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Hello World
I have always been a collector and over the years and on a regular basis I visit various shops looking for used and vintage frames. I have no qualms with a few minor dings or nicks in a frame as long as it is a quality piece. A beautiful frame, like any antique, is not devalued by slight imperfections. It is enhanced by the history and is one of a kind. I'm sure that there is a story there somewhere, if only it could talk. Some of my "finds" are beautiful on their own, sometimes obviously handmade, and a little love and elbow grease can restore them to almost new condition. I do my own framing and cut my own mats so that every framed piece is unique. The frame is a part of the art as I envision it. In this way I give those frames a second life, keep them out of the landfill, and derive personal pleasure from the search and rescue. And, my clients get a piece of history along with a new piece of art.
The Reuse Centre
I have known that the Reuse Centre existed in Edmonton for a number of years, but never had the opportunity to visit. Donna and I did just that in the fall of 2017 when we decided to start getting rid of some material things that we no longer need or want. Instead of adding more items to our landfills, we decided to donate them to the Reuse Centre.
For those of you who don't know about the facility, "The Reuse Centre accepts various items from Edmonton residents free of charge and makes them available to organizations and individuals for reuse. The Reuse Centre is unique as it deals with items that are not accepted for reuse elsewhere." (as stated on their Web site: https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/garbage_waste/reuse-centre.aspx). For artists like myself, it a great place for materials for projects you're working on. Its inexpensive, a minimal fee for up to 50 kg of stuff! If you have good and useful items you no longer need, take them to the Reuse Centre instead of the landfill.
This year, as in previous years, I will be presenting my new original works at Riverbend Community "Art in Our Park". As some of you know, I am not represented by galleries, so this is the only way to see and purchase my original work. Be sure to mark it on your calendar. "Art in our Park" takes place annually in September. I will keep you posted as more information becomes available. Hope to see you this year!
I would love to hear from you.
My preferred method of communication is email. If you have some praise or critique on my work, or any questions you may have, please feel free to contact me. I certainly will do my best under my circumstances (lazy, old and sometimes unable due to being lazy and old!) to answer all emails.
Thanks again for visiting and here's hoping to connect with you soon.
Please contact Stan at:
Welcome to Stan's home on the Net.....
Thank you for visiting my web site. Since I'm kind of lazy and an introvert when it comes to promoting my art, this is where you can follow me on my artistic journey. For most of my life I've been busy dealing with life in general: people, family, kids, business and making money to feed my self and the family. Not much time for my art. Now that the kids are grown and on their own, I have more freedom to do the things that don't necessarily bring in the dough. What a feeling! Please don't get me wrong. I do still like money, so please do make a purchase if something grabs your fancy. Go to " stan-kwong.pixels.com " and check out the selections available. By the way, this site has small samples of my work scattered throughout. Clicking on the image itself will take you to the page where you can view details and buy the print if you wish.
There is a section called "THOUGHTS". Some are mine and others are those of people that I admire and whose teachings I try to follow. This is also where you may find some blogs from me when I feel the need to say something or to share fun and entertaining materials such as links, photos and videos. I hope you'll enjoy it and find it interesting.
The majority of my paintings are Acrylics and Oils. Quality reproductions of my work and some originals are for sale. My style is very informal and it varies from realism to abstraction, and may or may not contain a statement of some kind. My only goal is to create art that will give the viewer a reaction that will summon feelings, happy or not. Having been consumed by the digital domain for the last 30 years, it is very refreshing to pick up a brush or a marker and create something that does not require electricity to see it. I hope you enjoy your visit.
Photography was a hobby in the '70s. It has been one of my personal and professional creative outlets since the '80s. Professionally, I had to move to photography as a matter of survival in the Graphic Arts business. Personally, I embraced photography because of its unlimited creativity with technological advances in software such as Adobe Photoshop. I've been playing with it since 1985 and taught Photoshop for a number of years with Metro Continuing Education, EPSB in Edmonton. Prints of my Photo Art are for sale and they are available on quality photo paper or as canvas prints.
I operated S. K. Graphics Ltd. in Edmonton, Canada for almost 20 years. During that time, the company did everything from Corporate Identity to stage design and Fine Dining menus. I still do design work here and there but most of my work is now concentrated on Painting, Illustration and Photography. Go to the "BUY SK STUFF" page to see samples of illustrations, photography and paintings.
I hope you will enjoy your visit and do come back often because I will post new works and thoughts as they become available.....
Stan Kwong
Artist, Photographer
The Fine Art America website http://stan-kwong.artistwebsites.com/ has several options for the purchase of prints. You can purchase prints of my original art, photos, and digital art on metal, acrylic, canvas, paper and greeting cards. The greeting cards are 5 x 7 inches and you can configure them in a variety of ways, adjusting the image size, background colour, and writing your own text for the inside. They can be ordered individually or in packages of 10 or 25.
Any of the images can be ordered as prints on metal, acrylic, canvas, or paper in a wide range of sizes, from as small as 5" x 8" to approximately 4 feet x 3 feet, depending on the dimensions of the original.
With the metal prints the image is printed directly onto a sheet of 1/16" thick aluminum. The aluminum sheet is offset from the wall by a 3/4" thick wooden frame which is attached to the back and includes a hanging wire for easy wall mounting. These metal prints are very durable, lightweight, won't bend, and are water resistant. For the acrylic prints the image gets printed directly onto the back of a 1/4" thick sheet of clear acrylic. You can choose two different options for mounting. The high gloss of the aluminum or acrylic sheet complements the rich colours of any image and makes it very easy to keep your art clean!
Stretched canvas prints add texture and depth to the image. The image is printed on premium canvas and then stretched on a wooden frame of stretcher bars. You can choose gallery wrap or museum wrap and opt for framed or unframed. Choosing frames is great entertainment because you get to play on the website, selecting various sizes, styles and colours of frames and instantly seeing what it will look like.
Prints on paper can be purchased on a variety of types of paper and you can choose to purchase the print shipped as a poster (rolled in a cardboard tube) or framed. Again, you get the pleasure of choosing your print, the size of the print, the style, size and colour of your frame, and choice of mats (0, 1 or 2) and colour of mat. Some prints work well in specific frames without a mat - others seem to cry out for a mat. It's a fun exercise even if you have no intention of purchasing anything. One can spend hours playing with the possibilities on this site...
And if wall art is not what you're after, my art can be transferred onto a variety of other surfaces including cell phone cases, shower curtains, rugs, beach towels, blankets, cushions, note cards, tote bags, and more. The size, shape and configuration of each art work determines whether or not it would be suitable for printing on home decor and other items.
Click here to browse or purchase prints of my work from Fine Art America.
"Art in Our Park" in Edmonton's Riverbend community takes place every year in September. It is a family friendly FREE arts festival featuring an art market, interactive & multidisciplinary workshops and activities, live music and dance on multiple stages, and much more. I have been showing and selling my original works at this event for the past several years. If you're interested in purchasing any of my original pieces this is your one opportunity each year to do so.
I look forward to this event each year as an opportunity not only to show and sell my art, but to meet new art lovers, and to re-connect with previous clients and fellow artists. Over the years a wonderful camaraderie has developed among the organizers, volunteers, and artists.
For more information on this event, go to:https://www.facebook.com/ARTinOurPark
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Calif. voters back Prop. 11, supporting on-call breaks for EMS providers
The ballot measure, which requires private sector EMTs and paramedics to remain on-call during meal and rest breaks, was ahead by a double digit margin
By Marisa Kendall
The Mercury News
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Proposition 11, which regulates breaks taken by ambulance workers, rolled to victory Tuesday.
The ballot measure, which requires private sector EMTs and paramedics to remain on-call during meal and rest breaks, was ahead by a double digit margin Tuesday night.
Private ambulance companies in the past have required workers to remain on call during breaks. But Prop. 11 landed on the ballot following several lawsuits against companies over their on-call break policies. And in 2016, the California Supreme Court ruled employers cannot require their workers to remain on-call during breaks.
An analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office determined it's likely that court ruling soon will apply to EMTs and paramedics, which potentially would increase costs to California ambulance companies by more than $100 million a year. Prop. 11 allows ambulance companies to avoid that extra spending.
Opponents argued medical transportation company American Medical Response attempted to use Prop. 11 to dodge the labor lawsuits pending against it. Supporters said the measure would bring rules for EMTs and paramedics in line with those for other emergency service providers.
Prop. 11 also mandates that meal breaks not occur during the first or last hour of a shift, and be spaced at least two hours apart.
Copyright 2018 The Mercury News

subset: commoncrawl


text: We have 3 screens, if we are not showing what you are looking for just ask the bar staff and we will pop it on for you. Please note some non high demand games could result in a high demand game being televised in it's place and on multiple screens. Please call before to confirm that we are showing what you are interested in watching. 0724645109


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Now showing items 1-1 of 1
The effects of text complexity and complex graphical elements on readers' text comprehension of online science articles
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)
Science literacy (SL) allows an individual to be knowledgeable on the latest science research and to draw "evidence-based conclusions." Unfortunately, only a small portion of the U.S. public is scientifically literate. Thus, this study investigated...


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Faris Team proudly serves the following communities and surrounding areas. We are the #1 Team in Simcoe County out of all brokerages, and we go full out® for every community!
Growing faster than any of its Simcoe County neighbours, Bradford WG is a great place to invest in real estate. Offering a mix of rural, suburban and luxury home ownership options, properties in Bradford continue to grow in value while remaining competitively priced compared to the GTA. Add in local festivities, a historical downtown, new recreation facilities like the BWG Leisure Centre, conservation areas, quality schools, a public library, and its own winery, it's no wonder so many home buyers are choosing to take up permanent residency in Bradford WG.
La Mexicanada Restaurant


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NEW! 14 Volt for the street! The intermediate step between 12 V and 16 V batteries. There are many advantages the 14V battery offers to the racer who also drives the car on the street. Since 14V batteries need to be charged at 16.8V, we have also introduced the all new Voltage Control Module (VCM) that simply plugs into the factory or aftermarket a alternator to allow it to charge at the appropriate voltage for the 14V battery. With a 16V battery, the alternator charge voltage would need to be 19.2V, which is too high for many of the sensitive electronics that may be present in a street and strip race car.
Battery, 14 V, AGM, 675 Cold Cranking Amps, Top Post
Battery Usage Starting
Volts: 14 V
Battery Terminals Top
Battery Type AGM Cranking
Amps at 32 Degrees: 675 amps
Reserve Capacity 50 minutes
Length (in) 10.240 in.
Width (in) 6.750 in.
Height (in) 7.200 in.
Weight 43.6 lbs.
Notes3/8 in. threaded terminals and SAE top posts included.
Recommended: charging the battery upon receipt.
New Reinforced Case Design!


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Mandala of Protection:
Srid-pa-ho is a powerful Tibetan astrological mandala carried for protection. Manjushri, top center, holds the sword of wisdom that cuts through confusion and dispels obstacles.
The turtle in the lower left hand corner symbolizes long life. Meditating on Srid-pa-ho heightens awareness and protects body and mind from negative influences.
Size: 4" × 5″


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If you're curious about the original decentralized cryptocurrency, here's what you need to know about Bitcoin, including why the price of a bitcoin keeps climbing.
Unless you're living under an internet blackout, you've probably heard of Bitcoin--it's a digital currency that doesn't need a central bank, functions internationally, and keeps gaining value. Everyone wants a piece, but not everyone understands what it is.
Bitcoins are valuable, at least right now. There are a lot of guesses as to what's driving bitcoin prices sky-high, and whether those prices will last before crashing back down again.
So is it worth investing in bitcoins? What are the security risks of using Bitcoin? And just what is the blockchain? The answers to all of these questions and more are in this Bitcoin cheat sheet. (Note: It's Bitcoin when referring to the concept or network, and bitcoin when referring to "a unit of account.")
SEE: All of TechRepublic's cheat sheets and smart person's guides
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin (BTC) is the original decentralized cryptocurrency, a digital form of currency that uses blockchain and cryptography to validate itself. Prior to Bitcoin's inception other forms of digital currency, and even cryptocurrency, existed, but Bitcoin was the first to decentralize the proof-of-work required to validate the coin's legitimacy.
Centralized cryptocurrency is controlled by a single source, which means that source has complete control over its legitimacy, value, and other properties. Decentralization, by contrast, gives bitcoin value independent of a controlling agency like a government or a corporation.
Bitcoin uses blockchain technology to independently verify the legitimacy of a bitcoin. Each transaction on a Bitcoin blockchain is unalterable, making it a total public record of each use of the coin (or portions thereof).
The public nature of the blockchain makes it ideal for use as a currency verification system, as there's no need to have a trust relationship with the other party: Proof of the legitimacy of the currency is inherent in its hash.
SEE: IT leader's guide to the blockchain (Tech Pro Research)
Bitcoin was developed by a programmer or a group of programmers going by the name Satoshi Nakamoto. A paper published by Nakamoto in 2008 described the concept of the blockchain and Nakamoto's intended purpose for it: The basis of a peer-to-peer technology cash system called Bitcoin.
2009 marked the first availability of Bitcoin and its initial value of, essentially, nothing. By 2010 not much had changed--one bitcoin owner tried auctioning 10,000 BTC for $50 but had no buyers.
That's a far cry from the current value of over $10,000. Most of that growth came in 2017 alone--bitcoins started the year at less than $1,000 before skyrocketing to nearly $20,000 in late December.
Additional resources
- 10 things you should know about Bitcoin and digital currencies (TechRepublic)
- What is Bitcoin? Here's everything you need to know (CNET)
- Why more companies will be betting on Bitcoin in 2018 (TechRepublic)
- What is blockchain? Understanding the technology and the revolution (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
- Executive's guide to implementing blockchain technology (ZDNet)
- Beyond bitcoin: How blockchains could revolutionize business (TechRepublic)
How is Bitcoin different than other cryptocurrencies?
Bitcoin is the first decentralized form of cryptocurrency, but it's certainly not the only one. A large number of blockchain-based cryptocurrencies have emerged since 2009, which raises the obvious question: How is Bitcoin different?
Aside from its much greater value, there are several things that make Bitcoin different from cryptocurrencies such as Etherium, Dogecoin, Litecoin, and others. All of these cryptocurrencies use blockchain technology, but the method and purpose of each one is different.
Etherium, one of the most talked about bitcoin alternatives, isn't actually a value transfer platform; instead, it is used for distributed application programming. Etherium does have a monetary value in the form of its fuel, called Ether, but that's just one part of its overall model.
Other cryptocurrencies, like Litecoin, Dogecoin, and PotCoin, use blockchains but don't rely on SHA-256 encryption like Bitcoin does; they use Scrypt, a password-based key derivation function, to build coin hashes instead.
SEE: Bitcoin is hardly the only cryptocurrency investment (CBS News)
Bitcoin's biggest difference from its competitors isn't any of those code-related elements, though--it's its sheer popularity and name recognition. Because it's so well-known, Bitcoin is more heavily invested in by big players (e.g., governments). This has driven its price sky-high and made Bitcoin a household name.
Additional resources
- Video: The key differences between the blockchain and Bitcoin (TechRepublic)
- Video: Ripple is blockchain for the financial enterprise, but it's centralized (TechRepublic)
- Video: Why the future of cryptocurrency is about more than just Bitcoin (TechRepublic)
- Five big myths about the Bitcoin blockchain (TechRepublic)
- 18 new IT jobs created by Bitcoin and blockchain (TechRepublic)
Why are Bitcoin prices so high?
As covered by TechRepublic previously, the amazing rise in Bitcoin prices is largely speculative. Analysts I've spoken to nearly unanimously agree that the Bitcoin price surge is based on nothing but speculation and that, without any historic precedent to fall back on, it's anyone's guess how high Bitcoin will go before crashing, if it does at all.
Governments have been investing in Bitcoin, which is one reason prices keep climbing. The Chinese government has put its force behind Bitcoin mining in the country, which has prompted other countries to start stepping up their investments to avoid Chinese Bitcoin domination.
Bitcoin mining is the act of adding new transactions to the blockchain, which is done by solving complex mathematical problems. Solving a problem adds a transaction to the ledger, and more bitcoins are issued as the ledger grows.
All in all, the Bitcoin world is full of unknowns.
Additional resources
- Bitcoin futures begin trading (ZDNet)
- The risky business of bitcoin: High-profile cryptocurrency catastrophes of 2017 (ZDNet)
- Bitcoin prices plunge as South Korea says ban still an option (CBS News)
- Wall Street bosses hate bitcoin but they try it out anyway (CBS News)
- Bitcoin mining consumes more energy than 159 countries (CBS News)
- Kodak bitcoin miner on display at CES 2018 (ZDNet)
What are the practical uses for Bitcoin?
Practical use for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has long been one of the major sources of criticism they've met with--it's difficult to turn bitcoin into cash, which makes using it for purchases tough.
Businesses can still invest in Bitcoin and hope for a return, and there are a few places it can be used to make purchases. Buying things with Bitcoin can be tricky, though, especially since items aren't often priced in BTC, which makes the value of the bitcoin itself irrelevant since it's the cash value being used.
SEE: TechRepublic's Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies Flipboard magazine
Digital economics researcher Owen Rogers specifically warns against pricing items in bitcoin due to its volatility--an item priced at 1 BTC today might result in a huge loss if bitcoins drop in price the way they have in the recent past. During the week of December 18, 2017, for example, bitcoins tumbled nearly 30% in value.
There are a lot of practical business uses for the blockchain technology that powers Bitcoin that don't involve monetary valuation, which is perhaps the bigger takeaway from Bitcoin. Businesses can use blockchain to enhance security, build decentralized applications, make data redundancy simpler--it's nearly impossible to list all the various uses, and more are being created all the time.
Additional resources
- How to make cryptocurrency more user-friendly (TechRepublic)
- Want to learn programming? This startup pays you cryptocurrency to study Python (ZDNet)
- How one hacker stole $226K worth of cryptocurrency from Oracle servers (TechRepublic)
- Korean tech minister seeks to quell blockchain fears amid bitcoin crackdown (ZDNet)
- How is bitcoin affecting the environment? (CBS News)
What are the security risks of using Bitcoin?
To find the crime, follow the money, and Bitcoin is definitely on the cutting edge of security risks. There have been a number of high-profile thefts of bitcoins, and apps that focus on cryptocurrency are often loaded with malware.
SEE: CFTC files lawsuit against Entrepreneurs Headquarters over Bitcoin Ponzi scheme (ZDNet)
Bitcoin is anonymous, just like cash, which makes using it tempting for cybercriminals. Amassing bitcoins is necessary to use it, and rather than earn it by mining or exchanging fiat currency (declared by a government to be legal tender) for it, cybercriminals are more apt to try stealing yours.
That said, Bitcoin is becoming the less popular option among cryptocurrencies for cybercriminals, who are switching to Monero, Etherium, and other forms of cryptocurrency. That's good news for those who want to use Bitcoin legitimately; it also means that bitcoin owners will be less of a target.
Being secure with your bitcoins means keeping a close eye on your digital wallet, only using trustworthy Bitcoin-related apps and websites, and being aware of the latest security trends in the Bitcoin world. It's impossible to completely mitigate all security risks, but being smart and proactive, as with any form of cybersecurity, can save you a lot of headaches.
Additional resources
- Cryptocurrency miners: A replacement for ransomware (ZDNet)
- Evrial Trojan can steal what's saved on your Windows Clipboard, including Bitcoins (TechRepublic)
- Fake cryptocurrency scam delivers ransomware - and more malware when you pay up (ZDNet)
- PyCryptoMiner enslaves your PC to mine Monero (ZDNet)
- Bitcoin owners and currency exchanges emerging targets for criminals: FireEye (ZDNet)
- Opera now blocks attackers from hijacking your browser for mining Bitcoin (TechRepublic)
- Bitcoin exchange NiceHash hacked, $68 million stolen (ZDNet)
- Cops raid cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea: Report (ZDNet)
- A better blockchain: Bitcoin for nothing and transactions for free? (ZDNet)
- The risky business of bitcoin: High-profile cryptocurrency catastrophes of 2017 (ZDNet)
- UK companies hoarding Bitcoin to prepare for ransomware attacks (TechRepublic)
- United Kingdom plans tighter regulation of Bitcoin (ZDNet)
- Over 700,000 Bitcoin missing in Mt. Gox security flaw (TechRepublic)
Should I invest in Bitcoin?
Businesses and individuals investing in Bitcoin are in for a wild ride, so don't invest if you are averse to risk.
It doesn't take much for the price of Bitcoin to tumble, as evidenced by prices the week of January 15, 2018, which was driven largely by the news that the vice governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC) wanted to end Chinese cryptocurrency investment. The day the news was released Bitcoin prices tumbled by 16% (over $2,000), as did the value of other major cryptocurrencies traded on Coinbase.
Bitcoin Cash, a fork of Bitcoin designed to be easier to use for actual purchases, was even more hurt by the news, losing nearly 20% of its value during the same timeframe. China moved quickly to put a stop to the rumors of ending cryptocurrency trade, but that didn't cause a noticeable immediate improvement in the price.
On a larger scale, Bitcoin's month from December 2017 to January 2018 was even rockier--it peaked in December at nearly $20,000, and within a month was down to less than $12,000. That's a fall of almost 40%.
Take that as a warning to potential Bitcoin or cryptocurrency investors in general: It's not a sure thing, and it may have already hit a peak.
SEE: Cryptocurrency comes with one colossal caveat: Remember the tulips (ZDNet)
Those doing business internationally, however, may want to give Bitcoin a second thought. As American Express points out, Bitcoin has a relatively quick transaction time, so volatility won't necessarily be an issue; accounts are international, so there's no need to keep multiple portfolios of currency; and there's no credit risk since the sender has to have the bitcoin in her wallet to make a purchase.
Bitcoin isn't a flawless international payment system. Numerous countries have banned Bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency, and exchanging Bitcoins to local currency can take time, at which point volatility can cause an extreme change in value, which can affect the sender and the recipient.
There's a lot of potential in Bitcoin, but that doesn't mean you should rush out and invest in the digital currency, though: Wait for some cryptocurrency market stabilization or a practical use to emerge before committing company money that could disappear overnight. It's also worth seeking advice from a professional financial consultant before investing large amounts of money in bitcoin, or anywhere else for that matter.
Additional resources
- Stripe dumps Bitcoin, will other payment processors follow? (ZDNet)
- SEC chairman urges 'extreme caution' with cryptocurrencies (CNET)
- United Kingdom plans tighter regulation of Bitcoin (ZDNet)
- Japan's formal embrace of Bitcoin points to growing role of cryptocurrency in commerce (TechRepublic)
- Are you a bitcoin user or investor? The IRS wants to know (CBS News)
- BitConnect winds up cryptocurrency exchange operations, BCC crashes (ZDNet)
How do I get started with Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is confusing, and getting started can be daunting if you don't know who to trust or where to begin. What do you need? How do you buy bitcoins? Where is it safe to store them?
There are several different options for a Bitcoin setup, and the biggest decision to make is what kind of digital wallet to use to store your coins. Some wallets are hosted online, others are mobile apps, and you can even set up a wallet to be completely local on your machine.
One of the easiest platforms for beginners is Coinbase, where you can buy, sell, and store bitcoin. Coinbase eliminates a lot of the manual setup and hassle from the Bitcoin process.
Once you're ready to move on to a more advanced mode of operating, or if you plan to hold on to your bitcoin for a long time without doing any cryptocurrency trading, it's a good idea to put it into a separate wallet app. There are a variety to choose from, and using one means the bitcoins you have are yours alone--if you leave them online with Coinbase or another hosted wallet, your bitcoin is never in your hands directly. Long-term investors and serious bitcoin users should plan to go this route eventually.
Additional resources
- Buying and selling Bitcoin, explained (CNET)
- How bitcoin finally made me grow up and get my life together (CNET)
- What happens to your digital bitcoins if you die? (CBS News)
- List of Bitcoin Exchanges (Bitcoin.org)
- Bitcoin ATM Map and alternative crypto-cash exchange services (Coin ATM Radar)


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Accreditation is the result of achieving established standards of quality and excellence as recognized by that agency granting such accreditation.
Hopkinsville Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Hopkinsville Community College.
Note: The three-fold purpose for publishing the Commission's address and contact numbers is to enable interested constituents (1) to learn about the accreditation status of the institution, (2) to file a third-party comment at the time of the institution's decennial review. or (3) to file a complaint against the institution for alleged non-compliance with standard or requirement. Normal inquiries about the institution, such as admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc. should be addressed directly to the institution and not to the Commission's office.
Academic Program Accreditations or Certifications
The following programs have earned discipline-specific accreditations or certifications as recognized by that respective granting agency:
Associate Degree Nursing: The Hopkinsville Community College Associate Degree Nursing Program is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404)975-5000. www.acenursing.org
Practical Nursing: The Hopkinsville Community College Practical Nursing Program is under full approval status with the Kentucky Board of Nursing, (800) 305-2042.
Why is accreditation important?
Accreditation is important for two reasons. First, it assures HCC students that they are receiving an education that meets the high standards of an independent organization.
Secondly, since HCC is accredited to award associate degrees, an HCC degree is automatically recognized and accepted by all public or private four-year colleges and universities in Kentucky. Transfer assistance is available to help explore options available to you.


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This is a short story of the memoir persuasion.
On Monday I began to think about what I might write for my Friday post. Then today (Tuesday, June 3rd) spurred on by my endodontist – the amazing Mindy Buonochristiani in Mill Valley, CA – I decided to tell you a bit about my teeth. You see, I was recounting the long journey of teeth-related adventures I've had (in truth, I was probably playing for time – I knew she had the mother of all syringes behind her back), when she said, "You know, you really have to write about this."
The dentist looked at my notes, and shook his head. "No, I know him, he was my prof years ago – with him, it's amazing your head wasn't lopped off." He laughed. "Lucky you – you've got supernumeries."
And have a lovely weekend, all.


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I like being single. I'm always there when I need me.
-- Art Leo
I like myself, but I won't say I'm as handsome as the bull that kidnapped
-- Marcus Tullius Cicero
I like young girls. Their stories are shorter.
-- Tom McGuane
I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person
you want to annoy for the rest of your life.
-- Rita Rudner
I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I've ever known.
-- Walt Disney
I managed to say, "Sorry," and no more. I knew that he disliked
me to cry.
This time he said, watching me, "On some occasions it is better
to weep."
I put my head down on the table and sobbed, "If only she could come
back; I would be nice."
Francis said, "You gave her great pleasure always."
"Oh, not enough."
"Nobody can give anybody enough."
"Not ever?"
"No, not ever. But one must go on trying."
"And doesn't one ever value people until they are gone?"
"Rarely," said Francis. I went on weeping; I saw how little I had
valued him; how little I had valued anything that was mine.
-- Pamela Frankau, "The Duchess and the Smugs"
I married beneath me. All women do.
-- Lady Nancy Astor
I met a wonderful new man. He's fictional, but you can't have everything.
-- Cecelia, "The Purple Rose of Cairo"
I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the
places they do today.
-- Will Rogers
I never met a woman I couldn't drink pretty.


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(709) 753-6043
January 13, 2017
For Immediate Release
Emera Has More Confidence in Electricity Markets than Newfoundland and Labrador Premier
Paul Davis, Leader of the Official Opposition, says Nova Scotia's Emera has more confidence in the strength of New England electricity markets than Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball.
Emera announced this week that it plans to build an Atlantic Link project, which includes a 563-km subsea high voltage direct current (HVdc) electric transmission cable between New Brunswick and Massachusetts – more than triple the length of the 170-km subsea cable between southwest Newfoundland and Nova Scotia – to deliver 900 megawatts of clean energy to the American market.
Emera has provided its reason why the Atlantic Link is needed, stating: "The project is being developed in response to an expected 2017 solicitation for up to 9.45 terawatt hours (approximately 1,200 megawatts) of hydro and/or wind energy mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." http://investors.emera.com/file.aspx?IID=4072693&FID=37487986
Emera's project website expands on this by stating: "This project is being proposed in response to an expected 2017 procurement for clean energy mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The procurement is intended to diversify the Commonwealth's energy mix and help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contributing to GHG reduction targets established under the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act. This energy is also needed to replace the ISO-New England energy that will be lost with the scheduled closure in mid-2019 of the Pilgrim Nuclear Station." http://www.atlanticlink.com/en/home/the-project/faqs.aspx
By contrast, Premier Ball upon returning from meetings with Eastern Canadian premiers and New England governors in Massachusetts in September 2016 appeared to dismiss any electric market opportunities in New England and went as far as to say there may not be a New England market for Newfoundland and Labrador hydroelectricity.
"Premier Ball and the Liberals have been dismissive of the fact that North American markets are in the hunt for new green power sources. Emera has identified an opportunity and is positioning to sell clean energy into Massachusetts, at the same time that Premier Ball has dismissed any opportunities. Emera is willing to invest in new infrastructure to capture the very New England market that Mr. Ball sees no future in. Is the Premier out of the loop or simply not on top of issues?" said Davis.
"The fact is that New England states have been developing legislation and policy to allow for the importation of Canadian green energy that would: 1. create greenhouse gas credits; 2. create a larger market for New England instead of stand-alone states; and 3. allow for long-term contracts that would be beneficial to the market and more importantly to the supplier (for example, Canadian clean energy sources). After the Emera announcement this week, Premier Ball confirmed there are no discussions taking place between the Liberal government and Emera. The fact is there were strong discussions between Nalcor and Emera under our administration concerning New England opportunities. Has something changed? Why are Premier Ball and Minister Siobhan Coady not on top of yet another important natural resources issue? The Premier appears to be comfortable to wait and see what happens," said Davis.
Media Contact: Heather MacLean
Director of Operations and Communications, Office of the Official Opposition
(709) 729 6105, firstname.lastname@example.com


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As publishers and writers, we understand that if readers don't know who we are, or what books we have on the market, we won't sell many. Publishers have a number of advertising methods: memberships in writers' groups, information tables at conventions and book fairs, advance reader copies (ARCs) sent to reviewers, email notifications to subscribers, author spotlights on websites, blogs, tweets, Snapchat, and the like.
Many authors employ most of those methods, too. Online marketing is important, but I'd like to talk about something that's up close and personal, namely on-site, or in-person, marketing. People (and potential readers) genuinely seem to enjoy meeting authors in the flesh. When I'm at events with my books, lots of people look at me and say, "You're the author?" I've even had a number tell me, "I've never met a real author before." Meeting readers face to face sets you apart from those who strictly market via the Internet.
Joining the Twin Cities Sisters in Crime is one of the best things I've done as a writer. In addition to the valued friendships and great support I've gotten, we do a large number of events each year, including author panels at libraries and other venues, book fairs, and we get invitations to speak individually to a variety of groups. The networking is amazing. In 2016, I was the featured reader at one of our meetings, on five mystery author panels in Minnesota and Wisconsin, part of a holiday literary sale, at the SinC table at the MN State Fair and the Twin Cities Book Festival, and was one of the authors at a St. Paul bookstore for afternoon of readings and discussion.
Over the years, I've developed good relationships with bookstore owners and librarians. They've graciously hosted me at book signings and speaking events. I did eight this year. I've met people at book fairs, art and craft fairs, or other places, who have invited me to be the guest author their book clubs. I was at four this year. And presented writing techniques classes, and talked about my writing, to students in three schools. I was on the local radio station, and my articles announcing a new book release were published in area newspapers—because they want to support a local author.
Another valuable marketing tool is attending writers' conventions. Readers, librarians, bookstore owners, publishers, editors, and others attend as well. This year I went to three mystery/crime conventions. They were Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and a "Pitch Your Project" in Hollywood, organized by the National Sisters in Crime. I've been on well-attended author panels at conventions the last few years. They're fun, and it's a wonderful way to connect with other authors and new readers. The downside is they aren't cheap and it's a time commitment. I spent twelve days, including travel, attending this year.
I am not a naturally out-going person, but I want to get my books in the hands of as many readers as possible, and I've learned people are more apt to buy books from a less-than-famous author they meet in person. I decided to go to more art and craft fairs in 2016, and registered for six. Two were far enough away to necessitate staying overnight. I sold a lot of books, added more names to my email list, and got new readers in different parts of the state. I'm looking forward to checking out new places next year. I already have ten events scheduled, including two mystery conventions.
In-person marketing involves a great deal of planning and preparation, especially if you are the presenter at an event. It can be physically demanding, but it's also very rewarding. It is one piece of a complex marketing puzzle, and I'd encourage you to check out opportunities in your area. Visit libraries and bookstores, or send them letters with information about yourself and your books. Groups are always looking for speakers, and writers are a great choice. I've had to step out of my comfort zone many times, but the more personal marketing I do, the easier it is.
I'd love to hear your marketing stories.
Christine Husom is the author of the Winnebago County Mysteries for Indigo Sea Press


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The Australian online journal Fibreculture's special issue on Creative Robotics is now available! The issue features 8 articles by academics and artists on themes such as creative robots on Mars, non-organic intelligence, working with the most famous humanoid robots, failing robots and more… My contribution to the journal is an article titled This Machine Could Bite, On the Role of Non-Benigh Art Robots. I make a case for experimentation in human robot interaction with machines not designed for being useful or friendly.
Article abstract:
"The social robot's current and anticipated roles as butler, teacher, receptionist or carer for the elderly share a fundamental anthropocentric bias: they are designed to be benign, to facilitate a transaction that aims to be both useful to and simple for the human. At a time when intelligent machines are becoming a tangible prospect, such a bias does not leave much room for exploring and understanding the ongoing changes affecting the relation between humans and our technological environment. Can art robots – robots invented by artists – offer a non-benign-by-default perspective that opens the field for a machine to express its machinic potential beyond the limits imposed by an anthropocentric and market-driven approach? The paper addresses these questions by considering and contextualising early cybernetic machines, current developments in social robotics, and art robots by the author and other artists."


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1. Remove the light shade(s) on your old ceiling fan by removing the screws holding it/them in place.
2. Remove each blade by removing the screws holding them in place.
3. Remove the canopy by removing the screws holding it in place. Slide it down.
4. Disconnect all of the wires coming from the old fan.
5. Remove the mounting bracket by removing the screws holding it in place.
6. Secure the new mounting bracket in place with the new screws.
7. Connect the new wires and secure them with wire nuts. If there is a remote control, connect it now. Put batteries in the remote control.
8. Put the rod and/or canopy on the fan. Slide it up to the mounting bracket.
9. Cut the lead wires as needed. Slide the canopy up to the ceiling and secure it with the new screws.
10. Put each blade onto the blade brackets with the included screws.
11. Put each blade bracket onto the fan with the included screws.
12. Connect the light kit and secure it with the screws. Put the glass on and secure it with the included screws.
13. If not using a light kit, connect both the fan and light wires together and put the light cap on. Secure it with screws.
14. Attach the included pull chains, if applicable.
15. Turn on your new fan!
[youtube coDff5RLIas]


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This is one of those moments that are pretty rare nowadays – it's actually worthwhile to visit myspace today as there's a nice blog post (and two fragments of new songs) on there by Johan Hedberg, who released his debut EP on Cosy Recordings in the summer of 2007. (It was later re-released on a rather pretty 10″ by Labrador, with an additional track.) Since then, Johan has been quite busy with the ever-sparkling SKWBN, but he has still played quite a lot of shows and also written some new songs. There are already a few live live favourites that we hope we'll manage to put out on the new record – with artwork by Christian Olofsson, who made the sleeves for that first EP and After School Sports release. Anyway, we've translated a bit of that blog post:
Expect a number of songs of varying quality on plastic during 2010. I promise that there will be new "real" tunes to listen to already this spring, if I'm wrong I will slash myself with a sabre – I dreamt about doing that last night.


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Moissanite Engagement Rings: The Recommended One
The Moissanite engagement rings could be good choice for the couple that wants to have engagement. The engagement event is one of the events which are loved by a lot of people. The engagement is a moment to tighten the relationship of a couple. The engagement usually is held by the couple of men and also women who have through long relationship. The women and also men that have passed long relationship commonly will hold the engagement to tighten their current relationship. And the engagement ring is kind of the things which they will need.
The engagement can be categorized as the important event in the middle of the general people. The engagement is held by the couple to make the relationship tighter than before. There are a lot of things which absolutely have to be prepared well by the common people in case they want to hold an engagement. The ring which will be used for the engagement is one of the things which absolutely have to be prepared by the people. The Moissanite Engagement rings are one of great option for people.
Why Choosing Moissanite Engagement Rings
However rings are one of the important things which have to be prepared by the people before they hold the engagement. Among the other brand of the engagement rings, the Moissanite engagement rings probably could be chosen by the common people. The Moissanite jewelry stores are one of the recommended stores which absolutely could be good recommendation for the common people.
When the people are looking for the engagement rings which they will use for the engagement the people absolutely will choose the best one. The Moissanite Engagement rings is completely recommended for people. This kind of the rings absolutely could be really chosen by the people. The Moissanite Engagement rings is one of the best engagement rings store.do not forget to click the box below or above the image to win iPhone x, good luck.


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Take this Course
Activities that stimulate the brain, are thought to protect the brain from diseases like Alzheimer's dementia. Besides preventing illness, brain stimulating activities promote healthy aging by protecting memory and other essential brain functions. Enroll for this course and learn how cognitive stimulation potentially reduces Alzheimer's disease risk.
Course Content
Lessons Status


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For the past decade, utility industry analysts have been saying customer expectations and behaviors are changing. The truth is that they have already changed. Mobile now accounts for more than 65% of all digital media time. Customers demand an engaging, responsive and dynamic experience across all channels. How can utilities keep pace with these expectations? How can utilities create mobile self-service platforms that seamlessly guide customers through their journey? This webinar will answer those questions by focussing on how utilities can:
- Create a digital engagement platform that can optimize an omnichannel experience.
- Simultaneously improve customer experience results and improve customer service operational efficiency.
- Develop a strategy for building long-term positive customer engagement.
Webinar Thought Leaders
Christopher Moyer
Chris has been working at the nexus of clean energy, digital transformation, public policy, and customer engagement for fifteen years. As a researcher and analyst, he brings industry experience from the UK, EU, and North America to the Zpryme team. He believes that sustainable energy and a vibrant energy industry requires a transformation that focusses on using technology to harness customer-centric solutions.


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Author(s): Neil Gaiman
This definitive collection of Neil Gaiman's short fiction will haunt your imagination and move you to the very depths of your soul. An elderly widow finds the Holy Grail beneath an old fur coat. A stray cat fights and refights a terrible nightly battle to protect his unwary adoptive family from unimaginable evil. A young couple receives a wedding gift that reveals a chilling alternative history of their marriage. These tales and much more await in this extraordinary book, revealing one of our most gifted storytellers at the height of his powers. Includes extra material exclusive to this Headline Review edition.
SMOKE AND MIRRORS will haunt your imagination and move you to the very depths of your soul
Neil Gaiman was born in England but now lives in Minnesota, in a big house of uncertain location where he grows exotic pumpkins and accumulates computers and cats.


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A substantial number of portable equipment instances are transferred between sites worldwide. During the equipment's life cycle, paper-based use logs are coupled with the equipment in order to keep track of the status and location. During this journey, it is difficult to know the physical location of the equipment, use logs are incorrectly completed and/or damaged, and in some cases, the equipment is lost entirely. OpsTrakker solves these issues by tracking equipment status and location in real time.
Costs and Risks with Paper
- 12%-25% of paper logs have errors/omissions
- Many are lost or damaged requiring reconstruction using discrepancy management
- Paper system provides no ability to search or scan for vessels with common characteristics
- Manual searching for vessel impacted by investigations can take weeks of work
- Unreliable use by non-English speaking users resulting in additional errors & discrepancies
- Track portable tanks globally across your network & CMOs
- No need to ship paper log with tanks and never lose or damage paper again
- Enforce compliance by eliminating missing entries and misaligned data
- Detect discrepant situations in real time and stop forward processing
- Real-time location and status tracking with immediate access to tank history
- Implement site-specific language for non-English users


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What if you never had to change the battery in your hearing device? What if you could simply plug it in alongside your phone at night and trust that it would be ready to go the next day? What if your hearing device could recharge itself using the energy you generate while chewing, or by drawing power from sunlight?
These are just some of the near-future possibilities described by our own Dr. Christopher Schweitzer, Ph.D., in a recently published article for The Hearing Review.
Comparing imminent advances in hearing aid battery technology to those we've seen over the past few decades in mobile phones and handheld computing devices, Dr. Schweitzer believes we are approaching an era where the annoyance of having to replace hearing aid batteries is a thing of the past. As an example, he highlights a new device from IMHearing that can be recharged using a micro-USB connector. Users never need to open a tiny battery cover or pry out a miniature battery, and charging the device is as easy as charging the average smartphone.
In the future, we may not even have to plug in the devices. Dr. Schweitzer also notes that researchers are working on hearing devices that can be recharged wirelessly, through the skin, as well as devices that draw energy from the natural movements of the facial muscles. There are even materials in development that use biomimicry to act like plant cells, converting sunlight into electrical energy. These devices may be a little ways off, but they demonstrate the industry's ultimate goal: to create a hearing aid so small and unobtrusive that the wearer never has to touch, interact with, or even think about the technology that enhances their hearing.
Read Dr. Schweitzer's full article in The Hearing Review: Batteries in Your House Plant?


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Whatever a person's gender, sexuality, race, religion or any other identity tag, no-one should be discriminated against on the basis of who they are. No one should have their rights violated because of their identity, or because they defend the human rights of others. That's why we're committed to ending human rights abuses on the basis of identity, and ending the prejudice and discrimination that fuel such abuses. It's pioneering work – and it'll be down to you to lead the way.
About the role
In this highly influential role, you'll shape and develop our strategies, policies, research and advocacy on gender, sexual orientation and other forms of identity-based discrimination – making us the recognised authority on human rights abuses grounded in such discrimination. Doing this successfully means working with people across Amnesty International (AI), strengthening our research methodologies and managing a team of dedicated staff as they advise us on how to how to research, advocate and campaign on equal rights. It will involve raising awareness, enabling staff to play their roles and generating external debate. As well as writing incisive analyses, reports and briefings, you'll represent AI to the media and to policy makers. You'll also manage a significant budget and develop a coherent and effective operational plan. More than that, you'll keep up to date with emerging political, academic and human rights trends to better support those who are standing up to perpetrators of human rights violations throughout the world. Even more importantly, you will yourself be an important thought leader or entrepreneur in this area of work.
Deadline: February 28, 2016
Click HERE for the full posting.


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Caribbean Blue Tatted Lace Flower Earrings
These earrings are hand-tatted with a beautiful, vibrant blue crochet cotton. The flowers measure just under 2 inches in diameter. They are very lightweight and hang on handmade French hook earwires. The tatting has been stiffened with starch to help keep their form.
Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a durable lace by making a series of knots and loops. Tatting is traditionally made with a shuttle, although it has become popular to use a needle to craft this beautiful lace. Tatting is used to make lace edging, doillies, collars and other decorative pieces. The lace is made with a pattern of rings and chains formed from a series of half-hitch knots, called double stitches, over a core thread. Picots are added to the pattern both for construction and decorative purposes. Tatting dates to the early 19th century. It is also known as frivolite.


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Where will you see the KarSare van next?
Restaurants & Entertaining:
- Merrick Inn, Josie's in Georgetown KY, Fava's in Georgetown KY, Starbucks, Cattleman's Road House, Outback Steak House, Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden, Bru Burger, Apiary, Chili's Restaurant, O'Charley's Restaurant, Ryan's, Ruby Tuesdays, TGI Friday's,
Hospitals & Schools:
- University of Kentucky, Scott County Schools, Woodford County Schools, Bluegrass Community Hospital, Georgetown Community Hospital, Harrison Memorial Hospital, Clark Regional Hospital, Woodford County, Corbin, Scott County, Kentucky Center for the Arts,
Factories & Industry:
- Ledvance, Georgia-Pacific, WLEX and more.
- We service homes (and businsses) in the following Kentucky counties: Fayette, Woodford, Jessamine, Scott, Bourbon, Madison, Montgomery and Powell Counties.


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What is a "Physical Control" charge?
What does "Physical Control" mean? Ohio's Physical Control Statute, O.R.C. 4511.194, became effective on 1/1/05. Physical Control is similar to an Ohio OVI/Ohio DUI charge in that it deals with being in a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs of abuse with one exception, Physical Control does not require that the vehicle have ever been driven or even started.
The best example of a Physical Control violation is the person who staggers
out of the tavern and decides to "sleep it off" in their vehicle.
Often times what happens is the person starts the car, either to run the
air conditioner or the heater, so the vehicle is actually running, then
goes to sleep. However, one need not have the car running or even have
the keys in the ignition in order to be in violation of O.R.C. 4511.194
– Physical Control. Under the statute, having the keys within reach
will satisfy the definition of having "physical control."
The physical control statute was essentially designed to "reward"
or rather, not punish as severely, the person who drinks too much (or
uses drugs of abuse) and then gets into their car, but decides not to
actually drive.
For a list of the attorneys in your area that can help you defend a physical control charge, check out the Attorney Directory at www.OVILAW.com.


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Imagine, if you open a Facebook five minute video post and after a couple of seconds, you realize that this cat isn't cute enough for another four minute, too bad! You already used the data to download the whole video. During this action you wasted 80% of the data.
Are you sure you want to upload photos and videos in HD?
According to statistics 80% of users use their phones to look at pictures and videos. Let's be honest, there is not much difference on a 5 inch screen. Even if you have the latest iPhone! Check our new artilce and learn what uses the most data on your cell phone plan.
There's still a way to use the data frugally. Changing your go-to apps can save you megabytes or more in mobile data.
Here some practical tips which will help you
How to Manage Your Data Usage on WhatsApp:
Settings > Data and storage usage
Media Auto-Download - Switch everything to WiFi except for Photo's
Call settings - Enable "Low Data Usage"
How to Manage Your Data Usage on Viber:
Settings > Media
Disable "Auto download photos"
Enable "Restrict data usage."
How to Manage Your Data Usage on Instagram:
Click on your profile at the bottom > Click Settings (located near "edit profile") > Cellular Data Use
Enable "Use Less Data."
How to Manage Your Data Usage on Skype:
My Info > Settings >
Set to WiFi Only Download video messages
Disable Streaming media consent
How to Manage Your Data Usage on Snapchat:
Settings > Manage
Enable "Travel Mode"
How to Manage Your Data Usage on Facebook Messenger:
Click on profile picture > Photo's, videos & Emoji
Set "Download videos" on WiFi Only
How to Manage Your Data Usage on Facebook:
Settings > Account Settings > Videos and Photos
Video Settings - Disable Upload HD
Autoplay should be set to : On WiFi Connections Only or Never Autoplay Videos
Photo Settings - Disable Upload HD
How to Manage Your Data Usage on YouTube:
In Settings
Under YOUTUBE - Enable "Play HD on Wi-Fi Only"
Under UPLOADS - Upload quality should be set to 480p (FYI: Most, IPTV providers stream HD content to Mobile devices @ 533p)
"Upload over WiFi Only" Enabled
How to Manage Your Data Usage on Telegram:
Settings > Data and Storage
Disable Automatic audio download
Disable Automatic Video message download
Under Voice Calls - Change "Use Less Data" to "On Mobile Network".
If you frequently use other applications, be sure to go into the settings of your device and find options to minimize data consumption.
Have questions about our plans with unrestricted high speed internet access and no hidden roaming charges? Please, contact us.


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As Security Architect for Enterprise Identity and Access Management Service in Cisco Systems, Inc., Ranjan Jain knows a few things about how to get Identity Management right. After all, he has spent over 12 years in the Security industry in various roles from administrator to technical lead to domain expert and security architect.
On March 14th, join industry veteran, Michael Neuenschwander as he hosts a live, online interview with Ranjan to discuss the drivers, challenges and merits of the Platform approach to Identity Management. Using Cisco's own implementation as the backdrop, Ranjan and Michael will discuss the roadmap to a successful Identity Platform implementation. We are hoping that Ranjan would also elaborate on his belief that "password is the necessary evil and enterprises should be proactive in reducing their password footprint".
Join us for this live, complimentary webcast:
Live: Cisco's Platform Approach to Identity Management
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
10 am Pacific/ 1 pm Eastern


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Conservation and forestry groups that have been hoping to plant roots in the Senate climate bill are divided over whether the proposal introduced this week will advance opportunities for tree farmers and forest managers to profit from carbon sequestration.
The bill (pdf) that Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) unveiled this week provides significant opportunities for domestic offsets from carbon-storing conservation projects, but the extent to which forests and forest products would participate is not entirely clear.
Forest conservation advocates have been pressing the Senate to include robust incentives to help store carbon and stem the loss of domestic forests, and the groups applauded the senators for including forestry as one option in its expanded offsets program.
But at least one forestry industry group is questioning whether the language of the proposed bill would definitely open the door for their participation.
"I think you have to take legislation on its face and not presume too much, and if you take this on its face, it falls short," said David Tenny, president of the National Alliance of Forest Owners.
Like the cap-and-trade bill the House approved this past summer, the Kerry-Boxer proposal allows regulated industries that cannot meet greenhouse gas reductions at the smokestack to buy offset credits by investing in green energy or greenhouse gas reduction projects. The provision could significantly reduce compliance costs for some industries.
The total number of allowed offsets, which would pay for things like mass tree plantings, is 2 billion tons yearly, the same as the House. But the Senate proposal shifts more of those offsets to domestic projects. It would allow international offsets to account for a quarter of projects annually rather than the half called for in the House bill.
All of this is good news to U.S. forestry groups and land trusts, which want a robust domestic offset program to help curb the more than 2.2 million acres of forest, farm and ranchland that the United States loses each year. The Agriculture Department has predicted the country could lose up to 75 million acres of forests in the next 50 years.
"I think we're seeing a good evolution with regard to how the Senate sees the role of land in addressing climate change, particularly the role they see for land in the United States," said Laurie Wayburn, president of the California-based Pacific Forest Trust. "And I think we're seeing a very good development in the recognition that we need to address emissions from domestic deforestation and land conservation and we can make significant credible gains from stewardship and forests."
The question is whether the language in the bill is specific enough to ensure forestry's participation.
The Kerry-Boxer bill tasks the administration with developing a list of projects that should be used for offsets. The legislation includes a list of projects that should be given "priority consideration" -- including reforestation, forest management projects and harvested wood products.
The priority list includes all the forestry practices that tree farmers have pushed for. The concern for Tenny's forestry industry group is that it does not mandate that forestry projects be on the offset list. Rather, the bill gives the administration ultimate discretion to choose the list of eligible projects, even if it asks them to make forestry and other practices a priority.
Other groups, like the Pacific Forest Trust and the Trust for Public Land, were less concerned and applauded Kerry and Boxer for their consideration of forestry, even if they would have preferred to see "shall" or "must" language.
"I can see why just having the words there would make some people feel encouraged ... but the language does not have a great deal of significance because of what happens thereafter, the whole process begins from a blank slate," Tenny said. "If you look at it at this point, they are just words."
The compromise agreement that Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) brokered in the House was slightly more direct. It said the permissible offsets "shall" include practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester greenhouse gases, starting with a list included in the bill.


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Analog Extensions for IP PBX
Yeastar TA FXS VoIP Gateway migrates legacy equipment to IP system with minimal investment and disruption.
For enterprises that want to evolve their communication infrastructures into a SIP environment, they often find it hard to ditch their legacy equipment. For hotels and enterprises with a large quantity of analog phones, it is not cost-saving to replace every one of them with IP phones all at once. And sometimes fax machines, postage machines, alarm systems do not function reliably over VoIP networks. In this case, you could integrate legacy equipment to the local IP system with TA Series FXS VoIP Gateway. As a result, analog endpoints could utilize IP-PBX functionalities cost-effectively.
Solution Introduction
By connecting analog phones and fax machines directly to the FXS ports of TA series gateways, or TA series analog telephony adapters, analog phones are enabled to work as extensions of the IP-PBX. Without additional investment on expensive IP phones, enterprises could access VoIP networks with the cheap analog phones.
The solution is also applicable to hosted IP-PBX solution, IP-Based UC platform or a VoIP Contact Center. Enterprises and service providers could exploit the advantage of VoIP with reduced cost and protect investment on existing infrastructure.
There may also be instances where PABX need to be integrated with a remote IP-PBX. In this scenario, the branch office and the headquarter have their own telephone system, one with an IP-PBX, the other with a PABX. It is natural that the two offices want to communicate cheaply and conveniently. With the integration, the office-to office calling becomes free with no long-distance charges. And the analog endpoints could also benefit from the VoIP access of the IP-PBX.
Find resources that are related to this solution.
Application Book
TA Series Analog VoIP Gateway
View the Book
& Documents


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Longford teacher wins
INTO/Prim Ed Bursary
Micheál O'Sullivan, Principal in Stonepark National School, Longford was announced as a winner of a bursary from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation and Prim Ed Publishing to help fund education research on school leadership.
This year, five awards of €1,500 were made. More than fifty applications were submitted and judged by an independent assessor.
Micheál was presented with his bursary at an awards ceremony in the Teachers' Club, Parnell Square, Dublin on February 6.
The project, part of a Masters Degree in Trinity College, will research issues, concerns and considerations for primary school principals in deploying, leading, and managing Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) in Irish primary schools.
It is hoped that this piece of research will give an insight into what principals think about the preparedness of the SNA for work in mainstream primary schools. The findings may help to shape policy in relation to the management and leadership of SNAs by principals.
President of the INTO, Brendan O'Sullivan said it was a source of pride to the INTO that at least 75% of primary teachers voluntarily undertake additional training and study.
"By acquiring new skills and expanding their knowledge, teachers enhance their practice and ultimately everyone benefits – including the children in their classrooms."
Every year since 1993 primary teachers undertaking research have been supported by the INTO through the Bursary Scheme.
In Ireland, SNAs assist teachers in meeting the care needs of pupils with special educational needs. Their duties are assigned by the principal acting on behalf of the Board of Management and the work is supervised either by the principal or another teacher.
There is confusion over the role of the SNA support staff in Ireland and the movement of the role from a 'caring' role to a more 'educational' role is blamed on schools.


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Skip to 0 minutes and 13 seconds RICHARD SMITH: It's important to realise, of course, that most of the determinants of health are not health care related. So there are things like education, employment, housing, clean water, sanitation, the various things we call social determinants of health. And that's essentially what we think of in terms of the indirect impacts. It's things that are going to impact on all these other aspects of the life of these people, other than the disease itself, and the health care related to it. What's important is that most of these things will have a far larger impact on the eventual health of the population than the direct impact of this particular outbreak.
Skip to 0 minutes and 54 seconds So previous work that we've done, for example, with SARS, with pandemic influenza, foot and mouth disease, all sorts of outbreaks that have happened, there's a very specific direct impact of the disease itself. This is usually related to the mortality, the morbidity, and the health care costs. But then, these longer-term effects, the wider effects that last much longer, become much more important, not just for the economy, but also eventually for health, because of course health is intrinsically linked with the economy. Good health requires a good economy. These indirect effects, these wider effects on the economy, can be very significant.
Skip to 1 minute and 32 seconds So our work on SARS, for example, showed that the losses there to areas like tourism, leisure industry, food, travel, they total some $9 billion in China. One and a half billion in Hong Kong, which was clearly very severely affected. But what's interesting, is it also led to losses of around $5 billion in Canada. And of course, Canada really didn't have very much, in terms of impact of SARS. Although, it was subject to a WHO travel advisory.
Skip to 2 minutes and 4 seconds Our other work on potential impacts of pandemic influenza to the United Kingdom, for example, a developed economy at this point, the range there was between a half a percent of gross domestic product for a mild outbreak, to 9 and 1/2% for an extreme SARS-like outbreak. What's important about these impacts on gross domestic product is that is effectively your national wealth, or your national income. So if that declines by those sorts of magnitudes, and to put that in context, in the UK, the impact of the financial crisis was 2 1/2%.
Skip to 2 minutes and 40 seconds So if we had something that was 8 and 9%, like a severe case of pandemic influenza could be, that could be absolutely catastrophic on the economy of a very resilient country like the UK. Work we did elsewhere on places like Thailand, South Africa, Uganda, showed that you'd have a much more disproportionate impact on those economies, because they're not quite so resilient and able to withstand the impacts of such outbreaks. Recent reports from West Africa, the World Bank has forecasted the economic losses due to Ebola that will be somewhere between $4 and $30 billion. That's around a half to 3% of that region's and gross domestic product or their national income.
Skip to 3 minutes and 25 seconds The bank have also indicated that about half of the working population of Liberia, for example, is no longer working, since this crisis began. So clearly, the extent of the impact will depend on how wide the disease spreads, on how long it lasts. But these levels indicate there's going to be significant impact on economic growth. That's really important, because the development of these economies is dependent on the growth of their economies, of course, by definition. They need their gross domestic product, their national income, to increase year on year.
Skip to 4 minutes and 1 second Not just to be able to afford education, employment, housing, the things that have already been mentioned, but also, of course, to invest in health care, which we know as being critically wanting during this particular outbreak itself. So in those parts of West Africa that are affected by Ebola, we've seen a number of things happen already. We've seen a number of big mining firms, for example, shutting down their operations or evacuating their foreign staff. And certainly, we have organisations like China Union, which began shipping iron ore out of Liberia earlier this year, scaling down its activities, threatening to shut down completely. We have investors, they're reducing investment in many of these companies, so share prices have started to fall.
Skip to 4 minutes and 48 seconds Again, significant impacts on those particular sectors of the economy. And that's the sad thing about Sierra Leone, because we were all kind of just getting quite excited that all of this new business was coming in. And it was quite exciting, and it was a good place to live. But now, how long will it take for all of those businesses– I mean, I'm here now, but I know that a lot of people who have the ability to move out, this looks like the war. So a lot of people who had the ability to move out, have.
Skip to 5 minutes and 19 seconds And all of that talent and expertise, all of the people who had moved back from the diaspora, are just out of there– out of Sierra Leone again. And it's going to take time for them to come back, and that's a real shame. If we look at the war that was from '91 to 2002, it's kind of taken like a decade to get to where Sierra Leone was, which I was saying was a kind of good place for further development. I hope it doesn't take as long. I hope that we can focus on the things like building the health system, like the education system, and that we can find ways to accelerate that and those changes.
Skip to 6 minutes and 2 seconds Because if we go out the same pace, it won't take long for something else like this to happen again. In Liberia we haven't gotten over the war. We're still recovering from the war, and now we have a different war. It's more of a biological war, but it's another war, so families have been destroyed.
Skip to 6 minutes and 28 seconds It's not going to take a short amount of time for Liberia to be repaired from the grassroot level all the way up to the institutional level. It's going to take at least two decades, because the war ended 13 years ago. We've had 13 years of peace. But when you go to Liberia, you can still see damages of the war, though there hasn't been fighting in 13 years. And families have still been torn because of that. So now that you have Ebola, not much, not much fixing will be done within a short amount of time. Even if the disease gets eradicated, it will still take a long time.
Health and development effects of the Ebola outbreak
The indirect effects of epidemics on a nation's economy and health can be much greater than the direct ones. Poverty and neglect of health systems contributed to the West African Ebola outbreak, and the indirect effects of Ebola will lead to further deepening of poverty and degradation of health systems, thus creating wider challenges for the future. In the video, Professor Richard Smith outlines the importance of recognising these indirect impacts.
A core indirect impact is on the economy, with significant reductions in national income or gross domestic product (GDP) likely. Reductions in GDP mean that governments can't afford to spend on core public services, such as healthcare. Businesses close and people lose their jobs, and without work people can no longer afford food, clothing, and other essentials for life. Ebola contributes to a vicious cycle of development whereby poor health leads to a poorer economy, and in turn even poorer health.
Research on previous outbreaks, such as SARS and pandemic influenza, has estimated major indirect economic costs. In West Africa, the World Bank has estimated1 an Ebola-based economic loss of between $4 billion and $30 billion: from 0.5% to 3% of the region's GDP.
What we are seeing with Ebola is consistent with other outbreaks, where the economic costs are out of proportion with their health impact, and geographically more wide-reaching. The SARS outbreak in 2003 is estimated to have caused between $30 and $100 billion worth of damage to the global economy, despite only infecting approximately 8,000 people and causing fewer than 800 deaths. That is because panic and confusion can be as or more disruptive than the disease itself. For example, Gambia hasn't had a single known Ebola case, but fears of the virus and cancelled flights have led to hotel bookings dropping by 65%: a significant hit to its economy.
In the video, Regina Bash-Taqi talks about some of these issues in Sierra Leone, and how gains in economic development that had been achieved since the end of the war are now under threat. Pearlyn Mamulu describes the same situation in Liberia, and how Ebola is featuring as 'another war' in the lives of people there, reflecting the range of challenges and disruption people face.
© London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine


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One of Sil's offerings in the BBBBox.
This is very bright, very tart, very ceylon.
Initially, it set off an alarm in my mouth, but once you get past the initial shock, there's some body to it, kind of sweet. A very citrus mouth, I think this might be better cold. Definitely not a morning tea, for sure. The astringency would make me wretch.
One of Sil's offerings in the BBBBox.


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