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(Special to The Root) — The start of the 2012-2013 academic year brought a nasty surprise for thousands of parents of low-income college students. They had kept their sons and daughters in school thanks to a popular federal loan program called "Parent PLUS." But when they applied for the loans, normally a routine transaction, they discovered that without notification, the U.S. Department of Education had changed the Parent PLUS Loans credit-history eligibility requirements by applying private-sector underwriting standards instead of looking at the family's actual repayment ability. Suddenly these parents fell below the line and their children's college education was at risk.
For United Negro College Fund, a shortage of student aid is a familiar challenge. We are the nation's largest private provider of financial aid to minority students. Every year we support the education of more than 60,000 students through financial support for our 38-member HBCUs and by awarding more than 13,000 scholarships worth more than $100 million.
Students were the most immediate victims of the Parent PLUS Loans change. Within our network of colleges and universities, we found that more than 14,500 students, or 25 percent, were denied — not given smaller loans, not charged higher interest, but shut out of the program completely. Many of these "denied parents" had borrowed through Parent PLUS Loans just the year before. Others were parents of freshmen, and they were counting on the loan program to help them cover their tuitions this year.
The threat is not only to the education of HBCU students but also to the education of all low-income students and students of color. In a country whose population will be "majority-minority" by midcentury, these are our next generation of professionals and leaders. They are the new, more diverse face of American college students.
Worst of all, though, is that the Parent PLUS Loans disaster is not simply a bad piece in a system that usually works well. It is part and parcel of a financial-aid system that does not consistently help low-income students go to and through college — a stated Obama administration objective — and therefore contributes to locking them and their families in a downward spiral of student debt and poverty.
Obstacles for Low-Income Families
The problem isn't student loans per se. For the foreseeable future, low-income students will need loans — in addition to family contributions, Pell Grants and scholarships — to cover the cost of college. The problem is that the component parts of our jerry-rigged financial-aid system are not designed to work together to move students to and through college. For example, when programs like Parent PLUS impose criteria that exclude low-income families, it deprives these families of access to an essential part of college financing.
Low-income families are poor in large part because breadwinners lack the education they need to qualify for jobs that would lift them out of poverty. To get that education, and lacking the income, credit rating and assets to pay the high and increasing cost of college, they borrow. Some borrow from federally subsidized, lower-interest student-loan programs. But they also must call on higher-interest programs like Parent PLUS Loans. The accumulation of loans can bury them under a mountain of debt that few entry-level, college-graduate jobs pay enough to repay and thus perpetuate the student-debt spiral.
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And these low-income families are far more likely to be black or Latino than white. About half (55 percent of African Americans and 49 percent of Hispanic students in 2008) come from families that earned less than $30,000 per year. For whites, the number is 29 percent. These parents of color are also much more likely to turn to debt to pay for college.
The parents of HBCU students, for example, are more than twice as likely as non-HBCU students' parents to take out a Parent PLUS loan. Perversely, however, African Americans and Hispanics experienced the highest denial rates on PLUS loans — 65 percent and 47 percent respectively — even before last year's tightening of eligibility standards. For whites the denial rate was 28 percent.
Could the system be more perverse? Faced with the economy's need for more college-educated workers, and the demographic reality that many 21st-century workers will need to come from communities of color, we force students and parents into the student-debt spiral and then deny them the loans they need.
Four years ago, soon after his first inauguration, President Obama pledged before a joint session of Congress that by 2020, now just seven years away, the U.S. would once again lead the world in the percentage of its citizens with college degrees. That goal cannot be met without reinventing Parent PLUS Loans and the rest of our broken financial-aid system. The challenge is to provide students the loans they need without burdening them with debt they cannot repay.
In fact, without root-and-branch student-loan reform, our number of college graduates is likely not to rise but to shrink. African-American and Hispanic babies and other babies of color born last year already outnumber white babies. As they grow up, they will become a majority of high school graduates. But given the lower average incomes among people of color, they, like their counterparts today, are likely to be short of funds to pay for college.
Inevitably, instead of growing to meet the economy's need for college-educated workers, the number of college students, then of college graduates, will shrink, forcing employers to look abroad to find the workers they need.
President Obama's Obligation
How could the president and the administration, for which education has been a top priority, be on the brink of presiding over a slow slide in college graduates? The president and his secretary of education, Arne Duncan, have remade federal policy toward the education that comes before college, the education that children get from prekindergarten through high school.
But the administration has not been so bold when it comes to higher education. It has supported Pell Grants and direct student loans. It gave college the visibility that came with mentioning it in the president's first address to Congress. And it has called on colleges to lower their tuition.
But rhetoric and patchwork programs don't add up to a comprehensive strategy. And a crisis demands a strategy.
Organizations like UNCF can help. But the crisis is far bigger than even our 13,000 scholarships every year worth more than $100 million can address. The Parent PLUS Loans program alone awarded 1 million loans a year, worth $10 billion. Total student-loan debt is approaching $1 trillion, exceeding credit card debt. We teetered on the brink of the fiscal cliff over less.
If President Obama is serious about increasing the number of American college graduates, and we know he is, he needs to treat the college-financing crisis just as seriously.
Our new strategy will need to be innovative. It also has to be disruptive, in the good sense of changing the dynamics that are pricing millions of Americans out of college. The GI Bill was an example of innovative disruption, sending more than 2 million Americans to college and more than 6 million to training — and fueling the country's postwar economic boom. The Obama administration's K-12 policy has been a model of disruptive innovation, providing incentives for public schools to do better instead of rewarding them whether they succeed or fail.
The particular components of a comprehensive new college-finance strategy ought to be the product of people in and out of the administration. But it has to be calculated to enable college attendance and graduation for the number of low-income students — many of them students of color — that the country's employers will need. And it must avoid saddling students and families with mountains of debt and trapping yet another generation in a student-loan spiral. It should encourage even low-income parents to save for college, not only to pay college expenses but also because college attendance rates are four to seven times as high for students with college savings accounts.
Responding to the crisis in financing college education won't be free, or even cheap. But in the 21st-century economy, supporting college isn't an expense but an investment, an investment in better futures for students and for all of us. It is an investment in a new generation of teachers, scientists, business executives, doctors and nurses and civic leaders. It is an investment in the communities whose schools and streets will be funded by the taxes that college-educated workers earn. And it is an investment in an economy that offers a college-educated workforce to employers around the country and the world.
The Obama administration's K-12 education strategy is a boon to the nation. But it is also a promise: a promise that as administration-driven school reform moves more and more toward college-ready high school graduation, the country will not abandon millions of these freshly minted high school graduates short of the college education that the economy demands.
It is a promise that President Obama — and the country — cannot afford to break.
Michael Lomax is president and CEO of United Negro College Fund. He is a contributing editor for The Root.
If you need more information about programs available to help families finance college education, please send your questions to Dr. Lomax at email@example.com.
The Root aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.


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Apple has asked the city of Cupertino for permission to tear down a vacated restaurant where Steve Jobs used to eat. The company wants to replace the structure at the corner of Alves and Bandley streets to make way for a new employee-only cafeteria tentatively called "Alves Restaurant."
The plans (editor's note: long load time) call for a 21,000-square-foot, two-story restaurant with underground parking.
The main floor will house the actual restaurant, which is quite small: 204 seats. The second floor will house conference space and other uses, according to plans.
Apple has five cafeterias within office buildings as well as other smaller cafes and kiosks. This would be the first free-standing facility and would mostly serve Apple employees from off-campus buildings west of DeAnza Boulevard. The facility will not be open to the public.
"We like to provide a level of security so that people and employees can feel comfortable talking about their business, their research, and whatever project they're engineering without fear of competition sort of overhearing their conversations," said Apple's director of real estate facilities Dan Whisenhunt.
Whisenhunt points out all companies prefer their employees lunch in a private setting. "We have a lot of people working really hard on research and development [and] we need to provide a level of security so employees can talk," Whisenhunt told the Cupertino planning commission.
Apple says it will need to cut down 27 trees to make way for the building but will replace them with new plantings.
Apple is also planning a massive new campus (dubbed the mothership for its UFO-like appearance) which will feature its own orchards.
Apple has a long history with the location -- Whisenhunt points out employees had eaten at the Japanese restaurant for years, "including Steve".
Below is a screen grab from Google maps that shows what we think is the current structure.

subset: commoncrawl


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Leading By Example: Federal Agencies To Reduce Emissions 28 Percentby -
Today's announcement from the White House suggests that significant emissions cuts could save money--along with the environment.
Many presidential executive orders go unnoticed, but here's one that actually merits greater attention. Last October, President Obama issued Executive Order 13514, which (among other things) directed all federal agencies to develop greenhouse gas reduction targets and plans to achieve them. As I remarked earlier, the executive order could be an important indicator of climate change policy in 2010.
Today, the White House announced its target: a 28% reduction in GHG emissions by 2020. Furthermore, the Administration released an extensive list of energy projects that various agencies are planning to use to meet their commitments.
The Executive Order and today's announcement are significant in several respects.
First, as the country's largest energy consumer, the Federal government has a substantial carbon footprint. According to the White House, today's target would save the energy equivalent of about 205 million barrels of oil, equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road.
Second, the 28 percent target is squarely in line with all recent legislation to reduce emissions, and significantly greater than the Administration's international commitment of 17 percent. Federal agencies are thus setting a strong precedent for the kind of system-wide emissions reductions that are achievable by other large organizations—such as big corporations. They are demonstrating what is possible. And with 500,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles in its portfolio, emissions reductions by the Federal government will undoubtedly have a positive ripple effect throughout other sectors.
Finally and perhaps most important, the actions announced today will ultimately save the government (and therefore the taxpayers) an estimated $8-11 billion in energy costs over the length of the plan. Much of today's debate over climate legislation turns on whether we can afford to reduce emissions in a battered economy. If the Federal government plans to save billions of dollars by reducing its own emissions, then the real question is: how can the country afford not to do this?
One last item to watch for: Executive Order 13514 also instructs the Office of Management and Budget to develop a "Scope 3" emissions reduction plan, due later this spring. Scope 3 emissions would include federal contractors and suppliers, which means the significance of today's actions could ultimately be even bigger. Stay tuned.


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GUADALAJARA, Mexico — President Barack Obama arrives in Mexico this evening for 18 hours of speed diplomacy with the United States' bordering neighbors, which will yield more discussions than solutions.
Obama will huddle up with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a series of meetings set to brush over a broad sweep of issues that concern all three nations —– from the economy and energy to swine flu and drug cartels.
But tensions will surface when the talks with America's third- and first-largest trading partners turn to trade.
Calderon and Harper will specifically be looking for Obama to back off two U.S. policies they view as harmful to their economies at best and violations of international trade agreements at worst: a ban on Mexican trucks operating in the United States and a provision in the $787 billion economic stimulus package designed to favor American companies.
The trade concerns pose a dilemma for Obama. For Mexico and Canada, his handling of them is a litmus test of sorts, one that could set the tone of the new administration's relationship with its neighbors. The U.S. government already faces a $6 billion trade lawsuit and a couple billion more dollars in new, retaliatory tariffs the Mexican government has imposed on imported goods.
But sitting squarely on the opposite side of both issues is one of Obama's key constituencies: labor. The so-called buy American provision in the stimulus bill has strong backing from the U.S. steel and construction industries, and the Teamsters Union that represents American trucking companies is the lead advocate for the ban on Mexican trucks in the United States.
And so in his second trip to Mexico since taking office, Obama will attempt to stave off further confrontation with his counterparts to the north and south while reaching no concrete resolutions.
As Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary, told reporters on Friday, "We don't expect to announce anything big coming out of this weekend."
The only expected agreement at the end of the North American Leaders' Summit, as the meeting is officially called, is a joint statement on how the three countries seek to combat swine flu, the first cases of which were reported in Mexico this past April.
Obama is scheduled to arrive in Guadalajara around 5:30 p.m central time today and will be en route back to Washington shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday.
The president will meet one on one with Calderon tonight, after which the two leaders join Harper for a working dinner. Before retiring to their hotels, the three men will attend an event at the city's Cabanas Cultural Center.
Obama, Calderon and Harper are scheduled to meet for two hours again Monday morning before posing for a group photograph and holding a joint press conference.
While the summit is expected to be short on tangible accomplishments, the larger expectation is that the leaders will be closer to consensus on key issues heading into more expansive meetings with global leaders later this year, namely the G-0 summit in Pittsburgh next month and the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen in December.
It's unclear if the three nations will emerge from the upcoming meetings closer to a compromise on trucking and buy American, both of which require action from Congress.
Harper is expected to present Obama with concerns expressed by Canadian companies that the buy American provision precludes them from competing for construction projects funded with stimulus money. The Obama administration has said that it is working toward a solution.
The administration has said the same in regard to the Mexican trucking issue. As it stands, the North American Free Trade Agreement requires the United States to allow Mexican trucks to cross the border, but the Teamsters has successfully argued to Congress that Mexican trucks are unsafe.
During the Bush administration, Congress adopted a pilot program under which some Mexican trucks were allowed to cross the border. Obama opposed the program as a senator — and in a pre-summit briefing with reporters, his advisers did not say he had changed his mind, only that the White House is working with Congress on the issue.
In March, Congress put an end to the trucking pilot program, under pressure from the Teamsters. Now Mexican trucks must stop at the border, so the goods they're carrying can be transferred onto U.S. trucks.
Mexico pushed back by tacking additional tariffs onto goods imported by the United States, and Mexican truckers filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government for violating NAFTA.
"We're working with Congress to address safety concerns that they have about the U.S.-Mexican trucking program, and we'll do so in a way that's consistent with our international obligations," Michael Froman, deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs, told reporters in advance of the summit.
Overall, National Security Adviser James Jones characterized the summit as "a step in the continuing dialogue from which agreements will undoubtedly come."
"I think you get in trouble when you wait too long before talking to your neighbors," Jones told reporters in advance of the summit.
This is the fifth annual North American Leaders' Summit and the first of Obama's presidency. Obama has met with Calderon and Harper separately in their home countries and will host Harper next month at the White House.
The last time Obama was in Mexico, he and Calderon announced an agreement on a framework the two countries would follow to deal with energy and climate change issues.
The two leaders have also spent ample time discussing how to effectively combat the increase in violence along the border from drug cartels.
Specifically, questions have been raised in the United States over the increasing role Mexico's military has played in policing border violence.
The White House has said the role of the Mexican military is up to the Mexican government, but officials also have made clear that the topic remains widely open to discussion between the two countries.


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Many of the companies presenting at this year's NVISION are discussing human-computer interfaces (HCI) in one form or another. Any discussion of
"visual" computing must ultimately address how the presentation of content in space (and the mode in which it's presented) impacts how we
perceive and interact with it. The mouse+keyboard approached has served us well for the past 40 years or so, as have game controllers (albeit
for not quite so long), but Nintendo's Wii has conclusively demonstrated that consumers are interested in moving past traditional control
Actually developing those control systems, however, is a difficult, complex, process. Many of the hardware components that are needed are still in their infancy (or haven't been invented yet), and programmers will need time to find the best ways to take advantage of what the hardware can actually do. Despite these difficulties, interface technology is a hot topic for NVIDIA's first expo—though ironically, one of the most interesting interface projects I'm aware of isn't on the table.
Researchers have been attempting to improve the tools available to quadriplegics for decades, but with limited success. Sip/puff systems are available, and relatively inexpensive, but are limited to just four commands, while the sophisticated eye-tracking sensors available on the market are often slow, prone to error, and extremely expensive. Other options, such as equipment that can translate head movement into mouse movement are available, but users of such devices tend to tire quickly. Research in all of these areas is still ongoing, but there's a new approach in development.
Dr. Maysam Ghovanloo is an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and head of that school's GT-Bionics Lab. He's working on a control system that could give quadriplegics a much wider range of movement than they currently enjoy, by using their tongue. Since the tongue connects directly to the brain, it's not effected by neck injury, and typically remains fully operational, even in patients that have lost all ability to move.
Prototype systems have already been built—a video of one in action is available here—and it functions through use of a virtual keyboard. A permanent magnet is attached to the tongue, with a control unit underneath and various sensors attached to the teeth, bracer-fashion. These sensors detect movement of the tongue inside the mouth, and transmit this data wirelessly to a control module, which then reacts appropriately, depending on what the wearer has signaled. The prototype unit pictured here was built from off-the-shelf technology and is obviously a few years old—there's no word yet on whether newer, more sophisticated designs are currently in the works.
Currently, the device requires one to wear a rather bulky set of headgear, and the mouthpiece on the prototype has been described by at least one graduate student familiar with the project as "grotesque." Currently, the device is limited to six commands, but there are plans to introduce more sophisticated sensors capable of tracking a higher number of movements as well as determining subtle differences between movements. The research team hopes to create a commercially viable product with a price point between that of the suck-n-blow systems at one end, and the expensive eye-tracking systems at the other.
The vast majority of us might have precious little interest in a tongue-driven interface, but this type of research indirectly benefits from the hardware and software being developed commercially. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the mouse and keyboard are going to go away, but signs point to a not-so-distant future in which we interact with a computer in ways significantly different than what are available now. Adopting and adjusting to new interface technologies will undoubtedly take awhile, but for certain people, this type of sea change could reopen their ability to explore the world in ways that are currently impossible.
Further reading:
- Dr. Maysam Ghovanloo: "Tongue Drive Assisstive Technology"


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The iPad is not pulling sales away from PCs, US-based market watcher NPD has claimed.
Having spoken to an unspecified - but presumably statistically significant - number of North Americans who have owned an iPad for six months or more, NPD found that only 14 per cent of them had bought the tablet in place of a netbook, notebook or desktop.
Focus on folk who got their iPad last Christmas, and the proportion falls to 12 per cent.
In short, tablet punters are, on the whole, not buying the one product in place of another.
"Overall it appears that the vast majority of iPad purchases to-date have been incremental to the consumer technology industry," said NPD research chief Stephen Baker.
Why then is there a perception that they are?
According to NPD, growth in the personal computer sales is down because the Windows 7 sales splurge is now past and so is the initial burst of netbook purchases.
If anything, says Baker, you'd expect tablets to eat into sales of cheap consumer-oriented notebooks - those under $500 (£307) in his book - but that segment experienced growth of 21 per cent for the six months ending March 2011. Sales of pricier notebooks were down 25 per cent.
We'd just suggest that it's perhaps too early to call this one. Punters may generally not have bought an iPad instead of, say, a netbook now, but the tablet purchase may dissuade them from doing so in the future.
Only by tracking demand over time will we see whether tablets are generally an additional computing tool, or a replacement for a different form-factor.
Interestingly, NPD found that US customers generally don't favour 3G iPads - in marked contrast to research from UK-based Context, which found that Europeans do like the 3G models. ®


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David Bowie has recruited Hollywood actress Tilda Swinton to play his onscreen wife in his new music video.
The music superstar returned to the spotlight in January with the surprise release of his single "Where Are We Now?" and he confirmed the song would be followed by an album, "The Next Day," in March.
He has now released the video for the album's second single "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)," and it features a surprise turn from the Oscar-winning actress, who is seen playing a 1950s-style housewife and even sharing a kiss with the star on screen.
The video's release comes as Bowie has won over notoriously tough music critics with "The Next Day," his first album since 2003′s "Reality," with reviewers branding the record "thought-provoking," "intellectually stimulating" and "filled with great songs."
"The Next Day" is released in the U.S. in March 1.
Fans have been encouraged to visit Bowie's official website to design a personal and unique cover for the album using their own photographs.


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Hittite Microwave Launches New Website!
Chelmsford, Ma 04/21/2008 - Hittite Microwave Corporation (NASDAQ: HITT) announces the launch of our redesigned website at www.hittite.com. Many exciting features have been added including crisp new webpage designs and a dynamic homepage featuring Hittite's new products, markets, press releases and featured articles. Redesigned Investor pages feature better navigation and access to all investor information and events. Comprehensive Individual Product "Splash Pages" containing in-depth product information & technical content are located on one easy to navigate page. Users will find information quickly with better organized pages and a new website search feature button. Engineers will find improved Product Support and streamlined Quality & Reliablitity pages containing invaluable reference materials including: application notes, quality assurance, RoHs and packaging information. Our popular Engineering Tools; Product Cross Reference, Parametric Search, PLL Phase Noise & Mixer Spur Chart Calculators continue to provide excellent Hittite product support. Hittite's expanded E-Commerce and Sample Request systems enable users to create individual accounts, log-ins, and view order history. Hittite's enhanced website now details full specifications for 640 products across 17 product lines. Request Hittite's 2008 Designer's Guide, March '08 Newsletter & CD on our new literature request page.


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Log in to My Spektrum Get easy, online access to your Spektrum™ software updates, product registration and personalized settings.
My Spektrum
05/09/2005 by Don Szczur, Team JR
Copyright:© 2005 Horizon Hobby, Inc.
Multiple Rudder Servos-In-Line
IMAC airplanes often have multiple rudder servos in line with a pull-pull
cable setup, which provide a convenient and straightforward way of setting
up a fuselage-mounted rudder control. Several people have asked me if the
8611 can be used to connect directly to the rudder cables. The 8611 servo
has a very strong case and gear train and can handle the loads as shown
in Figure 1. To set up multiple servos in line using a matchbox, start with
the first (drive) servo. Plug in the first servo into a matchbox and move
the arm 180 degrees to best configure it perpendicular to the servo. Turn
on the receiver and move the matchbox dial to "1" and hit the
"+" or "-" to precisely center the servo. Done! Rotate
the selector clockwise back to "0" before turning off the receiver.
Plug in servo #2, turn on the receiver and rotate the matchbox to "2".
Use the same technique as above to set the center. Adjust the pushrods between
the first and second servo for the proper length. Connect them to the drive
servo (#1) but don't snap them into the ball links for servo #2 yet. Simply
move the rudder stick to the left and then push the "+" or "-"
buttons to match the servo end throws. Next, move the stick to the right
and do the same. Done! Connect the servo arms to servo #2 and double-check
the servos to make sure they are not "fighting" one another. I
normally will fine-tune with a "+" or "-" at this time
to remove any "buzzing" of the servos and achieve perfect servo
throw matching. Again, be sure to rotate the selector all the way around
back to "0" before turning off the receiver. Add a 3rd or 4th
servo using the same technique as described above. I originally set up my
TOC Extra with four 8411s and later changed the setup to three 8611s. This
technique is quick and easy to do.
Multiple Rudder Servos- In the Tail with a 10X, without a Matchbox
If your plane requires multiple rudder servos in the tail, you can
easily set up the servos using a matchbox as described above. But what
if you do not have a matchbox handy? Here are a couple of techniques I
used to set up four rudder servos on my 46% scale TOC Cap 232. I basically
took the rear two servos and connected them as "rudder" using
the mechanical linkage as a means to adjust their control throw for equal
left and right deflection. If you have two receivers you can use a separate
servo extension from each receiver to each servo. If you are only using
one receiver, then use a Y harness. Then I took the front servo on the
left side of the fuselage and set that one up as Gear (Channel 5) and
the front servo on the right side of the fuselage as Aux 2 (Channel 7).
I then adjusted the center and the end points using code 15 (Sub Trim)
and Code 12 (travel) for each servo, so they match their respective rear-control
surface drive servos as shown in Figure 2.
Multiple Elevator Servos- In the Tail with a 10X
The 10X has a built in "Dual Elevator" setup in to the wing-
function (Code 22, Wing Type). Be sure to connect the right elevator in
the ELEV port of the receiver and the left elevator in the Aux 3 (Channel
8) port. After mechanically adjusting the center, use Code 15 (Sub Trim)
to fine-tune servo centering and use Code 12 (travel adjust) to adjust
the end points for perfect throw on each elevator half. If adding a second
elevator to each side (4 total), you can mechanically adjust the throw
of each control arm by to match the control throw of each outboard servo.
No spare matchboxes? If you use a matchbox for your rudder servos (per
first section) you can set up the outboard elevator servos without a matchbox
using a similar technique as was done in the multiple rudder servo section
above using the Gear (Channel 5) and Aux 2 (Channel 7). A little-utilized
feature that is very handy to correct loop tracking using dual elevators.
Code 17 (Function Select) menu has an "alivator" trimmer for
dual elevators, which allows you to adjust the elevator halves in opposite
directions. This will correct any spiral tendency during inside or outside
loops. Figure 3 shows the dual elevator setup on my Brio pattern aircraft.
Although the 9303 transmitter does not have as many features as the 10X,
setting up multiple elevator servos is fairly straightforward using the
"mate" function. Simply "INH" the Aux 3 using the
Device Select function, then "mate" Aux 3 to the elevator in
the Wing Type menu. You can mate other servos easily using this same menu
for multiple servos.


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This is my regular blog to support my Guild of One Name Studies research of the name CUMPSTON and its variants.
Every week I included details of research websites that I have found useful, to enable readers to explore the enormous range of records which are now available. In addition, each time I find a record of a new CUMPSTON who is not yet included on my website, I add the new data here.
I welcome information about your CUMPSTON ancestors. Check out my website at www.cumpston.org.uk and let me know if you recognise anyone in these postings.


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斐濟的鯊魚保育環境保護義工項目: 每月更新
The last two months at the Shark Conservation Project has seen a lot of growth with new projects and hard work from our amazing volunteers. As the cyclone season drew to a close, we experienced heavy rains that cause flooding in many areas of Fiji. Despite some cancelled activities and survey dives, we still collected some excellent data from the Beqa Lagoon during dives and completed a lot of work in the mangrove nurseries.
The nurseries have been replenished with mangrove propagules, and work has continued towards making Uprising Beach Resort carbon neutral. The volunteers worked incredibly hard during the last two months Dirty Days and Community Days, cleaning up a lot of marine debris during beach clean ups, teaching local children of the importance of mangroves and sharks, and giving back to the local community where our work is completed.
Cultural days have allowed the volunteers to immerse themselves in the local culture and learn how to cook some traditional Fijian dishes. New research has commenced at Shark Reef Marine Reserve during shark dives, adding a new aspect for the volunteers on shark feed dives while they continue to be amazed by the beautiful sharks. New research has also commenced at Combe Reef assessing coral bleaching recovery for volunteer interns and Divemaster trainees.
Survey dives
With cyclone season drawing to a close the weather is hopefully now starting to improve in the Beqa Lagoon. Another choppy few months with a lot of rainfall, reduced visibility and unfortunately some cancelled dive days.
However when we have managed to dive we have seen some fantastic sights; White Tip Reef Sharks, Grey Reef Sharks, Bull Sharks and Tawny Nurse Sharks have all come to say hello. We have also had a few appearances from the somewhat elusive Sicklefin Lemon Shark and Silvertip Sharks, which has been fantastic for both our volunteers to see and for our survey data collection. In addition we have seen Napolean Wrasse, Hawksbill Turtles, Green Sea Turtles, Spotted Eagle Rays, Moray Eels and an enormous Narrow Barred Spanish Mackerel.
For the month of April, all of the data collected on sharks, rays and turtles contributed to the Great Fiji Shark Count – an endeavor that takes place every April and November to try and get a true sense of the number of sharks, rays and turtles across the country.
Our indicator species of Groupers, Snappers, Emperors, Mackerels & Tunas and Barracuda have been recorded in abundance on every dive.
Our Sunday Funday Fun Dives have continued to delight with our focus shifting to the smaller reef creatures. The past two months have seen sightings of the following nudibranchs; Blue Dragon, Loch's Chromodoris, Pimpled Phyllidia, Swollen Phyllidia, Sea Blue Phyllidia, Oscellated Phyllidia, Bicolor Flabellina, Siboga Doprismatica and Lined Nembrotha. Additionally we have had a sighting of a new nudibranch, Hypseldoris maculosa. Flatworms, Guard Crabs, Shrimps and cleaning stations are also fun to see on these dives.
BRUV drops
BRUV drops have been challenging due to the conditions, however we have managed to drop a number of times in both the Yanuca Control and Reserve areas and are hoping to finish the first phase of our data collection there in the next two months.
In the past two months we have also seen some of our volunteers develop into fantastic Divemasters, qualifying as entry level PADI dive professionals. A massive congratulations to Ryan Asselstine, Cristoph Hinse and Ian Yap for completing the challenging training. We wish you the best of luck in your future diving careers.
Coral beach study
Projects Abroad has been invited to participate to a 2-year coral bleaching and reef resiliency study comparing Shark Reef Marine Reserve and a nearby control area. The lead scientist has been trained by Helen Sykes from Marine Ecology Consulting to perform ReefCheck and coral bleaching assessment transects. He will then train Projects Abroad Fiji Shark Conservation interns and Divemaster trainees to perform the assessment once a month until completion of the study.
The bull shark tagging project in Rewa river has officially started. The volunteers are now assisting miss Kerstin Glaus for her philosophy doctor research case and work along with the fisheries department of Fiji. No sharks have been caught so far but fishermen have been reporting catches in the area and brought two juvenile bull shark carcasses for further study and dissection.
Projects Abroad has been invited to participate to a 2-year coral bleaching and reef resiliency study comparing Shark Reef Marine Reserve and a nearby control area. The lead scientist has been trained by Helen Sykes from Marine Ecology Consulting to perform ReefCheck and coral bleaching assessment transects. He will then train Projects-Abroad Fiji Shark Conservation interns and Divemaster trainees to perform the assessment once a month until completion of the study.
Over the last two months much work has been completed with the Mangroves for Fiji project. The project has a few different aspects involved and this includes constructing nursery areas from bamboo and nylon mesh, recycling plastic bottles by cutting them in half and making holes in the underside, filling bottles with substrate, collecting propagules, planting propagules in pots, watering propagules, weeding pots, replacing dead propagules for live ones, and planting established propagules into the wild.
The outcome of all this work has various benefits and by taking part in mangrove afforestation volunteers are indirectly responsible for;
- depositing significant quantities of detritus into the marine environment which in turn provides food for sea-life
- providing a nesting, nursery and refuge ground for mammals, amphibians, reptiles, countless species of plants, juvenile fish including sharks, invertebrates, sponges, barnacles, oysters, mussels, crabs, shrimps and many avian species
- recharging underground water supplies
- trapping debris and silt, stabilising the near shore environment, preventing shore erosion and clarifying adjacent open water which facilitates photosynthesis in marine plants
- buffering natural forces such as hurricanes, wave action, tidal change and run off
- sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and mitigating the effects of global warming
During the months of March and April, Projects Abroad (PA) volunteers and staff continued to plant propagules in mangrove nurseries allowing them to establish a root system and therefore increase survival rate once planted into the wild. PA volunteers and staff have recently reconstructed the nursery at Vunibau village that was recently destroyed during the cyclone. 800 propagules were planted in this nursery.
The development of the mangrove curriculum to be implemented into local schools is still in progress. The curriculum has been structured in such a way that mangrove education is broken down into four lessons to be taught over a two month period for a particular age group.
There are also plans of a nursery to be built at Pacific Harbour Multi Cultural School; we are awaiting bamboo to be provided by the school to build the structures. Another major achievement has been an agreement between Uprising Beach Resort and Mangroves for Fiji/Projects Abroad to make the resort carbon neutral. This project is ready to go ahead once the site of the nursery has been decided by Uprising Beach Resort management. While that is being discussed, PA staff and volunteers are in the process of building a mangrove display in the reception area of Uprising Beach Resort. 200 propagules will be on display; this shows tourists the ongoing relationship Uprising has with PA as well as a step forward to making the Resort carbon neutral.
Community days
Another month of work in our local communities. The month of March was a pretty hectic one after the devastating Cyclone Winston visited our shores. This did not dampen the spirits of Volunteers and staff of Projects Abroad. Still, we took out to two Primary Schools; Rampur Primary to assist them in cleaning and setting up the classrooms both in Kindergarten and Primary level. At Lomary Primary school, we assisted the teachers in creating teaching awareness topics of Shark Conservation and Mangroves.
The month was followed by beach cleanup at Galoa Village and ended the month with a cultural performance in the office where the volunteers were taught the local dances, how to prepare Fijian food and cooking it in the 'Lovo' (Earth Oven). It was interesting to see how motivated our volunteers have been this month!
Dirty day
Dirty Day was carried out at Rampur Kindergarten as the Minister for Education was due to open the newly built classrooms. Volunteers worked hard under the heat and rain to complete the flower gardens, paintings and cleaning of the classrooms and the surroundings of the new Kindergarten. Everyone enjoyed the day that ended with good food.
Volunteers and staff worked at Lomary Primary School doing construction work. Prior to this, there was a lot of preparations done and the school was re-building a bigger Kindergarten so Projects Abroad thought to take on the task of building a mini-playground for the students. A well deserved treat and help for the school as this was definitely something they were planning on doing for the students of Lomary.
Shark dive
The Shark Dive continues to be a favourite for our volunteers. After the volunteers have completed their first shark dive, any subsequent shark dive they are tasked with identification of individual sharks and counting the number of individuals presesnt. This brings the volunteers closer to the animals and helps us determine which animals are there and when.
The Shark Reef Marine Reserve reef shark population assessment project has also begun. Pictures from volunteers are gathered and GoPros are set up on the reef to compile a bank of the reef shark individual. Software, used by the volunteers, will then compare those pictures together to tell individuals apart and estimate the population on the reef. Carole Boulidard, a French Projects-Abroad intern has been running tests and wrote software guidelines for future volunteers to follow. A minimum of one year worth of data collection is anticipated to be needed before any conclusion.
Sydney Shier
Field Scientist/Project Co-ordinator


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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a digestion problem that causes episodes of belly pain, cramping or bloating, and diarrhea or constipation. Symptoms may be worse or better from day to day, but IBS won't get worse over time. It doesn't cause more serious diseases.
Irritable bowel syndrome is a long-term problem, but treatment can help you manage your symptoms.
Last Revised:
October 9, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Arvydas D. Vanagunas, MD - Gastroenterology
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UPDATED 2:27 PM ET: House Speaker John Boehner Tuesday repeatedly challenged the president's willingness to go against his own party on issues that include reforms to social programs and spending.
"I think he'd like to deal with it [fiscal problems], but to do the kind of heavy lifting that needs to be done, I don't think he's got the guts to do it," the Ohio Republican said in a meeting with a small group of reporters for nearly an hour Tuesday morning. "He understands there is a spending problem. He understands that we need changes and reforms, and we need to solve these problems."
When pressed about the severity of that statement, he modified, saying the president does not have the "courage."
Washington is in the midst of yet another fiscal crisis, facing a political showdown over so-called "sequestration," the self-imposed round of across-the-board spending cuts to domestic programs and the Pentagon. The sequester was supported by both the White House and Congress as a way to encourage lawmakers to find common ground. Instead, they have been mired in a stalemate, unable to find an equitable solution for both sides.
"I am not suggesting that this is easy," Boehner said, "but what I am suggesting is that he is the President of the United States. This is the biggest threat to our society."
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, repeats his call for President Obama to submit a budget proposal to Congress, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013.
President Obama campaigned on raising taxes on the wealthy and got that in the showdown over the fiscal cliff. He wants more revenue -- from what he says are "loopholes and deductions" for the wealthy. Republicans have balked at that notion, saying he already got all the revenue he was going to get.
The White House has accused Boehner of walking away from "grand bargains," deals to reduce the country's deficits, in both 2011 and 2012 because he could not sell it to his base. Boehner's office vehemently disagrees with that notion, instead pointing the finger back at the president.
Republicans also feel as if they have already given in and do not want to give more, particularly after passing the tax increase and punting on the debt ceiling, voting to suspend it temporarily until the Democratic-controlled Senate passes a budget, something it has not done in years.
But those maneuvers have not been without staunch GOP opposition and misfires. President Obama and Boehner were thought to be, once again, close to a deal when Boehner abruptly announced "Plan B," an initiative pushed by House leadership, including Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), that would have let tax cuts expire for millionaires. But Boehner pulled the measure after he realized it did not have majority support within his conference.
President Barack Obama is expected to ask for more tax revenue and fewer spending cuts during Tuesday's speech but can his plan pass Congress. Gene Sperling, the director of the White House Economic Council, Bloomberg Businessweek's Josh Green and Bloomberg View's Margaret Carlson discuss.
Instead, Boehner issued a statement urging President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate to pass something to avert the fiscal cliff. Boehner eventually brought the Senate-passed measure to the House floor. It passed without majority GOP support.
On immigration, Boehner claimed in the meeting, "The thing I am most concerned about immigration reform is the president getting in the way. Sometimes I think he'd rather have an issue than a solution. Here's the guy who four years ago said he was going to have immigration reform, and he's done absolutely nothing for four years. I hope the president will play a constructive role."
Democrats say that prior to the 2012 presidential election, they have faced a brick wall of opposition on immigration, despite President Obama's promises, especially from House Republicans. In December 2010, Senate Republicans filibustered the DREAM Act, which would have given a pathway to citizenship for children brought to the United States illegally. President Obama supported the measure, and it got 55 votes, five short of the required 60 to overcome a filibuster.
But since Obama's re-election, in which he won 71 percent of the Hispanic vote, Republicans have sounded a different tune on immigration.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who will give the GOP response and is leading an immigration-reform effort in the Senate, dropped by the meeting as well.
"I didn't mean to interrupt--," Rubio said, as he looked for a cup of coffee.
When asked if he is feeling any pressure tonight, he gave a big smile and said, "No."


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- Part Number:2400
- Part Number Title:Regulations Implementing the Privacy Act
- Standard Number:
- Title:Collection and disclosure of personal information.
- GPO Source:
Solicit, collect and maintain in its records only such personal information as is relevant and necessary to accomplish a purpose required by statute or executive order;
Maintain all records which are used by OSHRC in making any determination about any individual with such accuracy, relevance, timeliness, and completeness as is reasonably necessary to ensure fairness to the individual in the determination;
Collect information, to the greatest extent practicable, directly from the subject individual when such information may result in adverse determinations about an individual's rights, benefits or privileges under Federal programs; and
Inform any individual requested to disclose personal information whether that disclosure is mandatory or voluntary, by what authority it is solicited, the principal purposes for which it is intended to be used, the routine uses which may be made of it, and any penalties or consequences known to OSHRC which shall result to the individual from such non-disclosure.
OSHRC shall not discriminate against any individual who fails to provide personal information unless that information is required or necessary for the conduct of the system or program in which the individual desires to participate. See §2400.4(a)(1)(i).
No record shall be collected or maintained which describes how any individual exercises rights guaranteed by the First Amendment unless the Commission specifically determines that such information is relevant and necessary to carry out a statutory purpose of OSHRC, and the collection or maintenance of the record is expressly authorized by statute or by the individual about whom the record is maintained, or unless the record is pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity.
Limitations. OSHRC shall not disclose any record which is contained in a system of records by any means of communication to any person, or to another agency, except pursuant to a written request by, or with the prior written consent of, the individual to whom the record pertains.
Exceptions. A record may be disseminated without satisfying the requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this section if disclosure is made:
To those officers and employees of OSHRC who have a need for the record in the performance of their duties;
To a recipient who has provided OSHRC with adequate advance written assurance that the record shall be used solely as a statistical reporting or research record, and the record is to be transferred in a form that is not personally identifiable;
To the Bureau of the Census for purposes of planning or carrying out a census or survey or related activity pursuant to the provisions of title 13, United States Code;
To the National Archives and Records Administration as a record which has sufficient historical or other value to warrant its continued preservation by the United States Government, or for evaluation by the Archivist of the United States or the designee of the Archivist to determine whether the record has such value;
To another agency or an instrumentality of any governmental jurisdiction within or under the control of the United States for a civil or criminal law enforcement activity, if such activity is authorized by law and if the head of the agency or instrumentality has made a written request to OSHRC specifying the particular portion of the record desired and the law enforcement activity for which the record is sought;
To either House of Congress, or, to the extent of matter within its jurisdiction, any committee or subcommittee thereof, or any joint committee of Congress or subcommittee of any such joint committee;
To a consumer reporting agency in accordance with section 3711(e) of title 31, United States Code.
Employee credit references. OSHRC's Office of Administration shall verify the following information provided by an employee to a credit bureau or commercial firm from which an employee is seeking credit: Length of service, job title, grade, salary, tenure of employment, and Civil Service status.
Employee job references. Prospective employers of an OSHRC employee or a former OSHRC employee may be furnished with the information in paragraph (b)(3) of this section in addition to the date and reason for separation, if applicable, upon the request of the employee or former employee.
Disclosures to third parties. Prior to disseminating any record about an individual to any person other than an agency, unless the record is disseminated pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section, OSHRC shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that the record is accurate, complete, timely and relevant.
Anticipated legal action. Nothing in this section shall allow an individual access to any information compiled in reasonable anticipation of a civil action or proceeding.
"Accounting of disclosures" —
OSHRC shall maintain an accurate accounting of each disclosure, except for any disclosure made pursuant to paragraphs (b)(2)(i) and (b)(2)(ii) of this section.
When an accounting is required under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the following information shall be recorded: The date, nature, and purpose of each disclosure of a record to any person or to another agency, and the name and address of the person or agency to whom the disclosure is made.
The accounting shall be maintained for at least five (5) years after disclosure or for the life of the record, whichever is longer.
The accounting shall be made available to the individual named in the record upon inquiry, except for disclosures made pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(viii) of this section relating to law enforcement activities. See §2400.6 for suggested form of request.


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City of Davis, CAHome Menu
City of Davis Calendar
Tree Commission meeting
- Date: November 21, 2019 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
- Location: Parks & Community Services Corp Yard
1818 5th Street
Davis, California 95616
- Introduction: Monthly meeting of the City of Davis Tree Commission
Return to full list >>
The City of Davis Tree Commission meets the third Thursday of each month, with the exception of July.
Their next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on Thursday November 21, 2019 beginning at 5:30 pm at the Parks & Community Services Corporation Yard 1818 5th Street. Additional meeting information may be found online Tree Commission agenda and minutes


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Florida Snake Identification Key
Dekay's Brown Snake
Scientific name: Storeria dekayi (HOLBROOK 1836)
The following will separate the two Dekay's Brown Snakes found in Florida. If you are unable to distinguish between them based on the characteristics in the key below, you probably can do so using the geographic location alone.
Select the box below that is the closest match to your snake:
Horizontal dark line on side of head behind eye; no dark lines cross back; extreme western Florida panhandle, through Louisiana to Texas.
Your snake could be a Marsh Brown Snake, Storeria dekayi limnetes.
No dark line behind eye, numerous dark lines cross back; northern peninsular Florida and eastern Florida panhandle north to Indiana and Illinois.
Your snake could be a Midland Brown Snake, Storeria dekayi wrightorum.
I'd like to start over from the beginning
I'd like to try identifying my snake another way.
More resources:


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Malls have their Black Friday sales. Some downtowns have horse-drawn carriages, raffles and carollers on Main Street.
Malls have their Black Friday sales. Some downtowns have horse-drawn carriages, raffles and carollers on Main Street.
While both generate business, mid-Hudson merchants say holiday attractions also create goodwill and a feeling of community in an increasingly 'cyber' world.
The Village of Warwick's "Home for the Holidays," for instance, is an invitation to visit a quaint downtown decked out in holly and pine and colorful lights.
"It's all about shopping locally, but there has to be a reason to shop locally," said Michael Newhard, a shopkeeper who's also the mayor. "The merchants all work hard to make it as interesting as it can be."
Their efforts translate into an ongoing celebration featuring free weekend horse-drawn wagon rides, a gingerbread- house decorating contest and costumed carollers.
Kara Atlas of Cuddebackville said she appreciated the events as a friend's daughter, Casey Paterson, 7, finished a wagon ride.
"It's something to do besides just shopping," Atlas said. "Coming downtown becomes more of an event."
Nina Allbert of Tuxedo Park, already a fan of Warwick's restaurants and shops, didn't need to be enticed downtown.
"It's a delightful little town to come to on a Sunday," Allbert said. "It has a European charm that makes for a relaxed day."
Santa's numerous stops at tree lightings and other seasonal celebrations will include a noontime visit Saturday to the art-and-craft hamlet of Sugar Loaf. Horse-drawn wagons will take visitors on rides as carollers stroll in the open air.
Sugar Loaf's "Holiday Celebration" has its roots in the efforts of Peter Lendved of The Candle Shop, who for many years installed 90 lighted hurricane lamps along Kings Highway, recalled Nick Zungoli, vice president of the Sugar Loaf Chamber of Commerce.
The Tri-State Chamber of Commerce showcases Port Jervis' retail district at 2 p.m. Sunday with the 41st Annual Rick Drew Holiday Parade.
It's been named, for the past 11 years, for its longtime organizer, who died in 2001. He transformed a small affair by extending the parade route into Matamoras, Pa., and engaging fire departments, Scout troops and churches, said Tom McCarron, parade chairman.
More than 1,000 people are drawn to the parade, McCarron said, many of whom line prime retail areas on Pike Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Downtown celebrations aim to draw a crowd.
Middletown's tree lighting the evening after Thanksgiving attracted many people, not only from the city, but from neighboring communities as well, said John Degnan, executive director of the Downtown Middletown Business Improvement District.
The ceremony brings people into a central neighborhood filled with restaurants and retail shops, as do movies and events at the Paramount Theatre, like Jimmy Sturr's Christmas show last weekend.
It's up to the merchants to lure those visitors into their shops, Degnan said.
In Ulster County, the New Paltz Downtown Business Association has been organizing what it calls "New Paltz Unwrapped" for about four years.
Friday's event saw several hundred people come into town for the unveiling of storefronts decorated for the holidays.
Highlights included a gnome hunt along the path of participating stores, a walking tour of downtown shops, refreshments and a visit by Santa.
A coupon good for that weekend's shopping aimed to boost spending in town, said Melinda Minervini, treasurer of the business association
Coupons play a key role in this year's holiday scene in the Monticello area, thanks to the brainchild of Julie Bianucci, a member of the Monticello Fire Department.
Her daughter, Crystal Bianucci, also a fire department member, created a map of businesses in the fire district and designed coupons redeemable at four dozen businesses through at least Jan. 2.
Maps and coupons are available for $4 at the firehouse, Thompson Town Hall, and businesses around the area.
Proceeds will benefit the Sullivan County Firemen's Parade next year in Monticello.
"We were looking for a way to help local businesses," said Bianucci, who found the merchants eager, in turn, to help the fire department.


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Columbus:1 City (1990 pop. 178,681), seat of Muscogee co., W Ga., at the head of navigation on the Chattahoochee River; settled and inc. 1828 on the site of a Creek village. The second largest city in the state, Columbus is a port of entry situated at the foot of a series of falls that extend more than 30 mi (48 km) and have provided extensive water power. An important industrial and shipping center with many giant textile mills (the first was built in 1838), it also has ironworks and food-processing plants. Factories produce lumber, chemicals, furniture, hospital equipment, concrete, and wood, rubber, paper, and metal products. Columbus was a busy river port until the arrival of the railroads in the 1850s. Its river traffic has been revitalized with the completion of a series of locks and dams that provide access to the Gulf of Mexico. During the Civil War, Columbus was captured by Union troops one week after Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Its industry grew with the development of 20th-century hydroelectric power plants. Many antebellum homes and Columbus College are in the city. Fort Benning is to the south.
2 City (1990 pop. 31,802), seat of Bartholomew co., S central Ind., on the East Fork of the White River; inc. 1821. Its many manufactures include transportation equipment, pharmaceutical and medical devices, food and beverages, plastics, and electronics. In the Civil War, Columbus served as a depot for Union armies. The city is known for its outstanding architecture, with many buildings designed by world-renowned architects from the late 1930s onward.
3 City (1990 pop. 23,799), seat of Lowndes co., NE Miss., on the Tombigbee River; inc. 1821. It is the trade, processing, and shipping center of a cotton, livestock, dairy, and timber area, and has marble and granite processing and diverse manufacturing. Franklin Academy, the first free school in the state, was opened in 1821. Mississippi Univ. for Women and Columbus Air Force Base are there. The city has many beautiful antebellum homes. Tennessee Williams was born there.
4 City (1990 pop. 632,910), state capital and seat of Franklin co., central Ohio, on the Scioto River; inc. as a city 1834. Ohio's largest city, it is a transportation, industrial, and trade center in a fertile farm region. Its manufactures include consumer goods, aircraft, engines, transportation equipment, glass, food, textiles, and primary metals. Government agencies and many research and educational centers are central to the economy, which expanded rapidly from the 1940s. Columbus is the seat of Ohio State Univ., Capital Univ., Ohio Dominican College, Franklin Univ., state schools for the deaf and blind, and Battelle Memorial Institute (for industrial research). Landmarks include the state capitol; the state office building and its library; Ohio State Univ.'s huge Ohio Stadium; the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts; the Center of Science and Industry, a science museum designed by Arata Isozaki; the postmodern convention center designed by Peter Eisenman; the library and museum of the state archaeological and historical society; the headquarters of the American Rose Society, with one of the world's largest rose gardens; Camp Chase Confederate cemetery, with the graves of soldiers who died in the Civil War prison camp there; and the vast state fair grounds. The Griggs, O'Shaughnessy, and Hoover reservoirs are centers for park and recreational activities. The city also has a professional hockey team (the Blue Jackets), racetracks, and a variety of annual cultural events.
Columbus was laid out as state capital in 1812 but did not take over the government from Chillicothe until 1816. Its growth was stimulated by the development of transportation facilities—a feeder canal to the Ohio and Erie Canal, which was opened in 1831; the National Road, which reached the city in 1833; and the railroad, which arrived in 1850.
See G. E. Condon, Yesterday's Columbus (1977).


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In pop culture, it was a time like no other. Ronald Reagan was in the White House, The Terminator was in the box office and Run DMC was in certified gold. It was also the time when Oakley created one-of-a-kind sunglasses called Frogskins. Oakley resurrected the original tooling from the '80s giving you a chance to own a piece of history.
High Definition Optics® (HDO®) is a collection of patented technologies that allow Oakley eyewear to meet or exceed the testing standards of the American National Standards Institute for optical clarity, visual fidelity, and impact resistance.
*Measurements listed intended for customer use only. Not intended to be used by opticians to fill prescriptions.
Pink Microbag


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For mining applications, wastewater treatment is the process of removing contaminants from water discharged from mining operations and mineral processing as well as from premises and surface run-off. Wastewater treatment typically utilises mechanical, biological, and chemical processes to remove these contaminants.
Grundfos can supply a whole range of components for the transport, handling and cleaning of stored wastewater and sludge, and for mechanical, biological, and chemical wastewater processes. In addition, complete monitoring, control, and remote management solutions are available as required.
The process of wastewater treatment varies from simple tanks, relying solely on sedimentation, to the refined treatment processes with biological treatment that we know today. Treating process water to re-enter leaching processes, for example, is also a very important activity, reducing substantially the need for raw water supply.
The Grundfos ranges of powerful wastewater pumps are designed for handling drainage, effluent and sewage from mining operations and mineral processing, as well as from the mining town. With efficient single-channel or SuperVortex impellers, Grundfos SE pumps ranges in corrosion resistant materials ensure free passage of large solids, reducing greatly the risk of clogging.
Grundfos mixers and flowmakers offer an optimum, energy-efficient solution for mixing in tanks of any size, creating a bulk-flow with an almost uniform flow-velocity and limited risk of dead zones. These products offer robust design with corrosion resistant materials, easy service and maintenance, and trouble-free operation in difficult environments.
Our complete range of dosing pumps systems are for large or small volumes and based on different technologies, and Grundfos can also supply electronic and electrochemical accessories for complete control as well as PLC-controlled, fully automatic systems for dry material preparation and reliable dosing.
Correct material selection is the most important method of corrosion prevention, prolonging the life span of pumps systems. Grundfos can supply the specialist expertise to help meet your performance objectives, from the initial identification of needs, to the selection, installation, operation, and maintenance of the pumping solution. Furthermore, Grundfos tailors commissioning agreements and service agreements to your requirements, and spare parts kits and on-site recommended spare parts can also be arranged.


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<![CDATA[Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC was sworn in as Australia's 26th Governor-General on the 28th March, after the retirement of Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO.
Sir Peter was sworn in to his new position by Chief Justice Robert French in the Senate Chamber at Parliament House. The ceremony took place in front of his wife, Lady Cosgrove, Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the Speaker of the House Bronwyn Bishop, and members of the public in the viewing galleries.
Cosgrove used his swearing-in address to pay tribute to Indigenous Australians and his predecessor Dame Quentin Bryce. He went on to say: "I pledge all of my energy and goodwill to all of the tasks of Australia's Governor-General, not least those working within the wider community".
Sir Peter arrived at Parliament House in the ceremonial Rolls-Royce Phantom VI. The car displayed St Edward's Crown in place of traditional number plates, which is the norm for The Queen's Representative's car. The Rolls-Royce is used for state occasions like the opening of Parliament. On arrival, Cosgrove inspected the federation guard and received a 21 gun salute.
Upon taking up the job as the new Governor-General, Sir Peter was made a Knight of the Order of Australia after Prime Minister Tony Abbott had Her Majesty amend the letters patent in order to reintroduce the once abolished honours order.
The role of the Governor-General in Australia has remained relatively the same since its creation. It's main role is to represent The Monarch in Australia. The Governor-General undertakes similar duties as Her Majesty The Queen in the United Kingdom, such as providing Royal Ascent to bills, touring the country and meeting people, holding investitures, greeting and entertaining dignitaries, and opening Parliament.
Photo credit: United States Studies Centre via photopin cc]]>


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The Bonterra Community Development District located in Hialeah, Florida is a local, special purpose government entity authorized by Chapter 190 of the Florida Statutes, as amended, and created on July 14, 2015 by ordinance of Miami-Dade County (and supported by the city of Hialeah, Florida) as an alternative method of planning, acquiring, operating and maintaining community-wide improvements in planned communities. A Community Development District (CDD) provides the "solution" to Florida's need to provide valuable community infrastructure generated by growth, ultimately without overburdening other governments and their taxpaying residents.
CDDs represent a major advancement in Florida's effort to manage its growth effectively and efficiently. This allows a community to establish higher construction standards, meanwhile providing a long-term solution to the operation and maintenance of the community's facilities.
The Bontarra CDD operates within the ethics provisions as outlined by the Florida Commission on Ethics.
For Public Records Requests Contact:
Sandra Demarco
(954) 603-0033, extension 40532
Registered Agent:
Mr. Dennis Lyles
515 Las Olas Blvd, 6th Floor
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Tel: 954-764-7150


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@anthony422 Not recently active
anthony422 replied to the forum topic Something like "Yahoo! Answer" possible? in the group How-To and Troubleshooting 8 years, 10 months ago
Hi can you tell me how to display avatars on a sidebar for the top 10 point leaders using the plugin cubepoints integrated with buddypress?
anthony422 posted an update 8 years, 10 months ago


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Freebies That Charities Send in the Mail
You're under no moral obligation to pay for something you didn't request.
Q: I sometimes feel guilty when I keep and use little gifts from charities—gummed address labels, bookmarks, coasters, etc.—that are enclosed in their solicitation mailings without sending them a donation in return. Should I?
Charities enclose these little gifts because their direct-mail testing shows that they work—that is, they boost donations. The charity wants you to feel obligated, or at least grateful. But you're under no moral obligation to pay for something you didn't request, even if you keep it. Send a donation only if you agree with the cause and would do so even in the absence of the gift.
Have a money-and-ethics question you'd like answered in this column? Write to editor in chief Knight Kiplinger at email@example.com.


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• Set of four cut crystal champagne flutes • Crystal has a weighty feel and a highly polished brilliance• Each piece is hand finished • Our Barwell cut crystal is used in all our Houses
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Crystal is made from a special mixture of quartz sand, calcinated soda, red lead, ash and calcite or limestone. Our cut crystal glassware has a 24% lead content making it easier to sculpt because the working temperature of the glass is lowered, extending the amount of time the glassblower has to shape the molten glass bulb. Lead is also responsible for the clarity of crystal – the higher the lead content, the greater the brilliance and the more it sparkles in sunlight.
The glass mixture is melted in furnaces at 1,450°C. The glassmaker takes a small quantity of molten glass on the end of a glass pipe, then blows a bulb into the desired shape. After the crystal is shaped and slowly cooled (to prevent cracking), the glasscutter cuts the piece by hand using traditional carborundum or diamond cutting wheels of varying levels of fineness. Finally they polish the piece by hand until it feels perfectly smooth and sparkles in the light.
Product Dimensions: W2.3" x H8.6"
Product Weight: 430g
Materials: 24% Lead Crystal
Finish: Clear
Dishwasher Safe? No, handwash only.
Our shipping costs are calculated based on the weight and size of the individual item. Your shipping options will be determined based on the contents of your basket and shown to you in checkout. If your order includes a combination of large items (furniture, upholstery, rugs, floor lamps, chandeliers) and small items, these will be dispatched separately for your convenience. Smaller items will be sent immediately while larger items will be delivered on an agreed date that is convenient for you. You will only be charged once for shipment.
Small Item Shipping CostsTier 1 small items $9.95 Delivered within 7-10 business days. (Indv. tableware & glassware etc)Tier 1 small items $15 Delivered within 3-6 business days.Tier 2 small items $25 Delivered within 3-6 business days. (Bedding packages, large gifting sets etc)Tier 3 medium items $35 Delivered within 3-6 business days (Wine coolers, floor cushions etc)Tier 4 Medium Item Shipping $45 (Small rugs, side tables, footstools etc)
Larger Item Shipping CostsOur shipping partner Metropolitan will be in touch within a few days of you placing your order to arrange a delivery date that is convenient for you. Metropolitan will endeavour to deliver to room of choice (subject to access requirements) and take away packaging.Tier 5 Medium Item Shipping $150 (headboards, lighting, side tables- up to 110lbs)Tier 6 Heavy Shipping $200 (Furniture, large rugs)
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We hope that you are delighted with your order. However, if for any reason you are not entirely satisfied please see our Shipping & Returns page for full details on how to return your item(s).


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This is one of our wider bands, so it is great on long fingers. It is just over a half inch wide, but the back of the ring gets thinner so that it is still comfortable to wear. The front design looks like a maze of tiny, pave'-set stones and thin cut-out areas. It is a very unique and interesting design. The center stones is a one-carat rectangle.


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Webb City Route 66 Information Center
It was once just another abandoned gas station in Missouri. The roof had caved in, the property needed cleaned. Like many of these sites, it could have sat vacant for many months or years.
Webb City officials saw potential in the building and instead of watching it slowly deteriorate, wanted to get it back to a productive use. But, there were a few hurdles.
The biggest hurdles were hidden from sight: underground water and soil contamination and six underground storage tanks.
Webb City officials contacted the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Tanks Section for advice about how to clean up and redevelop the abandoned gas station. The department helped coordinate the site investigation and the removal of petroleum contamination. Work at the site was funded through the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Fund, provided by an Environmental Protection Agency grant.
During the cleanup approximately 165 gallons of used motor oil, 32 tons of petroleum contaminated soil and more than 4,000 gallons of impacted water were removed from the site. Six underground storage tanks were also removed.
With the site no longer posing an unacceptable health risk, the city was able to move forward with redeveloping the site.
Webb City officials held a grand opening on Nov. 16 at the redeveloped abandoned gas station that is now a Route 66 Information Center. The center will house a memorabilia museum in the former garage bays and the city's Chamber of Commerce Offices. The site will also be used for functions such as historic car shows and a fall festival.
Abandoned underground storage tanks pose environmental threats and economic development barriers for the redevelopment and reuse of properties. Often, these sites sit vacant for many years, not only being an eyesore for the community but continuing to be a possible environmental threat.
Like with Webb City, the department can help remove these environmental threats and economic barriers at abandoned gas stations or other properties that may have actual or perceived contamination.
More information about underground storage tanks in Missouri and what the department is doing to prevent and clean up leaks from tanks is available on the Tanks Section's webpage.


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1* Send forth your bread upon the face of the waters;
after a long time you may find it again.
2Make seven, or even eight portions;
you know not what misfortune may come upon the earth.
3* When the clouds are full,
they pour out rain upon the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
wherever it falls, there shall it lie.
4One who pays heed to the wind will never sow,
and one who watches the clouds will never reap.
5Just as you do not know how the life breath
enters the human frame in the mother's womb,
So you do not know the work of God,
who is working in everything.a
6In the morning sow your seed,
and at evening do not let your hand be idle:
For you do not know which of the two will be successful,
or whether both alike will turn out well.
Poem on Youth and Old Age. 7* Light is sweet! and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. 8However many years mortals may live, let them, as they enjoy them all, remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that is to come is vanity.
9Rejoice, O youth, while you are young
and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart,
the vision of your eyes;
Yet understand regarding all this
that God will bring you to judgment.
10Banish misery from your heart
and remove pain from your body,
for youth and black hair are fleeting.*
* [11:1–2] These two sayings can be understood against a commercial background. They acknowledge the uncertainty and risk such activity involves. At the same time they encourage action and a spirit of adventure. The first (v. 1) speaks of trade and overseas investment: Export your grain ("bread") to foreign markets and you may be surprised at the substantial profits. The second (v. 2) encourages diversification of investment (seven, or even eight shipments of grain) to insure against heavy losses.
* [11:3–6] Verses 3, 4, and 6 expand on the theme of uncertainty and human inability to assess accurately every situation. Verse 4, however, comments on the disadvantages of too much caution: Only those willing to risk will enjoy success. But only the Creator knows the mystery of the "work of God" (v. 5).
* [11:7–10] The concluding part of the book opens with a final bittersweet homage to life and an enthusiastic encouragement to rejoice in its gifts while they are within grasp.
* [11:10] Fleeting: lit., "vanity."
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BOSTON (AP) — Chemist Annie Dookhan was "Superwoman," a colleague at a Massachusetts state crime lab used to joke. She seemed unstoppable in her quest to please prosecutors, police and her bosses, testing two to three times more drug samples than anyone else, working through lunch and not bothering to put in for overtime.
"The kind of person, if you owned your own business, you would want to hire her," a supervisor would later tell police.
Beginning about four years ago, suspicions arose about the way she seemed to plow through so many cases so fast. After that, a supervisor complained he never actually saw her in front of a microscope. But her superiors let her work on.
Now, the startling explanation has come spilling out: Dookhan told investigators she faked test results on drug samples and cut other corners.
The scandal has created a legal morass of monumental proportions, with tens of thousands of drug cases in Massachusetts thrown into jeopardy.
Dookhan, 34, is still under investigation by the state attorney general and has not been charged, and investigators have offered no motive for the fakery. She has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
The fallout could be huge.
Gov. Deval Patrick ordered a shutdown last month of the Boston lab, and the scandal has led to a firing and two resignations, including that of the state public health commissioner, whose department oversaw the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute before it was transferred to the Massachusetts State Police over the summer.
A war room of sorts is being assembled to pick through Dookhan's cases and determine which ones have been compromised.
Law enforcement officials say Dookhan tested more than 60,000 drug samples involving 34,000 defendants in her nine years at the lab. More than a dozen defendants are already back on the streets as authorities try to determine whether Dookhan's actions tainted the evidence in their cases, and more could be sprung. Authorities say more than 1,100 inmates are doing time based at least in part on Dookhan's work.
"It's incalculable the damage she's done ... not to say all the time, money and energy it's going to take the commonwealth," said defense attorney Bernie Grossberg, who has already had one client get out of prison and is being inundated with calls from others.
It remains to be seen if any lab supervisors face criminal consequences.
The governor said Thursday it was troubling that Dookhan and her supervisors "did not seem to understand the gravity" of her actions.
"I fully expect, and indeed I will say I hope that there are charges, and I think that all of those who are accountable for the impact on individual cases need to be held accountable," Patrick said.
The governor has not said how much money he expects the state will have to spend dealing with the crisis, but on Thursday his budget chief, Jay Gonzalez, wrote to district attorneys, court administrators and other state officials asking for an initial estimate of the costs expected as a result of the lab breach.
The letter also seeks a description of the "scope, nature and timing" of the anticipated work.
Dookhan's alleged confession and the missed warning signs were detailed in state police reports obtained this week by The Associated Press.
As early as 2008, a supervisor noticed Dookhan's testing numbers were high. He spoke to her superior, but nothing happened. In 2009, the supervisor took his concerns to another superior, saying he never saw Dookhan in front of a microscope.
In 2010, a supervisor did an audit of Dookhan's paperwork but didn't retest any of her samples. The audit found nothing wrong. The same year, a fellow chemist found seven instances where Dookhan incorrectly identified a drug sample as a certain narcotic when it was something else. He told himself it was an honest mistake.
In one incident detailed by state police, a lab employee witnessed Dookhan weighing drug samples without doing a balance check on her scale.
Dookhan was handling a staggering number of samples. An average chemist could test 50 to 150 samples a month, but Dookhan was doing more than 500, according to monthly reports, a lab employee told police later.
At one point in 2011, a top official even gave Dookhan a special project to try to slow her down.
Other lab employees worried about their own jobs and their prospects for promotion because their productivity wasn't as high as Dookhan's.
She was eventually suspended from lab duties after getting caught forging a colleague's initials on paperwork in mid-2011. Dookhan resigned last March as the Public Health Department investigated.
Over the summer, police interviewed Dookhan at her home, and she admitted faking test results for two to three years, forging signatures and skipping proper procedures, according to the reports.
Dookhan said she cheated by "dry labbing," or identifying a drug sample as a narcotic by looking at it instead of testing it. She said she routinely tested only five out of every 25 samples, and deliberately turned a negative sample into a positive for narcotics a few times.
At least one defense attorney has also accused her of overstating the weight of some of the seized drugs to expose defendants to heavier penalties.
Dookhan told police she just wanted to the get the work done and never meant to hurt anybody.
"I screwed up big-time," she was quoted as saying. "I messed up bad, it's my fault. I don't want the lab to get in trouble."
Suspicions ignored as bosses let chemist work on
BOSTON (AP) — Chemist Annie Dookhan was "Superwoman," a colleague at a Massachusetts state crime lab used to joke. She seemed unstoppable in her quest to please prosecutors, police and her bosses, testing two to three times more drug samples than anyone else, working through lunch and not bothering to put in for overtime.


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Improving health & well-being
Our performance: Health & hygiene
By the end of 2018 we had reached 1.24 billion people through our programmes on handwashing, safe drinking water, sanitation, oral health, self-esteem and skin healing.
Our performance: Nutrition
Δ In 2018, 48% of our portfolio by volume met the highest nutritional standards. This is based on an assessment of every single product in all countries, and across our total retail and foodservice business.
Our approach
Lack of safe drinking water, and poor sanitation and hygiene, cause millions of preventable deaths each year – particularly among children. By 2020 we will help more than a billion people to improve their health and hygiene. This will help reduce the incidence of life- threatening diseases like diarrhoea, which is one of the main causes of deaths in children under five.
Today, more than 1.9 billion adults are overweight – that's 39% of the world's population – with 40 million children classified as obese. At the same time, micronutrient deficiencies are estimated to impact over 2 billion people. By 2020, we will double the proportion of our portfolio that meets the highest nutritional standards, based on globally recognized dietary guidelines. This will help hundreds of millions of people to achieve a healthier diet.
Our approach encompasses health and hygiene and improving nutrition. We are uniquely placed to deliver change at scale as we are the only multinational consumer goods company with a portfolio across Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, Foods and Refreshment. The business case is compelling – delivering our commitments is driving more growth, lower costs, less risk and more trust.
Our approach, which directly supports a number of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, focuses on:
- Selling appealing products with health, hygiene and nutrition benefits
- Encouraging people to take action on health, hygiene and nutrition through behaviour change programmes
- Advocating to bring these issues higher up the national and international policy agenda
- Working with partners dedicated to health, hygiene and nutrition, to broaden our impact.