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HTA is a multidisciplinary process that summarises information about the medical, social, economic and ethical issues related to the use of a health technology in a systematic, transparent, unbiased, and robust manner. HTA answers clinical questions of new, potentially innovative healthcare technologies such as: How well does a new technology work compared with existing alternative health technologies? For which population group does it work best?
EUnetHTA Assessments use the common reporting framework, namely the HTA Core Model®, to systematically search for, analyse, and integrate clinical evidence, while assessing the quality of the body of evidence. It gives national HTA bodies essential content for national appraisal procedures. Since member states have an individual legal framework for decision making, EUnetHTA Assessments refrain from providing recommendations or conclusions on the added therapeutic and/or clinical benefit. Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) and ethical, organisational, patient/social and legal aspects are also beyond the scope of a EUnetHTA Assessment.
The EUnetHTA Rapid Relative Effectiveness Assessments (REAs) include the following four domains:
For complete information about EUnetHTA's definition on HTA and Rapid Relative Effectiveness Assessments, please follow this link.
The Directive 2011/24/EU on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare was adopted in 2011 and stipulates (Article 15) that the Union shall support and facilitate cooperation between national authorities or bodies responsible for health technology assessment designated by the Member States. According to the Implementing Decision, the HTA network is to be supported by a scientific and technical cooperation to meet the objectives of the European cooperation on HTA as per Article 15 of the Directive.
EUnetHTA performs the function of the scientific and technical cooperation of the HTA network. Read more about the network here:
Health Technology Assessment Network
Health Technology Assessment Network Stakeholder Pool
For complete information about the history of EUnetHTA, please follow this link.
A European collaboration on HTA benefits pharmaceutical companies national HTA agencies and ultimately patients. By participating in EUnetHTA Assessments, companies have the opportunity to collaborate with EUnetHTA and shape the future of European HTA.
Benefits for a pharmaceutical company are:
EUnetHTA Assessments are HTA reports jointly produced by at least four EUnetHTA partners from different European countries. EUnetHTA processes, guidelines, and the HTA Core Model® are used for the production of Assessments. The HTA Core Model® is a common reporting framework to systematically search for, analyse, and integrate clinical evidence and assess the quality of the body of evidence. It gives national HTA bodies all the essential content required for national appraisal procedures.
Since Member States have an individual legal framework for decision making, EUnetHTA Assessments refrain from providing recommendations or conclusions on the added therapeutic and/or clinical benefit. Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) and ethical, organisational, patient/social and legal aspects are also beyond the scope of a EUnetHTA Assessment. EUnetHTA Assessments are also subject to extensive review procedures in order to ensure high quality.
Pharmaceutical EUnetHTA Assessments are centrally coordinated by the WP4 Co-Lead Partner Zorginstituut Nederland (ZIN).
All new medicines and extensions of indication that enter the market via the central procedure (i.e. via the European Medicines Agency [EMA]) are eligible for EUnetHTA Assessments. In order to actively identify compounds of specific interest for EUnetHTA partner organisations, EUnetHTA is developing a process called 'topic identification, selection and prioritisation' (TISP), which will result in a prioritisation list. Where the first EUnetHTA Prioritisation List (EPL) was launched as a pilot, its findings will feed into the structural and systematic approach of TISP. In addition, voluntary compound submissions by companies are much welcomed.
The EPL was based on the Innovation Observatory. The list was cross-checked with the open access Dutch Horizon Scan and the publicly available EMA list of medicines under evaluation to estimate regulatory timelines. In compiling the list, EUnetHTA partners were asked to indicate their interest, including using the Assessment at the national level. The final prioritisation was based on this feedback and combined with the anticipated feasibility of the compatibility of timelines of the EUnetHTA Assessment and estimated regulatory timelines. Therefore, prioritisation does not discriminate between pharmaceutical companies, compounds or indication. Of note, the EPL is an ad-hoc approach. In the future, this process will be replaced using the aforementioned systematic approach called 'topic identification, selection and prioritisation' (TISP).
As part of the implementation network, EUnetHTA collects use and uptake information by EUnetHTA partners (HTA agencies) of its jointly produced HTA information. The information is collected through surveys and interviews carried out with implementation network participants.
EUnetHTA has several processes in place to facilitate the national uptake of the EUnetHTA Assessments:
EUnetHTA also identified some steps and activities in which the company can help facilitate the national uptake of the Assessment. One of the recommendations for the company is to share information on the EUnetHTA Assessment and its processes with national affiliates who prepare the national submission dossiers. In addition, EUnetHTA recommends having each national/regional affiliate communicate to the local decision maker that they are participating in a EUnetHTA Assessment and that they should explore the options for the use of the EUnetHTA submission dossier in the national appraisal.
EUnetHTA defined a set of selection criteria that are followed when an assessment team is created (see below). EUnetHTA focusses on including relevant expertise, the commitment to use the Assessment nationally and available resources within the EUnetHTA Joint Action 3. In addition to this, EUnetHTA also seeks to build capacity by employing the following selection criteria:
A Declaration of Interest and Confidentiality Agreement (DOI) is signed by all participating individuals from the HTA agencies and external stakeholders (e.g. individual patients, healthcare providers, medical editor).
EUnetHTA Assessments are conducted following the EUnetHTA Guidelines. The primary aim of the EUnetHTA Guidelines is to guarantee consistency between Assessments and to guide the assessors in all steps of EUnetHTA Assessment production, e.g. how available evidence/data is analysed and interpreted. Existing guidelines are being revised regularly and new guidelines are being developed.
Detailed information on the use of EUnetHTA Assessments can be found here.
If your company is interested in suggesting a pharmaceutical compound for a EUnetHTA Assessment, you should submit a Letter of Intent to Zorginstituut Nederland – the Pharmaceutical Co-Lead Partner of WP4. This can be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com. In the Letter of Intent, further details about the suggested compound are described: population, intervention, comparator and outcomes (PICO). The template for this letter can be found here.
As soon as a completed and signed Letter of Intent is received, the project manager(s) will reach out to all relevant EUnetHTA WP4 partners to identify assessment team members. Please note that, since EUnetHTA aims to ensure high national uptake of an Assessment, a EUnetHTA Assessment on a suggested compound can only be performed if there is sufficient interest from WP4 partners in (working on) this topic.
The participation of a company starts by submitting a completed and signed Letter of Intent. After a team is formed, the manufacturer is invited to submit a Scoping Document, focussing on the manufacturers' view of the PICO (+ justification), prior to attending a scoping face-to-face meeting with the authoring team and the project manager(s). The scoping face-to-face meeting provides the possibility to discuss the PICO and the information the authoring team (author and co-author) requires in the Submission Dossier.
One month prior to CHMP opinion, the company delivers the Submission Dossier to EUnetHTA, which forms the basis for the Assessment.
Approximately three weeks prior to publication of the EUnetHTA Assessment, there is a possibility for the company to do a factual accuracy check of the draft EUnetHTA Assessment, i.e. they can make sure that the factual information in the EUnetHTA Assessment regarding their product is correct. Each Authoring Team decides whether they want to include a factual accuracy check in their assessment. The Authoring Team will formally answer fact check-related comments which are published on the EUnetHTA website in order to allow transparency. Such checks have been conducted in all Pharmaceutical Joint Assessments in JA3 so far. The factual accuracy check takes place in parallel with the medical editing of the draft assessment report and takes five calendar days.
The best time to contact Zorginstituut Nederland (WP4 pharma Co-Lead Partner) depends on the EMA submission date and the regulatory pathway (i.e. initial marked application, Type II variation or accelerated access). CHMP opinion and publication of the EPAR always form the basis of the EUnetHTA Assessment timelines. In order to publish the EUnetHTA Assessment report close after EPAR to facilitate a high national uptake, the assessment has to start immediately after CHMP opinion. This results in strict deadlines and the need for everyone to comply with the timelines set in the Project Plan.
To allow for a proper scoping phase (i.e. assembling the team, scoping face-to-face meeting) a Letter of Intent should be submitted around day 0 of EMA submission. Informal dialogue between the company and EUnetHTA on, for example, procedures, can be initiated well before EMA submission.
There is no fee for suggesting compounds or for participating in a EUnetHTA Assessment.
The main investment of companies is the time spent by their employees to prepare the EUnetHTA Submission Dossier. It is expected that the company will be able to use parts of, or the entire EUnetHTA Submission Dossier/report, for national submissions. We strongly encourage companies to get in touch with their national affiliates to make them aware of the (upcoming) EUnetHTA Submission Dossier and Assessment report to enhance the use of the EUnetHTA documents in national submissions.
The company is also invited to a face-to-face scoping meeting (see the question on "How does the participation of a company in a EUnetHTA Assessment of a pharmaceutical compound look like?"). Travel/accommodation costs of company employees cannot be reimbursed by EUnetHTA. Scoping meetings are held in Amsterdam (Netherlands) at the office of the WP4 Pharma Co-Lead Partner, Zorginstituut Nederland.
In order to proceed with a EUnetHTA Assessment the following documents are required:
Letter of Intent (LOI)
The LOI is submitted by the company will be shared with all WP4 partners that assess pharmaceuticals, in order to form an assessment team.
In the Letter of Intent, details about the suggested compound should be outlined: Population, Intervention, Comparator and Outcomes (PICO) and statistical methods available to analyse the data. The template for this letter can be found here.
Scoping Document
In order to have an efficient and informed scoping face-to-face meeting, the manufacturer is requested to submit a Scoping Document. This document should be concise and focus on the manufacturers' perspective (and justification) of the PICO and any statistical methods for presenting the data (e.g. Network Meta-Analysis). The template for the Scoping Document can be found here.
Submission Dossier
The Submission Dossier, provided by the company of the compound under assessment, forms the basis for the EUnetHTA Assessment. This dossier consists of:
The EUnetHTA Submission Dossier was created based on the most common submission requirements from around Europe; therefore, parts of it can be used in national processes.
In short, the Submission Dossier consists of a description of the technology and disease, provides an overview of current treatments/guidelines, proposes a scope for the assessment consisting of Population, Intervention, Comparator(s) and Outcomes (PICO), systematic literature search, and all relevant publications together with the evidence synthesis. The Submission Dossier is used as a basis in the EUnetHTA Assessment.
The Submission Dossier typically follows the rapid Relative Effectiveness Assessment (REA) model of the HTA Core Model which consists of four domains, themselves consisting of generic research questions, the so-called 'assessment elements':
The EUnetHTA Submission Dossier is shared with the project manager, who then shares it with the assessment team (authors, co-authors, dedicated reviewers and observers). Authors are free to cite from the Submission Dossier.
Only after publication of the EUnetHTA Assessment will the Core Submission Dossier be made public. Appendices to the Core Submission Dossier, e.g. CSRs are not published by EUnetHTA. For further information, please read EUnetHTA's Submission Requirements Fact Sheet available here.
The following items will be made publicly available:
EUnetHTA has an error reporting and correction procedure in place. If you see a potential error in the EUnetHTA report, please contact the secretariat at email@example.com and report the potential error. In your email, please clearly:
For further details on the process steps and the error classification, you can consult the dedicated process flow here.
The exact timelines are dependent on the regulatory pathway. To give a general understanding of the timelines, please see the list below. For a thorough understanding of what the timelines may look like for a specific compound, please contact us at email@example.com
Key Activity & Time Expectation
Letter of Intent – Around Day 0 of EMA submission.
Scoping Document – 1 month prior to scoping face-to-face meeting.
Scoping face-to-face meeting – 2-3 months prior to CHMP opinion.
Submission Dossier – 1 month prior to CHMP opinion.
Start Assessment Phase – CHMP opinion.
Factual Accuracy Check (optional) – 3 weeks prior to publication of the Assessment Report.
Publication of the Assessment Report – 2 weeks after EPAR publication.
This website was produced under the Third EU Health Programme through a service contract with the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) acting under the mandate from the European Commission. The information and views set out in this website are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission/Executive Agency. The Commission/Executive Agency do not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this website. Neither the Commission/Executive Agency nor any person acting on the Commission's/Executive Agency's behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.
©2021 EUnetHTA All rights reserved.


text:
Nelson Mandela Metro turning the corner in housing delivery
NELSON Mandela Bay's Department of Human Settlements has turned the corner in its efforts to upscale service delivery, says acting Executive Director Mandla George.
"We have been able to get contractors on site to build houses on scale, using all available capacity, under strict performance compliance," said George.
Working with the Housing Development Agency (HDA), as an implementing agent of the three spheres of government following a Cabinet sanctioned intervention in the Metro, established contractors are under strict instructions to produce as many units as possible.
"We have also reinvigorated the beneficiary management system, and we have an approval rate that takes into consideration the production rate. No contractor should lie idle because of beneficiaries," he said.
Chatty 1060: Eight contractors are on site and 23 construction contracts signed. Construction has commenced with 106 foundations completed, 20 houses at wall plates and nine at roof level.
Joe Slovo West: Sixteen contractors are on site and 36 construction contracts signed. Site clearing has commenced and more contractors are expected to be on site, resulting in more units being produced.
Soweto on Sea: Thirty one units are at different stages of construction, nine foundations completed and 24 sites cleared.
Walmer Area Q: Contractor has completed all 161 units with approved beneficiaries in this project that was launched in November 2015. The focus is now on getting approvals for the 16 outstanding approvals.
Sisulu Village: Eight units have been completed, 18 are at wall plate.
Motherwell NU29 Phase 2: Progress is still very minimal. Appointment letter for an engineer has been issued for the structural assessment of the units under construction, complete and complete without Final Unit Report. This assessment will assist in the designing of the timber deck, the staircases and upper level partition. Once all this is complete, the project will then be enrolled with NHBRC to comply with the requirement to the non-compliance that was issued.
Tyriville: The contractor has moved back to site and started with completion of four units. Five more houses are underway and contractor committed to finalize the project in the middle of June 2016.
Missionvale 2400 (207): The pre-planning exercise for the installation of services for 207 units is progressing well and planning to have the contractors on site during June 2016. Contractors have been called in to establish their readiness.
Joe Slovo – Uitenhage: A challenge with underground water on three sites has been sighted as deterrence to building on the sites. Investigations have been commissioned to establish the extent of the challenge and mitigations will then be solicited from the directorate concerned.
Chatty 491: Construction has commenced on site and 20 foundations have been completed at this project meant to benefit military veterans. Even though there has been progress, work has stopped because of funding challenges.
George said the following months would see all these areas being major construction sites, where many small, medium and macro enterprises, artisans and local workers will benefit from work and job opportunities.
The material suppliers would also benefit immensely as many construction materials like bricks and cements would be bought. The Metro expected to build over 4 000 houses in these areas.
"There will be a lot a training opportunities for local contractors and otherwise, whilst the National Urban and Reconstruction Housing Agency (NURCHA) is geared to provide funding for the small business at very favourable conditions," said George.
Small businesses should take advantage of the NURCHA funding opportunities, in order to ensure that they get the necessary cash liquadity to run their projects.
For more information please call Xolani Xundu at 083 788 5747

subset: commoncrawl


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Hyundai Sonata: Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has 6 forward speeds and one reverse speed. The individual speeds are selected automatically, depending on the position of the shift lever.
To move the shift lever from the P (Park) position, the brake pedal must be depressed and the lock release button must be pressed.
The first few shifts on a new vehicle, if the battery has been disconnected, may be somewhat abrupt. This is a normal condition, and the shifting sequence will adjust after shifts are cycled a few times by the TCM (Transaxle Control Module) or PCM (Powertrain Control Module).
For smooth operation, depress the brake pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to a forward or reverse gear.
WARNING - Automatic transaxle
- Always check the surrounding areas near your vehicle for people, especially children, before shifting a car into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
- Before leaving the driver's seat, always make sure the shift lever is in the P (Park) position; then set the parking brake fully and shut the engine off. Unexpected and sudden vehicle movement can occur if these precautions are not followed in the order identified.
- To avoid damage to your transaxle, do not accelerate the engine in R (Reverse) or any forward gear position with the brakes on.
- When stopped on an incline, do not hold the vehicle stationary with engine power. Use the service brake or the parking brake. • Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R (Reverse) when the engine is above idle speed.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster displays the shift lever position when the ignition switch is in the ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into P (Park). This position locks the transaxle and prevents the drive wheels from rotating.
- Shifting into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion will cause the drive wheels to lock which will cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
- Do not use the P (Park) position in place of the parking brake. Always make sure the shift lever is latched in the P (Park) position and set the parking brake fully.
- Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
The transaxle may be damaged if you shift into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle backward.
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you may damage the transaxle if you shift into R (Reverse) while the vehicle is in motion, except as explained in "Rocking the vehicle" in this section.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not engaged. The vehicle will roll freely even on the slightest incline unless the parking brake or service brakes are applied.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving position. The transaxle will automatically shift through a 6-gear sequence, providing the best fuel economy and power.
For extra power when passing another vehicle or climbing grades, depress the accelerator fully, at which time the transaxle will automatically downshift to the next lower gear.
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into D (Drive).
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or in motion, sports mode is selected by pushing the shift lever from the D (Drive) position into the manual gate. To return to D (Drive) range operation, push the shift lever back into the main gate.
In sports mode, moving the shift lever backwards and forwards will allow you to make gearshifts rapidly.
Up (+) : Push the lever forward once to shift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one gear.
- In sports mode, the driver must execute upshifts in accordance with road conditions, taking care to keep the engine speed below the red zone.
- In sports mode, only the 6 forward gears can be selected. To reverse or park the vehicle, move the shift lever to the R (Reverse) or P (Park) position as required.
- In sports mode, downshifts are made automatically when the vehicle slows down. When the vehicle stops, 1st gear is automatically selected.
- In sports mode, when the engine rpm approaches the red zone, the transaxle will upshift automatically.
- To maintain the required levels of vehicle performance and safety, the system may not execute certain gearshifts when the shift lever is operated.
- When driving on a slippery road, push the shift lever forward into the +(up) position. This causes the transaxle to shift into the 2nd gear which is better for smooth driving on a slippery road. Push the shift lever to the -(down) side to shift back to the 1st gear.
Paddle shifterThe paddle shifter is available when the shift lever is in the D position or the sport mode. With the shift lever in the D position The paddle shifter can operate when the vehicle speed is mor ...
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Welcome to Le Westin Montreal
History meets modern flair at our Old Montreal, Quebec hotel
Transform any trip into a relaxing getaway at Le Westin Montréal. Our Old Montreal hotel is full of modern amenities designed to elevate your stay no matter what time of year. Surrounded by centuries of history in architecture, art and French culture, you'll find many of the city's prominent destinations within walking distance. Visit the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, the cobblestone streets of Montreal's famous Parisian-style historic district, the Old Port and the Palais des congrès. Get around town by foot or bike, with many bicycle rentals scattered throughout the city. After a day exploring the sights, retreat to our spacious rooms and suites equipped with free Wi-Fi, pillowtop mattresses and marble bathrooms. When you've worked up an appetite, our on-site gaZette restaurant features a mouth-watering menu with take-out options. Whether traveling for leisure or business, or a bit of both, Le Westin Montréal provides a refined experience to restore balance and control.
Rooms & Suites
Check-in: 3:00 pm
Check-out: 12:00 pm
Minimum Age to Check In: 18
Smoke Free Property
Pets Welcome
Dogs must be on a leash. Maximum 150$/ stay.
Maximum Pet Weight: 40kgs
Maximum Number of Pets in Room: 2
On-Site Parking
Daily: $45
Get a taste of local food at our French restaurant in Old Montreal. With an extensive selection of farm-to-table dining options showcasing French-Canadian cuisine, there's no better place in downtown to enjoy a delicious and healthy meal.
Le Westin Montreal
270 Saint-Antoine Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2Y 0A3
Private Car Service
Bus Station:Gare d'autocars de Montréal
Megabus Montreal Terminal
Subway Station:Métro (Subway) Place-d'Armes
Train Station:
Property Details
Accepts: Cash, Credit Cards
Concierge desk service
Property has elevators
Languages spoken by staff:
French, English, Spanish
For more information about the physical features of our accessible rooms, common areas or special services relating to a specific disability please call +1 514-380-3333
Accessible on-site parking
Property has elevators
Service Animals are Welcome
Entrance to On-Site Business Center is Accessible
Main Entrance is Accessible
Meeting Spaces are Accessible
On-Site Restaurants are Accessible
Room and Suites Access through the Interior Corridor
Accessible Vanities
Alarm Clock Telephone Ringers
Deadbolts on Guest Room and Suites Doors
Electronic Room Key
Guest Room and Suites Doors Self-Closing
Hearing Accessible Rooms and/or Kits
Lever Handles on Guest Room Doors
Lowered Deadbolts on Guest Room Doors
Lowered Electrical Outlets
Lowered Viewports in Guest Room Doors
Mobility accessible rooms
Non-slip Grab Rails in the Bathroom
Roll-in Shower
Safety Chains and/or Latches on Guest Doors
Toilet Seat at Wheelchair Height - Toilet for Disabled
Viewports in Guest Room and Suites Doors
TripAdvisor GreenLeaders Certified
Green Key Eco-Rating Program Certified
Carbon Footprint: 9.87 kg per room night
Electric car charging
The check-in time at Le Westin Montreal is 3:00 pm and the check-out time is 12:00 pm.
The pet policy at Le Westin Montreal is:
Pets Welcome
Dogs must be on a leash. Maximum 150$/ stay.
Maximum Pet Weight: 40kgs
Maximum Number of Pets in Room: 2
The parking options at Le Westin Montreal are:
On-Site Parking
Electric Car Charging Station
Studded tires are not accepted. Checkout is at 12:00 pm. 20$ fee applies if exceeding
The property amenities at Le Westin Montreal are:
Fitness Center
Indoor Pool
Hot Tub
Meeting Space
Free Wifi
Convenience Store
Dry Cleaning Service
Room Service
Wake up Calls
Daily Housekeeping
Service Request
Yes, Le Westin Montreal has free Wi-Fi available to hotel guests.


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The Detroit Pistons wrap up their 2012 preseason schedule on Friday when they host the Atlanta Hawks. The Pistons will look to finish their exhibition season at .500, which they can do with a win.
Detroit is coming off an ugly 95-76 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves up in Canada. Rodney Stuckey scored 21 points for the Pistons, but only two other players scored in double figures.
Stuckey leads the team in scoring this preseason at 13.1 points per game, although he has struggled with his shot. Greg Monroe has been the best Piston so far, with averages of 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds. Rookie center Andre Drummond struggled against the Timberwolves, but has shown some promise in other games.
Atlanta has gone 3-3 this preseason as they attempt to acclimate a host of new players. Newly acquired guard Louis Williams leads the team in scoring, putting up 13.2 points per game.
Point guard Jeff Teague has been battling an ankle problem, and it's unclear whether he will play on Friday night.
Tip-off for Hawks/Pistons is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.


text: With excellent interest rates and tailored monthly payments, Toyota lease deals nearby help add plenty of value to your car shopping experience. Discover unbelievable new Toyota deals around Hattieville, Arkansas on your next car lease or service visit. Purchasing a certified pre-owned Toyota with Toyota rebates near your community means finding the highest performance and value for your investment. Our local Toyota dealerships are always happy to put you behind the wheel of your ideal Toyota with brilliant new car rebates near you. If you're looking for more information on a brilliant Toyota lease or any other attractive Toyota discounts in Hattieville, Arkansas, your neighborhood Toyota dealership is more than ready to bring you more information. From exciting discounts to new Toyota offers nearby, Toyota local specials bring you quality at an attractive price. Never miss another Toyota offer again. From new car offers close to your neighborhood to excellent offers on tire replacements, your Toyota dealerships always have a brand new offer to help you save big on your next Toyota purchase. Ensure you take advantage of the superb rebate incentives and competitive leasing options at your community Toyota dealer. Discover which Toyota special offers nearby can help you in saving your money today. Discovering a trustworthy quality used car can sometimes seem impossible. You can depend on your local areas' Toyota dealerships to offer the reliability you've come to expect for the ideal price with tons of local used Toyota offers close to you.


text:
Monday, December 31, 2012
Who's On First? Or Second?
Kinley was supposed to arrive in January 2012. Instead, she arrived on December 30, 2011. She crashed our little family Christmas that was supposed to happen that evening. Instead, we opened our family presents on January 1, the day she came home from the hospital. (Yes, she already had presents under the tree and plenty of "stuff" in her stocking without Grandma having to do a bit of last-minute shopping.)
Friday, December 28, 2012
Christmas Bloopers
My brother had the right idea. Instead of trying to capture the moment with a still camera, he was shooting video. I think there were eight cameras in the room. From seeing what the other people have posted on Facebook, I don't think anybody got the perfect posed photo of four great-grandchildren under the age of 2 1/2.
|1994 - The first year with all seven grandchildren
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
For Unto Us A Child Is Born
|Stained glass window at the Cathedral of the Plains, Victoria, KS
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9: 5-7
May you have a blessed Christmas with family and friends! I saw this video, The Cross in Christmas, on another blog. It has beautiful photos and the song When Love Was Born performed by Christian artist Mark Schultz, who is a native Kansan and K-State grad. Enjoy! It's definitely worth the listen to put you in the Christmas spirit!
Christ the babe comes in Christmas as Christ the Savior comes on the cross - seeking only our embrace.
I'm taking a few days off from the blog for the holidays. Enjoy your time with family!
Monday, December 24, 2012
Santa Babies
Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas
if you stop opening presents and listen.
-- Anonymous
The changes are evident on my side of the family, too. Today is my Mom's birthday. The annual birthday photo with Grandma and the grandkids was first complete in 1994, the year Madison was born. It was tough to capture all the faces in the photo. That hasn't gotten any easier.
|Braden, Neelly and Great-Grandma
Posted by Kim at 7:26 AM 4 comments:
Friday, December 21, 2012
At a discount store, I saw a snack mix that had rice squares and mini pretzels. Some of the pretzels were coated with white almond bark and some were left naked. Yes, naked.
It was packaged in snack-sized little bags, so I bought one. There really wasn't much to it. So I decided to make some for a few homemade gifts from the kitchen.
I purchased the micro-mini pretzels at Glenn's Bulk Foods. They are the perfect size for this mix. Of course, it seems everyone has rice squares in their arsenal at this time of year when party mix is prevalent. Likewise for the almond bark.
I simply melted a whole package of almond bark. (I use my microwave, taking care not to burn it. I usually melt it at 70 percent power for 1 minute at a time, stirring well after each microwave session.) Then I poured in a little more than half of the one-pound package of the mini pretzels and added rice cereal until I thought it was just about right. I wanted enough to give a nice coat to all the pretzels and cereal. This is not an exact science, people. After stirring well, I poured in a little more of the rice squares. Obviously, it's easier to add cereal than take it out.
I poured it out on waxed paper to set up. After it hardened, I broke it apart as much as I could without crunching cereal into bits and then stirred in the uncoated pretzels. Just for fun and color, I added an ingredient not present in the purchased mix - a bag of Pretzel M&Ms.
I packaged the mix in holiday bags and delivered the goods.
There are a couple of differences between the homemade snack mix and the purchased version:
- The packaged snack mix was less "clumpy" than mine. From watching shows on the Food Network, I suppose they had a machine that shook the excess almond bark off the dry goods and gave it an even coating. Since I don't have one of those handy-dandy machines, the clumps don't bother me.
- My version is less costly. I bought the tiny bag of snack mix for $1. A comparable amount of my homemade version would have cost just pennies to make - even with the addition of the pretzel M&Ms.
1 package of white almond bark
Micro-mini pretzels
Rice cereal squares
Pretzel M&MS
You could use colored candy discs for melting. For example, I'm thinking that using purple for part of the coating would be a good substitute for a Fiesta Bowl snack mix. I could keep part of it white, and use purple with some of the rest. Then, add in some purple, white and gray M &Ms, and you'll have a party.
You could also use different kinds of M & Ms or different cereals. Make it your own. The possibilities are immeasurable - kind of like this recipe.
For those of you who, like me, are usually very conscientious about measuring, try these snack mixes. They really do make speedy - yet tasty - gifts from the kitchen.
(This one is from my dietitian daughter, and it's better for you than my other versions.)
(There's also a recipe for Cinnamon Chex Mix at the same link.)
for a refreshing, non-chocolate snack mix
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Magic of Winter
Sunrise through a snowy fence - December 20, 2012
The magic of winter is coming
No matter how tight we hold onto fall
With each passing day
Autumn drifts further away
And in its place is winter's embrace
Lighting the path
to snowmen and sleighs
And sweet candy canes
Bags full of toys
And songs full of joy
The anonymous poem was posted on Facebook a few days ago. The illustrations are mine. For so little snow overnight, the wind certainly made for big drifts. Miraculously, some even stayed on the fields, despite blustery winds. We are thankful for any moisture we get!
Posted by Kim at 9:33 AM 2 comments:
Labels: Kansas farm, photography, photos, Snow, sunrise, winter
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Praying for Puddles
They burrowed into our wheat field on one side of the road and, on the other, dug next to the electric fence where some of our cattle graze. The holes were sunk at least 3 feet into the ground.
We got less than 0.10 inch.
Snow is in the forecast today. We appear to be on the border between a trace and some measurable snow. But, with the wind howling, I doubt much stays on the fields anyway.
So, the drought continues. Maybe I'll get some good photos. There's always an upside, right?
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Hail, Hail, Hail, Alma Mater!
On Saturday, it came tumbling down. The Dev Nelson press box at Kansas State University's Bill Snyder Family Stadium was imploded to make way for the new west addition. (My Facebook friend, Jeff Sutton, posted this video of the implosion. Thanks, Jeff!)
As a student intern with K-State Sports Information during his undergraduate years, Brent probably spent nearly as much time at the football stadium and in Bramlage Coliseum as he did in the classroom. In truth, the K-State Sports Information job was the biggest classroom of all. He got to be on the front lines when ESPN's College Game Day came to town (a thrill for a guy who lives and breaths college sports.)
He had a birds'-eye view from the press box during K-State football games for two years, where he got to see his childhood hero, Bill Snyder, return to the stadium that bears his name.
|The west side stadium construction at a game this fall.
As I read news reports about the implosion and saw the photos from my nephew, Brian, who was one of some 1,500 people watching in person, I was struck by this one sentence in a press release:
It was also fitting that following the initial blast, the 600-plus fans watching from the east side of the stadium could read only three words on the collapsed press box: "Bill Snyder" and "Family."Family: Yes, that's what it means - whether it's the Dev Nelson press box or the new version that will rise up from the dust of the old one.
My parents, my brother's family and one sister sit on that side of the stadium, too. I'll have to use a different landmark to find them with my binoculars next fall. I've always started at the "K" in Kansas and worked my way downward to find their row.
I know a spot that I love full well ... No matter what it looks like now or in the future.
Monday, December 17, 2012
When the World Makes No Sense ...
But, for some reason, there was no ballgame scheduled. Instead, with a December school calendar packed to the brim, it allowed the music department a chance to squeeze in a concert.
As I walked into the school Friday night, I saw the brightly-painted Christmas backdrop and the glittered snowflakes, and I thought, "This is what a school is supposed to be about."
This is what school is supposed to be: It's about three girls in reindeer antlers. It's about the three boys in full elf regalia who couldn't make it through their trio without cracking up. It's about a diminutive, 80-pound-soaking-wet Santa who didn't need the old guy's heft to flawlessly deliver the rhymed patter during the Cool Yule program.It was about those kids who weren't the stars of the show, but who just stood on the three-tiered risers and sang and danced along.
That's what a school is supposed to be on a Friday night.
It's not supposed to be a place for a candlelight vigil, mourning the deaths of 20 innocent children and six brave educators.
It makes no sense.
It will never make sense.
Those little children likely wouldn't have sung "Away in a Manger" at their school's Christmas concert. But I'm guessing that some of them would have dressed in cardboard angel's wings or pulled on their Dad's bathrobe and become the vigilant shepherds surrounding a short, blue-robed Mary and staff-bearing Joseph as they gazed down at a baby doll Jesus in a crude manger at their church's Christmas pageants this weekend.
These words come to mind as I try to wrap my head around this tragedy:
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever,
And love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven
To live with Thee there.
On Sunday at our church, two grade-school-aged boys, their parents and their cousin lit the third Advent candle. Here are some of the words they spoke:
Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I will say, rejoice.
Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4: 4-7
We light a candle to help us remember that Jesus is near. The peace of God will keep us in Christ Jesus.
Prayers for Newtown, Conn. ...
Prayers for the heroes, some of whom lost their earthly lives ...
Prayers for the grieving families ...
Prayers for the survivors whose lives will never be the same ...
Prayers for the first responders and all the helpers ...
Prayers for our country ...
Prayers for the world in which Kinley is growing up ...
Prayers for us all ...
***Today, I am linked to Michelle DeRusha's Hear It on Sunday, Use It on Monday feature. You will be blessed to visit there and read thoughts from bloggers of faith from across the U.S.
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Never say never.
Nothing is impossible.
These are wonderful messages that encourage people to persevere, have courage, and take bold actions in pursuit of their dreams. It's the kind of thinking that can lead to great achievements and a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.
But there are also times when it may be best to quit and move on.
I know this might sound negative or discouraging, but quitting isn't a dirty word, especially when it frees you to move on.
It might be time to stop if:
- Your pursuit of this one goal is preventing you from enjoying everything else.
- You aren't having any fun.
- You've lost your passion for both the work and the goal.
- You're interested in the goal but hate doing the work.
- You've given it all that you've got and now you're burned out.
- You realize that you've never really given it your all and you never will.
- There's clear and significant evidence that you will fail.
- Thinking about quitting inspires you instead of depressing you.
- You want to quit but worry about what others would think.
Answering yes to too many of these questions and weighing the severity and duration of these feelings can help clarify the difference between feelings you need to overcome and evidence that's telling you it's time to move on.
Making a Conscious Choice
The important thing is to be aware of what we're choosing for our lives, and why.
It's easy to live life unconsciously—following the road map that our parents followed, sticking with the life plan that we came up with in college, too afraid to switch directions. Are we getting married and having kids because that's what we grew up believing we're supposed to do? Are we going to law school because that's what our parents did?
Priorities change as we age. Clinging to one course of action can block a person from growing and evolving into someone they couldn't imagine becoming when they were 18. Moving on could be the start of going after what is really important to you.
The Difference Between Wanting and Pursuing
It's also important to be conscious of the difference between wanting and pursuing. People confuse pining over a goal with actually doing the work to achieve the goal.
If you're sporadically making half-hearted attempts at your goal while telling yourself that you're giving it your all, you're doing yourself a disservice. Lack of action can be a clue that you're pursuing the wrong goal.
Fear of the Unknown
Even if you know that you want to quit, you may be afraid to because you don't know what you'll do next. Fear can be a trap. Making the decision to quit doesn't mean you have to quit that day, but it can free your mind to begin planning your next move.
Not Ready to Stop?
If you're not ready to move on, think about ways you can improve the areas that are causing you problems, like finding ways to enjoy the work, balancing the time to do other things that are important to you, or setting a time limit on the pursuit of that one goal.
The Pursuit of Happiness
Ultimately, we're all engaged in the pursuit of happiness. And for the seven billion-plus people on this planet, there are countless ways to get there. If you're not happy, be creative. Find another path. Happiness is the one goal where you should never say never.
The preceding article was solely written by the author named above. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the preceding article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment below.


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There have been thousands of articles and extensive amounts of research on how to get Human Resources a seat at the corporate table, a.k.a. the C-suite. The change from transnational HR to strategic HR has helped many organizations understand the value of having HR personnel in executive positions.
There is a new trend and progressive organizations are now seeing the value of having safety professionals at the C-suite, not just HR professionals. The problem is, we are not sure the safety professionals are ready to take on that type of role.
Regina McMichael stated in a Canadian Occupational Health and Safety magazine (COS) article: "Safety professionals also don't act like leaders. Part of the reason for this is because no one has taught them how."
She is right, the current emphasis for most safety professionals is on compliance. They are the watch dogs of the safety system. When the watch dogs are not present the safety compliance does not happen and the safety program falters.
Many years ago, I created the Safety Accountability System (SAS) and the safety scorecard. This challenged the traditional theory of safety, which was if you comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act laws you have better success at prevention. The whole philosophy behind the SAS is compliance is an outcome, not an objective. This is a subtle difference, but it is so important, and it must be repeated: compliance is an outcome, not an objective of the safety program.
Compliance rarely motives individuals or organizations for long. The theory is, only concrete activities that are measured breed health and safety accountability and sustainability. It is this measurement of safety activities that tie into the organization's business strategy that makes the health and safety professional a greater asset to the executive role.
If safety professionals want to start being accepted at the executive table, they have to start thinking and acting like an executive leader, not a compliance-based safety officer.
The best way to do that is to implement a sustainable and measurable safety system that frees the safety professional from being the compliance watch dog to becoming a safety leader at the executive table.
Discussion questions:
Research some of the safety companies in Canada. Identify what has made them the safety companies in Canada?
Why is it becoming more important for businesses to have a safety professional at the executive table? Here is a link to get your research started.


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UWE launches £1m Digital Innovation Fund to help SMEs
In response to Covid-19, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) has launched a Digital Innovation Fund to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to innovate during these turbulent times.
The scheme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), offers £1m of grants to businesses based in the West of England.
Businesses in any sector wanting to use digital innovation to address new challenges that have arisen from Covid-19 have until 8 July to access the grants worth between £10,000 and £40,000 to fund 35% of project costs. Applicants must be SMEs and based in Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire.
Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise Professor Martin Boddy comments: "We are delighted to open UWE Bristol's Digital Innovation Fund, £1m of grant funding to support businesses in the West of England to address new challenges caused by Covid-19.
"Any SME in the area undertaking a digital innovation or research and development project should consider applying. We are offering a sliding scale of grants, from £10k to £40k, so hopefully there is a funding option for a range of businesses – from start-ups and micro enterprises, to more established organisations. The application process is straightforward and UWE Bristol staff are available to provide hands-on support through a series of confidential one-to-one drop-in sessions.
"We are looking forward to this new fund delivering similar benefits to the local economy, and helping individual SMEs to innovate and grow."
The Digital Innovation Fund follows on from previous successful grant funding schemes run by the University, which has given £2m of grants to thriving businesses in the West of England, creating over 150 new jobs and more than 100 new products and services.
o apply please visit: www.digitalinnovationfund.co.uk


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Great Neck Plaza
In 2000 Long Island Traditions began a partnership with the Village of Great Neck Plaza to document, interpret and preserve its historic sites and cultural resources. Working with architectural historians and planners, Long Island Traditions submitted an in-depth research report to the Village in January 2001 that identified over 53 historic sites and structures dating from the late 1700s to the 1960s. The Village contains excellent examples of late 19th century commercial and residential buildings, pre-war 20th century apartment-hotels and auto showrooms, post-war garden apartments and two religious sites.
Visit the Village's web site and learn about the Historic Preservation Commission's efforts to preserve and educate residents on this historic community. Go to http://www.greatneckplaza.net/historic/index.php
We invite you to take our self-guided walking tour by downloading our publication Great Neck Plaza Walking Tour. The tour will open in PDF format using Acrobat Reader.


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Ignoring the flurry of mating and nesting activity in the pond behind him this Great Egret enjoyed the afternoon sun on his own. His long feather plumes of breeding season are neatly tucked in but he can't hide that neon green face patch.
Lichen and moss add a little interest to early spring photographs before the trees have leafed out.


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EBU to champion future proofing at IBC2012
August 24, 2012
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will press home the paramount importance of future proofing to the continuing success of public service media at this year's IBC.
In addition, the EBU Technology & Innovation Department's presence on stand 10.F20 will underscore its three core goals in support of public service media: to reduce costs, increase reach and enhance viewers' experience.
IBC2012 is shaping up to be one of the busiest yet for the EBU, with a full programme of demonstrations, presentations, vendor tours, conference sessions and media interviews.
New this year is a presentation theatre, where visitors can see half-hourly presentations on spectrum policy, FIMS, broadband delivery and Beyond HD, as well as EBU-TT, networks and storage, hybrid radio and green broadcasting.
The EBU will stage six demos:
• MPEG-DASH – a live demo of this new enabling technology for adaptive streaming
• UHDTV & HEVC – following 4k test shoots in Turin, a first glimpse of what lies Beyond HD
• FIMS – latest from the EBU and AMWA Framework for Interoperable Media Systems
• Hybrid Radio – latest developments in RadioDNS applications and implementations
• LED Lights – problems that arise when using them and how the EBU can help
• MIMO RF chain for HD radiocameras – an advanced technology demo from BBC R&D
Additional highlights are:
Friday, September 7
• All media are welcome to attend an EBU Media Briefing, room F004 in the Media Centre at 16:00, where EBU Technology & Innovation Director Lieven Vermaele and senior managers Dr Hans Hoffmann and Peter MacAvock will explain recent advances in 4k video test sequences, the FIMS specification, MPEG DASH and HbbTV.
Saturday, September 8
• The IBC Conference will include an EBU-produced session on Saturday from 16:00 to 18:00 titled "Prepare Today, Prosper Tomorrow: future proofing for broadcasters", with talks from six leading experts.
Sunday, September 9
• Award-winning young EBU engineer Yvonne Thomas will present her paper "3DTV: Success Or Depression? Why Quality Is Key And How To Measure It" during a session on Stereoscopic 3D Content and Display, from 14:00 to 15:30.
Monday, September 10
• The EBU will host a Loudness Breakfast, a free session from 08:00 to 09:00, to be chaired by PLOUD chairman, Florian Camerer, of Austrian EBU Member ORF.
• Between 16:00 and 17:30, EBU Technology & Innovation Director Lieven Vermaele will chair a session organised by DigiTAG, of which he is the President. The session is titled "The Emerging Spectrum Landscape for Broadcast and Mobile".
• In the evening there will be a drinks reception on EBU stand 10.F20 from 17:00.
Tuesday, September 11
• From 10:00 to 13:00 EBU Technology & Innovation Director Lieven Vermaele will address a conference session titled "FOBTV: Towards a Global Broadcast TV Standard". Entry will be free.


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Caring for older or sick dogs
It seems to me to be one of life's cruelest twists of fate that humans are so long lived and animals that are so devoted to them have such short life spans. Our dogs are our consummate companions. In many ways they embody the best things that humans should aspire to be. Yet we don't have enough time to spend with them on this earth to learn those valuable lessons.
Due to the different breeds of our dogs and the life spans that imparts on them three of our four dogs are nearing the end of their natural lives in the same time frame. My wife and I have been aware of this impending situation for some time now. Unfortunately it has been sped along as our seven year old female Bernese Mountain Dog was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. The prognosis from our vet is not good. They estimate only two to four months to live.
We also have a seven year old male Bernese Mountain Dog, who is the litter mate of our female and were brought into our home together and a fourteen year old female Siberian Husky mix. Our Husky has times of pure joy where she seems like a puppy but time has clearly taken its toll on her. Our male Bernese Mountain Dog has hip dysplasia that has increasingly robbed him of mobility.
Today I wanted to do something nice with a couple of our dogs so we took our two Bernese Mountain Dogs to the park to just hang out and sit by the pond. This seemed like a nice idea to me. A little time to relax and enjoy each others company. While it was a nice time it also reminded me of how little time we have left with our treasured companions. It was clearly evident that they could not enjoy the trip as they once had due to their physical ailments.
Fortunately though slowing down all of our dogs seem to be happy and in good spirits. They are always ready to play and snuggle. The quality of life they have is of utmost importance. It would be great if they could live longer and stay with us, but that would be selfish. I will not do anything medically that while possibly giving us more time with the dogs will simultaneously compromise their quality of life.
The most challenging thing for me is that we as humans must make these decisions for ourselves on our companion animals behalves. I think every day that only if my dogs could talk and tell me what they want and what they need we could truly make the best care decisions for them. Humans can assist in choosing their treatments and determine what course of action if any they want taken. If only our dogs could help us with this.
If only our sick dogs could say to us "I love you , but its time to let me go."
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Alabama Department of Transportation
2018 Tabulation of Bids
This page is for the selection of the 2018 Tabulation of Bids reports from the Alabama Department of Transportation. Please read the Tips and Caution notes shown below.
When printing remember to:
The Bid Tabulations for the Letting Dates shown with file type of "PDF" below have been released. You may find them by clicking on the "PDF" on the same row as the date.
|Letting Date
File Type
|January 26, 2018
|February 23, 2018
|March 30, 2018
|April 27, 2018
|May 25, 2018
|June 29, 2018
|July 27, 2018
|August 31, 2018
|September 14, 2018 (Special Letting)
|September 28, 2018
|November 2, 2018
|December 7,2018
NOTE: Effective with the November 7, 2014, letting ALDOT changed the software that is used to manage our Preconstruction and Letting functions. As a result of this change, we no longer provide the Bid Tabulations in a text format.


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Rumors of a sequel to Guy Ritchie's billion-dollar live-action hit, Aladdin have been pretty much doing the rounds since the House of Mouse first revealed their whole new world to us, earlier this summer.
The emergence of these rumors is far from surprising, after all, Ritchie's film has now earned well over $1 billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Not to mention that the original animation sparked two sequels – The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves – as well as three seasons of an animated television series.
In short, there's a Cave of Wonders worth of material out there for Disney to play with.
Comic Book recently spoke to Aladdin producer Dan Lin about whether Disney was in discussions about continuing Aladdin's story, to which he responded:
"We have now," says Lin. "We certainly when we first made the movie wanted to just make the best movie we could and let audiences tell us if they wanted to see more. And I would say resoundingly audiences want to see more. They've watched this movie multiple times. We have lots of fan letters about people who really go back and they bring their friends and bring their family. And so we feel like there's more story to tell. We are going to treat it the same way we treat the original Aladdin movie and not going to do a shot by shot remake of anything that's been done before. We're really looking at what's been done before in the past and the home video, and there's just more story to tell with the underlying materials. So without giving away too much, we are certainly exploring where we can go with this franchise."
Lin's comments suggest that a shot-for-shot remake of the 1994 straight-to-VHS sequel, The Return of Jafar, is off the table (we're feeling bittersweet about that one, to be honest), as some have predicted in recent months.
So, no concrete evidence as of yet and certainly no announcements from Disney coming any time soon – but we'll take what we can get.
Good thing you saved that wish, kid.


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Words: James Robinson Photographs: Gary Chapman/Mortons Archive
This prototype machine was never actually fully finished, but dedication, hard work and enthusiasm has seen it take to the road for the first time… 55 years after the project began.
This is a tale of detective work, dedication and no little ingenuity. What has resulted, through the efforts of John Snow and Andy Hewett, is a pretty, well-finished example of what could have been made. As John explains: "As Peter had decided on a plan in 1961 to try and put the bike into limited production, I thought I would complete it so that it looked like a manufacturer's prototype, as would have been shown at the 1961 Earls Court show."
Enjoy more Classic MotorCycle reading in the monthly magazine.
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Peter was, and is, Peter Hogan, who, with his brother John, was at the forefront of British 125cc racing in the 1950s. Richard Rosenthal covered John Hogan's career in a two-part story in our February and March 2004 issues, an article compiled with the assistance of Peter (born 1930), the younger brother.
John was born in 1924. Interestingly it was the junior sibling who piqued the interest of the elder with racing dreams and by the early 1950s they were regularly first and second on their brace of home-tuned BSA Bantams – until the arrival of the Italian exotica in the eighth-of-a-litre class.
John went to work and race for EMC and later competed on MVs, while Peter continued his efforts in the two-stroke field, culminating in him building a 250cc doubled-up Bantam, which had a direct influence on the machine featured here.
Read more in the December issue of TCM
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Our Tā Koha Bunch blog series continues as we sit down with Manawa Udy from Ngahere Communities at their soon-to-be-opened co-working, event and makerspace in the heart of Manukau City, to discuss their crowdfunding campaign.
Manawa's got a creative spark. The way she thinks. The way that she communicates. The way she looks at the world. She is a reflection of the wealth of creativity tucked under the surface of South Auckland. But the lack of material wealth – money, resources & opportunity – has made her journey as a digital storyteller and entrepreneur, that much harder.
"When Mel & I started Bob & Bob Creative – our digital storytelling agency – we were pouring in heaps of effort and sweat but obstacles kept cropping up. Sometimes it was money, sometimes it was equipment, sometimes connections, sometimes perceptions."
Now she wants to change that for other young creatives.
Ngahere Communities' kaupapa is to cultivate communities that enhance creativity and innovation using collaborative spaces, common values and co-designed programmes. Collaboration and partnership are at the heart of the social enterprise.
The vision for their first community, Ngahere @ Te Haa o Manukau – co-created alongside Auckland Council's The Southern Initiative, ATEED, GridAKL and Panuku Development – is to transform Manukau by supporting and growing its innovation ecosystem.
"We want to be the pioneers that inspire aspiring Māori and Pasifika entrepreneurs to follow their gut, and not be held back by a lack of opportunity or resources." According to Manawa they've got some exciting longer term plans: "Manukau is only the beginning!"
The Ngahere @ Te Haa space – at the corner of Osterley and Putney – is taking shape. The doors are opening in September to the multipurpose events and makerspace, meeting rooms, and a co-working office space. Now it's time to fill the space with good people.
Ngahere Communities project campaign is now live. They have three clear aims: 1) plant the seeds of the community by pre-selling their packages for desk spaces, events and memberships, 2) build the community by involving their whanau, friends and the people of Manukau, and 3) raise the funds needed to run the space for the first few months before it becomes self-sustaining.
"Our Maori & Pasifika people are some of the most creative, courageous and entrepreneurial in the world, but so often it's the negative stats that bring us attention. We want to build a community and provide a physical space to help challenge those stereotypes and create our own story."
You can read more about Ngahere Communities and pledge to their campaign here!


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The Mandalorian is Disney Plus' breakout show, and now it's set to receive an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look in a new eight-part documentary series exclusive to the streaming platform. The series will premiere on May 4th (otherwise known as Star Wars Day). New episodes will premiere every Friday.
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian will explore different aspects of the series through a number of interviews with the cast, crew, and production team. The series will also include never-before-seen footage from the cutting room floor and roundtable conversations hosted by director, writer, and producer Jon Favreau. Favreau described the series as an "opportunity for fans of the show to take a look inside and get to see a different perspective, and perhaps a greater understanding, of how The Mandalorian came together," in a press release.
One of the topics that will be explored is how the special effects and props team brought The Mandalorian's creatures to life. That includes the adorable Baby Yoda — or, as Disney and Lucasfilm officially refer to him, The Child. Baby Yoda was The Mandalorian's breakout superstar when the show premiered in November 2019, making it no surprise that Disney's new docuseries will want to shine a light on the world's favorite new Star Wars character. Other topics that Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian will cover include George Lucas' legacy, technology used in The Mandalorian, the show's score, and connections to Star Wars characters across the galaxy.
The new documentary series also helps Disney with an ongoing issue it's facing with its streaming platform — a lack of new content. Like every other company, Disney's faced tremendous impact from the pandemic. Production has shut down on all of its shows, and upcoming Disney Plus series (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, for example) are reportedly affected.
Disney needs new content for its streaming service, and Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian can fill that role — at least until new Star Wars content is ready. The Mandalorian's highly anticipated second season finished filming before production shut down, and Disney has not indicated if the second season's release date will be affected. It's slated to hit Disney Plus in October.
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Update: Samsung's 600MP smartphone sensor may have been confirmed (via DPReview) from a recently leaked slide that describes the concept of a 600MP sensor in a smartphone. While this doesn't necessarily mean that Samsung will definitely be producing a 600MP camera for camera phones, it's definitely interesting that Samsung is still interested in this type of huge megapixel technology.
The current size of ISOCELL pixels is 0.8um, which if used to produce a 600mp sensor, would require a huge and impractical camera bump. To make such a sensor manageable, the size of each pixel would need to be a lot smaller than what it is right now. While Samsung may not be quite ready to produce such a sensor, it's still enjoyable to ponder the 'what ifs' of camera phone technology.
• Read more: Best camera phone
ORIGINAL: We've had 150MP medium format cameras, 61MP mirrorless cameras and even a 108MP Xiaomi Mi Note 10 smartphone, but now it seems like all of this megapixel mania is going to be taken to the next level – with a 600MP Samsung smartphone sensor. Did anyone ask for this technology? Not necessarily, but Samsung isn't going to let a little thing like that stop it.
Samsung is known for pushing smartphone camera technology boundaries, having pioneered the industry's first 64MP smartphone sensor and releasing a 108MP smartphone in early 2020. Admittedly, these camera phones are very impressive pieces of technology, but is a 600MP sensor really the next step?
Samsung explains that our eyes "are said to match a resolution of around 500 megapixels. Compared to most DSLR cameras today that offer 40MP resolution and flagship smartphones with 12MP, we as an industry still have a long way to go to be able to match human perception capabilities."
However, while a high megapixel count is often held up as the gold standard for image quality, it's not actually that simple. As the Samsung release itself explains: "Simply putting as many pixels as possible together into a sensor might seem like the easy fix, but this would result in a massive image sensor…"
This means that the only way to increase the amount of megapixels for a set amount of space is to make them smaller, but this results in poor image quality due to the "smaller area that each pixels receives light information from". Samsung's solution to this problem is their 'Nonacell technology', which increases the amount of light absorption that pixels are capable of.
One of the biggest arguments against high megapixel cameras is the unwieldy file sizes. If you actually had 600MP image files, they would be absolutely huge. Not only would it require a massive amount of processing power, but your phone storage would be quickly clogged up by simply taking a couple of selfies and a few snaps of your dinner.
However, while a smartphone might have a high megapixel sensor, that doesn't necessarily mean it produces high megapixel images. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra employs 9-in-1 pixel binning, which means that the 108MP sensor actually produces 12MP photos. If Samsung produced a 600MP sensor that employed 9-in-1 pixel binning, then this would produce 66MP photos.
This would still be a massive file size for a smartphone, but what if Samsung was able to use something like 36-in-1 pixel binning, which would reduce 600 megapixels into a 16MP image. Not only would this be a perfectly serviceable file size, but the amount of detail this would offer would be incredible. Whether or not Samsung would be able to effectively counteract the difficulties with low light this sensor would inevitably encounter is probably the biggest question mark hanging over this concept.
While a 600MP smartphone sensor might initially sound a bit ridiculous, a combination of more advanced versions of Nonacell technology and pixel binning might actually produce some genuinely fascinating imaging technology. However, we'll likely have to wait a while before we see the fruits of Samsung's labor.
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A panel of experts discussed the importance of understanding the critical role that public citizens play in climate change research and policymaking Tuesday during the Tulane Climate Action Day symposium on the uptown campus.
"When it comes to weather and climate, the expert is not the guy on TV, and it's not the app on your phone. It's you," said Julia Kumari Drapkin, CEO and Founder of iSeeChange, an online community weather journal, and a panelist at the symposium.
Platforms like iSeeChange encourage participants to document environmental anomalies in their communities. This type of crowdsourcing of environmental data helps alert scientists who study climate change to abnormal environmental patterns while also giving community members a voice within the research arena.
"When it comes to weather and climate, the expert is not the guy on TV and it's not the app on your phone. It's you."
Julia Kumari Drapkin
"It's about bringing together scientists, decision-makers, and citizens to co-investigate the topics that people care about," said Drapkin. "How do we reach people and create more equitable dialogue about how to adapt to climate change?"
Beverly Wright, who served as a panelist alongside Drapkin, is executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. Wright believes the answer to Drapkin's question lies in community education. Wright said that communities informed about existing policies and environmental health are better able to advocate themselves for policies addressing environmental inequities.
"I've never met a community that made a bad decision for themselves, as it related to their health and economy, once they had all of the information. It's our job to provide that information," said Wright. "Solutions within environmental justice require an environmentally literate populace."
The discussion on "Climate Justice: Socio-environmental Change and Collective Responses" was moderated by Amy Lesen, a research associate professor at the Tulane ByWater Institute. It was one of several panels to take place during a full-day lineup of interdisciplinary discussions of climate change.
The day's keynote speakers included Brown University sociologist Timmons Roberts and Texas Tech University climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. The day also featured talks, information tables and an engaging "Design Jam" all focused on climate change and approaches to action.


text: October 15, 2006 links for 2006-10-15 Governess Gone Goth Dissecting a new, disaffected-teen-friendly edition of Jane Eyre (tags: books literature janeeyre <a href="http://del.icio.us/sumit/bronte Share this:TwitterFacebook Post navigation ← links for 2006-10-10links for 2006-10-16 → Menu #33 (no title)My name is Sumit Paul-Choudhury. I have a first class degree in Physics from Imperial College, London, and a Masters in Mathematics. I write for a living, specialising in science and technology, risk management, banking and insurance. I've previously held senior positions at Risk Magazine, ERisk and Risk Communications. I'm now the editor of New Scientist. I'm married and I live in London. Contact Status Work Play New Scientist Arc BxNT


text: The Power of Wind May 27, 2015 by admin May 21, 2015 Rev. Wendy Komori Stager – The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. John 3: 8 I love checking weather apps and websites. The cute little icons and colorful numbers give me a sense of what to expect during a day. Too bad they aren't always accurate. Today's meteorological technology is amazing, but it only can approximate the forecast. In addition, specific areas have microclimates depending on the particular lay of the land and many other factors. When we pay attention to the weather, we recognize it is a factor we are not in control of. We can respond, prepare or even shelter from the weather, but we do not determine where the wind is blowing. The words of "spirit" and "wind" are translated interchangeably in the gospel of John. This rich metaphor still applies in our modern day. We don't know exactly how the wind/Spirit will blow. We can't see the wind/Spirit, only the effects that the wind/Spirit has on us. We can feel the wind/Spirit on our skin and know it is there, even when we can't point to it. This Sunday, we recognize the mystery and power of the wind/Spirit as we celebrate Pentecost.


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One of the most vexing questions for people is why God allows evil and suffering in the world. Some think that since God is all-powerful, He could create a world in which human beings always do good and no suffering exists. In fact, He has created a place of perpetual happiness, free of sin, hardship, pain, misfortune, or any sort of distress. That place, of course, is Paradise, in the Hereafter. If we accept that this world, on the other hand, is the place where humans are tested as to their faith and their deeds, so as to earn Paradise, then if follows that there must be the freedom to choose right from wrong. And some people choose to do wrong, resulting in suffering for themselves either in this world or in the Hereafter, and suffering for others in small or large number. Beyond that, there is also suffering as a result of natural occurrences like a hurricane or illness or death of a loved one.
We are told in the Qur'an, "The One Who created death and life, so that He may put you to test, to find out which of you is best in deeds; He is the All-mighty, the All-forgiving" (Qur'an, 67:2). God, in His mercy, has built into His design, though, that whatever adversity we experience, it is a test that is inclined in our favor. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "How amazing is the case of the believer; there is good for him in everything, and this characteristic is exclusively for him alone. If he experiences something pleasant, he is thankful, and that is good for him; and if he comes across some adversity, he is patient, and that is good for him." And he also said, "No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick from a thorn." This reinforces the idea in the first cited hadith that there is "good" in every circumstance for the believer, and explains further how the experience of hardship or adversity serves an important role: expiation of sins. Here we have a very specific description of how adversity is "good" for the believer (of course with the presumption that, as a believer, he will be patient in the face of adversity).
In fact, He has created a place of perpetual happiness, free of sin, hardship, pain, misfortune, or any sort of distress. That place, of course, is Paradise, in the Hereafter.
Adversity is good for us in other ways as well. When we face challenges and difficulties of every sort, this is what spurs our growth and, for believers, this is what allows for purification of the soul. In fact, it is through suffering that the soul opens itself to the healing and purifying agency of faith. The depths of soul are revealed to us through our encounters with hardship. And many times our suffering is the result of having made the wrong choice or decision, and the consequences of our wrongdoing or poor decision-making – suffering – can be the greatest teacher.
Through the loss from a tornado or the pain of the thorn prick or the criticism from non-Muslims we develop gratitude for what we have, we can practice patience, and we can develop tolerance. By encountering situations in which we can choose to keep our souls pure or give in to corruption, we learn a sense of accountability. When we are provoked by a friend or co-worker we have opportunity to restrain our anger. How else might we learn good decision-making and appreciation of a clear conscience without being afforded the choice to act rightly or wrongly? Only in a world where there is exploitation and breaches of trust might we commit to fight for social justice and the proper discharge of power by government and other institutions. We yearn for peace because we have experienced conflict and the ravages of war. We appreciate love because we see hatred in too many corners. We honor kindness and caring and generosity because we know the scourge of meanness and greed.
Both the beauty and the ugliness that reside in the world can turn our hearts to the Creator. This earth is where we are tested as to faith and deeds. The suffering is not without purpose. The test is not without reward for those "…who are patient in adversity out of a longing for their Sustainer's countenance, and are constant in prayer, and spend on others, secretly and openly, out of what We provide for them as sustenance, and [who] repel evil with good. It is these that shall find their fulfillment in the hereafter: Gardens of perpetual bliss, which they shall enter together with the righteous among their parents, their spouses, and their offspring: and angels will come unto them from every gate [with the salutation]: 'Peace unto you for that ye persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final home!'" (Quran, 13:23-24)


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Multani Mal Modi College organizes online calligraphy competition
Patiala: August 05, 2020
Multani Mal Modi College, Patiala organized online calligraphy competition to mark the 400th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji on the topic 'Teachings and Writings of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji' in collaboration with National Service Scheme (NSS), National Cadet Corps (NCC) and Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG) units of the college. This competition was dedicated to the sacred text of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib. College Principal Dr. Khushvinder Kumar said that the objective of this competition is to bring awareness about sacrifice and teachings of Guru Ji. He motivated the participating students to learn the language with all its meaning and context and to use the words in a concise and beautiful way during writing. This competition was conducted under the aegis of DPI (Colleges) Punjab in which 212 students from different educational institutes participated.
Dr. Rajeev Sharma, NSS (PO) and organizing secretary of the competition said that new generation can incorporate discipline in its life by learning the teachings of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. He said that the martyrdom and sacrifice made by Shri Guru Teg Bahadur is an extraordinary example of bravery which will keep on inspiring us always to ages. In the college students category first prize was won by Japneet Kaur of Govt. College for Girls, Patiala, Shubhkarmanpreet Kaur student of Punjab Group of Colleges, Chunni Kalan and Jasneet Kaur of Multani Mal Modi College, Patiala bagged the second position. Third prize was won by Gurnoor Kaur Sidhu of Govt. (State) College of Education, Patiala and Amanpreet Kaur from IIHS Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. The consolation prize was bagged by Arshmeet Kaur of All Saints Institute of Science and Research, Ludhiana.
In the School category B. S. Elixir from DAV Public School, Jagraon stood first, Harmanpreet Kaur from Pt. Mohan Lal, S. D. College for Women, Gurdaspur stood second and Avneet Kaur from Delhi Public School, Amritsar bagged the third position.
For this competition Prof. Jagdeep Kaur, Dr. Hamohan Sharma, Dr. Rohit Sachdeva, Dr. Veenu Jain and Dr. Rupinder Singh performed the judgment duties. The technical support given by Dr. Rohit Sachdeva made this online competition a grand success.
Online Calligraphy Competition
Multani Mal Modi College organizes online calligraphy competition


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Lawyers, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), have described President Muhammadu Buhari's extension of the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, as both illegal and unconstitutional.
The lawyers: Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), Mike Ozekhome (SAN), and Okechukwu Nwanguma, who is the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre said Mohammed ceased to be a policeman from February 2, after attaining 35 years in service on February 1, 2021.
For instance, Adegboruwa quoted Section 215 (1)(a) and Section 216(2) of the 1999 Constitution to state that Buhari lacks the power to extend the tenure of service of an IGP.
In a statement made available to SaharaReporters, he said, "When the tenure of a serving IGP expires on the grounds of completing the mandatory 35 years of service, he cannot be asked to continue in office beyond his mandatory tenure.
"An IGP who has served the mandatory years of service ceases to be a member of the Nigeria Police Force from the date of his completion of his service. In this case, Mr Adamu ceases to be a member of the NPF from February 2, 2021.
"Under and by virtue of section 215(1)(a) of the Constitution and section 7(3) of the Police Act, 2020, only a serving member of the Nigeria Police Force can be appointed as IGP. Mr Adamu having completed his mandatory years of service in February 2, 2021, he cannot be appointed as IGP, from outside the force.
"The President lacks the power to reabsorb a retired police officer back into the NPF through a purported tenure extension, which is not contemplated by law.
"The President cannot appoint an IGP or extend the tenure of a retired IGP without the advice of the Nigeria Police Council, which in this case has not met to consider, let alone approve such tenure extension."
Adegboruwa noted that the Federal Republic of Nigeria therefore presently "has no IGP properly so recognised by law."
Buhari had earlier extended the tenure of the IGP, Adamu, for three months.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said that the decision of the President to extend the IGP's tenure for another three months was to give time for proper selection of the new helmsman.
Similarly, Ozekhome said it was wrong for the President to extend the tenure of the Inspector General of Police.
Ozekhome described the President's action as, "unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, questionable, arbitrary, whimsical, capricious".
In an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, monitored by SaharaReporters, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said, "The President was wrong to have purportedly extended the tenure of office of Mr Adamu. That he was going to retire on the 1st of February was not a surprise, everybody knows that he was born in 1961, everybody knows that he joined the Nigeria Police Force 35 years ago."
"Why do we always wait till the last moment to begin to adopt the fire brigade approach and then do the things that are unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, questionable, arbitrary, whimsical, capricious as the present act of Mr President has done. Don't Mr President's handlers know that they are embarrassing Mr President and Nigeria? He asked.
"We have to look at Section 7, Sub-section 6 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020, what does it say? In very emphatic, categorical words, it says that the Inspector General of Police shall serve for four years. Has Adamu served for four years? No. Would he therefore continue in office? No.
"Why? Section 18, Sub-section 8 of the same Nigeria Police Act 2020. It makes it clear, unambiguously that the Inspector General of Police shall retire from office when he would have served for 35 years or he has attained the age of 65 years.
"Granted that Adamu, born in 1961 being the 20th Inspector General of Police has not attained the age of 65 but he has served 35 years and he ended that 35 years on the 1st of February, 2021."
Nwanguma also condemned the extension of the appointment of the IGP.
Nwanguma disclosed this to SaharaReporters on Thursday while reacting to how President Buhari elongated the tenure of the IGP, who was supposed to have retired on Monday.
He urged President Buhari to "learn to lead by example and not engage in any action that violates the constitution or other laws he's sworn to defend".
He continued, "It is not good for our democracy for the President to violate the law or exercise powers not granted him by law.
"The retirement date for IGP Adamu was known long before the day came when he attained 35 years in service. It didn't come suddenly. The President ought to have convened the Police Council to discuss the appointment of a new IGP to take over from Adamu.
"For the President to now turn around to claim that he needed time to go through the process of selecting a new IGP is preposterous. It's a pretext to evade responsibility. It further underscores his contempt for public opinion.
"The public service rule is clear on the tenure of service of any public servant. The Police Act which the President signed in 2020 grants the IGP a one term tenure of four years. Neither of the laws grants the President the power to extend the tenure of a retired IGP. The President acted illegally and unconstitutionally. He must reverse himself."
He said the best President could have done under the circumstance was to "direct the retired IGP Adamu to hand over to the most senior DIG pending when the Police Council would wake up from its slumber and discharge its constitutional duties. And it's not late for the President to reverse himself on this clear illegality".
According to the legal professionals, the President's action runs contrary to the provisions of the Police Act 2020, which in Section 7 (6) fixes a single term of four years without an option of extension of tenure for the holder of the office of the Inspector General of Police.
"A person appointed to the office of the Inspector-General of Police shall hold office for four years," it read.
Section 18 (8) of the Act signed by the President on September 15, 2020 also read, "Every police officer shall, on recruitment or appointment, serve in the police force for 35 years or until he attains the age of 60 years, whichever is earlier."


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Cadbury's Hiring Professional Chocolate Tasters So Yes, Dreams Do Come True
Cadbury is looking to hire professional chocolate tasters and we'd like to submit our resume.
When it comes to delicious chocolate that you don't have to go to any fancy custom stores or travel to Belgium or Switzerland for, it doesn't get much better than Cadbury. Don't talk to me about Lindt. Don't start with Godiva, even Milka can take a back seat. And if you try bringing Hershey's into the conversation then I don't even know if we can be friends. I'm sorry.
Well if you love Cadbury chocolate as much as I do, then I've got some amazing news for you: you can get paid to eat it for a living.
That's right, Mondelez international, the company that owns Cadbury among Oreo, Milka, and other food brands, are looking for a pro chocolate taster.
Key Responsibilities
- Be able to taste chocolate and cocoa beverage products and give objective and honest feedback.
- Work within a team of panellists to share opinions and collaborate to reach an agreement on taste.
- Use a clearly defined vocabulary to describe products and aid in the discrimination between products.
- Be consistent in the results given.
- Know the ethical and legal compliance responsibilities of the position; raise questions and concerns when faced with an ethical or compliance issue; apply integrity in all aspects of professional conduct.
- Chocolate tasters are key in helping Mondelez perfect and launch an entirely new product all over the world.
- A passion for confectionary and taste buds for detection
- Honesty when it comes to giving an opinion
- Eager to try new inventive products
- A communicative personality to build great relationships with your panel
- A firm grasp of the English Language
If you think you've got what it takes then check out the official posting here. But if you're not in the UK or willing to relocate, then you're outta luck.
It's also a part-time position. But you basically get free chocolate and you're paid for it. If you get another part-time gig then you're good. Really good.
No word on whether or not the job comes with a free gym membership, or at least an elliptical machine or something, because if I got that gig, it would be the apocalypse for my waistline.


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In writing about the post-digital condition, media commentator Florian Cramer identified a "semiotic shift to the indexical"(22) and away from symbols. The indexical relationship is a direct connection between an object and its sign, as if the sign is caused by its object (as smoke or soot are caused by fire).
According to C.S. Peirce, an index is a sign that refers to an object by being affected (or caused) by the object. (e.g. As an index, soot is produced by the object it refers to, fire.) For the post-digital, such indexicality excludes mediating technologies, frameworks, ideas and expert interpreters. In Peirce's terms,
"The index asserts nothing; it only says 'There!' It takes hold of our eyes, as it were, and forcibly directs them to a particular object, and there it stops. Demonstrative and relative pronouns are nearly pure indices, because they denote things without describing them; so are the letters on a geometrical diagram, and the subscript numbers which in algebra distinguish one value from another without saying what those values are" (226).
Forensic investigations in criminal cases inevitably appeal to the idea of the indexical sign: the bullet hole in the wall is a sign that someone fired a gun.
So, a "shift to the indexical" implies that people now give priority to effects and causes, and "real" connections between the signs we use and the things we use them for, i.e. the objects in the world. Perhaps we now make fewer demands on the signs around us in the post-digital era.
(From a hermeneutical point of view the link between an object and its sign is always a matter of interpretation, and never unmediated. But I will concede that people often think they are thinking that way, and sometimes assume that there is an inevitable, non-arbitrary link between the thing and its sign — in certain cases. Perhaps it is useful to think that some signs happen as a direct result of their objects.)
In everyday language, to say that B is caused by A draws on the idea of the index, though for the semiotician causality is just one manifestation of the indexical sign. Semiotic theorists think that the indexical sign is prior to causality. The index comes before any attribution of causes.
What an index looks like
Another important, and negative, feature of the indexical sign is that it does not (necessarily) provide an image (visual or via any other sense) of the thing to which it refers. A painting of a fire gives you a visual idea of fire, and as such serves as an icon (not an index).
But the soot that we see on the chimney breast does not provide the look and feel of that of which it is a sign. In so far as soot is an index it doesn't look or feel like fire.
Here is a photograph I took of a sooty fireplace during a visit to Hampton Court in 2014.
Peirce invented further categorisations of signs drawing on some esoteric terms in linguistics. A rheme is a qualifier that is on the way to adding new information to a statement (e.g. something is cosy). I think an adjective is a rheme. A dicent is a complete qualitative expression (e.g. the kitchen is cosy). Here are two further sign distinctions.
A sinsign is an abstract, singular sign outside of a recognised language system, i.e. a grunt, sigh, gesture from a human or animal, or a mechanical or other sound (or sign) from nature, the crackle of a fire.
A legisign is a sign delivered in some conventional language, i.e. legible words and phrases spoken or written ("the kitchen is warm"); or a red traffic light is understood via a language of road sign conventions to indicate stop.
Peirce combines such terms to produce 10 categories of signs, though I'll only refer to the index subcategories here.
A rhematic-indexical-sinsign is a spontaneous cry, such as a cry of pain ("ouch") or extreme pleasure. A weathervane turning in response to the wind would be a dicent-indexical-sinsign. A demonstrative pronoun (i.e. a pronoun that points to specific things: this, that, these, and those, as in "This is a fireplace") is a rhematic-indexical-legisign. The call of a street vendor (e.g. Big Issue sellers on the street calling out legible, language-based indicators of what they are selling, "Big Issue!") would be a dicent-indexical-legisign, as would "put another log on the fire."
I don't think that these fine distinctions have been taken up in architectural discourse. In pragmatic vein we can ask what is the use value of such distinctions in architecture? It seems to me that any sign could move from one category to another depending on how you describe the sign situation, i.e. how you interpret it.
According to Peircean theory, the photograph above (not the fireplace itself) is also a dicent-indexical-sinsign. Unlike a painting (an icon), a photograph is caused by the process of the camera. But a photograph is nothing like a weathervane (above) in other respects. So a theory of signs that insists on categories but confuses rather than clarifies I think has diminished use value in creative disciplines … not that everyone agrees with that.
Ordinary indexes
But indexes are undeniably useful. In terms of semiotic vocabulary, what is an ordinary indexical entry in a book or a computer database? As explained in a previous post, a hash (or a digital signature) is an index pointing at a bit of data. The hash is derived via an algorithm. So, (I think) an entry in a hash table is a rhematic-indexical-legisign. It is derived algorithmically and cryptographically from the content of the thing being referred to.
An algorithm is also in play in the case of a book index. There's a method, and as far as I am aware it can only be partially automated. The indexer (me) identifies key words, the pages on which they appear, lists the key words, and then places the page numbers next to the relevant words in the list.
I've just finished labouring through the algorithm for my tenth book index. Here is some of it.
- Cramer, Florian. 2015. What is 'Post-digital'? In David M. Berry, and Michael Dieter (eds.), Postdigital Aesthetics: Art, Computation and Design: 12-26. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Peirce, Charles Sanders. 1992. Nomenclature and divisions of triadic relations, as far as they are determined. The Essential Peirce, Selected Philosophical Writings Volume 2 (1893-1913): 289-299. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
- Peirce, Charles Sanders. 1992. On the algebra of logic: A contribution to the philosophy of notation (1886). In Nathan Houser, and Christine Kloesel (eds.), The Essential Peirce, Selected Philosophical Writings Volume 1 (1867-1893): 225-228. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.