range including 15 straight misses. Somehow Duke stayed in this game. And before people claim conspiracy theory, the difference in fouls was only 25-23 in favor of Duke. In the end, the Mountaineers used big games from Joe Alexander and Joe Mazzulla to send the Blue Devils home for the season.
In what might have been the best game of the day, Stanford beat Marquette, 82-81 on a Brook Lopez crazy leaning/falling down shot with 1.5 seconds left in OT. Seriously, Lopez has the strangest form of any shooter we have ever seen. We have no idea how he gets his shot off and we are even less sure that he will be able to put that up at the NBA level, but it goes in. Lopez (Stanford) and Jerel McNeal (Marquette) each put in 30 pts for their respective sides. The Cardinal made it to the Sweet 16 without the help of head coach Trent Johnson who was ejected in the first half. With the Cardinal advancing, it appears that Brook Lopez is the most difficult player in the tournament to match up against. We just don't see anybody in college who can stop him.


text:
Off for casual drinks tonight so I decided on this printed kimono and Monki dress combination. I like this kind of look for going out but not out out, it's the perfect casual dressy combo. I've been getting really into my patterned jackets recently and I think this one has to my favourite. I was in two minds about keeping it but finally pulled the tags off and decided to keep it. I need to get my nails filled in again so I must dash. Thanks so much for all you're lovely comments on my latest blog post too! Was nice to hear other peoples New Year's resolutions! Lets keep our fingers crossed we'll keep them!
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Off for casual drinks tonight so I decided on this printed kimono and Monki dress combination. I like this kind of look for going out but not out out, it's the perfect casual dressy combo. I've been getting really into my patterned jackets recently and I think this one has to my favourite. I was in two minds about keeping it but finally pulled the tags off and decided to keep it. I need to get my nails filled in again so I must dash. Thanks so much for all you're lovely comments on my latest blog post too! Was nice to hear other peoples New Year's resolutions! Lets keep our fingers crossed we'll keep them!
73 comments:
LOVE the kimono jacket, it's beautiful! xReplyDelete
That kimono is a beaut, I definitely prefer to keep it more casual than dressy when going out too, have a good evening :) oxReplyDelete
love your kimono! xxReplyDelete
Absolutely love love love the kimono! Beautiful turquoise and silver jewellery too, i will have to check them out :) xxReplyDelete
Samya Says - my fashion and beauty blog :)
I love the pattern on the kimono! I have a similar one from Stylemint, but it's a lighter color combination of blues/greens.ReplyDelete
Your turquoise rings are always my favorite.
Your kimono is such a cute print! Love your rings xReplyDelete
Such an amazing outfit, I love the pattern on the kimono.ReplyDelete
such a pretty kimono, the colours in it are just lovely and are a nice contrast to the brightness of your nails :)ReplyDelete
Been lusting after these Alvin boots for so long now, love what you've paired the with Lily!ReplyDelete
love your jewelery cobinations!ReplyDelete
Lovely outfit! Your hair looks lovely straight :) xoReplyDelete
Love this! Your hair looks fab straight :)ReplyDelete
This kimono is so petty i'm glad you kept it:)ReplyDelete
The Kimono is fabulous!ReplyDelete
You have excellent taste in jewelry! The bracelets really compliment the color of your eyes, that is the first thing I noticed. And the turquoise rings are fabulous. I love a woman who makes effort to look glamorous without being over the top. Great look on you, keep up the trendy look!ReplyDelete
ahh lily your are too gorgeous!ReplyDelete
chloe @chlowitty blogs
Your kimono is so pretty, I'm always on the look out for a printed kimono, I prefer them to blazers but they're not as common sadly xoReplyDelete
I love this outfit Lily! Think I need to get some patterned clothes in my wardrobe this year instead of buying lots of basics! xxReplyDelete
want the kimono, the boots, the dress....could you please give it to me? ;PReplyDelete
I love the kimono, and you look amazing in these photos xxxReplyDelete
looove the kimono - I've already got a plain kimono, but would love to get a patterned one like yours!ReplyDelete
I recently did a post of me wearinga kimono, too. :-) http://shonarose.blogspot.com
Lily your hair looks beautiful in these pictures.ReplyDelete
Love the kimono! I remember seeing it in the Miss Selfridge window and fell in love! Haha. Love the whole outfit, definitely a good mix between looking good and not too over the top. Have a good evening.ReplyDelete
The kimono is so gorgeous!xxReplyDelete
Oh wow that kimono is pretty amazing, gorgeous outfit!xxReplyDelete
Such a pretty kimono, it's a lovely outfit. Your hair looks a lot blonder here, very nice :-)ReplyDelete
Happy new year!
Jessica xo
I seriously love your hair!! so gorgeous!ReplyDelete
It's not something I would pick out for myself but I must say that it looks fab on you xReplyDelete
You look lovely! The pattern of your kimono is beautiful, so so gorgeous! xxxReplyDelete
loveloveloveeeee the kimono! I'm after it now xReplyDelete
A wise choice, dear, keeping that kimono because it's GORGEOUS.ReplyDelete
I love the kimono, such a steatment and deffernt! Hope you had a nice time! <3 xoReplyDelete
Such a beautiful kimono!ReplyDelete
oh my gosh that kimino is amazing !!!!ReplyDelete
im holding a GIVEAWAY on my blog if anyone is interested.
5 year Q&A journal
That floral kimono is beautiful, Lily. I love the simplicity of that dress and the kimono definitely add some spice to the outfit. Your accessories also match beautifully with the outfit. I believe some gold accessories to go with the shoes would do as an improvement!ReplyDelete
Beautiful kimono xxReplyDelete
My love for kimonos is ever growing and this one is gorgeous!.ReplyDelete
they just make a great little addition to an outfit. i love wearing mine on nights out.
Lizzie xxx
beautiful outfit as always!ReplyDelete
gorgeous kimono! xReplyDelete
I love the dress, and the kimono jacket! AND your primark necklace.ReplyDelete
Beautiful Kimono! That's going straight on my birthday wishlist!ReplyDelete
Btw what dernier tights do you get? I need a change from my usual heavy black ones!
I love your jacket!ReplyDelete
I love the kimono, so fancy!ReplyDelete
Love the pattern of this, so fun!!!!ReplyDelete
This kimono looks fabulous on you! Hope you enjoyed drinks xxxReplyDelete
Brunette in Louboutins A fashion & lifestyle blog.
You look lovely! The kimono is so pretty :)ReplyDelete
Rachelle x
The kimono is gorgeous. I really want something like that, looks really unique! I love your Outfit Photos. I've been working on trying to get really good OOTD shotsReplyDelete
Look a bit Rockabilly, finesse and smooth as the current time. I love it, I agree.ReplyDelete
Love, unicorns and glitter on you. <3
lily you look so lovely, i love the kimono and necklace xReplyDelete
You look gorgeous, love your dress and hair! Enjoy your drinks!ReplyDelete
love this outfit, the kimono is so pretty! :) xxReplyDelete
your nails always look amazing and that kimono is perfect, love it :)ReplyDelete
I had the exact same thing with this kimono and one in Topshop too which was over the £50 mark. I loved them both but I couldn't justify spending the 90 ish pounds. Seeing the Miss Selfridge one here makes me wish I'd taken a chance on it! x xReplyDelete
Wow that Kimono is beautiful!!!! I love the colours in that! It brings such texture to it in the light! Georg! Hope your night out was fun lovely!ReplyDelete
Come visit my Fashion Blog!
gorgeous kimono! i really want one! :)ReplyDelete
You look gorgeous Lily! I love that kimono! xxReplyDelete
love the look! especially the kimono is amazing :)ReplyDelete
your kimono is beautiful and i love your jewellery! xReplyDelete
That kimono is gorgeous. Your hair looks lovely here too, very envious of the colour!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFriday, January 04, 2013 12:30:00 pm
The Miss Selfridge kimono is beautiful! Love your accessories! Niamh xReplyDelete
Kimono is gorgeous! Love the boots too.ReplyDelete
The jacket was definitely a keeper... love those jewel blue colours it has in it! Lovely!ReplyDelete
Dayner x UK Fashion, Lifestyle & Jewellery blog - mozzypop.com
Everything about this outfit is awesome!ReplyDelete
Jo x
Love love love the bracelets!ReplyDelete
Really like the look too, simple yet chic :)
Emily x - prettypleaseprettyplease.blogspot.com
love this outfit so much :) xReplyDelete
Naprosto dokonalý. Děláš skvělé fotky!ReplyDelete
Your kimono and jewellery is so nice! XxReplyDelete
You look gorgeous!!!! What size is you dress if you dont mind me asking? I've been searching for something simplistic and timeless like your monki dress!ReplyDelete
thanks x
Absolutely love that kimono! Not usually something I'd wear myself but I'll definitely be on the lookout for one similar! XReplyDelete
thankyou very muchReplyDelete
Obat Kencing Nanah
Mencari Obat Kencing Nanah
Obat Kencing Nanah atau Gonore
Obat Penyakit Kencing Nanah
Obat Kencing Nanah Wanita
Cara Mengobati Kencing Nanah
Pengobatan Kencing Nanah
Obat Kutil Di Kemaluan Pria
Obat Kutil Di Kemaluan Pria Tanpa Operasi
Obat Kutil Di Sekitar Kemaluan Pria
Obat Perontok Kutil Di Kemaluan Pria
Obat Alami Kutil Di Kemaluan Pria
Obat Kutil Di Daerah Kemaluan Pria
Beli Obat Kutil Di Kemaluan Pria
Mengobati Kanker Serviks Akut
Cara Mengobati Kanker Serviks Akut
Mengobati Penyakit Kanker Serviks Akut
Mengobati Kanker Serviks Akut Stadium 4
Mengobati Kanker Serviks Akut Secara Alami
Cara Mengobati Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Terbaik Mengobati Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Mengobati Sakit Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Mengobati Kanker Payudara Ganas Secara Alami
Cara Untuk Mengobati Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Mengobati Penyakit Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Mudah Mengobati Penyakit Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Kumpulan Cara Mengobati Penyakit Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Buat Mengobati Penyakit Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Mengobati Benjolan Penyakit Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Mengobati Benjolan Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Jitu Mengobati Benjolan Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Ampuh Mengobati Benjolan Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Makalah Cara Mengobati Benjolan Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Cara Manjur Mengobati Benjolan Kanker Payudara Secara Alami
Today Michael Kors Handbags outlet continue to be one of the world's best sellers in the handbags market and with the new Michael Kors Handbags Sale Clearance released in 2018 there seems no end to the company's rise to the top.ReplyDelete
Source: Homepage
If you consider the sheer volume of new Michael Kors Handbags Outlet Clearance launched every year there are only a handful of bags that attain iconic status and the Michael Kors Handbags Outlet Clearance falls into that category.
Source: Facebook.com
if you have any questions feel free to tweet me @llymlrs!
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.


text:
Service Agreement
|Agreement Type
|Use for:
|Limitations on Use
|Service Agreements
|Design services for Minor Capital or JOC projects Supporting design services for any project CEQA, feasibility, master plan studies Miscellaneous professional services and specialty design services such as: geotechnical, hazardous material reviews, acoustical, laboratory or other design studies, testing or inspection, services.
|Service Agreements do not contain the comprehensive framework of deliverables identified in the CSU A/E Agreement thus campuses must use care to develop Service Agreement Scopes of Service to comprehensively describe:
Scope of work, project schedule, deliverables, fee, payment times, and special conditions such as:
Extent of cost estimates to be provided, listing of consulting engineer disciplines to be provided as a part of the work, extent of outside agency plan reviews required, extent of bidding support is required, extent and frequency of construction administration support required, extent of as-built documents required.
|Service Agreements for Capital Projects
|Service Agreement
A generic agreement for professional services in support of capital projects.
|MS Word file
(revised: 2/12/18)
|Rider A - General Provisions
|MS Word file
(revised: 3/23/18)
|Model Riders for Service Agreements
|Site Survey
|MS Word file
|MS Word file
|Asbestos Abatement Survey
|MS Word file
|Generic Scope of Services
|MS Word file


text:
4000 Cartoons and 15 books. Johnathan Shapiro about his life, freedom of opinion and politics
(Editor: Annalisa Wellhäuser)
Open any South African newspaper today and you will most probably find a cartoon that comments South African politics drawn by the artist Zapiro. Who doesn't know the famous sketch picturing the current South African president Jacob Zuma with a shower above his head alluding to his statement that he took a shower after having had sex with an HIV-positive woman. Zapiro, born 1958 as Jonathan Shapiro in Cape Town, is the most famous cartoonist of these days in South Africa. His drawings appear in the Mail and the Guardian,Sunday Times and The Times. Moreover his art has been published in exhibitions all over the world and he has won numerous awards.
"SÜDAFRIKA – Land der Kontraste", the German Gateway to South Africa, met Zapiro in his office in Cape Town to find out more about this artist who is not afraid to say what he thinks with if it comes to politics.
Zapiro already discovered his passion for art as a child. Back then he used to have nightmares about frightening monsters and in order to deal with those scary dreams, he started drawing about them. Indeed that kind of self-therapy did help him to overcome his nightmares. And not only that; He enjoyed the drawing a lot. It was his dream to become an artist. He entered drawing competitions and also was active for the school newspaper. He invented the little character "Prepi", who commented on what's going on in preparatory school.
Soon ,he was also confronted with the politics happening in his country. His mum made him aware already at a very young age that they were living in a society "that was wrong"; his very first "kind of political experience" was when Verwoerd 1 was assassinated in 1966. In school they were asked to pray for the "architect of apartheid" and Zapiro remembers being confused and thinking" Hey, this was not a good guy!". Throughout his school time he was "at odds" with the general trend of supporting Apartheid amongst even English speaking white people, but he was not yet involved in any political actions at that time. After school he started studying architecture; not because he was passionate about it, but in order for him to stay out of the army. When he decided to change to graphic design and try to become a cartoonist, they "got him", he had to enter the army. In the army Zapiro refused to carry a gun, so they made him carry a heavy wooden dummy and made fun of him. Once a colleague made him stand guard with it, "which was ridiculous, I became a bit of a laughing stock but in a funny way, like a clown thing", Zapiro says.
However, the joke actually backfired, because he showed the other conscripts that he could handle this heavy arm very well as by doing exactly everything that they were doing with it. This was his way of rebelling against this and spreading his political message. He was regarded as a political consciousness non-commitant, as a communist, as dangerous. At that time he was not yet involved in any political organization, the UDF (United Democratic Front) formed just over a year after he was conscripted. But when it was formed in 1983, it was absolutely clear for him that he would join. Same appealed to his mum, his sister and a lot of his friends. Suddenly there was this non-racial grouping that felt right for them: much more elegentarian, much more open and much more connected to national politics. It was also connected to the ANC-but he didn't want to be involved into nor speak about it, because that was dangerous when they found out they were linked. Him and some of his family members even got detained at some point.
However, Zapiro has never wanted to be a politician. He sees a big difference between being enormously involved as an activist and becoming a politician. ,,Professional politics are very different from being a political activist." In his opinion only a few people managed to retain this integrity and those principles that guided them and made them passionate. Other people do things now out of personal gain or party political aims; they have become corrupt, comfortable and a bit apathetic compared to what they used to be. Also there are those who are within a party and are against those who are outside the party and maybe doing good things. "All those things I would hate", he states. He has seen people he knew who have made this trancession- only a few managed it successfully. According to him the country needs people who become politicians and remain focussed, altruistic and incorruptible. But the country also needs civil society and media-so in his opinion his best role is to be a visual columnist- and still to a little extend an activist. To produce his drawings, he obviously needs to do a lot of research on politics. For that Zapiro listens to the radio a lot, reads many different newspapers and consults the internet in order to look at the same sort of issue dealt with in different ways. Also he records some things broadcasted on television.
Zapiro explains that cartoons are primarily about thinking and communication; about finding a device to say something that one believes in. "They are 80% idea and 20% drawing." According to him there are cartoonists out there, who are good, but not necessarily the best cartoonist in the world -however they are really able to communicate by their art. On the other hand it would not be possible to carry weak ideas with good drawings. "It`s about thoughts. " To give an example, Zapiro speaks about one cartoon that he did, which displayed a little line of text on top saying "Whites who never benefited from Apartheid" and a blank page underneath he states that at the time of the release of the cartoon, there were people denying to have known about Apartheid. There were white people avoiding responsibility for the benefits that they were given while living under Apartheid.
Zapiro was irritated by that attitude and got inspired to create this "cartoon". This cartoon did not even have a picture, but still, so Zapiro, " This cartoon was conceptually really good and really powerful, one of the best cartoons I have ever done." It is Zapiro`s intention to trigger strong reactions with his drawings amongst the people. He wants to make people think. Maybe some people say "That's exactly how I feel, I didn't know how to express it." But he is not only addressing the people who think exactly like him- which, in his opinion, would not make any sense. He knows that there are people, who might agree and as well disagree on his thoughts on certain issues. However it is not his intention to convince the people, who think completely different. According to him it is all those people in the middle-he can make them see something in a new way by being a little bit persuasive to them.
When asking him what subject he would like to draw a sketch on, that he is not allowed to draw one on, he replies that there is nobody who can tell him not to do a cartoon on a certain topic. It is rather him who holds himself back. When he started as a political activist he used to be quite constrained by political correctness, whereas these days he is ready to accept those rules. " I don't like to gratuisly insult people in a hurtful way, who are in a way vulnerable." Still, even then his feeling of what is acceptable to draw a cartoon on would be way further down the line than that of others. If he felt that people are the aggressors, he wouldn`t care about them. For instance, if it comes to religion. In his view religion has done a huge amount of harm with regard to gay people and women and it has even promoted spread of HIV. Concerning this topic he would go really hard for the people in power.
Zapiro says he has done things that people would consider totally insulting. He states that some things around traditional culture are quite difficult to deal with in cartoons, because people treat them in a way religion is treated. According to him there exists some kind of communality. And at the moment there would be plenty of times when cartoons can be misinterpreted on purpose to make people out as racists even though they are not.
After the feedback that Zapiro is receiving is not always positive; president Jacob Zuma has pressed charges against him already for doing certain drawings on him. Zapiro says that he believes in the South African institutions, in the constitution , and he feels that these are strong enough to keep up freedom of speech -which he supports and which is part of what gives him resolve. Zapiro explains that his politics haven`t changed a lot, but politics of some people in power have changed and he considers himself lucky to not have as much constraints as people in power. If he believes in something he will go for it.
Further I ask him about his opinion concerning voices in this country saying that some kind of reversed apartheid is arising, where it is now black South African people against the other cultures. Zapiro responds that this is one of the topics, where he will get either into one form of discourse or another depending on who he is speaking to. On the one hand, if he would be speaking to his old political comrades he would be mouthing off at the death of non racialism and at the rise of a certain form of nationalism and elitism. On the other hand, if those amongst the white South Africans, who have never had "political bone" in their body during apartheid era come and complain in an uninformed way to him about how bad things are and so called "reversed racism", he gets into a whole different conversation. He would try to explain how much better things are now than they were then. And after all it is still white people who are at the top of the power in many important fields. He says that there is a certain kind of racism that still exists very strongly in the white community of South Africa. He continues saying that there are some absurdities in the way that affirmative action has been taking place; not the way it should be. And that he is the last person to say that all is ok. But to claim that things are the same way as they used to be in Apartheid, simply reversed, was not true, but absolute rubbish.
Then we speak about Julius Malema singing the old song "Kill the boers". Zapiro calls Malema`s behaviour "crass and wrong", he could not sing that song in the context of the new South Africa. He explains that the song was an apartheid era song, which had a metaphorical reason. It was about killing the system of apartheid, to fight those police men and farmers, who really were brutally assaulting and killed people ."And that was all understood then." Zapiro states that it is wrong to sing that song today, because its purpose is essentially to try "to mobilize disaffected youth, because the ANC is not delivering properly to them and try to make them focus some of their anger on people, who these days are not necessarily aggressing, at least not the same extent as before."However, he thinks that one cannot ban a song and that the high court`s decision to try to prevent him from singing the song was wrong. As a supporter of freedom of express he does not agree on it. "You can call somebody a political opportunist without saying you are not allowed to sing that song. It is a lot more nuanced and complicated than saying: Julius Malema is the equivilant of what Terre Blanche2 was…it doesn't work like that." Zapiro has done cartoons criticizing that decision of the court. I support the human rights commission and the UN`s determination on the definition of hate speech and that it should be prevented. He explains that that would be hate speech where you could make a connection between something that was said, such as a speech, a song or a piece of writing, and the active going out and killing somebody. However, he doesn`t think that " people went out killing people because of what Julius said…. "3 "If you can make that connection, that because of that song that person was killed..that`s where you can draw the line. But that's very far down the line of speech before you can make that decision."
Zapiro says that there was a complaint about his cartoon "Lady justice" and that the human rights commission exonerated him for doing the drawing and its publication, because of their determination that it is not inciting anyone to do anything to anybody else. "It was a metaphor about what Zuma was doing to the judiciary." "Freedom of express is very important to me." So if he started saying ,they should ban that song, then he could as well allow somebody to say to ban his cartoon, because both of them could be interpreted in a way that they could be objectionable."There has to be consistency."
Zapiro is producing with his cartoons political messages
Before the interview comes to an end I would like to find out from Zapiro what are his wishes for the new South Africa, what kind of development he thinks is necessary for it to become the peaceful rainbow nation everybody is longing for. Zapiro answers, "I remember when Tutu came up with the rainbow nation idea during the meeting of the inconscription campaign in 1985.It was always a bit idealistic. " According to Zapiro, Tutu wished for rainbow coalition of different groupings in the political movement fighting for the same aim: freedom, non racialism, democracy. However, Zapiro believes that South Africa has only had a few rainbow-moments since democracy. As an example he names the rugby world cup in 1995. "I`m afraid to say now, that unlike before, where I thought the white community was hugely responsible for not apologizing and not taking responsibility, I still say that ,I think now a lot more could have been done if the ANC had not become fat, comfortable and corrupt, and if say the people at the top were not promoting this narrow elite and not just paying lip service to delivery, but really were delivering and trying to bridge the wealth gap. That is where is should go." Zapiro believes that only then people can have some real reconciliation, because so far there are a lot of unresolved matters after truth reconciliation commission hearings. According to Zapiro, it is most important to close the inaquity in this society." South Africa has become the most inequal society in the world , we are even behind Brazil. And for that to be the state almost after 17 years of democracy is outrageous."
Finally I would like to find out what Zapiro`s personal plans and dreams are for the future. "For the medium term I want to continue what I`m doing, but want to make sure I`m still feeling like I`m relevant and got something to say, because if I do not- I want to pull out and go for something in the long term." He has managed to produce over 4000 cartoons and 15 books , but he doesn`t want to do the same thing for ever, he also wants to do other things. In the long term Zapiro would like to move into some other genres of cartooning and storytelling, which he loves. He would like to become a bit more balanced person, because the intensity he has with the cartooning does tend to overwhelm a great part of his life. He wants to spend more time with his family.


text:
Elements Of Style
Fashion Friday: Jetting Away
(I can't wait to be sitting right here)
Next weekend I leave for a full week away at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. I'm a mixture of SO EXCITED and stressed out, as being a small business owner (and dog mom) makes leaving for that long really hard. But I am going to try to vacate my stress a little and enjoy 7 full days of sun and sea. Of course, I have not thought about what to pack at all until now (I see a marathon shopping trip in my future). Here are some things I'd love to take with me:
1. Adorably simple but modern earrings that go with anything.
2. Denim cut offs. Duh.
3. Gold and bling statement necklace to dress up everything and anything.
4. Love this modern neon simple dress. Also conceals poolside drink bloat. :)
5. A simple silk tee paired with white jeans in perfect for dinner out when paired with that statement necklace.
6. Killer wedges that mix black AND tan.
7. An adorable bikini.
8. The perfect black and white stripe tank maxi dress.
9. A bohemian print silk tee.
10. DREAM PURCHASE: Gold Valentino Rockstud flat sandals.
11. I really want a one-piece since I'm not feeling my best right now- this one is still sexy.
12. DREAM PURCHASE: This Tory Burch long embroidered dress. Die. Die. Die. (This one is more attainable).
13. Perfect long coin pendant from Julie Vos.
14. Love the retro/ Jackie O feel of these Chloe sunglasses!
15. Pretty coral embroidered blouse.
16. Perfect white jeans (I'll pack a skinny pair too).


text:
Rather than looking at Western civilization only as the history of Europe from ancient times to the present, this book examines the changing nature of the West - how the definition of the West has evolved and transformed throughout history.Levack, Brian P. is the author of 'West Encounters & Transformations To 1715' with ISBN 9780321188090 and ISBN 0321188098.[read more]
You can find lots of answers to common customer questions in our FAQs
View a detailed breakdown of our shipping prices
Learn about our return policy
Still need help? Feel free to contact us
View college textbooks by subject
and top textbooks for college
With our dedicated customer support team, 30-day no-questions-asked return policy, and our price match guarantee, you can rest easy knowing that we're doing everything we can to save you time, money, and stress.


text:
As Expected, Ridiculous, Wrong, Exaggerating And Misleading Report Claims That 'Piracy' Is Killing Jobs
from the oh-come-on deptAs was leaked earlier this week, a study paid for by the International Chamber of Commerce has come out with ridiculously misleading and misguided report about how "piracy" is killing jobs all through Europe. The tagline is that it's "costing" 1.2 million jobs and about $330 million. And, of course, that sort of report is the kind that the press loves, and so we get a series of headlines:
- Net piracy puts 1.2m EU jobs in peril, study shows
- Internet piracy taking big toll on jobs
- Illegal-file sharing could 'cost billions' by 2015
- Piracy threatens Europe's creative industries
- EU must take 'urgent' action on piracy, report warns
Honestly, the claims by this research firm, TERA, read like "automobiles costing buggy makers jobs and money, something must be done!" It's based on a fundamental misunderstanding of basic economics and the nature of dynamic markets (and, frankly, calls into question anything put out by this particular firm). The only thing "costing" companies money are their own actions. If they are failing to adapt to a changing market, that's their fault. Don't try to pin the blame on new technologies and consumers getting better access to content.
Even worse, when you start to dig into the report you find all sorts of highly questionable or downright incorrect assumptions. TorrentFreak put together a starter list of problems (feel free to add more in the comments):
- The report suggests that there's a direct correlation between Internet traffic growth and lost jobs. That is, the more traffic that is generated on the Internet, the more money will be lost. This correlation is 1 according to the report, which assumes that all growth in Internet traffic will increase piracy at the same rate.
- The report makes another bogus assumption by stating that more traffic will mean more piracy and thus more lost revenue. It does not account for the fact that people might consume higher quality files which are greater in file-size. All projections are based on bandwidth and not the number of pirated goods.
- The report cites some academic literature which suggests that piracy leads to a decrease in sales. Studies that reported the opposite or a null-effect were carefully left out. This bias defines the entire outcome of the report. If they used studies that found a positive effect they would have found that piracy would create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the years to come.
- The report uses fixed substitution rates. They assume that 10 downloaded albums results in one lost sale and this figure is not adjusted for the projected increase in piracy. One would think that the public's budget for entertainment is limited and that the substitution rate would go down as piracy goes up.
- Related to the previous point, if the industry did indeed lose over €240 billion in revenue by 2015, consumers would have a lot of extra cash to spend. Depending on where this money was spent it might create more jobs than the entertainment industry claims it is losing. As a report commissioned by the Dutch Government showed last year, the overall effect of piracy on the economy might actually be positive.
- It gets even more ridiculous when we take a closer look at the claims. In the UK consumers spent €6.3 on audiovisual products. If the projected trends continued, the 'lost' revenue because of piracy would exceed the actual revenue, meaning that the music and movie industries would end up having to pay people for pirating their products.
- Lastly, the researchers seem to have trouble putting a decent report together as they messed up the legend of one of the critical figures. In this figure the bars for "file-sharing" and "global Internet traffic" are switched around. This makes us skeptical about the other statistics that are published in the report.
Filed Under: europe, file sharing, jobs, piracy


text:
"Black People Don't Rock Climb" – Breaking Boulder Barriers
How does one imagine the image of a stereotypical rock climber? Is he a he- and is he white and burly? Does the climbing world need more diversity in it's media? We sit down with Brothers of Climbing co-founder Mikhail Martin and BKB Team Members Ashton Horton & Pieter Cooper to discuss.


text:
Today is my dad's birthday.
As I think of him today and the many odd and unexpected blessings that were gathered to me in this last year of his life, the blessings that I am trying to capture here for Sean and for me so that we might recall them on some distant day, what comes to mind is how contented he was in all circumstances and the goodness it added to my life.
My dad was a simple guy.
That's not to say he wasn't smart. He was good with numbers and had an intuitive knowledge of words, thanks to the Latin he learned as an altar boy. He was loaded with common sense and had a terrific memory – some of the same qualities I see in Sean.
He never went to college, he never had an important job, never ran a company, never managed any one, nor did he want to. But he was smart enough know this: It's not the finer things in life that bring joy but the simple things.
As a foolish teenager, I saw his contentedness with his modest middle-class life as a lack of ambition, and it is with shame that I confess that I had some resentment about that, that he was not terribly concerned about seeing to it that I get the material things I craved.
Eventually, after life knocked me around a bit, I learned that no amount of stuff you can accumulate will add one drop of goodness to life, but rather will usually get in the way of it if for no other reason than the pursuit of such things robs you of your most precious resource – time.
I've often wondered what is it that makes some people content and others restless? For Dad, I think the fact that he always thought of himself as a pretty lucky guy was at the center of his contentment. He wasn't one of those annoying perpetually "glass is always half full" sunny side up guys, but he was grateful for the good things that rolled his way and I guess he felt like more good came his way than bad, or at least on the important matters.
In the early 1950s dad went into the army with three buddies. There is a picture of the four of them standing together on the day they got their orders. Three were sent to Korea or elsewhere where they were either killed or witnessed unspeakable horror. But Dad shipped out to Germany, where he said it was like being on vacation.
He went skiing in the Alps, he went to Oktoberfest, he saw the great cathedrals and historic sites of Europe – but most importantly he came home. He was lucky. The only part of being in the Army that he didn't like was the boat ride over and back. One time I offered to take him and mom on an Alaskan cruise and he shook his head. "No thanks," he said, "I was on a big boat once in the army and I have no desire to do that again." I could have argued that a cruise boat was not exactly like the army, but sometimes Dad could be stubborn.
When he got out of the Army, the first thing he did was marry my mother, and if not one other thing went right in his life, marrying her would have made him feel like the luckiest guy who ever lived. They bought a 50-year-old fixer upper and spent the next 58 years fixing it up and tending to the details of middle-class life: three kids, boy scouts, bicycles, too much week for too little paycheck, too cold winters, too short summers, old cars replaced by newer old cars, employment and unemployment, grandkids and then great-grandkids.
And it seems to me, and to those he left behind, those 58 years passed more quickly than the time it took you to read these ramblings.
When the cancer diagnosis came in April of last year, he didn't feel so lucky. He was having a great time in his retirement years with my mother and wasn't ready for that to come to an end.
In time though, when the shock wore off, he came back around to seeing that even in the midst of awful, he was a lucky guy. He had a wife and three children who would see to it that he felt well loved and well cared for to the very end. He had seen his children raised and he knew he knew he could count on us to look after our mother. He had outlived all but one of his life long friends. He had enjoyed much sweetness and little bitterness in life. And somewhere, beyond this life, he knew something wonderful was waiting for him. What more could one hope for?
So on this day that would have been his 82nd birthday, I think of my dad and what a blessing it was to be raised by a man who thought of himself as a lucky guy and how he lived his life in pursuit and appreciation of simple things that neither rust nor moths will destroy.
It is a rich inheritance.


text:
Today, most of us would probably rate cellphones, ATMs and the Internet as the three most useful modern gadgets we use regularly. We likely wouldn't rank GPS up there, and maybe not even in the top 10. Yet without GPS, those three wouldn't work too well, if at all, and neither would a host of other things that we depend on (reliable electrical power; banking systems; national and worldwide telecommunications, including air traffic control; and car navigation, to name a few). And with NextGen slowly approaching, aviation's dependence on GPS will grow exponentially.
But their dependability is not assured for the future. Considering their importance, the GPS satellite signals are improbably weak: someone compared them to detecting a Christmas tree light bulb in New York, when viewed from Los Angeles. The reason is that in the 1970s USAF developers had classified technology that could hide them from adversary detection deep in the atmospheric "noise." But parallel civil technology eventually caught up and public GPS access was granted in 1983. On Sept. 10, 2001, the Department of Transportation warned that the weakness of the signals made them vulnerable to deliberate jamming. Events the very next day demonstrated the reality of ill intent.
Today, the worldwide GPS market and the system's applications have expanded beyond anyone's imagination, with the number of receivers in use estimated to be "close to half a billion." Accompanying the rise in GPS usage have been ever increasing reports of signal interference and jamming. One UK report stated that over a six-month period in 2011, twenty dedicated GPS signal monitors spread across the country had recorded between 50 and 450 deliberate interference events every day. Of these, almost all were attributed to small, low-powered devices selling for around $50 on the Internet since, as in the U.S., GPS jammers are illegal in the UK. Nevertheless, several thousand are reportedly in use in Britain and more than100,000 in the U.S., their main purpose being to defeat GPS tracking systems installed in trucks by their company owners. But their numbers are said to be steadily increasing and, unfortunately, their low power levels make them difficult to detect, especially in moving traffic. Last November, the Department of Homeland Security reportedly introduced a U.S. nationwide GPS monitoring project called Patriot Watch, similar to the system in the UK.
What does GPS jamming mean for aviation? Because the most common jammers today are low powered, their main threat is to lower-altitude aircraft on a GPS, GPS/Waas or GPS/RNP approach and on the airport surface, where GPS-driven airport maps are being used. AIN reported last year on the collateral jamming of the ground-based augmentation system (GBAS) at Newark, which suffered random and unpredictable shutdowns that were eventually found to be caused by jammers in trucks travelling along the nearby New Jersey Turnpike. The only cure for the problem was to move the four GBAS antennas farther infield to a point out of range of the jammers.
But this is unlikely to be a permanent cure. Inevitably, under a "bigger is better" mindset, some buyers will feel more protected with a more powerful, longer-range jammer, and these too are now available on the Internet. This of course raises the threat level since, depending on their antenna configuration, they increase the likelihood of higher-altitude interference, with a consequent impact on ADS-B.Is There Safety in Numbers?
Will other, more recently assembled GNSS constellations such as Europe's Galileo be less affected by GPS jammers? The answer, unfortunately, is no. All GNSS satellites transmit in the same quite narrow set of frequencies, with each satellite assigned a unique coded ID. On the plus side, the DOD's next-generation GPS III will transmit more powerful signals than at present, but jamming follows the military practice of escalating countermeasures as the adversary increases his.
It was also once felt that when Europe and China joined the U.S. and Russia with full worldwide GNSS constellations, along with smaller regional constellations over India and Japan, the 130 or more satellites would always provide superior performance by allowing user receivers to select the optimum satellite geometry, with maximum redundancy. That is still true, but with all those satellites continuously transmitting, initial recent research suggests that the ambient atmospheric noise "floor" also rises, potentially further weakening those already weak satellite signals, to the jammers' advantage.Spoofing
Spoofing is an essentially military technique that can allow control of a UAV to be taken over electronically in flight and directed elsewhere on false GPS data. Earlier this year, Iran claimed that it used spoofing to capture an unmanned U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel, a claim the USAF has challenged. However, the fact that it appears to have made a successful wheels-up landing with relatively little damage has created concern in the Pentagon and elsewhere, since both Russia and China are known to have conducted extensive spoofing research. Spoofing is a complex process and, as far as is known, has not been achieved with an unmanned aircraft in the West. If Iran's claim is true, it would have a profound effect on future unmanned aircraft warfare strategies.The Future of Aviation GPS
Unquestionably, GPS jamming will increase and, as we move further into a satellite-based NextGen environment, its interference will become more noticeable. This raises two key questions (not only for NextGen but also for all other critical GPS applications). For aviation, will GPS reach the point of no longer being totally dependable? Second, if so, are the backup systems proposed for NextGen adequate for the long-term future?
AIN will explore some of the options ahead in a future issue.
Mike Kaufhold (not verified)
April 3, 2012 - 1:15pm
And this is news??? More like "Duh, where's my V-8!"
Drives me nuts. These discussions were in play over 30 years ago - now we're treated to an Valley Girl's "OMG"! How about a LOL and BTW "told you so"! Isn't anyone thinking out there???
Jon W. (not verified)
April 4, 2012 - 3:09am
GPS wasn't being bet/relied on for the futrue of civil aviation 30 years ago. You said "Isnt anyone thinking out there??" the answer is yes. People are thinking out there. feel free to join in anytime.
Jon W. (not verified)
April 4, 2012 - 3:10am
GPS wasn't being bet/relied on for the futrue of civil aviation 30 years ago. You said "Isnt anyone thinking out there??" the answer is yes. People are thinking out there. feel free to join in anytime.
Tom Curl (not verified)
April 3, 2012 - 3:36pm
Sometimes, before using a term you are a apparently unfamiliar with John, a Google search (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoofing_attack) can help prevent you from undermining your credibility.
readerPDQ (not verified)
April 3, 2012 - 3:36pm
We HAD a perfectly good terrestrial backup system in place - LORAN. The proposed upgrade never took place and instead the gov't saved a few bucks by decommissioning it. The idea that the entire air transportation system should rely solely on a sat-based system is simply not well conceived.
A. R. (not verified)
April 3, 2012 - 4:33pm
I started out in avionics maintenance in the 1970s and moved into the satellite communications business as an electrical engineer in RF electronics. As a pilot, the decades-long push to all-GPS navigation has troubled me for quite some time.
The flying public (pilots and pax alike) do not realize just how fragile the GPS signals are; they are far, far more vulnerable than VORs, NDBs and LORAN. In the event of a national crisis (pick one) the GPS availability may well not be there. Its akin to depending on one little paper match in your winter survival kit; you hope it's never needed because it's all you've got. Distributed systems like VOR/TACAN are much harder to knock out as they are widely disbursed, operate on multiple frequencies, are independently powered, and transmit with dozens of watts in the local area, not faint signals arriving from points some 23,000 miles into space. In contrast, GPS depends on a handful of extraordinarily low-power transmitters that are highly exposed to all enemies and are incapable of being defended.
LORAN was a good thing (especially after good microprocessors came about to simply its use) but short-sighted politicos nixed all that. Even NDBs do a good job; they are widely used in developing countries for minimal cost. During a national defense crisis, I would rate the NDB as more trustworthy than GPS, but its not as sexy, so you can forget about that being funded!
A. R. (not verified)
April 3, 2012 - 4:38pm
Correction: GPS satellites are not 23,ooo miles in space (as the geosynchronous satellites are; my mistake). They operate about half that height (12,600 miles) but are just as vulnerable.
BigJim (not verified)
April 3, 2012 - 5:00pm
@readerPDQ - I believe you are correct wrt LORAN being a lost opportunity. I had a LORAN receiver, before I replaced it with a GNS530, and it worked well. The upgraded eLORAN would have worked much better. I believe that even now it would be possible to reinstate the eLORAN chains. The various manufacturers of GPS aviation units could provide for an upgrade to provide moving maps and navigation using both GPS and eLORAN in the same box (or an external eLORAN receiver providing location to the GPS box). That would be a great navigation backstop, providing a combined satellite and terrestrial based system.
Kevin (not verified)
April 3, 2012 - 9:04pm
This is why we need to keep the VORs arround, even if it means putting off Next Gen tech for a TBD amount of time if money needs to be saved
Matt (not verified)
April 3, 2012 - 10:27pm
I totally agree with Kevin's comment. I believe that we are opening ourselves up to potential disaster without a reliable navigation network as backup to GPS. Loran is gone and apparently there is a plan to decommission VOR's, leaving us dependant on GPS with all its weaknesses.
Steve Seltveit (not verified)
April 3, 2012 - 9:50pm
I am a flight instructor and can tell you that General Aviation is taking a tremendous hit with the advancement of the Next Gen system. I am all for flight safety and high tech., but I also realize that we had a very good system in the Loran and VOR system. The NDB for many pilots was a challange, but it made them think! Take a new "glass cockpit" aircraft and turn off the GPS and you would be surprised as to how many pilots have a tough time just trying to figure out where they are at!
There are getting to be fewer and fewer general aviation aircrafts flying. One of the main reasons is the "Cost" of fuel and upgrades required to continue to operate within the system. I wounder if some of our FAA personell as well as our elected officials that make these decisions realize that "their job" also depends on the health of general aviation. My view - Use the GPS, but keep what we have and re-instate the "loran system". Seems that the government has no problem dumping "Billions" into foreign "black holes", but cannot afford to take care of a system that we already have.
Howie Soule (not verified)
April 4, 2012 - 8:33am
I agree....LORAN should never have been shut down. Fortunately, there are some key stations still "up." The facility at Caribou, ME is in "hot standby"...ready to turn on with some notice. I don't know how many others are in this condition, but it's a pretty good bet that there are some, due to the nature of how LORAN works. The LORAN errors that were frequently mentioned as a reason to move to GPS, primarily existed only on the ground or in the water....based on terrestrial based interference, affecting mostly boaters. Terrestrial based NAV systems will always be more reliable because humans can get to them for repair. VOR, ILS are still valuable and necessary aids. Even the lowly NDB has it's place, but alas, they are being shut down as a result of budget, aging and short-sightedness.
Tom Campbell (not verified)
April 4, 2012 - 12:23pm
Would the ability to frequency hop solve the problem?
Mike Kaufhold (not verified)
April 4, 2012 - 12:44pm
Just to make the point: GPS was all about global navigation infrastructure - for multitudes of users - even though justified as mil-based originally in concept. IT WAS in the concept of operations to be a major player in civil aviation - guess you had to be there - but that was 40+ years ago so many wouldn't have been. By 30 years ago there WERE major questions about "total" reliance on any space-based system - specifically for the military - but also as was being considered in civil aviation concepts and designs.
But deal with the real question - when was it a ever a good idea to put all of our eggs in one basket?
BTW - LORAN lives in reverse as a "Back to the Future" concept. They canned LORAN (really dumb ... but it was a "had to be" to justify moving on - NextGen part of that logic - among other things). But wait ... then they re-invented LORAN by reverseing a old NAV CONOPS into a "new" surveillance CONOPS called ref Wide Area Multi-Lateration (WAM) where the transmitters are airborne/mobile and the receivers became fixed-site clusters on the ground. Good thinking in some ways - but not good strategy as WAM too is ultimately dependednt on GPS.
The thread below has it right - LORAN (updated) was/would be the best primary system - with GPS as back-up.
Also makes me wonder what part of the funny farm some peple live on to hear we won't need PSR/MSSR capabilities - as one hears from many who default to GPS derived uber alles systemics. Well, you darn well might when GPS/GNSS becomes unusable as several realistic scenarios point out is not only possible but even likley.
Roger (not verified)
April 4, 2012 - 3:19pm
Unfortuneatly, it will take a disaster before the politicians will consider the danger of the current scenario. They aske the quesiton, "What is the likelihood that an event will transpire?" and then assign a probability cost to that scenario. If it costs more to address the potential scenario than the scenario costs, it will be ignored. It will take a disaster and the political fall out to see action on this issue. And that's unfortunate for all the people who may be affected when that disaster becomes reality.
Eugene Brusin (not verified)
April 5, 2012 - 6:58pm
What GPS backup is ready now with USA wide coverage and not "a plan in the FAA or DHS thought process"?


text:
FHSU Mission Statement
Fort Hays State University, a regional university principally serving western Kansas, is dedicated to providing instruction within a computerized environment in the arts and sciences, business, education, the health and life sciences, and agriculture. The university's primary emphasis is undergraduate liberal education, which includes the humanities, the fine arts, the social/behavioral sciences, and the natural/physical sciences. These disciplines serve as the foundation of all programs. Graduates are provided a foundation for entry into graduate school, for employment requiring well-developed analytical and communication skills, and for lives of ethical and civic responsibility to better understand global complexities and an American society of increasing diversity. Natural outgrowths of the university's primary emphasis include pre-professional, professional, master's, and education specialist programs. A statewide strategic focus of the university is the integration of computer and telecommunications technology with the educational environment and the work place. Scholarship at FHSU is supported because it stimulates faculty and students, provides new knowledge, connects the disciplines, and builds bridges between teaching and learning while linking theory with practice to address the needs of a diverse society. The university is responsible for providing public service to the community, the region, and the state of Kansas. Programs consistent with the university's academic and research activities emphasize the importance of FHSU as the cultural center of western Kansas.


text:
The KNBC team is recreating the timeline of the 1992 L.A. Riots, and you can follow along.
With the 20th anniversary of the 1992 L.A. Riots coming up over the weekend, there will be countless stories to read looking back at the legacy of the Rodney King trial, the violence that followed, and whether we've really progressed as a society at all since then. (Rodney King himself thinks we have, despite seeing disturbing parallels in the death of Trayvon Martin). But if you're looking for a more in-your-face way to remember and reflect on what happened during those terrible late-April days, start following @RealTimeLARiots, a Twitter account being manned by the newsroom team at KNBC, the local NBC affiliate. It's an attempt, the station explains, to answer the question, "What if Twitter existed in 1992?"
So far, the account has been chronicling the end of the trial of the four police officers accused of beating Rodney King. But on April 29 at 3:15 p.m. Los Angeles time, "the verdict will be announced and the account will shift focus to the riots, complete with archive footage, photos and breaking news from around Los Angeles."
"But, then again, it's going to be a relief to get it over." #LaurencePowell— Real Time LA Riots (@RealTimeLARiots) April 27, 2012
Waiting through jury deliberation "very difficult" for him, says #LaurencePowell.— Real Time LA Riots (@RealTimeLARiots) April 27, 2012
Courtroom Update: Officers now allowed to leave Simi Valley Courthouse after checking in each day. #RodneyKing— Real Time LA Riots (@RealTimeLARiots) April 27, 2012
"If we all work together, there will be little or no trouble or violence," says @LAPD Chief-designate Willie Williams— Real Time LA Riots (@RealTimeLARiots) April 26, 2012