text: Shark Weekend returns for its 13th year at National Aquarium, Washington, DC! A weekend filled with interactive activities such as scavenger hunts, face painting, shark feedings, and discussions with animal experts about the history, lives and habits of one of the world's most fascinating ocean dwellers. Guests will have the opportunity to create their own shark t-shirt and shark art as well as visit Sherman's Lagoon, based on the popular nationally syndicated cartoon series by Jim Toomey, and meet "Sherman" himself, brought to life as a costumed character exclusively for National Aquarium. When: Saturday, July 28 –Sunday, July 29 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Throughout event: Scavenger hunts, face painting, shark art 11am, 1pm, 3pm: Shark conversation with curator Jay Bradley 2pm: Shark feeding Where: National Aquarium, Washington, DC 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230 Admission: This event is open to the public with the price of admission. Categories: Animals


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|L's Hot Cocoa
I was surprised to learn that the Spanish, who were the first to sweeten chocolate, loved it so much that they kept it a secret for 100 years! So we decided to make their special chocolate drink. We used the recipe on the side of the cocoa box, you can find it on the hershey's website. My favorite part was seeing L taste the cocoa powder (bitter!) then the sugar (sweet!) and then taste how they combined into hot cocoa.
Of course, as a chocolate lover, this was exciting for me, too - so later, sans children, I made a version of Aztec Hot Chocolate. I based my recipe on this one, but I started with cocoa powder and made a few other adjustments. Here's my recipe:
Simmer 2 cups water with 1 cinnamon stick and 1 tsp of chili paste for 2 minutes. Then add 1 TBSP cocoa and 1TBSP sugar, stirring until dissolved. Finally, add 1/2 tsp vanilla extra, and remove from heat. The result is a spicy hot drink, not sweet.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Good morning, most handsome Rikki! You look very regal in your first photo and the last one, the one of you peeking out from the box, made me laugh right out loud! What a beautiful, fluffy guy you are with your four sweet white feeties! And busy, too -- posing for the camera, taking up the chair at the computer desk, sharing your person's pillow for sleep; and being smart and affectionate and sweet! Could you please have your person give you oodles of kisses, tummy and chin rubs and big hugs for me today. Happy Cat of the Day to you, regal Sir Rikki!He doesn't meow, he chirps. But in the end, he's a big snuggle pussy; smart, funny and the most beautiful cat I have ever seen. ... He's my big baby boy.


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Cancelled: The Pub Quiz
Tuesday 14th July
The light of your Tuesday night isn't just sitting on your sofa waiting for the weekend to come and pull you out of your forlorn after-work state – it's this: The Pub Quiz, AKA the pub quiz to trump all pub quizzes.
Our legendary host Amy Beesting guides you through her mental maze of dodgy knowledge and general ridiculousness, with rounds along the lines of 'Dirty Doodles', 'Kazookeoke' & many more she probably dreamt up on the tube journey here. If you reckon you've been there, done that & won the bar tab down the local with your old man, get a load of this one.
Expect shots, big prizes and some not-so-serious quizzing. Grab a ticket in advance to secure a place.
19:00 – 23:00 | £3 per person | Up to 6 members per team
£3 per person in advance


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We need your help! On January 6, 2011, Morris Waxler, PhD, former head of the FDA branch responsible for reviewing LASIK clinical trials, filed a petition with the FDA calling for immediate withdrawal of FDA-approval of LASIK devices and issuance of a LASIK public health advisory.
Over 700 people have shown their support for Dr. Waxler's petition to stop LASIK. Read comments and sign petition
LASIK Exposed!!!
GlobalTV 16:9 The Bigger Picture 5/28/2011
Young man tells the story of his father's LASIK-related suicide. LASIK clinics exposed for lying to prospective patients about LASIK risks. Young woman's quality of life is diminished by LASIK-induced dry eyes. Former FDA chief wants LASIK stopped, and is calling for a criminal investigation.
Beware of Glenn Hagele
CRSQA / USAEyes.org
Fake Patient Advocate / Fake LASIK Expert
Glenn Hagele and Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance d/b/a USAEyes.org ("CRSQA/USAEyes") are currently being sued for defamation and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
Read lawsuit
Read a LASIK patient's opinion of Glenn Hagele and CRSQA / USAEyes.org: What is CRSQA?
FDA advisers: Clearer LASIK warnings needed
CNN.com 04/25/2008
From the article: "A panel of medical advisers -- mostly eye doctors wearing glasses -- listened to tales of woe and wonder Friday from people who sought to get rid of their specs through LASIK surgery... Matt Kotsovolos, who worked for the Duke Eye Center when he had a more sophisticated LASIK procedure in 2006, said doctors classify him as a success because he now has 20-20 vision. But he said, "For the last two years I have suffered debilitating and unremitting eye pain... That's a big reason that Weiss, the ophthalmologist, won't get LASIK even though she offers it to her patients. "I can read without my glasses and ... operate without my glasses, and I love that," she said. "The second aspect is I would not tolerate any risk for myself."
An Inconvenient Truth - The LASIK Report
The LASIK Report is a literature review of LASIK. The report concludes that LASIK is an inherently harmful procedure and should be abandoned. From the report:
"Early clinical trials did not thoroughly examine adverse effects of LASIK. Since that time, numerous medical studies have examined the risks of LASIK. It is now widely reported in ophthalmic medical journals that complications such as dry eye and visual disturbances in low light are common, and that creation of the corneal flap permanently compromises tensile strength and biomechanical integrity of the cornea."
From the October 2008 American Academy of Ophthalmology LASIK Patient Guide: "All LASIK patients should ask their doctors for a record of their pre-LASIK correction prescription. This information is important for you to give to the doctor who may perform a future cataract surgery or other eye disease diagnosis and treatment."
If you did not receive a copy of your LASIK medical records, print this form and have it completed by your LASIK surgeon. In some states medical records may be destroyed after five years. Form
Lasik's blurry vision - Salon.com 1/25/2010
From the article: Erik J. Rupard, a doctor and clinical researcher with the U.S. Army, is among those who think such scrutiny is necessary... "I saw lots of dry-eye complications in soldiers in Iraq who had undergone the procedure ostensibly because contacts are too unsafe in that dusty environment, and yet the Department of Defense has done no controlled studies to look at the cost -- human and otherwise -- of these post-refractive issues. I am a clinical researcher, and I know that Lasik, a cosmetic procedure, has never been subjected to the pre- or post-marketing scrutiny that we put even lifesaving drugs through."... Some experts believe the FDA should have taken more care when the first lasers were approved in 1998. "We screwed up," said Morris Waxler, a former branch chief of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health Office of Science and Technology from 1995 to 1999... "We should have looked at the worst-case impact on patients, rather than just the very good outcomes we saw in the clinical trials."
Long-term consequences of LASIK
Letter to the Editor: Happy LASIK patients may not realize or acknowledge the harm they suffered from LASIK for years; nonetheless, the damage is there. Medical research demonstrates (a) that the LASIK flap never heals and may be accidentally dislodged for the rest of a patient's lifetime, (b) that the cornea is permanently weakened and may develop ectasia weeks, months, or years later, leading to vision loss, (c) that corneal nerves which stimulate tear production are severed and destroyed during LASIK, and that these nerves never fully recover -- potentially leading to permanent dry eye disease, (d) that having LASIK causes problems in the future for glaucoma screening and cataract surgery -- prompting the FDA to recommend that LASIK patients obtain a copy of their LASIK medical record, (e) persistent decrease in corneal cells (keratocytes) -- it is unknown how this decrease affects long-term viability of the cornea, and (f) that visual quality at night is permanently reduced after LASIK, even when the patient has 20/20 or better daytime vision. To add insult to injury, visual outcomes of LASIK decline over time. "LASIK success" is like saying "the surgery was a success but the patient died".
You can contact us at...


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Donald Urschalitz P.A. Realtor Blog for Palm Beach County Florida
News to help in relocation, buying or selling real estate in Palm Beach County Florida. Tequest, Jupiter Island, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Singer Island, Juno Beach, North Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. Visit my site at www.Oneworldrealty.com for over 500 community reviews.


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Timothy Ferriss
Author, The 4-hour Workweek
Timothy Ferriss (www.fourhourblog.com), nominated as one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Business People of 2007" and Forbes Magazine's "Names You Need to Know in 2011," is an angel investor (StumbleUpon, Facebook, Digg, Twitter, etc.) and author of the new #1 New York Times bestseller, The 4-Hour Body. He is also author of the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller, The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been sold into 35 languages.
Newsweek has called Tim "the world's best guinea pig," which he takes a compliment.
He is also an active education reformer and has architected experimental social media campaigns such as LitLiberation to out-fundraise traditional media figures like Stephen Colbert 3-to-1 at zero cost, building schools overseas and financing more than 25,000 US students in the process. He is on the advisory board of DonorsChoose.org, an educational non-profit and winner at Fast Company's 2008 Social Capitalist Awards.
Location: Ballroom A-B Level:


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Master of Engineering
Professional Master Of Engineering (MEng) Degree
The Professional Master Of Engineering emphasizes the practice of engineering in either the private or public sector. The program focuses on developing competencies in the areas of engineering design, problem solving, and practice beyond what can be achieved in earning a Bachelor of Science degree in a given engineering discipline.
An MEng graduate student is expected to have a focus and degree designation in one of the core UMD disciplines of Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.
Degree and Course Requirements
The MEng degree program is primarily a coursework degree program with a minimum of three credits and a maximum of six credits allocated to a design project to be arranged between the Departmental Advisor and student. The 30 credits require a minimum of 14 credits at 5XXX or higher, and a cap of 6 credits on 4XXX courses. There is no requirement for a final exam above and beyond what is required in individual courses. Deviations from the table below must be agreed upon by the Departmental Advisor and student. The resultant Program of Study must then be approved by the Department, the SCSE MEng Director of Graduate Studies and forwarded to the UMD Office of Graduate Education for final approval.
Course Requirements
Semester Credits
Course Level
|Major Plan Department: ChE, CE, ECE, ME (within MIE), IE (within MIE)
|12 Minimum
|5XXX or 8XXX***, Selected 4XXX courses*
|Engineering Course Project within the Major Plan Department: ChE, CE, ECE, ME (within MIE), IE (within MIE)
|3 to 6
|5XXX to be arranged by the Departmental Advisor and student.
|Other Engineering****
|6 to 9
|Selected 4XXX; 5XXX, 8XXX
|Non Engineering**
|3 Minimum
|Graduate Courses-Approved Lists
|30 Minimum
* Identical/similar courses taken as part of an undergraduate degree either at UMD or at another institution can not be repeated or applied as part of the MEng program. The Departmental Advisor and the SCSE Director of Graduate Studies will work with the student on this issue when setting up the Program of Study.
** Non-engineering courses would consist of courses approved for graduate credit by the Departments of Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, Chemistry, Geological Sciences, or Biology. Identical/similar courses taken as part of an undergraduate degree either at UMD or at another institution can not be repeated or applied as part of the MEng program. The Departmental Advisor and the SCSE Director of Graduate Studies will work with the student on this issue when setting up the Program of Study.
*** In consultation with their Departmental Advisor, students may choose to include one or more 8XXX courses in their Program of Study. It should be noted that even though there are no requirements for 8XXX courses, MEng students who meet the course prerequisites for 8xxx courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Management, Geologic Sciences, and Computer Science will be encouraged to include these courses in their degree program.
**** Courses selected in collaboration with the Departmental Advisor.
All MEng Graduate Students will have a Departmental Advisor. Non-faculty, including members of the industrial community, are invited to collaborate and work with the student and Departmental Advisor.
Any project report or presentation requirement within the 3-6 credits of the engineering course project are at the option of the Departmental Advisor and Department.
Admission Requirements
Requirements for students wishing to enroll in the MEng program:
- Completed an undergraduate degree in an engineering program, or upon approval by the SCSE MEng Director of Graduate Studies, in a related discipline, e.g., computer science, physics, etc.
- The MEng prefers an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 (on a 4.0 scale) for admission. This preferred performance minimum of a 3.0*/4.0 GPA must be from an ABET accredited program or equivalent
- Two letters of recommendation-academic and/or professional references
- For international applicants whose native language is not English, a TOEFL score preferred performance minimum is 213 on the computer based test.
- The GRE score is recommended but not required
* Industrial experience and professional licensure will be considered for applicants with a grade point less than the preferred minimum
Application Procedures
- Use the web form to apply and follow the instructions for submittal. A downloadable PDF is also available if you prefer.
- Applications are being accepted for Fall 2010.
Courses are also listed on the SCSE website.


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Free software stalwart Richard Stallman has taken a cool view of the news that hugely-popular games developer Valve plans to make its non-free Steam platform available for Linux.
On the face of it, that a major games developer wants to hedge its bets in the Windows 8 age by porting an important platform to Linux is good news; Linux has always suffered lacked native games, now seen as a drawback to mainstream acceptance. Linux needs games.
According to Stallman, however, this is a double-edged sword that offers some benefits but also a downside that compromises the integrity of the free software philosophy.
Valve's Steam uses Digital Rights Management (DRM), anathema to Stallman's Free Software Foundation campaign to rid software of such commercial, closed encumbrances.
"Nonfree game programs (like other nonfree programs) are unethical because they deny freedom to their users. (Game art is a different issue, because it isn't software.) If you want freedom, one requisite for it is not having nonfree programs on your computer. That much is clear," said Stallman in a blog.
Many reports have focussed on Stallman's criticism of Valve's plans to 'adopt' Linux but his argument is not entirely negative. The ability to run major games on Linux might also draw more people away from their reliance on Windows, he admitted, describing the net direct effects as resulting in more good than harm.
"But there is also an indirect effect: what does the use of these games teach people in our community?," added Stallman.
"Any GNU/Linux distro that comes with software to offer these games will teach users that the point is not freedom. Nonfree software in GNU/Linux distros already works against the goal of freedom. Adding these games to a distro would augment that effect."
Thus the indirect effects could cause greater long-term harm by polluting Linux with non-free software.
"If you want to promote freedom, please take care not to talk about the availability of these games on GNU/Linux as support for our cause."
Another way of looking at the issue would be to argue that as Linux becomes more popular, it inevitably acquires commercial baggage looking to profit from this. Currently, the only way to run Windows software including games is to use emulators such as Wine but these come with niggles such as compatibility, security and (in some cases) lower performance.
According to Valve head and former Microsoft employee Gabe Newell, Valve was investing in a Linux port after describing Windows 8 as "a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space."
The new OS included a Microsoft's own Windows Store, which could make it harder for third-parties to flourish thanks to the 30 percent cut taken from every sale.
"There's a strong temptation to close the platform because they look at what they can accomplish when they limit the competitors' access to the platform, and they say, 'That's really exciting,'" said Newell.
This story, "Richard Stallman slates Valve's Linux games plans" was originally published by Techworld.com.


text: DUMFRIES, United Kingdom - Canada beat Brazil 10-3 Monday to guarantee at least second place in B Group and a spot in the quarter-final qualification round of the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. At 6-1, Wayne and Cindy Tuck of Ilderton, Ont., now trail unbeaten Sweden at the top of B Group with Scotland, in third at 5-2, also making the qualification round. Qualifying at the top of A Group is Russia (7-0) and Hungary (7-1). The Czech Republic (6-0), Switzerland (5-1) and Australia (4-2) have qualified in C and so far unbeaten Norway (6-0) is the only team to qualify in D. Round-robin play ends Tuesday morning and the quarter-finals begin in the afternoon. The top finisher in each of the four groups qualifies automatically while second and third-place teams compete to determine the other four qualifying teams for the quarter-finals. Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro Uk . -- Mike Shanahan gave Robert Griffin III a rest, and may have turned up the pressure on himself, too. Air Jordan 1 Wholesale . Boston is making its first appearance in the ALCS since 2008. For Detroit, its a third straight trip to the ALCS and its fourth in eight years. http://www.clearanceairjordan1uk.com/ . Austin Watson, Scott Ford, Filip Forsberg and Mark Van Guilder had the other goals for the Admirals (30-21-12). Scott Darling made 30 saves for his 10th win of the season. Air Jordan 1 Clearance Sale . For the Miami Heat, that was outstanding news. LeBron James scored the last of his 32 points on a layup that put Miami up for good with 11. Nike Air Jordan 1 Clearance . Murray, the defending champion and No. 3 seed, claimed his first match win at Queens in 2005 and went on to win the Wimbledon warmup three times. But he failed to take advantage of eight set points after leading the first-set tiebreaker 6-2, and Stepanek survived to convert with his second set point.PITTSBURGH -- Though it wasnt a clean effort, it was a win for the Milwaukee Brewers, and theyll take it. Kyle Lohse pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Carlos Gomez homered and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 Friday night. Lohse (3-1) improved to 11-2 in his career against the Pirates, allowing one earned run in a win against them for the second time in six days. "It wasnt pretty, but they all count the same," said Lohse, who was charged with three runs -- two unearned -- and four hits with three walks with five strikeouts. "Sometimes, you get a win thats ugly, sometimes youve got to catch some breaks and sometimes youve got to grind it out in key situations and find a way to win." Gomez homered deep to centre to lead off the fifth and added an RBI single an inning later as the Brewers rallied from an early two-run deficit. Four Brewers errors came during the first, third and seventh -- and the Pirates scored a run during each of those innings. But Pittsburgh left 11 men on base, including the bases loaded twice. "We just werent able to get that at bat when we needed it tonight," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Repeatedly." Charlie Morton (0-2) allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings while losing to Lohse for the second time this week. Russell Martin had two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates, who have lost six of eight. Four Milwaukee relievers combined to allow five baserunners in 2 2-3 innings but did not allow any runs while stranding six. Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth for his fifth save in five opportunities. Lohses fifth pitch of the game was put in play by Starling Marte -- seemingly for a routine pop-up near the pitchers mound. But third baseman Aramis Ramirez and first baseman Mark Reynolds collided. It was originally inexplicably ruled a single until later changed by official scorer Evan Pattak to an error on Reynolds. That wasnt even close to the most memorable wacky play of the game. That came in the sixth inning, when Maldonado literally hit the coverr off the ball in what will be one of the more peculiar plays of the season.dddddddddddd Maldonado grounded to third, where Alvarez fielded a ball thats cover had partially ripped off. Alvarez threw the flapping, awkwardly floating ball toward first, but it fell well short of the bag, giving Maldonado an infield single. "I said to Hurdle, You see something new every day, huh?," Lohse said. "He kind of chuckled." Asked if hed seen it before, Hurdle said flatly, "Never. Never. Ever." "It was just one of those games," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "Goofy stuff happened early -- then goofy stuff happened when Maldy hit the cover off the ball. Ive never seen that before. We got a run because of it. I dont know. Just a strange game. Hard to explain." After not getting a runner past first base in their first three innings against Morton, the Brewers got a two-run double from Scooter Gennett and an RBI single from Maldonado in thr fourth to take a lead they didnt relinquish. A day after scoring nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings, the Pirates pulled to 5-3 in the seventh on Andrew McCutchens RBI double, but Will Smith came on and struck out cleanup hitter Pedro Alvarez with runners on second and third to end the inning. The Pirates loaded the bases in the eighth, but Jim Henderson got Starling Marte to pop out to end the threat. NOTES: Pittsburgh SS Jordy Mercer was removed from the game with what the team called "discomfort" in his right ankle after Maldonado collided with him at second base during the third inning. Mercer stayed in the game the remainder of the inning. ... Less than 15 minutes before first pitch, the Pirates announced they acquired 1B Ike Davis from the New York Mets in exchange for minor-league RHP Zack Thornton and a player to be named. ... Playing each other seven times in a 10-day span, the Pirates and Brewers play the eighth of those meetings Saturday when Pittsburgh LHP Wandy Rodriguez (0-2, 7.31) faces Milwaukee RHP Matt Garza (0-2, 3.43). ' ' '


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Collaborative Opportunities for Raising Empowerment, Inc. (CORE) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
organization whose primary vision is to empower Filipino professionals as a collective body in the
United States. It also seeks to provide an avenue for socio-economic involvement to build a stronger
Filipino American community.
CORE's vision is organized exclusively to create a network for Filipino Americans to: (1) foster
leadership within the community, (2) enhance personal growth, (3) encourage interaction among
various community groups through event discussions, and (4) mentor future Filipino American leaders
by discussing ideas and experiences. To support this vision, CORE delivers several programs and
initiatives. To learn more, go to our Programs Page.


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Perfectly matched individual components form the basis for greater flexibility with short planning and installation times.
To ensure that we always understand you, we communicate
with our customers in 20 different languages.
Applications & Markets
The NORD modular system caters for application solutions in more than 100 industries.
NORD Group
As a privately-held company, we think in the long term and globally:
A wide range of products, highest quality standards
the latest technologies in mechanics and electronics, great depth
of production and a global presence are our strategies for success!
Sign in
Forretningsvilkår – NORD GEAR Pte Ltd, Singapore


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Hydraulic Hand Dynamometer by Baseline - 200Lbs
Baseline Hand Dynamometer
The Baseline hand dynamometer gives accurate grip strength readings without the subject being able to "feel" the handle move. The results are consistent with published Baseline and Jamar studies. The internationally accepted design assures reliability, user convenience and measurement repeatability. The five position adjustable handle can accommodate any hand size. The maximum reading remains until the unit is reset. The strength reading can be viewed as pounds or kilograms. Each dynamometer comes in a molded carrying case.
The 200 pound Baseline hand dynamometer has become the standard tool used by therapists all across the world. The regular sized head is the industry standard and our most popular size.
Sort By:


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UH Manoa groups show their 'heart' by volunteer community activitiesUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Chancellor's Office
Tim Slaughter, (808) 956-2036
Centennial Celebration Office
From picking up trash to helping senior citizens and the disabled, Mānoa campus employees and students are volunteering in more than three dozen activities to celebrate Valentine's Day next week.
University of Hawaii at Mānoa is sponsoring the first-ever "Heart to Heart Day" to show gratitude to the community in which the campus has thrived for the past century.
"These activities express our appreciation for the tremendous support that our community has given to UH," says Interim Chancellor Denise Eby Konan. "Valentine's Day was chosen for this celebration because of its association with caring."
Chancellor Konan and her staff will join with several vice chancellors' offices in picking up trash for several blocks around the campus, starting with a rally at 8 a.m. on the lawn in front of Hawai'i Hall. They'll also stencil storm drains in upper Mānoa Valley.
Other UH Mānoa groups are staging similar cleanups at Honolulu Zoo and Magic Island, collecting donations for the Hawaii Food Bank, sponsoring activities at the Palolo Chinese Home and Ronald McDonald House, and helping at the Kaka'ako Transitional Shelter.
A full listing of the activities can be found at:
For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/centennial/UHVolunteerDay.pdf


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With special guests W.A.S.T.E, ESA (June 18th to July 6th), AD-VER-SARY (July 7th to end), END: THE DJ. iVardensphere will be joined on stage with the tribal drumming talents of Servitor Sanctum 7 (www.servitordrum.com) at most of the dates.
@ DNA Lounge, San Francisco, CA
After finding their way into DJ playlists all over the world and performing with bands like Front Line Assembly, Apoptygma Berzerk and VNV Nation, the Canadian born iVardensphere brought their unique brand of electronic mayhem to the rest of North America supporting Combichrist on both editions of the North American "Monsters on Tour" routings. Now with their third cd, APOK and union with Metropolis Records, iVardensphere has forged a powerful and dedicated following, not only in the clubs but also with their intense live performances.
What can you expect to see at on this iVardensphere tour? A blend of massive analogue bass lines, booming tribal drums and grooves that you can't get anywhere else. With this blend of tribal and aggressive electronics, Scott, Yann, Chris and Fred have made something truly unique in the genre. Be a part of it.


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Visit 'Hughie', the seven-metre Muttaburrasaurus and an impressive fossil collection at the Flinders Discovery Centre. While you are there, relive the glory days of sheep production and its subsequent demise in the 'Shearing Straggler' exhibit. A small entry fee applies.
Follow the windmill blades through the streets of Hughenden, exploring the Outback history and art features of the town. Meet 'Mutt', a full-bodied Muttaburrasaurus replica along the way.
Just outside Hughenden, Mount Walker rises out of the flat back soil plains, proving a great location for grazing across town and around the district. Further afield, Porcupine Gorge National Park is a spectacular gorge often referred to as Australia's 'Little Grand Canyon'. The first lookout gives you and indication of the depth and magnitude of the gorge and is a 'must see' for all visitors. Camping grounds are located at the Pyramid Lookout; campers should take their own water and be full self-sufficient. Contact Parks and Wildlife for permits.
The Basalt Byway is a scenic drive plotted through the picturesque volcanic basalt countryside, boasting excellent lookouts and an abundance of flora and fauna. For the four wheel driving enthusiasts, the Eromanga Sea Byway traces the edge of the prehistoric inland sea and is a fossil fossicker's delight! Make the sandy crossing on the Flinders River Byway and reward yourself with a cold drink at the pub.
Hughenden is located half-way between Townsville and Mount Isa on the Flinders Highway, North West Queensland. Hughenden is situated on the banks of Queensland's longest river, the Flinders. The town is located above the Great Artesian Basin.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is launching an ad campaign condemning the person who took the naked photos of Prince Harry.
"For Shame! To those who traded in their pledge to their Las Vegas brethren, WE DEPLORE YOU," the ad reads. "We are calling on you, the defenders of what happens in Vegas staying in its rightful place -- in Vegas. We are asking for a shun on those exploiters of Prince Harry. We shall boycott partying with (whoever exploited Harry). No bottle service. No bikini clad girls."
The ad tells readers to to report those who share embarrassing Vegas pics on Facebook here.


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|Information contained in this article was retrieved under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
The original article can be found on Narutopedia at Shape Transformation.
Shape Transformation (形態変化, Keitai Henka) is an advanced form of chakra control, and a technique that is pivotal for the manipulation of chakra and the creation of new techniques. It involves changing the form and movement of chakra, determining the size, range, and purpose of a technique.
The ultimate example of shape manipulation is the Rasengan, which is described as shape manipulation that has been taken "to the highest possible level". The Rasengan relies heavily on chakra control and does not require the use of hand seals. By building up on precepts learned from the Tree Climbing Practice and Water Surface Walking Practice chakra control exercises, the Rasengan is chakra that has been rotated and then compressed into the shape of a sphere.
Jinchūriki, when transforming through their progressive forms into their tailed beasts, have their chakra moulded around them to resemble the shape of their tailed beast. Through further transformations, the tailed beast chakra can materialize into the flesh and bone of the tailed beast. It's too, is a type of shape transformation.
Combining with Nature Transformation
Shape Transformation is one of two necessary techniques for creating or modifying a technique with its counterpart being Nature Transformation. While Shape Transformation changes the form and movement of chakra, Nature Transformation changes the actual nature of the chakra, altering its properties and characteristics. Because of this, a technique like the Rasengan can be turned into the Wind Release: Rasengan or Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. The cutting nature of Wind Release, combined with the spiralling movement of chakra, can change the chakra into millions of minuscule blades in a spiralling formation, as seen when Naruto Uzumaki used his Wind Release: Rasenshuriken against Kakuzu.
Sasuke Uchiha has also been seen using shape and nature transformation with the black flames of Amaterasu to create what is known as Blaze Release and the various techniques he uses that are derived from Chidori.


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Lisp and its friends are languages that mix features of functional and imperative programming styles along with lots of parentheses. These days, there are three major Lisp dialects in common use:
What is Lisp? John McCarthy, initial inventor of Lisp, wrote the following back in 1980, LISP - Notes on its Past and Future - 1980
As a programming language, LISP is characterized by the following ideas:
Computing with symbolic expressions rather than numbers.
Representation of symbolic expressions and other information by list structure in computer memory.
Representation of information on paper, from keyboards and in other external media mostly by multi-level lists and sometimes by S-expressions. It has been important that any kind of data can be represented by a single general type.
A small set of selector and constructor operations expressed as functions, i.e. car, cdr and cons.
Composition of functions as a tool for forming more complex functions.
The use of conditional expressions for getting branching into function definitions.
The recursive use of conditional expressions as a sufficient tool for building computable functions.
The use of lambda-expressions for naming functions.
The storage of information on the property lists of atoms.
The representation of LISP programs as LISP data that can be manipulated by object programs. This has prevented the separation between system programmers and application programmers. Everyone can "improve" his LISP, and many of these "improvements" have developed into improvements to the language.
The conditional expression interpretation of Boolean connectives.
The LISP function
eval that serves both as
a formal definition of the language and as an
Garbage collection as the means of erasure.
Minimal requirements for declarations so that LISP statements can be executed in an on-line environment without preliminaries.
LISP statements as a command language in an on-line environment.
Ignorant people commonly assert that " Lisp is interpreted, and hence a slow language"; if we go back to the original Lisp 1.5 documentation , we discover that Lisp was intended for use with compilers even from the very beginning.


text:
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text:
Keep Your Friends Close is a mission and finale in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, that Tommy Vercetti does independently from his mansion in Starfish Island, Vice City.
As Tommy Vercetti's lordship over Vice City's underworld increases, so does Sonny Forelli's anger that Tommy is taking over Vice City. After failing to forcibly tax Tommy's expanding business ventures, Sonny arrives in Vice City himself to deal with Tommy in person. Forewarned of Sonny's arrival, Tommy sets aside $3 million in counterfeit cash in an attempt to placate him. However, when Sonny finally arrives, the treacherous Lance Vance openly betrays Tommy, citing "business" as his motivation. At the same time, Tommy is also reeling from the realization that the 15 years he spent in prison on behalf of the Forellis was the result of an ambush orchestrated by Sonny himself. These revelations precipitate an enormous gun battle inside Vercetti Estate. First with Lance killed on the rooftop of the mansion, and Sonny himself killed at the base of the staircase of the foyer along with all his guards. Tommy is also presumably injured during the gunfight as the end cutscene depicts Rosenberg saying that Tommy ruined his suit.
(Tommy's Office, Tommy Vercetti, Lance Vance and Ken Rosenberg.)
Tommy Vercetti: What's going on?
Ken Rosenberg: Tommy! Oh good, good. Listen, listen. Uh, listen. I like fish, I love fish. I love them as pets in bowls, or as food on a plate. But as much as I love 'em, I don't want to sleep with them. Okay, but right now your Italian brothers are coming from up there to fit me with some cement shoes, and I...
Tommy Vercetti: Shut up Ken. Sit down. Lance, what the hell's going on?
Lance Vance: It's your friends from up north Tommy. They ain't too happy you capped their man. They're coming down to see the business today.
Tommy Vercetti: They took longer than I thought...Guys, we gotta make this final. We gotta leave no doubt that this operation is mine. Mine! Ken, you get the first run of counterfeit cash and put three mil in briefcases. Lance, you get the guys together...
(Vercetti Estate, Tommy, Lance, Ken and Sonny Forelli.)
Sonny Forelli: Tommy! What? No big hugs for your old buddy.
Tommy Vercetti: I've had fifteen years out of the loop. I'm a bit rusty on family etiquette.
Sonny Forelli: Always angry, huh Tommy? Didn't I say your temper would get you into trouble, huh?
Tommy Vercetti: There's three mil in the cases...
Sonny Forelli: How many was it? Ten, no, eleven men. That's how you get to be called The Hardwood Butcher! Heh-heh-heh.
Tommy Vercetti: You sent me to kill one man. One man!!! They knew I was coming, Sonny...
Sonny Forelli: Tommy, Tommy, watch your tone...Anyone would think you blame me for that unfortunate set of circumstances.
Tommy Vercetti: Just take the money...
Sonny Forelli: Get the damn cash. You know, Tommy, I did what I could for you, I pulled strings, called in favors...I was your friend, Tommy. I hoped you'd see sense, see what's good for business. I trusted you, Tommy, and you dissapointed me. But at least someone in your chicken shit organization knows how to do business. Isn't that right, Lance?
(Lance betrays Tommy and Ken.)
Lance Vance: I'm sorry Tommy. This is Vice City. This is business.
Tommy Vercetti: You sold us out...
Lance Vance: No, I sold you out, Tommy. I sold YOU out! The real cash is upstairs in the safe.
Sonny Forelli: Tommy, what was the big plan? You think I'd just take the fake cash? Save face and run away with my tail between my legs?!
Tommy Vercetti: No. I just wanted to piss you off before I kill you.
(Vercetti Estate. Tommy and Lance.)
Lance Vance: No one to cover your ass now, eh Tommy?
Tommy Vercetti: You're going down, you back-stabbing prick!
Lance Vance: Oh, you think so?!
(Lance run to the staircase.)
Tommy Vercetti: Come here, you double-crossing piece of shit!
Lance Vance: You're history, Tommy. HISTORY!!!
(Vercetti Estate helipad. Tommy and Lance.)
Tommy Vercetti: This is the last dance for Lance Vance!
Lance Vance: I said i had enough of that at school!
(Tommy killed Lance.)
Tommy Vercetti: You've picked the wrong side, Lance...
(Vercetti Estate, Tommy and Sonny.)
Tommy Vercetti: You took fifteen years from me Sonny! And now I'm gonna make you pay!
Sonny Forelli: You still don't get it do you? I own you, Tommy! Those fifteen years were mine to spend! Get him boys; he never understood a thing.
(Tommy kills Sonny. Vercetti Estate, Tommy and Ken.)
Ken Rosenberg: Tommy? Oh my god, Tommy! What happened?
Tommy Vercetti: What does it look like?
Ken Rosenberg: It looks like you ruined your suit, and Tommy, that was a beautiful suit! Tommy, what on earth happened!
Tommy Vercetti: I had a disagreement with a business associate. You know how it is...
Ken Rosenberg: Tommy, I have a disagreement, I send them an angry letter. Maybe I pee in their mailbox. I don't start World War III! You know, maybe you should speak to my shrink...
Tommy Vercetti: That stupid prick, Lance...
Ken Rosenberg: Tommy. I never liked that guy, OK? He's neurotic, he's insecure, he's self-centered - the guy's an asshole! I'm glad you took him out!
Tommy Vercetti:I don't think we're gonna be getting any more heat from up north, either...'cause there ain't no more "up north", anymore. It's all down south now.
Ken Rosenberg: Wait, does that mean what I think it means...? Tommy, baby!
Tommy Vercetti: What do you think it means?
Ken Rosenberg: That we're in charge...I mean, I mean that you're in charge. Oh, Tommy!
Tommy Vercetti: You know, Ken. This could be the beginning of a beautiful business relationship...After all, you're a conniving, back-stabbing, two-bit thief. And I'm a convicted psychotic killer and drug dealer.
Ken Rosenberg: I know. Ain't it just beautiful?
The reward for completing this mission is $30,000 and a Hunter will spawn inside Fort Baxter or on a helipad in south Ocean Beach if the player has collected all 100 Hidden Packages. Also members of the Vercetti Gang will carry Uzis.
- For some reason, when the audio was first done, Tommy says put 20 million in the briefcases, not three.
- The mission has many parallels to the ending of the film Scarface and is obviously an homage to that movie (as are large parts of GTA Vice City in general).
- The mission name 'Keep Your Friends Close...' is most likely derived from Michael Corleone's (The Godfather Part II) quote 'My father taught me many things here - he taught me in this room. He taught me - keep your friends close but your enemies closer.'
- A mistake is evident in the subtitles. It features Sonny saying "Tomyy, Tommy, watch your tone."
See also
Video walkthroughs
|PS2 Version
|PC Version


text:
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Talk about the novels, new and used books that Haynes has written!
Author Haynes's Book Reviews
A Band of Angels
Echo Brennen is finally about to open her hotel, The Yellow Bordello, when she discovers under the old wallpaper a picture of the previous owner and her girls. She now needs someone to restore the picture, and that someone is Rand Halstead, who has come back to Sage, Wyoming in hopes of getting closer to his twin sister. Echo and Rand are about to become involved in murder, which the "Angel's of the Night" help them solve. Ms. Haynes brings romance, m...


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Kalloy's 602 seatpost comes in a wide variety of diameters to fit most frames. Simple, sturdy, and lightweight, the 602 makes a great replacement seatpost.
Dimension Two-Bolt Seatposts provide a sturdy and durable saddle perch for cross country and all-mountain riding in three diameters, rigorously tested to ISO 4210 Mountain standards. - Constructed with AL-6061-T6 aluminum - Shot-peened finish - 0mm offset
Odyssey is proud to offer their new tripod post. It allows for the two most popular seat angles amongst riders and it's clean, light and easy to install. SPECS - 25.4mm diameter - 6061-T6 Aluminium, CNC machined
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It's a traditional straight up pivotal design with a 200mm length.
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Sunday's Pivotal Seatpost uses a traditional straight-up pivotal design. It looks good in black, keeps your seat where you want it, and takes a beating — everything you need in a seatpost.
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WeThePeople's Socket Pivotal seat post is made from 6061 aluminum for a perfect blend of strength and weight savings. It works with all Pivotal seats and comes in the perfect color and size to match your bike. Plus, there's a 17mm socket head built into the bottom of the post for park-side adjustments to your wheels.
The Tuner pivotal post features a 220mm length with grooves evenly spaced every 15mm for cut lines or seat height indication. - 6061 alloy forged post - Weight: 4.6oz - Clamp Style: Pivotal
Ritchey's Comp Link reimagines the two-bolt post, making it lighter, more compliant, and more versatile than ever. The patented LINK clamp works with all standard saddle rail designs as well as Ritchey Vector Evo rails. - 6061 aluminum 2-piece press-fit construction - Diameters: 27.2 and 31.6mm - Offset: 20mm - Reversible clamp allows for an additional 10mm of fore-aft saddle adjustment - Length: 400mm - 284g (27.2x400mm)
The Salsa Guide Seatpost is designed to blend into the background; just like a good seatpost should. Strong, reliable, and always just where you left it. - 6061 Aluminum shaft - Two-bolt head
The 3D forged and highly adjustable Descendant seatpost is built to do its job so that you can do yours. Set it, forget it, and go harder. - Easy-to-adjust dual bolt head design - Forged and butted 7050 shaft - Forged seat clamps - Max Height: 250mm - Min Height: 40mm - Clamp Style: Standard Rails - Material: Aluminum
The 3D forged and highly adjustable Descendant seatpost is built to do its job so that you can do yours. Set it, forget it, and go harder. - Easy-to-adjust dual bolt head design - Forged and butted 7050 shaft - Forged seat clamps - Max Height: 250mm - Min Height: 40mm - Clamp Style: Standard Rails - Material: Aluminum
The directional butting of the Energy SBS SB20 seatpost's 6066-aluminum shaft gives it thicker walls fore and aft for stiffness and thinner walls at the sides to cut weight. A forged and machined alloy head is bonded to the top of the shaft. - 3D forged and CNC machined AL6066 w/ alloy head - Directionally butted for low weight and additional strength - Chromoly hardware - Clamp Style: Standard Rails
Crafted from 2014 aluminum, Specialized's Pro 2 Alloy MTB Seatpost is tough and light. The laid-back, single-bolt adjusting clamp holds fast and makes attaching and positioning the seat a cinch. And, the anodized finish looks great, too.
The Velo Orange Grand Cru seatpost is made from one piece of aluminum, internally ovalized to trim weight. The Grand Cru seatpost's head is integral with the post – not pressed on – for great strength and weight savings. 0mm Setback: Zero-setback/offset posts are commonly used on mountain bikes and by some bikepackers. The Grand Cru zero setback post uses a one-bolt, ergonomic side-adjustment mechanism for both saddle rail clamping and fore-aft adjustment. 30.2mm Setback: For riders who prefer the comfort of leather saddles but have found proper saddle placement difficult due the short rails on leather saddles Velo Orange offers the Grand Cru Long Setback with an ample 30.2mm of setback. This model uses a two-bolt design.
Zipp's Service Course Seatpost is stiff, light, has excellent gripping power, and the low-profile clamp allows you to slide the saddle extra far back on the rails. The shaft and head are 3D forged from a single piece of light, tough 7075 aluminum, and the clamp even features downward-facing bolts for micro-adjustments to achieve that perfect fit.
Ritchey's Classic Seatpost uses a proven 2-bolt design that provides a class-leading balance between strength, weight, and adjustability. - Ritchey's "Classic" hi-polish silver finish - Two-bolt design for easy to adjust, vise-like grip - Low profile clamp reduces stress on lightweight rails and won't bottom out - Bolts oriented to the axis of the rails for greatest contact area with the saddle - 3D Forged 2014 - Available in 27.2, 30.9 and 31.6mm diameters - Length: 350mm - 25mm offset - 43x38mm cradle - Hi-polish silver finish - 245g (27.2/350mm)
The Elite seatpost is a distilled design guaranteed to deliver reliable everyday performance for years to come. Perfect as a replacement or your next upgrade. With an alloy body and a 2-bolt micro adjust head, this seatpost is available in a slew of diameters, lengths, and offsets to get you the right position. Key features: - 2-bolt micro-adjust head mechanism offers 15 degrees of adjustment - Constructed of 2014 alloy - Forged 6061-T6 alloy head, top and bottom clamps - Unique clamp shape allows for easy saddle changes - Compatible with standard and oversize carbon saddle rails - Suitable for road or mountain use
The Pro PLT seatpost is constructed of strong and lightweight 3D forged AL-7050 and features an innovative 1-bolt clamping system that provides ultra-secure clamping and ease of use.
TruVativ's Stylo T30 Seatpost is constructed with a 1-piece 3D-forged 7050 aluminum tube to be light and strong. The sturdy dual-bolt head provides loads of adjustability so you can fine tune your saddle position.
The EA70 Zero is Easton's top-end aluminum seatpost, with a sleek, low-profile clamp design, impressive stability and great clearance. This post features EA70 TaperWall aluminum tubing coupled with a durable two-bolt integrated head.
The Salsa Guide Deluxe Seatpost is premium aluminum: lightweight, strong, and drama-free. Count on it to be there when you need it. - 2014 Aluminum shaft - Two-bolt head
The Whisky No.7 Seatposts are made from the highest quality materials to be durable, lightweight, and comfortable. Whether you're remounting during the cross race, or abusing them on the trail, you can trust Whisky's seatposts. Available in different diameters and offsets. - Convenient finger adjustment of saddle angle - Unidirectional carbon shaft, forged aluminum head - No rider weight limit - 5 year Whisky warranty - ASTM Condition 3 - For rough off-road riding and jumps less than 24"
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The newly redesigned Trail post offers no-slip saddle engagement and high adjustability by securing the rails with fore and aft bolts. Whether your hitting rough singletrack or remounting in a hurry, this ensures the saddle stays exactly where you want it. - 3D Forged 7050 Construction - Fore/aft adjustment bolts for precision adjustment and secure clamping - Zero offset - Length: 400mm - Finish: Blatte - 240g (27.2x400)
The redesigned Zero post offers no-slip saddle engagement and high adjustability by securing the rails with fore and aft bolts. Whether you're hitting rough singletrack or remounting in a hurry, this ensures the saddle stays exactly where you want it. - 3D Forged 7050 Construction - Fore/aft adjustment bolts for precision adjustment and secure clamping - Zero offset - Length: 400mm - 240g (27.2x400)
Whether it's a cross remount, an unexpected pothole, or a rough line down the trail, the WCS Zero post will not relinquish its position. Featuring a confidence-inspiring extra-secure fore/aft bolt system, the Zero post is second-to-none in ease of installation and fit adjustment. - Fore/aft adjustment bolts for precision adjustment and secure clamping - 3D Forged 2014 Alloy - Offset: Zero - Cradle: Standard saddle rail clamp
- 3D forged from 2014 heat-treated aluminum for optimal strength to weight ratio - Race Face's triple butting design maintains strength in critical areas while reducing overall weight - The tube is anodized & shot peened for increased fatigue life - Updated Hunter head design for easy saddle installation and full adjustability - 3D forged from 2014 heat treated aluminum with triple butted mast - Thumbscrew tightening system allows quick dial-in of the saddle angle by hand - Angled clamp bolts allow easy tool access for hassle free adjustment - Rubber grommet seals the post to prevent water from entering seat tube - Accepts 7/8mm CrMo/alloy and 7/9mm carbon rails. 260g (30.9mm)
- Alloy mast with micro clamp aluminum head - One bolt adjusts tilt and fore-aft saddle position (no-offset clamp) - I-Beam single rail clamp post specific to I-Beam saddles
Sleek design and ultimate functionality of the WCS 1-Bolt seatpost are the hallmarks of Ritchey design. Single bolt-actuated side load clamp offers easy adjustability and simple security in a post that works as nicely as it looks. - 3D Forged 7050 Alloy - Available in 27.2, 30.9 and 31.6mm diameters - Available in 350 and 400mm lengths - 20mm Offset - 7x7mm saddle rail clamp included - Interchangeable clamps available for carbon rail saddles - Saddle Clamp Torque Spec: 12Nm - Finish: Blatte - 195g (27.2/350)
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text: Penn State New Kensington, in conjunction with other Penn State campuses, is participating in a University-wide philanthropy initiative on Thursday, Nov. 15. The second Penn State Day of Philanthropy is intended to raise awareness of private giving's impact on the University and its students. Alumni and friends are encouraged to support the campus by giving online. By designating Penn State New Kensington, gifts benefit the Future Fund at the campus. The Future Fund holds unrestricted gifts that are essential to the continued success of the campus. Chancellor Kevin Snider depends on these flexible resources to address the New Kensington campus' most pressing needs and to create opportunities. These funds are applied to areas with the greatest need, like student aid and academic initiatives. For more information on the event or to give online, visit www.NOV15.psu.edu.


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WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has begun sending Hellfire missiles and surveillance drone aircraft to Iraq to help the government battle an expanding threat from local al-Qaida-affiliated militants, U.S. officials said, the first such assistance since the American withdrawal from Iraq in 2011.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has begun sending Hellfire missiles and surveillance drone aircraft to Iraq to help the government battle an expanding threat from local al-Qaida-affiliated militants, U.S. officials said, the first such assistance since the American withdrawal from Iraq in 2011.
Responding to an appeal from Baghdad, the administration sent 75 air-to-ground Hellfire missiles this month and is preparing to send ScanEagle surveillance drones early next year to counter intensifying attacks by fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, officials said.
Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, said Thursday that the administration "is committed to supporting Iraq in its fight against terrorism" through the Strategic Framework Agreement, a treaty that provides for U.S. security assistance to Iraq.
The extremist group is expanding its grip across Sunni Arab-dominated territory in western Iraq and has driven suicide bombings and other violence to the deadliest levels since 2008. Militants have terrorized towns and shown an ability to reach into the heart of Baghdad.
At least 37 Christians died in the capital in Christmas Day attacks for which the group was blamed.
The Shiite Muslim-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has mobilized a force of tanks and infantry to try to attack the group in its stronghold in Anbar province. But the militants have responded strongly, killing more than a dozen soldiers and their division commander during a raid this month on a training camp.
The American surveillance drones and missiles are intended to help Iraqi forces find and destroy some of the extremist group's camps, U.S. officials said. The Hellfire missiles already have been successfully fired from King Air propeller planes to attack militant camps.
The ScanEagle has more limited range than the armed Predator drones used by U.S. forces in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere, so its arrival will leave Iraq short of a solution, analysts say.
But U.S. officials said they have received no request from Iraq for armed drones. Such a request probably would stir protests from Iraqis, who are sensitive to signs that a country viewed as their former occupier is again meddling.
Iraq has not been able to completely rebuild its air force since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that toppled longtime ruler Saddam Hussein. Most of Iraq's aircraft were destroyed during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
The Obama administration has generally praised the stability of Iraq in recent years. But in recent months, it has voiced concern about the growing strength of the militant groups, a State Department official said.
On Sunday, the State Department issued a statement citing its worries about terrorists "who are seeking to gain control of territory inside the borders of Iraq."
Though the administration has sought to limit its role in the nearby Syrian civil war, it is especially concerned that Sunni extremist groups in Syria and neighboring Iraq could threaten U.S. allies in the region.
Kenneth M. Pollack, a former U.S. official and longtime Iraq analyst, told a House committee this month that violence in Iraq was "multiplying by orders of magnitude," and that the country was on a pace to double its civilian deaths in 2013 compared with 2012.
About 8,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq this year, according to United Nations figures.
Pollack, now with the Brookings Institution's Saban Center, said the regional threat creates a special challenge for Washington because the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq at the end of 2011 has left it with limited influence.


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A solid core of returning veterans enhances one of the largest pre-season women's track and field rosters in recent years as the Flying Dutch seek to challenge for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) championship.
A solid core of returning veterans enhances one of the largest pre-season women's track and field rosters in recent years as the Flying Dutch seek to challenge for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) championship.
A year ago the Flying Dutch finished second in a competitive race with champion Calvin. The Flying Dutch were also honored for their performance in the classroom with academic team honors from the MIAA and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Coach Kevin Cole begins his seventh season with a nucleus of 32 returning letterwinners. The pre-season roster of 66 athletes includes 19 freshmen, 26 sophomores, nine juniors and 12 seniors.
Co-captains of the team are seniors Jacqueline Kirsch of Harbor Beach (Harbor Beach HS), Kelly Lufkin of Houghton (Houghton HS), and Kristen Reschke of Naperville, Ill. (Naperville Central HS).
Returning defending MIAA champions include sophomore Catherine White of Barre, Vt. (Spaulding HS), long jump; senior Katrina Gobrogge of Napoleon, Ohio (Archbold HS), 800-meter run; and junior Sarah Venlet of Zeeland (Holland Christian HS). Returning athletes from defending MIAA relay teams include Catherine White and Sarah Venlet in the 4x100 and Venlet, sophomore Caitlin Schwark of Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton-Warrenville HS) and senior Kate Nelson of Williamston (Williamston HS) in the 4x400.
Kate Nelson has received All-MIAA honors in both cross country and track & field. This past fall sophomore Sheri McCormack of Holland (West Ottawa) received All-MIAA honors in cross country. Teammates Taylor Mattarella of Traverse City (Traverse City Central HS) and Kelly Lufkin were All-MIAA cross country honorees in 2010. Lufkin is the Hope record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase while Sarah Venlet holds the mark in the 400-meter hurdles. Venlet competed at the NCAA Division III championships in the 400-meter hurdles finishing 14th in a school-record time.
Returning athletes who had team-best performances in 2011 include Sarah Venlet, 100 and 200 meters and 400 meter hurdles; Kate Nelson, 800 and 1500 meters; sophomore Camille Borst of Allendale (Allendale HS), 3000 meters; sophomore Meredith Busman of Coopersville (Coopersville HS), 5000 and 10000 meters; Kelly Lufkin, 3000 meter steeplechase; Kristen Reschke, high jump and triple jump; Jacqueline Kirsch, pole vault; Catherine White, long jump; and sophomore Amanda Thomas of South Lyon (South Lyon HS), shot put.
The Gordon M. Brewer outdoor track underwent some major upgrades during the off-season, including an expansion to accommodate the running of the steeplechase and the installation of improved facilities for the hammer throw.


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Action Day at the State House for Transgender Equal Access
Transgender people and their allies are invited to join the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition on Jan. 17 for an Action Day for Transgender Equal Access, at the Massachusetts State House to ask legislators to co-sponsor the Equal Access to Public Accommodations bill.
"Action Day for Equal Access is the opportunity for transgender and allies to reconnect with their legislators and in some cases, meet newly elected policy makers, and provide education on the effects of discrimination on transgender youth, adults and families, as well as local communities," MTPC Executive Director Gunner Scott told EDGE.
The event is intended as an opportunity to urge legislators to co-sponsor the Equal Access to Public Accommodations bill, title and number to be assigned soon. The final version of the 2011 Act Relative to Gender Identity, originally filed as Transgender Equal Rights Bill, passed by the legislature did not include protections within public accommodations section of the nondiscrimination laws.
MTPC and the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition are committed to securing public accommodations protections for transgender youth, adults and families. Examples of public accommodations include healthcare facilities and hospitals, public transit and bus stations, hotels and other places of lodging, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, retail establishments, theaters, museums, libraries, amusement parks and even public streets, highways and sidewalks.
According to the 2009 National Transgender Discrimination survey, 58 percent of Massachusetts' respondents indicated that they had experienced verbal harassment or mistreatment in public accommodations such as restaurants, hotels, airports, and government agents because of their transgender identity.
Scott said that at MTPC, they receive calls and emails from transgender women and men who have been denied entrance to restaurants by staff, told by hotel front desk staff that they were not welcome there, or have had the policed called on them when trying to shop for clothes like any other law abiding customer.
"Places of public accommodations are also places that fulfill some of our most basic needs, such as accessing healthcare in a hospital, buying food in your neighborhood supermarket, or taking a public bus to your job or school," said Scott. "No one should be turned away just because of who they are, including transgender youth and adults."
The Action Day at the State House for Transgender Equal Access will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17 in Suite 167 of the Massachusetts State House. To RSVP, visit http://www.masstpc.org/take-action/current-legislation/legislative-action-day/


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Exalead's search-based business application technology has moved one step closer to consulting giant Capgemini with a new expansion of the company's partnership on a global level. The alliance means that Capgemini has expanded its offering of Exalead application-level technology, which is designed to aggregate and interpret data from high volume disparate sources.
This new global partnership is intended to offer users with a program to interpret structured sources (such as corporate databases) and unstructured sources, such as Office-style documents and emails.
Capgemini claims that these developments will be beneficial not only to business back-office functions, including supply chain management and compliance, but also to front-line customer relationship management functions. For example, it is expected that data could be accessed with the ability to index 100-million documents and process up to 20 queries a second through a single dual-processor service. Time to market for new applications could, potentially, also be reduced from months or years to days and weeks.
"Capgemini was among the first integrators to recognize the powerful collaborative potential of search-based apps in information management," said Alain Cotte, CEO of Exalead. "They've proven themselves adept at addressing every aspect of implementing search based apps and with their deep business and technological expertise, they always bring a fresh perspective to the table."


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The North Carolina Senate on Thursday rolled out its voter identification bill, scaling back the number of acceptable photo IDs to cast a ballot in person starting in 2016 and could make it more difficult for young people to vote.
RALEIGH (AP) � The North Carolina Senate on Thursday rolled out its voter identification bill, scaling back the number of acceptable photo IDs to cast a ballot in person starting in 2016 and could make it more difficult for young people to vote.
The bill sets out seven qualifying forms of photo ID. But they do not include university-issued IDs, like the House allowed for University of North Carolina system and community college students when it passed a bill three months ago.
The Senate also removed from its list those cards issued by local governments, for police, firefighters and other first responders, and for people receiving government assistance. Someone who doesn't present an approved ID could cast a provisional ballot, but would have to return to an elections office with an ID for the vote to count.
�We have tweaked it, tightened (it) up some with the particular IDs that will be accepted,� said Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson and chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, which neither debated nor voted on the measure Thursday.
Potential voters would still be able to get special state identification cards through the Division of Motor Vehicles The cards would be still free for people at least 70 years old, the blind, homeless and people already registered to vote but don't have an acceptable ID. People could use an expired ID card if it was valid when the person was at least 70, too.
�We're willing to pay to get everybody a legitimate ID without them having to pay for it,� Apodaca told reporters.
Democrats and allied groups say a photo ID requirement is unnecessary because current voter fraud laws are strong and there's nothing to indicate that widespread deceit is occurring. They say the mandate would needlessly harm the right to vote among young people, women and minority groups � voting blocs that commonly side with Democrats.
The Senate version of the bill is more onerous than the House edition, said Bob Hall, executive director of election watchdog group Democracy North Carolina. The House version also accepted similar IDs from other states that are no more than 10 years old. Out-of-state driver's licenses, which college students have, also wouldn't be acceptable in the Senate version if the voter had registered more than 90 days before an election.
The students are going to get double-whammied,� Hall said, adding that �you cut out any student ID and any government documents and limit it as narrowly as it does � then it becomes a harsher bill."
Apodaca said the bill would be debated next week as the General Assembly seeks to wrap up this year's only scheduled work session. He said voter ID legislation will get passed before adjournment.
House and Senate Republicans have made passing a photo ID mandate one of their priorities this year. Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, is also on board with the idea. He'd be asked to sign any bill into law. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month means North Carolina wouldn't have to get federal attorneys or a U.S. court to sign off on the changes before they could be enforced.
Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, which shepherded the House version of the bill through the chamber this spring, said there are some differences but is confident they'll create a final product.
�Both chambers remain committed to every person who's eligible to vote being able to vote and participate in the process freely,� Lewis said. �It's all about continuing to improve the confidence in elections.�
The Senate version of the measure would require county boards of elections to send �multipartisan� teams to nursing homes to assist their residents with voting. Apodaca said Senate leaders also want to ensure other people with disabilities can vote.
The Senate bill does direct the State Board of Elections to educate the public on the photo ID requirement but deletes a House provision creating an advisory board to help with the effort. The bill would direct poll workers starting with the May 2014 primary to ask voters if they have a qualifying ID, but they could still vote without one until January 2016.
People seeking absentee ballots by mail would have to provide more identifying information in their requests, but not include any photo identification.
The House bill was projected to cost $3.7 million to carry out. Apodaca didn't have a price tag on the Senate version Thursday.


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Cucumber: Making UATs the healthy choice
My current project team has been eating its vegetables. Has yours?
"Webrat lets you quickly write robust and thorough acceptance tests for a web application." Written in Ruby, Webrat allows acceptance tests to exercise an arbitrary web application through its Selenium integration, or Rails apps without starting a server.
Cucumber allows code to be written in a simple domain specific language (DSL) that anyone can read. Layer Cucumber on top of Webrat and Selenium, and you have User Acceptance Tests (UATs) that the client can read (and ideally write), that the entire development team understands, and which can be run as BDD or regression tests.
Without going into the details of how each of these libraries work, below are some of my notes, tips, and impressions of using Cucumber to write UATs for a greenfield Java EE application over the past ~10 weeks.
- Ideally, each test would run in its own transaction so that they wouldn't interfere with each other and could be run in parallel. Using Cucumber (Ruby) to test a totally separate web application running on Tomcat (Java) presents a problem. The team debated several possible solutions using JRuby and having the Cucumber build spawn an embedded Tomcat instance but decided that the cost outweighed the benefit to the current project.
- Since we were forced to use pure JDBC by our client, we decided to use ActiveRecord migrations to build our tables, and generate SQL which we could re-leverage from our Cucumber tests. Custom creation Webrat steps were written to push setup test data for each model.
- DB2 support with the Ruby ActiveRecord drivers is lacking proper install instructions on Linux (damn thing requries a full DB2 install to run). By leveraging JRuby, we were able to use the DB2 JDBC drivers instead which worked much better (without installing DB2). Getting Cucumber, Webrat, and Selenium running in JRuby took a bit of finesse and shebang wrangling but eventually worked.
- Outputting Cucumber results to a JUnit style XML output made our integration on our Hudson CI server simple and easy to read. (The Chuck Norris plugin helps too)
- We tag each test with a story number (e.g. @10045) so that we can quickly run all tests for a given feature easily: cucumber –tags @10045.
- Our QA lead works to define and write-up our Cucumber tests during pre-iteration planning and before each story enters our work queue (the team uses a modified Kanban board approach to pull work through each iteration, Cucumber is our first queue). When she has a test written, she will tag it with @in-process to let us know that it is ready to be worked on, but not yet implemented.
- We have custom Rake tasks to run all of our "finished" tests as well as just our "in-process" ones. The in-process task will fail if any tests pass (they should be marked as finished). Unfortunately this rake task doesn't work with the Hudson/JUnit build.
- Ongoing issues we still struggle with are:
- making sure that small variations in DSL verbiage don't muddy up our tests (it is easy for the team to accidentally end up with two different commands which do the same or similar actions without a clear distinction)
- cross browser and separate environment testing happens on different dedicated servers on dependent builds so that they don't end up stepping on each other
- as it is with any testing library, care needs to be taken to keep only common tests grouped together and setup/background work common to all tests that NEED it. Pushing too much work into common actions results in slow tests
- Tests are supremely faster and more valuable than manual tests, but are not as fast as JUnit tests and will never replace manual exploratory testing.
Overall the team has been very pleased with our ability to drive our development from the tests and verify that new changes don't break existing functionality from the users' perspectives.
* Another Asynchrony team is working on leveraging Cuke4Duke to do similar testing of a Java thick client. Should be interesting.
Edit: Thanks to Amos King for some proof reading help. You can find his blog over at Dirty Information.


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I have been wanting to start on some 3D printed road vehicles. Initially I am tacking some vehicles related to Scammell lorries. The first is one of the French post war licensed versions of the Scammell Mechanical Horse, made under the name FAR. Not the easiest name to research, but I have found enough to get started.
I have tacked the cab first. I am hoping that the chassis will be virtually the same for all models, possibly even the Scammell versions. I am testing versions in various scales . So far designs in 1/160,1/87,1/75.1/55,1/24 and 1/18. Prices are not as high as feared, so project will continue.


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Marathon Complete!
The DeedGrabber Marathon is over….
Thanks to everyone who participated!
Profit From Tax Delinquent Property NOW!
This little-known source of distressed property is the absolute best way to profit in real estate today. Why? Most properties that are about to enter the tax sale process are free and clear! I'll show you why, and how to profit from them, in this free download!Enter your email address below for FREE Instant Access to my "Underground Tax Sale Strategies" Insider's Guide:
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Its not like youre out of options. Heres one. Another one would be to get a friends iPhone 4 and another friends Galaxy S, put them on a table, close your eyes and tell your friends to bugger off. Or you can do it the old-fashioned way. Flip a what?
Now seriously, do we need another iPhone vs. insert phone of choice thing? Well, do you need Retina display when its more than the human eye can see? Do you need a 4 Super AMOLED when 3.5 wouldve been just fine and easier to handle?
Apple iPhone 4 Samsung I9000 Galaxy S
Yes, well be comparing the best screens in business. But its not even the beginning of what this is all about. Theres not just muscle being flexed here its about ideology too. Its open source Android against control freaks Apple, democracy against the royalty.
And technically, the Samsung Galaxy S is not alone in this fight. Its backed by an army of overseas mercenaries, marching to take on the Apple phone on different markets: Samsung Vibrant, Samsung Captivate and the Epic 4G.
The different call signs aside, we have two of the best phones you can get today and this is not a kill-or-get-killed game. The first thing we try to find out when reviewing phones is who they are for. The tech inside is always exciting but ultimately it all comes down to whether the right users are getting the right treatment.
The specs are the players the phone is the team. You can always tell a star player. But the winning team isnt always the one with the better players. And sometimes you dont even want to look at the score. Thats when we know its been a hell of a game.
Samsung Galaxy S over Apple iPhone 4
- Android 2.1 Éclair, 2.2 Froyo update just around the corner
- 4 SuperAMOLED display with a 15:9 widescreen aspect ratio
- Regular SIM card support
- DivX/XviD video support
- FM radio with RDS
- Notably cheaper
Apple iPhone 4 over Samsung Galaxy S
- iOS 4
- 640 x 960 pixel Retina display
- Scratch-resistant, high-quality glass panels
- LED flash
- Precise movement tracking via a gyro sensor
Its Androids finest against the iPhone but thats how we tend to look at it on our side of the pond. The truth is, there are meaner and keener droids out there. The Motorola DROID X and the HTC Evo 4G are obviously not part of our story but are the kind of phones to merit a place in history.
Anyway, theres enough firepower here even without the US heavyweights. Screen and OS are the most powerful weapons of both the Galaxy S and the iPhone 4. SuperAMOLED came first and impressed the world but now the Retina display is claiming the crown.
With platforms its a mirrored image of the same events: iOS (known as iPhone OS at the time), redefined touchscreen usability but Android claims to have leapfrogged it with Froyo.
To further complicate things, even absolutely identical specs dont produce the same performance. The cameras on both devices may look similar but the rival camps took a completely different approach to processing that holds true for both still imaging and video recording.
At times, it will look like the Galaxy S is competing against a first-gen iPhone. There are still things Apple will never bother put in their phones. Elsewhere, the Samsung Galaxy S might find it hard to match the stature and eloquence of the iPhone. Thats how we like it though punches flying both ways. Be right back.


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Items where Author is "Khattram, Sukhjinder"
|Up a level
Group by: Item Type | Uncontrolled Keywords | No Grouping
Jump to: Article
Number of items: 1.
Turk, Vicky, Leer, Geoffrey, Burchell, Sarah, Khattram, Sukhjinder, Corney, Roslyn and Rowlands, Gill (2011) Adults with intellectual disabilities and their carers as researchers and participants in a RCT. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25 (1). pp. 1-10. ISSN 1360-2322 (Print), 1468-3148 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-3148.2011.00643.x)


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valenciaburch brauchte ein neues Print oder Verpackung Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 107 Designs von 20 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
(Title)Pretty Is As Pretty Does (Subtitle)Empowering Teen Girls and Young Women to Build Self Esteem
This is my second book. My first book was Stop Ho-N: The Redemption of a Woman's Worth. I have a passion, purpose, and ministry to help girls, young and mature women to recognize their value and develop positive self appraisals. I aspire to do this through developing interactive guides that encourage accountability and help readers define measurable and obtainable goals to improve their relationships with self, personally and professionally.
My target audience are 13-21 year old girls and young women. They are in need of guidance to explore the physical, emotional, and social aspects of growing up. The support and encouragement of this process will be reinforced by an examination of the parallels of a young woman's transformation through stages of development to that of a butterfly; from larva to butterfly. The book will be written in 4 modules: The Butterfly Potential, The Butterfly Effect, The Butterfly Garden, and the Butterfly Migration
1. Book will be standard 5x8
2. Book cover should be able to be legible in tiny size such as those used for Kindle displays on Amazon - cover design should delivere the message in minature format
3. Something whimsical looking - fanstasy style like attached example
4.) author is open to all artistic styles
5) would like butterfly/butterflies incorporated into the design
6) strong desire for butterfly winged woman to be in design, but not mandatory
7) see http://www.writesideout.com/cover%2017.htm (good illustration of desired book cover)


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WASHINGTON – Leaders from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. EPA, GSA, and U.S. Postal Service, along with electronics industry stakeholders, will hold a meeting on Monday, August 4, 2014 to discuss progress on the National Strategy on Electronics Stewardship and participation in the U.S. Postal Service BlueEarth/font> Federal Recycling Program.
Following President Obama's 2010 call for a taskforce on electronics stewardship, Federal agencies, in collaboration with other country's governments, academia and the electronics industry, started a collaborative effort to establish a sustainable electronics stewardship strategy. Involved federal agencies have achieved many of the goals set out in the 2011 National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship. These accomplishments are outlined in a document released today: Moving Sustainable Electronics Forward: An Update to the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship.
The U.S. Postal Service BlueEarth/font> Federal Recycling Program is available to participating federal agencies and their employees to send used electronics through the mail to a certified electronics recycler at no cost to the agencies. In 2013, approximately 973,000 federal employees and contractors were eligible to participate in the USPS BlueEarth Federal Recycling Program. With the recent participation of additional agencies, the program may now reach a potential of more than 1.7 million eligible federal employees and contractors.
Kate Brandt, Federal Environmental Executive, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Lisa Feldt, Associate Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Kevin Kampschroer, Deputy Senior Sustainability Official, U.S. General Services Administration
Tom Day, Chief Sustainability Officer, U.S. Postal Service
WHAT: National Strategy on Electronics Stewardship Accomplishments
WHERE: U.S. Postal Service Headquarters, Ben Franklin Room, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington D.C.
WHEN: Monday August 4, 2014, 10:00am EDT
HOW: To participate, RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com by 5pm EDT August 1, 2014. Due to security procedures, only media attendees that have sent an RSVP will be admitted into the event.


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Formats and tools
- Unit Description
- Reconstruct the unit from the xml and display it as an HTML page.
- Assessment Tool
- an assessor resource that builds a framework for writing an assessment tool
- Assessment Template
- generate a spreadsheet for marking this unit in a classroom environment. Put student names in the top row and check them off as they demonstrate competenece for each of the unit's elements and performance criteria.
- Assessment Matrix
- a slightly different format than the assessment template. A spreadsheet with unit names, elements and performance criteria in separate columns. Put assessment names in column headings to track which performance criteria each one covers. Good for ensuring that you've covered every one of the performance criteria with your assessment instrument (all assessement tools together).
- Wiki Markup
- mark up the unit in a wiki markup codes, ready to copy and paste into a wiki page. The output will work in most wikis but is designed to work particularly well as a Wikiversity learning project.
- Evidence Guide
- create an evidence guide for workplace assessment and RPL applicants
- Competency Mapping Template
- Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners. A template for developing assessments for a unit, which will help you to create valid, fair and reliable assessments for the unit, ready to give to trainers and students
- Observation Checklist
- create an observation checklist for workplace assessment and RPL applicants. This is similar to the evidence guide above, but a little shorter and friendlier on your printer. You will also need to create a seperate Assessor Marking Guide for guidelines on gathering evidence and a list of key points for each activity observed using the unit's range statement, required skills and evidence required (see the unit's html page for details)
- Self Assessment Survey
- A form for students to assess thier current skill levels against each of the unit's performance criteria. Cut and paste into a web document or print and distribute in hard copy.
- Moodle Outcomes
- Create a csv file of the unit's performance criteria to import into a moodle course as outcomes, ready to associate with each of your assignments. Here's a quick 'how to' for importing these into moodle 2.x
- Registered Training Organisations
- Trying to find someone to train or assess you? This link lists all the RTOs that are currently registered to deliver UETTDRTS23A, 'Conduct evaluation of power system substation faults'.
- Google Links
- links to google searches, with filtering in place to maximise the usefulness of the returned results
- Books
- Reference books for 'Conduct evaluation of power system substation faults' on fishpond.com.au. This online store has a huge range of books, pretty reasonable prices, free delivery in Australia *and* they give a small commission to ntisthis.com for every purchase, so go nuts :)
Elements and Performance Criteria
Plan for the evaluation of power system events
OHS practices/procedures and Environmental and sustainable energy procedures, which may influence the evaluation of power system failures, are reviewed and determined.
Purpose of the evaluation of power system events, are established after data is analysed and expected outcomes of the work are confirmed with the appropriate personnel.
Organisational established procedures on policies and specifications for the evaluation of power system failures are obtained or established with the appropriate personnel.
Testing procedures are discussed with/directed to the appropriate personnel in order to ascertain the project brief.
Testing parameters are established from organisational established procedures on policies and specifications.
Equipment/tools and personal protective equipment are selected based on specified Performance Criteria and established procedures.
Work roles and tasks are allocated according to requirements and individuals' competencies.
Work is prioritised and sequenced for the most efficient/effective outcome, completed within an acceptable timeframe to a quality standard and in accordance with established procedures.
Liaison and communication issues with other/authorised personnel, authorities, clients and land owners are resolved and activities coordinated to carry out work.
Risk control measures are identified, prioritised and evaluated against the work schedule.
Relevant work permits are secured to coordinate the performance of work according to requirements and/or established procedures.
Carry out the evaluation of power system events
Circuit/systems modelling is used to evaluate alternative proposals as per established procedures.
OHS and sustainable energy principles, functionality and practices to reduce the incidents of accidents and minimise waste are incorporated into the project in accordance with requirements and/or established procedures.
Following evaluation of power system events, decisions are made on the basis of safety and effective outcomes according to requirements and/or established procedures.
Mathematical and /or engineering models of the evaluation of power system events are used to analyse the effectiveness of the finished project as per requirements and established procedures.
Technical advice is given regarding potential hazards, safety risks and control measures so that monitoring and preventative action can be undertaken and/or appropriate authorities consulted, where necessary, in accordance with requirements and established procedures.
Essential knowledge and associated skills are applied to analyse specific data and compare it with compliance specifications to ensure completion of the project within an agreed timeframe according to requirements.
Testing of power system is undertaken according to requirements and established procedures.
Work teams/groups are arranged/coordinated/evaluated to ensure planned goals are met according to established procedures.
Solutions to non-routine problems are identified and actioned, using acquired essential knowledge and associated skills, according to requirements.
Quality of work is monitored against personal performance agreement and/or established organisational and professional standards.
Strategic plans are developed incorporating organisation initiatives as per established procedures.
Complete the evaluation of power system events
Final evaluation of all relevant data pertaining to the power system event is undertaken to ensure the recommendations comply with all requirements and include all specifications and documentations needed to complete the project.
Appropriate personnel are notified of completion and reports and/or completion documents are finalised/commissioned.
Reports and/or completion documents are submitted to relevant personnel/organisations for approval and, where applicable, statutory or regulatory approval.
Approved copies of the evaluation of power system event documents are issues and records are updated in accordance with established procedures.


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TUSCUMBIA, AL – Flexco® announced that it has earned FloorScore® indoor air quality certification from Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), the leading environmental certifier in the United States.
Developed by the Resilient Floor Covering Institute, FloorScore tests and certifies hard surface flooring and flooring adhesive products for compliance with rigorous indoor air quality emissions requirements. Individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are evaluated using health-based specifications.
"After reviewing where we stood as far as our green efforts and meeting LEED® requirements on most of our product line, we felt that it was just the next step for us to take in our initiative to maintain our place in the market as one of the leading floor covering providers," says Melissa Quick, FLEXCO marketing coordinator. "SCS tested our products and audited our manufacturing practices to see how our products stacked up. After careful review and consideration we were awarded the FloorScore certificates for our product line."
Products bearing the FloorScore label meet the indoor air emissions criteria of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating Systems, and the Green Guide for Health Care.
Flexco (www.flexco.com) has three manufacturing facilities with a distribution warehouse in Tuscumbia, Alabama, from where all of its products are shipped from. The company carries a wide variety of floor covering products to cover any type of application, from the most widely abused floors of the health care and education industry to the retail and hospitality community. For more information or to find the Flexco certified products, visit www.scscertified.com/products.


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Ashlee Baracy: 'My dad holds a special place in my heart'
DETROIT – My dad has such a special place in my heart for so many reasons. When I was a little girl, he would take me everywhere with him. I had my own hockey stick that I would play with when he would play floor hockey and a miniature tool belt that I wore when he took me to work with him. I have always admired his hard work ethic.
More importantly, we have always had a close bond, which grew stronger when my mom was going through treatment for cancer nearly ten years ago.
My favorite memory was sitting next to him after my mom came out of surgery from her mastectomy and he looked her in the eyes and told her how beautiful she was and how much he loved her. That moment epitomizes the kind of man my father is and how blessed I am to call him my dad. As I have grown up, he has been my biggest supporter and fan.
My most recent favorite memories are seeing him run with my mom to the edge of the Miss Michigan stage when I won and watching them both jump up and down in excitement with tears in their eyes and of course spending football Saturdays in the Big House with him cheering on the maize and blue. I love my dad!
Copyright 2012 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Dr. M. Daniel Lane, a retired Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researcher, biochemist and esteemed teacher who studied the body's chemical processes that affect hunger, died of myeloma April 10 at the Charlestown Retirement Community. The former Mount Washington resident was 83.
Colleagues said he typically arrived at his classroom at 6 a.m. and filled numerous sliding blackboards with notes for the day's material. These became known as the "Lane Lectures."
Dr. Paul Rothman, chief executive officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine and dean of the medical faculty, called Dr. Lane "a premier scientist and one of our most cherished colleagues."
He said that Dr. Lane made contributions within biochemistry and helped researchers understand the work of enzymes, which are the proteins that facilitate nearly all of the body's biochemical processes.
Dr. Lane also made discoveries related to how the body makes and uses fats, how different types of fat cells come about, and which chemical signals determine when we feel hungry and full, said a Hopkins statement.
"His formal teaching skills were unmatched," said Dr. Rothman. "Every physician who trained at Johns Hopkins from 1970 until 2006, when he formally stopped teaching, remembers the 'Lane Lectures' in metabolism."
Dr. Thomas August, a retired Hopkins scientist and colleague, said in an email, "He made numerous seminal contributions to our understanding of enzymology. ... His work had a profound influence on the current problem of the obesity epidemic and the enzymatic mechanisms governing the interactions of carbohydrates (sugars) and lipids (fat)."
Born in Chicago, Dr. Lane was the son of Malcolm Daniel Lane, an accountant for the Chicago Tribune, whose family arrived in Anne Arundel County in the 1650s, and Helga Nielsen Lane, a homemaker and YMCA worker.
He earned undergraduate and master's degrees at Iowa State University and a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While at Iowa State, he met his future wife, Patricia Sonquist, at a mixer. The couple later worked closely at Hopkins and she introduced new students to Baltimore.
"My parents worked together. They were a real team," said his daughter, Claudia Lane of Baltimore.
After graduation, Dr. Lane joined the faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Va., and later served in the biochemistry department at New York University. Dr. Lane was a collaborator in the laboratory of Nobel Prize winner Feodor Lynen at the Max-Planck Institute in Munich, Germany.
In 1969, he joined the Hopkins faculty in what was known as the Department of Physiological Chemistry. He became department head in 1978 and changed its name to the Department of Biological Chemistry.
"He truly mastered the art of recognizing talent with long-lasting potential and helping to nurture it to full maturity," said Pierre A. Coulombe, a Hopkins colleague.
"He ran a great department and he was a much beloved director," said Dr. Daniel M. Raben, professor of biological chemistry. "Dan was fair and nurturing to younger scientists and graduate students. He was also not afraid to draw a sword to defend somebody."
Hopkins colleagues said Dr. Lane mentored Dr. Peter Agre, the winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of aquaporins.
"Dan was very generous to fledgling young scientists," said Dr. Agre, a Towson resident, who is the Hopkins director of the Malaria Research Institute. "Dan's support and guidance were pivotal, landing me the 2003 Nobel Prize in chemistry."
After stepping down as department director in 1997, Dr. Lane still taught and conducted research. He published more than 320 articles in scientific journals.
In 2001, he was named a University Distinguished Service Professor, the school's highest academic title. He was named an emeritus professor in 2008. He then closed his laboratory.
He held numerous memberships in scientific organizations.
In 2012, at the age of 81, he skippered his boat on a 450-mile sea voyage from the Chesapeake Bay to Martha's Vineyard to go fishing.
"He looked for challenges," said his daughter. "He put all his energy into whatever he did."
Services are private.
In addition to his daughter, survivors include a son, M. Daniel Lane Jr. of London; a sister, Alice Lane White of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. His wife of 59 years, an environmental activist, died in 2010.