text:
Connectivity Analysis for Investigation of Auditory Impairment in Epilepsy
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01212068
Recruitment Status : Terminated
First Posted : September 30, 2010
Last Update Posted : October 6, 2017
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
- People with epilepsy often have auditory processing disorders that affect their ability to hear clearly and may cause problems with understanding speech and other kinds of verbal communication. Researchers are interested in developing better ways of studying what parts of the brain are affected by hearing disorders and epilepsy, and they need better clinical tests to measure how individuals process sound. These tests will allow researchers to examine and evaluate the effects of epilepsy and related disorders on speech and communication.
- A procedure called a magnetoencephalography (MEG) can be used to measure the electrical currents involved in brain activity. Researchers are interested in learning whether MEG can be used to detect differences in the processing of simple sounds in patients with epilepsy, both with and without hearing impairments.
- To measure brain activity in hearing impaired persons with epilepsy and compare the results with those from people with normal hearing and epilepsy as well as people with normal hearing and no epilepsy. This research is performed in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Hospital and epilepsy patients must be candidates for surgery at Johns Hopkins.
- Individuals between 18 to 55 years of age who (1) have epilepsy and have hearing impairments, (2) have epilepsy but do not have hearing impairments, or (3) are healthy volunteers who have neither epilepsy nor hearing impairments.
- Participants with epilepsy must have developed seizures after 10 years of age, and must be candidates for grid implantation surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital..
- This study will require one visit of approximately 4 to 6 hours.
- Participants will be screened with a full physical examination and medical history, along with a basic hearing test.
- Participants will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain, followed by a MEG scan to record magnetic field changes produced by brain activity.
- During MEG recording, participants will be asked to listen to various sounds and make simple responses (pressing a button, moving your hand or speaking) in response to sounds heard through earphones. The MEG procedure should take between 1 and 2 hours.
- Treatment at NIH is not provided as part of this protocol.
|Condition or disease
|Brain Mapping Intracranial Central Nervous System Disorder Epilepsy Auditory Perceptual Disorder Hearing Disorder
Objective: Auditory processing disorders are common in patients with epilepsy and adversely impact verbal communication. The neural bases of auditory disorders remain poorly understood, impeding development of objective clinical tests. The overall goal of this project is to develop an objective clinical measure of auditory processing using computational modeling of functional brain connectivity. To address this goal, we will use novel functional connectivity methods to analyze magnetoencephalographic (MEG) and intracranial electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings.
Study Population: We will acquire MEG data from 48 patients with intractable epilepsy prior to their undergoing grid electrode placement for neurosurgery evaluation at Johns Hopkins Hospital. ECoG data will be acquired at JHU under an ongoing study. Approximately half the patients will have auditory processing impairments. We will also acquire MEG from 20 healthy control subjects with no auditory processing impairment.
Design: Three planned studies use a within-subject, repeated measures design. The MEG studies will be conducted before patients have subdural electrodes implanted for intracranial mapping. The MEG studies and connectivity analyses will be performed at NIH. The ECoG studies will take place at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Data will be acquired using the same auditory stimuli and tasks for both the MEG and ECoG parts of the study. The same functional connectivity analyses will be performed on the two data sets.
Outcome measures: The main outcome measures will be (1) functional connectivity patterns in intracranial ECoG data that differentiate epilepsy patients with auditory impairments from those without auditory impairments; and (2) corresponding patterns in MEG data. Secondary outcome measures will consist of relationships between the intracranial ECoG connectivity measures and the MEG connectivity measures.
|Study Type :
|Actual Enrollment :
|24 participants
|Observational Model:
|Time Perspective:
|Official Title:
|Connectivity Analysis for Investigation of Auditory Impairment in Epilepsy
|Study Start Date :
|September 10, 2010
|Study Completion Date :
|April 4, 2017
- The main outcome measures were to be (1) functional connectivity patterns in intracranial ECoG data that differentiate epilepsy patients with auditory impairments from those without auditory impairments; and (2) corresponding patterns in ... [ Time Frame: 12-18 months ]
- Secondary outcome measures were to consist of relationships between the intracranial ECoG connectivity measures and the MEG connectivity measures. [ Time Frame: 12-18 months ]
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 50 Years (Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Normal peripheral hearing: pure tone air conduction thresholds less than or equal to 20 dB HL at octave frequencies between 250-8000 Hz for each ear; word recognition scores in quiet greater than or equal to 88% for each ear; normal 226 Hz tympanometry (middle ear peak pressure at 0 plus/minus 100 daPa and peak compensated static compliance of 0.3-1.5 mmho); no history of chronic otitis media, PE tubes, or hearing loss
For those participants with epilepsy - seizure onset age > 10 years
Normal cognitive function (Full-Scale IQ >84)
Absence of any co-morbid neurological disorder
Absence of highly magnetizable metallic implants, including highly magnetizable dental work
A negative urine pregnancy test
For participants with epilepsy scheduled or to-be-scheduled for grid implantation surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Evidence of neurological or psychiatric disorder that would interfere with data interpretation, including cognitive impairment
Presence of a lesion on a previous MRI, except for the following: mesotemporal sclerosis, cortical dysplasia, and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor.
Presence of highly magnetizable metallic implants, such as pacemakers, aneurysm clips, cochlear implants and shrapnel fragments, including highly magnetizable dental work, or any significant history of exposure to small metallic objects which may have become lodged in the head or neck.
For controls (healthy volunteers) only: history of speech-language disorder
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01212068
|United States, Maryland
|National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike
|Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
|Principal Investigator:
|Barry Horwitz, Ph.D.
|National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
|Responsible Party:
|National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01212068 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|September 30, 2010 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|October 6, 2017
|Last Verified:
|April 4, 2017
Brain Imaging
Brain Scan
Auditory Processing
Auditory Perceptual Disorder
Hearing Disorders
Auditory Perceptual Disorders
Perceptual Disorders
Central Nervous System Diseases
Brain Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Pathologic Processes
Ear Diseases
Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases
Sensation Disorders
Neurologic Manifestations
Signs and Symptoms
Neurobehavioral Manifestations
Auditory Diseases, Central
Retrocochlear Diseases
Cognition Disorders
Neurocognitive Disorders
Mental Disorders


text:
Senate advances Ukraine package
The Senate easily advanced a package of aid and sanctions in response to the Russian incursion into Ukraine on Monday, but a final deal is being bogged down by a controversial push to reform the International Monetary Fund.
With the help of 26 Republicans, the Ukraine bill cleared a key procedural vote on Monday on a 78-17 vote. That strong showing could collapse if Republicans don't have an opportunity to offer and vote on amendments. Still, there are at least several GOP lawmakers who will likely support any Ukraine package, virtually ensuring final passage later this week.
Story Continued Below
But the bill won't get to President Barack Obama's desk anytime soon because the House and Senate are at an impasse over including the IMF changes. The Senate bill includes the provision, which the Obama administration says is critical, but the House has already passed legislation that doesn't include IMF-related language. A key House panel is slated to take up another package on Tuesday that again ignores the administration's IMF push.
( Also on POLITICO: 'Ambassador, dear, you are lying')
The Senate package would shift $63 billion from the IMF's crisis account to its general fund and make good on a 2010 agreement to give nations such as China, Brazil and India more influence at the organization. The Obama administration also says including the IMF reforms will help boost lending capacity to Ukraine.
"I hear a lot of tough talk from Republicans about how America needs to send a stronger message to Ukraine about our solidarity," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who chairs a Senate panel on European policy, said Monday. "Well, IMF reform is part of that solidarity."
Though the Senate is likely to approve the package, the IMF changes caused plenty of consternation there. Many Republicans are seeking to delay new administration rules that crack down on political activity of tax-exempt nonprofits — called "501(c)(4)s" — in exchange for supporting the package. Democrats seized on that to accuse Republicans of blocking assistance to a nation in turmoil.
( POLITICO's full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine)
"They said we will give the president the tools he needs to help the beleaguered people of Ukraine but only if — only if — [501(c)(4)] work by the International Revenue Service and the Treasury Department is stopped," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Monday, referring to congressional Republicans. "That's pretty absurd, but that's the truth."
Many congressional Republicans see the IMF changes as an unnecessary component of Ukraine aid and have either called on Democrats to drop their demand for the IMF provisions or floated the possibility of exchanging those reforms for delaying the campaign-finance rules.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Monday that while he supports the IMF language, he believes that it ultimately will be scrubbed from the bill.
( QUIZ: How well do you know Vladimir Putin?)
"The IMF can leverage more money for the Ukraine," Graham said. "But if that has to fall, then I'd be OK with that."
Further irritating some Republican lawmakers is that the Senate Ukraine bill pays for the IMF changes by taking some funding away from certain Pentagon and State Department accounts. The bill's authors said they came from government programs that were "underexecuting" but that pay-for still drew some Republican opposition to the package.
The conservative Heritage Action for America announced on Monday it is lobbying lawmakers to vote against the Senate's Ukraine bill because the IMF language is "unrelated to Russia's aggression toward Ukraine and subsequent takeover of Crimea." And Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is preparing to offer an amendment on the Senate floor to remove the IMF language, an aide to the senator said Monday.
( Also on POLITICO: G-7 countries to skip Russian summit)
Still, any push from Senate Republicans to erase those IMF provisions is unlikely to succeed on the Senate floor, aides said. Republicans on the Foreign Relations Committee failed in their attempt to remove the language in committee and several Senate Republicans — despite their reservations about the IMF changes — have said they will still support the bill regardless.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Commodity prices traded mixed this week as dealers reacted to US stimulus expectations amid weaker growth worries across the globe.
Raw material futures, which had been falling early in the week, recovered some lost ground after US Federal Reserve chief nominee Janet Yellen defended the US central bank's US$85 billion-a-month bond-buying program and rejected suggestions that it had generated fresh bubbles in property or stock markets.
The comments on Thursday at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee "spurred expectations that any form of [stimulus] tapering would not occur anytime soon", said Vanessa Tan, an investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore.
OIL: Crude futures diverged, with New York prices hitting five-month lows amid strong supplies in the US, while Brent was supported by unrest in Libya, traders said.
By Friday on London's Intercontinental Exchange, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in January stood at US$107.88 a barrel compared with US$104.47 for the expired December contract a week earlier.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate or light sweet crude for December fell to US$93.83 a barrel from US$94.44.
PRECIOUS METALS: Gold prices ended the week higher overall in the wake of Yellen's remarks regarding US stimulus.
"The 'Yellen' effect has managed to push gold... higher as her dovish overtones put any ideas of near-term tapering on the back-burner," Triland Metals said.
By late Friday on the London Bullion Market, the price of gold edged up to US$1,287.25 an ounce from US$1,285.50 a week earlier.
Silver slipped to US$20.63 an ounce from US$21.70.
On the London Platinum and Palladium Market, platinum fell to US$1,438 an ounce from US$1,446.
Palladium dropped to US$729 an ounce from US$757.
BASE METALS: Industrial metals retreated across the board amid speculation that China could revise down its growth forecast for next year.
A Triland Metals broker said that "leaks from China's high political meeting regarding future growth targets have haunted the markets."
However, China on Friday pledged ambitious reforms to loosen the communist authorities' grip on the world's second-largest economy, as leaders chart the way forward for the next decade.
The ruling party issued a document detailing economic reforms following a key meeting, known as the Third Plenum, which ended earlier this week.
Meanwhile, official data on Thursday showed that a weak eurozone recovery slowed to a "snail's pace" in the third quarter, with powerhouse Germany off its stride and France hit by a surprise contraction.
The 17-nation eurozone economy grew just 0.1 percent in the three months to September after a gain of 0.3 percent in the previous quarter, the Eurostat statistics agency said.
Germany, Europe's largest economy, eked out growth of 0.3 percent, down from 0.7 percent in the second quarter, while France slipped back, its economy shrinking 0.1 percent after a gain of 0.5 percent.
By Friday on the London Metal Exchange, copper for delivery in three months dropped to US$6,965.50 a tonne from US$7,115 a week earlier.
Three-month aluminum fell to US$1,784.50 a tonne from US$1,803.7, and three-month lead dropped to US$2,089 a tonne from US$2,128.
Three-month tin grew to US$22,900 a tonne from US$22,850, while three-month nickel declined to US$13,712 a tonne from US$13,912.


text:
Behaviorists: Dogs feel no shame despite the look
Your dog may look guilty -- but that doesn't mean he feels guilty.
Despite all of those pictures on the so-called dog-shaming websites, in which dogs are surrounded by their misdeeds as they pose with a hand-written "confession," behaviorists say dogs lack shame. They say the guilty look -- with the head cowered, the ears back and the eyes droopy -- is just a reaction to the tantrum the dog's owner throws after discovering the damage the dog had done.
Dr. Bonnie Beaver of Texas A&M, who heads the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, says instead of trying to shame the dog who chewed up your favorite fuzzy slippers, you should just "get over it and remind yourself not to put temptation in the way next time."
Even the woman who started dogshaming.com says she doesn't think dogs actually feel shame. Pascale Lemire says dogs only know that their owner is "super mad about something" -- and that "he seems to calm down when I give him the sad face, so let's try that again."
She says her website -- with more than 65,000 images of guilty pets -- is good for a laugh, and to let pet owners know that "their dog isn't the only one who does awful things."


text:
You can also use finish scripts to customize files that are already installed on a system. For example, the finish script in Example 4–5 customizes the root environment by appending information to the .cshrc file in the root (/) directory.
#!/bin/sh # # Customize root's environment # echo "***adding customizations in /.cshrc" test -f a/.cshrc || { cat >> a/.cshrc <<EOF set history=100 savehist=200 filec ignoreeof prompt="\$user@`uname -n`> " alias cp cp -i alias mv mv -i alias rm rm -i alias ls ls -FC alias h history alias c clear unset autologout EOF }


text:
- Home
- Editor's Desk
- Features
- Columns
- Arts & Culture
- Special Editions
- Advertising
Monday November 11, 2019; 09:58 pm EST
Eat, drink, see movies and strengthen your skills
Ye gads it's been a difficult winter!
Today it's bitter cold and windy, and the long-range forecast looks like a lot more of the same, except for the charming likelihood of a few days of freezing rain. With two of my offspring still in college, there is no fiscal possibility of escaping to the tropics.
I've got to face up to the inevitable, the imminent approach of the most agonizing month of the year, February.
Pickerel remain the hottest item on the wintertime menu. The upper areas of most of our Bay tributaries hold good numbers of the toothy, hard-fighting game fish. The colder it is, the better they like it. Slow trolling a lip-hooked minnow on a shad dart suspended under a small bobber is a good way to coax these ambush predators out from their lairs, usually around piers, docks, laydowns and similar structures.
In Season
Canada goose, migratory: thru Jan. 28
The only hope is with several angling-associated activities scheduled in coming weeks. These events are just what the doctor ordered, keeping in mind that the doctor was a dedicated angler.
The Boatyard Bar and Grill in Eastport is once again holding Angler's Night every other Tuesday. January 24 features a film on fishing Kamchatka, Russia. February 7 will include a film on catching tarpon from a float tube. Movies start at 7pm: 410-216-6206; boatyardbarandgrill.com.
Saturday, February 4, Saltwater Sportsman Magazine holds its National Seminar Series at the University of Maryland, College Park, with six hours of courses on saltwater fishing including the Chesapeake. Entry fee includes a subscription to the magazine plus a bag of boating goodies and a fishing forecast: 800-448-7360; nationalseminarseries.com.
Saturday, February 11, the Upper Bay Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association holds its Winter Barbecue and Auction at the VFW Club, 815 Turkey Point Road in North East from 6 to 10pm. There will be live and silent auctions for outdoor and marine artwork, Yeti Coolers, fishing tackle and guided trips on the Susquehanna Flats, the Chesapeake and tributaries: 410-280-8770; ccamd.org.
The Kent Narrows Chapter of Coastal Conservation Association holds its Tenth Annual Tie Fest on February 25. As always, the tie fest is free. An event that draws all types of anglers from Maryland and surrounding states, it is a do-not-miss affair. Held at the Kent Narrows Yacht Club in Chester, it is largely informal. Expect to mingle and converse with world-class fly-tiers, guides and outfitters as well as writers, photographers and light-tackle cognoscenti who are more than willing to share their experience and expertise. Free fly casting, fly-tying lessons and name-brand fly rods and equipment tryouts offered. Good food and a wide selection of adult beverages sold. 10am to 4pm at Kent Narrows Yacht Club, Chester. free: Tony Friedrich at 202-744-5013 or [email protected].
Last comes an ideal opportunity for mid-Bay conservationists to take a more active role in protecting our natural resources. An Annapolis Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association is starting up with its first banquet Wednesday, March 7, at the Elks Lodge on Solomons Island Road in Edgewater. There will be bargains at the auction block for guided fishing trips, kayak expeditions, tackle and boating accessories. The CCA is an organization of like-minded conservationists dedicated to protecting our fish and marine life from over-exploitation. Lend your voice to the effort. Tickets include a year's membership and a year's subscription: 410-280-8770; ccamd.org.
A University of Maryland study that recommended commercial oyster harvesting be closed while the species recovers was opposed by both watermen and Maryland Department of Natural Resources. However, a key point made by the study went quietly unchallenged. DNR scientists had previously estimated that five percent of the historical population of this keystone bivalve remains. The University study places that figure at well under one percent.
DNR has since found that the fall storms that dumped record amounts of freshwater into the Bay killed more than 70 percent of the oysters remaining in the waters above the Bay Bridge.
My take: State officials are in denial of an ongoing ecological disaster.
On January 10, determined Natural Resources Police officers braving heavy fog in their 18-foot Whaler came upon five commercial fishing boats illegally harvesting oysters within the Tangier Sound Oyster Sanctuary. Apprehending two of the vessels, the officers charged three watermen with various counts and the possible suspension of their commercial licenses. The other three boats of poachers escaped.


text:
About the Seattle Department of Human Resources
General Contact Information:206-684-7999
Welcome to the SDHR Web Site
The Seattle Department of Human Resources is responsible for managing programs and services related to the City's
work force. SDHR administers the City's systems and programs for employee development, employment and recruiting,
job classification and compensation, labor relations, benefits, safety, workers' compensation, records and information
management systems, and affirmative action/EEO.
Department Mission
SDHR provides the leadership and expertise to define and direct strategic Citywide human
resource policies and practices.


text:
Liberty News
Online scholarship auction winner arrives on campus
This fall, more than 4,000 new students will be moving to Liberty University's 6,500 acre campus to begin their collegiate pursuit.
For freshman David Ireland from Woodland, Texas, attending Liberty allows him to earn a college degree while supporting a good cause. He was the winner of the online charity auction for a four-year residential scholarship to Liberty University.
Proceeds from the auction benefit Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally to be held in Washington, D.C., later this month, and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to surviving children of special operations personnel who died serving their country. The scholarship was one of two that Liberty University donated for the auction, drawing a total of $70,000 in charitable contributions this summer.
Ireland's mother, Josephine, first heard of the auction from her son's piano teacher.
"We just kept thinking that the auction was too good to be true," she said. "It has been a big blessing."
The auction was scheduled to end during the Irelands' cross-country vacation in July, making active bidding on the scholarship difficult.
"We were watching the clock," said Josephine Ireland. "We just kept expecting to be outbid."
Not only did winning the scholarship allow the Irelands to save money on tuition, it also allowed them to donate their winning bid of $42,500 to a charitable cause of which they are connected and are proud to support.
"My brother was in the Special Forces and my nephew is currently in the Special Forces," said Kelly Ireland, David's father. "Plus, Glenn Beck is a voice of truth in the world."
David, who is considering a major in accounting, is confident in his decision to attend Liberty.
"I had visited other campuses," he said. "I felt more at home [at Liberty] than I did anywhere else."
Although seeing their first child off to college will be bittersweet, the Irelands are at ease in leaving their son at Liberty.
"You are not just a number here," said Kelly Ireland. "The faculty really wants the students to excel."


text:
Baghdad's water still undrinkable 6 years after invasion
BAGHDAD — The stench of human waste is enough to tell Falah abu Hasan that his drinking water is bad. His infant daughter Fatma's continuous illnesses and his own constant nausea confirm it.
"We are the poor. No one cares if we get sick and die," he said. "But someone should do something about the water. It is dirty. It brings disease."
Everybody complains about the water in Baghdad, and few are willing to risk drinking it from the tap. Six years after the U.S. invaded Iraq, 36 percent of Baghdad's drinking water is unsafe, according to the Iraqi Environment Ministry — in a good month. In a bad month, it's 90 percent. Cholera broke out last summer, and officials fear another outbreak this year.
"Even if the water is good today, no one would trust it," grocer Hussein Jawad said. He said that about 40 percent of his business was selling bottled drinking water, crates of which he's stacked 7 feet high on the sidewalk. "We've learned to be afraid."
The irony of bad water is lost on few here. When the city was founded 1,200 years ago, it was named Baghdad al Zawhaa, "Baghdad the Garden," because water was plentiful. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers formed the boundaries of Mesopotamia and fed the fields in the cradle of civilization.
Baghdad still draws its water from the Tigris, but even that legendary source is problematic. President Jalal Talabani flew to Turkey this week to discuss the diminishing water flow, because Turkey has dammed the river. Syria and Iran have dammed its tributaries.
Environment Minister Nirmeen Uthman said Iraqi waste-treatment systems were obsolete, and that the concentration of waste being poured into the Tigris had increased. It's simple math: less river water, more concentrated waste. Each year the river is dirtier.
"Our most recent studies show the color is wrong, the smell is wrong, the pressure is wrong," she said. "And that was a good month, a very good month."
The list of reasons for the unclean water sounds like the recent history of this war-ravaged country. The saying goes: "Iraq was busy with the sword and the flag."
Baghdad's water network was due to be upgraded in 1984, but Saddam Hussein went to war with Iran instead. Then he invaded Kuwait. The U.S. bombing campaign that forced Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait damaged the water system and cut the resources needed to fix it.
A decade of international economic sanctions impoverished Iraq, and the water got worse. The U.S.-led invasion six years ago led to wide looting of offices and the abandonment of purification systems.
During the sectarian and terrorist strife that followed, it was impossible to start improvements or repairs, much less complete them. Baghdad had to hire security personnel even for water projects. The U.S. military's troop buildup starting in late 2007 also took its toll: One water pipeline was delayed for nine months because the U.S. built a blast wall across its path.
Since 2003, 500 city engineers have been killed, suspending hundreds of project plans, according to Hakeem Abdulzahra, Baghdad's chief spokesman. Finding personnel to replace the dead also is never easy, he said.
During the war, displaced people flooded the capital, constructed shoddy new homes or camped out in abandoned government offices. They dug down and tapped city pipes, often using pumps to find water supplies. As a result, 6 million people use Baghdad water daily, but only 5 million of them use it legally.
"These people make quality control very difficult," Abdulzahra said.
Take Falah abu Hasan, who's among 625 families squatting in the old air force offices in central Baghdad, one of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of illegal settlements around the city.
In the absence of adequate sewers, squatters run pipes from their bathrooms into the street, turning it into a standing cesspool. The water lines are poorly sealed, and as the pressure goes down, raw sewage mixes with drinking water, not only for the squatters but also for anyone who relies on that water main.
Looking at a block-long pool of dirty, trash-filled water, Hasan said that when pumps were in use to obtain city water, he'd seen the pools of sewage drop.
Ihsan Jaafar, Iraq's director of public health, said the water had been bad for years but that it now carried cholera, typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and other diseases.
"Clean water would be one of the biggest improvements in quality of life in Iraq," he said. "The people of the Mujamaa (illegal settlements) are the most vulnerable in our society. We must protect them, but they cannot live this way."
The city has a 10-year, $6 billion plan to fix the problem, which involves shutting down the squatters' settlements. However, there's fear that shutting down the settlements would force families onto the street and reignite sectarian fighting; the settlements are a recruiting ground for Shiite Muslim militias.
So step one in the repairs for the city water department is putting together a security force.
"We fight, as if we were in the army, to bring people clean water and take away sewage," Abdulzahra said.
Imam Mahnood al Bayati, a clergyman and a former engineer who's worked on water systems, said that providing clean drinking water was a central goal for Baghdad, for Iraq and even for Islamic religious practice.
"We can't even pray without water," he said in an interview at the Hajia Sidaa Mosque. "Before we pray, we must clean ourselves . . . ," he said, chuckling, wondering whether it's even possible to perform an ablution with Baghdad water these days. "Well, the Quran allows us, if there is no water to clean with, to use the sand of the desert. There's still plenty of that."
(Schofield reports for The Kansas City Star.)
Commentary: Baghdad is better, but for how long?
5 years after Iraq's 'liberation,' there are worms in the water
Joy in Baghdad: Its soccer teams are playing again
Iraqis find hope in their history - 5,000 years of it


text:
Mayor's Office
The number of employment discrimination complaints received by the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights (LCHR) decreased slightly from 2008 to 2009. But Director Larry Williams said the number of complaints is only one part of the picture. The 2009 LCHR annual report shows a total of 86 cases filed – 71 for employment discrimination, 13 for housing discrimination and two for public accommodation discrimination. That compares to 98 cases filed in the previous year.
"It's difficult to tell whether discrimination is increasing or decreasing based solely on the number of complaints filed," Williams said. "Some people simply do not file complaints because they fear retaliation or are unaware of the resources available to help them. That is why education and outreach are so important to us."
LCHR conducted more than 50 educational outreach and training sessions in 2009, reaching more than 3,000 people. The efforts included programs to career education classes at Lincoln Public Schools and the annual Fair Housing Conference. This year, the Civil Rights Conference April 20 and 21 will expand on the topic of fair housing and also cover employment discrimination.
"To end discrimination, we must do more than enforce the law," said Williams. "We also must provide the opportunity for all people in the community to reflect on their own attitudes, perceptions and beliefs through education and communication."
More than 57 percent of LCHR's annual budget comes from grant sources. In fiscal year 2008-2009, LCHR received $112, 474 in City general fund dollars, less than 1 percent of the City's total general fund budget.
Other findings from the 2009 annual report include the following:
To learn more about LCHR and the 2010 Civil Rights Conference, call 441-7624 or visit lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: rights).


text:
Join us in the Dragoon Taproom for a fun, full body workout, and stay for some post workout refreshments! All fitness levels are welcome. Please bring your sweat towel, bottle of water, and a mat or beach towel for something to lay on. $10 per person includes your first beer! 21 & over please. Registration opens at 10:45 and the workout starts at 11. See you then!
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: December 2Bicas Brown Beer Release
Later Event: December 8Outdoor Adventure Quest


text:
November 2004 Journal of Geoscience EducationVolume 52, Number 5
What is Urban Geoscience Education?
Mark Abolins Department of Geosciences, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
Full Text (Acrobat (PDF) 198kB Mar14 05)
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p405
Overcoming the Limitations of an Urban Setting Through Field-based Earth Systems Inquiry
Stuart Birnbaum Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p407
Urban Watershed Studies - An off-campus Site in the Built Environment, Northern New Jersey
Richard R. Pardi Department of Environmental Science and Geography, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
Michael J. Sebetich Biology Department, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
Karen Swanson Department of Environmental Science and Geography, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p411
Placing Urban Schools at the Forefront of the Revolution in Earth Science Education
Daniel Barstow Center for Earth and Space Science Education, TERC, Cambridge, MA
Harvey Z. Yazijian Center for Earth and Space Science Education, TERC, Cambridge, MA
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p416
Models of Inquiry-based Science Outreach to Urban Schools
Paul G. Harnik Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, NY
Robert M. Ross Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, NY
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p420
Overcoming Challenges of Teaching Earth History Classes for Teachers in a Rock-free, Urban Environment
Douglas W. Haywick Department of Earth Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
Lee S. Yokel Department of Earth Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
Memory Wedgeworth Flomaton Middle School, Flomaton, AL
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p429
Urban Earth Science In Milwaukee Wisconsin
William F. Kean Geosciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI
Tracy J. Posnanski Department of Curriculum and Instruction, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI
Jane J. Wisniewski Trowbridge Elementary School, Milwaukee WI
Todd C. Lundberg English Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI
Earth science topics are always in the news and are ever present in our life. Yet earth science is frequently given poor or uninviting coverage in K-12 schools because of lack of expertise and/or for an apparent lack of local importance. With this in mind, individuals from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee (UWM), the Urban Tree House Project (UTH) and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) have collaborated to provide earth science materials for pre-service and in-service teachers that center on the earth science resources of Southeastern Wisconsin. These include field guides to local parks (particularly the Lake Michigan shoreline), web based virtual field trips, instructional videos, information on the local geologic environments and soils studies.
The collaboration allows for similar instructional strategies and content presentation for both in-service and pre-service teachers through programs sponsored by UWM. The collaboration is being well received by all the stakeholders involved. The MPS teachers are energized by the newly discovered resources in their own urban backyard. MPS students are exposed to real-life applications of earth science. Pre-service teaching students appreciate the field experiences they have in class and the connection to MPS curriculum standards that helps make the learning experiences more meaningful.
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p429
Teacher Workshops Using Geoantiquities: Case History of Modern Great Salt Lake and Pleistocene Lake Bonneville Shorelines, Utah
Genevieve Atwood Earth Science Education, Salt Lake City, UT
Alisa Felton Park City High School, Park City, UT
Marjorie A. Chan Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
A teacher workshop uses the shorelines of Utah's Wasatch Front to teach concepts of shore processes and climate change, and incorporates the concept of geoantiquities in the teaching approach. Geoantiquities are precious archives of Earth systems history. Modern shorelines of Great Salt Lake and Pleistocene shorelines of Lake Bonneville record changes of climate and environment. Urban development can obscure or destroy important shoreline evidence. During the workshop of outdoor learning, teachers observe shoreline evidence, first at Antelope Island State Park and then in urban neighborhoods. Field experiences alternately expose teachers to obvious and subtle shoreline evidence; modern and Pleistocene shorelines; and pristine and urban shoreline exposures. Teachers tie concepts of shore processes and climate change to curricula they already teach. These include themes of change and constancy, and science concepts of the water cycle. Teachers summarize the past 35,000 year history of climate change at their school as content-based literacy projects.
The concept of geoantiquities influences the workshop by calling attention to the scientific, historical, and educational value of geologically young landforms, and illustrates how the present is a key to explaining the past.
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p438
Geoantiquites: Concepts and Applications for Education in the Urban Landscape
Marjorie A. Chan Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Holly S. Godsey Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
A geoantiquity is a natural record of Earth history that documents environmental change. Geoantiquities are typically expressed as classic geomorphic landscapes shaped by surficial processes such as moving wind and water, erosion, and deposition. The geoantiquity concept is patterned after the model of cultural antiquities and involves developing and implementing strategies to identify, evaluate, and conserve threatened geologic landscape features. The case study is an area of rapid urban growth along Utah's Wasatch Front, where geoantiquities associated with Pleistocene Lake Bonneville are in danger of being removed, covered, and/or altered. The geoantiquities are either a part of the urban landscape or are in close proximity to urban areas, and can thus serve to educate the community on Earth processes and how to balance the natural systems with the urban environment.
Education is an important venue for implementing geoantiquity conservation because people are more likely to want to preserve what they can understand. Our approach to education includes: a) community involvement and outreach; b) field-oriented teacher workshops; and c) hands-on classroom demonstration kits. In all three of these educational efforts, individuals learn what geoantiquities are, how to recognize them, and their societal and scientific value.
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p445
Geoscience Education for Realtors, Appraisers, Home Inspectors, and Homeowners
Edward B. Nuhfer Center for Teaching and Learning, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p453
Connecting Urban Students with their Rivers Generates Interest and Skills in the Geosciences
Suzanne O'Connell Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
Joseph Ortiz Department of Geology, Kent State University, Kent, OH
Janet Morrison Department of Chemistry, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
Two different enrichment programs for urban high school students from the Greater Hartford Area of Connecticut were conducted during the summer of 2002. They were designed to expose students entering the tenth grade to Earth Science as a problem solving science in a challenging and supportive atmosphere. This was done by focusing on understanding watersheds and water quality using primarily chemical techniques on samples collected from the Connecticut River, it's two Hartford area tributaries (the Hockanum and Park Rivers) and coves and ponds adjacent to or feeding into these rivers. Students worked in groups of one to three and all gave presentations of their results (data and interpretation) on the last day. Student faculty ratios that did not exceed three to one provided close supervision and individual attention.
The majority of the students found the programs a positive experience. Students stated that they had developed a greater appreciation for science, the rivers in the Hartford area, and the issue of pollution and how it relates to them. The majority indicated that the program would help them in subsequent science classes and that they would like to continue to participate in the program the following year. All of the students said they would recommend the program to another student interested in science.
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p462
A Student-centered Regional Planning Group Activity for Non-science Majors
Mark Abolins Department of Geosciences, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/nov04.html#v52p472


text:
WATERBURY, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., (GMCR) (NASDAQ: GMCR), a leader in specialty coffee and beverages with its innovative Keurig® brewing technology, today detailed its new K-Carafe™ capability for its Keurig® 2.0 Brewing System, available for sale in Fall 2014. Keurig® 2.0 brewers will be the first system to brew both one cup using a single serve pack and a carafe of coffee using the new Keurig® K-Carafe™ pack.
"Both current Keurig brewer owners and non-owners told us the brewer functionality they wanted most was the ability to brew both a single serving and a pot of coffee from one system with Keurig speed, convenience and brand choice. Our next generation Keurig 2.0 brewers will do just that," said Brian P. Kelley, President and CEO of GMCR.
"The breakthrough innovation required to deliver this new carafe functionality came from our unique expertise in appliances and beverages," said Kelley. "Through the close collaboration of our beverage and brewer engineering teams, we made significant advancements in roasting and flavor extraction, thermodynamics, and mechanical and software design to ensure that our Keurig 2.0 brewing system will give consumers a perfect, consistent cup of high quality coffee at the touch of a button, whether they choose to brew a single serving, or choose to brew a carafe with our K-Carafe pack."
Kelly continued: "Our retail customers and beverage brand partners are excited about our new at home K-Carafe innovation, and we look forward to sharing even more about the new consumer benefits our Keurig 2.0 system will offer when we officially launch the system later this year."
A number of GMCR's Keurig® family of beverage brands, including partner varieties, will be available in the K-Carafe™ pack format upon introduction of the new Keurig® 2.0 system, with additional brands and beverages to be added over time. K-Carafe™ packs will brew 28 ounces of coffee into a specially designed Keurig® carafe. K-Carafe™ packs will only operate in new Keurig® 2.0 brewers, which will use proprietary interactive capabilities to identify the Keurig® pack that is inserted and to brew that pack optimally every time.
About Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR)
As a leader in specialty coffee and coffee makers, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) (NASDAQ: GMCR), is recognized for its award-winning coffees, innovative Keurig® Single Cup brewing technology, and socially responsible business practices. GMCR supports local and global communities by investing in sustainably-grown coffee, and donating a portion of its pre-tax profits to social and environmental projects. For more information visit: www.gmcr.com. To purchase Keurig® and Green Mountain Coffee® products visit: www.keurig.com, www.greenmountaincoffee.com or www.keurig.ca.
GMCR routinely posts information that may be of importance to investors in the Investor Relations section of its website, www.GMCR.com, including news releases and its complete financial statements, as filed with the SEC. The Company encourages investors to consult this section of its website regularly for important information and news. Additionally, by subscribing to the Company's automatic email news release delivery, individuals can receive news directly from GMCR as it is released.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information contained in this filing constitutes "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "seeks" or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs, such as "will," "should," "could," "may," "aims," "intends," or "projects." However, the absence of these words or similar expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These statements may relate to: the expected impact of raw material costs and our pricing actions on our results of operations and gross margins, expected trends in net sales and earnings performance and other financial measures, the expected productivity and working capital improvements, the success of introducing and producing new product offerings, the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations, the adequacy of internally generated funds and existing sources of liquidity, such as the availability of bank financing, the expected results of operations of businesses acquired by us, our ability to issue debt or additional equity securities, our expectations regarding purchasing shares of our common stock under the existing authorizations, and projection of payment of dividends. In addition, forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the SEC.
Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.


text:
SPAMfighter FAQ - Support
Get Help in our FAQ!
There is an 80% chance that the answer to your question can be found in our FAQ below.
Step 1 - SPAMfighter For Windows - VIRUSfighter - SPYWAREfighter - Sales - SLOW-PCfighter - SPAMfighter Mail Gateway - SPAMfighter Hosted Mail Gateway - SPAMfighter Exchange Module - FULL-DISKfighter for Mac - FULL-DISKfighter - VIRUSfighter Android - PASSWORDfighter - DRIVERfighter - OUTDATEfighter - SPAMCALLfighter (Android) - THEFTfighter (Android) - SPAMfighter for Mac
Login, password etc.
Outlook Express
SPAMfighter doesn't move any emails to the deleted items folder so it sounds like you have added the email address to Outlook Express's "Blocked Senders List", please check it here:
In Outlook Express go to: Tools -> Message Rules -> Blocked Senders List.
Windows Live Mail
Technical terms can be tricky to understand. Look in our Glossary for definitions to some terms used on our website, and in the computer world.
Can't find your answer in the FAQ? Answer a few questions here, and one of our knowledgeable supporters will get back to you with a solution.


text:
Join us on irc.railfan.ca in #railfan - the world's best 24/7 railfan chat (alternate client)
Index by location
Index by date
Other indices
Recent outings
Railfan information
The HotBox
Today's random implausible lashup: GBRF 66720-CN 5708-CSXT 697
Site news
This photo has not yet been indexed.
Click on the image for the full-size size version.
More from Halifax, Nova Scotia
More from May, 2018 | May 17th, 2018
<<[] Previous || Index || Next []>>
|Camera make and model:
|Canon EOS REBEL T2i
|Exposure length:
|1/1600 ( 0.000625 )"
|8/1 ( 8 )
|Focal length:
|200/1 ( 200 )
|ISO speed:
|2018:05:17 15:53:12
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia.
May 17th, 2018
In Halifax for a couple of days.This image viewed 1 times, as of last night.


text:
It was brought to my attention through one of my contests that some people have difficulty placing lots through World Editor within game. As a result, I created this tiny little world with tiny little lots (10x10 and 10x15) to build tiny buildings. There are no rabbit holes, but the mail will still arrive and the newspaper will be delivered.
Commercial x9
Residentilal x9 (one is a pier for a houseboat)


text:
Think (About It) Lyrics
Hey, fellas
I'm talking to you, you and you too
Do you guys know who I'm talking to?
Those of you who go out and stay
Out all night and half the next day
And expect us to be home
When you get there
But let me tell you something
The sisters aren't going for that no more
'Cause we realize two things
That you aren't doing anything for us
We can do better by ourselves
So from now on, we gonna use
What we got to get what we want
So, you'd better think, think
Now's the time when we have...
That's the thing I never will forget
Now baby, I got a whole lot to give
And a whole lotta loving
That a woman could give, yeah
But before I give it up, I gotta think, think
Think what the future holds for me
Just go ahead and see
I don't need no heartache
I can't stand no misery
Let me think, think
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
All right, yeah
Don't say it's easy
Just plain living
Sometimes it's kinda tough
If it's not in your vision
Don't make no decision
Hey, yeah, all right
So, I'm laying the cards on the table
When it comes to taking care of me
I know I'm able
You may not call it true
But I won't do nothing that you won't do
Said I won't do nothing that you won't do
So think about the good things
Come on and think about the right things
You got to think about me too
Come on and think, think about you
Come on and think about the good things
Come on and think about the right things
Come on and think about me too
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
What's Your Interpretation?
End of content
That's all we got for #
Lyrics Discussions
Hot Tracks


text:
A Graduation Speech Like No Other
Jun 06, 2011
- Eric Duquette was told he would probably land in an institution, unlikely to graduate. Listen to how Eric beat the odds and let his light shine.
The World Becomes What You Teach
Jun 03, 2011
- Zoe Weil: What we commonly think of as the goal of education—preparing students for jobs in our economy—is a vision "too small and outmoded for today's world."
15 Years of Saying YES!
Jun 03, 2011
- Video: 15 years ago, YES! Magazine's founders wondered if, amidst the doom and gloom, there was a place for journalism about hope and possibility. They found their answer.
Mr. Colbert Goes to the FEC
by Brooke JarvisMay 18, 2011
- The satirist wants to form "a megaphone made of cash"—his own super PAC.
Sarah van Gelder: 15 Years of YES!
May 15, 2011
- Laura Flanders of GritTV interviews Sarah van Gelder, co-founder and executive editor of YES! Magazine.
The Adventures of a Stubborn Grandmother
May 06, 2011
- From StoryCorps, a funny, poignant interview between a strong-willed woman, her son, and her granddaughter.
Life With Poetry, But No Parole
by Spoon JacksonMay 06, 2011
- Locked up for life, prisoner poet Spoon Jackson discovered life as a "melody that flowed like free verse."
How to Fight Fracking and Win
Apr 26, 2011
- What started as one couple's fight against gas drilling in their local park grew into a campaign to save more than 700,000 acres of Pennsylvania forest.
You Can't Ignore Me Any Longer
by Jing FongApr 14, 2011
- Street artist JR brings art to improbable places, creating projects that force us to really see each other.
Wadah Khanfar: Hope for the Arab World
Mar 15, 2011
- Video: The head of Al Jazeera shares his hope for the Arab world's new future—and how we can all help it grow.
Finding Creativity in Our Frenzied World
Mar 14, 2011
- Video: John Cleese on how to let your tortoise mind come out to play.
An Oasis in a Food Desert
Mar 09, 2011
- Video: In West Oakland, a community cooperative is providing an alternative to fast food and packaged snacks.
The Story of Citizens United
Mar 01, 2011
- Annie Leonard's new film asks: Why have corporations gotten so powerful? And what can we do about it?
US Uncut: How to Do Your Own Bail-In
Feb 24, 2011
- Advice from UK Uncut: Bringing an uncut protest to your town is easy.
We Are Wisconsin
Feb 23, 2011
- Video: Meet the people making history in Wisconsin.
Telling inspiring stories of social change.


text:
By The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sim Bhullar became the first player of Indian descent to sign a contract with an NBA team Friday, inking a deal to join the Sacramento Kings in training camp. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
"I've long believed that India is the next great frontier for the NBA, and adding a talented player like Sim only underscores the exponential growth basketball has experienced in that nation," said Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, the league's first Indian-born majority owner. "While Sim is the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA franchise, he represents one of many that will emerge from that region as the game continues to garner more attention and generate ever-increasing passion among a new generation of Indian fans."
The 7-foot-5, 360-pound Bhullar was born in Toronto and played two seasons for New Mexico State, where he averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. He twice earned Western Athletic Conference tournament MVP honors and led the Aggies to back-to-back NCAA tournaments.


text:
The Sole E35 Elliptical is one step up from the Sole E25 and what a step it is. The machine retains the smooth, quiet easy motion during exercise and ramps up the features in what's been frequently labeled as "best buy" for quality and value. This is definitely an elliptical to investigate:
- Designed for a smooth, fluid motion and a total body workout
- 20 levels of resistance so beginner and experienced elliptical users will get a good workout
- Built in cooling fan, mp3 station, bottle holder and more
- Quality durable materials and construction for long lasting use combined with the longest warranty in it's class
Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer Review
This E35 elliptical trainer is very close to the ellipticals you'll find in fitness centers across America. You can see that they're built in a similar way with the sliding rails at the base for solid stable motion during your workout. The great thing is this elliptical is a fraction of the cost of commercial units and is still built to last.
There are 20 levels of resistance and the beginner can choose to have no resistance if required and they would be working out against the weight of the flywheel. The experienced user will be happy with the smooth toughness at the top end of the resistance levels and in between the levels gradually get harder or easier in a smooth predictable way.
There is up to a 40 degree incline for those wanting some hill work which targets slightly different areas of the body. The incline is powered electronically so you can change it at the touch of a button. There's even a program that uses the incline to give you variety in your workout or surprise in your normal routine if desired.
Further variety is offered in the range of 8 different programs available which is great for motivation. One program is even usable with the heart rate chest strap which is included with the machine. You would select the heart rate program to workout to a predetermined heart rate which is great for maximum weight loss and fitness tailored to your own fitness level.
The machine has many other features like a cooling fan to keep your body temperature cool and comfortable during your workout. There is an mp3 station so you can play any motivating or inspiring music you desire. There's a water bottle holder so you don't need to stop exercising to take a much needed drink. Overall this is a great machine and regularly tops the favored piece of fitness equipment by it's users.


text:
Men's Attack and Middie Lacrosse Heads
Attack. The position's name says it all. You attack the goal, the goalie, and the scoreboard. This position is one of attitude, finesse, and speed. You need to be quick on your feet and have superb stick skills. Having the right lacrosse attack head can improve your game, helping your performance go from good to great. We carry all the top lacrosse heads for you to up your game on the field.
Men's Attack and Middie Lacrosse Heads
(2 Products)
Filtered By: Under Armour Recommended


text:
Established in 1983, the Florida Museum of Natural History's South Florida Program investigates, reports on, and conserves knowledge of the past environments and cultures of South Florida.
With the ultimate goal of understanding the emergence of social and political complexity in precolumbian South Florida, William Marquardt has directed an interdisciplinary research project in Southwest Florida, heartland of the Calusa Indian people (Lee, Charlotte, and Collier counties). The interdisciplinary project makes use of documentary, archaeological, and environmental data to reach an understanding of cultural changes before, during, and after European contact.
Florida Museum research in South Florida addresses and informs issues of (1) the emergence of social and political complexity; (2) human interaction with the changing environment; (3) cultural genesis in the multi-ethnic, post-1492 New World. These projects offer information of interest not just to professional scholars, but also to the public, and are thus well suited to public programs and museum exhibits.
Research since 1983 has resulted in the most systematically obtained and intensively studied collection from the domain of the ancient and extinct Calusa Indian people, who controlled all of South Florida at the time of European contact. Of special interest, the Pineland collection consists of artifacts, human-environmental specimens/samples, and associated records/products. It also includes complementary historical and oral-historical records that are important for preserving the local history of the community of Pineland, and helping local citizens to maintain a sense of place in what is one of the fastest-developing parts of Florida. The Florida Ethnographic Collection contains artifacts associated with the Seminole and Miccosukee people, dating from the mid nineteenth through the late twentieth centuries, as well as correspondence, documents, and photographs accumulated by W. Stanley Hanson.
The South Florida Program is directed by William Marquardt, Curator, assisted by Karen Walker, collections manager. Collections curated under this program are archaeological (artifacts, specimens, and documents) and ethnographic (materials associated with the Seminole and Miccosukee Indian people). Marquardt and Walker are assisted by graduate students, undergraduate students, interns, and volunteers. Marquardt also directs the Randell Research Center, a research and education center located in Pineland, Florida, near Fort Myers.
This web site was compiled by William Marquardt. Special thanks to Karen Walker for additional text and editing, Merald Clark for art work, Ann Cordell for pottery images and identifications, Pat Payne for photographic composition, and Darcie MacMahon and Jeff Gage for additional artifact images.


text:
Yogi Tea Awakens The Body With Natural Energy
Springfield, Ore.–based Yogi transforms waking up and post-lunch pick-me up routines with two new naturally caffeine-rich green and black teas. Developed by Yogi's culinary herbalist to deliver boosts of natural energy, Refreshing Mint ReVitalize and Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy carry on the brand's heritage of creating teas with delicious, intriguing flavor and healthy benefits.
Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy blends sweet vanilla bean and honeybush leaf with warm chai spices and green and black teas for a perfectly balanced flavor that gently awakens the body's natural energy. The inherent caffeine in green and black teas is enhanced with natural green tea extract for an immediate pick-me-up while the calming green tea derivative L-Theanine helps to prevent jitters leaving you with balanced, focused energy.
Combining cool peppermint with rich Assam black tea, the flavor of Refreshing Mint ReVitalize is inspired by traditional Turkish mint blends and provides lasting natural energy. Assam black tea, green tea and natural green tea extract together deliver a potent boost of balanced energy. The invigorating tea is made with signature Yogi spices including ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and clove that gently detoxify the body and protect against impurities.
"As modern life gets increasingly busy, there's been a need for powerful teas that provide balanced long-lasting energy, without harmful side effects like anxiety and jitters," says Guru Hari Khalsa, Yogi director of research and development. "To fill that void, we created two tea blends with potent energizing effects unmatched in the tea aisle today. We worked hard to develop distinct flavors for each that you'd look forward to savoring."
Suggested retail price at Whole Foods and other natural product retailers is $5.00 for a box of 16 individual tea bags.


text:
Home » Religion » Christianity » Engaged Projects » Here
|The Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) is a secular body that helps the world's major religions develop their own environmental programs based on their core teachings, beliefs, and practices. ARC links religions with key environmental organizations, creating powerful alliances between religious communities and conservation groups. The Alliance works with eleven major religions (Baha'ism, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shintoism, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism) as well as the key traditions or denominations within each. ARC recognizes the crucial role that the world's religions have to play in addressing the environmental crisis: the eleven religions participating in the Alliance own seven percent of the habitable surface of the planet; if they invested together, they would be the world's third largest identifiable block of holders of stocks and shares. Combined, these religions reach out to every village and town, have the trust of more people than any other national or international group, and their followers constitute at least two-thirds of the world's population. By drawing on holy books, sacred sites, traditional farming, education networks, media, and the assets of the religions, ARC helps create environmental projects such as forest management, organic farming, alternative energy, socially responsible investing, educational projects, sacred nature reserves, urban planning, and professional development. Current ARC projects include founding an International Interfaith Investment Group (3iG) with the intention of working with the investment arms of religions to create models for positive investment. The aim of this project is for each religion to assess its portfolios with due regard to its beliefs, values, the environment, and human rights "so that all life on Earth can benefit." Another major initiative, the Asian-Buddhist Network, enables Buddhists from all corners of Asia to share their experiences with environmental projects within their communities.
|Inter-religious: Christianity
|Geographic Location
|Duration of Project
|The idea behind ARC emerged in 1986, when World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-International was celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary. Its President at the time, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, suggested marking the occasion by inviting representatives of five major religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism) to the event, which was held in Assisi, home of St Francis, the Catholic patron saint of the environment. Prince Philip realized that WWF needed to connect with people who live in areas of greatest risk and where the potential for biological diversity is highest. Realizing that local religious leaders are often active and influential within their communities, he concluded that helping local religious leaders appreciate their responsibility for the environment and explain that responsibility to the people in their communities would raise environmental awareness around the globe. Following the 1986 Assisi event, WWF International established a program with the main religions to develop thousands of religion-based environmental programs. In 1992, Prince Philip was awarded the United Nations (UN) prize for ecology for the success of this work. Prince Philip founded ARC as a separate not-for-profit organization in 1995. Since then, it has worked on hundreds of projects in sixty-eight countries. These include reviving sacred mountains in Mongolia, protecting sacred forests in Lebanon, working with the Swedish Church on sustainable forest policies for its extensive landholdings, supporting the Zoroastrian community in Mumbai on vulture breeding programs, helping churches in the UK make their graveyards sanctuaries for rare flora and fauna, and helping Sheikhs in Zanzibar persuade local fishermen not to use explosives as a fishing technique because it is against Islamic law.
|Mission Statement
|ARC's primary aim is to assist and enable the religions of the world to respond to the environmental challenges of the Twenty-First Century.
|Partner Organizations
ARC usually works with local partners on a project-by-project basis. It also works with many religious and environmental organizations such as:
The China Taoist Association
|Long-Term Goals
|None Listed
|None Listed
|Additional Research Resources
|None Listed
|Contact Information


text:
01834 452281 (Sales)
01834 452280 (Aftersales)
If you need a replacement part for your Kia, we recommend using Kia Genuine Parts. Engineered by Kia to precise and exact standards, they match your Kia's original specification and are all covered by a 2 year Warranty.
We recommend against using non-genuine parts because they can be unreliable, compromising the performance of your Kia and possibly invalidating your warranty. Kia Genuine Parts are available from us at competitive prices. And because you can rely on our Kia Trained Technicians and the latest diagnostic equipment, you'll be sure to get the right part for the job fitted properly.
01834 452281
01834 452280
9:00 - 18:00
9:00 - 16:00
10:30 - 16:00
8:00 - 17:30
08:00 - 12:30
Get directions
Get exclusive news, videos and pictures - follow us here.
© Kia Motors UK 2019 visit: kia.com/uk


text:
WALTHAM, Mass.- On Homecoming Day, the Brandeis University women's soccer team faced off against the University of Rochester Yellowjackets in a University Athletic Association (UAA) battle on Gordon Field. The two squads played an even match and wound up in a scoreless draw after 110 minutes of action. The Judges went to 9-2-1 (1-0-1 UAA) on the year while the Yellowjackets are now 5-3-3 (0-0-2 UAA).
In the first half, Brandeis earned most of the chances outshooting Rochester 5-1 and earning four corner kicks. The Judges best opportunity in the period came when a cross into the box found the head of sophomore midfielder Mathilde Robinson (Miami, Fla./ Miami Palmetto). Robinson's header went off the crossbar and straight down to where the Yellowjackets' junior keeper Aubrey Jaicks (Mars, Pa./ Shady Side Academy) was able to recover it.
In the second half, the attacking play was more equal as Rochester began to test Brandeis' defense. In the 67th minute, the Yellowjackets' senior forward Grace Van Der Ven (Skaneateles, N.Y./ Skaneateles) ripped a shot that forced the Judges' junior keeper Michelle Savuto (Ridgewood, N.J./ Ridgewood) into a diving stop. In the 74th minute, Van Der Ven was at it again, taking a shot from just outside the box that curled towards the near post but Savuto was up to the task once more.
A little over two minutes later, it was the Judges turn to put some pressure on Rochester. Senior midfielder Mary Shimko (Bay Village, Ohio/ Lake Ridge Acad.) blasted a strike from about 25 yards away that clipped the crossbar and careened back into play. Junior forward Dara Spital's (Miami, Fla./ Gulliver Prep) follow-up effort was saved by Jaicks. Then, in the 79th minute, sophomore defender Haley Schachter (West Barnstable, Mass./ Barnstable) tried a long-range shot of her own that forced Jaicks to tip the ball up and over the crossbar.
In the two overtime periods, the Yellowjackets came away with the closest attempts at a goal. For one stretch in the first overtime, Rochester earned four consecutive corner kicks. On two of them, Brandeis players had to clear headers off the line. Junior defender Alec Spivack (Miami, Fla./ Miami Palmetto Senior) and Robinson each cleared headers from off the goal line to preserve the tie for the Judges.
In the second overtime period, Rochester won a free kick a couple feet outside the eighteen yard box but the shot sailed wide.
Savuto made three big saves during her ninth shutout of the season while Jaicks had seven stops for her third clean sheet.
Brandeis continues their UAA schedule at fifth-ranked Carnegie Mellon on Friday October 18th at 3:30 p.m. Rochester travels to Chicago on the same date with a 3:30 p.m. start.


text:
NASHVILLE, March 6 (UPI) -- Rick Santorum won the Tennessee Republican presidential primary, his first Super Tuesday prize of the day, projections indicated.
With 60 percent of precincts reporting, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania received 38 percent of the vote, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 28 percent, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich with 23 percent and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas with 9 percent.
CNN and other TV networks projected Santorum would win Tennessee based on exit polling and early returns.
Santorum had led in the polls, and Romney supporters said they hoped a win in the Volunteer State would show support in the South, a region where Romney has struggled.
Voters in the mostly rural state voted contrary to Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and state House Speaker Beth Harwell, who backed Romney. Haslam chaired Romney's campaign in the state, returning a favor from 2010, when Romney backed Haslam's gubernatorial bid.
Gingrich made a solid push in Tennessee, campaigning in Nashville while Romney and Santorum focused on Michigan.
Santorum, who has emphasized social issues and blue-collar economics as he works to attract conservatives unhappy with Romney, was also projected to win in Oklahoma, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Tennessee has 55 delegates up for grabs, the third-most among the 10 Super Tuesday states. Candidates must gain 20 percent of the vote statewide or within the nine congressional districts to qualify for a share of the delegates.
The state also has three so-called super delegates, who are unbound.


text:
Acting IRS chief knew in 2012
The Internal Revenue Service's acting commissioner first learned about the agency's targeting of conservative political groups more than a year ago, the agency revealed Monday, even as President Barack Obama called the extra scrutiny "outrageous," and promised those responsible would be "held accountable."
"You don't want the IRS ever being perceived to be biased and anything less than neutral in terms of how they operate," Obama said at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron. "I've got no patience with it, I will not tolerate it and we will make sure we find out exactly what happened on this."
Story Continued Below
Obama's comments were his first on the situation since the IRS's scrutiny of groups with "tea party" and "patriot" in their names came to light on Friday. The IRS also targeted groups working to make "America a better place to live" and ones focused on government spending and debt, according to a draft report from the agency's investigator general.
( Also on POLITICO: Obama's comments on IRS, Benghazi)
Acting IRS Commissioner Steve Miller was told in May 2012 that the Internal Revenue Service was targeting conservative groups for extra review, POLITICO has learned.
The tax exempt and government entities office informed Miller, then the deputy commissioner for services and enforcement, about the "improperly identified" applications on May 3, 2012, according to the IRS.
This detail from the agency clarifies when senior IRS officials first learned about the program that singled our conservative groups that included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their tax documents.
Two months before Miller was informed, former IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman told Ways and Means lawmakers that the IRS was not giving extra review based on groups' politics. The IRS has maintained that Shulman did not know details of the program when he testified.
Miller's position at the time would have been only one level below Shulman.
Miller has been at the IRS for more than two decades and once headed the exemption organizations office currently under review, but he transferred departments before the program began in 2010.
( Also on POLITICO: 5 questions on the IRS debacle)
The president said he learned of the IRS misbehavior in the news reports that emerged Friday, though White House press secretary Jay Carney later told reporters the White House counsel's office was informed of the report during the last full week of April, but not told of its findings.
"If, in fact, IRS personnel engaged in the kind of practices that have been reported on and were intentionally targeting conservative groups, then that is outrageous, and there is no place for it, and they have to be held fully accountable," Obama said Monday.
The president's comments came as congressional leaders signaled plans to probe the issue, tea party groups threatened to to sue the IRS, and fresh charges emerged that the agency's misconduct may have been broader than originally reported.


text:
Motorola razr 2019 shows up in more promo shots
Microsoft unveils the Surface Laptop 3
LG unveils K30 with Snapdragon 425
Computers & Tablets
Car Electronics
Hardware Components
ECS DeskNote W622D - laptop specifications.
Laptops Specs
>> ECS DeskNote W622D
Type ECS DeskNote W622D
Laptop Type
Basic Spec ECS DeskNote W622D
Screen Size
The size of a screen is usually described by the length of its diagonal, which is the distance between opposite corners. It is also sometimes called the physical image size to distinguish it from the logical image size,which describes a screens display resolution and is measured in pixels.
Image resolution can be measured in various ways. Basically, resolution quantifies how close lines can be to each other and still be visibly resolved. Resolution units can be tied to physical sizes (e.g. lines per mm, lines per inch), to the overall size of a picture (lines per picture height, also known simply as lines, TV lines, or TVL), or to angular subtenant. Line pairs are often used instead of lines; a line pair comprises a dark line and an adjacent light line.
Pentium M
Processor No
Processor Speed
The speed at which your computer runs programs or completes tasks is determined in great measure by your computer's processor speed. Processor speed is measured in gigahertz (GHz). The higher this measurement, the faster the processor. It's hard to say the speed you should look for because these chips are constantly getting smaller and contain more and more power. However, when you shop, know that the higher numbers give the best performance and factor that into your decision depending on your needs.
Wide Screen
SSD Size
Hard Drive Size
Hybrid drives are storage devices that combine NAND flash solid-state drive (SSD) with hard disk drive (HDD) technology, with the intent of adding some of the speed of SSDs to the cost-effective storage capacity of traditional HDDs. The purpose of the SSD in a hybrid drive is to act as a cache for the data stored on the HDD, by keeping copies of the most frequently used data on the SSD for improved overall performance.
Short for Revolutions Per Minute, RPM is used to help determine the access time on computer hard drives. RPM is a measurement of how many revolutions a computers hard drive makes in a single minute. The higher the RPM, the faster the data will be accessed; for example, if you were comparing two hard drives, one with 5400 RPM and another with 7200 RPM, the hard drive with a 7200 RPM will be capable of accessing data much faster than the other.
Memory Size
Memory Type
In computing, DDR3 SDRAM, an abbreviation for double data rate type three synchronous dynamic random-access memory, is a modern type of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) with a high bandwidth ("double data rate") interface, and has been in use since 2007. It is the higher-speed successor to DDR and DDR2 and predecessor to DDR4 synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) chips. DDR3 SDRAM is neither forward nor backward compatible with any earlier type of random-access memory (RAM) because of different signaling voltages, timings, and other factors.
Memory Slot
Pay attention to the number of slots, because the next time you will be required to install additional memory, you will already know how many empty slots you have. You will see a lot of empty slots for additional memory. ... Pay attention to the marking slot and buy the corresponding suitable type of memory that will be compatible with yours.
PC card slot
Detailed Specs ECS DeskNote W622D
Graphics Processor
A graphics processing unit (GPU), also occasionally called visual processing unit (VPU), is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, and game consoles. Modern GPUs are very efficient at manipulating computer graphics and image processing, and their highly parallel structure makes them more effective than general-purpose CPUs for algorithms where processing of large blocks of data is done in parallel. In a personal computer, a GPU can be present on a video card, or it can be on the motherboard or-in certain CPUs.
Radeon X700
Video Memory
Video RAM or VRAM, is a dual-ported variant of dynamic RAM (DRAM), which was once commonly used to store the framebuffer in some graphics adapters. Video RAM or VRAM, is a dual-ported variant of dynamic RAM (DRAM), which was once commonly used to store the framebuffer in some graphics adapters.
Wireless LAN Data rate
Wireless LAN Type
A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using a wireless distribution method (often spread-spectrum or OFDM radio) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building. This gives users the ability to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network, and can provide a connection to the wider Internet. Most modern WLANs are based on IEEE 802.11 standards, marketed under the Wi-Fi brand name.
Operating System
Android is a mobile operating system (OS) based on the Linux kernel and currently developed by Google. With a user interface based on direct manipulation, Android is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers, with specialized user interfaces for televisions (Android TV), cars (Android Auto), and wrist watches (Android Wear). The OS uses touch inputs that loosely correspond to real-world actions, like swiping, tapping, pinching, and reverse pinching to manipulate on-screen objects, and a virtual keyboard.
integrated software
Battery Life
Optical Drive
Size ECS DeskNote W622D
Dimensions (WxHxD)
Comments, questions and answers to ECS DeskNote W622D
Ask a question about ECS DeskNote W622D
Enter the sum of the two numbers.
Copyright © 2014-2019 MobileSpecs.net. All rights reserved.


text:
At Starlite, each poet has the option to make their poems available to the public or hidden from view. There could be many different reasons for a poem to be hidden. The most common reason is that the poet is preparing to publish the poems and does not want them to be available prematurely.
If you would like to contact the owner directly, please feel free to contact them via their home page. lackofcolour home page


text:
TAC campaigns
Since 1989 the TAC has focussed on a range of road safety issues to change public behaviour. These campaigns include young drivers, fatigue, drug driving, motorcycle safety, distractions, vehicle safety, speeding and drink driving.More about TAC campaigns
The annual number of Victorian road deaths is less than a third of what it was in 1989. Despite this, over 10,000 people have been killed on Victorian roads since then. The TAC provides a wide range of road safety statistics.
Towards Zero
No road death, no road injury – a future where every journey is a safe one. This is our ultimate aim at the TAC, a vision we believe can be reached when every company, every business and every person – the whole community - takes responsibility for road safety.Find out about Towards Zero
Learning to drive
A drivers licence is a key to independence and freedom. It allows you to get to work, study, sport, shopping and go out with ease, yet it is also puts you in the face of real and potential danger on our roads. Here you'll find all the information you need to learn to drive safely.Find more on Learning to drive
Safe driving
The TAC's vision is a future where every journey is a safe one. Here you'll find tips and tools for safe driving, information for motorcyclists, seatbelt safety, information for parents and information for fleet managers.Find out more Safe driving
Road safety in schools
Young people aged 18-25 years are about three times more likely to be killed in a car crash than older more experienced drivers - one way to change this is to provide relevant driver safety education for schools.Find out more Road safety in schools


text:
Revenge of Y2K and Other News
Hello sports fans! So this has been a bit of a hectic time for us, as I'm sure you can imagine. Here's just some of the things that have been going on around here. Last week, thanks to a failure on the time servers at USNO.NAVY.MIL, many customers experienced a time rollback to CY 2000… Read more
- Tags: DFSR, Jonathan Stephens, Ned Pyle, time


text:
Commission Home Page
An Investment in Excellence
The decade of the 1990s spawned more demanding workforce needs, a growing necessity for lifelong learning, and a strong global economy. The results of these changes have significantly heightened the important role of higher education. New Jersey colleges and universities are integral to the overall economic and societal vitality of the state. As the new millennium begins, the Commission on Higher Education urges the Governor and Legislature to enhance New Jersey's commitment to higher education and build on college and university strengths to meet the challenges of the future.
The state's increasing investment to support college and university operations and facilities, student assistance programs, and programs to meet special needs is essential. It supports the basic conditions that are necessary to maintain an effective, affordable, and accessible higher education system. However, New Jersey's Plan for Higher Education: 1999 Update stresses the need to go further to meet the demands of today's global, information economy. It sets a strategic course to make higher education in New Jersey competitive with the best in the world, a condition that is increasingly necessary to the state's overall prosperity.
Recognizing the desire to enhance quality, coupled with natural limitations on available resources, the plan calls on institutions to review, and where necessary, refine and focus their programmatic missions. It encourages them to identify their strongest programs and make them competitive with peer institutions that are among the best in the region, the nation, or the world. Toward that end, the Commission recommends supplemental funding in FY 2001 to assist institutions that are moving toward excellence in areas related to targeted state priorities. Such supplemental funding will address state needs, but more important, it will advance the underlying purpose of excellence in higher education, which is to improve the learning experience for students.
The Commission firmly believes that New Jersey must start now to push its higher education institutions farther along the path to excellence, and the colleges and universities have significant areas of strength on which to build. An investment in excellence is an opportunity to move New Jersey higher education into the upper echelon nationally, which will reverberate favorably on the state's competitive position.
The basic conditions that form the necessary foundation to establish and sustain excellence require ongoing support, and in some instances, increased support in FY 2001. The foundational needs fall into five categories: operational support, capital support, student assistance, special academic programs, and systemwide support.Operational Support
The administration's continuing commitment to increased operating aid for community colleges is necessary to assist in rectifying the long-standing imbalance in the student and government funding partnership. This addresses a Commission goal that is directly related to access and affordability. As a result of $12 million increases in the first two years of this multi-year commitment, tuition was held level at many institutions, and average tuition increases plummeted. Ongoing institutional efforts to control costs are essential, and maintenance of effort by county governments is equally important.
During the past decade costs have grown more rapidly than inflation at the senior public institutions, largely as a result of salary increases. State support has not kept pace. The Commission asks that the state increase funding for these institutions to fulfill incremental and negotiated salary increases and to avoid placing an even greater burden on students. Rectifying the existing imbalance in the funding partnership between state government and students at these institutions will require the state to increase its share of operating expenses, while institutions carefully control costs and set funding priorities.
FY 2000 marks the first year in which one percent of the funding increase for public institutions links to performance indicators. Providing additional funding based on performance benchmarks in areas critical to the state and its citizens fosters accountability and encourages excellence in those areas. The Commission recommends continuation of this program at the one percent level in FY 2001. Prior to the end of the current year, staff will collaborate with the institutions to review and improve the indicators.
The Independent College and University Assistance Act provides operating aid on the basis of New Jersey residents served by the 14 institutions with a public mission. While the overall appropriation for these institutions has increased over the past few years, funding still falls short of the level envisioned in the act. The Commission recommends an additional increase in 2001 to move toward restoration of the partnership with this sector, which serves more than 20,000 undergraduate New Jersey students.Capital Support
Capital funding for colleges and universities is essential to excellence in higher education. New Jersey has adopted several measures during the last decade to address facility and technology infrastructure needs. Most recently, the state established the Higher Education Capital Improvement Fund, which provides $550 million focused primarily on addressing deferred maintenance. These new funds for four-year colleges, coupled with recent increases in the Chapter 12 debt service program for community colleges, will enable significant strides in preserving and renewing campuses. Further, the 1997 Higher Education Technology Infrastructure Fund has greatly enhanced interconnectivity and student access to state-of-the-art technology.
However, a 1999 report, New Jersey's Capital Investment in Higher Education, estimated a need for $3.2 billion for facilities over the next seven years. The Commission, in consultation with the Presidents' Council, will develop a long-term strategic plan to address facility needs identified in that report.
To address short-term needs, the Commission recommends renewal of the Equipment Leasing Fund. The state will complete payments for the initial $100 million leasing fund bonds in FY 2001, and the fund can be renewed in full in the spring. This fund was established to provide an ongoing financial mechanism for equipment purchases at our institutions. The past decade required colleges and universities to improve their research capacity and ability to prepare students effectively to fill existing jobs in a sophisticated technological world. Continuing state assistance is necessary to ensure that colleges and universities upgrade equipment to meet current and emerging needs without relying only on student financing. The FY 2001 budget should include sufficient funds to cover the renewal of the Equipment Leasing Fund. This recommendation does not necessarily entail an increase in funds for higher education. As payments are completed for the 1994 bonds, the line item should be continued to support new bonds, which are likely to require a similar level of debt service.
A final and ongoing capital request concerns the need for an annual appropriation to assist the senior public institutions with capital maintenance. Over the years funds for this purpose have been sporadic. The result is significant deferred maintenance on the campuses. The new bond issue targets deferred capital maintenance projects and requires institutions to pay one-third of the debt service for the life of the bonds. Funds to cover ongoing maintenance are essential to avoid further deferred maintenance backlogs.Student Assistance
New Jersey proudly ranks among the most generous states in the nation in providing student financial assistance. More than $200 million was appropriated in the fiscal year 2000 budget, primarily for need-based aid. Currently, more than one-third of full-time students attending New Jersey's senior public and independent institutions and one-fourth of full-time students at the community colleges receive Tuition Aid Grants (TAG). The state should continue its commitment to need-based aid, providing the TAG program for full-time students at maximum current year levels, and extending TAG to the most economically disadvantaged part-time students, without limiting funds for those who attend full time.
The state's Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) provides academic support linked to financial assistance for students from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. EOF student awards should be increased in FY 2001 in order to preserve affordability. While costs continue to increase beyond the rate of inflation for most students, awards have not been increased since FY 1996. Funding for campus programs should also be increased.Special Academic Programs
The growing number of students with special requirements exerts pressure for programs to assist them. For example, the number of students whose native language is not English has increased by 25 percent since 1994. At some New Jersey community colleges, these students now constitute the majority of all learners. Meanwhile, funding for the Education of Language Minority Students (ELMS) grant program has remained constant since 1991. Doubling the appropriation for ELMS is an appropriate, cost-effective response to the increasing number of language minority students on New Jersey campuses.
Similarly, since its establishment in the mid-1980s, the allocation for the Special Needs Grant Program has not been increased despite the burgeoning population of students with learning disabilities and the rising cost of related services. The Commission recommends additional funding for the existing cost-effective regional centers that serve these students.
Continued state funding for the College Bound program will be complemented over the next five years by the $10 million new federal GEAR-UP grant received by the Commission in August. These funds support pre-college academic programs to address educational needs and aspirations of disadvantaged students. Continued funding is also recommended for the Minority Academic Career program, which was recently transferred from the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to the Commission. A thorough evaluation of that program may result in revised funding recommendations in future years.Systemwide Support
There are two areas in which the Commission recommends additional funding to support systemwide needs.
First, improved student transfer and articulation must be addressed in New Jersey, and the Presidents' Council has agreed upon principles to guide institutions. However, the higher education system is striving to implement transfer and articulation policies that are essential for a seamless transition for students from two-year to four-year colleges. Though not an easy task given the thousands of courses delivered at diverse institutions, it is essential to eliminate delays in degree completion and the unnecessarily duplicative instruction that occurs when credits do not transfer. A computerized transfer and articulation system known as ARTSYS will facilitate implementation of the transfer and articulation principles that the presidents have established. Rutgers University is currently pilot testing this system with New Jersey community colleges, and ARTSYS has already proven effective on a broader scale in another state. The Commission recommends state funding to implement ARTSYS systemwide.
Second, the statewide higher education telecommunications network backbone is expected to become operational within the next six months. The backbone, which grew out of funding from the Technology Infrastructure Fund, is critical to generating high-speed connectivity essential for students and faculty engaged in teaching, learning, and research. The Commission recommends ongoing state assistance for the oversight and maintenance of the network backbone beginning in FY 2001.Conclusion
Higher education plays an increasingly significant role in the future prosperity of the state and its citizens. Meeting the challenges of the 21st century will require diligence, commitment, and investment. The state must promote excellence and ensure higher education's ability to meet the reasonable expectations of New Jersey citizens for access to high-quality, affordable higher education. Governing boards and institutions must build upon their strengths and be responsible stewards of state resources. Further, students must work to maximize the benefits they receive for the sake of future contributions to the state economy and society.


text:
If You Think Two Cantaloupes Should Cost $16,000, You're Not Alone
Only a boob would drop a few grand on some melons, right?
Well, not everybody agrees. A fruit wholesaler in Japan has forked over $15,730 for a pair of eight-pound cantaloupe melons. Sure, you may be able to get two for four bucks at your local grocery store, so you know these melons must have something special about them. Like, really special.
As it turns out, they're Yubari melons, which apparently means you're able to convince some poor sap to spend as much on them as they would on a trio of brand new souped-up Yugos, circa 1986.
Yubari melons are a sign of wealth and prestige in Japan, kind of like people who can afford health insurance here in the US. Many folks even give them as gifts, which makes it that country's version of Edible Arrangements, except it sounds like people actually like it when they receive this fruit as a present.
Fruit is somewhat of a rare commodity in Japan, with an apple fetching more than $5 and a pack of cherries going for more than $100. We say the Japanese should just skip out on the melons, apples and kiwi and just live on as much of that delicious Kobe beef as they can stuff in their mouths.