text:
|Six endangered species of Unionidae
|Scientific classification
Fleming, 1828
See text
The Unionidae are a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simply as unionids.[1][2]
The range of distribution for this family is world-wide. It is at its most diverse in North America, with about 297 recognised taxa,[3][4][5] but China and Southeast Asia also support very diverse faunas.
Freshwater mussels occupy a wide range of habitats, but most often occupy lotic waters, i.e. flowing water such as rivers, streams and creeks.
Origin and early diversification
The recent phylogenetic study reveals that the Unionidae most likely originated in Southeast and East Asia in the Jurassic, with the earliest expansions into North America and Africa (since the mid-Cretaceous) followed by the colonization of Europe and India (since the Paleocene).[6]
Life history
Unionidae burrow into the substrate, with their posterior margins exposed. They pump water through the incurrent aperture, obtaining oxygen and food. They remove phytoplankton and zooplankton, as well as suspended bacteria, fungal spores, and dissolved organic matter.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Despite extensive laboratory studies, which of these filtrates unionoids actually process remains uncertain. In high densities, they have the ability to influence water clarity [17][18] but filtration rates are dependent on water temperature, current velocity, and particle size and concentration. In addition, gill morphology can determine particle size filtered, as well as the rate.[11]
Unionidae are distinguished by a unique and complex lifecycle. Most unionids are of separate sex, although some species, such as Elliptio complanata, are known to be hermaphroditic.[19]
The sperm is ejected from the mantle cavity through the male's excurrent aperture and taken into the female's mantle cavity through the incurrent aperture. Fertilised eggs move from the gonads to the gills (marsupia) where they further ripen and metamorph into glochidia, the first larval stage. Mature glochidia are released by the female and then attach to the gills, fins, or skin of a host fish. A cyst is quickly formed around the glochidia, and they stay on the fish for several weeks or months before they fall off as juvenile mussels, which then bury themselves in the sediment.
Some of the species in the Unionidae, commonly known as pocketbook mussels, have evolved a remarkable reproductive strategy. The edge of the female's body that protrudes from the valves of the shell develops into an imitation of a small fish complete with markings and false eyes. This decoy moves in the current and attracts the attention of real fish. Some fish see the decoy as prey, while others see a conspecific, i.e. a member of their own species. Whatever they see, they approach for a closer look and the mussel releases huge numbers of larvae from her gills, dousing the inquisitive fish with her tiny, parasitic young. These glochidial larvae are drawn into the fish's gills, where they attach and trigger a tissue response that forms a small cyst in which the young mussel resides. It feeds by breaking down and digesting the tissue of the fish within the cyst.[20]
Sex is determined by a region located on the mitochondrial DNA, the male open-reading frame (M-ORF) and female open-reading frame (F-ORF). Hermaphroditic mussels lack these regions and contain a female-like open-reading frame dubbed hermaphroditic open-reading frame (H-ORF). In many mussels, the hermaphroditic state is ancestral and the male sex evolved later. This region of the mitochondria also may be responsible for the evolution of doubly uniparental inheritance seen in freshwater mussels.[21]
Fossilization and taphonomic implications
In large enough quantities, unionid shells can have enough of an impact on environmental conditions to affect the ability of organic remains in the local environment to fossilize.[22] For example, in the Dinosaur Park Formation, fossil hadrosaur eggshell is rare[22] because the breakdown of tannins from local coniferous vegetation would have caused the ancient waters to become acidic.[22] Eggshell fragments are present in only two microfossil sites, both of which are dominated by the preserved shells of invertebrate life, including unionids.[22] The slow dissolution of these shells releasing calcium carbonate into the water raised the water's pH high enough to prevent the eggshell fragments from dissolving before they could be fossilized.[22]
- ^ Unionidae. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 4 January 2012.
- ^ Huber, Markus (2010). Compendium of Bivalves. A Full-color Guide to 3'300 of the World's Marine Bivalves. A Status on Bivalvia after 250 Years of Research. Hackenheim: ConchBooks. pp. 901 pp. + CD. ISBN 978-3-939767-28-2.
- ^ Williams, J. D, M. L. Warren, K. S. Cummings, J. L. Harris, and R. J. Neves (1993). "Conservation Status of Freshwater Mussels of the United States and Canada". Fisheries. 18 (9): 6–22. doi:10.1577/1548-8446(1993)018<0006:CSOFMO>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1548-8446.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^ Burch, John B.. 1975. Freshwater unionacean clams (Mollusca: Pelecypoda) of North America. Biota of Freshwater Ecosystems, Identification Manual No. 11. U.S. Gov. Printing Office. 114p.
- ^ Heard, William H. 1979. Identification Manual of the Freshwater Clams of Florida. Fla. Dept. Environmental Regulation, Technical Series 4(2): 1-83.
- ^ Bolotov, I.N., Kondakov, A.V., Vikhrev, I.V., Aksenova, O.V., Bespalaya, Y.V. Gofarov, M.Y., Kolosova, Y.S., Konopleva, E.S., Spitsyn, V.M., Tanmuangpak, K. & Tumpeesuwan, S. (2017). Ancient River Inference Explains Exceptional Oriental Freshwater Mussel Radiations.Scientific Reports 7: 2135, doi:10.1038/s41598-017-02312-z
- ^ Allan, W. R. (1914). "The food and feeding habits of freshwater mussels." Biological Bulletin 27: 127-147.
- ^ Coker, R. E., Shira, A.F., Clark, H.W., Howard, A.D. (1921). "Natural history and propagation of fresh-water mussels." Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries 37: 77-181.
- ^ Churchill, E. P., Lewis, S.I. (1924). "Food and feeding in fresh-water mussels." Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries 39: 439-471.
- ^ McMahon, R. F., Bogan, A.E. (2001). Mollusca: Bivalvia. Ecology and classification of North American freshwater invertebrates. J. H. Thorp, Covich, A.P. San Diego, Academic Press: 331-429.
- ^ a b Silverman, H., Nichols S.J, Cherry J.S., Archberger E., Lynn J.S., Dietz T.H. (1997). "Clearance of laboratory-cultured bacteria by freshwater bivalves: differences between lentic and lotic unionids." Canadian Journal of Zoology 75: 1857-1866.
- ^ Bärlocher, F., Brendelberger, H. (2004). "Clearance of aquatic hyphomycete spores by a benthic suspension feeder." Limnology and Oceanography 49: 2292-2296.
- ^ Roditi, H. A., Fisher, N.S., Sanudo-Wilhelmy, S.A. (2002). "Uptake of dissolved organic carbon and trace elements by zebra mussels." Nature 407: 78-80.
- ^ Baines, S. B., Fisher, N.S., Cole, J.J. (2005). "Uptake of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its importance to metabolic requirements of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha." Limnology and Oceanography 50: 36-47.
- ^ Yeager, M. M., Cherry, D.S., Neves, R.J. (1994). "Feeding and burrowing behaviors of juvenile rainbow mussels, Villosa iris (Bivalvia, Unionidae)." Journal of the North American Benthological Society 133: 217-222.
- ^ Nichols, S. J., Silverman, H. Dietx, T.H., Lynn, J.W., Garling, D.L. (2005). "Pathways of food uptake in native (Unionidae) and introduced (Corbiculidae and Dreissenidae) freshwater bivalves." Journal of Great Lakes Research 31: 87-96.
- ^ Cohen, R. R. H., Dresler, P.V., Phillips, E.P.J., Cory, R.L. (1984). "The effects of the Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea, on phytoplankton of the Potomac River, Maryland." Limnology and Oceanography 29: 170-180.
- ^ Phelps, H. L. (1994). "The Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea): invasion and system-level ecological change in the Potomac River estuary near Washington, D.C." Estuaries 17: 614-621.
- ^ Downing, J. A., Amyot, J.P., Pérusse, M., Rochon, Y. (1989). "Visceral sex, hermaphroditism, and protandry in a population of the freshwater bivalve Elliptio complanata." Journal of the North American Benthological Society 8(1): 92-99.
- ^ Piper, Ross (2007), Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals, Greenwood Press.
- ^ Breton, S., Stewart, Donald T., Shepardson, Sally, Trdan, Richard J., Bogan, Arthur E., Chapman, Eric G., Ruminas, Adrew J., Piontkivska, Helen, Hoeh, Walter R. (2011). "Novel Protein Genes in Animal mtDNA: A New Sex Determination System in Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida)?" Molecular Biology and Evolution 28(5): 1645-1659.
- ^ a b c d e Tanke, D.H. and Brett-Surman, M.K. 2001. Evidence of Hatchling and Nestling-Size Hadrosaurs (Reptilia:Ornithischia) from Dinosaur Provincial Park (Dinosaur Park Formation: Campanian), Alberta, Canada. pp. 206-218. In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life—New Research Inspired by the Paleontology of Philip J. Currie. Edited by D.H. Tanke and K. Carpenter. Indiana University Press: Bloomington. xviii + 577 pp.


text:
Breaking Up Fights
Basic Techniques for School Personnel
Occasionally, arguments between students escalate and erupt into fights. It is important that school personnel know basic techniques for breaking up fights and dealing with students who are physically aggressive. Here are some suggestions from Johns and Carr,1995:
- Never ignore aggression. If ignored, small acts of aggression can quickly grow to more violent aggression.
- Go toward the scene of the violence. Sometimes just the presence of an adult will stop a potentially violent situation.
- Quickly review the situation. Try to determine what has happened, who is there, and what is likely to happen. If the situation includes members of rival gangs, send an onlooker for more adults.
- Look to see if there are any weapons present.
- In a strong voice, tell students that they must stop doing what they're doing. Sometimes students are hoping an adult will tell them to stop fighting so they will have a "graceful" way out.
- Tell any onlookers to leave the area. Call students by name if you know them, and tell them specifically where to go. For example, "Brian, go back to your class now!" is more effective than saying, "Everyone get out of here now!"
- Tell onlookers, and those involved in the aggression, the consequences of not following your directions.
- Make a mental note of the names of onlookers.
- Never get between students who are fighting.
- If the situation does come to blows, tell the students to stop. Sometimes just directing students to stop fighting -- in a loud, demanding voice -- is enough to make them stop. Again, in many cases the students actually are looking for an excuse to stop.
- After the incident, document what happened, and share this with other adults as required.
- Support victims in any way you can. Get them any help they may need.
Johns, Beverly H., & Valerie G. Carr. 1995. Techniques for Managing Verbally and Physically Aggressive Students. Hawthorne Educational Services, Inc.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
PODCAST: REpurposingNOLA's Traci Claussen
Traci Claussen is the owner of REpurposingNOLA, a unique business that arose out of a renovation project. Claussen got the idea of starting the business when she was renovating her apartment and had some extra bamboo flooring left over. She did not want to throw the bamboo away, so Claussen had folding chairs made from the surplus material. This project inspired Claussen to create REpurposingNOLA. This innovative business uses otherwise discarded materials as diverse as burlap coffee sacks, upholstery material, marine vinyl remnants and old Super Bowl banners to create a variety of items, including ladies' bags, dresses and tailgating aprons. In this podcast, Claussen describes how she has developed REpurposingNOLA into a successful line of truly made in New Orleans products.


text:
Lorena Bobbitt, the woman who cut off her husband's penis in a crime of passion that made national headlines more than 20 years ago, opened up about the ordeal sharing the harrowing story of abuse she says led to her marriage's gruesome end.
Bobbitt appeared on Monday's episode of Steve Harvey to share her "bizarre story" and "shine the light on domestic violence."
It's been more than two decades since Lorena, then 24 years old, cut off her husband John Bobbitt's penis while he was sleeping on June 23, 1993, after he allegedly attacked her following a night of partying.
But Lorena Bobbitt claimed that wasn't the first time she'd been abused by her husband.
"Things started to change after, you know, we got married," she told Harvey. "He was starting to disappear from the house, he would disappear for one day or two days. Turned out he had turned into an alcoholic, he was doing drugs and he was cheating with multiple women when we were married. So I was concerned with where he was."
It was when she started questioning her husband that she says the real abuse began.
"He was just beating me up because he didn't like to be questioned. But I had the right because I was the wife and I was confused," she said.
Bobbitt talked about "battered wife syndrome," saying she called police numerous times on her partner but he would make promises of change and she said she was too frightened to leave and had nowhere to go.
"I felt ashamed, I felt scared," she said. "My body couldn't take it, my mind couldn't take it, I was very scared so obviously I snapped. I cut off his penis because he abused me."
She went into cringe-worthy details about what happened the night she did the "unthinkable."
"That's what happens when a man pushes a woman so far and so low," she said. "My self-esteem was down and he came that night and abused me. I went to the kitchen for a glass of water to calm myself up because he was abusing me that night and all the things I remember was I took a glass of water and then I found myself in the street with a penis in one hand and a knife in the other."
John Bobbitt's penis was later reattached after it was severed and the pair divorced after six years of marriage.
John Bobbitt has denied Lorena's allegations of abuse and was acquitted of a charge of marital sexual assault in 1993. He said in a 2009 interview that he forgave Lorena and apologized for "the way I was back then."
Lorena Bobbitt was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity in January 1994.
"I was insane," Bobbitt said.
Lorena Bobbitt revealed on the show she has since remarried and now has a daughter.
"It's amazing," she said. "He's my soul mate."
She also added she started an organization called Lorena's Red Wagon, a shelter she said helps abused women and children through family-oriented activities.
"Something good has come of my negative," she said. "I wanted to bring hope to these children, to these women of domestic abuse."


text:
Similar Options To Consider
Lakeview Outdoor Designs Westfalen 18-Inch Square Low-Rise Natural Gas Column Fire Bowl - Oil Rubbed Bronze
Frequently Bought Together
Key Features
- Small size allows for installation on a column or pedestal, providing more freedom of placement to ensure the perfect look
- Heavy-duty 304 commercial grade stainless steel construction provides years of durability
- Maximum BTU output is 92,000 BTUs
- What is included: Fire pit enclosure, burner ring, and burner pan
- Suggested amount of fire glass to fill pan is 20 pounds
Lakeview Outdoor Designs Westfalen Fire Bowls add a modern touch to your outdoor living space or landscaping with the added benefit of warmth. This fire bowl is constructed of commercial 304 grade stainless steel with an oil rubbed bronze finish, and features a match lit 304 grade ring burner for years of trouble free use. Add fire glass or lava rocks to match your decor and complete the look. This fire bowl can be installed on a column or pedestal, making it the perfect addition to a garden or poolside setting. Base measures 14 X 14. Gas hose and connections are not included.
Legal disclaimers and warnings
Product packaging, owners' manuals, installation instructions, and/or operating instructions may include more information than what is shown on our website. The content on our site is intended to be used for reference purposes only. Please fully read all included manuals and documentation before installing or using this product. WARNING for California residents: this product may contain chemical(s) known to the state of California to cause birth defects, cancer, or other reproductive harm.
Product Information
- 814706022545
- Model Number
Learning CenterBack to Top
WarrantyBack to Top
Lakeview Outdoor Designs warrants stainless steel burners, fire rings, burner pans, and covers to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ten (10) years and all painted finishes to be free from defects for a period of three (3) years from date of purchase by the original purchaser.
Customer Reviews (0)Back to Top
Expert ReviewBack to Top
The Skinny:
- Modern Styling
- Heavy-Duty
- Lots of Options
- Great Value
Things We Love:
Lakeview fire pits give your outdoor space a modem touch of style. Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, you are sure to find one to fit your need.
Quality made fire pits are constructed with 18-gauge 304 stainless steel. The burner is made with 19-gauge 304 stainless steel.
They are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles including the Westfalen collection offer straight sides, while the Lavelle collection has sleek curved sides. Both are available in high and low-rise profiles. The smaller size makes this fire pit perfect for installing on a column or pedestal and near pools.
Choose from three attractive finishes to fit with any decor: Stainless Steel, Oil Rubbed Bronze, and Black. Alpine Flame fire pit burners and pans are covered by a 10-year warranty.
Things To Consider:
Installation should be done by a qualified professional. Don't forget to add fire glass or lava rock.
Questions & Answers (0)Back to Top
Proposition 65Back to Top
This product can expose you to chemicals including Chromium (hexavalaent compounds), which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to: www.p65Warnings.ca.gov
Shipping & ReturnsBack to Top
Free Shipping on orders over $49.
Ship your entire order to your home for free, especially the big stuff! * Continental US only.When Will My Item Arrive?
Once shipped, items usually arrive within 3 to 5 business days. If your item is large it may ship via one of our third-party freight carriers (18-wheeler). If your order has an item that is shipped on a freight carrier, you will be contacted to schedule a curbside delivery time.
This item leaves our warehouse within 12-16 Weeks$6.95 Flat-Rate Shipping
Anything under $49. ships at one low price. If your order increases, your shipping stays the same!45 Day No Hassle Returns
Return all new, unused and unassembled items in their original packaging, and we'll give you a full refund minus the cost of the original shipping AND return shipping.No Restocking Fee
Most companies charge a restocking fee. We think that is wrong.


text:
Tools >
Compression Tools > Platinum Tools 16201 SealSmart Compression Tool
The SealSmart Compression Crimp Tool provides simple, fast and reliable terminations. The perfect solution for CATV, DSS, Security and Residential Structured wiring installations. Connector adapters are included for F, RCA & BNC SealSmart connectors and mount in handle for easy storage. Straight action mechanism provides 360° uniform compression. Crimp height is adjustable for use with similar style compression connectors.
Download Product Instructions
Bulk CCTV Store
41W195 Railroad Street, Unit A
Pingree Grove, IL 60140


text:
I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too
The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. http://archives.gnb.ca/archives/default.aspx?culture=en-CA In addition to the vast databases that they have put on during the previous years, they have added 1918 births to their online places to check.
Understanding Your DNA Results: Comparison Charts
http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/understanding-your-dna-results.html Lorine, on her blog, Olive Tree Genealogy, discusses the role that DNA plays in genealogy.
Facebook, Videos, You Tube
No new websites this week
Newspapers Articles of the Week
David Chuenyan Lai: He has visited more than 40 Chinatowns and mapped their history http://www.theprovince.com/life/David+Chuenyan+visited+more+than+Chinatowns+mapped+their+history/8998098/story.html Imagine that when David Chuenyan Lai came to the University of Victoria in 1968, he couldn't find a single book in Chinese in its library.
Today, the retired geography professor has written nearly a dozen books on Chinese-Canadian history, and has visited nearly 40 Chinese communities in Canada.
Finding family roots may mean finding yourself - Metis genealogists search through family myths http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/20131006/SAG0801/310069999/finding-family-roots-may-mean-finding-yourself Read how a person is finding her roots, and herself through her ancestors.
Greber family donates records to South Peace Archives http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/2013/10/08/greber-family-donates-records-to-south-peace-archives The Hodgson family from Hythe have donated family archives to the South Peace Archives, Alberta. Also watch for a blog about Edna Greber's scrapbook by her daughter-in-law, Patricia Greber.
Designs Unveiled of the Sir John A. MacDonald Heritage Building http://dcnonl.com/nw/34709/gc The former Bank of Montreal building, at 144 Wellington Street, in Ottawa, is being redesigned to permanently house the Confederation Room (Room 200), formerly in the West Block, across the street, on Parliament Hill.
BRIDPORT: Memory walk will rediscover forgotten West Bay heritage http://www.viewfrompublishing.co.uk/news_view/28571/7/1/bridport-memory-walk-will-rediscover-forgotten A 'memory walk' around West Bay hopes to rediscover some of the heritage of Bridport's harbour in Newfoundland.
Story of the Week
Call for presenters at 2014 Webinars
The Ontario Genealogical society is joining other societies in presenting Webinars so that it's members can be better educated and knowledgeable in the business of the society.
In 2014, the Webinars will be presented on a monthly basis, and they are looking for new and experienced speakers with topics about Canada, in particular Ontario, as well as ethnic groups such as Irish, Scottish, English, French, German. Presentations about DNA, methodology, and technology/social media in family history will also be considered
Please send individually up to four topics including your most requested, and new presentations.
What to include:
• Your name
• Mailing address
• Telephone number
• Email address and website
• Audience Level
• Name of Presentation
• Summary of your presentation (250 characters maximum)
• Short Bio (50 words maximum)
• Speaking experience within the last 18 months
Each submission should have a unique subject heading (i.e. kathrynlakehogan1)
Email your submissions no later than 11:59 pm ET, October 31, 2013 to:
Kathryn Lake Hogan, Ontario Genealogical Society Webinar Coordinator at firstname.lastname@example.com
The next Webinar will be in November, and All OGS members are invited to sign to hear Thomas MacEntee.
Title: You Use WHAT for Genealogy? Wonderful Uses for Unusual Tools
Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EST
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/706504023.
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It's the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be on 21 October, 2013


text:
Watch CBSN Live
Fireworks light up the lower Manhattan skyline during Macy's Fourth of July fireworks show, Friday, July 4, 2014, in New York.
Credit: AP Photo/John Minchillo
Fireworks illuminate the sky over the U.S. Capitol building and the Washington Monument during Fourth of July celebrations, on Friday, July 4, 2014, in Washington.
Credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Fireworks explode over the Philadelphia Museum of Art during an Independence Day celebration, Friday, July 4, 2014, in Philadelphia.
Credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Fireworks erupt over U.S. Cellular Field after the Chicago White Sox played the Seattle Mariners in a baseball game on Friday, July 4, 2014, in Chicago.
Credit: AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles
This aerial photo shows a Fourth of July fireworks celebration over the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Friday, July 4, 2014.
Credit: Photo/Gerald Herbert
Fireworks light up the sky above the Brooklyn Bridge during Macy's Fourth of July fireworks show, Friday, July 4, 2014, in New York.
Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
This aerial photo, shows a Fourth of July fireworks celebration over the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Friday, July 4, 2014.
Credit: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Fireworks explode beside the White House marking Independence Day celebrations in Washington, Friday, July 4, 2014.
Credit: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
Macy's Fourth of July fireworks are seen from a Circle Line cruise ship in New York on Friday, July 4, 2014.
Credit: Photo by Brad Barket/Invision /AP
New York Mets fans watch a display of fireworks outside Citi Field after a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, July 4, 2014, in New York.
Credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
Tim Janus, center left, Joey Chestnut, center right, and Matt Stonie, second from right, compete during the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y., July 4, 2014. Chestnut won his eighth contest by finishing 61 hotdogs and buns.
Credit: John Minchillo/AP
Vice President Joe Biden greets a young spectator as he marches in an Independence Day parade, July 4, 2014, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Credit: Matt Rourke/AP
A new U.S. citizen holds an American flag at a naturalization ceremony at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis, July 3, 2014. Judge Sarah Evans Barker naturalized 101 new citizens at the ceremony, as part of an annual celebration of Independence Day by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Credit: Michael Conroy/AP
President Barack Obama and Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas applaud after Mayorkas administered the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members and civilians, July 4, 2014, in the East Room of the White House in Washington.
Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Fireworks explode over the Charles River in Boston, July 3, 2014. The annual Boston Pops Fourth of July concert and fireworks show was moved up a day because of potential heavy rain ahead of Hurricane Arthur.
Credit: Michael Dwyer/AP
A woman dressed in patriotic colors rushes past a giant American flag draped in front of Brooklyn's Borough Hall in New York, July 3, 2014.
Credit: Kathy Willens/AP
A girl waves flags during a concert at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in Boston, July 3, 2014.
American flags stand by names around the south reflecting pool at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City, July 4, 2014, following an event honoring those that lost their lives on 9/11 and those who survived.
Credit: Tina Fineberg/AP
The USS Constitution cruises past the Boston skyline on its annual turn around on Boston Harbor in Boston, July 4, 2014.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Thompson, right, of Detroit, and Megan Schinker, 13, of Stow, Ohio, watch a reading by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick during a concert at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in Boston, July 3, 2014.
Cooks prepare food for Independence Day celebrations at the White House, July 3, 2014.
Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images


text:
Since 1998
94,722 sqf
350 Employees
en 9100
With two production plants less than 6 miles apart in the Moroccan city of Casablanca, Exxelia Maroc offers its customers an outsourcing service based on two main areas of skills:
The assembly of components and complex electronic modules:
- HF diode packaging
- Assembly and tuning/adjustment of gyromagnetic modules
- Assembly and tuning/adjustment of quartz oscillators
- Assembly and tuning/adjustment of high frequency filters
- Antennas
These assembly processes are based on a range of leading-edge technologies:
- Wire bonding
- Vacuum metallization
- HF test equipment
- Reliability test equipment
The manufacture of magnetic components:
Transformers, selfs, inductors, motors or sensors.
Site Manager : Alain Vermersch
Angle bd Alkahrabae et rue Le Caire, QI Ain Sebâa, CASABLANCA Sidi Bernoussi, 20600 Morocco
Tel.: 00 212 (0) 5 22 66 70 00
Fax : + 212 5 22 66 70 97
Angle rue Mesfioui et rue chefchaoun, ZI Oukacha - Ain Sebâa, 20600 Casablanca, Morocco Exxelia Maroc Brochure
Featured products by Exxelia Maroc
No result


text:
Major Requirements
The following courses are required for students pursuing a Philosophy Degree. "All men desire to know" - Aristotle
Lower Division
- Philosophy 10 or 11 is required of all students.
Upper Division
The major in philosophy requires eight upper-division courses. The 130-131 and 135-136 sequences are required of all majors. In addition, all majors elect at least one course from Philosophical Topics: 108, 109, 110, 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 133, 134, and from Authors/Schools: 160, 170, 172, 174, 176, 178, and elect one further course from either category or undertake an approved 197 Special Study or 199 Honors course. In the senior year, candidates for the degree undertake an approved 196/198 Senior Thesis.
Majors planning graduate study are advised to take French or German (for study in modern philosophy), Latin (for study in medieval philosophy), or Greek and Latin (for study in classical philosophy).


text:
Access to food in the city's food desserts is being made that much harder by this past weekend's violent unrest. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports.
Looting, Fires Leave Food Deserts Harder Hit Than Ever
Sponsored By
Program: CBS 2 News EveningCategories: News, Local News, WBBMTV, Top Story, Google
Latest Videos
Rollover Crash Leaves Woman Dead, Another Seriously Near West PullmanA woman is dead and another in serious condition after a roll-over crash near the West Pullman neighborhood.
More Customers Complain They Didn't Get Electronics Fixed Or Money Back At Edwards TV Service In GaryA Gary man said a TV repair service has held onto his DVD player and his money for months, so he is taking his complaint to the State of Indiana.
Sunshine, Hot Temperatures ContinueCBS 2 meteorologist Robb Ellis has the latest forecast.
Temperatures Set To SoarCBS 2 Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has your 10 p.m. RealTime Weather update for Wednesday, July 1, 2020.
Delay In Marijuana Licenses Has Social Equity Applicants WorriedMore than 80 new marijuana licenses would have been announced Wednesday, but an executive order delayed them. Now, those licenses meant to expand and diversify the industry could actually be forcing social equity applicants out. CBS 2's Tara Molina reports.
Doctor On A Mission To Bring Temperature Scanners To Public Places In ChicagoDr. William Yates is leading the push to get temperature scanners in public places, and one of his first clients is the City of Chicago. CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reports.
Valparaiso Teacher Accused Of Demanding Nude Pictures For A GradeA 17-year-old female student in Valparaiso said Brian Kunze told her in order to keep her A in class, she had to send him the nude pictures.
Protest Over Possible Release Of Hit-And-Run SuspectProtesters were lined up outside the Cook County Jail Wednesday night, upset over the possible release on bond of a man charged with striking and killing a 13-year-old boy riding his bike on the Southwest Side.
Joliet Police Sgt. Talks About Blowing Whistle On Video Of Man Who Died In CustodyThe video showing Eric Lurry, who died in custody in January, is is another example of police departments across the country holding back on critical videos that raise questions about misconduct. But in this case, it was Joliet Police Department's own training sergeant who blew the whistle. CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini reports.
Joliet Police Sergeant's Reaction To Video Of Man Who Dies In CustodyJoliet police Training Sgt. Javier Esqueda talks with CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini about a video of a man who died in Joliet police custody in January.
Joliet Police Training Sergeant Describes Video Showing Man Who Died in CustodyJoliet police Training Sgt. Javier Esqueda talks with CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini about a video of a man who died in Joliet police custody in January.
Family Struggles To Reunite With 95-Year-Old Woman With Alzheimer's In HospitalBea Castillo says her mother not only has a broken hip but also Alzheimers, and being in an unfamiliar setting, like a hospital, and not seeing familiar faces is making things difficult.
Cubs Pitching Coach Tommy Hottovy Talks Tearfully About COVID-19 ExperienceCubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy teared up when he announced he recently had COVID-19. CBS 2's Matt Zahn reports.
Concerns Mount Over Whether Contact Tracing Will Be A Match For COVID-19For months, we've heard contact tracing will bring the coronavirus pandemic under control. But will that work? CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports.
FBI Searches For Two Men Accused Of Robbing Bank Near 87th And Stony IslandAgents say they may have robbed the Citibank near 87th and Stony Island on the evening of June 1.
Looking For SolutionsCBS 2's Jim Williams reports on what Chicago advocacy groups are doing to help curb gun violence in their communities.
Justice For SincereCBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reports on what CPD is doing regarding the recent spate of shootings where children are hurt or killed.
COVID-19 Survivor Released From Hospital After 72-Day Fight For His LifeA Carol Stream COVID-19 survivor is back home for the first time in more than two months, but he said there are days he can't even remember.
Chicago Weather: Lots Of SunshineCBS 2 meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has a look at the forecast.
Social Distancing During The FourthCBS 2's Steven Graves reports on what one Chicago suburb is doing to celebrate July 4th in the time of COVID-19.
R. Kelly Appeals Judge's Repeated Rulings Denying Him Release On BondAfter striking out in three attempts to convince a federal judge in New York to release him from jail due to the COVID-19 pandemic, indicted singer R. Kelly is now taking a swing in a federal appeals court, arguing the judge's "medical conclusions are poor at best."
Violence Against ChildrenCBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reports on what the family of 20-month-old Sincere Gaston said about getting justice for their son who was killed over the weekend.
Wage Hike, Driving Privileges, Civics Addressed In New LawsNew Illinois state laws dictating minimum wage, certain driving offenses and LGBTQ history education in public schools will take effect Wednesday. Katie Johnston reports.
R. Kelly Appeals Judge's Repeated Rulings Denying Him Release On BondAfter striking out in three attempts to convince a federal judge in New York to release him from jail due to the COVID-19 pandemic, indicted singer R. Kelly is now taking a swing in a federal appeals court, arguing the judge's "medical conclusions are poor at best." Katie Johnston reports.


text:
A teacher who dropped his towel on "The Tonight Show" was suspended from a Southern California Christian high school.
Steve Endemano bared his backside during a bit in which "The Tonight Show" puts together a "sizzle reel" to dramatize an audience member's life.
Centering on Endemano as an 64-year-old avid cyclist, the skit poked fun at age and steroid use. The scene, embedded below, culminated in a scene showing Endemano's pixelated rear in a locker room.
U.S. & World
Endemano told Jay Leno he teaches Bible study, physics and calculus.
A Facebook page titled "Justice for Mr. Steve Endemano" reported Thursday night that the teacher will be allowed to return to his classroom at Whittier Christian High School.
Calls to Endemano and the school district for comment were not returned by the time of publication.
After last week's suspension, Endemano's students and their parents have taken to Facebook.
Some said the skit's ending wasn't all that funny. Others commented that the teacher looked great without a shirt.
But most said they supported the veteran teacher of 34 years. And his suspension was too harsh of a punishment for a late night joke.
More Southern California Stories:
- Librarians Allegedly Stole Textbooks
- After Malfunction, WindSeeker Is Relocating
- Pasadena Restaurant Inspections Fall Behind
- Another Big Rig Slams Into 10 Fwy Overpass
- Auto Shop Accused of Holding Car for Ransom
- Fire-Rescue Crew Responds to Angels Flight Railway
- Renewed Call for NFL in LA
- Hunter's Illegal Blaze Sparked Rim Fire


text:
DENVER (Reuters) - A 29-year-old man has been arrested in Colorado on suspicion of stabbing four people in a parking lot outside the stadium hosting a National Football League game between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers, police said on Friday.
Justin Manzanares was held on three counts of aggravated assault stemming from a knife fight that occurred outside Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Thursday night, Denver police Sergeant Steve Warneke said.
Police believe the melee was a "traffic altercation" that escalated into violence, Warneke said in a video message. He said it followed a dispute after one vehicle pulled out of a parking spot and nearly hit a second vehicle.
"It doesn't appear that this was related to the outcome of the game," Warneke said.
The Chargers defeated the Broncos 27-20, handing the Broncos their first home defeat of the season.
Three of the victims suffered non-life threatening wounds. A fourth person who police believed was stabbed left the area and has not been located, Warneke said. Police initially took three people into custody after the fracas, but two of them were released.
Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Leslie Adler


text:
A puzzle.
K and her mother busy themselves with it by the Christmas tree. A thousand pieces; not the largest you have heard of I'm sure but when the image is Gustav Klimt's "Mrs Adele Bloch-Bauer" the challenge is considerable.
It can be difficult fitting all the pieces of a picture together when it is so complex. We are not long in and are warming ourselves after an expedition to a nearby hill for some sledding. Standing at the top at dusk and watching three or four families race down the slope and drag their sleds back up – windows twinkling in the distance as lights and fires are lit – I am reminded of the simpler jigsaws I would receive at Christmas when I was a child. More


text:
How many invitations should I order?
12 Jul
One of the most important details when ordering an invitation is to ensure that you order enough at the start. How can you be sure you order enough? That's easy…
Whether it's an Anniversary Party or a Rehearsal dinner, a baby shower or a bridal shower, before you order, we strongly encourage that you prepare an exact guest list. Ordering the correct number of invitations initially (plus a few extras just in case) makes good sense for many reasons. It will add extra cost and time if you have to reorder a small number later on.
Determining the number of invitations you need for a party is easy but there are a few details that deserve a reminder. Remember not to order the same number of invitations as the number of guests on your guest list. Married couples get just one invitation. Families with young children that are also invited also just get one invitation. Young adults aged 18 or older (even if they are still living at home) get their own invitation. And all single adults (or adults with a guest) just get one invitation.
Be sure to order some extra invitations as many people find that they remember additional last minutes guests. Also, sometimes envelopes are incorrectly addressed and there is a need for a new one. And it's a nice touch to frame an invitation when it's for an important event or to place it into a memory book.
Once the invitations are addressed and ready to mail, take your completed invitations to a U.S. post office so they can weigh and measure the stuffed invitations to ensure proper postage. Some over-sized invitations or square invitations may require additional charges. While you are there, select an attractive coordinating stamp. If it's a holiday party you may want a Christmas stamp. If it's a rehearsal dinner you may want a love stamp.
Finally, remember to check and double-check the details to be printed on your invitations before ordering. Carefully review the spelling of the venue, the party day/date, the address, the time, the spelling of all host's names, the Rsvp phone number and/or email address and any other critical elements. These details all must be absolutely correct when ordering! Once the invitations are mailed, keep careful track of the replies and start finalizing party details such as placecards, printed napkins, favor bags and bar accessories, to name a few.
Tags: baby shower invitations, baby shower invites, birthday invitations, brunch invitations, children's birthday invitations, cocktail parties, how many invites to order, invitations, open house invitations, ordering party invitations, personalized invitations, rehearsal dinner invitations, sweet 16 invites


text:
Speeches and Testimonies2019 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | Show more years
My name is Daniel Roth, and I am President and Chief Executive Officer of National Futures Association. Thank you Chairman Chambliss and members of the Committee for this opportunity to appear here today to present our views on some of the issues facing Congress as it begins the reauthorization process. NFA is the industry-wide self-regulatory organization for the U.S. futures industry. Regulation is all we do at NFA-we do not operate a marketplace and we are not a lobbying organization. As a regulator, NFA is first and foremost a customer protection organization. Our mission is to provide the futures industry with the most effective and the most efficient regulation possible.
Our approximately 4,000 Members include futures commission merchants ("FCMs"), introducing brokers ("IBs"), commodity pool operators ("CPOs") and commodity trading advisors ("CTAs"). We also regulate approximately 54,000 registered account executives who work for our Members. As a regulator, NFA's main responsibilities are many and varied. We establish rules and standards to ensure fair dealing with customers; we perform audits and examinations of our Members to monitor their compliance with those rules; we conduct financial surveillance to enforce compliance with NFA financial requirements; we provide arbitration and mediation of futures-related disputes; we perform trade practice and market surveillance activities for a number of exchanges; and we conduct extensive educational programs both for the investing public and for our Members. We also perform a number of regulatory functions on behalf of the CFTC, including the entire registration process-from screening applicants for fitness to taking actions to deny or revoke registrations when those fitness standards are not met. We perform these duties with a staff of approximately 235 people and a budget of over $32 million, all of which is paid by the futures industry.
The process of self-regulation has been the subject of a great deal of criticism over the last several years. The problems in the securities industry have been well publicized to say the least and have led some, including New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer, to label self-regulation "an abysmal failure." Less well publicized is the tremendous track record that self-regulation has achieved in the U.S. futures industry. Since NFA began operations in 1982, volume on U.S. futures markets has increased by over 1,200%-a great testament to the innovation and value of our futures markets. What most people don't realize is that during that same time period customer complaints in the futures industry are down by almost 75%. In 1982 the CFTC received over 1,000 customer complaints in its reparations program. Last calendar year the CFTC received just 93 complaints. Even when you add the 158 cases filed with NFA's arbitration program, the reduction in customer complaints is dramatic.
That dramatic drop was not an accident. NFA has worked in very close partnership with the CFTC and the futures exchanges to make sure that we are allocating resources where they are most needed, that we do not duplicate each other's efforts and that precious regulatory resources are not squandered. Self-regulation, both by NFA and the futures exchanges, has served this industry very well for a very long time. That's not to say that any of us can rest on our laurels or that the self-regulatory process is perfect.
Obviously, the industry is changing rapidly, and as it changes, the conflicts of interest inherent in the self-regulatory process may change as well. As futures markets all over the world grow more and more competitive, the need to ensure that the self-regulatory process remains above the competitive fray grows too. The CFTC's job of overseeing the self-regulatory process may become more sensitive and more complicated. We have every confidence, though, that the CFTC will continue to monitor self-regulation carefully so that self-regulation in the futures industry will continue to merit the confidence that it has earned.
In the last reauthorization process, Congress made bold changes to the Commodity Exchange Act. The Commodity Futures Modernization Act rejected a highly prescriptive, outmoded approach to regulation in favor of a more flexible approach that focused regulatory protections where they were most needed. I am pleased to join the rest of the industry in noting the great success of the CFMA and the superb work of the CFTC in implementing exactly the kind of flexible regulatory approach that the CFMA envisioned. The Commission and its staff have worked to reduce unnecessary and costly regulatory burdens for every segment of the industry while preserving the highest level of customer protection. The Commission has also followed the mandate of the CFMA to maximize efficiency by delegating more day-to-day, front line regulatory responsibilities to NFA. In January 2003, the Commission delegated to NFA the authority to conduct reviews and analyses of annual financial reports filed by CPOs. Additionally, in March 2003, the CFTC authorized NFA to conduct reviews of disclosure documents for publicly-offered commodity pools. Each of these recent delegations has been performed by NFA in a high-quality and expeditious manner. In making these delegations, the Commission has been able to free up its own valuable resources to apply them to areas demanding attention.
Though the CFMA has been a great success, it failed in one of its objectives that directly impacts customer protection. In the CFMA Congress attempted to resolve the so-called Treasury Amendment issue once and for all by clarifying that the CFTC does, in fact, have jurisdiction to protect retail customers investing in foreign currency futures. The basic thrust of the CFMA in this area was that foreign currency futures with retail customers were covered by the Act unless the counterparty was an "otherwise regulated entity," such as a bank, a broker-dealer or an FCM. Unfortunately, as we sit here today, there is as much uncertainty over the CFTC's authority to protect retail customers as there was five years ago. This uncertainty is clearly not what Congress intended in passing the CFMA.
The main problem stems from a decision in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in a forex fraud case brought by the CFTC, the so-called Zelener case. In Zelener, the District Court found that retail customers had, in fact, been defrauded but that the CFTC had no jurisdiction because the contracts at issue were not futures. The Seventh Circuit affirmed that decision. The "rolling spot" contracts in Zelener were marketed to retail customers for purposes of speculation; they were sold on margin; they were routinely rolled over and over and held for long periods of time; and they were regularly offset so that delivery rarely, if ever, occurred. In Zelener, though, the Seventh Circuit based its decision that these were not futures contracts exclusively on the terms of the written contract itself. Because the written contract in Zelener did not include a guaranteed right of offset, the Seventh Circuit ruled that the contracts at issue were not futures.
Zelener creates the distinct possibility that, through clever draftsmanship, completely unregulated firms and individuals can sell retail customers contracts that look like futures, act like futures and are sold like futures and can do so outside the CFTC's jurisdiction. To make matters worse, the rationale of the Zelener decision is not limited to foreign currency products. Similar contracts for unleaded gas, heating oil, agricultural products or virtually any other commodity could be sold to the public in an unregulated environment.
I recognize that Zelener is just one case, and we should not overreact to it. It's true that the Zelener decision would allow the CFTC in other cases to present evidence that the FCM made oral representations about the customer's right to offset. But the reality is that in most cases the sales pitch is not made by the FCM but by an unregistered, unregulated solicitor. It's not clear to me that any court would find that the nature of the contract between the customer and the FCM was transformed into a futures contract because of oral representations made by some third party. In my opinion, trying to work our way out of the Zelener problem through future enforcement actions puts an awful lot of chips on a bet that's no sure thing.
The bottom line is that the Zelener decision makes it much harder for the Commission to prove that contracts sold to retail customers to speculate in commodity prices are futures, makes it easier for the unscrupulous to avoid CFTC regulation and creates a real, live customer protection issue. Unsophisticated retail customers are going to be victimized by high-pressured sales pitches for futures look-alike products covering everything from foreign currencies to precious metals to heating oil and to any other commodity known to man. These retail customers are the ones who most need regulatory protection and that protection should not be stripped from them because a clever lawyer finds a loophole in the law.
It's NFA's view that Congress should address this issue. It may not be easy. The issues can be both sensitive and complex. We would want to ensure that any legislative response would not have unintended consequences. But just because it's hard doesn't mean that it can't be done. I am sure it would be helpful for this Committee to review a specific proposal to address this issue. NFA is working closely with the Commission and the industry to develop such a proposal for your consideration.
Unfortunately, the Zelener decision is not the only problem we have encountered with retail forex. Since passage of the CFMA, a number of firms-that do not engage in any other regulated business-have nonetheless registered as FCMs to qualify to be an otherwise regulated entity and have become NFA Forex Dealer Members for the sole purpose of acting as counterparties in these transactions. For example, just eighteen months ago, NFA had 14 active Forex Dealer Members and those Members held approximately $170 million in retail customer funds. Since then, the retail forex business has continued to grow by leaps and bounds. Today, NFA has 28 active Forex Dealer Members holding over $520 million in customer funds. That growth has not been problem free.
Though relatively few in number, forex dealers have accounted for 50% of our emergency enforcement actions and over 20% of our arbitration docket. I know the CFTC has been very aggressive in enforcement cases involving forex, though most of those cases have involved unregistered firms. Obviously, retail forex has consumed a good deal of resources at NFA, but we are committed to doing whatever it takes to get our job done. We have appointed a blue ribbon committee to review all of our forex rules. Just two weeks ago, our Board passed additional rules to strengthen both our financial requirements and sales practice rules regarding forex. We will continue to enforce our rules vigorously and bring actions whenever necessary to ensure compliance with our rules. Part of the problem, though, is that some firms can operate beyond our reach, in a completely unregulated environment because of a glitch in the wording of the CFMA.
As I mentioned before, the basic thrust of the CFMA was that only "otherwise regulated entities" could offer retail customers off-exchange foreign currency futures. Unfortunately, the wording of the statute only requires the counterparty to be an otherwise regulated entity. This creates the possibility that an FCM, for example, might be the counterparty but the firm that actually does the telemarketing for these products is completely unregistered and unregulated. There are literally hundreds of these unregulated firms doing telemarketing of off-exchange forex transactions to retail customers and in some instances the people making the sales pitches have been barred from the futures industry for sales practice fraud. I don't think that's what Congress intended at all and NFA would support an amendment to Section 2(c) of the Act to make clear that not only the counterparties but also the persons actually selling these products to retail customers must be "otherwise regulated entities."
There's one more forex problem I should mention, though we are hopeful that it's a problem we can solve through NFA rules without any further legislation from Congress. Section 2(c) of the CEA could be read to allow unregulated affiliates of FCMs to act as counterparties to retail customers if the FCM makes and keeps records of the affiliates under the CEA's risk-assessment provisions. Some firms have tried to take advantage of this provision of the Act by creating "shell" FCMs. These shell FCMs do not do any futures business and they do not do any retail forex business. Their sole reason for existence seems to be to create affiliates that do retail forex business in a completely unregulated environment.
I don't think that that's what Congress had in mind. Neither does the CFTC. The Commission has a pending enforcement action against one affiliate in which it alleges, among other things, that the affiliate does not qualify under the CFTC's risk-assessment provisions. A ruling in the CFTC's favor would, in part, require FCMs with retail forex affiliates to maintain $5 million in adjusted net capital. However, since that case may take some time to work its way through the federal court system, NFA's Board recently adopted a rule raising the minimum capital requirement for FCMs with retail forex affiliates from $250,000 to $5 million. We hope these efforts will solve the shell FCM problem without the need for legislative relief.
Another issue that Congress should be aware of, though we are not seeking amendments to the Act, involves the SEC's recent rulemaking that requires advisors of certain hedge funds to register under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Coordination among regulators has always been vital to avoid duplication of effort and the squandering of regulatory resources. With the SEC rulemaking, there's a real danger of duplication of effort regarding the CPOs and CTAs that are already regulated by the CFTC and NFA. Such duplication drains regulatory resources that are already oftentimes stretched too thin.
According to recent rankings by Institutional Investor, eighteen of the top 25 and 63 of the top 100 hedge fund complexes are operated by NFA Member CPOs or their affiliates. In fact, most of the prominent names in the hedge fund business are NFA Members. NFA already has extensive regulatory programs in place for all of its CPO and CTA Members, including regular audits and review of financial statements, disclosure documents and promotional material. Though we focus on futures-related activity, our review of our CPO financial records includes information on non-futures related investments. Overall, the CFTC/NFA regulation of CPOs and CTAs has been an unqualified success. CPOs and CTAs comprise 60% of NFA's membership but are named in only 20% of NFA's enforcement actions and in only 2% of customer complaints. If the SEC, the CFTC and NFA all end up regulating some of the same funds, that doesn't seem to be the smartest use of regulatory resources. We hope the CFTC and the SEC can work together to make the regulatory process as efficient as possible and we will do everything we can to help that process. Frankly, however, given our experience with security futures products, we are skeptical that regulatory efficiency can be achieved through cooperation between these agencies. We urge this Committee to use its oversight function to ensure that cooperation occurs, and if you are not satisfied with the level of cooperation, then we encourage you to consider a legislative response to this issue. We, of course, are willing to work with you in developing such a response if necessary.
One more area in which we can avoid duplication of effort would require Congressional action. The Act requires the CFTC to operate a reparations program to handle the resolution of disputes between customers and CFTC registrants. The program made a lot of sense when it was established almost 30 years ago, but the world is a much different place now. The CFTC and NFA have cracked down on sales practice fraud and NFA's arbitration program has grown and matured as an informal alternative to reparations. The impact of all these changes on the reparations program has been dramatic. In 1982, before NFA began operations, there were 1,079 cases filed with the Commission. As previously noted, last calendar year there were 93, compared with 158 arbitration cases filed at NFA. Simply stated, the reparations program has outlived its usefulness and we see no reason why the CFTC should be the only federal regulatory agency that maintains a dispute resolution forum. NFA would support an amendment to the Act to eliminate the reparations program.
In closing, let me state that NFA believes the industry and the public have benefited greatly from the enlightened regulatory approach that Congress adopted in the CFMA. We are proud of the efficiency we have brought to the regulatory process and are confident that the amendments we suggest above will further improve both customer protection and regulatory efficiency. We look forward to working with this Committee and with the industry to address the issues outlined above.


text:
Peer reviewed
Download full text
Download full text
ERIC Number: ED509647
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 190
Abstractor: As Provided
International Society for the Social Studies Annual Conference Proceedings (Orlando, Florida, February 25-26, 2010). Volume 2010, Issue 1
Russell, William Benedict, III, Ed.
International Society for the Social Studies
The "ISSS Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. (Individual papers contain references.) [For the 2009 proceedings, see ED504973.]
Descriptors: Social Studies, Proverbs, Social Justice, Global Approach, Photography, Visual Aids, Educational Research, Universities, Developing Nations, Textbooks, History Instruction, Criticism, Multicultural Education, Literature, Rock Music, Teaching Methods, Preservice Teacher Education, Urban Teaching, Terrorism, Values, War, Black Dialects, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Public Policy, Foreign Policy, Critical Theory, Race, American Indian History, United States History, Meteorology, Case Studies, Information Technology, Efficiency, Social Services, Organizational Effectiveness, Museums, Nonschool Educational Programs, Historical Interpretation, Reflective Teaching, Civics, Student Interests, College Students, Comparative Analysis, Russian Literature, Poetry, Politics, Social Systems, Adults, Quality of Life, Creativity, Documentaries, Film Production, Computer Uses in Education, Preservice Teachers, Leadership Training, Student Research, Research Skills, Citizenship Education, Interdisciplinary Approach, Classroom Techniques, Critical Thinking, Textbook Content, Motivation, Death, World History, Discussion (Teaching Technique), Communication (Thought Transfer), Mass Media, Internet, Females, Disabilities, Barriers, Constitutional Law, Integrated Curriculum, College Curriculum, Conflict, Latin American History, Childrens Rights, Participation, Comparative Education, International Education, Undergraduate Study, Learner Engagement, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Questioning Techniques, Single Sex Classes, Special Education, Team Teaching, African Culture, Folk Culture, High School Students, Adolescent Literature, Citizenship, Middle School Students, Urban Areas, Community, Regular and Special Education Relationship, Racial Relations, Student Developed Materials, Assistive Technology, Computer Assisted Instruction, Games, Access to Education, Knowledge Level, Films, Social Problems, Values Education, Secondary School Curriculum, Oral History, Government (Administrative Body), Citizen Participation, Youth Programs, Municipalities, Education, Peer Teaching, Tutoring, Beginning Teachers, Teacher Leadership, Self Esteem, Immigrants, Higher Education, Foreign Students, International Educational Exchange, Patriotism, Economic Development, Cultural Differences, Asians, Service Learning, Elementary Education, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Federal Legislation, European History, Foreign Countries
International Society for the Social Studies. University of Central Florida College of Education, 4000 Central Florida Boulevard Suite 115J, P.O. Box 161250, Orlando, FL 32816. Tel: 800-444-2419; Tel: 434-220-3300; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; Web site: http://www.theisss.org
Publication Type: Collected Works - Proceedings
Education Level: Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education; High Schools; Higher Education; Middle Schools; Postsecondary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Africa; Armenia; California; Canada; China; Egypt (Cairo); Florida; Germany; Haiti; India; Italy; Kenya; Pennsylvania; Russia; Rwanda; South Carolina; Thailand; Turkey; United States
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Higher Education Act 1980; United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills


text:
Note: This is an excerpt from a draft of my thesis, A Computer Model of National Behavior. The introduction and table of contents
are also available
3.1 Introduction
The following sections overview different methods that were considered for this simulation. Ultimately, object-oriented programming, fuzzy logic, and genetic algorithms were accepted. Conversely, game theory, cellular automata, neural networks, and genetic programming were rejected. Lastly, the issue of simple and complicated data is discussed.


text:
According to Lucas Searle, head of private cloud at Microsoft UK, as the cloud brings increased automation and more efficient delivery, it also shifts the IT focus away from just keeping the infrastructure going.
Traditionally, comments Searle, IT departments are silo-based, and as a result their focus is on technology, product sets and costs rather than on business imperatives.
As an article in Mashable points out, cloud and services revolve around content, monetisation and data. As cloud becomes more prevalent, much of the installation, configuration and maintenance work formerly done by data-centre employees is becoming automated.
This means IT staff are required not only to know technical aspects of the cloud, but to have managerial abilities and an understanding of the user experience as well.
They need to start to look harder at how IT can bring benefits to the business, according to Searle.
Change of scene
"Their perspective starts to change," he says. "The big theme becomes service delivery rather than infrastructure. An approach that takes the end-to-end management of architecture and service into account is required."
Microsoft recently sponsored a survey from research firm IDC which estimates that last year alone cloud services helped organisations around the world of all sizes and in all vertical sectors generate more than $400bn in revenue and 1.5 million new jobs.
The survey predicts that in the next four years, the number of new jobs will surpass 8.8 million.
IDC also estimates that 75 per cent of IT spending worldwide is tied up with maintenance of legacy systems and routine upgrades, or "legacy drag".
The report states: "Cloud computing allows IT organisations to shift some of that legacy work to the cloud, freeing up budget to invest in IT innovation that supports business innovation."
Conventional wisdom has it that the IT department is long on technologists and short on commercial nous and strategic vision.
With cloud computing, whether public or private, comes an opportunity for IT to connect with the business.
"If IT is seen as just a cost then there is still work to do"
The barriers between the commercial imperative and the IT department need to come down, so that business strategy is no longer separate.
"If IT is seen just as a cost, then there is still work to do. A more mature approach is one that recognises that IT delivers value to the business," says Searle.
So what weapons do IT managers need to have in their arsenal?
Microsoft IT Pro evangelist and blogger Simon May says that apart from understanding the technologies that power the cloud, IT staff also have to know what the business needs.
"Knowing what's important to your business and how the technology marries up to that is critically important," he says.
"You need to be fully aware of what's required and what's important so that you can ensure it happens.
"There's a misconception that the cloud has this automatic elasticity that scales things up and down as it sees fit. It doesn't really work that way."
May says IT managers also need to understand other areas, such as protection of customer data, when it is appropriate to use cloud technology and when it is not, and the security issues involved in cloud computing.
Speak the lingo
They also needs change management skills to facilitate a move to the cloud. This includes the ability to articulate clearly the reasons for the change to business managers in language that they understand.
Business managers need to appreciate the benefits of cloud. They must also be able to assess whether the IT department has the skills to deploy the technology and be aware of the additional resources or expertise that may be needed.
Caroline Chappell, senior analyst at telecoms research firm Heavy Reading, points out the similarities between the skill sets required for a successful cloud deployment and those required for outsourcing.
Successful management of the service level agreement becomes of paramount importance, whether it is an agreement with a public cloud provider or an internal one for a business's private cloud.
She adds that cloud inevitably brings more emphasis on procurement.
"IT managers have to stitch together the elements of the service they offer to the business, so there's an integration job potentially to be done as well," she says.
It also requires the IT department to package up its resources and offer them as cloud services to the business. These resources must be valued and priced according to their impact.
The IT department has to understand the rules and processes that govern the service agreement with the business and monitor agreements to ensure that they are being met.
It also has to work out a satisfactory method of charging services back to business departments.
Searle says there is a already a far better understanding among the company's customer base of the elements and skills they need.
"We're starting to see IT skills sets changing within the service model," he says. ®


text:
Direkter Kontakt für Lindab Produkte und Systeme in Ihrem Land (Landessprache)
Bilder 1/2
The deliveries to Aitik 36 were circular and rectangular ducts and silencers. "In addition to the actual duct systems, we have also installed large filtration units at two crushing stations. Lindab has supplied 90 % of our materials, and they have handled the deliveries really well. Sometimes the orders have been needed extremely fast and in such cases Lindab has really done everything possible to help us. With volumes of the magnitude we are talking about here, it is quite clear that other than Lindab there are few if any that can manage deliveries in that class." says Jan Sundberg, managing director of JR Mekan.
98292 Gällivare


text:
9/11 Heroes: A Fireman's Story
September 11, 2001 started out like an ordinary day for FDNY member Steven Salzano of Ladder Co. 132, located in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn, New York.
Salzano was installing a hot water tank in his Staten Island, New York home on his day off when his wife broke the news to him that a passenger plane had crashed into the World Trade Center building after she saw it on the news.
Upon witnessing the carnage breaking out in downtown Manhattan on television, Salzano immediately phoned in to his firehouse who originally told him that they did not need his assistance, but once the second plane hit, he immediately packed his stuff and reported to work.
Eventually all off duty New York City fireman were summoned by the city to report to duty to assist in the rescue effort.
"When the first plane hit I told my wife everybody above is dead and not getting out," he said to The Christian Post. "With the amount of fire in that building, every firemen knew that it was going to be a major operation."
When Salzano arrived at his firehouse, he and all the off duty fire fighters who reported there were dispatched to the World Trade Center on a city bus.
While traveling on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway on their way to Manhattan, the first WTC tower collapsed.
The second tower fell once they arrived in Manhattan, while they were located near a Municipal building on Chamber St.
"When we got there you couldn't see, even up to Chamber St. you couldn't see," Salzano said, "It was completely dark, you had about ten yards of visibility there, when we walked past Vessey street, everything cleared up."
They arrived at 5 World Trade Center which was completely engulfed in fire. They could not get water into that building, and they all backed out and headed to Liberty St.
They found an Engine on West St. and hooked it up to a hydrant to douse the flames engulfing another building located on 90 West St.
Salzano and his fellow fireman managed to "knock down a couple of floors of fire" and spent the rest of that day assisting in the rescue effort.
They were outside when 7 World Trade Center collapsed.
Salzano's firehouse lost six men that day who were last seen in the Marriot Hotel located under 2 World Trade Center, the south tower.
The effects of 9/11 have been detrimental to some of those firemen who survived the attack.
"Everybody's different; some guys became drunks and alcoholics, some guys had to get off the job, and other guys deal with it," he said.
Others struggle with survivor's guilt, but according to Salzano, the effects of 9/11 are not frequently discussed among those still on the job.
Memorials are held annually at his firehouse for those firemen who gave their lives on that tragic day, where retirees, their families, widows and those still on active duty attend a lunch-in.
A Catholic priest usually attends to offer comforting words to the firemen and their families.
Salzano was raised as a Roman Catholic and stated that he does not blame God for anything that happened on that day.
To him, it was all just part of the job.


text:
Relationships with
Photo Credit: Harry Meyen's picture is courtesy of Derrick Fanclub. Photographic illustrations of Harry Meyen 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 Harry Meyen is derived from astrological interpretation of Harry Meyen's date, time, and place of birth.


text:
Dig this article on Raymond Chandler by Jonah Raskin over at Boom:
Raymond Chandler relished finding names for his quirky characters, including Philip Marlowe, the pipe-smoking, chess-playing private eye—a literary kinsman to Sam Spade, Dashiell Hammett's solitary sleuth—whom I first met in the pages of fiction as a teenager and whom I have known more than fifty years. Sometimes the names are dead giveaways about the morality or immorality of the character, sometimes they're opaque, but I've always found them intriguing and an open invitation to try to solve the mystery myself. In his first novel, The Big Sleep (1939) Chandler calls the bellicose gangster Eddie Mars, the smut peddler Arthur Gwynn Geiger, and the top cop Captain Cronjager. In The High Window (1942), Lois Magic is the femme fatale, Linda Conquest is a torch singer, and Leslie Murdoch is the effete son of a nasty heiress who has murdered her own husband and brainwashed Merle Davis (a wholesome girl from the Midwest and a victim of sexual assault) into thinking she's guilty of the crime. Nice people, Marlowe observes wryly.
Born in Chicago in 1888, near the end of the Victorian era, raised in England among elite Edwardians, and transplanted to Los Angeles in 1913, Chandler saw California through the eyes of an English eccentric. A veteran of World War I who was wounded in action in France, and a child of Prohibition and Depression America, he recognized that crime was an industry in both boom and bust times, and a rich field for a writer. Then, too, as a displaced person and an alien in the Southern California world of cars and freeways, among phony and lonely people, he tapped into a vast reservoir of mass discontent. In his seven novels, all of them set in and around Los Angeles, he depicted the world as a vile place inhabited by loathsome people. A cynic, he envisioned no way to escape nastiness—certainly not by going to the movies, which, in his view, offered much the same trite boy-meets-girl story over and over again and trivialized psychological issues and social problems.
"Twenty-four hours a day somebody is running, somebody else is trying to catch him," Chandler wrote of LA. He added that it was "a city no worse than others, a city rich and vigorous and full of pride, a city lost and beaten and full of emptiness." Chandler loved and hated LA in much the same way that Balzac loved and hated mid-nineteenth-century Paris and F. Scott Fitzgerald loved and hated Jazz Age Manhattan.
[Featured Image Via the most cool: Daylight Noir]


text:
We are living in a uniquely urban time in Earth's history. In 1800, and for a thousand years before, just 2% of the world's people lived in urban areas. Within the past five years, we have reached the point where more people are living in cities than in rural areas. By 2050, around three-quarters of the estimated 10 billion people on Earth will live in cities. It's by far the biggest migration in human history, and it's well underway.
So much so that the Anthropocene will be dominated by one species:Homo urbanus.
As a result, most of our species will live in artificial environments. The evolution of urban landscapes will be one of the strongest environmental changes to affect us.
Civilisation, that great loaded descriptor of human society, originates with cities. They have grown from the once vast Nineveh – home to 120,000 people in the ancient Assyrian Empire in 650 BC – to the Anthropocene's megacities, defined as having more than 10 million inhabitants. There are currently almost 30 megacities on the planet (there were just three in 1975) – with the Tokyo metropolis, Japan's national capital region, hosting over 35 million people at a population density more than double that of Bangladesh. By 2050, these megacities are expected to merge into dozens of megaregions, like Hong Kong-Shenhzen-Guangzhou in China, with more than 100 million people living in an endless city skyline.
The denser the city, the more productive, efficient and powerful it becomes. The theoretical physicists, Luis Bettencourt and Geoffrey West calculated that if the population of a city is doubled, average wages go up by 15%, as do other measures of productivity, like patents per capita. Economic output of a city of 10 million people will be 15-20% higher than that of two cities of 5 million people. Incomes are on average five times higher in urbanised countries with a largely rural population. And at the same time, resource use and carbon emissions plummet by 15% for every doubling in density, because of more efficient use of infrastructure and better use of public transportation.
The urban revolution of the Anthropocene could prove to be the solution to many of our environmental and social problems, allowing humans to inhabit the planet in vast numbers, but in the most sustainable way. Or, it could finally prove to be our species' undoing, the apocalyptic version of the dystopian megacity so often portrayed in science fiction.
Urban re-think
Whether the cities of the Anthropocene will be environmentally sustainable or not depends on how the slum districts of developing world cities evolve. Will cities follow the inefficient North American model: suburban sprawl of highway-linked satellite towns, or rather the closely packed high-rises of Hong Kong and Singapore? Seoul is one example of how a city can transform in a couple of decades – from a filthy slum in which one-third lived in low-rise squatter settlements, to a shining functioning city of metro-linked skyscrapers in which most of the 25 million population live in healthy surroundings.
Apart from a few examples, most cities were never designed or planned, they grew - sometimes over thousands of years – in an ad hoc pattern. Occasionally, sections would be entirely rebuilt according to architects' plans, but these opportunities were usually the result of disasters, such as earthquakes or bombings, or because of grand schemes, such as slum clearance, industrial development or large-scale municipal constructions, such as a new highway or transport system.
Now architects are having to re-think the city in the age of high population, strained resource use and global environmental impacts. In some places, such as Tianjin in China, planners are designing entirely new cities for the Anthropocene, trying to avoid errors of the past and achieve a sustainable solution from the outset.
Most cities will have to be retrofitted for the new urban age to allow them to accommodate more people and function efficiently with lower carbon emissions. In my next few columns, I'll be exploring some of the tactics cities are using to meet these multiple challenges and create truly liveable, human habitats. I'll be looking at slums, integrated transport, networked "smart" aids, water and energy provision, and green architecture construction.
Before I do, it's important to note one point. As hubs of industry, transport and domestic and office buildings, cities consume a large proportion of global energy and generate more than 80% of carbon emissions. This geographic concentration of such a hefty proportion of emissions actually presents an opportunity for easier fixes. The more compact the city, the more energy efficient transportation and everything else is.
Reach for the skies
While suburbia was built around the automobile, the city of the Anthropocene needs to be built around efficient, low-emitting mass transit. But to fit 6 billion people into cities by 2050, they will have to rise upwards and reach the sky. These cities will increasingly feature skyscrapers connected by sky-bridges and corridors, served by elevated mass transit, with above-ground parks and gardens.
We'll also make more use of underground space, already so riddled with cables, pipes, sewerage, subway lines and basements that fossil-hunters of the future will wonder what enormous creature burrowed and ate its way through the Earth to leave such tunnels. Some cities, such as Singapore, already have vast networks of malls descending several storeys under its streets.
But cities have always defined themselves by their skylines, whether the vast gold-plated Mayan temples of pre-Colombian America, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the mythical Tower of Babel, the steeples and spires of Europe or the Empire State Building in Manhattan.
The new cities of the Anthropocene are continuing this trend – more than 350 skyscrapers have been constructed since 1999, when Malaysia unveiled its twin Petronas Towers, then the world's highest building. By 2016, the Petronas Towers won't even merit a spot in the top 10. The current tallest building, at over 828 metres (2,716 feet), is the Burj Khalifain Dubai, a sky-piercing structure of such immensity that it bears no relation to the human-proportioned Bedouin huts that peppered this location just a few decades ago. Three-quarters of the world's tallest buildings are now in Asia and the Middle East, over a century after the first skyscraper opened, half a world away in Chicago, then New York.
Scaling up doesn't have to be as ostentatious as the Burj Khalifa, but it can be as innovative. Architects are using new materials, such as steel reinforced concrete, and new techniques, such as computer modelling, to see how their buildings will function when complete – for instance, how people will move around, live and relax in these towering houses. It allows them to tweak their designs early, such as improving escape routes or optimising apartment views and sun penetration. Cleverly designed, complexes holding thousands of people needn't feel crowded or cramped. Some skyscrapers attract birds and wildlife to sky-gardens, tens of floors up.
But in order to improve the sustainability of skyscrapers, architects need to go beyond the not-insignificant economy of scale achieved to include low-energy innovations. The Bank of America Tower, which opened in 2009 in New York City, achieves just that. It is made largely from recycled materials, captures its own rainwater and conserves water in other ways, such as with waterless urinals. It filters incoming and outgoing exhaust air, produces two-thirds of its own energy using an onsite, gas-fuelled combined heat and power generator, and conserves energy with insulating glass and "ice-batteries" in the basement, a system that uses off-peak energy at night to freeze water and allows it to melt during the day to cool the air in the building. The office tower has won a slew of awards and been given a platinum (highest) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating.
In the Anthropocene, buildings will need to incorporate features like these, and also meet our human needs in a liveable space, including sociability, calm, recreation and ease of movement. And do this hovering tens, if not hundreds, of storeys above the ground.


text:
Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Program Grant
About the Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Program Grant
This grant is designed to encourage outstanding summer reading programs by providing financial assistance, while recognizing ALSC members for outstanding program development. The applicant must plan and present an outline for a theme-based summer reading program in a public library. The program must be open to all children (birth -14 years). The committee also encourages innovative proposals involving children with physical or mental disabilities.
2013 Winner(s)
Hartford Public Library Hartford, Conn
Hartford, Conn.
The city of Hartford is struggling with a high level of poverty, child abuse, illiteracy and a low graduation rate. Hartford youth lack substantial summer learning opportunities and each year drop an estimated three months of learning during the summer hiatus. The Hartford Public Library will use the grant funds to develop a Summer Reading Program for ages 18 and younger and those with special needs.


text:
Academic Integrity Resources
Interested in learning more about how to avoid plagiarism? The Monroe Library has new resources to help you out.
Check out our new Research Guide.
- Learn about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
- Find resources on how to manage your citations.
There's a new webpage to help you prevent plagiarism in your classes.
- Check out the tutorial on how to use SafeAssign in BlackBoard.
- Find suggestions for class activities and assignment ideas.
Have more questions? Ask a librarian!