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Citigroup has agreed to settle allegations that it defrauded investors in the years leading up to the financial crisis. The settlement requires Citigroup to pay $7 billion. Two and a half billion will go toward mortgage relief for homeowners. Now, this settlement involves mortgage-backed securities the bank packaged and sold to investors, and it was announced this morning by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. We're going to talk this through with NPR's Jim Zarroli who's on the line. Jim, good morning.
JIM ZARROLI, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: So what exactly did Citigroup do that made it legally liable?
ZARROLI: Well, we are still cleaning up the mess caused by the sub-prime mortgage crisis, you know, after five years.
INSKEEP: Sure.
ZARROLI: This has to do with those mortgage-backed securities that a lot of banks were selling back when the mortgage business was overheated. Essentially, Citigroup, like the others, took - they took a lot of different mortgages and pooled them together and sold them as securities. What the investors didn't know was that a lot of these underlying mortgages were fraudulent. They were, you know, based on faulty income statements or, you know, exaggerated assessments of the value of a property. So a lot of them ended up losing money and a lot of investors took a big hit.
INSKEEP: I suppose a big question here is whether Citigroup was aware that it was selling bogus securities.
ZARROLI: Well, yeah. Citigroup and its employees knew there was a problem. The bank had hired firms to go through the mortgage pools, and these firms would come back and warn them, you know, they should reject some of the mortgages on it. The Justice Department cited an email from a trader at Citigroup in which he said something like - he said, I went through the diligence report, and I think we should start praying. I would not be surprised if half of these loans went down. But the bank insisted anyway that these faulty mortgages be accepted. They were sent out to investors and over time, you know, the problem just mushroomed. Here was Eric Holder at a press conference this morning.
ERIC HOLDER: They misrepresented the facts, including the level of risk. They sold defective loans to countless investors including federally insured financial institutions, and they made false statements to investors.
INSKEEP: OK, so that's what Eric Holder says they did. Citigroup has agreed to settle - $7 billion payment. How does that affect the bottom line of a big bank?
ZARROLI: Well, this is a huge and very profitable bank. I mean it would have made $4 billion last quarter before the settlement. Now, the settlement is going to take a big chunk out of that. Citigroup gets to deduct part of it, but it's still going to be a pretty big bite out of the profits. Citigroup actually tried to hold out for a much lower penalty. The negotiations went on a long time. They were very contentious. They were very far apart in the beginning, but I think in the end Citigroup decided to settle. I think from their perspective, as with the other banks, you know, it simply wanted to put this behind it and move on.
INSKEEP: They weren't the only bank selling these kinds of securities. What does this mean for other banks?
ZARROLI: Yeah, I mean we heard from Tony West, the assistant attorney general in charge of the civil division this morning, who said, yeah, the public should expect more settlements, and they should expect them pretty soon. We had that big settlement late last year with JPMorgan Chase. You know, I think the federal government has been criticized over the years for not doing more to punish the banks - a lot of people very unhappy. So I think they're trying to convince the public that they're on top of this - that they're going to punish any wrongdoing they can find by the bank. Part of this money, $2.5 billion, will go toward relief for homeowners who were hurt in the subprime mortgage crisis. That's not a lot of money when you consider how much was lost.
INSKEEP: Yeah.
ZARROLI: But it is - it's designed to make a statement about how far the federal government is willing to go to stop this kind of wrongdoing.
INSKEEP: Jim, thanks very much.
ZARROLI: You're welcome.
INSKEEP: That's NPR's Jim Zarroli reporting today on a settlement for Citigroup which has agreed to pay $7 billion for its behavior before the financial crisis. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Roughly 300,000 people in the United States suffer from scleroderma. This chronic connective tissue disease results from an over-production of collagen in the skin and other organs. Scleroderma usually appears in people between the ages of 25 and 55. Women get scleroderma more often than men. The disease worsens slowly over years.
There are two types of scleroderma: localized scleroderma, which involves only the skin, and systemic scleroderma, which involves the skin and other organs, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, intestine and gallbladder. Typical symptoms of the skin include skin hardening, skin that is abnormally dark or light, skin thickening, shiny hands and forearms, small white lumps beneath the skin's surface, tight facial skin, ulcerations on the fingers or toes and change in color of the fingers and toes from exposure to heat or cold. Other symptoms impact bones, muscles, lungs and the digestive tract.
There is no known cause of scleroderma, nor is there a cure. There are individualized treatments that are designed to help alleviate certain symptoms and decrease the activity of the immune system to further slow down the disease.

subset: commoncrawl


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Furniture mainly involves small bits of wood joined at right angles. There are few right angles in a boat. Traditional round-bottom wooden boats aren't built, they are carved. Every plank on the hull is a different shape, curved and beveled and hollowed out to fit the constantly changing shape of the boat. And unlike your average Chippendale that lives in a cozy bedroom, a boat needs to keep the ocean out while being beaten up by the best King Neptune can throw at her.
And there's another problem...
People have been telling me I'm unhandy since I was a small child. My brother was the handy one. He had a good eye. He was tall and strong. He looked good holding tools, and he could whip up a tree house or interplanetary space ship in no time.
I was the bookish one. I preferred reading about people who built tree houses or interplanetary space ships. Tools felt awkward in my hands, and I guess they looked awkward, too, because my father was forever shaking his head at me, and telling the neighbors over the fence that my brother was the handy one...
But somewhere in the middle of middle age, I decided to build a boat. I have a few good reasons.
First, I am sick of computers. Yes, I know I'm typing on one right this very moment, but, though I enjoy the challenge of imagining and creating useful, and occasionally profitable, software applications, I'm ready for a change... a big change.
For the first time in my life, I have the strong desire to work outside, with my hands as well as my head. And rather than building something abstract and insubstantial like a computer program, I want to see and feel the results of my labor. And the more hefty and substantial the result, the better.
Second, in the next year or so, my goal is to take an installment on semi-retirement and go for a long sail. A very long sail. I'm too young to actually retire, but I've worked hard to get my software business to the point where I can work anywhere there's a cell phone signal. That includes most of the coast of the US, Europe, the Caribbean. I can work and get 'out there' at the same time.
But while looking for the right boat, my wife, Helena, was drawn not to nice, sensible fiberglass boats, but to beautiful old wooden boats.
This won't surprise anyone who knows Helena, but my reaction was typical of anyone who has grown up in the modern world of sailing. Wooden boats are too much work! We'll spend more time maintaining her than sailing her! I don't know anything about wooden boats! I'm not handy!
Naturally, these arguments had no effect on Helena, who is rarely swayed by logic and has a deranged-but-bracing confidence in my hidden, and even unsuspected, abilities. So I promised to 'look into it'.
Wooden boats have some substantial advantages over fiberglass or metal boats for the long distance cruiser.
It's easier to customize them, or alter the cabin arrangements, for example. Your typical 36' sailboat is designed to sleep 6. This is 4 more bunks than we need and a waste of space where space is in chronic short supply. It would be nice to replace them with storage or a work bench. Making major modification to the layout of a fiberglass boat is a nasty, unhealthy business requiring special tools and buckets of epoxy. Customizing a wooden boat requires simple hand tools, wood, and screws.
Also, wooden boats are infinitely repairable. They are built of individual pieces that can be removed and replaced with easily available materials. Many old wooden boats have been rebuilt two or even three times. The boat I crewed on this summer, The Christine, was built the same year as the Brooklyn Bridge, the same year Thomas Edison was electrifying New York City. She was rebuilt a few years ago, and will easily last another hundred years, when she might be ready for another rebuild.
Most importantly for Helena, wooden boats are more beautiful, warmer, and more comfortable than a plastic or metal boat can ever be. Most importantly for me, wooden boats are about as low tech as you can get.
Or perhaps 'retro-tech' is a better way to put it, since in fact wooden boats embody thousands of years of development by people whose livelihood and lives depended on them. Wooden sailboat are indeed high tech, from that perspective.
To make a long story short, I ended up agreeing with Helena that a wooden boat would be the best choice if -- and this was a big 'if', given my near-zero wood working skills -- I could learn enough about them to fix them. And the best way to learn how wooden boats are put together and how to maintain them, I thought, would be to build one from scratch.
My logic was, if I can build one, I can fix one. The next question was, which boat should I build?
Next Installment: A Boat Chooses Me
I hope you're enjoying "The Unlikely Boat Builder" as much as I enjoy writing it. Some people have asked for a way to be notified automatically when I post new episodes. I've just figure out how to do this, so if you'd like to be notified, please click on the link below. I promise I'll never spam you (and Google will have my head if I do.)
Thanks for your interest!
-- John


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Designed by Experts
At the heart of AI Overclocking is a proprietary algorithm developed by ROG R&D engineers who worked with world-renowned overclockers to create a tool for users of all levels.
The lowest price from 30 days before the promotion:
Any mini-ITX build with ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming motherboard as its backbone is going to punch well above its weight. With boosted power delivery, innovative active cooling design, plus the all new Triple-decker Heatsink, ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming is the perfect compact platform for the latest Intel® Core™ processors.
Elite Performance for Gamers and Enthusiasts
ROG Patented Pre-mounted I/O Shield
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports
Intel® I225-V Gigabit LAN
Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201
3 x LED-Illuminated Audio Jacks
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (at x16 mode)
1 x 4-pin Aura RGB header
DDR4 4800 (OC) MHz
Intel® LGA 1200 Socket for 10th Gen Intel® Core™, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® processors
1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 front panel connector
SupremeFX S1220A CODEC
2 x M.2 Socket 3
4 x SATA 6Gb/s
1 x 3-pin Addressable Gen 2 RGB header
ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming helps you get the most out of your gaming build with up-rated power delivery and optimized cooling. Intelligent controls lets you manage overclocking, cooling and networking settings easily, giving you everything you need to harness the full potential of your build for top-tier gaming performance.
Digital power control and an array of power stages ensure ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming has the muscle to control the latest Intel CPUs.
The ProCool II socket is built to tight specifications to ensure flush contact with the PSU power lines and have a metal armor for improved heat dissipation. The connector's lower impedance helps prevent hotspots and improves reliability.
The Digi+ voltage-regulator module (VRM) is one of the finest in the industry, ensuring ultra-smooth and clean power delivery to the CPU.
ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming utilizes 8+2 power stages to combine high-side and low-side MOSFETs and drivers into a single package, delivering the power and efficiency that the latest Intel processors demand.
Superior chokes and durable capacitors are engineered to resist extreme temperatures and provide up to 110% better performance than the industry standard.
A custom-made low-noise fan efficiently cools the area around the VRM by up to 12°C to give you more overclocking headroom, and it can also now be turned on or off via the UEFI BIOS. To ensure longevity, the fan utilizes durable bearings with an impressive 60,000-hour L10* lifespan.
* L10 bearing life is a standard metric that specifies the number of hours that 90% of the bearing are expected to continue successfully
An L-shaped heatpipe allows for rapid and even heat transfer, while the MOS heatsink provides a large contact area for the MOSFETs and chokes. Together with the metal I/O shroud, it covers a third of ROG Strix Z490-I motherboard, giving you effective cooling within the confines of a cramped mini-ITX chassis.
The innovative Triple-decker Heatsink comprises of three heatsinks in a single module, with two M.2 heatsinks stacked on top of a PCH heatsink. The Triple-decker Heatsink cleverly maximizes motherboard space, and improves airflow to bring M.2 SSD temperatures down by up to 25°C for better stability and performance.
High-quality thermal pads transfer heat from the inductor and phase array to the heatsink.
ROG Strix Z490 series features the most comprehensive cooling options ever, configurable via Fan Xpert 4 or the UEFI BIOS
A dedicated pair of PWM/DC fan headers for CPU coolers.
A dedicated PWM/DC header for self-contained water-cooling setups.
Every onboard header supports auto-detection of PWM or DC fans.
Every onboard header supports auto-detection of PWM or DC fans.
ROG AI Overclocking is an intelligent utility that helps you get the most out of your build by automatically profiling your CPU and cooling system to predict optimal voltage and frequency settings.
Accessible via the AI Suite software in Windows or directly through the UEFI, the intuitive AI Overclocking user interface enables users of all levels. A range of customizable settings are available for seasoned overclockers, and an auto-tuning option is available for beginners.
At the heart of AI Overclocking is a proprietary algorithm developed by ROG R&D engineers who worked with world-renowned overclockers to create a tool for users of all levels.
The algorithm analyzes your CPU and cooling system and, based on what it finds, predicts optimal settings. The software then uses these settings to automatically guide the clocking process, balancing frequency and voltage.
The software monitors workload, system temperature, fan speed and power draw every minute, and makes real-time adjustments to ensure ongoing optimal performance.
Turn on your PC and put on a load on the processor to get a baseline reading of your CPU, cooling system capabilities.
ASUS AI Overclocking makes automatic tuning faster and smarter than ever before. Available in Windows or directly through the UEFI, it profiles the CPU and cooler to predict the optimal configuration for each individual system.
The AI Overclocking Guide provides detailed information and instructions about how to tune your system manually. It can be accessed by hitting the F11 hotkey.
For high-core count processors like the Z490, AI Overclocking lists data according to core group. This gives you adaptive control based on the status of core groups (3 / 5 / 8 / all cores), and it provides target frequency and voltage estimations needed for manual tuning.
Onboard intelligence lets you automated overclocking with full, flexible control available via 5-Way Optimization within AI Suite (in Windows).
ASUS AI Cooling function will automatically manage and control motherboard-connected fans to ensure optimal settings based on current system load and temperature.
AI Cooling detects CPU temperatures and uses a proprietary algorithm to calculate the lowest fan speed required to effectively cool the system and keep fan noise down.
Under stable system loads, the software then automatically lowers fan* speed to the optimal setting, decreasing fan noise without compromising performance.*Fans need to be connected to the following headers for AI Cooling control: CPU_FAN / CPU_OPT / CHA_FAN / M.2_FAN / H_AMP / RAD_FAN
AI Cooling continues to monitor the system and adjust fan speed based on current load.
AI Cooling can easily be activated via the Fan Xpert 4 dashboard in ASUS AI Suite 3. Once activated, it will override all manual controls.
For those who prefer manual control, AI Cooling provides reference points on a graph that details fan speed in relation to temperature, providing a guide for fan settings.
The proprietary ROG GameFirst VI utility is designed to help all users — beginners, experts, and everyone in between — optimize network settings to ensure smooth online gameplay. New to this generation, GameFirst VI features AI enhanced identification and boost technology to ensure faster and smarter network optimization.
GameFirst VI analyzes your usage patterns and applications' digital signatures and compares them to a database of over 200,000 apps. This database is regularly updated to ensure apps are recognized correctly.
GameFirst VI intelligent switches application priority and adjusts bandwidth accordingly depending on the situation. When gaming, it accelerates and prioritizes game packets to give you supersmooth online gameplay even when you're streaming high-quality video to your audience or transferring large files.
An intuitive graph gives you an overview of the network in real-time, simply click on the tab to view the current bandwidth usage of each application, geolocation status of each network connection, and an analysis of the WiFi channels.
GameFirst VI takes note of what you're currently doing and adjusts bandwidth accordingly to ensure smoother online experiences, even when multitasking.
Gaming First mode leverages on a massive application database and analysis of your frequently-used apps to prioritize gaming network traffic. This reduces jitter and decrease ping to give you lag-free online gaming.
WiFi Quick Assist analyzes network information including real-time bandwidth use to generate a graph to give you a clear overview of current network status. On top of that, when paired with a ROG router, you can scan your WiFi network to find the best channel, as well as use Game Boost to prioritize gaming devices and packets on your network for ultrafast online speeds.
ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming provides you with the latest connectivity for supersmooth online experiences and blisteringly-fast file transfers. Superior audio performance gives you a massive advantage, allowing you to pick up on the smallest audio cues for a completely immersive gaming experience.
ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming supports up to 64GB DDR4 memory across two slots. OptiMem II technology improves trace layout to significantly reduce vias and crosstalk to enhance memory stability and compatibility, giving memory kits higher frequency margins.
ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming has a unique memory-trace design that supports up to 32 GB per DIMM slot to give you a total memory capacity of 64 GB. With double‑capacity DDR4 DIMM modules, the compact ROG Strix Z490-I matches the memory capacity of four-DIMM motherboard designs.
Two M.2 slots are available, with both supporting SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4 modes. Together, they give you the fastest and most-flexible M.2 interface available.
Onboard WiFi 6 (802.11ax) supports ultrafast wireless-networking speeds, improved capacity and better performance in dense wireless environments, providing exceptional online gaming experiences. Pair your motherboard with ASUS WiFi 6 routers to fully experience the networking potential of WiFi 6.
Find out more about ASUS WiFi 6 solutions.
Onboard 2.5G Ethernet gives your wired connection a boost, with up to a 2.5X improvement over standard Ethernet connections for faster file transfers, smoother lag-free gaming and high-res video streaming.
Built-in SupremeFX audio technology ensures pristine audio. It provides a flat frequency response for a neutral, detailed sound signature. And if you're using a gaming headset, the front panel output is driven by two op amps to preserve audio quality.
Exceptional RMAA Performance
ASUS exclusive S1220A
Standard ALC1220
The cyberpunk-inspired aesthetics are accentuated by the bold slashes and cybertext. Together with the most diverse ROG ecosystem, Pair your ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming with other ROG products to customize a gaming rig that reflects your personal style.
Aesthetically, ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming keeps it low key, with black and grey finishes complemented by cybertext markings across the Triple-decker Heatsink.
ROG Strix motherboards deliver sterling performance and superior aesthetics to Outshine the Competition. ASUS Aura offers full RGB lighting control with a variety of functional presets for the built-in RGB LEDs as well as strips connected to the onboard RGB header — and it can all be synced with an ever-growing portfolio of Aura-capable ASUS hardware.
ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming's Addressable Gen 2 RGB headers are now capable of detecting the number of LEDs on second-gen addressable RGB devices, allowing the software to automatically tailor lighting effects to specific devices. The new headers also offer backward-compatibility with existing Aura RGB gear.
ROG's patented I/O shield is finished in sleek matte black and comes pre-mounted to make it easy to install the motherboard.
Onboard LEDs to indicate the power status, and problems with the CPU, memory, graphics card or boot device for quick diagnosis.
The reinforced ASUS SafeSlot provides stronger PCIe device retention and greater shearing resistance.
BIOS FlashBack™ is the simplest and safest (UEFI) BIOS update method. Simply drop the (UEFI) BIOS file onto a FAT32 formatted USB stick, plug it into the USB BIOS FlashBack™ port and press the button. Updates can even be performed without having memory or a CPU installed.
ROG Strix undergoes an extensive certification program to ensure the very best compatibility with the widest range of components and devices. Refer to our extensive list of guaranteed-compatible components, it also includes a dedicated Qualified Vendor List (QVL) for memory — so you can build fuss-free.
From graphics, AIO cooler, case, mice, or keyboard, up your game with ROG Strix. Enjoy complementary aesthetics, control and compatibility – and enjoy more choice than any competing brand.
ROG exclusive software utilities deliver intuitive audio tuning and gaming enhancements so you can configure your gaming build the way you want.
Take care of complex tuning with just one click. ASUS 5-Way Optimization is a system-wide tuning utility that overclocks the processor and tunes fan speeds to ensure the best balance between cooling and acoustics. The automated CPU tuning feature of 5-Way Optimization leverages the same onboard intelligence as AI Overclocking,but goes further by running a Prime95 based stress test to deliver a result that's well-tuned from the get-go.
The TurboV Processing Unit (TPU) provides AI Suite 3 with the intelligence needed to automatically fine-tune voltages, monitor system stats, and adjust overclocking settings. We have upgraded this tool to provide AI Overclocking prediction values for users who want more insight when experimenting with different settings.
With the Energy Processing Unit (EPU) you'll enjoy system-wide power savings. The EPU automatically optimizes power consumption and maximizes savings with Away mode — a smart setting that creates an extreme energy-saving scenario by shutting down unused I/O controllers.
Enjoy comprehensive control over fans, water pumps and all-in-one (AIO) coolers, via either Fan Expert 4 or our award-winning UEFI. Whether you're cooling with air or water, Auto-Tuning mode intelligently configures all parameters with a single click. There's also an Extreme Quiet mode, which reduces all fan speeds to below the default minimum — keeping your system whisper-quiet when performing light tasks.
The Digi+ voltage-regulator module (VRM) delivers real-time control over voltage droop, switching frequency and power-efficiency settings, allowing you to fine-tune CPU voltage regulation for ultimate stability and performance.
This intuitive tool allows you to define CPU overclocking, apply fan profiles, prioritize network data and optimize audio settings at app level ― so your system is perfectly optimized for whatever you're doing.
The renowned ROG UEFI (BIOS) provides everything you need to configure, tweak, and tune your rig. It offers intelligently simplified options for newcomers to PC DIY, as well as comprehensive features for seasoned veterans.
When you're ready for a deeper dive into the configuration of your system, delve into the UEFI's Advanced mode and take complete control. Each section is intuitively organized, and a built-in search feature makes it easy to find the options you need. Advanced functions are coded with the intelligence to adapt to your settings, and when you're ready to take charge, parameters have the granularity to dial in performance just the way you want.
Learn moreAI OC monitors system vitals like temperatures, fan speeds, and power draw to estimate overclocking performance.
Quickly find tuning options and add preferred tools to the list.
Flash the latest BIOS via the internet from within the BIOS.
The AI OC Guide allows you to enable the AI Optimization or view a quick guide.
Check your storages devices' Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology logs to gauge reliability and to identify potential failures.
Automatically detect selected ASUS graphics cards to view detailed information.
Restore your SSDs to factory-fresh condition.
Track the latest changes and save preferred profiles onto a USB drive.
Rename SATA ports for easy identification.
Quickly and easily find the option or setting you're looking for.
Port configuration settings between different BIOS versions or share them with friends.
Designed to simplify setup, EZ mode presents all the vital settings and stats on a single page. With guided wizards, drag-and-drop functionality, and one-click application of important settings, your rig will be up and running in no time.
Learn moreQuickly find tuning options and add preferred tools to the list.
Flash the latest BIOS from within the BIOS.
Check your storage device Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology logs to gauge reliability and identify potential failures.
Restore your SSDs and NVMe storage to factory settings.
Track the last change and save preferred profiles to a USB drive.
Rename SATA ports for easy identification.
Port configuration settings between different BIOS versions or share them with friends.
Configure the fan's operating speed manually or use pre-configured fan profiles to quickly select Standard, Silent, Turbo or Full Speed modes. By default, system fans will automatically switch to full speed if the temperature reaches 75°C.
Sonic Studio supports HRTF-based (head-related transfer function*) virtual surround for VR headsets, casting an immersive aural landscape that draws you deeper into the action. The intuitive Sonic Studio interface also offers a range of EQ options and one-click presets, allowing you to tailor acoustics to suit personal preferences or the characteristics of your headset.
The new Sonic Studio Link now allows you to apply Sonic Studio effects on all playback devices. Simply press the Sonic Studio Link button to enjoy the effect on any playback devices.
A virtual audio device that lets streamers combine sound output from different apps. This allows you to mix your voice and video game audio within streaming software. A variety of adjustment and monitorig tools provide a high level of digital control.
Apply customized audio settings to different applications, so everything you do is perfectly tuned to the way you want to listen.
*A head-related transfer function is an audio algorithm derived from sound data recorded through a dummy head. Test tones are played from a spherical grid around the dummy head to obtain subtle changes in sounds that come from different directions. The results are combined into an algorithm that allows Sonic Studio's virtual surround to process sound true to life.
ROG Strix Z490 series includes a pre-loaded DTS Sound Unbound app that envelops you in audio as never before, conjuring whole new levels of immersion for extraordinary gaming and entertainment experiences. By exploiting Windows Sonic spatial technology, DTS Sound Unbound delivers audio in a virtual 3D space — putting you right in the middle of the soundscape, where you can sense the location and direction of every gunshot, footstep or other sound in your virtual environment.
* DTS Sound Unbound requires in-game support. Check with developers for titles that offer support.
The classic headphones or two-speaker setup, delivering discrete left and right audio channels.
Audio that's split into and served over multiple speaker channels – such as 5.1 or 7.1 – creating an enveloping experience, but on a single logical plane.
An all-new experience that creates a virtual audio 'sphere', with you at the center, so sounds seem to travel in all directions – creating astonishing 360° immersion.
Armoury Crate is a software utility that provides centralized control of supported ROG gaming products. From a single intuitive interface, Armoury Crate puts command of all your Aura gear at your fingertips, with the new Aura Creator ready. The software also provides control of settings for a select and growing number of ROG products, making it easier to tune the look and feel of your system. Armoury Crate even features dedicated product registration and ROG news feeds areas to help you stay in touch with the ROG gaming community.
RAMCache turns milliseconds into microseconds to boost game-load times. Fully compatible with the latest NVM Express storage options, its uniquely intelligent technology effectively caches an entire storage device so that favorite games and apps launch at breakneck speeds.
Elite real-world performance
Up to 5.3 GHz clock speed with Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost
Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0
Memory Support with DDR4-2933
Up to 10 cores and 20 threads
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology from the Intel® Core™ i9 to the Intel® Core™ i3 desktop processor
New 2.5 G Ethernet
New Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+)
Intel® Z490 LGA 1200 ATX gaming motherboard featuring 16 power stages, AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking, WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, dual M.2 with heatsinks, USB 3.2 Gen 2, SATA and AURA Sync RGB lighting
Intel® Z490 LGA 1200 ATX gaming motherboard featuring 14 Power Stages, AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking, Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, dual M.2 with heatsinks, USB 3.2 Gen 2, SATA and AURA Sync RGB lighting
Intel® Z490 LGA 1200 ATX gaming motherboard featuring 14 Power Stages, AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking, Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, USB 3.2 Gen 2, SATA and AURA Sync RGB lighting
Intel® H470 LGA 1200 mini-ITX gaming motherboard featuring teamed power stages, AI Networking, WiFi 6 (802.11ax), dual 1Gb Ethernet, dual M.2 and SATA.
Intel® B460 LGA 1200 mini-ITX gaming motherboard featuring teamed power stages, AI Networking, WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Intel® 1Gb Ethernet, dual M.2 and SATA.
Intel® Z590 LGA 1200 ITX motherboard with PCIe 4.0, 8+2 teamed power stages, Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation, AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking, WiFi 6E (802.11ax), Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, two M.2 slots with heatsinks, Thunderbolt™ 4 USB Type-C®, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 USB Type-C®, SATA and Aura Sync RGB lighting
Intel LGA-1151 mini-ITX B250 gaming motherboard with double-decker heatsink, Aura Sync RGB LED, Intel LAN, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, dual M.2 and SATA 6Gbps
ROG Z11 Mini-ITX/-DTX gaming case features 4 mm tempered glass panels, patented 11° tilt design, optimized thermal performance, ATX PSU support, extensive connectivity, and Aura Sync
ROG Strix GeForce RTX™ 3060 Ti 8GB GDDR6 buffed-up design with chart-topping thermal performance
ROG Strix XG279Q HDR Gaming Monitor – 27 inch WQHD (2560 x 1440), Fast IPS, Overclockable 170Hz (Above 144Hz) , 1ms (GTG), ELMB SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible, DisplayHDR™ 400
The ROG Strix 1000W Gold PSU brings premium cooling performance to the mainstream
ROG Strix 750W Gold Aura Edition is a cool, quiet and powerful PSU, engineered for efficiency in striking style.


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Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.
– Melodie Beattie


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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A Fort Bragg soldier who intentionally drowned his 8-month-old puppy in 2015 was ordered by a judge Tuesday to keep a photo of the dog in his wallet.
Police said Burrow tied up the pup named Riley then threw the animal into MacFadyen Pond in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
On Jan. 2, 2015, the dog's body washed ashore.
Burrow allegedly told investigators that the mixed lab-shepherd pup had run from home several times, and he and his wife could not afford the bills after the dog got hurt.
Burrow's neighbors were furious, especially those who had given the couple hundreds of dollars to help pay the veterinarian, according to WRAL.
Cumberland County Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons handed down the unusual sentence after accepting John Burrow's guilty plea to a charge of felony animal cruelty.
Ammons also sentenced Burrow 30 days in jail and 100 hours of community service, which he may serve cleaning out the cages at Cumberland County Animal Control.
He won't be allowed to own a pet for five years.
Burrow's wife, 22-year-old Kelsey Caroline Burrow, could also face punishment for a misdemeanor charge of being an accessory after the fact.


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Precast utility vaults are the industry's leading product choice to protect and provide access to telecommunications and fiber optic utility cabling. Oldcaslte Infrastructure offers a variety of different designs including one piece, three piece, and multi-piece configurations. With standard and customizable options, these vaults are the perfect example of value-added engineering with preinstalled equipment and accessories saving time and money on your next project. Available features include grade rings & risers, lifters, pulling irons, drainage sumps, term-a-ducts, knockouts, as well as racking to best fit your project needs. Three piece vault configurations typically consist of a slab section, a riser section, and a lid section for applications requiring non-confined access where the project calls for a minimum component weight for loading, transport, unloading, and installation.
- Modular Construction
- Base/Bottom Section
- Lids and Top Sections
- Body Slab and Risers
- Frames and Covers
- Embedded Lifters
- Grade Rings and Risers
- Embedded Pulling Irons
- Drainage Sump
- Racking
- Knock-outs
- Term-a-ducts
- Offers rugged durability to protect vital connections and controls from the elements and vandalism
- Customizable sectional design
- Quick and easy install
- Most configurations are two-sections with a top lid (cover with frame) and base (body)
- Provides critical infrastructure housing and protection
- Integral floor (body slab) optional
- Variety of shapes and sizes
- Cover and protect
- Maintenance and inspection accessibility
- Variable access opening sizes and locations offered
- Variety of sizes and shapes
- Rectangular frames and galvanized covers or manhole frames with cast or ductile iron covers
- Elevate access opening covers to grade
- Available in rectangular and round shapes
- Round or rectangular shapes designed in base as well as top sections
- Offered in multiple locations to accommodate various connection sizes and elevations
- Easily broken with a hammer to size
- Allow for easy install
- Galvanized steel material
- 2, 4, 8, and 20 ton loading capabilities
- 1 ton universal lifters also available
- Elevate access opening covers to grade
- Available in rectangular and round shapes
- Anchor and stabilize cable pulling equipment
- Carbon steel-galvanized material, stainless steel available upon request
- 2″ knock-out hole designed in base section for drain pipe
- Outer lip positively locks the base of pipe into the vault
- Propylene drainage sumps available upon request
- Hold and secure cables or wiring
- Vertical or horizontal adjustability
- Additional cable support arms are available from 4″ to 8″
- Round or rectangular shapes designed in base as well as top sections
- Offered in multiple locations to accommodate various connection sizes and elevations
- Easily broken with a hammer to size
Model: 5106-1-LA/5106-1-WA
Material: Concrete
Measurement System:
Height: 6' 1"
Width: 5'
Length: 10' 6"
Weight: 17165 lb
PDF: 020-51061LA-9.pdf
DWG: 020-51061LA-9-1.dwg
Your Project Deserves Expert Attention
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text:
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
Created On: 6/15/2020
If you have questions concerning the report, contact:
Tiffany Presmy
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Highway Policy Information (OHPI)
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
Telephone: 202-366-5024
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
The Monthly Motor Fuel Reported by States report is only available on the FHWA Office of Highway Policy Information website at the following address:
Data in the tables are subject to change because the States may revise and update their data. Effective with the May, 2005 report, the table MF-121T will no longer show tax rate changes during the year. The table only show the most current tax rate and the effective date.
In the event that a State has not yet reported data, the tables MF33G, MF33GA, MF33SF, and the Cover Sheet will show estimates based on the State's previous year's data and that State's region percent change. If the previous year's data is unavailable, a dash (-) will be displayed. Estimated data for the States are in bold fonts.
Note to Users of Monthly Motor-Fuel 'Retail Price' Data: Beginning with the May 2011 edition of the Monthly Motor Fuel Reported by States, the 'Retail Price Data' table will no longer be published. For information on the price of fuel, see the Energy Information Agency (EIA) website at the following link: https://www.eia.gov/
This is an electronic version of Publication No FHWA-PL-20-008


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Customer Reviews
Author Biography
While teaching at Holyoke Community College, where many of her students were pursuing nursing degrees, she developed a desire to better understand the relationship between the scientific study of the human body and the clinical aspects of the nursing practice. To that end, while continuing to teach full time, Dr. Marieb pursued her nursing education, which culminated in a Master of Science degree with a clinical specialization in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts. It is this experience, along with stories from the field–including those of former students, now in health careers–that has informed the development of the unique perspective and accessibility for which her texts and laboratory manuals are known.
In her ongoing commitment to students and her realization of the challenges they face, Dr. Marieb has given generously to provide opportunities for students to further their education. She contributes to the New Directions, New Careers Program at Holyoke Community College by providing several full-tuition scholarships each year for women returning to college after a hiatus or who are attending college for the first time and would otherwise be unable to continue with their studies without financial support. She funds the E. N. Marieb Science Research Awards at Mount Holyoke College, which promotes research by undergraduate science majors, and generously contributed to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she provided funding for reconstruction and instrumentation of a cutting-edge cytology research laboratory that bears her name.
In 1994, Dr. Marieb received the Benefactor Award from the National Council for Resource Development, American Association of Community Colleges, which recognizes her ongoing sponsorship of student scholarships, faculty teaching awards, and other academic contributions to Holyoke Community College. In May 2000, the science building at Holyoke Community College was named in her honor.
Additionally, while actively engaged as an author, Dr. Marieb serves as a consultant for the Benjamin Cummings Interactive Physiology¨ CD-ROM series, and is an active member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and Sigma Xi. Human Anatomy & Physiology, Ninth Edition is the latest expression of her commitment to student needs in their pursuit of the study of A&P.
Dr. Katja Hoehn is an instructor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Canada. Dr. Hoehn's first love is teaching. Her teaching excellence has been recognized by several awards during her 14 years at Mount Royal College. These include a PanCanadian Educational Technology Faculty Award (1999), a Teaching Excellence Award from the Student's Association of Mount Royal College (2001), and the Mount Royal College Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award (2004).
Dr. Hoehn received her M.D. (with Distinction) from the University of Saskatchewan, and her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Dalhousie University. In 1991, the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation presented her with the Max Forman (Jr.) Prize for excellence in medical research. During her Ph.D. and postdoctoral studies, she also pursued her passion for teaching by presenting guest lectures to first- and second-year medical students at Dalhousie University and at the University of Calgary
Dr. Hoehn has been a contributor to several books and has written numerous research papers in Neuroscience and Pharmacology. She oversaw the recent revision of the Interactive Physiology modules, and co-authored the newest module, The Immune System. She has also played a large role in the development of A&P Flix™ animations and the Video Tutors in MasteringA&P, serving as a consultant and academic reviewer.
Dr. Hoehn is also actively involved in the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS). When not teaching, she likes to spend time outdoors with her husband and two boys, compete in triathlons, and play Irish flute.
Table of Contents
2. Chemistry Comes Alive
3. Cells: The Living Units
4. Tissue: The Living Fabric
5. The Integumentary System
6. Bones and Skeletal Tissues
7. The Skeleton
8. Joints
9. Muscles and Muscle Tissue
10. The Muscular System
11. Fundamentals of the Nervous System and Nervous Tissue
12. The Central Nervous System
13. The Peripheral Nervous System and Reflex Activity
14. The Autonomic Nervous System
15. The Special Senses
16. The Endocrine System
17. Blood
18. The Cardiovascular System: The Heart
19. The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels
20. The Lymphatic System and Lymphoid Organs and Tissues
21. The Immune System: Innate and Adaptive Body Defensives
22. The Respiratory System
23. The Digestive System
24. Nutrition, Metabolism, and Body Temperature Regulation
25. The Urinary System
26. Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance
27. The Reproductive System
28. Pregnancy and Human Development
29. Heredity
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text:
This post is narrow by design, intended to make a single
point about the Roman army and its commanders. In the narrative below I have
constructed a chronology of the last ninety years of the empire. Each commander
who is German has his name in bolded text. You will see for yourself how the
Germans permeated the Roman military.
Following the death of Valens, the co-emperor in the west, Gratian,
appointed a Spanish officer, Theodosius, to serve as emperor of the eastern
provinces. His sixteen year reign was efficient but marked by the dubious
decision to let the Goths settle south of the Danube in Roman territory (382
A.D.) under their own commanders rather than those of the empire.
Meanwhile Gratian and his commander Mallobaudes (Frank) defeated the Alamanni in May 378 A.D.
September 5-6 394 Battle of Frigidus. Theodosius defeated
Eugenius, a western usurper, and his commander Arbogast (Frank). Site northeast of Aquileia.
With the death of Theodosius in 395 A.D, the empire would forever
be divided into two parts. Arcadius, son of Theodosius was named emperor in the
east while his other son, Honorius (age 10), was named emperor in the west.
During 395-7, the Visigoths raided the Balkans and Greece. Stilicho (half Vandal) pins them in
Elis but Alaric escapes.
In 401, The Visigoths, under their king Alaric, moved from
south of the Danube and attacked northern Italy, before being driven back by Stilicho, Honorius' commander.
In 402 Ravenna became the capital of the western empire,
replacing Rome.
Rome can no longer defend the provinces. Only the Italian
In 405 German tribes attack Italy. Many cities pillaged on
the way to Florence.
23 August 406 A.D. Radagaisus defeated by Stilicho at
Florence and executed. Stilicho's army
includes Alani, Huns, and Goths. The survivors of the army of Radagaisus
join Alaric.
In 406 Vandals, Sueves, Alans, and Burgundians crossed the
frozen Rhine and attacked Gaul. This army is the remnants of the army of
Arcadius died in 408 and was succeeded by his son Theodosius
II who reigned for 40 years in the east.
In 408 Stilicho
In 409, the Vandals settle in Spain
In 410, Alaric attacked Italy once again making it all the
way to Rome where he sacked the city. Alaric dies at Bruttii.
Visigoths attack Gaul in 412.
Visigoths attack Spain in 415. Trying to protect the Spaniards from the
Vandals. (Eurich) They subdue the Burgundians.
The Visigoths withdraw to Tolosa in 418.
Honorius dies in 423 to be succeeded by Valentinian III
nephew of Honorius (age 6) who is controlled by Galla Placidia, daughter of
Theodosius I, and the general Aetius (Scythian).
Vandals arrive in north Africa 429 invited by Boniface. They
take Carthage in 439. They attack Rome in 455.
Aetius and his
allied Goths defeat the Huns in 451 at Catalunian Fields.
Attila died in 453 A.D.
Ricimer (Suevic/Visigoth) essentially controls
the emperorship for 16 years starting in 456. He appoints Majorian but has to
overthrow him in 461. He appoints Severus III who dies in 465. The eastern
emperor, Leo, nominated, Anthemius in 467, but his loss to the Vandals meant
the end and Ricimer marched to Rome in 472 and killed him. Ricimer now
appointed Olybrius that same year but then both men died.
Power passed to the Prince
Gundobad (Burgundian) who
nominated Glycerius as his puppet in 473.
The eastern emperor Zeno I dispatched a new candidate Julius
Nepos who took power in 474 but was murdered by his commander the next year.
The last in line was Romulus Augustulus who abdicated in 476
ended the line of Roman emperors.
The senate told Zeno he was now emperor in the west but it
was Odacer (Scirii), leader of the
German mercenaries, who became king of Italy.
Note: Scirii were from the area of Poland, allied with the
Huns until their fall, then the Carpathian Mountain area.
Rome in the west was now only a piece of the Italian
peninsula. Gaul was controlled by the Franks, Burgundians, and Visigoths. Spain
was controlled by the Visigoths and Sueves. The Vandals controlled north
Africa. Roman Britain was on the way to becoming Anglo-Saxon England.
In 493, Theodoric sieges Ravenna, captures it, and puts
Odacer to death. On the advice of the eastern emperor, Zeno, Theodoric becomes king of Italy, ruling
over the Goths and Romans.
As I said in the
beginning, a trend developed where the late Roman emperors began to use German
generals to run their army. This was really the culmination of the advancement
of the Germans over time. Since a substantial part of the empire was adjacent
to German territory, Germans were recruited (at first enslaved) to fight for
Rome. After a time, there were more Germans than Italians in the Roman army so
all that remained was for the commanders to become Germans too.
This development blurs the definition of the "end of the
empire" because if the Germans were commanding a Roman army of Germans, weren't
they essentially controlling Rome? The emperors from Honorius on were puppets.
I also want to mention once again the attitude of the Goths
toward Rome, which was essentially respectful. The Goths wanted to settle in
more fertile areas south of the Alps and sought peaceful coexistence with the empire.
It was only when Rome offended them repeatedly (as in 410 A.D.) that they became
more militant. The Goths fought for Rome many more times than they fought
against Rome.
The Vandals, of course, are another story – we named wanton
destruction after them.


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As of Today, 'Blade Runner' is No Longer Set in the Future
When Ridley Scott's Blade Runner was released in 1982, its dystopian future seemed light years away. But fans of the critically-acclaimed science fiction film might have woken up this morning feeling a little funny. As its opening sequence informs us, the movie takes place in Los Angeles, November 2019. In other words, from this day forward, Blade Runner is no longer set in the future.
Blade Runner, which is loosely based on Phillip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, paints a bleak portrait of the City of Angels in 2019. Its projected vision of Los Angeles features synthetic humanoids known as "replicants", flying cars, and extraterrestrial colonies. Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, a "blade runner" whose job it is to hunt down these artificial humans who appear to be just like us. The movie, to its merit, makes some pretty accurate predictions about our modern world. Powerful corporations, climate change (it's raining throughout the entire film), and even voice activation technology all hit close to home. But something big is missing from Blade Runner's depicted future. iPhones. Instagram. TikTok. While the movie does get an eerie amount right, it couldn't account for the role social media plays in our lives. Who knows how things would have panned out for Deckard if he could have looked up his targets on Facebook?
Blade Runner isn't the only piece of media that tried to predict life in Southern California during this fateful year. My Chemical Romance (who announced their reunion tour yesterday) set their 2010 album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys in November 2019 as well. Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to Blade Runner, came out in 2017. Mark your calendars — we have 30 years to find out if its predictions come true.
Gallery — The Best Sci-Fi Movie Posters of All Time:


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Cats Felines do a good job of grooming themselves, but regular brushing to prevent matting of hair is important. Cats rarely need a bath, but one can be given if necessary. Cats object to bathing in slippery tubs, so give your kitten something to cling to, such as a wood platform or a wire screen. Use
Read more


text:
By Brittany Jablonsky, Government Relations Representative
One area in which the farm bill draft recently passed by the House Committee on Agriculture differed significantly from the version of the bill passed by the Senate last month was a section dealing with agricultural biotechnology. These provisions, found in the horticulture title of the House bill, would change the U.S. Department of Agriculture's review process for new genetically modified crops by establishing significantly shorter deadlines, removing some regulatory agencies' authority and putting into place other provisions to expedite and deregulate the process.
Under the provisions, if USDA's initial review of a new crop indicates it may not pose a risk, but it is unable to respond to a petition within the timeframe required, the crop would automatically be approved under the law. This backdoor approval would also exist for applications that are currently under review by the USDA and have gone through an initial public comment period.
The Center for Food Safety coordinated a letter opposing the provisions, which included signatories such as Food and Water Watch, National Cooperative Grocers Association, National Family Farm Coalition, National Organic Coalition and Organic Trade Association, citing the need to maintain the existing regulatory oversight of the agricultural biotechnology approval process.
A separate coalition of organizations sent another letter of opposition, focusing on trade implications and the unintended negative consequences that may affect the integrity of the domestic and export supply chain. This letter included the Corn Refiners Association, Grocery Manufacturers Association, National Grain and Feed Association, National Oilseed Processors Association, North American Export Grain Association, North American Millers Association and Snack Food Association as signatories.
As expected, the Biotechnology Industry Organization supports the provisions and coordinated a letter of support that included the Agricultural Retailers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Seed Trade Association, American Soybean Association, American Sugarbeet Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers and National Corn Growers Association.
National Farmers Union policy supports oversight of genetically modified crops, and NFU opposes these provisions.


text:
Mickey Mouse To Use Geo Location Technology To Track Guests At Disney
New wireless-tracking wristbands designed to make the "Most Magical Place on Earth" even more hassle-free will hit Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., over the next few months.
The "MagicBands" will be linked to customers' credit-card information and function as room keys and park entry passes, thanks to radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips, which are most commonly used in wireless toll collection and public-transit turnstiles.
The MagicBands are part of a bigger system called "MyMagic+," which also allows the theme park to collect sensitive personal information, including names of guests both young and old, their purchasing and riding patterns and real-time location data.
"Imagine booking guaranteed ride times for your favorite shows and attractions even before setting foot in the park," wrote Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, in a blog posting on Monday. "With MyMagic+, guests will be able to do that and more, enabling them to spend more time together and creating an experience that's better for everyone."
Consumers Can Control Data
Compared with many companies foraying deeper into the world of data collection, Disney seems to make it very easy for customers to control what and how much information is shared with whom or to opt out of the program completely.
The New York Times reports that, for example, mascot characters could use the information transmitted by the MagicBands to greet visiting children by name — and even wish them happy birthday if so informed. But parents could also choose not to share their children's information with park employees in that manner.
The Times said a new part of the official Disney World website, called "My Disney Experience," makes it fairly straightforward to manage MagicBand privacy controls for each member of a family. (There's already a MyDisneyExperience app for iOS and Android devices.)
Parents could share more information about themselves and less about their children, or choose whether to link a credit card to the wristband or simply use it as a ticket to a park or attraction.
Is Mickey Watching Me?
The operation is a huge one. Analysts told the Times that they estimate the cost of installing the system, which will impact 60,000 employees and more than 100,000 guests every day, at somewhere between $800 million and $1 billion.
Some commenters on the StitchKingdom Disney fan site said they felt "a bit creeped out" and "not terribly comfortable with the idea" in response to an article on MyMagic+ posted in March. But most commenters there and on other Disney fan sites either thought MyMagic+ was a great idea, or lamented that its users would be able to jump queues ahead of holders of other premium Disney ticket options.
There's no word on when the MyMagic+ program will spread to the four other Disney theme parks in southern California, Japan, Paris and Hong Kong.


text:
Divers swim with whale shark off coast of Florida
ENGLEWOOD (FOX 13) - A Ruskin man and his friends had a once-in-a-lifetime experience when they got to swim with a whale shark off the coast of Florida this week.
The group was spearfishing about 50 miles off the coast of Englewood when Jim Hohler said they saw a massive fin come out of the water. They realized when they got closer it was a whale shark that appeared to be about 30 feet long and very friendly. "She came right up to the boat and seemed to follow us around," Hohler said.
Everyone was able to swim around the whale shark, which swam around them for a while. "She was as intrigued with us as we were her," Hohler said. "Some memories you have forever. This is one."


text:
Verified by Visa protects your existing Visa card with a password you create, giving you assurance that only you can use your Visa card online.
Simply activate your card and create your personal password. You'll get the added confidence that your Visa card is safe when you shop at participating online stores.


text:
Basic Concepts for Guerrilla Oracle
If you're already familiar with the concepts and terminology associated with Oracle and RDBMS and SQL, then feel free to skip this chapter. For the rest of us, I'll try to be as brief and clear as possible while covering what I consider to be the basic information that you will need to make sense out of the remainder of this book.
I will cover the following five topics: databases, the Oracle Server environment, SQL programming languages, development tools, and the Web. Each topic builds on the previous one, and you need this basic understanding to successfully build your guerrilla database over the next few chapters.
To start, here's a quick review of some of the fundamental concepts for relational databases.
Relational Databases
RDBMS is an abbreviation of relational database management system. The history of databases is fascinating, and the reader is encouraged to spend some time researching. For our purposes here, know that the major hallmarks of an RDBMS are the following:
Data storage and retrieval are transparent to the programmer and the end user. Oracle's RDBMS handles where and how the data is stored, and how it is gathered for reports, views, and screen functions.
Data is contained in what are called tables, which arrange the data in rows and columns. A row contains all the data for a particular entity. Another way to look at it would be to consider each row a record, and the columns fields in the record. Proper terminology, however, is row and column, and these will be the terms used from now on. A row for a person's data might include name, address, phone, age, sex, and so forth. The row would contain all these pieces of data for a single person, and the columns would be name, address, and so forth:
The next concept we have to be clear about is the RDBMS idea of relationships. The idea is actually very simple because we all naturally make relationships between bits of data every day of our lives.
As a concrete example, think about summarizing all the courses you and your friends have taken over the years. Some were at workshops, some online, some from books, some in formal classes. You would naturally want to just jot your name down, and then list the courses one after the other, then the next name and all of that person's courses. However, this approach would be pretty messy in a couple of years after all of you had taken several more courses, wouldn't it? You would run out of room and have to start writing in the columns and margins.
So almost intuitively you would create two tables—one for names and other personal info, and the other for courses that were taken. The information would now look like this (italic typeface identifies the primary keys, which we will discuss shortly, in the section on constraints):
PERSON Table |
COURSE Table |
Person ID |
Course ID |
Date of Birth |
Date Taken |
Address |
Location |
Phone |
Number |
Again, what you've done is to make a natural connection, or relationship, between the two sets of data. This is very important for your understanding of how we will later create and link all the tables in your demonstration database.
To summarize, there are only a couple of types of relationships commonly used in the RDBMS world:
One-to-many. One person has taken many courses, one exam has many questions, one building has many rooms, and so on.
Many-to-many. For example, you as an Oracle expert work on many projects, and each project has many Oracle experts working on it. To create the relationship between the two tables—the one with you and all the Oracle experts and the one with all the projects—we need what is called an intersect table:
In this example of a many-to-many relationship, we have three tables: (1) the ORACLE EXPERT table, (2) the PROJECT table, and (3) the EXPERT-TO-PROJECT table. Think about this. We want to know which projects each of our experts has, and we want to know who all the experts working on a particular project are. So we can try to list all the projects for an expert in the ORACLE EXPERT table, and we can try to list all the experts on a project in the PROJECT table.
This approach quickly becomes a nightmare when project staffing changes or projects are added or dropped. If we did it this way, we would be constantly changing the two tables just trying to keep up. Instead, we create another table, the EXPERT-TO-PROJECT intersect table. Using this table, we can quickly get a list of all projects and who is working on them, and using just that little bit of information, we can go to the bigger tables and get detailed information on each expert and each employee.
This idea may be somewhat new to you, but try to work at grasping the general concept. You will see it again in later chapters, where we actually use it. For example, we will have a link table that is used to get information from both a question table and a test table. So stay tuned; Chapter 5, where this theory is put into practice, is just around the corner.
This is how tables link to each other, through relationships. To summarize, basic storage in an RDBMS is in tables. Tables have columns (Name, Address, Phone Number, and so on) and rows, where the data is stored. All the columns of a row represent an instance of that row. A column can have additional qualifications. For example, it can be a key, and constraints can be added.
Tables and relationships are the heart of an RDBMS.
Constraints are another important piece of the RDBMS picture, one that you will be using as you develop your guerrilla database. In brief, a constraint is a rule or set of rules that apply to a column or combination of columns.
Before we terrorize you with the various kinds of constraints, let's take an English-language look at one that you've already done automatically. In the preceding PERSON table, notice the Person ID column. Without thinking, you knew that this had to be a unique column, or the table would not make any sense, right? Making this data element unique is a constraint. What you actually did was create a primary key for the table, and one of the characteristics of a primary key is that it is unique.
All the other pieces of data in a row must depend on the primary key column. In the PERSON table example, not much besides the person ID is unique. For example, several people can share the same phone number and address. Hence the person ID is the logical key, and because it is really unique for each person, it can be the primary key.
Here are some other constraints:
Foreign key. The foreign key refers to the primary key of another table. Using the PERSON and COURSE tables above, let's add another table called COURSE DESCRIPTION. Why? Well, suppose that you and five of your friends took the Oracle DBA course. You could enter the course number and description over and over for each of you, or you could put the description in another table, like this:
PERSON Table
COURSE DESCRIPTION Table
COURSE Table
Person ID
Course ID
Person ID
Course ID
Date of Birth
Date Taken
Phone Number
Look at the Course ID column in the COURSE table. It is the same as the Course ID column in the COURSE DESCRIPTION table. Since, as we just learned, the primary key must be unique, the Course ID column in the COURSE DESCRIPTION table has to be unique, and it is the primary key for that table. In the COURSE table, the Course ID column is a foreign key that refers back to the Course ID column in the COURSE DESCRIPTION table.
By linking both tables through a foreign key, you have also set the stage for what is called referential integrity. The value of the foreign key in the COURSE table depends on and exactly corresponds to the value of the primary key, which is the course ID in the COURSE DESCRIPTION table. Hence when you go to add a Course ID to the COURSE table, Oracle will automatically check to make sure that the ID exists in the COURSE DESCRIPTION table. This is referential integrity.
You can add the phrase "on delete cascade" to a foreign key. When you do this, Oracle will automatically delete any foreign-key rows in the table when the primary table row is deleted. For example, if you had taken a course called Intro to Oracle, with course ID 001, and decided to delete course ID 001 from the COURSE DESCRIPTION table, the "on delete cascade" statement would delete the entries for any course ID 001 in the COURSE table. If you didn't do this, you could end up having entries in the COURSE table with no match in the COURSE DESCRIPTION table.
Uniqueness. This concept was covered with the primary key. Just be aware that you can make other columns unique without making them keys.
Check, including NOT NULL. This powerful feature allows you to establish ranges for data. In the preceding example, you could say that you wanted only courses taken after 1979, when Oracle first appeared. You would then define the Date Taken column as a DATE and add CHECK (Date Taken greater than January 1, 1979).
NULL is a unique concept. It is the absence of any value; it is not zero or spaces. Adding the constraint NOT NULL to a column means that data must be entered when the row is created that uses that column. The NOT NULL constraint is a good way to make sure your users do not skip important columns when adding information to a table.
Jumping ahead a bit, you can get a look at the constraints on a table by checking the data dictionary. Appropriate commands are:
SELECT * FROM ALL_CONSTRAINTS where . . .
The data dictionary is introduced on the following page and will be covered in more detail in Chapter 10.


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By Melissa Davey
PARENTS are willing to buy alcohol for children as young as 14 even though they know it is illegal to do so, according to a new survey, but older brothers and sisters are most guilty of providing drinks to minors.
Research leader Sandra Jones said children were not only influencing their peers to drink, but were pressuring their parents and siblings to let them.
''Kids say to them, 'Everyone else's parents buy them alcohol, you're the only one who doesn't and I won't fit in if you don't','' Professor Jones, from the University of Wollongong, said.
''To say to parents, 'Just say no - your kids might hate you, have no friends and no one will come to their party but they'll thank you when they're 35' - isn't really convincing.''
More than 800 people from NSW were surveyed as part of her study of underage drinking, which was funded by the Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education and done in partnership with NSW police. It revealed a belief among adults that buying drinks for under-18s was normal and unlikely to result in penalties.
While nearly half of adults were likely to provide alcohol to 17-year-olds for a party in the home, almost one-fifth said they would also provide it to a 14-year-old in the same circumstances. The majority of minors said their parents were likely to provide alcohol at family events and supervised parties, while more than half said their parents would provide it for an unsupervised party.
''We need to change this idea that drinking underage is okay,'' Professor Jones said. ''Parents think because they may have drunk when they were kids, their kids will be okay doing so too. But young people now are drinking more and in much more harmful situations.''
Education focused on consequences such as getting into fights or drink-driving, she said, but not as much on short-term health effects.
Research has shown that the brain does not stop developing until someone reaches their early 20s and that alcohol can disrupt this critical period of development.
Advertising needed to target older siblings, she said, because they were most willing to buy alcohol for underage siblings. Most adults also said they knew buying alcohol for minors was illegal.
''There is a perception that the government, police and health bodies are trying to restrict people's ability to drink, that they're treating people like babies, it's a nanny state,'' Professor Jones said.
''But we need regulation and laws because the medicinal evidence is actually really clear that if you drink at that age, it does permanent harm.''
A researcher from the University of NSW National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Matthew Sunderland, said that those young people who binged were also least likely to respond to single measures, such as increasing the price of wine.
His study of Saturday night drinking found the heaviest drinkers also consumed the cheapest alcohol, were not fussy about what they drank and drank at multiple locations.


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NEW YORK, (Reuters) – CNN host and Time magazine contributing editor-at-large Fareed Zakaria was suspended by his employers on Friday after he acknowledged copying material for a recent column he wrote about gun control from another writer.
Time said it was suspending Zakaria for one month, "pending further review," and CNN said it had also suspended him for his journalistic misstep. CNN put no time limit on its suspension.
The sanctions came after Zakaria issued a public apology for borrowing from a recent New Yorker essay about gun control for a column he wrote for Time this week.
"Media reporters have pointed out that paragraphs in my Time column this week bear close similarities to paragraphs in Jill Lepore's essay in the April 23rd issue of the New Yorker. They are right. I made a terrible mistake," Zakaria wrote in his apology.
"It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault."
Ali Zelenko, a spokesman for Time, said the magazine accepted Zakaria's apology but felt compelled to act against him because he had violated its standards for all columnists.
"Their work must not only be factual but original; their view must not only be their own but their words as well," Zelenko said.
CNN said its suspension of Zakaria was due to the fact that he wrote a blog post on CNN.com that was similar to his Time column and included "similar unattributed excerpts."
Indian-born Zakaria studied at Yale and Harvard, was managing editor of Foreign Affairs magazine and then editor of Newsweek International for ten years before moving to CNN in 2010 to host Fareed Zakaria GPS.
Friday's public embarrassment for Zakaria followed a recent scandal involving New Yorker staff writer Jonah Lehrer, who resigned on July 30.
Lehrer, a science journalist and author, quit after admitting that he made up quotes from legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in his book "Imagine: How Creativity Works."


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Designed for Communication
- Dr. Carl Wieland Managing Director, Creation Ministries International, Australia
- Published Oct 05, 2012
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the Winter 2010-11 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the trade magazine for homeschool families. Read the magazine free at www.TOSMagazine.com or read it on the go and download the free apps at www.TOSApps.com to read the magazine on your mobile devices.
People have an incredible drive and ability to communicate with one another. Clever animals such as chimps may make special sounds to warn about the approach of a hungry leopard, for example. But we communicate using language, which sets us apart from all other creatures (Genesis 1:27).
Dominated by the Creator-evading philosophy of our age, researchers have tried hard to narrow the huge "communications gulf" between animals and humans, whom they regard as simply evolved animals. Some chimps have been trained by people to associate words with particular objects, and some have achieved a very basic form of sign language.1
Some birds, though not supposed to be our close evolutionary cousins, are even more clever, despite having relatively much smaller brains than chimps. "Alex," an African gray parrot, was able to recognize and name some one hundred different objects, as well as their colour, texture, and shape. He could also count up to six.2 But Alex's remarkable trained talent pales into insignificance next to the built-in abilities his human teacher would have had, even as a very young child.
From an early age, we share information with each other—not just about the objects in the world around us, but about abstract things like thoughts, feelings, and ideas. We can use language to project into the past and future too.
Who Are We?
Our communication also reflects that we have true self-awareness, an idea of ourselves and our place in the world as unique individuals. For some time, evolutionists became optimistic that they could show that chimps and orangutans also possessed this; when an ape saw an unexpected marking on itself in the mirror, it would inspect that part of its actual body. However, more than one researcher is realizing that this response does not indicate true self-awareness. Evolutionist Daniel Povinelli from the University of Southwestern Louisiana said in 1996 that he was becoming "much more open to the possibility that chimps may not develop a mental understanding of themselves and others, at least not to the extent that preschool children do."3
Humans, however, are capable of much more. Even young children have been shown capable of having a "theory of mind"; they can speculate about what another person might be thinking. Povinelli also said: "By 3 to 5 years of age, children conclude that their peers behave according to unseen beliefs, intentions, and other mental states"—while "chimps may not try to decipher others' minds in this way."4 A chimp mother may be seen to grieve on losing an infant, but other chimps, unable to consider what she is feeling, will not comfort her.
Povinelli's negative results on chimps were reported with cautious, almost grudging, wording at times. Nevertheless, the results of his studies indicate that "humans operate in a mental realm that may stay off-limits to apes and other animals . . . ."5
But there is more. No ape or any other animal exhibits "recursion"—one concept inside another one. Young children regularly use recursive concepts, e.g.: "Samantha thinks Susan doesn't want to play with her." (Susan's unwillingness to play is the concept within the concept of Samantha having thoughts.)
The Gift of Language
The spoken word is our primary means of communication, but language can exist independent of speech or hearing, as the sign languages used by deaf people demonstrate. Language involves using a code, a sequence of symbols placed in a particular sequence, to represent the ideas we want to convey. When we speak, the code symbols are particular sounds. Writing and reading are also ways of expressing our gift of language using visual symbols—the letters of a particular alphabet replace the sound symbols they represent. A message can, however, be transmitted using different symbol types—for example, the dots and dashes of the Morse code, Amerindian smoke signals, or the 1s and 0s of digital coding, stored as magnetic patterns on a hard drive. In sign languages, hand shapes and gestures form the symbols.
Symbols are arranged into groups—words—each with a particular meaning. In spoken and sign languages, the words are put together using certain sets of rules called grammar, in specific patterns or sequences known as syntax.6
When we understand a message, it means we have deciphered the code—because we have learned the convention behind it. Neither symbols nor words mean anything in themselves. For example, if you, blindfolded, drew four Scrabble letters in the order G-I-F-T, to someone who has learnt the "key" to unlocking the code of English, that sequence means a "present." But if you had been brought up to speak German, it would mean "poison"!
When young children learn a language from their parents, they don't need complicated lessons in vocabulary, comprehension, and grammar—all those rules are just picked up naturally as they grow. Once past our early childhood years, that ability mostly disappears, and we have to learn new languages the hard way. I was fortunate enough to grow up bilingual.7 It is not uncommon for children to learn three, four, or even more languages before the age of 7 or so, automatically keeping them separate and mostly unconfused, despite sometimes greatly differing rules of grammar. They just absorb them with ease from the surrounding grownups.
Could Language Have Evolved?
Trying to explain how our astonishing language ability could have evolved from "primitive grunts" is very difficult; there are no proposals even partway convincing to most evolutionists themselves. For some time, it was thought that language was just something "learned," but it seems likely now that the capacity for developing language and grammar is something "hardwired" into us from birth.
Observed: The Birth of a Language
One of the most fascinating evidences for this innate capacity for language involves some five hundred children in Nicaragua, deaf from birth. Until 1980, when schools for the deaf were set up there, they had been living all over the country. They gestured to communicate with their hearing relatives but had no established form of sign language. When they came together in the schools, though, they quickly developed their own unique sign language among themselves. This language had its own vocabulary, rules of grammar, and syntax—a fully fledged language that had no precedent. The "hardware and software" that must already be in our amazingly designed bodies to enable such a thing to develop "naturally" is inconceivably complex—imagine some futuristic computer program with the ability to design totally new programs. Truly we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalms 139:14).
The Real Origin of Language
The Bible makes it plain: the first couple were not created from animal ancestors, but Adam was made directly from raw elements ("dust") and Eve from his rib.8 Like ours, their bodies contained incredibly complex micromachinery, programmed to be able to pass on those programs to their descendants. Even though we speak of the "miracle" of birth, we were not miraculously created in the way they were.9 Rather, the incredible mechanisms for reproduction, which show us massive amounts of programmed information being transmitted down a chain, speak of the immense creative power and intelligence of God, the master Programmer and Designer.
Consider this, too: Adam and Eve, created as adults, had to have full language ability from the first, so as to understand God and each other in that perfect world before sin. None of us pops into the world with that ability; even though we have the mechanisms to learn, even to create language with astonishing ease, we have to absorb word meanings and the rules of grammar from the world around us as we grow up.10 We do this via our designed vocal equipment and brain machinery. But the first couple required more—a "built-in" knowledge of the language rules (grammar) and word meanings (vocabulary).11 Unless they already knew the meaning of each word God spoke to them soon after their creation, they could not have understood Him.12
Languages—Always Changing
There is another historical instance recorded in Genesis of God directly programming new language—in fact several languages—into people. That happened at the Tower of Babel, Genesis 10.
There are thousands of languages in the world today. In one modest-sized country alone, Papua New Guinea (PNG), there are well over six hundred separate languages. Does that mean that each one of those thousands of languages arose at Babel? Definitely not. For one thing, Genesis implies that the extended family group associated with named individuals stayed together; it makes sense for God to ensure that each such group spoke the same language. Being so soon after the Genesis Flood, this was not a huge population, and it seems there were at most several dozen languages created instantly.
All the other languages arose afterwards, by a simple process for which there is evidence. When groups with the same language then live apart without interaction, their language changes quite rapidly. After only a few hundred years, they may no longer understand each other. A likely reason for PNG's many languages is its rugged mountain ranges—groups living only a few miles apart "as the crow flies" may have had no interaction for centuries.
Modern Dutch, German, and English (and Scandinavian languages) are very obviously related. This shows they came from a common source; going backward in time, they are closer to each other.13 That's why, visiting a centuries-old Dutch cemetery in Melaka, Malaysia, my German-English background enabled me to understand almost everything written on the tombstones, whereas I can decipher only a much smaller percentage of modern Dutch text. The changes in these languages were rapid and substantial.
French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian are also an obviously related group that has diverged from a "common ancestor" language. But are they completely separate from the Germanic group discussed earlier? No. The evidence shows that many such groups can in turn be "joined together" going backward, forming one large related "language family" called "Indo-European," which would have started off as one language.
It would suit evolutionary ideas, of course, if languages could all be traced back to one language. But the evidence supports Genesis, not language evolution. There are in all some twenty or fewer language families such as Indo-European—e.g., the family of Asiatic languages, including Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. None of these shows any sign of being related to any other. In short, there is no "tree of language" with one stem but rather a mini-orchard of language families. The stem of each tree is one of the original totally separate languages created at Babel, so it's no wonder that the tips of the branches in each "family tree" (today's languages within any one family) show no connection at all to those of any of the other trees. Once again, we see that relying on Genesis history makes sense of the evidence in the real world.
1. At the time of writing, one of the leading researchers claiming to show "human-like" features in animals, Harvard Professor Marc Hauser, is being investigated for "irregularities" in his data, which cast a shadow over all of his work—see "Harvard star in misconduct probe over monkey minds," New Scientist, 21 August, 2010, p. 14.
2. See creation.com/bird-brain-matches-chimps.
3. Science News, Vol. 149 No. 3, January 20, 1996, pp. 42–43.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. In English, "The cat has bitten the dog" is the proper syntax or word order, whereas in German, it would be "The cat has the dog bitten."
7. German and English.
8. Note that when the periosteum is left intact, ribs routinely regenerate; Adam did not have to walk around with a defective ribcage. See the booklet Adam's Rib: Creation and the Human Body on creation.com/store.
9. That does not mean that God is not involved when things occur "naturally," but it does not involve the extraordinary operation of God as in miracles like raising the dead, and creation itself.
10. The rare and tragic cases of truly "feral" children, those only ever having interaction with wild animals rather than humans, show the need for human contact to develop language. If left for too many years before being reclaimed by society, they may never learn to speak.
11. Some have speculated that the original language was Hebrew, but we can't know for certain what it was or whether it even survived the Babel event. Even if it did, languages can become extinct.
12. This provides an obvious answer to the Bible critic's claim that Adam could not have known what death was when God warned him of it. It is also relevant to any discussion of Adam naming some (not all) of the kinds (not species) of creatures as God brought them to him.
13. Globalization and television operate to oppose this by moving languages closer together again but in a different way—e.g., since WW2, hundreds of English words have found their way into the German language.
14. See creation.com/bird-brain-matches-chimps.
Dr. Carl Wieland is the Managing Director of Creation Ministries International (CMI) in Brisbane, Australia. Originally a medical doctor; he has headed the Australian Creation ministry for more than twenty years. A well-known speaker and writer on Creation issues, he also served as a director of one of the largest Creation organizations in the USA while it was still a part of the same grouping. CMI currently consists of seven international affiliates, including an office in Atlanta. The Creation magazine he founded now reaches subscribers in more than 140 countries.
Publication date: October 5, 2012


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I recently had the honour or being asked to come back to work with the passionate educators of the Fort Nelson School district to continue our conversation in strengths-based education. For the keynote, we wanted to back up a bit and look at the importance of connection… the importance of relationships.
We know we cannot teach a child without a connection. Talking about the importance of relationships is nothing new but sometimes we need a reminder of our WHY. With the high volume of tasks, checklists and day to day duties in schools, our why (larger purpose) of making a difference through relationships can somehow get lost. The session in Fort Nelson was designed to be a summary and a reminder of what is truly important in education.
Connecting with students who are disengaged, acting out, absent, closed down, or have almost given up in school can be very challenging. Sometimes students, no matter how much we seem to try, will continually shut us out and/or push us away. As Russell Barkley writes, "The kids who need the most LOVE will often ask for it in the most unloving ways." We must remember our why, stay the path through the bad and the good to connect with our kids that need it the most.
Connecting is more important now than ever. According to a 2011 study of youth done by the Public Health Agency of Canada, just over half of our grade 10 students feel that they belong and have a teacher that cares about them in school. It is difficult for me to hear this as I know how hard we work in education. How can almost half of our students not feel cared for and a sense of belonging? The question must me asked… knowing this, now what? We know the links between positive school environment and mental health and we know the impact we CAN have on our students so what are we doing about this as educators, schools and as a society?
I know there are many more but here are my "6 Keys To Connecting" – these keys are designed to create connections, moments, memories, and an overall positive school experience.
- Be Interested. Make the time. Listen. Build trust. Josh Shipp tells us that "To a child, trust is spelled T-I-M-E". We need to make the time to listen, get to know students, and build trust… and we must make this a priority. Spending just a few casual minutes a day or per class with a student that lacks connection can go a long way. Greet every child, every day. As students enter our schools and classrooms, acknowledge them. Say their name. Value them. Let them know "they matter". Greeting a student is something that takes zero additional time but can have a lasting impact when done over time. Listen – truly listen. My kids remind me to "Listen with your eyes, Daddy". Take a moment to not listen to simply respond or solve something but to listen to… just listen. When you make the time, you listen, and show you care, you will build trust. When you have this trust, students will let you in to their stories and you can then better understand their behaviours and where they are coming from. This helps to meet them where they are at and help from there. We know we are busy but we must always make time to be interested.
- Start With Strengths. Theirs and yours. I have written extensively on this topic as I truly believe it can create significant transformations in school culture (watch a recent TEDx Talk from me on this). If we find what we are looking for, what ARE we looking for? What do we see? Look for both the character strengths and the strengths of skill and then tap into these with our students. I believe that the best way to connect with a child is through his/her strengths. Rachel Macy Stafford reminds us that we have many butterflies in our school – those students who we regularly see fly and are beautiful in what they do. The challenge is to find the fireflies – those students who only shine under the right conditions. It is our job to create the conditions for these fireflies to also shine and show their beauty. When we know students' strengths, we can tap into this and even place them in leadership roles to help bring out the best. Not only do we need to look for the strengths in our students but we also need to use the strengths of ourselves. It is no secret that when people spend time in an area of strength, they are less depressed, less anxious, and have more joy in life. This is true in school as well – for students and staff. I encourage people to bring in their strengths to their lessons and also volunteer their time once in a while at lunch or before/after school with kids in an area of strength. There are few stronger connections you will make with kids than when you and the students are engaged in activities in an area of strength.
- Celebrate and Build on Sucess. Many of our students who lack connection have gone through their school life on a "losing streak". They have not experienced success for months or years. The thing about a losing streak is that it only takes one "win" to snap it. When we seek out the good and then find, capture, and share it, we can snap the streak and sometimes even start a new positive one. I am not a huge fan of public acknowledgement. I know it works for some people but I prefer a more private moment. When you see a positive in a student, acknowledge it privately with feedback and a pat on the back, a fist bump or just a message saying thank you and you appreciate the effort. With the access to technology, we can also capture this in a photo or video and share it with the student, his/her family and, depending on the student (as well as permissions), with a larger audience.
- Be Interesting. Be relevant. Be engaging. George Couros asks us, "Would YOU want to be in your class?". Telling kids they will "need this in the 'real world'" doesn't cut it. It needs to relevant right now and connected to their lives. This is the same for adults – it is very difficult to learn anything when we are disconnected from the purpose. We often take ourselves too seriously when we need to be more vulnerable, share who we are, and bring joy and passion into the classrooms (and other learning environments). As I have been told by my kids, it is time to "let it go" – laugh, smile, and take risks with our kids. I know there is a needed balance but the "never let them see you smile before Christmas" simply pushes kids away. In addition to making our own classrooms more relevant and engaging, we can look to doing more school-wide events that make overall school life more engaging for kids. We can also develop programs that are purposeful and relevant for students (ex. trades, arts, etc) that also tap into the strengths of students and staff. Students often see us as "teachers" or "principals" rather than who we are. Being an educator is a huge part of who I am but it does not define me – it is part of my story. By sharing my love of dogs, I always have kids bringing their dogs and new puppies to meet me. This is a connection developed just because I shared a little of who I am through a video when I started at my school.
- Create a Sense of Belonging. Include. Value. Belonging and being part of a community is a need for ALL of us. Do all our kids feel they belong? Do all kids feel they are included for who they are (regardless of ability, gender, sexual orientation, colour, race, religion, income level, etc)? How do we know? An inclusive school culture is so important and it is not simply about students with disabilities – inclusion is for all of us. Many behaviours are a result of a drive to belong. Work to create safe, inclusive environments in our schools. (Do we REALLY believe in inclusion?)
- Lead with the heart. Teach with an ethic of care. Students may not always be listening but they are always watching. How we teach becomes what we teach – we are always modeling what we believe through our words and actions. I understand the challenges we face but we must always do our best to ensure that the decisions we make must comes from the angle of what we believe is best for kids. As the late Rita Pierson said in her TED talk, "Every Child Needs a Champion". Why not you?
In the end, we need to start with these keys as individuals and also combine this with ideas and events that create more of positive culture as a school. We cannot do this alone but we can start with one. We can start with just one of our students who seems to lack connection and make the time, learn his/her strengths, build on success, make it relevant, ensure they are included… all the while by leading with our heart.
Download a PDF of the summary slide.
How do YOU connect with students? What was missed?