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Tungsten heavy alloys comprising tungsten, nickel and ferrous were modified, where molybdenum was added in varying weight proportions keeping the ratio of Ni: Fe (8:2) constant. The powders were mixed in a high-energy ball mill and were further fabricated using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method at a peak temperature of 1000°C with heating rate of 100°C/min. The details of the microstructure and mechanical properties of these various alloy compositions were studied. With the increasing weight composition of the Mo in the alloy, the relative density of the alloy increased with a significant improvement in all the mechanical properties. The yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and hardness improved significantly with increase in the proportion of Mo; however, a reduction in elongation percentage was observed. The maximum strength of 1250 MPa UTS was observed in the alloy with a Mo proportion of 24%. The heavy alloy unmixed with Mo has shown distinct white and grey regions, where white (W) grain is due to tungsten and grey region is a combinatorial effect of Ni and Fe. Upon addition of Mo, the white and gray phase differences started to minimize resulting in deep gray and black 'C'-phase structures because of homogenization of the alloy. The main fracture mode found during this investigation in the alloys was inter-granular mode.
Using methods of physical material studies (scanning electron microscopy and micro X-ray spectral analysis), a study was carried out with focus on alteration of structure and phase composition in surface layers of Al-Si alloy (silumin АК10М2N) treated in electroexplosive alloying with a multiphase plasma jet formed in the process of aluminum foil explosion and carrying particles of Y2O3 weighted powder portion. It was revealed that a porous surface layer with non-homogeneously distributed alloying elements (silicon, yttrium) in it is formed in any conditions of electroexplosive alloying of silumin. Thickness of the modified layer is different, varying 50 to 160 µm, depending on the zone to be examined. The modified surface consists basically of Al, Si and Y. Yttrium in the modified layer is thought to be an indirect evidence of better physical and mechanical properties of the surface layer in comparison with the base material.
The subject of the study was the production and characterization of three ceramic-metal graded composites, which differed in addition of the metallic phase. The following composites systems were investigated: Al2O3-Mo, Al2O3-Cu, Al2O3-W. Composites were produced by centrifugal slip casting method. This technique combines the classic casting of the slurry into porous molds with the action of centrifugal force. As a result, sleeve-shaped shapes with a metallic phase gradient were obtained. X-ray phase analysis have not revealed new phases in the produced composites. The type of metallic phase and its distribution in the ceramic matrix influenced the hardness of the produced composites.
The AlMg10 aluminum alloy reinforced with SiC particles was subjected to friction stir processing (FSP). The composite was made by mechanical mixing and gravity casting. The mass fraction of SiC particles in the composite was about 10%. Evaluation of the effects of FSP treatment was performed by means of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, EDS and hardness measurement. It was found that the inhomogeneous distribution of SiC particles and their agglomeration, which were observable in the cast composite, were completely eliminated after FSP modification. The treatment was also accompanied by homogenisation of the material in the mixing zone as well as fragmentation of both the matrix grain of the composite and SiC particles. In the case of SiC particles, a change in their shape was also observed. In the as-cast composite, particles with dimensions from 30 to 60 µm and a sharp-edged polyhedral shape prevailed, while in the material subjected to friction treatment, particles with dimensions from 20 to 40 µm and a more equiangular shape prevailed. Pores and other material discontinuities occurring frequently in the as-cast composite were completely eliminated after friction modification. The recorded changes in the microstructure of the material were accompanied by an increase in the hardness of the composite by nearly 35%. The conducted investigations have shown that FSP modification of the AlMg10/SiC composite made by the casting method leads to favorable microstructural changes in the surface layer and may be an alternative solution to other methods and technologies used in surface engineering.
Constantly developing nanotechnology provides the possibility of manufacturing nanostructured composites with a polymer matrix doped with ceramic nanoparticles, including ZnO. A specific feature of polymers, i.e. ceramic composite materials, is an amelioration in physical properties for polymer matrix and reinforcement. The aim of the paper was to produce thin fibrous composite mats, reinforced with ZnO nanoparticles and a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) matrix obtained by means of the electrospinning process and then examining the influence of the strength of the reinforcement on the morphology and optical properties of the composite nanofibers. The morphology and structure of the fibrous mats was examined by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). UV –Vis spectroscopy allowed to examine the impact of zinc oxide on the optical properties of PVP/ZnO nanofibers and to investigate the width of the energy gap.
Compared with the robots, humans can learn to perform various contact tasks in unstructured environments by modulating arm impedance characteristics. In this article, we consider endowing this compliant ability to the industrial robots to effectively learn to perform repetitive force-sensitive tasks. Current learning impedance control methods usually suffer from inefficiency. This paper establishes an efficient variable impedance control method. To improve the learning efficiency, we employ the probabilistic Gaussian process model as the transition dynamics of the system for internal simulation, permitting long-term inference and planning in a Bayesian manner. Then, the optimal impedance regulation strategy is searched using a model-based reinforcement learning algorithm. The effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method are verified through force control tasks using a 6-DoFs Reinovo industrial manipulator.
In this paper, we present an optimization mechanism for two popular landmark-based mobile robot visual homing algorithms (ALV and HiSS), called vector pre-assigned mechanism (VPM). VPM contains two branches, both of which can promote the homing performance effectively. In addition, to make the landmark distribution satisfy the equal distance assumption, a landmark optimization strategy is proposed based on imaging principle of the panoramic vision. Experiments on both panoramic image database and a real mobile robot have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
The positivity of fractional descriptor linear continuous-time systems is investigated. The solution to the state equation of the systems is derived. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the positivity of fractional descriptor linear continuous-time systems are established. The considerations are illustrated by numerical examples.
This article presents a new efficient method of determining values of gas flow parameters (e.g. axial dispersion coefficient, DL and Pèclet number, Pe). A simple and very fast technique based on the pulse tracer response is proposed. It is a method which combines the benefits of a transfer function, numerical inversion of the Laplace transform and optimization allows estimation of missing coefficients. The study focuses on the simplicity and flexibility of the method. Calculations were performed with the use of the CAS-type program (Maple®). The correctness of the results obtained is confirmed by good agreement between the theory and experimental data for different pressures and temperature. The CAS-type program is very helpful both for mathematical manipulations as a symbolic computing environment (mathematical formulas of Laplace-domain model are rather sophisticated) and for numerical calculations. The method of investigations of gas flow motion is original. The method is competitive with earlier methods.
In this survey paper, resonant and quasiresonant dc link inverters are reexamined for ac motor drive applications. Critical evaluation of representative topologies is based on simulation and waveform analysis to characterize current/voltage stress of components, control timing constraints and feasibility. A special concern over inverter common-mode voltage and voltage gradient du/dt limitation capacity is discussed for motor bearing and winding insulation safety. Experimental records of the laboratory developed parallel quasiresonant dc link inverter feeding induction motor confirm results of analysis. Comparative tables and simulation results demonstrate characteristic features of various schemes.
The paper presents a solution for sensorless field oriented control (FOC) system for five-phase induction motors with improved rotor flux pattern. In order to obtain the advantages of a third harmonic injection with a quasi-trapezoidal flux shape, two vector models, α1–β1 and α3–β3, were transformed into d1–q1, d3–q3 rotating frames, which correlate to the 1st and 3rd harmonic plane respectively. A linearization approach of the dual machine model in d–q coordinate frames is proposed by introducing a new additional variable "x" which is proportional to the electromagnetic torque. By applying the static feedback control law, a dual mathematical model of the five-phase induction motor was linearized to synthesize a control system in which the electromagnetic torque and the rotor flux can be independently controlled. The results shows the air gap flux shape in steady as well transient states under various load conditions. Moreover, the implemented control structure acquires fault tolerant properties and leads to possible emergency running with limited operation capabilities. The fault-tolerant capability of the analyzed machine was guaranteed by a special implemented control system with a dedicated speed observer, which is insensitive to open-phase fault situation. The experimental tests have been performed with single and double-open stator phase fault. A torque measurement was implemented to present the mechanical characteristics under healthy and faulty conditions of the drive system.
The paper presents an analysis of overvoltages caused by a direct lightning strike in intrusion detection system equipped with underground radiating cable sensors. Waveforms of currents and voltages in the system components are calculated using analytical formulas basing on a transmission-line model in the frequency domain. The time-domain waveforms are computed using the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). Three network configurations of the intrusion detection system are analyzed.
The proper description of circuits supplied from an asymmetrical and sinusoidal voltage source, in which line parameters are included, requires an adequate mathematical concept or theory. The authors of the publication present the mathematical concept of the currents' asymmetrical components for three-phase four-wire systems, taking into account the impedance of the neutral conductor and the impedance of power transmission lines. In the new approach, four orthogonal current components were proposed in charge of its flow between the source and the load. The introduced distribution shows, regardless of the type of the voltage asymmetry (amplitude or phase), it is possible to set down the symmetrical active current and other components, i.e. reactive current, negative current and zero current, which will allow determining the reference current of the active filter.
The study of the different engineering materials according to their mechanical and dynamic characteristics has become an area of research interest in recent years. Several studies have verified that the mechanical properties of the material are directly affected by the distribution and size of the particles that compose it. Such is the case of asphalt mixtures. For this reason, different digital tools have been developed in order to be able to detect the structural components of the elements in a precise, clear and efficient manner. In this work, a segmentation model is developed for different types of dense-graded asphalt mixtures with grain sizes from 9.5 mm to 0.0075 mm, using sieve size reconstruction of the laboratory production curve. The laboratory curve is used to validate the particles detection model that uses morphological operations for elements separation. All this with the objective of developing a versatile tool for the analysis and study of pavement structures in a non-destructive test. The results show that the model presented in this work is able to segment elements with an area greater than 0.0324 mm2 and reproduce the sieve size curves of the mixtures with a high percentage of precision.
The European standards, developed extensively over last 30 years, are driven by the need for continuous evolution and their Authors' pursuit of better EU-wide quality in civil engineering – combining safety, economy, and sustainable development. The adoption of theory of reliability as the basis for design has played a major role in shaping current geotechnical practice. However, it requires from practitioners a greater understanding of underlying uncertainties. Furthermore, a number of alternative approaches, not generally used in structural design, are also allowed, as some situations in geotechnical engineering require an individual approach. Moreover, the current trends in geoengineering increase the importance of risk assessment and management. The paper presents general philosophy guiding the geotechnical design and pointing to some of the ideas introduced by Eurocode 7 and its requirements, in relation to preexisting practice of geotechnical design in civil engineering.
The article presents an analysis of the change in air voids in asphalt mixtures subjected to fatigue tests at three temperatures of 0°C, 10°C and 25°C. The X-ray computerized tomography imaging method, XCT, was used to identify the air voids in the samples. The research allowed to determine changes in the content of air voids in subsequent fatigue cycles in the sample area. The relationship between air voids volume and the stiffness modulus value was also determined during fatigue for three temperatures. The largest changes were found in samples with notches at 0°C. The analysis of the change in the content of air voids showed that the micro-cracking nucleation processes develop with the number of fatigue cycles. Using the numerical model finite element method we determined the distribution and change in fatigue damage in the extreme areas of the sample during various stages of fatigue. We found clear relationship between the damage and the increased content of air voids.
The paper presents the modelling measurement results of the load-displacement relation for scaffold stands and bracings. In the case of stands, there are two sections of curves, i.e. a straight-line and curvilinear section, and in the case of bracings, two straight line sections as well as one curvilinear section are distinguished. As a result of analyses, it is concluded that the sections which can be approximated by means of linear functions should be distinguished in graphs, if possible. On the one hand, this results from the evaluation methods of scaffold components. Nevertheless, the determination of elastic-linear scope of components' operation is useful in engineering practice during computer calculations. Moreover, the method of determining an intersection point between functions, approximating tests results, along with analysis of the impact of polynomial degree, approximating the research results, on the time and effectiveness of the process of approximating functions selection, are all demonstrated in this article. The proposed method can prove useful in all science fields where curves obtained from any research (laboratory test, in situ test, numerical analysis) require approximation or replacement with a simpler description.
This paper expands the M-K curve theory with examples of the most commonly mentioned pile-soil mechanics behaviours in the literature and their corresponding κ2 variations. A brief introduction shows the history of the Meyer-Kowalow theory and its basic assumptions. This is followed by the relationship between in situ investigation CPT results, with parameters C1, C2, Ct used to approximate the load-settlement curve according to the M-K theory. The Meyer-Kowalow curve satisfies asymptotic behaviour for small loads, where linear theory applies, and for limit loads, when pile displacement is out of control. Essential in the description are constant parameters C, which refer to the aggregated Winklers modulus, Ngr limit loads and k, which is crucial for static load test results. For this reason, the authors sought to calculate the κ value based upon soil mechanics principles. This article shows methods for checking statistical mathematical calculations, published earlier by Meyer using CPT investigations. It presents real case calculations and directions for future planned research.
An automatic analysis of product reviews requires deep understanding of the natural language text by machine. The limitation of bag-of-words (BoW) model is that a large amount of word relation information from the original sentence is lost and the word order is ignored. Higher-order-N-grams also fail to capture the long-range dependency relations and word order information. To address these issues, syntactic features extracted from the dependency relations can be used for machine learning based document-level sentiment classification. Generalization of syntactic dependency features and negation handling is used to achieve more accurate classification. Further to reduce the huge dimensionality of the feature space, feature selection methods based on information gain (IG) and weighted frequency and odds (WFO) are used. A supervised feature weighting scheme called delta term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) is also employed to boost the importance of discriminative features using the observed uneven distribution of features between the two classes. Experimental results show the effectiveness of generalized syntactic dependency features over standard features for sentiment classification using Boolean multinomial naive Bayes (BMNB) classifier.
Cross-docking is a strategy that distributes products directly from a supplier or manufacturing plant to a customer or retail chain, reducing handling or storage time. This study focuses on the truck scheduling problem, which consists of assigning each truck to a door at the dock and determining the sequences for the trucks at each door considering the time-window aspect. The study presents a mathematical model for door assignment and truck scheduling with time windows at multi-door cross-docking centers. The objective of the model is to minimize the overall earliness and tardiness for outbound trucks. Simulated annealing (SA) and tabu search (TS) algorithms are proposed to solve large-sized problems. The results of the mathematical model and of meta-heuristic algorithms are compared by generating test problems for different sizes. A decision support system (DSS) is also designed for the truck scheduling problem for multi-door cross-docking centers. Computational results show that TS and SA algorithms are efficient in solving large-sized problems in a reasonable time.
In recent years, deep learning and especially deep neural networks (DNN) have obtained amazing performance on a variety of problems, in particular in classification or pattern recognition. Among many kinds of DNNs, the convolutional neural networks (CNN) are most commonly used. However, due to their complexity, there are many problems related but not limited to optimizing network parameters, avoiding overfitting and ensuring good generalization abilities. Therefore, a number of methods have been proposed by the researchers to deal with these problems. In this paper, we present the results of applying different, recently developed methods to improve deep neural network training and operating. We decided to focus on the most popular CNN structures, namely on VGG based neural networks: VGG16, VGG11 and proposed by us VGG8. The tests were conducted on a real and very important problem of skin cancer detection. A publicly available dataset of skin lesions was used as a benchmark. We analyzed the influence of applying: dropout, batch normalization, model ensembling, and transfer learning. Moreover, the influence of the type of activation function was checked. In order to increase the objectivity of the results, each of the tested models was trained 6 times and their results were averaged. In addition, in order to mitigate the impact of the selection of learning, test and validation sets, k-fold validation was applied.
An ancient forging device in Spain has been studied, namely the forge with a waterwheel and air-blowing tube or hydraulic trompe, found near the village of Santa Eulalia de Oscos (province of Asturias, Spain). Three procedures using ad hoc methods were applied: 3D modelling, finite element analysis (FEA), and computational-fluid dynamics (CFD). The CFD results indicated the proper functioning of the trompe, which is a peculiar device based on the Venturi effect to take in air. The maximum air volume flow rate supplied to the forge by the trompe was shown to be 0.091 m3/s, and certain parameters of relevance in the trompe design presented optimal values, i.e. offering maximum air-flow supply. Furthermore, the distribution of stress over the motion-transmission system revealed that the stress was concentrated most intensely in the cogs of the transmission shaft (a kind of camshaft), registering values of up to 7.50 MPa, although this value remained below half of the maximum admissible work stress. Therefore, it was confirmed that the oak wood from which the motion system and the trompe were made functioned properly, as these systems never exceeded the maximum admissible working stress, demonstrating the effectiveness of the materials used in that period.
Surface topography assessments with valley exploration are of great importance. Two-process surfaces are often proposed for many combustion engines. One of the errors committed in surface topography measurements and analysis are those that occur during data processing. In this paper, improper areal form removal was taken into consideration for plateau-honed cylindrical surfaces with additionally burnished oil pockets. Usually, the reference plane is established by application of: fitting algorithms (e.g. cylindrical shape), polynomials, filters and other procedures. In many cases, the influence of the reference plane was not fully recognized during valley depth consideration. Moreover, the influence of areal form removal with edge-to-dimple and valley‑to-dimple distances was not precisely defined. In this research, commonly used algorithms for form separation in surface topography analysis were proposed for the applications being considered. The digital filter bandwidth was also specified for valley depth analysis. The distortion of edge‑located oil pockets was specified. It was assumed that application of robust techniques does not necessarily provide the desired results.
In the paper, a solution of the time-fractional single-phase-lagging heat conduction problem in finite regions is presented. The heat conduction equation with the Caputo time-derivative is complemented by the Robin boundary conditions. The Laplace transform with respect to the time variable and an expansion in the eigenfunctions series with respect to the space variable was applied. A method for the numerical inversion of the Laplace transforms was used. Formulation and solution of the problem cover the heat conduction in a finite slab, hollow cylinder and hollow sphere. The effect of the fractional order of the Caputo derivative and the phase-lag parameter on the temperature distribution in a slab has been numerically investigated.
Guide for Authors
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Guide for Guest Editors


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Magyar nyelven nem elérhető
Elena Biewen
- 8 September 2017
- WORKING PAPER SERIES - No. 2097Details
- Abstract
- This paper uses detailed micro data on service exports at the firm-destination-service level to analyse the role of firm heterogeneity in shaping aggregate service exports in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain from 2003 to 2007. We decompose the level and the growth of aggregate service exports into different trade margins paying special attention to firm heterogeneity within countries. We find that the weak export growth of France is at least partly due to poor performance by small exporters. By contrast, small exporters are the most dynamic contributors to the aggregate exports of Belgium, Germany and Spain. Our results highlight the importance of firm heterogeneity in understanding aggregate export growth.
- JEL Code
- F14 : International Economics→Trade→Empirical Studies of Trade
- Network
- Competitiveness Research Network
- 18 February 2014
- WORKING PAPER SERIES - No. 1634Details
- Abstract
- Drawing from confidential firm-level balance sheets in 11 European countries, the paper presents a novel sectoral database of comparable productivity indicators built by members of the Competitiveness Research Network (CompNet) using a newly developed research infrastructure. Beyond aggregate information available from industry statistics of Eurostat or EU KLEMS, the paper provides information on the distribution of firms across several dimensions related to competitiveness, e.g. productivity and size. The database comprises so far 11 countries, with information for 58 sectors over the period 1995-2011. The paper documents the development of the new research infrastructure, describes the database, and shows some preliminary results. Among them, it shows that there is large heterogeneity in terms of firm productivity or size within narrowly defined industries in all countries. Productivity, and above all, size distribution are very skewed across countries, with a thick left-tail of low productive firms. Moreover, firms at both ends of the distribution show very different dynamics in terms of productivity and unit labour costs. Within-sector heterogeneity and productivity dispersion are positively correlated to aggregate productivity given the possibility of reallocating resources from less to more productive firms. To this extent, we show how allocative efficiency varies across countries, and more interestingly, over different periods of time. Finally, we apply the new database to illustrate the importance of productivity dispersion to explain aggregate trade results.
- JEL Code
- L11 : Industrial Organization→Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance→Production, Pricing, and Market Structure, Size Distribution of Firms
L25 : Industrial Organization→Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior→Firm Performance: Size, Diversification, and Scope
D24 : Microeconomics→Production and Organizations→Production, Cost, Capital, Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity, Capacity
O4 : Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth→Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity
O57 : Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth→Economywide Country Studies→Comparative Studies of Countries - Network
- Competitiveness Research Network

subset: commoncrawl


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Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate - 10 lb


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You can lease a solar system from a company like Solar City (their office is in Sacramento). For about $80 a month you can become part of a massive distributed power grid that will:
(a) save the planet
(b) prevent Enrons from reforming
Righteous, no? Every day you can log on to a web site like the one in the picture. It gives you an accurate summary of what you generate each day, and how much carbon you offset.
Sorry about the lack of numbers in the graph—they didn't translate when I converted the file. But basically, it being a rather cold day late in the year, solar production peaked at about 1.2 kilowatt hours today. Can't wait to see what it gets up to in July...


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This game is brought to you by our sponsors. It is always free. NO TIME LIMITS!
Have you ever heard that the standard Windows install/uninstall application removes a program but remaining files and registry entries will be still on your computer? There is no sense to store these files but eventually they accrue and reduce working capacity of your PC. The most convenient, secure and fleet way to delete programs including remaining files is MyPlayCity Uninstaller. We advise you to use MyPlayCity Uninstaller for a total and absolute withdraw each time. Delete unnecessary files and clean up you disk space. Unnecessary files that remain after removal of programs can accrue over time and take up useful disk space and congest registry of your computer. MyPlayCity Uninstaller will help you to keep your PC fresh and clean due to its function of tracing and cleaning of remaining files. It will clean up folders and registry entries along with the program you delete. Besides, it deletes not only applications but also toolbars and add-ons from your browser. Many of applications you install automatically added to your start menu which leads to speed down processes of computers start and power off. With MyPlayCity Uninstaller you will need just one click to take programs away from start menu. Sometimes removing of just several applications allow your computer to start and shutdown much faster. MyPlayCity Uninstaller provides simply and totally removal of all unnecessary applications with all remaining files even if you are a beginner PC user. Intuitive design makes MyPlayCity Uninstaller very convenient and nicely to use.


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Successful operation of an educational institution requires competent administrators. Education administrators provide instructional leadership and manage the day-to-day activities in schools, preschools, day care centers, and colleges and universities. They also direct the educational programs of businesses, correctional institutions, museums, and job training and community service organizations. (College presidents and school superintendents are covered in the Handbook statement on general managers and top executives.)
Education administrators set educational standards and goals and establish the policies and procedures to achieve them. They also supervise managers, support staff, teachers, counselors, librarians, coaches, and other employees. They develop academic programs, monitor students? educational progress, train and motivate teachers and other staff, manage career counseling and other student services, administer recordkeeping, prepare budgets, and perform many other duties. They also handle relations with parents, prospective and current students, employers, and the community. In an organization such as a small day care center, one administrator may handle all these functions. In universities or large school systems, responsibilities are divided among many administrators, each with a specific function.
Educational administrators who manage elementary, middle, and secondary schools are called principals. They set the academic tone and actively work with teachers to develop and maintain high curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives. Principals confer with staff to advise, explain, or answer procedural questions. They hire, evaluate, and help improve the skills of teachers and other staff. They visit classrooms, observe teaching methods, review instructional objectives, and examine learning materials. Principals must use clear, objective guidelines for teacher appraisals, because pay often is based on performance ratings.
Principals also meet and interact with other administrators, students, parents, and representatives of community organizations. Decision-making authority has increasingly shifted from school district central offices to individual schools. School principals have greater flexibility in setting school policies and goals, but when making administrative decisions they must pay attention to the concerns of parents, teachers, and other members of the community.
Preparing budgets and reports on various subjects, including finances and attendance, and overseeing the requisition and allocation of supplies also is an important responsibility of principals. As school budgets become tighter, many principals have become more involved in public relations and fundraising to secure financial support for their schools from local businesses and the community.
Principals must take an active role to ensure that students meet national, State, and local academic standards. Many principals develop partnerships with local businesses and school-to-work transition programs for students. Increasingly, principals must be sensitive to the needs of the rising number of non-English speaking and culturally diverse student body. In some areas, growing enrollments also are a cause for concern because they lead to overcrowding at many schools. When addressing problems of inadequate resources, administrators serve as advocates for the building of new schools or the repair of existing ones. During summer months, principals are responsible for planning for the upcoming year, overseeing summer school, participating in workshops for teachers and administrators, supervising building repairs and improvements, and working to make sure the school has adequate staff for the school year.
Schools continue to be involved with students? emotional welfare as well as their academic achievement. As a result, principals face responsibilities outside the academic realm. For example, many schools have growing numbers of students from dual-income and single-parent families or students who are themselves teenage parents. To support these students and their families, some schools have established before- and after-school childcare programs or family resource centers, which also may offer parenting classes and social service referrals. With the help of community organizations, some principals have established programs to combat increases in crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases among students.
Assistant principals aid the principal in the overall administration of the school. Some assistant principals hold this position for several years, during which time they prepare for advancement to principal; others are assistant principals throughout their careers. They are primarily responsible for scheduling student classes, ordering textbooks and supplies, and coordinating transportation, custodial, cafeteria, and other support services. They usually handle student discipline and attendance problems, social and recreational programs, and health and safety matters. They also may counsel students on personal, educational, or vocational matters. With the advent of site-based management, assistant principals are playing a greater role in ensuring the academic success of students by helping to develop new curriculums, evaluating teachers, and dealing with school-community relationsresponsibilities previously assumed solely by the principal. The number of assistant principals that a school employs may vary, depending on the number of students.
Administrators in school district central offices oversee public schools under their jurisdiction. This group includes those who direct subject-area programs such as English, music, vocational education, special education, and mathematics. They supervise instructional coordinators and curriculum specialists, and work with them to evaluate curriculums and teaching techniques and improve them. (Instructional coordinators are covered elsewhere in the Handbook.) Administrators also may oversee career counseling programs and testing that measures students? abilities and helps to place them in appropriate classes. Others may also direct programs such as school psychology, athletics, curriculum and instruction, and professional development. With site-based management, administrators have transferred primary responsibility for many of these programs to the principals, assistant principals, teachers, instructional coordinators, and other staff in the schools.
In preschools and childcare centers, which are usually much smaller than other educational institutions, the director or supervisor of the school or center often serves as the sole administrator. Their job is similar to that of other school administrators in that they oversee daily activities and operation of the schools, hire and develop staff, and make sure that the school meets required regulations and educational standards.
In colleges and universities, provosts, also known as chief academic officers, assist presidents, make faculty appointments and tenure decisions, develop budgets, and establish academic policies and programs. With the assistance of academic deans and deans of faculty, they also direct and coordinate the activities of deans of individual colleges and chairpersons of academic departments. Fundraising is the chief responsibility of the director of development and also is becoming an essential part of the job for all administrators.
College or university department heads or chairpersons are in charge of departments that specialize in particular fields of study, such as English, biological science, or mathematics. In addition to teaching, they coordinate schedules of classes and teaching assignments; propose budgets; recruit, interview, and hire applicants for teaching positions; evaluate faculty members; encourage faculty development; serve on committees; and perform other administrative duties. In overseeing their departments, chairpersons must consider and balance the concerns of faculty, administrators, and students.
Higher education administrators also direct and coordinate the provision of student services. Vice presidents of student affairs or student life, deans of students, and directors of student services may direct and coordinate admissions, foreign student services, health and counseling services, career services, financial aid, and housing and residential life, as well as social, recreational, and related programs. In small colleges, they may counsel students. In larger colleges and universities, separate administrators may handle each of these services. Registrars are custodians of students? records. They register students, record grades, prepare student transcripts, evaluate academic records, assess and collect tuition and fees, plan and implement commencement, oversee the preparation of college catalogs and schedules of classes, and analyze enrollment and demographic statistics. Directors of admissions manage the process of recruiting, evaluating, and admitting students, and work closely with financial aid directors, who oversee scholarship, fellowship, and loan programs. Registrars and admissions officers at most institutions need computer skills because they use electronic student information systems. For example, for those whose institutions present college catalogs, schedules, and other information on the Internet, knowledge of online resources, imaging, and other computer skills is important. Athletic directors plan and direct intramural and intercollegiate athletic activities, seeing to publicity for athletic events, preparation of budgets, and supervision of coaches. Other increasingly important administrators direct public relations, distance learning, and technology.
Work environment. Education administrators hold leadership positions with significant responsibility. Most find working with students extremely rewarding, but as the responsibilities of administrators have increased in recent years, so has the stress. Coordinating and interacting with faculty, parents, students, community members, business leaders, and State and local policymakers can be fast-paced and stimulating, but also stressful and demanding. Principals and assistant principals, whose varied duties include discipline, may find working with difficult students to be challenging. They are also increasingly being held accountable for ensuring that their schools meet recently imposed State and Federal guidelines for student performance and teacher qualifications.
About 1 in 3 education administrators work more than 40 hours a week and often supervise school activities at night and on weekends. Most administrators work year round, although some work only during the academic year.
Most education administrators begin their careers as teachers and prepare for advancement into education administration by completing a master?s or doctoral degree. Because of the diversity of duties and levels of responsibility, educational backgrounds and experience vary considerably among these workers.
Education and training. Principals, assistant principals, central office administrators, academic deans, and preschool directors usually have held teaching positions before moving into administration. Some teachers move directly into principal positions; others first become assistant principals, or gain experience in other administrative jobs at either the school or district level in positions such as department head, curriculum specialist, or subject matter advisor. In some cases, administrators move up from related staff jobs such as recruiter, school counselor, librarian, residence hall director, or financial aid or admissions counselor.
In most public schools, principals, assistant principals, and school district administrators need a master?s degree in education administration or educational leadership. Some principals and central office administrators have a doctorate or specialized degree in education administration. In private schools, some principals and assistant principals hold only a bachelor?s degree, but the majority have a master?s or doctoral degree.
Educational requirements for administrators of preschools and childcare centers vary depending on the setting of the program and the State of employment. Administrators who oversee preschool programs in public schools are often required to have at least a bachelor?s degree. Child care directors who supervise private programs are usually not required to have a degree; however, most States require a preschool education credential, which often includes some postsecondary coursework.
College and university academic deans and chairpersons usually advance from professorships in their departments, for which they need a master?s or doctoral degree; further education is not typically necessary. Admissions, student affairs, and financial aid directors and registrars sometimes start in related staff jobs with bachelor?s degreesany field usually is acceptableand obtain advanced degrees in college student affairs, counseling, or higher education administration. A Ph.D. or Ed.D. usually is necessary for top student affairs positions. Computer literacy and a background in accounting or statistics may be assets in admissions, records, and financial work.
Advanced degrees in higher education administration, educational leadership, and college student affairs are offered in many colleges and universities. Education administration degree programs include courses in school leadership, school law, school finance and budgeting, curriculum development and evaluation, research design and data analysis, community relations, politics in education, and counseling. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) accredit programs designed for elementary and secondary school administrators. Although completion of an accredited program is not required, it may assist in fulfilling licensure requirements.
Licensure and certification. Most States require principals to be licensed as school administrators. License requirements vary by State, but nearly all States require either a master?s degree or some other graduate-level training. Some States also require candidates for licensure to pass a test. On-the-job training, often with a mentor, is increasingly required or recommended for new school leaders. Some States require administrators to take continuing education courses to keep their license, thus ensuring that administrators have the most up-to-date skills. The number and types of courses required to maintain licensure vary by State. Principals in private schools are not subject to State licensure requirements.
Nearly all States require child care and preschool center directors to be licensed. Licensing usually requires a number of years of experience or hours of coursework or both. Sometimes, it requires a college degree. Often, directors are also required to earn a general preschool education credential, such as the Child Development Associate credential (CDA) sponsored by the Council for Professional Recognition, or some other credential designed specifically for directors.
One credential specifically for directors is the National Administration Credential, offered by the National Child Care Association. The credential requires experience and training in child care center management.
There are usually no licensing requirements for administrators at postsecondary institutions.
Other qualifications. To be considered for education administrator positions, workers must first prove themselves in their current jobs. In evaluating candidates, supervisors look for leadership, determination, confidence, innovativeness, and motivation. The ability to make sound decisions and to organize and coordinate work efficiently is essential. Because much of an administrator?s job involves interacting with otherssuch as students, parents, teachers, and the communitya person in such a position must have strong interpersonal skills and be an effective communicator and motivator. Knowledge of leadership principles and practices, gained through work experience and formal education, is important. A familiarity with computer technology is a necessity for principals, who are required to gather information and coordinate technical resources for their students, teachers, and classrooms.
Advancement. Education administrators advance through promotion to higher level administrative positions or by transferring to comparable positions at larger schools or systems. They also may become superintendents of school systems or presidents of educational institutions.
Education administrators held about 443,000 jobs in 2006. Of these, 56,000 were preschool or child care administrators, 226,000 were elementary or secondary school administrators, and 131,000 were postsecondary administrators. The great majorityover 80 percentworked in public or private educational institutions. Most of the remainder worked in child daycare centers, religious organizations, job training centers, and businesses and other organizations that provided training for their employees.
Employment of education administrators is projected to grow about as fast as average, as education and training take on greater importance in everyone?s lives. Job opportunities for many of these positions should be excellent because a large proportion of education administrators are expected to retire over the next 10 years.
Employment change. Employment of education administrators is expected to grow by 12 percent between 2006 and 2016, about as fast as the average for all occupations, primarily due to growth in enrollments of school-age children. Enrollment of students in elementary and secondary schools is expected to grow slowly over the next decade, which will limit the growth of principals and other administrators in these schools. However, the number of administrative positions will continue to increase as more administrative responsibilities are placed on individual schools, particularly related to monitoring student achievement. Preschool and childcare center administrators are expected to experience substantial growth due to increasing enrollments in formal child care programs as fewer young children are cared for in private homes. Additionally, as more States implement or expand public preschool programs, more preschool directors will be needed.
The number of students at the postsecondary level is projected to grow more rapidly than other student populations, creating significant demand for administrators at that level. A significant portion of the growth will occur in the private and for-profit segments of higher education. Many of these schools cater to working adults who might not ordinarily participate in postsecondary education. These schools allow students to earn a degree, receive job-specific training, or update their skills in a convenient manner, such as through part-time programs or distance learning. As the number of these schools continues to grow, more administrators will be needed to oversee them.
Job prospects. Principals and assistant principals should have very favorable job prospects. A sharp increase in responsibilities in recent years has made the job more stressful and has discouraged some teachers from taking positions in administration. Principals are now being held more accountable for the performance of students and teachers, while at the same time they are required to adhere to a growing number of government regulations. In addition, overcrowded classrooms, safety issues, budgetary concerns, and teacher shortages in some areas all are creating additional stress for administrators. Many teachers feel that the increase in pay for becoming an administrator is not high enough to compensate for the greater responsibilities.
Opportunities may vary by region of the country. Enrollments are expected to increase the fastest in the West and South, where the population is growing faster, and to decline or remain stable in the Northeast and the Midwest. School administrators also are in greater demand in rural and urban areas, where pay is generally lower than in the suburbs.
Although competition among faculty for prestigious positions as academic deans and department heads is likely to remain keen, fewer applicants are expected for nonacademic administrative jobs, such as director of admissions or student affairs. Furthermore, many people are discouraged from seeking administrator jobs by the requirement that they have a master?s or doctoral degree in education administrationas well as by the opportunity to earn higher salaries in other occupations.
Education administrators
Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program
Education administrators, elementary and secondary school
Education administrators, postsecondary
Education administrators, all other
NOTE: Data in this table are rounded. See the discussion of the employment projections table in the Handbook introductory chapter on Occupational Information Included in the Handbook.
In May 2006, elementary and secondary school administrators had median annual earnings of $77,740; postsecondary school administrators had median annual earnings of $73,990, while administrators in preschool and childcare centers earned a median of $37,740 per year. Salaries of education administrators depend on several factors, including the location and enrollment level in the school or school district.
According to a survey of public schools, conducted by the Educational Research Service, average salaries for principals and assistant principals in the 2006-07 school year were as follows:
According to the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, median annual salaries for selected administrators in higher education in 2006-07 were as follows:
Benefits for education administrators are generally very good. Many get 4 or 5 weeks of vacation every year and have generous health and pension packages. Many colleges and universities offer free tuition to employees and their families.
Education administrators apply organizational and leadership skills to provide services to individuals. Workers in related occupations include administrative services managers; office and administrative support worker supervisors and managers; and human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists. Education administrators also work with students and have backgrounds similar to those of counselors; librarians; instructional coordinators; teacherspreschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary; and teacherspostsecondary.
For information on principals, contact:
For a list of nationally recognized programs in elementary and secondary educational administration, contact:
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
Other Online Colleges & Universities


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'Raiders of the Lost Ark': The Little But Important Details You Might Have Missed
Stuck at home? So is ScreenCrush's Matt Singer — which is why he's watching things streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney+, YouTube, Criterion, Tubi, and elsewhere, and then writing about what he finds. If you want to suggest something for him to watch and write about, find him on Twitter. Previous installments of this column can be found here.
Today's Film:
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, Philip Kaufman
Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
Box Office Total: $353.9 million
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95 percent
Currently Streaming On: Netflix
Suggested By: @g_huschke
Why I Watched It: It's been years and years since I last saw Raiders of the Lost Ark (I haven't logged it on Letterboxd, which means it might be a decade since my last viewing), and it's hard to imagine a better piece of escapism right now. It's got action, comedy, period fashions, and globetrotting adventure — a lovely antidote to being trapped at home in the grim spring of 2020. There's also been a lot of talk lately about Indiana Jones 5, which was supposed to go into production in the near future without Steven Spielberg in the director's chair, which made a rewatch a bit more timely now as well.
This is also the first time I've watched Raiders since I watched a bunch of the old Hollywood serials that helped inspired it, which gave me a new perspective on its episodic structure and the way Spielberg and producer/writer George Lucas varied their action sequences. (Many serials offered a different spectacle week by week; Raiders opens with borderline horror, then the next big beat is a fist fight, followed by a foot chase, and then a truck chase. All that plus easy access on Netflix made it a no-brainer. Here are five things I took away from this viewing...
Gallery — Little Details You Might Have Missed in Goodfellas:


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1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (30 grams) cocoa powder - i used cocoa berry
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1/2 cup (113 grams) butter - melted and cooled
3-4 ripe bananas (about 400-450 grams), mash with a fork
1 tsp pure vanilla extract - I use vanilla essence
Garnish (optional):
Chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 200'C (I used 180C) Prepare muffin paper cup (bluder cup) or a baking sheet covered with paper muffin cups for cupcakes to a smaller size. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add sugar. Mix well. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine bananas, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Stir well. Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir gently with rubber spatula. Stir just enough to mix it.
4. Pour batter into paper cups. Sprinkle chocolate chips on it. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until cooked. Do the prick tests with a clean toothpick or stick. Remove from oven. Serve warm.


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The pungent aroma of some pickled daikon & carrots can sometimes clear a room faster than a fire alarm but when added to a great banh mi, it just might be able to bring everyone together again. These pickled jewels add the touch of tang, sweet and sour crunch and flavor to not only banh mi, but to many Vietnamese dishes. Most daikon and carrots found are shredded finely, but when it comes to home made, you can have fun and create just about any shape, size and thickness.
Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrots add a crunchy tang to banh mi sandwiches. These pickled daikon and carrots are also versatile and can be eaten in salads, spring rolls and even along side grilled meat/seafood dishes. The longer the pickled carrots and daikon are allowed to pickled, the more sour they become. So plan accordingly and pickle the carrots and daikon ahead of time for your menu planning.
1/2 lb. carrots -shredded in food processor, sliced in thin rounds or thin match-like strips.
1/2 lb. daikon radish – cut same as carrots.
3 cups warm water
3 Tablespoons distilled or rice vinegar
2-3 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet you want your pickles
2 tablespoons salt
1. Mix warm water, vinegar, sugar and salt until everything is dissolved. Choose a pitcher or bowl with a lip that can be used for pouring mixture.
2. Peel, wash and cut daikon & carrots to desired size. Combine both together in bowl and blot dry with paper towel.
3. Fill carrot & daikon mixture into a tight lid jar, bowl or similar container.
4. Pour liquid salt mixture into carrot & daikon container till full. Close lid and let it pickle for about 3-5 days, or till desired sourness. For immediate use, let marinade for about 1 hour.


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At Astrology Knowledge, we are passionate about our work and ensure that you have the accurate life transforming predictions and guidance you need in regards to your Love & Relationships, Career & Money, Good Fortune & Luck and any other personal issue or situation that is troubling you at this time. Real solutions, joy and prosperity are possible!
Check this website for information regarding our Astrology, Tarot and Clairvoyant readings, but also feel free to contact us about your Burning Questions, or for any personalized reading today. Get ready for a whole new life!


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Poor Sleep Heightens 'Ringing Ear' Disease Symptoms: Study
Patients with both tinnitus and insomnia have more emotional distress, researchers say
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The study included 117 tinnitus patients treated at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit between 2009 and 2011. The more severe the patients' insomnia, the greater their complaints about their tinnitus symptoms and the worse their emotional distress, the findings showed.
"Tinnitus involves [mental], emotional and psycho-physiological processes, which can result in an increase in a patient's distress," study co-author Dr. Kathleen Yaremchuk, chairwoman of the hospital's ear, nose and throat department, said in a Henry Ford Health System news release. "Sleep complaints, including insomnia, in these patients may result in a decrease in their tolerance to tinnitus."
"Treating patients with tinnitus is challenging," Yaremchuk said. "A chronic tinnitus patient presents a challenging clinical picture that may include anxiety, depression, annoyance or self-reported emotional distress. And one of the most frequent self-reported complaints of tinnitus patients is 'getting to sleep.'"
The researchers said their study also offers further proof that treatment of insomnia in patients with tinnitus may reduce tinnitus symptoms' severity.
More than 36 million Americans have tinnitus. The exact cause is not known, but several conditions have been found to trigger or worsen tinnitus, including exposure to loud noises, wax build-up in the ears, sinus or ear infections, head and neck injuries, and disorders such as Lyme disease, fibromyalgia and hypo- or hyperthyroidism.
The findings were presented at the recent Combined Otolaryngological Spring Meetings in San Diego, Calif. The data and conclusions of research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Copyright (c) 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
- More Health News on:
- Sleep Disorders


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24 Inch "Deluxe" Wefting - Silver Grey
This wefting is made of the same super soft and bouncy synthetic fiber as many of our "Deluxe Lace Front Wigs", the colors coordinate and match perfectly.
The wefting features a soft curl pattern which blends beautifully with the "Ali" "Deluxe Lace Front Wigs".
Each pack of wefting is 24 inches in length, 90 inches in width, and is 100 grams in weight.
This fiber is super luxurious and can withstand heat appliances on medium/low.
Perfect for adding pops of color or increase the density of your favorite wig!


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Astigmatism is a relatively common eye disorder that causes the vision to be blurred or distorted. It occurs when the lens part of the eye, known as the cornea, isn't perfectly curved and instead resembles a football rather than a soccer ball. This means that the light entering the eye comes through at a distorted angle, making the object appear blurry and out of focus. There are several ways in which it is possible to treat astigmatism, including laser eye surgery and corrective lenses. However, another possibility is a solution referred to as limbal relaxing incisions.
Limbal relaxing incisions are microscopic cuts to an area in the eye known as the limbus. This helps to relax the curve in the cornea and improve its ability to focus light correctly. It can significantly improve your astigmatism and the overall quality of your vision.
If you have astigmatism, are over 18, in good general health and have no major eye conditions, then chances are you are a good candidate for limbal relaxing incisions. Make an appointment with your eye doctor to discuss your candidacy further.


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Updates, Upgrades & Rollbacks
Installing updates with Fedora Silverblue is easy and fast. It also has a special rollback feature, in case anything goes wrong. Additionally, you can choose to have multiple versions of your operating system installed at all times, and you can choose which one to boot into whenever you start up your system.
Updating Fedora Silverblue
OS updates are fully integrated into the desktop; you will be automatically notified when an update is available. The standard behavior is to automatically download the update (this can be changed from the update preferences in Software).
Once an update is ready, it is just a matter of rebooting to start using the new version. There is no waiting for the update to be installed during this reboot.
If you'd prefer, it is also possible to update using the command line. To do this, run:
$ rpm-ostree upgrade
This will check for new updates and download and install them if they are available. Alternatively, to check for available updates without downloading them, run:
$ rpm-ostree upgrade --check
Upgrading between major versions
Upgrading between major versions (such as from Fedora 39 to Fedora 40) can be completed using the GNOME Software application.
Alternatively, Fedora Silverblue can be upgraded between major versions using the rpm-ostree
Skipping major releases is currently untested and is thus not supported. You should update only one major release at a time, i.e. from Fedora 39 to 40, etc. |
First, make sure that you are running the latest update for the current version:
$ rpm-ostree upgrade
Reboot your system if needed. Then, verify that the branch for the next major version is available. You can print all available branches for Fedora Silverblue with this command:
$ ostree remote refs fedora | grep silverblue | grep $(uname -m)
After you've verified the name of your branch, you are ready to proceed. For example, to upgrade to Fedora Silverblue 40, the command is:
$ rpm-ostree rebase fedora:fedora/40/x86_64/silverblue
Currently, the default remote for Fedora Silverblue 40 is named fedora .
If this is not the case for your system, you can find out the remote name by issuing: ostree remote list .
The process is very similar to a system update: the new OS is downloaded and installed in the background, and you just boot into it when it is ready.
Additionally, you can choose to rebase to a different immutable variant of Fedora, like for example Fedora Kinoite. Fedora Kinoite is similar to Fedora Silverblue, except for the fact that it uses the KDE Plasma desktop environment instead of the default GNOME desktop environment.
What this means is, you can rebase to Fedora Kinoite to try it out, without ever touching your current system. Because the two system images are isolated from eachother, the two desktop environments will never be installed at the same time. All of your flatpak apps and /home files will stay persistent between rebases. Same applies for testing out the bleeding-edge version of Fedora Silverblue, which is Rawhide.
If you decide to rebase, make sure to pin your current deployment, so you don't accidentaly lose it (by default, only the two most recent deployments are kept).
Rolling back
Fedora Silverblue keeps a record of the previous OS version, which can be switched to instead of the latest version. While this shouldn't usually be necessary, it can be helpful if there is a problem with an update or an upgrade (rollbacks work the same way for both), as well as for development purposes.
There are two ways to roll back to the previous version:
Temporary rollbacks: to temporarily roll back to a previous version, simply reboot and select the previous version from the boot menu (often known as the grub menu).
Permanent rollbacks: to permanently switch back to the previous deployment, use the
rpm-ostree rollback
After rolling back, you will technically be on an old OS version, and may be prompted to update. Updating will undo the rollback, so should be avoided if you want the rollback to stay in effect.
only keeps one rollback version available by default.
If you want to rollback to another version that the one currently available on your system, you can do so with the following commands:
Pull the ostree commit log from the remote repository:
$ sudo ostree pull --commit-metadata-only --depth=10 fedora fedora/40/x86_64/silverblue
Display the log:
$ ostree log fedora:fedora/40/x86_64/silverblue
Deploy a specific commit:
$ rpm-ostree deploy 40.20230716.0
Note that this will deploy the exact version as requested and will not include overlayed packages and other changes.
Want to help? Learn how to contribute to Fedora Docs ›


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Smoking and vaping are addictive.
It's hard to stop, but with help and support, you can quit smoking and vaping.
Quitting nicotine can be one of the most difficult, yet rewarding, things a person can do. Many smokers and vapers say they would like to quit, and may have tried at least once. Some are successful the first time, but others try a number of times before they finally give up for good.
It might take time, it can be hard as your body has become dependent on nicotine, but many people have succeeded in giving up smoking and vaping. Become one of them by making a quit plan, using these steps:
- Why quit smoking?
Understand why you want to quit smoking and learn about the health benefits. - Why quit vaping?
Understand why you want to quit vaping and learn about the health benefits. - What quitting feels like
Learn what quitting will feel like. - Know your triggers
Keep a quit diary to learn what makes you want to smoke or vape. - Quitting methods
Find out what tools and methods are available to help you quit. - Make a quit plan
Learn how to develop a quit plan that will work for you and write it down. - Coping with quitting
Understand what support is available to help you quit and stay smoke- and vape-free.
Maybe it's a friend or family member that needs to quit. Find out how you can help someone quit.


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You don't often think about your doctor until you get sick. The team at Mercy Clinic Primary Care - Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights, MO wants to change that. Being well between visits is just as important. So our family medicine specialists focus on education and answering your health care questions and concerns, enabling you to take an active part in your health care. And our team is linked to numerous medical specialists and a full range of diagnostic laboratory and imaging services when you need them.
Mercy primary care specialists are connected by our advanced electronic health record system, so your most up-to-date medical information is instantly available to the caregivers at each point of medical care. In addition, you can take advantage of MyMercy, an online service to view test results, make appointments, and send secure messages to your doctor and more –anytime and anywhere.
Our new, extended phone hours:
M-F | 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sat | 8 a.m. - noon
While our care team is still available to answer your medical concerns 24/7, we're extending our phone hours for non-medical needs, too. Call to schedule an appointment, request refills and more during our extended phone hours. Or use your MyMercy app or mercy.net anytime.
At Mercy, we offer comprehensive services to diagnose and treat a full range of conditions, including:
At Mercy, we offer compassionate care for a variety of treatment services, including:


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Sending you my best wishes greeting card (CSGNCPC5)
When you know that someone you care about has a big day on the horizon, give you support with our "Sending you my Best Wishes!" greeting card. With a classic red postbox and retro bicycle design, this wonderful card is the perfect way to pass on an encouraging message of good luck.
Exchange Policy
210mm(L) x 150mm(W)
Important Delivery Information
Delivery within Singapore
• Orders will be delivered within 3 to 5 business days during non-festive periods and 5 to 7 business days during festive periods.
• Processing of orders will take place between Monday to Friday within normal business hours (except Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays).
• Delivery will be made by Singapore Post via Normal or Registered Mail only. Unfortunately, we are unable to customize specific timings for the delivery or make a call prior to delivery.
Delivery outside of Singapore
• All orders outside of Singapore will be sent via Registered Mail. Please refer to this website to check on the working days required for your items to reach you. http://www.singpost.com/send-receive/send-overseas
• Processing of orders will take place between Monday to Friday within normal business hours (except Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays).
To track your Registered Mail items using Registered Article Number (e.g.: RAXXXXXXXXXSG)
Website: http://www.singpost.com/track-items
Note: Normal Mail is not traceable. Do contact 1605 to raise your enquiries regarding normal mail.
To arrange for Redelivery for your Registered Mail
Website: http://www.singpost.com/redirect-redeliver
Recipient's Address
• Do ensure that full delivery address is stated in your order. Insufficient address details will result in the delay of delivery.
• Once orders are placed, we will not be able to make any changes to the delivery address.
Availability & Discontinuance
• Availability of the products is limited, and products may not be available for delivery.
Exchange Policy
Exchange Policy
- Requests for exchange of your purchase are allowed only when you have received (i) a damaged merchandise, or (ii) a defective merchandise. Requests for exchanges other than the above reasons will not be entertained.
- Please refer to our exchange policy for more information.


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May 25, 2012
Lauryn Hill, H&M's Swimwear Ads, & Vibe Mag
What's up? In the midst of finishing up proposals, handling social media for clients and making my page minimum for my book proposal, I haven't had a chance to post on theHotness.com in a minute. But I've been busy posting on Facebook. Oh you didn't know? That's right, theHotness has a Facebook page that stays poppin!!!
Our post on H&M's new swimwear ad campaign featuring a thick sister is getting so much love. So glad Read more...


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The Spring of Persistent Public Love
Marking the Two-Hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of Legal Slave Trading in Britain
A Sermon on Martin Luther King Weekend
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
The title of this message is long and full of historical significance: "The Spring of Persistent Public Love, Marking the Two-Hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of Legal Slave Trading in Britain: A Sermon on Martin Luther King Weekend." I hope to weave together three things: 1) a biblical portrayal of the origin of persistent public love, 2) a tribute to the abolition of the salve trade in Britain on February 24, 1807, with a special focus on the biblical roots of this abolition in the life of William Wilberforce, and 3) a connection to the ethnic challenges of our own situation in honor of Martin Luther King Weekend.
Wilberforce, King, and the Bible
First, let's go to the Bible, God's word. Both William Wilberforce in Britain two hundred years ago and Martin Luther King in America fifty years ago rooted their persistent, socially transforming, public love in the Bible. I don't mean that they understood and used the Bible in the same way. Wilberforce was an evangelical, doctrinally orthodox Anglican. King did not, as far as I know, make his doctrinal views explicit as a mature preacher, but his early papers lean toward a kind of liberalism that would not be called orthodox.
But my point is that without the Bible neither man would have been who he was, and neither would have done what he did—Wilberforce being the decisive human instrument under God in defeating the African slave trade in Britain, and King being the decisive human instrument under God in replacing Jim Crow racial discrimination with laws supporting equal rights for all Americans regardless of race. Their lives and their work and their achievement are inexplicable without their dependence on the Bible. Virtually every time King opened his mouth you could hear Bible. And Wilberforce built his whole personal and public life as a Member of Parliament on what he called the "peculiar doctrines" of the Bible. The Bible has a way of exerting its power in very different hands.
To Our Father, Through Jesus
Look with me for a few moments at Matthew 7:7-12. What we saw here two weeks ago at the beginning of Prayer Week was at least eight encouragements to come to God in Christ-dependent prayer. When we come through Jesus, we meet God as our Father who will only give us good things. Verse 11: "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" He will give good things. He is our Father.
How did he become such a Father to undeserving people like us? The first half of the answer we saw in Matthew 20:28, where Jesus said, "The Son of Man [Jesus] came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." And in Matthew 26:28, where Jesus said, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." So he shed his blood and died to pay our ransom and forgive our sins.
The other half of the answer we saw in John 1:12: "To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." If we will receive Jesus as our ransom and believe on him as the ground of our forgiveness, God makes us his children. And according to Matthew 7:11, God gives good things to his children who ask. Maybe not the very thing we ask for in the time and the way we ask, but always good things. Always. They may include some of the hardest experiences of our lives, just like God led Joseph down into slavery in Egypt. But it was for a thousand good reasons that would be seen later. Our Father in heaven is never against those who are in Jesus Christ. He has only mercy in his heart for us. Not ease. But always mercy. All his wrath was removed by the ransom Jesus paid and the blood he shed.
Wilberforce Kept Going
That is where we stopped two weeks ago. But William Wilberforce did not stop there. And we must not stop there, because Jesus did not stop there. Wilberforce embraced everything I just said about the Jesus' ransom, and his blood, and the forgiveness of sin, and necessity of faith in Christ in order to be the child of God and have eternal life. These are what he meant by the "peculiar doctrines" of the Bible. He loved them. But he did not stop with these, or with the great news that God is our Father and is for us and only gives us good things. He went on like Jesus did and saw the next word in verse 12.
In the ESV, it is "so." "So whatever you wish that others would do to you . . . ." A stronger translation would be "therefore." They mean the same thing. The word signals that what Jesus just said leads somewhere. What he just said is taking us somewhere and enabling us to go somewhere with the power that he just spoke into our lives. Where does the word so or therefore lead us? This is one of the most famous verses in the Bible. We know it as the Golden Rule: "So [or: therefore] whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
The Word So in Verse 12
The main thing I want you to see today is that the word so at the beginning of verse 12 implies three things: 1) that you can't live the Golden Rule—treat others the way you would like to be treated—without experiencing the truth of verses 7-11—that is, without the deep confidence that your Father will give you every good thing you really need; 2) that if you really experience the truth of verses 7-11—the assurance that your heavenly Father meets all your real needs—you will have the inner freedom and impulse to live the Golden Rule: to do the good to others that you would like them to do for you; and 3) that the reason the Golden Rule fulfils the law and prophets is that it assumes the love of verse 12 is all flowing from faith in the work of Jesus Christ to ransom us by his blood and secure for us God's mercy and everlasting Fatherhood.
All of that is implied in the word so—1) if you really treasure your heavenly Father who meets all your needs by only giving you what is good for you, then you can live for others; 2) if you really treasure your heavenly Father who meets all your needs by only giving you what is good for you, then you will live for others; and 3) if your living for others flows from trusting in your Father through the Messiah, Jesus, who paid your ransom and forgave your sins, then this kind of life fulfills all that the law and the prophets were aiming at.
So when I titled this message "The Spring of Persistent Public Love," this is what I was referring to. Doing to others what you would have them do to you is what I mean by persistent public love. And the spring of it is explained by the word so or therefore. You have a Father in heaven who, because of Christ's work, only gives his children what is good for them. Therefore, love people persistently. Treat them the way you would like to be treated. Your Fathers' blood-bought care for you is the spring of your persistent public love. If you experience him as this kind of Father, you will love people like this.
The Flow from Verses 7-11
Before we unpack the Golden Rule in relation to the issue of race and ethic relations, let's make sure we see why it must flow from verses 7-11. The reason is that treating others the way you want to be treated involves an amazing, profound, supernatural change in the way you make choices. Once upon a time, you chose things mainly because they benefited you; but now you choose things because they benefit others. And here's the catch: You may start by thinking, "If I treat others the way I would like to be treated, then I will get treated that way too." But Jesus never makes that promise. He never promises, "If you treat others the way you would like to be treated, you too will get treated that way by others."
In fact, he promises that the opposite will often happen. For example, Matthew 5:1, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." In other words, when you trust me and persist in love the way I call you to, it will cost you dearly.
The Father Gives Everything You Need to Endure
Now do you understand why the so at the beginning of verse 12 is so important? If the people that you treat lovingly according to the Golden Rule often return evil for your good, how do you keep on loving? How can you keep on returning good for evil? Jesus answers: because you have a Father in heaven who gives every good thing you need when you ask him. He doesn't spare the trial. In fact, he promises it. But he does give you everything you need to endure it and become more Christ-like through it. The assurance of verses 7-11 is the only Christ-exalting, God-honoring, and everlasting spring of persistent public love.
If you know God as your Father through Jesus Christ, and if you trust him to give you only good things, only mercy—now in real daily life—and to satisfy your heart in every trial, then you can and you will persist in doing to others what you would have them do to you, even if they don't do the same back to you.
The Golden Rule and the End of the Slave Trade
By the beginning of the nineteenth century, about three million African slaves had been transported to the Americas on British ships.1 It was a profoundly racial issue—not only, but profoundly. The only people being stolen and stripped of all human dignity and ripped apart from their families and tortured on the way to work as sub-human beings were black. It was a profoundly racial issue and the sinful attitudes connected with it are not gone from our day or our land or the church.
William Wilberforce, with many others in his day became deeply persuaded that this traffic was a great moral evil for many reasons, not the least of which was its utter inconsistency with Jesus' Golden Rule. Many of the Christian abolitionists of his day pressed the nation to look at things from the slaves' point of view and to do to others as you would have them do to you. Abraham Booth, for example, a Calvinist Baptist preacher, preached a message in London on January 29, 1792, titled "Commerce in the Human Species, and the Enslaving of Innocent Persons, Inimical to the Laws of Moses and the Gospel of Christ." One of the most moving parts of the message was his imagining the slave ships landing on British shores and raiding London and Bristol and Liverpool kidnapping your loved ones and dragging them away never to be seen again.2
Coronary Christianity
Five years earlier on October 28, 1787, William Wilberforce wrote in his diary at the age of twenty-eight, "God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of [Morals]."3 For twenty years Wilberforce endured setback after setback in his persistent public love. But he never gave up and on February 24, 1807, at 4:00 AM, twenty years later, the decisive vote was cast and the slave trade became illegal.
Five years ago I called that kind of persistent public love coronary Christianity rather than adrenaline Christianity. Adrenaline gives you energy for a moment and then lets you down. That's the way many people engage in a cause of love and justice. But the heart keeps beating as long as you live. That's what I meant by coronary Christianity; it persists in loving and serving and doing justice year after year after year. And I asked, Who of you will be the coronary Christians in the cause of racial harmony and the sanctity of life?
Applying Wilberforce's Gospel-Based Persistent Love
Today, let me apply the Golden Rule—Matthew 7:12, with its all-important therefore—and the example of Wilberforce's gospel-based persistent love like this: There will always be challenges to love people different from ourselves—whether the differences are ethnic or in some other way. If Christ is your Lord and Savior and Treasure, and if God is your Father through Christ, and if you trust him to give you only what is good, then you will be growing (and helping your children grow) in the application of the Golden Rule to ethnic differences, as well as other differences.
One practical way to approach this in your family would be to work with your spouse and children—or a group of singles together, or a small group—and make a list of attitudes and words and behaviors which you could express to a person of another ethnic group but which you would not want expressed toward you. The list might sound something like this: Would I want to be made fun of because of the way I look? Would I want to be shunned by others? Would I want to be talked down to as an inferior? Would I want to never be invited over for dinner? Would I want to never be considered for a job I'm qualified for? Would I approve if people didn't want to be my neighbor? Would I approve if no one would consider me for a home loan though my credit is good? Would I approve if I was never considered for a promotion at work though I am qualified for it?
Jesus Is Even More Radical
But even that set of questions is not radical enough, because Jesus, unlike others in his day, did not say "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you." He said, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." That is even more radical, because it means that we are to become creatively proactive in our relationships—across ethnic lines and every other way. So make another list: What things might I do for another person (of another race) that I would want done for me in his shoes?
If God is your Father through the ransom of Jesus Christ that Jesus paid with his own blood, and if you trust him to give you freely and sufficiently everything you need to live for his glory, the answers to those questions and many more will shape your life into a life of persistent private and public love. You may live to see a great victory like William Wilberforce did on February 24, 1807, with the abolition of the British slave trade (two hundred years ago next month). Or you may be cut down in the middle of the battle the way Martin Luther King was at age thirty-nine on April 4, 1968.
In either case, you will not have wasted your life. Not if you have persisted in lifelong public love rooted in the faith that your Father will give only good things through Jesus to those who ask.
Display Christ's Many Glories
I pray that you will take the little book Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce and read it and drink in the spirit of this man—the spirit that persists, perseveres, endures in the cause of public love, righteousness, justice, the Golden Rule. And I pray that all year long—while it is in 2007 the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain, you will use the book and other means as a witness to Christ and as a way to display some of his many glories.
John Coffey, "The Abolition of the Slave Trade: Christian Conscience and Political Action," Cambridge Papers Toward a Biblical Mind, Volume 15, number 2, June 2006, p. 1 (see Jubilee Centre). ↩
See Michael Haykin, "A Spirituality of Activism: 18th Century Baptists and the Fight Against the Slave Trade." ↩
John Pollock, Wilberforce (London: Constable and Company, 1977), p. 69. ↩


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Love knot work, thank you for posting this Lark
thank you lark for this post this is something every good to learn from thanks again
Cord and Knot magic is fascinating to me at the moment. This seems to be an excellent beggining resource. Does anyone have any books that study some of the older traditions that might reference this. I know several old resources that mention knot magic but I haven't gotten around to looking for anything that really uses it yet except for new age books which often describe a system similar to this thread. I was wondering how this system compared to the middle eastern methods that are mentioned during the prechristian eras. Anyone got any recommendations?
I love cords and cord magic. We spin our own cords and we use them as a tool for many different types of rituals and magic. Below is the text of an article I wrote a few years ago regarding the use of cords through a cycle of the year. The alignments are for the Southern Hemisphere. For Northern Hemisphere use - Yule is in the North and the cycle is viewed clockwise (so Ostara and Mabon do not change their positions). We have actually made the whole sabbat set of cords 3 times now.
Wheel Dances And Sabbat Cords
by Blayze
When many of us think of cord magic, we think of knot spells and bindings, handfasting cords and the cords of degree, however cords are very versatile working tools and with a little imagination, they can be used to enhance all manner of rituals.
One of my favourite ways of raising energy is via a cord or wheel dance. This does require several people, usually from as few as 3 people to a maximum of 13. Any more would mean the cords would have to be very long. For a cord dance, everyone involved can use their own working cord, or cords may be spun (or bought) for the specific ritual. These cords may need to be a certain colour or combination of colours, or if you work numerologically the cords may have a certain number or strands or the dance a certain number of participants. It really is up to the intent of the ritual organisers and the ritual itself.
Basically, a cord dance is formed like a wheel. Cord 1 is looped in half, Cord 2 is looped through Cord 1 and Cord 3 is looped through both and so on until a wheel is formed. Participants hold their cords tightly by the ends and dance around the circle pulling the cords tight. This technique creates quite a stable form and the tension of the cords serves to hold the energy of the circle dance until it is time to for the energy to be released or set within the cords. This is acheived by releasing the cords and throwing them up into the air, usually on the signal of one of the participants or at the end of a specific chant. Not only does this technique raise a huge amount of focused energy, it is also loads of fun to do. Whether the energy is actually released from, or set into, the cords really depends upon the goal of the ritual and should always be discussed beforehand.
So if we take the simple premise of a wheel dance, we can expand its use into many situations. For example, we have empowered cords for use in ritual where 5 cords (representing each element) were being charged for a handfasting. The five people who were gifting these cords danced them in a wheel over a low central altar, chanting a rune written specifically for the ritual. The energies were woven into the cords and released over the rings sitting on the altar. The cords were then individually presented to the couple during the ritual and later used to perform the actual binding.
We have also utilised a dance of eight cords, specifically representing the eight Sabbats. Each participant had previously been appointed a Sabbat ritual to write for the coming year. At the cord dance ritual they stood at the point in the circle that represented their particular Sabbat and held a cord woven to represent the colours of that Sabbat. As the cord dance began, I called an invokation of blessing upon the coming year's rituals. When the energy had built to a crescendo and the dancers were back in their original positions, we set the energy into the cords. Each dancer then retrieved his or her cord from the centre and took it home with them. Over the coming year each person was to write their sabbat ritual for the group somehow utilising their sabbat cord within the ritual. Having the cord as a starting point gave some kind of initial focus to the writing of the ritual and also provided a common thread (pun intended) to the wheel of the year cycle for the group.
The positions and colours we used were:
Samhain South West Black and Silver
Yule South Red, Green and White
Imbolc South East White, Yellow and Green
Ostara East Green and White
Beltane North East Red and White
Litha North Red, Orange and Gold
Lughnasadh North West Orange, Gold and Brown
Mabon West Gold and Black
Each Sabbat ritual utilised the cords in different ways. We wove wheat into them, hung crystals and bells from them, we wrapped them around objects, used them to measure a plot for planting wheat, spun people into Spring with them, created a pendulum with them and lead people on a journey with them. The cords from two wheels worth of rituals now hang in our temple space providing energies and colour and fabulous memories.
so my parents just came back from puerto rico,an my father brought back these flags..he states that every flag they put up, would get knoted up. i asked hin if maybe he didnt think it was the wind that tore em an did it, but he pointed out that one of the flags, he had actually seen his nephew tie some bright cloth to a fence 30 feet away, an come out the next day an see them now woven in the the flag...
Not really. That's the beauty of cord magic. It doesn't require a lot of other tools or ingredients. You certainly can use them if you want and they would add another layer to your working, but they aren't required. That's why it is useful for those living in a college dorm or somewhere else where candles and incense aren't practical.
Dark Wing said:
I had heard about this form of magic but didnt know about the process to carry it out. So glad I found it here! While tying the knots, do we need to use anything else like insence or candles to help with the meditation? I'd love to try this out, but I'm not sure if I can work this on myself. Can I?
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