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Itinerary: The Thursday-to-Sunday Guide
So your guests have a place to stay. Now what will they do in all their spare time? Below, The luxe concierge service Quintessentially schedules an hour-by-hour, day-to-day hypothetical plan to keep out-of-town visitors entertained (and out of your hair) from check-in through Sunday brunch. When delivering the weekend's plans to your guests, just remember to make optional the operative word.
1. Gramercy Park Hotel
2 Lexington Ave., nr. 21st St., 212-475-4320
Check-in, 3 to 3:45 p.m.
Room rates begin at $500 per night.
2. Okeanos Club Spa
211 E. 51st St., nr. Third Ave.; 212-223-6773
Spa treatments, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Go to the spa for a co-ed Russian steam sauna with platza treatment. Half-day-long facility use (including sauna, steamroom, and lounge) is $50 per person.
3. Italian Wine Merchants
108 E. 16th St., nr. Irving Pl.; 212-473-2323
Private Italian winetasting and dinner, 8 to 10 p.m.
The private vintage room accommodates up to eight guests; the Studio del Gusto comfortably houses 20 to 125.
4. Private Roof Club bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel
After-dinner drinks, 10:30 p.m. to midnight.
Drink under a retractable glass roof; ogle art by Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst.
1. Clay
25 W. 14th St., nr. Sixth Ave.; 212-206-9200
Ladies' workout, 10 to 11:15 a.m.
Enter with a day pass ($35) and sign up for the Body Wedge workout.
2. The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers
Pier 59, 23rd St., at the Hudson River; 212-336-6400
Guys' outing, 10 a.m. to noon.
Hang out at the three-tiered outdoor driving range, open year-round, or take a private class (ball cards $20 to $100; club rentals $4 to $12).
3. Blow
342 W. 14th St., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-989-6282
Blow-out for the ladies, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
From $40 per person.
4. Pastis
9 Ninth Ave., nr. 11th St.; 212-929-4844
Lunch, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Eat at a large communal table (for groups of up to 20) at Keith McNally's French bistro in the heart of the meatpacking district.
5. Chelsea Art Gallery Tour, by Beyond Times Square
Chelsea Art Museum, 556 W. 22nd St., nr. Eleventh Ave.; museum: 212-255-0716; tour: 212-564-1001
Private tour, 3 to 5 p.m.
Take a two-hour customized tour of art galleries in Chelsea (for groups of 10; $45 per person).
6. Country
The Carlton Hotel, 90 Madison Ave. nr. 29th St., second fl.; 212-889-7100
Rehearsal dinner, 8 to 11 p.m.
Host it in the upstairs open-kitchen dining room (for 10 to 120 seated; from $125 per guest for prix fixe).
From the Winter 2007 New York Wedding Guide


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News: Sir Ranulph Fiennes forced to pull out of expedition25th February 2013
Container City are sorry to confirm that Sir Ranulph Fiennes has been forced to pull out of the 2,000-mile trek across Antarctica, known as 'the coldest journey on earth', after suffering severe frostbite. Sir Ranulph Fiennes is suffering from the condition after having to use his bare hands – in temperatures plummeting to -30C – to fix a ski binding after falling during training. Whilst devastated about having to withdraw from the expedition, Ran has vowed to support the team from home and increase awareness for the charity 'Seeing is Believing' which aims to tackle avoidable blindness. More

subset: commoncrawl


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AS-AP at College Art Association Conferences
A list of press releases and transcripts from AS-AP sponsored panel discussions at CAA conferences.
International Art Archives - Contemporary Art
An index of selected international art archives.
AS-AP.org's Booklist on the Alternative and Avant-Garde
A working list of books on the alternative and avant-garde scenes and spaces from the 1950s until today.
Scholarly Work on "Alternatives"
This section of the AS-AP site contains texts that investigate alternative perspectives on how art institutions and exhibitions can position themselves in relation to their local communities and internationally.
Archival Resources
A comprehensive list of archive tools and materials.


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Ehrlichiosis: What You Should Know
Lyme disease isn't the only tick-borne illness that can sicken your pet. Erlichiosis may also make your furry friend miserable. Fortunately, antibiotic treatment can kill the bacteria responsible ...View Article
You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.
|Ask Your Veterinarian About Pet Dental Care
You are not alone in the fight against pet dental decay. Ask your veterinarian to show you how to brush your pet's teeth and look for dental problems. Your pet care professional can also recommend pet dental care products, food choices and appropriate chew toys. Then the two of you can work together to set a schedule for professional dental care based on the condition of your pet's teeth, age and breed. With regular care you and your veterinarian can help your pet experience a lifetime of healthy teeth.
American Animal Hospital Association, Dental Care Guidelines
ASPCA, Ten Steps to Your Dog's Dental Health


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India Research Group Honors Uday Pal
in ENG Spotlight-Research, NEWS
India's premier industrial research organization, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), named Professor Uday Pal (ME, MSE) as a Distinguished Foreign Scientist. To enhance international cooperation with its global partners, the organization issues up to 10 such awards each year to eminent foreign scientists.
Supported by a stipend and free travel and housing, Pal will spend a month of his fall sabbatical in Kolkata, India to pursue research on solid oxide fuel cells .
"Solid oxide fuel cells represent one of the most environmentally clean and versatile means of efficiently converting chemical energy to electrical energy from a wide variety of fossil fuels," said Pal. "However, certain common features of today's solid oxide fuel cells can cause performance degradation over time at high temperatures, instability and a limited operating life. I will work with CSIR researchers and help them address some of these issues."
In addition, Pal will develop novel ceramic membranes for gas separation to improve carbon sequestration and hydrogen generation technology. During his month abroad, he plans to travel to the CSIR Central Electrochemical Research Institute to deliver a lecture and contribute his expertise to the institute's projects in fuel cells and batteries.


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Our Cyber Science 3D chemistry series offers a compelling set of activities to reinforce traditional study, focusing on immersive visual activities and fully interactive models and simulations.
Our Interactive Periodic Table enables an instructor to dynamically present the groups and trends of elements, illustrating why the Periodic Table is organized as it is. Our 'Atom Sandbox' supports several different displays of atoms for each element, including Bohr, Energy, and Quantum Mechanics Models. The user is able to ionize atoms, step through stable and unstable isotopes, and even trigger dynamic radioactive decays. Our 'Molecule Viewer' enables the display of common molecules, and provides hands-on activities such as constructing a molecule from its constituent elements.
Our team is currently expanding the chemistry series to include dynamic reactions to support the analysis of the formation and decomposition of compounds subject to a variety of catalysts!
- Atom Sandbox
- Molecules
- Periodic Table
- Quantum Shells


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I don't like the Olympics.
No, it's not the commercialism. What do I care how much money broadcasting companies pay for the right to televise the events. The posturing, the politics and jingoism that appears every two years don't really effect me all that much. After all, whenever there is a world event somebody is going to use it as a pulpit to aggrandize or grouse and bellyache about their personal peeves.
I like to watch all the action and to tell the truth even though I cheer the American's on, I never much care about the results. Win or lose I just love to watch champions at work.
I do not like the Olympics because of the silly questions I get from folks. Specifically: Which country are you rooting for? Who do you want to win? America or Japan? This time around it was particularly severe because of the baseball and softball competition. Yet as I was watching the games my allegiance kept switching sides. I kept cursing all the errors no matter who made them and going wild over every fine play. I felt bad that Japan got their asses handed to them but I am even more pissed off that America didn't get the gold.
I wonder I I could get enough money together to afford a London vacation. I sure would like to see the spectacle with my own eyes instead of the Cyclopean one


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In the last couple of weeks, I've dressed the kiddos as favored storybook characters. Bean wanted to be Bilbo-be still my heart. How I love that he is loving the story and characters.
Bean looked ever so much more hobbitish before his haircut, but I was glad to have time to put together the little vest with wooden buttons and a pocket for the coveted ring.
As I was herding them out the door this morning, I experienced a bit of melancholy. They are growing at warp speed. We have done so much reading, playing and crafting during this year . I don't know how much longer things I do with them will be what they enjoy. Bean will be nine this summer. We certainly have made many great memories.


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This is the sort of dishonesty that gives hacks a bad name. "An apology, retraction, reediting, whatever it is that filmmakers do to make amends—all of it needs to happen here," writes Erik Wemple of the Washington Post. But none of it has. EPIX, the cable channel on which the movie appears, told Stephen Gutowski that it "stands behind Katie Couric, director Stephanie Soechtig, and their creative and editorial judgment. We encourage people to watch the film and decide for themselves."
Read the complete article: Washington Free Beacon


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After all these years, Jennifer Aniston still has it. Take a look at this week's Guyism Animated GIFs Anthology.
37 Is that Jennifer Aniston's best scene?
36 Fake juggling breasts dot gif
35 Aniston as Princess Leia
34 And there goes her bra
33 Have mercy
32 Jennifer Aniston, sexy salsa dancer
31 Weird, I just reincarnated as a banana
30 *drops pants, stares at no one in particular*
29 Bouncy Jennifer Aniston
28 Crazy Jennifer Aniston
27 Naked Jennifer Aniston
26 Creepy naked Jennifer Aniston
25 Surprised Jennifer Aniston
24 Orgasmic Jennifer Aniston
23 And who is this lucky fella?
22 It is a little hot on the SNL set
21 Looks like a perfect job for Joey
20 "Hey, how you doin?"
19 Jennifer Aniston braless
13 So awkward yet so fantastic
12 Is this the set of Dirty Dancing 3?
11 And commence lesbian dream
10 Yes, they're perky
9 What an adorable middle finger
8 Yea, are you?
7 Raunchy Jennifer Aniston
6 *raises hand, jumps up in air*
5 Stupid Ross
4 Dat ass though
3 Sassy Jennifer Aniston
2 The real Jennifer Aniston
1 Spank that


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How you can Purchase the very best Bathroom Towel
We currently stated several of the things we feel when utilizing the towels, they could seem a little romantic, yet certainly a towel makes us feel comfortable, it allows us to stay warm after a bathroom, and also the softness of these is basic for the wellness of our skin.
A best towels depends upon lots of elements, consisting of the type of cotton, the framework of the strings, the technology with which it is woven, and the last surface. Recognizing even more regarding just what a excellent cotton towel need to be, it could assist you find the very best towel for your residence, make it look excellent, feel good, and also completely dry.
Kinds of cotton best recognized
Consult with us the most effective understood and made use of cotton kinds worldwide, so you have a far better concept of how to buy the very best bath towel:
Egyptian Cotton
Growing in the fertile valley of the Nile River, Egyptian cotton is identified worldwide for being the finest cotton fiber known. The return of your added lengthy threads as well as fibers supplies a better absorption per centimeter compared to other sort of cotton The thickness of 100% Egyptian cotton implies the best in absorbency, resilience and stamina.
The length of the fibers additionally implies that Egyptian cotton is perfect for the material processes leaving the subjected fiber, it is excellent for developing towels with unrivaled softness.
Turkish cotton.
It is really just like the Egyptian, has extra lengthy fibers that give those who use them a sensation of deluxe and soft qualities, likewise are durable and deal premium absorption. Depending upon the weaving procedure, Egyptian cotton towels may be thicker and also fluffier than those made with Egyptian fibers.
Other kinds
Pima cotton, its high quality is as compared to the Egyptian, is produced mainly in Southeast America. But it is not made use of for towels, however primarily for garments.
Cotton of Lise, is recognized for being solid and durable, it is not made use of for towels, it is utilized for undergarments, gloves, to name a few.
There are lots of various other versions of cotton, it is worth keeping in mind that not every label that says Egyptian cotton, or pima cotton refers to quality garments, its popularity has triggered that fruit and vegetables of inferior quality which there are many imitations, have to be very cautious with that said.
Find out a little concerning the grammage
The grammage is the grams each square meter (GMS) of a towel, describes the density of the cloth made use of to earn it. In general, we can say that a towel with a reduced gsm measures is lighter and also less thick, while one with a high gsm defines a thicker. The gms is used as a quality brand of cloth, in our store you will certainly have the ability to see cotton towels with different weights, varying from 550 g/ m ² to
380 g/ m ². The gms is usually used as a high quality brand, however some professionals advise taking it into account in addition to other variables such as fiber kind, fabric and also finish. This will not occur if you buy in our store, yet you could see the situation that you obtain a towel with high gms yet constructed from products of poor quality, so it will certainly not supply the desired smoothness as well as resilience.


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[Image of APD ceremonial scissors]
Description: Photograph of ceremonial scissors used to cut the ribbon at the opening of the East, West, South Stations, and Heroes Park. The scissors are fairly large in gold-like metal and are lying on red fabric. East Station opened in 1996, West Station opened in 2003, South Station opened in 2008, and Heroes Park was dedicated in 2007.
Date: 1996


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by Stephen Ferry
There are many ways to spell it. And, there might be nearly as many ways to do BBQ as there are BBQ chefs.
You know the drill. Marinate, Rub, Slow-Cook, Sauce. Along the way, there a lot of options as you go through the process. Every BBQ chef in Napa has his/her own idea of what makes the best BBQ and smoked meats. There seems to be only one common point of agreement: Nobody uses pelletized fuel.
Bounty Hunter owner, Mark Pope, thinks that great BBQ must start with the best ingredients and the right equipment for the job. "You must also take the time and effort to achieve excellence," says Pope. "There are no short cuts
in BBQ!"
When asked what makes his BBQ so good, Big Ned Foster, owner of Big Ned's BBQ at the Food Mill, said "I do a New Orleans style of BBQ. It's the love that I put into it that makes it so good."
Michael Hanaghan, proprietor of the Five Dot Ranch at Oxbow Public Market, is opening The Cook House next to the original meat market to serve customers fresh cooked BBQ that will be smoked out on the deck. Hanaghan said, "For good BBQ, it's all about the beef. We are a seventh–generation, cattle ranch, so we only BBQ beef. We are committed to providing a product that is always 100% free of antibiotics or additional hormones. We practice low-stress handling and strongly believe that, in order to raise all natural cattle, we must provide healthy, open, grazing spaces that are sustainable to both the cattle and environment."
"What makes my stuff good is that it's unique," said Jon Bodnar, owner and chef at Smoakville. "Texan and Californian BBQ is found everywhere. But, when was the last time you stumbled on a genuine, old-school, classic BBQ shack? Everything we have here at Smoakville is made from scratch, from the rubs and pickles to the sauces and desserts. We pay close attention to how the final product is seasoned, cooked, and even the visual aesthetics." BBQ means many different things to different people. It's not just about the food. "BBQ is important to me because it is all about preserving the history, culture, and tradition of America's cuisine," added Bodnar.
"My philosophy on great BBQ involves friends and family experiencing my hospitality," said Richard "Joey" Ray, Chef De Cuisine at VINeleven at The Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa. "Hospitality to me is the feeling of being welcomed, whether it be at my home or at my restaurant table."
The thoughts are echoed by Bounty Hunter's Pope. "BBQ is the true American cuisine. Born and raised in the USA and passed down from generation to generation, BBQ is a national pastime – an event that brings together friends and family."
The choice of wood is key to each BBQ chef's technique. "Hickory is our wood of choice," said Paul Menzel, owner of Red Rock North. "We use hickory and cherry firewood, which is a part of what gives our BBQ its distinctive taste," said Hanaghan of Five Dot Ranch. "The other part we can't tell you!" "For smoking our meats at Bounty Hunter, we use a mixture of woods," said Pope. "The type of wood depends on the item that's to be smoked. Most of it is apple-wood – not chips or little chunks, but large, split logs. The logs work better for us as they don't fully ignite, but rather slowly smolder, giving the meat a nice consistent smoke. Other woods that we use are hickory, mesquite, oak (Cabernet Sauvignon-aged barrel staves), and grapevines." Ray declared, "For wood I like to use hickory, because it produces a rich, smoke flavor and the quintessential flavor most people think of when meats are smoked, but here in California good hickory is sometimes hard to find, so I also use cherry or another fruit wood. The fruit wood tends to impart a little softer smoke flavor. I prefer this for poultry products. It tends to complement things like chicken and turkey and not overpower them." Bodnar confided, "After rubbing the meat with our secret house spices we smoke the meat anywhere from 4 hours to 12 hours, depending on the cut. For smoking, we use red–wine, barrel staves."
Opinions about the best libation to enjoy with BBQ vary as widely as the recipes. "I have been doing food and wine pairing for Napa wineries for many years and the best pairing I've ever found was Bourbon with my ribs," opined Bodnar. "This is because we smoke with oak barrels and bourbon. Being aged with oak adds the right amount of spice, char, and vanilla notes that pair great with the ribs." "For the gentlemen, anything – as long as it's beer," said Foster. Ray agreed. "A great, cold beer is one of my first suggestions. A lower alcohol content and something crisp. I tend to stay away from big IPA's for BBQ because they can get unpleasantly bitter when lots of spices are involved. The carbonation in beer or sparkling wine tends to cleanse the palate of the fat that makes BBQ so delicious, preparing your palate for a next bite that is as flavorful as the last. A good rose' or white, with a good acidity level will also help wash away the fat from your palate in the same way the carbonation does. A beverage with a little residual sugar is nice for spicier BBQ to help put out the fire. But, as I am a true Southerner, if nothing else, give me a glass of sweet or iced tea any day of the week."
"When we first opened Bounty Hunter Smokin' BBQ, our customers thought we were crazy. How can wine and BBQ go together?" recalled Pope. "Over time, we've changed their minds. Napa Cab, Syrah, Petite Sirah and, of course, Zinfandel, all work great with BBQ. With that said, if you want to enjoy a frosty cold beer with our smokin' BBQ, we won't stop you!"
Each chef has his own story about how they got all fired up about BBQ. "About thirty years ago, my brother, Dan, trekked through Texas to learn about BBQ," Menzel said. "Upon his return he taught what he learned to me, I always took BBQ for granted growing up in Tennessee," Ray revealed. "Great BBQ is everywhere in the south. Each town's local joint is an institution in the community. Then, when I moved away to attend culinary school in the early 2000's, I started to realize what I was missing. My craving for great BBQ led me to want to create it here in California." Bodnar added, "It's always been a passion and a dream of mine and when I saw the need and desire for old fashioned BBQ in the Napa Valley it all just came together."
Whether its pork or beef or chicken, if it's summer, it's always better on the 'Q.


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Universities in Wales
Fancy studying on the beach or in a bustling city centre? See where our universities are & find out a little more about them.
Fancy studying on the beach or in a bustling city centre? See where our universities are & find out a little more about them.
Beautifully located in a gem of a seaside town, Wales's oldest university is a safe and welcoming choice for international students of all disciplines. Aberystwyth University is home to cutting edge research that has been recognised as being world leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
Situated by the sea – Bangor University is considered one of the most attractive study locations in the UK. Founded in 1884, Bangor's academic excellence is derived from world class research (REF 2014) and teaching quality (Top 10 in the UK) resulting in high Student Satisfaction (Top 15 in the UK).
Cardiff Metropolitan University is currently ranked the top University in Wales for graduate employment with 95.6% of students in employment or further studies within 6 months of graduating. Cardiff Met offers competitive, industry focused courses, top quality facilities; the university is located in the capital city of Wales.
Cardiff University is a leading university based in the capital city of Wales. It is ranked 5th in the UK for Research Excellence, gained an 87% overall satisfaction rate in National Student Survey 2016 and the student population is drawn from a variety of backgrounds, from Wales, the UK and worldwide.
Wrexham Glyndŵr University is the perfect location for international students planning to study in the UK. North east Wales is a hotbed of industry and education, balancing the buzz of city life with some of the country's most beautiful scenery. You will become part of a friendly community, experiencing award-winning student support and a welcoming atmosphere.
Swansea University is an ambitious international university based in Wales, UK; with subjects such as Mechanical and Civil Engineering ranked in the World's Top 200 subjects. We have strong links with industry and these partnerships bring together top academic minds to exchange ideas and facilitate world-leading joint research.
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David has three main campuses in South West Wales – Carmarthen, Lampeter and Swansea - each offering a different kind of student experience, although each with the same small and friendly, community feel.
With over 4,500 international students from more than 120 different countries, studying at the University of South Wales is a truly multicultural experience. Student support is at the heart of everything we do; offering scholarships of up to £2,000 per year and we were voted a top 10 university in the UK by our students (WhatUni? 2016).


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|Figure 1:
An inexpensive stereo modulator - one of many varieties available.
A portable audio (e.g. MP3) player is fine, but not much good for a live stream. There are other ways to stream audio - such as with some of the fancier players that WiFi interconnect, or even my smartphone, but I find this a bit awkward and would rather not burn through the batteries' charge on my phone - and I'd much rather not walk around the house wearing headphones, especially when I already have several decent audio systems in my house!
I could get a Bluetooth audio device that takes the source from the "Internet Radio" appliance, tablet or computer and then, to each of the other audio systems connect a Bluetooth audio receiver, but this seems to be a bit redundant and expensive - and this still doesn't really help when I'm outside in the yard or in the garage where WiFi coverage gets a bit spotty and Bluetooth isn't likely to be much better! The other issue with some Bluetooth devices is that they can have slight amounts of audio delay, the amount varying between devices - something that can be really annoying if there are overlapping audio sources within earshot!
The obvious thing (to me) would be to throw the audio content - from whatever source - onto a cheap FM stereo modulator and use that to distribute it. Not only will any FM radio in the house already pick it up, but it's pretty easy to get good enough coverage so that I can be in the yard or the garage and still pick it up using any portable device (including many MP3 players) that can receive FM radio.
With this in mind I picked up a cheap FM Stereo modulator from one of the (many!) online stores that sell such things. The audio may (or may not) be quite as good as bluetooth, but it can be plenty good for background, casual listening and relatively "low-fi" audio such as that from many podcasts.
I've used these types of modulators for several years and they work "Ok" - but there's a problem: The audio tends to "tear" a bit on the highs in the audio. When I was playing audio from the laptop, this wasn't too much of a problem since I could just go into the graphic equalizer and roll off audio above 10-12 kHz. Not perfect, but it helped.
More recently I got an "Internet Radio" box and soon discovered that when I plugged the modulator into it, I got nothing but "shash" (I'll let you figure that one out...) for audio when I tuned it in on an FM receiver.
I'd been afraid that this would happen!
A few boring bits about how FM stereo works:
First, let's talk a bit about how FM stereo works. To make an FM stereo signal they do two things with it:
- They take the Left and Right channels and add them together in an audio mixer, the result being old-fashioned mono FM. They stick this right on the FM signal.
- They take the Left and Right channels and subtract them and the result of this is a signal that contains the differences between the two channels. They take this audio and up-convert it to 38 kHz.
When you receive a stereo audio signal they do something clever. When the "L-R" signal is converted up to 38 kHz they also generate a 19 kHz signal which, you might notice, is half of the 38 kHz up-converted frequency of the "L-R" signal that we need to reconstruct our original stereo signal.
When transmitted, they send that same 19 kHz signal which is then doubled in frequency and used to convert that "L-R" signal from 38 kHz down to its original audio frequency. That 19 kHz signal has another function: It lets the receiver know that there's a stereo signal!
Once you have that "L-R" signal again using simple math you can combine it with the mono "L+R" signal that you already had - which can be done with audio mixing:
- (L+R) + (L-R) = 2L - The two "R's" cancel out and you are left with just the left channel
- (L+R) - (L-R) = 2R - The two "L's" cancel out and you are left with just the right channel
Here's the problem:
In order for this scheme to work you can't have any audio higher than 1/2 of the frequency to which the L-R audio is converted in your original audio which means that everything below 19 kHz must be removed. Practically speaking one can't easily make a filter that will allow everything up to 19 kHz get through and then absolutely block everything above it so the standard in broadcasting is to knock out everything above 15 kHz. Since practical filters aren't perfect, by the time one gets to 19 kHz, the filter - which starts to filter at about 15 kHz - has done its job and removed the signals.
Why is this important? We run into the same problem here in this analog system as we do in any sampling system whether it be digital or analog: The Nyquist limit (link). What this says is that we can't accurately represent any signal above one-half of our sampling rate which, for FM stereo, is 19 kHz - half of our 38 kHz sampling rate. If we allow signals above this to be "sampled" (a term that works for our analog up-conversion and for analog-to-digital conversion alike!) they will re-emerge later as being "folded back" with portions of the audio present at the wrong frequency and the result can be rather annoying distortion of the original signal.
There's another problem:
This cheap FM stereo modulator doesn't really have any filtering in it to assure that audio above 15 kHz doesn't get through, but it does have the 75 microsecond equalization curve standard in FM broadcasting which boosts the highs: This equalization can also work against us as we'll see.
For an analog source such as a tape player, it's a pretty safe assumption that there's not much content above 15 kHz, and for my laptop computer - which has a half-decent sound card built into it - the hardware generally puts out only those signals that it's supposed to: If I set the graphic equalizer program to cut off signals above, say, 12 kHz, nothing much above 12 kHz comes out! (To be sure, I actually checked it using an oscilloscope and audio spectrum analyzer program - and it's clean.)
This is not true for all audio sources!
These days, there are a number of ways to make digital signals into analog ones for things such as MP3 players, computers, audio streaming devices, etc. and not all of them are created equal. On many of these devices, the low-cost hardware doesn't filter the artifacts of digital-to-analog conversion very well. If the sample rate is 48 kHz, there are "images" of audio near 96 kHz - twice the sample rate - with a two versions of the audio: One starts at 96 kHz and goes up while the other is a mirror image and goes downwards from 96 kHz.
Practically speaking, this 96 kHz (or other ultrasonic-related) energy isn't a big deal since most audio amplifiers (and speakers!) can't really reproduce it, but if it gets into the modulator - at even low levels - it can raise havoc by making the transmitted signal wider than it should be!
There's yet another problem:
In the interest of low cost and high power efficiency, many audio amplifiers are of the "Class-D" type (link) and similar. These aren't "true" audio amplifiers since they don't amplify the original signal in the conventional sense (e.g. each successive stage makes the original signal "bigger") but they sample the original audio signal, convert it into a digital waveform that consists of only "On" and "Off" voltages (e.g. "1's" and "0's") and then "amplify" it using a really fast on/off switch.
The advantage of this is that a simple on/off switch is very efficient: Being either "on" or "off" it doesn't produce heat since it either allows all of the power through it with little loss when it's on, or it's completely turned off so no heat will be produced in that case, either! Using simple components (capacitors, coils and the speaker itself!) this digital signal gets converted back into a decent representation of the original analog signal - provided that the intermediate digital signal was of high enough frequency to avoid the Nyquist problem we talked about before.
|Figure 4:
Scope trace of the audio output of the Internet Radio showing the
low-level 400 kHz energy from the audio amplifier.
This, too, is causes severe problems when fed to the modulator!
Click on the image for a larger version.
For my Internet radio device the "Audio Out" actually takes a sample of the output intended for the speakers and in so doing since it comes from a Class-D amplifier. Because of this it injects into the FM stereo modulator some of that high-frequency digital signal used in the audio amplification - in this case, around 400 kHz.
This further explains that "shash" that resulted from connecting the FM stereo modulator to the output of the Internet Radio box: The extra "grunge" splattered the signal all over the place.
To see how bad this was, I plugged the output of the Internet Radio box into a computer with a 192 kHz sound card and, using the "Spectrum Lab" program, took a look at the output. In the plot in figure 3, you can see the audio going from 0 to about 15 kHz where it drops off, but you'll also notice that by the time it gets to 40 kHz, we have noise!
To see higher frequencies, I connected it to an oscilloscope and quickly found the rather strong 400 kHz signal produced by the class-D audio amplifier as can be seen in figure 4: The scope trace shows that this signal is at about 140 millivolts - a significant percentage of the roughly 1 volt peak-to-peak audio output at full volume!
|Figure 5:
A 15 kHz passive low-pass filter using inexpensive coils and capacitors.
For stereo, two of these filters are required - one for each channel.
Click on the image for a larger version.
As mentioned, this cheap FM stereo modulator had little or no filtering at all in the audio path so I needed to add some of my own. To be sure, I could find on the web a myriad of low-power FM transmitters - both pre-built and already in kit form, many intended for uses not legal without licenses! - but I didn't really want to spend $100 plus to find such a device when it would be pretty easy to make this modulator work fine for my purposes.
There are two ways that one could build a filter: Active - with some transistors or op-amps along with some capacitors and resistors, or passive, using just some inductors, capacitors and resistors. An active filter would work just fine, but it would need its own power source and this would be fairly inconvenient, either as a "wall wart" to power it, or batteries that one would have to replace every time you forgot to turn the filter off!
|Figure 6:
Completed passive 2-channel low-pass filter on a small piece of
"perf board", ready for testing.
Click on the image for a larger version.
Ultimately, I came up with the design shown in figure 5 that would make use of a 18 mH and a 27 mH inductor (both being fairly standard values) along with standard capacitor values while providing a decent amount of filtering above 15 kHz.
As a sanity check, I decided to simulate the filter using LTSpicetm - a very useful program - and it looked to be pretty good. While I was at it, I checked to see how much of an affect the source and load impedances had on the response and observed that the filter was fairly forgiving: Anything between 1k and 10k on the input and output yielded reasonable results but it seemed to look the best with something around 2k on the input and the output. For my version, I chose 1k and 4.7k (respectively) for the input and output resistors as this seemed to be a good compromise between flat response and insertion loss.
Rummaging around, I found the necessary capacitors, inductors and resistors and then built the entire circuit on a small piece of phenolic prototype board, making a nice, compact package. For testing, I connected to it two short lengths of 3-conductor cable (2 wires plus shield) with one having a 3-conductor (stereo) 3.5mm jack on the "input" end to plug into the audio source and a 3.5mm plug on the other end into which the modulator connected allowing me to insert the filter inline.
The result?
Without the filter, connecting the FM Stereo Modulator to the Internet Radio box resulted in the aforementioned "shash" that badly "noised-up" and distorted the audio whereas with the filter inline, the audio sounded great!
Measuring the filter's performance:
As for the predicted attenuation, the rejection compared to 1 kHz looked quite good:
- -6dB at 14.0 kHz
- -12dB at 14.6 kHz
- -20dB at 15.0 kHz
- -40dB at 16.1 kHz
- At least 50dB of attenuation at the 400 kHz PWM frequency from the Internet radio device.
Since simulations are just that, I decided to check the actual filter response in two ways: The first was with the oscilloscope connected to the output and an audio generator capable of producing up to 2 MHz output to the input terminal. In the quick examination I observed that above 100 kHz the output was less than 1% of the input indicating at least 40dB of attenuation.
I then inserted the newly-built filter into the path and the result may be seen in Figure 9: The attenuation was about where it should be, indicating that the filter was working at least as well as the simulation!
So, there it is: A simple, passive 15 kHz low-pass filter!
- There are programs that will do this entire measurement in one operation, that is sweep the input and display the response, all using a sound card, but I haven't gotten around to putting one of these on my computer.
- Some day, I hope to get around to putting everything in a nice box.
|Figure 10:
The FM Stereo modulator, filter and Internet Radio box being tested.
- 18 mH (18000 uH): Mouser P/N: 43LJ381 or 434-02-183J or 434-01-183J
- 27 mH (27000 uH): Mouser P/N: 43LJ327 or 434-02-273J or 434-01-273J or 652-RLB9012-273KL
If you want to build one of your own, it's worth reiterating that you should not use ceramic capacitors as they are (usually) too unstable with temperature: Use inexpensive (less than $0.25 each) metal-film plastic capacitors instead, as noted below. Some suggestions for various suitable capacitors (metal film, polyester with 5% tolerance) may be found below:
- 1nF (1000pF, 0.001uF): Mouser P/N: 871-B32529C1102J or 80-R82EC1100DQ50J
- 2.2nF (2200pF, 0.0022uF): Mouser P/N: 871-B32529C1222J or 80-R82EC1220DQ50J
- 4.7nF (4700pF, 0.0047uF): Mouser P/N: 871-B32529C1472J or 80-R82EC1470DQ50J
- 10nF (10000pF, 0.01uF): Mouser P/N: 871-B32529C1103J or 80-R82EC2100DQ50J
- It would appear that DigiKey didn't have 18mH inductors when I checked, but they had everything else.
- This filter was built using through-hole components, but it could have been built using surface-mount parts. Smaller surface-mount inductors may have somewhat worse operating characteristics (e.g. higher internal resistance, lower Q, etc.) but they should work fine in this application.
- The only types of ceramic capacitors that would be suitable for this would be "NPO" (a.k.a. "C0G") types with low temperature coefficients, but at the capacitance values required, these types will likely be more expensive than those suggested above. Again, "normal" cheap capacitors (e.g. X7R, Y5Z, etc.) can be all over the map - especially with varying temperature - and should not be used!
- The prototype board used was P/N: 15918 PB available from Marlin P. Jones and Assoc. (web site: mpja.com) and was about 1-3/4" x 1-1/2" (approx. 44mm x 38mm). These boards are pretty cheap - $4.90 for 10 of them - and are good for small projects such as this.
- For the connections to the audio cable I made small loops using scrap pieces of wire (such as cut resistor leads) that connect to the input, output and ground points on the bottom of the board. After soldering to the bottom of the board, the loop is then twisted a turn or two to make cheap (free!) and convenient connecting points for input/output/ground connections to the board.
- Yes, I know that I could buy an FM stereo transmitter of some sort that is purported to have "proper" low-pass audio filtering, etc. designed for "low power FM broadcasting" (whatever that is...) but these are much more than the $15 or so that this modulator cost me - and it would take the fun out of building a filter such as this!
This page stolen from ka7oei.blogspot.com


text:
This game is a new take of an old classic game.
To win the game, the player must complete 5 cells in a row in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal fashion.
All puzzles are unlimited-each game is completely randomized-with no game being the same.
Learn Elements with Bingo is an educational app for the classroom and home for all ages. Playing this game is fun way to learn the Chemical Elements.
Try this app today!
This app was developed with adobe flash. A free download of adobe air is required.
Android Requirement for Adobe Air
1. Android™ 2.3 and above
2. ARMv7 processor with vector FPU, minimum 550MHz, OpenGL ES 2.0, H.264 and AAC HW decoders
3. 256MB of RAM
You are allowed to use this product only within the laws of your country/region. SharewareOnSale and its staff are not responsible for any illegal activity. We did not develop this product; if you have an issue with this product, contact the developer. This product is offered "as is" without express or implied or any other type of warranty. The description of this product on this page is not a recommendation, endorsement, or review; it is a marketing description, written by the developer. The quality and performance of this product is without guarantee. Download or use at your own risk. If you don't feel comfortable with this product, then don't download it.


text:
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Please replace the release with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.
The corrected release reads:
The Customers' Choice Distinction Is Selected by End-User Professionals Who Have Experience Purchasing, Implementing and/or Using the Enterprise Solution
Gartner, Inc. announced today the 2018 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Meeting Solutions (Web Conferencing). The Peer Insights Customers' Choice is a recognition of vendors in this market by verified end-user professionals, taking into account both the number of end-user reviews and the overall user ratings.
Meeting Solutions (Web Conferencing) products are real-time collaboration tools that support interactions over a network between participants in multiple meeting formats. These types of meetings and communications that fall into the category of Meeting Solutions include webinars, remote training, online meetings and audio communications.
"Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice is designed to help IT professionals make better purchase decisions by leveraging the knowledge and feedback by fellow verified end users," said Ken Davis, executive vice president of Products and Services at Gartner. "We work hard to ensure that all of the reviews are submitted by an IT professional or business user who has had experience purchasing, implementing and/or using the enterprise solution they are reviewing — free from conflicts of interest."
The list of companies selected for the 2018 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Meeting Solutions is included in Table 1. More information on the 2018 Customers' Choice is available at https://www.gartner.com/reviews/customers-choice/meeting-solutions-web-conferencing.
Table 1
2018 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Meeting Solutions
|BlueJeans Network
|Zoom Video
|Note: Companies are listed in alphabetical order.
|Source: Gartner (February 2018)
About Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice
Recognition will be given to a maximum of seven vendors in a market according to these criteria:
During the submission period — defined as 12 months prior to the
eligibility cutoff date — a vendor must have:
- 50 or more published reviews
- An average overall rating of 4.200 stars or greater
- In markets where more than seven vendors meet the above criteria, the seven vendors with the highest number of published reviews within the submission period will be recognized.
- The vendor must have at least one product designated by Gartner research analysts as relevant to the market. Vendors with excessive concentrations from a specific geographic region, industry or nonenterprise users are not considered.
Reviews published must first pass Gartner Peer Insights' validation, conflict of interest and moderation process — please see the Peer Insights Review FAQ here.
The recognition of a Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice is not an endorsement by Gartner of any vendor, product or service. For more information on the Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice, please visit https://gartner.com/reviews-pages/peer-insights-customers-choice-methodology/.
About Gartner Peer Insights
Gartner Peer Insights transforms the way enterprise software is bought and sold by creating another source of trusted information in the software buying process. Gartner's review platform is a place for all IT buyers to find advice they can trust from fellow IT professionals. Gartner Peer Insights includes more than 64,000 verified reviews in more than 190 markets. For more information, please visit www.gartner.com/reviews/home.
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), is the world's leading research and advisory company and a member of the S&P 500. We equip business leaders with indispensable insights, advice and tools to achieve their mission-critical priorities and build the successful organizations of tomorrow.
Our unmatched combination of expert-led, practitioner-sourced and data-driven research steers clients toward the right decisions on the issues that matter most. We're trusted as an objective resource and critical partner by more than 12,000 organizations in more than 100 countries — across all major functions, in every industry and enterprise size.
To learn more about how we help decision makers fuel the future of business, visit www.gartner.com.


text:
New Tricks in Illegal Building: Cover it in Hay
In many parts of the world there are development controls to preserve natural landscapes, watercourses and farmland, but there is constant pressure as well to build monster homes in the country and greenbelts are constantly under attack by devious developers or clever lawyers.
Or, as in the case of Robert Fidler of Surrey in the UK, one very patient farmer. Hiding behind 40 foot high wall of hay bales, he built himself a home and kept it tarped for four years to comply with a rule that if nobody complains about something for that period, it is permitted to stay, kind of like a statute of limitations. Then he pulled down the tarps....
...and revealed a faux tudor castle, complete with ramparts and cannons.
According to the Evening Standard:
'Problems began last April when Mr Fidler, thinking he had beaten the planning system, applied for a certificate of lawfulness which is given if a property is erected but nobody objects to it after four years.
But Reigate and Banstead Council says the four-year period after which the building would be allowed to stay is void – because nobody had been given a chance to see it.
The matter will now be decided in February by the council's planning inspector, who could give the Fidlers as little as six months to tear the castle down."
We have heard of many tricks to beat the system, and usually the builder gets away with it, often with little more than a slap on the wrist. However this nibbling away at protected land ultimately adds up and becomes a real problem. It will be interesting to see if he gets away with it. ::Evening Standard via ::Splurch


text:
Arkansas Western Pipeline Company
First Revised Volume No. 1
Contents / Previous / Next / Main Tariff Index
Effective Date: 06/01/1997, Docket: RP97-187-003, Status: Effective
First Revised Sheet No. 22 First Revised Sheet No. 22 : Superseded
Superseding: Original Sheet No. 22
in the "best bid" or a rate greater than the rate set forth in
the "best bid" and agree to execute a service agreement for a
agreement term equal to the agreement term set forth in the
"Best bid", provided, however, the maximum rate an existing
Shipper must match is the maximum rate Transporter can charge
for delivery to the existing Shipper's Point of Delivery.
14.7 In the event Transporter does not receive any bids pursuant to
subsection 14.3 or Transporter rejects all bids received due to
the fact that such bids were premised on rate discount levels
or rate discount terms unacceptable to Transporter, Transporter
and Shipper may mutually agree upon the terms and conditions
under which Shipper shall be entitled to retain its capacity
and continue to receive service. Notwithstanding the preceding
sentence, so long as the Shipper agrees to pay Transporter's
maximum rate, the Shipper may retain its firm transportation
service. In no event shall Transporter and Shipper agree upon
terms which yields to Transporter a net present value less than
any bid received pursuant to subsection 14.3 and rejected by
Transporter. In the event Transporter and Shipper have not
reached agreement on the terms and conditions under which
service will be extended for Shipper, as of six (6) months
before the termination date of the long-term service agreement,
then Transporter shall have all necessary abandonment
authorization under the Natural Gas Act as of the date of
termination of the long-term service agreement. However,
Transporter shall provide Shipper with prior notice of any
resulting termination of service.
15.1 Transporter will provide a firm capacity release mechanism
pursuant to this Section through which (1) existing Shippers,
including any Shippers who obtain capacity pursuant to this
Section 15, can voluntarily release and assign all or part of
their firm transportation capacity rights to a potential
shipper that wants to obtain that capacity by contracting with
Transporter. Shippers may release and assign their firm
transportation capacity on Transporter (whether Part 284
capacity or individually certified capacity) only under this
Section of the General Terms and Conditions.
15.2 Transporter's Shippers under Rate Schedule FTS are permitted to
release their capacity, in whole or in part, on a permanent or
temporary basis, on a firm or interruptible basis, provided
Shipper complies with the applicable


text:
Ikuhiro Kida
fMRI, Neurovascular coupling, Olfaction and Taste
Main Lab Location:
CiNet (Main bldg.)
Mailing Address:
B1A6, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871
ikuhiro.kida at nict.go.jp
My research focuses on developing novel functional imaging techniques to understand cerebral energy metabolism and hemodynamics due to neuronal activation. In addition, using a novel functional techniques, I am trying to understand the neuronal processing of olfaction and taste in the human and animal brain.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) based on the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) effect is a powerful tool for brain functional mapping since it non-invasively provides high spatial and temporal resolution. Since fMRI obtains signal changes related to changes in cerebral metabolism and hemodynamics, fMRI indirectly measures neuronal activity during functional activation. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanisms of neuro-vascular-metabolic coupling under both functional activation and resting conditions.
Currently, I am using fMRI and developing novel techniques at 7T field strengths to understand the relationship between neuronal activity and hemodynamic-metabolic changes. This research aims to improve the spatiotemporal resolution of fMRI, and includes development of calibrated BOLD and direct measurement of neuronal activity.
In addition, I am applying novel imaging and fMRI at 7T to functionally and anatomically understand how the brain processes olfaction and taste.
Selected Publications:
Kida I, Ueguchi T, Matsuoka Y, Zhou K, Stemmer A & Porter D (2016) Comparison of diffusion-weighted imaging in the human brain using readout-segmented EPI and PROPELLER turbo spin echo with single-shot EPI at 7 T MRI. Invest Radiol, 51:435-439.
Kida I & Hoshi Y (2016) Right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex involvement in the integration of emotional processing: Parametric mediation analysis of fMRI. Neurosci Letters, 615:92-97.
Kida I, Iguchi Y & Hoshi Y (2011) Blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging of bilateral but asymmetrical responses to gustatory stimulation in the rat insular cortex. NeuroImage 56:1520-1525.
Short Biography:
2001 Associate Research Scientist, MRRC, Yale University
2004 Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University,
2009 Researcher, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
2012 Senior Researcher, CiNet, NICT
Lab Members:
・Yuichiro Matsuoka
・Choi Uksu
・Hiromasa Takemura


text:
Rutting Failure in Full-Depth Asphalt Pavementby Jacob Greenstein, Lect. of Civ. Engrg.; Technion, Israel Inst. of Tech., Haifa, Israel,
Moshe Livneh, (M.ASCE), Prof. of Civ. Engrg. and Head of Bruner Inst. of Transportation; Technion, Israel Inst. of Tech., Haifa, Israel,
Serial Information: Transportation Engineering Journal of ASCE, 1975, Vol. 101, Issue 4, Pg. 737-752
Document Type: Journal Paper
The paper deals with the rutting failure of a full-depth asphalt pavement, determined on the assumption that it is related to the bearing capacity mechanism, which in this case acts in the pavement itself. Hitherto, this analysis had been based on a model with isotropic strength parameters, and confined to conventional flexible pavement with tire pressures of 100 psi. On the other hand, compacted mixtures are known to be anisotropic, and their strength varies with their vertical temperature profile, especially in the full-depth case. The present analysis utilizes influence of an extension of Hill's failure mechanism to include the effect of temperature and anisotropic properties. It is shown that the bearing capacity of full-depth asphalt pavement depends strongly on wheel dimension, the vertical temperature profile, and anisotropic properties of the asphalt mixture. Using the extensive model of bearing capacity, design curves are developed for design asphalt mixtures for full-depth asphalt pavements. It is shown that for high tire pressure, which exists in modern aircrafts, the conventional method of design is not applicable.
Subject Headings: Pavement rutting | Asphalt pavements | Vehicle-pavement interaction | Pavement design | Load bearing capacity | Mixtures | Anisotropy | Material failures
Services: Buy this book/Buy this article
Return to search


text:
in my next life I really want to be a cat!!!
while he is chilling in the sun my testknitting
gets ready to block; unfortunately it's, like expected,
a bit oversized. after finishing the neck edging it
fits much better, but still too large for my taste
the next time I wouldn't do the body incs,
cause of the lack of curves on my figure..hahaha
a finer gauge might be the key and less sts for
the backneck
pics will follow...........


text:
Oilo gives a fresh new approach to style-setting nursery decor, chic baby bedding, and designer home furnishings. They\'re about turning your nursery into the most comfortable, clean, and carefree sanctuary in your home. Because a more enjoyable nursery, means a more constant and enduring bond between you and your baby.<\/p>
There are no products matching the selection.
Please wait...
Added to Baby Registry


text:
Practical Issues > Things To Do > Activism
Lush animal testing protest Woman subjected experiments horrified shoppers
[Warning: graphic pictures and video at full story link]
Jacqueline Traide force-fed and given injections at Lush's Regent St store Eyes stream from irritant and arm bleeds when she tries to resist needle Humiliated and restrained for ten hours in protest against animal testing Shocked onlookers stop to take pictures and video on their mobile phones
They dragged her along with a rope around her neck and pushed her down on a bench.
It was feeding time for Jacqueline Traide and you could tell from the look on her face she was terrified.
First, they stretched her mouth open with two metal hooks attached to
a strap around her head.
Dressed in nothing but a flesh-coloured body stocking, she was put on display in the shop window of Lush cosmetic store's branch in Regent Street, London, to re-enact widely used tests.
The 'cruelty-free' chain is helping to spearhead a Humane Society International campaign to end cosmetic testing on animals.
Thousands of shoppers, tourists and office workers witnessed Jacqueline, a social sculpture student at Oxford Brookes university, being roughly manhandled and administered by performance artist Oliver Cronk, dressed as a clipboard-toting lab technician.
Fair Use Notice and Disclaimer
Send questions or comments about this web site to Ann Berlin, email@example.com


text:
Pope & Young
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Kingwood
Hunt In: Polk Co., TX & La Flore Co., OK
Tatonka Creek Ranch
I hunted here this past weekend with a buddy from work. Hes hunted here many times over the years and has a good relationship with the owner and guide. I will try to provide some good objective comments as well as my own personal preference on my review in case it helps someone else.
First, my initial impression from the website and from the few online reviews of the place is that it was probably a ranch that I would not choose for setting up a hunt. Kill fees for does and good quality rams appeared to be higher than other places, and the automatic $30 or $100 guide fee on top of the hunt was also a negative. Additionally the trophy wall on the website is almost entirely rams, so my expectation of seeing much of anything else was not high.
Still, I figured I would just relax and go have a good weekend and just see what happens. Being that I didnt have high expectations I brought some fun guns that I dont normally hunt with, like my Weatherby 378 magnum, and my bow. Got to the ranch Friday evening and let ourselves in.
The camp house and facilities were pretty decent. The camp was recently improved and is an ongoing work in progress for further improvements. There is a large pit under a covered patio, a nice shooting bench and 100yd range for target practice and sight in, on-site cooler, and plenty of room for hanging out. The guide mentioned that they are going to put in a big fire pit next and will continue improving the camp house.
Met with the guide Saturday morning and got the layout. The property is divided into two 250 acre halves. The north section holds all the bison and blackbuck, and the south section holds all the other animals. There are a LOT of blackbuck. Mostly does, but I saw a really nice buck. I believe the blackbuck may be a new addition and they are working to stabilize their population to begin offering hunts. We had a bison stroll through camp, and saw several more while riding to and from the south section. Most of the bison were smaller to medium meat hunt animals but I did see two really impressive bulls and a huge cow that would make great trophies, as well as filling the freezer.
The ranch is set up more for rifle hunting than bow. Long senderos have been cut into the brush, and there are two main tower blinds and the crossroads of these senderos to allow sighting well past 500 yds in 5 directions. However, the guide was completely open to me putting up a pop up to bow hunt from and recommended a few good spots to set up, then put down corn from the closest game trail to my pop up to help guide the animals in. Additionally, you could set up right off of one of the main blinds at the cross roads and simply still hunt from the ground.
With the two of us the only ones on the ranch for the weekend, we were able to spot and stalk. I was very pleasantly surprised that the rams werent your typical walk up and smack em with a hammer stupid sheep. They were skittish and the older animals would stand off and keep guard while the younger dumber ones would feed. This made for some very fun and challenging bowhunting. I would say that the rams were no match for someone with a rifle, would be fun to hunt with a handgun, and were downright tricky with a bow.
We stalked into within 30 yds of a nilgai cow, had fallow within bow range several times, but the red hinds were very skittish. Axis were completely unapproachable and would probably be a rifle only hunt in this ranch. We did not hunt the section that contained the bison or blackbuck, but the bison are basically cattle. The blackbuck however would scoot before we got within 200yds.
The first morning we stalked until exhausted with no luck. My buddy shot a nice Corsican with his AR right before lunch, then we headed in to refuel, rehydrate, and to get my pop up for an afternoon sit. We set it up just off the sendero near a large protein feeder. It had been cloudy and foggy and about 55-60 that morning but over lunch it cleared and went up to 80. No luck that afternoon. The animals recognized that the pop up was new and would not approach it. Had I moved it back and brushed it in, we might have had better luck. But with this being a rifle type lease, the animals are used to corn in wide open senderos and would not follow corn into more enclosed areas.
Sunday morning we changed tactics and planned to hunt just off one of the main blinds and set up a ground spot back in the cactus. Some black Hawaiian rams came in before I even had a chance to get in position and I had to hold perfectly still in the open while the mature ram watched over the others from outside bow distance. Coulda nailed him with my G40 10mm, but Id left it in camp. Red deer came in and saw him watching me. They bolted immediately and took the rams with them. We tried getting settled but it was now about 45 and misting with a 15mph wind. We wussed out and got in the tower blind.
The rams returned but I couldnt get a shot off with the way the tower blind was configured. The windows folded in and prevented me from drawing back. We finally figured out a position to shoot from and waited for the rams to cooperate. The rams returned but a chocolate fallow buck and a white fallow buck beat them to the area. They wouldnt let the rams approach. The fallow busted me and took the rams with them. We didnt think wed get a third chance but after 45 minutes the group returned. I got into position before the animals got within suspicion range. They werent having it and refused to come all the way in. We didnt realize it but a few others had come in behind us. At the risk of blowing a third chance, I had my buddy close the windows facing the first group and I did a 180 and set for a shot on the second group. Was fortunately able to get a shot and put a 125 Wasp SST through one lung and out the breastbone. The ram made it about 10 yds and gave up.
High fives and hell yeahs. I was very pleased with the challenge of the hunt, and my ram was very reasonable on price. Cheaper than what it would cost at other places. I was initially not so impressed with what I thought this ranch would offer, but we had a solidly challenging hunt and saw some good animals. For axis, fallow, and blackbuck, the trophy quality isnt as high as some other places, but if you want to bow hunt, the opportunity to stalk them will offer a more fun hunt than places that just put you in a blind. As far as nilgai, this ranch has the biggest bull Ive ever seen, and several huge cows. I would absolutely come back and hunt nilgai, but they only allow rifle hunting for those.
The guide, Anthony, is a great guy. Very energetic and accommodating. The automatic tips fees described on the website werent mentioned at all and were not added. They are continuing to improve the ranch facilities, and they are managing the axis, nilgai, and blackbuck to produce better animals. I think rams and some other animals like the fallow are bought and turned loose to be hunted as needed.
Depending on what youre after, this ranch might be a great place to go. I give it a thumbs up for the hunt (if bowhunting), the price and no daily fee, guide, and the facilities. The trophy quality could use some improvement to be at the same level as a few other popular ranches on TBH, but the lack of a daily fee and that they will run specials on animals makes this place a good option for those on a budget. I personally would not rifle hunt this ranch as it would be too easy. Bowhunting a rifle set up, however, makes it a lot more of what most of us want in a hunt.
Ten Point
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: houston
Hunt In: Reagan wells, fedor, paige, rocksprings
Congrats on the ram.
Looks like they cleaned the place up a lot, changed the pasture up as well. When I went it was one 250 acre section and had Rams nilgai and one fallow in it. your hunt sounded more fun, I shot at 5 yards out of the back of the truck with my bow
Pope & Young
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Sweenyish
Hunt In: Brazoria, Matagorda & Medina Counties
Congrats to you on a nice animal. And glad to hear they've improved the ranch.
Eight Point
Join Date: Jan 2017
Did you see many hogs there? See that they offer meat hogs too, considering gettig out there this summer while the wife is away.
Pope & Young
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Kingwood
Hunt In: Polk Co., TX & La Flore Co., OK
We saw evidence of hogs but did not see any. The guide said they had some but not many.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nubbin' Buck
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Prosper Tx
How much were the bison meat hunts?
Pope & Young
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Kingwood
Hunt In: Polk Co., TX & La Flore Co., OK
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text:
Who's it for: ASB by TBWA\Tequila and Paul Middleditch
Why we like it: Ira Goldstein has been a feature of New Zealand's advertising landscape for about 10 years. And this is his final swansong for ASB. So let us bow our heads and give thanks to a pretty damn good innings. Goodbye dear bumbling New York banker/spy. It was fun while it lasted. May your bagels be profitable.
Who's it for: Kapiti ice cream by Shine and Flying Fish
Why we like it: Colenso took a gold EFFIE for the 'Kapiti on a Stick' campaign, which targeted the ladies and gave Fonterra's premium ice cream range a bit of design cred. AndKapiti's new agency Shine continues that trend with the latest spot for its new multi-pack offering.


text:
McKINNEY - A Newport Beach, Calif.-based real estate investment company, MIG Real Estate, has completed the acquisition of Regency at Stonebridge Ranch, a 301-unit townhome community.
Located at 2305 S. Custer Rd., the property consists of 42 two-story townhome apartment buildings consisting of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom floorplans with direct access garages for all units.
Employment centers in the surrounding area, such as Legacy Business Park and CityLine, are experiencing remarkable growth with the relocations of Toyota, State Farm and Raytheon, totaling approximately 13,700 new jobs.
Our twice-weekly e-newsletter provides a quick overview of Texas real estate markets. Because your time is valuable.


text:
Below is an overview of what to expect when buying property in the UAE, along with an idea of costs and the purchase procedure.
Foreign nationals are now allowed to buy freehold properties in designated areas of the UAE, while Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nationals are can purchase freehold property anywhere in the Emirates.
As the real estate market is still relatively new in the UAE, most property for sale is newly built and foreigners buy within special pre-approved zones. Residency visas are issued upon completion of sale for those buyers who wish to make a permanent move to the UAE.
A Sales Agreement is just about the only document required when you buy a property in the UAE; however, it is legally binding and is signed once all legal checks have been undertaken and negotiations have been finalised.
In order to secure a property, a holding deposit of anything from 1,000 to 3,000 GBP is normally paid. This deposit is non-refundable in the event that the buyer decides not to continue with the purchase.
In the next stage, the Purchase Contract, stipulating the payment schedule, is drawn up. Usual payment terms are between 10% and 20% to be paid every three months until completion and the build time is normally between 12 to 36 months. The introduction of the new escrow law in the UAE has been crucial to protecting the interests of property investors. Buyers can be completely sure that their funds are safe and secure because they are held by a third party bank. Off-plan property can be sold at any time during this period, but it will incur a transfer cost of approximately 2%.
The Sales Agreement and other required documents are then lodged at the Land Registry Department.
Government legislation has simplified the purchase procedure greatly throughout the UAE and a solicitor, although recommendable, is not always used, simply because property transfers and contract exchanges are mediated by the relevant property developer and the Land Department. Strict transfer procedures are adhered to by these parties.
A good solicitor will, however, be required to explain the effect of the clauses of UAE mortgage offer documents, as well as highlight any potentially hidden fees that may or may not be disclosed by the financial institution's representative.
Expect to pay the following costs when purchasing real estate in the UAE:
2.4% stamp duty
1.5% land registry fee
1-8% transfer of off-plan contract cost
No income tax or capital gains tax is levied in the UAE on rental income or property sales.
Mortgages are now widely available from most banks and some financial institutions in the UAE, with HSBC interest rates currently at approximately 6%. Borrowers may choose between conventional mortgages and Islamic mortgages, 70% of which, interestingly enough, are granted to non-Muslims. A benefit of the Islamic mortgage is the fact that there is no charge for early repayment.
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|Democratization of Kuki Tribal Polity in Contemporary Manipur
|Kipgen, N
|Issue Date:
|International Conference on Public Policy and Governance 2012, 4-6 September, 2012, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
|The indigenous Kukis living in Manipur in Northeast India have traditionally lived in village settlements under lineage chiefs and been politically governed by chiefs who belong to certain chiefly lineages. Chieftainship system is the principal component of village political structure in the Kuki society. The principle of legitimacy and authority are strongly embedded with the institution of chieftainship and the power relation systems are rooted in the chieftainship system. Some of these political changes occurred during colonial rule (Kuki rebellion of 1917-19), however implementation of universal suffrage, democratic representation and elections have profoundly altered political legitimacy and position of chiefs among the Kukis. Political legitimacy in traditional Kuki society was based on what Weber conceptualized as traditional authority that has undergone minimal social change consequent to Kukis becoming an integral part of democratic India in 1949. For instance, the state government of Manipur has not been successful in implementing the Manipur Land Reform and Land Revenue (MLR & LR) Act, 1960 in the hill areas of Manipur for the last few decades. Because of the strong resistance from the Kuki chiefs the MLR & LR Act is not yet implemented in the hill areas. Despite the absence of any government land law, it is interesting to see the customary laws under the traditional institutions functioning alongside the legal laws within the democratic framework. Based on fieldwork in Manipur during 2008-09 and review of relevant secondary literature, this paper examines the impact of liberal democratic values on the institution of chieftainship and the continuing role of traditional political institutions and power wielders in Kuki society. How are different forms of political authority co-existing, complementing or contradicting each other among the Kukis of Manipur? The chiefs have their council and they influence the voting behaviour and party politics in Manipur. The Kuki chiefs continue to profoundly influence democratic politics and public policy in the hills of Manipur. This is primarily because they continue to exercise authority in the allocation of village land for agriculture and persist as the fountainhead of identity and honour among the Kukis.
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Your outside appearance is essentially a reflection of your beautiful personality on the inside. And while you don't necessarily need clothing to look better, the right pieces can boost your confidence and make you feel more attractive.
To help you find the items that will amp up your look, here are the best selections known to be exceptionally flattering for women who know how to style.
The perfect-fitting dress: A perfect-fitting dress is an ideal investment for women. Usually an A-line shape is best since it is universally flattering, but a simple shift silhouette is also a feasible choice. There are a number of classic shapes that never go out of style. However, finding the perfect style that fits you best starts with your needs based on how you feel about different areas of your body. From trendy maxi dresses to a chic little black dress, whatever your specific needs, you should focus on a look that helps you stand out while making you feel beautiful, comfortable, and confident.
Gorgeous heels: There is nothing trendier than a great pair of high heels—that is, if you can master walking in them. Women everywhere have such a fun time with this trend once they find that one pair of super-awesome, head-turning heels. You know the ones: Those heels that interject the right classiness into your outfit, transforming your skinny jeans into a date night look, or giving a black dress that something special it deserves.
Tailored pieces: Whether you are a size zero or a size 12, wearing items that are fit to your body instantly makes a difference. Also, if you stick with tailored items, you will be guaranteed a classic and feminine look. Tailored items go great paired with anything: jeans, little dresses, trousers and skirts. As long as you make sure you find one that is right for you and your wardrobe.
Eye-catching jewelry: If your beauty was a sentence, jewelry would be the proper punctuation. From small diamond earrings that sparkle on your ears to a silver pendant to outline your neck, jewelry has a subtle way of garnering attention. A statement necklace can make a simple outfit look strong and help you create the style you want.
For your wrists, don't underestimate the power of accessories for gold and silvery pieces can perfectly lend their shimmer to your attire. A gold watch is the perfect starter piece to begin layering bracelets of any kind, and the entire look is very trendy.
The quintessential denim: Rather than sticking with boring denim, an easy way to make your wardrobe more interesting is to fill it with classic pants that have an unexpected twist: like denim culottes with a cropped wide-leg. You can create a perfectly-executed ensemble with the right choice of denim jeans matched off with accessories and heels. If you already have a great pair, add an element of polish to your every-day trendy denim by making smart choices with your other clothing and accessories like working with peplum, ladylike outerwear and bold prints.
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
"Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours. But grief comes from losing something you've already had."


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Independent top shop The Entertainer is looking to see off considerable competition from high street giants John Lewis and Tesco in the World Retail Awards this year in Paris.
In what could prove the most important award for a high-street retailer to win this year is the omni-channel retailer of the year. The retailer, headed up by Gary Grant, is hoping to win on the grand stage.
The retailer's profit hit £5.9m last year – a figure significantly dwarfed by Tesco's £3.3bn and John Lewis' £410m, respectively.
The Entertainer offers next day delivery for £4.99 if you order by 7pm and free click and collect within 30 minutes across its 90 UK stores. Its first store was set up in Amersham, Buckinghamshire in 1981.
Coffee shop Harris + Hoole will go head to head with Harvey Nichols for customer experience of the year, while Argos Old Street vies for top spot with Jigsaw's Duke Street Emporium shop in the best store design category.
AO.com and Made.com have enjoyed strong trading of late and are both shortlisted to win the Pure Play online retailer of the year award.
"The finalists are all fantastic representatives for the international retail industry and how retailers continue to adapt and innovate in an increasingly challenging environment," said World Retail Congress chairman, Ian McGarrigle.


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Infused Imaging™ Technology
Design IN product. Not ON it.
In flight since 2014
Traditionally, design or pattern is achieved in thermoplastic sheet by adding material to its surface or by printing on the surface. Infused Imaging™ technology integrates custom design into our KYDEX® Thermoplastic sheet.
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It's quite obvious, actually. Say we have a gigantic economic competitor (like, for example, China) that's creeping up on our accomplishments in science, while our schools are struggling with idiots demanding that we waste time teaching the non-controversy of creationism. One approach would be to shut down the nitwits and fund good science education…yeah, like that's ever going to happen. But how about the alternative? Instead of correcting our own problems, let's start poisoning other countries!
We've got great examples that show it can be done. Turkey, of course, is now a center for Islamic creationism stolen wholesale from American missionaries. The latest news is that South Korea is stripping evolution out of their textbooks, another victory for Christianity.
I'm going to suggest that every American church do their patriotic duty and stop sending missions off to poor countries, like African nations, and instead start pouring them into China, Japan, Taiwan…places where their Stupidity Induction Fields will do us more good in the struggle for economic dominance. I suppose the European Union would be good, too — they're getting too damned secular over there.
Wait, no, not Cyprus — they've got enough problems as it is. Come on, Christians, wreck wealthy economies for us, OK? No more of this cowardly picking on the little guys.


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Each class will begin with a warm up, then a few walking and poses to get our burlesque alter ego warmed up. We'll then do a routine based on a different burlesque technique, using feather boas, gloves and all manner of fun props. We'll get you bumpin' and Grindin' into your weekend!
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Uggghhhhhh! I'm such a chicken when it comes to severe weather! There was a huge line of severe thunderstorms from Amarillo down to Midland (Lubbock being in the middle) that was rockin' and rollin'. I wake up from the thunder....check my phone....see there is a tornado watch and severe thunderstorm warning. I roll over, try to just listen to the thunder, watch the lightning, no success. My paranoid self can't go to sleep without at least checking on it. I had to come out into the living room to turn the t.v. on - everything is fine but now it is 2 hours later and I can't go back to sleep! ughh!
I made this today and was going to post it later this week after I took pictures of it, but what the hey? Here is another cute little small group/station activity for word families. Click on the picture to download. If it gets a little blurry in google docs, just refresh the page and try again. It has done this to me several times - I'm not sure why but refreshing the page will fix it!


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Choose Activate Learning and we will help you develop the skills, knowledge, resilience and confidence to succeed in your chosen career pathway.
Ready to kickstart or advance your career? Expand your learning horizons at our welcoming campuses - with dedicated learning spaces, industry standard facilities and experienced teachers to support you all the way.
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Discover how far you can go with our support.
Activate Learning is based at City of Oxford College.
Tel: 0800 612 6008
You will be supported through demonstration and instruction by an experienced tutor. Please be aware that this is a mixed ability class and space in the Pottery is limited - please contact Woodley Hill House on 01344 766640 before enrolling if you are intending to bring a support worker with you.
Leisure CourseQualifications explained
Bracknell & Wokingham
Woodley Hill House
10 weeks
2018 Ceramics for All Term 3Adult: £193.00
Fees may be subject to change
Wed 24 Apr 2019 13:00-15:30
Beginners will follow a programme of projects which introduce them to a range of making and decorating techniques. Experienced students can be set more challenging projects, or work on their own design ideas. All students are supported by the tutor throughout each project.
You will also learn:
Formal instruction. Discussion. Individual tuition. Practical demonstration. Practical experience.
There is no formal assessment for this course.
I've enjoyed working with different mediums and doing lots of things that I hadn't done before. Not many schools can offer the facilities that they have here."
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To enrol for this course, simply click on the 'enrol' button. You will then be taken to an enrolment form, where you will be asked to add your contact details and payment information.
Course places are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. We would encourage you to enrol on your chosen course as soon as possible.
If you prefer to enrol in person please visit us at one of our college Advice Centres or enrol over the phone via 0800 612 6008.
Copyright Activate Learning 2019. All rights reserved


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Pat Brittingham is preparing to take on a big task: Grading six of her peers on job evaluations with newly raised stakes.
Brittingham, who works at King/Robinson Magnet School, is one of 18 teachers who last week completed an 18-hour training to prepare them to observe and score their peers as part of New Haven's job evaluation system.
The training is part of a larger effort underway in New Haven to "calibrate" its teacher evaluation system, so that teachers receive consistent quality of feedback, and consistent scores, no matter who is grading them.
It's also part of an effort to include more teachers in the evaluation process.
Teachers are now graded on a five-point scale based on two factors: goals teachers set for how their kids will improve on tests; and their "instructional practice and professional values," as measured by classroom observations. The evaluation system, which launched in the 2010-11 school year, was one of the first in the nation to tie student performance to job evaluations. It is being nationally watched, mostly for the way in which the teachers union has collaborated with management.
Four years after the evaluation system rolled out, the level of consistency is "OK at best," said teachers union President Dave Cicarella. Some evaluators "have a great handle on it," but others don't, he said.
"Most evaluators do a great job—not all do, and that's the issue," agreed schools Superintendent Garth Harries.
Now the district is addressing that problem by hiring a local firm called Revision Learning to train and re-train everyone who evaluates teachers. The training is one of the first programs paid for by a $53 million Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant the city received last year from the Obama Administration to improve the way New Haven rewards, recognizes and develops educators.
The training comes as teachers have accepted a new labor contract that begins to attach consequences to the evaluation system: Starting next fall, New Haven will withhold raises from all teachers who are rated "needs improvement" or "developing," the lowest two scores, until they attend up to 10 hours of extra professional development.
"Huge Responsibility"
Teachers who are evaluating their peers gathered last week in the library of Truman School for a third, six-hour training session with Patrick Flynn. Flynn has been involved with New Haven's new teacher evaluation system since its inception: first as an employee of Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES), and now as CEO and founder of Revision Learning. His firm has a $200,000 contract with New Haven public schools to run these trainings, support several individual schools, and send "validators" to observe and evaluate teachers who have received high or low scores.
Eighteen teachers and one new assistant principal spent their entire workday Friday honing their evaluation skills with Flynn. Most had never evaluated teachers before. Some, like Brittingham (at right in photo, with Michele Ricci), had.
Brittingham, a magnet resource coordinator at King/Robinson, became an evaluator three years ago at her principal's request. She said she received no extra training before she began grading her peers: "only the experience of being observed." She had relevant experience—she had already been observing and giving feedback to teachers who were implementing the school's International Baccalaureate theme—but she had never conducted formal evaluations.
"It's a huge responsibility," she said. "We're colleagues."
Part of the reason teachers got so little training was due to a rushed timeline. Teachers approved a landmark contract in October 2009 making way for the new evaluations. Then a team of six teachers and six administrators hashed out the details. The new evaluations launched in the fall of 2010, with consequences: Teachers who were flagged as "needs improvement" in November could lose their jobs at the end of the year if they did not improve.
That first summer, only principals received training in how to perform the evaluations, according to Cicarella. That's because they have 12-month jobs. Assistant principals, who work 10 months per year, reported for work just one week before teachers. There wasn't much time for training.
Brittingham said in her second year, she received more training: four two-hour sessions.
This year, as she prepares to grade six of her peers, she's getting the most extensive training yet. She and fellow teachers are taking an 18-hour course calls a "calibration" process. They spent the first day learning the rubric by which New Haven teachers are graded. In the final two sessions, they practiced observing and grading sample lessons on video.
On Friday, eyes were on a woman named Tess Kaji, who taught a 10th grade math lesson videotaped and broadcast by the Baker Evaluation Research Consulting Group.
Kaji had never taught math before, according to BERC. She led kids through a lesson on how to measure the height of an object using the tangent function from trigonometry. Kaji took her kids through SOH-CAH-TOA, the catchy memory technique for remembering the definitions of sine, cosine and tangent. Then she prepared to lead them outside to put their math skills into action.
Teachers watched her on a projector screen, rubrics on hand.
Then they discussed how the teacher would fare on New Haven's evaluation rubric.
Did she "offer students multiple methods to approach material and to demonstrate learning?"
Yes, decided Billy Gibson, an English-as-a-second-language teacher at Columbus Family Academy (pictured at the top of this story).
Indeed, Gibson's group gave Kaji high marks on the test, including on whether she "engages and includes all students in classroom activities."
"I didn't see anyone off task," said Mia Edmonds-Duff, a math coach at Columbus school.
In can be easy to get a feeling for how a teacher performed, but it's a challenge to provide evidence to support those observations, said Flynn.
Flynn said his firm is also working with a group of assistant principals and principals who performed evaluations last year to help them improve their evaluative skills. Revision Learning reviewed the written feedback they gave teachers last year and talked about how to make it more useful.
Flynn (pictured) said his firm also seeks to "calibrate" those evaluators' scores to the new cohort he worked with Friday. He has all of them watch a video and grade the teacher. Then he compares the groups of New Haven educators to each other, as well as to outside "validators" who are using the district's rubric, too.
Revision Learning took over as the official "validators" of New Haven teachers' scores beginning in the 2011-12 school year, Flynn said. (ACES did that task the previous year.) The validators double-check high and low scores. They conduct classroom observations of any teacher flagged as "needs improvement" or "exemplary" in the fall. Revision Learning also works with 17 other school districts in Connecticut to train evaluators in how to grade teachers. That's because of a new state law requiring schools to start linking job evaluations to student performance. As part of the new law, the state called for districts to train its evaluators in how to do so in a fair manner, Flynn said.
Watching a video is not the same as being with a teacher in person, Flynn acknowledged. The evaluator has less information, because you can't see what's on the classroom walls or get a feeling for the room, and you can't discuss what led up to the lesson. And when an evaluator is grading one of her own teachers, she has to put aside any personal biases she may have based on their relationship.
Flynn said besides training their observational eyes, the hardest thing for new evaluators is to "be able to critique a teacher in a critical way that challenges them, and includes support." This happens in writing as well as in person, in face-to-face meetings like this one.
New Haven's evaluation system has more wiggle room—than evaluation programs in cities like New York and Chicago: New Haven does not use an algorithm to measure student progress. New Haven allows teachers to set their own goals for student learning, based in part on standardized tests. Teachers can revise those goals, in cooperation with their supervisors, at a mandatory mid-year conference. Student learning comprises roughly one half of teachers' grades, though it gets weighed more or less depending on the results.
Harries contends that the goal of the evaluations is not to push teachers out, but to help them develop. In its ideal form, the evaluation creates a new relationship between a teacher and their evaluator, and a new forum in which teachers can discuss how to improve their craft.
"The most important thing is the quality of the feedback," said Superintendent Harries. "Having good feedback can be awkward and challenging," he said, but when conversations go well, "they can be really valuable."
The quality of feedback varies, said Cicarella. Some evaluators give "targeted" and helpful feedback. "Others, what they give is not really going to help the teacher."
Cicarella said the process by which teachers and their evaluators agree on their student-learning goals stands to be improved.
"Goal-setting hasn't really gone that well," Cicarella said. Some teachers feel their principals impose goals on them; others don't know that they can adjust their goals mid-year.
Another problem, Cicarella said, has been an "impossible case load." After the first year, some principals reported to the school board that they were overwhelmed with the work associated with observing teachers, filing paperwork, and meeting with teachers regarding their goals.
Now New Haven is expanding the ranks of its evaluators to include more teachers. Teachers don't have to reach a certain score on the teacher evaluation to sign up as evaluators, Cicarella said, but they tend to all score on the top two levels of the five-point scale.
New evaluators included teachers who have their intermediate administrative certificate (092) as well as those who don't. New Haven allows classroom teachers to evaluate their peers even if they don't have that certification. Most are asked by their principals to sign up. While a few are classroom teachers, most have jobs that already include some supervising, such as literacy and math coaches.
Some teachers prefer having a colleague grade them instead of an administrator who may have been out of the classroom for 10 years.
Cicarella said to ensure fairness, the system has a double opt-out feature: If a teacher is assigned another teacher as his or her evaluator, both parties can opt out for personal reasons.
"We're being creative about who does the evaluating," said Harries, "so that we can try to create the time in the day to get meaningful feedback and evaluation." He said in an ideal world, each evaluator would be grading eight to 10 teachers.
There are now 137 evaluators for 1,640 teachers, a ratio of about 1 to 12, according to Michele Sherban-Kline, the district's point-person for teacher evaluation. Of the 137, 100 are administrators, 23 are teachers who evaluated their peers last year, and 14 are teachers who are becoming new evaluators.
Flynn said Friday's group of new trainees will reconvene in January to talk about how to do another part of the evaluation process: Sitting down with a teacher for a mid-year conference and discussing how their practice is going.
Cicarella professed confidence in Flynn's training sessions.
"Patrick Flynn does a great job," he said. Once the new evaluators have had significant training, and then one year of experience observing and evaluating teachers, he said, "then we will be in good shape."