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Most Asian currencies retreated on Tuesday, while the dollar firmed slightly as markets hunkered down ahead of a Federal Reserve interest rate decision this week, while lingering fears of a banking crisis also weighed on sentiment. The South Korean won was the worst performer for the day, down 0.6% as soft inflation and trade data gave the Bank of Korea more impetus to keep interest rates on hold. China's yuan fell 0.1%, while the Thai baht led losses across Southeast Asian currencies with a 0.5% drop. The Japanese yen rose 0.1% in holiday-thinned trade. But the currency was sitting on strong gains in recent sessions as fears of a U.S. and European banking crisis spurred safe haven demand. While U.S. and European regulators rolled out liquidity measures to support the banking system, markets still remained on edge over the collapse of more banks, as the sector struggles with a sharp rise in interest rates.
The Dollar Saw Limited Safe Haven Demand as Markets.
bet that the Federal Reserve could potentially soften its hawkish rhetoric to stem further pressure on the banking system. This also saw the greenback trade lower over the past week, as markets pivoted into traditional safe havens such as gold and other precious metals. But the dollar index and dollar index futures rose about 0.1% each on Tuesday, ahead of the conclusion of the Fed's two-day policy meeting on Wednesday. The central bank is widely expected to raise rates by 25 basis points, given that U.S. inflation is still trending well above its target range. The central bank's outlook on monetary policy will also be closely watched in the face of a potential banking crisis. Other Asian currencies retreated amid this uncertainty, with the Indian rupee and Singapore dollar down 0.2% each. The Australian dollar fell 0.4% after the minutes of the Reserve Bank's March meeting showed that policymakers were considering an eventual pause in interest rate hikes, amid easing inflation and pressure on economic growth. But the bank is likely to keep raising rates in the near-term, the minutes showed, with inflation only expected to reach the RBA's target range by mid-2025.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Burt Reynolds Died Before Filming His Part in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'
When Burt Reynolds was cast in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, it seemed like the perfect farewell for the aging Hollywood icon. The 82-year-old actor hadn't been acting much in recent years, and his supporting role as the owner of a former stunt ranch in Quentin Tarantino's ninth movie was sure to be his last. Unfortunately, we'll never see Reynolds on the big screen again, as the actor passed away earlier today — before he ever had a chance to film his final part.
Set in Los Angeles in 1969, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows a former western TV star and his stuntman as they attempt to make it in a business that's rapidly changing. That TV star, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, happens to live next door to Sharon Tate. Her murder at the hands of Charles Manson's followers factors into the film, for which Tarantino cast Burt Reynolds as George Spahn, owner of a former stunt ranch where Manson and his crew resided during the notorious Manson Family murders.
According to several journalists, Reynolds was to begin shooting his part in the film in the upcoming weeks. He passed away before he could:
It would've been the perfect role for Reynolds — not just as a cinematic sendoff for a beloved icon, but as a tribute to his career and his long working relationship with former stuntman and director Hal Needham. The pair's most famous collaboration was Smokey and the Bandit, but they also worked together on The Cannonball Run and Stroker Ace.
That Tarantino specifically cast Reynolds as the owner of a ranch rented out to film and TV productions — specifically westerns — was certainly no coincidence. As a bonafide cinephile, Tarantino openly pays homage to his favorite films via a signature pastiche style. Working with a Hollywood legend while cleverly paying tribute to his background is just the sort of thing Tarantino adores.
Unfortunately, that never came to pass. Though Tarantino is shooting Once Upon a Time in Hollywood out of chronological order due to the schedules of his large ensemble cast, he had yet to film Reynolds' part. That seems rather optimistic for Tarantino, who must have known that his time with an 82-year-old actor wasn't exactly unlimited.
As it stands, Reynolds' final role will not be in a Quentin Tarantino movie, but in The Last Movie Star — a small indie drama co-starring Chevy Chase and Ariel Winter, in which Reynolds plays the meta-role of an aging Hollywood icon forced to recognize that his best years are behind him.


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Pruitt branch is closed for maintenance. Hold items are available at the Main Library. We anticipate reopening in early fall.
Family Folktales: Snow-white and Rose-red
This story can be found in Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book.
Hello, and welcome to Family Folktales from the Nashville Public Library. I'm Susan Poulter, a Librarian at the Main Library. Today's story is SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED from Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book.
A POOR widow once lived in a little cottage with a garden in front of it, in which grew two rose trees, one bearing white roses and the other red. She had two children, who were just like the two rose trees; one was called Snow-white and the other Rose-red, and they were the sweetest and best children in the world, always diligent and always cheerful; but Snow-white was quieter and more gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red loved to run about the fields and meadows, and to pick flowers and catch butterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother and helped her in the household, or read aloud to her when there was no work to do. The two children loved each other so dearly that they always walked about hand in hand whenever they went out together, and when Snow- white said, "We will never desert each other," Rose-red answered: "No, not as long as we live"; and the mother added: "Whatever one gets she shall share with the other." They often roamed about in the woods gathering berries and no beast offered to hurt them; on the contrary, they came up to them in the most confiding manner; the little hare would eat a cabbage leaf from their hands, the deer grazed beside them, the stag would bound past them merrily, and the birds remained on the branches and sang to them with all their might.
No evil ever befell them; if they tarried late in the wood and night overtook them, they lay down together on the moss and slept till morning, and their mother knew they were quite safe, and never felt anxious about them. Once, when they had slept all night in the wood and had been wakened by the morning sun, they perceived a beautiful child in a shining white robe sitting close to their resting-place. The figure got up, looked at them kindly, but said nothing, and vanished into the wood. And when they looked round about them they became aware that they had slept quite close to a precipice, over which they would certainly have fallen had they gone on a few steps further in the darkness. And when they told their mother of their adventure, she said what they had seen must have been the angel that guards good children.
Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother's cottage so beautifully clean and neat that it was a pleasure to go into it. In summer Rose-red looked after the house, and every morning before her mother awoke she placed a bunch of flowers before the bed, from each tree a rose. In winter Snow-white lit the fire and put on the kettle, which was made of brass, but so beautifully polished that it shone like gold. In the evening when the snowflakes fell their mother said: "Snow-white, go and close the shutters," and they drew round the fire, while the mother put on her spectacles and read aloud from a big book and the two girls listened and sat and span. Beside them on the ground lay a little lamb, and behind them perched a little white dove with its head tucked under its wings.
One evening as they sat thus cosily together someone knocked at the door as though he desired admittance. The mother said: "Rose-red, open the door quickly; it must be some traveler seeking shelter." Rose-red hastened to unbar the door, and thought she saw a poor man standing in the darkness outside; but it was no such thing, only a bear, who poked his thick black head through the door. Rose-red screamed aloud and sprang back in terror, the lamb began to bleat, the dove flapped its wings, and Snow-white ran and hid behind her mother's bed. But the bear began to speak, and said: "Don't be afraid: I won't hurt you. I am half frozen, and only wish to warm myself a little."
"My poor bear," said the mother, "lie down by the fire, only take care you don't burn your fur." Then she called out: "Snow-white and Rose-red, come out; the bear will do you no harm; he is a good, honest creature." So they both came out of their hiding-places, and gradually the lamb and dove drew near too, and they all forgot their fear. The bear asked the children to beat the snow a little out of his fur, and they fetched a brush and scrubbed him till he was dry. Then the beast stretched himself in front of the fire, and growled quite happily and comfortably. The children soon grew quite at their ease with him, and led their helpless guest a fearful life. They tugged his fur with their hands, put their small feet on his back, and rolled him about here and there, or took a hazel wand and beat him with it; and if he growled they only laughed. The bear submitted to everything with the best possible good- nature, only when they went too far he cried: "Oh! children, spare my life!
Snow-white and Rose-red, Don't beat your lover dead."
When it was time to retire for the night, and the others went to bed, the mother said to the bear: "You can lie there on the hearth, in heaven's name; it will be shelter for you from the cold and wet." As soon as day dawned the children led him out, and he trotted over the snow into the wood. From this time on the bear came every evening at the same hour, and lay down by the hearth and let the children play what pranks they liked with him; and they got so accustomed to him that the door was never shut till their black friend had made his appearance.
When spring came, and all outside was green, the bear said one morning to Snow-white: "Now I must go away, and not return again the whole summer."
"Where are you going to, dear bear?" asked Snow-white.
"I must go to the wood and protect my treasure from the wicked dwarfs. In winter, when the earth is frozen hard, they are obliged to remain underground, for they can't work their way through; but now, when the sun has thawed and warmed the ground, they break through and come up above to spy the land and steal what they can; what once falls into their hands and into their caves is not easily brought back to light." Snow-white was quite sad over their friend's departure, and when she unbarred the door for him, the bear, stepping out, caught a piece of his fur in the door-knocker, and Snow-white thought she caught sight of glittering gold beneath it, but she couldn't be certain of it; and the bear ran hastily away, and soon disappeared behind the trees.
A short time after this the mother sent the children into the wood to collect fagots. They came in their wanderings upon a big tree which lay felled on the ground, and on the trunk among the long grass they noticed something jumping up and down, but what it was they couldn't distinguish. When they approached nearer they perceived a dwarf with a wizened face and a beard a yard long. The end of the beard was jammed into a cleft of the tree, and the little man sprang about like a dog on a chain, and didn't seem to know what he was to do. He glared at the girls with his fiery red eyes, and screamed out: "What are you standing there for? Can't you come and help me?"
"What were you doing, little man?" asked Rose-red.
"You stupid, inquisitive goose!" replied the dwarf; "I wanted to split the tree, in order to get little chips of wood for our kitchen fire; those thick logs that serve to make fires for coarse, greedy people like yourselves quite burn up all the little food we need. I had successfully driven in the wedge, and all was going well, but the cursed wood was so slippery that it suddenly sprang out, and the tree closed up so rapidly that I had no time to take my beautiful white beard out, so here I am stuck fast, and I can't get away; and you silly, smooth-faced, milk-and- water girls just stand and laugh! Ugh! what wretches you are!"
The children did all in their power, but they couldn't get the beard out; it was wedged in far too firmly. "I will run and fetch somebody," said Rose-red.
"Crazy blockheads!" snapped the dwarf; "what's the good of calling anyone else? You're already two too many for me. Does nothing better occur to you than that?"
"Don't be so impatient," said Snow-white, "I'll see you get help," and taking her scissors out of her pocket she cut off the end of his beard. As soon as the dwarf felt himself free he seized a bag full of gold which was hidden among the roots of the tree, lifted it up, and muttered aloud: "Curse these rude wretches, cutting off a piece of my splendid beard!" With these words he swung the bag over his back, and disappeared without as much as looking at the children again.
Shortly after this Snow-white and Rose-red went out to get a dish of fish. As they approached the stream they saw something which looked like an enormous grasshopper springing toward the water as if it were going to jump in. They ran forward and recognized their old friend the dwarf. "Where are you going to?" asked Rose-red; "you're surely not going to jump into the water?"
"I'm not such a fool," screamed the dwarf. "Don't you see that cursed fish is trying to drag me in?" The little man had been sitting on the bank fishing, when unfortunately the wind had entangled his beard in the line; and when immediately afterward a big fish bit, the feeble little creature had no strength to pull it out; the fish had the upper fin, and dragged the dwarf toward him. He clung on with all his might to every rush and blade of grass, but it didn't help him much; he had to follow every movement of the fish, and was in great danger of being drawn into the water. The girls came up just at the right moment, held him firm, and did all they could to disentangle his beard from the line; but in vain, beard and line were in a hopeless muddle. Nothing remained but to produce the scissors and cut the beard, by which a small part of it was sacrificed.
When the dwarf perceived what they were about he yelled to them: "Do you call that manners, you toad-stools! to disfigure a fellow's face? It wasn't enough that you shortened my beard before, but you must now needs cut off the best bit of it. I can't appear like this before my own people. I wish you'd been in Jericho first." Then he fetched a sack of pearls that lay among the rushes, and without saying another word he dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone.
It happened that soon after this the mother sent the two girls to the town to buy needles, thread, laces, and ribbons. Their road led over a heath where huge boulders of rock lay scattered here and there. While trudging along they saw a big bird hovering in the air, circling slowly above them, but always descending lower, till at last it settled on a rock not far from them. Immediately afterward they heard a sharp, piercing cry. They ran forward, and saw with horror that the eagle had pounced on their old friend the dwarf, and was about to carry him off. The tender-hearted children seized hold of the little man, and struggled so long with the bird that at last he let go his prey. When the dwarf had recovered from the first shock he screamed in his screeching voice: "Couldn't you have treated me more carefully? You have torn my thin little coat all to shreds, useless, awkward hussies that you are!" Then he took a bag of precious stones and vanished under the rocks into his cave. The girls were accustomed to his ingratitude, and went on their way and did their business in town. On their way home, as they were again passing the heath, they surprised the dwarf pouring out his precious stones on an open space, for he had thought no one would pass by at so late an hour. The evening sun shone on the glittering stones, and they glanced and gleamed so beautifully that the children stood still and gazed on them. "What are you standing there gaping for?" screamed the dwarf, and his ashen-gray face became scarlet with rage. He was about to go off with these angry words when a sudden growl was heard, and a black bear trotted out of the wood. The dwarf jumped up in great fright, but he hadn't time to reach his place of retreat, for the bear was already close to him. Then he cried in terror: "Dear Mr. Bear, spare me! I'll give you all my treasure. Look at those beautiful precious stones lying there. Spare my life! what pleasure would you get from a poor feeble little fellow like me? You won't feel me between your teeth. There, lay hold of these two wicked girls, they will be a tender morsel for you, as fat as young quails; eat them up, for heaven's sake." But the bear, paying no attention to his words, gave the evil little creature one blow with his paw, and he never moved again.
The girls had run away, but the bear called after them: "Snow-white and Rose-red, don't be afraid; wait, and I'll come with you." Then they recognized his voice and stood still, and when the bear was quite close to them his skin suddenly fell off, and a beautiful man stood beside them, all dressed in gold. "I am a king's son," he said, "and have been doomed by that unholy little dwarf, who had stolen my treasure, to roam about the woods as a wild bear till his death should set me free. Now he has got his well-merited punishment."
Snow-white married him, and Rose-red his brother, and they divided the great treasure the dwarf had collected in his cave between them. The old mother lived for many years peacefully with her children; and she carried the two rose trees with her, and they stood in front of her window, and every year they bore the finest red and white roses.
That was SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED from Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book. Special thanks to Ginger Sands for our theme music; you can find more of Ginger's music at iTunes or on her website at www.gingersands.com. And if you'd like to comment on today's story, send me an email. I can be reached at email@example.com. Thanks for listening.


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Brigadoon Via La Monachina, 80 - 00166 Rome ⤷Casalotti [Z.XLVIII]Boccea [18F]tel: 0666180009 @restaurant
from Blog The records of Rome. Big numbers, not always enviable, for a big city. The X best Peruvian restaurants in Rome. Where to eat cheviche according to the tradition of an underrated cuisine. On the ugliness and uselessness of restaurant websites. Dedicated to restaurateurs (Roman and not). The X best cod fillets in Rome. Where to eat the legendary fried fish. The best X arrosticini in Rome. Where to eat Abruzzese "rustelle". The best X smoked BBQ. Where to eat American smoked meat (in Rome and in Italy). DOCG and DOC wines from the province of Rome (and a bit of history).


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Advanced Motion Concepts, Inc. is a consulting & manufacturing firm specializing in the creation of custom, one of a kind precision motion control systems including positioning stages, air bearing systems and ultra-precision automation equipment. The owner is Tom Radigan, an industry professional with over 20 years in the fields of precision engineering, precision machine design and motion control. We are located in close proximity to the route 128 technology belt surrounding Boston. See how you can leverage our experience and knowledge to improve time to market and reduce costly mistakes. Please contact us today to discuss your precision motion requirements. We can be reached at (603) 362-9820 or 1 (800) 698-6142.
- Air Bearings, Linear Motion Systems
- Precision Engineering Consultant
- Precision Machine Design Consultant
- Automation, Precision Motion Control
- Solidworks, Finite Element Analysis
- Applied R&D, Rapid Prototyping
Some examples of our custom designs:
Some of the industries and markets we serve:
- Metrology, Semiconductor, Data Storage, Medical
- Universities, Laboratories and Companies of all sizes
Why you will enjoy working with us:
- Integrity; the designs we create for our customers are closely held secrets
- The right combination or knowledge, system level experience and technical skillset
- We can deliver a complete solution including design, manufacturing, assembly & debug
- We prototype our designs rapidly and cost effectively
- We are looking to build long-term relationships
- We are committed to your success!
See what our customers are saying:
"I have been working with Tom Radigan, president of Advanced Motion Concepts, for the last 2+ years. He was the sole mechanical system architect and design engineer on a magneto-optic full disk mapping metrology system, called Disk Mapper H7, and a wafer mapping system for 300 mm MRAM wafers, called Polar Kerr for MRAM. Both of these systems were designed from the bottom up by Advanced Motion Concepts. After the completion of these systems and successful delivery and installation to our first Fortune 500 data storage customers, a number of additional measurement options were requested. Tom designed these in a way that they were seamlessly integrated into the system and now provide valuable additional metrology capabilities. Tom is undoubtedly the most creative mechanical engineer I have worked with in my 17 years of magnetic metrology system design career. He is always capable of producing elegant, yet efficient and manufacturable solutions to complex mechanical problems. In addition to being an extremely talented mechanical system architect, he also brings to the table a wealth of system design experience, including motion, optics, vibration isolation, air bearing design and the use of exotic materials needed for special applications. However, in my opinion, his most remarkable trait is the capability of producing "innovation on a timeline and within budget". His easy going personality, attention to detail, communication skills and ability to manufacture prototype parts make Advanced Motion Concepts a pleasure to work with, in even the most pressure packed situations." – F. V.
"Tom Radigan is a first rate professional. We found him by a fortunate stroke of luck in an Internet search for a skill set we needed for a new multi-axis x-ray motion platform. The schedule was impossible: 4 months to a critical show. Based on the first month of work with Tom I committed to the company president a completed, show-ready system within three months later. Great composure under pressure, excellent communicator, crystal clear documentation, Intellectual command of his field yet devoid of arrogance. He is a pleasure to work with. We will be using his services as long as he remains available."– S. K.


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USB 3.0 Flash Drive Roundup
by Zach Throckmorton on July 29, 2011 11:15 AM EST- Posted in
- Storage
- Kingston
- Patriot
- Gadgets
- Super Talent
- Flash Drive
- Mushkin
A brief history of USB Flash Drives
Developed in the early 1990s by Compaq, DEC, IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Nortel, and NEC, Universal Serial Bus is today the de facto peripheral interface standard. It has almost entirely replaced earlier interfaces like the serial and parallel ports. USB also relegated most external storage media like floppy and Zip disks to obsolescence, due to the utilization of the USB interface by flash and external hard drive manufacturers. USB 1.0, launched in 1996, specified 12Mbits/s "Full Speed" data transfer rates between devices and the host computer, though it did not see widespread adoption. 1998 saw the release of USB 1.1, which maintained the same 12Mbits/s transfer rate, and was the first widely adopted USB standard.
I remember happily paying over $100 for a 32MB flash drive in the fall of 1999 because I could fit an entire semester's assignments, articles, and papers on a single gadget the size of a pack of gum – and it was also durable – my first flash drive survived three trips through the washing machine. Though it's hard to imagine someone not recognizing a flash drive now, back then other students occasionally came up to me at the Fishbowl to ask "What is that blinking light thingy you plugged into the computer?" While the earliest flash drives were handy, they were agonizingly slow – even accounting for their diminutive capacities.
The widespread adoption of USB devices (over 10 billion in the wild) is largely due to the development of USB 2.0. The USB 2.0 specification was released in 2000, and boasts a 480Mbits/s data transfer rate. Though USB 2.0 devices rarely approach this theoretical throughput maximum, USB 2.0 is far less patience-trying than USB 1.1, and googling (or binging or yahooing) 'novelty flash drive' reveals there's a flash drive for every interest imaginable. However, in 2000 when USB 2.0 was introduced, a 20GB hard drive was 'huge.' Today, a 2TB hard drive costs less than $100, and copying 1,000GB+ over USB 2.0 is a not particularly exciting all-night affair.
Like USB 2.0 before it, USB 3.0 offers dramatically improved data transfer rates compared to its predecessor. Though specifications were announced in late 2008, consumer devices didn't start 'hitting the street' until the beginning of 2010. USB 3.0 specifies transfer rates up to 5Gbit/s, compared to USB 2.0's 480Mbits/s. USB 3.0 devices are downward compatible with USB 2.0 ports. Because of the ubiquity of USB 2.0 ports and relative rarity of USB 3.0 ports, this is an important consideration. Unfortunately, plugging a USB 3.0 device into a USB 2.0 port yields USB 2.0 transfer rates. Fortunately, computers with USB 3.0 ports are becoming increasingly common. Many newer laptops have at least one such port. USB 3.0 port expansion cards are available to upgrade older systems, and many newer motherboards feature two or more USB 3.0 jacks. Cases with front USB 3.0 ports are still rare, as are motherboards with USB 3.0 front port headers, but these will only become more common as time passes.
Anand reviewed an array of USB 2.0 flash drives back in 2005. He found that performance between different manufacturers and different models was quite variable. Because manufacturers often do not provide hard data regarding their drives' performance, or sometimes provide 'idealized' transfer rates that don't equal real-world capabilities, choosing between flash drives is problematic. We compare here a number of USB 2.0 and 3.0 drives in multiple ways, including synthetic performance tests and real-world use scenarios.
42 Comments
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webmastir - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
great write up, thanks! -
Kelemvor - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
Absolutely. Hit on all the topics. Thanks. And they really aren't all that much more expensive. -
sbrown23 - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
It was good, but I would like to have seen a testing of Linux distro running from the flash drive to get an idea of performance in that type of scenario. Load each up with a Linux distribution, boot each one and run a couple of benchmarks (heck even include boottime, etc.) -
pvdw - Thursday, December 1, 2011 - link
Definitely. The biggest use I get out of flash drives is for tech support, so I find random reads and writes sorely lacking. :( -
xygot - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
This is a nice article for USB 3.0 using flash drive. However, I'm more interested in benchmark between USB 3.0 and eSata using external hard drive. Is there a benchmark on the way?
This is what holding me for now if I need to upgrade to USB 3.0 or stay on eSata. -
Zenthar - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
I would like to see that as well. Given the $/GB of those thumbdrives, I would also be curious to see external USB 3.0 SSDs. Different needs will warrant different solutions.
For backups for example (mostly sequential read/write), it would probably be more cost/efficient to get an external 2.5 HDD. If you want something to install and run applications from, then perhaps you will get better performance out of an external SSD.
The extra size of external HDD/SSD could be a bit annoying, but this usually translates to lower possibility of losing or washing the drive. -
Gigantopithecus - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
Hi xygot - I don't plan on adding a USB 3.0 vs eSATA performance comparison to the article. However, I can report that using a USB 3.0 HDD dock with a Western Digital WD20EARS on both ends of the transfer, for MP3 files, I get sustained writes of ~30MB/s and sustained reads of 50MB/s. Hope that helps! -
ckryan - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
If you want to use a mechanical HDD, just stick with eSata. You won't be limited in any aspect of the HDD's performance. But I think there are some newer eSata and USB3 docks on the way, or possibly already on the market. Why not both?
In my eSata II testing, I've found that a 7200rpm desktop drive has almost identical performance in an enclosure as it does with the Sata ports on the MB. As for USB3.0, I have two motherboards that support it, but no usb 3.0 devices. So I can't really speak to 3.0's performance except to say it's not like your HDD will run faster in a USB3 enclosure than it does in your computer.
As for the few USB3 external HDD, it's always been my preference to roll my own with an enclosure and my own HDD. -
Sweeo - Saturday, July 30, 2011 - link
Well for me I would go for USB 3,how many comps/other divices got eSata ?
USB 3 backword compatable
The thing is "other devises" -
doylecc - Monday, August 1, 2011 - link
Adding eSATA is easy if you have a desktop. The adapter is inexpensive; this one costs less than $5 and provides two eSATA ports:
The eSata adapter socket mounts on an expansion card bracket that installs in any unused expansion card opening in the back of your computer.
Performance-wise, eSATA will allow you to extract the full performance from any mechanical hard drive. The faster SSDs need SATA III (6GB/sec) or USB 3 bandwidth for full performance.
Of course, if you have a laptop, you're limited to the built-in ports.


text: Address of His Holiness Pope Francis Visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral Etchmiadzin, 24 June 2016 Venerable Brother, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians, Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It is very moving for me to have crossed the threshold of this holy place, a witness to the history of your people and the centre from which its spirituality radiates. I consider it a precious gift of God to be able to approach the holy altar from which the light of Christ shone forth in Armenia. I greet the Catholicos of All the Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, with heartfelt thanks for his gracious invitation to visit Holy Etchmiadzin, and all the Archbishops and Bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church. I thank you for your cordial and joyful welcome. Thank you, Your Holiness, for having welcomed me into your home. This sign of love eloquently bespeaks, better than any words can do, the meaning of friendship and fraternal charity. On this solemn occasion, I give thanks to the Lord for the light of faith kindled in your land, the faith that has given Armenia its particular identity and made it a herald of Christ among the nations. Christ is your glory and your light. He is the sun who has illuminated and enlivened you, accompanied and sustained you, especially in times of trial. I bow before the mercy of the Lord, who willed that Armenia should become, in the year 301, the first nation to accept Christianity as its religion, at a time when persecutions still raged throughout the Roman Empire. For Armenia, faith in Christ has not been like a garment to be donned or doffed as circumstances or convenience dictate, but an essential part of its identity, a gift of immense significance, to be accepted with joy, preserved with great effort and strength, even at the cost of life itself. As Saint John Paul II wrote: "With the 'baptism' of the Armenian community… the people acquired a new identity that was to become a constitutive and inseparable part of Armenian life. It would no longer be possible to think that faith did not figure as an essential element among the components of this identity" (Apostolic Letter for the 1700th Anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People [2 February 2001], 2). May the Lord bless you for this luminous testimony of faith. It is a shining example of the great efficacy and fruitfulness of the baptism received over seventeen hundred years ago, together with the eloquent and holy sign of martyrdom, which has constantly accompanied the history of your people. I also thank the Lord for the journey that the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church have undertaken through sincere and fraternal dialogue for the sake of coming to share fully in the Eucharistic banquet. May the Holy Spirit help us to attain the unity for which our Lord prayed, so that his disciples may be one and the world may believe. I gladly recall the decisive impulse given to developing closer relations and strengthening dialogue between our two Churches in recent years by Their Holinesses Vasken I and Karekin I, and by Saint John Paul II and by Benedict XVI. As significant stages of this ecumenical engagement, I would mention: the commemoration of the Witnesses to the Faith in the twentieth century during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000; the consignment to Your Holiness of the relic of the Father of Christian Armenia, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, for the new Cathedral of Yerevan; the Joint Declaration of His Holiness John Paul II and Your Holiness, signed here in Holy Etchmiadzin; and the visits which Your Holiness has made to the Vatican for important events and commemorations. Tragically, our world is marked by divisions and conflicts, as well as by grave forms of material and spiritual poverty, including the exploitation of persons, not least children and the elderly. It expects from Christians a witness of mutual esteem and fraternal cooperation capable of revealing to every conscience the power and truth of Christ's resurrection. The patient and enduring commitment to full unity, the growth of joint initiatives and cooperation between all the Lord's disciples in service to the common good: all these are like a radiant light in a dark night and a summons to experience even our differences in an attitude of charity and mutual understanding. The spirit of ecumenism takes on an exemplary value also outside of the visible confines of the ecclesial community; it represents for everyone a forceful appeal to settle divergences with dialogue and appreciation for all that unites us. It also prevents the exploitation and manipulation of faith, for it requires us to rediscover faith's authentic roots, and to communicate, defend and spread truth with respect for the dignity of every human being and in ways that reveal the presence of the love and salvation we wish to spread. In this way, we offer to the world – which so urgently needs it – a convincing witness that Christ is alive and at work, capable of opening new paths of reconciliation among the nations, civilizations and religions. We offer a credible witness that God is love and mercy. Dear brothers and sisters, when our actions are prompted by the power of Christ's love, understanding and reciprocal esteem grow, a fruitful ecumenical journey becomes possible, and all people of goodwill, and society as a whole, are shown a concrete way to harmonize the conflicts that rend civil life and create divisions that prove hard to heal. May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, "pillar of light for the Holy Church of the Armenians", and Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church, bless all of you and the entire Armenian nation. May he preserve you always in the faith you received from your ancestors, and to which you have borne glorious witness throughout the ages.


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- RH Series (Reduced Heat) Solid State Power Controller
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- Available Options: Overvoltage Protection (-M), Instantaneous Turn-On (-10), Panel-Mount Heat Sink (-PM), Proportional Control (DC Input Versions), Current Transducer (-CT). Additional options are provided in the product datasheet.
Additional Information:
In Stock - product normally ships within 24 hours. Please contact us at 800.879.7918 / firstname.lastname@example.com for order quantities ≥10 pieces to confirm availability and volume discount pricing.
International Shipping: HBControls ships internationally to all non-sanctioned countries. For orders outside of the United States, Mexico or Canada, please contact us at +1 800 879 7918 / email@example.com.
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Product Datasheet: HBControls RH Series Power Controllers


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Surprising location may help scientists better estimate ancient population
BYU researchers have dug up new evidence from an ancient Maya city that may help solve the mystery of just how many people lived in the civilization.
Using soil chemistry, combined with advanced remote sensing and satellite imagery, the researchers have pinpointed for the first time where Maya farmers in Tikal, Guatemala, carried out some of their most significant crop production.
The location of the prime farmland indicates that the Maya population at Tikal may have been much different than previously thought.
"Our soil analysis is finding that Mayas did not grow maize heavily on the hillsides, but rather along the borders of the low-lying wetlands called bajos," said BYU soil scientist Richard Terry. "Knowing where they grew corn gives us a clearer picture about their civilization unknown until now."
The finding in Guatemala comes at the same time separate researchers have discovered a lost Maya civilization in the Mexican jungle.
Terry and his team analyzed the carbon isotope signatures of 185 soil cores taken in and around Tikal. Combined with data from radar and satellite imagery, the carbon signatures allowed researchers to create a model that maps the areas where the Maya planted – and didn't plant – corn.
One of the most unexpected findings was the lack of maize residue in the fertile upland soils, said coauthor David Webster, a professor of anthropology at Penn State. Archeologists have long believed the Maya used the hillsides primarily for corn (maize) agriculture, much like modern inhabitants of the region.
Relying primarily on the deep soil zones near the wetlands (called bajos) for maize production, as the research indicates, has significant bearing on the amount of people that could be supported. Experts currently estimate Tikal's population was between 30,000 and 62,000 inhabitants.
Next spring Terry and his team will pursue additional research in Tikal to determine if the bajos themselves were used for maize agriculture.
"We've discovered an important piece of data that was missing in the equation to determine the size and scope of the Maya population," said BYU grad student Chris Balzotti, lead author of the study published in the International Journal of Remote Sensing. "Archeologists will be able to take our model and apply it to what they know to determine better population estimates."
Terry has led environmental science students to ancient Maya ruins annually for the past 15 years. Six years ago, research led by Terry used soil chemical residues to detect a large marketplace in a Maya city on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The findings were the first strong evidence that the ancient Maya had a market economy similar to societies today.
The latest round of research also suggests new information about how the ancient Maya managed their rainforests.
While some experts believe the forests were cleared for farming, and others believe they were left and crops were grown beneath the canopy, the model shows it was a combination of both: Portions of the forest were cleared while larger portions of the forest were left standing.
"Dirt analysis may not be as sexy as digging up a jade mask from a former Maya king, but now we can answer more questions about the regular people that made up this ancient civilization," Balzotti said.
Joining Webster as a coauthor on the study was Timothy Murtha, professor of landscape architecture at Penn State University. Steven Petersen and Richard Burnett from BYU's Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences were also coauthors.


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This platform helps to grow your business and reach out to Kirundi speaking countries or vice versa. A worldwide communication is effective for spreading your business across the world. There are many reliable platforms which provide reliable Kirundi Translation Services.
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Every business aims to grow big so that it can be recognised in every part of the world. In general, all the documents related to the organisation that includes information about them are mostly written in one of the most accepted global language, that is, in English or in the local language where the business is operated from. In order to reach out to the Kirundi speaking population, Kirundi Translation Services are necessary.
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Now, I've always liked Enrique. I just didn't research him. Or invest time. The only reason I even took any interest in Sex and Love was because he did a song with Jennifer Lopez on it, called "Physical". I own basically ever single Jennifer Lopez song. Whether it's her own song or her being featured on it. I have it. J Lo is just everything to me.
The week he released Sex and Love was the same week that Shakira's self titled set came out. I even did a blog article on it. Technically, it was focused on Shakira, but it was more of a love letter to Spanish culture. I discussed Enrique's and Shakira's album covers. I said Enrique dropped us dead with this album cover, but Shakira has the better album. This still stands. But, having listened to it, I can't honestly say it's a good album. That's why I didn't buy it. I did my research on it. And, by research I mean, listened to one song with Pitbull called "I'm a Freak". That song is terrible. It's also the one I've listened to the most off the album. |
But, I really like this album. It's just fun and wonderful and everything. In all good conscious I could never give this album a good rating. On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, Sex and Love would not do that good. The fun factor is incredible. As a listen it's great. Put this album on for housework, to go to work. It will satisfy every need. Its just not a good album. This is not a Michael Jackson Thriller, I don't see Like a Virgin peeping out behind all those electronic bleeps. That's not happening, but this album is great. If you want a good time buy it. If you need lyrical depth, a good string section, have you heard of Cheek to Cheek? You might be interested in that. |
I want them to get together. Can you imagine Jennifer and Enrique together. Just imagine it. I'm dying thinking about it. I wish I'd been able to see them on tour together. That show. I'm hyperventilating thinking about it. Jennifer. Enrique. That should not be allowed to be in the same room together.
You know something I've always wondered is why Enrique hasn't married. He's almost the same age as Jennifer Lopez. Now he was with that one tennis player for forever. But, he never married her. They're broken up now. I guess it doesn't matter. It wouldn't have worked out. Still do you think he's ever going to get married. I realize that the only reason we like him is because he's sexy and we can fantasize that we could marry him. Being single when your sixty isn't sexy, though. Granted it is Enrique Iglesias. That name is everything. |
The really attractive thing about Enrique is how dirty he talks to us, but then at the same time you know you could bring him home to mother. That's sexy. He can give it to you and woo your mother. He's basically everything. I think everyone has a crush on Enrique Iglesias. I do. It isn't healthy. Whenever I start thinking about him. I just remember 90's Enrique. That was rough. And, if that doesn't work I just look at pictures of him in his baseball caps. Of course that doesn't usually work either. |


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Welcome to the third stop on the Christmas in July blog hop!
Thank you Elizabeth for hosting this fabulous blog hop and for inviting me to take a part!
If you are anything like me, you'd wait til the last minute to get working on
Christmas gifts and realize a few days before Christmas that you totally
underestimated the time it takes to finish up gifts. Then you end up rushing
into stores to pick up store-bought presents for your loved ones. You are
apologetic that you are giving the store bought stuff rather than handmade
gifts that you had dreamed about making for them. Your new year's resolution
would include "Start making Christmas gifts WAY earlier!!" Can you relate?
Then maybe it's time for us to start doing something perhaps!!
Today I would like to share with you a very simple fabric tape tutorial.
I like making these because it is a great way to use up my fabric scraps,
and I enjoy using the tape for packages I put together. If you live in the
country that double-sided tape usually comes with backing, this tute
may not be very useful. I remember in the US the simple double sided tape
rarely had backing on it. This tutorial is for those who want to turn those
double sided tape without backing to fabric tapes!
I used parchment paper as a backing of the tape.
It is called "cooking sheet" in Japan, but it is the same thing as parchment paper
or bakery paper which is used to line baking pans as a non-stick surface.
Here I have a sheet of parchment paper measuring approximately 2" x 12".
I put on double-sided tapes throughout like this, being careful
not to create air bubbles in between the paper and tape.
(It's ok for the tapes to over-wrap a little.)
Then I placed it the sticky side down on the wrong side
of this fabric scrap that is a little larger than the paper at all edges.
Then I used pinking scissors to cut along both long edges.
(Make sure to cut along the paper so that your finished tape
will not have any surface with no parchment paper (backing).
Then I chopped it into pieces like this so the result is a lot of mini tapes
backed with parchment paper!
When you want to use the tape, remove the backing and place it where you want it to be!
It would be nice to have these made by Christmas! We know we never
have enough tapes for packages and cards and all!
I hope you'll turn your fabric scraps into some fun tapes!
Here is a schedule of Christmas in July! Don't forget to stop by
all these lovely stops for Christmasy inspiration!
Monday 7/16 - Don't Call Me Betsy
Tuesday 7/17 - Sew Crafty Jess
Wednesday 7/18 - Pink Penguin
Thursday 7/19 - Freshly Pieced
Friday 7/20 - Sew Sweetness
Monday 7/23 - Happy Quilting
Tuesday 7/24 - Comfort Stitching
Wednesday 7/25 - Diary of a Quilter
Thursday 7/26 - Felicity Quilts
Oh I almost forgot the best part! I have a great giveaway for you!
The fabulous Kathy of Pink Chalk Fabrics has generously donated
a $20 gift certificate to one lucky winner!
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment by the midnight Thursday!
One comment per person please ;)
Good luck and have a great day!!


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The Section III Lacrosse Home Page |
Text SearchUse the form below to search for documents in this web containing specific words or combinations of words. The text search engine will display a weighted list of matching documents, with better matches shown first. Each list item is a link to a matching document, if the document has a title it will be shown, otherwise only the document's file name is displayed. |


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A really good real estate agent will manage these tasks and activities for a client. How does yours measure up?
For Buyers:
1. Ask you about homeownership needs and hopes
2. Recommend a mortgage broker
3. Get you pre-approved
4. Talk about schools
5. Give you feedback on neighborhoods
6. Help you find a home
7. Help you pick an inspector
8. Attend the home inspection
9. Attend the appraisal
10. Stay on top of the mortgage
12. Price your home correctly
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15. Negotiate home inspection repair requests
16. Communicate, communicate, communicate
17. Help you prepare to buy or sell
18. Tie up any loose ends
19. Help you manage emotions
20. Follow up to see how the move went


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Open Ethos Publishing at Code4Lib Journal and In the Library with the Lead Pipe
In Brief: The library world is deeply entrenched in the open ethos, yet there are few examples of library publications that engage in open editorial and peer review processes. In this article we discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by the open editorial processes used at In the Library with the Lead Pipe and Code4Lib Journal. To end, we discuss the need to grow open review and editorial processes in library and information science publications.
By Emily Ford and Carol Bean
The Open Ethos
Open source. Open access. Massive open online courses. Open government. Open data. Creative Commons licensing. These days open movements are everywhere. One might say that open is a fad or trope, but what happens in the world of open goes beyond any clichéd use of the word. With the prevalence of the open concept bridging from computer programmers to academia to democracies around the world, openness is now a pervasive ethos that has, for years, steadily gained momentum. One thing is certain: the open ethos is here to stay.
In the library and publishing field, open access has been a hot topic for quite some time. The library and information science (LIS) literature has discussed the need for an open and changing economy of academic and scholarly information for many years. Authors and publishers have engaged in discussions regarding the economics of journal publishing; many authors argue that current practices of pricing and access are unsustainable. Some authors have even proposed entirely new models of publication that are constantly changing and iterative (Perakakis, et al. 2010).
Open peer review, an emerging open movement, further opens journal publishing practices. It does more than promote free access to published content, it seeks to create open peer review and editorial processes. Open peer review is loosely defined, which caused an interesting discussion during this article's peer review process. However, it is generally accepted that open peer review refers to non-traditional peer review processes that include disclosure of author and reviewer identities to one another. This is the definition assumed throughout the rest of this article.
There are many different ways that publications have approached open peer review. One way to quickly share research is via pre-print servers. arXiv—a pre-print community and server in physics that was started in 1991—is a great example. At arXiv authors submit articles to the pre-print server before peer review occurs. Once articles are accepted for publication at a journal, authors may replace the pre-print version on arXiv with a final version, as allowed by the terms of their author agreements with publishers. In this environment, articles must be posted by an author who has been "endorsed" by another arXiv community member. In 2011, Axel Boldt argued for arXiv to extend its process to become a true publication with an open peer review process. ((Although the article was published in Journal of Scholarly Publishing, a pre-print does reside on arXiv.))
Some journals simply require reviewers to disclose their identities and conflicts of interest, much like British Medical Journal's reviewer guidelines. Others, such as the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP), work for a completely transparent review process. ACP publishes reviewer comments and author replies alongside final versions of accepted and published articles. Some of these reviewer comments are anonymous, while others are attributed. At ACP it is up to the referees whether they would like to disclose their identity. Either way, their comments are published. There is no one uniform way that journals engage in and implement open peer review.
Although more examples of open peer review exist within the sciences, social sciences and humanities have also begun to engage the open ethos and open peer review experiments. Currently, a second special issue of Shakespeare Quarterly using open review is underway. The first special issue used a "hybrid workflow" for the peer review process. It began with article vetting, performed by editors, and then opened articles to public peer review. In this public phase, authors' and reviewers' identities were disclosed. Finally, in its third and closed phase, editorial decisions regarding acceptance or rejection were made. (Fitzpatrick & Rowe, 2010). Other current experiments include PeerJ, a new model of open access publication- based on a membership fee- that encourages referees and authors to engage in an optional open peer review process.
Arguments in favor of open peer review cite numerous advantages for an open peer review process. One such advantage is that open peer review enables rich academic dialogue. Wendy Lipworth and her co-authors (2011) argue that their research "findings provide additional reasons … for allowing reviewers and authors to form direct personal relationships, for allowing reviewers to discuss their reviews with their colleagues, or for opening up the review process to broader participation" (p. 278). Similarly, several authors argue that open peer review creates a more rigorous review process than traditional peer review, thus ensuring the quality of published articles. (Mahrag & Duncan, 2007; Pöschl & Koop, 2004; Pöschl, 2008; Bornmann, et al, 2010). When reviewer comments are published, reviewers are held publicly accountable for the quality of their reviews. Additionally, Bornmann (2011) and his co-authors performed citation analysis of articles reviewed and published by Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, finding review quality is the same as other journals in the field, and that articles published by the journal are more highly cited. Boldt (2011) suggests that open peer review allows for a higher quality of referee comments than those written for closed review processes. Finally, open peer review enables publication process timelines to be substantially shortened (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009; Pöschl, 2008), thereby having quicker impact on research and academic communities.
So too, are libraries and librarianship part of the emerging open ethos. Our journals are no exception. Both In the Library with the Lead Pipe and Code4Lib Journal (C4LJ) use open peer review and editorial processes. ((See Lead Pipe's open peer review process document, and C4LJ's page on the journal process and structure.)) In the rest of this article, we discuss the mechanics and experiences of open editorial and peer review processes at these journals, and make a case for the growth of open process publications in library and information science.
The Journals
Both In the Library with the Lead Pipe and Code4Lib Journal are open access publications governed by editorial groups. The journals publish under Creative Commons licenses and are dedicated to participating in the open ethos of publishing. While regular Lead Pipe readers may be familiar with its founding and history from reading editorials such as Have We changed the World yet? and The Survey Says, readers may not be as familiar with Code4Lib and Code4Lib Journal.
Code4Lib Journal is a part of the Code4Lib community, where open source, open access and open process are core identifying values of the group. The Code4Lib community includes anyone who self-identifies as a member. The barrier to participating in the community is low; the primary mechanisms are through the Code4Lib mailing list and Internet Relay Chat (IRC), supplemented by many regional meetings and an annual conference. While C4LJ began as a vehicle for more formal and durable information sharing in the Code4Lib community, even the preliminary discussions expected a global audience. C4LJ's mission defines its audience as anyone and everyone interested in "the intersection of technology and libraries." Articles arrive in the journal's inbox from several avenues: informal suggestions in the group's IRC and at the group's annual conference, personal solicitations from members of the editorial committee or Code4Lib community, and in response to announcements sent to other email lists. C4LJ's reach is, indeed, global: it receives proposals from around the world.
The journal's focus, however, is far from global. During the start up phase of C4LJ, the inaugural Editorial Board came up with a list of topic ideas for articles which seemed to fit the interests of the Code4Lib community, and listed them in the journals' Article Guidelines section. The fact that the journal has a limited area of interest makes it look like a more traditional avenue of scholarly communication. The fact that it doesn't have traditional peer review as one of its identifying features has led to some interesting queries and discussions at C4LJ.
In line with the Code4Lib community's open ethos, everything about C4LJ is publicly available. Besides information published at the journal's site, instructions and processes are detailed on the Code4Lib's wiki. The wiki is a centralized place to keep everything documented and, most importantly for the editorial board, visible.
During its founding in 2008, one year after C4LJ's, In the Library with the Lead Pipe's Editorial Board was committed to openness. To that end, the Editorial Board wanted to use open source software and code and publish an open access journal that used creative commons licensing. Board members wanted to establish an open peer review process that mirrored the journal's dedication to the open ethos; the Editorial Board looked to C4LJas an example of how to implement open peer review.
The Editorial Processes
In the Library with the Lead Pipe
The open peer review process at Lead Pipe begins with the formation of article topics. Although the Editorial Board sometimes receives completed articles as submissions, it is much more common for individuals to propose an idea for an article, rather than a completed article.
Frequently Lead Pipe Editorial Board members will share article proposals over its listserv. If the author is not an Editorial Board member, the Editorial Board member does this on behalf of the guest. Typically, the Editorial Board responds to article topic ideas with questions about the topic that aim to help focus the idea into an article of appropriate scope and relevance. The Editorial Board also shares with potential authors a framework document that poses questions aimed at helping potential authors think through their work. For example, when the Editorial Board discussed this proposal, a very useful email conversation ensued.
Emily: Hi everyone,
I have been thinking about my next post. I think I want to write about the peer-review process at Lead Pipe, and make an argument for why this is a great peer-review model and should/could be adopted for other peer-reviewed journals.
Brett: I think this is a great topic, though I think our process should just be one of the ones included in the article. For instance, I'd like to
see code4lib represented…
I'd also like to see other journals represented as well. Just not sure which ones.
Micah: I'd like to read this too, especially with the inclusion of the code4lib voice. There is some movement in the scholarly communication world to experiment with open peer review – famously Shakespeare Quarterly ran a special issue using this method.
Kathleen Fitzpatrick wrote a good thing about it too, in her published-online-openly-then-picked-up-by-NYU-Press book, Planned Obsolescence.
Go for it! I'd love to review!
Erin: I love the idea and look forward to reading this. I can help review if you want!
From the outset peer feedback helped shape this article. Fellow Editorial Board members suggested the inclusion of a Code4Lib voice, and hence this article collaboration was born.
All articles published at Lead Pipe undergo review by at least one external peer reviewer and one internal reviewer. Normally, however, more individuals are involved. External peer reviewers are individuals who are not members of the Lead Pipe Editorial Board. Article authors are responsible for identifying and recruiting external reviewers for articles. Sometimes authors will ask the Editorial Board for recommendations on who might be well suited to review an article, but authors often find suitable peer reviewers themselves. This mirrors common practice in the sciences, when authors are often asked to recommend suitable reviewers for the articles they submit. Recruiting external peer reviewers for Lead Pipe has never been a problem, as there are plenty of smart, capable people all over the world. Since Lead Pipe attempts to reach a wide audience and to broach a wide variety of topics of interest, our community of potential and past peer reviewers is equally diverse; many reviewers have not even been librarians.
Peer review of Lead Pipe articles occurs in a variety of ways. While some reviewers may prefer to mark up a document in a word processing program, most frequently authors share a Google Doc with their reviewers (and the entire Editorial Board or its members who agreed to review the article).
Using Google Docs, reviewers make substantive comments discussing the content and organization of articles. By using a collaborative tool, article authors, editors and reviewers can read and respond to all commentary. In this environment many discussions have developed. Authors can respond to comments and directly ask for further clarification of comments. Sometimes reviewers disagree with one another, sometimes they agree. Sometimes reviewers agree with others' comment, and expand on their ideas, asking additional substantive questions. Sometimes agreement is expressed by a comment that merely says "+1." The peer review process at Lead Pipe is iterative and cumulative. The end product of its review process is publication of quality articles. Further, reader commentary on published articles complement and continue conversations begun by authors.
Several authors have discussed potential problems caused by publishing numerous article versions. (Prug, 2010; Bornmann et al, 2010). Versions of articles are difficult to track and may influence impact measures. Although article versioning is problematic, it provides a record of the intellectual labor put into the creation of an article. In traditional peer review this information goes unnoticed or could be entirely lost. Open peer review processes provide more acknowledgement of the intellectual labor of reviewing and editing. At Lead Pipe all peer reviewers and editors who have reviewed and edited articles are acknowledged at the end of each article.
Code4Lib Journal
Similar to Lead Pipe, the initial discussion on the Code4Lib list about starting a journal considered peer review options, including a suggestion to have articles vetted on an open wiki. In the end, general consensus was that peer review, whether open or traditional, (1) would slow down the process, (2) wasn't necessary for the journal's purposes, and (3) was effectively achieved by the process and makeup of the editorial committee. ((For more information see several email threads at the Code4Lib list: A Code4Lib journal proposal and An attempt to summarize where we are.))
C4LJ's mission simply states "to foster community and share information among those interested in the intersection of libraries, technology, and the future." To that end, C4LJ requires that authors agree to the US CC-BY license (Creative Commons Attribution), which fit the journal's goals of permitting the widest sharing possible while preserving authors' rights to be acknowledged for their work. Authors are strongly encouraged to release code under a suitable open source license, recognizing that open source licensing is not always possible, or desirable, for authors. ((See, for example, Terry Reese's article on Purposeful Development, and Dale Askey's column, We Love Open Source Software. No, You Can't Have Our Code.)) For the Editorial Board, publishing current, usable information is preferable to requiring open sourced code.
The most important factor for the Code4Lib community, including the journal, is transparency. While editorial discussions about articles are on a closed list, everything else about C4LJ is as open and transparent as it can be. The ethos within the Editorial Committee has been to quickly move non-editorial discussions about the journal to the open, public discussion list.
One of the goals of C4LJ is a quick publication cycle of eighteen weeks between the call for proposals and the publication of an issue. Although authors sometimes send completed articles to the Editorial Board in response to the call for proposals, what is more common is brief summaries of what will be covered and why it is important. If the summary is unclear, the Editorial Board and the author may engage in an iterative process to refine the ideas. Proposals are read and voted on by the entire editorial committee. If a proposal is accepted, one of the editors volunteers to shepherd it through the publishing process, and another editor volunteers to be the "second reader," which insures that at least two sets of eyes are reading the drafts as they come in.
Editorial discussions of proposals and articles are probably the only parts of the Code4Lib community that are not open and completely transparent. Although a transparent editing process was discussed prior to start up, the editors wanted a forum where they would be free to speak their minds without repercussions. In essence, the editorial committee is a group of peer reviewers that discuss the merits (or not) of proposals and subsequent articles. Although each accepted proposal has an assigned editor and second reader, drafts are forwarded to the whole group for comments. Most importantly, proposals and drafts are provisionally accepted. Actual publication requires another vote by all the editors. Articles that pass the second vote typically have four to six editors that have read the final draft and voted in favor of publication.
Although the editors' discussion list is closed, it is an open peer review process in the sense that the entire Editorial Committee is identified on C4LJ's site. All of the editors, past and present, have strong backgrounds in computer technology, libraries and archives. When someone submits an article, they are getting über peer reviewed! There was a recent Editorial Committee discussion about going beyond simply identifying the members on C4LJ's site, to identify the assigned editor who worked on each article. The biggest concern was that placing an editor's name on an article might end up identifying the editor in metadata as a co-author.
It is apparent that Lead Pipe and C4LJ have many similarities in their open peer review processes. Both journals are organized by committees, are open in their decision making, and have placed value on openness in their publication and editorial processes. In short, Lead Pipe and C4LJ share the open ethos and embed it into their review processes. So how has it worked in practicality?
The Editorial Processes in Practice
In the Library with the Lead Pipe
Since Lead Pipe's Editorial Board is a group that makes decisions using consensus, it expects the best intentions from its authors and Editorial Board members. Despite the positives of the review process at Lead Pipe, the Board has had some frustrating experiences. In one instance, the Board worked with an author, spending several hours to read an article draft and provide suggestions for improvement. The author even had a scheduled publication date for the article. However, the author stopped responding to the Editorial Board, missed the publication date, and several months later the article appeared in an entirely different journal.
The Editorial Board has also faced other challenges as it relates to Lead Pipe's peer review process. One such challenge is editorial timing. As Editorial Board member Brett Bonfield put it, "Who sees what and when is always a difficult balance." Since many of the Editorial Board members are also regular authors for the journal they, individually, struggle with how much they should edit others' work. Questions arise, such as: "If we over edit are we doing so to the detriment of the author's voice? Do we leave most of the content and organization commentary to the official peer reviewers, or do editors step in?" Likewise, when do editorial opinions step in over peer-reviewers? What is the boundary? In the peer-review process, sometimes the different roles between internal and external reviewer can get blurred. While internal reviewers usually provide more feedback in terms of editing for style, mistakes, and copy editing, they also chime in to discuss content and organization of articles. To what extent internal editors have freedom with what gets published is something that we find tricky, and something about which the Editorial Board has no written policy or rule.
Positive experiences with Lead Pipe's peer review process far outweigh the negative ones. Board members have approached fantastic individuals out of the blue to ask if they would review or be involved with particular articles. Barbara Fister, Kathryn Greenhill, Paul Ford and Gina Trapani are a few examples. Although Board Members may have no personal connections to some reviewers, they have been willing to review and offer feedback of great quality about Lead Pipe's ideas and writing. The Editorial Board has also been able to leverage our professional networks to identify talented reviewers with specialized knowledge about the particular topics addressed in articles undergoing review.
For authors the collaborative environment is supportive and nurturing. Lead Pipe wants to publish creative ideas, so rejections occur only when a) an author proposed an idea that will fit better in a different publication, or b) authors cannot adequately respond to questions and concerns about article content. The Editorial Board rejects publication proposals where the author wishes to remain anonymous. All in all, Editorial Board members work in a supportive role to authors who have ideas and thoughts that they would like to see published. If there are problems with the execution, Board members do their best to provide the editorial support and feedback to feel good about publishing the ideas as a final product.
As editors, it is beneficial for Board members and other reviewers to see one anothers' comments. "I can see if we're giving conflicting advice and address that. And I learn a lot from other editors' comments" notes Ellie Collier, a Lead Pipe Editorial Board Member. Conflicting editor opinions allow authors to make informed choices about revisions and edits of their work. While an author may understand one editor's objection to a statement or article organization, she may feel justified in revising less if there isn't unanimous agreement among reviewers and editors.
One challenge that Lead Pipe still faces, is that of further opening up its editorial and peer review processes. Unlike C4LJ, Lead Pipe does not have a wiki organizing its process or documents. Rather, the Editorial Board relies on a mess of Google Docs explaining its processes. Some readers asked for more transparency regarding Lead Pipe's peer review processes via the Reader Poll. However, the Editorial Board is currently working on publishing what it has. In a recent Editorial Board Google chat meeting, one editor stated, "FWIW, we weren't opaque, just overwhelmed."
This brings us to possibly the largest challenge of publishing Lead Pipe. All of Lead Pipe's editors and reviewers are volunteers. The journal is a labor of love and many Lead Pipe tasks occur at home during evenings and weekends. From the beginning the project was very much a DIY one, and the Editorial Board still accomplishes what it does via a certain je ne sais quoi or scrappiness.
Code4Lib Journal
At C4LJ the Editorial Committee likes getting complete drafts as proposals, but believes requiring only an abstract level proposal for an article speeds up the publication process. Authors receive feedback fairly quickly about whether the Committee is interested in a topic or not. The Committee tries to hold to a thirteen week publication cycle from provisional acceptance to publication, which means a proposal submitted by the deadline may result in a very tight schedule for the author. This hasn't generally been a problem since authors that submit proposals on the deadline typically are already working on a draft. Also, since the Committee sends out a formal call for proposals four weeks prior to the deadline, it begins receiving most proposals long before the deadline.
Discussion and voting begins as soon as proposals arrive. Once an article has the required majority of votes in favor (documented on a privately shared Google Spreadsheet), the assigned editor (self-selected) notifies the author of provisional acceptance and begins the process of moving the article toward publication. Article drafts are passed to the whole committee for review, but the assigned editor, with the second reader, takes primary responsibility for working with the author. Any comments by other Editorial Committee members are summarized and passed on to the author by the assigned editor. This cuts down on confusion that can be created by comments and notes coming from several different directions.
This process requires the author to do the bulk of the the work, with the editor helping to shape the article through comments and suggestions. Experience has taught Editorial Committee members to look carefully at submitted proposals and ask for clarification up front, or to simply reject the proposals and include commentary about what would make it more appealing. If what the Committee wants isn't stated explicitly in the proposal, it's going to end up being a lot of work for the editor to get the article to fit Committee expectations.
Communication with authors at the proposal level is usually limited and formal, but once a proposal is accepted, this quickly changes. The Committee typically chooses to edit the proposals about which it's already excited, and is therefore eager to see them get published. During the process of reviewing a proposal, discussions sometimes get quite fervent, with one (or more) editors championing the proposal. For the Editorial Committee, the process of editing an accepted article really is a joint effort with the author to get it published.
The feedback the Editorial Committee has received from C4LJ authors, publicly and privately, has been overwhelmingly positive. Authors appreciate the collaborative process where they get feedback that helps them shape the draft and get the article ready for publication. C4LJ has been characterized, by those who have been through its editorial and review process, as being very author friendly. Authors appreciate the short publication cycle and typically see their articles published in four months or less.
From the perspective of the C4LJ Editorial Committee, the process has worked well. Articles are published quickly and the vetting process, where Committee members read and vote on a proposal rather than a much longer, completed article, works well for all members, who volunteer their time. For each issue, editors typically take one article as "assigned" and volunteer as second reader for an additional article. Individuals with more free time might take more articles to edit; those with less free time may only volunteer as second reader. The time factor does bite sometimes, when the Committee has to delay publication of accepted proposals because everyone is already at their limit editing articles for the current issue.
Expanding Open Peer Review as part of the Open Ethos
Both C4LJ and Lead Pipe have been publishing with open review processes since their founding. The journals embrace an open ethos that disrupts traditional boundaries of publishing in LIS. Libraries are at the heart of the open ethos because librarians understand and embrace open information, open access and open source. Those values should be extended into the peer review process. Our aims are to publish high quality, high impact articles that have far reach and can be quickly disseminated among our communities. Our journals' editorial and review processes have shown that open processes are sustainable. Put simply: this model works.
There is some inherent hypocrisy in the library profession when it comes to the open ethos. We want it for our patrons, but do we want it for ourselves? Just recently ACRL made the switch to publish College & Research Libraries and College & Research Libraries News as open access publications. ALA publishing, on the other hand, has not made any visible move toward open access. Other publishers of library journals, such as Taylor & Francis—whose subscription prices for social sciences journals are among the highest—will, arguably, be among the last to open their publications and their peer review processes. ((Taylor & Francis, have, however, made recent steps to open their publications in the LIS fields. Their author agreements for LIS publications now allow authors to retain copyright of their works.)) It is up to the small journals. Journals published by libraries and library organizations need to start the movement.
Library publications should be at the frontier of open peer review. Numerous library publications are already open access, so should consider how to open up the editorial and review processes. In doing so, these publications will continue information's path to open and free dissemination. Journals need not emulate C4LJ and Lead Pipe, but might consider how open peer review will work for them. Revealing the names of referees alongside published articles is one way this could be accomplished. Journals should also consider publishing editorial and review process documentation.
If open peer review processes are to be adopted, it is up to you, readers and writers. Contact editors at publications you read and for which you write and let them know that you want to better understand the the publications' editorial and peer review processes. Ask them questions such as:
- Have you ever considered publishing a special issue that experiments with open access or open peer review?
- Can you tell me more about your review process? How many individuals will be reading my work? How are your article acceptance and rejection decisions made?
Consider writing editorial pieces or columns addressing open peer review to the journals you read. These editorial pieces are often where such discussions begin. As with open access, when editors see that their readership and their content creators are interested in understanding processes, they will respond.
We can push our institutions and organizations toward the open ethos. If your place of employ has made the foray into journal publishing, approach those journals. If you're involved in an organization such as ALA, ASIST, or SLA, ask publications committee members if they have ever thought about opening up review processes? If not, see if you can talk to a publications committee chair to express your enthusiasm for this idea. Maybe the committee will investigate it further or sponsor a workshop or panel investigating open peer review. Lastly, consider whether organizational or institutional bylaw changes may help promote opening editorial and peer review processes. If so, discuss this kind of movement with appropriate stakeholders.
Openness takes time and energy. Traditional publishing and review practices will not change overnight, and when they do change these changes are made after many conversations that have deemed doing so is the right thing. As readers, writers, members of professional organizations and members of institutional communities, it is up to us to broach the topic of open peer review.
For C4LJ and for Lead Pipe open peer review processes have produced high quality, high impact publications. We are helping to shape the open ethos in librarianship, and we invite you to help shape it, too.
Many thanks to Peter Murray, Brooke Johnson, Sara Amato and Hilary Davis for providing thoughtful feedback on this article. Additional thanks to In the Library with the Lead Pipe Editorial Board Members Erin Dorney, Micah Vandegrift, Ellie Collier, and Brett Bonfield for their comments.


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Agriculture occupies the most crucial place in India. It provides largest employment to the people with as much as 70 % of our total population for livelihood. The agricultural policies in the past bore fruits as the country achieved the first Green revolution, making it self-sufficient in food grains. India needs to increase the food production at the rate of 500 million tons per year to feed the population, increasing at the rate of 2.1 % per year as against the world average of 1.33% per year. By 2025, the population of India will be >1500 million. On the other hand, the country has 182 million ha of land cultivation and total crop area under multiple cropping is 213 million ha. Now, there is no room available to increase cultivable land or crop area anymore. Therefore, the promotion of agriculture need to upshot only by innovative and sustainable technology through cautious approach in using fertilizers. Taking into account the last experience, present situation in the country and global economic scenario, it is imperative to achieve the second green revolution.
Presently, India is recognized as the 4th largest user of chemical fertilizer (11.4–12.2 mmt of NPK) on global scale. The chemical fertilizer inputs in agriculture have rendered India self-reliance in terms of its food requirement for the population. On the contrary, its indiscriminate application over a long period has perched the deleterious impact on desirable physicochemical structure of soil and declined beneficial microbial flora leading to reduce agro productivity. Apparently, this situation can be ameliorated through the application of biofertilizers or bio-pesticides to reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers.
Biofertilizers are rhizosphere latent or living microbes of different types, synergistically adopted to their local micro environs, having an ability to mobilize non-soluble to usable nutrients through biological process, which facilitate sustained availability of multiple nutrients and plant protectants from soil to plants in easily, accelerated and assimilate forms for promoting plant growth. In turn, photo-assimilates exuded by root system help for the sustenance of biofertilizers.
Biotechnology products like biofertilizer and bio-pesticide are harnessed from renewable energy sources, cheaper and environment friendly. Biofertilizers can play a very significant role in improving soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen, under free living condition and in association with plant root nodules. These microbes solubilize insoluble soil phosphates and produce plant growth substance in the soil. Biofertilizers are very important source for augmenting the nutrient supplies for plants by virtue of fixing atmospheric nitrogen and solubilizing/mobilizing soil nutrients; they are accepted as key component of the Integrated Plant Nutrient System (IPNS).
Area of Implementation
Workshops and Training Programme
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