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The US housing market, and the Boston area in particular, have likely reached bottom and will slowly start to recover this year, according to Harvard University researchers who are scheduled to release an annual housing report Thursday.
More than six years after the country's housing market pitched into a deep slide, Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies said a recent increase in home sales, coupled with low inventories of available properties and rising rents point to a turnaround in housing prices.
"There are lots of positive indicators here,'' said Eric S. Belsky, managing director of the housing center. "A floor is beginning to form under home prices."
The center's 2012 report, scheduled to be released Thursday at the Ford Foundation in New York City, contrasts with the forecast it released last year in which Harvard accurately predicted the US housing market would remain sluggish through 2011 as potential buyers remained on the sidelines out of fear prices would continue to fall and the economy still struggled.
For this year, Harvard researchers' view of the Boston area is even brighter, primarily because the local economy is in relatively better shape than elsewhere in the country, and housing values did not fall as much. The online brokerage firm Redfin reported Wednesday that Boston-area home sales increased by 21.5 percent and median prices jumped 5.5 percent in May compared with the month before — significantly higher than the United States.
"We are definitely going to be in front of the trend,'' said Alex Coon, market manager for Redfin in Boston. "I think 2012 is going to be the base that the recovery for housing is built on."
But the recovery will not be felt equally across the country. Michael Rubinger, chief executive of the nonprofit New York-based Local Initiatives Support Corp., said low-income communities continue to struggle with high jobless rates and too many underwater properties — where the house is worth less than its mortgage debt.
"I would like to think we turned the corner,'' Rubinger said, but "I'd have to say the jury is still out."
The Harvard report noted there are more than 11 million US homeowners who owe more money on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Another downward pressure point on the market is the huge backlog of homes in foreclosure — some 2 million nationwide.
But on a broader basis, sales of both new and existing homes are increasing at a strong pace, and Belsky said that uptick is significant because it is occurring without federal tax incentives such as a first-time home buyer's tax credit that prompted a surge in buying several years ago. Increased home sales also should spur construction, an added boost to the economy, the report said.
Another possible boost to home sales, Belsky said, is the rising cost to rent. In Boston, for example, rents climbed 7 percent between 2010 and 2011 and are expected to show similar advances this year, said Ishay Grinberg, president of Somerville-based Rental Beast Inc., which maintains an online rental database. Those increases mean apartments in Boston are now approaching houses in cost. According to Harvard researchers, median rents in the Boston area are at $1,171, while the typical monthly mortgage payment here is $1,269, based on homes sold at the median price and a 20 percent down payment.
Nationwide, the typical renter paid an estimated $881 a month to rent an apartment in December, while the typical homeowner paid $625 a month, according to Harvard. Belsky said current conditions suggest many would-be buyers will find that owning a home is a better deal than renting.
"As markets tighten, these fence-sitters may begin to take advantage of today's lower home prices and unusually low mortgage rates,'' Belsky said. "Monthly mortgage costs relative to monthly rents haven't been this favorable since the early 1970s.''
David Stevens, chief executive officer of the Mortgage Bankers Association based in Washington, D.C., said a recovery would be even stronger if lenders were able to loosen strict lending requirements. He said lenders have become increasingly strict about financing buyers, prompted by increased government regulations and concerns about legal liability.
"We are seeing very good signs of recovery but it is not as strong as it should be,'' Stevens said.
Jenifer B. McKim can be reached at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @jbmckim.


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Posted by Brian from Shawnee on January 29, 2004
On the front page of today's Newark (New Jersey) Star-Ledger there's an article about a student strike at an "alternative" high school called Valley High. It's a special school in Newark for students with special behavioral problems.
It seems that the students refused to get on the new buses provided by a private contractor, because they are "cheese buses". The article explained that "cheese buses" are similar to the yellow minibuses used to transport Special Education (i.e., "retarded") students, and tough kids from the ghetto were too concerned about their image to get on the buses.
The article did not explain why exactly the buses are called "cheese buses" by the students. I suspect the explanation was discovered by the reporter, but was probably derogatory to Special Ed. students and was therefore omitted.

subset: commoncrawl


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Floating shark surprises fishermen
AFTER a morning of fishing in the Swansea Channel produced two undersized flatheads, Huon Oliver and Bryan Passmore received the fright of their life when a large tiger shark floated by.
After a tense few seconds, the pair realised ''the long white shape'' almost as long as their boat was the underbelly of a shark that had already been caught and killed.
The two men hooked the monster fish with an anchor before dragging it to shore.
Mr Oliver, of Cooks Hill, said once on dry land the pair took a close look at the creature they believed had been caught on Saturday during a fishing competition held by the Lake Macquarie Game Fishing Club.
''We went out on Sunday morning about 7am and were fishing on the north-west side of the Swansea Bridge,'' he said.
''We just spotted this long white shape in the water and realised it was a shark.
''Unfortunately we weren't the ones who caught it, it had already been caught.''
Mr Oliver said the shark was possibly caught during the club's annual tournament, the ''Bigfish Bonanza'' where about 60 to 70 boats participated.
The shark would have been caught and weighed at the Swansea RSL Club but instead of dumping the carcass out at sea it must have been tossed out at the Swansea Heads, Mr Oliver said.
Further evidence the shark had been weighed was shown in a photograph provided by the two men.
The photograph shows the shark's stomach protruding from its mouth, a phenomena consistent with a shark being hung upside down while being weighed.
''It would have just been floating around the channel until we spotted it,'' he said.
''It was a bit of a scary sight for a second. Bryan and I surf a bit so we know sharks are out there but it was strange to see one in the channel.''
Do you know more? Email firstname.lastname@example.com


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Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
Neurobiologist Eric Kandel shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "discoveries concerning signal transduction in the nervous system." Dr. Kandel studies how neurons in organisms such as sea slugs alter their responsiveness to chemical signals to produce a coordinated change in behavior -- work that ties into learning and memory. In this segment, Ira talks with Dr Kandel about his work and interests.


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|February 2008
|OKLAHOMA'S�eGOV NEWS REPORT
Welcome to Oklahoma's eGovernment News Report providing you with up-to-date information on Oklahoma's eGovernment achievements.
State Health Department Launches Redesigned Web site
The newly designed OSDH Public Health Information Portal offers a more professional Web presence to the public with many new and improved user-friendly features including the following:
Upcoming features of the OSDH Public Health Information Portal will include credit card payment modules that will allow citizens the ability to pay for many health department services online. �
Visit the Oklahoma State Department of Health Web site
Department of Human Services Offers Variety of Online Services
"OKDHS is keenly aware of the importance of using the Web site as a vital communications tool and a way for people to conduct business with the agency," said George Johnson, Director of Communications. "We understand that the Web site is truly a front door to the world. The services highlighted here and on OKDHS.org are part of breaking down the digital divide between the public and government and are an extension of our mission of helping individuals and families in need help themselves lead safer, healthier, more independent and productive lives."
� �Visit all OKDHS's Online Services
City of Tonkawa Launches Online Bill Pay
"We are so pleased to unveil our new online bill pay system to the citizens and businesses of Tonkawa," said Deborah Miner, City Clerk/Treasurer. "We strive to provide user-friendly methods to transact business with the city over the Internet, resulting in convenience, fast access to information, and increased productivity for our city staff." �
Visa and MasterCard payments can be made 24 hours a day and are processed through OK.gov's secure payment engine. The city of Tonkawa is the first local government entity to utilize OK.gov to process payments over the Internet. OK.gov abides by rigorous policies and procedures to safeguard all personal information, such as banking information and personal data. This ensures that residents and businesses can be confident that their payments are safe, private, and secure.
���Visit the City of Tonkawa's Online Bill Pay
Department of Wildlife Seeking Entries for Photo Contest
Any Oklahoman with a digital camera and an interest in the outdoors is eligible to see their work published in this year's Showcase Edition of Outdoor Oklahoma magazine. Submissions are being accepted through March 31, and winners will have their work featured in the July/August 2008 issue.�
Each participant may submit up to five digital images and must include a description of the photo, including the location taken, names and hometowns of subjects and what it took to get just the right shot. Photos should be in sharp focus, and images should be at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). The canvas size should be about 8 inches by 11 inches. Slides and print images will not be accepted. Hopeful photographers can e-mail their entries to firstname.lastname@example.com.�
"We are encouraging everybody who enjoys the outdoors in Oklahoma to make a submission this year," said Nels Rodefeld, editor of Outdoor Oklahoma. "Photos can be of anything related to the outdoor heritage in Oklahoma, such as shots of wildlife, birds, insects, landscape and people enjoying hunting and angling trips or even watching bird feeders in their own backyards. We just want to see how people participate in the outdoors in Oklahoma."�
Although Outdoor Oklahoma encourage readers to submit images including a variety of outdoor-related subjects, the magazine has been focusing on "faces in the outdoors" to show hunters, anglers, kids and other outdoor enthusiasts enjoying the outdoors.�
What's Inside
Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust
- Tracey Strader,
Office of Disability Concerns
- Steve Stokes,
How do I receive free weather notifications on my cell phone or email?�
��Visit Emergency Management's Weather Notification System�
How do I�find the current burn ban status in Oklahoma?
�Visit Oklahoma Department of Forestry's Burn Ban Map
Monday, May 26
State Car Seat Checks
State Employee Rally at the Capitol
Conservation Day at the Capitol
Share Your eGov Story
Have an Oklahoma eGovernment story to tell?
About OK.gov
OK.gov built and manages the official Web site for the state of Oklahoma and partners with state agencies to bring new government services online. OK.gov is managed by the Oklahoma Office of State Finance and eGovernment firm NIC Inc.
4234 North Santa Fe | Oklahoma City, OK 73118
405.524.3468 or Toll Free at 1.800.955.3468


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Property in Hong Kong
Hamptons International is a premier international residential estate agency offering an extensive portfolio of properties around the world.
Our Asia head office based in Hong Kong is highly experienced in providing Asia based investors with a variety of unique and exclusive overseas residential properties for sale.
With a focus on properties located in the United Kingdom, Hamptons International is firmly positioned as a market leader in providing fully integrated residential agency services, with expertise in sales, lettings, property management, new homes, land opportunities and financial and corporate services.


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Could this be the grave of James Bennett, Jr, my second great-granduncle and a known murderer and presumed bank-robber?
James Bennett, Jr (ca 1866- ca 1906)
A few days ago I met a new Bennett cousin online, and this morning she sent me some data on my Bennett boys, including the possible site of James Bennett, Jr's unmarked grave. Above is the Find-A-Grave page.
Custer National Cemetery is not too far from the possible death sites of James Bennett, Jr: Glendive and Miles City, Montana.
But to bury a violent criminal in a national cemetery, which is usually reserved for military veterans, their spouses and others closely associated with some time of military event?
According to the family lore, a newspaper article describing James Bennett's last bank robbery and subsequent death, and a photo of the body was sent to James Bennett's brother George for identification. Perhaps, when I find that newspaper article…


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From HTML WG Wiki
HTML Issue: Abbr and Acronym
There has been a discussion of:
- Eliminating one of the two elements: ABBR and ACRONYM.
- AbbrAndInitialisms: Preserving ABBR and replacing ACRONYM with IABBR, with @type attributes
- Eliminating both ABBR and ACRONYM elements and adding SHORT.
- Others have suggested adding INITIALISM.
- Still others have suggested AbbrAndInitialisms#head-b574cee489e2711e4895e8e5eb667b6ea9a2918e: adding a @type attribute to ABBR with values such as "acronym", "initialism", "truncation", and "other".
Points of Attention
- The main problem with having only one tag concerns aural UAs: acronyms are pronounced as words (that is, identical to unmarked-up text), many abbreviations are spelled out, yet others are a hybrid form, which are pronounced partly like a word and partly spelled. There is also the class of abbreviations that are spoken in full but written shorthand, such as "etc."
- In all of the above cases, there may be user preferences for how a word is to be spoken, and these may not be the same for all speakers of a given language or dialect.
- Most, if not all speech synthesizers come equipped with a dictionary containing common abbreviations allowing them to read plain text correctly. If the only reason these words are marked up is to benefit aural UAs, does it really provide any benefit to, for example, write etc. ?
Further Points of Attention: Abbreviations Aren't Just for Speech Users
- What is needed is not only the expansion, but an aural styling rule, using the "speak:" property outlined in Section 19 of CSS2, so that abbreviations and/or acronyms can be marked to either be pronounced as words or spelled-out
- A) Examples:
- A) Examples:
B. Note that the CSS3 Speech Module contains a mechanism for phonetic spellings (so that, for example, "GUI" sounds like "gooey", instead of "guy") and much else of utility for aural renderers. Note, as well, that the self-voicing extention to FireFox, FireVox, is implementing the CSS3 Speech Module.
- the second bulletted Point of Attention only strengthens the argument for mandatory declaration of a primary natural language for the entire document; if a speech synthesizer recognizes a switch in natural language, it should switch to that language (if supported), and apply the natural language rules for the author-defined natural language. Likewise, a visual renderer can, in response to a natural language declaration, switch character sets, fonts, end even directionality, to display the natural language correctly. This is equally important to users of refreshable braille displays -- there is no universally-agreed-upon international braille code, so most languages use language specific braille rules to accomodate accented characters, as well as to provide "Grade 2" braille (in which one can use contractions and word symbols, which vary from language to language), as well as generating preceding characters, such as a dot 6 preceding a letter to indicate it is capitalized, or 2 preceding dot 6s to indicate that the entire word is capitalized) to the end-user.
- it is not only for speech-synthesis that an expansion for such "common" abbreviations as etc. (e t c period), ibid, or e.g. -- for those for whom the "common" abbreviations have nothing in common with their first, second or tertiary natural language, or for those who have never encountered Latinisms in their study of English. To mark up "etc." for example, one wouldn't include the lang="la" attribute, as etc. is an accepted part of the natural language "en"; moreover expanding "etc." to "et cetera" doesn't really help -- the correct expansion for etc. is "and so on", for ibid "in the same place", for i.e., "that is", for e.g. "for example", and so on; don't forget that there will be plenty of MouseOvers by non-native speakers of a declared natural language when a user encounters unfamiliar or synonymic abbreviations, in which case the expansion would be rendered in a ToolTip. Thus, this isn't just an aural rendering mechanism, but an overall contextualizing mechanism,
Problem linked to
- How can we treat the 'word art' question [1] ?
This issue was raised in:
A very complete example has been given by Gregory J. Rosmaita in [1]
[1] alternative guides to content (semantic, visual, but not pronunciation) — Dailey, David P, 25 Mar 2007
- No resolution yet.


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We've had rumour after rumour practically from the day after the iPad 2 launched last year but now Apple has finally indicated it will launch a new iPad on 7 March.
While the invite to the event in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco doesn't specifically mention the iPad 3, it does say Apple has "something you really need to see. And touch." This is accompanied by a picture of what looks suspiciously like a new iPad.
The device pictured on the invite looks like it has an improved screen compared to the current iPad, but it's not conclusive and we'll have to wait until the event itself to see what is announced.
The event will begin at 10am local time, which is 6pm GMT next Wednesday, 7 March and we will of course be covering the event live, bringing you all the details as they are annoucned.
While we expect to see a new iPad, be that the iPad 3, iPad 2S, iPad HD or whatever it is called, we also expect to see a revamped Apple TV and possibly a new HD audio file technology which will use adaptive streaming and let you convert your entire music collection into a HD format.
We'd love to hear what you think will be announced in San Francisco next week, so let us know in the comments below.
Make sure you check out our iPad 3 round up where you'll find all the rumours surrounding Apple's latest tablets.


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DNA: Using DNA to solve Genealogical Puzzles
50-60 minutes
Length can be adapted with prior consultation
Hosting Reqirements
- I will use MY data projector
no notes
Related Downloads
DNA testing has been highlighted in the media and is an exciting new tool for family historians to enhance their research. This presentation will discuss using DNA testing in family history, the various types of tests and what they do (or don't do!) and demystify the terms. Examples will be shown of how DNA testing has answered research questions and we will talk about how to determine the best person to test for the Genealogy puzzle you need to solve.
- Location:
- Category:
- Login to post comments


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This question already has an answer here:
We have a legacy classic ASP application that's been around since 2001. It badly needs to be re-written, but it's working fine from an end user perspective.
The reason I feel like a rewrite is necessary is that when we need to update it (which is admittedly not that often) then it takes forever to go through all the spaghetti code and fix problems. Also, adding new features is also a pain since it was architect-ed and coded badly.
I've run cost analysis for them on maintenance but they are willing to spend more for the small maintenance jobs than a rewrite. Any suggestions on convincing them otherwise?


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Setting up a new reef tank or salt water aquarium? Come on in and discuss your marine tank's Plumbing, flow design, lighting set ups, calcium reactors, skimmers, uv's and all other Reef aquarium setups
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


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'Your skin is your sin': Chicago cops sue over demotion from Emanuel detail
Eleven Chicago police officers are suing the city over claims they were demoted from the mayor's security detail when Rahm Emanuel took office because they weren't politically connected and aren't black.
"The color of your skin is your sin," the police commander told one of the plaintiffs when asked why he was being demoted and the black officers were not, according to the suit.
The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Illinois, contains explosive accusations that the officers had their civil rights violated after Emanuel took office last year.
The officers charge that shortly after Emanuel was elected in February 2011, the city government began to bring people associated with the Emanuel campaign on board -- both those who volunteered on Emanuel's security detail during the campaign and others who were "politically involved."
Within a few weeks, the suit says, most of the defendants were removed from the detail "without just cause or any explanation" and were demoted in title, rank and pay. Meanwhile, they allegedly were replaced by Emanuel's former security detail volunteers and others with a "political connection."
The demoted officers were sent to work in city police districts. Three of the 11 briefly retained their title, going to work on the detail for former mayor Richard M. Daley, but were soon removed from that detail as well and reassigned.
The Chicago Department of Law, in a brief written statement, rejected the claims.
"Any claim that the selection of the mayor's detail was based on political or other improper considerations is completely baseless and false," the statement said, adding that any hiring decisions were made by an interim superintendent and not Emanuel or his staff.
The suit claims the officers were removed in violation of an order known as the Shakman Decree, which prohibits political considerations in hiring. Further, the officers claim race was a factor, as the black officers on the mayor's security detail kept their jobs during the administration change.
Commander Brian Thompson, a defendant in the suit who is black, allegedly told one of the officers "the color of your skin is your sin" when the officer asked about the discrepancy.
The officers are seeking to be reinstated with their old title and salary, and are seeking unspecified damages.


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Constitution Day Contest Details and Resources
The Constitution: See It, Read It
'NEWS FLASH: CONSTITUTION DAY 2010 POSTER DESIGN CONTEST winners announced!
Congratulations to the winners of the 2010 Constitution Day Poster Contest (hosted by the Gov Doc Kids Group). It was a difficult decision, as we had so many good entries (nearly 10,000 from all over the world). Because we had such a wonderful response from so many talented young people, we have an additional "honorable mention" category this year. Contestants receiving honorable mention will receive recognition and a token of our appreciation as well.
Here are the names; images of both the winning and honorable mention posters will be available on this site and on http://www.constitutionfacts.com in the coming weeks:
Name School City/State Age Grade Unit/District
Vogts Krista Olpe Jr/Sr High Olpe KS 8 13 USD 252
Kurtenbach Rachel Diamond Canyon Anthema AZ 5 10 Deer Valley USD
Stauffer Stephanie Diamond Bar High School Diamond Bar CA 12 17 Walnut Valley USD
Overkamp Jordyn Fort Zumwalt North HS St. Paul MO 12 17 Fort Zumwalt Gardner Macy Homeschool Eudora KS 9 14
Roberts Jaedyn Glenwood Ridge Basehor KS 2 7
Cornett Taylor Sunny Pointe Blue Springs MO 4 10 Blue Springs
Lauderdale Katelyn Cabot Jr. HS Cabot AR 9 14 Cabot
Etheridge Teressa Treasure Coast Elem Sch Vero Beach FL 5 10 SDIRC
DeVault Emily East Fairmont HS Fairmont WV 12 17 Marion County
Teague Hunter Homeschool Loudonville OH K 5
Costa Rodrigo 1 LT Charles Whitcomb Marborough MA 7 14 Marborough Public Schools
Alisa Nascimento Seoul American Middle School APO AP 6 11 DoDea Pacific
Honorable Mention
Name School City/State Age Grade Unit/District
Ramos Joselin Miller Jordan Middle San Benito TX 6 11 San Benito CSD
Lee Jover Diamond Bar HS Diamond Bar CA 12 17 Walnut Valley Unified
Romero David Waverly Regional Waverly MO 10 17 WRYC
Bradford Naomi Luther Porter Jackson Middle Sch Spring Grove VA 8 13 Surry County
Bobe Isabela St. Angela Merci Fairview Park OH 1 6 Fairview Park
Paquette Madison Walpole Elem. Sch Walpole NH 6 11 Sau #60
McKinney Matilyn Goodrich Middle Sch Altas MI 8 13 Goodrich
Minton Samantha Lincoln Street Sch Gerber CA 6 11 Tehama County
Rodriguez Saily Mr. A. Milam K-8 Center Hialeah FL 8 14 Miami Dade
Winners will receive poster reprints courtesy of The "National Archives at Kansas City"
Constitution Day 2010 Poster Contest Form - PDF File:2010 Constitution Day Poster Contest Form v4.pdf Constitution Day Poster Contest bookmark File:BookmarkBACK fed register FINAL 2009 version2.pdf Please click on hotlink. Once on image page, please click on the document hotlink again.
...Contest form also reproduced below:
Grab your colored pencils, markers, crayons, fingerpaints or watercolors and design a handmade poster
showing how you and your family benefit from the freedoms embodied in the U.S. Constitution.
Use an 8 1/2" x 11" paper to create your design . Your poster can feature any aspect of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights & Amendments . Make it colorful! Be creative!
Questions about the Constitution?
The National Archives www.archives.gov
The National Constitution Center www.constitutioncenter.org
ABA Conversations on the Constitution www.abanet.org/publiced/conversations/constitution/home.html
GovDoc Kids Group www.govdocs4children.pbwiki.com & wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Gov_Doc_Kids
Return this form to National Archives at Kansas City, Attn: Mary Burtzloff, 400 W Pershing Rd., Kansas
City, MO 64108 no later than October 1, 2009 (Entries must be postmarked by this date).
2009. Winners will be announced on the Gov Doc Kids Group website on Election Day, November 3,
2009. Each winner will receive a certificate and two movie poster size copies of his or her winning entry.
Winning posters will also be displayed on the Gov Doc Kids Group website. All designs become the
property of the Gov Doc Kids Group and cannot be returned.
Questions? firstname.lastname@example.com). Entries must be postmarked by October 1,
Selection Criteria:
content 33%, artistic design 66% (colorful, graphically appealing, transfers well to poster)
The first 100 entries will receive a free copy of The U.S. Constitution & Fascinating Facts About It
(courtesy of www.ConstitutionFacts.com)
Please print clearly:
Please tell us how you and your family benefit from the Constitution:
Name _______________________________________________ Age ____ Grade (K-12) ______
Address____________________________________ City, State, Zip________________________
Teacher or parent name __________________________________ Phone ( ) _____________
E-mail: _______________________________ District: ___________________________________
Sponsored by the Gov Doc Kids Group: Kansas Government Documents Roundtable, Johnson County (KS) Library,
Muskegum College, Visiting Librarian Service (OH), the National Archives at Kansas City, Kansas State University, Wichita
State University & University of Kansas. National Corporate Sponsor: www.ConstitutionFacts.com, Naperville, IL
Constitution Resources
Featured site: ConstitutionFacts.com
This site, sponsored by Oak Hill Publishing Company, provides the most complete source of U.S. Constitution-related resources available, including activities and information on the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the founding fathers, and the Supreme Court. In addition, word finds, pocket Constitution guides, crossword puzzle, treasure hunts, and and test-your-knowledge quizzes are available.
1. Constitution of the United States www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html
The National Archives displays and cares for the original constitution. This site will take you to images of the document and an easy-to-read transcription of the text. Links to the Bill of Rights and other amendments are provided.
Learn about Constitution Day
1. Text of Constitution Day bill http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2005-2/052405b.html
Looking for Ideas? Try these sites!
1. Votes for Women: Selections from the National American Woman Suffrage Collection, 1848-1920
The Library of Congress has extensive and varied resources related to the campaing for woman suffrage (voting rights) in the United States. This selection of 38 pictures includes portraits of many individuals, photographs of suffrage parades, picketing suffragists, and an anti-suffrage display, as well as cartoons commenting on the movement.
2. Charters of Freedom: A New World is at Hand
This colorful site from the National Archives tells how history unfolded leading to the constitution and goes further by portraying developments after its ratification.
3. U.S. Civil Rights Commission
The mission of the Commission is "to investigate complaints alleging that citizens are being deprived of their right to vote by reason of their race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or by reason of fraudulent practices."
4. The Avalon Project: Treaties between the United States and Native Americans
From the Yale University Avalon Project, search the treaties signed between the United States and Native American nations.
Our Constitution Day Resource List
1. GovDoc Kids Group Resource List Constitution Day Resources.doc
Activities and Best Practices
1. The National Archives www.archives.gov
The National Archives preserves important government documents that are needed for legal or historical reasons. These valuable records are available to you. Some, including images of the Constitution, can be accessed through the website.
2. Celebrate Constitution Day! http://tinyurl.com/ddqhy
The National Archives in Washington, D.C. celebrates Constitution Day with a variety of activities. This site links to other sources of inspiration for those far from the capitol.
3. Teaching with documents from National Archives and Records Administration www.archives.gov/education/lessons
This link goes to lesson plans arranged by historic subject date from the National Archives.
4. National Constitution Center www.constitutioncenter.org
The National Constitution Center, located in Philadelphia, was established by the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988. This site provides a wealth of information about the constitution, and includes educational resources for teachers and students.
5. ABA Conversations on the Constitution www.abanet.org/publiced/conversations/constitution/home.html
The American Bar Association's Conversations on the Constitution is designed to further dialogue about constitutional values and principles. Lesson plans, ideas for classroom conversations, and more are available on this site.
6. Back to School for Constitution Day http://www.llrx.com/columns/govdomain8.htm
Peggy Garvin compiled excellent resources, including government documents and related historical materials, sample speeches, and teaching aids.
7. Teaching with documents: Lesson plans www.archives.gov/education/lessons
"Contains reproducible copies of primary documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government, and cross-curricular connections."
8. Constitution Day http://edsitement.neh.gov/constitutionday/constitution_index2.html
The National Endowment for the Humanities provides here Constitution Day ideas for teachers and families.
9. Constitution Day Resources for Educators http://www.gmc.edu/library/Constitution_Day.htm
Lianne Hartman, Reference/Instruction Librarian, Lourdes Library, Gwynedd-Mercy College, has compiled here a rich collection of documents, Constitution Day activities, and lesson plans.
10. Constitution Day Implementation guide http://www.naspa.org/policy/guide.pdf
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators has prepared here a thorough, attractive document including statistics on constitutional knowledge, programming ideas, and constitutional links and resources.
11. Bill of Rights Institute http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/
"The mission of the Bill of Rights Institute is to educate young people about the words and ideas of America's Founders, the liberties guaranteed in our Founding documents, and how our Founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society." Visit this site for instructional materials, lesson plans, and more.
12. Constitution Day Resources from the Library of Congress http://thomas.loc.gov/teachers/constitution.html
Visit this Library of Congress site for primary source documents, lesson plans, American Memory Collections a list of books, and more.
13. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence—U.S. Constitution http://free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=19&res_feature_request=1
Check out US. Constitution resources from a variety of federal agencies.
Field Trip Ideas
1. Presidential Libraries http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/
Find a presidential library and museum near you. Visit the museum. For advanced research, contact the library for access.
2. National Register of Historic Places http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/
Visit an historic place near you. Find them on this site.
Kansas City metro area
1. Eisenhower Library and Museum http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/
Visit this site for the Eisenhower Library, a national repository for the preservation of historical papers, audiovisual materials and the artifacts relating to Dwight D. Eisenhower and his times.
2. Harry S Truman National Historic Site www.nps.gov/archive/hstr/home.htm
Harry S Truman National Historic Site includes the Truman Home in Independence, Missouri, and the Truman Farm Home in Grandview, Missouri.
3. Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/ka1.htm
The Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Site is located at the Monroe School in Topeka, KS. This site commemorates the landmark case in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of black and white students in public schools violated the Constitutional rights of students.
Important Government Documents
1. Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental
This site by the Library of Congress, provides bibliographies for all ages and links to the historic Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789. Click on "Collection Connection" for Classroom resources for teachers from the Learning Page
2. Public Papers of the Presidents http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/
Search the presidential papers from Hoover to Bush. Listen to significant speeches.
1. Sources for the study of the constitutional era: a bibliographical and historiographical essay. 81 Law Library Journal 47-67 (1989)
This survey of primary sources and historians' interpretations is an aid for librarians to select historical literature for their collections and to help patrons find other research libraries.
2. Analysis and Interpretation of the Constitution: Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States: Senate Document No. 108-17: 2002 Edition: Cases Decided to June 28, 2002 ; with 2004 supplements http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/browse.html
For serious research on the Constitution and how the Supreme Court has interpreted the document, this resource is essential.
3. Federal Register: May 24, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 99 www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2005-2/052405b.html
This regulation states, "Pursuant to legislation passed by Congress, educational
institutions receiving Federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on September 17 of each year. This notice implements this provision as it applies to educational institutions receiving Federal funding from the Department."


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Made in Mexico: The Car-Business Boom
New trade deals and low-cost labor have made Mexico a profitable base for car production. It's also attracting other parts of the auto-supply chain, from steel mills to brake makers, as the "made in mexico" trend grows. WSJ's Nicholas Casey reports.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... the ... his ... research recline in ... Mexico produces up to twenty five hundred cars a day ... it's Volkswagen's biggest in North America ... and for good reason ... you treat deals including agreements with forty four countries ... are making Mexico unprofitable staging ground for auto manufacturing ... Thomas Carey has worked in Mexico's car industry for more than two decades ... when you go ... you'll ... it was a possibility to export from here ... too many of the market will move over or cars ... carrying ... Duty's Wendy important to this nation country ... and this is thanks to ... the wide meadow ... this creature between them thinks the courthouse ... Volkswagen's Mexican a car space no two teeth coming in Brazil and Argentina for example ... has a thirty five percent tariff cars are imported from Europe the U S ... traded badges like that helped turn the country into fourth largest exporter of cars ... up from ninth place just six years ago ... almost all the world's top auto makers from Nissan Honda ... have plans to build two plants here or expand old ones the next few years ... the rush to build in Mexico's in large part due to cost ... customers and regulators are demanding smaller more fuel efficient vehicles ... and that's putting pressure on car maker's margins ... yep and regional Mexican assembly line workers far lor them that the U S or Europe ... and are even becoming competitive with prices like China where the cost of Labor's on the rights ... one in ten cars sold in the U S last year was manufactured in the Mexican plant ... next year ... every new taxi New York's fleet will be made in Mexico by Nissan ... Mexican made cars have become commonplace in Japan ... and are even going to China ... exports to Brazil exploded in recent years ... prompting the country to ask first recap of how many cars are export ... but still faces challenges and other export ... illegal narcotics ... mission but Lisa cascade of violence throughout the country has claimed at least sixty thousand minus two thousand and six ... surprisingly the auto industry has taken on during that same period ... and attracted other parts of the utmost supply chain ... however let's break makers ... the last six months to the auto parts companies to come here from Japan alone ... that means more prospects for growth as the industrial cluster continues to expand in the maiden Mexico trip ... picks up speed ... the Wall Street Journal this is Nicholas


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April 4, 2017Fireside Chat: Reflections on Systems We Love by Bryan Cantrill and Jess Frazelle
Thought leader and Google engineer Jess Frazelle joined our CTO, Bryan Cantrill, at Joyent HQ for this unique online session.
Watch as the two reflect on the Systems We Love conference that took place this past December, and as they cover additional systems they love.
April 4, 2017Using custom domains with Triton Container Name Service by Alexandra White
With new extensions like
.rocks, and
.wtf, you can find the perfect domain. Triton CNS is the best way to add a custom domains to your application.
March 22, 2017Online Training: Running Node.js Containers in Production with ContainerPilot by Joyent
Wyatt Preul and Casey Bisson of Joyent walk through using Docker with ContainerPilot and Consul. The working application utilizes hapi, Seneca, and InfluxDB. This training will also cover monitoring your containers using Prometheus.
March 15, 2017Joyent + Shippable Fireside Chat by Joyent
Shippable CEO, Avi Cavale and Joyent CTO, Bryan Cantrill join for a fireside chat to learn what both organizations are currently up to, and what contributions are ahead for the microservices ecosystem.
March 9, 2017Getting to know Joyent engineer Jordan Hendricks by Alexandra White
Learn more about the people who make Joyent joyful. Jordan Hendricks, a new member of the engineering team and recent graduate of Brown University, is busy delivering critical new features to Manta.
February 14, 2017Systems We Love comes to Minneapolis by Bryan Cantrill
When we put on the inaugural Systems We Love in December, we didn't really know what to expect. As it turns out, the event was terrific — and now we want to take the show on the road! We are pleased to announce that we're bringing Systems We Love to Minneapolis on March 16th!
February 6, 2017The liberation of RethinkDB by Bryan Cantrill
I have long been a fan of RethinkDB, finding it to hit a sweet spot: developer friendliness (I <3 ReQL!) with Jepsen-grade robustness. This is the same ethos that we aspire to at Joyent, and that RethinkDB was born proprietary but later made open source made it feel like even more of a kindred spirit: I have leapt the chasm twice (first at Sun with what became illumos and then later at Joyent, where we open sourced our entire stack), so I felt I personally understood some of the arduous path that RethinkDB had walked.
February 2, 2017Optimizing your Docker operations for Triton by Casey Bisson
Triton is the best place to run Docker images, but migrating from a world of VMs to a hostless Docker model requires translating some of the operations and thought processes around containers so that you and your containers can truly be free to run on bare metal and scale in the cloud.
January 27, 2017Joyent + Hart Fireside Chat by Joyent
Joyent's CTO Bryan Cantrill and Hart's President, Mo Alkady and Sr. Devops Engineer, Christopher Dickey talked about what both organizations are currently focused on, what challenges they are facing, and what technologies they are using to help solve those existing pain points.
January 26, 2017Secrets management in the Autopilot Pattern by Tim Gross
No matter how we deploy our applications, managing secrets invokes the chicken-and-the-egg problem. Applications built with the Autopilot Pattern can be easily made to leverage secrets management services. Learn how to use Hashicorp Vault with Autopilot Pattern applications, with an example showcasing Jenkins CI.
January 24, 2017Hitting the moon on the first shot by Richard Kiene
Building the software that powers the cloud is exacting work. The path to building innovative solutions that simultaneously maximize both performance and reliability leaves no room for mistakes, but Joyent software engineer Richard Kiene explains how Joyent's approach has also been liberating and exhilarating for him.
January 19, 2017Node.js at Joyent by Wyatt Lyon Preul
An exploration of the Node.js journey that Joyent embarked on. Also, on overview of the various projects where Joyent uses Node.js. Furthermore, this post describes the benefits of choosing Node.js for microservices.
January 17, 2017Video: using Triton Container Name Service with Docker by Alexandra White
Learn how to add Triton CNS, a free and automated DNS solution which offers consistent and predictable addresses for changing infrastructure, to your Docker instances on Triton.
January 12, 2017Containers and microservices and Node.js! Oh, my! by Wyatt Preul
Learn microservices, Node.js, and containers by example using the provided application. This post walks through an example application that is split out into Node.js microservices running in Docker containers.
January 10, 2017Video: introducing Triton CNS by Alexandra White
Introducing Triton CNS, a free and automated DNS solution which offers consistent and predictable addresses for changing infrastructure, for your instances on Triton.


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|Seat Height: 380mm
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Since taking a large bearing surface can relax in bed feeling. Using a high-quality urethane in the layer, you will can relax comfortably. Removable cushion case allow you to wash or change the color of them whenever you want.
High-quality Goose Feather
It falls into a sense of being wrapped up on the sofa with be used in abundance small goose feather, which are used by luxury duvets and a certain famous down jacket manufacturer.
Strong and durable cotton
Using a polyester cotton of special processing processed for sofa in Armonia. This cotton has excellent durability and breathability, hard to out cotton dust it features.
Multi-layered of High-density foam
Using the polyurethane foam of density 30 ~ 35kg / 1m to form a foundation in the lower layer, while using density 40kg / 1 m2 resilient in the upper layer. Multi-layered structure allow the sofa maintain unchanged comfort for a long period of time.
Sofa Structure
Designers use the material of the highest class, which was supervised. Up to have enough hard high-density urethane and high quality wood frame.


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Ford New Transit Connect - A Great Deal, Gets Better ...
Ford New Transit Connect - A Great Deal, Gets Better ...
Now for a limited time only when you order a 192 Ford Vehicle in the Ford 192 Sales Event, not only do you get a great deal for the vehicle, you also get extra peace of mind with an incredible 5 year warranty* and 3.9% APR. Check out how Ford is driving better value at your local participating Ford Dealer today.
Email or Call me Back Book a Test Drive
Terms & Conditions
Offer outlined above applies to new vehicles ordered by September 30th 2019 and registered between September 1st & September 30th 2019 at participating Ford Dealers. GRP excludes metallic paint, delivery and related charges. Model shown for illustrative purposes only. † 2 years base warranty 3 years extended warranty ** At participating Ford Dealers only (Full T & C's attached). §
*5 year or 150,000km warranty, whichever occurs first.
[§]Terms and Conditions. ^3.9% fixed low APR Finance Example: Transit 350LWB Trend 170PS FWD including Manual Air Conditioning. Gross Retail Price (inc. VAT)† €37,790. Ford 192 Discount of €4,500. Customer Deposit/Trade-in €11,337. Finance Amount €21,953. 60 monthly payments of €394.56. Total Cost of Credit €2,242.14. Fixed Annual Percentage Rate (APR) 3.9% as at 10/05/2019. Min deposit 20%. †Excludes delivery & related charges. Model is shown for illustrative purposes only. *Lending criteria and terms and conditions apply (>18s only). The fixed APR is inclusive of a documentation fee and purchase fee of €63.49 each. To qualify for this finance offer a minimum deposit of 20% is required. Rate quoted is correct as at 10/05/19 and is subject to change. Offer available on all new commercial vehicles excluding the Kuga Utility registered by August 31st 2019 at participating dealers. This is a Business Hire Purchase agreement provided by Bank of Ireland Leasing Ltd, trading as Ford Credit.


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This week I have had contact with two more gamers who wish to join the game. If these two actually join those who have played last time we would have five players. Five is a good number to play and I would be totally happy with this. My problem is I can't contact David except via Facebook. He is not exactly into FB so I have not had any contact with him since the last game. He was punctual and an excellent role player. After the game he even went home and posted how excited he was about the
Originally Posted by mrken
Two old players (Brandon and Rick) and one new one (David) joined to reset the game. Got characters created and did some good roll playing. No combat this time as it was an abbreviated opening session. Will get together on the 4th of December 2010 with another new player to make four players. Two more possible players have made contact. Looking forward to the 4th.


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Shutter Island is a surprising, flawed, gorgeous and interesting movie that you definitely need to see at least twice.
Screen Rant's Kofi Outlaw reviews Shutter Island
This is one of those reviews where I feel totally chained by the NO SPOILER rule. After all, it's almost impossible to talk about Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island without discussing the film in its entirety. Shutter Island isn't one of those simple "love it" or "hate it" movie experiences - this is one of those films that makes you go, "Hmmmm..."
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Federal Marshal Teddy Daniels, a hard-ass cop who gets called out to a remote psychiatric ward off the New England shore (I'll let you guess the name of the island). It's a facility where dangerous maniacs are subjected to unique "treatments" by the questionable Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and his loyal staff of physicians, nurses and heavily armed corrections officers.
Teddy arrives on Shutter Island (seasick no less) with his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), determined to get to the bottom of a case involving a female inmate named Rachel Solando, who vanished from her cell without a trace. Rachel is unstable and dangerous: she was sent to the Island after murdering her three children and arranging them around the dinner table for her husband to find.
Teddy and Chuck start asking questions, but they don't get answers. Nobody on the island seems to want to talk - not the staff, not the patients, and certainly not Dr. Cawley and his cunning partner, Dr. Naehring (the brilliant Max von Sydow). Certain staff are conveniently "on vacation," when the Marshals arrive to talk with them, important records are being kept confidential, and Teddy and Chuck - two WWII vets who know the face of true evil - soon begin to wonder about the mess they've stumbled into.
As the two Marshals dig deeper, Teddy begins to come apart; He starts having crazy dreams soon after Dr. Cawley feeds him some "Aspirin," and those dreams soon turn into waking hallucinations of his dead wife Dolores (Michelle Williams), who was killed in an arson fire a few years back. As his mind starts slipping, Teddy realizes that Dr. Cawley and his island may be a trap he has foolishly stumbled into. Trusting no one but his partner and himself, Teddy sets off to kick down the locked doors of the Island and discover the truth.
Shutter Island is based on the novel of the same name by author Dennis Lehane, who is best known for his Boston area mystery/dramas, Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone. Unlike those other two books, however, Shutter Island is a psychological drama that is far deeper and more complex. The clear challenge facing screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis was how to take all the psychological components of the story and balance them with the pulp mystery narrative that most viewers are expecting.
While the script managed to strike a good balance on paper, I don't think Scorsese was that fortunate in translating it to the screen. First, let me say that Shutter Island is one of the most visually rich Scorsese films that I've seen since Raging Bull. The photography and cinematography are simply gorgeous and the dream/hallucinations sequences (which can be so lame when executed poorly) are some of the most striking I've seen in awhile. There are also plenty of Easter-egg references to pulpy B-movies of the past - a nice bit of extra for fans familiar with the genre.
However, Shutter Island definitely stumbles in the editing department. The transitions between "the real" and "the surreal" are clunky and often awkward, especially as the mystery unwinds in the second and third acts. The nature of the story and the heavy psychological components also affect the pacing; even though the writer and director never lose sight of where they're going, the film itself will ultimately feel that way to a first-time viewer. It's a necessary evil though, and I don't really see how the filmmakers could've done it any other way. It's a hard story to tell on film.
The actors faced similar challenges. DiCaprio, Kingsley and Ruffalo in particular had a tough time of it, faced with the task of turning in multi-layered performances of depths they probably weren't expecting until they actually got on set and started filming. The entire ensemble pulls through pretty well (DiCaprio does some heavy lifting performance-wise) - although I definitely need to see the film again, knowing how it ends, and watch the performances with a closer eye.
There are some great cameos, including an appearance by Ted "Buffalo Bill" Levine as Shutter Island's violent warden; Jackie Earle Haley as a distraught inmate; and Patricia Clarkson even shows up for a brief moment as a mysterious woman living on the island. Michelle Williams probably turns in the best performance of all as Teddy's murdered wife, even though she only appears in the most surreal moments of the movie.
Ultimately Shutter Island is an interesting departure for Scorsese. And while the end result isn't perfect, the fact that the film was crafted by one of cinema's greatest directors elevates it far above the hokey B-movie-with-a-twist that it could've been. Personally speaking, I'm one of those movie lovers who appreciates a film that makes me want to watch it again as soon as the end credits have rolled - and Shutter Island is definitely that. I'm already looking forward to my second visit.
If you want to talk about the film in detail without worrying about spoiling it for people who haven't seen it, head over to our Shutter Island spoilers discussion.


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MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College softball team (7-20) and head coach Jamie Madewell-Grodecki are proud to announce the addition of Girl Scout Day Friday, March 11 at the Peeler Complex.
The Bobcats will play a doubleheader with Wingate University beginning at 3 p.m. and girl scouts are encouraged to come to both games.
The girl scouts will have the opportunity to be bat girls for the GC softball team in the second game. They will also meet all the players after the game and be able to run the bases on the same field on which the Bobcats play.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, back-to-back winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.


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Up to 30%* better protection against engine wear.
Shell Rimula R4 X offers high level engine wear protection in critical areas of the valve train, piston ring and cylinder liner areas, and has been demonstrated in specification engine tests for API, ACEA and major engine manufacturers. This is achieved through the addition of specialised anti-wear additives which are designed to form protective films over the parts of your engine where needed most.
Up to 50%* more efficient at keeping your engine clean.
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Up to 50%* better protection against chemical corrosion.
Combustion gasses produce harmful acids that come into contact with oil in the piston ring belt area and pass into the oil sump. These acids are controlled using detergent additives, which neutralise acid and help to prevent piston deposits and the corrosion of metal surfaces. Shell Rimula R4 X offers excellent control of acids to help prevent the chemical corrosion of vital engine components.
* % relative to API and ACEA engine oil specification limits in a key engine test, selected to be representative across multiple engines.


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Every year on the 15th day of the 8th month (八月十五) on lunar calendar, Chinese celebrates mid-autumn festival or mooncake festival. This year, the festival falls on October 3, Saturday.
As a child, mid-autumn festival (中秋节) was my favorite Chinese festivity, second to only Chinese New Year. That was the time of year when I got to play with my new toy–a lantern made of brightly colorful and transparent sheets where the candle inside it would shine through. And then, there were mooncakes and special mid-autumn only foods such as sugar-glazed fried taro and various sweet candies. Mid-autumn festival was always so much fun as my family would gather together under the radiant and glistening full moon, did our prayers and had a feast of mooncakes and other offerings.
Fast forward to the present, I couldn't even remember the last time I celebrated mid-autumn festival, but starting this year, I intend to make it into an annual ritual. The Asian markets and Chinese pastry shops are teeming with great selections of mooncakes, with so many imported and "innovative" varieties from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China that I was thoroughly overwhelmed. I then reflected on the fact that I have always loved mooncakes from Malaysia–simple, traditional, delicious, and stay true to originality. I bought two boxes of mooncakes online: Oversea (Hai Wai Tian/海外天) Mooncakes and Tai Thong (大同) Mooncakes (halal).
They are great mooncakes from trusted brands in Malaysia. If you are celebrating mid-autumn festival this year, do try out Malaysian mooncakes. I will guarantee that they won't disappoint!


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Rh- Negative Mother & Pregnancy
Congratulations on your baby!!
Now that you know you are pregnant, your doctor should be checking your blood for the Rh-negative (Rh-) Factor. So what does this mean and why does it matter?
There are 8 main blood types in human beings. The Rh-positive types are A, B, AB and O. The Rh-negative blood types are A-, B-, AB- and O-. The Rh-negative (Rh-) Factor is much more rare than the Rh-positive (Rh+) Factor, accounted for only 15% of the US Population. When you are Rh-negative it means that you do not have a protein called, The Rh Factor, named for the Rhesus Monkey protein or the D antigen, on the surface of your red blood cells. Blood Type & Factor play an important role in pregnancy when an Rh-negative (Rh-) woman becomes pregnant with a man who is Rh-positive (Rh+). Since 85% of the US Population is Rh-positive (Rh+), it stands to reason that Rh-negative women are more likely to get pregnant by an Rh-positive mate. For more on the Migration and Distribution of the Rh- Factor Blood Line, please click here.
There are reasons why your doctor will test your blood during your pregnancy. However, finding out your blood type and the compatibility of your mates is the most important. If you are pregnant and Rh-negative and are carrying a child that is Rh-positive, like the child's father; your baby and future pregnancies can be at risk for a serious medical disease, birth defect or worse miscarriage and death.
When an Rh-negative mother is exposed to her Rh-positive baby's blood, the mother's body is at risk for becoming "sensitized". This causes the mother's immune system to shift into gear and begin producing antibodies that are specifically designed to find and destroy these foreign blood cells.
During your first pregnancy, these antibodies are typically not dangerous, because chances are that you will not be exposed to your child's blood until delivery. Therefore, the first child would typically be unaffected. However, once an Rh-negative mother has been exposed or sensitized to her child's Rh-positive blood, the process of building a multiplying army of antibodies has began. These antibodies will sit in wait for the next pregnancy and once the Rh-positive cells are recognized, the antibodies are programmed to attack. Without medical intervention, all of your subsequent pregnancies are at risk of being self terminated by these antibodies.
In the late 1940's the Rh-negative factor was discovered by two scientists, who began looking for a cure to a disease that killed 2 dozen babies each day. In 1968, a process of medical intervention was invented and a product called RhoGAM or (Brand Rho(D) Immune Globulin (Human), became FDA approved and available for use. When an Rh-negative mother is given an "injection" of RhoGAM, it protects her immune system from being exposed to the Rh-positive blood. RhoGAM is usually administered twice during your pregnancy, if you choose to get it, once at 28 weeks and again within 72 hours of delivery. RhoGAM is a human blood/plasma product. If you would like to find out more about RhoGAM's donor, screening and/or manufacturing process, please click here to be redirected to the Johnson & Johnson Company, RhoGAM Homepage.
Since 1968, other competitive products have also become available for use in this situation. Please do your own research on the positive and negative effects, risks and ingredients of each drug, so that you can make the most informed decision on how to handle your bodies Rh- Pregnancy.
Without use of Medical Intervention, the immune system of an Rh-negative mother will not be controlled. These sensitized antibodies it has created are from the first pregnancy are specifically programmed, ready and waiting to attack the Rh-positive (Rh+) blood cells of your subsequent pregnancies. As the antibodies begin to attack and destroy the red blood cells of your pregnancy, it can lead to serious complications including Anemia, Jaundice, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, Heart Failure and even death in severe cases. This horrible condition is called Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn or HDN and in severe cases would typically cause a still birth or cause death very shortly after birth.
In General, for the protection of your future pregnancies, all Rh-negative woman should be treated for Rh-positive sensitization after a normal delivery, a miscarriage, an induced abortion or menstrual extraction, an ectopic pregnancy, chorionic villus sampling, external cephalic version, amniocentesis, hemorrhage, abdominal trauma, still birth, fetal blood sampling and any blood or plasma transfusions.
There are some doctors, who will tell those people with Rh-negative, that their blood type causes no special health concerns; except when they give or receive blood, or during pregnancy. However, THIS IS NOT TRUE. There are other Medical and Genetic Issues that are associated with being a person who has Rh-negative (Rh-) blood. For more information on Medical and Scientific Research and Studies related to the Rh- Factor, please click here.
If you are an Rh- Mom, please take a moment to think about your children.
There is a chance that you may have passed your Rare Rh- Blood Type on to your children.
Protect their future by knowing where you can find a matching rare blood type donor quickly!
Lifetime Membership
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If you have been Rh-sensitized in the past, it is very important to be closely monitored by an experienced OB/GYN during any future pregnancy with an Rh-positive partner; as the fetus is more likely to be classified as Rh-Positive (Rh+/-). The Rh-sensitized immune system of the mother is now poised and ready, may quickly recognize the Rh-Positive Red Blood Cells of the Fetus. It may quickly develop IgG antibodies, which can cross the placenta and destroy the fetal red blood cells that the mother's body sees as "foreign" invaders. This immune system response can result in fetal disease, also known as Rh-Disease, Erthroblastosis or Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn; which can be mild to severe and in extreme cases can cause death. Once a woman is Rh-sensitized, the condition may produce more serious problems in each subsequent Rh-Positive pregnancy with an Rh-Positive Partner.
Below are the common "Levels" referred to, when discussing Rh-Disease and the extent of damage it can cause to the developing fetus.
In addition to the major ABO and Rh blood group antigens, there are numerous other minor RBC blood group antigens that are less common, these include Kell, Kidd, Duffy, and other Rh antigens. Antibodies to these antigens are only produced by the body when exposed to them through blood transfusion or when an expectant mother is exposed to fetal red blood cells during pregnancy.
When a person with a RBC antibody is exposed to RBCs bearing the "foreign" antigen, whether by a transfusion or pregnancy, the RBC antibodies may attach to the specific antigens on the foreign RBCs and target those RBCs for destruction. Depending on the antigen and antibody involved and the quantity of RBCs damaged, it can cause an immune reaction ranging from mild to severe, even deadly.
The RhoGAM shot used in Rh incompatible pregnancies to stop the mother's immune reaction to the foreign Rh+ fetal red blood cells. RhoGAM is most effective in preventing sensitization from the main Rh blood group system and it's two most common gene loci (RHD and RHCE). The Rh antigen of greatest importance is the D antigen, it's a combination of the Rh alleles that are inherited from each parent. If both D genes are inherited, the individual is said to be homozygous Rh-positive (Rh+/+). If one D gene is inherited, the blood type will be Rh positive and the individual is said to be heterozygous due to the deletion of one D gene from one chromosome (Rh+/-). If neither D gene is present, the individual will be Rh-negative (Rh-/-). Total absence of both the RHD & RHCE genes results in the condition known as Rh null & it's very rare!
Can anyone explain? My daughter was O Negative 1st pregnancy-got RhoGAM Now 2nd Pregnancy O Positive with low D antigen? She received 2 RhoGAM shots for her first pregnancy. Should she get the RhoGAM shot? Can it harm her or her unborn ...
Hi I was 10 1/2 weeks pregnant and had a miscarriage. I also have a negative blood type. I did not get the shot until after the miscarriage. However I was pregnant about 7 months before this and had a blighted ovum. I never got the shot then either. ...
Hi. How did I get Rh neg and B beg blood
Can someone help me. At postpartum an rh negative mom gave birth to an rh positive baby, but mom has not produced anti-D in her blood. Does she still need rhogam?
As my mother was B positive and my father is O positive... myself was twins , i m O negative..... but my other pair of twins was died by appearance of "blue baby".... but i m alive.... what is the reason of that baby died ???
This is a story about how the lack of education can
lead to questioned paternity, even in this day and age...
The father of a newborn tells us this tale about how he "could have" questioned whether the baby was his or not, because of something a midwife says regarding the newborns rhesus status. Enjoy his story!
The day after the birth, while we are both lying on our bed, very tired, a midwife comes by and asks us whether we know the rhesus status of the baby. We answer negatively, she checks her notes and says, "Ah, good news, the baby is rhesus negative. The father must also be rhesus negative then!" Well, he says, I am not…
Click here to continue reading this story about the rhesus factor and midwives that make random comments about genetics. The father says, "maybe they should know better before making any comments that are not required. He also states, "I can imagine that a statement of this type could make a father quite suspicious for no good reason," had he not known better!
This is a good example of how undereducated even professionals can be when discussing something like the Rhesus Factor; that effects only a small percentage of the total population. We individually need to make ourselves more aware of the facts, become more proactive and ask more questions!
Blood Type Calculator ~ Click Here.
BACKGROUND Cell-free fetal nucleic acids (cffNA) can be detected in the maternal circulation during pregnancy, potentially offering an excellent method for early non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) of the genetic status of a fetus. Using molecular techniques, fetal DNA and RNA can be detected from 5 weeks gestation and are rapidly cleared from the circulation following birth.
RESULTS Cell-free fetal DNA comprises only 3–6% of the total circulating cell-free DNA, therefore diagnoses are primarily limited to those caused by paternally inherited sequences as well as conditions that can be inferred by the unique gene expression patterns in the fetus and placenta. Broadly, the potential applications of this technology fall into two categories: first, high genetic risk families with inheritable monogenic diseases, including sex determination in cases at risk of X-linked diseases and detection of specific paternally inherited single gene disorders; and second, routine antenatal care offered to all pregnant women, including prenatal screening/diagnosis for aneuploidy, particularly Down syndrome (DS), and diagnosis of Rhesus factor status in RhD negative women. Already sex determination and Rhesus factor diagnosis are nearing translation into clinical practice for high-risk individuals.
CONCLUSIONS The analysis of cffNA may allow NIPD for a variety of genetic conditions and may in future form part of national antenatal screening programmes for DS and other common genetic disorders.
In a given month the chances of conception are low for a healthy women but that the mother's blood type could also decrease or increase her chances of having a baby is not what was known till now. Recently a study in US has shown that women who have a blood type O have lesser number of eggs and poor egg qualities than others, making conception more difficult for them.
It was found that women who had a blood type O had a higher level of "follicle stimulating hormone" (FSH) than those with type A. This hormone, according to fertility experts, is produced in the body to stimulate the follicles in the ovaries and ask them to produce more eggs. The higher percentage of this hormone thus indicates that the body has low number of eggs.
Usually in women aged between 30 and 40 when the eggs have reduced, the FSH is higher to stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs. The researchers found that women with blood type O had an FSH level mostly higher than the threshold level of 10. This was higher than any other blood type.
Read full article, click here >
Additional Article, click here >
How did you get your Rh-Negative Blood Type?
Every human being is born with two (2) individual Positive or Negative Rh Blood Factors. During conception, each parent must pass one (1) of their "Factors" on to their children. Below you can see the way a child's Positive or Negative Rh Blood Factor is finally determined; based on their receipt of the two parents combined Rh Factors.
Use the battery slide show image examples below to get an understanding of the different ways the Rh-positive and Rh- Negative Factors are passed down to your children. If you have an Rh-Negative Parent - You are Rh+/- , you have a recessive Rh Negative Factor and will be classified as Rh+.
The answer to this really important question is yes. And the answer is for a much simpler reason than the blue-eyed parents having a child with green eyes that we discuss in our answer here.
The reason is that people who test negative for Rh aren't always Rh-. The test isn't always sensitive enough to get the right answer (although it usually does). And it only tests for one of the two Rh genes. And it doesn't test for any of the other genes that can cause similar problems.
To understand how the test could go wrong, we first need to dig a bit deeper into Rh biology and our immune system.
Rh status is usually explained as this simple, one gene trait.
But there are two Rh genes, RhD and RhCE. There are also other genes with names like Kell, Duffy and Kidd that can cause similar problems.
Read more, click here >
Have you heard of Anti-G Blood?
Anti-G and Immune Tolerance in PregnancyDownload the PDF Explanation
The Fallacy of Pooling Heterogeneous Data When related to the Rh-Factor and pregnancy, a person who is heterozygous is recessively carrying an Rh-Negative factor. They are in fact, Rh+/- people.
This study explains WHY you cannot get true results when you are pooling or combining the Rh+/- population into the Rh+ group.You can print the study below but in layman's terms; let's say we have a Chicken and a Duck that we are studying, as well as their heterozygous offspring that we'll call a CHUCK! If we are looking for differences, similarities and trends; would it be fair to add the CHUCK to the Category of Chickens or Ducks? No! It would skew the results, as some CHUCKS may be more Chicken like and others more Duck like; the animal would be non-comparable to either main category. It is my hope that somebody will start to get the control groups straight before continuing to conduct studies that START OFF wrong!
There can be healthy pregnancy
after Rh-Sensitization!
Today there are procedures and precautions used to help prevent Rh-Disease from affecting the unborn fetus in a post Rh-sensitization pregnancy.
Unfortunately, some woman do become Rh-sensitized and fear that they may not be able to have another healthy pregnancy come to term. Some of the information can be confusing or not explained well and lead to a person not having a full understanding of their situation. Once Rh-sensitized, the immune response that causes Rh-disease can only occur again in Rh-Positive Pregnancies.
On a website recently reviewed, I noticed that when explaining Rh-sensitization it states, "The baby growing inside the Rh-negative mother may have Rh-positive blood, inherited from the father. Statistically, at least 50% of the children born to an Rh-negative mother and Rh-positive father will be Rh-positive".
This is my opinion is an example of an explanation that leads to confusion for most people. Our blood type is NOT inherited from our mother OR father. We each receive one blood type letter and one Rh factor from EACH parent and we all end up with two. A person who is Type O- is really Type OO-/-, as they received one type (O) and one (Rh-) Factor from each parent. While the statistics may be spot on, we clearly do not actually inherit our blood type from one parent or the other, but from BOTH!
One major misunderstanding made by most people, is that all Rh-positve people are Rh+/+. However, there are many people in the population who are called Rh+ but who are really Rh+/-. These people are heterozygous, which means they possess two different forms of a particular gene, one inherited from each parent. A person who is heterozygous is called a heterozygote or a gene carrier. When talking about the Rh-Factor, it would actually make the person (Rh+/-) or an Rh- recessive gene carrier.
Unfortunately, we do not usually know our recessive traits unless closely investigated by familial history or extensive testing is performed. This results in statistics like, "at least 50% of children born to an Rh-negative mother and an Rh-negative father will be Rh-positive", as stated on the site referenced above.
As science advances, there are new and upcoming possible solutions to this issue for Rh-sensitized and Rh-incompatible couples. According to Dr. Kenneth Moise, "We really are interested in trying to get rid of the maternal antibody, that's the problem. If we could get a mother to drop her titers before she became pregnant through some sort of immunomodulation, we think that would ultimately be the correct way to treat this disease". However, he states that the studies are still in the early stages. He also mentions that in some situations even today, through genetic engineering, they are now able to offer some unique therapies to the father or to the couple that are in fact heterozygous or Rh+/-. Dr. Moise explains that if the father is heterozygous, that means that although he is called Rh positive, he is actually Rh+/-. As a recessive gene carrier he has a 50-50 chance of in fact fathering an affected offspring, and if that offspring happens to be Rh negative, that offspring has no effects of the disease and he'll be fine. However, if in fact the father passes his dominant Rh+ factor, the fetus will obviously be affected.
Furthermore, Dr. Moise states, "We are now able to do genetic engineering with in vitro fertilization with the egg cells and test those embryos to see if they're Rh negative or Rh positive". Once separated they would then only place the Rh-negative embryos in the uterus to guarantee the couple an unaffected pregnancy. He states that while he believes it's been attempted once, it was unsuccessful and to his knowledge, no one has yet to do it with success. However, there are said to be several couples who have very bad Rh disease, a heterozygous paternal genotype & they are considering this therapy. Hopefully, they will soon have more success with finding a fix to this often heart breaking situation.
If you are an Rh-Negative Mother carrying an Rh- Negative Child, conceived by an Rh-Negative Father; You do not need a RhoGAM injection.
In the US, we promote the shot for all pregnancies and sometimes it is just not necessary. Please, take the time to do your own research before making your treatment decision.
The information below has been gathered together to create a well rounded starting place for you to begin your personal research.
Anti-D (Rho) Immunoglobulin: USA
RhoGAM - Visit RhoGAM Home Page
Miscellaneous Facts & Concerns
KamRho-D IM
Product Type: (Human Anti-D (Rho) immunoglobulin)
Download the Brochure
Download the Brochure
US Patent 7276236
Anti-D (Rho) Immunoglobulin: UK
Learn More Here...
ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2008) — The "Rhesus" blood group is well-known from the public for its importance in the field of transfusion medicine.For several years, researchers from ULB have been studying Rhesus factors. These factors belong to a family comprising five proteins, three of which are present at the red cell surface (RhCE, RhD and RhAG) and determine the Rhesus blood group, and two others (RhBG and RhCG) which are found in various organs including the kidney, the liver and the male genital tract. In 2000, this research group proposes that Rhesus factors play a role in the transport of ammonium in mammals, a process also remaining unknown in animals. This hypothesis was tested by Dr. Sophie Biver during her doctoral thesis performed in the Laboratory of Biology of Development (Profs Josiane and Claude Szpirer, also at IBMM, ULB), in collaboration with the group of Dr. Marini.The basic idea is simple: to generate mice deprived of the RHCG gene (the one expressed in the kidney) in order to determine if as proposed, these mice would present anomalies related to a defect in ammonium transport, and in particular to a defect in ammonium excretion in the urine.
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First off I got news a few days ago from Glenn Tachiyama that another one of his great shots(see above) will feature me on the cover of a magazine. The photo is from our Gorge Waterfalls 50k Course Photo Shoot which already landed me on the cover of Running Times Magazine(see below) and inside the magazine on a separate issue for a story on myself and a few other folks from around the country who were designated by Running Times as the "local trail elite" for their respective regions. This latest cover will be on the upcoming Adventures NW Magazine. That'll run my total up to three times I've been on a cover of a magazine with the third one also being one of Glenn's handiwork from White River 50m a few years ago. My races have also been on at least one other magazine cover and I've also been featured personally in a few articles over the years in magazine's like Trail Runner Methow Valley News and Outdoors NW. Trust me it doesn't get old-- the positive attention is great!
And secondly just released tonight was my first ever podcast interview. Scotty Sandow and Erik Schranz of Ultrarunner Podcast raked me over the coals hard while getting out of me all kinds of juicy tidbits like the history of Rainshadow, advice for others on how to quit their real jobs like I did to follow their dreams of race directing and of course they end every show with the favorite beer question. I was nervous at first but they quickly got me chatting away and before I knew I was having a great time. You can listen to the interview either directly on their website or from itunes. And if you haven't listened before they've had some really great interviews over the years so be sure to check out their archives.
And lastly in an attempt to collect all the past slideshows and videos into one place making them easy to find and watch over and over again like I love to do I've dug through the archives and re-posted them all here below.
2009 Rainshadow Running Highlights from James Varner on Vimeo.
2011 25k Race Video by Will Thomas:
A very short time lapse video from Deception Pass by OTKateOTKate
Another time lapse video from Deception Pass by OTKateOTKate
some orcas island 50k ferry ride humor
The view from the top of Angels Staircase.
Matt Hart at the Yakima Skyline 50k. Photo by Glenn Tachiyama


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"Tonight Show" host Jay Leno will auction off his 2012 Fiat 500 Prima Edizione at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance next month.
Leno, an avid automobile collector, has asked Santa Monica auction house Gooding & Co. to sell the car at the Concours, a celebrity-studded collector car showcase.
Leno is using the auction to raise money and awareness for the Fisher House Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides services and support to the families of wounded American soldiers.
-- Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times


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Hot Sausage Stuffed Banana Peppers
6 fresh banana peppers
1 pound of ground spicy Italian sausage
1/2 cup of Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup of tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons of water
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare your peppers by cutting off the stems and slicing a slit down the middle of each. Inside will be small bunches of seeds. If you like a lot of heat, leave the seeds inside. If you prefer it a little more mild, remove the seeds.
3. Divide the ground sausage into 6 separate, equal portions and stuff one portion into each pepper. It's okay if thee sausage is exposed and doesn't completely fill the contents of the pepper.
4. In a baking dish, take 1/4 of the tomato sauce and spread it along the bottom of the baking dish. Add the water and mix it together with a spoon or whisk.
5. Lay each pepper, sausage-side-up in the baking dish.
6. Top each pepper with a small amount of the remaining tomato sauce
7. Cover the baking dish with foil and pop it into the pre-heated oven for roughly 40 minutes.
8. At 40 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven and test the peppers firmness. If a fork easily pierces the pepper, they're ready for the next step.
9. Top each pepper with a little bit of mozzarella cheese.
10. Turn the oven to broil and put the peppers back in the oven, uncovered.
11. Broil until the cheese is golden brown and remove from the oven.
12. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
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I suffer from viewfinder vision (find myself visualising a frame around everything I see) so my genre is "anything that moves and...
Welcome to the world through my eyes!
My desire is not so much to document places and things, as to evoke feeling and emotion. I do not wish to imitate (the world is full of look-alike images), but rather to innovate.
This leads to a diverse portfolio and constantly overloaded external hard drives…not to mention some burning of the midnight oil as I keep looking for that elusive perfect process for yet another would-be 'masterpiece'!!!
I appreciate hugely the inspiration and growth that comes from rubbing digi-shoulders with talented RB members.
"Photographers do this for a living, every single day—they point their lenses toward every single corner of our world and somehow make the mundane mesmerizing through their artistic eye. It's all a matter of being aware of your surroundings and realizing that there are some really amazing and interesting things to look at, even if it may just be something so simple as a wall being covered up by paint." Ward Jenkins
Feel free to visit my blog
My dad is Vic Cross and my talented daughter is Sarah Moore
AND my second daughter Katie also shares her exotic travel adventures on RB!
Please feel free to browse my Bubblesite where images are displayed in categories.
My Images do not belong to the Public Domain. All images are copyright © Rosalie Dale. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
Exhibited at…
Gallery 26 – Milsons Point
Red Door Creative Gallery Dural
Tap Gallery Paddington
30 Alfred St Milsons Point
AddOn exhibition – Paddington
Wagga Wagga TAFE
Mt Wilson & Mt Irvine Photography Exhibitions
Burrangong Gallery, Young NSW


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So, thought it'd be nice to have a place to collect specific dungeon strats for those of us going after the Vicious token.
Single boss dungeons:
Eastern Tundra: Only one boss and a Taurogzerker (or Taurog priest or Taurog monk) can just punch him to death. There are stronger choices but you can see just how solid one of the game's most basic builds is.
Den Of Danger: Gorgons are fun and a VT run on a basic dungeon is a great way to learn how to play one.
Two boss dungeons:
Northern Desert: Jehora Jeheyu Bloodmage. One spellcaster, two highly flammable bosses. Let the games begin.
Hexx Ruins: Earthmother spellcaster. Stone revenants and high level monsters. Zap your bosses. Gogogo.
Labyrinth New Style: Following OneMoreNameless's lead, the Self-Cannon. Take a warlord (Gnome with JJ) Weytwut Rexx and the other boss to opposite sides of yourself and proceed to let Rexx mangle any boss for you. In addition to being quite easy this is hilarious.


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Friday 12:00-1:00p
Vinyasa practice is dynamic, uniting the movement of the breath with the movement of the body. A flow is attained by setting a personal intention for the practice, linking the breath to the movement of the body and staying mindfully connected as we move through creative sequences that will both challenge, inspire, and empower. Expect to create space, move fluidly and open your beautiful heart. Build both strength and flexibility in this more continuing class. Expect to intelligently explore backbends, inversions and arm balances.


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by Rebecca Winzenried
Music web sites balance learning and lighthearted fun.
"My daughter has expressed an interest in joining the school orchestra. Is there any place on the Internet to find information about different instruments or music lessons?" Four years ago, the answer would have been, "not really." Today it would be, "Sure, let's go!" Young musicians can choose from a number of destinations geared specifically to their interests--and attention spans. Among them are dedicated children's sites created by orchestras as places where kids can visit, alone or with their families, to play games that teach basics of music or learn a little about how instruments look and sound. Precisely because they are so colorful, it might be tempting to dismiss these kids' sites as so much eye (or ear) candy. But to orchestra administrators they are a natural way to extend an organization's educational efforts far beyond concert-related activities or classroom initiatives. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's BSOKids site, for instance, includes teacher guides and information about educational concerts; online-ticketing for those concerts is in the works for this season. While the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's DSOKids site already has ticketing capability, its educational content has been generalized to be useful to worldwide visitors.
And evidence shows that not all those visitors are teachers or their young charges. The DSO has received its share of messages from adults, such as the 40-year-old beginning piano student who finds answers to her music assignments on the site, or the grandfather whose enthusiasm for the games can hardly be contained in an e-mail, "here I am--a grown man... sitting in front of my computer... in broad daylight, during business hours--actually playing the game and having a great time." The San Francisco Symphony has also gotten feedback about its SFSKids site from "kids who are significantly older, that is to say adults," according to Ron Gallman, director of education.
The potential number of visitors--the web sites highlighted in this story report from 10,000 to 40,000 visits a month--and the resulting exposure they bring make it tempting for a performing arts organization to jump onto the Web with pages for kids. But developing a truly winning formula--an elusive combination of fun and useful information--for a children's music site is no easy task. One of the biggest challenges at this point, education directors note, is making sure a web site offers something truly new and different from the myriad of sites, musical and otherwise, already out there. Even a technology-oriented organization like the San Francisco Symphony waited until earlier this year to introduce its SFSKids site. Gallman and a development team spent more than a year observing other sites, taking in ideas, and testing content and games with children's focus groups. "Fun for fun's sake is fine, but in addition it has to have real educational integrity," he says. Not to mention that kids can be ruthlessly sophisticated Internet critics.
Meanwhile, more established sites like the New York Philharmonic's Kidzone are dealing with growing pains. Launched in 1999, Kidzone began as a content-rich site that emphasized information about symphonic music, instruments, and orchestral history over games. It was a necessary beginning, notes Director of Education Tom Cabaniss, since Kidzone was one of the first sites to provide such basics in a package that was welcoming for children. He notes that the orchestra is now going back to balance Kidzone's content with more interactive elements and games "to increase the hang-out factor" and to address some suggestions from teachers, such as the addition of an online composition program. Children's music sites tend to focus on introducing symphonic music to students in the elementary years (grades three to six). Some spillover on the upper and lower ends aims to catch younger kids who are just beginning to explore music--the "parent in the chair with a kid on the lap" audience, notes Cabaniss--as well as pre-teens who have a few years of study under their belts. Teachers and parents are also a valuable audience, invariably addressed in a separate area with information about concerts and family programs. Here are a few that focus on orchestra activities:
The most recent entry by an orchestra (it launched last March), San Francisco's SFSKids is a vibrant site where children can work through progressive music lessons without even realizing they're learning something. Kids are invited to "Meet the Notes" and explore tempo, rhythm, pitch, harmony, or "Make A Tune" with the Composerizer, where they can try melody lines in varying order. Both are components of the web site's centerpiece Music Lab. The site also includes information about activities at the orchestra and a radio station that plays more than 50 classical selections. Appealing graphics (melodies of the Composerizer are placed on music stands, with audio clips at each stand) and appearances throughout by a quirky animated alien conductor make SFSKids fun to explore for kids and adults. The site's lively look is no surprise; it was designed by 415, Inc., which also developed the SFS's main web site and its American Maverick's mini-site.
Another spirited site, BSOKids is distinguished by a clean yet eye-popping design, and a really fun animated introduction. The Baltimore Symphony's interactive content isn't as deep as SFSKids, but the site is a work in progress; the orchestra has continued to add new features to the site since it launched a year ago. Currently, the site includes Morton Subotnik's Creating Music program, which encourages kids to try their hand at composing on a digital sketchpad. The "Sound Off" section gives students a chance to "Be a Music Critic" and submit comments about BSO concerts. Kids will also have a chance to name the conductor character that appears in the introduction and has become the orchestra mascot. His "bio," as written by young visitors, will be included in the backstage area, where kids are introduced to people behind the scenes, like the (real life) orchestra librarian and stage manager.
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's children's site is the place to play one of the coolest music-related games online--Beethoven's Baseball. Pick five composers for your team (in trial matches at the SYMPHONY office, Brahms was always the last picked, Stravinsky the first. HmmÉ) and send them to bat, against Beethoven, the pitcher. Score runs by answering questions about classical composers. (Kids can read up first at the "Composer's Corner.") Of course, Beethoven's Baseball is just one of the options on DSOKids. The site has changed a bit since its introduction in 2000. Visitors are ushered into the "Music Room." Move the mouse over the "furnishings" to find more about a particular subject; click on the piano to hear an instrument, the computer to find games, etc. The "Teacher's Lounge" has other furnishings such as a bookshelf of resources to click on for blank sheet music and information about instruments or concerts.
Kidzone (nyphilkids.org)
The New York Philharmonic's Kidzone was one of the first dedicated children's music web sites; it's been welcoming visitors "backstage" at Avery Fisher Hall since 1999. While the site's basic onstage/backstage graphics remain the same, its content continues to grow. The site is set up to offer a glimpse of the musicians' lounge (with interviews), soloists' dressing rooms, instrument storage locker (with two levels of information about instruments) and more. Among the new activities, visitors can view video clips of musicians onstage and go "On the Road" with the orchestra during its recent Asian tour, with postcards from the road.
The American Symphony Orchestra League's own children's site has also been redesigned since its launch in 1999. Like Kidzone, it offers backstage glimpses through news, interviews, and information about instruments of the orchestra. But reflecting the League's national role, Playmusic has a broader mission to reach students across the country, with links to youth orchestras and resources for young musicians, their parents, and teachers. Young musicians can connect with a peer mentor and get answers to questions about the study of specific instruments. Games also include Morton Subotnick's Creating Music.
As a companion piece to the MIT Media Lab's Toy Symphony project, this site is mostly too text-heavy to interest kids. But it does offer a Kids' Page with photos of the music toys--Beatbugs and Music Shapers--created for use in the project, which introduces children to symphonic music and involves them in composing and performing activities. Of course, seeing pictures on a web site won't do much for most kids--the experimental toys aren't available at the local toy storeÉ yet--so steer kids to the Hyperscore showcase. The software, developed by the Toy Symphony team, allows individuals to create a composition by drawing on a computer sketchpad. Hyperscore then interprets the shapes and colors of lines into melodies. The software is available for free download from the site, or just listen to some of the Hyperscore compositions created by children that have been performed by orchestras involved with the project.
The companion web site to From the Top, which showcases youth musicians in an old-time radio show format, includes audio clips and behind-the-scenes information about the Public Radio International program and its amazing young performers. But the site has expanded since its launch in 2000 to become more of a music education resource, offering information for parents about music schools and teachers. An educational section offers classroom materials for teachers. Much of the information on the site skews toward middle and high school, but kids of any age will enjoy listening to the From the Top archive in the "Listening Library."
Rebecca Winzenried is managing editor of SYMPHONY.


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A Modern Hausa language dictionary for young children: 0 to 3 years old. Look up simple Hausa language words and translate between Hausa - English, today.
jakin dawa: HAUSA - ESPANYOL
- jakin dawa nom
- cebra
Hausa Word of the Day: Addu'A
Add more words to your Hausa vocabulary: .
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