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On this day in 1918, a full two weeks after an armistice ended World War I in Europe, Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck of Germany finally surrenders his forces in German East Africa.
A master of guerrilla warfare known for his brave and honorable conduct, Lettow-Vorbeck emerged from the First World War as the only undefeated military commander on either side of the conflict. From the beginning, the colonel knew the British navy's dominance of the seas meant that few reinforcements would be sent from his homeland and, as a result, that the German war effort in its African colonies would have to be carried out on his own initiative.
In classic Prussian fashion, Lettow-Vorbeck organized his African soldiers—called askaris—into independent field companies and trained them in the skills of bush fighting. With successful raids against the British colonies of Kenya and Rhodesia, the confidence of Lettow-Vorbeck's troops only continued to rise. Meanwhile, on the British side, consistently confused command and lack of cooperation between army and navy forces—as well as a decision not to divert any resources from the Western Front for the campaign in Africa—contributed to a string of failed amphibious expeditions along the coast of East Africa, from Uganda to the Zambezi River.
With a force that never exceeded 14,000–including 3,000 German and 11,000 askari troops–Lettow-Vorbeck managed to consistently defeat Allied forces (mostly British and South African) of 10 times that number. In November 1918, when World War I ended, Lettow-Vorbeck was alive and well, with 3,000 soldiers at his command. He chose to surrender at Mbaala, Zambia, on November 25, 1918, returning to Germany, where he was greeted as a national hero.
Immediately following the war, Lettow-Vorbeck joined the Freikorps, the military police force, helping to squelch the radical socialist Spartacist uprising in early 1919. The following year, however, he was forced to resign from the army after supporting the failed right-wing Kapp Putsch against the Weimar government. After publishing his memoirs, called My Reminiscences of East Africa, he returned to public life, serving as a deputy in the German Reichstag from May 1929 until July 1930. During the subsequent years, Lettow-Vorbeck unsuccessfully attempted to establish a conservative opposition to Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party. By the end of World War II, the former hero was living in poverty. In a testament to his greatness, a group of former South African and British officers led by his former nemesis, the South African leader Jan Smuts, arranged for a small pension to be paid him until his death, on March 9, 1964.


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Each day this Thanksgiving Week, WitOut asks a Philly comedian what he or she is thankful for. Today we asked Chip Chantry.
1. I'm thankful that my intramural Knockout Game team just made the semi-finals.
2. I'm thankful for the new Arcade Fire album, so now I don't have to choreograph my figure-rollerblade routines to just Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, like I had to for the last 12 season in a row.
3. I'm thankful for my Thursday Red Lobster lunches with Steve Swan. (UPDATE: The police have only been called ONCE on us this past month!)
4. I'm thankful for the decades-spanning body of work of Mr. Dabney Coleman.
5. I'm thankful for Christmas music on B101, so now I have something to listen to when I write in my revenge diary.
6. I'm thankful that I'll be at Helium Comedy Club tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 and 10pm. I'm thankful that there is more information at www.heliumcomedy.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Robert Frost
Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963 / San Francisco)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
Mending Wall
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
read more >>
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Customer Service: 503-823-7770
Customer Service: 503-823-7770
The Portland Water Bureau is currently offering a $50* rebate for replacing an old toilet or urinal with a high-efficiency model. Commercial, residential and multifamily properties are eligible. See eligibility requirements included on each form. Please note that the old toilet or urinal MUST be recycled at an approved recycling center. Rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The program will end when funds are depleted.
* Single-family residential customers enrolled in the bill discount program are eligible for a $100 per toilet rebate
Funds are still available for the rebate.
Residential customers are eligible for up to 2 toilet rebates per water account.
Apartment buildings, condominiums, and other multifamily properties are eligible for up to 50 toilet rebates per water account.
Commercial accounts including businesses, restaurants, schools and others are eligible for toilet or urinal rebates.


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I've always been one of the lowest predictors, but I have genuine optimism this year.
I'll say 95-67.
I've always been one of the lowest predictors, but I have genuine optimism this year.
I'll say 95-67.
Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David
The rotation isn't as strong as they think it is, and it wasn't addressed despite its obvious shortcomings in the NLDS.
Ditto LF.
80 wins
I am not sure if it is acceptable to post about the predictions here, and if it is not please scorn me....but
I am genuinely shocked about the low predictions I am seeing about this up coming season. I picked 97 wins, and though I realize it may be reaching, I am taken a back by the lower numbers on here. Are the Reds really just and average team? Placing about 85 wins and not making the playoffs?
Hey Sparky! Indian Hill English teachers taught me everything I know!
90 wins (plus at least 5 in the playoffs)!
Win some, lose some, some get rained out.
90 wins
89 wins.
85 wins, I'm seriously worried about the injuries in the rotation. At least they get one of those dreaded west coast trips out of the way early.
This is the ol Left Hander rounding third and heading for home.
89 Wins, NL Central Champs, NL Representatives in the World Series where we lose 4-2 to Boston.
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
83 wins. And could easily be lower. The wave of injuries to the staff and the strike throwing issues some are exhibiting better resolve favorably soon to make the higher predictions in here remotely attainable.
81 wins
During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball. ~Mickey Mantle, 1970
90 wins, but I don't think that wins the NL Central. It will be hard to repeat when we continue to struggle with supereior opponents and the Brewers and Cubs look to contend. Last year it was Lose to the Cards and win the rest, but I just don't see the rest being as easy. Still optomistic though. Fast Start with Bailey and Cueto on the DL will gain national attention, struggles with better teams will keep us from running away with it, but in the end Fransisco will be the everyday third basemen due to a Rolen injury and his bat leads us down the stretch and hits 30 HR for the year.
78 wins
78 wins as well.
This place use to be fun
Since they eclipsed the 81 win mark last season, I say: 87 wins.
"Bring on Rod Stupid!"
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


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Unique Personalised Books for Dads
By occasion
- The Book of Dad£24.99
Give Dad a personalised keepsake that is sure to become his favourite toilet read.
- Wise(ish) Words for Golfers£19.99
A personalised gift full of sage advice, guaranteed to be a hole in one for any golfer.
- Wise(ish) Words for New Parents£19.99
Help the new parents on their journey with a personalised book full of witty advice.
- The Milestone Edition£25.99
A personalised book to celebrate milestone moments that should be remembered forever.
- Wise(ish) Words for Everyone£19.99
Share your wisdom with someone you care about through personalised designs and quotes.
- Wise(ish) Words for Cat Lovers£19.99
Put your own words, and maybe a little feline sass, into this purr-fect personalised gift.
- Wise(ish) Words for Dog Lovers£19.99
A personalised book for the person who loves man's best friend more than anything.


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Relationships with
Photo Credit: Beau Bridges' picture is courtesy of American Dreams. Photographic illustrations of Beau Bridges are copyright © by their respective holders. The images are published with permission or as allowed by the copyright law's fair use or quotation provisions. If any copyright holder objects to an image being included, please notify us and it will be removed immediately.
Disclaimer: This information about Beau Bridges is derived from astrological interpretation of Beau Bridges' date, time, and place of birth.


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Penguins faithful pack Consol Energy Center for free scrimmage
Pittsburgh fans offered free admission, parking to watch Pens
There was no bigger declaration that hockey is officially back in Pittsburgh than the thousands of Penguins faithful who packed Consol Energy Center on Wednesday night.
The home of the Penguins looked more like the scene of a playoff game rather than a scrimmage as fans quickly snatched up the arena's 18,087 seats.
Chants of "Let's Go Pens" echoed outside the arena as eager fans waited to get inside.
"I think it's a good thing. It shows Pittsburgh is still behind the Penguins and we're ready for them to play some hockey," said the first fan in line.
He told Channel 4 Action News' Andrew Del Greco he got to the arena at 10 a.m.
Admission and parking to the event were free on a first-come, first-served basis.
But it wasn't just the fans who were thrilled to have action again on the ice.
"It means making a living again," street vendor Al Pongrack said.
Vendors are back in business for the winter, and at least a few nearby bars are expecting crowds.
"On a typical Wednesday night, we would probably have 10 people at the bar, and we have a floor full, so it's definitely good," Souper Bowl Bar owner Carly Sypherd said.
Sypherd described a grim outlook a few weeks ago.
"It was pretty much panic. We had to let go of a few workers, close the floor. There were no happy thoughts," Sypherd said.
Representatives for Visit Pittsburgh said each Penguins home game has an economic impact of $2 million to the region.
The Penguins open the abbreviated NHL season on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia against the Flyers.


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Supreme Clientele
I don't have too much to add to this piece by Jody Rosen, for Slate, about NPR's taste in black music, but I recommend reading it. Rosen looks at their very white "Best Music of 2009 (So Far)" list and advances a theory that NPR's producers look for four basic factors in deciding to spotlight a black musician—they've gotta be either Dead, Old, Retro or Foreign. He calls it the "DORF Matrix."
Cute, yes, and true. NPR's best-of list, voted by listeners, includes only two black artists out of 30 on the "best albums" list (Mos Def and, uh, Danger Mouse) and none at all on the "best songs" list. NPR isn't the only media outlet to shaft current hip-hop and R&B for crusty soul revivalists with a by-the-books story of redemption, and though every media outlet is entitled to their own opinion, and death, age, history and foreign countries all make good, easy-lazy stories, it would seem that NPR should have an interest in battling their own caricature. Right?
Tags: Black Music, Jody Rosen, NPR, Slate


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Folks in Washington love to call California a deadbeat. We don't hear as much when the shoe is on the other foot.
So here's a little-noticed story: this week, the federal government finally made good on money it owed more than 1,800 California local governments. Since the feds own nearly half the land in the U.S., they are required to make payments -- in lieu of regular taxes -- as local landlords. Most of the land is in the state's deserts, mountains and interior.
The money was due in early June. But the U.S. Department of Interior -- yes the same federal department that has done such a terrific job in the Gulf of Mexico -- had informed cash-strapped counties and cities that checks wouldnt be cut til mid-July.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Local governments lost their marbles and called their Congressmen, who went hard after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The checks, according to this report in PublicCEO.com, are now, as of Tuesday, in the mail.


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Rackspace's 1.2 million square foot global headquarters is nestled at the edge of the scenic Texas Hill Country in San Antonio, the 7th largest city in the U.S. True to our Fanatical Support roots, Rackspace chose to become a corporate citizen in a community that needed help and set out to renovate an abandoned mall. Now the center of a growing technology ecosystem giving rise to start-ups and educational programs that will fuel the future of the industry, Rackspace's corporate office, called "The Castle" provides an engaging, creative work environment that encourages Rackers to deliver their best every day.
The capital of Texas, Austin is also known as the "live music capital of the world." With the University of Texas campus downtown, the city offers a vibrant nightlife along with parks, lakes, and historic landmarks. Austin's food scene includes restaurants boasting some of the best chefs in the nation, including award-winning Franklin BBQ, and culinary masters that will make any foodie's mouth water. One of the fastest growing cities in the United States, Austin offers a rich quality of life, access to outdoor recreation, top-notch education, eclectic entertainment, and job growth. Metro-rail access that runs through the city makes getting around easy. Rackspace's offices are centrally located near the city's epi-center with easy access to the college campus, Barton Springs, shopping, and a variety of attractions.
The capital of Mexico, Mexico City is one of the world's largest metropolitan areas and a global financial center. With deep history, Mexico City is known for its architecture, cathedrals, and art. Home to the Templo Mayor, a 13th-century Aztec temple, as well as the birthplace of artists such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Mexico City is becoming a hotspot for contemporary art.
Our Hayes based office is a beautifully architectured modern glass building (think bright and spacious) and our facilities consist of a canteen, games room, gym, training campus, free parking and our very own Mini Cooper housed in our lobby! Hayes Town has a historical culture, housing companies such as The Old Vinyl Factory where ground breaking records by The Beatles, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones were pressed. The Rackspace office is a 5 minute walk from Hayes and Harlington station, a 20 minute drive from Heathrow Airport, a 25 minute train journey to Central London and has great connections from both the M4 and M25 motorway. A robust transit system connects the regions making getting to and from the offices extremely accessible for all.
Blacksburg, Virginia offers a small-town community with big time aspirations. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Blacksburg offers a rich technological hub and vibrant culture complete with beautiful scenic trails and parks. Established in 1798, the city preserves its rich history while celebrating its forward-looking technology industry. Home to the Virginia Tech Hokies, Blacksburg boasts a diverse and dynamic workforce.
One of Australia's largest cities, Sydney is the capital of South Wales and a technology center for Asia-Pacific. Combining business and iconic waterfront beauty, Sydney provides opportunities for career development and work-life balance. Rackspace Sydney offers an engaging team environment that works hard and plays hard, always with an eye on providing Fanatical Support for our customers.
Crawley, located in West Sussex, England, 30 minutes from London's centre, is home to Rackspace's 10th datacenter in the world. The facility, custom built to meet the growing demand of managed cloud services in Europe, is one of the only environmentally sustainable datacenters in Europe and one of Rackspace's most advanced. As part of the Crawley community which boasts vibrant retail industry as well as a deep history, Rackspace joins an industrial and important business and employment centre for all of Southeast England.
Bears, Cubs, Bulls, White Sox, and Rackers—all professional teams on a mission to win and all call Chicago home. And for good reason. Chicago, the third largest city in the U.S., rests next to Lake Michigan and offers everything from deep dish pizza and an amazing skyline, the Miracle Mile, and a 110-ton metallic "Bean" among an amazing skyline and museum mecca. The city also features the home of the "Robots," Rackspace's Chicago team mascot. Along with robots, team members show their pride in the many professional sports team that call Chicago home—displaying banners and flags and wearing jerseys and t-shirts to represent their favorites.
The western hats, horses, and skyscrapers that inform the popular iconic Texas imagery are all found in Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). DFW is a metropolitan area that includes 13 counties in North Texas. As one of the largest metropolitan centers in the United States, DFW is an economic and cultural hub with major manufacturing and technology companies on one side and farming and ranching on the other. The area boasts private and public universities and professional sports teams. Major airports and continually expanding public transportation systems support travel to and from the area.
At the heart of Virginia's Data Center Alley, Ashburn is located in the Dulles Technology Corridor and is also part of the Washington DC metropolitan area. Ashburn offers a combination of rich American heritage, culinary highlights, award-winning wineries, and pastoral landscapes. Ashburn offers educational and technological development opportunities, with George Washington University's Virginia Science and Technology campus as well as easy access to Washington DC and technology powerhouses.
Taking top honors in the Great Place to Work Awards for two years running, Rackspace's Zurich office offers a variety of opportunities for growth, teambuilding, and innovation. Representing 4 nations and 15 different languages, the Zurich team offers cultural diversity that drives openness and new ideas. Zurich is the largest city and economic center of Switzerland and offers fantastic public transportation along with natural and historic landmarks.
A city rich in history and famous for its annual Oktoberfest, Munich pairs stunning Gothic architecture with thriving & modern industries of finance and technology. The office is located in the heart of Munich on Stachus and is easily accessible via public transportation including train, bus, tram and subway. Be sure to stop at the nearby Viktualienmarkt, where you will find delicious regional specialties including the famous Munich white sausage. With fine restaurants, museums and art galleries just a few doors down, our office takes 'working where you play' to the next level.
Established in 2017, the Frankfurt datacenter features fully-redundant power and is carrier-neutral with multiple Tier 1 providers. By establishing a datacenter presence in Germany, our first in continental Europe, we are able to expand our support to help meet the future needs of our EU customers. Frankfurt is an international financial hub featuring 2,000 years of history and a culture filled with museums, a lively art scene, and a great night life. With over 100 different languages spoken, Frankfurt is rich with diversity and an important expansion of our global footprint.
Rackspace's Amsterdam office is conveniently located 10 minutes from the Amerstand Schiphol Airport and 5 minutes from the city's centre. Based at Amsterdam Sloterdijk, the office offers easy transportation and parking.
The "Pearl of the Orient," Hong Kong is a global financial center and one of the most populous territories in the world. Hong Kong is known for its skyline, food scene, and shopping. Located on the Southeast coast of China, Hong Kong boast vibrant natural areas as well as serves as a major port that drives commerce. Rackspace's Hong Kong office is located in Wan Chai, with a breathtaking view of the Hong Kong harbor.
India is the primary destination for outsourcing and a global hub for multi-location outsourcing strategy. Rackspace's offices are located in Gurgaon and Hyderabad.
Popularly known as Millennium City, Gurgaon is a city just southwest of New Delhi in northern India. It has emerged as one of the most important offshoring centers in the world. Gurgaon's skyline with its many skyscrapers is nationally recognized and it has the presence of about 250 of the Fortune 500 companies. The city also has an exciting food scene and is home to the famous Cyber Hub, a melting pot of more than 50 of the top culinary brands and interesting retro bars, pubs and entertainment zones for kids.
Hyderabad is the capital of southern India's Telangana state. It has a rich and regal history; the Old City of Hyderabad is one of India's most ancient quarters and home to iconic landmarks such as Charminar. Present day Hyderabad is also a major center for the technology industry and its modern neighborhoods are home to malls, multiplexes, pubs and sleek restaurants.
External resources to learn more about the culture of India.Incredible India website
Croeso i'ch cartref newydd yn Rackspace Caerdydd!
With a golf course and cricket green as neighbours, the Cardiff office is located on the growing Technology Park in St Mellons, on the outskirts of Cardiff just 10 minutes from the M4 motorway. Cardiff is Wales' capital city that offers all the entertainment, attractions and amenities you would expect from a big city, but it is still small enough to be friendly, even on Rugby International days when Wales are playing in the Principality Stadium, situated in the heart of the city. Cardiff Castle was built on the site of a Roman fort that dates back to AD75 and there are other historic buildings dotted around the Cardiff skyline. Cardiff Bay enjoys restaurants and smaller music venues or you can enjoy a boat trip around the Bay itself, or catch a water taxi into the City Centre.
One of the most diverse cities in the nation, Jersey City is home to panoramic views of Manhattan, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. Known for its vibrant restaurant and art scene, and picturesque historic districts and landmark attractions, Jersey City has the benefits of a big metropolitan with the feeling of a small community.
Reston was ranked as the Best Places to Live in Virginia by Money magazine for its expanses of parks, lakes, golf courses, and bridle paths as well as the numerous shopping and dining opportunities in Reston Town Center. A special tax district within Fairfax County was created to fund various recreational, educational, and cultural activities in Reston. Reston is in close proximity to the W&OD trail which runs through both densely populated urban and rural areas. In a total of 45 miles one can ride, walk or jog from just outside Washington D.C. all the way to Purcelville in western Loudoun County with elevations ranging from 141 feet above sea level to 610 feet above sea level.
External resources to learn more about the culture.Reston Activities Reston Town Center Parks
Flexibility in work arrangements allow Rackers to meet the demands of their careers & personal lives. That's why we enable remote working for many roles through tools & technologies like Zoom & Slack that enable Rackers to succeed & stay connected. Since engagement is a core tenant of our culture, we also invest in remote Racker management training for our leaders with remote Rackers.


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Mark Sobin is an associate in the Financial Services Practice Group of Morrison & Foerster's New York office.
Mr. Sobin graduated cum laude from Duke University School of Law, where he was a member of the Duke Law Journal's Editorial Board. During law school, Mr. Sobin was a judicial intern for the Honorable Alexander Williams Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, as well as an intern at the White House's National Economic Council. Mr. Sobin received his B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis.
Prior to joining Morrison & Foerster, Mr. Sobin was an associate at another multinational law firm.Show More
Unsolicited e-mails and information sent to Morrison & Foerster will not be considered confidential, may be disclosed to others pursuant to our Privacy Policy, may not receive a response, and do not create an attorney-client relationship with Morrison & Foerster. If you are not already a client of Morrison & Foerster, do not include any confidential information in this message. Also, please note that our attorneys do not seek to practice law in any jurisdiction in which they are not properly authorized to do so.


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LG Tribute EMPIRE
At Sprint Cerritos Towne Center, Cerritos, CA
At Sprint Cerritos Towne Center, Cerritos, CA
- $8 / mo. $0 / mo. and $0 down today
Buy or upgrade today
Order onlineBuy for pickup Additional discounts may apply
Choose a plan, and select store pick-up at checkout
Choose a plan, and select store pick-up at checkout
Get in-store In StockDirections Call store Make an appointment
The new LG Tribute EMPIRE delivers what you need, anywhere you go. It features an 8MP camera to capture all of life's important moments, and a vibrant 5" display to see your content vividly. Packed into a slim, premium design, this phone offers the processing power and speed you need to take on the day.
- Large 5.0" HD Display
- 8MP Rear Camera with Flash and Front 5MP Camera with portrait mode
- Android 8.1 Oreo
- 1.5 GHz Octa-Core Processor
- 2500 mAh removable battery
- 16 GB ROM and 2GB RAM
Similar Products In Stock at Sprint Cerritos Towne Center
Nearby Sprint LocationsFind a store near you
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- Open from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
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In StockView at this store


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S.1238 - Keep Student Loans Affordable Act of 2013113th Congress (2013-2014)
BillHide Overview
|Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (Introduced 06/27/2013)
|Latest Action:
|Senate - 07/17/2013 Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (consideration: CR S5717-5718) (All Actions)
|Roll Call Votes:
|There has been 1 roll call vote
This bill has the status Introduced
Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:
- Introduced
Subject — Policy Area:
- Education
- View subjects
Summary: S.1238 — 113th Congress (2013-2014)All Information (Except Text)
There is one summary for S.1238. Bill summaries are authored by CRS.
Shown Here:
Introduced in Senate (06/27/2013)
Keep Student Loans Affordable Act of 2013 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the 3.4% interest rate on Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2013, to Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2014.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify rules for required distributions from tax-exempt pension plans to an employee who dies before such employee's entire interest is distributed to require such interest to be distributed within five years after the death of such employee, subject to exceptions for an eligible designated beneficiary and surviving spouse of such employee. Defines "eligible designated beneficiary" to include a disabled or chronically-ill individual. Exempts from such modification a binding annuity contract in effect on the enactment date of this Act.


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Foster Care
Foster care is a temporary alternative to a child's natural home when that home becomes emotionally or physically inadequate for the child's needs. Foster children range in age from infant to 18. All foster children have unique backgrounds, experiences, and personalities.
Some may require extensive care for physical or emotional disabilities. Many foster children have been victims of physical or sexual abuse; some have suffered neglect. Some children and infants require more intensive medical care.
Foster Parent Qualities
Some may require extensive care for physical or emotional disabilities. Many foster children have been victims of physical or sexual abuse; some have suffered neglect. Some children and infants require more intensive medical care.
Foster Parent Qualities
- Acceptance - Foster children need to be accepted, regardless of their actions or behaviors. Many foster children have suffered crises in their own home and may be resentful, bad-tempered or angry. Foster parents need to have the ability to give children affection and caring without expecting an immediate return of love and appreciation.
- Availability - Fostering requires a lot of time. Responsibilities include taking children to medical appointments, therapy appointments, transportation, as well as spending quality time with them.
- Cooperation - Foster parents in Ozaukee County are considered a part of a team. Their help is needed in developing plans concerning what is in the best interest of the child. Other members of the team include the biological parents, the social workers, other family members and attorneys. The goal is to reunite children with their parents, family member, or another permanent home.
- Desire - Foster parents should possess a natural liking for children and enjoy caring for them. Foster parents should have a desire to make a difference in a child's life.
- Family - An active commitment to fostering needs to come from all members of the family. The entire foster family needs to be willing to open their homes and their hearts to children. Foster children need to feel they are a part of the entire family.
- Knowledge - Fostering requires a basic knowledge of child care skills, as well as familiarity of the stages of child development. These skills should help foster parents identify emotional, physical and behavioral indicators of abuse and neglect, as well as provide age appropriate discipline.
- Stability - One of the biggest needs foster children have is the need for stability. Foster parents should have a stable home and personal life. Foster parents should be mature adults, happy in their own lives, who can provide children with love, security, understanding and stability. They should have the ability to remain calm in times of crisis and have a lot of patience.


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New Plant Finds In Andes Foretell Of Ancient Climate Change
COLUMBUS , Ohio For the third time in as many years, glaciologist Lonnie Thompson has returned from an Andean ice field in Peru with samples from beds of ancient plants exposed for the first time in perhaps as much as 6,500 years.Lonnie Thompson
In 2002, he first stumbled across some non-fossilized plants exposed by the steadily retreating Quelccaya ice cap. Carbon dating showed that plant material was at least 5,000 years old.
Then in 2004, Thompson found additional plant beds revealed by the continued retreat of the melting ice and when tested, these proved to be carbon-free, suggesting that they might date back more than 50,000 years. If true, that would suggest that the climate in that region may not have been as warm as it is today in more than 500 centuries.
In June, he went back to the ice field and found at least 20 new plant collection sites that had been newly exposed. An analysis of the plant material from these sites suggested that it ranged from 4,500 to 6,500 years old.
Some of these sites contained thick, multiple layers of plant material and soil which might provide a chronology of when in the past this now high, cold, ice-covered locale harbored flourishing wetland bogs, an ecosystem requiring much warmer temperatures.Map of Peru showing Quelccaya ice field in lower right.
Thompson, a professor of geological sciences and researcher with the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State , calls that ice cap the Rosetta Stone for climate change.
Quelccaya is the biggest tropical ice cap on earth and is probably the best-documented as far as its response to recent climate change, he said. And the retreat of the Qori Kalis glacier that spills off Quelccaya is perhaps the best-studied retreat of any tropical glacier.
He should know. He's led 22 expeditions to this forbidding region since 1974, drilling cores through the ice cap that have yielded a detailed climate history of the region. Frozen areas once surrounding Quelccaya now harbor massive meltwater lakes hundreds of feet deep.
This time, Thompson brought with him two botanists to help identify new deposits. Blanca Leon, a research fellow from the Herbarium, Plant Resources Center , and her colleague Kenneth Young, an associate professor of geography, both at the University of Texas at Austin , had identified the plant species in samples from Thompson's earlier expedition.
Thompson said that the retreating ice was exposing sizeable areas covered by these old plants. They are perfectly preserved, he said. We could have collected a boxcar full of them.
The plants proved to be alpaca moss, Distichia muscoides, a hardy species that still inhabits the region. The researchers also identified at least two additional species of moss and grasses that were recently uncovered by the ice. The 20 plant samples were sent to both Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute for carbon dating.
Having the botanists along allowed the researchers to confirm that the plants had not been moved by the ice, that they actually once grew where they were found. It was important that we confirmed that these were original plants on those sites.
Thompson said that the retreating ice was exposing sizeable areas covered by these old plants. They are perfectly preserved, he said. We could have collected a boxcar full of them.
The plant discoveries are very significant, Thompson says, not so much because of what the plants are but the fact that so many are being exposed.
Early next year, he plans to return to Tanzania 's Mount Kilimanjaro . In 2001, he predicted that the massive ice field atop that extinct volcano might disappear within 15 years because of rising temperatures. This time, he intends to look for similar plant deposits that might be exposed as the ice retreats. And when he returns to Peru 's Quelccaya ice field next year, he wants to sample more of the exposed beds whose carbon dates suggest are far older than 5,000 years.
This story could only have been told by having spent 28 years collecting ice cores from around the world, extracting the climate records from them, seeing the global trends emerge and having the opportunity to be there now as the ice released its treasures, Thompson said.
His research is supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Contact: Lonnie Thompson, (614) 292-6652: firstname.lastname@example.com
Written by Earle Holland, (614) 292-8384; firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
SACRAMENTO, July 29 (UPI) -- A wildfire spread deeper into Yosemite National Park, threatening a grove of ancient sequoias.
The fire's movements, however, were good news for residents of El Portal and Foresta, two small communities on the west side of the park, moving it farther from their homes. Evacuation orders were lifted for El Portal, although they remained in place for Foresta, where two houses burned.
The Portal Fire remained several miles from Merced Grove. By early Tuesday, the blaze had grown to more than 3,000 acres since it was reported Saturday and was only 19 percent contained.
In the Sierra Nevada foothills, the Sand Fire was reported to be 80 percent contained Tuesday morning. The fire in the Plymouth, Calif., area burned scores of homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate.
The fire also threatened vineyards.
In Yosemite, a section of Highway 120 and some campgrounds were closed because of the Portal Fire. While most of the park was open to visitors, they were warned to expect smoke obscuring the famous views of El Capitan and other landmarks.
Kim and Olotumi Laizer lost their home in Foresta to the Portal Fire. Olotumi Laizer told the San Francisco Chronicle he learned the fire was racing towards the house when a neighbor knocked on the door Saturday.
"I ran and looked out and saw a big fire coming," he said. "I told my wife we had to get out. We didn't have but five minutes."


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The Solar Connect Association (SCA) started their solar cooking projects in Uganda in 1994 with the support of several organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund of Switzerland. These solar cooking projects resulted from the depletion of biodiversity, concern for the conservation of the beautiful local forests, and the well-being of the rural poor. SCA wishes to find practical, local solutions to these issues.
Between its inception in 1994 and August 2014, SCA has distributed 50,000 cookers in Uganda, South Sudan, eastern Congo, and Burundi. SCA is moving from NGO to social enterprise and to date employs 64 people, 70% of whom are field women marketers mainly selling solar cookers to villagers in their localities and others working on the production floor. SCA produces all the CooKits, solar box cookers, hay baskets (heat-retention cookers) and Lorena Stoves, and outsources parabolic solar cookers from traders who get them from China. SCA has expanded from the Mbarara District to five other districts near Kampala city, working silently to contribute to the mitigation of climate change and improve livelihoods of rural people in this part of the world and seeking to share experiences with other stakeholders.
If you are going to western Uganda to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park, or to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for mountain gorilla tracking, the SCA is located nine miles away from Mbarara on Mbarara-Masaka Highway at the Biharwe trading center, just opposite the Igongo Country Hotel and Cultural Museum. (Their building is just opposite the gate of the hotel; many tourists also stop there for lunch and sightseeing.) SCA has a Renewable Energy Center Building there which sells and displays solar cookers and other energy-saving stoves, Monday through Saturday from 9.00 am to 5:00 pm.
To understand the relevance of SCA's solar cooker project, it is necessary to look at how forests have been cut in most parts of Uganda, and how intact forests are being menaced.
A large, mostly agricultural-based population inhabits Uganda, the majority of whom live in abject poverty. This poverty and lack of awareness has led to the following problems:
- Deforestation in the countryside
- Waterborne diseases
- Substantial reduction of medicinal trees and plants, used traditionally to cure many diseases
- Climatic change
- Need for girls to spend time collecting firewood
Through observation and close contact with rural communities, where extreme hardships suffered by the subsistence farmers and their families were observed, SCA was motivated to start the solar cooker project.
They persistently improved on solar cookers between 1994 and 1998, using at first cardboard and plywood cookers, then parabolic solar cookers and CooKits. The solar dryers are also being constantly modified to suit different conditions of use. SCA tapped into the large unemployed local workforce and hired carpenters and metal workers to produce the first batch of 300 plywood cookers and 700 cardboard box cookers, which SCA began distributing for free in the districts of Masaka, Soroti, Tororo, and Kampala. For this initial phase of the project, SCA received backing from Gruppe Ulog and assistance in the form of free materials from EG-Solar. Foundation Lord Michealham of Hellingly bought the first office furniture and provided funds for transporting the materials and personnel. In June 1994, WWF-Switzerland started to support the project, and SCA went on to produce on average at least 900 solar CooKits and 80 parabolic cookers per year. Now over 10,000 solar cookers are actively used in homes throughout Uganda. The population supported by Pvei Project in Virunga uses an unknown number in eastern Congo. The Pvei staff was trained by SCA on how to make and use solar cookers.
SCA decided to sell this idea to rural people, 100% of whom use firewood to cook. Solar energy can contribute a great deal to the goal of saving the remaining forests when it is used to cook food and dry fruits and foods.
The extremely simple and inexpensive solar cooker is starting to revolutionize lives in project areas. Solar cookers limit the health hazards of inhaling smoke and people can drink clean water by first pasteurizing it using solar energy. Food that used to be wasted during bumper harvests is now solar dried and "kept for the rainy day." People have used solar drying for centuries, but not in such a modern way.
SCA promotes solar cookers and solar dryers to help the development of the rural poor in a cost-effective, participatory, and sustainable way. Young women and men are generating small-scale jobs for themselves, including metal work and carpentry, canning fruits, baking small cakes and bread, and boiling drinking water.
As a result of SCA projects, people not only use solar cookers but are aware of the importance to rationally use forest resources so as to protect the environment and future generations.
The impact of solar cookers and dryers since 1994 has been rising income levels and improved sanitation in homesteads using solar cookers. Married women can work their fields while the sun does the cooking, raising their work productivity. Women are also baking cakes and bread and canning fruits using the cookers, and some are drying fruits for market.
Also, girls are liberated from having to walk long distances looking for firewood each day. Instead, they are now free to attend school, and the number of girls enrolling in village primary schools of targeted areas is rising. Trees are cut less often and previously bare hills are starting to get shrub and wild tree cover, demonstrating the positive environmental impact of solar cooking. Most of all, people are aware of the consequences of their actions and their effect on the environment: in SCA's view that is a very important development.
These factors, coupled with the effect that the solar cooker has had in stemming waterborne and respiratory diseases due to smoke inhalation and a wish to slow the pace of the rural exodus to cities, are what make the solar cooker a tangible and exciting solution to a severe local problem of firewood scarcity. For eight years now, over 10,000 solar cookers are in use throughout the country.
Encouraged by these results, SCA will soon begin to include fuel-efficient stoves in its activities so that when there is no sunshine, firewood can still be economized. SCA wants to open focal point offices in the regions targeted so that the beneficiaries themselves do much of the fieldwork, enabling SCA to devote more efforts on partnership and resource mobilization.
However, looking back at SCA's experience over the past eight years, they understand that one of the biggest obstacles is educating villagers about this technology. SCA noted that at training workshops, village PR women and men were only moderately successful. SCA devised an educational campaign tailored to village life and the illiterate population. The innovative campaign features a video-recorded documentary by local actors using solar cookers in which their benefits are dramatized. After SCA conducts workshops, they now show the video in villages using a TV and portable generator. One of their future projects is to make a video play featuring local villagers to be shown in villages as part of the awareness campaign.
Currently SCA sells the solar cookers and solar dryers at a cost 15% higher than the original production cost. They are slowly phasing out cooker donations as awareness increases. While the proceeds help finance manufacturing and distribution costs, SCA looks to the very timely WWF financial and technical support, without which this project would find difficulty. The WWF Project Assessment carried out in August 2002 brought out weakness of SCA, some of which management was not aware of. A strategic plan for SCA was made during the assessment and the project can be expanded. SCA estimates that it will take three years to cover the whole Albertine Rift Eco- Region in Uganda, and their final objective is to be able to export the solar cooker and dryer to other sunny countries of East Africa facing similar deforestation problems. The solar cooker solution will address the primary needs of the rural Albertine Rift population for whom the basic necessities of life are very limited, and at the same time conserve forests.
In conclusion, in many cases the simpler a device is, the greater its impact. Clearly, the inexpensive solar cooker can dramatically improve sanitation, support a balanced diet, improve quality of life for the rural population in project areas, and slow the destruction of forests. The solar cooker has 1,000 positive consequences for people and the environment.
In the villages of Kikokwa, Ruharo, Biharwe and Oruchinga Refugee Settlement in Mbarara in western Uganda, women use solar cookers quite frequently in the dry season, and even in the rainy season when the sun comes up. The total number of participating households in these four villages will reach over 2,000 by the end of 2007.
See also: Refugee camps
Most significant projectsEdit
- Self-sustaining and profitable, a solar cooker business thrives in Uganda - The Solar Connect Association, under the direction of Kawesa Mukasa, reported in July 2017 that they have been able to sell monthly over 250 solar cookers, 100 hay baskets, and 250 fuel-efficient wood stoves in Uganda. These results, and the profits they have generated, have made it possible for the business to be self-sustaining. With guidance from Solar Cooking KoZon, their approach has been to hire local employees, and to make a long-term commitment to the areas where they work. Read more...
- July 2018: Haines Cooker evaluation - Solar Household Energy has joined with a number of organizations to evaluate acceptance of the Haines 2.0 Solar Cooker in refugee camps in Northern Uganda. Partners include the Rotary Clubs of San Diego, California, USA and Gulu, Uganda, the Alliance for African Assistance, African Refugee Education Project, Solar Connect Association, and the U-Touch Technology Center. Last April, eight Rotarians, including SHE board member Roger Haines, traveled to northern Uganda to demonstrate the cooker. The Alliance for African Assistance will produce the cookers in Gulu, and hopes to scale up to make more cookers available in northern Uganda.
- March 2018: Early 2018 SCA activity - Kawesa Mukasa reports that from the beginning of 2018 through February, SCA distributed 514 CooKits, 18 solar box cookers, 14 parabolic solar cookers, 5 Haines Solar Cookers, 514 WAPIs, 179 hay baskets, and 422 improved combustion stoves. SCA also received a visit from Theo Sinke and Clara Thomas, former chairwoman of Solar Cooking KoZon. They reviewed SCA rural projects and discussed improvement strategies. At the end of March, SCA will welcome solar promoters from Kenya to learn from SCA experiences in developing programs. Roger Haines of the Rotary Club of San Diego will be in Uganda in April to introduce the newest version of his Haines Solar Cooker.
- June 2017: Sustainable solar cooker business in Mbarara - The Solar Connect Association, under the direction of Kawesa Mukasa, has been able to sell 280 solar cookers, 110 hay baskets, and 260 fuel-efficient wood stoves monthly. These results, and the profits they have generated, have made it possible for the business to be self-sustaining. Read more...
- September 2016: The Solar Connect Association (SCA) visited the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda where they met with the Assistant Camp Commander, Mr. Kintu Khalid. SCA instructors trained 20 people from different villages to be instructors themselves. The training dealt with solar CooKits, Water Pasteurization Indicators, Heat-retention cooking, improved combustion stoves, and the maintenance of same. Continued efforts at Nakivale, and also at the Oruchinga Refugee Settlement, will be the priority for SCA in 2017. At Nakivale, SCA is currently working with the Julu camp that has about 22,000 refugees. They have distributed 60 solar cookers and 14 improved combustion stoves. In the Oruchinga Refugee Settlement, they have distributed 70 solar cooker cookers and 12 improved combustion stoves. SCA plans to sell 1,000 solar cookers in the two settlements by end of August 2017. Solar Cooking KoZon has contributed additional funding to help with the projects at Nakivale and Oruchinga.
- September 2016: The Solar Connect Association reports: "We had a staff meeting with the key players of manufacturing in Biharwe. We kicked off the project in the Oruchinga Refugee Settlement with the presence of the district governor, camp commander, and the project leader, Mr. Buyinga Boaz. Additional information was handed over and demonstrations were made for many people. A local radio station broadcast an interview with one of our team members."
- September 2016: Outreach demonstrations in Uganda - Solar Cooking The Netherlands - KoZon with the Solar Connect Association conducted solar cooking demonstrations with parabolic solar cookers and heat-retention cooking with hay baskets in the Isingiro district of Uganda during the month of June. Read more...
- January 2016: Since 2007 Wilde Ganzen and Solar Cooking The Netherlands - KoZon have supported the Solar Cooking project in Uganda, implemented by Solar Connect Association (SCA). Mid-2013 a business plan was decided on, including a schedule of Integrated Solar Cooking (ISC) activities during the following five years. In the course of 2014 it became clear that the objective of financial independence had been achieved. The business expanded from Mbarara in the South West. In 2014 construction of a Renewable Energy Centre with larger ISC production, training and distribution facilities was started with financial support from Wilde Ganzen and SCN-KoZon. In its beautiful location on the main road between Uganda, The Congo, Tanzania and Rwanda, the building, fitted out with solar panels, is ready to continue and expand its activities. In short, SCA is the owner of a social Solar Cooking business for the production, marketing and sale of solar and other energy-saving cooking appliances. The small Solar Cooking enterprise is doing well. In 2014 it sold 5,460 CooKit sets, 2,540 hay baskets and 5,040 wood-saving cooking appliances. A promising development. In the year ahead solar lamps and very small solar panels will be sold as well. SCA is investigating which other energy-friendly appliances could best be marketed and included in the assortment of clean energy cooking appliances. In the coming years, serious efforts will be made as well to expand the market into other regions in Uganda.
- September 2014: Solar Connect Association will soon have a new website: http://www.solarconnectassociation.com
- August 2014: This month Solar Connect Association celebrates 20 years working to promote solar cooking in Eastern Africa.
- August 2014: Solar Connect Association distributed over 1,200 integrated cooking appliances in August 2014. These products are Lorena Stoves, plywood solar box cookers, CooKits, Rocket Stoves, and heat-retention cookers. They seek more information on how to verify pasteurized water in a CooKit without using a Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI) and who has used this technique in the field. The Resource Center being built in Biharwe has reached wall-plate level and the next stage will be roofing. Actual costs are beyond the budget, so SCA still requires support from anyone to complete this very important structure that will be used for climate change mitigation activities.
- March 2014: Cooking Resource Center under construction in Biharwe - Kawesa Mukasa, director for the Solar Connect Association, reports that construction is underway for the Renewable Energy for Cooking Resource Center located in Biharwe, Uganda. The center will provide all types of fuel-efficient solar and biomass cook stoves, which will be fabricated at the center. The center will also distribute information on renewable energy for cooking and train young people to create small-scale enterprises in fabrication and distribution of solar cookers and efficient biomass stoves. The construction of the Renewable Energy Center is being funded by SCA with support from Solar Cooking Netherlands and Wilde Ganzen.
- August 2013: Uganda NGO with proven profitability plans for expansion at new location - Henk Crietee, from Solar Cooking Netherlands, was in Uganda for two weeks in early August to evaluate Solar Connect Association (SCA) project activities. During Crietee's visit, a piece of land was secured in Mbarara on which SCA will construct a building to house a new Renewable Energy Center. Integrated solar cooking appliances will be produced, advertised and sold from this new location, which will offer better exposure for their products to local residents, tourists, and political opinion leaders. While SCA has shown itself to be relatively self-sufficient in terms of covering operation costs — through the sales of solar cookers, hay baskets and rocket stoves — they cannot yet afford to construct a new building. Participation by Solar Cooking Netherlands with help in securing the land has been appreciated. Donors wishing to help contribute to the building construction can contact Solar Cooking Netherlands. This fledgling effort is another example that demonstrates solar cooking and related integrated cooking methods can be a successful business by incorporating local manufacturing, sales, and long-term consumer support.
- February 2013: Solar Connect Association has made a lasting impact on people's lives in Uganda - They have a production facility for solar cookers, hay baskets, and WAPIs, as well as a retail outlet in the Mbarara district of western Uganda. The facility in Mbarara is now self-sustaining financially, after years receiving support from donors, by being able to sell their products for a modest profit. Solar Connect Association has now opened a new distribution center in Kampala, which will help reach the rest of the country, South Sudan, and eastern Congo, as well as Rwanda and Burundi. They still need some logistical support from any donor in the form of a distribution van/pick-up vehicle for this Kampala Distribution Center. Selling from nine stores in various villages, the association has sold 770 solar panel cookers, 770 WAPIs, 301 hay baskets, 37 solar box cookers, 846 Rocket Stoves, and 42 parabolic solar cookers in the second quarter of 2012. They seek collaboration with stakeholders worldwide who share the dream of making the 3-stone cooking fire a thing of the past in Eastern Africa. Read more at Solar Connect Association: Integrated Cooking in Uganda 2012
- August 2010: The Partnership for Clean Indoor Air, Issue #24, which reviews other groups involved in air quality and profiles the efforts and results of the Solar Connect Association for 2009. Some highlights included their introduction of a hybrid solar cooker and efficient wood stove combination appliance. Potential customers liked the idea of a stove that could also be used on rainy days or at night: 1,070 households purchased both solar cookers and improved stoves in 2009. SCA currently has one production facility in Mbarara District and are trying to increase its capacity to serve the whole of Uganda. A follow-up study, tracking use of the cookers after an extended period, found that CooKits remain in use for about a year, while parabolic solar cookers from China are used for about four years. Solar box cookers work for many years, and the high efficiency wood-burning stoves need service in a year or two. It continues to be a challenge to market in various countries where local subsidies available in one country, and not in another, are often just enough to be able to have an appliance affordable to consumers.
- December 2009: In Uganda, Solar Connect Association [SCA] initiates and implements successful solar cooking projects under the leadership of Mr. Kawesa Mukasa, director of the SCA. He works together with his secretary in Kampala and his project team in Mbarara, in the south of Uganda. Solar Cooking Netherlands gives know-how and financial support. The project in Mbarara (since 2007) aims to reach a cost-effective and preferably profitable operating account by the end of 2011 at the latest. To succeed it is vital to arrive at a cost-effective Resource and Production Centre in Mbarara, where all Integrated Solar Cooking products are made under SCA's own control or contracted out or bought on the local market. In this manner the local economy benefits as well. In 2008 more than 4,000 CooKits were sold to 3,800 families: this means 20,000 people consumed solar-cooked food (at an average of six persons per household) and a yearly savings of roughly 9,000 tons of firewood. Clara Thomas, chairman of SCN, introduced a direct selling method, whereby groups of women in the villages are invited to attend information sessions, demonstrations, and cooking lessons, and to eat together and pasteurize water with a WAPI. This seemed very successful. To enhance the durability of the CooKits, the cardboard side is coated, the borders are reinforced with adhesive tape, and the sun-reflecting aluminium sheets can now be glued perfectly smooth with new techniques. In the Kampala region, another project is in preparation; the intent is to start this project as "for profit."
- November 2008: Solar Cookers International's (SCI) recent collaboration with Uganda's Solar Connect Association (SCA) was inspired by 13-year-old Max Ozimek, an 8th grader from Ohio, USA. Last year, Max researched solar cookers for a science fair project, and learned how the simple devices can make a huge difference for people that lack cooking fuel. Max volunteers at a hospice, where he befriended Father Alexander Inke, a priest from Obia, Uganda. While listening to Father Inke's stories of life in Obia, Max was reminded of the African communities he had learned of while researching solar cookers and SCI's projects abroad. Max thought solar cookers could help the women of Obia, many of whom must walk several miles to gather cooking fuel and household water. Max felt the need to help the small village of Obia, so he and his mother, Mary Lou, began raising funds and contacted SCI about how to proceed. Per SCI's suggestion, Max and Mary Lou contacted SCA, which has promoted solar cookers in Uganda since the mid-1990s. SCA agreed to provide a five-day integrated cooking training for 22 women that Father Inke identified as community leaders capable of teaching others. Kawesa Mukasa and Olivia Kanyesigye instructed the group (and dozens of onlookers) how to build and use solar cookers and how to cook effectively with the least amount of fuel possible, by supplementing solar cookers with fuel-efficient stoves and Heat-retention cooking when the sun isn't shining. Longtime SCI friend and supporter Mark Cotham volunteered his time to assist with this effort, and also provided a much-needed vehicle to be used for further trainings in Uganda. Max and SCI staff tested five local water sources in Obia. Participants were shocked to find that most of their water sources were contaminated with Escherichia coli (E. coli) and unsafe to drink. SCI taught them how to cheaply and effectively pasteurize the water with a solar cooker and a Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI). Some of the new solar cooks had already initiated small trainings in their regions just weeks after the workshop. Max is working to ensure these efforts continue by raising funds to purchase materials for extended trainings in the Nebbi district and keeping in close contact with SCI and SCA for follow-up visits over the next few years. SCI and SCA plan to team up again on an integrated cooking and safe water workshop in 2009.
- August 2008: Max Ozimek, a 13-year-old boy from the Cleveland area in the USA, won a science project for solar cooking last year. While doing some volunteer work at a local hospice, he met Father Alexander Inke, who grew up in the village of Obia in the Nebbi District of Uganda, near the Congo border. Max learned about the hardships in Obia and deduced that solar cooking could help Obia in many ways. Rather than let her son's dream languish, Max's mom, Mary Lou, set about with extreme determination and the assistance of Solar Cookers International's Karyn Ellis, SCI's Director of International Program Development, to make an Integrated Cooking training project happen in Obia. I was a volunteer assistant on my first trip to Uganda and what a privilege it was to be involved. The training course in Obia occurred from June 10th through June 15th and was primarily taught by Solar Connect Association (SCA) of Uganda with Kawesa Mukasa and Olivia Kanyesigye teaching solar cooking principles, CooKit construction, Solar Water Pasteurization, fuel-efficient stoves and hay basket use. Aid Africa representatives from nearby Gulu assisted in demonstrating a 6 Brick Rocket Stove made from adobe bricks and local materials. The CooKits, Hay Baskets, and Rocket Stoves make Integrated Cooking possible, using the least amount of fuel and labor no matter the weather. Water testing with SCI's Portable Microbiology Laboratory (PML) was conducted by Miss Ellis as well; results of E. coli presence in five local water sources was portrayed and the participants were taught to treat contaminated water with a CooKit. The 36 class participants were selected by Father Inke based on background, diversity, locale, and leadership skills, and showed justifiable pride as the village and Chief watched them graduate from the training workshop on June 15th. The potential difference this project can make in the lives of the people of Obia and surrounding environments can hardly be overstated. It is projected that class participants will teach others in surrounding villages how to construct and use CooKits, hay baskets, and fuel-efficient stoves to cook food and pasteurize water, as well as save the precious wood of their diminishing forests. Ways that Uganda's SCA can build on its successful training and advance Integrated Cooking in the area are being actively investigated. All this, because a mother believed in a son's dream to help a priest's faraway village.
- July 2007: In email correspondence, Kawesa Mukasa reports, "We are now busy with Clara Thomas of Solar Cooking Netherlands on a cooker promotion project in four villages. So far this year we have sold 680 CooKits. We have also engaged on a lady to make for us hay baskets which we sell. These assist the CooKit when the clouds suddenly appear." Clara Thomas gave us materials to make 100 WAPIs. We have used those materials to make 89 good WAPIs. (The) problem is we are still failing to get the type of soya paste suitable on the local market. Could anybody out there avail us this material? We are willing to pay for it please. We plan to make 4,000 WAPIs in 2008 so that every CooKit user in the four villages gets a WAPI as well as a hay basket.
- April 2007: In the last six months of 2006, the Solar Connect Association (SCA) distributed 300 solar CooKits in rural areas of western Uganda, including the villages of Kikokwa and Ruharo, as well as in the Oruchinga refugee settlement. With support from its new partner the KoZon Foundation, the SCA plans to disseminate an additional 2,000 solar cookers in the western areas by the end of 2007. The SCA has worked with Project Environmentale de Virunga in the eastern Congo, near the habitat of the mountain gorillas, and with the Association Burundais pour la Protection des Oiseaux in Bunjumbura-Burundi. Both of these neighboring organizations reportedly need sources for low-cost aluminum foil and other materials.
Audio and videoEdit
- August 2003: Audio interview with Kawesa Mukasa
- January 2017: How Solar Connect Association Sustains the Solar Cooking Business - Kawesa Mukasa
- October 2016: How Solar Connect sustains the solar cooking business - Kawesa Mukasa, Director
See alsoEdit
External LinksEdit
- Solar Connect Association Uganda Gulu Branch (Facebook)
- November 2003: Solar cooking momentum in Uganda - Solar Cooker Review
- August 2003: An audio interview with Kawesa Mukasa - The Solar Cooking Archive
Kawesa Mukasa
Solar Connect Association
Tel: +256-772-665894
Email: email@example.com
Facebook: Solar Connect Association Uganda Gulu Branch


text:
From NWChem
(→Dynamical Nucleation Theory Monte Carlo)
m (moved Release64:DNTMC to Release65:DNTMC)
Latest revision as of 20:35, 11 September 2014
Dynamical Nucleation Theory Monte Carlo
The Dynamical Nucleation Theory Monte Carlo (DNTMC) module utilizes Dynamical Nucleation Theory (DNT) to compute monomer evaporation rate constants at a given temperature[1] [2] [3]. The reactant is a molecular cluster of i rigid monomers while the product is a molecular cluster with i-1 monomers plus a free monomer. A Metropolis Monte Carlo (MC) methodology is utilized to sample the configurational space of these i rigid monomers. Both homogenous and heterogenous clusters are supported.
The DNTMC module supports the use of subgroups in the MC simulations. The number of subgroups is defined in the input through a set directive:
set subgroup_number <integer number>
where the number of subgroups requested is the argument. The number of processors that each subgroup has access to is determined by Total/subgroup_number. A separate MC simulation is performed within each subgroup. To use this functionality, NWChem must be compiled with the USE_SUBGROUPS environmental variable set.
Each MC simulation starts at a different starting configuration, which is equally spaced along the reaction coordinate. The statistical distributions which these MC simulations produce are averaged to form the final statistical distribution. Output from these subgroups consists of various files whose names are of the form (*.#num). These files include restart files and other data files. The NWChem runtime database (RTDB) is used as input for these subgroups and must be globally accessible (set through the Permanent_Dir directive) to all processes.
Input Syntax
The input block has the following form:
DNTMC [nspecies <integer number>] [species <list of strings name[nspecies]] [nmol <list of integers number[nspecies]>] [temp <real temperature>] [rmin <real rmin>] [rmax <real rmax>] [nob <integer nob>] [mcsteps <integer number>] [tdisp <real disp>] [rdisp <real rot>] [rsim || rconfig] [mprnt <integer number>] [convergence <real limit>] [norestart] [dntmc_dir <string directory>] [print &&|| noprint] [procrestart <integer number>] END
Definition of Monomers
Geometry information is required for each unique monomer (species). See the geometry input section 6 for more information. A unique label must be given for each monomer geometry. Additionally, the noautosym and nocenter options are suggested for use with the DNTMC module to prevent NWChem from changing the input geometries. Symmetry should also not be used since cluster configurations will seldom exhibit any symmetry; although monomers themselves may exhibit symmetry.
GEOMETRY [<string name species_1>] noautosym nocenter ... ... symmetry c1 END GEOMETRY [<string name species_2>] noautosym nocenter ... ... symmetry c1 END ...
The molecular cluster is defined by the number of unique monomers (nspecies). The geometry labels for each unique monomer is given in a space delimited list (species). Also required are the number of each unique monomer in the molecular cluster given as a space delimited list (nmol). These keywords are required and thus have no default values.
[nspecies <integer number>] [species <list of strings name[nspecies]] [nmol <list of integers number[nspecies]>]
An example is shown for a 10 monomer cluster consisting of a 50/50 mixture of water and ammonia.
DNTMC runtime options
Several options control the behavior of the DNTMC module. Some required options such as simulation temperature (temp), cluster radius (rmin and rmax), and maximum number of MC steps (mcsteps) are used to control the MC simulation.
[temp <real temperature>]
This required option gives the simulation temperature in which the MC simulation is run. Temperature is given in kelvin.
[rmin <real rmin>] [rmax <real rmax>] [nob <integer nob>]
These required options define the minimum and maximum extent of the projected reaction coordinate (The radius of a sphere centered at the center of mass). Rmin should be large enough to contain the entire molecular cluster of monomers and Rmax should be large enough to include any relevant configurational space (such as the position of the reaction bottleneck). These values are given in Angstroms.
The probability distributions obtain along this projected reaction coordinate has a minimum value of Rmin and a maximum value of Rmax. The distributions are created by chopping this range into a number of smaller sized bins. The number of bins (nob) is controlled by the option of the same name.
[mcsteps <integer number>] [tdisp <real disp default 0.04>] [rdisp <real rot default 0.06>] [convergence <real limit default 0.00>]
These options define some characteristics of the MC simulations. The maximum number of MC steps (mcsteps) to take in the course of the calculation run is a required option. Once the MC simulation has performed this number of steps the calculation will end. This is a per Markov chain quantity. The maximum translational step size (tdisp) and rotational step size (rdisp) are optional inputs with defaults set at 0.04 Angstroms and 0.06 radians, respectively. The convergence keyword allows the convergence threshold to be set. The default is 0.00 which effectively turns off this checking. Once the measure of convergence goes below this threshold the calculation will end.
[rsim || rconfig]
These optional keywords allow the selection of two different MC sampling methods. rsim selects a Metropolis MC methodology which samples configurations according to a Canonical ensemble. The rconfig keyword selects a MC methodology which samples configurations according to a derivative of the Canonical ensemble with respect to the projected reaction coordinate. These keywords are optional with the default method being rconfig.
[mprnt <integer number default 10>] [dntmc_dir <string directory default ./>] [norestart]
These three options define some of the output and data analysis behavior. mprnt is an option which controls how often data analysis occurs during the simulation. Currently, every mprnt*nob MC steps data analysis is performed and results are output to files and/or to the log file. Restart files are also written every mprnt number of MC steps during the simulation. The default value is 10. The keyword dntmc_dir allows the definition of an alternate directory to place DNTMC specific ouputfiles. These files can be very large so be sure enough space is available. This directory should be accessible by every process (although not necessarily globally accessible). The default is to place these files in the directory which NWChem is run (./). The keyword norestart turns off the production of restart files. By default restart files are produced every mprnt number of MC steps.
Print Control
The DNTMC module supports the use of PRINT and NOPRINT Keywords. The specific labels which DNTMC recognizes are included below.
|Print Level
|Some debug information written in Output file.
|Some information such as energies and geometries.
|Production of a set of files (Prefix.MCdata.\#num). These files are a concatenated list of structures, Energies, and Dipole Moments for each accepted configuration sampled in the MC run.
|Production of a set of files (Prefix.Alldata.#num). These files include the same information as MCdata files. However, they include ALL configurations (accepted or rejected).
|debug - low
|Production of a set of files (Prefix.MCout.#num). These files contain a set of informative and debug information. Also included is the set of information which mirrors the Alldata files.
|Production of a file (Prefix.fdist) which contains a concatenated list of distributions every mprnt*100 MC steps.
|Enables some timers in the code. These timers return performance statistics in the output file every time data analysis is performed. Two timers are used. One for the mcloop itself and one for the communication step.
Selected File Formats
Several output files are available in the DNTMC module. This section defines the format for some of these files.
- *.fdist
This file is a concatenated list of radial distribution functions printed out every mprnt MC steps. Each distribution is normalized (sum equal to one) with respect to the entire (all species) distribution. The error is the RMS deviation of the average at each point. Each entry is as follows: [1] # Total Configurations [2] Species number # [3](R coordinate in Angstroms) (Probability) (Error) [Repeats nob times] [2 and 3 Repeats for each species] [4] *** separator.
- *.MCdata.#
This file is a concatenated list of accepted configurations. Each file corresponds to a single Markov chain. The dipole is set to zero for methods which do not produce a dipole moment with energy calculations. Rsim is either the radial extent of the cluster (r-config) or the simulation radius (r-simulation). Each entry is as follows: [1] (Atomic label) (X Coord.) (Y Coord.) (Z Coord.) [1 Repeats for each atom in the cluster configuration, units are in angstroms] [2] Ucalc = # hartree [3] Dipole = (X) (Y) (Z) au [4] Rsim = # Angstrom [1 through 4 repeats for each accepted configuration]
- *.MCout.#
This file has the same format and information content as the MCdata file except that additional output is included. This additional output includes summary statistics such as acceptance ratios, average potential energy, and average radius. The information included for accepted configurations does not include dipole moment or radius.
- *.MCall.#
This file has the same format as the MCdata file expect that it includes information for all configurations for which an energy is determined. All accepted and rejected configurations are included in this file.
- *.restart.#
This file contains the restart information for each subgroup. Its format is not very human readable but the basic fields are described in short here. Random number seed Potential energy in hartrees Sum of potential energy Average potential energy Sum of the squared potential energy Squared potential energy Dipole moment in au (x) (Y) (Z) Rmin and Rmax Rsim (Radius corresponds to r-config or r-sim methods) Array of nspecies length, value indicates the number of each type of monomer which lies at radius Rsim from the center of mass [r-simulation sets these to zero] Sum of Rsim Average of Rsim Number of accepted translantional moves Number of accepted rotational moves Number of accepted volume moves Number of attempted moves (volume) (translational) (rotational) Number of accepted moves (Zero) Number of accepted moves (Zero) Number of MC steps completed [1] (Atom label) (X Coord.) (Y Coord.) (Z Coord.) [1 repeats for each atom in cluster configurations, units are in angstroms] [2] Array of nspecies length, number of configurations in bin [3] Array of nspecies length, normalized number of configurations in each bin [4] (Value of bin in Angstroms) (Array of nspecies length, normalized probability of bin) [2 through 4 repeats nob times]
DNTMC Restart
[procrestart <integer number>]
Flag to indicate restart postprocessing. It is suggested that this postprocessing run is done utilizing only one processor.
In order to restart a DNTMC run, postprocessing is required to put required information into the runtime database (RTDB). During a run restart information is written to files (Prefix.restart.#num) every mprnt MC steps. This information must be read and deposited into the RTDB before a restart run can be done. The number taken as an argument is the number of files to read and must also equal the number of subgroups the calculation utilizes. The start directive must also be set to restart for this to work properly. All input is read as usual. However, values from the restart files take precedence over input values. Some keywords such as mcsteps are not defined in the restart files. Task directives are ignored. You must have a RTDB present in your permanent directory.
Once postprocessing is done a standard restart can be done from the RTDB by removing the procrestart keyword and including the restart directive.
Task Directives
The DNTMC module can be used with any level of theory which can produce energies. Gradients and Hessians are not required within this methodology. If dipole moments are available, they are also utilized. The task directive for the DNTMC module is shown below:
task <string theory> dntmc
This example is for a molecular cluster of 10 monomers. A 50/50 mixture of water and ammonia. The energies are done at the SCF/6-31++G** level of theory.
start # start or restart directive if a restart run MEMORY 1000 mb PERMANENT_DIR /home/bill # Globally accessible directory which the # rtdb (*.db) file will/does reside. basis "ao basis" spherical noprint * library 6-31++G** end # basis set directive for scf energies scf singlet rhf tol2e 1.0e-12 vectors input atomic thresh 1.0e-06 maxiter 200 print none end # scf directive for scf energies geometry geom1 units angstroms noautosym nocenter noprint O 0.393676503613369 -1.743794626956820 -0.762291912129271 H -0.427227157125777 -1.279138812526320 -0.924898279781319 H 1.075463952717060 -1.095883929075060 -0.940073459864222 symmetry c1 end # geometry of a monomer with title "geom1" geometry geom2 units angstroms noautosym nocenter noprint N 6.36299e-08 0.00000 -0.670378 H 0.916275 0.00000 -0.159874 H -0.458137 0.793517 -0.159874 H -0.458137 -0.793517 -0.159874 symmetry c1 end # geometry of another monomer with title "geom2" # other monomers may be included with different titles set subgroups_number 8 # set directive which gives the number of subgroups # each group runs a separate MC simulation dntmc # DNTMC input block nspecies 2 # The number of unique species (number of titled geometries # above) species geom1 geom2 # An array of geometry titles (one for each # nspecies/geometry) nmol 5 5 # An array stating the number of each # monomer/nspecies/geometry in simulation. temp 243.0 mcsteps 1000000 rmin 3.25 rmax 12.25 mprnt 10 tdisp 0.04 rdisp 0.06 print none fdist mcdata # this print line first sets the print-level to none # then it states that the *.fdist and *.mcdata.(#num) # files are to be written rconfig dntmc_dir /home/bill/largefile # An accessible directory which to place the *.fdist, # *.mcdata.(#num), and *.restart.(#num) files. convergence 1.0D+00 end task scf dntmc # task directive stating that energies are to be done at the scf #level of theory.
- ↑ G. K. Schenter, S. M. Kathmann (1999). "Variational transition state theory of vapor phase nucleation". Journal of Chemical Physics 110: 7951. doi:10.1063/1.478727.
- ↑ L. D. Crosby, S. M. Kathmann (2009). "Implementation of dynamical nucleation theory with quantum potentials". Journal of Computational Chemistry 30: 743-749. doi:10.1002/jcc.21098.
- ↑ T. L. Windus, S. M. Kathmann (2008). "High performance computations using dynamical nucleation theory". Journal of Physics: Conference Series 125: 012017. doi:10.1088/1742-6596/125/1/012017.


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>In one study, by Dr. Richard Vann, Vice President of Research at DAN, mammary (breast) implants were placed in the Duke University Medical Center hyperbaric chamber. The study did not simulate the implant in human tissue. Three types were tested: silicone-, saline-, and silicone-saline-filled. In this experiment, the researchers simulated various depth/time profiles of recreational scuba diving.
>Here's what they found:
>There was an insignificant increase in bubble size (one to four percent) in both saline and silicone gel implants, depending on the depth and duration of the dive. The least volume change occurred in the saline-filled implant, because nitrogen is less soluble in saline than silicone.
>The silicone-saline-filled type showed the greatest volume change. Bubble formation in implants led to a small volume increase, which is not likely to damage the implants or surrounding tissue. If gas bubbles do form in the implant, they resolve over time.
>Fitness and Diving Issues
>Once sufficient time has passed after surgery, when the diver has resumed normal activities and there is no danger of infection, she may begin scuba diving.
>Breast implants do not pose a problem to diving from the standpoint of gas absorption or changes in size and are not a contraindication for participation in recreational scuba diving.
>Avoid buoyancy compensators with constrictive chest straps, which can put undue pressure on the seams and contribute to risk of rupture.
>Additional Considerations
>Breast implants filled with saline are neutrally buoyant. Silicone implants are heavier than water, however, and they may alter buoyancy and attitude (trim) in the water, particularly if the implants are large. Appropriate training and appropriate adjustment of weights help overcome these difficulties.


text:
Hedge(redirected from Hedgers)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.
Related to Hedgers: Lowes
A transaction that reduces the risk of an investment.
To reduce the risk of an investment by making an offsetting investment. There are a large number of hedging strategies that one can use. To give an example, one may take a long position on a security and then sell short the same or a similar security. This means that one will profit (or at least avoid a loss) no matter which direction the security's price takes. Hedging may reduce risk, but it is important to note that it also reduces profit potential.
A security transaction that reduces the risk on an already existing investment position. An example is the purchase of a put option in order to offset at least partially the potential losses from owned stock. Although hedges reduce potential losses, they also tend to reduce potential profits. See also perfect hedge, risk hedge, short hedge, special arbitrage account.
Case Study A hedge that limits potential losses is also likely to limit potential gains. In May 1997 Georgia entrepreneur and billionaire Ted Turner entered into an arrangement whereby Mr. Turner had the right to sell four million of his Time Warner shares to a brokerage firm at a price of $19.815 per share. At the same time the brokerage firm acquired the right to buy the same four million shares at a price of $30.45. This particular hedge, called a collar, established a minimum and maximum value for four million shares of Time Warner owned by Mr. Turner. In other words, the former owner of the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, CNN, and superstation WTBS acquired the right to obtain at least $19.815 per share by agreeing to give up any increase in value above $30.45. Time Warner stock subsequently skyrocketed when America Online acquired the firm at a price nearly triple the $30.45 stipulated in the agreement. Thus, the hedge ended up costing Mr. Turner approximately a quarter of a billion dollars. On a positive note, the four million shares represented less than 4% of Mr. Turner's total holdings of Time Warner stock he had acquired when the firm bought his Turner Broadcasting several years earlier.


text:
Whats your favorite kind of dog??
I have 3.
1. Shiba Inu
2. Chocolate lab.
3. Siberan husky
Dog of the Day
Cat of the Day
Pet of the Day
Whats your favorite kind of dog??
I have 3.
1. Shiba Inu
2. Chocolate lab.
3. Siberan husky
Oh there ae so many..
good think I cant have them, or my daughet eithere, we loved evey dog we saw at the pound..lol..
my favourite breed is the Bull Terrier.
no particular order
Australian Cattle Dog
Bouvier des Flandres
Chesapeake bay retriever
Bermese Mountain dog
i love all breeds though.
My absolute favourite breed is and always will be the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, I honestly think they'll probably be the only pure breed I'll own when I move out with the exception of a Dalmatian.
Edited to add: I'd also LOVE to own a Kooikerhondje someday and if that doesn't happen, then i'd like to ahve an Australian Shepherd (red merle or red tri)
Last edited by Tollers-n-Dobes; 11-27-2005 at 09:09 PM.
Journey - 2yr old Australian Shepherd
Ripley - 5 1/2yr old Doberman
Dance RN CGN FM - 7 1/2yr old Toller
umm no order I like:
Doberman Pinschers
Saint Bernards
Bernese Mountain Dogs
Caucasian Ovcharkas
Rough Collie
Great Dane
American Pit Bull Terriers
Staffordshire Terriers
American Staffordshire Terriers
I do love Dobermans and Saints and hope to run a kennel with them one day, with a couple of other breeds thrown in there as well! I'd also like to start a Doberman Rescue one day.
"To all the dogs I've loved before...Who traveled in & out my door...I'm glad you came along...I dedicate this song to all the dogs I've loved before"
My two absolute favorite breeds are the Field Labrador Retriever and the Great Dane. After that I love Dobermans, and then lots of other breeds which would take forever to list
Well Aussies, of course.
I'm also starting to fall in love with Tollers
I also love Koolies and Kelpies and eventhough this isn't a "breed" I loove African Wild Dogs!
Really though I like the majority of medium to large dogs.
♥ facebook ♥
I love all dogs but to name five i would say...
Rough Collies
Lancashire Heelers
and Sussex Spaniels
Zimbabwe 07/13
Great Pyrennees
German Shepherd Dog
Golden Retrievers
Flat Coated Retrievers
and my favorite little dog,
Shetland Sheepdogs
and of course, my all time favorite,
Forever in my heart...
Let's see! My favorite breed is probably Akita. But I love all kinds. No particular order: Berenese Mountian dogs,kelpies,goldens,maltese,pitbulls,huskies,mala mutes,Akita,Dalmation,Dobies,Rotties,Shiba Inus,Corgies,Border Collies,Collies,Labs,Mini Pin,ect.
Everyone has diverse favorites!
My favorites are:
Pembroke Welsh Corgis
Belgian Sheepdogs
Basset Hounds
flat-coats, english setter, yorkies, basset hounds, corgis, border collies, and shelties
Thanks so much Ashley for the siggy!
Zoey Marie NAJ NA RN (flat-coated retriever)
Wynset's Sam I AM "Sage" RA (shetland sheepdog)
T.j (english setter)
No particular order, I have yet to find one breed that I like above others
Standard Poodle
Jack Russell
Field Lab
Australian Shepherd
Border Collie
and there are soo many more!
Ashley & Crossbone ("mini ACD")
Living with my parent's: Jack (Lab/Beagle), Micki & Mini (JRTS)
RIP Kyra: 07/11/04 - 11/3/12; Shadow: 4/2/96 - 3/17/08
Ok, well, I live just about every breed but here are just the top
The #1 is:
then the rest are:
Am Staffs
Great Danes
Niño & Eliza
Oh, I have many. Some are:
Golden Retriever, Siberian Husky, Chihuahua, Alaskan Malamute, Great Dane, Mastiff and the Clumber Spaniel. Oh and can't forget the mutts. I love all dogs but those are just a few.
Sparrabeth- Never say we Die!
No matter what Ted and Terry wrote, Jack and Liz love each other.
Copyright © 2001-2013 Pet of the Day.com


text:
With the Affordable Care Act set to go into effect on Oct. 1, there is an ongoing debate as to whether the law will keep insurance premium costs down, if employers will continue to offer insurance for their employees, and how the federal law will impact Americans.
Here are a few recent stories taking a look at the issues:
"Obamacare Isn't Causing Employers to Cut Worker Hours: White House"
- Nine out of 10 jobs created since the ACA became law in March 2010 have been full-time positions, according to the White House Council of Economic Advisers. And there's no evidence that employers are cutting back worker hours to less than 30 hours per week. (The Huffington Post)
"Plenty of options under health care law, studies show"
- New government tax credits would allow for the monthly price of some health policies to drop to as little as $100.
- Once the ACA goes into effect, those without health insurance on the job can go to new online insurance markets in their states and shop for a plan. (The Associated Press)
"Boomers may benefit most from Obamacare"
- An analysis done by reporters at The Wall Street Journal shows that older workers' share of their insurance premiums could fall dramatically, leaving them with less to pay than younger, healthier people with similar incomes.
- The ACA's health insurance exchanges and subsidies are designed to help lower prices for this older crowd – those who are too young to qualify for Medicare, but find it too expensive to buy insurance in the private sector. (MarketWatch: The Wall Street Journal)
"Obama's Affordable Care Act Looking a Bit Unaffordable"
- The National Journal has an analysis of new coverage and cost data that reveals premium prices will be higher in the individual exchange than what some pay for employer-sponsored benefits.
- The premiums under the ACA may be lower than predicted, but they may not be competitive with workers are currently paying for employer-sponsored care. (The National Journal)


text:
Still denying kids White House tours due to the "Sequester" Mr. President?
President Obama, already the most traveled chief executive in the modern era after internationalist former President George H.W. Bush, is expected to run up an Air Force One tab of at least $24 million this year alone, according to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.
Already Obama, just back from a trip with his family and a huge entourage of staff to several African nations, has run up a $15.2 million bill just for Air Force One in the first six months of 2013. Security and hotel costs can dwarf the jet's cost. Some estimates of the president's Africa trip alone top $100 million.
NTUF's Douglas Kellogg told Secrets that Obama's Africa Air Force One bill to taxpayers was $6,654,345.
But unlike those costs which are hard to estimate and often kept secret, Air Force One costs can be calculated based on published hourly figures provided by the Pentagon.
So far, the president has spent 18 days abroad, is on a pace to surpass is 20 days abroad in 2010 and 2011 and is approaching his high of 40 days in 2009. Total costs so far for Air Force One calculated by NTUF are $15,219,433.


text:
March 18, 2014
When you are ready, you can ask Vivado to export your project to the Xilinx SDK
For the last few weeks I've been working with the Zedboard a development board that sports a Xilinx Zynq…well… it doesn't seem fair to call it a CPU. As I mentioned before, it is a dual ARM CPU integrated with FPGA fabric so you can add custom FPGA designs to the CPU.
Overall, I've been pretty pleased with the Zynq. It would have been fairly easy to make something this powerful basically unusable, but Xilinx has done a nice job of delivering an integrated solution. I'm not sure everyone will use the full potential of the device, but the toolchain allows you to get started relatively easily and build up to more powerful designs with time.
For example, if you simply put a CPU and an FPGA together on a board, there's no doubt there are interesting things you can do — many designs are exactly like that. However, you have to figure out how to talk between the CPU and the FPGA. That can be simple, of course, unless you are worried about getting the most bandwidth available between the two devices.
With the Zynq, the toolchain knows how to incorporate standard interconnects like AXI. If you want the maximum performance, you'll need to choose that interconnect wisely. The AXI HP bus, for example, directly accesses memory (bypassing the cache). The AXI ACP (Advanced Coherency Port) port works with the cache for better writing speeds. The ports can run at 150MHz even in the lowest speed grade device.
There are two 32-bit AXI ports in each direction (that is, the CPU has two masters and the FPGA has two masters). There are also four AXI ports that can access memory (these can be configured for 32-bit or 64-bit operation). In addition there is a single AXI ACP port. The FPGA can signal the CPU with 16 different interrupts.
The other complexity issue is access to all the FPGA resources. There's a significant IP catalog built into the Xilinx Vivado tool that includes access to the busses, among other things. If you drop them on the design's block diagram, you'll often get an offer to use "connection automation" to wire everything together.
That's only part of the problem though. If you add a timer or some I/O, you still need to get to it from your software. If you had to write a custom board support package (BSP) for every new design (and update it for every change) you'd lose a lot of advantage, especially for smaller projects.
When you are ready, you can ask Vivado to export your project to the Xilinx SDK (see the Figure below). As part of that operation, you get a board support package to work with your devices. You even get documentation for the BSP, although on my Linux box, the SDK won't directly open a web page. I can still navigate to the page on my disk in a browser, though (and, yes, I've set the Web Browser setting in the Preferences dialog).
The BSP, of course, is just a collection of canned code for the provided IP that gets customized to match what you did with the IP. For example, here's a very simple example of setting up an input port (with no error checking):
static XGpio GPIOInstance_Ptr; u32 Readstatus; XGpioPs_Config*GpioConfigPtr; XGpio_Initialize(&GPIOInstance_Ptr,XPAR_AXI_GPIO_0_DEVICE_ID); XGpio_SetDataDirection(&GPIOInstance_Ptr, 1,1); Readstatus = XGpio_DiscreteRead(&GPIOInstance_Ptr, 1);
Here's part of the documentation provided for XGpio (in particular, the XGpio_DiscreteRead call):
The Zynq is a pretty powerful chip, but the tools do a nice job of letting you build a working system without a lot of effort. I'll have some more on Zynq in the future (but not next time). Meanwhile, if you want to work through a tutorial, there are several on the zedboard.org site. Even some of the older ones that target the ISE suite have some useful concepts.


text:
It's up at the magazine's Web site now (albeit behind a paywall), so I can acknowledge it here: Lock In has received its third starred review, this time from Booklist. I won't quote the whole thing (read it at the Web site if you have access, or in the August 2014 print edition), but here's a bit I particularly like:
Another brilliant novel from a writer who has quickly become one of the genre's most successful and intriguing practitioners.
I like the word "another" in that, I have to say.
I'm basically gobsmacked to have received three starred reviews for Lock In (the other two being from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus); that's the first time I've had that happen. I hope you guys like it as much as the reviewers have so far.


text:
I was one of those kids who grew up loving the feel of paper and the smell of ink. Instead of sending me to summer camp, my mother would use the money to buy my art supplies. Graphic design was a natural fit. I love that I can help others through design.
All grown up now, I am a freelance graphic designer working for such clients as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, FreeState Legal Project and the Foundation for Osteoporosis Research and Education. In the past, I have specialized in educational design, worked as a designer for CNN Headline News and even spent time as an English teacher in Japan for a few years.