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- 1. Does my student have to attend STORM Day?
- 2. Do I have to attend a STORM Day with my student?
- 3. Will I be with my student throughout STORM Day?
- 4. Why do I have to pay $25 to attend with my student?
- 5. Do I have to pay the $85 STORM Day Fee for my student?
- 6. Is there walking involved in the STORM Day program?
- 7. Are children allowed to attend orientation?
- 8. Will my student and I have the same meal times?
- 9. Will I be with my student while he/she meets with their advisor and registers for classes?
- 10. How long does STORM Day last?
- 11. Do we have to stay the whole day?
- 12. How does my son or daughter declare or change his or her major?
- 13. Will my student leave STORM Day with a class schedule?
- 14. When does my student pay tuition and fees?
- 15. My student receives financial aid that will exceed his/her tuition and fees. How does he/she receive excess financial aid?
- 16. Can my student check his/her financial aid/scholarship status online?
- 17. If I do not think that my student is eligible for federal aid, should I complete the FAFSA anyway?
- 18. What is a Student Aid Report (SAR)?
- 19. What are Stafford Loans and how do we apply?
- 20. How does my student receive his/her Stafford Loan?
- 21. When and how will my student receive his/her financial aid?
- 22. What expenses can I expect financial aid to cover?
- 23. Do we have to reapply for financial aid every year?
- 24. Can my student's financial aid change?
- 25. How is my student's financial need determined?
- 26. When is the FAFSA deadline?
- 27. What is verification?
- 28. What are GSW's Verification policies?
- 29. What effect will dropping a class have on my student's financial aid?
- 30. How do I contact the Office of Financial Aid?
- 31. What if my student becomes ill?
- 32. What type of student health insurance is offered at GA Southwestern?
- 33. Where can I find information about housing?
- 34. When is move-in day for Fall semester?
- 35. What is the IFC? NPHC? Panhellenic?
- 36. What and when is Intake?
- 37. What and when is Formal Recruitment?
- 38. What kinds of student activities are available for students?
- 39. Where can we get information about social sorority and fraternity organizations?
- 40. Does my student have to register his vehicle?
- 41. Is there shuttle service to and from the Albany or Columbus Airports?
Questions for Parents after school has started
- 42. What if my child is sick?
- 43. What if my child needs to see a counselor during the school year?
- 44. What is the break schedule?
- 45. What can I do for my student from home?
- 46. Do I have access to my child's educational records?
- 47. Does my student need to purchase a computer?
- 48. When is move-in day for Fall semester?
- 49. How do I stay involved with my child's college career and not come across as a helicopter parent?
1. Does my student have to attend STORM Day?
Yes, in order for your child to register for Fall classes they will need to attend one of the summer STORM Days.
2. Do I have to attend a STORM Day with my student?
While it is not required, it is highly encouraged that parents attend STORM Day and take part in your child's transition from high school to college.
3. Will I be with my student throughout STORM Day?
You will see your student throughout STORM Day, but the family member schedule differs from the student schedule. Some of our programs are designed specifically for students and some are specifically for family members. On occasion, you will attend a program together. STORM Day are designed to address the different needs of students and family members - realizing that those are sometimes different; we have planned a program to reflect both. We are not keeping you apart from your student intentionally, but exposing them to their first college experience and hoping they will learn about GSW on their own. We realize the importance of your presence and believe we have designed a family member orientation that will not only provide you with information, but also allow you to spend some time with your student during this exciting time in his/her life!
4. Why do I have to pay $25 to attend with my student?
We kindly ask that each guest pay $25 to attend STORM Day. This fee covers the cost of continental breakfast, lunch, snack breaks, session costs, and a t-shirt that you will receive at the end of the day.
5. Do I have to pay the $85.00 STORM Day Fee for my student?
No, this fee is paid for during your students first semester at GSW and is included with his/her fees. Please do not send any money for Orientation fees.
6. Is there walking involved in the STORM Day program?
Yes, Georgia Southwestern is a "walking" campus and the program requires participants to walk during some portions of STORM Day. Efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of family members with mobility issues or health concerns, but because of South Georgia's mild, summer climate we recommend that you dress for warm weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Don't forget your umbrella!!
7. Are children allowed to attend orientation?
Yes, but this will be a personal family decision. Our program may contain some topics which you are not comfortable discussing in the presence of your younger child and because of the length and walking required in the program, we do not recommend bringing young children. Each guest is required to pay the guest fee associated with STORM Day. Children under the age of 3 are not required to pay the $25 per guest fee associated with STORM Day.
8. Will my student and I have the same meal times?
Our program changes some each year. Due to facility space and scheduling to best meet the needs of both students and family members, we can say that some meals and breaks may be together, while some will be separate.
9. Will I be with my student while he/she meets with their advisor and registers for classes?
No, your student will receive academic information from his/her major. This may be their advisor, or another advisor within the department. Students will be provided with a more in depth conversation of what is expected as it concerns their particular major. A schedule will be provided to your student at the end of the day. Any changes to the schedule will be discussed with the first year advocate. Should you have any specific question for the major, a meeting should be scheduled for the first year advocate or the student's major advisor.
10. How long does STORM Day last?
STORM begins at 8:00am and lasts until approximately 5:00pm.
11. Do we have to stay the whole day?
We highly encourage students and parents to attend all sessions in order to receive all of the information being provided for you.
12. How does my son or daughter declare or change his or her major?
A student can declare a major at any time, beginning with the application process. If your student has decided on a major or changes the major, it is important that he or she declare the (new) major immediately with the Registrar's Office to ensure proper academic advisement toward a timely graduation and to gather degree and career information. Undecided students (students without declared majors) are assigned advisors in the Academic Resource Center.
13. Will my student leave STORM Day with a class schedule?
Yes, students register for their classes while at STORM Day. Course registration occurs at the end of the day. Registration occurs last so students will have had ample opportunities to learn about academics at GSW. Orientation staff and academic advisors will be present during registration to help with any questions or problems.
14. When does my student pay tuition and fees?
Students should check their R.A.I.N. account for their total amount of charges that need to be paid each semester. Fees may be paid with cash, credit card, or with financial aid. Failure to submit payment by the deadline will result in a late payment fee of $50.00. Fees should be paid in full the first day of class to avoid class cancellation.
15. My student receives financial aid that will exceed his/her tuition and fees. How does he/she receive excess financial aid?
Students will be able to pick up their difference checks beginning mid September 2015 in the Business Office.
16. Can my student check his/her financial aid/scholarship status online?
Yes, students can access their financial aid status on their R.A.I.N. account.
17. If I do not think that my student is eligible for federal aid, should I complete the FAFSA anyway?
Yes. Many families mistakenly think they don't qualify for federal aid and prevent themselves from receiving financial aid by failing to apply for it. There are sources of aid such as Unsubsidized Stafford and PLUS loans that are available regardless of need. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available atwww.fafsa.ed.gov/.
18. What is a Student Aid Report (SAR)?
If you file your student's FAFSA on the Web, the U. S. Department of Education will process your FAFSA online with in two to three business days. If you complete the paper application allow five weeks for processing. You will then receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). If you file your FAFSA online and provided an e-mail address on your FAFSA, the Federal Processing Center will send you an e-mail informing you to review the results of your SAR.
The SAR will reflect the information from your application and, if there are no questions or problems with your application, your SAR will provide your expected family contribution (EFC). This is the number used in determining your eligibility for federal student aid. Be sure to list the Georgia Southwestern State University Federal Title IV code (002440) on your FAFSA so that we may electronically receive your SAR.
19. What are Stafford Loans and how do we apply?
Stafford loans—federal loans with fixed interest rate of 6.8 percent—fall into two categories: subsidized and unsubsidized.
Subsidized: The federal government pays the interest on these loans as long as the borrower is enrolled at least half-time in the fall and spring semesters. Subsidized Stafford loans are awarded based upon financial need as determined from the FAFSA.
Unsubsidized: These loans begin to accrue interest as soon as they are paid to the borrower. Borrowers have the option to pay the interest while in school or to defer the interest payments until after graduation.
Your eligibility is determined by the Office of Financial Aid. You will be notified of the exact amount you can borrow in the Financial Aid Award Notification. You can never borrow more than the cost of education, less other financial aid received. Below are the maximum amounts you may borrow.
New loan borrowing rates listed below are effective beginning fall semester of August 2007.
Annual Stafford Loan Limits
The following below lists annual subsidized Stafford loan limits.
- Freshmen: $3,500
- Sophomore: $4,500
- Junior: $5,500
- Senior: $5,500
- Graduate: $8,500
Additional Unsubsidized Stafford limits to Independent Students.
The following below lists the additional unsubsidized Stafford limits available to independent students, dependent students whose parents were denied a PLUS loan, and graduate students. These additional limits were motivated by the Supplemental Loan to Students (SLS), which was eliminated on July 1, 1994.
- Freshmen: $4,000
- Sophomore: $4,000
- Junior: $5,000
- Senior: $5,000
- Graduate: $12,000
Aggregate Stafford Loan Limits
The following below lists historical aggregate Stafford loan limits.
Undergraduate: $23,000
Graduate & Undergraduate: $65,500
From January 1, 1981 to September 30, 1981, independent undergraduate students had a higher aggregate loan limit of $15,000.
From October 17, 1986 to September 30, 1992, SLS aggregate limits were $20,000. They were increased to $23,000 (undergraduate) and $73,000 (graduate plus undergraduate) from October 1, 1992 through June 30, 1994. The SLS program was eliminated on July 1, 1994.
Since July 1, 1994 there have been additional aggregate unsubsidized Stafford loan limits for independent undergraduate students, dependent undergraduate students whose parents were denied a PLUS loan, and graduate students. The additional aggregate limits for unsubsidized Stafford loans were $23,000 for undergraduate students (independent students and dependent students whose parents were denied a PLUS loan) and $73,000 for graduate students, bringing the combined aggregate limits to $46,000 and $138,500.
PLUS Loan Limits
Annual Limit: Cost of Attendance Minus Aid Received
Aggregate Limit: No Limit. The following table lists historical PLUS loan limits.
Miscellaneous Loan Limits
Prior to 1994, smaller Stafford loan limits were available for programs that were shorter than a year in length.
Students enrolled in health professions programs that were eligible under the former HEAL program have higher unsubsidized Stafford loan limits since July 1, 1996, per DCL GEN-96-14. Such students are eligible to borrow an additional unsubsidized Stafford of $20,000 per year and have an aggregate Stafford loan limit (combined subsidized plus unsubsidized) of $189,125. This limit was increased to $224,000 effective April 18, 2008 by DCL GEN-08-04.
20. How does my student receive his/her Stafford Loan?
- Student must first apply for aid (complete the fafsa)
- Be awarded financial aid
- Complete loan addendum
- Complete Stafford loan entrance counseling & master promissory note
- Loan comes in to Student Accounts and is applied to student's account
- Any credit balance is given to the student
21. When and how will my student receive his/her financial aid?
- Student must first apply for aid (complete the fafsa)
- Be awarded financial aid
- Complete any necessary paperwork (loan addendum, loan entrance counseling & master promissory note)
- Aid comes in to Student Accounts about 10 days before the term begins and is applied to student's account
- Any credit balance is given to the student
22. What expenses can I expect financial aid to cover?
Financial aid is awarded based on an average cost of attendance (COA), which includes appropriate tuition/fees for your educational program, books/supplies and other educational expenses. Other educational expenses consist of living, transportation, personal and miscellaneous expenses during the academic year. In some cases, child-care expenses can also be covered through a process called professional judgment.
23. Do we have to reapply for financial aid every year?
Yes. You must apply for financial aid every academic year. Please note that the FAFSA and the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid application both must be filed annually. Regarding the FAFSA, you will receive PIN or renewal application from the federal processor. The renewal application contains preprinted information from the previous year's FAFSA. Note that your eligibility for financial aid may change significantly, especially if you have a different number of family members in college. Renewal of your financial aid package also depends on your making satisfactory academic progress toward a degree, such as earning a minimum number of credits and achieving a minimum GPA.
24. Can my student's financial aid change?
Yes. As stated in the student award notification, initial financial aid awards are the best estimate of what you are eligible to receive. Your award may be increased, reduced or even canceled if your family financial circumstance changes, causing your need to change. See professional judgment.
- You receive any additional outside resource, such as a privately awarded scholarship, which was not listed on your award notification.
- You provided incorrect data on your FAFSA or renewal FAFSA.
- You do not maintain satisfactory academic progress.
- You are suspended by the university.
- You do not enroll for the required number of hours to receive aid through the programs awarded to you.
25. How is my student's financial need determined?
The federal processor determines your individual family's ability to contribute to the cost of education. The expected family contribution (EFC) is calculated by using the information you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a federal formula. The formula considers your parents' and your income and assets, your family size and the number of family members enrolled in college. The EFC will be the same at any college you attend. After receiving your EFC amount from the federal processor, the Office of Financial Aid then subtracts your EFC from the standard Georgia Southwestern cost of attendance. The formula used to calculate financial need is:
Cost of Attendance - EFC = Student Financial Need.
Click here for a listing of GSW's cost of attendance.
26. When is the FAFSA deadline?
To receive federal aid for the coming fall and spring (2015-16 academic year), you may submit your 2015-16 FAFSA as early as possible, but no earlier than January 1, 2016. The last date to file a 2015 FAFSA is June 30, 2015.
If you are planning to attend summer school during 2015, you must also complete the 2015-16 FAFSA with the federal processor no later than July 2, 2015, listing our school code, 002440, on the application.
Verification is a federally mandated quality-control process in which files are selected for review. The school is required by federal regulations to confirm certain data elements on the FAFSA. If your file is selected for verification, the school is required to compare these data elements with the information on your tax returns to verify their accuracy. Your Student Aid Report (SAR) and/or the school will tell you if you have been selected for verification.
28. What are GSW's Verification policies?
After an ISIR (electronic data) is received by the school, a missing document letter will be sent to the student's permanent resident address listed on the database unless the student has made a written request, for valid reasons, to have mail sent elsewhere. This missing document letter identifies all items needed or visits the student should make to the office before the file is complete. It is the student's responsibility to see that all requests from the Financial Aid Office are satisfied.
The deadline for submitting documentation for verification purposes is 15 days prior to fee-payment date. If documentation is not received by this time, the student may be required to pay his/her own fees until the process is complete.
If a change is made subsequent to the award, the student will receive a revised award or an adjusted bill via the registration & Academic Information Network (R.A.I.N), depending on the time frame of the adjustment.
Students are responsible for making corrections to their application unless student has been selected for verification. During the verification process, all corrections will be made electronically by the financial aid office, based on the documentation received.
In the event an award must be reduced because of subsequent verification, the student is responsible for repayment of any funds disbursed in error due to incorrect information. If funds are not repaid, the overpayment must be reported to the Department of Education. An overpayment notification mean the student is no longer eligible for aid.
All students receiving financial aid are welcome to review the Policies and Procedures Manual in the Financial Aid Office or on line. Any questions arising from this review should be directed to a financial aid counselor or the director. In their absence, an appointment can be made for a later date.
Deadline for submitting all documents is April 1 to receive PRIORITY AWARDING. Applications completed after April 1, WILL BE AWARDED BASED ON THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.
29. What effect will dropping a class have on my student's financial aid?
A Dropping a class may affect your financial aid if you drop during a refund period. Refund periods are assigned by the registrar. The refund period will change yearly based on the number of days in a school semester.
Financial aid awards, for example, scholarships, grants and loans, are based on full-time enrollment. Should you drop below full-time enrollment before your aid is released, your aid will have to be recalculated based on your new hours of enrollment. Should you drop a class after all aid has released, the Office of Financial Aid will review your semester eligibility based on the registrar's refund policy. In some cases, it is required by federal Title IV regulations for a student to repay all or part of his or her financial aid for dropping courses or for nonattendance in registered courses. For best advice, always consult with a financial aid adviser before dropping a class.
30. How do I contact the Office of Financial Aid?
If you have any questions or need assistance with your financial aid, please call our Financial Aid Office at (229) 928-1378. You are welcome to drop by our office and talk with a financial aid advisor in person. We are located Sanford Hall and our offices are open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Fridays.
31. What if my student becomes ill?
If your student becomes ill, he or she can seek treatment at the Student Health Center on campus, which is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For after hour emergencies, students should contact Campus Safety or Sumter Regional Hospital.
32. What type of student health insurance is offered at GA Southwestern?
Student health insurance is offered for any student who is not covered by insurance. The Student Health Center staff strongly advises uninsured students to purchase health insurance from the university. For more information, please contact Student Health Center at (229) 931-2235.
33. Where can I find information about housing?
Information about student housing can be obtained from the Office of Admissions located in the Administration Building or by calling (229) 928-1273 or contact Jamie Lineberry at firstname.lastname@example.com.
34. When is move-in day for Fall semester?
Move-in day for Freshmen for Fall semester 2015 will be Saturday, August 15, 2015 beginning at 8am at Southwestern Oaks. Information will be mailed to you over the summer from the office of Admissions.
35. What is the IFC? NPHC? Panhellenic?
All three are the governing bodies of the fraternities and sororities at Georgia Southwestern affiliated with the North American Interfraternity Council (NIC), National Panhellenic Council (NPC) and National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). IFC and Panhellenic participate in Formal Recruitment, while NPHC groups have Intake. The organizations on campus send representatives to these meetings where important issues concerning the Greek community are discussed.
Intake is the process of membership selection used by groups belonging to the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). NPHC at GSW is made up of eight historically and traditionally African-American fraternities and sororities. Those eight groups are Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc., Omega Psi Phi, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., and Sigma Gamma Rho, Inc.
A student does not have to register with the Greek life office to participate. While the process is different for each organization, all groups do require that students selected for membership have a certain number of academic and community service hours and certain grade-point averages. For more information on when each group will be holding its Intake or what the specific criteria to join are, contact the Director of Campus Life at 229-931-2377
37. What and when is Formal Recruitment?
Formal Recruitment is the official process to get into a fraternity or sorority affiliated with the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) or the North American Inter-fraternity Council (NIC).
Sororities affiliated with the NPC are Kappa Delta and Zeta Tau Alpha. You must be registered with the Division of Student Affairs to participate in recruitment. Applications are given out during orientation and the first week of school. If you do not receive one, call the Director of Campus Life at (229) 931-2377.
38. What kinds of student activities are available for students?
Students can become involved in myriad activities while attending GSW. The Division of Student Affairs oversees all student activities registered on campus. The Undergraduate Catalog and online Weathervane contain lists of all student activities. For more information, contact the Director of Campus Life at 229-931-2377. A listing of all campus events can be found at www.gsw.edu/events
39. Where can we get information about social sorority and fraternity organizations?
There are 16 inter/national fraternities and 13 inter/national sororities on the Ole Miss campus. The National Pan-Hellenic Council governs fraternities and sororities that historically and traditionally comprise African-American students. The Interfraternity Council governs the other fraternities, and the National Panhellenic Conference governs the other sororities. For more information about Greek life, go to https://gsw.edu/Campus-Life/StudentActivities/GreekLife/index or call 229-931-2377
40. Does my student have to register his vehicle?
Yes. If your student intends to park his or her vehicle on the university campus, it must be registered. Parking decals are available at the Campus Safety Office located in Sanford Hall.
41. Is there shuttle service to and from the Albany or Columbus Airports?
Yes, there is a fee associated with the shuttle service. For more information please contact the Director of Campus Life for more information.
Parent Questions for after school has started….
If your son or daughter is feeling ill, GA Southwestern has the remedy. Please visit the Health Center website for information on hours and services. If you have any questions, call the Health Center at (229) 931-2235. You may also call Campus Safety at (229) 928-2245 after hours and on weekends (24-hour service).
43. What if my child needs to see a counselor during the school year?
Counseling Services, located in the Student Success Center, offers group and individual counseling to students. Please visit the Counseling Services website for details.
44. What is the break schedule?
The Academic Calendar can be found on the front page of the GSW website at academic calendar.
45. What can I do for my student from home?
Birthdays: The Campus Bookstore at GSW offers birthday packages for students. These packages contain an assortment of options to choose from, including balloons, mugs and gift certificates. For more information on these packages, contact the Campus Bookstore at (229) 931-2366.
Exam Packs: The Residence Hall Association sponsors exam packs for students. These are offered twice times a year: welcome packs, fall exam packs and spring exam packs. For more information on these packages, call Residence Life at (229) 931-2375.
46. Do I have access to my child's educational records?
GSW complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This act protects the privacy of educational records, establishes the right of students to inspect and review their educational records, and provides guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. Students also have the right to file complaints with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the act.
Please contact the Registrar's Office with questions concerning the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
47. Does my student need to purchase a computer?
It is not required that your student purchase his/her own computer, there are numerous computer labs on campus free of charge to the student with their GSW ID Card. However, most students prefer to have their own computer.
48. When is move-in day for Fall semester?
Information will be mailed to you over the summer from the Admissions Office.
49. How do I stay involved with my child's college career and not come across as a helicopter parent?
We realize it's difficult letting go, especially if this is your first son or daughter to attend college. The important thing is to discuss college openly and honestly and understand that they are going to make mistakes. GSW is really good at getting your son or daughter acclimated and prepared for college success. You can easily stay involved by joining the Parent Association and receive e-mail updates, ask questions and voice your concerns to the Assistant Dean of Students. E-Mail: email@example.com to sign up today!


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Next time you want to steal the spotlight from someone decked-out in a tuxedo, ask him if he knows what the word means. If he mumbles "I think it's French," the moment is yours.
Or, if you really want to dazzle everyone at the expense of a chap wearing tails, just ask him what he's wearing. When he answers, embarrass him right off the dance floor by putting your nose in the air and sniffing: "That is NOT a tuxedo!"

subset: commoncrawl


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9 Stellar Home Remedies: Proven with 3 Foods in Your Own Kitchen!
Handy, Helpful, and Healthy Solutions
Really home remedies are quick and simple solutions to everyday problems. Some home remedies may sound like nothing more than folklore, while many others have been proven time and again to be very effective. The ones featured here are based on three foods commonly found in most kitchens but put to use in different way--personal health and beauty aids. Imagine that. These include:
1) Olive oil. You might rename this liquid gold! That is because it has so much value in everyday use. For right now we will just take a look at a few uses beyond its obvious culinary benefit, which is skin care:
A) Skin exfoliator: Rub olive oil on hands and face generously. Then apply fine ground sea salt in a circular motion. Rinse well and patient dry. See how smooth it is.
B) Makeup remover: Apply olive oil under eyes, on forehead, cheeks, and chin. Then wipe away from face with damp warm cloth.
C) Skin softener: After showering or bathing, rub olive oil on rough and dry areas. You know the culprits—feet, knees, and elbows! You can put cotton socks on your feet over night to maintain the smoothness.
2) Vinegar in another multitasking agent commonly found in the kitchen. It can serve up time and cost-saving benefits for skin care as well. Note these examples:
A) Facial toner: Use half and half each of distilled vinegar and water. Apply with cotton balls or splash on face and pat dry.
B) Bad breath blaster: Brush your teeth with distilled vinegar at least twice a week.
C) Foot deodorizer: Soak your clean feet, preferably after using antiseptic quality soap, in undiluted cider vinegar for 15 minutes. Pat dry. Remember to dry well between the toes, a harbor for odor and fungus.
3) Lemons. We can certainly appreciate lemonade on a hot day, but lemon juice is also quite handy for the following reason:
A) Hand cleanser: Simply rinsing hands with lemon juice after handling onions or garlic or even seafood will get rid of strong odors.
B) Digestion aid: Drink a little lemon juice in water anytime of day.
C) Sore throat reliever: Drink lemon with tea and honey for soothing benefits to alleviate sore throat.
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"Not one sparrow can fall to the ground without your father knowing it."
"But the sparrow still falls."
The fascinating premise of Mary Doria Russell's book attracted me, that once an extraterrestrial intelligence is discovered a few decades from now, the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits) is the first to send a contact mission. It struck me as an original approach to a first contact story and makes sense. While governments and private corporations jockeyed for advantage and tried to get out of their own way, the Jesuits quietly did what they have done for centuries. They set out to bring the knowledge of God to the aliens, or to find out whether such knowledge is universal among all God's children.
Beginning at the Arecibo telescope with a gawky SETI astronomer, the revelation that we're not alone travels quickly among a circle of friends with extraordinary talents and connections. THE SPARROW is a character-driven story that draws the reader into the lives of people embarking on an historical expedition. I'm not Roman Catholic, but I appreciated the insight into the life of a Jesuit priest. Service, celibacy, and honor are explored alongside secular issues. This is not a 'Christian' book, per se, but more an exploration of how intelligent people approach the concept of why an omniscient and omnipotent God allows terrible things to happen, whether he simply watches atrocities or orchestrates them for some purpose hidden from us.
This is a wonderfully-written thinker's book that encourages the reader to examine the logic of whether God exists, what evil looks like, whether one society's morality is more valid than another's, how faith and science can overlap and complement one another, and too many other concepts to list in this review.
Russell has an impressive background in anthropology, and it shows in this compulsively readable, thoroughly approachable speculation on how interaction with an alien culture impacts humanity in general, and one man's faith in particular.
Without giving too much away, I'll say that the book begins with a disaster having taken place. Details of the events are shrouded in mystery, but one thing is clear: it's not going to end well. I spent most of the book enjoying the intelligence and humor of the dialog and character interaction, falling in love with Russell's characters, and living in a kind of dread for the hard ending I knew was coming.
The main character says at some point in the story, "God is in the why." This is reflected in the way the author chooses to structure the novel. We know the ending from the beginning of the book, but the book isn't about what happens, it's about why, and the effects of the 'why' on one physically, emotionally, and spiritually ravaged man.
The profound sadness of this book lingers, along with grand ideas that I can keep and turn over in my mind like exotic artifacts. My conclusion: at the point where science can no longer answer there are mysteries we have to accept–assumptions that must be made–in order to go on living and working and loving. For some, I think, this is what is required to bridge the gaps in our knowledge that otherwise would lead to despair. Another word for this is faith.


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London: The former Bayern Munich goalkeeper believes that the Coface Arena boss would be an ideal replacement for Huub Stevens, while he also named his Bundesliga stars so far this season.
Germany`s former No. 1 goalkeeper Oliver Kahn believes that Mainz boss Thomas Tuchel would be an ideal coach to take over at Schalke.
The Gelsenkirchen club sacked Huub Stevens after seeing the side fall away from the leading pack in the Bundesliga after a strong start, and having qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League.
Mainz are among the surprise packages in the German top tier this season, and Kahn believes Schalke could do a lot worse than bringing Tuchel on board at the Veltins Arena.
"Mainz clearly have a very good coach who has brought the team consistency using a systematic approach, and he has made his mark," the former Bayern Munich shot-stopper told Bild.
"A coach like Tuchel could do very well for Schalke, I imagine."
Kahn highlighted Bavarian attacker Franck Ribery as his star of the Bundesliga so far this season, but also hailed the signings of Javi Martinez, Dante and Borussia Dortmund starlet Marco Reus.
"The single player that stands out for me is Franck Ribery," he continued.
"Among the top transfers are, for me, Reus, Martinez and Dante.
"Of the goalies, [Rene] Adler and [Roman] Weidenfeller have shown the most excellence."


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Letting Go
I'm returning to work tomorrow. I'm letting go of this bubble I've lived in for the past 10 weeks, where my main occupation was grieving. I'm letting go of a life disrupted, of the innocent person I was the last time I walked out of school, headed to that ultrasound appointment that changed my life forever. I'm letting go of that moment, and as sad and desperate as that moment feels, it's hard to leave it in the past. But it's a relief to do that, too.
We had Peter's welcoming celebration on Sunday, and it was even more beautiful than we'd expected. Daithi and I, as his god parents, read pieces we'd written for Peter. Some of Dee's family read poems and Eric and Dee's brother played music. Kusi shared a beautiful poem by Sheelagh Pugh that seemed to capture so much of the feeling that day. Everyone there felt touched by the poem, but I found special meaning in it. It also made me think of my two good friends who found out in the past week that they're expecting babies. Both of these women have lost babies before, and they know the fear and courage it takes to try again. I'm not at that point yet, but the hope that I see in them, and in this poem, helps me believe I will be, sometime.
Sometimes things don't go, after all,
from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel
faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don't fail.
Sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.
A people sometimes will step back from war,
elect an honest man, decide they care
enough, that they can't leave some stranger poor.
Some men become what they were born for.
Sometimes our best intentions do not go
amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow
that seemed hard frozen; may it happen for you.


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If these tales were fiction, they'd be received in the vein of the rest of Lewis Nordan's work -- as wild black comedy with a perverse but profoundly moral center. But the tales in Boy With Loaded Gun are hilariously and gut-wrenchingly true, and together they provide a portrait of the artist as an over-imaginative boy, an inept husband, a drunk, a seeker, a ruined father, and, finally, a writer bent on redemption through his work.
Readers not familiar with Nordan's widely acclaimed seven novels would be well advised to read the memoir as an introduction to the author and use it as a jumping-off point from which to explore his dusty South, especially the tiny town of Itta Bena, Mississippi, "Home in the Woods," where the bulk of his fiction is set. Nordan's dry, outrageous sense of humor, applied to the sometimes farcical, sometimes sorrowful and calamitous events of his life, make for compelling storytelling and often breathtaking reading.
A few of the book's gems include: the story of Nordan's addiction to mail order as a child, and how he eventually bought a gun by mail and tried to shoot his daddy with it; "A Body in the River," a touching, roundabout remembrance of the drowning of young Emmett Till in 1955, a racist murder that became the basis of Nordan's best-known book, Wolf Whistle, many years later; the story of 15-year-old Lewis, saving his nickels and jumping on the Greyhound bus for New York City, to catch a glimpse of a beatnik in the 1950s; the mournful tale of the author's decline into homelessness following the end of his marriage, and the subsequent loss of his son.
Nordan's peculiar gift is that in refusing to bow to any sacred cows, he sees the godliness in the most mundane events and circumstances. This is rich stuff. Read it and laugh; read it and weep.


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We have spent the bulk of this weekend in the dark... again... thanks Eskom.
I previously blogged on how to survive loadshedding here. However, that was when it was summer and loadshedding only occasional, so while a lot of it still applies, it seems like a more aggressive guide is now needed. This weekend, which happened to be a cold, wet and windy one with temperatures below freezing, our power was off for about ten hours on Saturday and another five on Sunday.
Side note: For my non South African readers, we have this bizarre system called loadshedding, which basically means that in order to save power (or for a variety of other reasons, some of which are plausible, as speculated by conspiracy theorists), our state owned electricity provider shuts off electricity to large areas, for several hours at a time. There are schedules drawn daily and various apps where you can check when you are due to be loadshedded, in theory anyway (these schedules are often inaccurate and not accessible anyway when all your device batteries are flat).
So here are my updated loadshedding tips:
If you have the means, consider getting a generator (you now even get silencers for them). Or even better, move to greener options such as solar power where possible. Disclaimer: I have not done either, but these are becoming real considerations.
Alternative to the above, invest in lots of bright, rechargeable LED lights. Find out if gas can be connected to your area and if it is economical to do so. Alternatively, gas canisters with those small cookers that you can attach can be an option.
Consider investing in a power bank so that you can keep crucial devices charged.
Very important: invest in surge protector plugs for when the power does finally come back as I know of a few people who have suffered loss of appliances after a power surge following loadshedding. Unplug any appliances that are not connected to surge protectors during loadshedding. If you are affected by a power surge (in Johannesburg), you can contact the City Power Legal Department on 011 490 7546 and complete a claim form, after which a technical report will be submitted and a decision made on whether or not to settle the claim. Alternatively, it might be covered by your household insurance, depending on your policy wording.
Since loadshedding, we have taken candle light to a whole new level. Candles are calming, relaxing and loadshedding is the perfect time to indulge in their prettiness.
Noodle and I made some candles out of old broken crayons (see here). They did not turn out as pretty as I had hoped, but they are functional.
In addition, I have been on a hunt for the best smelling candles in Jozi. Here are my finds:
1. Soy Lites: these are not just any candles. Made from soybean wax and essential oils, the candles are actually moisturisers too and can be used on your skin for for manicures, pedicures and massages. I have seen these used at a few exclusive spas. They are pricey but they smell divine. These can be purchased online.
2. Yankee candles: pretty to look at and they smell so good. These come in every scent imaginable. These are available online and at Yankee Candle stores.
3. Mr Price candles: these come in amazing scents. The ones pictured above are mandarin and berry.
4. Prices candles- vanilla scented: these are available at local supermarkets and are dirt cheap. They are very ordinary to look at but smell like freshly baked yumminess.
(Note: I have no affiliation to any candle manufacturers.)
Bucket loads of patience. This is the number one tool for surviving loadshedding.


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Turn to the nation's most objective and informative daily environmental news resource to learn how the United States and key players around the world are responding to the environmental...
By Dean Scott
March 11 —The head of the Environmental Protection Agency said March 11 she remains unbowed in the face of attacks on the EPA's power plant carbon pollution limits—including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's recent call for states to ignore them.
In a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy vowed the power plant limits—which call for cutting carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels—will be finalized this summer.
McCarthy also downplayed complaints from some states and industry groups, as well as some lawmakers including the Kentucky Republican, who wrote a March 3 op-ed urging states to "think twice" before sending the EPA their plans for complying with the carbon limits.
"I am happy to leave it to the states, including the state of Kentucky, to speak to the folks on the Hill who think that the best thing is for states to put their heads in the sand—and pretend like EPA isn't going to regulate," McCarthy said. "EPA is going to regulate—mid-summer is when the Clean Power Plan is going to be finalized."
McCarthy said that in general, states and the federal regulatory agency have had an "incredibly robust" back-and-forth over the requirements, dubbed the Clean Power Plan, which the EPA proposed in June as the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's domestic climate policies (RIN 2060-AR33).
McCarthy suggested tensions between the agency and states has been overstated, and she touted what she said has been an "unbelievable job" by the EPA to provide states flexibility in meeting the carbon reductions.
McCarthy said she sees no evidence states are "pulling away from the engagement, and it is incredibly robust."
Some legal scholars and opponents of the EPA regulations have argued that states opposed to the agency's approach should refuse to comply with the rule once it is finalized, a tactic they have dubbed "just say no."
Some states—Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas—have expressed concerns about complying with the mandated carbon reductions the EPA has set for them.
Other states—such as Colorado, Minnesota, New York and Washington—are generally supportive of the standard but have quibbled with specific provisions, such as the EPA's use of 2012 as the baseline year in its proposal. That would mean states wouldn't get credit for emissions reductions made before then.
But McCarthy said all states should bank on the fact that the EPA will proceed with the carbon pollution limits and not be deterred by opponents.
"If folks are thinking any of those pieces aren't going to happen and this isn't going to hold up and [that] this isn't going to be implemented, I think they need to look at the history of the Clean Air Act a little more carefully," the EPA administrator said. "That's not how we do business."
To contact the reporter on this story: Dean Scott in Washington at email@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Larry Pearl at firstname.lastname@example.com
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Easy Resolutions You Can Accomplish Today
We're four days into 2012, how many resolutions have you checked off so far? Yeah, me neither. But if you haven't gotten started yet, don't worry because we're not really all that far behind.
When it comes to achieving resolutions, January 1 shouldn't really count since that day is traditionally reserved for recovering. If you accomplished more than eating brunch, you can consider January 1 a victory. On January 2 most of us had to go back to work, and that's enough to leave anyone reeling. January 3 ... actually, I don't know where January 3 went, but today is the 4th, and that's more than enough time to get an early start on some easier-to-accomplish resolutions. Get one or two of them done today, and you'll be able to say you started 2012 on a roll.
Be more active We probably all resolved to be more active in 2012 than we were in 2011, even if we were already pretty active to start with. (I have a Facebook friend who ran 728 miles in 2011. Her resolution for 2012? 1000 miles.) Being more active is one of the scarier resolutions, but it's deceptively easy: Just do something you don't normally do, and you're already out the gate. Take a walk to the store. Make two trips instead of balancing your cereal bowl on top of your coffee cup. Stand up now and do 25 jumping jacks next to your computer. See? You're already started.
Eat better Most of us could stand to eat more fruits and vegetables, so even if you're eating the last of the leftover cookies for breakfast instead of steel-cut oatmeal, add an apple or an orange. It's just a baby step, but once the cookies are gone, the apples and oranges will still be around and waiting for you. (Assuming you buy them. Fruits and vegetables won't magically appear in your house; you do have to go out and get them). And as you go forward in 2012, keep adding vegetables, even if you're having a diet off-day. Not sure how to prepare them? Check out The Kitchn for some easy recipe ideas.
Give more This one's so easy you can do it from your desk. Most charities are set up to take donations online, and sending $5 or $25 off to Heifer International, Kiva, The World Wildlife Federation, or the charitable organization of your choice is a great way to get the year started on a good note. As an incidental benefit, donating money to a good cause can help relieve any leftover stress you may have about having spent too much during the holidays.
Pet more dogs This was supposed to be "smell the roses," but it's freezing outside, and dogs are better than flowers anyway. If you don't have a dog of your own, step outside in the morning before work to see the neighborhood puppies enjoying their morning constitutionals, and give them a pat to brighten the rest of your day. (Bonus: Going outside to pet dogs counts as a walk towards Resolution #1, too.)
Image: Shutterstock


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J.D., University of California Hastings College of the Law
Lee F. Gotshall-Maxon is a partner, in our San Francisco office, whose practice focuses on the representation of developers, investors and lenders in all phases of real estate acquisition, development, financing and disposition. His experience includes the formation, management and restructuring of LLC's and partnerships and complex financing transactions. Lee's projects have included office, hotel, industrial, retail, single family, and multifamily developments throughout California and the Southwest.
Lee has also been extensively involved in the representation of landlords and tenants in all aspects of office, retail and industrial leasing and property management issues. On the landlord side, he has represented institutional property management firms, asset management firms, trustees, insurance companies, major hotels, and financial institutions in reviewing, documenting, and negotiating leases and property management agreements. On the tenant side, he has represented both new and established enterprises in negotiating and renegotiating sale-leasebacks, leases, subleases, and lease assignments for premises in California and numerous other states. He has also handled numerous Building and Planning Code and disability access issues.
Lee frequently speaks and writes on real estate issues.
Lee graduated, cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1975 in government with a certificate in Urban and Regional Studies. He received his J.D. from University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1980, where he served on the Hastings Law Journal, was a member of the Thurston Honorary Society and was awarded the Order of the Coif.
January 17, 2019


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Sustainable Healthcare
By Matt Hawkins
April 16, 2014
Drawing from years as a surgeon and CEO, Bradley alum Dr. James Weinstein '72 outlined patient-centered changes to improve American healthcare and maintain a sustainable healthcare system. Weinstein, president and CEO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System and the Peggy Y. Thomson Endowed Chair, Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth College, gave the 38th McCord Lecture April 15 at Bradley.
His work for sustainable healthcare focuses on providing patients "informed choices" on healthcare decisions. This gives patients more control over their healthcare and saves medical expenses. In addition, networks such as the national High Value Healthcare Collaborative bring together healthcare systems to address community needs.
Community collaboration in cities like Peoria, he said, would create localized solutions to specific healthcare issues and rising costs.
"It's a great opportunity for the community to come together sooner than later," Weinstein said. "Bring Caterpillar, the hospital systems and insurance companies together. How do we as a community imagine a sustainable future?"
He compared healthcare thinking to an image of a partially full glass of orange juice in his office. Though this poster often prompts the cliché half-full or half-empty glass conversation, he proposes a different line of thought.
"It's the wrong glass," Weinstein said. "When we think about healthcare, we have to think outside the box."
To think outside the box to control costs and improve care, uncomfortable discussions about touchy subjects will be needed. Communities will need to address social issues such as sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, drug abuse and mental illness.
"We don't take on social issues in the country because people are afraid to talk about what matters," Weinstein said. "We'll solve more problems by talking about these things."
Sponsored by Illinois Mutual Life Insurance Company, the McCord lecture series features top business leaders discussing the challenges of leading a major enterprise.
"Weinstein not only had a captivating message, but he also fully engaged the audience in his lecture with thought-provoking ideas and calls-to-action," said Dr. Darrell Radson, Dean of the Foster College of Business. "It was truly an honor to have Weinstein as our McCord lecturer this year."
"It is important that Bradley University and the Foster College of Business bring in thought leaders to discuss such important issues to our national and local economy," Radson added.
Illinois Mutual also established the Robert A. McCord Endowed Professorship for Executive Management Development in 1990 to honor the late Robert A. McCord when he retired as Chairman of the Board and CEO of the company.
The professorship, currently held by Dr. Joshua Lewer, recognizes a Bradley faculty member who teaches students in the Foster College of Business with creativity and passion and supports that faculty member's research and professional activities.


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The Promises Guaranteed By the Dropship Distributors and Manufacturers
With online retail stores taking up new forms and reaching heights today, one cannot deny the unmatched advancement and power of technology working to back them up. No more are the entrepreneurs restricted to the offline mode of conducting business, as they have understood how internet is being a blessing to all, and what its reach is. This is where dropshipping too comes into existence. The dropshippiers not only help you get the right business plan and confidently kick start your business, but also works to a great extent to eliminate the financial problems which are churned out once a venture is initiated.
The online business men who are still struggling to grow their start ups to a positive direction, might not really have a clear cut idea on what dropshipping is about or what are the promises they keep, and hence we have made a list of these promises which are leading dropship distributors make sure to guarantee on being associated with an online retail business venture.
The broadest product offering
The dropshipping manufacturer allows the merchants to offer a wide array of products to the customers by producing a broad inventory, keeping in track with the latest trends and practices of the global fashion scene. The products are up to date assortments, so that the costumers do not end up being disappointed on what you have in store for them. Thus , this helps to increase sales and also keeps a check on your reputation at the market.
Helps to find a niche market
This way, the drosphippers helps to lend you the perfect niche market for your growth, so that you have the right business plan and the confidence to kick starts your venture. This includes eliminating the primary issues of inventory management, product selections, monetary hassles and a lot more.
Real time inventory management checked
The dropshippers make sure of keeping a track of your products at the inventory, as if you hire them, you do not need to own a warehouse to stock your inventory. This way, not only a lot of investment is cut., but also they promise on the best experience and expertise to handles all the products with safety and security without the danger of getting damaged.
No wastage guaranteed
Having own stocks at the warehouse involves the headache of getting rid of all the merchandise within the right time. But the dropshippers guarantee to keep you out of this hassle, as without any inventory, you also do not need to end up getting worried about facing any wastage. Thus, a lot of money gets saved and you can invest that money into something better and bigger more the development of your venture.
Promises the best quality items
The dropshippers not only craft the items which are highly trendy and fashionable, but also makes sure to give upperhand to the quality of the products, so that the customers can trust the e-store more and more. The best fabrics and raw materials are used to manufacture the best merchandise, durable and highly comfortable.
Safe and secure delivery and shipment
The reputed Australian dropship suppliers ensure to keep a complete track of the delivery and shipment of the items to the doorstep of the concerned customers , keeping a strict eye on the safety and security of the products.


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Fast Fashion Harms Us Faster
By iKottonTeam
Fast fashion has taken the apparel market by storm. Compared to the past, new designs are hitting the shelves much faster. Because the intervals between designs have shortened, we now...
Cami (Camisole): Free n Easy
Studies have found that wired bras offer no real benefit to help women stay in shape and may affect our body circulation. Time to go "wireless"! Breathe easy and relax in our Cami. Exercise is the only thing that will save the day for us!
Kinee (Bikini): Soft n Gentle
This little bikini can be described as both basic and luxurious. Basic because we recommend it for a day-to-day wear; luxurious because it's how you will feel when you slip it on.
Hippee (Hipster): Wild n Special
Our hipster has a V-cut front and back. It is the perfect piece for a night out on the town and/or a special day.
Boycee (Boyshort): Smart n Sporty
Designed for the active and sporty, this low-cut boyshort provides good backside support with laces sewn on top of the cotton fabric. Recommended if you have sensitive skin.
Midee (Brief): Sure n Supportive
This shapely full brief is decorated with a generous band of soft lace, offering a blend of protection and style. Perfect for all age. Be daring and show a bit of your lace.
By iKottonTeam
Fast fashion has taken the apparel market by storm. Compared to the past, new designs are hitting the shelves much faster. Because the intervals between designs have shortened, we now...
By iKottonTeam
The amount of trash being discarded at sea is reaching an alarming rate. In 1998, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States first brought...
By iKottonTeam
How much are you aware of the uses of microfibres and the disadvantages of using it? Microfiber-based fabrics are soft and lightweight, dry easily and can exist in many forms. There...
By iKottonTeam
Did you know that our garments contain a ton of invisible chemicals lurking in its neatly woven fabric? Names such as formaldehyde, perfluorinated chemicals are probably ingredients...
By iKottonTeam
In a world dominated by fast fashion, we are very much used to the idea that all our garments are mass manufactured from sweat shops in developing nations. At iKotton, we treat each...
By iKottonTeam
Cotton comes from the cotton crops, of course. Unfortunately, in modern farming, cotton stands as one of the world's dirtiest crops. Cotton crops are usually genetically modified and...


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The PCS Programme for clubs is a cultural development model to ensure that the club is creating the right environment for its players, coaches and members to have the opportunity to develop and enjoy rugby.
Mission Statements
The club produces and uses a mission statement which outlines what they aim to achieve, this will be supported by identifying the ethos of the club and the core values it portrays day in day out.
Workshops will be delivered to Club leaders, Coaches, Players and Parents.
Critical Mass Engaged
The Majority of your club need to be engaged in the PCS process, this may be in the form of surveys or attendance to PCS workshops at the club.
Coaching is at the heart of the accreditation with the development of Mastery Coaching to create the environment for players to flourish and reach their own personal best.
Match and Training Policies
We look at ways that you can create the most positive environment for everyone involved with rugby activities at the club from coaches and players to referees and visiting teams. Valuing the volunteer contribution to clubs running smoothly is a massive part of this.
PCS Communications
The way the club communicates is essential to have a smooth running club and positive environment engaging all.
PCS Materials
We will be looking for the club to spread the word of PCS and use it as a tool to generate interest in the club, everything from new members to gaining sponsorship.
PCS Champions
The club must have people in place that can 'champion' the programme in their club and community. This is to ensure the sustainability of the programme in the club as new people come in.
Scottish Rugby has a specially trained team to work with the roll out of the clubs programme, bringing a width and depth of experience from different aspects of the game.
Please contact Gordon Lyon, Coach Development Officer: Positive Coaching Scotland (Email: [email protected] | Tel: 07794 623373) should you have any questions.
PCS Programme Partners |


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Created by W.Langdon from gp-bibliography.bib Revision:1.4549
@Article{Howard:1999:AES, author = "Daniel Howard and Simon C. Roberts and Richard Brankin", title = "Target detection in SAR imagery by genetic programming", journal = "Advances in Engineering Software", volume = "30", pages = "303--311", year = "1999", number = "5", month = may, keywords = "genetic algorithms, genetic programming", ISSN = "0965-9978", DOI = "doi:10.1016/S0965-9978(98)00093-3", URL = "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V1P-3W1XV4H-1/1/6e7aee809f33757d0326c62a21824411", abstract = "The automatic detection of ships in low-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is investigated in this article. The detector design objectives are to maximise detection accuracy across multiple images, to minimise the computational effort during image processing, and to minimise the effort during the design stage. The results of an extensive numerical study show that a novel approach, using genetic programming (GP), successfully evolves detectors which satisfy the earlier objectives. Each detector represents an algebraic formula and thus the principles of detection can be discovered and reused. This is a major advantage over artificial intelligence techniques which use more complicated representations, e.g. neural networks.", }
Genetic Programming entries for Daniel Howard Simon C Roberts Richard Brankin


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Club Sound
with Sleigh Bells
I remember seeing Yeasayer at Kilby Court two years ago, as the opening act for MGMT. Back then their self-applied genre, Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel, still fit. Times have changed. Yeasayer is headlining these days, playing to people who probably know nothing of Man Man (the last band Yeasayer toured with, and opened for).
Yeasayer have always used synths, samplers and drum machines, but it seems they have found some new synth voices. If you're not familiar with both of their albums, I think it is fair to call them radically different. They have let their Middle Eastern psychedlic sound fall to the wayside and are pounding out synthpop like they just got their first Of Montreal album (probably Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?).
It was weird seeing Yeasayer play pop songs, and have people singing along in great numbers. The show was packed (it was in the smaller room, Club Sound, at In the Venue) and people were stoked. Their set up included huge LED wall panels and LED podiums for their synths, all alternating colors. It was very eighties, and a lot of the new music matched the d�cor (a few of the songs sounded like Men at Work composed a soundtrack for a Bollywood film). The lead singer's stage presence hasn't changed much, he commands the stage with hand gestures that suggest he is a fan of William Shatner's spoken word. He still couldn't hit some of the notes on the older songs live, which wasn't an issue since they only played three old songs.
I was slightly disappointed not to hear "Wintertime" "Germs" or "No Need To Worry" but I guess it wouldn't fit in with the dance party they brought to the stage. They closed with "Sunrise", which surprised and worried me. I was sure they would close with "Ambling Alp" and once they played that I thought they were going to pull a Billy Joel and not play my favorite song. When they finally got around to playing it, the lead singer forgot a verse and fucking stammered his way through half of the song, ending a good show on a disappointing note (a note the lead singer had trouble hitting).


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Hi friends,
Super busy around here. Quick post. We got a new mirror in our master bath a little bit ago and it helps the cause.
I wish the colors in the bathroom were more like our basement bathroom.
Travertine is not my ideal. This room is on the reno list!
Thanks for stopping by!


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Seven portable coffee makers for that perfect morning cuppa when camping
From bean grinders to a simple French press, you can brew up while you camp out
Handpresso Wild Hybrid
Is this a wind-up? Perhaps the ultimate in eco-friendly design, this hand pump (HK$$1,230) grinds beans using zero electricity. This silver version ships with a protective case that makes it ideal for camping. Available at coffeelab.com.hk.
Barely there: the ultralight camping gear that helps you go further faster
Aerobie AeroPress
Controlling air pressure to shorten the filtering time to just 20 seconds and producing its drinks in just 30 seconds, this small kit (HK$225) creates up to four cups per pressing. Available at selfridges.com/hk.
Wacaco Minipresso GR
Small, lightweight and able to use any coffee beans, the Minipresso GR (HK$469) produces a single 50ml shot at a time. Includes a built-in coffee scoop as well as an espresso cup in the lid. Get it from coffeelab.com.hk.
Lavazza Espressgo
Operating off a 12V connection, so ideal for the car, camper or boat, Espressgo (HK$1,140) uses only Lavazza A Modo Mio capsules to produce 50ml shots, which could be inconvenient. Sold at selfridges.com/hk.
Cafflano Klassic
It may look like a travel mug, but this compact coffee maker (HK$879) has a built-in bean grinder, filter and dripper. Like the Handpresso it's completely manual, so doesn't need batteries or power. Available at backerstores.com.
GSI Outdoors Ultralight Java Drip
Camp coffee doesn't need to mean fresh beans, grind and power. This simple drip cone (HK$245) grips to any cup and folds away for easy storage. Available at prubuy.hk.
Bodum Travel French Press
If you prefer using ground coffee, a French press is all you need. This compact, travel-friendly device (HK$329) produces three cups of coffee per plunge. Sold at coheehk.com
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The TRADE held its biggest ever Leaders in Trading event in London this year
at the majestic Savoy Hotel.
The awards recognised all the
major achievements of the year,
topped off with our highly-com-petitive, reader-driven buy-side
The night ended with Adrian
Fitzpatrick, retiring head trader at
Kames Capital, giving a rousing
speech on how the industry has
changed and adapted over his
many years on the trading desk.
We'd like to congratulate all
our winners on their achievements this year and look forward
to seeing everyone at our 2017


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January 10, 2008
MICHAEL D. WESLEY, PLAINTIFF,v.IMAM MUHAMMAD ET AL., DEFENDANTS.
The opinion of the court was delivered by: Michael H. Dolinger United States Magistrate Judge
REPORT & RECOMMENDATION and MEMORANDUM & ORDER
Plaintiff Michael Wesley is an inmate in the New York City correctional system. He originally filed three pro se complaints in this court, alleging that various prison personnel at three Rikers Island prison facilities had infringed his right to the free exercise of his Muslim faith because the facilities were serving meals and providing food items at the prison commissary in a manner that violated the Halal requirements of his religion. (See Order dated June 23, 2005 at 1-2 & n.1).*fn1 The three cases were later consolidated, and plaintiff has since acquired pro bono representation. (Id.; Aff. of Madeleine Giansanti CaS, executed July 9, 2007, at ¶¶ 2-3). His counsel recently filed a second amended complaint ("2d Am. Compl."), which proffers similar but far more detailed allegations and names twenty-three individuals as well as various municipal agencies and New York City as defendants.
Following the filing of the most recent complaint, defendants moved to dismiss that pleading for facial inadequacy. They contend that the complaint fails to state a claim because plaintiff's three complaints, taken together, demonstrate that he has in fact not fully exhausted his administrative grievance procedures before filing suit, thus proving an affirmative defense. (Defs.' Reply Mem. of Law at 1-8). They further assert that the complaint does not adequately describe the personal participation of any of the individual defendants in the alleged wrongful conduct. Finally, they argue that all of the individual defendants are protected from liability by a qualified-immunity defense. Plaintiff has opposed the motion and has separately asked for expedited discovery to ascertain in more detail who bore responsibility for the violation of his First Amendment rights.
For the reasons that follow, we recommend that defendants' motion to dismiss be granted in part and denied in part. We further grant leave to plaintiff to conduct certain expedited discovery.
A. Plaintiff's Allegations and Claims
Plaintiff alleges that he is an adherent of the Muslim faith, and that one requirement of that religion is that he consume only food prepared in a manner consistent with "Halal" requirements, including avoidance of all pork-based products. (2d Am. Compl. at ¶¶ 17-25). He reports that he has been in custody in three New York City prison facilities from September 23, 2002 through December 23, 2005. (Id. at ¶¶ 4-5). He alleges that during that time, although the New York City Department of Correction ("DOC") had a rule requiring disposable trays for Kosher and Halal meals, it failed to comply with that rule for Muslim inmates. (Id. at ¶ 36). As a result, he asserts, although the prisons provide separate non-disposable trays for Halal and non-Halal meals (colored blue for Halal and beige for non-Halal), they have consistently failed to provide to him or other prisoners of the Muslim faith meals that conform to the basic requirements of their faith. (Id. at ¶¶ 28-32, 46-57). According to plaintiff, these violations include (1) a failure to provide meat that is fully cooked through, as required by Halal rules (id. at ¶ 55), (2) use in cooking of margarine and other products that contain pork-based by-products (id. at ¶ 56), (3) the stacking of all non-disposable trays together (both those used for Halal and those used for non-Halal meals) and washing them all in a common dishwasher (id. at ¶¶ 47-49, 51-52), (4) the washing of all non-disposable trays with soap that contains pork-based ingredients (id. at ¶¶ 53-54), and (5) sales of food products, including non-Halal items, in the prison commissaries without identifying which are non-Halal, a practice that results in Muslim inmates unknowingly placing non-Halal food on the blue trays. (Id. at ¶¶ 37-42, 44-46)).
Plaintiff further asserts that he was aware of these violations, and brought them to the attention of prison authorities. However, those officials failed or refused to deal with these problems, which were the product of their own policies or practices. (Id. at ¶¶ 8(a)-(k), 16, 60). He also says that he sought to avoid ingesting what his religion teaches is contaminated food by subsisting on a diet of "bread, matzo crackers and water," but that hunger compelled him, approximately twice a week, to eat non-Halal food (that is, food designated as Halal but contaminated) that was placed on his blue tray. (Id. at ¶ 58).
As defendants, plaintiff names numerous corrections officers and several Department officials, as well as a number of John Doe defendants and the City of New York.*fn2 He alleges, separately as to each of the named supervisory defendants, that they were informed of the violations and failed to correct them. (E.g., id. at ¶¶ 8(a)-(k), 60). As for the other individual defendants, he asserts that they participated in the sale of unidentified non-Halal food items in the prison commissaries, with the result that Halal trays in the dining facilities were contaminated. (Id. at ¶ 6(a)-(n)).*fn3
Based on these allegations, plaintiff asserts four claims, all for violation of his right to the free exercise of his religious beliefs. These claims are based, respectively, on (1) the First and Fourteenth Amendments, (2) the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, (3) Article I, section 3 of the New York State Constitution and section 610 of the N.Y. Correctional Law, and (4) Title 40, Chapter I, section 08 of the Rules of New York City. (Id. at ¶¶ 61-73). For relief, he asks for a declaratory judgment, compensatory and punitive damages and an award of attorney's fees. (Id. at p. 19, ¶¶ (a)-(d)).
Finally, the current version of the complaint makes only a passing reference to the exhaustion of prison remedies. In so doing, it states simply that "Plaintiff has exhausted such administrative remedies as were available to him." (Id. at ¶ 16).
I. Defendants' Motion to Dismiss
Defendants press three principal arguments in support of their motion to dismiss. First, they contend that plaintiff "fails to state a federal claim upon which relief can be granted" because he has purportedly not exhausted his administrative remedies. (Defs.' Mem. of Law at 3; Defs.' Reply Mem. of Law at 1). Although articulated as a challenge to the face of his pleading, this argument substantially rests on purported admissions contained in plaintiff's prior pro se pleadings. (Defs.' Mem. of Law at 8-9). Second, defendants argue that plaintiff's current complaint does not adequately plead the personal involvement of the various individually named defendants. (Defs.' Mem. of Law at 13-15; Defs.' Reply Mem. of Law at 12-16). This argument plainly turns on the facial adequacy of the Second Amended Complaint. Third, defendants argue that the individually named defendants are entitled to qualified immunity, an argument that also must depend upon the factual allegations of the current complaint. (Defs.' Mem. of Law at 15-18; Defs.' Reply Mem. of Law at 17-20).
We address these arguments in the order in which defendants present them.
A. Exhaustion
Defendants' first argument -- that Wesley has failed to plead a claim because he has not exhausted his prison remedies, thereby justifying dismissal for failure to comply with the pertinent provision of 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(a) -- has a familiar ring. It is virtually identical to arguments made by defendants in a number of parallel lawsuits by other City inmates challenging alleged violations of Halal requirements at Rikers Island. Indeed, this court has already rejected those arguments in the first two sets of motions to be adjudicated. See Randolph v. City of New York Dep't of Correction, 2007 WL 2660282, *4-9 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 7, 2007); Robinson v. City of New York, 06 Civ. 945 (GEL)(MHD), Report & Recommendation at 5-17 (S.D.N.Y. March 7, 2007). In each, defendants sought dismissal for lack of exhaustion based solely on their interpretation of certain allegations in the pro se plaintiffs' complaints. In each, defendants offered no evidence to demonstrate that plaintiffs had not exhausted their prison remedies and also failed to address the potential exceptions to the requirement of full exhaustion that the Second Circuit recognized in a series of decisions originating in 2003. See, e.g., Randolph, 2007 WL 2660282 at *8-9 & n.9 (discussing Ortiz v. McBride, 380 F.3d 649 (2d Cir. 2004), and similar cases).
In those earlier rulings, we noted that the Supreme Court had made clear in Jones v. Bock, 127 S.Ct. 910 (2007), that a plaintiff need not plead satisfaction of the exhaustion requirement, and that the cited statutory exhaustion provision merely creates an affirmative defense, thus obligating the defendants both to plead the defense and to prove the facts on which it is based. See Randolph, 2007 WL 2660282 at *5. We further observed that although dismissal on the basis of exhaustion (or other affirmative defenses) might be obtained if the allegations of the complaint clearly demonstrated that the defense was merited, a pro se plaintiff's pleading references to various efforts that he had made to bring alleged prison violations to the attention of the prison authorities cannot be treated as tantamount to an admission that he had not exhausted his remedies. Id. at *4-8. We also held that, in any event, if the complaint indicated that the plaintiff's efforts, through a grievance, to have prison ...
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Friday, 26 December 2014
The Eternal Round
In December 2004 I was living in a converted cotton factory on Shacklewell Lane. I was drunk mostly and when I wasn't drunk I was working in a job that I hated beyond measure, doing market research for an IT magazine that no one wanted. I was drunk, unable to change my situation, dissatisfied and aimless- with a vague notion that I was a bit like someone from a F. Scott Fitzgerald novel yet much less interesting. Quite frankly, I was bored- the kind of gnawing boredom that permeates everything. I would cry when I watched musicals and on one particularly terrible comedown felt like killing myself while watching an aeroplane fly through the dawn.
Modern malaise. So what? The Tsunami passed me by the same way September 11th did, I had no grip on the world around me. I saw the images and they went through me, I couldn't connect with it- depression is a different kind of horror. Living in a permanent state of crisis makes it hard to be empathetic, my immediate life was far enough away.
It was in this state that I was watching TV one morning, and saw a programme that was asking different religious leaders what meaning the Tsunami had, how could we make sense of it? They started with some Bishop talking about how we can see it as an opportunity to love each other more, to help out neighbours in times of hardship. Another guy came on to talk about perspective. One by one these big shots came on, telling us how to feel. I watched with one eye, the other in my cornflakes, until one particular man spoke. He was a Buddhist and when the presenter asked him the question he just said:
'None. The events are entirely meaningless.'
These words changed my life. And it wasn't so much the content, because I'd read all that- we all do, when we're 15. It was the way he said it, and the contrast between the other answers and his. It was the calm in his voice, the lack of posturing and his matter of factness that got me. The events are entirely meaningless.
I started going to the Buddhist Centre in Holloway Road to do a course on Buddhism and to take part in group meditation. It was OK, not my thing really- a lot of the people there were pretty annoying if I'm honest, but it was a shift. I learned about the Eternal Round and saw my situation more clearly that I had before. I slowly gave up drinking and started to look for people who didn't rely on booze to become who they thought they were. A few years before I had made a song with a friend that I thought was pure and good so I went to a payphone and called him, with the wind rustling the trees.
Well I hadn't seen Danny for a long time but we decided to try and make some more songs. He was getting better too and this common ground was a tenet for us as well as a difficulty, but what came out of the story was beautiful Flora. Our daughter made me a nicer person, more real and connected than ever before. Flo and I have lived together for nearly nine years and she has taught me how love works, that I don't live in a film or a book but in my own meaningless life- which is so much more interesting than either of those could ever be.
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text: I'm on my 3rd Motorola Droid in one week and all three are having the same issues syncing the pop3 accounts. Note that one device came from the store, and two were shipped so most likely not from the same batch. Setting up the Pop3 accounts is time consuming, but not difficult at all. You have to make sure you enter the info exactly as it is set with each of your pop3 accounts or it won't pull from it. Here are the problems I'm having: 1) Regardless of setting it to auto sync and using the minimum push time of five minutes, the device is not syncing automatically or consistently. One trick i learned is that if you actually uncheck auto sync and back out and then go back in and re-check auto sync it will start to auto sync correctly. You can also do the same with the email notifications by changing it, backing out, and then going back in and changing it to notify you. However, none of these tricks make a permanent correction to the sync. After a couple of hours you then have to do it manually. 2) The notifications that pop up in the green circles indicating the total messages in your "combined inbox" and the green circles next to each of your accounts indicating the number of new messages in each one DO NOT ADD UP PROPERLY. e.g. "comibined inbox" will say 10 messages (in the green circle), yet in account #1 the green circle will have a 3, and account #2 nothing, and account #3 will show 1 and account #4 nothing. This doesn't add up to the 10 it shows in the green circle next to "combined inbox". 3) NOTE that in the above issue accounts #2 and #4 showed no emails next to it. When I turn the device horizontally the green circles then show up next to accounts #2 and #4, yet it still doesn't display the accurate number of new messages. Every time I call the techs are completely baffled by this and have no explanation. The only thing they can say is that they forward each complaint on to the "Motorola Droid Tech Team" and they will include it in their updates. We'll see if they fix this issue. Aside from this the email works very well and the overall device works great.


text:
In "Avengers" #33, the third chapter of "End Times" ends with an explosion. That's only fitting considering the tumult and chaos Brian Michael Bendis has ushered into the lives of this team during his tenure as their writer. As it was in the beginning so it shall be in the end. Bendis' work on this title fits that saying, which makes his decision to tighten focus around the "original" (sans Hulk but with Captain America) Avengers squad all the more invigorating.
Bendis doesn't offer up the sleepwalking sham some penultimate issues provide as they attempt to resolve plots and adventures that were dreamt to be much longer or given more room to organically develop. Instead, he does what he does best in this issue, giving all of the characters various moments of reflection and interaction. Red Hulk and Vision hang out and have a chat while they protect a portion of Central Park from an unknown (to them) threat. The remainder of the team are given some downtime and shown relaxing and enjoying some hot dogs as they figure the combined intellect of Tony Stark and Hank Pym can handle any crisis found in Inner Space. Juxtaposing that with action in Inner Space, Bendis encapsulates many of the things that make the Avengers such a beloved franchise in comics.
Terry and Rachel Dodson bring the high-gloss artwork to accommodate everything Bendis writes. Yes, some of their characters trend towards replicants from a clone farm (without reading the word balloons, I could have sworn Maria Hill shows up and not Daisy Johnson), but when they're given unique characters to render, they deliver quite wonderfully. Lord Gouzar, an armored centaur and, apparently the inspiration for bronies everywhere, is another character that the Dodsons tackle quite nicely. Gouzar gets to use the big voice courtesy of Cory Petit's letters. That adds a level of threat to what is a visually comedic character. Overall the visual team does a great job adding depth to this story, giving different voices and personalities to the diverse cast of creatures and characters in "Avengers" #33.
The Avengers should be loud and fun, with subtle character moments, which is exactly what Bendis gives us, although it moves so briskly it feels like half a story. "Avengers" #33 (and all of the "End Times" issues) are nice rewards for readers who have stuck by Bendis throughout his run or simply decided it was time to check in with Earth's Mightiest Heroes once again.