text:
Rather than being designed to the demands of aerodynamics, the GT-R sculpts the air to its needs – becoming a force of nature as much as a force to be reckoned with.
Larger grille openings allow more cooling air to key components. Reshaping the front fascia helps direct air around the front wheel wells, reducing drag.
Redesigning the GT-R's side skirts helps prevent air flow from being drawn underneath the vehicle, allowing for more consistent downforce and grip. The area around the C-pillar has been refined to reduce turbulence, and to help accelerate air flow toward the rear of the body.
The rear of the GT-R's rear fascia has been extended at the sides to accelerate air away from the back of the bumper, helping to pull hot gases away, to cool the exhaust.
The head lamps feature four LED units to create an extremely natural light, featuring Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) that automatically adapts the angle of the light beam according to the speed of the car. At highway speeds, actuators in the head lamp unit adjust the angle of the projectors to project the light farther.
The Nissan GT-R boasts tail lamps that reach iconic status. They are synonymous with Nissan GT-R, if only for the fact that people are used to seeing them as you leave them in the dust.
Fanatical attention to detail. On GT-Rs finished in Super Silver, a craftsman uses both hand and eyes to inspect the body of the GT-R. To bring out any imperfections, three different light sources – fluorescent, halogen and diluted flood lighting – are used to see various types of qualities in the paint as if it were at night, daylight or simply under intense scrutiny.
Vibration testing, laser measurements, and comprehensive inspections by experienced specialists are performed on every Nissan GT-R to ensure long-term functionality.
A tradition of craftsmanship makes the GT-R a supercar that will take your breath away – even when sitting still.
Turn an air vent that was studied, designed, and developed by a quality expert to operate flawlessly for years. Rotate a switch that's been subtly etched on the outside to enhance its feel. Or let your eyes travel across a dashboard that comes from a single Nappa leather hide, hand-selected for tone, and free of even the smallest imperfection. This is attention to detail bordering on obsession.
Available leather appointments on the centre console, door panels, and shift lever surround you in comfort, while hand-stitching and available semi-aniline leather on the seats are a tactile and visual feast.
Enhancing the way you get information lets you focus on what matters most – the pure enjoyment of the drive.
The Display Commander lets you dial in your world, allowing you to control key functions through GT-R's multi-touch screen. By rotating the dial, or pushing it to the left or right, you can scroll through all menus, and move selections around the screen.
The combination meter uses meshing gears as its motif. The tachometer is placed in the centre, with the large-scale shift indicator on the upper right, supporting the driver with immediate readability when driving on the circuit.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem, but we are going to be led today by a special group. The Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda will join us in the gallery.
[Members sang the national anthem]
House of Commons Hansard #45 of the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was french.
2:05 p.m.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem, but we are going to be led today by a special group. The Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda will join us in the gallery.
[Members sang the national anthem]
Lunar New YearStatements By Members
2:05 p.m.
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, I send warm greetings to Canadians celebrating Lunar New Year. This year we enter the Year of the Rat, an animal traditionally associated with discipline, hard work and material success.
During this special time of year, Canadians of Asian heritage will join their families and friends in feasts and celebration.
As the Prime Minister said when attending a Lunar New Year event last year, Canada "is a country in which what you've done and where you're going matter more than who you are or where you're from, a country united at home and respected abroad, a country unwavering in its commitment to freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law; in short, a country of which we can all be proud".
I encourage all Canadians to use the Lunar New Year period to celebrate the tremendous contributions that members of the Asian community have made to this country's rich and diverse heritage.
I hope the Year of the Rat fulfills its promise and brings all Canadians health, wealth and happiness.
Black History MonthStatements By Members
2:05 p.m.
Judy Sgro Liberal York West, ON
Mr. Speaker, February is Black History Month.
This is a time to celebrate the many achievements and contributions of black Canadians, who throughout history have done so much to make Canada such a culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation.
Today we are delighted to welcome to Parliament Hill young guests from the Children's Breakfast Clubs, a non-profit charitable organization that believes every child is entitled to a nutritious breakfast.
An estimated 4,000 meals are served each week in the more than 20 clubs across the greater Toronto area.
After question period today, all members are invited to a reception in Room 200, West Block with the Committee on Community, Race and Ethnic Relations of Toronto, where this year's Black History Month poster will be presented to all members.
Supply ManagementStatements By Members
February 6th, 2008 / 2:05 p.m.
Ève-Mary Thaï Thi Lac Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, the chair of the WTO's negotiating group on agriculture is about to release a report on the modalities for agriculture. The Bloc Québécois shares the concerns of supply managed producers.
Tomorrow, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food will address the milk producers who are currently holding their AGM in Ottawa. He is to confirm that the government plans on respecting the full unanimous motion of the Bloc Québécois. The Bloc fought alongside Quebec producers to use article XXVIII in order to limit milk protein imports and to guarantee the protection of supply management.
The Conservative government's attacks on the Canadian Wheat Board have made us very vigilant. Quebec producers can count on the Bloc Québécois to keep fighting.
Social HousingStatements By Members
2:05 p.m.
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Mr. Speaker, 1.8 million Canadians cannot afford proper housing and 300,000 Canadians, including 20,000 children, are homeless.
This is a national disaster and a disaster for women. The government is failing ordinary Canadians. Women and children in Canada are disproportionately affected by the housing crisis.
One in five families with children is led by a single woman and 42% of these families experience housing affordability problems, while 72% of senior women cannot afford adequate housing.
Canada is the only industrialized country with no national housing program.
In January, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, led by Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best and Mayor Sam Sullivan, released an action plan to end homelessness and deliver affordable housing.
New Democrats applaud this report and call on the government to allocate an additional 1% of the federal budget toward social housing.
2010 Olympic and Paralympic GamesStatements By Members
2:05 p.m.
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, we are joined today by John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Paralympian Ray Grassi, Olympian Jayna Hefford and Bell Olympian Jeff Bean.
Two years from now, the Olympic flame will be lit in Vancouver.
Around the world, three billion people will be watching Canada as we host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
That flame will shine a light on our country like never before, giving us a once in a generation opportunity to share our athletic and creative excellence.
It will also give us an opportunity to honour our aboriginal heritage and to present the very best of Canada to the whole world.
The Vancouver 2010 Games are Canada's Games.
I would like to invite all Canadians to join us in welcoming the people of the world in a spirit of peace, brotherhood and respect.
The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a time to celebrate, cheer our athletes to gold and show the world the best of Canada.
Black History MonthStatements By Members
2:05 p.m.
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, 2008 marks the 175th anniversary of the act to abolish slavery in the British Empire.
It is also 12 years since the Hon. Jean Augustine introduced a motion in the House that declared February Black History Month in Canada.
It is time to celebrate the unique contributions of great Canadians such as Lincoln Alexander, former lieutenant governor of Ontario; Alvin Curling, the former Speaker at Queen's Park; and, naturally, jazz legend Oscar Peterson, who will be sadly missed by all Canadians and in fact the entire music world.
Unfortunately, in the past two years that the Conservative government has been in power, little has been done to advance the cause of pluralism and multiculturalism in Canada. That is why it is so important to recognize these great citizens of Canada.
On behalf of all Canadians and the people of Don Valley East, I invite all parliamentarians and staff to join us after question period in Room 200, West Block in celebration of Black History Month.
Government PoliciesStatements By Members
2:05 p.m.
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
Mr. Speaker, two years ago on February 6, 2006, our Conservative government was sworn in. Today, we continue to deliver positive results for Canadians.
Two years ago, our Prime Minister said, "We will build on the shared achievements of Canadians--past and present--to keep our country strong, united, independent and free".
With his strong leadership, this Conservative government is working together with Canadians to build a better Canada. By setting focused priorities, we continue to pursue an agenda of clear goals with real results.
Unlike our opponents, we choose to govern, not to rule. Our country has seen that leadership without service is self-serving, just as leadership without priorities goes nowhere.
Today, our government is more accountable, our economy is stronger, and our country is more united. Canada is back. Happy anniversary.
Suicide Prevention Week in QuebecStatements By Members
2:10 p.m.
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
Mr. Speaker, this week is suicide prevention week in Quebec. The theme is "Open your eyes", which encourages people to pay attention and to eliminate taboos.
Although the suicide rate in Quebec is falling, it is still higher than in other provinces. Even more alarming is the fact that the suicide rate is even higher among first nations and members of the armed forces.
The suicide rate among aboriginals is three times higher than in the general population, and among aboriginal youth, it is five times higher.
Four percent of military personnel who served in Kandahar have thoughts of suicide, and 4.6% suffer from serious depression. In 2006, 10 soldiers committed suicide during their military service.
The Bloc Québécois is urging the government to open its eyes and take action to put an end to the psychological distress experienced by military personnel and aboriginals.
The Conservative PartyStatements By Members
2:10 p.m.
Steven Blaney Conservative Lévis—Bellechasse, QC
Mr. Speaker, today, after two years, I would like to congratulate my Conservative colleagues, who are addressing the real issues that Quebeckers truly care about.
The softwood lumber dispute, which only deteriorated under the Liberal-Bloc regime, is finally over. We said yes to $8 billion in tax relief for the manufacturing sector. Yes to $1.3 billion for research in science and technology. Yes to a green plan with concrete targets, restrictive standards and more than $5 billion for renewable energy. Yes to $190 billion in tax relief for families and seniors. Yes to supply management with concrete action and not just rhetoric.
Meanwhile, the Bloc rambles on, endlessly criticizing and offering no concrete record of action for Quebeckers.
As everyone can see, while the Bloc Québécois blows every which way, advocating first one thing and then the very opposite, the Conservatives are thinking about the real interests of all Quebeckers and all Canadians.
Government PoliciesStatements By Members
2:10 p.m.
Roger Valley Liberal Kenora, ON
Mr. Speaker, today marks two years of broken promises by the Conservative government. The government started off promising to be squeaky clean and to achieve five priorities. Instead, it opted for mismanagement and harpocracy. Here are some examples.
The government broke an election promise not to tax income trusts, resulting in a loss to Canadians of $25 billion and counting.
The finance minister flip-flopped on the disastrous interest deductibility measure.
The government gutted 92% of funding for climate change programs and then repackaged them with new names, less money and less commitment.
The government broke an election promise to honour the $5.1 billion Kelowna accord.
The government turned back the clock on women's equality by removing the word "equality" from the mandate of the women's program.
The government broke an election promise to create 125,000 new child care spaces.
After two years of harpocracy and two years of broken promises, this is not a happy anniversary.
Tackling Violent Crime ActStatements By Members
2:10 p.m.
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Mr. Speaker, another week has passed and again I am forced to question why the leader of the official opposition allows his Liberal colleagues in the Senate to block passage of a bill offering free legal protection for Canadian families.
Bill C-2 was passed in the House of Commons after a month of debate. However, after 69 days in the Senate, the bill is not even close to being passed.
MADD Canada's national president said today, "We plead with the Senators in the Committee and in the Chamber, don't delay passing Bill C-2".
The Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness also called on the Senate to move the bill quickly through the upper chamber. It stated, "It is essential to ongoing public safety and the maintenance of continued citizen confidence in the Canadian criminal justice system that this legislation be quickly passed".
Despite the support of these organizations, the Liberal Premier of Ontario and ordinary Canadians, the official opposition leader's weak leadership continues while his Liberal senators stall and delay.
Member for Vancouver KingswayStatements By Members
2:10 p.m.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, a little over two years ago a then Liberal candidate said:
If they get elected, they are going to begin a massive review of programs and a massive set of cuts to government programs....I'm going to be [the Prime Minister's] worst enemy.
However, two years ago today, the former Liberal MP for Vancouver Kingsway betrayed his constituents and Canadians by becoming a non-elected Conservative MP. It was only the beginning of a long career of broken promises.
As the minister of trade betrayals, he signed a softwood lumber sellout that rewarded U.S. producers with $1 billion in the proceeds of trade crime so far and cost over 10,000 lost jobs here. He has pursued a sellout with South Korea that guts the Canadian auto industry. He was out-negotiated by the tiny state of Liechtenstein and sold out Canada's shipbuilding industry to EFTA. He is selling out Canadian values of justice and human rights by pushing an agreement with Colombia, with the worst human rights record in the western hemisphere.
Betrayals, sellout, he sure is consistent. What a shame.
The Conservative GovernmentStatements By Members
2:15 p.m.
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, this is a pretty dismal second anniversary, I would say, for the Conservative government. For a party that ran on a platform of accountability and trustworthiness, it has a long record of broken promises and missed opportunities.
This government had promised to respect official languages, something that is at the heart of our identity. Since taking office, however, the Conservatives have launched attack upon attack on bilingualism. They have cancelled the court challenges program and weakened bilingualism both on military bases and in the armed forces in general.
The Conservatives had promised to maintain the level of funding for the Canada Council once elected, but we soon found out that culture matters little to this government, which quickly cut the budgets of museums, assistance programs and international initiatives.
When it comes to defending the fundamental elements of our culture, which define our distinct identity, the Conservatives have not hesitated to renege on their promises. And that is something the Canadian people will remember.
SeniorsStatements By Members
2:15 p.m.
Raymond Gravel Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, over the past ten years, the various governments in office have put a total of $95 billion toward the debt, without prior debate in the House. Yet, over the years, in excess of $3 billion has been siphoned away from seniors. Even more despicable is the fact that the member who, when he was in opposition, was a strong and very vocal advocate for seniors, is now turning a deaf ear and is not doing anything to help those seniors who have glaring needs. The Bloc Québécois is asking the government to fully repay the seniors who were adversely affected by the poor management of the guaranteed income supplement program.
The poorest of our seniors are truly doing an incredible feat by surviving on what little money the government is giving them. It is terribly ungracious on the government's part to announce billions in surpluses, while leaving the needy to choose between getting adequate food and adequate clothing.
Seniors will remember that, and the Bloc Québécois will make sure they do.
Foreign AffairsStatements By Members
2:15 p.m.
Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON
Mr. Speaker, two years have gone by since the government was elected and it has been two years of Conservative neglect of a litany of consular cases of Canadians abroad.
It has also been two years since Brenda Martin has been languishing in a Mexican prison. For two years, Brenda's rights under international law, and even under Mexico's own constitution, have been ignored and for two years, the Conservative government has done nothing.
Yesterday, in a meeting between the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Brenda's lawyer and her close friend since high school, a promise to speak with Brenda via phone from her prison cell was not kept.
What would it have taken for the minister to tell Brenda Martin that everything was being done to gain her release? What would it have taken for the minister to comfort an innocent woman who feels that her government has indeed abandoned her?
As Canadians look at the two years in office of the Conservatives, let them also take time to wonder about Brenda's two years behind bars and the other cases that this inept government has clearly failed to address.
Tackling Violent Crime ActStatements By Members
2:15 p.m.
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to highlight the unacceptable actions of the Liberals concerning a matter of great importance, the tackling violent crime bill.
Today the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation added its voice to those calling for the tackling violent crime bill to be passed immediately in the Senate. It said, "We call upon all members of the Canadian Senate to do the right thing for all Canadians and pass this legislation without delay".
Canadians want the Liberal leader to show some leadership and have his Liberal senators pass this crime bill now.
As the father of five children, I and other Canadians like me want to see the age of protection raised from 14 years old to 16 years old in order to protect our children from sexual predators. Increasing the age of protection is part of the tackling violent crime bill and it is being blocked by the Liberal dominated Senate.
Shame on the opposition leader. Shame on the Liberal Party. Shame on the Liberal dominated Senate for delaying and obstructing a bill that concerns the safety of our children.
Community DevelopmentOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec
Stéphane Dion LiberalLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, leadership demands honesty. Yesterday when I asked the Prime Minister why he tried to blackmail Canadian workers and families by linking his aid package to the budget, he claimed that the link he made was not with the budget, but with the return of Parliament.
Everybody knows this answer is false. It was with the budget.
Does the Prime Minister not understand that the reason Canadians are more and more uncomfortable with him is that they rightly believe they are entitled to have trust in their Prime Minister?
Community DevelopmentOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
Calgary Southwest Alberta
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, in January the government made an important announcement of a $1 billion fund, which is important for Canadian communities and workers. We said that we needed budgetary approval. We also, when the House returned, offered to the opposition the possibility of passing this earlier, which all parties of the House did earlier this week.
This has been welcomed across the country, including by his friend, the Liberal Premier of Ontario.
I do not know why, when Parliament is actually working together to accomplish something, the Leader of the Opposition would bring petty partisan politics back into it.
HealthOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec
Stéphane Dion LiberalLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, leadership requires honesty and also competence. Let us examine the incompetence of this government in the case of Chalk River.
The Minister of Natural Resources could have prevented the crisis months ago but did nothing about it. The government put the business interests of a company ahead of the safety of Canadians. The government could have done much more to locate sources of the isotopes and cover the shortfall. The evidence is mounting.
Does the Prime Minister realize that his government's incompetence was the cause of the isotope crisis?
HealthOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
Calgary Southwest Alberta
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, this potential isotope crisis was very serious for the health system. That is why the government took action with the support of all parties in this House. This is an important matter affecting the health of Canadians.
I regret that later, when the Leader of the Opposition returned abroad, they decided to change their position. But it was the right decision for Canadians' health.
AfghanistanOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec
Stéphane Dion LiberalLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, leadership calls for honesty and competence, and also for rising above partisanship.
When the time comes for the Prime Minister to open the debate on Afghanistan, will he stop misleading Canadians about the mission? Will he stop hiding the truth about the mission? Will he stop excusing the incompetence of his ministers? Will he stop insulting Canadians who are asking legitimate questions about the mission?
AfghanistanOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
Calgary Southwest Alberta
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the decision and the mission in Afghanistan are very important for Canada. This mission is being conducted under the United Nations mandate with our NATO allies, at the request of the democratically elected government of Afghanistan. It is a very important mission for us, for the morale of our troops and for our security. The decision is very important.
The government has every intention of being very clear with Canadians, just as the former deputy prime minister has been clear with Canadians. The choice is clear. We either stay and do the job with our military in Afghanistan or we leave. We believe we should get more commitments from our allies and stay.
AfghanistanOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
Michael Ignatieff Liberal Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON
Mr. Speaker, for two years, there has been mounting criticism of the Prime Minister's failure to lead in Afghanistan.
This week we learned the Prime Minister has finally, at the eleventh hour, begun to call NATO countries to ask for much needed assistance for our troops. He should have made those calls last year, and we said so.
Why did it take a year, with the deadline fast approaching, for the Prime Minister to realize the urgency of the situation and take responsibility—
AfghanistanOral Questions
2:25 p.m.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The right hon. Prime Minister.


text:
Hmmm...I seem to have a problem with adware on my computer.
Normally I tend to keep my computer very clean of adware. There was an incident about a year ago where I got hit pretty hard and it took me about 3 days of heavy searching, scanning, cleaning, etc. to get it all off. Since then I have relatively adware free.
I have Google's Toolbar which is very nice because it blocks popups (I use IE6), so popups havent been a problem at all for a long time.
Until recently...recently I noticed a sudden influx of popups on my computer. I found it very odd considering I had the Google Toolbar turned on. So of course I began to do the standard checks for adware, viruses, etc. on my computer.
I have run Ad-Aware on my computer at least 20 times in the past week. Every time it finds something I make sure to quarintine, but now it is finding nothing. Everything seems to be quarintined. I would still get the pop-ups, however.
So then I decided to do a virus scan. I scanned using TrendMicro virus scanner. It found one virus in one file, cleaned it, and found nothing else. I still receive pop-ups, however.
Then other things began to happen. The Windows Media Player shortcut was misteriously deleted from my start menu, and I could not run Windows Media Player at all until yesterday when I managed to get it open once.
Then the IE icon changed to the old IE4 icon, however, it has since then changed back to the new IE6 icon. For those of you not familiar with the differences, it is mainly the color.
Then my homepage was randomly changed to another website, twice. I have of course changed it back to my normal homepage manually, but it is bound to happen again.
Of course I have run Ad-Aware and virus scanning software several times now. They cannot find a thing. Everything they initially found has been cleaned.
Any ideas on what I could do?


text:
ComicsAlliance Celebrates Becky Burdocktober!
Rocktober? Shocktober? Mohawktober? Here at ComicsAlliance, we just can't decide what we want to celebrate this month, so we're bringing you a different monthly theme every day! Today, we're heading across the pond to honor one of our all-time favorite characters, Becky Burdock: Vampire Reporter, from the pages of Paul Grist's Jack Staff! After the cut, check out the full-size fury of the time she used a sledgehammer to hit a flaming skeleton so hard that his skull landed on the next page!
The shot above comes from Weird World of Jack Staff #4, but there are far more Becky Burdocktober celebrations to be found in the whole series!


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Dr. Dre - California Love [Throwback 2004 Music Video Type Full DVD][1 Hour Long]
If video cuts off. Make sure to refresh the page a couple of times.
To Purchase the full DVD in high quality. Click Here To Purchase The DVD
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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text:
Support St. Joseph's
- font size decrease font size increase font size
Supporting St. Joseph's Health
We wish to make giving as easy as possible for our donors and have created several convenient ways for you to support St. Joseph's.
Once you click on any of our online donation icons you'll find a simple online donation process capable of accepting most major credit cards. You can also make a gift outside of our online form by cash or check, money order or credit card: American Express, Discover, MasterCard and VISA. Gifts of publicly-traded securities are also always welcome. Credit card gifts provide the speed and benefit of allowing you to make a gift with the option of spreading your payments over a period of time. Should you choose to support us with a check, please make them payable to: St. Joseph's Health Foundation or St. Joseph's Wayne Medical Center Foundation.
The options are plenty in the ways that you can support St. Joseph's Health. A few different ways you can give to St. Joseph's include:
- Supporting one of our many annual events
- Supporting a specific program at the hospital (i.e. Child Life Program, Cardiac Services)
- Join the St. Joseph's Society and automatically be enrolled in our Easy Stay Program (ESP)
- Make an annual gift to provide unrestricted or restricted support
- Make a pledge gift
- Make monthly credit card installment gifts
- Honor or memorialize a loved one, friend, physician or staff member that made a difference in your life
- Support our "A Higher Commitment" capital campaign
Whatever your choice, the nurses, staff, physicians and patients of St. Joseph's Health deeply appreciate your support. Please explore our website or contact us for more information about our programs, services, and information about making contributions.
Thank you for your continued commitment and support of St. Joseph's Health.
Please note: All gifts to the St. Joseph's University Medical Center Foundation and the St. Joseph's Wayne Medical Center Foundation are tax-deductible to the full extent allowable by law. We are grateful for gifts of all amounts; however, we can only provide official receipts for gifts of $25 or more.


text:
The Intelix AVO-MIC microphone balun set transmits a preamplified microphone signal and phantom power up to 2,500 feet over standard structured cabling, such as Cat 5. The AVO-MIC balun set includes a rack-mountable send balun, rackmountable receive balun, and a power supply; the set may powered on either the send or receive end. The AVO-MIC balun set is ideal for corporate A/V, churches, schools, auditoriums, and almost any other situation involving microphone level audio signal distribution.
The Intelix AvoCat Series of baluns is the ideal solution for sending audio and video over structured cabling. When signal quality matters, choose Intelix.
Microphone or line level audio up to 2,500 over standard Cat 5 cabling
Built in phantom power
Built-in audio preamp
Up to 60 dB of adjustable gain
Phoenix terminal connectors for quick installation
Power on either the send or receive side
Two position EQ circuit


text:
My first appreciation of the power of STDs in WoW came from one of those (supposedly) hated sources. In fact it caused me to subscribe to a blog that really I have little to nothing in common with, yet still read and joust with on a frequent basis.
Killing 'em Slowly was the blog and the post I read was from the dirty filthy Lock of the duo. It was a perfect example of the spreading of STDs and the (im)moral victories that can be obtained through them. We can't find that post, maybe my memory is failing, but I still clearly remember a post where a boss was killed just as the last raid member went down, one last tick of a dot from a now deceased Lock and the victory was theirs.
Of course a pure, pious, pulpit wielding Gnome like myself would never live amongst those with STDs, let alone gain one and spread it. Spread it not only without conscience, bit with glee.
No, no, never!
Never would we hear of the pure engaging in underworld activities. Never would they be caught in the arms of an illicit lover.
However, I would engage in Leprechaun like terrorist activities involving the laying of time delayed bombs that rip the face off my opponents and their celebrating friends.
You see, I am a Fire Mage
lol… get it?
Fire Mage!
Yeah, OK, whatever… I can't be held accountable for how highbrow your sense of humor is.
Really, what did you expect from a Gnome… /serious?
Yeah it's been nerfed, limited to 3 targets, but still the joy of the delayed kill is all mine now.
It used to be an issue in PvE, and to be honest it probably still is, if only I would get off my skinny (yet surprisingly cute) Gnomish arse and spec for PvE and run an instance or two.
I'd throw up a few living bombs, quietly Pew Pew away (yeah OK, Flame Strike, Blizzard, Pyroblast, I'd go nuts). The tank would keep everything under control, maybe use a taunt to keep the mobs in good shape, then…
hehe… all good, tank still has the mobs…
haha… this tank is good…
Ohh shit, where did I put that Ice Block again?
PvP is da BOMB!
In PvP, it's a bit different (and how I miss the days where you could just sit on the outside and Living Bomb the entire enemy team and just rotate around them).
No one is controlling the "mobs", the healers always have higher threat than those that can actually soak the damage, and it is so frenzied that one extra debuff dot really isn't anything to worry about… or is it.
I've been scoring a ton of killing blows lately. Previously I would do a heap of damage, but when the dust had settled, I would be face down in the dirt and the damn Horde would still be healthy, still engaged.
But Living Bomb can change all that.
I may be a ghost at the spirit healer, but I still get to watch my damage scroll down the screen.
I may get taken down by 3+ Horde on the wrong side of the map (Hey, I figure I can keep 3+ Horde very busy for a good few minutes… which is about the time required for our flag carrier to pick up the flag, return it and head back for more).
The thing is that my premature death (well, they might not consider it premature) will be avenged.
While I know I should be popping immediately to get back to the fight, there are times where I just have to lie in my corpse and watch the celebrations.
What is it with these people, all jumping about celebrating the death of one annoying Gnome, High Fives everywhere? I know when I beat a bunch of Horde, I wander off a good 10-20 yards, just in case my team mates are infected with some disease that will haunt me for the rest of my short life.
No, these guys jump about, practically hugging, sharing the glory and the…
So sad, too bad!
So beware the green haired Gnome (I've still got my hair, even if I now have a ferret face without my beard), that likes to rub against your in night clubs and battlegrounds.
Make sure you are using protection, because this loving Gnome wants to share his STDs, his living bombs. He wants to cackle from the grave.
Remember Silly Transmitted Deaths are my forte.
Living Bomb is my tool
Just hope to all that is Gnomish I don't manage to get a Combustion and an Impact off before I go as well, cause that is a whole new level of party disease and death.
Gnomer and Out!
PS: I'd like to thank John (ha, bet you don't know who I am talking about do you!) and Rebecca for coming through as Mo Bro's and Mo Sista's. Spreading the word about men's mental health and prostate cancer is as awesome as participating in Movember.
As for the rest of you, feel free to spread the word, or spread the Mo, or just splash the cash ($1, $2, $5, $10, $1,000 I don't care how much you give to save lives).
Consider this, 1 in 5 people will suffer from depression at some point in time. Many families are 5 member families. That means one of your family (or at the very least friends, work colleagues, or maybe that fella that sells you a coffee in the morning) is thinking the "unthinkable".
Think of it this way… it costs you nothing to join the team. Once you join the team, you get all sorts of options for spamming those you know and love with the message of Movember. some of them will give, some of them will learn, some of them will be saved.. and it hasn't cost you anything!
I wont even mention that the Movember sponsors actually throw freebies at you (which may not be of benefit to you if you live overseas… but it's the message that counts!)
You can give via Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Paypal.
Paypal, perfect for those abstained coffee donations
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.


text:
Zumthor will make the Serpentine Pavilion a place of architectural pilgrimage, says Christine Murray
More from: Peter Zumthor wins Royal Gold Medal
Before the current pavilion has even been taken down, the AJ has exclusively uncovered that Peter Zumthor will design next year's Serpentine Pavilion.
And there could be no better choice of architect to reinvigorate the decade-old commission to design a temporary rain shelter and tea room in London's Hyde Park.
Everything Zumthor touches becomes a place of pilgrimage, and his elemental work has a broad church. His Therme Vals baths in Switzerland is Mecca for architects, but full of ordinary folk too. His chapels, St Benedict and Bruder Klaus, satisfy visitors seeking either the spiritual or material sublime.
And as if by magic, in 10 months the Serpentine Pavilion will bring the singular experience of Zumthor's work, until now only found in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, to central London.
The Serpentine brief could not be more ideal for Zumthor. Many an architect has publicly struggled (and failed) with this unique, carte blanche commission. I remember interviewing Kazuyo Sejima in the run-up to last year's pavilion. She told me the lack of constraints left her practice, SANAA, wondering where to begin – a rough start to a project that must be executed in months.
But Zumthor is a different breed of architect, famous for his lack of deference to clients and his insistence upon complete freedom. His dismissal of client input is legendary, and an approach few architects could afford, justify or indeed stomach. British architects are educated to (and excel at) design within the parameters set by context, budget and client. In contrast, Zumthor is a strange beast: half artist, half architect – a master at work sponsored by open-minded patrons. This certainly makes his work difficult to emulate, and his singular approach is alienating and arrogant, if alluring.
As for his work, it is labour-intensive and design-intensive – the work of an architect's architect. It is also loaded with contradiction. It's monastic but not hair-shirted; spectacular but not bling. Were it not so expensive to build, it could almost be described as austere. The words that come to mind are elemental, monolithic, singular. This is the architecture of fairy tales – cave and labyrinth, solid and void, light and shadow. It is something a visitor instantly, instinctively understands, without the plastic cheapness of what passes for wow-factor.
Indeed, my great hope is that Zumthor's Serpentine Pavilion will widen the public's narrow definition of 'wow'. I hope it has walls that the public can't help but touch, and a presence that makes them shiver. I want to see them run their fingers over an impeccably detailed pavilion in enraptured wonder.
One final note: when I imagine a Zumthor pavilion, it has a permanence that is ill-suited to a temporary structure. In fact, it has already been described as a 'big concrete block with a garden in it', which does not sound like a building that, after three short months, will be crated and carted away.
Peter Zumthor speaks to the Architects' Journal
Behind the scenes with Peter Zumthor
Peter Zumthor's Therme Vals baths in print
Peter Zumthor: 'My work is not about design'
Why Zumthor is perfect for the Serpentine
Peter Zumthor wins Pritzker Prize
Zumthor designs Devon house
In pictures: Zumthor's 2011 Serpentine pavilion
Zumthor reveals Serpentine Pavilion designs
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text:
UPS, the world's largest private package-delivery company, is implementing two initiatives to protect the environment.
ATLANTA UPS, the world's largest private package-delivery company, is implementing two initiatives to protect the environment. About 11,000 computers soon will automatically go to "sleep" when not in use, and 14 California facilities have begun purchasing "green" power.
UPS also has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership.
"Energy conservation and choosing renewable energy sources are just two of the many ways UPS actively pursues its commitment to sustainable business practices," said Mike Herr, UPS vice president of environmental affairs. "We have always believed that working green and working smart are synonymous."
The computer initiative is part of what's known as the ENERGY STAR® Million Monitor Drive. UPS is installing "sleep" software on 11,000 of its computers in Atlanta, Louisville, Towson, Md., and Mahwah, N.J., to conserve energy while saving the company almost US$145,000 per year.
Most computers are used only an average of four hours each business day but continue to consume energy even when idle. The Million Monitor Drive challenges organizations to set computer monitors to go into a low-power "sleep" mode during periods of inactivity.
In addition to reducing energy use with its computers, UPS now has 14 facilities in California currently using "green" power as part of their electricity supply. This power is supplied by 3 Phases Energy Services and comes from biomass sources. Biomass refers to a waste-to-energy process and can take the form of converting landfill gas, human and animal waste or agricultural waste to energy.
UPS is purchasing 10 percent of its electricity at the 14 California facilities from these cleaner, more renewable sources.
"This commitment, which will prevent the release of 2.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide, a leading cause of global warming, has the equivalent environmental impact of removing 213 cars from the road for a year," said Herr. "This carbon reduction is equal to the carbon absorption capacity of 330 acres of trees."
UPS also recently joined the EPA's Green Power Partnership, which recognizes companies that demonstrate environmental leadership by choosing cleaner and renewable energy sources. UPS already generates green power with solar panels at its facility in Palm Springs, Calif., in addition to the 14 facilities now operating on electricity created from biomass sources.
Source: UPS


text:
Good Golly Miss Molly
I hope I'm not tardy..
The day has arrived
For LAURIE'S big party!
I've polished the silver..
And baked a heart cake..
Sure hope Stinky Linky
Didn't make a mistake!
I made potatoes and muffins..
In the shape of a heart…
But if you don't like them..
Here's a sweet apple tart..
I bought placemats and dishes..
And these came in handy…
Some heart shaped delicious,
Maybe you're tired?
A bit of the droop?
I made you a heart…
In a bowl of Spud Soup..
Come sit at the table..
Have some blueberry preserves..
On a sweet heart shaped scone?
It's getting quite late
A big thanks to Laurie,
Your party was great!
I am also joining ML at Designs by Gollum too, so please stop by to see some great food.. She's having a great give away for the anniversary of Foodie Friday..
Thanks for coming, and Happy Valentine's Day!


text:
Hope the shark enjoyed this
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text:
The popularity of the movie The Social Network – somewhat loosely inspired by the actual history of Facebook – exposed a lot of folks to the idea of presenting two random photos side by side, picking which of the two you like better. It is an interesting idea. After watching the movie, I actually thought "Wouldn't it be cool to do that with bicycle photos."
Apparently (and not surprisingly) I wasn't the only one with the idea. The website ratemyvelo.com is doing just that. Presenting two images – apparently randomly selected from a collection of user submitted images – you simply click on the one you like better. Then, you are presented with two new photos, and also a view of how other folks rated the two photos you had previously clicked on.
The one limitation is that all photos on the site must show bicycles being used as transportation – i.e. average, everyday folks doing average, everyday things on bicycles. As stated on their submission page:
- Photos are subject to ratemyvelo.com quality approval. We do not approve all images
- You are free to upload photos of other people on bicycles – it doesn't need to be yourself in the photo
- You must own the rights to distribute the photo, or it must be licensed under an appropriate Creative Commons license
- We only accept photos of bicycles being used as transportation. No sport/recreation bicycles please
Careful, though. Clicking on these photos is strangely addictive.


text: Gotcha. I've used that method. I think it's a good way to get the general route, but in my experience, there have been small differences between the route posted online, and the route encountered in the field. The online map is a very good approximation, but I'd prefer to have the route verified by riding it. As an example, I rode the route you posted, and at one point the route said to turn right, but the sign at the intersection said to turn left. In this case, I have reason to believe that maybe the sign is backwards and I can fix that, but I didn't have time to confirm that. It's not far from here so I'll go back and check it out sometime soon. Jamie


text:
Australian computer news site Computerworld asks if KDE 4 will be the ultimate business desktop. Speaking to developer Hamish Rodda they look at the changes being made to the KDE libraries including the Akonadi storage manager for PIM data. He also explains why KDE 4 will be important for ISVs to support.
You have not read the article, do you?
Which article?
The KDE4 article about upcoming software visions or the link?
Ian describes why Linux fails. Linux remains third choice because of this problem. KDE3 or KDE4 does not matter, both are ready and superiour - or will be ready. KDE4 means designer clothes for a wheelchair-bound operating system.
No, the business desktop must wait.
100% agreed.
KDE4, business? Naw...
The best KDE won't help as long as there are such issues mentioned above in Ian's article.
Ian should blame SUN for delivering a crappy installer, not the OS he is installing on.
There are enough goog installers available for Linux.
Heck, even Install Shield is available for linux!!
No idea why SUN comes with a non-executing installation script..
Maybe because there's no way the downloaded file can tell the system that it is executable, huh? Think of it as a security measure -- the solution isn't to make the file executable, but the UI (KDE for us) should ask the user if he likes to make it executable (with appropriate security warning).
Adding some sort of signature checking that vendors could use non-intrusively (ie, noop on unsupported platforms, like a gpg signature embedded in a shell comment) for a bonus. Apparently there is demand for completely out-of-band software distribution and FHS and friends even have provisions for those (/opt, installation under /home), so i don't see why the OS would be responsible for those. Desktop and ISVs can fix all this mess rather easily (contrary to what is claimed in this thread somewhere)... Also, there's LSB which is generally not very useful, but i think it may mandate some compatibility libraries to be present on system, so apt-get install lsb-base (and that should probably be part of default install, too).
I put in a wishlist "to make the file executable...with appropriate security warning)" like 2-3 years ago and *again* this year. Go vote for it please!!! Nautilus did this (last time I used it...years ago) and it was great. I really wish KDE would listen. It's one shining example of where KDE refuses to increase usability.
I don't know. Seriously. This is the biggest hole in Windows, and while some (few) Windows people that come to my house sometimes complain about it, I just explain to them that it is a BIG security hole.
Two ways of installing something that comes from outside, and both of them HARD to do accidentally (harder than hitting OK in a dialog): run it klik-style, but in a more strict sandbox than klik does today, or install a package from a previously-authorized source.
In the "business desktop" scenario, the second one is the Only Right Thing To Do (TM).
The network admins set the .deb/.rpm server inside the network, customize the distro to use that server, and put there the commercial software they authorize -- after auditing its network connections/ scanning for viruses, etc.
Want to install some software? It must be in the synaptic/adept list or else, go complain to the BOFH -- if he is not really from Hell, he will study the software you want to install and in a couple of hours/days/weeks it will be in your list and in everyone (authorized to use the software) else's list on the company... so you can install your software with a couple of clicks.
Been there, done that. HTH.
Well, you can avoid having users changing permissions to executable for your installer by putting it on a tar package. It will keep permissions, and users can easily unpack it easier than changing permissions. With a graphical interface for it (static compile libraries), users won't even need
Getting dependencies right won't be as easy though. However, most distributions already ship a decent amount of common libraries, as well as an intuitive package installer with repository support, so this shouldn't be as much as of a hassle.
What really bothers me -- I don't know if this bother the casual user, but it sure bothers me -- is the directories naming that pretty much every distribution use. There is too much clutter at root and /usr, /var, /mnt are far from intuitive names. Yeah, I don't think this will scary grand ma who should just run her session like if it was a locked virtual machine, but I find that people, even if they are not too computer inclined, like to peak at the system.
But I guess KDE can't do a thing for these stuff.
I think the title should be:
KDE 4: the ultimate vaporware desktop?
The technology that is being talked about is already in SVN, but given you're busy trolling, I can understand that you did not have the time to check that yourself.
Please check your facts.
Till now much of everithing in KDE is to much blah blah blah and we will do this and that and take a look to SVN, KDE has been on developep for a year and a half and till now there is just so litle to show and that makes me think in 2 options:
1.- Everything is hiden like a secret weapon to be show in the last moment and give us a surprise, that would be nice but at the same time hypocrital since being a open source project would be lame to keep the code just for a few while is developed.
2.- Is like the MS Windows Vista campaing, where there were to much presententions and blah and blah and blah and to litle to show.
I hope its the option 1.
Since the mayority of KDE users and people specting KDE4 are not developers and have no clue about SVN I recoment to start giving something visible and not a bunch of lines of abstract code or SVN links.
I agree that there is little too see (as in 'for the end-user to try out') while things all over the place are being developed. Major frameworks have been introduced to KDE4, such as Oxygen, akonadi, Phonon, Qt4, Solid, threadweaver. Not all of them are completely finished already, but it really is the time where application developers are picking up this new stuff and use it to improve their applications and build new ones. The problem with releasing the software is simply that the end user applications need to be adapted and further developed -- not at least to stabilise this basis, and that has not happened at large yet.
That new stuff is not hidden, though (in that respect, sorry ;-)), but it's not exactly user-visible either -- that's a natural characteristic of the development process. Little to see while new frameworks are being created.
If you want to follow that, however, and get to know more about what's happening, have a look an Dannya's commit-digest and the different blogs syndicated via planetkde.org.
> Since the mayority of KDE users and people specting KDE4 are not developers
> and have no clue about SVN I recoment to start giving something visible and
> not a bunch of lines of abstract code or SVN links.
this is the most amazing piece of advice i've read in a long time. i mean, really, what *are* we thinking writing code in a repository!
oh wait, we're a software project, that's what we do.
our aim is not to create something for you to look at this moment, our goal is to put together a rather complex set of software for eventual release and hopefully enjoy the process.
as for visuals, take a look at the kde games, the work happening in the directory view parts (saw some really stuff that frederikh was working on the other day for listview delegates), in dolphin, etc ..
Don't feed the trolls.
Funny how these types of posts are filled with typos. Just in case there are any rational readers who don't understand the software process for a major release...
1) work on your specifications for your new libraries
2) begin writing code for those libraries, test it and interact with other developers using it
3) once library code is stable begin application rewrites on it
4) develop until the end of that cycle and begin releasing alpha, beta and release candidates
In other words there isn't anything new to give/show users other than a description and maybe a few screenshots/mockups unless they want to compile and run development code. Claiming this is vapor in the case of KDE is pretty much ignoring three major releases that have delivered exactly what the developers promised. Claiming this has anything to do with Microsoft ignores the realities of the different development models. To see what I mean read this...
Always remember comparisons need rational data, not wild speculations and and unsubstantiated claims. If KDE4 was not stacking up to be what developers said other developers would be making loud noises about it.
You are joking right? How long did it take for Microsoft to create Vista? How many of the "killer" features have they pulled out to get it done? How long did it take them before they had anything to show?
For how long have they been developing KDE4? Not that long really, especially not considering how relatively few they are and how much they are trying to do. KDE4 is a huge change and it will live for many years after it is released.
Keep up the great work KDE developers! Really looking forward to KDE4, but I'm waiting patiently ;)
I second this sentiment. Don't worry about a-holes mouthing off. Those of us who are serious users of KDE are waiting (somewhat :-) patiently for KDE4. The progress is obvious to those who follow closely, and it seems that the "tipping point" is getting near.
I thonk it's so great the KDE team is trying to innovate. Nowdays it seems everyone is just following Apple. It's nice that someone is thinking out of the box.
Keep up the good work guys :)
Dear KDE developers,
you are doing a great job. KDE 3.5.5 is a great piece of software and if 4.0 is better than it, then it is going to be awesome. If you look how long did it take to large organisations to implement applications of a similar size, then you will understand the long timeline.
Technical Support
eeos uk ltd (http://www.eeos.biz)
Company No. 05765416
The original headline had a question mark.
KDE is not a "professional" desktop, and is not worth developing for. In fact, it's "shoddy" and isn't as good as "window managers written by the computer club in college".
So says the Photoshop programmers: http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?14@@.3bc1d4af/0
Interesting that they don't know what they are talking about:
well the point is that adobe would provide these things bundled in the application. look at google earth for an interface
And that was from *proponent* of porting PS to Linux...
Interessting thread. But let's correct the statement "Dark Phoenix" just changed. What the adobe-devel (and the users) sayed exatcly was;
"Yes, I have looked at Gnome and KDE lately. That's why I largely write them off as pointless. [...] What's holding Adobe off from Linux: Linux, and it's users. The "OS" is nowhere near ready for large desktop applications"
Funny, that Acroread and flash do exist at all. Anyway, that's another topic even if an interessting one :)
>>What's holding Adobe off from Linux: Linux, and it's users. The "OS" is nowhere near ready for large desktop applications"
I think it's more that their customers are holding adobe off from linux.
porting their large desktop applications to linux will be a large effort wich should be payed back from revenues coming from their linux sales. And apperently there is not a big enough Linux market for adobe to justify such an operation.
That linux is not ready for large desktop applications is bogus: there are enough other players in the market that have created/ported their large desktop applications for/to linux.
A) See: http://ianmurdock.com/?p=388
B) Linux has a chance as a professional cluster rendering station for graphic specialists. In fact clustering means Linux today. That could help to roll off the graphic market, starting with professionals.
C) The weakness of Linux is not KDE or Gnome or ICEWM. It is to be found exactly where these Desktop Environments do not set standards.
A: Ian should blame SUN for delivering a crappy installation program.
Surely Adobe would be capable in delivering an installation program that would work normally on Linux.
B: Linux is at the moment the key platform for a lot of animation films on the market: shrek, finding nemo...
for whatever reason, the complex grafical rendering applications they use have no problem running on kde (mostley on kde 2 by the way..0
So why should running adobes applications be a problem?
C: Large applications don't care about standards. They mostley come with their own specialised toolkit/framework/etc.
The parts of the desktop that they need to use are already standarised.
Funny thing is, Photoshop isn't the type of application that needs a whole lot of desktop integration. The state of the desktop is irrelevant to the application. The user could be running a broken FVWM for all the application should care.
actually not. E.g. cut n' paste bewteen a number of objects works much better under windows between various applications.
Matlab graph -> Outlook.
Origin graph -> Word -> Origin
Actually, I did not change anything. Stuff in quotes was copied directly from the posts.
Oh, and in case it missed some people, I'm being sarcastic. I'm a KDE user, and I prefer it to the old Windows desktop.
"KDE is not a "professional" desktop, and is not worth developing for. "
Forgive us, poor ignorant users and coders, who won't take your word for it. Go troll around elsewhere.
Guessed someone missed the sarcasm in that post.
You trolls sure seem to be 'interested' in Linux and KDE for you to be spending so much time trolling this blog!
More and more, corporations such as Adobe are becoming irrelevent. Their overpriced bloatware is like printing money (for them) but notice that the only way they can continue to grow is my eating other companies (Macromedia) and forming a monopoly? That indicates a declining industry.
Wow, more missed sarcasm...
I am 'interested' in Linux and KDE because I'm RUNNING Linux and KDE. I was angered and outraged by some of these comments (especially the computer club one; that about sums up how corporate programmers feel about open source programmers in general)...
Sorry for posting this here, but I'm sort of desperate ;) I'm trying to compile trunk but get stuck now and then. My aim is to start using KDE4 already. (Yes I know what kind of minefield and battlezone I'm moving in to;) ), My sole purpose of trying to move to KDE4 this early is to live on the bleeding edge. I'm just that kind of guy ;) But! There are some trouble on the way. So far I've been to lazy to check out every single application by it self. I'm going for the whole kdegraphics, kdeedeu, kdesdk etc. But many of these fails compiling due to "kdeXXX/build does not appear to contain CMakeLists.txt" Is this the way it is supposed to be? Does this mean I've have to check out every single little KDE app by its' self? Or is this a bug? (Where do we report KDE4 bugs anyway? If we do/bugreporting is wanted at this early stage).
Let me also use this opportunity to than all KDE developers for their excellent work, their sacrifice of valuable free time and their general commitment for a better (computer) world.
> Is this the way it is supposed to be?
For a full step-by-step introduction see http://developer.kde.org/build/trunk.html and http://developernew.kde.org/Getting_Started/Build/Unstable_Version
> Where do we report KDE4 bugs anyway?
IMHO it depends on what you mean with KDE4-bugs. Since that term includes pretty everything, without any specialization like e.g. "where to report that KWrite from trunk crashes each time I open a file named a.txt since revision xyz till head compiled 10 minutes ago?" I would say;
Just try to fix them, offer more details or recompile again since it's very likly that the problem got fixed already cause things are faster then Lucky Luke this days what imho makes it very difficult to handle bugreports against single checkout-revisions cause just nobody has the time to check reports to just note that they got already fixed 5 minutes after your last checkout or to just note that the only single person who was able to reproduce the bug jumped to another revision where she/he can't reproduce it any longer too.
I guess things like realtime-communication e.g. within the IRC-channels (hint: try Kopete or maybe even Konversation, that's damn great software) is a good helper here to keep in synch with a such fast moving development-process :)
Yes, this is off topic. Don't post "how do I build this?" questions here. First of all your passion to be on the bleeding edge is great, but you also need to know what you're getting yourself into. While KDE is usually very stable throughout the development process a major release is subastantially different. You WILL have things broken and days you can't build some programs as well as conflicts requiring substantial parts to be rebuilt or rolled back until development is synced. I would not recommend your course of action prior to alpha or beta releases, which are not happening any time soon.
If you are determined to run KDE4 then get on the kde-dev mailing list. You will need to know when things are broken, how to fix things and where to feed back to developers. Bug reporting? At this point you may find something helpful, but most problems developers know about and are working on. That's not to say finding a bug isn't helpful. It is to say an active bug process here would really bog development down. Enjoy!
How are "tests" developed right now?
Are there any janitorial tasks?
Hi gerd,
afaik unittests are a great way to start and e.g. kdelibs comes with a lot of them. Beside that, we also try to improve the new wiki located at http://developernew.kde.org and for sure any help there is very welcome. Beside kdelibs there are also a few others projects within KDE where help is very welcome. But here it depends on which part you like to work on. Well, or just join the #kde or #kde-devel IRC-rooms and ask who needs help :)
Let me also use this opportunity to than all KDE developers for their excellent work, their sacrifice of valuable free time and their general commitment for a better (computer) world.
Well, might I kindly ask you to sacrifice just a bit more of your own valuable free time to produce a vmware image (or better, periodic vmware images) of your favorite linux distribution running kde4 so the rest of us can benefit from all the KDE developers' work and from your time and obviously hard effort in solving these build issues?
A bit confused wheter you ar being sarcastic or not?!? But OK, giving the benefit of doubt :) I have no clue about WMWARE :( But I solved the trivial task of getting things to compile. When ever I have the time I suash a bug or two in Bugzilla. (Nope, no coding. Only removing duplicates and bugs no longer valid). So yes, my efforts are really humble and bearly visible even if you look for them. But I belive in that many people doing litle things, will together achive great things :)
Sorry for disturbing. :)
"kdeXXX/build does not appear to contain CMakeLists.txt"
Yes, the build/ dirs don't contain cmake files.
Did you run cmake manually or use some script ?
You have to enter the builddir and then run cmake there, pointing to the source dir, e.g.
$ cd ~/src/kdegraphics/build
$ cmake ~/src/kdegraphics/
$ make
This works. If it doesn't, please
-ask on [email protected]
-or report it to the [email protected] list
-report it as a bug for the product "buildsystem" at bugs.kde.org
I found my errors... And yes, I'm blushing thinking of how shallow and easy they were to fix...
Thanks for pointing to appropriate channels to get help :)
Sorry, as a non-developer I do not want to critisize the development process of the PIM-suite Kontact but I simply want to know if there is progress in these applications for KDE4 beside Akonadi especially in connection of syncing with mobile phones or PDAs.
Best wishes
OpenSync is supposed to give better sybcing -> http://www.opensync.org/
If I'm correct openSUSE 10.2 ships with a beta of OpenSync.
I certainly do not share ok's pessimism. I frequently read the commit digest and Planet KDE, and I have to say that I'm impressed with the effort for KDE 4 and that the developers are doing great. I have the greatest respect for the KDE 4 dev's.
Sure, maybe I had expected more by now, especially news about Plasma. But the effort required for KDE 4 seems much, so it will take some time. Just accept that the dev's need some time, and they have a job and a life as well. I can wait for another year or even longer, I'm sure KDE 4 will be worth it. Personally I'm playing computer games most of the day and I can't do much more than "hello world" in C++ and I didn't bother to learn it, I'm not productive at all. The KDE dev's are incredibly productive, I think they're awesome.
KDE 4 will make full use of OpenSync for synchronizing mobile phones, PDAs and more. We already have replaced most of the old KDE-specific syncing solutions by OpenSync and its KDE frontend KitchenSync. There is a mostly stable version existing for the KDE 3.5 line which is being picked up by distributions like openSUSE 10.2 right now.
For KDE 4 KitchenSync and OpenSync will be the standard way of syncing your data with mobile devices. As OpenSync is designed to be a standard cross-desktop and cross-platform tool, this means that there will be plenty of plugins for syncing with a very broad variety of devices and problems can be addressed at a central place.
So the answer is: Yes, there is tremendous progress in the area of syncing and KDE 4 will make use of, support and integrate the best free software solutions for that which are available.
I'm disappointed at all the negative comments on this page! KDE is a GREAT desktop environment. It looks slick, it runs fast, and it's loaded with features.
I have read about many of the new underlying frameworks - DBUS, Solid, Plasma, OpenSync, etc. - and it's clear to me that the dev teams have excellent ideas and are working together to make a really cool product. Will KDE4 be so revolutionary that if will change the very way we think about computers? Probably not. Nothing that revolutionary has happened since Xerox developed the WIMP (window, icon, menu, pointing device) interface. But will it be vaporware? No way. Just take a look on kde-look.org, and you'll see that smart people have all sorts of cool ideas for the new desktop interface, how Konqueror should look, and so on.
While I agree with your comment, I find KDE ugly when it comes to fonts. Why should one have to have Microsoft fonts in order to have a decent looking desktop? KDE, with its power and configuration capabilities should have fonts that look clear, crisp and "web-ready" by default. This has never been the case in my opinion.
What distribution are you using and which version of KDE are you using?
1) In most distributions the fontserver is deliberately altered (e.g. SUSE) so that algorithms that are claimed to be patented by Apple / Microsoft don't get used to improve font quality. This results in poorer quality for the fonts displayed. Solution: Either look for optimized rpm's or deb's offered in unofficial repositories or compile the package yourself.
2) Another thing that might decrease font quality is this: fonts usually get manually optimized by the font designer for certain absolute font sizes. Usually for GUI text those optimized font sizes got picked by the KDE team. However those optimizations only refer to 96 dpi. If the monitor resolution differs a lot from that value non-optimized font sizes might get used which result in poorer quality.
Solution: In KDE 3.5.5 enable "Force DPI for Fonts: 96 DPI" in the font dialog of KDE's Control Center.
On my vanilla Kubuntu 6.10 install the fonts look *awesome*. Crisp, well readable, and great anti-aliasing.


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CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. - At Yoga Seva, owner and instructor Ann Waring noticed class attendance dropped as flu season arrived.
At the downtown Crystal Lake, Ill., yoga studio "cleaning everything down," such as disinfecting mats before and after classes, is the protocol in all seasons, Waring said. But the flu season has heightened sensitivity about spreading the virus to others.
"Attendance has been low recently," Waring said. "And nobody's coming in with obvious symptoms. Previously, there might have been some who would show up with lingering coughs. It seems like more recently, they would stay away. That's been my experience."
But practicing yoga, she said, "does boost the immune system. It clears it out, too, so we have that going for us."
Influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory illness that can be spread by poor hygiene habits.
Public campaigns and announcements repeatedly urge people to get flu vaccinations, wash hands often with soap and cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or with their arms, not hands. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccinations for almost everyone older than 6 months and especially for at-risk populations, such as young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
Historically, the flu this season has been a more severe strain, causing more hospitalizations and deaths, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
From late December through Jan. 19, the state health department documented 534 flu-related admissions to hospital intensive care units. Of those, 58 resulted in death, and officials expect those numbers to rise as the agency collects more reports from health care providers.
Flu season can arrive as early as October, typically peaks in January and February and can continue through May.
The McHenry County, Ill., Department of Health, through its "Please Don't Bring the Flu Here!" campaign poster, advises those with flulike symptoms to stay home and away from others.
Beginning in October, McHenry County saw a steady rise of rapid test-positive influenza cases, peaking in late December, officials said. There were no cases as early as October 2011, a comparison of data shows.
Sheila Murphy said keeping the flu in check is part of her role as a Eucharistic minister at St. Mary Catholic Church in McHenry, Ill., where she assists the parish priest in administering Holy Communion.
"First, all church officials must apply hand sanitizer before they distribute anything," she said. "... It's just as sanitary as you make it."
Murphy also is principal of Montini Middle School in McHenry. At school, she and staff stress hand-washing to students as the best way to prevent the spread of germs, she said.


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An objective look at LGBT issues, fiction, book publishing, pop culture, and romance novels that may or may not be erotic romance, by a real gay author using his real name, proudly.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Things All Guys Find Sexy...Gay or Straight
But, after I'd finished reading it occurred to me that each one of the 9 things listed that straight guys find attractive could be used for gay men as well. When I thought back to when I was single and dating, these are a lot of the things I was looking for in a partner.
Voice, walk, and sharp wit are big on my list of attractive features in a guy. And dancing is important, too, because there's nothing that turns me off more than someone who thinks he can dance and can't. That ridiculous bouncing around to music without any rhythm or skill will lose me all the time. If I'd seen Tony do that in the night club where I met him twenty years ago, I'd still be single today.
I love an adventurous spirit, but I also like a little shyness as well. Nothing ever turned me off more than a guy who was too pushy too soon. Aggressive is good. Strong is good. But don't push me unless you know what's good for you, especially in the beginning. Though I'm not sure about smell (that's the one thing on the list that is a little dumb...to me), laugh is important to me. In fact, the sound of someone's voice can either be a huge turn on or turn off. I have an ex-sister-in-law with a voice like a broken chain saw. How my poor brother lived with THAT for sixteen years will always pass me by.
And, communication is probably the most important factor. If you're in a relationship with someone you'd better be able to communicate with them well. Because when the newness of the sex wears off, and it always does, you're going to need something more to keep you from losing your mind.
I'm so glad I don't have to do this anymore. Being in a twenty year relationship that's like a marriage in every sense of the word makes me realize how lucky I am to have found not only my own HEA, but also the perfect life partner. But for those of you who are still single, I think these things listed in the article can be important when you first meet someone. And in this case, gay men aren't that much different from straight men.
13 comments:
- Nithu said...
It's a good thing dancing well isn't compulsory, or I'd still be single! In my defence, I'm well aware of my deficiencies, ie, I dance like a spastic ironing board having a seizure, and don't inflict it on anyone; I'm content to stand or sit on the sidelines and just tap my feet :D Having said that I met my husband on the dance floor almost 24 years ago - I was completely rat-arsed and had thrown all my inhibitions to the wind! Maybe I was doing something right ;) I haven't been on a dance floor since though, not because I landed my man, I just have never been that drunk since.
- May 28, 2012 at 1:14 PM
- Leigh M. Lane said...
Great post, Ryan. Congrats on the twenty years!!!
- May 28, 2012 at 3:23 PM
- A.B.Gayle said...
Very true, Ryan, And not all that different for females.
In fact, I read somewhere that we make our choice of partner (for how ever long) on what doesn't turn us off even more than what turns us on. (eg crappy dancing, bad voice)
Hubby and I have been together for over 30 years and at times I've seriously felt like splitting, but then I realise no-one else would put up with me, so I put aside whatever gave me the shits and concentrate on all the good things.
I think remembering you're not perfect yourself, helps you to accept any of their flaws, especially when they love you despite yours.
- May 28, 2012 at 3:31 PM
- ryan field said...
@Nithu...I met Tony in a bar/disco...so much for what they say about meeting people in bars...lol. And, for the record. I suck at dancing.
@Lisa...Thanks...goes by so fast!
@ AB...well said. I wish more people would think the way you did. I think they'd be happier in the long run. I have a few friends who made drastic life changes and regret them years later. But the people I've seen who stuck out the rough times always seem happier as they get older.
- May 28, 2012 at 4:27 PM
- A.B.Gayle said...
Two girl friends recently related how they met their husbands at dances. Were impressed by the way they danced and haven't managed to get them on the dance floor since!
Maybe it's part of the human mating ritual? Lol.
I met my husband at a jazz concert when we ended up sitting side by side. A shared taste in susic has been the biggest constant glue since.
It all comes down to shared priorities whatever they are.
Congrats to you and Tony's 20 years BTW. He's the mystery man. I'd love to know if he "features" in any of your books, but know you'd never fess up.... :)
- May 28, 2012 at 4:41 PM
- A.B.Gayle said...
Love the accompanying photo by the way. Very easy on the eyes...
- May 28, 2012 at 4:43 PM
- T.D. McFrost said...
I think this list is silly. You can't adequately compile peple's preferences because each of us aren't built with a manual. It's absolutely MORONIC!
No one cares for these stupid lists these stupid magazines come up with. I don't care who is Maxim's top 100; I don't care who is the most beautiful wo/man in the world, nor do I give a shit about what turns a woman on--a alot of things turn women on, so I rather find my way, thank you very much!
Phew, it was nice to get that off my chest.
(We now return to our regularly sheduled programme) :)
Oh and I had no idea you were in a relationship that long. That's amazing, Ryan!
- May 28, 2012 at 5:41 PM
- Unknown said...
I found my husband a long time ago but writing romance I'm constantly thinking about attraction. I think attraction is one of those strange things that when it strikes, it strikes. Like you could have someone in your life which exhibits certain traits and you're not attracted then you find someone else who has those same traits and it strikes hot, leaving you panting because one of those traits was just tweaked a bit differently and that set you off.
- May 28, 2012 at 6:43 PM
- ryan field said...
@TD...I don't think all these things are the only things. But when you think about it it's usually the small first impression traits and gestures that tell you if you want to get to know this person better. I am big on shoes, too. I know that sounds dumb, but if I see a guy in shoes I don't like it's a red flag.
Sara...I agree to a certain extent...but no bad shoes...lol. And I hate those peddle-pusher pants on guys.
- May 28, 2012 at 9:06 PM
- T.D. McFrost said...
Shoes? Seriously, Ryan? That's a bit daft don't you think? LOL.
Well, I guess I can't judge, 'cause I get turned off by bruises: cuts, scabs, lascerations...you name it.
At least the person can change their shoes, Ryan, so now I can continue to judge your weird turn-offs again. :D
- May 29, 2012 at 11:39 AM
- ryan field said...
I said it was dumb :)
But I can't help it. It's not like the shoes have to be expensive or anything. They just can't be dorky. The worst are guys who wear those cuban high heel shoes or quarter boots (and their pants are usually pulled up too high, which in turns gives them the male camel toe). That's just wrong...lol.
- May 29, 2012 at 11:57 AM
- T.D. McFrost said...
Aw man, I agree. What a terrible visual you gave me. LOL.
- May 30, 2012 at 8:45 AM
- ryan field said...
- May 30, 2012 at 8:58 AM


text:
Historical:SoC 2008 Feature Matching
Feature Matching project
Hugin integration
Pablo is going to help us here.
In a panorama photo stitcher software, an automatic feature matching algorithm needs to find the correspondence between feature points and images. The problem is to develop a robust and efficient matching algorithm.
Using nearest neighbor matching and RANSAC outlier with EXIF heuristics seem to increase robustness and efficiency of the feature matching method.
Although the complexity of matching n images with a straight-forward approach is O(n^2), we can reduce it to O(nlogn) by using a nearest neighbor algorithm [1]. Cover tree [2] is a remarkably fast nearest neighbor algorithm, which have documentation and implementation in [3].
RANSAC (Random Sample Consensus Algorithm) is an iterative method for outlier pruning. Fischler and Bolles propose and discuss RANSAC model fitting with image analysis in [4]. There is also an overview and pseudo-code for RANSAC in wikipedia [5].
EXIF heuristics can also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the method. If available, the time a picture was taken, its filename (like DSC_0001.jpg), camera orientation, etc. are useful informations which can both decrease the running time and increase its correctness. Geolocation information in EXIF format also give clues whether or not images belong to the same panorama. "Exchangeable image file format:wikipedia" document [6] gives details about the format.
Performance Measures
We need to be sure that applied algorithms really improves robustness and speed of the method. Therefore, some comparisons should be made on a dataset, which we manually give matching feature points. Correctly retrieved matching points (hit), retrieved but not correct ones (false positive), and the matching points we could not retrieve (miss) could be plotted to a ROC curve. By this way, we can improve the performance by selecting the right methods and adjusting parameters to the value which give highest hit rate. For example, we can compare k-d trees, which Brown and Lowe used in [7], with cover trees. Running time of the algorithm is also important for our purpose. This can be calculated both by analyzing the complexity of the algorithms, and recording running times in each test.
Time Schedule
I plan to invest at least 30h or more per week to this project. I will be on vacation for 4-5 days, and another week I will probably be busy with moving my house. But I will balance it by working hard in order not to fall behind schedule. My planned actions will be as follows:
- Before May 26
- Getting to know the developers, mentors, reading documentation,
- Getting used to hugin/panotools, your coding strategy, bug reporting and fixing,
- Finding and/or generating representative datasets for testing and evaluation purposes,
- Reading scientific material, understanding all the concepts of matching and pruning procedures,
- Beginning documentation,
- Deciding inputs and outputs of the project,
- Making contact with the developer of Feature Detection part,
- Making a survey to learn the habits of photographers for effective EXIF heuristics.
- May 26 to July 7-14 (midterm evaluations)
- Combining algorithms by using and adapting existing cover tree and RANSAC algorithms,
- Adding heuristic to implementation, test if it really improves efficiency and effectiveness,
- Preparing the libraries, standalone applications,
- Getting ready for mid-term evaluations.
- July 15 to August 11-18 or September 1 (final evaluations)
- Testing with a large number of images, offering code for public review,
- Improving heuristics and other parts with respect to the feedbacks and test results,
- Completing documentations, preparing libraries, applications, etc.
- Getting ready for final evaluations.
- A library for automatic feature matching which uses proposed algorithms,
- Documentation created by using the doxygen tool,
- Comparisons of the algorithms, test cases for running time analysis,
- A standalone application (works in cross-platform) that uses the library,
- Fully-commented source codes both for the library and Hugin application that uses the library.
[1] J.Beis, D. Lowe. "Shape indexing using approximate nearest-neighbor search in high-dimensional spaces." [2] A.Beygelzimer, S.Kakade, J.Langford. "Cover Trees for Nearest Neighbor." ICML 2006. [3] http://hunch.net/~jl/projects/cover_tree/cover_tree.html [4] M.A.Fischler, R.C.Bolles. "Random Sample Consensus: A Paradigm for Model Fitting with Applications to Image Analysis and Automated Cartography." Comm. of the ACM 24 [5] RANSAC, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RANSAC [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchangeable_image_file_format [7] M.Brown, D.G.Lowe. "Recognizing Panoramas." [8] Personal website, http://cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~onurk/


text:
Program Goal X: Collaboration, Ethics, and Relationships
The Education Department recognizes that collaboration with others, both inside and outside of school, is essential for success in the teaching profession. Since children often come to school with such complex social, educational, and medical problems, no single person or agency can possibly meet all of their needs (Welch and Sheridan 1995). This necessitates cooperation and collaboration not only with other teachers, but also with parents and other professionals in the community. Areas in which teachers collaborate include establishing goals for learners, developing school curricula, coordinating instruction, interpreting state and local mandates, and implementing student services (Wiseman, Cooner and Knight 1999).
Collaborating with Other Professionals: Johnson, Pugach, and Devlin (1990) found collaboration between educators to be absolutely essential. The increasing ethnic and linguistic diversity as well as the large number of students with special needs make it necessary for educators to work together in order to meet the needs of these students. Collaborative efforts on behalf of students with special needs often spill over to other students in the classroom, and the whole learning community benefits from the knowledge and expertise being shared. Collaboration among professionals also provides good role-modeling for the students who, when they enter the world of work, will be expected to work in teams and collaborate with others.
As noted by Stones (1994), collaboration is of critical importance for fostering professional growth. When teachers actively share experiences and use professional colleagues as support for reflection and problem-solving, they are more likely to make good decisions. Not only does reflection through interactions with others lead to stronger decision-making, but Brookfield (1995) contends that it also leads to stronger communication skills as teachers become better able to justify and explain their actions in a confident and informed manner.
Collaborating with the Community: Clandinin and associates (1993) noted that collaboration between school professionals and those from their surrounding community assists community-building efforts, both inside and outside of school. The community as a whole has a strong impact on the way children feel about themselves and their attitudes toward education. The ethnic, religious, cultural, and socio-economic diversity found in the community are important factors that are strongly linked to students' success in school. Family background, health, and socio-economic status all impact students' interest in and motivation for learning (Hindle, 1993). Since it is essential that educators understand their school's community and their students' backgrounds, parents are an invaluable resource because they know their child best Littky, et al (2004). Activities and events in the community can serve as examples or starting points for discussions and classroom activities. Community events and issues that are important to students can be used to build curriculum and increase the relevance of instruction. An added benefit of collaboration with the community is that it encourages good public relations between education professionals and those outside the educational setting. Such collaboration also increases community understanding of and support for school.
One approach to achieving community collaboration is through the development of full-service community schools. As described by Joy Dryfoos (2002), such a school operates in a public school building and is open to all community members "before, during, and after school, seven days a week, all year long. It is jointly operated and financed through a partnership between the school system and one or more community agencies" (p. 394). In order to be successful, all members of the community, including young people, teachers, administrators, parents, community agencies, and business people must work together in making important decisions regarding the school and its programs. According to Dryfoos, these schools encourage students to provide community service and often employ a full-time community-school coordinator who works in conjunction with local agencies to provide a range of services needed within the community. This model is often effective, not only in improving collaboration, but also in such important areas as academic achievement, attendance, student behavior, and parental involvement (Dryfoos, 2002).
Promoting the Development of a Learning Community: As Richard DuFour (2004) noted, the concept of promoting school improvement by developing professional learning communities has become quite popular. However, due to our department's emphasis on the Benedictine values of concern for community and respect for all persons (Klassen, Renner, and Reuter, 2001), we have always emphasized the importance of developing a community of learning. We share Martin Haberman's (2004) view that for a school to become a learning community, its members must "share a common vision that learning is the primary purpose for their association and the ultimate value to preserve in their workplace . . ." (p. 52). We are also in agreement with Haberman that modeling a love of learning is the surest way to promote enthusiasm for learning among students.
In describing the successful learning community at the Met High School in Rhode Island, Littky, et al (2004) stated that school staff must view themselves as participants in all aspects of the learning process and model good learning habits throughout their daily interactions. Other important attributes of learning communities include the continual sharing of ideas; collaboration, such as through team teaching and working together on program development and research; valuing a sense of community or camaraderie; and egalitarianism (Haberman, 2004). Students and parents are important partners in the vision of a learning community described by Littky, et al (2004). At the Met High School, students collaborate and support one another's learning and view their peers as resources in their learning and success. Parents are asked to provide at least 10 hours of service to the school each year and are welcome to be in the school building at any time. Additionally, both students and parents participate in school decisions for creating policies, solving problems, and even in hiring. In other words, for a school to truly be a learning community there must be a culture of collaboration, not only among school staff, but among students and parents as well.
Collaboration and Federal Laws: Federal laws promote and in some cases require collaborative efforts in meeting the needs of students. The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) emphasizes the necessity for collaboration among educators. parents, and community agencies in developing and implementing appropriate Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for students with disabilities (Villa, Thousand, Nevin and Malgeri, 1996), and the No Child Left Behind act of 2002 requires every school district to develop processes for ensuring meaningful ways to engage and collaborate with parents (Hoang, 2010).
Ethics also play an important role in an educational decision-making. An educator's words and actions make a substantial impression on students and play an important role in shaping their character (Nash, 1996) Therefore, it is important that educators are guided and live by a code of ethics based on the kind of ethical behavior our society values. The Code of Ethics of the Education Profession established and adopted by The National Education Association (2002-2012), the Code of Ethics for the Catholic School Teacher (CSB/SJU, 2011), The Code of Ethics for Minnesota Teachers (Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, 2003),and the Education Department's Guiding Principles for Faculty and Students of the CSB/SJU Education Department, which are provided to students in our Teacher Education Handbook (CSB/SJU, 2011), are resources that provide such guidance.
Legal Issues: Increasingly, the courts have become involved in and have an impact on what takes place in schools (Farris, 1999). This situation requires that teachers become aware of legal issues ranging from teaching contracts and tenure to issues involving students and their rights. McCarthy (1989) recommends that educators have knowledge about the following issues: Educational employment and termination, including conditions of employment and teacher termination; teachers' rights outside the classroom, including freedom of speech, political activities, and lifestyle choices; academic freedom, including curriculum censorship, academic assessment, and grouping practices; student discipline, including punishment, regulation of student expression, search and seizure; teacher liability, including student injury and educational malpractice.
To lessen the chance of being involved in litigation, McCarthy advises educators to always engage in actions that are fair, reasonable, and based on educational objectives. Educators should regularly review their actions, policies, and practices to verify that they are based on the educational mission of their school. Educators should also always keep in mind that in all of their actions inside and outside of school they are role-models for students and are held to higher standards than the general public.
Clandinin D. J., Davies, A., Horgan, P. & Kennard, B. (Eds). (1993). Learning to teach, teaching to learn: Stories of
collaboration in teacher education. New York: Teacher College Press.
CSB/SJU (2011) Code of ethics for the Catholic school teacher. Retrieved from
CSB/SJU (2011) Guiding principles for faculty and students of the CSB/SJU Education Department. Teacher education handbook.
Retrieved from http://www.csbsju.edu/education/handbook/default.htm
Dryfoos, J. (2002). Full-service community schools: Creating new institutions. Phi Delta Kappan (January). 393-399.
DuFour, R. (2004) What is a "professional learning community?" Educational Leadership (May), 6-11.
Farris, Pamela J. (1999). Teaching, Bearing the torch. 2nd edition. Boston,: McGraw-Hill.
Haberman, M. (2004). Can star teachers create learning communities? Educational Leadership (May), 52-56.
Hindle, W.R. (1993). The business-higher education link: Consider the possibilities. Educational Record (Summer), 33-38.
Hoang, T. (2010). No Child Left Behind: School processes associated with positive changes, collaborative
partnership, and principal leadership. Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (8) 3.
Johnson, L. J., Pugach, M. C. & Devlin, S. (1990). Professional collaboration. Teaching Exceptional Children, 21 (1), 9-11.
Littky, D. et al. (2004). Moment to moment at the Met. Educational Leadership (May), 39-43.
McCarthy, M. M. (1989). Legal rights and responsibilities of public school teachers. In M. C. Reynolds (ed.)
Knowledge base for the beginning teacher. New York: Pergamon Press.
Nash, R. J. (1996). Real world ethics. New York: Teacher College Press.
Skrtic, T. M., Sailor, W. & Gee, K. (1996). Voice, collaboration and inclusion; Democratic themes in educational and
social reform initiatives. Remedial and Special Education, 17 (3), 142-157.
Stones E. (1994) Reform in teacher education: The power and the pedagogy. Journal of Teacher Education, 45, 310-318.
Villa, R. A., Thousand, J. S., Nevin, A. I. & Malgeri, C. (1996). Instilling collaboration for inclusive schooling as a way
of doing business in public schools. Remedial and Special Education, 17 (3), 169-181.
Welch, M. & Sheridan, S. M. (1995). Educational partnerships: serving students at risk. Ft. Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace.
Wiseman, D.L., Cooner, D.D. & Knight, S.L. (1999). Becoming a teacher in a field-based setting. Belmonth, CA: Wadsworth
Updated July, 2012 by Edmund J. Sass