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The fourth Vioxx lawsuit against Merck & Co. will be held this month in a rural Texas court, the drug giant said Tuesday, and a retrial of the federal case that ended in a hung jury will be held in February in New Orleans.
The family of Leonel Garza, 71, has sued Merck, blaming Vioxx for Garza's fatal heart attack in 2001, said the company, and the trial will be held Jan. 24 in Starr County, Texas.
Merck (down $0.34 to $33.32, Research) said that Vioxx did not cause Garza's death, noting that Garza had a 23-year history of cardiovascular disease and a prior heart attack before suffering the fatal heart attack on April 21, 2001. Merck said Garza was given a one-week supply of Vioxx 25 mg samples for arm pain about one month before his death.
Hockema, Tippit & Escobedo, the Texas law firm that is representing the Garza family, was not immediately available for comment.
The drug company also said that the Plunkett v. Merck case, which ended in a hung jury on Dec. 13, 2005 in a federal court in Houston under U.S. District Court Judge Eldon Fallon, has been scheduled for retrial on Feb. 6. This next time, the trial will held in New Orleans, where Fallon's court was based before it was temporarily displaced by the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.
Evelyn Irvin Plunkett of St. Augustine, Fla., sued Merck for the 2001 death of her husband Richard Irvin, who took the drug for one month before his fatal heart attack. The jury was unable to reach a verdict. Right after the non-sequestered jury began deliberations, the New England Journal of Medicine published an editorial reporting that Merck had deleted information regarding Vioxx-related deaths from a study it provided to the journal in 2000.
Merck denied the claim. But plaintiff lawyer Jere Beasley, who represented Plunkett in the first trial, said the report undermines the credibility of a key Merck witness Alise Reicin, the company's vice president of clinical research.
"[The report from the medical journal] would definitely be used and my opinion will be extremely damaging to Merck," said Beasley. "To have a glaring omission like that, which had to be intentional because of the way it was done, is very telling in so far as the motive."
Beasley also said he was concerned about the ability to get a complete jury in flood-ravaged New Orleans.
Vioxx, an arthritis painkiller, was pulled off the market by Merck on Sept. 30, 2004 after a study showed an increased risk of heat attacks and strokes in patients using the drug for at least 18 months.
Since the withdrawal, nearly 10,000 Vioxx-related lawsuits have been filed against Merck, which is based in Whitehouse Station, N.J. The majority of the suits have been filed in state court in the company's home state, or in federal court under Fallon.


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Every moment of your life you experience science, and in these times it is barely possible to go even an hour without coming in to contact with some form of technology. Science is all around us and it helps us understand who we are. It's unfortunate then that it can be so hard to follow…and that's where Science Brainwaves comes in.
We are a group of enthusiastic and passionate science communicators, made up of a multitude of people doing, teaching and studying science, engineering and just about everything related! We want to take everything 'science' and put it out there in a way that everyone can understand and enjoy.
Current Committee
Science Brainwaves is run by the official committee. We are supported in our events by a huge team of volunteers, with more and more people getting involved all the time.

subset: commoncrawl


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Lucasfilm has released an epic, lengthy new trailer for the remaining episodes of Star Wars Rebels that features an unexpected nod to a prop familiar from Star Wars: The Force Awakens along with a tease that a villain may be returning. Star Wars Rebels airs in the UK (almost continually) on Disney XD.
• Maz Kanata Revealed Special Powers In A Scene Cut From Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Asian Megastar Lu Han Releases Star Wars: The Force Awakens Pop Video "Inner Force"
• JJ Abrams Explains Deleted Scene In The Force Awakens


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The best internet service provider for you will depend on which companies are available in your area and how you'll be using the internet connection. The unfortunate truth of internet providers is that regional monopolies and natural topography prevent providers from being available everywhere. We've done individual reviews of the various internet types and priorities that you can navigate to for a specific deep dive. If you aren't sure what's best for you yet, we've rounded up our favorites in each category.
Our Picks for the Best Internet Service Provider
Best Overall
Industry leading customer satisfaction and fiber-optic service in 21 states.
No matter the service type, AT&T is an all-around solid choice. If you have access to AT&T service in your area, we recommend it. (We also preferred the company in our review of the Best TV Providers.) A lot of this love can be attributed to its customer satisfaction ratings. AT&T consistently tops the charts for how it interacts with its customers: The company won J.D. Power's US Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study award for the North Central region in 2016 and 2017. More impressively, it was the only provider to score a 5/5 rating in all rating factors: overall satisfaction, performance and reliability, cost of service, billing, communication, and customer service.
Service Map for AT&T Internet
AT&T offers both DSL and fiber-optic internet service, which means your options are on either end of the speed spetrum. DSL speeds range between 1-10 Mbps, catered to lighter internet usage and smaller households. Its fiber-optic networks offer internet speeds between 50 Mbps and 1,000 Mbps. This connection type is best for larger households and more heavy internet activity, streamers especially. And AT&T's fiber network is the most far-reaching of any fiber-optic provider, which is good news for anyone who needs those higher speeds. Its data limits are generous too, with up to 1TB (1,000 GB) on all plans. You're only likely to exceed that cap if you often have many users streaming and online gaming most days — in that case we recommend a a provider like Charter Spectrum that offers unlimited data limits. Otherwise, AT&T is generally the best internet provider you can find.
Best for High-Speed Internet
Fiber-optic high speeds and renowned customer satisfaction.
Verizon FiOS, though only available in nine states, provides fiber-optic internet to 33 million people. And those 33 million are happy customers: Verizon outranks all providers with a 71/100 from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and a 70/100 Reader Score from Consumer Reports.
Verizon's fiber service offers speeds from 50 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps. And the FCC's 2016 report showed that Verizon's actual speeds average more than what the company advertises — 109.47% of advertised speeds, to be exact. Fiber-optic technology will attract people who use the internet for more data-intensive activities like video streaming, video conferencing, and online gaming. Verizon FiOS in particular excels at service for gamers: After collecting latency and jitter data from over 1,000 registered readers, PCMag found that Verizon had faster, more consistent speeds than any of the providers on our list, and named it one of the the top gaming ISPs of 2017.
Verizon Fios Coverage Area
If you can see yourself sticking with this provider for more than a year, we recommend signing up for the two-year contract. Your rate will be $10 cheaper per month for the first year, and you'll get an extra year of promo prices before its rates hike to "standard prices." Depending on pricing in your area, that can save you up to $30 per month.
Best Satellite Provider
25 Mbps for all plans, plus nationwide availability.
Available in all 50 states, satellite internet is the most widespread internet service option. Though satellite is inherently slower than other types of internet, HughesNet offers 25 Mbps with every plan. That's enough for streaming video content and other high-demand activities, as long as you don't have too many devices tuned in.
Data caps tend to be the bigger limiting factor when it comes to satellite internet. Rather than choosing speed tiers, you'll have to purchase your plan based on data usage. Most customers can choose from 10, 20, 30, or 50 GB of data per month. You'll need to choose wisely: Once your data allotment is up your speeds will dip to 1-3 Mbps until the next billing cycle. The upside: If your needs change, you can switch your data plan at any time. There's also a free data zone, between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., where your internet usage isn't counted against your monthly allotment. HughesNet also offers an app to help you track how much data you've used, so you're never in the dark about how close you are to your cap.
HughesNet Internet Map
The slow and fickle nature of satellite technology doesn't help internet providers' already low customer satisfaction scores. HughesNet rated a 52/100 on Consumer Reports, with readers issuing complaints about: value, reliability, speed, tech support, and customer service. Unfortunately, there isn't a ton of motivation for satellite internet companies to improve, as they're often the only options for rural customers. But HughesNet does offer an Express Repair plan that basically guarantees repairs within one to two business days and 24/7 technical support.
Best DSL Provider
Lock in fair prices with its two-year contract.
Among DSL providers, we like Frontier because it comes without any limits on data usage. You'll have to commit to a two-year contract, but that means your promotional prices won't immediately skyrocket. We also appreciated that Frontier's contracts come without a phone plan requirement, typically a DSL staple.
Availability Map for Frontier Communications
Frontier consistently scores below average in overall service. Though it outperforms Mediacom, it still falls short of Comcast. (Despite its notorious reputation, Comcast's consumer ratings are entirely average — we use them as a benchmark for discussion other providers.) Frontier scored a 56/100 from the ACSI, while Comcast rated 60/100. And J.D. Power gave Frontier a 2/5 rating in all four regions, whereas Comcast was rated 3/5. Frontier does best in the "Cost of Service" and "Billing" metrics, which indicates it offers a decent value for its service and does better than most providers when it comes to communicating price.
Frontier's DSL service maxes out at 25 Mbps, perfect for a smaller household with heavy internet activity. For something a little slower, or for users on a budget, speeds start at 12 Mbps for $15.
Best Cable Provider
Charter Spectrum
Unlimited data, high speeds, and a $500 contract buyout.
Charter Spectrum is a promising cable internet provider, with high speeds, unlimited data, and several perks to bundle your services. In 2016, it purchased Time Warner and Bright House Networks, expanding its service to 45 states.
If you're looking to leave your current internet provider, Spectrum offers a contract buyout promotion for qualifying Triple Play packages. If you pair your service with TV and phone, Charter will help cover early termination fees up to $500. That Triple Play package also promises a free installation (normally $35), free DVR service ($13 per month), and free WiFi setup (typically $10). Frontier also offers a free installation, but it's rare to find a promotional deal with this many discounts.
Charter Spectrum Coverage
Much of Spectrum's rebranding focused on simplifying its services. As a result, the company only offers two internet speeds options: 60 Mbps or 100 Mbps. Both cater to more heavy internet usage, but come at a good value (usually $30-$45, depending on your location).
Spectrum's customer service ratings fall above average, with a 65/100 from the ACSI, 66/100 Reader Score from Consumer Reports, and a 5/5 from J.D. Power. These are vast improvements from scores given to Charter Communications, Time Warner, and Bright House when they were separate entities. The rebranding came with a refocus on customer service, and while it can't compete with AT&T and Verizon for customer service, Charter Spectrum is unlikely to disappoint.
Best Business Internet Provider
Generous compensation for downtimes and many bundling options.
Purchasing business internet comes with some unique considerations, most notably a Service Level Agreement (SLA). This contract states any compensation and solutions for times when your internet goes down. For businesses, loss of internet can mean serious money and productivity loss, so an SLA should state satisfactory solutions for when the technology fails. CenturyLink offers the most transparent SLA, detailing generous compensation for downtimes. For every 30 minutes your service is down, CenturyLink will credit you with one full day of internet service — that's double the compensation of most other companies.
As far as customer satisfaction, CenturyLink's scores are pretty average. It received a 3/5 from J.D. Power and a 59/100 from the ACSI. Again, though these scores may look disappointing, they're pretty standard for the industry: CenturyLink's ratings fall near Comcast's, but far exceed Mediacom and Frontier.
CenturyLink Coverage Area
CenturyLink's offers two options for its contracts: either a two-year agreement or a month-to-month plan. More established businesses that aren't expecting hiring sprees will benefit from the stability of the two-year plan. Smaller operations and companies that plan to expand should consider the month-to-month plan, which gives you the flexibility to scale up your internet service as you grow. You can also choose to bundle your service with TV, phone, voice, or home security— a one stop shop to outfit your office.
Best for Cheap Internet
A wide range of plans and speed options to fit any budget.
If you're looking to stay on budget, there's a good chance you can find a friendly price from Comcast — though you may sacrifice speed as a result. One of the most widely available providers, Comcast has a wide range of options for both its internet and TV packages.
Cable internet plans start at 10 Mbps (usually for around $30), which is great for users who just need their connection for email and web browsing. In many places, you can add a basic cable package for just $5. XFINITY offers internet in incremental speeds up to 250 Mbps — much more than the average household would need. So whether you're doing some basic web browsing or spending hours playing competitive Overwatch, you'll find a plan that fits your needs.
Service Map for XFINITY from Comcast
Comcast's plans come with a data cap of 1 TB, but the company reports that 99 percent of its customers never near that limit. If you do manage to exceed that cap (perhaps by streaming more than 200 hours of 4K video), you'll receive a warning the first two times. After a third infraction, a $10 fee will be charged for every 50 GB over (not exceeding $200). If you're consistently overusing your data, you can pay an extra $50 per month for an unlimited data allotment.
Speaking of fees, Comcast will charge you a self-installation fee. You'll have to pay $15 to to DIY, which we think is pretty ridiculous, but that's still cheaper than professional installation. This isn't a rarity, Cox Communications charges the same fee and hosts similar data rates. Despite the similarity in extra fees, Comcast is still a better value: Cox's lowest plan, 10 Mbps, will cost your $30 per month — for the same $30, you can buy six times the speed with Comcast.
While XFINITY's consumer satisfaction scores are poor in comparison to AT&T and Verizon, it represents an average among all providers. There's also evidence that XFINITY has made steady improvement. Comcast's ACSI scores improved from 56/100 in 2015, to 59/100 in 2016, and 60/100 in 2017. This progression is no fluke. Tom Karinshak, the VP of Comcast's customer service, detailed steps that the company is taking to overhaul its customer service. Some specific initiatives include expanding digital care teams, and a callback feature that allows you to schedule a time for Comcast to call you (rather than wait on hold).
How to Find Your Best Internet Service Provider
The first step in finding the best internet provider for you is to check which ones actually provide service to your address. Unfortunately, that list will likely be much smaller than it should be, which means your search for internet may be over as soon as it begins: According to the FCC's Broadband Progress Report, about 70% of Americans have fewer than three provider options. And 30% don't have any choice at all.
Why do so many people have so few options? Because internet providers intentionally avoid competition with each other. Building out the infrastructure and wiring to service new areas is an expensive investment — one that may not pay off in an area where a large provider already dominates the regional market. And when providers avoid competition, regional monopolies develop.
Don't count out the little guy. Smaller local internet providers are always better rated for their customer service. If there's one available to you, we recommend you consider the packages they offer.
The various types of internet technology also come with limitations that can affect their availability. Satellite internet is the most widely available and often the only option for more remote locations, although it still has its own restrictions. The satellite on your roof must have a clear path to the satellite in the sky, so if you're tucked in the mountains or set deep in a forest, it may not work.
DSL is also widely available, covering about 90 percent of the United States. Cable internet, on the other hand, is pretty hit-or-miss: Comcast serves 40 states, while Cox Communications only hits 10. Fiber internet is even more limited, with AT&T and Verizon only serving 21 and nine states, respectively.
You can use our tool above to locate the internet service providers available in your area, or enter your address directly into providers' sites. If you have more than one option, you'll want to compare them on two important features: speed and data caps.
Understanding your speed needs is essential in purchasing internet service.
Internet speed describes how quickly you can upload and download information, measured in Mbps (megabits per second). Different types of internet have different speed capabilities based on their technology.
- DSL: Up to 24 Mbps
- Satellite: Up to 25 Mbps
- Cable: 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps
- Fiber-Optic: 50 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps
How fast do you need your internet to be? While it might be tempting to just go for the fastest speeds available, you might end up overpaying for your actual needs. Instead, we recommend taking note of the type of activity you tend to do on the internet, and counting up the number of devices you have connected — both things factor into your speed needs.
Determining the right speed for you can be a frustrating process filled with guesswork, so we consulted networking experts, compared online tools from ISPs, and used HighSpeedInternet.com to build a guide that will help you find the right internet speed for your household. Determine where you are on the range of light use to very high use, then match that to the number of connected devices in your home.
Internet Provider Speed Guide
|Light Use
|Moderate Use
|High Use
|Very High Use
|1-3 devices
|5-10 Mbps
|15 Mbps
|25 Mbps
|50 Mbps
|4-8 devices
|15 Mbps
|25 Mbps
|50 Mbps
|100 Mbps
|8-10 devices
|25 Mbps
|50 Mbps
|100 Mbps
|150 Mbps
|10+ devices
|50 Mbps
|100 Mbps
|150 Mbps
|200+ Mbps
Light use: emails, web browsing, social media, SD video streaming
Moderate use: music streaming, occasional online gaming, streaming HD video on one or two devices.
High use: Multiple devices streaming HD video simultaneously, real-time gaming, video conferencing.
Very high use: Multiple devices streaming HD or 4K video simultaneously, large file downloading, real-time gaming, video conferencing.
Can't decide between two usage tiers? We recommend erring on the side of more speed. Partly, that's because the number of devices adds up quickly: Your computer isn't the only thing connected to the internet — phones, tablets, TVs, video game consoles, and even smart thermostats all pull data from your connection. All these connected devices create a bandwidth issue. Bandwidth speaks to how much data can travel at that speed, dependent on how many devices are connecting, the demand of the activities, etc. It's like being on a highway — even if the speed limit is 60 mph, too many cars will cause traffic to slow to a crawl. That's why light users with a lot of devices need as much speed as a heavy user with just a few.
Business internet shoppers will want to play close attention to bandwidth, as you'll likely have lots of devices connecting. When you purchase business internet, you receive a dedicated bandwidth— which means the internet goes only and directly to your business. Translation: no neighborhood traffic jams, fast speeds, and less latency. Residential internet operates on a shared bandwidth that delivers to hundreds of neighbors.
The other thing to keep in mind is that no internet provider delivers 100% of advertised speeds 100% of the time. Reliability varies by connection type. The FCC measured the actual vs. advertised speeds of providers across different connection types, represented in the chart below. Blue shows the percentage of time you're likely to receive advertised speeds, and red is the time you're receiving less than 80% of what you paid for. In other words: The more blue, the more reliable; the more red, the less reliable.
DSL suffers the most consistently, while cable is more reliable across the board. The reliability of both fiber and satellite internet varies by provider, with Verizon gaining the edge for fiber, and HughesNet being the clear winner in terms of satellite speed.
So, to recap: Use our speed table to get a rough estimate of how fast you need your internet to be. If you're on the fence, go for the faster speed. Then check to see which types of internet connections offer that speed, and look for providers in your area. If you have more than one option, use the colorful bar chart above to compare reliability.
Data caps should match your internet usage, too.
Measured in gigabytes (GB), data usage speaks to the amount of information you're uploading and downloading (rather than the speed that happens at). Just like your phone plan, there are limits for your home internet data usage. Data caps range by provider, from satellite internet's 10 GB to unlimited data from some cable providers.
As with speed, the type of activity will define your data needs. Streaming video tends to consume the most data. Netflix says, "Watching movies or TV shows on Netflix uses about 1GB of data per hour for each stream of standard definition video, and up to 3GB per hour for each stream of HD video." For some context, binging the first season of Stranger Things in high definition would take about 21 GB of data. So if you planned on binging one season of Netflix originals each weekend, you'd need at least 84 GB of data per month, plus whatever you use in other tasks.
Our guideline: For basic web browsing and emailing, you won't need more than 50 GB at a maximum. But if your household frequently streams, downloads, or plays online games — you'll want a plan that offers closer to 500 GB.
If you go over your data limit, your internet access won't be completely cut off. You'll either be charged for exceeding the limit, or your speeds will slowed until the next billing cycle. Either way, it's better to have a little more than you need rather than go over your limit.
Be prepared for bad customer service.
The telecommunications industry has a reputation for being consumer un-friendly. It's plagued by frustrating phone calls, surprise price hikes, and a desperate insistence on keeping you from cancelling your service. This reputation is backed by record-low ratings from third-party resources like Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and ACSI.
Of the 43 industries and hundreds of companies tracked by the ACSI, the telecommunications space consistently ranks near the bottom. Mediacom, with a score of 58/100, has managed to rate the worst of them all. But providers like Verizon, AT&T, and Charter Spectrum trend towards the top of the industry and are more likely to resolve issues, communicate billing changes, and offer a reasonable price. If these things are of higher value to you, pay close attention to how consumers rate providers. You may have to sacrifice a cheap price, but often the best value and equipment folds into a customer's satisfaction.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Internet Provider
You can hotspot your home.
Internet is internet, and you can use 4G mobile broadband just the same as you do traditional internet. Hotspots aren't just for a quick connection when you need to send an email in a place with no WiFi, you can use them for at-home internet needs too. This option best suits smaller households with fewer connected devices, as you'll have more limited data capacity than with traditional ISPs. It's also more expensive than traditional internet, especially to get a reasonable data usage. We wouldn't recommend this option unless you're only using the internet for light web browsing and emailing. You can use your current phone provider, but in our review of mobile internet we recommend Verizon Wireless for its top-of-class customer service and coverage.
Buying your own router can save money and optimize speeds.
A router is the devices that communicates wirelessly from the modem to your device. Most ISPs will charge around $10 each month to rent a router from them. And that same router is likely being rented to all your neighbors. This can cause spatial traffic as all these devices are communicating on the same frequencies. Even your microwave is on the same wavelength. We reviewed wireless routers for home use, and your purchasing decision will depend on how big your home is and how many devices are tuning in. Buying your own router is a lot like hopping into the carpool lane, you'll see faster speeds.
Some need-to-knows of net neutrality.
Net neutrality is the idea that access to any internet page or website is treated the same. Without it, internet providers can interfere by slowing, charging, or blocking access to certain websites. This means that broadband providers can charge websites for faster and more reliable delivery of its content, and create tiered packages that charge the consumer to access more popular and premium online content. This would also give leverage to sites associated with ISPs under the same company, and stifle the competition (an already prominent issues within broadband services). For example, Comcast may gives better quality and faster speeds to their own streaming service, while throttling Netflix. The FCC recently voted to end net neutrality, but politicians are moving to fight it — legal and legislative challenges will take years to resolve and for consumers to see change.
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Prof. Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, has said that the killings perpetrated by suspected herdsmen is worse than the activities of the Indigenous People of Biara, IPOB, led by Nnamdi Kanu, which the government declared a terrorist group.
In a statement on Wednesday, Soyinka said he is not 'aware that IPOB came anywhere close to this homicidal propensity and will to dominance before it was declared a terrorist organization'.
"The international community rightly refused to go along with such an absurdity. The conduct of that movement, even at its most extreme, could by no means be reckoned as terrorism. By contrast, how do we categorize Myeti?"
Soyinka wondered in the release why the Federal Government had not given consideration to some of the stakeholders' recommendations on how to resolve the problem.
He recalled that after "a hideous massacre" perpetrated by the herdsmen in 2016, a security meeting was called and the cattle rearers "attended the meeting — according to reports — with AK47s and other weapons of mass intimidation visible under their garments".
"They were neither disarmed nor turned back. They freely admitted the killings but justified them by claims that they had lost their cattle to the host community," he said.
"Such are the monstrous beginnings of the culture of impunity. We are reaping, yet again, the consequences of such tolerance of the intolerable. Yes, there indeed the government is culpable, definitely guilty of 'looking the other way'. Indeed, it must be held complicit."
Reacting to the comments credited to the herdsmen that the killings were in defence of their stolen cows, the nobel laureate, wondered: "How do we assess a mental state that cannot distinguish between a stolen cow – which is always recoverable – and human life, which is not.
"Villages have been depopulated far wider than those outside their operational zones can conceive. They swoop on sleeping settlements, kill and strut. They glory in their seeming supremacy."


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Mrs. Rowena Alcoba is Senior Program Officer in the Development Management Unit of the AIT Extension. In this capacity, she is responsible in the coordination and management of trainings and continuing professional education programs in the areas of development management which include financial management, human resources, project management, team building and performance management, and other programs on capacity-building in the public and private sectors. She assists in developing and designing training curricula and proposals, plans and prepares the budget and logistics, coordinates with resource persons and field experts and ensures the smooth conduct of trainings for the maximum satisfaction of training participants.
Prior to joining the Extension she worked with AIT's Infrastructure Office, as Coordinator for Auxiliary Services, since May 2005. Prior to joining AIT, she was a Lecturer at Bangkok University, an Assistant Professor at De La Salle Lipa University in the Philippines for 5 years, and Operations Manager for one of the leading appliance companies in the Philippines for 5 years. Mrs. Alcoba earned a Master's in Management Technology from De La Salle University, Lipa City, Philippines in 1997. She earned her Bachelors in Economics (Magna Cum Laude) from Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Philippines in 1994.


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Halloween is a hint that may birthday is coming but I do not have the chance to attend to any parties this year. So my housemate and I went silly, bored, and artistic! We put on our makeup and dress up for halloween and pose for pictures. Had I attended a party, I would've been the black swan. Then, Honey, my housemate dressed up like Morticia Addams.
Makeup by: yours trully
Hair by: Honey Banto
On me: skirt from Mango (which I bought 2 years ago), top from Meg.
On Honey: Pants and top from the flea market. I remember she mentioned the pants were only worth 25 pesos.
Right down below is the inspiration where I got my look from. Happy Halloween, everyone!
Please like my facebook page: Green Bellpepper xoxo
And here's a video from Michelle Phan. You might wanna check out her blog too. She updates it everyday.
Click click click to go to her blog.


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Woman, 24, killed in Ham Street car crash fire
A woman was killed when her car caught fire following a crash involving three vehicles in Kent.
The woman, 24, from New Romney, died when her Ford Ka collided with a BMW 5 Series and a Peugeot van on the A2070 at 23:40 BST on Friday.
A 53-year-old Sittingbourne man, who was driving the BMW, is in a serious but stable condition at the William Harvey Hospital at Ashford.
Kent Police have appealed for witnesses to the crash near Ham Street.
'Ka caught fire'
Det Sgt Scott Lynch said the Peugeot van and BMW were driving in the opposite direction to the Ford Ka when the crash happened.
He added: "The Ka subsequently caught fire and sadly the driver, a 24-year-old woman from the New Romney area, died at the scene.
"We are appealing for witnesses to the collision itself but also to anyone who remembers seeing any of the three vehicles on the A2070 before the collision occurred.
"We are particularly keen to talk to the driver of a foreign-registered car which we believe was in the area at the time and may have witnessed what happened. There is absolutely no suggestion they were involved in the collision, but they could have important information that could help our investigation."
The driver of the van, a 49-year-old man from the Ham Street area, was taken to the William Harvey Hospital with minor injuries and later discharged.


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Before she matriculated to clairvoyant grande dame of the Language poets, Hannah Weiner was a Conceptual writer, performance artist, and lingerie designer on the Lower East Side. In light of Divya Victor's call for this forum, I want to briefly address her Conceptualism. The tricky part is that little record of her early activity has survived. Her collaborator John Perreault reports that she set fire to the documentation of her Street Works and performance projects of the 1960s.
Hannah Weiner (1928 - 1997)Curated by Franziska GlozerFeb. 21 to May 17 Kunsthalle Zurich
This is the first museum show of Hannah Weiner's work. Exhibition booklet: detailed essay by Glozer and installation shots: pdf
Clairvoyant Journal 1974is the first edition of the Clairvoyant Journal that follows the page design and format of Weiner's manuscript. For the first time, Weiner's spatial organization is kept intact. (In this work of "concrete prose," line breaks are retained).
Clairvoyant Journal 1974 is based on the typescripts Early and Clairvoyant Journals and includes the entries dated February 23 to June 10.
Patrick Durgin provides an overview of the edition here.
Susan Howe's recuperation of Emily Dickinson's visual prosody marks a pivot point in American poetics, insofar as it calls attention to the long effaced but paradigmatically American enterprise of self-invention that Dickinson's practice depicts. And in depicting her work, the picture is the work, hence the holograph images that for the most part replace block quotes in texts like Howe's My Emily Dickinson and the essay from which I'll cull this epigraph, "These Flames and Generosities of the Heart."
This space is the poem's space. Letters are sounds we see. Sounds leap to the eye. Word lists, crosses, blanks, and ruptured stanzas are points of contact and displacement. Line breaks and visual contrapuntal stresses represent an athematic compositional intention.
Howe, and by extension Dickinson, are reference points for discussing the work of Mark Booth, printmaker by training, a painter, who also works in sound and performance, but whose practice is in some sense reducible to writing.
What is a prosodic device?
In 1970, Hannah Weiner exhibited a telegram in Oberlin College's conceptual art survey Art in the Mind. After the "mail strike," her letter to Virginian Dwan was delivered to the gallerist (page one and page two). In it Weiner complains that Vito Acconci's telegram-piece should be exhibited in Language IV along with Walter DeMaria's telegram, arguing that the medium was immaterial, and that the artwork, in either case, consists in its sphere of reference. So that there could be no redundancy involved. She cites her piece at Oberlin.
But she might have also claimed more significance for the telegram. A primitive speech-to-text technology, it is a phonic ticker, defamiliarizing the otherwise imperceptible but crucial transfiguration that takes place between sound-image and thought.
In this commentary, I want to contrast two artists' visual prosody. In previous commentaries I have paired an artist and a poet. In this case, both of the writers are artists and have practically never been called poets. Here I am interested in setting Adrian Piper and Hock-E-Aye-Vi Edgar Heap of Birds side by side, and as an heuristic, specifically, two pieces: Piper's Concrete Infinity 6" Square (1968) and Heap of Birds' Vacant (1995). My excuse for pairing these examples is not art- or literary-historical so much as it is guided by the motif of a "derelict void."
Two new pieces for the Hannah Weiner Archive, courtesy James Meyer. Weiner destroyed most of her work from this before the early 70s; the Weiner archive at UCSD has almost no letters by her.
See also Weiner's 1970 Radcliffe Alumni questionnaire (thanks to Kaplan Harris)
Marjorie Strider worked with Hannah Weiner and John Perreault on "Street Works" (1969). Weiner wrote two poems for Strider. (Reprinted from Hannah Weiener's Open House, ed. Patrick Durgin.)
The southern New Critics bequeathed to generations of American English students a reductive but serviceable distillation of poetics into versification, fickly defining prosody as according to an obviously conservative set of lyric values. But "the new criticism" was a phrase coined by Joel Spingarn, whose impressionistic depiction of poetry carried little of the taxonomic and finally deadening thrust of "close reading." Close reading had to do with hearing (the inner voice) and looked at a page only closely enough to take a strictly alphabetic set of cues. This kind of inspection could be quickly learned and reading poetry thereby could be easily tested.
Hannah Weiner's Clairvoyant Journal is the last in a series of autobiographical texts. The Fast, Country Girl, Pictures and Early Words, and BIG WORDS precede it. This series begins with her first written account of visionary experiences that would develop over the 1970s, years during which Weiner invented a unique literary form to portray them. The series culminates in this invention.


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Beyond The Kerb)
If you juxtapose the phrases "Highway Code" and "cyclists" and then drop them into the media, the initial reaction from the more vocal parts of the general public is going to be somewhat predictable. I could write you out a bingo card and you'll have called "house" by the time you've reached the end of the comments underneath the first article.
Equally, when the phrases are juxtaposed by a motoring organisation, the reaction from some people who cycle or who campaign to enable others to do so will be somewhat predictable, not least because they're acutely aware of the previous point._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
All in all, the added content isn't bad, but it's arguably not really remarkably insightful or valuable either, and the Bikeability section is frankly just strange.What of the Highway Code part, then?
On reaching the Highway Code section, because rules 1-58 (for pedestrians, mobility aids and animals) are omitted, the first thing you're hit with is rule 59: advice about hi-viz and helmets. On one hand that's sort of inevitable if you're going to list the rules in numerical order, but there's no escaping the fact that it helps to hammer home the "make yourself seen" message: I've not mentioned a number of the book's earlier references to it, but we'll see some more yet. Note also that hi-viz clothing appears in all of the on-road photographs and—as far as I can tell—every rider in every photograph is wearing a helmet (which makes Carlton Reid's "look at the cover and count the helmets" rebuttal seem a little disingenuous).
The AA have added some material to certain parts of the Code, and it will be of little surprise that rule 59 receives a full page of additional advice, as does rule 60 (lights). Readers are invited not only to wear vests, but also to consider "reflective accessories such as chest straps, ankle bands, stickers, badges, scarves and the like". They are even advised that "reflective straps or LEDs on gloves or forearm can help make signalling more obvious". (Ah, techno-trinkets.)
The editorial unsurprisingly carries the mantra "be seen and be safe" and also points out that "although there may be enough light to see by, there may not be enough to BE SEEN" (no, that's not my emphasis: the book really does go shouty-caps). A vexatious reviewer might be tempted to point out a logical inconsistency in this statement; fortunately I'm nothing of the sort. Ahem.
However, even for fans of fluorescent-fabric-and-flashing-lights-for-everyone policies, there are some concerning issues with the way in which the rules of the Highway Code are presented.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
These claims seem a little unconvincing. "Encourage a new generation"? Do people really think a book of rules, written tests and puncture repair guides is going to get kids on bikes? When I asked Reid if he bought into the sentiment of King and Boardman's statements, his reply was that "every little helps". As someone pithily pointed out, this is so little as to be positively homeopathic. Actually, Reid goes somewhat further, explicitly claiming that the book "aims to encourage young ones to start cycling". Really? I mean, really? Hey, kids: I know you've been reluctant to ride a bike, but here's a book with 70 pages of rules, some sort of exam, and a list of weekly chores. Thanks, dad.
Cycling is awash with concepts that are heralded as being some sort of gateway to broader uptake of cycling. Such claims have been made of a law that would make compensation claims easier once you've been knocked off, of a law that dreams of making riding amongst HGVs and 60mph traffic slightly less terrifying, and now of The Little Book of Rules. I've no doubt that the same claim was made of many things that have come about over the last few decades and which are all focused on servicing the status quo and thus have entirely failed—no matter what anyone claims—to precipitate a cycling boom.


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It is so fun to crochet food. You can crochet amigurumi for children's play sets, appliqués for decorating items of all sorts, and even food-inspired clothing and costumes just for fun. You can find crochet food patterns of all types, including lots of candy crochet patterns. But what if you want to celebrate healthy eating, vegetarianism, or just the goodness of nature's foods? These 25 fruit and vegetable crochet patterns are for you!
These patterns can also be used in educating young children about food. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet but many kids are picky when they are young and don't like to try new things. Introducing foods to them in the form of crocheted characters that they can play with and interact with is one terrific option for parents, caregivers, and educators. Some of these patterns have cute faces added on which will appeal to that age group (and to all of us!) Who says you can't play with your food?!
01 of 25
Fruit Crochet Coasters Free Pattern
One of the easiest ways to crochet fruit is to crochet circles in the colors of fruit slices. These circles can become a variety of items, the simplest of which is a coaster. These fruit-inspired crochet coasters designed by Marinke Slump for CraftTuts+ are a great beginner's crochet project. You can vary the colors to get different fruits; for example, use the lemon coaster crochet pattern with green yarn for a lime coaster.
02 of 25
Watermelon Crochet Coasters Free Pattern
The set of fruit-inspired coasters by Marinke does include a watermelon but there are different ways to crochet the same design. This watermelon crochet coaster is by Ashley Ziman of Create Crochet.
Watermelon is such a yummy choice and a popular item to crochet during the summer months!
03 of 25
04 of 25
Cherries Crochet Potholder Pattern
Potholders are a great item for food-themed crochet since they are stored in the kitchen. An artistic potholder display incorporating food designs can exhibit great retro style. This cherries crochet potholder pattern, found in the book 35+ Potholders to Crochet, is a great example.Continue to 5 of 25 below.
05 of 25
Apple Potholder Free Crochet Pattern
Apples are another great fruit for potholders since so many kitchens incorporate apples as part of a "country chic" style. This free potholder crochet pattern is by Star Wisps.
06 of 25
Amigurumi Apple Free Crochet Pattern
Apples are one of the most popular foods to crochet. This isn't just because of their popularity for kitchen decor. They're also great for teacher gifts, the beginning of fall, and anything school-themed. And they can be used in educational presentations about healthy eating. This free crochet apple pattern is available as a download through Ravelry by designer Kitty Adventures.
07 of 25
Amigurumi Strawberry Free Crochet Pattern
Strawberries are another popular fruit to crochet, perhaps because they are the kind of food that makes everyone happy just to look at. These sweet treats are yummy symbols of summer but they are delicious yarn decor throughout the year. This free crochet pattern is by Jenni Designs.
08 of 25
Amigurumi Cherries Free Crochet Pattern
Cherries are another fabulous summer fruit. This crochet food pattern is designed by Stefanie Nadja who suggests using it as a keychain charm or gift bag accessory. This pattern is offered as a download through Ravelry.Continue to 9 of 25 below.
09 of 25
Fruit Crochet Patterns
SkyMagenta is an amigurumi crochet pattern designer who has a large number of food patterns. This pattern is for chocolate fondant but it includes a range of different skewered fruits to "dip" into the play chocolate. This pattern, sold on Etsy, includes crochet bananas, kiwi, strawberries, cherries, apples, peaches, and grapes.
10 of 25
Bunch of Grapes Free Crochet Pattern
This is another crochet food set, this time with a picnic basket. This is a cute one to make to donate to a preschool class. The bunches of grapes are especially adorable. This free crochet pattern is by Left In Knots. This designer also has versions of these fruits as scrubby crochet patterns.
11 of 25
Tomato and Strawberry Pincushion Free Pattern
Want to crochet a fruit that is a little bit different? How about a tomato? And better yet, how about a tomato and strawberry in the same pattern? That's exactly what you will find in this free pincushion crochet pattern by Karabouts.
12 of 25
BLT Sandwich Free Crochet Pattern
Like the idea of crocheting a tomato but looking for something flat that you can use as a coaster or appliqué or string up as bunting? The tomato crochet pattern in the free BLT sandwich crochet pattern by Between My Fingers is a great option. It also, of course, includes the rest of the sandwich ingredients, including the lettuce crochet pattern.Continue to 13 of 25 below.
13 of 25
Felted Crochet Eggplant Pattern
Eggplant is a great food to eat, and it is a creative food to crochet. That perfect purple color makes it so much fun to work up in yarn. Little Wendy Crochet has created this felted amigurumi pattern (called Aubergine) for sale through Ravelry. This one can be used for decor or for children's food play sets.
14 of 25
Indian Corn Free Crochet Pattern
Multi-colored "Indian corn" is often used for a Thanksgiving decoration but there are forms of this vegetable that you can eat. It is often used to make cornmeal for use in items like tortillas. This free crochet pattern is from Alicia Kachmar.
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Little Pumpkin Free Crochet Pattern
Another great Thanksgiving decoration that is also a yummy vegetable is the pumpkin. We see people crocheting these all throughout the fall, especially around Halloween, and it's a food that can really inspire us in any season. This one is a free crochet pattern by Petals to Picots.
16 of 25
Acorn Bag Free Crochet Pattern
Another fall decor item that many people crochet is acorns. Although most people don't eat acorns, they can indeed be used as food. This free crochet pattern is for a purse that looks like an acorn. It's by Roman Sock. Although we usually think of nuts as their own food category, they do fall into the fruit food group.Continue to 17 of 25 below.
17 of 25
Small Carrots Free Crochet Pattern
Look at these cute little crochet carrots. They would make cute Easter accessories - earrings or gift bag tags or simply decor. These are so small that they make for terrific stash busting. This is a free pattern from Moss Mountain.
18 of 25
Amigurumi Oranges Free Crochet Pattern
One cute idea for crochet food is to make yourself a fruit bowl for decoration. This can be displayed on coffee tables or in the kitchen. You can make all of the fruit one type, such as the oranges displayed in this pattern by Tisha LeBreton, or you could make a bowl of all different types of fruits.
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Hawaiian Fruit Free Crochet Patterns
Add some more exotic fruits to your crochet fruit bowl with this free set of crochet fruit patterns designed by Patti of Dandelion Dreamers. This pattern, available through Ravelry, includes Hawaiian inspired fruits: mango, pineapple, papaya, coconut, and banana. This designer also has another set of crochet fruit patterns including apple, orange, strawberry, and plum.
20 of 25
Amigurumi Banana Free Crochet Pattern
The Hawaiian fruit set by Dandelion Dreamers has one version of a crochet banana, but there are lots of other versions out there including this free amigurumi pattern by Zan Crochet. This is a banana that is partially peeled.Continue to 21 of 25 below.
21 of 25
Dancing Chili Free Crochet Pattern
Crochet food doesn't have to look the way that the food looks in real life. Food can be the inspiration for a cute character as we see in this dancing chili pattern by Moji-Moji Design.
22 of 25
Amigurumi Pear Free Crochet Pattern
You can take any amigurumi crochet food pattern and add a face, or even just eyes, to make it a cute little character. Check out how that was done in this adorable free crochet pear pattern by Mohu Blog. It's also neat to see how this uses some non-traditional colors to make the crochet food just a little bit more fun. This is great for play or for decorating.
23 of 25
Brussels Sprouts Free Crochet Pattern
Add googly eyes to your crochet food to give them a different bit of style. That's what Made Out Of Things has done on this free crochet pattern to make Brussels sprouts more fun to play with. This is a great pattern to encourage kids to try eating healthy vegetables.
24 of 25
Lemon Amigurumi Free Crochet Pattern
This is another terrific example of a cute crochet food character. You could leave the face off to make a regular lemon and add it to your crochet fruit bowl. Or you could make it in green yarn for a crochet lime. This free pattern is from Amigurumi Food, which is obviously a great resource for food crochet patterns.Continue to 25 of 25 below.
25 of 25
How to Crochet Radishes, Potatoes, and So Much More!
Twinkie Chan is one of the best food crochet designers. She takes food as the inspiration for accessories, home decor, and more. Through CreativeBug, Twinkie offers a class to teach you how to crochet amigurumi fruits and vegetables including unique foods like radishes and potatoes.


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|Was Jesus a bleeding heart Liberal?
The late Edna Ullmann-Margalit exposed these biases, which occurred over more than 50 years of academic research into the discoveries at Qumran. Her honest rendition of events also exposed her own biases against her Jewish heritage as influenced by the international consensus that quickly formed to shape what many hoped would be a momentous event for Christianity.
After the discovery of the magnificently preserved collection of scrolls, the predominantly Christian academic fraternity, permitted by the Jordanians quickly characterized the texts and people of Qumran an Essene sect. They did this to support their religious conviction that among other elements celibacy, practiced by the Essenes was a precursor the missing link between Judaism and Christianity. It was only after 1967 when Israel reclaimed its 1948 land west of the Jordan River, that qualified Jewish academics began to obtain access to the records and inject their cultural knowledge to restore sanity to the research.
It turns out, Jewish academics familiar with issues of halacha (Jewish religious law) were able to decipher much more than Christian academics ignorant and blind to the ways of righteous, orthodox, Torah observant communities. They described a priestly scribal community at the Qumran site, people engaged in extensive holy writings. A people who immersed in Mikvah (Jewish ritual bath) each day, especially those involved in writing God's holy names, a practice that continues among Jewish scribes to this day.
Clearly this community isolated itself from the ravages of Roman influence on the Jerusalem Temple community of Levite priests to the West. Some of the specific rules governing this scribal community also describe the minute details that motivated their departure from other righteous communities in Jerusalem. Greek then Roman insurgence into the region pressurized Jewish life to such a degree that communities with foresight began to question their own devotions, often highlighting differences between the failing branches of Jewish practices and those that would ultimately survive.
Edna admits to be a proponent of the Essene theory, but as she progresses Out of the Cave, seemingly she recognizes the importance of interpretations by halachic authorities and knowledgeable academics of Jewish life. However she finds their technically proficient interpretations "decidedly unromantic" and hints that the more exciting Essene theory be momentarily permitted to irrationally define her brilliant academic credential. Perhaps this was too much to ask, because deep ignorance of her own culture shattered her academically compromised view, still she refused to submit to its superior logic.
I once wrote of Winston Churchill's statements on the extreme anti-Israel/Jewish bias that caused him to pass comment. Winston Churchill said "God deals with the nations as they deal with the Jews. Of every fifty officers who come back from the Middle East only one speaks favorably of the Jews. That merely convinces me that I am right." Edna's remarkable honesty is evidence, a wonderful insight to Jewish people who have drifted far from their cultural practices to a place where in the vacuum, emptiness and self loathing is the expected deeply psychological response. People who have been torn from their indigenous root and modern societies that recognize them and who pay tribute are testament to the long journey home for the Jewish people.
Reconciling the torrential ordeals of their past makes it difficult for many Jews, but with the passage of time they will all fill the void by bleeding their hearts toward the warm, secure comfort offered by indigenous Jewish custom and culture. Jewish healing has well and truly begun and Israel's unique inner source is being restored to shed light on an increasingly desperate world!
Reconciling the torrential ordeals of their past makes it difficult for many Jews, but with the passage of time they will all fill the void by bleeding their hearts toward the warm, secure comfort offered by indigenous Jewish custom and culture. Jewish healing has well and truly begun and Israel's unique inner source is being restored to shed light on an increasingly desperate world!


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To make it cheaper to do business abroad we have removed payment transaction charges on standard outward Foreign Exchange (FX) payments. This offer is available across all our payment channels (Anytime, Bankline and electronically in our branches).
Please note that fixed charges are in place for "Urgent Payments" and payments made in sterling to sterling accounts are excluded from this offer as are International Draft transactions.
Terms and conditions apply.


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Attracting a Sky viewership of approximately 9.5 million between the ages of 18 to 65, this exciting campaign will include pitch side advertising during cricket, Rugby Union, Rugby League and football matches.
The schedule for televised fixtures so far is below:
Nat West Blast Twenty/20 match 2017 hosted by Derek Underwood MBE and Chris Cowdrey:
Rugby Union
Rugby League
This demonstrates our commitment to support Propertymark to benefit members by reaching a wide and relevant consumer audience via popular televised Sky Sports events.
There will be other matches announced by Sky soon.


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I was told these are called (translated that is) "Urinate Prawn" or "Pissing Prawn"
Nothing scary in this restaurant, just the regular live fish, prawns and crabs. And all the seafood looked very fresh and healthy. The tanks were really well maintained so I didn't feel AS guilty eating them hahahaha!
We had pipies
And Peking Duck
We also had other dishes but I failed to photograph those. Food was fantastic here and I think we ended up coming back 3 times in total in 5 days. Twice for dinner and once for yum cha. Ooo and they also put on a show for diners too - hand made noodle performace.


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Literature Analysis
An analytical review of the literature on
Second Language Education Issues in Online Learning Environments
Submitted by: Leslie Davis
Memorial University
The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the theme exploring the second language learning issues that are becoming more prevalent as education increasingly turns to computer-mediated communication (CMC) and web-based learning (WBL). Second language education refers to alternative or foreign language education, from the perspective of both instructor and student. Due to the era of internationalization and globalization, having an alternative language is a valuable and relevant skill in commerce and education (Shih, 2010). Access to language learning opportunities, free of the physical limitations of traditional face-to-face contexts, has allowed more and more language learners to participate in virtual classrooms, and to interact and collaborate online (Loewen & Reissner, 2009). Needless to say, such opportunities have their own implications for second language education programs and how foreign language teachers themselves communicate, facilitate, and evaluate in both online and blended classrooms. Therefore, it is important to examine the influence of e-learning systems on educational paradigms and, consequently, on how alternative language learners flounder or flourish in these online learning environments.
Organization of this paper
This paper begins with a methods' section that describes how the analysis was conducted. The findings section outlines the main common sub-themes that emerged from the ten studies, while the discussion section interprets, assesses, critiques, and debates what was actually revealed through the analysis. Lastly, the concluding section examines the main findings on second language education issues in online learning environments, lists a few limitations, and explores the pedagogical implications of these issues.
The ten sources were selected from ten peer-reviewed educational technology journals, and because so, all included an electronic medium. The analysis only included sources with the words second or foreign language and online (or related words indicating web, blogging, chatroom, Internet) as part of the title. To figure as part of the analysis, the journal sources had to include research participants. This means that meta-analyses, book reviews, etc. were excluded. The studies selected ranged from 2002 to 2011, and were culled from a detailed search through such academically accepted databases as The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), Education Research Complete, and Google Scholar. Table 1 lists the characteristics that satisfy the course requirements for this analysis.
Table 1: Characteristics of the Studies
Chen, Chen & Lee (2011)
Online; "F2F"synchronous audio conversation
4 students
High School
Taiwan, ESL-Teacher as facilitator
Quantitative-pre-test, post-test questionnaires
Doerr & Sato(2011)
F2F; Online-blog instruction, establishing criteria for assessment; blogging
11 students
USA, JFL-Teacher as facilitator-Teacher as researcher
Qualitative-Case study
Lin, Lin & Hsu(2011)
25 students/
25 students
Taiwan, ESL-Teacher as facilitator
Quantitative-pre-test, post-test journals & essays
Loewen & Reissner(2009)
Online/F2F-chatroom/ classroom
14 students/27 students
University/private language school
New Zealand, ESL-Teachers as facilitators
Quantitative-coding of FFE type & linguistic focus
Online/F2F-synchronous student CMC/ teacher emails & blogs, F2F meetings
92 students/
4 teachers
Elementary School
Canada, FSL-Teacher as facilitator-Teacher / researcher partnership
Qualitative-design experiment (observations, discussions, reflection, revision; interviews)
Radia & Stapleton(2008)
F2F; Online-task-based workshops;research logs
70 students
Canada, EAP-Teacher as facilitator
Qualitative-log analysis & interviews
F2F & Online-continuing combination of blogging & F2F instruction
44 students
Taiwan, ESP-Teacher as facilitator
Quantitative-survey, comments & feedback, self-reflectionsQualitative-interviews
Stapleton, Helms-Park & Radia(2006)
F2F; Online-90-minute lesson;annotated bibliography indicating electronic sources
19 students
EAP-Teacher as facilitator
Qualitative-analysis of web sources; interviews, for possible clarification of web sources
F2F; Online-blog instructions; blogging
23 students
Taiwan, EAP-Teacher as facilitator-Teacher as researcher
Quantitative-rating criteria and syntactic complexity, survey
Wang & Sutton(2002)
Online-online learning module
81 students
Taiwan, ESL-Teacher as facilitator
Quantitative-entrance exam English score; pre-test, post-test questionnaires; survey
**face to face (F2F), English for academic purposes (EAP), English for specific purposes (ESP)
Initially, such an outline of the studies' features revealed a number of structures and designs. For instance, all but one of the studies examined the learning experiences of traditional F2F classrooms and those encountered in online education. The number of participants was relatively small, ranging from four to 92. Additionally, all of the studies based their research on second language (L2) student participants, particularly those in English as a second language (ESL) courses and at a university level, yet involved the instructor as an integral non-participant in the research process. Three of the studies went even further by either having the teachers working closely with the researcher in developing the study, or being part of the research team itself. Lastly, the studies were equally divided as to whether data were collected through quantitative and/or qualitative methods.
The purpose of this analysis, then, was to go beyond these initial impressions to search for common sub-themes; to investigate the studies in order to identify similarities and differences, and to determine patterns that revealed second language education issues in online learning environments. In order to do so, a content analysis was conducted. An inductive approach was employed to identify and organize content relevant to this paper's theme and medium by further examining the frequency of and the amount of space dedicated to certain words, phrases, topics, concepts, or other characteristics contained within the ten studies. Subsequently, qualitative analysis was used, as Kondracki, Wellman & Amundson (2002) explained, "to examine latent or inferred meanings of the communication under study, which may lead to the development of constructs or theories based on the researchers' knowledge and evidence drawn from the study." Therefore, by cross-referencing key textual components, this meta-analysis identified common subjects by which to further examine the underlying implications for both learners and educators when dealing with CMC in various learning spaces.
After a detailed review of the ten studies, predominant topics were identified in order to further examine the overall theme proposed by this paper. By analyzing such issues as the style of instruction, and the roles of the L2 student and teacher, two main sub-themes emerged: 1) the benefits of blended instruction; and 2) the influence of student anxiety on interaction, collaboration, motivation, and independence. Whether addressing speaking and/or writing activities, these second language education issues were a fundamental part of the studies analyzed.
Benefits of blended instruction
In one form or another, all but one of the studies dealt with the issue of L2 students and teachers' learning experiences with online or blended learning. On one end of the spectrum, Lin, Lin & Hsu (2011) argued that their statistics showed that participants taught using blogs improved in writing equally well as in a traditional F2F classroom. They concluded that, given the associated increase in time and effort in maintaining a blog project, teachers may question the efficacy of such online activities.
On the other hand, most of the studies' findings supported online instruction, but indicated how a blended learning approach may best benefit both teacher and L2 student. Shih (2010), in particular, utilized a completely blended methodology when using video-based blogs for an ESP course in public speaking, purporting contributions to learning effectiveness and student satisfaction. The study by Chen, Chen & Lee could also be considered a beneficial blended learning environment, where the online synchronous "F2F" (audio only) enabled continuous teacher feedback and, as a result, positive results and responses from the students involved. Additionally, Murphy's (2009) design-based research clearly demonstrated how F2F consultation and instruction was essential in reflectively and spontaneously improving the online synchronous French-as-a-second-language (FSL) activity of her study. Consultative and remedial F2F communication proved invaluable in a primary school setting while F2F preparation (outlining goals and objectives, technical training) also proved central to the successful implementation of such online activities.
In fact, most of the studies indicated that some preparation in the F2F classroom work was necessary for L2 students. Specifically, acquainting students with CMC program features was an initial priority in Sun's (2010) research on extensive writing in blogs. On the topic of academic research, the two related studies of Stapleton, Helms-Park & Radia (2006) and Radia & Stapleton (2008) ultimately argued that there needed to be a "strongly interventionist approach to guiding EAP students' Internet-based research" (p. 72), and that F2F workshops were necessary to help foreign language students become more aware of native speaker (NS) connotations and more adept at deciphering inappropriate web-based academic resources. Doerr & Sato (2011) also adapted this partially blended approach in their research on governmentality. Yet, their case study of a Japanese-as-a-foreign-language (JFL) blog revealed that such an education issue required not only a F2F introductory lesson but a F2F summative analysis as well.
Influence of student anxiety on interaction, collaboration, motivation, and independence
Another sub-theme that emerged was that of student anxiety during second-language acquisition. A number of studies examined how online educational activities could alleviate learner nervousness and, therefore, promote a greater sense of student motivation and independence. Specifically, Chen et al. (2011), studied how human pulse signals helped an English teacher recognize, and thus manage, student anxiety in an online one-to-one synchronous learning environment. Also conducting research on synchronous (audio) web-based activities, Murphy (2009) concluded how a low level of anxiety, leading to improved self-confidence, self-image, and motivation, facilitated learning a second language. She further proposed that student anonymity in the activity lessened the stress of trying to learn a new language, which enabled students to feel more competent. Such an increase in confidence then lead to greater motivation and risk-taking.
As for asynchronous studies, Shih's (2010) research found that using a video-based blog to learn public speaking could help some L2 learners overcome "stage fright." Students felt that being able to have unlimited opportunities to revise their self-created videos helped them to give, and accept, peer feedback. They believed that such review and cooperative learning enhanced their motivation and eventually helped improve their public speaking. Likewise, the study on foreign-language writing by Sun (2010) demonstrated that as students wrote more extensively over time, they became less concerned about the complexity of their sentences, yet showed improvement in terms of mechanics and organization. Here, results indicated that motivation increased with the authentic, purposeful language used in the blog, while confidence was built up through the frequency of review and revision. Nevertheless, since the blogs were open to the public (increasing writing anxiety), the students felt more strongly about monitoring the quality of their performance. Thus, as these L2 students became more involved in the blog's self-reflection process, they took authorship of their own entries and assumed greater autonomy in the learning process. Finally, while Wang and Sutton's (2002) results did not confirm nor refute their questions of increased motivation from learner control with advisement, their study did raise questions as to the importance of interest toward a subject and whether ESL students were learning formally or informally online as being prime factors.
Conversely, in their study on focus on form episodes in a CMC context, Loewen and Reissner (2009) showed that a lack of concern, i.e., anxiousness over teacher feedback, could negatively affect interaction, motivation and independence.
The research showed that the students communicating in a chatroom, whether they were monitored by the teacher or not, focused significantly less on correcting formal aspects of language (grammar, vocabulary, spelling) than students in a F2F context. Even within the CMC context itself, unmonitored L2 students statistically showed no interest in self-correction. The authors discussed how an absence of teacher supervision, let alone advisement, adversely influenced student motivation "to pay more attention to the accuracy of their language rather than focusing only on meaning" (p. 110)
This analysis presented a closer look at some of the research identifying, and making recommendations for dealing with, second language education issues in online learning envirionments. Dominating the analysis, for instance, was the concept of blended learning, a comprehensive approach important for considering the problems encountered in L2 education. Most of the studies presented in this paper found that some kind of F2F instruction was necessary in order to fully communicate aspects of second language learning that may not be possible strictly online. As Stapleton et al. (2006) stressed, there is a "pressing need to bring critical Internet literacy strategies into the [L2] classroom" since the problem with understanding the subtleties of culture and language are manifested in online environments. In addition, non-visual CMC does not allow for such language cues as body language, gestures, and facial expressions, while meaningful communication may suffer in purely writing activities with the absence of tone of voice. A teacher in Chen et al.'s (2011) study commented that she paid more attention to the emotions of L2 students in a traditional F2F classroom than in the web-based learning environment. If online instruction deprives teachers of important visual and/or audio cues, an analysis of second language education issues must also consider the effects of such deprivation on students striving to acquire a foreign language online.
It was interesting to note that the one study in this analysis that did not purport advantageous results for conducting L2 activities online did not utilize a blended learning approach. The research conducted by Lin et al. (2011), which compared writing performance between an experimental group working solely online and a control group working in a traditional ESL classroom situation, determined that the final results (both groups improved equally well) did not justify the associated increase in teachers' workloads in maintaining a blog project. Such an "all or nothing" methodology, as well as a teacher-centred concluding focus, ignores the reality of today's unbounded learning space and is short-sighted in looking at the investment of educational efforts.
The blended learning approach was also instrumental in helping L2 students manage the use of technology, with software in a foreign language, as a mode of instruction. However, this proved to be a greater issue in studies that focused on ESL learners since many of the computer programs were in English. Subsequently, the analysis revealed that research by Doerr and Sato (2011) and Murphy (2009) were somewhat weakened in that the JFL and FSL participants were using English-based technology. The study by Sun (2010), too, was undermined, in part, due to the Taiwanese students using a blog technology formatted in Chinese.
In examining another aspect of second language issues, a number of the studies in this analysis associated certain web-based learning difficulties for L2 students with problems in dealing with cultural differences and understanding. It seems obvious that research on foreign language learning cannot avoid, explicitly or implicitly, the issue of understanding the linguistic and cultural nuances of communicating in a foreign language. At the forefront of this issue were the related studies by Stapleton et al. (2006) and Radia and Stapleton (2008), who specifically looked at the inability of L2 students to critically assess the vast sources of information, and disinformation, available on the Internet. These students not only had to deal with the connotations of the English language itself, but with the cultural biases (commercially or ideologically motivated) of the web resources they cited as academically acceptable. Even with a review of research guidelines beforehand, these students were still unaware of the underlying bias and hidden agendas of their citations. More telling was the fact that these students "not only viewed such sources as objective, but also used them to support, if not construct, their own viewpoint" (Radia & Stapleton, p. 13).
Understanding the culture of the target foreign language was particularly important in other studies as well. Although their findings were not statistically significant, even Wang and Sutton (2002) tried to relate motivation with learning about American culture. In Doerr and Sato's (2010) study on governmentality in a JFL course, this issue of culture proved to be an important aspect of the research. Here, typically formal Japanese manners, as well as attitudes of "regular Japanese" toward the Japanese language learner, highlighted the comments of NS visitors and their responses posted to one JFL student's blog space. Designed in part by a NS professor, the study had to have anticipated such cultural "conflicts" in both the student's writing and choice of topics since the Japanese language closely reflects the governmentality of the culture itself.
Lastly, in many of the studies, the issue of student anxiety in learning a second language was connected not only to teacher/student interactions but also to student/student interaction and collaboration, as well as individual student motivation and sense of independence. Loewen and Reissner (2009) examined how the absence of a teacher impacted the quality of L2 students working in a CMC context: that by not being monitored by a teacher made the students less concerned (anxious) with improving their grammatical skills than students with some sort of teacher interaction. Since the unmonitored group was less motivated to focus on form and self-correction, they did not exhibit independence in learning online. Murphy (2009) on the other hand, discussed how grade 6 FSL students became more autonomous as they became more confident in their online activities. Teacher-centred instruction eventually receded as tutorials and peer learning moved to the forefront.
The studies by Murphy (2009), Shih (2010), Sun (2010), Chen et al. (2011) all determined that resolving anxiety or nervousness positively affected students' motivation and independence through greater peer interaction and collaboration. Specifically, L2 peers could share more vocabulary or discuss more topics online in an authentic situation than what might be covered by their teacher in class. CMC also allowed for a range of anonymity that may boost confidence and enhance self-esteem. Foreign language students took more care and greater pride in posting videos and blog entries when they were able to review and revise on their own, as well as learn from others.
conclusions, limitations and implications
The findings of the ten sources indicated that there were specific education issues that second language students faced when learning online. The analysis outlined how blended learning, versus strictly online instruction, enabled L2 students to deal with cultural and linguistic problems. In addition, this paper examined how overcoming the acknowledged anxiety associated with learning a foreign language fostered greater student interaction, collaboration, motivation, and independence in a web-based learning environment.
The ten studies included in this paper allowed for a wide-ranging analysis. From Canadian FSL students and JFL students in the USA to the numerous studies on ESL students in Taiwan and elsewhere overseas, there was diversity in age, grade, and academic level. While the majority of participants were included in ESL research, there was enough variety to indicate the cultural and linguistic implications of studying any foreign language. Nevertheless, it might have been interesting to highlight what issues were completely specific to L2 learners by including some statistics or literature review on first language (L1) education issues in online learning environments. As well, perhaps more studies on learning a second language strictly online might have revealed more relevant issues as a greater number of educational institutions turn to distance education, and more companies conduct business over the web.
Pedagogical implications revolved around the need for improved structure and guidelines to allow for greater learner control and success in learning a foreign language online. As for blended learning, Stapleton et al. (2006) argued that learning critical web-source evaluation was required "not only through a series of lecture-format guidelines, but also through student-centered workshops, and, where necessary, one-on-one conferencing"(p. 72). Radia and Stapleton (2008), went even further in suggesting how context-driven and culture-specific studies would also be instrumental in helping students to become more media literate and aware of the bias existing when researching online. Shih (2010) also advocated the idea of a carefully designed instruction plan for a blended public speaking course in order to balance the benefits of online review/revision and those of F2F practice. Loewen and Reissner (2009) argued that teachers needed to re-evaluate their own beliefs regarding the roles of accuracy and fluency when establishing feedback standards for ESL students in both CMC and F2F contexts. Likewise, Doerr and Sato (2011) maintained that teachers needed to involve L2 students in a class to analyze blog comments so that they could understand, and respond to, how relationships of governmentality were established in such a learning environment, and how they could ultimately be transformed. Murphy (2009) discussed the need for teachers to be better prepared to integrate computers and technology into their teaching: to develop strategies in multi-tasking in online and traditional classroom activities, and in promoting an effective student-centred learning space.
Furthermore, with regard to online instructional procedures, Murphy proposed pedagogical training that "might help teachers design scaffolds to support students' linguistic progress using the [online] activities" (Conclusion, para. 3). This kind of hyperlink structure, with visual dictionaries, thematic vocabulary, etc., could help strengthen learner independence. In their study on advisement and learner control, Wang and Sutton (2002) also argued for reliable guidelines on the content and frequency of hyperlinks in web-based learning activities for ESL students. Finally, Sun (2010) believed that a well-designed CMC activity would encourage students to make a greater, more strategic effort to improve the quality of their work and, therefore, become more autonomous.
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text:
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Nico Rosberg says he will discuss with Lewis Hamilton before this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix an incident during their thrilling battle in Bahrain when he felt his Mercedes team mate went "over the line".
The German, who won the season-opener in Australia, started from pole at the Sakhir circuit 11 days ago but lost his lead off the line, with Hamilton moving from second to head the field into the first corner.
The 28-year-old Rosberg was unable to find a way past his team mate in a wheel-to-wheel duel, with only one second separating the Mercedes pair at the finish.
Rosberg said there was one incident where he felt the 2008 world champion pushed things too far in defending his lead.
They spoke about it after the race but he anticipated having a further conversation with Hamilton and the team before racing begins in Shanghai.
"It's completely normal that as a team when there is situations or races where a lot has happened and which are intense battles that you are going to sit down and discuss," Rosberg told reporters on Thursday.
"The only example which I thought was above the limits was where I came on the radio. All the other examples were really tough racing but with the necessary respect, so that's it."
The two drivers drew plenty of plaudits for the way they contested the race, as did Mercedes for not issuing team orders.
Heading into this weekend's race, Rosberg leads the standings on 61 points. Hamilton, who retired in Australia, trails by 11 points after winning the last two races.
Rosberg, son of 1982 world champion Keke, is keen to get his own back at the scene of his maiden race triumph in 2012 and is determined to prevent Hamilton winning three consecutive races for the first time.
"I know I can win here, that I have the chance to win here, and I know most likely it's going to be against Lewis, so that's where my mind is at the moment."
Editing by Josh Reich nL3N0N93U2


text:
Job Opportunity
The overall goal of ARC's program in Rwanda is to build increased resilience and self-reliance of communities affected by displacement and their host communities using innovation, social-entrepreneurship, co-creation and increased country ownership through continued protection, stronger economic empowerment, improved food security & nutrition, and environmental protection.
ARC is looking for suitable Rwandan candidate to fill the position below:
Position: Clinical psychologist
RESPONSIBLE TO: Health Coordinator
Site: Mahama Refugee Camp (2)
Clinical psychologist aim to reduce the distress and improve the psychological wellbeing of beneficiaries. He/she will use psychological methods and research to make positive changes to beneficiaries' lives and offer various forms of treatment.
Clinical psychologist will work in partnership with his/her clients over a series of sessions in order to diagnose, assess and manage their condition.
He/she will often work alongside other professionals in multidisciplinary teams in order to deal with his/her clients' complex problems including UNHCR protection and community services team and other partners
Duties and responsibilities:
- assessing a client's needs, abilities or behavior using a variety of methods, including psychometric tests, interviews and direct observation of behavior;
- working as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside doctors, nurses, social workers, health education team and mental health nurses;
- devising and monitoring appropriate treatment programmes, including therapy, counselling or advice, in collaboration with colleagues;
- offering therapy and treatments for difficulties relating to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, addiction, social and interpersonal problems and challenging behavior;
- developing and evaluating service provision for clients;
- providing consultation to other professions, encouraging a psychological approach in their work;
- Help different people of concern to create support groups and frequently meet those groups for group counseling and follow up
- Apply family and community counseling and sensitization to avoid stigmatization of people which psycho social problems
- Document all received cases and make follow up
- Report to direct supervisors including weekly ,monthly and quarterly reports
- A0 in clinical psychology with A2 in nursing background
- Experience of 2 years in clinical psychology or related field
- Familiar with Microsoft windows mainly Microsoft Word and Excel
- Being registered in council of health professionals
The candidate should also present the following:
- empathy and a person-centered approach to clients;
- tolerance of stress;
- the ability to recognize your own limitations and respond to difficult situations;
- the ability to apply your knowledge of academic psychology and research to clinical problems;
- the capacity to be critical and analytical and to work in a self-motivated, independent way;
- excellent communication and interpersonal skills in order to deal with people in distress;
- the ability to collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines;
- the determination to succeed;
- a strong understanding of the profession and the role of a clinical psychologist in Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)
To apply for this position:
Please submit your application letter and curriculum vitae (3 pages maximum) by email to: firstname.lastname@example.com or deliver them to ARC Country Head office in Kimihurura after Lemigo Hotel before Friday October 21st, 2016.
NB: Please apply only if you fulfill the requirements. Only selected candidates will be contacted.
Website: http://www.arcrelief.org