text:
Unit Converter
Convert 437 Seconds to Weeks
To calculate 437 Seconds to the corresponding value in Weeks, multiply the quantity in Seconds by 1.6534391534392E-6 (conversion factor). In this case we should multiply 437 Seconds by 1.6534391534392E-6 to get the equivalent result in Weeks:
437 Seconds x 1.6534391534392E-6 = 0.00072255291005291 Weeks
437 Seconds is equivalent to 0.00072255291005291 Weeks.
How to convert from Seconds to Weeks
The conversion factor from Seconds to Weeks is 1.6534391534392E-6. To find out how many Seconds in Weeks, multiply by the conversion factor or use the Time converter above. Four hundred thirty-seven Seconds is equivalent to zero point zero zero zero seven two three Weeks.
Definition of Second
The second (symbol: s) (abbreviated s or sec) is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). It is qualitatively defined as the second division of the hour by sixty, the first division by sixty being the minute. The SI definition of second is "the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom". Seconds may be measured using a mechanical, electrical or an atomic clock. SI prefixes are combined with the word second to denote subdivisions of the second, e.g., the millisecond (one thousandth of a second), the microsecond (one millionth of a second), and the nanosecond (one billionth of a second). Though SI prefixes may also be used to form multiples of the second such as kilosecond (one thousand seconds), such units are rarely used in practice. The more common larger non-SI units of time are not formed by powers of ten; instead, the second is multiplied by 60 to form a minute, which is multiplied by 60 to form an hour, which is multiplied by 24 to form a day. The second is also the base unit of time in other systems of measurement: the centimetre–gram–second, metre–kilogram–second, metre–tonne–second, and foot–pound–second systems of units.
Definition of Week
A week (symbol: wk) is a time unit equal to seven days. It is the standard time period used for cycles of rest days in most parts of the world, mostly alongside—although not strictly part of—the Gregorian calendar. The days of the week were named after the classical planets (derived from the astrological system of planetary hours) in the Roman era. In English, the names are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Using the Seconds to Weeks converter you can get answers to questions like the following:
- How many Weeks are in 437 Seconds?
- 437 Seconds is equal to how many Weeks?
- How to convert 437 Seconds to Weeks?
- How many is 437 Seconds in Weeks?
- What is 437 Seconds in Weeks?
- How much is 437 Seconds in Weeks?
- How many wk are in 437 s?
- 437 s is equal to how many wk?
- How to convert 437 s to wk?
- How many is 437 s in wk?
- What is 437 s in wk?
- How much is 437 s in wk?


text:
We've got one more 1.2 release candidate ready for testing (zip | svn).
This should be the last pre-release version of 1.2, we hope to have the final version released very early next week.
Don't forget that you can also play your part in testing by signing up at our BuddyPress Test Drive community. This is currently running 1.2-rc3.
If you are upgrading from an earlier pre-release version then you can just overwrite must delete it and then re-upload the BuddyPress plugin directory. Instructions for upgrading test installations from previous versions of BuddyPress are also available.
As before you can find a list of known issues and a place to post bugs via the BuddyPress Trac installation.
Please do not post bugs in the comments as they may be missed.
Update: Please make sure you delete any old pre-release versions of BuddyPress before uploading this version. You also DO NOT need to move any themes to wp-content/themes. WordPress knows that the BuddyPress default is in the plugin folder.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Vic Showcase is over for another year. I can't believe how quickly it passes.
Thank you to sponsors and organiser's who never fail in making each year better than the last. I was really impressed with all the quilts exhibited - there were some great examples of bold color which I loved, and lots of hand quilting and traditional quilts. A great mix and definite inspiration for anyone interested in quilting and design. And of course, quilter's make the best company - it was no nice to put some faces the names of some Red Delicious Quilters and bloggers generally.
What now?
Well, I have a few pieced quilts I'm thinking of, and as always....I really have to try and find some time to get to grips with EQ6! No I still havent gotten around to it....even though it would probably speed up the back catalogue of ideas I have. Anyhow, you have to aspire to something!


text:
The U.S. economy grew at a healthy 3.2 percent annual rate in fourth-quarter 2013, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday morning.
Coming on the heels of the third quarter's even better 4.1 percent pace, the news suggests the economy finished 2013 in better shape than it had been a year earlier.
A comparison to the last half of 2012 tells that story. In third-quarter 2012, gross domestic product expanded at a 2.8 percent annual pace. In fourth-quarter 2012, growth basically came to a standstill: GDP expanded at a meager 0.1 percent annual rate.
Another positive sign: Reuters notes that while the estimated 3.2 percent growth in the last three months of 2013 was "a slowdown from the third-quarter's brisk 4.1 percent pace, it was a far stronger performance than earlier anticipated." The growth also came despite the 16-day-long partial shutdown of the federal government in October. Reuters says "robust" consumer spending and exports boosted the economy. The data, by the way, are "seasonally adjusted" to hopefully account for typical fluctuations — such as holiday shopping — and reflect the "real" economic activity.
Thursday's GDP report is just the first estimate of how the economy was doing last quarter. The data will be revised twice in the next two months.
As often happens with economic indicators, there's also less positive news to report. The Employment and Training Administration says there were 348,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance filed last week, up 19,000 from the week before.
Even when the economy is expanding and even when payrolls are growing, there are people being laid off who file jobless claims. But the stubbornly slow growth in employment in recent years has been underscored by the fact that weekly claims for jobless benefits have remained near or above 300,000 since late 2011. There hasn't been a string of weeks below the 300,000-level since early 2006.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
No Bones About It
"Why don't they remove the bones before they serve the fish?" is a common question I hear from friends whenever we go to Chinese restaurants. In fact on one occasion after finishing a steamed striped bass at a popular Cantonese seafood restaurant in Chinatown a fellow diner jested that the remains of our dish looked like Felix the Cat had swallowed the fish whole and pulled out a completely cleaned skeleton with just the head and tail left on. So why do the Chinese like to keep the bones in the dishes they cook?


text:
Store Locator
There are over 500 Aerus locations across the United States and Canada. Whether you need service on your current product, information on our newest models or suggestions on how to maintain a healthy home, we are here to help. We pride ourselves on offering our customers the best customer service in the industry and we invite you to experience the Aerus way of life.


text:
Taylor Swift Went Unrecognized at a Local Pub
Welcome to PopCrush's Daily Break! Here's a breakdown of today's hottest pop culture and lifestyle stories as heard on PopCrush Nights, airing across the country. Check out Taylor Swift's incognito outing, Louis Tomlinson's good deed and more, below.
Taylor Swift Went Unrecognized at a Local Pub
No matter what part of the world you live in, it's safe to say everyone knows who Taylor Swift is. It's almost impossible for her to go unrecognized anywhere. But yet, while out at a local pub in the U.K with Ed Sheeran, she managed to go the entire night without being called out. (via Uproxx)
Louis Tomlinson Quietly Paid for a Band's Stolen Gear
A GoFundMe was recently posted for Maruja, a band that who recently had $8,000 worth of equipment stolen from their van. The group took to Twitter to thank Louis Tomlinson for donating a whopping $4,000 to their fundraiser.
YouTuber Accidentally Posts Clip Forcing Child to Cry About Dying Dog
YouTuber Jordan Cheyenne has apologized after accidentally uploading an outtake of her forcing her son to cry about their dying dog for a recent YouTube video. In the outrageous clip, Cheyenne is seen faking her tears and coaching her son to do so as well. (via TooFab)
People Are Sniffing Onions Because They Think It Cures COVID
The latest ridiculous thing the internet has come up with to supposedly "cure" COVID-19? Sniffing onions! Especially popular in Asia, some people claim that if you cut an onion in half, cup it to your nose and mouth and take deep breaths, it'll cleanse your lungs. It has gotten so popular that experts have had publicly debunk the theory. (via AFP)
'Cops' Is Coming Back
After being cancelled last summer amid protests of police brutality, the hit show cops is coming back. It'll be back starting October 1st, on the Fox Nation streaming service. (via Hollywood Reporter)
Remember When Rachael Ray's House Burned Down?
Rachael Ray's house was destroyed in a fire in 2020. Now, the TV show host and food phenom has rebuilt her home. Take a look:
The Kid Laroi Is Going on Tour
The Kid Laroi kicks off his world tour in January 2021, and tickets go on sale this Friday. See below if he is coming to a city near you:


text:
Drivethru's filters enable one to search specifically for stock art...
Drivethru's filters enable one to search specifically for stock art...
Challenge your players to infiltrate the enterprising Dragonbowl Airship and escape with the dirigible's blueprints, in this action-packed heist that requires deception, stealth and cojones of steel. Just $4.95 on the DMs Guild.
"Just finished this delightful modular addition to Keys from the Golden Vault – The Incredible Balloon Bamboozle! If you're looking for a thrilling adventure set on a blimp, with shenanigans galore and a Beholder ready to ruin your day, check it out!" The Geekly Grind.
When the Keeper of Tomes is murdered, and his body mutilated, on Deadwinter's Eve, all of the Great Readers become suspects in this heinous crime. As the players get embroiled in the library's tangled web of politics and personal enmities, dark forces are at work trying to uncover Candlekeep's fabled Vault of Secrets. Snap up this epic adventure on the DMs Guild for just $10.
"I love the murder mystery set up here… the roleplaying notes for all the NPCs are very well handled… I LOVE the Flying Iron Owlbear and the Avowed and library generators are superb. I LOVE THIS ADVENTURE!"
Ed Greenwood, creator of Candlekeep and the Forgotten Realms.
Don't miss Faerûn's action-packed sporting extravaganza in the bowels of Mount Waterdeep – where the booze and the blood flow in equal measure! Aside from taking on up to 16 gladiatorial teams in Dragonbowl Arena, there are 30+ festival locations to visit, scores of side plots to unravel and (if the players win) a confrontation with the Games Master himself at the Breakfast of Champions. This 300-page epic also works as a sequel to Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Check out the reviews on the DMs Guild.
"One of the best adventures I have ever run!"
"If you took American Gladiators, the Colosseum, and the Quidditch World Cup and then mashed them all together I imagine you'd end up with something like Dragonbowl. More than just a combat-focused adventure, Dragonbowl is a Bacchanalian-style festival with its own economy and ecology."
The Secret Ingredient to Great D&D…
July 12, 2024
Stunning Metal, Sharp Edge & Gemstone Dice Sets
June 24, 2024
How To Run Urban Campaigns in D&D
June 8, 2024
How To Run An Epic Gladiatorial Adventure
March 31, 2024
Healing Potions That Scale & Are Easy to Remember
February 20, 2024
Zone of Tedium… The Truth About ZoT!
February 17, 2024
How I Fixed "Too Much Gold And Nothing To Spend It On"…
February 2, 2024
Dirty Jobs: An Urban 'West Marches' Campaign
December 27, 2023
Designing & Running Heists in 5e D&D
December 3, 2023
Lessons from Bond: Designing & Deploying Lieutenants
November 19, 2023
Bored of daggers of venom, flame tongues and vicious blades…? Grab 120 new magic weapons – at least one for each weapon type in the Player's Handbook. The book's "magic weapon generator" makes it easy to roll up 10,000s more… buy for just $7.95 on the DMs Guild. Also available on Fantasy Grounds.
"I love all the weapons in the book, but honestly, I can't get enough of the weapons generator…. I couldn't recommend this guide enough."
Eszteban, the Archmage of the Gossamer Robe Order, hides atop his tower in the Gleaming Cloud Citadel, denying his fellow wizards access to the knowledge of the Upper Library with a series of deadly traps and obstacles. Who will be brave enough to disarm this labyrinth, unravel the Order's secrets, and confront the potentially deranged archmage? Buy this 5e adventure with an old school flavour for $5.95 on the DMs Guild.
"I cannot recommend this HIGHLY enough. One of the finest adventures on the Guild!"
In 2020, Hipsters & Dragons was featured in the mainstream UK media, talking about D&D. "You've Got to Roll With It" was published in the national broadsheet, The Independent.
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén
Get notified whenever Hipsters & Dragons post free D&D content...*


text:
It's common knowledge that this bitter fruit is literally full to the brim with vitamin C. Lemon juice has been proven as a home remedy for colds, with its defensive effect. Hot lemon with honey refreshes and gives new strength and the more mature a lemon is, the more intense the fruit acid and the more it unfolds its astringent, clarifying and refreshing effect, giving you new vitality - from the inside as from the outside.
The scent is unmistakable. It acts as a wake-up call to our senses, gives us clarity and ease – the fresh aroma of lemon is as invigorating as its vibrant colour. The strong essential oils of citrus infuse the entire plant. Not only do the small white blossoms smell wonderful, but precious essential oils are also found in the peel, the flesh and even in the characteristically oval-shaped leaves.
The lemon tree is also bursting with vitality - the evergreen, medium-sized tree is the only tree that blossoms and produces fruit simultaneously almost all year round. In a single year, a tree can yield up to 1,000 kilos of lemons.
The lemon has kept its reputation as a high-yielding crop for centuries. Originating in North India, the lemon tree had already crossed the globe in the Middle Ages. Today, it is cultivated from China to Spain, thriving best on fertile soil with a generous supply of sunlight. And it really does not like the cold – the thermometer should at least show 15 to 30 degrees Celsius. Under good conditions, lemon trees can then grow to a stately century old.
This is why we use lemon's abundant, overflowing energy for our products. The essential oils and pure natural juice of the fruit have proven to be important components of pharmaceuticals and toiletries. For our Citrus Body Care range we only use bio-dynamically grown lemons from the Samalita Cooperative in Sicily, which has been cultivating lemons for decades. Its sugar content, acidity and vitamin quantity are particularly high. The precious essential oils of our lemons not only maintain and care for our skin, but also our mind – its intense fragrance awakens the spirits and puts us in a good mood for the day ahead.


text:
Basin position: Left
Basin type: Bowl / On countertop
Closing and opening system: Soft close drawers
Doors and drawers combination: 1 drawer
Furniture configuration: Drawers
Installation type: Wall-hung
Net weight (kg): 43.5
Body/Front – 18 mm MDF panels matt lacquered or 18 mm particle board with real wood veneer (only 250 – Light oak, 630 – Noce canaletto).
Interior melamine anthracite.
Top – made of 6 mm resistant HPL with laminate (only 269 – Terracotta, 270 – Pearlbeige, 429 – Darkbrown) or 6 mm ceramic stoneware.
1 cut-out left.
Integrated handle at the left and right side.
1 full extension drawer, anthracite (soft-close mechanism), incl. drawer mat antimicrobial rubber and drawer organizer smoked glass.
Installation set for furniture, order no. H492393
Download the CAD (2D, 3D) files of this product in different formats. | ⚠ Caution: CAD files should not be used for computer-controlled (CNC) cutting of countertops or similar and are for space-planning & room rendering purposes only. Upon request cut-out templates are available from LAUFEN. All drawings contain the necessary measurements (mm) which are subject to standard tolerances. Exact measurements, in particular for customized installation scenarios, can only be taken from the finished product.


text:
Fast response time is key to successful water damage restoration
If your home requires water damage restoration due to a wet basement or flood, damaged plumbing or appliances, or excess water as a result of fire suppression, quick response time is the key to successful water damage restoration.
The effects of basement flood damage or other water damage can go quickly from bad to irreparable if not addressed immediately. Water damage and excess water in your home can cause electrical hazards, expensive damage to your home's structure and furnishings, and lead to the growth of hazardous bacteria and mould.
Beginning water mitigation and removal procedures as soon as possible prevents water damage from spreading, lowers costs and means less stress for you. Waiting to begin water and flood restoration services can cause secondary damage to:
- Carpets and other furnishings
- The structure of your home
- Drywall and wood, as a result of the spread of mould
- Hardwood floors—requiring costly replacement
ServiceMaster of Moncton is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to provide you with reliable service when water damage restoration is needed in your home. As one of the industry's leading restoration companies, you can count on ServiceMaster of Moncton to provide professional water damage and flood restoration services to your home, using the most advanced technologies and products available.


text:
THE APPLE PRIVACY POLICY WAS UPDATED ON MAY 31, 2016. Your privacy is important to Apple. So we've developed a Privacy Policy that covers how we collect, use, disclose, transfer, and store your information. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our privacy practices and let us know if you have any questions. Your California Privacy Disclosures | Information Regarding Commercial Electronic Messages in Canada COLLECTION AND USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION Personal information is data that can be used to identify or contact a single person. You may be asked to provide your personal information anytime you are in contact with Apple or an Apple affiliated company. Apple and its affiliates may share this personal information with each other and use it consistent with this Privacy Policy. They may also combine it with other information to provide and improve our products, services, content, and advertising. You are not required to provide the personal information that we have requested, but, if you chose not to do so, in many cases we will not be able to provide you with our products or services or respond to any queries you may have. Here are some examples of the types of personal information Apple may collect and how we may use it: WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT When you create an Apple ID, apply for commercial credit, purchase a product, download a software update, register for a class at an Apple Retail Store, contact us or participate in an online survey, we may collect a variety of information, including your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, contact preferences, and credit card information. When you share your content with family and friends using Apple products, send gift certificates and products, or invite others to participate in Apple services or forums, Apple may collect the information you provide about those people such as name, mailing address, email address, and phone number. Apple will use such information to fulfill your requests, provide the relevant product or service, or for anti-fraud purposes. In the U.S., we may ask for a government issued ID in limited circumstances including when setting up a wireless account and activating your device, for the purpose of extending commercial credit, managing reservations, or as required by law. HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION The personal information we collect allows us to keep you posted on Apple's latest product announcements, software updates, and upcoming events. If you don't want to be on our mailing list, you can opt out anytime by updating your preferences. We also use personal information to help us create, develop, operate, deliver, and improve our products, services, content and advertising, and for loss prevention and anti-fraud purposes. We may use your personal information, including date of birth, to verify identity, assist with identification of users, and to determine appropriate services. For example, we may use date of birth to determine the age of Apple ID account holders. From time to time, we may use your personal information to send important notices, such as communications about purchases and changes to our terms, conditions, and policies. Because this information is important to your interaction with Apple, you may not opt out of receiving these communications. We may also use personal information for internal purposes such as auditing, data analysis, and research to improve Apple's products, services, and customer communications. If you enter into a sweepstake, contest, or similar promotion we may use the information you provide to administer those programs. COLLECTION AND USE OF NON-PERSONAL INFORMATION We also collect data in a form that does not, on its own, permit direct association with any specific individual. We may collect, use, transfer, and disclose non-personal information for any purpose. The following are some examples of non-personal information that we collect and how we may use it: We may collect information such as occupation, language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, referrer URL, location, and the time zone where an Apple product is used so that we can better understand customer behavior and improve our products, services, and advertising. We may collect information regarding customer activities on our website, iCloud services, and iTunes Store and from our other products and services. This information is aggregated and used to help us provide more useful information to our customers and to understand which parts of our website, products, and services are of most interest. Aggregated data is considered non-personal information for the purposes of this Privacy Policy. We may collect and store details of how you use our services, including search queries. This information may be used to improve the relevancy of results provided by our services. Except in limited instances to ensure quality of our services over the Internet, such information will not be associated with your IP address. With your explicit consent, we may collect data about how you use your device and applications in order to help app developers improve their apps. If we do combine non-personal information with personal information the combined information will be treated as personal information for as long as it remains combined. COOKIES AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES Apple's websites, online services, interactive applications, email messages, and advertisements may use "cookies" and other technologies such as pixel tags and web beacons. These technologies help us better understand user behavior, tell us which parts of our websites people have visited, and facilitate and measure the effectiveness of advertisements and web searches. We treat information collected by cookies and other technologies as non-personal information. However, to the extent that Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or similar identifiers are considered personal information by local law, we also treat these identifiers as personal information. Similarly, to the extent that non-personal information is combined with personal information, we treat the combined information as personal information for the purposes of this Privacy Policy. Apple and its partners use cookies and other technologies in mobile advertising services to control the number of times you see a given ad, deliver ads that relate to your interests, and measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns. If you do not want to receive ads with this level of relevance on your mobile device, you can opt out by accessing the following link on your device: http://oo.apple.com. Alternatively, if you are using the iOS 6 operating system or later on your mobile device, you may opt-out by selecting Limit Ad Tracking. If you opt out, you will continue to receive the same number of mobile ads, but they may be less relevant because they will not be based on your interests. You may still see ads related to the content on a web page or in an application or based on other non-personal information. Opting out through oo.apple.com applies only to Apple advertising services and does not affect interest-based advertising from other advertising networks. However, if you select Limit Ad Tracking on your mobile device, third party apps are not permitted by contract to use the Advertising Identifier, a non-personal device identifier to serve you targeted ads. Apple and our partners also use cookies and other technologies to remember personal information when you use our website, online services, and applications. Our goal in these cases is to make your experience with Apple more convenient and personal. For example, knowing your first name lets us welcome you the next time you visit the Apple Online Store. Knowing your country and language - and if you are an educator, your school - helps us provide a customized and more useful shopping experience. Knowing someone using your computer or device has shopped for a certain product or used a particular service helps us make our advertising and email communications more relevant to your interests. And knowing your contact information, hardware identifiers, and information about your computer or device helps us personalize your operating system, set up your iCloud service, and provide you with better customer service. If you want to disable cookies and you're using the Safari web browser, go to Safari preferences and then to the privacy pane to disable cookies. On your Apple mobile device, go to Settings, then Safari, and then to the Cookies section. For other browsers, check with your provider to find out how to disable cookies. Please note that certain features of the Apple website will not be available once cookies are disabled. As is true of most internet services, we gather some information automatically and store it in log files. This information includes Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, browser type and language, Internet service provider (ISP), referring and exit websites and applications, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data. We use this information to understand and analyze trends, to administer the site, to learn about user behavior on the site, to improve our product and services, and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole. Apple may use this information in our marketing and advertising services. In some of our email messages, we use a "click-through URL" linked to content on the Apple website. When customers click one of these URLs, they pass through a separate web server before arriving at the destination page on our website. We track this click-through data to help us determine interest in particular topics and measure the effectiveness of our customer communications. If you prefer not to be tracked in this way, you should not click text or graphic links in the email messages. Pixel tags enable us to send email messages in a format customers can read, and they tell us whether mail has been opened. We may use this information to reduce or eliminate messages sent to customers. DISCLOSURE TO THIRD PARTIES At times Apple may make certain personal information available to strategic partners that work with Apple to provide products and services, or that help Apple market to customers. For example, when you purchase and activate your iPhone, you authorize Apple and your carrier to exchange the information you provide during the activation process to carry out service. If you are approved for service, your account will be governed by Apple and your carrier's respective privacy policies. Personal information will only be shared by Apple to provide or improve our products, services and advertising; it will not be shared with third parties for their marketing purposes. SERVICE PROVIDERS Apple shares personal information with companies who provide services such as information processing, extending credit, fulfilling customer orders, delivering products to you, managing and enhancing customer data, providing customer service, assessing your interest in our products and services, and conducting customer research or satisfaction surveys. These companies are obligated to protect your information and may be located wherever Apple operates. OTHERS It may be necessary - by law, legal process, litigation, and/or requests from public and governmental authorities within or outside your country of residence - for Apple to disclose your personal information. We may also disclose information about you if we determine that for purposes of national security, law enforcement, or other issues of public importance, disclosure is necessary or appropriate. We may also disclose information about you if we determine that disclosure is reasonably necessary to enforce our terms and conditions or protect our operations or users. Additionally, in the event of a reorganization, merger, or sale we may transfer any and all personal information we collect to the relevant third party. PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION Apple takes the security of your personal information very seriously. Apple online services such as the Apple Online Store and iTunes Store protect your personal information during transit using encryption such as Transport Layer Security (TLS). When your personal data is stored by Apple, we use computer systems with limited access housed in facilities using physical security measures. iCloud data is stored in encrypted form including when we utilize third party storage. When you use some Apple products, services, or applications or post on an Apple forum, chat room, or social networking service, the personal information and content you share is visible to other users and can be read, collected, or used by them. You are responsible for the personal information you choose to share or submit in these instances. For example, if you list your name and email address in a forum posting, that information is public. Please take care when using these features. If you or anyone else using Family Sharing logs on to a device that is owned by a third party, any information shared within your Family--including calendar, location, photos, and iTunes purchases--may be downloaded on to that third party device thereby disclosing any such shared information. [See About Family Sharing for more information.] INTEGRITY AND RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION Apple makes it easy for you to keep your personal information accurate, complete, and up to date. We will retain your personal information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. ACCESS TO PERSONAL INFORMATION You can help ensure that your contact information and preferences are accurate, complete, and up to date by logging in to your account at https://appleid.apple.com/. For other personal information we hold, we will provide you with access for any purpose including to request that we correct the data if it is inaccurate or delete the data if Apple is not required to retain it by law or for legitimate business purposes. We may decline to process requests that are frivolous/vexatious, jeopardize the privacy of others, are extremely impractical, or for which access is not otherwise required by local law. Access, correction, or deletion requests can be made through the regional Privacy Contact Form. CHILDREN & EDUCATION We understand the importance of taking extra precautions to protect the privacy and safety of children using Apple products and services. Children under the age of 13, or equivalent minimum age in the relevant jurisdiction, are not permitted to create their own Apple IDs, unless their parent provided verifiable consent or as part of the child account creation process in Family Sharing or they have obtained a Managed Apple ID account (where available) through their school. For example, a parent must review the Apple ID and Family Sharing Disclosure and agree to the Consent to Apple's Collection, Use and Disclosure of Your Child's Information; and the iTunes Store Terms and Conditions, before they can begin the Apple ID account creation process for their child. In addition, schools that participate in Apple School Manager and have reviewed and consented to the Managed Apple IDs for Students Disclosure may create Managed Apple IDs for students. The Managed Apple IDs for Students Disclosure describes how Apple handles student information and supplements Apple's Privacy Policy. Learn more about Family Sharing, Managed Apple IDs and Restrictions for children's accounts. If we learn that we have collected the personal information of a child under 13, or equivalent minimum age depending on jurisdiction, outside the above circumstances we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible. If at any time a parent needs to access, correct, or delete data associated with their Family Sharing account or child's Apple ID, they may contact us through our Privacy Contact Form. Or by using the contact information here. LOCATION-BASED SERVICES To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. Where available, location-based services may use GPS, Bluetooth, and your IP Address, along with crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower locations, and other technologies to determine your devices' approximate location. Unless you provide consent, this location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, your device may share its geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services. Some location-based services offered by Apple, such as the "Find My iPhone" feature, require your personal information for the feature to work. THIRD-PARTY SITES AND SERVICES Apple websites, products, applications, and services may contain links to third-party websites, products, and services. Our products and services may also use or offer products or services from third parties - for example, a third-party iPhone app. Information collected by third parties, which may include such things as location data or contact details, is governed by their privacy practices. We encourage you to learn about the privacy practices of those third parties. INTERNATIONAL USERS All the information you provide may be transferred or accessed by entities around the world as described in this Privacy Policy. Apple abides by the "safe harbor" frameworks set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information collected by organizations in the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Learn more about the U.S. Department of Commerce Safe Harbor Program. Please note that personal information, including the information provided when using iCloud, regarding individuals who reside in a member state of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland is controlled by Apple Distribution International in Cork, Ireland, and processed on its behalf by Apple Inc. Personal information collected in the EEA and Switzerland when using iTunes is controlled by iTunes SARL in Luxembourg and processed on its behalf by Apple Inc. Apple abides by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Cross Border Privacy Rules System. The APEC CBPR system provides a framework for organizations to ensure protection of personal information transferred among participating APEC economies. OUR COMPANYWIDE COMMITMENT TO YOUR PRIVACY To make sure your personal information is secure, we communicate our privacy and security guidelines to Apple employees and strictly enforce privacy safeguards within the company. PRIVACY QUESTIONS If you have any questions or concerns about Apple's Privacy Policy or data processing or if you would like to make a complaint about a possible breach of local privacy laws, please contact us. You can always contact us by phone at the relevant Apple Support number for your country. All such communications are examined and replies issued where appropriate as soon as possible. If you are unsatisfied with the reply received, you may refer your complaint to the relevant regulator in your jurisdiction. If you ask us, we will endeavor to provide you with information about relevant complaint avenues which may be applicable to your circumstances. Apple may update its Privacy Policy from time to time. When we change the policy in a material way, a notice will be posted on our website along with the updated Privacy Policy. Apple Inc. 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, USA, 95014
If you'd like to be notified when Apple.com makes updates to documents like this, choose which ones you'd like to subscribe to today (it's free!).


text:
Aztek Chassis Skin Protector SWB 3S/4S
ARRMA 'Aztek V2' for Granite / Outcast 4s / Vorteks
- Durable and tough
- Super detailed 1000dpi print
- Very high-quality high adhesive vinyl
- Matt laminated for a tougher durable bashable coating
- Water-resistant
- All holes are pre-cut and punched ready
- Designed and printed in the UK
- Worldwide shipping available
Designed to fit the SWB composite chassis AR320398
Complete with simple instructions and a cleaning wipe. Can be easily installed without removing chassis.
Returns & Refunds
If you decide the Chassis skin is not for you and the skin has not been opened or used then we will happily refund you the purchase and postage but not the return postage. Please return orders to Landmark Creative, 5A Guildhall Mews, New Orchard, Poole, Dorset. BH151LY


text:
ER and Lie To Me star Mekhi Phifer will play Rex Matheson, a C.I.A. operative who joins forces with Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper to fight a global conspiracy that reaches from Washington to Wales and the slums of Shanghai whilst Bill Pullman (Independence Day) will take on the role of Oswald Danes, a convicted child killer who survives his own execution to become the most infamous man on the planet.
Also making their Torchwood debuts are Alexa Havins as Esther Drummond, a deskbound C.I.A employee who dreams of active duty and who suddenly finds herself running alongside Jack, Gwen and Rex; and Arlene Tur as Dr Vera Juarez, a Washington D.C. surgeon, who ends up on the frontline of medical care on "Miracle Day" advising the government think-tanks on the best course of action for the world's population.
The plot of Miracle Day (SPOILERS):
One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging — they get hurt and sick — but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It's said that in four months' time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can't be a natural event – someone's got to be behind it. It's a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking "What is Torchwood?", he's drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever.
John Barrowman and Eve Myles will return in their roles as Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper respectively. The 10-episode instalment has been written by a team led by Torchwood creator, Russell T Davies, and produced by BBC Worldwide Productions.


text:
Top 10 Reasons to Implement BIM
Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is quickly becoming the standard in building and project design. This model-based approach is used for both communication and collaboration; however, there's more to BIM than just 3D models.
A BIM file is an information-rich collection of data that can be accessed and collaborated on by different stakeholders — from the design team to contractors, construction engineers, and owners. The implementation of BIM (building information modeling) can save time and money, provide realistic models at every step of a project's lifecycle, and be used to make presentations to people who might not have special architectural or design-based knowledge.
Here are the top 10 reasons to implement BIM
- Capture the most accurate representations of the site
BIM can make use of a wide range of advanced design and mapping tools. 3D scanning is increasingly being used to build up incredibly detailed 3D representations of existing sites and structures. These instruments fire thousands of laser pulses per second to create 'point clouds' that can then be converted into a 3D model showing the physical characteristics of the site and any existing buildings or infrastructure. Each point in the point cloud contains measurement data and can then be used in BIM software to generate accurate models of the real world conditions. For larger locations, digital images can also be created aerially using aircraft or drones.
- It's perfect for collaboration
Different aspects of the model can be accessed and either examined or added to by different stakeholders. This means that professionals from diverse disciplines can all bring their own expertise and input to the same model, whether they are architects, engineers, contractors or owners keeping up to date with the project. Various tools and functionalities, many of which can be accessed from the cloud, allow a symbiotic approach that would simply not be possible using paper or even separate digital systems.
- Save time and effort
Multiple models are created by each discipline and then combined to represent a composite construction model. At each step of the design/construction workflow, each stakeholder will add their means and methods of construction. The result is a very robust amount of data; however, it is comprised of multiple models and not one single file.
Digital modeling also makes redraws and redesigns much quicker and easier. BIM files contain a database, meaning that some items and structural parts are pulled from a catalog of models with intelligent attributes assigned to the model such as cost, manufacturer, size, etc. These intelligent objects can then be used to automate steps, such as enumerating the numbers of windows or other components required for quantity take-offs to save time and reduce error.
It's also useful to remember that any reduction in time and work directly translates to a monetary saving.
- Stay in control of your work
BIM systems typically utilize functions such as autosave and connections to a project history to ensure that additions and changes are never lost and that a deleted or corrupted file need not be a disaster. Using a digital model-based workflow can help ensure that all work is captured and that the project history continues to grow, while still allowing easy access to earlier steps and versions.
- Use simulation tools
Useful though they are, BIM can be used to create more than just 2D drawings and 3D models. Some systems can be used to produce models that incorporate additional elements, such as time and cost, to create holistic packages of information regarding the functionality as well as the design of the building. Modern simulation tools can be used to model the potential effects of a wide range of factors, from testing the logic of a construction schedule to analyzing the amount of sunlight on a given side of a building during different seasons and the projected cost savings over time-based on a building's energy performance.
- Resolve conflicts before they happen
The outward appearance of a new building might be the thing that grabs a spectator's eye, and the more inquisitive might appreciate the structural features, especially on a particularly large or tall structure. Not many spectators will give much thought to the internal elements, but the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection (MEP/FP) systems are incredibly important. They allow the building to function and help keep people who live, work at, or visit the site, safe and comfortable.
These systems can also be extremely complex. Some of them will intersect and interact in places, but they all need their own physical space to meet the relevant safety and quality standards. BIM can be used and implemented to coordinate these and any other systems to ensure there are no design conflicts. It is far better to build these systems and other physical components in a digital model first, where issues can be flagged and resolved before any boots hit the construction site ground.
- Coordinate steps and processes
The 3D model can be used to create a set of sub-models to represent each stage of the construction process. Some elements of these sub-models can be set to update and evolve automatically, saving more time and effort in the design process.
Just as importantly, the sub-models can be saved and consulted by engineers, construction workers, and other professionals during construction. This will give a detailed, accurate step-by-step guide to help ensure that all those meticulous plans and models are re-created accurately on the ground, whether humans or robots are attending to the smallest details.
- Access it anywhere
Standalone CAD software has traditionally required a lot of processing power. Cloud applications are revolutionizing both CAD and BIM packages by taking the bulk of the processing strain and performing in the cloud. This means that complex BIM models and other information can be accessed on different devices and in different locations at any time, whether the user is traveling, visiting stakeholders in their own offices, or deployed onsite.
- Create traditional plans
The digital models created within the BIM system are incredibly useful, but there may also be times when certain members of the team will request more traditional reports, plans, sections, elevations and other features. While BIM produces a series of integrated models, individual elements can be separated out and distributed, whether in digital formats or using print-outs.
- Make perfect presentations
The models can be accessed and investigated by professionals working on the project at different stages, with each able to access the levels of detail and specifications they require to bring their own expertise to the ever-evolving model.
BIM models can also be used to create augmented visualizations that bring designs to life through mixed reality, allowing anyone to see what the finished project will look like onsite. This is ideal for making visual presentations to owners, backers, investors and other stakeholders to review design changes or evaluate clashes between systems in an immersive 3D environment.


text:
Vitis vinifera
oligomeric proanthocyanidins, OPC, pycnogenol
The grape has a long history of medicinal uses. Since ancient Greece, people have used grapes for medicinal purposes. More recently, sap from grape branches has been used to treat scrapes and other minor skin issues.
Modern medicine has found benefits in grape seeds and red wines. Research suggests that wine has protective ingredients, including resveratrol and certain tannins. Proanthocyanidin, a compound found in the seed of grapes, may also be protective like red wine.
Grape seed extract is made from the crushed seeds of grape plants. It contains proanthocyanidin. This is a phenolic chemical belonging in the larger group of plant phytochemicals called flavonoids. It belongs to a subgroup of tannins.
Proanthocyanidin may protect the blood vessels and cardiovascular system. It does this by stopping the breakdown of collagen. This reduces the risk of a heart attack and stroke. It may also have an antioxidant effect. This may lower the risk of certain cancers.
Grape seed extract has also been used, alongside other treatments, for certain heart issues, such as atherosclerosis.
Grape seed has been claimed to lower cholesterol and to treat atherosclerosis, but there is insufficient evidence to support these claims. Further research is needed to determine the appropriate use of grape seed extract. At this time, there aren't any proven uses for grape seed extract.
Grape seed extract may have other benefits that have not yet been proven through research.
The tannins in grape seed extract act as active antioxidants and antimutagenics. Because of this, grape seed extract may protect the lining of blood vessels and other tissues from damage. Grape seed extract may protect against damage from free radicals, oxidized LDLs, and other harmful parts of metabolism.
Grape seed extract is said to reduce the production of histamine. This may reduce the severity of nasal allergies. It may also reduce the premature destruction of vitamin C. Grape seed extract may also act as a smooth muscle relaxant in blood vessels.
Studies have found that grape seed extract may help symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency. This is when veins have problems sending blood from the legs back to the heart. Grape seed extract may also reduce leg swelling (edema).
Grape seed extract comes in oral capsule form. Follow the instructions on the package for the right dose.
Grape seed oil is also an aromatic oil. It's used for salad dressings and contains small amounts of proanthocyanidin.
Grape seed extract is not known to cause any side effects.
However, grape seed extract can interact with blood thinners, warfarin, cytochrome P450 3A4 substrate medicines, and UGT substrate medicines. Always work with your healthcare provider to determine if you should take grape seed extract, especially if you are also taking any of these other medicines.
Children and women who are pregnant or are breastfeeding shouldn't use grape seed extract. This is due to the lack of safety data on it.


text:
The Queens Library is that rare New York phenomenon: a government-funded social-uplift program that works. It succeeds by doing what it has done for over a century: giving New Yorkers with ambition (however modest or grand it may be) the tools they need for self-improvement. These tools get real results in Gotham, where people can earn an incremental reward for each skill they obtain. Learn English, and move from a kitchen job to an office job. Master math, and pass the GED and start technical college. The Queens Library's crowded branches suggest that many poor and immigrant New Yorkers understand the city's opportunities for upward mobility and that they see themselves not at all as victims trapped by circumstance but as individuals possessing the independence, the self-discipline, and the chance to get ahead.
Libraries aren't sexy to city policymakers, though. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recently released blueprint for fighting poverty contained not one word about New York's three public library systems. Like his 1960s predecessor John Lindsay, Bloomberg prefers ministering to the city's perpetually poor rather than lending a hand to working-class and immigrant families who, just by their presence in the library, have already shown a thirst for self-improvement.
Since they're such a low government priority these days, the city's libraries have had to cut back on hours. For all its excellence, then, the Queens Library doesn't meet the standard set by public libraries' first great patron, Andrew Carnegie. Libraries, he believed, should "be accessible at all reasonable hours and times, free of expense," with reading rooms "open every day of the week except Sunday . . . from at least nine o'clock a.m. to at least nine o'clock p.m."
Queens built the backbone of its library system largely with Carnegie money—$240,000 of it, over $5 million in today's dollars—which began to arrive in 1901. The steel magnate endowed eight Queens branches not only with capital but also with a lasting philosophy, reflecting his own working-class experience and decades of thinking about how best to uplift the poor. In divesting his vast fortune at the end of the nineteenth century, Carnegie believed it wisest to help "those, who, being most anxious and able to help themselves, deserve and will be benefited by . . . the extension of their opportunities by the aid of the philanthropic rich," rather than (as he saw it) wasting his money on the "irreclaimably destitute [and] shiftless."
Carnegie seized on public libraries as central to this mission, in part because a private library had served him so well in his youth. When at 12 he emigrated with his family to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, he had finished only five years of formal schooling in his native Scotland. Completing his schooling in America was out of the question: to help support his family, he had to go to work, first in a Pittsburgh factory and later in a telegraph office. Though Carnegie
enjoyed working, he still wanted to "improve himself" by learning, especially the history and government of his new country. Unfortunately, working until 11 pm on alternate nights "did not leave [him] much time for self-improvement, nor did the wants of the family leave any money to spend on books," he later recalled.
Carnegie found a partial remedy in the library of Colonel James Anderson, who let "working boys" peruse his 400 volumes on Saturday afternoons and borrow one book each per week. Through Anderson's generosity, Carnegie devoured Macaulay, Shakespeare, and other classic authors, and the colonel's library also kept him "clear of low fellowship." One key advantage of funding libraries, Carnegie came to realize, is that they give "nothing for nothing." At the library, people "must acquire knowledge themselves. There is no escape from this."
By the turn of the century, Carnegie had honed his philosophy into a library-funding effort that operated with businesslike efficiency. It would eventually approve applications for more than 2,800 public libraries, 65 in New York
City alone. Because Carnegie saw libraries—rightly—as public infrastructure, he only funded initial capital costs. Town and city leaders had to agree to pay operating costs.
Even before Carnegie began disbursing his funds, the working-class and middle-class residents of Queens had shown a thirst for knowledge and self-improvement, and looked to libraries to help satisfy it.
Railroads and proximity to ports and to bustling Brooklyn and Manhattan had made Queens ideal for factories in the late 1800s. As people followed investment, the borough's population swelled fivefold, to more than 150,000 around the turn of the century. Pooling resources, the immigrants who toiled in the factories of Queens and populated its villages started a dozen hodgepodge private libraries, while two of the borough's biggest employers—Conrad Poppenhusen's rubber plant and William Steinway's piano factory—set up free libraries for grateful workers and their families, with half the volumes in German to accommodate new immigrants.
Queens had already started to incorporate its libraries into a formal public system when Carnegie's funds began pouring in. The directors, who shared the industrialist's philanthropic vision of presenting opportunity to all comers,
realized that one of the library's key mandates would be to assimilate immigrants. The branches wooed newcomers unfamiliar with free public libraries, posting ads at local movie houses advising that "the public library is the working man's college. Use it." The libraries circulated flyers in Italian and Polish and advertised the availability of "books for businessmen" at ferry terminals and books "for mothers" at the Astoria milk station, recounts Jeffrey Kroessler in his centennial history of the Queens Library, Lighting the Way.
The library's second big responsibility was to help kids, including those whose parents worked too hard to supervise them adequately. For Carnegie, one could find "no use to which money could be applied so productive of good to boys and girls who have good within them and ability and ambition to develop it, as the founding of a public library in a community which is willing to support it as a municipal institution." Children's librarians, introduced a decade or so after the Queens Library's official founding,
pioneered story hours and lobbied to keep branches open evenings, noting that 12- to 14-year-olds came to the library "because they've no place else that is equally wholesome to go." The library soon boasted hours more typical today of a customer-friendly retail store than of a government institution: "seven days a week, from 9 to
9 daily, and 4 to 9 Sundays—a total of 77 hours
a week—and holiday mornings from 9 to 11."
Queens Library directors didn't allow grand plans to carry them away. When Carnegie awarded his library grant, the "original plan was to erect three grand edifices," Kroessler writes. Instead, Queens built eight modest but dispersed branches, so that residents of the aptly named Far Rockaway, for example, wouldn't have to travel several miles to admire a "grand edifice" when all they wanted was to borrow books. As the borough's population continued to increase, the Queens Library built more small outposts. Today, no Queens resident lives more than a mile from one of the library's 63 branches.
The Queens Library stuck to its traditional mission, even after the borough's demography changed and a very different idea of how to achieve social uplift—emphasizing victimhood and government handouts, not self-empowerment—became prevalent in the sixties. When poor blacks from the south and from Manhattan and Brooklyn flocked to parts of Queens after World War II, the library ably served the newcomers, expanding into six newly built housing projects and using its bookmobile to introduce poor black children to reading. During the sixties, when other nonprofits were embracing
the new welfare-state ethos, the library focused on introducing books to bookless homes and teaching parents in low-income neighborhoods like the South Jamaica Houses how to read to their children.
As immigration and upward mobility have continued to reinvigorate Queens over the last two decades, circulation has doubled. Last year, 811,000 "active borrowers"—nearly 40 percent of the borough's population—visited the library 14.3 million times, borrowing 20 million items. Each year, the library lends an average of nine books or other items for each Queens resident, more than twice the per-capita number of volumes than the New York Public Library lends in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Queens's per-capita number puts it near the top in library circulation nationwide, just behind San Jose and Phoenix. Half a million people a year attend at least one of the library's free educational programs, ranging from homework help sessions to classes on dining etiquette to academic lecture series on such topics as "The Path of the Ancient Greek Philosophers" and "Turkey's Entrance into the EU: Problems and Prospects."
But numbers don't convey the full extent of the public's demand. On one recent Tuesday at the Flushing branch, a dozen or so people
were there a quarter-hour before the official opening time of 1 pm, waiting to get in. Just a half-hour into its day, the Flushing library becomes as crowded as a bus station, with patrons browsing the amply stacked bookstands, working on computers, and reading and writing at tables. Despite the crowds, the library stays quiet, suggesting that a certain reverence goes with the enthusiasm. Even children and teenagers, though they run and holler up the library's outdoor steps, hush without prompting once inside and get right to work.
Because nearly half of the residents of Queens are foreign-born, one of the library's most
practical services is to help the borough's African, Asian, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern immigrants assimilate into American society, just as
it helped German, Italian, and Eastern European immigrants become citizens a century ago. The library is particularly effective at this task, because it recognizes a key truth lost on many contemporary immigrant-advocacy groups: newcomers can't succeed in America unless they speak English. Hence the library's wildly popular, and free, English-for-Speakers-of-a-Second-Language program—the largest such initiative in the nation, serving 3,000 students annually. Each semester, the program must turn people away, sometimes two prospective students for every one who gets a slot.
Take the Number 7 train to Main Street in Flushing, walk two blocks to the spacious four-story curved-glass library, and you'll see how keen many Queens newcomers are to learn English. In the basement adult learning center, as many as 40 students will be listening to English-pronunciation CDs, doing grammar exercises
on computers, watching language videos, reading vocabulary texts, and engaging in halting conversation with one another in a new tongue. One recent Thursday morning, a dozen adult students listened intently as a librarian took them on a tour of the center, explaining in slow, clear English the wealth of materials available. When she'd finished, the students eagerly examined the shelves, filled with books on everything from basic vocabulary to idioms, as if they'd stumbled upon a treasure trove.
While many students can learn to read and even write English on their own, several told me, they cannot learn to speak it by themselves—and often there's no one to practice with at home. That's why so many students crowd into the library's English classes. During the first session of a nine-week class at the Flushing branch, focusing on job readiness, nine immigrant students—their backgrounds ranging from Ecuador to Bulgaria to China—met in a room with walls papered with large-print conjugations of irregular English verbs. Instructor Heather Dutiel detailed in careful cadence the basics of looking for a job in America, explaining tricky verbs—the difference between "have you" and "do you"—at points in the lecture. After some instruction, Dutiel showed sample resumés and asked the students to discuss their job searches among themselves. The students, with various English-fluency levels, spoke tentatively in their only common language, asking what kind of employment each sought—"Full- or part-time?" "In Queens or Manhattan?"—then writing down the answers to read to the class.
The course satisfies a real hunger for self-improvement. Sandra, 33, came here nine months ago from China and works in a bakery on Main Street, Flushing. She'd love to learn enough English—"telephone English," as she puts it—to find better-paying work in a Manhattan office. Galina Stoyanova, 38, was a college-educated engineer with nearly two decades' work experience in Bulgaria, but she applied with her husband for the green-card lottery, wanting their 12-year-old to get an
American education. Because Galina isn't English-proficient, she's had to work at a discount store near Times Square to pay the bills. She wants to learn enough English to begin working again in her field.
Similar striving animates the Central Library of Queens, in Jamaica: on any weekday, nearly two dozen students diligently work in the adult
learning center annex until the 8:30 closing time. One recent evening, eight students showed
up for a conversation group, several of them
after long workdays. Volunteer instructor Chris Miller asked them to introduce themselves, gently prodding them with questions about their home countries and current jobs. He then asked what the "three best things" were about living
in New York. Students invariably included
the word "freedom" in their answers—and they
clearly view the library's resources as a key stepping-off point for making the most of
that freedom.
Rachel Labonte, soft-spoken and poised, came here alone from Haiti two years ago and works at a Long Island 7-Eleven. She praises America's "advantage" in educational opportunity, and she plans to enroll at Queensborough Community College, with the hope of becoming a psychologist. Taking advantage of the library's programs, she'll take her English-proficiency test for college entrance in November. Mathilde, from Morocco and now working in an electronics store, marvels that "with English" she could "have any job," while Duge Desforge, also from Haiti, hopes to resume his civil engineering career once he's proficient.
Some immigrants take the library's language classes not only for themselves but also to help their kids flourish. "My little sons prefer to speak in English," says Ecuadoran immigrant Monica Davila of her nine- and 11-year-old boys. "What happens is, my kids say, 'you speak everything wrong.' " When she joined her first conversation group at the Jamaica branch two years ago, she knew no English, but "I practice and practice," she says—and it shows.
At the Corona branch, where the surrounding population is 80 percent Hispanic and 70 percent foreign-born, Marcela, an earnest 29-year-old who came to America from Mexico six years ago, bubbles over with the desire to learn. To assist her children in school, "I need English," she says, straining to understand my questions. With difficulty, she explains that her American-born children, aged three and five, already far outpace her in English proficiency. Her more fluent husband works from dawn to night in a local deli, so he has no time to help her learn the new language. In part to improve her English, Marcela has signed up for the library's morning crafts class, and she has tried to register twice for filled-up language classes. To help meet this kind of demand, the Corona branch invites parents to take ten weeks of "Clases de Inglés para la Familia" with their kids.
Even for children whose parents don't take the classes, the branch is often a first introduction to English, says librarian Damini Patel. In the children's section, mothers chat quietly in Spanish as their children play and read; the English-language picture books for toddlers seem just as worn as the Spanish-language books. As for older kids, they "tell their parents, 'take me to the library,' when the parents can't help with homework because they don't know enough English," Patel says.
Branch manager Diane Vitale says that while many of the library's Hispanic parents aren't "highly educated themselves, they're determined that their children get a good education." The parents consistently attend story times and toddler-literacy classes, Vitale says, and will send older children to the library several times a week, desperate for them to speak English well so that they can better their circumstances.
In addition to English classes, the library presents immigrants with something almost equally important to success in their new country: an understanding of American history, politics, and culture. The Flushing adult learning center offers walls of easy-to-read books on American government, culture, and citizenship, as well as introductory editions of the canon of English-language literature, from Jack London to Mark Twain. On nearby shelves beckon slim biographies of such key figures of American history as George Washington and Frederick Douglass, with difficult words highlighted and explained. Inspirational in a different way is an easy-to-read version of Goldman Sachs: The Culture of Success, chronicling the august investment-banking firm's founding a century ago—by immigrants. The Jamaica branch center offers similar texts, from biographies of notables like Sandra Day O'Connor to the collections 101 American Customs and 101 American Superstitions, which explain holidays like Halloween. A slim in-house pamphlet, "The Open Door of Our Lives," features past students recounting how the Queens Library helped them seize opportunity. "I came from Africa," writes Dariata. "Now I have my own salon."
The Queens Library offers formal citizenship classes, too. At one evening session in
Jamaica, volunteer Margaret O'Sullivan
patiently corrected translations and pronunciation as her 12 students read aloud texts on how America works, why the Pilgrims came here, and what the Bill of Rights guarantees. Signs of civic pride festooned the walls, including a poster proclaiming, "Congratulations! Hasna Harun is a U.S. citizen" and an American flag covered with variations of such student sentiments as "I came to America to have a better life."
To help the most ambitious newcomers pursue their dreams, Flushing's International Resource Center offers more than 60,000 books and magazines, many devoted to economics and business, in 50 languages. Texts on economic regulations in the American states stand shoulder-to-shoulder with corporate case studies in Chinese dialects. On the two afternoons when I visited, nearly every chair in the center had an occupant.
Perhaps New York's most striking confirmation of Carnegie's faith in libraries as engines
of social uplift is the Queens Library's modest Arverne branch, in the shadow of the elevated A-train tracks that ring Far Rockaway. Serving one of Queens's poorest neighborhoods, Arverne overflows with the "at risk" African-American teens whom antipoverty programs often target for help—teens who enthusiastically grasp the opportunities that the branch offers them.
One afternoon this fall, dozens of preteens and teens crowded into the tiny building. About ten of them, students at P.S. or I.S. 105, competed in, or watched, two chess matches—one of them played on a board that the students had made out of cardboard and origami paper. "Don't move without looking first," volunteer Lawrence McBride directed a 12-year-old boy. "I would have covered the bishop first," counsels a student watching the game. "I don't know why I sacrificed that pawn," another says. "I don't know why you did, either," a third replies.
Waiting for a turn, 12-year-old Sabla says that she plays because it "helps [me] to concentrate" in school. Karizma, also 12, who wants someday to go to Harvard Law, has
"never lost" at chess since she started playing last year. She reports that she has collected dozens of strategies to "think about how to start the game, what to do first." Mercedes, 14, a student at Saint Rose of Lima, has her mind set on UCLA, to do something with "science and animals"; she likes chess because it's "challenging." McBride engages the students when they're shy, saying of 11-year-old Christopher, "He's
gotten really good since April." He also eyes potential recruits, corralling one six-year-old boy making noise in the children's section to "come watch your brother win."
The middle-aged McBride, who taught the game to his own two children decades ago, runs the chess club three times weekly, he says, because encouraging abstract thinking and patient deliberation, as chess does, will help neighborhood students "excel academically," particularly in math. He's pleased when the students come to him with homework questions.
Arverne library clerk Yvonne Burks also encourages young strivers. She showed me a thick stack of book reports assigned in her after-school program that lets students "read down" library fines. Burks holds hour-long seminars on everything from sewing buttons to applying to college. "People think—and I'll just say it—that because we're a black neighborhood, we don't have high achievers. But we have many high achievers here," she said, citing students who have gone on to college and who return to the library to visit or volunteer.
Arverne's librarians keep a special eye on teenage boys, even hiring a few who've been regulars there. Hayward Pelt, 19, a tall, reserved senior at Beach Channel High School, tells
me that he started spending afternoons at
the library when he was 11 or 12 and has
"matured since then." His part-time job is a good fit, he says, because "I have to read a lot for school"; librarians know when he has a lot of schoolwork and give him time to study. He'd like to attend San Bernardino Valley College, following his brother's footsteps, and major
in architecture.
Like the other Queens Library branches, Arverne offers a simple, but crucial, benefit: a quiet place to study. There's no chaos such
as reigns in some of these kids' schools and homes, but no lockdown supervision, either. As Arverne's manager, Sharon Anderson, put it, "Here the students aren't guarded. They're
assisted." Each afternoon, dozens of children
and teens quietly read, do homework, or use
the library's computers, asking for help at their own pace; adults also come in looking for information on the GED or for help in preparing a
resumé. When the students' voices grow too loud, Anderson's stern warning—"this is a library"—settles them down. Khadijah, an articulate 12-year-old who wants to be a pediatrician, has been doing her homework at the library since she
was little. Last year, when she needed help for her upcoming standardized math test, the library's after-school tutor, "Miss Stacy," was always obliging. "It worried me a lot," Khadijah said of the test, "so I came in every day and prepared."
Libraries were the government's first experiment in public-private social uplift, and one of the most successful. But as New York has allowed social-services spending to devour its budget over the past half-century, the city has neglected these critical institutions. While the city does fund capital improvements to libraries (with debt), it hasn't provided the money that they need to keep the long weekday and weekend hours that their hardworking, and often long-commuting, patrons need. The typical Queens branch's hours—39 per week—are a far cry from the 77 hours that libraries kept their doors open in the early twentieth century, faithful to Carnegie's vision.
With more resources, the library would "keep the doors open" longer, says director Thomas Galante, especially on weekends, when working people are free to come. "We have wonderful things to offer inside, but people can't get to them when the library is closed." And, of course, the library could buy more books: the $10 million it spent on acquisitions last year
is down $2 million from 1999, and the library's total annual spending, about $94 million, would be a rounding error in Gotham's $2.2 billion public assistance bill. With more resources, the branches could provide more homework monitors and more classes in topics such as GED preparation and English-language instruction. Several librarians, including at Arverne, told me that they'd like to contract for professional SAT-prep classes and competitive high school exam classes as well.
But despite his plans to do more to fight poverty, Mayor Bloomberg has in fact cut the library's budget, so that only 30 percent of its branches can now stay open on at least one weekend day, compared with over 90 percent before the cut. Critics would argue that the library isn't an antipoverty program, since it depends on self-selection: people have to want to do well for the library to work. But to combat poverty, why not start by helping the many poor people who want to help themselves, like those thronging the libraries of Queens?


text:
Thomas & Friends: Magical Tracks – Kids Train Set
GET ALL THE TOYS! By Budge Studios
Play mini games and build your own magical train set in the ultimate Thomas & Friends™ adventure!
Budge Studios™ presents Thomas & Friends™: Magical Tracks! Packed with interactive mini games, this customizable magical train set lets your little conductors shape their own fun adventure. Ride the rails with all your favorite engines and collect all the toys and decorations you need to create your very own Island of Sodor! What magical adventures will you build today?
• DRIVE your engine at your own speed
• PICK Thomas, Emily or 14 other engines!
• PLAY with Ashima and Raul from the movie The Great Race!
• WIN toys and decorations to customize your train set
• RIDE freely and blow the whistle!
• RIDE the canyon rapids!
• BALANCE your engine on your way down Crazy Coaster Mountain!
• TRANSPORT various passengers and cargo
• HOSE down your engine to make it shine
• RACE against fellow engines!
• CLEAR the tracks of animals and debris
• OUTRUN the boulder in the Boulder Chase
• JUMP over the broken bridge!
Budge Studios takes children's privacy seriously and ensures that its apps are compliant with privacy laws, including the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a privacy legislation in the United States of America. If you would like to learn more on what information we collect and how we use it, please visit our privacy policy at: . If you have any questions, email our Privacy Officer at : [email protected]
Budge Studios™ was founded in 2010 with the mission to entertain and educate children around the world, through innovation, creativity and fun. Its high-quality app portfolio consists of original and branded properties, including Barbie, Thomas & Friends, Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, The Smurfs, Miss Hollywood, Hello Kitty and Crayola. Budge Studios maintains the highest standards of safety and age-appropriateness, and has become a global leader in children's apps for smartphones and tablets. Budge Playgroup™ is an innovative program that allows kids and parents to actively participate in the creation of new apps.
Visit us:
Like us: facebook.com/budgestudios
Follow us: @budgestudios
Watch our app trailers: youtube.com/budgestudios
We always welcome your questions, suggestions and comments. Contact us 24/7 at [email protected]
Before you download this game, please note that this app is free to play, but additional content may be available via in-app purchases. It also may contain advertising from Budge Studios Inc. regarding other apps we publish and from partners, and social media links that are only accessible behind a parental gate.
BUDGE and BUDGE STUDIOS are trademarks of Budge Studios Inc.
Budge Studios Web SiteThomas & Friends: Magical Tracks – Kids Train Set Support
What's New in Version 1.1
Minor improvements. Thank you for playing Thomas & Friends: Magical Tracks!


text:
First Amendment left intact
on Apr 20, 2010 at 10:11 am
Refusing to remove another form of expression from the protection of the First Amendment, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 8-1 that the government lacks the power to outlaw expressions of animal cruelty, when that is done in videotapes and other commercial media. The Court noted that it had previously withdrawn "a few historic categories" of speech from the First Amendment's shield, but concluded that "depictions of animal cruelty should not be added to the list." The decision nullified a 1999 federal law passed by Congress in an attempt to curb animal cruelty by forbidding its depiction. That law, the Court said, sweeps too broadly.
The Court, in an opinion written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., stressed that it was not restricting the power of government to punish actual acts of animal cruelty, and it noted that such prohibitions have "a long history in American law" and now are on the books in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. But it said there was no similar history behind Congress's attempt to ban video or other portrayals of acts of cruelty to living creatures.
The law had been challenged by Robert J. Stevens, a Pittsville, VA, author and producer of documentary films. He specializes in promoting the popularity of the Pit Bull breed of dogs. His business, named "Dogs of Velvet and Steel," sells information and dog-handling equipment about his favorite breed. Undercover federal agents had bought from him copies of films, including one made in Japan documenting modern-day dog fights in that country and in the U.S., showing considerable cruelty. Stevens' had claimed that the aim of his publications was to provide historical perspective on dog fighting. On the basis of that film and other materials found in Stevens' home, he was charged with and convicted of violating the 1999 law, and was sentenced to 37 months in prison. A federal judge rejected his First Amendment challenge to the law, but the en banc Third Circuit Court struck it down. That is the result the Supreme Court upheld Tuesday in the case of U.S. v. Stevens (08-769), with only Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., dissenting.
While the Court conceded that Congress had passed the law to try to stop interstate trafficking in so-called "crush videos," showing the actual killing of cats, dogs and other small animals by stomping or other intensely cruel methods, it said the resulting law itself reached far more than that kind of portrayal. Limiting the law's reach to those depictions, the opinion said, would require the Court to give "an unrealistically broad reading" to the exceptions Congress wrote into the law.
As written, the Court said, the law "creates a criminal prohibition of alarming breadth." Noting that the government had given assurances that it would enforce the law only against commercial portrayals of "extreme cruelty," the Chief Justice wrote that the Court would not uphold an unconstitutional law "merely because the government promises to use it responsibly."
The Justice Department had defended the law by arguing that portrayals of animal cruelty, as a group, simply had no protection at all under the First Amendment, in the same way that obscenity, libel and fraud are unprotected. The Court rejected that argument, saying that the 1999 law regulates expression of the basis of its content, its message. That makes the law invalid under the First Amendment, the Court said, unless the government can overcome that presumption.
Roberts wrote: "The Government proposes that a claim of categorical exclusion should be considered under a simple balancing test: 'Whether a given category of speech enjoys First Amendment protection depends upon a categorical balancing of the value of the speech against its societal costs." Calling that "a free-floating test for First Amendment coverage" and a "highly manipulable balancing test," the Chief Justice said the test was "startling and dangerous. The First Amendment's guarantee of free speech does not extend only to categories of speech that survive an ad hoc balancing of relative costs and benefits. The First Amendment itself reflects a judgment by the American people that the benefits of its restrictions on the Government outweigh the costs. Our Constitution forecloses any attempt to revise that judgment simply on the basis that some speech is not worth it."
Recalling its precedent putting child pornography outside the First Amendment, the opinion said that the Court had done so because the depictions of such pornography was necessarily linked to actual abuse of children in the production of such materials. That approach, and other cases discussing what the First Amendment does not protect, the Court added, "cannot be taken as establishing a freewheeling authority to declare new categories of speech outside the scope of the First Amendment." While there may be some categories of speech not yet identified that could be placed outside the First Amendment, "there is no evidence that 'depictions of animal cruelty' is among them," the Court said.
The Court then went on to analyze the 1999 law under traditional First Amendment principles, and found it went too far. The law makes it a crime, with up to five years in prison, to make, seell or possess a "depiction of animal cruelty," if any of those acts is done for commercial gain. It defines "animal cruelty" depiction as one in which a living animal "is intentionally maimed, mutilated, tortured, wounded, or killed," provided that the action violates a federal or state law. The law says that it does not apply to depictions if they have "serious religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical, or artistic value."
While the Court and the Third Circuit agreed that the law was invalid, the two tribunals did so for different constitutional reasons. The Third Circuit found the law invalid as written — that is, the words of the law itself could never be enforced, in any situation. The Supreme Court, however, found that it could not be enforced because of its "overbreadth" — that is, it was so broadly worded that its enforcement could reach many kinds of portrayals that did not even involve cruelty, and might not even involve anything that was illegal.
Justice Alito, in dissent, argued that the Court should not have used the overbreadth approach, but rather should have analyzed the 1999 law as it was enforced specifically against Roberts Stevens in this particular case — that is, the law as applied to this set of facts.  While disagreeing with his colleagues that the law swept too broadly, Alito said that the Court should have sent the case back to the Third Circuit to decide whether Stevens' videotapes were illegal under the law.
The Chief Justice's opinion for the Court said explicitly that the Justices were not deciding whether the Constitution would allow a law that was limited only to "crush videos" or "other depictions of extreme animal cruelty." Justice Alito, however, said that the Court opinion "tacitly assumed for the sake of argument" that such laws would be valid.
Alito's dissent suggested that the federal law should be interpreted in a way that would save its constitutionality — for example, by concluding that the law simply did not apply to any depictions of hunting. "I do not have the slightest doubt that Congress…had no intention of restricting the creation, sale, or possession of depictions of hunting," he wrote. He added that other activities the Court found could be covered by the sweeping law could be put beyond the law's reach by including them under the exceptions clause of the statute.
On the broader question of what categories of expression should be put outside the First Amendment's protection, Justice Alito argued that "crush videos" should not be shielded "because they are so closely linked with violent criminal conduct," which itself gets no constitutional protection. He wrote: "The videos record the commission of violent criminal acts, and it appears that these crimes are committed for the sole purpose of creating the videos." And, he added, Congress had before it "compelling evidence" that the only way to prevent the crime of animal cruelty was to target the sale of the videos — a perception that, Alito suggested, seemed to have been proven when the passage of the 1999 law led within a few years to destruction of the "crush video industry," only to have it revive after the Third Circuit struck down that law.


text:
Exterior Product Fabric Canopies
Filter products by application:
An exterior TensileFabric structure offers year-round protection from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Whatever the purpose of your structure, it means you can play, eat, learn, relax, move around in your outdoor space for longer as you are covered.
As well as protecting you from the sun, our structures are all attention seeking with a strong design and offer a contemporary look for any setting.
As well as outdoor sunshades, we also create interior sunshades to protect people inside from the glare and heat of the sun.
Our extensive knowledge of fabrics, and the way they perform internally, means we understand how they should be best used, and find the solution yielding the best result.
For example, a fabric sun shade demands that the structure is the right shape, orientated to screen the tracking sun, made from the correct material to keep enough visible light out, while also being easy to clean and ultimately attractive to look at. All these aspects make it a lot more than just a sun shade.


text:
The Role of a Facilitator
The Role of a Facilitator
In many types of group situation, and particularly in complex discussions or those where people have different views and interests, good facilitation can make the difference between success and failure.
We are all feeling it: the pressure to build smart, innovative organizations. How do leaders and their organizations craft a learning organization? By creating safe and involving environments where people can identify and solve problems, plan together, make collaborative decisions, resolve their own conflicts and self-manage as responsible adults. Facilitative mind and skill sets are essential ingredients to making real a learning organization.
By definition, a facilitator is "a person…that makes an action or process easy or easier." If ever there was an insufficient definition for something, this is it.
Effective facilitators have to wear many hats in any given session. The role encompasses presentation abilities, training abilities, people skills, project management – and more. This person has to keep the group focused, take them deeper with a topic, and (sometimes) keep a potentially volatile situation at bay. This is a dynamic role in which the facilitator is delivering important content and helping to engage productive interactions without necessarily knowing as much as the individuals he or she is facilitating.
In short, a good facilitator is focused on the topic at hand, the interaction process and participants, and the optimal path to reach the objective. This is a complex balancing act that requires numerous skill sets.
Introduction to Facilitation
Facilitation is a technique used by trainers to help learners acquire, retain, and apply knowledge and skills. Participants are introduced to content and then ask questions while the trainer fosters the discussion, takes steps to enhance the experience for the learners, and gives suggestions. They do not, however, do the work for the group; instead, they guide learners toward a specific learning outcome.
A good facilitator possesses the following skills:
Advanced preparation
Clear communication
Active listening
Asking questions
Establishing a psychologically safe environment for sharing
Creating focus amongst the group
Unbiased objectivity
Managing the group decision process
A skilled facilitator is like the sails of a ship. They guide the team onboard where they need to go, with no objective other than to lead the team to their destination. A team can navigate a meeting without sails, but it is much easier and more effective if they have facilitation skills to guide them. Facilitator Course
What Is a Facilitator?
The definition of facilitate is "to make easy" or "ease a process." What a facilitator does is plan, guide and manage a group event to ensure that the group's objectives are met effectively, with clear thinking, good participation and full buy-in from everyone who is involved.
To facilitate effectively, you must be objective. This doesn't mean you have to come from outside the organization or team, though. It simply means that, for the purposes of this group process, you will take a neutral stance. You step back from the detailed content and from your own personal views, and focus purely on the group process. (The "group process" is the approach used to manage discussions, get the best from all members, and bring the event through to a successful conclusion. How you design this depends on many factors, and we'll explore this in a little more detail later in the article. The secret of great facilitation is a group process that flows – and with it will flow the group's ideas, solutions, and decisions too.) Facilitator Course
Your key responsibility as a facilitator is to create this group process and an environment in which it can flourish, and so help the group reach a successful decision, solution or conclusion. Facilitator Course
Originally posted 2021-10-06 13:12:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter