text:
ALSA, which stands for
ALSA's main features include efficient support for all types of audio
interfaces ranging from consumer sound cards to professional sound
equipment, fully modularized drivers, SMP and thread safety, backward
compatibility with OSS and a user-space library
One of Gentoo's main strengths lies in giving the user maximum control over how a system is installed/configured. ALSA on Gentoo follows the same principle. There are two ways you can get ALSA support up and running on your system. We shall look at them in detail in the next chapter.
The two options are :
The in-kernel drivers and the
If you were to use ALSA provided by the kernel, the following are the pros and cons :
|Kernel ALSA
|Pros and Cons
And, if you were to use
|Pros and Cons
The differences between
Whichever method of install you choose, you need to know what drivers your
sound card uses. In most cases, sound cards (onboard and otherwise) are PCI
based and
We now proceed to find out details about the sound card.
# lspci -v | grep -i audio 0000:00:0a.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1 (rev 06)
We now know that the sound card on the machine is a Sound Blaster Live! and
the card manufacturer is Creative Labs. Head over to the
If you intend to use MIDI, then you should add
If you're a person who likes to keep things simple like I do, then this is the way to go.
Let us now configure the kernel to enable ALSA.
# cd /usr/src/linux # make menuconfig
Now we will look at some of the options we will have to enable in the 2.6 kernel to ensure proper ALSA support for our sound card.
Please note that for ease of use, all examples show ALSA built as modules. It
is advisable to follow the same as it then allows the use of
Device Drivers ---> Sound --->
(This needs to be enabled)<M> Sound card support (Make sure OSS is disabled)Open Sound System ---> < > Open Sound System (DEPRECATED) (Move one step back and enter ALSA)Advanced Linux Sound Architecture ---> <M> Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (Select this if you want MIDI sequencing and routing)<M> Sequencer support (Old style /dev/mixer* and /dev/dsp* support. Recommended.)<M> OSS Mixer API <M> OSS PCM (digital audio) API (You now have a choice of devices to enable support for. Generally, you will have one type of device and not more. If you have more than one sound card, please enable them all here.) (Mostly for testing and development purposes, not needed for normal users unless you know what you are doing.)Generic devices ---> (For ISA Sound cards)ISA devices ---> (IF you had the Gravis, you would select this option)<M> Gravis UltraSound Extreme (Move one level back and into PCI devices. Most sound cards today are PCI devices)PCI devices ---> (We now select the emu10k1 driver for our card)<M> Emu10k1 (SB Live!, Audigy, E-mu APS) (Or an Intel card would be)<M> Intel/SiS/nVidia/AMD/ALi AC97 Controller (Or if you have a VIA Card)<M> VIA 82C686A/B, 8233/8235 AC97 Controller (Move one level back and select in case you have an USB sound card)USB Devices --->
Now that your options are set, you can (re)compile the kernel and ALSA support
for your card should be functional once you reboot into the new kernel. Don't
forget to update your GRUB configuration to use the newly built kernel.
You can now proceed to
So you've decided to go the
If you don't have an idea of what drivers your sound card might need, please
take a look at the
(For one sound card)ALSA_CARDS="emu10k1" (For more than one, separate names with spaces)ALSA_CARDS="emu10k1 via82xx"
If you have compiled your kernel and want to use
(Assuming the linux symlink points to the correct kernel)# cd /usr/src/linux # grep SOUND .config (1. is true)CONFIG_SOUND=y (2. is true)CONFIG_SOUND_PRIME is not set # grep SND .config (and 3. is true)CONFIG_SND is not set
Now all you have to do is type the magic words... and no, it's not abracadabra.
# emerge alsa-driver
# emerge alsa-utils
Recent versions of
Another way to configure your sound card is to run
# alsaconf
You will now see a neat menu guided interface that will automatically probe
your devices and try to find out your sound card. You will be asked to pick
your sound card from a list. Once that's done, it will ask you permission to
automatically make required changes to
We're now almost all setup. Whichever method you chose to install ALSA, you'll
need to have something load your modules or initialize ALSA and restore your
volume settings when your system comes up. The ALSA Initscript handles all of
this for you and is called
# rc-update add alsasound boot * alsasound added to runlevel boot * rc-update complete.
Next, just check the
Before we move on to testing, there's one last
(Substitute <username> with your user)# gpasswd -a <username> audio Adding user <username> to group audio
We've completed all the setups and prerequisites, so let's fire up ALSA. If
you ran
# /etc/init.d/alsasound start
Now that the required things have been taken care of, we need to check up on
the volume as in certain cases, it is muted. We use
(Opens up a console program. Only required settings are shown)# alsamixer
This is how the ALSA Mixer
Now, we shall unmute the channels, and set volume levels as needed.
After you're all done, your ALSA Mixer should look similar to the one below. Note the 00 instead of the MM and also the volume levels for some optimum settings.
Finally. Some music. If everything above is perfect, you should now be able to
listen to some good music. A quick way to test is to use a command line tool
(Install the applications you want)# emerge madplay mpg123 (To play .ogg files)# emerge vorbis-tools
And then play your favorite sound track...
# madplay -v /mnt/shyam/Music/Paul\ Oakenfold\ -\ Dread\ Rock.mp3 MPEG Audio Decoder 0.15.2 (beta) - Copyright (C) 2000-2004 Robert Leslie et al. Title: Dread Rock Artist: Paul Oakenfold Album: Matrix Reloaded Year: 2003 Genre: Soundtrack Soundtrack 00:04:19 Layer III, 160 kbps, 44100 Hz, joint stereo (MS), no CRC # ogg123 Paul\ Oakenfold\ -\ Dread\ Rock.ogg Audio Device: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) output Playing: Paul Oakenfold - Dread Rock.ogg Ogg Vorbis stream: 2 channel, 44100 Hz Genre: Soundtrack Transcoded: mp3;160 Title: Dread Rock Artist: Paul Oakenfold Date: 2003 Album: Matrix Reloaded Time: 00:11.31 [04:28.75] of 04:40.06 (200.6 kbps) Output Buffer 96.9%
You can now add the
If for some reason you're unable to hear sound, the first thing to do would
be to check your
(First and foremost, if /proc/asound/cards shows your card, ALSA has picked up your sound card fine.)# cat /proc/asound/cards 0 [Live ]: EMU10K1 - Sound Blaster Live! Sound Blaster Live! (rev.6, serial:0x80271102) at 0xb800, irq 11 (If you run ALSA off the kernel like I do and wonder how far behind you are from alsa-driver, this displays current running ALSA version)# cat /proc/asound/version Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.8 (Thu Jan 13 09:39:32 2005 UTC). (ALSA OSS emulation details)# cat /proc/asound/oss/sndstat Sound Driver:3.8.1a-980706 (ALSA v1.0.8 emulation code) Kernel: Linux airwolf.zion 2.6.11ac1 #2 Wed May 4 00:35:08 IST 2005 i686 Config options: 0 Installed drivers: Type 10: ALSA emulation Card config: Sound Blaster Live! (rev.6, serial:0x80271102) at 0xb800, irq 11 Audio devices: 0: EMU10K1 (DUPLEX) Synth devices: NOT ENABLED IN CONFIG Midi devices: 0: EMU10K1 MPU-401 (UART) Timers: 7: system timer Mixers: 0: SigmaTel STAC9721/23
The other most common issue users face is the dreaded "Unknown symbol in module" error. An example of the same is shown below.
# /etc/init.d/alsasound start * Loading ALSA modules ... * Loading: snd-card-0 ... [ ok ] * Loading: snd-pcm-oss ... WARNING: Error inserting snd_mixer_oss (/lib/modules/2.6.12-gentoo-r6/kernel/sound/core/oss/snd-mixer-oss.ko): Unknown symbol in module, or unknown parameter (see dmesg) FATAL: Error inserting snd_pcm_oss (/lib/modules/2.6.12-gentoo-r6/kernel/sound/core/oss/snd-pcm-oss.ko): Unknown symbol in module, or unknown parameter (see dmesg) [ !! ] * Loading: snd-mixer-oss ... FATAL: Error inserting snd_mixer_oss (/lib/modules/2.6.12-gentoo-r6/kernel/sound/core/oss/snd-mixer-oss.ko): Unknown symbol in module, or unknown parameter (see dmesg) [ !! ] * Loading: snd-seq ... [ ok ] * Loading: snd-emu10k1-synth ... [ ok ] * Loading: snd-seq-midi ... [ ok ] * Restoring Mixer Levels ... [ ok ]
And when you take a look at
(Only relevant portions are shown below)# dmesg | less ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:06.0[A] -> Link [APC3] -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 209 snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_unregister_oss_device snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_register_oss_device snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_mixer_oss_notify_callback snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_oss_info_register snd_pcm_oss: Unknown symbol snd_unregister_oss_device snd_pcm_oss: Unknown symbol snd_register_oss_device snd_pcm_oss: Unknown symbol snd_mixer_oss_ioctl_card snd_pcm_oss: Unknown symbol snd_oss_info_register snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_unregister_oss_device snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_register_oss_device snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_mixer_oss_notify_callback snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_oss_info_register
The above issue is caused when you switch from
The solution is quite easy. We just need to manually remove the problem causing
directory after you unmerge
# rm -rf /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/alsa-driver
Another reason for error messages similar to the ones above could be a file in
(Check dmesg to confirm)# dmesg | grep device_mode snd: Unknown parameter `device_mode' (Now, to get to the source of the issue)# grep device_mode /etc/modules.d/*
Usually it is a file called
First, check to make sure that you enabled the
If your sound card is one of those that come with on-board MIDI synthesizers
and you would like to listen to some .mid files, you have to install
# emerge awesfx
After copying over the Soundfont files, we can then play a midi file as shown.
You can also add the
(First, copy the Soundfont)# cp /mnt/win2k/Program\ Files/CreativeSBLive2k/SFBank/8MBGMSFX.SF2 /usr/share/sounds/sf2/ (Or get it from your SoundBlaster CD)# cp /mnt/cdrom/AUDIO/ENGLISH/SFBANK/8MBGMSFX.SF2 /usr/share/sounds/sf2/ (We load the specific Soundfont)# asfxload /usr/share/sounds/sf2/8MBGMSFX.SF2
You can now play midi files using a program like
(Check open ports)# aplaymidi -l Port Client name Port name 64:0 EMU10K1 MPU-401 (UART) EMU10K1 MPU-401 (UART) 65:0 Emu10k1 WaveTable Emu10k1 Port 0 65:1 Emu10k1 WaveTable Emu10k1 Port 1 65:2 Emu10k1 WaveTable Emu10k1 Port 2 65:3 Emu10k1 WaveTable Emu10k1 Port 3 (Pick a port, and play a mid file)# aplaymidi --port=65:0 /mnt/shyam/music/midi/mi2.mid
If your sound card lacks a hardware synthesizer, you could use a virtual one
# emerge timidity++
For timidity to play sounds, it needs a sound font. Fortunately, the ebuild will
install some sound font packages for you. There are a few other font packages
available in Portage, such as
# eselect timidity list # eselect timidity set eawpatches
Don't forget to add
# rc-update add timidity default # /etc/init.d/timidity start
You can now try out
Some specific sound cards can benefit from certain tools provided by the
# emerge alsa-tools
You can have more than one sound card in your system simultaneously, provided
that you have built ALSA as modules in your kernel (or have installed
options snd-emu10k1 index=0 options snd-via82xx index=1
Or, if you have two cards that use the same driver, you specify them on the same line, using comma-separated numbers. Here's an example for a system with three sound cards, two of which are the same Intel High Definition Audio card.
options snd-ymfpci index=0 options snd-hda-intel index=1,2
You may want to install some plugins for extra functionality.
# emerge -avt alsa-plugins
Everyone who contributed to the earlier version of the Gentoo ALSA Guide: Vincent Verleye, Grant Goodyear, Arcady Genkin, Jeremy Huddleston, John P. Davis, Sven Vermeulen, Benny Chuang, Tiemo Kieft and Erwin.


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You can bet on an old-versus-new debate every time a new-gen model lands in the showrooms. You'll have your supporters of the old talking about tradition and character or how the previous car had an analog feel instead of the new car's digitized detachment. Supporters of the new model will talk about technology, microprocessors, advanced materials and the need to keep progressing or go the way of the Neanderthal.
The two Z4s featured here could not be more different, so this isn't so much a comparison as it is an example of how two siblings from the same branch of the family tree have gone on divergent evolutionary paths, with the newer car of the two still evolving.
Unlike some cars that start out as modest tuning projects and then snowball out of control, the owner of the first-gen E85 knew from the beginning he was going to build something specifically for the track. Having owned BMWs since the mid-'70s, including two M5s and an M6, the platform would either be based on a BMW or a Porsche. The car was built over the course of two winters by Fall-Line Motorsports in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, near Chicago. Fall-Line currently runs an M3 in the Grand-Am Koni Challenge series and build racecars for other people, so this E85 build was well within their window. Tim Stratton, the project's point man, said the E85 chassis had similarities to both the E36 and E46 M3s he's worked on.
Fall-Line started by gutting the interior and welding in a six-point rollcage. The stock seats were swapped with carbon Cobra race seats and a Momo steering wheel sits on a quick-release hub. Just behind the wheel there's an AiM Sports MXL dash/data acquisition logger.
For obvious reasons, with its massive flared fenders and exposed carbon weave, the exterior gets most of the attention. The lines of the kit are similar to but not exactly the same as a Flossmann body kit from Germany. Fall-Line commissioned Prototype Composites out of Glendale, Wisconsin, to fabricate a hood, roof and rear decklid and also create different mounting points for the Flossmann kit so they'd fit better. They also left the carbon/Kevlar-reinforced panels naked to show off the weave. A Crawford Designs Grand Am-spec rear wing is mounted via custom-made wind mounts also by Prototype Composites. As it sits now, Fall-Line managed to shave roughly 400 pounds off the stock car (2,850 vs. 3,240).
The first thing you notice after you've climbed over the cage and into the Cobra seat is just how light the doors are. The panels can't weigh more than a pound or two, and most of the weight of the doors comes from the metal frame. Aligning perfectly, the doors close with a secure click.
The engine fires up immediately and gets the interior vibrating to its rhythms. The characteristic metallic zing of a stock 3.2-liter straight six is replaced with a deeper rumble. It breathes through a CSL airbox and Dinan throttle bodies and cams. Spark, air and fuel are controlled by a Motec engine management system. And it exhales through a Supersprint stepped header and X-pipe, followed by a custom-built rear section utilizing Borla mufflers. A Fall-Line underdrive pulley kit helps the engine spin more freely. On a Mustang dyno, the engine made 351 whp at 8000 rpm and 255 lb-ft of wheel torque at 6600 rpm, and the rev limit was raised to 8300 rpm.
The Sachs clutch is racecar stiff but it engages with enough progression to pull away cleanly. As it gathers speed, the gummy Yokohama slicks (280/650 front, 280/680 rear) pelt the underbody with pebbles and marbles, making it sound like the car's being sprayed by a barrage of small-caliber rounds. Onto clean tarmac and the sound of gears being meshed and the lightly muffled exhaust takes over. It's sensory overload, and these are just the warm-up laps.
We're on the Autobahn Country Club's South Track in Joliet, Illinois. In the passenger seat is Justin Fouts, from Fall-Line's marketing department, who had earlier shown me the proper lines around the track's mixture of 15 turns. After a tight first corner, the track unfurls into a series of left and right sweepers that increase in speed until a tricky, chicane-like turn 9-and-10 combo separates the layout's two high-speed sectors.
With some heat into the tires and brakes, I start to step more deeply into the throttle. There's some slight hesitation when I first get into it, which may have been some bad gas, but the engine fought through it to send the meter on the digital dash shooting towards redline. Although torque is abundant, horsepower made through high revs is where the engine thrives. And because it's utilizing Fall-Line's shorter 4.10 differential, running through the gears happens just that much more quickly.
The car turns in sharply and the Yokohama slicks hang on tenaciously. The ride is racecar-stiff with the Moton Club Sports coilovers. The Brembo brakes (355mm slotted discs and four-piston calipers in front, 345mm slotted discs and four-piston calipers in back, Cobalt pads all around) wipe off speed with instant bite and seem to have plenty in reserve. Although I didn't approach the limits in my few short laps, it was easy to tell that Fall-Line had dialed the car in beautifully. It responded to every input, be it brakes or steering, with direct, linear feedback. I'm sure there were some frightening levels of grip left on the table.
Lapping the same track in the 3D Design Z4 couldn't have been more different. Set up for the street and retaining all of its sound deadening materials, the car attacks the straights with a restrained whoosh of spooling turbos and the subtle snarl of the Eisenmann exhaust.
Midrange torque seemed to be the dominant characteristic, as with all N54 engines. This particular car's ECU uses an ESS Tuning Stage 2 program that the company says is good for an extra 90 hp and 70 lb-ft of torque, for a total of 390 hp and 370 lb-ft. As it's still a work in progress, the car is expecting a bigger, more-efficient intercooler.
Like other N54 engines, the little stock turbos start to run out of breath near the redline. Up to that point, the car surges through the gears effortlessly. There was enough power down low to get the back tires to slip coming out of the tighter turns before traction control spoiled the party. The power down the straights was impressive and it wouldn't surprise me if we were hitting top speeds similar to its carbon-bodied E85 brother. But all that power made the brakes seem like the weakest link as they started to fade. More aggressive brake pads might be able to make up for that.
The car sits on a rare set of M3 GTS wheels known as BBS Motorsports GT4 RE. They were brought in by 3D Design North America's sister company, WheelSTO, and are wound with Yokohama Advan S-Drive tires. KW Variant 3 coilovers take care of the damping duties. 3D Design also had a company out of the Chicago area called IND Distribution take out the height adjustment collar to get the car to sit an extra half an inch lower in back. Dinan camber plates help tilt the front wheels in to clear the fenders and give it some extra turn-in.
The car eagerly attacked every corner it was thrown into and you could feel the front tires starting to slip before the rear started to rotate to get the balance back towards neutral. Then it was just a matter of feeding in the right amount of throttle. And even when the fading brakes meant that the corner had to be taken faster than desired, the car responded well to trailing brakes into the corner.
On the outside, the car wears 3D Design's carbon M-Sport front lip, rear diffuser, side skirts and trunk spoiler. The result is subtle but adds a racier edge. Inside it's fitted with 3D Design pedals and footrest and also their gauge pod. That pod and other parts of the dash panels, center console and roll bar covers were painted Alpine White by IND Distribution.
Despite their diametric differences and reasons for being, both cars had that intangible BMW DNA at their core: driver-oriented, well-balanced and well-behaved. And, obviously, they're great platforms to start with, whether for the track or the street.
2006 BMW Z4 M Coupe
3.2-liter I6, dohc, 24-valve. CSL airbox, Dinan cams and throttle bodies, Motec engine management, Supersprint header and X-pipe, custom exhaust, Borla muffler
Six-speed manual, Sachs clutch and flywheel, Fall-Line Motorsports 4.10 differential
Moton Club Sports adjustable coilovers
Brembo Gran Turismo assemblies, four-piston calipers, 355x32mm, two-piece, slotted discs, Cobalt XR1 pads (f), four-piston calipers, 345x28mm, two-piece, slotted discs, Cobalt XR3 pads (r)
Wheels and Tires
HRE Competition 90 Series, 11x18 (f), 11.5x18 (r)
Yokohama racing tires, 280/650 (f), 280/680 (r)
Carbon/Kevlar widebody fenders, rear quarter and front bumper modified from a Flossmann kit by Composite Prototypes. Roof, doors, rear decklid and hood carbon/Kevlar panels custom made by Composite Prototypes. Crawford Designs Grand-Am spec rear wing with Composite Prototype's wind mounts
Cobra carbon racing seats, Momo quick-release steering wheel, six-point rollcage, AiM Sports MXL dash/data acquisition logger
Peak Power: 351 hp @ 8000 rpm
Peak Torque: 255 lb-ft @ 6600 rpm
*measured at wheels
2010 BMW Z4 35i
3.0-liter I6, dohc, 24-valve, twin-turbo. ESS Tuning Stage 2 ECU program, Eisenmann cat-back exhaust
Seven-speed DCT automated manual
KW Variant 3 coilovers, Dinan front camber plates
OEM calipers, 348mm vented rotors (f), 325mm vented rotors (r)
Wheels and Tires
BBS Motorsport BMW GT4 RE, 9.5x18 (f), 10x18 (r)
Yokohama Advan S-Drive, 235/40 (f), 255/35 (r)
BBS Motorsport lug nuts
3D Design body kit (front carbon-fiber splitter, carbon side skirts, carbon rear diffuser and trunk spoiler), tinted side markers and painted reflectors
3D Design three-gauge panel, 3D Design foot pedals, Stack 3500 Series gauges. Alpine White dash and interior panels
Peak Power: 390 hp
Peak Torque: 370 lb-ft
Autobahn Country Club
In the past few years, private racetracks have been popping up across the country. The idea is that you pay a one-time membership fee and then a yearly maintenance fee for the privilege of having access to the track or tracks practically any time you want. There are a few on the East Coast near the money and population density of New York and New Jersey and a few more scattered across the West and the South. In the Midwest, there's the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois, just an hour south of downtown Chicago.
The Autobahn Country Club was one of the first membership-style tracks in the U.S. and it either set the trend or shares a lot of similarities with the clubs of its ilk. First there's the track, and, in this case, there are two courses, the North and South, which were designed by Alan Watson, a former director of the Brands Hatch Circuit in England and also the designer of road courses in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and South Carolina. At Autobahn, the North and South courses can be connected to make one of the longest tracks in the States at 3.56 miles.
Like the other clubs, Autobahn offers driving courses for every skill level and they have a wide variety of performance cars to sample in their Autobahn Experience course, with a Caterham S300 looking particularly appealing.
Local race teams also use Autobahn's tracks for testing and many of them have set up their own on-site garages for maintenance and storage, while some members have even built multi-storied homes along one of the faster stretches on the South track. And so nearly everyone can get involved; there's also a karting track so Junior can hone his skills.
Being that members can get onto the track just about anytime they like from Tuesday to Sunday, it's safe to assume that a lot of doctors, lawyers and CEOs are playing hooky or calling in sick during the racing season. And they're taking a helmet and gloves instead of a bag of golf clubs to this country club.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
There is very little difference between processing data with Hera and SAS; that being the case, people who are already familiar with XMM-Newton data and SAS may find it useful to simply be aware of these differences, rather than go through this entire primer looking for discrepancies. For these users, the most relevant information pertains to the Hera GUI interface and placing data on the Hera servers (see §4). Also, due to NASA network security restrictions, the pipeline task epchain cannot be used. Further, the task cifbuild no longer needs to be run; the Hera server runs it every night, so the ccf.cif file is always up-to-date.
Users who generally prefer to run tasks from the command line may find that it is best to download their datasets from the HEASARC archive straight to their Hera account, repipeline the data there, and then analyze it using the Command Window instead of the GUI.
While tasks can also run on anonymous Hera, they take a much longer time, since the ``files'' in an anonymous user's account are really links; so when a user runs, say, odfingest, Hera has to replace the links with the files and unzip them before running the process.


text:
The Work of the Spiritual Hierarchy of the Planet
The outstanding and dramatic feature of hierarchical action in the present era is the preparation now under way in the Hierarchy for its return to outer plane activity. It is important, therefore, that more people know about the fact of the Hierarchy and about what sort of people the Masters of the Wisdom really are.
The Nature of the Spiritual Hierarchy
The spiritual Hierarchy of the earth is the aggregate of those members of humanity who have triumphed over matter, who have achieved the goal of self-mastery by the same path that individuals tread today. These spiritual personalities have wrestled and fought for victory and mastery upon the physical plane, and struggled with the miasmas, fogs, and dangers, troubles and sorrows of everyday living. They have trodden every step of the way of suffering, have undergone every experience, have surmounted every difficulty, and have won through. Herein lies their right to serve, and the strength and reality of their relationship to a still struggling humanity. They know the quintessence of pain, and can exquisitely measure their methods to the need of the individual. They are characterised by a love which endures, which acts always for the good of the whole; by a knowledge gained through living; by experience based on the evolution of time; by courage as a result of that experience; by a purpose which is enlightened and intelligent and adjusted to the purpose of the planetary Logos, and a dynamic will that brooks no interference to the eventual carrying out of that divine purpose.
The spiritual Hierarchy is the result of human activity, aspiration and achievement; it has been created by and of humanity. The members of the Hierarchy have achieved a complete control of the personality, or lower self. They are no longer centred in the individualised consciousness but have entered into the wider realisation of the planetary group life, which includes all stages, from that tiny sense of social responsibility of the man or woman taking the first steps upon the path of spiritual maturity, to the inclusive comprehension of the Christ himself.
The members of the Hierarchy are the Masters of the Wisdom. Just as a Master's degree in the academic field indicates one who has achieved proficiency, or mastery, in one particular area of human understanding, the Master of the Wisdom is one who has, through self-mastery, achieved mastery within the whole field of human evolution. Because of an individual natural predisposition to certain lines of work, they each have a special contribution to make towards human progress in one of the seven major fields of world work: political, religious, educational, scientific, philosophical, psychological or economic.
The Planned Work of the Hierarchy
The Masters are a worldwide group of executives, adept and skilled in the various fields of work in the modern world, organised into a close network of communication throughout the world, with representatives in all nations, both east and west, and working in the closest co-operation.
The overall hierarchical organisation has three major divisions: one having responsibility for world political progress, or government in its true sense; the second having responsibility for teaching in its three aspects, education, religion and healing; and a third division having responsibility for all economic progress, industry, labour and capital relations, scientific discovery, finance as it pertains to all fields, intellectual culture, and the arts. This third division is the largest of the three, with many different departments of work.
The Masters of the Wisdom are far more practical and realistic than the most efficient big business executives in our modern world. They are far more potent in affecting world events than are the most powerful leaders of any nation or government in the world. They make a constant study of human affairs, watching human trends and human planning for world betterment.
The Masters work according to plan and are known as the "Custodians of the Plan". The Plan is for all people everywhere in the world; it works out under the impelling power of evolution itself.
They work under law and never coerce or pressure humanity. Individual freedom, particularly mental freedom, is never infringed.
Anything that is really good for humanity as a whole is a legitimate aid to their work and fits in to the fundamental purpose of the Plan itself. For example, the establishing of right human relations between races and nations and groups of every kind; the substitution of co-operation for competition in all departments of human affairs; the growth of the recognition and use of the power of goodwill.
The work since the 15th century has been carried forward by the sending out of senior disciples, qualified and trained to work in these particular fields. A number of such disciples appeared at about the same time, sometimes in different parts of the world, working separately, but producing an effect upon human consciousness. Today, all of the work is interrelated and co-ordinated into one worldwide group effort, and the senior members of this group who are responsible for the implementing of the Plan in these various fields have been called the New Group of World Servers.
The results of the work accomplished in these seven fields can be clearly seen.
a. The entire level of human intelligence has been raised and the mind made generally more active in all races everywhere. Humanity has progressed to a state where an intelligent public can discuss world problems.
b. Basic cleavages and separateness unrecognised 500 years ago are now recognised as harmful and remedies are sought.
c. World interrelation, intercommunication and economic interdependence have been achieved, thus guaranteeing ultimate world unity.
d. Progress from the old ways and ideas into the new has produced a natural division of intelligent men and women into two general and basic attitudes, the conservative and the progressive. This applies in all fields of human affairs producing clarifying comparisons which bring opportunity of choice and therefore opportunity for improvement.
e. A widespread philanthropic enterprise utterly unknown before the year 1500 has appeared which is the practical result of the growth of the concept of the brotherhood of humanity.
Two Basic Needs
A main hindrance to the Plan is the spiritual inertia of people of goodwill. Two basic needs today are for trained workers and adequate financing. The Hierarchy works through its disciples and co-workers in all countries, and never before have there been so many endeavouring to fit themselves for this function in the world as "transmitters of the Plan", and never before has there existed such a strong inner integrity and subjective relation between workers in all fields in all parts of the world. For the first time in history there is a coherent world group; but the need for trained workers was never greater nor so widespread nor so urgent as now.
When the hierarchical worker is an advanced worker, he is aware of the source of his guidance and co-operates consciously with the plans of the Hierarchy. Such workers gather around them others who will work along the same lines, through community of interest and humanitarian conviction. They may be quite unconscious of any hierarchical guidance or spiritual objective, except the recognition that they love their fellow men, and this love conditions all they do and motivates their every effort. From the standpoint of the Master, they can be reached, impressed, and directed; and most definitely they are so reached.
A second basic need is for adequate financing of hierarchical work. The crux of the problem of spiritual work in the world today is a financial one. Workers need to recognise that money is a consolidation of the living energy of divinity, and that the greater the realisation and expression of love the freer will be the inflow of that which is needed to carry forward the work. It still remains for the crystallised aspect of this energy of creative intelligence, money, to be used on a large scale for the furtherance of the work of the spiritual Hierarchy. It is at this point and in connection with money that the great test of goodwill in any individual, group or nation demonstrates.
The bringing in of the Kingdom of God, the preparation for the coming of the Christ and the salvaging of mankind demand courage, organisation, business acumen, psychology, and persistence. It needs trained workers and much money. It requires a hard business sense on the physical plane, a practical common sense, a cessation of the constant presentation of a beautiful future in a mythical heaven. It calls for workers possessing long-range vision, using sensible business procedures, and carefully considered programmes.
All humanity, no matter what the place of residence, colour of skin, or religious belief, is clamouring for peace, education, justice, and economic security. All this the right use of money and a recognition of the financial responsibility of each one, based on spiritual values, would rapidly make possible. The major opportunity lies before those already handling the financial resources of the world and the mass of good, kindly people all over the world in all spheres of influence. The power of the individual is not yet truly grasped; there is a vast opportunity before all, but it requires courage, patience, and loving understanding to do the needed work.
Workers, group leaders, organisation heads, thinkers, and men and women of goodwill in all parts of the globe can share this work provided their minds are open and focussed on world betterment.
A Programme of Action
The following important steps can be taken by individuals and groups recognising the fact of the spiritual Hierarchy and the presence of the Christ, who will aid the work of establishing the Plan:
1. Develop a sense of individual responsibility.
2. Develop the spirit of goodwill, and evoke it in others. Express real love in all relationships.
3. Study and reflect upon the many proposals made by world leaders and thinkers on world problems.
Cultivate an intelligent opinion, based on goodwill, on what you as a result of study believe should be done. Discuss the ideas in your home, among friends, and in your various relationships. Regard such discussions as service.
Gather people together to discuss and study current problems and future needs. If only two people co-operate with you, the effort will be a means of helping to change world thought.
4. Find out and study the method, techniques, and objectives of the various groups and organisations concerned with world reconstruction. Establish helpful and friendly relations with them to the best of your ability. Discover the men and women of goodwill in your community, and then co-operate with what they are doing.
5. Behind the world pattern stands its Originator, its Planner, its motivating Energy, its central Will, its living Creator, its God. Use prayer and meditation to reach that central point of Life, and thus blend yourself with the sensed divine objective.
6. Begin at once to lay aside sums of money which can be spared and which can accumulate for hierarchical work. This organised and planned saving will enable you to assume your share in the work without placing an undue burden on others. It will enable you to respond immediately to the real need as it appears.
The text of this pamphlet is adapted from the books "Initiation, Human and Solar" and "The Externalisation of the Hierarchy", both by Alice A. Bailey. They may be obtained from the addresses below.
This pamphlet reaches you as a service activity of World Goodwill. World Goodwill is an activity of the Lucis Trust, working to create an informed public opinion based on spiritual values. It carries out a number of worldwide educational and goodwill service projects. The work is supported solely by the voluntary donations of interested persons.
Offers of help in distributing this pamphlet are welcomed.


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Payment of sick or leave time at retirement
Upon retiring from active service with the university after ten or more years of service with the state or any of its political subdivisions, an employee may elect to be paid for one-fourth of the accrued but unused sick leave credit up to a maximum of one-fourth of one hundred twenty days. This payment will be based on the employee's rate of pay at the time of retirement. Upon accepting such payment, all sick leave credit accrued up to that time will be eliminated.
Such payment will be made only once to any employee.
The maximum payment allowed will be one-fourth of one hundred twenty days. Sick leave conversion does not apply to any termination or separation other than retirement.


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Art Lady necessitava di un nuovo design di logo e ha lanciato un contest su 99designs.
È stato scelto un vincitore tra 16 design presentati da 7 designer.
Juvenile Diversion Counseling Program
Looking for a spectacular logo that represents the many components of our unique counseling program. We do counseling (family, individual and group), wilderness therapy, art therapy, a Teen Media Project, community service and restorative justice with kids ages 10-18 (mostly teens) as an alternative to court. Our goal is to prevent further contact with the police and justice system by providing a variety of services to meet the needs of the kids and families. Mission statement: In an atmosphere of professionalism and excellence we provide counseling and support to juvenile offenders and their families. We create opportunities for change with an emphasis on accountability and personal growth.
We operate out of the office of the District Attorney in Colorado's 18th Judicial District. JDCP is very unique, creative, and cutting-edge program staffed by very gifted counselors that is really making a difference in the lives of kids and in how the justice system treats juvenile offenders.
Our audience is mostly clients that are participating in the program. This logo with go alongside the DA logo on our business cards, brochures, websites, etc. Members of the community members will see this too. We are not trying to "drum up business" as our clients come to us from the court system but we do want people to understand what we do.
1. The logo should represent that we do counseling and incorporate as many of our other components as possible like wilderness, art, family and group counseling.
2. The logo should represent that we work with teens, not too kid-like. We would prefer something really cutting edge- like our program. Would prefer it not be adults with arms around kids.
3. It will be reproduced fairly small so it may be best to use the intials JDCP.
4. Because we are part of the DA's office, we don't want the font to be too much like tagging (although the kids would love that). Cool and descriptive or created with elements like wilderness, art, and counseling in the actual letters.
5. Could use existing DA logo but change what is in the middle and make it teen-like instead of court-like.
Maggiori informazioni su come funziona un contest di design o sui nostri servizi di design di logo.


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Funmy Site
Do we have a Funny Site for you! We have thousands upon thousands of jokes for you on our Funny Site. In fact, we think it's one of the biggest Funny Site on the net. Just pick a category of jokes from our Funny Site and start enjoying some laughs.
You can also share our Funny Site with your friends since you can email any of our jokes directly from our site. We've tried to build our Funny Site to meet all of your Funny Site needs.
Don't forget, if anybody ever asks you what Funny Site has be best jokes, you know exactly where to send them.


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As election day approaches, I want to revisit a question that I examined a few months ago. What is the thesis of Obama's campaign for reelection? What are his big plans for a second term? It seems surpassing strange, given the public's general unhappiness about the present state of affairs, that Obama's promise remains essentially more of the same.
His campaign slogan is "Forward," which is perfect in a sense. Like "Hope and Change," it is content free. Despite its vacuity, even "Hope and Change" cannot withstand the experience of the past four years. "Hope and Change" has been thrown overboard. If "Forward" is a slogan that promises more of the same, it might be a campaign promise that Obama mostly keeps. We ain't going back!
In this case, however, more of the same includes the full implementation of Obamacare. That will bring change, but it is change of a kind that will upset every promise he made to sell us the bill of goods.
The Economist observed that with three million more Americans out of work than four years ago, and the national debt $5 trillion bigger, the question is what Obama intends to do with another four years. The Wall Street Journal story by Carol E. Lee and Monica Langley labored (unsuccessfully, in my view) to discover a purpose to a second Obama term. It included this revelation:
Over his first term, Mr. Obama, 51 years old, has fundamentally shifted his view of modern presidential power, say those who know him well. He is now convinced the most essential part of his job, given politically divided Washington, is rallying public opinion to his side.
As a result, if he wins a second term, Mr. Obama plans to remain in campaign mode. "Barack is grayer, but he's wiser from the battles," says Charles Ogletree, a friend and one of Mr. Obama's professors at Harvard. "This time Barack will use the bully pulpit."
On the one issue Obama took before the public in a big way during his first term, the more he talked the deeper it tanked in public opinion. That would be Obamacare.
The Journal story recalled Obama's self-assessment of his one acknowledged shortcoming during the past four years: his failure "to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times."
The Journal also reported: "He has concluded that he was slow to understand or embrace the role of president as a kind of national counselor." Hey, there seems to be a pattern here.
As for the achievements to which he might devote himself in a second term, the Journal's team of reporters (including two contributors not acknowledged in the byline) offered this with a straight face:
The president views a second term in some ways as a second chance, an opportunity to approach the office differently, according to close aides. He would like to tackle issues such as climate change, immigration, education and filibuster reform.
A second chance? Translation: "Please give me a mulligan."
Climate change? Time to get serious about slowing the rise of the oceans and the healing of Mother Earth.
Immigration and education? You'd think policies promoting economic growth might figure somewhere in the top three, but no.
Filibuster reform? Here I have a constructive suggestion. Appoint former Vice President Walter Mondale to head a commission! To borrow a slogan from a successful reelection campaign of ages past: "Now more than ever."


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Flickr Faves: VisuaLingual
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I know I've mentioned/swiped from one of my favorite blogs, VisuaLingual before, but I wanted to show a few favorite flickr shots I have swiped from there for my own inspiration.
Brilliant and balanced Art Arrangement:
A collection of found objects, in this case bottles, they have found around their neighborhood, Over the Rhine in Cincy:
More great art arrangement, a bold color choice, and you all know I'm always a sucker for globes and maps:
And finally, the to die for studio space:
Check out VisuaLingual on flickr here, the blog here, the site here, and the etsy shop here!
all photos from VisuaLingual, via flickr


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Toronto Public Health Urges Vaccination Against Bacterial Meningitis for MSM Travelling to New York
May 14, 2013
Since 2010 an outbreak of bacterial meningitis has been occurring in New York City among men who have sex with men (MSM). Twenty-two cases have been reported, including four in 2013. The age of cases ranged between 21 and 59 years. Public health authorities in New York have disclosed that seven of the 22 infected people have died, including three from the most recent five cases. Furthermore, 12 of these cases of bacterial meningitis have occurred among HIV-positive men, five of whom have died. The bacteria responsible for this outbreak are Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C.
In Canada
Cases of meningitis related to the New York outbreak have not been reported in Canada. However, because of travel and subsequent connections between sexual networks of MSM in the U.S. and Canada, Toronto Public Health has made the following recommendation:
"Physicians offer the vaccine (sold as Menactra, Menveo, also known as the ACYW-135 meningococcal conjugate vaccine) to MSM who are planning to travel to New York City and who are either [HIV-positive] or who may have close or intimate contact with other men met either through an online website, or digital app, or at a bar or party in New York City."
This recommendation by Toronto Public Health is prudent because there have been outbreaks of bacterial meningitis in MSM in Toronto in the past. San Francisco's Department of Public Health has made a similar recommendation for MSM travelling to New York who may have sex or close contact with MSM there.
Note that public coverage of these vaccines may not be subsidized for MSM in every region; check with your family doctor or local public health authorities. However, because an outbreak is underway in New York, that city's Public Health Department is offering free vaccinations to its MSM residents.
The vaccine takes about two weeks to work and should be effective for up to five years in adults. Therefore, vaccination at least two weeks prior to travel to New York City is a good idea.
About Meningococcal Meningitis
N. meningitidis can be found in the nose and throats of about 10% of healthy adults in North America and Western Europe. In these regions, outbreaks of meningococcal disease are relatively common among infants in the first year of life, and in young people aged 15 to 25 years. Usually these germs do not cause disease except in people who are susceptible to them.
Transmission and Risk Factors
In general, being in close personal contact with a person who has meningococcal disease helps the spread of infection. Transmission occurs when one inhales the tiny droplets that are released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Outbreaks of meningococcal disease have been linked to the following locations:
- Crowded conditions such as those found in university dormitories, military training centres and barracks, schools, bathhouses/saunas, bars and nightclubs.
The following factors have been associated with the spread of and susceptibility to N. meningitidis:
- intimate contact -- including wet kissing and sex
- sharing food utensils, drinks, toothbrushes and so on
- smoking cigarettes or inhaling second-hand smoke -- this damages the delicate cells lining the nasal passages and throat
The following populations are at increased risk for bacterial meningitis caused by N. meningitidis:
- people who have or had a recent viral infection (such as the flu) that has affected the throat and nasal passages
- people with weakened immune systems, including people who have inherited immune deficiencies, people whose spleens are malfunctioning or who have had their spleens removed, people with sickle cell anemia and people who have received a transplanted organ or tissue. The Public Health Agency of Canada notes that HIV-positive people are at heightened risk for meningococcal infection.
- travellers to regions where there are relatively high rates of meningococcal disease, such as sub-Saharan Africa, and pilgrims on the Hajj who have visited Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Signs and Symptoms
After becoming exposed to N. meningitidis, susceptible people usually develop symptoms of meningococcal disease within one to 10 days. Common symptoms in adults include the following:
- rash -- this appears as red or purplish lesions caused by bleeding under the skin
- meningitis -- initial symptoms can include headache of growing intensity, fever, nausea and vomiting. Severe muscle or abdominal pain may also occur. Later, other symptoms appear, including neck stiffness and sensitivity to light. As the membranes surrounding the brain become inflamed, additional symptoms such as confusion, agitation, seizures and loss of consciousness can develop.
In cases where the infection has spread throughout the body, additional symptoms such as cold hands and feet, and painful limbs have been reported.
People with meningococcal disease can die from shock and elevated pressure squeezing the brain, so these complications need to be managed. Recommended treatments include intravenous administration of the antibiotic ceftriaxone (Rocephin) or cefotaxime (Claforan) for up to a week in cases of uncomplicated meningitis.
Despite intensive medical care and treatment, about 10% of people with meningococcal disease die. Furthermore, complications can occur due to death of skin and soft tissue in the feet, arms and legs. Dead tissue can obstruct the flow of blood, causing further damage, and limb amputation may be necessary in such cases.
Other complications that have been reported include loss of hearing and persistent pain.
Protecting Friends and Family
People living with and who have had sex with someone who has been recently diagnosed with meningococcal disease are at high risk for infection by N. meningitidis and developing disease caused by this germ. This risk falls about six weeks after the infected person has been exposed. However, the risk for meningococcal disease still remains elevated for up to one year after exposure to the infected person.
To prevent the development of meningitis in partners and family members of someone who has been diagnosed with infection by N. meningitidis, doctors can prescribe a single injection of the antibiotic ceftriaxone or different formulations of other antibiotics depending on their region.
A Focus on MSM
Over the past 40 years, researchers in Canada, Denmark, the U.K. and the U.S. have reported finding the presence of N. meningitidis in the throat, rectum and urethra of MSM. In these reports, particularly from the 1970s, '80s and '90s, the bacteria did not appear to commonly cause severe disease in MSM in high-income countries. However, in the past decade, reports have emerged of outbreaks of bacterial meningitis among MSM in Toronto, New York, Chicago and California. Furthermore, an outbreak of bacterial meningitis is underway in New York City, with a few isolated and unrelated cases, according to public health authorities, occurring among gay men in Southern California. These outbreaks may occur because the bacteria that cause meningitis are relatively common in some MSM.
Toronto Public Health fact sheet on meningococcal disease
Toronto Public Health meningococcal C vaccine alert
Canadian Immunization Guide for meningococcal vaccines
New York City Department of Health alerts
Los Angeles County Public Health meningococcal disease page
San Francisco Public Health Advisory on Invasive Meningococcal Disease
- Pollard AJ. Chapter 143. Meningococcal Infections. In: Longo DL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J, eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 18th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2012.
- Tunkel AR, van de Beek D, Scheld WM. Acute Meningitis. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practices of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2010.
- Odegaard K, Gundersen T. Gonococcal pharyngeal infection. British Journal of Venereal Disease. 1973 Aug;49(4):350-352.
- Givan KF, Keyl A. The isolation of Neisseria species from unusual sites. CMAJ. 1974 Nov 16;111(10):1077-9.
- Galaid EI, Cherubin CE, Marr JS, et al. Meningococcal disease in New York City, 1973 to 1978. Recognition of groups y and W-135 as frequent pathogens. JAMA. 1980 Nov 14;244(19):2167-71.
- Salit IE, Frasch CE. Seroepidemiologic aspects of Neisseria meningitidis in homosexual men. CMAJ. 1982 Jan 1;126(1):38-41.
- Chapel TA, Gatewood C, Keane MB. Neisseria meningitidis in the anal canal of homosexual men. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 1977 Dec;136(6):810-2.
- Schmink S, Watson JT, Coulson GB, et al. Molecular epidemiology of Neisseria meningitidis isolates from an outbreak of meningococcal disease among men who have sex with men, Chicago, Illinois, 2003. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 2007 Nov;45(11):3768-70.
- Russell JM, Azadian BS, Roberts AP, et al. Pharyngeal flora in a sexually active population. International Journal of STD and AIDS. 1995 May-Jun;6(3):211-5.
- Gardner P. Prevention of meningococcal disease. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006 Oct 5;355:1466-73.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Notes from the field: serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease among men who have sex with men -- New York City, 2010-2012. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2013 Jan 4;61(51-52):1048.
- Krohn K. Deadly meningitis outbreak among gay men worries officials. NBC News. 23 April 2013.
More From This Resource Center
Undetectable Viral Load and HIV Prevention: What Do Gay and Bi Men Need to Know?
Do HIV-Negative Gay Men Need Condoms if They're on PrEP? Here's What I Tell My Patients
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Jessica Simpson is pregnant again. Yep. According to Us Weekly, less than seven months after she gave birth to the ridiculously adorable Maxwell Drew, the pop-star and her fiance, Eric Johnson, are expecting again. This pregnancy reportedly wasn't planned, but, unsurprisingly, Jess and Eric are "ecstatic."
Congrats to the happy couple! Yay babies! Yay parents! But I'm just going to say something here, because I know you're thinking it, too: So much for losing those much-talked-about 70 pounds!
Before we get into Jess's "highly-controversial" pregnancy weight gain, though, can we just discuss for a second the fact that she's going to have a 1-and-a-half-year-old and a newborn? I mean, I know people do it all the time (and it has to be a hell of a lot easier when you're as rich as Simpson), but hot damn, that sounds exhausting! But then again, so does a 2-year-old and a newborn. And a 4-year-old and a newborn? Gah, which is best?! One kid and a baby seems nuts, no matter which way you slice it! And being pregnant with a kid seems exhausting!
All right, now we can talk baby weight. Personally, I think it's a good thing that Jess lost the majority of what she gained (thank you, Weight Watchers!). I mean, you want to go into a pregnancy as healthy as possible. Buuuut. At the same time, it kind of seems like a lot of her work was for naught. She's going to "have" to start this process over again in nine months of so.
But hey, the upside is Jess will probably get some sort of endorsement deal again, which will only make her and her family all the more rich. So there's that. Stars: They're just like us. Only the opposite. Because they get to make money off of gaining, and then losing, weight!
Congrats, Jess and Eric. Can't wait to see what adorable little human you create this time. Maxwell's going to be hard to top. Just sayin'.
How close were your pregnancies?
Image via Us Weekly


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The stigma is disappearing, they say in new national survey, but not the problem of getting the right services to the right kids at the right time
NEW YORK -- The stigma once attached to children in special education is disappearing from America's public schools, according to a Public Agenda survey of their parents released today. But as Congress prepares to take up legislation governing special education in the public schools, many parents say getting information about services for their children is often a struggle.
And they offer mixed views on whether the right kids are getting the right services -- 70 percent say too many children with special needs are losing out because their parents are unaware of what's available, while 65 percent feel some children with behavior problems, rather than learning or physical disabilities, get misdirected into special education.
Public Agenda believes its study is the first of its kind to be based on a randomly selected, nationally represented sample of parents of public school children with special needs. The survey is based on phone interviews conducted during April and May with 510 parents from a representative cross-section of the nation whose children attend public schools and receive special education services. When It's Your Own Child: A Report On Special Education from the Families Who Use It was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and the 21st Century Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute.
Some experts have voiced concerns about the rapid growth in special education enrollment, especially among youngsters diagnosed with Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), also known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and question whether schools and families are too quick to place students in special education. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last month that the parents of 7 percent of the nation's elementary school age children said their child had been diagnosed with ADHD, higher than originally suspected.
But contrary to views that special education has become a dumping ground for difficult students, the parents surveyed by Public Agenda were more likely to say they had to struggle to get their children the services they needed. Just 11 percent said they felt their school had been in a rush to find a problem with their child, while 29 percent said their school was dragging its feet. More than half said their school took the right approach. Nearly seven out of ten (69 percent) believe early intervention could have kept many students overall out of special education.
While policymakers focus on whether special education needs more money and a major overhaul from Washington, the parents of children with special needs bring a different perspective to the debate, said Deborah Wadsworth, president of Public Agenda. We heard no broad call for reform among the parents. While they share some of the concerns raised by critics, many of the parents simply cannot imagine what their children's lives would be like without the special services provided by their public schools.
The study showed that most parents, once their children receive special education services, tend to give the programs good ratings, and most believe that mainstreaming helps special needs children academically. Two-thirds (67 percent) rate their schools good or excellent in providing their children with the help they need. And 64 percent said that once their child was identified as having special needs, it was easy to get the services they needed, versus 35 percent who expressed frustration.
Most of the parents surveyed by Public Agenda gave their own school programs good marks, said Wadsworth. But there is a frustrated minority who say they continually run up against an uncooperative, unhelpful bureaucracy.
Progress Report
Today, some six million children, or about 13 percent of total public school enrollment, receive special education services. In response, school districts have had to find well-trained teachers, determine how to apply new academic standards and how to balance the interests of all students. In a survey of its members earlier this year by the National School Boards Association, nearly 90 percent cited special education as an issue of moderate or significant concern. In its survey of special ed parents, Public Agenda found:
I finally got my son placed in a school that I'm truly happy with, one mother said during a Public Agenda focus group that preceded the survey. They take them out into the public, so that they can be with the other people. They treat them like normal people. I just like the way everything is set up.
But At What Cost?
A key concern regarding special education debated at the policy level and in local school districts is the cost of providing special needs services, now averaging over $12,000 per pupil versus $6,500 for other pupils. In addition, Congress has provided only about 15 percent of special education funding, far less than the 40 percent it originally promised in 1975 when it mandated the public schools to provide students with disabilities a free, appropriate education. The law, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is due for reauthorization this year by Congress.
In a Public Agenda survey conducted last year, 84 percent of public school superintendents and 65 percent of principals said special education exacted a disproportionate share of school dollars.
In the current survey and focus groups, Public Agenda found that special ed parents were largely unfamiliar with the federal government's policy or funding roles in special education, as well as with IDEA. Very few in focus groups were aware of the growing controversy around special education that has arisen in education and government circles, and few of the special ed parents surveyed said they feel resentment from other parents. In the survey, Public Agenda got mixed results from the parents on funding issues:
Clearing the Air
Some critics have complained that special education has become too bureaucratic and time-consuming for local schools, and question the effectiveness of the services. A key concern has been that schools actively recruit students into special education for a variety of reasons, and that students who have behavioral problems rather than learning or physical disabilities get dumped into special needs programs.
A majority of the parents surveyed (55 percent) credit their schools with taking the right approach when evaluating their children for special services, compared with the 29 percent who said their school was dragging its feet and 11 percent who felt their schools were in too much of a rush. The notion that some families push their children into special education just to get extra resources was dismissed by a majority of the parents surveyed (55 percent), although a sizable minority (32 percent) did either strongly or somewhat agree.
A large majority of the parents (70 percent) feel that too many kids with special needs are losing out because their families are unaware of the services available. Over half (55 percent) say it is up to parents to find out on their own what help is available because the school is not going to volunteer the information.
One mother related her experience with the school psychologist, You know what (he) told me? He said, 'If you weren't so persistent, I wouldn't give you these services.'
On the other hand, 69 percent of the parents believe many students would not need to be in special education if they had received appropriate help earlier. And 65 percent say some children receiving special education services have behavior problems, rather than learning or physical disabilities. Asked if public schools were too quick to label African-American children as learning disabled, a charge heard from some critics, 41 percent disagreed, 18 percent agreed and 41 percent said they did not know.
Over six in 10 parents (63 percent) said their school's evaluation process was clear and straightforward while 24 percent said it was complicated and tricky. A third said school officials dealing with special education are too concerned with paperwork and following proper procedures; 63 percent disagreed.
One of the key provisions of IDEA is mainstreaming special needs students into regular classrooms. A majority of special ed parents (56 percent) believe mainstreaming helps special-needs children academically and another 12 percent say it has little effect. Mainstreaming was viewed as detrimental to special needs students by nearly a quarter of the parents surveyed (24 percent).
Measuring Up
The widespread support nationwide for raising academic standards was shared in large measure by special ed parents both in the current survey and in Public Agenda's Reality Check 2002 survey, which included a subgroup of special ed parents, released earlier this year.
Nearly 8 in 10 parents in the new survey said their schools should pay a lot more attention to the academic progress of students in special education. In the earlier Reality Check survey, special ed parents opposed by a 67-28 percent margin the practice of social promotion, in which a struggling student is moved on to the next grade rather than held back.
One mother during a Public Agenda focus group for the current survey complained, my son had four D's and they were more than willing to send him to the next level without giving him any extra help. That's failing the kid.
Asked if their children should be expected to pass an exit exam testing their basic skills and knowledge in order to graduate, 34 percent said their child should pass the same test as other students and 50 percent said they should pass the same test but with some accommodations. Only 4 percent said their child should be excused entirely and 11 percent said their child should be given an easier test.
Among high school parents, 82 percent expect their child to graduate with a standard diploma. By a 43-27 percent margin, more parents believed the day would come when their children would no longer need special education services, while 29 percent said it was too early to tell.
Some Unhappy Parents
While most parents give special education good marks, Public Agenda found considerable unhappiness among a substantial number of special ed parents. For many families, frustrations have reached a point where one in six parents (16 percent) say they have considered taking their school to court.
Nearly four in 10 of the parents surveyed (38 percent) say their child would perform better with better teachers. Similarly, 39 percent said their child's special education program was either failing or needed improvement as a good source of information, 35 percent expressed frustration in getting the special education services their child needed, and 33 percent said their school was doing a fair or poor job giving their child the help they need.
A sizable 34 percent of high school parents feel their school needs to do a better job preparing their child for life after graduation and 11 percent fail their schools in this regard.
In preparing When It's Your Own Child, Public Agenda conducted three focus groups and four in-depth interviews with parents of special needs students, and 13 in-depth interviews with experts in special education. The report is based on a national random telephone survey conducted between April 12 and May 11, 2002 of 510 parents of K-12 public school children who have special needs. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points. The report was prepared by Jean Johnson and Ann Duffett.
There are many categories of disabilities that special children may have. Parents in the sample named: ADHD, speech or language impairments, mental retardation or emotional disturbance, hearing or vision impairments, autism or other disabilities.
Public Agenda, a nonprofit organization with a 25-year history of conducting nonpartisan public opinion research, takes no position on special education issues and exercised complete discretion in undertaking its research. Public Agenda takes full responsibility for the study results.
Public Agenda's Web site (www.publicagenda.org) includes a summary of the findings, data charts and other information related to the report. A complete copy of the report can be downloaded from the site at no charge until July 19, 2002. A print copy of the report is also available from Public Agenda for $10, plus $2 shipping and handling.
Public Agenda is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research organization, located in New York City, and is well respected for its influential public opinion polls and its balanced citizen education materials. Founded in 1975 by Cyrus R. Vance, the former U.S. secretary of state, and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author, its mission is to inform leaders about the public's views and to inform citizens about government policy.


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eMediaWorld Markets ending volatile week on steady note
LONDON — Stocks made some modest gains Friday at the end of a week that's been dominated by speculation over when the U.S. Federal Reserve will start reducing its stimulus.
Aside from a whopping 13 percent fall in U.S. new home sales in July, there's been little economic news to drive sentiment. And even that fall, the biggest since May 2010, came after surprisingly strong figures for June. As such, the impact was fairly minimal, but at the margins the figures shored up stocks since they may make the Fed more likely to delay its so-called tapering.
"Traders know the Fed's tapering clock is ticking and any soft economic data may buy the bulls more time," said David Madden, market analyst at IG. In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed up 0.7 percent at 6,492.10, while Germany's DAX rose 0.2 percent to 8,416.99. The CAC-40 in France ended 0.3 percent higher at 4,069.47.
In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average was steady at 14,967, while the broader S&P 500 index was up 0.1 percent at 1,658. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3 percent to 3,650, a day after it suffered a major glitch that saw trading closed for most of the afternoon session. Microsoft was the standout stock in the U.S., surging as much as 8 percent after CEO Steve Ballmer said he will retire within the next year.
Stocks, particularly in the U.S., have had a tricky week as investors fretted about when the Fed will begin the so-called tapering of its stimulus. At the moment, it's buying $85 billion of financial assets a month in order to lower borrowing rates and shore up the U.S. economy.
A run of solid economic data, particularly with regard to the labor market, appears to have convinced policymakers at the Fed that the tapering should begin later this year. The main question appears to be over the exact timing, with investors split between September and December.
Earlier, markets in Asia were a little bit more buoyant as investors continued to breathe a sigh of relief that China's economy, the world's second-largest, may have gotten over its soft patch. A survey Thursday by HSBC Corp. showed an expansion in China's manufacturing in August.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.9 percent to 5,123.40, and South Korea's Kospi added 1.1 percent to 1,870.16. However, Hong Kong's Hang Seng reversed early gains to close 0.2 percent down at 21,863.51. The index had been the region's top-performer on Thursday after the Chinese figures.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index jumped 2.2 percent to 13,660.55 amid speculation that the Bank of Japan's governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, will reaffirm his support for easy monetary policy at an annual meeting of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Trading was fairly lackluster in other financial markets, too. Among currencies, the euro was 0.2 percent higher at $1.3395, while the dollar fell 0.1 percent to 98.60 yen.


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Patti Blagojevich slept in her own bed last night for the first time in almost a month.
Her husband, fallen Gov. Rod Blagojevich, joined his two daughters, Annie and Amy, and his sister-in-law, Deb Mell, in greeting the jungle queen at O'Hare Airport just after midnight Thursday. There were hugs all around, and Patti told gathered media that she enjoyed her time in Costa Rica, but was glad to be home.
She said she looks forward to spending time with her kids and her "main squeeze." When asked what comes next, she said that she's simply planning on spending time at home, and that the weekend will include lots of snuggle time on the couch.
Patti hung on until the final episode of the NBC reality series "I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!" She successfully spent 23 days in the Costa Rican jungle, and appears to have no regrets.
She walked away with several new friends, including former basketball player John Salley, former pro wrestler Torrie Wilson, and actor and the series' winner, Lou Diamond Phillips.
She also walked away significantly lighter; she reportedly lost 12 pounds during her three-week stay.
Despite finishing the show as a loser, she said in an interview on WLS Radio's "Don Wade and Roma Morning Show" Thursday that the show was "a really welcome break" that she didn't even realize she needed.
"I went there to help our family financially, but you know, to be able to actually help dispell some of the misinformation that was out there about Rod and I, is a tremendous benefit," she said.
Patti admitted, also, that the competition provided a distraction from her worries at home.
"It was nice to go down there and meet people that didn't have an agenda with me, that became my friends and it helped restore my faith in people," she said, according to the Tribune.
And while her participation on the show could have been an awful, humiliating experience, it looks as though Illinois' former first lady will return home stronger and friendlier, though she admits that she found her co-contestants to be a bit more "Hollywood" than her midwestern roots.
"There was a doctor that was off-site that would come down and take care of any medical needs we had. Some of the celebrities, I mean, they're taking, they're all extremely stressed being in the jungle. I mean, they needed their Xanax, and they needed their Ambien to go to sleep. And I thought to myself, 'They think this is stressful?' This is not stressful. This is vacation."
The former first lady of Illinois' image on the show was far different from the foul-mouthed political wife she's been presented as in recent months. She came across to many as a plainspoken, levelheaded mom. Week after week, viewers voted to keep her in the show, and she outlasted celebrities like Holly Montag and Daniel Baldwin.
"I was totally flattered by the votes I received," she said.
Her family reportedly recorded all of the show's episodes, and Patti said she'll watch them after a good night's sleep and a big meal of ribs.
She says she'll now focus on reuniting with her family. She said being apart from them was the hardest part of her jungle gig.
Now back at home, the real reality returns. The trial date for her husband's federal corruption case had been set, and the recent revelation that two top aides -- John Harris and Lon Monk -- are expected to plead guilty next month brings the point home.
Patti Blagojevich was cast on the show to in lieu of her husband after a judge barred him from leaving the country because of pending corruption charges.


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Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
Earlier this week, a white stork traveling along the Nile River in search of food met an unfortunate end after being accused of working for the hated "Zionist entity."
The bird was spotted by an Egyptian fisherman who noticed it was wearing a technical device on one of its legs. The fisherman jumped to what was apparently the only logical conclusion: the stork must be an Israeli spy.
Dubbed "Menes" by the Egyptian media, the stork was put behind bars while an investigation was carried out. Authorities eventually reached the sane conclusion that the device on Menes' leg was a tracker put there by non-Israeli researchers.
His innocence established, Menes was set free, and conservationists expected he would continue the natural migration south to richer fishing grounds.
Sadly, Menes instead headed to a nearby island in the Nile River where locals shot and cooked him. Stork is a common staple in the local Egyptian diet.
At least Israel was not blamed for Menes' untimely death.
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Posted on January 5, 2011
Yes, Uncle Blogsy took some time off, as promised. I went out west: not so far west that I was out of the reach of Midwestern weather, just west of Chicago. We were given more than ten inches of snow one day, but I had little or no part in the clearing of it, so I could just watch and say "Ooh, how purty!"
I made a few sociological observations to bring back. In my part of the country, fewer and fewer people are driving what used to be known as "cars". I believe two of every three vehicles I saw in the grocery store parking lot was an RV, SUV, or just a van, and if you add to that the families who always have driven pick-ups, I suppose no more than 12% of the array could be called cars.
I also noted by listening to the radio that people are still out there writing Christmas songs, people who ought to be restrained by their friends. I could have written those songs, and you know THAT is not a good thing. They mean well, poor dears, and their basic concept is okay but their poetry skills…well, perhaps at that time of year one shouldn't be critical.
On the other hand, hey, it's January now. And way too many songs come out with choruses like
"Oh, I love to be with my family at Christmas
Because Christmas is when I like to be with my family;
Families are wonderful at Christmas
Cuz Christmas time is…..Family Time."
But to a great degree over the break I looked at books. I hope you didn't think I was going somewhere book-free. We give books at Christmas. (We once had a high-tech holiday when almost nobody got a book, and it was one of the longest December 25ths on record.) I looked over the book sale racks at the public library, and gave my verdict on the books bought at sales through the summer. (My mother, particularly, is a serious book buyer and is NEVER coming to the Newberry Library Book Fair. There'd be nothing left for YOU.)
No, I'm not going to report to you about what books I saw. A book report over vacation? Don't be daft.
(NEXT TIME: What YOU did over my Christmas vacation.)


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|CAP Home
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Contact CAP
The State of Oklahoma Roof Asset Management Program (the Program) is based on continuous improvement principles: delivering quality-roofing design, best value roofing materials and manufacturer qualified installation. The program saves money and time by:
The Program provides oversight and recommendation in areas of Consultant Selection and Plan Review for public construction projects that include new roofing and roof replacement. Construction and Properties (CAP) administers the Design Phase; the Bid Administration Phase, which includes the solicitation for bids, bid openings, bid evaluations and awards of public construction contracts for all projects; and the Construction Administration Phase includes tracking pay applications, warranty documentation and final acceptance. The Program is a self-supporting non-mandatory service provided to public agencies by utilizing an administration fee for each contract.
The Program provides Manufacturer's Warrantees for ten and twenty-year terms for qualified roofing projects. These projects use pre-qualified roofing contractors using manufacturer-approved materials. The Program has delivered over two hundred warranted roof systems to public agencies in the last five years. Customers include the Oklahoma Military Department, Department of Corrections, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, City of Edmond and many other public entities.
A critical component of the Program is the Oklahoma Roofing Maintenance Contract. In partnership with the Division of Capital Assets Management, Risk Management Department, the Roofing Maintenance Contract provides competitively bid, line item unit prices for preventative roofing maintenance requirements for state agencies. The contract establishes set prices for insurance losses and provides an expedient procurement vehicle for agencies to use. The contract is designed to protect assets while continuing to provide public services with minimal disruption to normal business operations.
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*To view or print a map of the Roof Maintenance Areas, please click on the Oklahoma Roofing Program Area Map
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To read more about the Roofing Program, please refer to the Program Procedures link (Form M400). For questions about the program, contact the CAP representative listed below.
Roofing Program Contacts


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Slax author's Blog (RSS)
Combined architecture 32/64bit
There appears to be a very interesting possibility, which I never considered before. It is actually possible to detect - during the boot time - if you are booting the OS on a 64bit system or not, and thanks to this, the boot loader can automatically choose the right Linux Kernel image - 32bit one on a 32bit computer, and 64bit one on a 64bit computer. Furthermore, as I tested already, a pure 32bit operating system (binaries and libraries) can run without any problem on a 64bit computer while even the running kernel is 64bit (!) too. (The 64bit kernel is necessary when you want to access more than 4GB of total RAM).
To sum it up, it is actually possible to package a 32bit operating system, with two kernels (one 32bit and one 64bit) and then boot this OS in a way that it will automatically select appropriate kernel for the given machine it runs on, while all the userland processes (programs) will be 32bit (thus smaller, and loading faster, when running from CD or a flash drive).
Smaller and faster. That sounds great. What are disadvantages?
Disadvantage of having a 32bit-only system is that any process can not allocate more than a few gigabytes of RAM (if I understand this properly). For a Live OS such as Slax, we don't really need to allocate more than that for any particular process. If you do then you'll probably use some other OS anyway.
Another disadvantage may be that when the software (programs) is compiled for 32bit processors, it will not use some newer (and probably more optimal) instructions, which were added only to the newer 64bit processors and are not available for, say, i486 instruction set, thus there can be some performance penalty. I assume this will not be any significant problem for a Live OS such as Slax again, since if user really needs to gain the extra few percentages of performance, he or she will probably be using some other OS anyway.
Having only one Slax version (32bit OS, with extra 64bit kernel included, which adds only around 20MB to the total OS size), would save me around 40% of the development time needed to package and distribute two variants 32+64, so I'm definitely open to try this out. It also simplifies decision for users, who do not need to care about the architecture, and they can safely use single Slax on all their machines.
Let me know please your thoughts on this. Thank you
User comments
Unfortunately I use a modified Slax 64bits for using 64bits calculation software.
But I admit that is not an typical usage for a Slax distribution.
Sounds great!
Smaller, faster and able to use on all machines; looking forward to it
Hi Tomas,
Awesome, actually Slax aims to old boxes as well, and thus i486 shall not be a problem.
Otherwise, pulseaudio shall need to be into formal release. Latest Skype needs it, and alsa will not be used by Skype anymore.
Sound good.
When you built Slax 7, you rebuilt an entire new website for Slax 7 (minus a forum) while keeping the old Slax 6 forum. I hope you won't do the same again as time spend on the new forum, as time spend on the website is better off spend on the new slax.
Just provide a link on the Slax 7 website to the old slax 6 forum (for use as a forum for the new /old slax)
Hi Tomas,
Is it possible to combine kernel w/ PAE as well? That would be 3 kernels in one release?
Hello Tomas,
Imagine this scenario:
Slax boots 64bit kernel and 32bit userland -> user finds that need to compile 3rd party kernel driver (nVidia, broadcom-sta, VirtualBox, etc) -> even if you provide 64bit crippled sources will 32bit gcc be able to compile 64bit kernel driver?
Never checked myself but i dont think it will work ...
Hi Tomasz,
Your concern shall not be a problem. You may google: cross compile linux kernel driver.
This sounds great.
Going even further, there should be only one ISO image to download.
Make hybrid ISO that can be written both on CD and USB. Add (64-bit) EFI bootloader to enable booting on modern PCs with EFI firmware.
ISO image should contain all keyboard layouts but only English translations. Other translations should be made available as separate modules (or not at all).
> Disadvantage of having a 32bit-only system is that any
> process can not allocate more than
> a few gigabytes of RAM
Sorry, by my opinion, this is too big disadvantage (-java and/or -virtualization).
For example, I have slax livecd with my own java-server and prebuilt db. This server boot from iso into virtual box.
Sorry, even in my opinion 32bit is a big disavantage
your live cd is so versatile that can be used also as a real server
i have packed the server with a 64 virtualization suite, as a database server
is so easly customizable, with super simple disaster recovery, and have so many features that limit it to 32/64 bit hybrid is a big disavantage for those scenarios
but slax is the best!!
well, not being able to use a native build would be a definitive reason for me to abandon slax.
this is not just being able to address more than 4gigs of mem, it's about huge page tables / speed, debugging-software on my live system, stress-testing, ...
there are SO many possibilities where the flexibility of a live-system is useful; chaining this is not an option.
i'm using slax because it's a live-system based on slackware and i guess many people out there have the same reason. the "simplicity" of not having to chose between iso1 and iso2 is not relevant (especially as most machines in the wild are 64bit arch nowadays, so a default-download of x86_64 would be adequate for the majority).
As I understand the matter, a 32-bit system as a whole (the kernel) can not address more than ~3GB of RAM.
Furthermore, I think in these days, a 32-bit userland on a 64-bit machine should only be used for compatibility reasons in special cases. The waste on modern hardware is to big to justify the support of older hardware.
32-bit only hardware should be so old by now, in my experience it requires older or hand-crafted kernels anyway because of some strange drivers, configurations, blacklists... Might not yet be true for the conservative Slackware kernels?
To save even more time, a good poll question would be who needs a new slax in 32-bit and maybe consider 64-bit only. Newer, even 'lightweight', DEs tend to run like crap on that old hardware and the current slax might be a better alternative for years to come.
Is it possible to boot at tablet with bay-trail process (CPU is 64bit but UEFI is 32 bit)
Currently I have big trouble to use Linux at the tablet (Fotunately Sparky Linux 32bit version is supprting to boot in 32 bit UEFI, seems it is only one supporting 32bit UEFI boot , But I really to use Slax on my tablet)
Please consider this(bootable at 32 bit UEFI) for next version Slax Linux.
Thanks in advance.
how will work chrome with 100+ tabs(only few runing, other sleep or hybernated--greatsuspender, 7+windows, + about 40 addons, css, scripts) in 32 bit os?
what do you think about lxqt?
I am worried that 4GB won't be enough for all of Slax and applications, but when I use Linux (Slackware) I don't use much over 2GB, so I think that is fine.
I like this idea, and I support it. I want your development time spent on security updates (especially kernel updates!).
It's also interesting and would get Slax noticed more.


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Views: 2236
I also agree because of its ability to float in the air much more easily than other Insulations of today. Because it is a fiber or rod shaped it is hard for the microphage to absorb around it. This is very similar to the problem with asbestos.
Enjoy reading if you want more info.
The most common one we hear is HVAC contractors telling customers to turn their heat pumps to "Aux" or "Electric Resistance" if the autside temperature is less than 25 F. They tell them it is bad for the heat pump to run at low temperatures and the heat pump can't keep up at those temperatures.
We respond by telling customers that while the heat pump will run longer, a properly installed heat pump system is designed to run at cold temperatures and the supplemental heat will come on automatically to provide any additional heat that the home needs. We see a 40% increase in heating energy usage from homes that turn off their heat pump and run only on electric resistance.
Thanks James! It's really helpful to have others give examples where "stupid human thermostat tricks" hurt people. Heat pumps are a great example. Not much horsepower, but if you leave them on the highway they're really efficient.
Why do these bad, dogmatic recommendations persist?
People love the idea that controlling the thermostat gives them Godlike control over energy consumption. Since almost nobody tracks, a good part is not knowing, just having faith it must be saving.
Sounds pretty silly, eh? "I must be saving lots" as a basis for financial and operational decision making? Imagine showing up at the bank with your savings, your deposit ticket total reading "lots". The teller would look at you like you are nuts, yet that's the answer I get when I ask people what they are saving. Nobody knows.
Besides not knowing, some is not caring. And some is "I don't want these people complaining anymore, they want heat not efficiency. And anyway, its NMEB, and their calls are eating into my profits."
In any case, if it IS our job to help people improve efficiency and save energy, we must do the diagnostics FIRST.
First rule of OUR fight club? "Do no harm". We must avoid blanket recommendations that are known to hurt people. You want to make a recommendation, know that it fits the situation. And make sure people are comfortable, because if you don't at some point it'll be "I want heat at any cost".
Here are few of my favorites:
1. Tankless water heaters are instantaneous.
2. Tankless water heaters save energy. (Although this is only a myth in about 1/2 of the cases to which people try to apply tankless water heaters.)
3. Radiant heat is old fashioned and less efficient than heating air.
4. Heating is the largest energy load for a household. [reality is that it depends upon climate and many other factors]
5. If you just tell people how they are using energy, they will become more conservative. {actually true, IF you agree with the Supreme Court that money is speech - i.e., if you tell them by raising their bills]
Great article check more here also air conditioning london and air conditioning maintenance london
Windows, windows, windows. High performance dual paned windows with low-e coating can and do solve every efficiency and comfort woe under the sun.
It's a known scientific fact: windows ARE efficiency.
I've had otherwise sane educated homeowners swear this to me all day long. Yes, high performing windows are an important part of a high performing home but they aren't the end-all-be-all.
As an industry, we would be wise to better understand what window marketing strategies are and how they work because wowzers are they effective.
Yes incandescent bulb are very heat productive. Instead of that use LED bulb which are energy efficient bulbs. They also saves electricity.
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Lost in Space Print
Lost in Space Print
This print is sure to look lovely in your home, or given as a gift!
Our art prints are made on demand on the finest ink jet printers with archival inks. They come individually bagged with a backing board for their protection.
8.5x11- Image is cropped to an 8x10 and fits easily in a standard frame
11x14 Metallic- Full bleed image printed on a metallic lustre paper
11x14 LE Giclee, This is a signed, numbered limited edition print made on Somerset velvet paper, The edition is 100. Numbers are issued in the order they are sold starting at 1 and progressing until the run is sold out.
PLEASE NOTE: Watermarks DO NOT appear on purchased prints!! Colors on computer monitors can vary greatly. I cannot guarantee that the colors you see on your monitor accurately reflect the exact colors in the print. If the artist is in residence at the home studio prints can be signed, please contact us for availability. Please email with any questions.


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Paddy Rohr needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 162 designs submitted by 43 freelance designers.
Spring Web Solutions
New web consultancy created by two very experienced professionals from the graphic design and web development industries.
Boutique style with personality that is about building relationships, a high level customer service, an inclusive process that allows us to understand our clients needs and delivering results effectively and economically.
A flavour of our approach;
Straight to the point - Delivering websites that both WORK and LOOK GOOD
We know what we are doing. An integrated team of seasoned professionals from both the technical web and graphic design industries.
We are all about delivering on-the-mark results with great customer service, a tried and tested process and a real understanding of commercial reality.
Our customers like working with us and stay with us.
Products on offer: Web Development and Website Design, Reliable Web Hosting and Domain Management. Search Engine Optimisation, Email Hosting, Content Management Systems. Social Media.
Integrated non-web based graphic design and branding.
We know our game, we are up and running with serious clients and need to brand the company. We are focusing on management and delivery using a pool of external developers and designers to put together project teams for each new project.
Varied across many types of businesses and individuals. We have big, medium and small clients in mining, engineering, corporate finance.
Art galleries, retail businesses from coffee shops to cupcakes online. Sports clubs and associations, live media events and corporate jet leasing.
We need to ensure we get across a professional, innovative and reliable message without appearing too OTT or too boring and corporately constrained. We are a unique blend of the technical web developer and the passionate design director who can get along!
Our clients need a supplier who will deliver what they need and not over sell BUT one they can trust and relate to.
Logo for Spring Web Solutions
(emphasis on Spring with 'web solutions' as a descriptor of sorts)
Loads of scope with the word spring and when we come back with the next part of the project to design the website we are looking for something that will animate and innovate so bear that in mind.
Has to work in print as well as web need it supplied as .ai for print and .psd for web. You must name any fonts used and if possible consider how would appear on both light and dark backgrounds but don't let this close you down creatively.
Good luck - looking forward to seeing some great concepts
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.